Evening NEWS
DIGEST
20 Feb.2018:03 Jamadiul-2 1439:Vol:9,
No:125
INDIA
Assam citizenship issue: SC refuses to extend
deadline to publish final NRC, orders to complete NRC by May 31
New Delhi: Supreme Court has refused to extend
the deadline for publication of the final National Register of Citizens (NRC)
in Assam and directed the Centre to complete the work by May 31.The SC said
that the work of the verification of around one crore citizens in the State
should continue without interference from any quarter.A bench comprising
justices Ranjan Gogoi and R.F. Nariman said that it would monitor the progress
of the NRC work in Assam after 30 days.When Attorney General K.K. Venugopal
told the bench that it was not “physically possible” to complete the work by
May 31, the SC said its business was to make the impossible possible.“Attorney
General what everybody thought was a big joke, has been turned into a reality.
Our business is to make impossible possible and we will do it. We are
monitoring it for the last four years and we know this,” the bench said.The
bench also made it clear that the upcoming panchayat and local body elections
in Assam, which are scheduled to be held in the months of March and April, 2018
will be conducted by the state election commission and the state Govt . “The
work of holding panchayat and local body elections in Assam will not be at cost
of upgrading and preparation of NRC and the NRC work will continue as before
with full deployment,” the bench said.The SC also said that the state election
commission and the state Govt would take
all the necessary action for holding these elections. The bench also did not
accept the request to appoint an additional state coordinator for NRC work and
said that incumbent coordinator Prateek Hajela would continue to carry out the
exercise till it reaches its logical conclusion.The bench has listed the matter
for further hearing on March 27.PTI
Complete NRC by May 31: SC to Assam govt
SC rejects Centre’s plea to extend Assam
National Register of Citizens publication deadline
Embraced Islam, married Shafin Jahan on my own
free will, allow me to live with husband: Hadiya tells SC
New
Delhi:Stating that she had embraced Islam and married on her own free will,
Hadiya alias Akhila on Tuesday filed an affidavit before the Supreme Court
seeking its permission to live with her husband Shafin Jahan.“I embraced the
faith/religion of Islam on my choice as per my conscience and on my own free
will after studying about Islam and thereafter I married a person, namely
Shafin Jahan, the Petitioner herein, from the same faith as per my choice and
on my own free will. However, despite the fact that I submitted repeatedly on
affidavit, through my counsel and also in person, as the case may be, before
the Hon’ble High Court of Kerala that I made the above choices (of my religion
and my life-partner) on my own free will, the Bench of the High Court did not
heed to my submissions,” she said in her affidavit.Akhila, a Hindu woman from
Kerala, embraced Islam, changed her name to Hadiya, and married a Muslim,
Shefin Jahan. But their marriage was annulled by Kerala HC in May last year.In
her prayer, Hadiya also asked the apex court to appoint Jahan as her guardian.
She claimed that her father, KM Asokan, an atheist, was under the influence of
a few people as he would never had objected to her embracing another religion
or marrying someone outside her religion. I do not see how my father, who is an
atheist, would object to me changing my religion or marrying someone from a
different religion. I further submit that all those people played and still
playing behind my father and all those errant personnel, both official and
non-official, who subjected or caused to subject me to the horrendous torture
and torments as stated above are liable to be brought to justice. In the
interest of justice and for the harmonious living of the citizens of India, I
most respectfully pray that this Hon’ble Court may be pleased to pass
appropriate orders to take appropriate action in accordance with law against
all persons mentioned above, who tortured me horrendously and mercilessly,” she
stated. Rejecting allegations that she has links to IS and is not mentally
sound, Hadiya said she wishes to “live and die as an Indian citizen”. The
baseless and malicious propaganda being made by the investigating agency and by
the evil forces behind my father that I am mentally not sound, that I have
connection with IS and media trial on these allegations would detrimentally affect
my future and career as a Doctor, causing irreparable heavy injuries and loss
to me. As per my faith, I believe that my obligation to my parents is
invaluably and indeterminably huge; I don’t hate them; I have not left them in
the lurch nor would I ever do so. Being my parents, I shall not denounce them.
I could not go home even after completion of my studies in Islam only because
my parents were insisting me to return to home by giving up my belief in Islam.
I wish to live and die only as an Indian citizen, and nobody has got any
authority to challenge the said right of mine,” Hadiya said.She alleged that
some NIA personnel acted with prejudice against her.“Some personnel of NIA
behaved with me with a prejudice as if I am a criminal or a terrorist.All those
wanton horrendous sufferings were meted out to me not for any fault of mine,
but for having exercised, on my own free will, my fundamental rights guaranteed
under the Constitution of India to believe in the religion of my choice as well
as to marry the person of my choice,”she said. indianexpress
'I am a Muslim, want to remain Muslim: Hadiya
to SC
NIA attempted to mislead me by portraying
Shafin Jahan as a terrorist, Hadiya to Supreme Court
Embraced Islam on my choice & as per my
conscience free will, allow me to live with Shafin Jahan as husband and wife:
Hadiya files affidavit in SC
Pune techie murder case: Bombay HC to hear
bail pleas of 3 accused afresh after being pulled up by SC
Mumbai: Bombay High Court has recently admitted
the fresh bail pleas of all the 3 accused in the murder case of Pune-based
Muslim youth. This comes after the Supreme Court pulled up HC and criticised it
for making religious remarks.The SC had pulled up the single-judge bench of
Justice Mridula Bhatkar, who had granted bail to 3 accused. The observations
made by Justice Bhatkar while allowing the bail pleas, had invited the wrath of
the SC which cancelled the bails.Mohsin Shaikh (22) died in June 2014, after
being attacked by a mob near Unnatinagar in Pune, while he was on his way to
home with a friend post evening prayers.freepressjournal
Did Modi govt snub Canadian PM? aljazeera
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/02/trudeau-india-modi-Govt
-snub-canadian-pm-180220070516092.html
New Delhi:Canadian PM Justin Trudeau's India trip that began on
Saturday has been making the headlines in India for the wrong reasons. In the
past 4 days of his first India trip as PM, Trudeau has travelled to iconic Taj
Mahal, nearly 200km from the capital, New Delhi and Gujarat, home state of PM Narendra Modi, and Mumbai, but no senior Govt minister has met him so far. A junior Indian
minister greeted the Canadian PM when he landed in New Delhi accompanied by his
wife and three children.Modi has broken protocols in the past to receive guests
personally, including Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu in Jan.But the Indian PM ,
who famously hugs his guests, has not even tweeted welcoming Trudeau in a move
being seen as a "snub" to the Canadian leader."I don't think
this is any kind of snub. India values its relationship with Canada
highly," Seshadri Chari, member of National Executive of BJP said.Modi is
scheduled to meet Trudeau on Friday. Indian officials have accused Trudeau Govt
of backing Sikh separatist movement known as the Khalistani movement that seeks
an independent Sikh homeland in the Indian state of Punjab."Over the
years, Canadian political establishment, across the spectrum (whether it is NDP,
Conservatives or Liberals) has been mollycoddling Khalistani elements. Under
the Trudeau Govt, this has increased. He had himself appeared on a Khalistani
platform in Toronto in April last year,"Vishnu Prakash, ex-Indian envoy to
Canada, told Indian news site The Print on Monday.Prakash, however, denied that
Trudeau was being cold-shouldered, adding that "every courtesy has been
extended to him".Balpreet Singh Boparai from the World Sikh Organisation -
a non-profit outfit that claims to be working to promote and protect the
interests of Canadian Sikhs - said the "snub reveals India's insecurity
with minority rights"."The cold reception given to PM Trudeau has
been noted in Canada," Boparai, who is based in Newmarket, Ontario said."PM
Trudeau has been unapologetic about the
Sikhs in his cabinet, once also joking that he has more Sikhs in his cabinet
than Modi. It is clear that there is an insecurity about this among some in the
Indian Govt and media who see Sikhs in
positions of leadership as being inherently a threat to India. This is despite
the fact that three of the four Sikh cabinet ministers have been raised in
Canada and have never expressed any anti-India sentiments," he added.Canada
boasts 17 Sikh members of parliament. Sikhs account for roughly 1.4 % of
Canada's population of 36 million.Bharat Karnad, national security expert at
the Centre for Policy Research, says the downplaying of Trudeau's visit is a
direct fallout of Canada's inaction on "so-called Sikh
radicalism".aljazeera
Khalistan factor casts a shadow over Trudeau
visit
Modi govt giving backdoor amnesty to Samjhauta
train blast perpetrators:activists protest in Canada
Surrey: Despite freezing cold and wind,
dedicated community activists showed up at the vigil organized in memory of the
Samjhauta blast victims in Surrey on Sunday.On Feb.18, 2007 a bomb ripped
through the Samjhauta rail express killing 68 people, mostly Pakistani
Muslims.The train was started to help the families separated by the Indo Pak
division in 1947 to reconnect."Though the incident had happened on the
Indian side of the border, the Indian intelligence had promptly blamed the
Pakistan-based Islamic extremists for the crime.However, it was later revealed
that this was a handiwork of the Hindu fanatics who want to turn India into
Hindu theocracy", the organisers said."Even as one of the
conspirators Swami Aseemanand has confessed his involvement before the courts,
the current right wing Hindu nationalist BJP govt has been trying to shift the
blame on the Muslim groups and help save Aseemanand", they added.Held
under aegis of Indians Abroad for Pluralist India (IAPI) at the famous Holland
Park, the vigil was aimed at building international pressure to dissuade the Indian
Govt from giving backdoor amnesty to perpetrators.
Those in attendance were unanimous in their demand that the Canadian PM Justin Trudeau who is currently on official
visit to India must take up this issue with his Indian counterpart Narendra
Modi.The breeze was so strong that the participants could not light 68 candles
they had brought to remember the dead on the 11th anniversary of the
tragedy.The vigil was started with special prayers recited by Muslim activist
of Gujarati origin Imtiaz Popat.ummid.com
Ready to join politics, says Sadhvi Pragya
Aurangabad: Malegaon blast accused Sadhvi
Pragya Singh Thakur on Monday praised PM Narendra Modi for "acche din" and
said she would join politics and serve the country if she was asked to do
so.Thakur, who is out on bail, appealed to Hindus to have more children.
"It is saffron that is appealing to you to have more children for the sake
of the country. This is not something which I should be saying, but something
you should be thinking about," she said.Claiming that charges against her
were false and fabricated, she said, "It was the conspiracy of the
disbelievers to coin the term 'saffron terrorism' and blot the country's name
at the global stage. It was the previous UPA Govt 's conspiracy to put me
behind bar and forcefully extract statements supporting its theory."TOI
Previous Govt framed me in false terror case, says Sadhvi
Maldives Emergency extended by 30 days
Maldives' Parliament approved extending the
state of Emergency by 30 days following a request by President Abdulla
Yameen.Only 38 MPs were present for vote despite the requirement of 43
lawmakers as per the Constitution.All 38 MPs were from the ruling party, the
Maldives Independent reported.The opposition had boycotted the vote to ensure
the vote could not take place, but the extension was granted anyway. New state
of Emergency will end on March 22.IANS
MEA urges Maldives govt to implement SC order,
abstain from extending emergency
Triple Talaq Verdict Doesn't Endanger Personal
Laws, Argues Salman Khurshid in His Latest Book
New Delhi: Those who may think that the events
around Triple talaq – from Supreme Court judgments to the debates in Parliament
to the draft of instant Triple Talaq Bill – are slowing chipping away personal
laws and ushering in a Uniform Civil Code are mistaken, SC lawyer and Congress
leader Salman Khurshid has argued in his latest book.Titled, ‘Triple Talaq:
Examining Faith’, Khurshid tries to explain how developments around the, now
infamous, Islamic mode of divorce in no way suggests a need for bigger ‘reform’
in the religion.“Ultimately, the court will have to decide if equality is
uniformity or diversity too is desirable. Triple talaq was obviously not a
deserving test for that proposition because of its inherent odious nature and
its questionable pedigree,” Khurshid says in his book.The author also argues
that organic changes within Islamic society in India were already there to be
seen.“Although polygamy remains lawful (subject, of course, to strict
conditions), Govt regulations prohibiting polygamy for civil servants has been
quietly accepted by Muslims. Similarly, restrictions on cow slaughter have been
widely accepted across the country,” writes Khurshid.Talking about his book to
a news portal, Khurshid explained the reasons for writing it —“It was a matter
of interest to quite a few. People had imagined it to be something that it
wasn’t... I am not advocating Triple Talaq, I’m against it but only to the
extent that it’s not a valid form of divorce...The attempt to demonise the
community because they have a somewhat unacceptable kind of divorce...that has
to be put in the right perspective.”news18
Pension for victims of triple talaq shortly:
RSS
Kaithal:RSS national executive member Indresh
Kumar disclosed the launching of private social pension scheme by Muslim
Rashtriya Manch for Muslim women who have become victims of 'triple
talaq'.Addressing a press conference here, RSS leader Indresh Kumar, who
celebrated his birthday with simplicity along with his family and associates of
social organizations, said initially the victims would get Rs 500 per month and
later the pension amount could be increased if substantial funds were collected
for this purpose. He appealed to Muslim brothers and others to make contributions
to such fund so that the scope of this scheme could be widened and more Muslim
women could be helped.UNI
Muslim Women in Bhopal Warn Centre Not to
Meddle With Shariat, Say 'Triple Talaq Matter of Personal Law'
Bhopal: Claiming that ‘triple talaq’ comes
under the jurisdiction of All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) and not
the Centre, hundreds of Muslim women gathered in Bhopal on Tuesday to protest
against the Govt ’s intervention.Muslim women from all age groups gathered at
Neelam Park in Bhopal before taking out a rally till Raj Bhavan on Tuesday.
While they criticised the practice of instant triple talaq, they also said that
the Centre shouldn’t be allowed to intervene in Shariat, which they claim is
“Allah’s voice”. A similar protest was organized in Ujjain around 160 km from
Bhopal some time ago and another one is being planned in Indore in the coming
days.Saleha Rizwan, a senior AIMPLB women’s wing functionary told News18 that
the Centre should refrain from meddling into affairs of the Personal Law. “If
the govt jails the husband for pronouncing triple talaq, who would take care of
the family,” she said.On being asked what if Muslim women given talaq are left
to fend for themselves, Rizwan said that religious groups would take care of
such women. “Govt should rather focus on promoting education, arrangement for
orphan kids and welfare measures.”Youngster Afsa Shahid, a post-graduate from a
local Islamic seminary, who was part of the protest talking to News18, claimed
that out of the total number of divorce cases, barely 0.3% cases were of triple
talaq. However, Shahid also clarified that she was against instant triple
talaq.“Ulemas are fighting hard to terminate this evil (instant triple talaq)
but the Centre should not interfere in Shariat laws,” said the Islamic scholar,
adding, “Shariat empowers men to pronounce triple talaq according to their
will”.A housewife and resident of Neelam Park colony, Firdaus Shahid Khan too
voiced a similar opinion.Islam is the only religion that allows both men and
women to call off marriage if they don’t find each other suitable, she
observed. Khan also said that Muslims are bound to follow all the decisions
that come from the Supreme Court, but won’t tolerate any interference in
Shariat, which is Allah’s words. Executive member of AIMPLB, Aif Masood said
that the basic aim of such protests were to warn the central Govt that Muslim women, too, were against these
changes in Shariat. news18
VHP Leadership Impasse Worries RSS as Pravin
Togadia Wants to Stay Put
New Delhi: With no compromise in sight, persisting
impasse within VHP is increasingly worrying the RSS as it works hard to avoid
divisions in the organisation. RSS has not been able to bring about a
rapprochement on the leadership issues in VHP, which were triggered 2 months
back at the Bhubaneshwar executive.“The larger worry for RSS is that VHP –
along with the BJP – is the only other Sangh affiliate with a large mass base.
Such leadership issues raise fundamental questions in an organisation which
gives precedence to the institution than an individual,” says an RSS leader.In Bhubaneshwar
executive of VHP in Dec, matters came to head in presence of RSS
second-in-command Bhaiyyaji. RSS was apparently backing former Himachal Pradesh
governor VS Kokje for the top post, while International Working President
Pravin Togadia insisted on division.news18
Amid rows, Hindu Yuva Vahini grows in west UP,
‘waits for word from above’
Meerut:With a string of cases reported in
western Uttar Pradesh involving alleged Hindu Yuva Vahini activists, senior
leaders say no directions are coming from above, leaving members to take
matters into their own hands.It’s been more than a year since CM Yogi Adityanath, the founder of the Yuva
Vahini, held a meeting of its leaders. Sachin Mittal, in-charge of the Yuva
Vahini’s Meerut Vibhag (covering Meerut, Hapur and Baghpat districts), says the
leaders whom Yogi appointed in his place haven’t held any state-level meetings
either. “None of them has even visited western UP,” Mittal says.Vahini’s
website has been dysfunctional now for almost four months, and recently, orders
dissolving its district unit at Lucknow and Mau were posted on Facebook. Leaders
said the Mau unit was dissolved as some expelled workers were “misusing the
name of the organisation”.Yogi had named his loyalist Raghvendra Pratap Singh
as the Vahini state in-charge, Rakesh Rai as state president and P K Mall as
state general secretary. Says Mittal, “Raghvendra has confined himself to
Domariyaganj after he was elected BJP MLA from there.”indianexpress
Pune: Bajrang Dal members arrested for
violence, riots
Pune: 4 Bajrang Dal members have been arrested
and 50 others booked for beating activists who were distributing comrade Govind
Pansare’s book “Shivaji Kon Hota” at a school in Pune.The members threatened
the activists saying that like the author of the book had been murdered, the
activists would be murdered too. The
activists beat up Sharad Pokharkar, org-aniser and coordinator of the Maratha
Kranti Morcha, Sambhaji Brig-ade; and his colleagues, Ganesh Bangar and Amol
Shelar. Mr Pokharkar said, “We decided to distribute copies of the book ‘Shivaji
Kon Hota’ at Bhairavnath Vidyalaya, on
February 17. Howe-ver, the principal of the school was warned not to hold the
programme.asianage
Raj: Mobile internet
services suspended for 24 hrs after 2 communities clash
Jaipur: Mobile internet
services were suspended for 24 hours in Rajasthan's Tonk district following
clashes between 2 communities, an official said. The clashes broke out when a
marriage procession with D J sound system was passing by a mosque in the Hira
Chowk area.Four people were injured in the stone pelting, Additional DM Lokesh
Kumar Gautam said. He said mobile internet services were suspended as a
precautionary measure. Superintendent of Police, Tonk, Yogesh Dadich said two two-wheelers
were torched by the miscreants He said the situation was under control and
additional forces were deployed in the area as a precaution. Two persons have
been detained, he added. PTI
Arunachal: Mob drags two rape accused out of
police station, beats them to death
An irate mob dragged out two rape accused and
beat them to death on Monday. The incident took place at a police station in
Tezu in Arunachal Pradesh. The accused have been identified as one Jagdish
Lohar and Sanjay Sabar- both migrant labours from neighbouring Assam. According
to a report in India Today, the two were allegedly involved in the rape and
murder of a minor. 12-year-old girl from Namgo village in Arunachal was missing
since Feb12. Her naked body was discovered five days later near a tea garden. Timesnownews
Amit Shah gives communal colour to incident
involving Haris
BJP chief Amit Shah seemed to give a communal
colour to a case involving Karnataka Congress MLA's son Mohammed Haris Nalapad,
who has been accused of assaulting a youth in Bengaluru. Shah further launched
a scathing attack on Siddaramiah-led Govt in Karnataka and said that CM is wrong if he thinks that "politics of
appeasement will be successful". "Appeasement and polarisation here
reflects an example where son of MLA Haris thrashed a man but there was no FIR.
Why? Not only bcoz he's Haris's son but because it involves appeasement of
groups," Shah said in Karnataka. oneindia
Rohith Vemula's family accepts compensation
from University of Hyderabad
Hyderabad: After a 2-year-long standoff with
the University of Hyderabad, deceased research scholar Rohith Vemula's family
accepted a compensation of ₹8 lakh offered by the institute in 2016.UoH offered
the compensation to Radika Vemula, mother of Rohith Vemula as per National
Commission for Scheduled Castes directive.Vemula committed suicide on Jan.17,
2016 after he and four other Dalit students were expelled from their hostels.
Massive protests had taken over the varsity and across the country following
his demise.In a media release, Radhika Vemula explained she accepted the
compensation as it was their rightful due and she has not compromised with the
management. “I refused to accept the money when it was first offered. I was under
the wrong impression that this money was being offered at the behest of Appa
Rao (V-C) and thought that they were trying to buy my silence...I want to State
in no unclear terms that the acceptance of this compensation, which is
rightfully due to dependents of Vemula, is in no way a compromise with university
management,”she stated.thehindu
Now, Nirav Modi says PNB's overzealousness has
shut the doors on his ability to clear dues
Mumbai: Nirav Modi, at the centre of a ₹11,500
crore banking fraud, has said PNB’s overzealousness has shut the doors on his
ability to clear the dues, which he claimed were much lower than the amount
stated by the bank.In a letter to the PNB management, a copy of which PTI has
seen, Mr. Modi has pegged the amount that his companies owe the bank at under ₹5,000
crore.“The erroneously cited liability resulted in a media frenzy which led to
immediate search and seizure of operations, and which in turn resulted in
Firestar International and Firestar Diamond International effectively ceasing
to be going-concerns. This jeopardised our ability to discharge the dues of the
group to the banks,” said Mr. Modi, who left the country along with his family
in the first week of Jan.thehindu
Nirav Modi’s letter to PNB: Your actions
destroyed my brand, closed all options to recover dues
PNB’s 5-day market cap loss exceeds Nirav
Modi’s Rs 11,400 crore fraud
As the shares of PNB continue to slide for the
fifth straight day, 5-day loss in the market capitalisation of Punjab National
Bank has exceeded Nirav Modi’s Rs 11,400 crore fraud. PNB shares are on a
free-fall for the last five days since after India’s second largest PSU bank
has said that it has detected some “unauthorised and fraudulent” transactions
at the Brady road branch in Mumbai. Amid so-called scam, the alleged diamond
merchant Nirav Modi was named in obtaining buyer’s credit from several Indian
lenders by raising fake LOUs from PNB by unauthorised means.Shares of PNB has
fallen about 30% in the last 5 days as the implications of the biggest banking
scandal are coming out day after day. financialexpress
Modi govt ends Coal India monopoly, allows
mining by private firms
In the most significant move involving the
Indian coal sector since its nationalisation in 1973, Union Cabinet on Tuesday
decided to end the monopoly status of state-miner Coal India Ltd (CIL) by
opening commercial mining for private sector. Railway and Coal Minister Piyush
Goyal said that the Cabinet had approved the methodology for auctioning coal
mines to private companies in order to bring efficiency into the sector." Govt
has taken several measures in the coal sector, which will enhance competition
in the system, bring efficiency in coal production, reduce coal import, save
foreign exchange and generate job opportunities for the people," Goyal
said.As per the new methodology, the auction would be held as forward bidding
on an online transparent platform, he said.IANS
Jay Shah case: Gujarat HC restores gag order
on The Wire
New Delhi: Gujarat High Court has allowed the
petition moved by Jay Shah, son of BJP president Amit Shah, challenging a lower
court order that lifted the gag order barring news portal The Wire to write on
the “exceptional” increase in his firm’s turnover. The development now means
that the portal can’t write further on Jay’s firm’s turnover, which reportedly
increased 16,000 times in over a year after the election of PM Narendra Modi. The portal has said it will
challenge the order in the Supreme Court.The court had on Jan.20 reserved its
order in connection with the plea. indianexpress
Ready to Quit NDA for Dalit Unity: RPI leader Athawale
After the Bhima-Koregaon riots, the focus is
once again on Dalit unity, in order to consolidate the votes for 2019
elections. During the entire event and politics which unfolded thereafter,
Prakash Ambedkar, leader of Bharip-Bahujan Mahasangh has emerged as a strong
national Dailt leader, whereas Ramdas Athawale, president of RPI -A and Union
Minister for Social Justice has gone on the backfoot. While speaking with Vivek
Bhavsar of Free Press Journal, Athawale highlighted the need for all Dalits to
unite and wants Ambedkar to lead it.RPI leader Rajendra Gawai spoke about Dalit
unity. freepressjournal
Kathua rape and murder victim Asifa was
drugged in captivity, reveals investigation: greaterkashmir
The investigation into the rape and murder of
eight-year-old Asifa Bano of Hira Nagar Kathua has so far revealed that the
accused had drugged her so that she would not cry for help, said an official
privy to the probe.The investigation is being conducted by Crime Branch of
J&K police.“The accused initially administered her a locally available
intoxicant. Later they gave her diazepam regularly so that she wouldn’t scream
for help and catch attention of the passersby,” he said.The accused had held
the girl captive for seven days before murdering her in a brutal manner. The
official said CB has identified the drug store where the accused had purchased
drugs.The revelations come at a time when questions are being raised over the
investigation the police had carried out before handing the case over to the
CB.The police had claimed to have solved the case by arresting a “minor boy”.
But CB has so far arrested two special police officers in connection with the
case.While SPO Deepak Khajuria Khajuria is believed to be directly involved in
the abduction, rape and murder of Asifa, the role of the other SPO, Surinder
Kumar, in the crime is being ascertained by CB.Deepak was also part of the
police team that had “searched” for Asifa after she went missing on January 10.
Asifa’s family has now sought monitoring of the investigation by the High
Court. greaterkashmir
Citizens across divided
J&K jointly urge India,Pakistan to resume ceasefire, end hostilities on the
LoC
Jammu: In a joint
petition, over 130 eminent citizens of the divided State of Jammu and Kashmir
have urged Indian PM Narendra Modi and
Pakistan’s PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi to
resume ceasefire along LoC and begin the process of dialogue to resolve the
Kashmir issue by including all the people of Jammu and Kashmir.This initiative
is led by two civil society activists across the LoC; Anuradha Bhasin,
Executive Editor, daily Kashmir Times, and Ershad Mahmud, Executive Director,
Center for Peace, Development, and Reforms from Pakistan. The petition has
already gained momentum and people are coming together in significant numbers
to encourage this initiative. It so far has got signatures from various senior
political leaders, poets, authors, journalists, civil society activists, former
civil servants, ex-diplomats and army personnel, as well as people from the
academia.TwoCirles
Aghast at efforts of NIA
to define working of a journalist: Kashmir Editors Guild
New Delhi :Kashmir
Editors Guild (KEG), body of the editors of the papers published in Kashmir on
Tuesday strongly reacted to the “new definition” of a journalist by NIA
detailed in the chargesheet of incarcerated Kashmir photo-journalist Kamran
Yousuf.“If the cops are supposed to define the roles and responsibilities of
the journalists, which manage the fourth pillar of democracy, universities that
train thousands of journalists in a year across India must be locked,” the
statement said. “Re-defining journalism is usually been seen as an effort by
totalitarian and dictatorial regimes and not democracies.”Not covering
“developmental activity of any Govt dept” or “inauguration of a hospital or a
school” or “statement of any political party in power” are some of the reasons NIA
has listed as evidence that Kamran Yusuf was not a “real journalist”. The
observations by NIA are part of the chargesheet into the terror funding and
stone pelting in the Valley filed on January 18 against 12 people including
Yusuf, a free-lance photojournalist arrested on September 5 for his alleged
involvement in “stone-pelting incidents”.indianexpress
School of Education, AMU
starts short-term courses for Madrasa teachers
Aligarh: School of
Education, AMU under scheme of ‘Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya Mission on Teachers
and Training’ (PMMMMTT), Ministry of HRD started short-term courses for Madrasa
teachers on ‘Environmental Education and How to Teach Effectively’at the Dept
of Education, AMU.These courses, which were started on Feb.18 will conclude on
Feb.23. Chief-guest of the inaugural function, Prof Akbar Husain said that since Madrasas are a bridge in
religious and modern education, it is the onus of Madrasa teachers to focus on
the personality development of students in the best of religious and modern
ways. He also launched the School of Education website.TCN
Kashmiri scientist
discovers prostate cancer treatment
Srinagar:A Kashmiri
scientist has made a path-breaking discovery that not only adds to our
understanding of spread of cancer but could also pave way for new treatment of
prostate cancer.Dr Khalid MuzaffarMasoodi, a scientist working at SKAUST K, in
collaboration with University of Pittsburgh USA has published a paper in
February issue of Nature Oncogene, a leading cancer journal from Nature
publishing group. The paper presents the identification of DHX15, a newly
discovered gene that drives the spread and growth of cancerous cells in human
body. This is the first study to reveal how DHX15 expression is associated with
prostate cancer recurrence and provides a “potential new molecular target for
the treatment of advanced prostate cancer”.greaterkashmir
Mayhem at Delhi
secretariat, Kejriwal’s minister files police complaint alleging assault by
govt officials
Hours after Delhi Govt’s
chief secretary, Anshu Prakash, sensationally alleged that he was assaulted by
two AAP MLAs at CM Arvind Kejriwal’s residence, Delhi govt’s secretariat
witnessed a mayhem of sorts. Imran Husain, a minister in Kejriwal Govt ,
alleged that he was stopped from entering his office by Govt officials, who reported threatened to avenge
the ‘assault’ on Prakash.Husain has filed a police complaint at Indraprastha
Police Station alleging that he was assaulted by enraged mob, who threatened to
kill him.The complain said, “Today when I was about to enter the secretariat
building, some Govt staff approached me
and said that they had been told to avenge the attack on the chief secretary by
teaching AAP MLAs and ministers a lesson… They held me captive in the lift,
beat me up and even threatened to kill me. They also destroyed my mobile
phone.” AAP leader, Ashish Khetan, said that he too was assaulted. He was
quoted by Times Now as saying, “It was a riot-like situation, a crowd had
gathered who became violent and even raised slogans, we don’t know who they
were. Everything is on CCTV, it will be clear from it. Police were mute
spectators.”He tagged Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Twitter seeking an
appointment to meet him so that he could apprise him about ‘unfortunate
incidents’ at the Delhi secretariat.He wrote, “Sir, I have sought a meeting
with you to apprise you of the unfortunate incidents at Delhi Secretariat this
afternoon. Minorities Minister & I were assaulted. The entire incident has
been captured on camera. Hope you will do justice. He later tweeted to inform
that he had received a call from Singh’s office but was told that the home
minister was unavailable to meet him. He wrote, “I just received a call from
Hon’ble HM @rajnathsingh ji’s office. I have been told that HM is very busy and
he wont be able to meet me.jantakareporter
Aadhaar no more mandatory
for distribution of ration: Delhi govt
New Delhi : Amid a high
voltage drama over an alleged assault on Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash by AAP
MLAs, Delhi govt has decided against making Aadhaar mandatory for the
distribution of ration in the national capital. While addressing a press
conference, Deputy CM Manish Sisodia
said the decision in this regard was taken by the cabinet which could not meet
on Tuesday due to protests at secretariat after alleged assault of
Prakash.“Delhi Govt has decided to stop
aadhaar being mandatory for the distribution of ration, this was decided at the
cabinet which couldn’t take place at the Secretariat today due to protests,”
said Sisodia.There have been numerous reports of hardship faced by people due
to aadhaar authentication at ration shops. People often complain of long lines
due to faulty machines, poor network connectivity and problematic fingerprint
recognition.indianexpress
Private hospitals making
profits of up to 1,737% on drugs, consumables and diagnostics: Study
New Delhi: An analysis of
bills from four reputed private hospitals in Delhi and NCR by National
Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has revealed that they are making
profits of up to 1,737% on drugs, consumables and diagnostics and that these
three accounts for about 46% of a patient’s bill. The analysis, released,noted
that “the major beneficiaries of profits in all these cases because of inflated
MRPs have been hospitals rather than drugs and devices’ manufacturers”. NPPA
noted that most drugs, devices and disposables were used and sold by the
hospitals from their in-house pharmacies and patients didn’t have the choice of
buying them from outside where prices could be lower. Institutional bulk
purchase by private hospitals, in most cases by their own pharmacy, makes it
easier for them to indulge in “profiteering on drugs and devices even without
the need to violate MRPs”, since these are already inflated, stated NPPA.TOI
Hindu, Muslim weddings in
one pandal at the same time
Rohtak;Setting an example
of communal harmony, a Hindu couple and a Muslim couple tied the nuptial knot
in one wedding pandal at the same time following their respective traditions.
The weddings were solemnised at a banquet hall in Jind on Sunday afternoon. Jind
residents Rajender Kumar and Shabbir Khan have been neighbours for a long time.
For the marriage of their daughters Shaalu and Shabnam, both had booked the
same banquet hall situated on Rohtak road. While Rajender had booked the hall
for an evening ceremony on Feb.18, Shabbir had booked it for the afternoon.Due
to some miscommunication, Rajender remained under the impression that he has
booked the hall for afternoon, and made catering and other wedding-related
arrangements accordingly. However, he was in for a shock on Sunday afternoon
when he found that the hall where his daughter was to marry was given to
someone else. A little drama ensued as a worried Rajender sought his options at
the last minute, since all his guests were invited for the afternoon ceremony.
But soon, Rajender received support from his neighbour Shabbir, who proposed
that both the weddings could happen at the same time.HT
WORLD
Assad forces continue bloody offensive in besieged
East Ghouta, killing over 150 civilians
Residents from Eastern Ghouta say the
incessant shelling of the besieged, rebel-held area has been "crazy and
catastrophic", as Syrian regime forces have continued their bombardment,
killing more than 150 civilians in the last 48 hours."From yesterday until
this very moment, we've witnessed all kinds of shelling in our
neighbourhood," Shams, a mother of 2 children, told Al Jazeera on Tuesday
from Eastern Ghouta. "Warplanes have not stopped soaring over the city.
When the shelling temporarily stops, they start firing missiles at us,"
she said.Over the past 24 hours, the relentless air raids and artillery fired
by Syrian Govt forces have left the
residents of the Damascus suburb in a state of fright and panic. Khalid
Abulabed, a field doctor in the Damascus suburb, under siege since 2013,
described the current situation as "crazy and catastrophic."It's
indescribable. It reminded me of what we used to see in Aleppo – shelling day
and night," Abulabed told Al Jazeera."Nothing is excluded from the
shelling, not schools, not residential areas, not even markets, which has
caused a significant increase in the number of people martyred and wounded,"
he said.Since Sunday, more than 100 people lost their lives, including at least
20 children, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).Over
300 people have suffered wounds, the London-based monitoring group said on
Tuesday.Residents say there are no signs of life in the area - home to nearly
400,000 people - especially with the lack of basic necessities, including food
and medicine."We reached a point where we don't even leave the house
during these raids so that if we're attacked, we die together," said
Shams. The attack that began on Sunday reportedly marks an upcoming ground
assault, which will soon be launched by the Govt , the SOHR said. Eastern
Ghouta is the last, remaining rebel-held area east of Damascus, and has been
under siege by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces since 2013.UN and
other rights organisations have continuously called for a permanent ceasefire
and for the Govt to lift the
"crippling" blockade. As a result of the tight siege, aid convoys
have not been able to deliver much of the desperately needed food and medical
supplies, and overall access to the enclave remains "woefully
inadequate".On Feb.14,a convoy's deliveries reached only 2.6 % of the
estimated 272,500 people in need of humanitarian aid, according to Ali
al-Za'tari, the UN's humanitarian coordinator in Syria.The lack of commodities
has left residents with 2 main - and scarce – options to stay afloat, including
rice and bread.Facing severe food shortages, coupled with the sharp rise in
food prices, mothers like Shams fear dying of starvation.Geert Cappelaere,
UNICEF's regional director, said: "We no longer have the words to describe
children's suffering and our outrage."Do those inflicting the suffering
still have words to justify their barbaric acts?" he asked.And earlier on
Tuesday, the UN said it was alarmed by "the extreme escalation in
hostilities" in Eastern Ghouta.In a statement, it called for an
"immediate" end to the bombardment of the rebel stronghold.aljazeera
'It's not a war. It's a massacre': Assad
regime uses barrel bombs, attacks hospitals in east Ghouta
Nearly 100 civilians, including 20 children,
killed in worst Syria shelling since 2015
UN issues blank statement because it ‘no
longer has words’ to describe war on Syria’s children
UN: 'Senseless human suffering' must end in
East Ghouta
UN says it is alarmed by "the extreme
escalation in hostilities" in Syria's Eastern Ghouta and called for
"immediate" end to the bombardment of the rebel-held area that has
left more than 100 people dead since Sunday."The recent escalation of
violence compounds an already precarious humanitarian situation," Panos
Moumtzis, UN's regional humanitarian coordinator for the Syria crisis, said in
a statement on Tuesday."It's imperative to end this senseless human
suffering now. Such targeting of innocent civilians and infrastructure must
stop now."aljazeera Aljazeera
Iraq MP accuses PKK of abducting Yazidis to
fight in Syria
A Yazidi member of the Iraqi Kurdistan
Parliament, Sheikh Shamo has accused the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) of
kidnapping more than 1,000 young Yazidi men and women from Sinjar district and
sending them to conflict areas in Syria.Shamo said the PKK has forced the young
Yazidis to take up arms and fight among its ranks.He stressed that the group’s
presence in Sinjar is not to protect the area but to recruit young Yazidis to
join the fighting.The lawmaker pointed out that the organisation is sending
Yazidis to their death.middleeastmonitor
Egypt: Ex-presidential candidate Khaled Ali
resigns from own party
Egyptian human rights lawyer, Khaled Ali
announced his resignation from the Bread and Freedom Party which he co-founded
in 2013.Ali also resigned from his position as advisor at the Egyptian Centre
for Economic and Social Rights (ECESR) following allegations of indecent
conduct brought against him. A former colleague alleged that Ali sexually
harassed her in 2015.In his first response to the claims, Ali wrote on
Facebook: “I remained silent because I believe that we live a new world and
have new tools to express our positions and opinions, the only way was to deal
with this event with all seriousness and guidance.”middleeastmonitor
Egyptian, Israeli firms sign $15bn natural gas
deal
Israeli company Delek Drilling has announced
it will supply Egypt with $15bn worth of natural gas in the biggest export deal
to date for Israel's natural gas industry.Egyptian company Dolphinus will buy
64 billion cubic metres of natural gas from Delek Drilling and its US partner
Noble during a 10-year period, a statement released on Monday said. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the
"historic" agreement. "This will bring billions into the
country's coffers," he said in a statement. Netanyahu said the deal would
"strengthen [Israel's] security, our economy, and also strengthen our
regional relationships". Yossi Abu, CEO of Delek Drilling, said the
agreement would "establish Egypt's status as a regional energy centre".
The companies have yet to determine what route the natural gas from Israel's
Mediterranean Tamar and Leviathan fields will flow to Egypt. Delek's statement
said "various possibilities" exist, including the use of the EMG
pipeline.aljazeera
UNICEF: 1 million children die the day they
are born
One million children die on the day they are
born every year, with another 1.6 million unable to survive past the first
month, the UN's children's agency said in a new report.Newborns in Pakistan,
Central African Republic (CAR) and Afghanistan have the least chance of
survival, according to the UNICEF report launched on Tuesday.More than 80 % of
newborn deaths are due to prematurity, complications during birth or
infections, the report adds, and the deaths can be prevented with access to
well-trained midwives, along with clean water and adequate
facilities."Given that the majority of these deaths are preventable,
clearly, we are failing the world's poorest babies," said UNICEF's
Executive Director Henrietta Fore. Poverty, conflict, and weak institutions are
being blamed for pregnant women and infants not receiving the assistance they
need.In Pakistan, one in 22 newborns fail to live past the first month.In
conflict-ridden CAR, one in 24 newborns meet the same fate.aljazeera
Israel proposes bill to revoke residency
status of Palestinians in East Jerusalem
Israeli Ministerial Committee for Legislation
has approved a proposed bill that makes it possible to revoke the residency
status of persons in occupied East Jerusalem and Golan Heights if they are
convicted of engaging in anti-Israel activities, Haaretz reported.The
revocation of residency will make it possible for Israeli authorities to expel
residents who are involved in the resistance against the occupation or who
breach their loyalty to the State of Israel.Israel classifies Palestinians
living in East Jerusalem and Druze in the Golan Heights as “residents” and not
citizens.According to the Palestinian Ministry of Interior,Israel has revoked
the residency status of more than 14,500 Palestinians from East Jerusalem since
1967 under the pretext that they were living outside the borders drawn by the
Israeli authorities for Jerusalem after its occupation in the same
year.middleeastmonitor
South Africa to cut diplomatic ties with
Israel
South African Govt is intending to cut
diplomatic ties with Israel in protest of its treatment of the Palestinian
people, the country’s Science and Technology Minister Naledi Pandor announced
yesterday. Pandor informed parliamentarians of the Govt ’s resolution during a
ten-hour joint debate on South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the
Nation Address (SONA) that he delivered last week.“The majority party has
agreed, that Govt must cut diplomatic
ties with Israel, given the absence of genuine initiatives by Israel to secure
lasting peace and a viable two-state solution that includes full freedom and
democracy for the Palestinian people,” she said.The comments were made in
response to opposition leader Kenneth Meshoe, who had argued that it was
disappointing that national and provincial authorities in South Africa had
refused help from Israeli companies to address the country’s current water
crisis. middleeastmonitor
Netanyahu confidants named as suspects in new
corruption probe by Israel police
Jerusalem:Israeli police revealed on Tuesday
they had arrested the controlling shareholder and CEO of the country’s biggest
telecoms company, as well as two former officials with close ties to PM Benjamin Netanyahu, in a corruption case.The
arrests in the investigation dubbed “Case 4000” came just days after police
recommended Netanyahu himself be indicted for bribery and fraud in other cases,
known as “1000” and “2000”.Shaul Elovitch, a family friend of Netanyahu’s who
controls telecoms firm Bezeq through his Eurocom holding company, was arrested
along with his wife, his son and Bezeq’s CEO Stella Handler.Former Netanyahu
spokesperson Nir Hefetz and former communications ministry director-general
Shlomo Filber, both known as close confidants of the PM , were also
arrested.All the arrests took place on Sunday, but the identities of the
suspects were withheld for two days under standard Israeli criminal
procedure.Reuters
Abbas seeks alternative to US as peace
mediator
The Palestinian president is expected to tell
the UN Security Council on Tuesday that he wants to set up a new international
alliance to mediate with the Israelis.Mahmoud Abbas is abandoning a
quarter-of-a-century old policy of accepting the US as the main intermediary.It
follows US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.Al
Jazeera's Bernard Smith reports from Ramallah in the occupied West
Bank.aljazeera
Stranded Rohingya refuse to return to Myanmar
without guarantees
COX's BAZAR: Rohingya refugees living in no
man's land refused Tuesday to return to Myanmar without guarantees of
citizenship and security after Bangladesh and Myanmar officials met to discuss
their repatriation.6,000 Rohingya were among the first to flee Myanmar in the
wake of a brutal military crackdown on the Muslim minority in late August. They
have been living ever since in a makeshift camp in a strip of unclaimed land
between the two countries.In recent weeks they have come under pressure to
return, with a Myanmar minister warning of "consequences" if they
remain in no man's land.But community leader Dil Mohammad told AFP they would
not return without guarantees of security, citizenship and compensation for
property lost in the clampdown."We are not going to return to our homes
and villages in Myanmar unless our demands are met. We want citizenship, all
rights, security to our lives and property and compensation," he
said.AFP
Rohingya children allegedly facing racial
segregation in Rakhine schools
Myanmar to resettle 6,000 stranded Rohingya
refugees
Medical report shows Tariq Ramadan’s health
compatible with his continued detention
Muslim academic and rape-accused Tariq Ramadan
will remain in custody following the emergence of new details related to the
charges against him, according to AFP.A medical report ordered by the court on
Monday to examine his appeal against his detention found that Ramadan's state
of health was compatible with his continued detention.Ramadan has been indicted
with rape on Feb. 2 and has since been imprisoned at the Fleury-Mérogis prison,
south of Paris.His lawyers have claimed that Ramadan was suffering from
multiple sclerosis and had requested his release under bail.Al Arabiya
300 arrested after Sufis clash with Iran
police, killing 5
TEHRAN:Overnight clashes between followers of
a Sufi Islam leader and Iranian police killed five members of the security
forces and injured 30, Iranian media reported on Tuesday, the latest tension
between the mystical order and authorities. Over 300 were arrested.Supporters
of Sufi leader Nourali Tabandeh have been holding sporadic sit-ins near his
home in Tehran, worried that the 90-year-old former deputy justice minister
after Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution could be detained by police. That fear
stems from the recent January protests in Iran in which police detained Sufis.
Tabandeh has had close relationships with liberal activists.Sufis had rallied
in front of a police station on Monday demanding the release of a detainee.
They later rallied in front of Tabandeh’s home, where police started to try to
disperse them. Previous rallies saw Sufi followers carrying clubs and knives,
which they used to clash with police.AP
Saudi to host Arab Fashion Week for the first
time
For the first time in its history, Saudi
Arabia will be hosting Arab fashion week next month. The news was announced
yesterday by Princess Noura Bint Faisal, the honorary president of the Arab
Fashion Council (AFC).Speaking to a small group of industry insiders and
journalists in London yesterday morning, Bint Faisal, reading from a letter
from the General Entertainment Authority in Saudi Arabia, said: “Saudi Arabia’s
artistic community has been growing in size and in confidence for a number of
years and the General Entertainment Authority believes that such an event will
allow a proper platform to showcase their fashion and arts talents as the
vehicle for a comprehensive range of entertainment options in Saudi
Arabia.”Bint Faisal went on to say that “the General Entertainment Authority is
proud to support an event that seeks to bring people together in a mutual
appreciation of the power of fashion and art.”middleeastmonitor
FLASH: VIEWS & NEWS
Unlike Nehru, Narendra Modi has no army of
intellectual elite and the RSS is to blame:KUMAR KETKAR
Rohingya need an 'autonomous region', not
repatriation:Anealla Safdar
Compiled and edited by
Anwarulhaq (Released at: 8:28 PM)
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