Evening NEWS DIGEST
02 Nov. 2016: 01 Safar 1438: Vol: 8, No:26
Yes, SIMI men were unarmed
when shot: ATS chief admits
Bhopal: 8 men who were shot dead in Bhopal were not
armed when they were killed, the chief of MP's ATS told NDTV today. However,
Sanjeev Shami added, "It is well settled in law when police can use force
and take life. These men were dreaded criminals. If the police sees the
possibility that such men can escape, they can use maximum force."Shami
says he is aware that since he first declared the men who were killed were
unarmed two days ago, other police and govt officers have contradicted him. He
says he stands by his account."Even if the police are not being fired at,
they can use such force," said Shami to NDTV. The encounter with the SIMI
men was led by his ATS.His statement to NDTV differs vastly from the claims of
other cops and Home Minister Bhupinder Singh who have alleged that though the
prisoners had no arms when they broke out of jail, they were supplied, by the
time the cops confronted them, with four country-made pistols which they used
to keep from being taken back into custody.Post-mortem reports accessed today
by NDTV show that the prisoners, who were arrested on charges including murder
and terror attacks, were shot in the head, chest, feet and in the back.
Forensic experts will determine how close the police was to the prisoners when
they were killed. NDTV
ATS chief contradicts
Bhopal inspector general, says SIMI men were unarmed
SIMI men had no guns, say
witnesses
Bhopal:Scores of people
from about a dozen villages ''witnessed'' the alleged encounter between the
police and the SIMI undertrials who “escaped” from Bhopal central jail early on
Monday, but eyewitnesses the Hindu spoke to did not recall “seeing” the
suspects use firearms against the police.The eyewitnesses are sure the suspects
threw stones at the police and the public, shouted curses, chanted slogans and
challenged them to attack. Eyewitnesses also do not recollect spotting any
pistols next to the bodies of the dead men, although many of them claimed that
a knife-kind of object was lying near one of the slain persons. the hindu
Bullets hit SIMI suspects
in chest, abdomen, post-mortem report
adds more doubts: India Today
New Delhi:Suspicions around
alleged encounter near Bhopal deepened further after the doctor who performed
autopsies of the 8 slain SIMI suspects revealed that the men died from gunshot
wounds mostly in the abdomen and the chest."They died from gunshots,"said
Ashok Sharma, who heads the medico-legal department of Bhopal's Gandhi Medical
College. Most of the bullets, he told India Today, were fired into the chest
and the abdomen of the fugitive SIMI suspects.Some shots pierced through them
while some remained lodged inside, he explained. A bullet also hit the head of
one of the men, Sharma said while the hospital authorities prepared their
autopsy report.Usually, gunshot injuries in shootouts vary widely on body
parts, experts say. Sharma's autopsy findings, as he disclosed to India Today,
suggest the ballistic trauma on 8 men was mostly concentrated in their chest
and abdomen.
8 men were fired upon from front,
all sustained injuries in their head and chest, above waist: lawyer
Bhopal: Post-mortem report
of 8 men who were gunned down says there were multiple entry and exit wounds on
the bodies and that majority of them were above the waist, their lawyer said today.“They
were fired upon from the front and all of them sustained injuries in their head
and chest, above the waist,” lawyer Parvez Alam said.Repeating his claim that
the suspects were killed in a fake encounter, Alam said police should fire
below the waist in accordance with a Supreme Court ruling. After the opposition
demanded an independent high-level judicial probe to verify the authenticity of
the encounter, MP DGP Rishi Kumar Shukla announced the formation of a SIT on
Tuesday to probe the killings.But Alam said he will petition a local court for
the medical examination of the remaining members of the banned organisation
lodged in the Bhopal jail, alleging they were assaulted. He also claimed that
there was a threat to his life.“I am going to move Bhopal CJM court today,
seeking to conduct medical examination on 20-odd so-called SIMI members in
jail.“I have learnt that they have been brutally beaten,” Alam alleged, and
said he will seek security from police.On Tuesday, bodies of 7 of the 8 men
were buried in different parts of Madhya Pradesh amid tight security.HT
Each SIMI Man Shot At Least
Twice, Some In The Back
Post-Mortem report adds to
questions around encounter
Bijnor blast: All 6 accused
killed, NIA to file closure report
Lucknow: NIA has decided to
file a closure report in the 2014 Bijnor blast case involving six SIMI men
following the death of all of them in police encounters. However, five of the
alleged associates of these SIMI men in the blast case would face trial in
court, as a chargesheet has already been filed against them. They are currently
lodged in Lucknow District Jail.indianexpress
With all 5 suspects dead,
2014 Pune blast case likely to be closed
Pune: 3 of the
alleged accused in the 2014 Faraskhana police station blast case were among the
8 killed in an ‘encounter’ with MP Police on Monday. 2other alleged accused in
the case were killed in an ‘encounter’ by Telangana Police in April 2015. With
all 5 accused dead, Maharashtra ATS is likely to close the case by filing a
‘summary report’, said officials. Indian express
Concerned over SIMI activists'
killing: Jamaat-e-Islami
New Delhi: Jamaat-e-Islami
Hind has expressed concern over the killing of 8 SIMI undertrial activists in
an alleged encounter by Madhya Pradesh Police.JIH Secretary General Muhammad
Salim Engineer said the killing of 8 undertrial prisoners in Bhopal was highly
disturbing, adding that several media reports suggested it was a fake
encounter."Entire episode raises several uncomfortable questions. Was it
possible for the accused to scale over 30-feet high wall of the most secure
jail in MP? How could they lay hands on weapons? Why are there contradictory
statements from officials over whether prisoners had weapons or not?" he
said."How did they get new clothes, watches and bands? If they had connections
to get weapons, why couldn't they get a vehicle to escape? Why no policeman was
injured in the encounter? Why were CCTVs (in Central Jail) not functioning?How
all of them moved together rather than dispersing and couldn't go further in
eight hours?" He demanded a high-level inquiry under Supreme Court
supervision to bring out the facts about the alleged jailbreak and the
encounter.He said a lawyer for the accused had maintained that the case against
his clients was very weak and there was everylikelihood of their acquittal
soon.IANS
Concerned over SIMI
activists' killing: Jamaat-e-Islami Hind
Jamaat-e-Islami voices
concern over killing of SIMI undertrials in Bhopal
http://theindianawaaz.com/jamaat-e-islami-voices-concern-over-killing-of-simi-undertrials-in-bhopal/
Bhopal Encounter: Leading
Muslim organizations demand judicial probe
Bhopal Encounter: Outraged
Muslim Groups, Rights Activists Demand Independent Judicial Probe
Separate probes into Madhya
Pradesh jailbreak, encounter of SIMI men to begin
Bhopal:An SIT formed by
Madhya Pradesh Police on Wednesday inspected the site of alleged encounter
where eight SIMI men were gunned down on Monday while a separate investigation
began into the jailbreak by extremists by recreating the scene. CID team led by
SP Anurag Sharma also examined some people about the encounter, which has come
under scanner with opposition parties and the lawyer of the slain SIMI
activists pointing to several alleged smoking guns to claim that it was
fake.Former Director General of Police Nandan Dubey, assigned by the state
government with the task of investigating the daring jail break, visited the Central
Jail here. The jail break scene was recreated as part of the probe and Dubey
examined some prisoners also.PTI
Encounter: Court documents
contest police version
New Delhi: As questions
continue to be raised over the encounter of 8 suspected SIMI members court
documents relating to at least 2 of the deceased highlight glaring
contradictions in police version.According to MP police, the 2 men, identified
as Mohammad Aqeel Khilji (s/o Mohammad Yusuf) and Amjad (s/o Ramzan Khan), were
arrested under terror charges on June 13, 2011. At the time of the arrest, the
police claimed that at 11.45 pm, they had raided Khilji's house in the Gulmohar
Park area and busted a meeting attended by alleged SIMI operatives. The police
further claimed that Khilji, Amjad and the other suspects were planning terror
strikes. However, court documents accessed by DNA tell a different story. In
the form of affidavits, pleas, bail applications, and most importantly—a magisterial
court order – all of them dating between June 6 and June 10, these documents
clearly show that the accused were in the custody of the police before June 13.Furthermore,
the families of Khilji and Amjad claim that they were arrested on June 6.They
claim that they had moved applications in the CJM court on June 6 complaining
that the police had detained their sons. Documents back up the families'
claims.DNA has access to a Court order acknowledging the bail applications by
the families of the accused men. According to the order, the matter was heard
in the court of CJM DS Chauhan on June 10, three days before the alleged
meeting of SIMI operatives took place, as per the police's claims.CJM further
posted the matter to be heard on June 13, while the police claimed that accused
were arrested on the intervening nights of June 12 and June 13. In one of the
applications on June 6, Amjad's mother claimed that the police detained Amjad's
father Ramzan first, and she had then requested his release in exchange of
Amjad. Another affidavit by Amjad's father on June 10, which recorded the
signature of Ramzan Khan, showed that he was in police custody at the time.Family's
applications cite Section437 (when bail may be taken in case of a non-bailable
offence) suggesting that it was not serious terror charges as claimed by the
police. Defence lawyers representing the accused claimed that most of the
undertrials had a good chance of being acquitted. For instance, Javaid Chauhan,
who represented Khilji, said that two of the four cases against his client were
cleared. Chauhan also claimed that the evidence gathered by the police against
the SIMI suspects was weak.DNA
Bhopal Encounter
Controversy Won't Die Down, Court Documents Prove MP Police Version Fake
Bhopal Muslim clerics
question encounter, call it 'highly suspicious'
Bhopal: Leading Muslim
clerics in Bhopal on Tuesday expressed doubts over the veracity of the
encounter in which 8 SIMI operatives were gunned down near Acharpura in the outskirts
of Bhopal on Monday.They said that the jail break, the killing of head
constable Ram Shankar and later the encounter in which 8 SIMI operatives were
killed, is an episode that is "highly suspicious".In a joint
statement issued today, the clerics said that a sitting Supreme Court judge
should head the probe looking into the entire circumstances surrounding the
jail break and its aftermath.Ulema have also said that the use of the term
'terrorist' even when trial hasn't completed is "wrong and illegal"."This
practice must be stopped", the joint statement reads. The Shahar Qazi,
Bhopal, Syed Mushtaq Ali Nadvi, influential clerics including Pir Saeed Miyan,
Mufti-e-Azam Madhya Pradesh Abdul Razzaq Khan, Mufti-e-Shahar Abul Kalam Qasmi
and many other prominent Ulema, have supported the demand. Huffingtonpost
Bhopal encounter is fake,
says ex-SIMI chief
Lucknow: The former chief
of SIMI has called the Bhopal encounter a “fake” one. He also said escaping
from the jail in Madhya Pradesh was “impossible”. Shahid Badr Falahi, the
former chief of SIMI also claimed that the undertrials killed on Monday could
not be linked to the banned organisation as it has been inactive since 2001.TOI
Asking questions not good
culture, says MoS (Home); CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan talks of chicken biryani
Questions raised over police killings: aljazeera
How media wrongly labelled undertrials as
'terrorists'
Did Indian police just gun
down 8 prison fugitives in cold blood? govt would prefer you didn’t ask
washington post
‘SIMI men were a threat to
nation’: MP RSS leader
MP Encounter Deaths
Spotlight Series Of Terror Arrests That Failed Court Scrutiny:USHINOR MAJUMDAR
Why police theories on
jailbreak ring hollow
NDTV’s Ravish nails down SIMI’s alleged fake
encounter
SIMI men encounter is
political vendetta: Mamata
'He's alive, kill him': New
video of encounter emerges
Kin of SIMI men seek probe
into ‘staged encounter’
After Lalu, Nitish also
demands probe into killing
OTHERS
Army veteran's suicide:
OROP stir intensifies, top opposition leaders detained
Congress Vice President
Rahul Gandhi was detained yet again on Tuesday evening after meeting
ex-serviceman Ram Kishan Grewal's family. Apart from him, Delhi Police has also
detained Jyotiraditya Madhavrao Scindia, Dilip Pandey and Sanjay Singh.Three
days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared that he has released Rs 5,500
crore for implementation of OROP scheme, the issue has gained momentum again.
On Tuesday evening, Grewal from Haryana's Bhiwani district ended his life in
the lawns behind the Jawahar Bhavan, which houses the Ministry of External
Affairs.When Rahul Gandhi and Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia went
Ram Manohar Lohia hospital in Delhi, they were prevented from seeing the Army
Veteran's body.Commenting on the issue, Delhi Police told ANI, "During
protest by political parties at RML Hospital today, none has been arrested.
When leaders along with crowd started gathering at RML medical services got
severely affected and orderliness deteriorated. Despite several requests when
they didn't move, leaders and protesting followers were removed to Police
stations and detained."When asked about the family of Grewal, the police
said that due police procedure is on and the family members of deceased were
are being spoken to. However, commenting on police's measures, Rural
Development Minister of Delhi Gopal Rai was of the opinion that the police was
being hooligans with them and requested them to not resort to similar treatment
towards a "martyr's family."DNA
Rahul Gandhi, Arvind
Kejriwal Stopped From Meeting Ex-Armyman's Family
Ex-serviceman allegedly
kills self over ‘One Rank One Pension’ issue
Choose your enemy, Hindu or
Muslim migrants: Assam BJP minister Sarma
Guwahati: Stating that it
is his party’s policy to differentiate between Hindu and Muslim migrants, Assam
Minister and convenor of the BJP’s North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA)
Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday asked the people of the state to choose their
enemy — “the 1-1.5 lakh people or the 55 lakh people?”While he did not
elaborate on the figures, Sarma seemed to be referring to Hindu and Muslim
migrants as he was replying to queries on the opposition to the Citizenship
(Amendment) Bill in Assam.Although there are no official figures of Hindu or
Muslim migrants from Bangladesh in Assam, political groups often claim that the
state has about 55 lakh Bangladeshi migrants. The reference to “1-1.5 lakh”
people, however, does not match any known figure.“The whole thing is that we
have to decide who our enemy is. Who is our enemy, the 1-1.5 lakh people or the
55 lakh people? The Assamese community is at the crossroads. We could not
(save) 11 districts. If we continue to remain this way, six more districts will
go out (of our hands) in the 2021 Census. In 2031, more (districts) will go
out,” said Sarma, pressing for the Bill.While Sarma referred to “11 districts”,
the 2011 Census identified nine districts as areas with Muslim majority, up
from six in 2001. indian express
Haji Ali trust to disallow
men from main tomb area to maintain gender equality
Delhi: Haji Ali Dargah
Trust has decided to disallow both men and women from touching the sanctum
sanctorum at the shrine as part of its proposal to ensure gender equality among
worshippers.An affidavit and a map submitted by the trust in the Supreme Court described
how it would construct a restricted area around the tomb, called “mujawar
area”, where only “khadims” would be allowed to make offerings. Neither men nor
women would be allowed inside the zone, it clarified. According to the
reconstruction plan, the mujawar area would extend to a sizeable 12 square
metres around the tomb. “The trustees believe in complete equality of men and
women, as envisaged in Islam. To give effect to the said principle of equality,
we have decided that both men and women shall be allowed to enter the room that
houses the sanctum sanctorum of Pir Haji Ali Shah Bukhari right up to the
sanctum. However, neither men nor women will be allowed to touch the sanctum
sanctorum,” the resolution stated.The new scheme, based on the “concept of
equality between men and women in Islam”, was cleared by the trust on October
11 in view of an SC observation that women worshippers should not be
discriminated against. HT
Muslim leaders decide to go
ahead with AIMPLB conclave with or without Kolkata govt nod
Kolkata:Confusion prevailed
over the proposed convention of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board
(AIMPLB) in Kolkata as the state govt is
yet to give permission for the 3-day meet. Now, Muslim leaders in the city have
decided to hold the programme even if they do not get clearance from the govt. Mohammed
Kamruzzaman, general secretary of All Bengal Minority Youth Federation, said:
“Over 350 leaders will come to Kolkata for the convention. We had earlier
written to the state govt seeking permission to hold the delegate session at
Madinatul Hujjaj at New Town and the mass meeting at Park Circus Maidan but the
state govt is yet to give its
permission. So, in a meeting yesterday it has been decided that we will go on
with the programme as per schedule.” Trinamool MPs such as Sultan Ahmed and
Idris Ali were also present at the meeting. Kamruzzaman added that while the federation
had written to both Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) and the state minority
department regarding permission for the venues, they have not received any
reply.“Leaders present at the meeting yesterday said while the last AIMPLB
convention in Kolkata was held during the Left Front regime at Khudiram
Anushilan Kendra and Park Circus ground, the current regime, which appears to
be a patron of the minority community, is against us,” he added.Maulana Niyamat
Hossain, president of Milli Ittehad Parishad echoed similar views.When
contacted, Sultan Ahmed and Idris Ali said that they were optimistic that the govt
would give permission for the con. indian express
Any attempt by govt to ban
triple talaq will be strongly opposed by women:
female Scholar
Gorakhpur: A noted female
Islamic scholar has said any attempt by the Modi govt to do away with the practice of triple talaq
would be opposed in the strongest possible terms by women themselves. Fariha
Binte Hakeemullah, who is associated with Allahabad-based Islamic Education and
Research Organization, said Muslim women in the country are happy with the
existing Islamic laws on triple talaq through which Muslim men divorce their
wives instantly by uttering the word thrice in one go.“Muslim women would
continue following the Shariah law as it is better in their interest,”
Hakeemullah said at a seminar on triple talaq in Gorakhpur on Monday.“When the
Muslim women themselves do not want any changes in triple talaq and Shariah,
why is the govt interfering
unnecessarily?” she asked, adding it was the constitutional right of Muslims to
follow Shariah. Justifying the triple talaq, Hakeemullah said that it was the
simplest way in which a Muslim couple could separate if they wanted to do so
without any complications.“Talaq is the last option available to Muslim couples
who want to separate. In Islam, couples who want to part ways have been asked
to resolve their differences through discussions among themselves. Family
elders may also intervene. The couple may finally opt for talaq if the issues
are not sorted out,” she said. According to Hakeemullah, a large number of
Muslim women, who attended the seminar, vowed to oppose any reform in the
Islamic law. HT
Muslim women happy with
Shariat: Asma Zohra
AMU VC hopes for favourable
verdict on minority status issue
AGRA: Maintaining his faith
in the judiciary, AMU vice chancellor Lt General Zameer Uddin Shah on Tuesday
said that the university's stand on the issue of its minority character is
clear and they would defend it in the court.Speaking at the 64th annual
convocation of the university, Shah said, "We have a good legal team that
takes care of the case and it is moving in the right direction. We have full faith
in the judiciary and we are sure about a favourable outcome." He said that
the AMU Amendment Act 1981 entrusted the university with the mandate to work
for the educational and cultural advancement of Muslims of the country.TOI
IPS officer A.P. Siddiqui
is new Jamia Millia Islamia registrar
NEW DELHI: A.P. Siddiqui, a
senior IPS Officer of Himachal Pradesh cadre, has taken over as Registrar of
Jamia Millia Islamia for a period of five years on deputation.A 1991-batch IPS
Officer, Siddiqui was ADG of Police
(HQRS) in Himachal Pradesh before joining JMI.the hindu
Cong poll strategist Kishor
meets Mulayam
New Delhi: Congress' poll
strategist Prashant Kishor today held a two-hour meeting with Samajwadi Party
supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav, who is trying to cobble together an alliance of
like-minded parties ahead of UP assembly polls due early next year.Kishor,
along with SP leader Amar Singh, met Yadav at his Delhi residence this evening,
apparently to discuss the possibility of an alliance before the poll dates are
announced.Sources close to the development confirmed that Kishor met Yadav.
There was talk in political circles that Yadav spoke with JD(U) leader and
Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, who is also in
Delhi. However, there was no immediate confirmation. Kishor had managed Nitish
Kumar's successful assembly poll campaign last year.PTI
Aligarh, Bijnore tense
after clashes: thehindu
Meerut: Different parts of
western Uttar Pradesh, including Aligarh and Bijnore, were on the edge after
communal clashes were reported after Deepavali. 2 persons were allegedly killed
and several injured in two separate incidents in Aligarh on Monday. Section 144
was imposed in the affected areas of Babri Mandi and Kodiya Ganj on Tuesday.
Two separate incidents of communal clash were reported from Nehtaur’s Kareempur
Mubarak village and Uledha village on Monday. 11 persons, including 4 policemen
and two children, were injured during the clash in Kareempur while one person
was killed and several injured in the clash over fire crackers in Uledha
village.
Prohibitory orders imposed
in Aligarh after communal clash in Babri Mandi
6 Pakistani High Commission
officials leave India
New Delhi: As many as six
officials in the Pakistani High Commission here today returned home amidst
growing tension between the two countries after a Pakistani Mission staffer was
caught in an espionage ring and expelled. Though there was no official
confirmation on the number of diplomats leaving India, according to Pakistan
High Commission sources there were six mission officials who have left or were
in the process of leaving.“The decision has been taken after it became impossible
for the officials to work in this vitiated atmosphere,” the sources alleged,
adding that, “Indian govt is threatening
and blackmailing our diplomats. So in this condition, it is impossible for us
to stay in this country and work.” According to the sources, those who have
left include commercial counsellor Syed Furrukh Habib and first secretaries
Khadim Hussain, Mudassir Cheema and Shahid Iqbal.PTI
India set to withdraw two
officials from Pakistan mission
\NEW DELHI: India is set to
withdraw two officials from the Indian high commission in Islamabad after
Pakistani media revealed their identities for being allegedly involved in
subversive activities.Rajesh Agnihotri and Balbir Singh, two Indian embassy
officials, will be removed most likely before they are declared 'persona
non-grata' by Pakistan.The two officials were identified and their photographs
were being flashed repeatedly by different Pakistani TV news channels today.TOI
Dalits to join hands with
MIM to counter stir by Marathas
After prominent Maratha
organization Sambhaji Brigade registered itself as a political party and
announced its intent to contest the forthcoming local polls, dalit
organizations and MIM have come together to float a political front to counter
Maratha politics.Various dalit organisations have planned a 'Maha Morcha' in
Aurangabad on Friday and MIM has extended its support not only to the march,
but also proposed a political front. A series of silent marches by the Maratha
community started in Aurangabad in August and the dalit community is gearing up
to put up a massive show of strength from the same place. Dalit leaders said
the Aurangabad show will be followed up in the other parts of the state.TOI
BJP-led Centre revamps
culture board, brings in pro-Modi artistes
Modi govt revamped the Central Advisory Board on Culture
(CABC) in September bringing in a slew of artistes mainly associated with the
BJP or other right-wing association, reported ET.Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma
reconstituted the 23-member panel and brought on new members like the noted
danseuse Sonal Mansingh, vocalist Pt Channu Lal Misra and actor Anupam Kher.The
three have been vocal supporters of the Modi govt before and after it came to power.Other
members of the panel are santoor player Pt Shiv Kumar Sharma, flautist Pt Hari
Prasad Chaurasia, vocalist Rajan Mishra, noted Hindi author Narendra Kohli,
Kannada author Professor SL Bhyrappa, Justice (Retd) M Rama Jois, artist
Vasudeo Kamath, Sanskrit scholar Dr SR Leela, actor Pranjal Saikia and actor
Victor Banerjee who is slated to play Narendra Modi in a biopic. Kohli and
Bhyrappa have earlier come out in support of the Modi govt amidst protests from their community.The only
Muslim face of the panel is Rahman Ali who is the former history Professor from
Ujjain Vikarm Vishwavidhyala. firstpost
‘Foreign defence companies
paid huge bribes to alleged Indian arms dealer’
Stunning details of
payments of millions of dollars by several foreign defence companies to an
alleged Indian arms dealer, family have emerged in secret documents accessed by
the BBC and The Guardian, and shared with The Hindu.Among the key details are
remittance of almost €100 million (approx Rs. 730 crore) in just 12 months by
Russian arms firms into accounts of companies controlled by Sudhir Choudhrie,
his family and close associates; and about £10 million paid by British company
Rolls-Royce to firms linked to him.Choudhrie’s lawyers told the BBC that the
former Delhi resident, who now lives in London, has “never paid bribes to govt officials or acted as an illegal middleman in
defence deals.”The Hindu was given access to confidential details, including a
key banking document of October 2, 2008 showing the massive payments into
various accounts controlled by companies run by the Choudhrie family.Choudhrie
has been investigated by the CBI and Enforcement Directorate in various arms
deals in the past. Ever since his name emerged in the Tehelka tapes, Mr.
Choudhrie and his family have been living in London. He figures in the CBI’s
confidential list of ‘Undesirable Contact Men’, who are suspected of
manipulating govt contracts.The BBC’s
Panorama, the current affairs investigative programme, has claimed that
Rolls-Royce made secret payments of around £10 million to an unregistered
Indian agent. Rolls-Royce says it has zero tolerance of bribery and corruption.
“Panorama has learned Rolls-Royce paid the money to companies linked to arms
dealer Sudhir Choudhrie,” the report says.The Hindu
Communal clash erupts in
Gujarat’s Khambhat, 3 injured
Ahmedabad: 3 persons were
injured while several shops and vehicles were torched during a clash between
two communities in Khambhat town in Anand district today, police said. The prima facie trigger behind the
confrontation was a minor accident in city’s Pith Bajar area.“People from the 2
communities gathered against each other following a minor accident in Pith
Bajar area in morning. They first hurled stones at each other before going on
the rampage,” Khambhat police inspector PD Parmar said.Tension escalated soon
after the people from both the communities started gathering in the main market
area in the afternoon. “We learnt that at least three persons were injured in
the clash. Several shops and vehicles were also set ablaze by the mob. We have
deployed a large number of force to control the situation. As of now, there are
no reports of any serious injury or fatality,” the officer said. “There was
some violence during the day in Khambhat. But, we took swift action and
controlled the situation,” SP Saurabh Singh told PTI. siasat
World
Iraq-Turkey tension rises
amid battle for Mosul
Iraq's PM has warned Turkey against provoking a
confrontation while saying he does not want war.Haider al-Abadi made the
comments after Turkey deployed tanks and artillery near the Iraqi border and
insisted that any Turkish involvement would be a violation of national
sovereignty.Turkey wants a a role in the battle to retake Mosul from the ISIL
group, by virtue of being a member of the anti-ISIL coalition.However, Abadi
rejected this assertion and repeatedly called on Turkey to withdraw troops it
has deployed near the northern city.Turkish military sources said on Tuesday
that tanks and artillery were being sent to southeastern districts near the
Iraqi border. Aljazeera
Almost 1,800 people killed
in Iraq last month, says UN; most were civilians
IS chief Baghdadi trapped
by Iraqi Army inside Mosul, say reports: PTI
London: Islamic State chief
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has been trapped by Iraqi Army, which entered Mosul for
the first time in more than two years for a final assault, a report has
claimed. The battle for Mosul, where the self-declared caliph of IS is believed
to be hiding, is likely to end in a decisive defeat for the terrorist group,
the Independent reported. Fuad Hussein, chief of staff to Kurdish President
Massoud Barzani, told the daily that his govt had information from multiple
sources that “Baghdadi is there and, if he is killed, it will mean the collapse
of the whole [IS] system.”Baghdadi has kept himself concealed for the last 8 or
9 months according to Hussein, who added that the caliph had become very
dependent on IS commanders from Mosul and Tal Afar, a city just to the west of
Mosul.The presence of Baghdadi in Mosul may complicate and prolong the battle
for Mosul as his surviving adherents fight to the death to defend him. If he is
killed, IS would have to choose a new caliph in the middle of a battle, but no
successor would have the authority and prestige of Baghdadi. Hussein said “it
is obvious that they will lose, but not how long this will take to happen.”He
said Kurdish Peshmerga forces had been impressed by the extraordinary number of
tunnels that Isis had dug in order to provide hiding places in the villages
around Mosul. Major General Sami al-Aridi of the Iraqi special forces, said,
"Daesh (IS) is fighting back and have set up concrete blast walls to block
off the Karama neighbourhood and [stop] our troops’ advance.”
Battle for Aleppo: Russia
offers humanitarian pause
Russian President Vladimir
Putin has offered a new humanitarian pause in Syria's Aleppo, urging opposition
fighters to use it to leave the besieged eastern districts. Russia's defence
ministry said Putin ordered that the aid corridors - which Russia had opened
earlier - will also be open on Friday, for longer hours, from 9am to 7pm, along
with two new exit routes for the fighters to leave eastern Aleppo.The ministry
announced Putin's new gesture in a statement on Wednesday. ALJAZEERA
Palestinians demand UK
apologize for 1917 Balfour Declaration that helped create Israel
A campaign by Palestinian
activists demanding the UK issue a formal apology for supporting the idea of a
Jewish state in the Middle East almost a century ago is gaining momentum after
the launch of a new parliamentary petition.Liberal Democrat peer Baroness Jenny
Tonge hosted the launch at the House of Lords last Tuesday, where the plight of
the Palestinian people was blamed on the legacy of the Balfour Declaration and
wider British colonialism in the region.The activists, backed by the
Palestinian diplomatic mission in the UK, intend to push the British govt in the run-up to the document’s centennial in
November 2017. If the petition – currently pending approval – reaches 100,000
signatures, parliament will have to consider debating the subject.Balfour
Declaration was a letter from British Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour to
Lord Rothschild – head of the Zionist Federation of Great Britain and Ireland –
that promised support for the idea of a Jewish homeland in historical Palestine
as long as the rights of existing non-Jewish communities were not
“prejudiced.”Shortly after the letter was published, the Ottoman Empire was
defeated by allied powers in World War I and Britain established mandate rule
in the territory of historic Palestine, previously ruled by the Ottomans.
rt.com
Saudi prince flogged in
prison after court sentencing
Saudi Arabia has flogged a
prince convicted in a criminal case, two weeks after another was executed for
murder in rare punishment of the country’s royalty.The unnamed prince was
lashed along with other convicts in a prison in the Red Sea city of Jeddah on
Monday, the daily newspaper Okaz reported.It said the prince had been sentenced
to flogging and jail without specifying the charges. It was unclear how many
lashes he received.Last month, Saudi authorities executed Prince Turki bin Saud
al-Kabir in a highly unusual case involving one of the thousands of members of
the royal family.AFP
Compiled and edited by Anwarulhaq (Released at: 8:10 PM)
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