Uttar Pradesh: Accident takes 34 lives

India: A bus from the Uttar Pradesh roadways and a mini-truck collided near the highway, thirty-four people have been confirmed dead in the accident.

The accident occurred when a speeding bus of the Uttar Pradesh Roadways slammed into the mini-truck on a highway near Badayun. Witnesses claimed the mini-truck was completely totalled in the crash.
The mini-truck was ferrying members of a funeral procession from Badayun when it was hit by the bus coming from the opposite side. According to one of the survivors, they were returning after performing last rites of a relative. He said that at least 50 people have died in this accident. Soon after the incident, locals rushed to the spot to rescue the survivors from the mangled remains of the vehicles. Meanwhile District Magistrate of Badayun, revealed that 34 people were confirmed dead in the incident, while 10 were reported injured.A bus from the Uttar Pradesh roadways and a mini-truck collided near the highway. Thirty-four people have been confirmed dead in the accident.

India district bans cell phones for unmarried women

UTTAR PARDESH: A local council in northern India has banned unmarried women from carrying mobile telephones to halt a series of illicit romances between partners from different castes, media reports said Wednesday.

The Baliyan council in Uttar Pradesh state decided to act after at least 23 young couples ran away and got married over the last year against their parents’ wishes.

“The panchayat (assembly) was convinced that the couples planned their elopement over their cell phones,” village elder Jatin Raghuvanshi told the Calcutta Telegraph.

The rules of inter-caste marriages are complicated and extremely rigid in many rural communities in India, with some lovers even murdered in “honour killings” by relatives trying to protect their family’s reputation.

“All parents were told to ensure their unmarried daughters do not use cell phones. The boys can do

Subhash Ghai to open Whistling Woods International in Haryana

Whistling Woods International (WWI) is all set to branch out and set up its campus at Jhajjar in Haryana. This will be the institute’s second facility in India, after its campus at Filmcity in Mumbai.

During his recent visit to Mumbai, Mr. Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Chief Minister, Haryana along with his delegation of high-level government officials visited the institute and interacted with Mr. Subhash Ghai and the team at WWI. Mr. Hooda was impressed with the filmmaking techniques, the course structure and the state-of-the-art facilities offered at WWI and described the institute as an excellent place for students to learn from the best. He said that Mr. Ghai was marching ahead of time as he felt strongly that the real competition for resources would be in the field of education and skill development; and that the areas and states blessed with quality education would be the real leaders in the time to come. He was delighted that a campus with this vision would be available to the students of Haryana and adjoining states.

Speaking on the occasion and complimenting Mr. Hooda for his visionary approach in the field of education and other areas, Mr. Subhash Ghai, Founder and Chairman, Whistling Woods International said, “Haryana has made tremendous progress under the leadership of Mr. Hooda and the whole of India is appreciating it. Haryana is a state with huge potential, with young budding talent. This institute will give an opportunity to these young aspiring film-makers to chase their dreams.”

The institute is being set up in a 20-acre sprawling campus at Jhajjar in Haryana and will provide world-class film, television, animation and media education. The integrated model will also include space for shooting floors, studios and various commercial complexes. With a planned investment on the project of over Rs.100 crore, the institute campus will be ready within three years. This institute will cater to the whole of North India, including Punjab, Rajasthan, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Jammu & Kashmir besides Haryana.

Poet Mustafa Zaidi’s 40th death anniversary today

Staff Report

KARACHI: Today marks the 40th death anniversary of Mustafa Zaidi. He is remembered as one of the few progressive Urdu poets of the 20th century. His work and literary accomplishments remain popular and relevant today. He died under mysterious circumstances on October 12, 1970, leaving behind many controversies.

Zaidi was born on October 16, 1930 in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh (UP), India to Syed Lakhte Hasnain and Binte Haider. His father was a senior official in the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the UP Province with roots in Meman Saadat, a village in district Bijnor. Mustafa Zaidi grew up in a household with five older half brothers and was the second of three biological brothers.

Mustafa Zaidi received his early education at home from a Maulvi Saheb and a local madrassa in Allahabad. From 1936 to 1945, he attended Modern High School

Babri Mosque case: Disputed land to be divided

Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court announced its judgment on the Ayodhya Babri Mosque case, apparently ruling in favour of the Hindus. According to the verdict, the disputed site would be divided into three parts; two parts of which would be used for the temple while a mosque can be built on the third part.
Ramlala idol will not be removed from disputed site in Ayodhya. The court also called upon both the rival parties to decide the matter through negotiation. Earlier, more than 200,000 police officials were deployed across India and temporary jails were set up as the government prepared for possible Hindu-Muslim riots. The government had also appealed for calm once the court gave its verdict. From the capital New Delhi to the financial hub Mumbai, many Indians stayed home ahead of the decision and stocked up on food in apprehension of the verdict. However, commentators said the verdict is unlikely to spark widespread riots that hit Mumbai and other cities in 1992.Political parties had also called for calm and there is little electoral headway to be made in egging on religious riots in post-economic reform India. Armed police set up checkpoints across Ayodhya, which had a deserted feel, guarded Muslim homes, a roughly 3,000 people minority in the town of 70,000 inhabitants.Wary of these two sides being provoked into fighting, the government had banned bulk mobile text messaging nationally to prevent the spread of rumours and religious extremism.
The detailed verdict on this case can be viewed at www.allahabadhighcourt.in.
Timeline of Ayudhya crisis
Since the 16th century when the mosque was built, this site has been the focal point for religious riots. Here’s a timeline of the disputed holy site
1528: A mosque is built on the site which some Hindus say marks the spot where one of the most revered deities in Hinduism, Lord Rama, was born.
1853: First recorded incidents of religious violence at the site.
1859: British colonial administration erects a fence to separate the places of worship, allowing the inner court to be used by Muslims and the outer court by Hindus.
1949: Idols of Lord Rama appear inside mosque allegedly placed there by Hindus. Muslims protest, and both parties file civil suits. The government proclaims the premises a disputed area and locks the gates.
1984: Hindus form a committee to liberate the birth-place of Lord Rama and build a temple in his honour, spearheaded by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad party (VHP).
Then Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Lal Krishna Advani, now home minister, takes over leadership of campaign.
1986: District judge orders the gates of the disputed mosque opened to allow Hindus to worship there. Muslims set up Babri Mosque Action Committee in protest.
1989: VHP steps up campaign, laying the foundations of a Rama temple on land adjacent to the disputed mosque.
1990: VHP volunteers partially damage the mosque. Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar tries to resolve the dispute through negotiations, which fail the next year.
1991: BJP comes to power in Uttar Pradesh state, where Ayodhya is located.
1992: The mosque is torn down by supporters of the VHP, the Shiv Sena party and the BJP, prompting nationwide rioting between Hindus and Muslims in which more than 2,000 people die.
1998: The BJP forms coalition government under Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.
2001: Tensions rise on the anniversary of the demolition of the mosque. VHP pledges again to build Hindu temple at the site.
Jan 2002: Mr Vajpayee sets up an Ayodhya cell in his office and appoints a senior official, Shatrughna Singh, to hold talks with Hindu and Muslim leaders.
Feb 2002: BJP rules out committing itself to the construction of a temple in its election manifesto for Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. VHP confirms deadline of 15 March to begin construction. Hundreds of volunteers converge on site. At least 58 people are killed in an attack on a train in Godhra which is carrying Hindu activists returning from Ayodhya.
Mar 2002: Between 1,000 and 2,000 people, mostly Muslims, die in riots in Gujarat following the train attack.
Apr 2002: Three High Court judges begin hearings on determining who owns the religious site.
Jan 2003: Archaeologists begin a court-ordered survey to find out whether a temple to Lord Rama existed on the site.
Aug 2003: The survey says there is evidence of a temple beneath the mosque, but Muslims dispute the findings. Mr Vajpayee says at the funeral of Hindu activist Ramchandra Das Paramhans that he will fulfil the dying man’s wishes and build a temple at Ayodhya. However, he hopes the courts and negotiations will solve the issue.
Sept 2003: A court rules that seven Hindu leaders should stand trial for inciting the destruction of the Babri Mosque, but no charges are brought against Mr Advani, now deputy prime minister, who was also at the site in 1992.
Oct 2004: Mr Advani says his party still has unwavering commitment to building a temple at Ayodhya, which he said was inevitable.
Nov 2004: A court in Uttar Pradesh rules that an earlier order which exonerated Mr Advani for his role in the destruction of the mosque should be reviewed.
July 2005: Suspected Islamic militants attack the disputed site, using a jeep laden with explosives to blow a hole in the wall of the complex. Security forces kill five people they say are militants, and a sixth who was not immediately identified.
June 2009: The Liberhan commission investigating events leading up to the mosque’s demolition submits its report – 17 years after it began its inquiry.
Nov 2009: There is uproar in parliament as the Liberhan commission’s report is published and it blames leading politicians from the Hindu nationalist BJP for a role in the mosque’s razing.
Sept 2010: Supreme Court clears way for Allahabad High Court to issue final ruling on whether the land should go to Hindus or Muslims. Government appeals for calm.

India court says mosque site to be divided

LUCKNOW: A court ruled on Thursday the site of a demolished mosque in India would be divided between Hindus and Muslims, in a ruling that could appease both groups in one of the country’s most divisive cases.

The court in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh also ruled that Hindu idols could stay on the disputed land, lawyers added.

The demolition of the 16th century mosque by Hindu mobs in 1992 triggered some of India’s worst riots that killed about 2,000 people. More than 200,000 police fanned out in India on Thursday to guard against any communal violence.

If the ruling soothes tensions, it would be a boost for the the ruling Congress party, a left-of-centre group with secular roots, that does not want to upset either voter bloc. Major political parties had called for calm.

The verdict came only days before Sunday’s opening of the Commonwealth Games

India court says mosque site to be divided

LUCKNOW: A court ruled on Thursday the site of a demolished mosque in India would be divided between Hindus and Muslims, in a ruling that could appease both groups in one of the country’s most divisive cases.

The court in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh also ruled that Hindu idols could stay on the disputed land, lawyers added.

The demolition of the 16th century mosque by Hindu mobs in 1992 triggered some of India’s worst riots that killed about 2,000 people. More than 200,000 police fanned out in India on Thursday to guard against any communal violence.

If the ruling soothes tensions, it would be a boost for the the ruling Congress party, a left-of-centre group with secular roots, that does not want to upset either voter bloc. Major political parties had called for calm.

The verdict came only days before Sunday’s opening of the Commonwealth Games

India court splits mosque site between religions

LUCKNOW: An Indian court ruled on Thursday that the site of a demolished mosque would be split between Hindus and Muslims, dousing immediate fears of a violent backlash in one of the country’s most religiously divisive cases.

The Uttar Pradesh court also ruled Hindus will be allowed to keep a makeshift temple that was built over the demolished central mosque dome, sparking celebrations by priests who dipped in a nearby river chanting “The temple is now ours”.

The 1992 demolition of the 16th century mosque in northern India by Hindu mobs triggered some of India’s worst riots that killed about 2,000 people. More than 200,000 police fanned out in India on Thursday to guard against any communal violence.

If the ruling soothes tensions, it would be a boost for the the ruling Congress party, a left-of-centre group with secular roots, that does not want to upset

Babri mosque verdict: India beefs up security

India braced Thursday for a court ruling on a bitter Hindu-Muslim dispute, which led to the razing of Babri mosque in 1992 and subsequent riots in which 2,000 people died.
Thousands of paramilitary police have been deployed around the north Indian town of Ayodhya home to the 16th century Babri mosque, which was demolished by Hindu extremists in 1992, and is claimed by both religious groups. The High Court in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh will Thursday hand down its ruling on who owns the site, in a judgment which poses serious security concerns for a government preoccupied with hosting the Commonwealth Games, which open in New Delhi on Sunday. The destruction of the mosque sparked some of the worst communal violence in India since the partition of the subcontinent in 1947, leaving 2,000 people, mostly Muslims, dead. The government has issued public appeals for calm ahead of the verdict, as well as placing advertisements in newspapers urging respect for the rule of law and mobilizing tens of thousands of security forces. Home Minister P. Chidambaram on Wednesday said 190,000 security troopers would be on duty across Uttar Pradesh.
Security has been tightened in Ayodhya and 32 other sensitive locations across the country four of them in Uttar Pradesh, Indias most populous state. Security has also been stepped up in Indias financial hub Mumbai where religious tensions have spilled into violence in the past.
Hindus say the Babri mosque was built by the Moghul emperor Babur on the site of a temple marking the birthplace of the Hindu warrior god Ram.
The High Court judgment will turn on three key questions: whether the disputed spot was Rams birthplace, whether the mosque was built after the demolition of a temple and if the mosque had been built in accordance with the tenets of Islam.
Any ruling is likely to be challenged in the Supreme Court.Hindus want to build a Ram temple on the site with some predicting a ruling against them would be greeted with violence.
Since 1992, the site has been cordoned off and guarded by troops. India has avoided any major outbreak of Hindu-Muslim clashes since riots in the western state of Gujarat in 2002.

Babri Mosque’s decision expected today

AYODHYA: India braced for a court ruling Thursday on a bitter Hindu-Muslim dispute over a holy site that will test the secular country’s often tense religious relations.

Thousands of paramilitary police have been deployed around the north Indian town of Ayodhya — home to the 16th century Babri mosque, which was razed by Hindu extremists in 1992, and is claimed by both religious groups.

The High Court in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh will rule on who owns the site in a judgment that poses a serious headache for the government as it gears up to host the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi from Sunday.

The destruction of the mosque sparked some of the worst communal violence in India since the partition of the subcontinent in 1947, leaving 2,000 people, mostly Muslims, dead.

The government has issued public appeals for calm ahead of the verdict, as

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