India Does Not Require Large-Scale Troops For Counter-Terrorism

By Sruthi Gottipati

After analyzing some data, The Hindu concludes that Jammu and Kashmir no longer warrants large-scale troop commitments for counter-terrorism operations.

It points to figures published by the Union government on Thursday that reveal that Jammu and Kashmir residents are less likely to die in a violent crime than residents in many other states, including Arunachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Mizoram and Chhattisgarh. Jammu and Kashmir’s murder rate is similar to Bihar’s, not much higher than Delhi’s, and is far better than Haryana.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah announced his decision last week to withdraw the Armed Forces Special Powers Act from some districts – a move now criticized by the Congress party, a partner in the State’s coalition government (Hindustan Times).

Rajat Gupta broke the trust of some of America’s top public companies and “became the illegal eyes and ears in the boardroom for his friend and business associate, Raj Rajaratnam, who reaped enormous profits from Mr. Gupta’s breach of duty,” said attorney Preet Bharara, the man tasked with the top federal law enforcement job in New York City. (Firstpost)

An increasing number of children are being trafficked for sexual exploitation, according to the National Crime Records Bureau data. (Times of India) Cases of sexually exploited girls jumped from 237 in 2009 to 679 in 2010, a 186.5 percent increase.

Two-time Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel got a few tips about Indian roads when he traveled in the passenger seat of a sedan from New Delhi to the Taj Mahal. “I would not say you have no rules, but you have very less. But it works for you. We didn’t see a single crash … it’s organized chaos,” said Mr. Vettel, who is in India to race in Sunday’s Grand Prix (Indian Express).

With 414 Sexual Assault Cases, Delhi is India’s Undisputed Rape Capital

New Delhi, Oct 28 : Delhi is probably the most unsafe city for women with 414 rape cases being reported in 2010, the highest among 35 major cities in the country — followed at a distance by Mumbai at 194 such incidents.

According to government statistics released on Thursday, 23 per cent of rape cases in urban areas took place in Delhi, followed by 10.8 per cent in Mumbai. As many as 1,422 women were abducted in Delhi last year, which is 37.7 per cent of the total cases in 35 major cities.

There were 112 dowry deaths and 1,273 incidents of cruelty by husband or relatives in Delhi last year, a report of the national Crime Control Bureau was quoted as stating.

In Mumbai, there were 146 incidents of women being kidnapped, 21 dowry deaths, and 312 incidents of cruelty by family members over the previous year.

Pune reported the third-highest number of rapes, pegged at 91 cases, in 2010. This was followed by Jabalpur, where 81 rapes occurred last year. Software hub Bangalore recorded 65 incidents of rape, while Indore reported 69 incidents.

Among the states, Madhya Pradesh reported the highest number of rapes — 3,135 incidents — in 2010, followed by West Bengal, where 2,311 cases were recorded.

Assam, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh reported 1,721, 1,599, 1,563 and 1,362 cases respectively.

There were as many as 1,012 incidents of rape in Chhattisgarh, 1,025 in Orissa and 795 in Bihar in 2010.

Cachar DIG Assures Safety To Mizo Travellers

Aizawl, Oct 28 : Cachar DIG (southern Assam range) A Y V Krishna has assured to take all possible measure for safety of the passengers travelling on Aizawl-Silchar-Guwahati-Shillong road within his jurisdiction.

The assurance came in wake of the recent most incident of highway robbery where Mizo passengers were robbed and two injured near Silchar.

The Cachar DIG gave his assurance to Mizoram Home Minister R Lalzirliana, who met his at Silchar Mizoram House yesterday along with other Cachar district police officials.

An official statement of the Mizoram government quoted Mr. Krishna as saying that such incidents would not happen again.

Mr. Krishna also pointed out that he would need the cooperation from Mizoram police to ensure hundred per cent safety to the cabs plying on this road which is infested with highway robbers.

The Mizoram home minister expressed concern over the fact that a number of FIRs submitted to the nearest police stations by victims of highway robberies have proved meaningless.

After this meeting, the home minister and his team visited a Mizo.

Manipur Records Highest Crime Rate

New Delhi, Oct 28 : The North Eastern State of Manipur has earned the dubious distinction of recording the highest rate of crimes in the country followed closely by Jammu and Kashmir. Assam has become the country’s fourth most dangerous place to live in and is followed closely by Delhi and way above the all India national average.

The findings are part of the ‘Crimes in India’ report released by Union Home Minister, P Chidambaram on Thursday. ‘Crime in India 2010’ produced by National Crimes Record Bureau sheds light on the crime scenario in the country for the year 2010.

Crime in 2010 has increased by 4.9 per cent compared to 2009. In 2010 a total of 22, 24,831 crimes were reported under Indian Penal Code against 21, 21,345 cases in the year 2009. Murder cases during the year 2010 (33,335) went up by 3 per cent as compared to 2009 (32,369), the report said.

The reports said that the highest rate of violent crimes was reported from Manipur (34.5 per cent) followed by J&K (34.2 per cent), Kerala (33.6 per cent), Assam (33.5 per cent) and Delhi (30.4 per cent) as compared to 20.4 at all-India level.

However, UP has reported violent crimes accounting for 11.3 per cent of total violent crimes in the country (27,225) followed by Bihar with 9.9 per cent (24,044) and Maharashtra with 9.4 per cent (22,747).

Uttar Pradesh has reported 13.2 per cent of total murder cases in the country and 13.6 per cent of attempt to murder cases.

Madhya Pradesh appears to be most unsafe of places for girls and women recording 14.1 per cent (3,135 out of 22,172) of rape cases.

Meanwhile, various criminal acts have shown an increasing trend in the year 2010 compared to 2009. Attempt to commit murder increased by 1.3 per cent, rape cases increased by 3.6 per cent, kidnapping & abduction cases increased by 13.5 per cent, robbery cases increased by 4.4 per cent and dowry deaths increased by 0.1 percent.

Crime against women during 2010 (2, 13,585) has gone up by 4.8 per cent compared to 2009 (2, 03,804). Crime against children has also gone up by 10.3 percent in 2010(26,694) compared to 2009 (24,201).

The Report states that there has been a 20.0 per cent increase in human trafficking incidence was observed in 3,422 cases in 2010 as compared to 2,851 in 2009. Similarly, Crime rate of human trafficking has also increased from 0.2 in 2009 to 0.3 during 2010.

Percentage distribution of buying of girls for prostitution (2.3 per cent), immoral trafficking (73.0 per cent), procurement of minor Girls (19.8per cent), selling of girls for prostitution (3.8 per cent) were observed.

Shillong Choir: A Tribute To The Source

By Pranab Bora

Shillong Chamber Choir

Guwahati, Oct 28 : What a certain Farrokh Bulsara (Freddie Mercury) having gone to the UK did with the music that dwells in that faraway land, Neil Nongkynrih brings back to India, still that much Indian in its soul — every musical pun contemplated — Bollywoodish when tweaked to be so; to the Northeast of India, still so western and classical in content, and onto Shillong, his home, where the music of the hills has played endlessly, as old and yet as green as the hills, where the Khasi sharati has long met the sax, the graceful Nongkrem moved to the dreamy nocturne. Classical and classy, Bach and Bollywood, Gershwin and glitz.

In the hills of the Khasis and the Jaintias and the Garos, Nongkynrih, attired in his carefully creased sherwani, brings forth his fusion once again tomorrow. The Vienna Chamber Orchestra is in Shillong to accentuate the effort. And he conducts the orchestra this time (it’s a first and he’s “so flattered”).

“With an Austrian teacher and mentor, I like the Vienna Chamber so much, not just because of their music, but the people who make it. They’re so warm-hearted.” As is the choir, perhaps, one that has become a family over the years.

“We have had the same people for five years. That is a miracle going by the number of splits we see these days,” he says.

But more about the source where from the sound flows forth: “Three of our girls are Nagas, there’s someone who is part Mizo, someone part African, someone part Bangladeshi, someone part Afghan, some Manipuri, I am part British… ours is an international sound,” Nongkynrih says.

In Khasi, “nongpule” is student, “nonghikai” is teacher and “nongkynrih” is the wanderer. “That’s what I really am.”

The concerts organised by Meghalaya Art Society in association with The Telegraph tomorrow and the day after will be “more masala than anything else”.

“There will be some classical music but listen to say Yaadon ki baarat … it’s almost a Strauss…,” he points out.

“More and more people are now into ‘something fresh and different’, in clothes, in food…” In sherwanis?

“Even when I played Mozart in the West, I never wore a suit and a bowtie,” Nongkynrih says. “I wore a sherwani. That’s because I’m Indian, I’m not born in England.”

He doesn’t sing, though, even as he agrees that it’s difficult to meet a Khasi who doesn’t.

And where does Farrokh Bulsara figure? “I grew up listening to Freddie Mercury and Queen,” says Nongkynrih.

“And while I don’t agree with music being elitist, I like opera music (a Freddy Mercury forte in the rock version). Like Mercury, I too went from India to train in England…”

And hence the occasional Queen classic that makes a part of the choir’s repertoire. “I picked up the discipline of music in England; raw talent maybe plentiful but music needs discipline and you need to be organised. Music needs to be done in stages.”

Tomorrow and the day after in Shillong, expect a next stage, a new high. The source is sound.

It's 'No Entry' To Aquatic Guests Now in Manipur

Imphal, Oct 27 : Winged guests migrating to Manipur as well as countless fishes who swim across from bordering Burma for breeding now have to look elsewhere.

A friendly host to them for years, Manipur's picturesque Loktak lake is no longer a welcome home for these international visitors whose presence add to the beauty of the threatened wetlands and reflect its ecological health.

The construction of the Ithai barrage on the lake to aid NHPC's hydro-power project has blocked the entry route of fishes from the Chindwin-Irrawady river system of Burma to the Manipur river since the last few years, say experts.

And now the dwindling ecological health of the wetland and widespread hunting by fishermen has made it inhospitable to migratory birds from the northern hemisphere which come to seek refuge here in winter, they say.

Ornithologists and environmentalists say the sprawling wetland's most majestic birds like cranes and pelicans have not been sighted for the last two-three decades and are therefore presumed disappeared from this region.

"The pink-headed duck is extinct and the white-winged duck has also disappeared. They all were abundant in Manipur few years ago but now many of them have become rare," says environmentalist Dr Kh Shamungou, who has been conducting surveys in the region with bird watchers.

Although no comprehensive census has ever been done in the Loktak, wildlife activists say the number of migratory birds has dropped down so drastically in the last few years that merely 2000 winged guests visited the 286 sq km lake from last September till March this year.

"The lake is getting shallower due to siltation and the proliferation of large number of 'phumdies' or floating islands of decaying biomass. This makes it unattractive to migratory birds as many of them need deep water levels," Dr S Balachandran, ornithologist from the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), said.

Another important reason for the lake being hostile to birds is poaching and encroachment.

Around 4000 fishermen live on more than 600 floating huts built inside the lake on 'phumdies', while another 1,21,000 people live in its vicinity.

Wildlife department officials complain of lack of manpower and other resources to tackle poaching.

"Poaching is rampant while the food for birds have also decreased as several fishes and macrophytes have sharply declined from the lake," says R K Ranjan from the Indian Bird Conservation Network.

The ongoing exercise of clearing 'phumdies' from the lake and a stagnant water level due to blocking of water outlet at barrage has brought changes in the hydrological regimes disturbing the wetland's eco-system, he points out.

Pollution is another critical issue in the lake, designated as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention.

According to a report by Wetlands International, water quality in the lake has deteriorated due to the inflow of organo-chlorine pesticides and chemical fertilisers, municipal wastes and domestic sewage from settlements in and around the lake.

"Besides contaminating water the toxic chemicals affect the reproductive potential of birds. It even makes hatching of thin-shelled eggs difficult," says Shamungou.

To restore the ecosystem's health, the Loktak Development Authority (LDA) is trying to control 'phumdies' and harmful fishing practices in the lake.

"We are clearing the excess 'phumdies' and stopping detrimental fishing practices like 'atha phum' which is fragmenting the lake and harming the ecosystem," says LDA's project co-ordinator Sanajaoba Meitei.

Indian Army Gives Inputs On Removing AFSPA

New Delhi, Oct 27 : Amid talk of withdrawal of AFSPA from some areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Army Chief General V K Singh on Thursday said his force has given its inputs on the issue, but refused to specify those saying the matter was under the purview of the Home Ministry.

"This (Armed Forces Special Powers Act) is within the purview of the Ministry of Home Affairs. They are debating this and we have given our inputs. I would not like to say anything more," he told reporters on the sidelines of Infantry Day celebrations here.

Asked about NC leader Mustafa Kamal's remarks that the October 25 grenade blasts in Srinagar were orchestrated by the Army, Singh said, "Whosoever has given that comment, I think that does not deserve the courtesy of any remark from me".

Army has been advocating for continuing the Act on the grounds that it needed to deal with terrorism in the state.

Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah had yesterday said that the withdrawal of the Act from some districts of the state such as Srinagar, Badgam, Samba and Jammu was in no way an effort to undermine the role of the Army.

"The army is essentially playing a major role in anti-militancy operations in Jammu and Kashmir", he had said.

"Even the process of removal of AFSPA from certain areas of Jammu and Kashmir is being done in close consultation with the Army and other central paramilitary forces and their inputs and security concerns will be evaluated and considered while removing the footprint of AFSPA from certain parts of the state," he had said.

The chief minister had said that an attempt is being made to create an impression that the state government and the Army are working on divergent paths, which is not correct.

Omar had said that it is nobody's case to demonize the Army as the it has proved time and again that it is a disciplined force which is governed by certain standard operating procedures.

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