No other member of Parliament has as many cases registered against him as the 39-year-old MP from Siwan in Bihar.
Mohammad Shahabuddin, who was sentenced to life in prison on Tuesday, has 52 criminal cases registered against him.
The Rashtriya Janata Dal's Lok Sabha member was awarded a life sentence in a case involving the kidnapping of a Communist Party of India-Marxist Leninist worker eight years ago.
His criminal career began in 1985 with a case registered against him in connection with a kidnapping at Siwan town police station.
According to police records, the criminal cases registered against Shahabuddin include murder, attempt to murder, kidnapping, extortion, offences under the Arms Act and Wildlife Protection Act.
He has been accused of links with Pakistan's notorious Inter Services Intelligence agency and fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim. Then Bihar Director General of Police D P Ojha alleged that Shahabuddin had links with the ISI. Ojha also accused the MP of links with the terrorist organisation, Lashkar-e-Tayiba.
Shahabuddin has been convicted in two cases in the last three months. On March 2 he was sentenced to two years in prison for a September 19, 1998 attack on the CPI-ML office at Kurmabad in Siwan town in which the party's office secretary Keshav Baitha was injured.
It was the first time he had ever been convicted in a case.
He has been acquitted in 18 cases, including in two cases last week by the special court currently operating out of Siwan jail.
Shahabuddin is being tried in 29 other cases in different courts including the special court in Siwan jail. Four cases await a chargesheet.
He was first elected an independent member of Bihar's legislative assembly from Siwan's Ziradei seat in 1990, a constituency that includes the birthplace of India's first President Rajendra Prasad. Five years later then Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav gave him a Janata Dal ticket to contest the assembly election. He easily retained the seat.
A year later, in 1996, Lalu Yadav asked him to contest the Siwan Lok Sabha seat. Shahabuddin has since won the seat four times in a row.
Wednesday 9 May 2007
A date with our trees
Ajai Menon pays a tribute to those familiar landmarks, Kochi's trees, through a black and white table calendar. K. PRADEEP finds out more about his other creative pursuits
TALES TREES COULD TELL Some of Ajai Menon's shots of those familiar trees that have become important landmarks of the city
The trees that dot Kochi and its suburbs serve not as landmarks alone. They are historical bookmarks, part of the heritage of the city. The trees articulate Kochi's distinctive skyline, providing a seasonally changing foreground and frame to the landscape. They enhance and soften the scene by acting as a foil to the evolving architecture. Being all this and more, very often we tend to take these trees for granted. Ajai Menon, an amateur photographer, has cared to focus on some of these living mascots and the impact is stunning.
An art director with FCB-Ulka, Ajai's first love has always been photography. "Though my job does not directly involve taking pictures this is something close to my heart. Whenever I'm needed at a location for a shoot I try to make use of that chance. Even otherwise I carry my camera with me wherever I go."
For the past five years or so Ajai's photographs have appeared on calendars. "Most of them were on landscapes and in colour. Personally, I would like to concentrate on black and white pictures. I also would like to work more on specific themes, like this year's one of Trees. But then most of the clients seem to prefer colour photographs."
His latest set of twelve black and white photographs on the trees of Kochi is an emphatic statement on the need to preserve our trees. For him they represent the life of the city itself. From its cool shade life sprouts and craves to be caressed. It blooms by the touch of a gentle breeze. Some of them fall when they do not have roots to hold them up any longer and when they are pruned the new branches that grow lean towards light. There is at least a branch and some leaves for us to rest and a little shade for all of us. "The text and captions for this calendar is by Ajith, my friend and one-time colleague. What I have tried to convey is that these trees seem to care and protect all of us even while we are not bothered to care for them."
Landmark trees
It took Ajai only three full days to can these images. The centuries old rain trees that give Fort Kochi its character, the almost barren one that still provides shade to a few gypsies at Manappatti Parambu, the `whistling trees' at the rundown, old railway station, the long branches that provide a green canopy to the Magistrate Court are all right there. "To see them in colours, as in real life, in photographs would have made it look so ordinary. Black and white gives it a certain mood, the frames acquire depth and I'm sure it would prompt the viewer to search for something beyond the picture."
Immediately after he finished high school Ajai joined a private school of fine arts in Tripunithura. "Drawing and painting was what I studied there. It was when I joined the advertisement industry that I really picked up the rudiments of photography. Working with stalwarts in the field like Anilkumar and Rajhan Paul helped me a lot. I used to get my doubts about photography cleared from them. That background in art also helped, especially when it came to light and shade or choosing the angles."
In the meantime Ajai also worked on his artistic skills. Though he did not find much time to paint, he has turned out some really innovative sculptures in a new medium, m-seal. He has created some cute Ganesha figurines and other objects using this material. "I would like to hold an exhibition of the sculptures I made out of this adhesive. This product is mouldable into any shape, can be drilled, filed, sanded or painted on. You can make lovely unshaped sculptures and then improve using your imagination. I think this is one medium, though a bit expensive can be easily tried out at home."
And now Ajai has begun planning for his next theme-based work, which he does not want to reveal now. "The monsoon is a perfect subject. But then you need to have luck on your side too to get some good shots."
TALES TREES COULD TELL Some of Ajai Menon's shots of those familiar trees that have become important landmarks of the city The trees that dot Kochi and its suburbs serve not as landmarks alone. They are historical bookmarks, part of the heritage of the city. The trees articulate Kochi's distinctive skyline, providing a seasonally changing foreground and frame to the landscape. They enhance and soften the scene by acting as a foil to the evolving architecture. Being all this and more, very often we tend to take these trees for granted. Ajai Menon, an amateur photographer, has cared to focus on some of these living mascots and the impact is stunning.
An art director with FCB-Ulka, Ajai's first love has always been photography. "Though my job does not directly involve taking pictures this is something close to my heart. Whenever I'm needed at a location for a shoot I try to make use of that chance. Even otherwise I carry my camera with me wherever I go."
For the past five years or so Ajai's photographs have appeared on calendars. "Most of them were on landscapes and in colour. Personally, I would like to concentrate on black and white pictures. I also would like to work more on specific themes, like this year's one of Trees. But then most of the clients seem to prefer colour photographs."
His latest set of twelve black and white photographs on the trees of Kochi is an emphatic statement on the need to preserve our trees. For him they represent the life of the city itself. From its cool shade life sprouts and craves to be caressed. It blooms by the touch of a gentle breeze. Some of them fall when they do not have roots to hold them up any longer and when they are pruned the new branches that grow lean towards light. There is at least a branch and some leaves for us to rest and a little shade for all of us. "The text and captions for this calendar is by Ajith, my friend and one-time colleague. What I have tried to convey is that these trees seem to care and protect all of us even while we are not bothered to care for them." Landmark trees
It took Ajai only three full days to can these images. The centuries old rain trees that give Fort Kochi its character, the almost barren one that still provides shade to a few gypsies at Manappatti Parambu, the `whistling trees' at the rundown, old railway station, the long branches that provide a green canopy to the Magistrate Court are all right there. "To see them in colours, as in real life, in photographs would have made it look so ordinary. Black and white gives it a certain mood, the frames acquire depth and I'm sure it would prompt the viewer to search for something beyond the picture."
Immediately after he finished high school Ajai joined a private school of fine arts in Tripunithura. "Drawing and painting was what I studied there. It was when I joined the advertisement industry that I really picked up the rudiments of photography. Working with stalwarts in the field like Anilkumar and Rajhan Paul helped me a lot. I used to get my doubts about photography cleared from them. That background in art also helped, especially when it came to light and shade or choosing the angles."
In the meantime Ajai also worked on his artistic skills. Though he did not find much time to paint, he has turned out some really innovative sculptures in a new medium, m-seal. He has created some cute Ganesha figurines and other objects using this material. "I would like to hold an exhibition of the sculptures I made out of this adhesive. This product is mouldable into any shape, can be drilled, filed, sanded or painted on. You can make lovely unshaped sculptures and then improve using your imagination. I think this is one medium, though a bit expensive can be easily tried out at home."
And now Ajai has begun planning for his next theme-based work, which he does not want to reveal now. "The monsoon is a perfect subject. But then you need to have luck on your side too to get some good shots."
Lanka says LTTE air power no threat to India
Going into a corrective mode, Sri Lanka today said it did not consider that LTTE could pose an aerial threat to India, a day after its Foreign Secretary claimed that the Tamil group could target nuclear facilities of the neighbouring country.
Military spokesman Prasad Samarasinghe said the authorities have not even discussed the possibility of the Tamil Tiger rebels using their aircraft to bomb any location in India.
"We certainly have had no discussions on anything like that," Samarasinghe said a day after Sri Lankan Foreign Secretary Paltha Kohono said that there was a possibility of the rebels using air power to target Indian nuclear power stations.
Defence ministry spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella said the government did not consider the LTTE's newly-acquired flying capability as a serious threat even to installations within the island.
"Very soon we will be able to take care of the LTTE's flying capability," Rambukwella said. "We are already in the process of acquiring weapons to deal with the problem. They are not a serious threat."
The Tigers have used at least two Czech-built Zlin-143 light aircraft for four bombing missions against the capital and military installations.
The attacks did not cause much damage, but it had a serious psychological impact on the defence establishment. At a press conference yesterday, Kohona said it was a "possibility." "You can't rule anything out," he said while admitting that he was merely speculating as mentioned in an Indian media report.
Officials here noted that it was not possible to bomb a nuclear facility with the type of weapons the Tigers are known to posses.
Even if the Tigers did manage, it was the rebel-held areas of Sri Lanka's embattled north-east that would be the first to be affected by any nuclear fall out, Tamil politician Dharmalingam Sithadthan said.
"It is far fetched to think that the Tigers are going to target Indian nuclear power stations," said Sithadthan who leads the pro-government Democratic People's Liberation Front (DPLF).
"If those facilities are bombed, it is the north-east of Sri Lanka that will be affected. The Tigers are not that mad."
Military spokesman Prasad Samarasinghe said the authorities have not even discussed the possibility of the Tamil Tiger rebels using their aircraft to bomb any location in India.
"We certainly have had no discussions on anything like that," Samarasinghe said a day after Sri Lankan Foreign Secretary Paltha Kohono said that there was a possibility of the rebels using air power to target Indian nuclear power stations.
Defence ministry spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella said the government did not consider the LTTE's newly-acquired flying capability as a serious threat even to installations within the island.
"Very soon we will be able to take care of the LTTE's flying capability," Rambukwella said. "We are already in the process of acquiring weapons to deal with the problem. They are not a serious threat."
The Tigers have used at least two Czech-built Zlin-143 light aircraft for four bombing missions against the capital and military installations.
The attacks did not cause much damage, but it had a serious psychological impact on the defence establishment. At a press conference yesterday, Kohona said it was a "possibility." "You can't rule anything out," he said while admitting that he was merely speculating as mentioned in an Indian media report.
Officials here noted that it was not possible to bomb a nuclear facility with the type of weapons the Tigers are known to posses.
Even if the Tigers did manage, it was the rebel-held areas of Sri Lanka's embattled north-east that would be the first to be affected by any nuclear fall out, Tamil politician Dharmalingam Sithadthan said.
"It is far fetched to think that the Tigers are going to target Indian nuclear power stations," said Sithadthan who leads the pro-government Democratic People's Liberation Front (DPLF).
"If those facilities are bombed, it is the north-east of Sri Lanka that will be affected. The Tigers are not that mad."
Monday 7 May 2007
Water woes: Bombay HC cracks down on slums
The Bombay High Court has directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation to take action against all slums that have come up near water pipelines in the city.
''We are carrying out an inventory. Those before 1995 will get alternative accommodation. Those post 2000 will be evicted,'' said R R Harinane, hydraulic engineer, Mumbai.
The move comes after advocate Machindra Patil filed a public interest litigation in the HC against such slums. Patil says that every year Mumbai is losing millions of litres of water because of these slums.
''The pipeline is a prohibited area under the Municipal Corporation Act. I went to court and filed a PIL to get these slums removed,'' he added.
The highlights of the PIL are - Mumbai needs 4300 million litres of water every day but gets only 3050 million litres. Also, water worth Rs 100 crore is stolen every year and another Rs 100 crore worth water is wasted.
According to the PIL, while people in housing complexes and chawls pay crores of rupees for their water, slums don't pay anything.
So when pipelines burst and flood these slums, the people living here are themselves responsible for the damage.
Hi-tech terrorists baffle Indian Army
Terrorists sneaking into India from across the border are increasingly using global positioning system devices in their ventures, posing problems to the army, which has no equipment to track them.
According to the soldiers manning the Line of Control in north Kashmir's Kupwara sector, terrorists now depend on the satellite-based GPS instead of human guides to infiltrate into the Valley.
"Terrorists have gone hi-tech as they are using sophisticated devices to find their way into our side of the Valley," said a top army official, adding, "The incidents, where militants rely on GPS to sneak into the Valley, have increased in the recent past."
A GPS device can be as small as a mobile phone and is available as little as Rs 3,000-5,000. It can be used by anyone with a little technical knowledge.
Earlier infiltrators relied mostly on 'not always trustworthy' human guides who used to take hefty sums in crossing the border but now the hi-tech equipment has taken over as it can easily remain untraced.
"Earlier we used to track mobile conversations between infiltrators and their guides but now we do not have any resources to track GPS signals," said another official.
"A person sitting kilometers away can easily guide the infiltrators and we cannot trace the signals," he added.
Sources in the army told PTI that training in GPS equipment have been made mandatory for terrorists operating on the other side of the LoC.
"We have apprehended some militants with these devices and subsequent interrogation revealed that it was mandatory for them to train in the use of these equipments. Every group that prepares to cross the LoC has an expert to handle these devices," they said.
PRO of the Srinagar-based 15 Corps Lt Col A K Mathur, however, said counter-measures are already in place.
"We have installed some counter measures to neutralize the militants using GPS. These equipment can only help them cross the LoC but cannot aware them of the places where we have put mines," he said.
According to the soldiers manning the Line of Control in north Kashmir's Kupwara sector, terrorists now depend on the satellite-based GPS instead of human guides to infiltrate into the Valley.
"Terrorists have gone hi-tech as they are using sophisticated devices to find their way into our side of the Valley," said a top army official, adding, "The incidents, where militants rely on GPS to sneak into the Valley, have increased in the recent past."
A GPS device can be as small as a mobile phone and is available as little as Rs 3,000-5,000. It can be used by anyone with a little technical knowledge.
Earlier infiltrators relied mostly on 'not always trustworthy' human guides who used to take hefty sums in crossing the border but now the hi-tech equipment has taken over as it can easily remain untraced.
"Earlier we used to track mobile conversations between infiltrators and their guides but now we do not have any resources to track GPS signals," said another official.
"A person sitting kilometers away can easily guide the infiltrators and we cannot trace the signals," he added.
Sources in the army told PTI that training in GPS equipment have been made mandatory for terrorists operating on the other side of the LoC.
"We have apprehended some militants with these devices and subsequent interrogation revealed that it was mandatory for them to train in the use of these equipments. Every group that prepares to cross the LoC has an expert to handle these devices," they said.
PRO of the Srinagar-based 15 Corps Lt Col A K Mathur, however, said counter-measures are already in place.
"We have installed some counter measures to neutralize the militants using GPS. These equipment can only help them cross the LoC but cannot aware them of the places where we have put mines," he said.
SRK - The biggest song ever!!!
Farah Khan's Om Shanti Om has been mostly under wraps for a while now, and we finally get to see some stills from a song sequence, a multistarrer to beat all multistarrers.
Evidently inspired by Manmohan Desai's star-studded John Johnny Janardhan in 1981's Naseeb, Farah decided to create her own mega song -- featuring over 30 top Bollywood stars!
While the stills here show off Sanjay Dutt, Saif Ali, Salman and Shah Rukh Khan grooving in the same frame, other stars showcased in the song are Kajol, Shilpa Shetty, Preity Zinta, Govinda, Priyanka Chopra, Rani Mukerji, Vidya Balan, Mithun Chakraborty, Rekha, Karisma Kapoor, Tabu, Priyanka Chopra, Lara Dutta, Malaika Arora, Urmila Matondkar, Shabana Azmi and Amrita Arora, among many others.
"Well, it's 20 years since that song in Naseeb, and we had to step up the star power," Farah described the song to a Mumbai daily.
The biggest song ever? With Sanju Baba and the three Khans proving to be just one scene in a mega event gaana, it sure looks like it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)