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Women India Movement launched with a commitment to lead social change

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sdpi

Bengaluru: The Women India Movement-WIM held its launching ceremony at Indian Social Institute-ISI Bangalore has been attended by women representatives from different states.

The objective of the organization is to take action through grassroots activism to promote social, educational and political awareness among women, lead social change, eliminate discrimination, achieve equal representation and protect the rights and security of all women and girls in all aspects of social, political and economic life.

A national level committee of the organization has been elected for the term 2016-18 and this new leadership has been entrusted with the mission of empowering women by all means.

SDPI National President A Sayeed in his speech said, it is the need of the hour that women have come up with such a strong platform wherein they owe to lead social change in the country. It is time that women come forward, stand up for their rights and empower themselves in order bring about a revolutionary and fundamental change in the society.

While addressing the gathering, SDPI Founder President E Abubacker said, we do see a little India here as women from across the country are assembled here. This demonstrates their commitment on how serious are they about their empowerment. As we see that the fascist forces who got enthroned through the loopholes of our democracy are recklessly determined to exploit and enslave people by their agenda of hatred and communal terror. This enables us to step-up our democratic struggle to liberate our beloved country and I believe Women India Movement will play its vital role in achieving it, said Abubacker.

The newly elected President Yasmin Farooqui said, the movement is meant to mobilize and utilize women’s potential for the development of the society. Women should be involved in community development services and spread the need of political awareness for the attainment of our rights and dignity. We resolve to prepare sisters to face and tackle grievous issues and challenges in the society like harassment, domestic violence, sexual assaults and such other atrocious problems, said Yasmin Farooqui.

The Central Committee elected Office Bearers for the term 2016-18. Yasmin Farooqui from Jaipur has been elected as President, Sufiya Parveen from West Bengal as Vice President, Shahida Tasleem from M’lore as General Secretary, Sitara Begum from Kota Rajasthan, Adv Saira Banu from Tamil Nadu and Daisy Balasubramanyam from Kerala as Secretaries and Tarana Sharfuddin from Kanpur UP as Treasurer.

SDPI National Vice Presidents Samkutty Jacob, Prof. Naznin Begum and Adv. Sharfuddin Ahamad, National General Secretaries Elyas Muhammad Thumbe, Afsar Pasha, Mohammed Shafi, M.K. Faizy, National Coordinator of Women India Movement Abdul Majeed Faizy, All India Imams Council President Moulana Usman Baig and several other dignitaries were present on the occasion.

Golden Globes: ‘The Revenant’, ‘The Martian’ named best films

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martin-revenant

Los Angeles: “The Martian” was named the best motion picture – musical or comedy at the 73rd Golden Globe Awards ceremony, where “The Revenant” was adjudged the best motion picture – drama, and won the best actor’s trophy for Leonardo DiCaprio and best director award for Alejandro Inarritu.

“The Revenant”, set in 1823 Montana and South Dakota, and was inspired by the experiences of frontiersman and fur trapper Hugh Glass, was in competition in the best motion picture – drama category with “Carol”, which was leading this year’s nomination pack for the Golden Globes. Other contenders were “Mad Max: Fury Road”, “Room” and “Spotlight”.

The movie features DiCaprio as Hugh Glass, the protagonist left for dead by his fellow hunters. His effortless portrayal led him to beat fellow nominees Will Smith (“Concussion”), Michael Fassbender (“Steve Jobs”), Eddie Redmayne (“The Danish Girl”) and Bryan Cranston (“Trumbo”).

In the best director’s category, AIAAirritu was competing with the likes of Todd Haynes (“Carol”), George Miller (“Mad Max:Fury Road”), Tom McCarthy (“Spotlight”) and Ridley Scott (“The Martian”).

However, apart from winning the best motion picture – musical or comedy, Scott’s “The Martian” won an honour for Matt Damon, whose performance in the movie was named the best by an actor in a musical or comedy motion picture.

Among the actress in the same category, it was Jennifer Lawrence who walked away with the laurels for “Joy”. Meanwhile, the best performance by an actress in a motion picture – drama honour was given to Brie Larson for “Room”.

The best screenplay – motion picture award was won by Aaron Sorkin for “Steve Jobs”; best original score – motion picture went to Ennio Morricone for “The Hateful Eight”; and the best original song – motion picture award was taken home by Sam Smith for “Writing’s on the wall” for James Bond film “Spectre”.

The 73rd Golden Globe Awards ceremony, hosted as the ‘biggest party of the year’ by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, saw Hollywood’s creme de la creme. The occasion saw the prestigious Cecil B. DeMille Award being bestowed on actor Denzel Washington.

(Agencies)

Aid convoys take off for besieged Syria towns

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Starving residents of Madaya, Foua and Kefraya – towns encircled by government or rebel groups – wait for food supplies.

Madaya Syria

by Al Jazeera

Aid convoys have departed for besieged Syrian towns where thousands are trapped and people are reported to have died of starvation.

Trucks headed for Madaya, near the Lebanese border, and two villages in the northwest of the country on Monday, the Red Cross said, as part of an agreement between rival sides.

The vehicles were to simultaneously enter rebel-held Madaya, which has been blockaded for months by pro-government forces and where aid agencies have warned of widespread starvation, and Foua and Kefraya in Idlib province, which are encircled by rebel groups, including the al-Nusra Front.

The blockade of Madaya has become a focal issue for Syrian opposition leaders who told a UN envoy last week they will not take part in talks with the government until it and other sieges are lifted.

A Reuters witness said dozens more ICRC-marked trucks were also preparing to depart from Damascus for Madaya. Vehicles heading for Foua and Kefraya, nearly 300km away, had departed earlier.

The UN said on Thursday that the Syrian government had agreed to allow access to Madaya, where the world body says there have been credible reports of people dying of starvation.

The ongoing Syrian conflict started as a largely unarmed uprising against President Bashar al-Assad in March 2011, but morphed into a full-blown civil war that has killed more than 250,000 people and turned more than 4.3 million others into refugees, according to statistics by the UN.

Blockades have been a common feature of the nearly five-year-old conflict.

An estimated 400,000 people are living under siege in 15 areas across Syria, according to the UN.

The UN reported in December that the Syrian government and allied militias had also placed under siege more than 181,000 people in the Damascus outskirts, including Daraya and Ghouta, as well as in Zabadani, near the Lebanon border.

Separately, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group has imposed a siege on more than 200,000 in Deir Az Zor in Syria’s east.

Sharif Nashashibi, a London-based analyst of Arab political affairs, says that government-imposed sieges “don’t just wear down the fighters, it also causes them to see the population around them suffering and raises the concern that the population could turn against them”.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Nashashibi added: “Besieging Syrian civilians is wrong, whoever the perpetrator. One cannot be selective in one’s outrage over the suffering of Syrian civilians and plausibly claim to have a moral compass.”

The areas included in the latest agreement were all part of a local ceasefire deal agreed in September, but implementation has been halting.

The last aid delivery to Madaya, which took place in October, was synchronised with a similar delivery to the two villages.

Juliette Touma, a spokesperson for the UN children’s agency UNICEF, says the lack of access has made it impossible to assess the humanitarian needs of the communities in question.

“These are areas that have been under siege by parties to the conflict,” she told Al Jazeera.

“We can’t point a finger to one party and not another because more than one party to the conflict is involved in besieging various communities.”

Juliette Touma, a spokesperson for the UN children’s agency UNICEF, says the lack of access has made it impossible to assess the humanitarian needs of the communities in question.

“These are areas that have been under siege by parties to the conflict,” she told Al Jazeera.

“We can’t point a finger to one party and not another because more than one party to the conflict is involved in besieging various communities.”

Pathankot airbase attack: Pakistan arrests some suspects

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Pathankot

Islamabad: Pakistani authorities carried out raids at different places following attack on the Pathankot air base in India, leading to some arrests, intelligence officials said today.

They said that raids were carried out in Gujranwala, Jhelum and Bahawalpur districts and an unspecified number of people were arrested.

“Probe has been going to ascertain if they were involved in the attack or some of them facilitated it,” they said.

The arrests led Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to order a Joint Investigation Team of IB, Inter-Services Intelligence, Military Intelligence, Federal Investigation Agency and Police to thoroughly probe the Pathankot attack links to Pakistan.
Sharif has already said that a transparent investigation will be made and those involved will not be spared.

India has provided telephone number in Pakistan contacted by the airbase attackers and given other inputs while asking Islamabad to take punitive actions against the handlers and possible mastermind.

(PTI)

SC questions practice banning entry of women at Sabarimala

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Sabarimala

New Delhi: The Supreme Court today questioned the age-old tradition of banning entry of women of menstrual age group in historic Sabarimala temple in Kerala, saying it cannot be done under the Constitution.

“The temple cannot prohibit entry (women), except on the basis of religion. Unless you have a constitutional right, you cannot prohibit entry. Anyway, we will examine it on February 8,” a bench of Justices Dipak Misra and N V Ramana said.

The bench was hearing a PIL, filed by the Young Lawyers Association, seeking entry for all women and girls in the Sabarimala temple which, as a practice, does not allow girls after attaining puberty to enter the premises.

However, women, who have crossed menopause, are allowed. During the brief hearing today, the bench posed a query as to why women cannot be allowed inside and observed that the practice was not supported by the constitutional scheme.

It asked the government whether it was sure that women have not entered the temple premises in the last 1,500 years.

The bench also observed that it was a public temple and everyone needed to have “the right to access”. At best, there can be religious restrictions and not a general restriction, it said.

Senior advocate K K Venugopal, appearing for Kerala, said the women, who have not attained menopause, cannot preserve the purity during the religious journey to the temple, located on a hilltop, which usually spans 41 days.

(PTI)

BJP MPs not allowed to visit violence-hit Kaliachak

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Malda-BJP

Malda: A ‘fact-finding’ team of BJP MPs was today stopped by district authorities from visiting Kaliachak which was hit by violence on December 3, as the political battle between Mamata Banerjee government and BJP over the incident hotted up.

MPs Bhupendra Yadav, Ram Vilas Vedanti and SS Ahluwalia, the lone BJP member of Parliament from the state, disembarked from Gaur Express at Malda Town station at around 6 AM but were asked by the police and district administration officials to turn back as prohibitory orders had been promulgated in Kaliachak.

“This act of West Bengal government is condemnable,” Yadav said as the MPs were forced to return by Howrah-bound Shatabdi Express.

The MPs stayed in the VIP lounge of the station for nearly three hours where they discussed the issue with senior district officials.

“The purpose of the visit was to console the people, to restore their confidence that something like this will not happen in future. Due to pressure from the state government, the district administration said that we cannot go there as Section 144 CrPC has been imposed.

“We are not here to incite or instigate anyone. We are law-abiding citizens and senior MPs but the officials said that that we are public figures and our appearance will create problems….the normalcy they have achieved will break down,” Ahluwalia said.

The three leaders said they were here to understand the chain of events in Kaliachak that led to the violence.

However, the area has been made out of bounds for BJP leaders since the incident. On January 6, another BJP delegation led by Shamik Bhattacharya, its lone MLA in West Bengal Assembly, was not allowed to visit Kaliachak village, about 30 km from here.

Violence had broken out at Kaliachak on December 3 over an alleged remark of a BJP leader. Protesters had set fire to a police station and damaged vehicles.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had said there was no communal tension in the area and described the incident as a fallout of an issue between BSF and the local people. Several policemen have been transferred from Kaliachak police station following the incident.

Asked if he raised with the officials the issues of communal tension and the role of police, Ahluwalia said that they were informed that the investigation was still on.

“We will give out report to party chief Amit Shah,” he said.

Accusing the TMC government of shielding those behind the Kaliachak violence, BJP had alleged that the prime suspects have not been arrested.

The CPI(M) too has attacked the state government saying, “Kaliachak incident has shown that it has completely failed to control communal incidents and overtones”.

(PTI)

Afzal Guru’s son scores 95% in Class 10, wins Internet praise

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ghalib-guru

Srinagar: Ghalib Guru, son of Mohammad Afzal Guru who was hanged three years back, has scored an impressive 95% marks in the 10th standard examinations conducted by the Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Examination.

Ghalib secured 474 marks out of 500, according to the results declared on Sunday. He has secured ‘A1’ grade in all five subjects.

Ghalib’s performance in the examinations became a talking point on the social media with many lauding the boy “for excelling despite hardships”.

Afzal Guru was hanged to death on February 9 in 2013 following his conviction in the Parliament attack case. However, the topper in the class was a boy from Awantipora in Pulwama district.

While the family was not immediately available for comment, a year after her husband , Guru, was hanged, Tabasum Guru had told meida that all she wanted was a “normal and peaceful life” for her family.

“We are a normal family. I want my son to lead a normal life. We have nothing to do with politics,” Tabasum had said.

In a 2013 interview to Kashmiri news outlet Kashmir Monitor, Ghalib had said that he wanted to be a doctor.

“Papa knew that I want to become a doctor and would always tell me to work hard. He used to repeat this whenever I visited him in jail,” said Ghalib, who loves reading science books and playing cricket, the report said.

“When I visited him in August, papa gifted me a copy of the Quran and a book on science, which I have preserved,” he said.

(Agencies)

Govt not ready to withdraw cases against Muthalik: CM

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Pramod Muthalik

Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has made it clear that the state government will not drop criminal cases against Sri Rama Sene chief Pramod Muthalik.

The clarification comes in the backdrop of reports that the State government had sought legal opinion on a proposal to withdraw 13 hate speech cases against Mr Muthalik.

“We are not withdrawing any cases against Muthalik. It is all you (media) that created the news. We won’t withdraw any cases registered against him,” the CM told media persons in Raichur.

Home Minister too had maintained that the State was firm on its stand on cases against Mr. Muthalik.

It may be recalled that AB Ibrahim, the Deputy Commissioner of Dakshina Kannada district had written to the State government, stating that any such move would “demoralise the police force”.

Instead, the Deputy Commissioner wanted the State government to ensure that the cases were pursued thoroughly and brought to their logical conclusion.

(Agencies)

Muslim clerics rubbish terror link allegations on Qasmi; demand CM’s intervention

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Moulana Anzar Shah Qasmi

Bengaluru: More than 150 Muslim clerics and heads of mosques and madarsas across Karnataka held a meeting at Eidgah grounds in Bengaluru to discuss the arrest of Moulana Anzar Shah Qasmi, and decided to extend legal help for his release.

The clerics who believe that Khasmi cannot involve in any terror activity, decided to submit a representation to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Home Minister G. Parameshwara seeking their intervention for a fair probe.

Expressing doubt over his arrest procedures, the members said the Delhi police linking him to the terrorist outfit was not reasonable.

“We do not support anti-national activities and the manner in which he was arrested and portrayed as a terror suspect merely on suspicion is very disturbing,” Syed Shafiulla, convener of the meeting, said.

Even the city Police Commissioner admitted that they did not have information pointing to his involvement in anti-national activities, they said.

His arrest has caused resentment among the youth of the community and we have appealed to them to keep calm, while legal course to secure Qasmi’s release will start at the earliest, they added.

One of those present at the meeting said, “We have seen and have worked with Shah from many years. As we know, he was never involved in anti-national activities. His arrest has really shocked us. Bengaluru City police commissioner N S Megharikh had also stated that they did not have any information about him being involved in terror activities. Shah was following Islam, but he never created disharmony nor was he linked with terror outfits.”

(Agencies)

Mehbooba Mufti, bereaved daughter who stands tall in mourning

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Mehbooba Mufti

“Nobody can even remotely suggest to her that she break her mourning and be sworn in (as the Jammu and Kashmir chief minister). Suggesting that to a son would be easier, but Mehbooba Mufti has lost her father, ideal in life and best friend in Mufti sahib”, these words of a family friend suggests the 56-year-old Mehbooba is going to be a tough customer for both PDP cadres and allies in the days to come.

She is reputed to have pulled her father out of political hibernation in 1999 when the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was formed.

Even before that, Mehbooba Mufti had been a great emotional support for her father.

Mehbooba had to IANS in an exclusive interview in 2014: “In 1996, Mufti sahib was told by the Congress high command that if it could not field a candidate from our Bijbehara hometown for elections that would be a huge embarrassment.

“Militancy was at its peak and nobody was prepared to stick his neck out. I filed my papers and went out of the Valley. That is when my political baptism happened.”

Baptized in the fire of Kashmir’s violent times, Mehbooba Mufti has proved her nerve by refusing to be sworn in before the traditional Islamic four-day period of her father’s mourning ends.

Insiders said when BJP general secretary Ram Madhav met her Friday to express his condolences at the chief minister’s high security Gupkar Road residence, she politely told him she was in no frame of mind to discuss politics when the family was in mourning.

The state’s top bureaucrats, including the chief secretary and the principal secretary to the chief minister, were also told the same thing when they called on her Friday.

Family sources said she has been spending most of her time with her mother. “Tears well up each time somebody alludes to the times of her father.”

Family sources said she has been spending most of her time with her mother. “Tears well up each time somebody alludes to the times of her father.”

As constitutional experts keep arguing whether the absence of a government in Jammu and Kashmir is a constitutional crisis or not, for Mehbooba Mufti, politics comes much after the love and respect has for her father.

As constitutional experts keep arguing whether the absence of a government in Jammu and Kashmir is a constitutional crisis or not, for Mehbooba Mufti, politics comes much after the love and respect has for her father.

The decks already seem to have been cleared for her swearing-in by Monday or later next week.

Governor, N.N. Vohra has faxed letters to both the PDP and the BJP to “urgently” come forward with proposals about government formation in the state. This is legally the last ditch effort by Vohra to avoid imposition of a short spell of governor’s rule in the state.

Senior PDP leader and constitutional expert, Muzaffar Hussain Beigh said there is no constitutional crisis in the state as the death of the chief minister does not mean the breakdown of the administrative machinery.

“There is no constitutional crisis. We have a constitutional mechanism through which the state governor can run the affairs of governance through bureaucrats without appointing any advisors for the intervening period”, Beigh told reporters.

Reports also suggest the BJP state leadership is seeking a better bargain in the new political arrangement with the PDP once Mehbooba Mufti takes over the reins of governance.

Dismissing any give-or-take before Mehbooba Mufti takes over, Beigh said: “The rules of the game cannot be changed because Mufti sahib has passed away.”

Notwithstanding what senior party leaders like Beigh and others say about the political posturing by the two ruling alliance partners, those who know Mehbooba say she would not even discuss any climbing down from the terms agreed to by her father and the BJP high command.

“The large heartedness of Mufti sahib owed itself to his long years of experience and political grooming. Mehboobaji has always been unrelenting in her approach to politics.

“Remember, when Mufti sahib was away in the US in 2008, it was Mehbooba Mufti who took the hard decision to pull out of the alliance headed by Ghulam Nabi Azad,” said a senior minister in the government headed by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.

(IANS)

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