Evening NEWS
DIGEST
09
April 2017: 11 Rajab 1438: Vol: 8, No:161
No Assam govt jobs for those marrying before legal age, couples having
more than two kids
Guwahati: People marrying before
attaining the legal age for matrimony and couples having more than two children
will not be eligible for Assam govt jobs — strict sanctions that the state
plans in its new population policy.The country has a 2-child norm, which is
rarely followed strictly. Child marriage is banned in India and violation of
the legal age — 21 for men, and 18 for women — attracts punishment whenever
such incidents are caught.“As part of legislative measures, the policy proposes
that the minimum age for marriage must be made compulsory to receive government
facilities such as jobs and services,” said state health minister Himanta Biswa
Sarma, unveiling details of the policy’s draft on Sunday.The policy, which is
part of the ruling BJP’s vision document for the state, is viewed as the
party’s attempt to control family sizes of Bengali-speaking Muslim
immigrants.2011 census says Assam, which has a population of more than 31
million, witnessed the highest increase in Muslim population from 30.9% in 2001
to 34.2% in a decade. Hindus comprise 61.47% of the population but nine
districts are Muslim majority.2001 census put Assam’s population at 26,655,528
— of this, 17,296,455 were Hindus and 8,240,611 Muslims. A decade later, Hindus
numbered 19,180,759 while the Muslim population rose to 10,679,345.According to
a 2012-2013 annual health survey, many districts in Assam have recorded high
incidents of child marriage, with Dhubri bordering more than 15%.A growing
number of scholars believe underage weddings are common in poor households, who
cannot or aren’t aware of family planning and this trigger multiple
pregnancies. They say strict controls are needed to prevent population growth
spiraling out of control.Assam govt’s draft policy seeks to increase the
punishment for child marriages from imprisonment for two years to four years in
jail.Public feedback will be sought before the draft is adopted as a resolution
in the state assembly and made into laws.People will be asked if parents of
more than two children or anybody marrying before the legal age should be
barred from becoming members of urban and rural civic agencies.The policy says
there will be incentives for those who stick to the two-child norm, and
discouragements such as no maternal leave for women having a third kid.“Many
laws, those in the concurrent list, will need the President’s approval. It is a
huge task as we will need to bring about seven new laws and amend service rules
of all departments,” Sarma said.He called the policy revision necessary for
social reforms, and clarified that the courts would decide if the proposed
sanctions infringed human rights.The minister said courts have to decide if it
was humane for parents to have more than two children when they can’t provide
their basic needs.“We are not in a rush. We will go through the entire process
and want it to be in place before the term of our government expires in 2021,”
Sarma said.
Assam: No govt job for those with more than 2 children, says draft
population policy
Islamic banking in India? no deadline set yet, says RBI
New Delhi: No deadline has been set for the introduction of Sharia or
interest-free banking in India, the RBI has said. Islamic or Sharia banking is
a finance system based on the principles of not charging interest, which is
prohibited under Islam. RBI had earlier proposed the opening of "Islamic
window" in conventional banks for a gradual introduction of Sharia-
compliant banking.Responding to an RTI application, the RBI said it has not
taken any step to introduce Islamic window in banks for a gradual introduction
of Sharia-compliant interest-free banking in India."RBI has not set any
deadline for introduction of interest-free banking," the central bank said
in response to the RTI query filed by PTI.However, on the instruction of the
central govt, an Inter-Departmental Group (IDG) set up in RBI has examined the
legal, technical and regulatory issues for introducing interest-free banking in
India and has submitted its report to the government, it said. RBI had in Feb.last
year sent a copy of IDG to the Finance Ministry. "In our considered
opinion, given the complexities of Islamic finance and various regulatory and
supervisory challenges involved in the matter and also due to the fact that
Indian banks have no experience in this field, Islamic banking may be
introduced in India in a gradual manner," the central bank had told the
Ministry in a letter.PTI
Canada Govt terms 1984 riots as genocide, India says motion misguided
New Delhi: India on Friday was put in a spot as the Government of
Ontario province in Canada on Friday passed a motion in Legislative Assembly
terming the anti-Sikh riots of 1984 as ‘genocide’. The Indian Government
rejected the ‘misguided’ motion while conveying its views to the Canadian
Government.The Private Members’ bill was introduced by Liberal Member of the
Ontario Legislative Assembly Harinder Kaur Malhi and was supported by all three
provincial parties.The motion read: “That, in the opinion of this House, the
Legislative Assembly of Ontario, should reaffirm our commitment to the values
we cherish–justice, human rights and fairness–and condemn all forms of communal
violence, hatred, hostility, prejudice, racism and intolerance in India and
anywhere else in the world, including the 1984 genocide perpetrated against the
Sikhs throughout India, and call on all sides to embrace truth and
reconciliation.” newindianexpress
Srinagar bypoll: Death toll rises to 7 in clashes, 6.5% voter turnout
recorded
Srinagar/Beerwah/Kangan: At least seven people were killed and scores
injured in clashes between security forces and protesters in various parts of
Srinagar Parliamentary constituency that went to poll on Sunday.The
violence-marred polling saw only 6.5% voter turnout, the lowest since the
inception of militancy in Kashmir.“It was not a good day for all of us. There
were 200 incidents (of violence) including stone pelting, petrol bomb attacks,
one polling booth was set ablaze, there were many arson attempts, many booths
were temporary closed, vehicles set ablaze and EVMs were damaged,” said chief
electoral officer (CEO) Shanta Manu.The Lok Sabha seat fell vacant after the
resignation of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Tariq Hameed Karra during
last year’s unrest following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan
Wani.Wide spread violence was reported from Budgam area in central Kashmir,
which is a part of the three districts voting in the elections - Srinagar,
Budgam and Ganderbal.Severe clashes were reported from Delwan and Chadoora area
where two people lost their lives.Locals said a group of boys tried to attack a
polling station but the security forces opened fire resulting in two
casualties. Three others were injured in the incident.A similar incident was
reported in Beerwah area where another person lost his life during the
clashes.Confirming the deaths, DIG central Kashmir GH Bhat said the police was
verifying the incidents. Hindustantimes
Separatists call for 2-day shutdown in Kashmir after protesters die in
clashes
Srinagar:Separatists on Sunday called for a two-day shutdown in Kashmir
against the death of protesters in clashes in Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency
during polling.“We know hartal would not affect government policy towards us
but it is the only option to express our collective grief,” separatist leaders
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mohammad Yasin Malik said in a
joint statement.They asked people to observe complete shut down on Monday and
Tuesday against the death of six civilians.PTI
Bypolls in 8 states trigger violence in 2, 7 dead in Srinagar as very
law voter turnout
J&K: Only 6.5% voting in Srinagar Lok Sabha bypoll, worst in 30
years
Alwar lynching: Key accused still missing, include teachers, students,
and a nurse
Jaipur : AMONG those arrested and named in the Alwar gau rakshak case in
which Pehlu Khan was killed are students, a college physical training
instructor, a popular accounts teacher, a gaushala caretaker, a local
strongman, and a nurse at the same hospital where the victims were
hospitalised.Khan named Hukum Chand, Navin Sharma, Jagmal Yadav, Om Prakash,
Sudheer and Rahul Saini among those who had attacked him. While they are still
on the run, police have so far arrested Vipin Yadav, 19, Ravindra Yadav, 30,
Kalu Ram Yadav, 44, Dayanand, 40, and Neeraj, 19. Dayanand and Neeraj, who
police said was the most violent of the assaulters, were arrested on Saturday.They
are alleged to have been among the group of gau rakshaks who attacked vehicles
transporting cows, including Khan’s, in Alwar on April 1. 5 people travelling
in two vehicles were assaulted, leaving 55-year-old Khan dead. Four other
vehicles were also attacked. “All the arrested have been identified in the
video clippings,” Alwar SP Rahul Prakash said. indianexpress
Grand protest held in Kota against killing of Pahlu Khan by Cow
vigilants
Gau Rakshaks wanted to set us ablaze in Alwar: Victim
New Delhi: The brutal gang of cow vigilantes (Gau Rakshaks) in Alwar had
more sinister design than just assaulting the cattle traders who had purchased
cows and calves from the government-run cattle fare in Jaipur and were on way
to their home in Mewat of Haryana.One of the victims has said that after
brutally assaulting them, the cow vigilantes wanted to set them ablaze but
could not succeed as the police arrived on the scene at the right time."We
had gone there to purchase buffaloes. Buffaloes were costlier than cows there.
So we purchased cows to get milk during the coming Ramadan. While we were
returning, they stopped our vehicle. They were on bikes. They started beating
us. We showed them official purchase documents but they tore and threw them
away," recalled Mohammad Rafiq who was with Pahlu Khan who succumbed to
the brutal assault.5 persons including Rafiq and Khan had gone to Jaipur. They
are cattle traders. While it was Rafiq's first visit to Jaipur fare, Khan was
frequent. "After brutally beating us, the Gau Rakshaks wanted to set us
ablaze. But soon police arrived on the spot and took us to hospital,"
Rafiq told IndiaTomorrow.net."The attackers snatched Rs 35,000 from
us."Rafiq also said that driver of one of the 2 vehicles in which his team
were bringing cattle was Hindu and the mob spared him and he fled from the
scene.Reacting on the incident, Mohammad Salim Engineer, Secretary General of
Jamaat-e-Islami Hind said: "It is not an attack on a community. It's the
attack on the country, its Constitution and law."Jamaat leader demanded
strong action against the culprits and proper compensation to the victims. Indiatomorrow
Alwar lynching: Resentment in cattle market where Pehlu Khan made last
purchase
Bhagwat: Ban cow slaughter across India, violence defames the cause
New Delhi: 4 days after cow vigilantes allegedly killed a man and
injured four others in Alwar city of Rajasthan, RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat on
Sunday urged people not to resort to violence. Demanding a law banning cow
slaughter in the country, Bhagwat said, “Any violence in the name of cow
slaughter defames the cause.” Asking people to follow the law, he said, “The
law must be obeyed.”Bhagwat was speaking at an event in New Delhi to mark the
birth anniversary of Lord Mahavir. Talking about bringing an end to the
practice of cow slaughtering in the country, he said, “We want a law banning
cow slaughter across the country.”Pehlu Khan, 55, a Haryana resident was beaten
along with four others in Alwar by gau rakshaks reportedly associated with
Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal while they were transporting two milch
cows earlier this week. According to the police, the men were attacked even
though they produced papers showing they had legally purchased the
animals. “Gau rakshaks affiliated with
the VHP and Bajrang Dal stopped four vehicles, near Jaguwas crossing on
National Highway 8, on Saturday evening, alleging that they were illegally
transporting bovines,” Ramesh Chand Sinsinwar, SHO, Behror police station. Two
days after the attack, Khan succumbed to his injuries. Indianexpress
Bhagwat calls for nationwide ban on cow slaughter, condemns Alwar
incident
SP leader Azam Khan returns cow gifted by seer, says any vigilante may
kill it to defame him
Rampur: Senior Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan returned the cow which
was gifted to him by Shankaracharya of Govardhan Peeth Swami Adhokshjanand
Maharaj, saying any vigilante could kill the animal to "defame" him.Khan
in a letter to the Hindu seer said: "Muslims were living in an atmosphere
of insecurity ... Any cow vigilante might harm or even kill the beautiful and
beneficial animal to defame me and the Muslim community."Hindu seer had in
Oct.2015 gifted a black cow to Khan after the latter had expressed his desire
to have one in his dairy.Khan alleged a "vicious propaganda has been
launched against Muslims in the country and their condition was even worse than
that of slaves".PTI
Solidarity or pressure? Why have some Muslims from Ramgarh, Rajasthan
become 'gau rakshaks'?
Ramgarh in Rajasthan is about 180 km from Alwar, where the mob killing
of 55-year-old Pehlu Khan has come to represent the unchecked violence of
self-styled cow vigilantes against Muslims. In Ramgarh, though, it is a
sizeable Muslim community that has been actively checking for cow-smuggling,
and have turned into “gau rakshak”s themselves.Maulana Mohammed Israel, the
head of the Ramgarh Jama Masjid, is the driving force behind it. “According to
Islam, we are allowed to rear cattle for their milk but not to be cruel and
inhumane,” explains the imam in the video above.His objective is to encourage
young Muslim men in the area to maintain peace with Hindus and not tarnish the
image of their religion. “Before our Hindu brothers can accuse them, it is our
responsibility to ensure that we prevent such anti-social elements in our own
country.” Scroll
Personal law issues: Jamaat-e-Islami Hind to start awareness campaign
Hyderabad: The Jamaat-e-Islami, Telangana & Odisha will soon embark
on a Muslim personal law awareness campaign with oral triple talaq and
reconciliation being primary areas of focus.According to Jamaat-e-Islami,
Telangana & Odisha president, Hamid Mohammed Khan, the campaign will begin
on April 23 and end on May 17."We are going to spread awareness at 300
locations, including the city and others towns like Huzurabad, among many
others across the state.These include both rural and urban areas. The activity
will be done at the grassroots level and will involve explaining the basics of
Muslim personal laws and also advising against their misuse," Hamid
Mohammad Khan said.Touching upon the subject of divorce within the Muslim
community, Khan said that there is a misconception within the some sections of
the community that oral triple talaq is the only method of divorce available.
The campaign seeks to dispel this notion. "There is a lack of awareness
among some people with regards to divorce. They don't know that there are other
kinds of talaq such as talaq-e-rajai'i (revocable talaq). There is
talaq-eahsan, which has Quranic sanction, and talaq-e-hasan.Talaq-e-biddah,
which is irrevocable, is most undesired," he said. The Jamaat will spread
awareness about the methods or arbitration and steps that can be taken so that
the husband and wife can come to a reconciliation. "Arbitration can be
done by sitting with elders or scholars of Islam.They can approach the Darul
Qaza and also trained counsellors. We first spread awareness that marriages
should be saved and this can be done by spouses trying to understand each
other," Khan said.The campaign will have on board scholars of Islam as
well as others who are well versed with Muslim personal laws, and members of
the community. timesofindia
NIA HQ scuttled Hyderabad office plans to appeal in HC against
Aseemanand bail
New Delhi: Senior NIA officials in New Delhi rejected a proposal by the
agency’s Hyderabad office to challenge the bail granted to Mecca Masjid blast
accused Swami Aseemanand last month, sources in the NIA have told The Sunday
Express.Aseemanand, main accused in the May 18, 2007, bombing of the mosque
that killed nine and injured 58, was given bail by a Hyderabad court on March
23. He walked out of Chanchalguda Jail on April 1 after the NIA chose not to
appeal the trial court order.“There were sufficient grounds to challenge the
bail order of Aseemanand and the High Court was at liberty to reject the
agency’s move if there were no merits in the appeal. Among investigators, the
opinion to appeal was very strong,” officials in Hyderabad, who spoke on
condition of anonymity, said.On Saturday night, NIA DG Sharad Kumar did not
rule out the possibility of the NIA still appealing the court order. Pressed for
a comment, Kumar said, “I will go through the order and make up my mind what to
do or not to do.”Should the agency decide to move for cancellation of
Aseemanand’s bail, it will have to show evidence that the conditions of the
bail are being flouted. Aseemanand has promised not to leave Hyderabad without
the permission of the court. Sources alleged NIA HQRS in the capital had
directed the Hyderabad branch office not to challenge Aseemanand’s bail.“For
filing an appeal before the High Court, we need sanction from our HQRS and a
legal opinion,” said an official. “With Aseemanand having been released, the
evidence in the case may get weakened,” the official added. indian express
BJP MLA Stops Mosque Reconstruction in UP Village
New Delhi:A BJP MLA has joined majority Hindu community in stopping
Muslims in Simbhaoli constituency of village Devli from reconstructing a 200- year old mosque, Urdu daily Rashtriya
Sahara has reported.According to the daily, there is a 200-year old mosque in
Devli village that is also used by the Muslims from nearby villages, Akhapur,
Fatehpur, Nichdi and Dhana, in the area with no mosque there.Because of its old
age, the building of the mosque had started wearing out. Two months ago the
villagers demolished the building and laid the foundation of a new mosque.Two
days ago BJP MLA Kamal Singh Malik reached the scene along with a crowd of his
followers and asked Muslims to stop the construction. He told them that only if
they brought written permission from the administration would they be allowed
to go ahead with the construction. Earlier villagers had warned that at no cost
would the reconstruction be allowed.Youths belonging to the majority community
assembled outside the houses of Muslims late at night and shouted slogans of
“Jai Shri Ram”.Muslims have filed a complaint with the DM Anil Dingra
requesting an action against the trouble makers.Caravan Daily
BJP MLA threatens to behead those who try to stop Ram mandir
construction
Hyderabad:The BJP’s rabble rousing MLA from Hyderabad, T Raja Singh,
known for incendiary rhetoric, has sparked off another controversy by declaring
in public that he would behead those who opposed to the construction of Ram
temple in Ayodhya.A video clipping of Raja Singh’s pronouncement on the
occasion of Sri Ram Shobha Yatra procession on Ram Navami on April 5 has gone
viral in social media.“If there is anybody who has the guts to say he would
stop the construction of Ram Mandir at Ayodhya, let him come forward. I
challenge that I will behead him,” BJP MLA, who represents Goshamahal
constituency in Hyderabad, is heard saying in the clip. He went on to say:
“Until now, UP had witnessed timid governments. Now, you have the powerful
government (baap ki sarkaar). Nobody can stop construction of Ram mandir now.
Ram sevaks from all parts of the country will descend on the UP to construct
the temple. By next Ram Navami, we shall have the Ram mandir at Ayodhya.”HT
Gujarat: Ahead of polls, Muslim Congress leaders to strengthen ties with
‘secular Hindus’
Ahmedabad: Months ahead of the Assembly elections in Gujarat, Muslim
Congress leaders on Saturday held a meeting in Gandhinagar and resolved to
strengthen relations with “secular Hindus and promote communal brotherhood and
unity” by removing misunderstanding.They claimed that forces of polarisation
had become active with the Assembly elections drawing nearer. “But, we need to
ignore the handful of these people and move forward by forging better relations
with secular and liberal Hindus and respecting the religious sentiments of each
other,” Dariapur Congress MLA Gyasuddin Sheikh stated in a release.To ensure
Muslim representation in Congress from village sarpanch level to Parliament,
the party leaders decided to have a meeting with state Congress president
Bharatsinh Solanki, Congress legislature party leader Shankersinh Vaghela,
Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s political secretary Ahmed Patel and party’s
vice-president Rahul Gandhi by the end of this month. indianexpress
Police station in-charge, jawan killed in gunfight with Left rebels in
Jharkhand
Ranchi: A sub-inspector and a policeman were killed in a gunfight with a
rebel group, the People’s Liberation Front of India (PLFI), late Saturday in
Jharkhand’s Simdega district that falls in the so-called Red Corridor.Bano
police station in-charge Vidhyapati Singh and his team of four guards stormed a
house in Mahabuang village in Bano block, around 165km west of the state
capital Ranchi, in the night after they were alerted about the presence of PLFI
second-in-command Guddu Gope, police said.As he came face to face with the
rebel commander, Singh asked him to surrender but Gope opened fire with an
AK-47, injuring Singh and district constabulary jawan Raju Biruli.“Our OC
(officer in-charge) did not fire first as there were women in the house,”
Simdega superintendent of police Rajiv Ranjan Singh said. hindustantimes
Indian, Chinese, Pak warships rescue bulk carrier from pirates in Gulf
of Aden
Warships from India, China and Pakistan operated jointly in the Gulf of
Aden to rescue a merchant vessel attacked by Somali pirates on Saturday
night.The Tuvalu-flagged bulk carrier (OS 35) was travelling from Kelang in
Malaysia to the Yemeni port city of Aden when it was hijacked by the pirates,
the latest in a string of attacks after several years of silence.Immediately
after receiving an SOS from the vessel, the Indian Navy diverted two of its
warships -- INS Mumbai and INS Tarkash -- in the direction of the merchant
ship.The two warships were part of an Indian fleet of four vessels heading for
an overseas deployment.The Indian warships contacted the captain of the
merchant vessel who along with the crew had locked themselves in a strong room
on board, the navy said in a press statement.Chinese, Pakistani and Italian
warships that were in the vicinity also reached the spot. hindustantimes
Waqf case: Naqvi leaves suspense on Azam Khan’s fate
Lucknow: Evading clear reply to whether former state minister Azam Khan
and his family members have been indicted by the Central Waqf Council or not,
Union minister for minority affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said, "Jo imaandar
hai usey chheda nahin jaayega aur jo beimaan hai usey chhoda nahin jaayega
(honest will not be touched and corrupt will not be spared)." In city on
Saturday, after his first meeting with state minority affairs department
officials, Naqvi said that since the time Modi government came to power, Rs
15,000 crore was given for various minority welfare schemes and whether any of
it had been misused would be clear only after a detailed study.TOI
No chance for out-of-court settlement: Welfare Party
Kozhikode: Welfare Party of India's national president SQR Ilyas has
said that there was no chance for an out-of-court settlement on the Babri
Masjid dispute as Hindu organizations were adamant that there was no need to
establish the site as the birth place of Lord Ram with evidence. Addressing a
news conference here on Saturday, he said Muslim organizations have stated that
they will give up their claim on the land if there is conclusive proof to establish
that that particular place is where Ram was born. "But they said it is
matter of faith, which doesn't need any evidence," he said. As many as 5
attempts were made in the past by persons, including former prime ministers, to
settle the dispute. "But all of them failed and there is a little renewed
attempt. Welfare Party will work to build a common platform for secular parties
to fight the threat of Sangh Parivar. Bihar has proved that if the secular
parties join together, they can easily defeat the forces of Sangh
Parivar," Ilyas said.State president of WPI Hameed Vaniyambalam said that
there were reasons to believe that BJP national president Amit Shah was
directly involved in creating communal tensions in Kerala. "He is using
DGP Loknath Behera to achieve this goal. A kind of 'survival state' is being
created in Kerala," he said.Ilyas was in the city as part of a national
agitation yatra that began from Kota in Rajasthan on April 1. timesofindia
Gujarat riots: Maya Kodnani moves application in court to summon BJP
chief Amit Shah
Ex- Gujarat minister and BJP leader Maya Kodnani who is an accused in
the Naroda Gam massacre case linked to the 2002 post-Godhra riots, now wants
BJP president Amit Shah to be summoned to court to help establish that she was
not at the scene of the deadly eruption of violence. A court in Gujarat will
hear her request on April 21 as reported by NDTV. Kodanani’s lawyer Amit Patel
said that they have moved the application so that there are credible witnesses
to support the claim that Kodnani made that she was not at the spot of the
incident and had been falsely implicated.According to Kodnani, Shah – who was
an elected MLA at the time of the riots and 13 others listed by her can prove
that at the time of the killings that she is accused of, she was at the Gujarat
assembly and then at Sola Civil Hospital, the nursing home she ran in
Ahmedabad.
Odisha:The path home remains closed for Ganjam’s Dalits
Ganjam: Balichhai, a small village beside NH 59 in Aska block of
Odisha’s Ganjam district, is just half a kilometre from Mamudiha, where Jambu
Naik’s family lives in a rented house. Although they live away from it, for Ms.
Jambu’s family, Balichhai is the ancestral home. Yet, neither she nor anyone
else in her family has dared to visit it for 17 years now. Not even
briefly.During the year that the new millennium was born, Balichhai was in the
grip of caste violence. In 2000, several Dalit families, including that of Ms.
Jambu’s, had to flee the village to escape the wrath of upper castes.Their
homes were torched or smashed to rubble. They have not made bold to return for
rehabilitation or to reclaim possession of their farm lands. Woman says
blandly, “After losing almost everything, we had to spend our hard-earned
income to get justice. But it looks like we have to accept that the battle is
lost.”Govt records say 25 Dalit families deserted the village, but the
unofficial count is double that.These families are now scattered all over
Ganjam district, in Balipadar, Kendupadar, Mamudiha, Jhagadei, Bhanjanagar,
Jahada, Betarsing, Aska, Kodala and Rajapur.Some of them have also settled in
Rourkela in Sundargarh district.Till 2012, these victims fought for their
rights through demonstrations and appeals.Yet, nothing much happened,
diminishing their zeal, said Bhala Chandra Sadangi, adviser to Ganjam Zilla
Dalit Samanwaya Samity, an body fighting for the rights of the Scheduled Castes
and the Scheduled Tribes. Dalits did not feel safe, and fled. It is alleged
that the homes they left behind were razed by the upper castes. thehindu
Odisha: Curfew imposed in Bhadrak after communal clashes over
'offensive' Facebook post, 35 detained
Odisha's Bhadrak town continues to be tense even two days after violence
broke out there over alleged offensive posts on Facebook against a particular
community.Curfew has been extended till Sunday 8 am and prohibitory order under
CrPC Section 144 remain in place. Police have detained 35 people so far in
connection with the clashes.Angry protesters set ablaze shops and torched
police vehicles as clashes erupted in Bhadrak town on Thursday.Tension flared
up after a group of protesters demonstrated outside the local police station in
Bhadrak, demanding arrest of those responsible for posting alleged offensive
remarks against Hindu deities on Facebook. At least 4 police officers were
injured while trying to defuse tensions.VHP and Bajrang Dal activists took to
the streets, burnt tyres and blocked roads demanding action against the
miscreants. The district administration organised peace committee talks to pacify
them but failed to reach a consensus.
Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad accuses Modi, BJP for creating
‘terror-like’ situation in country
Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on Saturday accused Prime Minister
Modi-led BJP government of creating a ‘terror-like’ situation in the country. Speaking
to ANI, Azad said that the time when Modi came into power, an environment of
terror and threat started pulping up and Amit Shah joined it to make the
intention more visible across the country.Further strengthening up his ante
against the newly formed government in Uttar Pradesh, Azad said, it was a
well-calculated strategy of the BJP to appoint UP chief minister. The objective
is to bring all those in power who are anti-Muslims and anti-minorities. financialexpress
FLASH: NEWS & VIEWS
Jamaat-e-Islami Hind appeals Muslim community to reach out to fellow
Indians: ummid.com
Modi govt fails to check hate crimes against Muslims, Dalits, says
Jamaat: theindianawaaz
Why Hindutva’s foreign-born cheerleaders are so popular: TOI
Hinduism vs Hindutva: The search for an ideology in times of cow
politics: Poulomi Banerjee
Muslims Must Refuse to Be Killed: BY APOORVANAND
Forgotten Women of 1857: RANA SAFVI, writer
JNU: Left-wing students shouldn't act superior, Islamophobia is running
rampant among them: Sharjeel Imam, Saquib Salim
WORLD
Nikki Haley: No solution to war with Assad in power
A political solution to the war in Syria is not possible with President
Bashar al-Assad in power, the US ambassador to the UN has said in an apparent
hardening of the Trump administration's position. Defeating the ISIL group,
pushing Iranian influence out of Syria, and the removal of Assad are priorities
for the US administration, Nikki Haley said in an interview to CNN, which will
air in full on Sunday."We don't see a peaceful Syria with Assad in
there," she said.The comments represented a departure from what Haley had
said before the US hit a Syrian airbase with 59 Tomahawk missiles on Thursday
in retaliation for what it said was a chemical weapons attack by Assad's forces
on Syrian civilians.President Donald Trump ordered the missile strike after
watching television images of infants suffering from chemical weapons
injuries."You pick and choose your battles and when we're looking at this,
it's about changing up priorities, and our priority is no longer to sit there
and focus on getting Assad out," Haley had said on March 30, just days
before dozens of Syrian civilians died from chemical weapons injuries.Rex
Tillerson, US secretary of state, seemed to take a more patient stance with
regard to Assad, saying on Saturday that the administration's first priority is
the defeat of ISIL, also known as ISIS.Once the threat from ISIL has been
reduced or eliminated, "I think we can turn our attention directly to
stabilising the situation in Syria," Tillerson said in excerpts from an
interview on CBS's Face the Nation.He said the US is hopeful it can help to
bring parties together to begin the process of hammering out a political solution.On
the ground in Syria, meanwhile, fresh air strikes have targeted the same town
that was hit by the recent chemical attack, killing at least 17 people,
according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). aljazeera
Trump officials say no new US focus on ousting Syria’s Bashar al-Assad
Iraqi Shia leader al-Sadr to urges Assad to step down
Iraq’s influential Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called on Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad to “take a historic heroic decision” and step down,
to spare his country further bloodshed.Sadr, who commands a large following
among the urban poor of Baghdad and the southern cities, is the first Iraqi
Shia political leader to urge Assad to step down.But his call was wrapped in
kind words about the Syrian president and condemnation of the US strikes
carried out on a Syrian airbase on Friday, in retaliation for a chemical attack
on civilians in a rebel-held area of Syria. Sadr said the US strikes would
“drag the region to war” and could help “the expansion of Daesh,” which
controls parts of Iraq and Syria.The Sadr said in a statement.-led Iraqi government
issued a statement on Friday that reflected the difficult balancing act it
maintains between its alliance with the United States and with Sadr said in a
statement. It condemned the chemical attack, without naming Assad, calling
instead for an international investigation to identify the perpetrator.The
statement also criticised “the hasty interventions” that followed the chemical
attack, in an apparent reference to the US strikes.
Erdogan tells Russia to reconsider support for Assad
President Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday asked Russia to reconsider its
support for the Syrian regime following a chemical weapons attack in Idlib
earlier this week and the U.S.’s military action in response.“It is our hope
that this will not be limited to the U.S. action,” Erdogan said while speaking
about responding to the Khan Shaykhun attack as well as the broader Syrian
conflict.“We hope that Russia gets involved as well -- that at least they stop
defending [Bashar al-] Assad,” Erdogan said.Erdogan said he welcomed Moscow's
recent statement that "unconditional support is not possible" to the
Syrian regime."But let's speed it up," Erdogan said. "Let's get
rid of this evil."
Russia, Iran vow continued military support for Assad
21 killed in church bombing in northern Egypt
At least 21 people were killed when a bombing struck a church in
northern Egypt on Sunday morning, according to the country’s health
ministry.The explosion was reported inside the St. George church in the Nile
Delta city of Tanta early Sunday.“
Egypt police shoot dead 2 Brotherhood members
Egyptian security forces shot dead two members of the embattled Muslim
Brotherhood group on Saturday in northern Egypt, according to the country’s
interior ministry.In a statement, the ministry said the two were killed in an
exchange of fire during a raid on a farm allegedly used to make explosives in
the Nile Delta province of Beheira.The ministry said five Brotherhood members
have been detained during the raid.The ministry claimed that the farm was used
to train members of Brotherhood-affiliated armed groups.There was no comment
from the Muslim Brotherhood on the allegations.
Compiled and edited by Anwarulhaq (Released at: 6:18 PM)
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