Amravati, February 10: A farmer has filed legal suit against president Pratibha Patil’s husband Devisingh Shekawat for allegedly grabbing his land.

Farmer accuse president’s husband of grabbing his two acres of land. He has filed the suit against Shekawat and seven others in this regard.

Meanwhile, Amravati’s SDM has ruled in favor of farmer and asked Shekawat to return his land.

New Delhi, February 10: Unfazed by the political bashing on AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh, the young Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is likely to visit Azamgarh, the ‘terror hotbed,’ having sizeable population of minority community, confident that he would win over the youth with his charms, as was the case in Patna and Mumbai recently.

Rahul is likely to interact with students of the Shibli National College in Azamgarh, the largest Muslim educational institution after Aligarh Muslim University.

Undaunted by the criticism from all quarters, Digvijay Singh on Tuesday met Congress president Sonia Gandhi, along with a delegation of UP Congress leaders, including UPCC Chief Rita Bahuguna, Pervez Hashmi, Rashid Alvi and Imran Kidwai and requested her to send Rahul Gandhi to Azamgarh for an interaction with the college students.

Enthused by the warm response in Patna and Mumbai, the Congress leadership has now set its sights on UP, and particularly on Azamgarh, where the students from the minority community are facing the brunt of the security agencies.

Around 25-26 boys from the area are facing around 55-60 cases for the last 20 years, with no hope of speedy trial. Having received the invite from the prestigious college, which is known to be the symbol of Hindu-Muslim unity, the party is confident that Rahul will enthrall the students.

The Shibli National College was visited in the past by Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Motilal Nehru and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. The choice of Azamgarh, the minority-dominated area, has been made with an eye on killing two birds with one stone.

First, Rahul’s visit will send a political message to the minorities all over the country, including Bihar and UP, that the party is keen to redress their grievances and secondly, it will put the Congress on a higher pedestal than the Samajwadi Party in UP and the Rashtriya Janata Dal and Lok Janshakti Party in Bihar, which are desperately trying to win over the minority votes.

Since the SP is slowly losing its ground in the Hindi-heartland, owing to its rampant factionalism, with Amar Singh playing the spoil-sport and in Bihar, where the party led by Rahul Gandhi is going it alone in the upcoming State Assembly elections, the Congress is keen to wean away Muslims from other secular parties.

Mumbai, February 10: In a stern warning to all banks, the Reserve bank of India has asked to pass home loan benefits to all customers.

The central bank has said that it will bring regulation in this regard.

The RBI asked banks to provide home loan as per the floating rate of interest.

Despite down in home loan interest from RBI, the old customers did not get any benefit from banks in their interest rates. After government’s decision to bring home loan interest rate around 8 percent- 9 percent, banks are still charging high interest rates from old customers.

RBI’s fresh directions came after banks policy to offer low interest rates on new home loans.

Hyderabad, Feb 10 (Md.Mubashiruddin Khurram) “It is high time that surveillance of Telangana movement should be done appropriately and JAC should leave no stone unturned to recognize its real friends and foes. Though it is feared from some sections of the society that post Telangana, naxalites activities would be enhanced and they (naxalites) would take over the state. This is nothing but a hypothesis. On the other hand it is a reality that if the separate state is not formed even after democratic fight, it’ll lead to militancy.”

Senior Jan Shakti leader K Rajanna said this while giving an interview to the Siasat. He said that the question of separate Telangana is not related to the formation of small states but it is related to secure the roots of civilization, culture and historical heritage.

The solution of the problems in this region lies only in the formation of separate Telangana. He appealed to the leaders of JAC to distinguish between the foes and friends of the movement and make stronger their agitation against those wolves that are in the skin of sheep’s. He opined that the on going movement would gain effective momentum provided the agitators should capture the state’s secretariat.

Mr.Rajanna also spoke about the difference between the movement started way back in 1969 and the on going movement saying that the existing movement has not reached to its peak as of now but on the other hand, it is also clear that more people are related to the present movement than what happened in 1969. Mr. Rajanna alleged that center is trying its best to put Telangana issue in cold storage without realizing that this peaceful movement of today might turn into violent militancy.

Senior naxal leader Rajanna was underground for 30 long years and was recently arrested in U.P.

According to him, it is said from some corners that ‘Telangana no or never’ as it is far from the fact. Telangana movement is active since last 53 years. It is another story that whenever the movement gained momentum, financially strong lobby did ‘under the table’ transaction and played with the sentiments of those who laid down their lives for the purpose.

To make this movement ineffective even this time, financially strong lobby is still active.

Mr. Rajanna gave the instance of Nepal’s Royal Family where the peoples’ agitation made them (royal family) kneel down and succumbed to the pressure on the demand of the democracy.

Following their footsteps, the people related to Telangana movement should not give up at any cost and continue their tryst against Andhraites till the fulfillment of their demand i.e. separate Telangana state and nothing less.

Hyderabad, February 10: The Gandhi Hospital here had a VVIP visitor today.

He not only sent the doctors and the staff into a tizzy but also took patients by surprise as he got treated for an ailment just like the common man at the government hospital. The visitor was none other than Governor ESL Narasimhan! Displaying simplicity, which is a rare trait these days, Narasimhan, with his wife Vimala in tow, made a quiet entry into the hospital, underwent a minor surgery and made an equally quiet exit without fanfare.

The Governor, on a visit to the hospital to inspect the facilities there, mentioned to the doctors about a cystlike swelling on his thigh which has grown bigger in the recent days.

After conducting some tests, the doctors informed him that it was pedunculated dermolipoma (swelling containing fat) that was bothering his left thigh and suggested a minor surgery. Narasimhan readily agreed and got himself admitted to the hospital.

“The surgery was performed by our medical team led by Dr Mohana Krishna, head of the department of Plastic Surgery. It was completed within 20 minutes and the Governor left the hospital immediately,’’ Gandhi Hospital superintendent Ashok Kumar told Express.

Narasimhan appreciated the facilities available at the hospital and the expertise of the doctors.

The simplicity of Narasimhan, who, unlike many VVIPs who prefer treatment at corporate hospitals or NIMS, preferred Gandhi Hospital for surgery on him, wowed the hospital staff and the patients alike.

Hyderabad, February 10: The Directorate of Government Examinations has said the Educational Psychology Paper II (theory) of the Language Pandit Examination, January-2010, which could not be conducted at some designated centres following the separate Telangana agitation would now be held on February 16 between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.

The centres include Girls High School, Adilabad, College of Teacher Education, Warangal, and BPHS, Mahabubnagar. The candidates were informed to take the examination at the same venues where they had earlier appeared for the remaining papers in January.

Hyderabad, February 10: At a time when everyone began doubting whether policemen had indeed raped four tribal women at Bhallaguda in Munchingput mandal, Visakhapatnam district, a fact-finding committee of several women’s organisations, which returned from a visit to the village, maintained that the atrocity did take place and alleged that a serious attempt was on to hush up the crime.

‘‘The women were gang-raped. We have no doubt. The victims told us in clear terms,’’ a rights activist, Mary Kumari, who was part of the panel, said. The alleged crime took place on Jan 22. The inaccessible Bhallaguda is located on the Andhra-Orissa border.

‘‘In the early hours of that fateful day, about 80 policemen, who were combing the border for Maoists, raided the houses of the four victims and perpetrated the crime,’’ Mary Kumari said. Thereafter, the policemen had closed whatever passed off as the road to the village for the next two days.

They kept threatening the women with dire consequences if they went for a medical test, the panel members said. According to them, when medical tests had to be done at the intervention of the government, it was the police who took the women to the King George Hospital in Visakhapatnam on Jan 28 (six days after the atrocity). The police warned the women that their husbands would be jailed for 30 years if they didn’t refuse medical tests. The police also allegedly scared the women stating that the tests involved surgery and that it wasn’t a simple affair. A police vehicle was there throughout the day outside the KGH and afraid of the police, one woman refused to take the test and fled while the others mustered enough courage to go through the procedure.

The police had claimed that a couple of days before the alleged gang-rape, husbands of the four tribal women were among a group of Maoists that fired at police in Orissa.

The police personnel allegedly detained the four men along with a few others at a school building on the outskirts of the village while some of their colleagues gang-raped the women. Later, the police took into custody nine tribals, including husbands of three gang-raped women.

The fourth man managed to escape from them. The fact-finding committee also termed as perfunctory an inquiry conducted by the police.

The women’s organisations also found fault with the revenue department.

‘‘The RDO, who probed the allegations on Jan 25, did not confirm rape though villagers lodged a complaint with him. He did not even care to meet the victims! It was only after the Joint Collector spoke to the victims that the police registered a case, that too against ’’unknown persons,” the panel said. Chaitanya Mahila Samkhya president B Jyothi said though the law says a woman’s statement should be taken as evidence, the police didn’t bother to do so..

Hyderabad, February 10: The Kukatpally police on Tuesday arrested two final year students of JNTU Engineering College for allegedly ragging a first year student, Nageswara Rao, on the campus two days ago.

Rajashekhar and Rajeev were produced in a local court and remanded in judicial custody, the police said.

One more student charged with involvement in ragging was identified.

He was yet to be arrested.

Hyderabad, February 10: Heritage is what they swear by. But when it comes to protecting it, Hyderabadis care two hoots.

The Makka Masjid is a classic example of how rules can be flouted with impunity. A listed heritage structure, the 316-year-old mosque is plagued with both interior and exterior threats. While the vegetative growth and cracks in the stone masonry get noticed at least once a year during Ramzan, the external disfigurement gets ignored.

Rules violated

Constructions close to the Makka Masjid on the Panch Mohalla road and Jullukhana not only contravene the rules, but also mar the beauty of the historic mosque. The surprising thing is that the Department of Archaeology and Museums, which is entrusted with its maintenance, is blissfully unaware of the goings on, or is simply not bothered about the defacement of an ancient monument.

As per the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958, no construction should take place within 100 metres of a heritage building. But one can see shops and houses coming up close to the mosque. In fact, on its southern side, a row of shops have been constructed on the Panch Mohalla road and now work on the first floor is going on. The constructions clearly block an unhindered view of the impressive mosque.

If one goes around the Shahi Jullu Khana, one will be shocked to find the row of garment shops abutting the outer wall of the mosque. Earlier, this place had a series of courtyards leading to the Chowmohalla Palace. But the original axial route is now blocked by shopping complexes.

The saddest part is the criminal negligence of the authorities to take notice. “If the authorities take action in accordance with the Act, all the shops and houses around the mosque have to be removed,” remarked an official.

New York, Feb 10 (IANS) India and China accounted for much of the three percent growth in the worldwide sales for Coca-Cola in 2009 with its profits soaring to $6.82 billion – up 17 percent from $5.81 billion posted in 2008.

Releasing its annual and fourth-quarter results Tuesday, the world’s largest beverage maker said emerging India and China lifted its volume of unit sales by three percent in the whole year and as much as five percent in the fourth-quarter. In terms of revenue, Coca-Cola reported sales of $31 billion – almost a billion dollars down from $31.94 raked in 2008.

But the fourth quarter revenue rose to $7.51 billion from $7.13 billion during the same period in 2008 – up almost five percent, the company said.

Attributing its upbeat yearly numbers to its performance in the fourth quarter, the beverage giant said that in the last quarter its unit sales increased 29 percent in China and 20 percent in India. Other developing markets Brazil and Mexico accounted for eight percent and fur percent for growth in unit sales, the Atlanta-based company said.

The company also reported gains in sales of nonalcoholic ready-to-drink (NARTD) beverages as well as sparkling and still beverages under its global ‘Open Happiness’ campaign.

‘Brand Coca-Cola unit case volume grew a solid 4 percent in the quarter, with strong growth across global markets, including 22 percent in India, 13 percent in China, 12 percent in France, 5 percent in Mexico and 4 percent in Germany. Total sparkling beverage unit case volume increased 3 percent in the quarter, with international sparkling beverage unit case volume increasing 5 percent,’ Coca-Cola said.

‘We ended this year on a high note, delivering global volume and value share gains, comparable currency neutral revenue growth, improved productivity and increased cash flows,’ said Coca-Cola chairman and CEO Muhtar Kent.

MUMBAI, India (AP) — India is halting the release of its first genetically modified food crop citing safety concerns.

Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh told a televised press conference Tuesday that more independent studies must be done to ensure the hybrid eggplant is safe for human consumption.

Ramesh has faced a heated public outcry and opposition from eggplant-growing states that have called for a moratorium on the seeds.