Forty Years Ago, September 29, 1980: Claims on oil hub

Iran called claims that the announcement that Ahwaz had fallen is a “great lie”.

Iraq said its forces punched 80 km inside Iran and were battling for control of three major cities in Iran’s oil heartland. Iran denied these claims and said its forces were fighting back strongly. Iraq claimed the capture of Ahwaz, capital of Iran’s oil province, and Iraqi forces were reported inside Khorramshahr and had besieged Abadan and Dezful. Baghdad said its forces had crushed the Karheh river defence line of Dezful, 110 km north of Ahwaz. Iran called claims that the announcement that Ahwaz had fallen is a “great lie”. Iraq accused Iran from broadcasting from another transmitter to “make the Iranian people believe that Ahwaz is still resisting”.

UP’s police revamp

UP Chief Minister Vishwanath Pratap Singh has said that the provincial armed constabulary might be screened to weed out communal elements. He, however, ruled out the possibility of the PAC being disbanded as is being demanded by several leaders. Singh said that the force had been overworked during the Janata Party and Lok Dal governments because of several riots. PAC deployment was 80 per cent to 90 per cent, as a result of which the force did not have a single day of training, a necessary routine, he claimed.

Opposition meet

The two-day national conference of six parties in Delhi, CPM, CPI, Lok Dal, Forward Block, RSP and Congress, after adopting a draft resolution on price rise, communalism and civil liberties. The draft was not read out at the session because members had not been given a copy. Among the few points which did not find a place was the demand to cancel the Asian Games in Delhi.

Rajiv goes training

Rajiv Gandhi arrived in Hyderabad for a course at the Central Training Institute of the Indian Airlines. He was irked when he saw a few Congress I members at the airport and said, “Kya tamasha hai”.

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