Showing posts with label Indian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Indian. Show all posts

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Indian guru Satya Sai Baba dies

24 April 2011 Last updated at 05:59 GMT Sai Baba pictured in 2004 Sai Baba had been suffering from respiratory problems One of India's most revered spiritual leaders, Sri Satya Sai Baba, has died in hospital.

Doctors say the 84-year-old guru, who is thought to have millions of followers around the world, died following a cardiac arrest.

He had been admitted to hospital in his hometown of Puttaparthi last month, suffering from respiratory problems and kidney failure.

His followers include former Indian prime ministers and Bollywood stars.

Many of his supporters consider him a living god and credit him with mystical powers including the ability to conjure objects out of thin air.

But his career had also been dogged by controversy. He had been accused of faking some of the so-called miracles attributed to him.

And some former followers have levelled accusations of sexual abuse against him and other members of his ashram - allegations that he has denied.

He has never been charged by police in connection with these allegations.

Officials say his body will be kept for public viewing for the next few days and a funeral is expected to take place after that.


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Friday, April 15, 2011

Ballots cast in key Indian states

14 April 2011 Last updated at 04:02 GMT Polling officials carry electronic voting machines to a booth on the eve of elections in Madras (Chennai) on 12 April 2011 Counting of votes is due on 13 May Voting for assembly elections has ended in the southern Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala and the union territory of Pondicherry.

Heavy polling has been reported with over 70% of the voters casting their ballots in the two states and the union territory.

A large number of paramilitary troops and state police were deployed to ensure the vote passes off peacefully.

The polls are among a number of several important state elections in India.

In the north-eastern state of Assam - where the ruling Congress party is seeking a third successive term - voting was completed on Monday.

Over the next month, polls will be held in West Bengal - where the Marxist leadership is being challenged by the Trinamul Congress - a regional Congress breakaway party.

The incumbent Communists in Kerala are also facing a stiff challenge from the Congress party.

In Tamil Nadu, the ruling DMK party - a key federal ally of the Congress party - is fighting a rival regional party, the AIADMK.

More than 140 million voters are eligible to cast their votes at some 150,000 polling stations during these state polls. Counting is due on 13 May.


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Thursday, February 24, 2011

Indian police beat cricket fans

24 February 2011 Last updated at 10:34 GMT The crowd grew angry over the prolonged wait for tickets

Fans queuing outside the Chinnaswamy stadium in the Indian city of Bangalore to buy tickets for the cricket World Cup have clashed with police.

Television pictures showed policemen hitting dozens of fans on their legs and backs.

Many of the fans had been waiting since Wednesday night. Reports said they were angered by the shortage of tickets available for purchase at the venue.

Bangalore is to host Sunday's World Cup showdown between India and England.

According to reports, barely 8,000 tickets are up for sale at the stadium which can accommodate 40,000 people.

The BBC's Alison Mitchell, who is in Bangalore, says that there were chaotic scenes on Thursday - tickets for the match were on sale from early in the morning and people started queuing the night before.

An Indian policeman uses a bamboo stick to beat back cricket fans outside Bangalore's Chinnaswamy stadium on 24 February 2011 There were chaotic scenes as the police struggled to restore order

Our correspondent says that the queues snaked around stadium, holding up traffic on a busy road outside.

Police used batons to control them and unconfirmed reports say that some suffered serious injuries in crushes by the ticket booths.

When the available tickets sold out in two-and-a-half hours, thousands of fans were disappointed, although the crowd dispersed quickly.

Mishandling

The BBC's Sanjoy Majumder in Delhi says that ticket sales have been a huge problem for the organisers - only a few thousand tickets are available for the general public because the bulk of them have been given away to sponsors and commercial partners.

The match was originally scheduled to be held in Calcutta's Eden Gardens but was later moved to Bangalore after the International Cricket Council (ICC) said it was with unhappy with the preparations.

The ICC has now written to the Indian organisers of the World Cup complaining about mishandling of ticket sales and distribution.

On Monday, an official website selling tickets for the final crashed after millions of people tried to log on. Many others who had bought tickets online up to six months ago are still to receive them.

The clashes on Thursday are the latest mishap to hit India's World Cup arrangements.

Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium, the venue for the final, was only given clearance to host matches by the city's fire department earlier this week.

England fans were strongly critical when news of the venue change to Bangalore first emerged earlier this month. Many complained that they had been left out of pocket.

The 27 February showdown with India was switched to the city after it was ruled that Calcutta's iconic Eden Gardens would not be ready in time.

"They'd bought tickets, booked flights and accommodation and now it has been pulled last minute," England supporter Paul Burnham told the BBC at the time of the switch.

The match between 1983 champions India and three-time runners-up England at Eden Gardens was to be one of the highlights of the month-long World Cup group stage, with tickets first going on sale last June.

The ground, which held 90,000 people before its recent renovation, is a place of pilgrimage for international cricketers and fans, having first hosted a Test in 1934 and staged the 1987 World Cup final when Australia beat England.


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