‘THREAT TO DEMOCRACY IF ED, CBI, RBI DO NOT ACT INDEPENDENTLY’: HC
The Bombay High Court observed that if agencies like the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and Reserve Bank of India (RBI), and the judiciary, do not act independently, there is a threat to democracy in the country. A division bench, comprising Justices S.S. Shinde and Manish Pitale made the observation on January 21, while hearing a petition filed by former revenue minister of Maharashtra, Eknath Khadse, who requested the court to quash an ED complaint registered against him in a land grabbing case in Pune last year. “There is a threat to the very democracy if these agencies do not act independently,” the court remarked, according to LiveLaw.in, adding that such state agencies are bound to operate impartially.
INDIA DOESN’T PROTECT HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS PROPERLY: UN BODY
United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders Mary Lawlor on January 15 criticised India’s handling of rights activists, reports said on January 16. Lawlor was speaking at an online event marking the 100 days of imprisonment of activist Stan Swamy. “India is a state which doesn’t properly protect human rights defenders,” Lawlor said. “I am appalled by the treatment of human rights defenders such as Father Stan Swamy who embodies solidarity.” Lawlor said that she had written to the Indian government raising concerns about Swamy’s arrest, but she was yet to get a reply. Earlier this month, Lawlor had tweeted a copy of the letter, where she referred to Swamy’s arrest as an “arbitrary detention”, pointing out that he has been working to protect the rights of Adivasis and Dalits since the 1970s.
1 KILLED, 3 INJURED DURING TEMPLE FUND COLLECTION CLASHES
After largescale communal violence in three towns of Madhya Pradesh during rallies taken out to create “awareness” about fund collection for Rs. 110 crore Ram Temple at Ayodhya, Hindu-Muslim clashes broke out in two villages close to Gandhidham in Gujarat’s Kutch district during fund collection drive for the temple on January 17. One person was killed, several others rendered injured and three vehicles, including two two-wheelers, were set ablaze during the clash in Kidana village of Kutch district. The clashes took place when a VHP rally went to all-Muslim village of Kidana and allegedly raised provocative slogans near a masjid. The rallyists first went to Sadau village of Mundra taluka where they indulged into stone-throwing at a mosque. From there, they moved to Antarjad village where again they attacked a mosque and then drove to Adipur where they ransacked mutton shops and damaged a ‘dargah’.
3 BJP ACTIVISTS ARRESTED FOR RAISING ‘GOLI MARO…’ SLOGAN IN BENGAL
Three BJP activists including its Hooghly district youth wing chief Suresh Sahu have been arrested for allegedly raising ‘goli maro…’ (shoot the traitors) slogan at a roadshow of party leader Suvendu Adhikari here, a report citing police sources said on January 21. Some BJP activists had allegedly raised the slogan at a party programme in West Bengal’s Hooghly district on January 20, following which district police registered a suo motu case and arrested them late at night. The activists, who were trailing the truck carrying Adhikari along with Hooghly MP Locket Chatterjee and Rajya Sabha member Swapan Dasgupta, had allegedly raised the slogan holding BJP flags and the Tricolour in Rathtala area.
FARMERS NAB MASKED MAN ‘TASKED’ TO SHOOT 4 FARM LEADERS
Farmers at the Singhu border protest site on January 22 caught a man who claims to have been tasked to shoot four farmer leaders and disrupt the agitation on January 26. Addressing a press conference, farmers alleged a plot to disrupt farmer’s protest and presented a masked man who claimed his team members were allegedly asked to pose as policemen and lathi-charge on the farmers if the situation goes out of control on January 26 tractor rally, India Today reported on January 23. “When we grilled him, he admitted that he just created the ruckus to see if protesters were carrying any arms. Later, he revealed much more,” BKU leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal said. The man claimed that they were to be given Rs 10,000 each to carry out the disturbance.
COURT SLAMS MEDIA FOR UNVERIFIED NEWS AGAINST UMAR KHALID
A Delhi Court has criticised media for publishing the alleged confessional statements of Umar Khalid in Delhi riots conspiracy cases, without clarifying that such confessions are not admissible in evidence, a report said on January 23. “The news reports have only highlighted that accused Umar Khalid had confessed his involvement… However, none of the news item is shown to have made a clarification to its readers/viewers that such a statement, even if actually made, could not be used by the prosecution as evidence”, observed the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate North East, Karkardooma Courts, Delhi. The Court was considering an application led by JNU student leader Umar Khalid – who has been under custody since September 14 last year – complaining about media campaign that he has confessed his involvement in the conspiracy behind the communal riots which took place in North East Delhi in February 2020. The Court took a specific objection to a news item which started with words “Radical Islamist and Anti Hindu Delhi Riots accused Umar Khalid….”.
DUJ CONDEMNS ARREST WARRANT AGAINST THAKURTA
The Delhi Union of Journalists (DUJ) registered “shock” and condemned the news that a court in Kutch had issued an arrest warrant against senior journalist Paranjoy Guha Thakurta on January 19. The warrant came about due to the alleged defamation of the Adani Group in an article co-authored by the journalist in 2017. In a statement issued on January 20, DUJ said that while the Adani Group had “ironically” withdrawn the charges against the publishers of the piece and its co-authors, it had chosen to retain them in Guha Thakurta’s case. The article in question was published by the Economic & Political Weekly (EPW) in 2017. It had alleged that the Centre had tweaked rules of the Special Economic Zone which “enabled a company in the Adani Group to reap a bonanza of around Rs 500 crore.”
KASHMIRI TEEN ATTACKED IN PUNJAB CITY BATTLES FOR LIFE
A 19-year-old Kashmiri is battling for life in hospital after he was critically injured in an attack by goons in Punjab’s Patiala district on January 17, a report said on January 20. The injured, who works as a catering boy in Patiala city, has been identified as Danish Kumar, a resident of the Dooru area of Anantnag district in Kashmir. He is currently under medical supervision in ICU of Rajendra Hospital in Patiala and has undergone two surgeries since admission. The incident reportedly took place at around 9: 30 pm when Danish and his friends went to a salon for haircut.
JIH SECRETARY GENERAL INAUGURATES KHIDMAT HOSPITAL IN BAREILLY
Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) Secretary General T. Arif Ali has inaugurated Khidmat Hospital in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh. This is a full-fledged hospital at Bhartaul, in the outskirts of Bareilly. JIH Secretary Mohammad Ahmed, JIH Assit. Secretary Waseeq Nadeem, Human Welfare Foundation Asst. General Secretary Mauzzam Naik, JIH UP West President Ahmad Azeez, other officials of JIH and HWF, were present at the inaugural function. Bhartaul is located seven kms away from the district headquarters, in which proper medical facility is rarely available. The majority of the population of this region is Muslims and they are economically deprived. Rithora region lacks a quality healthcare facility and therefore HWF’s Vision 2026 decided to establish a healthcare facility in the region. The hospital consists of a 24×7 Emergency Service with an ambulance, Gynaecology, Paediatrics, General Medicine, General Surgical, Pathology and Radiology Specialties, and a blood bank.
JIH HATRUN ADARSH PANEL WINS IMMENSE SUCCESS
Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) Hatrun reaped great success in the Maharashtra Gram Panchayat elections held on January 15. As per the results declared on January 18, JIH Hatrun’s Adarsh Panel won 8 out of the 11 candidates fielded. One candidate lost by just 2 votes, and two candidates lost by 17 votes each.
It is to be noted that Panchayat polls are not fought on party symbols, but panels consisting of candidates are fielded by political parties or local groups; so JIH Hatrun fielded its candidates in the name of Adarsh Panel. Hatrun is a village in Balapur Taluka of Akola district in Maharashtra.
JIH Hatrun Ameer Maqami Ahfaz Khan said the Hatrun unit would make concerted efforts to promote corruption-free system and implement all public welfare policies in the village.
Abdul Mujeeb, Secretary for Equity and Justice, said, “JIH Hatrun would form the gram panchayat and make tireless efforts to make Hatrun a model village. I thank Allah the Almighty for this success and Ameer Halqua Rizwanur Rahman Khan, who extended his cooperation and guidance at every step.”
The total population of Hatrun is about 14,000; out of them 8,500 are Muslims, and total voters are only 4,700. Out of Adarsh Panel’s 11 candidates fielded 2 seats went to Hindus and 1 to a Buddhist. Out of 11 candidates fielded, 7 were women; out of 7 women candidates 5 emerged winners. Out of the 5 successful women candidates 1 is SC and 2 are OBC.