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Women journalists’ group demands Akbar’s dismissal, writes to President

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A panel of female journalists has written to President Ram Nath Kovind demanding the dismissal of Union Minister M.J. Akbar who has been accused of sexual harassment by a dozen women in the wake of the #MeToo movement.

“We are extremely concerned that he continues to be a minister in the Union council of ministers even as he pursues whatever legal course of action he plans.

“You will agree this is highly unethical and improper and would cast a cloud over any investigation of his alleged misdeeds, besides undermining the independence, justice and fair play that any citizen can expect from such proceedings,” the Network of Women in Media in India (NWMI) said in the letter to the President on Monday.

Akbar, the Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs, has sued the woman who had first named him in the #MeToo campaign — journalist Priya Ramani, for defamation.

NWMI said that a criminal defamation charge is “a clear attempt to bully, intimidate and silence those who are bringing to light systemic abuse of women by men in powerful positions”.

“It is designed to push women back into silent compliance and will silence the voices of the many who have not yet spoken up,” it said.

The panel demanded that Akbar should submit himself to an independent investigation and that the Ministry of External Affairs should ask him to step down from office pending investigation.

Requesting that the case against Ramani be dropped, the panel wrote: “We would like to point out that Section 499 of the IPC (Indian Penal Code), which pertains to defamation, cites exceptions in case of ‘imputation of truth which public good requires to be made or published’.”

It said that all support should be extended by the government to women in their struggle for justice and that Union Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj should “take workplace harassment seriously and not encourage intimidatory tactics against women who have complained”.

IANS

Manvendra all set to join Congress on Wednesday

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Former Union Minister and senior BJP leader Jaswant Singh’s son Manvendra Singh, who quit the Bharatiya Janata Party in September, is likely to join the Congress on Wednesday, Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee chief Sachin Pilot said on Tuesday.

Manvendra Singh had exited BJP on September 22.

He will join Congress on the auspicious day of Maha Durgaashtami on October 17 in New Delhi at 10 a.m., Pilot told IANS.

Speculation regarding his joining the Congress party was doing the rounds soon after he quit the ruling party during a mammoth Swabhiman Rally organised at Pachpadra in Rajasthan’s Barmer.

However, he did not open his cards during or after the rally.

Singh is a sitting legislator from Sheo and should join the Congress along with his wife. A few other BJP members might also join the Congress, informed sources said.

Singh’s relationship with the BJP turned sour in 2014 when the party refused to give a ticket to his father and former Defence Minister Jaswant Singh.

The latter contested the elections as an independent candidate but lost to the BJP candidate Sonaram Chaudhary.

Other BJP leaders who left the saffron party over allegations of being neglected were seniors like Ghanshayam Tiwari and Usha Punia among others.

Earlier, when Manvendra Singh announced his departure, Pilot had said that BJP needs to do an introspection as to why so many senior leaders were the saffron fold.

Fire in Kolkata chemical godown

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A fire broke out in a chemical godown in the eastern part of the city on Monday evening, but no casualty was reported, an official said.

“The fire broke out at about 5.23 p.m. Ten fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the fire,” a fire brigade official said.

According to him, although the exact reason of fire is yet to be established, it seems that the huge amount of inflammable materials stacked inside the godown might have led to the fire.

No injuries have been reported so far, the official added.

IANS

5 dead in Bengal bus accident

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A bus accident in West Bengal’s Hooghly district left five persons dead and many others injured on Tuesday, police said.

“The bus overturned and fell into the Dakatiya Khaal (a canal) on Haripal Road this morning. The injured were rushed to hospital,” a police official said.

The rescue operation was still underway and the cause or extent of damage due to the accident was not yet clear, he added.

Karnataka CM’s wife in Assembly by-poll fray

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Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy’s wife Anitha on Monday filed her nomination to contest the Assembly by-poll from Ramanagara constituency, about 50 km southwest of here.

Anitha filed her nomination for the November 3 election, accompanied by the Chief Minister, a Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) leader said.

By-election is being held on November 3 in two Assembly seats — Jamkhandi in northwestern Bagalkot district and Ramanagara city in Ramanagara district. Tuesday is the last day to file nominations.

The vacancy in the two seats was caused following the resignation of the Chief Minister from Ramanagara seat and owing to the death of Congress legislator Siddu Nyamagouda in a road accident on May 28, after being elected from Jamkhandi constituency.

Kumaraswamy, who contested and won from two adjacent Assembly segments, retained the Channapatna seat.

Anitha, 55, declared total assets worth Rs 94 crore and said another Rs 7.88 crore worth of assets belong to her husband.

Backed by the Congress, she is contesting against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s L. Chandrashekar.

Anitha had earlier won a by-election in 2008 from Madhugiri Assembly seat but lost the by-election for Channapatna constituency in 2012.

In the Jamakhandi seat, Congress candidate and son of late legislator Nyamagouda, Anand Siddu Nyamagouda, and BJP’s Shrikant S. Kulkarni are in the fray.

The JD-S is backing the Congress in Jamakhandi.

Scrutiny for the nominations will take place on Wednesday and the last date for withdrawal of candidatures is October 20.

By-election for three Lok Sabha constituencies in the state — Shivamogga, Ballari (ST) and Mandya — will also be held on November 3.

Coalition partners JD-S and Congress are also contesting the ensuing Lok Sabha by-election together.

BJP’s state unit president and former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa’s son B.Y. Raghavendra is in fray from the Shivamogga seat, contesting against Janata Dal-United (JD-U)’s Mahima J. Patel, the son of late former Karnataka Chief Minister J.H. Patel (1996-1999).

On the other hand, senior Congress leader V.S. Ugrappa is in fray from Ballari seat against BJP’s J. Shantha.

Shantha, a former member of Parliament in Lok Sabha in 2009, is the sister of BJP’s legislator from the state, B. Sriramulu.

Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs) will be used for the by-polls.

In the 28 Lok Sabha seats from the southern state, the BJP has 15, Congress 9 and the JD-S 1, while three seats are vacant.

In the 224-member Assembly, the BJP has 104, Congress 79 and the JD-S 36.

IANS

#MeToo movement shows India’s soul is decaying: Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt

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On the one hand, Indians bow down to a goddess to pray and on another some people violate women. This dichotomy in India is creating a mess of things, says filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, who feels Indians are far from what we claim to be.

“The #MeToo movement cannot be resolved through the court of public opinion. There are people standing up for something. I would say more power to women who scream from the rooftop about something wrong done to them — whether it is after 10 years or 20 or 50… It doesn’t make a difference,” Bhatt told IANS in an interview when he was in the city to promote “Jalebi”.

“You cannot deny the right to individuals to say what they say. But the question is whether the quotes are in sync with the legal system, which is based on a certain understanding. Are they in sync with this so-called enlightened new view that we have? If punitive action is not taken, the cynicism that nothing happens would be reinforced,” he added.

The #MeToo movement in India started in September after Tanushree Dutta recounted an unpleasant episode with veteran actor Nana Patekar on the sets of “Horn ‘OK’ Pleassss” in 2008.

After that, a slew of controversies surrounding Vikas Bahl, Chetan Bhagat, Gursimran Khamba, Kailash Kher, Rajat Kapoor, Alok Nath and Sajid Khan have emerged.

“There is only one thing you can’t use this #MeToo movement for (and that is) settling old relationship issues. You cannot categorise that.

“There is domestic violence which is there between married people or lovers. There can be sexual misconduct which can be tackled legally. But we are talking about sexual harassment which is another case. Women need to handle that very responsibly,” Bhatt said.

The director feels it is time to ask a “deeper question”.

“During Durga Puja, you bow down to the deity which was created by this great story of male gods putting their best to create her so that she can kill the demon to save the world and heaven from the wrath of that demon. It is time to understand that you support the woman and let her retain her dignity or she will perish.

“The question is, ‘Do you really view women in the form of the goddess you worship in the temple’. Because in private life you violate them.”

He said “there is a kind of dichotomy”.

“The dichotomy is what has made a mess of things. We have an idea about ourselves and the reality is quite different from the idea. Look at what you are doing to women. There are issues which cannot be resolved themselves within a time frame of a week, a month or a year.

“These are larger issues. The soul of the country is decaying. We are far away from what we claim to be. And cases like this only put spotlight on that,” added the director, who has helmed projects like “Arth”, “Saaransh”, “Naam”, “Sadak”, “Junoon” and “Papa Kahte Hain”.

As a film producer, how does he ensure a safe workplace for women?

“Human beings are vulnerable to all this and more. But I can only say that you lead by example. You set the tone about what the morality of the house is going to be. I have enough women force. I have my own daughter (Pooja), who is a tough chick. I have my sister who is hands-on. I have my niece.”

“If there is any outrage anywhere, I think there are enough pockets to bring out what is happening,” added Bhatt , who will be back as a director with “Sadak 2”.

IANS

Priya Ramani ready to face Akbar, his 97 lawyers; hearing on October 18 : #Me too

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Delhi’s Patiala House court has listed the matter of Union minister MJ Akbar to 18 October. He had filed a criminal defamation case in the court against journalist Priya Ramani yesterday.

“My wife faces a union minister, his 97 lawyers. It takes special courage to do that. My wife Priya [Ramani] is amongst the 14 women journalists who have named union minister MJ Akbar for a range of inappropriate workplace behaviour,” wrote her husband Samar Halarnkar, in his column.

On Monday Union Minister MJ Akbar filed a private criminal defamation complaint in a court in Delhi against journalist Priya Ramani, who has accused him of sexual misconduct around 20 years ago, alleging she “wilfully” and “maliciously” made imputations against him with the ulterior motive of maligning his reputation and political standing.
The minister of state for external affairs filed the plea in the Patiala House district courts through law firm Karanjawala & Co and the ‘vakalatnama’ names 97 lawyers, who have been authorised by Akbar to represent him.

Ramani said in a statement that she is ready to fight the defamation allegations. She alleged that “rather than engage with the serious allegations that many women have made against him, he (Akbar) seeks to silence them through intimidation and harassment”.

Priya Ramani is the torch-bearer of the Indian episode of the #MeToo campaign. She spoke out against the minister of state and then all hell broke loose. Many skeletons started tumbling from cupboards and many dark secrets came to light, related to the film industry and in media as well as other fields. Within days a movement of sorts started with each day witnessing horrific tales of sexual harassment and exploitation.

PTI

Married man commits suicide for sexual Harrsement by co-worker’s

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Frustrated by a woman’s never-ending demand for sex, a 38-year-old man from Parbhani district of Maharashtra ended his life. The man was identified as Sachin Mitkari and worked at a hospital along with the woman.

On Monday, the police said that the man was found hanging from the ceiling at his residence situated on Vasmat-Parbhani road on Sunday. It was the neighbours who reportedly found him hanging and called on the police. His body was then sent for autopsy by the cops.

Mitkari penned down a suicide note which was recovered from the spot by the police. The note said that the woman had been harassing him and insisting him to have a sexual relationship with her.

Despite being told by Mitkari the fact that he was married, the woman continued to chase him so that she could indulge in a sexual relationship with him.

She allegedly also used to threaten and blackmail him that she would file a criminal case against him, said a police official quoting the suicide note. A case of abetment to suicide was registered against him by the police, as per what the official told news reporting agency PTI. Further investigation into the matter is reportedly underway.

This incident clearly tells us the impact sexual harassment can have on one’s life as this news has come in amid the #MeToo movement currently going on in India wherein different women are coming up with their ordeals and accounts of harassment, especially at their places of work.

This man should have gone on to publicise the said woman’s deeds, gaining inspiration from the many Me Too survivors. This could have saved his life and it is a clear indication that men should also join the campaign by voicing out their stories of harassment on social media.

PTI

Students drown in lake while taking selfie

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The boys were among 50 students from Siddaganga Pre-University College in Tumakuru district who had come to Dobbespet to take part in the National Service Scheme (NSS) camp for service.

The craze for selfie claimed the lives of three teenage students as they drowned in Nijagalkere lake on the outskirts of Bengaluru Monday, police said.

Three students, in the age group of 16-17, went to the Siddheshwara shrine.

They later went to see the nearby lake there and could not resist the temptation to click a selfie.

Suddenly, one of them slipped and started drowning as he was posing for the shot.

The other two jumped in to save him and they too drowned, police said.

The bodies have been recovered.

PTI

WAKE UP INDIA SOCIAL MOVEMENT

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WAKE UP INDIA SOCIAL MOVEMENT organised Free Eye Checkup and Catract Operations camp in association with UNITY CHARITABLE TRUST at St Peters school in RAJIVNAGAR 1st stage on Wednesday 10 October 2018 130 were inpatients among 130 patients 10 patients were deceted Catract Operations were conducted at KR hospital 15 persons were given free opticals.

Newly elected corporaters were also feliciated by wake up india social movement AFROZ KHAN prop jk traders and jk builders announced to donate wake up india social movement freezer box for dead bodyies wake up india social movement STATE SECRETARY KV NEWS STATE IN CHARGE MUDASSIR AHMED SOCIAL WORKER AFROZ KHAN UNITY CHARITABLE TRUST PRESIDENT NOOR MERCHANT SECRETARY FIYAZ AHMED AND RAJIVNAGAR WELFARE ASSOCIATION MEMBERS WERE PRESENT.

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