NEWS DIGEST, MID-DAY
27 Aug 2018:15 Zilhajj 1439: Vol: 10, No:93
INDIA
Remove 'secular' from Constitution as it puts Hindus at disadvantage, demands Sanatan Sanstha amid call for banning the outfit
https://www.firstpost.com/india/remove-secular-from-constitution-as-it-puts-hindus-at-disadvantage-says-sanatan-sanstha-5055231.html
Amid a debate over banning Sanatan Sanstha,radical Hindutva outfit made a demand on Monday to exclude the word "secular" from the Preamble.Through 42nd Amendment of the Constitution of India, added in 1976, the Preamble asserts that India is a secular nation. Elaborating on the demand at a press conference, Sanatan Sanstha spokesperson Chetan Rajhans said that the Constitution does not define which aspect of India is secular: the country, government, or the people. He further added that because of the addition of the term, Hindus are "at a disadvantage"."No other country in the world puts its majority at a disadvantage," the outfit said.Rajhans further claimed that "secular" was enacted at the time of Emergency by former PM Indira Gandhi, under pressure from various entities. Although the outfit is a non-government charitable trust and claims to be a spiritual organisaton, it is currently facing massive criticism for being allegedly linked to terror activities, and murder cases of rationalist Dabholkar and journalist Gauri Lankesh.firstpost
Sanatan Prabhat’s 2013 plan to establish Hindu Rashtra
https://mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com/mumbai/cover-story/sanatans-2013-plan-to-establish-hindu-rashtra/articleshow/65546964.cms
Mumbai: Sanatan Prabhat, the mouthpiece of right-wing outfit Sanatan Sanstha — which has once again come under anti-terror agencies’ lens following the recent arms seizures and arrests — had in 2013 warned that the police would be “the first target” of a dharmakranti (religious revolution) to establish a Hindu Rashtra by 2023.Its issue dated June 9, 2013 — a copy of which is with Mirror — published a purported speech made by Dr Charudatta Pingale, national guide of Sanatan Sanstha’s offshoot organisation Hindu Janajagruti Samiti made at the second annual convention of Hindutva outfits in Goa organised by Sanatan. According to the Sanatan Prabhat report, Pingale told the sadhak (followers) in attendance that a religious war is necessary to establish a Hindu Rashtra. Accusing the police of taking an anti-Hindu stance and going soft on minorities, the report quoted Pingale exhorting the people to “keep [the spirit] of revenge alive”. “Do not forget the atrocities committed by the police on Hindus. Start preparing a list of police personnel who have committed crimes against Hindus. The police will be the first target when the revolution begins. We will not be able to establish a Hindu Rashtra without defeating the police and the [Indian] Army.”Asserting the “need” to create an army of 4 lakh “religious warriors”, Pingale claimed, as per the report, that 1,000 religious soldiers who have learnt jaap (chanting of religious mantras) would be more powerful than 10,000 trained soldiers who have no knowledge of jaap. That’s because those who perform sadhana (worship and meditation) would get God’s protection and blessings, he is reported to have said.“There are 8 lakh police personnel in the country, 11 lakh Army personnel and 11 lakh paramilitary personnel… 4 lakh religious warriors who have performed sadhana and learnt self-defence would be more powerful than them,” ran his purported speech.Calling minorities a massive hurdle in the establishment of a Hindu Rashtra, Pingale is quoted as saying, “The only way to stop the fanatics among minorities is to retaliate.”Sanatan Prabhat report also allegedly lists a timetable from 1999-2023 on measures that would lead to realisation of a Hindu Rashtra. The timetable mentions the start of “the main war” from 2016-18. This war, dubbed as World War III by the report, will result in the death of a large number of people, involve the occurrence of many natural calamities, and spell an end to evil as well as antisocial elements, Pingale was quoted as saying. By 2023, he reportedly said that the “real kingdom of God” would be established.Chetan Rajhans, Sanatan Sanstha spokesperson, refused to comment on the report. “It is better if Sanatan Prabhat’s editor and the writer (Pingale) speak on it. Although Sanatan Prabhat is a part of Sanatan Sanstha, the daily is run independently. They own the intellectual rights to run the daily newspaper and a magazine,” he said.Nagesh Gade, editor of Sanatan Prabhat, offered no comment either. He was sent a copy of the article on August 24 as well as emails. Several calls were also made, but there was no response till the time of going to press on Saturday. According to an official from the Maharashtra ATS, Vaibhav Raut, Sharad Kalaskar and Sudhanva Gondhalekar — who were arrested on August 10 following the seizure of an arsenal of arms and ammunition at Raut’s bungalow in Nallasopara — are “sympathisers” of Sanatan Sanstha. ATS suspects that they were conspiring to launch terror attacks across the state and that they were also involved in the killings of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar, CPI leader Govind Pansare, scholar MM Kalburgi and journalist Gauri Lankesh. Shrikant Pangarkar, former Shiv Sena corporator from Jalna who was arrested on August 19 after Raut, Kalaskar and Gondhalekar pointed fingers at him, is suspected to have been involved with Hindu Janajagruti Samiti. Avinash Pawar, too, who was arrested on Friday in the arms haul case, is suspected to be linked with prominent Hindutva groups.Mumbai Mirror
Dabholkar, Gauri killings linked: CBI
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/dabholkar-gauri-killings-linked-cbi/article24787678.ece?homepage=true
Pune:Murders of journalist Gauri Lankesh in Bengaluru last year and rationalist Narendra Dabholkar in Pune in 2013 were linked, CBI said in court here on Sunday. Seeking extension of the custody of Sachin Andure, one of the alleged shooters in the Dabholkar case, CBI told the court that one of the accused in the Gauri killing had handed over a pistol and three bullets with a magazine to Andure. CBI said it is investigating if the pistol had been used to kill Dabholkar.Judicial Magistrate First Class H.R. Jadhav extended Andure’s CBI custody till Aug 30. CBI also told the court that the agency would seek the custody of Sharad Kalaskar, another alleged shooter in the Dabholkar case. Kalaskar is among the 5 men arrested by Maharashtra ATS in connection with seizure of crude bombs and firearms. A CBI officer later said the agency was awaiting the ballistic report of the pistol, and that it would be premature to say if it was used in the Dabholkar murder. Defence counsel Prakash Salsingikar opposed the extension of Andure’s custody.PTI
5 yrs, 7 names in Dabholkar case: Arms dealers, Sanatan activists, blast accused in changing list of prime suspects
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/five-years-7-names-in-dabholkar-murder-case-arms-dealers-sanatan-activists-blast-accused-in-changing-list-of-prime-suspects-5326198/
Sanatan Sanstha terror plot: 5 fringe group members held as ATS prepares fresh dossier for ban
https://www.financialexpress.com/india-news/sanatan-sanstha-terror-plot-five-fringe-group-members-held-as-ats-prepares-fresh-dossier-for-ban/1292523/
6 arrests by Maharashtra Police, point to intricate web of fringe Hindu radical groups:Indian Express spl story
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/gauri-lankesh-mm-kalburgi-narendra-dhabolkar-govind-pansare-murder-case-5324826/
I am on the hit list of people linked to Sanatan Sanstha: Shrimant Kokate
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/i-am-on-the-hit-list-of-people-linked-to-sanatan-sanstha-shrimant-kokate-5326702/
Shrimant Kokate, 45, author, historian and one of the coordinators of the Maratha community’s fight for reservation, says his life is under threat from Sanatan Sanstha, which “is seeking to rewrite the history of the Shivaji era”. In an interview with Indian Express, Kokate says the organisation wants to “polarise society” and was “defaming Hindu religion”
Ambedkar’s great-grandson demands ban on RSS
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/ambedkars-great-grandson-demands-ban-on-rss/article24779603.ece
Kalaburagi: Holding RSS and its affiliated outfits responsible for the murders of Gauri Lankesh, M.M. Kalburgi, Govind Pansare and Narendra Dabholkar, Dalit activist Rajaratna Ambedkar, the great-grandson of B.R. Ambedkar, demanded that the government impose a ban on all right-wing Sangh Parivar outfits led by RSS.“All the accused so far arrested in Gauri Lankesh and other rationalists’ murder cases belonged to right-wing outfits such as Sanatan Sanstha. Banning those organisations that are directly linked to these murders alone wouldn’t help. Since they are the wings of RSS, a non-registered organisation, we demand the government to ban RSS itself along with its affiliated organisations,” he told media here on Saturday. He was here to participate in a public rally against the recent burning of a copy of the Constitution near Jantar Mantar,New Delhi.“RSS never accepted the Constitution drafted by Ambedkar. It has its own Manusmriti-based Constitution. It has been opposing Ambedkar-Constitution which is committed to safeguarding the interests of marginalised sections. BJP leaders have been talking against the Constitution and Narendra Modi, who became the Prime Minister thanks to the same Constitution, never utters a word. He did not open his mouth even when a copy of the Constitution was burnt right outside Parliament.”Referring to Union govt’s recent decision of rejecting UAE’s financial aid for relief and rehabilitation in flood-hit Kerala, Rajaratna criticised Modi for accepting foreign funds for his party. “Prime Minister doesn’t have any problem when his party accepts huge funds from foreign sources. He does have a problem when a country offers money for taking up relief and rehabilitation work in flood-hit areas. It shows how least BJP is concerned about the people of this country.”the hindu
RSS on Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Muslim Brotherhood’ remark: He is ignorant about India, so can’t understand Sangh
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/rss-event-new-delhi-opposition-leaders-invited-mohan-bhagwat-rahul-gandhi-5327043/
Days after Congress president Rahul Gandhi compared RSS with the Muslim Brotherhood of Arab world, the organisation on Monday said the one who has not understood India yet cannot understand the RSS.Responding to a question on Rahul’s remark during a press conference, RSS all India Prachar Pramukh Arun Kumar said if the former had the clear idea of how the world was fed up with the Islamic State, the Muslim Brotherhood and Muslim terrorism, he probably would have not made such a comparison.“Sometimes, he himself says that he was trying to understand Bharat. One who has not understood Bharat cannot understand RSS. Understanding at least Bharat is necessary to understand the RSS,” Arun said.indianexpress
MEA refuses to share details on extradition request of Zakir Naik to Malaysia
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/mea-refuses-to-share-details-on-extradition-request-of-zakir-naik-to-malaysia-5325668/
New Delhi:Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has refused to share details of the request to Malaysia seeking extradition of Zakir Naik citing RTI clauses that bars disclosure of information received in confidence from the foreign government, among others. In response to an RTI application filed by a PTI correspondent, ministry said there are 160 extradition requests from India pending with various foreign countries. “Information cannot be provided pursuant to Section 8 (1) (a) (f) and (h) of RTI Act, 2005,” it said.MEA was asked to provide the copy of letter or request made to Malaysia seeking extradition of Naik and also the copy of any communication response from that govt. Naik, who is in Malaysia, in a statement published in Malaysian newspapers in July, had thanked Malaysia’s Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad for examining his case from an “unbiased perspective”.indianexpress
Article 35A: Supreme Court adjourns hearing of fresh PIL; defers it to August 31
https://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-article-35a-supreme-court-rejects-hearing-of-new-pil-defers-hearing-to-august-31-2655363
The Supreme Court on Monday adjourns the hearing of the new PIL against Article 35A of the Constitution that gives special status to the citizens of J&K.Petitioner Ashwani Upadhyay, who is also a spokesperson for the BJP, reportedly urged the apex court to avoid the hearing. The Supreme Court will now hear the case on August 31.Ashwini Upadhyay's petition stated that Article 35A violates the rights of the women of the state who married people from other states. Earlier this month, the SC deferred its hearing to today on the validity of Article 35-A that guarantees special privileges to J&K.DNA
Shutdown, clashes in Kashmir over rumours of SC scrapping Article 35A
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/shutdown-clashes-in-kashmir-over-rumours-of-sc-scrapping-article-35a/story-xYMkblNSNPmoaNWdG6rlrN.html
Srinagar:Authorities today imposed a shutdown on Srinagar and some other parts of the Kashmir Valley following rumours that the Supreme Court has scrapped Article 35A, police said. J&K police issued a statement in Srinagar, saying: “Some sections of the media have circulated news regarding scrapping of Article 35A.The news has been refuted as baseless. People are requested to maintain calm and not to pay heed to these rumours.”As a precaution, shops, public transport and other businesses were shut. Clashes between stone pelting protesters and the security forces were also reported in Anantnag district and other places.Petitions challenging Article 35A which gives powers to the state legislature to define permanent residents of Jammu and Kashmir and their privileges, has been listed for hearing by the Supreme Court on Friday.Reports from Delhi said a fresh petition seeking scrapping of the Article is being filed in the apex court on Monday which fuelled the rumours.Authorities have decreased the speed of mobile internet across the Valley. Separatists have called for a general shutdown on Friday and Saturday to highlight the public support for the Article.IANS
3 years later, big projects in Prime Minister’s J&K development plan are stuck
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/three-years-later-big-projects-in-prime-ministers-jk-development-plan-are-stuck-narendra-modi-5326032/
Srinagar :From an IIM in Jammu to an AIIMS in Awantipora, from key arterial roads in the Jammu and Kashmir regions to the Zojila tunnel in Ladakh.At least 28 big-ticket projects — each worth Rs 1,000 crore or more — in the Prime Minister’s Development Package (PMDP) for J&K announced nearly three years ago remain stuck at various stages, official records accessed by Indian Express show. Package was announced on November 7, 2015, nine months after the PDP-BJP government took charge in the state. That government collapsed in June this year after BJP withdrew support, making way for Governor’s rule. On August 21, the Centre named Satya Pal Malik as the new Governor — the first politician to be appointed to the post since the beginning of militancy. Most of the mega projects under the PDMP are struggling to make progress due to various reasons, including preparation of detailed project reports, land acquisition, forest clearances and even release of funds from the Centre.indianexpress
Felicitated for Human Rights Violation, Major Gogoi Indicted For “Fraternising With a Local”
http://www.thecitizen.in/index.php/en/NewsDetail/index/3/14794/Felicitated-for-Human-Rights-Violation-Major-Gogoi-Indicted-For-Fraternising-With-a-Local
Srinagar: After laurels for tying a young Kashmiri to the front of a jeep, that had Major Leetul Gogoi being lauded by his seniors and the political establishment, the Army officer is now facing a court martial after a row at a Srinagar hotel involving a Kashmiri woman. Army court of enquiry has held Major Gogoi guilty of "fraternising with a local in spite of instructions to the contrary and being away from place of duty while in operational area."Major Gogoi was detained in May after he had checked into a hotel room that was booked online. He got into a fight with the hotel staff when the woman came to meet him, but was stopped from going to his room as she was a local resident. Of course the Army officer insisted that he had come for a “source” meeting.This incident followed after Major Gogoi became a hero in the right wing establishment for seeking to contain violence by using a local Kashmiri youth as a “human shield” during by elections. Chilling photograph that created a storm of protest as well had been backed by the Army, with veterans and serving officer supporting the move that was taken as a severe violation of human rights by rights groups. In an environment where divisiveness is fast becoming the order of the day Gogoi was treated like a hero. Sources said that this visit to hotel arose from the aura of invincibility, where he crossed all rules, to check himself into a civilian hotel in the state capital and arrange the assignment. Woman had come to the hotel with a male escort but was stopped.thecitizen
Gorakhpur tragedy: Adityanath misleading people, alleges Dr Kafeel after CM says there was no shortage of oxygen
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/gorakhpur-infant-deaths-yogi-adityanath-oxygen-supply-kafeel-khan-5327408/
New Delhi :Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is doing politics and is misleading the people in the 2017 Gorakhpur infant death case, Dr Kafeel Khan, the paediatrician at Baba Raghav Das Medical College Hospital against whom a case has been filed, said on Monday.Hitting out at the CM who denied there was a shortage of oxygen in the hospital, Khan told ANI, “What the CM has said is incorrect. The oxygen supplier had written to the hospital authorities, asking it to clear his dues to continue the supply.”Khan, who recently walked out of jail after getting arrested last year, also rubbished the CM’s claim’s that the casualties were due to Japanese Encephalitis which usually breaks out at that time of the year. “Newborns don’t get Encephalitis. Several of them had died in the incident,” he said. The remarks from the former nodal officer at BRD hospital came a day after the CM said that the issue was blown out of proportion and blamed the internal politics at the hospital for the controversy. Speaking at an event in Lucknow on Saturday evening, Adityanath had maintained his stand that there was no shortage of oxygen at the hospital and reasoned that had it been so, then the kids on the ventilator would have died first.“After the incident came to light, I immediately asked the Director General Health, the Health Minister and the Medical Education Minister to reach the spot and report to me. Next day, I went there myself and came to know that there was no shortage of oxygen. Had it been oxygen shortage then the kids on the ventilator would have died first,” he had said. BJP-led Uttar Pradesh government, however, had denied that shortage of oxygen led to the deaths.Pointing his finger at the internal politics of the medical college behind the tragedy, Adityanath had said the situation was so grim that the doctors had to be counselled to bring normalcy. indianexpress
“Internal Politics” Killed Children in BRD Hospital, Says Adityanath Contradicting Own Govt. Position
http://www.thecitizen.in/index.php/en/NewsDetail/index/2/14799/Internal-Politics-Killed-Children-in-BRD-Hospital-Says-CM--Adityanath-Contradicting-Own-Govt-Position
Citing 'Safety Concerns', CIC Says Expenditure on Amit Shah's Security Can't Be Disclosed
https://thewire.in/government/amit-shah-security-expenses-cic
New Delhi: Expenses incurred on the security cover of BJP chief Amit Shah cannot be disclosed, the Central Information Commission (CIC) has held, citing RTI Act exemption clauses of “personal information” and “safety”.The commission has denied the appeal of a petitioner who had also sought to know the rules governing extension of security cover to a private individual, and the authorities which foot the bill of such cover to a private individual.The application was filed by Deepak Juneja on July 5, 2014, when Shah was not a member of the Rajya Sabha. He had also sought to know the list of people who have been given security by the government.The information was denied by the home ministry citing Section 8(1)(g) that exempts from disclosure information that would endanger the life or physical safety of any person.The ministry had also cited Section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act, which exempts information that is personal, would cause unwarranted invasion of privacy and is not linked to any “public activity”.In its previous order in the matter, the CIC had upheld denial of information as it was not disclosed before parliament.PTI
Court defers verdict in Hyderabad twin blasts case to Sept4
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/court-defers-verdict-in-2007-hyderabad-twin-blasts-case-to-september-4/story-Z8Cr12gZ5zy2xlsC0Ql2tK.html
Hyderabad:An NIA special court today deferred its judgment in the Hyderabad twin blasts, which claimed 42 lives and left over 50 injured in 2007, to Sept.4.Sessions judge T Srinivasa Rao, who sits in Nampally criminal courts complex, was expected to deliver the verdict on Monday – given that the arguments and counter-arguments in the case had been completed on August 7. But the verdict was put off until next month after the judge subjected five accused lodged at the Cherlapalli central jail to a final round of questioning through video conferencing.NIA had filed a total of three charge sheets, running into over 1,100 pages against eight accused allegedly responsible for detonating bombs at Gokul Chat Bhandar, a popular eatery in Koti area, and Lumbini Park, a recreation site in front of the state secretariat, on Aug.25, 2007. The eight accused are Riyaz Bhatkal, Iqbal Bhatkal, Amir Riza Khan, Mohammad Tareeq Anjum, Aneeq Shafiq Syed, Mohammed Sadiq, Akbar Ismail Choudhary and Ansar Ahmed Badhsah Sheikh.While Riyaz Bhatkal, Iqbal Bhatkal and Amir Riza Khan are still at large, the others are lodged at the Chelapalli central jail.HT
Godhra case: 2 held guilty, 3 acquitted
https://www.aninews.in/news/national/general-news/godhra-case-2-held-guilty-3-acquitted201808271708260002/
Ahmedabad: A Special SIT court today convicted 2 more people and acquitted 3 others in the 2002 Godhra train burning case in which 58 people lost their lives. Special judge HC Vora convicted Farukh Bhana and Imran alias Sheru Batik, and acquitted Hussain Suleman Mohan, Kasam Bhamedi and Faruk Dhantiya. 5 accused, who were arrested by different investigation agencies between 2015-2016, were put on trial at the special court, set up at Sabarmati Central Jail here. Earlier, on March 1, 2011, the special SIT court had convicted 31 people under the relevant sections of IPC. Out of 31 convicted, 11 people were sentenced to death while 20 were awarded life imprisonment. As many as 63 people had also been acquitted in the case.ANI
Court sends 2 to life in prison for Godhra train killings
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/gujarat-court-sends-2-men-to-life-in-prison-for-godhra-train-killings/story-hKnnxZAZaXHtDnYK0p96oL.html
Malegaon blasts: Col. Purohit seeks SIT probe into his alleged torture
https://www.aninews.in/news/national/general-news/malegaon-blasts-col-purohit-seeks-sit-probe-into-his-alleged-torture201808271624250002/
New Delhi: Lieutenant Colonel Shrikant Purohit, one of the main accused in the 2008 Malegaon blasts case, on Monday moved the Supreme Court and sought a SIT probe into the matter pertaining to his alleged abduction and torture by the ATS in 2008.Purohit was arrested for allegedly masterminding the blasts in Malegaon in 2008.In April, the apex court also allowed Purohit to challenge the charges framed against him. Purohit, after spending nine years in jail, was granted a conditional bail by the top court in August last year.ANI
Delhi court acquits two Sikh separatists who hijacked Air India plane in 1981
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/delhi-court-acquits-two-sikh-separatists-who-hijacked-air-india-plane-in-1981/story-qdC38yG9UF1nTcmcCzUv8O.html
New Delhi:A Delhi court acquitted two Sikh separatists who are charged with treason for hijacking an Air India plane in 1981 and commandeering it to Lahore in Pakistan. Tajinder Pal Singh and Satnam Singh were charged with waging war against India and sedition when they were deported to India in 2000 after serving life terms in Pakistan. The plane carrying 111 passengers and a crew of 6 was hijacked on Sept.29,1981 by 5 knife-wielding Khalistan supporters. In Lahore, Pakistani commandos captured the separatists and freed 45 hostages remaining aboard unharmed the next day. The hijackers had first released more than 60 of the passengers.HT
Internet services suspended in UP’s Shahjahanpur after clashes between Sikh, Hindus
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/internet-services-suspended-in-up-s-shahjahanpur-after-clashes-between-two-communities/story-quXnP6GKPB3ngIjDfkDr3K.html
Internet services were suspended in Shahjahanpur district of Uttar Pradesh on Monday after a clash broke out between two communities outside a gurudwara on Saturday, officials said. At least 80 identified and over 200 unidentified people have been booked by the police for rioting and damaging public property. DM, Shahjahanpur, Amrit Tripathi said, “There were reports of circulation of inflammatory content on social media platforms after which internet services were suspended to check any untoward incident.”“We have identified people from both the sides who were found to be involved in violence. The administration will recommend action against them under NSA ,” the DM said.Located about 30 km north of the district HQRS, Banda has considerable Sikh population.According to police, tension erupted when a Sikh ‘sewadar’ (volunteer) at Guru Nanak Dev Gurudwara in Banda area allegedly hit a Hindu girl on Saturday afternoon.In his complaint to the police, the girl’s father alleged that the volunteer attacked his daughter when she resisted inappropriate advances of the accused. A clash took place between Sikhs and Hindus and the situation escalated further when reports of clashes between the 2 communities started pouring in from different parts of Banda area.Over 30 people, including police personnel, were injured in clashes. Half-a-dozen shops, public property and private vehicles were damaged in the violence.HT
Shahjahanpur sees communal clashes, over 300 booked
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bareilly/shahjahanpur-violence-over-300-people-booked-for-rioting-damaging-public-property/articleshow/65554423.cms
Greater Noida: Muslim woman stabbed to death in front of hubby, kids
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/noida/woman-stabbed-to-death-in-front-of-hubby-kids/articleshow/65555248.cms
Greater Noida: A 25-year-old woman was stabbed in her sleep in front of her husband and 4 children allegedly by a neighbour with whom she had an argument over picking rag. The accused, Vijay, has been arrested along with an accomplice, Rajeev, on a complaint by the woman’s husband. Police said the woman, Nazma, a resident of Bihar, lived in a makeshift house in Jalpura village with her husband and 4 children. Nazma and her husband are rag-pickers. Nazma’s husband Akbar Ali said that around 2.30am on Saturday, when he was sleeping in the house along with his wife and children, 5 men barged into their house and stabbed Nazma to death. “I woke up when I heard her shouting. Among the 5, I recognised Vijay and Rajeev. They fled after the attack,” said Ali.Vijay and Rajeev were arrested on a complaint by Akbar. Asked what could be the reason for the murder, Akbar said he and his wife had an unofficial agreement about rag collecting from the area. But Vijay, too, had recently started rag picking in the area, which led to a tussle.TOI
12 booked, four arrested after clash in communally sensitive Muzaffarnagar village
https://www.nyoooz.com/news/meerut/1196683/12-booked-four-arrested-after-clash-in-communally-sensitive-muzaffarnagar-village/
Muzaffarnagar:Communally sensitive Purbaliyan village of Muzaffarnagar was on the edge on Saturday after a clash between people of two different faiths, while police booked 14 people and arrested four of them for their alleged involvement in the violence.Several contingents of police force and PAC were also rushed to the village to maintain peace in the area where initial clash had erupted on August 21 during a volleyball match. Youth of two different communities got involved in an argument during match.Later, a case was registered against 12 people of the minority community at Mansoopur police station. But, no arrest was made as prominent people from both the communities intervened and promised to settle the matter once for all.But on Friday, people of the minority community alleged that a member of their group was thrashed.TOI
Rajasthan: Curfew relaxed for 2 hours in violence-hit Malpura town
https://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/raj-curfew-relaxed-for-two-hours-in-violence-hit-malpura-town-118082600444_1.html
Jaipur:Curfew was relaxed today for two hours in violence-hit Malpura town of Rajasthan's Tonk district, where a clash had erupted involving members of a minority community and Kanwar Yatra pilgrims, police said.No fresh incidence of violence was reported in the areas under curfew, and considering the law and order situation, the clampdown was relaxed from 11 am to 1 pm. However, mobile internet services remain suspended, Superintendent of Police, Tonk, Yogesh Dadich said.He said people were permitted to buy essential commodities like water and milk.Over 20 people have been arrested so far for disturbing peace, Dadich said, adding the situation now is under control.PTI
Maharashtra Muslims to revive 5% quota demand
https://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-news/maharashtra-muslims-to-revive-5-reservation-demand-in-govt-jobs-education/story-cl3rCkOHNsml9F0CJbMXmK.html
After the Maratha and Dhangar communities, the Muslims in Maharashtra have decided to intensify their demand for 5% reservation in government jobs and education by holding non-violent agitations.A Muslim Reservation Joint Action Committee (MRJAC) was formed on Sunday, in a meeting held at Anjuman-e-Islam School, to decide future strategies to get their demand approved from BJP-led state government. Nearly 60 different groups from the community have come together to raise the issue, ahead of 2019 polls.The action committee has decided to organise rallies, conferences and signature campaign to press for their demand.Currently, around 50 Muslim sub-castes get reservation under OBC, Scheduled Tribe and Vimukt Jati categories in the state. However, the community is asking for reservation for all in the quota.Former Congress-NCP govt had approved 5% reservation to the community in government jobs and education by promulgating an ordinance in 2014. Although the decision was struck down by Bombay high court, the court in an interim order had allowed reservation in education on grounds of community’s backwardness in this arena.The current BJP government, however, did nothing on this front and the ordinance lapsed. BJP has said it is against reservation on religious grounds. Educationist PA Inamdar, who is heading MRJAC, however said the community is demanding quota on the basis of social and educational backwardness. Hussain Dalwai, Congress’ Rajya Sabha MP, who has taken the initiative to bring all the community organisations on one platform, said they will hold conferences in all five divisions of the state to raise awareness, followed by a signature campaign.
Maharashtra Muslims form action committee on job quota
http://www.freepressjournal.in/mumbai/maharashtra-muslims-form-action-committee-on-job-reservation/1343425
2 Muslim youth held for sharing sarcastic WhatsApp message against BJP MLA Sangeet Som
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/two-arrested-for-sharing-sarcastic-whatsapp-message-against-bjp-mla-sangeet-som/story-4WXN8iUOQau9GZkBQmUzyM.html
2 people, including a compounder, were arrested on Monday for allegedly sharing a sarcastic message against BJP MLA from Meerut’s Sardhana constituency Sangeet Som on WhatsApp, police said. The post accused the MLA of being ignorant about an incident where a 14-year-old girl was set ablaze by six people on August 17. She is struggling for her life at a hospital in Delhi. The six accused were subsequently arrested.In-charge of Sardhana police station Dilip Singh said on the complaint of BJP’s Sardhana city unit president Vinod Jain, the police lodged a case under relevant sections of the Information Technology Act and arrested Aijaz Khatri and Mohd Anas for sharing the objectionable post.“Anas is a compounder at a clinic while Aijaz is jobless. They forwarded an objectionable post in a WhatsApp group of traders which also has a few BJP leaders as members,” he said.HT
Amartya Sen Calls on Non-Communal Forces To Unite Against BJP As Democracy Is In Danger
http://caravandaily.com/portal/amartya-sen-calls-on-non-communal-forces-to-unite-against-bjp-as-democracy-is-in-danger/
Kolkata — Nobel laureate and eminent economist Amartya Sen on Saturday said that all non-communal, non-BJP forces should come together in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections as “democracy is in danger.”“We must express our opposition to autocracy, we must fight against their autocratic trends, we must criticise the issues where we need to oppose the non-communal right wing forces, but we must not take back our hands when it comes to fighting communalism which is the biggest threat,” said Prof. Sen.Strongly criticizing the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre, Sen said a party having got “31 per cent votes and ill motives in politics” came to power in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.caravandaily
Hindus are in minority in Indian society: Amartya Sen
https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/amartya-sen-hindu-muslim-politics-secularism-india-1323218-2018-08-26
Being a Muslim in India today is disadvantage:UmarKhalid
https://theprint.in/governance/being-a-muslim-in-india-today-is-a-disadvantage-says-umar-khalid/105730/
New Delhi: The atmosphere in India is communally divided and being a Muslim is an electoral disadvantage, student activist Umar Khalid has said.He also asserted that his religious identity isn’t the only one he possesses, accusing the Sangh Parivar and its affiliates of attempting to straitjacket his politics to his Muslim identity.“Let me make one thing very clear, yes I’m a Muslim, yes, I’m a leftist, (but) I’m also a citizen of this country. I’m also a student of this country; so, there are multiple identities I have,” Khalid said in an interview to ThePrint.While he unequivocally speaks out on the atrocities against minorities, he says he also highlights issues of unemployment, those regarding universities and those concerning adivasis among others, adding that his detractors fail to acknowledge this. “Sangh Parivar only wants to see me as a Muslim… And in their lens, Muslims do not belong to India,” he added.JNU student, who was recently attacked at the Constitution Club in the capital, also said that there is a “decentralisation of violence” in society today, accusing those in power of systematically sending out the message that there are some people – Muslims, Christians, liberals, “pseudo-secularists” – who are not acceptable in society, and that it is okay to physically eliminate them.theprint
Modi on Triple Talaq Bill: Will ensure that Muslim women get justice
http://www.freepressjournal.in/india/pm-narendra-modi-on-triple-talaq-bill-will-ensure-that-muslim-women-get-justice/1343333
New Delhi: PM Modi on Sunday assured justice to Muslim women through Triple Talaq Bill. While addressing the nation in the 47th edition of his ‘Mann Ki Baat’ radio programme, the PM said, “The Triple Talaq bill was passed in Lok Sabha, but could not be passed in Rajya Sabha. But, I would like to assure Muslim women that the entire nation is there with them and we will ensure that they get justice.”freepressjournal
Why don’t you stand with wives of Akhlaq, Pahlu khan, mother of Junaid: Owaisi to Modi
http://caravandaily.com/portal/why-dont-you-stand-with-wives-of-akhlaq-pahlu-khan-mother-of-junaid-owaisi-to-modi/
New Delhi: MIM supremo and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi strongly criticized PM Narendra Modi for his remarks on Triple Talaq in Mann Ki Baat. Owaisi asked why PM is not stopping saffron outfits from making Muslim women widows in the name of cow. He also said that the Talaq bill proposed by Modi govt is against the Constitution and Fundamental Rights. In his reaction on PM’s remarks, Owaisi tweeted: “Mr PM your bill is Against the Constitution, Fundamental Rights & Women. You are not able to stop your ideological organisations who are making Muslim Women lose their husbands, sons in the name of COW.Will you stand with Akhlaq & Pahlu Khan’s wife, Junaid’s Mother?PM, what about Deserted wives?”caravandaily
Have Issue With Criminalisation Aspect Of Triple Talaq Bill: Rahul Gandhi
https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/have-issue-with-criminalisation-aspect-of-triple-talaq-bill-rahul-gandhi-1906262
London: Congress president Rahul Gandhi has said his party has not stonewalled the Triple Talaq Bill anywhere but they have an issue with the aspect of criminalisation. "We have not stonewalled anything. But we have an issue with the criminalisation aspect," Gandhi said during his interaction with the Indian Journalists' Association.Triple Talaq Bill was passed in Lok Sabha but is yet to be passed in the Rajya Sabha where the government led by PM Narendra Modi lacks majority.IANS
Youngest son of Chhota Shakeel now ‘treads’spiritual path
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/youngest-son-of-chhota-shakeel-now-treads-spiritual-path/articleshow/65555667.cms
Mumbai: A year after absconding mafia don Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar’s son became a maulana, his close aide Chhota Shakeel’s only son has also embraced the spiritual path in Karachi, Pakistan, where they live, sources said.Chhota Shakeel’s 18-year-old son Mubashir Shaikh — his third and youngest child — created a stir by recently becoming a “Hafiz-e-Quran” or one who has memorised the entire Quran, comprising 6,236 verses — considered a milestone for any Islam follower.But many in the Mumbai underworld are crestfallen to hear the news of another don’s descendant taking the religious path.Mubashir has now started teaching and preaching the Quran to people in Karachi neighbourhood where he lives with his ageing father, Babumiya Shakeel Ahmed Shaikh, whose nom de guerre is Chhota Shakeel, the prime mover of Dawood’s “D Company”. TOI
WORLD
UN report calls for genocide charges against Myanmar officials
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/08/report-calls-genocide-charges-myanmar-officials-180827062244502.html
Myanmar's senior military officials must be prosecuted for genocide and war crimes against the Rohingya and other ethnic minorities, a UN fact-finding mission has urged.The mission, which was established by UN Human Rights Council in March 2017, found that Myanmar's armed forces had taken actions that "undoubtedly amount to the gravest crimes under international law".Speaking in Geneva, Marzuki Darusman, the chairman of the investigative mission said that his researchers had amassed a vast amount of primary information, based on 875 interviews with witnesses and victims, satellite imagery, and verified photos and videos.Marzuki said victim accounts were "amongst the most shocking human rights violations" he had come across and that they would "leave a mark on all of us for the rest of our lives".He described Myanmar's military as having shown a "flagrant disregard for lives" and displayed "extreme levels of brutality"."Rohingya are in a continuing situation of severe systemic and institutionalised oppression from birth to death," Marzuki said.UN report said that military generals, including Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing, must face investigation and prosecution for genocide in north Rakhine State, as well as crimes against humanity and other war crimes in Kachin, Shan and Rakhine states.The report singles out Myanmar's military, which is known as the Tatmadaw, but adds that other Myanmar security agencies were also involved in the abuses."Military necessity would never justify killing indiscriminately, gang-raping women, assaulting children, and burning entire villages," the report said."Tatmadaw's tactics are consistently and grossly disproportionate to actual security threats, especially in Rakhine State, but also in northern Myanmar.aljazeera
Head of Islamic State in Afghanistan killed:government
https://indianexpress.com/article/world/head-of-islamic-state-in-afghanistan-killed-5325637/
Kabul:The head of Islamic State in Afghanistan, Abu Saad Erhabi, was killed in a strike on the group’s hideouts in Nangarhar province on Saturday, authorities said on Sunday. Ten other members of the militant group were also killed in a joint ground and air operation by Afghan and foreign forces, the National Directorate of Security in Kabul said.A large amount of heavy and light weapons and ammunition were destroyed during raids on two Islamic State hideouts. The jihadist group’s Amaq’s news agency carried no comment on the issue, and there was no immediate reaction from the NATO-led Resolute Support mission that trains and advises Afghan forces.Reuters
Russia denies it was behind air raid in Afghanistan
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/08/russia-denies-air-strike-afghanistan-180827071832814.html
Russia has said it was not behind an air attack in northern Afghanistan and its military aircraft has not been conducting any operations near Afghanistan's border with Tajikistan, the RIA news agency said citing the Russian Ministry of Defence. On Monday, two Afghan government officials said a Tajik or Russian plane bombed the northeastern Durqad district of Takhar province in Afghanistan, during a clash between gunmen and Tajik border guards.Afghan local media, quoting the provincial governor's spokesman Mohammad Jawed Hejri, said clashes broke out on Sunday afternoon between drug smugglers in Afghanistan and Tajik border guards. aljazeera
From road tax to courts, Taliban's attempts at state-building:Aljazeera report
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/08/road-tax-courts-taliban-attempts-state-building-180817101909543.html
Kabul:Late in May, 26-year-old truck driver Bilal Hakim was travelling along his regular route through Afghanistan's northern province of Baghlan to Kunduz.He had taken the journey with the same cargo - a 50-tonne tanker of oil - several times in his five-year career.Oil tankers enter Afghanistan at Hairatan port in Balkh and carry fuel to Mazar, Samangan, Baghlan, Kunduz, Takhar and Badakhshan provinces. "Somewhere in Baghlan-e-Markazi district, I was stopped along with a few other trucks at a makeshift checkpost manned by gunmen," said Hakim*, who did not want to use his real name for security reasons.Before he pulled over, Hakim had an idea of what was happening.He had heard about temporary posts popping up close to main motorways when the local Taliban felt emboldened."They asked me to stop and then they demanded I pay them 25,000 Afghanis ($350) as 'malia'," he told Al Jazeera, using the Dari word for tax."I didn't know what I was supposed to do," he said.Hakim said his employers had received threats of extortion from local Taliban groups before, but this was his first incident of this nature with the armed group. "The tanker owners had refused to pay so far, but when they held us captive, we had no choice," Hakim said, adding that tax rate for smaller trucks was $70.Taliban's "Department of Tax and Revenue" issued the drivers a receipt before releasing them.Representatives of Baghlan Oil Tankers' Union and Kunduz Tankers' Unions confirmed several instances of the Taliban taxing drivers on northern trade routes.Afghan officials are aware of the "tax".In June, provincial Baghlan governor Abdul Hai Nemati said Taliban was collecting "ransom at gunpoint", adding he had ordered a security patrol to observe and secure all motorways passing through the province. Taliban's "Ministry of Finance" has expanded its activities in the region in an apparent effort at state-building. Farmers in Baghlan-e-Markazi have reported the Taliban demanding "zakat", or charity, that is often paid in kind - such as portions of the harvest.However, the Taliban have little use for agricultural produce and force farmers to buy back "donated" produce at market rates, issuing them similar attested receipts for payments.Local Taliban commander Maulawi Abdul Rahman said tax collection was legal and in accordance with Islamic law.
Tehran will help rebuild Syria, says Iran defence minister
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/08/180827063515742.html
Iran's top defence official has met Syria's President Bashar al-Assad and the country's defence minister in Damascus, pledging to contribute to the war-torn country's reconstruction. Tehran has provided steady political, financial and military backing to Assad during the civil war which is in its eighth year.On Sunday, Iranian Defence Minister Amir Hatami met his Syrian counterpart Ali Abdullah Ayyoub as well as Assad and said it was agreed with Syria that Iran would have "presence, participation and assistance" in reconstruction "and no third party will be influential in this issue".aljazeera
Ex-Vatican envoy urges Pope to resign over abuse case
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/08/vatican-envoy-urges-pope-francis-resign-abuse-case-180826141625390.html
A senior Vatican official called on Pope Francis to resign, accusing the pontiff of failing to act sooner on sexual abuse allegations against former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick.In an 11-page statement, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano said sanctions imposed on McCarrick by Pope Benedict XVI over sexual misconduct were lifted under Francis, despite reports about his "gravely immoral behaviour with seminarians and priests". Vigano said he informed Francis in person in 2013 of the sanctions and how McCarrick, ex-archbishop of Washington, DC, "corrupted generations of seminarians and priests". Pope Francis "continued to cover" for McCarrick despite the sanctions and even made him "his trusted counsellor", Vigano alleged.aljazeera
Pakistan: 77th annivesary of Jamaat founding celebrated
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/360136-77th-annivesary-of-ji-founding-celebrated
Karachi: 77th Youm-e-Tasees of the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) was celebrated across Pakistan on Sunday.Gatherings, sittings, seminars and other programmes were held in Karachi, Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Sukkur, Larkana, Shikarpur, Thatta, Badin, Tando Adam and other cities and towns of the province.The speakers shed light on the history, philosophy and achievements of the JI.Addressing the Foundation Day function of the Jamaat-e- Islami in Lahore, the JI chief, Senator Sirajul Haq, said that the Islamic movements all over the world had gone ahead despite strong opposition by the international establishment, said a press release issued by the party ‘s media cell in Lahore.He said that the world colonialism was not allowing the Islamic movements to come to power even though the democratic process and the toppling of Dr Mursi’s elected government in Egypt and the West’s refusal to accept the victory of Palestine’s Hamas in elections were the irrefutable proof of that. JI deputy chief Dr Farid Ahmed Piracha, Ahmed Bilal Mehboob and Zikrullah Mujahid also spoke on the occasion.The JI chief said that even during the election campaign, the JI invited the people not towards any individual or party, but towards the system given by Islam. He said that JI had lost the elections but had not lost its faith.JI Secretary General Liaqat Baloch, while addressing JI Foundation Day function at Islamabad, said that Syed Abul Ala Maududi had founded the JI in 1941 with the objective of establishing the supremacy of the Islamic ideology and the enforcement of the system of life given by the Holy Quran and Sunnah.thenews
No amount of alcohol is good for your overall health, global study says
https://edition.cnn.com/2018/08/23/health/global-alcohol-study/index.html?utm_content=2018-08-26T04%3A00%3A07&utm_term=link&utm_source=fbCNN&utm_medium=social
If you're one of the third of all humankind who drinks alcohol, take note: There's no amount of liquor, wine or beer that is safe for your overall health, according to a new analysis of 2016 global alcohol consumption and disease risk.Alcohol was the leading risk factor for disease and premature death in men and women between the ages of 15 and 49 worldwide in 2016, accounting for nearly one in 10 deaths, according to the study, published Thursday in the journal The Lancet.For all ages, alcohol was associated with 2.8 million deaths that year.Those deaths include alcohol-related cancer and cardiovascular diseases, infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, intentional injury such as violence and self-harm, and traffic accidents and other unintentional injuries such as drowning and fires."The most surprising finding was that even small amounts of alcohol use contribute to health loss globally," said senior study author Emmanuela Gakidou, a professor at the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. "We're used to hearing that a drink or two a day is fine. But the evidence is the evidence."Not surprisingly due to their large populations, China, India and Russia led the world in the total number of alcohol-related deaths in men and women. US ranked fifth among men and seventh among women on that list; the UK ranked 21st for men and ninth for women."This study is a stark reminder of the real, and potentially lethal, dangers that too much alcohol can have on our health and that even the lowest levels of alcohol intake increase our risks," Helen Stokes-Lampard, chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners in the UK, said in a statement. She was not involved in the study. CNN
FLASH VIEWS & NEWS
JNU Is Being Destroyed So The Jio Model Can Succeed: Umar Khalid, caravanmagazine
http://www.caravanmagazine.in/society/health-and-education/jnu-being-destroyed-so-jio-model-can-succeed
Is Israel's hand behind the attacks on Jeremy Corbyn?Jonathan Cook, middleeasteye
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-s-hidden-hand-behind-attacks-jeremy-corbyn-139423040
Compiled and edited by Anwarulhaq (Released at: 7:32 PM)
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