Evening NEWS
DIGEST
15 Aug. 2017: 22 Zulqidah 1438:Vol:8, No:256
PM’s Independence Day
speech:No place for violence in name of astha, India is about shanti, ekta &
sadbhavana’
New Delhi: On the occasion
of the 71st Independence Day, PM Narendra Modi, who had used his speeches from
the ramparts of Red Fort to highlight his Govt ’s focus for the year, spoke on
his vision of New India – a corruption-free, violence-free India where people
live in equality without caste and communal differences.However, Modi, who had
called for a moratorium on caste and communal violence for 10 years in his
first Independence Day address in 2014, had to address a series of incidents of
violence across the country in the name of cow vigilantism. Modi said:
“Violence in the name of ‘Astha’ is not something to be happy about, it will
not be accepted in India. India is about Shanti, Ekta and Sadbhavana. Casteism
and communalism will not help us.”Modi emphasised on his ideas and visions about
the New India, about which he first talked about at his party HQRS following
BJP’s stunning election victory in state polls conducted in Feb-March.His
address, which at around 56 minutes was the shortest ever, kept mentioning
about demonetisation as an effective measure against the fight against
corruption and blackmoney as he had promised in the run-up to 2014 Lok Sabha poll. indianexpress
PM Modi sends across strong
message against 'killing in the name of faith'
PM Modi commends Muslim
women fighting triple talaq
New Delhi:In his fourth
Independence Day speech today, PM Narendra Modi praised Muslim women battling
the practice of triple talaq and said the entire country supports them."I
pay my respects to those women who had to lead miserable lives due to Triple
Talaq and then started a movement which created an environment in the whole
nation against the practice," Modi said here in his speech on the occasion
of Independence Day. PM said he respected all these women. "I want to tell
them that they will succeed as the whole country supports them in this
significant step towards women's empowerment."A five-judge Constitution
bench of the Supreme Court had reserved its verdict on May 18 on a batch of
petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the practices of triple
talaq among Muslims after 6-days of marathon hearings.CJI KS Khehar retires on
Aug.27 and, therefore, 5-judge bench headed by him is expected to deliver its
verdict on or before that.IndiaToday
Only love, not bullets or
abuse can resolve Kashmir’s problems, says Modi in Independence Day speech
Only love and not bullets
or abuse can help resolve the dragging problem in J&K, PM Narendra Modi
said today. “We are committed for the development of J&K and this is also the resolve of every Indian,”
the PM said in his Independence Day
speech from the Red Fort.Modi said the separatist campaign in the state cannot
be resolved by “gaali se” (abuse) or “goli se” (bullet) but by embracing every
Kashmiri. But Modi made it clear that there would be no letup while dealing
with the separatists. At the same, he appealed to the terrorists to join the
mainstream. “You have every right to make your voices heard in Indian
democracy.”HT
Bullets or abuse won’t
solve Kashmir issue, love will: Modi
With facts and figures, PM
Modi eyes the future but looks the other way on Pak, China
Hope Modi’s advice on not
using ‘abuse and bullets’ covers security forces too: Omar Abdullah
National Conference leader
Omar Abdullah on Tuesday hoped that PM Narendra Modi’s assertion that the
Kashmir problem cannot be resolved by “abuse” and “bullets” will be applicable
to security forces too.“Actually he (Modi) said Kashmir issue will not be
resolved by abuse and bullets. I guess that covers both sides - terrorists and
security forces,” he tweeted.IANS
Mehbooba: Have faith that SC
will reject appeal to abrogate Article 35 A
Srinagar: J&K CM
Mehbooba Mufti is hopeful that the Supreme Court will uphold the special status
of the state and reject any attempt to abrogate Article 35 A of the
Constitution.In her Independence Day speech at Bakhshi Stadium in Srinagar, she
criticised “elements in India”’ who have approached Supreme Court challenging
Article 35 A which gives special privileges to residents of J&K .“The state
is crown of India it should remain the crown. Like in the state there are
people who want to take us back to pre-independence era, in the country also
there are elements who want to create trouble and take us even back to 1947,”
she said.Expressing faith in the apex court, Mehbooba said, “I have faith in
the Supreme Court of India that whenever attempts were made to target the
special status of the state, the SC upheld Kashmir’s status. I am sure like in
the last 70 years they will reject the plea this time as well.”While stopping
short of threatening agitation on the issue, the CM, however, said that the
political parties in Kashmir are united on the issue.“When it comes to the
state we (parties) are united. The fight for winning elections is different but
we will all unite in case there are any such attempts,” she said. Mehbooba
Mufti reiterated that she has got assurance from the PM Modi when she called on
him last week. But she did not disclose what the assurances were. Mehbooba
again batted for restoring differences with Pakistan through dialogue.Political
parties both mainstream and separatist have warned of an “unheard off
agitation” staring the valley in the face if the Article 35 A is abrogated.HT
Article 35A controversy is
PDP-BJP alliance’s diversionary ploy: J&K Congress chief Mir
New Delhi:J&K Congress president Ghulam Ahmed Mir has
accused the ruling PDP-BJP alliance of stagemanaging the controversy over
Article 35A — which accords special rights and privileges to the state citizens
— to shift public focus away from the "many failures" of Mufti-led Govt
. Mir said the ongoing case in the Supreme Court, challenging the validity of Article
35A, has been filed at the behest of BJP as part of a plot with an eye on the
upcoming Gujarat polls. timesofindia
Geelani’s son-in-law, 3
other separatist leaders sent to judicial custody for 14 days
A Delhi court has sent 4
Kashmiri separatists, including Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s
son-in-law Altaf Ahmed Shah, to jail for 14 days in a terror funding case. Duty
magistrate Pankaj Sharma’s order came after NIA submitted that Shah, Peer
Saifullah,Mehrajuddin Kalwal and Nayeem Khan were no longer needed for
interrogation. scroll
Thousands attend Hizb
commander Yasin Itoo's funeral in Kashmir: Greater Kashmir
Budgam:Braving rains,
thousands of people flooded Nagam area of Budgam district on Monday to
participate in the funeral of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Muhammad Yasin Itoo
alias Mehmood Ghaznavi. Ghaznavi and two other militants were killed in an
18-hour gunfight at Awneera, Shopian on Sunday. Itoo’s body reached Nagam at
9:30pm on Sunday following which the locals decided to offer his funeral prayers
at 10am on Monday. Thousands of people remained awake for the entire night and
were joined by several militants amid pro-freedom and pro-Islam sloganeering in
the village, according to witnesses. Surprisingly, the militants did not give a
gun-salute to the slain commander.With the first light of the day on Monday,
people arrived in Nagam on motorbikes, tippers, sumos and other vehicles. The Govt
forces were manning all roads leading to
the village to curb movement of people ostensibly to prevent the gathering at
the commander’s funeral from becoming bigger.The first funeral prayer was
offered at 10am in which at least 20,000 people participated. The funeral was
offered in the compound of girls higher secondary school, Nagam. Funeral
prayers were offered at least five times and each time, thousands of people
attended these, a witness said. Itoo was later laid to rest in a common
graveyard as per the wish he had made to his father. The slain militants are
normally laid to rest in local martyrs’ graveyards.Soon after his funeral
ended, thousands of people raised pro-freedom and pro-Islam slogans and staged
a massive demonstration. The entire district observed a complete shutdown to
mourn the Shopian killings. Govt had
imposed restrictions in Srinagar areas falling under jurisdiction of 5 police
stations to thwart any protests against the killing of 2 civilians by Govt forces in Shopian and Pulwama districts on
Sunday. Restrictions remained in place at Nowhatta, Rainawari, Khanyar, MR Gunj
and Safakadal.
UN chief concerned about
India’s plans to deport Rohingya refugees
UN secretary general
Antonio Guterres is concerned about India’s plans to deport Rohingya refugees
from Myanmar, his spokesperson has said, underlining that refugees should not
be returned to countries where they fear persecution once they are
registered.“Obviously, we have our concerns about the treatment of refugees.
Once refugees are registered, they are not to be returned back to countries
where they fear persecution,” Guterres’ deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said. Haq
was responding to a question on India’s plans to deport Rohingyas from Myanmar
regardless of whether they are registered as UN refugees or not.Haq said UN
principles of non-refoulement applies in this case. According the these
principles, no nation shall expel or return a refugee in any manner to
territories where his life or freedom would be threatened on account of his
race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political
opinion. When asked which agency would convey this message to India, Haq said
the first point of contact will be through the UN High Commissioner for
Refugees.PTI
All Rohingya Muslim
refugees are illegal immigrants, will be deported despite UN status, says
Centre
Hatred was much less in
1947 than now: Kuldip Nayar
While noting that Muslims
have been relegated to the status of second-class citizens, Kuldip Nayar
nevertheless firmly believes that no single community will ever have absolute
control over India. Nayar said, "18 and odd crore Muslims living in this
country have no say in anything.They have no representative in Govt, marginal
representation in the public sector and even less in the private sector. They
live in slums and stay with other Muslims so that they don’t get killed. It is
true that there is not as much violence today as during the Partition but
Muslims still have no say here." Replying to the question that Muslims are
being treated as second class citizens here, Nayar said, "They have
accepted it now.They have accepted that they have to bear the Cross for the
creation of Pakistan. The population is divided. In Vasant Vihar, there are
just a few Muslims. And they don’t feel safe.Jinnah used to tell Muslims that
if they stayed in India, they would be treated as second class citizens. Is it
happening today? He used to say that to appeal to people to come to Pakistan.
Otherwise, he used to talk about development, progress and even minority
rights.Jinnah had once come to our Law College in 1946. He was saying the same
things like Hindus and Muslims are different ‘kaums’ and there had to be 2
nations.I asked him, after Pakistan’s creation, what would be Pakistan’s stand
if India were to fight a war with a third country? He said, “Our soldiers will
fight by your side. The blood will flow together and we will drive out the
enemy.”Much later I once narrated this to Lal Bahadur Shashtri when I worked
with him. He said, “When the Chinese attacked us in 1962, if they had come to
fight with us and, if then, they would have asked for Kashmir, saying ‘no’
would have been very difficult!” Kuldip Nayar added, "Gandhi’s, Nehru’s or
Maulana Azad’s idea of India was such that everyone would live together, all
religions would be respected, etc. I remember at a prayer meeting someone said,
“Bapu, we don’t want to hear ‘Pakistan’ every day.” Bapu said then there would
be no prayer meeting. For three days, the meetings didn’t take place. Then the
man apologised and the meetings resumed." National Herald India
RSS chief Bhagwat hoists
Indian flag in Kerala school, defies collector’s order
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat unfurled the tri
colour at a school in Palakkad district on Independence Day flouting an order
of the district administration banning him from doing it. Police said they will
file a case against the school.It was not immediately known whether the
district administration will book RSS chief. Collector Mary Kutty had
restrained Govt-aided school Monday night saying it was not proper for a
political leader to hoist the national flag in a Govt-aided school. The
Collector said the head teacher or a students’ representative of the school can
unfurl the flag. The order was delivered to the school by a tehsildar and
deputy superintendent of police hours before the function which was scheduled
for 9 am.Kerala’s culture Minister AK Balan slammed RSS saying its real face
was exposed yet again. “RSS chief has insulted the national flag. Though he was
restrained from hoisting the flag in a Govt -aided school he went ahead with
the plan flouting all norms. It shows the organisation’s attitude towards the
existing laws,” he said. The Govt will
explore legal options against the school and saffron outfit, he added. hindustantimes
Muslim teacher leads
Independence Day celebrations in flooded Assam school
Guwahati: Knee-deep water
in his school did not dampen the spirit of an Assam teacher, who along with
three colleagues and 2minor students hoisted national flag during Independence
Day celebrations today.Tazem Sikdar, headmaster of state-run Naskara Lower
Primary School in Fakirganj of western Assam’s Dhubri district said they seized
the opportunity to inculcate patriotism among the students. The two students,
Jiarul Ali Khan and Haidor Ali Khan, both students of class 3.“It was
Independence Day and a very big occasion for all of us Indians. Our school got
flooded on Monday but I told my three colleagues that we have to celebrate it
along with the students. During the flag hoisting we took along two students
who know how to swim. It was risky but we took them along. The rest of the
students and locals observed the hoisting of the national flag from a road
nearby,” 49-year-old Sikdar said. After the celebration, students were treated
with chocolates. The school has classes up to V and some 200 students, all
Muslims, from Naskara and four adjoining villages.New Indian Express
Independence Day row:
Barelvi madrasas defy Yogi govt order on national anthem
Chandigarh shocker:
12-year-old raped while returning from Independence Day school event
Chandigarh:In a shocking
incident, a minor schoolgirl was allegedly raped by a man in Chandigarh today
morning. The incident took place at a children's park located near the victim's
residence. Girl, according to the family members, was returning home after
taking part in Independence Day celebrations held at a Govt model senior secondary school. Girl is a class
eight student. Victim told her parents about the incident as soon as she
reached home. The family informed the police who took her to the spot and later
for a medical examination.The incident took place when the Independence Day
parade was in full swing at a ground in Sector 17. 12-year-old rape victim
belongs to a poor family and her father works as a gardener. indiatoday
Vande Mataram in Mumbai
schools: 'Reject proposal,' Muslim corporators tell municipal commissioner
The proposal to make
singing of 'Vande Mataram' mandatory at all BMC-run schools has hit a sour note
with Muslim corporators. Across party lines, the corporators have written to
the municipal commissioner Ajoy Mehta, asking him to reject the demand.Among
the complaining corporators, Samajwadi Party group leader Rais Shaikh has
written to the BMC chief. Shaikh claims the proposal is a clear violation of
Article 28 (1) of the Constitution, which states that no religious instruction
shall be provided in any educational institution wholly maintained out of state
funds.Shaikh said, "In our religion, we can only worship Allah. Vande
Mataram means worship to mother, which is not allowed, as Allah is almighty.
The Constitution also makes it clear that no religious instruction shall be
provided in the educational institution."Congress corporator Mehar Mohsin
Haider, too, has written to Mehta. Her letter states, "Even the Supreme
Court refused to make singing of the national anthem compulsory in Kerala.
Also, before Patel's proposal, a similar proposal had been tabled in 1973, 1998
and 2004. The civic chief had rejected the proposal every single time saying
there is no such rule."mid-day
Gorakhpur Tragedy: Protest
Held at UP Bhawan in Delhi
New Delhi: Scores of
students, social workers and human rights activists on Monday staged a protest
demonstration outside the UP Bhawan in Delhi over the deaths of children at a Govt
hospital in Gorakhpur - parliamentary
constituency of UP CM Yogi Adityanath.In the last one week, more than 70
children have reportedly died at the state-run BRD Medical College and Hospital
in Gorakhpur - some of them allegedly due to shortage of oxygen supply at the
hospital. Protestors were shouting slogans against BJP govt of UP . They also
demanded resignation of CM Yogi. JNUSU president Mohit Pandey, social activist
Nadim Khan and SIO PR Secretary Syed Azharuddin addressed the gathering. Facing
strong criticism of Opposition, Yogi govt has ordered magisterial probe into
the deaths of children.IndiaTomorrow
Shia Waqf Board plea over
Babri Masjid made under pressure, says Kalbe Jawab, rejects Kalbe Sadiq's
proposal to allow Ram Mandir construction
New Delhi: Prominent Shia
cleric Maulana Kalbe Jawab has dismissed as a statement made under duress the
Shia Waqf Board’s affidavit to the Supreme Court claiming ownership of the
disputed site where the Babri Masjid stood and its offer to “build a mosque a
little distance away from the disputed site”. He said the statement of Maulana
Kalbe Sadiq, vice-president of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, that
Muslims should agree to the construction of a Ram temple on the disputed site
was meant to curry favour with the govt.Maulana Jawad, who heads the
Anjuman-e-Haidari, said:“Current govt in UP has recommended a CBI probe into
some scams in the working of the Shia Waqf Board, and we feel [Board chairman]
Waseem Rizvi’s affidavit is related to it.”State govt has recommended a probe
into allegations of misappropriation on a report from a member of the Central
Waqf Board council.“As for the Maulana Sadiq’s speech, it is his personal
opinion, perhaps aimed at some influence he may want to exert on the Govt ,” he
said. He said the Board’s affidavit in the SC claiming to be a party to the
Babri Masjid case had come 70 years too late. A court in Fizabad in 1946 ruled
in favour of the Sunni Waqf Board in the claim to the land and the Shia Board
had not appealed against the verdict.“Even as the Shia Waqf Board chairman, you
are only the caretaker of the property; you cannot give it away. A Masjid
belongs to Allah, it is no one’s personal property,” Maulana Kalbe Jawad said.
“ He [Waseem Rizvi] is surrounded by CBI because of what he did, and he is
trying to get out of the situation.”He said he was awaiting the SC’s verdict
and was not supportive of this affidavit. the hindu
Economist Jean Dreze forced
to cut short speech on 'growing communalism' after furore by Jharkhand leader
Renowned economist and
social activist Jean Dreze was made to cut short his speech on "growing
communalism" in Jharkhand after the state's agriculture minister Randhir
Kumar Singh created furore over his remarks on Monday. Dreze was speaking at an
event organised by a Hindi daily, where he commented on the functioning of
saffron organisations like RSS and Bajrang Dal."Communalism, today, is not
only a tool for stray outfits like Bajrang Dal and Islmaic state.Even the
govt's policies, especially the Jharkhand state, also reflects the communal
agendas," he said. While slamming the state govt's advertisement targeting
Christian missionaries against conversion activities in the tribal belt, he
pointed out the 'misquotation' of Gandhiji's statement. Barely 4 minutes into
his speech, as he raked the issue of RSS' communal agenda, Singh and some other
people sitting in the audience stood up in protest."What do you know about
Sangh," he yelled.Outlook
Documentary on Rohith
Vemula aims to address caste discrimination and Dalit-Muslim solidarity
Hyderabad:In March 2015,
Satya Chakra, 44-year-old documentary filmmaker from Hyderabad, conceived an
idea of making a short documentary on problems faced by students in Hyderabad
University. During his research, he met Rohith Vemula on the university campus,
where they discussed the idea the whole night sipping cups of tea.“When I told
him my idea, Rohith readily agreed to help me and I remember how promptly he
said ‘sure Anna’ when I asked him for his cooperation,” recalls Satya.But just
as Satya was yet to start the work on the documentary, the news of Rohith’s
suicide on January 17, 2016, shattered him.“I knew him personally and how
strong a person he was. But I was completely numb when I came to know how
authorities had moved him to the verge of suicide,” he said.Immediately after
Rohith’s suicide, Satya decided to tell his story; the story of Rohith
Vemula.“I think Rohith’s story should be in our minds forever and we should
seek an end to the issues addressed by him. Dalit, Muslims and other
marginalised communities are suffering since ages at the hands of the majority
communities and castes. Rohith death was continuity of it,” says Satya.Satya
stayed on the Hyderabad university campus for around two months to gain the
first-hand knowledge of student activism.TwoCircles
Attack by cow vigilantes in
Bihar hits meat-beef supply in Kolkata
Kolkata: The overall supply of both meat and beef in
Kolkata has dipped by 25 to 30% following the recent attack by cow vigilantes
in Bihar, traders said on Monday.According to the Calcutta Beef Dealers'
Association, in the wake of attack on three men by alleged cow vigilantes on
the suspicion of transporting beef in a truck in Bihar's Bhojpur district,
traders in West Bengal are apprehensive about sourcing cattle from the
neighbouring state."Earlier in the city's largest cattle trading hub in
Ilambazar, we used to get around 30 lorries of cattle from Bihar every day...
Now, if we get even 3 to 4, then we feel lucky," said association's head
Mohammed Ali. He said the business was already on a downfall following the
crackdown on illegal slaughterhouses in UP."People directly employed in
the cattle and slaughterhouse trade are now looking for other stable means of
livelihood as any fresh incident brings uncertainty. Overall impact on supply
to consumers is beginning to be felt now," said Ali."Since cattle are
used for daily milk consumption as well, prices of cottage cheese and milk have
also increased in some places," he added.IANS
Instead of cow slaughter,
ban manslaughter: Activists
Jalandhar: As
representatives of Sikh, Dalit and Muslim organizations gathered at Gurdwara
Guru Nanak Mission at a function and later a protest march organized by Dal
Khalsa on the eve of August 15 celebrations, they took serious note of misuse
of archaic sedition laws, lynching of Dalits and Muslims by cow-vigilantes and
imposing "pseudo-nationalism" on minorities.Taking a dig at the Sangh
Parivar, the speakers held that that Sangis on the pretext of protecting the animal
were using it as an electoral milch cow. "Even the Congress is
soft-peddling Hindutva," they said. They questioned that why cow slaughter
ban in India and why not a man slaughter ban in the country while referring to
mass killings of minorities and Dalits by frenzied communal mobs with the
logistics support from mainstream parties and the establishment in different
parts at different times.Punjab and Haryana High court advocate and noted human
rights lawyer Rajwinder Bains said that while there were talks about sscrapping
Article 370 of the Constituition but instead this Artucle should be implemented
across the country to give more rights to the states. "This would rather
help to check calls for separation. The states wouldhave more rights and they
would also remain together and parts of the same country," he
argued.Meanwhile JNU student leader Umar Khalid also participated in the
function. He heldt that what happened in Gorakhpur was not a tragedy but a man
made major disaster which led to death of several little kids.
Kerala man in ‘love jihad’
case being heard by SC hopes to get back his wife
Thiruvananthapuram: Sitting
alone in his house in Kerala’s Kollam’s district, 26-year-old Shefin Jahan has
pinned all his hopes on the Supreme Court that will take up on Wednesday his
plea challenging the Kerala High Court’s verdict annulling his marriage with
Akhila Ashokan alias Hadiya. The case hit national headlines after the Supreme
Court directed the NIA to study the Kerala police report on Hadiya’s conversion
and subsequent allegations of “love jihad” and submit a report.“It is a serious
rights violation. Both are adults and married with consent. I am expecting a
favourable decision from the highest court of the country,” said Jahan, a Gulf
returnee. He claims the police and Hadiya’s parents dragged various theories,
including the disappearance of 21 youth from the state, to get the verdict in
their favour.He said Hadiya’s father KM Ashokan (an ex-serviceman) had given an
affidavit before the court saying that Jahan was a member of a fundamentalist
outfit and involved in three criminal cases.“Though I was a member of the PFI,
I am not active now. There is only a single case and that too relates to campus
politics,” he claims, alleging that an attempt was made to turn it into a
terror-related case.“2 other criminal cases involving a person bearing my name
were added to my case. It was a mistake on the part of the police. I have
collected all details and sent them to my counsel. I hope our conjugal rights
will be restored soon,” he said, adding the disappearance of youth from the
state triggered knee-jerk reactions from many quarters. His counsel had opposed
the move to entrust the case to NIA inviting criticism from the apex court.
After the high court annulled their marriage on May 24, Hadiya, a homeopathy
doctor, was sent to her father’s house. “She is under house arrest. I sent her
three letters but they were returned saying recipient was not willing to accept
them. I heard she is still practising Islam and was being pressurized to
re-convert,” he said. HT
Finish work at Haji Ali
dargah by year-end: SC
New Delhi:Urging the
Maharashtra Govt to seize the “great
opportunity” and take the initiative to beautify Haji Ali dargah and its
surroundings in Mumbai, the Supreme Court on Monday said it “hoped and
expected” the work to be completed by Dec.31 so that the visitors in the new
year can see the famed shrine in all its splendour.A Bench of Chief Justice of
India J.S. Khehar and Justice DY Chandrachud directed that a meeting be held on
Sept.4 by the Mumbai Collector and all other stakeholders to finalise the
proposed beautification plans.
Haji Ali Dargah: SC
applauds Govt’s anti-encroachment drive around shrine
Malegaon blast: SC to hear
pleas of Purohit, Thakur on 17 Aug
New Delhi: The Supreme
Court has said the issue of granting bail to former Lieutenant Colonel Shrikant
Prasad Purohit and cancellation of bail of Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, both
accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, needed detailed consideration.A bench
of Justices RK Agrawal and MM Shantanagoudar listed the case for hearing on Aug.
17, saying "this matter requires lengthy hearing" as both the pleas
are on similar facts.Purohit has moved the apex court challenging the Bombay
High Court's order dismissing his bail plea.Nisar Ahmed Haji Sayed Bilal,
father of one of the blast victims, has challenged the Bombay HC order granting
bail to Thakur alleging that she was a "powerful person" and could
influence the witnesses in the case. He has sought a stay on the high court's
April 25 order granting her bail, saying there was "no prima facie
evidence against her".4,000-page charge sheet had alleged that Malegaon
was selected as the blast target because of a sizeable Muslim population there.
It had named Thakur, Purohit and co-accused, Swami Dayanand Pandey as the key
conspirators.Ajay Rahirkar, another accused, allegedly organised funds for the
terror act, while conspiracy meetings were held at Bhonsala Military School in
Nasik, it had said.PTI
With 23 MLAs, TTV Dinakaran
shows his strength, gets in the way of merger
In A major setback to
AIADMK’s merger plans and proposed ouster of party chief V K Sasikala, at least
23 of its MLAs and four MPs shared the dais with about 200 party leaders at a
rally organised by deputy general secretary TTV Dinakaran in Melur village,
near Madurai, on Monday evening.According to initial estimates, at least 25,000
people turned up for the rally, ostensibly to mark MGR’s birth anniversary but
essentially Dinakaran’s show of strength, making it the biggest party rally
since late CM J Jayalalithaa’s poll
rallies in 2016.indianexpress
Why Modi Govt. Wants to
Withdraw Minority Status of Jamia Millia, Ask Students
New Delhi: Since the
BJP-led central government has indicated to withdraw its existing support to
the minority status of Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI), students of the university
are looking at the govt move as an attempt to keep Muslims away from higher
education. Students are also asking if the BJP government's move is part of its
pet slogan ‘Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas'.Last week, the HRD Ministry had hinted that
it would file a fresh affidavit in the Delhi High Court where a case of
university's minority status is pending that granting minority status to JMI by
NCMEI in Feb.2011 was legally incorrect. As JMI is a central university, its
religious minority status should be withdrawn.While talking to IndiaTomorrow,
several students said that govt's argument is bogus and is aimed at targeting
particularly Muslim minority institutions. JMI, they said, has been enjoying
the status of a university as well as Muslim minority institution since much
before it was accorded as central university. "Since BJP came to power,
Jamia's minority status has been on its target. JMI was formed during Khilafat
movement for providing education to Muslims. Chancellor Najma Heptulla should
understand this well as she is grand niece of country's first Education
Minister Maulana Abul Kalam Azad who also had many contributions for
Jamia," Shamsee Mustafa, student of MA (Social Exclusion)
said.IndiaTomorrow
WORLD
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed
'wants out' of Yemen war
Saudi Arabia's crown prince
has told two former American officials that he "wants out" of the 2-year
war he started in Yemen, and that he is not against US rapprochement with Iran,
according to leaked emails published by Middle East Eye.The revelation sheds
light on the thinking of Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the
31-year-old heir to the Saudi throne, also known as MBS.The leaks pertain to
discussions he held on the Middle East with Martin Indyk, a former US
ambassador to Israel, and Steven Hadley, who served as US national security
adviser during George W Bush's presidency.The conversation took place at least
one month before Saudi, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt severed diplomatic and economic
ties with Qatar, accusing it of trying to undermine their war in Yemen and for
having friendly relations with Iran. The details of the meeting between MBS and
the ex American officials were revealed in an email exchange, between Indyk and
Yousef al-Otaiba, UAE's ambassador in Washington, DC.The email exchange was
obtained by the GlobalLeaks campaign group, according to Middle East Eye.In one
email, Otaiba and Indyk can be seen discussing the difference between the young
MBS and the elder leadership of Saudi Arabia, with the former describing him as
a "pragmatic leader". The emails also paint a picture of how Otaiba
and the UAE leadership view the future Saudi Arabia. Emails further reveal
conversations between Otaiba and Elliott Abrams, former Bush administration
official and pro-Israel hawk, who describes UAE's objectives in the region as
the "new hegemon" and "Emirati imperialism". aljazeera
Central Bank: Saudi
coalition starving Yemen of cash
Yemen's Central Bank has
said the Saudi-led coalition is "strangling" the economy by
preventing planes from flying in newly printed cash.Since April, the alliance
has banned 13 flights carrying money printed in Russia to the southern city of
Aden, said Mansr al-Qaiti, Central Bank governor, in a statement issued on
Sunday.He accused the coalition of "strangling the Yemeni economy"
and denying it "needed liquidity", AP reported.The remark reflects a
rift between the Aden-confined Yemeni Govt and UAE, a key member of the military
coalition.Both are at war with the Shia Houthi fighters, who control much of
northern Yemen, including the capital, Sanaa.But the UAE is believed to be at
odds with President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi over his embrace of the Islah Party,
a local affiliate of the Muslim Brotherhood group which the UAE views as a
threat, and fighters loyal to the two sides have clashed in recent months.The
wrangling began when Hadi removed his onetime vice president and PM , Khaled
Bahah, who was seen as an advocate of reconciliation with the Houthis and who
was backed by UAE.Hadi replaced him with Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, a powerful
military commander who is closely linked to Islah. aljazeera
Saudi to form a
coordination council with Iraq
Saudi council of ministers
decided, Monday, to approve the establishment of a Saudi-Iraqi Coordination
Council. According to the official Saudi Press Agency, council has authorized
the Minister of Commerce and Investment and the head of the Saudi side of the
Saudi-Iraqi Coordination Council to sign off the minutes establishing a
Saudi-Iraqi Coordination Council with no further details.Over the past few
weeks, visits between Iraqi Govt officials and their counterparts in Gulf
states have been exchanged despite years of stagnating bilateral relations.
UAE pushes for better ties
with Sadr amid efforts to contain Iran
UAE signalled its desire to
strengthen ties with Iraq during weekend talks with influential Iraqi Shi’ite
cleric Moqtada al-Sadr as part of efforts by Sunni nations of the Middle East
to halt Iran’s growing regional influence.Sadr met Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed
al-Nahayan, crown prince of Abu Dhabi and deputy commander of UAE armed forces
on Sunday in Abu Dhabi, according to a senior aide of the cleric.Sadr also
discussed ways of improving understanding between the Sunni and Shi’ite
branches of Islam, at a meeting on Monday with a prominent Sunni cleric in Abu
Dhabi.“2 sides emphasized the importance to act in true Islamic spirit and
reject violence and extremist thought,” Sadr’s office in Baghdad said in a statement
on his website on Monday, reporting on his meeting with Emirati cleric Ahmed
al-Kubaisi. middleeastmonitor
Syrian Opposition warns
against Arab and regional efforts to rehabilitate the Assad regime: middleeastmonitor
Chairman of the legal
committee of Syria’s Democratic Opposition Coalition, Haitham Al-Maleh, warned
of Arab, regional and international efforts to bury the Syrian revolution and
rehabilitate the regime of Bashar Al-Assad.Al-Maleh revealed “serious” complications
that face the Syrian revolution as well as the opposition factions because of
the decline of material and political support for the opposition forces and the
simultaneous reopening of communication channels between some Arab regimes and
the Assad regime.Al-Maleh noted that Syrian Opposition Coalition suffers from a
severe shortage in funding and that many
of its branches, including its branch in Brussels, are likely to close. Al-Maleh
expressed his regret that this is taking place while some Arab countries,
including Egypt and Algeria are supporting the regime of Bashar Al-Assad
while some others such as Tunisia are
seeking to reopen the channels of communication with a regime that has killed
and displaced millions of innocent SyriansHe added, “Some Arab countries are
now seeking to finish what Iran and Russia have started in their support of
Bashar Al-Assad against the Syrian people, but this is a useless support since
Syrians as well as the international community will not accept a reconciliation
with a regime that committed all these crimes against its people.
IS claims attack on US
forces west of Mosul:Reuters
Islamic State has claimed
an attack on US forces assisting Iraqi troops in the war on the jihadist
militants in northern Iraq. Islamic State fighters fired Grad rockets on
American troops east of Tal Afar, a town still under control of the militants
west of Mosul, according to an online statement from the group.The American
military had said earlier that 2 US service members had been killed and 5
injured during combat operations in northern Iraq on Sunday.Reuters
Iran could quit nuclear
deal if new sanctions imposed
#Iranian President Hassan
Rouhani warned that Tehran could abandon its 2015 nuclear deal with world
powers within hours if US keeps on imposing new sanctions.In a speech to parliament,
he also hit out at US counterpart Donald Trump saying he had shown the world
that Washington was "not a good partner".Rouhani's comments come with
the nuclear deal under mounting pressure after Tehran carried out missile tests
and Washington imposed new sanctions, with each accusing the other of violating
the spirit of the agreement. aljazeera
UN: Nearly 50,000 stranded
at Jordan-Syria border
Nearly 50,000 people, most
of them women and children, are stranded at Syria's southern border with
Jordan, an increasingly unsafe area where air strikes were reported in the last
few days, the United Nations said on Monday.UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said
that "some people are reportedly attempting to leave the area, risking
further danger and deprivation in an inhospitable desert location".Those
remaining in the area, known as the berm, face a scarcity of food and health
care, Haq said. In one section, called Hadalat, an estimated 4,000 people are
reportedly living solely on flour and water, he said.On Thursday, Syrian Govt forces and their allies captured a key area
along the Jordan border in their latest push against rebel groups there.AP
Israel in talks with Egypt
to reopen Cairo embassy
An Israeli delegation held
talks with Egyptian officials this week about reopening their Cairo embassy
after eight months, local newspaper Haaretz reported Tuesday.The newspaper said
Israeli intelligence and foreign ministry officials were at the most recent of
long-running negotiations on Sunday, which are expected to result in Ambassador
David Govrin resuming his duties in the near future.An unnamed Israeli official
said the domestic intelligence agency Shin Bet and Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu still need to make a final decision.Govrin and the rest of the
embassy staff were called back from Cairo in late 2016 for security
reasons.Anadolu Agency
Israeli police arrest
Islamic Movement leader Sheikh Raed
Israeli police on Tuesday
arrested Sheikh Raed Salah, leader of the Islamic Movement in Israel, from his
home in the northern city of Umm al-Fahem.“Salah was arrested and interrogated
on suspicion of inciting acts of terror and supporting an unlawful
organization,”police said. He was arrested following a joint investigation
between police and the Shin Bet, which was conducted at the behest of Israeli
Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit, it added.Anadolu Agency
Hamas: Israel seeking to
legitimize its crimes by claiming tunnels exist under Gazan houses
Hamas has warned that
Israel is trying to “legitimize” its crimes by spreading rumours about the
existence of tunnels under Palestinian home in Gaza strip.Through its
spokesperson Hazem Qassem, Hamas responded to allegations made by the Israel
occupation forces’ southern commander, that there are tunnels under two of
Gazan houses and north of the strip. In a statement released on Monday, Qassem
asserted that such allegations represent a futile Israeli strategy that aims to
undermine the morale of Palestinians. middleeastmonitor
US Ambassador’s daughter
moves to Israel
The daughter of US
Ambassador David Friedman has moved permanently to Israel along with 232 other
American Jews, according to Ynet News.Talia Friedman, formerly a nurse in New
York, was welcomed by her father, who praised her decision to become an Israeli
citizen. “As a father, I celebrate my daughter Talia’s realisation of a
life-long dream to become part of the State of Israel,” he said.Friedman has
long been a supporter of the Israeli occupation.Friedman is not the only US
official to have children settle in Israel. Special Envoy for the Peace Process
Jason Greenblatt also announced on Sunday via Twitter that three of his
children will be spending their gap year in the country. Middleeastmonitor
Rohingya group says Myanmar
engaged in 'genocide'
Washington:The deployment
of extra troops to Myanmar’s troubled Rakhine state is to further the “Rohingya
genocide”, according to a group representing Muslim minority on Tuesday. Army dispatched
a battalion, around 500 soldiers, to the Maungdaw area of northern Rakhine,
where Rohingya Muslims form the majority, on Thursday.Hla Kyaw, chairman of the
European Rohingya Council, said the troops were from the 33rd Light Infantry
Division, which he described as “the most notorious military unit when it comes
to the serious violation of human rights against ethnic communities”.He said deployment
was designed to establish a permanent military presence in Rakhine as well as “advancement
of Rohingya genocide.”Anadolu
Several people killed in
attacks on UN camps in Mali
UN says unidentified gunmen
attacked the HQRS of UN peacekeeping force in the northern Mali city of
Timbuktu, killing 7 people and injuring 7 others.UN peacekeeping mission says 6
assailants also were killed by UN peacekeepers in the attack on Monday. The
mission says 5 Malian security guards and a Malian contractor working for the
mission were killed along with a member of the Malian gendarmerie. UN deputy
spokesman Farhan Haq said earlier on Monday that unidentified gunmen attacked 2
neighbouring UN camps in Douentza in the Mopti region of central Mali, killing
one Malian soldier and one UN peacekeeper. 2 assailants also died in those
attacks. Aljazeera
US anti-hate demonstrators
topple Confederate statue
Protesters in the US state
of North Carolina toppled a nearly century-old statue of a Confederate soldier
at a rally against racism as the backlash against a deadly white nationalist
gathering last weekend continued.Activists in Durham brought a ladder up to the
statue on Monday and used a rope to pull down the Confederate Soldiers Monument
that was dedicated in 1924. A diverse crowd of dozens cheered as the statue of
a soldier holding a rifle fell to ground in front of an old courthouse building
that now houses local Govt offices.aljazeera
FLASH: VIEWS & NEWS
A million dead, 12m
refugees and wars that still rumble on: Terrible price of carving up of India, Mirror
UK
It is under a regime that
thrives on instilling fear, suppressing dissent:Kapil Sibal, indianexpress
As India turns 70, a sombre
reminder of stolen freedoms:Harsh Mander, scroll
Foisting flag: Orders to
madrasas in UP and MP bear dangerous message of domination:Apoorvanand
Yasmin Khan, British
historian, explains how Partition story has been core to foundation of India
and Pakistan, but peace is required to forge a shared sense of history
Modi’s inclusive call: Need
for religious leaders to build bridges:Frank F. Islam
Gorakhpur tragedy:
Allegations against Kafeel Ahmed false, reveal Hindutva brigade's
bigotry:Sandipan Sharma
India at 70: Why Hindu
nationalists are afraid of Mughals; Audrey Truschke
http://www.dailyo.in/politics/mughal-history-mughalsarai-hindu-right-rss-hindutva/story/1/18955.html
India at 70: Are we
becoming a Hindu Rashtra?Rajdeep Sardesai
BJP Spokesperson Sambit
Patra defames former Vice President Hamid Ansari: Pratik Sinha
Barkatullah Bhopali: Great
revolutionary who formed Govt of India in exile
Azadi in the underground,
when freedom came late in Hyderabad: Muhammad Khaja Moinuddin
Gorakhpur’s Dr Kafeel Khan:
What We Know About Him & What We Don’t: thequint
Compiled and edited by Anwarulhaq (Released at: 5:47 PM)
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