NEWS
DIGEST, EVENING
13 June 2019:
07 Shawal 1440:Vol: 11, No:220
INDIA
Netanyahu thanks Modi after India votes to
keep Palestinian NGO out of UN
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has thanked
Narendra Modi for supporting his govt’s decision to oppose a Palestinian
group’s request for consultative status in UN institutions. “Thank you Narendra
Modi, thank you India, for your support and for standing with Israel at the
UN,” Netanyahu tweeted, a week after the draft decision was introduced during a
meeting of the UN body. This is the first time India has supported a UN
resolution perceived to be pro-Israel.Israeli foreign ministry said on
Wednesday that UN Economic and Social Council had “overwhelmingly rejected”
Palestinian non-Govtal organisation Shahed’s request for observer status at the
world body, HT reported. The group had allegedly not revealed its ties with
militant group Hamas. Israeli resolution was passed in a 28-14 vote on June 6,
and was supported by countries such as India, US, UK, France, and Japan.India’s
support to Israel came to light on Tuesday when Deputy Chief of Mission at Israeli
embassy, Maya Kadosh, thanked India for its support. “Thank you India for
standing with Israel and rejecting the request of terrorist organization
‘Shahed’ to obtain the status of an observer in UN,” she said. “Together we
will continue to act against terrorist organisations that intend to
harm.”According to Israel, though Shahed claims to deal with human rights and
humanitarian matters, in practice it is a “terrorist organisation” and operates
as “an arm of the Hamas terror organisation” from Lebanon.In 2015, New Delhi
did not vote on a resolution on the violence in Gaza at the UN Human Rights
Council.scroll.in
After PM Modi’s invitation, Chinese President
Xi to visit India this year
New Delhi:Along the sidelines of Shanghai
Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Kyrgyz capital Bishkek, PM Narendra
Modi and China’s President Xi Jinping engaged in delegation-level bilateral
talks Thursday, during the course of which Jinping confirmed his readiness to
visit India this year.In a statement to the media, Foreign Secretary Vijay
Gokhale said that while PM Modi welcomed the Chinese leader to visit New Delhi,
Jinping assured the PM about his plans to visit India this year. “PM
specifically conveyed to President Jinping & he agreed that both sides need
to raise our expectations from the relationship. PM welcomed him to India for
next informal summit, President Xi confirmed his readiness to visit India this
year,” Gokhale was quoted as saying by ANI.In his interaction with Chinese
President, PM Modi also had a brief discussion about Pakistan. He asserted that
India made peace efforts with its neighbour but the efforts were derailed. “PM
recalled that he has made efforts and these efforts have been derailed, that
Pakistan needs to create an atmosphere free of terror and at this stage we do
not see this happening. We expect it to take concrete action,” said Gokhale.
SCO summit is PM Modi’s maiden multilateral interaction with the world leaders
after winning a second term in the recently concluded elections.indianexpress
After PM Modi Chooses Oman Route to Bishkek,
Pakistan Opens Airspace as 'Goodwill Gesture'
Hope PM Modi uses ‘big mandate’ to improve
relations with Pak: Imran Khan
Pakistan PM Imran Khan has said he hopes his
Indian counterpart Narendra Modi will use the big mandate he won in the recent
elections to improve relations between the two countries and usher in peace in
the region. The two countries should focus on peace and resolving their
differences through dialogue, and even issues such as Kashmir can be resolved
if the two Govts decide to tackle it, Khan said in an interview with Russia’s
state-run Sputnik.“And so our emphasis should be peace, resolving our
differences through dialogue. And our main difference with India is Kashmir.
And if the heads of 2 countries resolve, if two govts decide, this issue can be
resolved,” Khan said.“But, unfortunately, we have not had much success from
India so far. But we hope now that the current PM has one big mandate, we hope
that he will use this mandate to develop better relationship and bring peace in
the subcontinent.”Khan said Pakistan had tried to improve relations even before
India’s polls in April-May but had not made headway during the electoral
campaign.“We actually tried before elections, but unfortunately we felt that
before the elections, Modi’s party was building up this hysteria,
unfortunately, anti-Pakistan feeling among its people, appealing to its
right-wing Hindu nationalists, and so there was no chance of peace before the
elections,” he said.With the elections over, Pakistan is hoping the Indian
leadership will “avail this opportunity that Pakistan is offering — that let’s
resolve all our differences through dialogue”, he added. Khan said the two
nuclear-armed countries cannot think of resolving differences through military
means. “It is madness. So we hope that now we can progress, use dialogue to
resolve our differences,” he said.HT
Amnesty International denied permission to
release report on Kashmir
https://scroll.in/latest/926861/amnesty-international-denied-permission-to-release-report-on-kashmir
Amnesty International India was denied
permission to hold a press conference in Srinagar on Wednesday to release a
report on the controversial Public Safety Act in J&K.The district
administration cited the “prevailing law and order situation” to deny
permission. The decision was conveyed verbally by some officials at the
Srinagar deputy commissioner’s office, Nazia Erum, who manages media and
advocacy for Amnesty International India, told HuffPost India.The report,
titled “Tyranny of a Lawless Law: Detention without charge or trial under J&K
Public Safety Act”, was released online globally. In it, the global human
rights body has called for a repeal of the controversial J&K Public Safety
Act. “This Act is contributing to inflaming tensions between the state
authorities and local populace and must be immediately repealed,”said Aakar
Patel, head of Amnesty International India.The law allows detention of up to
two years if a person acts in a manner “prejudicial to the security of the
state.” It allows detention of up to one year when a person may act in a manner
“prejudicial to the maintenance of public order.” Authorities need not disclose
any fact while detaining a person.Between 2007 and 2016, over 2,400 PSA
detention orders were passed, The Wire reported, citing Govt data. However, 58%
of those were quashed by courts. scroll.in
Cabinet approves extension of Prez Rule in J&K
for 6 months
Union Cabinet has approved an extension of
President’s Rule in J&K for a period of six months, starting July 3. In a
press release, the Govt said that the decision to extend President’s Rule was
taken due to the “prevailing situation” in the state, as reported by J&K Governor
Satya Pal Malik. scroll.in
5 CRPF men killed in Kashmir Valley: Militants
target securitymen in Anantnag
Srinagar:5 CRPF men were killed and three
other security personnel including a local police officer were injured in a
sneak attack in J&K’s southern Anantnag district on Wednesday evening.A
militant was also killed in the security forces’ retaliatory fire whereas a
woman resident received a bullet injury in her foot in the shooting incident,
the officials said.“From the materials recovered, it is found that the militant
was a foreigner,” said a statement issued by J&K police here.The officials
said that two motorcycle-borne militants targeted a joint party of J&K
police and the CRPF’s 116th Battalion at a makeshift security barrier laid
along the Khanabal-Pahalgam Road, about 60 kilometres south of summer capital
Srinagar, at 4.55 pm. The assailants, they said, also hurled a hand grenade at
the security forces’ naka party. In the
militant firing and ensuing brief encounter, 5 CRPF personnel received grievous
injuries. They were rushed to Anantnag’s district hospital where 3 of them were
declared dead on arrival. 2 others succumbed to their injuries later. 3 other
injured CRPF jawans have been admitted to Srinagar’s 92-Army Base Hospital, a
report said.The slain jawans have been identified as Assistant Sub-Inspector
Neeru Sharma and Ramesh Kumar and Constables Santinder Kumar, MK Kushwa and
Mahesh Kumar.Deccan Chronicle
India’s GDP grew 4.5% between 2011-’12 and
2016-’17, not 7%, says former chief economic adviser
Former Chief Economic Adviser Arvind
Subramanian has said that India’s growth has been overestimated by 2.5% points
per year between 2011-’12 and 2016-’17, a period that was led by both UPA and
NDA govs. Subramanian wrote in Indian Express on Tuesday that official
estimates pegged average annual growth during this period at about 7%, whereas
actual growth may have been 4.5%, according to his new research paper published
at Harvard University.The Govt in May announced that India’s growth rate in its
GDP had declined to 5.8% in the last quarter of the financial year 2018-’19.
This was the slowest pace of growth in 17 quarters. The Ministry of Statistics and
Programme Implementation also revised the GDP growth for 2018-’19 downwards to
6.8% from the earlier estimated 7%.“My new research suggests that post-global
financial crisis, the heady narrative of a guns-blazing India – that
statisticians led us to believe – may have to cede to a more realistic one of
an economy growing solidly but not spectacularly,” he wrote.scroll.in
PM advisory body refutes Arvind Subramanian’s
claim that GDP growth was overestimated
Economic Advisory Council to PM has rejected
former Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian’s claim that GDP numbers have
been inflated.The prime minister’s advisory body said Subramanian had made
“strong claims”.The advisory body also claimed that a country’s GDP should be
measured in nominal terms, not in terms of real growth rates.scroll.in
India planning to have its own space station:
ISRO
A day after announcing the launch date of
Chandrayaan-2, chief of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) K Sivan said
Thursday that India is planning to have a space station of its own. “We have to
sustain the Gaganyaan programme after the launch of (the) human space mission.
In this context, India is planning to have its own space station,” PTI quoted
Sivan as saying.He added that the project will be an extension of the Gaganyaan
mission. On Wednesday, Sivan announced that ISRO’s second spacecraft to the
moon, Chandrayaan-2, will be launched on July 15 this year. The spacecraft will
attempt to make its first-ever soft landing on the moon on September 5 or
September 6, 52 days after its launch. ISRO chief added that Chandrayaan-2 will
explore the southern part of the celestial body, making India the first country
to do so. He also said that this is the most complex mission ever undertaken by
the organisation.indianexpress
Hate Crimes Against Minorities, Dalits Should
be Tackled at Social Level: Jamaat-e-Islami Hind
New Delhi:In the wake of spiraling incidents
of mob-lynching and hate crimes, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) on Wednesday said
it will try to address the menace at various levels including social level and
if the need arises will also contact the Govt. It also condemned the attempt of
communalizing crimes by saffron outfits. Jamaat also termed Home Minister Amit
Shah’s order of allowing district magistrates to set up tribunals to identify a
“foreigner” as part of ruling party’s political agenda.At a monthly presser
here at JIH HQRS, Jamaat president Syed Sadatullah Hussaini said the growing
hate-crimes in the country should be a matter of concern to each peace-loving
and law-abiding citizen. “There is a disturbing trend of increasing hate crimes
against the minorities, even as a new Govt is formed at the Center after the
general elections.”When asked by this correspondent whether only issuing
statements of condemnation would be enough to solve this problem, the Jamaat
chief said we will tackle this problem at every level, and if the need arises
will also meet the prime minister.“Besides pursuing legal action against the
perpetrators and pressurizing Govt to take strict action against these
anti-social and criminal elements, these hate crimes against minorities and
Dalits also need to be addressed at the social level. People to people contact,
inter-faith meetings, sadbhavna forums is the need of the hour,” Jamaat chief
said.He also said that Jamaat appreciates the PM’s call to his lawmakers to win
the confidence of the minorities and wished the effect of this appeal must be
seen and felt on the ground. The Jamaat is ready to extend its hand of support
and cooperation for any beneficial and meaningful step taken by the Govt to
improve the lot of the nation and its minorities but at the same time it would
not hesitate to criticize the Govt for its mistakes or wrong policies, he
added.He said Jamaat viewed with deep concern over the spate of rape and murder
cases of minor girls in different parts of the country and urged the Govt,
judiciary, and law enforcement agencies to ensure that these growing incidents
are immediately controlled by swift prosecution of the culprits. Jamaat chief was
also critical of TV channels saying some of them not following the norms of the
profession. Speaking on the occasion, Engineer Mohammad Salim, Vice-President
JIH said the tendency to view incidents of crime through the communal prism and
to provoke violence and hatred against a particular community is highly
deplorable and should be stopped herewith. The Jamaat has endorsed the demands
of SIO that MHRD should extend the date for filing suggestions and feedbacks,
and translate Draft National Education Policy (NEP) 2019 in non-Hindi state
languages. Jamaat also expressed concern over the volatile and unfolding
situation in Sudan.Caravan Daily
Communalization of Crimes Highly Deplorable,
Must be Stopped, says Jamaat: indiatomorrow
Jamaat expresses concern over hate crimes
against minorities: theindianawaaz
‘Challenge of hate crimes against minorities,
Dalits should also be addressed at social level’
India to continue to pursue Zakir Naik's
extradition request with Malaysia, judicial system is fair: MEA
India
has said it would continue to pursue with Malaysia its request for extradition
of Zakir Naik, two days after the Malaysian PM had said that his country has
the right to not extradite Naik as the fugitive evangelist claims he will not
get a fair trial back home. Spokesperson of the External Affairs Ministry
Raveesh Kumar also asserted that the fairness of the Indian justice system has
never been in question."India has extradition arrangements with many
nations. In the past, there are numerous cases of successful extradition to
India. The fairness of the Indian justice system has never been in question,"
Kumar said."India has made a formal request for the extradition of Naik.
We would continue to pursue the matter with Malaysia," he added, in
response to queries on the status of Naik's extradition from Malaysia. Asserting
that Malaysia has a right to not extradite Naik, Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohamad
said on Monday that "Zakir in general feels that he is not going to get a
fair trial (in India)." PTI
NIA searches 7 places in Coimbatore
Chennai:NIA has searched 7 places in
Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, including the residence of a social media friend of
the Sri Lankan bombings suspect.The searches are part of a NIA probe into a new
Islamic State module in India, officials said.An NIA official in New Delhi told
IANS that the case was registered on May 30 against Mohammed Azarudeen, 32,
Akram Sindhaa, 26, Y. Shiek Hidayathullah, 38, Abubacker M, 29, Sadham Hussain,
26, and Ibrahim alias Shahin Shah, 28-- all residents of Coimbatore.The case
was registered after information was received that the accused and their
associates were propagating the ideology of IS on social media with the
intention of recruiting vulnerable youth into the group and carrying out
attacks in South India, especially in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.Official said one
of the persons whose premises were searched was Mohammad Azarudeen, who was a
Facebook friend of Sri Lankan bombings suspect Zahran Hashim.Last month, NIA
searched 10 places in Tamil Nadu in connection with investigation into Islamic
State module where some people allegedly conspired to raise funds to wage war
against the state.NIA officials visited Sri Lanka this month in connection with
their investigation.IANS
Haryana mosque funding: NIA arrests Gujarat
man
NIA has arrested a man from Gujarat for his
alleged involvement in allegedly terror funding of a Haryana mosque. Mohammad
Arif Ghulambashir Dharampuria (44) was arrested by NIA at IGI Airport in Delhi
after his arrival from Dubai where he worked.“The accused was evading his
examination and arrest by hiding himself in Dubai, UAE for long. Accordingly, a
Look Out Circular was issued by NIA and he was detained at International
Airport, New Delhi on his arrival from Dubai,” an NIA statement said.This is
the fifth arrest in this case related to receiving of terror funds being sent
by “Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation (FIF) operatives to their associates through
hawala operators to further their nefarious activities to create unrest in
India”, NIA claimed. Salman was arrested with Mohammed Salim and Sajjad Abdul
Wani on Sept.26, 2018. indianexpress
Govt to provide 100% funding to develop
schools, hospitals on waqf properties: Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi
New Delhi:All waqf properties across India
will be geo-tagged and digitised and Govt will provide 100 per cent funding to
develop educational institutions and hospitals on such properties for the
welfare of society, Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said.Naqvi, while
chairing the 80th meeting of the Central Waqf Council here, said there are
around 5.77 lakh registered waqf properties across the country and their
geo-tagging and digitalisation will ensure transparency and safety of
records.The Centre has decided to start a programme on a war footing to utilise
waqf properties across the country for educational empowerment and
employment-oriented skill development of the needy, especially economically
backward girls in those areas which were deprived of these facilities since
Independence, the minority affairs minister said.Modi-led Govt has decided to
provide 100 per cent funding to develop schools, colleges, ITIs, polytechnics,
hospitals, multi-purpose community halls "Sadbhav Mandap" on waqf
land under Pradhanmantri Jan Vikas Karykram (PMJVK), he said.A report of a
five-member committee constituted to review waqf properties lease rule, headed
by Justice (Retd) Zakiullah Khan, has been submitted, Naqvi said.The
recommendations of the committee will ensure that waqf rules are made easy and
effective for better utilisation of waqf properties and to free these
properties, several of which are entangled in disputes for several decades,
from disputes, he said.PTI
50 Million Scholarships for Minorities A
‘Cruel Joke,’ Says Former Minority Minister Rehman Khan
New Delhi:Union Minister for Minority Affairs
Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said that his ministry will provide scholarships to 50
million students from the minority communities in the next 5 years.However, his
predecessor and senior Congress leader K Rehman Khan termed announcement as
nothing but a ‘cruel joke’ with the minorities saying, it requires over 50
times increase (Rs 50,000 crores) in the budget to meet this target. Currently,
the ministry’s total budget is Rs 4,700 crores while out of this Rs 2,456
crores are earmarked for all the 7 types of scholarships, including pre-matric
and post-matric scholarship, merit-cum-means scholarship, Maulana Azad National
Fellowship, Interest Subsidy on Educational loans for Overseas Studies, and
Free Coaching and Allied Schemes for minorities. Since its formation in 2006,
the ministry has always been getting a paltry sum in the union budget. Caravan
Daily
Uttarakhand: Madrassa board chief appointment
brews dissent in BJP
Dehradun:With speculation of a ‘parachute’
candidate for the state madrassa board chairman becoming rife, uneasiness is
prevailing in state BJP camp. Sensing the disappointment among party’s minority
members over reports of Bilal-Ur Rehman, a Delhi-based minority leader, getting
the post, Ajay Bhatt, BJP state president and Nainital MP, on Wednesday said
that he would not let any ‘outsider’ take the post. “I would ensure that a
local party worker, who has a clean image, gets to head the madrassa board in
Uttarakhand. In elections, our minority wing tirelessly worked for the party’s
success on all the five seats.” Notably, Nainital constituency has a
substantial population of minority voters. In March this year, the saffron
party cleared over a dozen political appointments in state boards, councils and
commissions but skipped the appointment of Uttarakhand Madrassa Board chairman.
Questioning Rehman’s appointment, a party member said, “How can someone who
owns a huge mining business and who is not based in Uttarakhand be appointed as
the chairman of the state madrassa board?” He added that Rehman was “using his
connections with RSS and BJP leaders to secure the post.” Meanwhile, Rehman
defended himself. TOI
Cabinet approves bill against triple talaq, to
replace ordinance
New Delhi: The Govt will introduce a Bill in
the coming session of Parliament against triple talaq to make it an offence
punishable with imprisonment of up to three years and fine.Union cabinet on
Wednesday approved the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill,
2019. The Bill will replace the ordinance promulgated in February this
year.Talking to reporters here, I&B Minister Prakash Javadekar said that
the bill could not be passed in the Rajya Sabha earlier and an ordinance had to
be brought every time. He hoped it will get the necessary support in the Upper
House also.An official release said that the Bill would ensure gender equality
and gender justice to Muslim women.It would also help in protecting the rights
of married Muslim women and prevent divorce by the practice of 'talaq-e-biddat'
by their husbands.IANS
Cabinet approves Aadhaar amendment, talaq
bills
Will oppose Bill on triple talaq, says
Congress
New Delhi:Congress has said it will oppose the
triple talaq Bill in Parliament, saying a debate was needed on some of its
provisions.Congress Rajya Sabha member and spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi
said: “On triple talaq, we have raised some fundamental points. The Govt has
agreed on many points.“A lot of time would have been saved if the Govt had
agreed on our points earlier.“Still one or two points are left... and debates
are required on those points and we shall oppose it (Bill),” Singhvi added.IANS
Will oppose Talaq Bill in Rajya Sabha: JD(U)
leader
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s party and
BJP ally JD-U today said it will not support the BJP-led NDA Govt at the centre
on the issue of Triple Talaq in the Rajya Sabha.Senior JD-U leader and Bihar
minister Shayam Razak said: “JD-U is opposed to it and we will continue to
stand against it.”JD-U leader said Triple Talaq is a social issue and it should
be resolved by the society at the social level. Razak said it was the JD-U that
voted against Triple Talaq Bill in Rajya Sabha.IANS
Oral triple talaq complaints dip but Muslim
woman activists call for review of existing law
Mumbai : 2 years after it was formally
outlawed in India, instances of oral triple talaq complaints have come down
drastically as per Muslim women’s groups. With the new Cabinet led by PM Narendra
Modi likely to take up the Bill to criminalise triple talaq once again in the
coming Parliament session, Muslim women’s groups have asked for changes in the
existing law in order to make it more effective.While there is no pan India
figure available in the public domain over the total number of cases registered
under new law, Muslim organisations claim that there is evidence that the
number of instances of triple talaq have gone down drastically.Bhartiya Muslim
Mahila Andolan, which had played a pivotal role in the campaigns against oral
triple talaq, has said that the number of complaints that it used to receive
from women who were victims of triple talaq has come down substantially.In 2016
the BMMA’s Mumbai chapter had received 31 complaints from women who had said
that they had been given oral triple talaq. In 2017 when it was made illegal
the number came down to 6. In 2018 the number was two and till June 2019 the
number was pegged at one.“There has been a dip in the number of women who have
come to us complaining that they have been given triple talaq. In that way the
law seems to have been effective in putting a rein on this practice. However
there are still a lot of lacunae in the existing law which need to be addressed
on a priority basis for it to be more effective,” BMMA co-founder Noorjehan
Safia Naiz said. A section of Muslim activists also feel that the existing law
in its present form is not beneficial for Muslim women as triple talaq has
already been deemed to be illegal by the Supreme Court.indianexpress
Focus on crimes against women, Dalits and
minorities, Adityanath tells police
Lucknow: UP CM Yogi Adityanath has ordered the
state police to focus on crimes related to Dalits, women and minorities, UP DGP
OP Singh said.The instructions come in the backdrop of a series of incidents
involving women and Dalits. The most shocking case in the recent past is that
of a three-year-old girl who was brutally murdered in Aligarh's Toppal village.
The minor was missing since May 31 and her body was discovered by locals in the
village. Post-mortem report revealed that she was strangled to death. The men
allegedly killed her due to personal enmity with family.Besides, according to
reports, at least three more cases of crime against women were reported in the
state in the recent past.A 12-year-old Dalit girl was allegedly gang-raped in
Kushinagar district by 6 men. In another case, a 15-year-old was allegedly
raped by her teacher inside a Kanpur seminary. On Sunday, the body of a
seven-year-old was found outside Bijbaha village in Jalaun.Times Now
UP: A Madrassa Chief Arrested after Complaint
to CMO Alleging Triple Talaq, dowry
Agra: The director of a madrassa here in Uttar
Pradesh has been arrested after his in-laws approached Chief Minister Yogi
Adityanath's office with a complaint that he had used triple talaq against his
wife besides beating her up and demanding dowry.Zikru Rahman was arrested on
Tuesday evening on the basis of an FIR lodged by his wife Tarranum at the
Malpura police station, officials said.Initially, the Malpura police station
showed no interest in the case and were trying to pressure Tarrunum, a mother
of three, to compromise.The victim's brother Javed Ali then complained to the
Chief Minister's Office which promptly intervened and FIR was lodged and Rahman
arrested. 6 others named in FIR are absconding.Javed, in his complaint, said
Rahman and his family members had beaten up his sister, demanded dowry and then
her husband divorced her.In her original complaint, Tarrunum said her husband,
who ran a madrassa, had married a 22-year-old teacher who came to teach at madrassa
and wanted to get rid of her (Tarrunum). When Tarrunum did not yield, dowry
demands for a car and cash were made, the complaint said.She also alleged that
undue pressure was applied by the police and some resourceful persons close to
her husband's family tried to make her withdraw the case and settle for a
compromise.According to lawyers here, this appears to be a unique instance of a
case being filed for triple talaq, though FIR makes mention of only dowry
harassment and beating.IANS
Modi’s Madrasa modernisation push gets mixed
response
The Centre’s decision to connect madrasas to
mainstream education has come in for appreciation from clerics who have
welcomed the move as a much-needed step for the upliftment of minorities. On
Tuesday, Minority Affairs minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said that madrasas
across the country will be connected with formal education and mainstream
education so that children in madrasas can also contribute to the development
of the society.“Madrasa teachers across the country will be given training from
various institutions in mainstream subjects such as Hindi, English, Maths,
Science, Computer etc. so that they can impart mainstream education to the
Madrasa students,” he said in a statement. While the Centre’s plan is winning
laurels from across sections, SP leader Azam Khan has objected to the move
saying if the Govt really wants to help madrasas, they should improve their
standards. Speaking on the issue, Khan defended the current pattern of
education being imparted in madrasas and said that besides religious teachings,
subjects like English, Hindi, and Maths are already being taught at madrasas.“This
has always been done. If you (Govt) want to help, improve their standard. Build
buildings for madrasas, provide them furniture and midday meal facility,” Khan
added. He further politicised the issue by saying Madrasas don’t breed
personalities like Nathuram Godse or Pragya Thakur. “…announce that those
propagating thoughts of Nathuram Godse will be declared enemies of democracy,
those convicted for terror activities won’t be rewarded,” he said while
speaking to ANI.Jamiat Ulema General Secretary Mahmood Madani welcomed the
initiative saying, “All the sections of the society should be provided with
equal opportunities especially in education for the benefit of the country. We
will always welcome such initiatives.”He further said that Muslims should have
a part in nation building and it will only be possible through the capacity
building which isn’t possible without education. “If this isn’t just an
announcement and will be turned into actions, it’s Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas in
the true sense,” Madani added. financialexpress
Madrassas don’t produce Godse, Pragya Thakur,
says Azam Khan
UP: Lawyers halt work a day after first woman
state bar council president was shot dead in Agra
Lawyers in courts across western Uttar Pradesh
on Thursday halted work to protest against the killing of the state bar council
chairperson, reported PTI. Judicial work was affected in Baghpat, Bijnor,
Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Saharanpur and Shamli districts.Darvesh Singh Yadav, the
first woman to head the Uttar Pradesh Bar Council, was shot dead on the civil
court premises in Agra on Wednesday during a welcome ceremony organised for
her. She was elected to the post on June 9. The attacker, a fellow colleague of
Yadav, shot her thrice. After the murder, Manish Sharma tried to kill himself,
the police said. He is in hospital at present.Yadav was cremated at Chaandpur
village in Etah district on Thursday. Uttar Pradesh Law Minister Brijesh Pathak
was present at the funeral, which was attended by a large number of lawyers and
the public.Opposition criticised the state Govt over the incident.scroll.in
Journalist Prashant Kanojia, arrested for
video about Adityanath, released from jail
Journalist Prashant Kanojia, who was arrested
from Delhi for his comments about Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath on
social media, was released from jail. The Supreme Court had ordered the release
of the journalist on bail on Tuesday. Chief Judicial Magistrate (in-charge) in
Lucknow, Sanjai Kumar, had earlier in the day directed the release of the
journalist on furnishing of two sureties of Rs. 20,000 each and a personal bond
for the same amount.scroll.in
Uttar Pradesh cops lock up reporter, beat him
unconscious: FIR
Shamli ;A Station House Officer and a
constable have been suspended for allegedly assaulting a journalist in Shamli
Tuesday night. Rakesh Kumar, the SHO of Govt Railway Police (GRP) Shamli, and
constable Sanjay Pawar faced action after a purported video of them attacking
the journalist, Amit Sharma of News 24, became public. Sharma, who was covering
the derailment of a goods train, claimed he was stripped and beaten up by
police officers at Shamli GRP station, and also alleged that an officer
urinated in his mouth.Police said Sharma has filed an official complaint and an
FIR had been registered. “We have come across a video where a journalist has
been assaulted and put up in lock-up. DGP, Uttar Pradesh, O P Singh has ordered
immediate suspension of SHO Rakesh Kumar and constable Sanjay Pawar. Strict
punishment shall be accorded to policemen misbehaving with citizens,” the UP
Police said in a statement.indianexpress
Bhima Koregaon case: Gautam Navlakha’s
protection from arrest extended by Bombay HC
Bombay High Court has observed that prima
facie there is no evidence against activist Gautam Navlakha, who has been
accused by the police of having links with Maoists. The activist is being
investigated in connection with the Bhima Koregaon case. The court extended
Navlakha’s protection from arrest till June 18, when the matter will be heard
again.Navlakha and activists Arun Ferreira, Vernon Gonsalves, Sudha Bharadwaj
and Varavara Rao were arrested on August 28 for their alleged involvement in an
event that preceded the violence between Dalits and Marathas at Bhima Koregaon
near Pune on Jan.1, 2018. They were subsequently placed under house
arrest.scroll.in/
Elgaar Parishad case: Pune police search
activist Stan Swamy’s house in Jharkhand
Pune :A Pune police team has searched human
rights activist Father Stan Swamy’s residence in Ranchi in connection with the
Elgaar Parishad case.This is the second time Pune police conducted raids at the
activist’s residence.A senior police officer in Ranchi said Pune Police had
taken some electronic material and some documents. Swami, 83, was not taken
into custody.The case pertains to the Elgaar Parishad conclave in Pune district
on Dec.31, 2017.indianexpress
Accused in murders of Dabholkar, Lankesh,
Sanatan sympathiser held in Pansare case
Pune : SIT of the Maharashtra Police, probing
the 2015 murder of Communist leader Govind Pansare, has taken custody of Sharad
Kalaskar, who has earlier been made accused in murders of Dr Narendra Dabholkar
and Gauri Lankesh.The name of Kalaskar (26) — who according to the
investigators is a Sanatan Sanstha sympathiser — first came up in the
investigation of the Maharashtra ATS into the Nallasopara arms haul case in
August last year. He was then arrested in Dabholkar murder case and
subsequently in the murder of Bengaluru-based journalist Gauri Lankesh. CBI,
which is probing the Dabholkar case, has claimed that Kalaskar and Sachin
Andure had allegedly shot at Dabholkar.indianexpress
Encephalitis Toll Rises to 43 in Bihar, Nitish
Kumar Govt Claims Children Died of Low Blood Sugar
Muzaffarpur: The death toll from the outbreak
of brain fever in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district has risen to 43 after two
children died on Wednesday. However, top state health official maintained that
the casualties were not related to outbreak but were caused by hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia
causes abnormally low level of sugar in the blood or deficiency of sodium or potassium
in the body, the official said.According to Sunil Kumar Shahi, medical
superintendent of Muzaffarpur's Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital, most
of the deaths are due to the lower level of sugar in the body. Shahi has denied
any case of encephalitis. Sources said that 70% of children who died were
girls.News18
Cyclone Vayu: Power supply disrupted in 560
Gujarat villages; 3.1 lakh people evacuated
Bringing relief for Gujarat, Cyclone Vayu
Thursday began moving away from the state coast, even as the danger of heavy
winds and rainfall continued, officials said. State authorities have already
evacuated 3 lakh people from low-lying areas near the coast to safer places, an
official said.Heavy rains which lashed the coastal areas were likely to
continue, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said.Power supply has been
disrupted in nearly 560 villages of Gujarat due to cyclone and all efforts are
on to restore it, an official said on Thursday.indiatoday
Special Report: ‘My life is ruined,’ says
Muslim man cleared of terror charges after 4 years in jail
Pusad town in eastern Maharashtra made
headlines in Sept.2015 when news emerged that a young Muslim man had stabbed
three policemen with a kitchen knife, allegedly in rage over the beef ban
introduced that year. 20-year-old Abdul Malik’s arrest was followed a month
later by 2 other men in the region being arrested: Shoaib Khan, 28, from
Hingoli and Maulana Mujeeb-ur-Rahman,30, from Yavatmal.All 3 cases were
transferred to Maharashtra’s ATS.Soon, reports appeared in newspapers
describing Khan, Malik and Mujeeb-ur-Rahman as radicalised youth involved with
Islamic State or ISIS. TOI described their arrest as the “crippling” of a
“terror module-in-the-making”. Nearly 4 years later, the 3 men have been
cleared of all terror-related charges.On May 21, a special court in Akola
acquitted Khan and Mujeeb of charges linking them to SIMI. Malik was also
cleared of charges under UAPA, but sentenced to 3 years in prison for injuring
the 3 policemen with a knife. Since Malik had spent 3 years and eight months in
jail as an undertrial, he was released along with Mujeeb-ur-Rahman and Khan.
The local media’s reaction to the 3 men’s acquittal has been starkly different
from the coverage of their arrests in 2015. Marathi newspapers reported the
news with such headlines as, “ATS’ mistaken investigation ruined three and a
half years of youth’s life!” and “Will govt compensate innocent Shoaib?” Rehman
Khan, Shoaib’s father said: “My son is being targeted only because he is young
and Muslim.”The families of 3 men acquitted say the govt needs to do more than
just express consideration. At a press conference in Pusad, Khan’s family
demanded compensation from the Govt for the acquitted men.Back home, the men
have frightening stories to tell about the custodial torture they allegedly
faced during two weeks of police interrogation. “There was a lot of torture
during the custody period and a lot of pressure from ATS to make false
statements in court,” Khan told Scroll.in over the phone from his Balapur
village in Hingoli. “They said if I made those statements in front of the
magistrate, they would release me, give me money and stop harassing my family.”
“They told me that when Bangladesh got independence, it had 4% or 5% Hindu
population, which had dropped to 1%,” he recalled. He added: “Then they asked
me what had happened to the rest of the Hindus in Bangladesh. How on earth
would I know that? They also said if Hindus have decreased in number in
Bangladesh, Muslims should decrease in number here.” Mujeeb-ur-Rahman too
claims to have been tortured in custody and pressured to make false statements.
“Govt agencies have hatched a big conspiracy to target the Muslim community
like this,” alleged Mujeeb, who is relieved to be back home with his family in
Pusad.The arrests of Khan and Mujeeb hurt their lower-middle-class families
socially as well as financially.“My construction business shut down because I
became ‘the terrorist’s father’,” said Mujeeb’s father Sheikh Mehboob.Their family
– Mujeeb’s parents, brother, wife and young son – faced unspoken ostracism in
Pusad, including from members of their own community. Mehboob says he is
willing to fight the Govt in court to ensure his son gets compensation for
being falsely accused and imprisoned for almost four years. “I spent 4 years
proving I was innocent but people in my village and even in my community still
see me as a criminal,” Khan complained. “My marriage prospects are ruined. My
life is ruined. Who is going to give me back my four years?”scroll.in
Occasional social-media users believe India
belongs to only Hindus
Data from Lokniti-CSDS on the rise of social
media in the past 5 years throws up some interesting facts. Like in other
spheres, the social media space too has always been upper caste dominated and
continues to be so. Data suggest that upper castes are nearly twice as likely
to have high or moderate exposure to social media as Dalits and tribals.While
15 per cent upper castes were found to have high social media usage, among
Dalits and tribal communities high usage was at 8 per cent and 7 per cent overall,
respectively. Nine per cent OBC communities reported high usage of social media
which is greater than Dalits and tribals but lower than the upper castes.The
Muslim community, a large section of which is said to be educationally and
economically as backward as Dalits and tribal communities, performs rather well
when it comes to social media usage. The minority community's exposure to
social media was found to be second only to that of the Hindu upper castes.
About one-fifth of them were found to be exposed to social media either
strongly or moderately, which is even greater than the exposure recorded among
Hindu OBCs.This overall pattern of upper castes being most frequent in social
media usage followed by Muslims can in fact be seen across all social media
platforms when we look at each of them individually. Upper castes are most
likely to be highly active on Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube, Twitter and
Instagram compared to other communities and this has remained consistent for
the past five years. Muslims have fared second best in this regard, and Dalits
and tribals the worst.Data show that the occasional users of social media
believe that "India belongs to only Hindus". This belief is higher in
two categories of social media users --weekly users of Facebook and WhatsApp;
and rare users of Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp and Instagram -- compared to the
daily users and the respondents who have never used these mediums.A weekly/rare
user of WhatsApp and a rare user of Twitter or WhatsApp or Instagram is also less
likely to believe that India belongs to all religions equally. Now these are
the people who believe in the Hindu-majority country idea. On the other hand,
when user's interaction with these mediums is low, he/she tends to believe on
the limited information that they are exposed to.Data suggest that while social
media usage has grown many folds in India, parallelly, newspaper readership and
TV news viewership seem to have declined.indiatoday
WORLD
Sudan opposition, military council to resume
negotiations
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190613-sudan-opposition-military-council-to-resume-negotiations/
Sudanese opposition and the Transitional
Military Council have agreed to resume dialogue to resolve the current
political crisis, a day after the suspension of civil disobedience in the
country, the Ethiopian envoy to Sudan said.Ethiopian Prime Minister’s special
envoy to Sudan, Mahmoud Drir said that talks on the formation of a Transitional
Governing Council “will begin soon”, explaining that the Sudanese military
council has agreed to release political prisoners “as a confidence building
step” after the opposition agreed to suspend protests.In the early hours of 3
June, the Sudanese security forces stormed a sit-in in central Khartoum,
forcibly removing it, according to opposition forces. Sudanese Central
Committee of Doctors reported that the death toll had reached
108.middleeastmonitor
Israel attacks Gaza after rocket 'intercepted'
from territory
Israeli warplanes have attacked a Hamas target
in Gaza following a Palestinian rocket strike, the Israeli military said, in
the first serious cross-border escalation since a surge in fighting last
month.In a statement today, Israel's military said fighter planes attacked
"underground infrastructure" in a compound belonging to Hamas group
that rules the Gaza Strip after Israeli air defences intercepted a rocket launched
from the besieged territory. There were no reports of injuries or casualties. The
latest hostilities followed Israel's closure of offshore waters to Gaza
fisherman on Wednesday in what it said was a response to incendiary balloons
launched across the frontier that caused fires in fields in southern Israel
this week."Due to the continuous launching of incendiary balloons and
kites from the Gaza Strip towards Israel, it has been decided tonight
[Wednesday] not to allow access to Gaza's maritime space until further
notice," COGAT, Israeli defence ministry department responsible for
Palestinian civil affairs, said.aljazeera
Israel carries out large-scale demolition
campaign north of Jerusalem
Israeli occupation authorities yesterday
carried out a wide-scale demolition campaign against Palestinian facilities in
the Qalandia refugee camp, north of Jerusalem, Quds Press reported.According to
the news site, the Israeli occupation demolished the Palestinian facilities,
most of them commercial shops closest to the illegal Israeli checkpoint at the
entrance of the camp.The facilities were demolished, Quds Press reported, under
the pretext that they were built without the impossible to obtain building
licenses.The Palestinian Authority’s foreign ministry condemned the demolitions
and accused the Israeli occupation of targeting the livelihood of the
Palestinians, calling for the international community to stop “these Israeli
crimes”.MEMO
Israel arrests head of Al-Aqsa’s construction dept
Israeli police this morning arrested the
director of the restoration and reconstruction department of the Islamic Waqf,
which cares for the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem.Bassam Al-Hallaq was
detained along with Taha Oweidah, an engineer, and Mohammad Hidra, a member of
the compound’s staff.No reason was given for the arrests. Based on previous
incidents, however, the cause most likely involves a dispute between
Palestinians and the occupation forces on renovations taking place in the
mosque compound. MEMO
Israel bans Palestinians from fishing off Gaza
coast
Israeli army imposed a naval siege on the Gaza
Strip which will last “until further notice”, according to an army statement. This
move comes after Israeli occupation authorities further restricted the Gaza
fishing zone to six nautical miles on Tuesday. Israeli authorities had reduced
the fishing zone from 15 to ten nautical miles last week. The army cited
incendiary balloons as the reason for the siege. According to Israeli news
agency Haaretz, helium balloons carrying flammable materials from Gaza led to 8
fires in southern Israel. Palestinians have been take part in Great March of
Return protests since 30 March 2018 near the Israel-Gaza fence calling for an
end to 12-year siege and their right to return to homes from which their
families were forced out in 1948 to make way for the creation of the state of
Israel.middleeastmonitor
Key Arab states have yet to confirm their attendance
at Bahrain Conference
Just two weeks away from the long-awaited
Bahrain Conference on Israel-Palestine, key Arab nations have yet to confirm
their participation. The conference is set to take place in Manama, the island
Kingdom’s capital, on 25-26 June, as US begins to roll out its vision for peace
in the region.Under the banner “Peace to Prosperity”, the conference aims to
“encourage investing capital in the West Bank, Gaza, and the region,” according
to a senior US official. Washington is preparing to reveal the economic portion
of its peace plan for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict — dubbed the “deal of
the century” — during the Manama meeting.Thus far, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia
and UAE have confirmed their attendance, along with the International Monetary
Fund (IMF) and other financial institutions. UN has agreed to send Deputy
Special Coordinator, Humanitarian Coordinator and Resident Coordinator Jamie
McGoldrick from the UN Special Coordinator’s Office to represent the
organisation at the conference, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General
said.Palestinian businessmen and officials, though, have refused to attend, as
have Russia and China. Iraq will join the Palestinians in boycotting the
conference because the rights of the Palestinian people “must be protected,”
Iraqi spokesman said. Nor will Lebanon be attending, according to a series of
tweets this week by Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil.MEMO
Orthodox Church rejects Israel court over
Jerusalem property sales
Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in Jerusalem
rejected an Israeli Supreme Court ruling against an appeal it filed to annul
the sale of a property agreed in 2004.The deal is related to the church’s property
in Jaffa Gate in Jerusalem as well as the Muslim Quarter in the occupied holy
city. When the affair was made public in 2005, then-GreekPatriarch Irenaios was
forced from office by Greek Orthodox officials and replaced by the current
Patriarch, Theophilos III. His successor has since waged a legal campaign to
see the lands returned, arguing that the transactions were the result of
corruption in the Patriarchate at that time and that a bribe was paid by Ateret
Cohanim to employees of the Patriarchate to advance the sales.The sale of the
three sites transferred the properties to Ateret Cohanim, a right-wing settler
organisation which buys houses and land for illegal Jewish
settlement.middleeastmonitor
Syria refugees in Lebanon ordered to demolish
homes
Thousands of Syrian refugees in a remote,
mountainous region of northwest Lebanon have been ordered to demolish their
homes by 1 July on the grounds that they are “illegal”, France 24 has
reported.Up to 25,000 Syrian refugees in the city of Arsal, which is not far
from Syria, could be affected. Amidst fears that up to 15,000 children are at
risk of homelessness, rights groups have called on the Govt not to go ahead
with the plan.The move comes as Lebanese authorities move to enforce a ban on
the construction of “permanent” houses in refugee camps it fears will become
permanent settlements.The families will be moved into temporary accommodation
made of plastic shelters which families fear could be deadly, particularly
during Lebanon’s freezing winters and hot summers, which regularly top 45
degrees.middleeastmonitor
Explosions reported on two tankers in Gulf of
Oman
Two oil tankers have been evacuated in the
Gulf of Oman following reported attacks on the vessels, prompting international
alarm and sending oil prices spiralling upwards.Scores of crew members from the
Marshall Islands-flagged Front Altair and the Panama-flagged Kokuka Courageous
abandoned the ships on Thursday after sending out distress calls amid
explosions on board. The cause of the blasts was unclear, but one operator said
it suspected its ship had been hit by a torpedo..aljazeera
Flash:
views & NEWS
Do Muslims in India Have to Depend on the
Goodwill of Hindus for Survival?Apoorvanand
Arvind Subramanian’s growth claims would imply
a strange boost in tax to GDP ratio:Harsh Gupta
Muslim voters must give BJP a chance, see if
their genuine aspirations are addressed: Firoz Bakht Ahmed
A Year After Shujaat Bukhari's Murder, the
Pain Lingers, and So Do the Questions:Iftikhar Gilani
Exclusive: Centre’s Crop Insurance Scheme
Fails the Drought Test, 40% Claims Unpaid:Kabir Agarwal and Dheeraj Mishra
Compiled and edited by
Anwarulhaq
(Released at: 6:00 PM)
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