Archives for 2021

Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday asserted that the concept of secularism needs to be defined in the context of `Indian civilisation’.

Attacking Leftist intellectuals, liberals and the media, Sarma said, at a function where RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat launched a book, claimed the country’s intellectual society is still dominated by the left-liberals with the media giving them more space while ignoring alternate voices.

“An intellectual terrorism has been unleashed and the Lefts in the country are more leftists than Karl Marx. There is no democracy in media….they have no space for Indian civilisation but there is space for Karl Marx and Lenin”, he claimed.

Mediapersons may agree in private to an alternative narrative but they prefer giving space to left -liberals saying that this reflects an independent view, Sarma alleged.

“The left thinking has to be challenged and more thought provoking books based on history, of our long struggle for existence must be documented in the right perspective”, he said.

The Chief Minister however did not specify how secularism would be defined in the context of Indian civilisation, though he asserted that India India has been a secular country since Rig Vedic times.

“We have given the concept of secularism and humanity to the world. Our civilisation is five thousand years old and we have accepted diversity of thought, religion and culture since ages”, the Chief Minister said.

Referring to the Citizenship Amendment Act, Sarma said that there are two perspectives on this- for protestors outside Assam, the demand is why should only Hindus be given citizenship, Muslim migrants should also be covered.

In Assam, however, the protest against the Act was that neither Hindus nor Muslims from other countries should be given citizenship.

“It was the so-called secular protestors at the national level who tried to give a communal colour to the entire protests”, he said.

The CAA is for those “who are victims of partition and not beneficiaries of a communal country created on the basis of religion”, he said.

Sirsa: Farmers on Wednesday blocked a national highway here at three different points to demand the release of five protesters who were arrested last week following an attack on Haryana Assembly Deputy Speaker Ranbir Gangwa’s car.

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of various farmers’ unions, spearheading stir against the farm laws, has also demanded the withdrawal of cases including sedition charges against over 100 protesters booked in connection with the incident involving the attack on Gangwa’s car on July 11.

Meanwhile, the indefinite fast of farmer leader Baldev Singh Sirsa as protest against the arrests and registration of cases entered the fourth day on Wednesday.

A team of the health department conducted Sirsa’s medical checkup at the protest site. The protesters blocked the highway for two hours at different points, including Khuian Malana toll plaza and Panjuana village.

While emergency vehicles were allowed to pass, the blockade, however, resulted in traffic jams on both sides of the road.

Police in strength had been deployed to prevent any untoward incident.

Many passengers, including some students, were seen getting down from the buses and walking on foot and using other means to reach their destinations.

The police have booked over 100 people, mostly unidentified, for sedition, obstructing public servants in discharge of their duty, murderous attempt on an elected representative and damaging public property after the attack on the deputy speaker’s vehicle.

The protesting farmers had earlier claimed that the administration has not been able to show any video or other evidence to prove that the farmers indulged in violence on July 11.

Chhotaudepur (Guj): A young tribal couple from a village in Gujarat’s Chhotaudepur district was allegedly abducted, tied to a tree and thrashed with sticks as a punishment for eloping, police said on Wednesday.

The police have arrested nine men for the alleged attack that took place in Chiliyavant village under the Rangpur police station in Chhotaudepur district on Tuesday, Deputy Superintendent of Police A V Katkad said.

A video of the incident, which surfaced on social media, showed some men taking turns to beat the couple, who were tied to a tree, with sticks in the presence of other villagers, the police said.

On learning about the incident through the video, the police rushed to the village on Wednesday and arrested the accused on the charges of rioting, kidnapping and illegal confinement based on a complaint lodged by the victim girl, the official said.

“The couple had eloped on July 18 with an intention of getting married. However, angry villagers eventually traced them to a neighbouring village and brought them back to Chiliyavant on Tuesday morning. The accused tied the duo to a tree and thrashed them with sticks,” the DySP said.

The victim in her complaint has claimed that the accused were angry because a local tradition bars marriage of man and woman from the same village, it was stated.

A similar incident took place in Dhada village under Rangpur police station a month ago, where a tribal couple was assaulted by five men as a punishment for eloping.

Kolkata: Latching on to the Pegasus snooping row, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Wednesday accused the Modi government of trying to establish a “surveillance state”.

She also asked the Supreme Court to take cognizance of snooping scandal that purportedly targeted politicians, activists, journalists and even judges using the Pegasus spyware, and asked Opposition parties to come together to defeat the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

“BJP wants to convert a democratic country into a surveillance state rather than a welfare state,” she said addressing the Martyrs’ Day rally in Kolkata online.

The TMC observes Martyrs’ Day on July 21 every year to commemorate the killing of 13 people in police firing on a rally of Youth Congress workers against the then Left Front government in 1993 when Banerjee was in the Congress.

The TMC supremo also accused the Centre of spending the money collected through tax on fuel and other commodities for spying using a “dangerous software” instead of funding welfare schemes.

“I know my phone is being tapped. All opposition leaders know that our phones are being tapped. I can’t speak to NCP leader Sharad Pawarji or other opposition leaders or chief ministers because we are being snooped and spied on by the Centre. But snooping on us won’t save them in 2024 Lok Sabha polls,” Banerjee told the rally.

Slamming the BJP-led NDA government for its “monumental failure” in handling the second wave of the COVID crisis, the TMC supremo termed the saffron party a “highly loaded virus party” which needs to be defeated at any cost.

Banerjee thanked leaders of the Congress, NCP, SP, Shiv Sena and several other parties for joining her rally virtually from New Delhi.

She said all those opposed to the BJP and its “authoritarian regime” should defeat it.

“BJP has taken the country to darkness, we all have to come forward to take it to new light,” the Bengal leader said.

“Khela Hobe” (will play), she declared, renewing the battle cry she made during the state assembly elections, adding the fight will continue till BJP is ousted from power.

Firozabad: A professor, who allegedly made derogatory remarks against Union Minister Smriti Irani on Facebook, was sent to jail after he surrendered in a court here.

Shaharyar Ali surrendered to Additional Sessions Judge Anurag Kumar and moved an interim bail application on Tuesday.

The judge cancelled the bail plea after which the professor was sent to jail.

Firozabad Police had booked Ali, head of History department at SRK College, in March for an alleged obscene Facebook post against the women and child development minister. The college had then served him with a suspension notice.

Earlier this month, the Supreme Court refused to grant protection from arrest to Ali.

An anticipatory bail plea filed by the professor was also rejected by the Allahabad High Court in May. Refusing to grant Ali protection from arrest, Justice J J Munir said there was no material on record to show that the professor’s account was hacked.

Washington: The Biden administration has urged a federal court in Los Angeles to extradite Pakistani-origin Canadian businessman Tahawwur Rana to India where he is sought for his involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack.

Rana, 59, has been declared a fugitive by India, where he is facing multiple criminal charges for his involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack in which 166 people, including six Americans, were killed. He was rearrested on June 10, 2020, in Los Angeles on an extradition request by India

In a submission before the US District Court, Central District of California in Los Angeles, the US government argues that India’s extradition request contains sufficient evidence of probable cause on each of the criminal charges for which India seeks Rana’s extradition.

Having found that all of the requirements for certification of extradition have been satisfied, the Court certifies the extradition of Tahawwur Hussain Rana to the Secretary of State and commits him to custody pursuant, according to a draft order proposed by the US attorney in his submission before the court last week.

Based on the evidence submitted by India, RANA allowed fraud against the Indian government to occur through the creation and submission of forged documents. The purpose behind such fraud is irrelevant under the Indian criminal provisions, said the document titled proposed findings of facts and conclusions of law.

Rana is wanted by the Indian authorities for his alleged involvement in the deadly attacks that are sometimes referred to as India’s 9/11. An Indian warrant for his arrest was issued in August 2018.

Indian authorities allege that Rana conspired with his childhood friend David Coleman Headley to assist the Pakistani terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), or Army of the Good, in the orchestration of the 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai.

In any event, RANA knowingly allowed Headley to obtain the business visa and the cover that he needed to conduct terrorism-related surveillance operations in India, ultimately leading to the three-day terrorist attacks in Mumbai. Accordingly, the Court finds there is probable cause that RANA conspired to forge a document for the purpose of cheating and use a forged document as genuine, in violation of IPC 120B, 468, and 471, it said.

According to the court document, the evidence establishes that the Mumbai attacks were committed by LeT, a terrorist organisation targeting India. Thus, an attack on Indian soil, especially one that would result in mass casualties, injuries, and damage to property, would strike terror in the Indian people.

Rana was aware that Headley was involved with LeT, and that by assisting Headley and affording him a cover for his activities, he was supporting the terrorist organisation and its associates. Rana knew of Headley’s meetings, what was discussed, and the planning of the attacks, including some of the targets. Further, it was foreseeable that these attacks would lead to death, injury, and destruction of property, it said.

Accordingly, this Court finds that there is probable cause that Rana committed the crimes of conspiracy with the object of committing a terrorist act, in violation of IPC 120B and UAPA 16, and conspiracy to commit a terrorist act, in violation of UAPA 18. The court further finds that under an agency theory or an abetting theory (as contemplated by UAPA 16), there is probable cause that Rana committed the substantive crime of commission of a terrorist act in violation of UAPA 16, said the document submitted by the US attorney.

India has charged forgery for purposes of cheating, in violation of IPC 468, as an object of the alleged criminal conspiracy. India also charged the crime of using as genuine a forged document or electronic record, in violation of IPC 471, as an object of the alleged criminal conspiracy.

The document said that the evidence establishes that Rana conspired with Headley to provide false information on multiple documents submitted to the Indian government.

In 2006 and 2007, Rana conspired with Headley to include false information on Indian government documents, so that Headley could obtain business visas (a one-year and a five-year multiple entry) as an alleged employee of Rana’s business. On both occasions, Rana reviewed Headley’s applications and failed to correct information Rana knew to be false, it said.

Rana also had the Immigrant Law Center, through his unsuspecting business partner, submit the applications to the Indian Consulate. RANA also allowed his business to apply to the Reserve Bank of India, while falsely claiming it wanted to open an office in Mumbai with Headley serving as the business’s Office Head’ it said.

On the other hand, Rana’s attorney in their proposed draft order is opposed to the extradition.

The Court finds that the government has not satisfied the requirement of Article 9(3)(c) of the Treaty that a request for extradition be supported by such information as would justify the committal for trial of the person if the offense had been committed in the Requested State,” it said.

Extradition is therefore denied, says Rana’s proposed findings of facts and conclusions of law. Both the documents were submitted before the court on July 15.