INDIA

In the wake of the recent Nuh riot, reports are emerging of a concerning trend as over 50 Panchayats across three districts – Rewari, Mahendragarh, and Jhajjar – have purportedly issued letters restricting the entry of Muslims, shopkeepers, and businessmen into their communities. The letters, reportedly signed by the Sarpanches of these Panchayats, also require Muslims residing in these villages to submit their identity documents to local police Muslim Mirror reported. Interestingly, a significant number of these villages boast negligible or no minority residents. While there are a few families who have called these places home for generations, the letters have sparked confusion due to their apparent lack of direct relevance. The letters, however, emphasize that their intent is not to o...

The central government has moved to exclude the Chief Justice of India (CJI) as a member of the selection committee that will choose the Chief and other Election Commissioners of India. Earlier, the Supreme Court judgement had said that its judgement including the CJI in the selection committee will hold good until the centre brings in a law. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday slammed the Centre for reportedly proposing a bill through which the committee to select the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners will consist of the Prime Minister, Opposition leaders, and nominated Central government ministers. A few months ago, the Supreme Court had included the Chief Justice's name in this committee in its order. But if the proposed legislation is passed b...

Following the communal clashes in Haryana's Nuh district, a total of 170 persons have been arrested--Most of these people belonging to the Muslim community. Quoting Police sources, Muslim Mirror reported that approximately 90 percent of the arrested individuals are Muslims. A total of 56 FIRs were registered in the north Indian state. Muslim community members have raised concerns over alleged bias in the arrests. They claim that the police disproportionately targeted Muslim men while failing to take adequate action against Hindu men involved in the violence. A senior police officer acknowledged the high number of Muslim arrests but emphasized that action was also taken against Hindus responsible for the unrest. Notably, four suspects involved in the torching of a mosque w...

The Kerala assembly on Tuesday unanimously adopted a resolution urging the BJP-led central government to refrain from implementing the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the country. Kerala became the second state in the country to pass a resolution against the Uniform Civil Code (UCC). Earlier in February, the Mizoram assembly had unanimously adopted an official resolution opposing any move to implement the UCC in the country, reports PTI. The Kerala Legislative Assembly demanded that the central government refrain from taking any steps on issues affecting the entire populace of the country. The resolution was moved by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and it was supported by the Congress-led opposition and it points out that the central government’s unilateral and hasty move to impose...

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday during the discussion on no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said that his “arrogance was burning India like Ravana’s arrogance got Lanka burned”. “If we want to hear the voice of people, we will have to crush our arrogance as Ravana was not killed by Lord Ram but his arrogance got him killed and in the same manner Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s arrogance is burning the whole country.” He said that it was not Lord Hanuman who burned Lanka, but it was arrogance of Ravana that got the Lanka destroyed. Gandhi made the remarks while speaking in the Lok Sabha in support of the no-confidence motion. Before starting his speech in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi first thanked Speaker Om Birla for re-insta...

Union Minister Smriti Irani on Wednesday said that Article 370 will not be reinstated in Jammu Kashmir. Addressing the Lok Sabha during the no-confidence dabate, she said, "It was mentioned in the House today that he (Rahul Gandhi) undertook a Yatra and gave assurance that they will reinstate Article 370 if it is up to them. I would like to tell the person who has run away from the House that neither will Article 370 be reinstated in the country nor will those who threaten Kashmiri Pandits with “Ralib Galib Chalib” be spared.” She also attacked the Opposition saying that the I.N.D.I.A alliance is not India, for India is not corrupt. “You are not India, for India is not corrupt. India believes in merit not in dynasty… today of all the days people like you need to remember what was ...

The Editors Guild of India has expressed deep concern over the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023. The bill, as per a press statement of the Editors Guild of India, was presented before the Lok Sabha on August 3, 2023 by the Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology, Mr. Ashwini Vaishnaw. The bill carries various provisions that can have an adverse impact on press freedom. In the statement, EGI said, we highlight some of the primary concerns below B. Concerns over surveillance over censorship and lack of surveillance reform We note, with dismay, that while the Bill, ostensibly to promote data protection, has failed to make any provisions that bring about the surveillance reform that is urgently needed, and in fact creates an enabling framework for surve...

A man who administered a WhatsApp group was arrested here allegedly after a "derogatory" comment against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister posted on the group surfaced on social media, police said on Saturday. Kotwali Police Station SHO Ajay Kumar Seth said a comment against UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had gone viral on social media on August 4. The man arrested has been identified as Sahabuddin Ansari, while the man who posted the comment, identified as Muslim Ansari, is still at large, he said. Seth said that police had received the complaint in this regard on August 4 through Twitter. A screenshot of the derogatory comment has been obtained, he said. On the basis of the complaint, a case was registered against Sahabuddin Ansari and Muslim Ansari under various sections of...

Hundreds of people from Gurugram and its surrounding villages gathered in Sector 57 on Sunday, defying prohibitory orders, as tensions continue to rise following the recent sectarian violence that swept across the region, reported Muslim Mirror. At a Mahapanchayat, convened in the wake of the mosque attack, participants announced a Muslim social boycott, claiming that the individuals responsible for the assault on the mosque were innocent. A seven-day ultimatum was issued, threatening “chakka jams” and roadblocks across the city if the names of the alleged attackers were not removed. The situation escalated further as Subey Singh Bohra, the former sarpanch of Wazirabad in Sector 57, spoke out, stating, “We need to see the evidence against the boys who have been arrested for violen...

On the forth anniversary of abrogation of Article 370 and 35A, former Minister P Chidambaram launched a scathing attack on the government, criticising their claim that the abrogation of Article 370 brought peace to Jammu Kashmir. The Senior Congress leader alleged that while freedom is suppressed all over India, it is most severely suppressed in Jammu Kashmir. The government had hailed the decision as a historic move that ushered in peace and development in Jammu Kashmir. Chidambaram took to Twitter to express his doubts and quoted American President John F. Kennedy’s caution against celebrating a “peace of the grave and the silence of the slave,” questioning the government’s narrative of peace in the region. “The Government and the LG of Jammu & Kashmir celebrate the “peac...