Archives for June 2022

Bhadohi (UP) : A case was registered at the Gopiganj police station after a procession, in support of suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma, was taken out on Saturday evening despite prohibitory orders being in place, an official said.

Those who took part in the procession told reporters that the entire Hindu society was supporting Nupur Sharma and the BJP needed to respect her.

The BJP had last Sunday suspended Nupur Sharma and expelled its Delhi media head Naveen Kumar Jindal after their controversial remarks against Prophet Mohammad.

Protests erupted in several parts of India on Friday against the controversial remarks on Prophet Mohammad, leaving two persons dead and a few policemen injured in stone-pelting while security forces had to resort to lathi-charge, tear gas shelling and firing in the air at some places.

Superintendent of Police Anil Kumar said CrPC Section 144 is already in force in Bhadohi district and there has been a ban on any kind of procession and demonstration.

No permission was taken for this procession, he said, adding a case has been registered in this regard at the Gopiganj police station and strict action will be taken based on a video of the procession.

So far 25 locals have been identified through the video, the SP said.

Mamata Banerjee

Kolkata: A group of renowned personalities of West Bengal have expressed discontent over the appointment of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as chancellor of state-run universities, arguing that the move will “deal a blow” to the varsities’ autonomy and is against the spirit of democracy.

They also said the decision of the state cabinet ignores the long-standing demand of people to have an eminent educationist in that post.

“We are surprised and stunned over the recent decision to appoint the chief minister as chancellor of state universities. We all know about the imperatives of autonomy and freedom of educational institutions, and such a decision will deal a blow to that, and is against the spirit of democracy,” they said in a statement on Saturday.

Among the 40 signatories are actor Kaushik Sen, directors Anik Dutta and Raja Sen, painter Samir Aich, thespian Bibhas Chakraborty, social activist Miratun Nahar and rights activist Sujato Bhadra.

If an educationist is appointed to that post, it will prevent outside interferences in the running of the institutions, they said.

Since coming to power, the present regime has been putting up its own people to run primary and secondary education boards, school managing committees and governing bodies in higher educational institutions, the statement claimed.

“The decision to appoint the education minister as the ‘Visitor’ of private universities is also fraught with the similar danger of meddling into their affairs,” it said.

“I am opposed to this appointment, as much as we are against the practice of the governor becoming the chancellor, Kaushik Sen told PTI.

The government is likely to move a bill in the ongoing monsoon session of the assembly with regard to the cabinet decision to replace Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar with the chief minister as the chancellor of state-run varsities.

An amendment bill to remove Dhankhar as the ‘Visitor’ of private universities in the state and appoint Education Minister Bratya Basu in his place is also expected to be tabled during the session.

Meanwhile, Secretary of the ‘Save Education Committee’ Tarun Naskar said educationists would gather outside the Calcutta University campus on June 13 at 2 pm to protest the move.

Nupur Sharma

Thane: The Bhiwandi police in Maharashtra have summoned suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma to record a statement on Monday in connection with her alleged objectionable remarks against Prophet Mohammad, an official said on Sunday.

Besides, expelled BJP functionary Naveen Kumar Jindal has also been asked by the Bhiwandi police in Thane district to record his statement on June 15 over his alleged controversial tweets against Prophet Mohammad, senior police inspector Chetan Kakade told reporters.

The Bhiwandi police had registered a case against Sharma following a complaint lodged by a representative of the Raza Academy on May 30, he said.

They had also registered a case against Jindal, the official said.

Earlier, the Mumbra police in Thane asked Sharma to appear before them on June 22 to record her statement over her remarks.

The Mumbai Police have also summoned her to record a statement on June 25 in connection with her remarks about the Prophet during a TV debate triggered a huge controversy.

The police had asked for a video of the debate from the news channel concerned.

The BJP had on June 5 suspended its national spokesperson Nupur Sharma and expelled Delhi BJP media head Jindal after their alleged derogatory remarks against the Prophet led to an outrage in India and Gulf countries.

New Delhi: With Chief Economic Advisor V Anantha Nageswaran citing the IMF forecast that the Indian economy would cross USD 5 trillion by 2026-27, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Sunday said the goal of a USD 5 trillion GDP appears to be a case of “shifting goalposts” as the original target year was 2023-24.

Speaking at the finance ministry’s iconic week celebrations of ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’, Nageswaran had said last week that IMF has forecast the Indian economy to cross USD 5 trillion by 2026-27. India’s Gross domestic product (GDP) in dollar terms has already crossed USD 3 trillion.

Reacting to the remarks, Chidambaram said the “goal of a USD 5 trillion GDP appears to be a case of ‘shifting goalposts'”.

The original target year was 2023-24, the former finance minister said, adding that, “We are nowhere near that goalpost.”

“Now, the Chief Economic Adviser has said we will achieve the goal ‘by 2027’,” he said.

“I think each one of the key players has a different goalpost: PM, FM, FS and CEA. Whenever the Economy reaches the milestone, one can say ‘We told you so’!” Chidambaram said.

Shashi Tharoor

New Delhi(PTI): Amid outrage over the controversial remarks on Prophet Mohammad by the BJP’s now-sacked two functionaries, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Sunday said it is high time Prime Minister Narendra Modi broke his silence on the “proliferation of hate speech and Islamophobic incidents” in the country, asserting that his silence is interpreted by some as condoning what has been happening.

In an interview with PTI, Tharoor said the irony is that in recent years the Indian government has taken “impressive steps” to strengthen relations with Islamic countries, but that risks being “seriously undermined”.

The former Union minister also weighed in on the ongoing debate on the need for blasphemy laws in the country, and said he is not a fan of such laws because the history of such laws elsewhere is littered with their misuse and abuse.

“The existence of a blasphemy law tends to encourage both excessive frivolous litigation and mob misconduct by those who take the law into their own hands. I think our current hate speech laws and Section 295A are quite adequate to deal with such misbehaviour,” Tharoor said.

The issue is of the willingness of the police and local authorities to enforce the law, without fear or favour, against whoever violates it, he said.

“Exemplary action against any and all offenders will have a salutary effect in reducing such cases in future,” the Lok Sabha MP from Thiruvananthapuram said.

Asked about the outrage and condemnation from a number of Muslim-majority nations over the controversial remarks on Prophet Mohammad and calls that Prime Minister Modi should have intervened in the matter when the comments were made, Tharoor said, “I believe it is high time the PM broke his silence on the proliferation of hate speech and Islamophobic incidents in our country, because his silence is interpreted by some as condoning what has been happening.”

“I am sure he (Modi) understands that this kind of divisive rhetoric is undermining his own vision for India’s development and prosperity,” he said.

Social cohesion and national harmony are a must for any nation to progress and grow, Tharoor asserted.

“That is why, in the name of ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas’, he must publicly call for a stop to such behaviour,” he said.

Asked about the impact of the row over diplomacy and foreign policy, Tharoor said the irony is that in recent years the Indian government has taken impressive steps to strengthen relations with Islamic countries, especially in the Gulf.

“That risks being seriously undermined, as the media in these countries is replete with stories about the increasing ‘demonisation’ of Muslims in our country,” the former minister of state for external affairs said.

The BJP had last Sunday suspended its national spokesperson Nupur Sharma and expelled its Delhi media head Naveen Kumar Jindal after their controversial remarks on Prophet Mohammad.

Two persons succumbed to gunshot wounds in Jharkhand capital Ranchi and fresh demonstrations were held in West Bengal’s Howrah on Saturday as tension prevailed in several parts of the country, a day after the violent protests against the controversial remarks.

On the protests, Tharoor said section 295A of the Indian Penal Code clearly makes it a criminal offence to outrage the religious feelings of any class of citizens of India ; anyone who by ‘words, either spoken or written, or by signs or by visible representations or otherwise, insults or attempts to insult the religion or religious beliefs’ of Indians should have been prosecuted by the police.

“I am glad to see that action is being taken, even if belatedly, against those who injected such toxic elements into our national discourse,” he said.

Asked about the Congress being accused of peddling in ‘soft Hindutva’ in the past and if the party needs to take an aggressive stance on issues of the minorities such as the row over the comments on the Prophet, Tharoor said he believes the Congress has been clear in its denunciation of this recent incident.

“We believe in an inclusive idea of India and should and must speak up whenever that idea is violated by word or deed — whoever does it,” he asserted.

Sonia Gandhi

New Delhi : Congress president Sonia Gandhi was admitted to the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital here on Sunday owing to post-Covid issues.

Congress general secretary and chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said Gandhi is stable and will be in the hospital for a few days.

“Congress President, Smt. Sonia Gandhi was admitted to Ganga Ram Hospital today owing to Covid related issues. She is stable and will be kept at the hospital for observation,” Surjewala wrote on Twitter.

“We thank all the Congress men and women as also all well wishers for their concern and good wishes,” he added.

Earlier, sources at the hospital said Gandhi visited the facility for a routine medical check-up and was being examined by doctors.

Gandhi (75) tested positive for COVID-19 on June 2 and was recuperating. She was to appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on June 8 and had sought more time from the probe agency, which has now issued a fresh summons for her to appear on June 23.

The ED has registered an FIR in a money-laundering case pertaining to the National Herald-AJL case.

Mumbai: Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Sunday said if the control of the Enforcement Directorate is given to their party, then even BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis will vote for the Sena.

His reaction comes in the backdrop of Shiv Sena candidate Sanjay Pawar losing the sixth seat in the Rajya Sabha polls from Maharashtra held on Friday, a contest which had become a high-prestige battle between the ruling Sena and the opposition BJP in the state.

Fadnavis, the leader of opposition in the state Assembly, is credited for the BJP’s victory on the sixth seat, won by party nominee Dhananjay Mahadik by defeating Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Pawar.

Prior to the polls, Raut had alleged that the BJP was using central agencies to put pressure on independents and smaller parties to vote in favour of the BJP candidates.

The independents and smaller parties, some of whom had pledged support to the Sena, played a crucial role in the BJP’s victory.

Talking to reporters on Sunday, Raut said, “If the ED’s control is given to us for two days, then Devendra Fadnavis too will vote for us.”

The Shiv Sena’s chief spokesperson had on Saturday described BJP’s victory on three Rajya Sabha seats in Maharashtra as the “mandate of horse-trading”. He had also accused the Election Commission (EC) of siding with the opposition party, which he claimed “put pressure” on the poll panel.

Some horses were up for sale at a higher price and shifted sides despite assurance of their votes to our candidate, he had said.

When asked about these comments, Raut on Sunday said, We only expressed our feelings. They (those who did not vote for the Sena) as well the BJP are aware of what we are saying.

Raut had earlier said three MLAs of the Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA), an independent MLA from Karmala Sanjaymama Shinde, Swabhimani Paksha MLA Devendra Bhuyar and PWP MLA Shyamsunder Shinde did not vote for the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA-comprising the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress), despite assuring to do so.

The Sena leader said they had taken note of this development and that Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray was distressed over the defeat of Sanjay Pawar.

Thiruvananthapuram: A 38-year-old woman on Sunday died at the government medical college hospital here due to scrub typhus, the second death due to the disease in the last three days.

Thiruvananthapuram native Subitha who died this morning was admitted on June 10, hospital authorities told PTI.

“She was brought here on June 10, but died early this morning. As of now, we don’t have any similar case,” a senior hospital source told PTI.

Fifteen-year-old Ashwathy, a native of Cherunniyoor, a hamlet located over 40 km away from here had died on June 9 due to the disease that is known as ‘chellu pani’ in local parlance.

Scrub typhus is an infectious disease caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi, a mite-borne bacterium. Chigger mites, the larval stage of mites, transmit the disease from animals like rats, squirrels, and rabbits to humans.

Prayagraj: The Prayagraj Development Authority (PDA) on Sunday demolished the house of the alleged mastermind of Friday’s violence here amid heavy police deployment.

A day earlier, the properties of two people accused of rioting were demolished in Saharanpur where stone-pelting had taken place as well.

Superintendent of Police, City (Saharanpur), Rajesh Kumar had said the two accused who created ruckus were identified as Muzammil of Rahat Colony and Abdul Vakir of Khata Khedi. Municipal corporation teams bulldozed their illegal properties, he said.

In Prayagraj, a senior PDA official on Sunday said, “Javed Ahmad’s house — JK Ashiyana — is located in the Kareli area of Prayagraj. Police personnel and a JCB machine reached the Kareli police station around 10.30 am and demolition commenced around 1 pm.”

“The house was built without getting its map passed by the PDA. For this, he was issued a notice on May 10 and was told to present his side on May 24. On the given date, neither Javed nor his lawyer turned up. No document was presented as well, and hence on May 25, demolition orders were issued,” he said.

Speaking to PTI, Superintendent of Police (City) Dinesh Kumar Singh said, “In the morning, some family members of Javed Ahmad took some of their belongings, and left the place through the back door. As of now, no one is inside the house.”

He said three machines, including two JCBs, were used. The area around the house has been cordoned-off and demolition was carried out, Singh added.

On Saturday, Senior Superintendent of Police, Prayagraj, Ajay Kumar said that alleged mastermind of the stone-pelting here Javed Ahmad, alias Pump, had been arrested.

On Friday, people pelted stones at police personnel in Prayagraj and Saharanpur during protests after Friday prayers in mosques.

At least four other cities witnessed similar scenes during the marches that were carried out to protest the controversial remarks on Prophet Mohammad made by now-suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma.

In Prayagraj, the mob set on fire a few motorcycles and carts, and also attempted to set ablaze a police vehicle. Police used tear gas and lathis to disperse the protesters and restore peace. A policeman was injured.

In a tweet in Hindi on Saturday, Mrityunjay Kumar, the media adviser to the chief minister, had said, “Unruly elements remember, every Friday is followed by a Saturday” and posted a photo of a bulldozer demolishing a building.

Nupur Sharma was suspended by the BJP as several Islamic nations denounced her comments on the Prophet during a TV debate.