MUMBAI: Maharashtra’s former Revenue Minister Narayan Rane, whose suspension was revoked two days ago, was inducted again into the Congress-Nationalist Party-led Democratic Front government along with two former Congress ministers, Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil and Naseem Khan.
At a simple ceremony held at the Raj Bhavan last evening, Maharashtra Gov. S.C. Jamir administered the oath of office and secrecy to the three ministers in the presence of Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal. Several ministers and senior government officials also attended the oath-taking ceremony.
While Rane and Patil would hold the post of Cabinet ministers, Khan would be the minister of state. Their portfolios would be allocated today, said Chavan.
Meanwhile, at least 15 people, including six policemen, were injured in a clash between the police and Maratha activists demanding reservation for their community in government jobs at the venue of an official function being attended by Chavan near Pune yesterday.
Pune (Rural) acting Deputy Superintendent of Police Kamlakar Deshmukh told reporters that around 200 Maratha activists demanding reservations threw stones when they were prevented from barging into the government’s official function to mark the birth anniversary of Chhatrapati Shivaji at Shivneri Fort, about 90 km from Pune.
Chavan reached the fort in a helicopter soon after the protesters began pelting stones but he and all members of his entourage escaped uninjured, Deshmukh added.
In another development, Kavita Karkare, wife of the slain Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) chief Hemant Karkare, in a letter to the state chief minister has demanded that the government expedite the trial of the lone surviving terrorist Mohammed Ajmal Amir Qasab, and that he be executed soonest.
It may be recalled that soon after the terror attack in which Karkare was gunned down, the members of the family had given statement to the media. One out of the two daughters of the slain ATS chief had told the media that Qasab should be pardoned and given an opportunity to reform. Kavita said that this led to misunderstanding that the family had pardoned Qasab, which she said she had cleared by writing to the chief minister.
“The comments of pardoning Qasab were the personal views of one of my daughter. This is not the view of the rest of the family. However, as the wife of the late ATS chief Hemant Karkare, it is my view and demand that Qasab should be sent to the gallows without delay,” Kavita told the media here on Wednesday.
