Evening NEWS
DIGEST
21
Sept. 2017: 29 Zilhajja 1438:Vol:8, No:283
Setback for Mamata: Calcutta HC allows Durga
idol immersion on all days, including Muharram
Calcutta High Court on Thursday struck down
West Bengal Govt’s order prohibiting immersion of Durga idol after 10 PM on Sept
30 and Oct. 1 on account of Muharram. In its order today, the court allowed the
immersion of idol till 12 am on all days including Muharram. It also asked the
police to ensure routes are designated for immersion and Tazia, ANI reported.
Reacting to the order, CM Mamata Banerjee said, “Someone can split my throat
but no one can tell me what to do. I will do what I can to keep peace,” as
reported by ANI.The order came a day after the HC slammed the Mamata Govt for hindering a citizen’s right to practise
religion on the basis of a mere assumption of law and order disruption and said
that it must provide sound reasons for doing so. “Let them (Hindus and Muslims)
live in harmony, do not create a line between them,” Acting Chief Justice
Rakesh Tiwary said, asking the Govt to provide a “concrete ground” for its
decision. “People have the right to practise their religious activities,
whichever community they may be of, and the State cannot put restrictions,
unless it has a concrete ground to believe that two communities cannot live
together,” acting chief justice said on Wednesday.indianexpress
Mamata slams Court's Durga order: Slit my
throat but don't tell me what to do
New Delhi:Slamming the Calcutta High Court
order on Durga idol immersion , West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee today said someone can slit
her throat, but not tell her what to do.
"Someone can slit my throat but no one can tell me what to
do," Banerjee said in Kolkata, shortly after the court allowed immersion
of Durga idols on all days from Vijayadashami on Sept 30, including on
Muharram, and directed her Govt to make necessary security arrangements.
Strongly countering allegations of appeasing the minority community, Banerjee
said such comments against her are "deeply insulting". "I do not
believe in appeasement. These comments are deeply insulting. I believe in the
religion of humanity that talks about the harmony among all religions,"
Banerjee said while inaugurating a Durga Puja in south Kolkata. "Centre hatches
several conspiracies against us. They take help of different agencies from time
to time. But I am strong believer in divine powers. I believe we will demolish
all conspiracies," she said. Banerjee said she observes the rituals of all
the communities with equal enthusiasm but nobody raises the question of
appeasement when it comes to a non-Muslim festival. "If I go to Muslim
festival, people terms it as appeasement. But when I go the Chhath Puja
celebrations or observe Buddha Purnima, does anybody ask whom am I appeasing?
When I go to the temples or be present in the midnight prayer on Christmas,
does anyone raise the question of appeasement?" she asked. "It is not
the custom to immerse the goddess on a Saturday or on Akadoshi (day after
Dussehra). So where was the problem? Some people are trying to demean the
festival. They are trying to disrupt peace," Banerjee alleged. Issuing a
stern warning, she said those who are conspiring to create unrest in the state
would have to take responsibility for it.IndiaToday
Lawyer for slain prisoners calls report on
Bhopal jail break encounter a 'whitewash'
Bhopal:Almost 9 months after jailbreak in
Bhopal Central Jail and the subsequent encounter that led to killing of 9
persons and a jail guard, the judicial commission that was constituted to look
into the matter has submitted its report. The panel headed by a retired high
court judge of MP, SK Pandey, submitted the report on the incident to the state
home dept. Lawyer of the slain SIMI men and their kin, Parvez Alam, said that
it was hardly an inquiry. "There was no probe. We were not given any
documents, not even a copy of FIR registered with the Gunga police station
after the encounter though it is a public document. The copies of the
post-mortem reports were not given to us either," he said.According to
Alam, the panel didn't give them an opportunity to present the facts and tell
their side of the story, which, he claims, would have punctured the police's
narrative."There were so many loopholes. Even ATS chief said that these
youths were not armed, though IG claimed they were — a major
contradiction," he added.Several other questions stand out as
well."Why were particular cameras in one area of the jail not working in
such a high-security jail?" Alam asked."Inquiry is nothing but an
attempt to whitewash [truth]. What about the toothbrushes which, as officials
themselves claimed, were used to open locks?"he added, referring to state
minister Bhupendra Singh's statement after the jailbreak."So many things
needed a proper probe," Alam went on to elaborate."From how 8 persons
were wearing new clothes and shoes to how they managed to scale the huge walls,
dodging all the security personnel."HuffPost India
'There's No Justice', Says Jalaluddin, Father
Of Junaid Khan, Who Was Stabbed To Death By Train Mob
Jalaluddin Khan says his world is falling
apart — he has lost a son, his wife is ill and still in shock, he's depressed
and having to attend court dates, his sons are recuperating from a vicious
knife attack on a train, and the family is surviving on donations. Father of
16-year-old Junaid Khan, who was stabbed to death by a mob on a train at
Ballabhgarh in Haryana on 22 June, is recovering from an operation. He was brought
to Noida's Metro Hospital on Monday night after he suffered a heart attack —
which he says was brought on by the loss of his young son and the constant
worrying about the bail granted to some of the accused in the lynching.Junaid's
brothers told Hindustan Times that the attackers repeatedly called them
"anti-nationals" — a term BJP supporters on social media regularly
use to brand anyone whose political opinion differs from their's.HuffPost
Want implementation of UNSC resolution on
Kashmir: Pak
New York:Pakistan PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has
demanded the implementation of the UN Security Council resolution on Kashmir,
asserting that his country will continue to support the right of
self-determination in the restive state.“I think the basic issue is Kashmir.
The implementation of the Security Council resolution will be a great starting
point that will help address each other’s concerns and provide peace to the
region and between Pakistan and India. That’s the core issue between the two
countries,” Abbasi said at an event organised by Council on Foreign Relations
in New York.Abbasi was responding to a question from Congresswoman Carolyn
Maloney, who sought to know from him what India and Pakistan needed to do to
achieve peace.Abbasi, who is in New York to attend the annual UNGA session and
will deliver his speech on Thursday, asked the world community to honour and
defend the fundamental right to self-determination of the people of J&K.“We
fully support the right to self-determination. We’ve fully supported that at
every forum since 1948, and we continue to support that. And that issue should
be resolved as per the UNSC resolutions. There are no two opinions about that.
We fully support the self-determination rights of the Kashmiri people, and we
ask the world community to honour and defend that,” he said. Abbasi said the 2
neighbours need to engage on core issues and that he wants “normal relation”
with India.“Those have to be resolved first, and Kashmir is the basic core
issue there. But unfortunately, in the recent past, the aggression from India
has continued unabated, and that is not acceptable. And we want normal
relations with India, but on the basis of trust and respect,” he said in
response to another question.He also said he saw “zero” political or military
role for India in Afghanistan, remarks that came weeks after US president
Donald Trump sought more help from New Delhi to bring peace and stability in
the war-torn country.PTI
Short-range nuclear weapons to counter India’s
‘cold start doctrine’: Pak PM Abbasi
New York:Pakistan PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said his country has
developed short-range nuclear weapons to counter the ‘cold start doctrine’
adopted by the Indian Army.Abbasi was also assertive of Pakistan’s nuclear
arsenals being safe and secure.“We have a very robust and secure
command-and-control system over our strategic nuclear assets. Time has proved
that it’s a process that is very secure. It’s a process that has complete
civilian oversight through the NCA,” Abbasi said in response to a question at
the Council on Foreign Relations, a top American think-tank.Nuclear Command
Authority (NCA) of Pakistan is the authority responsible for command, control
and operational decisions regarding the country’s nuclear arsenals.“As far as
tactical nuclear weapons (are concerned), we do not have any fielded tactical
nuclear weapons. We have developed short-range nuclear weapons as a counter to
the Cold Start doctrine that India has developed. Again, those are in the same
command-and-control authority that controls the other strategic weapons,” he
said.PTI
J&K: 2 killed, PWD minister escapes unhurt
in attack
Srinagar:2 civilians were killed and nearly 30
injured, including policemen, when an unidentified person hurled a grenade on
the cavalcade of a state minister in Tral of Pulwama district in Jammu and
Kashmir on Thursday. The locals said the grenade was hurled at a cavalcade of
Roads and Building Minister, Nayeem Akhthar who was there to inaugurate a
project in town.The injured were immediately rushed to the hospital. The
victims have been identified as, Gh Nabi Parag, Iqbal Khan and Pinty Kour.
Senior police officers rushed towards the spot after the attack took place. indianexpress
Ready for dialogues with every stakeholder in
Kashmir:BJP
Centre and J&K Govt are ready to hold dialogues with every
stakeholder, including separatists, BJP general secretary Ram Madhav said on
Thursday.Madhav during a visit to J&K told reporters that from the outset the Govt had
been stating that its door was open for all the stakeholders of the state.“They
are welcome to come and have a dialogue with the state Govt as well as the
central Govt. We are open to dialogue,” he said.Madhav said question should be
asked to those who did not want to take part in the dialogue.His statement
comes less than a week after separatist leadership – Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz
Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik-- announced that they never opposed a “sincere,
meaningful and result-oriented dialogue” among the “3 parties” to the Kashmir
dispute.HT
‘US should resist itch to mediate between
India and Pak’
US should not entertain thoughts about
inserting itself into the India-Pakistan conflict with a misplaced expectation
of effecting a benign result, and should give up routinely exhorting the two
South Asian neighbours to talk, a leading South Asia expert has suggested.If it
“must inject itself” into the situation, it “should lean on Pakistan to rid
itself of its jihadi instruments so that the US does not become an accessory to
Rawalpindi’s strategy of extortionary engagement”, Ashley Tellis said in a new
report, referring to the city that hosts Pakistani military’s headquarters. In
the report, Tellis talks constantly about two centres of power in Pakistan, the
other being Islamabad, home to civilian authority that has been held by men in
uniforms for long enough to be called Rawalpindi Extension.hindustantimes
Mass grave at Dera Sacha Sauda's Sirsa HQRS
has 600 skeletons, Gurmeet's aide reveals to SIT: indiatoday
Dirty and horrific secrets from Gurmeet Singh's
Dera Sacha Sauda's closet are tumbling out on a daily basis. The latest: nearly
600 skeletons are buried inside the Dera headquarters in Sirsa. The dreadful
revelation has been made by a trusted aide of Gurmeet Ram Rahim during probe by
SIT. Ex-Dera vice-president Dera Sacha Sauda Dr PR Nain, who is being quizzed
by SIT along with Dera chairperson Vipassana Insan, also submitted relevant
documents in support of his claim regarding a mass grave inside the Sirsa
HQRS.Dr PR Nain also told SIT that Dera started planting saplings on the land
where the skeletons were buried on the advice of a German scientist.A woman
follower of Ram Rahim, who is serving 20-year-term in Rohtak's Sunaria jail,
has claimed that her been child has missing from Dera HQRS in Sirsa since last
12 years. Panipat woman alleged that she donated her 2-month-old kid to Dera
after being persuaded by Gurmeet Ram Rahim to do so through an
advertisement.The woman said she was a staunch supporter of Dera Sacha Sauda
and was lured by an advertisement in newspaper published by the Dera itself
which urged supporters to donate their kids for service at HQRS.
Another Godman Set to Bite the Dust as Girl
Files Rape Charges: BJP Worried About Impact on Alwar ByPoll
New Delhi: Is rape accused Kaushlendra
Prapannacharya, known as “Falahari Baba” (name inspired by a diet of fruits) close
to BJP? The question inspires a resounding ‘yes’ in Alwar, where his ashram has
grown in stature since the BJP Govt came
to power. And the self styled godman reportedly makes no secret of his
political affiliations.Inspired by the two sadhvis who pursued Gurmeet Singh
for rape until he landed in jail, a young woman decided to go public with her
experience in Alwar at the hands of 70 year old ‘Falahari baba’ who raped her
when she visited him to donate money. The 21 year old law intern, whose parents
are his devotees, came to the ashram to hand over the money. According to her
report filed with the Chhatisgarh police as she is a resident of that state,
Falahari asked her to wait, raped her and threatened her to keep silent. She
did until the Gurmeet Singh case encouraged her to break her silence and report
the rape that all had advised her to keep silent about.Kaushlendra
Prapannacharya Falahari,clearly panic stricken,has admitted himself in a
hospital with “high blood pressure’, as soon as the rape case was filed by her.
His aide and a Alwar district BJP leader have both alleged a “‘conspiracy”’
against Falahari.“"There is a conspiracy to defame saints, I cannot say
anything on the charge. Babaji is currently hospitalized," his main aide said.
THE CITIZEN
Hypersensitivity in religious matters has to
be discouraged:SC
New Delhi: In the course of hearing an appeal
against the ban on Kannada book, Basava Vachana Deepthi, imposed by the
Karnataka Govt in 1998, the Supreme Court bench of Justices S.A. Bobde and L.
Nageswara Rao on Tuesday observed that hypersensitivity in religious matters
has to be discouraged.The bench was responding to an observation by the senior
counsel for the All India Veerashaiva Mahasabha – an intervener in the case –
R. Basant. Defending the ban on the book, Basant argued that since India is a
multi-plural faith society, the responsibility is on the state to prevent
writings that have the potential to outrage religious feelings.The appellant in
the case, who is the author of the banned book,Mate Mahadevi, is a scholar,
mystic, writer and the first woman Jagadguru of the Lingayat community
installed in 1970. She is the head of Basava Dharma Peetha and has been seeking
independent religious status for the Lingayat sect. She began writing vachanas
– a form of didactic poetry. Mahadevi maintains that Lingayat is a religion by
itself, free from Hindu doctrines.Among her many books is Basava Tatva
Darshana, on the life and teachings of Basava, a 12th century social reformer
and philosopher who fought against the caste system. She has also been
insisting that Veerashaiva Lingayat is one among the several sub-castes of Lingayat
dharma. Her view was shared by rationalist M. M. Kalburgi, who was killed by
assailants in 2015. Kalburgi had argued that the Lingayat tradition is
non-Hindu in spirit.Mahadevi has also opposed the proposal to declare Bhagavad
Gita a national text. She had said that the constitution, which promises
justice to all, is the supreme document of the country and there was no need to
declare any particular document or book the national text.THE WIRE
Teach IIT students about ‘Indian who invented
plane’: Minister Satyapal Singh
Teach them about the Indian who invented the
aeroplane eight years before the Wright brothers. And tell them about the
‘Pushpak Vimaan’, a flying chariot mentioned in the Indian epic Ramayana.For
the country’s junior HRD minister Satya Pal Singh – an MPhil in Chemistry and
former Mumbai Police commissioner – the best lessons for the country’s future
engineers lie in ancient Indian scientific “discoveries” and “inventions”.“Why
are students not taught that before the Wright brothers, an Indian called
Shivakar Babuji Talpade was the first to invent the airplane. This person
invented the plane eight years before the Wright brothers. Are our students
taught these things in IITs or not? They should be,” he said on Tuesday at an
award ceremony for first AICTE-ECI Chhatra Vishwakarma Award.Singh also wants
engineering students to learn about Vishwakarma, a Hindu deity, worshipped by
craftsmen and engineer community.Singh, however, is not the first BJP leader to
promote ideas which experts say don’t have scientific validation. A Rajasthan
minister had earlier said cows are the only animals which inhale and exhale
oxygen, drawing ridicule from the scientific community. hindustantimes
Couples Hug In Public As If They Will Eat Each
Other, Put Them Behind Bars:BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj
BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj on Wednesday said
couples displaying affection in public should be put behind bars."Be it a
motorcycle, car or park, couples can be seen behaving in a vulgar fashion. They
hug each other as if the girl will eat the boy or the boy will eat the
girl," MP said.Maharaj said, "It will be appropriate to take action
and put such couples behind bars before anything wrong occurs." outlookindia
BJP Women’s Wing President caught on camera
slapping girl for sipping tea with Muslim friend
A video of BJP lady
slapping a girl because she had chosen to have tea with her Muslim friend in
Aligarh has gone viral on social media platforms. The lady in question is a
‘BJP Neta’ from Aligarh, while the girl is an adult. According to reports, the
BJP leader slapped her because she did not condone the girl enjoying tea with a
Muslim friend.Throughout the video, BJP leader can be heard shouting in anger,
“you have grown so old, don’t you understand he is Muslim”.Janta Ka Reporter
has learnt that lady in question is Sangeeta Varshney, President of Women’s
Wing, BJP Aligarh.People who have viewed this video have started tagging UP
Police and BJP Lucknow handles, demanding her immediate arrest.Janta Ka
Reporter
Brawl between youths in Gujarat's Mehsana turns
into communal clash
Mehsana: An altercation over a minor accident
triggered a clash between two communities in Nagalpur area of the city on
Wednesday, leaving two people injured and as many vehicles charred, police
said.People from 2 communities fought pitched battles, hurling stones at each
other and setting fire to vehicles near a college close to Valinath
chowk."It was a personal issue between some youths which resulted in a
clash between the people from two communities.At least 2 persons have received
minor injuries during the clash. 2 vehicles were also torched by the mob. The
situation is now under control," said Mandlik.He said cross complaints
have been filed by the two sides. No arrests have been made so far.PTI
Prosecution to push for invoking UAPA against
accused murder of Riyaz Moulavi in Kerala
Kozhikode: Prosecution in the case related to
the murder of Riyaz Moulavi in Kasaragod has decided to raise the demand for
invoking UAPA against the accused once again. The Govt has unheeded the demand though the relatives
of the Moulavi and the members of the mosque committee had approached CM shortly after the murder. Riyaz Moulavi, madrassa
teacher at the mosque at Choori in Kasaragod, was murdered inside the mosque on
March 21, 2017, allegedly by RSS men. 3 RSS activists -- Ajesh, Nithin and
Akhikesh -- were arrested a few days after the murder. The move is taken
against the backdrop of the acquittal of the accused in majority of communal
murder cases in Kasaragod."The accused in the Muhammad Sinan case were
acquitted because of the faults on the part of the investigating officers.
Accused in the murder of Rishad were also acquitted in the same way in 2013. We
do not want similar things to happen in the Moulavi case," said advocate C
Shukkur, who will be assisting the prosecution in the case.TOI
Ex-IPS Bhatt says woman journalist covering
Gujarat made to dilute book on riots in honeytrap double-cross
Former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt has made
explosive allegations against a journalist stating that she made compromises to
dilute the role of then Gujarat CM Narendra Modi in the 2002 riots.In a Facebook
post titled 'A little known story from Gujarat', Sanjiv Bhatt alleged that
young investigative journalist was forced into changing the script of her book
for fear of getting shamed publicly for her amorous relationship with an IPS
officer.Bhatt has not mentioned anyone's name in his post. He wrote: "CBI
investigations into Sohrabuddin Shaikh and Tulsiram Prajapati encounters were
at their peak. The fates of the then Home Minister and the then CM were hanging
fire."Sanjiv Bhatt, who was dismissed from service in 2015, said, "A
young investigative journalist was tasked by her magazine to cover the CBI
investigations and look for a story that would sell. She came to Ahmedabad and
tried tapping sources in the Police and CBI."Bhatt said unfortunately for
the journalist, information from the Gujarat Police or the CBI was not very
forthcoming. Subsequently, she tried her luck with an Ahmedabad-based lawyer
activist who was pursuing the fake encounter cases in court."The lawyer
activist fell easy prey to the charms of the dusky chain smoking journalist and
was more than happy to share juicy case details with her. Stories started
taking shape," he said.IndiaToday
Hours After Sardesai Nails Arnab’s ‘Lie On
Covering Gujarat Riots’, YouTube Video Removed
Just hours after senior journalist Rajdeep
Sardesai on Tuesday called out his former colleague and Republic TV’s managing
director Arnab Goswami’s claim in a YouTube video that his car was attacked by
Saffron goons while covering Gujarat riots in 2002, video has been taken down
from YouTube. Goswami in the video claims his car was attacked while covering Gujarat
riots, but Sardesai who was his colleague disputed it saying Goswami hasn’t
covered Gujarat riots.The video of Goswami’s speech that Sardesai, currently a
consulting editor at India Today TV (and formerly at NDTV with Goswami), used
to rip him apart on Twitter is an old one. The anecdote being told by Goswami
though, is straight out of Sardesai’s book written in the aftermath of the 2014
general polls .n one of the tweets Sardesai said, "Wow! My friend Arnab
claims his car attacked next to CM Res in Guj riots!Truth:he wasn't covering
Ahmedabad riots!!" outlookindia
Rajdeep calls Arnab a liar on Gujarat riots
coverage
2 clerics visit Ayodhya, extend support for
construction of Ram temple at dispute site
2 Muslim clerics visited Ayodhya on Wednesday
and discussed ways to resolve the long-pending dispute with the saints of the
area. In a positive gesture, the saints welcomed the Muslim clerics by
garlanding them.The two Muslim clerics- AIMPLB member Maulana Kalbe Jawad and
Maulana Abdul Mannan- met Mahant Janmejaya Maharaj and underlined the need to
find mutually acceptable solution to the dispute.Adopting a conciliatory note,
Maulana Kalbe Jawad said that nobody has any problem with the construction of
the Ram temple at the disputed site.“ If the mosque was forcibly built at that
place then it’s a sin to offer namaz there. Only a temple should be constructed
at that place,” Maulana Jawad said.Supporting Maulana Jawad, Maulana Abdul
Mannan said that the dispute can be resolved only by evolving a consensus.
After talking to the two Muslim clerics, Mahant Janmajeya Maharaj said that the
two Maulanas are in favour of the construction of the Ram
temple at the disputed site.India TV News
After India Today story, Govt gets into action
mode after Waqf land grab expose
New Delhi:India Today's report exposing the
illegal sale of Waqf properties in UP has sent shockwaves all around.Ministry
of Minority Affairs has taken note of the investigation that shows custodians
of Waqf properties, referred to as auqaf, blatantly selling them away when they
are not authorised to do so.Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas
Naqvi said he found it unfortunate that such incidents were coming to
light."We have told the state Govt (UP) and Waqf board to take appropriate
action. These are illegal transactions,"he said.India Today pointed out to
the minister the investigation has revealed that Waqf board members could be
colluding with these "custodians" in pawning off Waqf's charitable assets.
"Yes, we have received several complaints about involvement of people from
within the Waqf board and we are taking appropriate action against them,"
he admitted. India Today
Time for India to review its electoral system:
ex Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi
New Delhi:It’s high time India reviewed its
first-past-the-post (FPTP) electoral system that is increasingly emerging as
flawed and imperfect, ex-Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi has said.
“Till a few years back, I would defend the FPTP as a simple, practical system
that has stood the test of time. But after the 2014 elections, I had to change
my position. Why? Because in 2104 the party which got the third-largest
vote-share got zero seats. That is BSP,” Quraishi said. “Around 20% of the UP voters voted for the BSP, but they could not
elect an MP. Now this is very unfair to those 20% voters, besides the party.
The voters feel cheated. This is surely a flaw in the system,” he said.He said
that the system is also being debated in Britain — from where India adopted it.
“British parliament is discussing FPTP yet again. In India, too, a
Parliamentary Standing Committee is already examining the issue and has written
to all parties to give their views. So I think time has come for us to look at
an alternative system,” ex-CEC said. What other options do we have then? “I
strongly suggest that we can follow the German model of a mixed system, albeit
with some modification. In Germany, every voter casts two votes — one for a
candidate in his constituency and the other for a party. “So if a party gets,
say, 15% votes, this percentage is
adjusted over entire parliament.But it is a little complicated. I say the Nepal
model is simpler. Some seats are filled through direct election, some are given
to parties,” he said.IANS
Am Finally Congress-Mukta, Says Narayan Rane,
No Comments On Joining BJP
Mumbai: Declaring himself
"Congress-Mukta", senior politician and former Maharashtra CM Narayan
Rane has quit the party after 12 years, saying that "I'll show Congress
what my true power is. I'll be travelling across the state from tomorrow."
Along with him, his son Nilesh has also exited Congress and Nitin is expected
to quit."I have sent my resignation letter to Congress President Sonia
Gandhi. I was promised the post of CM 4
times, but it was not honoured by the party," Rane said today at a press
conference in the Sindhudurg district, which is in the Konkan region where the
politician was once very powerful. Though his hold in the area has declined, he
could be key for the BJP in expanding its draw in a zone that is seen as sweet
on the Shiv Sena, its cantankerous ally. ndtv
Muharram 2017 moon sighted; Islamic New Year
1439 begins in India, Pakistan from Friday
The new moon of the month of Muharram-ul-Haram
has been sighted in various parts of India and Pakistan today i.e. Thursday Sept
21, 2017 corresponding to 29th of Dhul Hijjah. Accordingly, Friday Sept 22 will be the first day of the new month and
the New Islamic Year 1439 Hijri."The moon of the Islamic month of Muharram
was sighted today. Accordingly, the first day of the Islamic Year 1439 will be
on Friday Sept 22, 2017", Rooyat e
Hilal Commitee, Imarate Sahriat, New Delhi said in a statement released
today."Youm-e-Ashura i.e. 10th of Muharram will be on Sunday Oct. 01,
2017",he said.Imarat-e-Sharia Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Phulwari Sharif,
Patna also released a statement announcing that the moon of the month of
Muharram-ul-Haram has been sighted. Accordingly, the statement said, the first
day of the new month will be Friday Sept 22, 2017.Similar statements have also
been issued by Moon Sighting Committees in Mumbai, Nashik, New Delhi, Hyderabad
and other places. ummid
ROHINGYA ISSUE
Bengal Commission for Child Rights moves SC
against Rohingya deportation
West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child
Rights (WBCPCR) has filed a writ petition to the Supreme Court against the
Centre’s notification to the State Govt s to deport all Rohingyas from the
country. The development comes after the Union Minister of State for Home
Affairs Kiren Rijiju stated to Parliament earlier this month that the Union Govt
has directed the State authorities to
identify and deport illegal immigrants, including Rohingyas.“WBCPCR has filed a
writ petition to the Supreme Court of India against the notification of the Govt
of India to identify and deport all the
Rohingyas from our country,” stated a release issued by WBCPCR on Wednesday.
TMC MP Kalyan Bandyopadhyay will represent WBCPCR in case. Alleging that the
Rohingyas are being “systematically tortured and killed in Burma,” WBCPCR
pointed out that the United Nations has described them as the “most persecuted
community in the world.”WBCPCR dubbed the Centre’s notification as “not only
inhuman but anti-human”. It further stated that, “in this situation, deporting
the Rohingya children and their mothers staying in the different shelter-homes
and correctional homes of West Bengal means to throw them into the jaws of
death.” Thehindu
Bihar: Muslim organisations stage protest in
support of Rohingyas, raise slogans against PM Modi
Patna:Several Muslim organisations in Bihar
today came out in support of Rohingyas after an affidavit was filed by the
Centre on Tuesday wherein it was mentioned that the community is a threat to
the internal security. The community is alleged to have links with
Pakistan-based terror organisations.Hundreds of Muslim protestors carried out a
protest march in Darbhanga under the banner of Jamiat Ulema-E-Hind and raised
slogans against PM Modi.The protestors
demanded that PM Modi should break his silence on the contentious issue of
sending back 40,000 Rohingya Muslims belonging to Myanmar back to the country.
These Rohingya refugees have been living in various parts of the country for
last several years.They demanded that PM Modi should also intervene in the
issue of genocide of Rohingya Muslims taking place in Myanmar."If PM Modi
does nothing on this issue then we will not sit silent. We will take our
movement to Delhi and raise our voice at the United Nations," said a
protestor.Muslim organisations carried out a protest march in Darbhanga under
the banner of Jamiat. Rohingya supports asserted that the Buddhists community
who were considered to be peace lovers were indulging into killing of Rohingya Muslims
in Myanmar. Muslim bodies also alleged that Centre was conspiring to throw
40,000 Rohingyas out of the country by linking them to terror organizations. indiatoday
Thousands Protest in Delhi against Persecution
of Rohingya
New Delhi:Thousands of people held a massive
protest demonstration on Thursday against the ongoing persecution and exodus of
Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar. Maulana Mahmood Madani, General Secretary of
Jamiat Ulema-I-Hind, was leading the protest demonstration at Jantar Mantar
near the Parliament House."We have gathered in solidarity with the
oppressed and to oppose the oppressors," said Madani while addressing the
massive gathering."Rohingya's persecution is equal to ethnic cleansing of
Jews that happened in Germany," he said. Leaders from other Muslim
organizations including Navaid Hamid, President, Muslim Majlis-e Mushawarat
were also there to raise their voice along with Jamiat.IndiaTomorrow
Rohingya are not refugees, nor have they taken
asylum… They are illegal immigrants, says Rajnath Singh
Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said
that criticism against the government for deporting the Rohingya living in the
country was uncalled for as the Myanmar government itself was willing to take
them back. Rajnath Singh was referring to Myanmar Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi’s
remarks that the country will allow the Rohingya to return after a due
verification process.On India’s decision to deport Rohingya, Rajnath said,
“Rohingya are not refugees, nor have they taken asylum. They are illegal
immigrants.” The minister was addressing
a seminar organised by NHRC. He also said that India would not violate any
international law by deporting the Rohingya as it was not a signatory to UN Refugees
Convention 1951.indianexpress
Rohingyas are illegal immigrants, not
refugees: Rajnath
Rohingya issue has to be seen from security
angle:BJP
Rajnath's statement on Rohingyas
'disingenuous':Owaisi
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday termed as "disingenuous"
the statement by Home Minister Rajnath Singh that Rohingyas who have entered
India after fleeing Myanmar were not refugees but illegal immigrants who need
to be sent back.Owaisi said a majority of the Rohingyas who are in India have
cards issued by the UNHCR.Owaisi said Chakmas had from Bangladesh similarly and
they were given Indian citizenship. He claimed that Tamils from Sri Lanka also
came to India in a similar manner.IANS
NDA govt looking at foreigners’ permanent stay
in India through prism of religion: Asaduddin Owaisi
Myanmar army chief urges internally displaced
to return to Rakhine
Myanmar’s army chief called on Thursday for
people internally displaced by violence in Rakhine State to go home and rebuild
communities, but he made no mention of 422,000 Rohingya Muslims who fled to
Bangladesh to escape his force’s operations.General Min Aung Hlaing, in a major
speech on his plans for Rakhine state on his first visit there since the latest
strife erupted, said the military had handled the situation as best as it
could. Hlaing did not mention the accusation of ethnic cleansing in his speech
to business people, officials and some of the displaced, in Sittwe, the state
capital.“Regarding the rehabilitation of villages of our national races, for
the national races who fled their homes, first of all they must go back to
their places,” he said.“National races” is a Myanmar term referring to members
of officially recognised indigenous ethnic groups who make up the diverse
nation.Reuters
Buddhist mobs throw petrol bombs to stop aid
shipment to Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine
Buddhist protesters in Myanmar are reported to
have tried to stop humanitarian aid headed for Rohingya Muslims, tens of
thousands of whom have been fleeing to Bangladesh, by throwing petrol bombs at
a shipment.The shipment was bound for the north of the Rakhine state, which has
seen a spate of violence since 25 August, forcing over 420,000 Rohingya Muslims
to flee their homes in Myanmar.According to local media reports, around 300 men
started throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails at a boat that was being loaded
with about 50 tonnes of bottled water, food, blankets, mosquito nets, and other
supplies for the Rohingya.The ship was docked in the Rakhine state capital of
Sittwe, local Govt information office
said.Relief supplies came from the International Committee of the Red Cross and
some of its workers loading the boat suffered injuries, Reuters reported a
witness as saying. ibtimes
China offers humanitarian aid to Myanmar to
help displaced in Rakhine: Xinhua
Chinese
embassy to Myanmar has offered humanitarian aid to the Myanmar Red Cross
Society in Yangon to help the displaced people in Rakhine State."China and
Myanmar are close and good neighbors. When the neighbor meets with
difficulties, China always gives a helping hand immediately," Chinese envoy
Hong Liang said at the donation ceremony.He hoped that under the leadership of
the Myanmar Govt and with the support
from all walks of life in the country and good neighbors, the displaced people
will live a good life soon.
Saudi offers aid to Rohingya refugees within
hours
Saudi Arabia said it would deploy a
humanitarian relief team to Bangladesh “within hours” to help Rohingya Muslim
refugees there urgently in need of aid.Abdullah Al Rabeeah, adviser at Royal
Court and general supervisor of the King Salman Center for Relief and
Humanitarian Work, said that King Salman has allocated US$15 million to ease
the suffering of Rohingya fleeing Myanmar amid a military crackdown.The
National
Bangladesh to provide birth control kits to
Rohingyas
Dhaka;Bangladesh will launch a birth control
campaign among the Rohingya Muslims amid fears that the refugee population
could rise sharply with the influx of the ethnic minority Myanmar nationals, a
minister said. Plans are being chalked up to motivate the Rohingyas to keep
their family size small alongside providing them with kits containing birth
control pills and other contraceptives also to prevent outbreak of sexually
transmitted diseases (STD), officials said.PTI
Rohingya Hindu women share horror tales
Over 500 Rohingya Hindus have crossed over to
Bangladesh to escape military persecution of the minority group in Rakhine, Myanmar
that began in late AugustThe morning of August 27 started as any other for
Anika Dhar, 18, a resident of Fakira Bazar village in the Maungdaw area of Myanmar’s
troubled Rakhine state.Her husband Milon Dhar, a barber who worked at a salon
in the nearby market, was preparing to go to work when a group of men wearing
black uniforms burst into their home. They were armed to the teeth with guns
and long knives, Anika said.“They looted our house, then marched us with more
than a hundred of our neighbours to a secluded spot,” she told the Dhaka
Tribune. “They had dug holes in the ground. They shot and stabbed people and
dumped the bodies into the holes.”Milon was among those killed by the
militiamen dressed in black. Over one hundred people were killed that day,
according to Anika.Anika said she was able to escape in the confusion and
friendly people helped her get across the river Naf to Bangladesh.Anika is among
a small group of Hindu Rohingya who have fled to Bangladesh along with their
Muslim neighbours, Rohingya Hindu men have also been killed by the Myanmar
security forces during its latest crackdown on the Rohingya in Rakhine state,
human rights activists say, but the number has yet to be confirmed.Such
accounts are consistent with the stories brought by the mainly Muslim Rohingya,
who accuse the Myanmar military and Rakhine militias backed by the army of
carrying out a campaign of ethnic cleansing against Rohingya.At least eight
Hindu women refugees, who fled to Bangladesh from Rakhine in the last few
weeks, said armed men killed their husbands in front of them.Promila Sheel, 25,
said she decided to flee to Bangladesh after her husband was killed by militia.Like
Anika Dhar, Promila has found shelter at Kutupalong’s Hindu camp with roughly a
hundred other families.Anika, who is expecting a baby, said her husband Milon
worked at a salon in Maungdaw’s Fakira Bazar.“They shot him dead,” she said. “I
joined the Muslims and escaped with them.”Many of these refugees said their
houses were attacked, looted and set afire by the security forces.About 30,000
Arakanese Buddhists, Hindus and Arakanese sub-ethnic residents fled violence
apart from the Rohingya, according to Myanmar-based media The Irrawaddy.dhakatribune
Rohingya crisis: Hindus fleeing Myanmar
violence hope for shelter in Modi's India
We are not here as terrorists, say Rohingyas
in Hyderabad
‘NHRC taking up Rohingya issue on humanitarian
ground’
New Delhi:(NHRC on Thursday said it has taken
up the issue of the Rohingyas on humanitarian grounds but refused to comment on
the Govt ’s assertion that the “illegal immigrants” would be deported.“We are
taking up the case of Rohingyas on humanitarian grounds. I can’t comment on the
Govt line,” chairman of the NHRC Justice
(retd) H L Dattu said.PTI
WORLD
22 killed in air strikes by Syria, its ally
Russia:monitor
Beirut:At least 22 civilians have been killed
in 48 hours of heavy air strikes by Syria’s regime and its ally Russia in northwestern
Syria,monitor said Thursday.The strikes hit areas in the provinces of Idlib and
Hama, where an internationally agreed truce zone is meant to be in place, and
come in response to an offensive launched Tuesday by jihadists.Idlib, along
with parts of neighbouring Hama and Latakia provinces, forms one of 4 so-called
de-escalation zones agreed last May by regime allies Russia and Iran and rebel
backer Turkey.The deal has brought relative calm to the regions involved, but
the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has reported dozens of raids on Hama
and Idlib since Tuesday, when jihadists began attacking Govt positions.“ Russian and regime aircraft are
practically not leaving the sky over Idlib and Hama,” the Britain-based monitor
said.On Thursday, at least four people including a father and his two daughters
were killed in Russian raids on the town of Khan Sheikun in Idlib, the monitor
said, raising the civilian death toll in 48 hours of strikes to 22. AFP
Russia warns US it will target US-backed
fighters in Syria if provoked
Russia said on Thursday it had warned the US
it would target areas in Syria where US special forces and US-backed militia
were operating if its own forces came under fire from them, something it said
had already happened twice.Russia was referring to SDF, an alliance of Kurdish
and Arab militias fighting with the US-led coalition, which Moscow said had
diverted from the battle to take Raqqa to Deir al-Zor, where Russian special
forces are helping the Syrian army push out Islamic State militants. Russian
Defence Ministry said the SDF had taken up positions on the eastern banks of
the Euphrates with U.S. special forces, and had twice opened fire with mortars
and artillery on Syrian troops who were working alongside Russian special
forces.Reuters
Raqqa faces deadly 'barrage' from US-led
coalition
Every 8 minutes last month, a bomb, missile or
shell was fired on the Syrian city of Raqqa by a US-led coalition battling
ISIL, resulting in at least 433 likely civilian deaths, according to a report
released by a UK-based monitor. Airwars,
a group tracking civilian deaths in Russian and US-led coalition air raids in
Syria and Iraq, said on Wednesday that the US-led forces dropped a total of
5,775 bombs, shells and missiles in support of an alliance of Kurdish and Arab
fighters on the ground advancing into the city."What we are seeing now is
really a devastating coalition barrage on the city," Chris Woods, director
of Airwars, told Al Jazeera."More munitions were dropped on Raqqa in
August than even during the heaviest fighting in west Mosul," he added,
referring to a major offensive to recapture the northern Iraqi city from ISIL
earlier this year."And the effects on civilians trapped in the city have
been equally devastating."Airwars said at least 433 Raqqa civilians likely
died last month as a result of coalition actions, bringing the total since the
anti-ISIL assault began on June 6 to more than 1,000. Al Jazeera
Iran, US intensify efforts to stop Kurdish
referendum
Senior US and Iranian officials have made
separate last minute attempts to find alternative to planned Kurdish
independence referendum which is due to take place on Monday, Kurdish sources
have said.Head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards’ elite Quds Force, General Qassem
Soleimani and the Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to
Counter Daesh at the US Department of State, Brett McGuck, separately made
several shuttle trips between Baghdad, Erbil and Sulaymaniyah last week.A
source familiar with Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) told Al-Monitor news
site that Iranians and Americans both agree that the referendum should either
be postponed or cancelled altogether. According to the source, Soleimani warned
that “Iran has so far prevented the Popular Mobilisation Forces from launching
an attack,” adding that he “will not bother to do that anymore”. aljazeera
Venezuela's president says Trump is 'the new
Hitler'
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has called
Donald Trump “new Hitler” of
international politics, responding to the US President's call for world leaders
to help restore democracy in the South American country. Trump had used a
portion of his stark address to the UN General Assembly to single out Maduro's Govt,
which the US leader has called a “dictatorship”. “Magnate thinks he is the
owner of the world, but no one threatens Venezuela,” said Maduro, who did not
attend the annual gathering of world leaders and diplomats.independent
Musharraf says Zardari involved in
assassination of Benazir, Murtaza Bhutto
Islamabad: Pervez Musharraf on Thursday
accused Pakistan People’s Party leader Asif Ali Zardari of being involved in
the assassination of both his wife Benazir Bhutto and her brother Murtaza
Bhutto.Musharraf’s claim, made in a video message, came three weeks after an
anti-terrorism court declared him a fugitive in the Benazir Bhutto
assassination case. The former army chief is currently in self-exile in Dubai
and was allowed to leave the country in 2016 for medical treatment while awaiting
trial in several cases. He was earlier formally charged for failing to provide
security to Bhutto in the days before she was killed in a suicide attack in
Rawalpindi on December 27, 2007. “The one responsible for all miseries of the
Bhutto family as well as the assassination of Benazir and Murtaza Bhutto is
Zardari,” Musharraf said, addressing the three Bhutto-Zardari children in the
video message. “Zardari did nothing to investigate the murders of Benazir and
Murtaza Bhutto as he enjoyed his stay in the presidency for five years.” hindustantimes
Palestinians submit Israel 'war crime'
evidence to ICC
4 Palestinian human rights groups have
submitted a 700-page communication to the International Criminal Court (ICC),
alleging that high-level Israeli officials have been complicit in committing
war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and
East Jerusalem. Groups urged the ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda to
"urgently open a full investigation into the situation in the occupied Palestinian
territory" as a "necessary step to ending the culture of impunity
that has long prevailed in regard to Israeli crimes and to hold high-level
political and military officials accountable".The groups that submitted
the dossier are al-Haq, Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, the Palestinian
Centre for Human Rights and Aldameer Association for Human Rights - all based
in the occupied territories. aljazeera
Israel bans head of Al-Aqsa authority from
accessing mosque
Israeli occupation police yesterday banned
Sheikh Najeh Bkeerat, the director of Waqf Property in Al-Aqsa Mosque, from
accessing the Muslim holy site for three months, Quds Press reported. Sheikh
Bkeerat said that Israeli police had
summoned and investigated him in Al-Qashleh detention centre in Hebron Gate, west
of Jerusalem.After he was investigated, said, Israeli occupation police handed
him over the deportation order.He reiterated that the Israeli occupation “wants
to create a vacuum in Al-Aqsa Mosque,as well as to undermine the education
process inside it.” middleeastmonitor
Israel fixes times for members of the Knesset’s incursions at Al-Aqsa Mosque
Israeli Govt has fixed the times for members of the Knesset
(MKs) to enter Al-Aqsa Mosque, Quds Press reported on Wednesday.The Govt made the move in response to a petition submitted
to the Israeli Supreme Court by far-right MK Yehuda Gluck. The extremist
parliamentarian has called on the court to overturn a ban on MKs’ and
ministers’ incursions at the Noble Sanctuary.When the Israeli Govt allowed extremist MKs to enter Al-Aqsa Mosque
last month it was interpreted widely as a test to measure Palestinian and Arab
reactions. It followed a ban imposed by PM Benjamin Netanyahu in Oct. 2015 in an effort
to reduce the tension triggered by Israeli settlers’ incursions at the mosque. middleeastmonitor
Netanyahu: Quickly start construction across
Jerusalem
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has called for construction
across occupied Jerusalem as quickly as possible, Israel’s Jerusalem Net
magazine reported.According to the weekly publication, Netanyahu made the calls
during a meeting with the leader of Likud’s Jerusalem branch, contractor Ilan
Gordo, last Thursday, shortly after attended the opening of the first phase of
the Begin Highway and the Rosmarin Interchange in Gilo settlement.The Israeli PM
called for construction to begin quickly
at Givat HaMatos, near Beit Safafa, where the plans have changed over the
years, despite permits having been already obtained. According to the magazine,
this is due to the disputes regarding the percentage of the construction
allotted to the Jews. middleeastmonitor
Palestinian female prisoners tortured at
Israeli Damon lock-up
Ramallah, (PIC) Palestinian female detainees
at the Israeli Damon jail have been enduring dire detention conditions and
subjected to harsh torture tactics, a human rights body has warned.According to
lawyer Hanan al-Khatib, from the Prisoners’ and Ex-Prisoners’ Commission,
Palestinian women and girls at Damon prison have been made to endure
excruciating psycho-physical torture.The lawyer said the Israeli prison
authorities continue to exert every possible effort to isolate the detainees
and sever their ties with the outside world by preventing them from reaching
out to their families and denying them prison visits.The lawyer also sounded
the alarm over the strip-searches, verbal assaults, exhausting transfers to
courts, medical neglect, and overcrowding, among others policies perpetrated
against the Palestinian female detainees. 22 Palestinian women and girls are
incarcerated in two cells in Damon lock-up.
China bans use of anti-Islam words on social
media
Beijing: "Islamophobic" terms used
by Chinese internet users to stigmatize Muslims have been blocked by
authorities to prevent bias against Islam, official media reported on
Thursday.China has over 21 million Muslims mostly the Uyghurs in Xinjiang and
Hui community in Ningxia province, according to unofficial accounts."The
Islamophobic terms invented by Chinese Internet users to stigmatize Muslims
have been blocked by authorities on Chinese social media despite criticism from
the netizens that such a ban overtly favourable to Muslim minorities,"
state-run Global Times reported.China is currently carrying out massive
crackdown against the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) in the volatile
Xinjiang province where Uygurs who formed majority were restive over the
increasing settlements of Han community, the majority ethnic group constituting
over 90 % of the country's
population.ETIM is blamed by China for a host of terrorist attacks in Xinjiang
and other parts of China. Reports from the province said a large number of
youth were fighting along with Islamic State in Syria.As a result of the ban,
searches for "green religion" and "peaceful religion",
often used by Internet users to refer to Islam and to circumvent censorship of
inappropriate online speech, showed no results on China's Weibo microblog
yesterday, the report said.PTI
Officially atheist China protects Muslim
residents’ rights, blocks ‘Islamophobic’ terms from social ...
Two in five European Muslims have felt
discriminated against – survey
Discrimination against Europe’s Muslims is
increasing, with two in five (40%) saying they have faced unfair treatment when
job- or house-hunting or accessing public services such as education or
healthcare, according to the first report of its kind in a decade.Nearly 30% of
respondents in a survey said they had been insulted or called names and 2% had
been physically assaulted in the previous 12 months.The survey was carried out
in late 2015 and early 2016 by the EU’s fundamental rights agency and involved
10,500 Muslims in 15 countries including France, Germany, the Netherlands,
Spain, Sweden and the UK. theguardian
FLASH: VIEWS & NEWS
Is Delhi Police’s Spl Cell Using an ‘Al-Qaeda
Recruiter’ as a Pawn to Vilify Rohingya in India?Bibhu Prasad Routray
With Prices Rising Post-GST, Has the Govt Taken the Public for a Ride?BY ARUN KUMAR
What Amit Shah’s Testimony in Maya Kodnani
Trial Means:The Wire
How Delhi excludes the disabled, single women,
& Muslims from a regular existence:Rajanya Bose, NC Saxena
Centre plans to loosen fiscal deficit target
for spending ₹50,000 cr. more
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