Khalistani terrorist Bhullar likely to be hanged secretly

April 15, 2013

New Delhi, Apr 15: While Tihar Jail authorities wait for Devender Singh Pal Bhullar to be shifted back to prison from the Institute of Human Behaviour Allied Science (IHBAS), intelligence assessments have started trickling in, warning of an adverse fallout in Punjab of his impending execution. Intelligence circles are already debating whether his hanging should be carried out in secrecy, as was done in the case of Ajmal Kasab and Afzal Guru.

Khalistani_terroristAccording to a senior intelligence official, the likely spectre of trouble from radical fringe elements in his home state, Punjab, and possible attempts by inimical forces across the border to capitalize on his hanging to underline the alienation of Sikhs in India, may force the government to avoid his body's last journey to Bhatinda. Instead, his cremation may be carried out on the Tihar premises itself.

The bodies of Indira Gandhi's assassins — Satwant Singh and Kehar Singh — were also not handed over to their kin and cremated in Tihar after their execution in 1989.

Yet, mindful of the widespread criticism of its failure to inform Afzal's family ahead of its hanging, the government may be more sensitive this time to the concerns of Bhullar's kin. Care may be taken to keep the family in the loop on the execution of his death sentence, while also ensuring that secrecy is not compromised.

"The stress will be to convince the family of the inevitability of his hanging, underlining how all judicial avenues were allowed and exhausted. The family can be persuaded to put national interest over their personal loss, and cooperate with the authorities on averting any negative repercussions of his hanging on law and order," said a senior officer of the security establishment.

Though security analysts do not see any immediate law and order exigency in Punjab on account of the rejection of Bhullar's plea for commuting of his death sentence, they are watching with interest the political handling of the fallout in the Shiromani Akali Dal-ruled Punjab. With SGPC already questioning the judgment and calling it "biased against Sikhs", it remains to be seen how the radical elements and the powerful deras in Punjab react to the development.

Though analysts like former Intelligence Bureau (IB) chief Ajit Kumar Doval do not see Bhullar's judgment reviving the undercurrent of militancy, they are concerned that some dormant extremist elements may resort to mischief and sell the notion of alienation of Sikhs to unemployed and radicalized youth of Punjab. With some of the Sikh militancy leaders - Wadhawa Singh of Babbar Khalsa, Khalistan Commando Force Paramjit Singh Panjwar and Tarsem Singh of the Khalistan Liberation Army - enjoying a safe haven in Pakistan for decades, their ISI mentors may step up pressure on them to use Bhullar's death sentence to paint India as an anti-Sikh nation.

However, not many think that this might revive militancy as a people's movement. "The Sikhs now no longer feel alienated and are involved in the political process. The people of Punjab have moved on, though fringe elements remain," former BSF director general UK Bansal told TOI. Doval, while pointing out that radicalized elements continue to enjoy support and funding from the Sikh diaspora, said this did not really point to return of militancy.

"The alienation caused by Bhullar's hanging will at most be a small contributory factor, apart from unemployment and poor political handling of the case's fallout. But, we should address these factors to avoid bigger problems," Doval added.

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News Network
February 9,2020

New Delhi, Feb 9: Calling India a "long-standing friend", Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa on Saturday thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for visiting his country in the aftermath of last year's Easter Sunday terror attacks and outlined that New Delhi has always helped Colombo in its fight against terrorism.

In a joint press briefing with PM Modi, Mahinda Rajapaksa said he hopes that India will continue to help Sri Lanka fight terrorism.

Mahinda Rajapaksa expressed his gratitude to PM Modi for the neighbourhood first policy and the priority India gives to Sri Lanka.

"We had agreed that our cooperation is multifaceted and priority is given to a number of areas including security, economy, culture and social sectors. Part of our discussions centered on cooperation with regard to the security of the two countries. India has always assisted Sri Lanka to enhance our capacity, capabilities in intelligence and counter-terrorism. We look forward to getting continued support in this regard," he said.

"I thank the Prime Minister for visiting Sri Lanka in the aftermath of the Easter Sunday terror attacks that provided us with immense strength to come to terms with the tragedy. We also appreciate Prime Minister Modi's $400 million line of credit to enhance the economy of Sri Lanka and another $50 million line of credit for fighting terrorism," he added.

The Sri Lankan president urged PM Modi to consider further assistance to expand housing projectS all over Sri Lanka to benefit people from rural areas.

"The Prime Minister and I discussed how Sri Lanka and India can work together in the field of economy. India is among the world's fastest growing economies. I discussed with PM Modi how Sri Lanka could benefit from certain economic sectors where India is in a strong position," he said.

Concluding his statement, Mahinda Rajapaksa said, "India is our closest neighbour and a long-standing friend. The close historical links...provided a solid foundation to our ties."

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News Network
May 6,2020

Noida, May 6: Not having Aarogya Setu app on smartphone while out in public in Noida or Greater Noida will be considered a violaton of lockdown rules and the person will be punished.

Action will also be taken against people going outdoors without a face mask or spitting in public places, Gautam Buddh Nagar police said, news agency reported.

Aarogya Setu is a mobile application developed by the central government to connect essential health services with the people to fight Covid-19.

The app is aimed at augmenting the initiatives of the Centre, particularly the Department of Health, in proactively reaching out to and informing the users of the app regarding risks, best practices and relevant advisories pertaining to the containment of Covid-19.

"If smartphone users do not have the 'Aarogya Setu' app installed on their mobile phones, then that will be punishable and considered a violation of the lockdown directions," Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police, Law and Order, Ashutosh Dwivedi said.

The district police had on Sunday announced extending the Criminal Procedure Code section 144, which bars assembly of four or more people, till May 17, as the central government extended the nationwide lockdown by another two weeks in a bid to check the spread of the virus.

"Spitting in public places will attract punishment along with a fine. Not wearing a face mask in public places or offices will also be a punishable offence.

During the lockdown period, political, social, religious, sports gatherings as well as protest marches and rallies will remain banned across Noida and Greater Noida, the official said in the order.

"The central government has extended the lockdown till May 17 in view of the coronavirus pandemic. Gautam Buddh Nagar has been identified as 'red zone' and hotspots have been identified here. During this duration, all guidelines of the lockdown are to be followed," he said.

Gautam Buddh Nagar, which falls in the 'Red Zone', has 34 containment zones and has recorded 179 positive cases of coronavirus so far, with 102 of these patients being cured and discharged from hospitals, according to official figures.

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News Network
May 15,2020

Vishakhapatnam, May 15: LG Chem on Thursday said following the gas leak at its Visakhapatnam polymers plant, the company has started support measures and has begun the transportation of the Styrene Monomer inventory to South Korea to eliminate all risks factors.

The company would continue to work with government agencies to ensure all possible support for bereaved families and victims, LG Polymers, a step-down firm of LG Chem, said in a statement.

"We confirm the status-quo of the plant remains completely controlled by all measures. We have begun the transportation of the Styrene Monomer (SM) inventory within the plant as well as in the styrene tanks at the port by vessels to South Korea to prevent and eliminate all risks factors," the statement said.

The South Korean chemicals giant has sent an eight-member team from Seoul to investigate the Visakhapatnam gas leak incident and rehabilitate the victims of the tragedy that killed at least 11 people and forced the evacuation of thousands.

"The team of production, environment, and safety experts are currently investigating the cause of the incident and already supporting responsible rehabilitation which is their main objective," the statement said.

Furthermore, the team is working closely with related authorities to analyze the cause of the incident, prevent a recurrence, and support damage recovery in a prompt and expedient manner, it added.

On the support measures, the company said a special task force is currently supporting the bereaved victims and families and visiting them at the hospitals and their homes.

Besides, food and medical services have been organized for the returning residents. Various support activities such as supplying medical and household goods and sanitation of homes will be continued, it said.

"We assure everyone we will do our best to resolve the situation and prevent any incident in the future," the company said.

The company further said that "our teams will carry out mid-to-long-term Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects that can contribute to the local community based on suggestions of the residents.

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