Newsletter 11 March

Top 5 News

1-   HM to Answer in LS on NE Delhi Violence
2-   Total 132 scientists left the DRDO in the past 5 years
3-   Corona Virus Row….. 1st Death Reported in India
4-   1,487 Indian prisoners lodged in jails of Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Lanka: MEA
5-   Jyotiraditya Scindia formally Joined BJP in Afternoon, His MLAs Reluctan

National

HM to Answer in LS on NE Delhi Violence Parliament LIVE Updates: Congress calls Delhi riots ‘defeat of humanity’, BJP hits back

But prior to that BJP MP Menakshi Lekhi take a charge to defend the Govt and gave a long speech over the reason of violence. She completely tore off all blame of oppositions.

She added “Anurag Thakur and Parvesh Verma were blamed for Delhi violence. Anurag and Verma made comments on Jan 20^th and Jan 28^th respectively, while the violence started on Feb 23^rd. Kapil Mishra was held responsible for acts of Amanatullah Khan, Sharjeel Imam and Tahir Hussain.”

Log toot jaate hain ghar banane ko aur tum taras nahi khaate ho bastiyan jalane ko. Some people have history of setting things ablaze. I have data which shows who was responsible whenever violence incidents took place in country.

They talked of 1984 riots, I would like to tell them that they’ve forgotten that some accused are today on the position of CM. The violence (Delhi Violence) was brought under control within 36 hrs which, if you look at in hindsight, was in the making for months.

Replying to the Opposition for raising the matter of Justice Muralidhar’s transfer, Lekhi said, “Intelligence Bureau reports against some people should be made public, so that people know who has been transferred and why.” The transfer order of Delhi High Court judge Justice Muralidhar had drawn sharp political reactions, as he was issued the order, on the night of Feb 26^th, the day when he had pulled up Delhi Police for failing to register FIRs against three BJP leaders for their alleged hate speech.

She also added the investigation is underway and final report yet to come.

Earlier, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla Revokes Controversial Suspension Of 7 Congress MPs

LS passes motion to revoke suspension of 7 Congress members from the House with immediate effect

The move by the Lok Sabha speaker came amidst the constant disruption of parliamentary proceedings by the Congress party over the issue of the Delhi riots.
On Mon, BJP and Congress members pushed and shoved each other in LS.
Opposition members also demanded the resignation of Home Minister Amit Shah.
Following the incident, the House was adjourned for the day. On Tue, an all-party meeting was called by LS speaker Om Birla.
The speaker requested leaders of all parties not to make any ruckus in the Parliament and let the houses work.
All-party meeting being chaired by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla underway in Parliament, over smooth functioning of the House.
- Rajya Sabha adjourned till 2 pm today amid ruckus by opposition MPs over different issues.
  - KK Ragesh, Communist Party of India (Marxist) MP, has given Suspension of Business Notice in Rajya Sabha under Rule 267, over ‘Centre’s attempt to suppress media by imposing the 48-hour ban on two Malayalam news channels’ and ‘violence in Delhi’
    - Last Friday, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting banned Asianet News and MediaOne for 48 hours. Their coverage of the recent Delhi riots allegedly violated the rule on “programming that causes social disharmony” under Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act of 1995. The riots left over 50 dead and hundreds homeless.
    - Both channels questioned the Ministry’s decision. By Sat, the ban was revoked.
  - Lok Sabha also adjourned, till 12:30 pm today after opposition uproar over different issues.
    - Communist Party of India and Communist Party of India (Marxist) have given Adjournment Motion Notice in Lok Sabha over Delhi Violence.
    - Congress strategy meeting for Lok Sabha, chaired by Rahul Gandhi is held in Parliament, amid Union Home Minister Amit Shah to reply on discussion over Delhi Violence in LS around 5.30 pm today, subject to functioning of the house.
    - Its MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has given Adjournment Motion Notice in Lok Sabha over ‘revocation of the suspension of 7 Congress MPs’

1,487 Indian prisoners lodged in jails of Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Lanka: MEA

As many as 1,487 Indian prisoners are lodged in various jails of Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, the MEA said on Wed in LS.

MoS, V Muraleedharan stated in written reply that 83 missing Indian defense personnel, including prisoners of war, are believed to be in Pakistan’s custody.

“The government has consistently taken up the matter with Pakistan.

However, so far, Pakistan has not acknowledged the presence of these missing Indian defense personnel in its custody,” he said in a written reply.

MoS, Defense Shripad Naik in a written reply to MP Vishnu Dayal Ram, in Lok Sabha: Total 132 scientists left the Defense Research and Development Organization in the past 5 years on personal grounds.

37, 38, 22, 17 and 18 in years 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 respectively.

In order to arrest the brain drain and make the career of Scientists in DRDO more lucrative, the following incentives are given to Scientists in DRDO in the various ways, including, Financial Incentives, Professional Update Allowance, Additional Increments.

DRDO has been requesting for PRIS (O)-Organizational (20%) and PRIS (G)-Group (10%) two components of Performance Related Incentive Scheme (PRIS) available to other strategic scientific organizations namely DAE and DOS, but not to DRDO. (PIB)

The whole list can’t be seen in isolation while Army Chief a week back said “we have to be equipped ourselves, to combat hourly growing new technologies”. It became matter of research as why they are leaving what are doing at present?

DRDO is a network of more than 50 laboratories which are deeply engaged in developing defense technologies covering various disciplines, like aeronautics, armaments, electronics, combat vehicles, engineering systems, instrumentation, missiles, advanced computing and simulation, special materials, naval systems, life sciences, training, information systems and agriculture. Several major projects for the development of missiles, armaments, light combat aircrafts, radars, electronic warfare systems etc are on hand and significant achievements have already been made in several such technologies.

Right of Reply by India's Rachita Bhandari, Permanent Mission of India, at UN Human Rights Council, Geneva

Can Pak deny that its home to 130 UN designated terrorists and 25 terrorist entities listed by UN, and that these proscribed individuals have actively campaigned/ contested in polls?

Can Pak deny the fact that UNSC resolutions that it keeps referring to, ask Pakistan, as the very first step, to withdraw from the illegally occupied territory of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir and that it has not done so for more than seven decades?

India, as not only world’s largest democracy but a robustly functional and vibrant one, could well do without lessons from a failed State like Pak whose own people never enjoyed either true democracy or human rights.

In conclusion, she said there is an impression amongst some that our failure in addressing substantive disarmament and international security issues is due to procedural flaws and inherent inefficiency in the disarmament machinery. We must remind ourselves that a bad worker often quarrels with his tools. In pursuit of our collective security in an increasingly interdependent world, we have no alternative other than to strengthen multilateral mechanisms and institutions.

Corona Virus Row….. 1st Death Reported in India

A 76-year-old man suspected to be infected with coronavirus dies in Karnataka’s Kalaburagi: 1^st Death due to corona-PTI
EAM S Jaishankar stated in house, 6 Indian health officials are deputed in Iran to set up sampling and testing facilities there. 108 samples were received in India on Mar 7. People who tested negative were brought back yesterday. Samples of 529 more Indians are being tested in NIV Pune.
- IAF brings back first batch of 58 Indian pilgrims from coronavirus-hit Iran; swab samples of 529 arrive for tests.
- Fifty-eight Indian pilgrims were brought from Iran in an Indian Air Force C-17 Globemaster
- IAF spokesperson Group Captain Anupam Banerjee said the aircraft evacuated 25 men, 31 women and two children
- It brought swab samples of 529 Indians to carry out laboratory tests and check whether they carry coronavirus infection
- New Delhi: Fifty-eight Indians were brought back home from coronavirus-hit Iran in a military transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) on Tuesday.
- The aircraft, a C-17 Globemaster, was sent to Tehran from Hindon airbase near Ghaziabad on Monday evening.
New Delhi: the total cases reported in India rose to 62. On Tues, at least 14 new cases were reported, 8 from Kerala alone.
There have not been any deaths due to the infection in the country so far, while the Telangana government announced that a man who tested positive has now recovered.
Globally, close to 120,000 people from over a 100 countries have tested positive for the infection. Over 4,800 deaths have been reported so far.
India temporarily bars entry of nations from three more countries France, Germany and Spain, suspending regular as well as e-Visas granted to them till date, if they have not yet entered the country.
India puts additional restrictions on people travel history to Italy, South Korea
- In addition to visa restrictions already in place, people travelling from or having visited Italy and South Korea will now have to mandatorily submit a certificate of having tested negative for COVID-19 from laboratories authorized by the health authorities of their countries.
Air India AI-138 from Milan to Delhi has been taken to isolation bay at Delhi Airport; currently, all passengers are going through screening at the airport.
- Air India AI-138 from Milan to Delhi came without COVID-19 screening. The flight had 80 passengers on board. Indian Customs has completed all formalities of screening the passengers and their goods at the isolation bay at Delhi airport.
- came in his contact to place themselves under home quarantine. ANI
- 243- Cases in Pakistan have more than doubled in last 24 hours. This is not surprising. Disease has spread in 106 countries. All 19 cases have brought this from abroad. All are stable. There is no evidence of local spread as yet. If we act responsibly we can avoid spread. PTI

Delhi Riot Row… Investigation Underway

Delhi Police, Crime Branch has apprehended Irshad, Abid and Shahdab. All are residents of Mustafabad. They were with the suspended AAP Councilor Tahir Hussain (accused in Intelligence Bureau Officer Ankit Sharma murder case) on 24^th Feb and are said to be very close to him.
Delhi violence: ED files money laundering case against suspended AAP councilor Tahir Hussain
The case against Hussain has been filed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Similar charges have been slapped on the Popular Front of India, which is already facing a separate investigation. The ED is also investigating links between Hussain and the PFI, the Hindustan Times reported.
Officials said that the probe agency has taken cognizance of a bunch of FIRs filed by the Delhi Police over alleged money laundering and routing of funds by Hussain and PFI to sponsor the violence in the Capital.
- Last week, a court in Delhi sent Hussain to seven-day police custody in connection with Sharma’s killing during the violence in North East Delhi that broke out between the supporters of the Citizenship Amendment Act and those opposed to it between February 23 and 26. The police had charged him with murder, rioting and arson. Hussain’s brother was also arrested in connection with the clashes.

A Delhi Court has remanded Mohammad Shahnawaz to 14 days judicial custody, in connection with the murder case of a man in Gokulpuri, whose body was found in mutilated condition in Brijpuri area on Feb 26^th following violence in Delhi.

Delhi violence: Police custody of Mohammad Shahnawaz extended on Mar 9^th till toady which extended further.
According to police, the riot had taken place near Shiv Vihar Tiraha on Feb 24^th in which accused Shahnawaz and several other persons pelted stones, ransacked and torched several shops there.
The police claimed that accused Shahnawaz entered into a book store and a sweet shop godown at Chaman Park, Shiv Vihar and torched both the places along with other rioters.

Two days later, the body of Dilbar was found from the said shop. The eyewitness present at the spot had identified accused Shahnawaz as the main aggressor, who was leading the mob.

Delhi: A fresh petition has been filed in Delhi High Court, seeking action against several political leaders for allegedly making hate speeches & engaging in criminal activities

during Delhi violence. It also seeks attachment of their properties for damage to public properties.

The petition submits that hate speeches were made by Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Salman Khurshid and BJP’s Anurag Thakur, Kapil Mishra and others. The petition also seeks selling of their properties to compensate victims of Delhi violence in North East Delhi last month.

Political

Jyotiraditya Scindia formally Joined BJP in Afternoon, His MLAs Reluctant

On occasion of joining Jyotiraditya Scindia says “country’s future totally secure in PM Narendra Modi’s hands”.
- This joining may cause that fall of present MP Govt, as 22 MLAs resigned.
- Political science scholars considered it big loss for Congress and 22 ministers of his Camp emailed their resignations (as per media) to Speaker of MP Assembly, after Scindia sent his resignation to Interim Congress chief, Sonia Gandhi, on Sun. Followed by his meeting with BJP Leader Amit Shah tracked by the meeting with PM Modi.
This developed huge chaos in political fraternity as well as in media. Both big parties chosen to keep their MLAs in safe custody, in their own ruling states.
What a political Analyst, and well recognized (by Media), ‘Modi Heater’, Sudhindra Kulkarni said to NDTV: The Modi-Shah Strategy Reduces ‘Kamal’ To ‘Keechad’
- “The BJP’s present bosses – PM Narendra Modi and HM Amit Shah – have been systematically dynamiting democracy in state after state. Their latest act of destabilizing a democratically elected government is now under way in MP, where over 20 Congress MLAs have been purchased and made to resign after successfully plotting the exit of a disgruntled Congress leader, Jyotiraditya Scindia, from his party. With the ruling Congress government’s numbers in the state legislative assembly reduced to a minority, the BJP plans to install its own government in MP.”
- Rift Opens In BJP As It Inches Closer To Power In Madhya Pradesh.
  - Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot, at Jaipur Airport on Scindia, Such opportunists should have left the party much earlier. Congress party gave him so much for 18 years. Mauka aane pe maukaparasti dikhai hai. People will teach him a lesson.
    - Everyone can see how democracy is being murdered. MLAs are coming to Jaipur, you can see what kind of horse-trading attempts are being made there (in MP). Aisa nanga naach kabhi nahi dekha gaya hai, jo satta mein baithe huye log kar rahe hain. We stand together.
  We did not anticipate Scindia will quit Congress that was a mistake: said Digvijaya Singh. He added Scindia was offered the post of MP Dy CM but wanted his nominee. However, Kamal Nath refused to accept a “chela“. Madhya Pradesh turmoil leaves Uddhav Sarkar on alert; MVA plans pre-emptive meet: Republic

Former Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) ideologue and one time BJP Think Tank, KN Govindacharya has moved a PIL before Delhi High Court ‘accusing various social media companies of misusing idea of free speech and not complying with Indian laws which result in divisive society and riots like situation’.

Delhi HC issues notice to Google India, Facebook India and Twitter India on the plea and posted matter for 13 April. Court seeks response of Centre and social media organizations to take action through designated officers of intermediaries for removal of fake news on social media platforms.

International

Afghan President Ghani signs decree to release Taliban prisoners

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Tues signed a much-awaited decree that would facilitate the release of the Taliban prisoners.
The release of prisoners was a part of a peace deal signed by the United States and the Taliban last month.
Making the announcement about the decree, Ghani’s spokesperson Sediq Sediqqi on Tuesday said that details will be shared on Wed.
“President Ghani has signed the verdict that would facilitate the release of the Taliban prisoners in accordance with an accepted framework for the start of negotiation between the Taliban and the Afghan government.
Details of the decree will be shared tomorrow,” tweeted Sediqqi.
This comes a day after Ghani took oath as the president of Afghanistan.
Remember, it was peace deal, which has immediately denied by Ghani previously, are signed today after a couple of violence accidents.

Acquire control of Gilgit-Baltistan: Political activist requests India

Director of Institute of Gilgit-Baltistan Studies, Senge H Sering, speaking at the 43^rd session of UNHRC in Geneva, lambasted on Pakistan saying that they are under constant threat of terrorism perpetrated by Pakistani military and requested India to resume constitutional responsibility and acquire control of Gilgit-Baltistan (Balochistan) to save them from brutal colonial reign of Pakistan.

It must open routes towards Ladakh and Afghanistan to reunite families and enable Ladakh’s Buddhists visit religious sites there.

“70 years ago, UNSC asked India to station troops in J&K to protect locals. Today as native of Gilgit-Baltistan and Jammu Kashmir, I request India to resume constitutional responsibility and acquire control of Gilgit-Baltistan to save us from brutal colonial reign of Pakistan,” Senge H Sering said.

“People of Gilgit-Baltistan who’re constitutional citizens of India as part of the union territory of Ladakh, are under constant threat of terrorism perpetuated by Pakistani military. Locals trying to protect natural resources in peacefully are threatened with abduction, genocide & economic blockade as it happened recently when pro-Taliban Pakistani citizens called for the massacre of Shias and Ismailis of Gilgit-Baltistan travelling through their district,” Senge H Sering added.

Islamabad, March 11, IRNA — A Pakistan Air Force F-16 Jet crashed in Islamabad on Wednesday involved in rehearsals for Pakistan Day military parade to be held on March 23.

Wing Commander Nauman Akram has lost his life in the F-16 aircraft crash near Shakarparian, Islamabad-ANI
According to a PAF statement, the aircraft crashed near Shakarparian, Islamabad during the rehearsals of 23^rd March parade.
“Rescue teams have been dispatched towards the site of the crash. A board of inquiry has been ordered by Air Headquarters to determine the cause of accident,” it said.
- Earlier on Feb 12, a PAF aircraft crashed on a training mission near north western city of Takht Bhai but the pilot ejected safely.
- While on Feb 7^th, another PAF Mirage aircraft crashed near city of Shorkot in eastern Punjab province but the pilot ejected.
- In January, two PAF pilots were killed as an FT-7 aircraft on a routine operational training mission crashed near Mianwali city.