BEML chief Natarajan suspended following CBI recommendation

June 11, 2012

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New Delhi, June 11: VRS Natarajan, who is the head of the government-run defence unit BEML, has been suspended, based on a recommendation by the CBI.


Mr Natarajan has recently spawned a series of controversies. BEML supplies what are known as Tatra trucks to the Army. The CBI is investigating whether the defence public sector unit violated guidelines in buying and supplying the trucks to the Army. Last week, the Defence Ministry asked Mr Natarajan to explain why he had publically declared that he would sue the former Army Chief General VK Singh for defamation. The government said it had not authorised him to make the remark. Before retiring in May, the General had said that he had been offered a bribe of 14 crores to clear sub-standard Tatra trucks for the Army. Mr Natarajan said the General's assessment of the trucks was incorrect and defamatory.

Mr Natarajan has also been pulled up by the Company Law Board in Chennai, which suggested that he had tried to suppress documents that would have revealed mismanagement and misuse of funds by a joint venture set up by BEML to explore opportunities in the mining sector. The legal cell of the Criminal Investigations Department in Hyderabad has also recommended that Mr Natarajan be prosecuted for cheating, criminal breach of trust, and falsification of accounts in the same joint venture case.

In April this year, the CBI raided and interrogated Mr Natarajan in Bangalore for alleged irregularities in hiring a consultancy firm for BEML.

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News Network
October 21,2024

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Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on Monday warned passengers not to fly on Air India flights from November 1 to 19. He asserted that an attack could take place on an Air India flight during the specified dates, which coincide with the "40th anniversary of the Sikh genocide".

The founder of Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), who holds dual citizenship in Canada and the US, had issued a similar threat around the same time last year.

Pannun's fresh threat comes amid several airlines in India receiving multiple threat calls about potential bombings, all of which turned out to be hoaxes. It also occurred at a time when India and Canada are engaged in a murky diplomatic row following Canada's allegations of India targeting Khalistani elements in the country, including the murder of another terrorist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

In November 2023, Pannun released a video claiming that Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport would be renamed and would remain closed on November 19, warning people against flying on Air India that day. The National Investigation Agency charged him with criminal conspiracy, promoting enmity between different groups on the grounds of religion, and various offences under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

In December last year, Pannun threatened to attack the Parliament on or before December 13, following reports of an alleged foiled plot to kill him. December 13 marks the anniversary of the terrorist attack on the Parliament in 2001.

He also threatened to kill Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Director General of State Police Gaurav Yadav on Republic Day this year. He also urged gangsters to unite and launch an attack on Mann on January 26.

Pannun has been designated a terrorist by the Ministry of Home Affairs since July 2020 on charges of sedition and secessionism, as he leads SFJ, a group advocating for a separate sovereign Sikh state. A year prior to this, India banned SFJ as an "unlawful association" for engaging in "anti-national and subversive" activities.

In another development, on October 17, the United States charged a former officer of India's spy agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) for allegedly directing a foiled plot to murder Pannun, a charge New Delhi has rejected as baseless allegations.

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News Network
October 27,2024

Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav stated on Sunday, October 27, that his party is prepared to contest the Maharashtra Assembly elections independently if the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) does not include them in the alliance. 

Yadav assured that the SP would only contest in constituencies where it has a strong organizational presence and would ensure its participation does not affect the MVA’s overall prospects.

Several I.N.D.I.A. alliance members have expressed dissatisfaction with the Congress over seat-sharing arrangements in upcoming state polls. 

Both the CPI(ML)L and the RJD voiced frustration after being offered only 3-4 seats each for the Jharkhand elections by the Congress.

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