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Archives for August 2017

SC slams Gujarat government for slow trial in Asaram Bapu rape case

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New Delhi: The Supreme Court today questioned the Gujarat government over the slow pace of trial in the rape case involving self-styled godman Asaram Bapu.

A bench comprising justices N V Ramanna and Amitava Roy asked the state government why the victim has not been examined till now.

It asked the state government to file an affidavit in this regard and posted the matter for further hearing after Diwali.

The apex court had on April 12 asked the trial court in Gujarat to expedite the recording of evidence of prosecution witnesses in a sexual assault case lodged by two Surat-based sisters against the self-styled godman.

The court had asked the Surat trial court to record the testimonies of 46 remaining prosecution witnesses including the alleged rape victims.

Earlier, the top court had refused to grant bail to Asaram on various grounds including his poor health in two separate sexual assault cases lodged in Rajasthan and Gujarat.

The apex court, while dismissing his bail plea on January 30, had observed that Asaram had placed a “fictitious document” to persuade the court to grant him bail and had ordered registration of an FIR against those responsible for preparing and filing the alleged fake papers.

The two Surat-based sisters had lodged separate complaints against Asaram and his son Narayan Sai, accusing them of rape and illegal confinement, among other charges.

The elder sister, in her complaint against Asaram, had accused him of repeated sexual assaults between 2001 and 2006 when she was staying at his ashram near Ahmedabad.

In the case in Rajasthan, a teenage girl had accused him of sexual assault at his ashram in Manai village near Jodhpur. The girl, who belonged to Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh, was a student living in the ashram.

The apex court had noted that trial in the matter was unnecessarily prolonged and the prosecution witnesses were being attacked, which led to the death of two witnesses.

The apex court had on November 18 last year sought the response of the Centre and five states on a plea seeking a CBI probe into the alleged murder of children and attacks on ten witnesses in the Asaram rape cases.

Asaram was arrested by Jodhpur Police on August 31, 2013 and has been in jail since then.

(PTI)

Ram Rahim Gets 10 Years In Jail For Rape, Cried In Court

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Chandigarh: Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, convicted of raping two women disciples, was on Monday August 28 sentenced to ten years in jail.

Special CBI judge Jagdeep Singh allotted 10 minutes each to both sides to put forth their arguments.

The prosecution demanded maximum punishment for Ram Rahim Singh, while the defence lawyer, S K Garg Narwana argued that the judge should take a lenient view since the Dera Sauda chief has worked for the welfare of people.

According to reports, Ram Rahim broke down in the court as the quantum of punishment was read out.

After the sentencing, Ram Rahim was taken for a medical check-up, given a jail uniform and put in a cell.

Reports of sporadic violence trickled through even before the sentence was read out. Two cars were torched by Dera Sacha Sauda supporters in Phoolka area of Haryana’s Sirsa, the sect’s headquarters.

The quantum of punishment was pronounced by a CBI court specially set up inside the jail premises in Sunaria, about 70 km from Delhi, where Ram Rahim has been lodged after his conviction on Friday.

Fearing a repeat of the violence that erupted soon after the court’s verdict in the rape case on August 25, in which over 30 people died, the authorities in Haryana on Monday issued shoot at sight orders in and around the District Jail near Rohtak ahead of Ram Rahim’s sentencing.

Chairperson of the Dera, Vipassana Insan, has appealed to followers to peacefully abide by the judgement.

Earlier in the day, Rohtak range Inspector General (IG) of Police Navdeep Singh Virk said: “We are on top of the situation. Adequate security arrangements are in place. If anyone tries to disobey the law, he will be shot at.”

Virk said 28 companies of paramilitary forces, along with Haryana Police personnel, have been deployed in Rohtak.

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) special court judge Jagdeep Singh, who had on Friday held the Dera chief guilty of rape and criminal intimidation of two of his female disciples in 2002, was flown to Rohtak on Monday for announcing the sentence.

The sect chief has been convicted on two counts for rape (Section 376 IPC), criminal intimidation (Section 506 IPC) and Section 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman).

The minimum punishment for rape is seven years which may extend till life (term). The other sections have imprisonment for two and one years, respectively.

The district jail premises, about 10 km from Rohtak town, have been completely cordoned off by security forces, including the paramilitary and Haryana Police.

The Army has been kept on stand-by. No movement of people, other than those authorized, will be allowed within a distance of 10 km from the prison premises.

“We are fully prepared for any situation. The Army has been kept on stand-by,” Haryana Director General of police (DGP) B.S. Sandhu said.

The security forces in Haryana and Punjab were again on high alert on Monday as both states braced for the sentencing.

Curfew continued to be in place on Monday in Haryana’s Sirsa town, where the sect’s headquarters are located. The sect has lakhs of followers in the two states.

(Agencies)

112 Kids From Various NGOs Turn SIBMB Into Candy Land

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Bengaluru: The Social Responsibility Committee of Symbiosis Institute of Business Management (SIBM), Bengaluru organised Utthaan 2017 on Sunday, 27th August 2017. The theme of this year’s event was “Candy Land – Where Dreams Taste like Cotton Candy” which came with the intent of giving a bunch of underprivileged children, a taste of their most cherished dreams.

This year, 112 children came to the college campus for the one-day event from various NGOs in and around Bengaluru, namely:

 Belaku Shishu Nivasa
 Anatha Shishu Nivasa
 Makkala Jeevodaya
 Sadashraya Charitable Trust

The event is organised every year to unearth the hidden talents of these children in a way that makes the future managers realise the importance of sharing joy and compassion.

“If you see someone without a smile, give them yours.” Said Dr. Subramaniam, faculty, SIBMB, the Chief Guest for the day.

The day began with an energetic performance by Jhankaar, The Dance Club of SIBMB which led all the kids to the dance floor. This was followed by a Talent Show which unveiled virtuosity of the young singers and dancers. The performances were illustrated by cartwheels, human pyramids and melodious voices which left the audience mesmerised.
The Art and Craft activity that followed had little dreams taking different shapes through paint brushes and folded papers as the creative minds of the little children came up with beautiful dreamcatchers. Games like Follow The Path, Paper Plane Race and Sock Basket served a dual purpose of learning and having fun. Later, the magician fascinated the children with his magic tricks.

“All we hope is to give these underprivileged children a day to remember. Every year Utthaan has sprinkled moments of unconditional happiness into the lives of hundreds of kids. I am glad this year too, we managed to make it great and give these little kids a memory to live”, said Sruti Ghosh, coordinator of the Social Responsibility Committee of SIBMB.

Utthaan 2017 ended with the distribution of goodie bags to the children which lit up their eyes and brought a heartfelt smile on everyone’s face. The students bid farewell to the children as they formed human chains skirting the path through which the kids were sent off with a promise of welcoming them again next year.

Chandan Shetty’s Song For Raju Kannada Medium

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One of the most successful producers of Kannada cinema K A Suresh’s latest venture Raju Kannada Medium starring Gurunandan of First Rank Raju fame & Avanthika Shetty in lead roles is adding more feathers to its cap. The famous rap style singer, dancer & actor Chandan Shetty sang for Raju Kannada Medium, “Nentru Barthare Netgiddaaga, Frendsu Barthaare Nee Soothaaga….” written by Chandan Shetty and he has recorded this song for the film. Raju Kannada Medium has Kichcha Sudeep in the guest role. K A Suresh has acquired 4 days call sheet of Kichcha Sudeep who appears as gold player with some talkie portions for the film. Kiran Ravindranath has composed the music and he continues his journey with director Naresh Kumar of First Rank Raju fame. Shekar Chandra has wielded the camera for this film.

Arya Makes His Debut In Kannada Cinema

The popular Tamil actor & producer Arya with over 12 years of stint in Tamil movies comes to Kannada Cinema for the 1st time ever. He is playing a crucial role in Raja Ratha that is in the direction of super hit Kannada film Rangitaranga director Anoop Bhandari. Anoop Bhandari’s brother Nirup Bhandari is the protagonist in the film. Recently Parthibhan acted in a Kannada film Daada Is Back, prior to that Shiva Karthikeyan appeared in a song in Vajrakaya of Dr Shivarajakumar. In this song even Telugu actor Ravi Teja also made a brief presence. Tamil super star Dhanush delivered a song for Vajrakaya in the direction of Harsha for music of Arjun Janya. The role of Arya in Kannada films has been announced at the last schedule shooting of the film. As of now the role of Arya is kept in secret. Avanthika Shetty is the female lead. The film Rajaratha has story, screenplay, direction & music from Anoop Bhandari. Ajay Reddy, Anju Vallab, Vishnu Dakappagari, Satish Shastri are the producers of this film.

Chetan Stars In P C Shekar’s Next

After marriage director P C Shekhar to Meghana in the last month, it is just one and half months later that he announced his next film with highly talented actor Chetan of Aa Dinagalu fame. As a matter of fact a big break is needed for both P C Shekhar director & actor Chetan. Raaga is P C Shekar as director & Noorondu Nenapu of Chetan as actor failed miserably on the Box – Office. Chetan completed Athiratha and it is in the post production stage. The combination of P C Shekhar & Chetan is a periodic cinema of British Empire in India. It is a thriller says Shekhar. The shoot starts from Oct, 2017, Arjun Janya scores music for the 7th film of P C Shekhar. Vaidya S of Romeo, Googly, Master Piece, Ranavikrama & Raaga is handing the cinematography.

A Gentleman Is Too Confusing & Convoluted With Boredom At Its Peak

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Banner: Fox Star Studios
Producer: Fox Star Studios
Director: Raj Nidimoru, Krishna DK
Star Cast: Sidharth Malhotra, Jacqueline Fernandez, Darshan Kumar, Suniel Shetty, Rajit Kapur, Supriya Pilgaonkar, Amit Mistry & Hussain Dalal
Music: Sachin – Jigar

A popular formula used in our films since years is that of 2 distinct characters having identical faces that gives rise to confusion to the other characters in the films but loads of entertainment to the viewers. Don, Hum Dono, Aakhree Raasta, Judwaa, Seeta Aur Geeta, Rowdy Rathore and many other films tackled this idea successfully. Now A Gentleman also gets added to the list. So does it manage to provide the entertainment like the aforementioned films or does it fail in entertaining the viewers, let’s analyze.

A Gentleman is about a simple, innocent guy in Miami whose life turns upside down due to a supposed case of a mistaken identity. Gaurav (Sidharth Malhotra) is doing well in his career & is quite stable financially. He is attracted to Kavya (Jacqueline Fernandez) but she finds him too boring. On the other hand, Rishi (Sidharth Malhotra) is a sexy, risk – taker gangster on the run. He has got into the bad books of the evil Colonel Vijay Saxena (Suniel Shetty) who’s trying to hunt him down. What happens next and are Rishi & Gaurav the same person or are they different is something that forms the rest of the film.

A Gentleman doesn’t waste time in introducing the characters & their respective traits. There are 2 parallel tracks in the 1st half and it manages to keep the interest going. There is a huge surprise minutes before the intermission point that is bound to catch most of the viewers unawares. You expect the film to go on a high in the 2nd half but that never happens. Logic takes a backseat and the film turns into a no -brainer. It also reminds one of the 90’s Hollywood action films. In this process, the film looks too Western and the makers should have probably Indianized it well.

Raj Nidimoru, Krishna DK & Sita Menon’s story shows promise initially but later turns haphazard. Raj Nidimoru & Krishna DK’s screenplay handles the complex narrative well in the 1st half but overall, it could have been better & more sensible. Things are too unconvincing in the film. In the Thailand heist sequence, the security officers run behind Team Rishi while the locker remains exposed in the open. Rishi exercises heavily & follows up his work out eating Ching’s noodles. Sadly, the product placement is in your face. Kavya is shocked to learn about Gaurav and gets disgusted at him but suddenly in the next scene, she gets intimate with him. Even the manner in which Colonel’s henchman Yakub (Darshan Kumaar) spares Rishi from death several times is strange. Such bewildering aspects take away the sheen. Sumit Batheja’s dialogues however are hilarious.

Raj Nidimoru & Krishna DK’s direction is weak. The screenplay itself is faulty and hence the execution anyways wouldn’t have helped much. They have given some great entertainers in the past like 99, Shor In The City & Go Goa Gone. They possess the technical knowledge and if they choose the right script, they can do wonders. Unfortunately, this is the 2nd consecutive time, after Happy Ending, that they have faltered with a weak script.

Sachin – Jigar’s music fails to make a mark. “Chandralekha” is the best of the lot. “Bandook Meri Laila” is foot – tapping but is relegated to the background. “Baat Ban Jaye” & “Laagi Na Choote” are forgettable, while “Disco Disco” is played during the end credits.

Roman Jakobi’s cinematography is great & locales of Miami, Thailand and even Mumbai are well captured. Aparna Sud’s production design is appealing. Manoshi Nath, Rushi Sharma & Niharika Jolly’s costumes are glamorous, especially the ones worn by Jacqueline Fernandez. Aarif Sheikh’s editing could have been better & sharper in the 2nd half. The action scenes are too lengthy. Cyril Raffaelli, Parvez Shaikh, George Aguilar’s action is slick & entertaining.

Performance wise Sidharth Malhotra however is apt for the role. He is convincing as the “sundar”, “susheel” Gaurav as well as the risky Rishi. Both avatars are well essayed and he is good even in action scenes. Jacqueline Fernandez looks sizzling and has an interesting character. But she doesn’t get to do much and it’s only from the middle of the 2nd half that she gets embroiled in the madness. Suniel Shetty is wasted. He deserved more screen time and could have made for a great villain. Darshan Kumaar however has a crucial part and gives an impressive performance. Rajit Kapur & Supriya Pilgaonkar (Kavya’s parents) are decent. Amit Mistry (Jignesh) & Hussain Dalal (Dikshit) raise loads of laughs.

Tail Piece: On the whole, A Gentleman surprises the audiences with the developments in the 1st half but the film goes downhill in the 2nd half completely. At the Box – Office turnstiles, it will collect the most out of all other releases but it won’t last long in either the Multiples Screens of the cities or even the Single theatres of the interiors.

3,500 Rohingya Muslims flee Myanmar after troop deployment

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Rohingya refugees arrive in overcrowded camps, fearing violence after the deployment of Myanmar troops to Rakhine state.

There are nearly 400,000 Rohingya refugees living in squalid camps in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar [File: AFP]

by Al Jazeera

Thousands of Rohingya Muslims have crossed into Bangladesh since Myanmar announced a military buildup in violence-hit Rakhine state earlier this month, according to community leaders.

Rohingya leaders in Bangladesh told AFP news agency on Wednesday that at least 3,500 had arrived in recent weeks, piling pressure onto already overcrowded refugee camps in the Cox’s Bazaar area near the Naf river that divides the two countries.

That is despite stepped-up patrols by Bangladeshi border and coast guards, who said this week they had pushed back a boat carrying 31 Rohingya, including children.

“In the Balukhali camp alone, some 3,000 Rohingya arrived from their villages in Rakhine,” said Abdul Khaleq, referring to the camp nearest the river, where most of the migrants stay when they first arrive.

Kamal Hossain, a Rohingya elder in another, camp, said nearly 700 families had arrived in Bangladesh in the past 11 days.

Many were sleeping in the open because there was no more space in the camps, he said.

On August 12, authorities in Myanmar sent hundreds of troops into Rakhine in to boost security, drawing criticism from UN special rapporteur Yanghee Lee, who warned the deployment was “cause for major concern”.

Rakhine, in northern Myanmar, has been gripped by violence since October, when armed men attacked police posts.

Following the incident, Myanmar authorities have reportedly cracked down on the Rohingya community, which the United Nations believes may amount to ethnic cleansing of the Muslim minority group.

Deen Mohammad, another Rohingya man who entered Bangladesh on August 13, said Muslim villagers in Rakhine were not allowed to visit neighbours without prior permission from the army.

The 45-year-old farmer said he left home with his family after the army killed his 23-year-old son for travelling to a nearby village.

Report of atrocities

Details of other alleged abuse last year have been recorded by the UN, which has documented mass gang rape, killings, including of babies and children, brutal beatings and disappearances. Rohingya representatives have said approximately 400 people were slain during the security forces’ operation in October.

Myanmar launched its own probe into possible crimes in Rakhine and appointed former UN chief Kofi Annan to head a commission tasked with long-simmering divisions between Buddhists and Muslims.

On Wednesday, Annan presented his report to President Htin Kyaw in the Myanmar capital of Naypyidaw. The report is expected to be made publicly available on Thursday.

Azeem Ibrahim, a senior fellow with the Center for Global Policy, told Al Jazeera that while the likely recommendations of Annan’s report won’t be controversial, the restrictions placed on the former UN chief during his investigation have been criticised by many.

“[Annan] was not permitted to look at any of the human rights violations, which would argue are the basis for the conflict and the tensions in the Rakhine district,” Ibrahim said.

He added that those who have been sceptical of the advisory commission itself argue that it is just a way for Aung Sun Suu Kyi to “pacify the global public opinion and try to demonstrate to the international community that she is doing what she can to resolve this issue, and it was just a mechanism to get sanctions [on Myanmar] lifted”.

‘Deeply concerned’

Buddhist-majority Myanmar has long faced criticism for its treatment of the more than one million Rohingya who live in Rakhine, who are seen as interlopers from Bangladesh and are denied citizenship and access to basic rights.

Bangladesh estimates that nearly 400,000 Rohingya refugees are living in squalid refugee camps and makeshift settlements in Cox’s Bazar.

They include more than 70,000 who arrived in the months that followed the crisis in October, many bringing stories of systematic rape, murder and arson at the hands of Myanmar soldiers.

But Rohingya are also increasingly unwelcome in Muslim-majority Bangladesh, where police often blame them for crimes such as drug trafficking.

Dhaka has floated the idea of relocating tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees to a remote, flood-prone island off its coast, despite opposition from rights groups.

On Wednesday, the UN refugee agency said it was “deeply concerned” by the reports of a boat carrying Rohingya being turned back.

“UNHCR is deeply concerned by this incident, which as the coastguard reported, involved women and children who said they were fleeing violence,” an agency spokesman told AFP.

UN probes Yemen air strike as death toll ‘rises to 41’

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At least 13 still missing after apparent Saudi-coalition attack in Arhab, with women and children among the dead.

Dozens of people were wounded in the attack, which struck north of Sanaa in the Arhab area [Hussain Albukhaiti/Al Jazeera]

by Al Jazeera

The UN is investigating reports of a Saudi-led air strike on a hotel near the Yemeni capital as the death toll rose to at least 41 people, including women and children.

Hussain Albukhaiti, an activist based in Sanaa, told Al Jazeera that at least 13 people were still missing on Thursday after an air strike a day earlier.

Houthi rebels were apparently the target of Wednesday’s air raid, which hit Muntazah al-Shabab li-Rihla wa-Nawm – a popular hotel in Arhab district 35km north of the capital.

Almaseera, a television channel run by the country’s Houthi rebels, who control Sanaa, confirmed the death toll.

Citing local residents, Albukhaiti said that the Saudi-led coalition, which controls Yemen’s airspace, carried out a “double-tap”, first striking the hotel, then a gate leading to the building.

Dozens of people were crushed to death, he said, after the roof of the two-storey building collapsed.

Several others, including first responders, were then “cut into pieces” by the second military strike.

Albukhaiti said that there was no Houthi rebels present in the area or at any military installation nearby at the time of the attack.

The UN could not confirm the assault, but rights officials were investigating the reports, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ spokesman said in New York.

“What is clear is that any attack on civilians is unacceptable. This is a message we have often repeated and we will continue to repeat,” Stephane Dujarric said.

‘Man-made catastrophe’

UN humanitarian chief Stephen O’Brien described the conflict between the Saudi-backed Yemeni government and the Houthis as a “deplorable, avoidable, completely man-made catastrophe” in a briefing to the UN Security Council last week.

The number of air strikes per month is now three times higher than last year and monthly reports of armed clashes are up 50 percent, he said.

The conflict in Yemen has escalated dramatically since March 2015, when Saudi-led forces launched a military operation against rebels.

Since fighting began, more than 10,000 people have been killed and millions have been driven from their homes.

The country is also facing a health crisis,with close to 2,000 people having died from cholera since April, more than half a million people infected, and another 600,000 expected to contract the infection this year.

Additional reporting by Faisal Edroos: @faisaledroos

2nd ODI: India win toss, opt to field

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Pallekele: India won the toss and opted to field first in the second One-Day International (ODI) against Sri Lanka at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium here on Thursday.

India have retained the same squad from the first ODI while for Sri Lanka Thisara Perera, Wanidu Hasaranga and Lakshan Sandakan sit out and Dushmantha Chameera, Akila Dananjaya and Milinda Siriwardana come in their place. India lead the five-match series 1-0 after having won the first encounter at Dumbulla by nine wickets.

Following are the teams:

India: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli (captain), Lokesh Rahul, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wicket-keeper), Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal.

Sri Lanka: Niroshan Dickwella (wicket-keeper), Danushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Mendis, Upul Tharanga (captain), Angelo Mathews, Chamara Kapugedera, Milinda Siriwardana, Akila Dananjaya, Lasith Malinga, Vishwa Fernando, Dushmantha Chameera.

(IANS)

Industrial Investment: Karnataka Remains in Top with Rs 1.41 lakh Cr Investment in 2017

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Bengaluru: Performance of Karnataka state in industrial investment has moved up in this year also and helped the state to remain in the top position for second consecutive year until June 2017 with an investment of Rs 1.41 lakh crore, said Karnataka State Minister for Industry RV Deshpande speaking to media persons in Bengaluru here on Wednesday.

According to the data released by the Union Government’s Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Karnataka topped in the list of states with an investment of Rs 1.54 lakh crore last year after obtaining 11th rank in 2013 followed by 5th rank in 2014 and 4th position in 2015, minister added.

(Agencies)

Hindu family coverts to Islam after facing social boycott

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Chhatarpur: A Hindu man and his family here have embraced Islam after allegedly facing social boycott for over 28 years since he married a Muslim woman. Vinod Prakash Khare (51), a resident of Rajnagar town in the district in Bundelkhand region, said he had married a Muslim woman nearly 28 years back. Post the marriage, his wife was assigned a Hindu name.

However, their alliance was not accepted by the family, relatives, and society at large and his family was ostracised, he alleged. Khare, his wife, daughter and sons converted to Islam on August 21. “The Hindu society has not been supportive of us. Nobody used to invite us to marriages,” he said.

“I was not even allowed to lend a shoulder to my father’s body during his funeral procession. In such times, the Muslim society helped us, so our family decided to accept Islam,” said the man, who is now rechristened as Ghulam Mohammed. Rajnagar’s sub-divisional magistrate Ravindra Choukse said he was aware about the family’s conversion.

“I have got information about the conversion of Khare and his family. In case of any dispute or controversy necessary steps would be taken,” Choukse said. A local leader of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad said they were trying to resolve the family’s problems. “I am in touch with the family. We are working to sort out their problems. They have assured to reconsider their decision,” he said.

(Agencies)

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