SourceJAMMU, KASHMIR, INDIA, JULY 27, 2003: Authorities on Saturday decided to upgrade the security cover for the pilgrimage to the holy shrine of Mata Vaishnodevi, set atop 3,500-feet-high Trikuta Hills, in the wake of the July 21 terrorist strike at Banganga that left six pilgrims killed and 48 injured. A high-level meeting, which reviewed the security for the pilgrimage, decided…
SourceNEW DELHI, INDIA, July 25, 2003: Following the hue and cry over presence of pesticides in bottled water, the Centre has finally come out with a changed rule set on packaged water, which the manufacturers have to follow from January 2004. As per the new prevention of food adulteration (PFA) guideline issued on July 18, the individual pesticide residue should…
SourceTHE HAGUE, THE NETHERLANDS, July 24, 2003: MTV Networks Belgium apologized and has removed from circulation a piece entitled “Festival Report,” which included a six-armed Ganesha. In His hands are a guitar, bag of french fries, microphone, cigarette and beer cup, with the sixth hand in the traditional position of blessing. The Dutch watchdog group, AGNI, objected to the producers…
SourceVATICAN CITY, July 17, 2003: The famed temple of Tirupati in India, and others around the world, have instituted dress codes for devotees, and encountered protests in the process. This news report in the Detroit Times shows other religions, too, face the same problem of casually dressed people in their sacred places and have imposed strict dress codes as a…
SourceAHMEDABAD, GUJARAT, July 21, 2003: Gujarat police arrested a Christian priest from Junagadh on charges of “offending another’s religion,” officials said here. A complaint was registered against Reverend Suresh Thaker who runs the Grace Ministry of India, an orphanage at Talala in Gir region of the district, alleging he threw a statue of a Deity belonging to a former employee,…
SourceNASHIK, INDIA, July 20, 2003: Over the coming months, seven million pilgrims will re-live the ancient ritual of traveling to the Maharashtra town of Nashik for the Kumbh Mela. At exactly 11.51 AM on July 30, 2003, as the Sun and Jupiter enter the constellation of Leo, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims will plunge into the Godavari, just as their…
SourceTHIRUVANANTHAPURAM, KERALA, July 24, 2003: Taking a serious note of growing cruelty towards captive elephants and their violent reaction to human captors, the Kerala Government has issued norms for their upkeep which, among other things, insists that the tamed elephants should be retired from working at the age of 65. The set of rules issued recently had clear-cut norms for…
Associated PressJAMMU, INDIA, July 21, 2003: Two grenade blasts by suspected Islamic guerrillas killed seven pilgrims and wounded 25 others on their way to one of the most revered Hindu shrines in Indian-controlled Kashmir, police said. The explosions occurred at a community kitchen as thousands of people were making the steep climb to the mountaintop shrine of Vaishno Devi. “This…
SourceNEW DELHI, INDIA, July 18, 2003: Member of Parliament Dr. Karan Singh has written to all Chief Ministers and Vice Chancellors of around 100 universities in the country urging them to initiate inter-faith activities and to observe 2004 as “Interfaith Harmony Year.” In his letter, Dr. Singh said, “We are witness to events and trends around the world, as well…
News ReportsUTTAR PRADESH, INDIA, July 12, 2003: Discrimination against Dalits (“Untouchables”) continues to escalate in the state by as much as 30% a year. In actual numbers, this means that the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribes Commission receives about 1,200-1,400 complaints annually about atrocities and discrimination against Dalits. The Dalits themselves hoped to receive an improvement of their condition when Mayawati, a…