Evening NEWS DIGEST
18 Feb.2017: 20 Jamadiul Awwal 1438: Vol:8, No:119
No concept of National Song
in Constitution, SC declines Centre plea on Vande Mataram; but to examine
making National Anthem mandatory in offices, courts
New Delhi: There is no
concept of a national song, the Supreme Court said on Friday, declining to
entertain a plea to direct the Centre to frame a national policy to promote
Vande Mataram. A bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra said Article 51A
(fundamental duties) of the Constitution requires to promote and propagate the
National Anthem and the National Flag.“The Article does not refer to National
Song. It only refers to National Flag and National Anthem. Therefore, we do not
intend to enter into any debate as far as the National Song is concerned,” said
the bench, rejecting the prayer of petitioner Ashwini Upadhyay, a BJP spokesperson.Upadhyay
had said India is a US and not an association or confederation of states. His
plea to make reciting the National Anthem compulsory in offices, courts and
legislative houses and Parliament was also declined. But the bench agreed to
hear the petitioner’s prayer to make it mandatory for schools to play or sing
the National Anthem on working days.govt has already asked the SC to revisit
its 1986 judgement which ruled that singing of the National Anthem was not mandatory.“Patriotism
must be inculcated in kids. It cannot be done in adults. So, singing the
National Anthem in schools… as a part of the curriculum, must be made
compulsory,” the govt’s top law officer, attorney general Mukul Rohatgi, told
the court, which fixed April 18 to hear his argument at length. hindustantimes
SC refuses to debate plea
to declare ‘Vande Mataram’ as national song
Can singing national anthem
be made mandatory in schools? Supreme Court to examine
SC to examine making
National Anthem mandatory, not National Song
SIO moves SC for NEET
question papers in Urdu
Mumbai: A writ petition has
been filed in the Supreme Court (SC) against the central govt's decision to not
conduct National-Eligibility-cum-Entrance-Test (NEET) in Urdu. The court is
likely hear the plea next week. NEET holds the key to medical and dental
colleges across the country, and all health science courses in the state. This
year, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has decided to conduct
NEET in 10 languages including English, Hindi, and Marathi. However, the list
doesn't include Urdu, which serves as the medium of instruction for hundreds of
junior colleges across the country. The petitioner — Students Islamic
Organisation of India (SIO) — pointed out that the govt has included Gujarati, Kannada, Assamese and
Oriya in its list of the languages that the papers will be available in, even
though they have fewer takers than Urdu. "It appears to be a case of
selective discrimination, as Urdu has been arbitrarily and unreasonably left
out. A large number of students study science in Urdu medium junior colleges in
states such as Maharashtra, AP, Karnataka and Telangana. NCERT even provides
class 11 and 12 books in Urdu," said Syed Azharuddin, national secretary,
SIO. In Maharashtra, an estimated 15,000 students from around 168 Urdu-medium
junior colleges will appear for the Higher School Certificate (HSC)
examinations in the science stream. Following persistent demands from students,
the govt s of Maharashtra and Telangana had requested the Union ministry to conduct
NEET in Urdu as well, but to no avail. Mohammed Ali Shaikh, public relations
secretary, SIO (South Maharashtra), said, " Urdu-medium students will now
be forced to take NEET in an unfamiliar language, in which they have not
studied physics, chemistry and biology. It's a severe problem, considering the
fact that NEET is now the only door for medical education in the country. By
not including Urdu, the govt has effectively shut that door on many deserving
students." HT
Students move SC for NEET
in Urdu
NEET 2017: Student Islamic
Organization Moves Supreme Court To Conduct NEET In Urdu
Bombay HC’s controversial
bail order in murder case of Muslim techie under SC scanner
New Delhi: A controversial
bail order by the Bombay high court in which it observed that 2 members of the
Hindu Rashtra Sena (HRS) did not murder a Muslim in Pune in 2014 due to
personal enmity but because the victim belonged to a minority community has come
under the Supreme Court’s scanner.A bench of Justice SA Bobde and Justice LN
Rao issued notice to the Maharashtra govt and 2 men of the HRS -- Vijay Rajendra Gambhir
and Sri Ganesh -- who were released after the HC order in Jan.A response was sought
from them and the state on a petition filed by the brother of the victim --
Mohsin Sheikh -- who wants the bail to be cancelled.The petitioner’s lawyer
Farrukh Rasheed told HT that a separate petition to cancel the bail of the
third accused -- Ajay Dilip Lalge -- will be filed on Feb20. The bench also
indicated that it would hear the matter after 4 weeks.“We know the urgency of
the matter and at this stage we are with you,” the court told senior counsel
Dushyant Dave when he requested the bench to hear the case soon. “They
(accused) are roaming free,” Dave contended. Justice Mridula Bhatkar’s Jan.12
order granting bail to the accused on the ground that they had been provoked
“in the name of religion” came under severe criticism.HT
SC issues notice to Maha in
Muslim techie murder case
Disclose Godse's statement
in Gandhi assassination trial:CIC
New Delhi: The statement of
Nathuram Godse, along with other relevant records related to the assassination
of Mahatma Gandhi, should be "proactively disclosed" on the website
of the National Archives, the CIC has ruled. Information Commissioner Sridhar
Acharyulu said, "One may disagree with Nathuram Godse and his co-accused
but we cannot refuse disclosure or circulation of his opinion."At the same
time, neither Nathuram Godse nor the holder of his theme or opinion can go to
the extent of killing a person whose philosophy he cannot agree with," he
said in his order. Petitioner Ashutosh Bansal had demanded the charge sheet and
Godse's statement, among other details, from Delhi Police which forwarded the
application to National Archives of India (NAI), saying the records have been
handed over to it. PTI
POLLS & POLITICS
Tamil Nadu govt headed by
Edappadi Palaniswami wins trust vote after chaos in assembly
Chennai: Edappadi K
Palaniswami govt in Tamil Nadu on Saturday won the trust vote with 122 MLAs
favouring him, after the assembly witnessed chaos and eviction of 89
legislators who went on a rampage demanding secret ballot.Rebel AIADMK leader O
Panneerselvam got 11 votes.Palaniswami won the confidence vote in the assembly
where only AIADMK legislators -- MLAs supporting party general secretary V K
Sasikala and former CM O Panneerselvam
-- were present. There were no opposition legislators with DMK (88) and IUML
(1) MLAs having been evicted and their ally Congress members walking out in
protest.The House that assembled at 11am witnessed two adjournments after
Speaker P Dhanapal said he would hold division vote. The opposition parties and
the rebel AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam's side insisted on holding secret
ballot. timesofindia
Trust vote: Stalin arrested
in Chennai, violence breaks out across TN
Tamil Nadu CM Edappadi
Palaniswamy sails through the state’s first crucial floor test in 30 years
Voting in phase-III of
crucial UP elections tomorrow
Lucknow:Home Minister
Rajnath Singh's Lok Sabha seat Lucknow and SP strongholds Kannauj, Mainpuri and
Etawah will be among 69 assembly constituencies that will witness voting
tomorrow in the third phase of the UP polls. Over 2.4 crore people are eligible
to decide the fate of 826 candidates in fray, preparations for which has been
completed. Farrukhabad, Hardoi, Auraiya, Kanpur Dehat, Kanpur, Unnao, Barabanki
and Sitapur are among the 12 districts where these Assembly seats are spread
over. Etawah is the native place of SP patron Mulayam Singh Yadav, while
another key district is Mainpuri, from where Tej Pratap Yadav is an SP MP. From
Kannauj Dimple Yadav, wife of CM Akhilesh Yadav is an MP. PTI
Modi not helping Muslims
get jobs, they sit idle and produce more kids: Azam Khan
PM Narendra Modi is not
paying heed to the Muslim community’s unemployment issues. Since they have no
other work to do, Muslims have so many children, UP’s urban development and
parliamentary affairs minister Mohd Azam Khan said on Friday -- courting yet
another controversy. Khan at an election rally in Allahabad said a large number
of Muslims were unemployed and it was for this reason that they gave birth to
more children.“Had badshah (emperor) Modi paid more heed to giving Muslims
employment, the Muslims would have not produced so much,” the Samajwadi Party
leader said.HT
BJP demand for ban on Shiv
Sena's Saamana: Won’t curb freedom of speech by banning newspaper, says Naidu
Pune: 2 days after BJP’s
Maharashtra unit urged the state Election Commission to ban publication of Shiv
Sena mouthpiece Saamana for 3 days, Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah
Naidu Friday said that his party would not curb the freedom of speech by
banning publication of any newspaper. “It is not the principle of our party to
ban publication of any newspaper. So, we will not curb the freedom of speech by
banning publication of any newspaper. They can write whatever they want to. If
they write against the PM , they would themselves hamper their credibility,”
Naidu said when asked about the state BJP’s demand. indianexpress
OTHERS
2005 Delhi blasts - College
to jail: How cops stole 12 years of Mohammad Rafiq's youth
New Delhi: Mohammad Rafiq
Shah was a student of MA (final) at Shah-i-Hamadan, Institute of Islamic
Studies, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, when on the midnight of Nov.21, 2005,
his world plunged into darkness.He was picked up by officials of Delhi Police's
special cell and STF of Kashmir Police.2 days later - after allegedly
subjecting him to torture and humiliation at an STF camp - they brought him to
Delhi. His crime: he was alleged to have planted a bomb in a DTC bus in
Govindpuri on Oct.29, 2005, which injured many people.12 years later, when he
walked free on Thursday - after additional sessions judge Reetesh Singh
acquitted him of all charges - the police were facing serious questions of
credibility and human rights violations. Rafiq's claim that "he was made
an accused to assuage the public perception that Delhi Police was incompetent
to act against terrorism" and that "he was a vulnerable target...
made a scapegoat" rang true. Police, it seems, deliberately ignored his
alibi at every step to prove their case. They brushed aside his plea that it
could be proved he was in his class on the day of the blast. It relied on
dubious witness es who ended up contradicting themselves, exposed Rafiq to many
people when he was in custody before a test identification parade (TIP) could
be conducted and suppressed inconvenient facts.TOI had as early as on Feb.12,
2006, raised the question whether it "could be a case of harried cops
under pressure to show results, targeting an innocent boy?" In a front-page
report, "Delhi bomber was in class on Oct.29", we had reported that
Rafiq was actually attending his MA classes in his college in Srinagar. It was
also reported that Rafiq had refused to appear for TIP as he had already been
presented before some people, one of whom could be a witness in the Govindpuri
blast.The ground had been laid in Srinagar where Rafiq -according to his reply
during framing of charges on Jan. 21, 2008 which was cited by the judge - was
allegedly forced to drink urine, kept naked and sexually abused, all in order
to perhaps break his spirit. He had also alleged that rats were put in his
trousers and attempts made to hurt his religious sentiments. "It seems I
am being victimised only because I am a Kashmiri Muslim," he said,
expressing his faith that justice would prevail and the police get exposed.TOI
Delhi serial blasts: Rafiq
Shah free after 12 years, but life won’t be same:HT
Delhi blasts: College
alibi, call records, how case fell apart after 12 years
New Delhi:Mohd Hussain
Fazli and Mohd Rafiq Shah, 2 men acquitted in the 2005 Delhi serial blasts that
claimed 67 lives, left for Kashmir on Friday — after having spent the last 12
years in jail. Acquitting the 2 men, a trial court had said on Thursday that the
prosecution had “miserably failed” to prove their guilt. A closer look at the
judgment, passed by Additional Sessions Judge Reetesh Singh, suggests why the
court arrived at this conclusion.According to the court, one of the key things
the prosecution failed to prove was that Shah was not in the Valley on October
29, 2005, when he was alleged to have placed a bomb in a DTC bus in Delhi.
According to the court, three of his teachers at Kashmir University had
testified that he was present on campus that day, and had even attended
classes. The university had also produced his attendance records for that day. indianexpress
2005 Delhi blasts: ‘Knew my
son is innocent… but it took 12 long years, now his youth is already over’
Delhi blasts: Tariq Dar
cannot walk out of prison yet
Delhi: Tariq Ahmed Dar was
sentenced to 10 years imprisonment by a Delhi court on Thursday, which he has
already served having been in prison as his trial dragged on for 12 years. Dar,
however, was unlikely to be released from prison as a case under Prevention of
Money Laundering Act (PMLA) was pending against him.Dar’s counsel Satish Tamta
expressed confidence that Dar would not have to stay in Tihar prison for long
as the maximum punishment under the PMLA act is of seven years. Dar has already
served more than 11 years behind bars after his arrest in the case.Tamta will
file a bail application for Dar’s release on Friday. hindustantimes
Court slams IO for ‘shabby’ probe into role of
accused
Rafiq Shah, Accused In 2005
Delhi Serial Blasts, Walks Free After 11 Years In Prison
Malegaon blasts: HC
reserves its order on Purohit plea for bail
Mumbai: The Bombay High
Court Friday reserved its order in the petition filed by Lt Col Prasad Purohit,
an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blasts, challenging a lower court order that
denied him bail. Purhoit was arrested in 2008 for allegedly procuring RDX to
carry out blast and hatching the conspiracy. On Friday, NIA concluded its
arguments, and said prima facie there was enough evidence to suggest Purohit
played a major role in conspiring and executing the blasts. indianexpress
Hindutva terror cases will
be ‘made to collapse’ by govt: Chidambaram
New Delhi: All terror cases
involving right-wing Hindutva groups will be “made to collapse” in courts as
the NDA govt is using investigation
agencies to advance its “political objective”, former home minister P
Chidambaram has said.His remarks came a fortnight after a Dewas court acquitted
Sadhvi Pragya in Sunil Joshi murder case. Joshi was the alleged mastermind of
what came to be known as “Hindu terror” that was linked to right-wing group
Abhinav Bharat and some individuals associated with the RSS. Asked how the
so-called Hindutva terror cases—transferred from states to NIA during his
tenure as union home minister-- were falling apart, Chidambaram told HT: “It
shows how the investigation agency is being used to advance their (the ruling
party’s) political objective. How can witness after witness turn hostile? Is
there not a single witness who will come and depose?”“If this is the truth,
then take action against those officers who took the statement. It cannot be
that the set of officers who recorded the statement and the set of officers,
who are now watching helplessly as witness after witness turns hostile, both
cannot be discharging their duties. One (set) of then has failed to do his
duty. They are pursuing a political agenda. In all these cases, every case will
be made to collapse.”He said that when he was in office, he didn’t give any
instruction to NIA or whichever agency was investigating. “The court is the
place where the investigation must be monitored and must be properly guided.
And the court was doing its job. But govt changes, everything changes. What
kind of criminal law administration is this?” hindustantimes
Zakir Naik aide in ED
custody till Feb 22
Mumbai;A special court has
allowed Enforcement Directorate custody of Aamir Gazdar, an alleged close
associate of IRF founder Dr Zakir Naik, till Feb.22. Gazdar, arrested on
Thursday under charges of Prevention of Money Laundering Act, was produced
before court on Friday evening.ED claimed that Gazdar was a “close confidante”
of Naik and was involved in “all the illegalities” on his behest. ED alleged
Naik had established dummy firms in India and abroad to camouflage the
diversion of funds received by him “through his illegal activities of
provocative speeches”. ED alleged Gazdar was a director in at least 6 such
companies, four based in Mumbai and two in England.Advocate Tariq Sayyed,
appearing for Gazdar, told the court that since a separate probe is being
carried out by the National Investigation Agency, the documents were in their
custody. He also stated that since the allegations by the agency pertain to IRF
and Naik, Gazdar’s custody is not required. indianexpress
We need 'solid evidence' to
back India's efforts to ban Masood Azhar at UN: China
Beijing: Ahead of its
strategic dialogue with India, China on Friday said "solid evidence"
was needed for it to back efforts to get JeM chief Masood Azhar banned by the UN.Foreign
secretary S Jaishankar and China's executive vice-foreign minister Zhang Yesui
will hold a new round of strategic dialogue in Beijing on Feb 22, Chinese
foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang told a media briefing here.The two
sides will have an in-depth exchange of views on the international situation
and other regional and global issues of mutual interest in the strategic
dialogue which is an important communication mechanism between India and China,
he said. Commenting on reports of "friction points" in the bilateral
relationship, including the Masood Azhar issue and India's admission into NSG,
Geng said "differences are only natural". On the Azhar issue, Geng
said China will support the move if there is solid evidence. PTI
Clashes outside Srinagar’s
Jama Masjid after General Bipin Rawat’s comments, Pakistani flags waved
Srinagar: Clashes broke out
outside iconic Jama Masjid in Srinagar after Friday prayers. Many protestors
waved Pakistani flag while protesting against Army chief Bipin Rawat’s warning
to those who obstruct Army operations. According to reports, the protestors
pelted stones on security personnel.Army chief Bipin Rawat had said that the
young people who had been obstructing the forces during encounters against
militants would be dealt with strictly.“We would now tell the local population
that people who have picked up arms, and they are the local boys, if they want
to continue with the acts of terrorism, displaying flags of ISIS and Pakistan,
then we will treat them as anti-national elements and go for them. They may
survive today but we will get them tomorrow. Our relentless operations will
continue,” he had said. india.com
Shifting of Shahabuddin to
Tihar jail begins amid tight security
Patna: Ex-RJD MP and
strongman Mohammad Shahabuddin was shifted from Siwan jail to Patna in the wee
hours on Saturday amid tight security. He is likely to be taken to New Delhi
later in the day and lodged in the high-security Tihar jail there on the
Supreme Court’s orders. Siwan jail superintendent BK Bhardwaj said Shahabuddin
was escorted out the jail around 2.40am and taken to Patna’s Beur central
prison.HT
Pakistani Sufi cleric will
have to leave India, SC says courts can’t grant visas
New Delhi: A Pakistani Sufi
cleric’s plea to extend his and his wife’s visa was on Friday declined by the
Supreme Court, which told him that it was not for courts to grant or reject
visas. A bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra refused to get drawn into Syed
Waseem Ur Rehman’s submission that Sufism faced serious threats from Islamist
terrorists in Pakistan where around 100 people died in a suicide bomb blast on
Thursday. Rehman and his wife Sayeda Saima Waseem Ur Rehman had moved the SC
against the govt’s decision to let him stay in India. hindustantimes
AMUSU invites JNU's Shehla
Rashid for talk, later files FIR against her for allegedly disrespecting
Prophet:IndiaToday
New Delhi:AMU Students
Union (AMUSU) has filed a FIR against JNU student leader Shehla Rashid for
allegedly disrespecting Prophet Muhammad in a Facebook post. Addressed to the
Civil Lines police station in Aligarh, FIR filed by AMUSU member Ghazala Ahmad
claims the JNU student posted on Jan.9 "objectionable remarks against
Prophet Muhammad and other religions" which has angered the community. Interestingly,
FIR against Rashid was filed even as AMUSU had invited her for an all-India
student leaders' meet on 'The role of student leaders in building contemporary
society', scheduled in Aligarh on Saturday. Among the others invited for the
event are JNUSU ex-president Kanhaiya Kumar, JNUSU president Mohit Pandey,
JNUSU ex-president Akbar Chaudhary, Allahabad University student leader Adil
Hamza, Delhi University student leader Kawalpreet Kaur, and JNU student Umar
Khalid. FIR against Rashid was filed even as the AMUSU had invited her for an
all-India student leaders' meet on 'The role of student leaders in building
contemporary society.' The AMUSU letter to the cops also says if Rashid comes
to Aligarh for the event, there is a possibility of "the situation turning
sensitive".Rashid, in a Facebook post today, has denied the allegations
and cancelled her visit to Aligarh since it "might create an unnecessary
media spectacle".Rashid said she is being misunderstood by the AMUSU about
her post on Prophet Muhammad. "In the allegedly blasphemous post, I am
making a distinction between hate speech and blasphemy. In fact, it is my topic
of research to accurately define hate speech in India. However, some people are
hell bent upon insisting that I insulted the Prophet (SAW). This is not
true," she wrote.There is no clarity yet on whether the event scheduled on
the AMU campus on Saturday will be held.
Jodhpur: University
professor suspended for inviting JNU's Nivedita Menon to a conference
Jodhpur:The governing body
of Jai Narain Vyas University in Jodhpur on Thursday suspended English
department professor Rajshri Ranawat after she organised a conference where JNU
professor Nivedita Menon. Ranawat was the director of the conference.BJP-linked
youth organisation ABVP had protested against Menon’s presence at the event and
her speech. scroll
RSS leader questions NDA
policies, says response to farmers’ suicides not enough: hindustantimes
New Delhi: BJP-led NDA
govt’s claim of pursuing a pro-poor economic policy was questioned on Friday by
a senior RSS ideologue, who termed continuing farmer suicides a corollary of an
untamed agrarian crisis.In an indictment of the economic policies of the
Centre, RSS joint general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale said the govt’s
response to the suicides committed by hundreds of farmers in the past one
decade was not enough. Govt policies have failed to create equitable wealth for
a large section of the population and instead focused on a “few individuals,”
helping them become “billionaires,” Hosabale said.
Surprised,people are not
standing up against demonetisation: Rajiv Bajaj
Industrialist Rajiv Bajaj
has slammed govt's demonetisation move, which, he says, has hit 2-wheeler and
three-wheeler industry hard and resulted in big job losses. "Personally,
surprised people are not standing up and saying anything," Bajaj, MD of
Bajaj Auto, told NDTV Profit. Speaking about the impact of the notes ban on the
industry, Mr Bajaj said,"There has been double-digit de-growth of the
industry purely and directly as a result of this. The experience of Bajaj Auto
has been no different from that of the industry. It has hit us hard, whether it
is the motorcycle industry or 3-wheelers.Especially, so for 3-wheelers which is
cash dependent."Rajiv Bajaj is one of very few industry leaders who have
slammed demonetisation."A large supplier of mine who supplies to Bajaj and
others like Yamaha and Honda told me in December that he alone had to let go
3,000 people as a result of downturn in demand across all his customers,"
Bajaj said. NDTV Profit
Note ban idea wrong, don’t
blame its execution: Bajaj
Note ban has taken the fizz
out of India biz: Pepsi’s Nooyi
India’s demonetisation move
has had a significant impact on PepsiCo’s India business in the fourth
quarter.PepsiCo Chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi, in an earnings analysis call on
Wednesday, said “...demonetisation had a significant impact on our India
business in the fourth quarter. And there are still some lingering effects. I’m
not sure we are totally out of the woods,” she stated. Nooyi said India saw a
massive change because 80 % of its currency was taken out of circulation and
the implementation had its share of challenges. Nooyi said that the company
hopes that by the time the second quarter rolls by, “we would be through the
bulk of the demonetisation challenges. And the new currency and the digital
currency will be back in circulation and we’ll be back to normal retail
activity.”Nooyi is among several global leaders who had to fend off queries
from analysts and investors this month on the impact of the govt’s
demonetisation decision. thehindubusinessline
Rs 2,000 notes printed when
Rajan was RBI governor but bear Patel’s signature
New Delhi:The newly
launched 2,000-rupee banknotes carry the signature of present central bank
chief Urjit Patel but the process to print those bills began when his
predecessor Raghuram Rajan was still in office, a HT investigation has
found.Two RBI presses that produced Rs 2,000 bills told HT that they initiated
the “first stage of printing process” on August 22, the first working day after
the government named Patel the next central bank chief.Patel, however, didn’t
take over from Rajan until almost two weeks later on Sept.4, raising questions
over why the outgoing governor’s signature was not on the bills.Questions sent
by email to the RBI and the Union finance ministry seeking clarification on
whether Rajan was a party to the decision to introduce Rs 2,000 notes or why
the new bills didn’t bear his signature went unanswered.HT
Dr. Safdar Sultan Islahi
dies in a road accident
New Delhi: The Secretary of
Idara Tehqeeq o Tasneef Islami (Aligarh) Dr. Safdar Sultan Islahi died in a car
accident today morning. He was on the way from Aligah to Jamaat-e-Islami Hind Markaz
to attend a board meeting of the Idara along with Dr. Zafarul Islam Islahi. Dr.
Zafarul Islam also sustained injuries and admitted in a Hospital. Dr. Safdar
Sultan was a professor of Arabic, Logic and Philosophy at the Aligarh Muslim
University (AMU) and belonged to Azamgarh.He was a member of the shoora of JIH
UP (West) as well as a member of the Council of Representatives (numanyndgaan)
of Jamaat.
Rohith Rohith was a Dalit':
Letter from his grandfather surfaces after Guntur collector's report: thenewsminute
Days after the Guntur
district administration in Andhra triggered controversy, by stating that
University of Hyderabad (UoH) research scholar Rohith Vemula was not a Dalit, a
letter written by Rohith’s paternal grandfather has begun doing rounds.The
letter which states that Rohith was a Dalit, is addressed to Guntur district
collector Kantilal Dande, and submitted in June last year. “After Radhika
Vemula (Rohith's mother) got divorced from my son, I very rarely used to meet
her. Once I came to know that Radhika Vemula is suffering [from] paralysis, I
met her. At that time, I was privately informed by Anjali Devi, that Radhika
did not belong to Vaddera community, but was from the community of scheduled
caste…I strongly affirm that she belongs to the SC community and her children
also get the same caste because they were brought up by her, without any
support from my family or my son (Mani Kumar). Therefore our caste cannot be
attributed to her or her children,” the letter reads.Last week, the state govt has
reportedly decided to 'cancel' Rohith's Scheduled Caste certificate.
Letter from Rohith’s grandad says he was Dalit
Law is clear: Vemula, her
children are dalits: Anurag Bhaskar
Gujarat:Dalits boycotted
for not moving dead cow
Ahmedabad: If a person of
the so-called forward caste engages in any social or financial dealings with
around 30 dalit families in Rantej village of Bahucharaji taluka of Mehsana
district, he will be fined Rs 2,100. This has been decided by the village
panchayat after a social boycott of dalits was announced. The dalits had
refused to remove a dead cow.The dalits had decided not to dispose of carcasses
after they were not allowed to sit with members of other communities at a feast
in a temple.Amrut Rathod, 52, a skinner from dalit community, approached the
police on Friday to lodge a complaint. He said there was a feast at Sikotar
Matata temple on Feb.8 and 9 where dalits were asked to sit in a separate
group.TOI
With His Challenge Being
Rejected Mufti Wajidi Takes on Tarek Fatah on Twitter: Ghazali Khan
WORLD
Erdogan: Muslim Brotherhood
is ideological, not terrorist organisation
Turkish President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan has come out in defence of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood after
recent international pressure against the movement, particularly from the US,
seeks to list the group as a terrorist organisation. Erdogan said that he did
not consider the Brotherhood to be a terrorist organisation because “it is not
an armed group, but is in actual fact an ideological organisation,” adding that
“there would be no tolerance for the Muslim Brotherhood in Turkey if they had
anything to do with terrorism, and we have not seen or observed any action [from
them] that indicates this.” Erdogan’s comments were made during an interview
with the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya during his recent visit to the Saudi Arabian
capital Riyadh, as part of his recent tour of the Arabian Gulf
states.Responding to a question about US administration of President Trump
considering blacklisting the Brotherhood as a terrorist organisation, he
said:“Personally, I don’t consider the Muslim Brotherhood to be a terrorist
organisation as it is not an armed group, but is in actual fact an ideological
organisation.” He added that Brotherhood was “divided and present in many
different places, and I haven’t seen any armed activity from them. If I had,
then my position towards them would be like my position towards any terrorist
organisation.”“If they are treated as terrorists, I believe that is not the
right thing to do,” the Turkish president said.Rubbishing claims that the
Brotherhood were like the Gulenist faction, the he explained that “we are
talking about an organisation that committed terrorist attacks and used
weapons, and was looking for [the opportunity to overthrow the Turkish govt for
decades.” middleeastmonitor
Strong Sisi got rid of the
Muslim Brotherhood, claims Libya’s Haftar
The leader of Libyan forces
loyal to the parliament in Tobruk has hailed Egyptian President Abdel Fattah
Al-Sisi for his strength in getting rid of the Muslim Brotherhood, Anadolu
reported on Friday. Haftar, who is well-known for his anti-Islam position, told
Egypt’s On Live TV that the Brotherhood did not exist in Libya until it went
there from Egypt.The renegade colonel, who has been trying to control the
country by force of arms, added: “All praise to Allah that a strong hand —
Al-Sisi’s hand — appeared on time and got rid of the Brotherhood.” As far as he
is concerned, he pointed, the movement which won the free, democratic election
in Egypt in the wake of 25 Jan. Revolution is now “scattered” across the globe.middleeastmonitor
Iran has sudden policy change
towards Saudi Arabia
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani
has asked Oman’s Sultan Qaboos Bin Said to mediate for direct and
“unconditional” dialogue with Saudi Arabia and the other members of the Gulf
Cooperation Council, Anadolu reported on Friday. This sudden policy change was
initiated when Rouhani handed over a message to Qaboos during his visit to
Muscat on Wednesday. “Rouhani’s visit sent important messages in the light of
the ongoing instability in the region,” commented Iran’s Economic World. “The
most important message is that which was given by Rouhani to Qaboos to pass on
to GCC.” Rouhani apparently told Qaboos that Tehran is ready for direct and
“unconditional” talks with Riyadh and the other GCC countries.Another aim of
the visit, said Economic World, was to neutralise the regional threats in the
light of the violent rhetoric of the new US Donald Trump and his policies in
the region. Middleeastmonitor
US anvoy at UN says Trump
supports 2-state solution
US Ambassador to the UN
Nikki Haley said US still supports a two-state solution to the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a day after Donald Trump suggested he is open to
new ways to achieve peace.“First of all, 2-state solution is what we support.
Anybody that wants to say the US does not support the two-state solution – that
would be an error,” Haley told reporters at UN.
Pakistan Senate passes
Hindu marriage bill:PTI
A bill to regulate
marriages of minority Hindus in Pakistan is set to become a law with the Senate
unanimously passing it.The Hindu Marriage Bill 2017, which is the first
elaborate Hindu community's personal law, was adopted by the Senate.
Pak Army kills '100
terrorists' after Sehwan shrine blast
Pakistan's army has killed
more than 100 "terrorists" in less than 24 hours following a suicide
blast at a Sufi shrine, the deadliest attack in the country in more than 2
years.The killings, announced by the military's media office, come amid calls
for more security in the country following a string of recent attacks. Military
said: "Over 100 terrorists have been killed since last night and sizeable
apprehensions also made."A day earlier, at least 88 people were killed and
hundreds were injured when a suicide attacker targeted Sufis as they performed
a devotional ritual at the famous Lal Shahbaz Qalandar shrine in Sehwan, a town
in the southern Sindh province."Army is for security," military
statement said. "We shall not let the hostile agenda succeed whatever it
may cost."Pakistan repeatedly blamed Afghanistan for giving safe haven to
fighters on its side of the border.aljazeera
15 Shia militiamen killed
in Daesh attack west of Mosul
IS fighters kill 18 Afghan
soldiers in attack on outpost
US airstrike may have
killed 18 women, kids in Mosul
‘Dad, carry me’ cries Syria
child who has legs blown off by Assad regime
Europe's biggest paper ran
a bogus refugee 'sex mob' story. What now?Christian Christensen
Compiled and edited by Anwarulhaq (Released at: 8:17 PM)
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