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Political Notes

	December 24, 2007

Cops bust plan to target Mayawati, gun down two terrorists



Two suspected Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorists were on Sunday, Dec. 23, gunned down in an encounter in Barabanki with police, who believed they were planning to target Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati.



A map of five Kalidas Marg, official residence of Mayawati in Lucknow, 10 hand grenades, two AK-47 rifles, a suicide belt, six magazines and a number of cartridges were recovered from the possession of the two terrorists, Deputy Superintendent of Police (STF) Ram Badan told reporters.



Both of them were stated to be Pakistani nationals. UP Police and Central security agencies on Dec. 23 arrested two militants of banned Harkat-ul-Jehadi-Islami (HuJI) from Barabanki railway station alleged to be involved in recent serial blasts in the state.



The two were identified as Khalid Mohammed and Tariq. Some gelatin sticks and 1.25 kg of RDX were recovered from them.



In a related development, two Harkat-ul-Jehadi Islami (HuJI) militants, allegedly involved in the Nov.

23 serial blasts in the court premises in Lucknow,

Varanasi and Faizabad and the May 22 Gorakhpur

blasts, were arrested by the Special Task Force at

Barabanki railway station. The police seized a huge

quantity of RDX and ammonium nitrate, mobile

phones and SIM cards from their possession.



However, the police has so far not been able to

arrest the third HuJI operative, Mukhtar alias Raju,

the mastermind behind the bomb blast in the Varansi

civil court.



Last week e-mail threats were also received

which said the terrorists were planning to blow up

Indian airports, the Supreme Court and High Court



buildings in Delhi. Police stepped up the alert

following receipt of the threats.



Gujjar issue to hot up



The Chopra Commission set up by the Rajasthan

Government to go into the demand of the Gujjar

community for Scheduled Tribe status has

turned it down. But it has made several suggestions

to bring the Gujjars into the national mainstream

through steps to alleviate their poverty and

backwardness. The three-member Commission,

headed by Justice Jasraj Chopra submitted its report

to the Vasundhra Raje Government on Monday, Dec.

17, seven months after its appointment.



According to the report, the Gujjar community

does not fulfil the criteria set down for grant of ST

status. These include primitiveness of culture,

permanent shelters in the forests, untouchability, a

feeling of being inferior in society, unique traditions,

polygamy and backwardness. The Commission said

it would not be possible for it to recommend ST status

for Gujjars as the data of community’s socio-economic

conditions do not merit granting of such a status.



The Rajasthan Government has forwarded to the

Centre the report of the Chopra panel. The Cabinet

also decided to set up a high level committee to look

into the recommendations of the panel.



The BJP has requested the Centre to consider

making changes in the criteria for granting ST status

so that the Gujjars’ demand could be considered.



Observers say that the Gujjar issue is set to flare

up again with the community deciding to resume the

agitation for ST status. Both the Congress and the BJP

are reportedly non-committal on the issue. The Gujjars

have announced a massive siege of the Rajasthan

capital, Jaipur, on Jan. 21 to press their demand.



Brother gets life term for BJP leader Pramod

Mahajan’s murder



Asessions court in Mumbai has handed down

life imprisonment and fines totalling Rs.

25,000 to Parveen Mahajan for killing his elder

brother and senior BJP leader Pramod Mahajan in

April last year. The court rejected the State’s plea for

awarding Parveen death sentence. The judge, Srihari

P. Devare, ruled that the murder did not form under

the rarest of the rare category.



The judge rejected the prosecution’s claim that

the BJP leader was killed for money. Parts of the

judgement will remain under wraps for about two

decades as Parveen Mahajan’s testimony was heard

in camera.