NEWS
DIGEST, EVENING
11 June 2019:
06 sHAWAL 1440:Vol: 11, No:219
INDIA
‘Islamophobia in 37% of hate speech,
disinformation on Facebook’
NewDelhi:An analysis of hate speech and
disinformation on the social networking site Facebook India by a South Asian
American human rights and technology research organisation shows that the
highest proportion of hate speech — 37 per cent — is linked to
Islamophobia.This is followed by false news (16 per cent), and content that can
be classified as casteist and gender/ sexuality-related hate speech, each
accounting for 13 per cent of the hate speech content.The report by the US-based
Equality Labs titled ‘Facebook India:Towards The Tipping Point of Violence
Caste and Religious Hate Speech’ states that homophobic content is so widely
prevalent on Facebook that it had to be tracked as its own category, separate
from all other religious minorities. “Homophobic content is foundational to the
hate speech echo chamber in Facebook India…(It) is often the most violent, most
threatening, and most gruesome,” the report reads. Anti-religious minorities
content, other than Islamophobia, accounted for another 9 per cent of the hate
speech.The report, which dis-aggregates hate speech content into categories in
the Indian context as also analyses Facebook’s response, is set to be released
on Wednesday at the RightsCon Summit on human rights in the digital age in
Tunis.It looks at more than 1,000 posts in six Indian languages over a period
of four months. The sample set is based on Facebook’s own guidelines for tier 1
hate speech which include violent or dehumanising speech that targets a person
or people based on Facebook’s defined protected categories (“race, ethnicity,
national origin, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, caste, sex, gender,
gender tech identity, and serious disease or disability”).This includes content
advocating violence, bullying and use of offensive slurs.The study points to
failure of the content moderation process by Facebook, adding that 93 per cent
of all hate speech posts reported are still available on the platform. It also
faults Facebook’s hiring policies that do not include those with an
understanding of issues of caste, religious, gender and queer minorities.A
Facebook spokesperson told Indian Express:“We recognize, respect, and seek to
protect the rights of minorities and communities that are often marginalized,
both in India and around the world. We have clear rules against hate speech,
which we define as attacks against people on the basis of their protected
characteristics, including caste, nationality, ethnicity, religion, sexual
orientation and gender identity. We take this extremely seriously and remove
this content as soon as we become aware of it. To do this, we have invested in
staff in India, including content reviewers, with local language capabilities
and an understanding of the country’s longstanding historical and social
tensions. We’ve also made significant progress in proactively detecting hate
speech on our services before anyone reports it to us, to help us get to
potentially harmful content faster.”A further breakdown of posts within each
category shows that of the Islamophobic posts, 6 per cent is anti-Rohingya
“with calls to violence similar to content that led to the Rohingya genocide in
Myanmar”. The rest were mostly pertaining to ‘love jihad’, glorification of
violence by alluding to earlier instances of religious violence against
Muslims, and Islamophobic profanities.Less than half of the casteist hate
speech on Facebook India, it states, is relating to India’s reservation policy
with the rest being caste slurs, anti-Ambedkar messages and anti inter-caste
personal relationships content. Similarly, a quarter of the posts containing
gender/sexuality hate speech were found to be transphobic or queerphobic in
content including calls for sexual violence.Outlining why Facebook needs to strengthen
its content moderation policy, the report states, “In a country of 1.3 billion
people with over 294 million active accounts, Facebook India’s user base will
soon exceed the entire population of US.And, unlike US, Facebook India has an
unprecedented growth potential of over 400% because a whole new generation of
users has yet to come online. Future of Facebook then is Indian market.”indianexpress
Free journalist jailed for "defaming"
Yogi: SC
New Delhi: Journalist Prashant Kanojia, who was arrested by the Uttar
Pradesh police for "defaming" Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, must
immediately be released, the Supreme Court said on Tuesday. The right to
liberty, a fundamental right, is non-negotiable, the court said as it granted
bail."It is made clear that this order is not construed as an approval of
tweets," the top court said.The Supreme Court was hearing a petition by
Kanojia's wife Jagisha Arora, challenging his arrest on Saturday. "Normally
we don't entertain these type of petitions. But a person can't spend 11 days in
jail," the Supreme Court said.Kanojia is likely to walk out of jail
tomorrow after his bail bond will be produced. Five people, including Kanojia,
were arrested in two days on charges of posting allegedly objectionable content
about the Chief Minister. The arrests over the weekend sparked a huge debate on
social media on freedom of expression in the country, with the Editors Guild of
India terming the journalists' arrests "high-handed and arbitrary".
The editors' body had said it amounted to "authoritarian misuse of
laws"."We may disapprove these tweets but we disapprove the denial of
liberty," the top court said."I believe in Constitution. I have
fought this case. I am happy," a visibly emotional and tired Jagisha Arora
told reporters outside the Supreme Court, soon after the hearing. The Uttar
Pradesh government opposed any relief to Prashant Kanojia, saying he must
approach the High Court. The state government said he was arrested not for his
latest tweet on Yogi Adityanath but for his older tweets which were
"casteist".Prashant Kanojia, a freelance journalist, was arrested by
Uttar Pradesh police in Delhi on Saturday for a tweet that had
"objectionable comments" on Yogi Adityanath. The wife had alleged
that Prashant Kanojia was taken away from his home by policemen in plain
clothes.The same evening, the head of a private news channel and its editor
were arrested in Noida.Two more people were arrested in Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh,
the Chief Minister's stronghold, on Sunday evening.ndtv
Yogi behaving foolishly:Rahul on journalist arrest
Congress president Rahul Gandhi condemned the
arrest of 3 journalists by the Uttar Pradesh police for allegedly “defaming”
Yogi Adityanath, and said the Chief Minister was behaving “foolishly”. Gandhi
tweeted minutes before the Supreme Court ordered the immediate release of
freelance journalist Prashant Kanojia. indianexpress
Malaysia has the right not to extradite Zakir
Naik: PM Mahathir
New Delhi:Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir
Mohamad has said Malaysia has the right not to extradite preacher Dr Zakir Naik
if he is not going to be accorded justice. He said the situation was the same
with Australia not sending Sirul Azhar Umar, a former bodyguard who was
sentenced to death in 2015 for the murder of Mongolian model Altantuya
Shaariibuu, back to Malaysia."We requested Australia to extradite Sirul
and they are afraid we are going to send him to the gallows," he
said."Zakir in general feels that he is not going to get a fair trial (in
India)," Dr Mahathir said after opening the affordable homes scheme at
Lipat Kajang in Jasin here on Monday. India's Enforcement Directorate (ED) had
earlier charged Naik with laundering INR193 crore in illicit funds. As per
reports, it is trying to get a non-bailable warrant for his arrest from a
Mumbai court by June 19.If the warrant is issued would ED will send petition to
the INTERPOL for a red notice to member countries including Malaysia, asking
them to return him to India under the two countries' extradition
treaty.indiatoday
Naik willing to return to India if SC ‘ensures
his safety’
New Delhi: Zakir Naik has expressed his
willingness to return to India if the Supreme Court gave him in writing that he
will not be arrested and jailed till he is actually convicted.In a statement, Naik
said that while he has trust in the Indian judiciary, he had no faith in the
prosecution system.“Despite allegations and complaints, there is not a single
verdict against me in any court anywhere in India or the world. The recent
history of India is replete with cases of Muslims being arrested and put in
jail for eight-20 years before being declared innocent by the court. Knowing
this record of the Indian agencies, I would not like to take chance of ruining
my life and my unfinished work,” Naik asserted.He was responding to the latest developments
in India where the ED - which has charged him with a Rs 193 crore
money-laundering case - is planning to get a Mumbai court issue a non-bailable
arrest warrant.Against this backdrop, Naik wondered what was the reason behind
the desperation of the Indian agencies, that is “shameful and keep shifting
focus from terror to money-laundering” to make something stick to him.“I want
to hasten up clearing my name from fictitious charges by the Indian agencies,
they continue an exercise steeped in injustice and unfairness and are trying to
put in jail irrespective of whether I am guilty or not... without trial and
without hearing,”Naik alleged.Accusing Indian agencies of “trying to pin
something, some charges, any charges” on him, he pointed out that when the
terror charges did not work with InterPol, they moved to money-laundering, but
the InterPol refused to accept India’s charges against him twice in two years.
Despite pressures from India, the InterPol has not issued a RCN, and now the
agencies are trying their luck with money-laundering to get them to comply,Naik
added.He said the Indian agencies even tried to attach his legally-acquired properties,
but on two occasions--in early-2018 and in March 2019-- the Appellate Tribunal
stayed their actions as they (Indian agencies) could not prove that properties
were acquired illegally.“Any rational mind will see that the Indian agencies
are not being driven by their duty of solving a crime but by the will of their
political bosses. Fortunately for me, Interpol is not driven by Indian
politics. Somehow they are not convinced about my ‘crime’ the way Indian
agencies have been claiming,”Naik contended.He reiterated that he has offered
several times to meet any agency officials in Malaysia, these were spurned as
they were not interested in giving a hearing or a fair trial, “but put me
behind bars...no charges, no trial, no investigations...looks like my
punishment has already been decided.”Under circumstances, he sought the SC’s
protection in writing after which he was prepared to return to India
immediately.HT
Kathua rape case: Activist, who led campaign
for justice, hails verdict as win for judiciary
A win for democracy and judiciary — that’s how
Talib Hussain, the activist who had led the campaign against the convicts in
the case of rape and murder of eight-year-old Asifa from Kathua, described the
court verdict on Monday. He said the ruling reinstated faith in the democratic
and judicial system. “This verdict means that Indian judiciary is alive and it
has reinstated our faith in the judiciary and Indian democracy,” said Hussain,
who joined PDP last year. “Everybody fighting for justice was pressurised and
forced to surrender, but we are indebted to court that it proved our belief in
the system right.”Politicians across the spectrum in J&K welcomed the court
verdict and, for once, the state police received praise for its meticulous
investigation in the case. Hussain, who fights for tribals’ rights, claimed that
the motive behind the brutal crime was to ‘‘terrorise Muslim tribal population
of Jammu, Kathua and Samba, and change the demography of the area”.The
activist, who was also arrested during the protests against the rape accused in
Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir last year, said the plans of communal forces were
defeated and that those rallying for the accused should be booked as
well.“Those who exploited the Tricolour and rallied for the rapists with
communal agenda should be booked under the law. Communal forces were defeated
with this verdict,” said Hussain. economictimes
Kathua rape-murder covinction: Her parents
miles away, in the mountains, Woh baar baar yaad aati hai
Srinagar: When the Pathankot court was sentencing
six men found guilty in the rape and murder of a minor girl in the Kathua
district of Jammu and Kashmir, her parents were miles away, herding their
livestock through the mountains towards Kargil, a journey the nomadic Bakarwals
undertake twice a year.Their daughter disappeared on Jan.10, 2018, and her body
was found in a forest a week later. “There isn’t a day I don’t think about her.
She is always before my eyes, mujhe baar baar yaad aati hai,” the father
said.He knew the verdict was coming Monday. “I could not bear to be in court
and listen to the episode being repeated over and over” for the sentencing. He
had learnt of the court ruling, and was somewhat dismayed that one of the seven
accused had not been held guilty. “This was long overdue, par tasalli nahin hui
(We are not completely satisfied). Sabko sazaa milni chahiye thi (all accused
should have been punished).”He said months after his daughter was kidnapped,
raped and murdered, he had returned to the area to pray at her grave. An
innocent child, he said, had been killed for no reason, and “justice will only
be done if all accused of taking away our child are given the punishment they
deserve”.The mother was more vocal: “I want justice for my girl and that
justice will be delivered when all the accused are hanged.”“I was at her grave
two months ago… bohot yaad aati hai, hum ab bhi ro rahe hain (we remember her a
lot, and we still weep).” Her brother, the girl’s adopted father, had lost two
children in a bus accident around the time their daughter was born. For more
than a year, the brother kept asking her for the child. She finally agreed and
gave her youngest child to her brother.indianexpress
11 booked in Aligarh for alleged inflammatory
posts after toddler’s murder
Aligarh:Police have booked 11 persons here for
allegedly posting inflammatory content, and were maintaining tight security on
Tuesday to prevent any flare-up in the aftermath of the brutal murder of a
toddler, even as Internet services were
restored late evening in Khair tehsil.Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of
CrPC banning assembly of five or more people remained clamped in Tappal, where
the incident had occurred.In a statement issued on Tuesday, DM Chandra Bhushan
Singh said the situation in Tappal town in Khair tehsil remained
peaceful.Earlier in the day, DM said the ban on Internet services in tehseel
Khair imposed on Monday has been extended by another day. But in the evening,
he announced that the Internet services were being restored.“This ban was
imposed yesterday to prevent misuse of social media by some mischievous
elements, who were deliberately spreading fake and inflammatory posts ever
since the horrific murder of a two-and-half-year-old girl,” Singh said.SSP
Akash Kulhari told reporters that cases under the IT Act have been registered
against 11 persons at Civil Lines police station here since past two days for
allegedly posting fake and inflammatory content.Tension has been prevailing in
the area after the body of the girl was found in a garbage dump on June 2,
three days after she was reported missing.According to police, four people have
been arrested in the case so far.Authorities had on Sunday thwarted attempts by
right-wing groups to hold a “mahapanchayat” in the town against the ghastly
crime.Circle Officer (CO) of Tappal area, Pankaj Srivastava, was transferred on
Monday as a fall out of the events of the past few days. PTI
Aligarh Murder Case: Communal Tension Simmers
in Tappal
Tappal village in Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh is
on an edge after the horrific murder of a two-and-a-half-year-old girl a few
days ago and is now simmering with communal tension. Since the accused belong
to the Muslim community, Right-wing groups, such as VHP and Bajrang Dal, are
allegedly egging the victim’s family to seek “instant justice” against the
accused. Meanwhile, the bid to whip up communal tension in the aftermath of the
brutal crime, has gripped Muslims in Tappal area with fear. Sources said that
about a dozen Muslim families had already fled the area. However, Akash
Kulahari,SSP,Aligarh, dismissed such reports. Meanwhile, tension has gripped
the entire Aligarh region with people reporting seeing groups of men atop bikes
hitting the streets and blocking roads at different places, adding to atmosphere
of fear and intimidation.Attempts to give a communal colour to the heinous
crime, began soon after the Uttar Pradesh police revealed the names of the
accused.Newsclick spoke to some of journalist who visited Tappal area recently
, who confirmed that they saw saffron-scarved groups taking over the streets,
trying to vitiate the atmosphere. Praising the victim’s family, a journalist
who visited Tappal, requesting anonymity, said: "Family members of the
Aligarh murder victim are very wise. Otherwise activists of VHP and Bajrang Dal
left no stone unturned to make it communal and are still trying hard. When I
visited the victim's house, I found 3 leaders, including a district head of VHP
and Bajrang Dal, accompanied by 10-12 others,chatting with victim's father and
grandfather. They kept mounting pressure on them to take revenge."Journalist
claimed that one Bajrang Dal activist from the crowd, who was making inflammatory
remarks against Muslims, even asked us to shut our camera. The saving grace, according to this
journalist, was that the victim’s father seemed sensible as did not get
convinced.He told them he also wanted justice but through law.Another journalist
reported seeing a “huge mob gathered outside victim's house and they were
outsiders.”They were chanting slogans against a specific community and seeking
revenge. Various people covering their faces in saffron towel were also seen
clashing with the police.A social activist based in Aligarh, who visited Tappal
twice,said, "Though the administration controlled the situation in region
but still people of minority community are frightened after various people
wearing saffron gamchas were spotted nearby victim's house. They were in a
large number and are visiting regularly despite police not allowing them to
enter the village."newsclick
‘Youths with covered faces’ lay siege to
Aligarh village as Twinkle murder takes communal turn
Hindu girl saves Muslim family from mob attack
in aftermath of minor girl’s murder in Aligarh
Days after killing of a 2-and-a-half-year-old
girl in Aligarh’s Tappal area, a Muslim family was allegedly attacked on Sunday
by a mob in Jattari area while they were travelling from Ballabhgarh in Haryana
to Aligarh. The family was saved by a Hindu girl, who is their close friend and
was travelling with them in a van to attend a function. According to police,
the incident occurred around 3 pm in Jattari, when the van with seven
passengers on board, including the Hindu girl, was moving towards Maheshpur
after crossing Tappal area. One of the travellers, Shafi Mohammad Abbasi, said
the goons on motorcycles attacked the van with iron rods. “They beat me, my
daughter who wore a veil and our driver,” Abbasi said, adding that the goons
would have killed them if 24-year-old Pooja Chauhan, who was travelling with
them, had not bravely intervened. “Pooja stepped out and boldly confronted the
attackers,” he said. Abbasi said he had known Pooja’s family for 32 years and
considers her one of his daughters. “One member from the mob softened his stand
after seeing Pooja. He quietly handed us our car keys and asked us to drive
away immediately,”Abbasi said. Pooja said, “The mob attacked us just because
they realized that the travellers were from the other community, as some of the
women were wearing veils. Such incidents should not happen with anyone.” The
family managed to reach Aligarh later. Aligarh police has registered an FIR
against 10 unidentified people on a complaint filed by Pooja Chauhan at the
Civil Lines police station. Aligarh SSP Akash Kulhary said police have raided
several places, but no suspect has been arrested so far. He said no one will be
allowed to take law in their hands. TOI
After Aligarh, 7 More Cases Of Rape &
Murder Of Minors Reported From UP & MP In Two Days
The gruesome murder of two-year-old girl over
a family dispute in Uttar Pradesh’s Aligarh has jolted the nation. The incident,
that took place on May 30, has drawn widespread condemnation and calls for
giving harshest punishment to the guilty are intensifying.The number of heinous
crimes against minors, especially rape, is only escalating. Four cases of rape
and murder of minors have been reported from Uttar Pradesh and three cases have
been reported from Madhya Pradesh.A minor girl was allegedly gangraped by six
men in Uttar Pradesh’s Kushinagar district on June 9. 6 accused have been
arrested and a case has been registered against them.A 15-year-old girl was
allegedly raped by a teacher in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh on June 9. In a third
incident surfacing from Uttar Pradesh in week, body of a 7-year-old girl was
found in a field, with her ‘salwar’ tied around her neck, fuelling suspicion
that she was raped.The was missing since Friday evening when she stepped out to
play. A group of villagers found her body on June 9 and informed the
family. An 11-year-old girl was raped
and murdered in Uttar Pradesh’s Hamirpur district. The victim’s naked body was
found in a graveyard in the early hours of June 9.Police have registered an FIR
against unidentified accused for rape and murder. An 8-year-old girl was
allegedly raped and murdered in MP on Sunday. Her body was found near a drain
close to her house in the wee hours of June 10. According to an initial post
mortem report, the girl "died of strangulation after rape," ASP Akhil
Patel told PTI.A 16-year-old boy was arrested for allegedly sodomising a
four-year-old girl in Madhya Pradesh’s Jabalpur on June 9. The boy found the
girl playing outside in the afternoon and took advantage of the situation. In
yet another horrific crime against a minor, the body of a five-year-old girl
was found floating in a river. Further investigation revealed that the girl was
raped and murdered. According to ANI, the girl went missing on Friday following
which her family members lodged a complaint with the police. After which the
cops found her naked body floating in the River Shipra. Prima facie, injuries
on the girl’s body indicated that she was sexually abused. Three people have
been detained in connection with the case. In India, each day, police registers
293 cases of crimes against children on average, suggest the latest NCRB data.
Only a few are reported and fewer make the headlines.indiatimes
Bengal violence: Mamata says 8 of TMC, 2 of
BJP killed in poll clashes
New Delhi :Announcing details of casualties in
the violence that took place in West Bengal during and after Lok Sabha polls,
state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said that 10 people were
killed, even as she notified that the government will provide financial
assistance to families of the deceased. “10 people, including 8 of TMC and 2 of
BJP, killed in West Bengal since Lok Sabha polls,” she said.Both BJP and the
TMC are at loggerheads ever since the Lok Sabha polls, accusing each other of
the political violence and unleashing terror in the state. Post-poll violence
was reported from various places of the state after the BJP secured 18 of the
42 Lok Sabha seats, just four less than that of TMC, in West
Bengal.indianexpress
Centre using social media to create communal
tension in Bengal, alleges Mamata
Sharad Pawar questions veracity of EVMs
Mumbai :Sharad Pawar questioned veracity of
EVMs and said the issue would be discussed by Opposition parties in Delhi in
the presence of experts and technocrats.On a day that the NCP was celebrating
its 20th anniversary, Pawar brought up the party’s failure to create a space
for itself among the upwardly mobile voters in urban belts. “We need to expand
the party’s organisation in Mumbai and other urban areas. The NCP is perceived
as a party with rural backing… Today, 50 per cent of Maharashtra is urban. We
must be seen taking up issues concerning urbanisation and fight for the cause
of the urban local,” said Pawar.indianexpress
Bomb blast accused will hear President speak:
Sharad Pawar on Pragya Thakur
BJP’s Virendra Kumar appointed pro-tem Speaker
of 17th Lok Sabha
New Delhi :BJP MP Virendra Kumar has been
appointed pro-tem Speaker of the 17th Lok Sabha. Kumar, a Dalit leader and
seven-term Lok Sabha MP from Tikamgarh in Madhya Pradesh’s Bundelkhand region,
has served as Minister of State (Mos) in the Ministry of Women and Child
Development as well as MoS of Minority Affairs. Kumar will administer the
oath-taking of the new Members of Parliament and will later assist the House to
elect the new Speaker.indianexpress
Sharad Kumar named interim CVC
Vigilance Commissioner Sharad Kumar has been
named interim CVC until a new incumbent is chosen by Prime Minister Narendra
Modi-headed selection panel.Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) K V Chowdary
and Vigilance Commissioner T M Bhasin completed their tenure at the anti-graft
body on Sunday and Monday respectively. Kumar, who is the other Vigilance
Commissioner, has been authorised to act as the CVC “until appointment of Central
Vigilance Commissioner”, an order issued by Personnel Ministry said.PTI
Pakistan decides to let PM Modi’s plane fly
over its airspace to Bishkek summit: Report
Pakistan decided in principle to let Prime
Minister Narendra Modi’s aircraft fly over its airspace to Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan
where he has to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit on
June 13-14, where his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan would also be
present.Pakistan had fully closed its airspace on February 26 after an IAF
strike in Balakot. Since then, it has only opened two routes, both of them pass
through southern Pakistan, of the total 11.India requested Pakistan to let
Prime Minister Modi’s aircraft fly over its airspace to Bishkek in
Kyrgyzstan.indianexpress
Pompeo to boost US’ ‘incredibly important’
ties with India during visit to New Delhi
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said
that his visit to New Delhi this month will be focused on advancing the
“incredibly important” ties with India which is a significant part of President
Donald Trump’s strategy in the strategic Indo-Pacific region.Pompeo would leave
for New Delhi on June 24.New Delhi would be Pompeo’s first stop and South Korea
his last during nearly week-long visit to Indo-Pacific region, beginning June
24, that would also take him to Sri Lanka and Japan. Before starting his trip,
Pompeo will address the India Ideas Summit of US-India Business Council on June
12.PTI
Ex-Army man declared ‘illegal foreigner’ in
Assam: ‘When I entered jail, I cried and cried…’
Guwahati:Mohammad Sanaullah walked out of detention
centre in Assam’s Goalpara on June 8. But the day this Indian Army ex-subedar
will never forget is May 29 — when he walked into the centre, carrying the tag
of an “illegal foreigner”.“Entering through the prison gate, I cried and cried.
I asked myself what sin have I committed that after serving my motherland for 3
decades, including at LoC in Kupwara, I am being detained like a foreigner,” he
said at his residence in Guwahati’s Satgaon after being granted interim bail by
the Gauhati High Court.“I have served for 30 years in the Army.I have been
posted in MP, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Delhi, Punjab, J&K, AP, Assam and
Manipur. I have defended my country standing bravely at the border. I love my
country. I am an Indian and I am sure justice will be done in my case,” he
said.“After my retirement, I was looking for opportunities to continue serving
my state and my country. I got selected to the Border wing and took the job.
The officers who arrested me were my senior colleagues.They followed procedure
as required after an FT order,” he said.“On May 28 evening, I was called by a
DSP to North Guwahati police station. I had an apprehension that it could be
related to my detention as per the procedure. At the station, I had to sit
through the night, without a place to sleep. Next day, around 7 pm, I entered
the detention centre in Goalpara. The prison cell where I was kept there had
probably 40-odd people. They gave me 2 blankets, a mosquito-net and a plate and
a glass,” he says.The bail order says Sanaullah has to furnish a bond of Rs
20,000 with two local sureties. The order states that Sanaullah’s biometrics —
iris and fingerprints — and photograph should be obtained prior to his release.
It also prohibits Sanaullah from moving out of territorial jurisdiction of
Kamrup (Rural) and Kamrup (Metro) districts.There are 6 detention camps in
Assam — housed in jails at Goalpara, Kokrajhar, Tezpur, Jorhat, Dibrugarh and
Silchar — and they hold 1000-odd “illegal foreigners”. Many of those lodged in
these centres have challenged the FT orders in courts.indian express
500,000 Apply for 166 Vacancies as Cleaners,
Gardeners in Bihar
Patna: In response to the advertisement for
166 vacancies for Grade 4 employees in Bihar, more than 500,000 people, many of
them highly qualified, have applied indicating the level of growing
unemployment in the country.According to reports,Bihar assembly secretariat has
announced vacancies for the positions that include drivers, library attendants,
office attendants, watchmen, cleaners and gardeners.Anyone, who has passed
Grade 10 school examination is eligible to apply for any of these positions
that carry a salary of Rs18,000 per month.Strangely, out of 500,000 applicants
seeking job, many applicants were those who had passed the graduation or
post-graduation examinations. Hundreds of such applicants appeared before the
state assembly on Monday for scrutiny of their papers by a private company
hired by the secretariat. Around 2,000 applicants were being called every day
for verifications of their documents.“I am jobless despite a graduation degree
in hand and somehow surviving by working as daily-wage driver. I have applied
for the position hoping to get a job,” said Sansar Kumar, a 27-year-old youth
who applied for the post of driver, according to a report.The government
advertisement says anyone in the age-group of 18 to 37 can apply for these
posts and this has led to a huge rush of applicants.Data released by the labour
ministry in May confirmed unemployment in the country was 6.1 per cent of the
total labour force during 2017-18, which is the highest in 45 years. The data
was released on the day Narendra Modi 2.0 cabinet took charge on May 30.Caravan
Daily
Asaduddin Owaisi’s brother Akbaruddin admitted
in London hospital
AIMIM MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi was admitted to a
hospital in London after his health reportedly worsened last week. A 5-time MLA
from Chandrayangutta, Akbaruddin survived bullet and knife injuries when a
rival group brutally attacked him in his assembly constituency in 2011.After
spending several days in hospital in a critical condition, he made a miraculous
recovery. Akbaruddin, however, did not make a full recovery and needed frequent
medical attention. Sources in MIM said that the injuries sustained in the
shooting cause problems to Akbaruddin and his overall health has also been
affected in recent years.His brother and MIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi recently
appealed to his supporters to pray for his brother.indian express
Wreckage Of Missing Air Force An-32 Plane
Found In Arunachal Pradesh
The wreckage of an An-32 aircraft that went missing with 13 on board
last week has been found in Arunachal Pradesh, the Indian Air Force confirmed
on Tuesday. The aircraft went missing on June 3.The wreckage has been found in
Payum Circle of Siang district. It was spotted by a Mi-17 helicopter of the
Indian Air Force, at a height of around 12,000 feet.The Air Force plans to air
drop search teams, including Garud commandos, mountaineers and other ground
forces tomorrow morning to search the area for more wreckage, news agency ANI
has reported. "Efforts are now continuing to establish the status of
occupants and establish survivors," the Air Force tweeted.ndtv
Naqvi to focus on bringing down school dropout
rate of girls from Muslim community
New Delhi: Setting his focus on quality
education and bringing down school dropout rates, minority affairs minister
Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has said that the government would soon start work on
providing central schools on the lines of Kendriya Vidyalayas in minority
concentration districts.After a review of various schemes earlier this week,
Naqvi announced that the ministry of minority affairs will be soon roll out
'Padho-Badho' campaign to bring down the school dropout rate of girls from the
Muslim community. "Of the 308 districts identified for coverage under the
Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram, 50 districts will be taken up in the first
six months for Padho-Badho campaign and then it will be extended to other
districts," Naqvi said. TOI
WORLD
Hundreds more arrested as Kazakhs protest
'rigged vote'
Police in Kazakhstan have arrested 200 more
people, the interior ministry said on Tuesday, amid protests against what many
see as a rigged presidential election. 200 people detained in the country's
biggest city, Almaty, on Monday were in addition to 500 others who were held a
day earlier over protests against a snap vote that saw a landslide victory for
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the hand-picked successor of longtime leader Nursultan
Nazarbayev.Tokayev took nearly 71 percent of Sunday's vote with all ballots
counted, according to the election commission, while Amirzhan Kosanov, the
66-year-old career diplomat's closest rival, took a mere 16.2 percent vote.
Sunday's vote prompted large protests in the capital, Nur-Sultan, and Almaty,
with demonstrators calling for a boycott of the election. Such gatherings are
rare in the tightly controlled, oil-rich country and illegal unless explicitly
approved by the government. On Tuesday, a heavy police presence was visible on
the streets of Almaty, with several National Guard personnel carrier trucks
parked near the focal spot of the previous two days of rallies.Authorities have
blamed the protests on the banned Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan (DVK) party.
But the latest rally on Monday night appeared to have little to do with
DVK-promoted protests and was triggered instead by the detention earlier that
day of Rinat Zaitov, a poet and musician who blasted the election as rigged and
said he would start a political movement of his own.About 200 of Zaitov's
supporters, some of whom broadcast the event online, gathered outside police
headquarters and demanded his release.The protest continued for several hours
until Zaitov appeared in front of the crowd saying he was free and heading
home. The crowd began an impromptu victory march through the night, chanting
"Oyan Kazakh" [Wake up Kazakh] and other slogans. Some walked and
others drove slowly sounding the horns of their cars, until police blocked
their way and detained a number of people. Police in black uniforms and
balaclavas could be seen slamming people to the ground, according to the
Reuters news agency. "The overnight crackdown has put the country on the
brink of direct conflict between police and the people," political
activist Mukhtar Taizhan wrote on his Facebook page on Tuesday."One
cracked skull, first blood - and you will not be able to stop a justified wave
of popular anger." The continued crackdown on opposition, allegations of
ballot box stuffing and other election tampering has since darkened the view of
Kazakhstan's election. aljazeera
Lanka Tamil leader says Muslims' rights being
abused, demands international probe
Colombo :A top Tamil leader in Sri Lanka has
called for an international investigation into the alleged injustice meted out
to minority Muslim community in the country in the aftermath of the Easter
Sunday bombings. The fundamental rights of Muslims are being abused using an
act of terror, C V Wigneswaran, former chief minister of Tamil-dominated
Northern Province, told reporters on Sunday, referring to the difficulties
faced by the minority community, which constitutes nine per cent of population,
following the April 21 bombings. Following the attacks, some Muslim politicians
representing the government came under criticism for their alleged support
extended to the rising militancy."Muslims are a part of the Sri Lankan
community, they are being subjected to injustice in violation of the country's
Constitution, "Wigneswaran said in Jaffna, once hotbed of the over
3-decade long conflict with the LTTE.A large number of Muslims have been arrested
by the anti-terror agencies for questioning along with those having links to banned
National Thowheed Jamaath (NTJ). Wigneswaran expressed solidarity with Muslim
ministers who resigned last week claiming that the government had failed to
ensure the safety of the minority community in the country.9 Muslim ministers
holding top positions in the Sri Lankan government resigned last week to allow
authorities to investigate allegations against some of them on links to NTJ.
There are 19 Muslims among 225-member Parliament and 9 of them held Cabinet,
state and deputy ministerial positions. "Charges against the Muslim
politicians have not been proved. Government must take responsibility for their
resignations," Wigneswaran said. The majority Sinhala community mobs
attacked Muslim-owned properties in towns north of Colombo, killing one Muslim
man and leaving hundreds of homes, shops and mosques vandalised.PTI
Egypt upholds jail terms for 315 MB loyalists
Cairo: An Egyptian court upheld on Monday jail
terms from 5 to 25 years against 315 defendants, mostly loyalists of the Muslim
Brotherhood, over acts of violence and sabotage in 2013, official MENA
reported. The country's top Court of Cassation refused the defendants' appeal
for a retrial and upheld the previous rulings issued by a criminal court.The
prosecution charged the defendants with riot, violence and sabotage in response
to security crackdown on pro-Brotherhood sit-ins in Giza and Cairo in mid-Aug
2013.Xinhua
Pakistan: Zardari sent to anti-graft body’s
custody
An accountability court in Pakistan on Tuesday
remanded former President Asif Ali Zardari to the custody of anti-graft body
National Accountability Bureau for 11 days, Dawn reported. The court directed
Zardari to be present in court on June 21.This came a day after Zardari was
arrested in a multi-million dollar money laundering case by bureau. His bail plea
was rejected by the Islamabad High Court. The case is related to transactions
worth Pakistani Rs 4.4 billion that were allegedly carried out through fake
bank accounts. According to the prosecution, Zardari received Pakistani Rs 30
million (Rs 1.37 crore) of the money.scroll.in
Pak self-exiled leader Altaf Hussain arrested in UK
Pakistan's self-exiled leader Altaf Hussain
was arrested today from his residence in London, media and security officials
reported.Hussain, who has been living in exile for over 25 years, leads the
Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), a party influential in urban areas of
Pakistan's southern province of Sindh, including its restive port city of
Karachi.He was arrested in an early morning raid by a team of the Scotland
Yard, broadcaster Geo News reported. Hussain, who is wanted by Pakistani
security forces in multiple cases relating to murder, terrorism, inciting
violence, and money laundering, has been shifted to a police station in
London.Anadolu Agency
Taliban welcome release of inmates by Afghan
govt
In a rare acknowledgement, the Taliban on
Tuesday welcomed the Afghan government's move to pardon and release hundreds of
insurgents from different prisons. This came as the Afghan government began
releasing nearly 900 inmates from various prisons on the directives of
President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani on the Muslim festival of Eid al-Fitr.“Granting
the right of liberty back to the inmates is a good step, we hope all those
countrymen are released as well those who were arrested or kept captive for
years over wrong intelligence information, wrong reports or due to local
rivalries”, Zabihullah Mujahed, the Taliban spokesman said in a statement
shared on the social media.Hamdullah Mohib, Ghani’s National Security Advisor,
told local Tolo News last week that the decision to release 887 Taliban
prisoners are in line with the demands of the people's representatives at the
Loya Jirga (a grand consultative meeting) for peace in April.Anadolu Agency
Kim Jong nam, half-brother of North Korean
leader, was a CIA informant: Wall Street Journal
Kim Jong nam, the half-brother of North Korean
leader Kim Jong un who was killed in Malaysia in 2017, was an informant for CIA
in US, Wall Street Journal reported on Monday.The daily cited an unidentified
“person knowledgeable about the matter” for the report. It said many details of
Kim Jong nam’s relationship with the US spy agency remained unclear. “There was
a nexus” between CIA and Kim Jong nam, The Wall Street Journal quoted the
person as saying. CIA declined to comment on the claim.scroll.in/
Mali attack: At least 95 killed in ethnic
Dogon village
At least 95 people were killed in an attack on
an ethnic Dogon village in central Mali in the latest deadly violence to hit
the restive region.19 others were missing after unknown armed men attacked village
of Sobane-Kou, in the Mopti region, in the early hours of Monday, the govt said.No
immediate claim of responsibility was made but the massacre bore the hallmarks
of tit-for-tat ethnic attacks that have claimed hundreds of lives. It came less
than three months after nearly 160 members of Fulani ethnic group were killed
by a group identified as Dogon. "This country cannot be led by a cycle of
revenge and vendetta," Mali's President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita told ORTM
public TV from Switzerland, where he cut short an official visit.He called on
Malians to come together to "allow our nation to survive, because this is
a question of survival".aljazeera
Turkish F-35 pilots no longer flying at US
base amid S-400 row: aljazeera
US said it is winding down Turkey's
involvement in its F-35 stealth fighter jet programme over Ankara's plans to
buy a Russian air defence system that could pose a danger to the aircraft.US
officials announced on Monday that Washington had halted the training of
Turkish pilots on F-35 fighters at an airbase in US state of Arizona.
Russian jets carry out deadly bombings in
Syria
At least 25 people have been killed in aerial
bombardment carried out by Russian jet fighters in Idlib region, with schools
and medical centres knocked down during a continued Syrian military offensive.The
rebel stronghold of northwestern Syria despite being part of a buffer-zone deal
has come under deadly regime bombardment in recent weeks, sparking fears for
its roughly three million residents.aljazeera
Sudan: Following their release, SPLM leaders
deported to Juba
The Sudanese authorities has deported 3
leaders of Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) to Juba, the capital of
South Sudan, following their release from police.The Sudanese Transitional
Military Council (TMC) released Yasir Arman,SPLM deputy leader, movement’s
spokesman Mubarak Ardual, and Secretary-General Khamis Jalab, Monday.Sources
said that the release of these leaders came within the framework of Ethiopian
initiative. Sudanese state TV reported “the release of Arman, Jalab, and
Ardual”, without providing further details. Arman, deputy head of the SPLM,
Malik Agar’s faction, was arrested after he arrived in Khartoum on 26 May to
participate in negotiations with the TMC, which had deposed then-President Omar
Al-Bashir on 11 April, after months of protests.MEMO
Flash:
views & NEWS
Eviction Leaves Over 1,000 Muslims Homeless in
Barak Valley:Taha Amin Mazumdar
Clean-up signals a shift, hurts old consensus
in Jammu Kashmir:Pranab Dhal Samanta
How One Man Risked His Life to Save Dozens of
Kashmiri Students After Pulwama
Compiled and edited by
Anwarulhaq (Released at: 8:40 PM)
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