| New Delhi, Aug. 29: Pakistan President Gen. Pervez Musharraf has not expressed a single word of regret for the death of Balochistan leader Nawab Akbar Bugti. Instead, in what could be an indicator of what lies ahead for the resistance and civil rights movements in Pakistan, he declared: “Whoever wants to harm Pakistan nationally or internationally would have to fight with me first.” Pakistani newspapers on Tuesday carried front-page news on the General’s remarks at a public meeting in Murree, where he warned that any elements opposed to the development and prosperity of Pakistan would be dealt with an iron hand. “No compromise would be made on the country’s stability and interests,” he said while outlining the initiatives he claimed the government had taken for the development of Balochistan. The President’s tough talk is in sharp contrast to the apology-ridden responses of members of his government and the ruling party. Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, while maintaining that the political process in Balochistan would continue, told reporters in Islamabad that “no one knew who was there” and that Nawab Bugti had not been targeted by the Pakistan military. He said a few arrests had been made and it was only then that the government had learnt that “Akbar Bugti was amongst those killed.” Foreign minister Khurshed Mehmood Kasuri expressed deep sorrow and grief over the Baloch leader’s death. He said that Nawab Bugti was an old associate of his father. He claimed that the parliamentary committee on Balochistan had “worked very hard to resolve the issue politically, and it was unfortunate that in spite of its efforts, things had not settled down.” The so-called “King’s Party” — the Pakistan Muslim League (Q) — has also shown signs of unease over the military operations in Balochistan. Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, who has always been very supportive of the General and is referred to as the “kingmaker” in Islamabad, has condoled Nawab Bugti’s death. The two enjoyed good relations, particularly as the PML leader’s father Chaudhry Zahoor Elahi was given shelter in Balochistan by the Baloch leader to escape arrest under the Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto regime. Another influential PML leader, Mushahid Hussain, who is also close to the General, has expressed sorrow about Nawab Bugti’s death. The MMA, widely looked upon as a “creature” of the Pakistan Army, has also threatened to walk out of the government in Balochistan. This one incident has drawn the battlelines between Gen. Musharraf and the Army on the one side, and almost the entire political class on the other. He has not received any support for the military operations from his ministers or the ruling party. |
| From Sept. 1, alcohol, perfumes allowed on flights out of India New Delhi, Aug. 29: Heeding requests from passengers and duty-free shop owners, the civil aviation ministry has now permitted liquids, including liquor and perfumes, purchased from duty-free shops to be carried on board flights out of India from September 1. But there’s a rider. Altering the rules of duty-free shopping at airports in the country, the ministry has decided that it will now be the responsibility of the duty-free shop owner to get the duty-free goods purchased by customers screened at security checkpoints and delivered to passengers at the point of boarding the aircraft. Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, civil aviation secretary Ajay Prasad, however, made it clear that passengers could not carry liquids (other than those purchased from duty-free shops) on board flights as per the government orders that were announced earlier this month following the terror alert in London. The government decided to make the changes in the rules following mounting losses incurred by duty-free shop owners after the ban on carrying liquids on board came into force. The government’s move will also bring some relief to passengers who can now buy goods such as liquor and perfumes from the duty-free shops at Indian airports and take them on board flights out of India. The new rules devised by the government and effective from September 1 are as follows: Duty-free goods will be sold under proper cash receipts that have the name of the passengers, seat number and the name of the airline. The goods will be kept in a “uniquely identifiable bag” (provided by the shop owner) to which the cash receipt will be attached. The bag will, however, not be handed over to the passenger at the shop but rather at the point when he or she is about to board the aircraft. The “uniquely identifiable" bag containing the duty-free goods provided at the shops will be in addition to the one piece of hand baggage that the passenger is carrying since the duty-free bag will be handed over to the passenger only when he is about to board the flight. However, passengers have also been advised to verify the restrictions on hand baggage and other restrictions at airports at the destinations to which he/she is flying. Shop owners have also been advised against selling duty-free goods to passengers less than 30 minutes before their flight departs. This is to ensure that there is enough time to get the duty-free items screened at security checkpoints. There are also other do’s for duty-free shop owners. They have been ordered not to stock any “prohibited or dangerous goods” in their shops and to keep “security-vetted employees on rolls” who can deliver the bag containing duty-free goods to the passengers. Passengers should also keep in mind that there are already norms on the extent of duty-free goods that one can carry. The government altered the rules with effect from September 1 following requests from passengers annoyed at not being able to buy liquids from duty-free shops that they could carry on board. The India Tourism Development Corporation, which runs the duty-free shops at Indian airports, had also reported losses of over Rs 10 lakhs daily from these shops. Duty-free Shopping: The Do’s And Don’ts DO’S
1. Passengers can buy duty-free goods including liquids such as liquor and perfumes from duty free shops and take these on board.
2. Make sure that the cash receipt for the purchases have your name, seat number and airline name on it and remember to collect it at the point when you board the aircraft.
3. The duty-free bag will be in addition to the one piece of hand-baggage that you are allowed but remember to verify the restrictions at destinations where you are headed to, from your airline. DOn’ts
1. Do not carry liquids in your hand-baggage. Remember that you can carry only those liquids that you have purchased from duty-free shops (like liquor and perfumes) on board. Remember that the ban on carrying liquids from your home or elsewhere to the airport stays.
2. Do not buy duty-free goods once there are 30 or less minutes left for your flight to take-off. Remember that the shop-owner has to have enough time to get the goods cleared thorough security checkpoints.
3. Do not insist on carrying your purchases from the duty-free shop to the security check-points as this will not be permitted. |
| Visakhapatnam, Aug. 29: The dancing dolphins which frolic in the Bay of Bengal off the Vizag and Kakinada coasts may disappear without a trace soon, perhaps within the next 15 to 20 years. The reason: Fishermen are catching these lovely creatures, cutting them up and are using their meat as bait to catch tuna fish. This shocking practice poses a major threat to the dancing dolphins, which are mentioned as a highly endangered species in the Red Data Book of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.Fishermen who frequent the waters of the Bay of Bengal are going after tuna aggressively because of the dwindling shrimp catch. Tuna is exported to Japan and the United States.
In their desperation to survive, the fishermen net dolphins, which weigh around 200 kg each, and cut them up into pieces. Around 70 country boats fish tuna in the waters between Vizag and Kakinada and most of them use half a kg of dolphin meat as bait. Each boat catches about 200 kg of tuna in a sortie. Though there are no official figures on the depletion of the dolphin population off the coast, fisherfolk admit that at least one dolphin is killed every month. Spinner dolphins, common dolphins and bottlenose dolphins are found in these waters. “There were about 12,000 of them in the Bay of Bengal,” said a researcher of the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute. The CMFRI scientists estimated the dolphin population in the last two years by making 13 cruises. “Dolphins are also being used as baits to catch sharks,” said a researcher of CMFRI. B. Baratha Lakshmi, a zoology professor at Andhra University, said that dolphins were also getting killed after accidentally getting trapped in grill nets. “Propellers of motorboats and trawlers also crush them,” she said. “The mere smell of dolphin attracts tunas and fishermen get an easy catch.”
Lack of surveillance, the indifferent attitude of the government and absence of protected zones for fishing are pointed out as major causes for the targeting of dolphins. Killing dolphins is punishable under the Wildlife Protection Act and is a non-bailable offence. “We have repeatedly asked the authorities to protect these mammals but nothing has been done,” said Ms Lakshmi. “In the West, they spend millions of dollars to protect dolphins.” The conservator of forests, Mr P.V. Padmabham, said that there were no sea patrols to protect endangered species. However, Theddu Nookalu, a fisherman of the area, said that dolphins were not as important as their livelihood. “We are getting good money from tuna and we use dolphins for a better catch,” he said. “It is as simple as that.” |
| New Delhi, Aug. 29: Sir Edwin Lutyens’ illustrious creation — the VIP houses in this city’s Lutyens Bungalow Zone — have got infested with termites, and there appears to be no early remedy in sight. These bungalows, which are synonymous with the country’s heritage and reflect the grandeur of the national capital’s landscape, are now battling hard to survive the termite attacks. A large number of the 900-plus bungalows have been invaded by these termites, and once this “attack” sets in at one particular residence, it can spread easily to eight to 10 of its neighbours. Going by regular architectural norms, most of these bungalows have outrun their life. Since termite-resistant material had not been used at the time of their construction and since most of them have non-water-resistant foundations, the termites can grow unchecked. Since these bungalows also fall within a heritage zone, the agencies charged with their upkeep and maintenance also find their hands tied as nothing major can either be altered or modified. The Union urban development ministry, which looks after the maintenance of these bungalows, has consulted both national and international entomologists and pest control agencies on how to preserve these national heritage buildings. But so far all have failed to tackle these termites, which have rotted wooden frames, beds and wooden furniture in most of these bungalows. “With so much effort put into getting rid of these termites, we have ended up doing a lot of research on them, literally. Every time we spray these houses with some chemical, we find that these termites become resistant to that chemical from the second time,” said a senior official of the ministry. Entomologists found that the territory of a single queen termite is spread to eight to ten bungalows, meaning that the “army” of a single queen is responsible for damaging eight to ten of these bungalows. With an abundance of plants and trees outside the bungalows, the spread is even faster. “We keep receiving complaints from occupants regarding the damage done by these termites,” said the senior official.
| KK was nobody: Narendra | | |
| | Hyderabad, Aug. 29: Senior Telangana Rashtra Samiti leader and former union minister A. Narendra on Tuesday accused Pradesh Congress Committee president K. Kesava Rao of adopting double standards on Telangana issue. Mr Narendra pointed out that Mr Kesava Rao was nowhere in the scene when the Congress entered into an electoral alliance with the TRS before 2004 elections. “In fact, he was not in the Congress at all. He was running a Telangana Congress Party along with V. Venkat Reddy and T.N. Sadalakshmi. He was not even aware of the agreement or seat adjustments between the Congress and the TRS, which was handled by the then PCC president D. Srinivas. On the other hand, Mr Kesava Rao was after the TRS leaders, desperately trying for a ticket. He was waiting in the corridors of my office in the New MLA quarters,” he recalled. It was because of the Telangana issue that Mr Kesava Rao could become the PCC president and a Rajya Sabha member. “Let him not compare his strength with ours. Let him come to our Siddipet meeting and see what our strength is,” he challenged. Reading out extracts from Mr Kesava Rao’s interview to a daily, Mr Narendra said the PCC president had no roots in Telangana, as his ancestors were from West Godavari and his grandfather migrated to Telangana to serve the Nizams. During the 1969 agitation, Mr Kesava Rao was the general secretary of United Andhra Committee, headed by former MP V.B. Raju, a strong opponent of separate Telangana State. “He later admitted in the interview that he had realised the need for a separate Telangana State, as there was no emotional integration between Andhra and Telangana regions,” Mr Narendra said. The TRS leader said Mr Kesava Rao had admitted that he had never won a direct election. “In the 1983 elections, Mr Kesava Rao lost the Secunderabad seat by a huge margin of 18,000 votes when the N.T. Rama Rao wave swept the polls in the entire State. But, I could win the Himayatnagar seat by a margin of 28,000 votes. He cannot even stand before me, leave alone challenge my strength,” he said. |  |
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Skip marriage, stay in full strength to face rivals: CM | | |
| | Hyderabad, Aug. 29: Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy on Tuesday asked the Congress MLAs to cancel all their engagements in the next two days. He asked them to stay put in Hyderabad and attend in full strength the monsoon session of the Assembly, which will conclude on August 31. The Chief Minister said this while reacting to requests from several MLAs seeking his permission to go to Nellore to attend the marriage of Subba Reddy, son of Nellore MLA Anam Vivekananda Reddy on August 31 morning. They said they would have to leave for Nellore on Tuesday evening itself.However, the Chief Minister turned down their request. “Except Vivekananda Reddy and his brother Ramnarayana Reddy, no other MLA or minister should leave Hyderabad. In the next two days, we have to be present in full strength to face the Opposition attack on crucial issues like Outer Ring Road project and auction of government lands,” he ordered. Dr Reddy, however, said he would attend the marriage of the Nellore MLA’s son on behalf of all the Congress MLAs and return to Hyderabad by 10.30 am on August 31 to attend the last day of the Assembly session. | |
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TD disrupts Assembly | | |
| | Hyderabad, Aug. 29: After the TRS it was the turn of the Telugu Desam to disrupt the proceedings in the State Assembly.Soon after the agitating TRS members were suspended on Tuesday, the House took up the Question Hour. But soon the House plunged into pandemonium with Telugu Desam legislators raising slogans and rushing to the Speaker’s podium demanding that the State government drop the idea of handing over 37 acres of land belonging to Lidcap to a Singapore firm.
Tourism, major industries, commerce and export promotion minister J. Geeta Reddy said Lidcap had entered into a memorandum of agreement with Building and Construction Authority of the Republic of Singapore. The Singapore firm submitted a proposal to the State government to develop “Cyberabad Civic Centre”, a multipurpose mall on the Lidcap land at Dargah Hussain Shah Vali in the city. She said the State government had followed the “Swiss Challenge Method” while evaluating their proposal. | |
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TRS MLAs suspended | | |
| | Hyderabad, Aug. 29: Telangana Rashtra Samiti legislators were suspended from the State Assembly for the second day on Tuesday after they disrupted the proceedings demanding that the Congress government pass a resolution on a separate Telangana State. As soon as the Assembly met at 8.30 am, TRS members, demanded that the House be adjourned to take up discussion on Telangana. After all pleas by the Chair fell on deaf ears, Legislative affairs minister K. Rosaiah read out the names of 15 TRS legislators seeking their suspension. Speaker K.R. Suresh Reddy suspended them for the day. Those suspended were S. Bapu Rao, A. Chandrasekhar, K. Eashwar, A. Govind Naik, K. Laxma Reddy, V. Laxmikantha Rao, K. Lingaiah, K. Nagesh, Nayani Narsimha Reddy, M. Padma Devender Reddy, K. Prathap Reddy, E. Rajender, S. Ramalinga Reddy, G. Vijaya Rama Rao and T Harish Rao. | |
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State to close 15 more colleges | | |
| | Hyderabad, Aug. 29: Government-aided junior colleges in the State are facing closure.
The government has closed down 27 such colleges in the last one year and another 15 are on line.Stiff competition from corporate institutions and the indifference of the government have literally sealed the fate of aided junior colleges. Officials of the Commissionerate of Intermediate Education are enthusiastically shutting them down under the pretext of rationalisation. Teachers and other employees of the closed-down colleges, numbering about 600, have been employed in nearby government colleges. Commissioner of Intermediate Education D. Chakrapani said that only colleges with nominal student intake were being shut down. “After the emergence of corporate colleges and private institutions, admissions in aided junior colleges have come down drastically in the last couple of years,” he said. Mr Chakrapani pointed out that the pass percentage of the shut-down colleges had been less than 40 per cent in the last five years. “We are actually merging these colleges with nearby colleges,” he said. “The whole exercise is part of rationalisation”. There are 205 aided colleges in the State. They were set up by individuals, and trusts decades ago. In those days, the government encouraged setting up of such institutions to cater to the educational needs. The colleges get grant-in-aid from the government to pay salaries of sanctioned teachers and other employees. The remaining expenses are borne by the owner or managing committee which also fixes the fee structure. “Because of the State ban on recruitment, most colleges are short of 40 to 50 teachers,” said the managing committee member of a junior aided college. There is also the fact that managements are no longer interested in running the colleges and getting good results.
Students are also not too keen on joining such institutions. | |
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Teen servant murdered employer for Rs 250 pay | | |
| | Hyderabad, Aug. 29: A 15-year-old servant, who was arrested by Banjara Hills police on Tuesday for murdering his employer Srikantha Gangwal, reportedly said that he had killed her as she had refused to pay his salary. Srikantha, 65, wife of Kamal Kumar Gangwal, was allegedly killed by the boy, who is not being identified because he is a minor, at her residence in Road No. 12, Banjara Hills. “I killed her as she was refusing to pay my salary of Rs 250 for five days work. She irritated me so much that I hit her with a pestle and stabbed her with a knife,” said the boy who is from Orissa. Police recovered Rs 12,000 from him. West Zone DCP Amit Garg said that the boy had come to the city five months back and had worked at Ghansi Bazar. With the help of one Kannu of Orissa, who was residing in Road No. 11, he started working in Srikantha Gangwal’s house. After five days, she asked him to leave as she did not like his work. When he demanded Rs 250 for five days’ work, she tried to postpone the payment. “In a fit of rage, he killed her. He was weeping after the murder,” Mr Garg said.Banjara Hills inspector E. Shankar Reddy said, “After murdering her, he took the cash from her purse. He did not touch other valuables. Later, he went to Kannu’s house and was planning to leave for Orissa on Tuesday morning.” Police added that the boy will be produced in the juvenile court. | |
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IT firm accused of cheating | | |
| | Hyderabad, Aug. 29: At least 300 employees of a software company flocked Ramgopalpet police station on Tuesday morning alleging that Super Giga Computer Systems cheated them by not paying salaries. Ramgopalpet Inspector of Police T. Nagaraj Kumar said, “The Super Giga Computer Systems, situated in Ashok Bhupal Chambers, had collected Rs 25,000 as security deposit from 800 employees after promising each of them a salary of Rs 8,000 per month. For the past two to three months they have not been paying salary to at least 30 per cent of the employees. Doubting that the company will never pay them salary, they approached us.” “But, no complaint has been lodged by the employees. Because of that, no case has been filed against the company so far,” he added. However, branch manager of the company, Neeru Choudary has assured that the salaries will be paid to all. “The employees are negotiating with the management on the issue. A case will be registered if a complaint is lodged with the police,” Mr Kumar added. | |
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People flock to tree at temple | | |
| | Hyderabad, Aug. 29: Thousands of devotees flocked Mutyalamma temple at Amberpet after rumours spread that a neem tree in the temple had begun looking like Ammoru, a locally acknowledged avatar of Kali. Word spread that the the bark of the neem tree with its knots appeared as Ammoru. This resulted in thousands of devotees turning up at the temple. The presence of a large number of people resulted in a traffic jam on the busy Amberpet-Ramanthapur road. Police personnel had to be deployed to maintain law and order and ease traffic flow. Amberpet sub-inspector Bala Krishna said, “Around 6.00 pm people started coming to the temple. Someone applied turmeric powder to the tree, stating that Ammoru had descended on the tree.” He said that at least 10,000 people had visited the temple till 10.30 pm and people were still pouring in. | |
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RTC to add 236 buses to city fleet | | |
| | Hyderabad, Aug. 29: APSRTC has said that it would introduce 236 buses by the year end. According to sources each bus on average carries twice its capacity of 45 passengers. “The existing fleet is not sufficient. At least 2000 buses have to be introduced. The RTC is making profit at the cost of passengers,” Sudarsanam Padam, faculty of the Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI), said. RTC vice-chairman and MD M.V. Krishna Rao admitted that Hyderabad passengers faced a shortage of buses.“With the introduction new buses, the troubles will be over,” C. Panduranga Murty, RTC regional manager said. | |
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MCH, APSRTC to set up bus lanes | | |
| | Hyderabad, Aug. 29: MCH and APSRTC have proposed to create bus lanes on the extreme left of the road from Punjagutta to Erragadda.MCH commissioner Sanjay Jaju and RTC officials who inspected the Punjagutta-Erragadda stretch of road, which is being widened to 150 feet, agreed to create 25-feet bus lanes on the left side of the road. The construction of bus bays will be in such a way that it would not obstruct general traffic. This project will be initiated soon after road widening is completed on this heavy traffic route.Mr Jaju instructed officials to speed up the widening works and construct 10-foot footpaths for the convenience of pedestrians. | |
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Nabard to revive co-ops | | |
| | Hyderabad, Aug. 29: The State government on Tuesday entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Central government and National Bank for Agricultural and Rural Dev-elopment (Nabard), on revi-val of cooperative banks and credit societies in the State.
The MoU was signed by Nabard chairman Y.S.P. Th-orat and principal secretary, cooperation, G. Sudhir, in the presence of Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy at the Secretariat. The MoU follows the recommendations of the task force on Prof Vaidynathan Committee on Revival of Cooperative Institutions.According to the MoU, Nabard would gain full regulatory control over cooperative banks, by holding 53 per cent share capital, while the State government would have 25 per cent stake, which would be enhanced to 31 per cent later. The Nabard would provide the revival package worth Rs 14,839 crore for the entire country, of which the State would get around Rs 1,500 crore. The package would include wiping out of accumulated losses, covering unpaid guarantees given by the State government, increasing the capital to a specified minimum level and providing technical assistance. | |
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YSR defends Lidcap deal | | |
| | Hyderabad, Aug. 29: Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy on Tuesday strongly defended the government’s decision to allot 37 acres of land belonging to Leather Industries Development Corporation of Andhra Pr-adesh (Lidcap) on the city outskirts to a Singapore-based company for development and construction of a multi-purpose mall. Intervening during a deb-ate over the issue raised during Question Hour in the State Assembly, Dr Reddy said the government had taken the decision only after discussing with the people’s representatives, Lidcap board and its employees. The budgetary allocation to Lidcap was only Rs 2 crores, which was not sufficient even for paying the salaries, he pointed out. “Instead of wasting the productive asset of the corporation, the government has decided to develop the land and the amount obtained through its lease, which would be around Rs 42 crores, would be utilised for improving the leather industries and providing training to the cobblers in giving value addition to their products and marketing them,” he said. | |
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CM ready to fill more vacancies | | |
| | Hyderabad, Aug. 29: The State government will consider adoption of a regular calendar for recruitments through Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC), on the lines of Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy said.
Participating as the chief guest at the valedictory fun-ction of the APPSC Golden Jubilee Celebrations at Ra-vindra Bharati on Tuesday, Dr Reddy asked the officials to come out with a proposal for preparation of a regular recruitment calendar for the APPSC. He said the UPSC follows a regular calendar for written tests and interviews since the recruitment is done on a regular basis for a fixed number of posts falling vacant every year. “In the State, there is no such regular recruitment procedure. The posts are filled up as and when the need arises. However, if the departments can identify their requirements on a regular basis, we too can think of having such a calendar,” he said. Dr Reddy said in the last two years more than 2,000 posts had been filled up through the APPSC and another 2,000 posts were in the process of being filled up. | |
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MCH to make Hyderabad slum-free | | |
| | Hyderabad, Aug. 29: If everything goes as planned by the MCH, Hyderabad will soon become a slum-free city. The Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad (MCH) has asked Mumbai-based MM Consultants to prepare a detailed project report (DPR) on the rehabilitation of slum dwellers in the city. The MCH envisages construction of multi-storeyed residential apartments in place of slums. Each flat will have an area of not less than 300 sq feet and will be allotted to the slum-dwellers free of cost. The concept, which was borrowed from Mumbai and Singapore, will be implemented in a phased manner, which may extend to 10 to 15 years. Speaking to this correspondent, MCH commissioner Sanjay Jaju said the project is still in conceptual stage, but it was being implemented in Mumbai suburb Dharavi. “Our plan is to identify a cluster of slums for rehabilitation and redevelopment in consultation with the local people and elected representatives.” “A selected builder will construct a seven floor apartment at his own cost, where the people from four or five adjoining slum areas will be shifted. The land, which fell vacant subsequently, will be given to the builder for the commerical development in return for his investment,” he said. Mr Jaju said they have identified 77 slums for the purpose. | |
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London deports city youth | | |
| | Family says he was a victim of profiling Hyderabad, Aug. 29: A Hyderabadi youth, Mohammed Shafiq Ahmed, 23, of Saidabad Colony was detained by the British police for three days at London en route to New York. He was deported and returned here on Tuesday. Shafiq was travelling from Dubai, where he was working from February 2006, to New York via London when he was detained. He was taken away by armed policemen who reportedly questioned him for three days. He was deported to Mumbai on Monday and arrived in Hyderabad on Tuesday evening. He was shifted to Begumpet police station for the night. Immigration officials here said that Shafiq’s visa papers and travel documents were genuine. Police said that Shafiq threatened British officials that he would commit suicide if he was not allowed to travel to US. However, they put him on a plane back to India. Shafiq had taken an Emirates flight from Dubai to London and was to board a Virgin Atlantic flight to New York. Why precisely he was detained at London is not clear. But it appears that Shafiq needed to travel from London’s Heathrow to Gatwick airport but was not holding a transit visa which is required for the purpose.It is possible that he was holding just an airside visa, which enables onward passengers to stay at the airport to switch flights. But this needs to be cleared. Shafiq’s family members however alleged that there was no reason for detaining him and blamed it on racial profiling. Shafiq’s brother-in-law Vikar said, “He had got a student visa to the US for a business programme at Johnson and Wales University. He was going to New York when they detained him for no reason. We think that the racist attitude of British officials led to this.” Immigration department inspector Vijay Singh said that the British officials had detained him because he had ‘no prior entry clearance’. They questioned him and deported him to Mumbai with three escorts, Mr Singh said. From Mumbai, Shafiq was escorted to Hyderabad by a policeman on an Indian Airlines flight.Shafiq was working as an executive with Yousuf Feroze Industrial and Trading Company at Dubai. He had obtained his US visa from the US consulate in Dubai. | |
