New Delhi: The Centre on Tuesday turned down West Bengal Chief Mininster Mamata Banerjee's demand for central forces during the panchayat elections in the state. Sources reveal that the Home Ministry turned down the demand saying it was the state government's responsibility to provide security for such polls.
However, the West Bengal State Election commission and the Panchayat Minister Subrata Mukherjee are yet to confirm the development. The matter is expected to be decided by a court, which will take a decision during a hearing on Wednesday.
"We do not provide Central forces to any state. These are local bodies' polls," said an official in the Home Ministry. West Bengal government had demanded 300 companies (around 30,000 personnel) of paramilitary forces from the Centre for the panchayat polls.
On Monday, Mamata had rejected the State Election Commission's demand for 1.49 lakh security personnel for the first phase of panchayat polls scheduled for next month, saying the state did not have requisite forces. State Chief Secretary Sanjay Mitra also said a fresh proposal is being sent to the Home Ministry seeking Central Paramilitary forces for the panchayat polls scheduled from July 2. ...
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05:36 PM, Jun 18, 2013
The Home Ministry and the Nitish Kumar government have almost always differed on the issue of Naxal violence. While the MHA wants the Bihar government to deal with the Naxals on a priority basis, Patna remains more focused on its development agenda. ...
11:34 PM, Jun 13, 2013
New Delhi: CNN-IBN has accessed a letter written by Home Secretary RK Singh in February this year to the Bihar Chief Secretary warning that the state was not doing enough to tackle the growing Maoist influence. "The anti-Naxal operations have almost stopped. Left wing extremism continues to be a matter of concern," the letter said. The MHA also cited instances where Maoists had openly put up their banners in paddy...
08:26 PM, Jun 13, 2013
New Delhi: The much talked-about NCTC may be a non-starter but the government has rejected the demand of non-Congress Chief Ministers for a law to set up the anti-terror body. Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said his Ministry was not exploring the option of bringing a bill in Parliament for the purpose. "No, we have no such proposal," Shinde told reporters when asked about the possibility of bringing a law...
08:00 PM, Jun 09, 2013
Home Ministry sources have rubbished a newspaper report suggesting that the Bastar attack was a conspiracy hatched by certain Congressmen and executed by Naxals. ...
12:40 PM, Jun 03, 2013
New Delhi: Union Home Ministry sources have reject a newspaper report which alleged that insiders were involved in the deadly Naxal attack on a Congress convoy on May 25 at Darbha ghati in the dense forests of Bastar in Chhattigarh. According to a newspaper report the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has claimed that four party leaders were in 'constant touch' with Naxals on May 25. But Home Ministry sources deny...
11:10 AM, Jun 03, 2013
New Delhi: Former BCCI chief Sharad Pawar's call for a Home Ministry probe into all IPL matches has been rejected by government sources. Sources say there is no need for a Home Ministry probe into the IPL. On Wednesday, Pawar, while addressing the media, said there should be a Home Ministry probe into the IPL. The Union Minister, who had also headed the ICC, said the reputation of the game...
11:40 AM, May 30, 2013
New Delhi: Women in the national capital are scared of going to police stations to register their complaints, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said on Wednesday. "Increasing cases of crime against women remain a matter of great concern. Women find it difficult to go to police station to register their complaint as they fear that they won't be heard," Dikshit said while admitting that improving relationship between women and police remains...
07:09 PM, May 29, 2013
New Delhi: The government is mulling to introduce a witness protection programme based on best international models for guaranteeing anonymity to those who depose in courts against powerful accused in criminal cases. The Home Ministry has sought opinion of the state governments on the move to protect a threatened witness or any person involved in the justice system, including defendants and other clients, before, during and after a trial. Interestingly,...
10:10 AM, May 26, 2013
New Delhi: Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde has announced that fast-track courts will be constituted to look into terror cases where Muslim youths are held accused. The move is being looked by many as an act to appease the minority votebank ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Responding to a query on the need to set up fast-track courts to deal with cases of Muslim youths held on...
11:54 AM, May 16, 2013
New Delhi: Amidst demand for expeditious trial of terror cases involving Muslim youth, the Union Home Ministry has asked all states to set up fast track courts to take up such cases for speedy disposal. Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said the Centre has sent an advisory to all states and is also trying to find out how many Muslim inmates (involved in terror cases) were in jail and for...
06:50 PM, May 15, 2013
New Delhi: The Home Ministry on Friday made it clear that former President APJ Abdul Kalam's acceptance of the mercy petition of an Assam death row convict was conveyed to his successor Pratibha Patil and she was not kept in the dark. In a statement, the Home Ministry said the entire file related to death row convict Mahendra Nath Das, including the minutes recorded by the previous President, were placed...
07:33 PM, May 03, 2013
New Delhi: Left parties on Monday lashed out at the government for providing armed commando cover to top corporate leader Mukesh Ambani, saying the common people have been left in the lurch as gruesome incidents of rape keep happening. "It is unprecedented that at a time when such ghastly and gruesome incidents of rape are taking place and people are demanding more security, Z-plus category of security is given to...
04:20 PM, Apr 22, 2013
New Delhi: Reliance Industries Ltd Chairman Mukesh Ambani is the new entrant to the 'Z' category VIP security club after the Union Home Ministry recently approved an armed commando squad following threat perception to the business tycoon. The Home Ministry has tasked country's lead anti-Naxal operations force CRPF to take the responsibility with immediate effect after the proposal to this effect was cleared by the office of Home Minister Sushil...
05:54 PM, Apr 21, 2013
New Delhi: Three days after the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) handed over the Italian marines case to the National Investigative Agency (NIA), a case has finally been registered against them. The First Information Report (FIR) will be presented before the special court in Patiala House on Friday. The MHA had on Monday asked the NIA to investigate the killing of two Indian fishermen allegedly by two Italian marines off...
09:53 PM, Apr 04, 2013
New Delhi: Expediting the pending mercy petitions, President Pranab Mukherjee upheld execution in five cases and commuted death sentence to life term in two others. Details of President's decision were not available immediately. Seven cases of multiple murders, including one in which a convict, who was out on bail on rape charge, killed five members of the girl's family, were sent to the President for final decision in February. The...
09:47 AM, Apr 04, 2013
Two days after the Home Ministry handed over the Italian marines case to the National Investigative Agency (NIA), the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Wednesday that it has not received any notification on the same. Sources had said the NIA was asked to take over the case after the Supreme Court of India had ruled Kerala police had no jurisdiction in the matter. ...
08:14 PM, Apr 03, 2013
Home Ministry on Monday handed over the investigation of the Italian marines case to the National Investigative Agency (NIA). Sources said the NIA was asked to take over the probe after the Supreme Court ruled Kerala police had no jurisdiction in the matter. ...
02:30 PM, Apr 01, 2013
Already flooded with requests for central security cover from more VIPs, the Union Home Ministry is facing a surge in similar pleas from VIPs in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab after the state governments withdrew security. Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said trimming of security cover given to VIPs by the state governments had led to the sudden rush of people approaching his ministry for security cover after they apprehended threat...
11:44 AM, Mar 31, 2013
India's home ministry is examining the possibility of deploying Jammu and Kashmir Police along the Nepal border in the wake of recent controversy over the arrest of suspected Hizbul Mujahideen militant Liyaqat Shah, official sources said on Tuesday. ...
12:36 AM, Mar 27, 2013
