20 SEPT. NEWS DIGEST

INDIA

MHA proposes to amend FCRA, make Aadhar mandatory for NGOs to receive foreign funds

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/mha-proposes-to-amend-fcra-make-aadhar-mandatory-for-ngos-to-receive-foreign-funds/article32652630.ece?homepage=true

New Delhi:Centre is all set to amend the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act and proposes to make Aadhar a mandatory identification document for all the office bearers, directors and other key functionaries of an NGO or an association eligible to receive foreign donations.A draft of the Bill says that the amendment is required to enhance transparency and accountability in the receipt and utilisation of foreign contribution worth thousands of crores of rupees every year and facilitating “genuine” non-Governmental organisations or associations who are working for the welfare of the society. FCRA Bill, 2020 is likely to be introduced in the Lok Sabha on Sunday.The Bill proposes to include “public servant” and “corporation owned or controlled by the Government” among the list of entities who are not eligible to receive foreign donations, the draft says.“Amendment of clause (c) of sub-section (1) of section 3 to include "public servant" also within its ambit, to provide that no foreign contribution shall be accepted by any public servant,” the Bill says. The Bill proposes that not more than 20% of the total foreign funds received could be defrayed for administrative expenses, presently the limit is 50%.thehindu

 

MHA calls meet to discuss 3 key issues of Assam; Shah, Sonowal to attend

https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/latest-news-today-live-updates-19-september-2020-120091801600_1.html

Union Home Ministry has convened a high-level meeting here on Sunday to discuss three key issues of Assam -- NRC, demand for granting ST status to six communities and report of a committee set up for implementation of a vital clause of the Assam Accord, officials said.A team of top functionaries of the Assam government, led by Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, has arrived in Delhi for the meeting. Union Home Minister Amit Shah and top officials of the home ministry will attend it. business-standard

 

Mic broken, papers thrown: Amid major ruckus, two farm bills passed in Rajya Sabha

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/parliament-rajya-sabha-ruckus-farm-bills-6603441/

Rajya Sabha on Sunday passed 2 contentious farm bills — The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020; and The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020– amid a major ruckus by opposition parties.The Bills, which seek to replace the two ordinances promulgated on June 5 this year and which were already cleared by the Lok Sabha, were passed by voice vote in the Upper House. The House witnessed tumultuous scenes during the passage of the contentious farm bills as members from Opposition parties snatched and threw papers from the table and even broke the chairman’s mic. While the opposition has been protesting and demanding that the Bills be sent to a Select Committee, the ruckus erupted after Deputy Chairman Harivansh sought the members’ nod to extend the time of sitting of the House beyond 1 pm till the passage of the Bills. The opposition members demanded that the House be adjourned as per the scheduled time.However, the Deputy Chairman continued with the proceedings of the House and asked Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar to continue his response to the debate on the Bills.At this point of time, Opposition members started protesting against Deputy Chairman’s decision to extend the timing without a “consensus” of the House.Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said the extension should be on the basis of the consensus not on the basis of the ruling party’s number. He added that the House should be adjourned and the Bills should be passed tomorrow.When the Deputy Speaker did not accept the demand to adjourn the House, some of the opposition members arrived at the well and began snatching and throwing away papers from the table. Some of the members even broke the mic that was fixed on the table of the chair. Due to this, the House could not function properly and was adjourned for 15 minutes.In the midst of the uproar, the Rajya Sabha took up the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, clause by clause, into consideration and passed by a voice vote. Soon after this, the second farm bill– The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020—was also passed. Indian express

 

Parliament LIVE: Opposition parties move no-confidence motion against RS Deputy Chairman Harivansh

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/parliament-live-updates-haryana-farmers-protest-lok-sabha-rajya-sabha-monsoon-session-bjp-congress-6603015/

Opposition parties on Sunday moved a no-confidence motion against Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh after he overruled opposition pleas for postponing Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar’s reply to the debate on the two farm bills till Monday as the scheduled sitting time of the House was over. Upper House of Parliament passed farms bills. “He (Harivansh) should safeguard the democratic traditions but instead, his attitude today harmed the democratic traditions & processes. So, we have decided to move a no-confidence motion against him,” said Congress Rajya Sabha MP Ahmed Patel.

 

Parliament : Derek O’Brien lashes out at govt, says ‘they censored Rajya Sabha TV, murdered democracy’

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/parliament-live-updates-haryana-farmers-protest-lok-sabha-rajya-sabha-monsoon-session-bjp-congress-6603015/

After 2 contentious farm bills were passed in the Rajya Sabha amid ruckus by Opposition MPs on Sunday, TMC MP Derek O’Brien accused the government of murdering Parliamentary system and the democracy. In a video, shared via his Twitter handle, O’Brien said, “The government did not allow us in the Opposition on the farmers’ bills… They know they weren’t in a position to pass the bills so they cut RSTV feed so that the country couldn’t see our protest.” Indian express

 

Road blockade, tractor rally: Farmers protest over agri bills in Haryana, Punjab; security beefed up

https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/road-blockade-tractor-rally-farmers-protest-over-agri-bills-in-haryana-punjab-security-beefed-up-1723598-2020-09-20

Farmers across several states are up in arms against the three contentious farm-sector bills tabled by the govt in Parliament. Various farmers' organisations staged protests against the bills over fear that they will no longer get paid at the Minimum Support Price (MSP). They have expressed apprehension that the three bills will pave the way for dismantling the minimum support price system, leaving them at the "mercy" of big corporates.Extensive protests spread across states like Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh in the past few days. Chattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel had warned that soon the protest won't be limited to only these states.Recently, Bharatiya Kisan Union's Haryana unit announced that it will hold a state-wide protest against the Centre's farm bills from 12 pm to 3 pm on Sunday even as Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar appealed for deferring the stir and invited them for talks. The Union said that its members will block roads for three hours. Stepping up their agitation against the farm bills, Punjab Youth Congress, meanwhile, is also taking out a 'tractor rally' from Punjab to Delhi against the Centre's farm-related measures. The rally started from Mohali district in the morning and was moving on the national highway towards Ambala.A call for a 'rail roko' agitation has already been given by Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee from Sept.24 to 26. Indiatoday

 

'Don't Think Punjab's Farmers are Weak': Ally Akali Dal Slams BJP as Rajya Sabha Debates Farm Bills

https://www.news18.com/news/politics/dont-think-punjabs-farmers-are-weak-ally-akali-dal-slams-bjp-as-rajya-sabha-debates-farm-bills-2892635.html   

Shiromani Akali Dal’s Rajya Sabha MP Naresh Gujral slammed the Centre over the two farm bills in the Upper House on Sunday and warned the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party against taking the farmers’ protests lightly. "Don't think that the farmers of Punjab are weak, all Punjabis are the children of our Gurus and we have learnt it from them to sacrifice and stand up against oppression,” he said as the Rajya Sabha debated the bills. news18

 

Govt move to harm farmers’ interests unfortunate: Akal Takht jathedar

https://www.hindustantimes.com/chandigarh/govt-move-to-harm-farmers-interests-unfortunate-akal-takht-jathedar/story-7nhFgL8eoT5FjFnPJFLYAN.html

Speaking up for farmers protesting against the farm bills introduced in Parliament, Akal Takht acting jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh has said they are the country’s backbone and the government’s move to harm their interests is unfortunate.In a video released on Sunday, Giani Harpreet Singh said, “the economy of India is based on agriculture. If we want to save this economy and uplift the standards of living of the Indian people, farmers must be saved.”The legislation, “which harms farmers and their occupation must not be implemented at any cost. All the farmers provide food to the people of the world. So, we must prevent their condition from deteriorating further. For their betterment, the governments should take necessary steps,” he said. Hindustan Times

 

‘Can govt assure no farmer will commit suicide after passage of farm bills?’: Sanjay Raut

https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/can-govt-ensure-no-farmer-will-commit-suicide-after-farm-bills-are-passed-sanjay-raut/story-QeARLObo8Nog9SqZNjX1PI.html

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut took a stand against the farm bills that BJP seeks to get passed in the Rajya Sabha on Sunday, demanding that a special session must be called to discuss them.Raut asked the government whether it could assure the nation that no farmer will commit suicide and the farmers’ income will increase after the passage of the bills. “Can the government assure the country that after these agriculture reform bills are passed, farmers’ income will double and no farmer will commit suicide? A special session should be called to discuss these bills,” Raut said. Hindustan Times

 

Jamaat-e-Islami Hind calls farm bills anti-farmers, demands Govt to withdraw

http://twocircles.net/2020sep19/439086.html

New Delhi: Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) has opposed the three contentious farm bills as the central government is preparing to table them in the Rajya Sabha after passing in the Lok Sabha. In a media statement, JIH Vice President – Prof Salim Engineer said: “Jamaat-e-Islami Hind opposes the three farms bills recently introduced in the Parliament as they are exploitative and anti-farmer. These bills will result in reduced crop prices for farmers and undermine seed security. Food security will be severely compromised as government intervention will be eliminated and Indian food and farming systems will be subject to the greed and manipulation of corporates, multinationals and market forces. Hoarding and black marketing will increase resulting in the exploitation of farmers. Farmers will be forced to sell at a price lower than MSP at the local market itself since they cannot transport their produce to large distances. It seems the government wants to dilute and dismantle the FCI, MSP and PDS infrastructure. It wants to hand over the reins of the agriculture sector to forces that will perpetuate exploitation and profiteering.” Demanding the Central government to take back these ‘anti-farmer laws’, the JIH Vice President said, “The govt should seriously consider the demands of the farmers, and address their concerns and apprehensions and also talk to their representatives and withdraw the bills.”TwoCircles.net

Jamaat-e-Islami Supports Farmers, Asks Centre To Withdraw 3 Agriculture Bills

 

Parliament: Cut House short but don’t use Covid to duck debate, push Bills, says Opp

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/parliament-monsoon-session-curtailed-bac-meeting-lok-sabha-mps-covid-spread-6602672/

Deepening concerns over Covid in the premises of Parliament forced political leaders in Lok Sabha to agree on cutting short the monsoon session but there was disagreement over what the unfinished business was and how to address it.While the Government is insistent on pushing a slew of Bills, the Opposition is pressing for debates on crucial issues. This emerged at a meeting of the Business Advisory Committee of Lok Sabha convened by Speaker Om Birla Saturday.The Monsoon session began September 15 — with several firsts and unprecedented protocols for Covid spread — was scheduled to end on Oct.1.In BAC meeting, the government insisted that it wants to clear all the Bills it has listed. The Congress asserted that it wanted detailed discussions on crucial issues including the pandemic, economic slowdown and National Education Policy. Trinamool Congress said it wanted to discuss the stalled GST compensation.Parties like TMC and DMK argued the session should be cut short in view of the fact that over 30 MPs have tested positive over the last week. Indian express

 

'Grant Us Recognition To Bring All News Broadcasters, Irrespective Of Membership, Within Its Binding Jurisdiction': NBA Tells SC In Sudarshan TV Matter

https://www.livelaw.in/top-stories/grant-recognition-to-nba-to-bring-all-news-broadcasters-irrespective-of-membership-within-its-binding-jurisdiction-163211

News Broadcasters Association, in its affidavit before the Supreme Court, has suggested that its Code of Ethics should be included under Rule 6 of the 'Program Code' of Cable TV Networks Rules, 1994 by Ministry of I&B to make Code binding all news broadcasters, irrespective of membership of NBA. The affidavit has been filed in response to the court's directions on Friday demanding how the self-regulatory mechanism of NBSA could be strengthened and made more effective in respect of the electronic media."The court may grant recognition to NBSA, the independent self-regulatory mechanism so that complaints against all news broadcasters, whether members of NBA or not, maybe entertained by NBSA and orders passed by NBSA would be binding and enforceable on all news broadcasters. Recognition to NBSA would also strengthen News Broadcasting Standards Regulations and the penalties mentioned herein could be made more stringent", advances the affidavit. livelaw.in

 

Month before standoff, China blocked 5 patrol points in Depsang:Indian Express

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/month-before-standoff-china-blocked-5-patrol-points-in-depsang-6602896/

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, making a statement in Rajya Sabha Thursday on the situation along LAC in Ladakh, said “patrolling patterns are traditional and well-defined… no force on earth can stop our soldiers from patrolling” and “there will be no change in the patrolling pattern”.But the situation on the ground, especially in Depsang Plains in the far north of Ladakh, is very different. Because more than a month before the standoff began in May on the north bank of Pangong Tso where Indian soldiers are not being allowed to move beyond Finger 4 to LAC point at Finger 8, Chinese troops cut off Indian access to five “traditional” patrolling points (PPs) in the Depsang Plains.Confirming this, a top source in the government told Sunday Express earlier this week that the Chinese blocked access to PPs 10, 11, 11A, 12 and 13 in March-April this year. Indian Express

 

PLA opens 3 fronts in South China Sea to distract the world from Ladakh: HT

https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/pla-war-drill-in-south-china-sea-a-distraction-for-ladakh-aggression-or-otherwise-analysis/story-I2IiROajJhYTeW0ZWyimFK.html

 Post the military flare-up at Galwan Valley, People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has mobilised four out of five of its military theatre commands with reports suggesting that live firing drills and exercises from the East China Sea, the Yellow Sea to the South China Sea to date were a distraction for its calculated aggression in Ladakh. While both India and China have still to finalise the dates of military commanders’ meeting with each asking for postponement once, PLA is continuing to build-up along the 1,597-km LAC in the western sector. Hindustan Times

 

Journalist Rajeev Sharma’s arrest ‘high-handed, mind-boggling,’ says Press Club of India

https://scroll.in/latest/973566/journalist-rajeev-sharmas-arrest-high-handed-mind-boggling-says-press-club-of-india

Press Club of India has criticised the Delhi Police for arresting journalist Rajeev Sharma in an Official Secrets Act case for allegedly passing on information about the Indian Army’s deployment and the country’s border strategy to Chinese intelligence. It said that the police action against Sharma was “high-handed” and “mind-boggling”.The club called out the Delhi Police for its “dubious” record. “We are astounded to hear of the arrest of Rajeev Sharma, a well-known independent journalist of long standing and a member of the Press Club of India,” it said in a statement. “This is on account of the dubious track record of the Special Branch. More generally also, the record of Delhi Police is hardly a shining one.” scroll.in

 

Can talk to China, why not Pakistan, people are dying: Farooq Abdullah

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/can-talk-to-china-why-not-pak-people-are-dying-farooq-abdullah-6602927/

Speaking in Parliament for the first time since his release from detention in Kashmir, National Conference leader and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah Saturday caused a stir in the Treasury benches asking why New Delhi, which is holding discussions with China over the disengagement of troops, could not hold talks with Pakistan to resolve pending issues.As some BJP MPs protested, Abdullah also asked, “Should we not have the same rights as the rest of the country?… If Hindustan is developing, should J&K not develop?… What if we are Muslims?”While not mentioning Pakistan by name, Abdullah said, “Border skirmishes have been rising and people are dying… A way has to be found to deal with this… As you are talking to China to attempt that it withdraws (from Ladakh border), we should also talk to our neighbour to find a way out of this situation.” Indian express

 

A Rare Poll Boycott Call From Ladakh Amid Demand For Inclusion Under Sixth Schedule

https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/india-news-a-rare-poll-boycott-call-from-ladakh-amid-demand-for-inclusion-under-sixth-schedule/360597

An announcement schedule of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Leh polls on Saturday has sparked political controversy in the region with former chairman of LAHDC calling for a poll boycott. In a rare poll boycott call he says, till the region is not put under the ambit of provisions of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, polls wouldn’t serve any purpose. The Sixth Schedule of the Constitution makes separate arrangements for the tribal areas. Fearing settlements by outsiders in Ladakh after abrogation of Article 370 and Article 35A on August 5, 2019, people in the region are seeking tribal status to preserve demography, land, environment and unique culture.In Leh region of Ladakh people welcomed revocation of Article 370 but at the same time they have started asking for special status for the UT of Ladakh to preserve demography, land, environment and culture. In contrast to Leh, protests were held against revocation of Article 370. “I am of the firm opinion that holding elections of LAHDC Leh without extending the relevant provisions of the sixth schedule of our constitution, which empowers the councils by vesting it with legislative powers, is meaningless. The democratically elected council, representing the popular will of the people of Ladakh, cannot continue to be a toothless and irrelevant ostentatious body like it was made to be so in the wake of the formation of UT Ladakh,” former chief executive councillor LADHC, Rigzin Spalbar, says.Spalbar has written a letter addressed to the apex body of the joint political parties constituted recently for demanding the Sixth Schedule for Ladakh. In the letter he asks the apex body to boycott the polls. Outlook India

 

J&K govt amends grant of Domicile Certificate (Procedure) Rules 2020

https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/national/jandk-govt-amends-grant-of-domicile-certificate-procedure-rules-2020

Jammu and Kashmir government has introduced amendment in the grant of Domicile Certificate (Procedure) Rules, 2020, authorising Naib Tehsildar in addition to Tehsidar to issue certificates to PCR holders and their children.The amendment in Rule 5, Clause 1 authorises both Tehsildar and Naib Tehsildar to issue domicile certificates to Permanent Resident Certificate (PRC) holders and their children, while naming the Deputy Commissioner as the appellate authority. Nationalheraldindia

 

Rs 1,350-cr J&K package, 5% interest grant for all borrowers

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/rs-1350-cr-jk-package-5-interest-grant-for-all-borrowers-6602945/

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha Saturday announced a Rs 1,350 crore relief and rehabilitation package for the business community in Jammu and Kashmir, in light of the Covid-19 economic slowdown. The main component of the package is 5% interest subvention (a grant by the government) to all borrowers “irrespective of size”, which would cost the administration Rs 950 crore, and would be available for six months in the current financial year, the LG said, terming the move unprecedented. Indian express

 

Delhi Riots: Police Allege Umar Not Cooperating; Court Prevents Him To Meet Family

https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/india-news-delhi-riots-police-allege-umar-not-cooperating-court-prevents-him-to-meet-family/360592

Delhi court on Sunday dismissed former JNU student Umar Khalid’s request to allow him to meet his family members during the 10-day police remand.Khalid has been arrested in relation to the Northeast Delhi riots that occurred earlier this year.  Amitabh Rawat, Additional Session Judge at the Karkardooma Court, rejected the application saying, “In the totality of facts and circumstance of the case, I see no merit in the application, and accordingly, the application is dismissed.”Khalid was sent on a police remand for 10 days till Sept. 24. outlookindia

 

Sharjeel ‘radicalised’ by books he read for thesis on Partition, Delhi Police chargesheet says

https://theprint.in/india/sharjeel-radicalised-by-books-he-read-for-thesis-on-partition-delhi-police-chargesheet-says/506598/

Delhi Police's chargesheet, which runs into more than 600 pages, has accused JNU scholar Sharjeel Imam of inciting protesters to do 'chakka jam' in over 500 cities.  A thesis on communal riots during Partition, books authored by political scientist Paul R. Brass, a WhatsApp group of Muslim students from JNU and 3 pamphlets — these are some of the things presented as evidence by the Delhi Police in its  chargesheet filed against arrested Sharjeel. Imam, a 31-year-old PhD scholar, faces charges under the sedition law and UAPA. Charges of sedition can stand only when the cause for violence is incitement, his lawyers told ThePrint. In Imam’s case, they claimed, the police picked up a paragraph or two from selective speeches to jail him. “By reading only such literature and not researching alternative sources, the accused became highly radicalized and religious bigoted,” the chargesheet noted. For his MPhil thesis — ‘Exodus before Partition; The attack on Muslims of Bihar in 1946′ — Imam had read books of US political scientist Paul Brass as research, according to the chargesheet. It names the book, Forms of Collective Violence, Riots, Pogroms and Genocide in Modern India, which catalogues various forms of collective violence that has occurred in India during the past 6 decades, which includes riots, pogroms and genocide. Imam’s lawyers said they will apply for bail in the Delhi case, once scrutiny of the chargesheet is over. A petition by his lawyers to club all the cases into one is pending before the Supreme Court. The Print

 

Delhi Riots: Police 'Offered to Release' Jailed Man if He Named 10 Muslims in CCTV Footage

https://thewire.in/communalism/delhi-riots-muslim-man-jailed-cctv-police-offer

New Delhi: 28-year-old Iliyas has spent more than five months in prison, but is at home now. On March 17, 2020, he was arrested for allegedly vandalising Rajdhani Public School in Shiv Vihar (FIR 137/2020) during the anti-Muslim riots that took place in northeast Delhi this Feb. After he was granted bail in this case, he was arrested again on May 14, 2020, for allegedly vandalising and trespassing on the property of DRP Secondary School in Shiv Vihar (FIR 134/2020).When Iliyas returned home on Sept.3 after being granted bail in the second matter, he said he felt he was being targeted because he was Muslim.“These were the ones asking for freedom?’ This is how they spoke to me and fellow Muslims at the police station,” he told The Wire. When the police arrested Iliyas in the first case, he was taken to Dayalpur police station, shown footage of mob violence taken from a CCTV camera and accused of being one of the men in the mob. When he vehemently denied his presence at the scene, he alleged he was told by the police that if he could name 10 of the men in the video, he would be released immediately. thewire

 

Tablighi Jamaat: Charges to be dropped against 20 foreigners, Mumbai Police tells court

https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/tablighi-jamaat-charges-to-be-dropped-against-20-foreigners-mumbai-police-tells-court-6602851/

Mumbai :Last month, Bandra police had similarly dropped 2 sections against 12 Indonesian nationals stating that there was no evidence to prove these two sections against the accused.In the second such case in the city, Mumbai police have informed a court that charges under culpable homicide not amounting to murder and attempt to murder will be dropped against 20 foreign nationals connected with the Tablighi Jamaat in Andheri.2 FIRs were registered by DN Nagar police station against 10 Indonesia and 10 Kyrgyzstan nationals in April. This week, Additional Principal Judge of Dindoshi sessions court dismissed a plea by the foreign nationals seeking that both the cases be heard by another court. It, however, directed that their discharge applications be heard and decided upon within a month.Last month, both the separate cases were transferred before one court. Indian express

 

Delhi: Man accused in Feb riots granted bail

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/delhi-man-accused-in-feb-riots-granted-bail/articleshow/78213552.cms

New Delhi: A city court has granted bail to man accused in northeast Delhi riots case after it found no mention of him in the statements of public witnesses. The court stated that he had stayed in judicial custody since July 22, and his custodial interrogation was not required any more.Malvika Avasthi, counsel for the 46-year-old accused, Anzar Ahmed, submitted that Ahmed ran a business of repairing bicycles and had been framed in the case. She added that the other accused — Ishrat Jahan, Sabu Ansari, Bilal, Vikram Thakur, Salim, Sameer Ansari and Mohd Ilyas — were already on bail. Avasthi pointed out that Ahmed, who has a clean record, was not required for custodial investigation and had surrendered without any knowledge of any proceedings against him. Times of India

 

We Don’t Need Permission to Enter Jamia Campus: Delhi Police

https://clarionindia.net/we-dont-need-permission-to-enter-jamia-campus-say-delhi-police/

During the hearing of petitions in the High Court of Delhi regarding the violence at Jamia Millia Islamia in December last year after students’ protest against the controversial CAA, Delhi police on Friday asserted there was no legal requirement of seeking permission from the administration to enter the university campus for controlling the disturbances.While the petitioners sought an independent investigation in the matter as well as registration of FIRs against cops accused of committing excesses, the police said that there was no question of registration of FIRs against its officers as the law protected acts done under good faith and without any sanction from the government, according to reports.Additional Solicitor-General of India Aman Lekhi opposed any move to transfer the investigation from Delhi police and argued that such exercise of jurisdiction was an exception.Clarion India

 

4 Muslim Men Attacked by Mob in Maharashtra’s Beed District

https://clarionindia.net/four-muslim-men-attacked-by-mob-in-maharashtras-beed-district/

Mumbai: 4 Tablighi Jamaat members from Maharashtra’s backward region of Marathwada were beaten up on Wednesday night in a remote village, with the assailants telling them to leave India as they were not fit to live here.The four men – Aslam Ather, Sayyad Layak, Nizamuddin Qazi and Suhail Tamboli – were travelling to a village in Beed district from their town when they stopped late at night after the car developed some problems. Two men going on a bike saw them and immediately began abusing them. They then summoned six other friends, who then went ahead and beat up the four. Ashok Tangade, an activist and key member of Jagar Pratisthan, which takes up human rights issues and attacks on Muslims, Dalits and Pardhis in the district, told Clarion India on Saturday that such attacks are common in the district. “If it was a group of upper-caste Hindus who were stranded by the roadside that late at night, the men would have taken them to their homes, offered them food and even given a place to sleep till their vehicle was repaired the following morning,” he said. “But because the four men were Muslims, they beat them up, accusing them of unsubstantiated charges and looking at them with suspicion.”An FIR has also been registered and two of the assailants have been arrested, according to a police spokesman. clarionindia

 

Safdar Nagori Continues to Suffer Even 3 Yrs After NHRC Saw Torture in Bhopal Jail

https://clarionindia.net/safdar-nagori-continues-to-suffer-even-3-yrs-after-nhrc-saw-torture-in-bhopal-jail/

NEW DELHI: In 2017, NHRC conducted 2 investigations into complaints that convicted and undertrial prisoners were facing torture and inhuman treatment–including religious slurs against their Muslim identity – in the Bhopal Central Jail. Both investigations concluded that the prisoners were facing physical and mental torture at the hands of prison authorities, and even highlighted the illegality of their continued solitary confinement. Almost 3 years later, neither the jail authorities nor the state govt of MP has taken note of the findings of the statutory body.  NHRC, too, has not pursued the matter except for writing to MP govt asking for its response to its findings. During the last 3 years, even the high court has remained unmoved. Now a letter sneaked from inside Bhopal jail reveals that torture and inhuman treatment of the said prisoners continue unabated. The letter has been written by Safdar Nagori, a convicted prisoner serving life-term for a 2008 case in Indore. His appeal against his conviction is pending before the HC. Nagori is former general secretary of SIMI. Nagori says he was not given a fair trial in the Indore case for which he was arrested on suspicion. In the undated letter, which is made available to Clarion India by Nagori’s elder brother Haider Husain Nagori, he gives a chilling account of the treatment the jail authorities are giving to its inmates classified as ‘SIMI prisoners’. They are denied “almost all human rights which, otherwise, are available to all other prisoners as mandated by Jail-Manual-Rules,” says the letter. It says ever since Nagori and his co-prisoners were shifted from Ahmedabad to Bhopal in May 2017, they have been facing physical and mental torture. They were received at the jail with beating and all sorts of abuses that continue till date. Threats, expletives and religious slurs are routine because of which, Nagori says, he is living in constant phobia. He says if he complains or if they suspect that he has conveyed his mistreatment to his family or lawyer, he faces more beatings.He is told that he would be lodged with Hindutva brigades who would finish him; he would be killed in a fake encounter; he would be injected with AIDS; he would be implicated in fake cases thus spoiling his jail records, and many such other threats.Clarion India

 

Sanitation workers’ Noida stir intensifies after colleague’s suicide, Bhim Army chief Azad demands relief

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/sanitation-workers-noida-stir-intensifies-after-colleagues-suicide-azad-demands-relief-6602965/

Protests by sanitation workers in Noida demanding permanent employment gained momentum with Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad joining them on Saturday. Their agitation outside the Noida Authority office, which has been on for a month, has grown after a colleague, Anil Kumar (35), committed suicide two days ago after he lost his job.Azad claimed: “It is our constitutional right to protest. Notices were sent by authorities to sanitation workers that they will lose their jobs if they continue to protest. Anil came under mental distress by this threat and took his own life. Now what about his family, his six children? We demand an investigation in the case, just like the one in the case of Sushant (Singh Rajput). His family should receive compensation and be given govt jobs so they can sustain themselves.” Indian express

 

‘Centre’s grant for minority welfare in UP cut by 50% in 5 years’: BSP MP

https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/centre-s-grant-for-minority-welfare-in-up-cut-by-50-in-5-years-bsp-mp/story-gopp3b5KDxXLWT4O3GOpTO.html

BSP MP Kunwar Danish Ali has alleged that the budgetary allocation to the state for minority welfare was reduced by 50 percent over the past five years and wondered if this was the proof of the BJP’s ‘sab ka saath and sab ka vikas’ motto. “Besides reduction in the Centre’s grant, UP’s utilisation of the grant last year was a meagre 9.9 percent,” said Ali, who represents Uttar Pradesh’s Amroha constituency in Lok Sabha.‘Sab ka saath, sab ka vikas’ (cooperation with all, development of all) was BJP’s election slogan. The party later added ‘sab ka vishwas’ (confidence of all) to it to showcase its intent of winning the trust of minorities, especially Muslims. Hindustan Times

 

Firms with up to 300 workers can hire and fire without Govt nod: Bill in Lok Sabha

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/firms-with-up-to-300-workers-can-hire-and-fire-without-govt-nod-bill-in-lok-sabha-6602928/

The government has proposed to introduce more conditions restricting the rights of workers to strike, alongside an increase in the threshold relating to layoffs and retrenchment in industrial establishments with 300 workers, from 100 workers or more at present — steps that are likely to provide more flexibility to employers for hiring and firing workers without government permission. These changes have been proposed in The Industrial Relations Code Bill, 2020, introduced in Lok Sabha Saturday. Labour and Employment Minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar also introduced two other labour code Bills: The Code on Social Security, 2020, and The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020. Indian express

 

IUML Opposes Removal of Malabar Rebellion Leaders’ Names from Dictionary of Martyrs

https://clarionindia.net/iuml-opposes-removal-of-malabar-rebellion-leaders-names-from-dictionary-of-martyrs/

New Delhi: Legislators of IUML wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, remonstrating the removal of names of certain Muslim freedom fighters like Malabar Rebellion leaders and Wagon Tragedy Victims from the government-backed dictionary of martyrs he himself released last year.Urging Modi to intervene immediately in the matter to prevent any attempt to disturb communal harmony and ensure peaceful coexistence in the country, the lawmakers made an appeal withdraw the decision to delist the names of the dedicated Muslim leaders.The book, ‘Dictionary of Martyrs: India’s Freedom Struggle (1857-1947), released by Prime Minister in March, 2019, is a joint project of the Indian Council of Historical Research and the Indian Ministry of Culture.The Malabar Rebellion was an illustrious event in Southern Malabar where Muslims waged a valorous struggle against the well-equipped British army for nearly six months beginning Aug.1921. clarionindia

 

CORONAVIRUS-LOCKDOWN

 ICMR Was Blocked From Sharing Sero-Survey Data From Hotspots: Researchers

https://science.thewire.in/health/covid-19-icmr-seroprevalence-survey-hostpots-data-suppression/

Researchers who conducted and analysed results of India’s first national seroprevalence survey, to estimate the prevalence of COVID-19 in the population in May 2020, have alleged that they were not allowed to include data from disease hotspots in 10 cities in the paper they published describing the survey.Sources told The Telegraph that the director-general of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Balram Bhargava had asked researchers to remove the data – collected between May 11 and June 4 – because ICMR did not have the requisite approvals to publicise it. The paper was published in the Indian Journal of Medical Research this month.Sources told the newspaper that Bhargava, who is also secretary of the Department of Health Research, had made no mention of where the instruction originated. This has prompted a storm of worry among experts that India’s premier medical research agency, which usually drafts the ethical codes doctors in India are expected to follow, breached medical ethics itself. “We were told: remove the hotspots data or don’t publish,” one co-author told The Telegraph, a statement that two others reportedly corroborated. thewire

 

Kin of migrant workers who died during lockdown hope for compensation

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kin-of-migrant-workers-who-died-during-lockdown-hope-for-compensation/article32652494.ece?homepage=true

Lucknow: 4 months after he lost his brother and sister-in-law to a tragic accident, Ram Kumar Sahu still wonders what would have happened if the couple had not been compelled to attempt that perilous 700-km journey back home to Chhattisgarh’s Behmetara.Set out on a bicycle, Krishna and Pramila Sahu were crushed to death by a vehicle on the outskirts of Lucknow in May. Their 2 children, Chandni and Nikhil, had miraculously survived.“If the government had provided facilities and ration then, why would my brother try to go back?,” asked Ram, when told that the government had claimed it did not have any data on the migrants who died or lost their jobs during lockdown. “What would he do in an foreign land, when there was no work?”Like thousands of migrant workers and labourers across the country, the Sahus was stranded — without work, money and transportation — during the lockdown, when desperation forced them to return to their village where they sensed a better chance at sustenance. The hindu

 

With 38 deaths, Gujarat ranked third on IMA’s list of ‘Covid martyrs’

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/with-38-deaths-gujarat-ranked-third-on-imas-list-of-covid-martyrs-6602914/

Gujarat recorded the third-highest number of Covid-19 deaths among doctors in the country— after Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, according to data tabulated by the Indian Medical Association (IMA).As many as 38 doctors in the state have died due to Covid-19 until September 10. On Friday, a 34-year-old paediatrician in Vapi also succumbed to the disease.This otherwise appears to be in sharp contrast with Gujarat’s cumulative death toll which ranks the state at eighth position across India with 3,286 deaths recorded as Covid-19 deaths. In terms of cumulative cases as well, Gujarat ranks 12th among other states with 1.22 lakh cases till date. indianexpress

 

Saharanpur’s woodcarvers battle decline in industry, stress amid pandemic

http://twocircles.net/2020sep19/439069.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Twocirclesnet-IndianMuslim+%28TwoCircles.net+-+Indian+Muslim+News%29

Saharanpur is internationally famous for its woodwork and carving factories. These large and small units support the livelihood of more than two lakh workers, including craftsmen, labourers and suppliers. The two-month COVID-19 lockdown that entailed all establishments selling or producing non-essential items be shut, has greatly impacted its 400-year-old wood carving industry. Although the restrictions are being lifted over the past month, things are not the same. Craftsmen, labour class and suppliers are in debt and are struggling to earn their livelihood.Woodcraft work in Saharanpur is spread all over the city. Khata Kheri being the main hub of manufacturers is known as a wooden city. Apart from Khata Kheri, the woodwork traders and artisans have their units at Habibagarh and Pul Kambohan.With the dust from wood cutting surrounding him, Irshad sits in his small shop at Pul Kambohan turning rectangular wood planks into round table supports.It has been 6 days since Irshad returned to work. Before the lockdown, he had gone to visit his sister in New Delhi and while he was there a nation-wide COVID-19 lockdown was enforced to prevent its spread. With all transport shut, this forced him to stay in New Delhi for 4 months.“I knew there is no work back at home, so I preferred to stay in Delhi with my sister’s family,” he says, and added, “Lockdown has just reflected the intentions of this government.”Irshad has no expectations from the govt. “Why will they help us, it is our responsibility to survive harsh times,” he said.TwoCircles

 

All PG medical students will now get a 3-month mandatory posting at district hospitals

https://theprint.in/health/all-pg-medical-students-will-now-get-a-3-month-mandatory-posting-at-district-hospitals/506625/

New Delhi: In a radical shift in postgraduate medical education, the central government has made it mandatory for all students pursuing MD or MS to undergo compulsory posting at a district hospital for three months, starting from the 2020-21 academic session.The students will be posted at a district hospital in their third, fourth or fifth semester. PG medical education is a three-year programme.“All postgraduate students pursuing MD/MS in broad specialities in all Medical Colleges/Institutions under the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956 shall undergo a compulsory residential rotation of three months in District Hospitals / District Health System as a part of the course curriculum,” read the gazette notification issued last week. theprint

 

Coronavirus: India's tally crosses 54-lakh mark with spike of 92,605 new cases

https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/coronavirus-live-updates-september-20-india-world-covid-test-who-china-us-vaccine-1723526-2020-09-20

"In a landmark global achievement", India has overtaken the US to become No.1 in terms of coronavirus recoveries, accounting for close to 19 per cent of the total global recoveries. According to Union health ministry figures released on Sunday morning, total coronavirus cases in India has crossed the 53-lakh mark, while the country's death toll has touched 85,619. In a major development, the DCGI has approved the commercial launch of 'Feluda', Tata CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) Covid-19 test. The Tata CRISPR test achieves accuracy levels of traditional RT-PCR tests with quicker turnaround time, less expensive equipment and better ease of use. Meanwhile, Britain is likely to reintroduce some national coronavirus lockdown measures "sooner rather than later", as new cases rose to their highest level since early May. indiatoday

 

WORLD

US claims UN sanctions on Iran reinstated. The world disagrees

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/09/claims-sanctions-iran-reinstated-world-disagrees-200920053722999.html

Tehran:US has broken with all other permanent members of UNSC and unilaterally declared the re-imposition of all UN sanctions against Iran - a claim rejected by Iran and the international community, including Washington's close allies, as having no legal basis.In a statement on Sunday following the expiration of a deadline set by US, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo threatened "consequences" for any UN member state that does not comply with the punitive measures, which were lifted under a landmark nuclear deal that was signed between 6 world powers and Iran in 2015 but was abandoned by US more than 2 years ago.His statement came a month after US officially triggered the process aimed at restoring all UN sanctions on Iran, claiming significant Iranian violations of the Joint Comprehensive Plan for Action (JCPOA), the formal name for 2015 deal that was endorsed by the Security Council. However, international community, including 4 other permanent Security Council members, insist US no longer has the legal ability to force through any changes since it announced its exit from what Trump has branded "the worst deal ever" with a presidential memorandum titled Ceasing US Participation in JCPOA. Ianian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said the expected US declaration amounted to "piracy".In a letter to the Security Council, the European signatories to the deal - Britain, France and Germany, or E3 - stressed UN sanctions relief for Iran would continue, adding that any decision or action to reimpose them "would be incapable of legal effect".UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also told the council he would not take any action on the US declaration because "there would appear to be uncertainty whether or not any process ... was indeed initiated".

 

Israel seals off West Bank, Gaza Strip

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200919-israel-seals-off-west-bank-gaza-strip/

Israeli occupation army announced the full closure of the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip for Jewish Rosh Hashanah holiday, Quds Press reported.According to report, the complete closure will start from Sunday at midnight until Tuesday.During this period, all crossings between Israel and the occupied territories will be closed with the exception of humanitarian or medical emergencies, and these “must” be coordinated with the Israeli army.This is a routine closure, but Israel intends to tighten its measures against the movement of Palestinians under claims of fearing attacks. middleeastmonitor

 

Netanyahu: Palestine will resume talks if Trump re-elected

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200919-netanyahu-palestine-will-resume-talks-if-trump-re-elected/

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that Palestinians will resume negotiations with Israel if current US President Donald Trump is re-elected, Israel Hayom reported .Speaking from behind closed doors, the Israeli daily informed that Netanyahu expressed that signing the normalisation deals with UAE and Bahrain has left Palestinians with no options but the negotiating table. Netanyahu noted that if Trump is re-elected, he would begin talks with the Palestinians based on Trump’s deal of the century. middleeastmonitor

 

Dozens of Israeli settlers storm Al-Aqsa complex

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200920-dozens-of-israeli-settlers-storm-al-aqsa-complex/

Dozens of Israeli settlers forced their way into Jerusalem’s flashpoint Al-Aqsa complex on Sunday in celebration of the Jewish New Year, Anadolu reports. In a statement, the Jerusalem Awqaf Department said 76 settlers backed by Israeli police forces had entered the compound.According to an Anadolu Agency reporter, settlers toured the courtyard in celebration of the Jewish Rosh Hashanah, which falls from Sunday to Thursday.Right-wing Jewish supporters have called on supporters over the past few days to converge on the Al-Aqsa compound to celebrate the occasion.On Saturday, an Israeli settler attempted to blow in a shofar inside the flashpoint compound, but he was kicked out by the guards.

 

Sheikh Bikirat calls for keeping Aqsa open to Muslim worshipers

https://english.palinfo.com/news/2020/9/19/Sheikh-Bikirat-calls-for-keeping-Aqsa-open-to-Muslim-worshipers

O.Jerusalem, (PIC)Sheikh Najeh Bikirat, deputy director general of the Islamic Awqaf in Jerusalem, has emphasized the importance of retaining the Aqsa Mosque’s gates open to Muslim worshipers to prevent any attempt by the Israeli occupation authority to change the status quo at the holy site.In press remarks, Sheikh Bikirat called for necessarily preserving the Islamic roots and identity of the Aqsa Mosque through carrying out projects and intensifying the presence of Muslims.

 

Hamas asks Arab regimes to listen to their peoples’ voice

https://english.palinfo.com/news/2020/9/20/Hamas-asks-Arab-regimes-to-listen-to-their-peoples-voice

GAZA, (PIC) Hamas Movement has applauded the popular anti-normalization protests that were organized in many Arab countries, including Bahrain, and called on the Arab governments to listen to the voice of their peoples.In a press release, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qasem said that these protests reflected the Arab people’s awareness and their rejection of all forms of normalization with the Israeli occupation state.

 

200 trees uprooted by Israeli army in west of Salfit

https://english.palinfo.com/news/2020/9/19/200-trees-uprooted-by-Israeli-army-in-west-of-Salfit

SALFIT, (PIC)Israeli bulldozers uprooted on Saturday 200 trees in the town of Bidya, west of Salfit. The uprooted trees vary between olives, figs, grapes, peaches, lemons, and fruit and perennial almonds.The owner of the trees Salim Khalil said that the land is the only source of income for his family. He pointed out that a number of those trees are up to 20 years old.Local sources reported that settlers uprooted olive, fig and grape trees, removed stone chains, demolished agricultural rooms, and caused great damage to the area.

 

Fatah does not rule out UAE role to remove Abbas

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200919-fatah-does-not-rule-out-uae-role-to-remove-abbas/

The secular Palestinian movement Fatah does not rule out UAE’s efforts to replace Palestinian Authority (PA), Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), and Fatah President Mahmoud Abbas with dismissed Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan, Al-Khaleej Online reported on Friday.Head of Fatah’s Organisations and Mobilisation Commission Munir Al-Jaghoub stated: “UAE must stop interfering in Palestinian affairs after its US-brokered normalisation with the state of the Israeli occupation.”Al-Jaghoub affirmed: “Since it was created, the PA has an election system and there are bases for nomination. Therefore, there is no American guardianship over the Palestinian people or their leadership.” middleeastmonitor

 

After US claims, France says no evidence of Hezbollah explosives stores

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200919-after-us-claims-france-says-no-evidence-of-hezbollah-explosives-stores/

France’s foreign ministry has said there was no evidence to suggest the armed wing of Lebanon’s Hezbollah was storing chemicals to make explosives in France after a senior US official said the group had set up caches in Europe since 2012.  Nathan Sales, US State Department’s coordinator for counterterrorism, accused the Iran-backed group of smuggling and storing chemicals, including ammonium nitrate, from Belgium to France, Greece, Italy, Spain, and Switzerland. “It stores these weapons in places so it can conduct major terrorist attacks whenever its masters in Tehran deem necessary,” Sales said in a briefing without elaborating or providing evidence of the activities. middleeastmonitor

 

Rights groups: UAE hired 450 mercenaries to carry out assassinations in Yemen

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200919-rights-groups-uae-hired-450-mercenaries-to-carry-out-assassinations-in-yemen/

UAE has hired thousands of mercenaries and deployed 450 of them in Yemen to carry out high-profile assassinations, the International Institute for Rights and Development, and Rights Radar Foundation revealed on Thursday.These remarks came in a statement that the International Institute for Rights and Development and Rights Radar Foundation read during 45th session of UN Human Rights Council held in Geneva.“International Institute for Rights and Development and Rights Radar Foundation are deeply concerned about the escalation of assassination cases in Yemen by the mercenaries,” the statement read. middleeastmonitor

 

Erdogan: ‘Turkey regrets GNA head Sarraj resignation’

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200919-erdogan-turkey-regrets-sarraj-resignation/

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has stated that Turkey regrets the decision of Head of the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) Fayez Al-Sarraj to resign from his position, stressing that he has no objection to holding meetings with the Egyptian authorities, Reuters reported.Speaking to reporters after Friday prayer in Istanbul, Erdogan added: “The warlord Khalifa Haftar will be defeated sooner or later,” adding that Turkey “regrets the decision made by the internationally-recognised Libyan Prime Minister Fayez Al-Sarraj to resign by the end of Oct.”  middleeastmonitor

 

Civilians killed in Afghan gov't air raids: Kunduz official

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/09/afghanistan-dozens-taliban-men-killed-air-strikes-base-200919180220271.html

A local official in northeastern Afghanistan has said at least 11 civilians were killed in twin air raids that the government said targeted Taliban fighters."The first strike hit the Taliban base but the second one caused civilian casualties as they had gathered at the bombed site," Fatima Aziz, a MP who represents Kunduz province, was quoted as saying by Reuters on Saturday. She said 11 civilians were killed and 5 people were missing in the Khanabad district. Villagers said an initial air attack targeted a house belonging to a Taliban fighter, whose home doubled as a check post that stops and frisks people to ensure they are not connected to the government. The explosion set fire to a nearby home, trapping a family inside, said witness Latif Rahmani. The Taliban issued a statement on Saturday accusing Afghan forces of killing at least 40 civilians in the air raids. The armed group did not comment on casualties among its fighters in the incident. The attack came shortly before President Ashraf Ghani again called for a humanitarian ceasefire "to protect our people, prevent violence and terrorist incidents and to achieve a dignified and lasting peace". aljazeera

 

Afghanistan: Hekmatyar ready to join hands with Taliban

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/afghanistan-hekmatyar-ready-to-join-hands-with-taliban/1978842

Kabul:Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, veteran Afghan mujahideen leader and head of the Hezb-e-Islami party, has expressed his willingness to form an alliance with the Taliban in Afghanistan. “Hezb-e-Islami is ready for direct talks with the Taliban, as well as for partnership and cooperation. We believe that if these two groups join hands, the crisis in Afghanistan will end soon and no force will be able to stand against it,” he told supporters at the party’s headquarters in the capital Kabul on Saturday.“When the first round of talks between Kabul [Afghan govt] and the Taliban is completed, we are ready for Hezb-e-Islami and Taliban to start talks. The decision now rests with Taliban.”Hekmatyar asserted that Afghan govt was “weak and divided,” while the Taliban and Hezb-e-Islami “share mutual beliefs, values, and ideology.”Hekmatyar claimed the Afghan government was looking to delay the peace process until November’s US presidential election. Anadolu agency

 

Tens of thousands attend Bangladesh Islamist leader Ahmad Shafi's funeral

https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/tens-of-thousands-attend-bangladesh-islamist-leader-s-funeral-1723404-2020-09-19

Dhaka: Tens of thousands of people gathered to mourn the leader of Bangladesh's largest Islamist group as his funeral was held on Saturday in a rural southeastern town, police said.Allama Shah Ahmad Shafi, who had led Hefazat-e-Islam group since it was formed in 2010, died of age-related complications on Friday in the capital Dhaka. He was believed to be over 100 years old. His death came just a day after an unprecedented revolt involving thousands of students at his highly influential madrasa, or Islamic school, forced him to resign after 3 decades as its chair. On Saturday, after Shafi's body was brought back to his school in Hathazari outside the port city of Chittagong, vast crowds of his followers rushed to the town to pay their respects. "Some 150,000 people have already gathered here on the madrasa ground, in the buildings and out on the roads to his funeral prayers," regional police chief Anwar Hossain told AFP. Shafi's supporters said the turnout was far higher.AFP/ indiatoday

 

Fact Check: Does this Belgian city with terror links have 100% Muslim population?

https://www.indiatoday.in/fact-check/story/fact-check-belgian-city-terror-links-100-muslim-population-1723499-2020-09-19

Have you heard of Molenbeek? In all probability, you may not have.This city in Belgium, almost five kilometres west of Brussels Grand Place, is unlike the tourist destination that Belgium is known for. Molenbeek, in fact, is one neighbourhood that has been linked with radical Islamist terrorism time and again.Now some social media users are claiming that Molenbeek has become the first European city with 100 per cent Muslim population. It is also being claimed that by 2021, Belgium will become a new Islamic country in Europe. It is true that the Muslim population in Belgium has gone up rapidly. However, the claim that Molenbeek has 100 per cent Muslim population is far from true. While Belgium has an estimated seven per cent of Muslim population, it is almost 45 per cent in Molenbeek, according to a 2017 Reuters report. indiatoday

 

OP-ED

 

·        No country for Muslims:Tavleen Singh, Indian Express

https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/delhi-riots-caa-nrc-muslims-tavleen-singh-6602787/

 

·        Umar Khalid’s arrest in connection with Feb.2020 Delhi riots can be seen as cognitive incarceration of Muslim youth:Tarushikha Sarvesh Septem

https://www.firstpost.com/india/umar-khalids-arrest-in-connection-with-february-2020-delhi-riots-can-be-seen-as-cognitive-incarceration-of-muslim-youth-8830321.html

 

·        Antecedents of anti Muslim bias in media including Sudarshan TV:SAEED NAQVI,IANS

https://newsd.in/antecedents-of-anti-muslim-bias-in-media-including-sudarshan-tv-comment/

 ·        Promise broken, states broke:P Chidambaram, indianexpress

https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/states-gst-compensation-borrow-p-chidambaram-6602774/

 ·        Market failure: On agriculture sector reforms: thehindu

https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/market-failure-the-hindu-editorial-on-agriculture-sector-reforms/article32644289.ece

  ·        ExplainSpeaking on economy: Why implementation of farm bills will make or break latest agriculture reforms:Udit Misra , indianexpress

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/agriculture-ordinances-punjab-haryana-farmers-protest-explainspeaking-6603039/

  

·        False Claims, Factual Inaccuracies: Review of Delhi Riots Book

https://www.newsclick.in/false-claims-factual-inaccuracies-review-delhi-riots-book

 

·        Delhi riots: How we got a judge to hold a midnight hearing that saved dozens of lives:Suroor Mander

https://scroll.in/article/971289/delhi-riots-how-we-got-a-judge-to-hold-a-midnight-hearing-that-saved-dozens-of-lives

 

·        Security of Private Persons at State Expense Must Not Be an Act of Political Patronage:N.C. Asthana

https://thewire.in/government/security-private-persons-state-expense-political-patronage

 

·  Khalid, Imam and the conventional Muslim prisoner; Tazeen Junaid, TwoCircles.net

http://twocircles.net/2020sep19/439084.html

 

·        Why Yogi is wrong about the Mughals, writes Karan Thapar

https://www.hindustantimes.com/columns/why-yogi-is-wrong-about-the-mughals/story-kQsbMlqIEf4NuWq9baILdP.html

 

·        Free trade in agri produce is fine on paper but will kill both rural and urban India

https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/opinion/free-trade-in-agri-produce-is-fine-on-paper-but-will-kill-both-rural-and-urban-india

 

·        Scathing open letter to news media: Hunt for ‘news’, not women

https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/india/scathing-open-letter-to-news-media-hunt-for-news-not-women

 

·        ‘N-i-r-mal-isation’ of economy: Vocal for ‘low-cal’, ‘Artha’ to ‘Paramartha’ & Mammon to ‘Moksha’  

https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/opinion/n-i-r-mal-isation-of-economy-vocal-for-low-cal-artha-to-paramartha-and-mammon-to-moksha

 

·        Anguish at Sudarshan TV’s misconduct offers a balm, but does little to curb anti-Muslim bias 

https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/opinion/anguish-at-sudarshan-tvs-misconduct-offers-a-balm-but-does-little-to-curb-anti-muslim-bias

 

·        PMO withholds information on inception of PMNRF to RTI applicant despite favourable appeal order:Ashlin Mathew

·        https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/india/pmo-withholds-information-on-inception-of-pmnrf-to-rti-applicant-despite-favourable-appeal-order

 

·        Umar Khalid who? Kanhaiya Kumar’s strange silence over his JNU comrade’s arrest:PRASHANT DIXIT

https://theprint.in/opinion/pov/umar-khalid-who-kanhaiya-kumar-strange-silence-over-his-arrest/506605/

                                  

Compiled and edited by Anwarulhaq