Archives for 2023

Lata Mangeshkar, the legendary Indian singer and composer, passed away a year ago on February 6, marking her first death anniversary today. She was widely regarded as one of the greatest voices in the Indian music industry, and was known as the Nightingale of India.

PC: Twitter

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is an active user of social media is being criticized by some Twitter users for following an account named “Desi Thug” on the micro-blogging site.

PM Modi followed the account on Wednesday, February 3 following which the handle tweeted adding that it was blessed to be followed by the Prime Minister.

In the tweet, the handle also added that it was a dream come true moment and that it was humbled by the gesture of PM Modi.

Several users soon took note of the development and took a dig at Modi for following an account with the username “Desi Thug”.

“Not surprised to know that the Supreme Leader follows a Desi Thug.” A user wrote while retweeting the tweet from the handle.

The handle in its bio, states “Proud Nationalist – Bharat First Tweets Related to Mandirs, Dharma & Bharat Unexplored Places”.

However, the handle also retweets communally sensitive and Hindutva ideology-backed tweets. A day after PM Modi followed the handle, former India cricketer Suresh Raina also followed it.

Shahi Idgah mosque

Lucknow: The electricity supply of the Shahi Idgah mosque of Mathura was disconnected on Sunday with an FIR lodged against it for having an illegal electricity connection.

A fine was also recovered from Tanveer Ahmed, the secretary of the Shahi Idgah Masjid Committee.

According to a press statement issued by the government here, the action was taken as part of its ongoing campaign against illegal electricity consumption in the state.

According to the statement, the connection was cut by a joint team of Mathura district police and the Electricity department. An FIR was also booked in the matter under section 135 of the Electricity Act, 2003, at Krishna Nagar Police Station.

According to the statement the action was taken at the complaint of Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi Mukti Nirman Trust.

The Shahi Idgah mosque is locked in a legal battle with the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi Mukti Nirman Trust over the mosque property.

Kolkata: West Bengal BJP MLA Suman Kanjilal joined the Trinamool Congress in Kolkata on Sunday, the TMC said in a statement.

TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee handed over the party flag to Kanjilal, the MLA of Alipurduar in the northern part of the state.

The BJP leader shifted allegiance to the Mamata Banerjee-led party ahead of the panchayat elections due in the state this year.

The saffron party’s state spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said Kanjilal’s leaving will not affect the BJP.

Barmer (Rajasthan): An FIR was registered on Sunday against Yoga guru Ramdev for allegedly promoting enmity and outraging religious feelings over his provocative remarks at a meeting of seers in Rajasthan’s Barmer district, police said.

The FIR was registered at Chauhatan police station based on a complaint filed by a local resident, Pathai Khan, a police officer said.

According to Chauhatan police station SHO Bhutaram, the case was registered under IPC sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence), 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) and 298 (uttering, words, etc., with deliberate intent to wound the religious feelings of any person).

At the meeting of seers on February 2, Ramdev accused Muslims of resorting to terror and abducting Hindu women while comparing Hinduism to Islam and Christianity.

He alleged that the two faiths were obsessed with conversion while Hinduism taught its followers to do good.

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat

Mumbai: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday said lack of dignity for labour was one of the main reasons behind unemployment in the country, and urged people to respect all kinds of work irrespective of their nature while also asking them to stop running after jobs.

He said no work can be labelled as big or small as it is done for the society.

“No matter what kind of work people do, it should be respected. Lack of dignity for labour is one of the chief reasons behind unemployment in the society. Whether the work requires physical labour or intellect, whether it requires hard work or soft skills – all should be respected,” he said during a public function here.

“Everyone runs behind jobs. Government jobs are only around 10 per cent, while other jobs are around 20 per cent. No society in the world can create more than 30 per cent jobs,” he said, adding that work that requires hand labour is still not respected.

When one earns livelihood, one has a responsibility towards the society. When every work is being done for the society, then how can it be big or small or different from each other, he asked.

Everyone is equal in the eyes of God and no caste or sect exists before him. All these things were created by priests, which is wrong, Bhagwat said.

Giving an example, he said a man engaged in washing cups and utensils set up a paan stall with a small corpus of funds.

“The paan shop owner went on to generate a wealth of around Rs 28 lakh…But despite that (such examples), our youth keep applying (for jobs) without getting any reply (from the employer),” Bhagwat said.

There are many farmers in the country who struggle to get married despite earning very good income through agriculture, he said.

The situation in the world is favourable for the country to become ‘vishwaguru’ (world’s mentor). There is no shortage of skill sets in the country, he said, adding, “But we are not going to be like other countries after gaining prominence in the world.”

“Before the Islamic invasion in the country, other invaders did not disturb our lifestyle, our traditions and our schools of thought. But they (Muslim invaders) had a logical argument – first they defeated us using their might and then suppressed us psychologically,” he said.

Due to selfishness, we paved the way for invaders to attack us. Selfishness prevailed in our society and we stopped giving importance to other people and their work, Bhagwat said.

The untouchability that was prevalent in the society was opposed by seers and renowned people like Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, he added.

“Disturbed by untouchability, Dr Ambedkar renounced the Hindu dharma. But he did not embrace any other unwarranted religion and chose the path as shown by Gautam Buddha. His teachings are also very much ingrained in Bharat’s line of thinking,” the RSS chief said.

Ankara: A powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit southeast Turkey and Syria early Monday, toppling buildings and sending panicked residents pouring outside in a cold winter night.

At least 195 people were killed in both countries, hundreds were injured and the toll was expected to rise.

Rescue workers and residents frantically searched for survivors under the rubble of crushed buildings in multiple cities on both sides of the border.

In one quake-struck Turkish city, dozens pulled away chunks of concrete and twisted metal.

People on the street shouted up to others inside a partially toppled apartment building, leaning dangerously.

The quake, felt as far away as Cairo, was centered north of the city of Gaziantep in an area about 90 kilometers (60 miles) from the Syrian border.

On the Syrian side of the border, the quake smashed opposition-held regions that are packed with some 4 million Syrians displaced from other parts of the country by the long civil war. Many of them live in decrepit conditions with little health care.

At least 11 were killed in one town, Atmeh, and many more were buried in the rubble, a doctor in the town, Muheeb Qaddour, told The Associated Press by telephone.

“We fear that the deaths are in the hundreds,” Qaddour said, referring to the rebel-held northwest. “We are under extreme pressure.”

On the Turkish side, the area has several large cities and is home to millions of Syrian refugees.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Twitter that “search and rescue teams were immediately dispatched” to the areas hit by the quake.

“We hope that we will get through this disaster together as soon as possible and with the least damage,” he wrote.

There were at least 6 aftershocks, and Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu urged people not to enter damaged buildings due to the risks.

“Our priority is to bring out people trapped under ruined buildings and to transfer them to hospitals,” he said.

Initially Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management agency said at least 76 people in seven Turkish provinces. The agency said 440 people were injured.

The death toll in government-held areas of Syria from Monday’s quake climbed to 99, according to Syrian state media citing the Health Ministry.

In addition, at least 334 people were injured in Syria. Earlier, 20 people were reported killed in rebel-held areas of the war-torn country.

At least 130 buildings tumbled down in Turkey’s Malatya province, neighbouring the epicenter, Gov. Hulusi Sahin said. In the Turkish city of Diyarbakir, at least 15 buildings collapsed.

Rescue teams called for silence as they listed for survivors in a toppled 11-story building.

In northwest Syria, the opposition’s Syrian Civil Defence described the situation in the rebel-held region as “disastrous” adding that entire buildings have collapsed and people are trapped under the rubble.

The civil defence urged people to evacuate buildings to gather in open areas. Emergency rooms were full of injured, said Amjad Rass, president of the Syrian American Medical Society.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake was centered about 33 kilometers (20 miles) from Gaziantep, a major city and provincial capital.

It was centered 18 kilometers (11 miles) deep, and a strong 6.7 aftershock rumbled about 10 minutes later. Syria’s state media reported that some buildings collapsed in the northern city of Aleppo and the central city of Hama.

In Damascus, buildings shook and many people went down to the streets in fear. The quake jolted residents in Lebanon from beds, shaking buildings for about 40 seconds.

Many residents of Beirut left their homes and took to the streets or drove in their cars away from buildings. The earthquake came as the Middle East is experiencing a snowstorm that is expected to continue until Thursday.

Turkey sits on top of major fault lines and is frequently shaken by earthquakes. Some 18,000 were killed in powerful earthquakes that hit northwest Turkey in 1999.

Bijapur: Maoists hacked to death a 40-year-old Bharatiya Janata Party functionary in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district while he was attending a wedding function, police said on Monday.

The incident took place on Sunday in Paikram village where the victim, Neelkanth Kakem, who was the president of Awapalli mandal of the BJP, had gone with his family to attend the marriage of a relative, Inspector General of Police (Bastar range) Sundarraj P said.

“When Kakem was busy with the function at the venue, some unidentified Maoists suddenly attacked him with sharp edged weapons. He died on the spot,” the official said.

Soon after being alerted, a police team went to the spot and the body was sent for post-mortem, he said.

The exact reason behind the murder was yet to be ascertained, the official said.

Security personnel have launched a search in the area to trace the assailants, he said.

Supreme Court of India

New Delhi: Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud on Monday administered oath of office to five new judges of the Supreme Court.

The five judges — Justices Pankaj Mithal, Sanjay Karol, P V Sanjay Kumar, Ahsanuddin Amanullah and Manoj Misra — were administered the oath during a swearing-in ceremony held in the Supreme Court premises.

With the appointment of five judges, the total number of judges in the apex court has risen to 32, two short of the full strength.

Their names were recommended for elevation as apex court judges by the Supreme Court Collegium on December 13, 2022.