BOMBAY, 12 November 2003 — Maharashtra Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde dismissed the demand of the opposition parties to hand over the fake stamp scam probe to the Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI).
Emerging from a meeting with Governor Mohammed Fazal yesterday morning, the chief minister told journalists that he had convincingly explained to the governor the action taken by the government in the scam, and that the state government had done its best to bring the culprits to book.
Replying to the demand of the opposition to hand over the case to CBI, Shinde said that the Special Investigating Team (SIT) was doing an excellent job and hence the need did not arise to hand over the case to the CBI.
In another development, a large number of Muslims demonstrated before the Central Haj Committee office, here yesterday and protested against the cut in government subsidy for the pilgrimage. The demonstrators demanded the immediate withdrawal of the hike in airfare and criticized the state Haj committee for remaining a mute spectator to the issue, which will cause financial crisis to the poor pilgrims.
Newspaper Asks for Troop Protection After Arrest Scare
A respected Indian newspaper yesterday asked the government to send troops to guard its reporters who are threatened with arrest by the government of the southern state of Tamil Nadu, AFP reports. The appeal came after the Tamil Nadu state assembly Friday ordered the arrest of the editor of The Hindu, four of his senior journalists and the editor of another regional publication.
They were targeted after the two publications accused the state government of “rising intolerance towards political opponents.”
The Hindu had written to Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani to deploy federal forces in front of the newspaper’s office.
