*28 DEC. 2019: 1 Jamadi-1, 1441:
Vol: 12, No: 93
*CAA-NRC protests:UP
CRACKDOWN*
UP top cop defends colleague, telling anti-CAA protesters 'go to
Pakistan', says choice of words would have been better had things been normal
After the video of a top police officer asking local residents to tell
protesters to “go to Pakistan” during clashes against the new citizenship law
went viral, Meerut ADG police Prashant Kumar Saturday defended his colleague’s
actions, saying the “choice of words” would have been better had the situation
been normal. He added that even though the situation on the ground was
“extremely volatile”, the officers showed “a lot of restraint”.“Stones were
being pelted, anti-India and pro-neighbouring country slogans were being raised
there. The situation was very tense. PFI pamphlets were being distributed. This
happened despite all appeals, including those by religious leaders,” Kumar was
quoted as saying by ANI.He added, “Yes, if the situation was normal then the
choice of words could have been better but that day, the situation was
extremely volatile. Our officers showed a lot of restraint. There was no firing
by the police.”In the video clip, which was shot at Lisari Gate and went viral
on social media, SP City Akhilesh N Singh is heard saying: “Kahan jaoge, is
gali ko theek kar doonga (Where will you go, I will sort out this lane),”
referring to four protesters police were chasing.The officer then turns to
three persons and says: “Yeh jo kaali aur peeli patti baande huye hain inse keh
do Pakistan chale jao…khaoge yahan ka, gaoge kahin aur ka… Yeh gali mujhe yaad
ho gayi hai. Aur jab mujhe yaad ho jaata hai toh mein naani tak pahunch jaata
hun (The ones tying black and yellow bands, tell them to go to Pakistan. You
eat here but sing praises of another place… This lane is now familiar to me.
And once I remember, I can even reach your grandmother).” In the video, the
officer, surrounded by other personnel, can also be seen warning the three men
standing at the junction of two lanes. “Agar kuch ho gaya toh tum log keemat
chukaoge… Har ek-ek aadmi ko jail mein bandh karoonga (If something happens,
you guys will pay the price. Every man from each house will be arrested),” the
official can be heard saying.indianexpress
Priyanka Gandhi attacks Yogi govt over Meerut cop’s ‘go to Pakistan’
remark, says, BJP communalised police
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi on Saturday mounted an attack
on UP's Yogi Adityanath government and the conduct of some of the senior police
officers in the state.From her official Twitter handle, Priyanka tweeted a
video in which a police officer in Meerut is seen making communal statements
against the Muslim community. She wrote on Twitter: "Indian Constitution
does not allow anyone to use such language. When you are occupying a high post,
your responsibility increases manifold. The BJP has poisoned the institutions
so much so that these officers have no respect for the constitutional oath they
have taken."IANS
Arrest of septuagenarians leaves families aghast, civil society outraged
in Lucknow
LUCKNOW:Malka Bi’s mobile phone displays the desperate message she sent
to the official numbers of five senior police officers at 1:08 am on December
20. It was a little more than an hour after four policemen whisked away her
husband Mohammad Shoaib ,72, in a jeep purportedly for interrogation.Since
Internet and SMS services were disabled following the violence during protests
against the Citizenship Amendment Act, a few hours earlier, her messages did
not get delivered. Mohammad Shoaib, a senior advocate and socialist activist,
had been placed under house arrest since the evening of December 18 to prevent
him from attending the protest at the Parivartan Chowk.It was around midnight
on November 19 that four cops said he was summoned by the circle officer and
took him with them. Mr. Shoaib, who suffers from blood pressure and thyroid
ailments, was already in bed.“He then went to his room and changed his trousers.
I didn’t even get to see his face when they took him. He didn’t take his
spectacles or carry his mobile,” said Ms. Malka.Clueless and desperate to know
her husband’s whereabouts, Ms. Malka then dialled the number of the district
police chief and informed him that her husband needed to take his medicines.
Ms. Malka says the officer sent two policemen to her house to fetch the
medicines. The two also told her not to worry and assured her Mr. Shoaib would
be back in an hour or at the latest by the next morning. For two days, however,
she didn’t hear anything about him.“On the third day, when I heard he is in
jail, I was relieved. Initially, I didn’t know where they took him, or where
they would dump him or kill him. Koi theek thodi hai [what’s the guarantee],” said
Ms. Malka, recalling the anxious moments.Among the more than 1,200 persons
arrested by the U.P. police over the violent protests in the State, Mr. Shoaib
heads the Rihai Manch, an organisation with which he has helped acquit more
than a dozen persons ‘falsely’ implicated in terror cases, bringing him under
police radar several times. In 2008, he was also brutally assaulted by fellow
lawyers in Lucknow and Faizabad, in the court compound as they did not want him
appear for terror accused.According to the FIR lodged at Hazratganj police
station on December 19, Mr. Shoaib faces several serious charges like rioting,
attempt to murder and criminal conspiracy, though his name does not feature in
it.Ms. Malka alleges foul play in the police version as her husband didn’t even
attend the protest and was under house arrest.The family of S.R. Darapuri, a
retired IPS officer and an Ambedkarite Dalit political activist, is also asking
similar questions, as like Mr. Shoaib he was under house arrest on the day the
protest took place but was also sent to jail. He turned 76 on December 16.The
civil society in Lucknow is outraged over their arrests, as well as that of
cultural activist Deepak Kabir, Congress worker Sadaf Jafar, Ambedkarite
scholar Pawan Rao Ambedkar and Robin Verma, a teacher-activist who works with
Mr. Shoaib, and has demanded their immediate release.thehindu
CAA protests: Victims narrate incidents of police brutality in Lucknow,
Mangaluru
UP Police's 'clerical mistake', not 10,000 but 1,000 AMU students booked
for CAA protest
Uttar Pradesh Police on Saturday clarified that a case has been
registered against 1,000 unidentified students of Uttar Pradesh's AMU instead
of 10,000 as stated in several reports. "There was a clerical mistake in
the report, case registered against 1,000 students and not 10,000," SSP
Akash Kulhari said.The case has been filed in connection with the violence
which broke out during protests against the newly amended citizenship law on
December 15. FIR which was registered on December 24 on a complaint filed by
Commandant 104 Battalion stated that on December 15 at 8:30 pm, students had
gathered around the university's circle to protest."They unlawfully raised
anti-national slogans. The students then pelted stones on the personnel and
also vandalized the official vehicles," the FIR copy stated.ANI
AMU students invite police officials for iftar after observing day-long
fast agianst CAA
Aligarh: In an effort to restore goodwill, AMU students sat with police
officials posted at the campus during an iftar after concluding a day-long fast
observed in solidarity with the victims of violence during the protests against
the new citizenship law last week.They interacted during the evening meal on
Friday near the Babe Syed Gate of the university. Led by former president of
the students union Faizul Hasan, some AMU students protesting against the
amended citizenship law invited police officials to join them for
iftar."This Gandhian outreach was part of a mission to maintain peace
while continuing their peaceful protest against CAA. We offered prayers for
those who lost their lives," Hasan said Saturday.Circle Officer (Civil
Lines) Anil Samania said, "We appreciate this gesture of goodwill and duly
responded by participating."PTI
‘Movement against citizenship law not for a particular community, but to
save Constitution’
In Muzaffarnagar, police and Hindutva groups attack Muslims in attempt
to recreate 2013 riots
On 20 December, a day after the Uttar Pradesh chief minister Adityanath
vowed to “take revenge” against those who had destroyed property during the
protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, the state police stormed
Muzaffarnagar. That day and night, Mehmood Nagar and Khalapar—both
Muslim-majority neighbourhoods in the city—descended into violence, with a
rampage by UP police. According to residents, the police force used tear gas,
lathi charges, and opened fire on the Muslim locals. Noor Mohammad, a young
resident of Khalapar, was shot in the head and died.The police denied firing
any live bullets and claimed it only responded to the protestors turning
violent, but numerous accounts from the two neighbourhoods narrated a different
sequence of events. Multiple residents noted that as the protestors grew in
number, the police acted with brute force to quell the protest march, joined by
men in civilian clothes, who were differently identified as members of BJP,
Bajrang Dal and RSS. The locals said that the police and the members of the
Hindutva groups terrorised the two Muslim neighbourhoods at night, and entered
houses at random to attack its residents, destroy their belongings, and loot
their money and jewellery.That afternoon, Nisar a doctor and a resident of
Muzaffarnagar, was in his clinic on Meerut road, one of the city’s main
thoroughfares, when he noticed crowds of people walking past. The crowd was
walking north towards Meenakshi chowk and growing larger by the minute. “It was
after the Friday prayers, around 2.30 pm,” Nisar, who asked for his last name
to remain confidential, told me. “The crowd consisted mostly of Muslim youth
and they had decided to protest peacefully against the Citizenship (Amendment)
Act and the proposed NRC,” referring to the National Register of Citizens. I
also spoke to Arif, a journalist who requested not to be identified by his
organisation or his full name, was reporting from Meenakshi Chowk at the time.
“The crowd was mostly leaderless and the youth consisted of locals as well as
those from surrounding towns and villages,” Arif said. “They had decided to
meet the district magistrate and hand over a letter pointing out that they were
opposed to the CAA, but they intended to do it peacefully.”caravanmagazine.in/
Bijnor Hindu Gunshot Victim's
Account Contradicts 'Communal' Angle Pushed by UP Police
Meerut: The town of Nehtaur in Bijnor district was thrown into chaos on
December 20, when Uttar Pradesh police
tried to forcefully disperse a protest taking place after the afternoon namaz.
On the main roads, as people were exiting the mosque, police allege the protest
turned violent. Locals dispute this claim. The police had begun to lathi-charge
the crowd, many of whom say they were simply on the streets at the wrong time.
Guns were fired – the police, after first saying that no police bullets were
shot, now claim that they were first fired on by the protestors, which caused
them to shoot back in self defence.Two Muslim men died in the crossfire. One
was Suleiman, who according to a statement by SP Sanjeev Tyagi, had shot at a
policeman who returned fire, killing him, and the other was Anas, who the
police allege was killed by a country-made gun.A third man was also shot around
this time – a Hindu by the name of Omraj Saini. Saini is lying under a blue
blanket in a hospital bed at a private hospital in Meerut, where his family
brought him after he was shot. He barely
escaped death. Saini’s son-in-law, Ramesh, says that the only guns being fired
at the time were by the police. Asked if anyone saw where the bullet came from,
Ramesh says, “There were a lot of bullets being fired).” But whose bullets were
they? Ramesh answers, “Police ki goli
chal rahi thi (The police’s).” Were there only police bullets which were fired?
Ramesh says, “Haan (Yes).”SP, Tyagi, in a statement to The Wire, said that an
FIR had been filed by Omraj Saini. Tyagi said that Omraj told him that he was
on his way home from the jungle, and a Muslim group shot him on a communal
basis.Tyagi told us he had not yet visited Omraj at the Meerut hospital nor
seen his injury report, but his complaint had come in and had been filed.
However, Omraj Saini, in his statement to The Wire, disputes both the narrative
and the complaint. He said that he was on his way back from the jungle, and was
on the road near Agency Chauraya when he saw a crowd, and then he was hit by a
bullet. SP Tyagi has gone so far as to say that Omraj had seen the faces of
those who shot, and had said that if he saw the faces again he would be able to
recognise them for the police. When we spoke to Omraj and asked if he knew who
shot him, or if he had seen their faces, he said he had not. When asked if he
had made a complaint or filed an FIR, he said no, but asked us to speak to his
family, who might have done. His brother Subhash also says that no FIR has been
filed – he had accompanied Omraj to the hospital, and had been with him the
entire time.Subhash also strongly disputes Tyagi’s allegation that there were
communal sensitivities in the region, saying, “Hindus and Muslims have never
fought here. thewire
Muslims Were Never Targeted in Such a Brutal Manner in UP
Meerut police shot at protesters, claim families of deceased
Police firing killed 1, others may be dead due to their own illegal
weapons: UP DGP
UP DGP Om Prakash Singh on Friday said only one person has died in the
police firing in the state. He also said the 19 people who have lost their
lives during the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in Uttar
Pradesh, that turned violent, could have died by the illegal weapons they were
carrying.indiatoday
‘I’ll Give Away My Property if Police Gives Evidence of My Son Damaging
Public Property’
Lucknow: Mohammad Wakeel, 33, is dead. He was killed when a bullet,
reportedly from a prohibited .32 bore was pumped into his stomach by an unknown
person in Lucknow on December 19. Wakeel’s father, Sharfuddin, who is still
mourning the death of his only working son says, “My son was innocent. He had
gone out to buy some medicine for his seven-month pregnant wife and was
shot.”The distraught father says, “I was not with him. He had come home after
driving his e-rickshaw and went out to get things that his wife and mother
wanted. We received a phone call at around 1530 hours and the person at the
other end told me that Wakeel has been shot,” adding,“We immediately rushed him
to King George Trauma University and later Wakeel was declared dead.”Denying
that his son was part of a protest against the amended Citizenship Act in
Lucknow on December 19, Sharfuddin says, “My son was sane enough to know what
was right and what was wrong. He did not participate in the protest and was
even riding his e-rickshaw that day but had come home after seeing that the
city was shut. He was shot in his stomach.”newsclick.in
Muslim man saves UP policeman from agitated mob during CAA protest in
Firozabad
While the whole nation is witnessing agitation against the Citizenship
Amendment Act (CAA) and the NRC, a Firozabad man came forward to rescue a
policeman at the time of need and urgency when he was surrounded and beaten by
a mob during protest on December 20.Policeman Ajay Kumar who was rescued by
Haji Qadir, said "He came like an angel in my life. Had it not been for
him, I would have been killed".Kumar added, "Hajji Qadir Sahab took
me to his home. I had injuries on one of my fingers and head. He gave me water
and his clothes to wear and assured me that I will be safe. He took me to the
police station later", who suffered injuries to his hand and head by angry
demonstrators on December 20. On asking about the incident, Qadir told that he was
offering Namaz when he came to know that a policeman had been surrounded by a
mob.nationalheraldindia
Action of UP authorities against anti-CAA agitators is illegal:
Markandey Katju
The action of Uttar Pradesh (UP) authorities to seal and attach properties
of “rioters” during the anti-CAA protests is “illegal”, former Supreme Court
judge Justice (Retd) Markandey Katju has said, while also raising questions
over the role of the apex court in impartially discharging its duties.In a long
Facebook post, Katju explained that Section 147 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC),
under which the protesters have been booked by the police, has no provision for
immediate sealing or confiscating the properties of the accused by an executive
authority, such as the District Magistrate or SDM. “So while I have no sympathy
with those who rioted and damaged property in the recent agitations against the
Citizens Amendment Act (CAA) in towns in UP, in my opinion the action of UP
authorities is wholly illegal,” Katju wrote.nationalheraldindia
In Yogi’s UP, blind eye to
property destroyed by police and BJP, Sangh supporters
The spokesman of Uttar Pradesh Government issued a press note earlier
this week stating that 498 people were issued notices for arson during anti-CAA
protest across the state with maximum 148 being booked in Meerut. A sum of
Rupees 6 lakhs were even collected from the people by way of compensation for
damage to public property, the state claimed. While the state took recourse to
a Supreme Court guideline and an order of the Allahabad High Court, it
conveniently disregarded the part of the guideline which maintained that the
penalty could be levied and collected only after a trial and conviction.
Without a trial and conviction, the notices and the collection, say legal
experts, are illegal.While the CM and his ministers and officials are silent on
this part of the guideline, they are also quiet on the property damaged by
policemen in uniform. A large number of video clips and footage have emerged to
show policemen destroying even CCTV cameras, private vehicles, parts of mosques
and individual homes. The argument that the police had to break doors to get
inside is unconvincing in view of the clips circulating on social media. Complaints
are pouring in against the police with graphic details of how the policemen
tormented people, particularly Muslims in Muzaffarnagar, Rampur, Kanpur, Bijnor
and Sambhal while arresting alleged rioters. They forcibly entered houses at
night while they could have cordoned off the area and arrested the people in
the morning. They are seen damaging property and misbehaving with women. Videos
show police damaging cars and 2-wheelers parked in lanes and bylanes of the
localities. Going by the complaints property worth several Crore are said to
have been damaged by the police in Lucknow alone.“This govt is harassing
innocent people. First, the people were beaten up and booked in false cases and
now the family members are receiving recovery notices. If the government is so
keen about recovery it should also pay compensation to people whose properties
were damaged by police,” Akhilesh Yadav, national president of SP said. nationalheraldindia
Muslims in Bulandshahr Pay Rs 6 Lakh for Damage to Public Property
During Anti-CAA Protests
Members of the Muslim community in Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh handed
over a demand draft of Rs 6,27,507 to the district administration on Friday.
The administration was present in the Upper Kot area of the district to ensure
that Friday prayers were conducted peacefully.After the prayers, members of the
community met DM Ravinder Kumar and SSP Santosh Kumar and handed over the
demand draft. The locals also handed over roses to officers of the district
administration."With this, Bulandshahr has made a good start, they have
realised that the government property has been bought from the tax-payers
money. It is their own loss and damage,” Kumar said. "The people in
Bulandshahr have come with an 'avedan' (request) letter and a demand draft of
Rs 6,27,507. People have felt this (violence) should not have happened."
he added.However, there have also been several reports and CCTV footage showing
the police burning properties of local residents in the state.news18
124 Arrested By UP Cops For "Inciting Content", 19,000 Social
Media Accounts Reported
Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Police has arrested 124 people in the last one
week for posting "inciting content" on social media. The crackdown by
the police comes at a time when the state is on the edge after violent protests
in many parts over the new citizenship law.Close to 20,000 social media, with
over 9,000 Twitter and Facebook profiles, have been reported.ndtv
After UP, Questions Raised on Bihar Police’s Role During Protest Against
CAA-NRC
Patna: After police brutalities in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, Bihar
Opposition leader, Tejashwi Yadav, has raised questions on the role of state
police during protests against the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act and
National Register of Citizens. He has cited the Bihar police’s crackdown
against those protesting against CAA and NRC in Aurangabad town during RJD’s
shutdown on December 21.“Police under Nitish Kumar is terrorising Muslims and
vandalising public property. The police has even told residents, ‘You want
azaadi? Wait, we'll give you azaadi’,”, Tejashwi said on December 28.This is
the first time Tejashwi, former deputy chief minister, has accused state police
of terrorising Muslims for protesting against CAA and NRC. However, a senior
police officer of ADG rank at the police headquarters denied the allegations
against police but refused to say anything on this matter.newsclick.in
‘We Are Example For the Country’: UP CM Yogi Praises His Crackdown
Justifying Uttar Pradesh crackdown on protests against the Citizenship
Amendment Act, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took to Twitter on Friday, and
wrote that the state government’s actions have “shocked every protester.” The
official Twitter handle of the office of chief minister tweeted, “Every rioter
is shocked. Every troublemaker is shocked. Seeing the strictness of the Yogi
government, everyone is silent. Do anything, now the compensation will be from
the one who did the damage, this is Yogi ji's announcement. Every violent
protester will cry now because there is a Yogi government in UP.”He ended his
tweet with the hashtag ‘#TheGreat_CmYogi’.THE QUINT
Revenge of ‘yogi’ in Adityanath’s ‘Ram Rajya’: high level judicial
inquiry needed to examine excesses
OTHER: anti-citizenship act stir*
Saudi planning OIC meeting on Kashmir; Imran warns of Muslim genocide
A prominent Pakistani newspaper has reported that Saudi Arabia has
conveyed to Pakistan that it was planning to convene a meeting of foreign
ministers of members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation to discuss the
situation in Jammu and Kashmir.Dawn reported on Friday that the plan was
conveyed by "Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud
during a meeting with (Pakistan) Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi" on
Thursday.Faisal was on a visit to Pakistan to convey the Saudi government's
"gratitude" to Islamabad for not participating in a conference of
Islamic nations in Kuala Lumpur. Faisal also met Pakistan Prime Minister Imran
Khan.According to a statement on the meeting by the Pakistan Foreign Office,
Qureshi raised the issue of India's abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and
Kashmir, the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and NRC and the “systematic targeting
of minorities in India, particularly Muslims". The statement added the
"two Foreign Ministers discussed OIC’s role in the advancement of the
cause of Kashmir". Imran tweeted a video of an RSS march in Hyderabad this
week, comparing it to practices of the Nazi party. Imran claimed RSS action
would lead to “genocide of Muslims”.Imran tweeted, “The int community should
wake up before RSS on the move leads to genocide of Muslims that will dwarf
other genocides. Whenever militias like Hitler's Brown Shirts or RSS are
formed, based upon hatred of a certain community, it always ends in
genocide.”Imran has repeatedly brought up fears of RSS and BJP provoking
conflict and had described the government of Narendra Modi as being
Fascist.theweek
Devendra Fadnavis accidentally ends up 'reaching' anti-CAA protest
venue, deletes tweet after goof-up
in support of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) at the August Kranti
Maidan. But while tweeting images of the protest he goofed up and wrote,
"reached Azad Maidan", but later deleted the tweet.After reaching the
venue where demonstration took place in support of the CAA, Fadnavis shared
pictures of the demonstration featuring a large number of people with banners
and the National Flag. "Reached Azad Maidan in Mumbai and joined the
massive gathering of citizens to support the #CitizenshipAmendmentAct !"
he tweeted. But after realising that he goofed up, Fadnavis deleted the
tweet.There were 2 protests in Mumbai on Friday, one was at Azad Maidan which
was anti-Citizenship Amendment Act while other one was at August Kranti Maidan
which was in support of CAA.freepressjournal
BJP will take Assam down the path of violence: Rahul Gandhi
GUWAHATI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said Assam might
return to the path of violence due to policies of the BJP governments at the
Centre and the state.Gandhi, who is in Guwahati to address an anti-CAA rally
and pay homage to four youths killed in the city in police firing during
protests, said that wherever BJP goes, it destroys peace and tranquility in that
place.
“I remember saying it several times in the past that the day BJP comes
to Assam, peace will be destroyed and development will halt. Today as I pay
homage to the martyrs killed in the police firing, I am sad on how those words
have come true,” he said at the Khanapara veterinary ground here.“Wherever I
go, I tell everyone to look up to Assam. After great deal of diversity,
violence, people of Assam united and peace returned to the state and
development started swiftly. The Assam Accord was the foundation of peace in
Assam. Today I am sad, I fear that the state might return to its old path of
violence due to BJP,” Gandhi said.
TRS govt permits communal RSS march, not allowing secular Cong Rally :
TPCC Prez
Hyderabad:Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) President and
Nalgonda MP Capt. N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Friday said that the TRS Government
had permitted a march conducted by RSS in the city and not allowing a Secular
Rally to be taken up by the Congress Party.Addressing a press conference at
Gandhi Bhavan here, Mr Reddy strongly condemned TRS Government for denying permission
to the Congress party to take out 'Save Nation, Save Constitution' rally from
Gandhi Bhavan to Dr. Ambedkar statue at Tank Bund on the occasion of its 135th
Formation Day on Saturday. He said police had no objection when RSS workers
held a march with their long sticks on city roads. But it was objecting to a
peaceful rally with National flags proposed to be taken out by the Congress
party.UNI
Mamata gives Rs 5 lakh compensation to kin of deceased during anti-CAA
protest in Mangaluru
A delegation of TMC on Saturday handed over a cheque of Rs 5 lakh
compensation to the family of a person who died during protests against
Citizenship Amendment Act on December 19 in Mangaluru.The delegation, led by
TMC leader Dinesh Trivedi and Rajya Sabha MP Md Nadimul Haque, gave the
compensation to the family members of Nousheen, one of the two people who died
allegedly in police action during the protest against citizenship act.ANI
“Can a man who cannot tolerate Muslim names tolerate Muslims?”: Zakir
Nagar’s women against CAA
Every evening for the past week since 16 December, the residents of
Zakir Nagar, a locality in south Delhi’s Okhla area, have stood on the street
holding a candlelight vigil to protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act
and the National Register of Citizens. The locality is a little over a
kilometre away from the Jamia Millia Islamia university, that has been the
center of anti-CAA protests and subsequent police bruality. The purpose of the
vigil is also to register the locality’s opposition to the police’s violent
crackdown on the students of Jamia.The protests in Zakir Nagar are part of
nationwide demonstrations against the CAA since the law was enacted on 12
December. Across India, the police have clamped down on protests by beating
people, firing tear gas shells and detaining hundreds.When I visited the Zakir
Nagar vigil on the night of 23 December, people were peacefully lined up on
either side of a road leading to the local mosque. Children sang the poet
Muhammad Iqbal’s Saare Jahan Se Accha. Men distributed biscuits and tea to the
people braving Delhi’s cold December nights. Amidst the vigil, the participants
engaged in conversations about the consequences of the newly enacted law.
Emotions ran high at the protest in Zakir Nagar, but the fear of the Narendra
Modi-led government was not one of them.caravanmagazine.in
Japan, Norway, Hungary investments in Assam in backburner over anti-CAA
protests
Guwahati: Besides losing mileage with Japan over postponement of Annual
India-Japan Summit at Guwahati due to the recent violence during
anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), 2019, in the state, investment of at
least Rs 4000 crore by foreign companies in the state has also been put on the
backburner, Assam Industry and Commerce Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary said
here today.Addressing a press conference, Patowary said, “The whole scenario in
Assam would have changed with the India-Japan Summit here. The state lost
immense vital mileage with Japan.”He further said investment of Rs 2000 crore
for a bamboo-related industry in the state by a top Norwegian company, and
another investment of similar amount by a company from Hungary for
manufacturing electric buses in the state have come under doubt due to the
violence.UNI
Kerala Governor Arif Khan faces ire on CAA from delegates at Indian
History Congress
KANNUR: Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan faced protests from some
delegates and students during his opening address at Indian History Congress
(IHC) here on Saturday, with BJP slamming it as "government-
sponsored." The protests were held both inside and outside IHC venue -
Kannur University. Khan, who was the Chief Guest at the functon, was addressing
the delegates, when he touched upon the protests over the Citizenship Amendment
Act (CAA) referred to by earlier speakers - KK Ragesh, CPM Rajya sabha MP and
historian Irfan Habib.This led to the objections being raised by some delegates
at the venue. "You have every right to protest. But you cannot shout me
down", Khan said repeatedly as some of the delegates, sitting in front,
took exception to the governor defending the CAA in his speech. Some delegates
shouted "Kerala Governor shame shame" as Khan concluded his speech.Expressing
concern over the incident, Indian History Congress Secretary said, "some
the delegates were peacefully standing and holding placards. They were roughed
up by police".A JNU delegate, Mercy, who is from Assam, said her state was
burning. "My state is burning. There is shut down in Kashmir since the
past few months. I will not be bogged down. My people have been silenced. I
cannot remain silent and pretend everything will be fine," she said. The
delegate, who was picked up by police, was later let off.Police have also taken
into custody at least 12 pro Congress Kerala Students Union and Youth Congress
activists and 5 workers of the Muslim Students Front, who showed black flags at
the governor in Kannur as he arrived for the function. Khan has been facing a
slew of protests over the Citizenship Act since the past few days.PTI
Citizenship Act protests: ‘Mind your own business,’ P Chidambaram tells
Army chief Bipin Rawat
Congress leader P Chidambaram on Saturday hit out at Army chief Bipin
Rawat for his comments on students protesting against the Citizenship Amendment
Act in Uttar Pradesh, The Hindu reported.Army chief's comments led to outrage
from the Opposition, many of whom reminded Rawat of the limits of his office.
But Union minister and former Army chief VK Singh defended Rawat, asking the
Opposition not to politicise everything.Inaugurating the “Save India Save
Constitution” march organised by the Congress in Thiruvananthapuram,
Chidambaram said it was a disgrace that the BJP government at the Centre was now
taking the help of the Army and state police chiefs to oppose students who had
protested against the Act in a democratic manner.scroll
Indian students in Israel protest against CAA, NRC in front of Indian
embassy, they also condemn shut down in Kashmir
Tel Aviv:About 2 dozen Indian students from various research institutes
in Israel staged a silent protest in front of the Indian embassy here on Friday
against the amended citizenship law and the proposed National Register of
Citizens, terming them acts of "state-sponsored instrument of class and
religious persecution".Holding Indian flags and posters with captions -
"CAA is non-secular", "students at work, country under
construction", "we built statue of liberty, now we want social
unity" and "criticism is integral to any democracy, listen to
youth''s ''mann ki baat''", the students mainly from Weizmann Institute
and Tel Aviv University stood in front of the Indian mission for several hours,
braving inclement weather.The students also condemned the violence and use of
"excessive force against our fellow peers and other citizens in
India".They termed the CAA and NRC as "acts of state-sponsored
instrument of class and religious persecution"."We call upon Prime
Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah not to curb our fundamental
right of freedom of expression and peaceful protest," the students said in
a statement. "CAA in combination with the proposed NRC fundamentally
contradicts the right to equality and secularism as per Article 14 and Article
15 of our Constitution respectively and can be used as a tool for harassment of
bonafide Indians, as is already being witnessed in Assam. Where is the promise
Ambedkar made?" it said.With the "abuse of state machinery" to
suppress the voice of dissent, destruction of property, the arrests of
academics and students, the civilian casualties, India continues to be in
search of achhe din, it said.The students also accused the Indian government of
spreading misinformation and attempting to incite communal riots and dividing
the society on the basis of caste and religion.They also condemned the
"shut down of basic human rights in Kashmir for over 144
days".Several Indian researchers at Israeli institutes told PTI that the
protest was sparked after intense internal debates in the student
community.They said while a lot of them were agitated against "police
brutality" on students, most of them did not want to come out in protest
on the issue of CAA and NRC.Meanwhile, local daily Ha''aretz published a full
page story on its Thursday issue with the headlines, "Indian Prime
Minister wants a Hindu Rashtra and the Muslim citizens are paying the price for
it".PTI
'Stop Brutality Against Protestors':
Indian Techies across globe, pen Open Letter Against CAA, NRC
A group of Indian and Indian-origin professionals working with tech
giants like Google, Uber, Amazon and Facebook have written an open letter
against the new religion-based citizenship law and the planned national
register of citizens, terming them as "fascist".They urged business
leaders like Sundar Pichai, Satya Nadella and Mukesh Ambani to "take a
stance and publicly denounce the fascist acts by the Indian
government".The letter by 'TechAgainstFascism' on online publishing
platform Medium also urged the leaders to refuse to shut off the Internet at
the "government's whim" and to ensure that content moderation is not
skewing pro-government.This comes at a time when thousands of Indians across
the country are protesting the amended citizenship law and the planned NRC. On
several occasions, these protests turned violent and have left around 20 dead
and several injured in clashes with the police."We - engineers,
researchers, analysts, and designers - of the technology industry,
unflinchingly condemn the fascist Indian government and the brutality it enacts
on citizens. The state-sponsored brutality against protestors must stop
immediately," the letter said.These employees -- who claim to be located
across San Francisco, Seattle, London, Israel and Bengaluru -- added that the
opinions expressed are their own and do not reflect those of their
employers.The employees called upon technology leaders like Sundar Pichai
(Alphabet), Satya Nadella (Microsoft), Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook), Jack Dorsey
(Twitter), Dara Khosrowshahi (Uber), Mukesh Ambani (Jio), Gopal Vittal (Bharti
Airtel), Kalyan Krishnamurthy (Flipkart), and Shantanu Narayen (Adobe) to
"take a stance and publicly denounce the fascist acts by the Indian
government".PTI
CAA May Affect Status Of India’s Muslims: US Congress report
India’s amended citizenship law, along with a NRC, planned by the Modi
government "may affect the status" of Muslim minority in the country,
a report by Congressional Research Service has said. The report also said that
for the first time in independent India's history, a religious criterion has
been added to the country's naturalisation process. CRS is an independent
research wing of US Congress which prepares reports periodically on issues of domestic
and global importance for the lawmakers to take informed decision. These are
not considered as official reports of the U.S. Congress."In tandem with a
NRC planned by the federal government, the CAA may affect the status of India's
large Muslim minority of roughly 200 million," said the CRS in its first
ever report on the amended citizenship law.“India’s Citizenship Act of 1955
prohibited illegal immigrants from becoming citizens. Among numerous amendments
to the act since 1955, none contained a religious aspect,” the CRS said in its
two-page report.The changes sparked significant controversy, including
large-scale and sometimes violent protests. Opponents of the CAA warn that
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his BJP are pursuing a Hindu majoritarian, anti-Muslim
agenda that threatens India's status as an officially secular republic and
violates international human rights norms, it said. CRS claims that the
amendment's key provisions allowing immigrants of six religions from three
countries a path to citizenship while excluding Muslims may violate certain
Articles of the Indian Constitution, in particular Articles 14 and 15.PTI
Expert had told House panel on CAB: Don’t name religions, just say
persecuted minorities
New Delhi :Prominent Constitutional expert and former secretary general
of the Lok Sabha, Subhash Kashyap, had warned the Joint Parliamentary Committee
on the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill two years ago that the legislation should
omit any “reference to religions like Hindus, Sikhs, Parsis, etc.” — and use
only “persecuted minorities”.Tendering evidence before the JPC on CAB 2016,
Kashyap suggested that “persecuted minorities” would include all those whom the
legislation aimed to cover. “My view was that it would have meant the same
thing. I had said it to the Joint Parliamentary Committee. It was not necessary
for them to specify Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, etc. They could have achieved
the purpose without that, too,” Kashyap said. Indian Express.
CAA protest: In show of solidarity, Kerala church choir performs wearing
skull caps, headscarves
As protests continue across the country against the Citizenship
(Amendment) Act, a church in Kerala decided to show its solidarity this
Christmas season by having Christmas carollers wear skull caps and headscarves
during their performance.On December 23, in front of the altar at St Thomas Mar
Thoma Church in Kozhenchery in Pathanamthitta district, the male carollers
donned skull caps and the women wore headscarves and performed Mappila —
traditional songs sung by the Muslim community — renditions of traditional
carols.Mar Thoma Church is a non-Catholic Christian community and the St Thomas
Church at Kozhenchery is a prominent parish.Daniel T Philip, the church’s
assistant parish priest, “We wanted to pledge solidarity with all communities,
including Muslims, who are worried about the new citizenship law. As we are
celebrating Christmas, there is a grave concern among minorities, particularly
among Muslims, whether they would become refugees in this country. We wanted to
share their concern and express solidarity with them.”indianexpress
Jamia Students Observe Day-log Hunger Strike against Alleged Police
Brutality During Anti-CAA Protests
Jamia Millia Islamia students on Friday observed a day-long hunger
strike against alleged police brutality during the protests against the amended
citizenship law.The students demanded an impartial judicial inquiry into the
deaths and violent action during the agitation, release of illegally detained
protestors and the arrest of those involved in violence. Their other demands
included medical aid to those injured in alleged police brutalities,
compensation to those whose property were destroyed in police action and end to
arbitrary communications blackout.The Jamia Coordination Committee, which
comprises various political parties on the campus, alleged police have
responded to peaceful protests violently and brutally since the agitation began
on Dec.12. The students were joined by members of the public in their protest
against the "outrightly discriminatory" Citizenship Amendment Act and
the "genocidal step" of creating an NRC, they said."If the
government does not take immediate tangible action on these demands by January
1, we will give a call for nationwide hunger strikes in other universities and
relay hunger strike will be held in Jamia for these demands," the JCC
said.PTI
Kerala: BJP deflecting focus from Citizenship Act protests, allege Jamia
students
KOZHIKODE: Aysha Renna, Ladeeda Farzana and Shaheen Abdulla, three
Keralite students of Jamia Millia Islamia University, have become the faces of
resistance now.The protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA)
kick-started by Jamia students and the way the three bravely fought police
excesses in their university have had reverberations across the country.
Newindianexpress caught up with the students, who were here to participate in a
programme, titled ‘Festival of Ideas and Resistance’, on Friday. “Many brutal
atrocities on the protesters are going unreported in Uttar Pradesh. Mohammad
Sageer, an eight-year-old boy, was playing in Varanasi’s Bajardiha area when a
crowd came running to protect themselves from the police. Sageer died of police
baton-charge,” laments Shaheen, an MA Convergent Journalism student who hails
from Villyapally near Vadakara. Aysha, MA History student from Kondotty, told
New indianexpress that BJP’s round-the-clock functioning IT Cell focuses more
on her alleged “Islamic politics” rather than the issue the students
raised.“The comment about Yakub Memon in my Facebook page in 2015 has been used
by BJP IT personnel now to deflect the attention from what is actually
happening today against Muslims and other minority sections,” said Aysha.
Later, speaking at the function organised by Students Islamic Organisation
(SIO), the three students, including Ladeeda, BA Arabic student from Kannur,
said they would not be satisfied even if the CAA-NRC plans are dropped, but
they would uphold the politics of SIO till BJP steps down. newindianexpress
Protests at UP Bhavan, Jama Masjid, many detained
Protesters, who had come to UP Bhavan here to demonstrate against FIRs
filed by UP police against AMU, were detained on Friday by Delhi police.Ahead
of the protest, UP Bhavan was corralled under heavy police deployment. Roads
approaching the building located in the posh diplomatic area were barricaded at
several pointsProtesters who managed to reach the building were forcefully
detained in police vans. Despite protesters demanding a reason for their
detention, police didn't give any.A protest was also staged at Jama Masjid
during the day. Exactly a week back, the site of protests at nearby Delhi Gate
had turned violent after few protesters resorted to pelting stones at the
police standing behind the barricades. To contain them, the police had trained
water cannons at them followed by a lathicharge in which several protesters
were badly injured.Flag marches were conducted in some areas of the northeast
district in the national capital and heavy police force was deployed in parts
of the city ahead of Friday prayers and protests calls by some organisations
against the amended citizenship act, police said.The police organised flag
marches in northeast Delhi's Seelampur, Jafrabad, Welcome and Mustafabad areas,
they said.Heavy police deployment was also witnessed in Jamia Nagar, Jama
Masjid and Chanakyapuri areas, the police said. telegraphindia
CAA protests: Hundreds march towards PM residence with hands tied,
stopped by police
New Delhi:Hundreds of people with their hands tied marching towards
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence to demand the release of Bhim Army
chief Chandrashekhar Azad and to protest against the amended Citizenship
Amendment Act (CAA) were stopped by the police on Friday.Amid heavy security
arrangement and drone surveillance, the protesters including Bhim Army members
started from Dargah Shah-e-Mardan in Jor Bagh in the national capital and were
stopped by police at a barricade en-route PM Modi’s residence at Lok Kalyan
Marg. They participated in the march with their hands tied, saying they did it
so that they could not be blamed for violence and arson during the protest.“We
have tied our hands and are protesting so tomorrow they do not attack us and
lie that we were not protesting peacefully,” said Majid Jamal, one of the
participants in the protest.thestatesman
Delhi Police film protests, run its images
through face recognition software to screen crowd
New Delhi :Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Ramlila Maidan rally on Dec.22
— where he said there was no talk of NRC — was the first political rally where
Delhi Police used a facial recognition software to screen the crowd.This was
also the first time Delhi Police used a set of facial images collected from
footage filmed at the city’s various protest events to filter “law and order
suspects” at the Prime Minister’s rally.Following a Delhi High Court order in a
case related to missing children, the Delhi Police had acquired Automated
Facial Recognition System (AFRS) software in March 2018 as a tool to identify
lost and found boys and girls by matching photos.Sources said Delhi Police has
so far created a photo dataset of over 1.5 lakh “history-sheeters” for routine
crime investigation. Another dataset meant for monitoring sensitive public
events has over 2000 images of terror suspects and — the latest addition —
alleged “rabble-rousers and miscreants”.indian express
Splinter In JD(U) Over CAA? Minority Cell Leader Tenders Resignation
After Prashant Kishor
JD(U) leader Khwaja Shahid, on Friday tendered his resignation from the
party after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's stand over the newly implemented
Citizenship (Amendment) Act. Shahid's resignation, who held the post of JDU's minority
cell, comes after the party leaders supported CAA and also days after party
Vice President Prashant Kishor aired his concerns over the Act and offered his
resignation. Kishor also deleted his designation from his Twitter bio. However,
CM Nitish Kumar has not accepted his resignation yet. However, Party President
and CM, Nitish Kumar opposed NDA alliance, as he stated that asserted that NRC
will not be implemented in the state. Kumar's statements made him the first
from NDA camp to have voiced disapproval of the proposed move to have an all
India NRC which triggered country-wide tension and protests. republicworld
Rahul Gandhi says ‘NRC, NPR more disastrous than demonetisation’
New Delhi :Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said that the National
Popular Register (NPR) and the NRC will prove to be “more disastrous for the
people” than the note ban in Nov.2016. Speaking on the sidelines of the party’s
135th foundation day at the AICC headquarters in the national capital, Rahul
alleged that the basic idea behind the exercises was to ask all poor people
whether they are Indian or not.“His (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) 15 friends
will not have to show any document and the money generated will go into the
pockets of those 15 people,” he said, referring to his allegation that the
government was working for the benefit of “15 crony capitalists”. “This will be
more disastrous for the people than demonetisation. This will have twice the
impact of demonetization,” he added.indianexpress
CAA: More than 2 lakh take out rally in Aurangabad
More than two lakh people under the banner of 20 Muslim organizations
and other parties include Congress on Friday took out a rally to voice their anger
and protest to the Citizenship Amendment Act, NRC in Aurangabad in
Maharashtra.The organizations that participated in Friday’s massive rally were
Jamiat-e-Hind, Jamathe Islami Hind, AIMIM, Muslim Awami Committee, Tameere
Millat, Muslim Lawyers Forum, Doctors Forum and Raza Academy.Congress, NCP, RJD
and Samajwadi Party workers alo joined the rally.The Aurangabad city police
have deployed heavy bandobast.maktoobmedia.com
Gujarat: Modasa observes bandh to protest CAA and NRC
Modasa :Hundreds of shops at multiple market places in Modasa town of
Aravalli district, including Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC)
wholesale market, were closed on Friday as the area observed a shutdown in
protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and NRC. Bandh, called by
Aravalli Muslim Coordination Committee, was observed in select pockets of
Modasa, even as Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel arrived in the town to
inaugurate a newly built circuit house.The area wore a deserted look since
Friday morning as shops were shut in market complexes from Hajira to College
Road in Modasa town. The otherwise busy ‘Makhdoom’ intersection of Modasa was
also near empty.“This is our way of holding a symbolic protest against the
draconian CAA, NRC and now NPR. We have realised that it is a prolonged fight and
we have a long way to go. When the protests against CAA had begun across India,
the residents of Modasa decided to wait and watch. The escalation of violence
in Ahmedabad during the protests weakened our spirits but then we realised that
by doing a non-violent protest, we can ensure that the spirit of our community
doesn’t weaken further. We were told by the police that no permission will be
given for a rally or a protest, so we decided to shut down our businesses for a
day as a symbolic protest,” said Suleiman Khan, convener, Muslim Coordination
Committee.The biggest effect of the bandh was seen at APMC market complex,
which is the single biggest agricultural market in Aravalli and Sabarkantha, as
it observed complete shutdown with over a 1,000 shops remaining closed on
Friday.Indian Express
Gujarat: BJP leaders greet Pakistani nationals with flowers in Rajkot
Rajkot :Amid protests against the new citizenship law across the
country, BJP Thursday organised an event where families of Sodha community from
Pakistan who are living in Rajkot on long-term visa (LTV) were greeted with
flowers.The party organised a meeting of intellectuals and party workers in
Swaminarayan Gurukul, a school run by monks of Swaminarayan sect on Gondal Road
of the city, to “raise public awareness about the Citizenship Amendment Act and
to welcome Pakistani nationals living in India”.Gujarat BJP spokesperson Bharat
Pandya, Rajkot MP Mohan Kundariya, BJP’s Rajkot district unit president Devraj
Sakhiya, former minister Jasuben Korat, local BJP MLAs and other local leaders
of the party presented bouquets of flowers to the Pakistani
nationals.indianexpress
Muslims to lose property for opposing Narendra Modi’s new Indian
citizenship law:Times UK
Several hundred mostly Muslim men face having their property confiscated
after being given “unpayable” fines for allegedly vandalising police batons,
motorbikes and loudspeakers during protests against a new Indian citizenship
law. Residents described the unprecedented fines as being part of a clampdown
involving arbitary arrests and intimidation by Hindu nationalist government in
the state of Uttar Pradesh against the Muslim community over the
demonstrations. Paramilitary and police forces were deployed in Uttar Pradesh
today and the internet was shut down in an attempt to curb violence. Security
drones were spotted flying over western regions of the state, where protests
turned violent after last week’s Friday prayers.
Cong calls for another 'independence movement' against Modi govt'
Gujarat unit of the Congress took out a 'Save Constitution' flag march
from Sabarmati Ashram to the statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Usmanpura in
the city to mark the party's foundation day.Thousands of workers took part in the
march, where several leaders, including party's Gujarat in-charge Rajiv Satav,
state unit chief Amit Chavda and Leader of Opposition in Legislative Assembly,
Paresh Dhanani, were present.Addressing the workers before the march, Satav
said, "Under BJP government (at the Centre), which has been in power since
the last six years, the country seems to be going backwards. Prime Minister
(Narendra Modi) does not respond to the questions on economic slowdown,
unemployment, and farm distress, among others, affecting the people of the
country.""On our foundation day, we pledge to launch a fight for the
second independence and work to once again make the country what Bapu (Mahatma
Gandhi) had dreamt of," he said.PTI
*OTHERS*
145 Days On, No Word On Restoring Internet In Kashmir; Students,
Businesses Worst Sufferers
There is no word on when internet services will be restored in Kashmir,
where the blackout has completed 145 days, officials said on Friday even as
mobile internet facility was resumed in Ladakh's Kargil district.Internet
services were suspended on August 5, the day the Centre announced nullification
of Article 370 of the Constitution and bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into
two union territories -- Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.There is no word on when
internet services will be restored in the Valley, the officials said.BJP
general secretary Ram Madhav on Thursday had said broadband internet facilities
were being restored in Kashmir in a phased manner and the local administration
will restore the broadband services in more sectors after a security review.In
the Valley, the business community and students are the worst sufferers due to
the internet shutdown."Almost every paperwork related to business is now
to be done online. Although the government has set up facilitation centres at
various places, these are not enough. For example, I have to shut my shop for a
day to be able to give GST returns. It is not only cumbersome but humiliating
as well, said Farooq Ahmad Khan, a businessman.Hundreds of students, who aspire
to appear in various competitive examinations, have to make frequent visits to
the internet kiosks set up in offices of deputy commissioners of various
districts and some educational institutions.outlookindia
BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya loses his own Twitter poll, gets brutally
trolled
BJP's IT cell head Amit Malviya has lost his own Twitter poll on
Saturday. On Friday morning, he had conducted a poll on veteran journalist
Rajdeep Sardesai.Malviya had written, "Rajdeep Sardesai should handle PR
for ISIS." He had given four options for the Twitter users to vote- agree,
strongly agree, disagree and he is irrelevant.However when the poll ended on
Saturday morning, 33% Twitter users voted for 'disagree' while 28% voted for
'agree' and 26% people voted for 'strongly disagree'. 13% users voted for 'he
is irrelevant'. 144,287 Twitter users voted in the poll conducted by
Malviya.Sardesai had replied to his tweet saying that he should carry on with
this brazenly slanderous and incendiary campaign. "My friend, carry on
with this brazenly slanderous and incendiary campaign. My new year resolution
is to stay calm! Have a peaceful and happy new year.. may spirit of India shine
bright," he had written on Friday.Amit Malviya was brutally trolled on
Twitter after he lost his own poll. freepressjournal
Hyderabad police go slow on ‘sedition’ probe against two sisters
Hyderabad: When they first registered a sedition cases against two
Muslim women — both daughters of a cleric — in Saidabad for spreading communal
hatred during a congregation against the Supreme Court verdict on Ayodhya in
mid-November, the Hyderabad police had come in for sharp criticism for acting
in haste.Now, more than a month later, the Hyderabad police appear to have had
second thoughts over their own move as they have reportedly decided not to
pursue the case any further and eventually close the matter for good.
Officially though, they maintain that the case is “under investigation.”On
November 15, the Saidabad police had registered a sedition case under section
124A of the Indian Penal Code against the daughters of well known cleric
Maulana Abdul Aleem Islahi — Shabista and Zille Huma — and a group of women for
allegedly spreading communal hatred during a congregation held at Idgah Ujale
Shah in Saidabad against the Ayodhya verdict.The investigators have not even
summoned Shabista and Zille Hume or any other woman present during the
congregation to question them. DECCAN
CHRONICLE
Samjhauta Blast Case: PUDR Report Raises Questions About NIA's
Investigation
New Delhi: A recent report by human rights group People’s Union for
Democratic Rights (PUDR) has raised a series of questions on the role of NIA in
the 2007 Samjhauta blast case. Tilted ‘A Compromised Investigation’, PUDR in
its report has accused NIA of carrying out ‘a biased investigation’ and turning
a blind eye to ‘Hindu’ Terror.“A biased investigation is visible in the lack of
safety for witnesses leading to a large number turning hostile, the absence of
key evidence linking the accused to the crime, NIA’s unexplained rush to file
chargesheets, and the crucial loss of time as investigating agencies turned a
blind eye to Hindu terror outfits in the initial years after the blast,” the
human rights group said in its note circulated with the report.According to
Radhika Chitkara, one of the PUDR researchers who worked on the report, there
was ‘unexplained rush to frame charges and file chargesheets’ in the case.
“Turning a blind eye to the possibility of ‘Hindu’ Terror, mishandling of
investigations and evidence are other important aspects of the case as
indicated in the judgement,” she told The Wire.thewire
Unemployment biggest worry of urban Indians, reveals Survey
Concerns about joblessness is on the rise in India as a new survey has
revealed that unemployment is what worries 46 per cent of urban Indians the
most.The results revealed that in November at least three per cent more urban
Indians were worried about unemployment than those in October, according to the
latest report of "What Worries the World" survey by market research
firm Ipsos.The survey indicated that some of the other issues worrying Indians
include financial and political corruption, crime and violence, poverty and
social inequality and climate change."Government will need to put a greater
emphasis on job creation as lack of jobs continues to bother urban Indians, as
more youngsters keep getting added to the job market. Also, tighter controls
are needed to address other niggling issues," Parijat Chakraborty, Country
Service Line Leader, Public Affairs & Corporate Reputation, Ipsos India,
said in a statement.IANS
In new holiday list, Ladakh drops Martyr’s Day, Sheikh Abdullah birthday
Srinagar :2 holidays observed by the erstwhile state of Jammu and
Kashmir do not figure in the holiday list for year 2020 for the Union Territory
of Ladakh.Earlier, July 13 was observed as Martyrs’ Day, commemorating the
deaths of 22 people killed when the forces of Maharaja Hari Singh opened fire
on them on this day in 1931. Meanwhile, December 5 is the birth anniversary of
former J&K prime minister and chief minister Sheikh Abdullah, who was also
the founder of the National Conference.However, neither finds place in the new
holiday list prepared for the newly formed Union Territory of Ladakh. An order
dated December 26, which was issued by General Administration Department of the
UT of Ladakh, states that the list has been prepared with the order of Lt
Governor of Ladakh.indianexpress
Move to merge cadres: With
postcards, petitions to PM, railway officers intensify stir
New Delhi :From next week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will start
receiving thousands of postcards from serving Railway officers demanding a
rollback of his Cabinet’s decision to unify all railway cadres into
one.Thousands of postcards are being readied to be sent to Modi and Railway
Minister Piyush Goyal, signed by civil servants and others from Railways,
demanding two unified services — one technical and one non-technical — instead
of one for civil servants. A separate petition addressed to the PM and Goyal,
signed by aggrieved officers from all 68 divisions of Indian Railways, is being
mobilised, too, rebutting the justification for one unified cadre.“Merger of
services will hurt the development of Railways and safety of passengers.
#NoToIRMS #yestotwoservices #SaveIndianRailways,” say the postcards, addressed
to Prime Minister of India, Raisina Hill, New Delhi. Some postcards simply say
“No To IRMS” and “Yes to two services”.indianexpress
Railway officials write to PM Modi, oppose move to merge 8 services
Delhi temperature drops to 2.4 degrees, brace for coldest New Year's
Eve: IMD
Delhi continues to shiver morning as the national capital recorded its
coldest day of the season today. At 6.10 am, the temperature plummeted to 2.4
degrees Celsius, according to India Meteorological Department (IMD). The
national capital is all set to witness the coldest New Year's Eve as heavy
downpour is expected in the city, according to the Met department.The Safdarjung
observatory, which provides official figures for Delhi, recorded the lowest
temperature of the season at 2.4 degrees Celsius in the morning.At 8.30 am
today, Delhi temperature recorded as 1.7 Degrees Celsius at Lodhi Road, 3.1
Degrees Celsius at Palam and 1.9 Degree Celsius at Aya Nagar, according to IMD
officials.livemint
*WORLD*
UN condemns human rights abuses against Myanmar's Rohingya
UN General Assembly approved a resolution Friday strongly condemning
human rights abuses against Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslims and other minorities,
including arbitrary arrests, torture, rape and deaths in detention. 193-member
world body voted 134-9 with 28 abstentions in favor of the resolution which
also calls on Myanmar’s government to take urgent measures to combat incitement
of hatred against the Rohingya and other minorities in Rakhine, Kachin and Shan
states.General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding but they do reflect
world opinion.AP
China to rewrite Quran, Bible to 'reflect socialist values' amid
crackdown on Uighur Muslims
China plans to rewrite the Quran and Bible to "reflect socialist
values" amid a crackdown on the country's religious minority groups,
according to local reports.Modified versions of the Quran and the Bible will
exclude any content deemed to go against the beliefs of the country's Communist
Party, a top party official said. Content seen by censors as a deviation from
the party's beliefs will be amended or re-translated, the party official
added.Although the Bible and Quran were not specifically named, the party has
called for a "comprehensive evaluation of the existing religious classics
aiming at contents which do not conform to the progress of the times".China
has faced growing international condemnation for rounding up an estimated one
million Uighurs and other mostly Muslim ethnic minorities in a network of
internment camps.Beijing initially denied the existence of the camps, but now
says they are "vocational training centres" necessary to combat
terrorism.alaraby.co.uk
Taliban attack on Afghanistan army base kills 10 soldiers
At least 10 Afghan soldiers have been killed in a Taliban attack on a
military base in the southern Helmand province, officials said.The Taliban dug
a tunnel into the base, located in the volatile Sangin district, and blew it up
before its fighters attacked the compound, Nawab Zadran, spokesman for 215
Maiwand Army Corps in southern Afghanistan told AFP news agency on Saturday.
"There were 18 soldiers in the base at the time of the attack providing
security for the people of Sangin. Four soldiers were wounded and four repelled
the Taliban attack bravely," he said.Provincial spokesman Omar Zawak
confirmed the attack and said the soldiers were killed by the powerful blast
inside the base.In a statement sent to media, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah
Mujahid claimed responsibility for the attack.
Massive car bomb kills at least 76 in Mogadishu
MOGADISHU: A massive car bomb exploded in a busy area of Mogadishu on
Saturday, leaving at least 76 people dead, many of them university students,
officials said.The blast occurred at a busy intersection southwest of the
Somali capital where traffic is heavy because of a security checkpoint and a
tax office.The wounded were carried on stretchers from the site, where the
force of the explosion left charred and twisted remains of vehicles.Mogadishu’s
Mayor Omar Mohamud Mohamed told a press conference that the exact number of
dead was not yet known, but that around 90 people were wounded.AFP
*views, Articles, FEATURES*
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Affairs
CAA neither redresses ‘errors’ of Partition nor does it address
religious persecution. It attacks secularism:Atul Nanda, advocate general of
Punjab
India is witnessing revival of non-violent movements, to protect
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Even if a law passes the legal test, it may still be repressive:Kapil
Sibal
CAA, NRC need to be debated objectively:Priyanka Deo
Frequent transfers, apathetic personnel: How UP Police's laxity made CAA
protests spin out of control:indiatoday
NDA Crumbles Under Youth Power on CAA
Fear stalks Uttar Pradesh as people are reminded of Kashmir at every
step:Sunita Shahi
Ask 19 questions on CAA-NPR-NRIC when BJP workers come home
* Compiled
and edited by Anwarulhaq (Released at: 6:59 PM).*
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