NEWS
DIGEST, MID-DAY
24 July 2018:10 Ziqada 1439: Vol:10, No:73
INDIA
'VHP men main culprits in Alwar lynching, police
role secondary': The Wire ground Report
Kolgaon, Haryana: Amidst the shifting
narrative surrounding the murder of Rakbar Khan – 28-year-old dairy farmer
whose killing on Saturday makes him the third Muslim to meet a violent end in
the Alwar region of Rajasthan in 15 months – this much is indisputable: he and
his friend Aslam Khan were brutally attacked by an angry mob of gau rakshaks
who had been brought to the spot by villagers worried about men trespassing
through their fields in the dark with cows.The assumption in the Lalawandi area
was that the men were Muslims, that they were ‘smugglers’, and that the cows
were being transported in order to be slaughtered for meat. In the charged
atmosphere that has gripped this district barely 125 kms from Delhi, these
assumptions – and the arrival of activists connected to the Vishwa Hindu
Parishad – were tantamount to a death sentence. And that is what was handed
down to Rakbar, say family members and social activists, even if the precise
sequence of events leading to his eventual demise remains a matter of dispute –
or deliberate obfuscation. Speaking to The Wire, farm owners in Lalawandi said
that they had informed the gau rakshak activists that for quite a few days,
some men had been trespassing through their fields at night with cows. The
farmers were convinced the men were cattle smugglers.“It was the fourth time in
the last 14 days that these men were taking cows through this shortcut to their
village. They would choose a time to cross our fields when there would be the
least chance of anybody being present. For the past few days, we had noticed
the footprints of men and cows in our fields but we couldn’t dare to stop them
single-handedly,” Gaj Raj Yadav, one of the local land owners where the
incident took place said. “So we informed some local men who claimed to be
working for gau raksha about this problem. Our farms are the last spot where
these smugglers could be caught. Beyond these, the Mohammedan area starts.”
There, he alleged, “they openly sell beef and you cannot question anybody.”The
gau rakhsa activists were then summoned and lay in waiting, presumably to
ensure the ‘Mohammedans’ were caught before they entered their own area.
Rakbar, who had bought two cows from the neighbouring village of Khanpur and
was walking them home to Kolgaon along with Aslam, had no inkling of the mob
that lay in wait for him.The fact that Rakbar was alive when the police took
him away has now become grounds for the cow protection activists to assert
their own innocence and pin the entire blame for his murder on the police.Naval
Kishore Sharma, chief of Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s gau raksha cell in Ramgarh,
was the man who informed the police about the incident. He later narrated how
the clothes of the muddied Rakbar were changed with the locals’ help. He also
circulated a photograph of the victim seated in a police vehicle as proof that
he was not just alive but well enough to sit up.The police deny Rakbar was
brought to the police station or that they washed the mud off him and changed
his clothes, a claim made by witnesses to the Indian Express. But they do admit
they took time sending the two cows that he had been transporting to a gaushala
before attending to Rakbar’s treatment. Whatever the truth about the delay, by
the time Rakbar was taken to CHC, he was already dead. CHC in-charge, Dr Hasan
Ali Khan said,“Rakbar was dead when the police brought him to the CHC at 4:00
am. When I asked for a post-mortem, the police said it would be done in Alwar.”
The doctor said Rakbar’s clothes were dry, which suggests they had perhaps been
changed. Aslam, who managed to escape when he and Rakbar were attacked, gave
his statement to the police but was not in the village when this reporter
visited.However, the Tribune met up with Aslam in Gurgaon, where he alleged the
attackers said they had the support of the local BJP MLA, Gyan Dev Ahuja.Local
activists and community leaders believe that reports of a delay in taking
Rakbar to hospital have been put out to complicate the clear fact that local
goons under the cover of ‘cow protection’ killed Rakbar.
Rakbar died in police custody:Rajasthan home
minister
New Delhi:Rajasthan’s home minister Gulab
Chand Kataria said on Tuesday that Rakbar Khan who was beaten up by a mob of
cow vigilantes, actually died in custody.“According to the evidence we have
collected, it looks like a custodial death. Further investigation is underway,”
Kataria said about the Alwar lynching case.“I met the victim’s family and they
told me that they are satisfied with the action taken so far. I told them to
come and meet me whenever they want if they want to tell me something more,” he
added.On Tuesday, BJP MLA from Ramgarh (Alwar) Gyandev Ahuja had also accused
the police of beating up Rakbar in custody.hindustantimes
Alwar lynching victim’s friend said assailants
claimed to be MLA’s men: Police
Jaipur:Aslam Khan, who escaped the lynching in
Alwar Friday when Rakbar alias Akbar was killed on suspicion of being a cow
smuggler, has told police that the men who attacked them claimed the support of
an “MLA” and that they “could not be harmed”. In a statement to the Alwar
police on Sunday night, before the investigation was transferred to the Jaipur
range, Khan said: “They were saying that the MLA is with them and that no one
can harm them.” Police also said Aslam heard them taking each other’s names — Dharmendra,
Paramjeet, Naresh, Suresh and Vijay.Rakbar (32) was transporting cows on foot
with Aslam Khan, in his early twenties, when they were stopped, allegedly by
villagers in Lalwandi, under the jurisdiction of the Ramgarh police station in
Alwar district. While Rakbar was beaten to death, Aslam managed to escape. After
the incident, however, Khan had told the Indian Express that he had not heard
anything and that as soon as one of the locals fired a gun, and ambushed them,
“Rakbar threw the leash he was holding and started running. The men started
running after him while I hid in the bushes and the fields nearby. I don’t know
what happened to him”. His statement comes at a time when the state Govt is under fire for lapses by the police and
incidentally, Ramgarh MLA Gyan Dev Ahuja was the first to question the police’s
role and had sought a judicial inquiry, saying that cow vigilantes were being
unnecessarily targeted. After drawing sharp criticism for the delay in taking
Rakbar to the hospital, Special DG NRK Reddy said that there was an “error in
judgement” by the policemen. State DGP OP Galhotra also ordered a probe by a
high-level team under Reddy to look into “connected issues related with the
murder of Akbar”. While police had reached the spot of the lynching at 1 am,
hospital records show Rakbar was brought in at 4 am and was declared
dead.According to Reddy, Akbar appeared fine to police and they did not realise
he had critical internal injuries.Earlier in the day, a video which went viral,
showed ASI Mohan Singh, on whose complaint the FIR was lodged, saying, “It was
my fault. I have told everyone, punish me or forgive me.There is nothing more
left to say.”indianexpress
Alwar Lynching: Rajasthan Police Suspend
Officer,Transfer Constables After Mob Victims's Death
"Punish Me": Rajasthan Cop Admits
Delay In Taking Mob Victim To Hospital
Lynchings will stop if people don’t eat beef,
says RSS leader Indresh Kumar
RSS leader Indresh Kumar on Monday said crimes
like mob lynching could stop if people stopped eating beef. He also emphasised
on the role of ‘sanskar’ (values) for dealing with such problems. “Mob lynching
can’t be welcomed…if the practice of eating cow meat is stopped, many such
crimes of the ‘Satan’ could be stopped,” he said. His comments came days after
a man was lynched on suspicion of cow smuggling in Rajasthan’s Alwar
district.“…it is true that not a single religion in the world approves killing
of cows. Be it Christianity, which talks of ‘Holy Cow’, because Jesus was born
in a cowshed; or Islam, where killing cows is banned in Mecca and Madina
(cities in western Saudi Arabia); or any other religion, killing a cow is not
approved anywhere,” he said.“Law has to be there and the Govt must act, but society also needs the right
‘sanskar’ to deal with this problem,” he said. Addressing a press meet in a
hotel after inauguration of the office of the Jharkhand unit of Hindu Jagran
Manch in Ranchi, Kumar told the media that many Muslim parties associated with
the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case, have already agreed to give up the
demand for a mosque at Ayodhya, which was “Ram Janmasthan (birthplace of Ram)”.
He also claimed that calling Hindus communal is fraught with the risk of
labelling all religions in the world as communal.indianexpress
Muslim community should abstain from touching
cows, provoking Hindus: BJP leader Katiyar on Alwar lynching
Lucknow:In a major embarrassment for BJP,
senior leader Vinay Katiyar has stoked a massive controversy by blaming Muslims
for the Alwar lynching incident.Speaking to India Today, Katiyar said,
"The incident of mob lynching in Alwar is highly condemnable but people from
the Muslim community should abstain from touching cows and provoke aggressive
Hindus.There are lot of Muslims who are sheltering cows but are also killing
them. Cow meat is also being consumed by them."Katiyar added that no
separate law is required to curb the rising incidents of lynching and
opposition parties have got a new issue to disrupt the ongoing Parliament
session.indiatoday
Centre will bring law against lynchings if
needed: Rajnath Singh tells Parliament
Union home minister Rajnath Singh said today
the Govt will enact a law, if necessary,
to curb the rising incidents of lynchings across the country as the opposition
mounted an attack on the issue in Parliament.Singh said in the Lok Sabha the Govt
has taken the issue seriously and would
look at taking stringent action against the culprits.Singh’s comment came after
Rakbar Khan, was allegedly beaten to death late on Friday by suspected cow
vigilantes in Ramgarh’s Lalavandi forests in Alwar district, where three people
engaged in the cattle trade have been killed since April last year.Opposition
parties, mainly the Congress and Trinamool Congress, raised the issue in the
Lower House during Zero Hour and demanded that the Centre deal with such
violent incidents.hindustantimes
Cattle trade rules: Govt was warned within
New Delhi : 15
months before the controversial cattle trade rules were withdrawn by the
Centre, questions were raised internally during the framing stage on whether
the central Govt was “competent” to make
rules under what was essentially a state subject, a Right to Information
application filed by Indian Express has revealed.Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals (Regulation of Livestock Market) Rules, notified on May 23, 2017 banned
sale of cattle for slaughter in animal markets, it was later withdrawn in Oct.2017,
and subsequently revised, after a discussion headed by a Group of Ministers
headed by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari.Between the draft and final notification
stage in early 2017, Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) received only
13 representations. One from the Animal Welfare Board of Uttarakhand Govt , and
none objecting to the ‘ban on slaughter’ clause.An RTI query filed by Indian
Express with MoEF revealed that Animal Welfare Board of India was questioned as
early as June of 2016 over its jurisdiction to draw up federal guidelines to
regulate animal markets.indianexpress
Silent at lynching of poor Muslim dairy
farmers at home, Modi donates 200 cows to poor in Rwanda
New Delhi: Hardly a week passes in India when
a poor Muslim dairy farmer is not lynched by Hindutva mob while transporting
cows, calves or buffaloes after purchasing them from cattle market or
individual farmers. PM Narendra Modi has
maintained almost studied silence on these killings. Now contrast this with the
gesture of PM Modi in Rwanda where he wholeheartedly supported the local Govt ’s
cow economy project for poor families. Going ahead, he donated 200
locally-reared cows to the Rwandan Govt to support its project.PM Modi on Tuesday
visited a village in Rwanda and donated 200 cows for an economic development
project of East African nation.“Being part of a transformative project towards
economic development of Rwanda!”, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson
Raveesh Kumar tweeted.“PM @narendramodi donates 200 cows under #Girinka – One
Cow Per Poor Family Programme at Rweru village,” Kumar stated.“Girinka is an
ambitious project that provides both nutritional and financial security to the
poor.”caravandaily
Mayawati: “Mob lynching a deed of
narrow-minded BJP members, supporters
“BJP Govt will be remembered for taking immature
decisions that have led to an increase in incidences of mob lynching of
innocent people, giving freedom to commit murders, damaging democracy in the
nation and endangering peoples' lives”, said BSP chief Mayawati in Delhi today.“Mob
lynching is a deed of narrow-minded BJP members and supporters, but they
consider it patriotism. I condemn the Alwar lynching incident but think that
BJP won't be able to take appropriate action in the case.Therefore, I request
Court to intervene,”, ANI quoted Mayawati as saying. BSP chief also said that
BSP will contest elections as a part of coalition Govt only if it gets respectable number of seats.
“BSP wants to tell Congress leaders giving reactions about an alliance with BSP
in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, that the same condition applies
to Congress as well”, said Mayawati.nationalheraldindia
Muslim youth assaulted by hindutva mob at Ghaziabad
court for attempting to marry Hindu woman
New Delhi: A Muslim youth was brutally assaulted
by a mob comprising members of a Hindu-right group at a court in Ghaziabad near
the National Capital on Monday. The youth and a girl from other community had
gone to the court to get married. Both work at a company in Noida, the twin
city of Delhi.A video of the incident shot from a building has gone viral on
the social media. According to the local police, the Muslim youth identified as
Sahil is a native of Bhopal and works at a company in Noida. The girl Preeti
Singh, a native of Bijnore district in Western UP, also works in the same
company. “After they fell in love, they decided to marry as their parents were
not agreeing. The girl is a Rajput by caste and the man was Muslim. The couple
wanted to register their marriage at Ghaziabad court as a friend told that it
is safe and easy process there,” a police official told The Hindu.The two had
gone to the Ghaziabad court on Monday to meet an advocate to get married. Even
as they were discussing about the procedure, a crowd barged into the advocate’s
chamber and started a scuffle with the man. Police reached the spot in a few
minutes and then brought the couple to the Sihani Gate police station, says the
daily.The couple refused to register any complaint but a police official
registered a case against the unknown persons under his own complaint.“We have
registered a FIR against unknown people under IPC section 147 (rioting), 323
(causing hurt), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the
peace) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) at Sihani Gate police
station,” a police official was quoted as saying.caravandaily
National Commission for Minorities lambasted
Alwar police dealing with lynching case
New Delhi: Anguished by yet another incident
of lynching from Alwar district in Rajasthan, National Commission for
Minorities on Monday lambasted the local police for its "negligence"
in dealing with the matter and went on to say that the victim died due to
police's negligence. Minorities panel sought a detailed report from authorities
on the issue, especially asking them to provide details of the incident whether
there was any delay on police's part to take victim Rakbar to hospital.NewIndianExpress
Maha panchayat of dalits, tribals and
minorities held in Jaipur
JAIPUR: Prakash Ambedkar, grandson of
Babasaheb Ambedkar has called for a grand alliance of dalits, tribals and
minorities to defeat BJP in the upcoming polls in the state. Speaking at a maha
panchayat of dalits, tribals and Alpsankhyak Daman Pratirodh Andolan at Shaheed
Smarak in Jaipur on Sunday, Ambedkar held PM Modi's silence responsible for the
spate in mob lynching cases in the country. The programme was organised by PUCL
and other human rights groups. He accused BJP for conspiring to project Muslims
as terrorists and SCs and STs as Naxalites. “The strategic silence of Modi is
motivating the extremist mob to lynch people. They are taking country towards
mobocracy,” said Ambedkar, a 2-time MP from Maharashtra, while referring to the
lynching of Rakhbar Khan in Alwar on Saturday. He said that Bofors scandal has resulted
in the downfall of the Congress Govt and similarly the Rafale deal with seal
the fate of Modi Govt. Ambedkar is national president of Bharipa Bahujan
Mahasangh based in Maharashtra.He reminded the audience that in Gujarat they
have demonstrated that an alliance can defeat BJP. “We missed the chance to
dethrone BJP by a whisker due to Congress which refused to drop their
candidates at 6 constituencies supported by us,” said Ambedkar. Dalit leader,
Jignesh Mevani, who has covered 11 districts in the past 2 months in Rajasthan
in a fierce speech has disclosed that his group ‘Team Rajasthan’ are mobilizing
dalits to take pledge not to vote for BJP. Mevani is reading the pulse of state
by visiting the Dalit strongholds in the areakeeping an eye on the upcoming
assembly polls. TOI
Govt stand on Lokpal appointment is ‘wholly
unsatisfactory,’: SC
The Supreme Court today said the Govt’s stand
on completing the appointment of a Lokpal, an ombudsman to protect the common
man from corruption in public service and power centres, was “wholly
unsatisfactory.”The court was reacting to an affidavit filed by Govt, the
stated aim of it being to specify the exact time frame by which it would
appoint a Lokpal. Instead, Govt, represented by Attorney General K.K.
Venugopal, said it was a “complicated” process.Advocate Prashant Bhushan, who
filed a contempt petition against the Govt for not appointing a Lokpal despite an April
2017 judgment by the court, said the SC should now take over and appoint a
Lokpal.“They [Govt ] are just dragging their feet. The court should start the
procedure of appointing a search committee [to shortlist the candidates for
Lokpal],” Bhushan, for NGO Common Cause, submitted. The judges should “consult
among themselves,” he said.“Let the SC give names and let the court appoint a
Lokpal,” he urged the court.After a short discussion with Justices R. Banumathi
and Navin Sinha on the Bench, Justice Gogoi began to pass a short order,
recording that the Govt affidavit was
“wholly unsatisfactory” and the competent authority should file a second
affidavit with all the details of what it had done in the appointment
process.At this point, Venugopal said the court may make it clear what
“details” it wanted from Govt in the
second affidavit.The hindu
Umar Khalid claims JNU not allowing him to
submit PhD thesis despite Delhi HC order
New Delhi:JNU student Umar Khalid has claimed
he was not allowed to submit his PhD papers on Monday, the last date to submit
thesis, despite the Delhi high court’s instructions to the university not to
take “coercive action” against him and other students till their plea was heard
on Tuesday. Khalid was among the three students who were arrested in connection
with an event held on February 9, 2016, on campus in which anti-national
slogans were allegedly raised.He was rusticated for one semester and a fine of
Rs 20,000 was imposed on him after a high-level enquiry committee (HLEC) of the
university found him guilty of indiscipline.“I wasn’t allowed to submit my PhD,
saying I have not given the fine imposed by enquiry committee. But we have
challenged it in high court and there is already a direction to not use coercive
action against students till the next hearing,” Khalid said.He said the chief
proctor refused to give him clearance to submit the PhD after which he
approached the court again on Monday afternoon.Khalid then filed an application
in the HC seeking directions to the university to allow him to submit his PhD.
The court allowed him to submit his PhD, saying the last date of submission
(Monday) would not be valid for him.“I went to the administration again but
despite today’s instruction from the court, the chief proctor refused. I will
fight this case even if I have to go to the Supreme Court,” he said.The JNU
vice-chancellor, registrar, chief proctor and rector did not respond to calls
and text messages for a comment on the matter.HT
Maratha quota stir turns violent, two attempt
suicide; Internet suspended in Aurangabad
Authorities on Tuesday rushed more forces and
shut down internet services as Maratha protesters demanding reservation in
Maharashtra’s Aurangabad district and parts of Marathwada set vehicles,
including those of the police and fire departments, on fire and pelted stones
even as two men tried to commit suicide.“Seventy % force of all the units have
been mobilised,” additional director general of police (law and order) Bipin
Bihari said while speaking to the HT. Seven battalions of the SRPF have been
deployed in certain sensitive areas besides the local police, officials
said.Authorities suspended internet service to stop users from spreading
rumours on social media in Aurangabad, where tension prevailed in May due to
communal riots in which the police faced wrath for not handling the situation
well.The protests follow a call for a shutdown in Maharashtra by Maratha Sakal
Samaj, umbrella body for various Maratha outfits, after 27-year-old Kakasaheb
Shinde jumped into the Godavari river and drowned on Monday during the
agitation for reservation in Govt jobs
and education.HT
PNB fraud: Fugitive Mehul Choksi has moved to
Antigua, taken local passport, say officials
New Delhi :Absconding diamantaire Mehul Choksi
has moved to Antigua from US and taken the passport of the Caribbean country,
PTI quoted Govt sources as saying.In
response to diffusion notice issued by Interpol, Enforcement Directorate has
been informed by Antiguan authorities that Choksi arrived there this month and
had taken the passport of that country, they said.Choksi had fled the country
in the first week of January, nearly weeks before the alleged fraud surfaced at
the Punjab National bank to the tune of Rs 13,400 crore. Uncle of his alleged
partner in crime, Nirav Modi, Choksi was booked by CBI in two cases related to
the scam and filed a charge sheet against him.In Mumbai, a special court has
issued a Non-Bailable Warrant against Choksi, following which CBI moved Interpol
for the issuance of Red Corner Notice against Gitanjali group promoter but it
is still under process. On this basis, request for Red Corner Notice was moved
in June.indianexpress
Jinnah House in Mumbai belongs to govt, no
question of disposing it: Centre in Lok Sabha
The Jinnah House, a sea facing bungalow in
South Mumbai, is a property of the Govt of India and the question of disposing it does
not arise, the Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday.Union minister of state for
home Hansraj Gangaram Ahir said Pakistan founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s house
does not come under the purview of the Enemy Property Act and the house stands
under the category of ‘Evacuee Property’.The house is under the administration
of the Evacuee Property Act, 1950, the minister said. “Jinnah’s house is a Govt
of India property and the question of
disposing the said property does not arise,” Ahir said in a written
reply.hindustantimes
To save Taj Mahal, UP govt’s vision document
wants polluting units shut, area declared no-plastic zone
New Delhi:The entire Taj Mahal precinct should
be declared a no-plastic zone and all polluting industries in the region
closed, the Uttar Pradesh Govt suggested
in its first draft report of a vision document on protection and preservation
of the 17th century monument filed in the Supreme Court today.Uttar Pradesh Govt
mentioned the matter before a bench of
Justices MB Lokur and Deepak Gupta.The vision document was submitted after an
angry apex court on July 11 lashed out the state Govt for its apathy towards the Mughal era
monument, considered one of the seven wonders of the world and a major tourist
draw.Advocate Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the state Govt , told the bench
that they be allowed to file the document.The court allowed the counsel to file
the draft.UP Govt told the apex court
that the entire Taj Mahal precinct should be declared a no-plastic zone and the
use of bottled water inside should also be prohibited.The state Govt said all polluting industries in region should
be closed, while more tourism hubs should be created.PTI
Iran Replaces Saudi to Become India's No. 2
Oil Supplier
New Delhi: Iran was the second-biggest oil
supplier to Indian state refiners between April and June, said India’s oil
minister, replacing Saudi Arabia as companies took advantage of steeper
discounts offered by Tehran.India, Iran‘s top oil client after China, shipped
in 5.67 million tonnes or about 457,000 barrels per day (bpd) of oil from the
country in the first three months of this fiscal year, Dharmendra Pradhan told
lawmakers in a written reply.He did not provide comparable numbers from the
year-ago period. Data compiled by Reuters shows that India imported about 3.46
million tonnes, or about 279,000 bpd, from Iran between April and June last
year.State refiners, accounting for about 60% of India’s five million bpd
refining capacity, had curbed imports from Iran last year in protest against
Tehran’s move to grant development rights for the giant Farzad B gas field to
other parties.The refiners – Indian Oil Corp, Chennai Petroleum Corp, Bharat
Petroleum and its unit Bharat Oman Refineries Ltd, Hindustan Petroleum and
Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals – shipped in 9.8 million tonnes of
Iranian oil in 2017-2018, about a quarter less than a year ago, showed
Pradhan’s reply.thewire
US panel proposes waivers to protect India
from Russia sanctions
A US congressional committee on Tuesday
proposed waivers for countries like India from punitive sanctions against those
doing business with Russia’s defence industry.The Senate and House Armed
Services Committee in a joint conference report to National Defense
Authorisation Act (NDAA)-2019 provided a modified waiver to section 231 of the
Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act or CAATSA.A conference
report refers to the final version of a bill that is negotiated between the
House of Representatives and the Senate via conference committee.CAATSA waiver
though general in nature is intended at preventing US sanctions on India, which
is planning to buy five S-400 Triumf air defence systems for around USD 4.5
billion from Russia. Unlike the existing version of the act, the proposed
modified waiver requires presidential certifications designed to protect US
alliances, military operations, and sensitive technology, said a statement
issued by the Senate Armed Services Committee after the two committees
announced details of the conference report.John McCain National Defence
Authorisation Act for Fiscal Year 2019, which authorises funding for the
Department of Defense and the national security programmes of the Department of
Energy, encourages US allies and partners to reduce inventory of
Russian-produced major defence equipment and advanced conventional weapons.HT
David Headley attacked inside prison? US
authorities say ‘unable to locate information’: indianexpress
David Headley, the Pakistani-American
convicted for his role in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks and undergoing a 35-year
prison term in the US has reportedly been attacked inside a correctional
centre. US authorities, however, say they have no details about him.“We are not
able to locate information about this individual,” the Metropolitan
Correctional Center in Chicago said in a brief email response to PTI when asked
about the incident. Headley’s lawyer John Teis says he has no information about
the attack and confirmed to a news daily that Headley was not being held at the
correctional centre in Chicago.Authorities in India, too, have refused to
comment on the news report saying no such information has been made available
to them. A news report claimed that Headley was attacked on July 8 by 2 inmates
inside the facility and was rushed to North Evanston hospital. He reportedly
suffered serious injuries and was admitted to critical care unit.
2 Bangladeshi terror suspects arrested in
Greater Noida
Lucknow: Bangladesh nationals Rubel Ahmed
alias Munir ul Islam and Musharraf Hussain alias Musa, suspected of having
links with a terror group based in their country, were on Tuesday arrested in
Gautam Budh Nagar district of UP.Police said the 2 were "active
members" of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh or JMB. They were arrested in
a joint operation by the Uttar Pradesh police's ATS, Noida police and the West
Bengal police from the Surajpur police station area. They had escaped from Bangalesh
in March and started operating out of Noida and Ghaziabad, ATS said in a
statement.The arrests followed intelligence inputs from the West Bengal police.
The police, however, did not specify the exact nature of terror activities they
were involved in. Also, no recoveries were made from the two."No
recoveries were made initially. No arms, cash or drugs. Things will be known
after a thorough joint questioning," U.P. DGP O.P Singh told
reporters.thehindu
Report Criticises UP Law to Control Organised
Crime, Calls It 'a Mockery of Justice'
New Delhi: A report by the PUDR has criticised
Uttar Pradesh’s recently enacted UP Control of Organised Crime Bill (UPCOCB).
The report, an analysis of the fine print of the law, calls the law “a mockery
of procedure”. It finds that the law “enhances” the power of the police to
“force the accused to incriminate themselves”. The law requires the accused to
answer all questions put to her while in police custody and these answers can
then be used in court as admissible evidence. “This provision enables
self-incrimination by the accused under duress,” report states. PUDR report
also finds that the UPCOCB could be used to hold people in preventive detention
“through the backdoor”. The Act doubles the period an accused can be held in
judicial remand for from 90 days to 180 days. Further, the Act places
restrictions on granting of bail such that the accused cannot be granted bail
before filing of the chargesheet. While an accused may be granted bail after filing
of the chargesheet, the Act requires the judge to be ‘satisfied’ that the
accused is innocent. Explaining the oddity of this clause, the PUDR report
said, “How can the judge decide whether the accused is innocent before
completing the trial? And if the judge is so satisfied, the accused needs to be
set free and not just made eligible for bail!”thewire
New Valley video has 25 militants, police say
both Hizbul and Lashkar
Srinagar :Triggering concern among security
forces in the Valley, militants have posted a new video on social networking
sites, which shows at least 25 of them, all carrying guns, posing for the
camera in an orchard somewhere in South Kashmir.While the group is led by
Hizbul Mujahideen commander Zeenat-ul-Islam, police sources said one of the
militants could be Hizbul Mujahideen’s scholar-turned-militant Manan Wani. The
camera zooms in on each face, one by one. Some of the militants in the group
are yet to be identified.Police sources said the video seemed to have been shot
in the apple orchards of Shopian, in South Kashmir, and included both Hizbul
Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Toiba militants. The video is suspected to have been shot
recently, as small apples can be seen hanging from the trees.indianexpress
Modi govt may turn DD and AIR into public
sector firms, disband Prasar Bharati: theprint
New Delhi: Narendra Modi Govt is actively
considering dissolving Prasar Bharati after 2019 while exploring possible
models to run the two bodies under it — DD and All India Radio(AIR) — including
converting them into public sector companies. The move raises concerns that DD
and AIR could lose their autonomy in the future. Transforming the two bodies
into PSUs will allow the Govt to have
greater control over them, as against their current status, where they are technically
autonomous bodies under Prasar Bharati (Broadcasting Corporation of India) Act,
1990.So far, I&B ministry has held at least three meetings with officials
of DD and AIR in this regard.Highly-placed ministry sources said the ministry
is keenly exploring the possibility of turning them into PSUs, where the
central Govt will have the major stake
while offering some degree of control to the states.Govt ’s proposal is in line
with the recommendations of a panel of secretaries which had, last year, called
for terminating Prasar Bharati’s operations and turning AIR and DD into
corporations.I&B ministry has said on several occasions that it will not
fund Prasar Bharati beyond 2019. As of now, a major chunk of the ministry’s
annual budget is allocated for Prasar Bharati.DD currently runs 23 TV channels
while AIR has 416 radio channels.The Govt is likely to justify its decision on the
grounds that Prasar Bharati is no longer performing its role as a public
service broadcaster.
Let states decide the issue of minorities;
Centre brushes aside the matter
New
Delhi: Central Govt has brushed aside
the matter of giving Hindus a minority status in eight out of 29 states where
their number is fewer than the dominant community of that particular state.
Strangely, BJP is in alliance in 5 out of 8 states. The move comes after the
matter was forwarded to the Central Govt by the SC. Union minority works
minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said that the ministry received some requests from
different organizations and institutions of declaring Hindus the status of
minority. He said that Centre declares any community minority at the national
level not at the states level. He said that declaring any community a minority
comes under the purview of the state Govt . Sources said that giving Hindus
minority status in states will open up Pandora's Box and the demand of minority
status will mushroom. Actually the matter was started when Delhi BJP
spokesperson and lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay filed a petition demanding minority
status to Hindus in 8 states. The SC suggested him to go to Minority Commission
with this matter. As per the order passed by the SC, Upadhyay gave presentation
to the minority commission. Minority Commission chairman Gairul Hasan Rizvi
said that after the presentation made by Upadhyay, a 3-member sub-committee was
set up by the commission. The committee is headed by George Kurian and its
other members included Sulekha Kumbare and Manjit Sing Rai. Though the
committee has prepared its report but it has not officially submitted it. Rizvi
said that the commission was working on the report and by the end of this year
it would submit the report to Govt . Rizvi has termed decision of Centre as
absolutely appropriate by saying that unless the state Govt s send their
proposals to the Centre, it cannot give minority status to any community.
oneindia
Triple Talaq meant to get rid of cheating
wives :SP leader
Bareilly: Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Riyaz
Ahmed has said that while Shariat laws say that Talaq should be given in 3
stages, the instant Triple Talaq was meant to save the lives of cheating women.
Speaking to ANI, Ahmed said that in case a man ever finds his wife having an
extra-marital affair, he does not have to kill her and can get rid of her via
triple talaq, thus sparing her life."Shariat says Talaq should be given in
3 stages. Whereas, triple talaq has been kept as an option for times like if,
for example, you find your wife in a compromising situation with another man,
what will you do? You will either kill her or give triple talaq to get rid of
her. So to save a life, this was introduced," Ahmed said. He further
stated that BJP did not actually care about Muslim women and were only playing
politics with the Triple Talaq issue."If they actually care about the
downtrodden Muslim women, then they should reserve 8% seats for Muslim women in the upcoming Women
Reservation Bill," Ahmed said.asianage
A dozen Muslim families flee a village in UP's
Kaushambi district fearing police atrocities, communal tensions
Yet another case of an exodus of Muslim
families has emerged from UP, this time from Kaushambi district. About a dozen
Muslim families have fled the village in the first week of July due to fear of
Police atrocities. As per the
allegations, the police actions are the result of the pressure from the BJP
MLA. The case pertains to Surseni village of Sarai Akil area of Kaushambi
district.The mass exodus followed the incident on June 29 when two groups
landed into the clash with each other over a truck loaded with sand. According
to a local source, Dr. Nisar Ahmad, a resident of the same village, had called
a sand truck for some of his work, but the truck was allegedly overloaded. Manoj
Dwivedi, the former village head, and his brother Rajendra Dwivedi immediately
started filming the sand trucks entering into the village with their
cellphones. This matter led to a clash between Dr Nisar and Dwivedis, who have
been alleging Nisar as a member of the Sand Mafia.The sources further informed
that people from both the sides gathered at the site of the clash, and soon it
turned into a violent episode. Followed by this, a case was registered at Sarai
Akil police station against 11 named individual including Dr Nisar and about 60
unnamed people. Soon after the FIR was filed, the local police started raiding
the Muslim colonies and houses in Surseni village, making police action look
biased against one community. The locals have alleged that the Police have been
acting only against Muslims after receiving such order from Sanjay Gupta, a BJP
MLA from Chail constituency of Kaushambi.The locals, as well as the sources,
have alleged that while Police successfully arrested seven people named in the
FIR, it continued the search for the remaining four people. During their raid,
Police allegedly barged into the houses of Muslims and mistreated women and
children for several days. As per the locals, the police action has been “religiously”
as well as “politically” motivated.Aggravated by the police actions, Muslims of
the village started abandoning the village by locking their houses and taking
their belongings with them. Soon, the issue caught the attention of Reena
Shukla, the current village head, who rushed to the Muslim neighbourhood and
promised an end to atrocities. While few families stopped, but many decided not
to stay. The practices to call them back to village have already started, and
reportedly, few families have returned back on the assurance of
justice.However,police deny that any such exodus has ever happened in the
village.TCN
42 girls ‘raped’ in Bihar shelter, police dig
for ‘buried’ body
Patna:Acting on court orders, Bihar Police on
Monday dug up a ground on the premises of a Muzaffarpur shelter home run by an
NGO in search of the body of an inmate who was allegedly murdered after sexual
assault. The excavation work ended as nobody could be found.The matter came to
light after a social audit report of the TISS claimed that 42 girl inmates of
the Muzaffarpur Balika Grih had allegedly been sexually assaulted. The inmates
were allegedly beaten up or drugged before being sexually abused.One of the
victims alleged that those who resisted rape were killed. A girl was beaten up
and killed and her body was buried on the stay home premises, she had alleged.
The court ordered excavation to exhume her body in presence of magistrate
Sheela Kumari.“On court’s permission, excavation was carried out at the stay
home run by NGO Seva Sankalp and Vikas Samiti on Monday with the help of
sniffer dogs but nothing was found. Further probe is on to ascertain veracity
of the allegations,”said Muzaffarpur SSP Harpreet Kaur.“One of the inmates had
alleged that staff members often assaulted girl inmates and one of them had
died in the process. We dug up the spot on the premises to verify her claims,” she
said.At least 30 traumatised rape survivors were under medical observation at
various hospitals. tribuneindia
WORLD
Israel partially lifts limitations on Gaza
goods crossing
Israel says it is partially reopening its only
commercial crossing with the besieged Gaza Strip. According to a statement issued by Israeli
Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman's office on Tuesday, the partial reopening
was set to begin at 12:00pm, after which it "will be possible to transfer
gas and fuel into the Gaza Strip, in addition to food and medicine".The
Kerem Shalom crossing, known as Karem Abu Salem to Palestinians, was partially
closed on July 9 with only goods regarded by Israel as "humanitarian"
- such as fuel, medicine, and food - allowed to enter. A week later, Israeli
authorities, citing "continued terror efforts of Hamas", tightened
the blockade on the coastal enclave, suspending fuel and gas deliveries.The
authorities were referring to incendiary kites and balloons sent from the
Palestinian side above the Israeli fence east of the strip, setting fire to
agricultural lands owned by Israelis and reportedly causing hundreds of
thousands of dollars worth of damage.Tuesday's statement also said the crossing
could soon return to full activity "conditioned on the full cessation of
fire-balloon launches and friction on the fence".aljazeera
Fatah official: We have to respect Hamas, not
dismantle it
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180724-fatah-official-we-have-to-respect-hamas-not-dismantle-it/
Palestinian Authority will do everything it
can to undermine the Egypt-backed reconciliation agreement for Palestinian
factions because the deal would mean elections would have to be held and these
would undermine President Mahmoud Abbas’ power, a senior Fatah official has
said.In an interview with an Egyptian newspaper, Ayman Al-Reqib said Fatah
should respect rival factions and not seek to “dismantle” them and they
represent a “large portion” of Palestinian society.The Fatah official said that
the Egyptian proposal laid down “direct solutions for the differences and
reached agreements which were not sorted out in October’s deal,” including the
recruitment of employees by Hamas and how to deal with them.middleeastmonitor
Calling Israel racist is not anti-Semitism
insist international Jewish coalition
Forty Jewish organisations from around the
world have issued a joint statement dispelling the notion that calling Israel a
racist country is anti-Sematic. The group denounced sections of the
International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of
anti-Semitism saying that it stifles criticism of Israel with false accusations
of racism against Jews.The statement by the international coalition, which also
includes dozens of non-Jewish groups from 15 different countries, coincides
with a row within the British Labour Party over some of the examples of
anti-Semitism contained in the IHRA guideline. While the National Executive
Committee (NEC) of the party has adopted the universal definition of
anti-Semitism, it left out or re-worded sections which equated anti-Semitism
with criticism of Israel.Warning against the suppression of free speech while
authoritarianism and racism is on the rise across the globe, the international
coalition cautions against the adoption of a definition of anti-Semitism that
shields Israel from criticism and stifles discussion over its
policies.middleeastmonitor
Israeli military shoots down Syrian jet that
infiltrated its airspace
Beirut :Israel Tuesday shot down a Syrian
fighter jet which it claimed had breached its airspace, reported AP. According
to the Israeli military, the Syrian Sukhoi fighter jet was shot down with
Patriot missiles after it penetrated Israeli airspace by about two km .Syrian
forces have been battling rebels and Islamic State militants at the frontier
with Israel in recent weeks.Today was the first time Govt forces reached the border fence with the
United Nation’s Disengagement Observer Force at the edge of the
Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. This incident was the first time Israel took
down a Syrian jet in nearly four years.As per the Israeli military, reported
AP, Syrian Air Force had intensified their activity since morning
hours.indianexpress
Israel rejects Russian offer on Iranian forces
in Syria
Israel has rejected a Russian proposal to keep
Iranian forces in Syria 100 kilometers (62 miles) away from Israel-occupied
Golan Heights cease-fire line, according to Israeli daily Yediot Aharonoth on
Tuesday. The proposal was made during talks Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu held on Monday with visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov
and Military Chief-of-Staff Valery Vasilyevich Gerasimov in Jerusalem.
"The Russians are speaking about (the 100-km buffer zone) and are
committed to it, but we said there are also long-range weapons beyond this
zone, and all those forces must leave Syria," an Israeli official said on
condition of anonymity. The official, however, stated the Russian offer to
create a 100-km buffer zone, in which neither Iranian forces nor pro-Tehran
militias would be present, was a first step in the right direction. “Israel is
demanding that all long-range missiles to be removed from Syria and that any
factories producing precision-guided missiles there to be shut,” the official
said. “Additionally, Jerusalem has asked Moscow to guarantee that all
air-defense systems that protect the guided missiles to be taken out of Syria,”
he said. The Israeli official said Tel Aviv also requested the closure of
border crossings between Syria and both Lebanon and Iraq “to prevent Iranian
weapons being smuggled into Syria”. worldbulletin
Assad advance spurs ‘urgent’ Russia-Israel
talks on Syria buffer
Netanyahu accuses Erdogan of “massacring
Syrians, Kurds” after he says Israel is a fascist and racist country
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu rebuked Turkish President
Tayyip Erdogan, accusing him of massacring Syrians and Kurds after Erdogan strongly criticised Israel.Erdogan
said a new Israeli law declaring that only Jews have the right of
self-determination in Israel legitimised oppression and showed that Israel is a
fascist and racist country.Netanyahu replied: “Erdogan is massacring the
Syrians and the Kurds and is jailing thousands of his own people. This great
democrat's criticism of the Nation State Law is the greatest compliment it
could be paid.”Reuters
14 dead from weeks of demonstrations in Iraq:
Official
Iraq’s human rights commission reported on
Monday that 14 people were killed and more than 700 injured by Iraqi security
forces during weeks of protests of the country’s economic woes and Govt mismanagement, Anadolu reports.Fazl Garrawi,
member of the Iraqi Human Right commission affiliated to the Iraqi Parliament,
told Anadolu Agency that in two weeks of demonstrations across Iraq, 14 people
were killed and 742 were injured, including 470 security forces.Some viral
videos on social media apparently showing civilians being killed by Iraqi security
forces have drawn public attention to the issue.middleeastmonitor
Hundreds reported missing in Laos after dam
collapse: State media
Hundreds of people are missing and several
believed dead after the collapse of a hydropower dam under construction in
southeast Laos, according to state media.The accident happened at a dam in
Sanamxay district of southeastern Attapeu province late on Monday, releasing
five billion cubic metres of water, Laos News Agency said on
Tuesday."Several human lives claimed, and several hundreds of people
missing," the report said.Several
houses in the southern part of the district were also swept away, the report
said, and officials in the province put out a call for relief aid for flood
victims.aljazeera
Newspaper: Egyptian regime tortures Morsi to
intimidate opposition
Spanish newspaper El País has published a
report on former Egyptian president, Mohamed Morsi. He is “being avenged by the
current Egyptian regime, tortured in prison and used as an example to
intimidate the opposition.” In its report translated by Arab21, the newspaper
said Morsi is living in harsh conditions in prison. He does not have a mattress
in his cell, forced to sleep on the cold floor. Besides his isolation from the
world, Morsi has been prevented from reading books and even newspapers. Under
these conditions, the former president cannot meet his relatives or even other
prisoners.Besides these sanctions, Morsi is also prevented from receiving a
doctor’s visit or the treatment for his chronic diseases. Many organisations
have described Morsi’s situation as a “severe and harsh assault” and is a form
of “torture”.The newspaper quoted the former president’s younger son, Abdullah
Morsi: “the family of the former president has only visited him twice since his
imprisonment and the visits lasted only half an hour.” He added that “Morsi’s
psychological condition was normal during the last visit (in 2017)… but, his
physical condition was not well, and he has lost a lot of weight.”The newspaper
explained that Morsi is imprisoned in the branch of Scorpion Prison, within
Tora Prison, which is known for its abuses against political prisoners. There
are other Muslim Brotherhood prisoners in this prison.According to Egyptian
NGOs, including the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, the former
president’s health could be at risk if he does not receive treatment for
chronic diabetes. Middleeastmonitor
Afghanistan: Kabul hit by multiple explosions
Multiple explosions have rocked the Afghan
capital, Kabul, with three confirmed to have been caused by rockets that hit a
residential area, officials have said.At least three people were wounded in the
attacks, with police deployed to the area to find the launch site, an official
told the AFP "Rockets were fired on Kabul city from an unknown direction
and ... hit residential areas near the mountains in PD5 (police
district)," police spokesman Hashmat Stanikzai said.The Afghan news
website, Tolo News, reported five explosions in total, adding that the blasts
took place near a police academy in the district of Afshar, in western
Kabul.aljazeera
Kashmir dispute between India, Pakistan holds
whole subcontinent hostage: Imran Khan
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran
Khan, who has emerged as the frontrunner ahead of the Pakistan general
elections, scheduled for Wednesday, has batted for better relations with India.
Speaking to WION, the cricketer-turned-politician said that better relations
between India and Pakistan will boost trade and benefit both the countries."If
you have a good relationship with India, it opens up trade, and trade with a
huge market. Both countries would benefit," said Imran Khan.Making
reference to the Kashmir dispute between the two countries, the PTI chief said
that the whole Indian subcontinent is held hostage to the conflict. He,
however, gave all credit to previous Govt s in Pakistan for making all attempts
to ensure peace with India.“The problem with India right now is the issue of
Kashmir. I give full marks to Pakistan for trying to get proper, better
relations. But I believe we should have peace with India as the whole
subcontinent is held hostage to the Kashmir issue,” said the
cricketer-turned-politician.Meanwhile during the last leg of election campaign
in Pakistan, Imran Khan promised a new form of local governance if PTI was
voted to power. He said that his party would introduce direct election of
district nazim.zeenews
Pakistan general elections: Key political
parties:firstpost
Pakistan is set to see its second-ever
democratic transition of power, without a military rule in between. The nation
will elect a new Govt on 25 July, after
the last democratically elected Govt completed its full term on 31 May. Over 100
political parties are in the fray for 272 seats in the National Assembly, which
are filled through a vote. A party needs to win 172 seats to form a Govt on its own.The main competition on 25 July
will be between the incumbent Pakistan Muslim League — Nawaz (PML-N), former
cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari-led Pakistan People's Party and independent candidates.
The latter could play the role of power brokers like it was seen in the 2013
polls. There are other regional parties and alliances too like the Grand
Democratic Alliance formed by five political parties Pir Paghara’s Pakistan
Muslim League-Functional (PML-F), Quami Awami Tehreek (QAT), National People’s
Party (NPP), Pakistan People’s Party Workers (PPPW) and People’s Muslim League
Pakistan; extremist groups like the revived Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA),
Allah-o-Akbar Tehreek (a political wing of Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), and the Milli
Muslim League (MML).There are also regional parties like the Balochistan Awami
Party (BAP), the Balochistan National Party (BNP), and Awami National Party
(ANP) of Bacha Khan's followers and well-known religious groups like
Jamaat-e-Islami.
Poll Prospects Of Imran Khan, Shehbaz Sharif,
Bilawal Bhutto In Pakistan
FLASH
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Fact Finding Report on Assam NRC – Released
Anil Ambani floated Reliance Defence 10 days
before Modi announced Rafale deal:nationalheraldindia
ABP News round Report: Alwar's Muslim
residents share painful ordeal of keeping cows
SHO Abid Khan's video of asking if being
Muslim is his fault goes VIRAL
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