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Archives for 2015

Bollywood Newswatch

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Ajay Devgn

Devgn To lend Support To Bulgarian Tourism

Of late Ajay Devgn has decided to lend his firm support to Bulgarian Tourism. After announcing southeastern European country Bulgaria as the shoot location for his next directorial film ‘Shivaay’, Ajay Devgn will now promote the country’s tourism. Devgn and his team are currently in picturesque Bulgaria for the film’s recce. Being the 1st within the industry to zero in the exotic location, Bulgaria tourism minister Nikolina Angelkova has announced that the actor-filmmaker will be lending his support to promote Bulgarian tourism. Devgn will take part in local activities and will also shoot a promotional video when he returns for the shoot, which will be shown in India. Along with directing the film, Devgn is also playing the lead in ‘Shivaay’. Sayesha, grandniece of Dilip Kumar & Saira Banu will be seen making her debut with ‘Shivaay’.

The 15th IIFA awards litigation continues

After the 15th annual IIFA in Tampa, Florida, USA, in 2014, the litigation over the economic proceeds which was commenced in New York City Supreme Court by Megha Bhouraskar of the Law Offices of Megha D. Bhouraskar, P. C., has now continued and been specially set for a 2 week trial beginning 7th Dec, 2015 in Tampa, Florida (“Tampa Lawsuit”). Attorneys from Gray Robinson, Florida, & Megha Bhouraskar from New York, are prosecuting the Tampa Lawsuit on behalf of the Claimant(s) Akarsh Kolarath, individually and as the principal of 7M TOURS, LLC, a travel & tourism company arranging International travel & tours. In particular, the litigation alleges a sophisticated financial scheme orchestrated by Wizcraft Entertainment USA, LLC; Wizcraft International Entertainment Singapore PTE Limited and its principals Andre Timmins; Viraf Sarkari; Joseph Sabbas, Noreen Khan along with the knowing participation by Dr. Kiran C. Patel; Dr. Pallavi Patel and their Drs. Kiran & Pallavi Patel Family Foundation, Inc and numerous others marches forward. Dr. Patel’s lawyers have failed to timely respond to the Tampa lawsuit and instead, have asked for an extension to respond through 10th Jun, 2015 onwards. The Tampa lawsuit seeks from these individuals & entities in excess of $7,000,000.00 (7 Million Dollars) USD in damages. United States Federal Bankruptcy Judge Michael Williamson will presently preside over the Tampa trial.

Venus Releases 2nd Short Film

Basking on the glory of film Production, film distribution & presentation, overseas & satellite distribution, VenusWorldwide Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. released its 2nd short film, directed by Nanndita Kothari named ‘Coffin: Revenge From 6ft. Under’ featuring Anusha, Melane, Ankit et al.

Jackie & Sandip Honoured

Jackie Shroff & Sandip Soparrkar were recently honored at Navi Mumbai International Film Fest. Senior Bollywood actor Jackie Shroff & choreographer cum ballroom dancer Sandip Soparrkar received special honours at the Navi Mumbai International Film Festival (NMIFF) 2015 for their contribution in cinema. The Festival showcased more than 400 films from all countries in its 2nd edition. Soparrkar was especially honored for his fantastic work in Hollywood & Bollywood films.

Burkina Keen For Collaboration

Burkina Faso seems very keen to collaborate with Indian film sector. Burkina Faso is looking at collaborating with an Indian filmmaker to produce a film in this country. This was stated by International Chamber of Media & Entertainment (ICMEI) president Sandeep Marwah after a meeting with Burkano Faso Ambassador Idriss Raoua Ouedraogo at the Asian Academy of Film & Television in Noida Film City. ICMEI has created a separate committee for the development & promotion of films, television, media and other segments of entertainment

Vidya Receives Doctorate From Rai University

Vidya Balan marks a decade in cinema; receives a Doctorate from Rai University. Vidya Balan, known to take on challenging roles & win laurels, has been conferred a Doctor of Arts Honor isCausa by the Ahmedabad based Rai University. Balan also completed a decade in the film industry this week. The honor was given earlier this week in appreciation of her contributions to Indian cinema over the past 10 years. Her endeavor to bring out the strong side of a woman in films has contributed to women’s empowerment in society. The University also announced an annual scholarship named Balan.

‘Hamari Adhuri Kahani’ Gets A Tax Rebate

‘Hamari Adhuri Kahani’ gets a Tax rebate. Even before its release, ‘Hamari Adhuri Kahani’ starring Emraan Hashmi, Vidya Balan & Rajkummar Rao has achieved a feat that many films manage to attain after weeks of release. The state of Madhya Pradesh declared that the Mohit Suri directorial will be tax free. Recently, Vidya Balan & Mohit Suri paid a visit to the state to meet the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh and now according to an official statement, the government has exempted ‘Hamari Adhuri Kahani’ from entertainment tax. What seems to be a moment of rejoice for the cast & crew of the film, however has turned out to be controversy, soon after the decision was made many Congress officials are upset over this fact and have apparently claimed that the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh is star-struck. Moreover, it is being said that they are accusing the government of taking such a hasty decision without reviewing the content of the film, considering that only films with historical, moral or ethical value to the society fall under the category of exemption and are miffed over the fact that this romantic drama has been given a tax exemption despite it being a complete commercial film.

Censor Board recently told Remo that Indians can’t be called ‘Beggars’.

The Remo Fernandes directed UTV Production’s ‘ABCD 2’ has been cleared by the Censor Board Of Film Certification with a ‘U’ certificate (for all ages) with just one verbal cut. The line “All Indians Are Neggars’ has been chopped off. Otherwise not a shot has been touched. The censor board, was mesmerized by Varun Dhawan, Shradha Kapoor & Prabhu Dheva’s dancing. The film is clean healthy family fare. And they all felt there was no reason to not give the film a ‘U’ certification. However one line had to go. It referred to Indians in a derogatory manner. Censor guidelines specify that no utterances insulting any nationality or community must be allowed. Remo seemed pleased with the censor certification though displeased with the film’s release date not been pre-poned by a day to June 18.

‘Mastizaade’ After Facing Censor Rejection Moves Appellate Tribunal

‘Mastizaade’ after facing censor rejection moved appellate tribunal. Filled with sexual innuendos, ‘Mastizaade’ was supposed to be one of the most unabashed sex comedies of the year. Unfortunately, the Censor Board is not happy with the subject and the film which was slated for release in May has been facing censor’s wrath since then. Initially ‘Mastizaade’ was waiting for certification from the Censor Board which resulted in the delay of the release. And later, the board refused to certify the film because of too much sexual content. Further, the film was sent to the Revising Committee for a change in the decision but faced the same fate once again since the committee too found the content too bold for viewing. And hence, the makers of the film have now decided to approach the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal. From one of the female members of the board had decided to pass the film with an ‘A’ certificate along with a few cuts but her decision, it seems, was not taken into consideration. Moreover, it is being said that Pahlaj Nihalani had told I&B Ministry that the decision for the film was taken by Nandini Sardesai, a member of Revising Committee. However, Pritish Nandy is apparently not convinced with the same since according to him, Nandini Sardesai was not present during either of the screening. As of now, the decision over ‘Mastizaade’, directed by Milap Zaveri, starring Sunny Leone, Tusshar Kapoor & Vir Das in the lead, is still pending, awaiting a reply from the Tribunal.

DS-MAX Kalashree South India Award

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DS-MAX Kalashree South India Award

Bengaluru: DS-MAX is doing phenomenal work in the construction industry in Karnataka and equally plays an active role towards corporate social responsibility.

DS-MAX is celebrating its 10th anniversary and on this occasion 16 senior artists who have immensely contributed to the development of Kannada Cinema will be honored with DS-MAX Kalashree awards.

This year our company program will be held on 19th June 2015 from after noon 4 O’ Clock, in Chowdiah Memorial Hall, Vyalikaval, Bangalore. In this Occasion as Social Responsibility.

DS-MAX Kalashree Awards will be honored to the very well-known actor/s which is mentioned below:

Ø Shri. C H Lokanath (Kannada Actor)

Ø Shri. Dr. Rajesh (Kannada Actor)

Ø Smt. Prathima Devi (Kannada Actress)

Ø Shri Rajan (Music Director)

Ø Shri. S K Bhagavan (Kannada Director, Producer & Actor)

Ø Shri. Sai Prakash (Kannada Director & Actor)

Ø Shri. Sihi Kahi Chandru (Kannada Actor, Director, Producer)

Ø Shri. Bangalore Nagesh (Kannada Actor)

Ø Smt. Rekha Rao (Kannada Actress)

Ø Shri. Radha Ravi (Tamil Actor)

Ø Smt. Ambika

Ø Shri. Suman Talwar (Telugu Actor)

Ø Shri. Jay Prakash Reddy (Telugu Actor)

Ø Shri. Suresh Kondeti(Kannada Producer)

Ø Sri. Raghavan (Malayalam Actress)

Ø Smt. Seema

The ceremony will be graced by Yoga Guru Shree Shree Shree Vachanananada Swamiji, Daivagna Shree Subramania Shastry, Shree R. Roshan baig, Minister of Infrastructure Development, Information and Haj (Karnataka), Shree Prahlad Joshi, State BJP President and Shree Ramesh Kumar, Former Speaker of Karnataka Assembley and also a Member of Legislative Assembly, they will honour the award to the 16 award recipients.

The occasion shall be graced by special guests from the film Industry who have acted as Heroes and Heroin.

Our company every year honoring senior artists from the film and stage. On the occasion pf Kannada Rajyotsava, Company Anniversary, we honor various persons who have made significant contribution to kannada Literature as well as society development.

Social Responsibility Works:

Our Company is doing Social Responsibility Works every year for hundreds of needy peoples and talented children. We are also giving Tri Cycles for Handicapped people.

Every month, KVS Fans Charitable Trust in collaboration with Aashra Foundation, supported by DS-MAX Properties Pvt. Ltd organizes ‘Free Eye Cataract Surgery’ for people who are not able to get their eye operated due to financial reasons. Hundreds of people along with renowned personalities attend the event. During the event, food, snacks and juices are offered to the patients. Dr. K V Satish, chairman of DS-MAX Properties Pvt. Ltd. Attends the patients who have undergone operation and greets them with gifts to encourage and support them. The patients are treated free of cost along with free transportation, food and medications.

Every year, on 19th June which is also the birthday of Dr. K V Satish – Chairman of DS-MAX Properties Pvt. Ltd, we organize ‘Blood Donation Camp’ the Blood donation camp is organized in collaboration with the rotary and red cross blood banks, and is sponsored by DS-MAX Properties Pvt. Ltd. It is a full day camp where we distribute educational kit for orphans and clothes for under privileged and differently able women food and juices are served to all the participants in the camp while taking special care for the blood donors blood donation camp is organized every year to inculcate harmony and install awareness that we are saving lives by donation our blood.

Poor people from all over the state have been benefited through our eye cataract operations camps apart from this DS-MAX has also supported children in their heart operations this way the organization has been involved in various social service works.

Also on the occasion of National Safety Day DS-MAX Organizes that get together of workers and giving them dress, bed sheets and blankets.

DS-MAX Honors artists from Drama Field by giving Ranga Shree awards also during the Rajyotsava day DS-MAX Awards poets with Kannada Shree Awards.

Hence we request you to cover our program on June 19th 2015, which includes awards to 16 seniors’ artists from film industry. We request you to publish the above on matters in your esteemed media.

Movie Review: 'Dil Dhadakne Do' is a perfectly enjoyable picture of a complex relationship

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Dil Dhadakne Do

Banner: Junglee Pictures & Excel Entertainment
Producer: Ritesh Sidhwani & Farhan Akhtar
Director: Zoya Akhtar
Cast: Anil Kapoor, Shefali Shah, Priyanka Chopra, Ranveer Singh, Anushka Sharma, Farhan Akhtar, Ridhima Sood, Rahul Bose,
Zarina Wahab, Vikrant Massey, Parmeet Sethi, Manoj Pahwa, Pawan Chopra & above all Aamir Khan
Music: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy

To say that Zoya Akhtar is an accomplished director would be an understatement. She had proved her her directorial mettle with her debut directorial venture ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’. And with her latest directorial venture ‘Dil Dhadakne Do’ she has once again scored brownie points.

Kamal Mehra (Anil Kapoor) is a successful businessman who owns Ayka, a company on the verge of bankruptcy. He has a troubled relationship with his wife, Neelam (Shefali Shah), and his 2 children, Ayesha (Priyanka Chopra) & Kabir (Ranveer Singh). Ayesha has a successful business of her own, but is unhappily married to Manav (Rahul Bose). Kabir unwillingly participates in the family business and yearns to pursue a career as a pilot. In celebration of Kamal & Neelam’s 30th anniversary, they invite their family & friends for a 10 day cruise trip across the Mediterranean. Among their invitees, are Mr. Sood (Parmeet Sethi) and his family. Kamal plots to get Kabir married to Sood’s daughter, Noorie (Riddhima Sood), in exchange for his investing in Ayka. In the ship, Kabir meets a free-spirited dancer, Farah Ali (Anushka Sharma), and engages in a romantic relationship with her. Noorie, on the other hand, falls in love with Rana (Vikrant Massey), the son of a family hated by her parents.

Even giving Zoya Akhtar a standing ovation for her directorial triumph would be in suffice. She has even succeeded in extracting an earnest performance from her principal cast. And yes even from Aamir Khan who has lent his voice for the dog pluto who ultimately proves to be the mainstay of the film. A deserving special mention must also go to the film’s cinematography (Carlos Catalan) for having presented some of the breath taking & amazing visuals in the film. The film’s editing (Manan Mehta & Anand Subaya) gives the film its pace with which the film sails smoothly.

Performance wise Anil Kapoor is 1st rate and in full form, Shefali Shah is extraordinnare, Ranveer Singh is picture perfect, Priyanka Chopra is the scene stealer, Anushka Sharma is terrific & Farhan Akhtar is excellent. Débutante Riddhima Sood is a revelation. While the rest of the cast comprising of Rahul Bose, Zarina Wahab, Vikrant Massey, Parmeet Sethi, Manoj Pahwa, Pawan Chopra lend perfect credibility to their individual roles.

Tail Piece: ‘Dil Dhadakne Do’ is a classy film meant for the elite multiplex audiences. While the single screen cine goers may find this movie a trifle boring.

Movie Review: 'Jurrasic World' is an entertaingly watchable fare for one & all

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jurassic-world

Banner: Amblin Entertainment
Producer: Kathleen Kennedy & Gerald R. Molen
Director: Steven Spielberg
Cast: Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, Ariana Richards, Joseph Mazzello, Bob Peck, Martin Ferrero, Wayne Knight, Samuel L. Jackson, Cameron Thor & Miguel Sandoval
Music: John Williams

Hollywood Director Steven Spielberg certainly needs no special introduction and his latest directorial outing is an American science fiction adventure film which is the 1st installment of the ‘Jurassic Park’ film series. It is based on the 1990 novel of the same name by Michael Crichton, ‘Jurassic Park’ was followed by 3 sequels, ‘The Lost World: Jurassic Park’ (1997) & ‘Jurassic Park III’ (2001), both of which were box office successes but received mixed critical responses.

The film centers on the fictional Isla Nublar, an islet located off Central America’s Pacific Coast, near Costa Rica, where a billionaire philanthropist and a small team of genetic scientists have created a wildlife park of cloned dinosaurs. John Hammond, the founder & CEO of bioengineering company InGen, has created a theme park called Jurassic Park on Isla Nublar, a tropical island in an isolated Central American location populated with cloned dinosaurs. After a park worker is killed by a Velociraptor, in spite of an attempted rescue led by the park’s game warden, Robert Muldoon, the park’s investors, represented by lawyer Donald Gennaro, demand that experts visit the park and certify it as safe.

Almost a decade after the release of the last part in the ‘Jurassic Park’ series, we see the release of the 4th installment ‘Jurrasic World’. For those who have witnessed the spectacle of the 1st ‘Jurrasic Park’ more than 2 decades ago and have grown up on Steven Spielberg’s vision of the park, there will surely be feeling as to ‘what new will this movie show?. The 1st half of the film is a visual treat (especially in 3D) as the filmmaker gives us a full tour of the advanced dinosaur park. On the other hand, the 2nd half of the film features unending thrill rides in the form of a cat & mouse game. Overall, despite ‘Jurrasic World’ being predictable in parts, it does not fail to amaze you, developing into a fitting sequel to its predecessors.

Performance wise Chris Pratt adds life to the character of Owen, Bryce Dallas Howard keeps the audiences wondering. It will be noted 1st time in history of Bollywoodian Cinema that Irrfan Khan has got a very meaty role in this Hollywood big budget film and as always, he manages to charm the audiences with his performance. While the rest of the cast comprising of Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, Ariana Richards, Joseph Mazzello, Bob Peck, Martin Ferrero as Donald Gennaro, Wayne Knight, Samuel L. Jackson, Cameron Thor & Miguel Sandoval have all performed exceedingly well.

Tail Piece:  The film is for both, the young audiences who haven’t seen the series on the big screen and also for the ones who have been following it for decades. In fact ‘Jurrasic World’ is surely a big screen experience that is not to be missed, especially if you can catch it on IMAX 3D.

4 UK schools ban Ramadan fast for Muslims

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A total of four primary schools in the UK have imposed a ban on Muslim students preventing them from fasting.

A total of four primary schools in the UK have imposed a ban on Muslim students preventing them from fasting.

by World Bulletin

A total of four primary schools in the U.K. have imposed a ban on fasting for Muslim students during the month of Ramadan, according to British media.

Barclay Primary School in east London — one of the four schools that operate under a common foundation called Lion Academy Trust — informed the parents of the students of the decision in a letter sent last week.

Written by the school’s acting head, Aaron Wright, the letter asserted that children were not required to fast during Ramadan under Islamic Law, but were only required to do so “when they become adults”.

“Previously, we have had a number of children who became ill and children who fainted or who have been unable to fully access the school curriculum in their attempt to fast,” the head also said.

In the letter, the duration of fasting — 18 hours last year as it is mentioned in the letter — was described as quite long for a child without sustenance and water.

The Muslim Association of Britain (MAB) condemned the fasting ban.

“We believe that there are sufficient and stringent rules within Islam which allow those who are unable to fast, to break fast,” the Mail Online quoted a spokesman of the association as saying.

The Muslim Association of Britain also stressed that this was a decision that should be left up to the parents of the students.

The other three schools that will implement the ban are Sybourn, Thomas Gamuel and Brook House Primary Schools.

There are about 3 million Muslims in the U.K.

The holy month of Ramadan, the ninth of the Islamic lunar calendar,begins Wednesday.

Amid torture, experts say CIA's other crime was 'human experimentation'

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Formerly classified document exposes how agency’s attempt to legitimize abusive interrogation program was itself another layer of crime

A demonstrator is held down during a simulation of waterboarding outside the US Justice Department in 2007. (Photo: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

A demonstrator is held down during a simulation of waterboarding outside the US Justice Department in 2007. (Photo: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

by Jon Queally, Common Dreams

After the Central Intelligence Agency was given authority to begin torturing suspected terrorists in the wake of the attacks of September 11, 2001, newly published documents show that another of that program’s transgressions, according to experts, was a gross violation of medical ethics that allowed the agency to conduct what amounted to “human experimentation” on people who became test subjects without consent.

Reported exclusively by the Guardian on Monday, sections of a previously classified CIA document—first obtained by the ACLU—reveal that a long-standing policy against allowing people to become unwitting medical or research subjects remained in place and under the purview of the director of the CIA even as the agency began slamming people into walls, beating them intensely, exposing them to prolonged periods of sleep deprivation, performing repeated sessions of waterboarding, and conducting other heinous forms of psychological and physical abuse.

The document details agency guidelines—first established in 1987 during the presidency of Ronald Reagan but subsequently updated—in which the CIA director and an advisory board are directly empowered to make decisions about programs considered “human subject research” by the agency.

As journalist Spencer Ackerman reports:

The relevant section of the CIA document, “Law and Policy Governing the Conduct of Intelligence Agencies”, instructs that the agency “shall not sponsor, contract for, or conduct research on human subjects” outside of instructions on responsible and humane medical practices set for the entire US government by its Department of Health and Human Services.

A keystone of those instructions, the document notes, is the “subject’s informed consent”.

That language echoes the public, if obscure, language of Executive Order 12333 – the seminal, Reagan-era document spelling out the powers and limitations of the intelligence agencies, including rules governing surveillance by the National Security Agency. But the discretion given to the CIA director to “approve, modify, or disapprove all proposals pertaining to human subject research” has not previously been public.

The entire 41-page CIA document exists to instruct the agency on what Executive Order 12333 permits and prohibits, after legislative action in the 1970s curbed intelligence powers in response to perceived abuses – including the CIA’s old practice of experimenting on human beings through programs like the infamous MK-Ultra project, which, among other things, dosed unwitting participants with LSD as an experiment.

The previously unknown section of the guidelines empower the CIA director and an advisory board on “human subject research” to “evaluate all documentation and certifications pertaining to human research sponsored by, contracted for, or conducted by the CIA”.

Critics have long blasted any members of the medical community who participated in the torture program as traitors to their ethical and professional duties, but as the Guardiannotes, “The CIA, which does not formally concede that it tortured people, insists that the presence of medical personnel ensured its torture techniques were conducted according to medical rigor.”

But Steven Aftergood, a scholar of the intelligence agencies with the Federation of American Scientists, told the Guardian that these men who were tortured by the agency were, in fact, being studied by medical professionals to see how they would respond to such treatment. In addition to the inherent crime of that abuse, they were also unwitting subjects who never gave their informed consent to be studied in this way. “There is a disconnect between the requirement of this regulation [contained in the document] and the conduct of the interrogation program,” Aftergood explained. “They do not represent consistent policy.”

And Nathaniel Raymond, a former war-crimes investigator with Physicians for Human Rights and now a researcher with Harvard University’s Humanitarian Initiative, put it this way: “Crime one was torture. The second crime was research without consent in order to say it wasn’t torture.”

Egypt court upholds Morsi death sentence

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Court confirms death sentence for deposed president Mohamed Morsi on charges related to a 2011 jailbreak case.

Former president Mohamed Morsi appeared inside a cage in the courtroom where he stood trial in Cairo [EPA]

Former president Mohamed Morsi appeared inside a cage in the courtroom where he stood trial in Cairo [EPA]

by Al Jazeera

An Egyptian court upheld a death sentence against deposed president Mohamed Morsi for plotting jailbreaks and attacks on police during the 2011 uprising.

The court had initially sentenced Morsi and more than 100 other defendants to death last month.

Tuesday’s ruling comes after the court consulted Egypt’s grand mufti, the government interpreter of Islamic law who plays an advisory role.

Earlier on Tuesday, the same court sentenced Morsi, the country’s first democratically elected president, to life in prison on charges of spying for the Palestinian Hamas movement, Lebanon’s Shia Hezbollah, and Iran.

Tuesday’s verdicts can be appealed.

Then army chief and now President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi ousted Morsi on July 3, 2013, and since then has overseen a sweeping crackdown against his supporters.

The crackdown has left hundreds of Muslim Brotherhood supporters dead and thousands jailed.

Hundreds have been sentenced to death after speedy mass trials described by the United Nations as “unprecedented in recent history”.

In the jailbreak trial, exiled Egyptian-born cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi was also condemned to death in absentia from his base in Qatar.

Sexual harassment, rape allegations rock Greenpeace

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Greenpeace

New Delhi: Environment rights NGO Greenpeace India could be in for more trouble as an ex-staffer has gone public with allegations of rape and sexual harassment by her colleagues.

The organisation’s inaction against the perpetrators has spurred more female ex-employees to come out with similar accusations. Now, the NGO is at the receiving end with activists lambasting the organisation’s irresponsible handling of the cases.

Recently, Greenpeace was in the news after the government froze it’s accounts for non-compliance of norms. The Delhi High Court, however, released two of its accounts so that it could function.

In an article published on a web forum last week, an ex-employee (name withheld) of Greenpeace alleged that she had to leave her job in 2013 after being sexually harassed and raped by her colleagues.

Narrating her ordeal, she said that it started a year after she had joined the NGO at their Bengaluru office. The first incident happened during an official trip in October 2012. “I got a call from a senior colleague at 11 pm, asking me to vacate my room and insisting that I sleep in his suite. In another incident, he approached me physically despite my discomfort, insisted on force-feeding me birthday cake,’ she told IANS.

Though she registered a written complaint with the HR manager, she did not receive any verbal or written communication from the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) of the organisation, which looks into sexual harassment cases. To her shock, she learnt that the person was a serial offender and no action had been taken against him despite his misbehaviour with two other female employees.

However, she said, she was blamed for registering the complaint. “Once in an official meeting, in my absence, two senior employees indulged in character assassination against me. Even some female colleagues, part of the ICC, made me feel that I was at fault, that I didn’t know how to ‘set boundaries’,” she said.

However, matters came to a head in 2013. “It was after a party, when a male colleague whom I knew quite well found me unconscious and raped me. You cannot imagine the pain and fear I went through. I was terrified to speak and I knew even if I had, no one in this organisation would come to my aid. I did not have the strength to report my rape, neither to the police, nor to my employers. How could I, when the processes had failed me once already?” she asked. Traumatised, she left the NGO after a few months.

She said it took her long to overcome the incident, and finally, she decided to tell her story through a Facebook post in February this year. Immediately after her post, Greenpeace issued an apology on their website and promised her to re-investigate the case in an adequate manner. Admitting the lax attitude in dealing with the case in 2012, the statement said, “The victim deserves both an apology and a meticulous examination of what happened.”

However, the victim pointed out that the NGO’s subsequent actions exposed their empty talk. “The ICC, which convened in March, recommended the termination of the offender, but the executive director overrode the decision on some pretext and the only thing I received was a written apology from the molester,’’ she said.

Supporting the claims of the victim, another ex-senior manager Reema Ganguly, who was a part of the ICC, told IANS that she quit Greenpeace in May after executive director Samit Aich overrode the committee’s recommendation. “The committee’s suggestion of terminating the molester was overturned by the executive director, and they dismantled the committee which was only three months old, whereas the duration (for such a committee) is for three years. It was very clear that the committee is an eyewash by the NGO,’’ said Ganguly.

However, Aich defended the decision to dismantle the committee. ”We came to know that the committee decisions were leaked to many people in the office. So I sought legal opinion on this and I was told that since its leaked, the decision stands invalid. So we dissolved the committee and reconstituted it,” said Aich.

When asked why they did not follow the committee’s decision of terminating the offender, Aich said a strong warning was given to the person. “I have given a strong warning to the person and as a result, he has put in his papers. I admit that there have been flaws in our earlier system and we will tighten our disciplinary actions in future,” he added.

Reacting to the allegations, Programme Director for Greenpeace India, Divya Raghunandan, told IANS that the former employees had raised some valid issues and that they will investigate it in a “serious manner”. Acknowledging that there were flaws in the earlier system, Raghunandan said, “When we revisited the cases, we felt that it should have been handled in a better way.”

Asserting that they were re-evaluating the overall procedures for handling complaints of sexual harassment, she said that the employee in question had resigned. “We have reconstituted the ICC and ordered an audit into the old cases. The implicated employee has put in his papers already,’’ she said.

However, activists and former employees question the failure of the NGO in punishing a serial offender and protecting him for years.

Holding the executive director of Greenpeace India responsible for the shabby handling of the cases, Kavita Krishnan, Secretary of the All India Progressive Women’s Association, said that the events had tarnished the image of the NGO. “Greenpeace failed to stand by their promise of punishing the offender. They disbanded a committee, which recommended punishment for the molester. The NGO is muzzling voices of dissent. They have stretched the cases for so many years. The punishment has to be spelt out clearly,’’ Krishnan said adding that they have written to Greenpeace International and were waiting for their response to act further.

Voicing similar concerns, Usha Saxena, a former employee, alleged that she was forced to quit Greenpeace because she took a stand against the rampant cases of harassment in the NGO. Saxena, who joined Greenpeace in 2009, said that her protests against sexist jokes and remarks fell on deaf ears. “I filed a misconduct complaint against senior HR director for making discriminatory and threatening remarks about my gender, my age and ordering me to seek ‘psychological counselling’. For that, I was bullied out in 2013,’’ Saxena told IANS.

Another ex-staffer (name withheld) also said that she was harassed by the same person implicated in the first incident. She said she resigned in March 2015 after inaction by the NGO. “He made some objectionable comments in front of many senior colleagues, including the executive director. No one reacted, rather they were all amused. “Though she registered a complaint with the HR Department the next day, it met the same fate as the previous ones,” she told IANS. She also said she would take further legal action if the offender is not punished.

(IANS)

Dalit girl beaten up as her shadow falls on high caste muscleman

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dalit

Ganeshpura: In a shocking incident, a minor Dalit girl was allegedly beaten up by higher caste women in Ganeshpura village here after the victim’s shadow fell on a muscleman belonging to their family, police said today.

The incident took place on June 13 and the complaint was also filed on the same day at Gadi Malhera police station, Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP), Neeraj Pandey said.

According to the complaint lodged by the girl’s father, the problem began when his daughter was fetching water from a village hand pump and her shadow fell on muscle-man Puran Yadav (belonging to a higher caste) when he happened to pass from there, the ASP said.

The episode enraged the family of the muscle-man to such an extent that the women of the family severely beat the girl and threatened that if she was spotted again at the hand pump, they would kill her, he said.

Yadav’s family also prevented the victim from going to police station, but they somehow managed to reach there.

A case under sections 323, 341, 506 of the IPC has been registered against the accused and further investigation is underway.

In several remote pockets of India, where untouchability is still prevalent, people from the lower caste are forbidden to come in contact with those belonging to the higher rung so much so that they can’t share their food, cook for them or even look them in the eye. It is even forbidden for their shadow to fall on higher caste people, who consider it as defiling or polluting.

(PTI)

PM must order probe to expose real gameplan: Shiv Sena on Sushma Swaraj row

by

Saamana-News-Epaper

Mumbai: Claiming that Sushma Swaraj has been targeted under a “political game” to oust her from BJP, Shiv Sena today said it is imperative for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to step in and order an investigation to know who is so keen on “maligning” her “clean” reputation.

Sena, which has come out in support of the External Affairs Minister in the row over helping scam-tainted former IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi obtain British travel papers, said Congress was “lifeless” and its reaction did not mean much but “who is trying to give flight to its wings”.

“The Congress party is behaving as if Swaraj has helped get bail to arrested fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim or Kasab. This controversy is being fuelled by using a section of the media. It is vital for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to order an investigation on who is so keen on maligning her clean reputation of 35-40 years,” the Sena said in an edit in its mouthpiece ‘Saamana’.

“Covering Swaraj in a mist of controversy and questions seems to be a huge political game being played to oust her from the BJP and from national politics,” the Sena alleged.

It said that PM Modi too may get engulfed in such controversies in the future and that some of his cabinet ministers are being tactfully harassed.

The edit added that similar allegations had been levelled against Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s son in the recent past and also against Nitin Gadkari, when he took over as the President of the BJP.

“An Indian has been helped on humanitarian grounds. Why so much fuss over it? The Congress has become lifeless now and thus its flutter also does not mean much. But the question is who is trying to give flight to these fluttering wings,” the Sena said.

“If somebody is attacking the External Affairs Ministry to weaken it and thereby trying to demoralise the Modi government, the person is ultimately causing harm to the country. This a very big political game that needs to be ended by PM Modi,” it added.

(PTI)

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