Indian cartoonist's arrest on sedition charges sparks outcry

NEW DELHI -- India finds itself in the middle of a new free-speech controversy after authorities arrested cartoonist and anti-corruption activist Aseem Trivedi on sedition charges.

The move over the weekend came after Trivedi displayed caricatures of India's constitution, parliament and the national emblem on placards and posted them on a social networking site.

As outcry spread Monday among media and civic groups, the police in Maharashtra state appeared to back down, telling Trivedi they would let him go if he applied for bail. He refused, however, saying he would remain in custody as a matter of principle. His next hearing is scheduled for Sept. 24.

"If telling the truth makes me a traitor, then I am one," Trivedi told reporters outside the court late Sunday on his way to a hearing. "Even Mahatma Gandhi was called traitor, and if I am booked under sedition for doing service to the nation, then I will continue to do so."

Most of his allegedly seditious cartoons were displayed last year on a website that Trivedi launched, called CartoonsAgainstCorruption.com. The government blocked the site in December during a demonstration by anti-corruption leader Anna Hazare.

Israel won't negotiate with Hitler store owners in India, envoy says

NEW DELHI -- Israel won't compensate two Indian businessmen to get them to change the name of their shop called Hitler, a diplomat said Wednesday, because paying them could inspire a host of copycat fortune seekers.

"We'd have 10,000 shops tomorrow," said Orna Sagiv, Israel's consul general in Mumbai. "We need him to understand it's wrong; we're not going to negotiate for money."

In recent days, the Western clothing shop in Ahmedabad has attracted global attention for its huge "Hitler" sign in white lettering with a red swastika inside the dot above the letter "i." Co-owner Manish Chandani said by telephone he won't cover the sign with a cloth or otherwise obscure it until he's settled on a new name and had a new sign made.

"I have a name in mind, but I don't want to disclose it yet," said Chandani, 24. "I've been getting a good response with the Hitler name; sales are good. I'm concerned that business could drop off once I change it."

Chandani, who set up the shop with partner Rajesh Shah, said he knew who Hitler was before he named the shop, having watched a TV program, and was aware the German leader helped start World War II and was responsible for the deaths of millions of people in gas chambers.

But the shop wasn't named after that Hitler, Chandani insisted, but after shopkeeper's strict grandfather who had the nickname "Hitler." The swastika -- a version of which has been used in Indian Hinduism for over 3,000 years -- was added by the sign-maker, he said.

Chinese, Indian defense ministers hold wary meetings

NEW DELHI -- Visiting defense ministers traditionally stop at New Delhi’s India Gate war memorial and lay a wreath in memory of Indian soldiers who lost their lives in past wars.

Some analysts saw Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie’s decision this week to steer clear of the monument as symptomatic of the wary military relations existing between the two Asian giants.

“It’s a kind of protocol,” said Srikanth Kondapalli, Chinese studies professor at Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University. “If they had observed it, it would be nice. If not, it indicates a certain stiff response, a stiff body language that’s reflected in the discussions.”

While analysts and both governments welcomed Liang’s five-day trip ending Thursday -- the first visit by a Chinese defense minister in eight years -- as a tepid move to build confidence between the two militaries, few expect any breakthroughs. Weighing on the two sides during the visit are growing border tensions, stepped-up military spending and friction in the South China Seas.

“They’re like two porcupines,” said C. Uday Bhaskar, a visiting fellow with Delhi’s National Maritime Foundation. “They want to be friends, but can only move a quill at a time.”

In a 90-minute meeting Tuesday between Liang and Indian Defense Minister A.K. Anthony, the two sides agreed to strengthen high-level exchanges, improve border security and work to “maintain peace and tranquility” in the region, according to a news release.

In reality, the two sides agreed to disagree on most issues, Kondapalli said, with the exception of possibly holding joint-operations in counter-terrorism, which have not been held since 2008, and some shared air force acrobatic displays. These are all very low-level and involve no sharing of tactics, scenarios or strategy, in keeping with past practice, he added.

India hosts Pakistani lawmakers during Parliament meltdown

NEW DELHI -- India played host to 13 Pakistani lawmakers this week to bolster relations and highlight the world’s largest democracy in action, but it hasn’t been the best time to showcase effective governance here.

Parliamentary business has been pretty much shut down for several days, and the brief periods when the body was in session were marked more by hoots, hollers and catcalls than measured debate or the reasoned passage of laws.

The uproar centers on the latest corruption scandal to hit the beleaguered Congress Party-led government, this one involving the allocation of coal concessions, which have reportedly cost the treasury about $34 billion. The opposition has threatened to boycott Parliament until Prime Minister Manmohan Singh resigns.

On the agenda for consideration during the current monthlong monsoon session ending Sept. 8 are bills related to the fight against corruption, food security and land acquisition. So far, however, no new laws have emerged from the lower house. By some estimates, each lost day in parliament costs India $400,000.

The visit by the 13-member Pakistani delegation comes as the two nations try and ease distrust and improve trade links in the wake of the 2008 Mumbai attack by gunmen who New Delhi maintains were trained in Pakistan.

With little official business to handle, Indian lawmakers were able to meet their Pakistani counterparts in leisurely fashion, discussing the need for easier visa protocols, more people-to-people contact and other confidence-building measures. On Saturday, the Pakistanis traveled to central Bihar state to meet with its chief minister.  

Everything’s relative, however. Although the Indian Parliament missed 11 days last year because of protests over the issue of foreign investment and passed just 26 laws, a comparison of the legislative calendars in the two countries by the Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency found that Indian lawmakers still passed 60% more bills than their Pakistani counterparts.

The Pakistani lawmakers return home Sunday. "It is a great fortune that India and Pakistan are neighbors that work in favor of each other," the Meira Kumar, India’s speaker of the lower house, said in a statement about hosting the delegation. "Our relationship goes back in history through civilizational bonds and beyond."

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Photo: Greenpeace activists dressed as coal miners unfurl a giant banner against the coal scam near Parliament in New Delhi this week as India's opposition targeted Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over allegations of government corruption. Credit: Prakash Singh/AFP/Getty Images 

Indian parliament adjourns with hoots and chants over coal scandal

NEW DELHI – India’s beleaguered government faced its latest corruption scandal Tuesday as parliament took up the issue of alleged malfeasance in the coal mining industry, with calls made for the prime minister’s resignation. After hooting, chanting and banging, and several attempt to launch a discussion in both houses, the legislative body adjourned for the day in disorder.

The ruckus followed the release of a government audit Friday that concluded that India's treasury lost more than $33 billion in sweetheart deals and underpricing between 2005 to 2009 when coal mining blocks of land were handed out without auctions. Tuesday was parliament’s first day in session since the report was released.

The scandal, dubbed “Coalgate” by the media, is particularly troublesome for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh because he oversaw India's coal portfolio between 2004 and 2007 in addition to his other responsibilities. Critics say Singh is honest but has allowed questionable dealings to take place on his watch.

The allegations are the latest in a string of corruption cases to tarnish the telecommunications, real estate, defense and sports industries. They coincide with a period of policy inertia, high inflation, slower economic growth and limited progress in carrying out reforms.

The prime minister’s office has denied any wrongdoing, as have power companies, who say any benefits were passed on to consumers in the form of lower prices.

The opposition sought Tuesday to capitalize on the latest setback. “People are shocked to see the way [the government] is looting the country," said Prakash Javadekar, leader of the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party.

"It is the demand of the nation,” he said, that Singh resign.

But that seems unlikely in the near term given ongoing support within the ruling coalition for Singh’s Congress Party. And while each new scandal weakens the government, analysts said, there’s no obvious alternative.

The opposition has had its own share of corruption scandals, said Ram Puniyani, secretary with Mumbai’s Center for Society and Secularism, a civic group. “Corruption," Puniyani said, "is related to power.”

Salman Khurshid, India’s law minister, told reporters outside parliament Tuesday there’s been “ample transparency” in allocating coal mining land parcels, adding that the government should be given the benefit of the doubt. “We can't start every inquiry and every assessment with a presumption of lack of integrity,” he said.

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Photo: Indian police prepare to remove a Greenpeace activist as he holds a banner near the area of government offices and the Indian parliament in New Delhi on Tuesday.  Credit: Associated Press 

 

 

 

As Olympics wind down, India's 'mystery lady in red' moves on

NEW DELHI -- Madhura K. Nagendra, the mystery “lady in red” who sparked anger and wounded pride among many Indians when she appeared alongside athletes at the opening ceremony of the London Olympics last month, said she’s tried to tune out all the hateful responses and doesn’t think the 15 minutes of fame will help her dance career or future professional life.

“It’s all over and done, I’m just trying to concentrate on my work,” she said by telephone from Bangalore on Friday. “I’m an introvert. I don’t even think in dance it would help my career. Maybe if I were going for mainstream movies, it might, but I don’t think so.”

Nagendra kicked up a dust storm when, initially unidentified, she appeared in a red track top and blue trousers at the head of the 40-athlete Indian contingent beside flag-bearer and wrestler Sushil Kumar. Indian officials jumped on the London organizers for security lapses, as others fumed that India was insulted in its moment of glory.

"The Indian contingent was shown for hardly 10 seconds in the TV coverage,” India’s acting Olympic delegation head, P. K. Muralidharan Raja, told the Press Trust of India news service, “and the entire focus sadly was on this lady, instead of the athletes."

Social media went viral, slamming her as a potential terrorist, gate-crasher, attention seeker. “Mystery woman stirs trouble,” blared one Indian TV headline. “India clueless,” said another, as websites sprung up showing doctored images of her gate crashing the moon landing, the birth of India in 1947 and President Obama’s swearing-in ceremony. Social critics ventured that her actions epitomized a sense of entitlement among young affluent Indians.

After a bit of poking around, Olympic officials confirmed she had Games credentials and was vetted as part of the opening ceremony dance cast. “She was slightly overexcited," Sebastian Coe, chairman of the London organizing committee, told the media.

Nagendra, whose Facebook page (now deactivated) describes her as "a very bouncy, lively, cheerful, confident, talented and amiable juvenile lass," declined to speak about how she happened to wander into the delegation or what exactly she was thinking, adding that she had said enough. But in earlier comments to India’s NDTV network she said things were a bit chaotic that night, the lights were bright and she was blinded, leading to her getting swept along by mistake.

She was initially all but oblivious to the storm brewing in India over her appearance, she said, since it wasn’t a big deal in London.

“I learned when my folks called and told me how much hype there was in India, with people saying this and that,” she said. “One thing I’ve learned, the media is immensely powerful.”

Speaking with reporters on her return last week to India, she apologized, terming her appearance an error of judgment and expressing regret that she “hurt the sentiments of my people.”  

Although India is the world’s second-most populous nation with some 1.2 billion people, it hasn’t done well in the Olympics with its one silver and three bronze medals, placing it alongside Slovakia and Armenia.

“With India's medals being few and far between, Madhura has made a case for gate-crashing to be included as an event in future Olympics,” quipped the Economic Times newspaper, while a viral text-message during India’s badminton matches with China suggested that Nagendra be dispatched to distract the opposing team.

Nagendra said it has been pretty difficult living through it all, but adds that she is strong and moving on. And while most of the outcry was negative, she has garnered a few supporters through it all.

“Lighten up, India,” said Twitter user CapitanoRay. “Love the nerve of Olympic 'gate-crasher' Madhura Nagendra,” added Twitter user Putajumperon. “Don't think she owes anyone an apology.” 

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Photo: Indian flag-bearer and wrestler Sushil Kumar looks over at "mystery woman" Madhura K. Nagendra in red during the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games last month. Credit: Jonathan Brady / European Pressphoto Agency. 

India reacts with grief, outrage over Wisconsin killing of Sikhs

NEW DELHI -- India reacted with grief and outrage at the news that at least six Sikhs were killed when a gunman attacked them Sunday in their Wisconsin temple as they prayed and prepared food.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, himself a Sikh, said in a statement Monday that he was shocked and saddened by the news and extended his condolences to the families of the victims.

“India stands in solidarity with all the peace-loving Americans who have condemned this violence,” he said, adding that he hoped “such violent acts are not repeated in the future.”

PHOTOS: Gunman opened fire at Sikh temple

On Sunday, a gunman said to be tattooed, white and in his 40s opened fire on worshippers at a suburban Sikh gurdwara, or temple, in Oak Creek, Wisc., before he was shot dead by police. His motives were not clear, although local police labeled it a case of “domestic terrorism.” Initial reports were that he acted alone. The FBI has launched an investigation.

India has a growing problem with gun violence, and ranks second worldwide in absolute numbers of civilian guns at 40 million, according to gunpolicy.org, a website hosted by the School of Public Health at the University of Sydney in Australia. However, guns and ammunition are strictly regulated in India and their numbers and use pales beside America’s estimated 270 million firearms. India has more than 3 guns for every 100 people, compared with about 89 guns per 100 Americans, the world leaders.

“The gun culture in America is a bit disturbing,” said Rohan Sabharwal, 23, a Sikh dressed in an orange turban shopping in a Delhi market. “It’s a sad, regrettable thing to have this happen.”

Indian court's ruling clears way for Exxon Valdez's final demise

NEW DELHI -- A ruling by India's Supreme Court has cleared the way for the former Exxon Valdez tanker to be dismantled, the final chapter of its notorious career.

The ship that dumped 11 million gallons of crude oil into Alaska's Prince William Sound in 1989 should land on the beaches of Alang in western Gujarat state later this month, its owners said. The vessel, now named the Oriental Nicety, will be hacked apart by hundreds of low-paid laborers in the world's largest ship graveyard.

Local environmentalists asked the high court in April to block the vessel's entry, arguing that it was laden with toxic chemicals, including mercury, arsenic and asbestos. The court ruled against them this week.

Though the court allowed the ship to die in India, it ruled that future inbound "end-of-life" vessels heading for Alang would have to prove they are in compliance with the U.N. Basel Convention governing the international movement of hazardous waste, a step activists termed a victory of sorts.

More than 600 million people affected by latest blackout in India

NEW DELHI -- India’s electricity grids suffered another massive failure Tuesday, the second in two days, frustrating commuters, stranding coal miners and leaving more than 600 million people without lights, rail service or air conditioning in 90-degree heat.

R.K. Nayak, chairman of the Power Grid Corporation of India, told reporters at a new conference in the capital that the problem was difficult to pinpoint given the network’s complexity, but that he hoped to see the system up and running by midnight.

“Some sections might have caused tripping but it is difficult to give you anything at this time,” he added.

By early evening, power officials were reporting that around 40% of the system was operating normally again.

The massive outage -- billed as one of the world’s largest, affecting half of India's 1.2 billion people -- occurred soon after the northern grid was powered back up after a 15-hour failure Monday, only to collapse again shortly after 1 p.m. Tuesday  That tripped the eastern and northeastern grids in quick succession, leaving much of the country in the dark and the capital with 1% of its usual electricity supply.

Nearly twice as many people were affected by Tuesday’s failure as were without power Monday.

Northern India suffers massive power outage

This post has been updated. See the note below for details.

NEW DELHI -- A massive breakdown of India's electricity grid cut power to 370 million people in seven northern states Monday, halting trains, cutting water supplies and creating commuter mayhem.

The crisis, which hit shortly after midnight, knocked out power to the states of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh, which has more people than Brazil. By some accounts, it was the worst blackout in India since 2001.

As officials struggled to contain the damage, electricity was diverted from adjoining states and priority was given to hospitals, water-treatment plants and transport systems, including the subway system in Delhi, the national capital territory, which has the status of a state.

Many intersections throughout the capital were manned by police officers directing gridlocked traffic with flamboyant hand gestures, even as diesel engines were called in to get about 300 delayed electric trains back into service.

Much of the population was groggy Monday after sleeping without fans or air conditioning in the intense summer heat.

By early afternoon, more than half the power capacity had been restored as energy officials launched an investigation into the causes of the outage.

[Updated, 9:12 a.m. July 30: By late afternoon, the government reported that power had been restored.]

With intermittent power interruptions even at the best of times -- India has an electricity shortfall of 9% during peak usage periods, resulting in rolling blackouts known as "load shedding" -- many companies and homes have backup generators. Delhi's international airport quickly switched to diesel power, which officials said prevented flight disruptions, although air conditioning and retail lighting were affected.  

Analysts said the power failure was made worse by this year's poor monsoon, which has raised temperatures and electricity demand even as it reduced the amount of hydroelectric power available. Some officials also said states were taking more than their share of available power.

Weak infrastructure, inadequate investment and corruption remain major constraints on the Indian economy and a sore point with an increasingly affluent, expanding middle class.

Dipesh Dipu, director of energy consulting at Deloitte India, said India has added significant power-generation capacity in the last few years, but new plants struggle to secure enough domestically mined coal to fuel their plants. Natural gas, nuclear power and alternative energies are not able to make up for the shortfall, he added. "The future picture hinges on coal," he said.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has called for a $400-billion investment in the power industry over the next five years, although the country has a history of missing annual targets aimed at meeting growing electricity demand.

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Photo: Commuters wait for a metro train in New Delhi on Monday after a portion of India's power grid crashed. Credit: Associated Press