India knew about Purulia arms drop: Accused @The Times of India

India knew about Purulia arms drop: Accused @The Times of India

 

 

 

Trying hard to stave off extradition to India, Purulia arms drop accused Kim Davy alias Niels Nielsen Holck has alleged that Indian authorities knew in advance about the drop in West Bengal.

While Indian officials brushed aside the allegation, Davy's counsel has referred to the statement made in 2002 by the then British parliamentary under-secretary of state for Commonwealth and foreign affairs Bill Rammell that information about plans to drop the arms consignment in West Bengal had been communicated to India on at least three occasions before the actual incident took place.

While the Denmark justice ministry had last month on certain conditions agreed to extradite Davy, who is acknowledged as the mastermind of the arms drop on December 17, 1995, the accused has challenged the decision in court. India is hoping for a favourable order considering the "gravity of the offence".

Another accused and British national Peter Bleach, who served many years in jail before being granted presidential pardon in 2004, was said to have informed the police in UK about the plan to drop arms at Purulia. This was stated in 2002 in the House of Commons by Rammell who said the disclosures made by Bleach had been communicated to India on November 10, November 17 and December 15 in 1995.

Davy has also alleged that British and Danish intelligence agencies too were aware of the arms drop. The Denmark government in the past few weeks has come under heavy criticism from the local media as well as international human rights organisations, including Amnesty, for taking the decision to extradite Davy to India.

The justice ministry, however, has maintained that it will go ahead with the extradition, if approved by court, because of written assurances from India.

However, there are still doubts whether or not Denmark will allow India to add more charges against Davy depending on what he admits during interrogation. Indian officials say that they may press more charges against him. The case relates to the airdropping of a huge cache of arms and ammunition from an AN-26 aircraft in Purulia district.

Water, water, only to swim - Purulia, Bengal’s driest district, gets pool ‘gift’ from local body @ The Telegraph

Water, water, only to swim - Purulia, Bengal’s driest district, gets pool ‘gift’ from local body
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           Gift for parched Purulia at a time it has seen rainfall plumb a near four-decade low: a swimming pool.

Bengal’s driest district today saw its CPM-run zilla parishad open the Rs 1.1-crore pool that can hold 1.7 lakh gallons of water even as throngs of villagers have to walk over 1km every day to get potable water.

Sports minister Kanti Ganguly presided over the inauguration where officials, betraying little unease at their warped sense of priorities in the arid zone, bragged about how the pool would boost sports facilities.

Purulia has seen the lowest rains this season since 1972. “The ground water level in the district is the lowest in Bengal. Rainfall has been 745mm against the 1,400mm annual average. Only 10 per cent of the 2.8 lakh hectares of cultivable land have seen crops planted,” said deputy agriculture officer A.K. Kundu.

Locals said the swimming pool should not have been on the list of zilla parishad’s priorities. “We understand that our district needs sports facilities. But we feel more stress should be given on solving the drinking water problem in rural areas,” said farmer Parimal Majhi.

Zilla parishad officials claimed progress in solving the drinking water problem, saying they had now installed one tubewell for 50 villagers compared with one such water device for 500 people two years back.

But villagers in at least four blocks suggested otherwise. “There is only one tubewell for our village of 350 people,” said Khagen Singh Sardar, whose daughter-in-law has to queue up almost an hour every day before she can return with two jugs of water in Kharkadoho village of the Bandwan block.

A similar picture unfolds at Ashonboni in Para block, the area from where the present zilla sabhadhipati, Bilasibala Sahis, used to be elected an MLA. “From March every year, there is severe water shortage. Our folks have to go to neighbouring villages to get water, both for drinking and washing,” said Mithan Majhi.

Only 14km from the pool inaugurated today is Pandrama, where residents have to walk over a kilometre to get clean drinking water.

“The water from the tubewell in our neighbourhood is not drinkable and we are forced to go to another village,” said Labaghana Mahato.

The pool appears to have gone against the tide in other ways too: adults will have to pay Rs 300 per month for an hour of swimming every day, a sum far beyond the means of the average person in the district.

The authorities, though, are not content with having made a splash today. Minister Ganguly announced that the zilla parishad would be told to set up such swimming pools in every sub-division of the district.

Rae Bareli-Purulia comparison will tell real story, CPI(M) tells Rahul @ The Hindu

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article623668.ece

              Rahul Gandhi Visited Purulia                            

                          

                               The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Thursday responded to Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi's comment on “two Bengals,” saying a comparison of the socio-economic indicators of Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh and Purulia in West Bengal will tell “the real story”.

While attacking the United Progressive Alliance-II government for perpetuating the widening gulf between the ‘shining' and ‘suffering' India, an editorial in the latest edition of the CPI(M) organ People's Democracy said: “The Congress party's high profile general secretary has recently accused the Left Front government in West Bengal of taking the State backwards and perpetuating poverty. One can understand such campaigns at the time of elections. But, even these have to be based on facts and realities. Some parts of West Bengal like Purulia had been described as the most backward in the country. A comparison of the socio-economic indicators of Purulia with those in Rae Bareli and Amethi will tell the real story.”

At a rally in West Bengal recently, Mr. Gandhi described Purulia as one of the most backward parts of the country and said there existed two Bengals — one for the rich and the other for the poor.

Statistics

The editorial said the people below the poverty line in Purulia were 31 per cent, compared to 54 per cent in Rae Bareli and Amethi. Likewise, the “families with electricity were 29 compared to 14; per capita expenditure is Rs. 461 compared to Rs. 385; vaccinated children 84 compared to 16; neo-natal deaths 46 compared to 83 per thousand; and fatality below five years 89 compared to 160 per thousand.”

The most effective way of tackling such a situation was land reform, and West Bengal ranked the foremost among all States on this score. Also, the Congress should remember that it was a full 17 years after the Left Front's initiative of a three-tier, democratically elected bodies, the Panchayati Raj system was adopted for the country through the 73rd and 74th Constitution amendments, piloted by Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

Harsh reality

“This is the hard reality between those who mouth concerns of two Indias and the Left that takes steps to provide relief, despite severe limitations imposed by our Constitution on the State government's ability to raise resources.”

Meanwhile, the Congress-led UPA could well redeem its own pledge of putting an end to the perpetuation of two Indias and providing the people their fundamental right to be free from hunger, the editorial noted.

Maoist movement of India - a war between Need and Demand

“Maoist Movement of India”

Hostilities Between Need & Demand

            The Human beings of our country can be classified in three categories- Needy People, People those who want and People of Demand. ‘Need’ implies the basic necessities whereas ‘Want’ depends on choice factor and ‘Demand’ is a function of price or status. The present Maoist movement in India is a fight between ‘Want-group’ and ‘Demand –group’. ‘Demand-Group’s’ people are materialistic and believe in professionalism. Regrettably, neither materialism nor professionalism considers the emotion of Needy people.

Year-wise increase of Gini-coefficient shows that status quo wealthy people get benefited by various Government policies preferred and applied throughout the decades. Indian civilians hate Maoist-not only because of their recent violence’s but also because most of the Maoist leaders belong to Dalit and Adivasi group. Respecting to an inferior class Dalit or Adivasi leader hurts in the morality of those upper caste’s civilians. But ‘Morality is simply the attitude we adopt towards the people whom we personally dislike’. Indian poverty line or poverty threshold value is lower then the International poverty line. Lower threshold value show the smaller number of needy people. Recent Multidimensional Poverty Index measurement of 421 million ‘MPI poor’ of eight Indian states by UNDP shows the truth of this bulkiest constitution holder democratic country. Unfortunately, really aware civic of this bulkiest constitution is least.

                         No one can oppose that Naxalism is due to existing poverty, underdevelopment, inequality and injustice in the society. Although few people claim that Government is unable to push its development plan in Naxal-infested area due to presence of violence. Here the question is –Why did they not think about these in earlier? Only government is responsible for ecological degradation of these Adivasi lives. Dalits and Adivasis are always neglected throughout the history. They are unable to use natural assets present below their foots. Government has never tried to understand the philosophy of Adavasi or the Adivasism. It’s not possible to understand any problem by reading a report or hearing about it from someone. Maximally you can guess that some one is suffering from hunger but you can not feel properly about that. Understanding and feelings are two different things. To feel about something, someone has to suffer from that. Dramatically, Maoist-infested areas are Adivasi people’s area. In fact there is no any proper leader to represent about their need honestly. Indian Dalits have lost this opportunity for Dr. Ambedkar’s self-admitted biggest blunder at ‘Poona Pact’ on 24^th Sepetember, 1932. Soft but dangerous politics of upper caste leader Mohandas K. Gandhi did not want to see any Dalit leader exclusively. Gandhiji managed it by using the united Hindu sentiment and near to death hunger strike. Dalit of India, the most sufferers should not excuse and forget it.   

            If there is any real Maoist-sympathizer in this country then he may not be a violence-sympathizer. Someone’s empathy towards Maoists is because of their helpless condition generated by politics-affected socio-economic condition for which they have lost respect to life. Due to their displeasure, aggravation, wretchedness, antagonism, abhorrence they have lost their rational decision making power. Maoists are unable to utilize their Emotional Intelligence. They have lost the art of social relationships due to Politicians fake empathy to the society. Maoist movement is the appalled outburst of Dalit and Adivasi Indian people after lots of shed tears and appeal for help and support from the civil and democratic society- for basic human needs. Socio-economic discrimination and inequality related hypertension and impair reasoning are root cause of Maoist’s disgusted emotional health. Otherwise Adivasis and Dalits, the heart of hut don’t know to hurt others. People those who totally disbelieve in the standpoint of Maoist should remember that when a zero-tolerant democratic person blame only Maoist they excuse themselves somehow.  Because, violence means the physical or verbal force against anyone, compelling action against someone's will on pain of being hurt.

   

   Sardonically, I can say that Government is a believer of “Determinism” where Politicians are working like various agents of nature. Unfortunately, Maoists start to believe in “Possibilism” and tried to overcome the effects of the nature by human-effort. Now, after lots of violence and debate between these two notorious approaches Indian Government trying to follow the latest approach “Stop and Go Determinism” or “Pragmatic Possibilism”. Government has to pay attention in terms of Development in Naxal-affected underdeveloped areas to continue the Determinism and also to see the ending of this violent Maoist movement.