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4 transgenders complete Sabarimala darshan

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Sabarimala (IANS) Four transgenders draped in sarees, who were earlier denied permission to visit the Sabarimala temple on Sunday, completed their darshan of the Lord Ayyappa shrine on Tuesday after securing permission a day ago.

Arriving at Erumely early in the day, the four devotees from Ernakulam draped in their choice of attire — saree — were given security cover as they started their climb from Pamba at 8 a.m.

By 9.45 a.m. amidst tight security they were on the hallowed 18-steps and completed paying their obeisance to the deity. There were no protest from any quarter.

The four devotees were on Sunday prevented by the police at Erumely from completing their climb to the hilltop temple after they wished to perform their darshan in sarees.

They had then complained to Kottayam Superintendent of Police. Later on Monday they even approached Kerala High Court-appointed Director General of Police A. Hemachandran who is part of a three member committee overseeing the pilgrimage.

Later in the day, one of the transgenders, Ananya told the media they have secured permission.

The Kerala High Court on November 27 had set up the three-member observer panel to oversee the Sabarimala pilgrimage season, after numerous complaints surfaced against the manner in which the police were acting in the temple town.

Besides Hemachandran, the panel also consisted of P.R. Raman and S. Sirijagan, both retired high court judges.

The Committee got in touch with the Sabarimala tantri and the Pandalam Royal family, who gave their nod for it.

This particular group got the nod as in the past too, transgenders have prayed at the temple.

The temple town has witnessed protests by Hindu groups since a September 28 Supreme Court verdict allowed women of all ages to enter the temple, including those hitherto banned girls and women aged between 10 and 50.

‘Mumbai man freed from Pakistani jail, heads home’

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Mumbai  (IANS) A Mumbai man, who spent around three years in a Pakistan jail, has been released and will return home on Tuesday, an activist said here.

“Yes it’s really a great news. Hamid Nehal Ansari has been released from jail and will be handed over to India at the Wagah Border later this afternoon,” Pakistan-India Peoples Forum for Peace and Democracy (PIPFPD) General Secretary Jatin Desai told IANS.

Ansari’s family members, including father Nehal and mother Fauzia, a large number of India-Pakistan friendship activists, officials and political personalities will be present at the border to welcome him.

Mumbai Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) activist and former legislator Krishna Hegde, who helped the family in the past few years, said they had gone to the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi to complete the formalities and secure his repatriation.

Pakistan had alleged that Ansari, 33, an engineer, was an “Indian spy” who illegally entered the country, and accused him of involvement in anti-state crimes, forging documents, and jailed him.

For the Ansari family, it was an ordeal since November 2012 when he left the country for Kabul for employment and then was reported “missing”.

He reportedly became friendly with a Pakistan girl on social media and reached Kohat in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to save her from a forced marriage.

On November 12, 2012, Ansari crossed over from Afghanistan border in Jalalabad to Peshawar in Pakistan where he was nabbed by Pakistan intelligence.

Later, a military court sentenced him to three years in jail.

Lok Sabha adjourned till noon

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New Delhi (IANS) The Lok Sabha was adjourned till 12 p.m. on Tuesday after opposition and treasury benches faced-off over the Rafale fighter jet deal.

Soon after the House met, the Congress, AIADMK and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) members started sloganeering.

The Congress demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the 36 ready-to-fly Rafale fighter jets deal with France while accusing the government of lying before the Supreme Court on the matter.

The AIADMK members wanted Karnataka to take back its proposal to construct a dam across the Cauvery river at Mekadatu, while the TDP raised several issues related to their demand for special status to Andhra Pradesh.

Both the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress members exchanged heated arguments with the opposition seeking an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi while the other demanding the same from Congress President Rahul Gandhi for misleading the House and the nation on the defence deal.

As the din continued, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan tried to conduct the question hour. She sought cooperation from the members but they did not relent.

She then adjourned the House till noon.

ISRO shortlists 14 firms for transfer of lithium ion cell technology

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Chennai,  (IANS) Indian space agency ISRO has shortlisted 14 companies out of over 100 companies that showed interest in its lithium ion cell technology, said a senior official.

“Over 100 companies showed interest in our lithium ion cell technology. Out of them, 14 have been shortlisted. We will enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with them once they agree for the same,” S. Somanath, Director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), told IANS.

The VSSC is part of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

Somanath said ISRO has already transferred the technology to BHEL for production of space grade lithium ion batteries.

In June it announced its decision to transfer its own lithium ion cell technology to the Indian industry on a non-exclusive basis for use in automobiles for Rs 1 crore.

The space agency had said the initiative will accelerate the development of the indigenous electric vehicle industry.

The VSSC, located in Kerala, will transfer the lithium ion cell technology to the successful Indian industries/start-ups on a non-exclusive basis to establish production facilities in the country that can produce cells of varying size, capacity, energy density and power density catering to the entire spectrum of power storage requirements, ISRO had said.

The ISRO makes lithium ion cell batteries of various sizes and power (1.5 ampere to 100 ampere) to power its rockets and satellites.

Presently, the lithium ion battery is the most dominant battery system finding applications for a variety of societal needs, including mobile phones, laptops, cameras and many other portable consumer gadgets apart from industrial applications and aerospace.

Recent advances in the battery technology have made it the preferred power source for electric and hybrid electric vehicles also.

Hamid Ansari to be released tomorrow from Pakistani jail.

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Hamid Ansari to be released from Paksitani jail, will return to India tomorrow

Indian national Hamid Nihal Ansari who has been languishing in a Pakistani jail since 2012 will be released and deported to India tomorrow. Ansari will return to India through the Wagah Border crossing in Punjab.

33-year-old Ansari is from Mumbai and has been under Pakistani custody since 2012 when he was arrested for illegally entering the country from Afghanistan. Ansari reportedly went to Pakistan in order to meet a girl he had met on social media.

The girl reportedly stayed in Kohat in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

In December 2015, a military court in Pakistan sentenced Hamid Ansari to three years in prison after convicting him for possessing a fake Pakistani identification. Since then, Ansari has been lodged at the Peshawar Central Jail in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

There, he was attacked multiple times by fellow jail inmates. In August 2016, Ansari’s lawyer told the Peshawar High Court that his client had been attacked by fellow prisoners at least three times over the course of a few months.

Ansari’s jail term came to an end on December 15, 2018. However, days before his jail term ended, there was no clarity on when — and if — Ansari would be released from prison and sent back to India.

On December 14, the Peshawar High Court heard the matter. Ansari’s lawyer Qazi Muhammad Anwar, told the court that his client’s prison term was to end on December 15 and that he should be released on the morning of December 16.

However, Anwar told the court, the Pakistani Ministry of Interior and prison authorities were completely silent about Hamid Ansari’s release and deportation to India.

The Pakistani government in turn told the high court that the process to deport Ansari would take a while since the relevant documents were not ready.

Following this the Peshawar High Court set a one-month deadline for the Pakistan government to release and deport Hamid Ansari.

However, that seems to have happened much earlier with the Pakistani authorities set to release Ansari tomorrow.

Dr Mohammad Faisal, the spokesperson of Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) tweeted, “Hamid Ansari, an Indian spy who had illegally entered Pakistan and was involved in anti-state crimes and forging documents, is being released upon completion of his sentence and is being repatriated to India.”

Ansari will be released from jail tomorrow and then will be taken to the Wagah-Attari Border crossing, where he will be handed to Indian authorities.

The decision to release and deport Hamid Ansari comes days after New Delhi issued a note verbale to the Pakistan High Commission in India, asking it to make necessary arrangements for the “earliest” release of Indian prisoners who have either completed their sentence or have been identified as Indian nationals lodged in Pakistani prisons.

Amarinder undergoes surgery for kidney stone removal

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Chandigarh, (IANS) Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Monday underwent a minor surgery to remove a stone from his kidney.

The surgery was successful and the Chief Minister is likely to be discharged from the hospital on Tuesday, his spokesperson said here on Monday.

Doctors at the Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) where the surgery was performed said the stone had been troubling Amarinder Singh for some time and it was decided to remove it as early as possible. 

“A simple procedure, lasting about 40 minutes, was conducted on him this morning by a team of doctors,” the spokesperson said.

“It was a minor procedure and the Chief Minister would be fit to be back at his normal functioning within a couple of days,” a doctor added.

The spokesperson said that the Chief Minister was recovering well and was expected to resume work in a day or two.

Amarinder Singh was admitted to the hospital on Sunday.

He was admitted to the PGIMER earlier on November 28 after he developed fever. He was kept in the hospital for the night and was discharged after completion of medical tests.

Amarinder Singh became Chief Minister of Punjab in March 2017, leading the Congress party to a thumping majority in the Assembly elections. Earlier, he was Chief Minister from 2002 to 2007. 

2nd Test: India staring at defeat on day 4 vs resurgent Australia

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India were at 112/5 against Australia at stumps on the fourth day of the second test match on Monday, pursuing of a stiff target of 287, which appears achievable only in theory.

The visiting team’s hopes were shattered with the departure of captain Virat Kohli for 17, off Nathan Lyon, who also accounted for Murali Vijay and has been the man largely responsible for Australia enjoying an upper hand in this match, reports Efe news.

The Australian quicks were ruthless, as Mitchell Starc sent back Lokesh Rahul in the first over of India’s second innings for a duck, while Josh Hazlewood accounted for Cheteshwar Pujara not too long after that.

Ajinkya Rahane was out for 30 off Hazlewood, almost putting the final nails in the coffin.

Rookie Hanuma Vihari was batting at 24, in the company of the explosive but reckless Rishabh Pant on nine.

In the morning session, Australia were at 190/4 in their second innings, taking a healthy lead of 233 runs.

Resuming the day at 132/4, overnight batsmen Tim Paine and Usman Khawaja started the proceeding on a positive note. The duo played cautiously in the first hour and then started playing their shots.

Indian bowlers struggled in the first session, allowing both the overnight batsmen to continue batting till lunch.

Soon after the lunch break, Australia were bowled out for 243, setting India a target of 287.

Mohammed Shami grabbed four wickets in the second session while Jasprit Bumrah took the remaining two, getting them all out for 243, with the former recording a career-best 65/6.

Usman Khawaja (72) was the highest scorer for the hosts. Skipper Tim Paine (37) also contributed handsomely.

Towards the end, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood forged a 36-run partnership in 38 balls for the last wicket to help their team post a challenging score.

Chasing the target, India lost two quick wickets in the form of Lokesh Rahul (0) and Cheteshwar Pujara (6). India were 15/2 at the tea break.

Skipper Virat Kohli and Murli Vijay were batting when tea was taken but soon after tea India lost three quick wickets.

Australia now need five wickets to win the second Test and level the four match series 1-1.

Brief scores: Australia 326 & 243 vs India 283 & 112/5 at stumps on Day 4 (Ajinkya Rahane 30; Josh Hazlewood 2/24)

Congress trying to avoid debate over AgustaWestland deal: Yogi Adityanath

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Guwahati, (IANS) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday accused the Congress of playing with the country’s security and said that the opposition party is shying away from a debate in Parliament on the AgustaWestland and other defence deals signed during the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) regime.

Addressing a press conference here, Yoga Adityanath held the Congress responsible for delaying the Rafale deal which was initiated in 2007. “Post Kargil war, the country’s security forces needed modernisation and induction of 4th and 5th generation fighter jets. However, the UPA regime kept the deal on hold from 2007 to 2014, jeopardising the country’s security,” he said.

The UP Chief Minister added that now that the Supreme Court has given a clean chit to the government over the deal, the Congress and its President Rahul Gandhi should apologise to the people of the country for dragging in the issue of the Rafale deal unnecessarily.

He also pointed out that while most of the defence deals signed during the UPA regime had middlemen or agents, the Rafale deal was a deal signed between two governments. 

“The Rafale deal is a transparent one signed between two governments. There was no Quattrocchi or Christian Michel involved in the Rafale deal and that was probably the reason why the UPA government kept it on hold till 2014,” Adityanath said.

“The BJP is ready for a debate on any issue in Parliament. However, the Congress is not interested to debate. In a democracy, there cannot be a better place than Parliament to debate on any issue. However, the Congress is shying away from debate as they want to escape from controversies like AgustaWestland and other defence deals signed during their tenure,” he said and demanded the resignation of Congress chief Rahul Gandhi for misleading the people of the country and unnecessarily dragging in the issue.

Asked about the SC judgement regarding the anti-Sikh riots in 1984, the UP Chief Minister said that the Congress has been dividing the country on religious lines since long. “The Congress had its hands stained during the anti-Sikh riots. The truth cannot be hidden,” he added.

Pak PM Imran condemns civilians’ death in Kashmir

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Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday condemned the killing of seven civilians in Kashmir’s Pulwama and threatened to raise the issue at the UN.

Seven civilians died Saturday when security forces opened fire at an unruly mob that thronged the site of an encounter in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district in which three terrorists and an army man were killed.

In Srinagar, the army urged people not to march towards the headquarters of its Chinar Corps on the call of separatists to protest the killing of the civilians.

Jammu and Kashmir unit of the BJP said the responsibility of such deaths lies with separatists and supporters of militants, including the mainstream political parties.

Khan took to Twitter to condemn the incident, saying only dialogue and not violence and killings will resolve this conflict.

He threatened to raise the Kashmir issue at the UN and said the country will demand that the UN Security Council fulfil its plebiscite commitment in Jammu and Kashmir.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Foreign Office condemned the incident and said that Jammu and Kashmir was an internationally recognised dispute, pending on the agenda of the UN Security Council and the dissociation of India from reality was alarming.

The Government and the people of Pakistan reaffirm their continued and resolute moral, diplomatic and political support to the people of Jammu and Kashmir in their struggle, it said.

BJP will be wiped out if SP, BSP combine: Minister

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Varanasi,(IANS) Uttar Pradesh’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will be wiped out in the state in Lok Sabha elections if the BSP and Samajwadi Party join hands, state cabinet Minister Om Prakash Rajbhar said on Monday.

“It is very clear that if these two one-time rivals come together, the BJP will certainly be decimated in the state” where it won 71 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in 2014, said the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) chief, a BJP ally.

He also announced that his party would stage state-wide protests from December 24 on the issue of 27 per cent reservations.

He added that so far he had not received any invite for the Prime Minister’s rally in Ghazipur and so would not attend it. 

Asked about his unceasing outbursts against the BJP, he said the SBSP had ensured the BJP’s victory in 125 Assembly constituencies in the 2017 elections.


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