AMRITSAR: The Dal Khalsa, which took out a march in Amritsar Wednesday culminating at Akal Takht to observe the anniversary of Operation Bluestar, called upon the Parkash Singh Badal government to release the list of all those killed during that army operation as law and order was a state subject.

Dal Khalsa President Harcharanjit Singh Dhami who led the march called Genocide Remembrance Parade said law and order being the state subject, the state government must have this list. In case the list was not with the state government or it can take refuse in this argument, we would like to know whether any Akali Dal government has sent any formal communication to the government at the centre demanding the list at any time. He said the people have a right to know the names of these who were martyred by the army during Operation Bluestar.

He said wounds of June 84 had not healed and we still nursed agony and anguish against the tyranny of the Indian state and the role of the Congress party in particular.

The organisation adopted a resolution saying, “Twenty-nine years ago, with the attack on Darbar Sahib, the then government of India laid the foundation stone for independent state. The sentiments of sovereignty that was strengthened by army attack on Darbar Sahib have not been buried with the passage of time and change in political scenario. There may not be any public manifestation of such sentiments but all Sikhs desire to be self-ruler”.

Dal Khalsa spokesperson Kanwar Pal Singh said the aim behind today’s ‘Genocide Remembrance Parade’ was to reiterate the cause for thousands Sikhs who laid down their lives in 1984 while defending the attack on their faith. Twenty nine years have passed, thousands have died and equal numbers had suffered long imprisonments but no problem, no issue of Sikhs had been solved till date. He said the sacrifice of the June 1984 martyrs would never be allowed to go in vain.

Khalsa Action Committee chairman Bhai Mohkam Singh said Sikhs would never forget or forgive the crimes of June 1984″.

Activists of the organisation carrying Sikh Flag marched in the treets of the holy city carrying placards and signboards on which it was written, “remembering the Genocide of Sikhs at the cruel hands of India” along with the damaged photographs of Akal Takht Sahib. They chanted slogans in favour of Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and denounced the government of India for committing what they called the “crime against the humanity”. The protestors pledged to keep the aspirations and mission alive.

MUMBAI — Mannequins displaying lingerie and other skimpy clothing may soon be banned in India’s cosmopolitan city of Mumbai as an anti-rape measure, according to Associated Press.

The municipal council overwhelmingly passed a resolution last month barring stores from putting scantily-clad mannequins outside their shops. The municipal commissioner has yet to give the required approval of the resolution.

City council member Ritu Tawde said she proposed the mannequin ban because such displays degrade women and could provoke men to attack them.

Indians have increasingly demanded stronger protections for women since the gang rape and killing of a student on a bus in the capital of New Delhi in December.

“Such people get provoked by mannequins. After all, a mannequin is a replica of a woman’s body. That’s why I oppose it, because mannequins do not suit Indian culture,” Tawde said.
However, shop owners will still be able to display mannequins how they want inside their stores, she said.

Business officials ridiculed the resolution, saying it would have no impact on violence against women.

“We are living in the 21st century where these kinds of things, all porn, the movies, the pictures, all these things are available on websites, available on mobiles. (A) mannequin hardly makes any difference to the people,” said Viren Shah, president of the Federation of Retail Traders’ Welfare Association.
Tawde said Internet images were very different than the mannequins.

“If someone wants to watch pornography on the net, that is a conscious choice that he is making. In this case, the mannequins are everywhere and people don’t have a choice. They run into them when they step out of their homes and walk on the streets,” she said.

Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has come under sharp attack from some former cricketers for his alleged conflict of interest for having stakes in the sports management company which handles him and three of his Indian teammates

MS Dhoni found himself in a controversy when it came to light that he had 15 per cent stake in Rhiti Sports, which also manages Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja and Pragyan Ojha, besides the Indian captain. However, the firm has made it clear that Dhoni was a shareholder only for a brief period, and currently has no stakes.

But former Indian cricketers and sports management executives feel that Dhoni should not put himself in such a position where questions could be raised about a possible conflict of interest

“Obviously, the documents that have come out indicates that it has been a conflict of interest as far as Dhoni’s involvement with Rhiti Sports is concerned,” former Indian cricketer Kirti Azad told PTI. “I don’t mind if an ex-cricketer is acting as an agent for a living. But when I see Pragyan Ojha being relegated to second choice left-arm spinner suddenly and Ravindra Jadeja being valued at USD 2 million after being banned for trying to cut underhand deals in IPL, I guess something is wrong. “Also if the company didn’t have sufficient money, how did they issue shares and paid it back,” Azad pointed out.

Latika Khaneja of Collage Sports management said there was an obvious conflict of interest and also raised questions about Rs 210 crore deal that was struck between the captain and the company. “Obviously there is conflict of interest. The first question that crops up is Rs 210 crore minimum guarantee money which is huge. Ravindra Jadeja was managed by my company from 2006-2011. But if a player comes and wants to join another firm, you can’t stop him and especially if the firm is also managing the Indian captain,” Khaneja said.

Another former cricketer Maninder Singh also felt if the captain indeed had shares it was a clear case of conflict of interest. “But who do you expect to stop the rot when the BCCI President has gone against everyone who has stood up for the game…basically the President has been saving the captain who is also vice-president in his company,” he said.

In 2010, Dhoni signed up with Rhiti Sports reportedly for Rs 210 crore, an average of Rs 70 crore a year, the costliest deal in Indian cricket. Interestingly, two of these players — Raina and Jadeja — are part of the same IPL franchise, the Chennai Super Kings, which is also captained by Dhoni. Ojha had joined Rhiti Sports during Australia’s last tour of India.

Manali– A 30-year-old US national alleged that she was gang-raped by three men in this Himachal Pradesh tourist resort, police said.

Police have constituted a special team to investigate. The woman reached Manali, some 250 km from the state capital Shimla, Monday.

The victim lodged a complaint with police that she was picked up by the men, aged between 18 and 25 years, in a commercial vehicle when she was going back to her guest house after visiting a friend early Tuesday, Superintendent of Police Vinod Dhawan told IANS.

He said the accused took the victim, who was on her maiden visit, to a secluded spot and gang-raped her.

Later, the victim was dropped on the outskirts of the town.

“She was medically examined and the report confirmed sexual assault. We have zeroed in on the suspects as per the information provided by the victim,” Dhawan said.

No arrest had been made so far.

In the complaint, the woman reported theft of cash and valuables.

Meanwhile, police chief B. Kamal Kumar told reporters in Shimla that a special investigative team was constituted to speed up the probe.

Earlier, an 18-year-old British volunteer teacher was raped by two cab drivers in Palampur town in Kangra district in 2009.–IANS