*18 DEC. 2019: 20 Rabius Sani 1441:
Vol: 12, No: 86*
*india: anti-citizenship act stir*
UN Secretary General raises concern about crackdown on CAA protesters;
urges respect for freedom of expression
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for respect for the
rights of freedom of opinion and expression as he voiced concern over the
violence and alleged use of excessive force by security personnel in India
during protests against the Citizenship Act."We are concerned about the
violence and alleged use of excessive force by security forces that we've seen
that have been taking place in the protests against the Citizenship Amendment
Act. We very much call for restraint and urge full respect for the rights of
freedom of opinion and expression and peaceful assembly," Guterres'
spokesman Stephane Dujarric told a daily press briefing here.Dujarric said
Secretary-General would also refer to the comments of High Commissioner for
Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on Act. Spokesperson for UN High Commissioner
for Human Rights had said in Geneva that it is "concerned" that CAA
is "fundamentally discriminatory in nature".PTI
SC decides to examine constitutional validity of Citizenship Act, refuses to stay its operation; next hearing on 22 Jan
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday decided to examine the
constitutional validity of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), but refused
to stay its operation. The top court issued notice to the Centre and sought its
response by the second week of January next year on a batch of pleas
challenging the CAA. A bench comprising Chief Justice SA Bobde and Justices BR
Gavai and Surya Kant fixed 59 petitions, including those filed by the Indian
Union Muslim League and Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, for hearing on 22 January,
next year.The bench also agreed to the submission of lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay
that common people should be made aware about the aim, objects and the contents
of the CAA and asked Attorney General K Venugopal, representing the Centre, to
consider using audio-visual medium to make citizens aware of the legislation.
Venugopal agreed to the suggestion and said the needful would be done by the
government.During the hearing, some lawyers appearing for petitioners sought a
stay on the operation of the newly amended law. One of the lawyers, appearing
for a petitioner hailing from Assam, said "Let it not be implemented...
five students in the Northeast have died." The Attorney General opposed
the submission and said there are as many as four judgements which have held
that a law cannot be stayed after being notified."We are not going to
grant a stay," the bench said, adding that arguments on granting stay can
be advanced on 22 Jan, next date of hearing. Senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan, who
represented one of the parties, however, said there was no need to seek the
stay on the operation of CAA as it has not come into force as several things
like framing of rules under the law are yet to be done. Another senior advocate
Kapil Sibal agreed with Dhavan's submission and said, "We have nothing to
say right now". IUML, one of the petitioners which has challenged the CAA,
said in its plea that it violates the fundamental right to equality and intends
to grant citizenship to a section of illegal immigrants by making an exclusion
on the basis of religion. The plea by IUML, filed through advocate Pallavi
Pratap, seeks an interim stay on the operation of CAB and the Foreigner
Amendment (Order), 2015 and Passport (Entry Into Rules), Amendment Rules,
2015.The petition alleged that government's CAB was against the basic structure
of the Constitution and intended to explicitly discriminate against Muslims as
the Act extended benefits only to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and
Christians.The plea filed by Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, has said that the
Act is a "brazen attack" on core fundamental rights envisaged under
the Constitution and treats "equals as unequal". In his petition,
Ramesh has said that substantial questions of law, including whether religion
can be a factor to either acquire or deny citizenship in India, arises for
consideration of the court as it is a "patently unconstitutional"
amendment to the Citizenship Act, 1955."The impugned Act creates two
classifications, viz, classification on basis of religion and the
classification on the basis of geography and both the classifications are
completely unreasonable and share no rational nexus to the object of the
impugned Act i.e., to provide shelter, safety and citizenship to communities
who in their native country are facing persecution on grounds of
religion," the plea has said.Several petitions have been filed challenging
the constitutional validity of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, including by
RJD leader Manoj Jha, TMC MP Mahua Moitra, AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi.Several
other petitioners include Muslim body Jamiat Ulama, ASU, Peace Party, CPI, NGOs
'Rihai Manch' and Citizens Against Hate, advocate ML Sharma, and law students
have also approached the apex court challenging the Act.PTI
Supreme Court asks Centre to consider publicising info about CAA to curb
circulation of fake news
High Court Agrees To Hear Petition For Fact-Finding Committee On Jamia
Violence
Delhi High Court today agreed to hear a PIL seeking setting up of a
fact-finding committee to look into the violence at Jamia Millia Islamia
University, following protests over the amended Citizenship Act.The petition
was mentioned before a bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Rekha Palli
by advocate, Mr Rizwan, and the court allowed it to be listed on Thursday.The
petition by Mr Rizwan alleges that Delhi Police "resorted to use of
arbitrary, excessive, discriminatory and illegal force against students, more
particularly female students, of Jamia Millia Islamia University, on the false
pretext of restoring law and order".It further alleges that students and
teachers were protesting in a peaceful manner against the amended Citizenship
Act but the police disrupted it and used "unjustified, excessive,
arbitrary and brute force" against them.The plea was moved in the Delhi
High Court after the Supreme Court on Tuesday had said that such petitions
relating to violence be moved in high courts concerned.Apart from seeking
appointment of a fact-finding committee, comprising former judges of the
SC and the high court, PIL also wants no
FIRs be lodged against students and no coercive steps be taken in complaints
already registered, in connection with the violence, till the panel gives its
report.It has also sought a direction to the police not to enter the university
campus without requisite permission from the concerned authorities.The petition
also seeks directions to Delhi government and police to allow students to enter
the university, as well as compensation and proper medical treatment for those
injured in the violence at the university.PTI
Arundhati Roy, Devdutt Pattanaik, Ramachandra Guha among writers to
speak out against CAA
Joining the chorus against the amended citizenship law, a number of
Indian writers, including Arundhati Roy, Devdutt Pattanaik and Ramachandra
Guha, said the "anti-India" legislation is set to "break the
back of our Constitution".Some of the writers, including Pattanaik, also
criticised the police crackdown against students protesting against the law in
Delhi's Jamia Millia and AMU.Amidst protests across the country,
writer-activist Roy compared the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) with the
"1935 Nuremberg Laws of the Third Reich" and appealed to people to
"stand up".PTI
Protest, Marches Against CAA to Mark Shaheedi Diwas on Dec 19
New Delhi: On Shaheedi Diwas of freedom fighters Ram Prasad Bismil,
Ashfaqullah Khan and Roshan Singh on Thursday, a host of NGOs, citizen groups
and opposition parties are coming together to oppose the Citizenship Amendment
Act.The epicentre of the protest is in New Delhi and Mumbai.The three freedom
fighters went to the gallows opposing the British rule in 1927.There are 60
organisations who are behind the call for the protest including Swaraj
Abhiyan.National Action Against Citizenship Amendment (NAACA) Act issued a
statement which said, “the discriminatory and divisive Citizenship (Amendment)
Act, is an assault on our Constitution and the inclusive, composite vision of
India that guided our freedom struggle.”“Republic of India is founded on the
negation of the two-nation theory that viewed citizenship through the prism of
religion. The recent Amendment to the Citizenship Act brings back the
two-nation theory by introducing a distinction between Muslims and non-Muslims
for purposes of granting exemption for citizenship by naturalisation”, said the
statement.Under the aegis of ‘Hum Bharat ke Log’, the programme is supported by
all the major opposition parties including the Congress and NCP.A meeting,
which was attended by all the major political parties, took place in Mumbai on
Tuesday.In Mumbai, the famous August Kranti Maidan, associated with the Quit
India Movement, will host the event on Thursday.In New Delhi, a march will be
organised from the iconic Red Fort to Shaheed Park at 11 a.m. All the major
political parties are likely to participate in it.IANS
Left parties to hold protests across country against CAA and NRC on
December 19
#MumbaiAgainstCAA: Complete list of protests happening today and
tomorrow
Shaken and stirred: From Punjab to Tamil Nadu, CAA fire singes India
Citizens Across India Stand United Against CAA
Farhan Akhtar urges people to gather at August Kranti Maidan over CAA,
NRC; says time to protest on social media is over
With the protests over the Citizenship Amendment Act showing no signs of
slowing down, one of Bollywood's most outspoken actors Farhan Akhtar has now
put out a post detailing why people are protesting against CAB and NRC. The
actor's post comes at a time when top Bollywood actors have maintained their
silence over the issue, despite violent protests across the country. Among the
few actors who have raised their voice are Anurag Kashyap, Kubbra Sait, Sudhir
Mishra, Dia Mirza, Huma S Qureshi, Riteish Deshmukh, Sushant Singh, Renuka
Shahane. mumbaimirror
Short-staffed and overburdened: How doctors at Alshifa hospital managed
— with some help
New Delhi :On Sunday, Alshifa Multi-speciality hospital in South Delhi’s
Okhla was in a fix as the number of people injured following the police action
on Jamia Millia Islamia campus kept increasing.The hospital had only two
doctors and a few nursing staff to cater to more than 150 people—mostly
students standing at the hospital’s gallery, with complaints of breathlessness
or injuries to their legs, hands and torso. As the doctors made frantic calls
to colleagues, they found most of them were stuck due to the chaos and
barricading in the area.To their surprise, five doctors — one each from AIIMS,
RML, Lady Hardinge and two from private hospitals residing nearby — volunteered
to help. From an anesthestist to a gynaecologist, doctors from the area came
forward to handle the rush of injured.“Our doctors were unable to reach the
hospital due to the situation in the area. As it was Sunday, the hospital
strength was extremely thin. We were trying to provide treatment to each and
every patient coming to us,” said Dr Modassin Azim, consultant at the
hospital’s emergency unit.“This was all unexpected and staff at the hospital
were not enough to deal with the patient load. But doctors managed to treat all
patients, and some doctors from other hospitals also volunteered,” said Dr
Abdul Nazar, the hospital director. On Sunday, there were just three nurses in
the emergency to deal with the patient load.Dr Saif Nizam, who works with a
government hospital and lives in Okhla, turned up after seeing posts on social
media. “Whenever there’s a casualty, we are always called to the hospital to
treat patients. I was home when news of the violence broke. Being a doctor, and
above that, a citizen, I thought I should immediately reach and see if they
need help. The hospital staff was already trying to manage patients,” he
said.Dr Nizam treated around 5-6 patients and offered them basic first-aid and
stitches. Doctors at Alshifa soon began updating their WhatsApp statuses,
asking fellow doctors for help. One such message reached Dr Adiba Siddquie, a
resident medical officer at a private hospital. “Several doctors put up
statuses on WhatsApp and Facebook asking for help. As I lived nearby, I rushed
to the hospital and met doctors in the emergency department. I helped them
provide basic medical care and some medical examinations,”said Dr Siddiquie.indianexpress
How short-staffed Al-Shifa helped injured Jamia students
Pakistan Hindus, Sikhs, Christians reject CAA, do not want Indian PM
Modi’s offer of citizenship
Dubai: Pakistani minorities have strongly condemned the new Citizenship
Amendment Act (CAA), which discriminates against Muslims. They have also
rejected India’s offer to grant them citizenship under the new law. They said
they are not interested in taking refuge in India and rejected Indian Prime
Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘humanitarian’ gesture. Speaking to Gulf News, Dileep
Kumar, a Dubai-based Pakistani Hindu, said: “The law from India is totally
against [the] spiritual norms of humanity and Sanatana dharma.” Sanatana dharma
is term used in Hinduism to denote the
set of duties or religiously ordained practices incumbent upon all
Hindus, regardless of class, caste or sect.“As humans, we cannot discriminate,
irrespective of any religious followings. We do not want Muslims of India to face
terror. We condemn the law as religious persecution is unacceptable to Hindus
of Pakistan,” Kumar added. Reverend Johan Qadir, a Sharjah-based Pakistani
Christian community leader, said that Pakistani Christian community also
rejected the new Citizenship Amendment Bill. “We, Christians of Pakistan, are
not at all interested [in taking] refuge in India. I must say that the Modi’s
citizenship bill does not favour the minorities at all as it is discriminatory
and against basic human rights.” Citing the harassment of minorities in
Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, Indian parliament recently amended its
citizenship law, offering citizenship rights to Hindu, Buddhist, Christian,
Parsi and Jain communities migrating from these countries. “Pakistan’s Hindu community
unanimously rejects this bill, which is tantamount to dividing India on
communal lines,” Raja Asar Manglani, patron of the Pakistan Hindu Council,
earlier told Anadolu Agency.“This is a unanimous message from Pakistan’s entire
Hindu community to Indian Prime Minister Modi. A true Hindu will never support
this legislation,” he said. He added that the law has violated India’s own
constitution.Senator Anwar Lal Dean, a Christian member of Pakistani
parliament’s upper house, also said the law is meant to pitch religious
communities against each other, reported the Express Tribune.“This is a clear
violation of fundamental human rights. We categorically reject it,” said Dean,
a leader of the opposition Pakistan People’s Party. “Through such unjust and uncalled
steps, the Modi government wants to pitch religious communities against each
other,” he said. Pakistan’s tiny Sikh community has also denounced the
controversial law. “Not only Pakistani Sikhs but the entire Sikh community in
the world, including those in India, also condemn this move,” said Gopal Singh,
leader of the Baba Guru Nanak in Pakistan. “Sikh community is a minority both
in India and Pakistan. Being a member of a minority, I can feel the pain and
the fears of the Muslim minority [in India]. This is simply persecution,” he
said. Singh urged Modi not to push minorities' “backs to the wall.”gulfnews
Citizenship Act protests: Over 10,000 academics, scholars condemn
‘police brutality’ at Jamia, AMU
Over 10,000 academics, scholars, teachers, students and members of civil
society from around the world have condemned the alleged police brutality
against students at Jamia Millia Islamia University in Delhi and AMU in Uttar
Pradesh. They have expressed their unconditional support to the students,
faculty and staff of the two varsities. They also said the amended Citizenship
Act “contravenes the right to equality and secular citizenship enshrined in the
Indian Constitution”.“We stand in unconditional solidarity with the students,
faculty and staff of Jamia and AMU, and express our horror at this violent
police and state action,” they said in their statement. “With them, we affirm
the right of citizens to peaceful protest and the autonomy of the university as
a non-militarised space for freedom of thought and expression. The
brutalisation of students and the attack on universities is against the
fundamental norms of a democratic society.”They said they were watching the
situation with extreme concern. “We refuse to remain silent at the violence unleashed
on our colleagues (students, staff and faculty) peacefully protesting the
imposition of a discriminatory and unjust law.”“Peaceful demonstration and
gathering of citizens does not constitute criminal conduct,” the signatories
said. “Police action in the Jamia and AMU campuses is blatantly illegal under
the constitution of India.”The signatories include Romila Thapar, Noam Chomsky,
Judith Butler, Nivedita Menon, Sudipto Kaviraj, Veena Das, Uma Chakravarti,
Partha Chatterjee, Homi Bhaba, Akeel Bilgrami, Tanika Sarkar, Mahmood Mamdani
and Sheldon Pollock, among others. The signatories are from over 1,100
universities, colleges and academic institutions including the Harvard
University, Princeton University, London School of Economics, UC Berkeley, Yale
University, Cambridge and Oxford Universities. Academics from prominent Indian
institutes like JNU, Delhi University, IIT, Indian Statistical Institute and
the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research.scroll.in
Thapar, Chomsky and 10,000 More Decry Police Brutality at Jamia, AMU
Jamia students’ demand for access to CCTV footage given the cold
shoulder
CCTV footage, seen by some university officials at Jamia Milia, support
the students’ version that police action in the campus on Sunday evening was
brutal, unprovoked and disproportionate.Sections of students also want access
to the footage so that they can file cases and demand for compensation. But
chances are, said a university official, that footage would be handed over to
the HRD ministry.While many of the CCTV cameras in the library and elsewhere in
the campus were destroyed or damaged, allegedly by the police, the recorded
footage is likely to reproduce scenes before cameras were
destroyed.nationalheraldindia
Fact Check: Old image of Egyptian child kidnapper passed off as Jamia
protester
:Jamia Millia Islamia University is at the centre of controversy after
Sunday’s protest against the Citizen Amendment Act, with videos and photos
linked to the incident going viral on social media. Amid this, an image of a
burqa-clad man has caught the attention of netizens. Several Facebook users
have posted the photo, with the claim that he is a student of Jamia, caught
arsoning and pelting stones in the disguise of a woman. The man in the viral
image is seen wearing jeans and burqa, with brassier on his chest. The archived
version of the post can be seen here.India Today Anti Fake News War Room (AFWA)
has found the claim to be false. The man in the viral image is from Cairo,
Egypt, and is in no way related to Jamia protest. He was arrested for
kidnapping children from malls in the disguise of a woman. The incident is 2
years old.With the help of reverse image search, we found that the picture has
been viral since 2017. indiatoday
As AMU vacates its hostels, students from Kashmir and northeast caught
in limbo
AMU’s decision to declare early winter vacations and ask students to
vacate hostels following Sunday’s violent protests against the amended
Citizenship Act have left a section of students from Kashmir and North-East
with no place to go. Till Tuesday night, about 95 per cent of students had left
for their hometowns, AMU spokesperson Professor Shafay Kidwai said. Around 200
students, who stayed put in their rooms, were given an ultimatum to leave by 11
am Wednesday.While the university administration arranged for buses to ferry students
till Jammu, those from the Valley were in a state of limbo after connectivity
to Kashmir was hit due to heavy snowfall. Srinagar-Jammu Highway is closed due
to bad weather while air traffic to the Valley is suspended till Dec. 22.The
university’s sudden decision has caused inconvenience to students, especially
research scholars from Kashmir, who have to submit their final dissertations
next month.On Tuesday, 26 people booked in connection with Sunday violence were
released on personal bonds. indianexpress
Anti-CAA protests at AMU: Actions of UP Police motivated by desire to
'show students their place':fact-finding report
The actions of Uttar Pradesh Police on 15 and 16 December at AMU were
brutal but also vindictive, a fact-finding report by HRLN has said.The report
was written by a three-member fact-finding team, comprising Aman Khan and Fazal
from HRLN, and Fawaz Shaheen of the Quill Foundation.'The entire incident is a
shocking display of police brutality and impunity in the face of peaceful
democratic protests by AMU students,' the report said.The actions of Uttar
Pradesh Police on 15 and 16 December at Aligarh Muslim University were not only
brutal but also vindictive motivated by a desire to ‘show students their
place’, a fact-finding report by NGO Human Rights Law Network (HRLN) said.The
report was written by a 3-member fact-finding team, comprising Aman Khan and
Fazal from HRLN, and Fawaz Shaheen of the Quill Foundation. The HRLN's report
on the police actions at AMU said, "The entire incident is a shocking
display of police brutality and impunity in the face of peaceful democratic
protests by AMU students... All witnesses we spoke to recalled (that) the
police was hurling insults and abuses of a rabidly communal nature at the
students and the university at large. These communal abuses were being shouted
even before they lathi-charged the protest, and only intensified as they moved
further into the university, targeting individual students with their lathis,
tear gas shells, rubber bullets and pellets."The report said that a total
of 60 students were injured during the protests.firstpost
2 AMU students in ICU, hands of two more blown off by stun grenades
“Spent a harrowing day in AMU on 17th. The police violence there
surpasses Jamia, worse than what I have seen in any campus. Injuries and
torture of students. 13k students forced to leave campus overnight. University
administration has shamefully abandoned the students in its care,” tweeted
activist and former bureaucrat Harsh Mander after a visit to Aligarh.Even as
details of the brutal attack on AMU students continue to emerge, Maskoor
Usmani, President of the AMU Students’ Union tweeted a picture that shows a
student, ostensibly a victim, lying prone on the ground.nationalheraldindia
Government, FIR differ on student role
New Delhi:Union home ministry on Tuesday said no Jamia Millia Islamia
student had been involved in Sunday’s street violence, but a day earlier the
police had filed an FIR booking 3 student leaders of the university and others
on rioting charges.A home ministry statement said: “So far the investigation
has revealed that no Jamia student was involved in the violence. Ten persons
have been arrested and none of them is (a) student. The arrested persons have
criminal antecedents.”But the FIR charges Jamia students Chandan Kumar, Asif
Tanha and “Kasim Usmani” with offences ranging from culpable homicide to
rioting and assaulting public servants.Chandan is unit secretary of CPIML
Liberation’s AISA; Asif belongs to SIO; and AAP’s Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti
has a leader named Qasim Usmani who had urged the students to join a Gandhi
Peace March on Sunday from the campus to Okhla.Asked why the police had
forcibly entered the campus and beaten up the students if they had not been
involved in the violence, the ministry official briefing reporters on Tuesday
remained silent.A senior police officer echoed what the force had earlier said
and home minister Amit Shah repeated on Tuesday: that “outsiders” had entered
the campus and thrown stones at the cops outside, prompting the police
raid.Those named in FIR include local political activists Ashu Khan, Mustafa,
Haider and former Congress MLA Asif Muhamad Khan.At a news conference on
Tuesday, Iqbal, who is injured, said he and others were beaten all the way back
to the Jamia campus from the “peaceful demonstration” at New Friends Colony.
Chandan had earlier told this newspaper that he was in the library and was
beaten up by the police on Sunday evening.
Jamia Protest: Police Files FIR against 3 Students, 4 Local Politicians;
10 Others Sent to Jail
Uttar Pradesh: 113 held for violence during protests over citizenship
law
As many as 113 persons have been arrested across the state, including at
least 25 in the past 24 hours, in connection with alleged violence and unlawful
assembly during protests against the new citizenship law.The highest number or
arrests in the past 24 hours was made in Mau where 19 were arrested after a
police station was vandalised Monday, followed by five arrests in Lucknow. So
far, 3 FIRs were registered against around nearly 700 unidentified
persons.indianexpress
Bengaluru Protests: Police Outnumber Students, Detain 9 For Hours
Bengaluru: On Tuesday, fists of students from different colleges were
seen rising at Freedom Park in Bengaluru to the slogans of ‘azadi‘ and ‘CAB
down down’ to reject Citizenship (Amendment) Act and to express solidarity with
Jamia Millia, AMU and Delhi University (DU) in their struggle against police
brutality.Police detained at least nine students. Teresa Braggs, a third year
media and communication student from a women’s university in Vasanth Nagar and
Anahita Ananth, along with seven more students were detained. They had showed
up at Town Hall prior to the scheduled time of the protest. They were all
released.The march was organised by students who expressed strong aversion to associating
themselves with political parties. Vaishnavi Suresh, who – post detention of
protest organisers- stepped in last minute to lead the march explained that the
protest was supposed to be originating at Mount Carmel College (MCC) but due to
a denied permit it was shifted to Palace Road, where permission was again
denied. She said the students then submitted an intimation letter to DCP
informing about the march from Town Hall to Freedom Park at 11:4 5am – saying
that the protest was not illegal. thewire
Anti-CAA protest outside Jamia enters 3rd day
Anti-govt posters covered the long boundaries of Jamia Millia Islamia as
protest against the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act and the proposed
National Register of Citizens outside the university continued for the third
consecutive day on Wednesday.The protesters, including students and local
residents, hung a large map of India outside the varsity gate number 7 showing
the places where students from other universities across the country are
carrying out protests against the CAA. Another large poster urged the
protesters “to maintain the acceleration with zero violence (sic)“.People from
nearby areas and students started gathering outside the gate number 7 around
10:30 am.PTI
Nizamabad: Revoke Citizenship Amendment Act
Nizamabad: Members of PDSU, SIO and NSUI groups organised a protest
march at Dharna Chowrasta here on Tuesday, opposing the Citizenship Amendment
Act. Speaking on the occasion, PDSU district president Kalpana, SIO city
president Mohammed Khalil and NSUI State secretary Vipul Goud pointed out that
granting citizenship on the basis of religion is against the spirit of secular
democratic Indian constitution. Prime Minister Narendra Home Minister Amit Shah
are conspiring to divide and rule the people. There are many attacks on women
in the country, rising prices of essential commodities and the government and
the public are provoking conflicts in govt, they said.thehansindia
‘Student Till I Die’: Kamal Hassan on Day 3 of Madras Univ CAA Protests
In solidarity with students of Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) and AMU,
students of Madras University in Chennai continued their protest for third
consecutive day today, against the Citizenship Amendment Act.The students
strongly condemned AIADMK-led state government for extending support to a
legislation ‘that discriminates people according to their religion.’The
students of the university began protesting on Monday. Following continuous
protests, police entered the campus and the management announced that the
college will be closed till 23 Dec. However, this morning when students tried
to enter campus to continue with the protest, they were barred entry. A handful
of students continue to raise slogans from inside. Makkal Needhi Maiam
President Kamal Haasan also reached the university, but wasn’t allowed inside.
He spoke to the students protesting inside. “I am a student till I die. Our
students have been made refugees here. This is beyond the party. This is our
responsibility. Today’s news is tomorrow’s history. If the law is not useful
for the people, it should get removed. We are moving towards dictatorship. The
drama has begun. We should wake up. It’s a draconian control,” said Kamal
Haasan. Meanwhile, the police have barricaded the media and placed them at a
distance from the gates.thequint
Citizenship Law Has "Nothing To Do With India's Muslims":
Shahi Imam
New Delhi: Appealing for restraint while exercising what he calls the
democratic right to protest, the Shahi Imam of Delhi's Jama Masjid has stressed
that the citizenship law at the core of massive protests across the country
"has nothing to do with Muslims living in India". He also reminds
that NRC, the other trigger for the protests, "has not become a law"
yet. "To protest is the democratic right of the people of India, no one
can stop us from doing it. However, it is important that it is done in control,
keeping our emotions in control is the most important part," Shahi Imam
Syed Ahmed Bukhari said. He also sought to explain that the citizenship law
does not affect Muslims living in India but Muslim refugees from Pakistan,
Afghanistan and Bangladesh.ndtv
Citizenship Amendment Act: No threat to any Indian Muslim or any other
citizen: Naqvi
Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Wednesday
said there was no “question mark” on or threat to citizenship of any Indian
Muslim or any other citizen due to Citizenship Amendment Act recently cleared
by Parliament.When asked about apprehensions over NRC exercise that Union Home
Minister Amit Shah said would be implemented through the country, Naqvi said it too was not something people
should have apprehensions about. thehindu
‘Give us jobs, not NRC’: Pune's Fergusson College protests in solidarity
with Jamia, AMU
Pune :Students of Fergusson College in Pune Tuesday organised a protest
and signature campaign against the police crackdown on students of Jamia Millia
Islamia and AMU, and against the Citizenship Amendment Act. Carrying portraits
of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, the students chanted slogans like
‘hum ek hain (we are united)’, ‘Hindutva Nahi bandhutva chahiye (we want
brotherhood, not Hindutva), ‘NRC nahi rozgar chahiye (We want employment, not
NRC)’, and ‘Hindu-Muslim ek hai, Modi-Shah fake hai‘. The protesters then
converged at the main gate, where they spoke on the issue one by one.“This
protest is being organised by the student community. All progressive-minded and
secular individuals or parties can come and join us,” said Santosh Rasave, a
protester. Students, however, were not allowed to hold a signature campaign
outside the college.indianexpress
Police Issues Notice to Prevent BHU Students' Anti-CAA March
Varanasi: Police has issued a notice addressed to the students of
Banaras Hindu University (BHU) asking
them refrain from leading any marches outside the campus premises to protest
the amended citizenship law.The notice has been issued under provisions of
section 149 (preventing commission of a cognizable offence) of CrPC, an
official said.The students have also been warned that action will be taken
against them if they disobey the notice issued by police, he said.BHU students
had organised a march from the campus’ main gate to the Ravidas Gate to demonstrate
against the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Act and NRC.PTI
Large Gatherings Banned After Violent Protests In East Delhi, 6 Arrested
New Delhi: Prohibitory orders were issued in northeast Delhi this morning,
banning the gathering of large crowds as a preventive measure, after violent
clashes erupted in Seelampur region of east Delhi on Tuesday afternoon. Six
people have been arrested and three FIRs have been filed in connection with the
violence that broke out yesterday during a protest against the controversial
new citizenship law; an additional FIR has been filed for stone-pelting that
broke out in Brij Puri area. Cops have indicated that people with criminal
backgrounds had been part of the protest and could have incited violence..ndtv
"Cops Broke My Shop, Seen On CCTV": Travel Agent In Delhi's
Seelampur
New Delhi: The owner of a travel agency in east Delhi's Seelampur has
complained to the Delhi Police that his shop was damaged by policemen without
any provocation while they were trying to control hundreds of protesters on
Monday. Hundreds of people had come out on the streets in Seelampur in protest
against the amended Citizenship Act. A police bus and a picket were set on fire
by the protesters.The owner of the shop, Anis Malik, said he has given CCTV
footage of the incident to the police and expects compensation.The front glass
at the shop is shattered, the computers inside are broken and the telephone on
the travel desk is smashed. Pieces of broken glass are scattered on the
table."I was at my shop till 2 pm. Some policemen told me to close the
shop and go home as the situation might escalate, and since I am differently
abled it would be even more dangerous for me in the crowd," Malik said.
"I somehow got the shutters down, didn't lock it in a hurry and left.
Later, I saw my shop has been vandalised. On seeing video clips, the policemen
had opened the shutters and went about breaking everything," he said.Malik
said two people were seen being thrashed by the policemen, but they were not
protesters. "They work at shop adjacent to mine," he said.He said a
senior officer at the local police station told him they would compensate
him.ndtv
Actor Renuka urges PM Modi to stop BJP IT cell from spreading hate
On Monday, when protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act was raging
across the nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed for peace, saying
violent protests are unfortunate and deeply distressing. "Debate,
discussion and dissent are essential parts of democracy but, never has damage
to public property and disturbance of normal life been a part of our
ethos," he had tweeted.Further, the prime minister had also urged people
to maintain peace, unity and brotherhood and appealed them to "stay away
from any sort of rumour mongering and falsehoods."Reacting to the prime
minister's appeal, popular actor Renuka Shahane took to Twitter to point out
that it is IT cell of BJP that is responsible for spreading "the most
amount of the most amount of rumours, falsehoods."theweek
"20-25 Armed Cops Burst In...": Jamia Student Who Lost Sight
In Left Eye
New Delhi: 3 days after cops barged into Delhi's Jamia Millia Islamia
and lathi-charged students inside the university's central library, one of the
students has lost sight in his left eye. Minahjuddin, 26, a final-year LLM
student who was studying in the library's MPhil section, said tudents were
attacked by a group of 20-25 "fully armed" policemen in riot gear and
wielding lathis. "They (the cops) burst in and started beating everyone
with lathis... they hit me too. They hit me on my hand and fractured my finger
and then on my eye. I tried to run away... I hid in the toilet, where I fell
bleeding and unconscious"."I was studying in the central library -
there is an MPhil section. We were told cops had entered the library. Then, where
we were sitting, between 20 and 25 fully armed policemen with helmets and
lathis burst in and started beating everyone," Minjahuddin, whose left eye
is still swollen, said.ndtv
"British Did Nothing Different In Jallianwala": Sena On Jamia
Crackdown
Mumbai: The Shiv Sena on Wednesday attacked the Central government over
the manner it handled protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).The
Sena in its mouthpiece Saamna said: "The whole country is in turmoil over
the CAA and the matter is now out of hands of the Centre. The country's
northeastern region is up in flames and protests have started in Bihar, Lucknow
and other states as well. The situation in Delhi is even worse." The Sena
mouthpiece further termed the attack on students of the Jamia Millia Islamia
University as "inhuman and unlawful" and once again compared it with
the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.ANI
"Amit Shah Becoming Worse Than General Dyer": NCP Leader Malik
Nagpur: Amid allegations of crackdown on protests against the
citizenship law, senior NCP leader Nawab Malik on Wednesday slammed Union Home
Minister Amit Shah and compared him with British General Reginald Dyer who
ordered troops to open fire on an unarmed crowd in Jallianwala Bagh."Amit
Shah is firing at citizens of the country in the same way General Dyer fired at
the people in Jallianwala Bagh. Amit Shah is no less than Dyer. The country is
not run by guns and violence," Nawab Malik told ANI.NCP
Top Muslim Leaders Decide To Launch Organized Campaign Against New
Citizenship Law
NEW DELHI; Top leaders of India’s largest Muslim organizations have
decided to jointly launch “an organized campaign” against the controversial
Citizenship (Amendment) Law which discriminates with Muslims on the basis of
religion.“We strongly condemn the Citizenship (Amendment) Law and consider it against
the fundamental structure of the Constitution and constitutional values. We
appeal to all peace-loving people of the country to oppose this law and put
pressure on the government to withdraw it,” said the Muslim leaders in a
resolution passed at the emergency meeting held Monday night in Delhi.The
leaders had gathered at the call of Syed Sadatullah Hussaini, President of
Jamaat-e-Islami Hind. They included: Maulana Mahmood Madani (Jamiat Ulama),
Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan (Ittehad-e-Millat Council), Dr. Zafarul Islam Khan
(Delhi Minorities Commission), Dr. Mohammad Manzoor Alam (All India Milli
Council), Navaid Hamid (All India Muslim Majlis-e Mushawarat), Maulana Shees
Taimi (Markazi Jamiat Ahle Hadees), Dr. SQR Ilyas (All India Muslim Personal
Law Board), Mohammad Jafar (Jamaat-e-Islami Hind), Maulana Niyaz Ahmad Farooqui
((Jamiat Ulama), Dr. Syed Zafar Mahmood (Zakat Foundation of India), Kamal
Farooqui ((All India Muslim Personal Law Board)), Mujtaba Farooque
(Jamaat-e-Islami Hind) and Abdul Jabbar Siddiqui (Jamaat-e-Islami Hind).India
Tomorrow
Citizenship protests will go down in history as one that saved
Constitution: Kanhaiya Kumar at Jamia
NEW DELHI: Former JNU students' union president Kanhaiya Kumar joined
the protest outside the Jamia Millia Islamia in Delhi on Wednesday and said the
demonstration was not just a fight to protect Muslims, but to protect the
entire country. Addressing a large gathering of protesters outside the
university's gate number 7, Kumar said people should be more worried about NRC,
which he said was much more dangerous than the controversial Citizenship
Act.The crowd erupted in cheers when Kumar said the protests against the
citizenship law would go down in history "as the one that saved the
Constitution".ET
Fearing defeat in Delhi Assembly polls, opposition spreading violence:
Kejriwal
AAP national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal alleged
on Wednesday that the “opposition” was “spreading violence” in the national
capital fearing defeat in the upcoming Assembly polls.Referring to incidents of
violence and arson in Delhi, Mr. Kejriwal said in a press briefing that people
should understand who are behind the “riots” and teach them lesson this time,
just like in the 2015 Assembly elections. Delhi BJP has been slamming the AAP
and its leaders for incidents of violence and arson in Jamia Millia Islamia and
Seelampur, and accused Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and MLA Amanatullah
Khan of “inciting” people.“I do not need to tell who has the power to cause
riots in the country,” he said.Parrying questions on Sisodia’s tweet hinting
role of police in arson and Khan’s
alleged “provocative” speech during a protest in Shaheen Bagh area, the Chief
Minister said, “The opposition which is levelling allegations knows who is
causing violence and arson. It’s apparent that the AAP is not going to benefit
from it, instead the party will be harmed. The opposition hopes it will benefit
them.PTI
Citizenship Act protests: Five students arrested in Vadodara for
objectionable graffiti
5 Fine Arts students of the Maharaja Sayajirao University in Vadodara
were arrested on Tuesday for allegedly making objectionable graffiti to protest
against the amended Citizenship Act, PTI reported. The graffiti included the
word “Modi”, said the police.In the graffiti, they wrote “no CAB Modi”, and
made the “swastika” sign in place of “o” in the word “Modi”. The ‘swastika’
symbolises fascism as it was used by Adolf Hitler’s Nazi party. It is, however,
also considered a sign of good luck by Hindus. They also painted the lotus,
which is BJP’s poll symbol.Those arrested were identified as Pulkit Gandhi,
Rajat Vyas, Ruchir Nair, Aryan Sharma and Ayajin Jonson. The police have also
seized three two-wheelers and mobile phones of the accused, reported Ahmedabad
Mirror.scroll
‘Why should I prove I’m Indian?’ Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel says he
will not sign NRC
Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel said on Tuesday that he will be the
“first person” to not sign NRC if the Centre implements it in the state. “We
have a big challenge in front of us with BJP at Centre,” Baghel told party
workers in Raipur. “Their policies are only to mislead people, to instigate
people, to set fire, to cut and divide.” The Congress leader was speaking on
the occasion of the completion of one year of his government.“Today the country
is burning. In different states there are fires burning, there is violence,”
Baghel said.scroll
Citizenship Law: BSP MPs Meet President, Seek Probe Against Delhi Police
New Delhi: Dubbing the amended citizenship law as "divisive"
and violative of constitutional provisions, BSP on Wednesday urged President
Ram Nath Kovind to rescind the legislation.The party also demanded a judicial
probe into "police excesses" on the students of Jamia Millia, AMU and
Nawada.In its memorandum, signed by its both Lok Sabha (10) and Rajya Sabha (4)
MPs, the party said that a judicial probe be initiated on the "illegal
action" of the Delhi Police against a "peaceful" protest
organised by the students.PTI
Anti-citizenship law hartal poised to disrupt life in Kerala
The general strike called by a cluster of organisations to protest the
“anti-Muslim” provisions of the Citizen (Amendment) Act seemed poised to
disrupt life in some measure in Kerala on Dec.17.Initial reports of
restiveness, minor street confrontations between demonstrators and police and
attacks on public transport buses have trickled in from Kasargod, Kannur,
Kozhikode, Malappuram, Wayanad, Alappuzha and Thiruvananthapuram.Strike
supporters vandalised KSRTC buses, impeded vehicular traffic, staged sit-in
demonstrations, waved flags, charged the police, toppled traffic barricades and
forced the closure of shops across the State.thehindu
‘Worried about India’s future’: Urdu writer Mujtaba Hussain to return
Padma Shri award
Noted Urdu writer and humorist Mujtaba Hussain on Wednesday said he had
decided to return his Padma Shri award as he was pained by the state of
democracy in India, PTI reported. 87-year-old author was awarded the
fourth-highest civilian award in 2007. Hussain said criminal activities were
increasing daily and democracy was under threat. “The democratic set up built
by Gandhi ji, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad,
Ambedkar, it is being broken,” he said. “The voice of many people is being
shut, many are being killed and poor people are not in a position to
laugh.”scroll
Modi's Comments on CAA Protestors 'Shameful, Shocking', :JD(U)'s Pavan
Varma
New Delhi: In a candid and outspoken interview that will cause tremors
in his JDU as well as its ally, the BJP
and the wider NDA, JD(U) national general secretary and chief
spokesperson Pavan Varma has accused Narendra Modi and Amit Shah of
deliberately pursuing policies that will divide India and disrupt the country’s
peace and harmony.Rather than tackle the economic, agricultural and employment
problems that are serious concerns, Varma says Modi and Shah are pursuing
policies like the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and NRC which threaten “the
fragile fabric of the country” and could, therefore, threaten its integrity.He
accused them of “arrogance and hubris” and said the attitude of the BJP is to
believe its party manifesto is more important than the Constitution of India.
He said Modi and Shah treat honest critics as anti-nationals.thewire
'Won't Sell Conscience' Says Actor Sushant Singh After TV Show Contract
Terminated
New Delhi: Actor Sushant Singh announced early on Tuesday that his contract
with Savdhaan India, a Hindi language crime show, had ended. The development
came just hours after Singh participated in a protest in Mumbai that condemned
police violence against students of Jamia Millia Islamia who were protesting
the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA).Singh hosted the show, which chronicles
true crime stories. Responding to a tweet which asked him if the termination
was the “price” he paid for speaking the truth, the actor seemed to confirm,
saying that it was a “very small price”.thewire
BJD, Which Voted For CAA, Doesn't Support NRC, Says
Naveen Patnaik
New Delhi: Odisha chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on
Wednesday said that his party, BJD , does not support NRC. Naveen’s BJD had
notably backed the amended citizenship law in parliament. The chief minister
said the reason BJD supported CAA was because it applies only to
foreigners.Naveen also appealed to the people of Odisha to maintain peace and
not fall for rumours.“The amended Citizenship Act has nothing to do with
Indians. It deals only with foreigners. BJD MPs both in the Lok Sabha and the
Rajya Sabha have made it clear that we do not support the NRC,” Patnaik told
reporters before leaving for the national capital.thewire
Christian member of Minorities Commission says
community welcomes CAA, 2 major bodies disagree
New Delhi: 2 major Christian organisations have
come out in opposition to the Citizenship Amendment Act, even as the Christian
member of the National Commission of Minorities asserted that the legislation
had been welcomed by the community.NCM vice chairman George Kurian, in a
statement on Tuesday, said that he had received messages from Christian leaders
welcoming Citizenship Amendment Act.“They tell me justice has finally been done
to Christians who are victims of draconian blasphemy laws, religious
conversions and abductions,” said Kurian, who is a BJP leader from Kerala.On
the same day, Nagpur-based National Council of Churches in India (NCCI) issued
a statement saying that the Act polarised communities and contravened the
fundamental principles of the constitution.Similarly, the Evangelical
Fellowship of India said that that it shared the concern of the “terrifying
impact of the enactment of amendments to citizenship law which threatens to
radically change the status of a large number of lndian citizens”.thewire
Voices outside Sabarmati Ashram on citizenship law:
‘It is against the spirit of Constitution’
Gandhinagar :Hundreds of students, civil rights
activists, academicians and professionals conducted a peaceful protest against
the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and NRC outside Sabarmati Ashram in
Ahmedabad Tuesday evening while calling the amended act “against the spirit of
Indian Constitution”.The demonstration was organised after police permission
was granted for peaceful protest at the venue for two hours in the evening. On
Monday, police had detained 57 persons from outside IIMA after they held a
peaceful protest against CAA without police permission.The protesters stood in
a row from the gate of Sabarmati Ashram that went across the Khet Bhavan near
the Dandi Bridge on Ashram Road. Holding placards, the protesters raised
slogans against the CAA and in favour of the secularism and communal harmony of
the country.indianexpress
Ganguly’s daughter voices her dissent on CAA
Board for Control of Cricket for India chief Sourav Ganguly’s
18-year-old daughter Sana was the latest addition to the huge group of
celebrities who have expressed their opinions on the new Citizenship Act. She
shared an excerpt from Khushwant Singh’s ‘The End of India’ (published in 2003)
on Instagram voicing her dissent on the Citizenship Amendment Act. “Every
fascist regime needs communities and groups it can demonize in order to thrive.
It starts with one group or two. But it never ends there. A movement built on
hate can only sustain itself by continually creating fear and strife,” reads
the exceprt. Nationalheraldindia
AMU students allege they were tortured in police custody after Sunday
protests
Watch: Jamia students make way for ambulance during Citizenship law
protests
From Harvard to Oxford, Students Protest CAA in Freezing Cold
*OTHERS*
SC rejects review plea of 16 December gangrape-murder convict
New Delhi: The Supreme Court Wednesday rejected the review petition
filed by Akshay Kumar Singh, one of the four men convicted in the 2012 December
gangrape and murder case and awarded death penalty.The court said there was no
ground to say it’s not a rarest of the rare case.A 3-judge bench of Justice R
Banumathi, Justice Ashok Bhushan and Justice A.S. Bopanna announced the
judgment after hearing Akshay’s lawyer A.P. Singh for 30 minutes and Solicitor
General Tushar Mehta, who was appearing for Delhi Police.Reading out the
verdict, Justice Bhanumathi said “the petitioner has again sought to assail the
merits of the prosecution case”.Akshay had sought a review of the 2017 Supreme
Court judgment upholding his death penalty in the case. Akshay, 33, along with
the other three convicts Mukesh (30), Pawan Gupta (23) and Vinay Sharma (24),
brutally gangraped a 23-year-old paramedical student in a moving bus on the
intervening night of Dec.16-17, 2012. The woman died of her injuries a few days
later.theprint
Supreme Court takes suo motu cognisance of rising rape cases, seeks
details from states, High Courts
The Supreme Court today took suo motu cognisance of the rising number of
rape cases in India, and sought responses and status reports from all states,
Union Territories and High Courts by Feb.7, PTI reported. The court has asked
for information about investigation, collection of evidence, forensic and
medical evidence, recording of statement of complainants and the time frame for
trials.A bench comprising Chief Justice SA Bobde and Justices BR Gavai and
Surya Kant said it needs to collate information for holistic implementation of
the anti-rape law’s provisions.scroll
Ayodhya trust will have no BJP member, Centre won’t spend money on the
temple, says Amit Shah
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said no one from BJP will be part of
the trust that will oversee the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya. On
November 9, the Supreme Court’s five-judge Constitution bench had asked the
Centre to set up a trust within three months to oversee the construction of a
Ram temple at the site in Ayodhya where the Babri Masjid stood till 1992.“I
want to make two things clear: there won’t be any trustee from among BJP
members and the government will not spend anything on the project,” Shah said
in an interview to Times Now. “The trust will have to collect donations from
the society to make it [temple].” Media reports had suggested that Shah and
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath will be part of the trust.Asked by when
the temple will come up, Shah said “the people making” it will decide on the
timeline. However, during an election rally in Jharkhand on Monday, Shah had
said that a grand Ram temple “touching the skies” will be built in Ayodhya
within 4 months.scroll
CPI(M) demands Kiran Bedi’s removal for attending Babri demolition
re-enactment
CPI(M) has demanded that Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi be removed
from her post for being a part of a function in which a re-enactment of the
Babri mosque demolition was performed.“After the Supreme Court’s Ayodhya
verdict in which the SC said Babri demolition was a grossly illegal act, for
Kiran Bedi to attend such a function in a school run by RSS is outrageous and
atrocious,” CPI(M) politburo member Brinda Karat said. “She has no right to
remain in post of governor and should be dismissed forthwith,” Karat said.Bedi
and Union minister D V Sadananda Gowda were among the dignitaries who attended
the event on Sunday.PTI
UP: Over 100 BJP MLAs sit on dharna against own govt, accusing Yogi
Adityanath govt of arrogance
In a shocking development in Uttar Pradesh, over 100 BJP MLAs protested
against their own party in the state assembly, accusing the Yogi Adityanath
government in the state of arrogance and high-handedness.The stand-off started
when BJP MLA from Loni, Nand Kishor Gurjar, was not allowed to speak in the
assembly when he rose to explain his side in an assault case registered against
him and to complain of harassment. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Khanna
asked him to sit down instead. Gurjar then sat on a dharna inside the house
against the Speaker Hriday Narayan Dikshit's decision, and was soon joined by
fellow BJP MLAs. Opposition members, led by Leader of Opposition and Samajwadi
Party leader Ram Govind Chaudhary, too joined in the protest. The MLAs also
raised slogans calling for unity among the legislators. Dikshit, reportedly,
said that the “insult of one MLA is equal to insulting all the MLAs”. The
opposition members also said that if the MLAs of the ruling party were not
allowed to speak in the assembly, how can the opposition expect to be
heard.Though the protest was called off later after Dikshit assured the
protesting members that corrective action will be taken, the session was
adjourned for the day.theweek
Srinagar's Jamia Masjid Opens For First Time Since J&K's Special
Status Was Scrapped
Srinagar: Srinagar's main mosque Jamia Masjid re-opened for prayers on
Wednesday for the first time since Jammu and Kashmir's special status was
scrapped by the central government in August and severe curbs imposed. For the
first time in over four months, authorities may allow the Friday prayers this week,
sources said.Some 70 worshippers were led by Mufti Ghulam Rasool in afternoon
prayers inside the sprawling mosque, which can accommodate 30,000.Locals
believe the recent closure was the longest at the 13th-century mosque since
India's independence in 1947.ndtv
With No Internet, Kashmir Journalist Forced to Work as Labourer
Ever since the suspension of internet services in Kashmir,
photojournalist Muneeb-Ul-Islam has been forced to work as a daily-wage
labourer.“I’ve been working as a photographer forthe past 10 years from South
Kashmir. Since the conditions worsened after 5 August (abrogation of Article
370), the financial condition at home kept getting worse. I didn’t have any
money. There were several expenses at home, so I took this route and for a few
days I worked as a labourer,” Muneeb said.A resident of Anantnag district in
Kashmir, Muneeb has been working as a freelance photo-journalist in the Valley
and contributing to many media agencies and newsrooms internationally and
within India, including The Quint.Muneeb told The Quint that there were no
internet services for journalists. “There is a media centre in Srinagar but it
used to cost Rs 1,500 per day to reach there. The expense was high and we
couldn’t afford it. Additionally, the office doesn’t pay that much to cover the
cost.”He said all district reporters from Anantnag, Pulwama to Shopian and
Kulgam are facing similar issues.Muneeb said internet services continue to be
shut in Kashmir, he adds, that there is no lockdown. “The civil transport is
working because of which I can go to Srinagar’s media centre and send my stories
whenever I have to,” he said.“They treated us as if we, the media persons, are
responsible for everything (happening in Kashmir). Just like they’ve locked up
politicians, they locked us up too, as if we are responsible for this,” Muneeb
told The Quint.The Quint
Bombay HC judge stands up for students’ right to dissent amid widespread
protests
New Delhi: A Bombay High Court judge spoke up on the importance of
dissent in educational institutions Tuesday, saying “if the right to dissent is
taken away, then you take away the space and opportunity for his (student)
fundamental construct”.The remarks by Justice Gautam Patel came amid widespread
student protests in campuses across the country against an amended citizenship
law that was passed by Parliament last week.“Commitment to a plurality of
voices and space for dissent is crucial to any educational institution… If you
take away that right, I would argue, by an external determination of the
student body, you take away the space and opportunity for his (student)
fundamental construct,” said Patel.Justice Patel also said that any government
that claims to be a true democracy has nothing to fear from dissent.theprint
Gujarat riots: Ashish Pandey, accused in Gulbarg Society Riot Case
Acquitted
Ahmedabad: An accused in the 2002 Gulbarg Society massacre case has been
acquitted by a special court here for lack of evidence.Ashish Pandey, the
accused, was arrested on Jan.10, 2018, after being on the run for almost 16
years. The case pertained to a mob attack on Gulbarg Society here on Feb.28,
2002, in which 69 persons including former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri were
killed.The attack took place a day after the Godhra train burning incident.M.K.
Dave, judge for cases probed by SIT, acquitted Pandey, granting him the benefit
of the doubt as one of the survivors failed to identify him before the court.
PTI
2008 Jaipur Blasts Case: 4 convicted, one acquitted
Jaipur: Pronouncing the judgment in 2008 Jaipur serial bomb blasts case
that led to the killing of about 73 people, a special court in Jaipur, on
Wednesday, convicted four accused – Mohammad Saif, Salman, Mohammad Sarwar Azmi
and Saiffurehman – and acquitted one accused, Shahbaz Hussain. On May 13, 2008,
the walled city of Jaipur was shocked by a series of bomb blasts, beginning at
Manak Chowk and followed by Hanuman temple in Chandpole, Hanuman temple in
Sanganeri gate, Johri bazar, Badi chaupar, Choti chaupar, Tripolia bazar and
Sargasuli.Rajasthan ATS and the state Special Operation Group investigated the
case and submitted the chargesheet against the 5 accused: Shahbaz Hussain,
Mohammed Saif, Sarvar Azami, Saif-ur-Rahman and Salman.However, the court couldn’t
prove the involvement of Shahbaz Hussain, and therefore, acquitted him.Human
rights groups and civil society members have vigilantly objected to the framing
of Hussain in the case. PUCL conducted an investigation into the case and
presented a fact-finding report that rebutted the Rajasthan police’s claims
against Hussain.Rajasthan police had alleged that Shahbaz Hussain made
transactions worth crores of rupees from his accounts to finance the terror
attack. When PUCL team checked his accounts in the IndusInd Bank and the SBI,
the claims were proven wrong.“In the account with IndusInd bank, the balance
was zero and in that with SBI, balance was Rajasthan Rs 1,806 and there was no
transaction between Dec.2007 and May, 2008. The single largest transaction in
Hussain’s account was that of Rs 15,000,” PUCL report reads. Police also
claimed that Hussain had sent an e-mail from a cybercafe in Sahibabad in
Ghaziabad between May 10 and 13, 2008, just before the blasts in Jaipur.
However, verification of his call log suggested that he was present in Lucknow
at the time.Hussain’s identification by the owner of the cafe, more than five
months after he allegedly visited it, had also raised obvious doubts.thewire
India Should Take Urgent Action To Tackle Air Pollution: UN Body
Official
Madrid: India should take "urgent action" to tackle air
pollution as the levels of toxic air in many cities of the country are much
higher than the recommended guidelines, which could have a major impact on people's
health, WHO Director Maria Neira said.Several studies conducted by WHO, Centre
for Science and Environment and other journals such as The Lancet have linked
pollution with premature deaths in India. Union Environment Minister Prakash
Javadekar recently told the parliament that there was no Indian study to show
any correlation between pollution and shortening of lifespan.NDTV
Economy in crisis: IMF may downgrade India’s growth forecast, says chief
economist Gita Gopinath
Even as it’s facing stiff resistance from university students and other
groups over the implementation of the discriminatory Citizenship (Amendment)
Act (CAA), the Modi government received another thumbs down, with the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Tuesday expressing doubts over PM Narendra
Modi’s much-touted claim of making India a $5 trillion economy by 2025. The IMF
is also set to downgrade India growth forecast.Gita Gopinath, the India-born
chief economist with the IMF, said that in view of the recent incoming data, it
is doubtful that the IMF would be revising the country’s growth estimate in
January 2020.“IMF is set to cut the growth estimate for India significantly,”
she said while speaking at an event organised by a private news channel in Mumbai.According
to analysts, fall in consumption, lack of private investment and sluggish
exports are responsible for a slower GDP growth which slid to a six-year low of
4.5 per cent in September.Apart from IMF, the RBI and other economy watchers
have already done downward reviews of their growth forecast for India for the
Financial Year 2019-2020.nationalheraldindia
JNU standoff: VC is rejecting efforts to find solution, teachers’
association tells President Kovind
JNU Teachers’ Association on Wednesday wrote an open letter to President
Ram Nath Kovind against the alleged “misgovernance” of Vice Chancellor M
Jagadesh Kumar. The association alleged that Kumar has been rejecting every
effort made to find a solution to the crisis at the university.Students at the
university have been protesting against the administration’s decision to hike
hostel and mess fees for over a month now. This has led to student protest
marches and clashes with the police, as well as vandalism at the hostels. On December
8, the Ministry of Human Resource Development advised the university
administration to notify the students’ union and withdraw the police complaints
against students as a first step to resolve the standoff.scroll
Centre's Decision To Cancel 'Life Term' Of 1993 Blast Convict Put On
Hold
New Delhi: The Supreme Court has stayed the Central government's
decision to remit life term imprisonment granted to Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar
in connection with the 1993 bomb blast case.A bench of Justice Rohinton Fali
Nariman and Justice S Ravindra Bhat on Tuesday agreed to hear the plea of
former Youth Congress Maninder Singh Bitta and sought the government's response
on the matter.Mr Bitta had contended that decision to remit Devinder Pal Singh
Bhullar's term was illegal and unconstitutional.He said that the top court had
commuted Devinder Bhullar's death sentence to life imprisonment, which meant he
had to be in jail for the rest of his life and the government could not reduce
the sentence.ANI
Delhi High Court sets aside CIC order holding EVM as ‘info’ under RTI
Act
New Delhi :The decision of the Central Information Commission that EVMs
fall within the definition of “information” under the RTI Act was set aside by
the Delhi High Court on Tuesday.Allowing the Election Commission’s appeal
against the CIC’s order, Justice Jayant Nath observed that the production of
EVM models cannot be sought under RTI application. The court’s order came on a
plea by the poll panel challenging the CIC’s February 12 order, by which it was
held that EVM, which is available with the EC in a material form and as sample,
is an information under RTI Act.indianexpress
BJP’s saffron-clad leaders don’t marry, but rape women: Hemant Soren in
Jharkhand
Hitting out at BJP over the issue of women’s safety, Jharkhand Mukti
Morcha (JMM) chief Hemant Soren Wednesday said while the leaders of the ruling
party often don’t marry, they wear saffron clothes and rape women.Soren made
the remark at an election rally in Jharkhand’s Pakur. “Today, women are being
set on fire in the country. I have heard that UP CM Adityanath has also been
doing the rounds of Jharkhand. These are the people, BJP people, who often
don’t get married, but dress in saffron and rape women… Shall we vote for such
people, who rape women?,” said Soren.indianexpress
*WORLD*
Trump faces near-certain impeachment as House set to historic vote
US House of Representatives is expected to vote on Wednesday to impeach
President Donald Trump for obstruction of Congress and abuse of power related
to his dealings with Ukraine.If the articles of impeachment are approved, as
expected, Trump would become only the third US president to be impeached. No US
president has been removed from office via the impeachment process.Democratic
Speaker Nancy Pelosi has the majority she needs to approve the two pending
articles of impeachment, members said on Tuesday. Wednesday's votes, which are
set for sometime in the afternoon or early evening, are expected to play out
largely among party lines. Democrats control the House 233 to 197 seats over
Republicans, with one independent and four vacancies.The impeachment process
has deepened political divides in the US as the country heads for the 2020
presidential election. Those divides were on further display on the eve of the
House votes.In a vitriolic six-page letter to Pelosi on Tuesday, Trump called
the House's impeachment drive a "charade" and a "colossal
injustice"."You are turning a policy disagreement between two
branches of government into an impeachable offence," Trump said in the letter.Pelosi
called the letter "sick". Following a day of divisive rhetoric,
hundreds of rallies were held across the US in support of impeachment on
Tuesday night. US media also reported counter-rallies in some cities.
Wednesday's proceedings will kick off at 9am (14:00 GMT) with debate on the
rule governing the longer impeachment debate. After the rule is approved, there
will then be six hours of debate, divided equally among Democrats and
Republicans before the final votes. At the centre of the Democrats' impeachment
of Trump is a July 25 telephone call the president had with newly-elected
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.In the call, Trump urged Zelenskyy to
investigate former Vice President Joe Biden, and his son, Hunter, who was on
the board of Burisma, a Ukrainian gas company, 2014 until his term expired in
April this year.aljazeera
Kuala Lumpur Summit: Five major issues facing Muslim world
Leaders from some of the world's
most populous Muslim-majority countries are set to meet in Malaysia's capital
on Thursday to address issues such as Islamophobia and poverty, with the
organisers insisting the event is not meant to rival the Organisation of
Islamic Cooperation (OIC).Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad will
preside over the meeting with fellow heads of state, President Hassan Rouhani
of Iran and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey. Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim
bin Hamad Al Thani is also expected to attend.According to the organisers, at
least 250 foreign representatives from 52 countries and 150 Malaysian delegates
will also join the KL Summit. They include government officials, scholars and
leaders from various non-government sectors.But there are also notable
absences, including the leaders of Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and
Pakistan.aljazeera
'Neutral' Pakistan pulls out of Malaysia summit of Muslim nations
Pakistan has pulled out of an
international summit for leaders of Muslim countries to be held in Malaysia
over concerns it could "divide" the Muslim world, Foreign Minister
Shah Mahmood Qureshi has saidPakistan's Gulf allies, Saudi Arabia and UAE, had expressed
reservations over Islamabad joining the summit, hosted by Malaysian Prime
Minister Mahathir Mohamad in Kuala Lumpur.Speaking to reporters in the capital
on Tuesday, Qureshi confirmed that neither he nor Prime Minister Imran Khan
would be attending the summit.On Tuesday, Prime Minister Mohamed's office
confirmed that his Pakistani counterpart had pulled out of the event. Khan also
spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a major backer of the
summit, on the sidelines of the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva on Tuesday, a
statement from Khan's office said.In Islamabad, Pakistani Foreign Minister
Qureshi said Pakistan had pulled out of the summit due to concerns by Saudi
Arabia that the meeting could create a new bloc that would rival existing 57-member
state Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), its headquarters in
Riyadh.aljazeera
Turkey warns of 'escalation' if US ends Cyprus arms embargo
Turkey has warned that the US's move to lift a decades-old arms embargo
on Cyprus would be a "dangerous escalation" as relations deteriorated
further between the NATO allies.The US Congress voted on Tuesday to end the
embargo on the island, which was imposed in 1987 to avoid an arms race and
encourage the conflict's resolution.Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when
Turkey invaded in response to a coup engineered by the then-military regime in
Athens.aljazeera
Egypt's el-Sisi says position on Qatar 'unchanged'
Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said the position of the
Saudi-led bloc on relations with Qatar remains unchanged."I affirm that
nothing has changed," el-Sisi said in a reply to a question at the closing
session of a youth forum in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on
Tuesday."There are efforts being exerted and we hope this effort will
succeed," he said, without giving further details."We are talking about
building confidence and healthy relations."Aljazeera
Jailed Uighur academic receives top EU rights prize
A Uighur economist who is jailed in China received the 2019 Sakharov
Prize for Freedom of Thought in absentia on Wednesday, in Strasbourg, France
.Ilham Tohti, 50, was sentenced to life in prison in 2014 on separatism
charges. The award comes amid the detention of one million ethnic Uighurs in
internment camps in the Uighur majority state of Xinjiang, according to
estimates by United Nations.Nelson Mandela and Malala Yousufzai received the
Sakharov Prize in 1988 and 2013 respectively.aljazeera
Royal Derby Hospital introduces disposable hijabs for Muslim women to
wear in surgery 'in UK first'
A junior doctor has created what is believed to be the UK's first
disposable and sterile headscarf for staff to wear in operating theatres.Farah
Roslan, who worked at the Royal Derby Hospital, said she wanted to develop a
hijab that allowed her to both honour her Muslim faith and work in theatre.She
hopes the initiative will "remove one of the major barriers in attracting
a wider and more diverse talent pool in surgery". University Hospitals of
Derby and Burton NHS Trust, where Ms Roslan was working as a medical student
when she came up with the idea, said: "We believe we are the first Trust
in the UK to introduce disposable sterile headscarves for staff to use in our
Operating Theatres."inews.co.uk
*views, Articles, FEATURES*
The Courts Must Not Let Down Jamia’s Students:Apoorvanand
Did ABVP member ‘Bharat Sharma’ pose as Delhi cop during clashes in CAA
protests? – A fact-check
Jignesh Patel
Farhan Akhtar urges people to gather at August Kranti Maidan
Jamia protests are the “culmination of anger against an anti-Muslim
system”:SAGAR
They rained batons, said they will give us “azadi”: Jamia students
counter police claims on Sunday attack:SAGAR
Kashmir to Assam, Tripura to Jharkhand, India’s CRPF is stretched,
stressed and it’s showing:MANVENDRA SINGH
The Constitutional Case against the Citizenship Amendment Bill:M Mohsin
Alam Bhat, EPW
‘Blood on My Face, I Fled in Fear’: Jamia Student Recounts Horror:SAHER
NAQVI
CAA Row: Why Citizen Protests Can’t Only be Assessed Electorally:MANISH
DUBEY
Historic Mughal Gate Razed in Ahmedabad, Authorities Pass Blame:MUNAF
AHMED
Jamia Against CAA Irrespective of Religion, Believe Nothing Else:SHRUTY
YADAV
A Jamia Student With Both Legs Smashed:THE CITIZEN
Post CAB, BJP-Linked WhatsApp Groups Mount a Campaign to Foment
Communalism:Kunal Purohit
Data | Minorities within majority face persecution in Indian
subcontinent
Amit Shah's Communal Dare to CAA Critics, 'Say You Will Welcome All
Muslims to India'
Supreme Court refuses to stay Citizenship (Amendment) Act
RTI Activists Disagree With CJI's View That Queries Have Created
‘Paralysis and Fear’:Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar
The Wire Fact Check: Delhi Buses at the Centre of Conspiracy Theory Were
Not Burnt
Citizenship Amendment Act protests: How world media covered India's
crackdown on protesters in wake of passage of CAB
Does Amit Shah even understand what NRC will cost?Rahul Pandey
New citizenship law is seen as an antithesis of the ideas of regional
and linguistic nationalism:Arupjyoti Saikia
ICJ hearing fails to break impasse on violence against the Rohingya:Luv
Puri
Citizenship law strains nation’s fabric. Opposition must come together
to fight it:Sharad Yadav
Protesters’ fears about new citizenship law are founded on history,
accumulated experience:Sanjib Baruah
Jamia Protests: Meet Other Women Students Who Fought Delhi Police to Protect
Their Friend
'We heard gunfire': Jamia students detail police attack on
campus:aljazeera
*Compiled
and edited by Anwarulhaq (Released at: 6:56 PM).*
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