28 July 2019:
24 Dhul Qadah 1440:Vol: 11, No:256
INDIA
Karnataka: Speaker Disqualifies 14 More Rebel
MLAs Day Before BJP Seeks Trust Vote
As Karnataka’s tryst with the trust vote
continues, fresh turns continue to keep the political drama alive. A day before
new BJP CM BS Yediyurappa seeks the trust vote in the assembly to prove his
majority and 6 days after another trust vote toppled Congress-JD(S) govt, assembly
speaker K.R. Ramesh Kumar on Sunday disqualified 14 more rebel MLAs under
anti-defection law till the end of the assembly term in 2023.11 Congress MLAs
and 3 JD(S) MLAs faced the axe from the speaker, who pronounced his ruling at a
hasty news conference. The total number of disqualified Congress MLAs is now
14.The speaker’s action is unlikely to reverse the fortunes of the Yediyurappa
govt. The absence of the errant MLAs would reduce the effective strength of the
House, rendering the confidence vote no particular hurdle for BJP.20 MLAS had
been absent during the Tuesday trust vote — there were 17 “rebels” and one MLA
each from the Congress and BSP, along with an Independent, kept away.The effective
strength of 224-member assembly, excluding the speaker, who has a casting vote
in case of a tie, is 207. The magic figure required will be 104.BJP, with the
support of one Independent, has 106 members.“I have used my judicial
conscience…I am 100% hurt,” Ramesh Kumar said, when asked about allegations
about his conduct in the entire stalemate.Kumar’s decision to disqualify the
MLAs in one fell sweep comes in the backdrop of indications from BJP that it
would be mulling a no-confidence against him if he does not voluntarily give up
the speaker’s post when assembly meets on Monday. BJP slammed the Speaker’s
action, calling it “unfair and violative of the law” which, it said, had been
taken “yielding to the pressure from a party”.“It is a motivated and defective
order,”said senior BJP leader Govind Karjol, adding, rebels would challenge it
in the Supreme Court, where they were certain to “get justice.”Karnataka
Congress welcomed Speaker’s decision to disqualify the rebel MLAs. It has
called a meeting of its legislative wing ahead of the trust vote on Monday. Congress
leader Siddarmaiah, in a tweet, called the speaker’s decision as “a victory for
democracy”.JD(S) too welcomed it. Shortly after taking the oath as CM,
Yediyurappa had said he would move a motion of confidence in the assembly on
July 29 to prove his majority, apparently confident of winning it with the
expectation that 16 rebel Congress and JD(S) MLAs may abstain as they did on
Tuesday last, giving him the edge.thewire
JD(S) rebel to move SC challenging Speaker’s
disqualification of 14 MLAs
Hours after 14 rebel MLAs in Karnataka were
disqualified a day ahead of trust vote, JD(S) MLA AH Vishwanath decided to
approach the Supreme Court against Speaker Ramesh Kumar’s decision.“The
disqualification is against the law…just under a whip served on them, you
cannot force MLAs to come to the House,” Vishwanath told PTI. indianexpress
On Eve of Trust Vote, CM Yediyurappa Proclaims,
'I Will 100 %Prove My Majority'
A day ahead of seeking the trust vote in the
Karnataka assembly, CM BS Yediyurappa on Sunday expressed confidence about
proving the majority."On Monday 100% I will prove the majority," he
said.PTI
Threat of major terror attack in Kashmir reason
behind deploying 10,000 troops: Govt
Jammu: NSA Ajit Doval on Sunday held a meeting of
the counter-terrorism grid in J&K in view of a major terrorist attack
threat in the Kashmir Valley.Sources from the Govt said the security establishment
on Sunday confirmed inputs that Pakistan Army-backed terrorist groups are
planning to carry out a major terror attack on Indian soil, and therefore 100
companies of paramilitary groups have been deployed in the Kashmir Valley.NSA
had gone to Kashmir Valley to meet the top officials of the counter security
grid, following which the decision to deploy additional force was taken.Sources
said the terrorist infrastructure and ISI want to further vitiate the situation
in J&K after the successful organisation of the Panchayat elections in the
state and the peaceful conduct of Amarnath Yatra. A record number of pilgrims
have taken part in Amarnath Yatra.indiatoday
As more troops arrive, parties in Valley warn:
Don’t touch Article 35A
Srinagar:Uncertainty spread over large parts of
the Valley after the deployment of additional forces prompted political leaders
to say that this could be part of the plan to abrogate Article 35A. People in
many areas started panic-buying of essential items. Senior police officers in J&K
described the deployment of the extra forces as “routine”, and intended to
relieve their stretched colleagues in the state.J&K Police Additional DGP
(Law and Order) Muneer Khan said the “additional requisition of forces has been
made to make up for the 200 companies that need to proceed to their battalions
for mandatory training exercises”.DGP Dilbagh Singh said the arrival of the
additional forces was a law and order measure.As the first batches of these
troops started to fly in to Srinagar Saturday, political parties in the Valley
warned Centre against “thoughtless adventurism”. Ex-minister Sajad Lone, who is
deemed to be close to BJP, warned the Centre that “…adventurism will mean an
investment in future for decades of violence and contempt for those who believe
in Indian-ness”. “Nobody seems to have the remotest idea of what is in the
offing. The rumours of tinkering with Article 35A are spreading fast and there
is no reaction from the state or Central govt,” Lone said in a statement.“If
the govt… indeed has any such intentions, it would be tantamount to stretching
adventurism to unacceptable limits. Any adventurism will erode the credibility
of those who believe in the concept of India…”.Apprehensions that Centre might
remove Article 35A and Article370 have been growing ever since Assembly
elections were delayed, and President’s Rule was extended earlier this year. There
is fear in the Valley and in Muslim-majority districts of Jammu and Kargil that
the move to remove Article 35A — which empowers J&K Legislature to define
permanent residents of the state — is intended to change the demography of the
Muslim-majority state. NC president Omar
Abdullah said the Centre should repose faith in the Supreme Court and refrain
from “bullying the people of the State with the unwarranted and intimidatory
threats on annihilating Article 35A and Article 370”. People in the Valley were
“going through anxiety in wake of the rumour mongering set afloat by the
administration”, he said.Govt official-turned-politician Shah Faesal warned
that “any attempt at tinkering” with Articles 370 and 35A “will breed a new
phase of alienation in Kashmir”. indianexpress
PM Modi likely to attend key party meeting with
J&K leaders
New Delhi :PM Narendra Modi is expected to attend
a meeting of BJP’s J&K core group on Tuesday, with top party leaders,
including its chief Amit Shah, set to discuss political atmosphere and party’s
preparedness for assembly elections whenever they are held, sources said.The
likely presence of Modi and Shah in the meeting is significant and hints at the
party gearing up for the state assembly elections, whose schedule will be finalised
by the Election Commission after it receives a go-ahead from the central and
state governments on law and order situation.The sources said Union minister
Jitendra Singh, BJP general secretary Ram Madhav and its state unit president
Ravinder Raina and other senior leaders from the state will attend the meeting
besides the party’s national working president JP Nadda.PTI
UP: Retired Army officer Amanullah thrashed to
death in Amethi
Amethi: A 64-year-old retired Army captain was
beaten to death by unidentified assailants in UP's Amethi district, police said
on Sunday.The incident occurred on Saturday night in Godiyan ka Purva village
under Kamrauli Police Station limits, they said.The retired Army personnel,
Amanullah, and his wife were in their house when a group of people attacked
them with sticks, his son told the police, ASP Dayaram said.The attackers
thrashed Amanullah across the head due to which he died on the spot, his son
said in his statement. He said no family member other than his parents were in
the house when the incident took place.PTI
A Near Lynching Stopped By a Lone Woman in Delhi
While a Crowd Stood By And Watched
New Delhi: 3 men ferociously beating a youth with
lathis in the heart of South Delhi, with a crowd of at least 50 watching the
‘fun’, stopped in their tracks when a white haired lady stormed through
shouting, “Stop it!” She rushed to the men and tried to separate them from the
boy, pushing at them without regard for her own safety. The moment was enough
to break the frenzy. The attackers expecting no resistance from anyone, least
of all from the youth being beaten, became defensive. And this was enough for
the youth who seemed badly injured to drag himself away with what appeared to
be a fractured leg.Sonia Kidwai was the good samaritan. She was passing by the
posh South Delhi colony Safdarjang Development Area when her driver said that
some man was being beaten by men with lathis. “Why didn’t you tell me,” she
said and made the driver turn the car around to the spot where she saw the
youth being badly beaten as a silent crowd watched. She got out of the car,
despite her bad knees and weak eyesight, and without fear or thought of her own
safety pushed through the crowd with the single intent of saving the man’s
life. She got in between the men with the lathis and the youth they were
hitting, pushing at them while shouting at them to stop. Thecitizen
Petition Filed Against 49 Citizens Who Wrote to
PM on Hate Crimes
A petition was filed in a Bihar court on Saturday
against 49 eminent citizens, who had written to PM Narendra Modi on lynching of
minorities and hate crimes, seeking slapping of sedition and other charges.The
petition by an advocate before the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate under
different sections of IPC related to sedition, imputations and assertions
prejudicial to national-integration and hurting religious feelings.Petitioner
Sudhir Kumar Ojha has also named actress Kangana Ranaut and directors Madhur
Bhandarkar and Vivek Agnihotri, who were among 61 high-profile personalities to
counter the letter, as "witnesses".Ojha alleged that the 49
signatories to the letter had, by their act, “tarnished the image of the
country and undermining the impressive performance of the PM” and also charged
them with “supporting secessionist tendencies”.The matter is likely to come up
for hearing on Aug.3. PTI
Probe ordered against lawyer Pracha for teaching Muslims
how to acquire gun licenses
Lucknow:Mahmood Pracha, a Delhi-based lawyer, has
called trouble upon himself after he organised a camp at a mosque in Lucknow,
training Muslim men in filling weapon license forms to combat mob-lynching
incidents. UP govt has promised strict action and the police have also initiated
a probe against him. UP Cabinet Minister and state govt spokesperson Srikant
Sharma said, "Mob lynching incidents are highly condemning and there
shouldn't be any politics. Some people who belong to the 'tukde tukde' gang
don't want the country to progress and this is why they try to disrupt the
peace.""police have taken note of the attempt being made to incite
people in Lucknow. We will take strict action against those who are trying to
flare up tension in the society,"Sharma said.Meanwhile, the circle officer
of the chowk area has been directed to probe the matter and take necessary
actions.Maulana Sufiyan Nizami said, "The incidents against Muslims are
rising. They are being killed by cow vigilantes. Recently people belonging to
our community were thrashed for refusing to chant 'Jai Shri Ram'.If anything is
being done for self defense which is legal, then there shouldn't be any
objection."A police complaint was also filed against him and
Paracha.indiatoday
Clerics in Pune send memorandum to Ram Nath
Kovind, request to take action against mob lynching
Pune based group of clerics has sent a memorandum
to the President of India to appeal to stop mob lynching acts against the
Muslim community and spread the message of secularism and brotherhood. Islamic
clerics of Pune sent a memorandum to President of India by the Collector,expressing
concern on current situations of the country. Al-Sunnaha Foundation took
initiative in the matter. The clerics appealed to Deputy Collector Dr Jai Shree
Katare saying, "We, the undersigned are Muslims clerics from Pune
City(Maharashtra), strongly condemn the multiple incidents of recent mob
lynching against the Muslim community in the country.We urge your good office
to take strong cognizance of the increasing incidents and initiate stern action
against the culprits and their affiliated associations who are a serious and
big threat to the secularism of our country." Members of the organisation
said,"Considering the prevailing situation in the country, we propose our
wish-list to your good office as a memorandum and request immediate steps to
maintain peace, brotherhood and secularism in the country. We have made 5
demands which need to be looked into on an immediate basis for harmony in
society." He added, "Central govt should pass a necessary ordinance
with an immediate effect to the respective state Govt and law enforcement
authorities across our country to handle mob lynching incidents in a serious
manner and provide all types of necessary assistance to the victims followed by
swift and stern action against the miscreants."mid-day
Minorities Survey: Delhi Minorities Commission rebuts
media claims, says it's done every year
New Delhi:Delhi Minorities Commission has trashed
reports in a section of media that it is conducting a minority survey at the
instructions of the Delhi Govt “with an eye on the forthcoming state assembly
elections.” In a statement, the Commission said the exercise to collect data about
representation of all six designated minorities is an old practice done every
year and the data is published in Commission’s annual report. Muslims,
Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists,Jains and Parsis are 6 designated minorities in
Delhi and nationally. Various print and electronic media have published that
Delhi Govt is conducting a survey of minorities (or Muslims) or that Govt.of
Delhi, with an eye on the forthcoming state assembly polls,has asked Delhi
Minority Commission (DMC) to conduct such a survey. Clarifying this matter, Chairman
of DMC Dr Zafarul-Islam Khan said that he is “not aware if Delhi Govt is
conducting any such survey, but as far as DMC is concerned, it has not been
asked by Delhi Govt to conduct such a survey.”“The fact is that as per Delhi
Minorities Commission Act 1999, the Commission works to mitigate problems faced
by minorities, intervene on their behalf, and advise the Govt about measures to
be taken to ensure just and equal treatment of minorities.As part of this
mandate, the Commission collects data each year about the representation of all
designated minorities in Govt depts and PSUs in NCT of Delhi, and publishes
same in its annual report which is presented to Govt of Delhi and to the Delhi
Assembly,” Dr Khan said.The only change this year is, he said, that all Delhi Govt
departments and PSUs working in NCT of Delhi are being covered in the survey,
instead of a sample survey of some 15 depts. “The change this year is that
earlier we used to do a sample survey of some 15 departments, but this time we
have widened the net to include all Delhi Govt depts and PSUs working in NCT of
Delhi. Some of these depts have branches and subsidiaries and, instead of
collecting information from them and sending to the Commission consolidated
data, these depts wrote to their branches and subsidiaries to respond directly
to the panel and this has been construed by some as an initiative of Delhi Govt,”
he said.India Tomorrow
Delhi Minorities Commission's survey: Times Now
fakes an "Expose":The Milli Gazette
48JNU teachers get notices for holding strike in 2018
The teachers association at JNU has sought the
support of fellow academics and politicians after 48 teachers were issued
notices over their role in a strike in July 2018.According to The Telegraph,JNU
V-C M. Jagadesh Kumar had issued the notices to the teachers who participated
in a one-day strike in 2018 demanding his ouster. The 2018 strike was launched
by JNUTA members to protest against the alleged “harassment, targeting and
humiliation of JNU teachers” by V-C and administration. JNUTA was also
protesting against the administration's decision to withhold salaries of two
teachers.The notices mark an escalation in confrontation between Kumar, who
took over as vice-chancellor of JNU in 2016, and teachers and students.
According to The Telegraph, this is the “first large-scale action on the
teachers and has the potential to trigger the dismissal of several senior
professors”. Telegraph claimed the 48 teachers who received notices included
current and serving members of JNUTA and senior professors.A panel appointed by
JNU administration had ruled in June that JNUTA members had violated rules
during their strike last year. JNUTA has rejected the charges. It issued a
statement on Friday condemning the action against 48 teachers.JNUTA has
appealed to teachers' unions, activists and politicians to extend support for
the 48 teachers.theweek /The Telegraph
UP: Dalits protest after sanitation workers not
allowed to drink water from temple
Muzaffarnagar:Several Dalits have staged a
protest after some sanitation workers were allegedly not allowed to drink water
from a temple in UP’s Shamli district, police said on Sunday.The workers were
cleaning a drain outside the temple in Thana Bhawan town on Saturday. The
priest refused to allow them to take water from a handpump inside the temple
and closed the door, an officer said.Several people belonging to Valmiki caste
staged a demonstration and demanded registration of an FIR against the priest.
Police reached the spot and pacified the crowd by assuring an investigation.PTI
Yogi has never even run a municipality: Amit Shah
explains BJP’s UP CM choice
New Delh:Explaining the rationale behind
selecting Yogi Adityanath for the top job in UP despite having no political
background, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said the CM was
work-oriented and made up for his lack of experience with his work
ethic.Speaking as the chief guest at a ceremony in Lucknow, Shah gave an
insight why Adityanath was made UP CM in 2017 despite having no administrative
experience.“No one thought Yogi would be CM. Many people called me, saying
‘Yogi has never even run a municipality, why are you making him CM’. It is
true. He had no experience in administration but our aim was dedication and
loyalty, and(potential to work hard, and BJP handed over the reins to Yogi Adityanath,
that decision was right and he has made it right,” said Shah .indianexpress/PTI
India moving: In times of NRC, a look at where
the migrants fit in
In a country with a long and often violent
history of sons-of-the-soil politics, migration is a politically fraught issue.
From the attacks on south Indians in Mumbai in the 1960s and 70s to Northeast’s
identity debates, and the anxiety over “Bangladeshi influx” in West Bengal to
the unsettled row over National Register of Citizens (NRC), the changing
numbers of its people are more than just a figure for a population on the move
due to India’s robust economy, while competing for its limited resources. Amidst
a global rise of anti-immigration sentiments, riding on populism, this politics
is also up close and central back home now. In West Bengal, the BJP’s allegation
against other parties of treating illegal Bangladeshi migrants as a vote bank
will gather pitch as it makes a bid for power in the state come 2021, while
wielding NRC as a sledgehammer. In Maharashtra, BJP’s clever distancing from
the Shiv Sena and its anti-migrant rhetoric before 2014 Assembly elections was
directed as much at its vote banks in UP and Bihar, as the migrant settlements
in Pune-Nashik-Mumbai-Thane urban conglomeration.The gamble paid off, when BJP,
contesting all 60 seats in Mumbai-Thane for first time, won more seats than the
Sena here. Even in national capital Delhi, tussle between AAP and BJP over the
Poorvanchali base is no-holds-barred and transparent, partly the reason why BJP
has stuck to Bhojpuri actor-turned-politician Manoj Tiwari as its state chief
through thick and thin. BJP has also used its state satraps strategically,
whether it is UP CM Yogi Adityanath across the country or Petroleum Minister
Dharmendra Pradhan, an Odia, in cities like Surat, with its high number of
migrants from the state, in the run-up to the 2017 Assembly elections in
Gujarat.indianexpress
Hyderabad public duped by another Ponzi scheme in
the name of Halal profits
Bushra Begum and her husband Siraj ur Rahman both
teachers at the Islamic Universal Research Center at Malakpet, Hyderabad duped
several investors mostly women in the name of giving halal profits.The duo
convinced the people saying that they had a gold business in Dubai where high
returns were guaranteed. They offered to give people double the amount they
invested and 3% monthly profit (interest).For a few months she paid the
investors regularly but when she stopped paying the monthly returns. She then
informed her investors that she had deposited the money in Heera Gold which is
closed now with founder CEO, Nowhera Sheikh in jail.Soon word spread and the
women started visiting her house to ask back for their deposits. And unable to
provide convincing answers to the investors the couple locked their house and
fled. No one was able to contact them on their phones.Nearly 11 women have
filed complaints with the police at Saidabad police station against Bushra
Begum. Each woman is said to have invested more than 5 lakhs. twocircles
Hindus, Muslims must trust each other: Khurshid
Jaipur:Congress leader Salman Khurshid has said
Hindus and Muslims living in India must trust each other. “Both Hinduism and
Islam have some very fine elements and combined together they can present an
ideal scenario,” he said.Talking about reservation, ex Union minister said when
it was mooted after the country’s independence, it had a purpose but over the
years, the quota system had to be reviewed and modified.Some sections had to be
excluded with the passage of time but it has now become a part of the political
agenda of some parties.“Even though the Supreme Court has issued guidelines
that it (reservation) should not cross 50 % limit, more communities and classes
are demanding it,” he said. Speaking on the Sachar Committee, he pointed out
that its recommendations were “brilliant” and had they been implemented, country
would have witnessed the growth of secularism.However, report was dropped
because it was dubbed as “pro-Muslim”, he alleged.PTI
Nothing communal in Akbaruddin Owaisi's '15
minutes' remark: Karimnagar Police Commissioner
Hyderabad: While BJP leaders have been going on
the offensive against Akbaruddin Owaisi for his alleged remarks against Hindus
and RSS, Karimnagar Police on Saturday clarified that there was nothing
offensive or inflammatory in his recent public speech at Karimnagar. Karimnagar
Police Commissioner VB Kamalasan Reddy said that legal experts had examined
AIMIM leader's speech video and the speech transcript before arriving at the
conclusion.In such a scenario, there would not be any case registered against
the Chandrayangutta MLA, Reddy said.The complaint was lodged by BJP district
head B Satyanarayana. Owaisi, at a public meeting, had allegedly accused RSS
members of murdering Muslims in mob lynching incidents across the country.
While warning them, he recalled his infamous '15 minutes' speech from 2013.
newindianexpress
Owaisi: Sad only Muslim MPs voted against NIA,
UAPA bills
AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi is disappointed
that only Muslim members in Lok Sabha chose to vote against the legislations
for enhancing the powers and scope of NIA and amendments to the UAPA. Other
than Owaisi, his party MP Imtiyaz Jalil, Haji Fazlur Rehman (BSP), K Navaskani,
Mohd Basheer and PK Kunhalikutty (IUML), Hasnain Masoodi (National Conference)
and Badruddin Ajmal( AUDF) were the other MPs who had voted against the UAPA
bill which got 287 votes in favour. Although Owaisi said one non-Muslim member
also opposed NIA bill, he expressed concern that other opponents of the two
legislations refused to stand up and be counted against the two legislations
aggressively moved by home minister Amit Shah. "It is true that the eight
MPs who have voted against UAPA bill are followers of Islam. But this trend is
a serious issue and should be a matter of concern for all parties," Owaisi
told TOI. Owaisi was in the forefront of the resistance to NIA bill and pressed
for a division. In the resultant headcount, other opponents of the bill
refrained from translating their criticism into votes against the bill and instead
preferred to walk out. TOI
Charges framed against Muslim man who married
athlete after lying about religion
A CBI court here has framed charges against
Raqibul Hassan alias Ranjit Kohli for allegedly giving false information about
his religion while marrying national-level air rifle shooter Tara Shahdeo that
subsequently ended in divorce. The court also framed charges against four
others for allegedly helping Hassan.The special CBI judge, Ajay Kumar Gudia,
read out the charges against the accused in their presence on Friday.The other
accused against whom charges were framed are Raqibul's mother Kaushal Rani, ex
judge Pankaj Srivastav, the then judicial magistrate of Gaya Rajesh Prasad.All
the accused were charged with harbouring Hassan. The accused have denied the
charges.The court fixed Aug 23 to begin the process of recording statements of
witnesses.The court separated another accused, Ajay,from the case while framing
charges.PTI
Govt Gave Orders To Cut 1,09,75,844 Trees In Last
5 Yrs For 'Development'
Between 2015 and 2019, environment ministry gave
permission to cut over 1 crore trees doe development work. However, what’s not
clear here is that was the environment ministry really thinking about environment?
Or should it be renamed to ‘Development At A Cost’ ministry?Responding to a
question in Lok Sabha, MoS for Environment Babul Supriyo said the ministry gave
permission to cut 1.09 crore trees for development purposes between 2014 and
2019. He mentioned that out of all the 5 years, the highest number of trees
were cut in 2018-19 for development."Trees are felled for various
development purposes with the permission of competent authorities in accordance
with the procedure laid down in various Acts.However, the ministry does not
maintain data regarding the cutting of trees due to forest fire,"Supriyo
said. It gave permission to cut 23.3 lakh trees in 2014-15, 16.9 lakh in
2015-16, 17.01 lakh in 2016-17 and 25.5 lakh in 2017-18.indiatimes
Easter bombings in Sri Lanka likely to be NIA’s
first case post amendment of Act
Easter Sunday bombings case in Sri Lanka is
likely to be the first case for NIA to probe after Parliament amended an Act
empowering it to investigate terror cases abroad, officials said on Sunday.With
Parliament giving its nod to NIA (Amendment) Bill and the Law Ministry issuing
a notification in this effect on July 25, the first case to be investigated
abroad is going to be Sri Lanka blasts, a Home Ministry official privy to the
development said. However, so far NIA has not been able to register any case
due to lack of its jurisdiction. But with the amended law, the agency can probe
the case, the official said.The amended Act gives powers to NIA to probe terror
attacks targeting Indians, Indian interests abroad and having links with
India.A special court in New Delhi will preside over such cases, according to
the amendments.PTI
Accused told Payal Tadvi: Tu chhoti jaat ho ke
hamari barabari karegi kya
Mumbai: In at least 3 statements recorded by the
Mumbai Police investigating the suicide of postgraduate student Dr Payal Tadvi,
Class IV employees working in the gynaecology department of BYL Nair Hospital
have said that she was subjected to casteist slurs by the three doctors accused
of abetting her suicide.Following the death of Tadvi, who allegedly hanged
herself in her hostel room at TN Topiwala National Medical College on May 22,
the 3 senior resident doctors had been arrested on charges of abetting suicide
and caste discrimination. According to statement of a helper in the gynaecology
ward, in Dec.2018, when accused doctors Hema Ahuja, Ankita Khandelwal and
Bhakti Mehare were taking rounds of the ward, they had reprimanded Tadvi over
some unfinished work. They had allegedly said, “Who will do this work, if this
is not your work then whose is it? Coming from a lower caste, you think you are
our equal?”indian express
Airport privatisation: Panel ignored advice of
finance ministry and NITI Aayog, says report
A Govt panel for public-private partnerships
ignored guidelines set by the finance ministry’s Department of Economic Affairs
and the NITI Aayog for the privatisation of airports, leading to Adani
Enterprises winning the bids for six airports, The Hindu reported .The panel
allegedly ignored the recommendation to not award the same bidder more than 2
airports, and the requirements of awarding the contracts to companies with
prior experience in managing an airport and those which provide the total cost
up front for each project so that their financial capability could be
gauged.scroll.in
How Gujarat’s new animals Act made Rasulpura
neighbours pay the price of a wedding feast
At the heart of first reported conviction under amended
Gujarat Preservation of Animals Act, 1954, making cow slaughter punishable by
life imprisonment and fine up to Rs 5 lakh, lie 2 Muslim families and old
neighbours — one devastated by the turn of events, the other saddened it came
to this.It was a cold night of January 29 and his family had retired early,
recalls Satar Koliya of Rasulpura locality, situated on the outskirts of
Dhoraji town in Rajkot district. Around 10.30 pm, Satar came out to check on
their 2-year-old calf and, seeing it missing, raised an alarm. They searched
till 1 am, and again the next morning, before an acquaintance told them about
the remains of a calf found near a burial ground a kilometre away.Satar,who has
studied till Class 3 and drives a cash delivery van for a living,says he immediately
suspected his 3 neighbours, living in the poorer section of Rasulpura, who had
weddings at home the next day. Satar’s son Faruk claims that Imran, whose
brother was getting married, could account for the mutton he was going to
serve, but Salim Makrani had no clear answer on how he had sourced the meat for
the akani(biryani-like preparation) at his daughter’s wedding. Satar went to
police, and even as the wedding was on, they took Salim, 42, to jail.On July 6,
a Sessions Court at Dhoraji convicted Salim of theft and slaughter of calf and
sentenced him to 10 years and Rs 1 lakh fine.indianexpress
23% rural Indians defecate in the open despite
having toilets: Study
New Delhi:Building state-funded toilets is easier
than getting people to use them, a sample survey tracking the govnt’s Swachch
Bharat programme has revealed. A key aim of the Swachch Bharat mission is to
end the practice of open defecation in the country.At least 43% of people in
rural areas in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and UP, accounting for
two-fifths of India’s rural population, still defecated in the open in 2018
because of “cultural and other reasons”. However, the share of rural population
openly defecating has greatly reduced from 70% in 2014. That’s among key
findings of a team of demographers led by Dianne Coffey,a visiting researcher
at the Indian Statistical Institute. Team has been monitoring the sanitation
scheme’s progress since 2014. This 43% included people with or without toilets.
Nearly 23%of people were those who had been provided with toilets under the
Swachch Bharat mission but still preferred to defecate in the open. “Although
rural latrine ownership increased considerably over this period, open
defecation remains very common in these four states. These findings contrast
with official claims of completely eliminating open defecation,” said Coffey, executive
director of Research Institute for Compassionate Economics. Based on toilet
ownership, Govt has so far classified 86% districts,or 624, as “open-defecation
free”. Researchers chose these four so-called “focus” states as they accounted
for a huge rural share of population and had a higher prevalence of open
defecation. HT
Ex-Union Minister Jaipal Reddy dies
Former Union Minister and senior Congress leader
S. Jaipal Reddy passed away today in Hyderabad. He was 77. He was Union
Minister for I&B, Minister for Urban Development and Minister for Petroleum
.thehindu
Unnao woman who accused BJP MLA of rape hit by
truck; critical
The woman’s car was hit by a truck in Rae Bareli.
Her aunt and lawyer Mahendra Singh died in the accident. Lucknow:Unnao woman
who accused BJP MLA Kuldeep Sengar of raping her was critically injured on
Sunday when her car was hit by a truck in Rae Bareli. The victim was
accompanied by her aunt and lawyer Mahendra Singh, both of whom died in the
accident.The woman has been rushed to a Lucknow hospital.BJP MLA Kuldeep Sengar
is accused of raping her. He along with his brother Atul Singh is in jail since
2018.HT
Bihar: Parents refuse to donate kidney to dying
daughter, say ‘she is a girl’
Patna:A teenage girl has been battling for life
at a govt hospital in Bihar after both her kidneys have failed. What is
shocking, though, is the response of her parents who have refused to donate
their kidneys saying they can’t do so since she is a girl!nchan Kumari is a
resident of Avgil village under Sadar block in Sheikhpura district. With no
money to pay for her kidney transplant, the parents admitted her to the main
govt hospital in the district. What was more distressing was that her parents
have refused to donate their kidneys on the ground that she is a girl, local
media has reported. the statesman
WORLD
Intra-Afghan negotiations to follow US-Taliban
deal: US special envoy Khalilzad
Direct talks between Taliban and an Afghan
negotiating team that will include top Govt officials will take place after the
US concludes its own "agreements" with the group, according to US
special envoy for Afghanistan. The comments by Zalmay Khalilzad today came
after Abdul Salam Rahimi, Afghanistan's state minister for peace affairs, said
that a 15-member Govt delegation would meet Taliban within the next fortnight in
Europe, without elaborating. Khalilzad, who is currently visiting Afghanistan's
capital, Kabul, said that the "intra-Afghan" talks would include Taliban
and "an inclusive and effective national negotiating team consisting of
senior Govt officials, key political party representatives, civil society and
women".aljazeera aljazeera
Intra-Afghan talks only after US agrees to
withdraw troops: Taliban
Kabul: Taliban has said they will not hold direct
talks with the Afghan Govt and rejected a statement from a senior minister
about plans to hold such a meeting in the next 2 weeks, a senior Taliban
official said.State Minister for Peace Affairs Abdul Salam Rahimi said on
Saturday it was hoped that direct talks with the Taliban would be held in the
next 3 weeks in an unidentified European country. The govt would be represented
by a 15-member delegation, he said.But Suhail Shaheen, a spokesman for the
Taliban’s political office in Qatar, denied that, saying talks with Afghan Govt
would only come after a deal had been struck with US on the departure of its
forces. “Intra-Afghan talks will start only after a foreign force withdrawal is
announced,”Shaheen said.US special envoy for peace in Afghanistan, Zalmay
Khalilzad, said after Rahimi had made his announcement that talks between
Taliban and Afghans would happen after US “concludes its own agreement” with
the Taliban.Two sources privy to the talks said the US and Taliban were
expected to sign a memorandum of understanding this week to firm up a plan for
the withdrawal of foreign troops and for a Taliban pledge to stop militant
plotting from Afghan soil.Reuters
Iran intends to restart activities at Arak heavy
water nuclear reactor
Head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation, Ali
Akbar Salehi, told lawmakers on Sunday that Iran will restart activities at the
Arak heavy water nuclear reactor, the ISNA reported, according to Reuters. ISNA
cited a member of parliament who attended the meeting. Heavy water can be
employed in reactors to produce plutonium, a fuel used in nuclear warheads.Iran
stopped complying in May with some commitments in 2015 nuclear deal that was
agreed with global powers, after US unilaterally withdrew from the accord in
2018 and re-introduced sanctions on Tehran.The remaining signatories have tried
to hold the nuclear deal together, an increasingly difficult task as tensions
between Washington and Tehran have soared in recent weeks.Later on Sunday,
Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China will meet Iran in Vienna to discuss
how to save the accord in an extraordinary meeting.middleeastmonitor
At crisis talks, Iran links tanker row to nuclear
deal
Iran considers Britain's seizure of an Iranian
oil tanker a breach of 2015 nuclear deal, a senior official said on Sunday, as
remaining signatories to the ailing accord met in Austrian capital for
emergency talks. Britain, France, Germany,Russia, China and Iran have been
trying to salvage the landmark pact since US withdrew from it in May2018 and
re-imposed sanctions on Tehran, crippling an already weak economy.Arriving at
the meeting in Vienna today,Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi linked
tanker row to discussions over the nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint
Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). "Developments have occurred, such as
the seizure of the tanker carrying Iranian oil in Gibraltar, which in our view
is considered a breach of the JCPOA," Araghchi said in comments carried on
Iranian state TV."Countries party to the JCPOA must not create any
obstacles in the way of Iran exporting its oil," he added.aljazeera
Israel says Arrow-3 missile shield passes US
trials
Israel’s US-backed Arrow-3 ballistic missile
shield has passed a series of live interception tests over Alaska, PM Benjamin
Netanyahu said, casting the achievement as a warning to Iran.Jointly
manufactured by US firm Boeing Co, Arrow-3 is billed as capable of shooting
down incoming missiles in space, an altitude that would destroy any
non-conventional warheads safely. It passed its first full interception test
over Mediterranean Sea in 2015 and was deployed in Israel in 2017.“The
performance was perfect – every hit a bull’s eye,” Netanyahu said announcing 3
secret tests.Israel views Arrow-3 as a bullwark against ballistic missiles
fielded by Iran and Syria.middleeastmonitor
UN again blacklists Saudi-led forces for Yemen
child killings
A Saudi-UAE-led military coalition fighting
Yemen's Houthi rebels has been blacklisted for a third year by the UN over the
killing and wounding of hundreds of children, according to a report.UN
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in the annual report submitted to the
Security Council on Friday that the coalition killed and wounded 729 Yemeni
children in 2018. The figure accounts for nearly half of the total child
casualties in the war-torn and impoverished country.UN said it verified 1,689
child casualties in Yemen last year, including the killing of 576 and the
maiming of 1,113.
Syria: At least 13 civilians including 5 children
killed in Idlib
At least 13 civilians including five children
have been killed in Syrian Govt air strikes in Idlib province.The attacks came
just a day after the UN human rights chief warned that those responsible for
the latest wave of killings could be charged with war crimes.Syrian govt,
backed by Russian forces, launched an offensive to capture idlib in late
April.aljazeera
Sudan opposition rejects report on protesters’
killing
Sudanese opposition group Professional
Association (SPA) has rejected report of investigation committee that acquitted
Transitional Military Council (TMC) from involvement in the killing of the
protesters during the dispersal of the sit-in in Khartoum on June 3rd, reports
Anadolu Agency.SPA spokesman Ismail Altaj told a press conference in Khartoum that
the investigation committee has attempted to acquit TMC.”This report has
shocked the Sudanese people and the regional and international communities and
proved that we need to reform the entire system of justice in the country,” he
said.The investigation committee said 87 people were killed during the
dispersal of the sit-in on June 3rd in the Sudanese capital of
Khartoum.middleeastmonitor
Discriminatory, violent rhetoric go unpunished in
Sri Lanka: UN official
Discriminatory and violent rhetoric, particularly
by the majority community, frequently goes unpunished in Sri Lanka, a top UN
official has said as he expressed concern over the growing hate speech
incidents in the wake of the Easter attacks.UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of
assembly Clement Nyaletsossi Voule urged the political leadership not to
dismiss people's desire for freedom, the rule of law or undermine
democracy.Voule said while the country's Constitution protects the rights to
both freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression, however, the
application of a number of laws jeopardised those rights, including sections of
the penal code, the ICCPR Act as well as the Prevention of Terrorism
Act."It has been brought to my attention that these laws are frequently
being applied in a discriminatory manner against those people organising around
specific issues such as disappearances, land rights, livelihood and access to
resources, and development projects," Voule said.PTI
Nigeria to label Shia group a 'terrorist
organisation'
A Nigerian court has granted Govt permission to
label a local Shia group as a "terrorist" organisation.Dayo Apata,
Nigeria's solicitor general, confirmed on Saturday that a federal court allowed
the Govt to proscribe the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) as such, a move
offering the authorities the chance to clamp down harder on the group.IMN
members have been marching in the capital Abuja calling for the release of
their leader, Ibrahim el-Zakzaky, who has been in detention since 2015 despite
a court order to release him.Zakzaky's office said plans to ban the movement
had been considered since 2015 and it was not surprised by the move.The protests
have often turned violent. The Shia organisation said at least 20 of its
members were killed this week during a series of protests in Abuja.aljazeera
Flash: NEWS, views, Articles
FM Sitharaman’s maiden Finance Bill is
constitutionally suspect:P Chidambaram
Why did Assam prepare 1951 NRC, which has become
a touchstone for citizenship today?I. Chakravarty
India moving: In the times of NRC, a look at
where the migrants fit in: indianexpress
Modi goes secular? BJP’s minimum outreach to
Muslims is causing heartburn among party’s supporters:Shoaib Daniyal
Rising Vigilantism: Civil Society Fails to Engage
With Silent Majority?Tarique Anwar
Muzaffarnagar's Justice Runs Late: Victims of
2013's horrific rapes and murders await closure, perhaps in vain:Munish Pandey
Is Hindi going the German way?Ruchir Joshi
After 23 years in jail and acquittal in 3 states,
faith unshaken in system
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Anwarulhaq, (Released
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