When Chief Minister Omar Abdullah announced the withdrawal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act from certain areas areas in Jammu and Kashmir, it was a political move with many objectives. The government, however, had to put the plan on hold. Though the Home Ministry has been in favour of a withdrawal, the plan came under severe criticism from the Army, which argued that a withdrawal, even if partial, would hamper...

-The Hindu   Government committed to protect minorities, says Gehlot The National Commission for Minorities (NCM) has asked the Rajasthan Government to sensitise the police and the administration on the minorities and provide more representation to minority youth in the State police force. Talking in the context of the September 14 violence near Gopalgarh Masjid in Bharatpur district which resulted in ten deaths, the Commission advised the government to take steps to “improve the...

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s alleged instructions to his officials to allow Hindus to vent their anger after the Godhra attack may not amount to conspiracy to murder but could form the basis of prosecution under various Sections including 153 A, 153 B, 505 and 166 of the IPC.   These deal with statements promoting enmity between communities, imputations and assertions prejudicial to national integration, statements conducing to public mischief, and public...

The former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam president, M. Karunanidhi, met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi here on Saturday and discussed, among other things, the Kudankulam atomic power project in Tamil Nadu vis-a-vis the ongoing agitation by the locals apprehending safety. According to informed sources, while Mr. Karunanidhi sought to emphasise the need for the Centre to allay the fears of the local villagers...

-The Times of India   Despite impressive growth, Gujarat has not been able to reduce malnourishment levels, while Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, among the most backward in the country, have done better in improving the lot of their marginalized Dalits and tribals. These are some of the conclusions of the India Human Development Report 2011 released by the Centre on Friday. The report said high rates of child malnutrition were a major concern...