Sealink row: Amitabh hasn’t committed a crime, says Thackeray

Coming out in defence of old friend Amitabh Bachchan, Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray on Saturday said the actor has done nothing wrong by attending the inauguration of the second phase of the Bandra—Worli Sea Link.

“Amitabh hasn’t committed a crime by attending the event,” Mr. Thackeray said in an editorial in party mouthpiece ’Saamana’.

Lambasting Congress for “treating the actor as an untouchable”, Mr. Thackeray said “Shah Rukh Khan, who took cudgels on behalf of Pakistanis, will do for Congress, which is allergic to Amitabh.”

“Amitabh attending the function only added to the prestige of the event,” Mr. Thackeray said on the actor sharing the dias with Congress leaders at the sealink function.

Bachchan is not a thief, dacoit or a terrorist, Mr. Thackeray said.

The presence of Bachchan at the inauguration of second phase of the Sea Link a couple of days back had sparked a controversy with Congress leaders from Mumbai taking objection to Chief Minister Ashok Chavan sharing platform with the actor who is a brand ambassador for BJP-ruled Gujarat.

“Amitabh is targeted because he is brand ambassador of Gujarat. Ambani and Tata who live in Mumbai have invested heavily in Gujarat. Will anyone from Congress ask them why they were investing in Narendra Modi’s Gujarat,” Mr. Thackeray said.

The actor belongs to the nation and will remain so, he said.

Pune blast toll climbs to 11

With one more person succumbing to injuries, the toll in the blast here has risen to 11, hospital sources said today.

Aditya Mehta (21), who hailed from Delhi, passed away on Tuesday night. He was admitted to Jehangir hospital in a critical condition after the terror attack on the German Bakery in Koregaon Park area on February 13.

Mr. Mehta was a student of Bharati Vidyapeeth.

Over 50 people were injured in the blast.

T-issue may hit Krishna water report

The Krishna Water Dispute Tribunal report is likely to lose importance amidst ongoing Telangana agitation and the appointment of Srikrishna Committee.

The tribunal — formed to resolve water sharing dispute among Karnataka, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh — is expected to present its report before November, almost around the same time when the Srikrishna Committee is planning to submit its report on the state bifurcation issue.

There are chances of the Krishna Water Tribunal report becoming null and void or it may require a rework, if the panel recommends bifurcation of the state.

The state irrigation depar-tment has requested to the Tribunal to hold its report until the Srikrishna panel report is tabled. However, they are uncertain whether their request would hold any importance if the panel decides for bifurcation. The Justice Brijesh Kumar-led second Krishna Water Dispute Tribunal has been hearing the arguments of the three states since 2005.

“We have completed our arguments and waiting for the recommendations, which we feel would take four to six months. But with the present turmoil over Telangana, we are not sure of implementing the tribunal order,” said a senior official in the government.

In fact, the state government had given top priority to the tribunal in the backdrop of the prestigious Jalayagnam programme.

Pune blast: Two persons detained

Two persons with suspected links to Indian Mujahideen were detained by police early Tuesday morning in connection with the February 13 German Bakery blast here.

The suspects were picked up from Janwadi area in Pune and Kudalwadi in the neighbouring industrial township of Pimpri, police sources said.

One of the suspects who were nabbed from Kudalwadi area is believed to have been associated with Indian Mujahideen leader Riyaz Bhatkal during his stay here, they said.

The other suspect from Janwadi locality was reportedly associated with Shabbir Gangawali, a cleric linked with Indian Mujahideen. He was also involved in a fake currency racket.

Pune Police Commissioner Satyapal Singh had on Monday said that investigations into the blast which left nine dead and 60 injured was on the “right track”.

MNIK protest: Over 1000 Shiv Sainiks detained

In a crackdown against Shiv Sena, over 1000 of its activists have been detained ahead of the release of Shah Rukh Khan starrer ‘My Name is Khan’ after the party stepped up its protest against the film over the actor’s remarks favouring inclusion of Pakistani cricketers in IPL.

“In the last 24 hours, a total of 1,023 Sainiks have been arrested. While 955 were picked up under the preventive action, the rest were put behind bars for different cases, including for protesting outside the theatre, vandalising screens among others,” police said.

Tight security has been provided to 63 theatres across the city where the movie is scheduled to be released on February 12, they said.

Guidelines have also been issued to all police stations by the city police chief regarding security arrangements.

The Sena has renewed its threat not to allow the release of “My Name...” unless the Bollywood star retracts his statement favouring inclusion of Pakistani players in IPL—3.

“We will not allow the movie to be released. Shah Rukh should first apologise to Balasaheb (Thackeray) and then only we can talk with him,” Sena leader Manohar Joshi said yesterday.

In wake of the Sena intensifying protests against Khan, leaves of the city policemen have been cancelled to ensure their full presence.

To further strengthen security, personnel from State Reserve Police Force and Home Guards will be deployed at the 63 theatres that will screen the film here.

Karan Johar, director and co-producer of the film, on Tuesday met Police Commissioner D. Sivanandhan to discuss security issues ahead of the movie’s release.

1,135 students got jobs in Maharashtra using fake marksheets

A total of 1,135 students have secured jobs submitting fake marksheets after passing out from various universities in Maharashtra, according to a report prepared by the CBI.

The fake marksheet scam came to fore after an investigation by the CBI on the direction of the Bombay High Court on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in 2007.

The PIL had alleged that many of the employees working in government and private sectors had got the job after submitting bogus documents, and sought a probe.

After hearing the PIL, the High Court directed the CBI to investigate the matter. The CBI, on December 26, 2009, wrote to all the Universities in Maharashtra asking for verification of the marksheets.

Verification revealed that 1,135 students from six universities had landed jobs using fake marksheets (obtained between 2001 and 2007), police sources said, quoting the CBI report.

The maximum 729 cases of fake marksheets were identified at Pune University, followed by Mumbai (237), Rashtrasant Tukdoji Maharaj University, Nagpur (92), Shivaji University, Kolhapur (42), Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar University, Aurangabad (18) and Sant Gadgebaba University, Amravati (17).

The CBI will now be submitting the report to the High Court and may seek direction to take action against these students, the sources said.

Give jobs only to those born in Maharashtra, says MNS Chief

Jobs in Maharashtra should be given to only those who were born in the state, MNS chief Raj Thackeray said here on Monday.

“Just because one can write, read and speak Marathi does not entitle him to local jobs...For getting jobs in Mumbai, one has to be a Marathi by birth. Just knowledge of reading and writing the language will not do,” Raj said at a party meeting at Shanmukhananda hall in Matunga area.

Mr. Raj also criticised party members for distributing Marathi alphabet books to north Indian taxi drivers last week.

“Think over the type of protest you were undertaking. Who told you to teach them Marathi,” Mr. Raj said.

Giving them deadline of 40 days to learn the language, the transport wing of MNS had distributed Marathi alphabet books to taxi drivers last week.

Mr. Raj said he would undertake a State-wide tour from February 13. Party membership drive would be conducted after the tour, he added.

Government to reassert authority in Maoist areas: Chidambaram

Following a meeting with top officials of Orissa, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh, Home Minister P. Chidambaram said the central government was offering troops and technology to States to take on the outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist.

Home Minister P. Chidambaram declared on Friday that states had agreed to coordinate actions against Maoist guerrillas and that the government’s goal was to reassert authority in rebel bastions.

“(Our aim is) to reassert the civil administration to be followed immediately by development in areas dominated by Naxalites for quite some years,” Mr. Chidambaram said after a meeting with top officials of Orissa, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh here.

“The meeting was successful”, the minister told reporters. “We identified progress we made. We identified steps to be taken. The operations will continue. Our goal is not to kill anyone but to reassert the civil administration to be followed immediately by development in areas dominated by Naxalites for quite some years.”

Mr. Chidambaram chaired a two-hour meeting at the State secretariat with Chief Ministers Raman Singh of Chhattisgarh and Navin Patnaik of Orissa, Maharashtra Home Minister R.R. Patil and officials of paramilitary forces.

He said that the central government was offering troops and technology to states to take on the outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist).

“My approach to the CPI-Maoist and other such banned organisations is that you will suspend violence and we will talk. But they are killing people. Even yesterday they killed two boys in Chhattisgarh who belonged to primitive tribes as they wanted to get recruited in (the Indian) army,” he said.

“The coordinated operation (against Maoists) is just a few weeks old. The progress is satisfactory and in future it will be more satisfactory. In many places Naxalites are retreating and we welcome it. But in some areas they are engaged in battle,” Mr. Chidambaram said.