Evening NEWS
DIGEST
05
Oct.2017: 14 Muharram 1439:Vol:9, No:13
Gujarat HC allows Zakia Jafri to appeal for
new probe in Modi’s role in 2002 riots but rejects her plea challenging lower court
order upholding clean chit
New Delhi: In what appears to be a silver
lining in an otherwise adverse judgment for Zakia Jafri, wife of Congress
politician Ehsan Jafri, who was killed by a rioting mob in the Gulberg Society
massacre during the 2002 anti-Muslim riots, the Gujarat high court on Thursday
allowed her to move the courts to request a fresh investigation on the alleged
criminal role of the then CM Narendra
Modi and 61 others.Zakia had moved the high court in 2014 against the closure
report filed by the Supreme Court-appointed SIT. Zakia had also alleged in her
petition that the riots were a part of a larger conspiracy involving Modi and
others.The closure report, which was submitted by SIT in 2012 at a trial court
hearing Zakia’s pleas had stated that the SIT could not find any “prosecutable”
evidence against the accused persons, as a result of which it could not press
any charges against Modi and others. Protesting this,Zakia had appealed to a
metropolitan magistrate’s court demanding a fresh probe, but her appeal was
dismissed in 2013.The magistrate, B.G. Ganatra, had ruled that since the SIT
was monitored by the Supreme Court, it did not have the power to order a fresh
investigation.This had forced Zakia to file her petition at the high court,
which started final hearings in the case in 2015. On Thursday, the HC upheld
the validity of the closure report and dismissed Jafri’s allegation. However,
the HC allowed Zakia to demand a fresh investigation in the case – as sought by
her in the petition – and overturned the trial court’s observations, which had
ruled out another probe as it thought the SIT was monitored by the Supreme
Court.“The trial court has self-limited itself in saying that further investigation,
in this case, can’t be ordered. This order of lower court deserves
interference. So, the petitioner can raise the issue before the concerned court
that is the same magisterial court, the division bench of the high court or the
SC,” Justice Sonia Gokani told the Indian Express.Effectively, the HC judgement
has created an opening for Zakia to seek redressal at a lower court instead of
the Supreme Court, which would have been her last stop for appeal. Activist
Teesta Setalvad of Citizens for Justice and Peace, which is also co-petitioner
in the case, said, “HC has partly allowed the criminal revision application
filed by Zakia Jafri challenging magistrate B.G.Ganatra’s order of Dec.26,
2013,which had refused further investigation. Justice Sonia Gokhani also made
it clear that the lower court was wrong in holding that the magistrate had no
power under law to order further investigation.”The Wire
Gujarat HC rejects Zakia Jafri’s plea
challenging lower court order upholding clean chit to Modi
Aurangabad spl court acquits four Muslims
booked on terror charges
Aurangabad special sessions court has
acquitted four Muslim youth from terror charges in a judgement on Oct 3.Accused
Shaker Khilji, Abrar Shaikh, Zafar Qureshi and Anwar Khatri were arrested in
relation to Himayat Baugh encounter case, which happened on March 26, 2012, in
which Maharashtra ATS gunned down Azhar Khatri on the spot.The accused were
tried under UAPA, Sections 307, 353 and 34 of IPC, and sections 3, 25 of Arms
act in Aurangabad special sessions court.Judge of the case VV Patil put the
case on timed and fast proceedings by calling the witnesses and accused to
appear on regular basis on September 11 this year.The judgment which came
yesterday has acquitted all the 4 accused from UAPA but has convicted Shaker
Khilji and Abrar Shaikh in the IPC section 307 only.Jamiat Ulama-e-Maharashtra
has expressed happiness over the verdict and has said that it is hoping that
the remaining charges will be dropped from the remaining ones very soon.Hafiz
Nadeem Siddiqui, President Jamiat said, “This is a big success for the
community where all the accused have been acquitted of terrorism charges. It
has once again proved that our organization is fighting for the innocents.”The
accused have been facing charges in relation to Ahmedabad bomb blast case 2008.
Based on the input, Maharashtra ATS conducted a raid in Himayat Baugh locality
of Aurangabad in 2012, in which one accused was killed. The investigation of
this case was led by the CID.TwoCircles
2 sentenced to 10-year rigorous imprisonment
in Himayat Baugh firing case:TOI
SC refers to constitution bench issues related
to freedom of speech:PTI
New Delhi:The Supreme Court has referred to a
5-judge constitution bench questions such as whether a public functionary or a
minister can claim freedom of speech while airing views in a sensitive matter
which is under investigation.A bench headed by CJI Dipak Misra said the
questions raised by senior advocates Harish Salve and Fali S Nariman were
required to be dealt by a larger bench.The bench, which also comprised Justices
AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud, said it was concerned over the misuse of
social media platforms and said people disseminated wrong information even about
the court proceedings.Nariman, who is assisting the bench as an amicus curiae,
concurred with the observation of the bench and said that a lot of
misinformation and abuses are there on social media platforms and he has
stopped looking at them.“I have deleted my Twitter account,” Salve said, adding
that once when he was appearing in a case related to a Christian medical
college and the subsequent happenings on his Twitter handle forced him to
delete it.He said now private players were more into infringing the privacy
rights and such things are no more restricted to the state only. The court was
hearing a plea filed by a man whose wife and daughter were allegedly gangraped
in July last year on a highway near Bulandshahr, seeking transfer of the case
to Delhi and lodging of an FIR against ex-UP minister Azam Khan for his
controversial statement that the gangrape case was a “political conspiracy”.
J-K lawyers’ stand on Kashmir’s accession to
India irks SC
New Delhi:Chief Justice Dipak Misra’s bench
took strong exception on Wednesday to J&K high court bar association’s affidavit
questioning the state’s accession to India and said it’s a mistake that the
Supreme Court had asked reasons for protests in Kashmir.“If this court really
wanted to know that (reasons for stone-pelting and protests), then it’s a
mistake,” Justice Misra said when the association justified the contents of its
affidavit. Justices DY Chandrachud and AM Khanwilkar were the other members.“We
are slightly shocked at the affidavit. How is it relevant to your appeal here?”
the court asked from the association, which has challenged the state high
court’s order refusing to ban use of pellet guns. Extensive use of pellets on
agitators led to scores of youngsters losing eyesight permanently, the
association has placed before the SC.Association president advocate Abdul
Qayoom said the affidavit was filed “in response to the court’s keenness to
know why the people were protesting”. “Therefore, we pointed out the historical
facts,” the lawyer said.
Kashmiris ready to shed last drop of blood if
Article 35 A is tinkered with: Valley-based advocacy group
Srinagar:Kashmir Centre for Social and
Developmental Studies (KCSDS), an advocacy Centre and the largest civil society
formation in J&K, has ridiculed the statement made by RSS supremo Mohan
Bhagwat and said that Kashmiris will shed the last drop of blood if any
tinkering is done with article 35-A.“He (Mohan Bhagwat) should know that it is
not India which has given Kashmir any special status rather she has taken
powers by force from the state by forcing the reluctant king Maharaja Hari
Singh into signing the instrument of accession whose legitimacy Kashmiris have
been questioning ever since,” KCSDS said while ridiculing the Bhagwat
statement.“Even then the conditional clause inserted in the document by
Governor-General makes the connection with India only tentative and tenuous
subject to ratification by the people of the state. The article 35-A was
inserted as a bulwark against the further erosion of the sovereignty of the
state by the predatory union,” KCSDS said.“Seeing the gradual onslaught of New
Delhi on the residual sovereignty of the state by way of extension of the
fundamental rights and Indian citizenship to natives of the state in 1954, the
then state Govt sought protection to the
exclusive rights of the natives of the state of permanent residency and
settling or owning or buying land as well as jobs and scholarships in the
state. Further, that state alone can decide on these matters,” it
added.TwoCircles
Chinese troops still present in Doklam: Air
Chief
New Delhi:In a first formal statement from the
military leadership after the disengagement at Doklam, Chief of the Air Staff
Air Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa on Thursday said Chinese troops were still present
in the area. “Their [China] forces in Chumbi Valley are still deployed and I
expect that they will withdraw when their summer exercise gets over,” he said
at the annual press conference ahead of the Air Force Day on October 8. China,
he said, held military exercises every year in summer and so their forces were
closeby when the Doklam standoff happened.Air Chief said the possibility of a 2-front
war remains low but the Indian Air Force has adequate capability to tackle
threats despite a shortage of fighter jets. “Possibility of a 2-front war in
the current geopolitical situation is low. Our response should be based on
enemy's capability because intentions can change overnight,” he said. thehindu
India ready to take on the challenge of a 2-front
war: Air Force Chief
Corruption Culture rampant in Culture Ministry
: PMO fails to act
New Delhi: Amidst lofty claims by PM Narendra
Modi for ending the corruption ‘culture’
in country but the Dept of Culture is scripting new stories of
corruption.Even PMO is aware about their misdeeds but have turned a Nelson’s
eye towards the development. Infact, there are allegations that an effort is
being done to bury the corruption charges under the carpet by concerned
minister and officials.The saga of corruption is related to Centre for Cultural
Resources and Training in New Delhi.Corruption allegations against the Director
of CCRT for financial embezzlement for crores of rupees came to light but there
has been no action from govt.Established in 1979, CCRT is situated in Dwarka,
New Delhi, is an autonomous body but is under administrative control of
Ministry of Culture.Information procured through RTI indicate that Director,
CCRT, GC Joshi is involved in serious administrative and financial anomalies.These
charges are evident from the special audit report of the internal audit wing
under Ministry of HRD.As per the audit report,CCRT incurred a loss of Rs 1.56
crore during 2011-12 to 2015-16 for recommendation of using its auditorium.All these
recommendations were done by its Director, GC Joshi. This loss has been
calculated from the revenue earned during 2010-11 from the auditorium.Not only
this, report also indicates towards anomalies for reinstatement of its staff
without any prior information and advertisement.The report also mentions that
the going by deeds of the Director,CCRT, he should be immediately suspended or
sent on leave till the probe is completed. The report also categorically states
that all the directives of Director for reinstatement of staff, purchasing and
sacking of employees should be considered null and void.Despite such serious
noting, Director, GC Joshi continues to enjoy his post. This is when several
complaints regarding him have been sent to PMO.Meanwhile several letters have
been sent to PM Narendra Modi for taking action in this issue. PMO, on its part
has forwarded these letters to Secretary, Culture Ministry, which is sitting
idle on them.Meanwhile several employees of CCRT who have brought this to the
notice are being threatened by Director and few Deputy Directors to remain
silent. twocircles
Indian Govt advised to ‘discredit’ slavery research:
Govt of India has been advised to launch a
campaign to “discredit” research into the country’s modern slavery problem
because it has the “potential to substantially harm India’s image and exports”,
according to an Indian news report.The Walk Free Foundation, an anti-slavery
organisation established by Australian mining magnate Andrew Forrest, was
specifically singled out in a memo reportedly prepared by the IB, an Indian
security agency, and obtained by the Indian Express.It was produced days after
the release of a report last month by the International Labour Organisation
(ILO) and Forrest’s Walk Free Foundation that estimated the global population
of modern slaves at 40.3m in 2016.India was not specifically mentioned but successive
research has estimated the number of modern slaves in the country to be between
14m and 18m people –the most in the world.Modern slavery refers to people
involved in forced labour, people trafficking, debt bondage, child labour and a
range of other exploitative practices affecting vulnerable populations. theguardian
BJP worker spills beans on plans to spread
communal terror in WB; says arms, bombs being stored:report
Tracing the person addressed in the internal
messages leaked by members of Hindu Samhati on which National Herald had
carried a story earlier,NH investigative team contacted Santosh Kumar whose
Facebook profile describes him as Convenor, BJP Trade Cell,South 24 Paraganas
(W) and Observer at BJP, West Bengal, through the help of a right wing
source.He confessed to his involvement in planning and executing terror
activities in written correspondence with this source and accepted that there
were indeed plans to create communal disturbances after Shastra Puja on
Vijayadashami. This year, a team consisting of some senior leaders has been
formed which will be carrying out violent activities in different parts of Bengal,
he said. Earlier, members of this group were responsible for attacking Tiljala
mosque after which the Muslims were forced to stop their daily prayers for two
days, he added. Though a shadowy group, he claimed it has the support of many
members of the party.Most of the people named in the list hold prominent
positions in the party. From general secretary of district BJP units to leader
of its Mahila Morcha, leaders from almost every wing of BJP found a place on
this list disclosed by Santosh Kumar.The pictures of some of these people named
by Santosh reveal a strange relationship between them and the BJP leadership in
the state and the Centre. One or more of them are seen in photographs with
BJP’s national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, Union Minister Smriti
Irani and Roopa Ganguly, BJP MP from West Bengal. Why are these prominent
national faces of the BJP clicking pictures with people who are named by their
fellow party colleague of trying to foment communal trouble in state?In the
conversation, Santosh claimed Dilip Ghosh, West Bengal state head of the BJP,
is well aware of these attacks on the mosques. He also claimed that he had
personally handed over proposals to Dilip Ghosh to start arms factories in the
state and on his plans to foment communal trouble by throwing beef into Hindu
temples. Santosh seemed agitated that Dilip Ghosh, “in spite of having so much
to capitalise on,” was not doing enough and instead just asked him to be in
touch with the district president of the party.He also said that when he
approached district president Abhijit Das with his plans, he dissuaded him by
saying, “Why do you do these things? These are the tasks of RSS people.”A
dejected Santosh then wrote to one “Rajnathji” as can be seen from the screenshot
of the conversation. One wonders if he was referring to Union Home Minister
Rajnath Singh. It is up to the Union Minister to clarify whether he had ever
been approached by Santosh Kumar and what that correspondence, if any, was
about.The team has recruited members from different parts of the state.
Logistic support is provided by BJP’s allied organisations like the RSS and Bajrang
Dal. According to Santosh, 8 to 10 members of the present group have been
trained by these groups to use weapons and carry out action during Durga Puja.
The team consists of nearly 400 members from the South 24 Paraganas, including
some prominent members of BJP’s Bengal unit. nationalheraldindia
Cops probe conspiracy angle to cow slaughter
in Gonda
Lucknow:Gonda police, who arrested a
historysheeter caught slaughtering a cow in Bhatpura village Sunday, are
probing the possibility that it was a planned act meant to incite communal
tension a day before a Muharram procession was to be taken out in the
Hindu-dominated area.The accused is a Hindu Brahmin, said sources.Ram Sevak
Dikshit, who has 18 criminal cases against him, including those of murder and
dacoity, was arrested while he was allegedly slaughtering a cow in Katra Bazar
police station area.Mangal Dikshit,who was also involved in the act and is an
accused in three criminal cases, escaped, said police. Both belong to Bhatpura
village.SGO of Katra Bazar police station DP Singh said, “Around 7 pm Sunday, a
12-year-old boy spotted Ram Sevak and Mangal slaughtering a cow in a field. The
boy alerted locals who ran to the spot and also informed police. People caught
hold of Ram Sevak, who was drunk, while Mangal managed to escape”. Ram Sevak
and Mangal were booked under IPC sections 153 A, 295 A, 379 and UP Prevention
Of Cow Slaughter Act.During probe,Ram Sevak told police that they had stolen
the cow from their neighbour Ganesh Prasad Dixit, said Singh.indianexpress
India struggles to rein in border flows of
cattle, Rohingya:Reuters
New Delhi: Stopping Rohingya refugees from
crossing India's porous eastern border with Bangladesh is straining the
resources of guards battling to halt a flow of smuggled cattle in the opposite
direction, security officials say.More than half a million Muslim Rohingya, a
stateless ethnic minority, have fled Myanmar for Bangladesh since violence
erupted on Aug. 25, but it is not clear how many then sought to travel on to
India.Last month India ordered its border guards to use "rude and
crude" methods, such as "chilli and stun grenades", to block
their entry.But that directive clashes with another task India's Govt has set its border guards - to keep cows, seen
by many Hindus as sacred, from being smuggled into Bangladesh for slaughter, in
a trade worth $600 million a year."It's hard to stop cows and human beings
at the same time," a senior official of BSF, which has about 30,000 troops
patrolling the frontier with Bangladesh, said in New Delhi.
File status of 16,096 cows ‘exported’ to other
states: HC tells Haryana govt
Chandigarh:Punjab and Haryana High Court has
asked the Haryana Govt to verify whether
the 16, 096 cows that were exported to other states, since the enactment of the
Anti-cow Slaughter Act in 2015, are still alive and provide the list of states
where they have been exported.The HC direction came after the Govt failed to respond to an order asking it to
file a detailed affidavit on the status of the exported cows since the
enactment of Haryana Gauvansh Sanrakshan and Gausamvardhan Act, 2015 —law which
prohibits cow slaughter in the state. Though the Govt told the Division Bench
of Justice Ajay Kumar Mittal and Justice Amit Rawal that 565 permits had been
issued since 2015 for the export of cows, it also said “the question of giving
particulars of the states where they have been taken and whether they are alive
or not does not arise”. The govt official added that no cow had been exported
for the purpose of slaughter since the promulgation of the Act.indianexpress
Cracks appear in BJP-JD(U) alliance in Bihar
Speculations of rift within JD(U)-BJP alliance
gained currency after BJP leader and former Union minister C.P.Thakur publicly
questioned Bihar CM Nitish Kumar's much
hyped campaign against child marriage and dowry,and JD(U) hit back by saying
that no one can question the decisions of Nitish Kumar.Bihar CM Nitish Kumar’s lack of presence at a programme
in Ara which saw RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in attendance is also being cited as a
testimony of the differences between BJP and JD(U) in Bihar.On Wednesday, Kumar
attended a separate programme organised to mark 1,000th birth anniversary of
Swami Ramanujacharya while Bhagwat was in town to participate in a similar
programme.On the top of that,BJP leader Nawal Kishore Yadav advised Kumar not
to avoid Bhagwat. It did not go well with JD(U), according to a Patna
watcher.“JD(U) is an alliance partner of BJP, part of NDA, then it should have
no problems with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat,” Yadav was quoted by the media.JD(U)
spokesperson KC Tyagi, who is considered close to Nitish Kumar, however,
downplayed the rift. Nationalheraldindia
Muzaffaranagar:4 yrs after riots,Muslims back
with BKU
Muzaffarnagar: During the peak of the communal
tension at the time of the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots, Bharatiya Kisan Union had
faced a split on communal lines as many of its Jat leaders openly called for
all “Hindus to unite”. Soon after that many Muslim leaders in BKU had quit organisation.
But 4 years down the line, there are visible signs that the minority community
is coming back to the BKU.A Muslim leader who recently joined BKU said,“There
is no denying the fact that Muslims have lost political representation across
UP after UP polls. Samajwadi Party is busy mending its own house; BSP and RLD
are routed and rudderless; Cong doesn't have much of a voice. It is only BKU
which is left as an anchor for Muslims. Plus, it is also the only organistaion
that primarily speaks on issue of farmers.”During a recent agitation, a large
number of Muslims were seen in BKU gatherings, where activists even demanded
removal of liquor vends near mosques.The newly appointed adviser to BKU,Zaheer
Farooqui, said,“After the Muzaffarnagar riots and later BKU president Naresh
Tikait’s remark against Muslims in a panchayat held in June 2014 had completely
alienated the community from BKU. But that’s a thing of the past.”National
spokesperson of BKU, Rakesh Tikait, said,“2013 riots is a closed chapter now.
No one wants to remember that time. BKU, too, has moved on and has evolved in a
better way. Ours is an organisation dedicated to raise farmers’ issues, irrespective
of their religion.When unfavourable Govt policies hit people, the repercussion is felt
by everyone. Today all communities within our organisation are standing
together in our fight against the Govt ’s anti-farmer policies.” timesofindia
Gauri murder: 1 month on, SIT fails to make
headway
Bengaluru:A month after the murder of journalist
Gauri Lankesh who was gunned down
outside her house in Bengaluru on Sept.5, investigation into the incident is
yet to make any significant inroad. Karnataka Govt is under pressure as protests have been
planned in Delhi and Bengaluru on Thursday to ensure that the probe does not go
the same way as that into the murder of academic MM Kalburgi,who was similarly
gunned down at his house in August 2015.A senior officer in the SIT, which is
probing the murder, said they were going through a pile of evidence gathered
and methodically trying to look at various angles. indian Express
One Month of Lankesh Murder: Thousands protest
in Delhi
New
Delhi:Exactly one month ago, Karnataka's veteran journalist Gauri Lankesh was
murdered outside her home in the state's capital. Hundreds of social and human
rights activists, journalists and students held a protest demonstration in the
national capital today to reiterate their demand for arrest of the assailants
and to reclaim their right to dissent."We have gathered here to speak
against violence, for love and harmony. We are here to tell the killers that
killing of one Gauri is not going to silence us," eminent author and
social scientist Kamla Bhasin said.Several eminent activists including Teesta
Setelvad, Anni Raja, Prof Apoorvanand, Nandita Narayan, Harsh Mander, Prashant
Bhushan and Prabhat Patnayak were among several hundred protesters.The protest
was called by various organizations including Swaraj Abhiyan, Central Indian
Trade Union, Pragatishrel Mahila Sangarhan, Jan Sangharsh Manch Haryana, SIO,
AIDWA, KYS, DYFI, PDSU, Forum Against Assassination of Gauri Lankesh, AISA,
AIUF, AIMSS, JNUSU, India Writers Forum, IFTU, AIMSS and various other groups. IndiaTomorrow
Dalit youths post pictures flaunting
moustaches after some were beaten up for sporting the same
After a 21-year-old Dalit man was allegedly
beaten to death for watching a Garba event on Saturday and some Dalit youths
were attacked by the members of upper castes in 2 different recent incidents
for wearing moustaches in Gujarat, Dalit youths have discovered a novel way to
protest against atrocities against the community.To assert their identity,
Dalit youths in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar have been posting selfies and
pictures on social media which show them sporting moustaches.“Dalits in
Gandhinagar Gujarat are being killed for sporting a moustache, really! To
protest the attacks over a moustache, Dalits near Sanand have adopted a twirled
moustache logo as their WhatsApp display picture. Let us support them,” Pratik
Damodaran posted on Facebook along with the logo to lodge his protest against
beating up of the Dalit men. Many others posted their pictures sporting twirled
moustaches with hashtags like #jaatiwaadmurdawaad and RightToMoustache on
Facebook and Twitter and evoked strong support and solidarity.“We have had over
1000 people from the Dalit community posting pictures of themselves with
moustaches on Facebook alone in the past three days. The number will keep
increasing,” Gautam Makwana, who posted his selfie showing off his moustache,
was quoted by News18.Gautam added that his campaign will gain momentum, and it
was high time the plight of Dalits was brought to everybody's notice. nationalheraldindia
Increasing incidents of atrocities: Mevani
detained ahead of protest, Dalit women join ‘mooch’ campaign
Ahmedabad:Amid incidents of attack on Dalits
in Gujarat, activists from the community on Wednesday held a protest outside
the state secretariat in Gandhinagar during which some of them were detained.
Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani was also detained from his residence in Ahmedabad
in the morning to prevent him from taking part in the protest.While a 17-year-old
Dalit, who was attacked Tuesday by unidentified men in a Gandhinagar village
allegedly for sporting a moustache, made slow recovery at a civil hospital in
the district, the “moocho toh rakhvani (will keep a moustache)” campaign gained
strength, with several members of the community in Gandhinagar and Sanand
(Ahmedabad) changing their display photographs on social media sites to “Mr
Dalit” — a logo of a twirled moustache with a crown and Mr Dalit written on it.
Dalits have also started to print stickers of “Mr Dalit” logo to paste it on
their cars and motorcycles. indianexpress
EC ready to hold simultaneous assembly, Lok
Sabha polls after Sept 2018
Bhopal: Election Commission would be ready to
hold assembly and Lok Sabha elections simultaneously after September next year,
election commissioner OP Rawat said on Wednesday, a move that could cut poll
costs by hundreds of crores. BJP-led Govt at the Centre has been aggressively pushing
for the system of simultaneous parliamentary and assembly polls that was
prevalent in India till 1967.While parliamentary polls are scheduled for 2019,
assembly elections will be due in eight states September 2018. Polls in
Mizoram, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan are slated for the end of
2018 and early 2019. Polls for the remaining four states are slated to be held
with the general elections.“We told Govt what we have and what we need. We told
Govt about EVMs and other related things that we need and how much money will
be required for the same,” Rawat said.Rawat said the panel would require 40
lakh election-related equipment. “We required Rs 3,400 crore for VVPAT and Rs
12,000 crore for EVMs,” he said.HT
Amit Shah abruptly leaves Kerala Yatra amid
talk of poor crowd response
Thiruvananthapuram: BJP head Amit Shah skipped
a scheduled event in Kerala on Thursday, triggering speculation that the
last-minute decision to withdraw from a high-profile two-week campaign was
prompted by poor crowd response.As part of the Janraksha Yatra, Shah was
supposed to lead party workers into Pinarayi, the home village of CM Pinarayi Vijayan but BJP announced that he
cancelled the trip due to compelling reasons. “PM has asked him to stay in
Delhi for some important consultations. He will join the yatra once his busy
schedule is over,”said BJP state head Kummanam Rajasekhran.CPI(M), however,
said paltry crowds had forced Shah to skip the rally. “The party has made a
mountain out of a molehill. Poor response forced the party president to call it
a day. It shows people have rejected the much-publicised exercise of the saffron
party,” said CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan.Others indicated that
intense infighting in the state unit might also have been a factor. hindustantimes
Won't keep quiet when economy faces 'cheer
haran':Sinha
New Delhi: Senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha on
Thursday hit out at the Centre saying that he will not keep quiet when the
Indian economy faces "cheer haran" or 'disrobement.'"I am no
Shalya, but I will not keep quiet when the economy is facing 'cheer haran',"
Sinha said.Sinha's statement was in response to PM Narendra Modi's comment that his detractors
suffer from " Shalya-vrutti " or pessimism."These people suffer from
Shalya-vrutti (pessimism).They sleep well only after they spread a feeling of
pessimism all around. We need to recognize such people," PM Modi had said
in his address at the golden jubilee celebrations of the ICSI on Wednesday.TOI
Akhilesh re-elected SP chief for 5 yrs
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav was
unanimously re-elected as the party’s national president for a 5-year term on
Thursday at the party’s national convention in Agra.The party’s constitution
was amended to extend the tenure of the party chief to five years from the
existing 3 years.Mulayam and Shivpal gave the SP event a miss just as they had
stayed away from the state executive meeting of the party in Lucknow on
September 23. Akhilesh had personally invited his father for the national
convention. Akhilesh will remain at the helm for five years, the 2019 Lok Sabha
and state Assembly elections in 2022 will be held under his presidentship. hindustantimes
Alcohol will ruin our youth, society in next
25 yrs:PM Modi
New Delhi:PM Narendra Modi voiced on Thursday concern over
the growing problem of alcoholism among youth and said society will be “ruined”
in the next 25 years if the menace was not checked.Modi was addressing people
associated with the Umiya Sansthan, in Haridwar through video conference on the
inauguration of Ma Umiya Dham Ashram.Praising the Sansthan for according
priority to social causes, he spoke of the crucial role it could play in
fighting alcoholism among the younger generation and creating awareness about
cleanliness and environment conservation.“I am sharing this concern with you as
someone who has grown among your midst and not as the PM . Don’t you hear news
about the younger generation especially our boys falling victim to alcoholism
and things our ancestors hated. If we let this tendency grow in 20-25 years our
society will be ruined. hindustantimes
Problem of growing drug addiction among
Kashmiri youths missing focus in years of Valley’s conflict: HT
Srinagar: Rahim Ahmad was just 12 years old
when he fell in love with a girl from his neighbourhood. But the affair did not
last and a heartbroken Rahim, then a Class 7 student, took to cannabis.His
school grades started falling and he dropped out in Class 10; his parents
brought him to a de-addiction centre recently.“I was a bit depressed after the
failed relationship and friends introduced me to it (cannabis)...but soon I
became addicted and used to spend Rs120-Rs 400 daily,” he told HT, a cocky
youngster with haggard looks.Years of conflict, marked by bomb blasts and gun
battles, have shrouded one of Kashmir’s biggest problems: rising drug abuse
among the Valley’s youth.Data from Srinagar’s SMHS Hospital — one of the
biggest in the state —show an 85% increase in the number of drug and substance
abuse cases, from 410 in 2014 to 759 in 2016.Combined cases of drug abuse and
related psychological issues also went up from more than 14,500 cases in 2014
to 33,222 in 2016, a staggering 130% increase in two years. This year till
April alone, this number is 13,352. A UN International Drug Control Programme
survey in 2008 estimated 70,000 drug addicts in Kashmir, out of which 4,000
were women.
Stop all dharnas, public speeches at Jantar
Mantar immediately: NGT to Delhi govt
New Delhi:National Green Tribunal on Thursday
directed the Delhi Govt to immediately
stop all protests and assembly of people at the Jantar Mantar area in the heart
of the capital city.A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice R S Rathore also
directed the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) to remove all make-shift and
temporary structures, loud speakers and public address systems from the stretch
of the road situated near Connaught Place.PTI
Secret chapters of Mahatma Gandhi's
assassination hidden in MP?TOI
Bhopal:On Mahatma Gandhi's 148th birth
anniversary, conspiracy theorists are digging up 'unsolved mysteries' of the
assassination - which pistol was used to kill him, how many shots were really
fired, was there a second shooter?The weapon riddle leads to Gwalior district
of Madhya Pradesh. TOI has copies of a 1948 police document, which show that Dr
Dattatraya Parchure of Gwalior - who allegedly provided the Beretta with which
Godse fired three shots at the Mahatma - owned a second Beretta whose
registration number 719791 was strangely the same as a pistol owned by another
Gwalior resident, Uday Chand, at the same time.The pistol with which Gandhi was
shot has the registration number 606824. While Dr Parchure had given this one
to Godse, he had refused to give him the second Berretta. Both pistols were
seized in the aftermath of the assassination - one from the scene of the
shooting and the other from Dr Parchure's home. timesofindia
Last wish fulfilled: 82 yr-old Hindu man laid
to rest with Muslim rites in Jhansi
In the rarest incident, a Hindu man's last
rites in Jhansi were performed as per Muslim customs, to fulfil his last
wish.Madan Mohan Yadav who was famous for samosas of his iconic shop 'Dau
Samose Wala', was buried on Monday and not cremated, reported Times of
India.Yadav had been telling his family and friends about his desire to be
buried. As per his wish, without any objection, his mortal remains were taken
to Jewanshah burial ground for burial."My father always had a lot of
respect for both the religions and he regularly visited a 'dargah' apart from
temples," said his son Ashok Yadav.Healso used to send 'samosas' to the nearby
mosque during the holy month of Ramzan. dnaindia
WORLD
Row over Pak paramilitary unit fuels
speculation of rift in govt-army ties:Reuters
Islamabad: An unexplained dispute between
Pakistan's interior minister and an elite paramilitary unit under his command
is adding to political confusion in Islamabad, prompting questions about a rift
in ties between civilian leaders and the powerful military.The spat comes at a
moment of heightened concern over the feverish political climate in
nuclear-armed Pakistan, which the United States seeks to include in its new
strategy for South Asia. Interior Minister Ashan Iqbal was taken by surprise
when the elite Rangers unit, which provides security around parliament,
withdrew its guards without explanation on Wednesday."I was told the
Rangers have unilaterally withdrawn from the important installations where they
were on duty, which, for us, was shocking," Iqbal told domestic television
channel DawnNews."This was a gross violation."Outside parliament on
Thursday, country's Frontier Constabulary was on guard instead. A police
official on duty confirmed the Rangers were no longer stationed there."The
order for them to leave did not come from the interior ministry, it must have
come from somewhere else," said the official, who asked not to be
identified because of the sensitivity of the topic. Rangers' officials could
not immediately be reached for comment. Iqbal did not immediately respond to
Reuters' telephone calls to seek comment.
Balochistan shrine blast: At least 12 killed,
several injured
http://indianexpress.com/article/pakistan/balochistan-shrine-blast-live-many-killed-several-injured/
At least 12 people were killed and several
injured in a suicide blast at a shrine in Balochistan’s Jhal Magsi, Pakistani
media reported on Thursday. According to Dawn, the explosion took place at the
shrine at a time when scores of people had gathered to pay their respects.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility.Attendance at shrines is usually
large on Thursday. The death toll is expected to increase.indianexpress
Bangladesh destroys over 20 boats carrying
refugees from Myanmar
Bangladeshi border guards have destroyed
around 20 boats that were used to ferry Rohingya Muslims fleeing Myanmar,
Reuters reported on Thursday.Lieutenant Colonel Ariful Islam, the local
commander of the border guards said they were cracking down on human
trafficking and the smuggling of the drug called methamphetamine. “The boats
are trying to carry passengers they are not supposed to,” he was quoted as
saying.Some refugees claimed the border guards also beat up and arrested passengers
who disembarked in Bangladesh’s southern area of Shah Porir Dwip, before
destroying the boats.Refugees like Ibrahim Holil and Farous Ahmad from Myanmar
said that they were beaten despite there being nothing prohibited in their
boats. Ahmad said that his sons, who had worked as crew on the boats, were also
arrested. “People told me the border guards would shelter us in Bangladesh but
yet they arrested them [my sons] and we had to spend the whole night sitting,”
Ahmad said. scroll
Jamaat-e-Islami Hind condemns Las Vegas
shooting
New Delhi: Jamaat-e-Islami Hind has condemned the
shooting at Las Vegas, USA. JIH President Maulana Syed Jalaluddin Umari mourned
the death of 58 people in the shooting and said that: ‘’we condemn the cowardly
shooting and stand with the people of America in their hour of grief.’’The
Jamaat chief added: ‘’We are alarmed at the rise of cases of domestic terrorism
and gun violence in America. There is no place in our world for indiscriminate
violence of this magnitude. Our prayers and sympathies are with the victims of
this cowardly attack. We hope the American people will address the rising tide
of this senseless gun violence with common sense gun laws’’. Maulana Umari
said: “Islam lays great importance to the sanctity of life and teaches love and
compassion to fellow human beings. People must reflect on the ill-effects of
the contemporary atheist, materialistic culture that glorifies violence and is
insensitive to human suffering. It is time for the world to return to Divine
Guidance and follow the path shown by God’s prophets that guarantees peace and
prosperity both in this world and the Hereafter”.
Was IS's claim for Las Vegas attack 'fake
news'?AFP
Claims of responsibility for terror attacks by
the Islamic State group were once seen as credible, but in the wake of the Las
Vegas atrocity, experts stress that the retreating jihadists are increasingly
spreading fake news.Via its propaganda news agency Amaq, IS has twice said that
Las Vegas shooter, a 64-year-old retired accountant, was a "soldier"
of the group. On Monday, it put out a second statement claiming serial gambler
Stephen Paddock had recently converted to Islam and was known by the nom de
guerre Abu Abdel Bar al-Amriki. American investigators are scrambling to
understand the motive for the worst shooting in living memory on US soil, but
IS experts are sceptical that Paddock was linked to the terror group.FBI said
on Monday it had so far found "no connection" between him and any
international terrorist group."ISIS in recent months has made a number of
demonstrably false claims for attacks and incidents that had no jihadi terror
nexus," Paul Cruickshank from US-based Combating Terrorism Center said.French
Interior Minister Gerard Collomb made the same point on Tuesday, saying the
group "tended to claim every attack" in order to "maintain a
presence in the media space."Discerning who is ultimately responsible for
attacks is an inexact science.The problem, like all fake news, is that once a
story spreads on social media or elsewhere on the internet it is very difficult
to correct it.
In Mosul's fall, informers played vital role
against IS:Reuters
Mosul:One informer said he hid the sim card
from his mobile phone in a water filter to avoid detection by Islamic State.
Another concealed his in a sack of rice and made calls to his Iraqi handlers
from a basement.They were among several hundred Mosul residents who provided
information on Islamic State targets during the victorious nine-month battle
for Iraq's second biggest city, Iraqi military and Kurdish intelligence
officials said. They included taxi drivers, Iraqi soldiers and defectors from
Islamic State. Without their help, officials say, the fighting would have
dragged on longer, snared in Mosul’s narrow alleys.“I was really afraid the
whole time. Because you paid with blood, you paid with your life if you were
caught,” said one of the informers, 30-year-old former army sergeant Alaa
Abdullah, who remained in Mosul after its capture by Islamic State in 2014.“My
mother used to say, you’re still young. But I’d tell her, every time I see a
Daesh fighter, I get a grey hair,” he said. “And you can see all my greys now.
From all that hatred and fear.”In interviews with Reuters,9 Iraqi and Kurdish
military officials, informers and their relatives detailed how their battle for
Mosul unfolded.As Iraqi army commanders and US advisers were preparing the
ground offensive,intelligence officers were recruiting informers, building
alliances with the region’s Sunni tribes and infiltrating Baghdadi’s inner
circle. Iraqi intelligence had tested using informers in the successful
operation to retake another IS stronghold, Falluja, in June 2016.Now it was
time to apply the tactic on a bigger scale in Mosul.
Syria violence at worst level since Aleppo:
ICRC
The worst fighting since the battle for
eastern Aleppo last year is raging in several regions of Syria, causing
hundreds of civilian casualties, the International Committee of the Red Cross
(ICRC) has said.Up to 10 hospitals have been reportedly damaged in the past 10
days, cutting off hundreds of thousands of people from access to health care,
the aid agency said in a statement on Thursday, voicing alarm at the situation
from Raqqa to Idlib and eastern Ghouta."For the past two weeks, we have
seen an increasingly worrying spike in military operations that correlates with
high levels of civilian casualties," Marianne Gasser, head of the ICRC's
delegation in Syria, said."My colleagues report harrowing stories, like a
family of 13 who fled Deir Az Zor only to lose 10 of its members to air strikes
and explosive devices along the way."In a separate development on
Thursday, two Russian submarines fired 10 "Kalibr" cruise missiles
from the Mediterranean Sea at rebel targets in Deir Az Zor province to support
the Syrian army, Russian news agencies cited the defence ministry in
Moscow.ICRC reported that some camps around Raqqa and Deir Az Zor are receiving
more than 1,000 people, including many women and children, every day, adding
that humanitarian organisations are struggling to provide water, food and basic
hygiene to the new arrivals.
Syrian opposition says Russian jets kill
civilians fleeing across Euphrates
Military jets believed to be Russian killed at
least 60 civilians trying to flee heavy fighting in the oil rich Deir al Zor
province of Syria when their small boats were targeted as they sought to cross
the Euphrates River, opposition activists, former residents and a war monitor
said late on Wednesday.They said the jets targeted makeshift rubber dinghies
and boats carrying dozens of families fleeing the town of al Ashara along the
western banks of the Euphrates that lies south of Deir al Zor city, the
provincial capital.Daesh’s last major stronghold, the cities, towns and farms
in the fertile strip along the Euphrates bordering Iraq are fast becoming the
focus of Syria’s six-year-long civil war. middleeastmonitor
Iraqi Kurds deadlocked over elections
Kurdish Regional Govt has announced new parliamentary and
presidential elections on the first of November.According to the Iraqi Kurdish
region's Higher Election Commission, political parties have already registered
their names for parliamentary elections, with the election campaign due to
start on October 15.However, officials are in contention about whether the
elections will be actually held at the announced date.Sadi Pire, a senior
official and member of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan politburo, told Al
Jazeera that it is likely the parliamentary elections will be held next
year."It is possible that the current Govt's mandate will be extended for
another year," Pire said. He cited the chaotic conditions present in the
semi-autonomous region in northern Iraq."We have more than 400,000 people
that need to be repatriated after the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
group occupied their villages, in addition to 1.2 million Syrian refugees and
IDP from south of Iraq," Pire said. "It is very difficult now to have
a clean election under these elections." aljazeera
Erdogan, Rouhani united in opposition to
Kurdish state
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has called
for "more decisive action" in response to the Kurdish Regional Govt (KRG)'s attempt to split from Iraq, as he
joined his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani in renewing their opposition to
the redrawing of the Iraqi borders."From this moment forward, more
decisive steps will be taken," Erdogan said on Wednesday during a joint
media appearance with Rouhani in Tehran.He did not say what specific steps
Ankara would take, although Ankara had earlier threatened to shut down its
border with the KRG. "It was an
illegitimate referendum, and we don't accept it," he said. "What
referendum were they carrying out? No one has recognised them apart from
Israel."Rouhani also declared his opposition to an independent Kurdish
state, even as he said that his country "does not mean any harm" to
the Kurdish population. aljazeera
French PM offers mediation between Baghdad and Kurds
Turkey sentences 40 to life for trying to kill
Erdogan
A Turkish court has handed life sentences to
40 people convicted of plotting to assassinate President Tayyip Erdogan during
last year's failed coup attempt.Thirty-one defendants, including senior
military officers,were each given four life sentences at Wednesday's trial in
the southwestern city of Mugla, the private Dogan news agency reported.Mugla is
near the luxury resort where Erdogan and his family narrowly escaped a team of
rogue soldiers who stormed his hotel during the night of the coup on July 15,
2016. They include Gokhan Sahin Sonmezates, a former brigadier general who was
accused of directing the plot. Former elite commando Zekeriya Kuzu, who was
famously found hiding in a cave four days after the failed coup, also received
a life term.A further nine defendants each received a single life sentence,
Dogan added.
Saudi King, Putin eye energy, arms deals on
landmark Russia visit
Moscow: On a landmark visit to Russia, Saudi
Arabia's King Salman and President Vladimir Putin were set today to clinch a
host of multi-billion-dollar energy and defence deals despite discord over the
Syrian war.The first official trip to Russia by a Saudi monarch will also see
the leaders of the world's largest energy exporters discuss an extension of an
OPEC agreement to cap oil output.Citing Russia's energy minister Alexander
Novak, the Financial Times reported that Russia and Saudi Arabia were expected
to sign deals worth over USD 3 billion, including a USD 1 billion energy investment
fund and a USD 1.1 billion agreement for Russia's petrochemicals giant Sibur to
build a plant in Saudi Arabia.AFP
Saudi arrests 22 for spreading online videos
Saudi Arabia has arrested 22 people, including
a Qatari national, for "inciting against public order" on social
media, authorities said, following a crackdown on dissent.Those detained had
posted video clips online, the official Saudi Press Agency reported on
Thursday, adding that authorities were investigating their motives and
connections."The presidency managed to identify the people behind the
clips and arrested them. Their number is 22 people, one of them Qatari, and the
rest are Saudis. Their motives and links are being verified," SPA said.
They were arrested for circulating "video clips on social networking sites
inciting against public order and stirring up feelings", SPA added without
any further details.Saudi Arabia recently launched a crackdown on dissenters,
detaining prominent clerics and activists before a Govt decision to allow women to drive.In September,
up to 20 influential Saudi religious scholars were arrested, including some of
the kingdom's most influential preachers. aljazeera
Sexual violence used as weapon of war in CAR:
HRW
Armed fighters in the Central African Republic
(CAR) have used sexual violence to "terrorise women and children" as
a tactic of war during the nearly five-year conflict, HRW has claimed. Fighters
beat women, burned them and left them with broken bones, smashed teeth and head
wounds, the New York-based rights group said in a report on Thursday, citing
testimony.Survivors said they were raped by up to 10 or more men during a
single incident. According to the
report, there have been 305 cases of rape and sexual slavery against 296 women
and girls by members of armed groups between early 2013 and mid-2017.Members of
the mainly Muslim Seleka and Christian anti-Balaka forces - the two main
parties involved in the conflict - have used sexual violence as revenge for
perceived support of rivals, HRW said."Armed groups are using rape in a
brutal, calculated way to punish and terrorise women and girls," said
Hillary Margolis, HRW's women's rights researcher, in a statement. aljazeera
Tension flares as Israelis escalate break-ins
at Aqsa
O.Jerusalem(PIC) Tension has been running high
in Occupied Jerusalem as extremist Israeli settlers stepped up break-ins at
al-Aqsa Mosque—the third holiest site in Islam.Reporting from the city, PIC
news correspondent said hordes of Israeli settlers broke into al-Aqsa on
Thursday and performed sacrilegious rituals near al-Rahma Gate. Presentations on the counterfeit history of
the alleged temple mount were also delivered during the break-in.At the same
time, Israeli police have tightened the noose around the neck of Muslim
worshipers as they tried to enter the site to perform their daily prayers.
Israel seals off West Bank and Gaza as Sukkot
begins
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/10/israel-seals-west-bank-gaza-sukkot-begins-171004115622869.html
Israeli authorities have sealed off the occupied
West Bank and the already besieged Gaza Strip for 11 days, as Jewish
celebrations for the Sukkot holiday commence.At midnight on Tuesday, all
crossings to the West Bank and Gaza Strip were closed off to some four million
Palestinians in the territories. Many of those affected by the move hold
Israeli work permits and cross over to go to their jobs daily.Banned from
entering Israel, they now stand to lose their livelihood for the next 10
days.But Kamal Haddad, a local official in Beit Iksa, a village northwest of
Jerusalem, told Al Jazeera that workers in the area have already been denied
entry into Israel and settlement construction sites for several days. aljazeera
EU MPs regret not condemning human rights
abuses in Egypt
Lawmakers in the European Parliament have
regretted what they called the lack of “a resolution condemning the continuing
violations against human rights in Egypt”.Alliance of Liberals and Democrats
for Europe Party (ALDE Party), the third largest political group in the
European Parliament made the statement on Tuesday during a plenary session to
discuss relations between EU and Egypt.The group said it regrets that “human
rights violations continue despite Cairo’s commitment to intensify efforts to
promote democracy, fundamental freedoms and human rights”.Group leader, Guy
Verhofstadt, called on EU Commissioner for Security and Foreign Policy Federica
Mogherini to “press Egypt to fulfil its obligations”, noting that the Egyptian
authorities are taking “terrible measures against their citizens, whether they
are human rights defenders, journalists or political opponents”. European
Parliament urged Mogherini to “use all available means, including financial
assistance and trade measures, to urge Egyptian authorities to respect their
obligations in this regard”. middleeastmonitor
FLASH: VIEWS & NEWS
The lynching that changed India: Abhimanyu
Kumar
“India leads the world in the rate of growth
in inequality” – P Sainath in Boston
In Kerala, conversion to Islam is monitored
and transparent: But can we say the same about Hinduism? Shafeeq Hudawi, TCN
Extreme rainfall events have killed over
69,000 across India since 1950: PTI
How will Iran,Turkey deal with Kurdish state
bid?Aljazeera
Field marshal Cariappa's military philosophy
is a useful guide at this critical juncture in the Valley:Saifuddin Soz
Muslims must open their minds to stay politically
relevant; Mehmood ur Rashid , opinion editor, Greater Kashmir
Compiled and edited by
Anwarulhaq (Released at: 8:02 PM)
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