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Weekly News in a Nutshell - November 15, 2002

India got much media attention around the world with Bill Gates four-day visit this week to India. Mr. Gates announced on Tuesday that Microsoft would invest $400 million in India. Mr. Gates said that it would be the largest set of investment that they would do outside the United States. The investment would span education, partnerships, localization and development activities. On Monday, he announced that his charity, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, would donate $100 m to battle HIV/AIDS in India.

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) said that they would continue with their yatra on November 17 though there has been a ban imposed on it. However, the Chief Secretary, G. Subba Rao, too made it clear that the State Government would strictly follow the Election Commission's directive to stop it. The Godhra district administration cancelled the permission for the VHP for its November 17 yatra to be taken out from Godhra. The permission had been granted on November 12 but was revoked under the Election Commission's directive. The VHP had planned to launch its yatra from Godhra and display replicas of the burning Sabarmati Express coach during the program.

The BJP President, Venkaiah Naidu, said that the election commission's directive was "inappropriate". Mr. Arun Jaitley, the BJP spokesperson, said that though they were not going to challenge the Election Commission's directive in court, the party felt it restricted religious movement.

The Delhi police submitted a report to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on the controversial Ansal Plaza encounter. The Ansal Plaza encounter became controversial when an eyewitness brought up the possibility that the encounter could have been staged.

An Indian Air Force MiG-21 fighter jet crashed in Siliguri after hitting a high-tension wire. The plane had caught fire and both the pilots were killed in the crash. The pilots were identified as Wing Cdr Dogra and Flying Officer Chauhan.

A cyclone on Tuesday may have caused the death of as many as 47 fishermen off the coast of West Bengal. The fishermen were washed away apparently when six trawlers and four mechanized fishing boats sank during the storm. Hundreds of fishermen are still believed to be missing.

Haryana Police has made the first arrests in the lynching of five Dalits in Jhajjar almost a month ago. The arrests were made on Wednesday and curfew was imposed after the arrests as VHP activists took to the streets and forced local shops to close down.