40 years ago, July 24, 1986: Fixing accountability for riots

District collectors and superintendents of police will henceforth be held directly and principally responsible for any outbreak of communal violence within their jurisdiction, the Minister of State for Internal Security, P Chidambaram, declared in the Lok Sabha. He was responding to the demand repeatedly made during the debate that the government pin responsibility on the collector and SP.

Reagan rules out sanctions

US President Ronald Reagan rejected what he called the emotional clamour for punitive sanctions against South Africa and called for deeper Western involvement to bring reform and an end to apartheid. Rebuffing Congress and some of America’s Western allies, Reagan said, “We must stay and work, not cut and run.” The speech, in which Reagan vigorously defended his stance towards the white minority government in Pretoria, but also urged it to set a time-table for dismantling apartheid, fell well short of demands in Congress for tough U.S. sanctions

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Tiff with China unresolved

The seventh round of Sino-Indian border talks concluded in Beijing without resolving the issue of China’s recent intrusion into Indian territory or making much progress on the boundary question itself. Informed sources said there was an intensive exchange of views on the Chinese intrusion into Wangdong in the Sumdorong Chu Valley area of Arunachal Pradesh, but the Chinese maintained it was north of the Line of Actual Control and in their territory.

Monsoon rainfall mystery

Despite all indications to the contrary in the capital, the weatherman insists that the monsoon is good this year. According to him, the rains have been fairly widespread this season in the state of Haryana, where Delhi is geographically located. But the rainfall has been paltry. And he admits this, having recorded a mere 3.5 cm of rain so far as against a normal rainfall of 21 cm for July.