The Tribune – Devotees allowed to carry Palki Sahib

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, October 22. The SGPC has resumed the practice of allowing devotees to carry the “Palki Sahib” with the Guru Granth Sahib on their shoulders from Sri Akal Takht to Sri Harmandar Sahib early in the morning every day, a day after it came to light that the practice was being disallowed due to delay caused.

While the SGPC Chief Avtar Singh Makkar could not be contacted, his PA Manjeet Singh confirmed that the practice has been resumed. He said though things are back to the normal, if still there are any problems they will hold a meeting with the devotees to sort them out. Earlier, the practice was discontinued reportedly on the orders of the Manager, Darbar Sahib, after the installation of Guru Granth Sahib inside the sanctum sanctorum got delayed by 15 minutes on the birth anniversary of Sri Guru Ram Das allegedly due to the devotees.

The practice to carry “Palki Sahib” holds tremendous significance for the devotees who throng the Golden Temple in the wee hours to participate in the process. As per the tradition, a “Palki” (palanquin) gilded with gold and silver is prepared for bringing Guru Granth Sahib from the Akal Takht to the Harmandar Sahib. Fresh silk brocade, coverings and cushions are laid in the Palki.

A priest (granthi) of the Golden Temple appears with the Guru Granth Sahib on a cushion on his head and the worshippers bow their heads. He places Guru Granth Sahib on the cushions of Palki Sahib. Hymns, accompanied with drums and nagaras fill the air with rhythm, music and piousness.

Within half an hour, the devotees, who line up on either side of the passage to share the honour of carrying the “Palki Sahib”, reach the Darshani Deorhi, along with Guru Granth Sahib. The head priest reverentially carries the Guru Granth Sahib to the sanctum sanctorum for ‘Parkash” (installation) ceremony.

The ceremony is witnessed by a huge rush of devotees and is held between the Akal Takht and the Darshani Deorhi.

The same process is repeated at night for bringing back the Guru Granth Sahib from Harmandar Sahib to the Akal Takht for “Sukh Assan”. The timing of the ceremony though varies as per the season. In summers, the ceremony takes place at 4 in the morning while in winters the time is is 5 am.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20111023/punjab.htm#8

The Hindu – Amicus report lays the ground for chargesheeting Narendra Modi

Rejects SIT’s decision to close case against Gujarat CM

Vidya Subrahmaniam

New Delhi, 23 October 2011. The report of Raju Ramachandran, the amicus curiae in the Zakia Jafri case, has laid the ground for Narendra Modi to be charge-sheeted for his alleged role in the 2002 anti-Muslim Gujarat pogrom.

The report is still confidential, though it has now been shared with the Special Investigation Team set up by the Supreme Court to investigate and prosecute cases stemming from the 2002 violence in which more than 1200 persons were killed.

According to informed sources in Ahmedabad, who briefed The Hindu on the report’s contents, the report strongly disagrees with the SIT’s view that no case against the Gujarat Chief Minister was made out. It says that only the cross-examination of senior Gujarat police officers, including Sanjiv Bhatt — who stated that he was present when Mr. Modi instructed police officials to allow Hindus to vent their anger — could establish whether the Chief Minister was innocent or guilty.

Significantly, the report also says that Mr. Bhatt’s statement was made probable by the presence of two Ministers in the Ahmedabad Police Control Room (PCR) at the time Muslims were being attacked.

If the trial court accepts Mr. Ramachandran’s view, the sources said, the stage will have been set for the prosecution of the Chief Minister under various sections of the IPC, among them, 153 A (statements promoting enmity between communities), 153 B (imputations and assertions prejudicial to national integration) 505 (statements conducing to public mischief) and 166 (public servant disobeying a direction of the law with the intent to cause injury).

Under Section 166, any public servant who disobeys a direction of the law as to how he should conduct himself as a public servant and knowing the act will cause injury is liable to be punished with imprisonment for a term extending to one year. As the chief executive in control of the administration, Mr. Modi was especially under obligation to quell the riots, the sources said.

The SIT was tasked by the Supreme Court to investigate Ms. Jafri’s complaint against Mr. Modi and 61 others. The Court subsequently asked Mr. Ramachandran independently to evaluate the reports filed by the SIT by interacting with witnesses.

The sources said the SIT recommended closing the case against Mr. Modi on the grounds that police officer Bhatt, who was vital to fixing blame on the Chief Minister, was a controversial and unreliable witness. The SIT also concluded that there was no material on record to show interference by the two Ministers who were present in the PCR when Muslims were being attacked across Ahmedabad.

In his testimony to the SIT, Mr. Bhatt had said he was present at the February 27, 2002 meeting where Mr. Modi instructed top police officials to allow Hindus to “vent their anger” against Muslims. The meeting was held late in the evening at the Chief Minister’s Gandhinagar residence. The SIT said none of the other officers present at the meeting had corroborated Mr. Bhatt’s presence.

The sources said the amicus disagreed with the SIT’s conclusions, arguing that evidence has to be weighed and not counted, and this can happen only when Mr. Bhatt and others present at the meeting are cross-examined in the trial court. The amicus’ view was that it would be premature and presumptuous to close the case against Mr. Modi without an adversarial party putting the other officers to rigorous questioning: Mr. Bhatt could turn out to have lied. Equally, other officers present could turn out to have lied.

The amicus was in fact credited with the view that the presence in the police control room of two Ministers unconnected to the Home portfolio probablised Mr. Bhatt’s statement. More so because the SIT had itself suggested that the Ministers had the Chief Minister’s blessings (Tehelka magazine which scooped the SIT report quoted Mr. Raghavan as saying that the presence of the two Ministers fuelled speculation that they were there with Mr. Modi’s blessings.)

If the view of the amicus is rejected by the SIT, Ms. Jafri and her co-complainant Teesta Setalvad will have the option to contest it in the trial court. The court can also form its own, independent opinion on the views of the amicus.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2563188.ece?homepage=true

My 22 September trip to Antwerp

Pictures of stations, trains and tram taken on 22 September
Today : Antwerpen Zoo and Antwerpen Station

Next to Antwerpen Centraal is the Antwerpen Zoo
Felis Leo – Lion

Felis Tigris – Tiger

Antwerpen Centraal Station

Antwerpen Centraal, track 3

To see more Belgium/Netherlands public transport pictures go to :

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12445197@N05/sets/72157622685920411/ 

More Belgian pictures to follow
Harjinder Singh
Man in Blue

The Tribune – Deported from UK, Moga youth held in Amritsar

Kulwinder Sandhu, Tribune News Service

Moga, October 22. A special investigation team probing the infamous Moga passport scandal of 2008, nabbed one more person from the Amritsar international airport on Friday night.

He was deported by immigration officials of the UK after they found him guilty of making a fake Indian passport. Tejinder Singh, ASI, said the UK authorities arrested him a few weeks ago. “Three members of the UK immigration authority came with the alleged accused to hand him over to the Punjab police for initiating a criminal case against him,” he said.

The youth has been identified as Jaspreet Singh, son of Balwinder Singh, of Dharam Singh Wala village of Dharamkot subdivision in Moga. He went to the UK in 1993, from where he tried to go to Canada in 2005 on fake documents and was thus deported to the UK where he landed up in jail for nine months.

During interrogation, he revealed that while he was in the UK in 2007, he managed to get another passport in India on a fake address by fraudulent means through local contacts. On this passport, he again tried to go to Canada in 2007, but was again deported to the UK. A criminal case was registered by the UK police against him. After a few months, he got bail from the court.

Meanwhile, the UK immigration authorities sent a verification note to the Indian authorities for seeking his national status, which was verified and sent by the intelligence authorities of Moga to the UK authorities. After his nationality was established, he was deported yesterday.

Crime trail

While Jaspreet Singh was in the UK in 2007, he managed to get another passport in India

The second passport had a fake address and was obtained by fraudulent means

On this passport, he again tried to go to Canada in 2007 but was again deported to the UK

Criminal case registered by the UK police against him

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20111023/punjab.htm#15

BBC News – Pakistan wins UN Security Council seat alongside India

By Barbara Plett, BBC News, United Nations

21 October 2011

Pakistan has won a seat alongside its regional rival India on the UN Security Council.

It was contesting elections for five positions with two-year terms.

Morocco, Guatemala and Togo have also been elected as new temporary members of the council. The Eastern European seat is still being contested.

Pakistan’s win means both South Asian nuclear states will serve, but diplomats do not think regional rivalry will play out in a big way there.

The positions of Pakistan and India are similar on many international issues.

The elections replace five of the 10 temporary members of the council every year.

Usually regional groupings endorse the seats in advance, but this year there was an unusually high number of contestants, making the outcome unpredictable.

Guatemala ran unopposed and Morocco won easily, but Togo’s victory took three rounds and the fifth seat is still contested.

Pakistan’s ambassador, Abdullah Hussain Haroon, said he expected to work well with his Indian counterpar – he received a congratulatory call from the Indian envoy while talking to journalists.

Diplomats say the greater impact may be on wider council dynamics – they suspect Pakistan may join emerging powers in resisting Western attempts to sanction countries such as Syria and Iran.

If so, it would continue positions held by Brazil, whose term is ending.

Togo’s victory ensures a black African presence on the council, something that was in doubt because its run-off was against the Arab state of Mauritania.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-15412662