NEWSREEL: 29.09.02

• Gujarat’s deceptive calm is broken when on the same day as the second phase of elections in Jammu and Kashmir, militants enter i...

• Gujarat’s deceptive calm is broken when on the same day as the second phase of elections in Jammu and Kashmir, militants enter into Swaminarayan sect’s most important shrine, Akshardham Temple, in Gandhinagar.

By the time the siege ends next day at dawn, 40 people are dead — including an NSG commando and three police officials — and 70 injured. However, the bigger toll is outside, on the state’s fragile attempts at peace and reconciliation. Scared Muslims in Naroda-Patiya rush back to relief camps and the Army, police fan out to help Gujarat tide over a VHP-sponsored bandh. But chastised by PM and elections in mind, Narendra Modi and his men do what they insist was impossible after Godhra: they keep peace.

• PM A.B. Vajpayee too opts for restraint over hasty fingerpointing at Pakistan. Realising the US and West is now occupied with Iraq, Vajpayee ignores jibes from own Sangh Parivar and the Shiv Sena, and decides to wait out for conclusive proof before ascertaining blame.

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• His calm could also have been prompted by another peaceful polling phase in J-K (42 per cent voting).

While Srinagar, as expected, observes near-total boycott, there is enthusiastic voting in Budgam, Jammu and border areas. Reports of coercion again come in, but these are scattered and few. Militants hit back by storming a house and taking policemen hostage in Srinagar on election eve, but by next morning, the crisis is over and forgotten in the poll fervour.

• In one of the speediest decisions on an environmental issue, the Supreme Court — acting on a Sunday Express story — imposes collective fine of Rs 5 crore on firms for defacing ancient rocks along the Manali-Rohtang bypass.

Individually, MBD and Coke have to pay Rs 15 lakh, Pepsi Rs 10 lakh. Himachal Pradesh is also fined, Rs 1 crore, for allowing them to deface the rocks. Plus, the SC promises, it will impose more exemplary damages on organisations as restoration costs.

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• Another PIL, this time on Bihar’s unpaid PSU workers, as reported by The Indian Express, and the SC issues a notice to the state government.

• Germany-US ties take a nosedive as Gerhard Schroeder crawls back to power thanks to some extent to his opposition to a war against Iraq. George Bush isn’t pleased when one of Schroeder’s ministers adds insult to injury by likening him to Hitler.

There are no congratulatory calls from the White House to Schroeder for election as the new German premier. But while Tony Blair again faithfully parrots Bush’s line on Iraq, there are others lining up on Schroeder’s side — including Russia and France.

• More bad news as India slips by eight spots to 15th in a list of attractive FDI destinations in A.T. Kearney’s latest annual survey. It adds that there is a 20-per cent chance of FDI in India actually falling this year.

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IMF adds to the gloom, projecting a 5 per cent growth for this financial year, downscaling it from the earlier prediction of 5.5 per cent. NCAER also lowers its forecast of GDP growth rate this year from its earlier projection of 5.5 per cent to 4.8 per cent.

• It’s a Virender Sehwag week without doubt. Twice in seven days, he wins the Man of the Match award, and India are in the final of the Champions Trophy.

But the sporting image of the week is Yuvraj Singh’s gravity-defying diving catch to dismiss Jonty Rhodes in semi-final game against South Africa.