NEWS
DIGEST, Afternoon
01 April 2019: 24 Rajab 1440:Vol: 11, No:165
INDIA
How will you trace the 'undeclared foreigners'
in Assam, SC asks State govt
New Delhi:The Supreme Court today questioned
Assam govt's efforts to trace over 70,000 illegal immigrants who have already
mixed with the local population.A Ministry of Home Affairs affidavit filed in
the SC shows 91,609 persons were declared by Foreigners Tribunals in Assam as
illegal foreigners till March 2018. Of this, 72,486 are absconding.“This is
quite a large number,” a worried Home Ministry told the court. A Bench of CJI
Ranjan Gogoi said there may even be “undeclared foreigners” who have already
succeeded in “merging with local population” of the State.“What is the number
of these undeclared foreigners?” CJI’s asked and it drew a blank from the Assam
govt. Home Ministry explained that persons declared as ‘illegal foreigners’ by
the tribunals either abscond immediately or are already untraceable.Presently,
829 persons declared ‘foreigners’ by the tribunals and 115 foreigners, who have
completed their jail term, are lodged in 6 jail-cum-detention centres.“But
where are those illegals who have neither been deported nor are lodged in the
detention centres? Where are they? How will you track them? What have you done
in the past 5 years?”CJI Gogoi went on to ask Solicitor General Tushar Mehta,
representing Assam. Mehta initially requested Bench to defer the case.The hearing
saw the SC criticise the policy of "pushing back" illegal foreigners
to Bangladesh without enquiring about their country of origin.This was in the
backdrop of the Home Ministry spelling out the obstacles in nationality
verification process of illegal foreigners.“They either do not provide
information or give the information. Details of the country of origin depend
completely upon information provided by the person,” the affidavit said. Though
as a sovereign nation, India has the absolute right to deport illegal
immigrants, it cannot do so randomly, the Ministry agreed with the court’s
point of view. the hindu
70,000 Illegal Migrants in Assam Vanished
Before Deportation, State Tells SC
Increase VVPAT sample audits: SC gives week’s
time to 21 parties to reply to EC
After the Election Commission opposed the
petition filed by 21 Opposition leaders through which they had sought direction
that 50% EVM results should be matched and cross-checked with VVPATs, the
Supreme Court Monday gave the parties a week’s time to file their reply. The
next hearing will be held on April 8.In its affidavit to the court, Election
Commission has stated that the Lok Sabha Election results would be delayed by 6
whole days if Opposition parties’ demand is met. Maintaining it was in favour
of continuing the existing system of random checking of VVPAT slips from one
EVM per assembly segment for the Lok Sabha and assembly polls, the EC said “the
present system has been adopted after detailed study and consideration of all
aspects, and bringing into play all safeguards and checks as have been felt
necessary”. It added that to alter the system “when polls are imminent and
polling is to commence from April 11, 2019… might not be feasible”. It said
that in many assembly constituencies, there are more than 400 polling stations,
and it will require about eight-nine days to complete the VVPAT slip count.
There will also likely be demands for a recount of VVPAT slips, and this will
further increase the time, affidavit stated. Appearing for the petitioners,
Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi submitted that the demand for random
verification in at least 50 per cent EVMs with VVPAT was in the interest of
free and fair elections, which is part of the basic structure of the
Constitution.indian express
Making some positive progress to resolve
differences over Masood Azhar: China
Beijing:China today said it was making “some
positive progress” to resolve differences on listing Masood Azhar as a global
terrorist, and rejected Washington’s alternative move to ban the head of JeM
through a resolution at UNSC. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang
asserted on Monday that the UN 1267 committee should be the sole forum where
Azhar’s listing should be discussed.“After the application of designation was
proposed at (1267) committee, China has been in close communication and
coordination with various parties,” Geng said.He added: “As I said we have been
working with various parties and (our efforts) has made some positive progress.
US knows that very well.”The friction between China and US sharpened after
Washington, along with France and the United Kingdom, piloted a resolution in
the 1267 committee for listing Azhar, following Feb.attack in Pulwama in which
more than 40 CRPF personnel were killed. thehindu
Before Pulwama, CRPF officer wrote to HQ about
holes in anti-terror training
New Delhi:It is a key training centre for the
largest force fighting insurgency and terrorism in the country. But it has no
permanent structure, no firing range, no boundary wall. In the last four years,
over 150 training and administrative staff have been posted there “to merely
fill the vacancies”. And, it does “not offer a single CIAT (Counter Insurgency
and Anti Terrorism) related course”. This is the essence of a report and a
series of letters sent between Jan.and Nov.2018 by a senior officer to CRPF
headquarters in New Delhi highlighting poor condition of its counter-terror
training apparatus. The last of these letters was sent by CRPF IG Rajnish Rai
on Nov.22, 2018, less than 2 months before the Pulwama attack on Feb.14 this
year.indian express
4 militants killed in gun battle with forces
in Pulwama
Srinagar:4 militants were killed in a gunfight
with security forces in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Monday. Four
security personnel, including three army jawans, were wounded in the
encounter.Security officials said that a joint party of the police, army and
CRPF launched a search operation at Lassipora in Pulwama after information
about presence of militants. Police said that during the searches, the hiding
militants fired upon search party that led to gun fight between two groups.HT
Govt sets up tribunal to review ban imposed on
Jamaat-e-Islami, JKLF: notification
New Delhi :Centre has set up a tribunal,
headed by Justice Chander Shekhar of the Delhi High Court, to adjudicate if
there exists sufficient cause to ban the Jamaat-e-Islami J&K(JeI) and
JKLF-Y faction.The decision has been taken by Home Ministry exercising the
powers conferred under UAPA, an official notification said."Now,
therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred by the sub-section (1) of
section 5 of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (37 of 1967), Central
Government hereby constitutes an UAPA consisting of Justice Chander Shekhar, High Court of Delhi,
for the purpose of adjudicating whether or not there is sufficient cause of
declaring JI-J&K and JKLF-Yasin Malik faction,as unlawful
association," notification said.PTI
Delhi residence of separatist leader Syed
Geelani attached on tax evasion charges
New Delhi :Over a week after the Centre banned
JKLF, Income Tax department on Monday attached the Delhi residence of
separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, PTI reported. The action was taken on
charges of tax evasion against Geelani.The flat is located in south Delhi’s
Malviya Nagar area and Tax Recovery Officer (TRO) of the department has sealed
the house for allegedly “failing” to pay Rs 3,62,62,160 income tax for
assessment years 1996-97 to 2001-02, as per an order accessed by PTI. The
department has undertaken the action under section 222 of the I-T Act (assessee
deemed in default of tax payment) and it has “prohibited and restrained” the
Hurriyat Conference leader from transferring the asset. The development comes
days after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had imposed a penalty of Rs 14.4
lakh on Geelani in a 2002 Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) case for
allegedly acquiring $10,000 and a sum of Rs 10 lakh through illegal means.As
per ED sources, Geelani’s wife, who was also examined, gave away some
information regarding the seized Indian currency but was unable to explain the
source of the foreign currency.indianexpress
Will Bring Back Demand For Separate PM,
President For Kashmir:Omar Abdullah
NC
chief Omar Abdullah has called for a 'separate Prime Minister' for the state of
Jammu and Kashmir in BJP's pitch to abolish Article 370 and 35A. Former chief
minister of Jammu and Kashmir made a statement to revive the demand while
addressing in Kashmir's Bandipora in response to BJP chief Amit Shah's claim of
abrogating Article 370 and 35A from Kashmir to resolve its issue.Union Minister
Arun Jaitley in the past had called Article 35A a 'historic blunder' committed
by Jawaharlal Nehru in retaliation to which Omar Abdullah during his address to
National Conference workers in a dramatic escalation has called for the state's
own Prime Minister and President. He said, "Modi said in an interview that
by 2020, we will repeal article 35A. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had
threatened us that Article 35a and Article 370 will be removed, but Jammu and
Kashmir is not like the other states. Other states became a part of India
without any conditions. We made conditions. We did not come for free."
"To maintain our identity distinct, we entered certain things in the Constitution.
We said our identity would be ours, we will have our own law, our own flag. At
that time we also had our President and Prime Minister, and we will bring that
back," Omar added. Abdullah further added that the provision that was
passed back in 1949 to ensure special status and internal autonomy to J&K
is being withdrawn now, and in that case if the 'breaking the condition' is
being spoken about, then they need to speak of 'governance' too.He said,
"What is our fault if we asked for something? We also extended the hand of
friendship. Now after 70 years you say that the decision we made back then was
wrong and now you're asking to break the condition. There is no doubt that if
you speak of breaking the conditions, you have to speak of governance
too."republicworld
Major Gogoi punished by Army with 6 months’
loss of seniority
New Delhi :Major Leetul Gogoi, the Army
officer involved with using a human shield on his military jeep during the 2017
Srinagar bypoll, has been punished by the army with loss of seniority of 6
months after he was found with a local girl in a Srinagar hotel in May 2018.Sources
said that the court martial proceedings had been completed and his punishment
of loss of seniority has been ratified by higher army authorities.Territorial
Army soldier, Sameer Malla, who was found with Major Gogoi in that hotel was
also punished by a court martial.The court martial had found Major Gogoi guilty
of “fraternising” with a local in violation of official orders on the subject
and for “being away from the place of duty while in operational area”. Court martial
followed the recording of summary of evidence against the officer after Army
Court of Inquiry had recommended disciplinary action against Major Gogoi for Srinagar
hotel incident.indianexpress
Pak diverts CPEC corridor funds; China ties
under pressure
New Delhi: A controversy has erupted over
China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) ahead of the second Belt and Road
Initiative (BRI) summit in Beijing following allegations that the Pakistani
government has diverted Rs 2,400 crore meant for joint infrastructure
development projects with China under BRI to other projects.China had given the
money as part of $62-billion infrastructure funding to build CPEC. However,
Pakistan’s planning and development ministry issued an order diverting Rs 2,400
crore to projects to be identified by local legislators under UN’ Sustainable
Development Goals programme, according to sources.The move could be part of
Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf ’s efforts to
appease its lawmakers by allowing them to make decisions on development
projects, said one person.“Govt committed theft by spending Rs 2,400 crore out
of Rs 2,700 crore meant for BRI on other development projects,” Opposition
leader Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman was quoted by local media. Differences between
China and Imran Khan govt over CPEC have persisted since the former cricket
captain was elected as PM last year. Razak Dawood, a cabinet member, had
demanded that CPEC projects be put on the back burner for a year because he
claimed they were of little benefit to Pakistanis. Besides, the Khan government
included new sectors like agriculture under CPEC. According to Sindh-based
business lobby, only Punjabi business houses benefited from CPEC projects under
erstwhile Nawaz Sharif govt.economictimes
Should Election Commission debar Modi from polls?
Should Prime Minister Narendra Modi be
debarred from contesting an election? The question gained currency on Monday
after Prime Minister Modi, while addressing an election rally at Wardha in
Maharashtra, claimed that Hindus would teach the Congress a fitting lesson for
allegedly disrespecting the community.Prime Minister’s logic was that it was Congress
led UPA Government which insulted the Hindu community by coining the phrase
‘Hindu Terror’. A peace loving community known for brotherhood and harmony,PM
claimed, had been tarnished by association with terror.He went on to refer to
Congress President Rahul Gandhi contesting ensuing Lok Sabha election from
Wayanad in Kerala. “Rahul Gandhi is contesting from a seat that is Hindu
minority because they (Congress) are scared of Hindu anger,”PM was quoted as
saying.The term ‘Saffron Terror’ was not only confirmed and used by the then
Union Home Secretary and present union minister R K Singh but also by the late
chief of Maharashtra’s ATS, Hemant Karkare. PM’s comment also invited ridicule
because barely three months ago Congress had won the assembly election in 3
states of Rajasthan, MP and Chhattisgarh—all of which are Hindu majority
states.nationalheraldindia
Lok Sabha: Citing Samjhauta ruling, Amit Shah,
Adityanath slam Congress for linking Hindus, terror
New Delhi :BJP president Amit Shah on Sunday
alleged that the Congress had “committed the sin” of linking the Hindu religion
with terrorism and demanded that the opposition party and its president Rahul
Gandhi apologise to the people of the country.Addressing election rallies in
Bijnor and Baghpat in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday, Shah referred to the recent
court verdict in the Samjhauta Express blasts case and said that the
SP-BSP-supported and the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre in 2007 had
“committed a sin of calling it Hindu terror”. Click here for more election
news.“Congress party and Rahul Gandhi committed the sin of insulting the
glorious Hindu community that believes in non-violence and social harmony. Can
it be even imagined that a Hindu could ever be linked with terrorism?” the BJP
chief asked.indianexpress
FIR registered against Union Minister Ashwini
Kumar among 149 others in Bihar
Cases were registered against BJP leader and
Union Minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey and 149 others on Monday in Bihar's Buxar
district on charges of misbehaving with public servants on duty. Following the
violation of the model code of conduct on Saturday, police booked the Minister
of State for Health and Family Welfare who is the Bharatiya Janata Party
candidate for the Buxar Lok Sabha seat.An FIR was registered against Choubey
and the others, including BJP leader Rana Pratap Singh, for "assault or
criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty",
Station House Officer Avinash Kumar said.The case was registered after Sadar
SDO K.K. Upadhyay complained that Choubey and Singh misbehaved with them when
they asked them to end a public meeting on Saturday that overshot the permissible
time limit.IANS
EC Has Asked Modi Govt for Power to Act
Against Voter Bribery 4 Times – and Been Rejected
New Delhi:Election Commission has written to Modi
government 4 times since 2016 requesting the power to postpone or cancel polls
if incidents of bribery of voters are reported in any constituency or polling
booth. The government rejected the demand every time.Through an RTI query, The
Wire has obtained several documents from the ECI regarding this matter,
including letters from the law ministry and the law minister himself. The
letters clearly show that despite the rampant misuse of money in elections, govt
is reluctant to give the commission the right to countermand elections if cases
of bribing surface.The ECI first wrote to the government on June 6, 2016, and
repeated the demand in three subsequent letters. Two of these letters were
written by former chief election commissioner Nasim Zaidi and addressed to law
minister Ravi Shankar Prasad.In June 2016, the ECI sent a proposal to the law
ministry to amend the Representation of the People Act, 1951. It sought the
inclusion of a Section 58b, on the lines of Section 58a, under which the ECI
has the right to adjourn or countermand elections in case of booth
capturing.The ECI demanded that a similar Section 58b be included so that
elections can be postponed or canceled if political parties bribe voters in a
constituency.thewire
Uttar Pradesh: Governor gets request on
Sultanpur name change, writes to CM Adityanath for action
In a letter to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath,
Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik has forwarded him a request he received from
Lucknow-based ‘Rajputana Shaurya Foundation’ to change the name of Sultanpur
district to its “ancient name Kush Bhawanpur” and sought appropriate action in
the matter.The letter, dated March 28, was sent by Naik following a meeting
with a delegation of the foundation that gave him a book, ‘Sultanpur Itihaas ki
Jhalak’, and a memorandum on the history of Sultanpur. The delegation also
requested that the district be added in the list of heritage cities.Since BJP come
to power in the state, it has changed the names of Allahabad to Prayagraj,
Faizabad to Ayodhya and Mughalsarai railway station in Chandauli to Deen Dayal
Upadhyay Junction.indianexpress
Lynching accused in front row, Yogi says at
Dadri: ‘SP govt tried to curb our emotions’
Bisara (dadri):With the accused in the 2015
lynching of Akhlaq on suspicion of possession of beef sitting in the front row,
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath invoked the incident at a rally in
his village Bisara in Greater Noida on Sunday.“Who doesn’t remember what
happened in Bisara? The way the Samajwadi Party government tried to curb our
emotions here,” said Adityanath, while campaigning for BJP’s Gautam Buddha
Nagar candidate, Mahesh Sharma.Alleging that “in Western UP, if you were riding
a bullock cart or a buffalo cart and by chance stopped at a tobacco shop or a
tea-stall, buffaloes, bullocks would get stolen”,he added, “When we came to
power, we shut all the illegal slaughterhouses in one go.”Key accused in the
lynching case Vishal Singh Rana, the son of local BJP party worker Sanjay Rana,
and Puneet were among those in the crowd. Vishal claimed that 16 of 19 accused
were part of the audience.indian express
No new law needed to curb lynchings: Naqvi
New Delhi: The country doesn’t need a new law
to deal with lynching, Union Minority Affairs Minister and senior BJP leader,
told this paper. Naqvi said that existing laws were good enough to deal with
cases of lynching. The statement comes at a time when demands have been made by
Muslims and other quarters of India to tackle rising numbers of lynchings.
Naqvi, who is the Muslim face of BJP, said,“In the last 5 years, there has been
no major communal riot in the country like Bhagalpur, Bhiwandi,Maliyana and
Meerut. Unfortunately, some incidents of lynching took place but most incidents
have been criminal incidents.They should not be looked at from a communal
angle.” The minister added that the Centre ensured immediate and strict action
in all such cases and state governments were issued directions to stop these
crimes. newindianexpress
Over 200 writers including Girish Karnad,
Nayantara Sahgal ask Indians to vote out hate politics
Over 200 Indian writers on Monday issued an
appeal to Indians to vote out hate politics in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections
and vote for a “diverse and equal India”. The writers include Girish Karnad,
Arundhati Roy, Amitav Ghosh, Bama, Nayantara Sahgal, TM Krishna, Vivek
Shanbhag, Jeet Thayil, K Satchidanandan and Romila Thapar.The writers issued
the appeal in English, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Urdu, Bangla, Malayalam,
Tamil, Kannada and Telugu languages. 210 signatories said the country is at a
crossroads in the upcoming polls. “Our Constitution guarantees all its citizens
equal rights, the freedom to eat, pray and live as they choose, freedom of
expression and the right to dissent,” they added. “But in the last few years,
we have seen citizens being lynched or assaulted or discriminated against
because of their community, caste, gender, or the region they come
from.”scroll.in
FIRs against me is meant to ‘suppress the
voice of the masses’, Hardik Patel tells SC
New Delhi:Congress leader Hardik Patel on
Monday moved the Supreme Court seeking an ex-parte stay of his conviction in
the 2015 Vispur rioting case, saying the FIRs lodged against him by the ruling
BJP in Gujarat is an effort to “suppress the voice of the masses”.On March 29,
Gujarat government declined his plea to suspend his conviction in the case. On
July 25, 2018, the Sessions Court at Visnagar in Mehsana district had sentenced
Patel to two years’ imprisonment. He was found guilty of rioting and arson in
Visnagar town during the Patidar quota stir of 2015. He had led the
agitations.Under the election law, a candidate facing two years’ prison
sentence or more is disqualified from contesting elections unless the
conviction is stayed. In August 2018, the High Court had suspended the
sentence, but not the conviction.thehindu
Rahul Gandhi is Joining Hands With Muslim
Fundamentalists in Wayanad:CPM
Hours after the Congress announced Rahul
Gandhi’s candidature from Wayanad seat, ruling CPM in Kerala accused the grand
old party’s chief of joining hands with “Muslim fundamentalists” on the pretext
of defeating “communal BJP” in the state.Taking on Gandhi, CPM state unit
general secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said, “In Wayanad, UDF ally Muslim
League is more dominant than the Congress. The latter has also entered into a
pact with the Jamaat-e-Islami and SDPI, the political wing of the PFI.
Therefore, Rahul is fighting the election as a joint candidate of the Congress,
IUML, Jamaat and SDPI.” “The way to defeat communal BJP is not by joining hands
with communal Muslims,” Balakrishnan said.Terming the alliance “political
bankruptcy”, Balakrishnan said secular democratic parties would give a
befitting reply to Congress’s “Himalayan blunder” of fielding Rahul from
Wayanad.News18
Triangular contest in Saharanpur may benefit
BJP
Saharanpur: Among the Western Uttar Pradesh
seats going to the polls in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections, Saharanpur
presents a unique picture. The constituency has a large presence of Muslims and
the BJP won the seat in 2014. The scenario could repeat itself in 2019. The
significance of Saharanpur can be judged from the fact that Uttar Pradesh BJP
started its election campaign from the constituency and BSP-Samajwadi
Party-Rashtriya Lok Dal combine will hold its first joint rally here.Uttar
Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath began the Lok Sabha campaign from
Shakumbhari Temple in Saharanpur district as an apparent move counter the
SP-BSP-RLD alliance’s campaign from Deoband in the same district.The three
Uttar Pradesh alliance partners – SP, BSP, and RLD – are slated to hold their
first joint rally at Deoband on April 7 and the choice of the venue, which has
India’s largest Islamic seminary, is being considered significant.siasat
Puniyani’ book ‘India in Communal Grip’
released
New Delhi: Eminent author and columnist Ram
Puniyani’s book ‘India in Communal Grip’ was released at the Constitution Club
of India on Sunday.Speaking on the occasion, Mr Puniyani said, “On one hand,
there is Congress which weakly trying to pursue secularism. On the other, there
is aggressive BJP pursuing Hindutva agenda and Hindutva has nothing to do with
religion. It’s politics. We don’t have a choice between good, better and the
best but we have a choice between bad, worse, worst and that is the BJP.”
Reported Muslim Mirror.The function was attended by a large number of
intellectuals, activists and young people. Dignitaries like, Aruna Roy, Harsh
Mander, John Dayal, Syeda Hameed and Shabnam Hashmi graced the
occasion.Outlining the last five years of Modi’s rule in the book, Ram Puniyani
writes about Modi’s ascent to power and how conditions were created by the rise
of RSS in 1980s, ideological indoctrination, Gujarat 2002 violence, Gujarat
Model and Hindutva electoral strategy that helped Modi reach the centre with
the agenda of the Hindu-Rashtra camouflaged in development rhetoric.siasat
He complained of harassment, now IIT-Kanpur to
revoke Dalit teacher’s PhD
New Delhi :IIT-Kanpur (IIT-K) Senate has
recommended cancelling the PhD dissertation of a Dalit teacher, who had
complained of harassment and discrimination by four colleagues last year, on
allegations of plagiarism, although the institute’s Academic Ethics Cell had
found “no reason to revoke the thesis”.The charges of plagiarism against
Subrahmanyam Sadrela were made in an anonymous email sent to several faculty members
on Oct.15, 2018 — two months after an inquiry by a retired High Court judge
found the four teachers guilty of violating the conduct rules of IIT-K and
SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act. Senate’s recommendation is expected to be
placed before the institute’s Board of Governors (BoG) soon. Senate is the
highest decision-making body of IIT-Kanpur on academic matters and comprises
all faculty members. It is headed by the institute director.If the BoG accepts
the resolution, Sadrela’s PhD will be withdrawn, which could result in him
losing his job at IIT-Kanpur.
indianexpress
6 hurt, 15 detained in group clash in
Ahmedabad
Gandhinagar:At least 6 persons were injured
and 15 detained following a clash between two communities in Viramgam town of
Ahmedabad district on Sunday. Viramgam town police have registered 2 FIRs.As per
the details available, the incident happened in Bhathipura area of Viramgam
town in the afternoon when a woman was trying to hang washed clothes on the
wall of a burial ground and some people took objection to it.A police officer
said the incident took a violent turn after a group of people attacked those
who had taken objection to it. “6-seven persons were injured in the clash.An
FIR was registered in the incident and when police personnel went to the spot
to identify and arrest the accused, stones were pelted at police. Following
this, another FIR was registered against the persons who pelted stones at
police,” said the officer. 2 FIRs have been registered for offences like
rioting and attempt to murder against the accused in the two incidents.indian express
Mohali: Police bust terror module, arrest 5
Babbar Khalsa men
Mohali:In a major breakthrough, State Special
Operation Cell (SSOC) of the Punjab Police busted a terror module and arrested
five “highly radicalised” members of the banned Babbar Khalsa International
(BKI). Police also recovered a .32 bore pistol along with a magazine and four
live cartridges and 15 letter pads of the BKI from the accused.AIG of SSOC,
Mohali, Varinder Paul Singh, said that acting on a tip off they had busted a
militant module comprising of highly radicalised youth, who were planning to
kill specific targets, including Hindu leaders and members of Dera Sacha
Sauda.Those arrested include Harvinder Singh, a resident of Rally village in
Sector 12, Panchkula, Sultan Singh, a resident of Saidpura village in
Kurukshetra, Haryana, Karamjeet Singh, a resident of Raoke Kalan village in
Moga district, Lovepreet Singh, a resident of Baliyan village in Sangrur
district and, Gurpreet Singh alias Preet, a resident of Sector 20-C,
Chandigarh.indianexpress
9 injured in communal clash in Ahmedabad
https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/nine-injured-in-communal-clash-in-ahmedabad-1490917-2019-03-31
Ahmedabad:9 persons were injured, 2 of them
seriously, when members of 2 communities clashed near Viramgam town in
Ahmedabad district on Sunday, police said. 2 groups attacked each other with
sticks and pelted stones, a local police official said.A police team too came
under attack when it went to arrest the culprits, he said.Some members of the
Muslim community objected to women from another community drying clothes on an
under-construction wall around a burial ground which led to the clash,
Ahmedabad (Rural) SP RV Asari said.Two persons sustained fractures and seven
others sustained minor injuries in the incident, said inspector UB Dhakhada of
Viramgam police station.PTI
WORLD
Turkey local election: Erdogan's AKP behind in
Istanbul race
Istanbul: Turkey's main opposition Republican
People's Party's (CHP) candidate is leading in the mayoral race in Istanbul,
the country's largest city and economic centre, over the nominee of the ruling
Justice and Development (AK) Party, the head of Turkey's election board said on
Monday. Speaking to reporters in the capital Ankara on the results of Sunday's
local elections, High Election Board Chairman Sadi Guven said CHP candidate
Ekrem Imamoglu is leading with 4,159,650 votes over AK Party's Binali Yildirim
with 4,131,761.Guven added: "So far results coming from 31,102 ballot
boxes have been defined in our system, count of 84 ballot box results have not
been completed because of objections." Meanwhile, state-run Anadolu Agency
has started posting election data at noon on Monday after hours of break.
Anadolu's data shows Imamoglu leads in the Istanbul mayoral race with 48.8
percent of the votes as Yildirim stands at 48.5 percent, with 99 percent of the
votes counted.In the lead up to Sadi Guven's statement, both Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan's AK Party and the CHP said they narrowly won Istanbul's
mayoral elections.Yildirim claimed early on Monday that he had won the race by
around 4,000 votes, while Imamoglu said he grabbed the mayorship with about
28,000 votes over Yildirim.Later on Monday, Yildirim accepted that he was
25,000 votes behind Imamoglu, but said that his party had objections to the
results over invalid votes."There are 31,136 ballot boxes [in Istanbul].
If there is one invalid vote in each ballot box, it makes 31,136 votes in
total, which is more than the difference [between the two sides]," he
said, adding that there are some 315,500 invalid votes in the polls.On Monday,
Sezgin Tanrikulu, a senior CHP MP from Istanbul, said that his party expected
the board to declare victory later in the day.If the AK Party officially loses
in Istanbul, it means that 3 largest provinces of Turkey will have mayors from
the main opposition party, according to preliminary results.In Ankara,
unofficial results showed that CHP candidate Mansur Yavas had garnered 50.9
percent, with 99 percent of the votes counted. He was followed by Mehmet
Ozhaseki, the AK Party nominee, in the capital, with 47.2 percent.The polls
posed a major challenge for Erdogan, given a backdrop of high inflation and
rising unemployment sparked by a major currency crisis last year.Erdogan has acknowledged
that his party had lost control in a number of cities and pledged that he would
focus on carrying out economic reforms.aljazeera
Turkey local elections: Setback for Erdogan in
big cities: BBC
Israel to send 250,000 settlers to occupied
Golan
Israeli government hopes to settle some
250,000 Israelis in the occupied Syrian Golan heights over the next 30 years, Israeli
Broadcasting Authority (IBA) reported on Monday.The report comes one week after
U.S. President Donald Trump signed a presidential proclamation recognizing the
Golan Heights as “Israeli territory”. According to the IBA, Israeli plan also
includes construction of two new Jewish-only settlements in the Golan, along
with thousands of new settlement units and a raft of planned transport and
tourism projects in the region.The population of the Golan Heights currently
stands at some 50,000, including 22,000 Israeli settlers, according to Israeli
figures. Israel had long pushed Washington to recognize its claim over the
strategic plateau, which it seized from Syria during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War,
but previous U.S. administrations had refrained from doing so.Anadolu agency
Arab leaders call for Palestinian state,
condemn US's Golan move
Tunis, Tunisia - Arab leaders meeting in Tunis
have issued a renewed call for the establishment of a Palestinian state and
condemned a move by US to recognise Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Golan
Heights.Held in Tunisia's capital, the 30th Arab League summit kicked off on
Sunday against the backdrop of ongoing conflicts, serious divisions and unrest
- from the long-running wars in Syria and Yemen to Libya's instability, and
from mass anti-government protests in Algeria and Sudan to a major diplomatic
dispute in the Gulf.In a speech opening the summit, King Salman bin Abdulaziz
Al Saud of Saudi reiterated his kingdom's support for a Palestinian state in
the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip, with occupied East Jerusalem as its
capital. Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi echoed the king's speech,
reiterating the significance of the Palestinian cause to the Arab world as he
issued a call for unity."It is unreasonable for the Arab region to
continue to be at the forefront of tensions and crises," Essebsi, the host
of the summit, said. Arab leaders - including Salman, Essebsi and Egypt's President
Abdel Fattah el-Sisi - also condemned US President Donald Trump's recent
recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights, which
Israel seized in 1967 war."We reiterate our categorical rejection of
measures that would undermine Syrian sovereignty over the Golan,"King
Salman said.Meanwhile, Algeria's President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and his
Sudanese counterpart, Omar al-Bashir, did not attend the meeting. aljazeera
Palestine, Golan Heights take centre stage at
Arab League summit
Israel expands Gaza fishing zone as part of
ceasefire agreement
Israel has expanded the permitted fishing zone
in the besieged Gaza Strip as part of a ceasefire agreement with Hamas, the
group that governs the enclave. Egyptian-brokered deal includes expanding the
fishing limit along the Mediterranean coast from approximately 11 kilometres to
28km for the first time in years, with the purpose of boosting Gaza's economy
that is heavily reliant on fishing.Expansions occasionally occur and usually
last for only three months at a time.Since Israel imposed a land, aerial and
naval blockade on Gaza in 2007 following Hamas's election victory, Gaza's
fishing sector has been hit and its exports have dwindled.The widest range
Israel has allowed in the past 10 years is 22km and, at times, the limit was
reduced to even 1.85km, Nizar Ayash, the head of Gaza's fishermen union,
previously told Al Jazeera.aljazeera
Brazil Announces Opening Jerusalem 'Business
Office' - Instead of Promised Embassy
Brazil's Foreign Ministry formally announced
Sunday it will open a "business office" in Jerusalem, backtracking on
President Jair Bolsonaro's promise to move his country's embassy to Jerusalem.
Netanyahu said Israel and Brazil are at the verge of a new magnificent era of
relations. "Brazil is a world power, and Israel, which is an ancient
country, is a new technological super-power," he said. "Brazil
decided to create an office in Jerusalem to promote trade, investment,
technology and innovation as a part of its embassy in Israel," the Foreign
Ministry in Brasilia said in a statement.In Israel on an official visit nine
days before the Israeli election, Bolsonaro met with Netanyahu and his cabinet
minister, who signed various bilateral agreements between the two countries.
haaretz
Brazil says new Jerusalem office 'part of its
embassy in Israel'
Israel inaugurates embassy in Rwanda
Israel on Monday opened an embassy in Rwanda,
its 11th diplomatic mission in Africa, according to the Israeli Foreign
Ministry.In a Monday statement, it said that Foreign Ministry Director-General
Yuval Rotem had “inaugurated the Israeli embassy in Rwandan capital Kigali in a
symbol of Israel’s return to Africa”.The move, the statement added, “reflects
Israel’s policy of returning to Africa, which was articulated three years ago
by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, after which he visited the continent on
four separate occasions and established diplomatic relations with Chad and
Guinea”.Anadolu
For 2nd month, Palestine public salaries cut
by half
Palestinian government will pay civil servants
half their salaries for the second month in a row, the Ramallah-based
Palestinian Finance Ministry announced Monday. “Govt will only pay 50 percent
of this month’s salaries,” the ministry said in a statement.The move comes
after Israel decided to withhold taxes collected on behalf of the Palestinian
Authority (PA) by the same amount that the PA pays monthly stipends out to the
families of Palestinians killed or imprisoned by Israel. Israel claims that the
stipends are being paid out to the families of Palestinians involved in attacks
on Israelis.Anadolu
Israel PM spokesman accuses Gaza women of
being Daesh
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s
spokesman has accused Palestinian women protesting in Gaza of being affiliated
to Daesh, in a renewed bid to smear demonstrators participating in the Great
March of Return.Ofir Gendelman, PM spokesman for Arab media, tweeted a picture
of veiled women holding Palestinian flags this weekend, alleging they were
members of Daesh, claiming this was evidence that Gaza Strip authority Hamas
was also part of the terror group in Iraq and Syria.The tweet was condemned by
various journalists, who pointed out that Daesh consider the Palestinian flag
to be blasphemous, and so there was no evidence that they had any relation to
militants abroad.In a conversation with the Telegraph’s Middle East
correspondent Raf Sanchez, Gendelman confirmed that the only evidence he had
for linking the women to Daesh, was the fact that they were wearing face veils,
prompting some to accuse him of Islamophobia.MEMO
Congress calls to extradite Saudis involved in
criminal activities in US
Members of US Congress have called for a legal
formula that would require Saudi Arabia to extradite citizens involved in
criminal activities back to America.The calls came after US media brought back
to spotlight the case of four young Saudi men who assaulted staff at a bar in
Toledo, Ohio, in July 2015. Oregon Life website said the bar staff initially
asked the four Saudis to leave the bar at closing time, but they refused. Video
of the incident appears to show men assaulting staff members.MEMO
‘No deal with Vatican on building churches in
Saudi’
Secretary-General of the Muslim World League
(MWL), Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdul Karim Al-Issa said there is no deal between
Saudi Arabia and the Vatican on building churches in Saudi Arabia. Al-Issa said
during an interview with Russia Today TV channel on Friday that reports of such
a deal are “unfounded”, however, he explained that the League had signed a
memorandum of understanding with the Vatican.Al-Issa visited the Pope in the
Vatican 2 years ago.They discussed cooperation between Vatican and the Islamic
world on issues of peace and coexistence.middleeastmonitor
Egypt court confronts Brotherhood’s Badie with
ambiguous video
A court in Egypt has aired a video which
purportedly proves that the Supreme Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood, Mohamed
Badie, was spying for Palestinian resistance movement Hamas. In the video, an
unidentified voice can be heard asking Badie about Hamas’ views on a topic,
with the Muslim Brotherhood leader replying that there is “coordination” with
the group.However his lawyer, Ossama Al-Hilw, told the court that the video
lacks context and it is unclear in what context Badie is being asked about
Hamas’ views or by who.Since the military ousted President Mohamed Morsi in a
coup in 2013, Egyptian authorities banned the Muslim Brotherhood and cracked
down on its leaders and members, as well as on all the government’s opponents
and critics in general.middleeastmonitor
Algeria's Bouteflika names new government amid
ongoing protests
Algeria's presidency has announced the
formation of a new caretaker government, with the country's army chief keeping
his post as deputy defence minister despite his calls for the removal of
embattled President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.State TV reported on Sunday that Sabri
Boukadoum had been appointed foreign minister, replacing Ramtane Lamamra who
had taken up the post earlier this month. Other notable changes included
Central Bank Governor Mohamed Loukal and Mohamed Arkab being named finance and
energy ministers.The cabinet is led by Prime Minister Noureddine Bedoui, who
assumed his duties on March 11 amid widespread protests calling for the
departure of Bouteflika and the ruling elite.aljazeera
Algerian President to resign this week
Algiers: Bowing down to public anger,
embattled Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika will step down as the head of
the state later this week, say reports.This comes a day after Lieutenant
General Ahmed Gaid Salah reiterated his call for the application of a provision
in the Algerian Constitution that could remove the president on account of his
failing health."We must adopt a solution that helps us out of this crisis
… a solution that respects and adheres to the Constitution so that it's a suitable
one for all sides," Al Jazeera quoted Salah who is also the Deputy Defence
Minister as saying.ANI
Dozens killed as storm hits southern Nepal
Rescuers are struggling to reach villages in
southern Nepal that were cut off by a rainstorm that has killed 25 people and
injured hundreds more.The storm swept through villages in a farming region of
Bara and Parsa districts in southern Nepal, about 120km south of capital
Kathmandu, on Sunday night.Nepal's Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli said he
received a report of 25 people killed and 400 injured.aljazeera
Facebook removes many accounts in India,
Pakistan for 'inauthentic' behavior
Facebook has removed 712 accounts and 390
pages in India and Pakistan because of “inauthentic behavior” and spamming, it
said on Monday, much of it linked to India’s main opposition Congress party
days before elections and Pakistan’s military.Reuters
Flash: views & NEWS
New justice of New India: Mob attack on
Gurugram Muslim family follows a sickening pattern:Harsh Mander
Samjhauta bungling: Religious labels for
terror aside, serious questions must be asked of NIA’s efficacy:TOI Editorials
Satirist Akash Banerjee lists 10 unanswered
questions about the terror attack on Indian forces
The Missing Muslim Vote and Voice in
2019:Harish Khare
Modi's Deadliest Surgical Strike So Far Has
Been to Politicise the Armed Forces:Pravin Sawhney
Compiled and edited by
Anwarulhaq (Released at: 8:02 PM)
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