22 SEPT. NEWS DIGEST

 INDIA

Delhi riots conspiracy chargesheet: ‘Violence on mind after 2019 results… objective was to uproot elected govt’

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/delhi-riots-conspiracy-chargesheet-violence-on-mind-after-2019-results-objective-was-to-uproot-elected-govt-6605418/

“From the day that the results of 2019 Parliamentary elections were declared, the tone and tenor of the public utterances of the key conspirators of the present case has shown a clear streak of affinity towards violence which had started playing out in their minds.” This is how Delhi Police Special Cell concludes its 2,695-page “final report” in the chargesheet filed against 15 people under the stringent UAPA in a case of alleged conspiracy related to Feb. riots in Delhi. The chargesheet includes the names of former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain, Pinjra Tod’s Devangana Kalita and Natasha Narwal, former DU student Gulfisha, Jamia Millia Islamia PhD student Meeran Haider and Jamia Coordination Committee media coordinator Safoora, among others. Police have attached transcripts of the chats between Swaraj India leader Yogendra Yadav, filmmakers Rahul Roy and Saba Dewan, Pinjra Tod’s Kalita and Narwal, CPI’s Annie Raja, Rakshita Swamy of MKSS, activists Harsh Mander and Anjali Bhardwaj. In the report, police state: “The conspiracy grew in an organic manner from the formation of a group called MSJ (Muslim Students of JNU), an overtly communal seed that was sown after CAB… to the subsequent formation of JCC and finally the emergence of DPSG, which provided a secular facade and naxal genes of violent resistance to an otherwise radically communal agenda”.

         

Delhi police chargesheet claims Jamia Coordination Committee was riots conspirator

https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/our-final-motive-was-to-trigger-violent-riots/article32664171.ece?homepage=true

Delhi Police Special Cell in its chargesheet number 59 against Jamia Millia Islamia student Safoora Zargar has claimed that Jamia Coordination Committee (JCC), of which she was the media coordinator, was involved in a larger conspiracy to trigger “violent riots, give anti-CAA protests a secular colour and portray it as a students’ movement”. Ms. Zargar’s ‘Disclosure Statements’ submitted in the court, however, has “refused to sign” written across all pages. In the alleged statement, it is written that Zargar was a part of several protests, including the one at Jamia against fee hike. It is also stated that she was not a part of the protest which broke out on Dec.15 last year, but started an indefinite protest.The document allegedly quotes Ms. Zargar as saying that a WhatsApp group was formed, deleted and again created because of “unwanted infiltration” and social media accounts on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook were also created. “It was decided to mask the real conspirators & communal conspiracy and to give anti CAA protest a Secular Colour & to portray it as a Student Movement also involving women… We knew that due to inconvenience caused by Chakka Jams at different sites trouble would be caused to Hindu communities living in those areas who will definitely protest against it and it will, finally result in violent riots between Hindu and Muslims which was our final motive (sic),” Zargar was quoted as saying in the statement that she refused to sign.  Another Jamia student Meeran Haider is quoted as saying that he was told by JCC that Shaheen Bagh was to be looked at as a “pilot project” which was a success and due to this protests at around 20 places were planned across Delhi.

 

Delhi riots charge sheet details money trail, accused deny allegations

https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/delhi-riots-charge-sheet-details-money-trail-accused-deny-allegations/story-ww64TFM1UOPModQ7qmyXNN.html

In its charge sheet related to the alleged conspiracy behind the north-east Delhi communal riots, Delhi Police special cell has said that former councillor Ishrat Jahan, activist Khalid Saifi, suspended municipal councillor Tahir Hussain, Shifa-Ur-Rehman and Jamia Milla Islamia student Meeran Haider withdrew Rs 1.48 crore in cash on separate occasions for allegedly “managing” the sites for anti-CAA protests and “execute the conspiracy” for riots. Rizwan, counsel for Tahir Hussain, denied all allegations and said that no money was used to fund the anti- CAA/NRC protest by his client. Saifi’s lawyer Harsh Bohra said, “This charge sheet is completely rubbish. We deny it.” Advocate Amit Bhalla, counsel for Shifa ur Rehman, said that it was a voluminous charge sheet. “I am yet to read the document because it is not possible to read it in such a short time.” Advocate Saransh Gupta, for Meeran Haider, refused to comment. Pradeep Teotia, lawyer for Ishrat Jahan, said, “the allegations about funding are all concoctated facts and there is nothing in the charge sheet to prove the same.” The police have attached a photo of Swaraj Abhiyan leader Yogendra Yadav showing him in a meeting with Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam and others, which purportedly was held on Dec.8, 2019 in Jangpura Extension, claiming that the meeting was held to discuss road blockades in Jamia area. “I said in a news report 2 weeks ago, yes, there was a meeting and it did take place on Dec.8 at the office of NAPM in Jangpura, where movement groups normally hold their meetings. It was not any hidden, conspiratorial place. Several meetings took place at that venue before and after CAA was passed. The meeting on Dec.8 turned out to be a non starter as most of the people invited did not turn up due to short notice” Yadav said. “But t is laughable to imagine that any conspiracy was hatched in the meeting on Dec.8 that did not even begin,” Yadav said.

 

Facing communal slurs, mental harassment in jail: Delhi student activist Gulfisha Fatima

https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/delhi/2020/sep/21/facing-communal-slursmental-harassment-in-jail-delhi-student-activist-gulfisha-fatima-2200023.html

NEW DELHI: Student activist Gulfisha Fatima, arrested under the stringent UAPA, alleged before a Delhi court on Monday that she was being subjected to communal slurs and mental harassment by jail authorities.Fatima, an MBA graduate, is currently lodged in Tihar jail in the case related to the communal violence in northeast Delhi. The submissions were made before Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat when she was produced through video conferencing. Fatima alleged that she was being discriminated against by the staff in the jail. "I have been constantly facing discrimination by the jail staff. They called me educated terrorist and are hurling communal slurs at me. I am facing mental harassment here. If I hurt myself, only jail authorities will be responsible for it," she alleged.After Fatima made her submissions directly to the court, the judge asked her lawyer to file an application regarding this.To this, her counsel Mehmood Pracha said he will do the necessary in the case.The court on Monday put up the case for further consideration on Oct. 3. PTI

 

Delhi violence: BJP’s Kapil Mishra claimed he did not deliver any speech, says chargesheet

https://scroll.in/latest/973766/delhi-violence-bjps-kapil-mishra-claimed-he-did-not-deliver-any-speech-says-chargesheet

Delhi Police in its chargesheet have said that they had questioned BJP leader Kapil Mishra in the last week of July in connection with the violence that broke out in North East Delhi, Indian Express reported.On Feb.23, Mishra gave the Delhi Police a 3-day ultimatum to get the Jafrabad anti-CAA protest site cleared. In a tweet, which has since been removed, he told the police he would not listen to them if they failed to meet the demand. During the questioning, Mishra claimed that he had visited the area to resolve conflicts and also that he had not delivered a speech. However, in the Delhi Police’s chargesheet, Mishra claimed that he was only requesting the senior police officer to clear the protest sites within three days, after which he would begin his demonstration. Scroll

 

Farm Bills: Opposition Walks Out of Rajya Sabha; House Passes 7 key Bills in less than 4 Hours

https://thewire.in/politics/farm-bills-centre-opposition-escalation-rajya-sabha-bihar-elections

https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/seven-bills-passed-in-three-and-a-half-hours-in-rajya-sabha/cid/1792709

 In one of the biggest pushbacks against the Narendra Modi govt, the opposition decided to boycott the Rajya Sabha until its key demands are met. In one of the most productive days in its history, Rajya Sabha on Tuesday in a matter of 3 and half hours passed 7 key bills including one that removes cereals, pulses and onion from the essential commodities list and another that abolishes penalty for certain offences by companies. This after most of the opposition including Congress, Left parties, TMC, Samajwadi Party and NCP decided to boycott House proceedings in protest against the suspension of 8 MPs for the remainder of the session for unruly behaviour. Only members from the ruling BJP and its ally JD-U and those of parties such as AIADMK, BJD, YSR-Congress and TDP, which have been extending support to the Modi govt on various issues, participated in the debates on the bills.In most bills, the members participation was sparse and the minister's reply brief. First, it passed a bill to declare 5 newly-established IIITs as institutions of national importance.The crucial Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, which removes cereals, pulses, oilseeds, edible oils, onion and potatoes from the list of essential commodities and removes stockholding limits on them, was passed next. This bill is part of the agriculture reforms bills that the government is pushing to raise farm incomes. Rajya Sabha also passed amendments to the Bank Regulation Act to bring cooperative banks under the supervision of RBI in a bid to protect the interest of depositors.Thereafter the Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2020, which removes the penalty for certain offences, was passed.National Forensic Sciences University Bill, 2020 and the Rashtriya Rakash University Bill were passed in quick succession. Thereafter the Taxation and Other Laws (Relaxation and Amendment of Certain Provisions) Bill, 2020 to relax time limit on compliance with tax laws, GST payment and filing in view of the coronavirus pandemic. The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020 as well as the Taxation and Other Laws (Relaxation and Amendment of Certain Provisions) Bill, 2020 replace emergency ordinances. The sitting of the Rajya Sabha was extended by just over an hour beyond the scheduled time to allow the passage of the bills. All the 7 bills have already been passed by Lok Sabha and will now be sent to the President for assent. Once he gives his assent, they will become the law. Telegraphindia/ thewire

 

Opposition to boycott Rajya Sabha till ‘3 demands’ met; suspended MPs end sit-in protest

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/opposition-boycott-rajya-sabha-suspended-mps-end-sit-in-protest-6605924/2 farm

Several Opposition parties led by the Congress staged a walkout from Rajya Sabha demanding Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu to reinstate 8 members who were suspended for “unruly behavior” during House proceedings. While the Congress was the first to exit the House along with members of AAP, TMC and Left parties, they were later joined by the NCP, SP, Shiv Sena and RJD.Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said the Opposition will boycott the proceedings of the House till the Government accepts their three demands.“Government to bring another bill under which no private player can purchase below MSP, MSP to be fixed under formula recommended by Swaminathan Commission, and Government agencies like FCI shouldn’t buy crops below MSP,” Azad said.Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu made a fresh appeal to members of all opposition parties to rethink their decision of boycotting the House proceedings.Meanwhile, the eight suspended lawmakers ended their sit-in protest inside the Parliament House complex after the Opposition decided to boycott the remaining session in the Upper House. Meanwhile, Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told PTI that the govt may consider revoking the suspension of the suspended MPs if they apologise for their behaviour in the Rajya Sabha.

 

Bills passed in both Houses, but Punjab farmers say it can’t quash their spirit

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/two-farm-bills-passed-in-both-houses-but-punjab-farmers-say-it-cant-quash-their-spirit-6605766/

Ludhiana :Declaring that they won’t let the government do anything against them, they burnt effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and NDA government as well as copies of the Bills in villages across the state on Sunday.Farmers said Punjab has a history of revolution. At Bhawanigarh mandi of Sangrur district, farmer Kulwinder Singh said, “We can do anything to save our land. In the past, we did not let banks do kurki on our land. Hence, even if they have passed the Bills, we will continue our struggle.”Paramjeet Kaur Pitho, a woman leader of BKU (Ugrahan), said, “So what if they have passed it in Rajya Sabha. We had protested against forcible land acquisition in Gobindpura village of Mansa in 2011 when the thermal plant was to be built, in which one farmer had died and many had been injured as well. The Government was forced to give the land back to the farmers.”

 

Farmer groups in Mansa make ‘lists’ of BJP leaders, workers for social boycott

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/farmer-groups-in-mansa-make-lists-of-bjp-leaders-workers-for-social-boycott-6605773/

Ludhiana :Punjab BJP leaders continue to issue statements that they will reach out to farmers/ commission agents to discuss the three farm Bills of the Centre, but state farmers are not exactly rolling out the red carpet for them.In Mansa, a list of BJP workers/leaders is being made in every village/mandi town area and on Sept.25, their names will be announced in public so as to make people stop buying anything from them. This decision was taken Monday afternoon by the Federation of Arhtiya Association Punjab’s Mansa unit.Jatinder Garg, vice-president of the state’s association said, “On Sunday we passed a resolution against the Bills at Sangrur and now individually people are making decisions on their own to boycott BJP, which is looking after our interests.”

 

Amarinder calls hike in MSP for rabi crops ‘a cruel joke’

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/amarinder-calls-hike-in-msp-for-rabi-crops-a-cruel-joke-6605894/

Chandigarh :Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has dismissed the announcement of MSP for rabi crops by calling the hike “paltry” and “a cruel joke on the farmers” amid their growing apprehensions about abolition of MSP regime following the passage of the new agriculture Bills in Parliament.“This is callous. They have made a mockery of the farmers’ protests over the farm Bills, which by all accounts will eventually pave the way for ending the minimum support price (MSP) system and abolish the Food Corporation of India,” said the CM in a statement.

 

Farm bills: ‘Centre did not consult us, but it should at least talk to farmers,’ says SAD chief

https://scroll.in/latest/973760/farm-bills-centre-did-not-consult-us-but-it-should-at-least-talk-to-farmers-says-sad-chief

Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal on Tuesday said the government may have refused to pay heed to opposition leaders’ reservations about the contentious farming bills, but it should at least talk to farmers who have been vehemently protesting against the ordinances, Hindustan Times reported.Badal said there was no point in “putting ministers on TV” to give clarifications. “The same ministers should be deputed to meet the farmers and listen to them.”

 

Shiromani Akali Dal likely to quit BJP-led NDA over farm Bills

https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/india/shiromani-akali-dal-likely-to-quit-bjp-led-nda-over-farm-bills

Angered by the passage of two farm Bills in Rajya Sabha, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), the over two-decade-old ally of BJP-led NDA, is likely to quit the alliance, said sources.“A decision in his regard will be taken soon. As of now the party is deliberating pros and cons,” said the source on condition of anonymity.

Feeling the heat of the mounting farmers’ protests in Punjab, SAD is left with no choice but to leave the NDA, said a Punjab watcher. “This has now become a matter of prestige for the ranks and file of SAD, especially after the resignation of Harsimrat Kaur Badal,” said the analyst.Harsimrat Kaur, the wife of SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal,  resigned from the Union Cabinet in protest against the farm Bills on Thursday.

 

Farmers need many thousand markets, not one: Chidambaram

https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/national/farmers-need-many-thousand-markets-not-one-chidambaram

Taking a jibe at the advertisement released by the Centre defending the Farm Bills, former Finance Minister P.Chidambaram on Tuesday said that the farmers need many thousand markets all over the country and not just one.The advertisement, which appeared in the newspaper said: "One Nation, One Market, will give freedom to the farmers."IANS

 

Lok Sabha passes 2 Health Ministry Bills, one epidemic diseases bill by voice vote to protect healthcare workers, in midnight proceedings

https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/lok-sabha-passes-two-health-ministry-bills-in-midnight-proceedings-120092200060_1.html

https://www.livemint.com/news/india/lok-sabha-passes-epidemic-diseases-bill-to-protect-healthcare-workers-11600746124741.html

The Lok Sabha in a midnight proceeding on Tuesday passed Homoeopathy Central Council (Amendment) Bill, 2020, and Indian Medicine Central Council (Amendment) Bill, 2020. These Bills were moved for passage after the House passed the Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Bill, 2020 that seeks to bring a law that punishes those who attack health workers or doctors who are fighting the coronavirus outbreak or during any situation similar to the current Covid-19 pandemic.  Lok Sabha last night passed the Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Bill, 2020 to protect healthcare professionals against violence during crises such as the covid-19 pandemic.The bill, which had been cleared by Rajya Sabha on Saturday and passed by voice vote in Lok Sabha, moots up to five years' imprisonment for those attacking doctors and healthcare workers during a health crisis.

 

Farmer suicides: Centre again says no data, but blames states, UTs for not providing it to NCRB

https://scroll.in/latest/973744/farmer-suicides-centre-again-says-no-data-but-blames-states-uts-for-not-providing-it-to-ncrb

Centre on Monday informed the Parliament that no composite data had been collated on farmer suicides as several states do not submit figures to the National Crime Record Bureau, reported PTI.“As informed by NCRB many states and union territories had reported ‘Nil’ data on suicides by farmers, cultivators and agricultural labourers after several validations even while reporting suicides in other professions,” Union Minister of State for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, according to NDTV. “Due to this limitation national data on causes of suicide in farming sector was untenable and not published separately.”

 

"NDA=No Data Avalaible": Shashi Tharoor On Centre's Replies In Parliament

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/centres-no-data-admissions-help-shashi-tharoor-re-interpret-nda-2299290?pfrom=home-topscroll

New Delhi: The government's multiple admissions in parliament that it has no data on various subjects -- from migrant labourers to farmer suicides -- have made it the target of the Congress, whose leaders have launched a concerted attack. Today senior Congress leader and former Union minister Shashi Tharoor tweeted a list laced with sarcasm."No #data on migrant workers, no data on farmer suicides, wrong data on fiscal stimulus, dubious data on #Covid deaths, cloudy data on GDP growth -- this Government gives a whole new meaning to the term #NDA!" read his tweet, accompanied by a cartoon.

 

Gyan Sangam a failure, efforts by NDA govt to reform banks still-born, says Raghuram Rajan

https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/india/gyan-sangam-a-failure-efforts-by-nda-govt-to-reform-banks-still-born-says-raghuram-rajan

An outspoken critic of the NDA government, former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan has launched an attack on the policies of the government highlighting the "still-born effort to reform public sector banks" and "the failure of Gyan Sangam", a conclave held on the banking sector in 2015.These points have been brought forth by Rajan in a paper co-authored with former RBI Deputy Governor Viral Acharya, also seen as a government critic who had resigned from his post.While giving a number of suggestions on banking reforms in the paper, including winding up of the Department of Financial Services in the Finance Ministry and reducing government stake below 50 per cent, Rajan said many of these have been discussed in the past which concern public sector banks and their governance.IANS

 

Leading NGOs Believe FCRA Changes Will 'Kill' Sector, Render Grassroots Activists Jobless

https://thewire.in/rights/fcra-amendment-ngo-sector-impact-grassroots-activism

The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2020 introduced in Lok Sabha will severely impact collaborative research in critical fields in India as organisations receiving foreign funds will no longer be able to transfer them to small NGOs working at the grassroots level. Leading organisations also say the Bill would initially impact the livelihoods of workers associated with these small NGOs and ultimately lead to the “killing” of the entire sector as caps on administrative expenses would make it impossible for even the bigger NGOs to perform. Poonam Muttreja, who is executive director of Population Foundation of India, said the Bill will mark the “end of any partnership.”“If you are getting foreign funding, you cannot work in partnership with anyone, you will now not be able to give the money to an individual or another NGO or collaboration partner. All large NGOs collaborate with smaller NGOs which are there at the grassroots level – they do not have the capability of raising money or writing reports but do the real work. We support them to do the real work and we raise funds and write report and support them as an intermediary organisation. So this would mean the end of the small NGOs,” she said. Stating that “all the money from the private sector is also going to just one place now – PM-CARES Fund,” Muttreja commented that in any case, for small NGOs to get Indian or international money is “very difficult”.President and chief executive of the Centre for Policy Research, Yamini Aiyar, cautioned that the new rules may impact the NGOs’ ability to do research. thewire

 

FCRA amendments seek to make Aadhaar mandatory for NGOs, prohibit funds transfer: law firm

https://scroll.in/latest/973783/fcra-amendments-seek-to-make-aadhaar-mandatory-for-ngos-prohibit-funds-transfer-says-law-firm

FCRA amendments, will make Aadhaar mandatory for all office bearers of NGOs, who are seeking foreign grants, and restrict transfer of foreign contributions received to other persons, a law firm said.Law firm L&L Partners said that the amendments to FCRA Act seek to introduce new provisions under Section 12A of the Act. The provisions will require any person or entity, seeking to get registration or have FCRA licence renewed, to furnish the details of Aadhaar cards of all its office bearers and directors. In case the officials or directors are foreigners, they will have to provide a copy of the passport or Overseas Citizen of India card, the firm said. scroll

 

Journalist Auqib Javeed Assaulted, Harassed By Kashmir Cyber Police For Article On Cyberbullying

https://www.huffingtonpost.in/entry/journalist-auqib-javeed-assaulted-harassed-by-kashmir-cyber-police_in_5f699c61c5b6a9b19b3de494

Kashmiri journalist Auqib Javeed said he feared for his life after he recounted being assaulted and harassed by the region’s cyber police following a story he wrote on the intimidation of social media users critical of the government by the police, published by Article 14.Javeed said he was summoned by the Cyber Wing of the Jammu and Kashmir Police on September 18, where masked policeman slapped him twice.Javeed’s story published by Article14 had carried a quote by Superintendent of Police of the Cyber Wing Tahir Ashraf Bhatii, who had reportedly said: “We are living in a democratic country, and people have every right to criticise the government and that is how democracy works.”Javeed said when he was waiting outside the SP’s office as the cop accompanying him had gone inside, someone approached him from behind and slapped him.

 

Kerala: Welfare Party of India questions legality of arrests by NIA

https://www.dailypioneer.com/2020/india/jamaat-e-islami---questions-legality-of-arrests-by-nia.html

KOCHI: Welfare Party of India came out on Monday questioning the legality of the arrests of 3 migrant workers from Ernakulam district by NIA on Saturday. “We cannot believe the version of NIA that the three were arrested because of their links with Al Qaeda. These arrests smack of a conspiracy,” said Hameed Vaniyambalam, WPI, state president, in a statement released to the media. According to Hameed, the news being spread by the investigation agency is  with the objective to create Islamophobia and also to help the Sangh Parivar elements.“Their intention is to create ethnic hatred for the migrant laborers among the local population. These innocent workers are being portrayed as terrorists,” said Hameed. He also questioned the rationality of the evidence released by NIA to the media. Hameed said that NIA itself was a threat to the federal system of the country. He asked Kerala Govt to get itself impleaded in the case against NIA filed in the Supreme Court. “The media and social activists should not believe the version of NIA in these cases as the central agency has ulterior motives in releasing such news,” he said. daily pioneer

 

LeT funds case: NIA arrests Gul Nawaz on arrival from Gulf

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/nia-claims-arrest-of-key-let-funds-man-on-arrival-from-gulf-6605434/

New Delhi:NIA on Monday claimed to have arrested a key player in LeT financing network from Kerala after he arrived from a Gulf country. Sources said Gul Nawaz was an associate of Sheikh Abdul Nayeem, arrested for the first time in the 2006 Aurangabad arms haul episode case. Nawaz was the last remaining absconding accused in the case, after the arrest of one Javed from Delhi last year and Odisha-based Habibur Rehman alias Habib on arrival in Delhi from Riyadh in 2018. Nayeem was arrested in 2017.indianexpress

 

NIA raids 5 locations in J&K’s Baramulla in connection with ex-DSP Davinder Singh case

https://theprint.in/india/nia-raids-5-locations-in-jks-baramulla-in-connection-with-ex-dsp-davinder-singh-case/508009/

Srinagar: NIA carried out searches at five places in Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday in connection with a case related to arrested DSP of J-K Devender Singh, officials said. NIA swooped on these locations in the morning, they added. NIA had filed a chargesheet against Singh and others in July for alleged terror activities in the country.PTI

 

Centre tells Parliament nearly 1,200 detained under stringent NSA by police in 2017, 2018; 563 still in custody

https://www.firstpost.com/india/centre-tells-parliament-nearly-1200-detained-under-stringent-nsa-by-police-in-2017-2018-563-still-in-custody-8836141.html

New Delhi: Nearly 1,200 people across the country were detained under the stringent National Security Act (NSA) by police in 2017 and 2018, Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy said on Monday. Of these, 563 are still in custody, the minister said in Rajya Sabha. According to the latest published report of 2018 of NCRB, Madhya Pradesh detained the highest number of people under NSA in 2017 and 2018 among all states followed by Uttar Pradesh, the minister said in a written reply to a question in Upper House. A total of 501 people were detained in different parts of the country under the stringent law in 2017. Of these, 229 were released by review boards and 272 are under custody, he said. firstpost

 

 

‘Wind up Sudarshan TV for acting against nation’s integrity’: Venkatesh Nayak, Prof.Jagdeep Chhokar write to govt

https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/india/wind-up-sudarshan-tv-for-acting-against-nations-integrity-venkatesh-nayak-and-jagdeep-chhokar-write-to-govt

Transparency rights activist Venkatesh Nayak and renowned academic Prof. Jagdeep Chhokar have written a letter to Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, urging them to initiate proceedings for winding up the Sudarshan TV Channel, for acting against public order and integrity of India, LiveLaw.in reported. Nayak and Chhokar have alleged that the channel has violated every canon of credible journalism by consistently circulating "false statements", designed and intended to "provoke hatred and threaten public order".The primary focus of the representationists is upon the 'Bindas Bol' show of the channel, about the alleged Muslim infiltration in the Civil Services."Sudarshan TV's repeated broadcast of malicious falsehoods that have the potential to impact public order, in addition to being in violation of constitutional morality and an affront to the values of national integrity and fraternity and demand immediate redress," they urged. nationalheraldindia

 

Journalist Prashant Kanojia’s bail plea: Allahabad HC seeks UP govt’s response

https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/india/journalist-prashant-kanojias-bail-plea-allahabad-hc-seeks-up-govts-response

Allahabad High Court on Monday granted four weeks' time to the state government to file its reply in the regular bail plea moved by freelance journalist Prashant Kanojia, in connection to a FIR lodged against him allegedly for making social media posts that have the potential to promote enmity between two or more communities/groups, legal news website LiveLaw.in has reported. The Bench of Justice Dinesh Kumar Singh ordered, "Notice on behalf of the state has been accepted by Mr. Balram Singh, learned A.G.A. who seeks and is granted four weeks' time to file response to the bail application filed on behalf of the accused-applicant." nationalheraldindia

 

14 hours of India-China talks fail to break logjam, more rounds of negotiations ahead: ThePrint

https://theprint.in/defence/14-hours-of-india-china-talks-fail-to-break-logjam-more-rounds-of-negotiations-ahead/507881/

New Delhi: Senior military and diplomatic officers from India and China will have more rounds of negotiations over the immediate future of the situation in eastern Ladakh as 14-hour meet Monday failed to break the logjam, ThePrint has learnt. Sources in the defence, security and diplomatic establishment said there was “common understanding” on the need to disengage during the latest talks. However, the issues at hand are “complex” and the build-up at the border continues to be extremely sensitive. On Monday, senior military and diplomatic officials from the two sides started their meeting around 9.30 am and continued until 11 pm. The discussions were based on the 5-point agenda firmed up between External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart and State Councilor Wang Yi in Moscow on 10 Sept. The talks were “quite positive despite lack of any apparent positive result”, said a government source. A high-level debriefing is currently being held at the Ministry of Defence, said the sources, who refused to divulge more information. During the latest round of talks, India maintained the need for complete disengagement in all trouble areas while the Chinese stressed disengagement in specific areas only, said the sources.

 

In 3 Years, China Doubled Its Air Bases, Air Defences And Heliports Along India Frontier: Report

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/in-3-years-china-doubled-its-air-bases-air-defences-heliports-along-india-frontier-report-2299066?pfrom=home-topstories

New Delhi: 2017 Doklam crisis which played out between China and India in a part of Bhutan located east of Sikkim ''appears to have shifted China's strategic objectives, with China more than doubling its total number of air bases, air defence positions and heliports near the Indian border over the past 3 years".Details of the Chinese expansion, accessed by NDTV, have been spelt out in a yet-to-be-released report by Stratfor, a leading global geopolitical intelligence platform. The report outlines China's military-infrastructure build-up through a detailed analysis of satellite images of military facilities that have a direct bearing on India's security. "The timing of the Chinese build-up of military facilities along the border with India just prior to the ongoing Ladakh standoff suggests these border tensions are part of a much larger effort by China to assert control over its border regions," says Sim Tack, a Senior Global Analyst with Stratfor and the author of the report. Significantly, China's upgrade of its military infrastructure is far from complete. "The expansion and construction of military infrastructure is in most cases still underway, so the Chinese military activity that we are seeing along the border with India today is only the beginning of a longer-term intent," the report says.

 

UN without reforms faces crisis of confidence:Modi

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/un-without-reforms-faces-crisis-of-confidence-says-narendra-modi/article32664426.ece?homepage=true

In his message to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the signing of the United Nations Charter and the adoption of a Commemorative Declaration, Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the UN but said the institution faced a “crisis of confidence.” The Prime Minister, introduced by India’s U.N Ambassador T.S. Tirumurti, delivered his address on Monday via a recorded video — a format the UN has adopted, due to the pandemic, so it can avoid the customary gathering of world leaders in New York for its annual General Assembly debate.

 

India rejects Pakistan’s reference to Kashmir issue at UN, calls for tackling terrorism: HT

https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/india-rejects-pakistan-s-reference-to-kashmir-issue-at-un-calls-for-tackling-terrorism/story-r6yTCBjswM3rFT9RkxVRaL.html

New Delhi:India on Tuesday rejected Pakistan’s contention that the Kashmir issue is one of the most long-standing disputes at UN, saying Islamabad should instead focus on the unfinished task of tackling terrorism.In a video message on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the world body, Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi lauded the UN’s achievements but also referred to “failings and deficiencies”.“The organisation is only as good as its member states wish it to be. Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) and Palestine disputes are the organisation’s most glaring and long-standing disputes. The people of occupied J&K still await fulfilment of the commitment made to them by UN to grant them their right to self-determination,” he said.“Today, UN is derided as a talk shop. Its resolutions and decisions are flouted. International cooperation, especially in the Security Council, is at its lowest,” he added.Exercising its “right of reply”, Indian delegation at UN responded soon after. First secretary Vidisha Maitra said India had hoped the General Assembly “would be spared another repetition of the baseless falsehoods that have now become a trademark of Pakistan’s interventions on such platforms” during the commemoration of a shared global milestone.

 

Pakistan looks to ally China for support at FATF plenary: Hindustan Times

https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/pakistan-looks-to-ally-china-for-support-at-fatf-plenary/story-bo9Te1RfOiHNNEm2z80ItI.html

New Delhi: Pakistan is again looking to China, Malaysia and Turkey to help it get off lightly for failing to fully implement an action plan to tackle terror funding when the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) assesses its case in October, people familiar with developments said on Tuesday.Ahead of FATF’s working group and plenary meetings between October 18 and 23, Asia-Pacific Group (APG), a regional affiliate of the multilateral watchdog, reviewed Pakistan’s actions to counter-terror financing and money laundering at a virtual meeting on September 15 and 16. At the virtual meeting, China expectedly backed Pakistan’s actions to counter-terror financing, despite the fact that it is yet to fully deliver on 13 of the 27 points in the action plan, the people cited above said on condition of anonymity.

 

Jammu and Kashmir Govt Issues 18.52 Lakh Domicile Certificates

https://thewire.in/government/jammu-and-kashmir-govt-issues-18-52-lakh-domicile-certificates

 Jammu and Kashmir government has issued over 18.52 lakh Domicile Certificates (DCs) against more than 21.99 lakh applications received so far, an official spokesman said here.As per the consolidated figures from across 20 districts of the Union territory, 21,99,513 people have applied for domicile certificates, of which 20,87,815 were found complete in all respects, while the rest were rejected for want of prescribed documents.As many as 18,52,355 people have been issued domicile certificates till Monday, and the rest are in process, the spokesman said.PTI

 

Kashmiri Pandits body chief on fast-unto-death, demands J&K govt address community’s demands

https://theprint.in/india/kashmiri-pandits-body-chief-on-fast-unto-death-demands-jk-govt-address-communitys-demands/507991/

Srinagar: Kashmir Pandit Sangharsh Samiti (KPSS), the Valley’s largest Kashmiri Pandit group, has claimed it is being harassed and isolated by the local administration in the newly-formed Union Territory since the abrogation of Article 370. The body’s president Sanjay Tickoo has decided to go on a fast-unto-death until its demands are met. Tickoo told ThePrint that if the administration does not pay heed, many among the 808 Kashmiri Pandit families, who decided to remain in the Valley despite the migration of most of the community members due to the onset of militancy, will join the fast.Among the primary demands of the body are 500 government jobs, which it said had been promised to the community through a High Court ruling in 2016 and directions passed by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

 

FinCEN Files — In alert on shell firms, NY bank flags transfers to Adani from Seychelles

https://indianexpress.com/article/express-exclusive/fincen-files-in-alert-on-shell-firms-ny-bank-flags-transfers-to-adani-from-seychelles-6605352/

New Delhi :Adani Gobal PTE, the Singapore-based global arm of the Adani Group, crops up in a clutch of Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) filed to FinCEN, the top US financial watchdog, that red-flag the subject of shell companies and their use in money laundering activities in the tax haven of Seychelles.These SARs, investigated by The Indian Express, form part of Bank of New York Mellon’s (BNYM) tracking of suspect transactions related to several companies.One lists “suspicious” transactions to and from “shell-like” entities in Seychelles between 2005 and 2014 with total remittances at $6.24 billion. The next year, another SAR filed by BNYM reported 1,241 fresh transactions worth $105 million carried out in January alone.Along with several other transactions for companies located in Switzerland, Hong Kong and Russia, the SARs have details of transactions between Thionville Financier Ltd, an investment company with addresses in Mahe and Victoria in Seychelles, with Adani Global PTE.indianexpress

 

FinCEN Files — On US radar: India transactions with Dubai gold major indicted by US anti-drugs task force

https://indianexpress.com/article/express-exclusive/fincen-files-on-us-radar-india-transactions-with-dubai-gold-major-indicted-by-us-anti-drugs-task-force-6605442/

New Delhi :In 2014, the Dubai-based Kaloti Jewellery Group, one of the largest gold traders and refiners in the world, was indicted as a key cog in the dirty gold trade buying the precious metal from those suspected of money laundering, by a US Drug Enforcement Admin-led task force.At around the same time, as many as 152 transactions of Indian companies with Kaloti were red-flagged as suspicious to US Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), according to Suspicious Activity Reports, or SARs, investigated by The Indian Express. These were obtained by BuzzFeed News and shared with International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and 108 media partners as part of the ongoing FinCEN Files investigation. SARs highlighted that many of these Indian firms had nothing to do with the gold business and one of them, records show, figures in the list of top bank-loan defaulters released by the RBI last year.indianexpress

 

FinCEN Files — US indictment memo: bribes for Andhra mining permit — and link to ex-Cong MP

https://indianexpress.com/article/express-exclusive/jp-morgan-case-us-indictment-memo-bribes-for-andhra-mining-permit-and-link-to-ex-cong-mp-6605410/

A former Member of Parliament, a bank in Cyprus, a US Department of Justice indictment and an auto start-up in Gurugram figure in an investigative memorandum on a Ukrainian businessman, prepared in August 2017 by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), US regulatory agency for enforcing money laundering laws.The memorandum on Dmytro Firtash and people allegedly linked to him, including former Kiev mayor Leonid Chernovetskyi and his son Stepan Chernovetskyi, was based on 40 suspicious activity reports (SARs) submitted by banks that included JP Morgan Chase Bank, Standard Chartered, Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas and Citibank in US, records investigated by Indian Express show.indianexpress

 

Madrasa teachers turned out of Calcutta guest house

https://www.telegraphindia.com/west-bengal/calcutta/no-place-to-stay-for-madrasa-teachers-in-kolkata/cid/1792686#:~:text=A%20group%20of%2010%20madrasa,and%20refused%20accommodation%20in%20another.

A group of 10 madrasa teachers from Malda who had booked a guesthouse in Salt Lake to freshen up before heading to a meeting at the state’s education department headquarters were turned out of the guesthouse a few hours after they had checked in and refused accommodation in another.One of the teachers said they got the impression that they were taken from one guesthouse to another and refused rooms because of their identity, their names, their appearance and their clothes.The teachers told The Telegraph they had been “stunned” at hearing the reason for their expulsion. “We had come to Calcutta earlier too in connection with work and usually stay at such lodges. This time we had come after several months because of the lockdown. We have never faced any problem before…. It simply breaks our heart to think this could happen in Bengal,” said Mahbubur Rahman, headmaster of Alipur Madrasah Shiksha Kendra in Kaliachak, Malda. The teachers, 8 of them headmasters at their madrasas, were forced to take shelter under the East West Metro viaduct (ground below the overhead tracks) near Bikash Bhavan amid the morning shower and left the city directly after finishing work. The Telegraph

 

Trio arrested for forcing out Madrasa teachers from Calcutta Guest House

https://www.telegraphindia.com/west-bengal/calcutta/trio-arrested-for-forcing-out-madrasa-teachers-from-calcutta-guest-house/cid/1792708

Calcutta: 3 persons were arrested on Tuesday for allegedly driving out 10 madrasa teachers from a guest house in Calcutta despite their pre-booking, police said. The trio, all employees of the guest house in Salt Lake where the incident occured, were arrested on the charge of discrimination against guests on religious grounds, a senior officer of the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate said. telegraphindia

 

Dr. Kafeel Khan to launch medical camp for flood-hit people in Bihar, Assam

https://indiatomorrow.net/2020/09/22/dr-kafeel-khan-to-launch-medical-camp-for-flood-hit-people-in-bihar-assam-on-gandhi-jayanti-on-october-2/

NEW DELHI—Dr Kafeel Khan, suspended assistant professor of BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur, is all set to start medical camps in flood-hit areas of Bihar and Assam from October 2, which happens to be the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi. He was incarcerated in Mathura Jail in which, he alleged, he was not only denied food and water for several days but was also subjected to physical and mental torture by the jail staff on the ground that he is “anti-national” and “made calls in foreign countries against the interest of the nation” and had also prepared “a special type of powder to kill children”.He was released from jail on September 2 midnight after the Allahabad High Court dismissed charges under NSA and also cancelled all government orders for extension of his detention.He is temporarily living in Jaipur with his wife Dr. Shabista Khan, a dentist and two kids-three-year-old Zabreen Khan (son) and 15 months old Oliver Khan (daughter).

 

Mumbai: 20 Tablighi Jamaat delegates case transferred

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/mumbai-20-tablighi-jamaat-delegates-case-transferred/articleshow/78251710.cms

MUMBAI: A sessions court on Monday transferred the cases involving 20 foreign Tablighi Jamaat delegates to the lower court as the D N Nagar police dropped the serious charges of attempt to murder and culpable homicide not amounting to murder against them. The charges under the Epidemic Diseases Act, the Foreigners Act, and Disaster Management Act which remain against the delegates, are triable by Andheri magistrate court.

 

We have no love for those who do not love cows: Gujarat Minister Chudasama

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/gujarat-we-have-no-love-for-those-who-do-not-love-cows-says-bhupendrasinh-chudasama-6605455/

Gandhinagar:Stating that Rs 61.14 crore has already been disbursed as assistance to gaushalas and panjrapoles during the current year, Bhupendrasinh Chudasama, Minister for Cow Breeding, told the Gujarat Assembly that the Rupani government has zero love for those who do not love cows. “We have no love for those who do not love cows. This slogan has been given by (chief minister) Vijay Rupani and (State Minister for Home) Pradeepsinh Jadeja. The BJP’s government has taken the strictest of measures to stop cow slaughter,” said Chudasama during a discussion on a short notice question raised by Congress MLA Kanti Kharadi on presence of cows on roads in North Gujarat.

 

Maharashtra: Death toll in Bhiwandi building collapse rises to 20

https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/maharashtra-death-toll-in-bhiwandi-building-collapse-rises-6606018/

Thane :The death toll in the Bhiwandi building collapse in Maharashtra rose to 20 on Tuesday, with the recovery of seven more bodies overnight, police said.Bodies of a two-and-a-half-year-old boy and a young couple were recovered 24 hours after the crash, police said.The number of those rescued has gone up to 25, with five more persons being pulled out from the debris, police said.The dead include nine children, among them 2 toddlers, an official said. 43-year-old Jilani building collapsed at 3.40 am on Monday. Bhiwandi DCP Rajkumar Shinde said offences under sections 337,338,304 (2)of IPC were registered against the owner of building Sayyed Ahmed Jilani after a complaint by civic officials. Jilani is yet to be arrested, he added.PTI

 

CORONAVIRUS-LOCKDOWN

 

India’s economy set to lag rest of South Asia in race to recovery as Covid surges: report

https://theprint.in/economy/indias-economy-set-to-lag-rest-of-south-asia-in-race-to-recovery-as-covid-surges-report-says/508007/

Mumbai: South Asia’s biggest economy has been ineffective in stamping out the coronavirus outbreak and it will show up in its economic performance: India is set to lag regional peers in the race to recovery.The relative success of Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in containing the virus will help their economies recover at a faster pace than India, Capital Economics Ltd. said in a report to clients. India is now one of the world’s virus hotspots, with about 5.5 million cases. “New cases per capita in these three economies are far lower than in India,” said Shilan Shah, senior economist at Capital Economics in Singapore. “This has enabled a faster rebound in activity.”As a result, the drop in gross domestic product in 2020 will be much less severe in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Whereas, India is expected to post a double-digit slump. Although per capita testing is higher in India compared to its neighbors, the share of tests coming back positive have fallen in the three neighboring economies, suggesting genuine progress in getting the virus under control, according to Our World in Data figures produced by the University of Oxford and Global Change Data Lab.

 

China contained virus in 3 months, Pakistan has almost 6,400 deaths while India has over 88,000: the print

https://theprint.in/opinion/how-china-contained-virus-in-3-months-and-what-pakistans-covid-data-reveals/507925/

New Delhi: India is not any closer to flattening the Covid curve while Taiwan and China have handled it well and even Pakistan seems to have bent the curve, said ThePrint’s Editor-in-Chief Shekhar Gupta. According to Gupta, nobody in India seems to be taking the coronavirus seriously. “If one steps out of a big city, nobody seems to be wearing masks,” he said. US writer Peter Hessler explained how China defeated the virus in his article in The New Yorker. Hessler wrote that on the 11th week of the outbreak, he was taking a flight in China where the aircraft was full and no alternate seats were kept empty. Furthermore, during the 14th week of the outbreak, the students were back on campuses in China. Hessler also noted that in the city of Chengdu with a population of 16 million people, there were only 71 cases from Feb.till the end of Aug.  Another country that handled the pandemic well is Taiwan, which is not a dictatorship. Taiwan is China’s neighbour and has a population of 2.4 crores. Despite almost 30 lakh people traveling between Mainland China and Taiwan in a year, only 7 died due to coronavirus. In Pakistan, over 32 lakh Covid tests have been conducted out of which over 3 lakh were found positive. Pakistan has almost 6,400 deaths while India has over 88,000 deaths due to Covid. However, if we look at the absolute data, India has tested 23 times more than Pakistan. India’s testing rates have been increasing from day one, noted Gupta, while Pakistan’s tests and test positivity rate dropped after some time. This is another approach being followed that when you don’t test, the number of cases do not go up.

 

India's COVID-19 Cases Cross 55 Lakh; Recovery Rate Rises To 80.86 Pc

https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/india-news-indias-covid-19-cases-crosses-55-lakh-recovery-rate-rises-to-8086-pc/360695

India's COVID-19 infection tally crossed 55 lakh on Tuesday, while a record 1,01,468 patients recovered in a day, taking their number to 44,97,867 and pushing the recovery rate to 80.86 per cent, Union health ministry data showed. The coronavirus caseload in the country surged to 55,62,663, with 75,083 new infections being reported in a span of 24 hours, while the death toll climbed to 88,935 as the virus claimed 1,053 more lives during the same period, according to the data updated at 8 am.PTI

 

Education Ministry: New calendar released for UG, PG 1st year, full refund on admission cancellation

https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/news/story/education-ministry-new-calendar-released-for-ug-pg-1st-year-full-refund-on-admission-cancellation-1724193-2020-09-22

New Delhi:All higher education institutions have been advised to teach six days a week to make up for lost learning hours, while breaks and vacations will be curtailed.Classes for first-year students will start from November, and no new admissions will be allowed beyond Nov.30, according to the revised academic calendar approved by UGC this month.New academic calendar for UG, PG 1st year“In view of the Covid-19 pandemic, Commission has accepted the report of the committee and approved UGC guidelines on the academic calendar for the First Year of Under-Graduate and Post-Graduate Students of the Universities for the Session 2020-21,” said a twitter by the Education ministry.The UGC had first released an alternative academic calendar for higher education institutions on April 29, in which it had prescribed that universities conduct their final-year or terminal semester examination from July 1 to July 15 and declare the results at the end of the month.All higher education institutions have been advised to teach 6 days a week to make up for the lost learning hours. Breaks and vacations will also be curtailed. Education Ministry twitted today, “To avoid financial hardship being faced by the parents due to lockdown and related factors, a full refund of fees will be made on account of all cancellation of admissions/ migration of students, up to Nov. 30, 2020, for this very session as a special case.”

 

Can’t hamper academic year of 2 L students: SC asks CBSE to declare re-exam results, coordinate with UGC

https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/national/cant-hamper-academic-year-of-2-l-students-sc-asks-cbse-to-declare-re-exam-results-coordinate-with-ugc

The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked CBSE to declare results of compartment exams of around 2 lakh students as soon as possible, so that they could apply in colleges by the cut-off date.A bench comprising Justices A.M. Khanwilkar and Sanjiv Khanna urged CBSE and the UGC to devise an arrangement on the issue. The observation from the top court came on a plea seeking extension of college admission deadlines in the backdrop of delayed compartment exams.Senior advocate Vivek Tankha, representing petitioners, submitted before the bench that the compartment exams will begin on Tuesday and end on September 29, and if the college admissions were over before the results were announced then the students would lose out on the opportunity for the current academic year. IANS

 

Study shows 25% rise in mortality during lockdown: Excess deaths among dialysis patients

https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/coronavirus-lockdown-excess-deaths-among-dialysis-patients/cid/1792682

New Delhi:Patients in India undergoing dialysis under government health insurance cover faced 25 per cent excess mortality during the nationwide lockdown, a study to assess the lockdown’s impact on health outcomes among kidney patients has suggested.The study by Stanford University researchers has found that mortality among dialysis patients increased sharply from 2.72 per cent during March to 4.56 per cent during May, an increase never seen over the previous year.The mortality levels reduced to 3.42 per cent in June and 2.96 per cent in July, leading to an overall death rate between April and July 2020 that was 25 per cent higher than the mortality during the same months in 2019, the researchers said.“We see this sharp spike in the death rate in May; it falls over the next two months but remains higher than it was in March,” Radhika Jain, a post-doctoral fellow studying health policy at Stanford, told The Telegraph over the telephone. “These are the unintended consequences of the lockdown,” she said. telegraphindia

 

Guj: BJP blames Tablighis for initial coronavirus spread

https://www.outlookindia.com/newsscroll/reports-israeli-pms-aides-break-quarantine-after-us-visit/1940312?scroll

Ahmedabad: The ruling BJP has  said members of Tablighi Jamaat were responsible for initial spread of coronavirus in Gujarat, evoking a sharp rebuke from the Congress which blamed ''Namaste Trump'' event held here in Feb.for the spurt in infections. Both parties traded barbs during a discussion on a resolution introduced by treasury benches in Legislative Assembly to thank COVID warriors."Members of Tablighi Jamaat were largely responsible for spreading coronavirus in Gujarat initially because they did not voluntarily disclose their visit (to Nizamuddin Markaz in Delhi)," said deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel.He said this act of "non-disclosure" by Tablighis was responsible for the spread of coronavirus in Ahmedabad, Vadodara and Rajkot.Echoing Patel, Minister of State for Home Pradeepsinh Jadeja said the police tracked down those Jamaatis who had returned to Gujarat with COVID-19 infection, "which was largely responsible for spreading virus initially". Leader of Opposition Paresh Dhanani hit back, saying it was "Tughlaki leaders and not Tablighis" who were actually responsible for largescale infection."The infection reached at this level because the govt failed to take timely steps. Gathering of 1 lakh persons (for Namaste Trump event) was responsible for this spread. A specific class of people is being targeted by govt to hide their own failures,"Congress leader said. Congress MLA  Gyasuddin Shaikh, said members of Jamaat voluntarily approached authorities for testing after landing in Ahmedabad.PTI

 

COVID-19 vaccine: 156 nations join WHO-led global coronavirus vaccine plan

https://www.freepressjournal.in/world/covid-19-vaccine-update-156-nations-join-who-led-global-coronavirus-vaccine-plan

WHO has said that a total of 156 economies representing nearly two-thirds of the world's population have joined the COVAX Facility, an international initiative to ensure equitable global access to vaccines against the novel coronavirus.The list includes 64 wealthier and self-financing countries, which accounts for about two-thirds of the global population, a statement issued by the WHO and GAVI vaccine alliance said reported Reuters.

 

Vaccine Likely For India In Early 2021, Roll-Out A Challenge: Scientist

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/coronavirus-vaccine-likely-for-india-in-early-2021-roll-out-a-challenge-scientist-2299141?pfrom=home-topstories

A vaccine for the coronavirus will likely be ready by early 2021 but rolling it out safely across India's 1.3 billion people will be the country's biggest challenge in fighting its surging epidemic, a leading vaccine scientist told Bloomberg.The country, which is host to some of the front-runner vaccine clinical trials, currently has no local infrastructure in place to go beyond immunising babies and pregnant women, said Gagandeep Kang, professor of microbiology at the Vellore-based Christian Medical College and a member of the WHO's Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety.

 

UP: ‘Depressed over temple closure’, Chitrakoot priest hangs self

https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/lucknow/up-depressed-over-temple-closure-chitrakoot-priest-hangs-self-6605972/

Lucknow :A 25-year-old priest, who had returned to his native place from Delhi in April due to the lockdown, was found hanging in his house at Pathroli village in Chitrakoot district on Sunday.While no suicide note was found from the place, police, citing family’s version, said Dharmendra Kumar Mishra was depressed as a Delhi temple where he stayed remained shut.Police said a few months after returning from Delhi, Mishra started behaving abnormally and stopped interacting with people. Most of the time he stayed inside the house.

 

WORLD