Mizoram Tribals Demand Their Rights

Aizawl, Jun 9 : The three tribal communities of Lai, Mara and Chakma today submitted a memorandum to the visiting National Commission for Minorities(NCM) vice-chairman H T Sangliana demanding certain rights which they allegedly have been deprived of.

In a joint memorandum submitted to the NCM vice-chairman, when he visited the three autonomous district councils last week, representatives of the three communities urged the commission to clear confusion about the system of funding under Article 275 (1) of the Constitution.

The memorandum said Mizoram's social welfare department denied funds and grants to the Lai, Mara and Chabma tribes.

''The state social welfare department maintained that since Mizos are also tribals, they are entitled to receive funds from the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. As a result, the three autonomous district councils of Lai, Mara and Chakma have never shared funds from the said ministry,'' the memorandum stated.

The memorandum alleged the tribal sub-plan had never reached the tribal groups of Lai, Mara and Chakma. Neither the special central assistance, meant for development of tribal-dominated areas, has been extended to the tribal pockets of Mizoram.

The memorandum also highlighted problems faced by students of these tribal groups due to non-reservation of seats in engineering and medical colleges across the country.

To create opportunities for students of these tribal groups, the central government should set up hostels for boys and girls in state and national capitals, the memorandum also appealed.

It also demanded the introduction of advanced education system for tribal boys and girls and the Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship scheme in the three autonomous district councils.

Blake Lively Leaked Nude Photos (NSFW)

Here's the 'Gossip Girl' star, Blake Lively nude photos allegedly leaked online as "100 percent fake," but a popular porn video producer believes the photos are real, and Now Girls Gone Wild founder Joe Francis is claiming that Lively leaked the photos herself.

Ramdev's Men in Imphal Find No Place To Fast

Imphal, Jun 9 : Baba Ramdev's followers in Manipur are yet to kick off their planned relay hunger strike against corruption they were denied permission to do so in Imphal by the state government.

Members of the Manipur unit of Patanjali Yog Samiti were supposed to begin the fast at Singjamei market in the heart of the capital from Tuesday, but the district administration (Imphal West) did not grant them permission.

On Monday night, police dismantled banners and stands put up by the samiti functionaries at the spot. Six members of the samiti joined the yoga guru in his hunger strike at Haridwar.

Incidentally, N Kali Singh, who led the six samiti members, was one of the many followers of Ramdev to be bashed up by the Delhi police at Ramlila Maidan in the wee hours of Sunday.

Kali, the mandal prabhari' (Zone II) of the samiti, along with five members Sanjoy, Dhananjoy Singh, David Singh, Ramananda Singh and Khaba Singh left for Haridwar on June 3 to join Ramdev in his fast, said the state unit samiti president, M Binodkumar Singh.

"Official sources said the government denied us permission to hold the fast at Singjamei market as the area is a hypersensitive zone'. We were asked to hold our relay hunger strike outside the zone after finding an alternative area," Binodkumar added.

"We have already informed our headquarters of the problem and we will act upon advice from the HQ in our protest against corruption. We are waiting for the instructions of the HQ," Binodkumar, who is also a key yoga instructor in the samiti, added. According to the samiti's plan, 15 members were supposed to begin the fast from Tuesday and replace them with another group of strikers the following day, Binodkumar said.

The samiti was set up in October last year at Chingmeirong here and, since then, its key functionaries have given free yoga training to around 500 people in Manipur.

"As and when we find an alternative place to launch our fast, we will intensify our guru's demand to bring back to the nation the Rs 400 lakh crore black money stashed abroad and to root out corruption by enacting stringent laws like a capable Lok Pal Bill," he added.

Slut Walk To Hit Delhi Next

In a city known for harassment, women will pull out their skimpiest clothes to demand respect

By Jason Overdorf

Women from India's North Eastern states hold placards during a peaceful protest against the rape of a girl from Mizoram, in New Delhi on November 29, 2010. Police are yet to make any headway in arresting the four men who abducted and sexually assaulted a call centre employee, from Mizoram. The 30-year-old woman was walking towards her home in Moti village in south Delhi on November 24, along with one of her colleagues when men in a vehicle allegedly abducted her and took turns to rape her. The victim was later dumped in Mongolpuri after which she approached police. (PRAKASH SINGH/AFP/Getty Images)

Following in the footsteps of fellow feminists in Toronto and Melbourne, Delhi women will strut the streets in the city's first "slut walk" June 25 to protest against sexual harassment and violence against women, the Hindustan Times reports.

Slut Walk was first held in Toronto this year after a police officer outraged women world over when he said in a speech to university students "women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized," the paper reported.

Since then, it has spread to 60 cities worldwide in an effort to draw attention to a continuing tendency to blame the victims of sexual assault for "asking for it."

Notably, after several incidents in Delhi over the past few years, various police, city and university officials have made similar comments regarding the dress and behavior of women who were the victims of sexual assaults.

Condemned To Wait For A Qualified Hangman

By Wasbir Hussain

Guwahati, Jun 9 : Mahendra Nath Das was convicted of a murder so gruesome that India's courts gave him a rare death sentence and the president rejected his plea for clemency. Only one thing is keeping him from the gallows: there is no hangman.

It has been more than two decades since any convict was executed in Assam, and with no qualified executioners remaining, officials in this northeastern state are scouring the rest of the country for a candidate.

In all of India, where the death penalty is handed down in only the "rarest of rare" cases, there have been only two hangings in the past 15 years.

Das was convicted for publicly decapitating a victim. On April 24 1996, he snuck up behind Hara Kunta as the rival official in the local transporters' union sipped tea in a busy market in Assam's capital, Gauhati.

With a swing of his machete, Das decapitated Kunta. Then he carried the bloody head by the hair to a nearby police station screaming, "I have killed him."

Courts ruled that the public nature of the crime, combined with Das's horrifying walk through the streets, warranted the death penalty.

"We have started the process of putting up the gallows," said Brojen Das, the jailer of the prison at Jorhat, 300km east of Gauhati, who shares a common regional surname with the condemned man. But it is unclear when an executioner will be found to use it.

Prison authorities have written to their counterparts in other states but have gotten no response, said a prison official.

Qualified executioners - who know how to prepare the rope and tie the knot so as to cause a swift death - are scarce in India.

The last hanging took place in 2004, when a security guard was hanged in a Kolkata jail for the rape and murder of a teenage girl.

Nata Mullick, India's most famous hangman, came out of retirement at 84 to carry out that execution, earning $435 and a job for his grandson at the jail.

A third-generation hangman, Mullick executed 25 of the 55 people who died on the gallows since independence in 1947.

"It's an art: your skills need to be honed," he said in an interview.

But Mullick died in 2009 and no one has stepped up to take his place. This could have implications for other death row prisoners, including Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, the lone surviving gunman from the 2008 Mumbai terror attack.

Das's relatives continue to appeal for mercy.

17 Inmates of Manipur Prison Test HIV Positive

An Aerial Shot of Sajiwa Jail, Imphal, Manipur


Imphal, Jun 9 : At least 17 inmates of Central Sajiwa Jail in Imphal East have tested HIV positive, forcing the authorities concerned and NGOs to step up their campaign to combat the menace. With hardly 0.2 per cent of India's population, Manipur contributes nearly 8 per cent of the country's total HIV cases.

According to the latest epidemiological study of the Manipur State Aids Control Society (Macs), there are 38,016 HIV positive people and 10,109 are women and 2578 children. Besides, 9,985 are undergoing anti-retroviral therapy (ART).

A doctor, who is in-charge of therapy and counseling of jail inmates under the project, said 38 blood samples were collected for testing after carrying out counseling of prisoners.

He added that tattooing inside the jail has been banned following detection of the HIV positive cases.

Delhi Reviews Manipur Projects

Imphal, Jun 9 : Officials of the Union ministry of development for North East region (DoNER) have inspected various developmental projects funded by the non-lapsable central pool of resources and other major projects taken up under the Special Plan Assistance (SPA) in Manipur.

This came amid allegations by the opposition and local pressure groups that the government was maintaining quality in various development projects.

Led by the secretary of the ministry, Jayanti Chandra, and director, ministry of finance Vandita Kaul, the team arrived at Imphal airport on Monday on a two-day visit to the state.

The delegation, along with senior state officials, reviewed the construction of Lamlong Bridge, Keishamthong Bridge and National Sports Academy in both Imphal East and West, a source said. Later, Jayanti called on governor Gurbachan Jagat at the Raj Bhavan.

Northeast India May Puncture Maruti’s Drive

Maruti is on a roll in some pockets, but growth roadblocks remain in others. The automaker has made a detailed presentation of its case at the ongoing Citi India Investor Conference.

Maruti looks to ramp up its capacities to 1.9 million units by the end of FY13. Amit Dave/Reuters

The detailed briefing puts you on the inside track.

The Maruti Suzuki management has taken note of public enquiries, which are up 28% year-on-year. But consumers, it said, are holding back on actual purchases due to a string of factors like rising consumer expenditure, inflation and fuel price hikes. The management is all for more incentives to stimulate demand over the next few months.

One look at the growth graph, it’s enough to suggest that regionally South and West India are driving the momentum, but it’s North and East India that are stuttering. Among cities, growth is mostly coming from top 10 cities (10%) and rural India (>15%), but is somewhat losing its way in tier 2 /3 cities.

According to the management, in aggregate it has a cost plus pricing strategy. And within segments, it might not fully pass on costs as it seeks to counter the rising wave of competition. Input costs like steel are up 10% and rubber 20% year-on-year, which the company is still to pass on fully. Over the next 1-2 years, the management is seriously considering stepping up its margin by 100-200 basis points.

The management is looking at 4.5-5 million units as annual sales by 2016. Going forward, the company looks to ramp up its capacities to 1.9 million units by the end of FY13 and will commission a new 1 million unit in Gujarat.