The Tribune – New army chief; Hurdles that Lt-General Bikram Singh cleared

Ajay Banerjee, Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 3. Lt-Gen Bikram Singh, in the past two years, faced at least three events that could have held him back.

He cleared them all exposing the manner in which senior officers running for top posts are hounded by persons inimical to them.

The most dangerous rumour spread about him was that his daughter-in-law was a Pakistani citizen. Several MPs, probably backed by his rivals, sent out complaints about the woman’s citizenship.

She is married to the elder son of Lt-Gen Bikram Singh and the young couple lives in the US. “Potential security implications” were cited to hold back his appointment as Chief of Army Staff.

The matter was sorted out only after Indian external intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), was asked for a report.

The Appointments Committee of Cabinet was informed, on the basis of a R&AW report, that General Bikram Singh’s daughter-in-law is an American citizen. Her father is an Afghan and mother is from Central Asia.

Before this, two other attempts were made to shoot down his candidature. In January this year, Lt Gen Bikram Singh was accused of staging a fake encounter when he was posted as Brigadier in the Rashtriya Rifles in South Kashmir’s Anantnag town in March 2001. The case mysteriously cropped up. An NGO, Yes Kashmir, filed a petition with the police and a woman, Zaituna, approached the J&K High Court in 2011 — 10 years after the incident in which one foreign militant Mateen Chacha was killed.

Lt-Gen (then Brigadier) Bikram Singh was injured while Colonel JP Jam, had died in the shoot-out that occurred in the Janglat Mandi area of Anantnag.

General Bikram Singh got a clean chit when the SSP Anantnag, also impleaded as a party in the case, told the court that the matter needed no further investigation as the case stood already established against the deceased foreign militant.

Denying that the encounter was fake as claimed by the petitioner’s family, the J&K police said the particulars of the militant had been confirmed on the basis of material evidence that included an identity card found on his person.

The third hurdle was equally serious. An Army Court of Inquiry (CoI) was conducted last year. It looked at documents and cross-examined 51 soldiers to verify if they were guilty of sexual misconduct during their year-long posting on a UN peacekeeping mission to Congo in 2008.

These men faced charges of rape and also fraternising with the local population, all forbidden by Indian military law and the UN code of conduct. Lt Gen Bikram Singh had headed the Congo mission for a part of the period.

The CoI ruled out rape. The relationships (with Congolese women) were found to have been paid for or were consensual.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120304/nation.htm#3

The Tribune – Installing ‘bir’ in balcony resumed at Akal Takht

Perneet Singh, Tribune News Service

Amritsar, March 3. Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh has resumed the practice of installing Guru Granth Sahib in the balcony of the Takht in the morning and evening hours. A ‘bir’ of Guru Granth Sahib is already installed inside the Akal Takht premises.

Talking to The Tribune, the Jathedar said, “It is an old tradition which we have revived. Earlier, only Sikh gurus’ weapons were showcased at the Takht, but later on, the Panth started the tradition of installing Guru Granth Sahib there”. He said initially Guru Granth Sahib used to be installed at the balcony of the Akal Takht in the morning and evening. Even weapons of the gurus used to be exhibited from the balcony to the devotees who sat in front of the Takht. However, later it was permanently installed inside the Takht.

“Now, we have resumed the old practice. At the same time, Guru Granth Sahib continues to be installed inside the Takht”. He said a shed had been erected and curtains put up in the balcony to give a suitable look to the place.

Former Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti said the tradition of installing Guru Granth Sahib in the balcony was there during his stint. But, later they permanently installed the holy scripture inside the Takht as at times sudden rainfall or inclement weather conditions used to create a problem. He said they used to install Guru Granth Sahib at the Takht’s balcony at the time of departure of “Palki Sahib” till recital of “Aasa Di Waar” in the morning and at the time of beginning of “Rehraas” up to “samapti” in the evening.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120304/punjab.htm#1

The Asian Age – Over 80 per cent students in Indian schools are humiliated: Study

New Delhi, 4 March 2012. Over 80 per cent of students in schools across the country are humiliated by teachers who tell them that they are not capable of learning, a study conducted by national child rights body has said.

Even the ‘cruel practice’ of giving electric shocks finds a mention in the yet-to-be released study on the practice of corporal punishment brought out by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR).

According to the survey conducted in 2009-10 academic year, only nine out of 6,632 students in seven states who were surveyed denied that they received any kind of punishment in schools.

NCPCR defines corporal punishment as physical punishment, mental harassment and discrimination of children causing both physical and mental harassment.

The survey was conducted to study the scale and magnitude of corporal punishment in the everyday school experiences of India’s children, types of violent punishment prevailing in Indian schools and analyse by age the prevalence of different types of punishments among school children.

“99.86 per cent of children reported experiencing one or the other kind of punishment. As many as 81.2 per cent of children were subject to outward rejection by being told that they are not capable of learning,” it said.

Getting beaten by a cane, being slapped on the cheeks, being hit on the back and ears and getting boxed are the other four major punishments, it said.

“These four punishments do not lag behind much in terms of their occurrence. Out of the total, 75 per cent reported that they had been hit by a cane and 69 per cent had been slapped on their cheeks,” the survey said.

A senior NCPCR official said they will be coming up with ‘Guidelines for Eliminating Corporal Punishment in Schools’ on Monday.

The guidelines include measures for affirmative action in schools towards positive development and positive engagement with children.

It will also discuss creating an environment conducive to learning and for mechanisms and processes to give children a voice and engage in the process of creating a positive environment as well as for accountability and multi-sectoral responsibility. (PTI)

http://www.asianage.com/india/over-80-cent-students-indian-schools-are-humiliated-study-383

Netherlands 23 december till 2 January, Den Haag & Amsterdam

Due to the fact that now in March 2012 I am still posting December 2011 pictures I will start publishing five pictures a day instead of four

29 December, Den Haag, Zuiderpark
Loevesteinlaan/Marie Heinenweg

 29 December, Den Haag, Leyenburg
Terminus of HTM Tram 6
Tracks in the foreground are for HTM RandstadRail 4

  29 December, Den Haag, Leyenburg
 Tracks for HTM RandstadRail 4 De Uithof – Javalaan vv

  29 December, Den Haag, Leyenburg
Terminus of HTM Tram 6, no boarding here

29 December, Den Haag, Leyenburg
Track on the right to HTM Tram 6 terminus
To the left of the building track from terminus

To see more Belgium and Netherlands public transport pictures :

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

To see more Belgium and Netherlands gurdwara pictures :

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12445197@N05/sets/72157622147381380/  

More Belgium / Netherlands pictures to follow
Harjinder Singh
Man in Blue

The Tribune – Exit polls, Close fight in Punjab, hung House in UP

Faraz Ahmad, Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 3. Results of the exit polls in five states predict a hung Assembly in Uttar Pradesh and a close fight in Punjab. Contrary to the claims of Congress chief ministerial candidate in Punjab and its former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, the pollsters don’t predict a sweep for the Congress in the 117-member Assembly.

For all efforts put in by Nehru-Gandhi scion Rahul Gandhi, the Congress is projected to occupy the fourth position in UP.

For Uttar Pradesh, there is general agreement across the board among five different pollsters who conducted these exit polls that Samajwadi Party is set to emerge as the number one party and the BSP is going to lose power in a House of 403.

However,  there is a wide gap between the projections of one pollster and another in terms of numbers. This is evident not just in UP but more so in Punjab and Uttarakhand, which are crucial to the main Opposition party, the BJP. There is no disagreement among all the five pollsters that UP is heading for a hung Assembly, something the state has been facing since 1993, except in the last Assembly elections in 2007, when Mayawati-led BSP got a clear majority on its own.

The CNN-IBN-The Week exit poll painted the best picture for the SP and the worst for BSP, predicting for the SP 185, BSP 85, BJP 56 and Congress 55 seats. Against that, the India TV-C-Voter exit poll painted the most dismal picture for the Congress, projecting for the SP 141, BSP 126, BJP 83 and Congress 36 seats.

Headlines Today-Aaj Tak predicted for the SP anywhere between 145 and 165, BSP 115-125, Congress plus (Congress and Ajit Singh’s RLD) 45-65 and BJP more than 60 seats.

Star News-ACNielson figures are: SP 160, BSP 86, BJP 80, Cong+ 70 and others, 7. The News 24-Chanakya poll predicted 185 for SP, 85 for BSP, 55 for BJP, 55 for Congress+ and 23 for others. At least two pollsters, IBN and News 24, agree that the Congress tally may not cross 60.

The IBN figures for Punjab are Congress: 60, SAD-BJP: 51-63 and others: 3-9 seats. The News 24-Chanakya poll predicts: Cong-60, SAD+BJP 52 and Others: 5. But the India TV-C Voter figures are a little more encouraging for the Congress and disappointing for the Akali Dal-BJP alliance. They predict for the Congress 65, SAD+BJP 47 and others 5 seats.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120304/main3.htm

BBC News – ‘Pakistan militants’ killed in Khyber suicide attack

Sunday, 2 March 2012. A suicide bomber has killed at least 20 people, believed to be militants of the Lashkar-e-Islam group, in north-west Pakistan, officials say.

The Taliban said the suicide bombing was a revenge attack. There have been sporadic clashes between the groups.

The blast in Khyber tribal agency came hours after 10 soldiers and at least 22 Lashkar-e-Islam militants were killed in clashes in the same area.

The military and several militant groups are fighting to control Khyber.

None of the reports can be independently confirmed as there is no media access to the area.

A spokesman for Lashkar-e-Islam claimed that only six fighters were killed in the suicide blast, which happened in the remote Nahaqai area of Tirah valley in Khyber.

A local official told BBC Urdu’s Rifatullah Orakzai that the suicide bomber detonated his explosives jacket in the presence of a large number of Lashkar-e-Islam fighters.

A spokesman for the local Taliban said the blast was to avenge the killing of their fighters at the hands of the Lashkar-e-Islam gunmen two months ago.

Khyber has been a sanctuary for the hardline Lashkar-e-Islam, which fights other religious groups in the area, and security forces have conducted operations in the area for years.

Earlier on Friday, Lashkar-e-Islam militants ambushed a military checkpoint also in the Tirah Valley. The military said 10 soldiers were killed. It said troops repelled the attack, killing 22 militants.

A major army operation was launched in the area about three months ago, forcing some 20,000 residents to shift to a camp for internally displaced people in the Peshawar region.

There had been a lull in fighting across the north-west in recent months. But this week has seen a spate of gun battles and bombings, raising concerns that violence is worsening.

The Khyber region is an important trade route between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17229890