NEWS
DIGEST, Afternoon
18 Nov. 2018:08 Rabiul-I 1440:
Vol: 11, No:57
INDIA
Assam NRC: 3.5 lakh out of 40 lakh excluded in
draft list apply for inclusion so far
Guwahati :About 3.5 lakh people, out of the
total 40 lakh, who were excluded in the draft National Register of Citizens
(NRC),have claimed that they are Indian nationals, 2 months after the window
opens for claims and objections in the Supreme Court-monitored exercise, sources
said Sunday.Besides, less than 100 applications have been received by the
authorities challenging the inclusion of the names of suspected illegal
immigrants in NRC, a list of Assam’s residents. So far, about 3.5 lakh people
have submitted applications for inclusion of their names in the NRC and they
have submitted relevant documents claiming that they are Indian citizens, a
source privy to the development said. The issue of low turnout in the claims
and objections period was also discussed at Saturday’s high-level meeting in
New Delhi attended by Home Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP president Amit Shah,
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba,
Director of Intelligence Bureau Rajiv Jain, among others.The Supreme Court has also
finalised a set of standard operating procedure (SOP) for disposal of claims
and objections in the updation of the NRC. The draft NRC was published on July
30 and included the names of 2.9 crore people out of the total applications of
3.29 crore.There has been a huge controversy over exclusion of 40 lakh people
from the draft NRC. Following a directive of the SC, the process of filing
claims and objections to draft NRC began on Sept.25 and it will come to an end
on Dec.15. Initially, the apex court had allowed the claimants to rely on any
of the 10 documents — land documents, permanent residential certificate issued
from outside the state, passport, LIC of India policy, any licence or
certificate issued by any government authority.Document showing service or
employment under the govt or public sector undertaking, bank or post office
accounts, birth certificates issued by a competent authority, educational
certificate issued by boards or universities and records or processes
pertaining to court provided they are part of processing in a judicial or
revenue court.However, on Nov.1, the court allowed 5 additional documents to
reply upon for inclusion of names in NRC. The additional papers are — 1951 NRC,
electoral roll up to March 24, 1971, citizenship certificate, refugee
registration certificate and ration card.PTI
Elgaar Parishad case: Activist Varavara Rao
sent to police custody till Nov. 26
New Delhi:Pune Sessions Court on Sunday sent
activist, writer and poet P Varavara Rao to police custody till Nov.26 in
connection with the Elgaar Parishad case, ANI reported. Rao was taken into
custody after his house arrest granted by the Hyderabad High Court ended on
Saturday.Police have alleged that Rao was a senior and active leader of the
banned CPI-Maoist and was involved in a range of activities, including
procurement of weapons through contacts in Nepal and Manipur, and carrying out
attacks in Surjagad in Gadhchiroli. Pune City Police had arrested Rao, along
with activists Sudha Bharadwaj, Vernon Gonsalves, Arun Ferreira and Gautam
Navlakha, on August 28 over alleged links with CPI-Maoist and for organising
the Elgaar Parishad event on Dec.31 that allegedly led to the Bhima Koregaon
violence.The activists were accused of being part of the “larger conspiracy of
the banned CPI-Maoist to form an ‘anti-fascist front’ for overthrowing the
democratic government of India”. They were all charged under the stringent UAPA.indianexpress
SC dismisses plea alleging custodial torture
of key Kathua rape-murder case witness
New Delhi :The Supreme Court has dismissed a
plea claiming that a key witness in the sensational Kathua gang rape-and-murder
case was allegedly tortured in custody by the Jammu and Kashmir Police in
connection with a separate rape case.A bench comprising justices AM Khanwilkar
and Deepak Gupta rejected the petition filed by a close relative a key witness
in the Kathua case, on the ground that the petitioner failed to appear before
it despite the court’s order.In January, an eight-year-old girl from a minority
nomadic community was allegedly abducted and gang raped in Jammu and Kashmir’s
Kathua district.The petitioner had approached the top court alleging that his
relative was tortured in custody by the state police after being arrested in
connection with a separate rape case.The advocate representing the Jammu and
Kashmir Police had last month denied in the top court the allegations levelled
in the petition and had said since the witness has been granted bail, the plea
has become infructuous.PTI
3 killed, 19 injured in grenade blast at
religious congregation near Amritsar’s Rajasansi
Amritsar:At least three people were killed and
19 injured in an explosion inside the Nirankari Bhavan at Adliwal village near
Amritsar’s Rajasansi on Sunday, police said.Inspector General SPS Parmar said
at least 19 people were injured in the blast.Some eyewitness accounts said that
two armed and masked persons, who were on a motorcycle, forced their way inside
the Bhavan by pointing a gun at the person on duty at the gate. “After they
gained entry, they threw a grenade-like object at the congregation and
escaped,” said an eyewitness. A hunt is on to nab them, the IG said. He said
about 200 devotees were inside the hall at the time of the incident. No CCTV
was installed on the premises, according to preliminary investigations.Gagan,
who was stationed at the gate when the two men came on a bike, said one
assailant went inside with a crowd of followers, but the second one pointed a
gun at his stomach and demanded to know what was happening inside.“I told him
it was a satsang. He went inside and set off the explosive,” he said to The
Tribune. Police are treating the attack as an act of terror. Tribuneindia
Amritsar grenade attack: Role of Khalistani,
Kashmiri terror groups cannot be ruled out, says Amarinder Singh
Chandigarh :Punjab Chief Minister Captain
Amarinder Singh on Sunday did not rule out the possibility of the involvement
of ISI-backed Khalistani or Kashmiri terror groups behind the grenade attack at
a religious congregation at Nirankari Satsang Bhawan in Amritsar’s Rajasansi
village on Sunday, which claimed three lives and left 15 people injured.In a
statement issued hours after the incident, the CM, who held a review meeting,
said police teams were rushed to raid suspected hideouts of the assailants and
multiple teams have begun investigating the various angles to crack the
case.Amarinder said while the state had been hit by a series of cases of
targeted attacks since 2015-16, this was the first attempt, in a long time, to
disrupt peace through indiscriminate killings. He added that such incidents
only strengthened the belief that Pakistan was continuing with its nefarious
activities to disturb the law and order in the state.The CM also said that the
preliminary probe had so far revealed that two men, one of them with a flowing
beard and both with covered faces, had allegedly forced their way into the hall
by brandishing a pistol. The duo detained the sewadar, lobbed the grenade into
the prayer room and fled on a motorcycle. indianexpress
Asthana, Sushil Modi, PMO Worked Together to
Book Lalu: CBI Director
New Delhi: If exiled CBI director Alok Verma’s
responses to Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) queries are to be believed, his
deputy in CBI Rakesh Asthana, PMO and BJP leader Sushil Modi worked together to
book RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav in the IRCTC scam.The Supreme court
intervened in CBI war between Verma and Asthana to allow the CVC to inquire
into allegations of procedural irregularities against CBI director. CVC has
submitted its report to the bench. However, the apex court has asked the commission
to also share the report with CBI director so he has a chance to challenge
it.The Wire recently published a story on Verma’s testimony before the
commission: Not only did Verma refute each allegation, he also held the
Narendra Modi government and its disrespect for CBI’s autonomy responsible for
the crisis in the agency today.One of the accusations Asthana had made was that
Verma deliberately weakened the case against RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav. CBI
director not only denied this, but countered that Asthana, who was leading the
probe, might be politically motivated.CVC asked some specific questions to
Verma regarding IRCTC scam investigation.First, it asked why he opted for a
preliminary enquiry in the IRCTC case instead of a regular case (RC), for which
Asthana had sought permission.Verma replied that Asthana, then an AD, had
“suppressed the fact that a complaint related to the same matter was sent to
the CBI in 2013-14and was closed”.The case also had a “political angle”, Verma
said, adding that “then AD, Asthana was in constant touch with Sushil Modi, a
senior BJP leader from Bihar” and that “a senior official in PMO was constantly
following up on the case”.Given the political sensitivity of the case, and possible
law and order problems in Bihar, Verma thought it was better to follow due
process and exercise caution, instead of rushing through a case that was almost
11 years old (the case pertained to 2004-06).He asked the director of
prosecution (DoP),senior-most law officer in CBI, and the additional legal
advisor (ALA) to go through the legal merits of the case.He further says the
reason he recommended a preliminary enquiry was that both the law officers in
the CBI said that “evidence was weak and more material should be collected
before registering a RC”. He adds that the “political fallout” –end of the
alliance between Nitish Kumar and Lalu, and formation of a new coalition
government – in the following days “justified the need to be extra-cautious”.thewire
CBI officer moves SC over ‘mala fide’
repatriation to Investigation Bureau
New Delhi:The face-off between exiled CBI
director Alok Verma and special director Rakesh Asthana took a new twist on
Saturday with an officer moving the Supreme Court against his repatriation to
the Intelligence Bureau, from where he was deputed to CBI in 2014.Ashwini Kumar
Gupta, a deputy superintendent at CBI, has termed the repatriation mala fide,
and intended to “penalise and victimise” him because he was part of the team
enquiring into corruption charges against Asthana. An ugly spat between the
number one and number two in CBI, who traded allegations of corruption,
prompted govt intervention last month, asking the 2 to proceed on leave. Later,
a few officers were transferred.HT
PMO Secrecy on Raghuram Letter Is 'Not Legal':CIC
New Delhi: Central Information Commission
(CIC) has called it “not legal” that PMO refused to disclose the action taken
on a letter from Raghuram Rajan, former governor of RBI.Earlier this month, the
CIC had asked PMO, RBI and Ministry of Finance to explain what action was taken
on the letter Rajan sent in 2015. The commission’s order came a week after The
Wire reported that PMO and finance ministry had refused to provide any
information about the letter.In his 2015 letter, the former RBI governor listed
high-profile fraud NPA (non-performing asset) cases that required a
multi-agency probe.Despite the CIC’s order, 3 respondents did not come forth
with the required information during the hearing by the central information
commissioner, M. Sridhar Acharyulu on Nov.16. CIC recorded that PMO had
contended that since first and second appeals were not filed along with the
original RTI application, the direction to provide information was “not
maintainable”. Acharyulu countered that “the Commission cannot agree with this
kind of attempt to deny the substantive part of information access by
unreasonable procedural interpretations without any legal basis”. Terming the
PMO’s response “unfortunate”, he said it has a “moral, constitutional and
political duty to tell the citizens of India as to who are and what action was
taken against defaulters to recover the huge loans advanced to them by banks, from
out of tax payer’s money”.CIC then directed PMO to inform the appellant and the
commission about those details, as well as about policy (if any) toward
recovery from defaulters, including high-profile ones.Stating that “RTI Act is
a welfare legislation aiming at good governance”, Acharyulu wrote that PMO
should not consider those seeking information as litigants or disputants, and
the office as their adversary. He reasoned that “it is the legal duty of PMO to
furnish the information as per the directive of CIC, because RTI was formally
filed for information from a ministry of Government of India, which is led by
PMO”.thewire
Govt wants to capture RBI’s reserves:Chidambaram
New Delhi:Ahead of RBI Board meeting, Congress
leader P Chidambaram on Sunday alleged that the central government was
determined to “capture” the bank to gain control over its ₹ 9 lakh crore
reserves.In a series of tweets, ex-Finance Minister also claimed that the govt
and RBI was heading towards a “confrontation” in the Monday’s board meeting of
the bank.“Government is determined to ‘capture’ RBI in order to gain control
over the reserves. The other so-called disagreements are only a smokescreen
(sic),” he said on microblogging site Twitter. Chidambaram said, “Nowhere in
the world is the central bank a board-managed company. To suggest that private
business persons will direct the governor is a preposterous idea.”PTI
RBI board meeting on Monday; likely to reach
common ground on some key issues
The ongoing rift with the government is set to
play out at RBI’s crucial board meeting Monday, with the Finance Ministry
nominees and some independent directors expected to take on Governor Urjit
Patel and his team over issues ranging from MSME credit to the central bank’s
reserves, though both sides are in favour of reaching a common ground.While
there have been reports and demands from some quarters for the Governor to step
down, sources said Patel is unlikely to yield under pressure and will rather mount
a strong defence of the central bank’s policies regarding stringent NPA
recognition norms as well as measures taken to ease credit supply to MSMEs.PTI
Sohrabuddin's brother Rubabuddin testifies in
court, says Khan lied about Haren Pandya's killing
Mumbai:Rubabuddin Shaikh, brother of
Sohrabuddin, deposed before a special CBI court in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
Sohrabuddin Shaikh's brother said on Saturday that Tulsiram Prajapti had told
him about Shaikh's alleged abduction by Gujarat Police and subsequent death in
a fake encounter in November 2005. Prajapati, Sohrabuddin's associate, was
himself killed in an alleged fake encounter in 2006.He stood by his statement
to the CBI that his brother Sohrabuddin was killed in a fake encounter."He
was present when my brother was killed. When I asked him why he was not killed,
he said as he was a Hindu, he could not be branded as a terrorist along with
Sohrabuddin, a Muslim," Rubabuddin Shaikh told the court.Rubabuddin's
examination concluded on Saturday and he was also cross-examined. Rubabuddin
told the court, that Udaipur-based gangster Azam Khan's statement, that
Sohrabuddin told him he killed former BJP minister Haren Pandya on the orders
of Gujarat top cop DG Vanzara, was false."Khan is in police custody and he
is being pressurised to mislead the case. Court should take action against the
witnesses who have turned hostile. Either they are lying now or they were lying
earlier. We will move to the Supreme Court against the discharge of the
accused," Rubabuddin added.indiatoday
Despite Protest Resignations, Editors Guild
Retains Members Accused of Sexual Misconduct
New Delhi: Strong protest notes and even
resignations by members have not been able to influence the Editors Guild of
India enough to expel three of its flock who stand accused of sexual misconduct.he
Guild on Friday published the latest list of its members which includes former
Union Minister M.J. Akbar. He had to resign from his post last month after
several journalists, who had worked with him, accused him of sexual misconduct,
harassment and assault. He has since been accused of rape as well, a charge he
has denied. The members list also bears the name of former Tehelka
editor-in-chief, Tarun Tejpal, who is out on bail in a rape case and Gautam
Adhikari, former Times of India and DNA editor, who was also accused of sexual
harassment.Earlier this month, two women editors who are members of the Editors
Guild accused the body of “chicanery” and offering a “spineless response” to
the allegations of sexual misconduct levelled against Akbar.The resignation of
Mrinal Pande and Mythili Bhusnurmath had come in the wake of some of the
members of the guild offering justifications for not expelling Akbar from the
prestigious body. Shahid Siddiqui, who is editor of Nai Duniya, had noted that
he did not recall any precedent of the guild expelling a member. Claiming that
he has been a member of the guild since 1987, Siddiqui had suggested an
intermediate course of action. “My suggestion is that Akbar should be asked to
explain and a three member committee should look into the matter and give its
report within 15 days, before any action is taken against a member.”thewire
2 Indian nationals held in Saudi for taking
pictures with tri-colour, released after MEA intervention
Vadodara:2 Indian nationals from Vadodara were
detained by the Saudi Arabia police Friday for posing and taking pictures with
the Indian Flag inside the Haram in Mecca. While 12-year-old Uzair Ali was
released immediately after intervention of the Consulate General of India in
Jeddah, his father Imitiaz Ali Saiyed (45) was freed on Saturday.Imitiaz, a
manager at an optical shop at Old Padra Road, is a resident of Tandalja area of
the city. He had left for Mecca along with his wife and two children on Monday.
On Friday, he was detained by the Saudi Arabia police for taking a picture of
his son along with the Indian tri-colour.The Consulate General in Jeddah in a
tweet stated, “Please note it is banned to display flags in Haram area. Our
official has already met Imitiaz Ali and
son Uzair Ali at Haram Police station. After our intervention, Uzair Ali has
been released. We are following the case and all help being extended for early
release of Imitiaz as well.”Imitiaz’s brother Faiyaz Ali said, “My cousin who
lives in Saudi informed us about the detention. We were informed that today in
the evening the police will make a final decision regarding the case. We are
yet to hear from them. They had taken the flag along with them but did not know
that posing with it and taking pictures was an offence.”indianexpress
Women activists enter mosque at Taj Mahal,
perform puja; video goes viral
Agra: 3 women belonging to Antarrashtriya
Hindu Parishad, a local right-wing outfit, offered puja at the 400-year-old
mosque in Taj Mahal complex on Saturday. The women lit ‘dhoop batti’ and poured
‘ganga jal’ inside the premises as a video of the incident went viral on social
media. Later, the outfit’s district president, Meena Devi Diwakar, said, “If
Muslims are being allowed to offer namaz on all days, then even we can offer
puja at our Tejomahalaya (the term used for Taj Mahal by right wing
activists).” While Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) commandant Braj
Bhushan said they had no knowledge of the incident as their jawans are not
allowed inside the mosque, ASI officials said they were checking the
authenticity of video.When contacted,ASI superintending archaeologist (Agra
circle) Vasant Swarankar said, “We had sent the ASI staff on the spot after we
were informed. But no dhoop or any other puja material was found on the
spot.”He said, “Local police has been informed of this and CISF has been asked
to provide the CCTV footage whose authenticity will be checked.” Swarankar said
that action will be taken against the Hindu activists, if CCTV footage confirms
the incident. Meanwhile, Govind Parashar, leader of Rashtriya Bajrang Dal, who
had on Friday threatened to perform puja inside the Taj Mahal, said, “If no
action has been taken against Muslims who violated ASI ban, why should action
be taken against Hindu activists?” Syed Ibrahim Hussain Zaidi,head of Taj Mahal
Masjid Intezamia Committee, said the activists managed to enter the mosque
because of carelessness ASI and CISF.TOI
Ayodhya litigants seek President intervention
for fast hearing
Faizabad: The 2 main litigants in
Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit, Iqbal Ansari from Muslim side and
Mahant Dharam Das from Hindu side have written a joint letter to the President
seeking his intervention for fast track hearing of the case in the Supreme
Court. Ansari said, "We have urged
the President of India to intervene in the judicial process and take measures
for constitution of a special bench for speedy hearing of the case."
"The situation of uneasiness and chaos prevailing in the society over
Ayodhya issue must end, so we have requested the president to intervene and get
the verdict at the earliest. This dispute must come to an end," said
Mahant Dharam Das. Iqbal Ansari is the son of Hashim Ansari,initial main
litigant in the Babri Masjid dispute.TOI
Ayodhya: NCM chief Hasan to mediate for out of
court settlement, asks Muslims to be 'big-hearted'
National Commission for Minorities chairperson
Ghayorul Hasan Rizvi on Sunday made a strong pitch for mediation in the Ayodhya
issue, saying he will speak with all stakeholders for an out of court
settlement of the matter.He also appealed to Muslims to be
"big-hearted" as it was a matter of faith for the Hindus. Rizvi said
in his mediation bid, he will make efforts to get an assurance for Muslims that
if they agree to settle the Ayodhya issue, no dispute over mosques in other
places such as "Kashi and Mathura" will arise.In an interview to PTI,
Rizvi said the commission, in its monthly meeting on November 14, authorised
him, as the chairperson, that if he wants to mediate, he can hold talks with
all stakeholders for an out of court settlement.PTI
RSS, BJP join hands to pull out all stops for
Nov. 25 Ayodhya event
New Delhi :RSS and BJP have been working
behind the scenes to mobilise people for VHP Dharma Sabha, a gathering of
sants, to be held in Ayodhya on November 25, 3 days before Madhya Pradesh
Assembly election. Pamphlets criticising the Supreme Court for not taking up
the Ayodhya case on priority, and audio and video messages on social media have
been doing the rounds in the run-up to VHP programme that aims to mobilise
people for a proposed Ram temple. Workers of the BJP are also going door to
door in Ayodhya and other districts to invite people for the Sabha. “RSS has
extended support to the sants’ programme. A national RSS functionary will be
present in Ayodhya during the Dharma Sabha,” said a senior RSS
functionary.Sources said RSS functionaries in its four ‘prants’ — Awadh, Kashi,
Goraksh and Kanpur-Bundelkhand — are holding coordination meetings with each
other and with BJP and other like-minded outfits. BJP sources said their
workers would take out bike rallies and ‘prabhat pheris’ to appeal to people to
attend the event. Last week, RSS pracharaks in Ayodhya held a meeting with
workers of BJP and ABVP. BJP’s Ayodhya Mahaganagar president Kamlesh Srivastava
said, “We are making arrangements for the dignitaries and are inviting every
family in the city for the Sabha.”indianexpress
If Hindus unite, then no one can stop
construction of Ram temple: Subramanian Swamy
BJP leader Subramanian Swamy said Saturday if Hindus
unite then no one could stop the construction of a grand Ram temple in
Ayodhya.He said it was the fundamental right of Hindus to offer prayers at the
birthplace of Ram and added that even the Supreme Court would agree on the
issue of their faith.Swamy was addressing a conference at BHU’s Swatantrata
Bhavan organised in the memory of ex VHP leader Ashok Singhal.He said Muslims
can offer prayers at any other place but Hindus sentiments were associated with
the place where Ram was born and so the temple must be built there.He said if
the Hindus unite then no one could stop construction of a grand Ram temple in
Ayodhya.PTI
If BSP candidates are weak, we will back them…
Left to me, I would make Mayawatiji PM now: Chandrashekhar Azad
Bhim Army co-founder and chief Chandrashekhar
Azad talks about why he formed the outfit, where his organisation fits into the
politics of the country, the April 2 agitation by Dalits, the anger against govt,
his views on Congress, and announces the launch of a movement from
Muzaffarnagar on Dec 1. Azad said, "In Pune, a big incident
(Bhima-Koregaon) happened, but people who fought for justice were attacked and
BJP remained quiet. There was the Rohith Vemula case and the Saharanpur
incident (in July 2017, Dalits and Thakurs clashed, leading to death of at
least 2 and injuring scores). BJP talks about Hindu religion but when Dalits
are tortured, they remain quiet. Which Hindu are they talking about? For the
last 4 and half years, they did not do anything. They keep saying, ‘Ram Mandir
banaenge (We will construct Ram Temple)’. BJP is in power in the Centre as well
as in UP. Why aren’t they constructing it?…The country is run in accordance
with the Constitution and they won’t be able to go against it. BJP said they
will bring back black money and deposit Rs 15 lakh in every citizen’s bank
account. They also promised two crore jobs…They did not do anything. BJP is
responsible for the formation of the Bhim Army. When they have no jobs, what
will the unemployed do? There are a lot of people in Bhim Army. If they had
jobs, they would be working somewhere else." He continued, When I was in
jail, I attended an Eid namaz. The moment the dua ended, a rumour spread that I
had adopted Islam. I told those who were enquiring that I didn’t become a Hindu
despite ringing temple bells for 25 years, how will I become a Muslim now? We
are running the Bahujan movement as per the path shown by Kanshi Ram, who said
people of all marginalised communities are the same.Muslims and OBCs also come
under this category. We are trying to unite all such weak people." On BSP,
he said, "BSP is a political party and their leaders will decide what work
will be given to their cadre. We ask our cadre to work in the field of
education and lend support to victims of atrocities. The people should feel
that there is someone to listen to them. Our people also file FIRs on behalf of
the people. FIRs have a language and if they are not properly framed, then the
case can fall apart in court… When even the CBI lacks autonomy, how can a
police constable of a local police station be autonomous?I am part of a social
movement. If I feel that BSP candidates are weak, we will support them. We are
there to help the weak, not the strong."indianexpress
Congress not keen to ally fearing dent in its
Hindu votebank: SP leader Abu Azmi
Vadodara :(SP leader and its Maharashtra unit
president Abu Azmi on Saturday said that the Congress was wary of an alliance
with the SP in Gujarat, “fearing dent in its Hindu votebank”. Addressing
mediapersons here, Azmi said, “For Gujarat, we had proposed an alliance with
the Congress to its president Rahul Gandhi, but the Congress refused to form
any kind of an alliance as they fear that an alliance with us will affect their
Hindu votebank. So, we will fight independently like in other states.”With an
impending decision on the Ayodhya Ram temple by the Supreme Court, Azmi said
that the minority community is now living under fear. “They (ruling government)
do not want to build a temple, they just want to play politics in the name of
the Ram temple. If they had to build one they would have already done so in
their four years of rule,” he said. Slamming the BJP for renaming of cities,
Azmi said, “If changing the names of cities would lead to any kind of
development then such changes are welcome, otherwise they are just fooling the
people. Changing names of cities means crores of rupees being spent, which is
of no use. And the only cities being renamed have Muslim names.”
Won't prove my patriotism to people whose name
came up in Godhra riots: Sidhu to PM Modi
Raipur: Punjab Tourism and Cultural Affairs
Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu on Saturday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi by
raising Gujarat's Godhra riots case.Clarifying his Pakistan visit he attacked
PM Modi by saying, "Is the PM jealous that he was not called (for Imran
Khan's oath ceremony)? Is he jealous that he went to Pakistan uninvited (for
Nawaz Sharif's birthday)? I'll not prove my patriotism to people whose name came
up in Godhra (riots case)."ANI
Kashmiri woman arrested for luring youths into
militancy through Facebook: Officials
Srinagar :In a first-of-its-kind case , a
woman has been arrested by security agencies in Kashmir for allegedly luring
youths through Facebook into militancy, especially the Jaish-e-Mohammed,
officials said Sunday.Identified as Shazia from Naidkhai in Sumbal area of
Bandipore in North Kashmir, she was picked up after intelligence agencies
zeroed on her Facebook profile, through which she was “luring youths for jihad
and picking up weapons”, the officials said.During interrogation, it was found
that she had handed over some ammunition and magazines to two youths from
Anantnag, one of whom has been picked up.Shazia, who is in her early 30’s and a
mother of two, had been on the radar of security agencies for quite some time.
She would seek favours from senior officers promising them help in getting some
militants arrested.A video featuring Shazia had surfaced on Facebook a few
months ago, and it was alleged that she was a police informer.On the basis of a
complaint filed by her, two youths were picked up and later let off with a
warning.PTI
Youth abducted from J&K Shopian, 7th
in 4 days
Another youth has been abducted from Meemender
village in J&K’s Shopian district, hours after a 19-year-old civilian was
killed by suspected militants, according to ANI. This is the seventh incident
of abduction in the Valley in the last four days.Suhail Ahmad was abducted by
unidentified gunmen on Sunday morning from Meemender village, said a police
official of PCR, Shopian.19-year-old was kidnapped along with two others from
Saidpora area of Shopian, just 48 hours after a bullet-riddled body of a teen
was found in neighbouring Pulwama. Huzaif Ashraf alias Raja Kandur, Shahid
Ganaie and Farooq Thokar were abducted by militants from a bakery in Saidpora
Payeen village of Shopian, police said. Huzaif’s body was found in Shopian’s
Hermain village, about 10 km from place of kidnapping, police said.As per local
reports,two more civilians were abducted from Meemender village of Shopian
district on Saturday evening. However police officials said that they were
checking the authenticity of the reports.HT
Sabarimala temple opens: Protests as Hindu
outfit leader, BJP general secy taken into custody
Pamba :Kerala BJP general secretary K
Surendran was taken into “preventive custody” and removed from Nilakkal, a base
camp, on Saturday night, hours after Hindu Aikya Vedi state head P Sasikala was
detained by the police at Marakootam.The police action triggered heavy protests
across the state, with right-wing activists accusing the police of trying to
stop “genuine devotees” but “willing to escort activists” to the Sabarimala
temple. On Friday, Pune-based activist Trupti Desai was stopped by protesters
at Kochi airport as she along with six other women reached Kerala to pray at
the hill shrine.Sasikala, who was on a pilgrimage to the Lord Ayyappa temple,
was taken into preventive custody at 2.30 am Saturday after she allegedly
defied directions not to spend the night on the temple complex. Police had
decided not to allow devotees enter the temple premises when it was closed for
the night.indianexpress
My son thought I’ll be assassinated like
Indira Gandhi: Kapil Sibal
He’s a successful lawyer turned politician,
rich enough to be able to spend a few lakhs to acquire a painting by MF Husain;
and a poet who writes in three languages.On the face of it, Kapil Sibal seems
to have it all, but scratch the surface and you see his pain.Sibal’s pain comes
through in the first Punjabi song he recently wrote. The poet in him accepts
separation: it is the lawyer who wants to know why: Chadna hai te dass ke chad
mainu…Roughly translated, the verse runs something like this: Leave me if you
must but not without telling me why….HT
Women cry rape after falling out with
partner:Khattar
New Delhi :A fallout between two adults in a
relationship can result in a rape case against the male, claimed Haryana Chief
Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.In a video released by news agency ANI on
Saturday, the chief minister is heard saying that in most rapes cases, the
victim is known to the accused and the complaint is over an argument.“Sabse
badi chinta yeh hai ki yeh ghatnayein jo hain rape aur Chhed chhad ki, 80-90%
jankaro ke beech mein hoti hai. Kafi samay ke liye Ikhatte ghumte hain, ek din
anban hogai, uss din utha karke FIR karwa dete hain ‘isne mujhe rape kiya’ (The
biggest source of worry is that in 80-90 per cent of rape and harassment cases,
the victim is often known to the accused. The two of them spend time together.
When an argument or fight breaks out between them, the ‘victim’ later accuses
her companion of rape),” Khattar said.Ridiculing the “anti-women mindset” of
the CM, Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala tweeted, “Haryana CM
Khattar ji makes an utterly condemnable remark – Most girls who interact with
boys get raped, 80% rapes happen with consent. Blaming women for complete
failures to control rapes and gang rapes? Deplorable!”indianexpress
2 militants killed in encounter in Kashmir’s
Shopian
Srinagar:Two militants were killed in an
encounter with security forces in Shopian district of south Kashmir on Sunday
morning.A police spokesman said that based on inputs, a cordon and search
operation was launched by police and security forces at dawn in Rebban area of
Zainapora in Shopian district. Militants fired at the search team, who
retaliated.“In the ensuing encounter, two terrorists were killed,” he said,
adding that the bodies have been retrieved.The militants were identified as
Nawaz Wagay of Zainpora, Shopian, and Yawar Wani of Litter, Pulwama, a tweet by
Kashmir Zone Police said, adding that they were affiliated with proscribed
terror outfit Al-Badr. Arms and ammunition were recovered from the site of
encounter.The encounter comes a day after two teenagers were killed by
suspected militants after their abduction in the district since Thursday۔HT
WORLD
Trump calls CIA assessment of Khashoggi murder
premature but possible
Washington:President Donald Trump on Saturday
called a CIA assessment blaming Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the
killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi “very premature” and said he will
receive a complete report on the case on Tuesday. Trump, on a trip to
California, said the killing “should never have happened.” The report on
Tuesday will explain who the US government believes killed Khashoggi and what
the overall impact of his murder is, Trump said. It was unclear who is
producing the report.Trump also said CIA finding that bin Salman was
responsible for the killing was “possible.” Trump made the remarks hours after
the State Department said the government was still working on determining
responsibility for the death of Khashoggi, a US-based Washington Post
columnist.Reuters
full report on Khashoggi murder in next 2 day:Trump
Taliban hold talks with US envoy in Qatar
Taliban officials have held 3 days of talks
with the US special representative for Afghanistan in Qatar, aimed at renewing
the Afghan peace process, a Taliban official said. The talks, which ended on
Sunday, were comfirmed by other individuals close the group, who spoke on
condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the
negotiations.Taliban said its dialogue process with Washington was aimed at
securing a timetable for the withdrawal of all US and NATO troops from Afghanistan
to pave the way for an intra-Afghan dialogue.Last week, a five-member Taliban
delegation attended talks in Moscow for the first time at an international
conference to discuss the Afghan peace efforts."A second phase (of
discussions) should be held among Afghans (themselves) on how to bring about
peace and form a government in Afghanistan," Sohail Shaheen, a Qatar-based
spokesperson for the Taliban, told reporters in Moscow last week.The armed
group has reported that in meetings with US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, it is also
seeking the release of its prisoners and the removal of international travel
restrictions on senior Taliban leaders.In a lengthy statement issued earlier
this month, the Taliban had demanded the lifting of sanctions against the
group's leaders, the release of prisoners and the recognition of their office
in Qatar. Another individual close to the talks, who also spoke on condition of
anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks, said Khalilzad wants to
reach a settlement within six months, a timescale the Taliban said was too
short. Khalilzad also proposed a ceasefire, which the Taliban rejected, the
individual said, adding that there was no agreement on the release of
prisoners, opening the Taliban office or lifting a Taliban travel ban.It was
reported that Khairullah Khairkhwa, the former Taliban governor of Herat, and
Mohammed Fazel, an ex Taliban military chief,attended the marathon
talks.aljazeera
Over 40 killed in attack on refugee base in CAR
Bangui:Over 40 people were killed and dozens
wounded in Central African Republic in an attack on a Catholic mission
sheltering 20,000 refugees, a regional lawmaker said. The attack happened on
Thursday in Alindao, a town 300 km east of the capital Bangui. Thousands of
people were forced to flee when the mission was set on fire, the United Nations
said.“We have counted 42 bodies so far, but we are still searching for others.
The camp has been burnt to the ground and people fled into the bush and to
other IDP (internally displaced person) camps in the city,” Alindao lawmaker
Etienne Godenaha told Reuters.A humanitarian source confirmed that more than 40
people were killed.U.N. humanitarian coordinator in Central African Republic
Najat Rochdi said in a statement: “This vicious cycle of repeated attacks
against civilians is unacceptable.”reuters
CAR suspect wanted for war crimes against
Muslims handed to ICC
Alfred Yekatom, a war crimes suspect wanted
for alleged atrocities against Muslims in the Central African Republic (CAR),
has been extradited to The Hague to stand trial at the International Criminal
Court (ICC).The announcement by the tribunal on Saturday came days after
issuing a warrant against Yekatom - a sitting member of parliament once nicknamed
"Rambo" - for his alleged criminal responsibility for war crimes and
crimes against humanity ICC launched an
investigation in September 2014 into crimes committed in the resource-rich but
poor country since 2012.A former army officer, Yekatom is an ex-militia leader
within the so-called "Anti-balaka" movement, which was carrying out a
systematic attack against the Muslim population.aljazeera
Hundreds of Gaza homes damaged in Israeli
attacks
GAZA CITY, Palestine:Hundreds of residential
homes were damaged in this week’s Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip, according
to a Palestinian official on Sunday. “A total of 1,252 units have been damaged
in the last Israeli military escalation in Gaza,” Naji Sarhan, the
undersecretary of the Gaza-based Housing Ministry, told a press conference in
Gaza City. He said 77 residential units have been totally destroyed in the
Israeli attacks.“The attacks have caused losses worth $6 million in residential
buildings,” Sarhan said, calling on the international community to “intervene
to put an end to Israeli aggression and protect civilians and civilian
facilities” in Gaza. At least 14 Palestinians were martyred -- by Israeli
airstrikes and artillery -- across the blockaded Gaza Strip after rocket fire
earlier this week. At least one Israeli officer was reportedly killed and
another injured.Anadolu agency
Escalating US-led airstrikes kill 40 civilians
in eastern Syria
Damascus:At least 40 civilians were killed on
Saturday morning by intensified US-led airstrikes in eastern Syria, state news
agency SANA reported.The airstrikes targeted the village of al-Bukan near the
town of Hajin, 110 km southeast of Deir al-Zour province in eastern Syria, said
SANA.The attack is part of incessant airstrikes targeting the last Islamic
State (IS)-held pocket in the eastern countryside of Deir al-Zour.SANA said the
village of Bukan has become almost empty as people started fleeing the US.UNI
Tableeghi Jamaat amir Haji Abdul Wahab passes
away in Pakistan
Amir of the Tableeghi Jamaat (TJ), Haji Abdul
Wahab, passed away in Lahore on Sunday at the age of 95 after a battle with
dengue.Haji Abdul Wahab had been admitted to Doctors' Hospital for the past few
days after being afflicted with dengue. He also suffered from asthma and was
put on life support yesterday, according to a close aide of his belonging to
the Tableeghi Jamaat.His funeral is expected to be held at the Raiwind
Tableeghi Ijtamagah after Maghrib prayers today.Pak Prime Minister Imran Khan
expressed grief and sorrow over Haji Wahab's demise, Radio Pakistan reported.
He offered his condolences to the bereaved family, and said Haji Wahab's
services as a religious scholar will always be remembered. Jamaat-i-Islami
Pakistan Emir Sirajul Haq said that Haji Wahab spent his entire life in the
service of Islam."His services in trying to spread Islam are
irreplaceable,"JI chief added.dawn.com
Trump: US not considering Fethullah Gulen's
extradition to Turkey
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/11/trump-fethullah-gulen-extradition-turkey-181117191054955.html
US President Donald Trump says Washington has
no plans to extradite Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish religious leader accused by
Ankara of orchestrating a deadly coup attempt more than two years ago."No,
it's not under consideration," Trump said on Saturday, when asked whether
such move was being contemplated.His comments came days after NBC News reported
that the Trump administration had looked at possibly extraditing Gulen to
Turkey in an attempt to ease Ankara's pressure on Saudi Arabia, which has
increased following last month's killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the
Saudi consulate in Istanbul.According to the NBC report, Trump officials asked
law enforcement to look into Gulen's residency status in the US and the
possibility of reopening the Turkish request for extradition.aljazeera
FLASH: VIEWS &
NEWS
The sensible course for govt and RBI is to put
aside issue of reserves and focus on immediate concerns:P Chidambaram
Deepika Singh Rajawat: Kathua Family
'Innocent, But Being Misguided'
Rafale Deal: The Mystery of the 3-Billion-Euro
Price Hike:Ravi Nair
Drama and Contradictions Mark Sohrabuddin
Shaikh's Brother's Court Deposition:Sukanya Shantha
Zakia Jafri's Case is a Reminder of How the
Guilty of Gujarat Subverted Law:Teesta Setalvad
Cow is not an animal: Would Nehru have been
amused? Dhairya Maheshwari
Compiled and edited by
Anwarulhaq (Released at: 6:14 PM)
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