India 'tiger Rolls' is for sale

26 July 2011 Last updated at 15:32 GMT The car was designed more for show than for hunting A 1925 Rolls Royce car customised with mounted guns and searchlights to hunt for tigers is to be sold in the US next month by Bonhams auction house.

The car was used by an Indian maharaja during the days of the British Raj, and is expected to sell for up to $1.6m (?1m).

It was commissioned by Umed Singh II, the maharaja of Kotah, when tiger hunting was hugely popular in India.

Maharajas were known for their high living and extravagant spending.

Many had customised cars - usually made in the US - for hunting tigers, leopards and Asiatic lions in India's forests.

Bonhams say that the car's eight-litre, six-cylinder engine with a low gearing ratio allowed "it to creep powerfully through the roughshod jungles of Rajasthan".

Correspondents say that while most tiger hunting was carried out on elephant-back, some Indian maharajahs, or "great kings" of princely states took things to the extreme.

"It was more for a show but everything would be ready and then they would then go and take this Rolls Royce up to a point or the hills and from there shoot the tiger that was already captured by their servants," Pran Nevile, a writer and expert on India's colonial history, told the Reuters news agency.

Indiscriminate hunting over the centuries has decimated India's tiger population from an estimated 40,000 animals 100 ago to about 1,700 today.

The vehicle is due to be sold in mid-August in Carmel, California.

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India activist rejects graft law

29 July 2011 Last updated at 04:18 GMT Anti-graft activist Anna Hazare had undertaken a fast in April Indian activist Anna Hazare has rejected a proposed new anti-corruption law which has been approved by the government.

Mr Hazare said the Jan Lokpal (Citizen's Ombudsman) Bill was a "cruel joke". He said he would go on hunger strike from 16 August in protest.

The government has refused to include the prime minister and senior judiciary under the purview of the ombudsman.

India has recently been hit by a string of high-profile corruption scandals.

Civil society members, led by Mr Hazare, have been pushing the government for a strong ombudsman that will have the power to investigate corruption charges against the prime minister, senior judges and MPs, among others.

On Thursday, the government approved a draft of the law which allows citizens to to approach the ombudsman with complaints against federal ministers and bureaucrats, who are protected under India's present anti-graft laws.

But campaigners led by Mr Hazare and the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have criticised the government's decision to keep the prime minister and senior judges out of the proposed law.

"If a prime minister does something corrupt to save his seat and there is no investigation into the corruption, then what does this mean?" BJP spokesman Ravishankar Prasad said.

Mr Hazare, who went on a hunger strike in April to protest against government inaction on corruption, said the proposed law was "unconstitutional".

But federal Law Minister Salman Khurshid said the government had accepted most of the points raised by the civil society members in framing the proposed law.

Some of the recent corruption scandals to have rocked India include a multi-billion dollar alleged telecoms scam, alleged financial malpractices in connection with the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games and allegations that houses for war widows were diverted to civil servants.

Critics of the government say that recent scandals point to a pervasive culture of corruption in Mr Singh's administration - adding to the difficulties of a politician once seen as India's most honest.

A recent survey said corruption in India cost billions of dollars and threatened to derail growth.

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End in sight for Cairn India deal

26 July 2011 Last updated at 21:30 GMT By Douglas Fraser BBC Scotland Business and Economy Editor The Indian government's condition would reduce profits from Cairn India An end is in sight in the long-running dispute over a major oil deal in which Cairn Energy has faced delay by the Indian government.

The Edinburgh-based oil explorer is taking the issue to shareholders of its Indian offshoot.

Cairn is expected to accept a sharp cut in the value of its oil fields in Rajasthan.

The company has been trying to sell a controlling stake in Cairn India for almost a year.

But the sale to metals company Vedanta has been stalled by the Indian government.

Last month, cabinet ministers in Delhi decided to change the terms under which Cairn Energy was encouraged to explore for oil in the Rajasthani desert.

Having found oil, that change is calculated by Cairn to reduce its value by ?176m ($289m)

Cairn India, the spin-off company which is now 52% owned by Cairn Energy in Scotland, has warned the Indian government that a lack of co-operation in developing the vast Mangala field in Rajasthan is harming the national interest, by forcing higher energy imports.

The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), majority owned by the Indian government, has been pushing to reduce its liability to pay all the royalties on oil production, as previously agreed.

The Indian government has ruled those royalties should now be deducted before calculating Cairn India's profits.

While the dispute has continued, the flow from Mangala has been limited to 125,000 barrels per day, when it could be increased to 240,000 barrels.

Cairn India is now to ballot shareholders.

And as Cairn Energy and Vedanta together control 80% of the company, approval of the changed terms is expected.

Rahul Dhir, chief executive of Cairn India, said: "The Rajasthan fields have significant growth potential and an increase in production from this world class asset will enhance the energy security of our nation.

"The optimal development of this resource will only be possible with the active support of our joint venture partner, ONGC and the Government of India".

The quarterly update on Cairn India reflects the Mangala oil field coming on stream, with revenue since the quarter to June 2010 up by 342% to ?506m ($830m), with profit after tax up 869% to ?384 ($610m).

Cairn India is also increasing its drilling activity in Sri Lankan waters.

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Ford to invest $1bn in India unit

28 July 2011 Last updated at 05:42 GMT Ford has been launching new models in India in a bid to increase its market share US car maker Ford is planning to expand its operations in India as it attempts to capture a greater share of the country's car market.

The US carmaker says it plans to invest $1bn (?612m) in building a new factory in the western state of Gujarat, its second production line in India.

The announcement comes as Ford is looking to increase its global sales by 50% over the next four years.

India is one of the fastest-growing car markets in the world.

"These new state-of-the-art facilities will help us reach the goal of increasing worldwide sales by nearly 50% by mid-decade to about 8 million vehicles per year," said Michael Boneham, president and managing director of Ford India.

'Growth potential' Continue reading the main story

We are aggressively expanding in markets around the world that have the most growth potential”

End Quote Michael Boneham Ford India India's rapid economic expansion has seen demand for higher-value items such as cars increase substantially.

Car sales in the country grew by almost 30% in 2010, making it one of the most attractive markets for manufacturers.

On Wednesday, Toyota, the world's biggest carmaker, said it planned to invest $220m to nearly double its production capacity in India by 2013.

Ford, which has been manufacturing cars in India for more than 10 years, has also been looking to increase its market share.

The launch of new models has led to robust sales growth in the first six months of year. The company said it was looking to exploit the market even further.

"We are aggressively expanding in markets around the world that have the most growth potential," said Mr Boneham.

He added that the company planned to offer more "fuel-efficient, high-quality vehicles from our global portfolio that customers in markets like India want and value".

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Siachen fire kills India officers

22 July 2011 Last updated at 06:36 GMT Siachen is regarded as the world's highest battlefield Two Indian army officers burned to death when their shelter caught fire in the disputed Siachen glacier area of the Himalayas, the army told the BBC.

Two soldiers were injured when they tried to rescue the officers on Thursday night, an army spokesman said.

An inquiry has been ordered into how the fire started, he added.

Siachen borders the Pakistani- and Indian-administered portions of disputed Kashmir and is regarded as the world's highest battlefield.

India believes that the glacier is of vital, strategic and diplomatic value.

The two countries agreed a ceasefire deal over the Siachen glacier in 2003 but thousands of troops are deployed in the region.

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Joint Bangladesh and India census

14 July 2011 Last updated at 06:40 GMT By Ethirajan Anbarasan BBC News, Dhaka The India-Bangladesh border is not demarcated properly Bangladesh and India have begun their first-ever joint census of areas along their border to resolve some territorial anomalies.

Tens of thousands of Bangladeshis live in 51 enclaves in India while India has 100 areas within Bangladesh.

The residents of these enclaves are in effect stateless and lack access to public services.

Both countries are close to a deal to exchange the enclaves as part of long-standing boundary negotiations.

The census will be held over three days. It aims to find out the number of people living in the enclaves, who often have little access to schools, hospitals and other public services.

The enclaves are historical anomalies of the partition of the subcontinent in 1947.

Bangladesh Home Secretary Abdus Sobhan Sikder told the BBC that India and Bangladesh had agreed to exchange the enclaves in 1974, "but it was not implemented".

Now, the two countries are inching towards a deal to exchange these enclaves as part of their efforts to resolve their long-standing boundary issues.

The question is - what will happen to the people?

The two governments say it is up to the residents to decide where they want to live.

The two countries hope to reach some sort of an agreement to exchange these enclaves during Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Dhaka in September.

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India factory output growth slows

12 July 2011 Last updated at 08:07 GMT Manufacturing activity in India has slowed down in wake of the tightening monetary policy India's factory output grew at a weaker-than-expected rate in May as manufacturing activity slowed.

Industrial output grew by 5.6% in May compared with the same month last year, latest government data showed.

Manufacturing, which accounts for 80% of overall industrial output, also rose by 5.6% in May, compared with growth of 8.9% a year earlier.

The figures come at a time when India has been tightening its monetary policy in an attempt to rein in growth.

"Overall, the data provides further affirmation of the moderating growth trends," said Radhika Rao of Forecast Pte.

Inflation vs growth

India's economy has witnessed robust growth in the past couple of years.

However, the success has come at a price. Consumer prices in the country have surged, affecting the cost of living and becoming a hot political issue.

Continue reading the main story

This data is unlikely to prevent the RBI from further modest tightening in the second half”

End Quote George Worthington IFR Markets As a result the government and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) have intervened to ensure that prices remain in check

The central bank has raised interest rates in the country 10 times since March 2010

Analysts said that with the government focusing on controlling prices, other sectors are likely to suffer.

"We are seeing definite signs of slowdown in interest-rate sensitive sectors," said Rupa Rege Nitsure of Bank of Baroda.

Further tightening?

However, despite the slowdown, analysts said that it was unlikely that the government would change its focus.

They said that given the robust expansion that India's economy has seen in recent times, the current figures are not likely to have a big impact.

"A period of subdued growth should not be a major concern for the authorities," said George Worthington of IFR Markets.

"This data is unlikely to prevent the RBI from further modest tightening in the second half," he added.

Mr Worthington added that manufacturing activity was likely to improve in the coming times "as new investments come on stream, allowing a faster rate of growth without adding to inflationary pressures".

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Strauss relishing India challenge

Strauss will make a guest appearance for Somerset at Taunton this week. England captain Andrew Strauss says he's relishing the chance to take on India in the coming four-match Test series which begins later this month.

India are the top-ranked side in Test cricket, and Strauss admits that they will likely pose a tougher challenge than previous opponents Sri Lanka.

He said: "We definitely have the capability to beat [them] but we are not going to win this series without playing at our very best."

The series begins at Lord's on 21 July.

England go into the contest in an optimistic frame of mind after a 1-0 Test series win over Sri Lanka and a 3-2 victory in the one-day international series.

England will need to improve - Strauss

But Strauss warned: "It's a huge challenge - the number one Test side coming over here, it's a really strong test to see how far we have come as a team.

"From a pure cricketing side, playing the number one Test side in the world, there's no bigger challenge than that." Strauss relishing India challenge

Strauss will use a guest appearance for Somerset in their three-day game against India to get used to the visitors' bowling attack.

That game, which starts at Taunton on Friday, will also give him a chance to rediscover his form with the bat.

The unusual opportunity for Strauss to play for Somerset only came about because his own county Middlesex were without a fixture.

No pressure to score runs - Trott

The England skipper said he was pleased Somerset offered him the chance but does not envisage it becoming a regular thing.

Strauss's England and Middlesex team-mates Eoin Morgan and Steven Finn, meanwhile, are also itching to take on India at their home ground next week.

Morgan knows what to expect from India, who arrived in England on Tuesday fresh from a 1-0 Test series victory in the West Indies.

"It will be huge - especially where they're at in the world at the moment, a fantastic side," the Irishman said of an Indian side which includes the highest scoring batsman in Test history, Sachin Tendulkar.

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India ministers axed in reshuffle

12 July 2011 Last updated at 12:07 GMT Mr Singh has come under fire in recent months Indian PM Manmohan Singh has reshuffled his cabinet, dropping seven ministers as his government grapples with corruption scandals and inflation.

While the key ministries of finance, home, defence and foreign affairs remain unchanged, six new ministers have been brought in.

This is the second cabinet reshuffle carried out by Mr Singh since January.

It is being seen as a bid to improve the government's image, which has come under attack in recent months.

One former cabinet minister is under arrest in connection with corruption investigations, another resigned last week. Both deny wrongdoing.

Last month, in a rare meeting with media editors, Mr Singh dismissed opposition criticism that he is a "lame duck" leader.

Among the ministers dropped on Tuesday is Textile Minister Dayanidhi Maran who submitted his resignation last week following allegations of involvement in a multi-billion dollar scandal over telecoms licences.

Petroleum Minister Murli Deora and Sports Minister MS Gill have also been dropped.

Mr Singh has appointed Dinesh Trivedi as the new railway minister, a position which has been lying vacant since May.

Jairam Ramesh has been moved from the environment ministry to take charge of the rural development ministry. Congress party spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan gets the environment portfolio.

Salman Khurshid replaces law minister Veerappa Moily, who moves to corporate affairs.

Correspondents say that a tide of anger over corruption and the increasing food inflation has strained the Congress Party's ties with its increasingly worried allies in the run-up to key state elections next year and a general election due by 2014.

Also, economic growth has slowed and critics say the government has not pushed forward key reforms.

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Call centre moves back from India

5 July 2011 Last updated at 11:08 GMT New Call Telecom will move back to Burnley after three years in Mumbai A telecommunications company is moving one of its call centres from India to Lancashire in a move that is expected to bring 100 jobs to the area.

New Call Telecom transferred its business to Mumbai three years ago, but increased costs has prompted it to move to Burnley.

The move will initially create 25 jobs which over the year will increase to 100, the company said.

Salaries are expected to be around the ?14,000 mark.

Chief Executive Nigel Eastwood said: "Employees (in the UK) are loyal, unemployment rates are quite high.

"In contrast, in India jobs are plentiful and we suffer a lot from attrition.

"A similar call centre down the road may offer a more lucrative salary and pull staff away and we need to keep going out there for retraining."

'Pleasant' accent

He added that over the last year he had seen a growing trend in India for prices to increase in real estate, salaries and accommodation.

The price of the Burnley premises, which already have the necessary technology, contributed to the firm's decision to move.

Mr Eastwood said another draw for the company is that the east Lancashire accent is "quite pleasant and easy to understand".

He said: "The average call handling time in the UK should be reduced because people get their point across on the first pass, that makes us more efficient."

The new call centre is planned to be fully operational by mid-August.

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India minister 'quits over graft'

7 July 2011 Last updated at 10:26 GMT Mr Maran has denied allegations of corruption Indian Textile Minister Dayanidhi Maran has resigned following allegations of involvement in the country's biggest corruption scandal, media reports say.

Mr Maran, who belongs to a key ally of the governing Congress party, is the second minister to be embroiled in the scandal over telecoms licences.

His DMK party colleague, former telecoms minister Andimuthu Raja, is already in jail on corruption charges.

The multi-billion dollar scandal has badly hurt the government's reputation.

India may have lost as much as $39bn in revenue, a sum equivalent to the annual defence budget, the state auditor has said.

Mr Maran is being investigated as part of a broader probe into wrongdoing over a decade.

He has denied allegations that he coerced the founder of the mobile phone firm Aircel to sell off his stake to a firm favoured by the minister.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's second term in office has been hit by a series of corruption scandals that have triggered public anger and paralysed policymaking, diverting the government's attention from stimulating India's flagging economy.

Damaged reputation

Mr Maran left the telecommunications ministry in 2007 to be succeeded by Mr Raja and was until Thursday the country's textiles minister.

India is the fastest growing mobile phone market

Prosecutors have already charged Mr Raja with fraud and forgery in a separate scandal related to the 2008 sale of cellular licences.

That sale, conducted on a first-come, first-served basis, netted India only 124bn rupees ($2.7bn), causing the government to lose billions of dollars in potential revenue.

In May another senior member of the Tamil Nadu-based DMK party to be implicated in the scandal was arrested.

Kanimozhi - a member of parliament and the daughter of the state's former chief minister M Karunanidhi - denies conspiracy and bribery allegations in relation to the alleged mis-selling of the telecoms licences.

Several top company executives have also been arrested in connection with the so-called 2G case.

The government has been hit by a series of corruption allegations in recent months.

These include a parliamentary cash-for-votes scandal, the resignation of the head of the country's anti-corruption watchdog after he himself was accused of wrongdoing and alleged financial irregularities at last year's Commonwealth Games.

India has the world's fastest growing mobile phone market, with about half a billion subscribers.

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Cost blow to Cairn India deal

30 June 2011 Last updated at 18:53 GMT By Douglas Fraser BBC Scotland Business and Economy Editor The Indian government's condition would reduce profits from Cairn India The Indian government has put an expensive condition on its approval for Cairn Energy to sell its stake in the country's biggest oil field.

Edinburgh-based Cairn Energy last summer agreed to transfer a controlling stake in Cairn India and its Rajasthani oil assets to the London-listed metals company Vedanta.

But the deal to sell 40% of the spin-out company Cairn India, which is now valued at around ?3.4bn ($5.46bn), was delayed by the Indian government. It owns most of ONGC, which has a 30% stake in Cairn India.

The impasse, in which government departments have taken conflicting positions, had been watched closely by foreign investors, as a signal of whether India is a predictable and safe business environment for them.

Indian oil minister Jaipal Reddy has announced that ministers approved the deal, but with a condition that is likely to reduce substantially the value of Cairn Energy's stake.

ONGC agreed in 1995, before oil was struck and when it was wholly owned by the Indian government, to pay the government all production royalties if oil was found.

But the Mangala oil field is so big that the state-controlled company, now with a stake held by private shareholders, wants to force its partner to take on some of the royalty cost.

Reduced profits

The Indian government wants to make the cost of those royalties recoverable - meaning profit can only be taken by shareholders such as Cairn Energy or Vedanta once the royalty payments have been accounted for.

That sharply reduces the profits that can be expected.

Cairn reacted cautiously to the news from New Delhi, saying it has yet to see details of the government's ruling, and that it continues to work towards conclusion of the deal.

It has repeatedly said that the "sanctity of contract" is a principle the Indian government should want to protect.

That carries an implicit warning that breaking the terms of the royalty agreement will have a bad impact on India's international reputation, at a time when foreign investment in India has already fallen sharply.

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India actress jailed over killing

1 July 2011 Last updated at 09:58 GMT An Indian court has sentenced an actress and her naval officer boyfriend in connection with the killing of TV executive Neeraj Grover in 2008.

Maria Susairaj was sentenced to three years in jail for destroying evidence. Emile Jerome got 10 years for "culpable homicide not amounting to murder".

Both had been charged with murder. But a judge in the Mumbai (Bombay) court ruled the killing was not planned.

Mr Grover was stabbed and his body hacked to pieces, the court heard.

Both defendants had been charged with murder, criminal conspiracy, common intent and causing disappearance of evidence.

Susairaj, a model who has had some small television parts, confessed to her role in covering up the killing. But she said that Jerome had been responsible for Mr Grover's death.

Her lawyers claimed that she was not party to the killing and that there had been no conspiracy. Her lawyer is quoted saying she was "a victim of circumstance".

According to the prosecution, Jerome, to whom Susairaj was engaged to be married, had a fight with Mr Grover when he found him at the actress's home.

The naval officer stabbed the producer to death, the court heard. Prosecutors said the couple then hacked Mr Grover's body to pieces and disposed of it in a nearby forest.

The judge held that Jerome had acted on the spur of the moment and that it had not been a pre-meditated killing, so he passed the lesser verdict of "culpable homicide".

"When he [Jerome] entered the room he was calm. This showed he did not have intention [to murder]. Obviously for a fiance, in a situation where he finds a stranger with his partner, would upset a prudent man and he would lose control," sessions court judge NW Chandwani is quoted as saying by the CNN-IBN news channel.

Correspondents expect Susairaj to be freed soon, as she has already been in jail for three years. Jerome faces seven more years in prison.

Both defendants have been ordered to pay compensation to the family of Neeraj Grover. Mr Grover's family have said they are unhappy with the verdict, saying they have not received justice.

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17 children die at India hospital

30 June 2011 Last updated at 18:36 GMT Around 400 people protested outside the BC Roy Hospital for Children The Indian state of West Bengal has ordered an investigation into the deaths of 17 infants reportedly within 36 hours at a Calcutta hospital.

It says that it wants to establish whether or not the babies died because of negligence.

News channels on Thursday showed images of weeping and wailing parents outside the BC Roy Hospital for Children.

A hospital official said the babies were premature, suffering from septicaemia or had low birth weights.

The hospital denied any negligence in remarks to the Press Trust of India news agency.

The investigation into the deaths was announced by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

"This is a very sad incident," she said. "We have ordered an inquiry into the unusual deaths."

Around 400 people, including angry parents of the dead children, protested outside the hospital on Thursday and were later reported to have clashed with baton-wielding police.

Correspondents say that the hospital usually accommodates 360 children, but is generally overcrowded, with many infants and young children forced to sleep on the floor because of the lack of beds.

The BBC's Amitabha Bhattasali in Calcutta says that a similar incident at the hospital happened five years ago when 10 children died.

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US sees India as key trade ally

29 June 2011 Last updated at 07:47 GMT India's economic growth has seen it become a key ally for developed economies like the US The US wants India to become one of its top 10 trading partners, treasury secretary Timothy Geithner said as the two countries agreed on improving access to each other's markets.

He made the remarks after meeting India's Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee at the second India-US Economic and Financial Partnership.

India is currently the US' twelfth largest trading partner, with bilateral trade of almost $50bn (?31bn).

US is the world's biggest economy.

"In the United States, we aren't just watching India's rise as an economic power, we support it. We encourage it. And we want to help advance it," Mr Geithner said.

"India's growth is good for us, just as our growth is good for India," he added.

Barriers to growth

However, Mr Geithner said that if trade between the two countries was to rise to the next level, then India needed to open up more sectors of its economy.

US companies have been lobbying to tap into India's lucrative financial and retail sector, but have not been successful so far.

Continue reading the main story

The single most important take away is the commitment of both governments to work hard to expand deepen this relationship”

End Quote Timothy Geithner US Treasury Secretary "American companies still face barriers in India in sectors such as banking, insurance, manufacturing, multi-brand retail and infrastructure," Mr Geithner said.

Mr Geithner added that not only were these barriers limiting growth, they were also a hindrance to job creation in both the countries.

However, Mr Mukherjee said that given the political situation in India it was not easy to introduce reforms in key sectors.

"We do not have a simple, single-party majority in legislature and in parliament," he said.

"We shall have to carry other people with us and we are exactly trying to do that," Mr Mukherjee added.

Despite the limitations expressed by the Indian finance minister, Mr Geithner said he was happy with the overall outcome of the bilateral meeting.

"The single most important take away is the commitment of both governments to work hard to expand deepen this relationship," he said.

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India court suspends land return

29 June 2011 Last updated at 08:26 GMT Land acquisition is becoming a major political issue in India India's Supreme Court has directed the government of West Bengal to suspend the return of land acquired by a car maker to farmers.

Tata Motors had challenged the government over its measures to reclaim the land.

The land in Singur, near Calcutta, was acquired by the state's former communist government in 2006 for Tata Motors to make its low-cost Nano car.

After months of violent protests, the company pulled out of West Bengal.

Tata Motors then went on to set up a new plant in the state of Gujarat.

In May, the regional Trinamul Congress party led by Mamata Banerjee won a landslide victory in West Bengal against the state's long-serving communist government on the promise that she would restore the land to the farmers.

Earlier this month, West Bengal passed a law that would allow for the return of about 400 acres of land to farmers who never accepted government compensation for their land.

Some legislators have criticised the law, saying it was introduced in haste. Others have demanded that the entire 997 acres of land taken for the project should be restored.

Even as Tata Motors contested the decision in the High Court in Calcutta and the Supreme Court, the government began the process of returning the land - which is currently being leased by Tata - to the farmers.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court directed the government to suspend the return of land until further orders are passed by the High Court in Calcutta, where the dispute is pending.

Tata Motors has reported a tripling of profits in the last year.

However, sales of small cars lagged somewhat over the same time period, perhaps reflecting difficulties with the Nano, which began production in 2008.

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India police 'rubbish truck' row

29 June 2011 Last updated at 08:21 GMT Police say there was no intention to dishonour the dead A row has broken out in India over the decision to transport three policemen who died fighting Maoist rebels in the state of Chhattisgarh in a rubbish truck.

Police said that they had to use the vehicle because there was no other form of transport to remove the dead men from the scene of battle.

The opposition Congress in the state has lambasted the ruling BJP party over the incident.

It has demanded strong action against the officials responsible.

"The incident shows the highest degree of insensitivity by the BJP towards those fighting the Maoists and laying down their lives," Congress chief spokesperson Ramesh Varlyani said.

"The party has brought disgrace to their sacrifice. The government should apologise publicly for the act."

Police say that no ambulance was available after the men were killed in a bomb explosion after conducting a search operation in the Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh.

"But it doesn't mean it was done to bring disgrace to the martyrs," said spokesman Ankit Garg. "We had to act with whatever resources were available to us at that point of time."

Officials say that the vehicle used was thoroughly cleaned before the bodies were transported.

Maoist rebels say they are fighting for the rights of indigenous tribal people and the rural poor.

They are active in several eastern and central states. In one of the most deadly attacks last year, rebels killed 74 policemen in Dantewada.

India's prime minister has described the Maoist insurgency as the country's biggest internal security challenge.

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India PM denies 'lame duck' claim

29 June 2011 Last updated at 13:44 GMT Manmohan Singh said he was in command India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has dismissed opposition criticism that he is a "lame duck" leader.

In a rare meeting with media editors, he said "truth will prevail" and his performance would speak for itself.

Mr Singh has come under fire over corruption scandals involving cabinet ministers, as well as rising inflation.

Media reports have criticised him for "being silent" on these issues. Mr Singh told editors the media had become "accuser, prosecutor and judge".

Mr Singh told the meeting that the "lame duck" tag was "clever propaganda of the opposition to which some sections of the media had lent their ear", state-run Doordarshan News reported.

"He agreed that there was a perception [of crisis] but that the perception is wrong... he is not a lame duck prime minister," Kumar Ketkar, one of the five newspaper editors present at the meeting, told reporters.

Mr Singh also said that whenever the Congress party "makes up its mind I will be very happy to step down, but so long as I am here I have a job to do".

The media-shy Mr Singh has held very few meetings with journalists since coming to power in 2004. Reports suggest that he now plans to hold regular interactions of this kind to try to improve his standing.

Consensus

The prime minister said he was working on a consensus with civil society representatives over strong anti-corruption laws.

Campaigners who are jointly drafting a new anti-corruption ombudsman bill with the authorities have criticised the government for "not being serious" about it.

There have been differences over whether the prime minister would be investigated under the new ombudsman.

"The government would reach out to the civil society but no group can insist that their views A to Z are the last word," Mr Singh reportedly said.

He said he had "no hesitation" in bringing himself under the purview of an ombudsman.

But he added that many of his cabinet colleagues felt that giving the ombudsman such powers would create "an element of instability which can go out of hand".

Correspondents say the media interaction was an attempt by the prime minister to improve the image of his party and the government.

In another rare appearance before the media, Mr Singh admitted at a press conference in February that a series of damaging scandals had affected the standing of his Congress-led government.

The government is accused of losing billions of dollars by underselling telephone licences. Preparations for last year's Commonwealth Games were also dogged by corruption claims.

More recently the government was accused of being heavy-handed when police broke up anti-corruption protests in Delhi earlier this month. At least 30 people were injured and government critics said free speech had been denied.

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India fight back against Windies

Second Test, Georgetown (day one):

Edwards celebrates taking the wicket of India's MS Dhoni at Kensington Oval India's bowlers hit back after their batsmen suffered two heavy collapses to be all out for just 201 on the opening day of the second Test against West Indies in Barbados on Tuesday.

The tourists took the late wickets of Adrian Barath, Lendl Simmons and Darren Bravo to leave the hosts 30-3.

Home bowlers Devendra Bishoo, Ravi Rampaul and Fidel Edwards had each collected three-wicket hauls earlier.

VVS Laxman top-scored for India with a battling 85.

Suresh Raina hit 53 as India, who completed a convincing 63-run first Test victory inside four days in Kingston, appeared to gain a slight edge on day one.

Rampaul attacked India's top order aggressively in the first session, claiming three wickets for four runs to leave India 44 for four at lunch.

Though Laxman and Raina steadied their team's first innings in a wicketless second session, West Indies made a serious breakthrough again after tea to turn 147 for four into 201 all out.

Windies captain Darren Sammy won the toss on an overcast morning, with his decision to bowl first soon paying dividends.

Abhinav Mukund departed in the second over, lobbing a simple catch to Marlon Samuels at gully off the bowling of Rampaul, while Rahul Dravid did not fare much better, contributing five before edging a fine delivery from Sammy to wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh.

Veteran Laxman fell, eventually, to Bishoo 15 runs short of his century after being caught at backward point by Adrian Barath.

Barath, with three, was the first to lose his wicket for the hosts while Simmons perished soon afterwards before Bravo was caught behind for nine in the final over of the day.

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Arrests for India reporter murder

27 June 2011 Last updated at 11:03 GMT Jyotirmoy Dey was one of Mumbai's top crime reporters Police in the Indian city of Mumbai (Bombay) have arrested seven men in connection with the killing of a prominent crime reporter.

Jyotirmoy Dey, who worked for the Mid Day newspaper, was shot dead by four men on motorcycles on 11 June.

Police said the killing was carried out on the orders of a notorious underworld gangster, known as Chhota Rajan.

Since his death, journalists in the city have held protest marches, seeking greater protection from the government.

The Committee to Protect Journalists said 27 journalists have been killed in India since 1992.

Most victims were print journalists covering politics, business and corruption.

The seven men appeared in a city court, which remanded them to police custody until 4 July.

Earlier the city's police chief Arun Patnaik told a press conference that the case had been "totally cracked".

"There was tremendous pressure on Mumbai police to crack the case and we have finally made a breakthrough," he said.

Joint Commissioner of Police Himanshu Roy told the press conference how the conspiracy to kill Mr Dey was hatched and how the murder was committed.

Mr Roy said they had seized the murder weapon, the vehicle used for the crime and 10 mobile phones from the arrested men.

Mr Dey, 56, was one of Mumbai's top journalists reporting on crime and had worked for leading newspapers like The Indian Express and the Hindustan Times, before joining Mid Day as the investigations editor.

He was returning home on his motorcycle when he was shot dead by men on motorcycles, who sped away after the incident.

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