VHP will declare Gujarat a Hindu state by 2015: Pravin Togadia
VHP will declare Gujarat a "Hindu state" by 2015 besides having its
presence in all 18,000 villages of the state in the next two years, the
outfit's leader Pravin Togadia claimed today.
"In two years, the VHP will have a presence in all 18,000
villages of Gujarat and by 2015, we will declare Gujarat a Hindu state,"
VHP's international working president Pravin Togadia told VHP followers
who gathered here for a 'Hindu Sangam' event.
The event was organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad to launch a
new movement called 'Hindu Ahead, for Hindu Security and Prosperity',
which aims to reach out to Hindus in villages, towns, cities and tribal
areas.
Invoking the issue of the "insecure Hindu", Togadia said, "To
protect and prosper, Hindus themselves have to gear up, by becoming true
practicing Hindus, aware Hindus and active Hindus".
The absence of Narendra Modi at the function was conspicuous
though the VHP organised the event in the area which falls in the
Gujarat Chief Minister's constituency.
In the past, the Gujarat VHP has been at loggerheads with Modi
over a range of issues including demolition of illegal temples in
Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad.
The VHP, through its 'Hindu Sangam' announced plans for the
resurrection of the organisation, which would celebrate 50 years of its
inception in 2014.
Raising the issue of Ram Mandir, Togadia said, "Unless and until
we will become Hindus, not only by our behaviour, but with our practice
and awareness, only then will our dream of building Ram Mandir at
Ayodhya be fulfilled."
VHP's joint organisational secretary Vinayakrao Deshpande talked
about dwindling support for the outfit in Gujarat. He mentioned that 10
years ago there were more than 10,000 committees in the state which has
come down to 6,000 at present.
Bangladesh: Religion Taken For A Ride ~~Shakhawat Liton and Rashidul Hasan
Dhakeshwari Temple, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Politics of cashing in on people’s religious sentiments is likely to turn worse with radical Islamists setting out on a long march towards Dhaka on April 6 and BNP extending support to the programme to gear up the anti-government movement. Four of the eight Islamist parties that are actively working in the capital to make the long march announced by Hefajat-e Islam a success are components of BNP-Jamaat-led 18-party alliance. Even Jatiya Party, a key component of Awami League-led ruling alliance, on Saturday extended its support to the long march demanding capital punishment to “atheist bloggers for making derogatory remarks about Islam.” Surprisingly, it is not clear what the government or the Awami League is thinking about the April 6 event, media reports suggest. The party claims to be the champion of secularism but its top leaders these days are making statements with religious overtones. Two senior BNP leaders yesterday said the party’s strategy was to back any anti-government agitation waged by any organisation and to make the government a common enemy of all. Therefore, the party is waiting for the outcome of the long march before finalising its next course of action for the one-point oust-govt movement, they said. The BNP earlier had openly supported Hefajat-e Islam in obstructing the Gonojagoron Mancha rally that was to be held in Chittagong on March 13. “We will continue supporting any agitation protesting the government’s misdeeds and repression,” Lt Gen (retd) Mahbubur Rahman, a member of BNP standing committee, told The Daily Star yesterday. Rafiqul Islam Mia, another standing committee member, echoed Mahbub’s view. BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia addressing public rallies in Manikganj, Bogra, Joypurhat and Brahmanbaria has also urged people to wage tough agitation against the “government-sponsored movement of Shahbagh atheists.” Hefajat-e Islam, an organisation based at Hathazari in Chittagong, through a press conference in the capital yesterday threatened to enforce long shutdowns for period if their long march was obstructed. On Saturday, the deputy commissioner and superintendent of police of Chittagong met the chief of Hefajat-e Islam and requested him to enforce other programme than the long march. “We are concerned about the law and order situation. So we requested Hujur [chief of Hefajat-e Islam] to consider other programme, excepting the long march,” Chittagong DC Abdul Mannan said yesterday. As part of the plan, leaders of Hefajat-e Islam said their followers from distant districts will march towards Dhaka on April 5 night and those from districts adjacent to the capital the following day. “Then we will hold a grand rally and raise our demands,” Mufti Fayezullah, joint secretary general of Hefajat-e Islam, told The Daily Star yesterday. He said they had applied to Dhaka Metropolitan Police seeking permission to hold the rally at either of the venues at Manik Mia Avenue, Motijheel Shapla Chattar and Paltan Intersection. “We have yet to get the permission,” he said, adding, “If we are not allowed to hold the rally, we will enforce shutdowns for an indefinite period from April 7.”
Jamaat Bombs Cops Policeman loses wrist; 5 more hurt
Armed Shibir cadres in action during a clash at Bata intersection in Rajshahi city yesterday. Photo: Star
Jamaat-Shibir activists in a hit-and-run attack hurled several bombs at police, severing the right wrist of one and severely injuring another when the law enforcers were trying to fend off the attackers in the city.
Sub-inspector Mokbul Hossain of Motihar police, who lost his right wrist, in the attack was airlifted to Dhaka at the directive of the prime minister. SI Mokbul was initially rushed to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital (RMCH) and given primary treatment.
He was under watch at the Intensive Care Unit of the Combined Military Hospital where he was admitted at 2:30pm.
Rajshahi Metropolitan Police (RMP) Commissioner SM Moniruzzaman said five other policemen were injured in the powerful blasts during a clash at Bata intersection in Rajshahi city.
Doctors at RMCH said the bomb had gone off in Mokbul’s hand as he tried to defend himself from being hit by it.
A policeman lying on the street after losing his right wrist in a blast carried out by Jamaat-Shibir activists. Photo: Star
“His right wrist was severed and three fingers of his left hand were hanging by the skin,” said BK Dam, a senior orthopaedic surgeon at RMCH.
Mokbul’s father Havildar Ansar Ali, who also works with Rajshahi police, came to Dhaka with his son on the same chopper. Ansar Ali said his son had joined Motihar police only a month ago.
Mohsin Alam, publicity secretary of Shibir’s Rajshahi University unit, alleged the policeman was injured when a sound grenade he was about to throw at Jamaat-Shibir activists exploded in his hand.
Alam claimed more than 40 of their men were injured and they received treatment at different private clinics and hospitals.
Inspector Alamgir Hossain of Detective Branch however said sound grenades “have ability to burn, not to fracture” and are used to create sounds to drive away mob.
The other severely injured law enforcer, constable Rofikul Islam of Riot Control Division, was admitted to RMCH as his left elbow was fractured. Other wounded policemen were given first aid at the same hospital.
The clash began around 10:30am when more than 100 Jamaat-Shibir men brought out a brisk procession at Bata intersection demanding an end to war crimes trial and release of their arrested leaders and activists.
Sensing the presence of police, the Jamaat-Shibir men from the procession suddenly started hurling bombs at them.
During the clash that lasted 10 minutes the activists blasted 15 to 20 bombs, said Ziaur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Boalia police.
He added the police fired rubber bullets, teargas shells and exploded sound grenades to disperse the violent procession.
The clash spread to Ranibazar as the police chased the Jamaat-Shibir activists. Roadside shops were closed and pedestrians ran for safety as panic gripped the area.
Police picked up seven men from the scene, said the OC.
Additional police force was deployed at different points in the city as tension mounted following the incident.
Inspector General of Police Hassan Mahmood Khandker told The Daily Star they would take appropriate legal actions against the offenders.
He said the police had been taking risks in discharging their duties properly in the interest of the people.
Referring to yesterday’s incident, the police chief said, “He [the SI] has showed the highest respect to his profession.”
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said the wounded policeman had been airlifted to Dhaka and admitted to the CMH upon her directive.
The premier said this at a meeting of the Awami League Central Working Committee at Gono Bhaban.
Granting Of Pardon To Sanjay Dutt And The List Of People Pardoned Or Granted Clemency By The President Of The United States
~~Suman Mukhopadhyay
Let me begin with this line, "Insanity has become "Pandemic" in India.........though the media is trying hard to turn it into an Epidemic"....
There has been a lot of debate regarding whether the noted Film Star, Mr.Sanjay Dutt can be pardoned or not. Many such as former judge of Supreme Court, Mr.M Katju, Film Producer, Mr.Mukhesh Bhatt, important political figures like Ms.Jaya Bhadhuri Bachchan, Mr.Amar Singh, Mr.Shatrughan Sinha, etc has spoken for pardoning this talented film star and so of Late Sunil Dutt and Nargis Dutt. Going against the tide, is not an easy job, and one cannot but thanks those who have come to the rescue of this actor, who got trapped due to some blunders committed 20 years back.
However, there are some who have taken simple and straight jacket route, espousing, the hackneyed phrase, "The Law Of The Land Should Take Its Own Course", as if pardoning someone is alien to our constitution!! They have hurled such abusive words like "Criminal" against for some crimes, which when looked from a distance, does not look too series. The honourbale Supreme Court also, gave a lighter punishment to this actor. However, it is a matter of brainstorming, as to whether sending him 2nd time to the Jail will do any good to the society.
But then what surprised me, is the kind of lateral thinking coming from so called "Maverick" Gentlemen like Dr.Subramanium Swamy and Dr.Meghnad Desai, who preferred Mr.Dutt to be in Jail rather than doing films. If this is the condition of our talent pool then whom we common Indians take suggestions from, remains the question. This shows that even though a person, may have occupied a high chair, but he/she lacks some basic qualities or traits or does not have the ability to judge which arrow to use when. We have seen in the Epic (Hinduism) Ramayana, how one wrong arrow of the King Dashrath, while hunting for deer, provided the fodder for the whole story. In the same way, if our constitutional provision or arrows are not used properly, there could such series of Ramayanas. Most of the Indians same herd mentality and are of bankrupt of ideas or free thinking--or they cannot think beyond a point. That is why there is a mad cry to "Hang Everyone". In any country, the prime duty for any jurisprudence, should be to reduce crime, with minimum application of force---this makes the democracy vibrant. We all commit mistakes in our life and then repent--it because Human beings are at times emotional and irrational, in their behaviour. This brings lot of trouble for them......we need to find ways to address the causes of crimes rather only thinking of brutalizing our societies. Too much use of rods, might spoil the child too---we need to take this factor into consideration.
Anyway, let me speak of my points here and explore why it is easier to pardon Sanjay Dutt rather than ask him to rot in the Jail.
1. Sanjay Dutt is a VIP and is no ordinary citizen. He is a talented artist and is known to be a law abiding citizen, except that blunder which he committed, almost 20 years back. Before writing more on the topic let us see what Dr.Meghnad Desai has written today in The Indian Express: "In Mumbai there was a pogrom against Muslims carried out by the Shiv Sena, BJP and Congress. (I was in Mumbai during early January 1993 to give a lecture. I had to be given a police escort from the Taj to the airport through burning streets.) It is all recorded in the Srikrishna report. No one has been punished for the crimes named in that report".
"Sanjay Dutt is in his family history a paradigm of Indian secularism. His maternal great grandmother was a Brahmin child widow who ran away to become a Muslim and joined the singing profession in Allahabad. Jaddan Bai married a Hindu who also converted and their daughter was the famous Nargis, who had twin names as Fatima and Tejeshwari. She met and married Balraj (Sunil) Dutt, who came from the Mohyal Brahmin community which had fought at Karbala way back in the days of the Great Schism in Islam! At her marriage conducted with Arya Samaj rituals, Nargis declared her name as Tejeshwari. When she died at 50, Hindu and Muslim priests debated as to how the body should be treated. It had eventually an ecumenical treatment".
"So Sanjay Dutt can be pardoned for not knowing whether he is a Hindu or a Muslim. But in January 1993, Mumbai was deeply divided. Sunil Dutt had harnessed his family to help Muslim families made homeless and needing help. This made the rioters angrier. Sanjay and his sisters were denounced as Muslims and as such suitable candidates for the ongoing pogrom. They received threats. So he decided to take precautionary measures and gathered guns. There is no doubt that he did violate the law about possession of arms, though he was acquitted of any offence under TADA".
You have read what Lord Desai has said, though at the end he followed the same sardonic line. Now let me point out here that, since, he is close to two political outfits, the Samajbadi Pary (SP) and the Congress, naturally, the BJP and some of its allies, have voiced their opposition to any sort of pardon, fully knowing about the constitutional provisions in special cases. It would be really foolish and stupid if anyone thinks that it is not a special case or the case does not deserve special attention. Hence, we can conclude that the opposition towards Sanjay Dutt, by certain sections has more to do with political compulsions rather the real issue. Or it has more to do with political rivalry of sorts rather, than other factors. His offense everyone knows is minimum as compared to the ferocity of the Bombay blast, but a large section of the Indian media has made his crime look so mammoth, for the hope of generating more more TRPs.
2. Sanjay Dutt through his movies, can bring foreign exchange, which is so necessary when India is running a high current account deficits and when the hot FII money is moving Indian markets like a Casino. Moreover, he is a star and carries considerable clout in Bollywood. This might influence some of foreign producers to think of providing more and more funding to the Indian Film Industry, helping it grow.
Any FDI is a welcome move for India and when cost of film production goes into billion of Rupees these days, it would definitely help in cutting down the high fiscal deficits too, since, the government would generate entertainment tax from the films and television serial produced. Moreover, mega--brand artists like Sanjay Dutt, provides lot of employment through his films, since a good number of producers, directors, music directors, cameramen, art directors, choreographers, co-artists, make--up artists, clapper boys, etc, are associated with him. If his film releases are delayed, not only the producer stands to lose a part of their investments but also payments of other entities involved in the exercise, would also be affected. So, sending him to jail again would be affecting the livelihood of so many people, associated with him. If he was an ordinary citizen or a top class criminal then the things would have been different. Sanjay Dutt, a Mohyal Brahmin, married a Muslim but still has maintained his Hindu identity like his father, which is generally rare in Hindu--Muslim marriages. He and his wife even worked for the mentally challenged persons.Therefore, I feel it would be criminal, to stop him from doing films suddenly and ask him to complete his remaining Jail terms, following the Judiciary, only. On the other hand it would be more prudent to give him clemency, so that, he can set an example as to how a person can reform himself and work for the upliftment of the poor and downtrodden in the society. He is not a terrorist and always said, "I love my country and its people". Also, as mentioned by me, in umpteen number of forums that he bought those weapons as he and his sister were facing threats from certain quarters, following the Bombay riots. He might have thought that since, the state was unable to protect the life and limbs of a community, his family might also, fall under their sword. This is a natural question which could haunt anyone, disturbed with life threatening threats from certain quarters.
3. Here, I would like to take the opportunity to point out to those who have been clamoring for his blood, think that none can be Pardoned, then, why do they not ask the ministers or MP to bring in a legislation and abolish the "POWERS OF PARDON" of both the President of India and Governor of respective states, as is mentioned in the article, 72 and 161 of the Indian Constitution? The point is that India Democracy is not only about Judiciary, it is also about legislature and executives too. The Indian democracy would be a lame--duck, if we blindly follow only one appendage and forget the others. Before, I write further let us first understand the concept of Pardon or Forgiveness:
(i) Absolute:Absolute pardon may blot out the guilt itself. It does not amount to an acquittal unless the Court otherwise directs. The accused is released permanently without requiring any condition to be fulfilled. (ii) Conditional: Under this pardon, the offender is let off subject to certain conditions. The breach of these conditions will lead to revival of his sentence and he shall be subjected to the exhausted portion of his punishment. (iii) Jurisprudence of Granting pardon: The philosophy underlying the pardon power is that that “every civilized country recognizes and has, therefore provided for the pardoning power to be exercised as an act of grace and humanity in proper cases, without such a power of clemency to be exercised by some department or functionary of government, a country would be most imperfect and deficient in its political morality and in that attribute of deity whose judgments are always tampered with mercy.” The pardoning power is founded on consideration of public good and is to be exercised on the ground of public welfare, which is the legitimate object of all punishments, will be as well promoted by a suspension as by an execution of the sentences.
Pardon may substantially help in saving an innocent person from being punished due to miscarriage of justice or in cases of doubtful conviction. The hope of being pardoned itself serves as an incentive for the convict to behave himself in the prison institution and thus, helps considerably in solving the issue of prison discipline.
It is always preferable to grant liberty to a guilty offender rather than sentencing an innocent person.
The object of pardoning power is to correct possible judicial errors, for no human system of judicial administration can be free from imperfections.
Pardon as a mode of mitigating the sentence of the accused has always been a controversial issue for a long time. Those who reject pardon as an effective measure of mitigating circumstances argue that the power to pardon is often misused by the executive. There is a possibility that the convict may procure his release from prison by exerting undue influence on the executive authority. To avoid these flaws, in most of the countries, there is a provision for judicial review of the pardon granted in the event of grounds for pardon being found unsatisfactory. Now, it is a well settled principle that power under Articles 72 and 161 is subject to judicial review.
Article 161 in The Constitution Of India 1949:
161. Power of Governor to grant pardons, etc, and to suspend, remit or commute sentences in certain cases The Governor of a State shall have the power to grant pardons, reprieves, respites or remissions of punishment or to suspend, remit or commute the sentence of any person convicted of any offence against any law relating to a matter to which the executive power of the State extends.
Article 72 in The Constitution Of India 1949:
72. Power of President to grant pardons, etc, and to suspend, remit or commute sentences in certain cases
(1) The President
shall have the power to grant pardons, reprieves, respites or remissions
of punishment or to suspend, remit or commute the sentence of any
person convicted of any offence
(a) in all cases where the punishment or sentence is by a court Martial;
(b) in all cases
where the punishment or sentence is for an offence against any law
relating to a matter to which the executive power of the Union extends;
(c) in all cases where the sentence is a sentence of death
(2) Noting in sub
clause (a) of Clause ( 1 ) shall affect the power to suspend, remit or
commute a sentence of death exercisable by the Governor of a State under
any law for the time being in force
Now let us take the case below and observe it keenly:
Bombay High Court, Akhtar Hussain vs State Of Maharashtra And Anr. on 7 June, 1999: Let us also, see what the Section 433 of Criminal Procedure Code says: 433. The appropriate Government may, without the consent of the person sentenced, commute- (a) a sentence of death, for any other punishment provided by the Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860); (b) a sentence of imprisonment for life, for imprisonment for a term not exceeding fourteen years or for fine; (c) a sentence of rigorous imprisonment, for simple imprisonment for any term to which that person-might have been sentenced, or for fine; (d) a sentence of simple imprisonment, for fine.
In the case of the petitioner, the Hon'ble Supreme Court converted the sentence of three months rigorous imprisonment to one of simple imprisonment for the same period and made specific observation that this has been done in order to facilitate his moving the State Government for conversion of sentence under Section 433, Criminal Procedure Code. As under Clause (d) of Section 433 of the Criminal Procedure Code, a sentence of simple imprisonment can be commuted for fine. These observations of the Supreme Court gave a ray of hope to the petitioner to get his sentence commuted by the State Government.
There can be no doubt as to the preposition that the right to exercise the power under Section 433 of Criminal Procedure Code vests in the Government and has to be exercised by the Government in accordance with the rules and established principles State of Punjab and Haryana v. Ishwarsingh . Therefore, it is clear that the discretion vested in the appropriate Government under Section 433, Criminal Procedure Code to commute a sentence has to be exercised by the Government in accordance with the rules and established principles. The circumstances in which the State may exercise a particular power are nowhere defined under Section 433, Cr.P.C. and such exercise of powers save inferentially in the case where the power has been considered, but generally require the State.
Now, let us look at the Article 21 in The Constitution Of India 1949:
21. Protection of life and personal liberty: No person shall be
deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to procedure
established by law.
All powers provided in the Constitution belong to the people of India, and
are entrusted by them to specific institutions and functionaries with
the intention of working out, maintain and operating a constitutional
order. There cannot be any attributes more important than the life and
personal liberty of people in the civilized society. That is why,
Courts have given much importance to Article 21 of the Constitution,
and deprivation of personal liberty and threat of deprivation of life
by the action of the State were regarded serious, and recourse is
provided to the judiciary. It has also been considered that in the
matter of life and personal liberty, protection should be extended by
entrusting power further to some higher authorities to scrutinies the
validity of the threaten denial of life or the threaten or continued
denial of personal liberty. Such power determine for
himself whether the case is one which deserves to grant relief falling
within that power. In doing so, it cannot be understood that The
President is amending, modifying or substituting the judicial record.
The President of India acts under the constitutional power which is
entirely different from the judicial power, and the same cannot be
regarded as an extension of it. The legal effect of a pardon is wholly
different from judicial super cession of the original sentence.
The Courts have held that judicial review of the order of The
President of India is very restricted and within the strict limitation
as defined in Maruram v. UnionofIndia, . It is further held that Courts need not give any guidelines for regulating
such exercise of power, as there is sufficient indication in the terms
of Article 72 of the Constitution and in the history of the power
enshrined in that provision as well as existing case laws, and it may
not be possible to lay down any precise, clearly defined and
sufficiently channelised guidelines, as the power is on the widest
amplitude, and can contemplate myriad kinds and categories of cases
with facts and situations varying..........
The honorable courts have observed that, the nature of
power of pardon even under Sections 306 and 307 is essentially
different than the nature of such power under the
Constitution of India whereby the President and/or Governor
are empowered to grant pardon. Those powers are exercised
after a person is found guilty. That is not so here.
Under Sections 306 and 307, the pardon is tendered during
the investigation, enquiry or trial, as the case may be.
The object is to obtain evidence of an accomplice so as to
facilitate conviction of others. Undoubtedly, such a power has to be conferred
specifically. It is a substantive power. The power has to
be derived from the statutory provisions. Section 306
confers the power to grant pardon in respect of serious
offences.
The honourable courts further observed that, in all cases where the sentence is a
sentence of death and both the President and the Governor
have concurrent power in respect of suspension, remission
and commutation of sentence of death and to suspend, remit
or commute the sentence of any person is co-extensive with
the executive power of the State. The power to
grant pardon or to commute the sentence of any person convicted of any offense which vests in the President, is not
subject to any other provision of the constitution. lt is a
constituent power vested in the head of state and in its terms,
the power is absolute.
It is imperative mention here that in Dhananjoy Chatterjee alias Dhana v State of West Bengal, the Supreme Court reiterated its earlier stand in Maru Ram’s case and said:
“The power under Articles 72 and 161 of the Constitution can be exercised by the Central and State Governments, not by the President or Governor on their own. The advice of the appropriate Government binds the Head of the state.”
Therefore, I would humbly submit to the President of the India (in consultation with the Union Government) and /or the Governor of Maharashtra (on advice of the State Government), to pardon Mr.Sanjay Dutt, for the
greater good of the society, in accordance with the article 72 or article
161 of the Constitution of India and taking into notice the article 21 of the Indian Constitution. Now let us take the United States of America to see, what their Presidents did:
Jimmy Carter:Democratic President Jimmy Carter pardoned, commuted or rescinded the convictions of 566 people during his term. Among them are:
Oscar Collazo – Attempted assassination on President Harry S. Truman; commuted to time served
G. Gordon Liddy – Watergate figure. Convicted for 20 years, commuted after serving 4½ years for conspiracy, burglary and illegal wiretapping.
Peter Yarrow – Singer-songwriter of Peter, Paul and Mary
Vietnam draft dodgers – Unconditional amnesty issued in the form of a pardon
Jefferson Davis – President of the Confederate States of America.
Patty Hearst – Convicted of Bank Robbery; sentence commuted
Lolita Lebrón, Rafael Cancel Miranda, Irving Flores Rodriguez – machine-gunning the U.S. House of Representatives and wounding five Congressmen in 1954; clemency
Ronald Reagan:
Republican President Ronald Reagan pardoned, commuted or rescinded the convictions of 406 people during his term. Among them are:
W. Mark Felt and Edward S. Miller – FBI officials convicted of authorizing illegal break-ins. Mark Felt later in life admitted to being Deep Throat, the informant during the Watergate affair.
Junior Johnson – Moonshining; pardoned
George Steinbrenner – Was convicted of illegal Nixon campaign contributions and obstruction of justice; pardoned
George H. W. Bush:
Republican President George H. W. Bush
pardoned, commuted or rescinded the convictions of 77 people during his
term. Among them are:
Lewis
"Scooter" Libby – Assistant to President George W. Bush and Chief of
Staff to Dick Cheney was convicted of perjury in connection with the CIA
leak scandal involving members of State Department who 'outed' CIA
agent Valerie Plame. Libby received commutation, not a full pardon.
José Compeán and Ignacio Ramos – Two US Border Patrol agents who
wounded drug smuggler Osvaldo Aldrete Dávila and tried to cover up the
incident.Senator Dianne Feinstein asked President Bush to commute
the sentences.
Charles Winters – Posthumous pardon for smuggling three B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bombers to Israel in the late 1940s.
Issac Robert Toussie – Convicted of making false statements to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; pardoned and the pardon revoked one day later.
Edwin L. Cox Jr. – Convicted in 1988 for bank fraud.
John Forté – Hip-hop singer/song writer's sentence for smuggling cocaine was commuted.
Bill Clinton:
Democratic President William J. Clinton pardoned, commuted or rescinded the convictions of 459 people during his term. Among them are:
Roger Clinton, Jr. – brother of Bill Clinton. After serving a year in federal prison for cocaine possession.
Almon Glenn Braswell – convicted of mail fraud and perjury; pardoned.
Patty Hearst – Bank robbery. Prison term commuted by Jimmy Carter. She was released from prison in 1979. She was fully pardoned by Clinton in 2001.
Marc Rich, Pincus Green – business partners; indicted by U.S. Attorney on charges of tax evasion and illegal trading with Iran. Pardoned at the request of 3 Republicans including Lewis Libby.
Dan Rostenkowski – Democrat from Illinois. Served his entire sentence, then pardoned.
Fife Symington III – Republican Governor of Arizona convicted of bank fraud; pardoned.
Susan McDougal – partners with Bill Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton in the failed Whitewater deal. Guilty of contempt of court, she served her entire sentence and was then pardoned.
Henry Cisneros – Clinton's Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count for lying to the FBI, and was fined $10,000.
Edward Downe, Jr. – wire fraud, filing false income tax returns, and securities fraud; pardoned.
Elizam Escobar – seditious conspiracy; pardoned.
Samuel Loring Morison – espionage and theft of government property; pardoned.
Mel Reynolds – Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives.
Henry O. Flipper – The first black West Point cadet was found guilty of "conduct unbecoming an officer" in 1882.
John Deutch – Director of Central Intelligence, former Provost and University Professor, MIT.
Rick Hendrick – NASCAR Team Owner & Champion; convicted of mail fraud; pardoned.
FALN – commuted the sentences of 16 members of FALN, a violent Puerto Rican terrorist group that set off 120 bombs in the United States, mostly in New York City and Chicago. The 16 were convicted of conspiracy and sedition and sentenced with terms ranging from 35 to 105 years in prison.
George W. Bush:
Republican President George W. Bush pardoned, commuted or rescinded the convictions of 200 people during his term. Among them are:
Lewis "Scooter" Libby – Assistant to President George W. Bush and Chief of Staff to Dick Cheney was convicted of perjury in connection with the CIA leak scandal involving members of State Department who 'outed' CIA agent Valerie Plame. Libby received commutation, not a full pardon.
José Compeán and Ignacio Ramos – Two US Border Patrol agents who wounded drug smuggler Osvaldo Aldrete Dávila and tried to cover up the incident. Senator Dianne Feinstein asked President Bush to commute the sentences.
Charles Winters – Posthumous pardon for smuggling three B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bombers to Israel in the late 1940s.
Issac Robert Toussie – Convicted of making false statements to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; pardoned and the pardon revoked one day later.
Edwin L. Cox Jr. – Convicted in 1988 for bank fraud.
John Forté – Hip-hop singer/song writer's sentence for smuggling cocaine was commuted.
Barack Obama:
Democratic President Barack Obama has pardoned 16 people up to the point of March 2011 in his term of office.Among them are:
James Bernard Banks, of Liberty, Utah, sentenced to two years of probation in 1972 for illegal possession of government property.
Russell James Dixon, of Clayton, Ga., sentenced to two years of probation in 1960 for a liquor law violation.
Laurens Dorsey, of Syracuse, N.Y., sentenced in 1998 to five years of probation and $71,000 in restitution for conspiracy to defraud by making false statements to the Food and Drug Administration.
Ronald Lee Foster, of Beaver Falls, Pa., sentenced in 1963 to a year of probation and a $20 fine for mutilating coins.
Timothy James Gallagher, of Navasota, Texas, sentenced in 1982 to three years of probation for cocaine possession and conspiracy to distribute.
Roxane Kay Hettinger, Powder Springs, Ga., sentenced in 1986 to 30 days in jail and three years of probation for conspiracy to distribute cocaine.
Edgar Leopold Kranz Jr., of Minot, N.D., who received 24 months of confinement and a pay reduction for cocaine use, adultery and bouncing checks.
Floretta Leavy, of Rockford, Ill., sentenced in 1984 to 366 days in prison and three years of parole for drug offenses.
Scoey Lathaniel Morris, of Crosby, Texas, sentenced in 1991 to three years of probation and $1,200 restitution for counterfeiting offenses.
Sources:
(i) Wikipedia
(ii) http://indiankanoon.org
(iii) http://www.vakilno1.com
(iv) http://www.lawteacher.net, etc.
Mamata thinks Cong bigger enemy than CPI(M): Shakeel Ahmad
AICC general secretary Shakeel Ahmed said the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee thinks that Congress is a bigger enemy than the CPI (M). He also added that the State Election Commission will decide how the polls are to be conducted.
Gang rape hits India image, 25% fall in foreign tourists ~~Mahua Venkatesh & Anupama Airy
[Editor: Who is to be blamed except the Great Indian Media and all those who aided in creating a "Mass Hysteria" following the tragic incident; as if it was the first and last case of Rape and Murder!! Yes, what happened is sad but there is a machinery in the system to take action. There is no need to get too much jingoistic and spoil everything. But the way, the Indian Media (especially the Electronic Media) guys damaged India's image with all sorts of commentaries, talk shows, writings, placards, etc is probably unparalleled in history. I therefore, strongly feel that there is an urgent to need to send most of the Indian media people, to mental asylums, so they get corrected soon or else they might completely destroy the country, in their zeal to harvest more and more TRPs]
The image of ‘Incredible India’ has taken a massive beating in the past three months since the Delhi gang rape, resulting in foreign tourist arrivals falling 25% and an even bigger drop, 35%, in women tourists.
A study by industry body Assocham says 72% of tour operators in India reported a significant increase in cancellations, especially by women travellers, in these three months.
Several countries have issued advisories to their citizens to avoid India in the wake of the brutal December 16 gang rape, which was followed by a seemingly endless series of sexual assaults on women reported from across the country. http://www.hindustantimes.com/Images/Popup/2013/3/31_03_13-pg-01a.jpg
The hotel industry, already in a tight squeeze due to the economic slowdown, has taken a body blow. No wonder then that it’s pulling out all the stops to woo women with an array of safety features.
Most large and mid-sized hotels are promising female guests — whether travelling on business or leisure — a safe and comfortable stay.
Women no longer have to wait in lobbies but can check in right in their rooms. Many hotels have dedicated floors for women with added security and female staff, including butlers. Tighter screening of phone calls and a close watch on transport services, whether from the airport or elsewhere, are also included.
“The safety of women guests is our top priority and it is our constant endeavour to improvise the best hospitality practices and luxury for them,” said a spokesperson for the Taj Mahal Hotel, New Delhi.
Lemon Tree Hotels, which saw a 60% increase in women guests in the last five years, believes it is crucial to ensure the safety of single women travelers.
"The number of women travelers is expected to rise significantly with an estimated 117 million Indians likely to join the workforce within the next decade," said CEO Rahul Pandit.
It's not just security features, hotel chains including the ITC Group, Taj Group, Hilton Hotels and Lemon Tree Hotels are throwing in complimentary spa treatments and gourmet meals to pamper their female guests.
Pro-liberation war forces on Saturday reiterated their demand that the government make its position clear on banning Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing, Islami Chhatra Shibir.
Ekattorer Ghatok Dalal Nirmul Committee, Sector Commanders Forum, Muktijuddha ’71, and Sammilita Sangskritik Jote made their demand at a press briefing at the Liberation War Museum in Dhaka in the afternoon.
Leaders of these organisations said it would not be possible to build proper resistance against the anti-liberation war forces if the Jamaat-Shibir combine was not banned in line with the law.
A conspiracy to engineer civil war in the country would be hatched if there was any armed resistance against the Jamaat-e-Islami before they were banned by law, they opined.
Ghatok Dalal Nirmul Committee leader Shahriar Kabir said, “We were always in the field to resist the anti-liberation war forces, and always will be. But a civil war could break out if there is any armed resistance against Jamaat before banning them in line with the law. Jamaat has already declared that there will be one.”
He said Hefajat-e-Islam was another front of the Jamaat-e-Islami. The small party has already announced a long march towards Dhaka on Apr 6 and sought the government’s permission.
“If the government permits such programmes, then nothing can be harmful more than this for the spirit of the Liberation War,” Kabir added.
He said all programmes of the youth calling for maximum punishment for all 1971 war criminals were non-violent in nature. “But violent resistance was offered to these non-violent programmes.”
Sector Commanders Forum President AK Khandaker said it was not first time for the Jamaat-e-Islami to carry out such country-wide attacks.
“This party, which opposed the War of Independence, should not have any rights to stay in this country, let alone its existence in politics.”
The leaders of these organisations presented a six-point charter of demands to the government.
Their foremost demand is a government action at the earliest to slap a ban on the Jamaat and the Shibir by declaring them terrorist organisations for carrying out militant and violent aggression against Bangladesh.
They have also demanded a government watch on the Jamaat-linked financial and business institutions, so that these are not used to aid militancy and terrorism.
The speakers at the press briefing also demanded immediate arrest of and exemplary punishment to those who attacked the households and temples of the minorities, and their shops and business.
Bangladesh: Attack on Cops: Charges against 148 opposition men accepted
Dhaka, Mar 31 (UNB) – A Dhaka court on Sunday took cognisance of the charges against 148 leaders and activists of the BNP-led 18-party opposition alliance in a case filed with Paltan Police Station under the Speedy Trial Act.
The court fixed April 17 for charge framing against the accused.
After scrutinising the relevant documents, Metropolitan Magistrate Shahriar Mahmud Adnan took cognisance of the charges against the opposition men. All the 148 accused of the case were produced before the court today.
Defence lawyers submitted a petition seeking bail to all the accused opposition men. But the court turned down the petition and sent them to jail.
On Thursday, the court deferred until March 31 the hearing on the acceptance of charge-sheet against the opposition men. It deferred the hearing as the accused could not turn up at the court due to the 18-party alliance’s hartal.
Earlier, on March 24, Paltan police submitted the charge-sheet to the court against the 148 leaders and activists of the opposition alliance for assaulting police and creating panic among people near BNP’s Nayapaltan central office on March 11.
The top opposition leaders whose names were included in the charge-sheet are Amanullah Aman, opposition chief whip Zainal Abedin Farroque, Jagpa president Shafiul Alam Prodhan, BNP joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia’s adviser Dr SM Zahid Hossain.
The names of six other opposition activists were dropped from the charge-sheet as their involvement was not proved during the investigation.
In the charge-sheet, it was alleged that the accused damaged a number of vehicles and blasted crude bombs during a programme of the opposition alliance near BNP’s Nayapaltan central office on the afternoon of March 11.
They also beat up policemen, hurled crude bombs on the law enforcers and tried to snatch arms from the policemen. When chased by police, the opposition activists entered the BNP central party office from where police recovered 8-10 cocktails in a raid, said the charge-sheet.
Paltan police on March 12 filed two cases against 154 leaders of the opposition alliance on charges of exploding bombs and preventing police from performing their duties.
On the day (Mar 11), police in a raid on BNP’s Nayapaltan central office arrested 185 of its leaders and workers, including acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi.
The law enforcers launched the drive in the BNP office after 8-10 crude bombs went off in front of the BNP central office while Fakhrul was addressing a rally there.
Three of the arrested leaders -- Mirza Fakhrul, Sadek Hossain Khoka and Altaf Hossain Chowdhury -- were released the following day.
On March 20, two courts in Dhaka placed 151 leaders of the opposition alliance on an eight-day police remand in the two cases.
Image Caption: This self portrait from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows dust accumulation on the rover's solar panels as the mission approached its fifth Martian winter. The dust reduces the rover's power supply, and the rover's mobility is limited until the winter is over or wind cleans the panels. This is a mosaic of images taken by Opportunity's panoramic camera (Pancam) during the 2,811th to 2,814th Martian days, or sols, of the rover's mission (Dec. 21 to Dec. 24, 2011). The downward-looking view omits the mast on which the camera is mounted. The portrait is presented in approximate true color, the camera team's best estimate of what the scene would look like if humans were there and able to see it with their own eyes. Opportunity has worked through four Martian southern hemisphere winters since it landed in in January 2004 about 14 miles (23 kilometers) northwest of its current location. Closer to the equator than its twin rover, Spirit, Opportunity has not needed to stay on a sun-facing slope during the previous winters. Now, however, Opportunity's solar panels carry a thicker coating of dust, and the team is using a strategy employed for three winters with Spirit: staying on a sun-facing slope. The sun will pass relatively low in the northern sky from the rover's perspective for several months of shortened daylight before and after the southern Mars winter solstice on March 30, 2012. Opportunity is conducting research while located on the north-facing slope of a site called "Greeley Haven." Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell/Arizona State Univ.
Over the years, the spacefaring nations of Earth have sent dozens of probes and rovers to explore Mars. Today there are three active satellites circling the red planet while two rovers, Opportunity and Curiosity, wheel across the red sands below. Mars is dry, barren, and apparently lifeless.
Soon, those assets could find themselves exploring a very different kind of world.
“There is a small but non-negligible chance that Comet 2013 A1 will strike Mars next year in October of 2014,” says Don Yeomans of NASA’s Near-Earth Object Program at JPL. “Current solutions put the odds of impact at 1 in 2000.”
The nucleus of the comet is probably 1 to 3 km in diameter, and it is coming in fast, around 56 km/s (125,000 mph). “It if does hit Mars, it would deliver as much energy as 35 million megatons of TNT,” estimates Yeomans.
For comparison, the asteroid strike that ended the dinosaurs on Earth 65 million years ago was about three times as powerful, 100 million megatons. Another point of comparison is the meteor that exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia, in February of 2013, damaging buildings and knocking people down. The Mars comet is packing 80 million times more energy than that relatively puny asteroid.
An impact wouldn’t necessarily mean the end of NASA’s Mars program. But it would transform the program– along with Mars itself.
“I think of it as a giant climate experiment,” says Michael Meyer, lead scientist for the Mars Exploration Program at NASA headquarters. “An impact would loft a lot of stuff into the Martian atmosphere–dust, sand, water and other debris. The result could be a warmer, wetter Mars than we’re accustomed to today.”
Meyer worries that solar-powered Opportunity might have a hard time surviving if the atmosphere became opaque. Nuclear-powered Curiosity, though, would carry on just fine. He also notes that Mars orbiters might have trouble seeing the surface, for a while at least, until the debris begins to clear.
A direct impact remains unlikely. Paul Chodas of NASA’s Near-Earth Object Program stresses that a 1 in 2000 chance of impact means there’s a 1999 in 2000 chance of no impact. “A near-miss is far more likely,” he points out.
Even a near miss is a potentially big event. The latest orbit solutions put the comet somewhere within 300,000 km of the red planet at closest approach. That means Mars could find itself inside the comet’s gassy, dusty atmosphere or “coma.” Visually, the comet would reach 0th magnitude, that is, a few times brighter than a 1st magnitude star, as seen from the Red Planet.
“Cameras on ALL of NASA’s spacecraft currently operating at Mars should be able to take photographs of Comet 2013 A1,” says Jim Bell, a planetary scientist and Mars imaging specialist at Arizona State University. “The issue with Mars Odyssey and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter will be the ability to point them in the right direction; they are used to looking down, not up. Mission designers will have to figure out if that is possible.”
“The issue with the Opportunity and Curiosity rovers will be power for imaging at night,” he continues. “Opportunity is solar powered and so would need to dip into reserve battery power to operate the cameras at night. Whether or not we will be able to do this will depend on how much power the rover is getting from dusty solar panels in the daytime. On the other hand, Curiosity is nuclear powered, so it could have better odds at night-time imaging.”
Researchers will be keenly interested to see how the comet’s atmosphere interacts with the atmosphere of Mars. For one thing, there could be a meteor shower. “Analyzing the spectrum of disintegrating meteors could tell us something interesting about the chemistry of the upper atmosphere,” notes Meyer.
Another possibility is Martian auroras. Unlike Earth, which has a global magnetic field that wraps around our entire planet, Mars is only magnetized in patches. Here and there, magnetic umbrellas sprout out of the ground, creating a crazy-quilt of magnetic poles concentrated mainly in the southern hemisphere. Ionized gases hitting the top of the Martian atmosphere could spark auroras in the canopies of the magnetic umbrellas.
Even before the comet flyby was known, NASA had already decided to send a spacecraft to Mars to study the dynamics of the Martian atmosphere. If the probe, named MAVEN (short for “Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution”), is launched on time in November 2013, it would reach Mars just a few weeks before the comet in 2014.
However, notes MAVEN’s principal investigator Bruce Jakosky of the University of Colorado, the spacecraft won’t be ready to observe the comet when it reaches Mars. “It takes a while to get into our science mapping orbit, deploy the booms, turn on and test the science instruments–and so on,” he explains. “MAVEN won’t be fully operational until perhaps two weeks after the comet passes. There are some effects that I would expect to linger for a relatively long period–especially if the comet hits Mars–and we will be able to observe those changes.”
Astronomers around the world are monitoring 2013 A1. Every day, new data arrive to refine the comet’s orbit. As the error bars shrink, Yeomans expects a direct hit to be ruled out. “The odds favor a flyby, not a collision,” he says.
Either way, this is going to be good. Stay tuned for updates as the comet approaches.
Denny Davis, director of South Dakotans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (center) speaks Friday at an anti-death penalty vigil outside the state penitentiary. / Elisha Page / Argus Leader
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — About 30 people gathered in Sioux Falls on Good Friday for an annual protest against the state's death penalty law.
The group met outside the South Dakota state penitentiary where two men, Donald Moeller and Eric Robert, were put to death by lethal injection in October. Three other inmates — Charles Rhines, Briley Piper and Rodney Berget — are currently on death row.
The Argus Leader reports (http://argusne.ws/YPSaf2) that the "Good Friday Vigil Against The Death Penalty" has taken place at the penitentiary for two decades. It was organized by the South Dakota Peace and Justice Center, South Dakotans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty and Pax Christi.
The protesters are not defending the actions of those on death row, said Mark Sanderson, a member of the Peace and Justice Center.
"It does not make sense in our society to kill someone who has killed other people,"
Sanderson said. "It's a matter of looking at the violence in our society and how this particular act is another indication on how we need to curb our violence the best that we can."
Seventeen states do not have the death penalty, including North Dakota. Alfonso Rodriguez Jr., convicted for kidnapping and killing University of North Dakota student Dru Sjodin in 2003, was sentenced to death in federal court. He's on death row at a federal prison in Terre Haute, Ind.
Friday's event last about an hour, after which some members of the group signed a living will document, which declares that if the signer is killed, the perpetrator can't be executed by the state. The document was notarized on site.
Michael Sprong of Yankton said he signed a living will document several years ago and has been advocating for the state to end of the death penalty since 1992.
"I don't want my name connected to the killing of people in South Dakota," Sprong said. "I'm a citizen here, I'm represented when the state kills people, it's done in my name. I'm here to say, 'Not in my name.'
Connie Irwin, a member of the Peace and Justice Center and Pax Christi, drove from Brookings to Sioux Falls to attend the vigil.
"We are here to say that we as a people, as a state, should not be killing people," Irwin said. "There is such a thing for those who have killed others, such a thing as restorative justice. At the same time, our hearts go out to the victims and the families, but we also don't think the state should be killing people."
Muslim Groups Rally Against 'Atrocities' On Bangla Leaders
Members of 15 Islamic organisations today put up a rally at the Shahid Minar ground to protest the "atrocities" against prominent Muslim leaders in Bangladesh and alleged anti-Islam policies of the government there.
Thousands of people gathered at the venue chanting slogans of 'Sheikh Haseena step down' and 'Delwar Hossain should be freed'.
Md Qamruzzaman, general secretary of All Bengal Minority Youth Federation, said, "We are strictly against blogger Imran who posted anti-Islam blogs. We also condemn the actions of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Haseena who is not only letting these offenders go scot free but is also supporting them."
He said their appeal to the Indian government was to ban these sites in India and severe all ties with Bangladesh, to 'teach them a lesson'.
"We have no plan to resort to violence. We had and will protest peacefully. It was shocking to see the treatment that was meted out to us at the Bangladesh High Commission when we went to hand over a deputation on February 21. Not only was the Bangladesh High Commissioner not there in spite of being informed about our arrival in advance, but we were not let into the office," he said. Next, he said there would be a signature collection campaign which they will send to the President of India.
Member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board Dr Raisuddin said it was a clash between secular democracy and ethical democracy. "People can fight against Islam\'s policy but it should be done in a peaceful manner. Why do they have to resort to profanity in the first place, which caused all the trouble that followed?" he said.
Prominent Muslim leaders of the city such as Syed Md Nurur Rahman Barkati, Shahi Imam of Tipu Sultan Masjid, Maulana Syed Athar Abbas Rizvi, Imam of Cossipore Masjid, who were supposed to be present at the event could not attend to health reasons. However, they spoke to The Indian Express over the phone and expressed their views.
"I could not be present there physically as I am indisposed but they have my full support. I strongly condemn the actions of Sheikh Hasina and the protests here are justified," Barkati said.
Rizvi said, "It is a shame that a country which claims to be an Islamic country insults the religion the way it did. If the religion is not safe in its own home, how can it be safe outside?"
OIC To Meet Over Continuous Violence Against Myanmar Muslims
Editor: Okay!! Fine!! The innocent people of any faith should not be killed due to religious frenzy. But the question is: why don't we see, similar (strong) moves by the OIC when Hindus and Christians are Massacred or Murdered by the Muslims......?
JEDDAH (SAUDI ARABIA): The head of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation said on Saturday that ministers from OIC states will meet on April 14 in Saudi Arabia to discuss deadly violence against Muslims in Myanmar.
Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said in a statement that a contact committee of OIC foreign ministers would gather in the Red Sea port of Jeddah.
State media in Myanmar reported on Saturday that the death toll from communal violence in the centre of the country over the past 10 days has risen to 43 with more than 1,300 homes and other buildings destroyed.
An OIC statement said Ihsanoglu addressed a contact group meeting on violence against Myanmar Muslims known as Rohingya today and said the organization was "ready to take all necessary measures and actions to deal with it".
Ihsanoglu also pressed the government of Myanmar to "put an end to the Buddhist extremists and hate campaigns, as well as ethnic cleansing that they had launched against Muslims in the country".
On Friday, Myanmar strongly rejected comments by the UN's special rapporteur on Myanmar human rights, Tomas Ojea Quintana, the previous day that he had "received reports of state involvement in some of the acts of violence".
Buddhist mobs have marauded through several towns in central Myanmar since religious violence erupted on March 20, prompting the government to impose emergency rule and curfews in some areas.
It is the worst sectarian strife since violence between Buddhists and Muslims in the western state of Rakhine last year left at least 180 people dead and more than 110,000 displaced.
Myanmar's Muslims — largely of Indian, Chinese and Bangladeshi descent — account for an estimated four per cent of the population of roughly 60 million.
Muslims Vanish As Buddhist Attacks Approach Myanmar's Biggest City
SIT KWIN, MYANMAR: The Muslims of Sit Kwin were always a small group who numbered no more than 100 of the village's 2,000 people. But as sectarian violence led by Buddhist mobs spreads across central Myanmar, they and many other Muslims are disappearing.
Their homes, shops and mosques destroyed, some end up in refugee camps or hide in the homes of friends or relatives. Dozens have been killed.
"We don't know where they are," says Aung Ko Myint, 24, a taxi driver in Sit Kwin, a farming village where on Friday Buddhists ransacked a store owned by the town's last remaining Muslim. "He escaped this morning just before the mob got here."
Since 42 people were killed in violence that erupted in Meikhtila town on March 20, unrest led by hardline Buddhists has spread to at least 10 other towns and villages in central Myanmar, with the latest incidents only about a two-hour drive from the commercial capital, Yangon.
The crowds are fired up by anti-Muslim rhetoric spread over the internet and by word of mouth from monks preaching a movement known as "969". The three numbers refer to various attributes of the Buddha, his teachings and the monkhood. But it has come to represent a radical form of anti-Islamic nationalism which urges Buddhists to boycott Muslim-run shops and services.
Myanmar is predominantly Buddhist but about 5 percent of its 60 million people are Muslims. There are large Muslim communities in Yangon, Mandalay and towns across Myanmar's heartland where the religions have co-existed for generations.
But as violence spreads from village to village, the unleashing of ethnic hatred, suppressed during 49 years of military rule that ended in March 2011, is challenging the reformist government of one of Asia's most ethnically diverse countries.
Dusk-to-dawn curfews are in effect in many areas of Bago, the region where Sit Kwin lies, while four townships in central Myanmar are under a state of emergency imposed last week.
"I will not hesitate to use force as a last resort to protect the lives and safeguard the property of the general public," President Thein Sein said in a nationally televised speech on Thursday, warning "political opportunists and religious extremists" against instigating further violence.
The unrest has made almost 13,000 people homeless, according to the United Nations. State-run media reports 68 people have been arrested.
Rumours
The trouble in Sit Kwin began four days ago when people riding 30 motorbikes drove through town urging villagers to expel Muslim residents, said witnesses. They then trashed a mosque and a row of Muslim shops and houses.
"They came with anger that was born from rumours," said one man who declined to be identified.
Further south, police in Letpadan have stepped up patrols in the farming village of 22,000 people about 160 km (100 miles) from Yangon.
Three monks led a 30-strong group towards a mosque on Friday. Police dispersed the crowd, many of whom carried knives and staves, and briefly detained two people. They were later released at the request of township officials, police said.
"I won't let it happen again," said police commander Phone Myint. "The president yesterday gave the police authority to control the situation."
The abbot who led the protest, Khamainda, said he took to the streets after hearing rumours passed by other monks by telephone, about violence between Buddhists and Muslims in other towns. He said he wanted revenge against Muslims for the destruction by the Taliban of Buddhist statues in Bamiyan province in Afghanistan in 2001.
"There is no problem with the way they live. But they are the minority and we are the majority. And when the minority insults our religion we get concerned," he told Reuters. "We will come out again if we get a chance."
Letpadan villagers fear the tension will explode. "I'm sure they will come back and destroy the mosque," says Aung San Kyaw, 35, a Muslim. "We've never experienced anything like this."
Across the street, Hla Tan, a 67-year-old Buddhist, shares the fear. "We have lived peacefully for years. Nothing can happen between us unless outsiders come. But if they come, I know we can't stop them," he said.
North of Sit Kwin, the farming town of Minhla endured about three hours of violence on both Wednesday and Thursday.
About 300 people, many from the nearby village of Ye Kyaw, gathered on Wednesday afternoon. The crowd swelled to about 800 as townsfolk joined, a Minhla policeman told Reuters. They then destroyed three mosques and 17 shops and houses, he said. No Buddhist monks were involved, said witnesses.
"Very nervous"
The mob carried sticks, metal pipes and hammers, said Hla Soe, 60, a Buddhist who runs an electrical repair shop in Minhla. "No one could stop them," he said.
About 200 soldiers and police eventually intervened to restore a fragile peace. "I'm very nervous that it will happen again," he said.
About 500 of Minhla's township's 100,000 people are Muslims, said the police officer, who estimated two-thirds of those Muslims had fled.
However, Tun Tun is staying. "I have no choice," says the 26-year-old, whose tea shop was destroyed and looted by Buddhists, one armed with a chainsaw.
He plans to rebuild his shop, whose daily income of 10,000 kyat supports an extended family of 12. On the wall of his ransacked kitchen is a portrait of democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. He did not believe she could do anything to help.
Tun Tun traced the rising communal tension in Minhla to speeches given on February 26 and 27 by a celebrated monk visiting from Mon State, to the east of Yangon. He spoke to a crowd of 2,000 about the "969 movement", said Win Myint, 59, who runs a Buddhist community centre which hosted the monk.
After the 969 talks, Muslims were jeered and fewer Buddhists frequented his tea shop, said Tun Tun. Stickers bearing pastel hues overlaid with the numerals 969 appeared on non-Muslim street stalls across Minhla.
President Thein Sein's ambitious reform programme has won praise, but his government has also been criticised for failing to stem violence last year in Rakhine State in western Myanmar, where officials say 110 people were killed and 120,000 were left homeless, most of them Rohingya Muslims.
The UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar said on Thursday he had received reports of "state involvement" in the recent violence at Meikhtila.
Soldiers and police sometimes stood by "while atrocities have been committed before their very eyes, including by well-organised ultra-nationalist Buddhist mobs", said the rapporteur, Tomas Ojea Quintana. "This may indicate direct involvement by some sections of the state or implicit collusion and support for such actions."
Ye Htut, a presidential spokesman and deputy minister of information, called those accusations "groundless". "In fact, the military and the government could not be concerned more about this situation," he said in a Facebook post.
Late on Friday, three monks were preparing to give another "969" speech in Ok Kan, a town 113 km (70 miles) from Yangon.
Ajay Devgn, Sonakshi Sinha Worst Actors At 5th Kela Awards
Son of Sardar stars Ajay Devgn and Sonakshi Sinha have been named as the worst actors of 2012 while Joker has earned Shirish Kunder the worst film and director trophies at the 5th annual Golden Kela awards here.
Shah Rukh Khan was given a special award 'Superhit of 2012' for his alleged slap episode with Kunder, who was also a winner in 'Beta Tumse Na Ho Payega' (son, this is beyond you) category.
The awards, modelled on Golden Raspberry Awards, celebrate the best of the worst in Bollywood.
Superstar Salman Khan starrer Dabang 2 won the award for worst sequel of 2012 while Bhatt camp was blamed for making "series of irritating movies and horrible sequels" at the awards held here.
"We do this every year from past five years because we love cinema. We don't make any money out of it," said Jatin Varma, Founder, Golden Kela Awards.
Honouring the best films of last year, the Anti-Kela awards were given to Paan Singh Tomar, Kahaani, Vicky Donor and Gangs of Wasseypur.
Advaita Kala, writer of Kahaani was present at the event to collect the Anti-Kela award on behalf of the cast and crew of Kahaani.
"This is the first time that I have come for an award function. So, it is very special and memorable. The award is special for me as the story has a strong female character," Kala said.
The most 'Atrocious' lyrics award was won by Anvita Dutt for her song Ishq Wala Love from the movie Student of the Year. Dutt was present at the ceremony to receive her award, becoming the first person to receive her Golden Kela in person.
"When I was writing the song, Shekhar (Music Director) came to me and said you will win an award for the song one day. When I got to know of the nomination I called them to say if you will give me an award I will wear my most expensive designer saree and they said these awards are not rigged though I am genuinely touched to receive the award," Dutt said before thanking Karan Johar for the trophy.
The most irritating song award was given to Chinta Ta Chita Chita from 100-crore earning film Rowdy Rathore.
'Why Are You Still Trying' award went to actor Jackky Bhagnani, whose latest release was Rangrezz.
The quirky award ceremony also slammed Indian audiences for spending money on bad movies and helping them earn 100 crores. The audience was given 'Bawara ho gaya hai ke' (Have you gone mad) award.
The organisers of the event paid their tribute to comedian Japsal Bhatti, who was the first and only recipient of 'Lifetime Achievement Golden Kela' award. Jaspal Bhatti died in October, 2012 in a car accident.
Security tightened after Christian villagers in Plateau state accuse ethnic Fulani Muslims of burning their homes.
Thousands have been killed or displaced in central Plateau state in attacks and reprisals in recent years [EPA]
At least 36 people have died and dozens of houses have been burned in religious clashes central Nigeria over the past week.
The military said on Saturday that the latest casualties were in addition to at least 23 people killed in attacks in the volatile region on March 20 and 21.
Security has been tightened in the area for the Easter holidays and a military helicopter could be seen hovering on Saturday.
Violence since Monday has seen ethnic Fulani Muslims raid Christian villages in Plateau state, an area where thousands have been killed or displaced in recent years in a cycle of attacks and reprisals.
Plateau is in the so-called Middle Belt region which divides the mainly Christian south and mostly Muslim north of Africa's most populous nation.
The latest attack occurred late on Thursday in the Barkin Ladi area, Lieutenant Jude Akpa, a security task force spokesman, said.
"Unknown gunmen suspected to be Fulanis attacked and killed nine persons there and three were injured," he said.
Cattle herdsmen blamed
Emmanuel Lohman, a government official in Barkin Ladi, said that the assailants, armed with assault rifles, struck a village called Ratas and opened fire in the night while many there were sleeping.
Witnesses said that the shooting lasted for almost two hours before the attackers fled.
The Christian villagers there, who farm the fertile soils of Plateau, blamed nomadic Hausa-Fulani cattle herdsmen for the attack.
Such attacks remain common as Christian farmers clash with the herdsmen over land and grazing rights.
Other attacks are often rooted in disputes over political and economic power in the region.
Muhammadu Nura, the state secretary of a cattle breeders association, said that Hausa-Fulani people had been killed in "reprisals", but denied herders were involved the attacks.
Police officers dead
An attack and subsequent shootout in the Bokkos area killed 25 people on Wednesday.
Akpa said that the attackers were believed to be Fulanis and two police officers were wounded by gunfire.
"We had 19 persons killed," he said of the initial attack. "We sent in reinforcements. Six of the attackers were killed."
Violence in the Riyom district left at least two police officers dead when their patrol was ambushed on Monday.
Akpa said that at least 30 houses were burnt in the area on March 23, but he could not confirm any deaths.
Plateau has experienced waves violence involving the Fulani ethnic group and Christian Beroms, who see themselves as the indigenes of the state.
The Boko Haram group has carried out bombings in Jos, the capital of Plateau, as part of its insurgency in central and northern Nigeria.
