NEWS
DIGEST, MID-DAY
09 OCT. 2018: 27 Muhram 1440:
Vol: 11, No:21
INDIA
India Today Exposed:Sanatan Sanstha terror
link busted as its men acquitted in Thane blast case admit to planting bombs
The news director of the India Today channel,
Rahul Kanwal, on Tuesday accused Sanatan Sanstha of attempting to intimidate it
by releasing the names and photos of its investigative reporters who had
carried out a sting operation on two members of the Hindutva outfit. A trial
court had acquitted the Sanatan Sanstha members, who were accused of planting
bombs outside theatres in Thane, Vashi and Panvel in 2008. But news channel’s
exposé revealed that the Hindutva outfit may have played a role in the attacks.
Seven people were injured when a bomb went off in the parking lot of the
theatre in Thane. After being exposed by @IndiaToday in #SanatanTerrorSanstha
tapes Sanatan now releases names & photos of our investigative reporters on
their website asking supporters to hunt us down. If these people think such
intimidatory tactics can scare us, they have another thing coming!One of the 2
men who the channel talked to admitted seven years after his acquittal that he
had planted the explosives outside the theatre in Vashi, India Today claimed.Mangesh
Dinkar Nikam allegedly told the undercover reporters, whom he met at his home
in Satara district, that he had planted the bomb, which disposal squads
defused, with the objective of avenging what he claimed was “wrongful depiction
of Hindu gods and goddesses” in Marathi play Aamhi Pachpute that was running at
the theatre.“I was in Vashi,” India Today quoted the 45-year-old as saying. “I
planted it [the IED] and came out. That was my role. In the [Vashi] case in
which we were involved, people were parodying our gods and goddesses [in the
play]. So we tried to stop it, nothing else.”Nikam told the news channel that
he has been a follower of the Sanatan Sanstha since 2000. “I used to visit the
Panvel ashram but stayed at home,” he said. “There, I came in touch with
others.”He said the plan to carry out the serial bomb blasts was formulated at
the ashram.Another Sanatan Sanstha activist – 58-year-old Haribhau Krishnna
Divekar – told reporters that he had been in possession of the explosives.
However, the Maharashtra ATS, which had investigated the case, did not record
this in its chargesheet. According to the police, he was a close aide of one of
the two convicts in the case.Divekar was acquitted in 2011 on grounds of
insufficient evidence. Maharashtra Police had named 4 other suspects – Ramesh
Hanumant Gadkari, Vikram Vinay Bhave, Santosh Sitaram Angre and Hemant Tukaram
Chalke – in its chargesheet. In 2011, the trial court convicted Gadkari and
Bhave and acquitted the others.“When I went there, the police came here and
conducted searches and investigation, I handed them what I had with me,” the
news channel quoted Divekar as saying. When asked what he had handed over, he
replied: “That time, there were one-two revolvers and detonators, it is called
detonator right, gelatin [sticks] and digital meters. Around 20 gelatins were
there and 23 detonators. They took away all those things.”Divekar said he had
the explosives with him for 5-6 days. scroll
‘Ban Sanatan Sanstha’ demand grows after its
members confess role in terror blasts
Did Sanatan Sanstha admit involvement in
terror activities? indiatoday
India today Exclusive: Video tapes reveal how
Sanatan Sanstha workers planted bombs
India Today:Sanatan Sanstha terror link busted
Goa BJP leader saved Sanathan Sanstha from
ban; suspects confess their roles in blasts
No decision yet on Zakir Naik’s extradition,
matter may end up in court: Malaysia minister
New Delhi :Malaysia is yet to take a call on
extraditing Zakir Naik to India and the matter could end up being decided by
the country’s courts, a senior Malaysian minister told External Affairs
Minister Sushma Swaraj on Monday when she raised the issue during a meeting in
New Delhi. Malaysia’s Minister of Human Resources M Kula Segaran, who is on an
India visit, said Swaraj sought Naik’s early extradition during the meeting. “She
was asking for the latest on Zakir Naik, whether he will be deported from
Malaysia, I did say that no final decision has been taken by the Malaysian Govt,”
he said. He also told Swaraj that the Malaysian Govt could also leave it to the courts to decide.Asked
how the extradition request could progress according to Malaysia’s laws, he
said, “If Govt decides to deport him,
that is end of the matter for us, but Zakir Naik can still challenge (it). If Govt
decides not to deport, we can refer it
to the court and ask the court to decide the matter.” Malaysia will ensure
necessary “justice and fairplay” in the matter, he asserted. Asked if that
means the court could end up deciding on his deportation, the Malaysian
minister answered in the affirmative. He added that first the cabinet led by PM
Mahathir Mohamad will decide.Naik, who is in Malaysia, in a statement published
in Malaysian newspapers in July, had thanked Malaysia’s PM Mahathir Mohamad for
examining his case from an “unbiased perspective”. PTI
Industries hit as 50,000 UP,MP, Bihar migrants
flee Gujarat after hate attacks, over 400 arrested
Gujarat Govt has beefed up security in areas inhabited by
non-Gujaratis after a mass exodus of migrant workers. Migrant workers fled
fearing retaliatory violence after a man from Bihar was accused of raping a
toddler. The police has also taken hundreds of people into custody and has
slapped several cases against them.On Sept.28, a 14-month-old girl was
allegedly raped by a migrant worker in Sabarkantha district.Accused Ravindra
Sahu, who hails from Bihar was later arrested for the crime.Six districts, most
of them in northern Gujarat, witnessed sporadic incidents of violence against
Hindi-speaking people. Mehsana and Sabarkantha were the worst-hit
districts.Fearing retaliatory violence, there was a mass exodus of migrants
from Bihar, MP and UP .Uttar Bharatiya
Vikas Parishad President Maheshsingh Kushwah claimed that over 20,000 people
belonging to Bihar, MP and UP had fled
the state due to prevailing uncertainty."Over 20,000 migrants from these
states have fled due to fear as Hindi-speaking people are being attacked in
different parts of the state. All non-Gujaratis should not be seen as culprits
for the misdeeds of one person," he said.Reports, however, suggest that
the number of migrants fleeing the state could be as high as 50,000.On October
8, the police said that it had arrested 431 people in connection with 56 cases
registered in the issue. The police department also directed officials to
organise camps and communicate with local leaders. Claiming that no untoward
incident had taken place during the last 48 hours, CM Vijay Rupani said the situation has been
brought under control. Rupani assured security to the migrants and appealed
people not to engage in violence.As a result of thousands of migrant labourers
fleeing Gujarat, infrastructure and construction companies in state could face
manpower shortage in the short-term.Human resource officials also said that the
companies are currently engaging with the state Govt and police forces to
ensure safety of the workers at their factories and manufacturing facilities.Also,
measures are being taken to contact those who have left for their native places
and convince them to come back.The exodus may also create problems for pharmaceuticals
industry.moneycontrol.com
Jamaat-e-Islami Hind accuses Centre of
sponsoring interventions in personal laws
Jaipur: Jamaat-E-Islami Hind (JIH), a frontal
body of Muslims, has asked the community to vote against leaders/political
parties who pose a threat to their beliefs and personal laws.JIH passed a
resolution on Sunday evening after a daylong ‘ijtema’ (public gathering) at
Karbala Maidan in Jaipur and accused the central Govt of sponsoring interventions in the Muslim
personal laws. The speakers during their address didn’t name anyone but held
the silence of ‘Hukumrans’ (rulers) on mob lynching and hate speeches against
minorities and Dalits as their endorsements to these acts. The ‘ijtema’ was
attended by over 10,000 Muslims, mostly clerics and influential ones from across
the state have set the tone for elections in the state. The speakers criticised
Raje Govt over spate in communal
incidences. Local office bearers of JIH claimed that they made several attempts
to reach out to CM Vasundhara Raje but were never allowed. “In the last five
years, she (Raje) has never bothered to meet a delegation of Muslims. It speaks
volumes about the attitude of the state Govt towards Muslims which should be kept in mind
till we have those who actually believe in ‘Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas’,” said
Engineer Khurshid, state president of JIH.
Expressing concern on the declining number of Muslims in the state
assembly of Rajasthan, general secretary of JIH Salim Engineer said, “The
absence of political voice has resulted in laws like Triple Talaq without any
debate and implemented by the state Govts which subscribe to the views of the
central Govt. In such a situation it is the duty of the Muslims to participate
in the elections by supporting candidates with secular credentials.” Dr. SQR
Ilyas said that community respects the Supreme Court judgement on
decriminalization of homosexuality and adultery but will advise the community
to stay away from the vices.“Our view is that both orders are threatening the
institution of marriage and natural laws,”he said.TOI
Meat shop asked to shut in UP village after
protests over licence
Lucknow :Police on Sunday forced a meat seller
to close his shop at a market in Kasampur Bilauch village of UP ’s Bijnor
district following protests by local residents over the licence issued to the
meat-seller, it was informed on Monday. The police also ordered an inquiry to
check whether all formalities were completed and a NOC was obtained from the
departments concerned before the licence was issued to Khursheed 35, to sell
meat. Inquiry was ordered after people, allegedly from the Hindu community,
staged a protest on Sunday when Khan opened the shop near his home in the
village. The local police subsequently asked Khan to close the shop for a few
days until the situation normalises, it is learnt. SP Bijnor, Umesh Kumar said,
“Inquiry has been ordered based on complaints from local residents claiming
that all formalities were not completed before issuing the licence. If
anomalies are found, action would be taken accordingly. There are a few more
such cases in Bijnor where local residents raised objection over the issue of
licence to meat shops.”Heavy police force have been deployed at village, which
has 70%Muslim population.“I applied for licence at district administration
office. District admin.completed formalities and issued me licence to sell meat
on Sept.19,” Khurhseed said. Indian Express.
Gujarat ‘02: SIT report on army deployment is
‘blatant lie’: Zameer Uddin Shah
New Delhi:Retired Lt. General Zameer Uddin
Shah, who led Army troops in quelling violence in 2002 Gujarat riots, has
described portions of the enquiry report by the Supreme Court appointed SIT,
related to Army movement, as “a blatant lie”.Shah has said in his upcoming
memoir, “Sarkari Mussalman” that after about 3,000 troops landed at Ahmedabad
airfield at 7 am on March 1, they had to wait for a day to received transport
and other logistical support from the state Govt in order to fan out to the cities and towns
which were engulfed in violence.This delay happened despite a request by the
Lt. General to the then CM Narendra Modi
at 2am on March 1 in Ahmedabad, in presence of Union Defence Minister George
Fernandes.SIT report, that had cleared Modi’s name, had concluded that there
was no delay “in requisition and deployment of the Army”, based on testimony of
Ashok Narayan,Additional Chief Secretary (Home). “Deployment of Army commenced
at 1100 hrs on 01-03-2002, after a high level meeting of CM and Union Defence Minister along with the
senior officers of Army and State Administration”,SIT report said. “This is a
blatant lie,” Shah said on Monday, maintaining that 3,000 Army troops were kept
stranded at Ahmedabad airfield for more than a day as state Govt was said to be
still “making arrangements” to provide them transport. Troops were moved by Air
Force from Jodhpur on orders of then Chief of Army Staff,Gen S. Padmanabhan, following
widespread killings in Gujarat on Feb.28. Shah’s assertions have been backed by
Gen Padmanabhan to whom the After Action Report on the army’s action to quell
the riots, was submitted by Shah in June 2002.“In this event, as far as I
remember, the army troops must have landed by the middle of the night. If they
landed in the middle of the night, what were they going to do? Start running
around all over the place? The vehicles were not there. They were not provided
by state Govt. How will they function? So if he (Shah) has said that then he’s
certainly right.He was the man on ground,”Padmanabhan said over phone.IANS
Priest on hunger strike demanding Ram temple
rushed to hospital
Lucknow:Mahant Paramhans Das, who had been on
a hunger strike for the past week demanding construction of a Ram temple in
Ayodhya, was shifted to Lucknow in an ambulance on Saturday night after his
condition deteriorated.He was admitted to the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate
Institute of Medical Sciences. He initially denied treatment, but was
administered saline late on Monday night.On Sunday evening, BJP leaders and as Govt
officials had tried to convince him to
abandon his protest, but he refused.indianexpress
Rajasthan: 29 people test positive in biggest
Zika outbreak in history of India
29 people from Rajasthan have tested positive
for Zika virus, said senior officials of state’s Health Department on Tuesday.
According to the officials, the first case of Zika Virus was reported onSept.23,
following which tests by the authorities established traces of the virus in Aedes
aegypti mosquitoes on Sept. 26.“29 people have tested positive so far for Zika
virus and all the cases are from Jaipur’s Shahstri Nagar area. Around 450
samples have been sent for testing of which 160 are of pregnant ladies,” said
Veenu Gupta, additional chief secretary, Medical & Health and Family
Welfare.indianexpress
9 killed, 14 injured in blast at Bhilai Steel
Plant in Chhattisgarh
Raipur:A blast at Bhilai Steel Plant here in
Chhattisgarh killed 9 employees and injured 14 on Tuesday, the police said.The
explosion at the plant of the state-owned Steel Authority of India Limited
(SAIL) took place at around 10.30 am, the police said. he explosion took place
in a gas pipeline connected to the coke oven section of the plant in Bhilai
town, located around 30 km away from the Chhattisgarh capital Raipur, IGP (Durg
Range) G.P. Singh told said.As per preliminary information,over 24 employees
were working at the spot when the accident occurred, he said.PTI
Haryana to raise NSG-trained anti-terror
Kavach
Haryana Govt has decided to set up an Anti-Terrorist Force
(ATF) that would comprise specially trained personnel to be recruited from the
State police, announced CM Manohar Lal
Khatar.CM was interacting with media
persons on the occasion of the release of ‘Vikas Geet’ CD composed by
Information, Public Relations and Languages Department, at Gurugram on Monday.After
rigorous training of around 14 weeks by National Security Guard (NSG) located
at Manesar in Gurugram around 150 Haryana police personnel will be inducted
into this special force. A batch of 50-50 physically fit personnel of the state
police will be inducted in the ATF and member of the force could be transferred
to Haryana police.dailypioneer
Spurt in terror ranks in J&K post NRC,
warns Intel agency
New Delhi:Despite all-out operation by
security forces against terrorists showing results in neutralising them in J&K
, a recent intelligence input to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) suggests
that a worrying trend has set in as of late with ‘many indoctrinated youth from
eastern India’ joining the terror ranks in the troubled state after
implementation of National Register of Citizenship (NRC) in Assam.In light of
these intelligence inputs, directives have been issued to states like Assam,
Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal to keep a 'strict vigil' on the
activities of suspected organisations and also focus on the ongoing
“deradicalisation drive”, reliable sources in the MHA told UNI. UNI
J&K local polls: Just 8% turnout in
Valley, nearly 70% in Jammu
Jammu:FIRST phase of local body polls in
J&K, being held after 13 years amid calls for a boycott from militants,
presented a stark contrast in voting patterns Monday with the Jammu region
recording a turnout of nearly 70 % while
the Valley logged just 8.2 % .The first of the four-phase polls saw voting in
17 cities and towns in the border districts of Jammu, Rajouri and Poonch, and
eight districts of the Kashmir division, including Leh and Kargil and three
wards of Srinagar. Kashmir division recorded an overall turnout of 18.6% .Apart
from threats by militants, 2 major local political parties, NC and PDP, stayed
away from the polls, leaving BJP, Congress, Sajad Lone’s Peoples’ Conference
and Independents in the fray.In the Valley, however, no vote was cast in 92 of
the 149 wards that went to polls in this phase. In 69 wards, candidates were
elected unopposed. There was no candidate in 23 wards.indianexpress
MP : Monk tells Jain couples to have four kids
Bhopal:Jain Monk Acharya Nirbhay Sagar has
urged members of the community to have at least four children each or else “the
religion may not survive after 100 years”. At an event organised on MP Vidhan Sabha premises on Sunday, the Jain monk
also asked parents not to hold social functions if their children married
outside the religion.“The community’s current population in the country is
about 50 lakh. If there are only one or two children per family, the population
will reduce to 25 lakh in the next 50 years and then plummet to six lakh in the
next four decades. You may build temples, but there should be worshippers from
the religion,” he said.The Jain monk was addressing the ‘Samuhik Kshamavani’,
an annual event of forgiveness, organised by the minority community on the
state’s Vidhan Sabha premises.indianexpress
Meet Sanjiv Pradhan, man on mission to bring
back all muslims who left riot-hit UP village
Sanjeev Pradhan has a dream. He wants every
Muslim family that was forced to leave his village Dulheda in UP’s
Muzaffarnagar district to now return home. Of the 65-odd Muslim families in
Dulheda — situated in the Shahpur region of Muzaffarnagar — that fled after the
deadly riots that shook the area in 2013, Pradhan has persuaded around 30 to
return.Pradhan’s efforts resonate more in the restive region because 42-year-old
had helped save several Muslim families during the riots by not only giving
them shelter in his home but also ferociously guarding them at the places where
they had taken refuge.Afsana Begum, who came back to the village after more
than four years, recalls, “I remember how he and his men guarded our mosque. He
wouldn’t let anyone touch it.He protected us with his life. If he says we
should come back, I will trust him without thinking twice.” On his part,
Pradhan says he judges people on the basis of their character, not religion. “
Mussalman kharab hai? Ya Hindu kharab hai? Insaan kharab hai (Is the Muslim
bad, or is the Hindu bad? I will say it is the person who is bad). We need to
fight and hope for change. I am only doing that,” he says.Sticking to his
conviction has not been easy though. Pradhan, a former village head, had to
incur criticism of the members of his Jat community (who make up most of the
population of the village) for “being an obstacle when an opportunity had come
for ridding the village of Muslim influence forever.”Nawab Singh, one of his
supporters, says, “Sanjeev lost the village head elections in 2015 and one of
the primary reasons was his act of saving minority members’ lives in the riots.
Some of the Hindus had even started greeting him with Salam-Alaikum in a
sarcastic manner, claiming he was now almost a Muslim.”Looking back, Pradhan
says he wouldn’t have done a thing differently.TOI
Riot-hit UP village: This ‘Jat’ man saved
hundreds of Muslims from being slaughtered
Delhi teacher Ankit was not murdered over relationship with Muslim
girl, his killer Akash held
In a stunning twist in the murder of Delhi’s 31-year-old teacher Ankit
Kumar, the Delhi Police has said that it had cracked the murder mystery by
arresting the prime accused Akash.In its tweet, Delhi Police said that Ankit’s
killer was Akash, who had killed the teacher because he was unhappy with the
teacher allegedly harassing his girlfriend, who studied at the coaching
centre.In a series of tweets, the Delhi Polcie wrote, “With the arrest of a 21
year old, final year BTech student, Aakash Kashyap, who belongs to Bagpat in
UP, @DelhiPolice Distt North West has solved the murder case of a teacher Ankit
Kumar, in Jahangirpuri, on Oct 1. Aakash killed Ankit for harassing his
girlfriend & pursuing her.”In its subsequent tweet the Delhi Police also
said that Akash Kashyap hatched the murder plan after he Ankit did not give his
pursuit for the accused’s girlfriend. “Girl studied at Ankit Kumar’s coaching
centre & Ankit had fallen in love with her two years ago. When Ankit didn’t
abandon pursuit & blackmailed the girl, Aakash Kashyap, the accused,
hatched the plot to get rid of him,” said the tweet by the Delhi Police.Aakash
reportedly bought a desi pistol when he visited Fazalpur village in UP ’s
Baghpat, the place of his maternal uncle, in March this year.Later Aslam Khan,
DCP of Delhi Police’s North-West district, confirmed that his forces had indeed
cracked the case.jantakareporter
UP: Clash over Muharram flag being replaced by saffron, 14 - all
Muslims arrested
Maharajganj Police in UP arrested 10 people on Monday in connection
with a clash at Bargadwa village of the district after they allegedly objected
when a flag put up for Muharram was replaced with a saffron one on Sunday. 7
people were left injured.The arrests were made on the basis of a complaint
filed by local resident Ram Nayan. FIR was registered against 14 people — all
Muslims — and 25 unidentified people.“The other group (Muslim residents) has
not filed any police complaint so far,” said Manish Kumar Singh, SHO of Panivara
police station, where the FIR was registered.According to SHO, around Sunday
noon a group of people tried to remove a green flag put up on an electric pole
in the village. The group, comprising members of the Hindu community, wanted to
put up a saffron flag instead, he said.“When they were trying to remove the
flag, some members of Muslim community arrived there and objected. A heated
argument ensued and soon more people joined in…It eventually led to a clash,”Singh
said.Police said members of both groups threw stones and attacked each other
with sticks. A police that arrived at the spot had to use force to disperse the
crowd. Several Muslim men have left the village since the clashes, a police
officer said.The arrested people — all of them residents of Bargadwa village —
were later produced before a local court, which sent them to judicial custody,
Maharajganj CO Devendra Kumar said.indianexpress
Waseem Rizwi Booked for Hurting Religious Sentiments With Remarks on
Caliphs
Lucknow Chairman of the UP Shia Waqf Board, Waseem Rizvi, was booked
for hurting religious sentiments after he allegedly made statements against the
Caliphs of the Muslim community. An FIR was lodged against Rizvi on Sunday at Chowk
Police station in Lucknow following a written complaint by the Sahaba Action
Committee.Rizvi’s statements had reportedly offended members of the Sunni sect
who were angered by statements about the Caliphs of Islam, though he has denied
these claims.Following the complaint, thousands of people took out a
protest-march in the Old Lucknow area on Monday, demanding Rizvi’s arrest
within 24 hours. The protesters also burnt an effigy of the UP Shia Waqf Board
chairman.The president of the Sahaba Action Committee, Maulana Abdul Wahid
Farooqui, said the community was hurt by the language used by Rizvi and was
demanding the slapping of National Securities Act on him.“Waseem Rizvi has been
making derogatory remarks about Sunni community and caliphs for quite some time
now. So after proper consultation, we decided to file a complaint against him.
Today, thousands of people have gathered to protest and are demanding that
National Security Act be slapped on Rizvi,” Maulana Abdul Wahid Farooqui
said.He added that they would write to the CM and district magistrate asking for Rizvi’s
immediate arrest. “If our demands are not met, then we will plan our strategy
ahead,” he said.Shia Waqf Board chairman, however, alleged that his words were
being twisted to malign his image. “I have only spoken about Abu-Baqr Al
Baghdadi of Islamic State and Mullah Mohammed Omar of Taliban. These are
concerted efforts to malign my image,” Rizvi claimed.news18
#MeToo hits Modi govt as journalists call for resignation of MJ Akbar
& top union minister
The embers from the MeToo movement have reached the doorstep of the
Narendra Modi Govt , with at least two senior scribes raking up allegations
against Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs MJ Akbar.Writing in Vogue
Magazine in Oct.last year, journalist Priya Ramani recalled a meeting with then
editor MJ Akbar at a hotel in Mumbai, in which she accused Akbar of making
inappropriate advances.“I escaped that night, you hired me, I worked for you
for many months even though I swore I would never be in a room with you alone,”
Ramani had recounted in her magazine piece. Fast forward to Oct.2018, allegations
against Akbar have surfaced all over again.“The right-wing trolls who suddenly
turned feminists when it came to criticising sexual transgressions from men in
liberal media are conspicuously silent on MJ Akbar,” tweeted Abhishek Baxi, a
journalist and a contributor at Forbes Magazine. Baxi’s tweet was picked up by another senior
journalist, Rohini Singh, who went a step further and accused another “top
cabinet” minister of inappropriate conduct towards women in the past.“Not just
MJ Akbar. A top cabinet minister indulges in such inappropriate talk about
clothes women journalists wear. But he won’t be outed for obvious reasons!”
Singh wrote on Twitter.The accusations against Akbar and another cabinet
minister of Modi Govt follow a heady day which witnessed the “stepping away” of
Tanmay Bhat, the co-founder of comedy group AIB. Nationalheraldindia
#MeToo: Gautam Adhikari, ex TOI and DNA Editor, Quits US Think-Tank
New Delhi: Former executive editor at Times of India and former
editor-in-chief of DNA, Gautam Adhikari appears to have resigned from his post
as senior fellow at Center for American Progress in Washington DC following
three allegations of sexual harassment against him.His profile page on the
centre’s website is currently blank and his name is not there on the centre’s
list of experts, even though as late as Oct. 1, 2018, it was. The Wire has
emailed the CAP to ascertain the reasons behind the removal of Adhikari’s name
and page and will update the story when we receive a response.Sandhya Menon and
Sonora Jha first wrote about Adhikari on October 5. Now, a third journalist has
come forward with an account of Adhikari forcibly kissing her when she went to
his office to discuss work.In a post published on her website on Oct.8, Tara
Kaushal – who is now a writer on gender, sexuality and rights – recounted an
incident from January 2006, when she was a 22-year-old freelancer who went to
meet Adhikari, then the “50 something” editor of DNA in his office. Kaushal
said she first met him at a Christmas party in Dec. 2005, thrown by people
known to both of them, when she spoke to Adhikari, expressing an interest in
writing for DNA. He told her to follow up with him in January.thewire
Madras HC asks mosque trustee to hand over all records to wakf board
Madurai: Madurai bench of the Madras high court has slammed a
petitioner for stalling Tamil Nadu Wakf Board’s efforts to frame a scheme for
proper administration of Kazimar Big Mosque, one of the oldest mosques in
Madurai. Dismissing the appeal by S A Fakrudeen Ibrahim, a division bench of
Justices Pushpa Sathyanarayana and T Krishnavalii directed the petitioner to
hand over and deliver possession of the records, accounts and all properties of
the wakf, including cash to the executive officer of the TN Wakf Board within a
month. The dispute revolves around the management of the Kazimar mosque, which
was maintained by a group of trustees claiming to be descendants of the
founders of the 700-year old mosque. They claimed a right of hereditary
trusteeship, especially of the mosque.Based on a petition before it, TN Wakf
Board resolved to frame a proper scheme for administration of the wakf. TOI
Watch: Modi Govt was built on
false promises: Union Minister Gadkari
In a rather candid confession, Union Minister for Road Transport and
Highways Nitin Gadkari has said that BJP led by Narendra Modi came to power on
the basis of unrealistic promises, which unexpectedly gave false hopes to the
people of the country.In the video, which was shared by the Congress party on
Twitter on Monday, Gadkari can be heard telling actor Nana Patekar during a
talk show on TV:“We were very confident that we can never come to the power.So
our people suggested us just to make tall promises. If we don’t come to the
power,we won’t be responsible anyways.”“Now the problem is that people have
voted us to the power,” he laughs and adds, “Now people remind us of our
promises along with the dates.Now a days, we just laugh and move on.”nationalheraldindia
Murder in Delhi: Muslim Auto-rickshaw driver was family's sole
breadwinner
New Delhi:Ever since Jahangir Alam came to Delhi from his native West
Bengal 6 years ago, he somehow managed to earn a living by driving an
auto-rickshaw. Alam, 26, was murdered after a dispute with his passengers over
the fare. His uncle feels that the murderers should not be spared just because
they are juveniles.His uncle, Muneer-Ul-Islam, 40, woke up on Monday in his
rented home in Zakir Nagar and saw on a TV news channel that an auto-rickshaw
driver in the city had been killed. Minutes later, he got a call from the
police informing him that the slain man was his nephew.Father of four, Alam was
the only breadwinner in his family.Alam was stabbed to death after his
passengers fought with him over fare. Four minor boys have been arrested for
their involvement in the murder. DCP Madhur Verma said four boys aged between
16 and 17 had hired his auto-rickshaw from Delhi's Khanpur to Connaught Place
area on Sunday night.IANS
Hyderabad's Yakuthpura mosque talk draws tension, preacher arrested
hyderabad:Tension gripped Yakuthpura area of Old City after Islamic
preacher Mujtaba Hussain Siddiqui aka Brother Imran allegedly made an
objectionable speech during a congregation at a mosque.Founder of IRF Imran was
invited to deliver religious discourse at Masjid-e-Abu Bakr at Yakuthpura
Etebar Chowk.A group of locals gathered outside mosque during the meeting and
raised objections over Imran's speech, alleging he was dishonouring Islam.
Police swung into action and the speech was stopped immediately. However, news
spread and videos from the gathering went viral on social media forcing police
to deploy heavy force in the area. Commissioner of police Anjani Kumar and
other officers tried to pacify the agitators as rumors of clashes started
coming in. South zone police escorted Imran to an undisclosed location fearing
mob lynching.On receiving complaint from one Syed Najaf Ali Shoukat, Mirchowk
police registered a case against Imran. Imran said, "I have not used any
derogatory words against any personality of Islam. I am ready to clarify discourse."TOI
Urinating in public is age old tradition:BJP Minister who relieved
himself near campaign poster in Rajasthan
Rajasthan cabinet minister Shambhu Singh Khetasar, who has been facing
flak for relieving himself in public near a BJP campaign poster, has responded
by saying that urinating in public is an "age old tradition,"
according to media reports.The incident, which has been a source of
embarrassment for Khetasar and the BJP, occurred in Ajmer, where the minister
was attending an election rally.Khetasar, who is also chairman of Rajasthan
State Seed Corporation, denied that he had urinated on a campaign poster
featuring CM Vasundhara Raje."Photo
of me urinating against a wall is not near a campaign poster," he said.Photograph
of Khetasar, which has gone viral on social media, suggests
otherwise.Khetasar's actions and justification fly in the face of PM Modi's
appeal to every citizen to work towards creating a "Swachh Bharat." Khetasar
said that he was forced to urinate in public because there was no toilet near
the election rally he was attending - a rally that was attended by 2.5lakh
visitors.huffingtonpost
WORLD
UNRWA slams Israeli plans to close Jerusalem office
UN refugee agency UNRWA has decried as “irresponsible” Israeli plans
to close the agency’s offices in the occupied East Jerusalem. “UNRWA is
carrying out operations within the framework of the UN Charter and bilateral
and multilateral agreements which are still valid as well as relevant
resolutions of UN General Assembly," UNRWA spokesman Christopher Gunness said.
He said the refugee agency has been authorized by UN to provide protection and
aid to Palestinian refugees in the occupied territories, including East
Jerusalem. “Such messages by top elected figures in Israel are irresponsible
and very serious,” he said.Last week, Israel’s Jerusalem municipality announced
plans to remove UN agency from the occupied city. According to Israeli Channel
Two, US President Donald Trump's recent decision to end financial aid to UNRWA
has encouraged Israel to take move. The broadcaster said that Israeli move was
planned in coordination with the U.S. administration and will soon be presented
to the Israeli Govt for approval. In
September, the U.S. State Department announced that Washington would “no longer
commit funding” to UNRWA. Anadolu Agency
UN: Over 700 Israel obstacles to Palestinian movement in West Bank
There are over 700 obstacles to Palestinian movement across the West
Bank imposed by Israeli occupation authorities, according to the findings of
new research by UN.According to the comprehensive survey, conducted by UN OCHA
in July, there are 705 permanent obstacles across the West Bank “restricting or
controlling Palestinian vehicular, and in some cases pedestrian, movement”.UN
OCHA noted that “this figure is 3% higher than in Dec.2016, date of the
previous survey”. The largest net increase was recorded in the Ramallah
governorate, with a total of 15 additional obstacles. Obstacles include “140
fully or occasionally-staffed checkpoints, 165 unstaffed road gates (of which
nearly half are normally closed), 149 earth mounds and 251 other unstaffed
obstacles (roadblocks, trenches, earth walls, etc).”middleeastmonitor
New US law enables Americans to sue PA
US Congress approved at the end of Sept.a new law that enables
Americans who have been hurt in Palestinian resistance attacks to prosecute Palestinian
Authority (PA),Israeli paper Haaretz reported. Haaretz said that the new law
“gives the American courts jurisdiction to seize assets from any entity that
receives foreign assistance from the US.” It also said that the “legislation
exposes the PA to potential lawsuits over past ‘terrorism’ and could even lead
it to bankruptcy.”Israeli officials and Israeli media refer to the Palestinian
resistance attacks against the Israeli occupation as terror acts. Law was
signed last week by US President Donald Trump and it is in line with America’s
plans to end financial assistance to PA’s security forces.middleeastmonitor
Myanmar ‘unwilling’ to probe Rohingya abuse, UN must act: rights envoy
Myanmar is “unable and unwilling” to investigate its abuses against
Rohingya Muslims, a UN rights envoy has said, bolstering calls for the
country’s generals to be hauled before an international court.A UN fact-finding
mission has called for Myanmar’s top brass to be investigated for genocide,
crimes against humanity and war crimes over a brutal crackdown against Rohingya
Muslims in Rakhine state that forced more than 720,000 of the beleaguered
minority to flee the country to Bangladesh. Myanmar has dismissed allegations,
slamming the UN body as biased, and the Govt has set up its own committee to investigate
the crimes.But UN special rapporteur to Myanmar Yanghee Lee -- who has been
barred from entering the country since December -- said the Govt has shown little capacity for an unbiased
probe into the violence, saying it has taken “limited and insufficient
steps”.“[Myanmar] is unable and unwilling to discharge its obligation to
conduct credible, prompt, thorough, independent and impartial investigations
and prosecutions,” Ms. Lee said in a report she published via her Twitter
account on Monday.Given Myanmar’s refusal to hold itself accountable, she
added, it was up to international courts to seek justice.AFP
UN voices 'serious concern' over Khashoggi
UN human rights office has
called on Turkey and Saudi Arabia to properly investigate the fate of prominent
Saudi journalist and regime critic Jamal Khashoggi, who vanished after entering
the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last week."If reports of his death and the
extraordinary circumstances leading up to are true,this is truly
shocking," spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said during a press briefing in
Geneva today. Shamdasani's comments come shortly after US President Donald
Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo all
expressed concern regarding Khashoggi's whereabouts."I am concerned. I
don't like hearing about it. Hopefully, that will sort itself out," Trump
told reporters at the White House on Monday. "Right now, nobody knows
anything about it.There are some pretty bad stories going around. I do not like
it." Khashoggi, a US resident, has written articles over the past year
critical of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. On the eve of his planned marriage
to a Turkish woman, he entered the consulate on October 2 and has not been seen
since. aljazeera
Erdoğan to Saudi : You have to prove that
Khashoggi left the consulate
Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan said that
officials at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul have to prove that Saudi
journalist Jamal Khashoggi had left its building, at a time when Ankara asked
to enter the consulate building for inspection. Erdogan added in a news
conference in Hungary, the country he is visiting, on Monday: “I have given my
orders to the intelligence services, the Ministry of Justice, the prosecution
and the police to take the necessary measures and gather information about
Jamal Khashoggi and then reveal them.”He stressed that the incidence of the
disappearance of Khashoggi is, “of high importance,” and explained that “it is
part of our political and moral duties to follow up this case, and it is
impossible to ignore it.”middleeastmonitor
Photo of journalist Khashoggi entering consulate released by
Washington Post
Afghan election candidate killed in suicide attack
A suicide bomber has struck an election meeting in Afghanistan's
Helmand province, killing at least 8 people, including a candidate for the
upcoming parliamentary elections, a provincial official said.Saleh Mohammad
Achekzai was holding a meeting in front of his house in Lashkar Gah,capital of
Helmand, when the bomber detonated himself on Tuesday. Blast also killed
several of his bodyguards, Attahullah Afghan, head of the southern Helmand
provincial council told AP in a telephone interview.It was the second suicide
attack to target a parliamentary candidate since campaigning officially kicked
off on Sept.28 for the parliamentary elections scheduled for Oct.20. There are
2,565 candidates vying for seats in the 249-member chamber, including 417 women
candidates.aljazeera
2 million Afghan kids will suffer severe malnutrition
In Afghanistan, more than 40 % of children under the age of five have
stunted growth through lack of food and poor nutrition and 10 % are wasting
away to skin and bones.The number of severely malnourished children in
Afghanistan is on the rise. Aid organisations warn it could reach two
million.Countries are sending in food, but that is only half the battle.Often
armed groups prevent the food from being delivered to those in need and aid
workers have been attacked and killed.aljazeera
Syria's Assad offers amnesty to army deserters
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has granted a general amnesty for men
who deserted army or have avoided military service.A decree published by state
media on Tuesday said the amnesty applies to men "inside and outside the country"
and covers all punishments for desertion. Men inside Syria will have four
months to take advantage of the amnesty while those outside will have six
months.The move could help boost the return of refugees, some of whom have not
been able to go back home because they were blacklisted.Under Syrian military
law, deserters can face years of prison if they leave their posts and do not
report for service within a set amount of time.While Tuesday's amnesty covers
desertion, it does not cover fighting against the Govt or joining the rebels, who are regarded by Syrian
Govt as "terrorists".aljazeera
Masood Azhar bed-ridden for months with life-threatening ailment:HT
Masood Azhar chief of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), has been confined to bed
with a life-threatening condition, Indian intelligence officials said, and the
proscribed Deobandi outfit is now operationally divided between his two younger
brothers, Rauf Asghar and Athar Ibrahim, who continue to carry out jihadist
attacks on India and Afghanistan.Azhar, 50, is suffering ailments that have
affected his spinal cord and kidney, the officials added, declining to elaborate.Intelligence
officials, who asked not to be identified, said Azhar is believed to have been
treated for his spinal cord and renal condition at the Combined Military
Hospital in Rawalpindi, and that the jihadist leader has been bedridden for at
least a year and a half.HT
Pak cleric arrested booked under blasphemy for claiming to be '11th
Imam of Islam'
Lahore:Police in Pakistan's
Punjab province on Monday arrested a cleric, who claimed himself to be the 11th
Imam of Islam, and booked him under blasphemy laws. Police booked Farhan Ahmed,
who is in his late 40s, on the charges of blasphemy after a video in which he
claimed himself to be the 11th Imam of Islam went viral on social media. Ahmed is a resident of Sahiwal, some 200-km
from Lahore, the provincial capital. According to police, an FIR has been
registered against Ahmed under section 295-A of the Pakistan Penal Code and
section 16 of Maintenance of Public Order. Police said Ahmed told his followers
that Sufi saints had already foretold about his "appearance". "PM and the army chief should swear
their allegiance to me," said Ahmed, who was flanked by his disciples in
the video.He also claimed that he was the guardian of the appearance of Imam
Mahdi. He invited the youth of Pakistan to join him, urging them to take oath
of allegiance to him. PTI
China Announces 48 High-End Drones For Pak, Days After India's S-400
Deal
China will sell 48 high-end military drones to its "all-weather
ally" Pakistan in what a military observer said will be the largest deal
of its kind between the two countries, official media in Beijing reported
today.The cost of the deal was not revealed. Wing Loong II, a high-end
reconnaissance, strike and multi-role endurance unmanned aircraft system, is
manufactured by Chengdu Aircraft Industrial (Group) Company. Unmanned Aerial
Vehicle (UAV) will also be jointly manufactured, China's state-run Global Times
reported.China, an "all-weather ally" of Islamabad, is the largest
supplier of weapon system to the Pakistan Army. Both the countries also jointly
manufacture JF-Thunder a single engine multi-role combat aircraft.The
announcement by China to permit the sale of high-end military drones comes in
the immediate backdrop of India's move to acquire the sophisticated S-400
missile defence systems from Russia. The deal was clinched during Russian
President Vladimir Putin's visit to New Delhi last week.PTI
Saudi's oil refinery in Gwadar threatens China, may increase risk of
Arab nation's face-off with Iran
Pakistan's latest announcement about Saudi Arabia's investment in an
oil refinery at the port city of Gwadar has set alarm bells ringing in the
international arena.A Zero Hedge article claims that Pakistan's move comes from
a "desperate" need for funding to ward off a financial crisis stoked
by growing debt to China. The column, written by James Dorsey on Mid East
Soccer blog, claims that Saudi's oil refinery in Gwadar Port could threaten
Iran's India-backed Chabahar Port, making China a part of an "all but open
war" between Iran and Saudi Arabia. SAUDIS may invest up to $10 billion in
the region. The deal could additionally involve deferred payments on Saudi oil
supplies which will firstly, create a strategic oil reserve close to Iran, and
secondly, help cash-strapped Pakistan in payments. Zero Hedge article further
stated that Pakistan will be forced to seek a $12 billion bailout from
International Monetary Fund if Govt expenditure is not brought under control — a fact
that PM Imran Khan-led Pakistan has
taken note of.ANI
FLASH VIEWS & NEWS
Did China arrest Interpol chief for letting go
Uyghur Muslim leader?Prabhash K Dutta
2002 Gujarat riots: SC-appointed SIT report on
army deployment is “a blatant lie”:Suman:IANS
Migrant Labour Exodus Shines a Light on the
Dark Side of Modi's 'Gujarat Model';Rajeev Khanna
Need for Reconciliation with Justice: Babri
Demolition and The Aftermath:RAM PUNIYANI
Indian Muslims: In Search of Equality in Their
Homeland:T J S George
The Media Tamasha: What Would Gandhi Have
Thought of This Festival of Hypocrisy?Badri Raina
India’s deportation of seven Rohingya men to
Myanmar is a profound failure of public compassion:Harsh Mander
With new order, NSA Doval to be most powerful bureaucrat in 20 years
How Media went horribly wrong with Ankit murder case
Fugitive Muslim hubby hid his religion to rape
me, alleges woman
8 homeless, as Israel forces
Demolish home
Khabib 100 times bigger than Mo Salah after winning the Muslim
world:UAE-based MMA fighter
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