Evening NEWS
DIGEST
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April 2017: 03 Shaban 1438: Vol: 8, No:178
Erdogan on Kashmir: India, Pakistan must keep dialogue channel open
New Delhi; Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that in order
to solve the Kashmir problem, both India and Pakistan need to “build bridges,
strengthen dialogue between different stakeholders”. Erdogan, who is on a
two-day state visit to India, in an interview to TV news channel WION said that
Kashmir question upsets both countries and “surmounting the Kashmiri challenge
will contribute tremendously to the global peace”. As quoted and translated by
the channel, Erdogan said: “The relations between India and Pakistan if we dig
and closer, I can confidently say that the relations between the two nations
are improving on a daily basis which makes me very happy. But this Kashmir
question, this question saddens us deeply because I think this is a question
that upsets both of the countries involved and surmounting the Kashmiri
challenge will contribute tremendously to the global peace.”Pointing out that
the 70-year old issue will hurt future generations, he said: “For the last
seven decades, this question (Kashmir issue) has not been settled. And I
believe, doing so will provide relief to both the countries. Extending
conflicts, extending questions and carrying these questions to the future will
be unfair to the future generations because they will have to pay the price.
And right next to the prosperity of the Kashmiri people we need security and
stability in South Asia. We want this region to be peaceful. We want to win
friends wherever we go.”Erdogan said that both India and Pakistan are Turkey’s
friends and they must keep the dialogue channels open and engage different
stakeholders.“India is our friend in the region. Pakistan is our friend in the
region. And there are certain aspects that contribute tremendously to our
ancient relations. In terms of faith, in India, we have followers of the Muslim
faith. And in Pakistan there are Muslims and this brings us even closer. We
have to build bridges, strengthen dialogue between different stakeholders. We
shouldn’t allow more casualties to occur. We should strengthen multilateral
dialogue. We can be involved in multilateral dialogues. I think we have to seek
out ways to settle this question once and for all. It will provide great
benefits to both the countries.”Erdogan defended Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif of being a well-meaning person
and said that he has been discussing these issues with him at length.“My dear
friend, the PM of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif
is an individual with whom I have been discussing these issues at length and I
know he is a man of good intentions. I know he is a good intended man. I heard
him personally speak of his will to settle this question once and for all. So
if we keep the dialogue channels open, we can settle this question once and for
all. And all around the world, there is no better option than to keep the
channels of dialogue open if we have to contribute to global peace. If we can
do this, I think we can garner very positive results. And I would like to
remind you that security, stability, and prosperity of the region is very
important to us. I want this mentality to prevail among leaders.” Indianexpress
Sharif is a good-intentioned man...India should keep dialogue channels
open to solve J&K issue:Erdogan’s interview
Turkey’s Erdogan in India, to hold talks with Modi on NSG membership,
counter-terrorism, Gulen‘s FETO
New Delhi: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in New Delhi
on Sunday and will hold wide-ranging talks with PM Narendra Modi on key bilateral and regional
issues, including India’s NSG membership bid and ways to strengthen cooperation
in counter-terrorism and trade.This is Erdogan’s first foreign visit after
winning a referendum on April 16 that further consolidated his executive
powers.Apart from his wife Emine Erdogan, Turkish President is accompanied by
senior cabinet ministers and a 150-member business delegation that will take
part in a meeting of the India-Turkey Business Forum. Ahead of his visit, India
had played down proximity between Turkey and Pakistan as well as Ankara’s
statements on J&K , saying the Govt is aware that Turkey has a very close
relationship with Pakistan and it is their bilateral matter. 2 sides were also
expected to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation in counter-terrorism during
the presidential visit here.After a failed coup in July last year to topple
Erdogan, Turkey had blamed Fethullah Gulen Terrorist Organisation (FETO) for it
and said the outfit has “infiltrated” India. Turkey had also asked India to
take action against the organisation. Asked about the action taken by India so
far, she said Turkey had raised it with the Govt, which has noted their
concern. Issues relating to regional security, situation in Middle East,
particularly Syria, are likely to figure during talks between Modi and Erdogan.PTI
Erdogan arrives on 2-day visit to India; NSG, FETO, bilateral trade on
top agenda: 10 points
Turkish president arrives in India: Trade, terror to be focus of
Modi-Erdogan talks; IANS
Jamia invites Erdogan, some oppose ‘dictator’: TOI report
New Delhi: Tayyip Erdogan, on his 2-day tour to India, will be presented
with an honorary doctorate degree at Jamia Millia Islamia."Erdogan will
visit the campus as Jamia is the only institution in the country which provides
academic courses in Turkish language and literature. We have certificate as
well as diploma courses and advanced diploma covering both Ottoman and modern
Turkish language," said Mohsin Ali, founder of Turkish department Jamia.Speaking
on the relation between Turkey and India, Ali said both the nations have an old
relationship. "Our Bhakti movement and the teachings of Maulana Jalaluddin
Rumi, both talk about intolerance and peace." "This event will boost
the educational relationship between the countries. More than 30 students of
our university have gone to Turkey for the student-exchange programme so
far," he added.Some students and alumni, however, have opposed the
decision claiming that Erdogen has been involved in "blatant human rights
violation and has become a dictator in Turkey."There are campaigns against
the felicitation. On a website, change.org, started by a Jamia alumnus,
Shuddhabrata Sengupta, an appeal has been made to reverse the decision.Criticising
the campaign Ali said "This is done by a section of students who are
supporters of Islamic preacher Fetullah Gulen." Saima Saeed, deputy media
coordinator Jamia said "President's visit is part of a state visit and
those protesting against the honour have no idea about it. One should not give
cognizance to these fringe elements."timesofindia
Erdogan's India Visit: JMI To Confer Doctor Of Letters Degree To Turkish
President Erdogan
Jamia to confer Turkish president Erdogan with doctorate, alumni and some
disappointed: TCN
OTHERS
Teen girls with stones are new threat in Kashmir conflict:
Srinagar:The first stone was heavy in her hand before she let it fly. It
arched through the smoky air and hit the khaki leg of a soldier. She barely
stopped to watch the man grimace before she picked up another. In India’s
restive Kashmir territory, the weapon of choice of separatist youth against
Indian security forces is a stone — or a brick if they can get it. Indian
soldiers have their own slingshots too, as well as conventional weapons and
pellet guns that have killed and maimed scores. This month a round of fresh
violence has broken out in the valley, with a dozen killed in clashes with
Indian security forces — sparking days of student protests across Kashmir.
Schoolgirls in headscarves and school uniforms have joined forces with male
protesters in large numbers for the first time in recent memory.“A lot of these
boys have been killed,” said Nisha Zahoor, 18, a senior who took up “stone
pelting” during a standoff with paramilitary forces in a market square last
week.“Now girls will go out and protest for freedom.”Officials hoping not to
see a repeat of five months of violence that paralyzed the region last year
have appealed for calm. The state’s leader, Mehbooba Mufti, flew to New Delhi
this week to urge PM Narendra Modi to
hold talks with separatists. A new female police battalion has been established
to deal with the schoolgirls and other public safety issues. Mufti’s Govt also instituted a month-long ban on social
networking sites WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter and others Wednesday to slow the
spread of incendiary viral videos among young people — including one in which
the army strapped a man to the hood of a jeep as a human shield. washingtonpost
Meet young Kashmiris behind viral videos telling stories of Valley: Hindustan times
Delhi spent ` 3000 cr on migrants, families of slain forces personnel,
surrendered militants since 1989: greaterkashmir
Srinagar:A whopping Rs 3000 crore have been spent on the rehabilitation
of migrants, surrendered militants and the families of security forces
personnel killed in militancy related incidents in Kashmir since 1989, a report
of Ministry of Home Affairs, Govt of
India, has revealed.The report for the year 2016-2017 states that under the
“Relief and Rehabilitation scheme”, the total amount reimbursed to the J&K Govt
since 1989 is Rs 27228.65 Crore. “During
the current financial year, Rs 363.04 Crore were reimbursed to the J&K Govt
. The scheme broadly covers relief and rehabilitation of families of civilians
and security forces killed in militancy related incidents and the
rehabilitation of surrendered militants,” the official report said. “The scheme
also covers Kashmiri and Jammu migrants.”The report, however, doesn’t mention
the number of families or the surrendered militants covered under the scheme.
Pertinently, at least 300 youth had returned to their respective homes after
the then CM Omar Abdullah introduced
“rehabilitation policy for the youth willing to return from Pakistan
administered Kashmir, in 2010.”62000 migrant families: The MHA report further
states that due to onset of militancy in J&K in early 1990s, most of the
Kashmiri Pandit families along with some Sikh and Muslim families migrated from
Kashmir to Jammu, Delhi and other parts of the India. “At present, there are
about 62,000 registered Kashmiri migrant families in India, out of which about
40,000 families are residing in Jammu, about 20,000 families in Delhi/NCR and
about 2000 families are settled in other states,” the report states.
Over 40,961 lost their lives in terror attacks in J&K : RTI
As per latest data released by Union Ministry
of Home Affairs (MHA), over 40,000 human lives have been lost in terror attacks
in different parts of J&K state
right from the year 1990 to March 31, 2017 and during the same period over
13,000 security personnel have also been injured in such incidents.The reply
has come to the fore in response to an online RTI plea of Jammu resident Raman
Sharma.In her reply dated 17th April/2017, Deputy Secretary-cum-Chief Public
Information Officer of the home ministry has provided the records of 28 years
which reveal that right from year 1990 to March 31, 2017, 40,961 humans have
lost their lives in different terror attacks in the state including innocent
civilians, brave soldiers and dreaded terrorists. It's been informed that
13,941 civilians and 5,055 security personals sacrificed their lives whereas
21,965 terrorists have also been neutralised.Mumbai Mirror
Will support Kashmiri 'political struggle: Pak army chief
Pakistan's Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Sunday visited the
LoC and said his country would continue to support the "political
struggle" of the Kashmiris for the right of
"self-determination". Bajwa, who toured the areas in Haji Pir sector,
was briefed about the alleged "ceasefire violation" by the Indian
troops and the state of preparedness of the army to face any aggression.The
army chief said Pakistan would continue to support the struggle of the
Kashmiris. "We will always stand by their (Kashmiris) rightful political
struggle for the right of self-determination and recourse to basic human
rights," Bajwa said in an interaction with troops. He accused India of
"state-sponsored" terrorism in Kashmir.Bajwa alleged that India was
not only involved in aggression against the people in Kashmir but also against
the people living on the Pakistani side of the LoC and the Working Boundary.
India has repeatedly rejected Pakistan's allegations of rights violations in
Kashmir.PTI
How new generation of Kashmiri women has taken to purdah:TOI
Srinagar: Just behind the spired gatehouses of Jama Masjid in the old
city, modestly dressed teenage girls and young women walk through a teeming
street, and many stop to buy a la mode burqas and abayas at 'Haya-un-Nisa'
(demure women's veil), which was not very long ago known as Suraj Tailors.Like
the name of the shop, Kashmiri women's fashion sense has changed.Set up in
1980, the tailor shop used to stitch Kashmir's traditional kameez salwar (tunic
and trousers), worn with a chiffon, georgette or crepe dupatta (stole) by both
Muslim and Pandit women. Most Muslim women used to cover their heads either
loosely or tucked behind their ears."No one knew my father's real name,
Bashir Sahab, at the time. He was so popular for his immaculate stitching that
everyone called him Suraj, the brightest," says Touseef, who now runs the
shop that sells designer abayas (cloak) and burqas (full body veil), most of
them manufactured in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and some imported from Dubai. Touseef
displays these new trends in his shop — black embroidered and artwork abayas,
caftans cut from the popular Saudi fabric Nida Firdous, which can be worn with
a niqab, covering the whole body except eyes, jilbab (Iranian chaddar), front-open
abayas, front-closed burqas that cover the whole body except head, feet and
hands. The latest, he points out, is the jean abaya, made of denim fabric."Mostly
high school, college-going girls and young brides are regular customers in the
market. Women in Kashmir imitate Dubai and Saudi fashion sense more. It is a
pity that simple burqas are outdated. The only women who wear unpretentious
burqas in Kashmir are girls of Darul Uloom madrassas," says Touseef.Touseef
regrets that Afghani (one-piece veil that hangs down covering the face and the
whole body), chudidaar and baggy burqas tailored from long-lasting butter crepe
and peach fabric, once favoured by old Kashmiri Muslim women, do not have any
takers now.There were three tailors in the Nowhatta market in the 1980s. Now,
Touseef says, there are over a dozen shops in the same trade, even though most
of them have no family or traditional background in tailoring or garment sales.
Nowhatta's abaya market is the distributor to all the districts in the entire
Kashmir valley. Haya-un-Nisa, which manufactures locally as well with over 15
designers at a workshop in Hawal, sells cloaks worth Rs 40,000 per day on an
average. Timesofindia
Triple talaq has no sanction in Shariat, it is a question of inequality:
Venkaiah Naidu
Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday asserted that triple talaq is
not a religious issue as it has no sanction in Shariat amid a raging debate on
the issue.He also hit out at the Congress for keeping “silence” on the matter
for past several years.“Triple Talaq is not a religious issue as it has no
sanction in Shariat. It is a matter of right of equality and right to live with
dignity of Muslim women along with other women.“Why this discrimination...this
must be put to an end and it should not be politicised,” Naidu said.On senior
Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and Mallikarjun Kharge charging PM Modi with politicising triple talaq issue to
gain political mileage, Naidu said, “What the PM said yesterday is that Muslim
society should think on this.”PTI
Azan complaint may be vali, says AIMPLB leader Maulana Umari; he also criticizes
for spreading misconception about triple talaq
Kolkata: An All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) official said
on Saturday that if the sound of azan disturbs someone, his complaint should be
given attention."Islam prohibits causing inconvenience to anyone. One
should look into the complaint the singer had made because of the disturbance
caused to him by azaan and, if it is found to be true, remedial steps should be
taken," Maulana Syed Jalaluddin Umari, Vice-President, AIMPLB, told DNA on
the sidelines of a seminar he had come to attend in Kolkata. He also said that
the singer had specified that his problem was not with the azan per se, but
rather with the loudspeakers. "It can be the loudspeakers of a masjid or a
temple as well. We should not unnecessarily make an issue out of the
statement," he said.Umari was in Kolkata for a discussion on the issue of
triple talaq. He said that a lot of misconception is being spread about triple
talaq and it is being made to look as if the entire population of Muslim women
is in distress. "Cases of talaq or divorce among Muslim couples is
negligible in percentage and the one-off cases are being highlighted in the
media to make it look as if the practice is rampant. In reality, it is an
attempt by politicians to shift focus from other important issues plaguing the
Muslim community, such as unemployment, lack of education and social
security," Umari said. DNA report
Owaisi's poser to Modi on Triple Talaq: Why not to get back your
estranged wife first?
Malegaon: Hitting back at PM Narendra Modi for his new found concern
expressed every now and then for Muslim women, especially the Triple Talaq
victims, Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi on Friday asked him to get his abandoned
and estranged wife back before talking about the rights of Muslim women."PM
nowadays is worried over the plight of
Muslim women who have suffered because of triple talaq and talks of equality
and rights of women. Why doesn't he bring back his estranged wife who is also
suffering ever since she has been abandoned by him?", Owaisi asked while
addressing a public meeting in Malegaon."Your estranged wife is sitting on
the fence and is ready to come back even by a simple phone call. When will you
oblige her my dear PM ?", Owaisi asked.Hyderabad MP and President of AIMIM
Chief Asaduddin Owaisi was in Malegaon on Friday to kick-start the party's
campaign ahead of the civic elections scheduled to be held on May 24.During his
hour-long speech, Owaisi also slammed media for ignoring the plight of PM Modi's estranged wife while running non-stop
debates on Triple Talaq. "The media has made it a routine to play on the
issue almost on daily basis. Why the media is silent on the plight of PM 's
wife", Owaisi asked."Muslims are not alone who divorce their wives.
Muslim women are not alone who are targeted in this country. Then why nobody is
talking about them? Aren't they human being and citizen of this country",
he asked.Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi also accused Narendra Modi of double
standard and questioned his "Sab Ka Saath Sab ka Vikaas"
mantra.Owaisi said that the PM was very
quick to express his grief and concern over events outside of India but
maintained silence on crimes against Muslims and other marginalised regularly
taking place in the country.
Do not interfere in Muslim laws: Abu Azmi
Mumbai : While the Muslim Women organisations are fighting against
practice of ‘triple talaq,’ Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Abu Asim Azmi has
threatened non-Muslims not interfere in the matters of Muslim Personal Law Board.In
a series of tweets, Azmi stated that MPL Board is competent authority to look
into it. RSS backed NGO had moved a signature campaign against triple talaq
which was supported by lakhs of Muslim women. Azmi has tweeted as ‘so much hue
and cry on triple talaq is uncalled for. Any interference in our Muslim
Personal Law is strictly not acceptable. Let this be clear.’ He further
tweeted, ‘Also let us not forgot we have Muslim Personal Law Board which is the
competent authority which will look into the issues if any arises.’ He stated
that the issue of triple talaq is pending before the Supreme Court which will
conduct hearings on it very soon. freepressjournal
Combining UP, Bihar,W.Bengal can stop BJP in 2019: Lalu
RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav has been synonymous with Bihar for almost
one and a half decades. In a candid chat with Prerna Katiyar, the former Bihar CM
, talks about the possibilities and prospects of a mahagatbandhan for 2019, the
performance of the alliance in Bihar, on India becoming a Hindu rashtra, the
perceived Modi wave, the promise of prohibition and the reality on the
ground. "Nitish Kumar and I
wholeheartedly wanted the SP to become part of a mahagatbandhan but a senior
leader did not let it happen. We tried the grand alliance formula but owing to
past differences between Mulayam and Mayawati, they could not unite. Meanwhile,
the SP allied with the Congress. I also campaigned and held roughly 40 rallies.
But the campaigning started very late. We have come to the conclusion that if
we unite West Bengal, Bihar, UP and
Punjab — from east to west — we can stop the BJP in 2019. BJP is trying in
every direction. They (RSS-led BJP) talk about Pakistan, kabaristan, shamshan —
inse gareeb ka pet bharta hai kya (do these issues help the poor get a square
meal)? They want to create a rift between Hindus and Muslims, they talk about
utilitarianism and in reality divide and rule. They are taking advantage only because
we stand divided. Now we have realised their game plan. Sonia Gandhi called up
and has invited me — I told her that the Congress is an all-India party and
that it should take the initiative. I have always supported the Congress. I am
supporting her as well as Mamata Banerjee. All of them — Mamataji, Soniaji,
Mayawati, Akhilesh Yadav — are being harassed by the BJP, which resorts to
character assassination, working round-the-clock to damage them and keep them
tense. But now things are looking up as other parties are also gradually
realising their strategy. I have spoken to Mayawati as well to dispel her
differences with the opposition that there is no point in getting the votes
split. This way, the North will get consolidated. In Tamil Nadu, BJP is trying
to create friction by getting hold of a faction. In Maharashtra, a war is on
between the BJP and the Shiv Sena that will benefit us — things are looking up,"
Lalu said. economic times
Guwahati declares ‘silent zone’ around all religious places
Guwahati: DM of Kamrup (Metro) district, which includes Guwahati city
and its suburbs, has declared a radius of 100 metres from “all prominent
religious places” under his jurisdiction — including temples, mosques,
gurudwaras and churches — as a “silent zone”. According to a notification
issued Friday evening, DM M Angamuthu has also asked the State Pollution
Control Board to submit a monthly report on noise pollution in these zones.The
notification states that it was issued in “compliance of the direction received
from the Govt of Assam”. It states that
the decision was taken under Rule 3 (2) of the Noise Pollution Rules, 2000, of the Environment Protection Act
of 1986. The notification, however, does not directly refer to the use of
microphones and loudspeakers in places of worship. indianexpress
Netas troop to Pehlu village, why none from govt, ask kin
Mewat: Politicians have started making a beeline for Jaisinghpur, 15km
off Nuh in Mewat, the village of Pehlu Khan who died earlier this month after
being lynched by gau rakshaks, along with four other Muslim dairy farmers.On
Saturday, it was turn of Yogendra Yadav, the leader of Swaraj India. Yadav
gifted Pehlu's family a cow and told them his party was consulting some Supreme
Court lawyers and would approach the apex court directly if nothing concrete
happened in the case soon."There is no point in expecting from the state Govt
s — both in Haryana and Rajasthan — to bring justice to Pehlu Khan. Miscreants
are using the cow as an excuse to disrupt harmony. Cows are dying after eating
polythene on roads, while Muslims in Mewat are rearing more than 30,000
cows," Yadav said.Before Yadav, former Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda,
youth Congress leader Mubarik Khan, Haryana AAP chief Naveen Jaihind, Haryana
Congress chief Ashok Tanwar and INLD MLA Zakir Hussain have visited the village
and sympathised with the family.However, no one from the ruling BJP or the
state Govt has visited the family yet.
"From the Govt side, not even a
tehsildar has visited us. There has been no help of any kind from the state Govt
," Pehlu's son Irshad told TOI.
Cow vigilantism: 2 suspected 'cattle thieves' lynched to death in
Assam's Nagaon
Guwahati: In a first case of cow vigilantes going to the extremes in
Assam, a mob today lynched two men in Nagaon district suspecting them to be
cattle thieves.Senior police officials said the men, aged between 20-25 years,
were severely beaten up by the mob, who alleged that they were involved in cow
theft. "When the police reached the spot, they were being thrashed by a
mob of villagers near Kasamari grazing reserve under Nagaon police
station," Nagaon superintendent of police Debaraj Upadhay told PTI. "Team
immediately took the men to hospital, where they succumbed to their
injuries," he added. The mob continuously thrashed them with sticks while
chasing them for about 1.5 km, from Kasamari in Nagaon police station area to
Jajori police station area, he said. Upadhay said the men were identified and
their parents have registered a complaint with the police.An FIR has been
lodged and investigation is on, the SP said, adding no arrest has been so far. DNA
/PTI
HRW slams Govt for lack of action against cow vigilantes
HRW has alleged Indian Govt of
silence and denial over the violence unleashed by cow vigilantes across the
nation in the past couple of years.The criticism from HRW comes two days after
the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF)
alleged that 10 of the 29 Indian states are suffering from severe religious
rights violation, and blamed Hindu nationalist groups for the situation.“Indian
authorities should promptly investigate and prosecute self-appointed ‘cow
protectors’ who have committed brutal attacks against Muslims and Dalits over
rumors that they sold, bought, or killed cows for beef,” HRW said.Acknowledging
the link between Hindutva groups and the BJP, the report added, “Instead of
taking prompt legal action against the vigilantes, many linked to extremist
Hindu groups affiliated with the ruling BJP, the police, too often, have filed
complaints against the assault victims, their relatives, and associates under
laws banning cow slaughter.”Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director of HRW said,
“Self-appointed ‘cow protectors’ driven by irresponsible populism are killing
people and terrorizing minority communities.”.TCN
How 4 sick cows sent a district into panic mode in UP’s Bareilly
Bareilly: When 4 cows of Shamsuddin Saifi, a 52-year-old marginal farmer
in Bareilly, fell ill on Friday, his first reaction was to call the caretaker
of the nearest animal shelter. Little did he know that his call would galvanise
the entire district administration into action.The cows had returned after
grazing in a nearby forest at 6:30 pm and were “foaming at the mouth.”
Responding to Saifi’s call, the in charge of the animal shelter called the
district veterinary officer (DVO) and requested him to send veterinary doctors
to Saifi’s village Chaubari, 12 km from the district headquarters. Apart from
the DVO, the caretaker also informed the district magistrate, initiating a
relay of calls among senior district officialsAt 9 pm, the newly appointed DM
Pinki Jowel, called her subordinate, ADM Alok Kumar and asked him to ensure
availability of veterinary doctors and keep an eye on the situation in the
village. “The knee jerk response was to prevent any Alwar-like incident in
Bareilly,” said a senior district official on condition of anonymity. Hindustantimes
Monkeys allegedly kill a cow, terrorise people in Jharkhand :HT
Dhanbad: If you kill a cow, you might end up in jail in BJP-ruled states.
But what happens when monkeys kill one? They just get away with it. That’s what
is happening in 13 villages of Rajgunj panchayat in BJP-ruled Jharkhand.Last
week, Raju Agrawal, resident of Rajgunj Bazar area, allegedly lost his cow to
the simians. The apes attacked and bit his cow, which led to its death, the
poor man said, and blamed forest officials for not taking deterrent action.Cows
are considered sacred by Hindus and its slaughter is a punishable offence in
most states of the country. However, law enforcement authorities mock at the
logic, saying there is no law to punish animals in this country, even if they
kill the revered cows.Moreover, monkeys are also associated with faith—Hanuman,
the monkey God of the Hindus was a trusted aide of Lord Rama. And so, villagers
do not retaliate. But the apes have shown no leniency on humans.For about 2
years, a tribe of 30-35 monkeys have been creating havoc in the villages in
Baghmara block of Dhanbad—attacking and injuring people and pets, snatching
edibles, taking away clothes left to dry, damaging household items and roof
tiles.
In Adityanath’s Raj, Police Officers Pay Price for Enforcing Law on
Hindutva Mobs: thewire
Meerut: BJP leaders in Saharanpur and Agra are relieved that the senior
superintendents of police of the two districts were transferred early this
week. Though SSP of Saharanpur, Love Kumar, and SSP Agra, dePritinder Singh,
were removed from their current postings as part of a large-scale shuffle in
the state police, their transfer by the Adityanath Govt is seen as a direct result of their decision
to enforce the law on BJP leaders and workers of RSS affiliates like the
Bajrang Dal and VHP after they engaged in major incidents of hooliganism in the
two districts last week.Kumar and Singh were removed hours after a delegation
of party MPs and MLAs from western UP led by Muzaffarnagar MP Sanjeev Baliyan –
a minister in the Centre – met Yogi
Adityanath on Tuesday and complained against the two top cops and reportedly
pushed for their removal. Their transfer orders, as part of the large-scale
shake up of the police in state, came on Wednesday. Kumar had booked members of
the ruling BJP including local MP Raghav Lakhanpal, for allegedly taking out an
illegal procession through a communally sensitive area which led to clashes
last week.
They paid a price for Adityanath's hate speech – and now have fallen
silent: Scroll.in
He enunciated every word carefully: “In our village… Adityanath… called
for an assault… on 19. 6. 2002… morning 9 am…” Ninety-year-old Mohammad Hanif
Ansari still remembers vividly the day 15 years ago when 42 Muslim homes,
including his own, were torched in Mohan Mundera village in eastern UP ’s
Kushinagar district.The corpse of a teenage girl lay rotting in the village.
The girl, from the Rajbhar community, died after she was allegedly raped on the
night of June 16, 2002. Her family said the rapist was Suleman, an employee of
a local Muslim family. The girl’s family refused to cremate her, or allow for a
postmortem, until he was arrested. Hearing about the incident, BJP MP from
Gorakhpur and the head of the Gorakhnath temple, Adityanath announced he would
visit the Muslim-majority village. His workers spread the word, asking Hindus
of the area to mobilise for the meeting. It was characteristic of Adityanath’s
style of politics.
'Dara Shikoh was founding father of secularism in India': dnaindia
New Delhi: Two months after
Dalhousie Road was renamed as Dara Shikoh Road, the eldest son of Mughal
emperor Shah Jahan was remembered once again at a two-day conference organised
by Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) in New Delhi.Inaugurating the
international meet titled 'Dara Shikoh: Reclaiming the Spiritual Legacy of
India', Minister of State for External Afffairs MJ Akbar called Dara 'a child
of India' who lost the battle of life but won the war of harmony among
different religion bodies.The event which saw participation of scholars and
historians from seven countries namely Iran, USA, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan,
Kazakhstan and India stressed that the environment would have been different if
Dara would have become the Mughal emperor instead of his younger brother
Aurangzeb.Stating that we need to get closer to each other, Iranian Ambassador
to India Gholamreza Ansari described 'tolerance' as the legacy of Dara.
Relating it with history of India, he said, "Democracy in India is
different from other countries as here it is indigenous."ICCR president
Lokesh Chandra described Dara as the founding father of secularism in India and
credited him of bringing different cultures into dialogue and finding a closer
connection between Hinduism and Islam.
HRD forwards shortlist for AMU V-C post to President
New Delhi: JRD Ministry has forwarded the names of finalists for the
post of Aligarh Muslim University V-C to President Pranab Mukherjee. Tariq
Mansoor, principal of Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and Hospital, is learnt
to be the frontrunner for the job. Abu Saleh Sharif, executive director and
chief scholar, US-India Policy Institute, Washington, and Shahid Jameel, CEO,
Welcome Trust and DBT India Alliance are the other 2 contenders. The incumbent
V-C, Lt. Gen Zameeruddin Shah, is set to retire on May 15. The list of three finalists was sent by AMU’s
court, the supreme governing body of the university, which had selected these
names from the five forwarded by its executive council in Feb. indianexpress
Aide of top BJP leader in U’khand knew exact booth-wise votes almost a
week before counting
Dehradun: Questions are being raised over the accuracy of a prediction
made on Facebook by the close aide of Uttarakhand BJP spokesperson Munna Singh
Chauhan on the booth-wise votes that had been polled in Vikasnagar constituency
of Dehradun district. The aide, Raju Binjola, had accurately predicted the
voteshare of both Congress and BJP in many key booths of the constituency more
than a week before the results were declared.In a post on his Facebook wall on
March 2, Binjola had predicted that as per his estimation, the BJP was to win
37,590 votes, Congress 32,572 and others 6,523 in the Vikasnagar constituency.
When the results came out on March 11, BJP got 38,895 votes and Congress
32,477, which was very close to what Binjola had predicted.In some booths like
Dhalipur, Bhimwala and Kata Pathar, the numbers predicted by Binjola were right
on mark for both BJP and Congress. At Dhalipur for instance, he had predicted
750 votes for Congress and the party got exactly that many. Similarly, in
Badwa,he predicted 260 votes for BJP, and party got 287.At Nawabgarh, the
prediction for BJP was 1,200 votes and the party got 1,235 votes. At Kedarwala
, he claimed 410 votes for BJP and the party got 501. The prediction for
Congress was 1046 votes in the booth and the party received 957 votes. At
Dhakrani, too, the prediction was extremely close.Senior Congress leader
Navprabhat who contested against Chauhan, told TOI that he suspected foul play
in the way Binjola had accurately predicted the results. “How can someone make
so accurate a forecast unless there is some hanky panky going on?” he said.
Navprabhat, who was transport minister in the Harish Rawat Govt , had filed a
PIL in the Nainital HC alleging tampering of EVMs in the Vikasnagar
constituency following which the HC on Thursday gave orders to seal and seize
all the EVMs in the constituency. timesofindia
WORLD
Trump slams China, Russia and India on climate treaty
Washington: US will take a decision on its continuation in the Paris
climate treaty within the next two weeks, President Donald Trump said on
Saturday, naming China, Russia and India for allegedly contributing nothing
under the treaty. During the campaign, Mr. Trump had promised to withdraw from
the treaty, but senior officials of his administration are divided over the
issue. A decision is expected before the G-7 summit on May 26-27.“Our Govt rushed to join international agreement where
the U.S. bears the costs and bears the burden while other countries get the
benefit and pay nothing and this includes deals like the one-sided Paris
Climate Accord. Where the US pays billions while China, Russia and India have
contributed, and will contribute, nothing,” Trump said, addressing a rally in
Pennsylvania to mark his 100th day in office, where he revisited a series of
controversial and divisive claims and statements that fueled his rise to power.
"I'll be making a big decision on the Paris accord over the next two
weeks, and we will see what happens," the President said, hours after
thousands of people marched in the US capital in support of the climate treaty.
Trump administration has already taken several measures that undermine US
commitments under the treaty. Thehindu
'We're all Muslims': How Christians, Jews, Muslims and atheists united
against Trump in Detroit: independent
When Donald Trump announced a ban on travel from seven Muslim-majority
countries days after he took office, Fatima Salman decided she had to respond
immediately. On Facebook, she spoke to others outraged over the President’s
executive order and his suspension of the country’s immigration plan. Within 17
hours, they had organised a protest at Detroit’s airport that drew up to 10,000
people.“It was huge,” she said. “There were people from all walks of life.
There were people carrying signs saying ‘We all Muslims’ written in Arabic,
which they’d printed off Google Translate. Some of them were spelled wrongly,
but it was very sweet.”The call to action led by Ms Salman, 39, a social
worker, was typical of the way one of America’s most iconic and diverse cities
responded to the President’s executive orders – by uniting and not lying down.
As Trump marks 100 days in the White House, people in Detroit from various
ethnicities, communities and religions have come together in an unprecedented
way to try to protect those at risk to being detained and deported. Christians,
Jews and Muslims have gathered for rallies. Congregants from a Latino catholic
church marched to a local mosque, while Muslims came out in solidarity with
people from Mexico and Central America.“You have 120 languages in Detroit. In a
five mile radius of where you are, there are 70,000 Arab Americans,” said
Hassen Jaber, chief executive of Access, a group that works to help the
Arab-American community.
Turkey fires 3,900 in second post-referendum purge
Turkey on Saturday expelled more than 3,900 people from the civil
service and military as threats to national security, in the second major purge
since President Tayyip Erdogan was granted sweeping new powers.Erdogan won
those concessions in a referendum in mid-April, which rights groups and some
Western allies believe has brought the country, a NATO-member and European
Union candidate, closer to one-man rule.The expulsions – carried out in
conjunction with media curbs – affected prison guards, clerks, academics,
employees of the religious affairs directorate and 1,200 members of the armed
forces including nearly 600 officers.They were fired for suspected links to
“terrorist organisations and structures presenting a threat to national
security”, according to a decree in Official Gazette. middleeastmonitor
Turkey expels 4,000 civil servants, bans TV dating programs: AP
Syria: Air strikes 'kill White Helmets rescuers' in Hama
Air strikes have killed at least 8 first responders from the Syria Civil
Defence in Hama province, according to the group also known as White
Helmets.Saturday's air strikes hit rescuers' centre in Kafr Zita, located in
northwestern Syria, and civilians who rushed to the scene to help were also
struck, according to the Syria Civil Defence's Twitter posts. The air strike
was one of the deadliest against the rescuers who operate in opposition-held
areas and who have grabbed world attention for operating in extreme conditions,
pulling survivors out of recently struck areas.The volunteers have often been
targeted by Govt air strikes, in what
are known as "double tap" attacks, as they work to rescue others. Syrian
Civil Defence operates in much of Syria's rebel-controlled territory. Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights, said number of those killed is likely to rise as
the search mission continues.It was not clear who carried out the air strikes,
but Syrian Govt and Russia aircraft have
targeted opposition-held areas. Aljazeera
Airstrike kills 15 Iraqi civilians in Mosul: Activist
Nineveh; At least 15 Iraqi civilians were killed on Sunday when a
warplane struck their house in western Mosul, according to an Iraqi rights
activist."Victims were taking refuge inside the house when the plane
struck the building," Mohamed Fadel said.He said 5 other people were
injured in the attack.It remains unclear whether the airstrike was carried out
by an Iraqi or a US-led coalition plane.Anadolu
Muslim Brotherhood leader Ghoneim sentenced to death by Egyptian court
Cairo: Muslim Brotherhood leader and preacher Wagdy Ghoneim and two
others were sentenced to death by an Egyptian court on Sunday over
terror-related charges.Ghoneim, 66, was sentenced in absentia while the two
other accused were present at the Cairo Criminal Court during the sentencing. 5
other defendants were sentenced to life in prison.Ghoneim and other defendants
were found guilty of forming an outlaw cell from 2003 to 2015 for obstructing
the constitution and state institution, assaulting citizens and harming
national unity.Earlier this month, the Cairo Criminal Court referred the case's
document to the Grand Mufti, who is according to Egyptian law must review all
death sentences. However, Grand Mufti's decision is not binding. Final verdict
of the death sentence was issued on Sunday. PTI
Khamenei dismisses Rouhani’s detente policy ahead of vote
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has criticised President
Hassan Rouhani for saying his detente policy with West had caused the threat of
war to fade as tensions intensify in Tehran aheadof May poll.Rouhani, a
pragmatist whose election in 2013 led to a diplomatic thaw between Iran and the
West, championed in 2015 a landmark deal in which Tehran agreed to curb its
nuclear activities in return for lifting of international sanctions.A standoff
between Rouhani, who is seeking a second term, and Khamenei’s allies, who
opposed the nuclear deal, has intensified in recent months ahead of the May 19
vote.
FLASH: NEWS & VIEWS
Erdogan comes to India a winner and loser: Bobby Ghosh, editor-in-chief,
Hindustan Times
Erdogan's visit to India likely to provide fresh fillip to India-Turkey
relations in a changing world: Omair Anas
It's a pity Modi doesn't see cow vigilantism and lynching of minorities
as threat to Constitution: Valson Thampu
Kejriwal a dangerous idea: No establishment will let him survive:Saeed
Naqvi
Party is over for India’s ‘presstitutes’:Nita Bhalla, S. Asia Chief
Correspondent for Thomson Reuters Foundation
The facts are clear; UN is biased towards Israel, not Palestine: Nasim
Ahmed
Imposing Hindi across India is not just bizarre but potentially
inflammatory: Karan Thapar
Hindu invitation, Jain feast at Muslim wedding: Family’s message for
harmony: hindustantimes
Compiled and edited by Anwarulhaq (Released at: 7:33 PM)
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