NEWS DIGEST, EVENING
29 Feb. 2020:
04 Rajjab 1441: Vol: 12, No: 144
*DELHI VIOLENCE*
Delhi violence: 123 FIRs, 630 held; Toll rises to 42; Few shops
open, large gatherings banned in violence-hit areas
The situation in northeast Delhi after days of clashes is relatively
peaceful today, sources have told NDTV. The ban on large gathering, however, is
still on in neighbourhoods were mobs clashed. Death toll in the Delhi violence
jumped to 42 with health department confirming 4 more deaths. According to CMO
of GTB Hospital, the hospital is under seeing 239 patients, including a new
admission. The present number of admitted patients is 45, out of which 2 are in
ICU.A total of 123 FIRs have been registered and around 630 people have been
either arrested or detained so far in connection with communal violence. Delhi
Police has managed to identify only 26 of the 42 dead, while the identity of the
rest is yet to be ascertained. Police on Friday also identified the cause of
death of 35 victims of the communal violence in North East Delhi. 22 died due to fatal injuries from stone-pelting
or physical assault, while 13 due to gunshot injuries. Delhi Police
spokesperson Mandeep Singh Randhawa also said that FSL teams have been called
in and the crime scenes are being revisited. Of the total cases, 25 cases have
been registered under the Arms Act, police said. Home Ministry has said the
North Delhi Municipal Corporation has cleared most of the debris from public
places.A few shop-owners have pulled up their shutters amid the scorched urban
landscape scarred by petrol bombs and damaged by bricks.Rapid Action Force
personnel, in their blue uniforms, are seen posted at strategic places, along
with policemen and central paramilitary forces.IPS officer SN Shrivastava has
been given additional charge as chief of Delhi Police from March 1 until
further orders; he replaces Amulya Patnaik.ndtv/indiatoday
No reports of violence in Delhi today, will give compensation starting
Sunday:Kejriwal
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday shared information on
efforts to normalise the situation in the capital. ejriwal, at a press
conference in Delhi, said that there has been no news of any kind of violence
from anywhere."We held a review meeting today with the senior officials of
all the concerned departments. No incident of violence has been reported from
any part of Delhi today. Our priority is to restore normalcy at the
earliest," Kejriwal said.Kejriwal said that there have been no reports of
any kind of violence from anywhere, however, many people have left home after
this incident. Kejriwal said that four Sub-Divisions got affected during Delhi
violence and there are about 18 SDMs in these sub-divisions. "All of them
have inspected their respective areas and they are identifying the houses/shops
that got damaged during the violence," Arvind Kejriwal said.indiatoday
Man Forced By Delhi Police to Sing National Anthem on Video Dies
A video that surfaced on social media shows police personnel beating
five injured people and a policeman capturing the incident on phone while they
are being forced to sing national anthem. Out of the 5 men,24-year-old Faizan
has passed away on Thursday. Faizan, a resident of Kardam Puri, passed away at
LNJP Hospital. “He was admitted to the neurosurgery ward of the hospital on Tuesday
and died early Thursday morning. He had suffered gunshot wounds and was
critical,” Dr Kishore Singh, medical director, LNJP hospital said.He has been
identified as the man in the blue shirt in the viral video, lying near the
pavement, as per NDTV journalist Sreenivasan Jain.Nayeem, Faizan's elder
brother, who works in a meat shop, told News18 that earlier they were taken to
GTB hospital where they were treated for “name’s sake.”“They were treated only
for name’s sake. Soon they were taken to Jyoti Nagar police station where they
were kept for two days. My brother was dying in a lock-up, but policemen
wouldn’t let us see him. They abused us and threw us out of police
station,”Nayeem, Faizan’s elder brother.thequint
‘Goli Maaro’ Slogans at Delhi’s Rajiv Chowk Metro Station, 6 Held
A video shared widely on Twitter on Saturday captured a group of people
raising slogans of “desh ke gaddaron ko, goli maaro sa**** ko” (shoot the
traitors) inside New Delhi’s congested Rajiv Chowk Metro Station.Anuj Dayal,
PRO, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, told The Quint that slogans were raised at
10:52 am the same day.“DMRC/CISF immediately handed them over to Delhi Metro
Rail Police for necessary action,” Dayal added.DCP Metro Vikram Porwal told The
Quint that the police has detained 6 people. “We have detained six boys. We are
questioning them,” he said.The controversial slogan has been raised several times
by many BJP leaders in the wake of the anti-CAA protests. Among those BJP
leaders is Union minister Anurag Thakur who in January had egged people
attending a Delhi election rally to raise the incendiary slogan – triggering a
row.A man named Vaibhav Saxena had filmed the video while he was at the metro
station.Several social media users criticised the people who raised such
slogans at the metro station with some claiming that ‘violence has come to your
door,’ and others stating that the “hate slogan has been normalised.”THE QUINT
Hindutva Activists Shout 'Death to the Traitors' at Rajiv Chowk Metro
Station
‘Inflammatory’ slogans raised at Connaught Place march with BJP leader
Kapil Mishra in attendance
New Delhi:Hundreds of people, including BJP leader Kapil Mishra, marched
in Connaught Place in Delhi today, using tagline ‘#DelhiAgainstJehadiViolence’,
in which several people were found raising “inflammatory” slogans.The march was
taken out under the banner of “Delhi Peace Forum” in the backdrop of the
communal violence that took place in parts of north-east Delhi, in which 42
people have died since Sunday.Though Mishra did not make any statement,
participants, many sporting saffron scarfs and some identifying themselves as
RSS and VHP workers, demanded the implementation of CAA and that roads in the
country be cleared of protesters. While a majority of protesters chanted “Jai
Shree Ram” and “Bharat Mata ki Jai”, some in the march raised slogans such as
“shoot the traitors” and “bring the traitors out”.Protesters used
#DelhiAgainstJehadiViolence on almost all placards. The same hashtag was used
by Mishra in his tweets.thehindu
NHRC forms fact-finding team to probe violence in northeast Delhi
National Human Rights Commission
has deputed a fact-finding team to investigate the cases of communal violence
in northeast Delhi, an official said on Saturday."NHRC has deputed a
fact-finding team to investigate the recent cases of violence northeast
Delhi," according to an official. PTI
Emergency Services Were Unresponsive
for up to 72 Hours: Fact Finding Report
New Delhi: Frantic phone calls to emergency ‘100’ number went unanswered
for 48-72 hours and police personnel were missing when people needed them, a
fact-finding report by a civil rights group based on eyewitness accounts from
riot-hit northeast Delhi claimed on Friday.The report, ‘Let Us Heal Our Dilli’,
was released after a four-member team including Farah Naqvi, Sarojini N,
Navsharan Singh, Naveen Chander visited some of the violence-hit areas.The team
visited Bhajanpura, Chand Bagh, Gokulpuri, Chaman Park, Shiv Vihar, Main
Mustafabad, including Bhagirathi Vihar and Brijpuri. It says the targeting of
Muslims in Northeast Delhi “reminded one distinctly of the targeting of Sikhs
in Delhi in 1984 and of Muslims in Gujarat 2002”. “The death toll is far less,
but the targeting is truly frightening – where one shop is burnt, but the two
adjacent shops on either side are not,” the report observes.According to the
report, residents of the affected areas did not get any help from the police
during emergencies. They are also upset with the Delhi government for not
standing with the victims and Centre for the delayed deployment of security
forces.“Across the board, among Muslims and Hindus, there is enormous fury at
Delhi Police for just not being there when they were needed. People simply do
not understand why. We heard repeatedly of frantic calls to the 100 line that
went unanswered for 48-72 hours,” it said. “We also heard (about people’s)
anger at AAP government for not being there on the ground to stand with the
victims and vulnerable communities,” it said.In Mustafabad, people said the
Centre was busy with the visit of US President Donald Trump instead of ensuring
early deployment of Army or police in the affected areas which would have saved
lives and protected their properties, the report added.Though the team did come
across instances of Hindus bearing the brunt of the riots, violence was
“clearly and unambiguously focussed on Muslims”, report alleged. “Hindus have
also been hit and suffered damage. In Brijpuri, there was damage to the houses.
Shops and banquet halls were burnt. In Gokulpuri we saw burnt autorickshaws
belonging to Hindus,” it said.“Even after the attack, no one from the state or
central government has reached out to victims. And it has been nearly 4 days
now to (since) the first attack on Sunday (Feb.23). There was no relief effort.
No food, no places for the displaced to stay, no one to call,” it claimed. thewire
Indonesia condemns anti-Muslim violence in India
Jakarta:Indonesia has condemned attacks against Muslims in India,
calling them “inhuman” and “contrary to religious values”. Indonesian Minister
of Religion Affairs Fachrul Razi urged India to protect its minority population
and not harm humanitarian values over differences in faith.“The riots were
inhuman and contrary to religious values,” said Razi in a press statement
issued on Friday.He also asked religious leaders both in India and Indonesia to
exercise restraint and avoid provocation over this issue.“Hopefully the
situation in India will return to normal as soon as possible,” Razi added.
Fearing reprisal of Indian violence in his country, Razi warned miscreants
taking advantage of attacks "against Muslims" in India.Anadolu Agency
Malaysian group condemns violence against India Muslims
A Malaysian Muslim youth group expressed concern Friday for the violence
in the Indian capital of New Delhi. Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia (ABIM)
described the situation as a failure by the Indian government to protect
citizens."The authorities have failed to control the riots of religious
extremists targeting Muslim houses and places of worship," said the
group’s Secretary General Mohammad Fazril Mohd Salleh. Fazril said he wondered
how India, as a large country with large human resources and capacity, could
fail to protect its own citizens."It is impossible for Indian security
forces to be very weak to let this bloodshed occurred," he said.Fazril
said ABIM was concerned about CAA, saying it was clearly unjust and oppressed
certain parts of the population.Anadolu Agency
Delhi's Muslims pray under armed guard after week of riots:theguardian
Muslims in Delhi have held Friday prayers under the watch of riot police
after a week in which 42 people were killed and hundreds injured during the
city’s worst sectarian violence in decades.Scores of mosques in the north-east
of the Indian capital held their first sermons since mobs armed with swords,
guns and acid razed parts of district on Monday. Paramilitary police patrolled
the streets, still littered with broken shards of glass, stones and other
debris.“If they burn our mosques, we will rebuild them again and pray,” said
Mohammad Sulaiman, who was among about 180 men who prayed on the rooftop of a
mosque that was set on fire in the unrest. “It’s our religious right and nobody
can stop us from practicing our religion.”5
days after the riots started, hospitals were still trying to identify
the dead as the toll continued to rise. Residents of the areas affected by the
riots are still looking for missing relatives.Dozens of volunteers stood
outside the main mosque in the neighbourhood of Mustafabad, where some of the
week’s worst violence took place, urging devotees to disperse immediately after
prayers.“These are testing times. We have to be patient,” said the presiding
imam after calling on his congregation to stay calm.Many in the neighbourhood
were frightened after police barred Muslim worshippers from what was left of
one of several mosques set ablaze by Hindu rioters on Monday.“We don’t want
violence,” said Saleem Mirza, as police told the Muslims to disperse to avoid
any fresh trouble. “We want to live in peace, work for our children and live a
normal life. We prayed for peace for everyone today.”
Modi Govt Has Demoralised Delhi Police, Says IPS Officer Who
Investigated Hashimpura Massacre
On Tuesday, as the riots in Delhi flared on, ground reports showed that
the police were either hopelessly outnumbered or unwilling to control the
rioters. As the violence was at its peak, the Modi-led Union government, which
controls the Delhi Police, was entertaining US President Donald Trump a few
kilometres away. Arvind Kejriwal, who was re-elected as Delhi chief minister
just two weeks ago, and his party were also criticised for being slow to react
to the crisis. At the time, a quote from 1995 began circulating on social media
as people tried to understand why a communal riot in the national capital was
allowed to continue for at least four days (seehere,here andhere): “In any city
or state of the country, a riot can be controlled within 24 hours unless the
state wants it otherwise,” IPS officer Vibhuti Narain Rai had told Teesta
Setalvad. Rai was the police superintendent of Ghaziabad in 1987 when the
Hashimpura massacre, the biggest custodial killing in independent India,
occurred. A few days after riots broke out in Meerut, 42 Muslim men were picked
up by Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC), the armed wing of the Uttar Pradesh
Police, and shot in cold blood—their bullet-ridden bodies were found a few
hours later by Rai and others. huffingtonpost
Delhi Riots: Police Stopped Ambulances, This Hospital Battled To Save
Lives
NEW DELHI — A little after midnight on Wednesday, Dr M A Anwar, Director
of the Al-Hind hospital received an unusual phone call. It was Justice S
Muralidhar of the Delhi High Court, calling to ascertain the situation in this
small hospital with a streched, but committed team, working to treat the
hundreds of people injured in the riots that began over the weekend and raged
across northeastern Delhi for most of this week.At Al Hind in the Mustafabad
neighbourhood, the riots had resulted in a flood of injured patients, but that
Wednesday violent mobs had taken over the neighbourhood and ambulance service
providers refused help. As hundreds of patients—two of whom were brought dead
and two others died in the hospital—swamped the modest two-storey hospital’s
facilities, Dr. Anwar was desperately calling for ambulances to ferry critical
patients to better equipped hospitals but to no avail.“At that point, we had
just three doctors. Otherwise we have six doctors,” Dr. Anwar recalled. The
hospital was running out of medicines, beds and supplies. On the phone call,
Justice Muralidhar listened intently, and at 12:36 AM the Delhi High Court
bench of Justice S Muralidhar and Justice Anup Jairam Bhambani passed an
extraordinary order directing the Delhi police to provide safe passage from
Al-Hind for ambulances ferrying the injured to nearest government hospitals.
“Till the Honourable Delhi High Court gave its order, nobody cared about coming
here. Not the police, ambulance or the media. Nobody gave us any help,” said
Dr. Ghayarul Hassan, who was present in the hospital that night. The ambulance
arrived subsequently and left with the patients at around 2 AM.The refusal of
the Delhi Police or ambulance service providers to respond to desperate pleas
by the doctors at Al Hind, the only hospital in the locality, about helping
them transfer patients to bigger and well-equipped hospitals until Justice
Muralidhar and Bhambani’s direction, is a glaring example of why the police’s
role in the riots is increasingly under the scanner.huffingtonpost
Northeast Delhi violence: At least 4 children missing from madrasa in
Brijpuri
At least 4 students of Farroqui madrasa in Brijpuri area of northeast
Delhi have been missing since Tuesday night, residents said on Saturday. They said
Farooqui mosque and the madrasa were torched by rioters on Tuesday afternoon,
killing Jalaluddin, an imam, and injuring another senior imam. Riyaz Ahmed, a
resident of the Brij Puri area, whose 12-year-old son studied in the madrasa,
told IANS: "At least 4 children have been missing from the madrasa since
Tuesday night."Ahmed said after the violence on Tuesday afternoon, the
students were sheltered in the madrasa. "Suddenly at night, a mob attacked
the madrasa and since then these children have been missing," he said. He
also showed clothes, books, bags, blankets and beds of the students in the
madarsa scattered around in the aftermath of the Tuesday violence.He said about
200 children studied at the madrasa. "But only over 10-15 poor children
stay here," he said. He said the number of children missing from the
madrasa will be clear only after the senior imam returned to the mosque after
being discharged from the hospital.When asked if the area residents have
approached the police about the missing children, Neyaz, a resident, said,
"People are still in shock and fear." Neyaz (name changed on his
request) is acting as the caretaker of the mosque and the madrasa. He said on
Tuesday, a large crowd first torched the mosque, beat up the imam and then
attacked the madrasa located behind the mosque.IANS
Delhi riots: Face-off between Bhim Army, CAA backers a trigger:HT
New Delhi:Stones thrown by a Bhim Army supporter protesting against CAA
at Maujpur Chowk on Sunday afternoon, and his group being chased away by a
rival group of pro-CAA protesters, who gathered at the spot at the call of BJP
leader Kapil Mishra, were the triggers that sparked Delhi’s worst communal
riots in 3 decades, according to an initial assessment by police. The details
of the sequence of events, as pieced together by Delhi Police through inputs
from personnel on the ground Sunday, were shared with HT by at least 2 senior
officers who spoke on the condition of anonymity. According to the police’s
assessment, supporters of Bhim Army — a Dalit organisation led by
Chandrashekhar Azad — first pelted stones on pro-CAA supporters at Maujpur
Chowk at 4.42pm Sunday. Following this, about 100-125 anti-CAA campaigners
including Bhim Army members were chased by the pro-CAA group.After
stone-pelting from both sides, some Bhim Army members — already identified by
Crime Branch — asked other anti-CAA supporters to gather in areas around
Kardampuri and Jafrabad, according to the assessment.One of these persons is
believed to be Bhim Army’s Delhi head, Himanshu Valmiki, who the police claim
mobilised more people around 6pm on Sunday.“ Vinay Ratan Singh, Bhim Army’s
national president, said the allegations were baseless.HT
Hindu, Muslim, Sikh residents unite to fend off mobs in Northeast Delhi
colony
NEW DELHI: As communal violence spiked in north east Delhi earlier this
week, Hindu, Muslim and Sikh residents of a colony came together and stood
guard against frenzied mobs which ran riot in nearby areas vandalising homes,
shops and torching cars.They have not let their guard down even as the situation
is limping back to normalcy following four days of violence.B-Block colony in
Yamuna Vihar has a Hindu-dominated Bahjanpura on one side and Muslim populated
Ghonda on the other.People from all faiths in the locality sit outside their
homes at night and deal with any suspected outsider, Arib, a dentist in his
30s, said."It is the sloganeering by mobs that causes panic in the dead of
night. Such slogans are from both sides and we hear groups of people moving
forward towards our area."This is where we let the Muslim locals deal with
Muslim groups and Hindu residents deal with Hindu groups coming from
outside," he said.Faisal said around 4 am on Wednesday, three to four
miscreants had torched a car, but were chased away by vigilant residents. 70-year-old
VK Sharma said people in his colony never had any trouble with each other, as
he blamed "outside elements" for the violence in north east Delhi.PTI
Ashamed of him: Students' union calls BJP leader Kapil Mishra a blot on
his alma mater
The students' union of Delhi University's School of Social Work on
Friday demanded the arrest of BJP leader Kapil Mishra, saying it is
"ashamed" of him and the fact that he is an alumnus of the college.
Describing Mishra as a "blot" on the history of DSSW, students' body
said BJP leader has "tarnished" the department's image with his
"provocative acts and communal statements".Mishra has been accused of
delivering a hate speech before communal violence erupted in northeast Delhi
this week. In a statement, the students' union said DSSW played an eminent role
in addressing the situations which occurred during 1947 partition riots and
1984 anti-Sikh riots and it had given the country many leaders who have worked
to bring positive changes in the society."PTI
Delhi: All schools in North East district to stay closed for students
till March 7, exams postponed
All schools in North East Delhi will stay closed for students till March
7, Directorate of Education of the Delhi government announced on Saturday.
Annual school examinations have also been postponed till March 7. The situation
has been calm over the last two days.Earlier, schools in the district had been
closed till February 29. scroll
Shot at by police twice, escaped by grace of God; Mangalore Anti CAA protest
organiser at Tribunal
New Delhi:Ashraf, one of the organisers of the protest march against CAA
on December 18th at Mangalore in Karnataka told that he was shot at by the
Police twice, but escaped without serious injuries. He was speaking at
Citizen's Tribunal organised by Alliance Against CAA, NRC, NPR at Indian Social
Institute here on Saturday. Ashraf said that the Police had cleared permission
for the march on the 18th morning and the organisers went forward with the
program. In the evening the Police officials informed him that Section 144 has
been imposed and the protest cannot take place. But by that time some of the
protestors had already reached the venue, which was a public ground surrounded
by the Office of District Collector, Bus Stand, market.Nowfal, brother of
Nousheen killed in the Police firing at Mangalore told that he did not
participate in any protests and he was killed when returning from Masjid after
offering namaz. 21 years old Sulaiman from Bijnor in Uttar Pradesh was
preparing for UPSC Exams in Noida stayed with his relative Anwar Usmani who was
present for the hearing. Anwar told the tribunal that he suggested Sulaimani to
take a break from studies and go home for some days. Sulaiman was bedridden due
to fever after he reached home in a way that he could not even go to the nearby
masjid for namaz. Hilal Pasha who spoke of the way Bilal from Sambhal in Uttar
Pradesh was brutalised and killed could not complete his conversation out of
tears. His father Mohammad Sherief was also present at the tribunal. Musthafa,
a post-graduate student at the Jamia Millia Islamia University who was seen in
CCTV visuals of the University Library surfaced on media told the tribunal he
had nothing to do with the protest and was not spared by the Police even after
telling.Retired Judge at the Bombay High Court Justice Kolse Patil said that
there are no independent agency left in the country on which the common
citizens of the country could rely upon. He was part of the judging panel at
the Citizens Tribunal. India Tomorrow
WATCH: Wake up Hindus or get ready to be chopped, says Sambit Patra
Speaking during a TV debate, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said, “Wake
up Hindus otherwise you will be chopped!”The video has gone viral on social
media with people demanding registration of an FIR against Sambit Patra for
inciting communal htred.This video is from a debate show on News 18 about
CAA.nationalheraldindia
Beaten, Molested and Homeless: Women Became Undocumented Victims of
Delhi Riots
And yet, in the aftermath of communal riots that rocked Delhi and led to
the deaths of over 40, the women living in the crowded and unplanned tenements
of northeast Delhi have been some of the worst and most undocumented victims of
the riots, directly or indirectly. Incidentally, they are also being blamed for
it.News18 spoke to women living in three neighbourhoods that saw some of the
worst violence - the Muslim dominated Mustafabad, the Hindu dominated Shiv
Vihar and the Chand Bagh which has a relatively mixed population. Muslim
families of Shiv Vihar's Madina Gali started fleeing their homes from Sunday
itself. By Thursday evening, the street had been reduced to ash.Fatima, 45, has
lived in Shiv Vihar for over 15 years. When she along with many other Muslim
families escaped the riot-stricken street on Monday, she and her family left
behind all their belongings, including their goats."They pulled my dupatta
and tore my salwar's sleeve. I was saved by a family that was still living in
the area," Fatima said. "The family said I was with them, the men
abused them but left me alone," Fatima said, adding that the family hid
her for some time till everything was clear.Shaheeda Bano has a similar story
to tell. 65-year-old was fleeing Mustafabad on Tuesday evening when she was
attacked by goons. Sabya, a student of IGNOU University, fears all her college
and school documents have been burnt in the fire. She and all the other women
had no idea when they could return home or even if they had a home to go back
to anymore."We were locked in for almost three days while aggressive mobs
with all manners of weapons roamed the streets outside," Zubeda Bano, 40,
told News18 from her doorstep. While most of women bristled, a pregnant Rubina
Khatoon who was beaten by unidentified men at an anti-CAA protest remained
prostate in pain from bruises to her head, arms and legs. Rubina refused to go
to local hospital, which locals claimed rioters had used to attack the
neighbourhood. She and her husband were unsure of the health and fate of their
unborn child.All the women in Chand Bagh said that had police arrived on time,
a lot of the damage could have been prevented. news18
“Naam kya?- Ashfaq”…. And then, 5 bullets fired on the chest
“Naam kya?” (What is your name?), asked the rioters.“Ashfaq”…..bullets
screeching at the street full of smashed glasses, broken furniture, and piling
mess of plastic, wood, paper as men with guns ran across doors killing people
identified Muslims by their names.22-years-old Ashfaq Hussain from Mustafabad
died a merciless death at the hand of rioters. Ashfaq was one of those who had
gone to work that day when news came from the hospital that he had been shot.
No one knew he would never return from hospital alive. “Uske haathon ki mehndi
ka rang nahi chhootha tha abhi,” (The colour of henna on her hands has not
faded yet), said one of the relatives of Ashfaq, explaining how his wife is in
shock and trauma of her husband’s death. His relatives informed Ashfaq had got
married just this month, on February 14. They believe he had received five bullets
on his chest.twocircles
Delhi violence: Kicked in abdomen by mob, woman gives birth to “Miracle
Baby”
For 30-year-old Shabana Parveen, it was nothing short of a miracle --
giving birth to a healthy baby boy after surviving a brutal attack by a mob who
kicked and assaulted her and her husband in northeast Delhi's Karawal
Nagar.Their home set afire by the mob, Ms Parveen's family is now pinning their
hopes on the newborn who they called a "miracle baby". Ms Parveen,
her husband, two kids and mother-in-law were sleeping inside the house on
Monday night when a mob barged into their house.Narrating their ordeal, Ms
Parveen's mother-in-law Nashima told PTI, "They hurled religious slurs,
beat up my son. Some of them even kicked my daughter-in-law in the abdomen...as
I went to protect her they came charging at me... We thought we would not
survive that night. But with God's grace we somehow managed to escape from the
clutches of the rioters.""We rushed Parveen to a nearby hospital but
doctors there asked us to go to Al-hind Hospital where she delivered a baby boy
on Wednesday," she added.Despite having lost their home for over two
decades and all belongings, her family has overcome the initial shock and are
now overjoyed with the birth of the "miracle baby".Ms Nashima said
she had no clue where the family would go after Ms Parveen was discharged from
the hospital."It's all gone there. Nothing left. Maybe, we will go to some
relative's place and see how we can re-build our life," she said.Ali, 6,
who held his one-day-old brother, caressing his forehead, said, "I will
take care of him forever and save him from every ill."PTI
Delhi Women Commission Asks Police to Provide Details of Atrocities
Committed on Women during Northeast Delhi Violence
Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) has issued notice to Delhi Police
seeking details of crimes committed against women and girls during 4-day long
violence in the northeast Delhi. DCW issued the notice after its chairperson
Swati Maliwal visited the violence-hit areas on Friday.During her visit, Swati
had met several women including a 9 month pregnant lady who was assaulted by a
gang of rioters. She was rescued by her Hindu neighbour.“Delhi Commission for
Women has taken suo-moto cognizance of the atrocities committed on women and
girls during the riots that took place in North-East Delhi this week. The
Commission yesterday met with a 9-month pregnant woman who was seriously
assaulted and her home was lit on fire,” wrote DCW chairperson Swati in her
notice to the Delhi Police.India Tomorrow
They told me to sleep peacefully: Lone Brahmin family in Delhi's
Mustafabad shares tale of Hindu-Muslim unity
New Delhi: At a time when streets of northeast Delhi were burning, Ram
Sevak Sharma, head of the only Brahmin family in Muslim dominated Mustafabad
did not feel the need to move to a 'safe' location. According to the family,
which has been residing in locality for over 35 years, their Muslim neighbours
came to their house and assured the members that they will guard the sole Hindu
residence — in lane no 15 of Nehru Vihar."We don't think in terms of Hindu
and Muslim. We have been living here for at least 35 years, but not even once
an unpleasant thing has happened to us. We never felt like we are different or
the 'others' in this densely Muslim-populated area. There are only two or three
other Hindu families in this entire area," Sharma told ANI."Our
Muslim neighbours came to our house and assured us to not worry. They told me
to sleep peacefully as they would stand guard outside our house. And they
did," he added.timesnownews
Can't be in Same Party as Anurag Thakur and Kapil Mishra, Says Bengali
Actor, Resigns from BJP
Kolkata: In the wake of violent riots that took over 40 lives in Delhi
over protests against the new Citizenship Law, popular Bengali actor, who had
joined BJP in 2013, resigned on Saturday.Subhadra Mukherjee, who worked in
several movies and TV serials like ‘Bou Kotha Kou’, ‘Sadharan Meye’, ‘Khiladi’,
Romeo and Juliet, called her exit from BJP“a much-awaited decision”.Mukherjee
said, “I joined BJP in 2013 as I was impressed with the party’s way of
functioning. But in recent years, I have noticed that things are not going the
right way. I felt that a sense of hatred and judging people by their religion
is taking over the ideology of BJP. After giving several thoughts, I have
decided to quit.”news18
Deeply Dismayed That Delhi Govt. Refusing to Set up Large Relief Camps:
Harsh Mander
NEW DELHI:Noted rights activist and former civil servant Harsh Mander
has criticized Delhi government of Arvind Kejriwal for allegedly refusing to set
up large relief camps for the victims of northeast Delhi violence. Given the
large scale destruction of homes, Mander is of the view that big relief camps
should be opened by the state government. In a series of tweets Saturday
morning, he expressed his views on the issue and also announced that civil
groups are working to erect relief camps on their own.“Deeply dismayed that
Delhi govt refusing to set up large relief camps. Homeless shelters are no
substitute: they offer neither the safety nor dignity which people battered
& terrorized by communal hate require from a caring state. Citizens'
initiatives are trying to fill the gap,” tweeted Mander.“People in affected
areas extraordinarily generous, opening their homes to traumatized riot
refugees. Ordinary citizens & organizations like Khalsa Aid reaching valued
supplies. We're mapping these private camps today to be able to meet their
needs effectively.”indiatomorrow
Delhi: Dwarka mosque in South West district attacked before dawn, allege
residents
A mosque in Dwarka locality of South West Delhi was allegedly attacked
by miscreants in the early hours of Friday. Police first described the incident
as mischief, but later denied it took place, a resident told Scroll.in.The
mosque is located near Shahjahanabad Apartments in Sector 11, Dwarka – nearly
40 km away from the North East district, where violent clashes earlier this
week took at least 42 lives.An imam, who does not wish to be identified, told
Scroll.in that the attack took place at around 2.30 am. He said the attackers
threw stones, bottles at the mosque and broke the window pane. The miscreants
also allegedly shouted “Jai Shri Ram” slogans after throwing stones. Another
imam and a security guard were also present at the mosque when the incident
took place.Saad Majeed, a 35-year-old resident of the Shahjahanabad Apartments,
said police arrived at the spot immediately. He said the broken glasses of the
mosque were fixed by them at their expense.DCP(Dwarka) called the attack a
rumour and it was “completely false”. “Public is advised not to pay attention
to or spread rumours/fake news on social media,” the Twitter handle
tweeted.Majeed, however, said police was trying to downplay the matter and
their tweet denying the incident was a lie. He questioned why ACP (Dwarka)
Rajinder Singh visited the mosque twice if the incident did not happen and the
heavy presence of security personnel posted at the site.scroll
Delhi violence: 60-year-old scrap dealer dies after being attacked by
mob in North East district
A 60-year-old scrap dealer died on Friday after being assaulted by a mob
in North East Delhi, even as police claimed the situation in the violence-hit
district had become calm, PTI reported. Ayub Shabbir, the scrap dealer, was
asked his name and religion and then attacked by the mob. Shabbir lived in
Nasbandi Colony in Ghaziabad, bordering Delhi, with his 18-year-old Salman
Ansari. “I had cautioned my father against going out today but he said that the
situation is normal now and we cannot stay inside for long and not earn
anything,” Ansari, who is disabled, told PTI.scroll
Timing of Justice Muralidhar’s transfer mere coincidence, but Centre
should’ve been careful: ex-CJI
Former CJI KG Balakrishnan has said that the timing of Justice S
Muralidhar’s transfer was a mere coincidence, but the government should have
been a “little careful” while issuing the notification, PTI reported.On
February 12, the Supreme Court collegium had recommended the transfer of
Muralidhar to the Punjab and Haryana High Court from the Delhi High Court,
where he had served since 2006. However, the government’s confirmation of the
transfer came on the night of February 26 – day Muralidhar made scathing
remarks against the Centre and police during a hearing related to the violent
clashes in North East Delhi.Opposition parties immediately drew a link between
the late-night transfer and Muralidhar’s observations during the hearing
earlier that day. However, the Centre claimed it was a routine transfer based
on the collegium’s recommendation and Muralidhar’s consent for the
same.Balakrishnan told PTI that it was a mere coincidence that the final
transfer order was issued on the same day because the Supreme Court collegium
had already recommended the same. Muralidhar’s transfer has nothing to do with
the observations he made during the hearing, Balakrishnan said.scroll
When rioters attacked us, police said they have no orders to act: Delhi
victims tell India Today
New Delhi:Charred remains of cars, broken glasses, gutted shops and
houses, wailing cries of family members and stones that litter the streets of
North East Delhi are a reminder of the mayhem that raged in this area of
India's national capital since Monday. Today, there is a heavy deployment of
police in these riot-torn areas, along with the deployment of 45 companies of
central paramilitary forces.But these police forces were absent when these
areas were burning in riots on Monday-when people were stoned, beaten up,
maimed and killed; when shops were being torched with petrol bombs; when
vehicles were being vandalised and burnt. This happened despite the fact that
these areas are within a radius of just 12km from the headquarters of the Delhi
Police.When India Today TV visited these areas and interacted with local
residents, there was one thing they had to say in common: the Delhi Police did
nothing when the riots were happening.In Bhajanpura, a petrol pump was set on
fire by the riotous mob after it looted all available cash. Its owner was
somehow saved by his friend. They said about 10-20 people came all of a sudden
and started looting the cash.When asked about the size of the mob that attacked
the petrol pump and what the police did, they said, "There were around
2,000 people in the mob but the police were totally absent. 4 cops hid in the
washroom. Others remained silent spectators."The cops told us, do whatever
you want to do and they (rioters) can also do whatever they want to do. Cops
said they have no orders to take action" said local residents of
Bhajanpura.Local residents said that when they asked cops to take stop the
rioters, the cops said ""they don't have any orders to
act".indiatoday
They Were In Thousands, We Were Just 200: Cop Injured In Delhi Violence
New Delhi: ACP, Anuj Kumar, who got injured in recent clashes in
northeast Delhi's Gokulpuri, said that the police force was heavily outnumbered
as the place turned into a battlefield with frenzied mobs torching houses,
shops, vehicles and hurling stones.ACP, who was discharged from the hospital
two days ago, said, "We were instructed that the road linking Signature
Bridge with the border of Ghaziabad should not remain blocked. But slowly and
steadily the crowd started getting bigger and included both men and women. They
were around 20,000- 25,000, while we were only 200. I don't know whether they
had planned to block the road as they did previously.""We spoke to
them peacefully and asked them to remain confined to the service road instead
of the main road. Till then rumours had started spreading that some women and
children had lost their lives in a police shootout. There was construction
underway near the bridge, so stones and bricks were lying there. The protestors
started pelting stones suddenly and we were injured, including DCP who was
bleeding severely," he added."My aim then was to first rescue DCP
because he was bleeding heavily. But we also didn't want to hurt any
protestor," he stressed. Rattan Lal, a head constable attached to the
office of the ACP Gokalpuri, died of injuries he sustained during stone pelting
at Gokalpuri.3 other civilians succumbed to injuries in the clashes, a Delhi
government official said, adding 50 people with injuries had come to the
hospital for treatment.ANI
Victim of 'vicious politics': PFI backs suspended AAP councillor Tahir
Hussain in Delhi violence case
New Delhi: PFI has come out in support of Tahir Hussain, saying that the
suspended AAP councillor has become a victim of 'vicious politics'. Blaming the
central government for the violence in Delhi, PFI on Saturday said, "Tahir
Hussain is a victim to a vicious
politics". PFI also slammed the Delhi government and Chief Minister Arvind
Kejriwal for suspending Hussain form AAP.
AAP suspended Tahir Hussain from the party after he was booked for
murder of IB officer Ankit Sharma during the violence in northeast Delhi. Delhi
Police had on Thursday registered an FIR against Hussain on the basis of a
complaint received by Sharma’s father. However, Tahir has denied the charges
levelled against him and said he was being framed. "I was not present
there. I was myself trying to save my children and family. It's very saddening
that they (Ankit’s parents) lost their child but they can say whatever they
want. I have nothing to do with it. The accusations are false and it's wrong to
frame me for it," he said.timesnownews
Delhi violence: Police preoccupied with riots, pistol man Shahrukh
slipped away
New Delhi :Poor communication between local police and their seniors on
Monday afternoon gave Shahrukh Khan (27), who allegedly fired eight rounds at Northeast
Delhi’s Maujpur while standing right in front of a policeman, enough time to
flee.4 days after a video of Khan waving a country-made pistol at a police
personnel went viral, he is yet to be traced. Ten teams of the Delhi Police,
including the Special Cell, have been formed to arrest him.According to police,
Khan’s father is local drug peddler who has been arrested by district police
several times and has always been under scanner of local police. He is also a
close relative of criminal Irfan alias Chhenu Pehalwan (35), who is currently
in jail. Chhenu’s gang operates in the capital’s trans-Yamuna area and last
year, they had ended their hostilities with another gang leader, Abdul Nasir
(34).“Hours after photos and videos of Shahrukh firing the weapon went viral,
local police had identified him and informed their seniors. However, no timely
decision over his detention or arrest was taken by senior officers of Eastern
range since they were busy with the riots. In the meantime, he managed to
escape along with his family members after locking his house in Arvind Nagar,
Ghonda,” an officer said.On Thursday, Indian Express visited the house, which
was locked. Locals said Shahrukh lived with his parents and elder brother, and
his father has stayed at the same address since 1985.Shahrukh’s father recently
got out of jail.indianexpress
After JNU Students Offer ‘Shelter to Delhi-Riot Victims’, VC Warns of
Disciplinary Action
New Delhi: After JNUSU called for providing shelter to the Delhi riot
victims inside the campus, the varsity administration has asked the student
body to refrain from such activities and issued a warning.Confirming the same,
JNU VC, Jagadesh Kumar told ANI, ”Have advised students that please don’t give
such open calls. Instead, they can collect essential items from campus
&provide humanitarian help to ppl.”Registrar Pramod Kumar too warned of
disciplinary action against students found involved in any such efforts and
said, “JNUSU has no legal right to make the JNU campus a ‘shelter’. You are
strictly advised against any such activity failing which appropriate
disciplinary action will be taken against you.”The move comes after many campus
residents said they were feeling insecure due to the call given by JNUSU.india.com
Sikh man, son led 60 Muslims to safety during Delhi riots, Twitter calls
them ‘heroes’
Chandigarh:The worst communal violence since 1984 Sikh riots erupted in
Delhi on Feb.24. During the violence, Mohinder Singh and Inderjit Singh used
their Bullet motorcycle and scooty to help transport 60-80 Muslim neighbours to
a safe location. The father and son said they realised that the situation was
escalating in the Hindu-dominated neighbourhood of Gokalpuri in northeast
Delhi. In conversation with Huff Post, 53-year-old Mohinder Singh said that his
son was on the Bullet motorcycle, and he was on the scooty, and they made
around 20 trips each from Gokalpuri to Kardampuri in one hour. When it was
women and children, they took three to four of them at a time. When it was men
and boys, they took two or three at a time. For some of the boys, they tied
Sikh turbans to conceal they were Muslim.They even put turbans on some kids to
hide their identities.Twitter couldn’t stop praising the father and son for
their initiative.tribuneindia
Delhi riots: Dalits came to rescue of Muslims
At least a couple of cases of peace despite attempts to provoke violence
have emerged out of riot-torn parts of northeast Delhi. This has been made
possible because of a few good Samaritans belonging to the poor, humble and
often despised Dalit community, who came forward to save their Muslim
neighbours. These ‘saviours’ had to often shoo away troublemakers for the past
few days, making targetted community feel greatly reassured. Raichand stays in
Amar Colony at Gokulpuri. Soon after riots began in neighbouring areas, he
found a group of slogan-shouting miscreants breaking the boundary wall of a
nearby Muslim graveyard on Wazirabad-Ghaziabad road. They had damaged a part of
the wall facing the road.“I along with a few friends intervened by telling the
attackers about the futility of their vengefulness. There were heated
exchanges. Yet, we saw to it that the group attempting to incite violence had
to retreat without harming the wall any further, or attempting to move inside
the locality,” says Raichand.According to him, the troublemakers were not from
the same area and, thus, could not be identified. They were shouting
provocative and communally-charged slogans. This scared Muslims. Some of them
started leaving their homes. They are outnumbered in any case by the majority
community in the area.Similarly, in Ambedkar Basti which is a part of Maujpur
in North-East Delhi, Dalits and Muslims have old ties, built through living
together for years which served them good during the current trying times. A
local Dalit resident, Deshraj, says that police that took out flag marches
after days of rioting were nowhere to be seen.“We stood by them. And so did
other Dalit neighbours of Muslims in the nearby mohallas like Vijaynagar, Gurudwara
and Shiv Mandir,” says Deshraj.nationalheraldindia
lhi riots: More than 1,000 people from Shiv Vihar given shelter in a few
homes in Chaman Park
There are more than 50 women huddled in a three-storeyed house in Chaman
Park. There are more in the building, some have stepped out for a walk, a few
others are praying in another room. They are of all ages; from a 10-year-old
girl to a 70-year-old woman. The one thing they all have in common is that they
have all fled from their homes in neighbouring Shiv Vihar when the orchestrated
violence began to break out in parts of northeast Delhi. Shiv Vihar is one of
the worst-affected areas.“We fled on the February 24 early morning at around 5
am. We saw at night that acid bottles and Molotov cocktails were being hurled
at homes nearby. Several of us work in factories in Chaman Park and live in
Shiv Vihar. We didn’t know where else to go. Those who had relatives in nearby
areas went there, several of us who had no one came here,” said 45-year-old
Salma.“When the violence broke out, my father was not home. He had gone over to
an uncle’s house for some work a few days ago. There were just us women and we
had to stay alive. We were told to get out and go towards Chaman Park. More
than 25,000 of us got out of that area in batches that night. Only Allah could
have kept us alive,” stressed Ruksar, who is a primary school
teacher.nationalheraldindia
Kerala: Blocked Train In Protest Against Delhi Violence, 39 Fraternity
Activists Sent to Jail
KOCHI:As many as 39 activists, who blocked a train in Kerala protesting
against the violence in Delhi, were arrested and remanded to 14 days judicial
custody by a court in Aluva, near Kochi, on Friday. All those arrested belong
to Fraternity Movement.They were blocking the train at the Aluva Railway
station on Thursday night in protest against anti-Muslim violence in northeast
Delhi and police having miserably failed to tackle the situation.After more
than five minutes into the blockade, the police initially arrested five
activists. The Fraternity Movement activists alleged the police later arrested
the protesters who were dispersing and were taken to Aluva East Police Station.
The protesters alleged that they were beaten up by the police in the bus and
also delayed in delivering medical care. The police have booked the protesters
under Sections 353,143,147 of the IPC.Of the 39 protesters arrested, 24 were
sent to the Viyyur Central Jail, 2 minors sent to juvenile home and the rest
were taken to Kakkanad Sub-jail. The court will hear their bail plea on
Monday.India Tomorrow
In wake of violence, Delhi govt plans crackdown on spread of
misinformation on WhatsApp
New Delhi :In the wake of the riots in north-east Delhi, the AAP
government is planning to launch a campaign against the use of WhatsApp in
spreading misinformation and hateful messages, which the Delhi Police has
identified as one of the factors that aided in the communal flare
up.indianexpress
*anti-CAA,NRC-NPR stir*
CAA ‘divisive’, exercise restraint in dealing with protests:UK
London: British govt has described CAA as “clearly divisive” and in a
House of Lords debate expressed concerns about the rights of minorities in
India and called on Delhi to exercise restraint. At the short debate about the
controversial act on Tuesday, Conservative life peer Baroness Sugg, minister of
overseas territories, speaking on behalf of the British govt, said: “Ongoing
protests against the act across India leave no doubt that this legislation is
divisive. UK government has concerns about the impact of the legislation. There
is no doubt that this act has been divisive in this country, too, including
among our Indian diaspora.” “CAA has clearly been divisive in India. Its full
impact remains unclear. We hope and trust the government of India will address
the concerns and protect the rights of people of all religions,” she said.
Commenting on the riots and protests in India, Sugg, a junior minister in
Foreign and Commonwealth Office(FCO), said democratic governments must ”act
with restraint and proportionality” even if a protest “crosses the line into
illegality”.“Any allegations of human rights abuses are deeply concerning and
must be investigated. Any individual killed in a protest is one too many. We
urge restraint on all parties involved and trust that the Indian government
will address the concerns of all religions,” she said, adding UK had repeatedly
raised concerns about the impact of CAA and the public response to it with the
Indian government at the federal and state levels. Crossbench peer Earl of
Sandwich, who had called the debate, said the new legislation in India “has
discriminated against Muslims” and there “may be a need” for India to be on
“FCO human rights list”.He called on the British government to “urge Modi to
carry out a review of CAA and its effect on Indian society”.Labour’s Lord
Tunnicliffe asked whether UK government had made any assessment of whether the
act was compliant with international law and Baroness Northover asked if
Britain has raised the issue “within the
Commonwealth”.Lord Alton of Liverpool said India’s founding fathers — Gandhi,
Nehru, Ambedkar, Subhas Chandra Bose and Vallabhbhai Patel — who steered their
new nation in the direction of democracy “to ensure that it was not destroyed
by sectarianism, casteism and authoritarianism”, would “surely be aghast” to
see people all over India protesting against “a draconian, communal,
unconstitutional law”.TOI
MJ Akbar, Umer Ilyasi Defend Govt On CAA After UN Rights Body Critique
New Delhi: Amid growing international scrutiny over the controversial
CAA and allegations of Muslims being persecuted in India, parliamentarians from
India and Europe held discussions on the subject on the sidelines of the
ongoing 43rd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.The
UN human rights chief on Thursday voiced "great concern" over India's
amended citizenship law and reports of "police inaction" amid clashes
in Delhi, urging political leaders to prevent violence.Stating Indian
government's position on the CAA during a discussion, former Union Minister MJ
Akbar said that the most important characteristic of India is its plurality and
the constitution gives equal rights to everyone irrespective of religion.
Muslims are as much part of India as any other citizen from any other religion,
he said.While addressing the forum, Akbar also took a dig at senior Congress
leader Shashi Tharoor, saying, "Sometimes when you are in the opposition,
you tend make rhetorical points and Tharoor is far away from reality."He
concluded quoting Mahatma Gandhi, "Hindus and Muslims are one. God created
them and no one can separate them."Besides Akbar, All India Organisation
of Imams chief Umer Ahmed Ilyasi, Member of European Parliament Fulvio
Martusciello, journalist Atika Ahmad Farooqui and Portuguese politician Paulo
Casaca spoke about the new provisions brought by the CAA and the situation of
Muslims in India.The panel was moderated by Brian Toll who is the former
Director of European Commission and the South Asia Expert.ndtv
Modi has no citizenship certificate, he’s Indian by birth: PMO
New Delhi: In reply to an RTI filed by an Indian citizen questioning the
citizenship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, PMO office has replied that Prime
Minister Narendra Modi has no citizenship certificate because he is an Indian
citizen by birth. Ever since BJP government at the centre has passed the CAA,
protests against CAA are continued across the country and every citizen of the
country is worried over how to prove his citizenship. Meanwhile, one Subhankar
Sarkar filed an RTI on January 17, asking for the citizenship certificate of
prime minister of India Mr Narendra Modi.In response to his RTI, Under
Secretary of PMO Praveen Kumar wrote: “Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi is a
citizen of India by birth in terms of Section 3 of the Citizenship Act, 1955
and as such the question of his having a citizenship certificate which is for
citizenship by registration does not arise.”The response of PMO is ambiguous
and unclear.The citizens of India are worried on the issue of citizenship, even
PMO fails to show the citizenship certificate of Prime Minister Narendra
Modi.After the implementation of CAA if the government officials ask for
citizenship document, the citizens can claim themselves to be citizens by birth
as in the case of prime minster Narendra Modi. But the question is whether such
claim by an ordinary citizen will be accepted?siasat
Hindu Sena Calls Off Plan to ‘Clear’ Shaheen Bagh Protesters
Far-right Hindutva outfit, Hindu Sena, on Sunday, withdrew the call for
its supporters to gather at 11 am on Sunday and “clear off the Shaheen Bagh
protests”.In a press release, the group’s head, Vishnu Gupta, said they have
taken the decision to call off the event “after meeting and discussing the law
and order situation with South-East DCP Chinmoy Biswal and other senior
officers of Delhi Police to maintain peace in the area.”Gupta, in the press
statement, urged Hindu Sena volunteers to “avoid gathering at Shaheen Bagh
protest site as the Delhi Police has assured us that they will be clearing the
blocked roads as soon as possible.”“The event has been called-off after it was
brought to our notice that our 29/01/2020 press release and video were
circulated for the purpose of fear-mongering and to fuel riot-like situation by
the anti-India elements organising and supporting the unconstitutional and
illegal Shaheen Bagh protest,”Vishnu Gupta said in a press release.3 residents
of Jamia Nagar had approached the administration and Delhi Police after coming
across the video, The Quint has learnt.Delhi Police received the complaint by
Syeda Hameed, Shohini Ghosh and Samina Mishra. The Quint
‘Kejriwal must pass a resolution against NRC and CAA’:
Jaffrabad-Seelampur protesters
The afternoon sun is just beginning to darken as rain clouds hovered
above. The bustle inside the makeshift tent in New Seelampur — which now has
the only peaceful citizenship law protest by women in the violence-torn
district of North-East Delhi — is palpable but reserved.It’s a Friday, and
burqa-clad women and others in salwar-kameez hush their children as their
teenage daughters do their namaz prayers with raised palms, hunched on their
knees. The men in the locality keep a watchful eye, circling around the tent.
It’s the first Friday since the horrific violence that was unleashed in the
district. It was triggered by the decision of the New Seelampur women to march
to Jaffrabad metro station, barely 100 yards away, responding to the Bharat
Bandh call given by Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad. The women of New
Seelampur, who call themselves the Jaffrabad Seelampur Protesters, had been
sitting in a peaceful dharna for two months on the sidewalk, asking for the
revocation of the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of
Citizens. On February 22, they felt they needed to be heard, like their sisterhood
protesting in Shaheen Bagh in the opposite end of the city.newslaundry
Assam: Sharjeel Imam Sent to Judicial Custody, Lodged in Guwahati
Central Jail
Guwahati: JNU research scholar Sharjeel Imam, who was arrested on
charges of sedition for his statements on blocking Assam from the rest of the
country, was sent to judicial custody on Feb.28 after the completion of his
8-day police custody. Guwahati City Police (Crime Branch) has already
registered a case against Imam under sections of the UAPA and IPC.After CJM
court sent him to judicial custody for 14 days, he has been lodged at the
Guwahati Central Jail. While he was being taken to jail, members suspected to
be affiliated to Hindu right-wing groups who had gathered at the court shouted
slogans like ‘Sharjeel mordabad’. This sloganeering was also witnessed at the
Guwahati Railway Station on Feb.20, when Imam was brought to the city.Munna
Prasad Guta, Guwahati City police commissioner, told The Wire that Imam will be
produced before the magistrate every 14 days and the magistrate will remand
him, which is the normal legal procedure unless police from other states want
his custody.thewire
CAA: Curfew reimposed after 1 dies in another clash in Meghalaya
:Curfew was reimposed in Shillong and other parts of the State on
Saturday after a person was killed in a marketplace, taking the toll to 2 in as
many days of communal clashes.The situation in six districts of the State’s
eastern half has been tense following Friday’s clash at Ichamati in the East
Khasi Hills district between members of Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) and
non-tribals during a meeting over CAA and Inner Line Permit (ILP) that left one
person dead and several injured.Tribal organisations, including KSU, have been
opposing the CAA and demanding the ILP — a temporary permit for outsiders to
enter the State — as is mandatory in four other north-eastern States.Violence
erupted again on Saturday morning in Shillong’s Bara Bazar after the curfew was
relaxed after 10 hours since the imposition on Friday night. A vegetable vendor
was stabbed and at least six others were injured. He succumbed to his injuries
later.The incident made the authorities reimpose curfew. Mobile Internet
services remained suspended in six districts since Friday night while SMS
services had been limited to five per day.thehindu
Police detain over 100 anti-CAA protesters in Assam
Guwahati:The police on Saturday detained over 100 people who protested
against CAA in Guwahati.AIDWA, CITU and SFI on Saturday had jointly staged a
demonstration against the CAA in Guwahati.The security personnel detained
protesters when they allegedly were trying to block the roads in Guwahati.One
of the protesters said that police detained them despite them staging a protest
"democratically and peacefully". Terming the new citizenship law as
"unconstitutional, undemocratic," the protesters raised slogans against
the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government at the Centre and state. The
protesters also demanded the Assam Legislative Assembly to take a decision
against the Act.The protesters also demanded the government to release all
anti-CAA protesters who were arrested earlier.indiatoday
Thousands join anti-CAA protest in Assam CM’s hometown Dibrugarh
CAA: Case filed against Twitter, WhatsApp, TikTok for letting users
share ‘anti-national’ content
Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police have registered criminal cases against
social media platforms Twitter, WhatsApp and TikTok for allegedly allowing
people to carry out anti-national activities in the name of protests against
the citizenship law, ANI reported. Complainant Silveri Srishailam, a journalist
who runs a YouTube channel, has named WhatsApp Inc head Abhijit Bose, Twitter
Communications India Private Limited Managing Director Manish Maheshwar and
Nikhil Gandhi, the head of TikTok, as respondents in the case.scroll
Centre cancels visa of IIT-M German student who was sent back for participating
in CAA protests
Centre has rescinded the visa of Jakob Lindenthal, German exchange
student who was studying at IIT-Madras and was sent back to his country in
December for participating in protests against CAA.The student said Indian
Embassy in Germany told him about the visa cancellation on February 8, but did
not cite any reasons. Lindenthal is a student of Technical University-Dresden,
and had joined the physics department of IIT-M in July 2019. The exchange
programme was a collaborative initiative of the two institutions. He was due to
complete his course work by May. His visa was reportedly going to expire on
June 27.scroll/ Indian Express
Polish student at Jadavpur University asked to leave India for being
part of anti-CAA rally
Kolkata: Kamil Siedcynski, a
Polish student at Jadavpur University (JU) in Kolkata, has been asked to leave
the country in a notice sent by the Union home ministry.Kamil avoided the media
and did not share the contents of the notice, but some students and teachers at
JU said they assumed that his expulsion was due to his presence at a rally
organised in the city by intellectuals, artists and students against CAA.A
student of comparative literature, Kamil, is yet to sit for the final semester
of his Masters degree. Having studied Bengali literature at Visva Bharati, a
central university, earlier, Kamil can speak the language fluently and has
translated Polish works into Bengali.HT
PM Modi does not know pain of losing children: 'Dadi' of Shaheen bagh
"Dadi of Shaheenbagh" on Friday said that Prime Minister
Narendra Modi does not understand the pain of losing children, as speakers at
an anti-CAA rally here called on protesters to maintain peace and not give in
to any provocation.Tushar Gandhi, the great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, said
that the battle is not for a day or two, but the protesters will have to be
prepared to continue it for years to come.Asma Khatoon, who has earned fame as
the "Dadi of Shaheenbagh" in Delhi, asked how can a person take care
of the whole country when he cannot maintain his own family."He would have
realised how it feels to lose a child if he had his own children," she
told a gathering at the Park Circus Maidan, which is being termed as the
Shaheenbagh of Kolkata with women holding a sit-in for the last 53 days to
protest CAA, NRC, and NPR.PTI
Anti-CAA Protest: Activist Group Alleges Khalid Saifi Tortured in Delhi
Police Custody
NEW DELHI:The activist group-United Against Hate-has strongly condemned
to what its calls the “illegal arrest” and “custodial beating up” of one of its
founding members-Khalid Saifi, a former corporator Ishrat Jahan and several
other activists of Khureji Khas-on February 26.The group has alleged that Saifi
and Ishrat Jahan were brutally beaten up in Delhi police custody in which he
fractured both of his legs. Saifi was the brain behind the anti-CAA protest
that was going on in Khureji in northeast Delhi since January 13.Saifi, along
with Prof. Apoorvanand of Delhi University rushed to the place and got the
road-block cleared from protesters. The protesters went back to their original
protest site.But on February 26, police went to the anti-CAA protest site
unannounced and began removing the protesters without any provocation.It was
then that Saifi reached the spot and tried to intervene between the protesters
and the police.Saifi was allegedly manhandled, immediately detained “without
any just and fair reasons” and taken to the Jagatpuri Police Station. Along
with him were also arrested former corporator Ishrat Jahan and several other
activists.India Tomorrow
MP: 3 BJP leaders join Congress, say ‘joining secular forces’
In a blow to BJP ahead of civic body polls in Madhya Pradesh, three of
its leaders — two Indore corporators and a close aide of BJP general secretary
Kailash Vijayvargiya — joined the Congress in the presence of the state Chief
Minister Kamal Nath on Friday in Indore.BJP corporators Shankar Yadav and Usman
Patel and party leader Rajik Qureshi Farshiwala said they were quitting BJP to
“join secular forces and those acting against ‘mafia raj’ in Madhya
Pradesh”.Patel had resigned from BJP earlier this month in protest against CAA
and what he called BJP’s “divisive politics”.
Students made to sign ‘in support of CAA’: Month after incident, parents
protest outside DC office demanding action against Barnala school
Ludhiana :MORE THAN a month after a Barnala school allegedly made its
students sign in support of the controversial CAA, parents of students staged a
protest outside the office of the deputy commissioner on Tuesday, demanding
action against the school authorities.On January 15, Sarvhitkari Vidya Mandir
School allegedly told its students — from classes V to X — to sign on a flex
sheet which said ‘We support CAA’, along with their name and contact numbers of
their parents.Amrik Singh Sidhu, a parent, said, “My son studies in class X of
this school and on the evening of January 15, he asked me as what is CAA. Later
he told me that he was made to sign on a register as well as a flex board in
support of CAA. I got really upset over it. I spoke to a few more parents and
they too were very upset. We went to school the next day but the principal did
not give any positive response.”indianexpress
Jamaat-e-Islami urges KCR to pass resolution against NPR-NRC
Hyderabad: Welcoming the decision of CM KCR to put NPR work on hold in
Telangana, the President of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Moulana Hamid Mohammed Khan
demanded CM KCR to pass a resolution in the Assembly to this effect. NPR which
is causing panic in the general public should not be taken up and in its place,
the old system of Census should be adopted, he demanded. The Assembly should
ask the Central Government to take back the CAA-2019, immediately. He also asked that the process of NPR-NRC
should stay and a resolution to this effect should be passed in the Assembly. TRS has already rejected CAA in both the
houses of Parliament. He demanded that
the State Assembly should also pass a resolution against the NPR and NRC.siasat
Hyderabad:Anti-CAA protests erupt near Macca Masjid
Hyderabad: Students Islamic Organisation (SIO) has constituted an
emergency relief fund for victims of Delhi violence and collected donations in
front of the mosques after the Juma prayers.Protests against the CAA-NPR-NRC
were also organised at various places. Youths shouted slogans against the
Centre for the Delhi violence after Juma prayer at the Macca Masjid.An
unorganized group who offered Juma prayer at Macca Masjid demonstrated near
Moghalpura against the Delhi violence. They raised slogans against Prime
Minster Narendra Modi, Union home minster Amit Shah and the Delhi Police. The Police
allowed them to protest for a few minutes and later got them to disperse.Tight
security arrangements had been made to avert any untoward incident. A large
number of police personnel as well as from the Rapid Action Force (RAF) were
deployed in and around Charminar and Macca Masjid.deccanchronicle
Tamil Nadu Thowheed Jamaath organises massive anti-CAA protests in
Tirunelveli
:A few thousand Tamil Nadu Thowheed Jamaath (TNTJ) cadre staged dharnas
at seven places in the district on Saturday against the CAA.In a dharna
organised at Shandy Corner in Melapalayam, over 5,000 Muslims participated to
register their opposition to CAA, NRC and NPR and raised slogans against these
moves being pushed by the Union Government.The protestors also wanted the State
Government to pass resolutions against the CAA, NRC and NPR following the
footsteps of the Legislative Assemblies of West Bengal, Punjab, Bihar,
Telengana, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh.thehindu
*J&K
AND S. ASIA*
Article 370: SC verdict on Monday on whether pleas against Centre’s move
should go to larger bench
The Supreme Court will decide on Monday whether a batch of petitions
that challenged the abrogation of special status of Jammu and Kashmir should be
heard by a larger bench, of not less than seven judges, HT reported. A
five-judge bench headed by Justice NV Ramana and also comprising Justices
Sanjay Kishan Kaul, R Subhash Reddy, BR Gavai and Surya Kant had on January 23
reserved its order in the case.Senior counsel Dinesh Dwivedi, who appeared for
an intervener in the case, had argued that two earlier judgements by the
Supreme Court contradicted each other with regard to the scope and intent of
Article 370. Since those judgements were delivered by a five-judge bench, a bench
of seven or more judges should be constituted to hear the petitions, he
argued.scroll
J&K to evict squatters from houses meant for Kashmiri Pandit
migrants
After J&K govt has issued show-cause notices to almost 100 illegal
occupants of apartments in Kashmiri migrant neighbourhoods in Jammu, a senior
official said an exercise was underway to evict such people and accommodate
genuine Kashmiri Pandit migrants instead in the govt-builtflats.“We have issued
a notification after we found that 93 flats have been occupied in violation of
norms. It’s a beginning and we are trying to do thing as per the law. These
flats are locked out since long,” relief commissioner (migrants) TK Bhat
said.More than 300 applications are pending with Relief and Rehabilitation
Commissioner (Migrants) for allotment of accommodation to registered Kashmiri
migrant families, Bhat said.“During an extensive exercise undertaken by the
officers of relief organization, it emerged that 93 flats in Kashmiri migrants’
colonies and camps at Muthi, Nagrota, Purkhoo and mini township Jagti have been
found to be illegally occupied by the people who have not been allotted these
flats,” he added.HT
Stop terror financing, dismantle camps: India lists out 10 points for
Pakistan at UN
India on Friday asked Pakistan to stop terror financing and dismantle
terrorist camps operating in its territory, and denounced Islamabad’s attempts
to “derail the positive developments” in Jammu and Kashmir, reported PTI. Last
week, global anti-terror financing watchdog Financial Action Task Force decided
to keep Pakistan on its “grey list” and gave the country four more months to
achieve full compliance with its 27-point action plan to avoid being put into
the “black list”.“Stop public advocacy and support for terrorists by Pakistani
leadership at the highest level, end illegal and forcible occupation and
reverse the demographic changes in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir and take
structural reforms to develop a semblance of democracy in Pakistan,” First Secretary
in India’s Permanent Mission Vimarsh Aryan said. He made the remarks at the
ongoing 43rd session of United Nations Human Rights Council being held in
Switzerland between February 24 and March 20.scroll
*OTHERS*
JNU 'Sedition': Nod to Prosecute Kanhaiya, Umar Khalid, other Against
Counsel’s Advice
Delhi government on Friday gave the Delhi Police the go-ahead to
prosecute former JNUSU leaders Kanhaiya Kumar,
Umar Khalid and 9 others in connection with a 2016 sedition case,
despite its standing counsel's advise against prosecution sanction.In July last
year, the Delhi government’s standing counsel Rahul Mehra, when asked for an
opinion, had reportedly said that activities of the accused “do not amount to
sedition against the State” and that the evidence on record was “flimsy” and
riddled with “gaps”.Mehra, after examining the original complaint, the findings
of JNU’s High-Level Committee, and the transcript of the entire incident, had
come to the conclusion that there was material error on the part of police in
filing the charge sheet.Mehra had also informed Home Department that being
critical of the government and its policies does not amount to sedition, adding
that suppressing unpopular opinion will throttle democracy in the long
run.Additionally, several reports suggested that senior AAP leaders, including
Home Minister Satyendar Jain, had been against granting sanction to prosecute. Meanwhile,
AAP MLA and spokesperson Raghav Chadha on Friday said the Law Department of the
Delhi government has given its opinion on this matter to the Home Department
after due diligence, according to PTI.Chadha said in a statement on Friday,
"Delhi government, as a matter of policy and as a matter of principle,
does not and has not intervened in any of such cases. Our government has not
stopped prosecution in any case, whatsoever, in the last five
years."Calling it a "purely a procedural matter", he said
judiciary and judiciary alone should decide on the merits of each case.“It is
not for governments to decide on the merits of such cases,” Chadha
added.thequint/Indian Express
AAP rethink: Kanhaiya, Umar Khalid, others to face sedition trial
‘How much did you sell yourself for,’ Anurag Kashyap asks Kejriwal over
sedition charges on Kanhaiya
Bollywood actor and director Anurag Kashyap
launched a scathing attack on Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal after his
government gave prosecution permission for sedition charges against former
JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar.Kashyap wrote in his tweet in Hindi, “ Arvind
Kejriwal ji, what should i say to you, spineless will be a compliment for you,
you and AAP are non existent. How much did you sell yourself for?”nationalheraldindia
Delhi govt no less ill-informed than Centre in understanding sedition
law: Chidambaram
Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Saturday hit out at Delhi
government for its sanction to prosecute former JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar
and nine others in connection with a sedition case, saying the Kejriwal
dispensation is "no less ill-informed than the Centre" in its
understanding of the sedition law."Delhi Government is no less
ill-informed than the central government in its understanding of sedition
law," Chidambaram tweeted."I strongly disapprove of the sanction
granted to prosecute Mr Kanhaiya Kumar and others for alleged offences under
sections 124A and 120B of IPC," the former home minister said.PTI
AAP, BJP two sides of same coin: Congress on Delhi govt's nod in
Kanhaiya sedition case
Congress hit out at the Arvind Kejriwal government on Saturday for its
sanction to prosecute Kanhaiya Kumar and nine others in connection with a
sedition case, saying AAP's thinking is the same as that of the BJP and they
were "two sides of the same coin". Senior Congress spokesperson Anand
Sharma said the move exposes the face of Kejriwal and his government.
"Whatever has happened till now, whether it was CAA or NPR, AAP has the
same thinking as that of BJP. They are the two sides of the same coin, their
thinking isn't different," Sharma told reporters in a press conference.PTI
GDP growth slowed to 7-year low of 4.7% in October-December, shows
government data
India’s economic growth slipped to a nearly seven-year low of 4.7% in
October-December quarter because of continued slump in manufacturing, official
data showed. This is, however, in line with what most economists had
predicted.The figures released by the government made significant revisions to
the estimates for the previous two quarters. For the July-Sept.2019 quarter,
the economic growth was revised upwards to 5.1% from 4.5% estimated earlier.
Similarly, April-June growth was revised upwards to 5.6% from 5%. This meant
the growth in October-December was the lowest in 27 quarters.The government
retained its estimate of 5% GDP growth for 2019-’20. This would be the lowest
growth in 11 years.Meanwhile,8 core industries recorded a 2.2% growth in output
in January, helped by expansion in the production of coal, refinery products
and electricity. Crude oil, natural gas and fertiliser sectors contracted
during the month.scroll
Asthana bribery case: ‘Big names’ being shielded, alleges former
investigating officer
A verbal altercation broke out during a hearing in a Delhi court on
Friday between the two investigating officers associated with a bribery case,
allegedly involving senior officers of CBI, reported HT. The special CBI court
had on February 19 asked former investigation officer Ajay Kumar Bassi to
appear in court to explain the case diary. The argument began after Bassi
accused the current investigating officer Satish Dagar of covering up “big
names” in the case. Bassi said that the key player, Manoj Prasad, had divulged
the names being shielded during interrogation in October 2018 but Dagar
allegedly did not investigate them.scroll
Maharashtra may go for caste-based census
Mumbai:Cutting across political divide, Maharashtra Assembly on Friday
unanimously demanded a caste-based census to calculate the exact population of
OBC in the state to ensure a fair allotment of quotas in govt jobs and
educational institutions for underprivileged communities. Maharashtra becomes
the third state, after Odisha and Bihar, to back a caste-based census.Senior
ministers of the ruling Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition, joined by the
speaker of the Assembly, said a caste-based census should be conducted by the
state government if the Centre wasn’t willing to accept the demand for the
same.Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar said a delegation led by chief minister
Uddhav Thackeray would meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister
Amit Shah to press the state’s case for a caste-based census when 2021
population census is undertaken .On Friday, Opposition party leaders in Uttar
Pradesh also called for a caste-based enumeration in India’s most populous
state. The issue was raised during zero hour in the Maharashtra assembly on
Friday against the backdrop of the Centre rejecting the state’s demand for such
a census.The state legislature had passed a resolution unanimously, on January
8, demanding a caste-based census to arrive at an estimate of the population of
OBCs.HT
Maharashtra minister says state planning to provide 5% reservation to
Muslims in education
Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra has proposed to extend 5%
reservation to Muslims in educational institutes, state Minority Affairs
Minister Nawab Malik said on Friday, reported PTI. He told the Maharashtra
Legislative Council that a legislation will be passed soon in this regard.“High
Court had given its nod to give 5% reservation to Muslims in government
educational institutions,” said Malik, according to ANI. “Last government did
not take any action on it. So we have announced that we will implement the HC’s
order in the form of law as soon as possible.”Malik said “appropriate action”
will be taken in this regard before school admissions begin this year.However,
later, senior minister Eknath Shinde of the Shiv Sena said no such decision had
been taken, News18 reported.scroll
Assam: Teacher arrested after students accuse him of posting derogatory
remarks about PM Modi
A physics teacher at Gurucharan College in Silchar, Assam, was arrested
on Friday night after a group of students accused him of posting derogatory
remarks about the prime minister.The students, who filed FIR at Silchar Sadan
police station, have alleged that guest lecturer Souradeep Sengupta’s social
media posts had allegedly hurt the sentiments of those belonging to a
particular religious community, reported local news portal Barak Bulletin.The
complaint said Sengupta had made derogatory remarks and abused the “Sanatan Dharma”
as a whole.scroll
‘Police tried to hush up Nagaur Dalit torture’ — Pilot’s fact-finding
report finds lapses
Jaipur: The fact-finding committee constituted by Deputy Chief Minister
and Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilot to look into the torture of two Dalit
youths in Nagaur has questioned the role of the police in the incident,
ThePrint has learnt.The committed has found that the police — which comes under
the home department held by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot — tried to hush up the
case, sources said.Pilot, who submitted the confidential report of the
committee to Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi Thursday, refused to share
its details.On 16 February, two Dalit cousins in Nagaur were beaten up and
humiliated. Contrary to the state government’s claim Friday that the victims
did not approach the police to register a complaint, Congress sources told
ThePrint that the committee has concluded that the police did not act properly
and rather tried to hush up the matter.The committee comprising cabinet minister
Master Bhanwar Lal, MLA and former state police chief Harish Meena and PCC
general secretary Mahesh Sharma prepared report after spending two days in the
area speaking to several people as well as the police and the district
administration.theprint
Nirbhaya case: Convicts move court seeking stay on execution
Convicts Akshay Singh and Pawan Kumar Gupta on Saturday moved a Delhi
court seeking a stay on the execution of death warrants against all four,
scheduled for March 3, in the Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case.Additional
Session Judge Dharmender Rana issued notice to Tihar Jail authorities on the
plea of Singh, directing them to file their response by March 2.The four
convicts — Singh, Gupta, Vinay Kumar Sharma and Akshay Kumar — are scheduled to
be hanged at 6 a.m. on March 3.PTI
SP leader Azam Khan says ‘inhuman’ treatment meted out to him
Sitapur ;Jailed Samajwadi Party
MP Azam Khan on Saturday alleged that very inhuman treatment was meted out to
him.“Bahut amanviya bartav hua hai mere saath,’ Khan who was taken to Rampur
court Saturday morning in connection with a court hearing from the Sitapur jail
told newspersons from the police van.Khan’s legislator wife Tanzeen Fatima and
their son and disqualified MLA Abdullah Azam were also taken to Rampur amidst
tight security in connection with a hearing in another case.PTI
*WORLD*
Afghanistan's Taliban, US sign peace deal
Doha, Qatar :US officials and Taliban representatives have signed a
final peace deal after months of negotiations in Qatar's capital to end United
States's longest war, fought in Afghanistan since 2001.Saturday's agreement,
signed in Doha in the presence of leaders from Pakistan, Qatar, Turkey India,
Indonesia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, will pave the way for the US to gradually
withdraw its troops.The two sides have long wrangled over the US demand for a
ceasefire before the final peace agreement was signed. In a statement, Taliban
said it had reached an agreement "about the termination of occupation of
Afghanistan"."The accord about the complete withdrawal of all foreign
forces from Afghanistan and never intervening in its affairs in the future is
undoubtedly a great achievement," it added. Earlier on Saturday, the
Taliban ordered all its fighters to halt fighting and "refrain from
attacks".Mohammed Naeem, a Taliban representative in Doha, described the
deal as "a step forward"."With this deal comes the end of war in
Afghanistan," he told Al Jazeera.For his part, US Secretary of State Mike
Pompeo called on the Taliban to honour its commitments. "I know there will
be a temptation to declare victory, but victory for Afghans will only be
achieved when they can live in peace and prosper," he said at the Doha
ceremony.Minutes before the deal was signed, a joint statement released by the
US and the Afghan government said US and NATO troops would withdraw from
Afghanistan within 14 months."The United States will reduce the number of
US military forces in Afghanistan to 8,600 and implement other commitments in
US-Taliban agreement within 135 days of the announcement of this joint
declaration and US-Taliban agreement," the joint statement said. It added
that the Afghan government will engage with UNSC "to remove Taliban
members from sanctions list by May 29"."No agreement is perfect, and
US-Taliban deal is no exception," said Robert Malley, president and CEO of
the International Crisis Group, said.The peace deal also proposes an
intra-Afghan dialogue with the government in Kabul and the release of 5,000
Taliban members from prison.aljazeera
US, Taliban sign peace deal; American troops to leave Afghanistan in 14
months
US signs peace deal with Taliban, a turning point in the 18-year war in
Afghan:washingtonpost
India to attend signing of US-Taliban peace deal in Doha today, say
reports
India has accepted an invitation to attend the signing of the peace
agreement between US and Taliban in Qatar’s capital Doha on Saturday, PTI
reported, citing unidentified govt sources. Indian envoy to Qatar P Kumaran
will represent the country at the event. This will be the first time India will
officially attend an event associated with the Taliban.Saturday’s event, hosted
by Qatar government, is being attended by representatives of about 24
countries.scroll
India signs deals with Afghan for road projects in Bamyan,
Mazar-e-Sharif
New Delhi: Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Saturday met Afghanistan’s
acting Finance Minister Abdul Habib Zadran and Deputy Minister of Transport
Mohammad Zekria and witnessed signing of agreements for road projects being
carried out with India’s assistance.In a series of tweets, MEA spokesperson
Raveesh Kumar said India remains committed to economic and human resource
development partnership with Afghanistan.“Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan
Shringla met Acting Finance Minister Abdul Habib Zadran and Deputy Minister of
Transport Mohammad Zekria and witnessed signing of agreements for road projects
in Bamyan and Mazar-e-Sharif provinces of Afghanistan with Indian development
assistance,” Kumar said in a tweet.Shringla on Friday travelled to Kabul and
conveyed to top Afghan leadership India’s unstinted support to a peaceful and
stable Afghanistan.He met President Ashraf Ghani on Friday and handed over to
him a letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.PTI
Malaysia's king appoints Muhyiddin Yassin as PM
Malaysia's king has appointed seasoned politician Muhyiddin Yassin as
the new prime minister, the latest twist to a weeklong political crisis.In a
statement issued by palace on Saturday, Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah said
Muhyiddin, a former interior minister and president of Bersatu party, will be
sworn in on Sunday as he likely commands the most support of any candidate.The
appointment came after this week's shock resignation of Prime Minister Mahathir
Mohamad, a move that plunged the country into crisis following a weekend of
political wrangling and the collapse of the ruling alliance. "The process
to appoint the prime minister cannot be delayed because the country needs a
government for the wellbeing of the people and the nation," the palace
statement said. The king appoints the country's prime minister. The king
decreed that "it was the best decision for all".The announcement came
hours after Mahathir struck a new deal to work with his former ruling alliance
led by rival Anwar Ibrahim and threw his name into the fray again. But the
palace announced that King Abdullah believed that Muhyiddin has the support of
a majority of legislators. "I only ask for all Malaysians to accept the
decision announced by the national palace today," Muhyiddin told reporters
at his home. Mahathir, 94, had led Alliance of Hope (Pakatan Harapan, or PH) to
a spectacular election win in 2018 but the government imploded on Monday when
he unexpectedly quit.Muhyiddin had emerged on Friday as the frontrunner after
receiving more backing from legislators than PH's Anwar Ibrahim, a longtime
rival and sometime ally of Mahathir.The appointment of Muhyiddin, who heads
Mahathir's Bersatu party, will ironically bring back to power United Malays
National Organization, which was overthrown by Mahathir's governing alliance in
a historic vote in May 2018.aljazeera
Erdogan vows to keep doors open for refugees heading to Europe
President Tayyip Erdogan said his government had begun to allow refugees
to travel on to Europe from Turkey, which he said can no longer handle new
waves of people fleeing war-torn Syria."What did we do yesterday? We
opened the doors," Erdogan told the Turkish Parliament today, in his first
comments since 33 Turkish troops were killed in northern Syria on
Thursday."We will not close those doors ... Why? Because European Union
should keep its promises."In 2016, Turkey signed a deal with the EU to
stop refugees crossing from its borders after the 2015 migrant crisis that saw
one million crossed the Aegean into Europe.Erdogan also said 18,000 refugees
had gathered on the Turkish borders with Europe since Friday, adding that the
number could reach as many as 30,000 on Saturday.Turkey, which is already home
to the world's largest number of refugees - around 3.6 million Syrians, has
repeatedly warned that is is overburdened. aljazeera
Israeli Defence Minister : Israel to push Iran out of Syria within 12
months
Israeli Defence Minister Naftali Bennett announced on Friday that Israel
aims to push Iran out of Syria within the upcoming 12 months, Israeli newspaper
Jerusalem Post reported.“I have a goal that within 12 months Iran will leave
Syria,” he confirmed in an interview with the Israeli newspaper.“Iran has
nothing to look for in Syria,” Bennett added. “They are not neighbours, they
have no reason to settle next to Israel, and we will remove Iran from Syria in
the near future.”
Netanyahu: Annexation has started, PA and Jordan threats don’t matter
Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, announced that he is not
concerned with the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Jordan’s threats as his
government has already begun the annexation of the West Bank, Arab48 reported
on Friday. “I am not concerned with the threats by the PA and Jordan,” Arab48
reported Netanyahu conveying to Israeli economic newspaper, Makor
Rishon.Netanyahu disclosed that his government has approved and promises to
build thousands of new settlement homes in the occupied West Bank and 3,500 new
settlement units in Area E1, which he explained isolates the West Bank from
Jerusalem.“We are talking about fateful decisions, which we carried out
regardless of all the threats,” Netanyahu confirmed. “We have also approved
housing plans in the Sha’ar HaShomron settlement. This proves that big changes
are happening here.”middleeastmonitor
EU renews call to stop settlements in occupied Palestine
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200229-eu-renews-call-to-stop-settlements-in-occupied-palestine/
European Union (EU) renewed its call to the occupation authorities to
stop building settlements, to suspend holding tenders and to refrain from
taking any measures aimed at promoting settlement construction plans, which are
considered illegal under international law.Following the Israeli government’s
announcement of plans to build new settlement units in Al-Azariya, known as
Area E1, east of Jerusalem in the occupied West Bank, in addition to declaring
its decision to establish settlements south of Jerusalem, where tenders have
been held in the village of Al-Walaja, a statement was issued on Friday by the
EU high representative of Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep
Burrell, who confirmed that the EU renews its call to the Israeli authorities
to stop these acts that violate international law. middleeastmonitor
Qatar reports first case of coronavirus
Qatar has become the latest Middle Eastern country to report its first
case of coronavirus.The patient, a 36-year-old man, returned from Iran, which
has the highest number of coronavirus-related deaths outside China.The news on
Saturday comes amid growing concerns in the Gulf, with Saudi Arabia having
recently halted travel to holy sites such as Mecca and Medina.Meanwhile, in the
Asia Pacific, South Korea urged citizens to stay indoors as it warned of a
"critical moment" in its battle against the coronavirus after
recording the biggest daily jump in infections, with 813 new cases taking the
tally to 3,150 with 17 new deaths.Seoul is grappling with the largest outbreak
of the virus outside China, the epicentre of the deadly disease. The National
Health Commission reported on Saturday at least 47 new deaths, bringing to
2,835 the number of fatalities nationwide among 79,251 confirmed cases.In
Europe, Italy has reported 888 coronavirus cases and 18 deaths, the most in
Europe.On Friday, WHO warned that the spread of the virus is "getting
bigger". More than 85,000 people have been infected worldwide. aljazeera
*views, Articles, FEATURES*
While Muslims are being murdered in India, the rest of the world is too
slow to condemn:Patrick Cockburn
Trump is enabling Modi's Islamophobia in India. But so are many Indian
Americans:Priyanka Bansal, NBC News
Chilling coincidence: 2 callers — MP now and ex-MP then. Both times
calls to cops for help go unheeded
‘Go and Kill’ favourite slogan of BJP, advocate tells HC
Delhi violence: Minority feels cheated; why no FIR against Kapil Mishra
for inciting violence?Humra Quraishi
Delhi riots were waiting to happen:Rajdeep Sardesai
Narendra Modi Looks the Other Way as New Delhi Burns: RANA AYYUB
‘Shakal se Hindu nahin dikhti’ — but a quick-thinking colleague saved me
from a mob:FATIMA KHAN
Why the root of Delhi’s Hindu-Muslim riots is a malevolent creeper
planted by Supreme Court:SHEKHAR GUPTA
Delhi violence: Ajit Doval's 'jo hua so hua' remark sums up State's mindset,
predicament facing Muslims hoping for justice:Fahad Hasin
Delhi Riots: Stolen in the Looting, Baby Shoes, Never Worn:Naomi Barton
Majoritarianism Has Turned the Populace Into an Ever-Ready Mob:Nitin
Sinha
Ambedkar's Warnings About Three Types of Dictatorships:Kancha Ilaiah
Shepherd
Backstory: No Words, No Images Can Capture the Savagery of the
Moment:Pamela Philipose
Faizan Mustafa recalls Babri Masjid & Arvind Subramanian on key
economic objectives
The Supreme Court has overlooked the gravity of the Delhi
violence:Faizan Mustafa
Violence in Delhi is intended to polarise as well as to teach a
lesson:Christophe Jaffrelot
Pakistan is hunting down groups it sees as acting on India’s
behalf:Khaled Ahmed
Bar associations instructing members not to represent accused in
sedition cases is illegal:Jayna Kothari
Compiled and edited by Anwarulhaq (Released
at: 8:16 PM).
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