DELHI, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2014

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EMPOWER— Pages 17 & 18

SRINAGAR:  Anger over the kill-ing of two schoolboys in Army firing on Monday eveningspilled over to the streets onTuesday with stone-throwingprotesters clashing with thepolice, forcing the authoritiesto clamp curfew in severalparts of downtown Srinagar.

In Nowgam, the home of the slain boys, clashes took place through the day.

Senior district administra-tion officials said curfew wasimposed in Khanyar, No-whatta, Mahraj Gunj, Rain-awari, Safakadal and Nowgamand there was palpable ten-sion throughout the city.

The two boys who diedwere identified as Faisal andMehrajuddin. Faisal wasstudying in class VII. He hadgone out in his father’s car tobuy curtains for the hallwhere the family was plan-ning a party on Sunday. “Fai-sal met his neighbourhoodfriends and all of them decid-ed to go to Chattargam for awhile to watch Marsiya(mourning on Muharram).

Then the Army killed him,”says Faisal’s cousin, JanMuzaffar. According to one of the

boys, who escaped unhurt,their car brushed against atipper truck on their way toChattargam and were afraidthat the driver would catchhold of them and beat themup. “They drove fast fearingthe tipper truck driver andmissed the Army signal tostop and they [the Army]killed them for it,” says Mo-

hammad Sami, a shopkeeperoutside Faisal’s home. “I saw him when he left home andthen when they brought hisbody today, I couldn’t recog-nise him.”

Faisal’s brother, Faizan (9)could not understand why the Army did not shoot at thetyres of the car if they wantedto stop the vehicle. “Why didthey shoot at the windows,”he wondered.

Defence Minister ArunJaitely said a fair inquiry would be held and action tak-en against those found guilty.

Curfew imposedin several partsof Srinagar

Zahid Rafiq

 Kashmiris mourn thetwo boys who died inthe firing at Nowgam,on Tuesday; Faisal  Mohamad, one of thevictims.— PHOTO: NISSAR AHMAD

Valley erupts in protestover deaths in Army firing

SHUTDOWN TODAY | PAGE 10

Towards Security and Stabil-ity in Afghanistan,” tabled inthe U.S. Congress, the Penta-gon said, “Afghan-and-India-focused militants continue tooperate from Pakistan terri-tory to the detriment of Af-ghan and regional stability.

Pakistan uses these proxy forces to hedge against theloss of influence in Afghan-istan and to counter India’ssuperior military.”

“If the international com-munity is now acknowledg-ing the fact that terrorism

derives support from Pak, itssomething that we welcome,”Syed Akbaruddin, the officialspokesperson of Ministry of External Affairs, said. “Weneed to focus on terrorism asan evil scourge against thewhole of mankind. We havealways held that the issue of terrorism should not besegmented.”

The report hints that theterrorist attack on the Indianconsulate in Afghanistan inMay was timed to coincidewith Mr. Modi’s swearing-in.

(With additional reporting by Suhasini Haidar) 

WASHINGTON: In an unusually candid report the Pentagonhas openly criticised Pakis-tan for using militant groupsas proxies in a war againstIndia, a step that could mark growing strategic closenessbetween Washington andNew Delhi since Prime Min-ister Narendra Modi as-sumed office in May.

In its report on “Progress

Pentagon puts Pak. in the dock For using militantgroups to counterIndia’s militaryNarayan Lakshman

IN LINE WITH MODI'S REMARKS |PAGE 10

BHUBANESWAR: TheCentral Bureau ofInvestigation arrestedRamachandra Hansdah,Mayurbhanj MP from theBiju Janata Dal, onTuesday for his allegedinvolvement in a Ponzischeme here.

Two former MLAs,Subarna Naik (BJD) andHitesh Bagarti (BharatiyaJanata Party), were heldon similar chargesrelating to NabadigantaCapital Services PrivateLtd., in which the threewere directors. The CBIseized Rs. 28 lakh fromthe MP’s Rairangpurresidence on July 31.

The agency hasregistered 47 cases —three in West Bengal and44 in Odisha — in thealleged chit fund scam onSupreme Courtdirections.

The BJD suspended Mr.Hansdah and Mr. Naikfrom the party.

A few days ago, the CBIarrested Pravat Tripathy,a BJD MLA, for his allegedassociation with ArthaTatwa Group, which hadcheated thousands ofinvestors in the State.

CBI arrestsBJD MP inPonzi scamSatyasundar Barik 

RS. 100 CRORECOLLECTED FROM INVESTORS |PAGE 10

ENVOY MEETSFISHERMENPAGE 10

SETHUSAMUDRAM

Ram Sethu will not bedismantled: GadkariMANDAPAM:The Centrewill put anavigationsystem inplace in the Palk Bay asenvisaged in theSethusamudram Ship Channelproject without disturbing RamSethu, Union Minister for RoadTransport, Highways andShipping Nitin Gadkari said onTuesday. After making an aerialinspection of the project, Mr.Gadkari told a press conferencehere that the Ram Sethu wouldnot be dismantled.

NEWS | PAGE 10

NEW DELHI:  Amid communaltension that has gripped differ-ent parts of the Capital, Muhar-ram was observed without any incident on Tuesday. Unprece-dented security was in place inthe Trilokpuri and Bawana ar-eas of East and Outer Delhi thatrecently witnessed communaltension. Several companies of the Delhi Police and other para-military forces were deployedto thwart any untoward inci-dent.

The police also took addi-tional preventive measuresduring the procession. In Tri-lokpuri, the mourners were notallowed to carry weapons un-like the procession in Bawana. Also, the route was shortened atboth places. The policemen alsoused drones at both the placesto keep a tab on the security situation.

Both Trilokpuri and Bawana,have witnessed communal ten-sion in the recent days. Trilok-

in both the places. This was vis-ible at the time of processionsas well. While Trilokpuri saw Hindus and Muslims taking outthe procession together, in Ba-wana Hindus extended theirsupport and maintained peacein the area. An attempt to cause trouble

was swiftly foiled by the police

processions passing throughtheir areas, were not willing tosoften their stand on the issueand claimed the revised routewas a victory of sorts for them.

Earlier, too, a group of menfrom the villages had conducteda search in the resettlementcolony alleging that cow slaugh-ter was going on there.

Muharram passes off peacefullyKritika Sharma andShubhomoy Sikdar

 A drone watches over the Muharram procession in Bawana on Tuesday. — PHOTO: R.V. MOORTHY

NEW DELHI: Ending eightmonths of political uncertain-ty, the Union Cabinet onTuesday recommended disso-lution of the Delhi Assembly,paving the way for fresh elec-tions in the capital. Delhi hasbeen under President’s rulesince February this year.

The Cabinet meeting,chaired by Prime MinisterNarendra Modi, gave its nodto Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung’srecommendation to dissolvethe 70-member House.

In his report to PresidentPranab Mukherjee, the L-G isreported to have mentionedthat all three major parties —the BJP, the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party — had ex-pressed their inability to formthe government because of lack of numbers.

The party leaders said thatthey were ready for fresh elec-tions. The Cabinet’s decisionwill now be referred to thePresident, who will dissolvethe Assembly. Following thedissolution, the ElectionCommission is expected toscrap the November 25 by-elections to three Assembly seats in Delhi and order freshelections. Polls will have to beheld before February whenPresident’s rule ends.

Quick to attack the AAP,BJP leader Jagdish Mukhiblamed the former Chief Min-ister, Arvind Kejriwal, for“foisting” elections on Delhiby “running away” from gov-

ernment. “However, we areready for elections.”

“Delhi has won, the BJP haslost,” retorted Mr. Kejriwal,whose party has moved theSupreme Court, seeking freshelections. He said the BJP wasavoiding elections becausethe party was devoid of lead-ers in Delhi. “Modiji is thePrime Minister. He cannot bethe Chief Minister of Delhi,”he told reporters. With cor-

ruption as the plank, the AAPhad won 28 seats in the De-cember 2013 elections. TheBJP had won 31 seats whilethe Congress got a poor thirdwith eight seats. President’srule was imposed after the AAP, which formed the gov-ernment with the outsidesupport of the Congress, quitafter 49 days.

Gargi Parsai

 AAP National Convener Arvind Kejriwal arrives for the press meet at the Constitution Club on Tuesday.– PHOTO: PRASHANT NAKWE

Cabinet clears dissolutionof Delhi Assembly 

“BJP HAD NO CHOICE”| PAGE 5

NEW DELHI: It isn’t just theLok Sabha where Muslimrepresentation has fallento an all-time low, Muslimrepresentation in State As-semblies is falling steadily too, an analysis by TheHindu shows.

 After last month’s As-sembly election results,Maharashtra is down fromthree Muslim ministersand 11 Muslim MLAs in theearlier Assembly to ninelegislators and no Muslimministers in the presentCabinet. The BJP, whichswept to power in the Statewith 122 MLAs, fielded justone Muslim candidate,who lost.

Haryana, meanwhile, isdown from five MuslimMLAs and one minister tothree MLAs and no minis-ter. The BJP, which won 47seats to form the govern-ment, fielded only twoMuslim candidates both of 

 Andhra Pradesh, andPunjab.

These nine States, whichaccount for over a third of India’s population, haveonly 22 Muslim MLAsamong 1,359 legislators. Sowhile Muslims make up 8per cent of the populationof these States, they ac-count for less than 2 percent of MLAs.

Chhattisgarh and Goahave no Muslim MLAs,

changed, there were twiceas many Muslim MLAs inthe remaining eight States’outgoing Assemblies asthere are today.

Muslim representationhas dropped further at theministerial level. Of the 151cabinet ministers and min-isters of state in the nineBJP-ruled States, just one– Yunus Khan, Public Works Department Minis-ter in the Rajasthan gov-

Kashmir leads with three-fourth of its ministersMuslim, Kerala, Assam andUttar Pradesh follow.

Non-BJP-ruled Stateshave 300 Muslim MLAs,who make up 13 per cent of their Assemblies.

These States, however,also have a higher Muslimproportion in their popula-tions – 17 per cent going by the 2001 Census – as com-pared to the BJP-ruledStates.

“The process of delim-itation has been such thatMuslims do not form asizeable number in many constituencies,” NavaidHamid, general secretary,Movement for Empower-ment of Muslim Indians,said.

“Added to that, there hasbeen a systematic attemptby political parties to cre-ate hate against Muslims.”These processes have led toa situation where even amajor Muslim politician

Just one Muslim among 151Ministers in BJP-ruled StatesRukmini S.

NEW DELHI: In a verdict set togenerate debate on the ele-ment of “consent”, the DelhiHigh Court has overturnedconviction of a man in a rapeand murder case,saying evenif the sexual intercourse withthe 65-year-old woman wasforceful, it was “not forcibleand contrary to the wishesand consent of the deceased”.

Sex was forceful

 but not rape: HCMohammed Iqbal

DETAILS ON | PAGE 10

KOLKATA: The Centre has sentan alert on a possible terrorthreat targeting Kolkata. Therewas no official word on thismatter, amid reports that theKolkata Port Trust, the nearly 150-year old institution, was on

Kolkata puton terror alertKolkata Bureau

CHAPPELLDENIES CHARGEPAGE 15

U.S. VOTES INMIDTERM POLLPAGE 12

NET WEBSITECRASHESPAGE 2

INSIDE  

GDP GROWTH

NCAER pegs figuredown to 5 per centNEW DELHI: In its mid-yearreview of the economy, theNational Council of AppliedEconomic Research (NCAER)lowered its 2014-15 growthforecast for India to 5 per cent.In July, the think tank hadforecast 5.7 per cent growth.The lower projection is despitethe 5.7 per cent growth in thefirst quarter after twosuccessive years of sub-5 percent growth. The NCAER’sprojection of slower growthduring the rest of the year is inline with the RBI’s forecast.

NATIONAL | PAGE 11

NEW DELHI: The government’s“Make in India” programmeand Russia’s “Eastern pivot”will meet as Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogo-zin will discuss more cooper-ation on energy, theco-production of fighter air-craft and nuclear cooperationwith Prime Minister Naren-dra Modi, External AffairsMinister Sushma Swaraj andNational Security Adviser AjitDoval.

During the visit on Wednes-day, Mr. Rogozin will chair the20th commission (IRIGC-TEC) along with Ms. Swaraj,as well as draw up the plan for“deliverables” for President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Delhi,expected in December for theannual India-Russia summit.

Russian Foreign Minister Ser-gey Lavrov is expected at theend of November as well.“Each of these fields, from de-fence production to nuclearand space programmes, are

fields India is looking to Rus-sia for closer cooperation, andso Mr. Rogozin’s visit is im-portant,” an official sourcetold The Hindu.

‘Make in India’ meetsRussia’s ‘Eastern pivot’Suhasini Haidar

ECONOMIC VISION | PAGE 10

FALLING PRICES

Oil hits four-yearlow to near $82LONDON: The price of Brentcrude oil fell more than 3 percent to its lowest in over fouryears near $82 a barrel onTuesday, after Saudi Arabia cutsales prices to the U.S.

BUSINESS | PAGE 13

Regd. DL(ND)-11/6110/2006-07-08 ● RNI No. TNENG/2012/49940  ● ISSN 0971 - 751X ● Vol. 4  ● No. 262 ● CITY EDITION  ● 20 Pages ● Rs. 8.00  ● www.thehindu.in

CMYK

ND-ND

sion in the recent days. Trilok-puri, in particular, was moresensitive as there was violenceand prohibitory orders had tobe imposed. On the other hand,in Bawana, the route of the Mu-harram processions itself hadbecome the bone of contentionbetween the two communities.

The Delhi Police, however,have managed to restore peace

was swiftly foiled by the policeas they detained a drunk mantrying to make provocativestatements about the Muslims.It was a policeman dressed inplain-clothes who noticed theman hurling expletives andalerted his colleagues.

But those living in the villag-es, who had called a Mahapan-chayat to oppose the Muharram

ter was going on there. At the receiving end were the

Muslims of the resettlementcolony who said they were dis-appointed with the shortenedroute and feared that this wouldcontinue in the coming years aswell. “Do we have a choice?”asked one of them.

HINDU-MUSLIM UNITY | PAGE 3

Muslim candidates both of whom lost.

The situation in thesetwo States is similar to thatin the other seven Stateswhere the BJP is either inpower or in alliance – Mad-hya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh,Rajasthan, Gujarat, Goa,

have no Muslim MLAs,Punjab, Madhya Pradesh,Rajasthan and Gujarathave one each. This is a sig-nificant change from how these States’ outgoing As-semblies looked. Leavingout Andhra Pradesh,whose boundaries

ter in the Rajasthan gov-ernment – is a Muslim.

On the other hand, thereare 52 ministers in the 13big States not ruled by theBJP, making up 16 per centof those States’ total minis-terial berths. While Mus-lim-majority Jammu and

major Muslim politiciancannot win from any seatexcept one with a largeMuslim majority, he said.“If this continues, there is afear that Muslims, espe-cially youngsters, will losefaith in the electoral sys-tem,” he added.

the radar.Senior officials of the Cen-

tral Industrial Security Force,the Navy, Kolkata Port Trust,Kolkata police’s Special Task Force and Special Branch offi-cials held a meeting on Monday after receiving an alert fromthe Centre, police sources said. DETAILS ON | PAGE 10