NEWS
DIGEST, Afternoon
06 Jan. 2019: 29 Rabiul-II 1440:
Vol: 11, No:94
INDIA
UNHCR seeks clarification from India over
repatriation of Rohingya to Myanmar
UN: UN refugee agency has expressed regret
over India's decision to repatriate a group of Rohingya to Myanmar, saying it
has sought clarification from India on the circumstances under which the asylum
seekers were sent back, voicing concern over the unconducive conditions for
such returns.Office of UNHCR said Friday that it "regrets India's decision
to repatriate a family of Rohingya asylum seekers to Myanmar, the second such
return in three months," Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General,
Farhan Haq told reporters at the daily press briefing. UN refugee agency said a
family of Rohingya asylum-seekers from Rakhine State, registered with UNHCR in
India, was sent back to Myanmar on Thursday after being detained in Assam,
where they had been serving a prison term since 2013 for illegal entry into
India.The agency said despite repeated requests, it did not receive a response
from the authorities in India regarding requests for access to individuals in
detention to ascertain their circumstances and to assess the voluntariness of
their decision to return.Noting that this was the second such incident since
Oct.2018, when India returned seven Rohingya men to Rakhine State in Myanmar,
the agency said conditions are not conducive for return of Rohingya to Myanmar.
“UNHCR continues to request access and seek clarification on the circumstances
under which the return has taken place,” the agency added. Responding to a
question on the Rohingya being returned to Myanmar, Haq said the UN wants to
ensure that whenever any family is returned, the nature of the return was
voluntary."And UNHCR was not able to assess the voluntary nature of that
return, and so they are very concerned about this," he said.When asked if
the Secretary-General intends to talk directly to India over the issue since
the UN refugee agency has "failed", Haq replied "I wouldn't say
that UNHCR has failed. What I would say is that there's movements on the ground
about which they are concerned, but they are in charge of this particular file,
and we'll see how it goes with their efforts."Assam Additional DGP(Border)
has said in Guwahati that the 5 members of the Rohingya family were handed over
to the Myanmarese authorities along the International Border in Manipur.PTI
Quota for Assamese in Assembly: MHA notifies
committee to look into implementation of Clause 6 of Assam Accord
New Delhi:Ministry of Home Affairs Saturday
notified the high-level committee that is expected to look into the
implementation of Clause 6 of the Assam Accord of 1985. The committee is headed
by a retired IAS officer MP Bezbarauah and includes eminent Assamese
personalities from various fields. The panel will submit its report within 6
months. Bezbaruah has served in Assam as a bureaucrat and was also part of the
North Eastern Council. He earlier headed a committee in 2014 that looked into
discrimination suffered by Northeastern people in mainland India following the
death of Arunachal Pradesh resident Nido Tania in Delhi.There are a total of 9
members in the committee including Bezbaruah. The notification comes days after
Union Cabinet cleared a proposal to set up high-level committee.Home Minister
Rajnath Singh had said clause 6 “wasn’t fully implemented”. The move, which was
announced ahead of PM Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to Silchar, comes at a
time when NRC is being updated and Centre is trying to introduce a contentious
Bill on citizenship. Clause 6 of Accord states: “Constitutional,legislative and
administrative safeguards, as may be appropriate, shall be provided to protect,
preserve and promote the cultural, social, linguistic identity and heritage of
the Assamese people.”It would be supported by North East division of the Home
Ministry and the Assam government, the home ministry said.The committee is
expected to look at reservation of Assamese people in Legislative Assembly of
Assam and other local bodies.Notably, AASU, among the signatories of the
accord, has also been demanding rights over land and natural resources for the
Assamese people.Clause 6 has been under discussion for long. In 1998, the Home
Ministry set up the sub-committee under G K Pillai; in 2006, the state
government set up a committee to help define “Assamese”; in 2011, it
constituted a Cabinet sub-committee to deal with Clause 6. “Although some steps
have been taken in the past to fulfil the commitment given in this regard,
state government and AASU have repeatedly stated that this clause remains to be
implemented fully.” indianexpress
Centre Sets up Panel to Assess How Many
Assembly Seats to Be Reserved for Assamese
Call for northeast shutdown against
Citizenship Bill
Guwahati: At least 30 indigenous groups,
including the North East Students’ Organisation, have called an 11-hour
shutdown on Tuesday to protest Modi govt’s move to have the Citizenship
(Amendment) Bill, 2016, passed in the Parliament.Bill seeks to legalise the
stay of non-Muslims from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan who migrated to
India till Dec.31, 2014 allegedly due to religious persecution. Most indigenous
groups in the North East fear this Bill, if passed, would make the region —
particularly Assam — a dumping ground for migrants. “This Bill is unacceptable,
and the shutdown call is to let the Centre know they cannot come out with a
regulation that threatens the existence of the Assamese and other indigenous
people in the North East,”All Assam Students’ Union president Dipanka Kumar
Nath said. Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Bill is expected to table its
recommendations in the Parliament on Monday. The panel had rejected all the
amendments suggested by the Congress and other parties to the draft of the Bill
on Dec.31.thehindu
Jamaat-e-Islami Hind questions Govt’s motive
on Triple Talaq Bill
New Delhi: The prominent Muslim organization
of the country, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) today questioned the government’s
motive on introducing the Triple Talaq Bill. President of JIH Maulana Syed
Jalaluddin Umari in a statement said that it was very strange that the
government did not deem it necessary to consult the Islamic scholars, Shariah
experts, Muslim community, Muslim religious organizations, representatives of
Muslim women organizations and even the opposition parties regarding the Bill.
Maulana Umri, however, welcomed and appreciated the role of the opposition
parties regarding the bill. “We appreciate the role of the Opposition parties
who did not allow the bill to pass in the Rajya Sabha and demanded that the
Bill be referred to a Select Committee. The motive for this Bill seems to be
political in nature and its introduction was completely unnecessary after the
Supreme Court had invalidated triple talaq. It criminalizes a matter that is
purely civil in issue”, Maulana Umari said.On the Citizenship amendments bill
with reference to the Assam, JIH Vice President Nusrat Ali said: “We oppose the
notification issued by the MHA regarding Citizenship Act wherein persecuted
religious minorities from neighboring countries would be given citizenship.
This would be open discrimination on basis of religion and goes against our
constitutional values’’.Earlier while briefing the media the Secretary General
of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Muhammad Salim Engineer expressed apprehension over
the govt’s notification authorizing 10 central agencies to intercept, monitor
and decrypt any computer system, “as and when required”. He also commented on
the recent Bangladesh polls. He said: “the landslide victory handed out to the
Awami League gives credence to allegations by the opposition and impartial
observers who have termed the polls to be ‘’a farce’’ and ‘’rigged’’.theindianawaaz
Jamaat Doubts Govt Motive On Triple Talaq
Bill, Welcomes Role of Opposition.
Railways to follow airport-like security
drill, boarding will stop 20 minutes before train departure
New Delhi: Railways is planning to seal
stations just like airports and passengers will soon have to arrive 15-20
minutes before the scheduled departure of trains to complete the security check
process. The security plan — with high-end technology — has already been put in
motion at Allahabad, in anticipation of the Kumbh Mela which begins this month
and at Hoobly railway station in Karnataka. A blueprint for 202 more stations
is ready for implementation, Railway Protection Force Director General Arun
said."The plan is to seal the railway stations. It is primarily about
identifying openings and to determine how many can be closed. There are areas
which will be closed through permanent boundary walls, others will be manned by
RPF personnel and yet others will have collapsible gates. "At each entry
point there will be random security checks. However, unlike at airports,
passengers need not come hours in advance, but just 15-20 minutes ahead of
their departure times to ensure that they are not delayed because of the
security process," he said.Kumar said that while security will increase,
presence of security personnel will not. "If we are inventing in
technology, then manpower requirement will reduce," he said. These steps
are a part of a security plan under the Integrated Security System (ISS) which
was approved in 2016 to strengthen surveillance mechanism at 202 railway
stations.PTI
‘Imran Khan believes in minority rights,
Indian minorities killed due to religion’:Pak targets PM Modi
New Delhi: Pakistan govt has targeted Prime
Minister Narendra Modi in a tweet over perceived differences on how the 2
countries ‘treat their minorities’. In a tweet that showcases Pakistan’s
attempt at a smear campaign against PM Modi, ruling PTI compares Pakistan PM
Imran Khan with Modi, showing the former in a favourable light. The tweet
attacks the Modi government over the increasing incidents of cow lynching in
India, while pointing out that the Imran Khan government had declared Panj
Tirath, a Hindu religious site, as a “national treasure.” The propaganda tweet
clearly aims at highlighting Khan for his ‘secular leanings’ while denouncing
PM Modi for the perceived ill-treatment of minorities in India. The image on
the tweet reads, "2 countries, 2 leaders, 2 days, 2 news".Along with
that 2 news clippings are highlighted, one of Pakistan’s decision to declare
Panj Tirath as a national treasure, and the other of the recent incident of mob
lynching in Bihar’s Araria. On Dec29, a 55-year-old man was thrashed to death
by a mob of around 300 people over allegations of cattle theft in Araria
district of Bihar. The tweet is accompanied with a caption highlighting the difference
between 2 govts: “PM Imran Khan believes in humanity and minority rights.
Kartarpur corridor is proof of this. While in India minorities are murdered in
the name of religion. This is the difference which makes Imran Khan an esteemed
leader."Times Now
Doctors Ask Muslim Patients to Shave Off Beard
Even for Minor Surgery, Complains SP Leader
Mumbai: Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Rais
Sheikh has claimed doctors at civic-run hospitals here ask Muslim patients to
shave off beard before they perform surgery on them and sought a ban on this
practice.Sheikh, SP's group leader in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation
(BMC), has written a letter to civic commissioner Ajoy Mehta, drawing his
attention to the practice which he termed as unacceptable.In the letter, he has
claimed doctors at BMC-run hospitals ask Muslim patients to shave off beard
before performing even minor operations. SP corporator said, "Keeping a
beard is long-cherished part of our faith and I have received several
complaints from our Muslim brother patients who say doctors advise them to
shave off beard before performing even a minor surgery.""This is
unacceptable and I have apprised BMC commissioner Ajoy Mehta about it and have
written a letter to him," Sheikh said."I have demanded that Mehta
instruct doctors to ask patients to shave off beard only when it is extremely
necessary," he said.Sheikh also said the BMC's heath department has taken
cognisance of his complaint over the issue and framed a policy to prevent
doctors from resorting to the practice.However, this could not be immediately
corroborated with civic officials.PTI
If 1984 guilty had been punished, there
wouldn’t be Mumbai 1993, Gujarat 2002, lynchings: HS Phoolka
Senior lawyer HS Phoolka is optimistic that Sajjan
Kumar verdict will have a bearing on all mob violence cases, calls for a law
without loopholes to tackle such crimes, talks about his experience during the
riots, blames the system for institutional authority not being fixed, and says
any Congress apology must be sincere. Phoolka said, "people who are in
majority in a particular area, they attack a community and then they get
political patronage. This kind of violence started from 1984. I have said this
many times, if the people guilty in the 1984 riots had been punished, we
wouldn’t have seen Mumbai riots of 1993, Gujarat riots of 2002 or Kandhamal, or
whatever is happening these days, these lynchings etc." indianexpress
Phoolka rubbishes reports of joining BJP after
meeting with Vijay Goel
New Delhi :Senior lawyer H S Phoolka, who
resigned from the primary membership of Aam Aadmi Party last week, Sunday
dismissed reports that he was joining the BJP following a meeting with Union
Minister Vijay Goel the previous day. Taking to Twitter, Phoolka clarified that
the two leaders are good friends and that meeting Goel on the occasion of his
birthday was “no news”.“Meeting Vijay Goel is no news. We are good friends and
meet often. When I became the Leader of Opposition, he had invited me for
dinner at his Haveli. He has been helping me in the 1984 Sikh genocide cases
quietly without claiming any credit. I meet every leader who supports our fight
for justice,” Phoolka said.indianexpress
LS polls: NDA may fall 15 seats short of
majority, says survey
New Delhi:BJP-led NDA at the Centre may fall
nearly 15 seats short of the magic mark of 272 in the 543-seat Lok Sabha, if
elections are held now, says the India TV-CNX opinion poll. According to the
survey, conducted between December 15-25 at fag end of last year in all 543
parliamentary constituencies, the NDA may get 257 seats and the Congress-led
UPA (minus SP and BSP) may get 146 seats, far off the magic mark.The survey was
done after the results of Assembly polls in five states, including Rajasthan,
Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh where Congress has formed govts.The survey said
on Saturday that the key to govt formation could lie in the hands of ‘others’
who may get 140 seats in a House of 543.‘Others’ include Samajwadi Party, BSP,
AIADMK, Trinamool Congress, Telangana Rashtra Samithi, Biju Janata Dal, YSR
Congress Party, Left Front, PDP of Mehbooba Mufti, AIUDF of Badruddin Ajmal,
AIMIM of Asaduddin Owaisi, INLD, Aam Aadmi Party, JVM(P), AMMK of Tamil Nadu
and independent MPs.The earlier nationwide survey conducted by India TV-CNX in
November, before the Assembly polls, had given NDA a clear majority with 281
seats, UPA 124, and ‘Others’ 138. Since then there has been a reduction of 24
seats in NDA and an addition of 22 seats in UPA, says the survey. The survey
says that NDA could get 37.15 per cent votes, UPA 29.92 per cent and ‘others’
32.93 per cent.Within the NDA, the BJP may win 223 seats, Shiv Sena 8, JD(U)
11, Akali Dal 5, LJP 3, PMK 1, NDPP 1, AINRC 1, NPP 1, SDF 1, Apna Dal 1, and
MNF 1.The survey said that Congress may win 85 seats (almost double that it won
in 2014), DMK 21, Lalu Prasad’s RJD 10, NCP 9, JMM 4, JD(S) 4, RLD 2, RLSP 1,
RSP 1, IUML 2, TDP 4, JK National Conference 2, and Kerala Congress (M) 1. Next
Lok Sabha elections would be held in April-May.
IANS
Ayodhya land dispute matter: SC defers hearing
to Jan.10
A 2-judge bench of the Supreme Court, headed
by CJI Ranjan Gogoi, said on Friday it will hear the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri
Masjid title dispute case on Jan.10."Further orders on hearing Ayodhya
land dispute case will be passed by a 3-judge bench on Jan.10," a division
bench of the apex court, also comprising Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, said.
Before giving the date for an hearing in the case, the top court bench said “is
this the Ram Janmbhumi matter? Further order will passed by an appropriate
bench on Jan 10.” On Friday, the Court no.1 was jam packed with advocates,
litigants and journalists in anticipation of some orders for setting up a bench
or day to day hearing of Ayodhya dispute.UNI
Mehbooba Mufti Hails Court Decision On
3-Member Bench For Ayodhya Case
Srinagar: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief
Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday welcomed the Supreme Court's decision to
constitute a 3-member bench for hearing Babri Masjid land title dispute
case.She said punishment must be served to those who demolished the
mosque."Honourable SC's decision to constitute a bench for Babri
Masjid/Mandir issue is a welcome step. There is also need to ensure punishment
is meted out to those who demolished the Babri Masjid so that such acts are not
repeated in the future," Mehbooba wrote on Twitter. PDP president also said the country would not
have witnessed "massacres" had the culprits responsible for 1984
anti-Sikh riots been punished.PTI
BJP’s poll drubbing, Ayodhya shadow on RSS
brainstorming meet in Chennai
Chennai:RSS will hold a four-day brainstorming
session for its over 30 parivar organisations, including BJP and VHP, from
Sunday in Chennai. The meet will chiefly look at organisational aspects and
carry out a ‘SWOT’ analysis to help the
individual outfits with their respective “nationalistic goals.”The session,
though dubbed routine by the RSS, is expected to offer a “broad guideline” to
reconcile VHP’s “Hindus cannot wait for eternity for Ram temple” line with
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent assertion on the Ayodhya issue, RSS
sources indicated. The meet will take stock of BJP’s electoral drubbing in MP,
Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh besides the work of 30-plus outfits belonging to the
larger Sangh parivar.PTI
Contentious issues like Ram temple, triple talaq
may harm NDA: Chirag Paswan
Sheikhpura:LJP, a BJP ally in Bihar, on
Saturday disapproved of contentious issues like the Ram temple and triple talaq
being raised ahead of the Lok Sabha polls and expressed apprehension that deviating
from the development plan could harm NDA. LJP parliamentary board chairman
Chirag Paswan expressed the view at a press conference in the district, which
comprises a part of his Lok Sabha seat — Jamui.“Development should be the poll
plank for NDA, which, I am confident, will help the coalition win more than 35
of the 40 seats in Bihar.I am hopeful that the election will be fought on the
issue of development and contentious issues like the Ram temple and triple
talaq will be kept at bay. These may harm the coalition’s prospects,” he
said.The young MP, who is the son of Union minister and LJP’s founding
president Ram Vilas Paswan, had expressed similar concerns last month after BJP
lost power in 3 of its strongholds — Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.PTI
Ishrat Jahan encounter: Getting govt sanction
to prosecute ex-cops not in our hands, says CBI
Ahmedabad :CBI on Saturday told a special
court, which is hearing 2004 Ishrat Jahan encounter case, that the time limit
to get sanction from the Gujarat government to prosecute the accused retired
police officers, including DG Vanzara and NK Amin, is not in their hands.The
central probe agency reiterated its stand that it had sought the state
government’s nod to prosecute the retired officers only due to the order passed
by the special court. “Our stand has been very clear since the beginning (of
the trial) that there is no need to seek permission (from Gujarat govt) for the
prosecution (of former police officers). We moved (a plea) before the state
(govt) only after this court ordered us to do so,” special public prosecutor RC
Kodekar, appearing for CBI, told special judge JK Pandya. Earlier, special
judge asked Kodekar, “What happened in the Ishrat case.” Kodekar responded, “It
hasn’t come yet”, stating that Gujarat govt was yet to respond to the CBI’s
request. When the judge enquired how long would it take for the govt to
respond, Kodekar said that the agency wouldn’t know as it would be decided by
“higher-level officers”. CBI has not taken permission before chargesheeting
seven Gujarat policemen, including ex DGP PP Pandey, who was discharged last
year, Vanzara, IPS officer GL Singhal, NK Amin, Tarun Barot, among others in
2013.indian express
Raids across UP,Delhi: CBI to examine Akhilesh
in mining case, SP cries vendetta
New Delhi:CBI will examine the alleged roles
of Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav and his former Cabinet colleague
Gayatri Prajapati in a case of illegal mining, according to an FIR filed by the
agency on Jan.2. On Saturday, CBI searched 14 locations across Delhi and UP in
connection with the case, which deals with illegal mining in Hamirpur between
2012 and 2016.In the FIR filed on Jan.2, CBI said, “The role of then mining
ministers concerned during relevant period may be looked into during the course
of investigation of the case.” CBI is probing the case on the orders of the
Allahabad High Court.Both Yadav and Prajapati held the mining portfolio between
2012 and 2016 when the alleged irregularities in the mining of minor minerals
were supposed to have happened.indianexpress
Tough UP IAS officer booked by CBI is known
for fighting corruption & good administration
Lucknow: On a winter morning four years ago,
the district magistrate of Bulandshahr reached a road construction site to find
bad quality bricks being used.Irked by the lackadaisical attitude of the local
municipal officials, she threatened to lodge an FIR against them on the grounds
of corruption, alleging that public money was being wasted. A video clip of the
incident had gone viral.Fast forward to the present, and the same IAS officer,
B. Chandrakala, has been booked by the Central Bureau of Investigation on
charges of corruption in an illegal mining case.CBI sleuths Saturday conducted
raids in parts of Uttar Pradesh and Delhi, including two residences of
Chandrakala, and is believed to have seized documents. 2008-batch Uttar Pradesh
cadre IAS officer is alleged to have allowed illegal mining of minerals and
violated the e-tender systems in giving mining contracts between 2012 and 2016
in Hamirpur district, where she was posted as DM.theprint
ED moves Bombay HC against PMLA tribunal's
order on Zakir Naik
Mumbai: Bombay High Court Friday issued a
notice to religious preacher Zakir Naik's Islamic Research Foundation following
a petition filed by the Enforcement Directorate over proceedings related to
attachment of properties belonging to him and his organisation.The ED, through
its counsel advocate Hiten Venegaonkar, has filed a plea in the high court,
challenging among other things, a last year's order of the Prevention of Money
Laundering Act (PMLA) Appellate Tribunal in New Delhi.In its order, the
Tribunal had stayed all attachment proceedings initiated by the ED against Naik
and IRF until the central agency filed its reply, and submitted a copy of the
NIA's charge sheet filed against Naik in a case under UAPA, and also a copy of
such speeches made by him that the probe agencies had alleged were
"objectionable."PTI
NIA brings Naeem to Meerut in search of more
info on IS-inspired module
Meerut:A team of NIA brought Naeem, accused of
supplying arms to IS-inspired terror accused and arrested, to Radhna village in
Kithore tehsil of Meerut on Saturday for getting more details about the module
busted recently. The team, along with a bomb disposal squad and a platoon of
CRPF, arrived in the village on Saturday morning and raided some houses of the
people known to Naeem. “Team conducted searches at other suspects’ homes as
revealed by Naeem during interrogation by the NIA. They raided the houses of
Arif (Naeem’s uncle) and Matloob, a neighbour. But no arrests were made,” SP
(rural) Rajesh Kumar told TOI. According to police sources, a mango orchard in
the village was also dug up at various spots but they did not find anything as
such. Family members and villagers at a point surrounded the raiding team and
claimed Naeem’s innocence but the team that comprised officers of the rank of
SP and deputy SP interacted little with the locals and left the place by
afternoon. Development is linked to Dec.26 incident in which teams of ATS
conducted simultaneous raids at 17 places of western UP. TOI
Soft stand on mob lynching unfortunate; NIA
terrorizing Muslims: Mufti Mukarram
New Delhi:Shahi Imam Masjid Fatehpuri Mufti
Mohammed Mukarram Ahmed appealed Muslims to pay attention towards education and
training of children. He told this during Friday sermon. He asked to engage
children in some or other activity so that their life is not ruined. Shahi Imam
said strict action is needed against mob lynching and mere condemnation is not
enough. He lamented that NIA is terrorizing Muslims by conducting raids in
Delhi and Amroha. It should not arrest innocent Muslims on the basis of mere
suspension and should not seize domestic items. He expressed hope that no one
could produce evidence against the Muslim youth in the court and they will be
soon acquitted.siasat
Karnataka: Decline in Muslim birth rate, rise
in Hindu; ISEC cites these reasons
Bengaluru: Data released by the Registrar
General of India stated that 9.3 lakh births were registered in families of
Hindus, 1.6 lakh in Muslims and 6,431 in Christians in Karnataka in 2017. The
report, reveals an increase of 0.2% in Hindu child took birth in 2017, compared
to 2016 report. On the other hand, there has been a decrease of 5 per cent in
Muslim birth and 13 per cent in Christians in comparison to the registered
deliveries in 2016. In 2016, 9.3 lakh Hindu, 1.7 lakh Muslim and 7,369
Christian newborns were registered. Registrar General of India compiled the
data based on information submitted by the Karnataka govt. Prof CM Lakshmana,
head of Population Research Centre at ISEC, has attributed the dip in Muslim and
Christian families to changing trends in education levels, acceptance and
family planning. siasat
Einstein, Newton ‘misled’ world: Unaware of
controversial remarks by speakers, say organisers
Phagwara:Indian Science Congress Association
(ISCA), which is organising 106th Indian Science Congress ongoing at LPU here,
Saturday professed ignorance about two speakers who stoked controversy in their
presentations by saying that Einstein and Newton “misled” the world, that Kauravas
were test tube babies, and presenting the Dashavathar as a “better” theory of
evolution than Darwin’s and said such statements should not have been made. 2
speakers were Dr Kannan Jegathala Krishnan, whose designation in conference
manual is mentioned as ‘senior research scientist and coordinator’ at World
Community Service Centre at Aliyar in Tamil Nadu, and Prof G Nageswara Rao,
V-C, Andhra University.In his address, Krishnan purportedly ridiculed Albert
Einstein and Isaac Newton and termed Minister for Science and Technology Dr
Harsh Vardhan as a more “popular and learned” scientist than the late Dr APJ
Abdul Kalam.The other speaker, Rao, V-C, Andhra University, a biotechnologist,
claimed that Kauravas in Mahabharata were test tube babies and Dashavatar which
talks about ten avtars of Lord Vishnu in Hindu scripture Bhagavad Gita gave
better theory of evolution than Darwin.He said, “I stand by my statement and I
have tried to relate science with history. I said there was some kind of
technology at that time too which was similar to test tube babies technique
today.” Asked if there is any evidence to support his claims, he said, “There
is itihaas, which is evidence.” He said he was invited by organisers and that
he only “stated historical facts” without any motive to influence anyone.indianexpress
Rafale row: Prove order given to HAL or
resign, Rahul tells Sitharaman
New Delhi:Alleging that Defence Minister
Nirmala Sitharaman “lied” in Parliament by claiming the Modi government gave
orders worth Rs one lakh crore to HAL, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on
Sunday said that the minister should either place the documents in support of
her statement in the House or resign.Gandhi’s attack came after a media report
claimed that “not a single rupee of the said Rs 1 lakh crore has come to HAL,
since not a single order, as claimed, has been signed till now”. The media
report cited senior HAL management officials in order to back its claim.“When
you tell one lie, you need to keep spinning out more lies, to cover up the
first one. In her eagerness to defend the PM’s Rafale lie, RM lied to
Parliament,” Gandhi tweeted along with the media report.PTI
No Mention Of Shivaji, BR Ambedkar In
Maharashtra Calendar: Opposition
Maharashtra govt dropped the mention of death
anniversaries of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, democrat reformist Rajarshi Shahu
Maharaj, social reformer Mahatma Jyotiba Phule and BR Ambedkar from 2019
calendar.The calendar is distributed to all departments and all government
offices across the state. While there is a mention of events like World Aids
Day (Dec.1) and International Day of Disabled Persons (Dec.3) among others, death
anniversaries have been omitted.The omission has drawn sharp reactions from the
opposition. Congress Leader of Opposition in Assembly, Radhakrishna
Vikhe-Patil, attacked govt for "the extremely serious lapses" and
demanded to know who will be held responsible for these."This (BJP-Shiv
Sena) govt exploits the names of all these towering personalities only for
political purposes but has forgotten them in the annual calendar," he
said.IANS
Not sure if Hanuman even had52-inch chest:Chidambaram
Chennai: 'Who has a 52-inch chest? I have
heard a story from Ramayana, where Lord Hanuman tore opened his chest. I am not
sure even Lord Hanuman had a 52-inch chest', former Finance Minister and senior
Congress leader P Chidambaram said while speaking at Tamil Nadu Jamathul Ulama
Sabha conference meet here. He further lambasted BJP-led present dispensation
on demonestisation and said, "There are several reasons why we oppose this
government, like demonetisation. Arvind Subramanian had also said indirectly
that it's wrong. All mistakes were done by a single person only. Demonetisation
was by one person and GST too is the same."Talking of his education years,
he opined that majoritarianism can lead to authoritarianism."I did my
education in Christian based school. But my class leader was from a Muslim
brotherhood. We never felt a religious difference. When I see now, it gives me
pain as majoritarianism is against democracy. Majoritarianism will lead to
authoritarianism," he said.ANI
Yogi plans to use liquor ‘cess’ to find ‘work’
for BJP supporters: National Herald India
A new 2% cess on sale of liquor in UP,
announced by chief minister Yogi Adityanath on New Year’s Day, will be used to
set up and maintain ‘Gaushalas’ or shelter for cows in the state. Alarmed at
widespread resentment over stray cattle destroying crops and leading to
accidents, on one reported occasion even killing a villager, UP Govt wants to
implement the scheme on a war footing before crucial general election.
FIR against 28 after stray cattle,herded into
school in UP
Police in Shahjahanpur in UP have lodged an
FIR against eight named and 20 unidentified persons for allegedly herding stray
cattle inside a govt primary school after breaking open the lock on the
school’s gate in Nagaria Bhujurgh village in the Jalalabad police station area
late Jan.2 night.By the time a team of the district administration and police
reached the school on Jan.3 however, the animals had been led out of the school
premises.Following an inquiry, an FIR was lodged under the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals Act, and for damage to property, SHO of Jalalabad police
station, Harender Singh, said. No one has been arrested so far.In a video
conference with district magistrates on Jan.2, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath
reportedly directed that stern action be taken against those who had locked up
the animals in a govt building, as well as against the owners of the cattle.
indian express
UP’s animal farm: Anger is growing, solutions
dwindling
The occasional bright shafts of light piercing
the pitch-dark farmlands along the Aligarh-Mathura highway can be a little
unsettling for the weary traveller. More so on a frosty January night.But
Ravinder Singh and Chaman must ignore the cold. Ravinder, a farmer in Tehara
village of Aligarh’s Iglas tehsil, who is spending most nights in his fields
these days. Farmers across western UP are keeping night vigils, seeking to
protect their crops from an alarmingly growing population of stray cattle,
which is now haunting this striking kaleidoscope of wheat, potato and mustard
farms. Like others in his village, and across rural India, Ravinder is used to
retiring early for the night, after a day in the fields starting at dawn. But
now, in village after village, farmers are taking turns to guard their crops,
well past midnight. Farmers say the situation has come to this pass since
Adityanath govt’s crackdown on illegal slaughterhouses across the state
starting March 22, 2017, coupled with the fear spread by self-styled ‘gau
rakshaks’. So cattle that are no longer of any use to their owners are being abandoned.
There are few takers even for transporting buffaloes, over whose slaughter
there is no restriction. “It’s barely been a year since the ban (on the
slaughterhouses) and the situation is already getting out of hand. Today, we
managed to chase the cattle away. But the day is not far when they will be
immune to the fear of sticks. In any case, bulls do injure humans, sometimes
fatally. So do we take up guns now?” asks Ravinder.As tempers rise, in a region
that is already a hotbed of caste and communal conflicts, authorities are wary
of potential law and order crises.In Aligarh, Mathura and Agra, villagers
actually herded stray cattle into primary schools and govt offices and locked
them up in the last week of Dec. Authorities have managed to clear the schools,
but all other available govt land, including complexes housing water tanks, now
has abandoned cattle locked in. Rambir Singh Pradhan, who owns a dhaba along Aligarh-Mathura
road, recalls the period when people used to worship cows that gave birth to
bulls, as they were an intrinsic part of the village economy in the absence of
mechanisation and tractors. However, he points out,it is not the case now,
minimising the use of both cows once they stop giving milk and bulls. “Cattle
should be slaughtered, but being Hindus, we can’t even say that. Even
politicians know the reality but stay mum. We worship cows but the rules should
be flexible. Now it is clear that cows are worse off.They are being herded into
congested shelters and left to die. How many politicians shedding tears for
cows keep them at their bungalows? Be it Modi or Yogi or gau rakshaks, it is us
farmers who are suffering,” Pradhan says, agitated. Towards the end of Dec., 60
stray cattle kept in a makeshift shed died of “cold and weakness” over a week
in Tappal area of Aligarh district. Meanwhile, the meat industry in the region
is almost dead. In Bulandshahr’s Chaudera town, a cluster of meat shops, which
used to sell buffalo meat, have downed shutters in the last one year.Mohammad
Sharfaraz, whose shop is one of the remaining two, says the crackdown on local
“kattikhanas (slaughterhouses)” has led to a rise in the cost of running the
business, as they now have to send buffaloes to govt-notified HAI Ltd
in.indianexpress
JNUSU announces 2 day strike, claims varsity
spent lakhs to host Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and Sadhguru
JNUSU has called for a two-day strike to
protest against the varsity for allegedly spending nearly ₹13 lakh to host
spiritual gurus Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and Sadhguru.The students' body claimed
that JNU's vice-chancellor had denied registration to a visually challenged student
of the Centre for Japanese Studies, Munesh, who was failed due to lack of
facilities as the varsity faced a paucity of funds. However, the VC has spent
nearly ₹13 lakh to host babas like Sadhguru and Sri Sri, JNUSU alleged in a
statement.It has called for a two-day strike on Jan. 8 and 9 against
"financial corruption" by VC and his cronies.
‘JNU attendance policy worst among 21
countries’
New Delhi: In a report released by Members of
Parliament on Friday, JNUTA initiated a fresh attack against JNU administration
for its implementation of the compulsory attendance system by claiming that in
their survey of teachers from 75 universities of 21 countries, they found their
attendance policy to be “antithetical to university’s values.” JNUTA stated
that JNU administration, “without any consultation with the statutory bodies of
the university, unilaterally imposed a new rule for daily attendance for the
faculty, starting with daily signing of an attendance register held by the
school/centre office. There are plans to soon replace the registers with
biometric devices for attendance that are currently being installed across the
university.” This, they say, was never a part of the agenda of the 146th (A)
Meeting of the academic council held on July 13.TOI
SP,BSP join hands for 2019, leave Cong
Lucknow: In what spells a challenge for BJP in
the Lok Sabha elections, BSP and SP have decided to contest the 2019 polls
together in UP and are likely to formally announce a seat-sharing pact without
Congress.The two parties have decided to contest an equal number of seats,
possibly 37 each of the 80 seats, in the politically pivotal state. The two
have decided not to field candidates in Amethi and Rae Bareli, constituencies
of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, respectively.
They are also ready to set aside seats for Jat leader Ajit Singh’s RLD, while
efforts are also on to rope in OBC outfits like Nishad Party and Krishna Patel
faction of Apna Dal to forge a larger social combination to take on the
dominant BJP.Sources familiar with negotiations said that while SP is insisting
on parity, it is not averse to conceding a couple of seats more to BSP to
ensure a smooth partnership with Mayawati, who revels in bargaining hard.TOI
PM Modi’s Muslim PR man holds hush-hush meet
with Nadwa rector:TOI report
Lucknow: Zafar Sareshwala, ex chancellor of
Maulana Azad Urdu University, and better known as PM Modi’s public relations
man in Muslim circles, held a closed-door meeting with president of All-India
Muslim Personal Law Board Maulana Rabe Hasan Nadvi in Lucknow late Friday. 2
prominent Muslim scholars have learnt to have discussed the emerging political
scenario involving the community, including Ayodhya, triple talaq and role of
Muslims in 2019 elections. During the meeting, the two Muslims leaders
expressed concern over lynching and selective targeting of the community by the
right-wing fringe. Sareshwala’s meeting with Nadvi, rector of Darul Uloom
Nadwatul Ulema, assumes significance in the run-up to the 2019 elections. Sareshwala,
who is also viewed as Modi’s emissary by Muslims, said, he told Nadvi that
Muslims should not be provoked by rogue elements, but display their prowess “at
the time of casting their vote”. TOI
WORLD
China passes law to make Islam 'compatible
with socialism':report
China has passed a new law that seeks to
"Sinicize" Islam within the next 5 years, the latest move by Beijing
to rewrite how the religion is practised.China's English paper, Global Times,
reported on Saturday that after a meeting with representatives from eight
Islamic associations, govt officials "agreed to guide Islam to be
compatible with socialism and implement measures to Sinicize the
religion."The paper did not provide further details or the names of the
associations that agreed to the decree.China has embarked on an aggressive
"Sinification" campaign in recent years with faith groups that were
largely tolerated in the past seeing their freedoms shrink under Chinese
President Xi Jinping, China's most powerful leader since Mao Zedong. Practising
Islam has been made forbidden in parts of China, with individuals caught
praying, fasting, growing a beard or wearing a hijab, a headscarf worn by many
Muslim women who feel it is part of their religion, facing the threat of
arrest.According to the UN, more than one million Uighur Muslims are estimated
to be held in internment camps where they are forced to denounce the religion
and pledge allegiance to the officially atheist ruling Communist Party.Rights
groups have accused China of engaging in a campaign of ethnic cleansing. In
August, a Washington Post editorial said the world "can't ignore" the
campaign against Muslims.Islamic crescents and domes have been stripped from
mosques, and according to AP, religious schools and Arabic classes have been
banned and children barred from participating in Muslim activities. China has
rejected the criticism, saying it protects the religion and culture of its
minorities. However, in the past week alone, authorities in China's Yunnan
province, which borders Mynamar, have closed three mosques established by marginalised
Hui Muslim ethnic minority, South China Morning Post said.aljazeera
Syria pullout tied to ISIL defeat, Kurd
protection: US
President Donald Trump's national security
adviser said on Sunday US military withdrawal from northeastern Syria is
conditioned on finishing off the armed group ISIL and on Turkey assuring the
safety of Kurdish troops allied with US.John Bolton, who travelled to Israel to
reassure US ally of the Trump-ordered withdrawal, said there is no timetable
for the pullout of American forces in northeastern Syria, but insisted it's not
an unlimited commitment."There are objectives that we want to accomplish
that condition the withdrawal," Bolton told reporters in Jerusalem. "Timetable
flows from the policy decisions that we need to implement."Those
conditions, he said, included the defeat of remnants of ISIL in Syria, and
protection for Kurdish militias who have fought alongside US troops against the
group. Bolton was deployed to Israel to allay concerns about President Donald
Trump's decision to withdraw troops from Syria and discuss the process with
Turkish officials. Bolton also warned Syria's president, Bashar al-Assad, not
to use the US withdrawal as a pretext to use chemical weapons against Syrians,
saying there is "no change" to US position that their use is a
"red line".aljazeera
Egypt,Israel in close cooperation against
Sinai fighters: Sisi
Egypt's president has told a US broadcaster
his country and Israel are cooperating against armed groups in the Sinai
Peninsula, a potentially damaging acknowledgement that could explain a request
that network not air the interview. Excerpts from the interview released by CBS
over weekend also showed President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi denying there are
political prisoners in Egypt, where he has overseen one of the largest
crackdowns on dissent in the country's modern history since the overthrow by
the military, then led by him, of a divisive president.CBS, which will air the
full interview Sunday on its show 60 Minutes, said it has rejected a request by
the Egyptian government not to show it. It did not say which part of the
president's comments Cairo objected to, but the cooperation with Israel, with
whom Egypt has a 1979 peace treaty, appears to be the most contentious part. Egypt's
military last year denied press reports that it and Israel were cooperating
against insurgents in northern Sinai, a region of rugged mountains and desert
bordering Israel and the Gaza Strip where Egyptian security forces have for
years battled the fighters, now led by ISIL group. According to the excerpts,
el-Sisi was asked if his country's cooperation with Israel was the closest ever
between the 2 countries. "That is correct... We have a wide range of cooperation
with Israelis,"he responded.aljazeera
Taliban seek venue change for peace talks with
US to Qatar: aljazeera
Taliban will not attend planned peace talks
with the US in Saudi Arabia this month and want to shift the venue to Qatar.
The upcoming negotiations, the fourth in a series aimed at ending the 17-year
war in Afghanistan, are scheduled between the leaders of Taliban and US Special
Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad to discuss the withdrawal of foreign forces and a
possible ceasefire in 2019. Taliban leaders have rejected Kabul govt's offer
for direct talks, despite growing international pressure in favour of the
Western-backed Afghan government having a seat at the table."We were
supposed to meet US officials in Riyadh next week and continue our peace
process that remained incomplete in Abu Dhabi last month," a senior
Taliban member based in Afghanistan said on condition of anonymity."The
problem is that leaders of Saudi and UAE wanted us to definitely meet the
Afghan govt delegation, which we cannot afford to do now, and we have cancelled
the meeting in Saudi," he said. Taliban want to change the venue for the
talks to Qatar, he added, the political headquarters of the group.Taliban
Spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed the group decided to cancel the meeting
in Saudi Arabia, but did not provide information about a new meeting venue. Another
senior Taliban leader said the group had explained to Saudi that it was not
possible for Taliban to meet Afghan govt at this stage."Everyone is aware
of the fact that the Afghan government wanted US and its allies not to leave
Afghanistan and we have paid a heavy price to expel all foreign forces from our
country," he said."Why should we talk to Afghan govt?"
30 killed in gold mine collapse in Afghanistan
Kunduz: At least 30 people were killed when a
gold mine collapsed in northeastern Afghanistan on Sunday, officials said, in
the latest tragedy to strike the war-torn country. Another 7 were injured in
the incident in Kohistan district of Badakhshan province, district governor
Mohammad Rustam Raghi told AFP.Villagers had dug a 60-metre deep shaft in a river bed to search for gold.
They were inside when the walls fell in.It was not clear why the shaft collapsed,
but the provincial governor’s spokesman Nik Mohammad Nazari told AFP the miners
were not professionals.AFP
Indians, Afghans react to Trump’s ‘Afghan
library’ dig at PM Modi
US President Donald Trump's comments mocking
New Delhi's role in Afghanistan have drawn widespread ridicule and anger both
in India and Afghanistan.On Wednesday, Trump said he got along very well with PM
Narendra Modi, but the Indian leader was "constantly telling me he built a
library in Afghanistan"."That's like five hours of what we spend...
And we are supposed to say, 'oh, thank you for the library'. I don't know who
is using it in Afghanistan," Trump said.He also said Russia, Pakistan and
India should be intervening in Afghanistan, not the US. "Why are we there,
6,000 miles away?" he asked.India has been Afghanistan's close ally and
has committed $3bn to various development projects in the country, as well as
financing its new parliament building.New Delhi trains Afghan military officers
in India but has refrained from sending its own soldiers to the war-torn
country. India has repeatedly said it backs an "Afghan-led and
Afghan-owned peace process".Trump's comments riled up politicians and
observers in both India and Afghanistan.An unnamed Indian government spokesman
told AFP that New Delhi would like to highlight the "critical role that
developmental assistance can play in transforming human lives".aljazeera
Senior Pak Jamaat Islami leader Chaudhry
Rehmat Elahi passes away
Lahore - Chaudhry Rehmat Elahi, a former
central leader of the Jamaat-i-Islami Pakistan and the right hand man of Syed
Abul Ala Maudoodi, breathed his last after a protracted illness here on
Saturday. He was 94.Ch. Rehamt Elahi was one of the companions of Syed Abul Ala
Muadoodi, from Pathankot, India. He worked as a federal minister during Gen
Zia’s period and also discharged duties as JI Secretary General, for different
periods.Ch. Rehmat Elahi had joined the JI after giving up his service in the
Armed forces and dedicated all his life for the cause of Islam.The funeral
prayer of Ch. Rehmat Elahi was offered at the Mansoora which was attended by a
large number of people from all walks of life, including politicians, writers,
journalists, JI workers and the relatives of the deceased.The Nation, Pak
flash: views & NEWS
Citizenship Bill Violates UN Declaration on
Rights of Indigenous Peoples:Vivan Eyben
Aakar Patel on the ‘Right wing’ and the ‘Right
thing’ in Sabarimala
On Triple Talaq: Patriarchy Is Not Just
'Women’s Issues', Marriage Is No Holy Cow:Ghazala Jamil, JNU
Why Triple Talaq Bill aims at ‘Criminalising’ Muslim
community, not ensuring gender justice: Badre Alam
IICC election : Voters in quandary over
president, no such situation for other posts as good candidates in the
fray:Abdul Bari Masoud
Compiled and edited by
Anwarulhaq (Released at: 6:16 PM)
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment