Pune FC looks to gain from Mohun Bagan form

Pune, Dec 1 (IANS) A positive Pune FC will be out to improve its position in the points table against Mohun Bagan AC in the I-League Round 9 Sunday.

The hosts will be hoping to encash the drop in their opponents’ form and work towards getting back to winning ways at the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Mhalunge-Balewadi here.
Having broken a two-match disappointment at home with a win over Sporting Cube Goa in Goa, Pune FC’s objective will be to extend the winning run and make it two-in-a-row.
Interestingly, Pune FC will also expect to take inspiration from the victory they logged against the Kolkata team last season when they rallied to win 2-1. The win is the only one Pune FC has in seven meetings.
New coach Karim Benchirifa’s Bagan, meanwhile, go into the game on the end of two disappointing performances – a draw with Mumbai FC before Dempo SC spanked them 0-3. Moreover, with the Kolkata derby against East Bengal coming up, the pressure on the squad is clearly mounting.
Incidentally, the first time Pune FC faced Bagan in Pune (2009-10), Karim was in-charge and managed a 3-1 win thanks to a Chidi Edeh hat-trick, which in a way is also a score to settle for coach Derrick Pereira.
Pune FC coach explains, “I do not want to comment on their team. But then again every team has their own set of strengths and weaknesses. Neutralising the strengths by putting pressure on weaknesses should win the game.”
While Bagan’s over dependence on striker Odafa Okoli will be a job on hand, injuries have been concerning their coach ever since taking over a week back. Odafa Okolie has scored six out of their eight goals this season and also managed to net against Pune FC in both games last season.
Strikers Tolgay Ozbey, Anil Kumar, Manish Maithani, defender Khelemba Singh and goalkeeper Arindam Bhattacharya are all set to miss out due to injuries. Defenders Syed Nabi and Eche Anyichie are carrying knocks but may appear.
Pune FC, however, cannot take their opponents lightly. Despite the handicaps, Bagan has a strong force which includes India defender Nirmal Chhetri, ex-Lajong captain Aibor Khongjee, ex-India defender Mehrajuddin Wadoo.
The midfield also boasts of a strong line up. Current India player Jewel Raja, experienced Denson Devadas, winger Snehasis Chakraborty adds rush to the side.
Bagan will miss the services of Biswajit Saha, who serves a one-match suspension after his sending off against Dempo SC.
“Playing Mohun Bagan for any player is a motivation for the players, which should automatically urge them once out on the field,” explained Derrick.
“I have told the players to play as per plan and also urged then to enjoy the gift God has given them and put their best foot forward.”
Comparatively, Pune FC has a fully fit squad. A clear indication of this fact is the success achieved in Goa with five changes to the playing eleven.
Interestingly, apart from two goalless games, Bagan have opened scoring in all matches against Pune FC, something that will also need to checked.

Tags: Maharashtra, Pune
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Army ‘fully supports’ Captain Kalia’s parents

Pune, Nov 29 (IANS) Indian Army chief General Bikram Singh Thursday said the army fully backed parents of Kargil War martyr Captain Saurabh Kalia, who was captured and brutally tortured by the Pakistan Army in 1999, in pursuing their son’s case at the International Court of Justice at the Hague.

“He was our brave officer who made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty in the best traditions of the Indian Army. We have written to the Ministry of Defence and National Human Rights Commission conveying our concerns in the matter. We fully support his parents,” General Singh said here.

The army chief was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the passing out parade of the 123rd course of the National Defence Academy at Khadakwasla near here.
Captain Kalia’s father N.K. Kalia recently moved the Supreme Court seeking its direction to the government to raise his son’s case at the International Court of Justice at the Hague.
Kalia has been pressing the defence ministry, the army headquarters, external affairs ministry and the Prime Minister’s Office for over a decade to exert pressure on Pakistan to punish those Pakistani soldiers who indulged in barbaric torture of his son and five other soldiers in violation of the Geneva Conventions.

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Two dozen death row convicts in jail where Kasab was hanged

Pune, Nov 26 (IANS) The Yerawada Central Jail, where Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Amir Kasab, convicted for 26/11 Mumbai attacks, was hanged last week, has over two dozen death row convicts awaiting execution, an official said Monday − the fourth anniversary of the carnage.

“Their execution papers are still in process,” the jail official, who declined to be identified, told IANS, adding that the Mumbai terror attack anniversary passed off peacefully at the high security prison here.
According to official records, Maharashtra has 38 prisons, of which eight are central prisons, 25 district prisons (Class 1, 2 and 3), three open prisons, and one open prison colony and a Borstal School for juveniles.
However, of the eight central prisons, only two prisons − Yerawada Central Jail and Nagpur Central Jail − currently have execution facilities.
Breaking a popular myth about shortage of hangmen for execution of death row prisoners, an official from Yerawada jail told IANS that a hangman was not a specially appointed functionary for any Maharashtra prison.
“According to the prison rules of Maharashtra, a prison constable is entitled to be a part of the execution process. If willing, he is the one who readies the noose, ties the convict’s hands and covers his head with the black cloth,” he said.
The official said, on paper, it was the duty of the jail superintendent to pull the handle that finally hangs the prisoner.
Explaining the difference between earlier executioners and the modern−day hangmen, the official said: “What we used to actually call a ‘jallad’ − an executioner who beheaded criminals − are certainly extinct due to the heinous profile of the job. However, the modern−day hangmen are the constables employed with the prison, who are willing to do the job.”
Even as Kasab was hanged here five days ago, there was hardly anybody, barring a handful of top officials, who were aware of the execution, which was carried out amidst tight secrecy and security in the morning.
Kasab was hanged five days before the fourth anniversary of the terror attack that claimed 166 lives. Nine other Pakistani terrorists, who were his associates and slain during the 26/11 attacks, were secretly buried in Mumbai in January 2010.

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Cash transfer of subsidy from Jan 1: Chidambaram

Pune, Nov 24 (IANS) The government will start direct cash transfer of subsidy amount to beneficiaries in 51 districts from the beginning of the next year and targets to introduce the new programme across the country by the end of 2013, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said Saturday.

“We are going to launch the ambitious programme of payout of direct cash subsidy to people through the Aadhaar system in 51 districts across 15 states,” Chidambaram said at a banking conference, “Bancon”, here.
Chidambaram said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will hold a meeting of the cash transfer committee Monday to prepare the ground for implementation of the programme from Jan 1, 2013.
“We want the roll−out (of direct transfer of subsidy) to be completed by the end of 2013,” the finance minister said.
The government intends to give cash subsidies on fertiliser, cooking gas, kerosene and the items supplied through public distribution system (PDS) in a bid to curb leakages in the government spending on subsidies.
Subsidies under various schemes like on petroleum products, fertiliser, and food products account for nearly 3.5 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). It is one of the major reasons for widening fiscal deficit.
The federal cabinet has already approved the direct cash transfer of subsidies for fertiliser.
The government plans to transfer the subsidy on the basis of unique identification number, called Aadhaar number.
Chidambaram said the government was pushing for the expansion of the banking services across the country.
“Government wants every family to have a bank account,” he said.

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Yerawada once held Mahatma Gandhi

Pune, Nov 21 (IANS) The Yerawada Central Jail, where Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Amir Kasab was hanged Wednesday, is where Mahatma Gandhi spent many years during the fight against British rule.

The largest jail in Maharashtra, Gandhi signed the famous Poona Pact in its premises on Sep 24, 1932.
Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt was also jailed here. And former underworld don Arun Gawli began his political career while in this jail.

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How Kasab and Operation X were executed

Mumbai/Pune, Nov 21 (IANS) Special Inspector General Deven Bharti and 16 handpicked men oversaw Operation X leading to the death by hanging of Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Amir Kasab Wednesday.

The process was quietly initiated shortly after President Pranab Mukherjee rejected Kasab’s mercy plea Nov 5, official sources said.
The chosen team’s mission was to hang and bury the 25−year−old Kasab in complete secrecy in Pune’s Yerawada Central Jail, where he would be moved from Mumbai.
Once Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde signed the file from the president’s office on Nov 7 and sent it to the Maharashtra government the next day, the police team took charge.
Only a handful knew that Kasab would hang on Nov 21 morning.
These included Maharashtra Director General of Police Sanjeev Dayal, Mumbai Police Commissioner Satyapal Singh, earlier the Pune police chief, and Meeran Borwankar, who heads the Yerawada jail, and those at the helm in the state law and order and intelligence departments and Mumbai CID, besides a handful of Pune police officials.
Yerawada is one of the two jails in Maharashtra −− the other being Nagpur Central Jail −− where hanging facilities are available.
Pune’s proximity to Mumbai played a role. An expert hangman was summoned.
On Nov 12, Kasab had been told of his impending hanging by a jail staff in Mumbai.
According to Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, Kasab was quietly shifted from Mumbai to Pune Nov 19.
He was taken on a special flight late at night to reach Pune early Nov 19 and whisked off to the Yerawada jail.
He requested that his mother be informed, and indicated he had no last wish. He did not want to make a will or any final testament.
As Home Minister R.R. Patil put it, after completing all legal niceties, Kasab was executed at 7.30 a.m. Wednesday.
Just 15 minutes later, the Operation X chief conveyed to the state home department that the task was “successfully completed”.

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How Kasab and Operation X were executed

Mumbai/Pune, Nov 21 (IANS) A special inspector general of police in Maharashtra and 16 handpicked men oversaw Operation X leading to the death by hanging of Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Amir Kasab Wednesday.

The process was quietly initiated shortly after President Pranab Mukherjee rejected Kasab’s mercy plea Nov 5, official sources said.

The chosen team’s mission was to hang and bury the 25−year−old Kasab in complete secrecy in Pune’s Yerawada Central Jail, where he would be moved from Mumbai.

Once Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde signed the file from the president’s office on Nov 7 and sent it to the Maharashtra government the next day, the police team took charge.

Only a handful knew that Kasab would hang on Nov 21 morning.

These included Mumbai Police Commissioner Satyapal Singh, earlier the Pune police chief, and Meeran Borwankar, who heads the Yerawada jail, and those at the helm in the state intelligence department and Mumbai CID.

Yerawada is one of the two jails in Maharashtra −− the other being Nagpur Central Jail −− where hanging facilities are available.

Pune’s proximity to Mumbai played a role. An expert hangman was summoned.

On Nov 12, Kasab had been told of his impending hanging by a jail staff in Mumbai.
According to Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, Kasab was quietly shifted from Mumbai to Pune Nov 19.
He was taken on a special flight late at night to reach Pune early Nov 19 and whisked off to the Yerawada jail.

He requested that his mother be informed, and indicated he had no last wish. He did not want to make a will or any final testament.

As Home Minister R.R. Patil put it, after completing all legal niceties, Kasab was executed at 7.30 a.m. Wednesday.

Just 15 minutes later, the Operation X chief conveyed to the state home department that the task was “successfully completed”.

Tags: Mumbai, Pune
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Nov 26, 2008 to Nov 21, 2012: Timeline of Kasab case

Pune, Nov 21 (IANS) Ajmal Amir Kasab was hanged here Wednesday for his role in the November 2008 Mumbai terror attack in which 166 people were killed. From then to now, a timeline:

2008
Nov 26: Kasab and nine Pakistani gunmen launch a bloody attack on multiple locations in south Mumbai
Nov 27: At 1.30 a.m., Kasab caught, admitted to Nair hospital
Nov 28: Kasab gives statement to police, confesses role
Nov 28: All places under siege secured after 60 hours, nine terrorists killed
2009
Jan 13: M.L. Tahaliyani appointed 26/11 special judge
Jan 16: Arthur Road Central Jail, south Mumbai, selected for Kasab’s trial
Feb 5: Kasab’s DNA samples match with articles seized from fishing boat Kuber
Feb 20/21: Kasab confesses before Magistrate (Miss) R.V. Sawant−Wagule
Feb 25: Chargesheet against Kasab, two others filed in Esplanade Metropolitan Court
April 15: Trial in 26/11 case commences
April 17: Kasab’s confession opened in court, he retracts
April 20: Prosecution charge Kasab on 312 counts
April 29: Kasab is major, say experts after lawyer claimed he was juvenile
May 6: Charges framed, Kasab charged on 86 counts, denies charges
May 8: First eyewitness deposes, identifies Kasab
June 23: Non−bailable warrants issued against 22, including Hafeez Saeed, Zaki−ur−Rehman Lakhvi
June 25: Kasab suffering from ulcers, court told
July 20: Kasab pleads guilty before Special Judge Tahaliyani
Dec 16: Prosecution completes case in 26/11
Dec 18: Kasab denies all charges
2010
Jan (Date not disclosed): Bodies of nine Pakistani terrorists disposed of at a secret location near Mumbai, according to Home Minister R.R. Patil
Feb 11: Shahid Azmi, lawyer of one of 26/11 accused, shot dead in Kurla
Feb 23: Final argument to begin March 9
May 6: Kasab sentenced to death by 26/11 court
Oct 18: Kasab’s death sentence confirmation/appeal hearing to commence in high court
Oct 19: Kasab wants to attend court in person, spits at camera and says “send me to America”; judges warn him to behave
Oct 25: High court judges views CCTV footage purportedly showing Kasab and slain terrorist Abu Ismail in terror acts
Oct 27: Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam justifies death sentence awarded to Kasab
Oct 29: Kasab confuses trial court by taking frequent U−turns
Nov 25: Kasab’s lawyer Amin Solkar begins argument, says trial was unfair. He demands retrial in 26/11 case
Nov 30: Solkar argues that charge of “waging war against nation” was not made out against Kasab
Dec 2: Kasab did not come from Pakistan by dinghy, his lawyer says. Adds that dinghy could not accommodate 10 people
2011
Feb 21: Bombay High Court upholds death verdict on Kasab
July 29: Kasab challenges death sentence in Supreme Court
2012
Aug 29: Supreme Court confirms Kasab’s death sentence
Sep 16: Through Arther Road Central Jail, Kasab files mercy plea, sent to Maharashtra government
Oct 16: After Maharashtra government rejects Kasab’s mercy plea, placed before Indian home ministry
Oct 23: Home ministry rejects Kasab’s mercy plea
Nov 5: President Pranab Mukherjee rejects Kasab’s mercy plea
Nov 8: Kasab file sent to Maharashtra government for further action
Nov 19: In a top secret operation, Kasab shifted to Pune, 48 hours before the hanging.
Nov 21: Kasab hanged and buried inside Yerawada Central Jail

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Kasab hanged in Pune jail

Pune, Nov 21 (IANS) Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone surviving Pakistani terrorist responsible for the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, was hanged at Pune’s Yerawada Jail Wednesday morning, Maharashtra Home Minister R.R. Patil said.

“All the legal procedures in the 26/11 terror attacks case were completed. He was sentenced by the trial court, which was upheld by the Bombay High Court, Supreme Court, and his mercy plea was rejected by the president. Accordingly, Kasab has been hanged this morning at 7.30 a.m. in Yerawada Central Jail,” Patil told mediapersons.
Kasab’s mercy petition was rejected by President Pranab Mukherjee Tuesday night. Shortly thereafter, in the dead of the night, Kasab was shifted amid top secrecy and tight security to Pune’s high−security Yerawada jail.
This morning, at 7.30 a.m., he was hanged in the jail premises after which a team of doctors declared him dead.
“The punishment to Kasab is a true tribute to the victims and martyrs of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks,” Patil said.
It is not known where Kasab’s last rites shall be conducted.
“Yes, Kasab has been hanged this (Wednesday) morning at 7.30 a.m. in Yerawada Central Jail,” Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam, who led the 26/11 terror attacks case, told IANS.
In January 2010, nine of Kasab’s associates, who had sneaked into Mumbai on the night of Nov 26, 2008, to unleash three days of terror, were quietly buried at an undisclosed location near Mumbai.
Kasab’s end came just five days before the fourth anniversary of the brutal terror attacks that killed 166 lives and injured 300.

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Kasab hanged in Pune prison

Pune, Nov 21 (IANS) Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone surviving Pakistani terrorist of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, was hanged at Pune’s Yerwada Jail Wednesday morning, a top official said.

“Yes, Kasab has been hanged this (Wednesday) morning at 7.30 a.m. in Yerawada Central Jail,” Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam, who led the 26/11 terror attacks case, told IANS.
Kasab’s end came just five days before the fourth anniversary of the brutal terror attacks. The Nov 26−29, 2008 terror siege had claimed 166 lives.

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Ajmal Kasab hanged in Pune prison

Pune, Nov 21 (IANS) Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone surviving Pakistani terrorist of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, was hanged at Pune’s Yerwada Jail Wednesday morning.

The Nov 26−29, 2008 terror siege had claimed 166 lives.

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Inflation still too high says RBI, dashes rate cut hopes

Pune, Nov 16 (IANS) Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Duvvuri Subbarao Friday virtually ruled out an early rate cut, saying inflation is still “quite high” and the central bank is on a high alert.

“At 7.45 percent, inflation is certainly quite high,” Subbarao told reporters on the sidelines of an event here.
Subbarao said the RBI was concerned about inflation as well as the slowdown in the economic growth.
“We are always on high alert −− high alert about growth and about inflation certainly,” he said.
The central bank has kept the key policy rates steady since lowering it by 0.50 percent in April review.
Industry lobbies as well as the government have been asking the central bank to cut rates in order to stimulate the sluggish economic growth, which has fallen to nearly a decade low.
In the second quarter review of monetary policy for 2012−13 announced Oct 30, the RBI lowered the cash reserve ratio (CRR) by 0.25 percent, but kept repo and reverse repo rates, which determine lending and borrowing rates by the commercial banks unchanged.
The tight monetary policy has dampened business sentiments and Finance Minister P. Chidambaram has expressed his unhappiness over this.

Tags: Maharashtra, Pune
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