*03 DEC. 2019: 05 Rabius Sani 1441:
Vol: 12, No: 73*
*INDIA: BABRI MASJID CASE*
Rajeev Dhavan will be lawyer for 4 petitioners in Ayodhya case: Muslim
Personal Board
All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has said senior advocate
Rajeev Dhavan would continue to be the lawyer for 4 of the original petitioners
in the Ayodhya case. Slamming Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind for filing its own review
petition and removing Dhavan as their lawyer, AIMPLB member Kamal Farooqui
said,“for us, Rajeev Dhavan will be the lawyer. We are indebted to him for even
fighting the case. We will be filing the review petition for four of the
petitioners either by Friday or Saturday. Initially, we had all decided we
would file it together. But, now the advocate on record Ejaz Maqbool has done
his own thing. Even when we had all met 2 days ago, there was no change in the
decision,” underscored Farooqui.“Rajeev Dhavan is someone who has upheld
Constitutional values and he fought the case well. I don’t know why they
decided to file a petition separately and much earlier than decided. We will
now have another advocate on record,” added Farooqui. The board's general
secretary Maulana Wali Rahmani in a statement today said a team of senior
advocates and advocates on record is busy in drafting the review petition which
will then be settled by Dhawan. In the
Babri Masjidtitle dispute, there were 8 parties, of which 3 parties — Sunni
Waqf Board, oldest litigant Hashim Ansari’s son Iqbal Ansari and Shia Central
Board of Waqf— are not filing a review. Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind filed its review
petition on Monday.Now, AIMPLB will file on behalf of other 4 petitioners -
Haji Misbahuddeen, Haji Phenku, Farooq Ahmad’s son Mohammad Umar and Maulana
Mahfoozurahman.His comments come in the backdrop of the news that advocate on
record Ejaz Maqbool had removed Dhavan as lawyer of Jamiat. Dhavan wrote on
Facebook that he had accepted the “sacking without demur”.Dhavan said he was
informed that Jamiat chief Maulana Arshad Madani has indicated that he was
removed from the case because he was unwell. “This is total nonsense. He has a
right to instruct his lawyer AOR Ejaz Maqbool to sack me which he did on
instructions. But the reason being floated is malicious and untrue,” Dhavan
asserted.Dhavan’s letter had also indicated that he was working on the review
petition and the team had met on Dec1, to finalise the review and they were
supposed to meet on Decr 2,, to finalise the details. Dhavan told PTI, "I
have argued the case for all the Muslim parties in a united manner and would
like the same way.Muslim parties should sort out their differences first."
He said he expressed his opinion on Facebook only after Maqbool went public
about him being sacked because he is unwell. "If I am unwell, then how
come I am appearing in courts in other cases," Dhavan said."I am
committed to the cause and to the Muslim parties but making such a statement is
completely wrong," he added. Maqbool said Dhavan was not available when
the organization filed its review petition yesterday. "I could not give
his name in the petition because he was not available. It is not a big
issue," Maqbool told ANI. Dhavan, in response, said: "I don't know
what their compulsions were but they confirmed to me it was a sacking. Now they
are saying that I was sick and unavailable, it is a lie."
nationalheraldindia /PTI /NDTV
AIMPLB hopeful Dhavan will represent it when Ayodhya review petition is
filed
Jamaat Islami Hind backs
AIMPLB''s move to file Ayodhya review petition
New Delhi:Jamaat Islami Hind (JIH) has backed the All India Muslim
Personal Law Board''s (AIMPLB) decision to file review petition in the Ayodhya
case in the apex court.In pursuit of justice, its necessary that all options be
explored, the JHI added."Many legal experts have made adverse comments on
the judgement and the Jamaat feels the demand for justice and fair play has not
been met by awarding the land to those who demolished the Babri Masjid. The
Jamaat supports the AIMPLB move," the JIH said in a statement.Backing the
decision to reject the 5 acres land awarded by the Supreme Court for building a
mosque, the Jamaat said, "Muslims didn''t litigate for the piece of land
but justice". IANS
Jamaat Backs AIMPLB on review petition, says verdict in Babri Masjid case
is "mockery of justice"
Babri demolition anniversary: Observing shaurya divas or black day to be
treated as treason, warns Agra Police
Agra:Every year, Muslims in Braj region observe Dec.6 as a 'Black Day'
to protest the demolition of the Babri mosque while the Hindus celebrate it as
'Shaurya Divas'. With the Supreme Court delivering judgment on the fate of the
disputed land, these displays of pleasure and grief appear to have
ended.However, some irresponsible elements in the society are still trying to
observe these days and keeping that in mind, the administration and police have
started holding meetings with the locals at the police station level.In the
highly sensitive Mantola area, the Muslims had once held a namaz on the road at
a very busy crossing on the anniversary of Babri Masjid demolition.The
administration has sensed that a namaz will again be held at the same place by
the Muslims. In view of it, the senior police and administrative officials
issued a warning asking them to desist from any attempt to disrupt the peace.A
senior police official told IndiaToday that, Ayodhya chapter has closed and if members of
any community try to revive this dispute by holding 'Shaurya Divas or Kala
Divas', they will be booked under treason. IG Agra Zone A Satish Ganesh said
all senior police officials in the zone have been instructed to hold regular
meetings with the locals in their area and inform them of the penal provisions
for trying to revive the Ayodhya dispute when it has been permanently settled. The
police officials warned the locals against doing anything that could disturb
the peace. IndiaToday
Ayodhya conclusions not matched by reasons: Justice Ganguly
New Delhi:Justice A.K. Ganguly, a former Supreme Court judge, on Monday
said he was shocked “beyond measure” by the Ayodhya verdict as “the conclusions
of the judgment are not matched by its reasons”.Speaking at a discussion on the
Ayodhya Judgment here, Justice Ganguly said: “I’ve never heard in my humble
career as a judge for 18 years that there can be addendum to a judgment…After
reading the judgment, my first reaction in one sentence is ‘the conclusions of
the judgment are not matched by its reasons, rather they are mutually
destructive’.”The former judge said he was not criticising the judges but he
cannot reconcile.Justice Ganguly said: “In 1934, there were communal
disturbances. Damage was made to the mosque….it was restored by the British
government, and Hindus were fined. I find that our colonial masters, they
protected the rights of minorities better than this constitutionally formed
government under the Constitution where secularism is a basic feature.”He
pointed out that “Hindu idols were surreptitiously placed in the mosque”, just
a month after the Constitution was adopted.Justice Ganguly quoted the judgment
which says: “The allotment of land to the Muslims is necessary because though
on a balance of probabilities, the evidence in respect of the possessory claim
of the Hindus to the composite whole of the disputed property stands on a
better footing than the evidence adduced by the Muslims, the Muslims were
dispossessed upon the desecration of the mosque on 22/23 Dec.1949, which was
ultimately destroyed on 6 Dec.1992. There was no abandonment of the mosque by
the Muslims.”Justice Ganguly then asked, “How does it become a better footing,
on what better footing? Hindus have always encroached upon it illegally…Does
demolition of the mosque constitute a better possessory title of the
Hindus?”Pointing out that in 2017, the SC had ordered a fast-track trial
against ex UP CM Kalyan Singh and other BJP leaders for criminal conspiracy to
demolish the mosque, Ganguly said:“The court was so shocked by the enormity of
the crime that it gives an extraordinary direction. And that is considered act
of possession?…And now the central govt is directed to frame a scheme on the
same plot of land where stood a mosque, on the demolition of which the SC
directed a trial with such seriousness.” The third panellist, senior advocate
Sanjay Hegde, quoted CJI Arvind Bobde from a recent interview in which he said
that the bench had decided to be unanimous on the Ayodhya verdict.Hegde said:
“It achieved unanimity by first agreeing that ‘look we have to get this out of
the way,we have to give a judgment which is implementable…Jugaad jurisprudence
is sometimes used when arguments are made which are not necessarily focused in
law or flowing out of it.”telegraphindia
Modi attacks Cong over Art 370 and Ayodhya, says it presided
Ranchi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday launched a two-pronged
attack on the Congress, accusing it of procrastinating resolution of national
issues like Article 370 and the Ayodhya dispute, and presiding over
"corrupt and unstable" governments in Jharkhand. Stumping for BJP
nominees for the Jharkhand assembly polls, Modi harped on the repeal of
provisions of Article 370 that gave the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir
its special status, and the Ayodhya tangle--themes that have underpinned both
his and party chief Amit Shah's campaign rallies in the state."The talk of
Article 370 was on since Independence. The Constitution said the article was a
temporary provision. Article 370 is now gone from Jammu and Kashmir. "Tell
me whether the entire country has stood behind us on the issue or not. Tell me
the people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh have stood behind us on this or not.
When things are done with good intentions, you have the blessings of the whole
country," Modi told an election rally in Jamshedpur.Amid a roaring
applause by the crowd, the prime minister spoke about the Ayodhya tangle.
"Did Ram Janmabhoomi (dispute) happen after we came to power? Was it not
the Congress party that obstructed a resolution? Was it not done for vote bank
politics?" he asked an indulgent audience that shouted "yes" in
emphatic endorsement.PTI
Jail those behind Babri demolition: Akbaruddin Owaisi
Hyderabad: All those responsible for demolition of Babri Masjid should
be put behind bars, said AIMIM MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi. He was addressing a
public meeting in Mehdipatnam, ahead of the Babri Masjid demolition anniversary
observed on Dec.6.He also appealed that the case “against perpetrators of the
crime” be fast-tracked While calling on people to keep their shops open on
Dec.6, AIMIM floor leader in Assembly said, “This meeting supports All India
Muslim Personal Law Board’s decision for revision petition against the SC
judgment on the title suit…we decided not to accept the SC’s allotment of 5
acres of alternate land elsewhere in Ayodhya in lieu of the original site of
the mosque.”On Dec.6, he said, protests will be observed in a democratic and
peaceful manner and prayers will be offered for the rebuilding of the
mosque.TOI
*J&K ISSUE
*
Govt elusive on cost of forces’ deployment in J&K post Article 370
The government has not conducted a separate survey on the cost incurred
for deployment of security forces, their travel and supplies following the
abrogation of special status given to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370,
Union minister G Kishan Reddy said in Lok Sabha on Tuesday.He also said a total
of 5,161 people including stone pelters, overground workers, separatists etc.
were taken into preventive custody in Kashmir Valley since August 4 and of
them, 609 people are currently under detention."No separate assessment has
been made of cost incurred towards personnel deployed, cost of supplies, travel
expenditure, detention of persons, communication and medical facilities,
etc," he said in a written reply. The minister said the full potential and
economy in Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh regions could not be realised for the last
70 years as the people of Jammu and Kashmir have suffered from terrorist
violence and separatism supported from across the border.PTI
No funds, Modi govt puts on hold its Rs 2,600-crore education plan for
J&K and Ladakh
New Delhi: Ministry of HRD has had to put on hold an ambitious plan it
had drafted to improve the quality of education in Jammu and Kashmir, after
realising it doesn’t have the required funds.After Article 370 was scrapped in
Jammu and Kashmir, HRD ministry had drawn up a major plan for J&K and
Ladakh as Modi govt looked at improving education infrastructure in the region
and augment the facilities currently available to students. The plan required
an estimated Rs 2,600-crore fund. However, according to a senior government
official, the ministry doesn’t have adequate funds with it to take up such a
project at this point. “We had drawn up the plan and were estimating the
available resource envelope for this project. However, we don’t have such funds
available currently for such a major initiative,” said a senior HRD
official.theprint
Ghost of Israel-type settlements return to haunt Kashmir: Kashmiri
Pandits slam Indian diplomat’s remarks
Srinagar:Days after India’s Consul General in New York Sandeep
Chakravorty called for adopting Israeli model of building settlements in the
Kashmir valley, a group of influential Kashmiri Pandits has taken him head-on
terming his remarks “fissiparous” and “narrow-minded thought process”.At a
private event in New York last month, Chakravorty had said India should follow
Israeli model of building settlements to facilitate the return of Kashmiri
Pandits who left the Valley due to violence in 1990s.“This is totally
unacceptable to Kashmiri Pandits, who have always believed in homogeneous and
secular society. Before the violence raised its head in 1990, Kashmiris,
irrespective of their religion, used to live together as one society. Our
language, culture and way of living are similar. We cannot be separated”, said
Satish Mahaldar, Chairman, Reconciliation, Return and Rehabilitation of Jammu
and Kashmir Migrants.Mahaldar, who had met detained Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz
Umar Farooq before the abrogation of Article 370 and worked hard for honourable
return of Kashmiri Pandits, said “if the ruling BJP-led NDA government at the
Centre is thinking in these terms, then it is highly unfortunate”. “Kashmir has
suffered a lot at the hands of sponsored violence, thousands have died and a
large number of Kashmiris have been
displaced and making such statements can further aggravate the situation. It
seems that the ruling party is using the beleaguered Kashmiri Pandit
community’s plight to its advantage. When it comes to fighting Pakistani
propaganda at the international level, the plight of Kashmiri Pandits is used
as a weapon”, he said. Mahaldar noted that the government is not doing anything
to encourage inter-community dialogue and interaction. Instead, he said, such
statements are bound to deepen differences and ill-will. “Our appeal to all is
not to make such kind of statements that can vitiate the atmosphere. We appeal to the government to formulate a
concrete plan for our return and rehabilitation in Kashmir. We urge Centre to
punish such individuals, organizations who time and again give such statements
and try to instigate violence and disrupt communal harmony“,he said.Congress,
too, has joined chorus against BJP-led government at Centre for what it said
encouraging people like Chakravorty to make inflammatory statements.India
Tomorrow
Navy drives away suspicious Chinese vessel from Indian waters, warns
against entering sans permit
New Delhi: India is keenly watching China's increasing presence in the
Indian Ocean region, Navy chief Admiral Karambir Singh said today, assuring
that India is capable of thwarting any threat.Addressing a press conference
ahead of the Navy Day celebrations on Dec 4, Singh said: "China has
increased presence in Indian Ocean since 2008. We are keenly watching
them." "There are Chinese oceanographic research vessels in the
exclusive economic zone. On an average, 7 to eight vessels are present near
this zone.They are here sometimes to carry out mining, sometimes as an
anti-piracy squad," said Singh, adding that the Indian Navy carries out
whatever prompt action is needed.He said one of the vessels, named Shi Yan 1,
was driven away by Navy since it was in Indian water without permission. Admiral
Karambir Singh also stressed that the India Navy is fully aware about
Pakistan's intention in Indian Ocean region."We also know about the
intelligence input that terror groups are planning to enter India through sea
routes. We have put an adequate defence mechanism to thwart any threats,"
Singh said.news18
*OTHERS*
SPG Act: Parliament clears amendments, Amit Shah refutes Opposition’s
‘political vendetta’ charge
Rajya Sabha on Tuesday passed the Special Protection Group (Amendment)
Bill, 2019, amid a walkout by the Congress MPs. The Lok Sabha had already
passed the bill on Nov.27.The amendments will provide security to the prime
minister and members of his immediate family who stay with him at the official
residence. This security cover will also be provided to former prime ministers
and their immediate families, residing at official residence, for a period of
five years from the date on which the prime minister ceases to hold the office.
Congress, which has been protesting against the removal of SPG security cover
to the Gandhi family, on Tuesday continued to oppose the amendments in the
Rajya Sabha. But Home Minister Amit Shah said the amendments were not
introduced with the Gandhi family in mind, and that even the security cover of
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be downgraded five years after he leaves
office.During the discussions in Upper House, leaders of the Congress as well
as other parties accused the BJP of playing vendetta politics. Congress leader
Vivek Tankha said that politics had come to such a point that the safety of
political leaders was no longer taken seriously. “What kind of democracy it is?
You are putting the Opposition to threat,” Tankha said, according to PTI.
“Please protect this family. God forbid, if one more fatal incident happens
then who would take blame of it?”scroll
MPs oppose amendment that limits gun licences to just one, cite security
& royal past
New Delhi: A bill seeking to amend the six-decade-old Arms Act and limit
arms licence holders to keeping just one weapon, among others, is facing
opposition from MPs cutting across party lines. The Arms (Amendment) Bill,
2019, introduced in the Lok Sabha last Friday, also states that from now on a
person can apply for just one arms licence. The bill was set to come up for
discussion and passing in the lower house Tuesday but wasn’t taken up and is
likely to be discussed Wednesday.One of the provisions of the bill states that
those who own more than one firearm will have to deposit the rest with
authorities within 90 days. The authorities, according to the bill, can either
be the local police station or an authority mandated by law. The excess guns
will be stored by the authorities and the licensees can access them but at any
point, they can possess only one weapon.The Modi government has also proposed
to enhance punishment from 14 years to life imprisonment for the manufacturing,
selling, repairing and possessing ‘prohibited’ arms and has proposed a two-year
term for those who indulge in celebratory firing at weddings and religious
functions.The MPs are particularly against the government’s decision to limit
licences and are citing security issues and the ‘sensitive locations’ of their
regions.theprint
Students' group resumes dharna against Muslim professor's appointment at
BHU's Sanskrit Dept
Varanasi: The group of students protesting against the recruitment of a
Muslim professor at BHU's Sanskrit department on Monday resumed their sit-in,
saying the university authorities had not set right the
"irregularities" in the appointment.The classes at the department
were disrupted during the day due to the dharna. The students claimed they had
called off the dharna on the assurance from the head of the Sanskrit department
that they would get a response within 10 days on their demand.The group had
claimed that a Muslim cannot teach Sanskrit at BHU, a stand opposed by varsity
officials and other students and RSS.The students had protested for about a
month over the appointment of Muslim professor Feroze Khan at the faculty of
Sanskrit Vidya Dharma Vigyan (SVDV) alleging irregularities in the process. ABVP
leader Chakrapani Ojha claimed the protesting students did not get any response
even after the completion of the 10 days' period.On Monday, students, mostly
from ABVP, sat on a dharna in front of SVDV department to protest against the
appointment of the Muslim professor. After the controversy, Professor Khan
appeared for the interview at the Ayurveda department on Nov.29. He was ranked
at the top of the merit list.PTI
JNU poised for exam boycott
A delegation of JNU teachers’ association on Monday failed to find
anyone in the human resource development ministry to receive its memorandum
relating to the student strike against a hostel fee hike.With the ministry
sitting on the report of a committee it had formed to resolve the crisis, the
students are set to boycott exams for the first time in the university’s
half-a-century-old history.A statement from the teachers’ association, after
its protest outside the ministry on Monday, said: “Was the formation of the
high-power committee only a diversionary tactic and not a genuine attempt at
resolving the crisis?”It demanded an immediate withdrawal of the fee hike and
expressed confidence that it would “receive wide support from the public as it
continues its efforts to hold accountable all those whose acts of commission
and omission have created a grave situation in JNU where the futures of so many
students are at stake”.On a call from the students’ union for “no academic
cooperation”, several students have withheld the submissions of their term
papers ahead of Dec.12 semester exams. Academic centres have been holding
general body meetings to decide on a call to boycott the exams.telegraphindia
INX Media case: SC verdict on Chidambaram's bail plea on Wednesday
The Supreme Court is scheduled to pronounce its verdict tomorrow on
Congress leader P. Chidambaram's plea seeking bail in INX Media
money-laundering case.A bench headed by Justice R. Banumathi had on Nov.28
reserved its judgment on the appeal filed by Chidambaram who has challenged the
Nov.15 verdict of the Delhi High Court denying him bail in the case.PTI
Sanjiv Bhatt moves Gujarat High Court for discharge in drug planting
case
Former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt has approached the Gujarat High Court
with a plea seeking discharge in a 1996 case related to planting of drug to
allegedly frame a lawyer from Rajasthan. Bhatt’s lawyer Saurin Shah said his
client filed the revision plea in the High Court on Monday after a Palanpur
court rejected his discharge application in 23-year-old case on August 23. The
plea of Bhatt, serving a life sentence
in a separate case, is likely to come up for hearing later this week, he
said.PTI
New Yorker report indicts Modi and links his rise to riots
New Delhi: A prominent New York-based weekly, The New Yorker, known for
its long-form and in-depth journalism, has published a scathing critique of the
right wing nationalist BJP government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It
also has direct reporting of the scenario in Kashmir Valley, which is currently
under a lockdown following the August 5 abolition of autonomous status for the
region by the Modi government.The article “Blood and Soil in Narendra Modi’s
India,” authored by well-known journalist Dexter Filkins traces the journey of
India to this day, explaining why the country took a ‘right turn’. The report,
in specific, tells the story of journalist and author Rana Ayyub known for her
investigative reporting related to the 2002 Gujarat pogrom.The write-up has
been widely shared on Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp groups, and other social
media platforms. Most of the readers who shared the piece noted that it brought
into spotlight the issues currently affecting the country which are generally
sidelined by sections of the mainstream media.caravandaily
Blood and Soil in Narendra Modi’s India:Newyorker
Judge Loya’s death: Sharad Pawar says case should be reinvestigated if
there is demand and need
NCP chief Sharad Pawar has said CBI Judge Brijgopal Harkishan Loya’s
death should be reinvestigated if there is a demand and need for it. “If there
is something in it [demands], then maybe a re-investigation should be done,”
Pawar, whose party recently formed the government in Maharashtra in alliance
with Shiv Sena and Congress, said. At the time of his death on Dec.1, 2014,
Judge Loya was handling the Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter case, in which BJP chief
Amit Shah was an accused.“I don’t know, I read in the paper in some articles,
that there is a discussion among Maharashtra’s people to investigate in depth
[the death of Justice Loya],” said Pawar, adding that he had no detailed
information about it.scroll
Modi Wanted Us to Work Together, I Rejected his Offer: Pawar
Mumbai: NCP chief Sharad Pawar has said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had
proposed “working together” but he rejected the offer.Pawar said he made it clear
to Modi that it won’t be possible for him to work together with the PM. “Modi
had offered me to work together. I told him that our personal relations are
very good and they will remain that way but it is not possible for me to work
together,” Pawar said in an interview to a Marathi TV channel on Monday.Pawar
dismissed reports that Modi government offered to make him India’s President.
“But there was an offer to make Supriya (Sule) a minister in Modi-led cabinet,”
he added.Sule is Pawar’s daughter and MP from Baramati in Pune district.PTI
Tamil Nadu: Wall under which 17 people got crushed was built to keep
away Dalits, allege protestors
A large group of protestors gathered outside a hospital in Coimbatore on
Monday, claiming that a wall that had collapsed amid heavy rain earlier in the
day had been built to keep away Dalits, The Hindu reported. The hospital was
carrying out autopsies of 17 people who were killed when the 20-foot-high
compound wall fell on three houses in Nadur village. The protest was carried
out by families of those who died, led by organisations such as Tamil Tigers,
Dravidar Tamilar Katchi and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, outside
Mettupalayam Government Hospital.The house whose wall collapsed belongs to a
textile trader identified as Sivasubramaniam. He was arrested on Tuesday over
charges of causing death by negligence, according to the police. He had been on
the run since the wall collapsed, PTI reported.During the protest on Monday,
Tamil Puligal Katchi President Nagai Tiruvalluvan said the complaint was about
the construction in itself being illegal, and not just the poor quality of
construction. He led a protest to block the arterial Ooty Road.scroll.in
Days after vet's murder, 50-year-old gang-raped and killed in Godavari district
of Andhra
Amaravati: Even before the nationwide public outrage over the gang-rape
and murder of a woman veterinarian in Hyderabad could subside, a similar
horrific crime has come to light from Andhra Pradesh's East Godavari district. According
to police, a 50-year-old widow was allegedly gang raped and murdered in G
Vemavaram village of East Godavari district. 3 men are alleged to have
committed the crime when the victim was alone in her house, police said.news18
Girl raped, shot dead and burnt in Bihar's Buxar district days after Hyderabad
VET'S MURDER
Buxar: In a gruesome incident akin to the Hyderabad veterinary doctor
killing, a girl was shot dead and burnt after being allegedly raped in Kukudha
village of Bihar's Buxar district on Monday night, police said on Tuesday. Police
recovered the charred body of the girl around 6 am on Tuesday from a deserted
field under the jurisdiction of Itadhi police station, said Buxar DSP Satish
Kumar.The victim was shot one bullet in her head, they said adding police have
recovered an empty cartridge from the spot. Hundreds of villagers gathered at
the spot in the morning but none of them could identify the girl as she was
badly burnt above waist, police sources said.PTI
Sexual abuse takes place in convents and seminaries:Kerala nun
Lucy Kalapura, a 52-year-old nun expelled from Franciscan Clarist
Congregation (FCC) about three months ago on grounds of indiscipline, has
alleged in her autobiography that sexual abuse and assaults take place in
convents and seminaries, and has called for institutional reforms.The book,
Karthavinte Namathil (In the Name of Christ), was released on Saturday.“It is
all about my life in the convent. It is a collection of my memoirs. It is not a
fiction but hard truth. I wish church authorities accept some of these
realities to stem the rot. Most of the time they are in denial mode and try to
brush it aside,” she told HT over the phone.She added that she will remain a
nun till her last breath and that she will be happy if her book helps bring
reforms in the church.FCC of Catholic Church expelled Sister Lucy in August,
citing “serious indiscipline”, but she said she was victimised for supporting
an agitation to arrest the deposed bishop of Jalandhar, Franco Mullakkal, who
is facing rape charges.HT
Dead rat in mid-day meal sends 9 students, teacher in UP school to
hospital
Lucknow: At least 9 students and
a teacher of an inter college in Muzaffarnagar had to be briefly hospitalised
on Tuesday after eating their mid-day meal (MDM) which had a dead rat in it,
officials said.The inter-college has classes from first to 12th standard and
mid-day mal is served to students till the 8th standard. 9 students and the
teacher who were among the first to be served, complained of giddiness after
seeing the rat in the food and were taken to the district hospital for medical
examination. All of them were discharged afte treatment, district officials said.Dr
Navneet Bansal, emergency medical officer (Muzzafarnagar) said, “9 students and
a teacher were brought to the emergency. They were given treatment and no
traces of any poison were found in them.” NGO Jan Kalyan Sanstha Committee was
entrusted with the responsibility to serve mid-day meal in Janta Inter College.
HT
NRC is anti-poor and dehumanises an out-group: former IAS officers
Bengaluru:NRC and Citizenship Amendment Bill not only pose a big
challenge to democracy and the country’s social fabric, but are also anti-poor
and a way of shirking responsibility by the government, according to Kannan
Gopinathan and Sasikanth Senthil, former IAS officers who recently quit in
protest against the actions of the Union government. They were speaking at a
talk on NRC and CAB, organised by a coalition of progressive organisations in
the city on Sunday. Gopinathan said that it was the govt’s responsibility to
identify illegal immigrants. “But it has transferred this to the entire
populace through NRC, just as it did with demonetisation to weed out black
money,” he said.Recounting the Assam experience, he said it is the poor,
landless labourers, homeless, migrants and predominantly women who have no
documents and will be at the receiving end of NRC damage. “Citizens will become
refugees for want of documents, and government will be charitable to only
non-Muslims. Muslims will become infiltrators. This is a violation of our
fundamental rights,” he said, adding that “what is essentially anti-poor is
being marketed as anti-Muslim”. “None of us needs to prove that we are Indians
to this government, our being should be enough proof,” he said. “We are being
punished for their [govt’s] mistake.”thehindu
Revenue surplus over 5 yrs possible as Delhi has non-corrupt govt:
Kejriwal
New Delhi:Aday after the CAG report said that the Delhi government has
maintained a revenue surplus over the last five years, Chief Minister Arvind
Kejriwal on Tuesday asserted it was possible as the national capital has a
"non-corrupt government".Taking to Twitter, the chief minister said,
"Five years of increased expenditure on schools, hospitals, water and power
- all this while maintaining revenue surplus and improving Delhi's fiscal
health...(sic)""This was possible because Delhi has a non-corrupt
govt which uses every paisa of taxpayer money on public welfare," he
said.indiatoday
Criticised over GDP remark, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey urges Parliament to
ban social media
New Delhi :Facing criticism for his statement on the relevance of GDP,
BJP MP Nishikant Dubey Tuesday urged the Parliament to frame a law for banning
social media as his remarks were distorted to the extent that users abused his
family members.Speaking during the question hour of Lok Sabha, Dubey said,
“According to Article 105 and 105(2) of the Constitution, reporting of any
discussion in the Parliament will be reported fairly and without any bias. When
I was discussing over GDP yesterday, I quoted a report by Simon Kuznets, who
coined GDP, where he had himself expressed his dissatisfaction with its
concept.”indianexpress
Govt’s apathy towards Bhopal gas tragedy survivors condemned on 35th
anniversary
Bhopal:On the eve of the 35th Anniversary of Union Carbide disaster in
Bhopal, leaders of four survivors’ organizations have condemned the continued
apathy of the governments at the Centre and Madhya Pradesh towards medical,
economic and social rehabilitation of the survivors.Ms Rashida Bee, President
of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmchari Sangh said: ”The long and
painful sickness and recent death of Abdul Jabbar, leader of a survivors’
organization, exemplifies what almost every patient visiting the state and
central run hospitals goes through. Till today there is no evidence that the
governments at the state and the centre have learnt any lessons from Abdul
Jabbar bhai’s suffering and death.”Caravan Daily
*WORLD*
Turkey threatens to block NATO's Baltic defence plan over YPG
Turkey will block NATO's plan for the defence of Baltic countries unless
alliance recognises a Kurdish group as
"terrorists", Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned.A NATO
meeting on Tuesday, marking the alliance's 70th anniversary, was set to be a
tense affair with Turkey at odds with other members over its purchase of
Russian missiles and recent offensive in northern Syria, among other
issues.Speaking in Ankara, before his departure for the British capital,
Erdogan urged unconditional support of the alliance in the fight against the
Kurdish People's Protection Unit (YPG), which Turkey views as a terrorist
organisation."NATO needs to act in a proactive manner against threats
posed by the terrorist organisations,"Erdogan said. "It is inevitable
that NATO is in need of readjusting itself against today's terrorist threats.
We expect our allies to display strong cooperation with us against the threats
we are facing."Relations between Turkey and its NATO allies have been
strained over a host of issues, ranging from Ankara's decision to procure
Russian air defence systems to its policy on Syria.aljazeera
Trump enters war of words between Macron, Erdogan
US President Donald Trump has entered a war of words between his French
and Turkish counterparts, saying Emmanuel Macron's remark that NATO was brain
dead was "very, very nasty" and "disrespectful".Macron made
the comment in a November 7 interview with The Economist, as he criticised a
lack of coordination between NATO members over Turkey's recent operation in
Syria. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan later responded, challenging Macron to
check his own "brain death".Trump, speaking to reporters in London on
Tuesday alongside NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, said Macron's
assessment of the military alliance was "insulting to a lot of different
forces".Trump also said he would not allow France to take advantage of
American companies after a US government investigation found France's new
digital services tax would harm US technology companies.aljazeera
'Rioters' shot and killed at protests, Iran admits for first time
Iranian state TV has acknowledged security forces shot and killed what
it described as "rioters" in multiple cities amid recent protests
over the spike in government-set petrol prices.It was the first time
authorities offered any sort of accounting for the violence used to put down
the deadly demonstrations.The acknowledgement came in a television report on
Tuesday that criticised international Persian-language channels for their
reporting on the crisis, which began on Nov 15. The state TV report described
the killings in four categories, alleging some of those killed were
"rioters who have attacked sensitive or military centres with firearms or
knives, or have taken hostages in some areas".The report described others
killed as passers-by, security forces, and peaceful protesters without
assigning blame for their deaths.US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that
Iran was "killing thousands of people" for protesting.aljazeera
Amnesty says at least 208 killed in Iran protests
At least 208 people are believed to have been killed in Iran during a
security crackdown on protests that came after a surprise petrol price
increase, Amnesty International has said. United Kingdom-based rights group
said the "alarming" death toll was based "on credible
reports" it had received, adding that the actual figure was likely to be
higher.aljazeera
Egypt: Qatar supported Muslim Brotherhood
Egypt has cut ties with Qatar as a result of the Gulf state’s “support
to terror groups [Muslim Brotherhood],” Egyptian representative at the
International Court of Justice said.“Qatar has been holding a hostile stance
against Egypt by supporting terror operation in the Sinai Peninsula,” Amgad
Abdel Ghaffar pointed out, adding that Doha was “promoting the doctrine of
Al-Qaeda and Daesh.”Responding to what he described as “Doha’s interference in
Egypt’s internal affairs,” Abdel Ghaffar stressed that his country had
repeatedly rejected the Qatari move.Since 5 June 2017, Egypt, along with Saudi
Arabia, UAE and Bahrain,has been imposing a blockade on Qatar accusing it of
supporting terrorism. Doha denies the allegations saying boycotting countries
are actually working to force a change in govt in Qatar.MEMO
New details on covert Israeli operation in Gaza revealed
New details have emerged about a botched Israeli intelligence operation
in the Gaza Strip in Nov.2018 that sparked deadly Israeli air strikes and
Palestinian rocket fire.Eight undercover Israeli agents - who were disguised as
Palestinians and had taken the aliases of a real family in Gaza - entered the
coastal enclave on November 11 last year with the objective of planting
listening devices on Hamas's private communications system, an investigation by
Al Jazeera Arabic's Ma Khafia Aazam (Tip of the Iceberg) programme revealed.
However, the Israelis were stopped and questioned by a Hamas patrol unit in
Khan Younis for 40 minutes and became suspicious of their answers. A firefight
broke out and the Israeli operatives used guns with silencers, immediately
killing Hamas commander Nour Baraka and one of his aides, Mohammed al-Qarra.The
head of the Israeli undercover unit, named for the first time as
"Meni", was also killed.Aired on Sunday, the programme revealed the
undercover Israeli operatives to be part of the Sayeret Matkal unit, which was
established in 1957 to amass intelligence behind enemy lines.aljazeera
Top Hamas delegation arrives in Cairo for talks
A senior Hamas delegation headed by Chief of the movement’s Political
Bureau Ismail Haniyeh arrived in Cairo to meet Egyptian intelligence
officials.Hamas said that its delegation is to discuss the Palestinian
elections, internal reconciliation, truce with the Israeli occupation and
relations with Islamic Jihad.Haniyeh is planning to leave Cairo after the
meetings with the Egyptian officials to visit some other countries.Meanwhile,
an Islamic Jihad delegation headed by its top leader Ziyad Al-Nakhalah also
arrived in Cairo. It will be meeting Hamas officials and members of Egyptian
intelligence.MEMO
Israel’s Netanyahu cancels visit to London due to lack of security
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has cancelled a visit to London during the
two-day NATO summit which starts today, Israeli media reported.Quds Press
reported Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth saying that the trip was cancelled
after Netanyahu was informed that London would have not be able to afford
private security for him.Times of Israel reported Israeli TV Channel 13
reporting UK govt saying it could not accommodate Netanyahu, who was not
invited to NATO summit.Israeli newspaper Haaretz said British officials were
unhappy that Netanyahu was to visit London for the second time in a very short
period to meet foreign officials.MEMO
US Brown University votes to divest from businesses violating
Palestinian rights
Brown University voted in favour of the Boycott, Divestment and
Sanctions (BDS) movement yesterday, which seeks to financially pressure Israel
into ending the occupation of the Palestinian territories and allow full
equality for its Arab-Palestinian citizens.Advisory Committee on Corporate
Responsibility in Investment Policies (ACCRIP), which consists of university
students, faculty, staff and alumni, vote on resolutions surrounding “ethical
and moral issues or issues of alleged social harm with respect to the
activities of corporations in which the University is an investor,” according
to its website.The vote followed the non-binding referendum in March, when 69
per cent of Brown undergraduate voters supported the same
motion.middleeastmonitor
Oman: ‘We are ready to launch dialogue between Gulf States and Iran’
Oman’s Foreign Minister Yousuf bin Alawi met in Tehran on Monday evening
with Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani after
holding talks with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif. According to a
statement issued by Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Shamkhani said
that Washington’s efforts to build a naval alliance in the Gulf States were
failing. He added: “the only alliances, which can be permanent, i.e. provide
security and solve problems, are those maintained apart from the interference
and influence of external powers.” Shamkhani went on, “it is not possible to
trust a country which does not abide by its commitments with Iran and other
countries,” in reference to the United States. He also accused Trump’s
administration and other countries, which he did not name, of “seeking to
plunder the region”. He also conveyed that those forces “are the ones who
damaged the region’s security and stability the most, in addition to creating
chaos and destruction in the region by igniting wars and endorsing terrorism.
Therefore, these countries will not support any security or stability
initiatives in the Gulf.middleeastmonitor
UAE hails ‘wise leadership’ of Syria’s Assad
UAE representative in Damascus, Abdul-Hakim Al-Naimi, hailed the “wise
leadership” of Syrian regime leader Bashar Al-Assad and stressed that his
country maintains “strong” relations with Syria.He hoped that “safety and
security prevails across Syria” under the “wise leadership” of
Al-Assad.Al-Naimi delivered his remarks during a celebration organised in
Damascus to mark 48th National Day of UAE, Syrian news agency Sana reported.UAE
has been working to regain ties with Al-Assad despite the numerous accusations
of atrocities and abuses levelled at his regime by human rights groups. According
to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, UAE has funded mercenaries from Caucasus and other
countries in order to fight alongside the Syrian regime forces during the
eight-year civil war. UAE also hosts many Syrian regime officials and pro-Assad
businessmen, as well as Al-Assad’s mother Anisa Makhlouf.MEMO
China suspends US warship visit to Hong Kong, sanctions American NGOs
China has suspended US warships and military aircraft visits to Hong
Kong and sanctioned American NGOs including Human Rights Watch in retaliation
against Washington passing two bills supporting pro-democracy protests in the
city last week.The escalation of the China-US diplomatic tussle comes in the
backdrop of the two largest economies in the world trying to reach a “phase 1”
deal to resolve the ongoing trade war.China did not hit back with new tariffs
on US goods as part of its retaliatory measures against the two bills.Beijing
has repeatedly blamed Washington and other western countries for fueling the
protests have rocked the financial hub of Hong Kong since June.HT
US troop decrease in Afghan 'not' tied to Taliban deal
US Defense Secretary Mark Esper has said that any future troop drawdowns
in Afghanistan were "not necessarily" linked to a deal with Taliban,
suggesting some lowering of force levels may happen irrespective of the
continuing peace push. The remarks by Esper in an interview with Reuters on
Monday came on the heels of a Thanksgiving trip last week to Afghanistan by
President Donald Trump, who spoke of potential troop reductions and said he
believed the Taliban would agree to a ceasefire in 18-year-old war.If honoured
by all sides, a truce could lead to a significant reduction in violence. But US
military commanders would still focus on the threats associated with two other
armed groups in Afghanistan: ISIL and al-Qaeda.Esper said the Trump
administration had been discussing potential reductions in troop levels for
some time, both internally and with US allies.Asked whether such reductions
would necessarily be contingent on some sort of agreement with the Taliban,
Esper said:"Not necessarily." He did not elaborate.aljazeera
Rohingya child refugees being denied education: HRW report
Bangladesh is blocking aid groups from providing education to hundreds
of thousands of Rohingya children in refugee camps, Human Rights Watch (HRW)
said today.In a report titled, Are we not human?: Denial of Education for
Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh, the New York-based rights body urged
authorities to urgently lift restrictions that deprive Rohingya refugee
children of their right to education under UN Convention on the Rights of the
Child.aljazeera
Gadhimai: Nepal's mass animal slaughter begins despite outcry
Hindu worshippers have begun slaughtering thousands of buffalo as part
of a religious ritual held every 5 years in southern Nepal, despite efforts to
end the practice considered the world's biggest sacrifice of animals at any one
site.The Gadhimai Festival - a two-day festival in honour of the Hindu goddess
of power - kicked off in the early hours of Tuesday amid tight security, with
the ceremonial slaughter of a goat, rat, chicken, pig and pigeon. A local
shaman then offered blood from five points of his body.Following that, some 200
butchers with sharpened swords and knives walked into a walled arena bigger
than a football field that held several thousand animals as excited pilgrims
climbed trees to catch a glimpse."The sacrifices have begun today... We
had tried not to support it but people have faith in the tradition and have
come here with their offerings," Birendra Prasad Yadav from the festival
organising committee told AFP.AFP
Mob attacks Dawn office for saying London Bridge attacker was of
‘Pakistani’ origin
Dozens of protesters carrying banners and chanting slogans against a
Pakistani newspaper tried to storm its offices in Islamabad, enraged over the
leading daily’s news report in which the London Bridge attacker was identified
as a “man of Pakistani origin”.The Dawn paper in its headline had identified
Usman Khan, a convicted Islamist terrorist from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir who
stabbed 2 people to death in a terror attack on London Bridge last week, as “UK
national of Pakistani origin”, unlike many other local dailies which said he
was born and brought up in Britain and had no link with Pakistan.PTI
*views, Articles, FEATURES*
Amit Shah’s nationwide NRC will be the same as Modi’s demonetisation:Dhruv
Rathee
There was a time when Muslim women in India not only prayed in mosques,
they even built them:Ziya Us Salam
Secularism is caught in a crisis:Neera Chandhoke
Explained: How Vikram lander was found by an amateur enthusiast, and
confirmed by NASA
Indian Railways' Finances Would be Much Worse Without PSUs' Help: CAG
Why the Attack on Rajeev Dhavan Did Not Surprise Me:Mahtab Alam
Who Is Saving Whom? MPs Talk Big On Reforming Rape Laws, But Nearly 50%
Have Criminal Records: Saket Suman
*Compiled
and edited by Anwarulhaq (Released at: 8:47 PM).*
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