13 Feb. 2020:
18 Jamadi-2, 1441: Vol: 12, No: 131
*anti-CAA,NRC-NPR stir*
Attacks on field enumerators over NPR fears put Census in deep trouble:
Statistics panel chief
Recent attacks on field enumerators in some parts of the country have
put upcoming Census procedure in “deep trouble” and may risk contaminating data
collected in household surveys, ex Chief Statistician of India Pronab Sen has
said.In recent days, some health researchers and government survey officials
have been attacked by those who mistook them for people collecting data for the
controversial National Population Register. As first reported by Scroll.in, NPR
is the first step to creating an all-Indian National Register of Citizens,
which would identify undocumented migrants residing in India. The government
has denied any link between NPR and NRC, but since the Census website itself
made a connection, the population register exercise has also been a target of
anti-NRC protestors.Field investigators of the National Sample Survey were
attacked in the past, but by now citizens had got comfortable with them as they
got familiar with the process, Sen told Indian Express in an interview. What is
new this time is that the house-listing operations, a key step in the Census,
will be conducted along with the population register exercise, said Sen, who
heads the standing committee on economic statistics.The population register
will be a list of “usual residents” – those who have stayed at a place for six
months or intend to stay there for the next six months. The exercise to update
the register will be carried out across the country along with the
house-listing phase of the decennial Census of 2021 from April 1 to Sept.30,
2020. “The house-listing operation is a key step in our critical analysis
because that’s the basis on which the entire country is divided into
enumeration blocks and then, Census enumerators are given specific enumerator
blocks,” he said. “So, the enumeration blocks are at the heart of Census
operation. If you have problems in getting that done and if you get resistance
to that, the Census is in deep trouble.”He added: “So, you may well have a
situation where you are unable to do the Census properly and if the Census is
not done properly, then for the next 10 years, no household survey would be
reliable because all household surveys rely on the Census as the frame. If this
runs into problems, and there’s a danger that it might, then for the next 11
years, you are in trouble.”The phenomenon of such attacks may have an effect
not just on the Census but other surveys too, Sen said. “There’s a second
problem,” he said. “Whatever you do, you are going to have people who will be
suspicious. They may answer the expenditure part of it accurately, but the
front part, which is household characteristics, they may resist that. All
household details begins with asking household members, names, ages,
educational details, so all that is in the first sheet. And what may end up
happening is that the data might get contaminated pretty badly…it’s a huge
problem. We may still be able to get enterprise surveys done but we are in deep
trouble for household surveys.”scroll/ Indian Express
Red flags by data panel chief Pronab Sen: ‘Mistrust, attacks may
contaminate economic data for next 10 yrs’
‘Tampering’ complaint against former Assam NRC Coordinator Prateek
Hajela
A complaint has been lodged against Prateek Hajela, the former
Coordinator of NRC in Assam, for allegedly tampering with the records
associated with updating the citizenship exercise whose complete list was
published in August 2019.Almost simultaneously on Wednesday, the office of the
NRC Coordinator lodged an FIR against Ajupi Baruah, a former associate of Hajela, for resigning without surrendering
the password to NRC data records system.In its complaint to CID office in
Guwahati, the Assam Public Works (APW) asked the Deputy Inspector General of
Police to register a case against Mr. Hajela for “tempering (sic) the valuable
public records, i.e., NRC final list of Assam”. It also sought an inquiry into
the former coordinator’s involvement in “cybercrime in the whole process of
NRC”.The APW is the NGO whose petition in the Supreme Court in 2009 led to the
NRC updating exercise.thehindu
Wipro says Assam NRC data went offline due to non-payment of dues
IT services major Wipro has clarified that the disappearance of the
Assam NRC data from its cloud service is related to a non-payment of dues and
will be restored once the government makes the payment.Wipro worked with
Registrar General of India and the Ministry of Home Affairs in the Supreme
Court-mandated NRC exercise in Assam. The exercise sought to separate legal
Indian nationals from the alleged illegal immigrants.CNBC-TV18
Jamaat-e-Islami Hind hopes AAP govt will pass resolution against CAA
New Delhi: Hailing the Delhi Assembly election results, Jamaat-e-Islami
Hind (JIH) on Wednesday said it is hopeful that the newly elected AAP
government will pass a resolution against the contentious CAA.JIH president
Syed Sadatullah Hussaini said: "The election results indicate that the
people of India have rejected the CAA and NRC. The government must withdraw it
immediately and unconditionally. We hope Delhi CM will ensure the passing of a
resolution against the CAA and stop the process of NPR."Hussaini said:
"Politics of hate and polarisation has been defeated in a big way. The
whole of India is thankful to the voters of Delhi for teaching a big lesson to
the politicians who peddled hate and bigotry. The voters of Delhi have proved
that "India can change"."JIH also hit out at the Election
Commission for being unable to check violations and effectively implement the
Model Code of Conduct. The JIH said that all possible methods to polarise the
electorate on communal lines were used by the politicians."This has been
possibly the worst election in the history of independent India in terms of the
practice of hate speeches, inflammatory slogans and open practice of
communalism and polarisation," said Hussaini. "We hope that the
people of India will learn a lesson from the Delhi elections and defeat those
whose politics revolve around division, who promote hatred against the
minorities and raise violent slogans," he said.IANS
JIH hopes AAP govt will pass resolution against CAA
‘Politics of hate and polarization defeated in Delhi:Jamaat-e-Islami
Nagaland: 22 BJP leaders join Naga People’s Front in protest against
Citizenship Act
Naga People’s Front President Shurhozelie Liezietsu welcomed BJP leaders
at a function held in Dimapur, according to a press statement by the party.
More leaders from the saffron party are expected to join the party in coming
days, it added.Liezietsu said the leaders made the right decision at the right
time, adding that his party represents the unique identity of the Naga people.
“Many regional political parties came into being and when they are defeated,
the party vanished,” he said.Law and legal affairs convenor Toshi Longkumer,
and former state president of the BJP’s minority cell Mukibur Rahman, were
among those who switched sides. Rahman said the introduction of the amended
citizenship law will sooner or later affect the people of Northeastern states
particularly. He said the Naga People’s Front is working hard to protect the
identity of the people.scroll
UP police detained 41 children during CAA protests, some were tortured,
says citizens’ report
The death of a 4-month-old baby on January 30 after his parents took him
to protests against CAA in New Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh area triggered outrage, and
even attracted the attention of the Supreme Court. However, the plight of 41
children who were detained by Uttar Pradesh Police early in December has
largely been ignored, even as some allege they were tortured in custody.As
protests erupted in 24 districts in Uttar Pradesh shortly after India’s
citizenship law was amended on Dec.12, police responded with brutality. The
police did not even show any restraint when acting against children, according
to a study by 3 civil society organisations. This was particularly acute in the
districts of Muzaffarnagar and Bijnor, both districts with a population that is
more than 40% Muslim and with a high concentration of minority institutions
where children from across the country were studying. The organisations –
Citizens Against Hate, Quill Foundation and Haq: Centre for Child Rights –
conducted fact-finding investigations in the districts of Bijnor, Muzaffarnagar
and Firozabad between January 10 and January 24. Their report included material
from media accounts that were then verified by the researchers. The authors of
this article are associated with Quill.On December 20, researchers found,
Muzaffarnagar police entered the compound of Saadat madrasa and hostel and
dragged out close to 50 students, the principal, a cook and two staff members.
The police accused the students of participating in a protest against CAA. Of
these 50 students, 14 were minors. Of 14, FIRs were filed against four
students. The institution’s principal, Syed Asad Raza Hussaini, said that the
four were released only after 12 days of detention.On the same day, in Bijnor,
22 minors were detained from the Nagina area where a protest against the act
was underway. Razdan*, 17, was among the detained children. “Razdan and the
others were detained for two days,” his mother, Bemina told us. “They were
given severe beatings during their period of detention. They were first taken
to Bijnor Police Lines and then shifted to a farmhouse owned by a BJP
MLA.”scroll
NRC rumours: RAF in Howrah after parents attack madrassa
HOWRAH: A Rapid Action Force (RAF) contingent was deployed at a madrassa
on Howrah's Andul Road on Tuesday after trouble broke out when hundreds of
guardians started pelting bricks and stones during a protest against
distribution of forms among their kids. The students, the parents alleged, were
asked to fill the forms specifying all family details. The guardians' agitation
followed rumours that an exercise was on to collect details for NRC.Guardians
also lodged an FIR against the madrasa's teacher-in-charge Buddhadeb Das while
authorities of Panchpara High Madrassa filed an FIR against an NGO, whose
members have been distributing the forms for the last five days. Sankrail
police station's inspector-in-charge Madhusudan Mukherjee said both FIRs are
being probed. Tension remained till Tuesday evening with guardians accusing Das
of leading the exercise. They wanted cops to either arrest him or hand him over
to them.Howrah City Police later deployed RAF.TOI
UP court seeks recovery of Rs 23.41 lakh from 53 anti-CAA protesters
Muzaffarnagar: A local court in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar district
has sought the recovery of Rs 23.41 lakh from 53 anti-CAA protesters.An ADM
court, on Wednesday, cited the 'widespread damage to public property' during
the anti-CAA stir in Muzaffarnagar on December 20.Four of them turned out to be
innocent later, while the replies of the 53 people were not found to be
satisfactory, he added.ADM(first) Amit Singh said: "We will paste recovery
notices on their homes now. The recovery will start soon."The alleged
rioters have been asked to appear in person before the ADM court to record
their statements within seven days.Munnawar Hussain, a lawyer representing the
accused said: "My clients are innocent and most of them are very poor. We will
go to high court against this order."IANS
Rename CAA to Neighbour Persecuted Religious Minority Refugee Act,
suggests Indian-American Khanderao Kand
A prominent Indian-American has suggested renaming the CAA as the
Neighbour Persecuted Religious Minority Refugee Act, saying it would establish
a right perception difficult to challenge. The remarks of Khanderao Kand,
director of non-profit organisation Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora
Studies (FIIDS), came in the wake of widespread protests held across India
against CAA.The CAA should have been named as Neighbour Persecuted Religious
Minority Refugee Act, Kand said during a panel discussion on the amended
citizenship law and abrogation of article 370 in a Virginia suburb of
Washington DC on Tuesday.PTI
At Mansa’s anti-CAA protest, AAP future in Punjab dominates discourse
Ludhiana :A day after AAP won a landslide victory in Delhi polls, an
indefinite anti-CAA dharna that began in Mansa saw participants bringing up the
‘Kejriwal model’ as the ‘third alternative’ in Punjab. The morcha is being
supported by the CPI and other like minded organisations.Principal Budh Ram,
AAP MLA from Mansa’s Budhalada constituency, spoke at length about how AAP won
polls in Delhi and how the movement can be replicated in Punjab as well. MLA
Bud Ram later told The Indian Express, “I even told the gathering that AAP won
polls in Delhi on the basis of work done by the party on health and education
front. They were provided subsidised power. When such facilities are available
in foreign countries, why our residents should lag behind. I am sure political
parties have understood now that the one who will work for the masses, will win
for sure.”In his speech, MLA said, “We have been against the CAA right from the
beginning. Our state leaders will also join this dharna to give impetus to it
and every day our workers will join the dharna in large numbers. This is our
fight against the Act which is creating a divide and rule policy in the
country…..Kejriwal Model is the centre of discussion all over the country now.
The same model can be run here as well. “indianexpress
*J&K AND S. ASIA*
Ahead of Trump’s India visit, US senators seek review of human rights in
J-K
Washington:Ahead of President Donald Trump’s maiden visit to India, 4
influential US Senators, who described themselves as “longtime friends of
India”, have sought an assessment of the human rights situation in Kashmir and
religious freedom in the country, saying hundreds of Kashmiris remain in
“preventive detention”.The bipartisan group of Senators, in their letter to
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo dated Feb.12, said that India has now imposed
the longest-ever internet shutdown by a democracy, disrupting access to medical
care, business and education for seven million people.US lawmakers, describing
themselves as “longtime friends of India”, wrote in the letter that “more than
six months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government unilaterally revoked
the autonomy of Jammu and Kashmir, the government continues to block most
internet in the region”.“Hundreds of Kashmiris remain in ‘preventive
detention’, including key political figures,” they said.Signatories to the
letter are Chris Van Hollen, Todd Young, Richard J Durbin and Lindsey O
Graham.“In addition, the Indian government has taken other troubling steps that
threaten the rights of certain religious minorities and the secular character
of the state. This includes the passage of the controversial CAA which is being
challenged in India’s Supreme Court,”Senators wrote.In the letter, Senators
requested Pompeo for a State Department assessment of a number of issues in
India including the number of individuals detained by the government for
political purposes and their treatment; current restrictions on communications
in Jammu and Kashmir; current accessibility of Jammu and Kashmir; and
restrictions on religious freedoms in Jammu and Kashmir.PTI
"Severe Consequences": US Senators On Kashmir Before Trump's
India Visit
Mobile Net services in Kashmir cut to prevent spread of rumours about
Geelani’s health
SRINAGAR:Mobile internet services have been suspended in Kashmir to
prevent the spread of rumours about the health of separatist leader
Geelani,Syed Ali Shah officials said on Thursday.The services were snapped late
Wednesday night after some social media posts claimed the health of the
90-year-old Geelani deteriorated, they said. Adequate security forces have been
deployed at vulnerable places in Kashmir to maintain law and order and prevent
miscreants from fomenting any trouble.Geelani’s family said he had been ill for
some time but his condition was stable.PTI
J&K: 8-phase panchayat bypolls to begin on March 5
Jammu :Panchyat bypolls for vacant seats will be held in Jammu and
Kashmir in eight phases starting March 5, Chief Electoral Officer Shailendra
Kumar announced on Thursday. This will be the first major poll exercise in
J&K since the scraping of the special status in August last year.Kumar
announced that panchayat bypolls in 274 blocks of the Union Territory of Jammu
and Kashmir will be held for elections of 1,011 Sarpanches and 11,639
panches.Announcing that Model Code of Conduct comes into force with immediate
effect, he said the elections will be held in eight phases. The first phase of
polling will take place on March 5, followed by the second phase on March 7,
third on March 9, fourth on March 12, fifth on March 14, sixth on March 16,
seventh on March 18 and eighth on March 20.indianexpress
International Punjabi Conference dedicated to Guru Nanak: Pak prunes
number of Indian delegates
Ludhiana :A group of 39 Punjabi writers, academicians, educationists
etc. from India will be leaving for Lahore via the Wagah border on Thursday to
participate in 30th International Conference on Punjabi Literature &
Culture, being organised by the World Punjabi Congress.This year, the
conference is dedicated to the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak. Scholars
and litterateurs from India, Pakistan and other countries will be presenting
their research papers and other literary works on Guru Nanak during the
conference.However, at the last minute, the Pakistan High Commission pruned the
list of Indian delegates and visas have been granted to 39 participants only
even though Pakistan’s Ministry of Interior had granted approval for visas of
100 Indian participants.indianexpress
Only Allah knows what’s happening in Kashmir, says former RAW chief A.S.
Dulat
There are few Indians who understand Kashmir as well as Amarjit Singh
Dulat, former chief of RAW, India’s external intelligence wing. But even he
throws up his hands and exclaims, “Nobody knows what is happening in Kashmir
and neither does anyone know what New Delhi is thinking.”There is not one clear
narrative coming out of Kashmir, he says. While the Government claims normalcy,
others maintain that Kashmiris are resigned to their lot. Some also believe
that Kashmiris are being smart by not going out on the streets and getting
killed, especially when there is one soldier for every 30 civilians.But many
Kashmiris do feel they have been let down by the people of India, he
adds.nationalheraldindia
Foreign envoys briefed by Army about security situation in J&K
SRINAGAR:Army officials on Thursday briefed the delegation of foreign
envoys visiting Jammu and Kashmir about the security situation here. 25-member
delegation arrived here on Wednesday on a two-day visit as part of a union
government-facilitated trip to help the envoys have a first-hand assessment of
the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, a region which faced months of harsh
restrictions after its special status was stripped of in August.PTI
*OTHERS*
SC push to clean politics: Parties must disclose criminal cases of
candidates on sites, inform EC
New Delhi :In an attempt to decriminalise politics, the Supreme Court on
Thursday directed political parties to upload on their websites details of
pending criminal cases against candidates contesting elections.A bench headed
by Justice F Nariman from the parties over the selection of such candidates and
said the information must be uploaded on social media platforms like Facebook
and Twitter and in one local vernacular and one national newspaper.The Supreme
Court said the parties must submit a report of compliance to the Election
Commission within 74 hours of selecting such candidates, failing which the poll
panel must inform the apex court.The court’s direction came after it noted an
alarming increase in criminalisation of politics in the last four general
elections.indianexpress
Supreme Court lists 6 important steps for political parties who give
tickets to candidates with criminal cases
Sangrur: Dalits accuse village landlords of forcibly stopping water
supply, SC commission steps in
Ludhiana :Punjab SC Commission has sought a report from Sangrur police
and district authorities over complaints of water supply to Dalit residents of
Tolewala village being stopped for four months allegedly by local landlords.
Sangrur DC and SSP have been given 24 hours to file a reply.Tolewala has about
40 houses belonging to the Dalit community. They have alleged that tubewell
room of water works department was locked due to which water supply to their
houses was cut off.Beant Singh, village sarpanch and a Dalit, said: “Landlords
in the village have submersible pumps in their houses but Dalits depend upon
water works supply only. However, for the past four months, tubewell room was
locked due to which water works supply was not being provided to the entire
village. As we are completely dependent on water works supply, our community
suffered the most….It was done at the behest of landlords of the village with
whom our community is having difference of opinion over auction of panchayati
land reserved for Dalits.” The tubewell room was unlocked on Tuesday night after
the SC commission intervened.Jagsir Singh, another Dalit villager, said,”In our
community, there are submersible pumps in two houses from where we could bring
water and at times, we used to take panchayat tanker to Langriyan village which
is a km away from our village in order to bring water from tubewell motor of
that village as landlords never allowed us to take water even from their
fields, what to talk of taking from submersible pumps of their
houses.”indianexpress
"Teaching Arabic & religious texts is not the Govt's job” –
Assam to shut down aided Madrassas, Sanskrit tols
Guwahati :Assam’s Education Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has announced
that all govt-funded madrasas and Sanskrit tols (schools) will be shut, and
converted into “normal” high schools.“We have decided this because teaching
Arabic, or some other language, or any religious text for that matter, is not
the responsibility of the government,” said Himanta Biswa Sarma while
addressing the local media after a government event at Guwahati’s Srimanta
Sankardeva Kalakshetra. While Sarma made these comments following a govt
function in Guwahati, no official notification has followed yet. “We have not
received official intimation regarding this announcement yet. We learnt about
this development through media reports,”said Imran Hussain, chairman of State
Madrassa Education Board, Assam. According to Hussain, there are 706 madrassas
under the State Madrassa Education Board across Assam. There are private
madrassas too, but it is govt-funded ones that Sarma has said will shut down.
According to official website of the State Madrassa Education Board, the board
was established during the colonial-era in 1934 when “when India was under
British rule and Assam provincial government was in undivided Assam”.The
state-funded madrasas run exactly like government schools and the subjects
taught are in compliance with the state education board curriculum, but with 2
extra subjects:Arabic and theology.According to Guwahati-based activist Abdul
Kalam Azad, there is one kind of ‘private’ madrasa where only Islamic education
is imparted. These have mushroomed in areas where there are no govt schools or
govt-aided madrasas.“For long, we have been demanding that the government
should take these under their wing and introduce modern education in these
specific madrasas,” said Azad. “The new decision is pretty pointless since the
government is not doing anything about the madrasas which actually require
help.” Sanskrit tols fall under Department of Secondary Education in Assam.
According to reports, there are 97 provincialised tols and more than a hundred
venture tols.indianexpress
‘Gandhi didn’t take any effort to rescue Bhagat Singh and other revolutionaries’:
Principal Economic Adviser
Ahmedabad :Alleging that Mahatma Gandhi did not put in enough efforts to
rescue Bhagat Singh and other revolutionaries, Principal Economic Adviser to
the government of India, Sanjeev Sanyal, on Wednesday said that it was a
“deliberate subversion of story of revolutionaries to suppress this alternative
history of India’s freedom”.Delivering a lecture, ‘The Revolutionaries: A
Retelling of India’s History’ at Gujarat University on Wednesday, Sanyal said
this story was “inconvenient” to both the political establishment of India and
also to British after independence. He also stressed that this narrative (of
revolutionaries) should be introduced in curriculum.“It is difficult to say
whether Mahatma Gandhi would have been successful to save Bhagat Singh or any other
revolutionary from the gallows because the facts do not exist… he did not make
much of an effort…,” the Principal Economic Adviser told an audience of
students and faculty.indianexpress
TN lawyer challenges deletion of sentence about RSS’ anti-Muslim stance
in textbook
An advocate, S Doraisamy, has moved the Madras High Court, challenging
the deletion of the sentence "Hindu Mahasabha and RSS took a pronounced
anti-Muslim stance" in the 10th standard social science textbook."The
statements/versions appearing in the said text books is part of history and it
cannot be re-written based upon some sentiments," S Doraisamy said. He
submitted that the school education department had issued a circular for
'hiding' the sentence in both the Tamil and English versions of the textbook
and requested the Court to quash the circular. Admitting the plea moved as a
PIL, a division bench of Justices M Sathyanarayanan and R Hemalatha directed
the department to file a counter affidavit by March 19 on how the syllabus is
prescribed and appraised and the procedure to be adopted for deletion of
certain portions in the textbooks.thenewsminute
Explosion at Lucknow court, 3 injured; two crude bombs detected
Lucknow : 3 persons were reportedly injured in a crude bomb explosion in
Lucknow court at Wazeerganj police station area on Thursday afternoon. 2 crude
(sutli) bombs were also recovered from the spot. The incident took place in the
Chief Judicial Magistrate court where Sanjeev Lodhi, joint secretary of the
Lucknow bar association, claimed that he was the target. Sources in the police
said that initial reports suggested personal enmity as rivalry between the
lawyers as reason behind the attack.“On Thursday afternoon, we received
information about low intensity blasts at Lucknow airport. The police teams
which rushed there found that the explosion was caused by crude bombs. The
reason behind the attack is yet to be ascertained and we are investigating the
matter. The injured are not serious and need primary medical attention,” a
police officer said.SHO of Wazeerganj police station Deepak Dubey said one
person had suffered an injury in his leg.The explosion took place near the
district magistrate’s office and barely a kilometre from the Uttar Pradesh
Vidhan Sabha building.Soon after the incident, scores of angry lawyers crowded
the area, demanding protection.indianexpress
Disquiet in BJP after party’s crushing defeat in Delhi poll, but all
back nationalism plank:HT
Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari Wednesday dismissed reports that he offered
to step down after the party’s crushing defeat in Delhi elections in which it
won only 8 seats.There are voices growing within the party for an
“organisational overhaul” in the national capital. The party could improve its
2015 Assembly election tally only by 5 seats, while losing one seat in the
process.Several senior leaders blamed the loss to delay in starting election
campaign, weak organisational setup and the state units “inability” to counter
the freebies doled out by AAP government. Another big reason for loss, some
said, was the move to contest without a chief minister face.BJP had a
high-pitch, hyper local campaign micromanaged by Union home minister Amit Shah,
who attended roadshows and public meetings in 60-plus assembly constituencies
in 2 weeks. Close to 200 MPs, sitting and former chief ministers of BJP-ruled
states and Union ministers campaigned aggressively in what was considered a
prestige battle for the party. Prime Minister Narendra Modi held two rallies
and BJP chief JP Nadda campaigned in 70 constituencies.“This (eight seats and
40% vote share) is the best you can get after a 15-day-long campaign,” a senior
BJP leader remarked.Another senior BJP leader requesting anonymity said, “AAP
started its campaign soon after its defeat in the Lok Sabha elections. By the
time we started, there wasn’t enough time to tell people about our schemes
promised in our manifesto.”
Accused in mining and forest cases, Ballari baron Anand Singh made Karnataka
Forest & Environment Minister
Bengaluru: Accused OF illegal mining and forest crimes in 15 cases
pending against him since 2012, Anand Singh, a 4-time MLA from the iron
ore-rich Ballari district of Karnataka with business interests in mining and
transportation, has been appointed the new minister for forest, environment and
ecology in 6-month-old BJP government in the state led by BS Yediyurappa.Singh
(53) was made minister of food and civil supplies on Monday, but was given the
forest, ecology and environment ministry a day later, after he demanded a
change in portfolio, despite the charges of illegal mining and violation of
forest laws pending against him from BJP’s previous tenure
(2008-13).indianexpress
Bengaluru Police evict protesting blind students
Bengaluru:Blind students holding a peaceful protest for laptops promised
under a government scheme were evicted by the police on Tuesday. The students,
part of the state youth wing of National Federation of the Blind (NFB), had
launched an indefinite protest at the office of the director of the Department
for Empowerment of Differently Abled and Senior Citizens at VV Tower in central
Bengaluru. Police, however, moved them to the Ashoknagar hockey ground in no
time. The scheme for the distribution of free laptops to all class 10 and
college-going visually challenged students was launched in 2014-15. Veeresh,
coordinator, State Youth Committee, NFB Karnataka, said: “Due to the reluctance
of the state government as well as administrative and procedural complications,
laptops were distributed only in 2015-16 and 2017-18 financial years. Both the
times, it happened as a result of our protest.” deccanherald
Wasn’t driving the Bentley, claims Mohammed Nalapad: Cops arrest
bodyguard
Congress MLA NA Haris’ son Mohammed Nalapad on Wednesday appeared before
the Sadashivnagar Traffic Police in Bengaluru for questioning in connection
with accident involving a Bentley Continental GT. The Bengaluru Police on
Tuesday said that Nalapad was driving the black Bentley along the Mekhri Circle
underpass on Sunday afternoon and rammed into a bike and autorickshaw, injuring
two people.“I was not the one driving the Bentley. I was in a Lamborghini ahead
of the Bentley. Balu (Balakrishna, Nalapad’s bodyguard) was the one who drove
the car. Some channels are saying that he does not know how to drive a Bentley
and that is not true. He has been my driver for so long. I helped the people
who were injured and took them to the hospital and paid the hospital bills.
This is a conspiracy against me,” a teary-eyed Nalapad told the media after
police questioning.Nalapad questioned the media as to why he was being
portrayed as a “goonda”. This isn’t the first time that he has been accused of
breaking the law. The MLA’s son was in the spotlight in 2018 after a case of
attempted murder was registered against him at the Cubbon Park Police Station.
Nalapad was accused of brutally beating up Vidvat, son of a prominent
businessman, at an uptown café in Bengaluru.thenewsminute
Uttar Pradesh: Cops thrash AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan’s relatives for
celebrating his victory in Delhi elections
AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan’s relatives were allegedly severely beaten up
by cops in his native village Agwanpur of Parikshitgarh police station in
district Meerut when they were celebrating Khan’s victory in the recently
concluded Delhi assembly election, reported The Statesman.Amanatullah , who is
sitting MLA of AAP, defeated Braham Singh of Bharatiya Janata Party by a huge
margin of 71, 827 votes from Okhla constituency.Soon after the results were
announced, Khan’s relatives in his paternal village Agwanpur started
celebrating. The police reached the location and lathi-charged relatives and
villagers to disperse them, according to the report in The Statesman. The
police argued that section 144 was imposed in the area. So, they were not
allowed to gather and celebrate.The police allegedly misbehaved with young
girls. They allegedly pulled a young girl’s hair and forced her to walk on the
streets. They asked her to help them identify the MLA’s relatives who had fled
after a scuffle with police over the celebration.nationalheraldindia
₹81.67 crore worth electoral bonds sold before Delhi polls, response to
RTI query shows
NEW DELHI:In the run-up to the Delhi Assembly Elections, 139 electoral
bonds worth ₹81.67 crore were sold by various branches of SBI, according to the
response to an RTI query filed by Commodore Lokesh Batra (Retd.)In the 13th
phase of bond sales, between January 13 to 22, the largest number (43) were
sold by the Kolkata branch, though the majority (89) were encashed at the New
Delhi branch, said the RTI response from the SBI.Of the bonds issued, 78 were
the denomination of ₹1 crore while 34 bonds worth ₹10 lakh each were issued.
The remaining 27 bonds were worth ₹1 lakh each. No bonds were issued in the
lower denominations of ₹1,000 and ₹10,000. All bonds sold were redeemed.The
electoral bonds scheme has been criticised by the Opposition parties as well as
the civil society groups for a lack of transparency in political funding, as
the donor remains anonymous. So far, ₹6,210 crore have been donated through
this method since the scheme began.thehindu
Indian Businesses Feel Ripple Effect Of Trade Slowdown Due To Coronavirus
The outbreak of coronavirus in China - where more than 1,000 people have
been killed by the lethal disease and over 40,000 have got infected - has hit
trade in the region, becoming a cause of concern for Indian businessmen.Dozens
of cities in China - one of India's biggest trading partners - are under a
lockdown amid the outbreak of coronavirus, declared a global health emergency
by WHO. Indian businessmen, who have manufacturing units in the east Asian
country, are worried as uncertainty prevails over the return of
normalcy.Dipanker Dutta, owner of manufacturing unit of cinema seats and
recliners in Foshan city of Guandong province of China, is one such
businessmen; his factory has been temporarily shut till the situation improves.The
manufacturing unit was to expected to open on Wednesday after the Chinese New
Year holiday, however, now it is not expected to open before the first week of
March.ndtv
14 Killed, 31 Injured as Bus Rams into Stationary Truck on Agra-Lucknow
Expressway
Firozabad: 14 passengers were killed and around 31 people grievously
injured as a private bus rammed into a stationary truck in Firozabad on
Agra-Lucknow Expressway on Wednesday night. The driver of the truck was
declared spot dead.The injured have been taken to Saifai PGI for treatment and
kept under observation in ICU.The incident took place near Milestone Number 71
after the bus carrying more than 50 people rammed into the truck while its
driver was changing its punctured tyres on Agra Lucknow Expressway around
10:30pm on Wednesday. 6 people are stated to be critical.“At least 31 people
were injured in the accident and are undergoing treatment here. 13 people were
brought dead,” Dr Vishwa Deepak of Emergency Ward said.news18
*WORLD*
UN lists firms linked to illegal Israeli settlements in West Bank
United Nations human rights office has issued a report on companies it
said have business ties to illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West
Bank, a long-delayed move likely to draw the ire of Israel and its main ally,
the United States.In a statement on Wednesday, UN body said it identified 112
business entities which it has reasonable grounds to conclude have ties with
Israeli settlements - 94 domiciled in Israel and 18 in six other countries.It
identified companies listed in US, France, the Netherlands, Luxembourg,
Thailand and the United Kingdom. Among these was the US-based home-sharing
company, Airbnb.In its rport, the UN office said the companies' activities
"raised particular human rights concerns"."I am conscious this
issue has been, and will continue to be, highly contentious," UN High
Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said.But she added that the
findings had been subject to an "extensive and meticulous review
process" and the report "reflects the serious consideration that has
been given to this unprecedented and highly complex mandate".Her office
said the report "does not provide a legal characterisation of the
activities in question, or of business enterprises' involvement in
them".aljazeera
China officials fired as coronavirus deaths surge past 1,300
Health officials in China's hard-hit central province of Hubei reported
on Thursday that 242 more people died from the coronavirus COVID-19 as of
Wednesday - the highest in a single day and more than twice the previous record
high - pushing the death toll across the country to 1,355.The province's health
commission also reported a huge jump in new cases, saying a further 14,840
people had been confirmed with the infection over the 24-hour period to
midnight on Wednesday.As this developed, the official Xinhua news agency
reported on Thursday that the head of Communist party in the province of Hubei
has been relieved of his post - the latest in a line of local officials
fired.Hubei is at the centre of the outbreak, which is thought to have
originated in a now-closed seafood market in the capital of Wuhan late last
year.
Exiled Uighurs fear spread of coronavirus in China camps
Members of China's Uighur minority living in exile are sounding the
alarm over the risk of the coronavirus spreading in camps inside the country,
where NGOs say hundreds of thousands of people have been rounded up by
Beijing.So far, official figures released by Chinese state media give no major
cause for concern over the COVID-19 outbreak in the northeast region of
Xinjiang, which is home to the Uighurs, a Muslim minority who speak a Turkic
language.It is far from the epicentre of the outbreak and just 55 cases have
been reported in the region so far. The first patients to fully recover in the
region have already left hospital, according to official media.aljazeera
Saudi ranks 3rd in spread of 5G networks
RIYADH:Saudi Arabia ranks third globally and first in the Middle East,
Europe and North Africa (EUMENA) region in terms of fifth generation (5G)
networks spreading over 30 cities with setting up of more than 5,797
towers.This reflects the great development achieved by the Kingdom’s
communications and information technology sector in boosting the digital
transformation to achieve the goals of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.The Ministry
of Communications and Information Technology strove to bring the 5G technology
to the Kingdom and thus making it one of the pioneering countries to launch
this service in the Middle East and North Africa region countries.Saudi Gazette
*views, Articles, FEATURES*
Protests at Shaheen Bagh points to a politically vigilant, committed
citizenry:Seema Chishti
Misreading history: Partition did not validate the two-nation
theory:Rajmohan Gandhi
End the protest at Shaheen Bagh | HT Editorial
Mr Kejriwal, Delhi is done and dusted, shouldn’t you visit Shaheen Bagh
now?Saba Rahman
Why did Egypt issue a fatwa forbidding Arabs to watch Turkish TV
series?Taha Kılınç
Justice Katju: Detention of Omar Abdullah Is a Gross Violation of Rights
Compiled and edited by Anwarulhaq (Released
at: 3:11 PM).
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