BBC Apologizes for Calling Hindu Festival Holi “Filthy”

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has apologized for labeling Hindu festival of Holi as “filthy festival”, which had upset the Hindus worldwide.
In an email to Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, BBC News’ Editor On Demand Mark Barlex wrote: “…we apologise for any offence that was caused.”
BBC News website posted a short video on March 29 under its “week’s weird videos” in “Newsbeat’s odd box” showing youth playing Holi in Utah (USA) and titled the segment as “Filthy festival”.
Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, had complained to BBC saying that terming the “festival of color” celebrated by Hindus and others worldwide as “filthy” was very insensitive and belittling of the entire community.
Admitting “original headline was an error” and saying “we are sorry”, Barlex informed in the email that they have changed the headline to “Festival of colour”. I understand your concern that the use of the word “filthy” in our headline, in the context of this festival, could offend some audiences, Barlex added.
Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, commended BBC for showing maturity and responsibility in immediately removing the inappropriate terminology used for the Hindu festival Holi, which hurt the feelings of one billion Hindus spread around the world. It was a “step in the right direction”, he added.
Zed suggested BBC to provide training to their editorial staff in world religions as religion was powerful and complex and world was becoming increasingly diverse. Stereotypes, prejudices and caricatures passed on to us from previous generations needed to go. Journalism should take religion more seriously, help us build interconnections and create harmony instead of adding to religious conflict, confusion and bigotry.
Rajan Zed pointed out in his earlier complaint that although under its “our values”, BBC claimed “we respect each other and celebrate our diversity”, but describing a festival of world’s oldest religion as “filthy” was highly “disrespectful”. Was calling Holi “filthy” BBC’s way of educating and informing the world correctly; whose “mission” was listed as: “to enrich people’s lives with programmes and services that inform, educate and entertain”? Zed had asked.
Founded in 1922, headquartered in Westminster London, and established under the Royal Charter; world’s largest broadcaster BBC (autonomous public service broadcaster) has been blamed in the past for racism, imperialist stance, Indophobic bias, anti-Hindu bigotry, anti-American bias, etc. Mark Thompson is BBC Director-General, Helen Boaden is Director of BBC News, and Lord Patten of Barnes and Diane Coyle are Chairman and Vice Chairman respectively of BBC Trustees.
Joie de vivre festival of Holi welcomes the beginning of spring and starts about ten days before the full moon of Phalguna. The ceremonies include the lighting of the bonfires, during which all evils are symbolically burnt. Holi also commemorates the frolics of youthful Lord Krishna; celebrates the death of demoness Putana, burning of demoness Holika, and destruction of Kama by Shiva. Holi fell on March eight this year.
Webster’s New World Dictionary describes “filthy” as “full of filth, disgustingly foul; grossly obscene; morally vicious or corrupt”.
Hinduism is the third largest religion of the world and moksha (liberation) is its ultimate goal.

IIT-Delhi country's top ranked institution

Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi is the country's highest ranking institution in world with a global rank of 218, the Rajya Sabha was informed today.

Minister of state for HRD D Purandeswari said during Question Hour that as per the Quacquarelli Symonds global system of ranking of higher education institutions for 2011, IIT-Delhi is the overall highest ranking institution in India at serial number 218.

"As per the Times Higher Education World University Rankings for 2011, IIT-Bombay is the highest ranked institution at serial 317, while the Academic Ranking of World Universities has ranked Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore at serial 321," she said.

As per the 2011 QS Engineering & Technology Rankings, IIT-Bombay is at serial 43, IIT-Delhi at 50, IIT-Kanpur at 59 and IIT-Madras at 60 in Computer Science and Information Technology.

In the same ranking system in Civil and Structural Engineering, IIT-Bombay is ranked at serial 30, IIT-Kanpur at serial 38 and IIT-Delhi at serial 43.

As per QS Global Business School Report, 2012, Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad has been ranked second in the Asia Pacific region, next to INSEAD (Institut Europeen d Administration des Affairs), Singapore while IIM-Bangalore, Indian School of Business, IIM-Calcutta and SP Jain Institute of Management and Research, Mumbai figure in the top 20 institutes.

According to Financial Times London Global Buiness School rankings, IIM-Ahmedabad is at serial 11 and Indian School of Business at serial 13.

India Supreme courth refuses clemency plea for Bhai Balwant Singh Rajoana

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to pass any order on a plea for clemency to Balwant Singh Rajoana, awarded death penalty for assassination of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh.

A bench of justices T.S. Thakur and Gyan Sudha Misra said it cannot pass any direction as the convict has not filed any petition before it and the petitioner Abhinav Ramakrishna has no locus standi to plead on his behalf.

The apex court also allowed an NGO, Lawyers for Human Rights International, to withdraw its petition filed with a similar plea.

The bench told Abhinav Ramakrishna, an advocate, that since petition was filed under Article 32, it cannot be entertained as in no way, any fundamental right of the petitioner was violated.

In other words, the bench said, Article 32 provision could be invoked only by a person whose fundamental right is violated.

The NGO had contended in its petition that Rajoana was not properly represented during the trial of the case and he had also not filed any appeal in the Punjab and Haryana High Court against his conviction and capital punishment awarded by the trial court.

The NGO was seeking stay on the execution of Babbar Khalsa militant Rajoana’s death penalty, which was slated for March 31 but has already been stayed by the Centre. Rajoana is presently lodged in Patiala Central Jail.

The NGO had challenged the March 22 order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court which had dismissed a PIL against the lower court’s order convicting Rajoana and awarding death penalty to him.

It had said the decision in the case has not attained finality as the CBI has challenged in the apex court the commuting of death sentence to life term of co-accused Jagtar Singh Hawara.

“That it is submitted that the judgement by which the death sentence has been confirmed, is under appeal before the Supreme Court at the instance of the CBI.

“The special leave has been granted in an appeal against the conviction of Hawara. So the decision has not attained finality, therefore, the death sentence can not be executed,” the NGO had said in its petition.

Rajoana, a police constable and a close friend of another assassin Dilawar Singh Babbar, was the second human bomb to be used, in case the first one failed to kill Beant Singh on August 31, 1995.

The special CBI court had awarded death sentence to Rajoana and Jagtar Singh Hawara on August 1, 2007. Other co-accused Lakhwinder Singh, Gurmeet Singh and Shamsher Singh were sentenced to life imprisonment for hatching conspiracy to kill Beant Singh.

Rajoana did not appeal against the judgement. The death penalty of Hawara, who filed an appeal against it, was commuted to life term.

Bibi Jagir Kaur gets 5 years’ rigorous imprisonment,while acquitted of murder charges

Patiala, Punjab: Punjab minister Jagir Kaur was today convicted for conspiring in forcible abduction, kidnapping and wrongful confinement in connection with the killing of her daughter Harpreet Kaur 12 years back but was acquitted of the murder charge.

The minister was on Friday sent to Patiala Central Jail after a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court sentenced her to five years of imprisonment in three cases relating to Harpreet’s mysterious death in April 2000.

Jagir Kaur, who had been accused of getting her daughter murdered in an apparent case of honour killing, was found guilty of forcing Harpreet to abort her baby days before she died. She was also found guilty of abduction and wrongful confinement.

She was given five-year rigorous imprisonment in one case, three years in another and one year in a third case. All sentences are to run concurrently.

Harpreet was found dead under mysterious circumstances on April 20, 2000. She was cremated in a hurry without post mortem examination. Jagir Kaur had then said that her daughter died of severe food poisoning.

Later, her son-in-law Kamaljit Singh accused Jagir of plotting the murder of Harpreet as she did not approve of their marriage. He also claimed that a pregnant Harpreet was forced to abort her baby, days before she was killed.

Harpreet had married Kamaljit secretly against the wishes of Jagir, who was then the chief of Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC), the Sikhs’ highest religious body. The allegations forced her resignation from the post.

The case against Jagir was registered after Kamaljit approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which consequently ordered a CBI probe. Earlier this month, Kamaljit had written a letter to Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal claiming that he and his family were being threatened by the police.

Rajoana clemency row: Gurdaspur remains under curfew

New Delhi: Gurdaspur will continue to remain under curfew on Friday after communal clashes that broke out in the city on Thursday over the issue of Rajoana execution that left one dead and one injured in police firing.

Two groups clashed on Thursday over clemency for Balwant Singh Rajoana, a convict in the assassination case of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh.

Curfew was clamped following tensions between Shiv Sena activists and Sikhs.

"Curfew has been imposed in Gurdaspur City after tension mounted between some Shiv Sainiks and other youths, including Sikhs," Gurdaspur Deputy Commissioner Mohinder Singh Kainth said.

He said that the Shiv Sainiks had given a call for Gurdaspur bandh on Thursday in the wake of registration of cases against some persons following clashes during Punjab bandh on Wednesday.

During the Gurdaspur bandh, most of the establishments owned by Hindus were closed whereas those belonging to Sikhs were open, sources said, adding that resisting the move of Sikhs, the right-wing Hindu activists came face to face with them mounting tension in the city.

In order to disperse the two groups, police allegedly opened fire in which one person died and another was injured, sources said.

However, Kainth said that police resorted to firing to disperse the two groups in which one person was injured.

"We are verifying the facts whether the person was injured during the firing," he said.

The right wing organisations were protesting against the registration of cases against 14 Hindus following a scuffle during Punjab bandh on Wednesday, sources said adding that the police opened fire in air to disperse the mob in Hanuman Chowk in the heart of the border town.

Police also cane-charged and lobbed tear gas shells to disperse the mob of both the communities, sources said.

During the Punjab bandh on Wednesday, 14 Hindu youths had opposed the Sikh organisations to shut down the shutters of their establishments resulting in clash between the two groups. Normal life was crippled across the state which witnessed sporadic violence during the day-long shutdown, called by radical Sikh outfits, to protest the scheduled hanging of Rajoana.

Meanwhile, Kainth said that the situation was "under control".

Badal orders probe into Gurdaspur firing incident

Chandigarh, March 29,2012 - Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today ordered a magisterial inquiry into an incident of alleged firing at Gurdaspur, in which one person was killed and another injured. Stating this here today, a spokesperson of the Chief Minister's Office said Mr Badal directed Gurdaspur Deputy Commissioner Mohinder Singh Kainth to get the magisterial inquiry conducted at the earliest in a fair and impartial manner. The Chief Minister also appealed people of Punjab to exercise restraint and maintain peace, communal harmony and amity at all cost. Meanwhile, Gurdaspur Deputy Commissioner had entrusted the inquiry to the SDM Tajinder Pal Singh Sandhu and asked him to submit the report at the earliest.

Jim Balsillie resigns from RIM board

Jim Balsillie, the brash, hockey-loving executive who helped build Research in Motion into a global force with the BlackBerry smartphones, is retiring from the struggling technology company as its new CEO attempts to rebuild RIM.

The announcement, symbolic of the changes afoot at RIM, came along with a financial report that fell short of analysts’ already low expectations on Thursday. The company announced a loss, rather than the reduced profit that many had expected, and fewer BlackBerrys were sold than anticipated.

While Balsillie’s retirement from RIM’s board of directors at age 52 will have little real impact on the company — he and company founder Mike Lazaridis had were replaced as co-chief executive and co-chairman in January — his departure is another indication that Canada’s premier technology company is in trouble.

Thorsten Heins, who has the job of steering the company as its new chief executive and president, told analysts Thursday that RIM’s management and board would consider a sale if an offer came forward but added, “it’s not the main direction we are pursuing right now.”

Heins didn’t deny what many outside observers have been saying for months — that RIM needs a new approach in a world where Apple’s iPhone, iPad and devices using Google’s Android operating system are winning market share, especially among consumers.

“I did my own reality check on where the entire company really is,” Heins said. “It’s now very clear to me that substantial change is what RIM needs.”

He said Research In Motion now will put more attention on its core business users: “We plan to refocus on the enterprise business and capitalize on our leading position in this segment.”

Balsillie had become one of Canada’s best-known businessmen both because of his role at the company, but also because of his failed attempts to use his personal fortune from his part ownership of RIM to bring another National Hockey League team to southern Ontario.

He often frustrated analysts who cover RIM, who privately griped about Balsillie “overpromising and underdelivering” and just talking too much. Some of Balsillie’s favourite expressions on conference calls were: “Just you wait and see. Just wait until you see our roadmap. It’s very exciting.”

Balsillie issued a brief comment in RIM’s announcement.

“As I complete my retirement from RIM, I’m grateful for this remarkable experience and for the opportunity to have worked with outstanding professionals who helped turn a Canadian idea into a global success.”

Heins said RIM won’t release its BlackBerry 10 smartphones — the next-generation of BlackBerry smartphones with a new operating system based on the system in PlayBook tablet computer — until later this year. That leaves the company with few new products to sell.

William Blair & Co. analyst Anil Doradla said RIM will be better off without Balsillie on the company’s board.

“We don’t want his invisible hand out there,” Doradla said from Chicago.

RIM is now going to focus more on its business customers after not being totally successful in the consumer market, he said.

They’re saying, ‘Let’s focus on our core strength. Let’s focus on enterprise. Once we get that stability on that front, then we will start looking at the consumer side,’” Doradla said.

It shows that RIM is willing to have partnerships and “not fight battles it can’t win” and the company will support iPhones and Android devices in the workplace, he added.

Activist shareholder Vic Alboini and chief executive of Jaguar Financial, who had been pushing for Balsillie to leave the company, said the departure of the former co-CEO was expected.

He also said the decision to pursue a strategic review has been a long time coming and could help push up the company’s value.

“This is the key to creating shareholder value,” Alboini said in an email.

“Jaguar believes selecting and implementing smart strategic opportunities could result in an overall minimum share value of $30,” Alboini said.

That’s more than twice the current value of RIM’s stock.

Research In Motion announced from its headquarters in Waterloo, Ont., that it had a loss in the final quarter of its 2012 financial year, rather than the profit that had been expected, as a result of writing down some of its assets.

Sales of the BlackBerry were also below many analysts expectations and the company, which usually provides guidance about where it expects revenue and profit will be in the near future, said it’s not continuing that practice.

Heins also said the BlackBerry maker can’t excel in every field, noting the consumer market.

“We believe that BlackBerry cannot succeed if we try to be everybody’s darling and all things to all people. We will seek strong partnerships to deliver those consumer features and content that are not central to the BlackBerry value proposition, for example, media consumption applications.”

RIM, known for its technical strengths, produces its own hardware, software, operating system and applications such as the BlackBerry Messenger Service, a popular instant messaging service that is exclusive to BlackBerry users.

While this has been an advantage for RIM in the past, the company has seen software developers choose to focus on applications for more popular iPhones and Androids.

The company said two of its senior executives are out. Chief technology officer for software David Yach will be retiring and RIM’s chief of global operations, Jim Rowan, is leaving “to pursue other interests.”

Heins also said his message was simple: “We’re making the necessary changes at the company.”

In its financial results, RIM reported a loss for its latest quarter of US$125 million or 24 cents per share as it took a $355-million charge to goodwill.

The loss compared with a profit of $934 million or $1.78 per diluted share a year ago. Revenue fell to $4.2 billion, down from $5.6 billion.

During the quarter, RIM shipped approximately 11.1 million BlackBerry smartphones and over 500,000 PlayBook tablets.

Excluding one-time times, RIM reported an adjusted profit of $418 million or 80 cents per share.

The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of 81 cents per share and revenue of $4.54 billion, according to estimates compiled by Thomson Reuters.

Analysts had expected the company to ship 11.5 million BlackBerrys in the quarter.

Indian Gold medalist archer Nisha Rani sells archery equipment for poverty

RANCHI: Succumbing to "abject poverty",Bangkok Grand Prix medallist Nisha Rani Duttahas sold her world-class archery equipment for money. 

"I went to her house at Bundu in Ranchi district and spoke with her. She said that she had sold her bow because of poverty," said Sub-Divisional Officer Rajesh Rai. 

"She had been trained by Tata Archery Academy and won gold medal at international archery championships, but discontinued the sport because of poverty," he said. 

Rai said Dutta had told him that a world class bow cost more than Rs one lakh and Rs 20,000 for a quiver of 20 arrows. 

"She has requested the government to help her to take coaching in archery from NIS, Patiala. Because it can land her a job and financial security," the SDO said. 

Dutta, an archer in her early twenties, also told the SDO that she was released after completing training at Tata Archery Academy but could not move on due to lack of money. 

Tata Archery Academy's chief coach Dharmendra Tiwari said Dutta was with them before switching to another group. 

"She won a few medals, including at Bangkok grand prix archery championship," Tiwari said.

Punjabis against capital punishment: Wadala

Jalandhar, March 29
Veteran SAD leader and SGPC member Kuldip Singh Wadala today said that the overwhelming response to the Punjab bandh call yesterday showed that all communities were against capital punishment.

“It is for the first time that irrespective of their religious or social affiliations, people belonging to all communities have come forward to oppose capital punishment. The success of the bandh clearly indicates that the Punjabis are united on the issue of capital punishment,” Wadala said while addressing mediapersons here today. He said he was thankful to the Akal Takht Jathedar, the CM, the Deputy CM, the PPCC chief and Beant Singh’s kin for opposing the hanging of Balwant Singh Rajoana. “Even the BJP did not oppose it. I am specially thankful to the Home Minister,” Wadala added.

Russia’s largest Hindu temple faces closure

New Delhi, March 29
While the Russian President is in India for the ongoing BRICS summit, the Hindu community in Russia is once again on the edge.

This time the issue involves a possible closure of Russia's biggest Vedic culture centre and the largest Hindu temple in that part of the world. The temple is facing prospects of eviction in St Petersburg, the hometown of Vladimir Putin, the President-Elect of Russia.

Owners of the eight-storey building leased for 49 years to the Centre for Spiritual Development which manages the said culture centre and the temple, is seeking to terminate the lease deal and recently got a court order for its eviction.

The Vedic Society appealed against the said order and the appeal is coming up for hearing tomorrow in the Upper Court of Arbitration in St Petersburg.

“The move could lead to the closure of Russia’s largest Hindu temple and we are hoping for the Indian Government to support our case. This is the second time we are facing a challenge in Russia. We have still not fully recovered from the threat we faced over the row involving the demand of a ban on the Bhagwad Gita,” Kamal Omer, India Representative of the Vedic Society for Spiritual Development today told The Tribune.

Meanwhile, chairman of the Centre Suren Karapetyan has issued an appeal for India’s help. “Vedic culture centre is involved in promoting the ancient Indian traditions, including Sanskrit and yoga studies,” he said.

The chairman feared the latest development involves the same factions that had earlier led an unsuccessful campaign for the ban on Bhagwad Gita.

“This could be the part of the anti-Hindu campaign by a section of Russian Orthodox Christian Church zealots after their demand to seek the ban on Bhagwad Gita, otherwise I don't understand the move for pre-mature termination of the lease,” Karapetyan added in a signed letter issued today.

The Vedic Centre said the Hindus of Russia had repeatedly requested the intervention of Prime Minister Putin in January but the request had gone in vain.

Tension grips Gurdaspur, one killed, one hurt in police firing

Mar 29, 2012,

GURDASPUR: Tension gripped Gurdaspur town after one person died and another was critically injured reportedly in police firing.

According to reports a group of organisations of Gurdaspur had given a call for bandh after police had registered cases against members of another group during the call for Punjab bandh on Wednesday.

On Thursday, police intervened when one group tried to close the establishments of another group and they entered into an altercation. Trying to bring the situation under control, police opened firing when members of a group began pelting stones on it following which one person was killed and another seriously injured.

While downplaying the incident deputy commissioner Gurdaspur Mohinder Singh Kainth said, "One person has died but so far we don't know how he died or who brought him here." He, however, said police was probing the incident.

CBI court convicts Punjab cabinet minister Jagir Kaur in Harpreet case

A special CBI court in Patiala today convicted Punjab cabinet minister Bibi Jagir Kaur in the murder case of her daughter Harpreet Kaur, who died under mysterious circumstances in 2000.
The court held Bibi Jagir Kaur guilty under Section 120-B, 313, 365, 344 of IPC but acquitted her under section 302.She was sentenced to 5 years of rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs 5,000.

Accused Paramjit Singh, Dalwinder Kaur Dhesi and Nishan Singh were held guilty under Sections 365 and 344. Dalwinder and Paramjit were also convicted under Section 313. Accused Harminder and Satya Devi were acquitted of all charges.

Bibi Jagir Kaur and other convicts were later arrested and sent in judicial custody for 14 days after the pronouncement of the court order.

Bibi Jagir Kaur is the only woman in the state cabinet and holds the charges of three department, including rural water supply and sanitation.

The CBI had registered an FIR in the case following Punjab and Haryana high court orders, after Kamaljeet Singh of Begowal approached it accusing Bibi Jagir Kaur of conspiring the murder of Harpreet.

Harpreet had a love affair with Kamaljeet of Begowal village, where Bibi Jagir Kaur runs a dera. The former SGPC chief was against their marriage.

According to Kamaljit, he and Harpreet had secretly married and the latter was six-month pregnant when she was murdered at the behest of Jagir Kaur at Phagwara.

Last week, Kamaljit had written to Punjab chief minister, seeking security in view of the upcoming verdict.

Several witnesses turning hostile as the case progressed in CBI court. Even complainant Kamaljit Singh turned hostile, only to reaffirm the charges later.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the prosecuting agency in the case, had framed charges of criminal conspiracy, abortion without woman's consent, wrongful confinement, kidnapping, murder and destroying evidence against Bibi Jagir Kaur, Dalwinder Kaur, Paramjit Singh, sub-inspector Nishan Singh, Satya, Harvinder Kumar and Sanjeev Kumar, besides others.

According to the CBI, Dalwinder poisoned Harpreet by mixing phenobarbitone into her food. As per the prosecution, Bibi Jagir Kaur asked Dr BS Sohal, a medical officer at the Sant Baba Prem Singh dispensary, Begowal, to suggest a poison to kill Harpreet after she allegedly failed to persuade her daughter to leave Kamaljit.

Timeline

April 20, 2000: Bibi Jagir Kaur's daughter Harpreet Kaur dies mysteriously; cremated a day later without post-mortem examination or inquest

April 27, 2000: Kamaljit Singh files petition in Punjab and Haryana high court, alleging that his wife Harpreet was murdered

September 2000: High court orders CBI probe into case October 2000: CBI arrests Dalwinder Kaur Dhesi and Paramjit Singh Raipur, a Phagwara-based couple, on the charges of forcible abortion, conspiring to murder and destruction of evidence

November 2008: Accused-turned approver Dr BS Sohal dies in road accident at Amritsar

March 17, 2012: Court completes trial

March 30: Bibi Jagir Kaur held guilty