Punjab gives compensation to 40 Jodhpur detenues, assures others
Chandigarh, June 28: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Thursday handed out cheques for the state's share of the compensation money ordered to be paid to 40 Jodhpur detenues and assured of similar help to the remaining 325 detenues.
The Chief Minister handed over cheques totalling over Rs 2.16 crore as the state's 50 per cent share in the approximately Rs 4.5 crore compensation announced by an Amritsar district court to the 40 detenues who had approached it for relief.
Amarinder Singh said those who did not move the court were also entitled to compensation and that his government will make similar payments to them too.
He expressed the confidence that the Centre would agree to his plea to contribute its share of compensation money to these 325 detenues.
A total of 365 persons were arrested and lodged in Jodhpur jail in Rajasthan in the wake of Operation Blue Star in 1984. Known as the Jodhpur detainees, they were released in 1986. Nearly 100 of them have since died.
Of the 40 detenues who approached the court, seven passed away while the case was being heard.
Amarinder Singh also said that the state was prepared to release the full compensation amount to the 40 detainees but he was informed of the Centre's decision to release its share.
"It is a small compensation for the pain they have undergone. We will also look into their demand for jobs for their children," the Chief Minister said.
The detenues who went to court were awarded Rs 4 lakh each along with 6 per cent interest (from the date of filing of the appeal to payment of compensation) in April last year.
The total compensation, including interest, works out to nearly Rs 4.5 crore.
While the Punjab government had given an undertaking in the court to pay half the amount, the central government had appealed in the Punjab and Haryana High Court against the impugned order.
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Mamata visits Bhabanipur EVM strong room, warns against counting irregularities
Kolkata (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee early Friday warned against any attempt to tamper with the counting process, hours after she visited an EVM strong room in Bhabanipur, alleging possible malpractice.
Banerjee, who emerged around 12:07 am after spending nearly four hours at the counting centre for her Bhabanipur constituency housed in Sakhawat Memorial School in south Kolkata, said only one person would be allowed inside the designated counting area.
"Either the candidate or one agent can stay upstairs. I have also suggested installation of a CCTV camera for the media," she told reporters.
Stressing the need for transparency, she said, "It is essential to maintain transparency. People’s votes must be protected. I rushed here after receiving complaints. The central forces initially did not allow me to enter."
Sounding a stern note ahead of the May 4 counting, she added, "If there is any plan to tamper with the counting process, it will not be tolerated."
On Thursday evening, Banerjee had reached the Bhabanipur Assembly segment counting centre, which houses the strong room for EVMs used in the April 29 polling, citing suspicion of tampering with the machines.
She entered the premises along with her election agent and remained inside for hours, even as Kolkata Mayor and TMC candidate from the Kolkata Port segment Firhad Hakim reached the spot but could not meet her.
"I reached here upon learning that the chief minister has arrived. But I couldn’t meet her since she was already inside the premises, exercising her right as a candidate to visit strong rooms. I wasn’t allowed there. I will not be able to confirm what exactly is transpiring inside," Hakim said.
The development coincided with protests by TMC candidates Kunal Ghosh and Shashi Panja outside the Khudiram Anushilan Kendra in north Kolkata, where they staged a sit-in alleging irregularities and possible tampering of EVMs stored in strong rooms, leading to face-offs between TMC and BJP supporters.
Earlier in a video message, Banerjee had urged party leaders, workers and polling agents to maintain a 24-hour vigil on EVM strong rooms, alleging that the BJP could attempt to tamper with the machines before counting begins.
Her remarks come amid heightened political tension in the state following a fiercely contested Assembly election, with parties closely monitoring arrangements and raising concerns over transparency.
