Archives for March 2022

Pune: People entering the MIT College venue in Pune, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated several developmental projects, were asked to remove their masks, socks and in some cases even shirts if they were black, possibly to prevent any protest.

Speaking on the issue, Pune police commissioner Amitabh Gupta said instructions had been issued to not allow black flags.

“There must be some confusion as the instruction was about black flags and black pieces of cloth, not about clothing (itself),” Gupta said.

Journalist Mangesh Phalle, who covered the event, said he was asked to remove his black-coloured mask by those on security detail at the venue.

The prime minister was in the city on a one-day visit during which he inaugurated a stretch of the metro rail, a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, a gallery dedicated to legendary cartoonist RK Laxman and the golden jubilee celebrations of Symbiosis University.

Before the prime minister arrived in Pune this morning, Congress and NCP activists staged protests alleging that Modi had “insulted” Maharashtra by suggesting that the state had encouraged the spread of COVID-19 to other states.

The protesters came out on roads carrying black flags and placards, with ‘Go Back Modi’ written on them, near Alka Talkies chowk and in other areas in the city.

Pune: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Sunday said some people holding high posts were making unnecessary comments and this was not acceptable to the people of the state.

NCP leader Pawar made the comments, apparently aimed at Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, at Pune’s MIT College ground, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the governor were present during the inauguration of various development projects.

Notably, some leaders of the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA-comprising the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress) in Maharashtra as well as the BJP recently objected to Governor Koshyari’s remark that Samarth Ramdas was the guru of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

On Sunday, before Modi’s public address, Pawar said, I want to bring one thing to the prime minister’s notice. Of late, some people holding important positions are making unnecessary comments which are not acceptable to Maharashtra and its citizens.”

“Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and his mother Rajmata Jijau formed Swarajya. Mahatma Jyotiba Phule and Krantijyoti Savitribai Phule (both social reformers from Maharashtra) laid the foundation for women’s education. We need to carry forward their legacy without holding grudges against anyone and without bringing politics into the development works, the NCP leader said.

Koshyari, during a programme in Aurangabad last Sunday, underlined the role of the guru (teacher) while citing the examples of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Chandragupta Maurya.

Many chakravartis (emperors), maharajas took birth on this land. But, who would have asked about Chandragupta had there not been Chanakya? Who would have asked about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj had there not been Samarth (Ramdas), he said.

I am not questioning the calibre of Chandragupta and Shivaji Maharaj. Like a mother who plays a key role in shaping her child, similarly, the role of guru (teacher) has a big place in our society, the governor had said.

In the past, the MVA government and Koshyari have been engaged in a war of words over various issues.

Pune: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday attributed the success of the ‘Operation Ganga’ to evacuate citizens stranded in war-torn Ukraine to India’s growing influence in the global arena.

We are evacuating thousands of Indians safely from the war zone through the Operation Ganga, Modi said after inaugurating the golden jubilee celebration of the Symbiosis University and its Arogyam Dham here.

It is due to India’s growing influence that it has brought thousands of students from the war zone of Ukraine back to their motherland, he said.

Many big countries are facing difficulties in doing so for their citizens, Modi said.

Amid the escalating crisis in Ukraine, the Indian government, under the ‘Operation Ganga’, has flown 13,700 citizens – who were stuck in war-hit Ukraine – back to safety by special flights that were started last week, the government had said in a statement on Saturday.

On Sunday, addressing students in Pune, Modi said their generation is lucky that it does not have to bear the brunt of a defensive and dependent psychology . If the country has seen this change, then the credit goes to the youth of the country, he said.

He said sectors where the country would not have thought of standing on its feet, it is now becoming a global leader in those areas.

The PM also cited the example of mobile and electronic manufacturing and the defence sectors.

In the area of defence, we had come to believe that we could do anything only on the basis of whatever others gave. But, today things have changed, he said.

The PM said India is now becoming a defence exporter. Two defence corridors are underway where modern weapons will be manufactured and fulfill the country’s security needs, he added.

India has emerged second in the area of mobile manufacturing. Seven years back, the country only had two mobile manufacturing companies. Today, more than 200 manufacturing units are involved in this, he said.

From the software industry to health sector, from Artificial Intelligence to automobiles and electric vehicles, from quantum computing to machine learning, new avenues are coming to the fore, he mentioned.

Modi said reforms are taking place in the areas of geo-spatial systems, from drones and semi-conductors to space. These reforms have brought opportunities for the youth.

The government in the country trusts the capabilities of the youth, which is why many sectors are liberalised, he said.

The world’s third largest start-up ecosystem is in India, the PM said, adding that the ‘Start-up India’, ‘Stand-up India’, ‘Make in India’ and ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ (initiatives of the government) represent the aspirations of the youth.

“Today’s India is innovating, improving and influencing the world,” he said.

Modi cited the example of how India showed its capability through a vaccine against COVID-19.

The prime minister exhorted the youth to start their own start-ups to find solutions to the challenges faced by the country. He said the solutions to the local challenge should come from universities.

New Delhi: The Indian embassy in Ukraine on Sunday asked all Indians who are still stuck in the conflict-stricken country to fill up an online form on an urgent basis.

“All Indian nationals who still remain in Ukraine are requested to fill up the details contained in the attached Google Form on an URGENT BASIS. Be Safe Be Strong,” it said in a tweet.

The details sought in the Google form are name, e-mail, phone number, address of current stay, passport details, gender and age.

In the Google form, the embassy has also asked for indicating the current location of the Indians stranded in Ukraine.

A list of locations has been provided in the form and an option given to select the location from it.

The locations mentioned in the online form are Cherkassy, Chernihiv, Chernivtsi, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Khmelnytsky, Kirovograd, Kyiv, Luhansk, Lviv, Mykolaiv and Odessa.

The list also includes Poltava, Rivne, Sumy, Ternopil, Vinnytsya, Volyn, Zakarpattya, Zaporozhzhya and Zhytomyr.

The Indian embassy in Hungary also put out a tweet.

“Important Announcement: Embassy of India begins its last leg of Operation Ganga flights today. All those students staying in their OWN accommodation (other than arranged by Embassy) are requested to reach @Hungariacitycentre, Rakoczi Ut 90, Budapest between 10 am-12 pm,” it said.

India has been bringing back its nationals from Romania, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Moldova after they crossed over to these countries from Ukraine through land border transit points.

Ukraine closed its airspace for civilian aircraft after Russia began the military operation.

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on Saturday that over 13,300 Indians were brought back home in 63 flights under evacuation mission “Operation Ganga”.

He said India’s main focus now is to evacuate around 700 Indian students from the eastern Ukrainian city of Sumy that has been witnessing bombings and airstrikes.

Thiruvananthapuram: Indian Union Muslim League President and prominent spiritual leader Panakkad Sayed Hyderali Shihab Thangal passed away on Sunday ages 74.

He passed away at a private hospital at Angamali in Ernakulam district.

Thangal, who is also key leader in the Congress-led United Democratic Front, had been serving as the vice-president of the Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulema, an influential body of Muslim scholars in Kerala. He is the senior-most member of the Malappuram-based Panakkad Thangal family.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has stayed operation of the death sentence awarded to a man convicted for raping and murdering an 11-year-old girl in Dehradun in 2018.

The apex court, which was hearing an appeal filed by the convict against the January 2020 verdict of the Uttarakhand High Court which had confirmed the death penalty awarded to him by a trial court, directed that psychological evaluation of the appellant be done and its report be placed before it.

Issue notice of lodgment of appeal to the state of Uttarakhand, returnable on May 4, 2022, a bench headed by Justice U U Lalit said.

Pending further consideration, the effect and operation of death sentence awarded to the appellant shall remain stayed. Let an intimation in this regard be sent to the concerned prison immediately, the bench, also comprising Justices S R Bhat and P S Narasimha, said in its March 2 order.

The top court said in order to have complete assistance in the matter, the report of the jail administration concerned about the nature of work done by the appellant while in prison be placed before it by April 25.

We also feel that the interest of justice dictates that we obtain a psychological evaluation of the appellant, it said.

The bench asked the Director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh to constitute a team for psychological evaluation of the appellant and send a report by April 25.

The apex court, which posted the matter for further consideration on May 4, said jail authorities shall render complete cooperation in facilitating access and due evaluation of the appellant.

The appellant, Jai Prakash, was convicted by a trial court in August 2019 for offences, including that of rape and murder under the Indian Penal Code and also under the relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO).

According to the prosecution, an FIR was lodged on a complaint by the victim’s father in July 2018 which said that his daughter was playing with other children when she went missing.

It said when the complainant enquired about his daughter from the other children, he was informed that the accused took her towards his hut.

The complainant had alleged that the victim’s body was found in the hut of the accused, who was a labourer and residing at a construction site.

During the trial, the accused had claimed innocence and said he was falsely implicated in the case.

The high court had said that the prosecution has succeeded in proving that the accused had murdered the helpless victim after committing rape.