Evening NEWS
DIGEST
15 April 2018:27 Rajjab 1439:Vol:9, No:165
INDIA
Kathua rape: BJP leader, Hindutva hardliners
among those at forefront of protests defending accused
The men who began an agitation defending the
accused in the rape and murder of a nomad girl in J&K's Kathua, have been
either associated with BJP, or espouse the belief that Hindus have been
discriminated against by govts led by Muslim CM s. The protests that followed
the filing of a case against 8 people, including some police officials, were
spearheaded by a BJP state secretary. Subsequently, other community groups and
political parties also joined them. The agitation took up a number of issues
apart from seeking a CBI probe in the case — including discrimination against
Hindus in terms of representation in the Legislative Assembly and in jobs.
These issues were used to fuel the unrest.Lawyers in Jammu have continued to
strike work, seeking that CBI should investigate the Kathua rape case instead
of the Crime Branch. In Kathua, protesters have demanded that the Crime Branch
chargesheet be held as invalid.The agitators have been holding public rallies
against the Crime Branch officials, terming them tainted. They have even organised
community meetings of influential Hindu groups to rally support.A look at the
ideological positions of those who led the agitation reveals that they have
played an active role in spreading communal hatred. They have also tried to
shut down markets to seek a CBI probe in the case. Even as trade associations
and some influential community groups lend support for the CBI probe, here are
some of those who spearheaded the agitation.The chief of Hindu Ekta Manch
(HEM), Sharma is also the state secretary of BJP. He launched HEM after the
death of the nomad girl, contending that the accused were being framed by the
Crime Branch. BJP didn’t act against him or 2 ministers who participated in the
protests — Lal Singh and Chander Prakash Ganga — until they resigned on Friday.
Sharma, a practicing lawyer has been organising protest rallies in Kathua near
the home of the victim, seeking the release of the accused. BJP had been seeing
this agitation as a new issue which would help it gain Hindu votes, before the
Congress slammed it for supporting the rape accused. Ex-Dean of Social Sciences
of Jammu University, Hari Om was always at the forefront of agitations that
sought to pit Hindu majority Jammu areas against the Muslim-majority Kashmir
region. As a spokesperson of BJP, he was a staunch opponent of political
parties of Kashmir, including the NC and PDP. He has denounced them for
discriminating against Jammu in jobs and representation in Assembly seats. He
contends that the Hindu majority areas of Jammu, which have a higher population
and larger area than Kashmir, have been given less seats in the Assembly. Ex-additional
advocate general and the president of Jammu Bar Association, Slathia had
earlier rallied lawyers first to seek the deportation of Rohingya Muslims from
Jammu. More recently, he sought that the probe in the Kathua rape case should
be handed over to CBI. On his call, lawyers have struck work in the courts. He
was associated with Congress in its legal cell and remained the chief election
agent of ex-CM Ghulam Nabi Azad during
2014 Lok Sabha polls. Sheikh Shakeel, a prominent advocate from Jammu,
described Slathia as a “fundamentalist and an opportunist.”An ex-Congress
minister, Charak wields considerable support of Dogra Hindus of Jammu. As the
president of the Dogra Sadar Sabha, Charak was approached by lawyers and civil
society members to lend support to 11 April strike call of Jammu Bar
Association.He favoured the call and later issued a statement that the Jammu
region was being discriminated against. firstpost
Kathua rape:BJP may give ministers who backed
accused second chance,but some party leaders lobbying for new faces
Countrywide protests over Kathua, Unnao rape cases
New Delhi: Candle-light marches are being held
in half a -dozen cities including Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, Goa, Bhopal and
across Kerala as public outrage over a spate of rape and murder of children
spiral. Over the last two weeks, two cases have shaken the nation. Last Sunday,
a 16-year-old, who was allegedly raped by a BJP lawmaker in Unnao, tried to
commit suicide outside UP CM Yogi Adityanath's house. The tipping point was the
rape and murder of an 8-year-old in Kathua, where the chargesheet spoke of
unspeakable brutality. A third -- the death of a 9-year-old girl in Surat,
whose body was covered in 80 wounds -- emerged this morning.Thousands have
joined in marches, carrying placards and forming human chains, are being held
across Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Goa,
and across Kerala. Protests are also being held in Rajasthan's Ajmer,
Gujarat's Surat, Punjab capital Chandigarh, and Bhopal, the capital of Madhya
Pradesh.Nearly 2,000 protesters, including activists who participated in the
"Not In My Name" protests last year, have gathered in Parliament
Street at the heart of Delhi. Swati Maliwal, the chief of Delhi Women's
Commission, is holding a hunger strike.In an open letter, a group of 49 former
civil servants have asked PM Narendra
Modi to reach out to the families of the children targeted in Kathua and Unnao
and "seek their forgiveness".ndtv
India unites in protests against Kathua, Unnao
rapes: Live
Mufti accepts resignations of BJP ministers
present at rally in support of Kathua rape-murder accused
J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti today accepted the
resignations of two controversial BJP ministers, who had participated in a
rally in support of the people arrested in connection with the rape and murder
of an 8-year-old Muslim girl in Kathua, officials said. Resignations of Lal
Singh and Chander Prakash Ganga were received from BJP state chief Sat Sharma
this morning which were immediately accepted and forwarded to Governor NN Vohra
for completing the procedural formalities, they said.With these resignations,
the number of ministers in the state Govt has come down to 22, including 9 from the
BJP.PTI
Ministers who quit J&K Cabinet claim BJP
asked them to attend rally in support of Kathua accused
2 BJP ministers who quit J&K Cabinet on Saturday
claimed they had attended a rally supporting the accused in the Kathua rape and
murder because the party had asked them to.“Our party leaders asked us to
attend the rally. Our state chief Sat Sharma sent us to the rally,” Chander
Prakash Ganga said. “People at the event said that we do not trust the
investigation, and demanded a CBI inquiry.” He claimed his resignation was a
“sacrifice” made to save BJP’s image.BJP on Friday sent the resignations of 2
of its ministers in the state Cabinet to CM Mehbooba Mufti, PTI reported.scroll.in
BJP sent us to Kathua rally, sacrificed
ourselves to protect party's image: Resigned J&K Minister Ganga
Kathua rape victim buried 8km from village
after locals refuse land
Kathua:A long walk up a treacherous hill
nearly 8km from Kathua’s Rasana village leads to an acre of golden wheat
fields. In one corner of the fields lies a grave — that of the 8-year-old girl
who was raped and killed in village in Jan.When her body was discovered on
Jan.17, her foster father, who had adopted her when she was a toddler, wanted
to bury her on a piece of land in Rasana.It was the same piece of land where
his 3 children and mother were buried after they were killed in a road accident
a decade ago.But Rasana villagers opposed the burial, saying the land did not
belong to the family from the Muslim nomadic tribe of the Bakarwals.“It was
around 6pm and we were half-way into digging the ground when the villagers
arrived at the scene and refused to let us go ahead. They produced documents to
claim that the land did not belong to us,” said the girl’s biological
grandmother.According to the relative who later offered his land for the
burial, the girl’s foster parents had purchased the property from a Hindu
family over a decade ago. “But they did not go through the documentation
process properly. So, the villagers found an opportunity to get back at us,” said
the relative.Rasana Hindus, however, said the property never belonged to the
girl’s family and they had been burying their dead illegally there all these
years.“How much land would the girl’s body occupy? We had in our arms a child
who was raped and killed. Villagers could have shown a bigger heart at such a
time,” said girl’s biological grandfather. HT
Kathua victim’s mother: ‘Girl who loved
horses, meadows… now in a lonely grave’
Proxy candidate wrote B.Sc exam for Kathua accused at centre in
Muzaffarnagar, UP?
New Delhi:A proxy candidate allegedly appeared
for Kathua gang-rape accused Vishal Jangotra, who had claimed during his
interrogation that he was writing his B.Sc Part I exam at a centre in Khatauli,
Muzaffarnagar, at the time of the incident. CCTV footage and digital video
recording of the exam centre have suggested that Vishal and 3 other students of
Aakanksha College in Meerapur did not turn up to write the test in January,
said Gyan Prakash Shrivastav, registrar, Chaudhary Charan Singh University,
Meerut. According to the registrar, even the documents submitted by Vishal and
the three students, who were pursuing B.Sc Agriculture, were found to be
fake.He said a special investigation team of J&K Police came to the
university to collect information about the four students. Their probe revealed
that the students mentioned their address as Rasulpur in Muzaffarnagar district
of UP , even though 3 of them are from Kathua in Jammu and one is from
Delhi.“SIT sleuths took the CCTV footage of the exam centre at KK Jain College
in Khatauli with them. Vishal and the other three students were not seen in the
video recording conducted on the day of the examination. It might be a case of
sending a proxy candidate to write the exam,” added Shrivastav.thehindu
Jamaat-e-Islami Hind seeks justice in Kathua,
Unnao rape, murder cases
Jamaat-e-Islami Hind has condemned the gruesome
rape and murder of 8 year old girl from Rasanna village of Kathua and alleged
rape of a girl from Unnao, UP. In a statement, secretary general of JIH,
Muhammad Salim Engineer has condemned the gruesome rape and murder of 8 year
old girl. “We also express our outrage at the alleged rape of the girl from
Unnao, UP at the hands of an MLA from the ruling party. The custodial death of
the Unnao rape victim’s father is a very serious crime and needs to be
investigated properly,” the statement reads.Secretary general of JIH further
said both the crimes have stirred the soul of the nation and we stand in
solidarity with the protests and condemnations emanating from various justice
loving people and civil society groups who are demanding swift justice for
Asifa and Unnao rape victim.’ “This tactic for carrying out ethnic cleansing
has been used earlier too in Muzaffarnagar and against tribals in various
states. What is also worrying is that certain groups tried to shield the
perpetrators of Asifa’s rape by invoking nationalism and playing the victim
card,” he said.greaterkashmir
9-yr-old girl raped, killed in Surat; body
found with 86 injuries
Surat: Even as the nation struggles to come to
terms with the brutality of the Kathua rape and murder case, another horrific
incident has emerged from Surat. A 9-year-old girl's body has been found with
over 80 injuries, including some on her private parts, reports ANI. After a
5-hour long postmortem, it was revealed that the girl was raped and tortured for
at least eight days. She was later strangled to death, the report added.Most
injuries, it seems, were caused by a wooden weapon, the forensic head of the
Civil Hospital in Surat said, adding the girl was finally strangled."On
conducting a post-mortem, we found wounds on her body which were between one to
seven days old. She had 86 external injuries on her body," Civil Hospital
forensics head Ganesh Govekar said.The body was found by the police on April 6
at a ground in Surat's Bhestan area, but the girl has not been identified
yet."The body of 11-year-old girl was found around 6 am near a road next
to a cricket ground by people on their morning walk...We are trying to
establish the identity of the girl," police officer KB Jhala said.ndtv
Shocking! all deaf and mute girls at this
school in Maharashtra were sexually abused by caretaker
In a shocking revelation, it has come out that
almost all students with speech and hearing disabilities have been sexually
molested at Karjat boarding school in Mumbai. According to Mumbai Mirror, two
complaints were filed against the caretaker of
the school, but the investigation
revealed the majority of the children have faced the sexual harassment. The
police are in the process of recording the statements of more students. “We
have so far recorded the statements of seven girls. They are all in the age
group of 6 to 13,” said Sunita Tanawade, senior inspector of Karjat police
station.The police have roped in a sign language interpreter from Ali Yavar
Jung National Institute of Speech and Hearing Disabilities to get help in the
investigation.On Wednesday, the statement of the two victims were recorded
along with statements of their mothers
and one witness who is a school employee. “Girls are able to communicate
everything through sign language. Recording one statement takes about three
hours as the interpreter first understands them and then tells us. With more
victims coming forward, we will add their names to the case. Almost every girl
[at the school] was molested,” said Tanawade. As per the police, the caretaker
assaulted students on several occasions. A few days ago, the 2 victims named in
the case — aged 7 and 10 — were able to pick out the caretaker from an
identification parade, the police said. The investigation has also revealed
that the accused had vaginal and anal sex with the victims and police said that
he even recorded girls having bath or attending nature’s call as bathroom
didn’t have windowpanes. indiatimes
19-yr-old kidnapped, confined, tortured, raped
for 10 days in Delhi’s Aman Vihar:HT
New Delhi:A 19-year-old woman was kidnapped,
confined in a house and sexually assaulted for 10 days allegedly by a
30-year-old man in outer Delhi’s Aman Vihar, police said on Saturday. The
woman, who had suffered multiple injuries, was given medical attention at a Govt
hospital and is now being counselled by members of an NGO, police said.The
suspect, identified as Kuldeep, is absconding since an FIR was booked against
him at Aman Vihar police station on April 9. Woman managed to flee from
confinement on the same day. She has alleged that Kuldeep had been stalking her
for a few months.
Posters banning entry of BJP leaders to
protect ‘women and girls’ put up across India: jantakareporter
The brutal gang-rape and murder of an
8-year-old girl in J&K’s Kathua and a BJP MLA’s alleged involvement in
raping a teenager in UP’s Unnao appear to have caused an unprecedented shame
for the saffron party across India.What has also increased the public’s anger
against BJP was how two cabinet ministers of the BJP in Kathua joined the
Hindutva gang, who were protesting in support of the rapists and murderers.
Residents in Allahabad in UP on Saturday put up posters warning that BJP
leaders were not allowed in their neighbourhood since ‘women and girls’ live
there. A report by ANI said that the residents of Shivkuti colony in Allahabad
put up posters outside their houses, stating ‘entry of politicians and members
of BJP is prohibited’. Locals, the report added, said that this had been done
due to the alleged role of BJP functionaries in increasing number of rapes and
crime against women.Similar posters were shared on social media from around the
country under trending hashtag #GirlsUnderThreat. Here are some
examples.jantakareporter
Posters in Kerala homes with young girls ask
BJP vote seekers to not enter
Indian Americans express outrage and demand
full justice to rape victims of Kathua, Unnao
Hema Malini agrees with Maneka, demands death
penalty for raping minors below 12 yrs
Rape has become a culture. People in our
society still feel that they can pick whichever girl and do whatever they feel
like. They are not scared. They are fearless. If the law is failing to send
shivers down the spines of these monsters who think that they have a right to
rape a woman, there's something that needs to change.Deeply saddened and
disturbed by the Kathua rape case of an eight-year-old, Hema Malini seconds
Maneka Gandhi and demands that the rapists of minors (below 12 years of age)
shall be hanged to death.indiatimes
Farooq Abdullah wants bill to award death
penalty for raping minors
Kathua gangrape case: Expelled NC leader says
Hindu first, need to fight ‘injustice’
New Delhi:National Conference has expelled a
party leader from Jammu for being part of the Hindu Ekta Manch, set up to
support the accused in the Kathua gangrape and murder case. Shanti Swaroop,
NC’s Hiranagar block president, claimed that the party was yet to inform him
about the expulsion. “But even if they
have expelled me, I don’t mind. I am a Hindu first, then part of any party. It
is my responsibility to fight injustice done to Hindus. This is why I became
part of Hindu Ekta Manch,’’ he said. Omar Abdullah said once Swaroop’s
involvement came to notice, the party leadership expelled him without even
serving a notice to explain.Swaroop called the Manch “above party lines” and
said that several other NC leaders and activists had joined protests called by
the organisation. “After all, we have to stand with the Hindu society. Both PDP
and NC leaders from Kashmir are against Hindus — they are giving Hindus a bad
name,’’ he said.Swaroop also said that while they want justice for the victim,
police and the Govt “should not commit
atrocities on Hindus”.indianexpress
Kathua rape case: JHCBA welcomes SC
intervention, says main demand is to shift illegal settlers
Behind Kathua case, Talib Hussain, lawyer’s
fight to seek justice: Muzamil Jaleel
25 mobile schools to migrate with nomads in J&K
Jammu:Ahead of the annual migration of nomadic
Gujjars and Bakerwal families this month, authorities in Rajouri district of J&K
today said over two dozen schools would
move with them to ensure proper educational facilities to students.A total of
25 schools having an enrolment of 801 students - 410 boys and 391 girls - will
move with the migratory population.“These schools have been provided 45
teachers for running the schools in higher reaches during the annual migration
to higher reaches in Kashmir, an official spokesman said.He said district
development commissioner, Rajouri, Shahid Iqbal Choudhary finalized the plan at
a meeting of senior officers from various departments and heads of migratory
schools along with staff. Annual migration of nomadic Gujjars and Bakerwal
families is beginning later this month.The spokesman said another 41 schools
for tribal population would remain stationary which will cater to 1,451
students including 802 boy students and 651 girl students where 95 teachers
have been posted.Choudhary directed that books and uniform be provided to the
students before migration.PTI
Rohingya Camp Burnt to Ashes in Delhi:Over 250
refugees rendered homeless
New Delhi: As many as 205 Rohingya refugees
were rendered homeless when a massive fire burnt to ashes a camp they were
residing in Delhi’s Madanpur Khadar area in the early hours of April 15.
According to Abu Johar, a resident of the camp, situated in South East district
of Delhi, the fire was first noticed around 3 a.m from near the area where the
camp’s makeshift toilet was placed. “We were all sleeping and rushed out of our
tents on seeing the fire. Since many of the tents are made of tarpaulin and
have plastic coverings, the fire spread fast. Also, some of the houses had gas
cylinders that burst, adding to the enormity of the fire,” Johar said. Residents
of the camps said they lost everything in the massive fire. “All our belongings
are lost. We couldn’t save anything, only our lives. Some people have got minor
injuries while fleeing the site. Since we have no bank accounts, we used to
keep whatever savings we could make from our daily work in our tents. Most of
us lost those savings too,” said a resident.Johar said, “This also includes all
the documents that we had to show to prove our origin in the Rakhine state of
Myanmar. All the 205 residents belonging to 57 families had the refugee cards
issued by the UNHCR. Those cards are gone too.” Though the Chin refugees of
Myanmar are getting a monthly stipend from UNHCR, Johar said, “We have the
cards but the Rohingyas don’t get stipends.”On seeing the fire, Johar, a
student of political science from the distance learning department of Delhi
University, called the Jaitpur police station at 3.10 am. “In five minutes a
team arrived at the site and have since been there. They are co-operating with
the victims. It was the police which called the fire engines. The fire brigade
arrived at 3.55 am and continued to douse the fire till 7.40 am.Police said
investigation is on to ascertain the cause of the fire. A Jaitpur police official said, “It could be
a shot circuit too as the fire began from the toilet side which has electricity
connection. It is difficult to say the cause of it now.”When UN representatives
visited the camp this past Jan,Johar and some others expressed their
apprehension about losing their identity “if a big fire takes place.”
Thereafter, 5 fire extinguishers were given to the camp. “But they proved
ineffective in dousing this massive fire, Johar added.The camp is also home to
Mohammad Salimullah and Mohammad Shaqir, the two petitioners in the Supreme
Court seeking education and healthcare on the lines of Sri Lankan Tamil
refugees given such families in Tamil Nadu. The Wire
Fire razes Rohingya camp in New Delhi
Manage BJP leaders to avoid death in police
counter: UP cop suspended after sensational audio goes viral
UP Police have suspended one of its officers
after his audio advising a criminal to manage two BJP leaders to avoid his
death in police encounter.In the viral audio, Suneet Kumar Singh, SHO of
Mauranipur police station, is heard telling Lekhraj Yadav, who’s accused in
dozens of murder, kidnapping and extortion cases, that his phone and location
were on police’s radar and he was next on the list of encounter. Singh then
goes on to ask Yadav to manage BJP’s Jhansi district president Sanjay Dubey and
Babina MLA Rajiv Singh Paricha. He tells Yadav, “You’ve also gone to jail even
during the Samajwadi Govt . There are 60 cases against you and you are the fit
case for encounter. You along with your boys will be eliminated.”Paricha has
reacted angrily over his name being dragged into the conversation. “I have
never spoken to this police officer. He himself has a chequered past. Why would
he drag me into this? However, this conversation shows that criminals are
scared of the Govt ’s resolve to eliminate crime in the state,” He was quoted
by NDTV.jantakareporter
“Manage” BJP leaders if you want to save your
life, UP cop allegedly told accused criminal
Dalit community miffed with Yogi being
felicitated as Dalit Mitra, calls BJP anti-Ambedkar and anti-Dalit
Lucknow;With the Dalit organization, Babasahib
Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Mahasabha, felicitating UP CM Yogi
Adityanath with the ‘Dalit Mitra’on the 127th birth anniversary of the Dalit
icon, Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar, there seems to be a rift within the community with
regards to the Dalits having ‘trust’ on CM Yogi. While the award might make
many to think that the CM is a friend of Dalits, but then the bigger question
is – Does the Dalit community considers him as their ‘mitra’ and have enough
trust on him, despite the recent mutilation of the statues of the iconic Dalit
leader, who drafted the Indian Constitution, across the state?Caravan Daily
interacted with many from the community on the occasion. Many while speaking,
maintained to have denounced Yogi and even accused BJP of indulging in
anti-Dalit politics in the name of Ambedkar.Caravan Daily
Clash: Internet services suspended in 4 Punjab
districts
Chandigarh: Internet services were suspended
in 4 districts of Punjab on Saturday after tension gripped the industrial town
of Phagwara following clashes between the Hindu and Dalit groups over a poster
of Babasaheb B.R. Ambedkar.Punjab Police on Saturday remained on high alert in
Phagwara town following the clash. Tension prevailed in the industrial town,
around 130 km from here, on Saturday following the clash that started late on
Friday over the putting up of Ambedkar’s poster at Goal Chowk.CM Amarinder
Singh ordered suspension of mobile Internet services in Kapurthala, Jalandhar,
Hoshiarpur and Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar (Nawanshahr) districts as a
precautionary measure, to check rumour mongering on social media.Informed
sources in the police said that shots were allegedly fired during the clash, which
also witnessed some stone pelting. Taking serious note of the clash between the
Dalits and “upper caste men”,CM Amarinder Singh said:“Would not spare the
culprits.Trouble arose on the eve of Ambedkar Jayanti when one group tried to
put up the poster at the crossing which was opposed by the other. Shiv Sena
leader Rajesh Palta was beaten up allegedly by the Dalits during the clash.
Senior police personnel along with additional forces have been deployed in the
town following the clash. IANS
MP cop suspended for taking part in Dalit
protests
Morena:A police constable allegedly seen with
agitators involved in damaging rail tracks during the nationwide protest on
April 2, called by Dalit outfits, has been placed under suspension, a senior
police officer said. SP Aditya Pratap Singh said that police constable Vinit
Maurya, who was posted at the city’s Harijan police station, has been suspended
after a video, in which he is allegedly seen participating in the protests at a
local railway station, went viral on social media.Agitators, during this
protest, had damaged railway infrastructure and had pelted police with stones,
he said.A case in this regard was also registered at the local railway police
station on that day. Railway police station in charge Haricharan Lal said, “In
the video, constable(in civil dress) is seen participating in stone pelting and
other unauthorised acts along with a mob of protesters.”PTI
Christian missionaries behind vandalisation of
Ambedkar’s stautes:BJP Ballia MP
Ballia:A BJP MP has alleged that Christian
missionaries were behind the vandalisation of Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar’s
statues. Speaking to reporters at Ballia on Saturday at a programme held to
mark the birth anniversary of Babasaheb Ambdkar, BJP MP from Ballia Bharat
Singh said, “It is at the behest of the Christian missionaries that the statues
of Babasaheb Ambedkar are being damaged and vandalised. The missionaries are
also financing the people who are indulging in damaging and vandalising the
statues of Babasaheb.”Reacting to Singh’s statement, senior SP leader
Ramashankar Vidyarthi said, “BJP is simply trying to mislead the people of this
country in the name of Ambedkar.”PTI
SC/ST Act verdict: Centre considering various
options, including ordinance
New Delhi: There is a need to overturn the
Supreme Court order laying down fresh guidelines on arrest of those accused of
committing atrocities against SC and ST communities, the Govt feels, and bringing an ordinance to restore
the original provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act is one of
the options being considered.Sources aware of deliberations within the Govt at different levels say promulgating an
ordinance to restore the original provisions would help calm
tempers.Introducing a bill in the Monsoon session of Parliament slated for July
to amend the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribe Act, 1989 to overturn the SC order is the
second option before the Govt , the sources said.PTI
End of hardline Hindutva in VHP after
Togadia’s ouster from cabinet? hindustantimes
New Delhi:Praveen Togadia’s ouster from the
central board or cabinet of the VHP should not be read as a sign of the
organisation deviating from its hardline stance, said senior functionaries of
RSS on Saturday.VHP is an affiliate of the Sangh.A vocal critic of the Narendra
Modi Govt , Togadia, who is known for inflammatory speeches on issues such as
cow slaughter and interfaith marriages, has already dubbed his ouster as
evidence of VHP caving into pressure from the Govt . “Now, today, it is very
shocking and saddening to see such a grand VHP, that we all built to this
fantastic level, has been made to bend before power, not for Hindu well-being
but for individual whims and fancies of some power mongers,” he said.However,
senior Sangh functionaries differ. They point out that with the election of
former governor VS Kokje as international president and advocate Alok Kumar as
working president, the organisation has picked “legal luminaries” who will play
a crucial role in the hearing of the Ram Temple issue in the Supreme Court.HT
Peace with India possible only through
dialogue:Pak army chief
Islamabad: The peaceful resolution of disputes
between Pakistan and India, including Kashmir, is only possible through a
comprehensive and meaningful dialogue, Pakistan Army chief Gen Qamar Javed
Bajwa has said.“It is our sincere belief that the route to peaceful resolution
of Pak-India disputes - including the core issue of Kashmir - runs through
comprehensive and meaningful dialogue,” he said while addressing a passing out
parade of cadets at the Pakistan Military Academy in Kakul on Saturday.“While
such dialogue is no favour to any party, it remains the inevitable precursor to
peace across the region. Pakistan remains committed to such a dialogue, but
only on the basis of sovereign equality, dignity and honour,” he said.Pakistan
is a peace-loving country and seeks harmonious and peaceful coexistence with
all countries, especially its neighbours, he said, but warned: “However, this
desire for peace must not, in any sense, be construed as a sign of
weakness.”“Our valiant Armed forces are fully prepared to respond across the
full spectrum of threat in a befitting manner.”HT
SIT investigating accident that killed
Gopinath Pillai, petitioner in Ishrat Jahan case
A SIT in Kerala is looking into the death of
Gopinath Pillai, reports said on Sunday. Pillai, a petitioner in the Ishrat
Jahan fake encounter case, died in a road accident in Kerala’s Alappuzha on
Friday. His son was also killed in the alleged fake encounter in Gujarat in
2004. “So far, we have not found evidence that suggests foul play in his
death,” Pattanakad Sub Inspector B Shajimon, who is part of the SIT, told The
News Minute. He said forensic experts were checking evidence. “We have taken
custody of the vehicles involved in the accident.”Sijeev Pattanakkad, the
driver of the truck that rammed into Pillai’s car on Wednesday, is in police custody,
Mathrubhumi reported. Pillai, 77, was travelling with his brother when the
vehicle crashed into their’s. He died of multiple fractures on Friday
morning.scroll.in
Ishrat Jahan fake encounter: Role of Gopinath
Pillai who fought for his son Javed Sheikh
Minorities have more rights than the majority:Union
minister Satyapal Singh
Union minister Satyapal Singh has said all
people were not equal before the law, adding that minorities enjoyed more
rights than the majority, reported PTI.Speaking on BR Ambedkar’s role in nation-building
at Delhi University, Singh said it was time to re-interpret the Constitution.
“In the last about two decades, the way the Constitution has been interpreted
and the laws have been interpreted, it requires revisit,” said the Union
minister of state for human resource development. “Let us revisit them. The
kind of rights that have been given to minorities in the Constitution, still
they feel cheated about it. They have the rights to run their institutes,
religious institutions, but the majority does not have. Law is equal to all.”He
said rule of law means the law is equal for everyone. “However, a person
stealing Rs 100 and another stealing Rs 100 crore get the same punishment,” he
said. “Does it give justice to the society? I say it does not. Therefore, there
is a need to amend laws.” he said.scroll.in
JNU Proposes Courses to Train Pandits, Experts
in Religious Tourism, Vaastu Shastra
New Delhi: JNU has proposed a course that aims
to make Sanskrit a more employable option for students.The newly-founded School
of Sanskrit and Indic Studies (SSIS) has proposed to introduce PG Diploma in
Kalp Vedanga and offer courses to train pandits, who from across castes and
gender, will comprise the next academic session of 2019. Girish Nath Jha, the
first dean of the new SSIS told News18 that in future we can expect JNU-trained
pandits to go to temples and perform rituals.The students will dabble with the
Śrautasūtras, based on the śruti, and the Smārtasūtras, rules based on the
smriti or traditions to perform rituals, among other traditional texts. The
proposal was made in the first meeting of School Coordination Committee, of
School of Sanskrit and Indic Studies on Feb.23.The school has proposed a PG Diploma course in Religious Tourism saying
that the country has a rich tradition of dhams. Similarly, a PG diploma course
in Vaastu Shastra is expected to bring viable options for students to get jobs
with the civil engineering companies looking for experts in Vaastu
Shastra.news18
Exaggerations in history need to be removed
from time to time: ICHR chief
New Delhi:The debate in the country on
rewriting history is unnecessary as certain “exaggerations” need to be removed
from time to time, Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) Chairman Arvind
Jamkhedkar has said. The historian also said the mandate of the ICHR, a body
under the HRD Ministry, was not to dictate history or decide curriculum but to
encourage research to facilitate the rewriting of history. “Rewriting is part
of the writing of history,” he said.History was divided into various eras, he
said, elaborating how it had been dealt with differently over time. “When
colonial history was written there was a need to write it from a different
point of view as Professor BB Kaushambi realised that this type of history did
not have any meaning unless we studied economic history,” Jamkhedkar said.“A
complete new school came into being which included Professor RS Sharma, Irfan
Habib and so many others who actually rewrote the earlier history,” he
added.PTI
Bihar: Muslim cooperative interest-free loan society
helps transform lives of Hindus, others
Patna:Kamla Devi, Pankaj Kumar, Geeta Devi and
Sanjay Singh, all Hindus, share one thing in common. Their lives have been
transformed through "interest-free" loans provided by a Muslim
cooperative credit society in Bihar, yet another example how integrated Indian
society has always been at the grassroot level.They are four of nearly 9,000
Hindus -- mostly vendors, small traders, roadside shopkeepers, marginal farmers
and women -- who got rid of exploitative moneylenders thanks to interest-free
loans by the Al-Khair Cooperative Credit Society Ltd that is based here."I
used to sell potatoes and onions in a small roadside shop. I was often
exploited by moneylenders for a small amount of Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000 that I
needed for my business. But a few years ago, I was surprised when someone
informed me of interest-free loans from Al-Khair Society," Kamla, in her
mid 40s, told IANS at her shop in Mirshikar Toli here.She first took a Rs
10,000 loan to run her shop, followed by loans of Rs 20,000 to Rs 50,
000."It helped me expand my business from a vendor to a wholesale
trader," she said.Now doing financially well, Kamla managed to fund the
education of her two sons, with one getting admission in an engineering college
and the other in a B.Ed. college.Based on the Islamic principle of prohibiting
interest, Al Khair Society has provided interest-free loans of more than Rs 50
crore to nearly 20,000 people, mostly those struggling for survival, in the
last one decade of its existence.About half of these beneficiaries are Hindus.
Regardless of religion and any other considerations, Al Khair Society has
opened new vistas for large sections of marginalised people, skilled and
unskilled, from unorganised sectors.Geeta Devi not only turned her small roadside
vegetable shop into a big one; she has opened another vegetable shop for her
son."Our life has changed after I came into contact with Al Khair Society.
It helped us live a life of dignity. For poor people like us, interest-free
loans are God's gift and, unlike in regular banks, there are no uncertainties
about getting the loan," she said.Manju Devi, another beneficiary, has
been taking a loan of Rs 20,000 to pay the annual school fee of her children
for the last five years. Her husband runs a roadside shop.Sanjay Singh, another
beneficiary of the interest-free loans, said banks have no time for vendors
like him and they have no interest in giving out small
loans."Interest-free loans may be a concept associated with Muslims as
Islam prohibits interest as it terms it unjust, but it has a universal appeal
and can benefit all, not just Muslims," said Shamim Rizvi, a retired bank
officer closely associated with Al Khair Society for nearly a decade.Nayiar
Fatmi, managing director of Al Khair Society, said that interest-free loans are
gaining popularity.IANS
Delhi Waqf Board facing 'severe' crunch of
technical, revenue officials
New Delhi: Delhi Waqf Board, responsible for
management of over 2,000 Muslim properties across the city, is facing
"severe" crunch of technical and revenue officials, sources said.As
against 64 sanctioned posts, 28 posts, mostly technical and revenue related,
are lying vacant, upkeep of properties and other works are hampered, a Govt official said."More than 90 % work of the Waqf Board relates to revenue but
there are no revenue officials such as patwari, kanoongo and tehsildar. The
last such official retired in 2012 while the post of kanoongo is vacant for
last 30 years," he said.The problems of managing properties, including
land, shops, residential buildings, located at prominent locations like
Daryaganj, Ansari Road, Vasant Kunj, Greater Kailash and other areas, is
affected due to vacancies on technical posts.PTI
Maulana Abdul Wahab Khilji laid to rest in New
Delhi
New Delhi: Hundreds of people from Delhi,
Punjab, Haryana, UP and the neighboring
cities and towns on Saturday participated in the funeral of Maulana Abdul Wahab
Khilji, noted Islamic Scholar and community leader. Maulana Khliji was laid to
rest at Qoum Panjabiyan Qabrustan Shidipura in Delhi.Maulana Abdul Wahab Khilji
(63),originally hailing from Malerkotla Punjab, was ailing since last few
months. His condition deteriorated a week before and he died after Friday
prayers on April 13, 2018.A few year back Maulana Abdul Wahab Khilji suffered
paralysis then heart stroke after about a year. He was admitted to a Gurgaon
hospital after brain hemorrhage.ummid
Owaisi's AIMIM not to contest Karnataka
Assembly polls: Report
Bengaluru: In a major relief to secular
parties in Karnataka, AIMIM led by Asaduddin Owaisi has decided not to contest
the state assembly elections scheduled to be held on May 12.Reports citing
unnamed AIMIM sources said that the party has taken the decision after a series
of consultation meeting wherein it was realized that contesting election will
only divide the secular votes in Karnataka.ummid.com
‘Alleged Love Jihad & ISIS Abduction’
Case:Victim Girl’s Mother Withdraws Plea in SC for NIA Probe
Bindu Sampath, the mother of suspected ISIS
sympathizer Nimisha alias Fathima from Kerala has withdrawn her petition filed
in the Supreme Court in Oct.last year seeking its intervention and a direction
for a NIA in investigation into alleged incidents of love jihad radicalization
in the state of Kerala. Senior advocate Shyam Divan and lawyer Aishwarya Bhati
who appeared for Bindu Sampath submitted before a bench of CJI Dipak Misra and
justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud on April 13 that they wished to
withdraw the petition for “filing a properly drafted petition with more
evidence and materials”. “Shyam Divan, learned senior counsel appearing for the
petitioner, on being instructed, seeks leave of this Court to withdraw the writ
petition with liberty to file a properly drafted writ petition”, the bench
noted in the order allowing the petitioner to withdraw the plea.livelaw.in
Judgment Day in Mecca Masjid Blast Case
Tomorrow, Security to be Ramped Up
Hyderabad: Almost 11 years after a powerful
bomb went off during the Friday prayers inside Mecca Masjid near Charminar, the
special court for NIA cases at Nampally in Hyderabad will pronounce its
judgment on April 16 in the case.Elaborate security arrangements have been made
by the police in and around the court premises for the big verdict.Nine people
had been killed and 58 were injured in the blast on May 18, 2007, a Friday. Two
live IEDs were also recovered by police and defused. Later, 5 more people were
killed in subsequent police firing on the crowd outside the mosque.Eight
people, including Hindu right-wing members Aseemanand, Devender Gupta, Lokesh
Sharma, Bharatbhai, Rajender Chowdhary and others were charged by the NIA in
the blast case. The court, however, would deliver its verdict for only five
accused.One accused Sunil Joshi, a RSS pracharak, was murdered during the
course of investigation. Two other accused, Sandeep V. Dange, former RSS
pracharak and Ramchandra Kalsangra, electrician-cum-RSS activist, also from
Madhya Pradesh are still eluding the investigators.news18
Mecca Masjid blast: Citizens demand Bhaskar
Rao Commission report
Hyderabad: Muslim organisations and human
rights groups are demanding the Govt to
make the Justice (retd) Bhaskar Rao Commission report public. The Commission
was constituted in June 2007 to inquire in to the police excesses, including
firing, which claimed five lives. The police had resorted to firing to “quell
angry mobs” soon after a blast rocked the Mecca Masjid. Human rights activists
and various political parties and Muslim groups termed the action “unprovoked”
and “targeted”. Five persons were killed and a few sustained injuries in the
police firing. The demand gains strength in view of the expected judgement of
the Mecca Masjid blast case.Following the outcry over the incident that took
place in the vicinity of the Mecca Masjid soon after the blast, the then Govt had set up a Commission to probe in to the
circumstances of and action of the police.deccanchronicle
WORLD
Air strikes 'largely symbolic': What mission
has the US accomplished in Syria? aljazeera
US President Donald Trump has announced that
the US-led strikes in Syria were a "mission accomplished", adding
that he had no intention of launching further strikes against President Bashar
al-Assad's targets.Trump's announcement came hours after US, French and British
forces launched strikes against three sites, which according to the US
president are associated with the chemical weapon capabilities of Assad.The
coordinated strikes came as a response to the Syrian regime's alleged use of
chemical weapons in Douma last week, killing scores of civilians.But Twitter
reality is far different from the reality on the ground in Syria, where many
indicators point to the fact that the strikes did not cripple the Syrian Govt 's
capabilities, nor did it affect Assad's morale. According to several analysts,
the strikes have achieved one goal only: not to provoke Russian forces in
Syria, thus minimising any possibility of an escalation between Moscow and
Washington. Contrary to Trump's strong language and threats before the attacks,
the mission did not have any impact and only helped Assad's regime to gain a
new moral momentum.This failure, which Trump presented as a great achievement,
was echoed in British PM Theresa May's
statement, saying the strikes were not about "regime change" or "intervening
in a civil war", but were to "deter the use of chemical weapons"
by the Syrian Govt .French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian also said that
the attacks did not target Syria's allies, in reference to Russia and possibly
Iran and Hezbollah.Even the Pentagon, the US Department of Defense, stated that
the strikes were not aimed at changing Assad's regime, but rather were intended
to deter Assad from using chemical weapons.Various political analysts revealed
that Trump's goal behind the strikes was simply to ease the burden of the
scandals that had beset him in Washington, such as the FBI questioning of his
personal lawyer Michael Cohen.Yet it remains unclear what effect, if any, the
US-led strikes had on alleviating the suffering of Syrians.On the battlefields,
Assad forces are making more gains, and Syrian rebels continue to count their
losses on various fronts.The majority of Syrians find themselves once again
disappointed by those who call themselves friends of the Syrian people, while their
reality stagnates or becomes even worse.Ibrahim al-Marashi, an associate
professor of history at California State Univesity, said that US strikes embody
"largely symbolic actions with little consequence on the ground".
Egypt court upholds life sentence against
Brotherhood supreme guide Mohamed Badie
Cairo: An Egyptian appeals court today upheld
a life sentence against the Muslim Brotherhood's supreme guide Mohamed Badie
for "planning violent attacks", judicial officials and his lawyer
said.The Court of Cassation also upheld life sentences against two other
Brotherhood leaders including Mahmoud Ghozlan, a Brotherhood spokesman, along
with five-year prison terms for 14 others, defence lawyer Abdel Moneim Abdel
Maksoud told AFP. Badie's life sentence -- his third -- and the court's other
rulings are final and cannot be appealed.The defendants were accused of
conspiring to stir unrest during protests that followed the July 2013
military-led ouster of Egypt's Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, who hailed
from the Brotherhood.The retrial came after the Court of Cassation scrapped a
2015 ruling under which Badie and 13 others were condemned to death and 34
defendants given life terms -- 25 years in Egypt.The court has cancelled scores
of death sentences against Morsi supporters, including against the deposed
president himself.AFP
Gunmen attack house of Pakistan SC judge who
is monitoring cases against Nawaz Sharif
Lahore:The residence of a Supreme Court judge
who is monitoring the corruption cases against ousted premier Nawaz Sharif came
under firing by unknown gunmen on Sunday, triggering widespread condemnation in
Pakistan.No casualty or injury was reported in the firing incident at the house
of Justice Ijaz ul Ahsan in Model Town Lahore.According to a statement issued
by the Supreme Court, Justice Ahsan’s residence was targeted twice at 4:30am
and 9am on Sunday.Following the incident, Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib
Nisar reached Justice Ahsan’s house and summoned Punjab inspector general Arif
Nawaz Khan.The Chief Justice is personally monitoring the situation, it said,
adding that a forensic team has also reached the scene to collect evidence
while ballistic experts are called in to determine the nature of fire.PTI
Saudi's King Salman rejects US plan to
transfer embassy to Jerusalem
DHAHRAN: Saudi Arabia's King Salman on Sunday
opened an Arab League summit by criticising US President Donald Trump's
decision to transfer the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to
Jerusalem."We reiterate our rejection of the US decision on
Jerusalem," the king said in a speech in Dhahran in eastern Saudi
Arabia."East Jerusalem is an integral part of the Palestinian
territories," he added.AFP
Qatari emir not attending Arab summit in Saudi
Qatar will not be represented by a senior
official at an Arab summit taking place in Saudi Arabia on Sunday, in a sign
that a nearly year-old dispute between Gulf Arab neighbours is still a long way
from being resolved.Qatari delegation will be headed by Doha’s permanent
representative to the Arab League, Saif bin Muqaddam al-Buainain, the state
news agency said without elaborating.Most of the 22 other countries are
represented by heads of state or Govt . Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad
al-Thani headed Qatar’s delegation at last year’s Arab summit in
Jordan.middleeastmonitor
Israeli forces arrest Hamas official in West
Bank
Israeli forces detained a Hamas official in
the West Bank town of Al-Bireh on Sunday, according to local residents.Israeli
soldiers raided and searched the house of Jamal al-Taweel in Umm al-Sharayit
neighborhood before taking him into custody, the residents said.Israeli army
has yet to confirm the arrest.Al-Taweel was elected as a mayor of Al-Bireh in
2006.middleeastmonitor
Myanmar's first Rohingya repatriation
'staged', rights groups say
Rights groups are expressing scepticism over
the announcement that Myanmar has repatriated the first Rohingya family, despite
warnings from the UN."This is a deception," Rohingya Blogger, a
watchdog and Rohingya rights website run by Rohingya activists in Europe, said
in a statement on Sunday.The Myanmar Govt announced in a Facebook post on Saturday that
a family of five had returned to the country from the border area between
Bangladesh and Myanmar, where thousands of refugees are holed up.aljazeera
FLASH: VIEWS & NEWS
A Scholar’s Voice From Gaza: ‘Silence is
Complicity, Speak Up Please!’:HAIDAR EID
Real Instinct Lurking Behind Kathua Horror:
Apoorvanand
Why are children’s bodies battlefields of
communal and family wars? Swati Parashar
From Babri Masjid to Gujarat riots: Sahmat
posters are an archive of political and cultural history:Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri
No Conscience- No Morality- Only Arrogance:
Why Are Our Leaders Tearing India Apart:LT GENERAL VIJAY OBEROI
Similarities Between British Rule and the
Hindu Communalists in India:MANISH KUMAR
No Conscience- No Morality- Only Arrogance:
Why Are Our Leaders Tearing India Apart:LT GENERAL VIJAY OBEROI
Out of my mind: The largest minority: Meghnad
Desai
Dalit youth have no use for leaders any
longer:Sujata Anandan
Muslim polygamy and the bigamous Hindu:Flavia
Agnes
Modi’s Handling of Kathua, Unnao Rape Cases an
‘Existential Crisis’, say Former Civil Servants
Bhakts will soon face an existential crisis,
because messiah Modi is set to lose votes:KUMAR KETKAR
Protest rally to 'save religion, save country'
by several Muslim groups and AIMPLB's in Bihar
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Anwarulhaq (Released at: 8:04 PM)
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