Evening NEWS
DIGEST
26
April 2017: 28 Rajab 1438: Vol: 8, No:175
Delhi MCD results 2017: BJP scores hat-trick, decimates AAP; Kejriwal’s
party blames EVMs
Delhi: BJP on Wednesday was all set to retain Delhi’s three civic bodies
for the third time in a row, dealing a body blow to the AAP, which blamed EVMs
for its poor show in the municipal elections. According to the Delhi election
office, the BJP had won 174 wards, AAP 44, Congress 27 wards so far. BSP won 2
wards in the east municipal corporation, the INLD bagged one seat and one ward
went to an Independent candidate. (For live updates, click here).In the north
body, the BJP won 62 wards, AAP 18 and Congress 13. In the south MCD, the BJP
won 66, AAP 16 and 11 went to the Congress. In the east Delhi municipal body,
46 went to BJP, 10 to AAP and three to the Congress.Voting for 270 of the total
272 wards of the three municipal corporations saw around 54% voting on Sunday.
Election was countermanded in two wards following the death of candidates. hindustantimes
Live BJP retains all Delhi municipal corporations
14 Muslims including 7 women win
in MCD elections
New Delhi: As far as Muslim community is concerned, AAP seems to be the
main choice in the Delhi MDC electionS. 7 Muslim candidates fighting on AAP
ticket emerged victorious in largely Muslim constituencies. Congress party was
the second choice for the community as 6 Muslim candidates won on Congress
ticket while 1 candidate won on the BSP ticket. But the Congress party must be
feeling happy that as far as Old Delhi area is concerned the community has
largely backed the Congress party.The most amazing aspect of Muslim winning
candidates was the fact that 7 of the winners were women. But this might be
more to do with the reservation of those wards for women candidates, than the
sudden empowerment of the females in the community. Their names: Abul Fazal
Enclave Abdul Wajid Khan(AAP), Daryaganj Yasmin
Kidwai (Congress), Sarita Vihar Juhi Khan( AAP) Zakir Nagar Shoaib Danish( Congress), Ballimaran MD
Qazzafi (Congress), Delhi Gate Aaley Muhammad Iqbal (Congress),Jama Masjid Sultana Abad(Congress), Quraish Nagar Shaheen(
AAP), Chauhan Banger Abdul Rehman(AAP), Ghondli Shahnawaz ( AAP), Kardam
Puri Sajid (AAP), Mustafabad Shakila Begum(AAP), Seelampur Shakila
Begum(BSP), Bazar Sita Ram Seema Tahira(
Congress). ViewsHeadlines
Delhi MCD election results 2017: BJP wins massive mandate but all its
Muslim candidates lose
New Delhi: BJP received a massive mandate from the voters of Delhi to
continue in power in the Capital’s municipal bodies–South MCD, North MCD and
East MCD. Votes for elections to 272 wards were counted on Wednesday and the
result showed massive popularity for the BJP and anti-incumbency for the Aam
Aadmi Party. The ruling BJP won 184 seats in total but, all five Muslim
candidates fielded by the party were defeated.BJP gave tickets to Kuwar Rafi
from Zakir Nagar, Sartaj Ahmed from Chauhan Banger, Sabra Malik from
Mustafabad, Fahimuddin Saifi from Delhi Gate and Rubina Begum from Quraish
Nagar. However, none of them was able to emerge victorious in the election.The
winners from these constituencies were all Muslim candidates themselves. Shoab
Danish (Congress) from Zakir Nagar, Abdul Rehman (AAP) from Chauhan Banger,
Shakila Begum (AAP) from Mustafabad, Aaley Mohammaed Iqbal (Congress) from
Delhi Gate and Shaheen (AAP) from Quraish Nagar. indianexpress
BJP candidate Rafi throws biggest surprise got 3rd position in Zakir Nagar
MCD election: BJP did research on EVMs for 5 years, says Manish Sisodia
New Delhi: Delhi Deputy CM Manish
Sisodia, following the party narrative, claimed that EVMs were behind BJP
victory as the saffron party heads towards a huge victory in MCD elections
2017. Sisodia, in a series of tweets, said that the BJP had research on EVMs
for five years after losing the 2009 elections. “BJP ne 2009 ka chunav haarne
ke baad 5 saal EVM par research kar mahaarat haasil ki aur ussi research aur
mahaarat ke dum par chunaav jeet rahi hai,” Sisodia tweeted. (After losing the
2009 elections, BJP did a research on EVMs for five years and gained expertise.
On the basis of this research and expertise they are winning elections)Sisodia
also said senior BJP leaders GBL Narsimhrao and L K Advani had also written a
book on EVMs. “EVM tampering desh ke loktantra ki ek aisi kadvi sachai hai
jiska shuru me mazaak ud sakta hai lekin mazaak ke dar se hum sach bolna nahi
chhod sakte,” Sisodia added. (EVM tampering is a truth of our democracy and
people can make fun of it in the beginning but that does not mean we will stop
speaking truth.) indianexpress
EVMs Tampered, Indian Democracy is in Danger:Ashutosh
AAP leader Ashutosh on Wednesday
once again raised doubts on the credibility of Electronic Voting Machine (EVM).
Ashutosh said that the lead gained by BJP can only be possible because the EVM
was tampered. He also said that Indian democracy is in danger.Everyone says
that BJP is the most corrupt party. It has ruined MCD. Still BJP wants us to
believe that they can win? Can you give me one reason why people in Delhi will
vote for BJP? thequint
Give us full access to EVMs, experts tell EC
New Delhi: A group of trained engineers and scientists, from India and
abroad (drawn primarily from IITs and other premier science institutes), have,
in response to the Election Commission’s EVM challenge, urged chief election
commissioner Nasim Zaidi to allow them an opportunity participate in the
exercise fully and fairly to assess the security strengths and weaknesses in
the security of the electronic voter machines.However, the 27-member group has
said that for a truly objective and fair assessment of the machines and “to
understand what kind of tampering is possible, actions that might be performed
by an insider in the process, or a criminal, should be allowed during the
challenge.”In this regard, the group noted that the EC had in 2009 prevented
some type of access – when it disallowed physical tampering – and therefore “it
should explain why an insider or a criminal would not have that kind of
access”.Incidentally, after allegations of EVM tampering were raised by several
parties, including the Aam Aadmi Party, the Congress and BSP, the EC had issued
a detailed statement on the subject.In light of similar allegations having been
raised in the past, it had written:“In an extraordinary measure, the Commission
invited those who had expressed reservations about EVM to come and demonstrate
the points made in their allegations from 3rd to 8th Aug.2009. Those invited
included political parties, petitioners before various courts and some
individuals who had been writing to the Commission on this issue. One hundred
EVMs brought from ten states namely, AP, Delhi, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya
Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and UP , were kept at the
Commission’s office in readiness for scrutiny and for any application to
establish its alleged fallibility."EVMs were offered for such
demonstration in the presence of a technical experts group as well as engineers
representing the EVM manufacturers, BEL and ECIL. Outcome of this exercise is
that none of the persons, who were given the opportunity, could actually
demonstrate any tamper ability of ECI-EVMs. They either failed or chose not to
demonstrate. thewire
OTHERS
J&K: Amid student protests, govt orders suspension of social media
services for a month
New Delhi:In the wake of prevailing situation in the Valley, J&K govt on
Wednesday ordered suspension of social media in the trouble-hit region for a
period of one month or till further orders are in place. According to
officials, the Home Department via a order said that social media services in
the Valley shall not be transmitted with immediate effect for a period of one month
or till further orders.Officials further said that the state home department
has invoked powers conferred on it under Indian Telegraph Act and Information
Technology Act to take this decision. However, it was not clear whether the
order affects all internet services or just the mobile internet services, which
are already suspended since April 17.The banned services in Kashmir include
Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, QQ, wechat, Qzone, tumblr, google+, Baidu and
Skype. indianexpress
Girls take Srinagar streets by storm
Srinagar: Angry male teenagers and youth in their early twenties
throwing stones on the streets of the Kashmir Valley is commonplace.But what
has taken everyone by surprise is girls, some in their school uniforms and
others donning hijabs, also joining the protesters, hurling rocks and venting
their anger on police vehicles.Perhaps the first time they took to the streets
was last week, when many of them were at the forefront of the protests. At
least one of them was even seriously injured in the violence.On Monday, many
protested again, bringing the commercial hub, Lal Chowk, to a standstill. The
girl students belonged to the prestigious Govt Women’s College, M.A Road, and juniors from
the nearby Kothi Bagh Higher Secondary School. They were seen raising
anti-India and pro-azadi slogans.Later, armed with stones and plastic cones,
the girl laid an ‘ambush’ on 3 police vehicles at Exchange Road and threw
stones at them. thehindu
Geelani terms killing of PDP leader by militants 'un-Islamic'
Srinagar:Hurriyat Conference leader Syed Ali Geelani on Tuesday
condemned the killing of a leader of ruling PDP by militants in south Kashmir’s
Pulwama district, saying it is “un-Islamic and inhuman” to kill an unarmed
person.While condemning the killing of advocate Abdul Gani Dar, Pulwama
district president of PDP, octogenarian Geelani in a statement said, “Secret
killings will lead us to chaos. Killing merely on political affiliations or for
one’s political ideology is against the teachings of Islam.”While Geelani has
been condemning killing of unarmed persons in the past, he has rarely raised
his voice against killings of mainstream politicians and political workers.
“There is no justification for these killings. Teachings of Islam assign extra
ordinary worth for human life and saving a human being is like saving of the
whole humanity,” he said. deccanherald
Geelani denounces political murders in Kashmir
PDP old guard looks beyond Mehbooba Mufti, she digs her heels in: indianexpress
New Delhi: Rebuffed by the Centre on starting a dialogue with
stakeholders in the Valley, J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti has returned to Srinagar where
she is not only grappling with a crisis that threatens the future of the ruling
PDP-BJP alliance but is also staring at a rebellion in her own party.While the
BJP continues to play “tough”, sources said at least 3 top leaders of the PDP
are “hobnobbing with the BJP with an aim to divide the party and continue the
alliance in case of a break-up… the old guard (of the PDP) feel peeved because
they feel a few youngsters are running the party”.With the political grey zone
carefully created by the PDP disappearing and support for the party dwindling,
its leadership is “looking at ways to keep the alliance afloat” and “stay in
power” because other options appear to be running out.On her return to Srinagar
after meeting PM Narendra Modi and Home
Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday, Mehbooba Mufti has held two meetings — first
with senior PDP functionaries on Monday evening and another with legislators on
Tuesday — at her Fairview residence to discuss the latest developments. Barring
ministers Nayeem Akhtar and Haseeb Drabu, who were not in town, sources said
all others were present. indianexpress
Are PDP and BJP Headed for a Break-Up?Mudasir Ahmad
SC pulls up trial court in Sabarmati blast case, orders release of
undertrial Kashmiri AMU scholar after 16 years
New Delhi:“Police made me a terrorist… may be because I am from
Kashmir,” Gulzar Ahmed Wani told the Supreme Court on Tuesday. Wani, through
his counsel Mohd. Irshad Hanif, was replying to Chief Justice of India JS
Khehar’s question as to why a “legitimate man” needs so many names.The Supreme
Court cause list identifies Wani as “Irshad, Ashraf and Abdul Hamid.”“How many
names does a legitimate man need? I have only one name…why do you have so many
aliases?” Chief Justice Khehar asked Hanif. “The police have given me [Wani]
many names. I cannot tell you why they gave me aliases…I cannot answer for
them,” Hanif responded.Wani, who said he was a Ph.D scholar at Aligarh Muslim
University before his arrest in the 2000 Sabarmati Express blasts case, has
spent the past 16 years in jail. He has been acquitted in 10 of the 11 charges
he faced, even as he continued to languish as an undertrial. His bail
application was rejected by the Allahabad High Court in 2015, which said the
“release of such persons would adversely affect the interest of society”. Bench
of Chief Justice Khehar and Justice DY Chandrachud was hearing his appeal filed
two years ago.“What a shame. This man spent the past 16 years in jail and he
has been acquitted in 10 of a total 11 charges he has faced…What a shame,”
Chief Justice Khehar told the UP State counsel.The court found that the
prosecution has only examined 20 prosecution witnesses in the Sabarmati train
blasts case in the past decade-and-a-half. There is a total of 96
witnesses.“Why should he suffer jail because you cannot lead evidence?” CJI
Khehar asked the State counsel.The Bench gave the trial court a deadline of 6
months – by Oct.31, 2017 — to complete the trial. It ordered that Wani would be
released on bail on Nov.1, 2017, whether or not the trial is completed. Hanif
argued that the entire story of the prosecution was “engulfed in doubts and
shrouded in mystery.” Petition said the entire evidence against Wani was based
on the disclosure statements of the co-accused.Wani was named accused in Sabarmati
train blasts case on the sole basis of a statement made by Mohd. Aqil, a
co-accused, during interrogation. Aqil told the police that he and another
accused Mohd. Maroof planted the bomb in the train on Aug.14, 2000 at the
instance of Wani, who hatched the conspiracy. Both Aqil and Maroof were granted
bail in 2001. thehindu
Sabarmati Express blast: Supreme Court grants bail to former AMU scholar
after 16 years
SC gives ‘future’ bail to terror accused Gulzar Ahmed Wani, who’s in
jail for 16 yrs
SC pulls up UP govt, calls Kashmiri man’s incarceration a ‘shame’
Sabarmati Express blast: Supreme Court grants bail to former AMU scholar
after 16 years
Police made me a terrorist: Gulzar Ahmed Wani
Bail to Pragya no surprise: NIA’s ex-prosecutor Salian
Pune: Rohini Salian, former special public prosecutor in the Malegaon
blasts case who had raised the red flag on the investigation into the case, on
Tuesday said the bail order for Pragya Thakur was on “expected” lines. “After
NIA said they have no objection, what is there to be surprised about? It was to
be expected,” said Salian, who in June 2015 had told The Indian Express that
after the new govt assumed office in May
2014 an NIA officer had asked her to go soft on the accused. Her allegations
had led to a series of counter-allegations by the NIA, which later sent a
proposal to denotify Salian as its prosecutor. She had later named the NIA
officer who had come with the message. On Thakur’s bail, Salian said, “I have
washed my hands off this case, so I don’t want to comment too much. Once I
remove myself from a case I simply move away. I do not think about it. I am now
disconnected with the case and do not take any further development personally
in the case.” Stating that she is “an Indian, a Hindu, and I firmly believe in
karma”, Salian said, “I believe Shani Shaneshwar, the God of justice, will
ensure that justice prevails and everyone will get what they deserve.”Indian
Express
Sadhvi’s bail: evidence for NIA, not for HC: thehindu
Mumbai: Bombay High Court ruling on Tuesday granting bail to Sadhvi
Pragya Singh Thakur in the Malegaon blast case varies on several key
observations made last year by the NIA court while rejecting her bail plea.On
June 28, 2016, while rejecting her bail plea, Special Judge S.D. Tekale of the
NIA court said, “There are reasonable grounds to believe that the accusations
against Sadhvi are prima facie true.”Today’s high court order, while referring
to statements of witnesses present at the Bhopal meeting in which the alleged
conspiracy was hatched, says, “Their statements recorded by ATS do not disclose
any objectionable and incriminating material against her. Though there is some
material on record that she was present at the Bhopal meeting,it, however,
shows that apart from her, several other persons were also present at the said
meeting. In our view, the same cannot be considered as circumstance against her
alone, excluding the other participants, especially, now in the absence of any
objectionable and incriminating material attributed to her.” NIA court had
said, “At the prima facie stage without going into the question of which
versions of the witnesses is correct, a safe conclusion can be drawn on the
basis of the statement that in Bhopal meet applicant (Sadhvi) was present and
in the said meeting there was discussion about growing jihad activities in
Aurangabad and Malegaon and the accused was asked to do something for its
prevention by expanding Abhinav Bharat Sangatan in the said area.”
Contradictions galore in NIA, ATS investigations
A probe has 2 facets: Under NIA, statements retracted on Pragya Singh
Thakur
I lost 7 years to false terror charges, now I want to achieve my dream:
Yahya
Feb.18, 2008, was an important date for Yahya Kammukutty. A software
engineer with more than 10 years of experience, Yahya had quit his job a year
ago and had started freelancing with various companies. In a week’s time, he
was scheduled to conduct his first training programme for young professionals
and for Yahya, things were going as per plan.April 24, 2017. Yahya, now 41, meets
me in a small commercial building located just in Nellikaparamba. Yahya asks me
to come to the first floor, where he is in the process of setting up a small
company, which will cater to software solution and Enterprise Resource
Planning. It is a modest setup; Yahya sweeps the room himself before we sit
down to talk.A conversation which reveals why it took 9 years for him to do
what he always wanted to do.Yahya wrapped up his day’s work on Feb.18 and went
home like every other day. His family, then consisting of three kids and his
wife was waiting for him. Like every other day, he had his dinner and went to
sleep. The same night, there was a knock on his door, and when he opened the
door, Yahya saw 2 men in plain clothes. They claimed to be from the Police,
showed their ID cards and he was asked to come along.“I was taken to outskirts
of Bangalore (Yelahanka) and from there, brought back to the city. While coming
back to the city, I was blindfolded,” says Yahya. On the first day of my
detention, asked me about my views on Islam, hoping to use something I say as a
proof of my intentions,” he says, smiling. His family was running from pillar
to post the next day trying to find his whereabouts but to little avail. “They
visited almost all the police stations in Bangalore but the police refused to
help and claimed lack of information in this regard. twocircles
Sena's UP ex-chief Pawan Pandey claims kar sevaks were given training to
pull down Babri Masjid
Lucknow: After former BJP MP Dr Ram Vilas Vedanti, yet another Babri
Masjid demolition accused has come out with a startling revelation: that kar
sevaks were given proper training in UP , Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra and
provided with equipment to raze the Mughal-era mosque 25 years ago. Talking to
the DNA, ex-UP chief of Shiv Sena and a
close associate of its founder Balasaheb Bal Thackeray, Pawan Pandey claimed
that all equipment for demolishing the mosque were kept at Karsevakpuram.
" Moment kar sevaks attacked mosque, equipment were handed over to them to
execute the task of demolishing Babri mosque," he said. Pandey claimed
that he was provoked by the statement of Vedanti that there was no conspiracy
in demolition of Babri mosques. "I wanted to record my statement before
the designated court under Section 313 of CrPC but Vendantiji provoked me to
come out in open," he said.Pandey said that thousands of kar sevaks were
given training in demolition at Kamadgiri Parvat temple in Chitarkoot in UP ,
other places in Maharashtra and MP. "If a conspiracy was not hatched for
the demolition of Babri mosque then why its strategy was chalked out well in
advance and why kar sevaks were trained?" he asked. Shiv Sena founder Bal
Thackeray used to call Pandey his third son and he had participated in almost
all meetings related to temple movement and kar seva between 1989 and 1992. He
was also a close disciple of late Mahant Ramchandra Paramhans Das, the
architect of temple movement and then chairman of Ram Janambhoomi
Nyas."Preparations for razing the Babri mosque were on for two years, ever
since first kar seva failed in Oct-Nov 1990 following firing on kar sevaks.
Whatever happened in Ayodhya on Dec.6, 1992 was very well planned in advance
and the rehearsal and proper training were given to those opted for the kar
seva," confided Pandey. Pandey further revealed that during a crucial
meeting in 1990, it was formally decided to pull down the structure as that was
the only way to pave way for the construction of Ram temple. "When
everything was pre-planned then Dr Vedanti's statement that he was the one who
had ordered for the demolition and Advani and others had hatched no conspiracy
is ridiculous," he quipped.He claimed that Adavniji, Dr Vedanti and others
were sitting on a dais in Lakshman Teela. dnaindia
Babri Demolition Was Planned, Karsevaks Trained: Ex-MLA, Ex-Sena
leader Pawan Pandey
Most opportune time to build Ram Temple; Mahant Das
Agra;With the BJP scoring victories after victories in elections all
over India, not just the party and the VHP, but even the Hindu ascetics and
saints are now demanding that the govt should build the Ram Temple in Ayodhya now.
Renowned Hindu saint Mahant Nrityagopal Das, who is also the chairman of Ram
Janmabhoomi Shrine Board, said that this is the most opportune time for
building the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, as both the Central and the state govt s
have great souls like PM Modi and CM Yogi Adityanath at the helm. If the Central
and UP govt s together failed to build the temple now, this opportunity could
be lost for a long time. indiatoday
Hindu Rashtra Sena chief, 14 others acquitted in murder attempt, rioting
case
Pune: A sessions court acquitted Hindu Rashtra Sena (HRS) chief
Dhananjay Jayram Desai and 14 others in a murder attempt and rioting case
registered for the violence between the members of two communities in Janwadi
in Chatushringi area on Jan.2, 2012.Additional public prosecutor Vilas Ghogare-Patil
told TOI, Later, cross-complaints were registered. Desai is currently lodged in
Yerawada jail in connection with the murder of IT professional Mohsin Shaikh
during the violence that erupted in the Hadapsar area on June 2, 2014 following
an objectionable post on social media.TOI
Hindutva distorting Hinduism: Nayantara Sahgal
Hindutva is a brand of fundamentalism and the Hindu right wing is
distorting what Hinduism stands for, said renowned author Nayantara Sahgal, who
was among one of the first writers to return her Sahitya Akademi award to
protest against intolerance in the country.She also said the situation in the
country is worse than the Emergency era, but said figures likeKanhaiya Kumar,
students’ union president of JNU, offered hope.Speaking to IANS on the
sidelines of the first edition of the Dehradun Literature Festival here,
Sahgal, niece of India’s first PM Jawaharlal Nehru, lamented the fact that the
Hindu right seemed to be becoming like the terror outfit IS and said it was
“time for a debate on the tendency of Hindutva to become like IS, to cut off
people’s heads”.IANS
Saharanpur violence: BJP MP was in crowd that vandalised my office, says
SSP
Saharanpur:In 2007, denial of permission for a Ravidas Jayanti
procession led 32 Dalits from Saharanpur’s Sadak Dudhli village to convert to
Sikhism. 10 years later, the village is tense over a procession in memory of Dr
BR Ambedkar. With a population of 1,500 Dalit voters and 6,000 Muslim voters,
the rural belt of Sadak Dudhli has a history of communal tension. This time the
tension began after a request to take out a “shobha yatra” on April 14 —
Ambedkar Jayanti — was turned down by administration, citing law and order
issues.However, a procession was taken out in the village without the necessary
permission. BJP MP Raghav Lakhanpal was allegedly in the crowd along with BJP
MLAs, leaders and workers. The event saw stone-throwing between Muslim
residents and yatra participants, who were allegedly not from the village. Vehicles
and shops were attacked, SSP’s residence was vandalised. “After police stopped
the procession, a section reached my residence. There were around 400 people.
CCTVs were broken, the name plate was vandalised. They ransacked my office. BJP
MP was part of that crowd,” said Saharanpur SSP Love Kumar. indianexpress
Adityanath govt to roll out a new
family planning scheme in UP
Lucknow: Free condom boxes at strategic locations in cities and
villages, a kit for newly-wed couples with packs of condoms, emergency
contraceptive pills and a pregnancy testing kit, and saas-bahu sammelans are UP
govt ’s latest tools to drive home the
message of family planning in its post populous districts.The Yogi Adityanath govt
has decided to roll out a new central
family planning scheme, ‘Mission Parivar Vikas’ in UP, which his predecessor
Akhilesh Yadav ignored despite the centre’s directions last November. timesofindia
Adityanath scraps 15 holidays in UP, Muslims unhappy Prophet’s birthday
features on list
Lucknow: UP govt has cancelled 15 public holidays marking the
birth or death anniversary of eminent personalities. Among the cancelled
holidays are Milad un-Nabi, Chhat and Valmiki Jayanti.However, the move to
cancel the holiday on Milad un-Nabi (Prophet Mohammad’s birthday) is likely to
raise eyebrows. More so, since it is a holiday in most other states, including
almost all BJP-ruled states, as is Ram Navmi and Janamashtami.UP Muslim clerics
took a dim view of the Yogi Adityanath govt ’s decision to cancel holidays on
Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi as well as on the occasion of ‘Alvida’ – the last Friday of
the month of Ramzan before Eid.Sunni cleric Khalid Rasheed Firangi Mahal said,
“It’s unfortunate that the UP govt has
cancelled these holidays on days that are of special significance to the
community. While on the day of Alvida, the faithful offer prayers in large
numbers the Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi holiday was in fact there since the days of the
VP Singh govt at the centre.”“Several
functions are held on the occasion and even non-Muslims participate in the
functions in large numbers. Moreover the decision to do away with holidays on
these two important days may not reflect well on the govt not just among the Muslims in India but across
the globe.”Kalbe Hussain, son of prominent Shia cleric and vice president of
All India Muslim Personal Law Board, said, “Since the govt has also cancelled holidays pertaining to
other religions too, it doesn’t across as a wholly unfair decision. At the same
time it would be nicer if the govt considered a roll back, especially on the day
of Alvida simply because it’s a day when the community prays and fasts. So it
would send a nice signal if govt considers this point too.”Maulana Salman
Nadawi, a Muslim scholar from prominent Lucknow-based Islamic seminary Darul
Uloom Nadwatul Ulama , said, “I guess these two holidays have been kept in the
list of restricted holidays. Moreover the holidays associated with other
religions too have been cancelled. So I don’t think it would be right to say
that the govt has deliberately discriminated against any particular
community.”Athar Hussain, from the centre of objective research and development
said, “Govt is apparently trying to
initiate a new work culture in the state and that’s something to be welcomed.
However on matters where religious sensitivities are involved it would be nicer
if the govt considered a roll back. But
I would also say that the CM Yogi
Adityanath is right when he says that these holidays should become occasions to
make students aware of the significance of the occasion.”UP has 42 public
holidays of which at least 17 are related to the birth anniversaries of eminent
personalities. hindustantimes
Muslims neighbours cremate Hindu youth with full rites in Malda, chant
‘Hari Bol’
Kolkata; In these times of rising divisiveness, the last journey and
rites of a Hindu youth in a remote corner of Malda, one of the poorest and
notorious districts of the country, can easily stand out as an example of
unorchestrated harmony between communities.A group of Muslim youths took the
body of Biswajit Rajak, 35, a Hindu who died on Monday, to the crematorium and
even chanted the name of Hari (equivalent of Ram Naam Satya Hai) following the
Hindu tradition. They carried his body on their shoulders for a distance of 3
kms to the crematorium, and performed all the traditional Hindu rituals
including consigning the ashes to the nearby river and taking a dip in the
river after the cremation.Rajaks are so poor that they could not pay the
crematorium and associated charges.The incident took place in Sheikhpura
village of Manikchak block in Malda district, about 350 km away from Kolkata.HT
If RSS workers can be made Governors, why can’t Mohan Bhagwat be made
President: Uddhav Thackeray
Mumbai: Shiv Sena has once again reiterated its demand to make RSS chief
Mohan Bhagwat the President of India. “We had suggested Mohan Bhagwat’s name
because we honestly feel he should be the President of the country. He is the
most eligible candidate for our resolution of a Hindu rashtra. Look at the
appointment of governors.If RSS workers can be appointed as Governors of
states, there should be no problem in making Bhagwat President,” said Sena
chief Uddhav Thackeray in Mumbai on Tuesday. Sena had last month demanded that
Bhagwat be made the President. The demand was seen as an attempt to put the BJP
in a quandary and came in the backdrop of the Sena feeling slighted over the
treatment it was being meted out by the BJP.However, Thackeray subsequently
visited Delhi for an NDA leaders’ meet, where he met PM Narendra Modi. Subsequent to the meeting, party
had tempered its criticism of the BJP. indianexpress
PM talks about Muslim women’s plight; What about my daughter-in-law
widowed by Gau Rakshaks?
New Delhi: “Kisi aur maa ko es umar main apna beta khoney kaa dard sehna naa padey.” (May no other mother
has to bear the pain of losing her son!)These heart-rending words were uttered
by Angoori Begum, the visibly frail 85-year-old mother of dairy farmer Pehlu
Khan, who was mercilessly beaten to death by a self-proclaimed band of ‘gau
rakshaks’ (cow-vigilantes) in Alwar, Rajasthan recently. Pehlu Khan was the resident of Jaisingpur
village in Nuh tahsil of Mewat district in Haryana. However, till date, the
Rajasthan police have not arrested the main accused of this heinous crime who
were named by Pehlu Khan in his dying statement. Not a single penny as
compensation has been given to his family either by Haryana or Rajasthan govts,
both ruled by BJP.Angoori Begum, who visited Delhi to demand justice for her
son, lamented in feeble voice that no official from the govt s of Haryana or
Rajasthan visited her family till date.Speaking to Caravan Daily, Angoori
Begum, who cannot hear properly due to old age, asked why there are two
standards of justice in this country. “What was my son’s crime? Does rearing
and farming of cows by Muslims is a crime?”“First they brutally killed my only
son and injured his 2 sons. He was the lone breadwinner of the family. And on
top of it, police have also slapped cases against them. Is this justice?” She
asked. caravandaily
No case against Pehlu Khan, say police
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/alwar-lynching-no-case-against-pehlu-khan-say-police-4628455/
Jaipur: The police said that there were no previous cases against Pehlu
Khan, a day after Rajasthan Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria had claimed in
the Assembly that the dairy farmer who was lynched by cow vigilantes had three
cases against him. “Anyone carrying cattle illegally is a smuggler. Pehlu Khan
did not have valid documents. He already had three cases of cow smuggling
registered against him,” Kataria had told the Assembly, sparking an uproar by
the Opposition. But Alwar SP Rahul Prakash said, “There were cases against
Pehlu’s son Irshad but none against Pehlu.”According to the police, there were
two cases against Irshad dating back to 2011 — one each in Haryana’s Mewat and
Rohtak districts. A third case was lodged in Haryana against Pappu Khan and
Saeed Khan in 2007. “Gulab Kataria has no right to occupy such a high post when
he is misleading people and that too in the State Assembly,” said Sher
Mohammad, chief of Alwar’s Meo panchayat. indianexpress
Jaipur;After 'Padmavati', ad film set vandalised for placing Urdu
posters on temples
New Delhi: A local organisation of Jaipur, 'Dharohar Bachao Samiti'
disrupted the shoot of an advertisement film for recreating a Pakistani ctity.
The outfit went on the rampage and vandalised the sets. Production house, Good
Morning Films was shooting for Volkswagen Polo Hatchback near City Palace when
the incident happened. In order to give the site, a feel of the place, the crew
of the film placed Urdu banners and signs on temples, buildings and landmarks.
The banners had writings such as
'Welcome to Lahore', 'Karachi Sweets' and 'Rawalpindi Chai Wala'.As per
a report in Indian Express, around 11.30 am on April 25, Tuesday, approximately
40 members of Dharohar Bachao Samiti which claims to conserve ancient temples,
stormed into the location and damaged the sets. The Police bluntly refused to
acknowledge that there has been vandalism.ABP LIVE
UP:Muslim minor elopes with Hindu boy, girl’s family seeks help of
clerics:HT
Bareilly: The family of a 16-year-old Muslim girl of Hajiyapur locality
of Bareilly, who is believed to have eloped with her 20-year-old Hindu
neighbour on April 17, has approached local clerics after the police failed to
find the couple.Tired of running from pillar to post in search of their
daughter, the family decided to take the help of clerics. “We wanted to keep it
in the family but were forced to approach clerics after the police failed to
take any action in our case,” said the girl’s father.The clerics have termed the
girl’s disappearance an attempt at religious conversion and are now planning to
take up the matter with administrative officials.The girl’s family said they
were away on the day she went missing. Her aunt, who lives right across the
narrow ally leading up to their house, was the last person to see her.Alleging
discrimination due to their religion, the girl’s mother said, “My family has
not been at peace ever since she left home. We have approached every one from
the police to the administration for help but no one is taking any action. Is
this because we are from a different community?”The girl’s kin lodged a police
complaint against the youth, Avdesh, and his family.The police said they were
investigating the matter and will soon arrest the youth.But even after eight
days, the police is yet to trace the missing duo. Meanwhile, the incident has
divided the Hindus and Muslims of the neighbourhood. “Had it been a Muslim boy
and a Hindu girl, the entire police force would have been searching for them
but in our case, no one seems to care,” lamented Yasin Khan, a resident.HT
UK broadcast regulator finds Times guilty of biased coverage
United Kingdom’s broadcast regulator Ofcom has found Indian TV channel
Times Now guilty of not delivering news with impartiality, CrowdNewsing
reported.According to an investigation led by Ofcom, an episode of the Newshour
— the channel’s primetime debate that was broadcast on 1 August 2016 did not
reflect the views of the Pakistani govt “or otherwise rebutting the criticism being
made of it”. The episode in question, anchored by former Times Now journalist
Arnab Goswami, was aired two months after the Uri attack.In a report of its
findings, it said:Ofcom viewed the 18 additional episodes of The Newshour
broadcast between 3 August 2016 and 30 September 2016...(on) the Pakistani Govt
’s policy towards Kashmir; and alleged terrorist activities towards India.
However, the programmes also featured highly critical discussion about the
Pakistani Govt ’s policies and actions in other areas such as its treatment of
the separatist movement in the Pakistani province of Balochistan. Ofcom’s
concern in this case was not whether the Licensee had reflected a range of
viewpoints, but the manner in which those viewpoints were dealt with by the
presenter, Arnab Goswami. thequint
Rajdeep booked for inviting Nandini Sundar on India Today show
A little-known right-wing group has filed a legal complaint against
veteran journalist, Rajdeep Sardesai, for inviting Nandini Sundar on his India
Today show on Monday night.The complaint was filed by a representative of a
Hindu observatory group.Reacting to the development, Sardesai told Janta Ka
Reporter, “Nandini provides an important perspective into a very complex issue
of Maoist conflict in India. She’s an authority on the subject and her book
Burning Forest has extensively dealt with the Maoist conflict in Chhattisgarh.
On the show, we also had a minister and a former DG of CRPF. It’s a shame that
now think they can decide who we invite on shows!”Sardesai later tweeted, “Now
RW (right-wing) loonies will decide who to invite on shows! Wow! Hate-mongers
ok, scholars not! Jantakareporter
Aadhaar leak no temporary glitch but a long-running problem: Economist
Jean Dreze
Ranchi: Renowned economist Jean Dreze on Wednesday said the Aadhaar
information leak on a Jharkhand government’s website a few days ago was no
temporary glitch, but the result of prolonged negligence on the part of the
authorities concerned.“It was a blatant case of negligence, not a temporary
glitch,” said the economist, who is credited with conceptualising the National
Rural Employment Guarantee Act and working with Nobel laureate Amartya Sen on
several developmental projects.Jharkhand was the first state to witness a
series of such Aadhaar information leaks on government websites across India
this week. It was also the gravest, considering that it made personal banking
details and Aadhaar-related information of over 1.4 million pensioners
available on the public domain website for days.
Jamia students' drone-detecting system to be used by Airport Authority
of India
A software developed by Jamia Milia Islamia students to detect
"unwanted drones" at or near airports will be used for security by
the Airport Authority of IndiaNew Delhi, April 25: A software developed by
Jamia Milia Islamia students to detect "unwanted drones" at or near
airports will be used for security by Airport Authority of India (AAI), a
varsity statement said.IANS
SC asks Centre to consider making a law to regulate NGOs, disbursal of
funds
New Delhi: Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the Centre to consider
making a law to regulate NGOs, disbursal of funds to them and consequential
proceedings on account of defaults and asked it to respond in 8 weeks. A bench
headed by Chief Justice J S Khehar said the existing regulations were not
sufficient to regulate the NGOs across the country, the disbursal of funds and
consequential defaults.The bench, which also comprised Justices D Y Chandrachud
and S K Kaul, granted eight weeks to the Centre to mull over the idea of
legislation and apprise the court about its stand.PTI
Jewish bahu of Nehru family: Hungarian wife of BK Nehru shared close
rapport with Indira Gandhi
New Delhi: Apart from being the oldest living member of the Nehru
family, Fori Nehru, who passed away at 109 on Tuesday, was the founder of the
Cottage Industries Emporium, is known to have played a silent role in the 1971
War, and inspired a classic on Jewish history.In 2010, when she granted this
reporter a rare audience, I found her pre-occupied by the plight of miners
trapped in a Chilean copper mine.“Have you been following the condition of the
miners in Chile? I am so happy that they were finally rescued by NASA,”she said
to me, offering tea on a wintry evening in Dharamshala.Fori, a Hungarian by
birth, was Magdolna Friedman before she married Jawaharlal Nehru’s cousin, BK
Nehru, in 1935 after completing her studies at London School of
Economics.During the late 1960s, PM Indira Gandhi summoned BK Nehru, then India’s
ambassador to the U.S., to become the governor of Assam. During 1971 war, it
was Fori who travelled along India’s frontiers in Assam, Tripura and Meghalaya
to supervise the condition of the refugees driven out by the Pakistan army. Her
role in Indira Gandhi’s life has been chronicled by the latter’s biographers.
During Indira’s first prime ministerial trip to Washington DC in 1966, Fori, as
the wife of the Indian Ambassador , threw a party that would break the ice
between the temperamental Prime Minister and President Lyndon Johnson. Among
the Nehrus, Fori enjoyed a special rapport with Indira Gandhi.It is well known
that during the Emergency, officials and Congress party members were reluctant
to tell the Prime Minister the truth about forced sterilisations and other
excesses.Sensing growing restlessness in the country, however, Fori, in a rare
moment of candour, brought Indira face-to-face with the enormous tragedy that
the Emergency had unleashed on the people. Thehindu
Filing false case against spouse amounts to cruelty to grant divorce
under Hindu Marriage Act: SC
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has held that filing false criminal
complaint and making baseless allegations against spouse amounted to cruelty to
life partner under Hindu Marriage Act and divorce could be granted on that
ground.A bench of Justices Adarsh Kumar Goel and Deepak Gupta allowed divorce
plea of a husband on the ground that his wife not only filed false criminal
complaint against him before Police but she had also made baseless allegation
of dowry demand and torture against him in letters written to various
authorities including chief minister of Rajasthan and the chief justice of high
court.The court noted that the man was given clean chit by state police after
conducting thorough inquiry on two complaints filed by the wife and the
allegations against him and his family members were false and baseless."Mere
filing of complaints is not cruelty, if there are justifiable reasons to file
the complaints. Merely because no action is taken on the complaint or after
trial the accused is acquitted may not be a ground to treat such accusations of
the wife as cruelty within the meaning of the Hindu Marriage Act. However, if
it is found that the allegations are patently false, then there can be no
manner of doubt that the said conduct of a spouse levelling false accusations
against the other spouse would be an act of cruelty," the bench said.TOI
WORLD
RAW providing safe haven to Pakistani Taliban chief, says breakaway
faction spokesman
Karachi: Grab from this “video confession” released by the Pakistan
military shows Ehsanullah Ehsan, former spokesman of Tehreek-e-Taliban
Pakistan. Pakistan military releases “video confession” of Ehsanullah Ehsan who
was captured by the Pakistan military last week.The Pakistan military on
Wednesday released a statement of the spokesman of Jamaatul Ahrar (JuA), a
banned militant group in which he has claimed that Afghan and Indian
intelligence agencies have been using and funding Pakistani Taliban
(Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan) to launch terrorist attacks in Pakistan.Ehsanullah
Ehsan, who was captured last week by the Pakistan military, said in a video
confession that Indian intelligence agency RAW and Afghan intelligence agency
NDS have provided safe heavens to terrorist organisations in Afghanistan.Ehsan
was spokesman of JuA, a breakaway faction of the Taliban, which is responsible
for major terrorist attacks in Pakistan over the past two years. Hundreds of
people were killed in Wagah and Gulashan Iqbal Park attacks in Lahore and two
major attacks in Quetta in 2016.Ehsan claimed TTP chief Mullah Fazlullah —
Pakistan’s most wanted man — is being given safe heaven by RAW and NDS.Military
spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor in a tweet said that Ehsan exposed hostile
foreign agenda and their designs to destabilise Pakistan. thehindu
Turkey detains 1,000 in crackdown on alleged Gulen supporters
Istanbul: Turkey on Wednesday detained over 1,000 suspects in a massive
new crackdown on alleged supporters of US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, a week
after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan won a referendum on ramping up his powers.
A total of 1,009 suspects have so far been detained in raids in 72 provinces
across the country, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu was quoted as saying by
Anadolu agency.AFP
Mosul Op: 8,000 Iraq troops killed as Daesh make propaganda gains
A major international news outlet has confirmed a story broken by MEMO
two months ago, revealing that Iraqi combat fatalities over the past six months
in fighting against Daesh militants in Mosul has exceeded 8,000 men.Qatar-based
Al Jazeera, which has an extensive network of correspondents in Iraq, including
those actively covering the operation to uproot Daesh from Mosul, reported over
the weekend that an Iraqi security source had confirmed that around 8,000 Iraqi
soldiers and police forces had been killed in the fight against the militant
group.According to Al Jazeera, the number of fatalities is due to the fierce
defence being put up by Daesh fighters who, according to Iraqi sources, do not
number more than 1,000 men focused in the remaining parts of western Mosul
still under their control.These combat deaths also do not include the
fatalities suffered by Shia jihadists fighting under the umbrella of the
Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), a state-sanctioned but Iran-backed
paramilitary organisation said to be an Iraqi version of Iran’s Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).MEMO had already broken the news that Iraqi
forces had suffered fatalities of 7,000 men by February, and this was a
combined figure that accounted for deaths from the Iraqi army, Kurdish
Peshmerga militias, police units and Shia jihadists.In the absence of any
inquiries into these abuses and others that have been perpetrated since the war
against Daesh was launched in 2014, a lack of accountability and a trail of
devastated Sunni cities may lead to Daesh gaining a political victory once the
battle for Mosul is concluded, even if it fails militarily. Mamoon Alabbasi, a
London-based Iraqi journalist who has covered govt and militia human rights abuses, told MEMO
that, by doing little apart from condemning these abuses, the Iraqi govt risked a continuation of the sectarian
violence in Iraq. middleeastmonitor
7,000 Israeli soldiers abscond every year
New data issued by the Israeli army showed that about 7,000 Israeli
soldiers fail to complete their military service mostly under the medical and
psychological pretexts, Israeli newspaper Haaretz revealed yesterday.The data
also revealed that 22 % of soldiers left
the army, including 14.6 % males and 7.4
% females.Army sources have said that
the actual number of soldiers who abscond or do not continue their conscription
is higher however the army is not reporting the full details.To avoid military
service, obligatory after the completion of secondary school, many Israeli
families send their children abroad.Last month, thousands of Orthodox Jews
protested in Jerusalem against mandatory military conscription, considering it
a reason for deviation. middleeastmonitor
Israel demolishes Palestinian structures in Ramallah
Israeli forces demolished several commercial buildings and levelled
Palestinian lands in Ramallah’s western town of Ni’lin.Eyewitnesses told Quds
Press that the occupation forces protected the bulldozers while they were
demolishing Palestinian structures near the Ni’lin military checkpoint to the west
of Ramallah.According to local sources, the forces razed lands that were being
used by Palestinian workers for parking while they are working in
Israel.Palestinian workers from various parts of the West Bank use Ni’lin
military checkpoint to cross into the occupied territories. middleeastmonitor
Iran’s Khamenei says next president should be less engaged with West: middleeastmonitor
Iran’s supreme leader called on presidential candidates on Tuesday to
champion economic self-sufficiency, further distancing himself from Hassan
Rouhani’s policy of opening to the West and seeking foreign investment.Allies
of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who aim to reclaim the presidency for their hardline
faction, hope voters will punish the pragmatist President Rouhani for the slow
pace of economic recovery despite the lifting of sanctions under a nuclear
deal, the hallmark of his first term.“Candidates should promise to focus on
national capabilities and domestic capacities to resolve the economic issues …
rather than looking abroad,” Khamenei was quoted as saying by state TV as
saying on Monday.Rouhani’s main hardline rival in the May 19 election,
influential cleric Ebrahim Raisi, has promised to create over 1.5 million jobs
a year if elected. Another candidate, Tehran Mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, has
promised to create 5 million jobs per year.
France: Assad govt behind
chemical attack
France claims it has scientific proof that the Syrian govt was responsible for a suspected chemical
attack that killed 87 people earlier this month.Foreign Minister Jean-March
Ayrault said on Wednesday that chemical analysis of samples taken from
rebel-held village of Khan Sheikhoun "bears the signature" of
President Bashar al-Assad's govt ."There is no doubt about the
responsibility of the Syrian regime given the way that the sarin used was
produced," Ayrault told journalists after presenting a report on findings
at a meeting of French defence chiefs.He said the substance France believes was
used in the attack contains hexamine, a component that was also found in a gas
attack in northwest Syria in 2013."We are now in a position to confirm
that the sarin used on April 4 is the same sarin that was used in an attack in
Saraqeb on April 29, 2013," he said. aljazeera
1000% rise in Muslim profiling by US Customs officials since Trump took
office: Muslim group
Washington:Islamophobic incidents involving US Customs and Border
Protection officials have risen by about 1,000 % since President Donald Trump took office in
January, a Muslim activist group said on Tuesday.According to the Council on
American-Islamic Relations, preliminary data collected from its branches across
the US found that instances in which officials were accused of profiling
Muslims accounted 23 % in 2017.Of the
193 Customs and Border Protection (CBP) cases in 2017, at least 181 were
reported after the January 27 Muslim travel ban. In the first three months of
2016, the group reported 17 cases, according to a report in The
Independent."These are incidents which are reported to us and which we
examine," Corey Saylor, director of CAIR's group that monitors
Islamophobia, told The Independent."We look at these very carefully.
Around 50 % , we reject," he said.IANS
FLASH: NEWS & VIEWS
There are many parallels between Nazi Germany and what is going on in
India by saffron gangs: Prashant Bhushan -
A Party Which Didn’t Sweep the Streets for 10 Years Has Swept the MCD
Polls Again. Here’s Why: Yogendra Yadav
Past Continuous: How the 1987 Meerut Riots Announced the Future of Babri
Tensions: Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay
Muslims must work with other marginalised communitie to counter RSS
propoganda: Mukhtar Ahmad
Who exactly is Assamese? A petition before SC may change the definition
yet again: Arunabh Saikia
When it Comes to Rape By Men in Uniform, Media Forgets the Victim is
Also Part of the ‘Nation’: Kavita Krishnan
Govt websites are leaking Aadhaar numbers. Who will take action against
govt?Anumeha Yadav
Surgical strikes an option against terrorist acts: India’s new military
doctrine
Compiled and edited by Anwarulhaq (Released at: 8:00 PM)
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