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Archives for June 2024

30 Muslims have converted to Hinduism claims Indore group no coercion complaint so far say cops

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Local organisation ‘Sajha Sanskriti Manch’ president Sam Pawri told reporters 30 persons, including 14 women, had converted from Islam to Hinduism under provisions of the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act 2021.

Eyewitnesses said these persons took part in Hindu rituals, which included chanting of Vedic hymns, that took place in Khajrana Ganesh temple here.

These people have submitted an affidavit to the district administration under Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act 2021 proclaiming they are voluntarily changing their religion, Pawri said.

“We have received information about 28 people participating in a ritual for voluntary change of religion at Khajrana Ganesh temple. We have not received any complaint so far that these people have changed religion due to any pressure, influence or greed. If a complaint is received, appropriate legal steps will be taken,” Deputy Commissioner of Police Abhinay Vishwakarma

The Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act 2021 was enacted to prohibit religious conversions through force, fraud or greed and violators can face jail of up to 10 years and Rs1 lakh fine.

After Jio, Bharti Airtel announces 10-21 pc hike in mobile tariffs

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Bharti Airtel on Friday announced between 10-21 per cent hike in mobile tariffs, a day after larger rival Reliance Jio announced an increase in rates.

Airtel, in a release, said that the revision in mobile tariffs will be effective from July 3.

“We have ensured that there is a very modest price increase (less than 70 paise per day) on entry-level plans, in order to eliminate any burden on budget challenged consumers,” the Sunil Mittal-led telecom firm said announcing the revision in mobile tariffs.

Bharti Airtel said it has maintained that the mobile Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) needs to be upwards of Rs 300, to enable a financially healthy business model for telcos in India.

“We believe that this level of ARPU will enable the substantial investments required in network technology and spectrum and offer a modest return on capital,” the telco said.

Among the unlimited voice plans, Airtel has raised tariffs in the ballpark range of about 11 per cent, and accordingly rates are revised from Rs 179 to Rs 199; from Rs 455 to Rs 509; and from Rs 1,799 to Rs 1,999. In the daily data plan category, the Rs 479 plan has been increased to Rs 579 (20.8 per cent increase).

The mobile tariff hike from mobile operators comes immediately after the 10th spectrum auction, which ended in just two days with muted response from the industry.

Loss-making telecom operator Vodafone Idea will raise mobile tariffs across the board by 11-24 per cent from July 4, according to a company statement.

Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel will roll out increased mobile service rates from July 3 onward.

“In line with its commitment to provide its consumers with simple and comprehensive plans, Vi has curated an optimum range of feature-rich plans to meet the diverse needs of its consumers. Staying true to its philosophy of supporting entry-level users and progressively linking higher prices to increased usage, changes in entry-level plans are nominal,” Vi said.

The company has raised the entry-level plan, minimum recharge value for 28 days of mobile service, by about 11 per cent to Rs 199 from Rs 179.

Vi has raised the price of a popular 84-day validity plan with 1.5 GB data per day to Rs 859 from Rs 719 earlier.

The company has increased the price of its annual unlimited plan by about 21 per cent to Rs 3,499 from 2,899 at present.

It has made no change in its 365 validity plan with a 24 GB data limit, which costs users Rs 1,799.

“Vi is planning significant investments over the next few quarters to further enhance the 4G experience as well as launch 5G services,” the statement said.

Deeply biased driven by votebank considerations says India trashing US report on religious freedom

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Deeply biased; driven by votebank considerations, says India trashing US report on religious freedom
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal

 In an unusually hard-hitting response to criticism against it in a US government report on religious freedom, India on Friday described the findings as “deeply biased”, visibly driven by “votebank” considerations and a mix of imputations and selective usage of facts.

Dismissing the report, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said it selectively picked incidents to advance a “preconceived narrative” and even appeared to challenge the integrity of certain legal judgments pronounced by Indian courts.

The US State Department’s 2023 report on religious freedom referred to violent attacks on minority communities in India including killings and assaults besides citing violence in the northeastern state of Manipur.

“As in the past, the report is deeply biased, lacks understanding of India’s social fabric and is visibly driven by vote bank considerations and a prescriptive outlook. We, therefore, reject it,” Jaiswal said.

“The exercise itself is a mix of imputations, misrepresentations, selective usage of facts, reliance on biased sources and a one-sided projection of issues,” he said.

“This extends even to the depiction of our Constitutional provisions and duly enacted laws of India. It has selectively picked incidents to advance a preconceived narrative as well,” Jaiswal added.

The spokesperson argued that the report appeared to “challenge” the integrity of certain legal judgements given by Indian courts.

“In some cases, the very validity of laws and regulations are questioned by the report, as are the right of legislatures to enact them,” he said.

“The report has also targeted regulations that monitor misuse of financial flows into India. Suggesting that the burden of compliance is unreasonable, it seeks to question the need for such measures,” Jaiswal said.

He said the United States has even more stringent laws and regulations and would surely not prescribe such solutions for itself.

Human rights and respect for diversity have been and remain a legitimate subject of discussion between India and the US, he added.

“In 2023, India has officially taken up numerous cases in the US of hate crimes, racial attacks on Indian nationals and other minorities, vandalization and targeting of places of worship, violence and mistreatment by law enforcement authorities, as well as the according of political space to advocates of extremism and terrorism abroad,” he said.

“However, such dialogues should not become a licence for foreign interference in other polities,” Jaiswal said.

In his remarks at the release of the report on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said there has been a “concerning increase” in anti-conversion laws, hate speech, and demolitions of homes and places of worship of members of minority faith communities in India.

“In India, we see a concerning increase in anti-conversion laws, hate speech, demolitions of homes and places of worship for members of minority faith communities,” Blinken said.

8-year-old boy beaten to death amid fight over collecting berries

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 An eight-year-old boy was beaten to death during a fight over collecting berries in Jharkhand’s Palamu district on Friday, police said.

A group of children were collecting berries under a tree when a fight broke out between two of them. The accused, a 23-year-old man, intervened and thrashed one of them to death, Inspector Ramashish Paswan of Pandu police station said.

A search was underway for the accused who went missing following the incident, he said, adding that a case was also lodged.

Police said the body of the boy was sent for post-mortem examination to the Medinirai Medical College and Hospital.

HC refuses to stall probe against ex-BJP MLA Preetham Gowda in case linked to Prajwal Revanna

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HC refuses to stall probe against ex-BJP MLA Preetham Gowda in case linked to Prajwal Revanna
Former Hassan BJP MLA Preetham Gowda

 The Karnataka High Court on Friday refused to stall the investigation against former Hassan BJP MLA Preetham Gowda, who is accused of distributing explicit videos of sexual assault allegedly involving former JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna.

Gowda had filed a petition seeking to quash the FIR registered against him under Section 67, 66E of the Information Technology Act and Sections 354A (sexual harassment), 354D (stalking), 354B (assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to disrobe) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of Indian Penal Code.

A single judge bench of Justice Krishna S Dixit passed the interim order while issuing notice to the respondents.

However, the court said that Gowda should not be arrested or detained as long as he cooperates with the investigation.

Two boys drown in rainwater-filled ditch in northeast Delhi

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Two boys aged eight and 10 years drowned while they were playing in a rainwater-filled ditch in northeast Delhi on Friday evening, police said.

According to police, the incident took place in a five-foot-deep ditch near Pusta Number Five in the New Usmanpur area which got filled with water due to heavy rainfall.

The boys went to play in the ditch and drowned as they went into the deep waters, police said.

Upon receiving information, the police reached the spot and rescued the boys. They rushed them to a hospital where they were declared dead on arrival, they said.

The bodies were sent for post-mortem and further investigation is underway, they added.

Another bridge collapses in Bihar

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'5th In 9 Days': Another bridge collapses in Bihar

Another instance of bridge collapse has come to the fore in Bihar, making it the fifth such incident to have been reported from the state in just over a week.

The latest incident has been reported from the Bheja police station area of Madhubani district, situated in the state’s northern extreme, along the borders with Nepal.

Officials were tight-lipped about the incident, though sources in the Rural Works Department, which was entrusted with the construction of the 75-metre-long bridge, confirmed that one of the pillars got washed away a few days ago.

They said the bridge was being constructed at a cost of about Rs 3 crore over the Bhutahi river which has been in spate on account of torrential rains in catchment areas of Nepal.

The sources claimed that the district administration has been asked to investigate the matter and submit its report while the contractor concerned has been instructed to get the structure repaired at the earliest.

A video of the collapsed bridge, under construction for more than two years, has gone viral.

Leader of the opposition in the state assembly Tejashwi Yadav shared the video on X, taking an indirect swipe at the Nitish Kumar government.

“Another bridge has collapsed in Bihar. Did you get to know? If not, guess why,” said the RJD leader, who is also a former deputy CM.

Last week, one incident each of bridge collapse was reported from the Araria, Siwan and East Champaran districts while a similar mishap took place in Kishanganj on Thursday.

Telangana glass factory blast: Five dead 10 injured

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Five persons were killed and 10 others suffered injuries in a blast in a glass factory in Ranga Reddy district of Telangana on Friday, police said.

The injured have been rushed to hospitals and the condition of one of them was stated to be serious, a police official said.

The incident took place in the factory at Shadnagar, about 55 kms from here, at around 4.30 pm.

The blast occurred in a furnace in the factory believed to be due to overheating, the official said.

The impact of the blast was such that some persons were thrown around. About 100 people were present in the factory, but the impact was felt up to 20-30 metres.

TV footage showed dismembered body parts at the scene.

A trade union leader claimed that most of the dead belonged to other states, including Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy asked the officials to shift the injured to hospitals and provide necessary treatment for them.

He directed that personnel from revenue, police, fire, labour, industries and health stay at the spot and coordinate relief measures, an official release said.

BRS Working President K T Rama Rao condoled the death of workers in the blast and appealed to the state government to immediately conduct a safety audit and also review disaster management plans in all industrial areas to prevent recurrence of such incidents.

Based on preliminary information, police earlier said 15 people were injured in the incident.

According to South Glass Pvt Ltd website, the firm manufactures automotive and architectural glass.

US will remove Gaza aid pier due to weather and may not put it back officials say

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The pier built by the US military to bring aid to Gaza is being removed due to weather to protect it, and the US is considering not re-installing it unless aid begins flowing out into the population again, several US officials said on Friday.

While the military has helped deliver desperately needed food through the pier, the vast majority of it is still sitting in the adjacent storage yard because of the difficulty that agencies have had moving it to areas in Gaza where it is most needed, and that storage area is almost full.

The pier has been instrumental in getting more than 15 million pounds, or 6.8 million kilograms, of food into Gaza but has faced multiple setbacks. Rough seas damaged the pier just days into its initial operations, but the bigger challenge has been that humanitarian convoys have stopped carrying the aid from the pier’s storage area further into Gaza, to get it into civilians’ hands, because they have come under attack.

The US officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military movements.

Legal bodies protest against new laws replacing criminal codes

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New Delhi: The India Association for Lawyers (IAL), All India Lawyers Association for Justice (AILAJ), and the All India Lawyers Union (AILU) staged a protest against three new laws set to replace key criminal codes from July 1, 2024.

The protest targeted the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, which are set to replace the Code of Criminal Procedure, the Indian Penal Code, and the Indian Evidence Act, respectively.

During the protest, a resolution was passed condemning these new laws as unconstitutional and undemocratic. The protesting lawyers criticized the government for passing these laws without any prior discussion or consultation with relevant stakeholders.

The resolution demanded that the implementation of these laws be halted and called for a comprehensive review and discussion in Parliament before any further steps are taken.

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