Day: June 19, 2012

New Delhi, June 19 (ANI): With the Karnataka Police arresting French consulate official, Pascal Mazurier, accused of raping his three-and-a-half-year-old daughter,Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur on Tuesday said this is the worst kind of crime that can be committed, and added that the guilty will get due punishment through the courts.
“This is the worst kind of crime that can be committed. We deeply abhor this crime. The law has its course, he has been arrested. The process will be on and he will get his due punishment through the courts,” said Kaur.
“No, he is an official and he does not have diplomatic immunity,” she added, when asked whether the arrested French consulate official is getting diplomatic immunity.
The arrest of Mazurier, Deputy Head of Chancery at the French Consulate in Bangalore, comes a day after the Ministry of Home Affairs clarified to the city police that the accused did not enjoy any diplomatic immunity and action can be taken as per law.
Mazurier was taken into custody in connection with the complaint foled by his wife Suja Jones.
Jones, an Indian citizen, has accused Mazurier of raping their daughter and has requested that he be restrained from leaving the country till legal proceedings are completed, and added that under no circumstance should he be allowed custody of their three children, all of whom are French nationals.
She has also appealed to Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna to intervene in the matter.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/accused-french-consulate-official-will-get-due-punishment-through-courts/

Poonch (J-K), June 19 (ANI): The Indian Government on Tuesday protested against the Pakistan Army violating cease-fire obligations by firing on army posts in the border district of Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir.
Pakistani troops reportedly fired grenades, bombs and mortar shells. The Indian side retaliated with gunshots. The exchange continued till the wee hours of Tuesday.
Locals urged the authorities to investigate the matter.
“This firing has been continuing for the last five days and there is so much fear that we stay inside our houses from 10 am to 2 am in the morning. We did not eat anything and we want that there should be investigations as to why this is happening. Pakistan has really troubled us and they are not letting us eat food without any cause. They throw bombs and are constantly firing and we are very troubled,” said Shah Mohammad, a local.
Several officers have sustained minor injuries and this was the fourth incident of firing that took place in a row.
“There has been a lot of firing since the last few days. There are so many bomb blasts that the walls of our house vibrate and when we sleep, we feel that our house is going to collapse. We are facing so many problems and we can’t even sleep peacefully. In 2002, we had migrated and I feel we will have to again resort to migration once again,” said Arvind, a local.

Meanwhile, the Rawalkot-Poonch bus service has been suspended because of heavy firing.

“Yes, there has been ceasefire violation. Such incidents are common and happen every now and then, but
this time it has taken a serious turn. This is because there have been several casualties, which is why trade
is halted. So, we are waiting for the authorities to hold a meeting and resolve the issue, so that we can
resume the services,” said Ajit Kumar Sahu, Development Commissioner, Poonch.

The restive region of Kashmir has witnessed numerous militant attacks, insurgency, and infiltration
attempts from across the border in the last two decades.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/india-protests-ceasefire-violation/