INDIA Archives - Page 245 of 317

Feb132021 by News DeskNo Comments

Kashmir Youth Holding Bats in their Hands instead of Guns, Factories all Set to Come up in Jammu Kashmir: Amit Shah

INDIA

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said that the biggest achievement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government in J&K was that today’s youth of the UT holds bat instead of guns in their hands while as development is touching new heights in a place that was ignored for 70-years. “I was forced to give a detailed reply as some members alleged that no development was taking place in J&K after Article 370 revocation,” Shah told Parliament while replying to the discussion on the J&K Re-organisation Bill-2020, as per news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO). He said the biggest achievement of the PM Modi led government in J&K was that today’s youth in J&K are holding bats in their hands instead of guns. “This is what we have done in J&K in just 17 months (...

Feb132021 by News DeskNo Comments

Dissent Comes with Certain Duties, Cannot be Held anytime, Anywhere; Supreme Court

INDIA

Reviewing the petition on the anti-citizenship law protests held in Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh in 2019 the Supreme Court of India said "The right to protest and express dissent comes with certain duties and cannot be held “anytime and everywhere." While Article 19(1) of the Indian Constitution says " (1) All citizens shall have the right (a) to freedom of speech and expression; (b) to assemble peaceably and without arms; (c) to form associations or unions; (d) to move freely throughout the territory of India; (e) to reside and settle in any part of the territory of India; and (f) omitted (g) to practice any profession, or to carry on any occupation, trade, or business. A review petition was filed by some Activists on the last year’s ruling of the Supreme Court terming the anti-citi...

Feb122021 by News DeskNo Comments

2.2 Percent of Detainees Under ‘Anti-Terror Law’ Convicted, says Home Ministry

INDIA

The Government of Friday said that out of 5,922 people arrested under the UAPA law from 2016 to 2019, only 132 were found guilty putting the conviction rate at 2.2 percent. Union Minister of State for Home G. Kishan Reddy shared the information in Rajya Sabha in response to a question. He informed the Upper House that as per the 2019 Crime in India Report compiled by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), the total number of persons arrested under the Act in 2019 is 1,948. In another reply, he said that 96 people were arrested on charges of treason (sedition in the legal language) under Section 194A IPC in 2019 but only two were convicted and 29 persons were acquitted. Of the 93 sedition cases, a charge-sheet was filed in 40 cases in the same year. Karnataka leads the list of s...

Feb112021 by News DeskNo Comments

YouTube Blocks Music Video about Farmer’s Protest by a Famous Punjabi Singer

INDIA

On Tuesday, YouTube blocked a music video by famous Punjabi singer Kanwar Grewal titled ‘Ailaan’ (that means - proclaimed) was related to the farmer protests. YouTube has placed a notification on the original video, saying “This content is not available on this country domain due to a legal complaint from the government”. A YouTube spokesperson said in a statement: “We comply with valid legal requests from authorities wherever possible, consistent with our longstanding policy and act quickly to remove identified content”. However, the fans of the singer posted the same music video on various other channels on YouTube which can still be accessed. Another video by artist Himmat Sandhu titled ‘Asi vaddange’ has also been blocked on the platform. Several Punjabi celebrities and si...

Feb112021 by News DeskNo Comments

‘Stop Labelling Muslims as “others” in this Country’ – Former VP, Hamid Ansari

INDIA

On Wednesday, Former Vice President Hamid Ansari lamented that there is a concerted effort by some in the country to regard Muslims as “others” and stressed that India’s plural society has been the reality for centuries. Participating in a discussion on his book “By Many a Happy Accident: Recollections of a Life”, he said his Muslim-ness did not matter and his professional competence did. Am I a citizen or not? If I am a citizen, I have the right to be a beneficiary of all things that flow out of citizenship,” he said. “A plural society was an existential reality in India for centuries,” he noted. Former Union minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram, who was also part of the discussion, said he and Ansari are both pained as the developments of the last several years are “th...

Feb112021 by News DeskNo Comments

Modi speaks his Mann Ki Baat, But Does Not Listen to Kisan Ki Baat, Says Sibal

INDIA

On Wednesday, in Rajya Sabha, senior Congress MP Kapil Sibal said the Budget does not do anything to address the increasing levels of inequality and it favours crony capitalists. However, the BJP reacted on it saying it has the potential to address the slowdown during the pandemic. The Former Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar and BJP’s key speaker Sushil Kumar Modi said proactive steps are being taken by the Centre to address the issues of people. Sibal said one particular businessman is growing in all sectors, but the Centre has no time to listen to protesting farmers. He urged the Centre to listen to farmer’s demands and legalise the MSP. He said, the problem is the government is not listening to grievances of farmers and their Mann ki Baat, you only talk about your Mann ki Baat alwa...

Feb102021 by News DeskNo Comments

‘Srinagar Encounter was Fake’- Farooq Abdullah Demands Back the Bodies of the Slain Youth

INDIA

Dr. Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday along with Justice Hasnain Masoodi, the Member Parliament from South Kashmir protested outside the Parliament House holding placards demanding the return of the bodies of the three slain youth killed in an alleged fake encounter at Lawaypora on the outskirts of Srinagar. "The three were not Militants, if an independent probe is launched into the incident, it will be clear that the three were not associated to any Miltant outfit," Dr. Farooq Abdullah said, while maintaining that peace is a distant reality in Kashmir. "Why is police not taking any legal action against it? Why are we not enquiring about this issue? You need to give the bodies back to the families so they can bury them properly," He said. Referring to the Shopian Fake encounter, Farooq s...

Feb102021 by News DeskNo Comments

Kashmir’s Representation in Rajya Sabha Weakens as Four Senior Leaders Retire

INDIA, REGIONAL

The prime minister was participating in the farewell speech for Opposition leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and three other members from Jammu Kashmir — Nazir Ahmad Laway, Shamsher Singh Manhas, Mir Mohammad Fayaz whose terms in the Upper House are coming to an end. Rajya Sabha has no member from Jammu Kashmir presently. Modi said it would be difficult for anyone to fill the shoes of Azad as he cared not only about his political affiliation but also about the country and the House. In Rajya Sabha, Modi broke down several times while reminiscing his close affiliation with Azad. He noted that Azad had called him to ask for an all party meeting during COVID-19 period. “I liked that and also did it. This kind of connection is there because he has the experience of both being in power and in opposition....

Feb102021 by News DeskNo Comments

Twitters Plays it Smart – Suspends 500 Accounts and Refuses to Act on 1178 Accounts, as Requested by the Central Government

INDIA

In response to the ''legal requests'' from the Central government, Twitter on Wednesday informed that it has taken multiple enforcement actions - including permanent suspension of over 500 accounts for clear violations of Twitter's rules. The social media giant in a statement said, "Separate to our enforcement under the Twitter Rules, over the course of the last 10 days, Twitter has been served with several separate blocking orders by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act." "We took a range of enforcement actions -- including permanent suspension in certain cases -T against more than 500 accounts escalated across all Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology orders for clear vi...

Feb102021 by News DeskNo Comments

93 Sedition Cases Registered in 2019 in India, 11 in Jammu Kashmir

INDIA

As many as 93 cases of sedition were registered in different parts of the country in 2019 in which 96 people were arrested, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Wednesday. Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy said charge sheets were filed against 76 people while 29 were acquitted by the courts in 2019. The highest number of 22 sedition cases in 2019 was registered in Karnataka where 18 people were arrested, he said in a written reply to a question. Reddy said 17 sedition cases were registered in Assam where 23 people were arrested. A total of 11 sedition cases were registered in Jammu Kashmir where 16 people were arrested. As many as 10 sedition cases were filed in Uttar Pradesh in which nine people were arrested, he said. Replying to another question on whether any st...