National News

Gandhinagar, Nov 24 (IANS) The registration of all the 423 fishing boats registered in Gujarat and now in Pakistani custody has been cancelled for security reasons, according to official sources Tuesday.

Kolkata, Nov 24 (IANS) The French government is looking into various areas to develop the tourism potential and revive the rich heritage of its former colony Chandannagar in West Bengal's Hooghly district.

Ranchi/Jamshedpur, Nov 24 (IANS) Security forces tightened their cordon in Jharkhand on the eve of the first phase of assembly polls, fearing largescale disruption by Maoist insurgents.

New Delhi, Nov 24 (IANS) The following is the sequence of events in brief leading up to the razing of the Babri mosque in Ayodhya on Dec 6, 1992, as recorded in the Liberhan Commission report tabled in parliament Tuesday:

Chandigarh, Nov 24 (IANS) Justice M.S. Liberhan, whose report on the 1992 Babri mosque demolition was tabled in parliament Tuesday, sought 'privacy' as he was hounded by the media even when he went to an optician's shop here. He maintained that he had clearly said everything in his report.

New Delhi, Nov 24 (IANS) Delhiites were caught in serpentine jams Tuesday when a religious procession in the heart of the national capital choked main roads and the subsequent detours weren't enough to cope with heavy evening traffic.

Chandigarh, Nov 24 (IANS) A former counsel to the Liberhan Commission Tuesday alleged that the indictment of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for the Babri mosque dmolition was 'outrightly illegal'.

Gandhinagar, Nov 24 (IANS) Former union textiles minister Shankersinh Vaghela, whose name figures in the Liberhan Commission report on the Babri Masjid demolition, Tuesday said he was never involved in any way in the demolition of the 16th century mosque in Ayodhya.

New Delhi, Nov 24 (IANS) Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Kalyan Singh Tuesday justified the 1992 razing of the Babri mosque and said he suspected a 'political conspiracy' behind the Liberhan Commission of Inquiry that has indicted all the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders for its catastrophic event.

Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 24 (IANS) Union Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor came in for some criticism from Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan Tuesday for being a 'habitual latecomer' at functions.

Srinagar, Nov 24 (IANS) A five-member European Union (EU) delegation arrived here Tuesday on a two-day visit to assess the situation and understand the problems faced by the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

New Delhi, Nov 24 (IANS) The Delhi High Court Tuesday dismissed an appeal filed by the elite recreational Shanti Sports Club in the Vasant Kunj colony challenging the single judge bench order holding the club building to be an illegal and unauthorised construction.

New Delhi, Nov 24 (IANS) The central government had prior inputs about the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) planning new strikes in Assam, but was still unable to avert Sunday's bombing in Nalbari district, Home Minister P. Chidambaram told parliament.

New Delhi, Nov 24 (IANS) The first night test of India's nuclear-capable intermediate range Agni-II missile Monday turned out to be a failure, an army official said Tuesday.

New Delhi, Nov 24 (IANS) The central government is determined to launch a massive operation against Maoist guerrillas but is waiting for the Jharkhand elections to get over Dec 18, a top police officer said Tuesday.

Agartala, Nov 24 (IANS) Work on fencing the India-Bangladesh border has been stepped up and is expected to be completed by March 2010, Border Security Force (BSF) Director General Raman Srivastava said here Tuesday.

New Delhi, Nov 24 (IANS) Is the Indian state prepared for 26/11-like attacks a year later? Are politicians undermining national security?

Chandigarh, Nov 24 (IANS) The former counsel to the Liberhan Commission alleged Tuesday that the indictment of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for the Babri mosque razing was 'outrightly illegal'.

New Delhi, Nov 24 (IANS) Various leaders who played a prominent role in the events leading to the Dec 6, 1992 attack on the Babri Masjid sought to 'confuse and obfuscate reality' such as Bajrang Dal chief Vinay Katiyar, who was 'defiant' and 'hostile' as a witness, the Liberhan Commission said in its report.

New Delhi, Nov 24 (IANS) Putting at rest 17 years of speculation, the Liberhan Commission Tuesday pinned the blame for the demolition of the Babri Masjid on Hindutva advocates across the spectrum and said in a scathing indictment that events leading up to Dec 6, 1992 were 'neither spontaneous nor unplanned'.