Evening NEWS
DIGEST
17 Feb.2018:30 Jamadiul-1 1439:Vol:9, No:122
INDIA
BJP claims PNB scam began under UPA govt, CBI
FIR says it happened in 2017
New Delhi:Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar
Prasad claimed Friday that a majority of the “loans” sanctioned to businessman
Nirav Modi was during Congress rule between 2011 and 2014. However, the FIR
lodged by the CBI on 31 Jan.refers to just 8 LoUs, all of which were issued
after 2017, during the NDA’s regime. Sources in CBI also said that a further
293 LoUs were issued to Nirav and his companies in the last 2 years. So far,
there is no LoU older than that has been revealed during investigations.A
Letter of Undertaking, or LoU, is not a loan. It is a guarantee given by a bank
branch in India to an overseas bank that it will meet the liability if the firm
borrowing from it (the foreign bank) defaults. Diamond firms use LoUs for
securing cheap, low interest “buyer’s credit” in dollars overseas, mostly to
purchase rough diamonds. Banks are always supposed to cover their LoUs against
collaterals, which wasn’t allegedly done in this case.CBI suspects there could
be more LoUs, but that could take time to establish since the bank employees
accused in the case — Gokulnath Shetty (a deputy manager, now retired) and
Manoj Hanumant Kharat (a single window operator) — did not keep an official
record of the LoUs issued. Despite several audits, including internal and
concurrent ones, the fraud was not detected by bank officials. BJP-led NDA govnt
fielded senior Cabinet ministers Friday to say that the scam started in 2011,
when Congress-led UPA was in power. But as details show, all the LoUs in
question are from the past two years. Sources said the govt, including the PMO,
was alerted about the ongoing fraud several times. However, no action was
taken. In the first instance, a complaint was given on 7 May 2015 to the
Ministry of Corporate Affairs by one Vaibhav Khuraniya & R.M. Green
Solution Private Limited. A copy was also sent to the Prime Minister’s Office,
ED, and Serious Fraud Investigation Office, but no action was taken.Another
person named Digvijaysing Jadeja filed an FIR in the Ahmedabad Economic
Offences Wing in Gujarat against Mehul Choksi and others for defrauding him.
Jadeja also filed an affidavit on 20 July 2016 pointing out that Choksi – who
is Nirav’s maternal uncle – and others owed Rs 9,872 crore to banks, and were
likely to escape from India. But no case was registered.In a third instance, a
Bengaluru-based entrepreneur Hari Prasad had written to the PMO, bringing to
its notice financial discrepancies that could lead to a huge scam involving
Choksi, and listed details of all balance and audit sheets.The letter, dated 29
July 2016, bore the subject line: “Complaint lodged at PMO and CIC against
Gitanjali Gems Ltd and its MD Mehul C. Choksi”.It stated:“We wish to bring to
the government’s notice, a major financial scam, similar to that of Vijay
Mallya, Subrata Roy of Sahara group or Ramalingaraju of Satyam group…This scam
and fraud done by the person based in Mumbai involving loss of Rs 1,000 crore
of Indian public money.”The complainant also enclosed copies of complaints by
franchisee victims against Choksi and various firms linked to him. It accused
Gitanjali Gems and Choksi of siphoning off thousands of crores through
subsidiary companies floated in India, and fictitious companies abroad. However,
no action was taken. PNB, in its complaint, directly accused Nirav, wife Ami,
brother Nishal, and Choksi of conniving with the 2 bank official to commit the
fraud.theprint
PNB 11,400-crore scam: CBI says most of Nirav
Modi’s fraud LoUs issued or renewed in 2017-18
Banks may take more than $3 billion hit from PNB
fraud:I-T
New Delhi: Indian banks could take a hit of at
least $2.74 billion (Rs 17,600 crore) from loans and corporate guarantees
provided to Punjab National Bank in Rs 11,400-crore fraud case, the tax
department said on Saturday.As of March 2017, banks had extended loans and
guarantees worth Rs 17,600 crore to companies tied to billionaire jeweller
Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi, the tax department said in a note seen by
news agency Reuters.But the total hit to banks "may well exceed" that
amount, the department said in its note.The whereabouts of Nirav Modi, whose
high-end jewellery has been worn by Hollywood stars including Kate Winslet, is
unknown. However, TV channels traced him to a swish 36th-floor suite at JW
Marriott's Essex House in New York. Modi spent the day holed up in the suite,
which overlooks New York's famed Central Park.The scale of the fraud has
sparked a slew of probes into the lender, as well as into Nirav Modi, his uncle
Choksi and companies affiliated to both.The Income Tax Department has extended
a probe into Nirav Modi and his group companies, looking into possible tax
evasion and suspected investment of illegal funds, a spokeswoman told Reuters
on Saturday.Reuters
India’s loan frauds amount to almost $10
billion in 8,670 cases
New Delhi, Mumbai: Investors may have been
shocked when one of India’s biggest banks disclosed a $1.77 billion fraud by a
billionaire jeweller, but the central bank has recorded data that shows the
problem runs far deeper and wider. RBI data, which a Reuters reporter obtained
through a right-to-information request, shows state-run banks have reported
8,670 “loan fraud” cases totalling Rs612.6 billion over the last five financial years up to March
31, 2017.In India, loan frauds typically refer to cases where the borrower
intentionally tries to deceive the lending bank and does not repay the loan.The
figures expose the magnitude of the problem in a banking sector already under
pressure after years of poor lending practices. Bad loans surged to a record
peak of nearly $149 billion last year.Bank loan frauds have steadily increased
as well, reaching 176.34 billion rupees in the latest financial year from 63.57
billion rupees in 2012-13, according to the data, which doesn’t include the PNB
case.Punjab National Bank, India’s second-largest state lender, said on Wednesday
two junior officers at a single branch had illegally steered $1.77 billion in
fraudulent loans to companies, most of them controlled by billionaire jeweller
Nirav Modi. It was India’s biggest fraud ever.“This might be the tip of the
iceberg or the middle, and that is the worry,” said Pratibha Jain, partner at
law firm Nishith Desai Associates, who advises on bankruptcy cases.“The fact is
we don’t know what else is out there.” Reuters
PNB case: Modi has destroyed India’s financial
system, says Rahul
New Delhi : Targeting the BJP-ruled central
government over the alleged PNB fraud case to the tune of over Rs 11,300 crore,
Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday accused Prime Minister Narendra
Modi of “destroying the financial system” of the country.“PM through his
actions has destroyed the financial system of this country. He has taken money
from people’s pockets and put it into the banking sector. And now his friends
and cronies are stealing it from the banking sector,” a visibly-agitated Gandhi
said while addressing reporters after the Congress party’s steering committee
meeting. Congress chief also rejected the BJP charge that he had personal ties
with Nirav Modi and had attended his promotional event, saying “they are trying
to divert the issue”. Gandhi said it all started with the prime minister
banning currency notes of Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 on November 8, 2016, “when he
took out all public money and put it into the banking system”. He also alleged
that businessman Nirav Modi has fled the country with Rs 20,000 crore of that
public money.indianexpress
Iran ready to share oil, gas and energy resources
with India: President Rouhani
Hyderabad: In what could breathe fresh hopes
to revive the 11 billion dollar Farzad-B gas field deal, Iran’s President
Hassan Rouhani said that Iran is ready to share its oil, gas and energy
resources with India. The President was addressing people from the Muslim
community at the Mecca Masjid in Old City of Hyderabad on Friday, the second
day of his three-day visit to India.“Iran is rich in oil, gas and energy. It is
ready to share its energy resources for the development and progress of India,”
said 69-year-old. “Chabahar seaport will benefit Afghanistan and Central Asia”,
he added.President’s statements comes on the eve of his meeting with Prime
Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, where he is expected to take up formal
bilateral talks. Issues related to Chabahar seaport, expansion of International
North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC) and the development of the Farzad-B gas
fields by ONGC Videsh are agendas expected to be discussed in the meeting.The
Iranian President has also offered to strengthen bilateral ties on diverse
frontiers including “industry, agriculture, and new technologies”. This
cooperation can mutually help India and Iran attain common goals, he
added.“Government of Iran will simplify visa norms for India so that Indians
can find it convenient to sustain their relationship with the people of Iran,”
said Rouhani, and expressed hoped that “India will reciprocate this
gesture.”“Our only aim is to promote unity among the Muslims of the world,”
said Rouhani, emphasising on the need for Muslim unity across countries. He
added that the enemies of Islam do not want Muslims to be united. If Muslim
countries were united, the President of America wouldn’t have dared to announce
Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, he said. Iranian President called upon the
Muslim community to rise above sectarian differences and accept all sects of
the community as Muslims.Earlier in the day, Rouhani visited Qutb Shahi tombs,
a royal necropolis of Qutb Shahi rulers who were Shias, and paid his tributes.
He then visited the Salarjung museum which is known as the world’s largest
one-man collection of antiques. He was accompanied by Union Minister of State
for Power RK Singh. Later, he also met select Islamic scholars, clergies and
intellectuals. newindianexpress
PM Modi meets Rouhani, India, Iran sign pacts
after ‘substantive’ talks
Muslims worldwide must unite, rise above
sects: Iranian prez
Hyderabad: Â President Hassan Rouhani called
for unity among the global Muslim community and asserted if they had been
united, the US would not have dared to declare Jerusalem as the capital of
Israel.Rouhani, who is on a three-day visit to India, said people who think
Islam is a religion of "violence and terrorism" are wrong in their
assessment.He was addressing a Muslim congregation at the historic Mecca Masjid
here, after offering Friday prayers."If Muslims of the world were united,
these countries would not have dared to torture Muslims of Palestine every
day," he said, without naming any country."Had Muslims been united,
the USA would not have dared to announce Jerusalem as the capital of
Israel," the Iranian leader said.In his speech, Rouhani also referred to
some of the shooting incidents in educational institutions in the USA,
resulting in deaths of people."Some people alleged that Islam is a
religion of violence and terrorism. But they are wrong in their assessment of
Islam. On the contrary violence is there in Western societies. We see people
killing other people in American colleges and schools," he added.PTI
It’s key for Iran to have Indian Muslims on
its side: President Hassan Rouhani
Ayodhya dispute: Amarnath Mishra expelled for
his remark on Salman Nadvi
Lucknow: President of Ayodhya Sadbhavna
Samnvyay Maha Samiti, Amarnath Mishra was on Saturday expelled from
Ramjanbhoomi Mandir Nirman Vyas for making remarks against former AIMPLB
executive member Moulana Salman Hasni Nadvi.Mishra has earlier claimed that the
ousted board member demanded money, position and land for building another
Masjid in Ayodhya. He said, "I do not stand any negotiation. What is
illegal in what I am doing? Is making Ram Temple illegal? But a person who
thinks Bagdadi is a prophet and wants to convert Ayodhya into Mecca and spread
Islam here, is it legal?"He added that he has been working for Ram Mandir
since last 30 years and will continue to do so."My role is to help all
senior lawyers in this matter, when the proceeding starts in the Supreme Court
on March 14. It is a conspiracy towards transforming Ayodhya into Mecca,"
Mishra asserted.Earlier, Mishra told ANI that he met Nadvi on Feb.5 and
discussed the issue of Babri Masjid-Ram Janambhoomi, after which the latter
made his demand.Nadvi rebuffed Mishra's claims, saying that he did not know him
at all.Nadvi even accused Mishra of raising such issues to maintain tension
between Hindus and Muslims.ANI
Muslim leadership responsible for dragging
Babri dispute for 3 decades: Abdullah Tariq
New Delhi: Muslim scholar Syed Abdullah Tariq
had in 1988 warned the then Muslim leadership of repercussions of taking Babri
Masjid issue to the level of a clash between the two communities.When the Babri
Masjid Action Committee gave a call for a march of the Muslims towards the
Babri Masjid in 1988, he had termed its step as incorrect and provocative. Tariq,
also hailed Maulana Salman Nadwi's initiative of an out-of-court settlement of
Ayodhya dispute as a "courageous step". Tariq said the human beings
are the living temples or mosques and maintaining peace between them is more
important than building any religious structure. Replying to the question that Who's responsible for dragging
this issue for almost three decades?, he said,"The simple reply is ‘the
politicians, the governments and the proceedings in the courts too' but being an
honest Muslim, I shall proclaim that we, the Muslims are responsible. Not only
we did not agree to peaceful settlements till others were more tolerant and
understanding towards us, we did not fulfil our main responsibility in the
first place, of reaching out to the Non-Muslim brothers to convince them by our
words and actions that Islam is a religion of peace."abplive
70,000 Muslim women protest against Triple
Talaq Bill in Malegaon
Mumbai: A large throng of approximately 70,000
women, mostly clad in hijab, stepped out of their houses in Malegaon to join a
silent march protesting against the Centre's Triple Talaq Bill. Holding
placards, they stated they did not want any interference in Sharia (Islamic
law) by the government. This is the biggest gathering so far of Muslim women in
the country joining voice against the imposition of a new law on triple
talaq.The protest march was organised by AIMPLB and supported by all sects of
Muslims, apart from NGOs and social workers. A nondescript town on the national
map, Malegaon is a textile hub. All the
roads in Central Malegaon were cleared for the protest. “As per our estimate
around 60,000 to 70,000 women participated in the silent rally. Not a single
untoward incident was reported. We had deployed mostly women police personnel,
and additional staff was called in from outside Malegaon to maintain law and
order,” said Gajanan Rajmaney, the deputy superintendent of police of the town.
Unofficial estimates put the figure at well over a lakh.Rajmaney added that
besides police cameras, over two dozen CCTV cameras were installed especially
for the procession at various locations. “We did not allow even any bicycle
along the entire stretch of the rally. It was a peaceful bandobast,” he
said.Well qualified women including teachers, lawyers and doctors were among
those who chose to make themselves heard. "We participated in the rally to
oppose the triple talaq Bill. We don’t want any interference in our Sharia
law,” said Aafiya Kaleem, a homemaker who travelled two kilometres to join the
march. Gazala Nasir Royal, a doctor who attended, said that India is a
democratic country and everyone has the right to follow his/her religion. “The
govt should not interfere in anyone's religion. We will not tolerate this. To
register our protest, we carried out a silent and peaceful march,” she
said.Rizwana Hamdani, a schoolteacher, said she participated to register her
protest against the hypocritical discourse around gender equity. “Why is there
no talk of 22 lakh abandoned Hindu wives? Why shed crocodile tears for Muslim
women alone? I am completely opposed to the criminalisation of instant triple
talaq,” said Hamdani.Dr Saiqua Jabeen, a gynecologist, said, “We love Allah and
his Prophet and cannot tolerate any interference in our Sharia. Islam has given
maximum freedom to women. We don’t want any change in Sharia and that is why we
protested.” Dr Arshiya Malik Ambar, an eye specialist, stated that the triple
talaq bill be rejected.Ulema from different sects including Maulana Umrain
Rehmani, general secretary of the AIMPLB, handed over a memorandum to the
additional collector in Malegaon requesting that it be sent to senior
officials.TOI
President Kovind, PM Modi need to learn more
about Islam: Muslim Women Protest against triple talaq bill
Mumbai: Women stage protest to withdraw triple
talaq bill
Demand for revocation of talaq Bill
Aurangabad: Islah-E-Muashra Jalna Distrct
Committee of AMIPLB on Saturday demanded that the Centre must revoke the Muslim
Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill 2017.A statement from the District
Committee of AIPLB here said that a hasty decision of passing Tripal Talaq Act
in Lok Sabha was taken without consulting or taking into confidence Muslim
region scholars or experts. UNI
SC asks CBI to take instructions on plea by Rajasthan
hate crime victim’s wife seeking sit probe, compensation, removal of videos
A two Judge Bench of the Supreme Court
comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and AM Khanwilkar on Friday directed CBI
lawyer to take instruction on a petition filed by Gulbahar, wife of Mohammad
Afrazul who was hacked and burnt in Rajsamand, Rajasthan seeking an impartial
investigation from an independent national agency and also to look spreading of
hate speech of a communal nature targeting a whole religious community and
discriminating against them, demonizing them and encouraging violence against
them and creating a communal divide. Senior Advocate Indira Jaising and
Advocate Fuzail Ayyubi also sought the transfer of the case from Rajasthan to
West Bengal. However the Court has clarified that the prayer is being not considered
for this point of time and can be considered if at a later stage the petitioner
is not satisfied with the investigation. The petition also seeks an inquiry
into the factors that acted as a catalyst and motivated him to commit such a
heinous act, the factors and people responsible for spreading such hatred in
the name of a communal myth/ fiction being propagated as “Love Jihad”, being
hate speech, stigmatizing an entire community, by creating a myth that Muslim
men are marrying Hindu women and fighting a Jihad.According to the petition, on
the fateful day of 6th December, the Petitioner’s husband, Afrazul Khan was
murdered brutally by one Shambhu Lal Raigar, who not only mercilessly and
cruelly killed her husband but also recorded the entire incident through his
14-year old nephew as if it was some sort of gallantry show. In this video
Shambhu Lal Raigar can be clearly seen hitting the deceased with a long-axe
repeatedly while crying in Hindi of “Babu Jaan Bachao” (Please save my life)
and “Maar Daala” (He has killed me) can be repeatedly heard from the victim. After
the brutal murder, while Afrazul’s body is lying behind him in a pool of blood,
Shambhu Lal paused to make the following statement while looking towards the
camera, as if addressing a larger group of spectators who have watched this
heinous act.Petitioner also seeks the immediate removal of all videos of the
heinous killing circulating on several websites including YouTube and Respondent
No 1 is duty bound to ensure that the service providers do not upload the said
videos which are a form of hate speech encouraging others to indulge in copycat
crimes.
Man's hacking in Rajasthan: SC directs CBI to
seek instructions
Afrazul Murder Case: Seek Instructions
Regarding All Prayers Except One, SC Directs CBI;Newsclick Report
Muslim man who was not in Kasganj during
violence slapped with rioting & sedition charges
New Delhi: Zahid Ilias Jagga, a Muslim
resident of Kasganj, has been slapped with a number of serious charges,
including attempt to murder, rioting, and sedition, in connection with the
recent communal clashes in the Uttar Pradesh city. However, his wife Tarannum
says Jagga was not in Kasganj when the violence broke out, submitting proof to
the National Commission for Minorities.Taking cognisance of the matter,
commission chairperson Syed Ghayorul Hasan Rizvi has written to UP chief minister
Yogi Adityanath, urging him to re-examine Jagga’s case. In a letter, dated 16
February, Rizvi has requested that Jagga’s name be removed from the list of
suspects, as on the day of the violence, 26 January, he was in Lucknow,
accompanying his friend Manoj Maheshwari, who had gone to get his impounded car
released.The duo left for Lucknow on 25 Jan., arriving in the state capital in
the afternoon, and returned to Kasganj late in the evening on the 26th, hours
after the violence had taken place. Tarannum has, in fact, submitted CCTV
footage of the police station they visited, toll booths they crossed, and the
hotels and restaurants they visited, and even the receipts of the toll they
paid (with timestamps) to prove that Jagga was not in Kasganj at the time the
violence broke out.Tarannum also told the Commission Thursday that the family
was being routinely harassed by the police, since her husband was absconding in
the aftermath of the false cases slapped on him. In the FIR, Jagga has been
charged with rioting, unlawful assembly, wrongful restraint, endangering life
or personal safety of others, attempt to murder, intentional insult with intent
to provoke breach of the peace, criminal intimidation, and sedition.Rizvi had
earlier written to the state govt in Uttar Pradesh seeking a report on the
violence in Kasganj. While the report has now been filed by the state
secretary, Rizvi says the number of arrests are not mentioned in the report,
even though he had highlighted the issue of overwhelming number of arrests
being those of Muslims to the Chief Minister.Rizvi further added that he met
Adityanath on 11 Feb., and told him he had received a number of complaints
regarding Muslims being unduly arrested in the aftermath of the violence. CM
assured him that there would not be any arrests on the basis of religion, and
if any innocent was arrested, he would be let off, Rizvi said.theprint
Woman talking in these videos may bring
serious trouble for two BJP ministers: newsx
A video of a woman who calls herself Bobby is
doing the rounds on micro-blogging site Twitter in which the woman is seen
talking about two prominent BJP ministers. The content of the woman who is
talking about two senior BJP government ministers may defame the image of these
leaders and may bring trouble for the BJP led government. The video has been
shared on Twitter by fan pages of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, AAP,
and individuals.However, it is not confirmed yet that whether these videos are
fake, real or carry any substance and NewsX takes no responsibility for the
authenticity of these videos. The woman who is seen talking about two BJP
prominent ministers in these videos also said that BJP ministers are scared
from her that she will give all this information in the media. The woman also
alleged that she had received offers from Congress party asking for this
information and offering her crores of rupees. The content of the woman who is
speaking in these videos can seriously defame the two BJP minister and could
create massive trouble. NewsX once again takes no responsibility for the
authenticity and validity of the videos and also its content. The fan page of
Arvind Kejriwal which is also among other Twitter accounts those who have
shared this video says that the Bharatiya Janata Party should sack these
ministers about whom this woman is talking about which could seriously malign
the image of BJP ministers and the party. It’s not the first time when Aam
Aadmi Party fans or BJP fans have tried to defame each other. Given the
political scenario between both the parties, in the past too, both the parties
have indulged in political mud slugging and levelled charges on each
other.newsx
"Horrified" Indian Flag Used To
Support Jammu Rapist: Mehbooba Mufti
Srinagar:
In the last two days, hundreds of people carrying the national flag took
to the streets in Kathua district near Jammu demanding the release of the
accused in the rape and murder case of a nomad girl.8-year-old Ashifa was
brutally murdered last month after she was kidnapped and allegedly held captive
for a week at Rasana village.Referring to the protests, Chief Minister Mehbooba
Mufti today called them "nothing short of desecration of national
flag".A Special Investigation Team of the Crime Branch has arrested a
special police officer (SPO), Deepak Khajuria, and a juvenile for the gruesome
crime.Over the last two days, protesters, marching under the banner of Hindu
Ekta Manch, were seen on the Jammu-Pathankote Highway. The protesters alleged
that the Crime Branch had falsely implicated the SPO, who was part of the
investigation team formed initially to trace the girl.The protesters have
threatened agitation if the accused are not released. Carrying national flags
and shouting anti-Pakistan slogans, the marchers want the case to be handed
over to the CBI because they don't trust Crime Branch.CM Mehbooba Mufti said
she was appalled by these protests and "horrified" to see the use of
national flag to defend the accused in the Kathua rape-and-murder case."Appalled
by the marches & protests in defense of the recently apprehended rapist in
Kathua. Also horrified by their use of our national flag in these
demonstrations, this is nothing short of desecration. The accused has been
arrested & the law will follow its course" Ms Mufti tweeted.NDTV
Release Kashmiri photojournalist Kamran Yusuf
immediately: Journalists panel
Committee to Protect Journalists urged India
on Friday to immediately drop charges against arrested Kashmiri photojournalist
Kamran Yusuf and release him. Organisation, which works for press freedom
globally, said Yusuf’s works are “public service in the best spirit of
journalism”. On Thursday, NIA had produced a chargesheet against Yusuf in a
Delhi court, saying that Yusuf was not a “real journalist”. A “real journalist”
should cover development activities by the govt, inaugurations of hospitals and
schools, and statements of ruling parties, the chargesheet suggested.“India’s
NIA is way out of its league and has no business defining what ‘a real
journalist’ should cover,” said Steven Butler, CPJ’s Asia program coordinator.“Kamran
Yusuf’s work taking photographs of conflict in Jammu and Kashmir is a public
service in the best spirit of journalism. He should be freed immediately.” scroll
Evidence Against Journalist in Kashmir Terror
Funding Case Weak, NIA Says Accused Not Real Journalist
Absence of Forest Rights act makes Gujjar
Bakerwal community in J&K victims of state harassment
Jammu: J&K CM, Mehbooba Mufti while
reviewing the working of Tribal Affairs Department, has directed authorities not to harass any member
of the Tribal community during anti-encroachment drives till a formal Tribal
Policy is unveiled.“In extreme cases of ascertaining their places of
habitations, the Department of Tribal Affairs is taken into confidence
beforehand,” J&K CM told the officials.Stressing on preserving the Tribal
culture of the State, Mehbooba said Jammu & Kashmir has been a rich
repository of diverse cultures and their protection should be taken as a
priority. She also directed more allocations to Tribal development under
Special sub Plan for meeting the educational, health and other developmental
requirements of the members of the Tribal community.This is not the first time
when J&K CM has issued the directive against harassment of tribal
community. In November 2016, Mehooba Mufti had directed the Deputy Commissioners
of Jammu division to ensure that the poor nomadic communities living in forests
for decades are not harassed and dislocated during the anti-encroachment
drive.But it seems that the advice fell on the deaf ears. According to a report
published in Kashmir reader in August 2017, 250 families of the Gujjar
community were forcibly evacuated from 1,200 kanals (1 kanals= 0.125 acre) of
land by the government officials in Vijaypur area in Jammu for establishing an
AIIMS.TwoCirclestwocircles
Aliah University students detain faculty on
campus over cancelled stipend, no AICTE approval for M.Tech course
In a controversial step, students of Aliah
University surrounded the University Authorities and more than 25 Faculty
members for 18 hours when they assembled for a meeting at the Newtown Campus.
The agitating students claimed that they have been cheated by the University
with the false promise that University has All India Council for Technical
Education (AICTE) approval for B.Tech and M.Tech courses. But in reality, it
does not have any approval for the M.Tech course. The University Authority,
agreeing with the students’ claim, clarified that AICTE approval is not
necessarily the yardstick for employment in public or private sector jobs. The
acting VC of the University retorted that the cancellation of stipend as
Teaching Assistantship for the first year M.Tech students from the University
Fund is the reason for the students’ agitation.On Thursday, more than 96
students from first-year M.Tech courses gathered at Aliah University New Town
Campus compound and locked the main entrance gate when all the faculty heads
from various Depts of the University entered to attend a meeting to draft new
procedures for admission in the coming session at around 4.30 P.M. Since then,
all the Faculty heads, Controller of Examinations and other Staffs have been
detained into the Campus. However, Acting VC, who is also the Registrar of the
University and who attended the meeting, was allowed to leave the Campus due to
illness.The protesting students confided that they have been agitating for the
last 6 months, but the University did not pay any attention to their demands.
They blamed the University Authority for publishing wrong information in
advertisements and in the University Prospectus that the University has AICTE
approval.twocircles
Muslim girls from Bihar show willingness to
study abroad, but want clarity on dressing system and security
Patna : Over 50 Muslim students from Bihar’s
leading colleges such as Patna Women’s College, Magadh Mahila College and
Maulana Azad Engineering have expressed their willingness to study at US
universities under ambitious Indo-US collaboration programme. While the
students, who participated at a workshop (13-14 February) at Patna attended by
Ohio State University, expressed enthusiasm at prospect of studying in US, they
also wanted to know about their security, parity with students from other
nationalities and religions and more importantly if they would be allowed to
wear full dresses. Patna is among six Indian cities chosen for the programme
promotion along with Delhi, Hyderabad, Aligarh and Kurnool. Bihar Muslim
students are elated at Patna’s inclusion in the 75,000 US dollar one-year
education promotion programme, which started in September last year, to prepare
students to seek admission in post-graduation and research in science,
technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The programme is for Muslim
girls and girls from other disadvantaged groups, ones belong to scheduled caste
and OBCs.Syed Hasnain, local expert who played a crucial role in mobilising and
motivating Muslim students, told The Indian Express: “Women in STEM roadshow,
as this is popularly known as, did evoke good response in Patna after we were
hard put by Muslim women students to convince them to attend it. Most of them
come from poor economic background with some of them having annual family
income of Rs 2 lakh. Since I know about only four Muslim women having gone
abroad to pursue research, this may well be a huge opportunity. Our intention
is to prepare them in such a manner that they are able to get scholarship,
which can make their education almost free”.Karen E Irving, an associate
professor at the Ohio State University, said:”As per figures of US department
of state, USA had about 9,70,000 international students in 2015. Of it,
1,35,700 students were from India, 14 per cent of the total students. China,
South Korea, Canada and Mexico had sent maximum of these students to US”.
Sultana N Nahar, a reseach professor at Ohio State Unity, added: “Muslim women
students from India had neglible presence – less than even 0.25 per cent – in
US educational institutions. This is where this programme holds so much importance”.
indianexpress
Sohrabuddin case: Accused and his lawyer
absent during recording of evidence, special court issues NBW
Mumbai :A special court on Friday issued a
non-bailable warrant against accused Balkrishna Chaubey after neither he nor
his lawyer were present before court while evidence was being recorded in the
Sohrabuddin Shaikh encounter case. Special Judge S J Sharma directed the CBI to
execute the warrant and ensure his production before court. On Friday, the CBI
was to examine two prosecution witnesses — a police constable with the Gujarat
police and an IPS officer — related to the Sohrabuddin case. After the
examination-in-chief by special public prosecutor B P Raju was completed, the
court began recording cross-examination of the witnesses by defence lawyers.
While all other accused were represented by their lawyers or by themselves in
person, Chaubey and his lawyer Devendra Shukla were both absent. At this point,
the court noted their absence and directed that a warrant be issued against the
accused.“Despite repeated requests in the past made to him to co-operate with
the court in examining witnesses, he (Chaubey’s lawyer) has not paid attention.
In this situation, it is difficult to proceed to examine other witnesses,” the
court said, while issuing a non-bailable warrant against Chaubey. The court
then deferred the hearing. Both witnesses had travelled from Gujarat for the
hearing. Special prosecutor Raju told the court along with the warrant, the
accused should be made to pay the cost incurred by the witnesses in travelling
to Mumbai, including air tickets’ cost incurred by the IPS officer, though no
formal application has been made so far. Chaubey, who was a police
sub-inspector with the Gujarat police at the time of the offence in 2005, had
through his lawyer on Thursday sought exemption, claiming it was his son’s
examination. The court had directed him to be present before it on Saturday as
one of the witnesses will require his presence for identification. Considering
the difficulty in travelling from Gujarat, Rajasthan and AP for the accused,
the court had directed they remain present in court when witnesses pertaining
to their identification are being examined. Otherwise, their lawyers represent
them in their absence. indianexpress
Sohrabuddin case: Did same policemen escort
Prajapati earlier also, Bombay High Court asks CBI
Muzaffarnagar: Muslims agree to remove Mosque
for bridge construction
Muzaffarnagar: The long-pending construction
work of an overbridge in Muzaffarnagar city could now see the light of the day
after members from the Muslim community gave their consent to remove a roadside
mosque affecting the project.The project had remained stalled for the past 10
years with the religious structure playing as a major hindrance.However, the
locals held a meeting and decided to remove the mosque for the betterment of
the area and smooth flow of traffic.The district administration had made
adequate security arrangements to deal with any eventualities considering the
sensitivity of the issue.However, the demolition drive was conducted under
peaceful atmosphere and no untoward incident was reported from the spot.TOI
Tripura votes tomorrow: CPM seeks to retain
power, BJP poses tough fight
New Delhi :Tripura, the first of the three
Northeast states going to polls on February 18, will witness a direct battle
between the Left and BJP. Ever since the BJP came to power at the Centre in
2014, Northeast has been its special focus, with the win in the Assam assembly
elections giving the party a massive boost in the region.BJP, propelled by the
Congress whose seven MLAs defected to the saffron party in the run-up to the
elections, has emerged as the main challenger for the Left. The state is
crucial for the Left, which is its last bastion in the country, with Manik
Sarkar’s 25-year rule facing a sort of referendum this election. The Congress
has been the main opposition party for 25 years, and in power twice in Tripura.
Narendra Modi insisted on merger to 'save
AIADMK', asked me to join hands with K Palaniswamy, says O Panneerselvam
Theni/Chennai: Tamil Nadu deputy chief
minister O Panneerselvam, who last year merged his faction with that of Chief
Minister K Palaniswamy, has said that he had acted on a suggestion from Prime
Minister Narendra Modi.Speaking at a party office-bearers meeting at Theni on
Friday, the AIADMK coordinator said that the issue came up during a courtesy
meeting he had with Modi in New Delhi last year."He (Modi) said that you
(Panneerselvam) could join (merge the faction) to save the party," the
deputy chief minister said, without specifiying the exactly when the
conversation took place.The merger of the two AIADMK factions took place in
August 2016.Panneerselvam, who had become chief minister of the state following
the death of his predecessor J Jayalalithaa in December 2016, said he told the
prime minister he did not want any cabinet position and can settle for a party
post.But the prime minister wanted him to join the ministry headed by
Palaniswamy, he said.The deputy chief minister said he had conveyed the same to
two of his cabinet colleagues from the Palaniswamy camp prior to the merger, and
that they also insisted he accept a minister's post."That is why I am a
minister today. I have no desire to be a minister. Amma (Jayalalithaa) made me
MLA four times and chief minister twice.That honour itself is enough for
me," he told the gathering.Panneerselvam took over as chief minister twice
— in 2001 and later in 2014 — when Jayalalithaa was convicted in two different
cases.PTI
I merged with Palaniswami faction on PM Modi's
suggestion, says OPS
Arun Jaitley to leave for two-day Saudi Arabia
visit tonight
New Delhi:Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will
go on a two-day official visit to Saudi Arabia to co-chair the 12th India-Saudi
Arabia Joint Commission Meeting (JCM).The JCM will be held at Riyadh, and the
delegation leaves tonight, an official statement said on Saturday.On February
18, Jaitley along with his counterpart from Saudi Arabia will open the
‘Saudi-Indian Business Council’, it said, adding that the same day he will
visit the ‘India Pavillion’ at the Saudi National Heritage and Cultural
Festival Janadriyah. Jaitley will meet with the Saudi Minister of Trade &
Investment, Majid Al-Qassabi on February 19 to discuss the bilateral issues.PTI
Fearing encounter, two alleged UP criminals
carry placards with pledge not to commit crime
New Delhi :Two days after UP CM Yogi
Adityanath informed the Legislative Council that police encounters in the state
would continue, two alleged criminals were seen carrying placards in Kairana
which said they would not commit crime in the future, reported ANI. The
incident comes in the wake of crackdown against criminals in the state.“Main
aage bhavishya mein koi apraadh nahi karunga aur mehnat majdoori karke apna aur
apne parivaar ka bharan-poshan karunga (I will not get involved in any crime in
future and will work hard to take care of my family and myself),” read one of
the placards, according to ANI visuals.UP police also shared on Twitter a
combination photo of reports on the surrender of the alleged criminals. The
text accompanying the photograph read: “Police se nahi, crime se darr lagta hai
sahab (I am scared of crime and not the police).” The caption was written along
the lines of a famous dialogue from a cop-film.indianexpress
When I embraced Islam SP declared me runaway
and removed from job: Muslim Fayyaz
New Delhi: There is no religion like Islam.
The truth and the virtues of Islam forced me to embrace it, but after I
embraced Islam, I lost my job. I was tortured, said Jai Prakash Sharma, now
Fayyaz Aalam. He told that he was constable in Bihar police. I was posted in
Chira district. I went to my home for some work, then SP declared me runaway
and removed from the job. Fayyaz said since 2009 I was facing the torture of my
family, when the suffering became unbearable I filed a petition in Mumbai high
court in 2017. I also met foreign minister Amer Subhani to get my job back. He
assured justice.siasat
WORLD
UN blames funding cuts and blockade for Gaza
crisis
Spokesman for the UN Secretary-General
Stephane Dujarric blamed on Thursday UNRWA funding cuts, the closure of Gaza’s
crossings, and the delay of internal Palestinian reconciliation for the dire
situation in the enclave.Answering to questions about the situation in Gaza,
Dujarric said: “The dire humanitarian situation has obviously been made more
stressful with the funding crisis” facing UNRWA.He added: “So far, UNRWA has
not cut back on any services and is striving not to.”“We know the humanitarian
crisis is also linked to internal issues having to do with the reconciliation
between various Palestinian factions and, of course, issues related to
closures;” he said.On his part, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East
Peace Process, Nickolay Mladenov, told the Security Council that: “The United
Nations have presented proposals to revitalize Gaza’s economy and discussed the
conditions required to ease movement and access, and support Palestinian
development.”middleeastmonitor
Palestinians to abort ‘deal of century’: Hamas
leader
GAZA CITY, Palestine:A senior Hamas leader has
vowed to bring down any proposed peace plan that does not meet Palestinian
demands.“Any project rejected by the Palestinian people will not pass,"
Moussa Abu Marzouk said on Twitter on Saturday.He was commenting on media reports
about the U.S.-proposed “Deal of the Century” -- ostensibly aimed at resolving
the decades-long Israel-Palestine conflict.Abu Marzouk said the Palestinian
people have never united around any project except the “resistance”.The term
"Deal of the Century" refers to a back-channel U.S. plan to
decisively settle the perennial Palestine-Israel dispute.Last month, Anadolu
Agency revealed details of the plan, which calls for annexing the whole city of
Jerusalem and major settlement blocs to Israel in return for establishing a
demilitarized Palestinian state.Anadolu Agency
Netanyahu to UN chief: Israel will ‘forever’
control Golan Heights
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on
Friday declared that the occupied Golan Heights would “forever” remain under
Israeli control.At a meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the
sidelines of a major security conference in Munich, Netanyahu declared that the
Golan Heights would “remain in Israel’s hands forever.”The Syrian Golan Heights
has been under Israeli occupation since 1967.Netanyahu also said Israel would
not allow Iran to establish military bases in Syria — a scenario, he said, that
Israel would take action to prevent.middleeastmonitor
Promising money, EU tries to woo Assad into
Syria peace talks
The European Union’s top diplomat on Friday
raised the prospect of collecting money for rebuilding Syria but only if
fighting abates and Russia makes sure its ally, President Bashar al-Assad
engages in the stalled UN peace talks.The EU wants to leverage its top aid
donor role to revive the United Nations-led talks that have achieved little
over seven years of the war and hit a deadlock as Russian and Iranian military
interventions gave Assad the upper hand on the ground. Federica Mogherini, who
will host an international conference on Syria on April 24-25 in Brussels, said
she could seek pledges of not only humanitarian aid but also for early recovery
in Syria, where the multi-sided proxy war has killed hundreds of thousands and driven
millions from homes.“We are ready and we’re willing to also use the conference
to mobilise resources for early recovery, especially in the areas liberated
from Islamic State,” Mogherini said.middleeastmonitor
Airstrike kills child, injures 4 in Syria’s
Idlib
IDLIB, Syria;A Syrian child was killed and
four civilians were wounded in an airstrike in Syria’s northwestern Idlib
province on Saturday, according to a local civil defense official.Fighter jets
carried out the attack on the province’s Hazano neighborhood in the morning,
Mustafa Hajj Youssef, director of the White Helmets civil-defense agency
said.He said a fire broke out in the area after the attack, but was quickly put
out by civil defense forces.Notably, Idlib falls within a network of
de-escalation zones -- endorsed by Turkey, Russia and Iran -- in which acts of
aggression are expressly prohibited. Anadolu
Turkey, US joint statement alludes to YPG
terror group
ANKARA ;The fight against YPG/PKK terror group
has been alluded to in the joint statement released following the visit of the
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to Turkey.The YPG is the PKK terrorist
organization’s Syrian offshoot.Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu met his U.S.
counterpart in Ankara following which a joint statement was released that said:
“Turkey and the United States reiterate their resolve to fight against Daesh,
PKK, Al-Qaeda and all other terrorist organizations and their extensions.” The
reference to terror groups and “their extensions” points to a new understanding
in the diplomatic discourse of the U.S.The joint statement highlights that
Ankara and Washington have reached a mutual understanding on the issue. Anadolu
Agency
Qatar calls for EU-style security pact for
Middle East
Middle Eastern states should put their
differences behind them and forge a security pact modeled on the European Union
in order to pull the region back from the brink, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin
Hamad al-Thani said on Friday.He asked the international community to keep up
diplomatic pressure on the countries concerned to achieve that but offered few
other details.“I believe that it is time for wider regional security in the
Middle East. It is time for all nations of the region to forget the past, including
us, and agree on basic security principles and rules of governance, and at
least a minimum level of security to allow for peace and prosperity,” Sheikh
Tamim told a security conference in Munich.“This should not be a pipe dream.
Too much is at risk. The Middle East is at the brink. It’s time to bring it
back.”Qatar, a tiny but rich Gulf Arab state, has been isolated over the past
seven months by trade and travel sanctions imposed by the United Arab Emirates,
Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt over accusations – denied by Doha – that it
supports terrorism and regional rival Iran.Efforts by the United States and
Kuwait to end the rift have failed to produce any results.middleeastmonitor
ICC Gets over 1 Million Testimonies from
Afghans Suing US, CIA, Gov't over War Crimes
The International Criminal Court began
collecting material three months ago for a possible war crimes case involving
armed actors Afghanistan.More than one million statements from Afghan people
and organizations have been submitted to the International Criminal Court
alleging war crimes were committed by several actors in the country including
the US military, the CIA, Afghan forces and the Taliban, local groups working
with the Hague-based tribunal said Friday.Abdul Wadood Pedram, an official at
the Kabul-based Human Rights and Eradication of Violence Organization, told the
AP Friday that his group has knowledge of the groups and individuals who
submitted the 1.17 million statements to the court over the past three
months."It is shocking there are so many," Pedram said, noting that
in some instances, whole villages were represented. "It shows how the
justice system in Afghanistan is not bringing justice for the victims and their
families."The ICC began accepting statements in November after the court’s
prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, presented a request to open a formal investigation
into possible international crimes committed in Afghanistan since it became a
member of the court in May 2003, few years after the U.S.-led intervention.The
court accepted testimonies until Jan. 31 and will now evaluate the statements
to decide if the war crimes investigation requested Bensouda should get the
greenlight. Pedram told the AP that since in some cases one statement
represents multiple people or whole village, the number of people seeking the
war crimes probe could amount to several millions. telesurtv.net
‘Afghans file 1.7 million war crime complaints
with ICC’
Afghanistan govt Rejects Surprise Taliban
Peace Outreach to US
Afghanistan’s government rejected a surprise
Taliban overture for peace talks with the U.S., insisting the insurgent group
that controls or contests nearly half the country needs to cease fighting
first.In an unexpected statement on Wednesday, the Taliban reached out to the
American people asking them to pressure President Donald Trump and “war-mongering”
congressmen to end the near 17-year-old “occupation.” Those words were met with
disbelief in Kabul after the group claimed responsibility for attacks in the
Afghan capital last month that killed and wounded hundreds.“The Taliban has
started the war and the Taliban is continuing the war, if the Taliban want
peace they should stop,” Dawa Khan Menapal, a deputy spokesman of Afghan
President Ashraf Ghani, said in an interview. “They keep killing innocent
civilians -- they should stop the battle and then reach out to Afghanistan not
the Americans for peace talks.”While many believe America’s longest war will
only cease when a political settlement is hashed out with the Taliban, Trump
ruled out peace talks after the wave of violence. The U.S. president last year
announced the deployment of more troops and an increase in air strikes in an
attempt to push back Taliban and Islamic State’s gains across Afghanistan.“The
Taliban believe the Americans have come to understand their war in Afghanistan
is going to become akin to their Vietnam war,” said Waheed Mujhda, a former
Taliban official and now a Kabul-based political analyst. “If the Americans put
careful consideration to the Taliban statement and realize the Afghan war is at
a stalemate, no doubt it will be a game changer. Bombardments can’t break the
stalemate.”In the Taliban’s statement, the group reiterated it will accept
peace talks after the draw-down of foreign forces and that Afghanistan’s
government doesn’t have the authority to negotiate.“War is imposed on us, it is
not our choice,” Zabihullah Mujahed, a Taliban spokesman, said in the lengthy
open letter. “Our preference is to solve the Afghan issue through peaceful
dialogs” and prolonging the war is “neither beneficial for America nor for
anyone.” bloomberg
Far-right Austrian party revokes statements on
Muslims
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/02/austrian-party-revokes-statements-muslims-180217064717350.html
Austria's far-right Freedom Party (FPO), which
entered government last December, will pay compensation to the Muslim Youth
Austria (MJO) organisation for failing to prove in court its accusations that
the MJO is an Islamist organisation.Last June, Heinz-Christian Strache, FPO's
chairman, said at a press conference that there are "numerous
indications" that the MJO "spearheads Islamist ideologies" and
are "part of a nested network … over which political Islam organises".These
allegations were also published on the FPO's website.MJO denied these
allegations and filed a lawsuit against Strache, the FPO and the Freedom
Parliamentary Club. aljazeera
Pakistan: Zainab's killer gets four death
sentences
LAHORE: A Pakistani court Saturday handed four
death sentences to a man charged with raping and murdering a young girl, in a
case that shocked the country and sparked major riots in his home district.Imran
Ali, 24, was on trial for the killing of six-year-old Zainab Fatima Ameen in
the eastern city of Kasur last month.He faces further charges in the cases of
at least seven other children attacked in the Punjab city- five of whom were
murdered- in a spate of assaults that had stoked fears a serial child killer
was on the loose. He has confessed to all eight attacks, including the death of
Zainab.Ali was handed four separate death sentences after being convicted of
the rape and murder of Zainab, as well as terrorism charges, prosecutor general
of Punjab province Ihtesham Qadir said after a special anti-terrorism court
passed its judgement.Under Pakistani law, crimes that are considered to have
spread terror in society can be charged as acts of terrorism.AFP
FLASH: VIEWS & NEWS
BJP Is Killing Our Institutions:DEREK O'BRIEN
Not just Judge Loya's death: ‘Absurd
inconsistencies’ in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case:Sruthisagar
Yamunan
With 2013 and 2017 the Key Dates in Nirav Modi
Scam, Congress and BJP Can’t Pass the Buck:M.K. VENU
Hashimpura, Srebrenica And Rohingyas in
Rakhine: Different But So Similar:SAEED NAQVI
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