MP IAS officers had dinner on citizens' money!

An investigation has been started into the complaint of a social activist that Rs 1.5 lakh from taxpayers' money was spent to host a dinner for IAS officers of Madhya Pradesh.

English newspaper DNA reports that the money was routed from the exchequer to foot the bill of dinner hosted by Chief  Secretary Avani Vaish.

The party organised under the aegis of MP IAS officers' association was held on October 8, 2010. Officials claim that the payment was properly made and it was not public money that was used for the programme. The complainant had first gone to High Court and filed a PIL but the court dimissed it and asked the Lokayukta to hold the probe.

BJP legislator's absurd demand to scrap Iqbal award

BJP legislator Girija Shankar Sharma's strange demand has surprised even the party leaders.

Sharma wants the Madhya Pradesh government to scrap the Iqbal Award which is given to a famous Urdu writer or poet annually.

Iqbal is the poet who wrote the famous 'Sare Jahan se Achcha Hindostan Hamara' which is the most popular patriotic song in praise of the country.

But Sharma doesn't seem interested in this information as his mindset is clearly revealed by his statements. He says that there is no need for award in memory of Iqbal.

The MLA said that Iqbal was a Pakistani though the truth is that the poet died much before India's partition. Senseless it may seem but the politician has repeatedly demanded that the state government should scrap this award.

Allama Iqbal had also stayed in Bhopal for sometime. His 'Sare Jahan se Achchha..' anthem is enough to put him on a high pedestal in independent India. Sadly, a section of right-wing politicians remain blind in their anti-Muslim campaign.

[Newspaper cutting courtesy: Prabhat Kiran, Indore]

Hindu fundamentalists planned terror attacks during Kumbh at Ujjain

The terrorist attack at the revered shrine at Ajmer were planned by Hindu fundamentalist groups during their meeting at the holy Kumbh in Ujjain.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has revealed this in the charge sheet filed in the court on Thursday.

The extremists, some of whom had connections with RSS and VHP, had met at the Simhastha (Kumbha) in April-May 2004 where they had planned to avenge the Muslim terrorist attacks on Akshardham temple, Jammu's Raghunath temple and during Amarnath Yatra. Eight persons have been named in the charge sheet.

This is sad that Hindu and Muslim groups who are both drenched in hate are involved in such activities. Ajmer dargah is visited by Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs from all over India. Dainik Bhaskar reports that Pragya Thakur, Ramji Kalsangra, Sunil Joshi, Sandeep Dange, Samir Kulkarni, Lokesh Sharma and Bharat Rateshwar were given instructions by Swamy Asimanand to plan the terrorist attacks.

The extent of corruption by civil servants and government employees in Madhya Pradesh could be gauged by the fact that a health officer of the municipal corporation in Indore, has managed to amass property worth over Rs 60 crore.

The Lokayukta police raided Dr Kothari's house in Indore and found that he owned luxurious cars, plush houses, properties in Goa and Karnataka, cash deposits apart from other assets.

In the recent years in State, almost every raid is yielding crores, suggesting the amount of black money which has been accumulated by the officials in Madhya Pradesh. From IAS officers, engineers and doctors to patwaris, almost everybody seem to have made moolah. Shouldn't the State government order a major crackdown?

When an entire police station got charged for murderous attempt

It's a classic case of how far policemen can go in terms of sabotaging the system, to save their skin.

A youth who was in police custody was attacked inside the police station but the police gave a different colour and said that the youth had stabbed himself.

Had it not been a judge's proactive stance, the Berasia police would have got away with their story. Now all the policemen including the Station Officer (SO) Rakesh Jain have been charged with attempt to murder and attached to police line.

On May 5, Mubarak alias Bhura was taken in custody for his alleged involvement in a case of rape and abdution with a minor girl. Later girl's cousin Paplesh went to police station and attacked Mubarak in the presence of police.

The local police managed to cover up the incident and it was claimed that Mubarak had injured himself using a razor in the custody. He was taken to hospital and when his condition deteriorated, police deposited Rs 50,000 at a private hospital for his treatment.

Remand was sought by police without producing him in the court. CJM Dharmendra Soni refused to send him to police remand without seeing the arrested youth. Later when the Magistrate Ganga Charan Dubey heard the case (as CJM was on leave), he got suspicious.

He saw the papers concerning victim's treatment and found that the wound was eight inch deep and the medical report said that the entrails were cut. As Mubarak was not in position to give a statement, court asked him to be sent to jail.

But police took him away to the police station instead. The judge spoke to Dr Dhirendra Srivastava who was treating the patient who showed photographs of the victim's wounds clicked with his cell phone camera. It was clear that injuries were too serious and couldn't have been inflicted by the person himself.

Police pressurised Mubarak to state in the court that he had attempted suicide but he revealed the truth. The judge ordered a case of attempt to murder registered on the entire police station. This is probably the first case in Madhya Pradesh when an entire police station was charged in a crime.

When the judge gave the order on June 15, the State government appeared shocked, and so was the PHQ. The policemen were attached to police lines and inquiry ordered. DIG KK Lohani was entrusted with the task to conduct a probe and hand over the report regarding the serious lapse.