Indian Police Crackdown on Militants and Corruption, While Political Turmoil Continues

In a surprise swoop at dawn, the Tamil Nadu police rounded up hundreds of Sri Lankan militants in the city and in 15 camps all over the state. A large quantity of unlicensed arms was seized. Residences and offices of five militant group leaders in the city, and their camps in the districts were searched by the police. The leaders were arrested. A couple was arrested for its alleged involvement in the October 2 Rajghat incident to kill Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, while terrorists injured four people, including three women, in separate incidents in Punjab during the past 24 hours. A report from Gurdaspur said the Central Bureau of Investigation picked up Paramjit Singh and his wife from Dhariwal in Gurdaspur district for their alleged involvement in the conspiracy. In a dramatic move, the executive committee of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (I) unanimously adopted a resolution opposing the entry of Sharad Pawar into the ruling party. Former deputy chief minister Ramrao Adik opposed the imminent merger, voicing the fear that Pawar would indulge in groupism and manoeuvring. The 23-day-old work-to-rule agitation by the junior engineers and technicians of the telecommunications department has been called off. The decision was preceded by a settlement. The terms of settlement include the setting-up of a high level committee to recommend new pay scales for junior engineers.