Friday, February 21, 2014

US man arrested for stealing brains, selling them on eBay

David Charles allegedly stole more than 60 jars of brain and other human tissues in October from a warehouse space at the Indiana Medical History Museum. David Charles allegedly stole more than 60 jars of brain and other human tissues in October from a warehouse space at the Indiana Medical History Museum.

Chicago: A 21-year-old man has been arrested in the US for allegedly stealing brains of dead mental patients from a medical history museum and selling them on an online trading website.

David Charles allegedly stole more than 60 jars of brain and other human tissues in October from a warehouse space at the Indiana Medical History Museum, the Marion County prosecutor's office said in court papers on Thursday. He is accused of breaking into the museum and taking jars of brains and tissue from autopsies performed on patients in the 1890s, CNN reported.

Court documents said some jars were sold on eBay by a middleman, despite a company policy against listing 'humans, the human body, or any human body parts or products'.

A tipster who paid hundreds of dollars on the online auction site helped bring the 'organ entrepreneurism' to an end.

Indianapolis police had investigated several break-ins at the museum's storage facility before a California phone call led police to Charles. Authorities allege that Charles was scheming to sell some of them, according to court documents.

The alleged scheme began to unravel when the executive director of the museum, Mary Ellen Hennessey Nottage, received the call last month from a man in California who said he had purchased 'six jars of brain matter' for USD 600 on the trading site, according to court documents.

The man suspected the jars were stolen when he compared them to others on the museum website. Nottage notified the police.

Charles was arrested on December 16 after authorities organised an undercover sting. He faces charges of theft, marijuana possession and paraphernalia possession, according to court documents.

He is to appear at an Indianapolis court this month in connection with the alleged theft of dozens of jars of preserved human brain tissue valued at about USD 4,800.

Investigators also are looking into the possibility of additional charges, said A J Deer, a spokesman for the Marion County prosecutor's office.

The museum's executive director, in an interview with The Indianapolis Star, expressed dismay that anyone would steal the museum's artifacts. 

15 January 2013: 20-year-old cleaner girl in Sweden on Tuesday stole an empty commuter train and drove it straight into an apartment building suffering severe injuries. The young girl appears to have been unable to stop the train once she reached 15 January 2013: 20-year-old cleaner girl in Sweden on Tuesday stole an empty commuter train and drove it straight into an apartment building suffering severe injuries. The young girl appears to have been unable to stop the train once she reached the end of the line in the exclusive suburb of Stockholm Tuesday morning.17 Dec 2005: Tenant who stole a house - A tenant stole landlord's name - and then proceeded to steal his house. The thief, always claiming to be Mr Hawthorn, managed to remortgage the property for more than £200,000 then waltzed off with the cash.( 17 Dec 2005: Tenant who stole a house - A tenant stole landlord's name - and then proceeded to steal his house. The thief, always claiming to be Mr Hawthorn, managed to remortgage the property for more than £200,000 then waltzed off with the cash.( Representative photo)1 May 2012: 10-tonne bridge stolen in Czech Republic: An old 10-tonne railway bridge was dismantled and stolen in broad daylight in the Czech Republic. The gang reportedly arrived at a depot in Slavkov, in the east of the country, with forged paperwork claiming that the footbridge over the disused railway track had to come down. Scrap metal theft has cost millions to the victims.14 Jan 2012: Thieves dug a 100ft tunnel under a busy car park in an audacious raid on a shop's cash machine. The gang are believed to have spent up to 6 months digging an underground route from a secluded railway embankment to the ATM. They then drilled up through 15 inches of concrete before swiping several thousand pounds from the machine - and escaping back down the tunnel.6 April 2011: Internet service in all of Armenia was cut off for several hours when a 75-year old Georgian woman inadvertently cut the main service line between the two countries. The woman was scavenging for copper to sell as scrap metal when she accidentally cut an underground fibre optic cable with a spade, cutting off all of Armenia’s internet as well as some of Georgia’s own connectivity.12 Dec 2012: Strange food theft - Few men broke into Tri-jardin Farm, about 130 kilometres northeast of Montreal, and made off with 465 tonnes of corn. Owner of the farm arrived to find the lock on the gate missing and his storage silos empty. All that remained were a few kernels on the ground.29 Mar 2012: A stunned homeowner in eastern England woke up to find his entire front lawn missing. Steve Woolnough, 54, said he had no idea why anyone would want to steal the nine-square-metre artificial grass lawn from his yard in Ipswich. Dec 1 2012: Couple of men waltzed into a Victoria's Secret shop in San Diego and waltzed out with about 300 pairs of panties, police said. The shoplifters mixed in with the crowd hunting for alluring Christmas gifts at the busy downtown shopping center and made off with a shopping bag stuffed with the company's trademark panties, which don't take up a lot of room.Nov 18,1994: Keith Bradford stole a condom machine of the wall in the toilet of a pub. Numerous witnesses saw him walking away with the machine so police followed him home and recovered the machine, 48 condoms and 127 quarters.In 2008, a live shark was stolen from a shed in Hampshire. The 2ft long female mottled brown shark - one half of the only breeding pair in the UK - was taken from a garden in Farnborough over a weekend.In July 1990, Los Angeles police broke the case of the Great Manhole Theft Caper when they arrested two culprits who later confessed to stealing 300 manhole covers weighing as much as 300 lbs. each. The Manhole Men were selling the covers for six dollars each to scrap-material dealers.

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Musharraf suffers heart attack, fails to appear before court

Islamabad: Former Pakistani dictator Pervez Musharraf today suffered a "severe heart attack" on his way to a special court to face high treason charges and was admitted to an army hospital, in another dramatic turn in the high-profile case.

Musharraf, 70, was summoned by the court to attend the hearing today after he failed to appear on previous two occasions citing security threats to his life as bombs were found on his route.

After the unexpected development, the court postponed the hearing till Monday. "The Court has exempted Musharraf from today's appearance due to his health conditions.

They have postponed the hearing till Monday," Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif told reporters outside the court. "No decision has been taken about the appearance of Musharraf on next hearing.

It will depend on his health condition and on advice of his doctors," Saif said. Asked if Musharraf would be taken abroad for treatment, he said, "we will wait for the doctor's opinion".

Replying to queries on Musharraf's name on the Exit Control List, he said the name has been put by the government. Aasia Ishaque, spokesperson of Musharraf's All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) party said, "He suffered a severe heart attack while he was on his way to the Court."

Musharraf was not feeling well last night and doctors had visited his Chak Shahzad farm house, given him medicines and advised bed rest, Ishaque said.

"While he (Musaharraf) was on his way to the Court today, he had chest pains and he was sweating. Tests done at the hospital showed he had suffered a heart attack," she told PTI.

Ishaque said the former president was admitted to the "Critical Care Unit" of the Armed Forces Institute for Cardiology in Rawalpindi (AFIC) and was conscious. Musharraf's wife was beside him and his 95-year-old mother called from Dubai but was not able to talk to him as doctors have not allowed anyone to talk to him, she said.

"We are sorry to inform that APML Quaid Pervez Musharraf suffered a heart attack on his way to the Court," Ishaque tweeted.

The former military ruler is accused of suspending, subverting and abrogating the constitution, imposing an emergency in the country in November 2007 and detaining judges of the superior courts.

He is the first general to face trial for treason. If convicted, he could get life imprisonment or the death penalty.

Outside the court, Musharraf's lawyer Ahmed Raza Kasuri said, "He wanted to come to the court but his health deteriorated suddenly and hence was rushed to Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology.

My God keep him well." Asked if Musharraf was afraid of court, Kasuri said, "He is a commando and a commando fights.

Musharraf's temperament is that he is not afraid." Musharraf has twice failed to appear before the court after bombs were found on his route and this was the third time he was unable to attend the hearing in the high treason case.

Earlier, Dr Raza Bokhari, Musharraf's international spokesperson said in a statement, "We can confirm that former president Musharraf is admitted in a military hospital in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.

He is conscious, oriented in time and space and is being examined by Pakistani military doctors. "We pray to Allah for his speedy and full recovery".

DIG Jan Mohammad informed the special court that Musharraf was rushed to AFIC after he complained of heart problem on the way to the court.

Musharraf left his sprawling Chak Shahzad farmhouse today but the long motorcade was diverted to the hospital midway.

High drama was witnessed at the special court where Musharraf's lawyer Anwar Mansoor staged a walk-out, citing lack of sleep over alleged disturbances outside the door of his residence.

"I was under total threat...from 1:00 am to 5 in the morning someone was ringing my bell," Mansoor told the court, adding he had never faced such an incident in his 40-year career.

The court promised to probe the incident but he walked off, followed by other members of Musharraf's legal team.

Musharraf was supposed to appear before the court in the high treason case that could put to test the relationship between an assertive civilian government and the powerful army.

Musharraf's legal team head Sharifuddin Pirzada alleged that chief prosecutor in the case Advocate Akram Shaikh had threatened him through Barrister Ibrahim Satti, who is another counsel for the former president.

The treason hearing against Musharraf resumed amid strict security arrangements in place from his farmhouse to the court premises and around it.

The security arrangements made over the expected arrival of the former president included mobile phone jammers, at least 1,000 police personnel, deployment of containers to cordon off traffic and bomb scanners.

The court had ordered Musharraf to appear before it today and also warned him of issuing a ruling, in case if he failed to appear. 


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Sania Mirza and Cara Black begin 2014 season with tame defeat

Sydney: Sania Mirza and Cara Black began their 2014 campaign with a shock first round defeat against wild card pair of Jarmila Gajdosova and Ajlaat Tomljanovic at the WTA Apia International, here today.

The third seeded Indo-Zimbabwean pair suffered a tame 3-6 2-6 defeat in under an hour contest against the Australian-Croatian combination.

Sania and Cara, who ended the 2013 season by winning back-to-back titles in Japan and China, could convert just one of the six break chances they got while dropped their service games twice in each set.

Jarmila and Ajlaat hit four aces to one of their rival and committed one double faults to three of Sania and Cara.

The third seeds won 38 points while the wild card pair 57

Sania and Cara will now compete at the first Grand Slam, the Australian Open, from Monday.

Saina Nehwal Hyderabad shuttler Saina Nehwal poses one for the cover of a magazine. She looks pretty and demure in this outfit. She has posed for the June 2013 edition of Grazia India Magazine. Saina Nehwal Here's Saina Nehwal getting ready for a photoshoot. Trying a different career? No, it's just a promotional shoot for the Indian Badminton League where Saina gets dressed up in a cricketing gear. Saina also played badminton using a cricket bat as a promotional gimmick for IBL. During a promotional event for Indian Badminton League, shuttlers Saina Nehwal, Jwala Gutta, Ashwini Ponnappa and others donned cricketing gear, played cricketing shots using badminton equipment and threw a challenge to the spectators, asking them if badminton needs to be played cricketstyle to be noticed. It's the racquet that has made Saina the sensation she is. And she can't seems to live without it. Here's a sketch of Saina Nehwal. Hyderabad badminton star Saina Nehwal plays a frisbee game during an event at the outskirts of Bengaluru. - PTI Hyderabad badminton star Saina Nehwal seems to be enjoying her frisbee game during an event in Bengaluru. - PTI Hyderabad badminton star Saina Nehwal trains with school children at the launch of the Indian Badminton League's School Programme initiative 'Shuttle Express' at Noida. Saina has inspired many young girls to take up badminton as a career and continue to bowl over fans with her performances - PTIAce shuttler Saina Nehwal seems to be having a great time training with school children at the launch of the Indian Badminton League's School Programme initiative 'Shuttle Express' at Noida. - PTI With a racquet and a shuttle cock in her hand, Saina was at her best training with the students at Noida at the launch of the Indian Badminton League's School Programme initiative 'Shuttle Express' recently. - PTI Saina Nehwal interacts with the kids at the launch of the Indian Badminton League's School Programme initiative 'Shuttle Express' recently. - PTI Saina Nehwal looks pretty in this desi look while posing for the shutterbugs during the ramp walk in India Open. The fit and health conscious Saina Nehwal is on the cover page of Women's Health magazine. Saina Nehwal chilling out at the pool with a friend after a hard day's practice. The bubbly smiles of Saina Nehwal is hard to be missed as it adds to her looks and personality. Saina Nehwal attributes her success to coach Pullela Gopichand who has worked equally hard to see the shuttler at the top. The Hyderabad shuttler Saina Nehwal posted this pic on her twitter account and captioned it, "Chilling with chopsy at home."Sania Nehwal presents a trophy to a winner at the closing ceremony of 3rd All India Junior Ranking Tournament in Hyderabad. - PTI Badminton stars Sania Nehwal, P Kashyap and PV Sindhu with P Gopichand at the closing ceremony of 3rd All India Junior Ranking Tournament in Hyderabad on Saturday. - PTIBadminton star Saina Nehwal is all grace when she walks the ramp for India Open. Saina Nehwal with Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh during the release of her autobiography. Hyderabad star Saina Nehwal with her mother during a promotional event. Saina Nehwal is on the cover page of Femina magazine. Thanks to Hyderabad tennis star Sania Mirza's image, she gets a lot of opportunities to be on cover page of magazine. Here's she on the cover image of Exhibit Magazine. Here's another magazine where Saina Mirza has been on the cover page. And here's one more. Sania looks to be hot favourites on cover pages of magazines. Sania Mirza at the Indian Badminton League player auction. She is the first Indian female player to surpass US$1m in career earnings.Tennis star Sania Mirza during a visit to underprivileged children at Christmas last. She has been role model for many young female tennis enthusiasts, paving the way for young girls to take up tennis as a career. A fan takes a picture of Sania Mirza during a promotional event. She's a role model for upcoming young female players in all sport, not necessarily tennis. A born sportsperson, Sania can't resist her hand at badminton during a promotional event. Sania Mirza has started liking cricket thanks to her hubby Shoaib Malik being a professional cricketer from Pakistan. She is seen with friends during an IPL 6 match in this picture. Tennis star Sania Mirza walks the ramp in a traditional dress. Sania can look glamourous at anything she tries. In this desi avatar, she makes for a perfect tennis queen. Sania and her husband Shoaib Malik during the first edition of India GP in 2011. Sania Mirza and her husband had tried their hands at dancing as a guest jodi for a reality-based show named Nach Baliye in India. The chemistry was all too palpable and was indeed heartwarming. Being a fitness freak, Sania loves going to the gym regularly. Is that the reason for her success on tennis court? Hyderabad Tennis star Sania Mirza poses with her sister Anam Mirza during shopping in Brussels, Belgium. Sania Mirza enjoys strawberries and cream during the Wimbledon 2013. Sania had a forgettable tournament bowing out early in the women's doubles and mixed rounds. Sania Mirza was named one of the '50 heroes of Asia' by Time in October 2005.Hyderabad tennis star Sania Mirza at Big Star Entertainment Awards. She's wearing a Nandita Mahtani gown. She looks stunning and beautiful. Sania Mirza poses with her dad Imran Mirza. Sania and her younger sister Anam were brought up in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh in a religious family. She was trained by her father, who is a sports journalist. Sania shares a cute moment with her mom Naseema. Sania is married to Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik. Mirza is the highest ranked female tennis player ever from India, with a career high ranking of 27 in singles and 7 in doubles.Sania Mirza and her doubles partner Bethanie Mattek Sands meet football great Diego Maradona at Dubai Open 2013. Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Sania Mirza won the doubles title at the tournament.

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Teams won't come due to terrorist syndrome: Former PCB chief

New Delhi: Former Pakistan Cricket Board chief Shahryar Khan today said that "terror syndrome" is preventing other countries to resume cricketing ties but a possibility is there that Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe will tour in near future.

"Till the time there is terrorist syndrome in Pakistan, people will not come to play cricket there. Our effort is cool off or end the particular syndrome. All will not come..but there is a possibility that Bangladesh, Sri Lanka or Zimbawve would come. It is difficult for India because of the relationship," Khan said at the launch of his book 'Cricket Cauldron' here today.

"We want to come out of it slowly but all this depends on where this syndrome has reached. Our government is trying to talk to these people so that the situation improves. Will that happen or not, it is not clear as of now," Khan further added.

Salman Bashir, the Pakistan High Commissioner said,"We need to start giving priority to resuming cricketing contacts and then of course other things will become much more easier."

Union minister and BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla said,"Both countries are keen to resume the cricketing ties as but problem is that Pakistan needs to address the issue of security. Once they ensure the security of the foriegn players, then we would definitely like to visit Pakistan."

"We want that we should play in each other's soil and not in a third country. This is the policy which BCCI has adopted and I am hopeful and optimistic that soon Pakistan will address the issue once the venue is clear as far as security issues are there. The assessment has to come from that sid," Shukla added.

Shukla went onto add further that had the South Africa series been not cleared by the board, they would have thought of inviting Pakistan for a short series.

"Had we not gone to South Africa, we were going to invite Pakistan for a 15-day window. We had almost decided but SA tour was cleared. Whenever we look for an opportunity, we definitely invite Pakistan. We will certainly consider and I am always for resumption of cricketing ties

Khan on his part further added,"We are ready to come to India whenever there is a gap or window. We could come and play five ODIs..over a month or six weeks. I can tell you that because I am part of the board in Pakistan. We need to re-start India vs Pakistan series. This is vital. Even the ICC says that the India vs Pakistan matches are more important than the Ashes."


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Thursday, February 20, 2014

Supreme Court: Abuse no child’s play

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Banglore: Though cases of sexual abuse against children are being registered under the stringent Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (Pocso) 2012, the State government has not set up special courts to try them even one year after the implementation of the Act.

The tardy attitude of the government has earned the ire of the Supreme Court, which has reportedly pulled up the State government for not setting up special courts to try cases under Pocso.

“The Supreme Court has asked us why we have not set up special courts to try Pocso cases and we have written to the Department of Women and Child Development on the issue. We are expecting a reply by next week,” said Chairperson of the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR), Umesh Aradhya. He added that in the absence of special courts these cases are being tried by the district courts.

According to sources in the Department of Women & Child Development (DWCD) district courts have been designated as courts to try these cases and there is one children’s court in Bengaluru in the civil court complex.

“We feel that the civil court complex is not a child sensitive area and hence the Department has decided to write to the High Court to set up a special court to try Pocso cases. The number of Pocso cases is on the rise and we need to set up special courts,” said a DWCD officer on condition of anonymity.

In response to the alarming number of sexual offences against children, the Centre had implemented Pocso in November 2012 to protect children from “sexual assault, sexual harassment, and pornography and provide for establishment of special courts for trial of such offences and for matters connected therewith.”

“Around 480 cases have been registered under Pocso Act between November 2012 and end October 2013 in Karnataka. But we do not have statistics on the number of cases, which may have been chargesheeted,” said the Co-ordinator of the Unicef-supported State-run gender sensitization project Roveena Bastian. According to the DWCD 178 cases were registered between November 2012 and June 2013.

Pocso is a gender neutral law. It gives detailed outline of all kinds of sexual offences and includes penetrative non penetrative, sexual innuendoes, showing pornography to children as cognizable crimes.

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Wanderlust in Play

There’s a new trend emerging worldwide for the ultimate sports lover. The idea is simple, play a sport, watch a game in unimaginably energetic surrounds, and then take off on a trail of the land, exploring its cuisine, culture and the way of life.

Cricket coaches like Grant Flower and Heath Streak train you in Zimbabwe and South Africa, you can golf in Vietnam, train in cricket and rugby in Zimbabwe and undergo rigorous training in football in Spain or the UK.

Hopping on a jet, exploring a new vista and its sport has Ricky Leighton thrilled. He had an incredible experience with Sports Tours Africa. On a gap-year programme, he learnt more cricket while taking in the culture too. Meanwhile, Anthony Francis Payyapilli from Bengaluru is a youngster who is in Spain for a year, enrolled in the International  Soccer Academy of Madrid for training.

He says, “The training is intense with the focus on skills and strength. There’s exposure to high-quality football matches in the junior Spanish League too. At Seville, we played with one of the best professional Spanish teams and also got a chance to see the culture of a different part of Spain.”

His mother Rosy Payyapilli went to drop her son off and then took in the sights of Madrid while there.

“He also trained in the junior first division club, Alco Bendas. The boys are taken to different cities to train, and he recently visited Seville. But mostly, it’s all about rigorous practice sessions,” says Rosy. So far, Anthony has met a few players from Atlético Madrid like Koke and Diego Costa.

And now, back to Ricky Leighton from the UK, and his cricket dreams.

“The SPT programme was exactly what I was looking for. They offered coaching, umpiring and scoring training. I also did a fitness and nutrition course, umpired a regional match and scored in a first-class game,” says Ricky. He also had the opportunity to meet Test players and work with Grant Flower and Heath Streak.

The culture trip too was taken care of with visits to Harare, Bulawayo and Hwange, Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe.

“I had a chance to walk with the lions. My experience was so inspirational that I have set up my own cricket business, encouraging people to go on the Sports Tours programmes. I can honestly say that without Sports Tours Africa, my own business, RML Cricket, would not exist,” Ricky adds.

Another businessman, Ajit Mohandas, from Bengaluru started Golf Tripz, which deals in customised packages offering golf lovers the best of courses and yes, culture.

With customers from Hyderabad, Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, he says, “Since every course is unique, it depends on what the customer wants. We have packages where we combine cooking classes along with golf in Thailand, Vietnam and New Zealand. There are also many places in the coastal areas where we offer diving and golf combinations. The costs depend on the country, courses and time of the year. A package in Thailand for three to four days costs between Rs 15,000 to Rs 30,000 (excluding airfare). It’s all about playing golf with likeminded people. In Europe, for instance, they play three to four rounds of golf and take in the culture of the place too.”

And for Apurv Nagpal, corporate honcho-turned-author of Eighteen Plus, no holiday is complete without a sporty endeavour. He has travelled across the globe for cricket matches. Nagpal was at Lord’s when India chased down 325 with Yuvi and Kaif and also saw Ganguly taking off that t-shirt, He was there for the T20 World Cup in South Africa, where India won, at the 2003 cricket World Cup in England, where India lost to Pakistan, and then back again in England for the the T20 World Cup, (the last one).

“But I’ve also been to the last four soccer World Cups — France in 1998, South Korea, 2002, in Germany for 2006 and then in South  Africa for the 2010 tournament. And I’ve already got tickets to four matches in the second phase of ticket sales for Brazil 2014. I have booked the flights for the six of us (my family and parents),” reveals Apurv Nagpal.

As sports is such a large part of his itinerary, does he get time to explore? “My family loves to walk around, pick up a few words in the local language, try local cuisine, drink what the country drinks and more. During the 2003 Cricket World Cup in South Africa, we visited Johannesburg, Cape Town and then drove up all the way to Knysna, taking in ostrich farms, a safari, Sun City, StellenBosch (some of my favourite wines are found here), Paarl, Hermanus (a lovely seaside resort famous for its whale watching) and then finally to the Cape of Good Hope, where we saw penguins.”

But his most memorable football experience was in Germany, when his daughter was just over a year-old. He had to organise a baby sitter while they saw a game in Leipzig. “I remember waving an Indian flag during the match and getting quite a few amused looks — it was the France vs South Korea encounter,” he adds.

While Apurv could be among the world’s best sport spectators, Kanishk Saran, vice-president, SPT Sports Management Pvt Ltd is also one of those sport aficionados who prefers a bit of sport and travel together.

“My brother and I travelled to London and watched Chelsea against West Ham United a few years ago. It was an experience like no other. This was also why we started the concept of sports tourism under the SPT Sports Management umbrella. We have conducted trips to Spain and England where children can play against youth teams of clubs such as Real Madrid, Bournemouth Football Club (UK) and Portsmouth Football Club (UK). These are customised tours during summer holidays,” explains Kanishk.

Travel might open the mind, but this kind of travel gives one a perspective and skill to cherish, and now, who wouldn’t want that?


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Former BJP MLA Kanu Kalsariya joins Aam Aadmi Party

Ahmedabad: Former BJP MLA Kanu Kalsariya, who spearheaded the agitation against Nirma's cement plant in his constituency, today joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the presence of its national executive member Dinesh Vaghela.

Kalsariya, who had contested from Gariadhar seat in the 2012 Assembly elections under the banner of 'Sadbhavana Manch' and lost, joined AAP amid party workers and supporters at the District Collectorate here.

When asked if he would contest against Modi in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Kalsariya said a decision regarding whether he would contest the elections and against whom would be decided by the party and he would go by that.

Amid his supporters wielding brooms and chants of "Aam Aadmi Zindabad," Kalsariya, a gynaecologist by profession, candidly admitted that he was about to join the Congress party just before joining AAP.

"I wanted to join the Congress party as there was no other option. I would have made a mistake had I done so. AAP is a symbol of people's power. And, they showed it in Delhi," he said.

"Gujarat has never got a third alternative apart from BJP and Congress. AAP, as a third political alternative, will turn a new chapter in Indian politics in 2014," he said. AAP claims to have registered 20,000 members offline and 50,000 members online across the state following the party's spectacular showing in the Assembly elections in Delhi, where the party won 28 of the 70 seats.

Retired IAS officer A R Bharadwaj, who was the director of Mahatma Gandhi Labour Institute, also joined the Aam Aadmi Party. When asked why he had joined AAP, Bharadwaj said, "Throughout my professional career, I felt suffocated. If I did good work, I would be harassed. But, AAP is a people's party. It gives an opportunity to do good for people." 


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