BRASS TACKS

New Delhi-based nonprofit Wildlife Protection Society of India suggests that since the tiger numbers have declined, at least 141 leopards have become victims of poaching so far in 2008.

It’s not that we don’t want to settle down at one place with good amenities, but working in the forest comes easy to us and all other vocations seem difficult. My children are studying here in the school run by WWF, especially for our kids. And after living here, they now don’t want to go back to the jungle life. Though we might earn more money in what we do and there is nothing like living with one’s own community, we are still ready to settle here if the government helps. But if it takes long, we will have no choice but to resume hunting. To you all, animals must be important more than human life, but for us they are a means of living.....Continue

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The Sunday Indian

Turnout mystery!

Unthinkable voter turnout initially baffled analysts, but it seems this is realpolitik

Groom Piara Singh, wearing a sehra (wedding head gear) became the centre of attraction at the Bikhangala polling station in Udhampur district when he arrived in a vehicle along with 60 baratis. Polling staff as well as voters, already standing in a queue, were amazed to see the marriage party at polling booth. And a woman, injured on the way to her booth, cast her vote before she went to the hospital. And this is the story of Jammu & Kashmir today. Separatists had issued an election ban diktat. But the result? In all but two constituencies, voters amazed India: the highest turnout registered was 77 per cent in Mendhar constituency in the first phase. Even more surprising is that Mendhar had seen a voter turnout of 60 per cent in 2003. Surankote and Poonch-Haveli also saw tremendous rise in voter turnouts. Surankote had voted 40 per cent in the last election and this time scored 74.38. This rubbished all predictions of a poll washout under threat from terrorists and moderate separatists, so much so that when this happened analysts were hard pressed for a proper explanation. The ground reality was two-fold. Many voters, without wanting their names out, told TSI that it is all right for separatists to give a call, “but so long as we are in India, we need the MLAs for our every little need. Who will get us the power, the water or the roads?”

Besides, it is also a fact that many in the Valley came out to vote in chilling cold because they feared staying at home would give the Bharatiya Janata Party a lead. And for the village people, this was one occasion, too, to go out and do something different than just sit and shiver at home!....Continue

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The Sunday Indian

Political analysts liken this to the Santhal Rebellion

In fact, it was when the leaders – including Lalmohan Tudu, Sidhu Soren and Chhatradhar Mahato - went to inform the Lalgarh police station about the Rail Roko call, that senior officials assured them of looking into the major issues. The Committee sat for four hours to hammer out the deal with Additional District Magistrate (General) Aaron Israel, Additional Police Super (Town) Shubhankar Sinha Sarkar, DSP (Operation) Arnab Ghosh and other senior administration officials.

It is important to recall that the massive tribal stir that swept away CPI(M) cadres and chased away police from village after village in the entire Jungle Mahal area, flared up in protest against mindless police atrocities in the wake of the so-called bomb attack on a convoy of state Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on October 8. Police unleashed a massive repression. A pregnant woman suffered a miscarriage in brutal beating. Police arrested three school children and some women, accusing them of trying to assassinate the CM! By the way, the atrocities were focussed in the same Chhotopelia village where the tribals surrounded the CRPF party on December 8.

The upsurge has now spread across Bankura, West Medinipur, Purulia and also Nadia and Barddhaman, where tribal people are not so large in numbers. And Lalgarh today is being likened by analysts to the Santhal Rebellion against the British Raj that had shaken the Empire! Possibly sensing is, Bhattacharjee apologised for police atrocity in the state Assembly, but that has clearly cut no ice....Continue

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The Sunday Indian

"Even if the militants are linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba, who do you think we are fighting?"

The Mumbai carnage and subsequent developments have also alarmed the US government because war between India and Pakistan would mean diversion from the "war on terror", that is neither in the interest of the US nor the vast majority inhabiting South Asia.

"In some ways that whole region is like a forest that hasn''t had rain in many months and one spark might be enough to touch off a blaze," said White House Press Secretary Dana Perino on December 1, the same day US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called on Pakistan to provide "total" cooperation with India on the Mumbai attacks, as she began a trip that includes a "solidarity" visit to New Delhi.

Deterioration in Pakistan-India relations would only strengthen anti-democratic and fascist forces in South Asia, including rogue elements in intelligence agencies and would be a blessing in disguise for Islamic militants adamant to push Pakistan back to the medieval ages.

"The timing of the Mumbai carnage clearly indicates that terrorists want to sabotage the peace process between Pakistan and India. The two neighbours should seriously cooperate to apprehend the culprits and refrain from accusing each other because that would only serve terrorists," said Karamat Ali, director, Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research, a thought echoed by Anis Haroon, general secretary, Pakistan-India People''s Forum for Peace and Democracy.....Continue

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The Sunday Indian