Ansari is new minority panel chief

The Centre today appointed the former vice-chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University, Mohammad Hamid Ansari, as the chairperson of the National Commission for Minorities NCM.

It has also appointed the Buddhist and Sikh members of the seven-member commission. According to sources, Lama Kosphal Jotpa, a senior Buddhist cleric from Ladakh, has been appointed the Buddhist member while Harcharan Singh Josh, a Congress leader from Delhi, will be the Sikh member. The UPA move reverses the trend set by the NDA to give non-Muslim minorities the centrestage.