09 June 2018:24 Ramazan 1439: Vol:10, No:41
INDIA
Former CEC, experts challenge election
commission's theory on VVPAT failure
New Delhi: Election Commission on Friday
declared that the reason behind the malfunctioning of a large number of voter
verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) machines during the recently held by-polls
to Kairana and Bhandara-Gondiya parliamentary constituencies was due to the
“failure of contrast sensor” and “failure of length sensor” and that both these
errors were “mainly caused by excessive exposure to illumination in the polling
station”.However, past and present EC officials present at a conclave on
elections in India expressed surprise at this ‘finding’, since the VVPATs have
undergone extensive tests under varying conditions in the past without
malfunctioning .Speaking at the conclave on “EVMs, Election Funding and the
Election Commission” organised by a group of retired civil servants and armed
forces veterans at Indian Social Institute here, ex-Chief Election Commissioner
S.Y. Quraishi noted with concern that VVPAT machines were failing despite
undergoing tests in all kinds of weather conditions. Quraishi, in whose term as
CEC testing of VVPATs had taken place from 2011 till their introduction in an
election in Nagaland in Sept. 2013, recalled how tests had first been conducted
in wet and humid Kerala, dry and hot Jaisalmer,cold high-altitude of Ladakh,
rain-soaked Cherrapunji and Delhi. He said that since many machines had
malfunctioned after the first round of tests, the necessary changes were made
and they were again tested in all these five different locations.Wondering how
Election Commission was now saying that these machines malfunctioned during the
polls on May 28 due to heat, he said it appeared unlikely to be the cause as
these machines had been tested in the extreme heat of Jaisalmer, which was
hotter than the constituencies where they are said to have not worked
properly.Quraishi was also of the view that when it came to VVPATs, there was a
need to sample more of them after every election as the current practice of
taking the count of just one polling station in every constitutency was too
little. While the Supreme Court has not directed the EC on what percentage of
the VVPATs should be counted, Quraishi said it would be best if the commission
went for a significant percentage. “It is wrong to say that VVPAT counting
would delay the results. You can always deploy more hands for the job to ensure
that they too get counted by the time the electronic votes are.”Stating that
the Supreme Court has examined VVPATs, Quraishi said the EC only has to operate
them. He also suggested that the winner-loser or other contestants should be
allowed to select a few machines at random for tallying VVPAT votes.Raising
questions on the reliability of VVPATs, convener of the Forum for Electoral
Integrity, retired IAS officer MG Devasahayam said the counting of votes of
these machines in just one polling station amounted to just 0.4-0.5% of all
votes polled and therefore their use was akin to “marginal tokenism”.He
demanded that to win the confidence of the people, a random sample of paper
audit trail should be drawn from machines from booths or polling stations which
record very high or low turnout, which have voters who are predominantly from
backward castes or minorities and the like. He also noted that the VVPAT
malfunction percentage in the by-elections was much higher than the admissible
level of 5% and stood at 20.82% for Kairana, 19.27% for Bhandara-Gondia and
13.16% for Palghar.A member of the technical expert committee of the EC, Rajat
Moona, while discussing the unique technical features of VVPATs, said that
“they are not only thermal printers, their print does not fade for five years
unlike those of other similar devices which become faint within a few days”. He
also said VVPATs are “encapsulated devices” which work independently and have
different sensors which even keep a measure of the length of its tape and
ensure that it remains at 99 mm. He said the quality of print, contrast and the
fact that every slip is supposed to drop in the box are all monitored by the
machine.A former DG of Centre for Developed and Advanced Computing, Moona said
“each VVPAT machine goes through a temperature-humidity cycle”. He said behind
the recent failure of these machines were caused by “multiple
factors”,including “not enough maturity in handling them”.thewire
US group to it No bogus voters in MP: EC probe
New Delhi: Based on the reports submitted by
two teams constituted to probe the Congress’s allegations that there were at
least 60 lakh bogus voters listed in Madhya Pradesh, the Election Commission
has not found any substance in the charges.A delegation of Congress leaders,
led by Kamal Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindia, had recently met Election
Commission to raise the issue. Subsequently, the electoral body constituted two
teams for verification. While one team covered the Assembly constituencies of
Narela and Bhojpur, the other examined the records of the Hoshangabad and the
Seoni-Malwa Assembly constituencies. The teams reached Madhya Pradesh on June
4.thehindu
US groupto its govt: ‘Make in India’ used to justify
protectionist measures
World’s largest association of medical device
companies, Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed), is learnt to have
conveyed to 2 senior Trump administration officials that NDA Govt ’s flagship
‘Make in India’ platform has been used to “justify protectionist measures” —
and has “not encouraged US medical technology firms to increase their presence
in India”. Indian Express has learnt that AdvaMed, in its briefing memo for
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer
last year, conveyed that the scheme has been “used by parts of the (Indian) Govt
to justify protectionist measures such
as import tariff hikes and preferential market access policies”.According to
memo, AdvaMed stated that “in addition to price controls as a barrier,
regulatory environment in India continues to be opaque and unpredictable”.In
order to make medical devices affordable, India had imposed price caps on
coronary stents and knee implants in Feb and Aug. 2017. AdvaMed has strongly
opposed these caps stating that it has “potential to block innovations and
limit access to world-class medical care and options to deserving patients”. Washington
DC-based AdvaMed, which represents US pharma and tech majors such as Abbott, Boston
Scientific Corporation, Medtronic, BD, Pfizer, Apple and Microsoft, is not the
only industry group that has complained about India’s “protectionist” measures.
US President Donald Trump has referred to the duty on import of completely
built American bikes, such as Harley-Davidson, into India as an example of
“discriminatory” trade practice.In an address to a joint session of Congress in
Feb.2017, President hinted at mistreatment to Harley-Davidson due to high
import duties of as much as 100% in foreign markets, but did not name India. On
Feb.26, days after India announcedan abrupt slashing of duties on imported
motorcycles, Trump made it clear that he did not think the cuts were
enough.’India’s medical device technology market is worth about $6 billion, and
is expected to grow to $50 billion by 2025.Indian express
India, Myanmar hold talks, discuss return of
displaced Rohingyas
New Delhi: India and Myanmar held 17th round
of Foreign Office Consultations to review bilateral ties with focus on defence
and security ties.The two countries discussed the situation in the Rakhine
state and the return of displaced Rohingyas as Myanmar's army and civilian
leadership, according to an AFP report, Friday held a rare "national
security" meeting to discuss an internal investigation into the Rohingya
crisis.While the Indian side was led by foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale,
Myanmar was represented by U Myint Thu, permanent secretary, Myanmar ministry
of foreign affairs. During the discussions, the two sides reviewed the complete
range of bilateral relations, including high level visits, security and defence
related issues, boundary matters and border management, trade and commerce,
development cooperation, connectivity, cultural and consular matters."They
also exchanged views on sub-regional, regional and global issues of mutual
interest," said the Govt in a
statement.TOI
Pranab's visit lends credibility to RSS, its
politics:Jamaat
New Delhi: Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) said
that former President Pranab Mukherjee visiting the RSS headquarters in Nagpur
on Thursday lent a "credibility of sorts to RSS and its
politics"."RSS keeps inviting prominent persons to its events.They
have every right to invite anyone they like. Also, nobody has a right either to
question Pranab Mukherjee's decision to go there. But our concern is that such
a visit by a former President of India, who has espoused values of secularism
and brotherhood all his life, lends some sort of credibility to RSS and its
politics," said its General Secretary Mohammed Salim Engineer.He said that
"everybody knows" what kind of politics RSS does and what sort of
tactics it uses.On Mukherjee's speech at the event -- who underlined that
India's multiple faiths and cultures made it tolerant and that the soul of the
nation resided in its pluralism and secularism -- Salim Engineer said that the
former President has spoken "nothing new"."He has often been
saying such things. This is not new. Even the RSS people too sometimes speak of
pluralism and unity in the public. However, perhaps it is not necessary to go
all the way to Nagpur to share your thoughts with RSS cadres. It gives a
message that in some way you are endorsing the RSS stand," he said.-IANS/ business-standard
India’s Nationhood Is Not One Language, One
Religion, One Enemy: Pranab
RSS basks in afterglow of Pranab’s HQ visit
New Delhi: In the midst of the heated
political debate prior to and after former President Pranab Mukherjee’s speech
at the RSS HQRS, Sangh leaders feel the event, as well as RSS chief Mohan
Bhagwat’s address, gave the saffron organisation unprecedented mileage.The
event is also being utilised by the Sangh and BJP leaders to argue how Bhagwat
insisted on “unity in diversity” and said RSS did not stand only for Hindu society
in contrast with the manner in which it is treated as “untouchable”, giving
another dimension to the “intolerance” narrative.The high-wattage event put the
spotlight squarely on the RSS and its chief along with Mukherjee and Bhagwat
used the occasion to go to considerable lengths in suggesting that the
organisation is not exclusivist. “There are times when we had our differences
but we are all sons of the same soil — India. Diversity should be accepted,
it’s good. We are all one, even in this diversity. Govt alone cannot do
everything, citizens also have to contribute. Only then can a country change,”
he said. RSS chief’s comments that Mukherjee and RSS had their views but could
hear each other made the occasion special even as Bhagwat said the Sangh often
invites people from different backgrounds. Outfit sources say Bhagwat’s
specific mention was an afterthought and a reaction to comments objecting to
Mukherjee attending an event at HQ.TOI
Man behind circulating Pranab’s fake photo
with RSS cap is followed by Narendra Modi on Twitter
Just days after a photo of former President of
India, Pranab Mukherjee, wearing RSS cap and standing with RSS salute went
viral, it has emerged that the culprit behind morphing his image was being
followed by PM Narendra Modi.The photo
of Mukherjee was taken from an event at the RSS headquarters in Nagpur, where
Mukherjee had chosen to be the right-wing organisation’s guest despite opposition
from his own party.His daughter and a Congress leader, Sharmistha Mukherjee had
reacted with ‘I-told-you-so’ comments. She wrote, “See, this is exactly what I
was fearing & warned my father about. Not even few hours have passed, but
BJP/RSS dirty tricks dept is at work in full swing!”Meanwhile a report by India
Today said that the man responsible for faking Mukherjee’s image was one Mihir
Jha, who is ‘proud to be followed by PM Narendra Modi’ on Twitter. According to
India Today report, it was Jha, who had first requested his friends, experts in
photoshopping images, to see if Mukherjee’s image could be doctored to make him
look like he was wearing an RSS cap.jantakareporter
Hurriyat leaders see NIA probe as hurdle in
talks between Centre, separatists
New Delhi: The future of the delicately poised
dialogue between the Govt at the Centre
and separatists in Kashmir is closely linked to NIA probe into terror funding,
multiple Govt officials involved with
the backchannel parleys said.“Leaders of the Hurriyat Conference have pointed
to the charge sheets filed in court by the NIA, asking how the case and talks
can go side by side,’’ one official said on condition of anonymity. The ground
is being prepared for a dialogue with the separatists. In response to an offer
of talks by home minister Rajnath Singh, the Joint Resistance Leadership
indicated it would be ready for a dialogue provided the Govt of India spoke in one voice and with
clarity.NIA’s probe, however, is a hurdle.PTI
Work only for Hindus, who have voted for us,
not for Muslims: BJP MLA to corporators
New Delhi:A BJP MLA from Karnataka,
Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, recently quoted controversy by instructing
corporators to work only for Hindus, who have voted for him, and not for
Muslims. Video of his speech has gone viral on social media.“I had called all
corporators and have told them that they should work for Hindus and not
Muslims…who have voted for me in Bijapur,” Yatnal is purportedly heard saying
in the video, to which the crowd responded by saying “Hindus”.“I had said no to
Muslims initially…I had instructed my people that those with topi (cap) and
burkha should not come and stand in my office or beside me,” he said.According
to reports, Yatnal made these statements at a function on June 4 in
Vijayapura.indianexpress
Will bring Jharkhand Muslims into Hindu fold:
Hindu Samhati founder
Kolkata:Hindu Samhati founder Tapan Ghosh has
announced he would soon begin a ‘ghar wapsi’ programme under his ‘Deogarh
project’’ to bring Muslims into the Hindu fold in Jharkhand.“We are still
figuring out how to do this. But one thing we will initiate is the concept of
daawats that the Muslims use when they want to convert a community. The
community is invited for feasts and we will also do this,’’ Ghosh said.Hindu
Samhati had invited 14 members of a Muslim family to a rally in Kolkata on
Feb.14, claiming it had conducted their ‘ghar wapsi’ while calling for similar
programmes across West Bengal. “Unlike the anti-love jihad programme, we have
not managed that many ghar wapsis in Bengal. There have been around 25 ghar
wapsis, which is a small number,’’said Ghosh, who stepped down as Hindu Samhati
head last year and appointed Debtanu Bhattacharya as his successor.Ghosh plans
proselytization drive under auspices of Ram Krishna Vivekananda Sewa Ashram in
Deogarh. Indian Express
Naqvi meets Delhi Bishop under BJP's contact
campaign
Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has
called on Bishop of Delhi Warris K Masih at his residence here as part of BJP's
'contact for support' campaign ahead of 2019 general polls and shared the
achievements of Modi Govt in the last
four years. Naqvi said that he sought Masih's blessings for development, peace
and prosperity in the country, besides apprising him of the achievements of
Modi Govt. He termed the response of the Christian leader as “positive”.Naqvi
said Modi Govt was committed to
inclusive growth and would continue to work in that direction in future. Bishop
Waris Masih said Christian community appreciates the work done, especially for
minorities, by the Modi Govt in the last
4 years, and extended best wishes to the Govt for working towards ‘Sabka saath, sabka vikas'
(together with all, development for all).Prominent people from various
Christian educational institutions, Churches and social field were also present
during the meeting.The meeting came in the backdrop of controversies over
letters by Delhi Archbishop Anil Coutos and Archbishop of Goa and Daman Father
Filipe Neri Ferrao to Christians.PTI
2nd NRC draft on June 30, officials
review law-and-order situation in lower Assam districts
Guwahati :Ahead of the publication of the
second draft of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam slated on June
30, senior state Govt officials reviewed
the law and order situation of 5 lower Assam districts on Friday.The team led
by Chief Secretary T Y Das and DGP Kuladhar Saikia visited Nalbari and took
stock of the law-and-order and internal security situations of Kamrup Rural,
Nalbari, Baksa, Barpeta and Darrang districts, an official release said.The
updation work of NRC was completed on May 31 and the second draft is scheduled
to be released on June 30.DCPs, SPs and senior officials of the force, Army and
central paramilitary forces were present during the meeting which discussed
various issues related to the NRC updating process, the release said.The
importance of constant interaction with people from all walks of life to allay
any apprehension, the facilities available to all in respect of claims and
objections and other related issues were discussed, it said, adding an
exhaustive awareness programme would be launched for the purpose.PTI
NRC fallout: Assam madrassa makes family legacy
documents a must for admission
Guwahati: Darul Uloom Banskandi, a 121-year
old Islamic seminary in Barak Valley's Cachar district, has made it mandatory
for students seeking admission to the institution in the current academic session
to provide family legacy documents up to the year 1971.The move comes against
the backdrop of an uproar over the citizenship bill and the ongoing process of
updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC). Voter identity cards have
also been sought for students aged 18 or above.The decision was taken last
month by governing body of Darul Uloom to clear "suspicion" about
madrassas admitting illegal migrants and to ward off charges that these centres
are breeding grounds for jihadi activities."Our step is to clear all
suspicion regarding madrassas. By making the legacy data up to 1971 mandatory
for seeking admission to Darul Uloom, we want to demonstrate that only genuine
Indian citizens study in our seminary," seminary chairman, Maulana
Mohammad Yahya, said.By making family legacy documents mandatory, the seminary
has followed NRC update criteria. A mohaddis (professor) at Darul Uloom
Banskandi, Hamid Ahmed, said once legacy documents are submitted there would be
no room for suspicion about the activities of madrassas and citizenship of
students.TOI
In Assam madrasa, students have to prove kin
settled before 1971
Citizenship Bill an Attempt to Grant
Citizenship to Illegal Migrants from Minority Communities: Mizoram CM
Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 is an
attempt to grant citizenship to a particular religious community from outside
the country, this was stated by Mizoram CM, Bhawan Lal Thanhawla. Addressing a
political session at Congress Thanhawla mentioned that BJP led Central Govt has no real intention of according citizenship
to Muslim and Christian migrants.“ The proposed citizenship bill is an attempt
to grant citizenship to illegal migrants from the minority communities
especially the Hindus from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, who entered
India and stayed in the country for six years. Central Govt has no real intention of covering Muslim and
Christian minorities under the bill,” said Thanhawla, adding, “My Govt has been strongly opposing the bill right from
the beginning.”northeasttoday
Communal Tension in Hazaribagh Over a Facebook
post
Communal clashes broke out between two
religious groups in Jhanda chowk of Hazaribagh district, Jharkhand over an
“objectionable” Facebook post.The social media post sparked a large-scale
violence in the region, leading to the deployment of police to contain the
situation. Few vehicles were set ablaze and shops were shut down. Both the
communities were reportedly involved in heavy stone pelting, resulting in
injuries on both the sides.The injured were rushed to the local hospital. As
per the sources, Facebook post regarding Prophet snowballed into a communal
flare-up in the Hazaribagh district. A boy from the Hindu community had posted
a “derogatory” post on Prophet Mohammad on June 5, which reportedly angered
people from the Muslim community. Few people from the community went on to file
a complaint regarding the social media post. 5 arrests were made, including the
person who had written the post in question.Following the arrests, minor
skirmishes were reported in Hazaribagh district, which later swelled up into a
communal flare on June 7. “People from the Muslim community had lodged a
complaint regarding the social media post. They had identified the person who
had made such remarks. The person was from Hindu community. He, along with four
others, were arrested and were booked for the deliberate act intended to
outrage religious feeling under 295 A IPC,” said SP Anish Gupta.newsclick
JNU student leader Umar Khalid receives death
threat, files police complaint
New Delhi: JNU student leader Umar Khalid has
filed a complaint with the Delhi Police, alleging he has received death threats
from a man who identified himself as fugitive gangster Ravi Pujari, a senior
official said on Saturday.Dalit leader and Independent MLA from Gujarat Jignesh
Mevani too alleged on Friday that he has received death threats from Pujari.On
Friday, Khalid approached the police with a complaint over the threats and a
case was registered, the police official said, adding that they are
investigating the matter. Khalid tweeted he has asked for police
protection.“Filed a complaint with @DelhiPolice regarding Ravi Pujari’s death
threat to Jignesh and me. He said that I am on his HIT LIST! I have asked for
police protection, given the fact that this is the same person who had
previously also issued similar threats of killing me in Feb 2016 (sic),” he
said.In 2016, his father Dr SQR Ilyas had filed a police complaint, claiming he
received a phone call “threatening to kill” his son if he doesn’t leave the
country.PTI
Same gun used to kill Gauri Lankesh, Kalburgi:
report
Bengaluru:The same gun was used to kill
journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh and rationalist M M Kalburgi in Karnataka,
the state forensic science laboratory has confirmed in a report, sources in SIT
said.The forensic report submitted to the SIT probing the killing of Lankesh is
part of the first chargesheet filed recently by SIT naming K T Naveen Kumar as
an accused.This is the first official confirmation of the link between the two
killings which happened after a gap of two years of each other.Kalburgi (77)
was shot dead in his house on Aug30, 2015, in Dharwad and 55-year old Lankesh
on September 5, 2017 in Bengaluru.PTI
Letter seized from activist's house speaks of
Naxals mulling over ‘another Rajiv Gandhi incident’: Pune police
Pune:A letter retrieved from the house of one
of 5 recently arrested activists recently for having links with the outlawed
CPI (Maoist) speaks of Naxalites mulling over “another Rajiv Gandhi incident”
as part of “concrete steps to end the Modi raj,” Pune police submitted before
Sessions court in Pune.Teams of the police on Wednesday arrested noted Dalit activist-publisher
Sudhir Dhawale from Mumbai, prominent human rights lawyer Surendra Gadling,
tribal activist Mahesh Raut and Nagpur University English Professor Shoma Sen
from Nagpur and activist Rona Wilson from New Delhi.The arrests were made for
their alleged linkages with Naxalism, their role in organising the ‘Elgaar
Parishad’ on December 31 last and the subsequent Bhima-Koregaon violence the
next day.In their submission on Thursday, the police said they seized the
letter from Wilson’s house in New Delhi in which ultras, among other things,
talk about “the requirement of ₹8 crore for an annual supply of M-4 carbines
and 4 lakh rounds.” Letter also allegedly speaks about pulling off “another
Rajiv Gandhi type incident” by “targeting his [PM Modi’s] road shows”, special
public prosecutor Ujjwala Pawar told the court.All 5 arrested were produced
before the Sessions court on Thursday, which remanded them in police custody
till June 14. thehindu
Maoist ideologue says ‘plot’ to assassinate PM
concocted to prop up Modi’s image
Hyderabad:Revolutionary writer and Maoist
ideologue P Vara Vara Rao on Friday rubbished the Pune police’s claims that
they have seized an incriminating letter that quotes him as being part of a
plot to assassinate PM Narendra Modi.
The letter then goes on to cite Rao and Surendra Gadling, an advocate who was
also arrested by the Pune police in Mumbai, as the Maoists’ guiding force in carrying
out successful attacks. Rao said he knew Gadling and Jacob but was not involved
in any plot to kill Modi. “People arrested by the Pune police had all been
working for the downtrodden and the release of political prisoners. They are
not involved in murder politics,” he added.Alleging that the plot was concocted
by the Pune police to prop up Modi’s image, Rao said Maoists in the country do
not have the practical ability to assassinate the PM . “In any case, I have
absolutely nothing to do with the claims made in the letter. The police cannot
do anything other than arrest me and foist false cases against me,” said Rao.HT
Witness deposes in Sohrabuddin case: ‘Uncle, I
won’t return, Prajapati told me 3 days before his death’
Mumbai:3 days before Tulsiram Prajapati was
killed in an alleged fake encounter in 2006, he told his co-inmate in jail that
he was going for a court hearing and would not return. This was claimed by the
co-inmate while deposing as a prosecution witness in the alleged fake
encounters of Prajapati and Sohrabuddin Sheikh in court on Friday. The witness,
who was lodged in Udaipur central jail from 2002, said that Prajapati spoke to
him before leaving for a hearing in Ahmedabad on Dec 25, 2006.“He told me
‘Uncle, main ab wapas nahi aaunga (I won’t return now)’. The next day, I read
in the papers that Prajapati had fled from custody. All of us in jail knew he
would be killed in an encounter. The next day, we were informed that he was
killed in an encounter,” the witness said.Months before his death, Prajapati
had written to various authorities claiming he would be killed by policemen in
a staged encounter, the witness said.64-year-old resident of Rajasthan said he
had helped Prajapati draft applications to send to various authorities,
including NHRC. He claimed that Prajapati had told him the reason for the
threat to his life, and that he had named Rajasthan Home Minister Gulab Chand
Kataria as well as Gujarat and Rajasthan policemen.indianexpress
Consider asking media not to use the word
‘Dalit’, Bombay HC tells I&B ministry
Mumbai: Bombay high court has asked the Union
Ministry of I&B to consider issuing a direction to media to stop using the
word ‘Dalit’, following a circular advising Govt officials against using the word.Nagpur bench
of the high court was hearing a public interest litigation filed by Pankaj
Meshram, seeking removal of the word Dalit from all Govt documents and communication.“As the central Govt
has issued necessary directions to its
officers, we find that it can also issue suitable directions as per the law to
respondent no. 2 (Press Council) and the media to refrain from using the same
word,” the bench comprising justices B P Dharmadhikari and ZA Haq said.
Meshram’s lawyer SR Nanaware informed the court on June 6 that Union Ministry
of Social Justice and Empowerment had issued a circular on March 15, advising
the central and state Govt s to avoid the word ‘Dalit’ and instead use the term
‘person belonging to Scheduled Caste’.PTI
Dalit woman allegedly attacked for sitting on
chair at school
Ahmedabad:A Dalit woman was allegedly attacked
by a mob for sitting on a chair at a school in a village in Ahmedabad district,
police said on Friday. The incident took place at Valthera village 2 days
ago.Pallaviben Jadav (45), who works at an anganwadi (Govt -run nursery
school), had been entrusted task of distributing Aadhaar cards, police said. According
to the FIR registered at Kath police station, Jayraj Vegad, a local resident,
was infuriated to see that Pallaviben was sitting on a chair while doing her
work.As per the complaint lodged by Pallaviben’s husband Ganpat Jadav, Vegad
asked her how she dared to sit on a chair being a Dalit, and kicked the chair, causing
her to fall.PTI
Kathua gangrape-murder case: Witnesses not
produced, Pathankot court summons Crime Branch SSP
Chandigarh:Pathankot District and Sessions
Court on Friday directed SSP, Crime Branch, Jammu, Ramesh Kumar Jalla to appear
in the court on Monday after none of the summoned witnesses in the Kathua
gangrape and murder case were produced before the trial court. A day after the
trial court framed charges against the 7 accused in the case, 17 witnesses had
been summoned for examination. indianexpress
‘Do not kill me, I am an Assamese: Mob lynches
two young men suspecting them to be child abductors
A mob in central Assam’s Karbi Anglong
district on Friday beat to death 2 young men from Guwahati who they suspected
to be child abductors, Time8 reported. The men – Niloptal Das and Abhijeet Nath
– were artistes based in Goa and were back home for the Bohag Bihu festival.In
a purported video of the attack that was circulated on social media, Das is heard
pleading with the attackers. “Do not kill me…please do not beat me,” he says.
“I am an Assamese. Believe me, I am speaking truth.My father’s name is Gopal
Chandra Das and mother’s name is Radhika Das…please let me go.” Mob did not
heed his pleas and continued to beat him with bamboo sticks.scroll.in
Kamal Nath: In talks with BSP, all smaller
parties… nothing is signed, sealed up till now
A month into his role as chief of MP Congress,
veteran party leader Kamal Nath says he is confident of the party coming to
power in the state. Speaking to the Indian Express, Nath says he is in talks
with the BSP and other smaller parties over seat-sharing arrangement and
suggests that the party’s face for the Assembly polls will be the farmer in
distress, unemployed youth, the unhappy trader and the insecure women. He said,
"We will be talking to all parties. We must remember that the politics of
today is very fragmented. And this fragmentation dictates these kind of
alignments. One must not forget that the BJP, which claimed they got a national
mandate in 2014, got only 31 % of the
popular vote. That means 69 % of the
people voted against the BJP. And BJP trumpets they have a national mandate. So
that is the way our parliamentary and legislative democracy works. So that is
why we don’t want fragmentation of votes. So we will be talking to everybody.
Nothing is signed, sealed up till now."Indian Express
Shatrugha, Yashwant, Togadia hit out at BJP in
Mandsaur
Daloda (MP):BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha on Friday
took a jibe at BJP national president Amit Shah’s recent visit to Shiv Sena
chief Uddhav Thackeray’s residence in an attempt to placate the political
ally.“People are now going from door to door to seek support. Come around to my
house too,” Sinha quipped during a farmers’ meeting at Daloda in Mandsaur
district on Friday evening, much to his audience’s amusement.The
actor-turned-politician was attending the meet to pay homage to 6 farmers who
died in police action during an agitation in Mandsaur last year. Ex BJP leader
Yashwant Sinha and VHP international president Praveen Togadia were also
present at the event.Sinha, who has been at odds with the party’s central
leadership, then said that a Govt cannot
be run on “jumlebaji (hyperbole)” — a term used by opposition parties to target
the Modi Govt .Togadia slammed the state Govt for shooting farmers. “Those who feed us and
keep us alive are being killed and beaten to death,” he said. HT
After ouster from VHP, Togadia to form new
outfit for Ram Temple construction
Indore: Firebrand Hindutva leader Praveen
Togadia on Friday said he would form a new organisation for the construction of
Ram Temple in Ayodhya after his ouster from the Vishwa Hindu Parishad.Togadia
said he would announce the new outfit on June 24 and start a campaign to push
for the construction of the temple at the disputed Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi
site. The new organization would expedite Hindutva agenda, he said. When asked
how he would talk about Ram temple construction as the matter is pending with
the Supreme Court, the Hindutva leader said the matter was still sub-judice
when LK Advani had taken out Rath Yatra on the issue.news18
At Srinagar’s Jamia Masjid on last Friday of
Ramzan — and ceasefire
Srinagar :On the main road outside Jamia
Masjid, hundreds of youths, their faces covered with scarves, raise slogans of
“azaadi”. A banner with pictures of several slain militants is tied on the
mosque gates. This is Srinagar’s Nowhatta Chowk on the last Friday of Ramzan,
and the last Friday before the Centre’s unilateral ceasefire is to run out.Men
and women start trickling into the mosque from noon and as the mosque begins to
fill, a row of youngsters queue up on its east side. T-shirts with slogans like
“I am Kashmir”, “This is my Kashmir” can be spotted. They take pictures
together, video-call friends and tell them about the plan for the day.Inside,
as Mirwaiz Umar Farooq reads his Friday sermon before prayers, the youths
prepare in the mosque’s restrooms for their march. They rub salt on their faces
and help each other with the masks before stepping out.indianexpress
Punjab: Sikhs, Hindus make Iftar feast special
for Muslims
Galib Ransingh: Iftar during Ramzan has always
been special for members of the Muslim community at 2 villages in Jagraon as
Sikh and Hindu villagers are the ones who get them eatables during these days
to break the fast.Members of these communities at Galib Ransingh and Nathowal
villages say they don’t do anything special, but just try to live up to the
spirit of Punjabiyat."Since my childhood,I have seen Sikhs and Hindus in
the village getting eatables for Muslim brothers for Iftar. In fact many of us
have been joining the Muslim brothers for breaking the fast during Ramzan. Our
Sikh and Hindu brothers bring fruits like bananas, mangoes, water melon and
pakoras, samosas and sherbet. We feel proud of our values which give equal
importance to every human being irrespective of their religion," said
Navjot Singh of Galib Ransingh village, who is into vehicle business and has
many Muslim friends. Muslim community members say that they feel touched by
this gesture by the members of other communities."Out of 40 to 50 persons
who attend Iftar at Hazrat Abu Bakkar Masjid, around 20 are from Sikh community
and 10 are Hindus. Not only they bring fruits, pakoras for the Iftar, they also
have those with us. I have been seeing this happening since I was a kid and I
really feel proud of it,"said Muhammad Rafi, who owns a marriage palace. Galib
Ransingh village has 125 Muslims and Hindus each and 1,500 Sikhs. Similar is
the case in Nathowal village, around 30 kms from this village, where Sikhs and
Hindus had come forward for repair and renovation of mosque some years back.TOI
HC declines to stay Telangana Govt Iftar party
to Muslims
A PIL was filed today in the High Court
seeking stay on the Telangana govt’s Ifthar party to the Muslims on the
occasion of Ramzan festival. However, HC rejected the petitioner’s plea. The
Court said it will hear the petitioner if there were any objections in this
regard on Tuesday. Finding fault with State Govt for spending Muslim Minority
funds for the Govt -sponsored Ifthar Party, Lubma Sarwath filed PIL petition.Siasat
CM in charge of 11 ministries as Karnataka
ministers get portfolios
Bengaluru:The portfolio allocation for 27
ministers in the Congress-JDS coalition Govt in Karnataka was completed on Friday, with CM H D Kumaraswamy taking charge of 11 of the 47
allotted portfolios. Kumaraswamy will be in charge of key portfolios such as
Finance, Energy, Intelligence and Infrastructure development, while his elder
brother H D Revanna has been given charge of Public Works Dept.Deputy CM and Congress
leader G Parameshwara will be in charge of the Home portfolio, Bengaluru City
and Youth Empowerment. Among other senior Congress leaders, R V Deshpande has
been given the Revenue Ministry, D K Shivakumar the Irrigation Ministry, and K
J George the large, Medium Scale Industries, IT and Biotechnology
portfolios.indianexpress
UP: 4 people die within 24 hours in Kanpur
hospital, families blame failure of air conditioning system at ICU
Not taking any lessons from goof up over the
deaths of 49 infants at a Govt hospital
in Farrukhabad. At least 4 people died at Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial
Medical College (GSVM) in Kanpur after the alleged failure of air conditioning
system in the ICU ward. However, the hospital authorities have denied the
accusation saying that 2 deaths occurred due to cardiac arrest and other 2 due
to chronic illness, not because of AC failure.According to reports, the air
conditioning system in ICU wing of the hospital had not been working since Wednesday
and a written complaint was submitted to the administration about it. It is
learned that windows and doors around the wing were opened but it was not
enough due to the heat wave across the city. NewsX
At 14th Century Khirki Mosque in Delhi, word
‘masjid’ erased from ASI board
New Delhi: With 3 guards stationed outside the
14th Century monument clueless, word ‘masjid’ repeatedly being removed from a
board outside Khirki Mosque has become a mystery for authorities. Indian
Express visited the monument on Friday — and discovered that on the blue board
put up by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) outside the monument, the word
‘masjid’ had been painted over in white. One of the guards, stationed outside
since 2008, said, “The first time this happened was a year-and-a-half ago…We
told an ASI official and we were asked to rewrite ‘masjid’.The next day, it was
smudged again… Some locals are convinced this is a fort built by Maharana
Pratap.” The mosque is in news since it finds itself at the centre of a rising
demand for namaz to be allowed there. Located near the cluster of Saket malls
and surrounded by high-rises, the mosque was built by Malik Maqbul, who was the
PM of Delhi Sultanate during Feroz Shah Tughlaq’s reign in the 14th Century.
indian express
AMU refutes charges of copying in entrance exam
AMU has strongly refuted the allegations being
spread by certain elements on social media that cases of copying took place in
some entrance tests of University.Mujib Ullah Zuberi, Controller of Examination
at AMU said that such allegations were totally baseless and unfounded as no
report or complaint in this regard from any center has been received so far. He
said that such accusations, aimed at sullying the image of the University and
vilifying its reputation, are nothing but motivated and premeditated. TCN
Delhi HC allows converted girl to live with
husband
New Delhi: Delhi High Court has permitted the
girl to live with her husband and directed Jamia Nagar police to provide
security to the married couple. The next hearing of the case will be held on
July 12. The HC has declared it acceptable as the girl is an adult and has
changed the religion with her own free will.The girl who is an MBBS doctor was
working in a hospital in East Delhi. She left her job on May 14, and went to UP
with her boyfriend Mohammed Bilal.
Following which her family members lodged a missing complaint with the police.
Police apprehended 2 of Bilal’s friend and interrogated them. According to the
advocate, police beat them harshly. siasat
WORLD
Israeli forces kill 4 Palestinians, wound 600
in Gaza
Health officials in the Gaza Strip say the
number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces during protests near the fence
with Israel has risen to 4. Yousef al-Fasih, 29, was shot dead while
demonstrating in eastern Gaza Strip, Palestinian news agency Wafa said. More
than 600 people were wounded by Israeli forces, including photographer Mohammed
Abed al-Baba, who was shot in the leg.Al-Baba, who has worked for AFP news
agency in the Gaza Strip since 2000, was shot while clearly identified in a
press vest and helmet, around 200 metres from the fence east of Jabalia in
northern Gaza.For more than two months, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have
been protesting along the fence with Israel, demanding their right to return to
the homes and land their families were expelled from 70 years ago. The mass
Friday demonstrations have since continued.Since the protests began on March
30, Israeli forces have killed 124 Palestinians in besieged coastal enclave and
wounded more than 13,000 people.aljazeera
UN General Assembly calls for emergency meet
on Gaza on Wednesday after Israeli firing kills Palestinians
UN General Assembly will hold an emergency
meeting next Wednesday at 3 pm to vote on an Arab-backed resolution on Gaza,
the body's president Miroslav Lajcak announced on Friday. The resolution will
condemn Israel, and will be similar to one vetoed by the US in the Security
Council last week, which called for protecting Palestinians from Israeli
aggression, according to diplomats.It comes as 4 Palestinians were killed by
Israeli fire on the Gaza border on Friday, as weeks of deadly clashes with
protesters continued. AFP
Anti-Israel marches in Iraq, Iran in
solidarity with Palestine to mark ‘Al Quds Day’
Thousands of Shiite Muslims marched in the
capitals of Iran and Iraq on Friday to mark “Jerusalem Day,” in an annual
protest against Israeli rule over the holy city and show of support for the
Palestinians. Some burned Israeli flags and effigies of President Donald
Trump.Later on Friday, thousands of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip were to head
to the perimeter fence with Israel to stage the latest in a series of mass
protests against the blockade of their territory by Israel and Egypt.In Iran’s
capital of Tehran, thousands joined a Jerusalem Day march on Friday, chanting
“Death to Israel” and burning a Trump effigy.In Iraq, thousands of Iran-backed
Shiite militiamen in uniform marched through the streets of the capital of
Baghdad on Friday, setting an Israeli flag on fire.AP
‘UAE buying Jerusalem properties on behalf of
Israel’
A Palestinian businessman who is affiliated
with former Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan is planning to buy real estate in the
Old City of Jerusalem on behalf of the UAE which is helping the occupation
expand its illegal settlements, the deputy head of the Islamic Movement in
Israel, Sheikh Kamal Khatib, warned yesterday.Khatib posted on Facebook that
“an Emirati businessman very close to Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohammed Bin
Zayed, is planning to buy houses and properties adjacent to Al-Aqsa Mosque in
particular, with the help of a Jerusalemite businessman who works for Dahlan.” “They
offered a resident of Jerusalem $ 5 million to buy his house which is adjacent
to Al-Aqsa Mosque. When he refused, they raised the offer to $20 million, but
the attempt to lure him was unsuccessful.”Khatib warned that these moves as
similar to those which took place in
2014 when “Bin Zayed’s regime” purchased houses for settlement institutions in
the Silwan and Wadi Hilwa areas in occupied Jerusalem.MEMO
Afghan Taliban announce Eid ceasefire after
Ashraf Ghani's unconditional offer
Kabul: Afghan Taliban on Saturday announced a
3-day ceasefire over the Eid holiday at the end of this week, their first offer
of its kind, following a ceasefire announced by the Govt on Thursday.The militants said foreign forces
would be excluded from the ceasefire and that operations against them would
continue. They also said they would defend themselves against any attack.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani announced an unconditional ceasefire with the
Taliban on Thursday, coinciding with the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan,
but excluding other militant groups, such as Islamic State.It was not
immediately clear when the Taliban ceasefire would begin, as Eid starts when
the moon is first sighted on either the 29th or 30th day of Ramadan, and the
moon appears at different times across the country.Reuters
'Russian' warplanes bomb Idlib, kill at least
44 people
Moscow denies its role in the overnight
bombing of Zardana village that killed 44 people, including six children.Air
attacks believed to have been carried out by Russia on a village in Syria's
rebel-held Idlib province killed at least 44 people overnight, inflicting the
highest death toll in a single attack on the region this year,a monitoring
group said on Friday. "Warplanes, which are likely Russian, targeted the
village of Zardana in northern rural Idlib overnight and caused the highest
death toll in a single attack on the region including 11 women and 6
children," Rami Abdulrahman, the director of the group, said. More than 60 people were also injured in the
attacks that took place in the village of Zardana, said the Britain-based
watchdog adding that the attack occurred after Muslims broke their Ramadan fast
after sunset.aljazeera
Minister: Turkey to take control of PKK’s Mt.
Qandil soon
Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu on Saturday
said Turkey is capable of taking control of northern Iraq’s Mount Qandil region
whenever it wants.In an interview to CNN Turk, Soylu said: “Turkey will see its
heroes in Qandil very soon. It is only a matter of timing.”Soylu noted that
Qandil is now a close target for Turkey.Airstrikes on PKK targets in northern
Iraq, where the group has its main base, near the Iranian border, have been
carried out regularly since July 2015.middleeastmonitor
Lebanon freezes UNHCR staff permits over Syria
refugees spat
Lebanon has ordered a freeze on residency
applications submitted by staff of UNHCR accusing it of discouraging Syrian
refugees from returning to their war-torn country. Caretaker Foreign Minister
Gebran Bassil said on Friday the agency hindered the return of refugees by
"spreading fear", adding that he would consider taking further
measures against the body. According to a statement by the Lebanese Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, UNHCR staff were discouraging Syrians' return home by
"asking specific questions that frighten them" related to the security
situation in Syria and their repatriation without international
oversight."UNHCR was telling them specifically 'do not return' which is
not their mandate," Ghadi al-Khoury, an official at the foreign ministry,
said. Al Jazeera.
UN:Attack on Yemen's Hudaida threatens up to
250000 lives
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/06/attack-yemen-hudaida-catastrophic-impact-180608092652188.html
UN has warned that a military attack or siege
by pro-Yemeni Govt forces supported by a
Saudi-led coalition on the port city of Hudaida will impact hundreds of
thousands of innocent civilians.Lise Grande, UN Humanitarian Coordinator for
Yemen, said on Friday that humanitarian agencies "fear, in a prolonged
worst case, that as many as 250,000 people may lose everything - even their
lives".As many as 600,000 civilians are currently living in and around the
rebel-held city, a vital lifeline through which most of Yemen's population gets
food and medicine, according to estimates by the UN and its partners.UN warned
that the likely "catastrophic humanitarian impact" would be worsened
due to Hudaida's key role as the point of entry for some 70 % of Yemen's
imports. "Cutting off imports
through Hudaida for any length of time will put Yemen's population at extreme,
unjustifiable risk," Grande said. Meanwhile, heavy fighting in Yemen's
Marib province left at least 20 Houthi rebels dead and several wounded, Yemen's
military announced on Friday.aljazeera
Austria to shut 7 mosques, could expel dozens
of imams as part of Govt action to crackdown on 'political Islam'
Austria is closing seven mosques and could
expel dozens of imams from the country, the Govt has announced. Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said Govt
is shutting down a Turkish mosque and dissolving a group called Arab Religious
Community, which runs 6 mosques. Austrian Govt's actions stem from a 2015 law,
which bans foreign funding of religious groups and required Muslim societies to
have "a positive fundamental view towards [Austria's] state and
society"."Parallel societies, political Islam and tendencies toward
radicalisation have no place in our country," Kurz said.Austria is home to
an estimated 600,000 Muslims, mostly of Turkish origin. aljazeera
US soldier killed, 5 wounded in 'enemy attack'
in Somalia
A US special operations soldier has been
killed and five military personnel - including four American service members -
wounded in an "enemy attack" in southwestern Somalia, according to US
officials.US military's Africa Command said that attack occurred in Jubaland,
where a large force comprising about 800 Somali, Kenyan and US troops were
conducting an operation against al-Shabab fighters. aljazeera
Qatar denies preventing citizens from
performing Umrah, Hajj in Saudi
Qatari
Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs has denied claims that Doha is not
allowing its citizens and residents from performing the Islamic rituals of
Umrah and Hajj in Saudi Arabia, the Qatar News Agency reported.The ministry
issued a statement in which it expressed great surprise at comments made by the
Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah regarding the rights of Qatari citizens and
residents to practice Islamic rituals in the Holy Land, saying the Kingdom’s
statement did not offer anything new to resolve the obstacles put before Qatari
Muslims since 2017.The Qatari ministry statement stressed that Saudi Arabia
continues to put obstacles and arbitrary measures on those living in
Qatar.middleeastmonitor
Rohingya upset UN agreement didn't address
citizenship
Rohingya Muslim refugees who fled attacks in
Myanmar say they are disappointed that a UN agreement signed earlier this week
did not address one of their key demands: citizenship. Most refugees say they
are desperate to go home, but fear going back unless they are given protection
and citizenship.On Wednesday, Myanmar and UN agencies signed an agreement that
could eventually lead to the return of some of the 700,000 Rohingya who fled
persecution in their homeland and are now crowded into makeshift camps in Bangladesh.
While the refugees welcomed the talks, they have also heard years of empty
promises from the Govt in Yangon.AP
Experts criticize new UN-Myanmar deal over
Rohingya
Myanmar Army, govt hold rare ‘national
security’ meeting over Rohingya crisis
Iraqi cleric Sadr announces disarmament
initiative
Iraqi’s Muqtada al-Sadr called for a
nationwide disarmament campaign and announced his Baghdad stronghold would be
first to disarm just two days after an ammunitions cache exploded there and
killed 18 people.Sadr, whose political bloc won Iraq’s parliamentary election
in May, called on all armed groups to hand in their weapons to the Govt and declared Baghdad’s Sadr City district
would be a weapons-free area later this month.“Everyone must obey the orders
and not stand in the way of this initiative. Everyone should hand over their
weapons without any discussion because the blood of Iraqis is more valuable to
us than anything else,” he told his supporters in a statement.The move appeared
to be aimed at easing tensions between Sadr and the Govt .MEMO
Chinese torture allegedly kills Islamic
scholar
Uyghur Islamic scholar Muhammad Salih Hajim
has died in a Chinese political indoctrination camp, World Uyghur Congress
(WUC) said. The Thursday statement noted that in Dec. 2017, Hajim(82) was held
and subjected to political indoctrination and propaganda.Hajim has translated
the Holy Quran from Arabic to Uyghur language, the international group of
exiled Uyghur said. "[He] was very likely subjected to torture and
ill-treatment during his imprisonment“Hajim’s death has occurred in the midst
of a massive crackdown by the Chinese authorities on the Uyghur people in
general and especially on their right to freedom of religion.“Hundreds of
thousands (possibly millions) of Uyghurs have been arrested across East
Turkestan and sent to ‘re-education’ camps for peacefully practicing their
religion, expressing themselves freely, or for having any dissident relatives
or associates,” it added.Anadolu Agency
FLASH: VIEWS & NEWS
At Nagpur, Pranab Mukherjee lost an
opportunity; Mohan Bhagwat seized it:Suhas Palshikar
Muslims are the 'others': Why Pranab Mukherjee's
nationalism is hardly different from that of RSS:M Reyaz
Are Bengalis Turning Vegetarian?Jawhar Sircar
‘A great son of Mother India’?: Here’s what
RSS founder KB Hedgewar said about Muslims:scroll
Anti-BJPism is propelling unlikely alliances
today — just as anti-Congressism had done in past:Christophe Jaffrelot
Pranab Mukherjee at RSS HQ: Images Speak
Louder Than Words:Ram Puniyani
There is no solution now for Kashmir: AS
Dulat, ex RAW chief
Can only sadhus and not bishops comment on
issues of national concern? Ram Puniyani
There Must Be No Double Standards in Using
Public Funds for Religious Places:Faizan Mustafa
From Naxal Links to Modi Assassination Plot,
Pune Police's Theories Branch Out:The Wire
Why Shekhar Gupta’s Objections To The
Cobrapost Paid-Media Sting Are Disingenuous:caravanmagazine
MP: People forced to store drinking water in a
septic tank
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