Newsletter 5 March
Top 5 News
1- Seven Congress MPs suspended from Lok Sabha by Speaker Om Birla for throwing paper at Speaker
2- Tahir Hussain, accused of brutal killing of IB personal Delhi Riot Arrested
3- India, US sign Rs 1200 cr deal for missile protection suites for new VVIP planes
4- Death Warrant issued after exhortation of all Legal Remedies of Nirbhya Burtal Gang Rape, 2012 convicts
5- SC will hear pleas on CAA after arguments in Sabarimala related matter
National
Seven Congress MPs suspended from Lok Sabha by Speaker Om Birla for throwing paper at Speaker
Seven Congress MPs have been suspended from Lok Sabha for unruly behavior in the House for the present session.
MPs includes, Gaurav Gogoi, TN Prathapan, Dean Kuriakose, R Unnithan, Manickam Tagore, Benny Behnan and Gurjeet Singh Aujla.
The MPs had allegedly torn some paper and thrown it at the sitting Speaker in Lok Sabha.
Adhir Ranjan Chaudhary, asked to Govt in media, Is this a dictatorship? It seems Govt doesn’t want Delhi violence issue to be discussed in Parliament that is why this suspension. We strongly condemn this.
Suspend us for a year, but discuss Delhi riots and heal wounds of people: said Cong MP Gaurav Gogoi
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi on 7 Congress MPs suspended for rest of session commented, They reached the height of indiscipline and arrogance. Some pieces of paper were directly thrown at Speaker’s chair (in Lok Sabha). This is highly condemnable & unpardonable.
- Workers of National Students Union of India (NSUI: Congress Student Wing) take out a protest march against Delhi Violence. Yesterday, former, Congress President Rahul Gandhi visited selected area which are affected in violence.
- Opposition MPs in Rajya Sabha continue to protest against Delhi violence. Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu says, “No slogans to be raised because this is Parliament not a bazaar”.
- Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad in Rajya Sabha: Since the govt has decided to hold a discussion on Delhi Violence on March 11, we request that if govt puts a statement on the floor of the house, the discussion should be confined to it only.Lok Sabha adjourned till 12 noon, Uproar by Opposition in Lok Sabha over the issue of Delhi violence; slogans of “We want justice” being raised.
Post Delhi Violence…… Tahir Hussain, accused of brutal killing of IB personal Delhi Riot Arrested (PTI)
Tahir Hussain was arrested by Delhi Police immediately after dismissal of his surrender application by Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Vishal Pahuja. He will now be produced in Karkardooma Court after his medical formalities
Delhi Police Commissioner SN Shrivastava: We are taking appropriate legal action against Hussain (suspended AAP Councilor), accused of brutal killing of IB personal Amit Sharma, “we will soon present him before the law”. Accuse is made family of Sharma.
Crime Branch has recovered the car in which Shahrukh (man who opened fire and pointed a gun at Police on Feb 24) had fled.
- Mukesh Kalia, Hussain’s lawyer informed the media that “He is on his way to Rouse Avenue Court (Delhi) to surrender.” If he reaches Court without being arrested in between then he will surrender here before the court.
BBC claimed ‘The police told us to throw stones’ Delhi residents who took part in communal violence
- In new video evidence released by BBC, members of the Hindu mob have admitted to the Delhi Police helping them pick stones and throw them towards Muslims.
- “We did not have enough stones here, so the police brought some and told us to throw them,” Himanshu Rathor said in the video. The video also details incidents of violence perpetrated by the police against the Muslims.
Anuj Kumar, ACP Gokulpuri, who were also injured in stone pelting on Feb 24, Shahdara DCP Amit Sharma got injured and fell unconscious beside divider of Wazirabad road in Chand Bagh where people were running riot. I and two other police personnel rescued and took him to Yamuna Vihar side. Stones were flying thick and fast. He was
speaking a video surfaced, in which a mob was pelting stones.
Background:
A head constable was among four people killed and at least 50 others, including several paramilitary and Delhi Police personnel, were injured as violence spiraled over the amended citizenship law in northeast Delhi, turned it into a battlefield on 24th with frenzied protesters torching houses, shops, vehicles and a petrol pump, and hurling stones.
India, US sign Rs 1200 cr deal for missile protection suites for new VVIP planes
Mar 5 (ANI): India has signed a Rs 1,200 crore deal with the United States for buying protection suites to protect the two new Boeing VVIP planes from missile attacks that will be used to ferry the President and the PM.
- “The missile protection suites on the two Boeing-777 extended range planes to be codenamed ‘Air Force One’ would provide it the capability to fend off any missile attacks,” government sources told ANI.
- The foreign military sales deal between the two governments was signed around the 2-day visit of US President Donald Trump to India, sources said.
- The self-protection suites for the Indian planes include infrared and electronic warfare countermeasures suites, counter-measure dispensing systems, and missile warning sensors.
- The two planes are expected to arrive in India by the middle of next year to begin the VVIP duties.
- Indian Air Force officials have made several visits to the Boeing facility where they get regularly briefed about the facilities being created in the aircraft and the progress made in this regard.
- Due to the presence of the sophisticated equipment including missile protection suites and ownership by the Indian Air Force, the planes will have military classification.
- The ownership of the planes was earlier with Air India, which was maintaining the VVIP fleet using four Boeing 747 planes.
Death Warrant issued after exhortation of all Legal Remedies of Nirbhya Burtal Gang Rape, 2012 convicts
Death warrant has been issued by Patiala House Court on March 20th 2020 at 0530 hrs. As it has took 7 long years. After sequential rejection of mercy petition from the President of India, of all 4 accused.
DRDO confirms Chinese ship India stopped was carrying nuclear-capable equipment to Pakistan
- According to DRDO officials, it is now up to India’s national security planners to expose the nuclear proliferation nexus between Beijing and Islamabad.
- Experts from the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) have confirmed that an industrial autoclave seized from the Chinese ship Dai Cui Yun can be used for the manufacture of very long-range ballistic missiles or satellite launch rockets.
- The ship was detained by Customs at Kandla Port while en-route to Port Qasim, Karachi, on Feb 3 on the basis of an intelligence tip-off and allowed to proceed to the Pakistani port on Feb 20 after the so-
- called dual-use (civilian and military) equipment was seized. The autoclave was mis-declared as an industrial dryer.
- Analysts said DRDO’s confirmation exposes the nuclear nexus between China and its all-weather ally Pakistan. According to top government and intelligence officials, the DRDO’s technical experts and missile scientists informed the Kandla Customs, the ministry of external affairs and national security planners on Tue morning that the seized 18 meter by 4 meter autoclave can indeed be used in the manufacture of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) platforms.
- “The autoclave can be used for the manufacture of the motor of very long range missiles, with range upwards of 1,500 KM or even in the construction of a motor for the launch of satellites. Pakistan has the Shaheen II missile in the 1,500-2,000 KM range and the platform was tested last May,” said one of the officials, who asked not to be named.
- According to the officials, it is now up to India’s national security planners to invoke the Weapons of Mass Destruction and Their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Act 2005 as well as inform the UN under the WMD Convention to expose the nuclear proliferation nexus between Beijing and Islamabad. Under Indian law, any contravention of the above law attracts a punishment of not less than five years’ imprisonment which may be extended to imprisonment for life with an added fine.
- The autoclave was being imported by the Islamabad-based United Construction Company and Hong Kong-based General Technology had booked the consignment.
SC will hear pleas on CAA after arguments in Sabarimala related matter
- The Supreme Court on Thurs said it will hear pleas challenging the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) after arguments in the Sabarimala matter are over.
- A bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde said this after senior advocate Kapil Sibal sought urgent hearing of CAA matters and said that till date, the Centre has not filed a reply in the matter.
- Attorney General K K Venugopal told the bench also comprising justices B R Gavai and Surya Kant that the Centre would be filing a reply in a few days.
A 9-judge bench is re-examining various religious issues, including the entry of women into the Sabarimala temple and mosques, and the practice of female genital mutilation in the Dawoodi Bohra community.
Habeas corpus plea of Omar Abdullah’s sister against his PSA detention postponed to March 17th by the SC since a Constitution Bench is sitting this week and next week the court is closed for Holi
Senior Advocate Sibal urged the Bench to have it taken up early as possible as it is a Habeas Corpus Case.
RBI's Rs 34 Lakh Crore Firepower May Arrest Rupee's 'Panic' Tumble Over Coronavirus
Authorities may deploy some of the stockpile to steady the rupee, which has tumbled more than 2% over the past week as more locals are diagnosed with the coronavirus.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) kept amassing dollars all through 2019, ending the year with Asia’s biggest jump in foreign-exchange reserves. That may come in handy now.
Authorities may deploy some of the stockpile to steady the rupee, which has tumbled more than 2% over the past week as more locals are diagnosed with the coronavirus. The currency is the worst performer in Asia this month after having escaped relatively unscathed in Feb when most regional peers were hit by the contagion.
“The RBI has big firepower at its disposal in the form of FX reserves and can easily arrest the rupee’s losses,” said Sajal Gupta, head of foreign exchange at Edelweiss Securities Ltd. in Mumbai. “What we are seeing is a panic rupee reaction.”
India’s foreign-exchange reserves rose by $64 billion in 2019 and the central bank added another $18 billion in 2020, taking holdings to a record $476 billion as of February 21, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. China added $35 billion last year, while reserves rose by $8.5 billion in Indonesia and $2.2 billion in Malaysia.
Man working as operative of Pak intelligence agencies detained: Jammu and Kashmir Police
Acting on a specific input, a team of Special Operations Group Jammu detained one Pankaj Sharma, a resident of Tarore, Samba who was working as an operative of Pakistani intelligence agencies, Jammu and Kashmir Police said on Wed.
The whole operation was done under the supervision and monitoring of SSP SOG and SSP Jammu.
“The individual was in touch across since last few years. In this period he had sent across photos and videos of vital areas and installations mostly of Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts to his Pak handlers via social media platforms in lieu of monetary gains,” said police in a statement.
“During questioning, he has confessed his involvement in passing the crucial information of vital installations including sensitive bridges on NHW and in border areas to his Pak handlers. Preliminary probe indicates some monetary transactions in the two bank accounts of the alleged accused,” the statement added.
“His bank accounts are being further analyzed for more suspicious transactions. Further investigations in the case is going on,” Police said.
Corona Virus Row…….
Number of positive #Coronavirus cases in India rises to 30 after a person in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh tests positive
EAM S Jaishankar, Update for Indians stranded in Iran and for their families- Our medical team for screening arrives in Iran today. Hope to establish first clinic at Qom by evening. Screening process will start immediately. Working on logistics of return with Iranian authorities.
Amid concerns over the health of over 1,200 Indian nationals stuck in Iran, the second country after China to report highest number of casualties — the government offered some hope for their families.
Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan in Rajya Sabha: As on 4th Mar, a total of 28529 persons were brought under community surveillance and are being monitored.
Govt Advisory: Those traveling to India from/having visited Italy or Republic of Korea will need certificate of having tested negative for COVID-19 from designated laboratories authorized by the health authorities of these countries. This will be enforced from Mar 10.
Bulandshahar: In a video on social media, 2 men can be seen being thrashed.
SSP says “It happened between 2 groups in Hamidpur village on 2nd Mar. FIR was registered. There are different versions of the incident. It’s being investigated to know the actual reason behind the incident”
However, a step ahead, BBC concluded “it a group of people have beaten 2 people in doubt of cow slaughtering”.
Aggressive new coronavirus strain found
Chinese scientists found the novel coronavirus has two strains, of which the more infectious type shows significant difference with bat coronavirus and is unlikely originated from the pangolin coronavirus once spread in Guangdong Province, according to a new study.
In a new study published in the National Science Review, researchers suggested that after the virus crossed into humans, the original strain evolved into a second type and both of these are now circulating.
- The discovery comes as the number of confirmed cases around the world continues to increase, prompting governments to close schools and cancel prayers, and panicked shoppers to wipe supermarket shelves of essential items.
- Although further research is needed, the preliminary study carried out at Peking University’s School of Life Sciences and the Institute Pasteur of Shanghai sheds some light on how the disease is evolving.
- The scientists analyzed 103 coronavirus genomes and identified mutations in 149 sites across the strains. They found that one type, which they called the “L” type, was more aggressive than the other – accounting for 70 per cent of the cases they analyzed.
- The less aggressive strain, identified as “S”, appeared to be the ancestor of the more prevalent one. While strain “L” was found to have a higher presence when the outbreak first began in Wuhan, it started to subside in early January, as the “S” type has now increased.
- The study suggested that this could be due to the rush to treat patients infected with the “L” strain, whose symptoms are easier to detect.
UK expresses concerns over potential impact of CAA
In response to an urgent question on “Recent Violence in India” tabled by Pakistani-origin Opposition Labour Party MP Khalid Mahmood in the House of Commons, UK’s Minister Nigel Adams said the UK engages with India at all levels and also referred to the country’s “proud history” of inclusive government and religious tolerance.
The UK government has reiterated its concern over the potential impact of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and said it is continuing to follow the events in India closely.
[For more detail read yesterday’s Newsletter]
Raveesh Kumar, MEA: As far as India-EU Summit is concerned which PM Modi had to attend, the health authorities of both the countries suggested that travelling must not take place at present. So, it has been decided that Summit will be rescheduled on a mutually convenient date.
The decision has been taken in the spirit of close cooperation between the EU and India who share same concerns and commitment to global health and hope that the outbreak is contained soon.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s comments on Delhi violence: They’re factually inaccurate, they’re driven by his own political agenda. We don’t expect such statements from a Head of State. We made strong demarche with Turkish Ambassador in Delhi on 3rd Mar on this.
On reports that 495 Iranian tourists are untraceable: Till now we haven’t received any info about it from Iranian Embassy. Some Iranian tourists who’re in India had come here before Corona Virus outbreak and they can’t return as no flight is operating between 2 countries at present.
When PM Modi met Bangladesh’s PM Sheikh Hasina, she specifically invited PM Modi to attend centenary celebrations of Bangabandhu (Sheikh Mujibur Rahman). PM had accepted the invitation and he’ll be visiting Bangladesh to attend the celebrations. We we’ll share more details later.
On US-Taliban peace deal: India will continue to extend all possible support to the govt and people of Afghanistan in realizing their aspiration for a peaceful and democratic future where interest of all sections of Afghan society are protected.
Ministry of Railways: In view of Holi festival, Indian Railways plans to run 402 special train services in the month of Mar, 2020 to ensure smooth & comfortable travel of the passengers.
'Democracy being finished in every state': Congress accuses BJP of 'abducting' 14 MP MLAs
The Congress party on Thursday accused the BJP of abducting 14 of its MLAs in Madhya Pradesh and said the “fever” to destabilize a state government rises when Rajya Sabha elections are due.
Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said, “Ever since the BJP has come to power at the national level, the democracy of the country is being finished in every state one by one. It started with Arunachal Pradesh.”
On Wed, a Vyapam scam whistleblower alleged that BJP leader Narottam Mishra has offered Rs 100 crore to some Congress MLAs for overthrowing Kamal Nath-led government in MP. He also released a purported video of a ‘sting operation’ involving Mishra to back his claim.
International
ICC set to rule on Afghanistan investigation appeal
- THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) —Judges are set to rule on an appeal by International Criminal Court prosecutors against a decision rejecting an investigation into atrocities committed by all sides in the Afghanistan conflict — including U.S. forces.
- Thursday’s hearing could clear the way for Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda to open a full-blown investigation into alleged crimes by the Taliban, Afghan government forces and U.S. forces at secret detention centers.
- At a hearing in Dec, prosecutors argued that pretrial judges at the global court overstepped their powers in Apr last year when they refused to authorize an investigation.
- In a decision that drew fierce criticism from human rights activists, the pretrial chamber said an investigation would not be in the interests of justice because it was unlikely to lead to successful prosecutions.
- After a preliminary probe in Afghanistan that lasted more than a decade, Bensouda asked judges in November 2017 to authorize a far-reaching investigation.
- She said there is information that members of the U.S. military and intelligence agencies “committed acts of torture, cruel treatment, outrages upon personal dignity, rape and sexual violence against conflict-related detainees in Afghanistan and other locations, principally in the 2003-2004 period.”
- She also said the Taliban and other insurgent groups have killed more than 17,000 Afghan civilians since 2009, including some 7,000 targeted killings, and that Afghan security forces are suspected of torturing prisoners at government detention centers.
- Thursday’s hearing comes days after an ambitious peace deal was signed by the U.S. and the Taliban.
- Even if an investigation is authorized, the prospects of meaningful cooperation by any of the sides in Afghanistan are dim.
- At the Dec hearing, the government of Afghanistan said it objected to the investigation and has set up a special unit to investigate war crimes. The ICC is a court of last resort that only takes on cases if domestic jurisdictions are unable or unwilling to prosecute.
- The United States does not recognize the court and refuses to cooperate with it.
- There was no official U.S. delegation at December’s appeal hearing but President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, Jay Sekulow, appeared on behalf of the European branch of the American Center for Law and Justice and told judges that U.S. position would not change.
States
UP cancels 1,300 appointments by SP Govt
The 1,300 appointees include 853 junior engineers, 122 assistant engineers and 325 clerks. Vikas Gothalwal, Managing Director of UP Jal Nigam, said the appointments were cancelled based on different inquiry reports, including that of the SIT formed by the incumbent Govt in 2017 to investigate alleged corruption in the recruitment process during the previous government’s rule.
India in International Frame
BBC |
Delhi riots: Toddler separated in violence reunited with family |
Reuters |
India plans to airlift components from China to help local tech industry: sources NEW DELHI, India is planning to backstop its growing electronics sector by arranging to airlift components from China, three government officials said, as it tries to contain the fallout from the coronavirus crisis in China. |
CNN |
India identifies 29 coronavirus cases as global infections top 95,000 |
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