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Mallika Sarabhai attacks Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not condoling mother’s death

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mallika_sarabhai

Ahmedabad: Mallika Sarabhai, social activist, dancer and daughter of renowned Bharatnatyam exponent Mrinalini Sarabhai, has criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not paying tributes to her mother who died on Thursday.

Mallika Sarabhai took to Facebook to ask why Modi, who belongs to Gujarat, had not bothered to condole the death of her 97-year-old mother.

“My dear prime minister. You hate my politics and I hate yours, that has nothing to do with what Mrinalini Sarabhai did to promote the culture of this country to the world over 60 years. She blazed a trailer for our culture in the world,” Mallika Sarabhai said.

“That her death sees no word from you shows your mentality. However much you hate me, as our prime minister it behove you to recognize her contribution. You have not. Shame on you.”

As an activist, Mallika Sarabhai continuously attacked the then Gujarat chief minister Modi for the 2002 communal riots in the state.

Mrinalini Sarabhai was a Padma Bhushan awardee. She founded Darpana Academy of Performing Arts, an institute for imparting training in dance, drama, music and puppetry.

(IANS)

India women’s T20 practice match washed out

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jhulan_goswam

Sydney: India women’s cricket team Twenty20 practice match against the Governor-General’s XI was washed out due to heavy rain at the Drummoyne Oval here on Friday.

Following the wash out, which was the only practice game for the visitors, India and Australia will play three Twenty20s and three One-Day Internationals (ODI) each.

This was the inaugural Governor-General’s XI T20 match and was dedicated to Peter Cosgrove, who is the current Governor-General of Australia.

Less than four overs were bowled when a drizzle started. All-rounder Jess Jonassen led a 12-member Governor-General’s XI side.

Heavy rain forced the players off the field when Governor-General’s XI were batting at 19/1. Grace Harris was run out for seven.

India will kick off their campaign with a T20I match in Adelaide on January 26, followed by the second T20I on January 29 (Melbourne) and the third on January 31 (Sydney).

Mithali Raj will lead the team while fast bowler all-rounder Jhulan Goswami will be the vice-captain of the side.

The tour is considered important as post the limited-overs series, India will start their World T20 campaign against Bangladesh on March 15 in Bengaluru.

(IANS)

13 alleged ISIS ‘sympathisers’ arrested from four states

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NIA

New Delhi: In a nationwide swoop, NIA along with state police forces and central security agencies today claimed to have averted a major attack with the arrest of 13 alleged ‘sympathisers’ of banned ISIS terror group including their self-styled chief “Ameer”.

The raids were carried out simultaneously in four states of Karnataka, Hyderabad, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh where 13 people had formed ‘Janood-ul-Khalifa-e-Hind’, a terror group which had almost similar ideologies that of ISIS.

Mumbai resident Munabeer Mushtaq had allegedly designated himself as ‘Ameer’ of the organisation which was tasked to carry out blasts at various installations in the country besides attacking some foreigners, Home Ministry sources said.

The raids were conducted in collaboration with police forces in all the states.

All the arrested accused were being brought to the national capital for detailed interrogation as preliminary enquiry indicated that there was a proper structure of the terror outfit.

The NIA and central agency sleuths also recovered 42 mobile phones including eight from Ameer of the newly formed terror group which had allegedly received hawala money from overseas, unconfirmed sources said.

The sleuths claimed to have recovered explosive material, detonators, wires, batteries and hydrogen peroxide besides ‘Jihadi literature’.

(Agencies)

Refugees drown as two boats capsize off Greek islands

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Authorities recover bodies of 42 people, including 17 children, after two refugee boats capsize in the Aegean.

About 850,000 refugees crossed into Greece last year

About 850,000 refugees crossed into Greece last year

by Al Jazeera

At least 42 people, including 17 children, have drowned after two boats carrying refugees capsized in the Aegean Sea, the Greek coastguard has said.

In the first incident, the bodies of six children and two women were recovered early on Friday after a wooden boat carrying 49 people capsized off the small Greek island of Farmakonisi in eastern Aegean.

Authorities said they rescued one girl, while 40 more people safely made it to land.

Separately, at least 34 people – 16 women, seven men and 11 children – died after another refugee sailing boat sank off the island of Kalolimnos early on Friday.

The coastguard said that 26 people had been pulled to safety and rescue operations were ongoing.

Three helicopters and patrol boats from the Greek coastguard and the European border agency Frontex were part of the rescue operations, alongside fishing vessels.

About 850,000 refugees crossed into Greece last year, paying smuggling gangs to ferry them over from Turkey in often frail boats.

In a deal struck at the end of November, Turkey promised to help stem the flow of refugees to Europe in return for cash, visas and renewed talks on joining the EU.

Turkey is host to 2.2 million Syrians and has spent around $8.5bn on feeding and housing them since the start of the civil war nearly five years ago.

Sunanda Pushkar: AIIMS medical board confirms death due to poisoning

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sunanda pushkar

New Delhi: Sunanda Pushkar died of “poisoning” with the AIIMS medical board, which gave its opinion on the FBI report on her viscera samples, unanimously concluding that there was presence of anxiety drug Alprax in her stomach.

However, the board did not rule out the possibility of any injectable poison, in view of a particular mark on Sunanda’s body, and said that the FBI report confirmed the presence of lidocaine in her body, said the medical board’s opinion communicated to Delhi Police.

The report ruled out death due to combination of drugs and also said that the medical board is “highly afraid” that this case may have led to a complete “botched up” scenario in absence of the FBI report. It also said that the Special Investigation team (SIT) probing the case should “thoroughly investigate” if any person had access to injectable agents in view of a syringe mark spotted in Sunanda’s body.

“The Medical Board unanimously concluded that the cause of death in this case is poisoning. “The circumstantial recovery of empty Alprex Tablets (27 tablets) and report of FBI which shows the presence of Alprax in stomach and its contents, spleen, liver section, half of each kidney, blood sample, as well as urine wet clothing, bed cover and bed sheet confirmed the death is due to excessive ingestion of Tablet Alprazolam,” the written opinion reads.

It further said, “The Medical Board does not rule out any injectable poison in view of injury number 10 which is an injection prick mark and the same is subsequently clarified by KIMS Hospital as well as the confirmation of presence of lidocaine in FBI report… The dozens of unexplained injuries including teeth bite mark are suggestive of active scuffle prior to death.”

The board also said that the fatal dose of Alprax is completely variable from person to person, physical conditions and medical history/duration/dose of intake of Alprax. Exceeding the prescribed dose leads to poisoning.

Delhi Police Commissioner B S Bassi Friday refused to comment on the medical board’s opinion and said that necessary information regarding the case will be shared once the investigation is complete and a report is submitted at the court.

“I would not like to enter into speculations. What is being published or broadcasted in the media could be right or could be wrong. At this point of time, I won’t be able to say anything conclusive.

“Once the investigation is complete, we shall send a report to the court. At that point we shall brief media about our findings. And I can assure that the investigation will be complete as early as possible,” Bassi told reporters.

In January last year, Delhi Police had registered a case of murder in connection with the death of Sunanda. An Aiims medical board had found poisoning as reason for her death following which the police had sent her viscera samples to an FBI lab in Washington last year.

The FBI had sent its report to Delhi Police two months back. The report said the radiation levels in Sunanda’s viscera samples were “within the standard safety norms” besides mentioning other details. As police could not firm up about cause of the death based on the FBI report, they requested a medical board of Aiims to analyse the contents of the report.

The head of the Aiims medical board, which gave its opinion last week on the cause of Sunanda Pushkar’s death, on Tuesday had said that Delhi Police caused “unnecessary delay” in sending Sunanda’s viscera sample to the FBI lab on account of which its contents degraded.

“By the time the FBI lab got the viscera samples, the contents had already degraded. There was an unnecessary delay on part of Delhi Police in sending the viscera samples of Pushkar to FBI,” Aiims Forensic Science department head Sudhir Gupta said. “The Medical Board is highly afraid that this case of deceased Sunanda Pushkar may have led to a complete botched up scenario in absence of FBI report,” the fourth subsequent opinion on Sunanda’s case read.

“FBI reported the presence of lidocaine, which is an anti-arrhythmic drug of heart, and may cause fatality if administered intravenously. This requires further legal investigation as there was presence of injection mark over body of deceased (injury no 10)… There have been reported cases of homicide by lidocaine poisoning,” it said.

The board said that death due to combination of drugs as asked by the IO (investigating officer) is also ruled out. It added that the speculation regarding Sunanda’s cause of death as hypoglycaemia, which can happen if a person does not take food for 2-3 days, was misleading. “However, if a person in having hypoglycaemia, even a small dose of injectable hypoglycaemic agents like insulin or albiglutide (Tanzeum) may lead to fatality,” the board said.

It added that the SIT should investigate thoroughly if any person in the vicinity and in access of insulin/hypoglycaemic agent was there, as there was presence of injection mark over body of deceased. Disclosing the receipt of the Aiims report analysing the FBI conclusions, Delhi Police Commissioner B S Bassi had last week told the media that Sunanda’s death was not natural but ruled out the presence of radioactive material in her viscera.

Sudhir Gupta, head of Aiims Forensic Science department, had said the FBI report also said the death was due to poisoning as was concluded by the Aiims. 51-year-old Sunanda was found dead at a suite in a five-star hotel in South Delhi on the night of 17 January 2014, a day after her spat with Pakistani journalist Mehr Tarar on Twitter over her alleged affair with Tharoor.

(PTI)

SC refuses to stay contempt notice of Bombay HC against Arundhati Roy

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Indian writer and political activist Arundhati Roy

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday refused to stay a criminal contempt notice issued by the Bombay High Court against author Arundhati Roy for her article in a weekly magazine questioning the continued incarceration of Delhi University professor GN Saibaba.

The apex court also did not give her any relief from personal exemption from appearance before a single judge of the Nagpur Bench of the high court on January 25. While asking her to appear on Monday, the bench issued notice to the respondents on her petition challenging the high court’ order.

When senior advocate Chander Uday Singh, appearing for the writer, sought stay on her personal appearance, contending that the passion has beefed up and effigies are burnt, the court said it was passing the order after carefully considering the matter. “You should have no fear in appearing in court. You go and appear. We are here. We have issued the process and we are looking into it. We have thought about it carefully,” the bench comprising Justice J S Khehar and Justice C Nagappan said.

When the counsel once again sought for personal exemption on Monday, the bench said, “We don’t want to grant you or deny you.”

The Bombay High Court had on December 23, 2015 issued the contempt notice against the author, for her views on the arrest of Saibaba and the rejection of his bail plea early last year. Gadchiroli Police had arrested Saibaba in 2014 for his alleged links with Maoists. He has been on bail since June last year. Roy had expressed her views on the arrest in an article published in a weekly magazine last year.

(Agencies)

We are in a tough country: Karan Johar weighs in on intolerance debate

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Karan Johar

Jaipur: Bollywood filmmaker Karan Johar on Thursday said that India is a “tough country” where speaking about personal life can land people behind the bars and he did not want to fight the “governance” by talking of issues like “intolerance”.

“We are in a tough country and to speak about one’s personal life in today’s time can land you in jail,” the director-producer said at the ninth edition of the Jaipur Literature Festival.

He was in conversation with author Shobaa De and his biographer Poonam Saxena on his upcoming biography An Unsuitable Boy.

Johar, who has made films on contentious issues such as homosexuality (Dostana) and relationships outside wedlock (Kabhi Alvida Na Kehana), said as a filmmaker he felt bound at every level.

“I feel bound on every level, be it what I put out on the celluloid or what I say in print. I feel like there is always some kind of a legal notice awaiting me everywhere I go.”

“I’ve become some kind of an FIR king,” Johar said referring to the controversy over the AIB roast, staged in Mumbai last year which involved the western concept of insult comedy.

The Bombay High Court recently asked Mumbai Police not to file charge sheet against the filmmaker and others facing a criminal case for allegedly using obscene language on the show.

Johar said he did not want to fight the “governance” by speaking out on “intolerance” like his colleagues in Bollywood industry did last year.

“Look what happened as a result of anyone who said anything on it. I make movies, I’m fighting megalomaniac movie stars everyday. Do I need to fight the governance?

“We’re fighting the censor with every film. You write anything, you can’t say anything. How are we democratic then?” he posed.

Talking about section 377 of the Indian penal code, which criminalises same sex relationships, Johar said “it’s a hurdle we need to combat.”

He also said he appreciated endeavours made by politicians like Shashi Tharoor who had brought up the bill in the last Parliament session.

“You can change the way the governance works, but how do you change the sensibility of the average man in the house, it doesn’t matter what bill you pass and what dharna you do until the DNA or the mental fabric (of society) changes,” the 43-year-old said.

Johar also said he doesn’t “judge” people who don’t come out about their sexuality.

The director who has made blockbusters such as Kuch Kuch Hota Hain, and Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, among others shared an anecdote when he tried to pull a prank on a friend who he thought secretly stocked beef.

“We set up two policemen to go and arrest him … And it was a successful prank. That guy was horrified,” said Johar adding that the incident could have turned serious had it not been a joke.

Meanwhile, other topics in the conversation included Johar’s secluded childhood in South Bombay to his family’s hard times, his obsessions with film songs and the importance of following your dreams.

(PTI)

‘My husband is being framed by cops,’ says wife of suspect arrested for ISIS links in Bengaluru

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Mohammed Afzal

Bengaluru: Bushra, the wife of Mohammed Afzal, one of the suspects arrested for alleged connection with ISIS, claims that her husband is innocent and has nothing to do with terror activities.

Speaking with media persons, Bushra, along with her family, said that around 30 persons claiming to be policemen from Delhi barged into her house at 3am. “They knocked on the door and my husband opened it. As soon as they entered my house, they handcuffed him and asked me to sit in the room quietly. The policemen then put a gun to my husband head, manhandled him and told him to show where the weapons were hidden. Then they ransacked the entire house, but could not find any weapon. My husband is a software engineer and a law abiding citizen. He has never been involved in any anti-social activity in his entire life,’’ she said.

Describing it as a very frightening experience especially for her three-year-old child, Bushra said the police seized her phone and laptop for no reason. “They have taken away the car and the bike which belongs to my husband. I am afraid that they will plant evidence against my husband and frame him,’’ Bushra said.

She added that they asked her to sign on a blank paper after they did not find any evidence of weapons. “I refused and told them to give me a written statement saying that they searched my house. The policemen later made me sign a letter which stated that they did not destroy my property. The paper was suspiciously blank and they purposely made me sign it. My husband is known to the Madrassa teacher, Syed Anzar Shah Qasmi and it appear that on the basis of that connection he has been framed in this case,’’ she said.

According to her, Mohammed Afzal has been working as a project manager at HIS situated in Whitefield. When asked about Afzal attending video conferences at home, she said that he was a project manager and he was bound to attend video conferences organised by his company.

Driver of taxi hired from Pathankot found dead; alert issued

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Pathankot

New Delhi: Delhi Police today issued an alert after the driver of a taxi hired by three unidentified persons from Pathankot was found dead in Kangra district in Himachal Pradesh, in the aftermath of the airbase attack.

The taxi driver, identified as Vijay Kumar, a resident of Gaggal village in Kangra district, was found dead on Wednesday at the Kalta bridge in Kangra and his taxi missing, police said.

“A white colour Alto taxi no. HP 01D 2440 was hired from Pathankot by three unknown people. The driver of the taxi, Vijay Kumar from Gaggal, Kangada was found dead on 20 Jan 2016 at the Kalta Bridge, Dist. Kangada. The Alto car is missing. Search operations are on. Stay Alert!” the pinned tweet on Delhi Police’s official handle read.

Asked on the threat perception, Delhi police Commissioner B S Bassi urged people in the city to remain alert without disclosing any further details citing security concerns.

The alert was issued in the backdrop of the attack on IAF base in Pathankot where terrorists had first killed a cab driver and robbed his car before launching the strike.

Delhi Police has approached media houses in helping it find the car and spread the alert message through retweets.

(PTI)

Tajikistan shaves 13,000 beards in ‘radicalism’ battle

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Police says more than 160 shops selling headscarves are also closed as part of a fight against “foreign” influences.

Tajikistan has struggled with poverty and instability since independence more than two decades ago [File: Igor Kovalenko/EPA]

Tajikistan has struggled with poverty and instability since independence more than two decades ago [File: Igor Kovalenko/EPA]

by Al Jazeera

Police in Tajikistan have shaved nearly 13,000 people’s beards and closed more than 160 shops selling traditional Muslim clothing last year as part of the country’s fight against what it calls “foreign” influences.

Bahrom Sharifzoda, the head of the south-west Khathlon region’s police, said at a press conference on Wednesday that the law enforcement services convinced more than 1,700 women and girls to stop wearing headscarves in the Muslim-majority Central Asian country.

The move is seen as part of efforts to battle what authorities deem “radicalism”.

Tajikistan’s secular leadership has long sought to prevent an overspill of what it sees as unwelcome traditions from neighbouring Afghanistan.

Last week, the country’s parliament voted to ban Arabic-sounding “foreign” names as well as marriages between first cousins.

The legislation is expected to be approved by President Emomali Rahmon, who has taken steps to promote secularism and discourage beliefs and practices that he sees as foreign or a threat to the stability of Tajikistan, Radio Liberty said.

In September, Tajikistan’s Supreme Court banned the country’s only registered Islamic political party, the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan.

Rahmon has ruled Tajikistan since 1994 and his current presidential term is expected to end in 2020.

In December, the parliament granted the president and his family life-long immunity from prosecution, giving Rahmon the title “Leader of the nation” and officially designating him “the founder of peace and national unity of Tajikistan”.

The country of 7.1 million people has struggled with poverty and instability since independence from the Soviet Union more than two decades ago. It remains heavily dependent on Russia, where the majority of Tajik people go for work.

According to unofficial estimates, there are more than 2,000 Tajiks fighting in Syria.

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