Minority women in Bangladesh gang raped

A judicial commission in Bangladesh has concluded that ''over 200 minority women were gang raped'' in the violence following the October 2001 parliamentary poll that was intended to force families ''to leave the country''.

The acts were allegedly committed by cadres of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its ally Jamaat-e-Islami, who won the 2001 poll, the report says, citing the "involvement" of many top leaders and lawmakers of the alliance that is now in the opposition.

With Begum Khaleda Zia as the prime minister, the BNP-Jamaat alliance ruled Bangladesh during 2001-06.

Violence went on for 15 months and "the barbarous act was intended to force them to leave the country. They were, in the eyes of the culprits, enemies as they voted for Awami League", The Daily Star said Tuesday, quoting commission sources.

An official of the commission submitted the report to Home Minister Sahara Khatun.
It lists over 3,625 incidents of major crimes, including killing, rape, arson and looting.

Media reports at that time had detailed the plight of hundreds of Hindu families crossing over to neighbouring India, forcing the Indian government to express concern.

Bangladeshi poet Daud Hyder, who visited the camps in India where these families were lodged and wrote about it, was later charged with sedition and imprisoned.

The wave of violence was the subject of "Lajja" by novelist Taslima Nasreen, who angered the Islamists at home and was forced to leave Bangladesh. She still remains exiled.

Many victims and their family members interviewed by the probe panel narrated "harrowing experiences", but said they did not lodge police reports or undergo forensic tests for fear of inviting social stigma, the report says.

An official said the victims think putting their names on record as rape victims will worsen their life in society.

Many victims and their family members across the country contacted the commission when it was conducting the probe.

According to the panel, it would be "tough or, to some extent, impossible" to continue the probe into the rape allegations, "as the victims themselves are unwilling to do the legal battle".

The probe panel found that most of the gang rapes occurred in the country's southern part - Bhola, Barisal, Agoiljhara and Gaurnadi.

The accused were acquitted for lack of witnesses. In some cases, police gave final reports while the names of the accused were dropped in over 500 cases out of the 3,625 major crime incidents.

With the passing of a decade, some of the accused utilised "good connection with ruling Awami League men", which forced the police to drop many cases, the media report said.
The panel has named several BNP and Jamaat leaders for their "involvement" in the post-poll violence.

CBI charge sheets Kanimozhi, 4 others in 2G scam

The CBI today (April 25) filed its second charge sheet in the 2G spectrum case naming Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi's daughter and MP Kanimozhi and four others as accused. However, the CBI has not named Karunanidhi's wife Dayaluammal, whose name had figured in the 2G probe, as the accused in the supplementary charge sheet filed before Special judge O P Saini.

Others who have been charge sheeted along with Kanimozhi are Kalaignar TV Managing Director Sharad Kumar, Swan Telecom promoter Shahid Usman Balwa's cousin Asif Balwa, Rajeev Agarwal -- Directors of Kusegaon Fruits and Vegetables Pvt Ltd, and Karim Murani of Cineyug Films (Pvt) Ltd.

Kanimozhi has been charged with section 7 and 11 of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The sections deal with acceptance of alleged gratification. Kanimozhi, Sharad Kumar and Murani have not been arrested by the CBI but Asif Balwa and Agarwal are in judicial custody. The charge sheet said the investigation into the case disclosed that money had travelled from DB Realty to Kalaignar TV.

Kanimozhi, Dayaluammal and Sharad Kumar, Managing Director of Kalaignar TV, have 20, 60 and 20 per cent shares in the channel respectively. The CBI told the court that Rs 200 crore connected with the 2G spectrum scam had travelled from a partnership firm of Swan Telecom Promoter Shahid Usman Balwa to Kalaignar TV Pvt Ltd.

The agency which in the first charge sheet had said the money travelled through a "circuitous route" through Kusegaon Fruits and Vegetables Pvt Ltd, a DB group company and Cineyug Films Pvt Ltd, has maintained the position in the second charge sheet.

"Investigations have revealed that in furtherance of the conspiracy, Dynamix Realty, a partnership firm of DB Realty Ltd and other DB group companies, paid Rs 200 crore to Kalaignar TV Pvt Ltd during December 2008 to August 2009, following a circuitous route through Kusegaon Fruits and Vegetables Pvt Ltd and Cineyug Films Pvt Ltd (DB group holds 49 per cent equity in it)," CBI had said in its first charge sheet filed on April 2.

The CBI, in its first charge sheet filed on April 2, had said former telecom minister A Raja conspired with top bureaucrats, including a retired IAS officer, and corporate honchos to cause a loss of Rs 30,984 crore to the exchequer in the allocation of 2G spectrum. Besides Raja, the agency had named eight others and three telecom companies.

The agency had alleged former telecom secretary Siddharth Behura, Raja's personal secretary R K Chandolia and Swan Telecom promoter Shahid Usman Balwa and Sanjay Chandra, MD of Unitech wireless, entered into a conspiracy for manipulating the procedure for allocation of spectrum with the aim of favouring companies like Swan Telecom and Unitech.

Others named in the charge sheet include Vinod Goenka, a Director of Mumbai-based DB Realty, which was also the promoter of Etisalat DB, Sanjay Chandra, Managing Director of Gurgaon-based real estate company Unitech and Unitech Wireless (Tamil Nadu) Pvt Ltd and Gautam Doshi, Hari Nair and Surendra Pipara, Group Managing Director and two Senior Vice Presidents of Mumbai-based Reliance ADAG.

The CBI had charged Raja with cheating, forgery and abuse of official position under the provisions of Indian Penal Code and Prevention of Corruption Act. All the nine accused, named in the first charge sheet, are presently in Tihar Jail under judicial custody.

Nude dancing caught on camera

A man took photos of his friends dancing with a naked woman at a karaoke joint in China.

But what was initially meant to be a "just for fun" act among the group, turned out to be evidence in an anti-vice operation carried out by Guigang police recently.

When police stormed into a room, they saw a man hugging a naked woman.

Police immediately detained the four men and two women there for questioning.

Upon checking one of the men's cellphone, police found photos of his bare-chested friends dancing with a naked woman.

The karaoke has been ordered to close down, police said on Friday.