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#BangkokBlast: Experts bring in sniffer dogs as they comb the area for bombs, following an explosion at Erawan Shrine. http://bit.ly/1JcLWKW
Photo: Kittiphum Sringammuang
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| SCTE India membership certificates presented for the first time in the 4th Cablenet ExpoVision 2015 held at Hyderabad | ||||
| For Immediate Release | ||||
| Hyderabad, 17th August, 2015 – In a hallmark event, held along with the opening ceremony of the “4th Cablenet ExpoVision 2015 during 12th-14th August” in Hyderabad; SCTE a global non-profit organization working towards advancement of broadband and telecommunication professionals, presented its first membership certificates to technicians who enrolled as the student members.
The certificates were given to the members by Hon’ble Minister, Commercial Taxes and Cinematography, Telangana Shri Talasani Srinivas Yadav. Also, present at the ceremony were, President of Telangana MSO Federation – Mr. M.Subhash Reddy and National Secretary of SCTE India -Mr. Rahul Nehra. The event was attended by hundreds of professionals from the cable and broadband industry from across South India.
MSO Federation -ESSCI and SCTE announced launch of its “Skill 10000” mission undertaken jointly by both the organization. The “Skill 10000 mission” is scheduled to be commenced from the first week of September with the help of Novacom, represented by Mr.Manidhar Devineni, Managing Director.
Commenting on the occasion, Shri. Subhash Reddy said, “There is tremendous excitement in the cable fraternity in Telangana with this initiative. Hyderabad being the first center of Digital Cable learning, will help the operators prepare for the next generation push of Digital Cable and Broadband.”
The Hon’ble Minister conveyed his support to the initiative of the Cable Operator, while handing over the SCTE Membership Certificates to the first two student members in India for this Digital transformation. The certification, which is given by ESSCI at a national level and by SCTE at an International level, enables the members to be a part of the National and International Cable and Broadband industry. Several MSO’s and Broadband players have requested SCTE to assist with SCTE-ESSCI skilled technicians as they roll-out their networks in the coming months.
At this exposition hundreds of Cable Operators also evinced interest in becoming SCTE Members, attending the courses and being a part of the SCTE-ESSCI knowledge forum.
Mr. Rahul Nehra ‘National Secretary ‘ SCTE said, “Hyderabad has been at the forefront of every digital transition and SCTE is delighted to see the huge surge of interest in equipping itself in the digital transition and SCTE would be an able partner to this”
About SCTE™ (www.theSCTE.eu) and SCTE India (www.scte-india.org)
Founded in 1945, the SCTE™ is a Learned Society and non-profit making organization whose aim is to raise the standard of broadband engineering in the telecommunications industry. The Society particularly concerns itself with the training and career advancement of technical professionals in the field.
Headquartered in Watford (U.K.), the SCTE is a global non-profit organization that is managed by elected volunteers from the broadband industry. The SCTE offers engineers, technicians, installers and professionals involved in broadband telecommunications access to a wide array of professional development opportunities, such as training courses, technical lecture meetings, conferences, exhibitions, accreditation and certification. It also disseminates the latest technical and standards data to members electronically and via the Society’s quarterly magazine, Broadband Journal.
In addition, the Society chairs the British Standards Committee for Cable Systems and represents the U.K. at European (CENELEC) and world (IEC) levels. Apart from the U.K., the SCTE has active groups all around the world, notably in India and in the Benelux and Balkan regions. Individual members can be found in 42 countries globally with a concentration in traditional PAL TV areas, such as Europe, China, Australia and South Africa. SCTE training courses have achieved industrywide acceptance as the standard for young technicians wishing to enter the field of broadband telecommunications. Courses are also used by many international organizations.
SCTE India is based in New Delhi and led by nine founding members from the Indian telecoms industry. Like the SCTE UK, SCTE India is an educational society designed to promote expertise, exchange of information and experience and the training and accreditation of members. Membership of SCTE India is open to all wireline engineers and technicians throughout the Indian sub-continent.
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DOTA 2 fanatics to battle in one of India’s most prestigious gaming tournaments, Taiwan Excellence Gaming Cup
August 17th 2015, Delhi: Taiwan Excellence in India announced the second edition of the Taiwan Excellence Gaming Cup (TEGC) after its stupendous debut last year. The worldwide championship has in definitely provided a platform for gamers in India to assemble, engage and compete. The tournament will challenge DOTA 2 gamers to battle for the revered cup, winners take home a cumulative cash prize of INR 4,00,000.
After an overwhelming response to the event last year, this year, the TEGC will be hosting the elimination rounds in Delhi as well. The tournament is divided into two rounds for each city – Eliminations and a Grand Finale – with the former being conducted from select offline venues as per a pre-set schedule.
This year, elimination rounds will be held in Delhi between August 14th to 16th and August 21st to 23rd and in Mumbai between September 4th to 6th and September 11th to 13th. To participate in the contest, enthusiasts can register onhttp://www.tegamingcup.com/#Schedule. However, it should be noted that registering online does not mean a team slot is confirmed. Participants will have to be present with their teams at the venue between 10 am and 12 pm on the first day of the event to get a registered slot confirmed. Registrations will close on the first day of the event once the slots are full.
Speaking about the Cup, Mr Michael Lin, the Director of the Taipei World Trade Centre Liaison Office in Mumbai said, “With professional gaming becoming one of the most lucrative careers in recent history, some of the world’s best players are known to have made up to US $365,000 playing in tournaments. The Taiwan Excellence Gaming Cup, a one–of-its-kind tournament too, has become a Mecca for gamers to prove their mettle with significant cash prizes, a championship title and other goodies at stake.”
There will be a hi-tech exhibit of some of the latest lifestyle products from Taiwan Excellence, including sleek tablets, smartphones, gaming technology, leisure related products and travel products. The event has attracted ten of the most popular brands from the digital world as sponsors. It is sponsored by ACER, ADATA, Acer, ASUS, BenQ, D-Link, FSP, Gigabyte, GX, MSi, Thermaltake and Transcend. Notwithstanding the fact that the gaming industry is still in its nascent stages in India, these brands have forged a strong association with the Taiwan Excellence Gaming Cup to mobilize the enormous popularity of the Cup among gamers in India. The Cup is one of the few gaming tournaments in the country to have leveraged these uber-cool brands to form a partnership and collaborate to bring something special for the players. With big names endorsing the Cup, passionate gamers indeed have a lot to look forward to in this thriving profession.
The gala challenge will see games like DOTA 2 (Steam version), Competition method: 5 versus 5 (Team play, 5 players per team) and Game Mode: Captains Mode (CM) being played.
After the eliminations, eight teams will qualify to play in the Grand Finale, a day-long ‘League of Excellence’ festival that will be open to gaming buffs and audiences at a central venue. The event will also be streamed live on Twitch TV.
The Finale will culminate into a grand award ceremony, which would see winners and participants being lauded for their performances and provide chances to win gaming gadgets and a total cash prize of Rs. 4,00,000/-. All eight teams qualifying for the finale will win guaranteed cash prizes. The winning team will take home a cash prize of Rs.1,70,000/-. The team winning the second spot will get a cash prize of Rs. 90,000, while those winning the third and fourth spots will take home Rs. 40,000 each. The fifth and the sixth spot winners will take home Rs. 20,000 each and those winning the seventh and the eight spots will get Rs. 10,000 each.
Please note: Competitors are expected to bring their own equipment, including keyboards, mouses, headsets and mouse- pads.
With big bucks to win, the action has just begun and will only get bigger and better. So avid gamers looking to use the best of their strategies, combat tactics and heroics, here’s your chance to experience all that and more as you feel an adrenaline rush like never before!
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AGENDA
KASHMIR YOUTH TO RECEIVE CASH AWARD ON WORLD HUMANITARIAN DAY: INVITE
Caritas India cordially invites you to the celebration of World Humanitarian Day 2015 on
AUGUST 19, 2015, (WEDNESDAY) AT
PRESS CLUB OF INDIA, NEW DELHI
TIMINGS (3.00PM TO 6.00PM)
Contact
Contact Amrit PRO @ 8802750327
email: amrit@caritasindia.org
Highlights
REPORT RELEASE: 1.3 million lives touched through a range of emergency responses
CASH AWARD: Mr. Altaf Hussain Lone, a youth from Kashmir who served during the Kashmir floods 2014 without any distinction of caste, creed or ethnicity will be awarded by Caritas India Executive Director Fr. Frederick D’Souza.
PANEL DISCUSSION: The role of Humanitarian Aid Workers during Emergencies in the present context from the perspectives of the following panelists:
1. Prof. Santosh Kumar (Executive Director, NIDM)
2. Kamal Kishore (Member, NDMA)
3. Surjeet Guleria (DIG,NDRF)
4. Col. Kohli, Indian Army (Retd)
5. UN Representative
6. Media Representative
Latest about Caritas India
As a premier NGO working in the field of disaster management since last 50 years, Caritas in collaboration with Bihar State Disaster Management Authority (BSDMA) is presently engaged in developing district disaster management plan (DDMP) for four districts of Bihar. The plan once developed is to be delivered to BSDMA by end of the year.
In the run up to the 7th Asian Ministerial conference on Disaster Risk Reduction to be hosted in India next year, Caritas India is planning to organize an International Conference in October 6-7 which will hopefully assist Caritas network of NGOs in developing better disaster management policies together with Asian governments.
Fr. Frederick D’Souza
Executive Director
Caritas India, CBCI Centre, 1 Ashok Place, New Delhi – 110 001
Phone Number: 011-23363390, Extn. 233, Mobile 8802750327
Zee Media to venture into English News Broadcasting
- Announces the appointment of Rohit Gandhi as Editor-in-Chief – English News Broadcast and Related Content
Mumbai, August 17, 2015: Zee Media Corporation Limited (ZMCL) today announced its intention to enter into English News Broadcasting with the appointment of Rohit Gandhi as Editor-in-Chief – English News Broadcast and Related Content. Rohit will be heading the operations of all initiatives in this space, working closely with the Business Head & Revenue Resources. Rohit will report in to Mr. Punit Goenka.
Speaking on the new initiative, Mr. Punit Goenka said, “Venturing into the English News Space allows us to extend our presence in the overall News genre across geographies and even in the international arena. We want to launch a news network for global audiences with an Indian point-of-view. With Rohit on-board to spearhead this initiative, we are confident that we will be able to showcase a world-class product. We welcome Rohit to the ZEE family and wish him all the very best.”
Rohit Gandhi commented on his joining: “It is a phenomenal opportunity for me to work with ZEE and Punit to deliver world-class coverage to viewers at home. We want to continue on the path of providing in-depth, textured coverage across platforms to address the ever-changing needs of the global audiences.”
Rohit brings with him over 23 years of rich experience across forty countries and has managed the complete gamut of the News business. He has won many international awards including the Edward R. Murrow, Dupont Award, Emmy, Golden Cine Eagle, Gracie Award and the Headliner Award. In his previous assignment, he was the International Correspondent & Communication Strategist for South Asian International News, prior to which he worked with CBC, CNN, BCTV & Global TV, Canada, and NDTV. He has covered many war zones including Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003.
Rohit is a multi-skilled journalist who has extensively worked on various international field projects in the areas of international relations, politics, socio-economic empowerment, human rights, environment, civil rights and social action and highly sensitive terror investigation, amongst others.
Rohit has done his Bachelor of Arts (BA) Hons in Sociology and Anthropology from Delhi University, Masters in Communication and Media Studies from Pune University and Masters in Broadcast Journalism from Carleton University, Canada.
Rohit Gandhi’s appointment is with effect from 17th August, 2015.
ALESSANDRO DEL PIERO IS THE WORLD-WIDE VESPA BRAND AMBASSADOR
National, August 17th, 2015: VESPA, the premium Italian lifestyle two-wheeler brand, proudly announces ALESSANDRO DEL PIERO, as its world-wide Brand Ambassador. ALESSANDRO DEL PIERO is a legendary football player and winner of the 2006 FIFA World Cup with the Italian team.
ALESSANDRO DEL PIERO will pay visit to India on 1st of September, for a spectacular VESPA event. The event will be a special day for all VESPA lovers and football lovers to gather and celebrate their idol in real.
The VESPA event will start with various activities, interactions with media and Vespa fans from the morning till the afternoon of 1stSeptember. The booming moment will be the VESPA – ALESSANDRO DEL PIERO exclusive cocktail party in the evening, where number of VESPA lovers and football fans will gather to celebrate these two Italian icons.
Commenting on this new association, Mr. Stefano Pelle, Managing Director, Piaggio India said, “We are very excited to have Alessandro Del Piero join the Vespa family here in India. Vespa and Alessandro Del Piero have many things in common, two worldwide famous Italian symbols recognized for their successes and profound impact on public opinion. Moreover both Vespa and Alessandro Del Piero show a very classy elegance, a contagious spirit of freedom and the ability to move people’s emotions, bodies, and beliefs”.
Over decades, VESPA has been applauded as one of Italy’s design and cultural icon all over the world. With the presence of ALESSANDRO DEL PIERO -one of the best Italian football players of all time- this is a meet between two legends globally recognized for style, quality and Italian excellence.
Dear Colleagues & Friends of INDIA’;s Power & Energy Sector,
Sub: Calling You to Join discussions and deliberations as a “SPECIAL INVITEE” at the ENERTIA Foundation – ENERTIA Think Tank (ENERTIA Alliance for Sustainable Energy – EASE) forum GSFI (Grid Smart Forum of India) — “TRANSgrid 2015” concurrent with –“3rd DISRTI Vision INDIA 2015” —– Theme: Sustainable, Smart, & Reliable T&D Infrastructure for INDIA – Mission 2022 to be held on Thursday, 27th AUGUST 2015
Sub: Calling You to Join discussions and deliberations as a “SPECIAL INVITEE” at the ENERTIA Foundation – ENERTIA Think Tank (ENERTIA Alliance for Sustainable Energy – EASE) forum GSFI (Grid Smart Forum of India) — “TRANSgrid 2015” concurrent with –“3rd DISRTI Vision INDIA 2015” —– Theme: Sustainable, Smart, & Reliable T&D Infrastructure for INDIA – Mission 2022 to be held on Thursday, 27th AUGUST 2015
Following Key Agenda of “Transmission & Distribution” will be Under Focus:-
1. Expanding INDIA’s Transmission & Grid Infrastructure.
2. Grid Integration of RE (Renewable Energy) & GECs (Green Energy Corridors).
3. Scale-up & Strategic implementation of Smart Grid in T&D.
4. Deploying ADAMs (Advance Digital Automated Metering) & ISMTs (Intelligent Smart Metering Technologies) in Power Distribution- Smart Meters, AHFs (Active Harmonic Filters) & other ICT integration for Distribution Efficiency
5. Smart Power Transformers, Sub-Stations & Switchyards.
6. Advocacy on Making the Discom Financing for Smart Grid Infra via NMEE (National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency) to Policy Makers.
7. Investment in Transmission & Smart Infrastructure of US$ 2 Trillion by 2027.
2. Grid Integration of RE (Renewable Energy) & GECs (Green Energy Corridors).
3. Scale-up & Strategic implementation of Smart Grid in T&D.
4. Deploying ADAMs (Advance Digital Automated Metering) & ISMTs (Intelligent Smart Metering Technologies) in Power Distribution- Smart Meters, AHFs (Active Harmonic Filters) & other ICT integration for Distribution Efficiency
5. Smart Power Transformers, Sub-Stations & Switchyards.
6. Advocacy on Making the Discom Financing for Smart Grid Infra via NMEE (National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency) to Policy Makers.
7. Investment in Transmission & Smart Infrastructure of US$ 2 Trillion by 2027.
OPERATION BLACK RAIN:
Revisiting the Killings of Dalits of Bihar
and Confessions of their Killers
Cobrapost captures on-camera the confessions of perpetrators of six major massacres of poor, unarmed Dalits in Central Bihar, revealing how the Ranveer Sena militia planned and conducted these indiscriminate killings with impunity and how they twisted the long arm of the law, who trained them, who armed them, who financed them and who lent them political support.
Date: Monday, August 17, 2015, at 3:00 PM
Venue: Press Club of India,
Raisina Road, New Delhi
The Screening will be followed by a panel discussion.
Panalist include :-
Prashant Bhushan
Siddharth Varadarajan
Urmilesh
Bezwada Wilson
Asha Kowtal
Dr. Ramesh Nathan
Thanks
Your Sincerely,
The Cobrapost team
Press Release
Press Release
Cobrapost captures on-camera the perpetrators of six major massacres of Dalits in Bihar between 1994 and 2000, confessing to their involvement in these mass murders
New Delhi: In a year long investigation Operation Black Rain, Cobrapost captures on-camera six operatives of the dreaded outfit Ranveer Sena confessing to their involvement in six major massacres of Dalits in Central Bihar: Bathani Tola, Laxmanpur Bathe, Shankar Bigha, Miyanpur and Ikwari. Put together, 144 Dalits were killed in these massacres including several women and children. The six RS men are Chandkeshwar alias Chandreshwar, Pramod Singh, Bhola Singh, Arvind Kumar Singh, Siddhnath Singh and Ravindra Chaudhry. All except Ravindra Chaudhry were accused in Laxmanpur Bathe massacre. Ravindra Chaudhry was however mainly involved in the Sarthua(Bhojpur),massacre.which had taken place in 1995.Chandkeshwar and Pramod Singh have been set free by the Patna High Court, while Bhola Singh, Arvind Kumar Singh and Siddhnath Singh were let off the hook by the lower courts. The Cobrapost team also tracked down Upendra Magiha who is alleged to have killed at least hundred Dalits while commanding the Sena death squads on such missions.
These mass murderers not only reveal how they planned and carried out indiscriminate killings on such scale with precision and ruthlessness of a war machine but also candidly admit who trained them, who armed them, who financed them and who lent them political support, naming some big-time politicians.
This is why the abrupt dismissal of Justice Amir Das Commission of Inquiry the state government had set up on December 27, 1997 in the wake of Laxmanpur Bathe massacre as soon as the JDU–BJP alliance came to power in Bihar was not a coincidence. In his interview with Cobrapost, Justice (Retd.) Das categorically states that it was because his report could have implicated some prominent politicos for their support to the private army he was asked to shut shop.
The following facts about the Ranveer Sena emerge from these confessions:
The Sena had a diabolical plan of carrying out 50 massacres in as many villages in a single day which they failed to execute.Ø
The Sena had the tacit support of certain political quarters both at the centre and at the state level.Ø
A politician would evacuate them in his car when they found to have been surrounded by the police after a massacre.Ø
The Sena cadre received training from army jawans either on leave or retired.Ø
The Sena cadre was equipped with modern weapons like AK-47, LMGs, semi-automatic, SLRs and Mousers. Some of these arms were bought from the consignment that was part of the Purulia arms drop on December 17, 1995.Ø
Posing as a film-maker, supposedly working on a film on Ranveer Sena, Cobrapsot Associate Editor K. Ashish interviewed Chandkeshwar alias Chandreshwar, Pramod Singh, Bhola Singh, Arvind Kumar Singh, Siddhnath Singh and Ravindra Chaudhry. All except Ravindra Chaudhry were accused in the Laxmanpur Bathe massacre. Ravindra Chaudhry was however mainly involved in the Sarthua(Bhojpur),massacre which had taken place in 1995. Chandkeshwar and Pramod Singh have been set free by the Patna High Court, while Bhola Singh, Arvind Kumar Singhss and Siddhnath Singh were let off the kook by the lower courts. Bhola Singh is still wanted by the Bihar Police and is hiding in Tata Nagar in Jharkhand.
Here are some excerpts of interviews that the Cobrapost reporter had with these six Sena men.
Chandkeshwar Singh:
Put on life imprisonment by the lower courts for his involvement in Laxmanmur Bathe massacre but let off by the Patna High Court on October 13th 2013. Chandkeshwar confesses not only to his involvement in the Bathani Tola massacre in 1996 killing 22 Dalits but also to have beheaded five fishermen.
The details of how the massacre was carried out are as chilling as the pathologic nonchalance with which Chandkeshwar pouts them out: “Teen baja aur humara sena goli chalana chaloo … teen baje din mein wahan police chowki bhi tha kar diya narsamhar hua (As the clock struck 3, the Sena began firing … it was 3:00 at daytime … there was a police chowki. The massacre was carried out).” Chandkeshwar gives the headcount of the victims: “Kuch laash usmein se bahar kheench liya tha farari admi ka tab par bhi laash wahan par spot par tha bais … haan bais log ka laash wahan par tha (Some bodies of those who were part of the assault had been cleared from there, but still there were 22 bodies on the spot … yes there were 22 dead bodies lying about).” The massacre was executed at the behest of one Gupteshwar Singh of Khandau village.
He vividly remembers the time when the Sena launched its assault on the poor Dalits of Laxmanpur Bathe that fateful night on December 1, 1997 with LMGs, automatics, SLRs and Mausers: “Samay dus … Hum log charh gaye the humara Sena jo tha wahan par hamla kar diya dus baje net firing ka time hoga goli chala 29 minute (It was 10 when we arrived there and the Sena began the assault. The firing went for 29 minutes). The assault left 58 dead.
Chandkeshwar goes on to confess how he beheaded five poor fishermen, supposedly CPI-ML supporters, that night at the Sone river: “Gussa aa gya jaise goli se kyon maarega hum kyon goli kharch karenge chakoo mere paas hai hi sau do sau ki goli barbad karenge hum chakoo se hi isko kato … kaat diye (I was very angry at them. Why should I waste a bullet on them that is worth Rs 100 or so, I thought. Better use the knife I have. So I cut them down with it).”
Siddhanath Singh:
The self-assured aide of the Sena chief Barmeshwar Singh Mukhiya does not bat an eyelid when he owns up to his involvement in six major massacres of Dalits. Churning out details with cold-blooded apathy that only hardened criminals are known to possess, Rai not only recounts the night of bloodbath that Sena had in Laxmanpur Bathe and who were behind it and who executed it but also names a former Prime Minister who had helped his outfit to procure arms as military reject. This is what he told the police when he was in custody: “… toh wo military ka rejected saman tha wahi hum logon ko uplabdh hua tha … hum kahe uplabdh hua tha jab pradhan mantri humare huye the … Chandra Shekhar … (… I told them we got them from Indian military as rejected lot … we got the arms with help from our Prime Minister … I said Chandra Shekhar …).”
And the conduit who got the so-called rejected lot of military weapons, according to Siddhnath, was Surya Dev, a powerful politician from Dhanbad and a close friend of Chandra Shekhar.
Siddhnath also spoke to the police about his involvement in Aibatpur massacre: “Hum kahe ki wo kaand hua tha wahan Aibatpur Kanpath thana mein wahan saat wo Mushar jaati ke log mare gaye the wo humare samarthakon ke dwara mara gaya tha ye baat satya hai theek na … (I told them about the massacre that took place in Aibatpur under Kanpath police station. Our men had killed seven people of Mushar caste …).”
Pramod Singh:
Incarcerated in Arrah jail for some other crime, Pramod Singh unabashedly confesses to his involvement in the Miyanpur massacre in which 32 were killed: “Gaon jo tha Naxali support gaon tha Ranveer Sena ke target par bahut pehle tha uss karya ko log anzam diya (That (Miyanpur) village was the supporter of the Naxals and was thus on the target of the Ranveer Sena. We executed that massacre).”
He alleges a prominent BJP leader lent the dreaded outfit with both political and financial support: “Bhajapa ka sarkar jiss samay tha … Atal Behari Vajpai the … uss samay the Yashwant Sinha … barabar aate the … mukhiya ji se barabar milte the … wo toh humare gaon mein hi … jiss samay chhape mari ho rahi thi uss samay barabar humare gaon mein the (it was when there was the BJP government [at the centre] … there was Atal Behari Vajpai [prime minister] … there was Yashwant Sinha [finance minister]… he would visit regularly … meet the Mukhiya [Barmeshwar Singh] regularly … he was there in my village when the police were hot on our heels and raiding our places. ” Yashwant Sinha allegedly lent both monetary and political support to the Sena as Pramod Singh claims: “Paise se … sarhe paanch lakh ([He] gave us money … Five and half lakh).” He adds, “Aur kya support karega … jo bhi rajnaitik support jo hota hai (What else support he could lend … other than political support).”
Pramod Singh recounts how Jahanabad MP Arun Kumar would help: “Farar stithi mein … jaise maan lijiye police gher li … paanch chheh logon ko nikalna hai jsaise Arun Kumar the saansad Jahanabad saansad wahan pahunch jaate thay apni gadi se jo log tha sabki nikal dete the … (When on the run … suppose the police had closed in about us … five–six people were be evacuated … then Arun Kumar, the Jehanbad MP, would reach the spot and would escort away all of them in his car … ).”
Ravindra Chaudhry:
The Cobrapost reporter met Chaudhry at Belaur village in Bhojpur. He divulges about the Sena’s most diabolical plan: “Hum log toh aisa ranneeti banaye the ki ek hi din mein pachas gaon mein narsamhar ho tab jaaker sarkar ki need tootegi nahi toh sarkar toh bas yehi soch rahi hai ki ek desh mein alpsankhyak hain ati pichhri hain pichhri hai iske alawa koi jaati hi nahi hai (We had in fact worked out a strategy to execute massacres across 50 villages to wake up the government from its torpor. Otherwise, the government will always think that no castes other than the minorities, most backward and backward live in this country).”
Chaudhry also divulges how the likes of Anand Mohan Singh helped them: “… Anand Mohan aaye bechare poora keh gya ki humare paas hathiyron ka jakhira hai jo jo hathiyar lena chahte ho aaker le jao (… Anand Mohan came and told us that he has a cache of all kinds of arms. Whatever you need you can pick).”
His confession makes it undoubtedly clear what role he played in the Sena: “Humare kehne se anzam mane anzam maan lijiye hum anzam nahi diye lekin huqam toh humi na diye maan lijiye kaam humen nahi kiya hatya nahi karte hain lekin kahe ki hatya karo toh hum hi na kiye ([the massacres were] executed upon … you can say I did not execute them but it was me who ordered. You can say I did not execute the job, I did not kill, but when I ordered to commit a murder then I did it).”
Bhola Rai:
Living incognito with his family in Tata Nagar, Bhola Singh confesses to have taken part in the killing of 58 Dalits at Laxmanpur Bathe: “Saath pachas ko wahi par mara tha Laxmanpur Bathe mein (We killed about 50–60 people then and there in Laxmanpur Bathe).” According to him there were 100 members of the Sena who launched the assault that was led by one of his nephews: “Uska lead kiya tha Ikwari ka hi humara ek bhatija tha Santu naam tha (The attack was led by one of my nephews, Santu, from Ikwari village).” He adds with a sense of pride: “Haan hum bhi thay (Yes I too was there).”
Arvind Singh:
The erstwhile Sena strongman from Ikwari tells us: “Haan Ikwari mein doh narsamhar hua tha … Pehla narsamhar mein saat log mare gaye … doosra mein aath-nau log tha … ek 96 mein hua ek 97 mein hua (Yes, two massacres took place in Ikwari … Seven were killed in the first massacre … in the second eight–nine people were killed … one happened in 1996 and the other took place in 1997).” Arvind Singh maintains that both Ikwari massacres were the handiwork of the local Bhumihar villagers only.
However, the murderers forced a compromise on the families of the victims.
Apart from these Cobrapost team was also able to locate Upendra Magiha, the Most Wanted murderer of the lot; however, he refused to meet the team. Says Sanjiv Singh of Magiha:
“Upendra Magiha Ranveer Sena ke jo hathiyar band log the unka wo command karte the un karraviyon mein aur wo hain … Magiha bahut seedha aadmi hai … jo sahi mein jo saikadan hatya kiya hai wah aadmi bahut seedha aur saccha aadmi hai (Upendra Magiha used to command the armed squad of the Ranveer Sena during those operations … and he … Magiha is a simple fellow … the man who has murdered hundreds is really a very simple and innocent fellow).”
The police have not been able to track down Magiha in all these years.
The fact that Ranveer Sena had ample political support is borne out not only by the on-camera confessions of these functionaries of the dreaded outfit but also by the interview that Cobrapost had with Justice (Retd.) Amir Das, as the judge names those who lent support to the Sena:
“Kuchh ka naam toh bata sakte hain jaise Shivanand Tewary hain, C.P. Thakur hain. Murli Manohar Joshi hain aur Sushil Kumar Modi aur ek mikhiya the naam tha unka uss gaon mein Laxmanpur Bathe ke bagal me conclusion aya hai ki wo bhi support karte the (I can tell some names, for instance, Shivanand Tewary, C.P. Thakur, Murli Manohar Joshi and Sushil Kumar Modi. Then there was a head of a village in the neighbourhood of Laxmanpur Bathe about whom we had drawn the conclusion that he too supported [the Ranveer Sena]).”
It will be in order to recall the emergence of Ranveer Sena in 1994, formed by Dharicharan Singh of Belaur village in Bhojpur district to counter the rising unrest among the farm labour who had started protesting against their exploitation under the banner of CPI-ML (Liberation), an underground leftist outfit. Barmeshwar Singh Mukhiya turned the private army of the upper caste landowners into a well-oiled machine trained to kill, ruthlessly and indiscriminately, equipped with modern weapons like AK-47, LMGs, semi-automatic, SLRs and Mousers, executing 16 massacres within a span of next six years, killing 300 Dalits across six districts of Arrah, Arval, Bhojpur, Gaya, Aurangabad and Jahanabad.
However, almost all Sena killers have been set free either by the lower courts or by the Patna High Court for lack of evidence. Though Dy SP CID (Retd.) Mirza Maqsood Alam Beg would disagree: “Dekhiye usmein direct evidence toh unke against tha hi eyewitness … logon ne dekha pehchana … uske alawa iss occurrence ke pehle un logon ke yehan meeting bhi hua karti thi meeting mein ye log attend karte the na haan inhi logon ke yehan meeting hua karti thi wo sab cheezein diary mein hain (You see, there is direct evidence against them … eyewitness … people saw them and identified them … apart from that before the occurrence [of a massacre] these people would hold meetings at their places … all these things are recorded in case diary).” Beg’s words carry weight as he was the IO of the major massacre Laxmanpur Bathe and was responsible for filing the charge sheet.
These acquittals have been challenged in the Supreme Court and thus are subjudice.
Cobrapost contacted Murli Manohar Joshi, Yashwant Sinha, CP Thakur, Susheel Kumar Modi for their reaction but didn’t receive any comment in this till the time of going to press.
Aniruddha Bahal
Editor
Cobrapost.com
New Delhi
Date: 17th August 2015
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