Evening NEWS DIGEST
9 Feb.2017: 11 Jamadiul Awwal 1438: Vol:8, No:112
3 years on, no
conviction in gangrape cases in Muzaffarnagar riots: Amnesty International
In 2013, communal
violence in and around Muzzaffarnagar and Shamli districts in UP, there were reports
of targeted sexual violence against women. 7 Muslim women came forward to
report that they had been gangraped by men from Jat community. However, to
date, there has not been a single conviction in any of the cases, said a new
Amnesty International India (AII) report, Losing Faith, The Muzaffarnagar Gang
Rape Survivors’ Struggle for Justice, which was released today. According to
the report, 2 of the 7 have changed their statements, following threats and
intimidation. One died in 2016. In two cases, trial has not even begun.The
survivors also have not received any additional benefits from the state, apart
from the compensation given to all who had lost their property in the
riots.“The security and compensation that the state govt provided to the survivors
came only after human rights lawyers filed petitions on their behalf before the
Supreme Court in Dec.2013,” report added.Shockingly, when researchers met the
survivors, many did not receive regular information about the status of their
cases from government authorities.Some even said that they had not attended
hearings for several months as they did not know about the dates of the
hearings and had not met the govt prosecutors handling their cases.
Muzzaffarnagar district court counsel told AII that the delays were partly
caused by difficulty in finding the survivors, and that he was unaware that one
of survivors had died in Aug2016.The state’s advocate general insisted that
there were no delays on the part of the govt.In an appeal made to the state
government that will take over after March 11 results, the AII has urged that
it must ensure that the investigations and prosecutions into the gangrape cases
are pursued without delay; those responsible are brought to justice;investigate
reports of threats, intimidation or harassment of survivors of their relatives,
and bring suspects to trial; provide survivors effective legal assistance and
services, keep them informed of the status of investigations and prosecutions,
and address any concerns they may have; and also ensure that survivors are
provided adequate rehabilitation, compensation and other measures of
repatriation and that their economic and social needs are met. “There is a
pattern that follows communal riots and anti-Dailt violence in India. We have
seen this happening in Gujarat and in UP though the ruling parties were
different: The police will either not file cases or even if they do, they will
make the chargesheet weak. This is not just a failure but a deliberate design
to deny justice to the victims. There is a huge majoritarian bias in the
system,”ex-bureaucrat Harsh Mander said.HT
3 years after
Muzaffarnagar riots, gang-rape survivors face death threats, trial delays:
Amnesty report
Religious
minorities, Dalits face discrimination in India:US body
Washington: The
religious minority communities and Dalits face discrimination and persecution in
India where hate crimes, social boycotts and forced conversion have escalated
dramatically since 2014, an independent bipartisan American body has claimed,
asking the US to put human rights at the heart of trade and diplomatic
interactions with India."Under Congress and BJP-led govts, religious
minority communities and Dalits, both have faced discrimination and persecution
due to a combination of overly broad or ill-defined laws, an inefficient
criminal justice system, and a lack of jurisprudential consistency," said
a report released by US Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF)
that monitors violation of religious freedom abroad."In particular, since
2014, hate crimes, social boycotts, assaults, and forced conversion have escalated
dramatically," says the report 'Constitutional and Legal Challenges Faced
by Religious Minorities in India' which has been authored by Iqtidat Karamat
Cheema, who is director for Institute for Leadership and Community Development,
in Birmingham, England.The report recommends the US govt to put religious freedom and human rights at
the heart of all trade, aid, and diplomatic interactions with India. Running
into 22 pages, the report alleges that there are constitutional provisions and
state and national laws in India that do not comply with international
standards of freedom of religion or belief, including Article 18 of the UN
Declaration of Human Rights and Article 18 of the International Covenant on
Civil and Political Rights."As feared by many faith communities across
India, threats,hate crimes, social boycotts, desecrations of places of worship,
assaults,and forced conversions led by radical Hindu nationalist movements have
escalated dramatically under the BJP-led govt," author said. "Muslims,
Christians, Sikhs, and Jains generally are fearful of what the future portends.
Moreover, Hindus classified as Schedule Castes or Tribes, commonly referred to
as Dalits, also are increasingly being attacked and harassed," it said. US
is also recommended to urge India to immediately lift its sanctions against NGOs
working for the welfare of the minorities in India. It urges India not to
impose Hindu personal status laws on Sikh, Buddhist, and Jain communities, but
instead provide them with a provision of personal status laws as per their
distinct religious beliefs and practices.PTI
'Maharana Pratap
won Battle of Haldighati against Akbar,' proposal to rewrite history backed by
Rajasthan Ministers
Jaipur: Days after
protests in Rajasthan over Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s upcoming film Padmavati, 3
senior ministers of the Vasundhara Raje govt have backed a proposal to rewrite history
taught at the university level to say that Rajput warrior-king Maharana Pratap
won the Battle of Haldighati against Mughal army of Akbar led by his general
Man Singh.The proposal, discussed at a meeting of Rajasthan University, was
backed Tuesday by ex-Higher Education Minister Kalicharan Saraf (now Health
Minister) and School Education Minister Vasudev Devnani. On Wednesday, Urban
Development and Housing Minister Rajpal Singh Shekhawat joined the chorus. Last
week, university syndicate member and BJP MLA Mohan Lal Gupta had proposed
rewriting the history curriculum in Rajasthan university to portray Maharana
Pratap as winner of 1576 battle. Acting V-C Rajeshwar Singh said the proposal
has been forwarded to the university’s Board of Studies (for critical
examination and appropriate decision).Authoritative texts on medieval history,
such as Satish Chandra’s Medieval India: From Sultanat to the Mughals- Mughal
Empire(1526-1748), say the Battle of Haldighati was fought between the forces
of Akbar led by Man Singh and those of Maharana Pratap, assisted among others
by “an Afghan contingent led by Hakim Sur which played a distinctive role”. The
battle failed to break the stalemate between Akbar and Rana Pratap, with the
latter retreating into the hills of southern Mewar.“The Mughal forces were
commanded by Kr. Man Singh. With both the Hindus and the Muslims divided, the
battle of Haldighati can scarcely be considered a struggle between Hindus and
Muslims. Nor can it be considered a struggle for Rajput independence,
influential sections of the Rajputs already having cast their lot with the
Mughals. The struggle can be regarded at best as an assertion of the principle
of local independence,” Chandra notes.“Akbar followed up the battle of
Haldighati by coming back to Ajmer, and personally leading the campaign against
Rana Pratap. In the process, Goganda, Udaipur and Kumbhalmir were occupied,
forcing the Rana deeper into the mountainous tract of south Mewar,” he
writes.But Minister Kalicharan Saraf says Akbar was only a foreign invader, and
that Rana Pratap actually won the battle.“It is true. Maharana Pratap did win
the battle of Haldighati against Akbar,” School Education Minister Devnani
said. Historian Tanuja Kothiyal, who specialises in the history of medieval
Rajasthan, believes altering historical facts such as the result of the Battle
of Haldighati “not only insults history but the education process as a whole”.
indian express
Inspired by
Rajasthan’s bid to rewrite history: 5 other facts from India’s past that we
could (should) change: Adrija
Maharana Pratap won
battle of Haldighati: How BJP's bid to rewrite history textbooks sets a
dangerous precedent
AIUDF at President
door to stop minority eviction:TOI
Guwahati: AIUDF has
sought President Pranab Mukherjee's intervention to stop 'targeting of a
particular community' in the name of eviction in the state.An AIUDF delegation,
led by party chief Badruddin Ajmal, met the President in New Delhi on Tuesday
on the issue of state govt 's recent eviction drives on its encroached
lands.The delegation highlighted that the evictions were carried out targeting
people of a particular community in an 'arbitrary' manner without providing
rehabilitation packages. Ajmal said people actually settled on govt land after
they were displaced by floods and erosion. Asserting that 23% of govt land is
under encroachment, the Delegation said there should be no discrimination on
the basis of religion, caste and creed while carrying out eviction drives.
‘Vande Mataram’ has
special place, but can’t be on par with ‘Jana Gana’: Centre to Delhi HC
New Delhi;‘Vande
Mataram’ occupies a “unique and special place” in the psyche of Indians but it
cannot be treated on par with national anthem ‘Jana Gana Mana’ penned by Nobel
laureate Rabindranath Tagore, the Centre told the Delhi High Court.‘Vande
Mataram’ occupies a “unique and special place” in the psyche of Indians but it
cannot be treated on par with national anthem ‘Jana Gana Mana’, Centre told hc.PTI
Over 81,000 Muslims
lodged in jails in 2015 across the country, says NCRB data: indianexpress
New Delhi:Over
81,000 Muslims were lodged in jails across the country, as per the latest data
presented by the govt in Rajya Sabha today.Responding to a question about the
details of “innocent” Muslims languishing in various jails, Minister of State
for Home Affairs Hansraj Gangaram Ahir said, “Only convicts, undertrials and
detenues are lodged in jails. NCRB data shows that 81,306 Muslim inmates were
lodged in jails at the end of 2015.”On a query over mechanism being worked out
to avoid “harassment” of Muslims, he said the question of “harassment” does not
arise in view of “in the view of above”.
ASSEBLY
POLLS & POLITICS
Shahi Imam of Delhi
Jama Masjid backs BSP in UP polls
Lucknow: A day
after the Rashtriya Ulema Council pledged its support to BSP, Shahi Imam of
Delhi Jama Masjid Maulana Ahmad Bukhari today announced his backing for Mayawati's
party in the UP Assembly elections and accused SP of going back on its
words."Muslims should look for a political alternative in UP and show exit
route to this unjust Samajwadi Party that has gone back on its word. Otherwise,
every political party will use Muslims like football for their own
interests," the Shahi Imam cautioned, while declaring his support to BSP”.PTI
Ulema council
pledges its support to BSP, withdraws 84 candidates
Lucknow: Pledging
its support to the BSP, Rashtriya Ulema Council has announced withdrawal of 84
candidates fielded by it in the ongoing UP assembly elections, while lending support to
the BSP.President of RUC, Maulana Aamir Rashadi, said, "The need of the
hour both in the interest of the state and that of the country, is that we (RUC
and BSP) should work in close co-ordination with each other, so as to curtail
the movement of the fascist forces and at the same time help the state to get
relief from the prevailing goondaraj (rule of the goons) and parivaarwaad
(family feud)."He further stated that all the 84 candidates fielded by RUC
would not be contesting the elections, and would be supporting the BSP.
Replying to a question, Rashadi said that RUC would be only supporting the BSP,
and there would be no merger with the BSP. "I will campaign for BSP, if I
am allowed," Rashadi said.TOI
Akhil Bharatiya
Hindu Mahasabha supports Mayawati
Akhil Bharatiya
Hindu Mahasabha chief Swami Chakrapani today extended his support to BSP
supremo Mayawati for the upcoming UP Assembly elections, saying the state
remains crime-free during her tenure."Everyone knows that criminals and
anti-social elements run for cover when Mayawati becomes CM of UP. Women fell
much safer under her leadership," he said. Criticising PM Narendra Modi, he claimed lakhs of people have
lost their jobs and several others died due to the demonetisation
move."Mayawati is a saint. She works for the development of all while
Modi, who is more an actor than a leader, works to destroy things."She has
dedicated herself in the service of people. She works for all sections of the
society," Chakrapani added. dnaindia
Election: 5 reasons
why Muslims don't vote BSP in as high numbers as they should: Ajaz Ashraf
UP: RSS-backed Muslim
Manch struggling to win minorities' support with 'jumla' sabka saath, sabka
vikas'
New Delhi:
RSS-supported Muslim Rashtriya Manch (MRM), which is often referred to as the
Hindutva outfit's Muslim arm, is finding it hard to gather the support of the
minority community in poll-bound UP as Muslim community is vexed at being
completely excluded from BJP's list of candidates. According to highly placed
sources in MRM, which has controversial RSS pracharak Indresh Kumar as liaison
with the Sangh, the organisation had asked for a mere 2 tickets for the UP
polls, but the party did not pay much heed to the demand. The two tickets were
ultimately turned down. Turning down MT's queries over ticket denial, MRM,
however, said it did not feel that it had fitting candidates to be fielded.
"We did not want our name to be tarnished by asking for tickets and the
facing defeat. We feel we did not have such candidates that could win in the UP
polls and thus we were not very bullish in asking for tickets from BJP,"
MRM national coordinator Mohammad Afzal said. Meanwhile, the MRM has sent out a
1000-strong force of volunteers across the state to take BJP's message to the
minority community that is considered to be in a deciding position on a large
number of seats. "We are not doing big programmes this time. In a change
of tactic, we have devolved the responsibility of taking PM Modi's message of
'sabka saath, sabka vikas' and to dampen the Opposition charge that BJP is
anti-Muslim on our local cadre who are going door-to-door across the state,
especially in western UP," Afzal said.MailToday
35% of
Muzaffarnagar riot victims not registered with EC as voters: Survey
Meerut: At least
35% of people who were displaced after the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots are not
registered as "voters" with the Election Commission, finds a survey
conducted by NGO Afkar India Foundation. With elections in Muzaffarnagar and
Shamli just a couple of days away (Feb.11), a complaint in this regard has been
filed with the EC.While the study was conducted after the local administration
concluded its voter ID drive, the survey findings suggest that there are
colonies in Muzaffarnagar and Shamli where nearly 40% people don't have a voter
ID. For instance, in Shamli's Alflan colony, out of 900 residents eligible to
cast their ballot, only 11 have voter ID cards. The survey reveals that 19,000
"voters" were displaced after the 2013 riots and 6,650 of them don't
have voter IDs.TOI
Stories of Wasim, Qurban should make Akhilesh
sit up, take note
Panneerselvam,
Sasikala meet TN Governor, stake claim to form Govt
Chennai:Rift
between Saikala and Panneerselvam has reached Tamil Nadu Governor C. Vidyasagar
Rao, met acting CM O. Panneerselvam today and
AIADMK General Secretary VK Sasikala. Both the leaders sought claim to
form govt. Panneerselvam reached Raj Bhawan to meet the governor with 10 of his
supporters to discuss his ongoing rift with Sasikala. After meeting governor he
briefed his whole meeting by saying, “Justice will win”.Sasikala is expected to
give the list of legislators extending support to her and stake her claim to
form the govt.ABP News
Tamil Nadu crisis:
Governor Rao, lifelong RSS man who returned from wilderness
New Delhi: Governor
C Vidyasagar Rao, who has shot to fame as ‘acting’ governor of Tamil Nadu, has
been a member of BJP during its entire duration till he was appointed to the
gubernatorial post.After starting as an ABVP activist, he became a Jan Sangh
leader who was thrice elected to the undivided AP assembly and later to Lok
Sabha. During his Jan Sangh days, he practised law in Karimnagar district court
and Andhra HC. He was elected state BJP president in 90s. Rao, like most
politicians from the area, espoused statehood for Telangana. He was elected to
the Lok Sabha in 1998 and in 1999 and served as a minister of state for home
affairs under LK Advani.The power struggle in AIADMK, following the death of
Jayalalithaa seems to have finally turned the focus on Rao as his absence from
Chennai has led to speculation on the Centre’s role in TN politics.Given his
steadfast commitment to the saffron ideology, BJP is certain that he would not
take a false step and hit the BJP, which is trying to gain roots in the state.
He seems to be waiting for the cue from the Centre as he gets ready to play his
important constitutional role.ET /TOI
Panneerselvam has
worked 'wisely' as CM, public support with him: TN BJP
Tamil Nadu governor
Rao is deliberately delaying Sasikala’s swearing in: Faizan Mustafa's article
OTHERS
Kerala: RSS leader
arrested for murder of convert Faizal
An RSS leader has
been arrested in Kerala’s Malappuram district in connection with the murder of
an upper-caste Hindu man months after he converted to Islam. Madathil
Narayanan, 47, is an RSS pracharak. Earlier, 14 other workers of BJP or RSS
have been arrested in connection with the murder of P Faizal, a native of
Tirur.Police have identified Narayanan as the key conspirator in the murder of
Faizal, who was hacked to death on Nov.19, a day before he was to return to
Gulf where he was employed. Faizal, an upper caste Hindu Nair, had converted to
Islam a few months before he was murdered. Police said Narayanan was also an
accused in the murder of a priest Ayyappan after he converted to Islam in 1998.
A trial court had acquitted Narayanan and 5 others, but the high court
sentenced them to life imprisonment. But on July 20 last year, the Supreme Court
acquitted all the accused. indianexpress
J&K sacks its
counsel in SC after he disagrees on sovereignty
New Delhi: Weeks
after the Supreme Court said that J&K “has no vestige of sovereignty
outside the Constitution of India”, the state govt , following an uproar in the
Valley, has fired its standing counsel in the top court after he reportedly
refused to file a review petition to dispute the court’s views.Supreme Court
lawyer Sunil Fernandes, who has been the chief standing counsel for the state
since Sept.2015 during his second stint, was on Monday evening instructed to
resign “immediately”. Sources said that authorities in J&K law dept. had
been mounting pressure on Fernandes to file a review petition against the SC
judgment of Dec.16, in which the top court had snubbed the J&K High Court
for asserting the state’s “sovereignty” and “sovereign powers”.Fernandes, it is
understood, was asked to file the petition for reconsideration of the specific
observations on the state’s “sovereignty” but the lawyer reportedly pointed out
that no valid legal grounds for filing a review petition was made out. indianexpress
Kashmir shutdown:
Essential services hit after separatists protest on Afzal Guru's death
anniversary
Kashmir was tense
on Thursday after separatist organisations like the All Parties Hurriyat
Conference and the Hurriyet forum called for a shutdown in the state on the
death anniversary of Parliament attack convict Muhammad Afzal Guru. Authorities
suspended train services between Banihal and Baramulla in Kashmir due to fear
of violence. The call for the shutdown was given by joint resistance leadership
comprising Syed Ali Gilani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik. ibtimes
Why do memories of
guru still haunt India’s conscience? Apoorvanand
Delhi’s JNU quiet,
bears no trace of ‘anti-national’ tumult
Delhi: It was
business as usual at JNU on Thursday, a year after some students allegedly
raised anti-national slogans at the campus during an event held to commemorate
hanging of Afzal Guru. Academic issues are now at the centre stage in the
university with a section of students holding protest on Thursday at the
Administration Building over new admission policy. JNU, however, remained calm
with no talks, events or public lectures on the issue scheduled in the campus.
The only organised protest on Thursday was by JNU students’ union over academic
issues. JNU administration said they had not received any requests for event or
talk except one by ABVP for “nationalism lecture” which was denied.Today, students
led by JNUSU met admission director Milap Punia to tell him about a referendum
on the new policy. They said over 98% JNU students had voted against the new
policies.“Students from each centre in JNU will ask the VC. Who is going to
apply for this year’s admission when there is zero admission in JNU?,” said
Satarupa Chakraborty, general secretary JNUSU.
JNU students:Police
may name 5 others in chargesheet
‘Anti-national
slogans’ at event: Year after sedition row, what changed in JNU, and what
didn’t
Pro-VC of
University of Hyderabad clarify on allegation of “Muslims ban”
Hyderabad: After
reports of discrimination surfaced, University of Hyderabad came up with
clarification.According to the news published in TOI, Pro- VC of University of
Hyderabad, Vipin Srivastava said, “The situation (on campus) was tense and
somebody called the police fearing that the protesting students would barge
into VCs chamber.”He also said that the security officer just asked MANUU
student to reveal the purpose of his visit. He also claimed that MANUU student
did not mentioned that he visited to deliver medicines. He further added that
security officer suspected unusual activity when some Kerala students sought
permission to enter campus.siasat
74 missing defence
personnel believed to be in Pak custody: Govt
New Delhi: 74
missing defence personnel (MDP) are believed to be in Pakistan's custody but
whose presence has not been acknowledged so far by that country, govt said
today. PTI
No ground for
appeal against Sadhvi acquittal, Police tell MP govt; Joshi’s kin questions
Sadhvi’s acquittal
Dewas: A week after
the acquittal of Sadhvi Pragya in the Sunil Joshi murder case, the prosecution
has written to the MP govt that “there
is no ground for appeal.’’ “There is no direct or circumstantial evidence. All
witnesses have turned hostile. I have informed the govt that there is no ground for appeal,’’ govt pleader Girish Mungi said on Wednesday.A day
after the verdict, murdered Joshi’s sister-in-law Shailaja questioned Sadhvi’s
acquittal but indicated that the family was indifferent to the verdict or to an
appeal.Records show that the probe into the murder of Joshi, whose death was
linked to the larger plot of terror by alleged Hindu extremists, took twists
and turns that contradicted each other and prompted the judge to remark:“Analysis
of entire evidence reveals that either out of prejudice or some unknown reasons
agencies did not seriously investigate the case and collected weak and mutually
contradictory evidence that is not enough to prove the charges. The contrary
nature of evidence has cast a serious doubt over the prosecution story.’’Judge
highlighted some glaring contradictions. Over 2 years of Joshi’s murder,MP
police made no headway and filed a closure report. indian express
Malegaon case:
Sadhvi's bail plea adjourned till Feb 17
Indian Muslims will
lose faith in democracy if Sadhvi Pragya walks free: Shehzad Poonawalla
Malegaon blast
case: Lt Col Purohit infiltrated into ISI, SIMI camps, says his lawyer
Mumbai:Lieutenant
Colonel Prasad Purohit, an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case had not just
infiltrated a right wing Hindu group but as an officer of military intelligence
he had even managed to get into Pakistan's ISI and the now banned SIMI camps in
Kashmir.Pleading over Colonel Purohit bail application in Bombay High Court,
his counsel Shrikant Shivde said, "It was only on the orders of his
superiors that Purohit infiltrated into right wing group - Abhinav
Bharat." indiatoday
ED established
money trail of Rs 200 crore in IRF, probes Zakir Naik's Panama link: India
Today
Mumbai: The
skeletons are now coming out of the Zakir Naik's cupboard. The Enforcement
Directorate (ED) not only claims to have established a money trail of
approximate Rs 200 crore linked to Zakir Naik and his NGO, the IRF, but also a
link between Naik and the Wahedna group, which was named in the Panama Papers
leaks.The agency recently issued a third summon to Naik, currently in Saudi
Arabia, to remain present before the ED Mumbai office within next two weeks.
IS case: NIA to file chargesheet in case of
Kerala youth
Mumbai: NIA by
Thursday is likely to file its chargesheet in the case of radicalisation of a
Kerala youth who is alleged to have joined the IS. The case pertains to
Ashfaque Majeed, a Kerala-based youth who is one of the 21 locals from Kerala. Among
those who are set to be chargesheeted by NIA are Arshi Qureshi, guest manager
of IRF, Rizwan Khan, an alleged volunteer of Al-Birr Foundation and Mohammad Haneef,
a clergyman from Kerala. “While the four accused radicalised Ashfaque, there is
no common link connecting them,” said officials. Sources said that they have
not found any evidence to link IRF founder Zakir Naik to the case.“While
Ashfaque was a regular at the IRF office in Dongri, we have not found any
evidence to link Naik to the case,” they said. indianexpress
Areeb Majeed not
linked to IS anymore
Mumbai: The
prosecution's case for Areeb Majeed, an alleged ISIS recruit, fell flat on
Wednesday, as the special NIA court refused to charge Majeed on the grounds
that he was part of a terrorist group. Majeed was instead charged with
conspiracy to commit a terrorist act.Advocate Mobin Solkar, who appeared on
behalf of Majeed, said the court was initially of the view that Majeed should
be charged under section 38 of UAPA, which says that a person associates
himself to be a part of a terror organisation."We argued that it was not
applicable at all. So, the NIA court decided to drop the initial charge,"
said Solkar. With regard to section 20 of UAPA, which states that an accused
will be punished for being a member of terror group, the defence maintained
that at the time of Majeed's arrest (Nov.2014), ISIL was not listed as a terror
organisation, and therefore the charge does not carry weight. "Since ISIL was
not declared a terrorist organisation prior to Feb.16, 2015, charges against
the accused for commission of an offence of attaching a terror group cannot be
framed," said the court. Solkar said the new angle has weakened the NIA's
case. dnaindia
IS suspect Areeb
Majeed won’t be tried for joining IS
NIA probes IS
‘kill-list’ of I-T engineers who tracked group online, 70 from Mumbai: Indian
Express
Mumbai: NIA has
obtained what it calls a “kill list” prepared by handlers of the Islamic State
targeting “ethical hackers, software managers” — computer professionals, some
of whom are said to have helped security agencies track down ISIS members and
potential recruits.The list has names from across the world and details of over
150 such professionals across Maharashtra, nearly 70 from Mumbai. indianexpress
ATS breaks
espionage racket in MP, complicity of telcos’ staff revealed; multiple arrests
made in crackdown
ATS today busted an
espionage racket in MP arrested over 11 people involved in the racket. MP ATS
chief Sanjeev Shami said that last year in Nov., 2 men were arrested in Jammu
for collecting and using information of strategic interests for espionage and
they were being funded by a person in Satna. Giving details of the case, ATS
chief said, ”They converted internet calls to a cellular network and acted as a
medium for overseas handlers to contact people in India.” He added:”complicity
of some employees of telecom companies has also surfaced.”Persons who were
arrested hailed from different parts of the state, that included 5 from
Gwalior,3 from Bhopal,2 from Jabalpur,1 from Satna. financialexpress
Intellectual
Property index: India remains near bottom
New Delhi:India
remains near the bottom in an international Intellectual Property (IP) index by
being ranked 43rd out of 45 countries, according to a report by US GIPC.Only 2
countries were ranked below India – Pakistan (44th) and Venezuela (45th).US,
UK, Germany, Japan, Sweden, France, Switzerland, Singapore, S.Korea and Italy
completed the top 10 ranks. Among the BRICS countries China was ranked 27th,
South Africa (33rd), Brazil (32nd) and Russia (23rd). thehindu
What’s wrong if
Muslims worship 'Bharat Mata': RSS chief
Bhopal: RSS chief
Mohan Bhagwat on Wednesday said that there was nothing wrong if Muslims
worshiped “Bharat Mata” since all Indians were bound together with one culture
of Hindustan. Muslims may follow a different religion but all Indians
irrespective of their caste, creed and religions are bound together by one
culture of Hindustan, the RSS supremo said in Betul.“What is wrong if Muslims
perform ‘aarti’ to Bharat Mata,” he asked. “Every Muslim in Hindustan may be
follower of Islam but in core of their hearts they are Hindus,” he added. “Citizens
of England are known as English, the inhabitants of America as Americans and
similarly, people of Hindustan are identified as Hindus,” he said, adding,
“Bharat Mata should be worshiped in every house in India”.Bhagwat also spoke
against the caste system in the Hindu society saying that it has only divided
the Indian society.Deccan Chronicle
Mohan Bhagwat is
confusing religion with nationality by saying all Indian Muslims are Hindus
RSS' narrow
Hindutva not rooted in reality, but similar to radicalisation sweeping through
Islam: Sandipan Sharma
Centre reduced Haj
subsidy in 2016: Naqvi
New Delhi: Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi
said that the Centre in 2016 spent Rs 405 crore as subsidy for Haj pilgrims. “As
per directions of the Supreme Court to progressively reduce Haj subsidy so as
to completely eliminate it within a period of 10 years, Haj subsidy has been
gradually reduced from Rs 836.56 crore in 2012-13 to Rs 405 crore (approx) in
the year 2016-17 and various aspects linked to it are determined and
implemented,” he said.IANS
Over 95000 Indians
evacuated from the war affected Gulf
India’s rape
capital: 140 rapes, over 200 molestation cases in Delhi in Jan
WORLD
Air strike on Gaza
tunnel near Rafah kills 2 Palestinians
2 Palestinian
civilians were killed and 5 others were wounded in an air strike that hit a tunnel
in Gaza near the Rafah on the Egyptian side of the border. It was unclear who
launched the attack today. A Palestinian official blamed Israel, however, a
military spokeswoman denied any knowledge of the strike. Ashraf al-Qedra,
Gaza's health ministry spokesperson, said 2 men were "martyred and five
other people were wounded as a result of being targeted by an Israeli warplane
along the Palestinian-Egyptian borders". The incident took place after at
least 3 rockets were fired from the Sinai peninsula into Israel's southernmost
resort city of Eilat late on Wednesday. Israeli media reported a group
affiliated with ISIL claimed responsibility for the attack on Eilat.
Assad ready for
direct talks with opposition, says Russian official: middleeastmonitor
Syrian President
Bashar Al-Assad has confirmed his readiness to hold talks with representatives
of the opposition, including armed opposition groups, Russia’s Sputnik News
reported on Wednesday, quoting Russian lawmaker Dmitry Sablin.“Syrian president
assured that he was ready to maintain contacts with all opposition
representatives, including armed opposition”, MP Sablin said, following talks
with Syrian President in Damascus. Earlier in the day, Assad held a meeting
with a group of Russian lawmakers in Damascus. According to the Russian State
Duma lawmakers who participated in the meeting, Assad has expressed his
readiness to engage in dialogue with the Kurds to discuss their vision of the
country’s political order. “Today, it was voiced for the first time that the
Syrian president supports the Astana talks and calls them effective and
favorable”, a lawmaker said after Damascus meeting.
Erdogan,Trump agree
joint action against IS in Syria:Reuters
Ankara: Turkish
President Tayyip Erdogan and US President Donald Trump agreed in an overnight
phone call on joint action against Islamic State in the Syrian towns of Raqqa
and al-Bab, both held by the militants, Turkish presidency sources said on
Wednesday.Turkey has the 2nd largest army in NATO alliance and is
key to any success in rolling back and eventually neutralising IS in Syria and
Iraq, Turkey has presented a detailed plan to oust IS from its Raqqa urban
stronghold in northeastern Syria and strategy discussions with the Trump
administration are under way, according to Erdogan's spokesman, Ibrahim
Kalin."The operational details were not discussed on this call ...Now
detailed planning will be conducted in coordination," he said. Turkish govt
and Syrian rebel sources said on Wednesday insurgents backed by Turkey's
military had taken the outskirts of al-Bab, northeast of Aleppo. White House
said that in the phone call, Trump spoke about the two countries' "shared
commitment to combating terrorism in all its forms" and welcomed Turkish
contributions to the fight against IS. But it gave few details. Sources in
Erdogan's office said the two leaders had touched on issues including a
"safe zone", as well as the regional migrant crisis and the fight against
terrorism.
Dozens of ISIL
fighters killed by Turkish-led forces
Syrian govt jets
target rebel-held area in Homs: 8 killed
Afghanistan: ICRC
halts operations after workers killed
International
Committee of Red Cross temporarily suspended some of its efforts in Afghanistan
on Thursday, a day after gunmen killed six employees delivering aid to a remote
northern region hit by heavy snow storms.A search operation was under way to
find 2 charity workers still missing. aljazeera
Was held at US
airport without explanation: Hijab-clad American Olympian fencer
Los Angeles:Fencer
Ibtihaj Muhammad, the first American to compete in the Olympics wearing a
hijab, has said she was recently detained at US Customs for 2 hours without
explanation. Ibtihaj said she did not know if she was held as a result of the
Trump administration’s travel ban but is sure the move was a result of her
ethnicity.PTI
28 Bangladesh Jamaat
women denied bail
A Dhaka court rejected
bail petitions of 28 female leaders and activists of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and sent them to jail in a
case filed against them for planning to sabotage govt establishments. Defence
lawyers submitted separate petitions seeking bail for their clients, adding
that they were arrested on false and vague allegations. thedailystar
Compiled and edited by Anwarulhaq (Released at: 8:47
PM)
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