NEWS DIGEST, EVENING
18 March 2020: 22 Rajjab 1441:
Vol: 12, No: 159
*INDIA*
Aim was to improve services, not spy, says Govt over call records of all users as Cellphone operators red-flag ‘surveillance’
New Delhi: Government today denied asking for call
details of citizens after excerpts of a letter by telecom operators to the
Department of Telecom were reported today, raising concerns about state
surveillance."There were complaints of call drops from various places,
after which the government asked for call data records randomly and in bulk to
investigate how many attempts it took to connect calls and the number of call
drops," official sources said."The government's aim was to improve
telecom services, not spy on citizens," they asserted, pointing out that
mobile operators were liable to pay fines for call drops. A group of telecom
operators has written to the government expressing concern over the Department
of Telecom (DoT) asking for call data records of users. Call data records have
"personal and sensitive information" and should not be shared, the
Cellular Operators' Association of India has written in its letter to DoT last
month."DoT is clarifying its mandate under the Telegraph Act to collect
such data and it is being done purely for network management purposes - to
improve call quality and help resolve issues. We are awaiting final clearance
from the DoT on its response," the COAI told NDTV.The cellular operators
had urged the government not to ask for call data records (CDRs) on an ad hoc
basis and without specifying the purpose. NDTV has learnt that following the
letter, DoT reached out to COAI and there may be discussions soon."CDRs
sought for specific routes/areas may lead to allegations of surveillance,
especially in the state like Delhi having numerous VVIP zones having offices
and residences of Ministers, MPs, Judges etc," said the letter by COAI on
Feb.12, addressed to Anshu Prakash, the Department of Telecom.Pointing to the
sensitive information in call records, the operator say in their letter that
"utmost precaution is required to be exercised while providing as well as
seeking such CDRs". The letter pointed at SOPs established by the telecom
department. These included ascertaining the identity of subscriber, examining
the justification carefully, detailing the purpose for seeking their call
records and not using the data for any other purpose.The operators said
"despite such detailed and clear process", various units of DoT were
not adhering to the process and "continue to seek voluminous CDR details
on regular basis in contravention to the above referred instructions". DoT
units "continue to seek one day CDR details from the licensee on monthly
basis like Andhra (1st and 5th day of the month), Delhi (18th Day), Haryana
(21st Day), Himachal Pradesh and J&K (last day of the previous month),
Kerala and Odisha (15th Day), Madhya Pradesh and Punjab (last day of previous
month and first day of current month) etc," cellular operators said.The
department also continued to seek additional CDR details on ad hoc basis, they
said. In the Delhi circle, with nearly 53 million subscribers, Indian Express
has learnt, CDRs of consumers were sought by the DoT for February 2, 3 and 4
this year. Incidentally, protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act were on
at the time; campaigning for Delhi elections ended on February 6 and polls were
held two days later. NDTV/ Indian Express
Govt Creating 'Orwellian State': Opposition Slams Collection of Call Records of All Citizens as Absolute Transgression of Right to Privacy
New Delhi:“A sinister pre-meditated orchestrated
plot has been put in place in order to unleash a mass surveillance programme on
the citizens of India, which is an absolute transgression of Right to Privacy
guaranteed by the Supreme Court in a 9-0 judgment,” said Congress today while
strongly condemning the central government move to collect CDRs of all citizens
in certain states.Address the media Congress spokesperson and Lok Sabha MP
Manish Tewari said: “The reports which have emerged in the public space are
extremely disturbing because the government has decided that it will carry out
mass surveillance against the citizens of India.”We strongly condemn and we
deprecate this assault on the fundamental freedom which have been provided in
the Constitution and have been interpreted by the Supreme Court. An ‘Orwellian
State’ is sought to be created and we would ask the government, we would hold
the government to account that in violation and transgression of the rules,
which were tightened by the then UPA govt in 2013, with regard to obtaining
call detail records, with regard to electronic interception of telephones and
with regard to cyber communication. Why and how are these things being violated
with impunity on a daily basis,” asked Tewari.Trinamool Congress MP Mahua
Moitra has also targeted the government over the issue. “#ModiShah now forcing
telco operators to provide call records of all users. What next Shah? Will you GoliMaro everyone whose
conversations go against you? This is is illegal & unacceptable,” she
tweeted.Some journalists have also raised concern over the issue.Ravi Nair
tweeted: “In violation of user privacy guidelines mandated by the SC, Modi govt
is seeking Call Data Records of all mobile subscribers across several states
for specific days over the past few months including the areas of Delhi where
many judges &bureaucrats reside.”indiatomorrow
Cong accuses
govt of carrying out surveillance on citizens
Bureaucrat
Who Planned Modi Govt's Tracking Database Now Fears A Police State
New Delhi:The senior bureaucrat tasked with laying
the foundations for the Indian government’s controversial Social Registry
warned that a centralised, cross-linked database of this scale could compromise
the privacy and security of over a billion Indians, but his warnings were
ignored, documents reviewed by HuffPost India establish.The Social Registry, as
HuffPost India has previously reported, is intended to automatically track the
social and economic lives of citizens — in a bid to continuously estimate their
eligibility for government assistance.However, as work on the registry
progressed, Manoranjan Kumar, then Economic Advisor to the Ministry of Rural
Development, realised that such a system could easily be misused by
governments. Kumar asked for the system to have adequate privacy safeguards in
place at a time when “the policing system and bureaucracy that is not
hesitating to show crumbling morality”. HuffPost India has written to the
Ministry of Rural Development and will update this article if the ministry
responds.huffingtonpost
*Anti-CAA,NRC-NPR stir*
1,000 women write to chief ministers to de-link Census from NPR
More than 1,000 women from across India have
written to state CMs requesting to de-link NPR from Census house listing
maintaining that it presents a “clear danger to women”.The letter reads,
“Women, irrespective of caste and religious community, will be hugely affected
by NPR-NRIC citizenship regime being rolled out by Central government, that
puts all our citizenship rights to test, in an arbitrary and frightening
manner. The combination of NPR and NRIC will force each person to prove their
citizenship, and disproportionately put at risk the women, the weakest, and the
most marginal people of our country”.The updation of NPR is scheduled to begin
from April 1, 2020 along with house listing for the Census of India, 2021. The
letter has been signed by activists, writers, academics, lawyers, doctors,
farmers, professionals, anganwadi workers and women from all walks of life from
more than 20 states and has been sent to chief ministers of all states.The
letter, released on Tuesday evening, reads, “We write to you as Indian women
who are opposed to NPR. Women constitute nearly 50% of India’s population, and
this opposition is based on clear evidence from our own lives.”The letter also
calls into question Home Minister Amit Shah’s remark that no one shall be
marked “doubtful” during the NPR exercise.The signatories to the letter have
asked that the sanctity of the Census operations be protected and for that chief
ministers of every state must de-link the NPR and the Census, sending
enumerators out only with the census schedule.theweek
Boycott NPR: Socio- religious leaders, activists appeal to citizens
NEW DELHI:Around 40 renowned faces of the civil
society, including judges, human rights activists, journalists, academicians
and clerics, have made a joint appeal to the citizens of the country to boycott
the process of NPR which the central government has announced to start across
the country from April 1.Referring to NPR, CAA and NRC, they said “these are
divisive, discriminatory, against the letter and spirit of the Indian
Constitution and antithetical to the ethos of our freedom struggle and
civilisational values.”“We have already rejected or given call for boycott of
NPR, since NPR is the first step towards unfolding of this new citizenship regime.
Further we have also opposed clubbing of NPR with the decennial Census as it
puts at risk the sacrosanct, confidential and vital data gathering under the
Census. Various state governments have also passed resolutions in their
assemblies or issued orders opposing the implementation of NPR in its present
form,” reads the joint appeal signed by around 50 people including Harsh
Mandar, Yogendra Yadav, Yashwant Sinha, Syed Sadatullah Hussaini, Maulana
Mahmood Madani, Sandeep Panday and Justice Kolse Patil.While welcoming Shah’s
remarks, the civic leaders have urged him to make amendments in the Citizenship
(Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003 to
incorporate his verbal assurances.They also made it clear that they would withdraw
the boycott call as soon as the central government carries out the mentioned
amendments in the concerned laws.India Tomorrow
There Will Be Constitutional Crisis If Centre Insists On NPR: Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Isaac
Even though Home Minister Amit Shah sought to
dispel concerns about NPR last week, more than 12 states have come out in
opposition against the exercise, which is set to begin from April 1.Kerala was
the first state to pass a resolution against CAA and it has also suspended the
updation process of NPR in the state. In an interview to Outlook, state finance
minister Thomas Isaac said that their government wouldn’t conduct NPR at any
cost. He warned that if the Centre insists, it will even disrupt the Census
operation, which will take place along with NPR. The Minister said, "If
they are going to insist on NPR, even census operation will be in danger. It
was never interrupted even during Second World War. It’s very important that
census operation takes place. The state government has taken the position that
we will faithfully carry out the census exercise. But we can’t force people if
a large section of population refuses. Now a large section is agitating against
census too. We haven’t done any training for NPR in the state and we refused to
print forms for the same."outlookindia
No documents will be collected for NPR, govt yet to take a call on NRC, Govt informs Rajya Sabha
New Delhi: No document will be collected from
anyone during the exercise to be carried out to update National Population
Register, Union minister Nityanand Rai said on Wednesday.Rai also said in Rajya
Sabha that till now, the central government has not taken any decision to
prepare the National Register of Indian Citizens (NRIC) at the national level.
"No document is to be collected during the updation of NPR 2020,"
Rai, the Union Minister of State for Home, said replying to a written
question.PTI
With 2 weeks to scheduled census start, uncertainty clouds NPR
New Delhi:At least 13 States, and Delhi, covering
almost 60% of the total population of India, are opposed to the updation of NPR
in the format being prepared by the Centre, even as the nationwide exercise is
scheduled to kick off in barely two weeks time on April 1.Home minister Amit
Shah told Parliament last week that people could choose to not respond to
questions, but Chief Ministers and activists have said that this is no
guarantee that they would not face any problems in the future.thehindu
Hundreds of women in India brave virus threat to protest citizenship law: Arab News
New Delhi: Hundreds of women took to the streets
in the Indian capital New Delhi on Tuesday, in defiance of the government’s
orders against mass gatherings, to continue protesting against the new
citizenship law.The activists demanded chief ministers from 29 Indian states
de-link the census from the NPR saying: “It would render many woman as
stateless, regardless of caste and community, as the majority of them leave
their natal homes upon marriage without any documents in tow.”Humera Sayed, 26,
said she was not afraid of the coronavirus outbreak despite the warning issued
by the government to avoid public assembly.“For me coronavirus is less
dangerous than CAA and NRC that threaten the very existence of the Muslim
community in India,” Sayed, who has been sitting at the protest site in Delhi’s
Shaheen Bagh area since mid-Dec, told Arab News.“If the government is really
concerned about the safety of Muslim citizens, then why did it fail to protect
their lives in the recent wave of violence in Delhi that claimed so many
lives?” she added. Activists believe NPR is the precursor to the proposed NRC,
an exercise in identifying the genuine citizens of India. Muslims in India fear
that NPR and NRC would render them stateless if they failed to provide citizenship
documents, but that Hindus, for example, would be protected under the CAA.
“Coronavirus does not challenge our existence, you can be cured of coronavirus,
but the law that govt has brought in threatens the very existence of the Muslim
community in India,” said Zikra Mojibi, a postgraduate student at the protest
in Delhi.
Coronavirus: Child rights body seeks report on Shaheen Bagh protest amid ban on large gatherings
National Commission for Protection of Child Rights
on Wednesday sought a report from the district magistrate of South East Delhi
about the ongoing protest at Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh locality against the CAA amid
the novel coronavirus pandemic, PTI reported.The child rights body in a letter
to the authorities said it had received a complaint about huge number of people
being present at the protest site despite the repeated advisories against large
gatherings. “You are kindly requested to take necessary action in view of
advisory issued by the State Government and the Central Government regarding
safety and prevention for COVID-19 and submit a report to the Commission within
three days from the date of issue of this letter,” it said.The Delhi government
on Monday banned gatherings of more than 50 persons – including ongoing
protests – till March 31 to avoid the spread of the COVID-19 infection. After
initially defying the order, the protestors at Shaheen Bagh on Tuesday said
they will limit the number of people at the sit-in to less than 50. The
volunteers also said that necessary arrangements such as thermal scanners and
masks for demonstrators are being made to avoid the spread of infection.scroll
402 Gram Sabhas in 15 Odisha Districts Pass Resolutions Condemning CAA, NPR
New Delhi: In an extraordinary feat, 402 gram
sabhas in 15 districts of Odisha have passed resolutions urging the state
government to stop the implementation of the contentious CAA and pull out from
NPR exercise.Eleven state governments, including those of Kerala, Telangana,
Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Bihar, have passed such resolutions
in their respective assemblies but this is the first time that gram sabhas have
taken such a step to pressurise the government to act against the NPR-CAA and
the proposed nationwide NRC.Soon after the resolutions were passed in the
villages, a memorandum was sent to Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik and the
district collectors of the 15 districts.The gram sabhas that have passed
resolutions belong to Ganjam, Gajapati, Sundargarh, Malkangiri, Koraput,
Rayagada, Kandhamal, Bolangir, Bargarh, Keonjhar, Sambalpur, Kalahandi,
Mayurbhanj, Jharsuguda and Jajpur districts of the state. A citizens’
collective, Campaign for Survival with Dignity (CSD), Odisha Nari Samaj, and
other such social organisations had been canvassing in these villages against
the NPR-CAA-NRC combine. “A memorandum on the basis of these resolutions has
been sent to the Odisha chief minister and Collectors of the concerned
districts,” Narendra Mohanty, convening body member of CSD told The Hindu.
B''luru''s anti-CAA protest continues amid COVID-19 fears
Bengaluru:A group of women continued to protest
the CAA at Bilal Bagh in the city amid Coronavirus scare."I am not scared
of Coronavirus. Even if I fall sick and if that it is such a big issue, first
annul the CAA and NRC," said a lady protesting at Bilal Bagh.She said if
the government is so concerned about the protesters'' safety, it can arrange
for our protection."Remove the CAA and the NRC, we will go back to our
homes and relax. Do not subject us to the difficulties like that of
Assam," she said.The protesters appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi
and Home Minister Amit Shah to undo the CAA and the NPR.Most of the women,
numbering around 50, are wearing masks to avert Coronavirus contracting them
and are maintaining distance between each other.The protesters have fumigated
and sanitized the site of their showdown.IANS
BJP destroying constitutionalism, denigrating democratic system: Sibal
New Delhi:Top of the line legal eagle, Congress
leader and former Union minister Kapil Sibal wears many hats, adept as he is at
multi tasking. Speaking to Sandeep Bamzai, Editor in Chief and Executive Editor
Deepak Sharma of IANS TV on several contentious issues, he rejected the notion
of religion being used as the basis of granting of Indian citizenship,
debunking the very template of the controversial CAA.Using his long years of
intellectual heft sharpened on the whetstone of law and legality, he explained
why Ranjan Gogoi should not have accepted a Rajya Sabha nomination. According
to him, it is the former Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, who himself said that any
judge who accepts a sinecure would be blot on the institution, which means it
has now got nothing to do with law but his own credibility.He agrees that
nature abhors a vacuum and it is incumbent on the Congress to step and once
again become the people''s choice. His worry is that democracy has become a
facade and the days of night are right here. Sibal said, "That you were
born in India, whether Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian, or that your parents
were born here - they may be Hindu Muslim whatever. Or you were residing here
for 10 years as a Hindu or Muslim or anybody, so both under the constitution
and Citizenship Act of 1955, religion has never been the basis for grant of
citizenship.So there is a fundamental constitutional issue which is now pending
in the Supreme Court. Apart from that NPR/NRC issue will integrate into the
CAA. NPR will be the basis and then NRC will be prepared. NPR is going to be
prepared in such a fashion that even a low level officer will be entitled to
say that, I doubt the citizenship of
this particular individual. Home Minister said in Parliament that he has given
an assurance. But that assurance is of no value because under Rule 44 of the
rules pursuant to a notification by the government of India under the Act, the
power is given to the local registrar and enumerator to doubt the citizenship
of anybody."IANS
Court asks UP to respond to plea challenging new law against CAA protests
Lucknow;Allahabad High Court on Wednesday directed
the Uttar Pradesh government to file a counter-affidavit by March 25 on a PIL
challenging the constitutional validity of the Uttar Pradesh Recovery of Damage
to Public and Private Property Ordinance.The ordinance was hurriedly brought in
last week after the High Court and Supreme Court indicted the Yogi Adityanath
government, wanting to know under which law it had put up hoardings of anti-CAA
protesters accused of damaging property along with their names, photos, and
addresses.The division bench, comprising of Chief Justice Govind Mathur and
Justice Samit Gopal, on Wednesday listed the matter for hearing on March 27.
The PIL has been filed by petitioners Maha Prasad and others.The petitioners''
counsel pointed out that the ordinance was arbitrary in its very nature as its
provisions allowed the persons to be exposed to public, as criminals without
their adjudication for any criminal charge.A similar petition is to come up
before the Lucknow bench of the high court on Thursday that has been filed by
one of the accused who figures in the Lucknow hoardings - senior advocate
Mohammad Shoaib.Meanwhile, the High Court has asked UP government to file its
compliance report by April regarding removal of the anti CAA protesters''
hoardings across Lucknow.IANS
UP hoardings: 13 get notice to pay more, or face jail
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/up-hoardings-13-get-notice-to-pay-more-or-face-jail-6319542/
More than a dozen people in Lucknow who had been
issued recovery notices for damage related to violence during anti-CAA protests
in December will now have to pay 10% extra within a week or face jail. Lucknow
administration on Tuesday issued “recovery certificates” and “demand notice” to
13, whose cases come under jurisdiction of Hasanganj Police Station.They are
among the 57 people, across four police stations of Lucknow, served notices for
recovery of overall Rs 1.55 crore for the destruction of property and assets
during Dec.19 protests within 30 days or face attachment of properties. 13
include Osama Siddiqui, Mohd Hashim, Dharmeveer Singh, Mohd Kaleem, Mohd
Kaleem, Muqtar Ahamad, Mohad Zakir, Mohd Salman, Mubin, Wasim, Mohd Shafiuddin,
Mahenur Choudhury and Hafiz-ur-Rehman.indianexpress
Chennai’s Shaheen Bagh temporarily calls off anti-CAA protest over coronavirus
Chennai:In the wake of the outbreak of novel
coronavirus, anti-CAA protesters at Washermenpet, who had been staging a sit-in
against the new citizenship law for over a month, temporarily called off the
agitation in the wee hours of Wednesday. Drawing inspiration from Shaheen Bagh
protesters in Delhi, scores of women in Chennai had launched a massive
agitation against the new citizenship law. The protest was, however, called off
following a request by the government and religious leaders who urged for
postponement as a measure against the novel coronavirus outbreak. A meeting was
held late night by committee members at Washermenpet and the protest was
temporarily called off at 1 am on Wednesday.Chennai
Over 5,000 In Chennai Defy Coronavirus Advisory, Gather For CAA Protest
Chennai: Defying government advisories to avoid
large gatherings as precaution against coronavirus, more than 5,000 people took
to the streets in Chennai today in protest against CAA, delivering a
frightening scenario of the virus infecting people at an exponential
rate.India, at stage 2 of the outbreak (meaning the virus is still locally
transmitted), has taken several measures to stop its spread, including shutting
down public places.In what could become a nightmare for those fighting the
virus, a huge crowd gathered at the Chepauk area near Marina Beach demanding
the withdrawal of the controversial citizenship law and a resolution in the
Tamil Nadu assembly against the CAA, NRC and NPR.The protesters, all members of
the group Thowheeth Jamaat, also held similar demonstrations in other
districts.Holding placards against the CAA, NRC and NPR, the protesters raised
slogans that conveyed that while coronavirus had taken three lives, the
citizenship law protests had claimed the lives of 80 people across the
country.ndtv
Ranchi's :“Shaheen Bagh” Protest to continue despite coronavirus threat
Ranchi:“Shaheen Bagh” of the state capital on
Tuesday presented a picture in stark contrast with the other streets of
Ranchi.Despite widespread fear and panic over novel coronavirus, the protest
against citizenship matrix near Haj House at Kadru continued with equal
zeal.Around 100 women were seen staging a sit-in around 4pm. The protest by
women, mostly Muslims, that started on January 20 completed its 60th day on
Tuesday. Will the women continue their protest or withdraw it in view of the
coronavirus threat and the related government orders against crowded events?
“We are aware of the government’s decision and would consider ways to help
check spread of coronavirus,” said Nussy Begum, who has been protesting at
Kadru from Day One.“We are concerned and may downsize the gathering and only a
few women would sit for the protest maintaining a safe distance,” Nussy
said.“The women are here not to create any problem but to uphold their
constitutional rights,” said Tanweer Ahmed, who handles the media on behalf of
the protesters Ahmed said they were also considering the best possible ways to
facilitate upcoming festivals Sarhul and Ram Navami. The anti-CAA-NRC-NPR
protesters from Dhanbad on Tuesday withdrew their plan to agitate in front of
the Assembly after meeting minority welfare minister Haji Hussain Ansari in
Ranchi, who they said had promised a House resolution against
NPR.telegraphindia
COVID-19: Better to die here than in detention centres, say Mumbai Bagh protesters
Mumbai:As the situation due to spread of the
dreaded COVID-19 pandemic continues to be fluid, women protesters at Mumbai
Bagh said they would comply with all safety precautions, but won’t call off
their protest, which has now entered its 51st day. Despite thinner crowds, the
older women are firm on remaining at the site and continuing their protest
until the Assembly listens and passes a resolution against CAA, NRC, and NPR in
the State.Mariam, a regular protester who also manages activities at Mumbai Bagh,
said “We are following all the necessary precautions here. We have made
sanitisation mandatory. All of us offer prayers five times a day and we have to
wash our hands before that as well. People are being provided with masks,
women’s faces are ordinarily also covered by burqa and we are requesting people
with any sign of illness to not come to the protests, specially young children
and elderly women,” she said. A visit to the spot on Tuesday showed that
efforts have also been taken to space out the women. A disinfectant was being
sprayed, and a team of paramedics, made up of protesters who are also
practising doctors, is routinely briefing the crowd on sanitisation and the
importance of maintaining cleanliness. “If anyone reports a fever or signs of sickness,
they can go and get themselves checked,” Dr. Vasika Seliya, a nearby resident
and member of the medical teams, said.thehindu
Anti-CAA protesters plan to call off agitation in Rajasthan
Jaipur: Following the state govt’s directive on
social distancing, the 24/7 anti-CAA protest running across the state are
contemplating to call off the protest to join the nation’s fight against the
spread of the virus. Considering the prevailing situation, Naim Rabbani,
coordinator of the Jaipur’s Shaheen Bagh in told TOI, “Since the state has
initiated several steps in containing the spread of the virus, the protest
committee has called a meeting on Wednesday afternoon to take a call on the
status of the protest.”Both the protest sites in Jaipur-Shaheed Smarak and
Karbala Maidan have been drawing Muslim women from huge numbers every day.
Similarly, Samvidhan Bachao Samiti of
Chittorgarh has called a meeting on Wednesday for the same.TOI
Maharshtra: Solapur Shaheen Bagh suspended for 15 days
Solapur Shaheen Bagh has announced that the
protest is suspended till March 31 and a review will be taken about the future
course of action later. Haseeb Nadaf, organiser of the Solapur Shaheen Bagh
protest, told Mumbai Mirror, “We had a meeting with the district collector, where
he appealed to us to cooperate and stop the spread of the coronavirus as per
the central government’s advisory. Considering the larger point of public
health safety, we have decided to respond to this appeal and we have suspended
the protest.”In Aurangabad too, protesters have decided to cancel all the
speeches which used to take place throughout the day. Abdula Rafe, leader of
the Shaheen Bagh protest, said, “We had a meeting with the police and
collector. We understand their concerns about the possible spread of the
coronavirus if we continue the protest in similar ways. That’s why we have
decided that not more than three people will be on the stage and at the site,
not more than 12 people will be sitting at one time.” He also said that if the
state government decides to withdraw the NPR, CAA and NRC, they will
immediately stop the protest.Imtiaz Jaleel, AIMIM MP of Aurangabad, had a
meeting with Shaheen Bagh protesters at Aurangabad. “We discussed the risk of
continuing the protest at length. We strongly support the protesters’ demands
but at this time, we must all fight the virus. The outcome of the meeting is
positive.”Ibrahim Khan of the Pune Shaheen Bagh protest also informed that the
number of protesters has been cut down to 50. “We will not organise any speech
for some time. We are making sure that everyone will sit at a distance,” he
added. At Kalyan, the orgnisers are meeting on Tuesday night to decide the
future of the protest there. Mohesin Sheikh told Mumbai Mirror, “We understand
that the health advisory and the infection may spread across. We may take a
call to reduce the number of protesters by tomorrow.”Feroze Mithiborwala, who
is coordinating Mumbai Bagh protest at Nagpada, said that they do understand
how big the coronavirus spread risk is and have already changed the sitting
arrangement. PUNE mirror
CAA protests: Calcutta HC sets aside govt's leave India notice to Polish student
Calcutta High Court on Wednesday set aside a
'Leave India' notice to a Polish student by the Union government for allegedly
participating in an anti-CAA rally here.Justice Sabyasachi Bhattacharyya
directed the central government not to give effect to the notice served on the
Poland citizen, who studies at the Jadavpur University.The high court had
earlier restrained the central government from giving effect to its 'Leave
India' notice to the Polish student, till it passes an order on his petition
challenging the notice.Kamil Siedczynski, the student from Poland who is
enrolled for a Masters' degree in the Department of Comparative Literature at
Jadavpur University, was served a 'Leave India' notice dated February 14 from
FRRO, Kolkata.PTI
Member of
panel that picked Jamia V-C changes mind, tells President: Remove her
New Delhi :A member of the search committee tasked
to look for candidates to be appointed as V-C of Jamia Millia Islamia in Delhi
has written to President Ram Nath Kovind to recall the appointment of Dr Najma
Akhtar, who currently heads the university.In his letter to President on
written on March 8, Ramakrishna Ramaswamy, a member of the search committee
formed in 2018, claimed that CVC had denied vigilance clearance to Akhtar in an
office memo (OM) dated Jan.10, 2019.Ramaswamy quoted paper reports to claim
that CVC had recommended not considering Akhtar for any post-retirement
assignment or re-employment in any organisation, institution or university
under the ambit of HRD Ministry.His letter does not spell out what was CVC
objection or why it denied vigilance clearance to Akhtar.3 months ago, Akhtar,
Jamia’s first woman V-C, had criticised Delhi Police for barging into the Jamia
campus following violence during anti-CAA protests in south Delhi.Soon after
police entered the campus, vandalised the library and beat up students on the
night of Dec.15, Akhtar had put out a video message criticising the police, and
saying she stood with her students. The next day, she called a press conference
where, surrounded by senior officials, she reiterated that police entry and
action on the campus were without permission and condemnable.Besides Ramaswamy,
Professor DP Singh and Justice (retired) MSA Siddiqui were members of the
Search Committee.When contacted, Ramaswamy said he did not wish to discuss the
matter. The Delhi High Court is already seized of a petition challenging Akhtar’s
appointment to the post of V-C.
*DELHI VIOLENCE*
Delhi riots: Police acted swiftly but high population density, narrow lanes added to challenges, Govt tells RS
Union Home Ministry today said in the Rajya Sabha
that the Delhi Police acted swiftly and promptly in a professional manner
during the riots in the national capital last month, adding that the high
population density of the area and narrow lanes were a challenge in the
movement of forces and vehicles.In a written reply, Minister of State for Home
G Kishan Reddy said, “North East District of Delhi has the highest density of
population in India with several pockets of mixed population areas. The Delhi
Police acted swiftly and promptly in a professional manner, but the high
population density of the area and narrow lanes/ by-lanes added to the
challenges in the movement of forces and vehicles.”While containing the
violence, over 100 policemen had suffered injuries, Reddy added. Delhi Police
had ensured that the disturbances were contained and not allowed to spread to
other parts of the city, he said.indianexpress
Hate Speech Ignited, Police Facilitated: Former Bureaucrats to President on Delhi Violence
As many as 89 former civil servants, in a letter to
the President of India, have expressed serious concerns over hate speeches and
questioned the role of police over Delhi violence. They wrote a letter after
sending a fact-finding mission to the riots-hit areas of north east Delhi.
Former bureaucrats in their letter stated, "It is with deep anguish and
concern that we, the members of the Constitutional Conduct Group (“CCG”)
comprising former civil servants, write this letter to place before you some
major issues in the aftermath of the widespread violence in North-East Delhi.
On 12th March, 11 members of CCG visited violence affected areas of North East
Delhi including Shiv Vihar, Brijpuri and Mustafabad.It is distressing that,
even more than two weeks after the violence, the group did not see much
evidence of any serious outreach by political parties to provide mental or
physical support to victims of violence. There is no serious effort to
re-establish much needed confidence building measures between
communities." The observations of the group which visited the affected
areas are summarized in their letter: "In Aulia Masjid of Shiv Vihar,
almost the entire building was found burnt and charred. A local resident
pointed out that several cooking gas cylinders were thrown into the Masjid and
set alight to ensure its total destruction. The building was saved by the fire
brigade which responded to frantic distress calls from a member of the Hindu
community. The group was informed that the miscreants were continuously
shouting slogans like “Jai Shri Ram; Azadi dilate hain; Andar ki baat hai,
police hamare saath hain”. We were also informed that the electricity lines
were deliberately cut and electricity meters were burnt, throwing the entire
area into darkness and forcing the members of the Muslim community to run for
survival in the ensuing violence, pandemonium and panic." They futher
wrote: "The group also visited the Eidgah Relief Camp set up by Delhi Waqf
Board. It has given refuge to approximately 1200 displaced Muslims, including
women and children, who fled their homes after the violence. There was no
medical facility provided by the Delhi Government." The letter said,
"the group met several displaced families from Karawal Nagar whose houses
were looted or burnt. They informed that they were rescued by paramilitary
forces on 26th Feb. Some of them showed handwritten complaints given to the
police which bore the daily diary entry number from the police station. Some
others mentioned that online FIRs filed by them are not being accepted for
payment of compensation." In their letter they recommended, "We
request the setting up of a Judicial Commission of Enquiry headed by a serving
or retired judge of the Supreme Court to enquire into the present incidents.
The Commission should be specifically authorised to look into the failures of
the administrative leadership of Lieutenant Governor and Police Commissioner of
Delhi. It should also be mandated to inquire into the role of hate speech by
political leaders and electronic and social media in dividing communities,
spreading hatred and setting them against each other" They wrote, "
The attitude and conduct of the Delhi Police during the build-up of tension over
the CAA-NPR-NRC protests and the outbreak of violence in North East Delhi has
once again underscored the urgency of correcting the institutional bias of the
force."thecitizen
'My house was first to be set on fire':Stories of suffering from Shiv Vihar
New Delhi: As soon as you enter the Shiv Vihar area
of Delhi, you get a sense of uneasiness and fear. Shops and schools stand
burned and vandalised. The locality is also peppered with few CRPF and police
personnel enjoying the last bits of the winter sun. A masjid in the area has
been converted to a makeshift camp and people who were earning an honest,
modest living until a few weeks ago, stand in queues, trying to make sure their
family gets the next meal.Many have lost their life earnings, their belongings,
their homes but they still call themselves lucky because they didn’t lose their
lives.Walking through the narrow lanes of Shiv Vihar, Karwan-e-Mohabbat team
met some survivors of the anti-Muslim riots that engulfed Northeast
Delhi.Mohammed Mehtab’s home was the first one to be burned down when a mob
chanting “Jai Shri Ram” attacked their area. According to him, the mob came
fully prepared to attack Muslims and their homes. They came armed with rods,
hockey sticks, chains, petrol bombs, revolvers and more.Mehtab and his family
left the area the night before the violence started, when he said mobs came on
motorbikes and raised slogans, flashing weapons. He saw it as a warning of what
was to come. Mehtab is glad he didn’t ignore it.He hasn’t returned to his house
since the family fled for their life. “I am very scared to go to that area, I
don’t know what may happen”, he says.thewire
Ghettoisation Of Riot-scarred Delhi: Iron Gates Spring Up To Separate Communities
Iron gates are coming up in riot-hit Northwest
Delhi as communities—both Hindus and Muslims—try to ring-fence their localities
from potential intruders and rioters in the future. Gated colonies exist in
Delhi but such community-specific ‘ghettos’ are, perhaps, a first in the
national capital, indicating the fear that has become part of the lives of the
riot-scarred people.People who had fled their homes are returning to their
residences, trying to pick up their lives from the rubble of burnt out houses
and shops, destroyed by armed mobs last month in one of the worst communal
conflagrations in Delhi in recent times. More than 40 people were killed in the
riots.The pictures show how the riot-scarred neighbourhoods are fortifying
themselves.Besides riot-hit Maujpur and Karawal Nagar, such gates have also
come up in Seelampur which escaped the riots. Local residents say they are too
scared and don’t want to leave anything to chance.outlookindia
Delhi riots: For family of BJP man Mohsin Ali, an endless wait
The “alleged human body”, says post-mortem report,
was found near Karawal Nagar’s Yamuna Pushta road on Feb.26, right next to an
overturned car, burnt, mangled and decomposed. It was not until Feb.29, when a
team of doctors at GTB Hospital performed an autopsy on the charred bones, that
one could be sure the remains were of a person. But since the identity had to
be established, samples were sent for a DNA test on March 3. 2 weeks on, the
report is yet to come out. “the results will come out but at least there is no
doubt that it was a human being,” said Haider, whose friend Mohsin Ali has been
missing since last month.An office-bearer of BJP’s minority cell in Uttar
Pradesh’s Hapur, 23-year-old Ali was driving through the area on Feb.25 where
the body was found. The social media account of the 23-year-old paints the
picture of a vibrant young man with a distinct interest in politics, with
albums dedicated to his pre-wedding shoot and meetings of the minority cell.
His posts speak highly of BJP and PM Narendra Modi, while also batting for
Hindu-Muslim amity.indianexpress
Delhi riots: Peace committee gets 7,732 complaints of false info
New Delhi:Formed in the aftermath of the communal
violence in north-east Delhi last month, Delhi Assembly’s Committee on Peace
and Harmony has so far received 7,732 complaints of misleading information,
hate messages and provocative content circulated through WhatsApp and social
media, committee member and AAP MLA Raghav Chadha said on Tuesday.Of the total
complaints received, 2,210 have been screened by the committee till now, he
said. Out of the total screened, 504 were found to be “inflammatory,
provocative and incriminating” in nature in the light of the communal violence
in north-east Delhi last month.Chadha on Tuesday chaired a meeting of the
committee. After the meeting, he said, “Today, the committee had summoned 2
complainants and both of them were heard at length. After recording their
statements and a preliminary enquiry, a fit case for registration of FIR was
made out.” The committee – which has members of both AAP and BJP – had earlier
announced a reward of Rs 10,000 for each case in which a complaint would
qualify as a fit case of FIR. Till Tuesday, Delhi government had disbursed
compensation to tune of around Rs 13.52 crore, it said.HT
Team of doctors who visited violence-hit areas: calls for ramping up medical services to riot victims
Progressive Medicos and Scientists Forum (PMSF),
one of the first groups to send medical relief to riot-hit parts of north-east
Delhi, on Wednesday came out with a report on the medical emergency in the wake
of violence here. The report details the role of police and calls for ramping
up of medical services.A team of about 8 doctors, under the banner of PMSF, had
made repeated attempts to reach Al Hind Hospital in Old Mustafabad, which had
reportedly been overrun with victims with grievous injuries, on February 24 and
25. However, they were allegedly stopped by the police as well as rioters, the
group said. Ambulances were only able to reach the area following a High Court
directive to the police to ensure safe passage, it added.Al Hind Hospital,
which catered to about 30-40 patients a day, had more than 200 patients on
February 24 itself, the report reads. The report also calls into question the
“sincerity and quality” of medical response from the government. thehindu
Vandalised medical shop in Gautam Vihar opens shutters weeks after violence
New Delhi: In what can be called the first few
glimpses of rebuilding lives, a medical shop run by Salman was finally opened
on Monday in riot-hit Gautam Vihar. The shop was entirely vandalised and looted
by a mob during the violence on Feb 25. Showing a video shot by a neighbour
which is still on his phone, Salman explained how the shutter was broken and
articles in the shop were taken away by men, some of whom had covered their
faces with handkerchiefs. Recalling the incident, Salman said, he and his
brother Waseem closed the shop in a hurry, leaving behind the day’s earnings
and ₹2 lakh which they had to pay to a distributor. Being the only Muslim-run shop
on the stretch, Salman had asked his neighbours to take care as his house in
Yamuna Vihar is about 3 km away from the shop and the neighbours tried their
best, he said.thehindu
What Did Umar Khalid Exactly Say in His Speech in Amravati?
Delhi Police has filed an FIR against activist and
former JNU research student Umar Khalid in connection with the communal
violence that took place in Northeast Delhi in Feb. FIR alleges that “Khalid
made an incendiary speech instigating people to block the streets during US
President Donald Trump’s visit to India on 24-25 Feb.so that propaganda can be
carried out at an international stage that minorities are being oppressed in
India.”On 11 March, during the debate on the Delhi communal violence in the Lok
Sabha, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP MPs Meenakshi Lekhi and Tejaswi
Surya accused Khalid of instigating the violence in Delhi by appealing to
people to protest on the streets during US President Trump’s visit to India.
Another claim regarding Khalid’s speech was made by BJP leader and former
Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis. According to Fadnavis, “Khalid in his rally
in Amravati had said riots will take place in Delhi, much before the actual
riots took place.”The speech that the Delhi Police and Amit Shah are referring
to, is one that he made in Amravati on 20 Feb. If one listens to the entire
speech, it doesn’t seem to be instigating violence anywhere. It doesn’t even
directly call for the blocking of roads. “When Donald Trump comes to India on
24 Feb., then we will say that PM and the government of India are trying to
divide the country. They are destroying the values of Mahatma Gandhi, and the
people of India are fighting against them. If those in power want to divide
India, the people of India are ready to unite the country.”This is the exact
quote of what Khalid said, regarding the protests around President Trump’s
visit to India. As is evident, he makes no mention of the visit in rest of his
speech. The part alleged by Fadnavis – that Khalid predicted the riots in Delhi
– couldn’t be found anywhere in the speech.thequint
Over 1000 social media accounts were operated from Pakistan to incite violence, report security agencies: Zeenews
New Delhi: Security agencies on Tuesday said that
over 1000 social media accounts were being operated from Pakistan to incite
Delhi riots. The details shared by the agencies also revealed that the accounts
were being operated from Islamabad, Karachi, Rawalpindi, and Lahore. The
security agencies have also shared reports of 70 such social media handles
which shared multiple tweets with the hashtag #DelhiRiots2020, #DelhiBurning,
#ShameonDelhiPolice, #DelhiPoliceTruth, and #DelhiPoliceMurders. The tweets
were done between Feb.25, and March 3, the time period when Delhi riots
happened. The report further revealed that some tweets were also done with the
Pakistan government's official Twitter account.zeenews
Delhi: For over 20 days, 2 riot-hit families await return of their 'teenage' sons from jail
New Delhi : 2 families – living three km apart –
have been counting days ever since their sons were picked up by the police
during riots and anti-CAA protests in northeast Delhi on February 25 and
26.“It’s been 22 days since my son was jailed,” said the mother of a teenager
who was arrested from Chandbagh and lodged in Madoli jail.The police have
booked him under IPC sections for rioting, assault on police, arson, unlawful
assembly and vandalism. Sections of the Arms Act are also invoked against
him.Another teenager from Khureji Khas was also arrested under identical
charges. Both families said their sons were below 18. Aadhaar card of the
Chandbagh teenager, a Class 5 dropout, which the family showed, has his date of
birth as Nov.26, 2006. His mother said his son was arrested when he had gone to
look for his younger brother on February 25 evening when the riots were raging
in the locality. “We could not search for him due to restrictions on movement
during riots… He is not even 13. How can the police arrest him?” the mother, a
domestic help, asked. 3 days later, the family received a call, saying he was
lodged in Madoli jail.Abdul Gaffar, a lawyer who is representing both the
teenagers pro bono, argued that the police are required to establish the
identity and age of an arrested person. “They did not do this in the Chandbagh
case and relied on what the child told them,” he said.
*MP POLITICAL CRISIS*
MP crisis: SC says won’t interfere with floor test, asks Speaker to decide on Congress resignations; adjourns matter for tomorrow morning
Hearing pleas concerning whether or not a floor
test should be held in the crisis-hit Madhya Pradesh, the Supreme Court
Wednesday turned down the proposal for producing 16 rebel MLAs of the Congress
in judges’ chamber. It also observed that they may or may not go to the
Assembly but they cannot be held captive. The bench comprising Justices D Y
Chandrachud and Hemant Gupta declined the offer of the rebel Congress MLAs,
saying it would not be appropriate and also refused to send its Registrar
General to meet them. It subsequently deferred the hearing for tomorrow at
10.30 am. The apex court said it is not going to come in the way of the
legislature to decide who enjoys the trust but it has to ensure that there is a
free exercise of choice which these 16 MLAs can make. “As a constitutional
court, we have to discharge our duties,” said the bench, adding, as of now it
knows that 16 rebel MLAs in Madhya Pradesh tilt the balance one way or the
other. The SC ordered the Speaker to
decide quickly on the resignations. The
bench was hearing cross petitions filed by former Chief Minister and senior BJP
leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Congress on the ongoing political crisis in
the state. During the hearing, the state Congress also sought a deferment of
the trust vote called by the BJP till completion of by-polls to fill seats
vacated by 6 MLAs whose resignations have been accepted.indianexpress
Digvijaya detained after trying to meet rebel MLAs staying at Bengaluru resort
Bengaluru:Former MP Chief Minister and senior
Congress leader Digvijaya Singh was taken into preventive custody along with
several other party leaders on Wednesday morning as he turned up outside the
resort wanting to meet rebel Congress MLAs from Madhya Pradesh staying there.At
present, Mr. Singh and the other Congress leaders are being held at Amrutahalli
Police Station where Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president D.K.
Shivakumar has arrived.Singh plans to meet Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa to
urge him to be allowed to meet the rebel MLAs.thehindu
*J&K, SOUTH ASIA & India*
Give details of Omar Abdullah’s release in 7 days or will hear sister’s plea: SC to Centre
New Delhi:The Supreme Court has questioned the
Centre on the release of former Jammu and Kashmir CM Omar Abdullah.Asking the
government to inform the court if it is planning to release Omar Abdullah from
custody, the Supreme Court gave the Centre one week. "If you are releasing
Omar Abdullah, release him soon or we will hear his sister's plea against his
detention on merit," the Supreme Court told Centre on Wednesday.The Supreme
Court was hearing a plea by Sara Abdullah Pilot, seeking release from detention
of her brother Omar Abdullah. On March 5, the SC had said that it will hear,
after Holi break, the petition filed by Sara Pilot, challenging her brother's
detention under the Jammu and Kashmir PSA.On March 2, the Jammu and Kashmir
administration had told the Supreme Court that Omar Abdullah has been a
"very vocal critic" of the abrogation of Article 370 and his presence
would pose an "imminent threat to public order".The administration also
objected to the petition filed by Omar Abdullah's sister challenging his
detention under Jammu and Kashmir PSA.indiatoday
JK economy has collapsed due to restrictions imposed since last Aug: Cong
Targeting the government over restrictions
imposed in Jammu and Kashmir since August last year, the Congress on Wednesday
said the economy of the region has collapsed due to the measures and demanded
immediate release of former chief ministers Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah.
Initiating a discussion on the budgetary proposals and demand for grants for
the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh, Congress member Manish
Tewari urged the government to “open ears” and “listen” to the voices of people
as he claimed a “dangerous situation” is developing there.He said that social
peace is important for economic development of a place. Tewari alleged that the
decisions of August 5, 2019 to abrogate provisions of Article 370 of the
Constitution, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, and divide the
state into Union territories, have demolished the economy. He said that growth
of key sectors, including agriculture and tourism, are declining.PTI
Journalism in Kashmir in 'state of repression': International Press Institute
Srinagar: Press freedom in Kashmir is "under
a serious threat from security forces", International Press Institute
(IPI) has said in a report published on Tuesday.Raising concerns about the
conditions of journalists in the disputed Muslim-majority region, the global
media watchdog urged India's Hindu nationalist government to end restrictions
and harassment of journalists placed following revocation of the region's
special status last August."Journalism in Jammu and Kashmir is under a
dramatic state of repression," Ravi R Prasad, director of advocacy at the
Vienna-based IPI, said in a statement."The state is using a mix of
harassment, intimidation, surveillance and online information control to
silence critical voices and force journalists to resort to
self-censorship."
J&K: Internet restrictions to continue
J&K administration Tuesday ordered continued
restriction of mobile data speed citing the “security scenario” and reports by
law enforcement agencies. However, the directions will be reviewed again on
March 26. The home department said the decision was taken “on consideration of
the overall security and the reports of the law enforcement agencies inter-alia
bringing out the necessity of speed related restrictions on mobile data
services to prevent misuse of social media applications, as also taking note of
recent terror activities, and non assessment of the available alternatives”.
Govt gave internet access to journalists, banks during Kashmir shutdown: Union Minister for Telecom Dhotre
Professionals, including journalists and bankers,
and select public premises were given internet access for carrying out their
work during the time of shutdown in Kashmir, Parliament was informed today.Minister
of State for Telecom Sanjay Dhotre in a written reply to Lok Sabha said that
state governments are empowered to issue orders for temporary suspension of
internet services to maintain law and order in the state or part there of under
the provisions contained in the Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services
(Public Emergency or Public Safety) Rules, 2017.He further said that records
related to internet shutdowns ordered by state governments are not maintained
by either Department of Telecom or Ministry of Home Affairs.Dhotre said that
government is conscious of the requirements and difficulties likely to be faced
by the general public and professionals including journalists etc due to
measures taken for safeguarding the sovereignty and integrity of India, the
security of the State, maintaining public order and for prevention of loss of
human life and property.deccanherald
‘World prays for coronavirus vaccine, Kashmir demands high-speed internet’: Turkish Radio and TV
Srinagar:Fardeen Malik, who works for a
non-profit in Kashmir, desperately wants to socially distance himself from
people as a preventative measure against the coronavirus infection. To begin
with, he wants to work from home. But he can’t because the Indian state has
denied the region the high-speed internet that could enable him to do so. Malik
told TRT World that most of his co-workers were complacent but that may change
soon since the neighbouring Jammu region has 3 people who have tested as
positive, and 6 cases have been reported from Ladakh with one from Kargil
district. “I wash my hands often. I avoid
contact with my colleagues who call me a paranoid hypochondriac,” Malik said.“I
have to travel about 70 kilometres to and fro every day only to worry myself to
death at office,” he said.trtworld.com
India Rejects Reference to Kashmir in Pakistan-China Joint Statement
New Delhi: After Pakistan and China discussed
Kashmir during the visit of Pakistan President Arif Alvi to Beijing, India
reiterated its dismissal of any comment on “internal affairs” and objected
again to China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Pakistani head of state was
on a 2-day visit to Beijing, the first to China since COVID-19 outbreak took on
epidemic proportions. A joint statement issued at the conclusion of the visit
stated that it was a “singular expression of Pakistan’s solidarity with its
“iron brother””.The joint statement noted that there was an exchange of views
“on the situation in J&K”.“Chinese side underscored that it was paying
close attention to the current situation and reiterated that the Kashmir issue
was a dispute left from history, and should be properly and peacefully resolved
based on UNSC resolutions and bilateral agreements,” the diplomatic document said.It
added that the China “opposes any unilateral actions that complicate the
situation”.In response, Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Raveesh Kumar
said that India rejected the reference to J&K in Pakistan-China joint
statement. “Union Territory of J&K is an integral part of India. Issues
related to J&K are internal matter of India. We expect other countries
including China not to comment on matters that are internal affairs of India
and also to respect India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity just as India
refrains from commenting on internal issues of other countries,” he said.Kumar
also registered India’s protest over the “so-called illegal CPEC”. Joint
statement had described CPEC as “transformational” and “hoped that the
international community will support such efforts that underpin economic
development”.Pointing out that CPEC was in Indian territory, Kumar said, “India
is resolutely opposed to any actions by other countries to change the status
quo in Pakistan occupied J&K. We call on parties concerned to cease such
actions. Such illegal activities will never be accepted by India.”thewire
Parliament : Lok Sabha passes Jammu and Kashmir Appropriation Bill
New Delhi : Lok Sabha Wednesday passed the Jammu
and Kashmir Appropriation (No. 2) Bill, 2020. The Bill authorises payment and
appropriation of certain sums from and out of the Consolidated Fund of Jammu
and Kashmir for the services of the financial year 2019-2020.indianexpress
*OTHERS*
Appointments After Retirement: Tale of 2 Gogoi brothers
New Delhi: Barely 2 months before President Ram
Nath Kovind nominated retired CJI Ranjan Gogoi to Rajya Sabha on the
recommendation of the Modi government, Rashtrapati Bhavan had also nominated
Gogoi’s elder brother – (Retd) Air Marshal Anjan Gogoi – as a full-time member
of North Eastern Council (NEC), nodal agency for the economic and social
development of the northeastern states under Department of North East Region
(DoNER) Ministry.A nominated member of the NEC holds the rank of a minister of
state.A retired senior official of the NEC, who did not want to be named here
“for personal reasons”, told The Wire, “There is no bar in nominating a member
to the NEC from any background. However, what is generally kept in mind is that
since it is a regional advisory body, the person nominated should be very much
involved in policymaking around the socio-economic conditions of the north
east.”He added, “In the 40 years’ history of the NEC, Anjan Gogoi must be the
first retired senior defence official to be appointed as its nominated member
by the President.”Anjan Gogoi retired on Feb.28, 2013, as Air Officer,
Commanding-in-Chief, South Western Command, Gandhinagar. Commissioned as an
officer in 1973, though Gogoi had served in some parts of the Northeast, most
of his postings had been outside of the region. According to local news
reports, Anjan Gogoi, after taking over as a full-time member, attended
consultative meetings of NEC at its Shillong Secretariat along with another
nominated member Biman Kumar Dutta on February 13 and 14. They discussed ways
to encourage the central govt’s Start-Up India programme in the region in
addition to tailoring an exclusive tourism policy for the state.The Wire
'Shameless', 'disgraceful', 'sexual pervert': Katju blasts ex-CJI Gogoi
Retired supreme court judge Markandey Katju on
Tuesday responded fiercely to the nomination of former chief justice of India
Ranjan Gogoi to the Rajya Sabha. “I have been a lawyer for 20 yrs and a judge
for another 20. I hv known many good judges & many bad judges. But I have
never known any judge in the Indian judiciary as shameless & disgraceful as
this sexual pervert Ranjan Gogoi. There was hardly any vice which was not in
this man,” justice Katju tweeted.Katju had spoken out against Gogoi before. In
January, he responded to the Supreme Court’s decision to reinstate a woman
employee who had been dismissed after accusing Gogoi of sexual misconduct,
calling Gogoi a “rascal and a rogue”.
Ex-SC judges say Gogoi in RS clouds judiciary’s independence, he says am for nation-building
‘The Telegraph’ gets Press Council notice for ‘Kovind-Covid’ wordplay on former CJI’s RS nomination
Press Council of India on Tuesday issued a
show-cause notice to the editor of The Telegraph for its frontpage headline for
the news report about former Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi’s nomination
to the Rajya Sabha.The council said the headline violated the Norms of
Journalistic Conduct. It said that the council was of the view that “satirical
comments ridiculing and denigrating the first citizen of the country is
uncalled for and beyond the call for fair journalistic comment”.In its
frontpage headline on Tuesday, The Telegraph said, “Kovind, not Covid, did it”
– a reference to the raging COVID-19 global pandemic.scroll
No inciting slogans, violence at JNU gate on Jan 5: Govt
Union Home Ministry on Wednesday said no chanting
of inciting slogans, violence and assault were noticed at the North Gate of the
JNU on January 5 when a mob of masked people barged into the campus.In a
written reply in Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Home Affairs, G. Kishan
Reddy on Wednesday said the Delhi Police have reported that on the receipt of
the request from the Vice Chancellor, JNU, on January 5, police personnel were
deployed inside the Campus to control the violent situation."Professors,
injured students and security guards have been examined and CCTV footages have
been obtained for analysis to identify the rioters," Reddy said in the
reply to a question by Congress leader Digvijaya Singh. The Congress MP had
asked whether it is a fact that on January 5, "Delhi Police had closed the
JNU North Gate and a group of people assembled outside the gate and they
chanted slogans inciting violence and assaulted and manhandled many other
individuals including eminent citizens who were present there."Raddy said
as per the Delhi Police, the JNU North Gate was closed and there was a proper
deployment of police personnel to ensure that there is no unauthorized entry of
any outsider inside the University.IANS
NHRC seeks action in case of Assam man assaulted for selling beef
NHRC has issued a notice to the Assam government
asking why a Muslim man assaulted almost a year ago for selling beef should not
be paid ₹1 lakh as compensation. The commission instructed the State’s Chief
Secretary to reply within 6 weeks from March 12. It gave a similar deadline to
the State’s DGP to submit an action-taken report against the police officials
found guilty of letting the assault happen.Some vigilantes had assaulted
68-year-old Shaukat Ali for selling beef in his restaurant at a weekly market
in north-eastern Assam’s Biswanath Chariali town. There were allegations that
the local police were mute spectators when the vigilantes assaulted him on
April 7, 2019.thehindu
SC pulls up Centre, telecos for doing self-assessment of AGR dues fixed by court
The Supreme Court on Wednesday pulled up the
Centre and telecom companies for doing self-assessment or reassessment of the
Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) dues fixed by the apex court in its verdict given
on October 24 last year.The top court, which was also anguished by frequently
published newspaper articles on the AGR issue, said all Managing Directors of
telecom companies will be personally responsible and will be held for contempt
of court for any such future newspaper articles.PTI
Inquiry panel summons NCP chief Sharad Pawar as witness in 2018 Bhima-Koregaon violence case
Pune: Koregaon Bhima Inquiry Commission has
summoned NCP chief Sharad Pawar to depose before it as a witness in the 2018
caste-violence case, the panel's lawyer Ashish Satpute said on Wednesday.Pawar
will have to appear before the commission in Mumbai, as the scheduled hearing
by the commission was shifted there in view of coronavirus outbreak. The
hearing, which was scheduled to be held in the last week of March, will now be
held between 30 March and 4 April. Apart from Pawar, the commission has also
summoned then SP (Pune Rural) Suvez Haq, then Additional SP, Sandip Pakhale,
then Additional Commissioner, Pune, Ravindra Sengaonkar, and then Collector
Saurabh Rao, Satpute added.PTI
Gujarat HC nod to sale of shops by Hindus to Muslims in disturbed area
Gujarat
high court has granted permission to sale of shops by Hindus to Muslims in a
Vadodara area, where the state government has imposed the Disturbed Areas Act.
The HC said that the authorities do not have to verify except the free will of
the seller and fair price of the property, that it is not a distress sale and
without fear.In this case, the authorities denied permission for sale of the
properties by Hindus to Muslims on consideration that it would reduce the
strength of Hindu traders in the area. This happened after the initiation of a
police inquiry whether law and order would be disturbed if Muslims purchase
properties in the area, which falls under the Gujarat Prohibition of Transfer
of Immovable Property and Provisions of Tenants from Eviction from Premises in
Disturbed Areas Act, 1991, which requires prior permission for sale/purchase of
properties involving people belonging to different faiths.The high court has
quashed the orders by Vadodara deputy collector and the secretary denying
permission to sale/purchase of properties by two brothers Dinesh and Deepakbhai
Modi to Muslim traders Onali Dholkawala and Iqbal Tinwala.TOI
Hindi crime web series have an upper caste, anti-minority bias: thequint
“To nab every Pabbi and Monty Singh, there will be
many Abhinav Mathurs in this country”.This is the punchline delivered at the
end of Sanjay Gadhvi’s Operation Parindey, an under-55-minute short film on
Zee’s OTT platform ZEE5. It is not clear what the protagonist (played by Amit
Sadh) is trying to say, but juxtaposition of Sikh “villains” and Hindu “hero”
isn’t entirely subtle.In another web series – Bhaukaal on Times Group’s MX
Player – this is even more direct. The hero, police officer Naveen Sikera, says
“Eid Mubarak” to the villain Shaukeen Khan
before ordering his men to shoot him.Operation Parindey and Bhaukaal are
both part of the rising number of “inspired by true events” crime shows on
Indian Over Top (OTT) platforms.And in some of these series, the dramatisation
of events end up pushing a certain majoritarian narrative.For instance in
Operation Parindey, which is based on the infamous jail break that took place
in Nabha in Punjab in 28 Nov.2016, Khalistan and Pakistan angle is constantly
overplayed.The jail break is shown as Pakistan’s retaliation against the 2016
surgical strikes, when there’s no substance to back this.The antagonist here is
Monty Singh, based on Harminder Singh Mintoo, leader of Khalistan Liberation
Force, who escaped from Nabha Jail in 2016.He is weirdly shown as calling up
his handlers in Pakistan and greeting them with “Asalaam Alaikum” soon after
escaping from jail.The portrayal of Sikhs in Operation Parindey is largely
negative – they are shown either as militants, gangsters or incompetent
policemen. On the other hand, most of the “good guys” have Hindu names and
there are no turbaned Sikhs among them.MX Player’s Bhaukaal is similarly
inspired by real life UP cadre IPS officer Navneet Sikera’s stint as SP in
Muzaffarnagar in early 2000s.Here the protagonist Naveen Sikera spars against
two gangs led by Dedha brothers and Shaukeen Khan. However as first season
progresses, it is Khan who emerges as the main antagonist.The filmmakers put a
great deal of effort to build up Khan as a cruel, sadistic and menacing
character, while also showing him as a practicing Muslim.There’s also a
manipulative Muslim politician dressed like Azam Khan thrown into the
mix.thequint
'Non-Hindu' Sara Ali Khan's 'Ganga aarti' participation at Varanasi temple creates controversy: freepressjournal
Varanasi: Actor Sara Ali Khan's much publicized
visit to Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi, has drawn the ire of local
pandits and saints.The actor was shooting for 'Antrangi Re' when she visited
Kashi Vishwanath temple and participated in 'Ganga aarti' on Sunday.er mother
and actor Amrita Singh was with her.Kashi Vikas Samiti has now raised
objections to the actor's visit on the grounds that Sara Ali Khan in a
non-Hindu.Chandra Shekhar Kapoor, the secretary of the Samiti, said, "The
actor's visit to temple is against traditions and established norms. It also
raises questions on the security of the temple when there is a signboard
clearly stating that the entry of 'non-Hindus' is prohibited."Local
pandits and seers are also upset over Sara attending the 'Ganga aarti' and
Kashi Vishwanath temple. Rakesh Mishra, a priest said that Sara would be known
by the religion of her father, Saif Ali Khan, who is a Muslim.
Meenakshi Lekhi’s Claim About ‘No Riots in Guj Post 2002’ is False
While addressing Lok Sabha on the violence that
broke out in parts of northeast Delhi, BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi claimed that most
incidents of rioting have taken place under the Congress regime adding that the
only incident of riots, which everyone is always reminded of, was in Gujarat in
2002 and there has been no such case post that in the state. According to NCRB
data from year 2014, 57 cases of communal violence/riots were reported from the
state of Gujarat while the total number of cases of riots in the state were
1,354. NCRB recorded the number of victims for these 57 cases to be at 107.For
the year 2015, number of cases of riots that were recorded were 1,751 while
those of communal violence/riots stood at 45. While for the year 2016, number
of communal riots/violence in the state stood at 62 with 105 victims. Similarly
for 2017 and 2018, the total number of cases of riots in state stood at 1,740
and 1,898 respectively. Cases of communal violence/riots were 44 and 39
respectively.thequint
Gujarat: Third accused sent to judicial custody in 1992 riots case
Surat :Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC)
court in Surat on Tuesday sent a third accused — after a Congress leader and
his aide — to judicial custody after a non-bailable warrant was issued against
him in a case related to the riots that broke out in Surat following the
demolition of Babri mosque in 1992. A total of 26 accused were arrested earlier
by police for rioting as well as under TADA charges.The third accused is
Shakeel Shamshuddin Ansari, a resident of Unn in Surat and father of seven
children. He sells bakery items on truck in Unn area in Surat. Earlier he was
residing in Limbayat area.On March 15, Udhna police reached his house in Unn
area and informed him that a non-bailable warrant has been issued against him
by the Surat district court in a rioting case. Shakeel accompanied the police
to JMFC court on Sunday from where he was sent to judicial custody, after his
bail application was rejected.indianexpress
Court to hear Nirbhaya convicts' plea seeking stay on execution tomorrow
A Delhi court will hear tomorrow the plea seeking
stay on the execution of death penalty of four convicts in the Nirbhaya
gangrape and murder case.The counsel for the four death row convicts in the
Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case moved the court on Wednesday seeking
quashing of their death penalty, saying the second mercy plea of one of them is
still pending.The convicts -- Mukesh Singh (32), Pawan (25), Vinay Sharma (26)
and Akshay (31) -- are scheduled to be hanged on March 20 at 5.30 am.Additional
Sessions Judge Dharmendra Rana issued notices to Tihar jail authorities and the
police on the plea and said he will hear it tomorrow.The Public Prosecutor
opposed the plea saying it was not maintainable.Convict Akshay Singh had on
Tuesday filed a second mercy petition before President Ram Nath Kovind.On the
same day, another convict, Pawan Gupta had also moved the Supreme Court with a
curative petition against dismissal of his review plea rejecting his juvenility
claim.outlookindia
5 mosque trustees booked for disallowing man's burial
Thane: 5 Trustees of a
mosque have been booked for allegedly disallowing the burial of a 64-year-old
man, and thereby desecrating his body, police said here on Tuesday. The accused
have been identified as Nazeem Raza, Shamim Raza, Yusuf Raza, Shakil Pani and
Mansoor, all of whom, are the Trustees of the Quater Gate Masjid in Bhiwandi
town here. Giving further details of the case he said that one Razzab Ali
Hasrat Ali Ansari, 64 of the town passed away on the late night of March 2, the
deceased was taken to the graveyard for burial. However, the accused objected saying
that the late person belongs to a different sect of Islam. UNI
*Coronavirus UPDATES*
Coronavirus India updates March 18: Govt confirms 276 Indians infected abroad, cases cross 150 in country
A total of 276 Indians have been infected with the
novel coronavirus abroad, including 255
in Iran, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) informed the Lok Sabha on
Wednesday. The government’s clarification came a day after reports emerged that
a large number of Indian pilgrims in Iran had tested positive for the
infection. Out of 276, 12 are also from UAE, five from Italy and one each from
Hong Kong, Kuwait, Sri Lanka and Rwanda.Within the country, the total number of
confirmed cases has climbed to 153, including 14 who have recovered and 3
deaths, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said in its latest bulletin.
Maharashtra has reported the maximum number of cases, followed by Kerala,
Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. While the Indian Army reported its first case, BJP MP
Suresh Prabhu isolated himself at his residence for the next 14 days following
his return from Saudi Arabia.indianexpress
195 Indians brought back from coronavirus-hit Iran, kept at Army facility in Jaisalmer
Jaisalmer: A batch of 195 Indians stranded in the
coronavirus-hit Iran was brought back by a special plane on Wednesday evening,
an official said here.They landed at Rajasthan''s Jaisalmer airport and were
shifted to an Army''s wellness facility after screening, defence spokesperson
Col Sombit Ghosh said.With the arrival of the fresh batch, the number of
quarantined people at the Army facility in the Jaisalmer Military Station
increased to 484, he said.The first batch of 236 people had arrived on Sunday
in two flights while the second group of 53 Indians came on Monday.PTI
Karnataka under lockdown till March 31
Karnataka will be under lockdown till March 31.
All public places including malls, cinema theatre, schools and colleges, and
other places will remain shut. Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa has
formed four task-force teams to contain the spread of COVID-19 and released Rs
200 crore for preventing the epidemic.According to Karnataka health minister,
the state has reported two more new cases, taking the total number of positive
cases in the state to 13.indianexpress
BJP activist arrested for hosting cow urine consumption event to fight COVID-19
Kolkata :A BJP activist has been arrested for
organising a cow urine consumption event here, claiming that it will protect
people from coronavirus or cure those already infected, leading to a civic
volunteer falling ill after drinking it, police said on Wednesday. He was
arrested late Tuesday night following a complaint filed by the victim with the
police, they said.According to police officials, 40-year-old Narayan Chatterjee,
a local party worker of Jorasakho area in North Kolkata, had on Monday
organised a cow-worship programme at a cowshed and distributed cow urine. He
vouched for its “miraculous” properties while offering gaumutra to others.PTI
Immune system can produce antibodies to fight moderate Covid-19: Study
A patient’s immune system can produce antibodies
that fight mild-to-moderate cases of the coronavirus infection, reported a
breakthrough study that experts say will be crucial in the development of a
vaccine.A 47-year-old woman in Melbourne with mild-to-moderate coronavirus
disease, or Covid-19, produced antibodies that fought the infection and
recovered in about 10 days without any medicines, the study found.The paper,
published in Nature Medicine journal on Tuesday by researchers at Peter Doherty
Institute for Infection and Immunity, was based on blood samples tested at four
different time points, which detailed how a patient’s immune system responds to
the virus.To be sure, the patient was otherwise healthy, the disease was
mild-to-moderate, and she was a non-smoker. She was administered intravenous
fluids to prevent dehydration but not given any antibiotics, steroids or
antiviral agents to treat the infection that primarily affected her lungs. She
had travelled from Wuhan in China, the epicenter of the global epidemic.HT
Coronavirus scare: Himachal bars darshan at several temples; advises devotees to do it online
Himachal Pradesh government Tuesday suspended the
darshan at all the government-controlled temples and ordered measures to
sanitise public places as the total number of people under surveillance climbed
to 613, even as no person has tested positive for novel coronavirus in the
state so far.Entry to several temples in the state has been suspended ahead of
the Navratras from March 25 to April 2, when devotees including people from
outside the state congregate in large numbers, especially at some of the major
temples in Kangra, Una, Bilaspur, Hamirpur and Sirmaur districts.indianexpress
Got coronavirus symptoms?WHO says avoid self-medicating with ibuprofen
WHO on Tuesday recommended that people suffering
from COVID-19-like symptoms should avoid self-medicating with ibuprofen, after
French authorities warned anti-inflammatory drugs could worsen the effects of
the virus.The warnings over the weekend by French Health Minister Olivier Veran
followed a recent study in The Lancet weekly medical journal that hypothesised
that an enzyme that is boosted when taking anti-inflammatory drugs like
ibuprofen could facilitate and worsen COVID-19 infections.Asked about the
study, WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier said “in the case of fever, take
paracetamol.”His comments came after Veran sent a tweet cautioning that the use
of ibuprofen and similar anti-inflammatory drugs could be “an aggravating
factor” in COVID-19 infections.He stressed that patients already being treated
with anti-inflammatory drugs, should “ask advice from your doctor.” Paracetamol
must be taken strictly according to the dose, because too high a dosage can be
very dangerous for the liver.HT
Mata Vaishno Devi Yatra closed by J&K admin over coronavirus pandemic
Jammu and Kashmir administration on Wednesday
suspended the Vaishno Devi Yatra in view of coronavirus outbreak.“Shri Mata
Vaishno Devi Yatra has been closed from today. Operations of all inter-state
buses, both incoming and outgoing from J&K, are banned from today,”
Department of Information and Public Relations said.HT
COVID-19: J&K bans entry of foreign tourists, closes hotels
The entry of foreign tourists has been banned in
Jammu and Kashmir as a precautionary measure to slow the spread of novel
coronavirus.The order to ban the entry of foreign tourists was issued by Baseer
Khan, adviser to the Lt. Governor, on Tuesday evening.The government has also
ordered the closure of hotels, restaurants, community kitchens and banned home
delivery of food in Srinagar as additional steps against the spread of
COVID-19.The ban on foreign tourists came after four states in the northeast—Arunachal
Pradesh, Sikkim, Mizoram and Nagaland—had banned entry of foreigners as a
precautionary measure against the spread of coronavirus.theweek
Coronavirus: Railways cancels 85 trains including Rajdhani, Duronto as precautionary measure
Railways has cancelled 85 trains as precaution
against the spread of coronavirus and due to low occupancy, officials said. It
has also issued a set of guidelines to zonal railways for its catering staff
stating no employee having fever, cough, runny nose or difficulty in breathing
"should be deployed in the business of food handling on Indian
Railways".According to officials, central railways cancelled 23 trains,
south central railways cancelled 29 trains, western railways cancelled 10
trains, south eastern railways cancelled 9 trains, east coast and northern
railways cancelled 5 trains each, and north western railways cancelled 4
trains.theweek
Coronavirus: Indian Army defers all Services Selection Board interviews
Indian Army has deferred all Services Selection
Board interviews that aspirants are required to clear before joining the armed
forces as officers, said two government officials on conditions of anonymity,
on Wednesday. They said that the decision has been taken in view of the rising
cases of coronavirus infections in the country.HT
AMU suspends admission tests, around 12 varsity teachers, students advised isolation, says Official
Aligarh: AMU suspended till further notice all
admission tests to its various schools slated earlier till March 31, an AMU
notification said.Semester examinations for different classes, however, would
be held as per schedule, it added.PTI
Coronavirus : 343 Indian students in Malaysia headed to India
India reported its third death from the COVID-19
pandemic on Tuesday. The number of COVID-19 cases tested positive in India is
153 and there are 136 active cases.According to WHO, as of March 17, there were
184,976 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 7,529 deaths in 159 countries.The Hindu
No BJP protest for one month, says chief JP Nadda
BJP will not hold protest or demonstration for one
month due to coronavirus, the party’s chief J P Nadda said. “PM, yesterday in
the Parliamentary party meeting, had desired that because of coronavirus we
should avoid any type of agitation, dharna, demonstration. Keeping that in
view, BJP has decided that for the next one month the party won’t participate
in any agitation, demonstration,” Nadda was quoted as saying by PTI. “All party
units have been asked to spread awareness about coronavirus and they must
discuss the dos and dont’s in small groups. While on one hand we have to see to
its that we keep ourselves clean, we also need to make sure that we do not
panic,” he added.indianexpress
Word of caution on coronavirus amid dip in numbers at mosques
New Delhi: Amid the novel coronavirus scare, mosques
and mausoleums in the city have put their faith in cleanliness and social
distancing to keep the threat at bay. The premises are being disinfected at
regular intervals and people, through sermons, are being urged to religiously
follow the directives issued by the state and the central government to tackle
the outbreak.While there has been a dip in the number of visitors, no decision
has yet been taken on suspending Namaz assemblies at the mosques. However,
those coming to pray are told to be cautious and take necessary precautions,
say the officials concerned.“We have witnessed a significant decline in the
number of people coming to the mosque. We are yet to announce suspension of the
prayers, but people are being requested via loudspeakers to wash hands
frequently with soaps and carry sanitisers. They are also told to maintain a
safe distance and avoid shaking hands with each other,” said Ansar, a member of
the Jama Masjid mosque administration.At the nearby Shahjahan-era Fatehpuri
mosque too, the imam has been urging people to avoid physical contact for the
next few days. “In our taqreer before the Jumma’h prayers, we had asked people
to be cautious and follow directives issued by the government. Maintaining safe
distance and hygiene is the key to avoid any infection.”“We cannot ask people
to stop offering prayers at mosques. We are a semi-government body and such
decisions are best left to the religious organisations. I am sure they will be
discussing this,” added Basit Ali, the media coordinator of Delhi Waqf Board. A
massive disinfection drive is underway at the Nizamuddin dargah, the city’s
most popular place for qawwali, for the past couple of days.TOI
Global coronavirus pandemic cases top 200,000
The coronavirus has now infected more than 200,000
people and killed more than 8,000 globally, with almost 80,000 people having
recovered from the infection, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins
University.WHO is calling for more "aggressive" action to curb the
coronavirus in Southeast Asia after the European Union, now at the epicentre of
the coronavirus pandemic, moved to seal off its borders.Southeast Asia is
facing a wave of infections that started from an event at a mosque on the
outskirts of Kuala Lumpur attended by some 16,000 people. Malaysia now has the
biggest outbreak in the region.Europe has moved to close its external borders
as hard-hit Italy reported an additional 345 deaths from the virus, and France
imposed a draconian lockdown unseen during peacetime. In the United States,
meanwhile, the virus has now spread to all 50 states.aljazeera
Coronavirus: Saudi shuts mosques, calls emergency meet of G20 leaders
Saudi Arabia said on Tuesday that mosques would no
longer be open for the customary five daily prayers or Friday congregations, an
exceptional move to limit the spread of the coronavirus which has infected 171
people in the kingdom. Saudi Arabia, which chairs the Group of 20 major economies,
announced an extraordinary virtual leaders summit next week to put forward a
coordinated set of policies to protect people and safeguard the global economy.
US-allied Gulf Arab states have registered more than 1,000 infections, many
linked to travel to neighbouring Iran, which is an epicentre for the outbreak
in the Middle East.Oman, which reported nine new cases for a total of 33, is
closing mosques, restaurants, coffee shops, tourist sites and traditional
markets and malls, except groceries and pharmacies, starting Wednesday at
midday. It will bar foreigners from entering and nationals from leaving, state
TV said.Qatar, with three new cases bringing its total to 442, likewise
shuttered mall shops not selling food or pharmaceuticals, and closed part of an
industrial zone for at least two weeks, a government spokeswoman said.Prayers
will continue only at the two holy mosques in Mecca and Medina,holiest places
in Islam, SPA reported, citing the kingdom’s top clerical body. UAE registered
15 new cases, raising its total to 113.Reuters
Iran defends response as virus deaths surpass 1,000
Iran said its coronavirus death toll surpassed
1,000 today as President Hassan Rouhani defended the response of his
administration, which has yet to impose a lockdown.The COVID-19 outbreak in
sanctions-hit Iran is one of the deadliest outside China, where the disease
originated.Rouhani's government said the virus has killed 1,135 people out of
17,161 cases of infection since it first emerged in the Islamic Republic a month
ago."Some ask why the government isn't intervening, but I think we have
intervened significantly," the president said.The health ministry said
5,710 people had overcome the virus.Iran has yet to impose any lockdowns, but
officials have repeatedly called on the public to stay home for the Iranian New
Year holidays starting this week.aljazeera
Italy's coronavirus death toll surges past 2,500
Italy reported 345 new coronavirus deaths in the
country over the last 24 hours taking its total death toll to 2,503 - an
increase of 16 percent.The total number of cases in Italy rose to 31,506 from a
previous 27,980, up 12.6 percent - the slowest rate of increase since the
contagion came to light on February 21. Italy is the European country hardest
hit by coronavirus.aljazeera
*VIEWS, ARTICLES, FEATURES*
CJI Gogoi was blot on judiciary, but
other SC judges equally culpable:Justice Katju, theweek
Recorded Rewards from Ram Lalla for
the staunch supporters of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya:Yusuf Ansari, twocircles.net
Time has come to ask: Should judges
stop accepting post-retirement jobs offered by govt: Advocate Abhinav
Chandrachud, indianexpress
Withdraw NPR, repeal NRC: With
coronavirus looming, Modi needs to assure protestors they can go home;Shoaib
Daniyal, scroll
Girl Made DSP for a Day Used to Show
Muslim SP Didn't Wear Uniform: thequint
OpIndia Runs Fake News On Muslims
Refusing to Be Tested in K’taka:thequint
Coronavirus: Dear Muslims, there is
nothing called ‘Halal hand sanitizer’:Md Hussain Rahmani, HT
As Shaheen Bagh Fights, Where Are the
Women of Aligarh?Hayaat Fatemah,thewire
Will BJP's UP Model of Mobilising
Scheduled Castes Work in Tamil Nadu?Vignesh Karthik KR, Jeyannathann
Karunanithi, thewire
‘We Broke Hostel Locks at DU to
Protest Unfair Curfew Timings’: thequint
Coronavirus crisis calls for
solidarity but it also begets deeper conflicts:Pratap Bhanu Mehta,
indianexpress
Bhim Army and Azad Samaj Party mark a
new phase of Dalit assertion:Rehnamol Raveendran, indianexpress
States can checkmate Modi govt on NRC
in 3 easy steps: delink, defer, diffuse:YOGENDRA YADAV
Coronavirus: Why Kashmir needs full
speed internet:Sadiq Shaban, Deputy Opinion Editor gulfnews
Ranjan Gogoi’s nomination to Rajya
Sabha will fuel debate around CAA, NRC; ex-CJI likely to counter Opposition
Assamese candidate AJit Kumar Bhuyan:Kangkan Acharyya
Will Coronavirus Be the New Fulcrum of
US-China Geopolitics?Oliver Turner and Inderjeet Parmar, thewire
'India Could Be Next Coronavirus
Hotspot, in Worst Case up to 60% Could Be Infected':Karan Thapar, thewire
Ranjan Gogoi's RS Nomination Calls All
His Judgments Into Question, Says Legal Expert:Nikhila Henry
Maoists adopt new propaganda strategy,
amp up rhetoric on CAA, NRC, NPR to drive new offensive against State:Debobrat
Ghose , firstpost
Siyasat Jadid: How one of UP’s oldest
Urdu dailies is battling for survival in the digital age: newslaundry
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