May 19, 1985, Forty Years Ago: Anti Terror Bill

Indian Express

19-05-2025

The government has introduced the Terrorists and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Bill, which seeks to provide deterrent provisions, including the death sentence, to combat the menace of terrorism in the country. The bill also seeks to confer on the central government adequate powers to make rules necessary to deal with terrorists. The introduction of the bill was preceded by noisy protests from members of the Opposition who argued that they did not have time to go through its provisions. Madhu Dandavate of the Janata Party argued that the introduction of the bill should be deferred by a few days. Alternatively, he suggested, the bill could be referred to a Select Committee.
Gujarat Violence
One person was killed and two injured in police firing in Baroda, while in Ahmedabad, where peace seemed to be returning a day earlier, one man was stabbed to death. Meanwhile, Gujarat CM Madhavsinh Solanki has offered to hold a fresh round of talks with leaders of the three-month-long anti-reservation agitation. The CM said he and his colleagues have never refused any proposal to hold talks on the issue. A group of 11 Opposition leaders is arriving in the state on May 19 to take stock of the situation.
Gas Victims Rally
Police teargassed a rally by victims of the Bhopal Gas tragedy. The protestors also included noted cultural figures like painter J Swaminathan, eminent dramatist B V Karanth and Hindi writer Vijay Mohan Singh. The incident is likely to embarrass the Madhya Pradesh government because the three are among the leading figures in its cultural showpiece, Bharat Bhavan, the prestigious multi-arts centre.
Goenka Awards
The B D Goenka awards for excellence in journalism will be given away by Justice H R Khanna on May 19. The 1984 awards have gone to Prem Bhati, editor in chief of The Tribune, Chandigarh and Raj Kumar Keswani, a journalist from Madhya Pradesh.