BJP President Rajnath Singh will visit Chhattisgarh on Wednesday where Congress leaders and workers were killed in a Naxal attack on Saturday. Earlier, Singh and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley along with party general secretary in charge of Chhattisgarh J P Nadda were to visit the state tomorrow. The decision was taken at a meeting of BJP Parliamentary Board held here this evening.        

 

Later, the party said Singh and Nadda will be visiting the state on Wednesday as a team of Union Home Ministry will be taking a review meeting in Raipur tomorrow and Chief Minister Raman Singh will be busy with that.        

 

The BJP leaders will meet the family members of Congress leaders Nand Kumar Patel, Mahendra Karma and others who were killed in the incident on Saturday last, party leader Ananth Kumar told reporters after the meeting.

In a horrific incident, a school teacher was burnt alive by his colleagues inside the school premises in Bihar's Purnia district today. Superintendent of police Kim alleged that a group of teachers along with the principal of a middle school under Maranga police station took the teacher Ranjit Kumar (40) to a toilet, tied his hands and legs and poured kerosene on him before setting him on fire.        

 

The ghastly incident took place before the classes began this morning and students were yet to come in. Hearing his screams for help, people staying in the neighbourhood rushed in and took the teacher to Katihar Medical College where he succumbed to his injuries in the evening, the SP said adding the reason behind the ghastly incident is yet to be known.        

 

Kim said the attackers are absconding since the incident and the police have launched a search.

Training her guns on the Centre, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today dared it to impose central rule in the state and accused it of disturbing her government and party by issuing threats of engaging CBI against it.        

 

"The Centre is economically depriving the state (WB). There are threats of engaging CBI against us. They (Congress) have become vindicitve against us since we pulled out of the UPA," the Trinamool Congress chief said, kicking off the party's campaign for the upcoming Howrah parliamentary bypoll.        

 

"Congress and CPI(M) have ganged up to work against my party and the government. Threats are not going to work on me. You (Centre) use article 365 and see," she said.        

 

Alleging that Congress was conspiring with CPI(M) to financially cripple the state and stall its development, Banerjee said, "I have struggled for 34 years despite all sorts of threats, including threats to my life. I will not bow down come what may -- I will smash the conspiracy."

Congress leaders today denied reports that the route of the ill-fated 'Parivartan Yatra', which came under Naxal attack on Saturday in south Bastar region, had been changed at the last moment.        

 

The convoy of Congress leaders was attacked at Jiram Valley in Darbha region when it was returning from Sukma to Jagdalpur. 27 people including Chhattisgarh Congress chief Nand Kumar Patel and veteran leader Mahendra Karma were killed and 37 others including former Union minster V C Shukla were injured.         Reacting to reports in local media about last-moment route change, former chief minister and Congress veteran Ajit Jogi said, "Rally's route was not changed. MLA T S Singhdeo was in-charge of the route schedule and he had submitted the same route chart thrice for security approval.        

 

"Convoy was proceeding according to its pre-decided schedule. This was a sheer security lapse," Jogi said.  

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh on Naxal attack: There were security lapses, inquiry already ordered to find out who is responsible. The state government had informed Congress leaders about threats in Bastar area.

He ruled out the role of the army in Bastar. "It is not a battleground," he said. 

Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, who arrived in Tokyo on Monday evening on a three-day visit to Japan, said there is enough scope for further strengthening the ties between New Delhi and Tokyo. "India and Japan have a social and strategic relationship in all areas. There is enough scope for further cementing our ties," Dr. Singh told mediapersons on his arrival.

The Prime Minister earlier in the day said that he proposed to invigorate India''s relations with Japan in the political, security and energy spheres. "I propose to invigorate our relations with Japan in the political, security and energy spheres. We will explore ways to harness the full potential of our Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Partnership by intensifying and balancing our two-way trade and investment linkages," said Dr. Singh prior to his departure to Japan.

Strengthening India's presence over the Indian Ocean region, Defence Minister A K Antony today inaugurated the first fighter aircraft base in Thanjavur where the IAF is stationing its most lethal Su-30MKI combat aircraft.

"Thanjavur airbase is going to be another strategically important airbase of the Indian Air Force. By stationing our frontline fighter aircraft Sukhoi at Thanjavur, IAF can protect vast area of interests," Antony said after inaugurating the airbase. The establishment of the premier fighter base is important in the view of current geo-political scenario and threat perception in the peninsular region and in the Indian Ocean, the Defence Minister said.

Government has decided to relax norms for road developers in extremist-hit states such as Odisha, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh in view of security threat and slow execution of projects in these areas, an official said.

The development follows completion of barely 2,300 km of roads in Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected areas till date out of proposed 5,477 km till 2012.

"The government has decided to relax eligibility conditions for developers like equipment capability, sub contracting for non-mechanised work and qualification criteria to attract more builders in such areas," a Road, Transport and Highways Ministry official said. The official said there was no response from contractors in some areas of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha and Maharashtra out of security concerns.

Pakistani journalists Hamid Mir, Najam Sethi, Umar Cheema, on going public with the threats they were receiving from intelligence agencies. It was a risky calculation, but the silence, they reasoned, encouraged intimidation and allowed impunity to persist. Read

Left parties today condemned the brutal Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh saying they disapproved violent retribution against political opponents, but opposed the killings of and atrocities against innocent tribals there.

"This is the latest and most shocking example of the politics of violence and terror practiced by the Maoists against all their political opponents," the CPI(M) Politburo said in a statement.

Accusing the Chhattisgarh government of lack of security arrangements for the Congress yatra, it said, "On the one hand the BJP government allows the killing of innocent tribals as happened last week in the name of fighting Maoists and on the other hand it utterly fails to protect legitimate democratic activities in the state." It also demanded firm action to stop Maoist depredations and appealed to all democratic forces to fight the politics of violence by the extremists.

Just in: The Mumbai police have recovered Gurunath Meiyappan's missing mobile phone from his yacht  moored at Marina Bay, Chennai. However, three more mobile phones are missing. The phone was found after the police raided Gurunath's super luxury 70-ft yacht. The police believe they now have key evidence against Gurunath, who was arrested on Friday night. So far three cell phones have been recovered. The police also have Gurunath's diary which has details of the cricketers.

A news break from Naxals and match-fixing for this: India's hugging saint -- Amma -- is best known for literally embracing the masses; she has hugged millions of people around the world, a feat that has earned her the nickname "the hugging saint.' Her status as a spiritual therapist has attracted a large following in the United States. In India, however, what Amma offers is far more significant and complex. Read

The team from the National Investigation Agency is at the site of the attack at Jagdalpur to begin their probe. Another team from the MHA will head to Chhattisgarh tomorrow to review the governments strategy on tackling Naxals in the wake of the attack that killed 24 people.

The NIA team will find out possible lapses on the part of the central forces or the state government. Action will be taken if anyone is found guilty, Minister of State for Home R.P.N. Singh told reporters today.

"We have asked the NIA to investigate the Maoist attack. Security lapses could have taken place. Any lapse on the part of central forces or the state government, buck will have to be stopped somewhere. We have to take action,' he said.


Kiran Bedi ‏tweets: Is Chatthi police not better placed to probe Jagdalpur Naxal Attack than NIA?Who has better ground info for investigation?

Notwithstanding questions over BCCI in the wake of IPL spot-fixing, government has ruled out interference with it unless it "becomes absolutely necessary" but insists that the cricketing body should have "transparent" and "objective" systems in place to prevent malpractices.

Law Minister Kapil Sibal said the government should keep away from sports "as far as possible" as it could damage it.

"Sports can't be run by governments...governments getting involved in sports activities would ultimately damage sports," he said.

He was responding to a question as to whether government should step into the affairs of the Board of Control for Cricket in India as questions are being raised over its functioning in the wake of spot-fixing allegations.

"I am not saying that in every situation, but as far as possible government should keep away. But when it becomes absolutely necessary, then there is no way out, then of course at that time government can take a position," he said.

Five reasons why the Naxals targeted Congress leaders. Read

Once looked upon as a model of efficient administration, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) now stands exposed as an out-of-control behemoth. Read

Once looked upon as a model of efficient administration, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) now stands exposed as an out-of-control behemoth. Read

Security Forces' Fatalities on the Rise in Kashmir. Read

Sanjay Dutt, who was convicted in the 1993 blasts case and is at the Yerwada jail, will spend the 42 months of his sentence making paper files and doing paper-binding work. The jail authorities have decided to assign Dutt the task of making paper files because they do not want him to mingle with other inmates in the jail for security reasons. Dutt will undertake this task inside his cell in Maximum Security Enclosure 3. Read more

Sanjay Dutt, who was convicted in the 1993 blasts case and is at the Yerwada jail, will spend the 42 months of his sentence making paper files and doing paper-binding work. The jail authorities have decided to assign Dutt the task of making paper files because they do not want him to mingle with other inmates in the jail for security reasons. Dutt will undertake this task inside his cell in Maximum Security Enclosure 3. Read more

Just in: The Yerwada jail authorities refuse permission for home-cooked food for Sanjay Dutt. The prison authorities say Dutt is a convict and cannot be given special privileges and seek the Tada court's review for the same. The prison manual says convict's can get home-cooked food only if they are ill.

Mumbai's Tada court where Dutt had surrendered on May 16, has allowed the actor to get home-made food delivered to him and has agreed to his appeal to be provided with a thin mattress and pillow and medicines for a month. After that, the jail authorities will decide whether these allowances will be continued.

Historian, author Ramchandra Guha sallies forth on Kashmir, Naxalism and the Salwa Judum. Read

Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde extends his trip in the US to May 29, when India is facing one of the worst Naxal attacks. Shinde opted to stay back in the US after winding up his official visit for the Indo-US Homeland Security dialogue.

Shinde's being away in the US kept him from joining the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi on their Chhatisgarh visit on Sunday. Incidentally, the officials who were part of Shinde's US visit delegation are already back in India. Had Shinde chosen to come back on the same aircraft as the other key members of his delegation, he would have been by the prime minister and Congress president's side as they assessed the aftermath of the Maoist assault.

Ajay Maken, the Union Minister of Housing and Poverty Alleviation, has ordered a CBI probe over the allegations by the allottees of the Central Government Employees Welfare Housing Organisation about the alleged dwelling units constructed with poor quality, mismanagement and misappropriation of funds and the inordinate delay in completing housing projects in Chennai, Visakhapatinam and four other places.

Maken has won the confidence of 2482 allottees in various places by ordering a CBI probe. Another measure to up Congress vote share. 

Insiders in the Mumbai police say that the kin of two Union Minsters will soon be  arrested over match fixing and betting charges. 

The Union Government is seriously considering raising the retirement age to 62 for Central Government employees. Obviously, if the Congress announces this before the Lok Sabha polls, it could expect a sizeable vote share. North Block, which houses the Union Ministry of Finance would be more than happy to have 62 years as the retirement age because for next two years the pension funds can accumulate. The UPA2 also wants to put the next government in fiscal tight spot, or what is called the War Room effect of the AICC. 

An Indophile rediscovers the India of her childhood. Read more

"Think of harvesting wheat as 'this is what we're doing for the day,' not 'when will this torture end,'' an American volunteer at the Navdanya Biodiversity Conservation Farm said. "Maybe, but I don't think my thighs will ever get used to squatting,' another added. A third volunteer remained silent as she took a long swig of water from her Nalgene bottle. Read

The deadly ambush by suspected Maoist rebels in Chhattisgarh on a convoy carrying members of the ruling Congress party on Saturday came after a lull in the violent insurgency that has blighted central India for decades. Read

Just in: CBI SP Vivek Dutt, a key member of Coalgate probe, and three others sent to judicial custody till June 7 in a corruption case.

The power of the left-wing extremist groups is immense and they can, in one sense, if they want to, bring many sectors of the Indian economy to its knees, warns former home secretary GK Pillai. Read the column on Rediff.com. 

Body organising revamp of Pakistani city's oldest district face resistance from street vendors, developers and local mafia. Read

President Pranab Mukherjee's visit to Himachal Pradesh was supposed to be special, being his first trip to the state after taking over the country's top office last year - but the state administration looked less than prepared to welcome him. Read why

President Pranab Mukherjee's visit to Himachal Pradesh was supposed to be special, being his first trip to the state after taking over the country's top office last year - but the state administration looked less than prepared to welcome him. Read why

Angelina Jolie's aunt has died of breast cancer, nearly two weeks after the Hollywood star said she had had a double mastectomy to avoid such a fate. Read

The Goa police has busted an alleged IPL betting syndicate here and arrested six bookies in this regard early today.

"The six bookies were operating for last 45 days in Goa and accepting bets," a police official said. The bookies were picked up from a rented room at Candolim, about 9 km away from here, police said, adding that they were being interrogated.

The betting syndicate was exposed during the joint investigation of Goa police with their Delhi counterparts. Delhi police is also in Goa to investigate the spot-fixing scandal allegedly involving IPL team Rajasthan Royals' players. All the arrested bookies are said to be from Mumbai.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) which will probe the Chhattisgarh Naxal attack is seeking more details on an operative, who goes by the name Gaganna alias Ramesh, aged 45.

The preliminary investigation into the case has revealed that the leader of the operation was Gaganna, a resident of Karimnagar in Andhra Pradesh and that the attack had been planned for the last six months. The planning and execution was handed over to Gaganna who is a senior operative in the Naxal hierarchy.

It is believed he is part of the movement for over 20 years now and has gradually risen in the ranks. He was extremely close to Kishenji and served as a deputy to another high profile Naxal leader Ganapathy.

The home ministry has sent an advisory to nine Naxal-affected states to revamp security of political workers and ensure work is not affected. 

BJP today charged the Congress with attempting to politicise the Maoist attack at Baster in Chhattisgarh that claimed 27 lives, saying it is 'very unfortunate.' Party's National General Secretary Rajiv Pratap Rudy demanded that Congress leaders refrain from making statements with political implications.

"This is not a time for blame game', Rudy said adding the need was to create a national banner to fight the Maoist menace. "We can understand the anger, concern and anguish of AICC Chief Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and AICC Vice-President Rahul Gandhi. But it is very unfortunate to make statements with political implications at a time of grief", he said addressing a press conference.

Arun Jaitley finally breaks his silence on BCCI. The BJP senior leader who is also the BCCI vice president says the BCCI's anti-corruption unit is looking into spot-fixing. "We will take a tough stand, corruption will not be tolerated," he says. Jaitley, who is also a member of IPL Governing Council, said a free and fair investigation would be conducted within a stipulated deadline.

"The Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) of BCCI is looking into all these matters," was Jaitley's reaction when asked about the spot-fixing scandal.
"The Supreme Court has given it (BCCI) a 15-day time limit. It will give its report which will come up before the Disciplinary Committee. Be rest assured we are going to take tough action (against anyone found guilty)," he said.

Read: How Srinivasan blunted the revolt and won over Arun Jaitley.

Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray today said there was need to "crush' the terror unleashed by 'Maoist devils' in several states of India.

In an editorial piece in the party's mouthpiece Saamna, Thackeray condemned the Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh that virtually left the state Congress headless and said the treatment meted out to terrorists like Ajmal Amir Kasab and Afzal Guru should also extend to those responsible for Saturday's strike.

"They should be slapped with the same stringent laws that deal with Indian Mujahideen, Laskhar-e-Taiba, Al Qaeda or other anti-national religious forces,' Thackeray said.

Dr Naresh Trehan, founder of Medanta Hospital, where Congress leader VC Shukla is being treated for gunshot wounds says Shukla's condition is stable, but critical. "He underwent surgery successfully, but the injuries to his intestines is cause for concern. He is on ventilator now and is being given dialysis. He will stay in ICU for now. In view of his age, recovery will take some time and we are hopeful he will improve."

Shukla was taken to a hospital at Jagdalpur, the divisional headquarters of Bastar, by road, from where he was taken to Medanta hospital in Gurgaon. 

A defiant and combative BCCI President, who has decided to hang on to his position despite the IPL spot-fixing scandal, today said his resignation is being sought only by a "hounding media".

Srinivasan, whose son-in-law and Chennai Super Kings CEO Gurunath Meiyappan has been arrested for alleged involvement in betting, reached here after attending the IPL final last night in Kolkata, where the crowd booed him during the presentation ceremony.

"The press is hounding me, the media is hounding me. I have already clarified everything in the press conference. I have no reason to resign," Srinivasan retorted when journalists at the airport asked him about the scandal and whether he should resign on moral grounds.

Srinivasan had yesterday held a press conference hours before the final to declare that he would not step down. He also announced the setting up of a three-member enquiry panel to investigate the scandal, that led to the arrest of three Rajasthan Royals players.

Just in: The Law ministry has sent the anti-fixing bill draft to the Sports ministry.  Law minister Kapil Sibal will spell out outlines of the law he proposed earlier this week in response to the shocking disclosure of spot-fixing in IPL matches. Sources also said that Attorney General G E Vahanvati who had been asked for his opinion on whether the Centre can legislate on the issue of sports being the responsibility of states to gave his opinion to the government on Thursday.

After struggling for more than a year to get a job, the Park Street rape victim has stood up against her circumstances and is now empowering survivors like her through a helpline.

"I have this mission of empowering rape victims like me. With this job, I embark on a new journey," she said, adding that the work is also helping her heal the past wounds. Besides handling the pain and the stigma after the incident last year, it was getting difficult for the 37-year-old single mother Anglo-Indian to raise her two children without a job.

"I found her and the entire family totally distressed both mentally and financially. So I offered her a job in the helpline," activist Santasree Chaudhuri said.

Founded by her, the helpline 'Survivors for Victims of Social Injustice', helps women in distress, especially victims of sexual and domestic violence.

For years, India's lite has been complicit in Maoist savagery because of misplaced guilt and misguided apathy. The war against the Maoists will begin to be won when Indians decide that the democracy we have is worth killing for. Read

Senior Congress leader VC Shukla, who was shot three times in the abdomen during the Naxal ambush, is "critical, but stable", says doctors who are treating him at Medanta Hospital in Gurgaon. 

Congress president Sonia Gandhi has said she will call a meeting today to discuss the Naxal issue and the attack in Chhattisgarh on party leaders. Sonia Gandhi, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited the state over the weekend. 

The Kalashnikov-toting Maoists peered into every vehicle asking "Where is Mahendra Karma?' and spraying bullets at the occupants as they failed to respond.

Suddenly, an elderly man stepped out of the eighth vehicle in the Congress convoy and said in a calm voice: "I am Mahendra Karma.'The 62-year-old founder of anti-Maoist militia Salwa Judum -- the rebels' prime target during Saturday's ambush in Chhattisgarh -- heroically chose certain death yesterday by identifying himself to the guerrillas, sacrificing his life to save those of fellow Congress leaders and workers, survivors said. Read more

In ambushing a Congress party convoy in Chhattisgarh and brutally killing 24 people, including senior leaders Mahendra Karma and Nand Kumar Patel, the Maoists have demonstrated their willingness to escalate the conflict in Bastar regardless of its consequences for ordinary people in the region. Read

Launching the Congress party's 'Parivartan Yatra' (March for Change) on Thursday in Bastar, a senior Central Minister, Jairam Ramesh, compared Mahendra Karma, the tribal leader, with a "slow tiger."

"Mahendra Karma was called the 'Bastar Tiger.' But the tiger has slowed down over the years,' said the Minister in the presence of  Karma and about two thousand Gond tribals. Sitting on the dais, Karma's reactions changed from surprise to utter disgust as the Minister, known for his proximity to the Gandhi family, kept repeating this formulation. Read the profile

Sometime into the gunfight with the Maoists, Vidya Charan Shukla's personal security officer (PSO), crouched beside the former Union minister's Safari, realised he had run out of ammunition.

Correction: He had just one bullet left.

"He told Shuklaji he was sorry that he could no longer protect him. He then held a pistol against his own forehead and fired the last bullet,' said Congress activist Nikhil Trivedi, who was in Shukla's vehicle.

Reports said the PSO of Chhattisgarh Congress chief Nand Kumar Patel too shot himself when he exhausted his ammo. Read the full story here.

Sometime into the gunfight with the Maoists, Vidya Charan Shukla's personal security officer (PSO), crouched beside the former Union minister's Safari, realised he had run out of ammunition.

Correction: He had just one bullet left.

"He told Shuklaji he was sorry that he could no longer protect him. He then held a pistol against his own forehead and fired the last bullet,' said Congress activist Nikhil Trivedi, who was in Shukla's vehicle.

Reports said the PSO of Chhattisgarh Congress chief Nand Kumar Patel too shot himself when he exhausted his ammo. Read the full story here.

A 12-year-old fan of cricketer Sreesanth today asked him the one question that the whole of India must be itching to ask: "Kya yaar, spot-fixing kyu kiya (Why did you do spot-fixing)?

'And Sreesanth replied: "Yaar, maine nahi kiya (I did not do it).'

The young admirer, a Class VIII student of Air Force Bal Bharti School, was in the court of the chief metropolitan magistrate to see the pacer who was produced today.

Standing close to the witness dock, Tushaar kept whispering to the cricketer while the court proceedings were on. They exchanged high fives and a handshake.Tushaar had come with his father, a constable posted at the Saket court complex. Read the full story here.

Survivors' accounts reveal the Maoist attack on the Congress convoy in Bastar was merciless and cold blooded; it was aimed at senior leaders but was indiscriminate in its final targets. Among the 28 people killed, there are 10 Congressmen, including Chhattisgarh Congress president Nand Kumar Patel whose body was found along with his son's on Sunday. Read

Tribal leader Kawasi Lakma, the lone Congress MLA from Bastar who was wounded and is in a Jagdalpur hospital, said he saw the Maoists taking Chhattisgarh Congress chief Nand Kumar Patel and his son Dinesh towards dense forests with their hands tied.

"After some time, I heard gun shots. I feared the worst," Lakma told reporters from his hospital bed. Lakma represents the Maoist-hit Konta segment in Sukma and has head injuries.

"The PCC chief, his son Dinesh and I were in the same car. When the Maoists began shooting, I got injured when glass shards hit my face and head. I was only half conscious when I saw Patel and his son being taken by the Maoists with their hands tied into the dense forest," he added. Read the full story here.

The government will order an NIA probe into the Chhattisgarh killings on Saturday. Investigators will visit the state today, says Home Secretary R K Singh.

Heavily-armed Maoists had on Saturday ambushed a convoy of Congress leaders in Chhattisgarh's Bastar district, killing 27 people including Congress leader Mahendra Karma, PCC chief Nand Kumar Patel, his son Dinesh and ex-MLA Uday Mudliyar and injuring 32 others, including former union minister VC Shukla.

A survivor, Dr Shiv Narayan said nearly 20 vehicles in the convoy came under attack. "The naxals were checking almost every vehicle after the bloodbath.'

The attack took place around 4pm, but security forces could reach the spot only after 9pm.

Locals and some mediapersons helped the survivors reach Darbha police station on Saturday. From there they were taken to Maharani hospital in Jagdalpur by ambulance.

The toll in the deadly attack by suspected Maoists on a convoy of Congress leaders in Chhattisgarh rose to 27 after the bullet-riddled bodies of state party chief Nand Kumar Patel, his son Dinesh and eight others were found on Sunday.

The bodies were lying in the forested Jiram valley of Bastar region, about a km from the spot where the rebels had ambushed the convoy around 5pm on Saturday, the police said.

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa today left the country on a four-day official visit to China, during which he is expected to sign several bilateral agreements.        

A correspondent from Delhi reports: Nira Radia will appear before a special CBI court in connection to the 2G scam case on Monday morning. 

Umesh Patel, son of Chhattisgarh Congress chief Nand Kumar Patel who was killed in Saturday's Naxal attack, has sought a CBI probe into the incident.

Three people were arrested in Kolkata on Sunday night for their alleged involvement in cricket betting rackets while the IPL-6 final between the Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians was in progress at the Eden Garden.        

Former BCCI president Shashank Manohar has urged the BCCI to hand over the investigation into the IPL spot-fixing scandal to a central investigative agency which will probe all the matches of the cash-rich league.     

Under fire BCCI president N Srinivasan was on Sunday night booed by a capacity Eden Gardens crowd when his name was announced during the post-match presentation ceremony.     

Six days after a ferocious tornado devastated Moore in Oklahoma, US President Barack Obama visited the city's residents, consoling them and and promising that the government will be behind them "every step of the way".