March 2005 in India
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March 2005 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December

Events in India

This page deals with current events in or relating to India.

March 29, 2005

• The BSE Sensex crashes by 143 points due to the absence of FIIs and domestic institutional investors taking it to a 2-month closing low at 6,368 points. (Hindu Business Line) (Economic Times)

March 21, 2005

• Pankaj Advani bags World Billards title & grand double
• US reaffirms Modi Visa decision

March 20, 2005

• Indian beat Pakistan in Kolkata cricket test: India beat Pakistan in the Kolkata match by 195 runs and are now ahead in the three-Test series 1-0. Anil Kumble ran through the Pakistan middle-order to finish with match figures of 10 for 161. Rahul Dravid was adjudged the man-of-the-match for his centuries in both innings of the Test. (Rediff)
• Pakistan releases 529 Indian fisherman & 4 prisoners: 529 fisherman and 4 civilian prisoners were released by Pakistan as a goodwill measure. The fisherman were detained last year for illegal fishing in Pakistan's territorial waters in the Arabian Sea. The civilians were detained for allegedly attempting to cross over to Iran on route to Turkey in search of employment. (The Hindu)

Advani and NDA thank Manmohan for Modi visa issue stand.

• Speakers express concern over transgression of Judiciary: The conference of Presiding Officers (speakers) of legislative bodies convened by Lok Sabha speaker Somnath Chatterjee in New Delhi expressed concern over "transgression" and "encroachment" of the judiciary in areas of the legislature. Concern was expressed on the Supreme court interim order of March 9 directing the Jharkhand speaker. They also pointed out that hostorically courts recognized Parliament's supremacy. Speakers from NDA states stayed away. (The Hindu)
• NDA thanks Manmohan on Modi visa issue stand: NDA leaders LK Advani, George Fernandes and Narendra Modi thanked the PM Manmohan Singh for his statement of concern at the visa denial issue and for his bipartisan stand on the issue. (The Hindu)
• Woman ends life to donate eyes to blind sons: A 37-year-old mother, Tamilselvi, dejected at being unable to locate eye donors for her two blind sons, ended her life by hanging, so that her eyes could be given to them. The incident happened in Kodungaiyur in north Chennai. (Rediff)
• Advani & Sethi in all Indian World Billiards championship final: Pankaj Advani and Geet Sethi beat their opponents in their semi final matches to set up an all-Indian final in the IBSF World Billiards Championship (time frame format) in Qawra, Malta. Advani defeated Ashok Shandilya 1700-1090 after initially being behind. IBSF champion Sethi comfortably won 1493-925 against fellow Indian Devendra Joshi. (The Telegraph)
• Karthikeyan finishes 11th in Malaysian F1: Narain Karthikeyan finished a creditable 11th place in the 7th Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang. Karthikeyan started 17th on the grid. 7 drivers either crashed out or pulled out. Karthikeyan was 2 laps behind Renault's Fernando Alonso the winner at finish and ahead of Jordan team mate Tiago Monteiro. (Times of India)

March 19, 2005

• Jnanpith awarded to Tamil writer D.Jayakanthan: Noted Tamil writer D Jayakanthan (born 1934) is chosen for the prestigious Jnanpith award. He is the second Tamil person to receive the coveted national literary award after P.V. Akilondam since the first awards in 1965. (The Times of India)
• Indians dominate World Billiards Championship, 4 Indians in semis: (Rediff)
• Bomb hoax on flight: A Kolkata-bound Jet Airways flight from Mumbai is delayed for over three hours after an anonymous caller said a bomb had been planted on board. The call later proved to be a hoax. (NDTV.com)
• Fallout of political drama in Goa and Jharkhand: The Government of India rules out any move to bring in constitutional amendments as recommended by the Sarkaria Commission on the appointment and role of governors in the context of recent developments in Goa and Jharkhand. (Hindustan Times)

March 18, 2005

• Narendra Modi denied diplomatic visa to visit US: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi was denied a diplomatic visa to the US. Modi's business and tourist visa were also cancelled. The US embassy described Mr. Modi as a foreign government official responsible for, or directly carried out, severe violations of religious freedom. (The Hindu) Modi terms it an "insult" to the Indian constitution, the Indian people, and a threat to the sovereignty and democratic traditions of the country. (Rediff) (The Hindu)
• India summons US charge d'affaires, expresses displeasure: India's Foreign secretary, Shyam Saran, summoned the Charge d'affaires of US Embassy, Bob Blake, expressed displeasure at the development and lodged a strong protest against the denial of Visa to Chief Minister Narendra Modi. The government of India expressed "deep concern and regret" on the developments. The official statement went on to describe the action as "uncalled for" and said the action displayed a "lack of courtesy" and "sensitivity" towards a "constitutionally-elected" state Chief Minister of India. (The Hindu)
• Two day G-20 ministerial meet begins in New Delhi: Trade ministers and representatives of 20 developing countries (G-20) began two-day talks at New Delhi to evolve a joint position on agriculture for the ongoing talks at the World Trade Organisation (WTO). This is the first time Indian is hosting a ministerial G-20 summit. (The Economic Times)
• Amendments to Patents Act introduced in Parliament: The Indian government introduced the third set of amendments to the Patents Act, 1970 in Parliament to meet Indian obligations under TRIPs and to avoiany retaliatory action under the disputes mechanism of the WTO. The bill replaces the patents amendments ordinance of December 26, 2004. The opposition launched vociferous protests against the legislation on the ground that it was inimical to country's interests. (Financial Express)
• Rana wins Commonwealth Centre Fire Pistol gold: Jaspal Rana won the gold medal in his favorite event, the centre fire pistol, in the sixth Commonwealth Shooting Championships in Melbourne. (Rediff)
• Harbhajan most successful Indian off spinner: Harbhajan Singh's wicket of Kamran Akmal was his 190th wicket of his career in 44 matches. He bettered Erapalli Prasanna's tally of 189 wickets in 49 test matches. Harbhajan is now India's most successful off-spinner in Test matches. Rediff)
• Bollywood actor wins legal battle to work in Britain: Dalip Tahil won the right to work in Britain after a year long legal battle. British immigration officials sent an apology from the Home Office for the way his case has been handled. Tahil was working in BBC's popular soap EastEnders (The Hindu)

March 17, 2005

• Kanishka flight tragedy accused acquitted in Canada: After a two-year trial, Justice Ian Josephson, a Canadian judge acquitted two Indian-born sikhs and accused masterminds, Ripudaman Singh Malik and Ajaib Singh Bagri, of murder and other charges in the deaths of 329 people killed in the bombing of Air India Flight 182 (also nicknamed Kanishka). On June 23, 1985, Kanishka en route from Montreal to London exploded and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Ireland.
• Maharashtra sanctions Rs 136 cr to strengthen Koyna dam: Maharashtra government sanctioned Rs 136.44 crore for strengthening Koyna dam in view of the fact that it is located in an area that is earthquake prone. Koyna region was the epicentre of a moderate earthquake on March 14, 2005.

March 16, 2005

• Cricket: At Eden Gardens, Kolkata, Sachin Tendulkar turns Pakistan paceman Abdul Razzaq for a single to reach 27 soon after tea becoming only the fifth cricketer and the second Indian after Sunil Gavaskar to reach 10,000 Test runs in his 122nd test. (The Hindu)
• SSC exams: A 15-year-old boy from Dahisar dies of a massive heart attack in the examination centre. (Hindustan Times)
• SSC exams: A teenager from Vikhroli hangs himself after faring badly in the first paper. (Express Newsline)

March 15, 2005

• India-Pakistan relations: Pakistan's Ministry of Interior issues release orders for 589 Indian prisoners as a gesture of goodwill towards India. 529 of these are fishermen and 60 are civilian prisoners. President Pervez Musharraf told visiting chief minister of Punjab, Amarinder Singh that the release process was initiated. (Reuters)
• Jharkhand trust vote: Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Arjun Munda of the BJP wins a confidence vote in the 81-member Jharkhand assembly. NDA gets the support of 40 lawmakers while 37 vote for the Congress alliance in the trial of strength. (Reuters)
• Smriti Irani files a police complaint stating that she has been receiving threatening phone calls for the past few weeks and seeks police protection. (Newindpress) (NDTV.com)

March 14, 2005

• Tremors in Maharashtra: An earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter Scale rattled parts of Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka at 1514 IST. Indian Meteorological Department said the quake's epicentre was in Koyna (17.2 degree N, 73.7 degree E), in Satara district of Maharashtra, around 300 km from Mumbai. There was no reported loss of life or property. (Rediff)

March 13, 2005

• 37 people die in two bus accidents: The first occurred in Gujarat where 18 people drowned when their bus collided with another bus and slid into a canal. The second accident occurred in Uttarakhand where 19 people died when their bus skidded off a mountain road and fell into a gorge. (CBC) (ABC) (NDTV)
• In India, hundreds of people re-enact the 1930 24 day, 380 km salt march of Mahatma Gandhi. (BBC)

March 12, 2005

• Arjun Munda sworn in Jharkhand Chief Minister: BJP leader Arjun Munda was sworn in as Jharkhand chief minister by Governor Syed Sibtey Razi along with five Independent MLAs. The support of the independents is crucial for the state government's survival. (Times of India)
• Dandi march re-enact flagged off in Ahmedabad: The 75th anniversary of the Dandi March by Mahatma Gandhi witnessed a re-enact of the same march by the Congress party. Tushar Gandhi, the great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi took part in the march. Congress president Sonia Gandhi flagged off the march from the Sabarmati Ashram. Mahatma Gandhi took this march 1930 to oppose the British government's salt laws. (Rediff)
• BEST strike: The indefinite stir by BEST workers for a pay revision is called off after a settlement is reached between them and the BEST management. (Rediff) (NDTV.com)
• Shiv Sena goondagardi: Five Shiv Sainiks are arrested in Mumbai for rioting, trespassing and dacoity in connection with the attack on the offices of the India Today Group on March 11.

March 11, 2005

• Jharkhand political drama, Soren steps down: Jharkhand chief minister Shibu Soren resigns following his failure to obtain a vote of confidence in the assembly. (Mid-Day) (NDTV)
• Air travel industry reforms: Singapore has sought the Indian government's approval to operate 210 flights every week to India from the end of 2005. The Government of Singapore had earlier allowed Jet Airways and Air Sahara to start flights to Singapore. (Times of India)
• Gutka industry - underworld nexus: R M Dhariwal, chairman of Manikchand Group of Industries assures the Supreme Court that he will appear before the CBI on April 4 in connection with the underworld nexus case. (Calcutta Telegraph) (Hindustan Times)

March 10, 2005

• Telecom reforms, bandwidth tariffs cut: TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) slashes tariffs for international bandwidth prices by up to 70% with effect from April 1. This is the first time that the regulator has "tweaked" tariffs for international connectivity. (Indian Express) (Hindu Business Line)

March 7, 2005

• President's rule imposed in Bihar: The President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, tonight approved the Union Cabinet's decision recommending President's rule in Bihar following the stalemate in government formation. Bihar has been under President's rule 7 times earlier.

March 6, 2005

• President's rule recommended in Bihar: Bihar Governor Buta Singh, recommended to the Centre imposition of President's rule in the State. No pre-poll alliance had convinced the Governor about its claim to form the Government due to the fractured mandate. (The Hindu)
• India's largest nuke plan commissioned at Tarapur: India's largest and first completely indigenously 540 megawatt pressurised heavy water reactor was attained criticality in Tarapur. The reactor part of (Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited) will produce 3310 MW of electricity announced (Atomic Energy Commission) Chairman Dr Anil Kakodkar. (Rediff)
• Indian beheaded in Saudi Arabia: Malaya Maroti Bajantra convicted of murdering his compatriot Hakim Ahmed Pasha was beheaded in the Hafar al-Batin town in Saudi Arabia. Bajantra is the second Indian to be beheaded in Saudi Arabia. (Rediff)
• Narain Karthikeyan finishes 15th in Melbourne F1: Narain Karthikeyan, India's first Formula One driver, finished 15th for Jordan as the highest-ranked of the four men making their grands prix debuts in Melbourne, Australia. (Times of India)
• India rout China 5-0 in Davis cup tie: India completed a clean sweep against China in the Davis Cup Asia Oceania Group I tie in New Delhi after Harsh Mankad beat Lu Hao 6-2, 6-3 in the second reverse singles. Prakash Amritraj beat Sun Peng 6-2, 6-4 in the first reverse singles of the dead-rubber. (Davis cup) (Rediff)

March 5, 2005

• Narain Debuts in F1 at Melbourne: 9th in first qualifying at Melbourne F1.
• Abhijeet Sawant wins the 2005 Indian Idol contest defeating Amit Sana.
• Bhupinder Singh Hooda sworn in CM of Haryana.
• Rabri Devi stakes claim to form Bihar Government.
• 3 Lashkar militants killed in Delhi: Police shot dead three members of the Lashkar-e-Toiba militant outfit, including two Pakistani nationals, in an encounter in Suraj Vihar in Uttam Nagar, south-west Delhi. (Rediff).
• BJP alleges constitutional terrorism by Jharkhand governor
• Hindustani legend Gangubhar Hangal turns 93
• Venezuela’s Chavez backs India’s case
• 1000 crores science research foundation announced
• India & Singapore hold maritime exercise
• Centre and CBI to ensure price stability
• India takes winning lead over China in Davis cup

March 4, 2005

• The BSE Sensex breaches the 6,800-mark for the first time in its history, ending at 6,849, up 65 points over its previous close. The market rally has added about 160 billion Indian rupees (approx. 3.6 billion US$) to investor wealth with the BSE's market capitalisation at a record high of 17.65 trillion Indian rupees (approx. 400 billion US$). (Financial Express)
• President's rule is imposed in Goa and the Goa assembly is placed under suspended animation. (Deccan Herald) (Sify, India)

March 1, 2005

• Jammu Srinagar Highway reopens after a week.

Past events by month

2005 in India: January February
2004 in India: January February March April May June July August September October November December
2003 in India: January February March April May June July August September October November December

News collections and sources

• Wikipedia:News collections and sources.
• Wikipedia:News sources - This has much of the same material organised in a hierarchical manner to help encourage NPOV in our news reporting.