Evening NEWS
DIGEST
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Oct.2017: 20 Muharram 1439:Vol:9, No:17
Sex with below 18-yr wife is rape, rules
Supreme Court
New Delhi:The Supreme Court on Wednesday held
that a man will be punished for rape if he is found to be guilty of having sexual
intercourse with his minor wife.A Bench of Justices Madan B. Lokur and Deepak
Gupta read down exception 2 to Section 375 (rape) of the IPC.The exception
clause to the heinous offence of rape allows a man to have sex with his wife
who is not aged below 15.With this verdict, the court has ended the disparity
between this exception to Section 375, which allows a husband to have sexual
relationship with his 15-year-old wife, and the definition of ‘child’ in recent
laws such as the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012, which
includes any person below the age of 18.The verdict also ends tacit acceptance
of the exception clause in the IPC provided to child marriages, which was
declared illegal and is a punishable offence, though a social reality
especially in rural parts of the country.The court had agreed with NGO
Independent Thought, which filed the petition challenging the exception, on how
when sexual intercourse with a minor aged below 18 with or without her consent
amounts to rape under IPC, it is not so once she is married.NGO had argued that
the exception was a violation of the fundamental right to life and equality of
minors.The judgment, though the Bench had said time and again that it did not
want to delve into the issue of marital rape, now inevitably opens a window for
law on marital rape.The court had questioned the reason for Parliament to
create an exception in the penal law declaring that sexual intercourse by a man
with his minor wife is not rape.It had asked the reason behind such an
exception in the IPC when the age of consent was 18 years for "all
purposes"."We do not want to go into the aspect of marital rape. That
is for Parliament to see if they want to increase or decrease the age of
consent. But once Parliament decided that we have fixed 18 years as the age of
consent, can they carve out an exception like this," a Bench of Justices
Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta had asked the Centre during the hearings."When
you [Govt ] recognise the age of consent to be 18 years for all purposes, then
why this exception," it had asked.Govt counsel had defended the exemption as
something Parliament had given due thought and consideration about.During the
hearing, the Bench referred to the aspect of child marriage and said that
despite there being law that held it illegal, the practice was still going on."Whether
or not it [child marriage] is a social reality, for 70 years we have not been
able to remove it," the Bench had observed. thehindu
SC rules sex with wife below 18 is rape: Explaining
case
Govt lost high moral ground after defending Shah:Sinha
Patna: Dissident BJP leader Yashwant Sinha
slammed the Govt on Wednesday for
defending party chief Amit Shah’s son Jay Shah over allegations hurled against
him and said it had thus lost its high moral ground.“I don’t want to comment on
the merit of the case as it is a matter of investigation but I would like to
say the manner in which a central minister jumped into the fray...He is a
central minister, not a chartered accountant of Jay Shah,” Sinha told NDTV.
Sinha also criticised the govt for allowing Additional Solicitor General Tushar
Mehta to take on the case of Jay Shah.“These were avoidable and should not have
happened. The very special circumstances in which the Additional Solicitor
General has been cleared to defend the concerned person also raises some issues
and that was also to my mind avoidable.“Looking at all these therefore perhaps
the high moral ground that we had occupied all these months and years somehow
appears to have been lost,”he said.Jay Shah’s company has reportedly recorded a
turnover of Rs 80 crore in 2015 after showing just Rs 50,000 the previous
year.Sinha was asked whether the issue had dented the image of BJP and PM Modi.“I
am not going to those details. An episode takes place. Your reaction to that
determines whether you are still occupying a high moral ground or you have quit
that high moral ground. From the way we have responded the party and the govt,
it appears the high moral ground has been lost,” Sinha said.Asked about the
defamation case filed against the website while reported the story, Sinha said:
“To try and suppress the voice of media either directly or through any other
means including for instance this defamation case of Rs 100 crore was also
avoidable.”IANS
Sinha alleges many BJP lapses in handling jay
shah case
Rahul Gandhi’s Gujarat visit: ‘Amit Shah only
Gujarati businessman who can convert Rs 50,000 into Rs 80 crore’
Jay Shah’s Lawyer fails to appear, court
defers defamation matter against The Wire till Oct. 16
Ahmedabad: A metropolitan court here today
adjourned the hearing of the criminal defamation case filed by BJP president
Amit Shah’s son Jay against The Wire as the complainant’s advocate was not
present in the court.A lawyer for Jay Shah sought time from additional chief
metropolitan magistrate S.K. Gadhvi, saying that senior advocate S.V. Raju
could not be present in the court as he was busy in the high court.The court
granted the time and adjourned the hearing to Oct. 16.Jay Shah had filed a
criminal defamation case in a metropolitan court against The Wire on Monday over
a report, which claimed his firm Temple Enterprise’s turnover grew
exponentially after the BJP came to power at the Centre in 2014.The magistrate
had ordered a court inquiry in the matter under CrPC section 202. 7 respondents
in the case are the author of the article, Rohini Singh, founding editors of
The Wire, Siddharth Varadarajan, Sidharth Bhatia and M.K. Venu, managing editor
Monobina Gupta, public editor Pamela Philipose and Foundation for Independent
Journalism, a non-profit company that publishes The Wire.The court will issue
summonses to the respondents only after the initial inquiry establishes a case.Shah
is yet to file a civil defamation suit against the respondents.He had earlier
announced that he will also file Rs 100 crore civil defamation suit. thewire
Court adjourns hearing of Jay Shah’s
defamation case against news website
CBI has new boss for financial scams. it's
investigating his own brother
New Delhi:CBI, has a new boss in their
department that looks at banking and security frauds. One problem: the same
agency is investigating a bank scam that involves his own brother.IPS officer
Rajiv Singh of the Tripura cadre was named Joint Director in the Banking and
Securities Frauds Section at the end of last month. He won the President's
medal last year for his handling of the Saradha scam, a Ponzi scheme in Bengal
that bankrupted lakhs of small investors. So Rajiv Singh's promotion could be
considered well-deserved.But some in the agency point out that his brother,
Sanjiv Singh, is accused of swindling Allahabad Bank's branch in Ranchi of Rs.
6 crore. The Singhs' family home in Hazaribagh in Jharkhand was also raided a
year ago when the CBI first registered a case against him. The complaint filed
by the bank said that Sanjiv Singh took a loan against assets he did not
own.Some CBI officers also allege that at that time, Rajiv Singh reached out to
colleagues in CBI who raided his family home and other locations to collect
evidence against his brother. A complaint submitted to top officials the Chief
Vigilance Officer claims these colleagues immediately alerted then CBI director
Anil Sinha about the impropriety of such interventions. Sources say while final
comments have been submitted in the brank fraud case, it is yet to be
chargesheeted and Rajiv Singh's new position could interfere with progress.
Economic Advisory Council to PM admits slowdown,
New Delhi: Recently constituted Economic
Advisory Council to PM has identified 10 priority areas for accelerating economic
growth and employment over the next six months, with greater last mile
connectivity."The recommendations of the 5 member council would be
structured around these themes," the official statement said. 10 themes
identified include economic growth, employment and job creation, informal
sector and integration, fiscal framework, monetary policy, public expenditure,
institutions of economic governance, agriculture and animal husbandry, patterns
of consumption and production and social sector.According to the statement,
another key issue recognised is the need for effective tracking of key economic
parameters, through possible mechanisms for instituting and economy track
monitor, using lead indicators and triggers of action, based on informal
assessment and analysis. PMEAC, which is headed by NITI Aayog member Bibek
Debroy, said that the Govt should stick to the fiscal consolidation roadmap.
Council acknowledged the slowdown in the Indian economy and said that it will
examine the causes. EconomicTimes
Godhra train burning not act of terror or war:
Gujarat HC
Ahmedabad:Cancelling the death sentence of 11
convicts in 2002 Godhra train burning, the Gujarat High Court ruled that it was
"neither terrorism nor an act of waging war against the state".The
court justified life term for the convicts, backing the conspiracy theory, but
said they did not deserve death.The number of deaths would have been far less,
said the judges, had the coach not been overcrowded.Over 100 people could
escape the burning coach, which, the court said, showed that the convicts
"had the intention to cause death and maximum damage, they did not intend
to enhance the number of casualties."Petitions had challenged the
convictions and acquittals in the burning of the Sabarmati Express case. Judges
Anant S Dave and GR Udhwani referred to the Law Commission's recommendation
that the death penalty should be abolished for any crime that is not related to
terror or war against the state."The cases on hand have no genesis in the
act of terrorism or waging war against the state," the court
said."Death penalties eliminate a person to a point of no return. While
considering the question of sentence to death, a duty is cast upon the court to
deliberate on various facets of sentence and to immunise itself to avoid
branding imposition of death sentence as 'judge centric' or 'blood
thirsty'," said the order made available on Tuesday. ndtv
Malegaon blast case: SC for final hearing on
plea against Sadhvi Pragya on Oct 31
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday fixed Oct.
31 for the final hearing of a plea challenging the Bombay High Court order
granting bail to Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, an accused in the 2008 Malegaon
blast case.A bench comprising Justices R K Agarwal and S Abdul Nazeer listed
the matter for final hearing after counsel for Thakur submitted that she would
not like to file any documents with regard to the case.NIA had filed its reply
in the case saying there was no evidence against Thakur.Petitioner Nisar Ahmed
Haji Sayed Bilal, father of one of the blast victims, has alleged in his plea
that Thakur was a “powerful person” and could influence witnesses in the
case.He has sought a stay on the high court’s April 25 order granting bail to
her. The HC had granted her bail, saying there was “no prima facie evidence
against her”.“The HC failed to appreciate that Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur is an
influential person and is likely to wield her power and influence in an illegal
and unlawful manner to tamper with evidence and influence witnesses,” Bilal has
said.He has claimed that there was ample evidence against her and “her role,
involvement and complicity in planning and executing the conspiracy for
committing Malegaon blast is writ large on the case record”.It has said that
she had been denied bail by a special court in Mumbai several times in the
years 2011, 2012, 2015 and 2016 on the ground that “a prima facie case is
clearly made out against her”.PTI
Put cases of terrorism, sedition, assassination
in Centre’s jurisdiction: Niti Aayog
New Delhi:Cases of terrorism, sedition and
high-profile assassinations should be brought under the jurisdiction of the
Union Govt and investigated by NIA or CBI, the country’s top policy advisory
body Niti Aayog said in a report suggesting ways to modernise the country’s
police.India’s constitution says policing is a prerogative of state Govt s, and
federal agencies such as the NIA and CBI are roped in once a formal request is
sent.“In light of the rapid growth in internet, communication and mobile
technologies, organised crimes and terrorism can be best tackled through a unified
legal,administrative and operational framework for the police forces across the
nation,” according to report Building Smart Police:Background into the needed
Police Reforms, which calls for the Union Govt to be given powers to also regulate “public
order”.Since empowering the Centre will need a constitutional amendment, “which
could be difficult”, the report suggested that a clutch of offences be defined
as “federal crimes” to bring them under Union Govt’s jurisdiction.The issue
could raise concerns over federal separations of powers. State Govts have often
locked horns with Union administrations, especially when they are controlled by
rival political parties, over autonomies defined constitutionally. One such
case has been the running demand from AAP-run Delhi Govt that wants control of
the Delhi Police. The force reports to the Union home ministry, since Delhi is
a union territory and not a full-fledged state. hindustantimes
Elphinstone Road stampede:Western Railway
report blames rains, rumours, absolves authorities
2 weeks after deadly stampede on Elphinstone
Road-Parel foot-over bridge in Mumbai, the Western Railway, in a report, has
pinned the blame on rumours and rains for the tragedy, ruling out the issue of
poor infrastructure or negligence on part of the railways staff.23 lives were
lost on 29 Sept.due to the tragic incident that occurred on the narrow bridge
that connects Elphinstone Road station on the Western Railway with Parel
station on Central Railway.After gathering statements from nearly 30 survivors,
a high-level Western Railway committee absolved the railways
authorities."The committee found that the cause of the incident were
rumours and rain.The confusion between 'phool' and 'pul' resulted in the chaos.
No one was responsible for it,"Western Railway chief PRO Ravinder Bhakar
was quoted as saying byMumbai Mirror. firstpost
Muslim singer's murder and exodus of 200
Muslims from a village in Rajasthan evokes outrage
Jaipur: A fortnight after a Muslim folk singer
was murdered in a Rajasthan village, the exodus of several families of that
community from the area has invited severe criticism from the civil
society."What is administration doing?A whole community of 200 people had
to move out of the village to exile," PUCL said in a statement.The trouble
started after Ahmad Khan, a Langa Maganiyar, was allegedly murdered by a local
faith healer on Sept. 27, in Danta village in Jaisalmer district.On that day,
faith healer Ramesh Suthar had asked Khan to sing a particular
"raaga" to induce a temple goddess' spirit to enter the former's
body.When his purpose failed, Suthar blamed Khan for singing poorly. Suthar,
along with others allegedly assaulted Khan.They also warned the victim's family
not to file a police complaint.It was only on Oct.1, that the bereaved family
was able to file the complaint.On Oct. 5, the police arrested Suthar while 2
others are still absconding. "We have arrested the main culprit and
launched an investigation," a police officer told IANS."As of now
around 20 of our (Muslim) families consisting of around 150-160 persons are
living in a 'rain basera' (make-shift accommodation) in Jaisalmer and we all
are so afraid that we do not want to go back,"Bariyam Khan, brother of
Ahmad Khan said."We are ready to live under open skies and under no
circumstances want to go back to our village. We want Govt to give us full protection, provide us
facilities so that we can live here in Jaisalmer. They should arrest all
responsible for the murder," Khan said.Meanwhile, PUCL has condemned the
incident. In a statement Kavita Srivastava, Rajasthan president of PUCL
said:"The kind of lawlessness in the state, such brutal aggression by
dominant castes; lynching of an untouchable by the dominant castes and other
castes actively supporting the killers as he is a ojha (faith healer) is
deplorable.""They keep quiet on the murder, then follow it up with
threats, that we will kill a few more, especially when the manganiyars
challenged it has to be condemned in no uncertain terms."Bypolls for Lok
Sabha seats in Ajmer and Alwar are due after the deaths of the sitting MPs.IANS
200 Muslims flee Rajasthan village after Hindu
priest murders Muslim folk singer
Bajrang Dal leader spreading rumours to fuel
tension : Haridwar’S Valmikis
Haridwar:Members of the Valmiki community in
Kankhal have alleged that police did not act on a written complaint they had
given last week in which they blamed Bajrang Dal state coordinator Anuj Walia
for inciting violence and spreading rumours in the area.Vipin Pewal, a youth
from the community, said,"In our complaint, we had written how Walia was
spreading rumours that shop owners from minority community had made
objectionable comments against Valmikis. However, when police reached the spot,
they let him escape instead of arresting him." When asked, Anuj Walia
said, "We are not spreading rumours. We are trying to explain the
truth."Some shops were vandalized and looted allegedly by the right-wing
activists on Friday in Kankhal area of Haridwar district. Police later lodged
an FIR and arrested 2 accused who belonged to Bajrang Dal. Section 144 was
imposed in the district and heavy police force was deployed in sensitive
areas.TOI
Endorsement of Religion on Taxpayers' Money Unconstitutional:
Zafaryab Jilani on Ayodhya’s Ram statue
Lucknow: It's unconstitutional to endorse a
particular religion on taxpayers' money, Babri Masjid Action Committee convener
and former Additional Advocate General, UP, Zafaryab Jilani, said on Tuesday,
hours after CM Yogi Adityanath proposed to build a 100-metre tall Ram statue in
Ayodhya. Speaking to News18, Jilani put across his point, calling the proposal
"unconstitutional", adding that if something was being done to
promote tourism, it was more than welcome. "Many people will get
employment. It will also develop Ayodhya as a tourist spot. However, if Lord
Ram's statue is established, prayers will also be offered which makes it
unconstitutional because taxpayers' money is involved."CNN-News18
Hyderabad: Rohingya Muslim couple attacked,
condition critical
Hyderabad: Panic prevailed in Balapur area
when a Rohingya Muslim couple was attacked. Police became alert and brought the
situation under control.According to the details, Maulana Zahid Husain (32) and
his wife, Khadija Begum (28) was attacked with sharp weapons. They are in
critical condition at Osmania General Hospital.Sub-Inspector of Balapur Police,
Sudhakar told that the couple has been residing in the Rohingya refugee at
Balapur for the past 4 years. In wee hours, a group of 5-7 persons attacked them.Preliminary
investigations revealed that the attackers were talking in the Burmese
language. Police suspects that it is a case of internal enmity. Police is
conducting further investigations. siasat
Kerala: Police raid BJP office in Kannur,
recover swords, steel bombs
New Delhi:In a recent development in Kannur
the local police have seized lethal wepons from Panoor area in Kannur. The
police team recovered the wepons from an uninhabited ground behind the BJP
office.Kannur SP told India Today that they have recovered 2 swords, 4 iron
rods and one knife.The search operation was carried out based on the
information given by municipality cleaning staff who were cleaning the bushes.
The investigation is underway to track the owners of these weapons he said.Responding
to the serious allegation, BJP district president Sathyaprakash said that BJP
have no role behind the incident.The weapons were seized from a ground behind their office. In the morning
they have spotted a certain group of municipality workers pretending as
cleaning the area. They might have conspired to put the blame on BJP, he said
CPIM has lashed out the BJP alleging that they are the ones who are attempting
to incite violence in the state. indiatoday
'No terror angle in Kerala’s conversions'
New Delhi: 2 Hindu women from Kerala who were
examined by NIA have said they were “lured to convert to Islam but were not
forced to do so.”NIA is yet to find any “terror” angle in the conversions, an
official said. 2 women were examined as part of the Supreme Court-directed NIA
probe in the case of Akhila Asokan alias Hadiya, a 25-year-old Hindu girl who
converted to Islam and later married a Muslim man.As reported by The Hindu
earlier, the State police sent the details of 92 cases but the NIA said it was
concentrating on 32 cases, which involved Hindu women.“Last week, two women,
both named Athira, were examined at the Kochi office. They told us that they
had been lured to convert to Islam but no one forced them. In our report to SC
in the Akhila case also we had said there was an organised effort behind the
conversions. We are yet to come across any terror angle,” said an NIA official. thehindu
NIA probing 90 inter-faith marriages in Kerala
to see if there was ‘love jihad’
UP Muslim teen ‘arrested’, beaten in jail over
Facebook Post on Ganga
New Delhi: A teenaged Muslim boy was allegedly
arrested by the UP police and charged with hacking after posting a Facebook
status update on the recent court ruling on rivers Ganga and Yamuna, The
Telegraph reported.18-year-old Zakir Ali Tyagi described his arrest and release
while speaking at the meeting of the Bhim Army Defence Committee at the Press
Club of India in Delhi on Tuesday, where many others also described their
plight under Adityanath rule in UP. According to Tyagi, after the Uttarakhand
high court termed the Ganga and Yamuna rivers as ‘living entities’ and gave
them legal rights, he had updated his Facebook status to: “The Ganga has been
declared a living entity; will criminal charges be initiated if someone drowns
in it?”He claims to have been forcefully picked up by the police from his home,
which he shares with his employer, and charged under Section 66 of the
Information Technology Act that deals with hacking and could could lead to a
jail term of three years.Zakir told the Telegraph that he was targeted for
questioning the logic of granting “legal person” status to the Ganga.The
Telegraph report said FIR accused Tyagi of posting ‘galat tareeke ke (wrong
type of) comments” on Facebook.Wasiq Nadeem Khan, Tyagi’s legal aid, told the
Telegraph, “The police had initially registered the FIR under Section 66A, which
prescribes three years’ jail for offensive posts, unaware that the Supreme
Court had struck it down as unconstitutional in March 2015. When they realised
the mistake, they merely dropped the letter ‘A’.”Zakir, through Facebook, had
also taken a jibe at the BJP’s temple politics in UP. His status read, “The Govt
’s promise on the Ram Mandir was nothing but a gimmick, which will be made
before the next polls again to lure voters, like the promise to send mullahs to
Pakistan.”The Telegraph report said he was also booked for cheating for using a
murdered policeman’s image as his profile picture as part of a campaign to seek
justice for the officer. The picture was of Akhtar Khan, a police officer
killed on duty in Greater Noida.Zakir told the Telegraph that he was beaten in
prison. “I was locked up at Kotwali Nagar police station. Later that night, a
man in a yellow T-shirt, jeans and shoes entered the cell and asked which of us
was Zakir. When I raised my hand, he kicked and punched me till I lay writhing
on the floor.” “He abused me and said that people would stone my house and call
me a terrorist as I had written against the Govt . I was never taken to a
doctor but a medical report was produced in court saying I was in good health,”
he went on to say.The Wire
18-yr Zakir spends 42days in UP jail for
social media posts
Rights granted by Constitution are not favours
by govt:Justice AP Shah
New Delhi: Rights that the people of India
have bestowed on themselves through the Constitution are not favours granted by
the Govt , ex-Chief Justice of Delhi High Court Justice A P Shah said on
Tuesday.In stark contrast to Mahatma Gandhi’s vision, cultural conformism is
today being systematically imposed in the guise of nationalism, Shah said at a
conclave organised by retired civil servants and veterans of the armed forces
on “The fractured polity: the relevance of Gandhi today”.In stark contrast to
Mahatma Gandhi’s vision, cultural conformism is today being systematically
imposed in the guise of nationalism, Shah said at a conclave organised by
retired civil servants and veterans of the armed forces on “The fractured
polity: the relevance of Gandhi today”.Pointing out that the Supreme Court
order on national anthem could convert patriotism from a value into a
performance, Justice Shah underlined that there is a systematic attack on
institutions, including the bureaucracy, judiciary, and the media. This, he
said, is resulting in a dangerous polarisation and the growth of a violent,
narrow, majoritarian vision of nationalism. He called for strong resistance to
the move to “stifle dissent by stifling dissenters” and wrongful accusations of
an outdated notion of “sedition”. Justice Shah also said he is willing to join
a legal challenge to the recent order banning protests at Jantar Mantar in
Delhi.Besides Shah, journalist-author and ex-chairperson of Prasar Bharati
Mrinal Pande and historian Ramachandra Guha were the other speakers at the
event. indianexpress
‘Living Will’ can take effect if a medical
board certifies a person incurable: Supreme Court
New Delhi:A person’s advance directive to
withdraw medical care to allow him to die with dignity should take effect only
when a medical board affirms that his medical condition is beyond cure and
irreversible, Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra said on Wednesday. Chief
Justice, heading a five-judge Constitution Bench, was responding to a debate on
when exactly a person’s ‘Living Will’ or advance directive for end-of-life
medical care should take effect.The Bench said it will lay down guidelines for
drafting living wills and how it can be authenticated. It has reserved the case
for judgment.The court is hearing a petition by NGO Independent Thought to
legalise euthanasia and the concept of living will.“Advance directives may be
approved by a Magistrate.Magistrate has to examine that the person executing
the living will is of sound mind. That he has taken informed consent...” CJI observed. thehindu
Taj Mahal should be replaced with Guru
Gorakhnath Peeth: UP Culture Minister
Laxmi Narayan Chaudhary, a cabinet minister in
UP , has said that the Taj Mahal was "rightly kept out" of the
tourism booklet recently released Yogi govt, and 17th century monument
"should instead be replaced with Guru Gorakhnath peeth."Speaking on
the controversial omission, Chaudhary said that BJP Govt in UP was nationalist and runs on "dharm niti
(religious policy)."TOI reported today that Chaudhary, who is in charge of
culture, religious affairs and minority welfare, shared his views on the Taj
Mahal at an event organized by ABVP in Hathras."Taj Mahal is not the
symbol of any religion and (it is) nobody's. It does not represent any
religion," he said."On the other hand,Gorakhnath peeth represents
people's faith."TOI reported that when it was pointed out that Taj Mahal
was a UNESCO heritage site, Chaudhary said, "Those who included the monument
in that list must have been of a similar taste (mizaz) as those who built
it." huffingtonpost
In Kashmir, 2 militants kill 2 IAF commandos,
gunned down
Srinagar:2 commandos of Indian Air Force elite
Garud unit and 2 militants were killed and one soldier was injured on Wednesday
in a gun battle in J&K ’s Bandipora district.“The two Garud personnel were killed
in action while operating with the Army for operational experience and
training,” Defence Ministry spokesman Colonel Rajesh Kalia said.The gunfight
between the security forces and the terrorists took place in the Hajin area and
it was an “intense operation,” he said.Earlier, both defence sources and the
police said the security personnel killed in the encounter were from the Army.IANS
Kashmir Not a Part of India, says Bihar
Question Paper
Kashmir is not a part of India but a separate
country, according to the education dept of Bihar. A question paper for a class
7 exam, attempted by students across all Govt schools in the state, asks what are the people
living in these five ‘countries’ callled – China, Nepal, England, Kashmir and
India. According to a TOI report, exams, which are conducted under the central Govt
’s ‘Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan’, are overseen by the Bihar Education Project Council
(BEPC) which is a part of the state’s education department.The incident was
pointed out by a student from Vaishali district of the state. Vaishali district
education officer told TOI that she was on leave and will look into the
matter.However, the state programme officer of BEPC, Prem Chandra, told Times
Of India that it was a printing error. He said the incident was very
embarrassing.The Quint
Gujjar Muslims in Jammu are feeling under
siege?Blame state apathy, communal politics by BJP
India’s “first line of defence” along the
border in J&K, nomadic Gujjar community is feeling under attack. But not
from a foreign enemy.The proposed All India Institute of Medical Sciences in
Vijaypur threatens to evict 204 families of Gujjar Basti there. For one family
in particular, it has brought back horrors of another forced eviction last
year.60-year-old Reham Ali’s son, Mohammad Yaqub, was killed on Feb.22, 2016.
That day police had arrived in a Gujjar settlement in Sarore, not far from
Vijaypur, to arrest a man wanted for crimes in Himachal Pradesh.The residents
alleged the police manhandled them, including women and children, when the
accused was not found at home.When the villagers protested the police’s
highhandedness, “suddenly a large mob of Hindus emerged and set kulas [mud and
wood houses] on fire”, said Teg Ali, a resident of Sarore. “We started
defending ourselves by throwing stones at them, but not the police.”Reham Ali
and his son had rushed to Sarore when they heard about the confrontation. Teg
Ali, a cousin of Reham’s, said shortly after the houses were set on fire,
bulldozers of the Jammu Development Authority also arrived and pulled down the
concrete structures.The villagers tried to resist but the police fired on them,
killing 25-year-old Yaqub. Later, Teg Ali said, “the police threw out our
belongings, whatever was not already damaged by the mob. The SHO told us to
leave this land.”That wasn’t all. The residents alleged the police detained the
Gujjars but let the Hindu mob go. “I didn’t even know my son was shot, I was in
the lock-up,” said Reham. In the Bari Brahmana police station, too, Reham said,
the Gujjars were beaten.SHO, Bharat Sharma, was shifted out soon after. Naeem
Akhtar, now a minister, had called for a judicial enquiry into the incident.
The state was under Governor’s Rule at that time. scroll
Mukul Roy quits TMC, resigns as Rajya Sabha MP
Suspended TMC leader Mukul Roy on Wednesday
resigned as Rajya Sabha MP and from primary membership of his party."Today
I am resigning from Rajya Sabha membership, elected as a member of TMC. I also
resign from all posts of TMC as a primary member," he said.Roy , who met
Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu to submit his resignation, said he was
quitting with a "heavy heart". timesofindia
Madhya Pradesh’sBJP MP asked to explain remark
calling Muslims ‘violent’: indianexpress
Bhopal: Nearly 5 months after BJP Rajya Sabha
MP from Madhya Pradesh Meghraj Jain raised objection to the minority status
given to Jains on the ground that it puts the vegetarian community on a par
with Muslims, “who slaughter goats and cows, and eat meat daily’’, a
Parliamentary standing committee has asked him to explain his remarks.On
Saturday, Jain said that the ethics committee of Rajya Sabha, headed by Dr
Karan Singh, has sought his explanation and he will go to Delhi on Monday to
give his reply. BJP leader had made the contentious remarks in April.
Addressing the media in Ratlam, MP, he had said,“Minority status to Jains was a
conspiracy by Congress…. We are not a minority community. We have our own
place, our beliefs, status in the society. We are pure vegetarian. We can’t
even kill ants, and if they do get killed we make atonement. Such a community
was put on par with an very violent (ghor hinsak) community.”In a way, he said,
“it’s an insult to the Jain community.” Asked which community he was referring
to, Jain said,“I am talking about Muslims….They kill goat…kill cow…they eat
meat daily…we were made to sit with them.’’ Attaching newspaper clippings and a
CD of press conference, Shahid Modi, Congress leader from Dewas, petitioned the
President to suspend Jain from the House for making a statement — made
“deliberately for social, religious and political polarisation” in the state —
not in national interest.
Sanatan Sanstha Trio Behind Gauri Lankesh’s
Killing?
Bengaluru;In the first sign that the Special
Investigation Unit, investigating the murder of journalist and activist Gauri
Lankesh may have homed in on her killers, the SIT has reportedly asked NIA and
CBI to share details about three right-wing activists — Sarang Akolkar alias Sarang
Kulkarni, Jay Prakash alias Anna and Praveen Linkar — associated with the
Sanatan Sanstha, who are suspects in the murders of rationalists – Govind
Pansare, Narendra Dabholkar and researcher Dr. M.M. Kalburgi, reports Deccan
Chronicle.“We have sent a team to the NIA and CBI to get details about these
three suspects. CBI is handling the Dabholkar murder case,” senior SIT
officials said.The names of the three came up when the SIT began probing the
murder of Ms Lankesh. The SIT had started the probe on Sept. 7, two days after
Ms. Lankesh was shot dead at the doorstep of her home in Rajarajeshwari Nagar
on the evening of Sept. 5 . caravandaily
Scourge of unemployment, unemployability
haunts Indian youth
Kolkata: Upset over his failure to get a suitable
teaching job, Atanu Mistry, 30-year-old from West Bengal's South 24 Parganas
district,allegedly committed suicide recently. According to Mistry's family, he
had armed himself with a B.Ed degree after completing his post-graduation in
English to chase a childhood dream of becoming a teacher. But failing to crack
the recruitment examination for primary teachers, he only managed a
housekeeping job in a private entity, which shattered his morale.Again, 21-year-old
engineering graduate, Arpit Ravish, who topped the final semester examination,
reportedly took his life by hanging from the ceiling of his residence at
Girinagar in south Bengaluru after failing to get campus placement.There may be
many Atanus and Arpits languishing after unsuccessful attempts at finding jobs
in the organised sector in the depressed Indian job market despite having
higher academic degrees.IANS
WORLD
'Cynical' Myanmar Army Operation Aimed At
Preventing Rohingya Return:UN
Geneva:
Myanmar security forces have brutally driven out half a million Muslim
Rohingya from northern Rakhine state, torching their homes, crops and villages
to prevent them from returning, UN human rights office said on Wednesday.Jyoti
Sanghera, head of the Asia and Pacific region of the U.N. human rights office,
called on Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi to "stop the violence" and
voiced fear that if the stateless Rohingya refugees return from Bangladesh they
may be interned."If villages have been completely destroyed and livelihood
possibilities have been destroyed, what we fear is that they may be
incarcerated or detained in camps," she told a news briefing.In a report
based on 65 interviews with Rohingya who have arrived in Bangladesh in the past
month, it said that "clearance operations" had begun before insurgent
attacks on police posts on Aug. 25 and included killings, torture and rape of
children.U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein - who
has described the Govt operations as
"a textbook example of ethnic cleansing" - said in a statement that
the actions appeared to be "a cynical ploy to forcibly transfer large
numbers of people without possibility of return"."Credible
information indicates that the Myanmar security forces purposely destroyed the
property of the Rohingyas, scorched their dwellings and entire villages in
northern Rakhine State, not only to drive the population out in droves but also
to prevent the fleeing Rohingya victims from returning to their homes,"
the report said.Reuters
EU to cut ties with Myanmar military chiefs
over Rohingya crisis
Brussels: European Union (EU) is to halt ties with
senior Myanmar military chiefs to protest the “disproportionate use of force”
against the Rohingya minority, according to an agreement seen by AFP on
Wednesday.The bloc also warns it could consider sanctions if there is no
improvement in the crisis, in which more than half a million Rohingya Muslims
have fled a military crackdown into Bangladesh since August, a situation the UN
says likely amounts to ethnic cleansing.The agreement, approved by EU
ambassadors and set to be signed off at a meeting of foreign ministers on
Monday, said the rapid flight of so many people “strongly indicates a
deliberate action to expel a minority”.AFP
Sexual, physical harassment of female
prisoners in Sisi’s prisons
A Cairo-based human rights group, Egyptian
Coordination for Rights and Freedoms, has revealed that dozens of women
arrested on political grounds have suffered physical and sexual harassment.
They have also been tried before military courts on fabricated
charges.According to the group, 30 women are imprisoned in Egypt’s prisons on
politically-motivated charges and subjected to physical and sexual
violations.In a report titled “Mothers in prisons… Women and girls who have
lost their educational and familial futures behind bars”, the organisation
noted that the prisoners are “subjected to physical and sexual violations in
prisons. They have also been banned from visits, have not been allowed to
receive food and medication, and are detained in inhumane conditions.”“Some are
tried in civilian courts, some in military courts,and some are in pre-trial
detention,” noted the report, adding that death sentences have been given to
some political prisons without clear evidence.The report documented a number of
violations against female detainees in Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi’s
prisons, including “the deterioration of health and psychological conditions of
detainees by depriving them from seeing their children and being subject to
unbearable forms of pressure and torture. Furthermore, young detainees are
subject to various forms of psychological and verbal abuse, and even physical
assault.” middleeastmonitor
Egypt: Health of Qaradawi’s daughter
deteriorates in jail
The family of Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradawi, the
chairman of the International Union of Muslim Scholars, has revealed that the
health of his daughter imprisoned in Egypt has “deteriorated seriously”,
Al-Arab paper reported. A statement from the family put the blame for this on Egyptian
authorities.Ola Al-Qaradawi, 55, has been remanded in custody by an Egyptian
court for a couple of months, as has her husband Hussam Khalaf, 58. Her
situation is described by her family as “slow killing behind bars.”Although
Al-Arab did not carry a comment by the Egyptian authorities on the situation,
it pointed out that the Govt always
insists that it offers satisfactory healthcare for all prisoners.On Sunday, an
Egyptian court renewed the detention of Ola Al-Qaradawi for another 15 days. A
similar decision on her husband was deferred until today (Wednesday). When she
heard this decision, she fainted in court, said her family. “She is worried
about her own life,” explained the family, “due to the inhumane detention
conditions and inhumane treatment that she is facing.”Family lawyer Ahmed
Abul-Ola Madi said that he asked Public Prosecution to send Ola Al-Qaradawi to hospital
due to deterioration of her health,but Public Prosecution only said that it
would study the request. middleeastmonitor
917 Egyptians sentenced to death since 2013
coup
8 Israeli soldiers commit suicide in nearly 3
months
The number of suicide cases among the Israeli
army soldiers is “constantly” mounting, Hebrew reports have revealed.Israel’s
0404 reported today that an Israeli soldier at the Hatzor military base,
located at the southern area of the Palestinian occupied territories, committed
suicide last night, as she fired a bullet at her head.The incident is one of
series of suicide cases that have been monitored during the past two and a half
months, during which seven soldiers committed suicide.Israeli police are
currently investigating into the cases, Israeli website noted. Israeli Defence
Forces (IDF) spokesperson recently said that the last three years have
witnessed an increase in the number of suicide cases among the Israeli
soldiers. middleeastmonitor
Spain takes step towards suspending Catalonia
autonomy
Spain's PM Mariana Rajoy has demanded Catalan leaders
clarify whether they have formally declared independence before he invokes a
constitutional article that would strip the region of its autonomy.Addressing
deputies in parliament on Wednesday, Rajoy said Catalan regional president
Carles Puigdemont's response would determine "future
events"."The cabinet has agreed to formally require Catalan Govt to
confirm whether it has declared independence or not ," Rajoy said in the
address. "This call precedes the measures that Govt may adopt under
article 155 of our constitution and seeks to offer clarity and security that a
question of such importance requires," he added. aljazeera
Catalonia's leader Carles Puigdemont suspends
independence
Iranian Kurds back Iraqi Kurdish secession
Govts of Iraq, Turkey and Iran have joined
ranks in announcing new measures against Iraq's Kurdistan Regional Govt , or
KRG.This follows last month's controversial referendum on the future Kurdish
secession from Baghdad.The nonbinding vote result was celebrated by Kurds in
Iranian border towns in support of a bigger Kurdish dream. aljazeera
Sudanese call for Arab-Turkish-Iranian
security treaty
The president of Sudan’s National Ummah Party,
Sadiq Al-Mehdi, has called for the conclusion of an Arab-Turkish-Iranian
security treaty, under the auspices of Saudi Arabia and Egypt, in order to
coexist and respect national sovereignty, Anadolu has reported.“Based on the
concept of tripartite coexistence,” explained Al-Mehdi, “everyone commits to
supporting the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, and puts an end to
the illusionary discussions about normalisation with Israel.” Such illusions,
he added, are what have encouraged the Israeli right-wing to believe that it
can maintain its aggressive policies and still enjoy the acceptance of the
Arabs. “Everyone must commit that any relationship with Israel passes through
the necessity of returning Arab and Palestinian rights back where they belong.”The
leader of the Sudanese opposition party congratulated both Fatah and Hamas for
reaching an agreement on reconciliation. He also praised Egypt’s role in the
mediating the deal. “I hope that an Arab-Turkish-Iranian reconciliation can be
achieved, in line with the Palestinian one, to fight extremism and terrorism, and
end all the wars that leave all parties with perpetual loss.” middleeastmonitor
FLASH: VIEWS & NEWS
I cannot accept Hindutva because i am a Hindu:Nayantara
Sahgal
Mystery of the bogie S6 inferno (Godhra train
incident):Anosh Malekar, The Week
Nobel truth: How using Richard Thaler's tweet
on demonetisation backfired on BJP:Pathikrit Sanyal
In Light Of Jay Shah’s Decision To Sue The
Wire, A Look At Recent Responses To Investigative Journalism In India
"India Needs To Be Held Accountable For
Racially Motivated Attacks":GAYETI SINGH
Dalit priest in Kerala opens door to temple –
and change: Shaju Philip |
Surjit Bhalla responded to Yashwant Sinha with
‘facts’. His ‘facts’ demand a response from another economist:Pronab Sen
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