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Myanmar: At least 32 Indians rescued from captivity in Myawaddy, hundreds still trapped

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NEW DELHI: Around 32 Indians have been rescued from the captivity of ethnic armed groups in Myawaddy, Myanmar, and almost 70 more Indians are yet be freed from similar captivities. Most of these hostage Indians were reportedly forced to commit cyber crimes by their captors. 

The freed Indians were lured to a remote part of Myanmar on the pretext of lucrative jobs in the IT sector. Some fraudulent IT companies, which appear to be engaged in digital scamming and forged crypto activities, had lured the Indian nationals by using agents based in India, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), external affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on Thursday.

IT jobs are being posted on social media and unsuspecting candidates are being lured to work in Thailand, however, they are being smuggled into Myawaddy area and forcibly made to work long shifts in cybercrimes, cryptocurrencies.

Several hundreds of Indians are still trapped there and many more who are oblivious of the trap continue to be recruited. Myawaddy is controlled by Ethnic Armed Organisations, who have lured citizens of dozens of countries including India, China, Indonesia, Brazil, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Pakistan and Bangladesh amongst others. Myawaddy is a town in Kayin State of Myanmar, close to the border with Thailand. The people after recruitment without any proper documentation are taken to Myanmar illegally and held captive there.

“These recruits are told that they would get visa on arrival in Thailand, whereas Thailand only gives tourist visas on arrival and not work visas, so we are cautioning Indians to not fall for such offers. Antecedents of the recruiting agents must be checked. We are in touch with our mission in Myanmar and Thailand,’’ said Arindam Bagchi, spokesperson, Ministry of External Affairs.

Congressmen booked: ‘PayCM’ poster row erupts in Council

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BENGALURU: The Legislative Council on Thursday witnessed acrimonious scenes over the action of the Bengaluru City Police against Congress workers, who are allegedly involved in the “Paycm” poster campaign targeting Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and the BJP Government in the state.Congress MLCs protested against the arrest of their party workers for pasting the posters and demanded their immediate release.

They also questioned the police for taking action only against Congress workers, when the BJP members too had put up social media posts with former CM Siddaramaiah and KPCC president DK Shivakumar’s photographs.

Law Minister JC Madhuswamy hit out at the Opposition MLCs for trying to protect those involved in such a campaign against the CM. “How can we tolerate such acts? We have to act against them and the government will take action if there is a complaint about Congress leaders’ posters too,” the minister said, adding, “As it is, people do not respect politicians and we have been projected as villains.” He requested the Congress not to protect those involved in the campaign against the CM.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said they are ready for any debate on corruption, and the Congress members should allow the Question Hour to continue.However, as the government justified the police action, Opposition members rushed to the well of the house holding placards and raised slogans. The ruling BJP members too resorted to raising slogans against the Congress, while holding placards.

For several minutes, the House was not in order, even as the Pro-tem Chairman tried to conduct the proceedings. The Bills that were earlier passed in the Assembly, were done so in the council amid the din. Angered by the Pro-tem Chairman’s decision to pass the Bills in this way, some opposition members including Congress Chief Whip Prakash Rathod stood on their chairs, while a few others rushed towards the Pro-tem Chairman’s chair. Members from the ruling and Opposition parties continued sloganeering, even after the council was adjourned.

After the House was reconvened, Opposition leader BK Hariprasad said the government should take criticism in the right spirit, instead of resorting to police action. “Two members of our party’s social media team have been arrested. The police went to their houses at midnight and terrorised their families. But the police did not even question former minister KS Eshwarappa in the contractor’s suicide case. Former minister BT Lalitha Nayak has received death threats nine times and the police could not trace the accused,” he charged.

Madhuswamy said the arrests were made as a case was registered, to which Hariprasad quipped that the police were refusing to even take their complaint. As Madhuswamy requested Opposition members to cooperate since just a day was left for the session to end, the latter obliged.

Former Tripura CM Biplab Kumar Deb elected to Rajya Sabha

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Tripura CM Biplab Kumar Deb

AGARTALA: Former Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb on Thursday won the byelection to the state’s lone Rajya Sabha seat, a poll official said here.ADVERTISEMENTAds by 

Deb, who has been recently made the BJP in-charge of Haryana, polled 43 votes- 36 of the saffron party and seven of its ally, the IPFT, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Kiran Gitte said.

All 15 CPI(M) legislators in the state cast their votes in favour of their nominee Bhanu Lal Saha, the former finance minister.

Interestingly, Congress’s lone MLA Sudip Roy Barman abstained from voting.

State Congress president Birajit Sinha Said “Since we fielded no candidate, the party had requested Barman to skip the voting process.

” The seat had fallen vacant as Manik Saha, on being made the chief minister, resigned to contest an Assembly bypoll.

Taking to social media, Deb expressed his gratitude to the legislators of the BJP and the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) for electing him as Rajya Sabha MP from the state.

He also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP national president JP Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for giving him an opportunity to represent Tripura in the Upper House of Parliament.

“With the blessings of Mata Tripurasundari, I will continue to serve the beloved people of Tripura till my last breath,” the former CM said in a Facebook post.

Hijab ban: Hearing over, SC verdict likely by October 14

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NEW DELHI: After an extensive hearing of 10 days, the Supreme Court bench of Justices Hemant Gupta and Sudhanshu Dhulia on Thursday reserved a verdict in pleas challenging Karnataka HC’s ruling of upholding the ban of hijab in educational institutions. Justice Gupta is to retire on October 16 and thus it is likely that the bench may announce the verdict by October 14. 

Referring to a part of the circular said that that certain religious observances were causing problems in the campus and interfering with unity, senior advocate Dushyant Dave in his rejoinder submissions told the bench that the circular dated February 5, 2022, had no reference to the Popular Front of India.

He said that he “regrets” that allegation made by the state that the controversy was provoked by a social media movement started by the PFI was without any pleading and wasn’t mentioned in the HC. Relying on the guidelines issued by the Department of Education in 2021-22, Dave said that the guidelines said that uniform was not compulsory. He also added that wearing of hijab in Islam for some people who were believers was essential and for those who were not believers was not essential. 

Supporting Dave’s contention on the aspect of the involvement of PFI in fuming the controversy, senior advocate Huzefa Ahmadi contended that the Government Order which restrained students to wear customary Islamic headscarves was illegal and sought to target a particular community. 

“I can understand if the circular says no religious symbol is allowed. The circular speaks only of the head scarf. Even though it purports to be neutral it targets a particular community. Circular’s purport has to be read as a whole. It is strange that the State, which should be concerned about educating girls, is concerned more about discipline and is enforcing this which can lead to denying education to girls,” Ahmadi argued. 

Stressing on the intent behind the development of “essential religious practice test”, senior advocate Salman Khurshid for the students argued that the test was developed to balance the rights, to remove things which have grown on religion, so that religion does not suffer. 

Nationwide crackdown on PFI, 106 arrested

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CHENNAI/NEW DELHI/BENGALURU/VIJAYAWADA/KOCHI: In one of their biggest joint operations against terror funding and terror activities, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday arrested 106 activists of the Popular Front of India (PFI) from 93 locations across 15 states, including Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Telangana, Assam, Andhra Pradesh and Delhi even as top officials met to discuss a likely ban on the organisation.

During the coordinated nationwide operation, which began at around 3:30 am, PFI Chairman O M A Salam, national general secretary V P Nasarudeen Elamaram and the organisation’s Delhi unit head Parvez Ahmed, among others, were taken into custody. Salam was picked up from his home at Kerala’s Malappuram, after the place was searched. Ahmed’s residence in Delhi’s Jamia Nagar was also raided.

Raids were also carried out in Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Goa, West Bengal, Bihar and Manipur. The NIA said 45 of the total arrests were made by the agency. Even as the raids and arrests were underway, Union Home Minister Amit Shah met National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla and NIA Director-General Dinkar Gupta to discuss details of the case, the likely fallout and implications.

“While 19 accused have been arrested from Kerala, 11 have been arrested from Tamil Nadu, 7 from Karnataka, 4 from Andhra Pradesh, 2 from Rajasthan, 1 each from UP and Telangana,” an NIA statement read. Among the arrested leaders in Kerala were PFI’s state president C P Mohammed Basheer, national council member P Koya and senior functionaries Jaseer K P, Shafeer K P, E Abu Backer, E M Abdul Rahiman, Najumudeen, Sainuddeen T S, Yahiya Koya Thangal, K Muhammedali, C T Sulaiman, P K Usman, Karamana Ashraf Moulavi, Sadiq Ahmed, Shihas, Ansari P and M M Mujeeb.

The 11 PFI functionaries arrested in Tamil Nadu were identified as Syed Ishaaq, Advocate Khalid Mohammed, A M Idris, Mohamed Abuthahir, S Khaja Maideen, Yasar Arafat, Barakathullah, Fayaz Ahamed, M Mohammed Ali Jinnah, Mohammed Yousuf and A S Ismail. 

In Karnataka, the NIA, with help of local police searched suspects’ locations in Bengaluru and Mangaluru and arrested Anis Ahmed, Afsar Pasha, Abdul Wahid Sait, Yasar Arafath Hasan, Mohammed Shakif alias Shakif, Mohammed Farooq ur Rahman and Shahid Nasir.

Sources said documents, cash, sharp-edged weapons and large number of digital devices were seized during the raids. The NIA is investigating a total of 19 PFI-related cases, including five registered on Thursday. 

End of Ukraine war need of hour, India tells UNSC

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NEW DELHI:  India on Thursday told the UN Security Council that the need of the hour is to end the conflict in Ukraine and return to dialogue and said that the nuclear issue is particular anxiety, underlining Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s assertion to Russian President Vladimir Putin that this cannot be an era of war. 

“Let me emphasise that the need of the hour is to end this conflict in Ukraine and return to the negotiating table. This Council is the most powerful contemporary symbol of diplomacy. It must continue to live up to its purpose. The global order that we all subscribe to, is based on international law, UN Charter and respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all States. These principles too must be upheld, without exception,’’ Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said at a UNSC meeting on Ukraine that was hosted by France in New York.

Talking about ending the conflict, Mexico’s Foreign Minister, Marcelo Ebrard pointed toward a proposal by Mexican President to establish a committee which would include Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Pope to resolve the Russian-Ukraine conflict. Talking about the challenges that have emerged for people living across the globe, Jaishankar expressed concern over the nuclear threat.

“The nuclear issue is particular anxiety. In a globalised world, the impact of the conflict is being felt even in distant regions. We have all experienced its consequences in terms of surging costs and actual shortages of foodgrains, fertilizers and fuel. We must therefore not initiate measures that further complicate the struggling global economy and that is why India strongly reiterates the need for an immediate cessation of all hostilities and a return to dialogue and diplomacy,’’ he added.

Besides Jaishankar, the UNSC briefing was also addressed by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and UK Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs James Cleverly and Foreign Ministers of other UNSC members.

Meanwhile, Jaishankar slammed China for not sanctioning some of the worlds most dreaded terrorists.
Jaishankar also reiterated that even in conflict situations, there can be no justification for violation of human rights or of international law. Where any such acts occur, it is imperative that they are investigated in an objective and independent manner. “The fight against impunity is critical to the larger pursuit of securing peace and justice. The Security Council must send an unambiguous and unequivocal message on this count. Politics should never ever provide cover to evade accountability,” he said.

Gehlot likely to step down as Rajasthan CM, Tharoor may get CWC berth

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THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Shashi Tharoor may get a berth in the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the party’s highest decision-making body, regardless of the fate of the election for the party president post. The decision was taken when the Thiruvananthapuram MP met AICC interim chief Sonia Gandhi earlier this week

“Tharoor has always ensured he maintains a warm relationship with the Gandhi family even when he was with G23. The Gandhis too appreciate his potential and are aware of the harm he is capable of inflicting if he decides to leave Congress,” said a source, adding that Gandhis believe that the CWC berth is enough to keep Tharoor in good spirits.

The Gandhi family has also managed to convince Ashok Gehlot to step down as Rajasthan CM and hand over the post to bete noire Sachin Pilot. Gehlot is likely to resign around the AICC polls as per the agreement. Apparently, pressure tactics by the 71-year-old to make loyalist and Rajasthan speaker C P Joshi the CM did not work.

“Gehlot tried his best to convince Rahul that he can handle both the posts. However, Rahul made it clear it was not possible,” said a source. “Priyanka Gandhi too was adamant that Pilot be made CM,” he said. Rahul made this clear in Kochi when he mentioned the ‘one-man, one-post’ decision taken at the Udaipur Chintan Shivir.

“There is a feeling that Pilot was sidelined in Rajasthan Congress since Gehlot became CM for the third time in 2018. Pilot cannot be sidelined anymore as the Rajasthan assembly elections are due in December 2023. Moreover, Rahul’s padayatra will be in the state for 21 days. If the imbroglio in Congress continues, it will tarnish his yatra,” said a source close to Pilot.

Another source said Gehlot, in his ‘desperation’, is trying every trick in the book to ensure Pilot does not succeed him. “There are attempts from Gehlot camp to prolong his resignation until Diwali or till the December elections. However, this is not likely to succeed as Rahul would want the issue to be resolved before the yatra reaches Rajasthan during October-November,” said the source.

Rahul’s advice to new AICC chief

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said his advice to whoever becomes the new AICC head would be that it is not just an organisational post but an ideological one. “It (the post) is a belief system,” he told reporters in Kochi 

Putin looking to end war, claims Turkish President Erdogan

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NEW DELHI: When Russian President Vladimir Putin met Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the SCO Summit in Samarkand on Friday last, he said he would end the war in Ukraine soon.-ADVERTISEMENT-Ads by 

In less than a week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has reaffirmed that Russia is considering ending the conflict. Erdogan, who was present at the SCO Summit and had a bilateral with Modi, said on Tuesday his impressions after talks with Putin suggest there could be an end to the war, beginning with the ceasefire.

In a related development, separatist leaders of Ukraine’s Russian-controlled areas of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia announced dates for a referendum to formally join the Russian Federation. Reports also suggest that Russia is mulling and swapping 200 prisoners with Ukraine. Turkey has been actively trying to find some middle ground.

“Together, we need to find a reasonably practical diplomatic solution that will give both sides a dignified way out of the crisis,” Erdogan told the opening session of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday. During the SCO Summit, Modi had told Putin that “this was no era for war”.

“We will do our best to stop this as soon as possible,’’ Putin said in response. “The war will end when both sides feel that it is best that they can get out of it. A similar situation occurred in March when the two sides conditionally reached an agreement, but it didn’t go through because one side decided it could get a better deal,” said P S Raghavan, former Ambassador to Russia.

Meanwhile, the Russia-Ukraine conflict is likely to dominate the proceedings in the UNGA in New York this week. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will address the UNGA on Wednesday to accelerate weapons and aid deliveries.

India, Egypt sign MoU to ramp up defence ties, Cairo may bid for Tejas

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NEW DELHI:  Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Egyptian Defence Minister General Mohamed Zaki signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Cairo, Egypt, on Monday on cooperation in the field of defence. Singh is on a two-day official visit to Egypt. Egypt is one of the six countries showing interest in indigenous Light Combat Aircraft Tejas.-ADVERTISEMENT-Ads by 

Terming it a milestone event of the visit, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in a statement said the MoU “will pave the way for enhancing defence cooperation across all sectors of mutual interest.” Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held bilateral talks with the Egyptian Defence Minister on Monday.

During the meeting, both sides discussed steps to strengthen defence ties and reached a consensus to enhance conduct of joint exercises and exchange of personnel for training, especially in the field of counter-insurgency.

The two ministers also agreed to identify proposals for expanding cooperation between the defence industries of India and Egypt in a time-bound manner. They also exchanged views on regional security and acknowledged the contribution of India and Egypt to peace and stability in the world. Both sides expressed happiness at the intensified defence engagement and exchanges over the last year, despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rajnath Singh in an official tweet described the meeting as excellent. “We had wide-ranging discussions on several initiatives to further expand bilateral Defence engagements. Signing of the MoU on Defence Cooperation adds new impetus and synergy to our relations,” Singh added.

Boost to defence ties
The two ministers also agreed to identify proposals for expanding cooperation between the defence industries of India and Egypt in a time-bound manner. They also exchanged views on regional security and acknowledged the contribution of India and Egypt to world peace

Congress Presidential polls: Sonia Gandhi summons KC Venugopal, Ashok Gehlot

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NEW DELHI: The Congress presidential election gained frenetic pace on Tuesday with party president Sonia Gandhi summoning general secretary in-charge of organisation K C Venugopal for an urgent discussion, and Ashok Gehlot calling a late-evening meeting of Rajasthan MLAs before his departure to Delhi for a meeting with the party president

Venugopal flew in from Kerala, where he was participating in the Bharat Jodo Yatra with Rahul Gandhi, to meet the Congress president at her 10, Janpath residence.

Sources said the two discussed the presidential election, nomination for which is scheduled to start from September 24. Venugopal called Gehlot after meeting Sonia Gandhi and asked him to meet her at Delhi on Wednesday.

Gehlot called a meeting of party MLAs at the chief minister’s residence at 10 PM on Tuesday where he told the MLAs that Sonia Gandhi has called him to Delhi on Wednesday for a meeting in connection with Congress president’s election and he will  accept her decision on the issue. He, however, added that he would present the next budget in the state and would lead the party to victory in the next assembly elections in Rajasthan. MLAs present at the meeting told TNIE that the chief minister indicated that he would continue to remain CM even after he becomes the Congress president.

Sources close to the chief minister said that after meeting Sonia Gandhi at Delhi on Wednesday, Gehlot will leave for Kerala to meet Rahul Gandhi. From there, he is expected to return to Delhi and stay here till the last day of nomination on September 30.

With the party’s Thiruvananthapuram MP, Shashi Tharoor, meeting Sonia Gandhi on Monday and expressing his desire to contest, the party high command has started preparing for a contest even as more state units adopted resolutions demanding return of Rahul Gandhi as the party chief.

Though Sonia Gandhi told Tharoor that there would be no official candidate, sources said that the leadership has made up its mind to field a loyalist who is likely to sail through with the help of the handpicked electoral college comprising 9,300 PCC delegates.

Gehlot is reportedly the first choice of the leadership as the official candidate. He, however, denies being a candidate saying that he will try and convince Rahul Gandhi to contest. Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel, too, has said that he will try and persuade Rahul to return as party chief.

Meanwhile, about a dozen state units, including Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Odisha, Haryana, Maharashtra and Jammu Kashmir, have passed resolutions calling for Rahul to take the party reins. Senior Congress leaders such as P Chidambaram, Jairam Ramesh among others have demanded that the next president be chosen by consensus rather than contest.

The nominations for the election will be held from September 24 to 30. The last date for withdrawal of nominations is October 8 and the election, if required, will be held on October 17. The results will be out on October 19.

If the contest does take place, it will be after over two decades that the Congressmen will be voting to elect their president. The party last saw a contest for the post in November 2000 when Sonia Gandhi defeated Jitendra Prasada. Before that Sitaram Kesri had defeated Sharad Pawar and Rajesh Pilot in 1997.

The new president will replace Sonia Gandhi who has become the longest-serving party president. She has been at the helm since 1998, barring the two years between 2017 and 2019 when Rahul Gandhi took over as the party chief.

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