Well-known former jockey ends life

Oliver John Randive, who at one time was attached to the Western India Turf Club, had supposedly fallen on hard times

    Oliver John Randive (40), a prominent former jockey attached to the Western India Turf Club committed suicide after consuming poison on Thursday night. His body was found abandoned on the banks of Bhairoba Nullah Canal, on the basket ball grounds of Bharati Vidya Bhavan College. A team of Wanawdi policemen from Bhairoba Nullah police chowki found the body on Friday afternoon. 

    The policemen found a detailed biodata of Randive on his person and accordingly informed his younger brother Julius, a resident of Pimpale Nilakh, about the incident. Meanwhile, Sassoon General Hospital’s medical reports confirmed that Randive died after consuming poison. His last rites were performed at Fatimanagar on Saturday.
    According to the police, the biodata stated that Randive was a resident of Servants’ Quarters located opposite the college. But investigations revealed that although he stayed at these quarters during the 1980s, he later shifted to Sangvi. Senior police inspector Bajirao Mohite of Wanawdi said, “We found a bottle of poison, starters and a liquor bottle next to his body. A case of accidental death has been registered.”
    Speaking to Pune Mirror, Julius said that he was shocked when he learnt that his brother had committed suicide. “He was going through hard times and had resigned from the race course. Of late, my brother was forced to work for more than 10 hours a day to make ends meet. Besides, he was also facing personal problems. His wife had separated from him four years ago.”
    According to Julius, his brother had travelled to UK, Dubai and Australia as a rider.

Activist wants biggies in dock for Maval firing

Writ petition filed in Bombay HC seeks murder charges be applied to ex-SP (Pune Rural), city police chief and state home minister

    Close on the heels of the Court of Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) in Maval ordering that the eight suspended policemen in the Maval firing case be tried for murder, a city-based human rights activist has filed a criminal writ petition in the Bombay High Court requesting an independent investigation into the case by an agency such as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The JMFC court had ordered that the inquiry be conducted by a police officer of inspector rank and a report to be submitted by November 20.
    The activist, Sameer Khan, appealed to the high court to charge former SP (Pune Rural) Sandeep Karnik, Pune city Commissioner Meeran Borwankar and Home Minister R R Patil along with nine other policemen under IPC Sections 34, 109, 115, 116, 302, 307 and 326 as well as Section 154 of the CrPC. The court has admitted the petition and will take a decision on future course of action on Wednesday.
    Khan, president, International United Human Rights Association (IUHRA), has requested that a first information report be registered against the 12 respondents — Karnik, Borwankar, Patil, inspector Ashok Patil of Saswad police station, inspector Maruti Ingawale of Wadgaon Maval police station, constables Ganesh Mane, Vishal Nagare, Jaywant Korde, Rahul Bhagwat, Shrikant Wadane, Mahesh Zankar and Prashant Vahile. He has submitted before the HC cuttings of articles in Mirror as evidence.
    Khan has stated that the senior officers and the minister are more responsible for the farmers’ killings than the junior officers. He said that if they had acted within the framework of law, lives wouldn’t have been lost. He also requested the court to invoke Article 226 of the Indian Constitution to file FIR and initiate CBI inquiry against the respondents. 

    Three farmers, including a woman, were killed in police firing near Baur village on the Pune-Mumbai Expressway on August 9. The incident rocked the Assembly session and Parliament as well. Six cops were suspended for vandalising vehicles. The Home department also suspended two police officers for opening fire on villagers from a close range. 

CLT20 QUALIFIERS KKR V/S AUCKLAND ACES

Knights triumph over the Aces

Hyderabad: A rousing start, a stutter in the middle, but all’s well that ends well. In short, this is the story of Kolkata Knight Riders’ thrilling two-run win over Auckland Aces in their Pool A qualifying match for the Champions League T20 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, here on Monday night. 

    After failing to capitalise on a rousing start and being reduced to 121 for six, the Knight Riders put in a disciplined effort on the field to restrict the Aces to 119 and pull off
an unlikely win. It was a good toss to win for Jacques Kallis and the Knight Riders wouldn’t have asked for a better start than the one they got.
    Kallis and Manvinder Bisla put the Aces attack to the sword as they raced away to a blazing start. Bisla in particular was all fire as his willow whacked the cherry to all parts of the ground. Though he played a couple of unorthodox shots, the 26-year-old Bisla showed that he had an impeccable ability to time the ball.
    After a quiet first over by Kyle Mills, Bisla tore into Chris Martin as he plundered three fours off the hapless medium-pacer. Kallis too joined the party and the Knight Riders raced away to 50 in 5.3 overs.
    While the first 10 overs yielded 73 runs, the Knight Riders were able to get just 48 in the next 10 overs. They however made a commendable start to their defence when Martin Guptill was run out
off the first ball. 

FACES RAPE CHARGE

Court paves the way for trial of Bhandarkar

Mumbai: In a blow to Bollywood director Madhur Bhandarkar, a local court passed an order on Monday paving the way for his trial under charges of rape and criminal intimidation. Bhandarkar will have to be present in court on October 18.
    “The court has issued the process, which means that it has taken cognizance after observing that prima facie a case of rape and criminal intimidation has been made out against Bhandarkar,” Jain’s lawyer Sushan Kunjuraman said.
    In July 2004, Preeti Jain, a model, had lodged a complaint with the Versova police against
Bhandarkar, alleging that he had raped her 16 times between 1999 and 2004 under the pretext of casting her in his films.
    Bhandarkar, who has films like Fashion, Page 3 and Traffic Signal to his credit, told TOI, “I am a fighter. I will fight the case till proven innocent. I and my lawyer will look at a copy of the case and accordingly challenge it in the higher court. Preeti has been pulled up by courts in the past and strong strictures have been passed against her.”
    Bhandarkar can, however, apply for anticipatory bail in a sessions court.
    The case has witnessed many twists and turns over seven years. In May 2007, the Versova police filed a ‘B’ summary report and stated that there was no evidence to back Jain’s allegations. Jain filed an application in court requesting further investigation, which was granted. In 2009, the police again filed a report iterating their stand. The police said that Jain’s complaint was false and lacked evidence. But the court rejected the report and said it would conduct an inquiry in the case. In December 2010, the court recorded Jain’s statement. 

    Bhandarkar and Jain were not really big names in 2004. While the director was three films old, with only Chandni Bar being a success, Jain was struggling as an actor.
    Jain told TOI, “Rape is a serious offence. A rapist belongs to jail. I have suffered greatly at the hands of Madhur Bhandarkar and I want him to be punished adequately.’’
    Jain, who has been pulled up by court earlier, said, “Truth can be troubled but not defeated.’’
    Jain has turned into a film producer and has been anchoring live events and entertainment shows. “I want a strong message to go out to society that women are not sex objects and no one is above law. My case is against a man who happens to be a director. I have no bias against producers and directors in general. I hold the film industry in the highest esteem,” Jain said. 

 
The Story So Far In July 2004, Preeti Jain lodged a complaint with the Versova police against Madhur Bhandarkar, alleging he had raped her 16 times between 1999 and 2004 under the pretext of casting her. Bhandarkar was granted bail within a week. In May 2007, the police filed a ‘B’ summary report and stated there was no evidence to back Jain’s charges. Jain filed a plea requesting further investigations, which was granted. In 2009, the police again filed a report iterating their stand. The police said Jain’s complaint was false and lacked evidence. But the court rejected the report and said it would conduct an inquiry. In December 2010, the court recorded Jain’s statement. In 2005, a sessions court granted bail to Jain after she was charged with conspiracy to murder Bhandarkar. ChargesIPC 376 (rape) and 506 (2) (criminal intimidation) What Next Bhandarkar has to be present in court on October 18. Till then, he can filing an anticipatory bail plea before a sessions court. 

Yemen: 50 bite the govt bullet

Pro-regime forces, including snipers, target protesters; Yemeni opposition says President Saleh’s power transfer deal is just another delaying tactic

SANA’A, YEMEN Medical officials in Yemen say at least 20 people have been killed by snipers and pro-regime forces in Sana’a. Monday’s killings take to nearly 50 the number of people killed by government forces since Sunday night. It is the bloodiest assault in months on demonstrators calling for President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s ouster.
    Officials say most of the 20 killed were on Sana’a’s Hayel street. They included a child and at least three soldiers who defected to join the protesters. They say three other protesters were wounded on Monday by sniper fire near Sana’a University.
    The protesters believe Saleh asking his vice president to negotiate a powertransfer deal is a delaying tactic. Over one lakh protesters massed on Sunday around the state television building and government offices, witnesses said. When the crowd began to march toward the Presidential Palace, security forces opened fire, they said. Snipers fired down at the crowd from rooftops, and plainclothes Saleh supporters armed with automatic rifles, swords and batons attacked the protesters. 

    Mohammed al-Abahi, a doctor at Sanaa field hospital, told huffingtonpost.com that 16 protesters were shot dead and over 200 were wounded. “Most of the injuries are on the chest, shoulder, head and face,” he said, adding that 25 injured protesters are critical. He accused security forces of preventing ambulances from evacuating the wounded and collecting bodies of the slain protesters.
    Protesters throwing stones managed to break through security force lines and advance to near the Yemeni Republican Palace, resulting in street battles. A security official said that the Muslim Brotherhood rallied “unlicensed protests” near the university of Sanaa, and “the militia threw firebombs at a power station, setting it on fire.” AGENCIES
YEMEN CONDEMNED IN UN FOR PROTESTER KILLINGS AFP GENEVA The US, European Union nations and others on the UN Human Rights Council used a meeting of the Geneva-based body on Monday to urge the government of Yemen to stop exercising force against peaceful protesters and to seek a resolution to the unrest. Yemen’s foreign minister, Abubakr al-Qirbi, said the government was committed to political reforms, but rejected claims of excessive force by police and pro-gov-A TV screen relays the session on ernment militia, accusing some opposition Yemen at the UN office in Geneva groups of terrorist activity. Meanwhile, a UN envoy to Yemen and the Gulf Cooperation Council chief arrived in Sanaa on Monday, an airport official said. “UN envoy Jamal Benomar and the convoy accompanying him arrived in Sanaa,” he said. AGENCIES
BLOODBATH » Protests starting mid-January till date » Friday of No Return - March 11: Four killed » Protests in Sana’a - March 18: 52 killed in firing » Ta’izz clashes (May 29-31): 71 dead » Bombing in presidential compound on June 3: 5 killed, Saleh and others injured » Total deaths till date (including government firing, militant attacks and street fighting): 1,436-1,638

POST-TRAUMA, DISORDER

India’s toll rises to 56 as landslides, fallen trees, torrential rain slow down rescue ops in quake-hit areas

NEW DELHI Fallen trees, downed power lines and rockfalls —the road to India’s deadliest earthquake in a decade was strewn with the evidence of the disaster’s destructive power. Even as the death toll for the quake rises to 56, the 400 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel and a team of 20 doctors, sent to Sikkim for rescue and relief operations, have not been able to reach the quake-hit areas.
    Road blockades due to landslides in the area are said to be the biggest obstacles in rescue operations, according to officials.
    Five teams of NDRF consisting of 203 personnel along with necessary rescue equipment, who have been dispatched from Delhi, reached Bagdogra in West Bengalthis morning.
    “They are still held up at the transit camp in Bagdogra due to landslides which have blocked roads at various places along the highway,” a Home Ministry spokesperson said.
    Another five teams of NDRF consisting of 200 personnel have left Kolkata. Of them, 100 personnel have arrived at Bagdogra while another 100 were expected to land there shortly.
    Officials said over 700 personnel of Indo-Tibetan Border Police were already engaged in rescue and relief operations in Sikkim. 

    A medical team comprising four surgeons, seven orthopaedics, five anaesthetists, two neuro-surgeons and two other specialists which has been sent for Sikkim from Delhi reached Bagdogra this morning.
    They too have not been able to reach the affected areas and are held up at Bagdogra due to landslide causing road blockage, officials said.
    West and South districts of Sikkim remain inaccessible for the Army with no relief work having reached the areas, Major General S L Narasimhan, GOC 17 Mountain division told reporters here today.
    Sikkim, bore the brunt of the quake with most casualties taking place in the North district and in towns and villages located along the Teesta river, officials in the district control room said.
   

 The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) however, had better chances at rescue operations, claiming that it has rescued about 400 people from earthquake hit areas in North Sikkim and taken them to safe locations.
QUAKE FILES » AUGUST 11, 2009: Off India’s Andaman Islands, magnitude 7.6, only property damage reported
» FEBRUARY 14, 2006: Sikkim, magnitude 5.7, damages historic buildings but causes no deaths
» OCTOBER 8, 2005: Pakistan and India, magnitude 7.6, kills more than 73,000 people, mainly in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and 1,300 in Indian Kashmir
» DECEMBER 26, 2004: India’s coastal regions hit by Asian tsunami, kills at least 11,000 Indians
» JANUARY 26, 2001: Western state of Gujarat, magnitude 6.7, more than 20,000 people killed
» MARCH 29, 1999: Northern state of Uttar Pradesh, magnitude 6.8, over 100 dead
» SEPTEMBER 30, 1993: Western state of Maharashtra, magnitude 6.3, 7,601 dead
» OCTOBER 20, 1991: Himalayan foothills of Uttar Pradesh, magnitude 6.6, 768 killed AFP 

No bird ‘dropping’ for GIB this year!

Numbers of Great Indian Bustard in state have increased compared to 2010. Bird-lovers and authorities relieved, but vow to continue efforts

    The move to denotify around 80 per cent of the Great Indian Bustard (GIB) sanctuary in Nannaj district in Solapur, in order to protect the numbers of the bird seems to have worked for the state government. A bird census carried out by the Great Indian Bustard Foundation (GIBF) has brought out encouraging results for the bird, declared ’critically endangered’ in February this year.
    However, bird-lovers and forest department officials are cautious in their reactions, acknowledging that fears of the GIB’s extinction haven’t been allayed completely.
    The GIB census is carried out in September each year, during the breeding season of the bird. The census was carried out in conjunction with the forest department and locals in the GIB sanctuary in Nannaj and Karmala districts and the Rehekuri sanctuary in Ahmednagar district.
    Over 100 bird watchers from all over the state participated in the census, which was carried out simultaneously at 38 points, from 6am to 6pm on Sunday.

    The census claims to have spotted ten females and three males of the species in the Nannaj section of the sanctuary.
    The results give some hope for the bustard’s survival, especially when compared to results in 2010 which found only three males and six females.
    A look at the trajectory of bustard spottings through the last few years however, tells a different story, as 2011’s results are marginally better since last year, but a marked dip from census results before 2010.
    Dr Pramod Patil, founder president of GIB Foundation, told Pune Mirror, “The results have shown that the movement of GIB has increased in this area. But that it was found only in Nannaj area shows that other parts of the sanctuaries are to be watched carefully.”
    Mirror had reported on August 1 on how environmentalists and bird-lovers were striving to keep the GIB from extinction.
    The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) had declared the GIB as 'critically endagered' , February this year.
    In a bid to encourage locals and boost conservation efforts for the bird, the state government had denotified about 80 per cent of the area from sanctuary.
    The move seems to have had a positive effect, if census results are to be believed.
    M K Rao, Chief Conservator of Forests, however, explained, “It is not the numbers which are important. We were successful in conserving the habitats of GIB. The situation last year, compared to this year, was different. Yet the results of this year’s bird count are encouraging for us to keep efforts going on.”