Evening NEWS
DIGEST
18 Feb.2018:01 Jamadiul-2 1439:Vol:9, No:123
INDIA
With dust yet to settle on PNB fraud case,
Rotomac Pens owner Kothari flees with Rs 800 crore
While the banking system of the country is yet
o recover from Rs 11,400 crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam, another case of
fraud has come to attention. As per several reports, Vikram Kothari, owner of
Rotomac Pens, has fled the country along with Rs 800 crore he had loaned from
several public sector banks including Allahabad Bank, Bank of India, Bank of
Baroda, Indian Overseas Bank and Union Bank of India. According to media
reports, Rotomac Pens owner Vikram Kothari has fled the country along with Rs
800 crore he had loaned from several public sector banksJust days after Rs
11,400 crore PNB fraud case shook the entire banking system of India, another
multi-crore scam has come to light. According to recent media reports, Rotomac
Pens owner Vikram Kothari has fled the country along with Rs 800 crore he had
loaned from several public sector banks including Allahabad Bank, Bank of
India, Bank of Baroda, Indian Overseas Bank and Union Bank of India.The reports
have pointed out that all the banks had ‘compromised’ on several rules to lend
the loans to Rotomac Pens. It further says that Kothari had taken a loan of Rs
495 crores from UCO and a loan worth Rs 352 crore from Allahabad bank. However,
he did not pay either the principal amount or the interest. Kothari’s office
has been locked since the past one week as he is speculated to have fled the
country. Bank authorities are now looking at auctioning in a bid to recover the
amount.The fresh case of fraud has come to light when the dust is yet to settle
on the multi-crore PNB fraud which took place in Mumbai. Under the fraud, the
Nirav Modi Godi group had availed fake Letters of Undertaking (LoUs) which
enabled it to borrow credit from overseas banks in India. Three officials have
been arrested in connection with the case and they have said that they got a
“fixed commission” for the issuance of LoUs. Investigative agencies have been
conducting regular raids and have managed to recover almost Rs 5,674 crore from
Nirav Modi’s family members and business partner Mehul Choksi. Newsx
PNB Scam: Fraudulent 375 LoUs Worth Thousands
of Crores Were Issued Between Jan-May 2017
PNB Fraud:UCO Bank says has about Rs2,636 cr
exposure
Kolkata: State-run UCO Bank said it has an
outstanding exposure of about $411.82 million in the $1.8 billion fraud
detected in public sector PNB and that it was confident of receiving the
payment.PNB, the second largest public sector bank in India, had detected the
$1.8 billion fraud in one of its branches in Mumbai and UCO Bank was among the
banks that were said to have offered credit based on letters of credit issued
by the PNB."The outstanding exposure involved in the transactions is
approximately $411.82 million and the bank is fully confident to receive the
payment from the PNB," UCO Bank said in a regulatory filing.The lender
said in the normal course of trade business, its Hong Kong branch has been
negotiating export documents against letters of credit issued through
authenticated SWIFT message by Punjab National Bank.The applicants for these
letters of credit includes few of corporate clients associated with the
incident of recent fraud happened in PNB, the lender said. NDTV
PNB fraud: Officials of other banks under
scanner
New Delhi: As investigations into Rs 11,400
crore scam at PNB gather momentum, officials at overseas branches of other
banks, where the fraudulently issued LoUs were encashed, are under scanner,
sources said.Officials of Hong Kong branches of Indian lenders including
Allahabad Bank, SBI, Union Bank, UCO Bank and Axis Bank are part of the entire
fraud which continued for 7 years.As per the guidelines, the tenure for the
encashment of LoUs for the gems and jewellery sector is usually of 90 days and
not 365 days — the maturity period of most of the LoUs linked with the PNB
fraud, sources said, adding that the deviation from the usual practice should
have raised alarm in the minds of officials working at the Hong Kong branch of
other lenders.But surprisingly this did not happen till last month when PNB
refused to honour LoU fraudulently issued by some of the staff at its Brady
House branch in Mumbai, sources said. Had someone raised an alarm earlier, the
quantum of fraud could have been lower, sources said, adding that it is like
alert citizen informing police about some nefarious activity to authorities for
the further action.PTI
Where is Nirav Modi? Authorities in the dark
about whereabouts of the bizman
Washington:Speculation abounds over the
whereabouts of Nirav Modi, the diamond merchant wanted by Indian authorities in
connection with a multi-crore bank fraud, with indications he could be in the
US, staying in either an upscale Manhattan hotel residential complex or
elsewhere in New York state.The Indian government has said in New Delhi that it
does not know where Modi is and it could not be ascertained if it had raised
the possibility of him staying in the US with American authorities, after
reports surfaced of him staying at JW Marriott Essex House apartments in
Manhattan, New York City. There was no response to a request for comments sent
to the US Department of Justice, which would be the nodal agency for processing
an international case such as this.A request to the US for help to trace and
track Modi in America would be moved in New Delhi, according to sources, as per
the established protocol in these matters between the respective law
enforcement agencies of the two countries.Modi is alleged to have fled India on
Jan.1, followed by his wife Ami Modi, a US citizen, on Jan.6. Initial reports,
also not confirmed by authorities, indicated he was in Switzerland. The
family’s Indian passports were suspended subsequently, pinning them down in
whichever country they last visited.hindustantimes
Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi denies
charges, says wife, son have no links to Nirav Modi
New Delhi;Union Defence Minister Nirmala
Sitharaman on Saturday said that Firestar Diamond International Private Limited
of Nirav Modi was being run from a property that allegedly belongs to Adwait
Holdings Limited, which is allegedly associated with Anita Singhvi, wife of
senior Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi. Speaking to reporters at BJP
headquarters, Sitharaman said Firestar Diamond is one of the several companies
Nirav Modi runs. She said, “They have acquired or taken on lease a property
that belongs to Adwait Holdings. They own a property at a place called Trade
Point Building — on the second floor of it — in Lower Parel, Mumbai.”She
claimed that from 2002 one of the shareholders of Adwait Holdings is Anita
Singhvi, “whose shrimati (wife) you know it”. She said, “(It) also has Avishkar
Manas Singhvi, possibly son, we do not know, but wife of one of the senior
Congress leaders is here as property shareholder. She is director by
designation….That premises is being used by Firestar Diamond International of
Nirav Modi… that building, that second floor, that property which is with
Adwait Holdings, whose director is Anita Singhvi, wife of Shri Abhishek Manu
Singhvi.”In response, Singhvi stated that BJP and NDA’s “cheap” sense of
politics has reached ridiculous proportions. “Neither my wife, sons nor me has
anything whatsoever to do with Gitanjali or Nirav Modi companies. Nirav Modi’s
company was a tenant of a Kamla Mills property owned by Adwait Holdings, in
which my wife and sons are a director. Adwait Holdings owns a commercial
property at Parel, as it does elsewhere, which was rented by Firestone many
years ago. Neither Adwait nor my family has any interest with Modi or
Firestone. Last August Firestone gave notice to quit tenancy and vacated the
Parel Kamla Mills premises in December 2017,” he said in a
statement.indianexpress
Iran deepens freight discount to boost oil
sales to India: Report
New Delhi: Iran has offered to raise the
freight discount on oil sales to India in return for New Delhi agreeing to
boost imports, as OPEC member is keen to eat into the market share of other
producers including top rivals Saudi Arabia and Iraq.Iran is pushing to retain
customers for its oil in Asia, hoping concessions will boost the appeal of its
crude compared with other middle eastern suppliers, even as the threat looms of
potential further US sanctions on the country.Since the lifting of sanctions on
Iran in 2016 it has been offering India a freight discount linked to a formula
translating into 105% of the Platts assessment. For 2017/18 Tehran had reduced
the discount to 62% of the formula from 80%, but Iran has offered to change
this if Indian refineries step up purchases, three sources familiar with the
matter said on Saturday.“Now they are offering 100% discount, meaning a sum
equivalent to 105% of the Platts freight assessment,”said one of the sources.Iran
said it expected Indian orders to grow.“State-owned Indian companies are going
to increase their level of Iranian oil purchase,”Iran’s oil minister Bijan
Zanganeh told reporters after a meeting with Indian oil minister Dharmendra
Pradhan in New Delhi. Indian refiners - state-owned and private - will buy
about 500,000 bpd of Iranian oil in 2018/19, said Zanganeh, in India as part of
a delegation led by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. “We have got good
incentives compared to other major producers. We will get benefit if we buy
from Iran ... We will boost oil imports from Iran compared to this fiscal
year,” Pradhan told reporters, without elaborating.Iran, which used to be the
second-biggest oil supplier to India before sanctions, is gradually raising its
market share in the world’s third-biggest oil consuming nation.Reuters
India, Iran Sign Agreement For Avoidance Of
Double Taxation On Rouhani's Visit
As Iran Ridicules US ‘Haggling’, India
Supports Full Implementation of Nuclear Deal
Triple talaq Bill headed for 'noisy death' in
Rajya Sabha
New Delhi: The controversial Bill
criminalising triple talaq among Muslims appears headed for a “noisy death” in
the Rajya Sabha. Having stopped its outreach to the Opposition, the Modi
government is bracing for a vote on the Bill in the Upper House while appearing
firm that no ordinance would be passed if the proposal collapses.“The
government is no more talking to the Opposition, including the Congress. The
Centre is firm that there cannot be concurrence with the Opposition demand to
refer the triple talaq Bill to the select committee of the House. So, there
will be a vote, which could either help it get passed or defeat it in the
House,” said a Union Cabinet minister on condition of anonymity. With the NDA
appearing to be in poll mode with several Assembly elections scheduled this
year ahead of next year’s Lok Sabha polls, the BJP seems to see no merit in
long drawn-out consultations in the select committee.“The stand of the
Opposition to force sending the Bill to the select committee is obvious — that
it gets delayed without making enough noise in public. The government will not
heed the demand. There are no more talks with the Opposition on the issue any
more,” added the minister. After the Lok Sabha passed Bill criminalising triple
talaq following a brief debate, Union Minister for Law and Justice Ravi Shankar
Prasad introduced it in the Rajya Sabha amid ruckus at the fag end of
Parliament’s winter session. The government is gearing to take up the Bill in
the second part of the Budget session beginning March 5.“We have to go to the
people if the Bill is defeated in Rajya Sabha. Since there is no urgency, the
government will not come up with an ordinance.Bill has already generated strong
debate within the minority community. BJP will seek further debate on the stand
taken by the Opposition, particularly the Congress, to stall a rare reform
legislation for the benefit of women of the minority community, who have
already suffered enough,” said the minister.newindianexpress
After Dalit activist's death, Jignesh Mevani
detained while travelling to meet protesters
Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani was detained by
police Sunday, while was on his way to an informal gathering of people
protesting the death of Dalit activist Patan Bhanubhai Vankar. Mevani was about
to kick off a bandh he had called last night.In a video of the incident, Mevani
can be heard saying, "Show me your buckle number. How can you behave with
an MLA like this?"The police reportedly snatched the car keys and broke
it, while forcefully pulling Mevani out of the vehicle. Reacting to allegations
that the police misbehaved with Mevani, JK Bhatt, JCP (crime) said, "His (Mevani)
behaviour was inappropriate but police maintained cool and gave deserved
respect to an elected representative."Bhanubhai Vankar set himself ablaze
Thursday outside the Collector's office in Patan. He succumbed to his injuries
Friday night. Now, members of the Dalit community have taken to the streets
after his death.Vankar was fighting against the delay in allotment of land to a
Dalit family in Patan. Significantly, Vankar had written a letter to the
district Collector, saying he would immolate himself on Feb.15 if the demands
were not met. However, on Thursday, when he set himself on fire on the premises
of the collectorate, several onlookers, police and fire officials failed to prevent
him from doing so.Vankar's family has refused to perform his final rites unless
the government meets the demands. Most of these plots of land are actually
either encroached upon or still in possession of the government authorities or
other higher caste individuals, Mevani said Saturday.In 2006, scores of
landless Dalit families were promised land under Agriculture Land Ceiling Act.
As a lawyer, Mevani represented several Dalit families in their fight for the
land allotted to them on paper decades ago. But they never got possession of
this land.Mevani claimed that upto 56,873 acres of land that was rightfully
allotted to Dalits on paper was still in the government's possession, or
encroached upon.indiatoday
Dalit activist passed away after torching himself,
accused government of neglecting land allotment to Dalits
Mevani, others detained ahead of Adhmedabad
rally
Ghar wapsi rally: Hindu Samhati men in
judicial custody
Kolkata: Arrested for attacking mediapersons
during a rally in Kolkata Wednesday, the founder and 3 members of Hindu Samhati
were on Saturday sent to judicial custody till February 22 by the Bankshal
court after their police custody ended. The Hindu group had given a call of
“ghar wapsi” — to “reconvert” Muslims — and presented 14 members of a Muslim
family who have “returned” to the Hindu fold at the rally. Founder Tapan Ghosh
and members Rishikesh Ray (32), Tapan Shil (21) and Preetam Pal (18) were
booked for allegedly assaulting journalists, who tried to pose questions to the
family.At the rally, Ghosh had allegedly delivered provocative speech against
Muslims. “Let us take a pledge for ghar wapsi… I appeal to our Muslim brothers
and sisters, who were forced to give up their original faith, to return home,
and once again embrace Hinduism,” he had said.indianexpress
UP cops diffuse communal tension, arrest 2,
book cases against 13 in Muzaffarnagar
Muzaffarnagar: Acting with alacrity, Yogi
Adityanath Government in UP arrested 2 persons and slapped cases against 13
persons for allegedly attacking a youth belonging to a minority community in
Sarvat Road area in the communally-sensitive Muzaffarnagar city.The accused
alleged thrashed a person identified as Akib Hasan and thrashed him. They also
set afire his two-wheeler. The miscreants forced their entry into the house of
Akib and beat him. Akib has since been shifted to a hospital, where his
condition is stated to be stable and out of danger.The police, who moved to the
affected area quickly, brought the situation under control and ensured that no
untoward incident occurred. The arrested persons have been produced in the
court. The police have been deployed in large number to tighten the security in
the area.HANS INDIA
Pressure on police to transfer SHO who saved
Muslim youths, stopped another Kasganj-like incident
Agra: A day after TOI reported that BJP
national general secretary Anil Jain’s elder brother Nanak Chand Agrawal
pleaded with Firozabad police to not take action against the party workers who
allegedly assaulted an SHO, senior officials on Saturday admitted that they
were under tremendous pressure to either attach the officer to Civil Lines or
transfer him to another police station.Firozabad Uttar police station SHO
Lokesh Bhati had to face the wrath of alleged BJP workers after he prevented
them from assaulting two youths from the minority community on Thursday
night.“SHO is a hero who risked his life to save youths from the minority
community so that a Kasganj-like situation does not arise. He should be
rewarded, not transferred,” said Firozabad SP (city) Rajesh Kumar Singh. SP
said that had Bhati not timely intervened and sent the two youths to police
station accompanied by cops, their politically-backed attackers would have
killed them. “They allegedly manhandled SHO and hurled abuses on him. However,
Bhati did not lose his cool and refrained from using his service weapon. By the
time the backup arrived, he kept trying to pacify the unruly group,” Singh
said.Lokesh Bhati, who was on patrolling duty on Thursday night when he received
a distress call, said, “I just did my job and will continue to do it until I am
a part of the UP Police. Let them transfer me; there will be another Lokesh
Bhati in khaki to stand up against those who threaten peace and
tranquility.”“They were in an inebriated state. Not only did they abuse me
verbally, but they also slapped me for doing my duty. My first priority was to
rescue the two youngsters. The group had attacked the youths after passing
objectionable comments about their skullcaps. More than anything else, I was
surprised to see senior political leaders come in support of those goons. They
requested us not to file an FIR against them,” SHO said.Meanwhile, on Saturday,
Firozabad police conducted raids at several locations to arrest the three main
accused who have been identified as Dheeraj Parashar, Uday Thakur and Lucky
Garg, alias Nakul. In 2010, Lucky was booked for attempting to murder a cop in
an area under Dakshin police jurisdiction.
Uttar Pradesh: 3 BJP members booked for
allegedly assaulting police officer, two Muslim men
UP: Increased Budget for minorities but no new
schemes, state pushes for “modernisation” of madrasas
UP Govt, led by Yogi Adityanath, introduced
its annual budget on Friday, with Rs 2,575 crores allocated under the name of
minority development and welfare schemes. Rajesh Agrawal, Finance Minister at UP,
informed while announcing the budget that out of the allocated Rs 2,575 crores,
Rs 404 crore will be spent modernising Arabic and Farsi Madrasas of the state.
Moreover, Rs 486 crore will be used as a grant for Arabic schools, and Rs 215
crore of ‘Aalia level’ madrasas.The recent budget of Uttar Pradesh sees a rise
of Rs 282 crore from the last year’s budget allocated under the same head.
State minister Mohsin Raza claimed that increasing the budget is a welcome step
and shows government’s commitment towards the agenda of ‘Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas’.The
budget allocation under minority head for the fiscal year 2018-19 becomes
important as, since its election in 2017, the state govt has been cracking down
on Madrasas for several reasons. During August 2017, the government put out an
order asking all the Madrasas of the state to submit proof of celebration of
Independence Day.The state government it seems, however, is using
“modernisation of madrasas” to distract any attention over the absence of new
schemes of minority welfare. State minister Mohsin Raza said, “Modernisation of
Madrasas in the state is one thing which every regime till now has been
overlooking. This year’s funds expenditure under minority head will be used
chiefly for modernisation of madrasas.”“Muslim community is backward,” said
Raza while adding that “the government is trying to link the modern education
with the religious teachings of madrasas”. Raza further explained, “We see many
Muslims studied ‘Maulviyat’ (study of Islamic clericalism) past independence, but
we know only a few in the society. The rest struggle hard to get into the
mainstream. They are not doing any good. We want to change.”Coming again to the
absence of new schemes, Mohsin Raza said that the state government will assist
the central government in implementation and increased the reach of its various
programs, “which are not just for minorities, but for all the religions, castes
and groups of the society”.TCN
BJP leader sacked over derogatory comments on
Shivaji: Chindam to be shifted out of Ahmednagar jail, protests rage on
Pune;Shripad Chindam, the former Ahmednagar
deputy mayor who was arrested for making derogatory statements about
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, was on Saturday remanded in judicial custody till
March 1. Chindam had been fired by his party, BJP, and removed from the deputy
mayor’s post in the Ahmednagar Municipal Corporation after an audio clip of his
comments went viral on Friday. Initially, Chindam was shifted to the Ahmednagar
jail, but later, prison authorities submitted a letter to the court, seeking
permission to shift him to Yerwada Central Prison in Pune or Nashik Central
Jail. While some media reports claimed that Chindam was being shifted because
he was beaten up by some inmates in Ahmednagar prison, authorities denied such
reports. They said some prisoners at Ahmednagar jail had raised slogans against
him.A senior prison official said Chindam was being shifted because of the lack
of a segregated facility at Ahmednagar jail. Chindam had made the derogatory
comments while abusing a civic staffer over the phone on Friday . The incident
had triggered violent protests in Ahmednagar, where protesters had ransacked
Chindam’s residence, offices and hotel in the city.Meanwhile, after a
photograph of Chindam in an uniform of RSS went viral on social media, the RSS
issued a statement condemning him and demanding stern action against him.
Corporators in Ahmednagar Municipal Corporation also launched a signature
campaign — to remove Chindam from the post of a corporator — and a letter in
this regard was submitted to the municipal commissioner.indianexpress
School drop-out rate among Muslim girls, which
is more than 72%, is a matter concern: Union minister Naqvi
Mumbai : The school drop-out rate among Muslim
girls, which is more than 72 per cent, is a matter of concern for government,
Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said today.The minority affairs minister was
addressing a training programme for women here, organised by the Maharashtra
BJP Minority Morcha."The school drop-out rate among Muslim girls, which is
more than 72 per cent, is a matter of concern.To change the situation,
(Narendra) Modi govt has focused on educational empowerment of Muslim
girls.This has created awareness among the minorities regarding better
education," Naqvi said. Naqvi also said that the literacy rate among
minorities, especially Muslims, is much below than the national average
literacy rate, which is also a matter of concern."Our government has
started a strong campaign for educational empowerment of minorities to fill
this gap. Socio-economic-educational empowerment of minority women, especially
girls, is our priority," the minister said.Naqvi claimed that due to the
Modi government's policy of "Empowerment without Appeasement" and
"Development with Dignity", the poor, weaker sections and minorities
are also becoming equal partners of the development process.PTI
Police deny permission for Aurangabad Tablighi
Ijtema, seeks source of funding
Aurangabad: Even as the organisers are working
day in and day out since last more than two months for the state level Tablighi
Jamaat Ijtema to be held in Limbe Jalgaon village near Aurangabad, local police
have refused the necessary permission.The police have also asked the organisers
to furnish them the details of their source of the amount being spent to
organize such a large scale gathering.Tablighi Jamaat has planned to organize a
3-day Ijtema in Limbe Jalgaon village near Aurangabad from Feb.24 to Feb.26,
2018. Organisrers claim that hundreds of thousands of Muslims from Aurangabad
and other cities,towns and villages of Maharashtra are expected to attend the
03-day Ijetma.The police however said the organisers have not taken the
necessary permission for organizing a gathering of such a large scale. Hence
Waluj police themselves have dashed a letter to Syed Anees Aamir Patel, the Sarpanch
of Limbe Jalgaon village, saying the permission for the Ijtema could not be
given.The letter signed by Police Inspector Satish Kumar Tak and addressed to
the village Sarpanch, Syed Anees Aamir Patel, said that the organizers should
have sought permission for the Ijtema three months in advance.Inspector Satish
Kumar in his letter further said that, since the Ijtema is expected to be
attended by a large number of people, it is necessary to seek permission well
in advance from the police and other departments so that traffic management can
be planned and other arrangements are made.In his letter addressed to Syed
Anees, Inspector Satish Kumar Tak also asked to furnish the details of the
sources of funding to organize the Ijtema. Local media had earlier reported
that the organisers have so far spent more than 11 crore rupees for the
Aurangabad Ijtema. According to reports, the Aurangabad police also expressed
surprise that the work is on to organize the Ijtema since more than two months
but the organizers did not approach the police for permission.Deputy
Commissioner of Police Vinayak Dhakane however said that the Ijtema organizers
gave the police intimation about the state level Ijtema, but only
recently.Meanwhile, the organisers are hopeful that all the issues raised by
the police will be resolved soon and the Aurangabad Ijtema will be held as per
the announced schedule.ummid.com
Inform status of report on linguistic
minorities:Karnataka HC Centre
High Court of Karnataka has directed Union
government to inform about the steps taken based on the report submitted by the
National Commission for Religious and Linguistic Minorities, headed by the
former CJI Ranganath Misra, in 2007 on granting recognition to linguistic
minority communities. Justice B.V. Nagarathna issued the direction while
hearing a petition filed by Kasturba Education Trust, Bengaluru, questioning
non-grant of linguistic minority status certificate by the authorities
concerned despite being eligible for such a status for availing the benefit of
being excluded from admitting students under the Right to Education Act.thehindu
JK: Opposition NC calls communalisation of
Kathua rape-murder case deplorable
Jammu: Opposition National Conference decried
"communalisation and politicisation" of a rape-and-murder of an
8-year-old girl in Kathua district, saying it was highly deplorable and against
civilised behaviour.NC provincial chief Devender Singh Rana urged the
administration to take all necessary steps to instill confidence among the
people to sternly dealt with criminals and their sympathisers irrespective of
their religious backgrounds.Body of the minor girl was recovered from Rassana
forest on Jan.17, a week after she went missing while grazing horses in the
forest area. The government had on Jan.23 handed over the case to crime branch
of the state police which arrested a SPO for his alleged involvement in
abduction and killing of the girl.Rana's statement came a day after J&K CM
Mehbooba Mufti despised a rally by a right-wing group for using the Tricolour
and demanding the release of the arrested SPO.Mehbooba was referring to the
rally taken out by the Hindu Ekta Manch on Thursday here, demanding the release
of SPO Deepak Khajuria, who was arrested last week in connection with the
brutal murder."Can politics stoop such lower depths where barbaric act
against a girl child falls prey to religious chauvinism", Rana asked,
adding those spearheading the cause of a criminal or criminals should have
vouched for the victim whose "agony and wilderness at the time of
commission of the crime might have shook the heavens".PTI
To ensure justice, JKPCC demands fool proof
investigation to Kathua rape case incident
Jammu:JKPCC has decried attempts to give any
religious or communal colour to the worst ever shameful act of alleged rape and
murder of an eight year girl in Kathua recently and said that identification of
real culprits should be the interest of all right thinking persons in the
society.Demanding a fool proof probe into the heartrending incident of worst
kind in order to bring the culprits to book and ensure justice to the victim,
which should serve as a deterrent to inhuman elements of such a mentality in
the society, JKPCC has said that any religious or communal twist is totally unwarranted
and condemnable, if it is aimed at to derail the investigation and defeat the
ends of justice. Scoop News
BJP Leader in Front, Hindu Ekta Manch Waves
Tricolour in Support of Rape Accused in Jammu
2
policemen killed, 6 injured in encounter with Naxals in Chhattisgarh’s
Sukma
Raipur:Two policemen were killed and 6 others
injured in a gun-battle with the Naxals in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district on
Sunday, a top official said.The encounter took place in a forest under the
Bhejji police station when a joint team of the STF, DRG and local police was
out on an “area-domination operation”, DIG of Police Sundarraj P told PTI.As the team was passing
through the forest between Bhejji and Elarmadgu, around 500 km from state
capital Raipur, it came under heavy firing from the ultras, leading to the
gun-battle, DIG said.The exchange of fire lasted for over two hours, he
added.“Assistant constables Madkam Handa and Mukesh Kadthi of DRG were killed
and six other jawans were injured,” DIG said.PTI
BJP offers Jerusalem trip to Nagaland voters
Guwahati: BJP has given a new spin to its
offer of trips to Jerusalem for the Christian-majority state of Nagaland,
promising to take 50 senior citizens chosen by drawing lots to the Holy Land
annually.In its manifesto, which was released by defence minister Nirmala
Sitharaman at Dimapur, has promised to "Set up senior citizen board who
will annually select around 50 members through lucky draw for a free trip to
Holy Land of Jerusalem."Amid apprehensions expressed by the church over
spread of Hindutva in Christian-majority state, BJP stated in its manifesto
that the party is for an all-inclusive development and promised to protect all
minority communities in the state, which include mostly Hindus and Muslims.
Christians comprise about 88% of Nagaland's population.TOI
Tripura Assembly Election 2018: EC says 74%
voter turnout recorded in state, 17% less than 2013 polls
New Delhi: The total voter turnout stood at 74
percent in the single-phase Tripura Assembly polls on Sunday, 17 percent less
than the last Assembly election when the polling percentage was recorded at
91.82.Voting was on Sunday held in 59 of the total 60 seats as polling could
not be held in the Charilam constituency due to the death of CPM candidate
Ramendra Narayan Deb Barma last week.The constituency will go to polls on 12
March.According to the figures released by the Election Commission on Sunday,
the voter turnout stood at 74 percent.The BJP, an ‘also-ran’ until now in the
northeastern state, is making a determined bid to demolish the red bastion of
25 years, with stalwarts like Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president
Amit Shah leading the charge.PTI
Karnataka: Congress expels MLA NA Haris' son
for assaulting man in Bengaluru pub; police files FIR
An FIR was registered on Saturday against
Karnataka Congress MLA NA Haris' son Mohammed Haris Nalapad and ten others for
allegedly assaulting a man in Bengaluru's UB City, said media reports. Nalapad,
who is Bengaluru district Youth Congress general secretary, was expelled from
the party for six years following the incident, according to News18. President
of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee, G Parameshwara on Sunday informed
Nalapad's suspension.The incident happened when Nalapad, with his friends,
walked into a pub in UB City around 10 pm. According to India Today, the
victim, identified as Vidwath was having dinner in the same pub with his
friend. Nalapad and his friends got into an argument with Vidwath when they
asked him to sit properly.firstpost
‘Honey-trapped’ IAF officer arrested: Women
shared videos from adult sites with accused, says police
New Delhi : Investigation into the arrest of a
Group Captain posted at the Indian Air Force headquarters has revealed that
five videos shared by the two women — to whom he allegedly passed on classified
information — were downloaded from adult websites, police said. According to
police, the women had told the accused that they were sharing videos of themselves.
The accused, Arun Marwaha (51), was arrested for allegedly sharing classified
information about three new tri-service agencies with the women — believed to
be working for a foreign spy agency. “Police have retrieved the deleted video
clips from his mobile phone. Police confronted him about the clips and he
claimed that they were sent by the two women,” a senior police officer
said.Police said the investigation officer has written to Facebook, requesting
it to share IP addresses of the profiles of the women. “IO has asked when and
where the profiles were generated. He also asked the company to share deleted
messages, as they are probing the case under the Official Secret Acts,” a
police officer said. Marwaha was produced before a Delhi court, which sent him
to 14-day judicial custody to Tihar Jail. Police had conducted raids at his
home and seized pen drives and a hard disk, which were sent to CBI’s forensic
lab.During questioning, Marwaha is learnt to have told police that he was in
Thiruvananthapuram on an assignment a few months ago when he was added on
Facebook Messenger by one of the women.“He visited her profile and found that
an old colleague was a mutual friend. He and the woman started chatting. One of
her friends also sent a request and started chatting with him. They spoke about
two of his colleagues,” the officer said, adding that they exchanged numbers
and started talking on WhatsApp and Telegram. The women also contacted Marwaha
via an internet call through VoIP.indian express
WORLD
Iranian passenger plane crash kills all 66 on board
in central Iran
An Iranian passenger plane with 66 people on
board has crashed in central Iran during a flight from Tehran to the city of
Yasuj, according to Iranian news media reports.A spokesperson for Iran Aseman
Airlines told state TV that Sunday's air crash killed all 66 people on
board.The plane went down in a mountainous area near the town of Semirom, the
news agency ISNA quoted Mojtaba Khaledi, emergency services spokesperson, as
saying.The Iranian Red Crescent said it had deployed to the area, which was
quite foggy at the time of the crash.State-run PressTV said the Iran Aseman
Airlines flight was carrying 60 passengers and six crew members.Iran Aseman
Airlines is a semi-private air carrier headquartered in Tehran that specialises
in flights to remote airfields across the country and also flies
internationally.Iran Aseman Airlines has dismissed the possibility of technical
failure, pinning the blame solely on bad weather. Aljazeera
Do not test Israel: Netanyahu brandishes
‘drone piece’, warns Iran
Munich:Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu warned Tehran on Saturday over aggressions by what he called Iran and
its “proxies” in Syria, while showing what he claimed was a piece of an Iranian
drone shot down in Israeli airspace.Saying he had “a message to the tyrants of
Tehran” during a speech at the Munich Security Conference, he warned: “Do not
test Israel’s resolve.”He brandished a rectangular piece of dark green metal
which he called “a piece of that Iranian drone, or what’s left of it, after we
shot it down.”Israel’s response marked the first time it publicly acknowledged
hitting Iranian targets in Syria since the 2011 start of the civil war
there.Calling Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif the “smooth-talking
mouthpiece of Iran’s regime,” Netanyahu said: “Mr. Zarif, do you recognise
this? You should, it’s yours.” Again referring to Zarif, who is expected to
speak later in Munich, the Israeli leader said: “No doubt Zarif will brazenly
deny Iran’s involvement in Syria.”Reuters
Netanyahu: Iran is the greatest threat to the
world
Egypt court jails 65 Morsi loyalists up to 10
years
Cairo:An Egyptian court sentenced on Saturday
65 loyalists of former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi up to 10 years in
prison over inciting anti-state riots, protests and violence.Zagazig Criminal
Court sentenced 44 defendants to 10 years in jail and 21 to two years while
acquitting eight of the said charges, Xinhua reported.The convicts are mostly
members and supporters of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood group which has been
outlawed in Egypt as a terrorist organisation.Most Brotherhood leaders, members
and supporters, including Morsi himself and the group's chief Mohamed Badie,
are being detained.Many of them have been given appealable death sentences and
lengthy jail terms over charges of inciting violence, murder, espionage and
jailbreak.Morsi is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence over inciting
deadly clashes between his supporters and opponents in late 2012 and a 25-year
jail term over leaking classified documents to Qatar.IANS
Scholar Tariq Ramadan hospitalised in France
Paris: Prominent Islamic scholar Tariq
Ramadan, who was remanded in custody in France on rape charges earlier in the
month, has been hospitalised due to multiple sclerosis, his support group said
Saturday. 55-year-old Oxford University professor, who will now undergo an
independent medical evaluation to determine if he is to remain in jail before
trial, was sent to hospital on Friday night, a source close the case
confirmed."His state of health is getting worse, particularly since the
judges refused to issue a visit permit to his wife and children
yesterday," a source close to Ramadan said on Saturday.Another source
close to the case said he would remain in hospital at least until
Sunday.Ramadan's lawyers said that their client's condition was "not
compatible with detention", based on an initial medical examination on
Tuesday. Charged with rape and rape of a vulnerable person, Ramadan had been
held at Fleury-Merogis prison near Paris since Feb. 2.A court ordered Ramadan
be detained ahead of his trial, saying he was a possible flight risk and
fearing potential pressure on women who testified anonymously.A Paris appeals
court ordered the medical evaluation on Thursday and postponed its ruling on
his detention until Feb. 22 after Ramadan went to the hearing in an
ambulance.AFP
Palestinian teenagers killed in Israeli air
raids on Gaza
Two Palestinian teenagers were found killed in
the southern area of the besieged Gaza Strip, following two waves of Israeli
air raids.2 bodies of the 2 17-year-old boys were retrieved in the city of
Rafah on Sunday morning, Ashraf al-Qudra, spokesman for Gaza's health ministry,
confirmed.At least two other Palestinians have been wounded, one of whom is in
critical condition, and are currently treated in a medical facility in Rafah.In
the past 24 hours, Israel said it had targeted 18 Hamas positions, in response
to an "improvised explosive" device that detonated near the border
with Israel early on Saturday, wounding four Israeli soldiers.According to the
Israeli army, six "large-scale attacks" were carried out on Hamas
positions, including a tunnel that extends from Gaza to Israel.Attacks that
followed targeted positions in the town of Beit Hanoun, Rafah, Deir el-Balah,
and Khan Younis in the southern part of the strip - on what Israeli media
described as Hamas military installations.The official Palestinian news agency
WAFA reported that missiles launched from an Israeli F-16 attack aircraft
damaged several civilian homes.In a series of Twitter posts, Palestinian
political party Hamas blamed Israel for the
"escalation"."Palestinian resistance will not turn its back on
protecting Palestinian people, and will continue to do defend it and confront
enemy aggression," the movement governing the Gaza Strip said on Saturday
night.aljazeera
Turkey official denies use of chemical weapons
in Afrin
A senior Turkish official has denied the
claims by a monitoring group and Syrian state media that Turkey's military used
chemical weapons on civilians in its operation against the Kurdish YPG fighters
in northwestern Syria."It is out of question for Turkey to use an
internationally prohibited war tool in Afrin," Yasin Aktay, a chief
adviser to the Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, told Al Jazeera over the phone
on Sunday. Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a UK-based monitoring
group, said six people were wounded in Turkish shelling in Al-Sheikh Hadid in
the Afrin region on Friday had difficulties breathing and had their pupils
dilated.aljazeera
Is Russia attempting to erase Crimean Muslim
culture?
Bakhchisaray, Ukraine - The mosque looked like
a bandaged patient.The 500-year-old limestone building was wrapped in wooden
scaffolding and long pieces of cloth that hid geometric ornaments and Koranic
calligraphy.Next to it lay heavy bundles of steel rods that seemed alien in the
courtyard of the seemingly weightless, palatial complex out-of-a-fairy-tale,
built for Crimean Khans. The dynasty of Genghis Khan's descendants was
dethroned after tsarist Russia's annexation of the Black Sea peninsula in
1783.In January, almost four years after Moscow's second annexation of Crimea,
pro-Russian authorities started restoring the oldest and holiest part of the
complex - the Big Khan Mosque built in 1532. They also announced plans to
restore the entire palace.But experts, community leaders and Ukrainian
officials have lambasted the restoration as the destruction of the complex's
authenticity. They call it part of Kremlin's drive to reshape, ban and erase
the cultural identity of Crimean Tatars, a Muslim ethnicity of 250,000 that
largely resisted Crimea's return to Russia.aljazeera
We have eliminated all terror groups, no
militant camp on Pakistani soil: Army General Qamar Bajwa in Munich
Presenting Pakistan’s new perspective on
global and regional security, the Chief of Army Staff, General Qamar Javed
Bajwa stated that with its continuous efforts to eliminate terrorism from the
country, Pakistan has now defeated several terror groups like al-Qaeda,
Tehreek-e-Taliban and many more. Addressing a military conference in Munich,
the Army General stated that Pakistan has proudly eliminated all the terror
groups and said that there are no organised militant camps that exist on
Pakistani soil. Taking the stage at the Munich Security Conference in Germany,
General Qamar Javed Bajwa said that terrorists have several terrorists outfits
that are active in Afghanistan.General Qamar Javed Bajwa further stated that
the terrorists carry out attacks from Afghanistan against Pakistan. Hinting at
the fact that Pakistan is ready to help in restoring peace and stability in
Afghanistan, Bajwa stressed that joint efforts by all the countries would help
in eradicating terrorism from the region. Expressing his concerns over rise in
terrorist activities in Afghanistan, Bajwa highlighted that Pakistan has
undertaken fencing of its border with Afghanistan. He further added that global
cooperation is required in order to remove terrorism from its roots. He said,
“We can proudly say that there are no militant camps in Pakistan”.NewsX
Saudi women can now start their own business
without male permission:AFP
Riyadh:Women in Saudi Arabia can now open
their own businesses without the consent of a husband or male relative, as the
kingdom pushes to expand a fast-growing private sector.The policy change,
announced by the Saudi government on Thursday, also marks a major step awa from
the strict guardianship system that has ruled the country for decades.“Women
can now launch their own businesses and benefit from (governmental) e-services
without having to prove consent from a guardian,” the ministry of commerce and
investment said on its website.AFP
FLASH: VIEWS & NEWS
Why an Early Election Has Become a Political
Compulsion for Modi:ANAND K. SAHAY
School Children Need a Re-Modeled Education
System, Not Tips to Crack Exams, Mr PM:ROHIT KUMAR
UP Mosque near highway which caused at least
80 road fatalities finally demolished after 10 year delay: opindia
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Anwarulhaq (Released at: 8:17 PM)
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