Ahilya Rangnekar regrets taking up dance bar ban issue
Haima Deshpande, Thursday, April 13, 2006 16:47 IST
MUMBAI: One of the most well-known and vocal votaries of the dance bar ban, Ahilya Rangnekar regrets taking up the issue and extending support to the government on it.
Reacting to the Bombay High Court decision striking down the ordinance, Rangnekar revealed that though shocking, it was expected.
“Lawyers were unwilling to take serious note of our stand. All who I had approached kept telling me that being a woman I should have a compassionate view of the issue. According to them, I lacked compassion. The lawyers felt our stand did not hold much strength as we were fighting to take away the right to work of these dancers,” Rangnekar told DNA.
“The government went back on its word and did not work out a rehabilitation package for the dance bar girls. I regret taking up the issue,” she said.
Refusing to comment on the stance taken by Rangnekar, Dance Bar Virodhi Manch convenor Vidya Chavan stated that the umbrella organisation would approach the Supreme Court. The appeal will be made in a few weeks, revealed Chavan.
Twenty-four non-government organisations (have united under the Dance Bar Virodhi Manch and supported the government’s ban on dancing in beer bars.
Well known names in community service, including Mrinal Gore, Rangnekar, Vidya Chavan and Pratiba Naiithani took their pro-government stance to the streets and urged wider support from society.
The Manch had submitted 1.50 lakh signatures to the Legislative Assembly, insisting on the closure of dance bars. The ban came into effect from August 15 last year.
Said Chavan, “We are prepared with our arguments. When the decision was delayed for so long, we expected this outcome.”
However, Rangnekar felt that there was no point in appealing to the Supreme Court without aggressive and knowledgeable lawyers taking up the issue for the Manch. “It is such a wasted battle,” she said.
Naiithani felt an appeal must be made in the Supreme Court. According to her, since dance bars have emerged as a major social problem, the Manch will try all options to ensure the ban stays in force.
Naiithani felt that since dance bars encouraged prostitution, its activities should be brought within the purview of the Indecent Representation of Women Act.
“After the decision the dance bar owners will become more bold. What was once happening in a hidden manner will now take place openly,” Naiithani said.
On July 21, 2005 the Bill to ban dancing in beer bars was passed unanimously after a marathon debate in both Houses of the Maharashtra Legislature.
Shiv Sena deputy leader and member of the Legislative Council Dr Neelam Gorhe said both Houses must debate on the issue before the Budget session ends on April 21.
“There could be loopholes in the Act banning dance bars. Members of both Houses must bring in necessary changes to plug loopholes. The government must appeal to the Supreme Court,” said Dr Gorhe.
An angry former chairperson of the National Commission for Women, Dr Poornima Advani emphasised that the state government must appeal against the high court order. “It was a mistake on the part of the Maharashtra Government to give the bars licences under the garb of promoting cultural activities. Dance bars have been encouraged by the state government. They are pickup joints and men do not throw cash on the dancers for nothing. Dance bars are derogatory to the dignity of women,” Advani said.
Read more at : DNA - Mumbai - Ahilya Rangnekar regrets taking up dance bar ban issue - Daily News & Analysis
Friday, April 14, 2006
DNA - Mumbai - Ahilya Rangnekar regrets taking up dance bar ban issue - Daily News & Analysis
Ahilya Rangnekar regrets taking up dance bar ban issue
Haima Deshpande, Thursday, April 13, 2006 16:47 IST
MUMBAI: One of the most well-known and vocal votaries of the dance bar ban, Ahilya Rangnekar regrets taking up the issue and extending support to the government on it.
Reacting to the Bombay High Court decision striking down the ordinance, Rangnekar revealed that though shocking, it was expected.
“Lawyers were unwilling to take serious note of our stand. All who I had approached kept telling me that being a woman I should have a compassionate view of the issue. According to them, I lacked compassion. The lawyers felt our stand did not hold much strength as we were fighting to take away the right to work of these dancers,” Rangnekar told DNA.
“The government went back on its word and did not work out a rehabilitation package for the dance bar girls. I regret taking up the issue,” she said.
Refusing to comment on the stance taken by Rangnekar, Dance Bar Virodhi Manch convenor Vidya Chavan stated that the umbrella organisation would approach the Supreme Court. The appeal will be made in a few weeks, revealed Chavan.
Twenty-four non-government organisations (have united under the Dance Bar Virodhi Manch and supported the government’s ban on dancing in beer bars.
Well known names in community service, including Mrinal Gore, Rangnekar, Vidya Chavan and Pratiba Naiithani took their pro-government stance to the streets and urged wider support from society.
The Manch had submitted 1.50 lakh signatures to the Legislative Assembly, insisting on the closure of dance bars. The ban came into effect from August 15 last year.
Said Chavan, “We are prepared with our arguments. When the decision was delayed for so long, we expected this outcome.”
However, Rangnekar felt that there was no point in appealing to the Supreme Court without aggressive and knowledgeable lawyers taking up the issue for the Manch. “It is such a wasted battle,” she said.
Naiithani felt an appeal must be made in the Supreme Court. According to her, since dance bars have emerged as a major social problem, the Manch will try all options to ensure the ban stays in force.
Naiithani felt that since dance bars encouraged prostitution, its activities should be brought within the purview of the Indecent Representation of Women Act.
“After the decision the dance bar owners will become more bold. What was once happening in a hidden manner will now take place openly,” Naiithani said.
On July 21, 2005 the Bill to ban dancing in beer bars was passed unanimously after a marathon debate in both Houses of the Maharashtra Legislature.
Shiv Sena deputy leader and member of the Legislative Council Dr Neelam Gorhe said both Houses must debate on the issue before the Budget session ends on April 21.
“There could be loopholes in the Act banning dance bars. Members of both Houses must bring in necessary changes to plug loopholes. The government must appeal to the Supreme Court,” said Dr Gorhe.
An angry former chairperson of the National Commission for Women, Dr Poornima Advani emphasised that the state government must appeal against the high court order. “It was a mistake on the part of the Maharashtra Government to give the bars licences under the garb of promoting cultural activities. Dance bars have been encouraged by the state government. They are pickup joints and men do not throw cash on the dancers for nothing. Dance bars are derogatory to the dignity of women,” Advani said.
Read more at : DNA - Mumbai - Ahilya Rangnekar regrets taking up dance bar ban issue - Daily News & Analysis
Haima Deshpande, Thursday, April 13, 2006 16:47 IST
MUMBAI: One of the most well-known and vocal votaries of the dance bar ban, Ahilya Rangnekar regrets taking up the issue and extending support to the government on it.
Reacting to the Bombay High Court decision striking down the ordinance, Rangnekar revealed that though shocking, it was expected.
“Lawyers were unwilling to take serious note of our stand. All who I had approached kept telling me that being a woman I should have a compassionate view of the issue. According to them, I lacked compassion. The lawyers felt our stand did not hold much strength as we were fighting to take away the right to work of these dancers,” Rangnekar told DNA.
“The government went back on its word and did not work out a rehabilitation package for the dance bar girls. I regret taking up the issue,” she said.
Refusing to comment on the stance taken by Rangnekar, Dance Bar Virodhi Manch convenor Vidya Chavan stated that the umbrella organisation would approach the Supreme Court. The appeal will be made in a few weeks, revealed Chavan.
Twenty-four non-government organisations (have united under the Dance Bar Virodhi Manch and supported the government’s ban on dancing in beer bars.
Well known names in community service, including Mrinal Gore, Rangnekar, Vidya Chavan and Pratiba Naiithani took their pro-government stance to the streets and urged wider support from society.
The Manch had submitted 1.50 lakh signatures to the Legislative Assembly, insisting on the closure of dance bars. The ban came into effect from August 15 last year.
Said Chavan, “We are prepared with our arguments. When the decision was delayed for so long, we expected this outcome.”
However, Rangnekar felt that there was no point in appealing to the Supreme Court without aggressive and knowledgeable lawyers taking up the issue for the Manch. “It is such a wasted battle,” she said.
Naiithani felt an appeal must be made in the Supreme Court. According to her, since dance bars have emerged as a major social problem, the Manch will try all options to ensure the ban stays in force.
Naiithani felt that since dance bars encouraged prostitution, its activities should be brought within the purview of the Indecent Representation of Women Act.
“After the decision the dance bar owners will become more bold. What was once happening in a hidden manner will now take place openly,” Naiithani said.
On July 21, 2005 the Bill to ban dancing in beer bars was passed unanimously after a marathon debate in both Houses of the Maharashtra Legislature.
Shiv Sena deputy leader and member of the Legislative Council Dr Neelam Gorhe said both Houses must debate on the issue before the Budget session ends on April 21.
“There could be loopholes in the Act banning dance bars. Members of both Houses must bring in necessary changes to plug loopholes. The government must appeal to the Supreme Court,” said Dr Gorhe.
An angry former chairperson of the National Commission for Women, Dr Poornima Advani emphasised that the state government must appeal against the high court order. “It was a mistake on the part of the Maharashtra Government to give the bars licences under the garb of promoting cultural activities. Dance bars have been encouraged by the state government. They are pickup joints and men do not throw cash on the dancers for nothing. Dance bars are derogatory to the dignity of women,” Advani said.
Read more at : DNA - Mumbai - Ahilya Rangnekar regrets taking up dance bar ban issue - Daily News & Analysis
DNA - Mumbai - Bar one, bar all, says court - Daily News & Analysis
Bar one, bar all, says court
Anshika Misra, Friday, April 14, 2006 01:40 IST
MUMBAI: In a hard-hitting criticism of the state government’s double standards, the Bombay High Court’s order striking down the ban on dance bars ruled that, “There can be no different standards of morality for the affluent and the rich availing the means of entertainment and any common person who can afford to visit places of entertainment within his reach.”
The HC on Wednesday struck down the ban on dance bars on the grounds that it was discriminatory as it banned all kind of dance performances in dance bars but exempted establishments like three-star and five-star hotels. The objective behind the ban, which came into effect on August 15, 2005, was to prevent dances which are obscene, vulgar or immoral and hence derogatory to the dignity of women and to prevent exploitation of women. In a sharp criticism of the state’s dual morality, the HC noted that, “Activities, which the banned establishments are accused of, are also indulged in the exempted establishments in spite of so-called socially-conscious or responsible strata of society who visit them.”
The state had justified the exemption granted to hotels saying the exemption was not an indirect license to perform dances as in the prohibited establishments, but to conduct performances by people who have acquired skill in Western and Indian classical dance forms.
Other reasons stated were that the exemption was granted with the object to encourage tourism, five-star hotels are a class by themselves and cannot be compared with dance bars, people visiting these hotels stand on different footing and cannot be compared with people who visit dance bars and hotels are conducted by responsible people/managements who are conscious of their social commitments and obligations.
“Using terms like Indian and Western classical dance is of no consequence as the Act and rules recognise no such distinction. All applicants for performance license have to meet the same requirements and are subject to same restrictions,” the HC’s 257-page order stated.
Justices FI Rebello and Roshan Dalvi held that couples dancing together, ice-skating and ballroom dancing are embedded in cultures of our regions. Therefore, banning all kinds of dance performances was not fair.
The state’s argument on exempting hotels that authorities have opportunity to screen and supervise nature of performances in these establishments was also debunked by the HC. “Provisions of controlling obscene and vulgar dances are the same, whether they are in the prohibited or exempted establishments,” it held. The court held that the ban discriminates between artistes—dance girls dancing in dance bars and Tamasha theatre—and discriminates between the viewers visiting dance bars and Tamasha. “The object cannot be achieved so long as Tamashas theatre, three and five-star hotels are allowed to hold dance performances. There can be no different standards of morality,” the HC held.
Read more at : DNA - Mumbai - Bar one, bar all, says court - Daily News & Analysis
Anshika Misra, Friday, April 14, 2006 01:40 IST
MUMBAI: In a hard-hitting criticism of the state government’s double standards, the Bombay High Court’s order striking down the ban on dance bars ruled that, “There can be no different standards of morality for the affluent and the rich availing the means of entertainment and any common person who can afford to visit places of entertainment within his reach.”
The HC on Wednesday struck down the ban on dance bars on the grounds that it was discriminatory as it banned all kind of dance performances in dance bars but exempted establishments like three-star and five-star hotels. The objective behind the ban, which came into effect on August 15, 2005, was to prevent dances which are obscene, vulgar or immoral and hence derogatory to the dignity of women and to prevent exploitation of women. In a sharp criticism of the state’s dual morality, the HC noted that, “Activities, which the banned establishments are accused of, are also indulged in the exempted establishments in spite of so-called socially-conscious or responsible strata of society who visit them.”
The state had justified the exemption granted to hotels saying the exemption was not an indirect license to perform dances as in the prohibited establishments, but to conduct performances by people who have acquired skill in Western and Indian classical dance forms.
Other reasons stated were that the exemption was granted with the object to encourage tourism, five-star hotels are a class by themselves and cannot be compared with dance bars, people visiting these hotels stand on different footing and cannot be compared with people who visit dance bars and hotels are conducted by responsible people/managements who are conscious of their social commitments and obligations.
“Using terms like Indian and Western classical dance is of no consequence as the Act and rules recognise no such distinction. All applicants for performance license have to meet the same requirements and are subject to same restrictions,” the HC’s 257-page order stated.
Justices FI Rebello and Roshan Dalvi held that couples dancing together, ice-skating and ballroom dancing are embedded in cultures of our regions. Therefore, banning all kinds of dance performances was not fair.
The state’s argument on exempting hotels that authorities have opportunity to screen and supervise nature of performances in these establishments was also debunked by the HC. “Provisions of controlling obscene and vulgar dances are the same, whether they are in the prohibited or exempted establishments,” it held. The court held that the ban discriminates between artistes—dance girls dancing in dance bars and Tamasha theatre—and discriminates between the viewers visiting dance bars and Tamasha. “The object cannot be achieved so long as Tamashas theatre, three and five-star hotels are allowed to hold dance performances. There can be no different standards of morality,” the HC held.
Read more at : DNA - Mumbai - Bar one, bar all, says court - Daily News & Analysis
DNA - Mumbai - ‘Why must we get 20% less power?’ - Daily News & Analysis
‘Why must we get 20% less power?’
Prashant Hamine
Friday, April 14, 2006 22:43 IST
MUMBAI: The BJP on Friday demanded the withdrawal of the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) order, directing Mumbaikars to consume 20 per cent less electricity compared to last year.
City BJP president Prakash Mehta said an “international city” like Mumbai could ill-afford to have power cuts.
Moreover, the Centre had assured 250 MWs of power to the state to overcome the power crisis, Mehta said. Therefore, there was no need for such a regulation, he added.
Mehta demanded that the Reliance Energy Limited (REL) be directed to withdraw the notification in its electricity bills asking consumers to pay 100 per cent fine if they consumed more than 300 units per month. Mehta said the party would stage a dharna at Azad Maidan on April 17 to protest against load-shedding.
Meanwhile, MERC Chairman Pramod Deo said the commission order was issued keeping in view the long-term needs of the city. He said there had been no addition to the BEST’s power generation capacity.
Read more at : DNA - Mumbai - ‘Why must we get 20% less power?’ - Daily News & Analysis
Prashant Hamine
Friday, April 14, 2006 22:43 IST
MUMBAI: The BJP on Friday demanded the withdrawal of the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) order, directing Mumbaikars to consume 20 per cent less electricity compared to last year.
City BJP president Prakash Mehta said an “international city” like Mumbai could ill-afford to have power cuts.
Moreover, the Centre had assured 250 MWs of power to the state to overcome the power crisis, Mehta said. Therefore, there was no need for such a regulation, he added.
Mehta demanded that the Reliance Energy Limited (REL) be directed to withdraw the notification in its electricity bills asking consumers to pay 100 per cent fine if they consumed more than 300 units per month. Mehta said the party would stage a dharna at Azad Maidan on April 17 to protest against load-shedding.
Meanwhile, MERC Chairman Pramod Deo said the commission order was issued keeping in view the long-term needs of the city. He said there had been no addition to the BEST’s power generation capacity.
Read more at : DNA - Mumbai - ‘Why must we get 20% less power?’ - Daily News & Analysis
DNA - Mumbai - Congress stabs Patil, welcomes dance bar order - Daily News & Analysis
Congress stabs Patil, welcomes dance bar order
Shubhangi Khapre
Saturday, April 15, 2006 00:50 IST
MUMBAI: The Congress is not very enthusiastic about Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister RR Patil’s decision to challenge the dance bar verdict in the Supreme Court.
Welcoming the Bombay High Court decision, the alliance partner in the Democratic Front government on Friday said it would be very difficult for the government to explain how dancing in a bar was morally unethical than performing in a five-star hotel.
Congress spokesperson Sanjay Nirupam said, “On behalf of the Congress party I welcome the verdict on dance bar. We have always maintained that the government took a decision in haste without providing any alternative source of livelihood to thousands of workers.”
Patil has maintained that the government’s decision to ban dance bars was taken through political consensus and the Bill was passed in the state Assembly.
Congress leader Hussain Dalwai said, “When Patil took the decision to ban dance bars, he had a limited agenda. His concern was limited to the rich and spoilt children mainly from the cash-rich western Maharashtra, who splurged money, got into all wrong acts and invited AIDS. The home minister never gave a thought to the rehabilitation of thousands of women who depended on dance bars to earn their bread and run their families.”
Another senior Congress MLA who voted in favour of the ban in the Assembly said,
“In principle, nobody can support dance bars. But how can the state government involve in selective moral policing? If a dance bar is unethical and obscene, then what about belly dancing in five-star hotels? The government should apply law uniformly to all, as indicated by the HC.”
Read more at : DNA - Mumbai - Congress stabs Patil, welcomes dance bar order - Daily News & Analysis
Shubhangi Khapre
Saturday, April 15, 2006 00:50 IST
MUMBAI: The Congress is not very enthusiastic about Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister RR Patil’s decision to challenge the dance bar verdict in the Supreme Court.
Welcoming the Bombay High Court decision, the alliance partner in the Democratic Front government on Friday said it would be very difficult for the government to explain how dancing in a bar was morally unethical than performing in a five-star hotel.
Congress spokesperson Sanjay Nirupam said, “On behalf of the Congress party I welcome the verdict on dance bar. We have always maintained that the government took a decision in haste without providing any alternative source of livelihood to thousands of workers.”
Patil has maintained that the government’s decision to ban dance bars was taken through political consensus and the Bill was passed in the state Assembly.
Congress leader Hussain Dalwai said, “When Patil took the decision to ban dance bars, he had a limited agenda. His concern was limited to the rich and spoilt children mainly from the cash-rich western Maharashtra, who splurged money, got into all wrong acts and invited AIDS. The home minister never gave a thought to the rehabilitation of thousands of women who depended on dance bars to earn their bread and run their families.”
Another senior Congress MLA who voted in favour of the ban in the Assembly said,
“In principle, nobody can support dance bars. But how can the state government involve in selective moral policing? If a dance bar is unethical and obscene, then what about belly dancing in five-star hotels? The government should apply law uniformly to all, as indicated by the HC.”
Read more at : DNA - Mumbai - Congress stabs Patil, welcomes dance bar order - Daily News & Analysis
Bombing in New Delhi Mosque Injures 13 - Forbes.com
Bombing in New Delhi Mosque Injures 13
By TIM SULLIVAN , 04.14.2006, 03:24 PM , Associated Press
Two bombs shook New Delhi's main mosque Friday shortly before worshippers gathered for evening prayers, sending terrified people running through the ornate 17th century complex, officials said. At least 13 people were injured.
The explosions came the same day that a series of apparently coordinated grenade attacks by suspected separatist rebels left a bloody trail through the streets of Srinagar, the main city in violence-wracked Indian Kashmir, killing five people and injuring 30 more.
The twin blasts at the Jama Masjid, the imposing red sandstone complex that is the heart of New Delhi's crowded old city, came about an hour before evening prayers.
"People were walking around and suddenly - boom! - there was a bomb," said Mohammed Salaudi, who was inside the mosque when the first explosion took place.
Salaudi said he saw at least three wounded people and other worshippers running in fear.
The blasts occurred within 30 minutes of each other, said Police Chief K.K. Paul, who added they had been caused by "low intensity" improvised explosive devices.
No one claimed responsibility for the bombings, which Sheila Dikshit, New Delhi's top elected official, said had injured 13 people.
Police put New Delhi on high alert, stepping up security at the mosque and across the city, he said.
The first blast went off near a fountain in the mosque's central courtyard where worshippers wash their hands before offering prayers, said Syed Ahmed Bukhari, the chief cleric. It was not immediately clear where the second explosion occurred, although officials said it was in the mosque complex.
Bukhari appealed to people to remain calm.
The Jama Masjid is the main landmark in one of the most crowded parts of Delhi's old city, surrounded by hundreds of shops and houses lining a maze of crowded alleyways.
Less than two hours later, police reopened the mosque complex and hundreds of worshippers streamed through the main gate as night fell and the sound of prayers over loudspeakers echoed across the neighborhood.
Most people stopped near the site of one blast to stare at the red sandstone flooring that covers the mosque courtyard, some of which had turned bluish-black from the blasts.
Half a dozen shoes and flip-flops, some charred from the explosion, lay scattered around, left behind as people scrambled to flee. About 30 feet away, a splotch of red had been circled in white chalk by police, with the notation "BLOOD" in large letters.
"Who would do something like this? What sort of person is this?" wondered Mustafa Iqbal, a trader, who had come for evening prayers, as he looked at the shoes.
In Kashmir, meanwhile, a series of grenade attacks by suspected separatist rebels stunned Srinagar, the region's main city, killing five people and injuring 30 others, police said.
All the dead were civilians - three women and two men who died of their injuries at the city's main hospital, said Mushtaq Ahmad, a police officer.
Security forces fanned out across the city after the first blasts, stopping cars and frisking people as they rushed home.
But the explosions kept coming - there had been at least eight by 8 p.m. - with targets including police patrols, the main bus station and a promenade frequented by tourists and lined with hotels and restaurants.
A local news agency, Current News Service, said four Islamic rebel groups had separately claimed responsibility for the attacks: Jamiat-ul-Mujahedeen, Al-Mansurain, Jaish-e-Mohammad and Islamic Front.
Various Islamic militant groups have been fighting Indian security forces in the insurgency-hit state of Jammu-Kashmir since 1989 to create a separate homeland or merge the Himalayan region into Pakistan.
But even by the standards of Srinagar, a city that long ago grew accustomed to violence, it was a terrifying day.
"Everyone was frightened. By afternoon, we closed down the factory for the day and all the workers went home to their families," said Amjad Khan, who owns a metal factory.
Associated Press Writer Mujtaba Ali Ahmad in Srinagar contributed to this report.
Read more at : Update 6: Bombing in New Delhi Mosque Injures 13 - Forbes.com
By TIM SULLIVAN , 04.14.2006, 03:24 PM , Associated Press
Two bombs shook New Delhi's main mosque Friday shortly before worshippers gathered for evening prayers, sending terrified people running through the ornate 17th century complex, officials said. At least 13 people were injured.
The explosions came the same day that a series of apparently coordinated grenade attacks by suspected separatist rebels left a bloody trail through the streets of Srinagar, the main city in violence-wracked Indian Kashmir, killing five people and injuring 30 more.
The twin blasts at the Jama Masjid, the imposing red sandstone complex that is the heart of New Delhi's crowded old city, came about an hour before evening prayers.
"People were walking around and suddenly - boom! - there was a bomb," said Mohammed Salaudi, who was inside the mosque when the first explosion took place.
Salaudi said he saw at least three wounded people and other worshippers running in fear.
The blasts occurred within 30 minutes of each other, said Police Chief K.K. Paul, who added they had been caused by "low intensity" improvised explosive devices.
No one claimed responsibility for the bombings, which Sheila Dikshit, New Delhi's top elected official, said had injured 13 people.
Police put New Delhi on high alert, stepping up security at the mosque and across the city, he said.
The first blast went off near a fountain in the mosque's central courtyard where worshippers wash their hands before offering prayers, said Syed Ahmed Bukhari, the chief cleric. It was not immediately clear where the second explosion occurred, although officials said it was in the mosque complex.
Bukhari appealed to people to remain calm.
The Jama Masjid is the main landmark in one of the most crowded parts of Delhi's old city, surrounded by hundreds of shops and houses lining a maze of crowded alleyways.
Less than two hours later, police reopened the mosque complex and hundreds of worshippers streamed through the main gate as night fell and the sound of prayers over loudspeakers echoed across the neighborhood.
Most people stopped near the site of one blast to stare at the red sandstone flooring that covers the mosque courtyard, some of which had turned bluish-black from the blasts.
Half a dozen shoes and flip-flops, some charred from the explosion, lay scattered around, left behind as people scrambled to flee. About 30 feet away, a splotch of red had been circled in white chalk by police, with the notation "BLOOD" in large letters.
"Who would do something like this? What sort of person is this?" wondered Mustafa Iqbal, a trader, who had come for evening prayers, as he looked at the shoes.
In Kashmir, meanwhile, a series of grenade attacks by suspected separatist rebels stunned Srinagar, the region's main city, killing five people and injuring 30 others, police said.
All the dead were civilians - three women and two men who died of their injuries at the city's main hospital, said Mushtaq Ahmad, a police officer.
Security forces fanned out across the city after the first blasts, stopping cars and frisking people as they rushed home.
But the explosions kept coming - there had been at least eight by 8 p.m. - with targets including police patrols, the main bus station and a promenade frequented by tourists and lined with hotels and restaurants.
A local news agency, Current News Service, said four Islamic rebel groups had separately claimed responsibility for the attacks: Jamiat-ul-Mujahedeen, Al-Mansurain, Jaish-e-Mohammad and Islamic Front.
Various Islamic militant groups have been fighting Indian security forces in the insurgency-hit state of Jammu-Kashmir since 1989 to create a separate homeland or merge the Himalayan region into Pakistan.
But even by the standards of Srinagar, a city that long ago grew accustomed to violence, it was a terrifying day.
"Everyone was frightened. By afternoon, we closed down the factory for the day and all the workers went home to their families," said Amjad Khan, who owns a metal factory.
Associated Press Writer Mujtaba Ali Ahmad in Srinagar contributed to this report.
Read more at : Update 6: Bombing in New Delhi Mosque Injures 13 - Forbes.com
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Rice Faces Congress on India Nuclear Plan
Rice Faces Congress on India Nuclear Plan
By LIZ SIDOTI, Associated Press Writer
Wednesday, April 5, 2006(04-05) 13:38 PDT WASHINGTON, (AP) : Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice sought to assure a wary Congress on Wednesday that a landmark plan to share nuclear technology with India for its civilian program won't undercut efforts to stop the spread of nuclear weapons.
"Clearly, this agreement does not constrain India's nuclear weapons program. That was not its purpose," Rice told a House committee. "Neither, however, as some critics have suggested, does it enhance India's capability to build nuclear weapons."
In the House and Senate, Republicans and Democrats alike expressed serious reservations over the plan and criticized what they called the Bush administration's failure to explain its details to lawmakers earlier.
"It is my view that this is in trouble here," said Rep. Gary Ackerman, D-N.Y., who supports the plan but criticized how the administration has handled it.
The administration needs Congress to change, or approve an exception to, the law that bans civilian nuclear cooperation with countries that have not submitted to full nuclear inspections. India continues to refuse to sign the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.
Despite concerns, some lawmakers from both political parties indicated they would back the plan because of an overall goal of strengthening the U.S.-India relationship.
"This is a very good bet for our country," said Sen. George Allen, R-Va.
Others weren't swayed.
"I fear that this deal could end up making our world less safe rather than more safe," said Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis.
Rice testified on the plan during back-to-back hearings before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and House International Relations Committee. The administration is pursuing the proposal in part because it sees India as an ally in a region now dominated by China.
Considered a major U.S. policy shift, the plan calls for the United States to share nuclear technology and fuel with India to help power its rapidly growing economy. India, for its part, agreed to allow U.N. inspections of its civilian nuclear reactors. India's nuclear weapons facilities would be off limits.
Critics on and off Capitol Hill contend the plan could dramatically increase India's nuclear arsenal and weaken decades of efforts to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.
Rice rejected those arguments, saying the plan will help fulfill the energy needs of a country that has been "a responsible actor" with regard to its nuclear technologies.
"Civil nuclear cooperation with India will not lead to an arms race in South Asia," Rice told the Senate panel. "Nothing we or any other potential international suppliers provide to India under this initiative will enhance its military capacity or add to its military stockpile."
Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., the Senate committee chairman and a longtime nonproliferation advocate, praised the plan for allowing more inspections by the U.N. nuclear watchdog. But he also expressed concern that "it would not prevent India from expanding its nuclear arsenal."
In the same vein, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., noted that eight of India's 22 nuclear plants would not be open to U.N. inspectors, "and they will be producing large amounts of nuclear material."
Still, two senior Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Joseph Biden of Delaware and John Kerry of Massachusetts, signaled they were inclined to vote for the agreement, albeit reluctantly.
"It comes down to a simple bet we're making," said Biden, the panel's top Democrat. "It's a bet that India appreciates, as much as we do, that the two nations have the potential to be the anchors for stability and security in the world going into the 21st century."
In both the House and the Senate, lawmakers questioned the relationship between India and Iran. "Iran is the most troubling aspect of this deal," said Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla.
The lawmakers pointed to energy cooperation between the two countries and port calls that Iranian vessels have made on India.
"In whose best interest is this?" asked Sen. Lincoln Chafee, R-R.I. He said it appeared that the United States wanted to change U.S. law simply to impede India's oil and gas relationship with Iran.
Not so, Rice said. The goal of the plan is to create a "strategic partnership" with India on technology, energy and economic issues.
Rep. Tom Lantos, the House committee's top Democrat and a supporter of the plan, warned that India-Iran military cooperation could derail it in Congress. "There can be no equivocation on India's part regarding Iran under its current management," said Lantos, D-Calif.
In a tense exchange with Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., on the same issue, Rice acknowledged that India has some "low-level military-to-military contacts with Iran."
But, she said: "The United States has made very clear to India that we have concerns about their relationship with Iran."
"I just think your words are a bit hollow," Boxer responded. "This deal has to have more checks and balances."
Read more at : Rice Faces Congress on India Nuclear Plan
By LIZ SIDOTI, Associated Press Writer
Wednesday, April 5, 2006(04-05) 13:38 PDT WASHINGTON, (AP) : Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice sought to assure a wary Congress on Wednesday that a landmark plan to share nuclear technology with India for its civilian program won't undercut efforts to stop the spread of nuclear weapons.
"Clearly, this agreement does not constrain India's nuclear weapons program. That was not its purpose," Rice told a House committee. "Neither, however, as some critics have suggested, does it enhance India's capability to build nuclear weapons."
In the House and Senate, Republicans and Democrats alike expressed serious reservations over the plan and criticized what they called the Bush administration's failure to explain its details to lawmakers earlier.
"It is my view that this is in trouble here," said Rep. Gary Ackerman, D-N.Y., who supports the plan but criticized how the administration has handled it.
The administration needs Congress to change, or approve an exception to, the law that bans civilian nuclear cooperation with countries that have not submitted to full nuclear inspections. India continues to refuse to sign the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.
Despite concerns, some lawmakers from both political parties indicated they would back the plan because of an overall goal of strengthening the U.S.-India relationship.
"This is a very good bet for our country," said Sen. George Allen, R-Va.
Others weren't swayed.
"I fear that this deal could end up making our world less safe rather than more safe," said Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis.
Rice testified on the plan during back-to-back hearings before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and House International Relations Committee. The administration is pursuing the proposal in part because it sees India as an ally in a region now dominated by China.
Considered a major U.S. policy shift, the plan calls for the United States to share nuclear technology and fuel with India to help power its rapidly growing economy. India, for its part, agreed to allow U.N. inspections of its civilian nuclear reactors. India's nuclear weapons facilities would be off limits.
Critics on and off Capitol Hill contend the plan could dramatically increase India's nuclear arsenal and weaken decades of efforts to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.
Rice rejected those arguments, saying the plan will help fulfill the energy needs of a country that has been "a responsible actor" with regard to its nuclear technologies.
"Civil nuclear cooperation with India will not lead to an arms race in South Asia," Rice told the Senate panel. "Nothing we or any other potential international suppliers provide to India under this initiative will enhance its military capacity or add to its military stockpile."
Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., the Senate committee chairman and a longtime nonproliferation advocate, praised the plan for allowing more inspections by the U.N. nuclear watchdog. But he also expressed concern that "it would not prevent India from expanding its nuclear arsenal."
In the same vein, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., noted that eight of India's 22 nuclear plants would not be open to U.N. inspectors, "and they will be producing large amounts of nuclear material."
Still, two senior Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Joseph Biden of Delaware and John Kerry of Massachusetts, signaled they were inclined to vote for the agreement, albeit reluctantly.
"It comes down to a simple bet we're making," said Biden, the panel's top Democrat. "It's a bet that India appreciates, as much as we do, that the two nations have the potential to be the anchors for stability and security in the world going into the 21st century."
In both the House and the Senate, lawmakers questioned the relationship between India and Iran. "Iran is the most troubling aspect of this deal," said Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla.
The lawmakers pointed to energy cooperation between the two countries and port calls that Iranian vessels have made on India.
"In whose best interest is this?" asked Sen. Lincoln Chafee, R-R.I. He said it appeared that the United States wanted to change U.S. law simply to impede India's oil and gas relationship with Iran.
Not so, Rice said. The goal of the plan is to create a "strategic partnership" with India on technology, energy and economic issues.
Rep. Tom Lantos, the House committee's top Democrat and a supporter of the plan, warned that India-Iran military cooperation could derail it in Congress. "There can be no equivocation on India's part regarding Iran under its current management," said Lantos, D-Calif.
In a tense exchange with Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., on the same issue, Rice acknowledged that India has some "low-level military-to-military contacts with Iran."
But, she said: "The United States has made very clear to India that we have concerns about their relationship with Iran."
"I just think your words are a bit hollow," Boxer responded. "This deal has to have more checks and balances."
Read more at : Rice Faces Congress on India Nuclear Plan
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Oddly Enough News Article | Reuters.com
India to probe fashion show "wardrobe malfunctions"
Tue Apr 4, 2006 10:48 AM ET
MUMBAI (Reuters) - Outraged officials in largely conservative India will examine video clips to see whether a halter slipping off a top model or another's skirt zip splitting at a fashion show were "deliberate" acts, a state minister said.
Last week, model Carol Gracias's skimpy halter slipped down to her waist showing her breasts to snapping photographers and rolling TV cameras during a fashion show in Mumbai.
This was followed by another sensational "wardrobe malfunction" when former Miss India Gauhar Khan's skirt zip split, revealing her bottom to the media and Mumbai's smart set.
This has not gone well with Mumbai's politicians who have been waging a morality campaign which shut down the city's famous dance bars, making thousands of female dancers jobless.
"If we find that these acts were not accidental, then we will take action against the fashion show organizers," deputy chief minister of Maharashtra state R.R. Patil said late on Monday.
The wardrobe malfunctions at the fashion show caused a sensation in conservative India.
But some fashion designers say wardrobe problems do happen on the catwalk and don't understand what the fuss is all about.
"We don't want everyone to be veiled. We are lucky to live in a free country," fashion designer Narendra Kumar was quoted in The Indian Express Tuesday as saying, adding what happened to Gracias and Khan were "clearly a mistake."
Read more at : Oddly Enough News Article | Reuters.com
Tue Apr 4, 2006 10:48 AM ET
MUMBAI (Reuters) - Outraged officials in largely conservative India will examine video clips to see whether a halter slipping off a top model or another's skirt zip splitting at a fashion show were "deliberate" acts, a state minister said.
Last week, model Carol Gracias's skimpy halter slipped down to her waist showing her breasts to snapping photographers and rolling TV cameras during a fashion show in Mumbai.
This was followed by another sensational "wardrobe malfunction" when former Miss India Gauhar Khan's skirt zip split, revealing her bottom to the media and Mumbai's smart set.
This has not gone well with Mumbai's politicians who have been waging a morality campaign which shut down the city's famous dance bars, making thousands of female dancers jobless.
"If we find that these acts were not accidental, then we will take action against the fashion show organizers," deputy chief minister of Maharashtra state R.R. Patil said late on Monday.
The wardrobe malfunctions at the fashion show caused a sensation in conservative India.
But some fashion designers say wardrobe problems do happen on the catwalk and don't understand what the fuss is all about.
"We don't want everyone to be veiled. We are lucky to live in a free country," fashion designer Narendra Kumar was quoted in The Indian Express Tuesday as saying, adding what happened to Gracias and Khan were "clearly a mistake."
Read more at : Oddly Enough News Article | Reuters.com
Oddly Enough News Article | Reuters.com
"Loyal" donkeys better than wives, says textbook
Tue Apr 4, 2006 10:28 AM ET
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - A textbook used at schools in the Indian state of Rajasthan compares housewives to donkeys, and suggests the animals make better companions as they complain less and are more loyal to their "masters," The Times of India reported Tuesday.
"A donkey is like a housewife ... In fact, the donkey is a shade better, for while the housewife may sometimes complain and walk off to her parents' home, you'll never catch the donkey being disloyal to his master," the newspaper reported, quoting a Hindi-language primer meant for 14-year-olds.
The book was approved by the state's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party government but has sparked protests from the party's women's wing.
State education officials in Rajasthan, a western state known for its conservative attitude toward women, said people should not be upset by the comparison, the paper said.
"The comparison was made in good humor," state education official A.R. Khan was quoted as saying. "However, protests have been taken note of and the board is in the process of removing it (the reference)."
Read more at : Oddly Enough News Article | Reuters.com
Tue Apr 4, 2006 10:28 AM ET
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - A textbook used at schools in the Indian state of Rajasthan compares housewives to donkeys, and suggests the animals make better companions as they complain less and are more loyal to their "masters," The Times of India reported Tuesday.
"A donkey is like a housewife ... In fact, the donkey is a shade better, for while the housewife may sometimes complain and walk off to her parents' home, you'll never catch the donkey being disloyal to his master," the newspaper reported, quoting a Hindi-language primer meant for 14-year-olds.
The book was approved by the state's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party government but has sparked protests from the party's women's wing.
State education officials in Rajasthan, a western state known for its conservative attitude toward women, said people should not be upset by the comparison, the paper said.
"The comparison was made in good humor," state education official A.R. Khan was quoted as saying. "However, protests have been taken note of and the board is in the process of removing it (the reference)."
Read more at : Oddly Enough News Article | Reuters.com
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