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Archives for August 2015

Congress protests for second day against suspension of MPs

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congress-protest

New Delhi: Congress top brass Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Manmohan Singh and leaders of six other opposition parties today staged a dharna in Parliament complex for the second day today in protest against suspension of its MPs.

Sharad Yadav and K C Tyagi of the JD-U, Dharmendra Yadav of the Samajwadi Party, Jaya Prakash Narayan Yadav of the RJD, P Karunakaran of the CPI-M, D Raja of the CPI and E Ahamed of the IUML were among other political party leaders who participated in the protests.

The Congress chief vociferously raised slogans along with other protestors denouncing the Narendra Modi dispensation.

“End dictatorship”, “Prime Minister break silence” “Where the “Achhe din” have gone”, “Sushma Swaraj resign”, were among the slogans raised by the protestors who also carried black flags.

“We will continue the agitation tomorrow”, Sonia Gandhi told reporters. The Congress leader said she was not aware of any proposal from the government to end the logjam or for revocation of the suspension of the 25 Congress MPs.

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi said, “We have not liked the LS Speaker’s decision on suspension of Cong MPs but we respect her position”.

(PTI)

Tantric awarded death sentence for killing eight-year-old boy

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death-sentence

Jajpur: A local court in Jajpur district has awarded death sentence to a 30-year-old Hindu tantric after convicting him for killing an eight-year-old boy in a human sacrifice case.

District and Sessions Judge Jivan Ballav Das on Tuesday pronounced the capital punishment on Pitambar Gaipei for killing Srikant Bag of Damodarpur under Sukinda police station limits in the district.

The incident, which took place in Icchanagarpatna village, had sent shock waves in the area. The court pronounced the sentence after examining 22 witnesses and their deposition in the case.

Gaipei had slit the child’s throat and pierced his body with a sharp weapon on February 11, 2010. He had lured the child by offering him chocolates and committed the crime, the police had said in its chargesheet.

The police had recovered the boy’s beheaded body from a drain in Icchanagarpatana, a village close to where he lived, on February 12, 2011. His head was found buried in the tantrik’s house along with religious offerings, the police had said.

The matter came to light on February 17, 2010 after the boy’s parents lodged a complaint with Sukinda police after reconciling to their fate that their child was lost.

Following the incident, Pitambar was on the run. Police had launched a manhunt and nabbed the culprit. He was then produced before the local court.

The arrested tantric confessed before the police that he killed the boy as an offering to the gods to bring good fortune to the people of the area.

(Agencies)

Muslim student punished for not worshipping Ganesha; forced to recite shlokas, humiliated

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Represenational Image

Bengaluru: In a shocking incident, a 15-year-old Muslim student was punished and humiliated by the principal for not worshipping ‘Ganesha’ a deity worshipped by many Hindus at a school in South Bengaluru.

This academic year, the school adopted a few controversial Sanskrit shlokas as its official prayer for the morning assembly. When Padmaja Menon, the principal of the school noticed that Abdullah (name changed) and some of his other Muslim friends weren’t singing “Vakratunda Mahakaya, Surya Koti Sama Prabha…,” she asked the group to come on stage and sing loudly.

“I was humiliated in front of 1,200 students and my constitutional right was violated. She made us go on stage and forced us to sing the prayer in front of everybody. She scolded me in front of everyone on the mike when I mispronounced a few Sanskrit words,” said the boy, who is in a state of shock since the July 27 incident.

The boy said the incident has deeply hurt him. “I am on the school debate team and was elected as the head boy unanimously. I have studied here since I was in kindergarten. The teachers love me and my classmates respect me. I felt like all that was lost when I refused to sing the prayer that day,” he said.

“I feel a little awkward now to discipline other students. They look at me as though I don’t have the right anymore. Being the head boy makes me uncomfortable now,” he complained. However, Abdullah is happy with the fact that many of his Hindu friends have been by his side!

The boy’s mother, along with activists of the Association for Protection of Civil Rights, approached the principal and sought clarification. However, the principal acted like she did not understand what the fuss was about and kept saying that the prayer was important to instil values and discipline in students.

The principal even suggested that the boy was turning into a fundamentalist Muslim since he was from Bhatkal (a Muslim-dominated area in Karnataka).

The only thing they managed to achieve was an exemption for Abdullah who can now sit in his class while the assembly is on. “But that is not good enough. Why can’t they go back to the old prayer which had no religion in it? Fourteen of the 32 students in my class are Muslims. There are people from other religions too. At least 30% of the school is Muslim. Why should I sit separately?” he asked.

The principal however defended her stance saying that there was nothing wrong with the prayers, one of which invokes the Hindu gods Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh. She was quoted assaying: “But Brahma is the creator of the universe. What is wrong in invoking his name?”

On the other hand, Jessy Joseph, the former principal of the school, says the development is “very sad” and points out that Hindu prayers were sung only during festivals. “We also had a tradition of conducting all faith prayers for special occasions,” said Joseph.

“He worships the Creator of the creators of an Idol!”

Family members of Abdullah, who are preparing to take their fight further, say that the boy never agitated against a Hindu prayer song. “He just remained silent during the morning assembly because, he always worships the creator of the creators of an idol,” said one of the family members of the boy.

She said that the first two lines of the prayer song itself is an act of worshipping an idol (O Lord Ganesha, of Curved Trunk, Large Body, and with the Brilliance of a Million Suns / Please Make all my Works Free of Obstacles, Always). “We are Muslims and we seek guidance and help only from the Creator of the universe and not form a creation of the man,” she said.

(Agencies)

Clashes break out in Al Aqsa after Israeli flag is raised at holy site

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Israeli police regularly escort right-wing settlers through the Al Aqsa compound, violating the peace accord. (AFP/File)

Israeli police regularly escort right-wing settlers through the Al Aqsa compound, violating the peace accord. (AFP/File)

by Ma’an

Clashes broke out between Palestinian worshipers and and Israeli police at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Tuesday after an Israeli extremist attempted to raise the Israeli flag over the holy site, witnesses said.

Witnesses said that Palestinian worshipers asked Israeli police to stop the extremist but they were ignored.

Palestinian worshipers and compound security guards then stopped the extremist themselves and tore up the flag, witnesses said.

They added that the Israeli extremist assaulted the worshipers with a sharp implement, injuring two Palestinians identified as Muammad Badran and Suliman abu-Mayyala.

During subsequent clashes, Israeli police reportedly assaulted worshipers near the Chain Gate and detained Radwan Amr, Fadi Bakir, Raed Zughaier, Husam Sedir, and Majdi Abbasi.

The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound has seen rising tensions in recent days, with Jewish organizations seeking to celebrate unconfirmed reports that Israel is negotiating the reopening of the compound to non-Muslim worship.

At the end of June, International Crisis Group reported discussions between Israel and the Islamic Endowment that controls the mosque compound on allowing non-Muslim worship at the site, although the move has not yet been confirmed.

On Sunday, right-wing Jewish organizations were reported to have called for a “return to the Temple Mount,” urging participants to wear their Israeli army uniforms as they stormed the holy site.

Violent clashes the week before saw Israeli forces enter the mosque itself, causing the UN to issue a warning against “religious provocations” at the site.

Following Israel’s occupation of East Jerusalem in 1967, Israel has maintained an agreement with the Islamic Endowment not to allow non-Muslim prayer in the area.

Jewish prayer is allowed at the neighboring Western Wall, which is the last remnant of the Second Temple.

However, Israeli forces regularly escort Jewish visitors to Al-Aqsa, leading to anger among Muslim worshipers.

Pakistan hangs Shafqat Hussain despite appeals

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Defenders say convict was a teenager when he killed a boy in 2004 and that he was tortured into confessing.

Shafqat Hussain

by Al Jazeera

Pakistan has executed a man whose case triggered an international outcry after his lawyers said he was arrested as a juvenile and tortured into confessing to a murder.

Shafqat Hussain was hanged on Tuesday at a jail in Karachi for allegedly killing a seven-year-old boy in 2004.

His lawyers and family say he was only 15 years old at the time of the killing but according to a federal investigation, he was 23.

“Despite opposition from within the country as well as Amnesty International, Pakistan went ahead with the execution,” said Al Jazeera’s Kamal Hyder, reporting from Pakistan’s capital Islamabad.

Prison officials handed the body over to his brothers, who alleged the execution was not carried out properly.

“There is a cut mark on his neck and half of his neck is separated from his body,” Abdul Majeed, his brother, told AFP.

Family outrage

At Hussain’s hometown in the Pakistani-administered part of Kashmir, his family was distraught.

“Why did they hang my innocent brother, only because we were poor?” said his sister Sumaira Bibi, beating her chest and weeping.

“My son was innocent, only Allah will prove his innocence in his court,” his mother Makhni Begum told AFP.

“We can’t do anything but they [executioners] will face Allah on the day of judgement,” she said.

United Nations rights experts have said Hussain’s trial “fell short of international standards” and urged Pakistan to investigate claims he confessed under torture, as well as his age.

Lawyers for Hussain said school records showed he was 17 in 2004 when he was burned with cigarettes and had fingernails removed until he confessed to killing a child.

Hussain was originally due to face the noose in January but won four stays of execution as his lawyers fought to prove he was under 18 at the time of his offence and could therefore not be executed under Pakistani law.

Pakistan has hanged nearly 200 people since December, when a massacre by the Taliban at an army-run school in Peshawar prompted the government to lift a de facto ban on capital punishment.

Only Iran and China have executed more people than Pakistan this year, says Amnesty International.

Anti-Houthi forces recapture Yemen’s largest army base

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Backed by Saudi-led air strikes, forces fighting on the side of President Hadi recapture southern al-Anad base.

Spread over 40 square kilometres, al-Anad houses a military airport, a war college, and an arms depot [Reuters]

Spread over 40 square kilometres, al-Anad houses a military airport, a war college, and an arms depot [Reuters]

by Al Jazeera

Forces battling Houthi rebels in Yemen say they have captured the country’s largest military base following intense clashes which left dozens killed.

In a statement on Monday, the exiled government claimed the complete control of al-Anad base, which is in Lahej province in southern Yemen.

“With the help and back-up of the Arab-led coaltion, this achievement was possible,” the statement said.

Troops were also supported by Popular Resistance Committees who have sided with the government in the fight against the Houthis.

The Houthis’ loss of the base deals a significant blow to the Shia rebel group, which has seized large parts of the country but recently lost control of the southern port city of Aden.

Nasser Hadour, an officer in the Popular Resistance, told Al Jazeera that their forces were also able to enter another military base between al-Sader and al-Madina al-Khadra in Lahej province.

Al Jazeera’s Hashem Ahelbarra, who has covered Yemen extensively, explained that while the Popular Resistance Committees are against the Houthis, they form a loose umbrella group whose members do not necessarily back exiled President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

“They have been forced together by the Houthi threat but they have different agendas. Many of them are southern secessionists who in fact see Hadi as a threat,” he said.

The Yemeni army has been split since the Houthis’ advance last year. Some units backing deposed president Ali Abdullah Saleh are fighting alongside the Houthis, while others remain loyal to Hadi.

“The Saudi-led coalition is training anti-Houthi forces, providing them with new weapons to build a new army from scratch,” our correspondent said. “Their aim is to maintain Yemen united under one leader and a professional army. But that aim will depend on how the different factions get along. Yemen remains divided along regional and sectarian ties.”

Houthi rebels and its allies had been in control of al-Anad since March.

Spread over 40 square kilometres, the base houses a military airport, a war college, and an arms depot.

It was previously used by US forces as an intelligence gathering hub and base for drone attacks on al-Qaeda in Yemen.

The assault by anti-Houthi forces began after new weapons, including armoured vehicles that had been supplied by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, arrived to reinforce fighters.

At least 50 Houthis and troops loyal to Hadi were killed in fighting for the base, military sources told Al Jazeera. At least 23 Popular Resistance fighters were also killed, the sources added.

There was no word from the Houthis on the outcome of the battle, but the Houthi-run Saba news agency said earlier that Saudi-led air raids had repeatedly struck the military base.

Al-Anad lies on road to Taiz, the next target for the coalition after their recapture of Aden.

The military says controlling al-Anad will help the push to recapture Taiz and the southern provinces.

Hadi remains in Saudi Arabia, where he fled in March as the Houthis closed in on his refuge in Aden.

The Houthis broke out of their northern strongholds and seized control of the capital Sanaa in September, plunging Yemen into another bout of conflict.

Sonam Kapoor calls Modi govt ‘idiot’, seeks a ban on govt for banning porn

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Sonam Kapoor

Mumbai: By banning porn sites in India, the Modi government has drew the wrath of a large number of democratic nationals and Bollywood fashionista Sonam Kapoor is one among them.

Disappointed with the ban on porn, actress Sonam Kapoor vented out that the Modi government is ‘Idiot’ as it believes, banning porn will change the mentality of Indians.

The actress also articulated that people should place a ban on the government for curtailing the freedom of porn lovers.

Lashing out at the government, Sonam posted on her Twitter page:

The NDA government has ordered blocking of nearly 857 porn websites in India.

Internet service providers namely Vodafone, MTNL and BSNL have taken down around 857 porn websites.

(Agencies)

Bengaluru: 3-yr-old girl sexually assaulted in school, staff questioned

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rape

Bengaluru: A three-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted on her school campus in Indiranagar. Police said they received a complaint and are investigating a case of suspected sexual assault, based on information provided by the survivor’s parents.

A doctor from Bowring Hospital, where the child was taken, said: “The parents brought the child to the hospital around 5pm. They were accompanied by a woman police officer. When they picked up the child from school around 12.30pm, she was crying and complaining of abdomen pain. The parents found bruises on her private parts. Tests are still going on,” the doctor said around 10.30pm.

The child is a pre-nursery student. Her father works with a restaurant. The family lives in east Bengaluru.

“We received a complaint from the family of a three-year-old child alleging sexual assault. We are verifying the details. The parents said the child is crying ‘Uncle, school’ to all their queries. The time of incident is not clear. Medical tests have been conducted and results are awaited. We can’t say anything more as the matter is under investigation,” DCP (East) N Satish Kumar told TOI.

Police quoted school authorities as saying the campus is covered by CCTV cameras and no case of sexual abuse has been caught on them. Angry scenes prevailed at Bowring Hospital as well-wishers of the girl’s family gathered and demanded that they be allowed inside to see the child.

A family friend present in hospital said the parents rushed to Indiranagar police station late Monday afternoon and told officers what had happened. The child was later taken to Bowring Hospital. “Medical tests are under way. Police are questioning some school staffers,” the neighbour added.

City police booked a case under various sections of the Protection of Children From Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act, 2012, and the IPC’s Section 376 (rape).

This is the first case of sexual assault on a school campus reported in the city this year. Last year, a spate of assaults were reported on school campuses, sparking protests by parents.

The police and education departments stipulated a string of norms be followed on campuses. Schools, though reluctant, had to fall in line. CCTV coverage of campuses, GPS tracking of buses, background checks on staffers and attendants on campus were among the several measures to be implemented by schools.

(Agencies)

IS abductors treated us with respect: Released Karnataka teacher

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Lakshmikant and Vijay Kumar, the two Indians who have been released.

Lakshmikant and Vijay Kumar, the two Indians who have been released.

Hyderabad: One of the two Indian teachers from Karnataka who was kidnapped in Libya, allegedly by Islamic State (IS) group and released subsequently, today said they were treated with respect by the abductors and not tortured in captivity.

Lakshmikant, from Raichur district in Karnataka, arrived at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) here.

“…Nobody tortured us…they did not harm…they gave respect,” Lakshmikant told reporters here.

Four Indian teachers working at University of Sirte in Libya, including two from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, were kidnapped in Libya allegedly by the ISIS while returning to India from Tripoli on July 29.

The Indian government had on July 31 said it had secured the release of two of them – Lakshmikant and Vijay Kumar.

“Four of us were together (during captivity). They released me and Vijay Kumar. I have been told that Gopikrishna and Balram are safe. I am requesting them that they too are released,” Lakshmikant said.

Lakshmikant’s wife Prathiba, who was among the family members who received him at the airport, said, “We are very happy and proud of the Indian government. We thank each and everybody, media and family friends.”

Vijay Kumar’s family hails from Kolar district in Karnataka.

Gopikrishna, an assistant professor at University of Sirte in Libya, is a native of Tekkali in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh, while Balram, an English Professor, also works at the same University and hails from Karimnagar district of Telangana.

(Agencies)

Congress, NCP, TMC boycott Lok Sabha; SP, Left, RJD walkout

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modi

New Delhi: A combative opposition today launched a united protest in Lok Sabha against the suspension of 25 Congress MPs, as members of the Congress, TMC and NCP boycotted the proceedings and those of the Left, SP and RJD walked out soon after the House met.

As soon as the House met for the day, members from Left parties, SP and RJD wanted to raise some issues but were disallowed by Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, who also rejected their adjournment notices and asked them to raise the issue during Zero Hour.

Soon thereafter when the House took up Question Hour, Jai Prakash Narayan Yadav (RJD) raised slogans like ‘take back suspension’. He was soon joined by members from the Left and SP.

After shouting slogans from their benches, they staged a walkout. Those who walked out included SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav and P Karunakaran (CPI-M), leaving the opposition benches virtually deserted.

The front row of the opposition benches were completely empty, barring only one seat occupied by AIADMK leader P Venugopal. Members of the Congress, NCP, JD(U) and Trinamool Congress and Muslim League, were not present in the House.

All these parties are boycotting the House for the next five days in solidarity with the 25 suspended Congress members. As the walkout was being staged, five members of YSR Congress rushed to Well demanding special category status for Andhra Pradesh.

TRS members from Telangana stood on the aisles demanding a separate high court for their state.

Despite repeated efforts by the Speaker, they refused to return to their seats.

“Till yesterday, you were not there. Only today you have raised the issue…you have copies of the rule book. Still you want to break the rules,” she said.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh assured the agitating members that the Centre will ensure justice for Andhra Pradesh. “I assure you there will be no injustice…as for the demand for a separate High Court in

Telangana, I spoke with the Law Minister (D V Sadananda Gowda). He is working on finding a solution,” he said. Despite the assurances, the USR Congress and TRS members continued with their protest.

(Agencies)

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