Evening NEWS
DIGEST
23 March. 2017: 23 JamadiulAkhir 1438:Vol:8, No:149
Aseemanand gets bail Mecca Masjid blast case set to walk out of jail
soon
Hyderabad: A court in Hyderabad granted bail to Swami Aseemanand in the
2007 Mecca Masjid blast case. He will be released from the prison by today. On
May 18, 2007, 9 people were killed and many others were injured after an IED
exploded inside the mosque in Hyderabad.Ex- RSS member, Aseemanand, was charge
sheeted by NIA in 2011. He, in his statement, confessed to having a role in the
blast and then pulled back his statement.He is also an accused in the Malegaon
and Samjhauta Express blast case.Earlier this month, NIA’s special Court in
Jaipur in its verdict acquitted the main accused Aseemanand in the Ajmer blast
case. India.com
Mecca Masjid blast: Hyderabad court grants bail to former RSS member
Swami Aseemanand
With bail in Mecca Masjid blast case, Aseemanand to walk out of jail
soon
Babri case: SC to hear on April 6 written submissions on dropping of
criminal conspiracy charge against BJP leaders
New Delhi: A Supreme Court Bench of Justices PC Ghose and Rohinton
Nariman on Thursday posted for detailed hearing the CBI appeal against the
dropping of the criminal conspiracy charge against veteran BJP leader LK Advani
and other top party leaders after two weeks.Bench re-assembled with Justice
Nariman returning as puisne judge, but Advani's counsel and senior advocate KK
Venugopal told the Bench that he was on his legs in another part-heard dispute
between two factions of a Kerala church.“We will adjourn it then...” Justice
Ghose said. Justice Nariman asked the lawyers present, Additional Solicitor
General N.K. Kaul for the CBI and senior advocate Kapil Sibal for another
party, among others, to file written submissions before the next hearing fixed
for April 6, 2017.“You all file your written submissions so that we can focus
on the issues in the matter,” Justice Nariman said.The conspiracy charge
against Advani and leaders lsuch as ike Uma Bharti, Murli Manohar Joshi, Vinay
Katiyar, Sadvi Ritambara, Giriraj Kishore and Vishnu Hari Dalmia was dismissed. thehindu
Babri Masjid case: CBI plea stays before same bench
Babri case: Supreme Court adjourns hearing for 2 weeks
CJI's advice to settle Ayodhya issue outside court unwise:CPI(M)
Terming as "superfluous and unwise" CJI JS Khehar's suggestion
to settle the Ayodhya dispute outside court, CPI(M) today said the Supreme
Court must decide who owns the land where the Babri Mosque once stood."The
suggestion given by CJI Khehar, asking the parties concerned in Ayodhya dispute
to settle the matter through talks, is superfluous and unwise," CPI(M)
Politburo said in a statement.PTI
Not averse to fresh talks for resolving Ayodhya issue:apex body of
sadhus
Haridwar: A day after the Supreme Court suggested an out-of-court
settlement for the Ayodhya issue, ABAP, the apex body of akharas across the
country, said that it is "not averse to initiating fresh talks for a
settlement on the issue." "We can initiate talks for settlement,
especially if the Supreme Court offers to act as an arbitrator," Narendra
Giri, president, ABAP, told TOI on Wednesday. timesofindia
Babri Masjid dispute: Subramaniam Swamy urges Muslims to support Ram
temple construction
Jamshedpur: BJP leader Subramanian Swamy on Thursday urged the Muslim
community to support construction of the Ram Temple at the disputed Ram
Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid site in Ayodhya."Ram mandir can only be built at
one place in Ayodhya where the structure of a temple was found at the disputed
site following investigation by the Archaeological Survey of India," Swamy
said at a function organised to pay tribute to Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and
Shukhdev who were hanged on this day in 1931.PTI
Muslim litigants in Babri case say they are ‘not keen on talks again’
Babri Masjid Case, India on World Happiness Index:The Wire
Firangi Mahli welcomes SC order on Ayodhya dispute
Lucknow: Striking a discordant note, AIMPLB member and Imam of the
Lucknow Idgaah Maulana Khalid Rashid Firangi Mahli has welcomed the observation
of the Supreme Court for an out-of-court negotiated settlement of the vexed
Ayodhya dispute. On Wednesday, Mahli said, `I welcome the Supreme Court
observation for negotiated settlement of the dispute. We are ready for an out-of-court
settlement.” The Maulana said that
there was nothing wrong if another more attempt is made for out-of-court
settlement of the dispute through negotiations with leaders of both communities
in the larger interest of the society and the country.“Muslims were never
against Ram temple in Ayodhya. It’s the political parties who vitiate the
atmosphere whenever an attempt is made for a settlement to the dispute,’’ said
Maulana Firangi Mahli. dailypioneer
Will accept Ram Mandir if Sacchar committee recommendations are met: Dr
Zafar Mahmood
Dr Zafar Mahmood, President of Zakat Foundation of India, has suggested
an 8-point agenda to the ongoing issue of Babri Masjid, saying that “Muslims
can agree to the construction of Ram Mandir at the Babri Masjid site in
Ayodhya” these 8 points are accepted, approved and implemented by the Gov.TCN
Ram mandir: Why I find SC giving priority to 'religion' shocking: Kamal
Mitra Chenoy
Law Commission seeks abolition of death penalty
Law Commission has recommended that the death penalty be abolished for
all crimes except those related to terrorism, Rajya Sabha was informed on
Wednesday. Minister of State for Home Hansraj Ahir said the Law Commission in
its 262nd report has recommended that the death penalty be abolished for all
crimes other than terrorism related offences and waging war.“As Criminal Law
and Criminal Procedure are in the concurrent list of 7th Schedule of the
Constitution, the report has been circulated to all state Govt s and union
territories for seeking their views,” he said in awritten reply. The commission
had further asserted that death penalty under Section 302 of the IPC be
abolished except in cases of terrorism since it does not serve the goal of
deterrence any more than life imprisonment. ahmedabadmirror
Central Ministry, State Govt Depts Publicly Expose Personal Data of
Lakhs of Indians: The Wire
New Delhi: At least one central govt ministry and multiple Indian state Govt
departments currently expose the
personal information of thousands of Indian citizens through their websites –
information that shouldn’t actually be available so freely.The personal data in
question, in some cases, includes names, addresses, date of birth, Aadhaar card
numbers, PAN card details, religion and caste. All of this information, which
should be securely and safely stored, is available in the form of Microsoft
Excel sheets and can be obtained by a simple Google search. This issue was
first pointed out by Twitter user St_Hill, who posted an article detailing the
dangers of identity theft and how personal data is improperly stored. Much of
the personal information stored online corresponds with various central Govt and state Govt schemes. Departments run a number of
initiatives that require the personal details of beneficiaries – in some cases
including bank details, Aadhaar numbers and PAN card details – and then store
them in the form of online spreadsheets on their websites.The Wire is still in
process of confirming the authenticity of this data, which involves getting in
touch with the people who are most likely unaware that their personal data is
public, and will update this story accordingly.
As Aadhaar controversy rages, Nilekani talks about Modi govt’s move
New Delhi:The Govt is right to demand Aadhaar from beneficiaries
of state-run schemes such as mid-day meal or subsidies but no one should be
denied entitlements because of lack of a unique identity number, Nandan
Nilekani said.HT
Illegal slaughter to be criminal offence in UP?So far, neither IPC nor
CrPC have any provision to deal it
Lucknow/ Meerut: Given CM Aditya Nath Yogi's focus on the subject, UP
could soon become the first state to make illegal slaughter of animals a
criminal offence.So far, neither the IPC nor the CrPC have any provision to
deal with illegal slaughter; it is dealt with under the Prevention of Cruelty
to Animals Act, 1960, and no one is afraid of the Rs 50 penalty."While
there is a specific Act to check cow slaughter, there is no law to prevent
illegal slaughter of other animals," a Govt official said. Since the BJP Govt has launched an offensive against illegal
slaughtering of all animals, UP's municipal corporations and nagar palikas feel
there is a need for a strict law on the subject. A March 21 closed-door meeting
of the UP chief secretary with principal secretaries for law, environment,
urban development and animal husbandry to discuss illegal animal slaughter
concluded that a specific law was needed to shut illegal
slaughterhouses.Veterinary officials in UP have already advocated bringing a
law to make illegal slaughter a cognisable offence. "If such a law is
framed, UP would be the first state in India to make illegal slaughtering of
animals a criminal offence,"an official said.According to UP Pollution
Control Board estimates, only 45 slaughterhouses in UP are licensed to operate
and around 140 have been ordered to close. On Wednesday , authorities shut
several illegal abattoirs in an unprecedented crackdown. Seven meat-processing
units in Meerut, three abattoirs in Aligarh, and one abattoir and 16 meat shops
in Mathura were sealed. 7 "illegal" shops selling meat in Murga
Phatak area of Mathura were demolished. Owners of meat-processing units in
Meerut, however, said the units were being unfairly targeted. timesofindia
Abattoir of BSP leaders Yakub Qureshi, Shahid Akhlaq sealed
Meerut: Among the 7 meat-processing units sealed in Meerut on Wednesday,
two are owned by political heavyweights of the area.They include BSP leader
Yakub Qureshi, who had gained international notoriety for announcing a Rs
51-crore reward for the head of the Danish newspaper cartoonist who had drawn a
cartoon of Prophet, and Shahid Akhlaq, a former Meerut MP and former BSP
leader. Qureshi's announcement of the reward in 2006 had generated considerable
criticism in the country and abroad. During the recent UP assembly elections,
Qureshi contested from Meerut South constituency on a BSP ticket but lost to
Somendra Tomar of BJP.Both Qureshi and Akhlaq claimed that they had been
unfairly targeted despite having all the documents required to operate
slaughterhouses.Qureshi described action by administration as an
"excess" which would create a serious unemployment problem in the
city. "We have no problem if illegal slaughterhouses are closed down. They
should be. But our slaughterhouse was legal. This is going to have serious
repercussions as thousands of people were employed at the slaughterhouses which
were sealed. Poor people are going to be rendered jobless by this move,"
he said. "All the meat processing units I own have every document in
order, including the licences. Administration was looking for a reason to close
us. When they could not find anything, they said that one of the buildings of
the unit had not been built according to the plan approved by MDA, and they
sealed the place," said Akhlaq. timesofindia
7 Meat Processing Plants Shut Down In Meerut Under Yogi Adityanath's
Orders, Samples Sent For Tests
Meat plants sealed in Meerut,
samples sent
UP exporters worried as crackdown on slaughterhouses
Meerut: As UP Govt begins to deliver on the BJP manifesto promise
on crackdown on illegal slaughterhouses, many in the industry alleged
disconnect between the printed word and the BJP's promises on ground. While
manifesto promised shutting of illegal slaughterhouses, party chief Amit Shah
has reiterated the aim to put an end to slaughter in the state once and for
all. This has led to confusion among many in the industry.UP accounts for 34% of the total buffalo meat
export from India, which was to the tune of Rs. 21,300 crore last year. The
share of UP came to a whopping Rs. 7,273
crore. The nation exports 43% of buffalo meat that's consumed across the world.
Lucknow’s legendary Tunday Kababi reopens, but serves chicken and mutton
kebabs for the first time
One of Lucknow’s most iconic eateries, the century-old Tunday Kababi, is
the latest victim of the crackdown on illegal meat shops and slaughterhouses,
ordered by the newly formed Bharatiya Janata Party Govt in UP . The establishment at Akbari Gate,
which dates back to 1905, shut shop on Wednesday because of a scarcity of
buffalo meat in the state capital, which had its four slaughterhouses sealed
between 2013 and 2015.It reopened on Thursday but its menu did not include the
famous “badey ka kabab” or buffalo meat kebabs. For the first time since it was
established, the restaurant served chicken and mutton kebabs. “Customers are
getting angry,” said Abu Baqr, who runs the Akbari Gate outlet. “It is costly
to me also and has ruined our speciality.”
VHP Wants Beef Ban, Crackdown On Illegal Slaughterhouses In Jharkhand
Ranchi: VHP has demanded that illegal slaughter houses flourishing in
Jharkhand should be closed and sealed in line with neighbouring UP ."We
also demand that beef should be banned in line with Maharashtra," said Pramod
Mishra, VHP's Bihar and Jharkhand head to news agency IANS."Both UP and Jharkhand are BJP-ruled states. But their CM
s are functioning differently. In Jharkhand, cow slaughter has been banned
since 2005, but it has not been implemented effectively," Mr Mishra told
IANS. IANS
Beef rumour: Gau rakshak leader not in Jaipur Rabbani hotel FIR as 'weak
case registered against cow vigilantes’
Jaipur : 3 days after cow vigilante groups swooped down on a hotel here
alleging that it was serving beef, the Jaipur Police on Wednesday registered a
criminal case against unknown persons for unlawful assembly, causing hurt and
trespass.Civil rights groups said the case was “too weak” in comparison to the
violence perpetrated on the hotel staff.Hotel Hayat Rabbani near Central Bus Stand,
which was sealed after the Rashtriya Mahila Gau Rakshak Sewa Mandal activists
laid siege to it on Sunday night, continues to remain closed.Though the hotel’s
owner, Naeem Rabbani, mentioned Gau Raksha group leader Sadhvi Kamal Didi as
the one who led the cow vigilante crowd, the FIR registered at Sindhi Camp
police station did not name her as an accused.Rights’ groups have alleged that
the police and municipal authorities were colluding with the cow vigilante
groups.Jaipur Mayor Ashok Lahoti said the hotel would not be de-sealed until
the Forensic Science Laboratory’s report on the meat samples seized from its
kitchen was received. He denied that there was any illegality involved in the
sealing saying the owner had not obtained licence for running the hotel or
restaurant.Lahoti also said the construction of Hotel Hayat Rabbani was
“illegal.” Activist groups and city residents staged a huge demonstration at
Shahid Smarak on Tuesday to protest against the violence and targeting the
minority community’s business.The speakers condemned the “collusion” of the
State agencies in the attack on the hotel, lambasted the increasing communal
nature of governance and pledged to maintain communal harmony in the city.
People’s Union for Civil Liberties-Rajasthan president Kavita Srivastava said
the issue was blown up with the police slapping cases of offending people of
another religion on Rabbani and sending
the meat to the FSL. thehindu
Beef rumours: Dadri averted, police watched mob beat us, say Jaipur
hotel owner, manager
Following Jaipur protest, FIR against unidentified cow vigilantes who
attacked Rabbani run hotel
IPS officer says hatred being spread against Yadavs, Muslims, Dalits as
Congress MP alleges caste discrimination in UP
New Delhi: Congress member in Lok Sabha Ranjeet Ranjan on Thursday said
Yadavs and some other castes were being targeted in UP, and questioned the
anti-Romeo squads formed in the state.“An IPS officer has said, a particular
caste is being targeted. The way hatred is being spread against Yadavs, Muslims
and Dalits in UP , it is against our Constitution,” said Ranjan, raising the
issue during the Zero Hour.Himanshu Kumar, a 2010-batch Indian Police Service
officer attached with DGP office in Lucknow, said in a tweet that those with
‘Yadav’ surname were being targeted. He deleted his tweet later. Ranjan also
slammed the “anti-romeo squads” that have been formed in UP after the assembly polls.IANS
Over 100 policemen suspended in UP after new govt takes over
Lucknow: Seeking to send a strong message that laxity in enforcing law
and order will not be tolerated, UP police has suspended over 100 policemen since
the new Govt led by Yogi Adityanath
assumed office.Most of these suspensions were in Ghaziabad, Meerut and Noida.
In Lucknow, seven inspectors have been suspended.PTI
On Yogi govt table, file on Yogi hate speech case
Gorakhpur: ON a table in the Home department of the Yogi Adityanath
Govt sits a request from the state
police — hanging fire for two years — seeking sanction to prosecute a case
where Yogi Adityanath is an accused along with 4 others including party MLA
from Gorakhpur Radhamohan Das Agarwal and BJP Rajya Sabha MP Shiv Pratap
Shukla. The sanction is needed to file a chargesheet against them under IPC
Section 153-A on the charge of promoting enmity between different groups on
grounds of religion and caste.The application by CB-CID of UP Police seeking
sanction was first submitted to the Akhilesh Yadav Govt in 2015. Case pertains to communal violence
on Jan27, 2007 in Gorakhpur and nearby districts after some young men, the
previous night, had allegedly misbehaved with young women of a music troupe
called to perform at a wedding at the local DAV college ground. The men were
chased away but, police said, they mingled with a Muharram procession which was
passing by.There was firing from one side which injured some in the Muharram
procession. During a subsequent clash between 2 groups, one Raj Kumar Agrahari
succumbed to injuries.Parvez Parwaz, 62, a former Gorakhpur journalist and
activist, moved to file an FIR but the police refused. It was only after
intervention of the High Court on Sept26, 2008, that he was able to file an FIR
at the Cantonment police station. Parwaz alleged that the violence in Gorakhpur
that lasted for about a fortnight was incited by these leaders. “To restore the
case, we filed an application in the Allahabad High Court in 2015. Before
taking the restoration application, the court asked the Govt about the status of the case and in the
affidavit filed by the Govt on February
20, 2017, it is said that CB-CID has already sought prosecution sanction but it
is pending at the level of the state govt,” said Parwaz’s counsel Farman Naqvi. indianexpress
Adityanath as UP CM a step
towards Hindu Rashtra: CPIM
PM Narendra Modi and RSS have
taken “the most audacious step” to usher in a Hindu Rashtra by making
Adityanath Yogi the UP CM , the CPI-M
has said. “They have put in place, as CM
of the biggest state of India, a person who has openly challenged the
very precepts of the Constitution,” said an editorial in the CPI-M journal
“People’s Democracy”.The CPI-Marxist said his selection “is a clear signal that
the BJP-RSS combine wishes to pursue the line of Hindu consolidation as the
basis of its future political strategy”. The editorial said that since becoming
a MP from Gorakhpur in 1998, Adityanath became notorious for his record of
Muslim bashing and direct incitement of communal violence. financialexpress
Vemula’s family being ‘ill-treated’;Congress MP Punia
New Delhi:A Congress member in Rajya Sabha on Thursday alleged that the
family members of Rohith Vemula, who had committed suicide in the Hyderabad
University, were being ill-treated. Raising the issue during the Zero Hour, P L
Punia said the Justice Roopanwal Commission set up to look into the suicide has
not said anything on the terms of reference given to it. Instead, the panel has
said Vemula was not a dalit, but OBC, and he had committed suicide due to
personal despair, the Congress member said. He further said Vemula’s family was
being ill-treated and has been given notice to cancel the caste
certificate.Punia demanded that the mental harassment of the family should be
stopped. The suicide of Vemula had triggered a political furore across the
country, particularly in several universities. Vemula, a student at the
University of Hyderabad, had committed suicide on Jan.17, 2016, accusing the
administration of caste-based discrimination. Days before that, Vemula had been
suspended from the university along with five other students for allegedly
assaulting a leader of the RSS-backed ABVP.PTI
Par panel to summon RBI Governor Patel again on April 20
New Delhi:A Parliamentary panel has decided to summon RBI Governor Urjit
Patel again to explain how much of the junked currency has been deposited in
banks post note ban and the progress made in remonetisation. The meeting of the
Standing Committees on Finance, headed by former cabinet minister M Veerappa
Moily, has been tentatively scheduled for April 20, sources privy to the
development said.PTI
Does NIA report to Modi, instead of home minister:Digvijay
New Delhi;Home Minister Rajnath Singh had to face some awkward moments
in Rajya Sabha, when senior Congress leader while citing dissimilarities
between the reply given in the Upper House to a question put by a member to a
speech by PM Narendra Modi at an
election rally in Gonda.He said that both statements suggest that intelligence
agencies seems to be directly reporting to the PM instead of the home minister. Digvijay Singh had
recalled that while in Gonda Narendra Modi had said that the police have found
a conspiracy that was hatched from other side of the border. financialexpress
India had publicly opposed China-Pak corridor; On Pak Day, Basit to
screen documentary to showcase China ties
New Delhi: A documentary on Pakistan’s economic reforms, highlighting
CPEC, will be screened at the Pakistan Day reception here today. The screening
is significant as India has made its opposition to CPEC clear publicly. New
Delhi has conveyed its objections forcefully to Pakistan and China through a
note verbale and meetings in the last few months. Over 1,000 guests, including
Kashmiri separatists, have been invited to the Pakistan High Commission. The
event would be Pakistani High Commissioner Abdul Basit’s last such engagement
in Delhi. He is likely to leave by March- end after a three-year tenure.Pak
diplomats said some of the separatists were expected to attend the reception
like previous years. In Islamabad, the Pakistan foreign ministry expressed its
“serious concern” over the arrest or detention of separatist leaders and
preventing them from attending Pak National Day reception. It said that these
“arbitrary restrictions are against the principles of democracy and freedom of
movement”. Indian express
‘Independence movement’ like in J-K can be suppressed but not finished
off: Pak envoy Abdul Basit
New Delhi:An “independence movement” such as the one in J&K can be suppressed for some time but it cannot
be finished off, Pakistani envoy Abdul Basit said on Thursday. He made the
remarks at an event organised at his country’s high commission here to mark
Pakistan Day. They came against the backdrop of a chill in bilateral ties and could
anger New Delhi, which has repeatedly accused Islamabad of interfering in
Kashmir.During his speech, Basit reiterated Pakistan’s position that the
Kashmir issue, which had long been a cause of “acrimony”, must be resolved by
the two countries according to the “aspirations of Kashmiris”.Speaking in Urdu,
he said, “History is witness that independence movements are such that they can
be suppressed for some time…but they can’t be finished off.”He added he hoped
that the “struggle of the Kashmiris will…be successful”.Asked what he meant by
“aspirations”, Basit replied, “Whatever the people of the (Kashmir) Valley
want, we should go by that.”Basit further said that Pakistan wants a good and
peaceful relationship with India and desires to settle all issues, including
Kashmir, through dialogue.HT
‘India sending Dalai Lama to Arunachal but Beijing will decide
successor’
Beijing:Calling Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama a “separatist”
who wants to create an independent political entity in China, a top
Beijing-based think-tank on Thursday said India should not allow him to visit
“disputed areas” and emphasised that only Beijing will decide his who his
successor will be, when needed.The Dalai Lama on April 1 is expected to begin a
tour of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh – which China claims is part of south
Tibet. He will be in Tawang between April 5 and 7 where he slated to deliver
religious lectures. The Chinese Govt has
already warned India that it is “gravely concerned” about the visit.On
Thursday, the China Tibetology Research Centre (CTRC) sent out a sharp note of
displeasure.“So Tawang is part of Tibet and Tibet is part of China, so Tawang
is part of China. Not much of a question,” Lian Xiangmin, director of the
CTRC-affiliated Institute of Contemporary Tibetan Studies said. “In recent
years, the Indian Govt has given support
or made arrangements for the Dalai Lama to visit the Tawang region. It seems to
us something not very friendly,” Lian said at a rare press conference organised
by the CTRC, one of eight senior scholars on Tibet deployed to field questions
from reporters.HT
Indian-American Muslims welcome Teesta Setalvad’s testimony in UN against
human rights violations in India
Indian American Muslim Council, a nonprofit advocacy group dedicated to
safeguarding India’s pluralist and tolerant ethos, has welcomed Teesta
Setalvad’s hard-hitting testimony at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on
March 15, 2017.One of India’s most recognised activists and a strident voice
against hate and sectarianism, Setalvad spoke on behalf of The Advocates for
Human Rights, Indian American Muslim Council, Jamia Teachers’ Solidarity
Association and the Quill Foundation. Her testimony was part of a larger effort
by IAMC and its partner organisations that includes a joint submission to the
UN Human Rights Council for India’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) scheduled
for May 4, 2017. IAMC has also made a
separate joint submission with Setalvad’s organisation “Citizens for Justice
and Peace,” for the same UPR.Her brief testimony was before a full session of
the UN Human Rights Council, with all the UN member countries in attendance,
convened to review the report of the UN Rapporteur on Minority Rights. Setalvad
noted that since the UN Special Rapporteur’s 2013 General Assembly report, the
following developments had taken place in India.TCN
Amnesty disappointed with probe in 1984 Sikh riots
International rights group Amnesty International on Wednesday said it
was disappointed with the functioning of the SIT formed to re-investigate closed
cases related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. "SIT has disappointed many who
have struggled for justice. It has only filed four chargesheets in over 2
years, following a non-transparent process. Status report submitted to the
Supreme Court does not even mention the reasons for closing the cases it had
identified for reinvestigation," Sanam Sutirath Wazir of Amnesty
International India said while addressing a discussion on the 1984 anti-Sikh
riots here.IANS
Dal Khalsa team meets UN official over issues in Punjab
Jalandhar:A Dal Khalsa overseas delegation met a UN official in Geneva
on Tuesday over issues related to freedom of expression, drugs, water crisis in
Punjab. The delegation also apprised the UN that ever since the Modi Govt came to power in 2014, space for dissent and
freedom of expression has shrunk and hate-mongering and war-mongering have
become the order of the day.Party spokesman Kanwar Pal Singh, who informed the
media here about the meeting between Christine Chung, Human Rights Officer
looking after Asia Pacific Section, and their group representative in Geneva on
Tuesday, said “the objective was to share our history and heritage with UN to
provide a thorough understanding of the perspective in which we place our
present demands before it”.indian express
Dhanbad ex-deputy mayor’s murder: Police lodge FIR against sitting BJP
MLA
BJP MLA Sanjeev Singh, the cousin of Dhanbad’s ex-deputy mayor Neeraj
Singh who was gunned down on Tuesday, and 5 others were booked by police late
on Wednesday in connection with the murder, officials said. Motorcycle-borne
assailants intercepted Neeraj’s SUV barely 100 metres from his home on Tuesday
and pumped 67 bullets from an AK-47 rifle and pistols into the Congress leader
and 3 others, who were with him inside the vehicle. hindustantimes
NCP leaders Nawab Malik, Dina Patil arrested for rioting
Ozarkar: Deonar Police on Tuesday night arrested NCP leaders Nawab Malik
and Sanjay Dina Patil in connection with the scuffle that had broken out between
the supporters of Patil and Malik during the party meeting at Chembur in Nov
last year.On Tuesday, the police arrested the seven accused in both the cases
filed by the supporters of Patil and Malik against each other for rioting.
Confirming the arrest, Malik said "I have taken the bail from the Police
Station. We have sorted out our differences and the matter stands closed for
us. But as the cases have been filed, we will have to follow the court
proceedings".A scuffle had broken out between NCP workers of Malik and
Dina Patil at a party meeting at Chembur in Nov.2016. The scuffle took place
over the selection of ward president. "We had arrested them on Tuesday
night they were released on bail. We will file the supplementary charge sheet
in the case within a week," said Dattatray Shinde, Senior Police Inspector
of Deonar police station.Initially, the police had booked Dina Patil and Nawab
Malik and 18 others for attempted murder, Arms Act and rioting after the Malik
had alleged that Patil had fired at the venue from his weapon. DNA
Mumbai: 5 more persons held for rioting at Trombay
Hyderabad: HC tells backward classes panel to get views on Muslim quota
Hyderabad: Justice A Ramalingeswar Rao of the Hyderabad High Court on
Wednesday directed the Commission for Backward Classes to receive the
objections and material against enhancement of reservations for backward
sections among Muslims in the state.The judge was disposing of a writ petition
filed by Sasidhar, a research scholar in law, who was opposing the inclusion of
Muslims in the BCs list. According to his counsel, the Telangana Commission for
Backward Classes is now asking the interested citizens to respond to the
recommendations made by Dr Sudheer committee which studied the issue. He
complained that he was given only three days' time to respond.He sought the
data relied upon by the Sudheer committee. Asking the petitioner to file his
objections before the commission by the end of this month, the judge said that
the commission should consider the objections filed by the petitioner at the
time of finalizing the report.
Telangana: Jamat-e-Islami Hind seeks speedy implementation of 12% quota
to Muslims
President of Jamat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) Telangana and Odisha State units
Hamid Mohammed Khan demanded that TRS Govt
expedite the process of extending 12% reservations to Muslims. He
said 12% quota to Muslim minorities was
not the demand made by Muslims but was a poll promise made by CM K Chandrashekar Rao during Telangana
agitation, which was also included in the party election manifesto. However,
there was no progress made in the reservation promised to Muslims even after
the Govt is close to completing three
years of its term, Khan said while speaking to presspersons in Hanamkonda on
Wednesday.He said Telangana State Commission for Backward Classes which was
constituted to study the living conditions of backward sections of Muslims on
Tuesday submitted the report to govt. The commission in its report observed
that about 90% Muslims in the State were living below the poverty line and
suggested the extension of 9%
reservations to Muslims. Now it becomes the duty of State Govt to
incorporate the commission recommendations in the Schedule 9 of the
Constitution, the JIH leader noted.hans india
We have been displaced thrice, will not allow it again: Leader of
Adivasi resistance against Athirapally dam
In the first part of this series, we looked at how the Athirapally dam
could spell disaster for the ecology of Kerala and the Western Ghats in
general. This explains why several people, including ex-minister Jairam Ramesh,
CSE director Sunita Narain and others have spoken against the implementation of
the project. However, it goes without saying that the biggest resistance to
this project has come not from experts but the local Adivasi population of
Vazhachal, and they have been led admirably by Geetha, the settlement’s Ooru Moopathi (village leader) a 29-year-old who
has been at the heart of the struggle for close to a decade. Vazhachal Adivasi
settlement in which Geetha resides is one of the 9 in the division spread over
70 km. Geetha’s settlement, also called Vazhachal, houses about 72 families and
is at the forefront of the struggle, as they stand to lose their livelihood and
their homes if the dam comes up. The other settlements are Thavalakuzhypara,
Anakkayam, Sholayar, Pokalappara, Vachumaram, Perumpara, Peringalkuthu and
Mukkumpuzhaa. The proposed dam will, however, directly affect only Vazhachal,
as it is scheduled to come up just 400 metres away from the
settlement.Twocircles
Man held for killing daughter over affair with neighbour
Agra:In a case of suspected honour killing, a man allegedly murdered his
minor daughter Wednesday at Shekhzaad locality in Muzaffarnagar’s Charthawal
police station area, reportedly because she was in a relationship with a youth
from the same locality. The accused, Mohammad Jabbar, allegedly slit the throat
of his 15-year-old daughter Gulbasan and dumped her body outside the house of
Dilnawaz, a neighbour she was reportedly in a relationship with. Jabbar has
been arrested. SHO, Charthawal, Sanjeev Kumar said Jabbar is a cloth merchant
and sells garments in weekly markets.indianexpress
In-laws of woman who went to SC on triple talaq held
Roorkee: Laksar police on Wednesday arrested 2 persons following a dowry
harassment case filed by Atiya Sabri, a Saharanpur woman who had approached the
Supreme Court challenging triple talaq given by her husband on a piece of
paper."A Saharanpur court had issued arrest warrant against three persons
under section 498A. Following the order we have arrested Wazid Ali and Saeed
Ahmad, husband and father-in-law of Atiya Sabri respectively, of Jasodarpur
village. Atiya's mother-in-law is still at large," said Navin Chandra
Semwal, officer in-charge of Laksar police station. timesofindia
Lucknow terror operation: NIA arrests 2 suspects
Lucknow: Terror suspects Atif and Danish were today arrested by NIA in
connection with Lucknow terror operation. Sources in NIA said the arrested duo
will be taken to Kanpur and other places in UP
for further investigation.ANI
WORLD
Qatar, Turkey refuse to hand over 53 Egyptian including Sk Yusuf
Al-Qaradawi to Sisi
Egypt’s Al-Youm Al-Sabe newspaper reported that Qatar and Turkey
informed Egypt of their refusal to hand over 53 alleged Brotherhood leaders and
members for prosecution. The paper revealed the names of some of these figures,
including the chairman of the International Union of Muslim Scholars, Sheikh
Yusuf Al-Qaradawi.The paper, which is closely linked to the regime of President
Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, who came to power after a bloody coup in 2013, quoted
yesterday “senior level sources” confirming that the Turkish and Qatari
authorities informed Egypt in Jan.that they had rejected Cairo’s request to
hand over 53 alleged Muslim Brotherhood leaders and members of the
international organisation located in their countries for prosecution.The paper
claimed that these individuals committed terrorist acts against the state or
incited violence after the fall of the Brotherhood’s rule under President
Mohamed Morsi in the regime-titled “June 30 Revolution”. The newspaper’s
sources also claimed that all of these opposition members are members of the
Muslim Brotherhood, despite their diverse intellectual and political
affiliations.The unnamed sources said that the international cooperation office
in the Ministry of Justice sent messages, via diplomatic channels, to nearly 80
foreign countries, including Qatar and Turkey, requesting judicial assistance
and the handing over suspects located in their countries in accordance with
international and bilateral agreements made with Egypt.The sources noted that
some countries such as Kuwait and Saudi Arabia handed over a number of these suspects
located in their country, while seven countries did not reply as to whether or
not they would hand those located in their countries over.Some of those
requested to be handed over are Tarek Al-Zumar, secretary-general of the
Building and Development Party, Yehia Hamed, former Minister of investment in
Hesham Qandil’s pre-coup Govt , Mohammad Al-Jawadi, who is classified as a
leader in the Muslim Brotherhood alliance, famously anti-Sisi religious leader
Sheikh Wagdy Ghoneim and Waleed Sharabi, spokesman for the “Coalition of Judges
for Egypt”.The list also included prominent Muslim Brotherhood leader, Mahmoud
Ezzat, Gamal Abdel Sattar, a former University of Al-Azhar professor and the
head of the Sunni Scholars Association, journalist Wael Qandil, Al Jazeera
writer and political analyst Mohammed Al-Quddusi, director of news for Al
Jazeera Ibrahim Mohammed Hilal as well as Al Jazeera presenter Ahmad Mansour. middleeastmonitor
Egypt takes punitive action against some 2,000 students
A new report by the Egyptian-based Association for Freedom of Thought
and Expression, “Besieged Universities”, says that Egyptian authorities took
punitive action against 2,297 student activists nationwide between 2013 and
2016. The report comes at a time when the “security grip on political activity
in Egypt is at its peak”. middleeastmonitor
Sinai clashes leave 10 Egypt troops, 15 militants dead
Cairo : 10 Egyptian security personnel, including three army officers,
were killed while carrying out a security operation in Egypt’s volatile Sinai
Peninsula, an Egyptian army spokesman said Thursday.“Our forces raided a
terrorist outpost in central Sinai, which led to the killing of 15 Takfiris
[extremists] and arrest of seven others,” army spokesman Tamer al-Refai said in
a statement. “While pursuing the terrorists, two army vehicles struck roadside
bombs, leading to the martyrdom of three army officers and seven other military
personnel,” al-Refai added. Anadolu Agency
Afghan Taliban signal growing strength with capture of key southern
district: Reuters
KABUL:Taliban fighters have captured the key district of Sangin in the
southern Afghan Province of Helmand after security forces pulled out, leaving
the district centre to the insurgents, officials said on Thursday.Helmand,
which accounts for the bulk of Afghanistan's billion dollar opium crop, is
already largely in the hands of the Taliban but the capture of Sangin, where US
and British forces suffered heavy casualties, underlines their growing strength
in the south.Taliban spokesman Qari Yousuf Ahmadi said Taliban fighters had
captured police headquarters and a military base overnight, as well as
quantities of military equipment after they were abandoned by retreating Govt forces.He said the area had been bombarded by
foreign forces following the withdrawal of Afghan troops and police, causing
heavy damage to buildings and infrastructure.Omar Zwak, the Provincial
Governor's spokesman, said security forces had conducted a tactical withdrawal
some 3 km from the district centre to avoid civilian casualties.Abdul Majid
Akhondzada, Deputy Provincial council chief of Helmand, confirmed that after
the retreat, air strikes hit the district to destroy military equipment left
behind.With US President Donald Trump yet to announce a new Afghanistan
strategy, the loss of Sangin underlines the challenge facing the western-backed
Govt and its international partners.The
top US commander in the country, Gen. John Nicholson, said last month that
Afghanistan was in a “stalemate” and thousands more international troops would
be needed to boost the existing NATO-led training and advisory mission. thehindu
Israel built 2,630 illegal homes in W.Bank last yr: aljazeera
Israel built 2,630 illegal settler homes in occupied West Bank in 2016,
an increase of 40% compared with numbers from 2015. According to figures
released by Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics on Wednesday, construction
was at its "second highest" in 15 years, falling slightly short of
2,874 illegal homes built in 2013.Citing the official data,Peace Now - an
anti-settlement NGO - said 14,017 units were started since PM Netanyahu returned to office in 2009, though
settlement construction has continued under successive Israeli leaders.
US to focus on 'elimination' of ISIL by military force
US will set up "interim zones of stability" to help refugees
return home in the next phase of the fight against the ISIL group and al-Qaeda,
the US Secretary of State said on Wednesday. Top US diplomat Rex Tillerson did
not make clear where these zones were to be set up. He was addressing a meeting
of 68 countries gathered in Washington, DC to discuss the fight to defeat
ISIL."US will increase our pressure on ISIS and al-Qaeda and will work to
establish interim zones of stability, through ceasefires, to allow refugees to
return home," Tillerson told the gathering at the state
department."We checked with the Pentagon and they say they don't have any guidance
to create these zones yet," Al Jazeera's Patty Culhane reported from
Washington, DC."In the past when there was talk about safe zones, that
meant forces on the ground, to protect civilians, and cover from the air. But
that doesn't seem to be what Tillerson is talking about as he mentions doing it
through ceasefires."Defeating ISIL is the "number one US goal in the
region", Tillerson said, adding the coalition will focus on "regional
elimination of ISIS through military force".Wednesday's event was the
first meeting of the international coalition since the election of Trump, who
has pledged to make the fight against ISIL a priority. He vowed in January to
set up safe zones in Syria for refugees.In a statement released after the
meeting, the 68 partners underlined their "determination to intensify and
accelerate... efforts to eliminate ISIS" in Iraq, Syria and beyond.They
hailed progress by US-backed local forces against the group's main strongholds
in Raqqa and the northern Iraqi city of Mosul. aljazeera
US-led coalition air strike in Syria kills over 30 people in school near
Isis-held Raqqa: human rights watchdog
At least 33 people have been killed in an air strike on a school
sheltering displaced people near the Isis-held city of Raqqa, Syria, a
monitoring group has said. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights
said it was believed the US-led coalition had carried out the
attack.Observatory activists counted at least 33 bodies at the site of the
strike, near the village of al-Mansoura, west of Raqqa, Observatory director
Rami Abdulrahman told Reuters.The air strike took place earlier this week, he
added. The activist group Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently said the school
was sheltering around 50 families when it was levelled by air strikes.
UK police: 8 arrests over Westminster attack
The suspect of a deadly attack outside the UK parliament in London was
British-born, PM Theresa May has said,
as police arrested eight people after several overnight raids across the
country.In a statement to the House of Commons on Thursday, May said the
attacker was once investigated by intelligence officers over concerns of
"violent extremism". "He was a peripheral figure," she
said. "The case is historic, he was not part of the current intelligence
picture."Earlier on Thursday, police said eight people had been arrested
after raids on six homes in London, Birmingham and other parts of the country
in their probe into the attack, in which a man ploughed into pedestrians in a
car and then went on a stabbing spree before being shot dead. aljazeera
Compiled and edited by Anwarulhaq (Released at: 8:01 PM)
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