Evening NEWS
DIGEST
26
Sept. 2017: 05 Muharram 1439:Vol:9, No:04
Kerala's yoga centre holds captive converted persons, forces them to abandon conversion or inter faith marriage, exposes
Hindu woman, who tortured for 22 days after marrying a Christian
"They tortured me for 22 days, locked me
inside the centre, mentally and physically harassed me until I promised to do
whatever they ask me to," says 28-year-old Swetha, a native of Kerala's
Thrissur district. Swetha, a Hindu woman, says she was forcefully confined in a
‘yoga centre’ in Ernakulam for 22 days, where the staff, paid by her family,
had one agenda: To force her to abandon her husband, a Christian.She says that
the yoga centre is actually an anti-conversion clinic for women who married
outside their faith or converted to Christianity or Islam to marry a man of
their choice. She says that the staff at centre subjected her two days of
‘counselling’, asking her to either abandon her husband, or convince him to
embrace Hinduism. She further alleges that there are several more people locked
up in the anti-conversion clinic - and one of the inmates she saw there was
Athira, a woman who converted back to Hinduism from Islam recently.Swetha, a
native of Kannur district, is an ayurveda doctor.She was in a relationship with
Rinto Isac, a photographer who resides in Thrissur district. Rinto is a
practicing Christian and Swetha's family objected to their wedding.After being
in a relationship for 3 years, Swetha left home on Nov.8, 2016 and the duo got
married in a private temple ceremony in Peechi in Thrissur. Rinto's parents
accepted their relationship and the couple began living together in Thrissur.
After a few months, they registered their marriage under the Special Marriages
Act."For 10 months after our wedding, we lived happily," Swetha says.
Meanwhile, Swetha's parents began speaking to the couple.On July 28, Swetha
went to her sister's house in Moovattupuzha, for the sister's house-warming
ceremony.Their parents had come down from Kannur for the ceremony. Things took
a horrific turn on July 31, Swetha says. "My parents, my sister and her
husband told me that we were going to Lulu mall. After going there, they told
me that my sister wanted to join yoga classes and went to this particular
centre. Once inside, a counsellor named Sujith spoke to all of us. When he
began talking, I understood that we hadn't gone there for any yoga class, but
the matter was my marriage to a Christian man. The counselor told me that
inter-religious marriages are complicated and that such couples have to face
many problems," Swetha says. A second round of ‘counselling’ was given to
Swetha and her mother. Following this, the counsellor spoke to her in private. "Then,
his tone completely changed. He began threatening me to leave my husband, or
get him to convert to Hinduism if we wanted to live together. He asked me what
religion our children would follow, and I said that I didn’t mind if they
embraced Christianity. He threatened me saying he will kill my husband and that
they won't let our kids follow Christianity," Swetha says.While Swetha
tried running away from the place, all the doors were shut, she
says."Initially my parents had put me there for a 3-day counselling
course, but then they convinced my parents that I needed to stay there
longer," Swetha says. Siva Sakthi Yoga Centre functions out of a house in
Kandanadu. Swetha alleges that the 2-storey house had about 65 inmates, 59
women and 6 men, who either converted to other religions or married outside
their religion. 15 staff members of the centre, too, lived in the house. The
inmates were barred from going to the first floor. On the ground floor where
they were kept, there were two large rooms that doubled up as dormitories for
the inmates to sleep. They slept on the floor.Their day would begin at 4.15
every morning, Swetha explains. If they failed to wake up, the staff would pour
water into their ears, she alleges. The rest of the day was spent doing yoga
and prayers, and attending classes on religion. These classes would explain the
different religious teachings to the inmates, but Swetha says there were also
‘private’ sessions, where the instructors would demonise the Bible and the
Quran.She says that the inmates were barred from interacting with each other
and that the staff had threatened them saying that the whole building was under
CCTV surveillance and there were voice recorders installed. “There, I also met
Athira, the girl from Kasargod who converted to Islam and recently returned to
Hinduism after she underwent a course at Aarsha Vidya Samajam,” she claims. “Staff
members used to beat me when I questioned them about religion and their ways of
teaching," Swetha alleges.She says that the bathrooms at the centre didn't
have any locks, as the staff claimed that it was a precautionary measure, since
many girls had attempted to kill themselves in the past.For the initial 3-day
counselling, Swetha says that her parents paid Rs 15,000. When her mother left
after the third day, she paid an additional Rs 5000.Meanwhile, for her husband
Rinto, repeated efforts to contact Swetha went in vain. Her mobile phone was
found to be switched off and her parents only told him that Swetha had gone for
a counselling course.“The last time I spoke to her, she had told me that they
were going to Lulu mall the next day. After that, I was not able to contact her
at all. When her parents failed to give convincing replies, I knew something
was wrong,” Rinto says.On Aug.10, still unable to speak to his wife, Rinto
filed a habeas corpus petition, but the petition was only heard by the court on
Tuesday, Sept.26, after Swetha had come back home. "On Aug.21, they finally
let me go," says Swetha.This was only after Swetha promised that she would
convince her husband to convert."By then I knew that there was no way out
for me if I didn't oblige to their demands. So I acted as if I am convinced by
whatever they told me.That's how they let me go," Swetha says.Once she
returned home, Swetha filed a complaint with the Udayamperoor police, and a
team visited the yoga/anti-conversion centre on Monday and issued a stop memo. According
to reports, the police have booked Manoj, the director of yoga centre, Sujith
belonging to Perumbalam, and Smitha, Lekshmi and Sreejesh. thenewsminute
Kerala Hindu girl: Yoga centre allegedly
teaching evils of ‘Christianity & Islam”, torturing Hindu girls
Kerala shocker! Woman claims torture by
religious centre for marrying Christian, says 65 others incarcerated
Malegaon blast: HC grants bail to retired
Major Upadhyay
Mumbai: Bombay High Court has granted bail to
retired Major Ramesh Upadhyay, an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case.
Accepting Upadhyay’s plea on the ground of parity — since the other prime
accused in the case have been granted bail by the high court and the apex court
— a bench of Justices Ranjit More and Sadhna Jadhav granted him bail against a
personal bond of Rs 1 lakh.While the NIA counsel Sandesh Patil opposed the bail
plea, the HC said its hands were tied in view of the apex court’s directions on
parity.The court also asked if Upadhyay’s role in the blasts was larger than
that of prime accused Shrikant Purohit.Upadhyay’s counsel, however, denied the
same and said, “The apex court had recently granted bail to Purohit and that
the trial court in Mumbai had also let out two other accused persons in the
case, Sudhakar Chaturvedi and Sudhakar Dhar Dwivedi. Thus, Upadhyay too must be
granted bail.”NIA, in its charge sheet, had cited transcripts of phone
conversations between Upadhyay and Purohit as prime evidence against the
former.PTI
Karnataka HC Judge who ordered CBI probe in
Ishrat Jahan case quits
Bengaluru:The senior most judge of the
Karnataka High Court Justice Jayant M Patel has resigned close on the heels of
the Supreme Court collegium ordering his transfer to the Allahabad high court.
The resignation is perceived to be a result as an attempt to prevent Justice
Patel from becoming the acting chief justice of Karnataka when the incumbent
Justice S K Mukherjee retires on Oct.9. Office of Justice at the Karnataka HC
confirmed that the judge had sent in his resignation. Justice Patel is best
known as the judge who ordered a CBI probe into the killing of Ishrat Jahan and
3 others in Gujarat when Narendra Modi was the CM .He is considered an upright
judge by lawyers who have presented arguments in his court. “This decision to
resign is clearly because of the way he has been treated. Knowing Justice Patel
it is a serious decision that he has taken and is unlikely to now change his
mind. He seems to have chosen to go on his own terms,’’ a senior advocate in
the Karnataka High Court said. indianexpress
Maharashtra madrassas come under scanner, govt
to study religious institutions' functioning: Zee news
Mumbai: The Devendra Fadnavis Govt has set up
a committee to study whether madrassas in Maharashtra are functioning as per
the parameters set by Govt. Muslim religious institutions have been using funds
allotted by the state Govt to impart modern education apart from religious
teachings to its students. The committee, set up by the Govt , will scrutinize
the Govt grants and funds being utilised
by these religious institutions. As per reports, the initiative has, however,
irked a section of people and a political furore on the matter is expected
anytime soon. zeenews
Madrassa students should not pay heed to
external calls of jihad from wahabis: Syrian official head cleric
Lucknow: Indians should steer clear of
mercenaries and infiltrators and stay unified against extremism, while madrassa
students should not pay heed to external calls of jihad from wahabis, said
Syrian Arab Republic's general mufti Ahmad Badr Eddine Hassoun. Hassoun is on a
2-day visit to the city. He said there
should be a meeting of all religious heads to safeguard India."Syrian
crisis is not sectarian or religious. It is political interference of the
western world, especially US, UK, Israel and Saudi Arabia, who want to destroy
Arab countries. The situation is widely misrepresented by these forces who
don't want the world to know the truth and this is why we have come here to
share the truth with not just our Muslim brethren but all Indians," said
Hassoun.The mufti was accompanied by Syrian envoy to India Riyadh Abbas and his
political adviser Mazen Nasri. He compared India and Syria and cautioned
madrassa students here against extremism and terrorism.Their visit was
organised by the ministry of external affairs.TOI
BHU violence: NHRC issue notices to UP govt,
V-C on inaction over eve-teasing complaint
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/banaras-hindu-university-nhrc-uttar-pradesh-varanasi-4862285/
Following violence on BHU campus, NHRC issued
notices to UP Govt and BHU V-C on inaction over eve-teasing complaint and harsh
police action against students. In a statement to the media, NHRC said: “Suo
motu cognizance taken in subsequent use of unwarranted manhandling and
thrashing of agitating students, mostly women, by UP police. Notices issued to
Chief Secy, DGP UP and BHU VC calling for a detailed report in the matter. The
response is expected within 4 weeks.”
It was molestation at BHU and not
‘eve-teasing’: Mind your language, Mr V-C: Zehra Kazmi
BHU admin did not handle situation well: Commissioner’s
report
Varanasi Commissioner Nitin Gokarn has
submitted a report in connection with lathi-charge on protesting students in
BHU and blamed the university administration for the violence. Gokarn has in
the report, sent to Chief Secretary Rajiv Kumar, said that BHU did not deal
with the victim’s complaint in a sensitive manner and did not handle the
situation on time, said a senior administrative official.IANS
If we listen to every girl, we can’t run the
university: BHU V-C Girish Chandra Tripathi
About 50 Academicians, activists demand
judicial probe into BHU incident
New Delhi: About 50 academicians and rights
activists have written to President Ram Nath Kovind and PM Narendra Modi demanding a judicial probe into
the police lathi charge on the students of BHU.They also demanded that
accountability of the BHU authorities should also be fixed, saying the V-C Girish
Chandra Tripathi has completely failed to ensure protection of the students
“and their rights to free speech.”“We demand immediate action be taken against
the police for the brutal act, suspension of SP/DIG, judicial inquiry of the
event and meeting the demands of the students and ensure their treatment and
safety. We demand accountability of the University authorities as students are
living and studying within the BHU premises and their safety has to be
guaranteed by the head of the institution,” they stated in a letter addressed
to the President and the PM .Aruna Roy, Nikhil Dey, Harsh Mander are among the
rights activists who have signed the letters addressed to the President and the
PM. Satish Deshpande and Apoorva Anand from Delhi University; Ayesha Kidwai and
Nivedita Menon from JNU are among the academicians who have signed the letters.
Meanwhile,Amnesty International India also demanded that University authorities
“must not” turn a blind eye to complaints of sexual harassment. deccanherald
BHU Violence: Academicians, Activists write to
President, PM, demand immediate action
UP govt. orders judicial probe into BHU
violence
A number of students, including women, and two
journalists were injured in a lathi charge by the police on the campus after a
protest turned violent.UP Govt on
Tuesday ordered a judicial inquiry into the violence on the campus of the BHU.A
number of students, including women, and two journalists were injured in a
lathi charge by the police whwn a protest on Saturday night against an alleged
eve-teasing incident turned violent.“A judicial inquiry has been ordered into the
incidents,” Govt spokesperson and
Minister Srikant Sharma said in Lucknow. He was speaking to journalists after a
meeting of the Cabinet chaired by CM Yogi Adityanath.Sharma, however, did not
elaborate as to whether the probe would be conducted by a retired or a sitting
judge. PTI
Hyderabad police continue crackdown on 'child
brides' nexus, arrest qazi and Omani broker
Hyderabad police continued its crackdown on
Arab sheikhs visiting the city in search of minor brides, by announcing the
arrest of chief accused qazi Ali Abdullah Rifai on Tuesday, along with three
more Omani nationals. Announcing the qazi's arrest, the police said in a press
release, "Instead of restricting himself to his legitimate duties, he
indulged in providing girls to foreign nationals by maintaining a network of
middlemen and women to search for the girls and keep them 'ready' as per the
requirement," "In this case, the accused Al Sheyadi Sulaman Khamis
Salim (60), along with his son and an Omani agent approached the qazi on
September 13 and requested him to provide a girl between the age of 15 and
17," the police added.As per the regular practice, the accused qazi
informed his sources and brought some girls but they were rejected. They were
searching for another minor when they learned about the police investigation
and the qazi absconded. He was tracked
down later and arrested by a special team of the Hyderabad police from an
undisclosed locationThe police also arrested one Nayab Qazi Ibrahim Shareef for
facilitating the marriages and helping the chief qazi in his operations.The
police said that he would lure young girls by 'misguiding' them about a bright
future in the Gulf countries."He also helped with notary work and other
paperwork for the Arab nationals for the marriages," the police said. The
police also announced the arrest of an Omani broker, identified as Al Shayadi
Mohammed Khaifan Mohammed who would allegedly visit India along with the Omani
nationals and was an acquaintance of the tainted qazi.The broker and the qazi
were said to be constantly in contact with each other via WhatsApp, and the
police are also analysing their call records, to determine their other victims.
Besides that, an Omani national, Al Awdi Yasir Abdullah Hamdan was also
arrested for his close ties to the qazi, and for marrying a girl from
Talabkatta in Hyderabad. thenewsminute
Hyderabad qazi arrested in child bride ring
Gujarati woman behind 'blasphemous' anti-Islam
viral video gives Hyd police the slip
History-sheeter Sonu Dangar, who allegedly
made derogatory comments on Prophet Mohammed and Islam in a viral social media
video, proved elusive for a team of the Hyderabad police on Monday.A 3-member
team of Charminar police had been sent to Rajkot to arrest her, even as the
Gujarat police is also on the lookout for her.TOI reported that police team
searched her house at Akshara Nagar, and suspected that she fled to UP .“With
the help of Gujarat police, our teams are making efforts to trace the
accused.We have certain information on her movement and she will be tracked
soon,"ACP Charminar K Ashok Chakravarthy said. A massive protest was
organised in Hyderabad's last week, and several Muslim organisations conducted
a rally from Charminar to the office of the South Zone DCP.Groups were
protesting against alleged derogatory comments made on Prophet Mohammed by Gujarati
woman on social media, which went viral over the last two weeks. A police
officer who watched the video, told TNM earlier, that the video took several
derogatory digs at Muslims. thenewsminute
Honeypreet's bail plea: Delhi High court
reserves order, asks her to surrender
Delhi High Court has reserved its order on the
anticipatory bail plea of Honeypreet Insan, who is wanted by the Haryana Police
in connection with incidents of violence following conviction of Dera Sacha
Sauda chief, saying the "easiest way out" for her would be to
surrender. Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal, after hearing arguments on behalf of
Honeypreet and the police of Delhi and Haryana, said she would pass an order on
it. The order is likely to be pronounced later today.TOI
Burqa-clad woman caught on CCTV, cops probe if
she's Honeypreet
Bare-Chested Girls In Madurai Temple Ritual,
'Worshipped' Like 'Goddesses': NDTV
Madurai: Young girls forced to live
bare-chested at a temple in Tamil Nadu's Madurai as part of a bizarre ritual
have been spared more indignity after the administration ordered today that
they must be allowed to cover their bodies.7 girls decked up like goddesses,
with only jewellery to cover their chest, spend 15 days in the care of a male
priest as part of the annual ritual. Only girls who haven't reached puberty are
sent to the temple."It is an ancient custom. Parents send their girls
voluntarily," said Madurai collector K Veera Raghava Rao, who ordered
clothes for the girls to ensure they were not harassed or abused."We
informed the villages that the girls have to be properly clothed. They can wear
jewellery over their clothes," he added.Rao asserted, however, that a team
of officials investigated and found no abuse of children at the temple.
""They treat them as goddesses," he said.More than 60 villages
that participate in the ritual worship the girls like goddesses. A video
recorded by online portal The Covai Post reveals bare chested girls walking
into the temple with offerings. Another show the girls playfully taking a
shower taking water from a small tank inside the temple area.NDTV
Refugees in Delhi: Living in India a struggle
but Myanmar is a threat to our existence, say Chin migrants
In Myanmar, largest minorities are Shan (9%)
and Karen (7%). Other indigenous minority groups include Mon, Rakhine, Chin,
Kachin, Kayan, Danu, Akha, Kokang, Lahu, Rohingya, Tavoyan, and Wa. Replying to
a query posed by Firstpost earlier in the year, UNHCR had said, "There are
around 5,000 Chin refugees and asylum seekers from Myanmar registered with the
UNHCR in India. Chin community lives mainly in West Delhi and many of them have
been in India for a long time. While the financial condition of many Chin
refugees is weak, most of them are working in the informal sector to support
themselves and their families,""Many Chin refugees have also been
issued long-term visas which are expected to ease their access to higher education
and employment opportunities in the formal sector." It should be noted
that UNHCR identification card given to refugees in India has no legal
validity, which is why employment in the formal sector or booking train tickets
or even acquiring phone numbers becomes nearly impossible for them.To separate
truth from conjecture, Firstpost visited the refugees in their homes at Janak
Puri, Vikas Puri, Sitapuri and Bindapur – nondescript postal codes in West
Delhi where a large number of homes are carelessly constructed and often
threaten to collapse; small shops selling cell phone batteries, bags and
groceries pop up randomly, anywhere. Firstpost
Not Only Rohingyas, Myanmar Has A History Of
Deporting Thousands Of Indians Too, Here's The Story
Don't deport Rohingya, writes Varun Gandhi;
Modi minister says statement against national interest
New Delhi:Shortly after BJP's Lok Sabha MP
Varun Gandhi wrote a piece in a national newspaper slamming the Govt's policy
of deporting the Rohingya refugees, a senior minister from the Narendra Modi
cabinet hit back, saying the statement is against national interest.In his
column, Gandhi, a Member of Parliament from Sultanpur in UP , has asked the Govt
to keep in mind not just international
agreements India is a signatory to, but also "the rich Indian
tradition" of helping refugees. "4 crore people have sought refuge in
India since independence," he wrote in Navbharat Times today and later
shared the piece with his 56,000-plus followers on Twitter. Gandhi also called
for a national refugee policy, which differentiates between people fleeing a
country following persecution as opposed to those fleeing poverty.The Govt ,
which has decided to deport nearly 40,000 Rohingya Muslims, is furious.
"Anybody who has the national interest in mind will not make such a
statement," Minister of State for Home Hansraj Ahir said. Ahir added that
the Govt is using full force to stop the
Rohingya from settling in India since they are a security threat.IndiaToday
Govt should take stern steps for displacing
Rohingyas:VHP leader Prachi
In outreach effort, RSS invites Dalit, Muslim
as guests
Nagpur:A Muslim homeopath doctor was invited
to be the chief guest at the RSS's annual Shastra Puja function on Sunday by
the organisation's children's wing. The outreach to minorities would get
further bolstered on Dussehra, when RSS mega function addressed by its chief
Mohan Bhagwat will have a Dalit religious leader Nirmal Das Maharaj from
Punjab's Jalandhar district as the chief guest.Neither Das nor Munnawar Yusuf
have any links to RSS. Yusuf runs his medical practice at Shanti Nagar, a
locality dominated by Shias with whom the Sangh parivar has better relations
among Muslim sects.Das heads Siriguru Sadhu Ravidas Sampradai in Punjab,
working among Dalits. Yusuf said that some RSS activists, including its former
deputy chief Laxmanrao Pardhi, were his friends.Asked if he subscribed to the
RSS ideology, the doctor Yusuf said that wasn't a consideration since it was a
kids' function. He said he faced no opposition from his community.TOI
No extension for ex-judge Odisha HC judge
Quddusi’s CBI remand
New Delhi: A special court Monday rejected
CBI’s application seeking retired Odisha High Court Judge Ishrat Masroor
Quddusi’s further remand in a medical scam case on the ground that the agency
had not been able to “give any plausible, convincing and justifiable ground”
for seeking the extension.CBI sought 3 days remand of three accused — Quddusi,
BP Yadav and Vishwanath Agarwala — saying that they “showed non-coperation” and
that Quddusi “obtained installment of gratification” from one of the accused.
The judge sent all 6 accused to judicial custody.Special Judge Manoj Jain said:
“I am of the view that CBI has not been able to give any plausible, convincing,
justifiable ground for extension of police custody remand. The remand has been
given for four days earlier and admittedly all accused remained in Delhi and
were not taken outside Delhi, and therefore the CBI had a sufficient period”
for interrogating them.The defence submitted to the court that the accused have
the right to maintain silence and they don’t have any further statements to
make. The defence also submitted that all accused had extended full
co-operation and voice samples were given by them to CBI. The defence said
there was “no reason, much less a cogent one” to extend the police remand.CBI
had arrested six accused and the case against Justice Quddusi and others
relates to a UP-based private medical college, Prasad Institute of Medical
Sciences, which was among the medical institutes barred by the Govt from admitting new students because of
shortcomings in infrastructure. The issue was challenged in the Supreme Court
by the college. The court directed Govt to consider the material on record
afresh and B P Yadav, who runs the college along with Palash Yadav, got in
touch with Justice Quddusi and Bhawana Pandey and they allegedly “entered into
a conspiracy for getting the matter settled”. indianexpress
Ex-vice Prez of AMUSU Nadeem Ansari attacked,
injured
Aligarh: Ex-vice president of the AMU
students’ union was shot at and stabbed by two assailants, leaving him
seriously injured, the police said today. According to University Proctor Prof
Mohsin Khan, incident took place in Dodhpur locality, adjoining the AMU campus
in Civil Lines area yesterday night. Nadeem Ansari was rushed to the Jawaharlal
Nehru Medical College where doctors said that he was “stable” and out of
danger. Police said Ansari was shot at and stabbed by two armed assailants who
forced him to stop while he was heading to his home in a two-wheeler.“The
bullet missed his vital organs and passed through his shoulders. The miscreants
then stabbed him but by then locals rushed to his rescue. The attackers then
sped away,” Prof Khan said Tuesday. In his statement to police, Ansari has named
two former students of the University – Salman and Arman – both resident of
Badaun district.PTI
Hizb commander Abdul Qayoom Najar killed in
Baramulla
New Delhi:The security forces on Tuesday
gunned down Hizbul Mujahideen commander Abdul Qayoom Najar in an encounter in
Baramulla, J&K Police said. Najar
carried a reward of Rs 10,00000 on his head. According to reports, Najar, the
oldest surviving militant and top commander, was gunned killed while
infiltrating into Valley in Uri. This comes hours after security forces foiled
an infiltration bid by Pakistan’s Border Action Team in Kupwara.Earlier this
month, Army gunned down the mastermind of Amarnath Yatra attack Abu Ismail is
an encounter in Nowgam. indianexpress
Protest against NIA ‘high-handedness’:
Traders’ strike shuts down parts of Valley
Srinagar:A shutdown was observed in several
parts of Srinagar on Monday as separatist leaders, traders and transporters
called a strike against alleged “high-handedness” of NIA. Separatist leaders
had on Sunday extended support to the shutdown called by traders and
transporters’ associations against NIA’s decision to summon Yasin Khan,
president of Kashmir Traders and Manufacturers Federation.On Monday,
restrictions were imposed in areas under the jurisdiction of five police
stations: Maharaj Gunj, Rainawari, Khanyar, Safa Kadal and Nowhatta. “The
decision was taken in view of the strike called by the traders and transporters
and supported by the separatist leaders”, a police official said.Most shops
remained closed in the business hub of Lal Chowk and public transport was off
roads. Schools across Kashmir remained closed and train services were suspended
as a precautionary measure. Many traders staged a sit-in at Pratap Park in
central Srinagar to protest the NIA summons for Khan. Indianexpress
Mehbooba Mufti sees shoots of peace
“sprouting” in Kashmir
SRINAGAR:Shoots of peace are “sprouting” in
the terrorism-hit Jammu and Kashmir and the government is working towards
making people lead a dignified life, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has said.In
an interview to PTI, the 58-year-old Ms. Mufti welcomed the recent attempts by
the Centre and the ruling party to reach out to Kashmiris, starting with Prime
Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day speech where he asked the countrymen
to embrace Kashmiris.PTI
No Indian troops in Afghanistan, says
Sitharaman after talks with US defence secy James Mattis
New Delhi: India on Tuesday ruled out
deploying its troops in Afghanistan but will expand its development activities
to help stabilize the war-torn country.“There shall not be any (Indian) boots
on the ground in Afghanistan,” defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman said after
talks with visiting US Defence Secretary James Mattis here.She said there was a
growing convergence between India and the US over the issue of terrorism in the
region and condemnation of those who use terror as an instrument of state
policy. hindustantimes
India, US should go for pre-emptive strikes,
destroy Pak's N-assets: Ex-US senator
Mumbai: Suggesting that both India and the US
conduct pre-emptive strikes inside Pakistan to destroy its nuclear sites (where
weapons have either already been stored or are being made), former US Senator
Larry Pressler said that Donald Trump may turn out to be the best American
president yet for India as he had recently put Pakistan on notice for
harbouring terrorists.But for this to happen, Trump would have to get around
the Pentagon, which always encouraged Pakistan, he said. Such encouragement
emboldened Pakistan to attack India as "the mother of terrorism" and
"predator" at UN general assembly session on Sunday, he added.
Trump's description of the Pentagon as "a swamp" was a good sign, he
noted, hoping US president would drain it soon (as he'd promised). A 3-term
Senator and twice a member of the House of Representatives, Pressler (75)
authored the famous Pressler Amendment which in 1990 blocked US military aid to
Pakistan when the then US President George H W Bush could not certify Pakistan
was not developing nukes.As the delivery of close to 30 F-16 aircraft to
Islamabad was barred, Pressler, then a Republican and head of the Senate's arms
control subcommittee, became something of a hero in India and, in his own
words, "a devil in Pakistan." His new book, Neighbours in Arms,
engagingly tells the story of the amendment and of the US foreign policy that
enabled Pakistan to develop nuclear weapons and casts a severe spotlight on the
culture of lobbying in Washington and the grip of the military-industrial state
("the Octopus") inside the US. timesofindia
'India hiding behind a photo' says Pak, after
its UN ambassador shows a fake photo in General Assembly
New Delhi: After India demolished Pakistan at UN
for waving around a fake photo of alleged atrocities in Kashmir, Pakistan said India
is "seeking to hide behind a photograph". "Raking up (a) picture
can't hide India's war crimes in occupied Kashmir," said Tipu Usman, a
counsellor at Pakistan's permanent mission to the UN, to the UN General
Assembly on Monday. He tweeted parts of his address and posted a summary of it
on Facebook."India who kills and tortures innocent Kashmiris is seeking to
hide behind a photograph. This shows its desperation and a vain effort to
conceal its guilt," said Usman.He also spoke at length about injuries sustained
by Kashmiris after security forces used pellet guns. Again without mentioning
that Pakistan lied about the photo, Usman said there are "thousands
of" pictures of injured Kashmiris for everyone to see. He alleged that
that India was using "diversionary tactics" in bringing to the UNGA's
attention that Pakistan lied about the photo"India's diversionary tactics
will not change the situation on ground. It is the situation on ground that
India has to answer for," said Usman.Then, Usman said again that India was
"raking up" the issue of the photo."Raking up debate on pictures
has backfired. Your own people do not buy your argument," said Usman.TOI
Chinese daily chides Sushma over UN speech
against Pak
Beijing:A Chinese daily has slammed India's
Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj for her strong criticism of Pakistan for
harbouring terrorists, saying it is "politically imbecilic and
unsophisticated" to think that Islamabad exports terrorism.The editorial
in state-run Global Times defending Pakistan against its failure to flush out
terrorists is not surprising as China has always lavished praise on its
"all-weather ally" for being at the "forefront" of tackling
terrorism.The paper, run by Communist Party, said Sushma Swaraj's speech at the
UN reflected India's arrogance and "bigotry" towards Pakistan. The
newspaper said, "India's bigotry toward Pakistan doesn't match its
much-vaunted ambition to be a world power. By inflaming nationalism in the
Indian public, Indians become more determined to make India first than even US
President Donald Trump's 'America First'.With the smooth development of its
economy and foreign relations in recent years, an arrogant India has looked
down on Pakistan and assumed a haughty air with China."IANS
Army chief warns Pak: 2nd surgical
strike if it is required
New Delhi:Stating that the surgical strikes in
PoK last year were meant to send a message to Pakistan, Army chief General
Bipin Rawat on Monday warned that similar strikes can occur again if the
neighbouring country “does not behave”.“Surgical strikes were a message that we
wanted to communicate, and I think they understand that,”General Rawat said
after releasing the book India’s Most Fearless: True Stories of Modern Military
Heroes by Shiv Aroor and Rahul Singh. “If required, and if the adversary does
not behave, then we have to continue with these kind of activities.”“But there
are also other ways of doing these things and (they may) not take the same form,”
he said. Indianexpress
Fuel rates up 8% since daily price regime,
says ICRA
Petrol and diesel prices have jumped 8% since
daily price revision was implemented in mid-June, credit rating agency ICRA
said on Tuesday, warning that a sustained price hike can hit demand growth and
create inflationary pressures.PTI
More inter-caste marriages happen when groom's
mother is educated, finds study
It’s an open secret in India that no matter
how progressive Indian families claim to be, most would prefer their children
to marry within their caste and community. The institution of endogamy - which
is custom of marrying only within the limits of one’s caste or community -
reinforces the caste system. The popular perception remains that better
education leads to more liberal outlook which counters caste biases and is
welcoming of inter-caste marriages, especially in urban, financially stable
households.However, a study has found something quite surprising.Whose
Education Matters?An Analysis Of Inter-Caste Marriages In India by researchers
Tridip Ray, Arka Roy Chaudhuri and Komal Sahai found that education of the
couple has very little to do with the likelihood of the marriage being an
inter-caste one. The most prominent variable which influences the rate of
inter-caste marriages is the education of the groom’s mother, the study
found.In fact, the study says that an increase in the groom’s mother’s
education by 10 years would increase the probability of an inter-caste marriage
by 1.86%. The researchers have used data from the Indian Human Development
Survey(IHDS).It is a “nationally representative household panel survey
conducted in 384 districts, composed of 1420 villages and 1042 urban
neighborhoods across all states and union territories of India.” thenewsminute
WORLD
Initial results shown 93% voters support Iraqi
Kurdistan independence: electoral commission
Baghdad:Electoral commission supervising the
independence referendum said Tuesday that initial results have shown that 93% of
Iraqi Kurds support Kurdistan independence from Iraq, Alsumaria News reported.It
quoted the independent commission as saying that while vote counting was still
running, initial results show that 93% of voters support independence, compared
to 6.71% objecting.Those are the results achieved after counting 282,000
ballots, according to the commission. A representative of the commission said,
however, that results can still change as the counting continues, with results
slated for announcement on Thursday.It said nearly 3.3 million voters, out of
5.2 eligibles, took part in the polls, putting turnout at an estimated 72.16
percent.Xinhua
Vote count under way after large turnout for Kurdish
independence referendum
Iraqi Kurds count referendum votes
Kurdistan: Erdogan says Iraqi Kurds risk
‘ethnic war’ and threatens military response to vote
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has
warned that the referendum on support for independence for Iraqi Kurdistan next
door risks sparking an "ethnic war" in the region. In a speech at the
presidential palace in Ankara on Tuesday, Erdogan reiterated that all options,
including the military, are on the table to protect Turkey's security.He also
repeated his Monday threat to cut off the pipeline which exports the autonomous
Kurdish KRG of Iraq's oil across Turkish border. "Until the very last
moment, we weren't expecting Barzani to make such a mistake as holding the
referendum. Apparently we were wrong," Erdogan said, referring to KRG
President Masoud Barzani."This referendum decision, which has been taken
without any consultation, is treachery."Iraq's Kurds would starve, he
added, if Turkey decided to close its long border with northern Iraq, warning
that economic and military action were both options on the table for Ankara.
While it has been met with enthusiasm by the Kurdish diaspora all over the
world, Baghdad and Iraq's Arab population have expressed their concerns that
areas voting in the referendum include Kirkuk, an ethnically mixed and oil-rich
province. Increasing unrest there in recent days has led to worries that the
likely "yes" result could lead to Arab-Kurdish violence. The
Independent
Turkey threatens retaliation after Iraqi
Kurdish vote
Iraq, Turkey forces in joint drills after
Kurdish vote
Iraq's army has paired with Turkish forces to
conduct joint military drills on the two nations’ shared border, military
officials said. Iraqi soldiers arrived in Turkey late on Monday ahead of
exercises due to be carried out on Tuesday in Habur, near Turkey's southeastern
border with Iraq, a Turkish military statement said.The joint drills come after
Iraqi Kurds held a referendum on independence in the semi-autonomous Kurdish
region of northern Iraq on Monday, in defiance of the Turkish and Iraqi govt.
Tuesday's drills will conclude Turkey's military exercises in its southeastern
region, which began on Sept.18, a week before Monday's vote. aljazeera
Iraq refuses talks with Kurds about referendum
results
Iraqi Govt will not hold talks with Kurdistan KRG
about the results of Monday's "unconstitutional" referendum on
independence in northern Iraq, Iraqi PM Haider al-Abadi said. "We are not
ready to discuss or have a dialogue about the results of the referendum because
it is unconstitutional," Abadi said in a speech broadcast on state TV on
Monday night."Most of the problems of the [Kurdish] region are internal
ones, not with Baghdad, and will be increased with the calls for
separation," Abadi said, adding: "The economic and financial problems
the region is suffering from are the result of corruption and
mis-administration," the PM said. aljazeera
PKK/PYD forces Arabs to fight Daesh in Syria:
Witnesses
Raqqah, Syria: PKK/PYD terror group is forcing
young Arabs to fight Daesh terrorist group in Raqqah province in northeastern
Syria, according to eyewitnesses. Speaking to Anadolu Agency on Tuesday, a
25-year-old said he was forced to join the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces
(SDF) to fight Daesh. "After a brief training, Arab youth are sent to the
front,” he said. “They are either killed by Daesh during combats or by PKK/PYD
if they withdraw”. "More than 500 people fled from PKK/PYD and took
shelter in their villages,” he claimed. “Many of them, however, were recaptured
by PKK/PYD during raids.” Recruit recalled the killing of ten Arabs by Daesh
after they were deployed in al-Mashfa al-Jadeed district in Raqqah in mid-Sep.
"Those who survived the combat demanded backup force but this was rejected
by PKK/PYD, forcing them to retreat,” he said."PKK/PYD opened fire on them
over their retreat, killing five while five others were imprisoned.” Another
Arab recruit, 22, from town of Tel Abyad, said ten Arabs, led by a PKK/PYD
commander from Mt. Qandil, were sent to al-Manteqa al-Senaya district in Raqqah
late August. "Arabs were killed during the fight, while the commander was
handed over to PKK/PYD under an agreement between the group and Daesh,” he
claimed. Anadolu Agency
Iranian Kurds march in support of independence
vote in northern Iraq
LONDON;Thousands of Iranian Kurds marched in
the streets to show their support for an independence referendum staged by
Kurdish authorities in neighboring Iraq, defying a show of power by Tehran
which flew fighter jets over their areas.Iranian officials and media have
denounced Monday’s vote as a threat to regional stability, adding to pressure
from Baghdad, threats from Iran and Turkey, and international warnings that it
may ignite yet more conflict in the Mideast.Reuters
Iraq hangs 42 Sunni militants convicted of
terrorism:Reuters
Baghdad: Iraq on Sunday executed 42 Sunni
Muslim militants convicted on terrorism charges ranging from killing members of
security forces to detonating car bombs.The biggest mass execution this year in
Iraq came after Sunni suicide attacks killed at least 60 people near the
southern city of Nassiriya, a Shi`ite area, on Sept. 14, prompting Shi`ite
demands for tougher judicial action.Amnesty International criticised the move,
saying on Monday that "mass execution is a shocking display of the Iraqi
authorities` resort to the death penalty to try to show they are responding to
security threats".
US-led strikes killed 84 civilians near IS
group's Syrian stronghold Raqa: Report
Beirut: US-led coalition strikes near the
Islamic State group's Syrian stronghold Raqa in March killed at least 84
civilians, including dozens of children, Human Rights Watch alleged on Monday.
The group said the strikes hit 2 sites:a school housing displaced families in
the town of Mansourah, and a market and bakery in the town of Tabqa.It said
witnesses acknowledged IS fighters had been present at both sites, but that
large number of civilians were also there. "These attacks killed dozens of
civilians, including children, who had sought shelter in a school or were
lining up to buy bread at a bakery,"HRW deputy emergencies director Ole
Solvang said."If coalition forces did not know that there were civilians
at these sites, they need to take a long, hard look at the intelligence they
are using to verify its targets because it clearly was not good
enough."AFP
3 Israelis shot dead in West Bank settlement
3 Israelis have been shot and killed, and a
fourth wounded, in a settlement in the occupied West Bank, Israeli army radio
reported.The station interviewed a resident of Har Adar, an illegal settlement
near Jerusalem, who said gunman had arrived with a group of Palestinian
labourers and opened fire on paramilitary Israeli police guards.Al Jazeera's
Harry Fawcett, reporting from Jerusalem, said the gunman was shot dead after
the attack."He was identified as a 37-year-old father of four from the
nearby village of Beit Surik. The man, who reportedly carried a work permit for
the settlement, approached the checkpoint at the entrance to Har Adar, when he
opened fire on the guards," Fawcett said. Har Adar is an upscale
settlement west of Jerusalem, on the border between the West Bank and Israel. aljazeera
EU boycotts Israel’s 50th occupation
anniversary celebration
European Union Ambassador to Israel, Emanuele
Giaufret, said yesterday that he won’t attend an Israeli national celebration
that will be held to mark 50 years of the Israeli occupation and settlement
activities in the West Bank. According to the Israel’s Channel 7, the event,
entitled “The Jubilee Celebration of the Liberation of Judea, Samaria [the West
Bank], the Jordan Valley and the Golan Heights,” will be held on Wednesday in West
Bank.Ceremony will be attended by various senior foreign diplomats, Israeli PM Benjamin
Netanyahu, ministers and Knesset members.“We declined the invitation in line
with long-standing EU policy not to attend official events in occupied
territory,” head of the political and press section at EU, Mark Gallagher,
said. middleeastmonitor
Interpol to vote for PA membership despite
Israel lobbying
International law enforcement agency Interpol
is set to vote on Palestinian Authority (PA) membership despite intensive
Israeli and US lobbying against it, news agencies reported.Board of directors
of the international police organisation, which is currently meeting in
Beijing, is voting on whether to accept or deny the PA’s police force as
members today.Israeli news website i24 said that “Israel is concerned that Interpol
membership would enable the Palestinian Police to request ‘red notices’ against
Israeli citizens, asking the General Secretariat to assist foreign police
forces in locating them with a view to seeking their arrest or
extradition”.According to the Israeli news outlet, an Israeli official reported
Israeli expectations that the PA would be accepted “despite narrowly losing a
membership vote in 2016”. middleeastmonitor
Palestinian PM to hold rare Gaza cabinet
meeting
Palestinian PM Rami Hamdallah will make a rare trip to the
blockaded Gaza Strip next week to hold his weekly cabinet meeting, a sign of
progress after recent unity talks sponsored by Egypt, the official Palestinian
news agency Wafa reported Monday.Hamdallah's decision followed last week's
announcement by Hamas, who controls the Gaza Strip, that it was dissolving a
contentious committee set up earlier this year to organize their governing of
the enclave in order to advance reconciliation between the group and its rival
Fatah movement. On his return from Egypt-sponsored unity talks in Cairo, Hamas
leader Ismail Haniyeh told reporters last week that Hamas had made steps
towards reconciliation and was awaiting a response from Fatah, the dominant
Palestinian faction led by President Mahmoud Abbas. World Bulletin
Egypt court sentences former presidential
candidate Khaled Ali to prison
An Egyptian misdemeanours court sentenced
prominent human rights lawyer and former presidential candidate Khaled Ali to
three months in prison yesterday for “violating public decency,” which could
disqualify him from running in the upcoming presidential election. In a press
statement issued Amnesty International described the court ruling as
“politically motivated”. Ali’s lawyer Nour Fahmy told Reuters that the sentence
could prevent Ali from running in the presidential election, expected to be held
in 2018, if the ruling is affirmed by a misdemeanour appellate court.Ali will
file an appeal against Monday’s ruling, his lawyer added. Middleeastmonitor
Egypt gov’t to decide on Morsi’s citizenship:
Official
CAIRO :An Egyptian official said Tuesday
revoking citizenship of former President Mohamed Morsi will be subject to a Govt
decision. Last week, the cabinet
approved an amendment that would allow Egyptian citizenship to be taken away
from a person belonging to an entity “seeking to undermine public order of the
state.” The amendment also allows stripping citizenship from individuals
convicted of crimes related to state security. The new amendment must be
approved by parliament and ratified by the president. “Revoking Morsi’s
citizenship will be subject to a decision from the cabinet in light of recent
amendments,” assistant interior minister Ahmed al-Anwar told the local daily
Al-Akhbar.He said the amendments target “terrorist entities in light
of…attempts aimed to undermine security and stability”.Anadolu Agency
Nawaz Sharif appears before anti-corruption
court
Overthrown Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif has appeared before an
anti-corruption court in the capital Islamabad, putting to rest the possibility
of political unrest if he boycotted proceedings. Sharif appeared before the
court briefly on Tuesday morning, amid tight security and a number of
supporters chanting slogans outside the court complex. Speaking to the press
following his appearance in court, a defiant Sharif said he would continue to
face the anti-corruption trial, but that he considered the process biased
against him. aljazeera
HRW: Myanmar committing 'crimes against
humanity'
HRW has decried Myanmar's military crackdown
on Rohingya in Rakhine State, accusing security forces of committing
"crimes against humanity". The international rights group said on
Tuesday that Myanmar's security forces have committed "serious violations"
that include rape and other sexual violence, murder, forced deportation and
persecution of the Rohingya."Burmese [Myanmar] military is brutally
expelling the Rohingya from northern Rakhine State," James Ross, legal and
policy director at Human Rights Watch, told Reuters. "The massacres of
villagers and mass arson driving people from their homes are all crimes against
humanity," he said. In the past, HRW has also accused Buddhist monks in
the area, as well as Myanmar security forces of "crimes against humanity".
Aljazeera
North Korea: All options on the table for
leadership
North Korea's foreign minister says President
Donald Trump had declared war on his country and that Pyongyang reserves the
right to take countermeasures, including shooting down US bombers even if they
are not in its airspace.The increasingly heated rhetoric between Trump and
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is raising fears of a risk of a miscalculation
by one side or the other that could have massive repercussions."The whole
world should clearly remember it was the US who first declared war on our
country," Ri Yong-ho said in New York City on Monday. aljazeera
US rejects North Korea war allegations as
'absurd'
US has dismissed North Korea's accusation that
President Donald Trump has declared war against the country, calling it
"absurd". The comments come as South Korea's National Intelligence
Service (NIS) said that Pyongyang had moved to bolster its coastal defences by
relocating its warplanes along the east coast. aljazeera
Swedish mosque gutted in suspected arson
attack
A mosque in the southern Swedish city of
Orebro has been completely destroyed in a suspected arson attack, a fire
department official said on Tuesday.Firefighters arrived at the site at 2 a.m.
local time but the mosque was completely gutted, according to Orebro fire chief
Ulf Jacobsen.No one was injured in the blaze, Jacobsen said, adding that
evidence pointed to it being an arson attack. Orebro mosque -- which has a
capacity for 250 people -- was built in 2007 in the Vivalla neighborhood, home
to Muslims from various countries.World Bulletin
HRW: Saudi Arabia hate speech still targets
minorities
A report by the New York-based Human Rights
Watch (HRW) titled They are not our brothers: Hate Speech by Saudi Officials,
released on Tuesday,says Saudi Arabia has permitted government-appointed
religious scholars to refer to religious minorities in "derogatory terms
or demonise them in official documents and religious rulings" that
influence government decision-making."Saudi has relentlessly promoted a
reform narrative in recent years, yet it allows government-affiliated clerics
and textbooks to openly demonise religious minorities such as Shia," Sarah
Leah Whitson, a Middle East director at HRW, said.HRW cautions that this hate
speech prolongs the systematic discrimination against the Shia minority and is
employed by violent groups who attack them. Aljazeera
FLASH: VIEWS & NEWS
Human shield in Kashmir: How the Indian Army
let itself down: Karan Thapar
Arun Jaitley blaming big borrowers for NPA
(non-performing assets) hides a bit of frustration, but solution isn’t far to
seek Business: S Murlidharan
How police action against BHU girls serves
larger political, social goal:Seema Chishti
Who was Muhammad Mahdi Akef? Azzam Tamimi
Where are the sanctions against Myanmar?Aijaz
Zaka Syed
60 women from inter-faith marriages held
captive at centre
Over 60 Hindu women held captive at Kerala
yoga centre for marrying outside faith, claims petition
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Anwarulhaq (Released at: 7:57 PM)
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