Nasheman

India's largest selling Urdu weekly, now also in English

You are here: Home / 2015 / Archives for June 2015

Archives for June 2015

FIRs against BSY, HDK in illegal land denotification case

by

This Nov. 2007 photo shows Kumaraswamy and Yeddyurappa coming out of Raj Bhavan after meeting the then Governor Rameshwar Thakur. File Photo: Bhagya Prakash K, The Hindu

This Nov. 2007 photo shows Kumaraswamy and Yeddyurappa coming out of Raj Bhavan after meeting the then Governor Rameshwar Thakur. File Photo: Bhagya Prakash K, The Hindu

Bengaluru: The Karnataka Lokayukta on Saturday filed FIRs against former chief ministers and BJP and JDS leaders BS Yeddyurappa and HD Kumaraswamy in an alleged illegal land denotification case.

According to RTI documents, Kumaraswamy and Yeddyurappa have been made, respectively, the number one and number two accused in the case.

Both former chief ministers are accused of denotifying a prime plot to benefit Kumaraswamy’s relative.

The CID had held a preliminary inquiry on the findings of a Comptroller and Auditor General of India report of 2012 on land denotification carried out by the successive governments from 2007-12 and had recently submitted its report to the Lokayukta.

The report said the accused have prima facie played a stellar role in denotifying huge tracts of land, causing a financial loss to the exchequer, Lokayukta said.

The CAG had made scathing remarks against the incumbent chief ministers between 2007 to 2012 who disregarded the well- defined law that once the land is in possession it could not be denotified.

The denotification of 610 acres and 16.5 acres of land referred to in the CAG report were ordered when Kumaraswamy and Yeddyurappa were the chief ministers and in between during a period of Governor’s rule.

(Agencies)

Mumbai hooch tragedy: Death toll climbs to 81, eight officials suspended

by

Mumbai hooch tragedy

Mumbai: The death toll in the illicit liquor tragedy in a country liquor bar in suburban Mumbai shot up to 81 on Saturday morning with the death of more people due to the poisonous brew, officials in Mumbai said.

Several victims are undergoing treatment in various hospitals, and the condition of at least a dozen is said to be critical.

The toll was 20 on Friday noon, and suddenly shot up to 66 on Friday night with more people dying at short intervals and more being admitted with symptoms of poisoning during the day.

Police have cracked down on the law enforcers by suspending eight officials, including senior Police Inspector of Malwani police station Prakash S. Patil, three officers and four constables, Deputy Commissioner of Police Kulkarni said.

Three people, identified as Raju Hanumant alias Langada, Gautam Avde and Donald Robert, were arrested for the tragedy as they allegedly transported illicit pouches of liquor from the Vasai-Virar region in adjoining Thane.

They were presented before a Mumbai magistrate who sent them to police custody till 26 July.

Police are on lookout for three other accused, including a woman bootlegger, involved in supplying the poisonous concoction leading to the tragedy.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis ordered an inquiry into the incident and sought a report within two days, an official spokesperson said.

The victims, mostly living in Laxmi Nagar slums and employed as low-paying drivers, daily labourers etc., had consumed the cheap country liquor at a bar in Rathodi village here on Wednesday night.

Since Thursday they started developing symptoms of poisoning, including vomiting, abdominal pain and burning sensation in eyes and sudden collapse.

Their alarmed family members rushed them to local hospitals, but some of them died on way. Many of the victims hail from Gulbarga region of Karnataka.

Minister of State for Home Ranjit Patil said Mumbai Police Crime Branch has taken over the probe into the incident.

Teams have been formed to trace the origin of the spurious liquor, those involved in brewing, selling and transporting it and other aspects, officials said.

This is the first major illicit liquor tragedy in Mumbai since December 23, 2004, when hooch claimed 87 lives.

(Agencies)

Heavy rains disrupt services in Mumbai

by

mumbai_rains

Mumbai: Thousands are stranded across Mumbai as heavy rain, which has pounded the city since last night, severely affected train services and unleashed massive traffic jams. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the city’s civic agency, ordered all schools to be shut and issued an alert, advising residents to step out only if necessary.

Several flights in and out of Mumbai are still delayed owing to the incessant rain.

More showers have been forecast over the next 48 hours. The tide is expected to rise to 4.60 metres (nearly 15 feet) today.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who visited the civic agency’s disaster control room today, has promised that updated advisories will be issued every two hours to the city.

He also said, “Some trains are halted… we will have them running soon.”

With tracks completely waterlogged, operations are suspended on the Harbour line. Train services have also been stopped between the busy Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) and the Kurla suburb on the Central line. The Western Railways is running staggered services till Andheri.

Around 70-80 lakh people travel everyday by local trains, considered the lifeline of the city.

The city’s BEST buses have also altered their routes in view of flooding and heavy water-logging reported at several areas including Hindmata, Dadar, Parel, Sion, Vikhroli, Andheri, Jogeshwari, Santa Cruz.

Residents took to Twitter to warn others.

Mumbai recorded around 170 mm of rainfall till Friday morning; its suburbs recorded around 155 mm rainfall.

The Met department has warned of heavy rainfall and strong winds in Mumbai and the coastal Konkan region over the next two days.

(Agencies)

'Unspeakable' hate crime: Murderer who aimed to 'shoot black people' arrested

by

Dylann Roof, the 21-year-old white male, wanted in connection with the mass shooting of nine black people at a church prayer meeting has been taken into custody by law enforcement

Police cordon of an area outside the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina on Wednesday after white gunman Dylann Roof opened fire inside the historic black church and killed nine people. (Photo: Matthew Fortner/Post & Courier staff)

Police cordon of an area outside the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina on Wednesday after white gunman Dylann Roof opened fire inside the historic black church and killed nine people. (Photo: Matthew Fortner/Post & Courier staff)

by Jon Queally, Common Dreams

Law enforcement announced late Thursday morning that the man suspected of killing nine people at church meeting in Charleston, South Carolina is now in police custody after being apprehended in North Carolina.

According to the Raleigh News & Observer:

Dylann Storm Roof, the 21-year-old suspect in the killing of nine people in an historic black church in downtown Charleston, was taken into custody Thursday in Shelby, N.C., several news outlets reported, citing an unidentified police source.

Witness statements reportedy taken from the scene of the crime have indicated the shooter made it clear the murders in Charleston were racially motivated by declaring he went to the prayer meeting “to shoot black people” just before he opened fire.

Update (10:14 AM EST):

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has identified the shooting suspect as Dylann Roof, 21, of the Columbia, South Carolina area. He is considered armed and dangerous.

The Post and Courier reports:

Roof has been arrested twice in South Carolina as an adult, according to the State Law Enforcement Division. He was jailed March 1 in Lexington County on a drug charge and again on April 26 on a trespassing charge.

Earlier:

The mass shooting at historic black church in Charleston, South Carolina on Wednesday night that left nine people dead is being investigated as a hate crime, officials said on Thursday.

According to police, the assault took place around 9 pm when a still unidentified white gunman—who as of this writing remains at large—entered the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church and opened fire on a prayer meeting that was underway.

As the Charleston Post & Courier, which is offering live updates from the scene, reports:

A white gunman killed nine people during a prayer meeting at one of Charleston’s oldest and best-known black churches Wednesday night in one of the worst mass shootings in South Carolina history.

Heavily armed law enforcement officers scoured the area into the morning for the man responsible for the carnage inside Emanuel AME Church at 110 Calhoun St. At least one person was said to have survived the rampage.

Police revealed no motive for the 9 p.m. attack, which was reportedly carried out by a young white man. Charleston Police Chief Greg Mullen said, “I do believe this was a hate crime.”

Mayor Joe Riley called the shooting “a most unspeakable and heartbreaking tragedy.”

“An evil and hateful person took the lives of citizens who had come to worship and pray together,” he said.

Police have not released the identities of those killed, but reportedly among the dead is Sen. Clementa Pinckney, the church’s pastor who also serves as a state senator in the South Carolina legislature. Reports indicate that 8 victims died at the scene and one died later at a local hospital.

From the Associated Press:

Local news television WCSC-TV reports that family members of Rev. Pinckney said the gunman sat through an entire bible study before he began shooting church members. He then fled the scene.

Authorities have requested help in locating the perpetrator of the crime and released a statement describing him as “a white male, 21 to 25 years old, 5 foot 9 inches tall and a slender build. He’s clean shaven with sandy blond hair that is shaped in a bowl cut, and was last seen wearing a gray sweatshirt, blue jeans and Timberland boots.” Police also released this photo of the person they believe is the shooter:

Authorities are looking for this man in connection with the Wednesday night shooting at Emanuel AME Church in downtown Charleston that left nine people dead. (Source: CPD)

The Associated Press adds:

The attack came two months after the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man, Walter Scott, by a white police officer in neighboring North Charleston that sparked major protests and highlighted racial tensions in the area. The officer has been charged with murder, and the shooting prompted South Carolina lawmakers to push through a bill helping all police agencies in the state get body cameras. Pinckney was a sponsor of that bill.

In a statement, Gov. Nikki Haley asked South Carolinians to pray for the victims and their families and decried violence at religious institutions.

“We’ll never understand what motivates anyone to enter one of our places of worship and take the life of another,” Haley said.

Soon after Wednesday night’s shooting, a group of pastors huddled together praying in a circle across the street.

Community organizer Christopher Cason said he felt certain the shootings were racially motivated.

“I am very tired of people telling me that I don’t have the right to be angry,” Cason said. “I am very angry right now.”

Palestine to submit first file to ICC for Israel investigation

by

“It certainly draws a grim picture of what Israel is doing and why we think that there are reasonable grounds," said Palestinian Foreign Ministry official Ammar Hijazi of the file Palestine plans to submit to the ICC. (Al Bawaba/File)

“It certainly draws a grim picture of what Israel is doing and why we think that there are reasonable grounds,” said Palestinian Foreign Ministry official Ammar Hijazi of the file Palestine plans to submit to the ICC. (Al Bawaba/File)

by Press TV

Palestinian officials are planning to submit their first file to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to open criminal proceedings against the Israeli regime.

The file will be sent to the ICC chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, on June 25, and will focus on the violations of international law by Israel, Palestinian Foreign Ministry official, Ammar Hijazi, told reporters in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah on Thursday.

The move is part of Palestinians’ attempt against the Tel Aviv regime and the crimes it has committed against Palestinian territories, including crimes committed during the latest Israeli war on the besieged Gaza Strip last year.

The file is “only general, it’s only statistical,” Hijazi said, adding, “But it certainly draws a grim picture of what Israel is doing and why we think that there are reasonable grounds… for the prosecutor to start (her) investigations.”

He further noted that Palestinian officials would submit the details of specific incidents if Bensouda decides to proceed with inquiries.

Bensouda’s office has already launched a preliminary examination into the crimes that took place since June 2014, when an Israeli-fueled unrest led to another war between Israel and the Palestinians of the Gaza Strip.

The Palestinian Authority officially joined the ICC on April 1, becoming the 123rd member of The Hague-based court.

The Palestinian decision to join the ICC was made in January after decades of negotiations with Israel failed to put an end to Tel Aviv’s policy of expanding illegal settlements on the occupied Palestinian lands.

Israel started its latest war on the Gaza Strip in early July last year. The offensive ended on August 26, 2014 with a truce that took effect through indirect negotiations in the Egyptian capital, Cairo.

Nearly 2,200 Palestinians, including more than 500 children, were killed in Israel’s 50-day onslaught. Over 11,100 people were also injured.

US soldier who killed Iraqi man free to go home

by

Marine Corps officer sentenced to seven years already served after being found guilty in retrial of 2006 killing.

Hutchins led a squad of troops sent to Hamdania to combat fighters launching sniper attacks and planting IEDs [AP]

Hutchins led a squad of troops sent to Hamdania to combat fighters launching sniper attacks and planting IEDs [AP]

by Al Jazeera

A US soldier convicted of the 2006 murder of a former Iraqi police officer has been sentenced to time he had already served in confinement, in a decision by a military jury at Camp Pendleton in California.

The jury also recommended that Marine Sergeant Lawrence Hutchins III receive a bad-conduct discharge from the Marine Corps on Thursday.

He had served about seven years in confinement and had faced a possible sentence of four more years.

The recommendation is not the final word. The trial’s convening authority, Marine Corps Lieutenant-General Kenneth F McKenzie, can accept or reduce the sentence in the coming weeks.

After the killing in Iraq came to light, Ray Mabus, then-US navy secretary, called it a “cold-blooded murder”.

On Wednesday, the military jury at the Southern California base found Hutchins guilty of murder, conspiracy and larceny but acquitted him of a charge of making false statements.

The San Diego Union-Tribue newspaper reported that Hutchins was sent on Thursday to his home at Camp Pendleton, where he lives with his wife and three children.

Christopher Oprison, the defence lawyer, said Hutchins’ family welcomed the sentence.

“I think they’re ecstatic right now,” he said.

Convictions and appeals

Hutchins was initially convicted in 2007 and sentenced to 11 years in military confinement, which including the seven years he served pending appeal, had left open the possibility of a four-year sentence.

A military court overturned his conviction in 2010, finding a statement he gave in custody should have been ruled inadmissible.

A military appeals court later reinstated the conviction, then overturned it again in 2013 because Hutchins was denied access to a lawyer for a week early in the investigation.

Hutchins led a squad of soldiers sent to Hamdania, Iraq, to combat fighters launching sniper attacks and planting improvised explosive devices.

On April 26, 2006, Hutchins led six Marines Corps soldiers and a navy corpsman in abducting 52-year-old Hashim Ibrahim Awad, a retired policeman.

They killed him and placed an AK-47 and a shovel next to the corpse to suggest he had been planting a bomb, according to witness testimony.

The seven other squad members were convicted of crimes at courts-martial, but none were imprisoned for more than 18 months.

Hosts Bangladesh beat India by 79 runs in first ODI

by

Bangladesh India Cricket

In a shocker, Bangladesh beat India by 79 runs in the first one-day international to take a 1-0 lead in the three match series. From the beginning of the match, Bangladesh looked in command setting India a target of 308 runs and then getting the visitors all out for 228 in 46 overs.

Initially, the Indian team started well with a 95-runfirst-wicket partnership in 15.5 overs. Rohit Sharma top scored with 63 and Shikhar Dhawan made 30. Suresh Raina tried to make a fight of it with a 40 in 40 deliveries but to no vain.

Top stars captain MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli made five and one respectively. For the hosts Mustafizur Rahman took 5 for 50 to do the damage.

Earlier, Bangladesh put up a gritty batting display to post a strong 307 runs. Openers Taim Iqbal (60) and Soumya Sarkar (54) and middle-order batters Shakib Al Hasan (52) and Sabbir Rahman (41) contributed richly for the hosts to put up a challenging target for their more fancied opponents at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.

India’s premier spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was the most successful bowler with 3/51 in his stipulated 10 overs. Pacers Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2/37) and Umesh Yadav (2/58) were also among the wickets as India bowled out the home team in 49.4 overs. The home team got a rollicking start to their innings and reached 119/1 in 15.4 overs afterBangladesh skipper Mashrafe Mortaza won the toss and decided to bat before rain could halt the proceedings. Openers Taim Iqbal (60) and Soumya Sarkar (54) punished the Indian bowlers from the very beginning and put the home team in a strong position. They put together a 100-run partnership in only 79 balls. But just when they threatened to take the match away from India, their momentum was broken when Das was run out after getting involved in a mix-up with his partner.

Spinner Ravichandran Ashwin struck for India with three quick wickets and reduced Bangladesh to 147 for four in 24 overs after rain held up the game for about an hour. Tamim suffered a lapse in concentration following the break and lofted Ashwin straight down to Rohit Sharma at long-off. His 62-ball innings contained seven fours and a six. Ashwin trapped debutant Litton Das (8) in front before Mushfiqur Rahim (14) holed out to Sharma at long-on. But Bangladesh recovered from that mini collapse to reach 200 in 34.1 overs riding on a timely 83-run fifth-wicket partnership from Shakib Al Hasan (52) and Sabbir Rahman (41).

Left arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja (1/48) finally broke that partnership in the 38th over. But the Indian bowlers were unable to restrict the smooth run flow with Shakib scoring his 29th ODI fifty. Shakib ultimately perished in the 44th over but not before setting up his team for a strong total.

(Agencies)

Advani cancels meeting with Kejriwal

by

Advani-Kejriwal

New Delhi: Veteran Bharatiya Janata Party leader Lal Krishna Advani cancelled his meeting with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal scheduled for Friday evening.

According to informed sources, the meeting was cancelled following pressure from the BJP.

“To save party from further embarrassment, it was decided that the BJP leader should not meet the Delhi CM,” a BJP source told IANS.

Already in the line of opposition’s fire over the Lalit Modi issue, the ruling BJP was further driven to a corner over remarks of party senior leader L.K. Advani that he did not rule out another “Emergency-like situation” in the country.

Kejriwal was among the first to respond to Advani’s interview published in the Indian Express.

“Advani ji is correct in saying that emergency can’t be ruled out. Is Delhi their first experiment?” he tweeted in an apparent reference to his ugly power tussle with the Centre.

After Advani’s remark, Kejriwal sought a meeting with him. Advani earlier agreed to meet him on Friday evening.

(IANS)

Pothole turns into ‘crocodile pond’ in Bengaluru

by

crocodile pond

Bengaluru: What do you do if you find a full-grown ‘crocodile’ in the middle of a busy city road? Most would scream out in terror, naturally. And that’s what happened on Thursday on Sulthanpalya Main Road in north Bengaluru that took the motorists and locals by surprise.

People, spotted a life-size crocodile in one of the water-filled potholes, were about to scream for help on spotting the reptile, but soon realised it was a novel way of protest by a 36-year-old visual artist.

Frustrated by the failure of the BBMP to repair a giant pothole and a broken water pipe in the middle of the main road, Baadal Nanjundaswamy, a former visualiser with a leading advertising agency, planted the 20 kg life-sized crocodile in the 12-feet-long pothole and painted the ‘pond’ in green.

“A drinking water pipe broke about a month ago. The subsequent rain and constant traffic has eroded the road creating a big pot hole. Authorities have showed no response to rectifying it. Locals have complained to the BBMP and the BWSSB to no avail. I am hoping they will take some action now,” Nanjundaswamy said.

The artist created his fiber crocodile over a week’s time at a personal cost of Rs 6000.

This is not the first time that Nanjundaswamy has used his creativity for civic activism. Last year, he had turned an open manhole into the mouth of ‘Yamaraj’ – to suggest that it was a death trap – and authorities fixed it within a day.

crock1

NGOs to rally for gender-neutral laws on June 20

by

indian-parliament

New Delhi: Non-Governmental Organisations fighting for “gender-neutral” family laws will hold country-wide rallies on June 20, activists said on Sunday.

They are seeking implementation of the Law Commission’s report on providing joint custody of child/children in cases of matrimonial discord/breakdown.

“On June 20, a day before the Father’s Day, we will hold a nationwide rally to demand shared parenting to be made mandatory in accordance with a draft Law Commission recommendation of May 2015,” Kumar V. Jahgirdar, president of Bengaluru-based Child Rights Initiative for Shared Parenting (CRISP), told IANS on phone.

“The government of India ought to take steps to move a bill – as per Law Commission draft – in the coming session of parliament, with necessary amendments in guardianship and custody laws,” he added.

Swarup Sarkar, founder of Delhi chapter of Save Family Foundation NGO, said suicide by married men owing to matrimonial disputes in India were on the rise.

“We keep getting cases of men not able to get access to their biological kids. During counselling, we find that many such persons harbour suicidal tendencies because nobody is bothered to even listen to their problems. We demand a separate commission for men in line with the panel for women in India,” he said.

“The government has to consider Law Commission findings in view of changes in Indian society. If a woman can multitask, there is no reason why a married man can’t perform domestic chores, including raising children,” Jahgirdar added.

The Law Commission’s draft law submitted to the government on May 22 proposed amendments to existing guardianship and custody laws. The draft provides for consideration of welfare of children as paramount while deciding custody issues.

“There is disparity in importance given to principle of welfare of children by different legislations regulating custody and guardianship,” Law Commission chairman Justice A.P. Shah said.

“As a result, in fiercely fought custody battles, there are no ways to ensure that the interests of the child are actually protected,” he said.

The draft law proposed children should have access to grandparents.

Sudha Rajashekar, who heads the grandparents’ wing of CRISP, said grandparents often were victims of their children’s matrimonial discords.

“There is no law in our country that protects our rights as grandparents in case of matrimonial disputes of our children,” she said.

She advocated a law on the lines of those pertaning to inheritance and succession to ensure old people’s right to have access to their grandchildren in case of marital discords and breakdown of marriages.

(IANS)

KNOW US

GET INVOLVED

PROMOTE

Archives