12 Feb. 2020:
17 Jamadi-2, 1441: Vol: 12, No: 130
*INDIA*
Bill to punish people with more than two children introduced in Rajya
Sabha
A private member’s Bill introduced in the Rajya Sabha last week went
un-noticed and undiscussed. The Bill seeks to punish families with more than
two children by depriving them of social welfare benefits, tax exemptions etc. 2-child
norm is already there in the Panchayati Raj Act and the Supreme Court has
upheld the provision in several states that debars women with more than two
children from contesting and holding panchayat posts. Tweeted Congress leader
@vsirnate: “We have had an informal two-child policy for many years. But this
one is basically saying that people with more than two kids will be punished
through taxe concession withdrawals and extra taxation.”The introduction to the
Bill states:"Today, there is also a need to encourage the people to keep
small family by offering tax concessions, priority in social benefit schemes
and school admissions etc. and at the same time discourage them from producing
more children by withdrawing tax concessions, imposing heavy taxes and by
making other punitive provisions for violations. Therefore, the Bill seeks to
amend the Constitution with a view to make a provision by the State to
discourage the people from increasing their family and encourage them to keep
their family limited to two children.."Presently, 6 states including
Haryana, Rajasthan, MP, Andhra Pradesh and Himachal have made 2-child norm
mandatory for all panchayat members. The govts of all these states insist that
those with more than 2 living children are debarred from contesting panchayat
elections or remaining in office. With minimum age for contesting elections
having been lowered from 26 to 21 years, this immediately affects lakhs of
younger men and women within reproductive age-group.The passing of the 73rd
constitutional amendment made it mandatory for 33% of all panchayat seats to be
reserved for women. It also mandated quotas for socially marginalised sections
including dalits and those belonging to scheduled castes and scheduled tribes
(SC/STs).Nirmala Buch, who runs a Bhopal-based NGO, Mahila Chetna Manch (MCM),
had pointed out in 2018 that 412 panchayat members in Rajasthan had been
removed from their posts, over the past three years, because they failed to
comply with 2-child norm. Buch was quoted as saying then, "In MP, 350
panchayat members have been removed and in Haryana the number of those removed
is 275. In MP, all those who were removed from their posts were tribals. They
are not conversant with the laws of the land, but instead of encouraging them
to join this process they are being forced to turn
away."nationalheraldindia
Private Member Bill Introduced In Rajya Sabha For Population Control
Measures
Shiv Sena MP floats Bill in Rajya Sabha promoting 2-Child Policy to
tackle population control
*anti-CAA,NRC-NPR stir*
Assam NRC:A saga of missing data, technical glitches, non-renewal of contract,
state’s accountability
After the data of Assam’s NRC showing details of included and excluded
persons went missing from the official website and created a panic like
situation, the NRC State Coordinator Hitesh Dev Sarma said, the data is safe,
there is nothing to worry, a report in Indian Express stated.‘Just a technical
glitch’, Sarma said. Union Home Ministry also clarified that data of the final
list of NRC has been offline for some time."NRC data is safe. Some
technical issues are in visibility on the cloud. These are being resolved
soon," a Home Ministry spokesperson said.TOI quoted an official source at
the NRC as saying, “The data were stored in cloud storage. But, the service
period of the cloud storage provided by WIPRO expired and the subscription
renewal was not done as there was no coordinator after the transfer of the
former coordinator Prateek Hajela. After the new coordinator has assumed
charge, the renewal process is underway and the data should be online in a few
days.”But this raises another significant question of whether the state has
capacity enough to store data safely. Indian Express quoted Apar Gupta, lawyer
and Executive Director of IFF as saying,“It puts a big question mark on state
capacity. This points towards the acute lack of state capacity to actually make
sure that data is being reliably, safely and securely stored, and also made
available in real-time fashion for delivery of e-governance services.” VApar
Gupta further added that this incident reveals how individual contracts are
negotiated and how they are not able to ensure that the technical systems
remain online during the renewal process. “ this should have been kept in mind
especially for this service taking into account the sensitivity underlying this
data and tremendous public anxiety its non-availability would cause,” he
said.But according to Wipro, it had continued to provide services long after the
contract had expired. The contract expired in Oct.2019 and Wipro continued its
services till Jan-end, 2020, Wipro said. Debabrata Saika, Assam leader of the
opposition sent a letter to Registrar General and Census Commissioner about the
sudden vanish of online data from the official website.“The data have vanished
especially when the appeals process has not even started due to the go-slow
attitude adopted by NRC Authority. There is, therefore, ample scope to suspect
that the disappearance of online data is a mala fide act and is prima facie a
deliberate violation of the directive issued by the Hon’ble Supreme Court,”
Saikia wrote in his letter to the registrar general.nationalheraldindia
Assam NRC Data Disappears From Cloud. Home Ministry Says Technical Issue
Govt May Not Send Excluded Children to Detention Centres if Parents Are
in Final Assam NRC
New Delhi: The government has decided not to send to the detention
centre, pending a final decision, children who got excluded from NRC in Assam
but whose parents are included in the list, Lok Sabha was informed. Union
Minister of State for Home, Nityananda Rai, said the approved standard
operating procedures for disposal of claims and objections had specific
provision for children who got left out from the draft NRC, while their parents
had been included. PTI
40 lakh Assamese-speaking Muslims may get ‘ethnic tribe’ tag
Assam government is likely to give "ethnic tribe" nomenclature
to four groups of Assamese-speaking Muslims living in the Brahmaputra Valley
who were earlier called indigenous Muslims. These people do not have any
history of migration from erstwhile East Pakistan."We have proposed to
replace 'indigenous' with 'ethnic tribe' because Assam so far has no official
definition of who is an indigenous Assamese," said Assam minorities
development board chairman Muminul Aowal. He added that the four cummunities -
Goria, Moria, Desi and tea tribe Jolha - are already recognized as more other
backward classes (MOBC)."They are about 40 lakh in number," said
Aowal.But the proposal has not included Maimal group of Muslims, which are
Bengali-speaking, in "ethnic tribe" Muslim community. "Maimals
are in the Barak Valley and the government will consider their case later. At
this moment, we are talking of only those in Brahmaputra Valley," Aowal
added.He added 'Desi' and 'Ujani' groups will be clubbed as Desi while the
Sayed group will included in the Goria group.These group of Muslims trace their
lineage to 15th century and majority of them took to Islam by conversion between
13 and 17th century, Aowal said, adding, "None of these groups can be
called migrant Muslims. The Gorias and Morias worked for the Ahom kings and the
Desis were originaly Koch-Rajbongshis who converted to Islam. Those following
Islam among the people brought by the British from the Chota Nagpur plateau to
work in tea gardens comprise the tea tribe Jolha."Migrant Bengali-speaking
Muslims, which comprise more than 63% of the state's total Muslim population,
have always been the block around which electoral battles have been fought in
the state.TOI
Why Assam’s BJP government is counting members of four Muslim
communities
Assam to drop term ‘Khilonjiya Muslim’ from proposed census
Assam’s proposed ‘Khilonjiya Muslim Development Corporation’ will now be
called ‘Goriya, Moriya, Deshi and Julha Development Corporation’. The proposal
was put forth after a 3-hour-long meeting of the Assam government’s Welfare of
Minorities and Development Department with various representatives of Assam’s
Muslim communities on Tuesday, confirmed Assam’s Welfare of Minorities Minister
Ranjit Dutta.“The words ‘khilonjiya’ and ‘Muslim’ will be omitted and replaced
with the names of the specific communities: Goriya, Moriya, Deshi, and Julha,”
said Dutta. The corporation was listed as part of the Assam Budget 2019-2020.
The census of the specifically mentioned communities will take place as per
plan.indianexpress
Non-inclusion in NRC shatters Hajj dreams of many Muslims in Assam
Assam: “For the last 20 years, my
only innermost wish has been to perform Hajj. I wish Allah somehow fulfills
that dream,” Sakina Khatun says.A visibly devastated Sakina explains that not
many people in their area have been able to go to Mecca for the annual Hajj
pilgrimage but when she heard about it, she wished from the bottom of her heart
to visit the holy sanctuary once. Hajj is an annual pilgrimage made to the city
of Mecca and Madina in Saudi Arabia, the trip constituting one of the five
pillars in the Islamic faith. She explains that her Hajj application process
hangs in balance as she could not make it to NRC updated in the Indian state of
Assam last year in August.Residents of a quaint village in Darrang district,
around 120-km away from Guwahati, Sakina Khatun and her husband, Miraj Ali have
limited means to earn enough money to fund their pilgrimage journey. In a state
that depends largely on agriculture as its main source of livelihood it is
difficult for people to dream big as in the case of the peasant couple whose
dream of going for Hajj means curtailing their day-to-day expenses over a long
period of time to save up enough for the trip.According to Joint State Hajj
Committee (which includes Assam,Arunachal, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Mizoram, and Sikkim)
it costs around 3.20 lakh Rupees for each pilgrim to perform Hajj.twocircles
Puducherry becomes first UT to pass resolution against Citizenship Act
Puducherry Legislative Assembly Wednesday passed a resolution against
the contentious CAA and urged the Centre to withdraw the legislation, which has
set off nationwide protests and led to over 25 deaths.The resolution, which was
passed during a special one-day Assembly session, saw MLAs from All India NR
Congress (AINRC) and AIADMK boycotting the proceedings of the House.Puducherry
is the first Union Territory to pass a resolution against the CAA. 5 state
governments – Kerala, Punjab, Rajasthan, West Bengal, and Madhya Pradesh – have
also passed resolutions against contentious Act. All the states, along with
Puducherry, are ruled by non-BJP govts. indianexpress
Chandrashekhar Azad to SC: Home Ministry, UP govt colluded to block
roads around Shaheen Bagh
Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad today filed an application in the
Supreme Court saying the Home Ministry and Uttar Pradesh government have
deliberately blocked alternate roads far away from Shaheen Bagh leading to
traffic jams for commuters on Delhi, Noida and Faridabad stretch.Azad filed
this intervention application to bring on records facts in the pending case, which
sought the apex court to pass direction to clear the Shaheen Bagh protest site,
as it is causing inconvenience to daily commuters.The Supreme Court in the
previous hearing questioned the indefinite road blockage, which causes
inconvenience to daily commuters. The top court had said petitions challenging
the constitutional validity of the CAA are pending in the court.Seeking to
bring to court's notice some of the "collusive acts" of the
administration, Azad's applications said, "Home Ministry as well as State
of UP are blocking alternate roads that are far away from Shaheen Bagh to
deliberately cause traffic jams for commuters." The application contended
that Shaheen Bagh protest is considered an "iconic" peaceful protest
(anti-CAA), which has been replicated in many major cities of the country.The
application contended the petition against Shaheen Bagh protests has been filed
in collusion with Centre, which controls the police in Delhi; and the
interveners apprehend that facts may not be placed before the top
court."The court may be misled into passing orders that will be used by Central
government as a pretext to commit mass genocide of innocent women and citizens
of this country," said the application.Azad along with ex CIC Wajahat
Habibullah urged the top court to implead them as a party in the proceedings of
the case "in order to place all relevant facts which have a material
bearing on the petition being heard by the court and will also have a bearing
in the effective adjudication of the issues at hand." They have sought to
make written and oral submissions. The SC will hear the petitions on Feb
17.IANS
Plea to forcibly remove Shaheen Bagh protesters filed in collusion with
Centre: Bhim Army chief
Kicked on Private Parts, Tore off Clothes: Jamia Students Recollect
Police Brutality on Feb.10
NEW DELHI:“‘Chalo tumhe Azadi de raha hoon’(Come, I will give you Azadi)
shouted a policeman while dragging me into the police bus,” said an injured Abu
Darda, a student at the Jamia Millia Islamia who was allegedly attacked by the
police force on February 10 and eventually detained and released later. He was
addressing the media along with other injured students at a press conference
organised by Jamia Coordination Committee in university campus on
Wednesday."There were around 10 lines of Rapid Action Force before the
barricade to stop the march. Police targeted individuals. They tore off our
clothes. Many of the officers who detained us were in civil dress. They even
refused to provide us with water in the Police Station. They chased away our
lawyers from the Station,” Abu Darda added .Female students accused the forces
of tearing off their clothes and kicking in their private parts causing serious
injuries.Chanda Yadav, another student protestor with a bandage on her hands
alleged that the police force kicked her in her abdomen and beat on her hands.
She was beaten by male policemen on the floor of the Police bus. Safoora
Zargar, a Sociology student at the university said the Police refused their
repeated requests for permission for the march. “On Feb 10, they had a
different tactic. Instead of attacking us with visible impacts, they attacked
us in such a way that the media and the public won't be able to know of it,”
she added. Safoora told media that she
was pulled down from the barricades by the Police force. Falling on from the
barricades with head hitting the ground, the Policemen attacked her on the
ground too. They stamped her with their boots. Safoora also told the media that
she was surrounded by forces who were wearing riot gears and they refused any
help even after she complained of suffocation.Rafiya, also a student seriously
injured and admitted in the Intensive Care Unit at the Al Shifa Hospital,
accused forces tore off her clothes including burqa. India Tomorrow
‘Police snatched my hijab, burqa’ — Jamia students claim Delhi Police
used communal slurs
11 anti-CAA protesters in UP asked to sign bonds
The district administration in Sambhal has issued notices to 11 persons,
participating in anti-CAA protests, asking them to sign a personal bond of ₹50
lakh each with an undertaking that they would not indulge in any disruptive
activities.The notices have been sent under Section 111 of CrPC (magistrate
order against any person who is likely to commit a breach of peace) on the
basis of a police report.Nakhasa SDM Rajesh Kumar said: "The 11 persons
have been told in the notices that police suspect that they may get involved in
violence and therefore a personal bond of Rs 50 lakh and two sureties for the
same amount should be taken from each of them."IANS
‘Cong stands by you’: Priyanka Gandhi meets jailed UP anti-CAA
protesters’ kin
Azamgarh:Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra today visited Samajwadi
Party chief Akhilesh Yadav parliamentary seat Azamgarh and met family members
of jailed anti-CAA protesters, asserting that raising voice in a democracy was
not a crime.Accusing BJP governments at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh of
trying to destroy the Constitution, she dubbed both governments as “anti-poor
and anti-people”. Priyanka said, “Whatever happened with you was wrong, was an
injustice. All of us will stand against the injustice. The government which is
at the Centre, and the one which is in UP, is anti-people and anti-poor, and is
working to destroy the Constitution.“If you and we do not save it, the
Constitution will be destroyed,” she cautioned the people.“You have seen BJP
government in Uttarakhand said that reservation is not a constitutional right,”
she said, alleging that the state government was talking of destroying the
Constitution.She said, “I heard the women folk. I had gone to Bijnor, Meerut,
Muzaffarnagar, Lucknow and Varanasi and other places where police and the
administration committed atrocities. A report was drafted by our party and
given to the NHRC.” She said she would also send names of policemen who
committed atrocities in Azamgarh.PTI
On Meerut SP asking Muslims to ‘go to Pak’, govt says NHRC takes note
In the backdrop of Meerut’s Superintendent of Police Akhilesh Narayan
Singh allegedly telling Muslims protesting against CAA and NRC to go to
Pakistan, the Centre on Tuesday told Parliament that NHRC takes cognizance of
instances where police officers have been found to be “verbally harassing”
people from the minority community.In reply to a question on whether the
government has taken cognizance of the police “verbally harassing” Muslims,
Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy said, “NHRC takes cognizance of
complaints of human rights violations as per provisions of the Protection of
Human Rights Act, 1993, and calls for report from the appropriate authority in state
government, including SP, DGP and Secretary of Home Department. In any case of
prima facie violation of human rights, the Commission makes recommendations
under Section 18 of the Act, for monetary relief and/or action against the
erring public servant, including action for violation of Section 166A
IPC.”indianexpress
Stance Clear, Kerala Will Not Implement NPR, Says Pinarayi Vijayan
Kerala chief minister Pinarayi
Vijayan on Tuesday said fears fanned about the census process in Kerala were
unfounded and asserted that the State will not implement the NPR.The state
government has conveyed this to the central government also, Vijayan told the
state assembly.“Our stance is clear. Kerala will not implement NPR. We have
made it known to the Union Government. The fears that are being fanned about
the census in Kerala are unfounded. In our state, the census will be carried
out only in the usual manner and will not have any business with NPR,” Vijayan
said.PTI
Banks, postal dept being used to conduct NRC surveys, alleges Mamata
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday alleged that
different banks and the postal department are involved in conducting surveys on
behalf of the union government and the ruling BJP at the Centre. The chief
minister asked people not to share any document or information with those
surveyors.“Banks and the postal department are being used for collecting data.
Don’t answer them. Share no information or document. They can’t do it without
the approval of the state government and we haven’t given them any permission.
Send these people away from your home,” Banerjee said while convening an
administrative meeting in Bankura district. The meeting was streamed live on
social media.After the meeting, she went to the neighbouring West Burdwan
district and led a rally against the CAA, NRC and NPR in Durgapur.HT
Bihar: Kanhaiya Kumar's Convoy Attacked for 7th Time in 2 Weeks
Gaya:CPI leader Kanhaiya Kumar’s convoy was attacked again in Bihar on
Tuesday and a Congress MLA’s car, which was also in the cavalcade, was vandalised
by suspected BJP workers.This is the seventh attack on the convoy in two weeks,
claimed organisers of the Kumar’s state-wide “Jan Gan Man Yatra” which began
last month and is scheduled to conclude a fortnight later with a rally in the
state capital. Later sharing the stage with a host of leaders from the
opposition Grand Alliance at a public meeting, Kumar flayed the Modi government
for the “divisive” CAA.PTI
Bidar Anti-CAA Play: Plea Filed in HC Against Interrogation of Minor
Students
New Delhi: A PIL has been filed in the Karnataka high court seeking
action against Bidar police for ‘illegally examining and questioning’ minor
school students who participated in a play against the CAA.The petition, filed
by Nayana Jyothi Jawar and others, says the state police blatantly violated
rule of law and various provisions under the Code of Criminal Procedure and the
Juvenile Justice Act. “[The police] have interrogated the students aged merely
9 years to 12 years of Shaheen School in Bidar, creating mental trauma and fear
in the children’s state of mind,” the petition reads, according to Bar &
Bench.The petition also urges the court to direct the Karnataka Police to
examine minors in accordance with the provisions of law.It may be recollected
that students as young as nine years old were repeatedly interrogated by the
Bidar police for participating in an anti-CAA play in their school. The Police
had filed an FIR against the management of the school after Nilesh Rakshala,
activist of ABVP, had filed a complaint on January 26. “Interrogation” only
stopped after Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights criticised
the Bidar district police for violating rules.Fareeda Begum, the headmistress
of the school, and Najumunnisa, the mother of a student, were arrested by the
police. The women are set to be in jail until at least February 14, after a
district court judge adjourned the bail ordered.thewire
Deoband is Gangotri of terrorists, produced Hafiz Saeed, says Giriraj
Singh
Saharanpur:Union minister Giriraj Singh has said Uttar Pradesh's Deoband
is a factory producing terrorists and termed it "aatankvaad ki
Gangotri". Talking to the media in Saharanpur, where the Darul Uloom
Deoband is situated, Giriraj said Deoband produces terrorists like Hafiz
Saeed."I had once said earlier that Deoband is the Gangotri of terrorists.
All most wanted terrorists of the world came from Deoband, including Hafiz
Saeed or any of the others," said Giriraj Singh. Deoband has seen fierce
anti-CAA protests by Muslim women over the past months and has faced attack
from BJP leaders. Deoband is also home to the Islamic seminary Darul Uloom
Deoband."These people are not against CAA, they are against India. This is
a kind of a khilafat movement," said Giriraj Singh, attacking the ongoing
anti-CAA protests in Deoband.indiatoday
*J&K AND S. ASIA*
SC to hear plea against detention of Omar Abdullah under PSA tomorrow
after judge recuses
The Supreme Court on Wednesday adjourned the hearing on a petition by
Sara Abdullah Pilot challenging the detention of her brother and former J&K
chief minister Omar Abdullah under the PSA. The top court will hear the matter
on Thursday after one of the three judges — Justice Mohan Shantanagoudar —
recused from the hearing. The other two judges are Justices NV Ramana and
Sanjiv Khanna.Abdullah and former CM Mehbooba Mufti were slapped with the PSA
last week, six months after the J&K administration placed them under
preventive detention following the scrapping of Article 370.In her petition,
Sara Pilot termed Omar Abdullah’s detention under PSA “ex-facie mala fide for
entirely political considerations”. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for
Sarah, had mentioned the Habeas Corpus plea for urgent listing.indianexpress
In PDP leader’s PSA file: Referred to Geelani book, criticised Amit Shah
Srinagar :Advising people to read Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Geelani’s
autobiography to inspire them to “never give up the dream of education” and
criticising the then BJP president Amit Shah’s speech are among the reasons
cited by the J&K administration for invoking the stringent PSA against
senior PDP leader Naeem Akhtar.In September 2016, when schools in the Valley
had been shut for almost three months because of curfews and calls for shutdown
by separatists, Akhtar, who was then the state education minister, had said at
a teachers’ conference:“Everyone should read his (Geelani’s) book (Wular
Kinaray), wherein he has documented his struggle right from early childhood.
Despite immense hardship, he never gave up his dream of education, and his best
days were spent as a teacher… Similarly, Mirwaiz too overcame his personal
struggle and completed his Ph.D. as an accomplished scholar. He never stopped
the journey of education, come what may.”His statement has now been cited by
the J&K Police in its PSA dossier. “His (Akhtar’s) leaning towards radical
elements can be gathered from this statement dated 27/09/2016 in which he, as
an education minister, advised people to read Geelani’s book, Wular Kinaray,”
it says.indianexpress
PSA dossier on Mehbooba only slander; no solid argument: daughter Iltija
Srinagar :Terming PSA dossier against former Chief Minister Mehbooba
Mufti as “slander”, her daughter Iltija Mufti said that the BJP “tasted power
for a second time in Kashmir” — after the death of Mehbooba’s father Mufti
Mohammed Sayeed — only because her mother was “daddy’s girl”, one of the terms
used in the dossier against the PDP chief.Iltija said the police dossier and
the “grounds of detention” under the stringent PSA should be objective, with
solid arguments. Even if the administration had to accuse her mother of
“something serious”, they should have been at least dignified, she said.“As a
daughter, it is very painful for me to see such slander against my mother. It
is appalling,” Iltija told The Indian Express. “They accuse my mother of being
a ‘daddy’s girl’ — they used it to slander her — but had she not been a
‘daddy’s girl’ BJP would not have come to power again after Mufti-sahib’s
death. My mother was unabashedly and unapologetically a ‘daddy’s girl’, and
that is why BJP tasted power for the second time. We all know she honoured Mufti-sahib’s
commitment. Otherwise, she was dithering for a good 3 months — she didn’t want
to part of this (PDP-BJP) alliance”.indianexpress
Centre's 'Mission Kashmir 3.0' Suffers Setback After Envoy Says They Are
Tourists
Centre’s `Mission Kashmir 3.0’ on Wednesday suffered a major setback
when one of the visiting foreign envoys remarked that they were “just like
tourists” in the valley. “Kashmir is a beautiful place. We are here just as
tourists”, Dominican Rep Ambassador Frank Hans Dannenberg told media persons
here.Frank Hans Dannenberg is among 25 diplomats who arrived in Srinagar for an
on the spot assessment of the situation post abrogation of Article 370. Others
in the delegation include European Union Ambassador Ugo Astutu, German
Ambassador Walter Johannes Lindner, French Ambassador Emmanuel Lenain, Czech
Republic Ambassador Milan Hovoraka, Austrian Ambassador Brigitte Oppinger
Walchshofer and Slovakian Ambassador Ivan Lancaric.Mexican Ambassador Federico
Salas Lotfe, Danish Ambassador Freddy Svana, Italian Ambassador Vincenzo de Luca,
Netherlands Ambassador Marten van den Berg, Namibian High Commissioner Gabril
Pandureni Sinombo, Kyrgyzstan Ambassador Asein Isaev, Uzbek Ambassador Farhod
Arziev, Hungarian Ambassador Gyula Petho and Canadian High Commissioner Nadir
Patel are also part of 25-member delegation.Others who landed in Srinagar
include Tajik Ambassador Rahimzoda Sulton, Bulgarian Ambassador Elenora
Dimitrova. Guinean Ambassador Fatoumata Balde, Ugandan High Commissioner Akello
Dina Grace, Kenyan High Commissioner Wily Kipkorir Bett, Rwandan Charge de
Affairs Joseph Kaba Keza, Polish Charge de Affairs Robert Dzie Dzic, Afghan
Charge de Affairs Tahir Qadiry and New Zealand Charge de Affairs Graham
Morton.“It is fantastic to be here and see how things are working”, said Danish
Ambassador Freddy Svana.On their arrival, members of the delegation were taken
on a Shikara ride in the famed Dal Lake. During their stay, the envoys will be
going to North Kashmir’s Baramulla where they would be interacting with fruit
growers and students at skill centre. The delegation will also meet the civil
society members and politicians in Srinagar. The diplomats will also be briefed
by the Army about the situation on the LoC and in hinterland. India Tomorrow
J&K to give 100 acre for constructing replica of Tirumala temple in
Jammu: Report
New Delhi:If things go as planned by J&K administration, Union
Territory would soon be giving away 100 acres to the Tirumala Tirupathi
Devasthanams (TTD) so that it can construct a replica of the famous Tirumala
temple in J&K.100 acre land is likely to be allotted along the Jammu-Katra
highway,The Hindu said. According to the paper, the trust is eyeing to complete
the temple construction within two years and J&K administration has
"agreed in principle" to allot the land.Besides the temple, the
100-acre complex will also house a Vedic school and a hospital, the report
said."2 sites were identified as suitable for constructing the
temple," the report said attributing the comment to Parliamentarian V
Vijaya Sai Reddy, who led the delegation of the TTD Board. The two sites are
Dhummi and Majin in J&K's Jammu district.India Today
IS to target India? UN report says terror group could threat
Afghanistan's neighbourhood
UN: Islamic State's South Asia branch remains active, ambitious and
threatening, and has established contacts with other terror groups like TTP and
has the potential to exacerbate the security threat to countries neighbouring
Afghanistan, a UN report has warned.According to the report, ISIL-K came under
severe military pressure from the security forces of Afghanistan and Taliban
fighters towards the end of 2019, leading to its virtual expulsion from what
had been its Afghan HQRS in Nangarhar.PTI
Hafiz Saeed sentenced to 5-and-a-half years’ imprisonment in terror
financing cases
A court in Pakistan on Wednesday convicted Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz
Saeed to 5-and-a-half years’ imprisonment in two terror financing cases, Dawn
reported. The sentencing came two days before global terror financing and money
laundering watchdog Financial Action Task Force holds its plenary in Paris. A
final decision on Pakistan’s “grey list” status is expected at this plenary.
The court also imposed a fine of Pakistani Rs 15,000 on Saeed in each
case.scroll
22 Bangladeshis Arrested For Illegally Living In Maharashtra's Palghar
Palghar: At least 22 Bangladeshi nationals, including 12 women, were
arrested for illegally staying in Palghar district, police said on Wednesday. The
arrests were made after police raided huts in Rajodi village on late Tuesday
night, a police official said.A case has been registered under Indian Passport
Act, 1920, and Foreign Nationals Act,1946, she said."These people didn't
have any valid documents in their possession," official said, adding that
they were doing petty jobs in the district.PTI
Can't Keep Rohingya in Jail After Completion of Sentence, Calcutta HC
Tells WB Govt
Calcutta high court has told West Bengal government that it cannot keep
four Rohingya nationals, who had entered India illegally, in correctional homes
after the completion of their jail term.A division bench comprising Chief
Justice T.B.N. Radhakrishnan and Justice Arijit Banerjee directed that they may
be kept in open places, under surveillance if required, till their repatriation
to Myanmar.The bench directed the West Bengal and Union governments to file a
report on Feb.26 on the progress in repatriation of the four Rohingya. During
the hearing, the bench verbally observed that the court may think of
formulating a plan for the stay of the four persons till they are repatriated,
if the process takes time.PTI
*DELHI POLL RESULT*
Kejriwal To Take Oath On Sunday. "Delhi Is Invited," Says AAP
Arvind Kejriwal, who returned to power in Delhi with his stunning
election victory, will take oath as the Chief Minister of Delhi for the third
consecutive term on Sunday, February 16. The oath-taking ceremony will take
place at Ramlila Maidan. Kejriwal will be sworn in along with his team of
ministers."We will be holding the oath-taking ceremony on Sunday at 10
am... Everyone in Delhi is invited to come and bless their son, their brother,
Arvind Kejriwal and take an oath for a better Delhi," stop AAP leader
Manish Sisodia said during a press conference along with Mr Kejriwal. Kejriwal,
51, met Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal this morning. The meeting at Lieutenant
Governor's residence lasted for around 15 minutes. Sources said the two
discussed the oath-taking ceremony which could take place over the weekend. While
cabinet portfolios have not been announcement, there is a buzz that Raghav
Chadha will be made Finance Minister and Atishi, Education Minister, in Kejriwal's
new cabinet.Mr Kejriwal's AAP had a landslide victory, winning 62 of 70 seats
in the Delhi assembly in the face of a high-voltage campaign by BJP, which
fielded a battery of Union Ministers and Chief Ministers in its campaign,
spearheaded by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. BJP was confined to a
single-digit score, 8 seats, but an improvement on its 2015 tally of 3.ndtv
Kejriwal keeps cabinet unchanged, Atishi, Raghav Chadha left out: indiatoday
Delhi Defeats Politics of Hate, Polarization in Big Way; Kejriwal Govt.
Should Now Pass Resolution Against CAA: Jamaat
New Delhi:Jamaat-e-Islami Hind has welcomed the results of the Delhi
Assembly elections as “defeat of politics of hate and polarisation.” Jamaat’s president
Syed Sadatullah Hussaini said the voters of Delhi have proved that “India can
change”.“Jamaat-e-Islami Hind welcomes the results of the Delhi elections.
Politics of hate and polarization has been defeated in a big way. The whole of
India is thankful to Delhi voters for teaching a big lesson to the politicians
who peddled hate and bigotry. The voters of Delhi have proved that ‘India can
change’”, said Jamaat chief.“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 polarization. Election
Commission was unable to rein in the blatant violation of the moral code of
conduct,” said Jamaat president Sadatullah Hussaini.Lauding the decision of Delhi
voters to reject politics of hate, Jamaat leader said, “All possible methods to
polarize the electorate around communal lines were deployed but credit must go
to the voters of Delhi who understood this nefarious design and ignored their
calls to vote for hate and division in the garb of nationalism and
unity.”Jamaat president expressed hope that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal
would pass resolution against discriminatory CAA. “We hope Delhi CM will ensure
the passing of resolution against the CAA and stop the process of NPR,” said
Jamaat president.India Tomorrow
Delhi elections: BJP’s debacle is a failure of Amit Shah, not PM Modi,
says Shiv Sena
Shiv Sena said on Wednesday that BJP’s defeat in the Delhi Assembly
elections was the failure of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, not PM Narendra
Modi. In an editorial in its mouthpiece Saamana, the party said that it was not
surprised by AAP’s victory.“Union Home Minister Amit Shah had made Delhi
election a matter of honour, not Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” the editorial
said. “JP Nadda recently took over the reins of the party, but the real
impresario was Amit Shah. He wanted to win an election before his tenure as
party president ended.”scroll
After curious tweet on PM Modi after Delhi results, here’s Uma Bharti’s
clarification
Bhopal :After a curious tweet by Uma Bharti on Prime Minister Narendra
Modi after the Delhi Assembly poll results raised eyebrows, BJP leader put out
a long clarification Wednesday, saying state polls were not a verdict on the PM
and that Mahatma Gandhi had wanted a Congress-free India.On Tuesday, after the
BJP suffered a drubbing at the hands of the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi, Bharti
tweeted: “Results of various Assembly polls in the past 1.5 years, then the Lok
sabha polls, and the subsequent state elections prove there is no leader like
PM Modi in the BJP or in India. The whole country seems to have embarced PM
Modi, just like he has embraced the people of India. Chhatrapati Modi
zindabaad!”BJP had lost 3 states that went to polls before the Lok Sabha
elections — Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh — and in state elections
held after that, lost power in Maharashtra and Jharkhand, worsened its
performance in Haryana, and failed to wrest Delhi from AAP.With some assuming
Bharti’s tweet to be a taunt, she took to the social media platform again on
Wednesday.indianexpress
Kejriwal sympathises with terrorists, plays role of Pakistan Army
spokesperson: BJP MLA
New Delhi:Newly-elected BJP MLA OP Sharma is the latest leader from the
saffron party to call AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal a terrorist.Sharma, who won
from Delhi's Vishwas Nagar, told news agency ANI that Kejriwal is a corrupt man
and that he "sympathises with terrorists"."Arvind Kejriwal is a
corrupt man, he sympathises with terrorists, plays role of Pakistan Army
spokesman, raises questions on Indian Army and supports tukde-tukde gang,"
Sharma said.indiatoday
Time for Kejriwal to incorporate ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ recitation in
schools, madrasas in Delhi: BJP leader Vijayvargiya
A day after Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP won the assembly elections
with a huge majority, BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya Wednesday
congratulated him and suggested him to incorporate recitation of ‘Hanuman
Chalisa’ in schools, madrasas and other educational institutions.Vijaywargiya
took to Twitter to say whoever comes to Lord Hanuman, they get his blessings. “Kejriwal
ji, congratulations on winning! Surely who comes to Hanumanji, they get his
blessings. Now the time has come that Hanuman Chalisa must be recited in all
schools, madrasas and other educational institutions in Delhi.Why should Delhi
children be deprived of blessings of Bajrangbali?” he tweeted.indianexpress
AAP MLA Naresh Yadav shot at, Delhi Police detain one person
Delhi Police detained a 38-year-old man on Wednesday in connection with
the shooting at MLA-elect Naresh Yadav’s convoy in the city’s Kishangarh area
the night before, PTI reported. An AAP volunteer, identified as Ashok Mann, was
killed in the incident. The incident occurred hours after the party swept the
Delhi elections, winning 62 of the Capital’s 70 seats. Yadav was elected from
Mehrauli.Initial investigation by police has revealed that three people were
involved in the shooting, Indian Express reported. The person detained had a
personal enmity with Mann and the firing had nothing do with politics, the
police added. The police are looking for the other two accused.“The accused and
the deceased had an old personal dispute,” said an unidentified police
official. “Accused’s nephew had received bullet injuries in 2019 after he was
shot at. The accused suspected the deceased to be behind the 2019 incident. He
had also threatened the deceased 15 days back.”scroll
‘BJP Ko Current Laga’: Amanatullah Silences Haters With Huge Win
“BJP left no stone unturned to spread hate. This is a win for the two
crore people of Delhi. The people have given current to Amit Shah and his
party,” said AAP’s Amanatullah Khan, who won from the Okhla seat.Khan’s win
from Okhla, where two epicentres of anti-CAA protests — Shaheen Bagh and Jamia
Millia Islamia are located — comes as a sore defeat for BJP.Khan defeated BJP’s
Brahm Singh and won Okhla with a margin of over 88,497 votes on Tuesday, 11
February — one of the highest margins by which any candidate has won in this
election.While talking about his lead in the initial trends, Khan said that the
people have voted for politics of development.“The votes have gone towards
development. AAP worked with everyone together. We practised the politics of
love, and not hate. Today, development has won over politics, ”Amanatullah
Khan.For Khan, winning the seat is a strong comeback, particularly against the
backdrop of hate speech by BJP ministers and two shooting incidents in the
area.thequint
After Congress scores zero in Assembly polls, PC Chako resigns as Delhi
in-charge
New Delhi :A day after his party suffered a humiliating defeat in the
Assembly elections, Delhi Congress in-charge P C Chako on Wednesday tendered
his resignation to the top leadership. Congress failed to get even a single seat
in the 70-member House and saw its vote share drop from 9 per cent in the 2015
Assembly elections to 4.26 per cent this time. In fact, this was their lowest
vote share since the first state election in 1993.In all 70 seats, the party
did not even manage to place second. Prior to AAP’s victory in 2013, Congress
had governed the state for 15 years.indianexpress
Biryani Sales Rise as Modi’s BJP Faces Defeat in Delhi Polls
New Delhi: After AAP registered its spectacular win in Delhi Assembly
polls for the third time consecutively and inflicted devastating defeat to the
mighty BJP in key state elections, Delhiites opted to rejoice in a unique way.
They chose to eat and feed others Biryani.On Tuesday, Biryani sales in Delhi
soared high on demand some restaurateurs even offered discounts to cash in on
the sudden surge in orders for the traditional rice-based delicacy, reported
Economic Times.Even social media was abuzz with posts of citizens announcing
celebrations with Biryani, a rice based delicacy, known for celebratory
occasions and wedding functions and other parties.Many restaurants even offered
promotional offers and special discounts for the occasion.Speaking to ET,
Raymond Andrews, the co-founder of a biryani chain in Delhi, said: “We have
seen a higher uptake on our orders. Biryani as a cuisine is celebratory by
nature, be it a birthday, an anniversary or friends celebrating.”Vishal Jindal,
another restaurant owner, stated that they witnessed a pickup in sales despite
it being a Tuesday, the report said, adding that many Indian citizens refrain
from consuming non-vegetarian food on Tuesdays for religious
reasons.caravandaily
*OTHERS*
Over 430 Dalits convert to Islam in Coimbatore citing injustice, more
conversions underway
Chennai:Post the tragic incident in Mettupalayam, Coimbatore, where a
wall collapsed and led to the death of 17 Dalits, close to 3,000 people from
Dalit community announced that they were to convert to Islam.Illavenil, the
state secretary of the Tamil Puligal Katchi, told India Today that legally 430
people have converted to Islam and many more are in the process of the
conversion. On December 2, after heavy rains lashed Mettupalayam and the
surrounding regions, a wall which was claimed by protesters in the region to be
the "wall of discrimination" collapsed on three houses and killed 17
people. This was the breaking point for many Dalits in the region who claimed
that they have been regularly discriminated. Mohammed Abubaker, originally
known as Marx, converted to Islam soon after December 2 event. "We
converted to Islam all because of the prevailing caste injustice and
untouchability. For example, any dalit who is underprivileged could not enter
into Mariamman [Durga] temple. Tea shops have discrimination here. We can't sit
with other people equally in the government bus," said Mohammed.Illavenil,
who has converted to Islam, said, "We decided to leave Hinduism according
to what Ambedkar said. I need to lose my identity, which means I need to get
rid of the caste remarks such as Pallar, Parayar, Sakkriyar. I can live with
self-dignity only when I shed this cast-based identity. While following
Hinduism because of our caste, we aren't even treated like humans."Another
youngster named Sarath Kumar who converted to Islam and changed his name to
Abdhuallah said, "While 17 of our people were dead, no Hindu voiced for
us. Only the Muslim brothers stood with us and protested for us. Where is Arjun
Sampath who said that he would voice for the Hindus who are persecuted? Where
is that leader? Our Muslim brothers invite us to their houses. Hindus never
called us. Would you make me enter the common temple? We could enter any mosque
though. I have visited four to five mosques after converting. I worship god
there with all levels of people. But would you permit me to enter Mariamman
temple and seek god?"In regions like Coimbatore where these mass
conversions are underway, there has been several reported cases of
discrimination right from entry into temples to discrimination at the burial
ground to discrimination towards Dalits at tea shops and public space.They are
still called by their caste names. Though many have shied away from raising
their voices against this, the younger generation seems to be more vocal.Most
of these youngsters have repeatedly spoken about how their complaints to
officials have gone unheard and as the struggle for living with a little
self-respect has become a herculean task, religious conversion seems like an
easy option for a new beginning.indiatoday
Govt-run madrassas, Sanskrit ashrams to be converted to schools: Assam education
minister
Assam Education Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma today said the state will
introduce a law to convert all government-run madrassas and ashrams where
Sanskrit language is taught, into high schools and higher secondary schools,
India Today reported.“Since the state is a secular institution, it can’t fund
religious teaching,” the minister said at a programme in Guwahati. He added
that the process would be completed in the next two months.Under the new law,
the madrassas will be required to function under a regulatory framework and
disclose the number of students enrolled in them. “They will have to
compulsorily teach general subjects along with religious ones,” Sarma said.
However, he clarified that decision will not affect privately run madrassas.At
present, Assam has nearly 1,200 madrassas and 200 Sanskrit ashrams, or tols.BJP
leader said decision was taken as there is no independent board to regulate
them.“These [govt-run madrassas and Sanskrit ashrams] issue certificates which
are equivalent to matriculation [Class 10] and higher secondary [Class 12],”
Sarma added.“Since there is no regulatory board to govern them, a lot of
wrongdoings take place in issuing these certificates.”scroll
Social media abuzz with tabling of Uniform Code Bill
New Delhi: With ruling BJP issuing a whip to its members in both houses
of Parliament, there is a huge buzz on social media that a bill on the controversial
Uniform Civil Code (UCC) will be introduced on Tuesday.UCC Bill will come on a
day when the results for the Delhi Assembly elections are to be declared in
which exit polls have unanimously predicted a win for AAP and Arvind
Kejriwal.Even as the fires from CAA and NRC are still burning across the
country, BJP is choosing to become more combative by pushing through another
contentious issue which is a sensitive issue for the minority community.There
is a lot of buzz on social media that is similar to the abrogation of Article
370, this time UCC may be taken up as an awe and shock measure. UCC seeks to
scrap the separate civil laws applicable for minorities in religious and
cultural affairs. Social media is relying on a viral image which showed that a
legislation on UCC is listed for introduction in Upper House.Taking it forward,
are a number of posts and tweets demanding the implementation of the UCC. With
BJP issuing a whip to its MPs in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha for Tuesday,
speculations turned rife on social media over what is next on Modi govt's
agenda. The basis of their claim was a viral image which showed that a
legislation on UCC is listed for introduction in the Upper House.BJP has issued
a three line whip to all its MPs of Rajya Sabha asking them to be present in House
on Tuesday and support the stand of the govt.IANS
UP Rape Survivor's Father Killed By Accused, Cops Ignored Threat: Family
Lucknow: The father of a rape survivor has been shot dead allegedly by
the man accused of raping his 15-year-old daughter in Uttar Pradesh's Firozabad
in the latest incident to raise questions on policing in the country's most
populous state. Girl's father was gunned down on Monday when he was returning
home by rape-accused Aachman Upadhyay and died on the spot, according to the
police.The victim's family told local reporters that Upadhyay had threatened to
kill them if they did not drop the rape case.He raped the girl, a Class 11
student, last year in August but had not been arrested yet. His property had
been seized on court orders, IANS reported.ndtv
2012 Delhi gangrape: Court adjourns hearing on pleas for fresh death
warrants till tomorrow
A court in Delhi on Wednesday adjourned the proceedings on the pleas
seeking new death warrants against the four convicts in the 2012 gangrape and
murder case, reported Live Law. The woman’s parents and the state govt had
filed a petition on Tuesday for a new date of execution for the four convicts. The
court of Additional Sessions Judge Dharmender Rana also offered to provide
legal aid to convict Pawan Gupta after advocate AP Singh said he was no longer
Gupta’s lawyer. However, this was opposed by the woman’s parents, alleging that
this was a ploy to delay execution. To which the court said: “You are saying
delaying tactic,” the court said, according to Bar and Bench. “If they are well
within their rights to exercise those rights, tell me the legal remedy to deal
with it.”scroll
Nirbhaya’s mother protests outside court over delay in hanging of
convicts
Nirbhaya’s mother Asha Devi has protested outside a trial court premises
here over the delay in hanging of the four convicts in the gang rape and murder
case of her daughter.Her protests come right after the trial court offered
Pawan Gupta, one of the four death row convicts in the case, saying a condemned
convict is entitled to legal aide till his last breath.Additional Session Judge
Dharmender Rana expressed displeasure over delay from Pawan’s side who said he
has removed his earlier lawyer and will need time to engage a new one.PTI
Chandra Shekhar Aazad Calls for Nationwide Shutdown Against SC Order on
Reservations
New Delhi: Leader of the Bhim Army Chandra Shekhar Aazad has called for
Bharat bandh (nation-wide shutdown) on February 23 against a recent Supreme
court order on reservations. The top court had ruled that states are not bound
to provide reservations in appointments and that claiming reservations quotas
in promotions is not a fundamental right.At a press conference in Delhi’s press
club, Aazad criticised the court’s ruling. “I respect the court. We all do, as
we should. But, the court makes mistakes like in this case,” he said.thewire
Kozhikode man arrested for propagating fake news that Mathrubhumi is
mouthpiece of Jamaat: paper
Kozhikode: Police have arrested a man in connection with fake propaganda
against Mathrubhumi newspaper. Kozhikode Pantheeramkavu native T Manoj Kumar
(43) was arrested by the police. He was arrested for intentionally inciting
riots and defaming the organisation purposefully.Manoj Kumar propagated the
fake news that Mathrubhumi was the mouthpiece of Jamaat-e-islami and that the
Muslim outfit bought Mathrubhumi using black money. Mathrubhumi management had
approached Kozhikode city police commissioner AV George with the complaint.
Soon the investigation started in the case.Town SI KT Bijith said investigation
is progressing in the case and that more number of people will be arrested in
the coming days. Manoj was sent on bail following the arrest.City Police chief
AV George said that strict action will be taken against those creating and
spreading fake news.mathrubhumi
NIA court issues warrants against 2 Khalistan terrorists in drone arms
drop case in Punjab
New Delhi:A special NIA court in Mohali has issued non-bailable warrants
against 2 terrorists belonging to the Khalistan Zindabad Force in a case
related to dropping of arms and ammunition in Punjab by drones originating from
Pakistan, officials said on Wednesday.Non-bailable warrants have been issued
against Ranjeet Singh Neeta, a resident of RS Pura in Jammu, who is based in
Pakistan at present and Gurmeet Singh alias Bagga, a resident of Hoshiyarpur
district in Punjab who is based in Germany now, an NIA spokesperson said.The
case pertains to dropping of arms, ammunition, explosives, communication
devices and fake Indian currency notes (FICN) in September last year in the
Indian territory at Chola Sahib in Punjab by UAVs or drones that originated
from Pakistan.PTI
‘EVMs can’t be tampered with, not returning to ballot paper’: CEC Arora
New Delhi: Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora on Wednesday
underlined that the Election Commission will not go back to the ballot paper
and that the electronic voting machines are here to stay.The statement assumes
significance after final voter turnout figure in the Delhi polls was delayed by
more than 24 hours raising questions on the reliability of the EVMs.Delhi CM
Arvind Kejriwal called it “extremely shocking”. Echoing his party leader’s
views, leader and MP Sanjay Singh said that this is perhaps the first time in
the country’s history that Election Commission is not ready to release the
voter turnout data, after the completion of the polls.“The percentage of voting
in Delhi elections is what the people of Delhi and the country want to know.
Why is the Election Commission taking so long to tell the voting percentage?
Within 1 hour in Lok Sabha elections, Election Commission reveals the voting
percentage, why so much delay in a small state like Delhi?” Singh asked.The
CEC, speaking at Times Now Summit, said that the Commission would engage with
political parties in the coming days on various electoral reforms and the model
code of conduct.HT
Industrial production contracts, retail inflation rises to 7.59% in
January 2020 from 7.35% in December
Retail inflation jumped to over five-and-a-half-year high of 7.59 per
cent in January on persistently high prices of vegetables, pulses and
protein-rich meat and fish, government data showed today.Similarly, the
industrial production saw a contraction in growth by 0.3 per cent in December
due to a decline in the manufacturing sector against the same month. Consumer
Price Index (CPI)-based inflation was 7.35 per cent in December 2019. It had
stood at 1.97 per cent in January 2019.PTI
Pay More For LPG Cylinder From Today As Rates Hiked For 6th Straight
Time
Non-subsidised LPG or cooking gas
prices were increased from Wednesday. That marked a sixth straight raise in the
prices of cooking gas. In Delhi and Mumbai, the hike was to the tune of Rs
144.5 and Rs 145 per cylinder respectively, according to Indian Oil
Corporation, which supplies LPG under brand Indane. With effect from Feb. 12,
the non-subsidised LPG rates were revised to Rs 858.5 per cylinder in Delhi and
Rs 829.5 per cylinder in Mumbai.ndtv
Rs 1.62 crore a day: Cost of PM Modi's SPG security cover
New Delhi:It was a known fact. Law had been amended and notified last
year. Yet, a question was asked in Parliament and the home ministry gave a
written reply in the Lok Sabha making it official that Prime Minister Narendra
Modi is the lone SPG protectee.DMK parliamentarian Dayanidhi Maran sought to
know "the details of the current protectees under CRPF and the SPG in the
country".In response, Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy said the
SPG protects only one person but he did not identify the protectee, namely, PM
Modi. He also did not give details of CRPF protectees and VIPs whose security
cover has been changed since 2014 - Maran had also sought to know this
information - citing "security reasons".CRPF secures 56 important
people in the country, the MoS Home Reddy informed the Lok Sabha on
Tuesday.indiatoday
SC: What action taken on Srikrishna panel report on Mumbai riots?
Uddhav Thackeray-led government in Maharashtra was directed by the
Supreme Court on Tuesday to apprise it of the action taken against police
officers who were allegedly indicted by the commission of inquiry that probed
the Mumbai riots of 1992-1993.The apex court noted that despite the fact that
the commission headed by Justice B N Srikrishna filed its report in 1998, state
governments have consistently done nothing to implement the recommendations
made in the report and “did not obey in letter and spirit” the orders of the
top court.“We direct Secretary (Home), Maharashtra Government, to file detailed
response in respect of each police officer mentioned in the chart (annexed with
the report) about the criminal and disciplinary action taken against them and
also about police officers against whom no action has been taken,” a bench
headed by Justice R F Nariman said in the order.PTI
Singing national anthem compulsory in Maharashtra schools, colleges from
Feb 19
Maharashtra Higher Education Minister Uday Samant on Wednesday said that
singing the National Anthem will be made compulsory in all schools and colleges
in the state from February 19.“Recently, we have taken a decision that the
National Anthem should be sung before college work starts,” Samant said.“So, we
are going to start this from Feb.19 on the occasion of Shiv Jayanti. The letter
regarding the same will be issued to all the colleges,” he added.All agreed to
implement this decision,” Samant said at an event in Pune.He added that at
least 15 lakh people will be singing the National Anthem in a single day under
this decision and that Maharashtra will be the only state in the country to do
it.indianexpress
Maharashtra: 10 men allegedly rape 16-year-old Dalit girl for six months
in Solapur
At least 10 men allegedly raped a 16-year-old Dalit girl in Maharashtra’s
Solapur district for over six months, the police said on Wednesday, PTI
reported. The police added that five of the accused have been arrested, and
booked under Section 376-D of the Indian Penal Code (gangrape), the Scheduled
Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, and under the
Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. Solapur Assistant Commissioner
of Police Priti Tipre said the teenager’s father had died a while ago and she
was living with her mother, The Hindu reported. The teenager filed a complaint
at Vijapur Naka Police Station in Solapur on Tuesday, following which the
police swung into action, the newspaper reported.However, Tipre said that
residents of Solapur saw the girl crying outside a temple on Tuesday and alerted
the police.scroll
Bhima Koregaon commission gets last extension; govt asks for report by
Apr 8
Pune: The state government has granted a two-month extension to the
commission, set up to probe the violence which broke out on January 1, 2018, at
Bhima Koregaon, on Tuesday.The notification issued by the state home department
states, “Through this order, the commission is being granted the last extension
till April 8, 2020… The commission will submit its report to the government
during the extended period.”A two-member inquiry commission, which was set up
by the previous Devendra Fadnavis government to probe the January 1, 2018,
caste riots at Bhima Koregaon, began working from Feb.2018 and has received
four extensions so far.
Maharashtra declares 5-day workweek for state employees
Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra government has become the seventh state
in the country to announce a five- day work week for state government
employees. From Feb. 29, state government employees will have to pitch in 45
more minutes on workdays but will get two offs, instead of one, every week.The
new rule, however, does not apply to offices covered under Factory Rules,
Industrial Disputes Act and essential services like the police and fire
brigade, government colleges, polytechnic colleges, sanitation
workers.indianexpress
Spread obscenity, get a date with police: Delhi Hindu Sena issues
Valentine's Day threat
Hindu Sena, a Right-Wing group, issued a Valentine's Day threat in Delhi
today saying the day threatens Indian civilisation. Hindu Sena said that those
caught spreading "obscenity" at public places "will be handed
over to police". Hindu Sena has even formed a team of workers to bust
people found loving each other on Valentine's Day.The Hindu Sena will also
monitor Valentine's Day celebration in different parts of Delhi.indiatoday
CBI bribery case: Why bigger accused roaming free, says Delhi court
after clean chit to Rakesh Asthana
A Delhi court Wednesday expressed displeasure over CBI’s investigation
into a bribery and extortion case against its former Special Director Rakesh
Asthana and others, asking why the accused with a bigger role in the case were
roaming free while the agency arrested its own DSP.Special CBI Judge Sanjeev
Aggarwal said, “Why are certain accused who seem to have a bigger role in the
case were roaming free while the CBI arrested its own DSP?”CBI gave a clean
chit to Rakesh Asthana and DSP Devender Kumar on Tuesday. Filing a chargesheet
in the case, which was registered on directions of former CBI director Alok
Verma, who was then locked in a turf war with Asthana, the CBI has dropped both
as accused. DSP Devender Kumar is on bail in the matter.In its chargesheet
filed before Special CBI Judge Sanjeev Kumar, the agency has, however,
arraigned alleged middleman Manoj Prasad as an accused in the case and said
that the probe against his brother — Somesh Prasad – and one Sunil Mittal is
yet to be concluded.indianexpress
"5 To 7 Million People From Airport To Stadium": Trump On
Ahmedabad Visit
Washington: US President Donald Trump has said that he is looking
forward to his first visit to India later this month and indicated that the two
countries may sign a trade deal.At the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra
Modi, Donald Trump is slated to travel to India on February 24 and 25. In
addition to New Delhi, he will stop in Ahmedabad in Gujarat to address a joint
public meeting with PM Modi at a stadium."He (Modi) is a great gentleman
and I look forward to going to India. So, we'll be going at the end of the
month," President Trump told reporters in his Oval Office, a day after the
White House announced dates of his anticipated India trip.Responding to a
question, the president indicated that he is willing to sign a trade deal with
India if it is the right one."They (Indians) want to do something and
we'll see... if we can make the right deal, (we) will do it," said
President Trump, a fortnight ahead of his visit to the country as the 45th US
president.India's new Ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu told news
agency Press Trust of India that Trump's forthcoming visit is a
"reflection of the strong personal rapport" between President Trump
and Prime Minister Modi.PTI
"Kem Chho, Trump": Mega Ahmedabad Welcome Planned For US
President
Mumbai police chief’s family firm got digital project just before Maharashtra
elections
Mumbai :Days before the Maharashtra polls, the state Home department,
led by the then Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, issued an order allotting
work of digitisation of Mumbai police’s official records to a private company
owned by the son and wife of Mumbai Police Commissioner Sanjay Barve.According
to official documents, the department, informed Barve’s office on October 7,
2019 that proposal to allot the digitisation work to CrispQ Information
Technologies Pvt Ltd (CITPL) for 5 years had been accorded the government’s
approval. CrispQ had offered its services pro bono. The letter further directed
the Police Commissioner’s office to finalise the number of units and files that
could be covered under the work.Police officials confirmed the government’s
communication had been processed, but said the project had not been initiated
owing to “technical issues”.indianexpress
India among 120 countries that CIA spied on for decades using Swiss
encryption firm: Report
American and German intelligence agencies secretly bought a Swiss
company that sold encryption devices to governments across the world, and added
weaknesses in these devices to eavesdrop on other countries for decades, a
report by Washington Post and German broadcaster ZDF revealed.Since World War
II, the company Crypto AG sold encrypted devices to more than 120 countries,
including India, the report published on Tuesday said. Iran, military juntas in
Latin America, Pakistan, and the Vatican were among at least 62 clients
identified in the files. It is not exactly clear what India sent to its
missions overseas and how much of it was spied on by US and erstwhile West
Germany.China and the Soviet Union, which did not trust the company, did not
use these devices. But CIA still learnt many things by using the communication
between these two and other countries that had bought Crypto’s devices.scroll
*WORLD*
Afghan war: US, Taliban close to 'reduction in violence' deal
A US-Taliban agreement on the "reduction in violence" in
Afghanistan is expected to be announced "very soon", the group's official
has said."We have made some significant progress and will soon release a
statement on the agreement on reduction of violence in Afghanistan,"
Taliban official told Al Jazeera today.The agreement could lead to the signing
of a peace deal between US and the Taliban to end Afghanistan's 18-year war,
US's longest conflict.The prospective deal would see US pull thousands of
troops from Afghanistan, in return for which the Taliban would provide various
security guarantees and launch eventual talks with Kabul government. Taliban
has so far refused to speak to the West-backed government in Kabul, calling it
a "puppet regime".On Tuesday, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said he
was informed by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo of "notable
progress" in the continuing talks between the US and the Taliban in
Qatar's capital, Doha. Washington also said late on Tuesday that an agreement
on the group's "reduction of violence" offer was days away.US
President Donald Trump's national security adviser, Robert O'Brien, said on
Tuesday he is "cautiously optimistic" there could be a US agreement
with the Taliban over the next few days or weeks, but that a withdrawal of US
forces is not "imminent".aljazeera
US, UK, Turkey urged to arrest UAE 'war crimes' suspects
UK, Turkey and US have been asked to open police investigations into
alleged war crimes committed by UAE and its mercenaries in Yemen in 2015 and
2019, and arrest Emirati officials under the principle of universal
jurisdiction.British law firm Stoke White filed the complaints on Wednesday to
the Metropolitan Police in London, the US Department of Justice and Turkey's
Ministry of Justice on behalf of Yemeni journalist Abdullah Suliman Abdullah
Daubalah, who claims he was targeted in an attack, and Salah Muslem Salem, whose
brother was killed in the war-torn country."Daubalah was targeted as a
journalist in an attack in Aden, Yemen on 29 December, 2015. Salem's brother,
Mr Jameel Moslem Salem Batis, was assassinated in Seiyum city, Yemen on 28 July
2019," the law firm said."Evidence shows that UAE and Yemeni
officials, and mercenaries allegedly hired and instructed by the UAE, are
responsible for torture and war crimes committed against civilians with
political positions opposed to the UAE government.aljazeera
Erdogan: Turkey will hit Syrian govt forces 'anywhere'
Turkey will strike Syrian government forces "anywhere" if one
more Turkish soldier is hurt and could use airpower if need be, President
Tayyip Erdogan has said. Addressing the country's parliament in Ankara on
Wednesday, Erdogan said Turkey is determined to push Syrian government forces
beyond Turkish observation posts in the northwestern Idlib region by the end of
Feb."We will do this by any means necessary, by air or ground," he
said.Turkey has set up 12 observation posts in the last rebel-held stronghold
in Syria as part of a 2018 deal with Russia, which backs Syrian President
Bashar al-Assad. Syrian govt attacks have killed 13 Turkish military forces in
Idlib this month, prompting a deadly response from Ankara amid concerns over an
escalation of violence in the country's nearly 9-year war. On Tuesday, Erdogan
said the Syrian government will pay a "very heavy price" for
attacking Turkish troops in Idlib. Ankara has said it retaliated for both
attacks, destroying several Syrian targets. Ankara has said it retaliated for
both attacks, destroying several Syrian targets. aljazeera
Erdogan Pak visit: Turkish, Pakistani leaders to discuss issues
confronting Muslim world
During a 2-day visit to Pakistan this week, Turkish President Tayyip
Erdogan and Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan are expected to discuss a
string of issues confronting the Muslim world, with special focus on US’
so-called peace plan and the Kashmir situation, according to local
experts."2 leaders have a variety of issues to discuss during this visit
including the Kuala Lumpur initiative, Kashmir, and US’ so-called Middle East
peace plan,” Shahid Amin, a former diplomat, told Anadolu Agency.Amin said both
Khan and Erdogan feel strongly about the lack of unity among Muslim countries,
and discussions of the issue will be an important part of the agenda."An
initiative has already been taken in this regard,” he said referring to last
December’s Kuala Lumpur summit, which Pakistan skipped over reported pressure
from Saudi."But it needs to be worked out further so that there must not
be any impression of more division,” he said. Erdogan will arrive in Islamabad
on Thursday for a two-day official visit, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry confirmed
on Monday. Opposition parties and ordinary citizens also welcomed Erdogan’s
visit.“We will warmly welcome the Turkish president in Pakistan. He is not only
leading the Turkish nation but is also a voice for all the oppressed Muslims in
the world,” Senator Siraj-ul-Haq said.“I hope this visit will further
strengthen our relations as Pakistan and Turkey have always supported each
other in trying times,” said the senator, who is also chief of Jamaat-e-Islami.Anadolu
Agency
Sanders wins in New Hampshire, narrowly beating Buttigieg
Concord, New Hampshire - United States Senator Bernie Sanders declared
victory in New Hampshire on Tuesday night after he narrowly beat Pete Buttigieg
in the state's Democratic primary.
Sanders, who led the polls going into the vote, had 26 percent with
nearly all the precincts reporting. Former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Buttigieg
followed with 24.4 percent and Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar had 19.7
percent."Let me thank the people of New Hampshire for the great victory
tonight," Sanders, a progressive, told supporters. "This victory here
is the beginning of the end for Donald Trump,"78-year-old self-described
democratic socialist said as the crowd roared in support. Despite a modest
turnout, Sanders generated enough voter excitement to emerge as the new
Democratic frontrunner - with former Vice President Joe Biden leaving the state
early to South Carolina.aljazeera
China coronavirus outbreak: death toll rises to 1,113
Dozens more infections from COVID-19, the new coronavirus spreading
throughout the world, have been recording among those on board a cruise ship
docked at Japan's Yokohama. Some 175 people are now infected on the Diamond
Princess, including a quarantine officer, Japan's health ministry said. About
3,700 passengers and crew are on the ship.The death toll in mainland China
continues to climb, with 1,113 deaths and 44,653 infections reported on
Wednesday. Most deaths are in Hubei province and its capital city of Wuhan,
where the virus originated.At least 25 countries have confirmed cases and
several nations have evacuated their citizens from Hubei. aljazeera
Coronavirus: Two Indians test positive on board ship quarantined at
Japanese port, says embassy
Two Indian crew aboard a cruise ship off a Japanese coast have tested
positive for the novel coronavirus, officials at the Indian Embassy in Japan
said on Wednesday. Earlier in the day, the ship Diamond Princess quarantined at
the port city of Yokohama, Japan, had confirmed 174 total cases of the
disease.A total of 138 Indians, including passengers and crew, are on board the
ship. “Due to the suspicion of novel coronavirus (nCoV) infection, the ship has
been quarantined by the Japanese authorities till February 19, 2020,” the
embassy said in a statement. “Due to the suspicion of novel coronavirus (nCoV)
infection, the ship has been quarantined by the Japanese authorities till
February 19.”scroll
Andhra man hangs himself fearing he contracted coronavirus
Hyderabad :A 50-year-old man from Chittoor district in Andhra Pradesh
killed himself after he suspected that had contracted coronavirus, which has
killed more than 1,000 people in China, the epicentre of the outbreak. The man,
identified as K Balakrishna, was found hanging from a tree on Tuesday
morning.Balakrishna’s family members said he had fever for the last few days
and believed that he had contracted coronavirus. They said Balakrishna took the
extreme step to prevent his family members from contracting the virus.
Balakrishna, who hailed from Seshamnaidu Kandriga village in Chittoor, had
visited Sri Venkateswara Ramnarain Ruia Government General Hospital (SVRRGGH)
in Tirupati last week. Doctors there said he was suffering from a viral
infection and advised medication.indianexpress
Moscow :Man pretends to be coronavirus patient for prank video, now
could go to jail for 5 years
A man has been arrested by the Moscow police for pretending to be a
coronavirus victim and collapsing inside a metro. A video of the prank, which
has gone viral on several social media platforms, shows a man in a mask
stumbling and falling on the floor pretending to have a seizure due to the
deadly virus that has claimed hundreds of lives in China. The prank triggered
panic among other passengers, causing many to evacuate the train.According to a
BBC report, the prankster was detained on “suspicion of criminal hooliganism”
and will face up to 5 years of imprisonment, if convicted.
*views, Articles, FEATURES*
New winner, same game:AAP win provides relief, hope. But by ignoring
ideological questions, party remains within BJP’s framework:Suhas Palshikar
Why RSS would be smiling at Kejriwal's sweep even if Delhi election is
setback for BJP | Mukesh Rawat
Why Delhi poll results are to be seen as polarised despite AAP's huge
win:Apoorvanand
A Decade After His Murder, No Convictions in Shahid Azmi Case Yet:Mahtab
Alam
Explained: For AAP 2.0, what is the challenge ahead?
Modi-Shah duo proving recipe for disaster for BJP in states:Soroor Ahmed
‘AAP proves it’s bullet-proof’: What newspapers said about Kejriwal’s
massive win in Delhi elections
National Population Register Has No Proper Legal Backing and May Be
Ultra Vires:P.D.T. Achary
Rajiv Gandhi had wanted to end impasse in Kashmir and saw Farooq
Abdullah as its best bet
Compiled and edited by Anwarulhaq (Released
at: 6:09 PM).
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