Serum Institute of India’s chairman Dr Cyrus Poonawalla, father of CEO Adar Poonawalla, has lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi while reminiscing how life was not easy for vaccine makers before his regime, as he had to “fall on the feet” of bureaucrats and drug controllers to get required permissions for vaccine launch.
The founder-chairperson of the Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) was speaking after receiving the prestigious Lokmanya Tilak National Award 2021 on August 13 (Friday). He was conferred with the award for his contribution to the health sector as well as the vaccine production in the country.
‘Licence-raj’ curtailed under PM Modi’s regime, no need for ‘maska polish’: Serum Insitutue’s Cyrus Poonawalla
The SII chairman said during the event that unlike earlier, there is no need to do ‘maska polish’, referring to appeasing officers in charge, under PM Modi’s regime. This, he said, is the reason why Serum’s Covishield was launched so quickly.
“Serum Institute was founded in 1966 the morning after my marriage with Villoo, my dear late wife, to whom I dedicate this award. Fifty years ago, the industry faced hardships in getting basic facilities like power, water and getting permission from bureaucrats. It had to face harassment from bureaucrats…I was not supposed to say this,” he said recalling the governmental and bureaucratic hurdles during the UPA regime.
He hailed PM Modi for curtailing the prevalent “licence raj and “red-tapism”. Dr Cyrus Poonawalla added: “Transport and communication were also great problems and challenges that were faced by my staff and fellow directors…It was a long journey and a very painful one, which has now become very rewarding. I had to fall at the feet of bureaucrats and drug controllers, etc, to get permission. But I must stress that difficulties, red tape are much reduced now under the Modi government.”
Appreciating how PM Modi has encouraged the sector and assisted it to grow, the chairman of Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine maker by the volume of doses it produces every year, further said: “Certainly, one of the major reasons why we could launch our vaccine so quickly was forthcoming grant or permission, encouragement to industries as the licence raj has come down considerably. We have got a drug controller, who responds in the evening even after office hours. There is no need for ‘maska polish’ now”, added Dr Poonawalla.
Cyrus Poonawalla dedicated the award to his late wife Villoo and said that he has received numerous awards in the United States, the United Kingdom, but the Lokmanya Tilak award is very special to him.
Congress created hurdles for Serum Institute and others during the swine flu epidemic
For the uninitiated, Cyrus Poonawalla, who is the father of SII CEO Adar Poonawalla, founded the Serum Institute of India in 1966. Ever since the pandemic broke out necessitating countries to roll out vaccines that prevent COVID-19 on an urgent basis, Cyrus Poonawalla’s Serum Institute has been at the forefront of India’s fight against the Coronavirus pandemic.
The world’s largest vaccine maker boosted mass production and helped immunise millions of people around the world with substantial government support under the Modi regime. SII presently produces 6.5 crore Covishield dosages per month (developed by Oxford-AstraZeneca).
However, the situation was entirely different when the country was hit with Swine influenza’s 2009 pandemic. At that time, the UPA government had left Serum Institute of India and other firms in the doldrums, despite its assurance of authorized marketing commitment (AMC) to procure H1N1 vaccines.
Congress, left-liberal lobby at the helm of creating vaccine hesitancy in India
After successfully derailing plans to mass vaccinate the people against swine flu, the Congress party along with its vicious lobby held on to the agenda of hindering India’s vaccination drive against Coronavirus. Fuelled by a collective hatred for PM Modi, they targetted the vaccine manufacturers in a bid to demoralize them.
Nationalist Congress President in Goa, Jose Phillip D’Souza instigated the residents of the Christian-dominated Sao Jacinto Island residents to not allow the Indian Navy to hoist the tricolour on the Goan island on the occasion of Independence Day. As the politician made a bizarre claim that the Indian Navy was trying to take over the island from the locals, the plan to hoist the tricolour was dropped by the navy to avoid any controversy.
According to the reports, it has been revealed that the Indian Navy had to cancel the Independence Day event at the Sao Jacinto Island after the local NCP leader brainwashed the residents not to allow them to enter the island by claiming that the Navy was trying to “capture the island” and drive them out of Sao Jacinto.
On Friday, the Indian Navy had to abandon its plan to hoist the tricolour on Sao Jacinto island in Goa after the residents objected to the Indian Independence celebrations organised by the forces.
The Indian Navy cancelled the unfurling of the national flag on the Sao Jacinto island, located South of Panaji, after the residents, mainly comprising of Christians, claimed they did not want any authorities from the Central government or the state government to carry out any activities on the island.
Objecting to the entry of the Indian Navy or any government officials, the residents had claimed that they are not opposed to unfurling the tricolour, but they would hoist the flag themselves.
Residents protest Indian Navy hoisting Indian flag in Goa’s Sao Jacinto, CM promises iron fist, asks Navy to go-ahead: What happenedhttps://t.co/cThE0c99Qk
Sao Jacinto Island, which lies south of Panaji, has predominantly Christian residents and houses two churches dedicated to St. Hyacinth of Poland (São Jacinto) and St. Dominic (São Domingo). The residents of the island have put up entry restrictions, and tourists are not allowed to visit.
NCP leader instigated local population against Indian Navy’s entry to Islands
As per the reports, NCP President Jose Philip D’Souza visited the island and made bizarre claims saying that the Indian Navy was planning to capture the island.
In the run-up to the “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav”, a team from the Goa Naval Area had visited Sao Jacinto island to organise events to mark 75 years of independence. In a statement issued by the Indian Navy, it said this initiative was taken nationwide to instil a sense of patriotism and celebrate the run-up to the 75th year of independence. As a result, the Union defence ministry had asked the forces to unfurl the flag at various places, including islands, the Navy said.
A few days after the naval officials visited the island, NCP leader Jose D’Souza visited the island and instigated the local Christian population not to allow the Indian Navy to organise any events on Independence Day. The NCP leader also questioned the need for them to organise a flag-hoisting ceremony.
The Indian Navy has restricted locals from visiting certain islands having strategic importance around Goa, and D’Souza seems to have used this to feed into the fears of the locals.
“This is a plan to try and test our reaction before they capture this island,” said NCP leader D’Souza after mobilising some of the locals.
Communalising the national event, the NCP leader also claimed, “Take for example our religious traditions on Bat island, which the Navy has stopped us, fishermen, from visiting and continuing our traditions. We will not allow the Centre or the Navy to capture this island,” D’Souza said.
D’Souza gathered the residents of the island outside the church square, mostly Christians, to stage a protest against the flag hoisting ceremony planned by the naval authorities. The residents of Sao Jacinto island have claimed that the Indian Navy has sought no formal permission from the local authorities to conduct the flag-hoisting ceremony.
“Navy officers came here, and they said that they would hoist the flag on August 15. I want to say that whether they are from the Navy, government or any private company, we do not give this right to anyone (to hoist a national flag). The villagers are united against this. If the Navy, state and central government try to capture our island, then local villagers will never allow this,” D’Souza said.
Congress objects to Independence Day events at Sao Jacinto Islands
Not just NCP, even the Congress party is opposed to the Indian Navy hoisting the Indian flag on the Goan island on the occasion of Independence Day.
Responding to the controversy, on Friday, Chief Minister of Goa Pramod Sawant had announced that such shenanigans would not be allowed. In a series of two tweets, Sawant announced that he has given the Indian Navy the go-ahead to continue with their original plan of hoisting the Indian flag on the Island.
“It is unfortunate and shameful that some individuals at St Jacinto Island have objected to Hoisting of the National Flag by the Indian Navy on the occasion of India’s Independence Day. I condemn this and want to state on record that my Government will not tolerate such acts”, said the Chief Minister.
I have requested the Indian Navy to go ahead with their original plan and have assured full cooperation from Goa Police. These attempts of Anti-India activities shall be dealt with an iron fist. It will always be Nation First.2/2
CM Sawant further said, “I have requested the Indian Navy to go ahead with their original plan and have assured full cooperation from Goa Police. These attempts of Anti-India activities shall be dealt with an iron fist. It will always be Nation First”.
After Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant condemned the incident, saying that it was unfortunate and shameful that some individuals at Sao Jacinto Island were objected to the hoisting of the national flag, the Congress party took objection to his statements and went on to claim that the Indian Navy has already captured the islands.
If the Navy has not acquired the island with what right are they doing it can you please explain? Why cannot Collector do it why have Navy do it and create a confrontation which will have huge recuppressions for us Goans? Stop labeling everyone an antinational @goacmhttps://t.co/Be7lG5LVXY
Congress leader Shamila Siddiqui made bizarre claims questioning the presence of the Indian Navy on the islands and asked whether they had acquired it. She asked why could not the collector unfurl the flag instead of the Indian Navy hoisting the tricolour on the islands. She attacked the Goa Chief Minister accusing him of creating a confrontation that will have huge repercussions on Goans.
Residents claim Navy will take over the island, hands it over to private parties
Darrell Dsouza, who grew up on the island, said that the island consisting of about 200 families who have been hoisting the national flag every year. However, they are apprehensive about the Navy’s presence on the island in the light of their opposition to the Coastal Zone Management Plan in Goa and the Major Ports Authorities Bill, 2020, passed by the Parliament.
“We are not at all opposed to the hoisting of the flag. In fact, we told the officers of the Navy who came to the island to join us for flag hoisting on August 15,” said Dsouza.
He claimed that islanders, traditional fishermen, are anxious about the political intentions, which according to them, are against the interest of the island. Dsouza said that the islanders fear that the island will be taken over by government authorities and handed over to private parties for development once brought under port limits.
Captain Viriato Fernandes of Goencho Avaaz, an NGO turned political party, also defended the islanders saying that they have strong reasons to oppose the Navy’s presence in the islands. He claims that there is a ‘distrust’ among the residents of the island after the passing of the draft Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) and the Major Port Authority Bill, 2020, in which the island has been included in the jurisdiction of the Mormugao Port Trust (MPT).
“Recently, there were protests against the CZMP. They depicted the port limit, and the jurisdiction of Sao Jacinto island has come under the port. We have been opposing these port limits. The island has religious structures dating back to 1731, and we said it could not come under the port limit. Since then, people have become very vigilant, and with this heightened vigilance, the Navy’s presence made them more suspicious. The Bill and CZMP have caused distrust, and the people are suspicious about anyone coming to their island. That is the root cause. Otherwise, there would have them to panic like this,” Fernandes added.
Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav
The Government of India is planning to celebrate “Amrut Mahotsav” – the 75th anniversary of India’s independence as a “people’s movement”. The Modi government has already started preparations for the 75th-anniversary celebrations and intends to organise several events to commemorate the historic event. The events will be managed by a national implementation committee which will be headed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
The Navy will also be hoisting the national flag on 75 islands in the run-up to August 15. The Navy hoisted tricolour on various islands on Friday, including Campbell bay in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Kavaratti in Lakshadweep and Minicoy islands, and the Anjadiv island off Karwar. Union defence minister Rajnath Singh virtually attended the flag-hoisting.
The official Twitter handle of the Congress party today tweeted a cryptic message – Satyamev Jayate. Consequently, a report in Mid-Day indicated that Rahul Gandhi Twitter account has been unlocked days after the tech-giant had locked his account, pending him deleting his tweet where he had compromised the identity of a 9-year-old rape victim.
The Mid-day report, quoting sources, said that several other accounts of Congress party leaders, who had tweeted the same picture that compromised the identity of a minor rape victim have also been restored.
When one checks Rahul Gandhi’s account, one sees that he has not tweeted yet. His last tweet by Rahul Gandhi was on the 6th of August. So how exactly do we know that Rahul Gandhi’s account has been restored and that Twitter has bowed down to Congress’ demands?
Earlier, Rahul Gandhi had tweeted an image of him meeting the parents of the 9-year-old victim. We have already explained earlier how that is against the Pocso Act and also against the Juvenile Justice Act since it amounts to compromising the identity of the minor victim and the siblings the victim might have. NCPCR had then sent a notice to Twitter, asking the tech-giant to pull the tweet down given that it violated Indian laws. Following that, Twitter in Court had asserted that it had pulled the tweet down and locked Rahul Gandhi’s account.
Here is a screenshot of what the Twitter notice said after pulling down Rahul Gandhi’s tweet and locking his account.
Earlier notice from Twitter when Rahul Gandhi account was locked
The notice displayed after Twitter pulled the tweet down by Rahul Gandhi said “this tweet is no longer available”. This notice essentially meant that Twitter, on its own, had pulled the tweet down and made it unavailable to the public. However, Rahul Gandhi’s account had been locked and it would be unlocked if Rahul Gandhi deleted the tweet from his end as well.
When such a notice is served, the user (Rahul Gandhi in this case) would have got a notice on his account that asks him to delete his tweet, after which, his account would be unlocked, facilitating him to tweet again. However, till Rahul Gandhi deletes the tweet from his end, he would not be able to tweet further. In the meantime, Twitter, realising that the tweet was in contravention of Indian laws and also violated its own community standards, made sure that the tweet was not visible to anyone else. In place of the tweet by Rahul Gandhi, Twitter displayed the notice that said that the tweet was no longer available.
Since this notice was put up, no matter where a person tried to view Rahul Gandhi’s account from, that tweet would not be visible.
However, now, that has changed as Twitter has decided to bow-down to Congress.
When one tries accessing Twitter from Brave browser, changing IP settings to Japan, the tweet by Rahul Gandhi, that was earlier pulled down by Twitter, is now visible.
Tweet by Rahul Gandhi visible from other countries, Twitter bows to Congress
So how did this change happen?
When one looks at Rahul Gandhi’s account now from India, the notice that Twitter had earlier put up in place of his contentious tweet has changed from “This tweet is not available” to “This tweet by Rahul Gandhi is withheld in India in response to a legal notice”.
The notice visible now when one checks Twitter account of Rahul Gandhi, in place of the contentious tweet
What does this change?
This means that Twitter has bowed-down to Congress and retracted on its previous notice. Essentially, this means that Twitter has now withheld the tweet in response to Indian laws but, Rahul Gandhi will now not have to delete his tweet to access his account again. Therefore, his contentious tweet compromising the identity of the minor victim will be visible from everywhere else, other than India, and Rahul Gandhi has escaped without any consequences and having to delete his tweet.
Times of India journalist has tweeted the supposed reason for Twitter catapulting to Rahul Gandhi. She says that Twitter has apparently for a consent notice from the parents of the minor victim that they are ok with their identity being revealed, thereby compromising the identity of their minor daughter who was allegedly raped and murdered.
BREAKING: @Twitter restores account access of Congress leader @RahulGandhi. Says it has received a consent letter from the Dalit Parents whose image was shared and after duly reviewing the same, account access has been restored. .@timesofindia
However, Indian laws have no provision for the kin of the minor victim to waive the law off with a consent letter.
What does the law say and how Twitter is imposing its own code over Indian laws
Section 74 of the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015 prohibits the disclosure of identity of a child in any form of media and Section 23 of the POCSO Act, 2012 also states that no information/photo of a child should be published in any form of media which could reveal the identity of the child. This information under Section 23 of the POCSO Act, 2012 includes his/her name, address, photograph, family details, school, neighbourhood or any other particulars which may lead to disclosure of identity of the child.
Section 74 of the JJ Act clearly states that no identifying information of the minor victim can be disclosed. It further says that the Board of Committee, as the case may be, which is holding the inquiry may permit such disclosure if it thinks it is in the interest of the victim. In most cases, it is the District Court Judge.
The POCSO Act is also clear with regards to the disclosure of the identity of a minor victim.
Section 23 of the POCSO Act clearly states that no person shall reveal the identity of the child including his name, address, photograph, family details, school, neighbourhood or any other particulars which may lead to the disclosure of the identity of the child.
Both laws have the provision for imprisonment and fine for those who break this law.
In fact, the government had in 2018 clarified that these laws would also apply to victims who were dead.
G Mohanty, media advisor to the NCPCR had said in 2018, “This is an important clarification made by the government as we have seen in many cases that glaring mistakes are made by police and media houses in many cases when it comes to children involved in sensitive cases. It is now clear that their reputation is to be protected even if they are dead.”
The JJ act also says that the violation of the provision can lead to imprisonment of up to six months or fine which may of up to Rs 2 lakh or both.
Speaking to OpIndia, NCPCR chief Priyank Kanoongo said that these laws are in place not just to protect the victim but also the siblings and other living relatives of the brutalised child. If the identity is revealed, it is possible that the other children of the house would be stigmatised and the reputation of the victim and the living relatives would be impugned. Therefore, even if the victim is dead, it is illegal to make any identifying details public. He further said that only District Session Judge can decide if the identity of the minor rape victim should be revealed if it thinks it is in the best interest of the victim. Further, he said that the parents too had no right to waive the law and allow the dissemination of such information.
It is therefore evident from the law that only a District Sessions Court Judge can allow the disclosure of the identity of the victim if it thinks it benefits the victim. The victim’s parents or Twitter has no right to determine whether the identity of the victim can be disclosed even if the parents give na consent letter.
Congress seems to be revelling in the fact that they have got the right, given by Twitter, to break the law of the land and get away with it, without even so much as deleting the tweet. Now, the identity of the minor victim can be compromised only by changing IP settings. That Congress and Rahul Gandhi consider this a “victory of the truth” proves how little they care about the victim and how much they care about playing petty politics over her brutal rape and death.
On Friday (August 13), a Parliamentary panel led by Congress MP Anand Sharma praised the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for his efforts in combating violence against women, reportedThe Times of India.
The panel lauded the initiatives of the UP government such as the introduction of a single-window system to help the victims of violence and the interlinking of various Departments. The report stated, “the committee appreciates the initiatives, like interlinking of various departments and creation of a single-window system to help women victims of violence, taken by the state government of Uttar Pradesh.”
Taking inspiration from the UP model, the Anand-Sharma-led-panel recommended other States to adopt similar measures. “Synergy and coordination among various departments concerned with the safety and security of women and children (must be established),” the parliamentary channel emphasised. While speaking about the matter, a government spokesperson pointed out that it was clear from the Parliamentary panel report that the UP government has become an example for other states to follow.
“The state has established One Stop Centres in all districts to help women suffering from violence,” the official added. As per a report in the Newsroom post, about 1,04,859 women have been the beneficiaries of the One-Stop Centres located in all districts of the State. These Centres provide temporary shelter, psychological counselling, legal aid, medical treatment and police assistance. With the introduction of stricter punishment, this initiative helped control the menace of rape and other violent crimes against women in the State.
Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi maliciously target Yogi government on women’s safety
Although the Congress-led Parliamentary panel have recommended other states to follow the example of Uttar Pradesh, party scions such as Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi had earlier cast aspersions on the efforts of the government. In October last year, Rahul Gandhi claimed that the journey of the BJP in Uttar Pradesh has changed course from ‘Beti Bachao (save the girl child)’ to ‘Aparadhi Bachao (save the criminals).
He had also tried to play the ‘Dalit card’ following the killing of two girls in Unnao. He had said, “Not only of the Dalit society, but the UP government is also crushing women honour and human rights. But they should remember that I and the entire Congress Party stand as the voice of the victims and will continue to provide justice to them.” Rahul Gandhi and his sister had also tried to politicise the Hathras case and do politics over the victim’s death
Sensing a political opportunity following the Hathras case, Priyanka Gandhi had alleged, “He (Adityanath) would have to do something for women’s safety. We will continue to fight till the time he does something. The women in the entire state will fight as they realise that they are not safe and secure. Everyday such incidents are happening. Eleven rape cases are registered in Uttar Pradesh everyday. Such cases are rising and the government is not doing anything. Unless we shake the government or wake them up, they will not do anything for women’s safety,”
Steps taken by Yogi Adityanath to ensure women’s safety in UP
Besides the One-Stop Centres, more than 7.81 lakh girls have benefited from the ‘Kanya Sumangala Yojana’ scheme of the Yogi government. At the same time, the Uttar Pradesh government has ensured the upliftment and empowerment of women through the launch of the Mission Shakti scheme. In a bid to tackle crime against women in the state, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed officials to launch ‘Operation Durachari’.
Under this initiative, the UP government put up posters of history sheeters guilty of crimes against women and habitual offenders in cases of sex-related crimes on road crossings in Uttar Pradesh. The move was aimed at ‘naming and shaming’ people guilty of crimes against women. According to the state government spokesperson, “the Chief Minister has directed that women police personnel should be asked to take firm action against such offenders and their photographs should be pasted on crossings in order to name and shame them.”
Coming hard on the habitual perpetrators, the Chief Minister said that people should know who were the persons who are vitiating the atmosphere in society and indulging in crime against women. He further said that in case any incident related to crime against women takes place, the chowki in charge, station officer and the circle officer would be held responsible.Yogi Adityanath also ordered that anti-Romeo squads should be further activated and strengthened so that the strategy to check crime against women becomes increasingly effective.
It is pertinent to note here, that Yogi Adityanath, last year, miffed with the police for failing to ‘instil fear’ among criminals in the state, had asked the state police to revive the anti-Romeo squad and ordered the police to prepare a list of accused previously involved in crimes against women. Asking them to increase the vigil over these criminals, he also ordered to enhance the foot patrolling in vulnerable regions.
On the 14th of August, Pakistan celebrates its Independence Day. It is the day when Pakistan, the Islamic State, was carved out of India after a blood-soaked partition, based on the two-nation theory that asserted that Muslims and Hindus cannot co-exist in the same country because Muslims are a country unto themselves. Today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi ended that silence by institutionalising the conversation around the partition by announcing 14th August to be observed as #PartitionHorrorsRemembranceDay.
Taking to Twitter, PM Narendra Modi announced that 14th August would henceforth be celebrated as Vibhishika Memorial Day or #PartitionHorrorsRemembranceDay.
देश के बंटवारे के दर्द को कभी भुलाया नहीं जा सकता। नफरत और हिंसा की वजह से हमारे लाखों बहनों और भाइयों को विस्थापित होना पड़ा और अपनी जान तक गंवानी पड़ी। उन लोगों के संघर्ष और बलिदान की याद में 14 अगस्त को 'विभाजन विभीषिका स्मृति दिवस' के तौर पर मनाने का निर्णय लिया गया है।
The Prime Minister said, “The pain of partition of the country can never be forgotten. Because of hatred and violence, lakhs of our sisters and brothers were displaced and even lost their lives. In memory of the struggle and sacrifice of those people, it has been decided to celebrate 14th August as ‘Vibhishika Memorial Day'”
He further tweeted, “#PartitionHorrorsRemembranceDay This day will not only inspire us to eliminate the poison of discrimination, animosity and ill-will, but it will also strengthen unity, social harmony and human sensibilities”.
The partition was outlined in the Indian Independence Act 1947 and resulted in the dissolution of the British Raj. According to official numbers, at least 2 million lives were lost during the partition and 10-20 million people were displaced. The unofficial numbers are much higher than the official ones.
Even the run-up to the partition was littered with the blood of Hindus. The Khilafat movement, supported by MK Gandhi, was introduced into the district of Malabar on 28 April 1920, by a Resolution at the Malabar District Conference, held at Manjeri, the headquarters of Ernad Taluk. What followed was a massacre of Hindus of proportions that is still seldom discussed. From the August 20, 1921 to 1922, lakhs of Hindus were murdered, women raped and burnt by Muslims who wanted to establish a Caliphate in Kerala.
Not just this, Direct Action Day saw the murder of thousands of Hindus in West Bengal after Mohammad Ali Jinnah had given a call to massacre Hindus to establish Bengal as the first Muslim state. The Noakhali massacre that followed also saw the murder and rape of thousands of Hindus.
During this entire dance of death, the Indian establishment at the time, that included Jawaharlal Nehru and MK Gandhi maintained stoic silence and let the Hindus perish. In fact, even after the massacres and the blood-soaked partition, Nehru ensures that full population exchange was halted even though most Hindus and Sikhs were either driven out of Pakistan or murdered brutally.
The silence surrounding the horrors of the partition, the radicalism of the Muslim population that led to the partition, the betrayal of the Indian leaders that led to the blood of Hindus flowing like water and the subsequence consequences of the nation being torn on the lines of religion and then, Hindus being asked to accept their massacre in the name of brotherhood and more, has seldom been discussed. The silence around the subject in the name of ‘secularism’ has left deep, unresolved scars that can perhaps only heal when the conversation around the partition is institutionalised.
Days after the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) had sent a notice to Facebook calling for action against senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, it has now issued summons to the Head (Trust and Safety Department) Satya Yadav at Facebook India. It must be mentioned that the Congress scion had violated the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act by posting videos of the parents of the 9-year-old girl who was allegedly raped and murdered in Delhi on his Instagram profile.
On Friday (August 13), NCPCR fired off another letter to Satya Yadav for failing to take action against Rahul Gandhi, as was directed in a previous letter on August 10. The Commission emphasised that it not only deals with the protection of child rights but also take suo motu cognisance of matters pertaining to non-implementation of laws for protection and child development.
“The Commission had taken cognisance upon a video posted on the Instagram portal of Shri Rahul Gandhi wherein the identity of minor girl victim’s parents has been disclosed…The matter had been forwarded to Facebook Inc. for removal of post and taking action against the Instagram profile of Shri Rahul Gandhi within 3 days. However, no reply/action taken report has been received by you even after the lapse of 03 days time,” NCPCR observed.
Screengrab of the letter to Facebook Inc by NCPCR
The statutory body highlighted that it has all the powers of a civil court under Section 14 of the CPCR (Commissions for Protection of Child Rights) Act in matters related to issuing summoning/enforcing the attendance of an individual and examining him under oath, producing documents, receiving evidence on affidavits, requisitioning any public record from any court and examining witnesses/documents.
“Now, therefore, the Commission in pursuance of the functions and powers under Section 13 and 14 of the CPCR Act. 2005 requires you to appear in person through video conferencing in the matter along with the details of the action taken in this matter at 1700 hours (5 pm) on Tuesday, 17th August 2021 in the Office of the Commission located at Chanderlok Building (5th Building) 36, Janpath, New Delhi 110001) to submit the action taken report and to explain the reasons for the delay,” NCPCR directed. It further warned Facebook Inc of ‘consequences’ under Rule 10 and Rule 12 of Order XVI of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 if Satya Yadav fails to comply with the order without ‘lawful excuse.’
Screengrab of the letter to Facebook Inc by NCPCR
NCPCR asks Facebook to remove video posted by Rahul Gandhi on Instagram
In a letter on August 10 to micro-blogging site Facebook Inc, which owns social media platform Instagram, National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) registrar Anu Chaudhary has stated that the commission has come across a video on the Instagram profile of Gandhi-scion Rahul Gandhi wherein the identity of minor girl victim’s family was disclosed. According to the notice issued by the NCPCR, the video shared by Rahul Gandhi on Instagram had shared specific personal details about the victim violating Section 23 of the POCSO Act, 2012, and Section 74 of Juvenile Justice Act,2015.
Hence, the NCPCR has asked Facebook to remove the video put out by Rahul Gandhi on Instagram as it was a deprivation and violation of child rights. The NCPCR informed Facebook Inc that Section 74 of the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015 prohibits the disclosure of the identity of a child in any form of media and Section 23 of the POCSO Act, 2012 also stated that no information or photo of a child should be published in any form of media that revealed the identity of the child.
Further, the NCPCR has cited the Supreme Court judgment in the Nipun Saxena vs Govt of India (2019) to suggest that the apex court has issued specific guidelines regarding not disclosing the victims’ details even after their death. Hence, the child rights body has demanded that Facebook Inc take appropriate action against Rahul Gandhi for violating the POCSO and JJ Act.
In a significant twist to the Delhi minor rape case, the Delhi Police has submitted before the local court that there is no evidence yet to confirm whether the nine-year-old girl was raped before being killed near Delhi Cantonment in southwest Delhi earlier this month.
According to media reports, the investigating officer (IO) of the case informed the court that the disclosure statements of the four accused have revealed that two of the accused – Radhey Shyam, who worked in the crematorium, and another employee Kuldeep Singh, had raped and killed the minor victim.
The two other accused persons – Mohammed Salim and Laxmi Narayan, employees at the crematorium, had helped them in trying to cremate the deceased minor, the IO informed the court.
It is worth noting that disclosure statements of the accused before police are not permissible under any law unless supported by other evidence.
However, the IO has now informed the court that neither any statement of any eyewitness nor any other evidence, including medical or scientific, could be collected so far has confirmed whether the victim child was raped or not.
Based on the submissions of the IO, the courted passed an order saying, “At this stage, he (IO) cannot conclusively say as to whether the victim child was raped or not”.
Meanwhile, Special Judge Ashutosh Kumar has awarded Rs 2.5 lakh as interim compensation to the mother of the child for the loss of her child. However, the court did not grant further interim relief to the four accused alleged rape of the victim despite submissions from the IO.
“In view of the fact that the investigating agency itself is not sure as to whether the victim was raped or not, the interim compensation qua the same is not allowed at this stage,” the court noted.
The judge granted the liberty to the parties concerned to move a fresh application regarding compensation for rape, in case the investigating agency collects further material or comes to the conclusion that the victim child was raped.
A per the government scheme, the maximum compensation awardable in case of loss of life is Rs 10 lakh. The court had granted 25 per cent of the compensation amount as interim relief.
Delhi rape case:
Earlier on Monday, August 2, the Delhi police arrested four suspects- Radhe Shyam, Laxmi Narayan, Kuldeep and Mohammed Salim, for allegedly raping, killing and cremating a minor girl without informing her parents in South-west Delhi.
Mohammed Salim, one of the accused in the case, had faked his religious identity to get a job in the crematorium near Delhi Cantonment in southwest Delhi, where a nine-year-old girl was raped and killed by the three other accused along with Salim. Mohammed Salim had obtained a job in the cremation ground by claiming that he was a Hindu. The local residents knew Salim as one of the close associates of Radhe Shyam as he had introduced himself as either Raju or Ramu.
According to the police, the girl had come inside to fetch cold water from the crematorium’s water cooler at 5:30 pm. About half an hour later, Radhe Shyam and three workers Kuldeep Kumar, Laxmi Narain and Salim (disguised as Raju), rushed to her home to inform her mother that the child was electrocuted to death.
The accused then discouraged the family from informing the police by saying that the police would register a case and send the body for an autopsy, where the child’s vital organs will be removed and sold by doctors. However, the mother cried foul and gathered around 200 villagers after the accused forcefully cremated her daughter. The Delhi Police arrived at the spot and took the accused into custody.
The accused have been charged under sections 376 (rape), 302 (murder), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 204 (destruction of evidence) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) apart from the relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the SC/ST act.
On Friday, the Indian Navy cancelled the unfurling of the national flag on the Sao Jacinto island in South Goa after residents raised objections.
According to the reports, the Indian Navy has dropped their plans of hoisting the tricolour on the Sao Jacinto island after the residents said they did not want any authorities from the Central government or the state government to carry out any activities on the island.
The residents have claimed that they are not opposed to unfurling the tricolour, but they would hoist the flag themselves.
Plans to unfurl the national flag in Goa’s Sao Jacinto island, as part of ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ to unfurl Tricolour in islands across Indian between Aug 13 & Aug 15, had to be cancelled due to objections raised by the residents: Goa Naval Area officials
In a statement issued Friday, the Navy said that as part of ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ to commemorate 75 years of Independence, the Ministry of Defence has planned unfurling of National Flag in Islands across the nation between 13 and 15 August 2021.
“A team from Goa Naval Area visited the islands of Goa, including Sao Jacinto Island, as part of this pan India initiative. However, the plan at Jacinto Island had to be cancelled as the same was objected to by the residents. This initiative was taken nationwide to instil a sense of patriotism and celebrate the run-up to the 75th year of independence,” the Indian Navy said in its statement.
San Jacinto Island, which lies south of Panaji, has mostly Christian residents and houses two churches dedicated to St. Hyacinth of Poland (São Jacinto) and St. Dominic (São Domingo). The residents of the island have put up entry restrictions, and tourists are not allowed to visit.
Darrell Dsouza, who grew up on the island, said that the island consisting of about 200 families who have been hoisting the national flag every year. However, they are apprehensive about the Navy’s presence on the island in the light of their opposition to the Coastal Zone Management Plan in Goa and the Major Ports Authorities Bill, 2020, passed by the Parliament.
“We are not at all opposed to the hoisting of the flag. In fact, we told the officers of the Navy who came to the island to join us for flag hoisting on August 15,” said Dsouza.
He claimed that islanders, traditional fishermen, are anxious about the political intentions, which according to them, are against the interest of the island. Dsouza said that the islanders fear that the island will be taken over by government authorities and handed over to private parties for development once brought under port limits.
Captain Viriato Fernandes of Goencho Avaaz, an NGO turned political party, also defended the islanders saying that they have strong reasons to oppose the Navy’s presence in the islands. He claims that there is a ‘distrust’ among the residents of the island after the passing of the draft Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) and the Major Port Authority Bill, 2020, in which the island has been included in the jurisdiction of the Mormugao Port Trust (MPT).
“Recently, there were protests against the CZMP. They depicted the port limit, and the jurisdiction of Sao Jacinto island has come under the port. We have been opposing these port limits. The island has religious structures dating back to 1731, and we said it cannot come under the port limit. Since then, people have become very vigilant, and with this heightened vigilance, the Navy’s presence made them more suspicious. The Bill and CZMP have caused distrust, and the people are suspicious about anyone coming to their island. That is the root cause. Otherwise, there would have them to panic like this,” Fernandes added.
The Government of India is planning to celebrate “Amrut Mahotsav” – the 75th anniversary of India’s independence as a “people’s movement”. The Modi government has already started preparations for the 75th-anniversary celebrations and intends to organise several events to commemorate the historic event. The events will be managed by a national implementation committee which will be headed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Chief Minister of Goa, Pramod Sawant stands firm, gives go-ahead to the Navy
After the ‘controversy’ erupted, Chief Minister of Goa, Pramod Sawant took to Twitter to announce that such shenanigans would not be allowed. In a series of two tweets, Sawant announced that he has given the Indian Navy the go-ahead to continue with their original plan of hoisting the Indian flag on the Island.
I have requested the Indian Navy to go ahead with their original plan and have assured full cooperation from Goa Police. These attempts of Anti-India activities shall be dealt with an iron fist. It will always be Nation First.2/2
“It is unfortunate and shameful that some individuals at St Jacinto Island have objected to Hoisting of the National Flag by the Indian Navy on the occasion of India’s Independence Day. I condemn this and want to state on record that my Government will not tolerate such acts”, said the Chief Minister.
CM Sawant further said, “I have requested the Indian Navy to go ahead with their original plan and have assured full cooperation from Goa Police. These attempts of Anti-India activities shall be dealt with an iron fist. It will always be Nation First”.
Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai, who is otherwise pretty vocal in voicing her opposition to the Taliban, is conspicuously silent on the escalating offensive by the terror outfit in Afghanistan.
There is not even a whimper, let alone a cry of protest by the Nobel Laureate who fashions herself as some sort of teenage activist and had become the face of crusade against the Taliban.
As the Taliban offensive in Afghanistan intensifies, resulting in the fall of over 10 provincial capital to the terror outfit, along with brutal violence and mass displacement, Malala seems to be unbothered and nonchalant by what’s transpiring in the nation neighbouring her home country, Pakistan.
Afghanistan is in the throes of chaos and anarchy as the Taliban threatens to overthrow the democratically elected government and establish its regressive Islamic rule. But this has not scandalised the Nobel Laureate enough to issue a statement condemning the terror outfit or express solidarity with the Afghan victims, who will have to live under the oppressive Taliban regime. Malala has refrained from making any remarks against the terror outfit or denouncing their violent military campaign in Afghanistan.
Malala, who is relatively active on social media, including on Twitter, is yet to post a tweet on the ongoing Talibani blitz in Afghanistan. The last tweet posted by Malala was about her newsletter on Bulletin, where she talked about women’s movements around the world. The tweet was posted on July 28, 2021, months after the Taliban launched its offensive to regain control of Afghanistan.
When searched about tweets posted by Malala on Afghanistan and Taliban, this is what the results showed:
Source: Twitter
There has been not a single post by Malala on Afghanistan and the Taliban. It appears that she has refused to even acknowledge the fact that the Taliban is relentlessly chipping away at the democratically elected Afghan government and establishing their supremacy in the strife-torn country.
It is worth noting that Malala rose to prominence in October 2012 after she was shot by Talibani terrorists for defying their orders and campaigning for female education in the Swat Valley in northeastern Pakistan. Severely wounded, she was airlifted from one military hospital in Pakistan to another and later flown to the UK for treatment, where she made a miraculous recovery.
Since her recovery, Malala has been vigorously championing the cause of women and children, for which she was awarded a Nobel Prize in 2014. But, it looks like her activism does not extend to Afghan women and children, who would be indubitably among the worst affected under the Taliban rule.
Taliban offensive in Afghanistan sparks massive humanitarian crisis
In Afghanistan, the Taliban offensive has resulted in a massive humanitarian disaster. In the last two months, the resurgent Taliban have gained more territory in Afghanistan than at any time since they were ousted from power in 2001.
According to reports, the escalation of the war in the last two months has displaced over 60,000 households across war-torn Afghanistan’s 34 provinces. At least 17,000 families have sought refuge in Kabul, the Afghan capital, which is also under siege by Sunni Pashtun rebels.
The incredible speed at which the Taliban has been grabbing large swaths of land in Afghanistan since the US and NATO forces announced their withdrawal from the war-torn country after 20 years of presence, raises concerns about how long the Afghan government will be able to hold control of the remaining areas of the country. According to reports, nine provincial capitals and three towns have been captured by the terrorist group on Tuesday alone.
According to Reuters, US intelligence analysis says that at this rate, Taliban militants could isolate Afghanistan’s capital in 30 days and possibly take it completely over in the coming 90 days.
Islamist groups currently control around two-thirds of Afghanistan, with 11 provincial capitals under their control or on the verge of doing so. As the Taliban capture more areas, imposing Islamic Sharia law and executing opponents, there is a massive mass displacement underway as civilians from those areas are rushing to the capital.
A 28-year-old man by the name of Mohammed Mansuri was sentenced to four years in jail by a special court in Mumbai after he was found guilty of stalking and making sexual gestures at a minor girl.
As per reports, the incident took place on March 6, 2017. The victim, who was 12 years old at that time, had stepped out of her house to buy milk. Mansuri, the accused, had approached and winked at her. He tried to lure the underage girl with ₹100, and told her to accompany him (chal mera saath) in a sexually suggestive manner. The terrified victim then ran away to her mother to narrate the details of the incident.
The victim’s mother then reported the matter to her father and the duo began searching for the accused. They found Mohammed Mansuri eating ice cream at a nearby market. The girl identified the accused and her father slapped him. He was soon joined by other people, who then thrashed Mansuri for making lewd gestures towards the underage girl. The mob then took the accused to the police, following which a First Information Report (FIR) was lodged. The victim also recounted the man had followed her on multiple occasions and made similar gestures. Mohammed Mansuri was arrested in March of that year but released on bail after a few months in January 2018.
The accused fled but was re-arrested in May 2018. He has been languishing in jail ever since. The accused, who was a labourer by occupation, had pleaded not guilty to the charges. A total of 7 witnesses were cross-examined by the special public prosecutor, including the victim, her mother, the investigating officer, and a teacher to confirm the girl’s age. The Court found Mohammed Mansuri guilty under the Prevention of Child Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) and sentenced him for the time he had already served behind bars. He has been directed to pay a fine of ₹500 and serve a simple imprisonment of 3 days.
Observations made by the Special Court while holding Mohammed Mansuri guilty
In its verdict, the Court had noted, “Upon evaluating the testimony of the star witnesses—the girl and prosecution witness 2 (her mother)—corroborated by other evidence, the prosecution has been able to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt that the accused had stalked the victim on March 6, 2017, and even prior to that…There is no probability brought on record suggesting any previous enmity between the victim and the accused, so as to falsely implicate him. There is nothing in her testimony to suggest that she was tutored in any manner so as to falsely depose against the accused. There is no reason to discard or disbelieve her version.”
Justice Seema Jadhav observed, “From the evidence on record, it emerges that the accused had stalked the victim on two to three occasions. He winked at her, showed her a note of Rs 100 and uttered the words ‘chal mere saath’ (come with me), intended to insult her modesty. The sole testimony of the victim is sufficient to prove the guilt of the accused… The act of winking at her, uttering the words such as ‘chal mere saath’ and exhibiting the object i.e. note of Rs 100 with an intent to insult her modesty is punishable under Section 509 of the IPC and lastly the combined act is punishable under Section 12 of the POCSO.”
