NEWS DIGEST, MID-DAY
01 July 2018:16 Shawwal 1439: Vol:10, No:55
INDIA
Muslims in Meerut accuse Yogi's police of discrimination, threaten exodus
https://www.newsclick.in/muslims-meerut-accuse-yogis-police-discrimination-threaten-exodus
Meerut:In a development which is a reminder of "Kairana exodus", over a hundred of Muslim families of Lisadi village in Meerut, UP , have alleged that they were being prosecuted for being the religious minority by the local police under the watch of Yogi Govt.They have also threatened to leave the area where they were born, grew up and have built their assets. Since the BJP has formed the Govt in the State last year there has been a background of allegation of police discrimination, but this is the first of its kind of incident in which Muslims have threatened an exodus due to the alleged police prosecution. According to the local Muslim residents, Lisadi village has seen repeated communal tensions after numerous incidents of harassment and allegedly one-sided action by the police in clashes involving Hindus and Muslims. The local Muslims have put up 'for sale’ posters outside their houses, requesting people to buy their houses so that they could relocate.“This house is for sale. I am a Muslim. I am selling my house. Every small incidents and clash here are given a communal angle,” reads the posters and banners that have appeared on several dozen houses in Lisadi area which is part of Old Meerut city.“There has always been a minor sense of communal tension in the air of Western UP . So the local Muslims have become habituated with the communal clashes. But since the last one year, the situation has become worse. Right now the atmosphere is always charged with an extremely high amount of tension which could lead to violence any time. Smallest of the fights are given communal colours. Even if a child abuses another child, the elders are quickly involved and they would make it a Hindu-Muslim tension if the 2 children belong to different communities,” Ismael, one of the residents said.“The problem is not just that. The police do not act as a neutral agency. Police tend to prosecute the Muslims only. Politicians belonging to the ruling party immediately jump in and make it a communal issue even if the matter is far removed from that. A message is being sent to the minority community that no one can save us anymore,” he added with a brooding sense of fear. Haneef, another resident and Ismael's neighbour said that though the posters have been put on a few dozens of the houses, more than a hundred families have decided to sell their property and leave.“We are fed up of the constant tension and fights.People were promised development and not this kind of naked and raw majoritarian atmosphere where everything is seen through the prism of majoritarian identity. It is not possible to live here anymore,” he added.He referred to 2 small fights alleging that they were communalised by the politicians of ruling party and the police.Interestingly, the local MLA Rafeeq Ansari agreed with the views of the Muslims residents of Lisadi village. He said that the police had increasingly become partisan and even he had to bear the brunt of that, let alone a normal ordinary Muslim.newsclick
‘This house is for sale. I am a Muslim’, says posters on houses in UP Village
https://www.siasat.com/news/house-sale-i-am-muslim-says-posters-houses-village-1374585/
Muslims tired of communal bias want to sell property: Daily Pioneer
http://www.dailypioneer.com/nation/muslims-tired-of-communal-bias-want-to-sell-property.html
SC to hear issues regarding publication of final NRC draft tomorrow as Assam misses 30 June deadline
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/supreme-court-to-hear-issues-regarding-publication-of-final-nrc-draft-tomorrow/story-p8yOu4QKdAoHvuBa0GNe7O.html
Crucial issues relating to publication of the final draft of Assam’s National Register of Citizens (NRC) would come up before the Supreme Court on Monday, days after the NRC state coordinator said it would not be possible to release it as scheduled on June 30 due to floods in the state. The NRC is being prepared to identify illegal immigrants in Assam.A bench comprising Justices Ranjan Gogoi and Rohinton Fali Nariman, supervising the process related to the work, had earlier ordered that publication of the final draft of NRC should be completed by June 30 and refused to extend the deadline any further. However, NRC state coordinator Prateek Hajela on June 28 said the final draft would not be released as scheduled due to heavy floods in the state’s Barak valley. A plea has also been filed in the apex court seeking more time to prepare the final draft. The current wave of floods in the state has affected more than five lakh people in seven districts. As many as 25 people have also lost their lives in the floods so far.PTI
SC to Hear Crucial Assam National Register of Citizens Issue Tomorrow
https://www.news18.com/news/india/sc-to-hear-crucial-assam-national-register-of-citizens-issue-tomorrow-1796963.html
After triple talaq, Govt eyes polygamy, nikah halala, nikah misyar, mutah
https://www.siasat.com/news/after-triple-talaq-Govt -eyes-polygamy-nikah-halala-nikah-misyar-mutah-1375242/
New Delhi: Central Govt is likely to support a PIL challenging the constitutional validity of practice of polygamy, nikah halala (a requirement for a divorced couple to remarry), nikah mutah (temporary marriage in Shias) and nikah misyar (short-term marriage among Sunnis) among the Muslim community. Govt, which has already taken a strong position against the practice of triple talaq, nikah halala and polygamy on touchstone of their constitutionality in the Shayara Bano case, is likely to reiterate it when the matter comes up for hearing before the constitution bench, said informed sources.The Supreme Court on March 26 sought Central Govt’s response on the plea.Noting the importance of the issue, the top court had said the matter would be heard by a Constitution bench.It is a matter of common understanding that when the Govt opposed instant triple talaq on the grounds of gender equality and justice, it will oppose nikah halala and polygamy on the same grounds, said a source in Union Law Ministry. Lawyer Madhavi Divan, who presented Govt’s stand during the hearing of challenge to instant triple talaq, said that in the Shayara Bano case “Centre has already taken a strong stand on affidavit” on issue of triple talaq, nikah halala and polygamy.Siasat
Govt Set to Oppose Polygamy, Halala in Supreme Court, Stick to Triple Talaq-Like Stand
https://www.news18.com/news/india/govt-set-to-oppose-nikah-halala-and-polygamy-in-supreme-court-stick-to-triple-talaq-like-stand-1795119.html
MP: Families of 8 slain SIMI men to challenge panel’s findings in court
http://www.newindianexpress.com/thesundaystandard/2018/jul/01/families-of-eight-slain-students-islamic-movement-men-to-challenge-panels-findings-in-court-1836197.html
Bhopal: The families of 8 suspected SIMI men, who were killed in an ‘encounter, plan to legally challenge the single-member panel which absolved the police. 8 were killed in an alleged encounter with police, just a few hours after they allegedly escaped from the high security block of Bhopal Central Jail, after murdering a jail guard and holding another hostage on Oct.30-31, 2016. “My father and the seven other men were killed in cold blood by the cops. Despite submitting audio-visual evidence before the commission, including clips of conversation between cops during the alleged encounter, we failed to get justice,”said Mohammad Jaleel, son of Aqeel Khilji. “But we’ve full faith in the judiciary and will seek justice from the High Court or Supreme Court,” added Jaleel, from Khandwa district.Similar sentiments were echoed by Zahid Nagori, the brother-in-law of Majid Nagori, one of 8 killed.“My brother-in-law who was an electrician wasn’t arrested, but surrendered before the police in 2014. How can a surrendered man even dream of escaping the jail after murdering a jail guard?” said Zahid, who’s from Ujjain district.Senior counsel Sajid Ali, who headed a battery of lawyers that represented the kin of the deceased before the judicial commission headed by retired High Court judge SK Pandey, said the report submitted in the MP Assembly was one-sided.“We sought cross-examination of witnesses, which was denied. We wanted to be present in the jail and at the alleged encounter site when the panel visited the place, but that too didn’t happen.”“Clearly, Commission was an eye wash and there has not even been any pretense at proper enquiry,”concurs Madhuri Krishnaswamy of PUCL. newindianexpress
Professors, academicians condemn Centre’s move to scrap UGC
https://www.hindustantimes.com/education/professors-academicians-condemn-centre-s-move-to-scrap-ugc/story-aAEbkWsygAixE1ZAuscCcM.html
New Delhi:Centre’s decision to scrap the UGC and bring in a new regulatory body in the higher education sector has not gone down well with academicians, who have questioned the move saying politicians should not be involved in academic matters.HRD ministry had last week announced its decision to replace the UGC with the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) by repealing the UGC Act, 1951.According to a draft, which has been placed in the public domain by the ministry to seek feedback from the stakeholders, the new commission will solely focus on academic matters and monetary grants would be under the purview of the ministry.“It is clear that as per the new norms, the authorisation is going to be given and maintained not only on the basis of what a university has at that particular point of time, but it would be contingent on achieving a set of goals over a decade.“We can expect these goals to be about resource-generation, a burden that will surely be passed on as fees and a cutback in recruitment, and most likely, by introducing all kinds of rubbish, short-term courses.This means compliance with Centre’s diktats will be essential from the word go, for both the older and newer universities,” JNU professor Ayesha Kidwai said.Noted academician Jayaprakash Gandhi said,“The structure of the new body is such that it will give political parties more say in decision making regarding education, which should ideally be done by a group of core educationists and veteran academicians who can take the country forward.”Delhi University Teachers Association has also condemned the move as an attempt to increase direct Govt interference in higher education.PTI
Gauri Lankesh killing: SIT finds outfit linked to Hindutva group had 60 on rolls to fuel violence
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/gauri-lankesh-killing-sit-finds-outfit-linked-to-hindutva-group-had-60-on-rolls-to-fuel-violence-5240571/
Bengaluru:Karnataka Police probe the killing of journalist Gauri Lankesh has found that a covert group linked to a Hindutva outfit — suspected to be involved in the murder — recruited at least 60 people from across Karnataka in the last five years to carry out violent activities like stone throwing, arson and murders as part of a strategy to further their communal agenda.Investigations in the Lankesh case by a SIT has revealed that persons recruited by the group attempted to disrupt the screening of the film Padmaavat and trigger communal tension in Belgaum region of Karnataka last November apart from the Lankesh murder. At least half of the 60 members recruited for subversive activities have been identified and reported to the internal security department of Karnataka police for action, sources in the SIT said.6 men linked to Sanatan Sanstha, its affiliate the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS), and small splinter groups like Hindu Yuva Sena and Sri Rama Sena have been arrested by SIT over the last four months in connection with the September 5, 2017 murder of Lankesh. Four of the arrested men – Amol Kale (37) from Pune, Amit Degwekar (38) from Goa, Sujeet Kumar (38) from Udupi and Manohar Edave (29) from Vijayapura – were allegedly involved in the recruitment of dozens of youths in Karnataka for subversive activities, SIT has found.Among those recruited by the covert group from HJS and other Hindutva outfits were Parashuram Waghmare (26), a former Sri Rama Sena worker from Vijayapura, who allegedly gunned down Lankesh, and K T Naveen Kumar (37) from Maddur, who provided logistics for the murder and was chosen to play a central role in a plan to kill a writer.indianexpress
Right-wing extremists disrupt namaz again in Gurugram
https://www.siasat.com/news/right-wing-extremists-disrupt-namaz-again-gurugram-1375152/
Gurugram:Muslims were again stopped from offering Friday prayer at a vacant plot in Phase III in Gurugram.According to representatives of Muslim community, they had taken the space on rent following clashes with locals over reading namaz in the allotted spots in the area.According to a news published in Indian Express, Wajid Khan, head of Nehru Yuva Sangathan Welfare Society Charitable Trust said that “We had been given space near Moulsari Metro station for Friday prayers, but it was being disrupted. We then moved to another park owned by Haryana Urban Development Authority, but residents there objected as well.”Earlier 6 persons were arrested after a FIR was filed for allegedly disrupting the Muslim prayers at a ground in Sector 53 and threatening those offering prayers. They got bail on April 29 on technical grounds.Muslim community finally rented a space in Nathupur village. However, the report says the man who rented the space alleged that the villagers had warned him that he should either stop giving it for prayers, or he would have to move from the area. So, the owner asked Muslims to shift the prayer stop elsewhere. Hence they could no longer pray at the spot.“Reclaiming Waqf Board land and plots is a long process. As a short-term solution, the administration must ensure peaceful namaz at current locations which are over 100 in number,” said Ishrat Thameem, a management consultant.Siasat /indianexpress
Plan to Install Laxman Statue Outside Lucknow's Historic Mosque Triggers Row, Clerics Unhappy
https://www.news18.com/news/india/plan-to-install-laxman-statue-outside-lucknows-historic-mosque-triggers-row-clerics-unhappy-1796171.html
Lucknow:Lucknow Nagar Nigam has decided to install a grand statue of Lord Laxman outside Teele Wali Masjid in the city, a move that may trigger another controversy in BJP-ruled UP . The Islamic clerics believe that the statue would hinder congregational prayers outside the mosque. he mosque was earlier in news after BJP stalwart Lal Ji Tandon’s book Ankaha Lucknow claimed that the centuries-old Teele Wali Masjid was actually ‘Laxman ka Teela’. However, the area falls under Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the Lucknow Nagar Nigam would need an approval to install the statue. The municipal authorities are also facing an opposition from Muslim clerics, saying the people won’t be able to offer prayers in the vicinity of a statue. “During Eid and other important occasions, lakhs of Muslims offer prayers outside the mosque. But when a statue is installed, they won’t be able to offer namaz as in Islam we cannot offer namaz in front of a statue,” said Maulana Fazl-e-Mannan of Teele Wali Masjid. He said that similar proposals were made in 1993-94, but were not implemented owing to the opposition. The Maulana also said that they would reach out to higher authorities and “humbly request” them to reconsider decision.Lucknow mayor Sanyukta Bhatia said, “In our working committee, it was proposed that a grand statue of Lord Laxman be installed in the city. However, the exact location is not yet finalised. Keeping in mind our ‘Ganga Jamuni tehzeeb’, we respect the sentiments of everyone and if anyone has problems, we will reconsider it.”On the other hand, BJP said that the statue would give out a “good message”. News18
Lucknow University denies admission to girl who waived black flags at Yogi
http://twocircles.net/2018jun30/423972.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Twocirclesnet-IndianMuslim+%28TwoCircles.net+-+Indian+Muslim+News%29
University of Lucknow has allegedly refused to release the entrance result of Pooja Shukla, girl who showed black flags to Yogi Adityanath, CM of the state, in 2017.Shukla, who graduated from University in 2016, gave entrance examination for Master in Arts in Women Studies on June 4. When the result of the same came up on June 28, Shukla couldn’t find her name on the website.When she inquired about this with University’s controller of examination, she was told that the orders to hold her results came from “top”.According to Shukla, Lucknow University has a policy of showing results of even those who have scored no marks in the merit list. In the light of the same fact, not showing Shukla’s result is the violation of University’s own policy.TwoCircles
Yogi wears saffron turban,just like last Prophet:RSS leader
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/yogi-wears-saffron-turban-just-like-the-last-prophet-of-islam-rss-leader/articleshow/64785028.cms
Ayodhya:Senior RSS leader Indresh Kumar said here that UP CM Yogi Adityanath wears saffron turban, just like the last prophet of Islam. At an Eid Milan organised by RSS affiliate Muslim Rashtriya Manch here, when he was asked about Yogi’s refusal to wear a skull camp offered to him at Kabir’s shrine in Maghar, convenor of Muslim Rashtriya Manch and senior RSS leader Indresh Kumar said "last Prophet of Islam Hazrat Mohammad used to sport "zaafrani"-coloured turban which we call "Kesariya" (saffron) and Yogi ji wears the same saffron turban.""Yogi ji wears saffron turban and he is on the path of the 'Rasool' (Prophet) and maulanas and imams have left the path of Rasool, therefore, there is much misconception in the country about white skull caps," said Kumar, who is also the convener of Muslim Rashtriya Manch.TOI
Activists demand action against Haryana Police for false charges
http://www.indiatomorrow.net/eng/activists-demand-action-against-haryana-police-for-false-charges?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=emailemail&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Indiatomorrownet+%28IndiaTomorrow.net%29
110 civil right activists wrote to Haryana CM Khattar seeking strict action against "errant" police officers for making baseless accusations against activist Mohd Arif Tain of possessing illegal arms. In the letter, the activists said police entered Arif's home in Punhana on June 19 without any warrant or court order, vandalised his property and made baseless accusations and unsubstantiated claims against him of being in possession of illegal arms, which have not been recovered."It is feared that these attempts are being made to silence Mohd Arif's voice against lynchings and illegal encounters," reads the letter, signed by activists such as John Dayal, Navsharan Singh, Natasha Badhwar, Harsh Mander.IANS
BJP faces pullout threat from restive allies in Bihar
http://www.newindianexpress.com/thesundaystandard/2018/jul/01/bjp-faces-pullout-threat-from-restive-allies-in-bihar-1836230.html
Bihar CM Nitish Kumar of JD(U) and LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan have long been rivals in the state’s politics despite sharing space in NDA. But their growing bonhomie in recent months amid the pressures they are exerting on BJP for a “fair share” of seats to contest in the next Lok Sabha polls has alarmed the saffron party.After Kumar and Paswan praised each other highly at a recent ceremony to mark former PM VP Singh’s birth anniversary, sources in their parties indicated that the 2 leaders could together part ways with BJP. “Unless given a fair share of seats to contest, they will not hesitate to quit NDA. Whether they will join RJD-led grand alliance or form a third coalition of parties is not clear yet, but they are ready for a triangular contest,”said a senior JD(U) leader.Even though RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav has vowed not to accept Nitish again into the grand alliance, RJD leaders say party chief Lalu Prasad may agree to it. “It is not clear yet if (BJP chief) Amit Shah will meet Nitish Kumar during his July 12 visit to Patna to allay his apprehensions, but we are strengthening our base in all the 40 LS constituencies,” said a BJP state general secretary. “A triangular contest is a difficult prospect, but we are confident on Narendra Modi’s charisma and visible changes his rule has brought,” he added.newindianexpress
'Beat Her for Muslim Appeasement': Sushma Swaraj's Husband Tweets Snapshot of Troll's Message to Him
https://www.news18.com/news/politics/troll-army-attacks-sushma-swaraj-again-asks-husband-to-beat-her-up-for-muslim-appeasement-1796665.html
New Delhi: External Affairs Ministers Sushma Swaraj was targeted by social media trolls again on Saturday, some of whom accused her of “Muslim appeasement” and even dragged in her husband Swaraj Kaushal.Kaushal tweeted a screenshot of a post by a Twitter user who asked him to “beat her up and teach her not to do Muslim appeasement”. Sushma also retweeted some of the tweets by that person and posted a poll asking Twitterati if they approved of such posts. The foreign minister has been attacked by trolls on Twitter since the transfer of a Passport Seva Kendra official in Lucknow over allegedly insulting a Hindu-Muslim couple. News18
Sushma trolled on Twitter again, accused of Muslim appeasement
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/swaraj-trolled-on-twitter-again-accused-of-muslim-appeasement/articleshow/64806985.cms
Naqvi says airlines carrying Haj pilgrims will be paid Rs 57 crore less in fares this year
https://www.firstpost.com/india/mukhtar-abbas-naqvi-says-airlines-carrying-haj-pilgrims-will-be-paid-rs-57-crore-less-in-fares-this-year-4638941.html
New Delhi: Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Sunday said Rs 57 crore less will be paid to airlines in 2018 for Haj pilgrims travelling through Haj Committee of India even after the ending of subsidy for the pilgrimage.He said that despite the removal of the Haj subsidy and various new taxes imposed in Saudi Arabia, Indians were going for the pilgrimage without any additional financial burden. At a training camp for Haj Coordinators, Assistant Haj Officers or Haj Assistants here, Union minister said that for first time after the Independence, a record 1,75,025 Indians were going for Haj in 2018, of which 47 % are female, which is another record.In 2017, Rs 1,030 crore was paid to airlines as air fare for 1,24,852 Haj pilgrims, while in 2018, Rs 973 crore will be paid to airlines for 1,28,702 Haj pilgrims travelling through Haj Committee of India, Naqvi said. "Rs 57 crore less will be paid to airlines in 2018 even after ending the Haj subsidy," a statement from his office quoted the minister as saying at the event.PTI
Record number of pilgrims go on Haj this year, despite subsidy withdrawal
https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/record-number-of-pilgrims-go-on-haj-this-year-despite-subsidy-withdrawal-1274242-2018-06-30
-Number of Indians referring Urdu as their mother tongue declines: Census Data
http://www.ummid.com/news/2018/July/01.07.2018/latest-census-data-on-urdu-hindi-kashmiri-gujarati-telugu-languages.html
New Delhi: Number of Indians who used to refer Urdu as their mother tongue has declined by about 1.58%, the latest Census data released Friday said.Urdu dropped from the 6th place in 2001 (51 million speakers) to the 7th place in 2011 with 50 million people mentioning it as their mother tongue. Gujarati, which was ranked 7th in 2001 with 46 million speakers, moved ahead of Urdu to occupy the 6th spot with 55 million speakers in 2011, according to the Census data.Urdu is normally considered as the preferred language of Indian Muslims, though there are a good number of non-Muslims who are "proud speakers" of the language. Interestingly, the number of Urdu speakers has fallen despite the Muslim population increasing by around 30 million between 2001 and 2011.Hindi was the fastest growing language in India at 25.19% adding close to a 100 million speakers between 2001-2011. Kashmiri (22.97%), Gujarat (20.4%), Manipuri (20.07%), and Bengali (16.63%) are the second, third and fourth fastest growing languages, respectively, the latest Census data said.There are now 260,000 people who refer English as their mother tongue - up from 226,000 in 2001 and an increase of 14.67%. The most number of English speakers are from Maharashtra (104,000) followed by Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.Sanskrit remains the least spoken among the scheduled languages – officially recognised – with 24,821 speakers despite an increase of 76% from 2001. Marathi speakers on the other hand, went up to 7.09 % from 6.99 % .ummid.com
Gujarat CM: Strong collaboration with Israel could address core areas outlined by Govt
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/gujarat-cm-strong-collaboration-with-israel-could-address-core-areas-outlined-by-Govt -5241018/
Jerusalem :Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani has said that strong collaboration with Israel has the potential to address four core areas outlined by his Govt – strengthening agriculture sector, resolving water crisis, boosting internal security and promoting innovation. Rupani, who is in Israel on a six-day visit, said it is not a “mere coincidence” that he chose Israel as his first destination abroad but he genuinely feels that there are plenty of opportunities of collaboration between the two sides.“I had decided that my first trip abroad will be to Israel as it has excelled in all the four areas outlined by me,” Rupani told PTI. With a water crisis looming large in Gujarat causing widescale farmer discontent, Rupani has visited facilities of several leading Israeli firms in the field of water management to find solutions to overcome water crisis in the state.Downplaying the crisis, Rupani said that there is a three-fold solution available to end the crisis where Israeli experience can be very helpful.PTI
'Love jihad’ case: Karnataka tax official Irshad Khan denies wife’s link with
http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/karnataka/2018/jul/01/karnataka-tax-official-denies-wifes-link-1836457.html
Kalaburagi: Weeks after a flat where his wife is residing was raided by NIA, Deputy Commissioner (Commercial Taxes) Irshad Khan on Saturday held a press conference and said that neither he nor his wife were involved in the case of ‘love jihad’ in which a 25-year-old Hindu girl from Kochi was allegedly convinced to convert to Islam for marriage.Khan admitted that a team of officials had raided his wife’s flat at Diamond District in Bengaluru and had questioned her at length before seizing several laptops and 12 mobile phones from her residence. His wife works in Bengaluru. He said on Saturday that NIA team had questioned his wife on the suspicion that she had sheltered the girl for a fortnight in her house. He also said there were some allegations that his wife used to instigate women to convert to Islam.Denying these outright, Khan said both he and his wife will fully co-operate with NIA, which is investigating the case. “It is totally wrong that the girl was hidden in my wife’s flat before being smuggled to Saudi Arabia and Syria,” he said. newindianexpress
Delhi minorities panel seeks ASI response on steps taken in Khriki mosque issue
https://www.timesnownews.com/mirror-now/society/article/delhi-minorities-panel-seeks-asi-response-on-steps-taken-in-khriki-mosque-issue/248284
New Delhi: Delhi Minorities Commission (DMC) has sought the response of the Archaeological Survey of India on steps taken to dispel claims that the Khirki mosque -- a well known Tughlaq era monument -- was a fort of Rajput warrior Maharana Pratap. DMC chairman Zafarul Islam Khan said a suo motu notice has been issued to the ASI based on reports that some locals claim Khirki mosque to be a fort of Maharana Pratap.The monument, popularly known as Khirki mosque or fort, is situated in South Delhi's Khirki village. It was built by a high ranking official of Delhi Sultan Firoz Shah Tughlaq in the 14th century. "DMC has asked ASI to explain what action it has taken so far to refute the claim that the said mosque was a fort of Maharana Pratap," Khan said. The commission has also sought to know what steps have been taken by ASI to prevent erasing of the word "mosque" from its signboards, by miscreants. "Reports have been consistently published saying that the word mosque is being repeatedly erased from ASI signboard amid propaganda of some locals that this Tughlak era monument is a fort of Maharana Pratap," Khan said, adding the ASI's reply over the notice is awaited.PTI
Arunachal: Christians welcome plan to repeal anti-conversion law but tribal groups oppose it
https://scroll.in/latest/884820/arunachal-pradesh-christians-welcome-plan-to-repeal-anti-conversion-law-but-tribal-groups-oppose-it
Christians in Arunachal Pradesh have welcomed CM Pema Khandu’s statement that the Govt will seek to repeal in the next Assembly session a four-decade-old law that curbs religious conversions. The followers of indigenous faiths in the state, however, have criticised the CM ’s statement and claimed that it was necessary to protect traditional belief systems and local cultures.The state passed the Arunachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act in 1978, and became the third state after Odisha (1967) and Madhya Pradesh (1968) to enact such a law.“The law could undermine secularism and is probably targeted towards Christians,” Khandu, who heads the state’s BJP Govt , was quoted as saying by the Hindustan Times. “Any misuse of the law leading to torture of people could trigger large-scale violence in the state and could break Arunachal into pieces.”The Indigenous Faith and Cultural Society of Arunachal Pradesh, or IFCSAP, and the Nyishi Indigenous Faiths and Cultural Society – which fight for the preservation of indigenous faiths such as Donyi-Polo and Rangfra – described the Govt ’s proposed move as “minority appeasement and detrimental to the growth of indigenous people of the State”, The Hindu reported. The Nyishi, belonging to the Tani group, are the largest ethnic community in the state.scroll.in
'RSS-backed cow vigilante groups creating beef shortage in Goa'
https://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/rss-backed-cow-vigilante-groups-creating-beef-shortage-in-goa-118063000537_1.html
Panaji:Congress legislator Aleixo Reginaldo on Saturday demanded police protection for beef importers, who have once again complained that cow vigilantes were stopping consignments of slaughtered beef from being brought into the state from neighbouring Karnataka."Even legally those who are legally importing beef, they are being harassed by cow vigilante groups and the Govt is promoting them," Reginaldo told a press conference here, amid a fresh spate of beef shortage in the state, where nearly one third of the 1.5 million population belong to beef-eating minority communities."All Hindus, Catholics, Muslims eat what they want. Why are such differences being created now? The beef shortage is being created by cow vigilante groups in Goa, who are backed by RSS elements," Congress leader said.Anwar Bepari, president of All Goa Qureshi Meat Traders association on Friday had said cow-vigilantes were forcefully stopping beef consignments from being brought in the coastal state, giving rise of shortage of the red meat in Goa's markets.IANS
Jain organisation locks horns, goat export to Sharjah from Nagpur culled
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/jain-body-goat-export-to-sharjah-from-nagpur-culled-devendra-fadnavis-nitin-gadkari-5240625/
Nagpur :Opposition by a Jain organisation stalled a maiden goat export flight from Nagpur to Sharjah on Saturday. The Akhil Jain Samaj, a representative body of the Jain community, opposed the proposed export of 1,500 goats, brought from Rajasthan to Nagpur, on the ground of “violence against animals”, with the state Govt tamely giving in and calling off the flight.As a result, a high-profile programme, to be attended by Union Surface Transport and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari, CM Devendra Fadnavis, Animal Husbandry Minister Mahadev Jankar and Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Suresh Prabhu had to be put off.BJP Rajya Sabha MP Vikas Mahatme, who was behind the goat export idea, told The Sunday Express, “There was opposition from the Jain community, so we have put off the programme. We will hold talks with them and will try to convince them about the economic potential goat export holds for Vidarbha region, particularly communities like Dhangar and farmers engaged in allied activities. As it is, livestock export has been going on from various seaports for the past few decades. So there is nothing that can suddenly be seen as objectionable.” Incidentally, Mahatme represents the Dhangar community, traditional livestock farmers, which has long been fighting for reservation from the Maharashtra BJP Govt . For both Mahatme and minister Jankar, goat export was a way of placating their angry community.indianexpress
Modi rules out single rate under GST
https://www.thehindu.com/business/Economy/narendra-modi-rules-out-single-rate-under-gst/article24304890.ece?homepage=true
New Delhi: PM Narendra Modi on Sunday ruled out a single tax rate under the GST, saying Mercedes car and milk cannot be taxed at the same rate and accepting Congress party’s demand for a uniform 18% rate would lead to a spike in food and essential items’ taxation.Mr. Modi said the GST has within one year of its launch led to over 70% jump in indirect taxpayer base, demolished check-posts and merged 17 taxes and 23 cesses into one single tax.The new tax regime, which subsumed Central levies like excise duty and service tax and State taxes like VAT, is aimed at making indirect taxation “simple” while eliminating the ‘Inspector Raj’, he said, adding GST is an evolving system which is calibrated based on feedback from State Govts, trades and other stakeholders.thehindu
Child lifting rumour: 5 killed in Maharashtra village, two attacked in Chennai
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/child-lifting-rumour-five-killed-in-maharashtra-village-two-attacked-in-chennai-5241294/
New Delhi: Villagers in Maharashtra’s Dhule district on Sunday lynched five men, suspecting them to be part of a gang of child lifters, police said. The 5, along with a few others, were seen getting down from a bus in the tribal Rainpada hamlet, police said. When one of them apparently tried to speak to a girl child, villagers, who had gathered for the weekly Sunday bazaar, pounced on them, they said. “Five were killed in the mob fury,” police said.Following the incident, police detained fifteen persons suspected to be involved in the lynching.According to police, there were rumours for the last few days that a gang of child lifters was active in the area.A similar incident took place in Chennai where two persons were thrashed by locals on suspicion that they were trying to abduct a child. The duo, however, was rescued and admitted to a hospital.Both incidents come against the backdrop of a spate of similar such incidents in several parts of the country when people were either attacked or lynched on suspicion that they were child abductors.indianexpress
Jharkhand lynching: HC suspends life sentence of 8 convicts, grants them bail
http://caravandaily.com/portal/jharkhand-lynching-hc-suspends-life-sentence-of-8-convicts-grants-them-bail/
Ranchi: Jharkhand High Court has suspended the life sentence of 8 out of 11 convicts in the Ramgarh lynching case of last year, and granted them bail. At least the family members of deceased Alimuddin Ansari must not be expecting this news exactly on the day of his first death anniversary. On 29th June 2017, Ansari, 55, was lynched by a mob for allegedly carrying beef in Ramgarh district of Jharkhand.A bench of Justices H.C. Mishra and B.B. Mangalmurti passed the order after hearing the bail petitions filed by Nityanand Mahto, a member of BJP’s Ramgarh unit, and seven other alleged cow vigilantes – Rohit Thakur, Kapil Thakur, Raju Kumar, Santosh Singh, Vicky Saw, Sikandar Ram and Uttam Ram.BJP leader Nitayanand Mahto was Ramgarh district media cell in-charge of the party. His conviction and sentencing in the lynching case established the charge that such mob lynchings have not been an act of just fringe elements.These 8 were among 11 adults convicted by a fast-track court in Ramgarh on 16th March this year for lynching Ansari at Bazartand in Ramgarh town on 29th June 2017. They were awarded rigorous imprisonment for life on 22nd March. A 12th accused, who is a minor, is being tried in juvenile court.Caravan News
48 Killed After Bus Falls Into Gorge In Uttarakhand
https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/35-killed-in-bus-accident-in-uttarakhands-pauri-garhwal-district-1875996
48 passengers were killed after their bus fell into a gorge in Uttarakhand's Paudi Garhwal district this morning. While 45 of them died on the spot, the critically injured were rushed to the hospital. The accident happened on Pipali-Bhoan motorway in Pauri Garhwal's Nainidanda block.The police and a team from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are engaged in rescue operations.According to reports, about 50 passengers were travelling in a 28-seater which was headed for Ramnagar from Bhoan. The reason for the accident isn't known yet, police said.ndtv
11 members of a family found dead at a house in Delhi
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/bodies-of-11-people-found-dead-at-a-house-in-delhis-burari/articleshow/64811943.cms
New Delhi: In a shocking incident, bodies of eleven members of a family were found at a house in Delhi's Burari area early on Sunday morning, reported PTI.10 bodies were found hanging and blindfolded, while a 75-year-old woman's body was found on the floor, the police was quoted as saying by PTI. According to Rajesh khurana, Joint CP Central Range, Delhi Police, "Bodies of seven women and four men, including three teenagers have been found. We are investigating from all possible angles, we are not ruling out anything.""Prima facie, we suspect they committed suicide but we are also investigating the case with other possible angles of homicide as well. We are also checking the CCTV footage," another senior police officer said.According to sources, all were from the same family and owned a grocery shop.TOI
In grim call of duty, Kashmir doctor declares own son 'brought dead'
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tragedy-strikes-kashmir-doctor/article24301077.ece?homepage=true
Srinagar:Braving a heavy downpour, Dr. Abdul Gani Poswal, a medical officer at the Pulwama District Hospital, was joined on Saturday by hundreds of local people as he lowered the body of his teenage son into the grave.In a grim call of duty, the doctor had on Friday declared his 15-year-old son Faizan “brought dead” to the Pulwama hospital after desperate attempts to revive him failed. A senior doctor, who was present at the Pulwama hospital on Friday, told The Hindu that a stream of patients with pellet and bullet injuries starting pouring in immediately after the encounter started at Pulwama’s Thumna village in the afternoon.Dr. Poswal, too, attended to many of the injured and recommended shifting some patients to Srinagar hospitals for specialised treatment. However, when his son Faizan, a Class 10 student, was brought to the hospital with upper body firearm wounds, the doctor made repeated bids “to revive his son”.thehindu
IS attempts to lure Allahabad youth, offers $5,000 for info on Indian intelligence agencies:HT
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/islamic-state-attempts-to-lure-allahabad-youth-offers-5-000-for-info-on-indian-intelligence-agencies/story-3mh0wGXDWFELuSu7XND1bO.html
Allahabad:An Allahabad youth was allegedly lured to work for the banned terrorist outfit Islamic State for $ 5,000 per month, but in vain.The youth approached the police after he was added to an unknown WhatsApp group which had the logo of the group which is waging a war to establish an Islamic state in Iraq and Syria.SP (city) Brajesh Kumar Srivastava said an FIR has been lodged and the cyber crime cell would handle the investigation. Probe would also be conducted to ascertain if other youths in the city have received similar offers from the terrorist organisation, he said.SI at Dhumanganj police station, Shailesh Singh said the youth, a resident of Mundera, used to study and work in Mumbai.He was watching an online movie on Friday afternoon when he was added to the WhatsApp group. Scared of the ISIS logo, he left it immediately. However, Canada-based admin of the group repeatedly added him to the group and sent a message in English threatening him to work for ISIS and provide information on Indian intelligence agencies in return for USD 5000 per month. The youth then switched off his mobile and informed his family HT .
Arundhati Roy hits out at Modi Govt for formalising ‘Hindu Rashtra’
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/arundhati-roy-blames-modi-Govt -for-focusing-on-hindu-rashtra-5240122/
Ludhiana :In a scathing attack on NDA Govt, author and activist Arundhati Roy on Saturday said that the Narendra Modi-led Govt was ‘formalising’ the concept of ‘Hindu Rashtra’ even though India had been one since independence. “No doubt India has been a ‘Hindu Rashtra’ since independence but the present Govt is ‘formalising’ it and if given a second term, they will even walk faster on these lines,” Roy said while speaking at a seminar in Barnala.Questioning the changing roles of the Army and police, Roy said, “The police has taken the role of Army in Bastar while the Army has taken the role of police in J&K . In J&K , one can even see the Army regulating traffic. They are obtaining various details from the residences there, which is the role of the police. Contrary to this, the police can be seen with grenade launchers and other hi-tech weapons in Bastar area to target the tribals.”indianexpress
WORLD
Egyptian court delays verdict in mass trial over Rabaa sit-in, involving 739 people, including Muslim Brotherhood's top leaders
https://in.reuters.com/article/egypt-court/egyptian-court-delays-verdict-in-mass-trial-over-rabaa-sit-in-idINKBN1JQ08B
CAIRO: An Egyptian court has delayed a final ruling in a case against 739 people involved in a 2013 sit-in protest that was broken up by security forces, saying defendants could not be transferred to the court due to “security concerns”.The case, which involves top leaders of the banned Muslim Brotherhood, including the group’s leader Mohamed Badie, relates to a 2013 sit-in at Cairo’s Rabaa Square in support of President Mohamed Mursi after the army toppled him. Some of the defendants, including an award-winning photojournalist, could face the death penalty if convicted on charges ranging from murder to incitement to violence. International rights groups have condemned the trial.“The idea that more than 700 people could all stand trial together in one day, all facing the death penalty in what is clearly a grossly unfair trial that violates Egypt’s own constitution beggars belief,” said Amnesty International’s North African campaigns director Najia Bounaim.Hundreds were killed when security forces broke up the Rabaa protest and another one in Giza, in one of the bloodiest events in Egypt’s recent history. Foreign Govt s and rights groups have condemned the use of force to disperse the demonstrators.2 of Mursi’s sons were at the hearing, in which one of their brothers is a defendant, witnesses said.Photojournalist Mahmoud Abu Zeid, also known as Shawkan, who was arrested as he took pictures of the sit-in’s dispersal, is accused of belonging to a banned group and possessing firearms. He denies the charges.International rights organisations, including Amnesty International and Committee to Protect Journalists, have repeatedly denounced Shawkan’s imprisonment and urged Egyptian authorities to drop charges against him. Amnesty says he was imprisoned merely for doing his job as a photojournalist.Reuters
Bangladesh:Hindu Rohingya refugees also wait for a home
https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/hindu-rohingya-refugees-also-wait-for-a-home/article24301661.ece?homepage=true
Cox’s Bazaar (Bangladesh):Less than a kilometre from the gates of the world’s largest refugee settlement, in southeast Bangladesh, 101 Hindu Rohingya families wait to be rescued from their status as the “minority” within the world’s most persecuted minority community — the Muslim Rohingyas.The Hindu Rohingya families — nearly 410 people, most of them children — live in a ‘Hindu Camp’, located just outside Camp 1, the first of 27 refugee settlements that make up the Kutupalong-Balukhali camps, the largest in the world. Cox’s Bazar is a vast conglomeration of human settlements on unstable land that slips and slides every time it rains. According to UN Refugee Agency, over 900,000 Rohingya, including those who had arrived in earlier waves of exodus, live in makeshift shelters.In the city of refugees: Rohingya camps in Bangladesh’s Cox’s BazarOver 1.1 million Rohingya Muslims live here after being forced to flee Myanmar following the brutal campaign of violence by the Myanmar army that began on August 26, 2017.Hindu Camp stands out from the rest of the sprawling refugee settlement.thehindu
Syria's war: Rebels resume Russia talks under Jordan's mediation
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/07/syria-war-rebels-resume-russia-talks-jordan-mediation-180701081401251.html
Talks have resumed between Syrian opposition and Russian negotiators over a peace deal in a rebel-held town in southwestern Syria after Jordanian mediation, an opposition spokesperson said.Sunday's talks come after at least 75 people, including 23 children and 14 women, were killed in air raids by Syria's air force in the past 24 hours, local sources told Al Jazeera.A team representing the Free Syrian Army's (FSA) rebels was holding talks with Russian officers in the town of Bosra al-Sham on Sunday morning, Ibrahim al-Jabawi, the spokesperson for the central operations room representing FSA negotiators told Reuters news agency.Talks failed on Saturday, after a meeting in which Russian officers met the rebel team and demanded a complete surrender, rebels said.A Govt 's offensive this month in southwest Syria has taken much of the eastern part of Deraa province from rebels, backed by a bombardment that the United Nations says has pushed 160,000 people out of their homes.aljazeera
Israel warns Syrian army away from Golan, boosts frontier forces
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180701-israel-warns-syrian-army-away-from-golan-boosts-frontier-forces/
Israel beefed up its tank and artillery deployment on the Golan Heights frontier with Syria on Sunday, reports Reuters, cautioning Damascus’ forces to keep a distance as they sweep rebel-held areas over the border.Backed by Russia, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad launched an offensive last month to regain the southwestern Deraa region, driving thousands of refugees toward neighbouring Jordan and Israel.Israel’s military deployed tank and artillery reinforcements to the Golan on Sunday, a statement said, “in light of developments on the Syrian Golan Heights”.In its statement the military said Israel was holding to its non-intervention policy.middleeastmonitor
Israel kills 135 Palestinians in 3 months: Gaza Ministry
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180701-gaza-135-palestinians-martyred-since-30-march/
The number of Palestinians martyred by Israeli gunfire since the beginning of protests on 30 March has climbed to 135, according to Palestine’s Health Ministry.Ashraf al-Qidra, a ministry spokesman, told Anadolu Agency that more than 15,000 people have been injured during the protests in Gaza.Around 370 injured people are in critical condition, Al-Qidra said.“2,536 of those injured are children and 1,160 are women,” he said, adding that 231 medical staff and 175 journalists were among injured.middleeastmonitor
Riyadh coy as Trump says Saudi king agrees to raise oil output
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/06/trump-saudi-king-agrees-raise-oil-output-2m-barrels-180630145141496.html
US President Donald Trump says Saudi Arabia's King Salman has agreed to his request to increase oil output "maybe up to" two million barrels, as state media in Riyadh confirmed a phone call between the two leaders about oil production but mentioned no specifics.Trump's claim on Saturday comes after the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), a grouping of oil-producing states that includes Saudi Arabia, already agreed to ramp up production by a million barrels a day at a meeting earlier this month. aljazeera
FLASH: VIEWS & NEWS
Banks let down by RBI and BJP’s ‘politics’: KUMUD DASA
https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/opinion/banks-let-down-by-rbi-and-bjps-politics
Inside the Valley: Narratives of Kashmiri Pandits on their Relationship with Muslims:Sagrika Kissu
https://newsclick.in/inside-valley-narratives-kashmiri-pandits-their-relationship-muslims
Islam not an Arab tribal ideology but a universal religion, says Muslim scholar Dr Sabrina Lei
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/islam-not-an-arab-tribal-ideology-but-a-universal-religion-says-muslim-scholar-dr-sabrina-lei/articleshow/64802784.cms
Updating the NRC in Assam and What it Means:Angshuman Sarma, Bonojit Hussain
https://newsclick.in/updating-national-register-citizens-nrc-assam-and-what-it-means
Shujaat Bukhari’s assassination: Wails from Kashmir Valley: Gauhar Raza
https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/opinion/shujaat-bukharis-assassination-wails-from-kashmir-valley
Scraping UGC: False claims by govt to provide autonomy to educational institutes:Apoorvanand
https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/opinion/scraping-ugc-false-claims-by-govt-to-provide-autonomy-to-educational-institutes
3 including a barber and a tailor are in Azamgarh jail under NSA
http://caravandaily.com/portal/three-including-a-barber-and-a-tailor-are-in-azamgarh-jail-under-nsa/
By Using LIC to Fill Fiscal Gaps, Modi Govt is Risking Premium Money of Millions of Indians:MK Venu, Noor Mohammad
https://thewire.in/economy/lic-idbi-fiscal-gaps-modi-govt-npas
Mandsaur rape case spurs protests by Hindu, Muslim groups; lawyers refuse to represent accused
https://www.firstpost.com/india/mandsaur-rape-case-spurs-angry-protests-by-hindu-muslim-organisations-lawyers-refuse-to-represent-accused-4641781.html
Compiled and edited by Anwarulhaq (Released at: 7:25 PM)
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