Pune blast: 4 Kashmiris detained in Hampi

By Shivakumar G Malagi

Bellary, Feb 17, 2010:Four Kashmiri men were taken into cus- tody in Hampi on Wedn- esday in connection with Saturday's terror attack on German Bakery in Pune.
A police team from Pune, following specific clues in emails sent from IP addresses in Hampi, detained the four suspects who sources said sold arte- facts in Virapura Gadde Island in the Tungabhadra river. Investigating officials are looking for three other suspects in the heritage town that draws thousands of foreign tourists every year. In Virapura Gadde, where a franchise of German Bakery is located and from where the emails were sent, seven Internet cafés were shut down since Tuesday evening.

Fearing for their safety, many foreign tourists stay- ing in resorts on the island, a kilometre from Hampi by coracle, started moving to hotels in Hampi and Hospet after news spread of the suspects being taken into custody. Investigators believe that part of the Pune attack conspiracy could have been hatched in Hampi, sources said.

The Pune police team arrived in Hampi after car- rying out investigations in Bhatkal in Uttara Kannada district, the hometown of terror outfit Indian Mujahideen co-founder Riyaz Bhatkal.

The Kashmiri community in Hampi has been under the scanner before, with the Bengaluru police arresting a suspected Kashmiri ter- rorist, Imran Jalal, in Hampi in January 2007.
Jalal established the now- defunct Kashmiri-Raja- sthani Handicrafts Shop Owners' Association that comprised over 35 Kashmiris.

Lokayukta `inaction' irks Janardhan Reddy

By Shivakumar G Malagi

Bellary, Feb 17, 2010: Welcoming the Supreme Court ruling upholding the right of a court to order a CBI investi- gation into any issue with- out the consent of the state government concerned, tourism minister G. Janard- han Reddy said on Wednes- day he was confident for- mer chief minister H.D.
Kumaraswamy would no longer be able to evade pun- ishment for "accepting bribes from mining barons in Karnataka."
Expressing displeasure that the Lokayukta commit- tee which looked into illegal mining had made no men- tion of the charges against Mr Kumaraswamy, he said the former chief minister would not be able to escape the legal dragnet for much longer. The Supreme Court ver- dict, which came with a rider that courts should use their powers to order a CBI investigation cautiously and sparingly, was based on nine petitions seeking a CBI probe under Articles 226 and 32 of the Constitution into various cases. The peti- tioners had contended that the CBI could conduct investigation in any state without prior consent of the government concerned.

Mr Reddy's petition seek- ing a CBI probe against Mr Kumaraswamy for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 150 crore from mining barons was one of the petitions con- sidered by the apex court.
According to the minister, his petition against the Jana- ta Dal(S) leader will come up for hearing before a three-member panel of the Supreme Court in two weeks.

Mr Reddy, who was an MLC in 2006, had charged Mr Kumaraswamy, then heading a BJP-JD(S) coali- tion government in the state, with taking a Rs 150 crore bribe from the Bellary min- ing barons and demanded a proble by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the matter.

Instead the state govern- ment constituted the Justice U.L. Bhat Commission to probe the charges levelled by him. But the Bhat Com- mission later went on to seek the assistance of the CBI in its investigation.

In March 2007 the govern- ment decided to wind up the Bhat commission for its `failure' to submit an inter- im report within the two month deadline set.

Mr Reddy now alleges that Justice Bhat did not receive the cooperation he needed from the govern- ment when he needed CBI assistance to conduct his inquiry.

"Much to my surprise, the Lokayukta committee con- stituted after the Bhat Com- mission was wound up, has not even once referred to the Rs 150 crore bribery charge in its report and very intelli- gently misled the public," the minister said, adding that the Supreme Court's ruling would have far reaching ramifications and bring to book influential politicians.

BUMPY LANDING - Helicopters encounter air pockets in Bellary

By Shivakumar G Malagi

Bellary, Feb 11/2010: What could be more telling than this about the high flying lifestyle of miners in iron ore rich Bellary? A temple in the town has put up `No Parking' signs on its grounds exclusively for helicopters and aircrafts.
The Sri Kumaraswamy temple in Nandihalli, some 12 km from the mining town of Sandur, has put up a sign saying "Landing of helicopters, aircraft not allowed."

Temple priest Suryanarayan Bhat says the board was erected in 2005 after mining baron turned Rajya Sabha MP Anil Lad landed in his newly bought Bell helicopter on the grounds of the temple to perform a pooja.

"The landing of the chopper with no sanction from the authorities angered temple trustee M.Y. Ghorpade, who ordered a ban on all aircraft arriving here," he said.

The signboard comes as no surprise to the people of Bellary, accustomed to seeing choppers landing in the backyards of palatial homes, farmhouses, resorts and even on rooftops of houses of rich mining barons.

A recent survey reported that around 17 private choppers and eight aircraft fly over Bellary everyday.
The district accounts for almost 10 per cent of the market for private flying machines.