Who is Balkrishna Subedi – Indian or Nepali?

HIMALAYAN GUARDIAN JUNE 29, 2011

Who is Balkrishna Subedi – Indian or Nepali?

CBI begins probe on Ramdev’s aide

Himalayan News Network

Lucknow, June 28: The CBI on Sunday started a preliminary inquiry into the identity of Acharya Balkrishna, man Friday of Yog Guru Baba Ramdev. Balkrishna has been accused of concealing his identity to procure an Indian passport. He is allegedly a citizen of Nepal.

The complaint has been filed by Acharya Pramod Krishnam of the Akhil Bharatiya Sant Samiti (Vedant Ashram) and the Peethadhishwar of Kalki Peeth.

Senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh has accused Balkrishna of having shifted to India after allegedly committing a crime in Nepal. His complaint, referred to the Central Bureau of Investigation by the department of personnel and training, speaks of concealing truth and aiding in anomalies during processing of his Indian passport issued from the RTO, Bareilly (UP), a national daily reported.

Passport officer (PRO-B) Sudhakar Rastogi when contacted said that he was not in a position to provide specific details of the passport in question off-hand. "However I am sure of one thing: if a passport is issued by this office, it means that all proper documentary requirements have been met with. Otherwise, the passport would not have been issued in the first place," Rastogi said.

The CBI sources, quoting those associated with the probe, said that there were reports suggesting that Balkrishna is in possession of two passports issued from India. He is also said to be in possession of a Nepali passport. "This is in gross violation of the Nepal Citizenship Act, 2006 which states that any citizen of Nepal who obtains citizenship of another country must surrender his Nepalese citizenship and Nepalese passport as well. India also does not approve of dual citizenship," the sources said.

According to Balkrishna, he was born in Haridwar (India) while his parents were Nepali. He claims to have lived in India for the better part of his life. "Anyone who is born in India is a citizen of this country by birth. I am an Indian citizen and proud of it as well. I have done no wrong at all. Each and every travel document that I have in possession is a valid official document issued by the government or its agencies," Balkrishna had said recently, talking to mediapersons at Patanjali Yogpeeth in Haridwar.

He also cited the provisions of Indo-Nepal Treaty of 1950 which allows Indian citizenship to any Nepali who has lived in India for eleven years or more. Balkrishna said his ancestral home was in Syangja district of Western Nepal, where his father (Jayaballav Subedi) and mother live presently. There are reports quoting Jayaballav that Balkrishna was born in India and brought back to Nepal when he was barely 3 months old. When he left Nepal again, he was 11-years-old and studying in Class VI.

Balkrishna is seen as the brain behind Baba Ramdev's host of trusts and companies, including Patanjali Yogpeeth, which itself is supposedly worth over Rs 1,100 crore. The group has incorporated more than 30 different firms dealing in medicine, real estate and construction as well, within a span of five years starting in 2006.

 Balkrishna is believed to have joined hands with Baba Ramdev and his aide, Karamveer, in early 1990s, after they met at Tripura Yoga Ashram in Haridwar, where they assisted in preparing Ayurvedic medicines.

Editorial

PRESS FREEDOM

Civil Society Must Speak Up

The recent murder of Jyotirmoy Dey, one of India’s foremost investigative journalists in Mumbai, are disturbing signs for a country such as India which prides itself in a free and robust Press. The heinous act has caught the attention of renown social activist Anna Hazare, who has written to the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, demanding speedy action to curb attacks on journalists. Hazare has rightly pointed out that attacks on members of the Fourth Estate, which is considered the fourth pillar of democracy, “is a serious threat to India’s democratic structure.”

     While Dey’s murder has hit the headlines in both print and electronic media there are hundreds of journalists in the sub-continent who are working under tremendous pressure from the authorities, including corrupt officials and insurgent and militant groups. Their work not only gets unnoticed no one, including the media, takes note of them when they are under attack. For instance, in the last 24 years 23 journalists have been murdered in the State of Assam in the Northeast. For fear of incurring the wrath of the powers-that-be even local newspapers often fail to give adequate coverage to such condemnable acts. The national media is often too busy chasing irrelevant issues and events.

  Governments must do more than protect the media from violence. Suppression of Press freedom comes through numerous ways such as threats, economic squeeze, libel suits etc. In smaller states in India where even opposition parties succumb to government pressure it is the Fourth Estate which is forced to report the truth and expose the misdeeds of vested interests and those in power. Most of the time independent journalists in small towns go about their job at great risk to their life and property. In such a scenario stringent laws to protect journalists are not enough; members of civil society in each and every village, town and cities in India must come out in the open to protect Press freedom if they wish to live in a decent and civilized environment. Nothing less than this is acceptable to those journalists who are working in the frontiers of Press freedom.

Lay persons take over Christian educational institutions in Kurseong, Shillong

C. Tamang

Kurseong, June 28:  Starting with Goethals Memorial School, Kurseong, in 1990, St Edmund’s College has become another institution of the Christian Brothers to have a non-clergyman as the principal.

Sylvanus Lamare, a doctorate in Khasi literature, was appointed as the successor to Brother E.V. Miranda, the last principal of St Edmund’s College, belonging to the Christian Brothers congregation of Blessed Edmund Rice.

 Lamare, who has been a lecturer at the college for over 20 years, was expected to take over the prestigious institution from June 1.

   Since its establishment in 1924 by the Christian Brothers principals of the college, the first college to be set up in Meghalaya, has always been selected among Christian Borthers.

 “Over the last 20 years, the Christian Brothers have been empowering members of the laity. We also discovered that the common people were ready to take up leadership roles in our institutions,” Br C. D’Abreu, rector of the college, said.

Founded by the Christian Brothers in 1907, Goethals Memorial School, located near the picturesque town of Kurseong, is named after Jesuit Archbishop of Calcutta, Paul Goethals. The land for the school was donated by the Maharaja of Bardhaman.

On the death of Paul Goethals, Archbishop of Calcutta, in July 1901 the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Calcutta commemorated his memory by the establishment of an educational institution for boys in Kurseong.

In February 1907 classes started in the building erected by the first Principal Br. M.S.O Brien (1907–1914). The number of boys in residence was 110. The official opening took place on 30 April 1907.

Other educational institutions in Darjeeling run by Christian missionaries are finding it increasingly difficult to get principals who are not only Christians but men and women of character and integrity.

Schools such as St. Paul’s, St. Joseph’s and Mt. Hermon School in Darjeeling no longer have foreign principals from the US, Canada, UK, Australia and New Zealand.

Team Anna wants Assam activists freed‎

Train services disrupted, blockades in city by protesters, Gogoi’s release demanded

P. Ghosh

Guwahati, June 28: Social activist Anna Hazare’s civil society group India Against Corruption (IAC), which is spearheading the Lokpal Bill movement, on Sunday demanded the release of two activists arrested in Assam and sought an apology from the government.

“India Against Corruption, Delhi, strongly condemns such high-handed, brutal and undemocratic actions of the government and requests all citizens to join hands to oppose the government’s grave misconduct,” said an IAC statement.

“Gogoi and Mukut must be immediately released by the government, an apology issued, and the police officers responsible for the arrests disciplined,” it added. The activists — Akhil Gogoi and Mukut - of Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) — were arrested from the Guwahati Press Club premises on Friday for allegedly inciting violence earlier in the week in Assam’s capital Dispur. Three people were killed and more than 50 others injured in police firing in the incident.

“This is an example of the type of criminal behaviour by the government that is alienating the people of the Northeast and giving rise to and fuelling armed rebellion by various groups,” the statement said.

IAC said at the time of his arrest, Gogoi was explaining to the media how some unknown people in the crowd and some members of Youth Congress had burned vehicles.

“Instead of arresting the real culprits, the government arrested the very people who raised their voices against state crime, maladministration and corruption in the public distribution system in Golaghat district,” the statement added.

After the arrest of the two RTI activists the State has been witnessing a series of series of violent protests. While several groups staged blockades on various parts of the city, the locals of Fatashil Ambari - offended with the government's eviction drive - went even a step ahead: they sought a re-election in the area. A dawn-to-dusk Assam bandh was also called to free Akhil Gogoi on Saturday.

"Before the polls, the Congress candidate came to us and assured that we will not be evicted. We voted for him and now when his party is ruling, Talukdar (local MLA) is not listening to us. He has not visited us once to know our plights. We want a re-election here and this time we will certainly defeat the Congress candidate," alleged Golap Kalita, member of the Shantinagar Unnayan Samity.

More than 500 locals from various areas like Ambari, Lalganesh, Garchuk, Ganeshpara, Shantinagar, Dhirenpara and Pamohi assembled at Fatashil Ambari T-lane and blocked the road. The protesters pressed for immediate release of Akhil and asked the government to sit with him for a dialgoue.

"If our leader is in jail, how can any talk be fruitful? He should be released without any condition. The government should talk to him and sort out the land patta problem," said said Lila Narzary, a widow who was evicted recently.

Train services were partially disrupted in Assam on Sunday due to blockade by Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) to protest the arrest of its general secretary Akhil Gogoi. As picketeers squatted on the tracks New Delhi-bound Rajdhani Express was delayed for some time at Pathsala.

Dibrugarh-Kamakhya Express was detained at Jamuguri station at 11 am as picketers blocked the tracks on the Lumding-Furkating section, while Lumding-Tinsukia passenger train was detained at Borpathar.

The farmers body has announced a 'jail bharo' on Monday.

Sikkim Cong sending conflicting signals on fight against corruption

By A Staff Reporter

Gangtok, June 28: The State unit of the Congress party is sending conflicting signals to the people as far as its lack of will to fight rampant corruption in the State administration is concerned.

Seven Congressmen, including former minister and senior Congress leader KN Upreti, who have been reinstated into the party following the party high command’s rejection of their expulsion by the SPCC for their alleged anti-party activities, may not be able to do much to raise the corruption issue against the Chamling Government as the party high command has not shown much interest on the issue.

More than a year has passed by since SPCC President NB Bhandari submitted the much-talked-about and well-circulated “Sikkim Mahaloot” magazine, published by Sikkim Pradesh Congress Sandesh, which highlighted alleged rampant corruption involving Chief Minsiter Pawan Chamling and his past and present Cabinet colleagues, to Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

In his letter, dated June 25, 2010, to Sonia Gandhi, Bhandari sought for “appropriate action” to direct the CBI to launch investigation into the disproportionate assets case filed in the Supreme Court and CBI against Chamling & Co. This letter is published in the magazine, which has been printed in English and Nepali and widely circulated throughout the State and in New Delhi.

AICC general secretary K Jayakumar in-charge of Sikkim and Tripura, who was here last week, did not give much indication on CBI cases against Chamling. He only came here to “dispel rumours that the Congress party was opposed” to addressing issues such as corruption, black money and Lokpal.

During a meeting of the SPCC held here, Jayakumar said the party high command recently decided to revoke expulsion orders of Upreti & Co. after reviewing the matter.

Dissident group in the Congress camp led by Upreti gradually lost faith in Bhandari when he allegedly was not taking CBI cases against Chamling seriously. They also maintain that members of the SPCC were in the habit of filing dozens of RTI applications against the government mainly to blackmail the administration and extract money.