Archives for 2019

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also appealed to people to join them at Rajghat in ‘this fight for saving’ the Constitution.

NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday urged students and youths to join him at Rajghat to protest against the “hate and violence unleashed by Modi-Shah” and show that they will not allow India to be “destroyed by hatred”.

“Dear Students and Youth of India, It’s not good enough just to feel India. At times like these, it’s critical to show that you’re India and won’t allow India to be destroyed by hatred.”

“Join me today at 3 PM at Raj Ghat, to protest against the hate and violence unleashed on India by Modi-Shah,” he said on Twitter.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also appealed to people to join them at Rajghat in “this fight for saving” the Constitution.

“This country is a collective bond, a collective dream. We have nurtured this land with Labour.”

“We have to save the country from the politics of divide and rule. Let us join at 3 PM at Bapu’s memorial at Rajghat and be a part of Constitution recitation,” Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said in a tweet in Hindi.

Parts of the state are still under prohibitory orders and internet has been unplugged and so far 879 people have been arrested and the police have filed 131 cases.

MUZAFFARNAGAR: More than 67 shops in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar have been sealed as the state government has started the exercise to identify protesters involved in the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act stir.

The shops reportedly belong to those who were involved in violent protests and the government spokesman said that the shops would be seized if their involvement was confirmed during investigations.

The crackdown by the state administration comes after Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath promised to recover the losses from those involved in violence by imposing fines or attaching their properties.

“There has been violence and public and private property has been destroyed in several districts in the state and we will deal with it strictly. All properties of those involved in damaging public assets will be seized and auctioned to compensate for the losses,” Yogi Adityanath had said.

He said that most of the offenders were being identified through the CCTV footage and video recordings of the incidents.

It is not known yet how the owners of the shops in Muzaffarnagar were identified as offenders by the administration. “The mob had gathered outside these shops and we are still investigating who are responsible for the violence,” said Abhishek Yadav, Senior Supeintedent of Police (SSP) Muzaffarnagar.

Muzaffarnagar had witnessed violence on Friday, along with 12 other districts in the state. The violence had started in the afternoon, soon after Friday prayers.

Around 10 bikes and several cars were torched and public property was vandalised. Around 30 people were injured, 12 of them police officers.

Parts of the state are still under prohibitory orders and internet has been unplugged. So far 879 people have been arrested and the police have filed 131 cases.

Since the Yogi Adityanath government came to power in 2017 in Uttar Pradesh, his government had sought closure in over 100 cases related to the Muzaffarnagar riots that took place in 2013. The government has sought permission from courts to close at least 74 of these 100 cases, but all of these are pending decisions.

In Lucknow and Sambhal, the process of sealing property is yet to begin though the district magistrate has set up a four-member committee to complete the process within 30 days.

The NCP chief questioned why only migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan will be given citizenship under the amended law and not the Sri Lankan Tamils.

PUNE: NCP president Sharad Pawar slammed the NDA government on Saturday, saying the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the proposed National Register of Citizens were “ploys to divert” attention from serious issues plaguing the country.

“CAA and NRC are ploys to divert people’s attention from serious issues that the country is facing,” he told reporters here.

“Not just minorities, but those who care for the country’s unity and progress are opposing CAA and NRC. The new citizenship law will disturb and hurt religious and social unity and harmony of the country,” he said.

He questioned why only migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan will be given citizenship under the amended law and not the Sri Lankan Tamils.

Eight states, including Bihar, ruled by an NDA ally, have refused to implement the law and Maharashtra should also take a similar stand, Pawar said in response to a query.

“The CAA may be a central act, but the implementation will be done by the state agencies. But do the states have resources and machinery to do so,” he asked.

The former Union minister also sought an SIT probe, headed by a retired judge, into Pune police’s action against activists in the Elgar Parishad case.

Priyanka said the government wants every Indian to stand in line to prove one’s citizenship in the same manner in which they did after note ban.

NEW DELHI: Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday joined the students protesting against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and a proposed countrywide National Register of Citizens (NRC) at the India Gate, saying the measures are “anti-poor”.

She said the government wants every Indian to stand in line to prove one’s citizenship in the same manner in which they did after note ban.

Priyanka Gandhi was accompanied by her daughter Miraya at the protest.

This is the second time the Congress leader protested at the India Gate this week against the law.

She earlier protested in a sit-in at the India Gate in support of Jamia students who were allegedly attacked by the police on Sunday.

“This is basically anti-poor. The most affected will be the poor. If someone has to take out old documents about their land, will they be able to do that? Will your grandparents be able to show?  In what state are they putting the country into. The way they put the entire country in line after note ban (demonetisation), they are now wanting to put the entire country in line the same way. Who will be affected by this. The rich will show their passports, but the poor will suffer,” she told reporters after joining the students protesting against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the proposed NRC at the India Gate.

Priyanka Gandhi also said that she had come to show solidarity with the protesters.

She also said demonstrations should be held peacefully as in a democracy everyone has the right to protest.

A top government official said that it was ‘premature’ to talk about NRC but added that documents like voter ID, Aadhaar and passport do not prove citizenship.

NEW DELHI: Top government officials on Friday clarified that Aadhaar, voter ID card and passport are not citizenship documents.

The officials were asked about documents required to prove citizenship for NRC.

The clarification comes a day after a “government document” emerged on social media, indicating that voter IDs be treated as proof of citizenship.

The document, reportedly attributed to government sources, lists 13 questions and answers to clear the air around Citizenship Amendment Act and possible countrywide NRC and is titled, “Here are the real facts on Citizenship Amendment Act”.

A top government official said that it was “pre-mature” to talk about NRC but added that documents like voter ID, Aadhaar and passport do not prove citizenship.

“These are either travel documents or documents to show residency in India,” the official said.  

Later, the Union Home Ministry put out tweets aimed at dispelling doubts about CAA.

The MHA spokesperson said, “Citizenship of India may be proved by giving any document relating to the date of birth or place of birth or both. Such a list is likely to include a lot of common documents to ensure that no citizen is unduly harassed or put to inconvenience.”

Another tweet said illiterate citizens not having any documents, will be allowed to produce witnesses or local proofs supported by members of the community.

“A well laid out procedure will be followed. #CAA2019,” the tweet said.

Earlier in the day, the government official said the Home Ministry in consultation with the Law Ministry is preparing the rules for implementation of CAA.

“No one will get Indian citizenship automatically. One has to prove eligibility,” the official said. “There is no intention to throw people out. People are over-worried. Law has sufficient safeguard,” the official said.

He added that the law provides for a national identity card under Section 14A of the Act.

‘States cannot halt NPR, CAA, NRC’

On a day Kerala announced that it won’t let Centre carry out National Population Register exercise just as West Bengal, the Centre said the states do not have the option of refusing NPR. A top government official said it was beyond the control of states to stop implementation of CAA, NRC or NPR.

On implementation of CAA, the official said there is a provision for notifying a separate authority. “Earlier, we had delegated this power to the collector, but we can now look afresh… A central government official is likely to be notified,” an official said.

He also pointed out that NPR was also out of the ambit of the states.

NEW DELHI: The family members of the Unnao rape survivor on Friday expressed disappointment with the court verdict awarding life sentence to accused BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar and said they had hoped for the death penalty.

“Kuldeep Sengar should have been awarded a death sentence so that we could have got full justice. We would have been satisfied only then as that would have ensured our security,” said the girl’s sister.

“If anyone goes on to fight against these powerful people, should their family members be killed? This is not justice,”  survivor’s sister further said.   

“We are scared even when Sengar is in jail. Once he comes out, he will eliminate us,” she said.

“There should be strict punishment like this in such crimes, especially against powerful persons, so that no one even thinks of doing something like this with anybody’s daughter, sister or wife,” she added.

Saying that the family’s fight for justice was not over yet, the survivor’s sister said, “We can see justice being done. We hope that like this, we get justice in the rest four cases pending in the court.”

On July 28, the rape survivor’s car was hit by a truck. Two of her aunts were killed in the accident and she and her lawyer were severely injured. The girl was air-lifted to Delhi and was admitted in AIIMS for several weeks.

Her family had alleged that it was not an accident but attempt to murder Sengar was behind it.

The father of the rape survivor was framed in a case of illegal firearms possession and arrested on April 3, 2018.

He died in judicial custody six days later.

The trial in the other four cases — framing of the rape survivor’s father in the illegal firearms case, his death in judicial custody, the conspiracy of Sengar with others in the accident case and the separate rape case of the survivor by three others — are going on in the court.

The CM also said that half the people in Chhattisgarh do not possess any document to prove their citizenship as their ancestors were illiterate who migrated to different villages or states.

RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has said that if the National Register of Citizens (NRC) is implemented, over half the population in his state will not be able to prove their citizenship as they neither have land nor land records.

He also said that half the people in Chhattisgarh do not possess any document to prove their citizenship as their ancestors were illiterate who migrated to different villages or states.

Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a programme here on Friday evening, Baghel reiterated that the way Mahatma Gandhi had opposed the identification scheme of Britishers in Africa in 1906, he will oppose the NRC exercise.

Asked whether people will have to stand in queues, as happened during demonetisation, to prove their citizenship once the NRC is implemented, Baghel said, “Indeed, we have to prove that we are Indians.

How those who are not able to do so, will be accommodated? “In Chhattisgarh, there are 2.80 crore people and more than half of them will not be able to prove their citizenship. They neither have land records nor land. Their forefathers were illiterate. Most of them migrated to other villages or states. From where they will bring the 50-100 years old documents,” he asked.

“This is just an unnecessary burden on people. We have several agencies to check infiltration in the country. The agencies can take action against the infiltrators. But how come they (Centre) can trouble the common people,” he said.

Likening the NRC to the identification scheme implemented in South Africa, the chief minister said, “Mahatma Gandhi had opposed the identification scheme of Britishers in Africa.

Similarly, we will oppose the NRC and I have already announced that if it is implemented, I will be the first one who will not sign the NRC document.”

Apart from NRC, Baghel had also criticised the NDA government over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, which seeks to provide Indian citizenship to persecuted non- Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.