25 Sept. 2019: 25 Muharram 1441:
Vol: 12, No: 22
INDIA
UP student who accused Swami Chinmayanand of rape sent to jail in extortion case, bail
denied
Shahjahanpur:A young law student in UP, allegedly raped by former
union minister Swami Chinmayanand for a year, was arrested and jailed
today in an extortion case filed by the politician. Her family alleges that the
police dragged her out of their home in Shahjahanpur, not allowing her to even
put on her slippers.23-year-old has been charged with extortion, criminal
intimidation and "disappearance of evidence". Her father alleges he
was forced to sign an arrest "memo", a document necessary for police
paperwork.Her request for bail was denied by a court. "She has confessed
to extortion," said Bharti Singh, an officer of SIT of UP police appointed
by the Supreme Court to inquire into student's allegations. "We have
enough evidence that Rs.5 crore extortion money was demanded from
Chinmayanand,"SIT chief Naveen Arora added.The man she has accused of
raping her, 72-year-old Chinmayanand, was arrested on Friday but is not in
jail. He has claimed heart ailments and has been in hospital, "under
observation",since Sunday.Asked why the police did not request his
custodial interrogation, SIT said it was not needed as they didn't need to
recover anything from him.BJP, so far silent on its 3-time MP, claimed
Chinmayanand was no longer with the party. The woman had accused the police of
harassing her and refusing to acknowledge her complaint against Chinmayanand
until case drew media attention. Yesterday, she was on her way to court when
the police dramatically stopped her car, pulled her out and forced her into
their vehicle, as if to arrest her.As chaos erupted and media arrived, the
police finally let her go.ndtv
Cong accuses UP CM of protecting Chinmayanand
Congress today came down heavily on the BJP Govt in UP, accusing CM
Yogi Adityanath of protecting Chinmayanand who has been accused of rape by a
law student.Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi accused BJP Govt of having scored a
zero in stopping crime against women in the state and accused it of protecting
criminals and intimidating complainants."Even if I have to say this
everyday, I will keep saying. BJP Govt in UP is proving to be a ''Zero'' in
stopping crime against women. UP BJP tops in suppressing the statistics on
crimes against women. In saving criminals and in intimidating
complainants," Priyanka said.Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi took a
swipe at BJP after the bail plea of the girl, who accused Chinmayanand of rape,
was rejected and was sent to jail, saying one must be beware of those who try
and make the temple of justice a "circus". Another Congress
spokesperson, Rajiv Tyagi, said that a new political cult is emerging in UP
where criminals are protected and they turn fearless after getting protection
from the Govt.PTI
BJP distances itself from Chinmayanand
J&K ISSUE
Will be great if India-Pakistan work something
out on Kashmir: Trump
PM Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump on
Tuesday met on the sidelines of UN General Assembly session in New York. Before
the meeting, Trump stressed the need for dialogue between India and Pakistan
and said that it would be great if the two countries “can work out something on
Kashmir”.“I really believe that PM Modi and PM Khan
will get along when they get to know each other,” Trump told reporters. “I
think a lot of good things will come from that meeting... It will be great if
they can work out something on Kashmir.” Hours before the meeting, Trump
reiterated his offer to mediate in the dispute between India and Pakistan over
the revocation of J&K’s special status.scroll
White House says Trump ‘encouraged’ PM Modi to
fulfil promise to improve lives of Kashmiri people
Trump's remarks should make indian media think
hard about itself: Huffington post
PM Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump have
made a great show of their friendship in the past few days.And while Modi kept
up his record of not speaking at press conferences on Tuesday night at a joint
briefing, it’s Trump’s off-the-cuff comments about the Indian media that strike
a more alarming note. When asked repeatedly by Indian media contingent about
“Pakistan-sponsored terrorism”, Trump turned to Modi and said, “You have great
reporters, I wish I had reporters like this. You are doing better than anybody
else. Where do you find these reporters?This is a great thing.” Even at
Tuesday’s briefing, Modi kept his thoughts to himself. While Trump dodged most
of the questions about his stand on Kashmir, Modi smiled, nodded and smiled
more. And none of the questions were even directed to the Indian PM. While
India Today celebrated Trump’s “praise” after a question by their reporter (no,
it’s not a compliment), Trump said same thing to a Pak reporter a day earlier
when he was asked tough questions on Kashmir. In fact, he used the same words
to Imran Khan—“where do you find such reporters”—as well.
Imran Khan says he is disappointed with world
community for not pressuring India over Kashmir
Pakistan PM Imran Khan has expressed
disappointment with the international community for failing to pressure India
in the J&K matter. Khan blamed it on India’s appeal as a “market of one
billion people”.“To be absolutely frank, I am a bit disappointed by the
international community,” Khan told reporters at a press conference at UN. He
claimed that the world would have reacted with more urgency had eight million
Europeans, Jewish people, or Americans been under siege. “There is no pressure
on Narendra Modi to lift the siege,” he said.“We can’t attack India,” Khan said.scroll/HT
Qureshi writes to UN Secretary General, UNSC chief
outlining Paksitan’s legal case on J&K issue
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has written
to UN Secretary General and President of the UN. Security Council highlighting
Pakistan’s legal case on J&K issue. Foreign Office (FO) said today that the
letter, along with a detailed fact sheet and comprehensive annexures,
highlighted the “illegal, unilateral, coercive” Indian actions of August 5.
Qureshi, in his letter to UN chief Antonio Guterres and UNSC President Vasily
Nebenzya, said “Indian action is aimed at bringing about a demographic change”
in Kashmir. He said “India wanted to preempt UN-administered plebiscite”
envisaged under numerous UNSC Resolutions to ascertain the wishes of the
Kashmiri people to join Pakistan or India. It said that letter not only builds
on Pakistan’s efforts to sensitise the international community about the
alleged human rights violations in Kashmir but also presents its comprehensive
position on J&K issue.It also contained relevant UNSC resolutions,
bilateral deals and letters to UN in a sequential manner, laying out the
international law and Pakistan’s legal case on the issue.PTI
Those not proud of Trump calling Modi ‘India’s
father’ don’t consider themselves Indians: Minister
Union minister Jitendra Singh today said those
who do not feel proud of US President Donald Trump’s comment that PM Narendra
Modi is the father of India, do not consider themselves Indians.India is being
respected in a way which was rare in the past, Singh said.“People who live
abroad are proud today of being Indian. This is happening due to the
personality and personal outreach of PM Modi,” said the Minister of State for
PMO.PTI
Gates Foundation staffer resigns over award to
Modi
New Delhi: Hours before PM Narendra Modi
officially received the Gates Foundation’s annual Global Goalkeeper Award for
his Swachh Bharat Mission, a staff member at the foundation reportedly resigned
in protest. Sabah Hamid, a 42-year-old communications specialist, told TRT
World that honouring Modi while he imposed a communications and movement
lockdown in Kashmir was a grave error. “Since foundation seemed set on its
course of action to go ahead with the award – which as a private foundation it
is entitled to – I could do just one thing: leave,” Hamid said.The former
employee has said that she took up the matter with her superiors, but “realised
very quickly that this was a decision that would not be changed”.Hamid, a
Kashmiri, has been with the Gates Foundation for the last 3.5 years. “Being
Kashmiri makes it personal. Eight million of my people have been under an
undeclared curfew for 50 days now, with minimal access even to medical care,
and there is a humanitarian crisis under way in the valley. Modi led Govt has
not only designed and implemented this crisis, their untruths and the
complicity of a large part of the media means they are also trying to hijack
the narrative. Being feted at large international gatherings, and winning awards
plays right into that,” she said.thewire
Security forces fully prepared: Rajnath Singh on
reactivation of Balakot camp
2 days after Army Chief General Bipin Rawat
declared that terror camps in Pakistan’s Balakot were reactivated, Defence
Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday assured that Indian security forces were
fully prepared to meet any eventuality.“Don’t worry, our security forces are
fully prepared,” Singh said in Chennai while responding to a query on Army
Chief General Bipin Rawat’s statement on reactivation of terror camps in
Balakot.indianexpress
Denied entry into ‘Howdy Modi’ due to my comments
on PM, says comedian Hasan Minhaj
Comedian Hasan Minhaj today said he was torn
apart for being denied entry into PM Narendra Modi’s ‘Howdy Modi’ event in
Houston last week. Minhaj said he was told he was denied entry to the event at
NSG stadium due to “some of the comments” he had made about the PM, and that he
has been “blacklisted”.indianexpress
PM, Amit Shah targets in terror plan, warns intel;
Air bases on alert
India is on high alert after intel inputs warning
of a terror plan to target PM Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and
National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, home ministry sources said today. The
ministry has put out an alert to all states following a threat naming 30 major
cities. IAF sources have also confirmed a serious security threat to frontline
bases following multi-agency inputs. An "orange alert", which is a
notch lower than the highest state of emergency, is in place at important
installations and security has been tightened on IAF bases in Srinagar,
Awantipora, Jammu, Pathankot and Hindon, sources say.According to inputs
received by the defence ministry and intelligence agencies, Jaish-e-Mohammad
has been plotting a fidayeen or suicide attack on air bases. The inputs include
a threat letter dated 10 Sept., received by the Bureau of Civil Aviation
Security. The letter in Hindi is reportedly from one Shamsher Wani of Jaish and
claims revenge for the Govt's Article 370 decision. ndtv
Pak terror groups use Chinese drones to airdrop
80 kg weapons in Punjab for J&K: HT
New Delhi:At least 8 drone sorties, carrying a
total of 80 kg of weapons (arms and ammunition), were sent across the border
into Punjab by Pakistan-based Khalistani terror groups between Sept.9 and 16,
officials in security agencies and the Punjab Police have confirmed on
condition of anonymity. Entire consignment, using the Khalistan Zindabad Force
(KZF) network, was supported by Pakistan’s spy agency Inter Services
Intelligence and orchestrated through Germany and Lahore; the ultimate aim — to
fuel terror attacks in J&K.The details of these drops have emerged
following investigations that led to and following the Sept. 22 weapons seizure
at Tarn Taran district; the eight payloads were dropped in Amritsar and Tarn
Taran.Five people have so far been arrested by Punjab Police in connection with
the drone drops, with one 22-year-old Subhdeep held on Tuesday. The
investigation involved multiple agencies prima facie found that multiple
Chinese commercial drones with 10 kg payloads have been used in the weapons
drop operations across the border.
China misread India’s decisions on J&K’s
status; External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on
Wednesday said China had misinterpreted India’s decision to abrogate J&K’s
special status and bifurcate it into Union territories, reported ANI. After the
August 5 decision of the Centre, Beijing had said that making Ladakh a UT was
unacceptable.“I think Chinese misread what was happening there,” said
Jaishankar, who is in New York City for a UN summit. “I went a few days after
the legislation to China and explained to them that as far as they were
concerned, nothing had changed. India’s boundary had not changed, LaC had not
changed.”scroll
Govt does not want reality of Kashmir to come
out: Yashwant Sinha
Mumbai :Yashwant Sinha has said that Centre did
not want the “reality of Kashmir” to come out and it was the duty of all
Indians to speak out against the violations of fundamental rights of fellow
citizens.“There is a reality of Kashmir that this Govt does not want to come
out. This the reason why they are preventing people, including me, from
visiting the valley,”Sinha said.He said the fundamental rights and personal
freedom of all citizens, including Kashmiris, needed to be guarded and people
needed to speak out when these were violated anywhere in India. “Why should we
tolerate excesses, which are heaped on our brothers and sisters in any part of
the country?” he added.indianexpress
Kashmiri Pandits question govt; say there are
5,000 to 10,000 temples instead of 50,000 vandalised in JK
https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/national/kashmiri-pandits-question-govt-figures-on-jandk-temples
There are a total of just 5,000 to 7,000 temples
across J&K, however, the Govt has reached a figure of 50,000 temples? How,
questions the Kashmiri Pandit Sangarsh Samiti. The body representing Kashmiri
Pandits living in the valley, who have not migrated after militancy erupted,
questioned the figures given by Minister of State for Home Kishan Reddy in a
press conference in Bangaluru. Reddy has said around 50,000 temples were closed
over the years in J&K, of which some were destroyed, and their idols were
defaced. Minister said a survey has been ordered and the temples vandalised in J&K
needed restoration."In the entire state of J&K, total number of big
and small temples would not be more than 5,000 to 7,000. According to our
survey there are a total of 1,842 temples, shamshan bhoomis, holy springs, holy
trees and caves in Kashmir Valley," said Sanjay Tickoo president Kashmiri
Pandit Sangarsh Samiti (KPSS).IANS
OTHERS
Waqf Board rejects Chabutra as birthplace of Ram,
says Hindu claim at Babri Masjid site didn't exist before 1865
On Day 31 of the hearing of Ayodhya-Babri Masjid
land title dispute case, Muslim parties asserted that the Hindu claim on the
disputed site did not arise before 1865, and the belief that Rama's birthplace
was exactly underneath the central dome was as recent as 1989. Muslim side also
denied 'accepting' that Ram Chabutra was the birthplace of the deity.Arguing
for Sunni Central Wakf Board, senior advocate Zafaryab Jilani told 5-judge
Constitution Bench that Board does not accept Ayodhya as the birthplace of the
deity, but going by the Hindu belief, Ram Chabutra, a raised platform at least
60 feet away from the main structure was also being worshipped as the
birthplace of Rama"Our stance is that it is their belief and we are not
taking any steps in that regard after an observation to that effect by a
District Judge", Jilani said.Jilani's primary line of argument to puncture
the Hindu parties' claim was that the other side could not produce enough
evidence to prove that the disputed structure was ever worshipped before the
dispute arose sometime in 1865.Jilani relied on gazetteers to buttress the case
that there was no worship by Hindus in the disputed structure. He cited another
report from 1862 which showed that another temple in the Ramkot Fort had a
temple which was worshipped as the janmasthan. He further cited other
documented cases of janmasthan worship in Ayodhya and claimed that another
place called Ram Chabutra — close to the outer precinct of the disputed site
but still 60 feet away from the central dome — is also being worshipped as the
place where Lord Rama was born. "This is their (Hindus') belief,"
said Jilani.The judges, however, confront Jilani with the gazeteers of the
pertinent time. "Your Lordships should not pick one or 2 lines from 100s
of pages of testimonies but should examine the testimony as a whole",
Jilani told the bench.He argued that the belief that the place of birth was
below the middle dome was non-existent till 1989. He claimed that none of the
suits filed from 1950 to 1989 by Hindu parties make such a claim.To this,
Justice Bobde sought to know whether there was any evidence that Hindus tried
to worship at the site after the mosque was built but before 1855 and the
Muslims opposed it. Jilani replied saying that the Hindus started asserting
their right in the outside portion of the structure only around 1865.After
Jilani concluded his arguments, Advocate Meenakshi Arora took over and made
several submissions regarding the admissibility and/or reliance of ASI report
which Allahabad HC relied upon in its now disputed judgment.Bar and Bench/ News18
Valmiki Ramayan, Ram Charitmanas silent on Ram's birth
site: Muslim Parties
Ayodhya: Mediation efforts continue as Muslim
Forum members meet Mahant Janmejay
Ayodhya:Continuing efforts to solve the Ram
Janmabhoomi dispute through mediation, members of the India Muslim Forum (AIMF)
on Tuesday met Mahant Janmejay, head of Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir Nirman Nyas, at
his ashram in Janaki Ghat in the temple town. Presenting their version before Mahant,
AIMF member Aftab Ahmad said the solution should be found in an atmosphere of
goodwill. "Ram is venerable across the world," he said."Not only
AIMF but most Muslims want Ram's temple in Ayodhya. We must guard against those
vested interests who want disharmony between the two communities,"Ahmad
said.Ex-UP minister Mueed Ahmad said even if the Supreme Court delivers its
verdict in favour of the mosque in Ayodhya, "we would like Ram's temple
constructed there". Janmabhoomi's chief priest Acharya Satyendradas,
Nirmohi Akhara's Mahant Dinendra Das and Akhara's spokesperson Ranjeetlal Verma
welcomed AIMF's stance. IANS
Punjab: Outfits led by ‘Raavan Sena Bharat’ seek
complete ban on Raavan effigy burning, defending him as an “intellectual king
Ludhiana: A group of outfits in Punjab led by an
organisation called the ‘Raavan Sena Bharat’ have demanded a complete ban on
burning effigies of Raavan and his brothers— Meghnath and Kumbhkaran — during
Dussehra festivities on Oct.8.Submitting written pleas in this regard to Deputy
Commissioners in Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar, Ferozepur, Kapurthala and other
districts, the organisations, while defending Raavan as an “intellectual king”,
have said that those burning these effigies should be booked under Section
295-A of IPC.In turn, in Kapurthala and Ferozepur, Hindu groups and Dussehra
committees have submitted written pleas to police and the district
administration, saying that those opposing burning of Raavan effigies should be
booked and it should be ensured that there is no disruption of any kind during
festivities.Sensing there could be tension between Hindu outfits and pro-Raavan
organisations on Oct.8 in Punjab, police said that they would remain alert. Meanwhile,
Lakhbir Lankesh, president, Raavan Sena Bharat, said:“Tell us the logic behind
this ritual of burning effigies every year.He has been referred to as ‘Mahatma’
in different versions of Ramayana, because he was an intellectual and a beloved
king. He never harmed Sita in any way, but instead kept her in protection of
women security guards.” He added that their organisation had over 50,000
followers across Punjab, mostly from the Valmiki community.According to
Lankesh, the organisation was also considering moving Punjab and Haryana High
Court this week on the issue. “We will be moving High Court seeking ban on this
meaningless practice. If logic is that effigies are burnt because Raavan faced
defeat from Ram in the battle, then likewise effigy of Ram should also be burnt
on Luv-Kush Jayanti because Ram was defeated by his sons,” he said.Darshan
Raavan (59) from Ludhiana, chief of Aadi Dharam Samaj, which is an outfit
supporting the ban, said: “We want this practice of burning his effigies to be
banned. It is illogical.”Professor M Rajivlochan, from the department of
history, Panjab University said: “Raavan
was born to Brahmin parents. People in Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka continue to
love and worship him…There is a part in Ramayana of both Valmiki and Tulsidas
where Ram asks Laxman to go to Raavan and learn from him something about the
world which only a learned Brahmin like Raavan can teach…Burning his effigy and
that of his brothers actually makes no sense in 21st century….Sharing happiness
and worshipping Ram should be enough. It is logical enough to do away with
effigy burning practice. It is true he did not harm Sita after abducting her.”indianexpress
Tales of Dalit boycott are not new in Punjab’s
villages
Mansa: It was on Sept.5 that motorcyclist Makhan
Singh accidentally rammed into 6-year-old Harjot. Son of Rantu Singh, a Dalit
member of the Krantikari Mazdoor Union, little Harjot has been in coma ever
since. Initially, Makhan, a Jat landowner,helped Harjot’s parents with funds as
they took him to Rajindra Medical College, Patiala, and PGIMER,Chandigarh,
before finally admitting him to Sangrur Civil Hospital, which is closer home.
But in the second week of Sept., Rantu lodged a police complaint against
Makhan.Infuriated, the Jat community then made an announcement on the gurdwara
public address system asking all landed castes to boycott Dalits. “Don’t get
any work done by them…don’t visit their houses,’’ thundered a voice on the
microphone.This prompted Dalits, who far outnumber the Jats in the village, to
take out a protest under the banner of the Krantikari Mazdoor Union.
Subsequently, an FIR was lodged against 6 villagers — all Jat Sikhs. Later
however, it was quashed following a “compromise” between the two groups on
Sept.17. However, Rantu Singh’s complaint stands.Mansa SSP Narinder Bhargav
said the matter had been resolved after the Jats apologised to the Dalits.
However, Rantu and many others say the reason for the boycott call is the first
fair auction of the village shamlat (common) land. ‘’This year, we got 4 acres
of shamlat land reserved for Dalits auctioned to us, unlike in the past when
dummy Dalit candidates fielded by landlords would get the land. We were given
this land for Rs 70,000 a year against Rs 1.45 lakh last year,’’ says Rantu. 60
Dalit families have pooled in funds to take this land and every family has got
around 5 biswa on which they plan to grow green fodder for their animals. “Now
we don’t need to beg landlords for fodder. There has been an uneasy calm in the
village ever since the auction. Perhaps they found this a good excuse,” says
Rantu.indianexpress
MP: Dalit children killed over open defecation,
police say killer ‘mentally unstable’
Bhopal: 2 Dalit children were allegedly beaten to
death for defecating in the open in a village in Shivpuri district of Madhya
Pradesh on Wednesday.The police have arrested two brothers Hakim Yadav and
Rameshwar Yadav, who belong to the same Bhavkhedi village under Sirsod Police
Station, for beating to death Roshni, 12, and her 10-year-old nephew Avinash.
Avinash’s father Manoj Valmiki told the police that the two brothers objected
to the children defecating in the open near the panchayat building. He said he
does not have a toilet at his home, and alleged that the two brothers had scolded
the children in the past too.Manoj, a labourer, said he had an old enmity with
the brothers. He said two years ago he had cut the branch of a tree near the
agriculture field owned by the Yadav brothers after which they had threatened
him with dire consequences.IG Rajababu
Singh, however, said that Hakim is mentally unstable and he killed the two
children while they were on way to their grandfather’s home.indianexpress
UN body expresses concern over people including
Muslim with disabilities in Assam detention centres
Guwahati: UN Committee on Rights of Persons with
Disabilities (CRPD) has marked the word ‘Divyangjan’ as controversial and
similar to derogatory terminologies such as “mentally ill”. CRPD during its
22nd session from August 26 to Sept.20 in Geneva also expressed concern over
“situation of persons with disabilities, including Muslim persons with
disabilities, rendered stateless as a result of the registry process undertaken
in the State of Assam, and currently in detention camps”.The registry process
referred to is NRC whose updated final version was published on August 31. 6
jails in Assam, serving as detention centres, have more than 1,000 declared
foreigners but there is no specific data on persons with disabilities among
them.CRPD’s concluding observations on the initial report of India mentioned:
“Legislation, public policies and practices that discriminate against persons
with disabilities in particular guardianship, institutionalisation, psychiatric
treatment and segregated community services based on disability, and negative
perceptions, including ‘normal life’ as opposed to the lives of persons with
disabilities, and derogatory terminology like ‘mentally ill’, or ‘divyangjan’,
the latter which is still controversial.”Touching upon Assam’s citizen registry
exercise, UN body observed that NRC service centres did not provide
barrier-free access to persons with disabilities. It recommended respect and
protection of all human rights of “persons with disabilities rendered
stateless” by NRC as well as those in the detention camps. CRPD asked India to
urgently adopt measures to “allow the reacquisition of nationality”.thehindu
Long queues in Kolkata for birth certificates
amid NRC panic
Kolkata: A sudden spurt in demand for birth
certificates has caught the Kolkata Municipal Corporation off guard. Used to
handing out about 100 birth certificates daily, KMC health department is now
receiving over 250 applications per day and officials claim the rush is spurred
by the anxiety to get relevant documents in place to prove one’s citizenship in
case there is an Assam-like NRC exercise in Bengal in future.The ongoing
rhetoric over the National Register of Citizens — with CM Mamata Banerjee
repeatedly assuring that there will be no such exercise in Bengal and BJP
leaders asserting that it is just a matter of time before NRC is implemented
here — has created unease among people in the state, which like neighbouring
Assam shares its border with Bangladesh and has served as a refuge for illegal
migrants.A health department official at KMC said he has never seen the kind of
rush for birth certificates that is being witnessed since Friday. And, it isn’t
just young parents who are queueing up; there are scores of middle-aged and senior
citizens who are lining up for the certificate. These elderly applicants were
born in the 1960s and ’70s when KMC kept just a handwritten record of births
and deaths. “People who have spent their lives without birth certificates are
suddenly so jittery that they want a document in their hands,” official said.Panic
is linked to the convergence of three factors: Union home minister Amit Shah’s
scheduled speech on NRC in Kolkata on Oct.1, voter verification programme
undertaken by the Election Commission, and the issue of digital ration card by Bengal
govt. Sources in the KMC social sector department said the civic body is also
gearing up to issue a non-PDS digital ration card to citizens who are above
poverty line to be used just as an identity proof.TOI
NRC will be implemented in Bengal, no Hindu will
have to leave the country: BJP state
in-charge Vijayvargiya
Amid repeated assurances by West Bengal CM Mamata
Banerjee that NRC would not be implemented in the state, BJP state in-charge
Kailash Vijayvargiya said the exercise would be carried out in Bengal and no
Hindu would have to leave the country.Vijayvargiya’s comments come two days
after Mamata Banerjee accused BJP of spreading fear in the state by campaigning
on the NRC due to which 6 people had died.On Tuesday, two more persons
allegedly committed suicide for failing to procure the requisite certificates
to prove their citizenship, taking death toll to 8, PTI reported.Vijayvargiya,
without naming the West Bengal CM, said certain political parties and
politicians were trying to instil fear among the people over NRC by spreading
canards. indianexpress
Mumbai: Witness says Areeb Majeed didn’t say he
was leaving country for jihad; declared hostile
Mumbai :A witness in the trial against Areeb
Majeed, who is facing trial for allegedly travelling to Iraq and Syria to join IS
in 2014, was declared hostile after he claimed that Majeed had never told him
about leaving the country for jihad. Witness, who is among those protected by
NIA, was Majeed’s classmate and had studied civil engineering together. He told
the court that when Majeed, he and others met for group study, they had a
“normal talk”. Witness denied that Majeed had told them that he was going to
Karbala in Iraq for a religious pilgrimage and that he wanted to go to Iraq for
jihad.He also denied that Majeed had told them that he was leaving and that
they would meet if he returned alive. He also denied the prosecution’s
suggestion that he was lying to protect Majeed, as he is his
friend.indianexpress
Kerala: Tension at Piravom church as two
Christian factions fight for ownership
Piravom :A tense situation prevailed at St Mary’s
Church in Ernakulam district’s Piravom as Orthodox and Jacobite factions of Malankara
Syrian Church locked horns over the church’s ownership. The church, currently
controlled by the Jacobite faction, was handed over to the Orthodox faction for
administration in keeping with the July 3, 2017 verdict of the Supreme Court.
The ruling had given control of over 1,100 churches and parishes to the
Orthodox faction, which was until then witnessing clashes for ownership between
the two factions.Today, when the members of the Orthodox group arrived at the
Piravom church to offer prayers and formally take over the administration, Jacobite
faction of the members, under the leadership of a few Metropolitan priests,
locked the gates and assembled inside, chanting prayers and slogans. Refusing
to hand over the church, they stated the ownership could only be settled
through reconciliation talks.indianexpress
Sharad Pawar, Nephew Named In 25,000-Crore Money
Laundering Case Ahead Of Maharashtra Election
Veteran political leader Sharad Pawar's name
surfaced in a money laundering case being investigated by the Enforcement
Directorate, less than a month ahead of the assembly election in Maharashtra.Though
Mr Pawar was named in the complaint which was included in the FIR filed by the
police in the Maharashtra State Co-operative Bank scam, he was not an accused.
But he and his nephew Ajit Pawar have been named in the agency's note on the
case. Reacting to the development Sharad Pawar said, "I am not even a
member of that organisation, yet my name is there in the FIR.""This
type of FIRs during elections will surely impact the results. I have full faith
in the judiciary, this is not a new case. We welcome this move by the Govt,"
Pawar added, while alleging that the notice was issued because of the positive
support he has been getting from the people during his pre-election tours.The
25,000-crore bank scam had involved the sanction of illegal bank loans, the
agency had said."We are not shocked by this. Before elections, this is
what the present Govt has been doing across the country. We are together and we
will be fighting against this," Parth Pawar, Ajit Pawar's son, told NDTV. Besides
Ajit Pawar, those accused in the case include another NCP leader and senior
bank officials. Last week, Sharad Pawar had taken a swipe at Union Minister
Amit Shah, after BJP chief targeted him at a rally in Solapur, questioning what
his contribution was for Maharashtra.ndtv
'Targeting of Leaders Is Shaking Parliamentary Democracy':
Opposition
New Delhi With several opposition leaders being
probed for different economic offences, the clamour over whether Modi Govt is
(mis)using Central agencies for political gains is growing.The latest to come
under scanner is NCP chief Sharad Pawar. In a development that comes weeks
ahead of the Maharashtra assembly elections, ED registered a case against him,
his nephew Ajit Pawar and several former directors of the Maharashtra State
Co-operative Bank (MSCB) in a Rs 25,000 crore money laundering case on
Wednesday.While the Maharashtra unit of the BJP did the talking for ED by saying
that the agency followed all the rules and procedure, Pawar hit back with a
sarcastic comment. He “thanked” the agency for naming him in the case related
to the MSCB with which he said he had nothing to do and “was not involved in
its decision-making” in any way. He said he would have been surprised had there
not been any such action against him ahead of the elections, and added that he
was ready to go to jail. Opposition leaders over the last few months have been
speaking up against agencies digging up old cases and initiating action against
opposition leaders. They believe that the Union Govt is targeting the leaders
not just to tarnish their image, but to destroy them politically – an
accusation that they claim is unbecoming of a Govt in a parliamentary
democracy. CPI(M) leader Hannan Mollah alleged that the Centre is using both
“money and threat” to heckle opposition ranks. NCP leader D.P. Tripathi said
the ED notice to Pawar is vindictive. CPI general secretary D. Raja said that
the Govt “can go to any extent to target opposition leaders, not only to
tarnish their image but to finish them politically.”thewire
I want our PM Modi to ensure justice is
delivered, says Tabrez Ansari’s wife Shahista
“I want our PM Modi to deliver justice. When he
went to America, he showed so much concern for a fallen flower, will he show
the same concern to my husband, who was murdered and me? Give me justice Modi,”
cried out 19-year-old Shahista Parveen. Her husband Tabrez Ansari was lynched
on June 17 and he succumbed to his injuries on June 22. They had barely been
married for two months.“Even the mehendi on my palms had not worn away
completely when my husband died. Our lives had just started to blossom. We had
plans and weren’t they valuable,” asks Shahista, who was in the capital on
Wednesday, as a part of IUML protest. It was held to uphold the idea of a
terror free India for everybody.nationalheraldindia
INDIAN
ECONOMY
Depositors protest as curbs put on Indian
co-operative bank: Reuters
RBI move to take charge of one of the country’s
top five co-operative banks on Tuesday brought worried depositors out in
protest and sparked renewed concerns about the health of India’s troubled
banking sector. Depositors of Punjab and Maharashtra Co-operative (PMC) Bank
were informed they can withdraw only a sum of 1,000 rupees from their bank account over the next six
months, while the bank itself has been put under the direction of RBI and
barred from renewing, or granting any loans, or making investments without
prior approval of RBI.The sudden move led to protests and long queues outside
the bank’s branches. It has 137 branches that are spread across seven states in
India.“My money is gone now,” said Ashok Mahto who stood outside a bank branch
in Santacruz, Mumbai, convinced that 65,000 rupees that had taken him 6 months
to accumulate had been lost forever.
India’s stuttering economy hits global oil demand
India’s oil consumption is growing well below its
long-term trend as the country struggles with a widespread economic slowdown,
including a slump in new vehicle sales. The slowdown is part of a worldwide
economic deceleration, which is weighing heavily on the motor industry. But
because India has been so important for growth in oil demand over last 2
decades,its downturn is materially shifting oil’s global production-consumption
balance and weighing on prices. India’s slowdown threatens to trim at least
100,000 barrels per day from global consumption growth in 2019, helping push
world growth down to 1 million bpd or less this year.Reuters
Modi's big tax cut unlikely to spur job bonanza
in India: Reuters
Mukesh Ambani richest Indian with net worth of Rs
3,80,700 crore
Reliance Industries’ Chairman Mukesh Ambani has
topped the list of richest Indians for the eighth consecutive year, with a net
worth of ₹3,80,700 crore, according to the latest IIFL Wealth-Hurun India Rich
List. London-based S.P. Hinduja & family, with assets worth ₹1,86,500
crore, retained the second rank in the list, followed by Wipro founder Azim
Premji with wealth of ₹1,17,100 crore.According to the latest IIFL Wealth-Hurun
India Rich List, the number of Indians having a net worth of more than ₹1,000
crore has grown to 953 this year from 831 in 2018, while, the number of
billionaires in terms of U.S. dollar has reduced to 138 from 141.L. N. Mittal,
chairman and CEO of ArcelorMittal, was the fourth richest with wealth of ₹1,07,300
crore and Gautam Adani was placed in the fifth position with a net worth of ₹94,500
crore.Others in the top 10 include Uday Kotak at the 6th place (₹94,100 crore),
Cyrus S. Poonawalla at 7th position (₹88,800 crore), Cyrus Pallonji Mistry at
8th spot (₹76,800 crore), Shapoor Pallonji at 9th position (₹76,800 crore) and
Dilip Shanghvi at 10th slot (Rs 71,500-crore).PTI
WORLD
Iran ready to accept deal changes if US lifts
sanctions
Iran is willing to give reassurances on not
seeking nuclear arms and will accept changes to its 2015 nuclear accord with
world powers if US returns to the deal and lifts sanctions, a Govt spokesman
said."If the sanctions are ended and there is a return to [nuclear]
accord, there is room for giving reassurances towards breaking the deadlock and
the President Hassan Rouhani has even a proposal for small changes in the
accord," spokesman, Ali Rabiei, told state TV. The possibility a meeting
between Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and US President Donald Trump is
"zero" and US should lift sanctions and return to the 2015 nuclear
deal if it wants to talk, an Iran's foreign minister said. Speaking ahead of a
ministerial meeting of the remaining parties to the nuclear deal, Mohammad
Javad Zarif told Reuters: "Diplomacy is the only way to resolve issues...
this meeting gives us an opportunity to review where we are." Iran's
defence minister has rejected any deal with world powers over Tehran's missile
program.The official IRNA news agency quoted General Amir Hatami as saying any
deal with US over Iran's "missile power" would damage the country's
capabilities. He said Iran's leaders all support improving their missile
programme.Tehran long has insisted its ballistic missile programme was
non-negotiable. Trump, however, cited it as a reason for unilaterally
withdrawing US from the nuclear deal over a year ago.aljazeera
Palestinian factions slam Joint List over support
for Gantz
Hamas and Popular Front for Liberation of
Palestine (PFLP) strongly criticised Israeli political party Joint List, which
is made up predominantly of Arab ministers, after they backed former chief of
staff of the Israeli army Benny Gantz to head the country’s next Govt.In a
statement, Hamas spokesman Hazim Qasim described their support for Gantz as
“grotesque”.Qasim said: “The programme of this Israeli party is based on its
disregard of the Palestinian people’s rights and even it incites against Gaza
and calls for the annexation of the West Bank.”Meanwhile, the PFLP called for
the members of the Joint List to “re-evaluate” their recommendation for this
“war criminal” based on his “criminal past”. middleeastmonitor
Hamas official: No difference between Gantz, Netanyahu
Doha:, Senior Hamas leader Mousa Abu Marzouk
discussed his organisation's reaction to Israeli election and its potential
impact on the occupied Palestinian territories. In a interview with Al Jazeera,
he also discussed Hamas' relations with Egypt and the ongoing weekly protests
at the demarcations with Israel. Abu Marzouk who now heads its international
relations and political guidance department - spoke about US President Donald
Trump "peace plan" for Middle East. On Israeli polls, he said,
"To start with we should know that the Israeli society is clearly shifting
to the right since the mid-1990s. This election is no exception. Nationalist
and extreme right-wing Jews, in general, believe in greater Israel that expands
beyond the borders of historic Palestine. They also don't believe in the Oslo
accords or the two-state solution as stipulated in the signed accords with PLO
in 1993. That said, however, I must admit that Israeli society practices Western
democracy, even though Israel is in and of itself is not a democratic
country." He added, "2014 war against Gaza that killed over 2,000
Palestinians was led by none other than Benny Gantz, so that tells us who the
man is. Moreover, we are a resistance movement, which means the only form of
contact between me and my enemy is resistance in nature. We don't differentiate
between either Gantz or Netanyahu."aljazeera
Reports: Gantz open to rotation agreement in
coalition with Netanyahu
Reports in Israeli media suggested that Blue and
White chair Benny Gantz is open to a coalition Govt with PM Benjamin Netanyahu,
while Likud negotiators work on sweetening such a deal.According to right-wing
news outlet Arutz Sheva, citing a Channel 13, Likud “has made a far-reaching
proposal” aimed at placating Blue and White (Kahol Lavan) members. The
proposal, reportedly tabled at both Netanyahu and Gantz’s meeting on Monday and
their respective negotiating teams’ meeting yesterday, would see Blue and White
“waive the requirement to be PM first”.In return, however, they will receive an
“extended term” of up to three years, while Netanyahu, who will serve first as PM,
could settle for a short term of just one year.middleeastmonitor
Israel arrests Palestine's Jerusalem Minister al-Hadami
Israeli police said they have arrested Jerusalem
Affairs Minister Fadi al-Hadami of the Palestinian Authority (PA) - a move
Palestinians said was "routine" and part of a "harassment
campaign".Jerusalem Affairs Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday that
Israeli forces raided the minister's home before taking al-Hadami into
custody.Israeli police say he was arrested for conducting political activity in
occupied East Jerusalem, according to AP.Al-Hadami is charged with allegedly
breaking a law prohibiting political activity by the PA in Jerusalem. The PA
governs the occupied West Bank."He is being questioned by officers from
the Jerusalem police district," Israeli police spokesperson Micky
Rosenfeld, told Al Jazeera, without giving further information.aljazeera
Egypt arrests 965 anti-Sisi protesters
Some 964 Egyptians have been arrested during
protests calling for the country’s President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi to step down
which began on Friday.Figures released by the Egyptian Centre for Economic and
Social Rights reveal the extent of the Govt crackdown on demonstrators who have
been angered by revelations that Al-Sisi has been building palaces while
civilians are starving and suffering from increased living costs, reduced Govt
subsidies, and rising taxes.middleeastmonitor
Ex-Sami Anan aide arrested in Egypt
Egypt Govt claims 6 Muslim Brotherhood members
killed in shootout
Cairo: 6 Muslim Brotherhood members have been
killed in a shootout with Egyptian police on the outskirts of Cairo, the
interior ministry said Tuesday.In a brief statement, the ministry said police
exchanged fire with the "terrorist" group in 6 October City, on the
southwestern edge of capital, accusing it of "planning a series of terror
operations".The announcement comes after rare protests against President
Abdel Fattah al-Sisi broke out in several Egyptian cities on Friday and
Saturday, with state media accusing the Muslim Brotherhood of influencing the
protesters.After the 2013 military overthrow of elected Brotherhood president
Mohamed Morsi. An ongoing wide-scale crackdown has jailed thousands of
Islamists and the authorities regularly raid and kill armed affiliates of the
banned group.AFP
Amnesty: World leaders should stop Sisi’s
repressive crackdown
Human rights watchdog Amnesty International has
called on world leaders to act to stop Egyptian President Abdel Fattah
Al-Sisi’s repressive crackdown on protesters.Over the past week, Egyptians have
heeded a call made by the exiled, former army contractor Mohamed Ali to take to
the streets and call on the general to stand down. In a series of videos
detailing his work with the armed forces which went viral, Ali confirmed that
the Govt and the military are squandering millions of pounds of public money on
vanity projects as they roll out severe austerity measures in the
country.Al-Sisi has blamed the protests on “political Islam” and cast them as
“lies” and “slander”. He has blocked the BBC for reporting on what is happening
in the country.middleeastmonitor
Earthquake in Pak, PoK: Toll rises to 37, over 450
injured
The toll in Tuesday’s earthquake that struck
northern Pakistan and occupied Kashmir rose to 37 today, Pakistan’s National
Disaster Management Authority Chairman Lieutenant General Afzal told Express
Tribune. The toll may rise as close to 160 people are said to be in a critical
condition.At least 452 people have been injured in Pakistan, PTI reported. The
worst hit city is Mirpur in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, where 24 people lost
their lives. Nine were killed in Jatlan and one in Jhelum.scroll
Former Afghan President Karzai: Election
threatens peace prospect
Afghanistan's election on Saturday threatens the
war-torn nation's best chance of achieving peace with the Taliban and it should
be scrapped, former Afghan President Hamid Karzai has said.Holding the vote now
"is like asking a heart patient to run a marathon" as it could ignite
Taliban attacks that will seriously destabilise the country, Karzai told the
Associated Press news agency on Tuesday.The former president, still considered
one of the most important people in Afghan politics, has pressed for a resumption
of US-Taliban talks, which collapsed earlier this month after US President
Donald Trump said a deal that seemed imminent was "dead"."This
is no time for elections," he said. "We cannot conduct elections in a
country that is going through a foreign-imposed conflict. We are in a war of
foreign objectives and interests. It isn't our conflict - we are only dying in
it." aljazeera
Afghanistan's Taliban lifts ban on WHO
Afghanistan’s Taliban has lifted a ban on World
Health Organization activities in areas the militants control, a spokesman for
the Islamist group said, reversing a stance that had been complicating efforts
to eradicate polio. The Taliban had in April banned WHO and International
Committee of the Red Cross, citing their “suspicious activities” during
vaccination campaigns, which threatened to deepen one of the world’s worst
humanitarian crises“After realising its shortcomings and following constant
contact and meetings with our representatives, WHO received permission for
their activities,” said Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban in a
statement..Reuters
Algeria: Bouteflika's brother sentenced to 15
years in prison
A military court in Algeria has sentenced the
brother of former President Abdulaziz Bouteflika to 15 years in prison for
plotting against the state and undermining the army, according to state
media.Three other co-defendants - two former intelligence chiefs and the head
of a political party - were given the same sentence, APS reported on
Tuesday.Said Bouteflika was widely seen as the real power behind the presidency
after his brother suffered a debilitating stroke in 2013. Presidential
elections have now been set for Dec.12, but protesters have kept up demands for
political reforms and the removal of the former president's loyalists, including
Gaid Salah, who has emerged as a key powerbroker since Bouteflika's
fall.aljazeera
Muslim Americans testify on effects of Trump's
travel ban
Washington, DC - Speaking before a US
congressional panel on Tuesday, Ismail Alghazali, a Yemeni American, described
how President Donald Trump's travel ban has prevented his Yemeni wife and two
small children from joining him in the US."I have never even met my
daughter. I have never held her in my arms. I've only seen her through photos
and videos," Alghazali, 26, told a joint hearing of House Judiciary and
Oversight subcommittees. Alghazali came to the US as a child in 2000 and makes
a living from his job at a bodega in New York City. He said his wife should
have been eligible for a waiver to the ban, but after what he said was a five-minute
meeting with a consular officer, her visa was denied. Now, his young family is
stuck in war-torn Yemen.For the first time, Muslim Americans had an opportunity
to testify before a congressional hearing in the US House of Representatives on
the effects of Trump's travel ban, which targeted several Muslim-majority
countries. The ban at present applies to people coming from Iran, Libya,
Somalia, Syria, Yemen and North Korea, as well as to Govt officials from
Venezuela.aljazeera
Seven children among 16 dead in Yemen air strikes
Air strikes by the Saudi-Emirati-led coalition
fighting rebels in southern Yemen killed 16 civilians on Tuesday, including
women and children.The deadly strikes came four days after the Houthi rebels
said they would stop missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia - if the military
alliance targeting Yemen does the same - after the militia that controls most
of the country claimed responsibility for a brazen attack on oil facilities in
the kingdom.aljazeera
Rohingya face genocide in Myanmar: Malaysian PM
Malaysian PM
Mahathir Mohamad slammed Myanmar for failing to resolve the Rohingya
crisis.Mahathir spoke at the high-level side event "Rohingya Crisis - A
Way Forward" at the UN HQ ."What happened in [Myanmar's northern
]Rakhine state is genocide. What took place were mass killings, systematic rape
and other gross violations of human rights,” he said.He stressed that the
Myanmar Govt was unwilling to take any action to resolve the crisis.Mahathir
said this resulted in the Rohingya fleeing the country en masse, with most of
them ending up in refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar district of Bangladesh."We
commend Bangladesh for all it has done in hosting more than 1.2 million
Rohingya refugees," he said.Anadolu Agency
Rise in sea levels, ice melting at faster pace:
New UN climate report warns
Earth’s oceans are under severe strain from
climate change, a major new United Nations report warns, threatening everything
from the ability to harvest seafood to the well-being of hundreds of millions
of people living along the coasts.Rising temperatures are contributing to a
drop in fish populations in many regions, and oxygen levels in the ocean are
declining while acidity levels are on the rise, posing risks to important
marine ecosystems, according to the report issued Wednesday by the InterGovtal
Panel on Climate Change, a group of scientists convened by the UN to guide
world leaders in policymaking.In addition, warmer ocean waters, when combined
with rising sea levels, threaten to fuel ever more powerful tropical cyclones
and floods, the report said, further imperiling coastal regions and worsening a
phenomenon that is already contributing to storms like Hurricane Harvey, which
devastated Houston two years ago.New York Times
Flash:
NEWS,views,Articles
NGOs and the Govt: site of tussle:Editorial , Telegraph
INDIA
Modi govt's major outreach to minorities: 80%
resources for education, health, skill development; 33-40% for women-centric
projects:Yatish Yadav
Fifty days on— zero body count can’t be an index
of normalcy in J&K: indian express Editorial
The change of guard in Israel has implications
beyond Jerusalem:K C Tyagi
Bank mergers don’t address crux of crisis: The
nexus between lenders, borrowers and election funding:Christophe Jaffrelot
Amid Shutdown, a Private News Channel Connects
Thousands in J&K:Majid Maqbool
Hours After a Late-Night Knock, an Entire
Neighbourhood Reduced to Pellet Injuries:Kaisar Andrabi
Crackdown on lawyers narrows road to justice in
Kashmir: Menaka Rao & Anumeha Yadav
, aljazeera
Is RSS going to disown many of its
members?Suprakash Majumdar
Why The Kashmir Blackout Could Backfire On Modi
Govt, Expert Explains: Rohit Inani
India denies trade deal talks with US failed,
both countries say agreement expected very soon
IAS officer who quit over J&K curbs ‘stopped’
from visiting SPPU’s Jaykar library
Compiled and edited by Anwarulhaq,(Released at: 8:09 PM)
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