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Coronavirus high alert: India on lockdown till April 15, govt suspends all tourist visas for travellers

OpIndia Staff
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Coronavirus high alert: India on lockdown till April 15, govt suspends all tourist visas for travellers

As the World Health Organisation declares ‘COVID-19’ outbreak a pandemic, the Government of India has suspended all tourist visas and e-visas granted on or before March 11. All incoming visitors including Indian nationals are advised against non-essential travel because of the Coronavirus pandemic.

“All existing visas, except diplomatic, official, UN/international organizations, employment, project visas, stand suspended till 15th April 2020,” it has said in the statement. The order comes into effect from 1200 GMT on Friday, March 13.

Visas of all foreigners already in India remain valid and they may contact the nearest FRRO/FRO through the e-FRRO module for extension/conversion etc of their visa or grant of any consular service if they choose to do so. A notification to this effect is being issued by the Bureau of Immigration (BOI).

The Visa restrictions related to COVID-19 were issued by Bol in supersession of all earlier advisories issued in this regard. The decisions were a part of the second meeting of the group of ministers (GoM) held under the chairpersonship of Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare Harsh Vardhan.

The recommendations of the Committee of Secretaries chaired by Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba were placed before GoM. After detailed deliberations on preventive measures, actions are taken and preparedness for Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19), the Group of Ministers took more major decisions.

“Visa-free travel facility granted to Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) cardholders shall be kept in abeyance till April 15, 2020. This will come into effect from 1200 GMT on March 13, 2020, at the port of departure of any foreigner for onward journey to India. Any foreign national who intends to travel to India for compelling reasons may contact the nearest Indian Mission for a fresh visa,” an official statement said. 

India also announced that all incoming travellers, including Indian nationals, arriving from any destination and having visited China, Italy, Iran, Republic of Korea, France, Spain and Germany on or after February 15, 2020, shall be quarantined for a minimum period of 14 days with effect from March 13, 2020, at the port of departure of such traveller’s.

Read: 44 persons in Iran die of methanol consumption after rumours that alcohol can prevent Coronavirus infection

“Indian nationals are strongly advised to avoid all non-essential travel abroad. On their return, they can be subjected to quarantine for a minimum of 14 days. International traffic through land borders will be restricted to designated check posts with robust screening facilities. These will be notified separately by the Ministry of Home Affairs,” said the statement.

In the meeting, it was also decided that all States and Union Territories should be advised by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to invoke provisions of Section 2 of Epidemic Disease Act, 1897 so that all advisories being issued from time to time are enforceable.

The World Health Organisation has already declared COVID-19 as a pandemic. Soon after the apex health agency declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) after the outbreak started spreading outside Wuhan, China, the epicentre of the virus, countries were free make their own decisions if they want to close their borders, cancel flights, screen people arriving at airports or take other protective measures.

Coronavirus is a deadly respiratory disease which has killed more than 4,600 and so far more than 1,26,0000 cases are reported globally, according to the World Health Organisation. The outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was first reported from Wuhan, China, on 31 December 2019.

The transmission of the virus takes place when someone who is infected comes in contact with another person. According to medical experts, coughing, sneezing or even shaking hands with an infected person can cause exposure.

Madhya Pradesh Congress Twitter account has a prolonged meltdown after Scindia quits, gives a veiled death threat

Nirwa Mehta
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Madhya Pradesh Congress Twitter account has a prolonged meltdown after Scindia quits, gives a veiled death threat

While Congress leaders and supporters have not held back expressing their disappointment over Jyotiraditya Scindia quitting the Grand Old Party to join the BJP, Madhya Pradesh Congress state unit is still not over. Like a jilted psychotic lover, the party’s official social media account has been constantly sly-tweeting and also giving out what seems like veiled death threats.

In a now-deleted tweet, Madhya Pradesh Congress account juxtaposed images of the family from Burari which died under mysterious circumstances in July 2018 with that of Jyotiraditya Scindia joining the BJP.

In the tweet, MP Congress compared Scindia’s joining the BJP as ‘Burari-like incident’. “To obtain moksha, 11 members of family in Burari committed suicide. In hope of better future, Jyotiraditya Scindia joined the BJP. Both the unfortunate incidents will have same fate,” MP Congress said. It is imperative to mention here that Jyotiraditya Scindia’s father, Madhavrao Scindia, who was sidelined for party presidentship to let Sonia Gandhi take reins, died in 2001 in a mysterious aircraft crash.

Earlier in the day, MP Congress had listed out a number of posts the party had given to Scindia and questioned him on quitting the party and going to Modi and Shah.

One could almost imagine Bollywood rich ‘maalik’ getting angry at their ‘naukar’ and calling him ‘ehsaan faramosh’ at the end of the above rant. Congress conveniently skipped the part where Scindia was sidelined to make way for Kamal Nath as MP Chief Minister and that he was later made General Secretary in UP (West) where Congress has hardly any presence.

Upping its ante, MP Congress then resorted to melancholic poetry. Within minutes of this sad, grief-stricken poetry, Congress chose to let Scindia know that his fate might be similar to that of the Burari family. For the uninitiated, in July 2018, 11 members of the same family were found dead mysteriously. While some believe they died while carrying out a ‘ritual’ to attain ‘moksha’, some family members believe foul play.

Later, MP Congress reminded how ‘Maharaj’, as Scindia is called fondly because of his royal lineage, was living with respect in Congress but will now be a ‘chowkidar’.

Ahead of 2019 General Elections, the then Congress President Rahul Gandhi, in a volley of attack on PM Modi over the Rafale deal would chant ‘Chowkidar chor hai’ (the guard is the thief). However, unperturbed by the attack, PM Modi made it into his campaign and insisted he is a Chowkidar and thousands of people joined him in his campaign, calling themselves one too. Taking a dig at the same, MP Congress taunted Scindia that the ‘Maharaj is now a Chowkidar’.

Read: Read how this Digvijaya Singh aide is running a fake news website and Facebook pages for anti-Modi and pro-Islamist propaganda

“The one who lived with pride as a Maharaj in Congress is now happy joining the ranks of a chowkidar. While there was noise that Modi or Shah will join him when he becomes a party member but it was only Nadda and VD Sharma who welcomed you,” MP Congress tweeted. JP Nadda is BJP National President while Sharma is a BJP MP representing Khajuraho constituency.

Even later in the night, MP Congress put out an ironic tweet.

MP Congress suggested that one should be a supporter, not a ‘bhakt’ or a ‘slave’. Do note that Congress leaders have constantly maintained that only Rahul Gandhi is good enough to be the party president. This despite the fact that the party has faced humiliating defeat in 2019 general elections under him and it now struggling for relevance. The irony of Congress dishing out gyaan on ‘ghulami’ is staggering.

Read: ‘Tum log zindagi bhar maa bete ki ghulami karte rahoge,’ Twitterati reacts to Congress’ inability to see beyond the dynasty

Continuing the rant on Thursday as well, three days after Scindia very politely bid his goodbye to the party he was with for 18 years, MP Congress taunted him that neither PM Modi nor HM Amit Shah have tweeted to welcome him to the BJP.

“Modi/Shah ji, please do not be in such a hurry! It has not even been 24 hours and you people have started insulting him. Maharaj, the same Maharaj whose family history even Shivraj ji talks about,” MP Congress tweeted. It is imperative to mention that before Scindia made his resignation to Sonia Gandhi public, he had met the Prime Minister at his residence along with Home Minister Amit Shah.

Perhaps now is the good time for Congress to rise above its pettiness and move on with whatever dignity that is left.

1993 Mumbai bomb blasts: 12 blasts that had brought India’s financial capital to a standstill on March 12, 27 years ago

Jinit Jain
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1993 Mumbai bomb blasts: 12 blasts that had brought India’s financial capital to a standstill on March 12, 27 years ago

27 years ago, on March 12, 1993, a series of 12 devastating and catastrophic bomb blasts knocked the bottom out of India’s financial hub. In less than 2 hours on that fateful Friday afternoon, the ruinous bombs which exploded in rapid succession in Mumbai, then Bombay, sent the city into chaos as iconic structures were subjected to a ferocious attack.

The first bomb went off at 1:30 PM in the Bombay Stock Exchange and after that, a series of car and scooter bombs went off at regular intervals at many locations in the city over the next 2 hours. The attack at the Stock Exchange was so severe that the explosion in the parking affected at least 10 floors above it. The intensity of the explosion was so high that the sound of the blast was heard up to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Railway station.

Shortly afterwards, another bomb went off in the front of the Mandvi branch of Corporation Bank near Masjid. A car bomb went off at the Air India building, leaving a deep crater and killing about 59 people in the attack. Shiv Sena Bhawan was also targeted by the terrorists.

Other places where the bomb blasts took place include Zaveri Bazar, Mahim Causeway, Century Bazar, Hotel Sea Rock in Bandra, Plaza Cinema, Juhu Centaur Hotel, Sahar Airport, and Airport Centaur Hotel.

The attack, which was one of the largest coordinated terror attacks on Indian soil rendered more than 300 people dead and over 1400 injured.

In all, 12 bomb blasts thundered the city of Mumbai but the then chief minister, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, brazenly lied and ‘invented’ a 13th bomb blast out of thin air to build a spurious equivalence between the sufferings endured by the Muslims and Hindus. He had stated that a 13th blast had taken place in Masjid Bunder.

Pawar had seemingly conjured up a blast to balance out the victimhood. Because all 12 blasts that actually happened had happened in Hindu-majority areas. So Pawar had added a blast out of his imagination to portray that Muslims were the victim too. He had admitted it himself and even claimed that he was praised for it.

Read: 1993 Mumbai blast accused Munaf Moosa arrested by Gujarat ATS, was living in Nairobi with a Pakistan passport

The attacks, coordinated by Dawood Ibrahim, the leader of the Mumbai-based international organised crime syndicate, D-Company, were in response to the demolition of the Babri Masjid in December 1992 when the abandoned mosque in Ayodhya built over the Ram Janmabhoomi site was brought down by Hindu groups.

Twenty four years after serial blasts battered and brushed India’s commercial capital Mumbai, snuffing out the lives of hundreds of people – a special TADA court on 16 June 2017 had convicted key mastermind of the blasts Mustafa Dossa, gangster Abu Salem and four others. One accused had been let off for lack of evidence.

According to the prosecution, members of the crime syndicate run by underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, along with his key aide Tiger Memon, Mohammed Dossa and Mustafa Dossa had plotted the dastardly attacks on Mumbai.

Mustafa Dossa, Tiger Memon and Chhota Shakeel had organised training camps in Pakistan and in India to impart and undergo weapon and arms training and handling of explosives, the prosecution said.

The conspirators held 15 meetings before the execution of the blasts, the prosecution adds.

While Memon was hanged in 2015 for his role in organising Mumbai bomb blasts, other key-conspirators such as Tiger Memon, Dawood Ibrahim, Anees Ibrahim, Chhota Shakeel and others are still on the run and continue to elude the Indian Investigative agencies. Till the time all the involved in the gruesome bomb blasts are not brought to book, the indelible scars of the attack will continue to torment the much-vaunted mystical phoenix of ‘Spirit of Mumbai’.

Coronavirus: Hollywood actor Tom Hanks, wife Rita Wilson test positive

OpIndia Staff
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Coronavirus: Hollywood actor Tom Hanks, wife Rita Wilson test positive

Hollywood actor Tom Hanks and his wife, actress Rita Wilson have tested positive for COVID-19 Coronavirus. Hanks took to Twitter to make the announcement regarding his diagnosis.

As per the statement, Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson were in Australia and felt a little unwell. “We felt a bit tired, like we had colds, and some body aches. Rita had some chills which came and went. Slight fevers too,” Hanks said in a statement about their symptoms.

Read: UK Health Minister tested positive for coronavirus, had attended a reception with British PM and several ministers

The couple then got medical attention and got tests done for coronavirus which came out to be positive. Keeping in mind public health and safety, the couple will now be tested, observed and isolated for as long as required. “Take care of yourselves,” Hanks said.

The Hanks were in Australia for production of Baz Luhrmann’s untitled Elvis Presley movie where Hanks is playing Presley’s manager, Colonel Tom Parker.

Congress MP Kapil Sibal admits in Parliament that CAA will not take away citizenship of any Indian

OpIndia Staff
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Congress MP Kapil Sibal admits in Parliament that CAA will not take away citizenship of any Indian

Congress MP Kapil Sibal admitted in the Rajya Sabha today that the Citizenship (Amendment) Act does not take away the citizenship from anyone, a reality which his party members have been refuting vehemently since the time the law has come into being.

Rajya Sabha on Thursday was witnessing a debate on Delhi violence which was triggered by anti-CAA protests. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, during his speech, said that people were misled on the Citizenship Amendment Act. While hitting out at the opposition for allegedly politicising the issue by spreading misinformation around the act which led to the riots in the national capital, Amit Shah asked if anyone in the house could point out if there was even a single provision in the CAA that took away the citizenship of Indians.

The Home Minister appealed that all political parties should say in one voice that nobody will lose citizenship due to CAA. Only after that, there will be no riots. “On what basis are we baking our political bread”, he asked. “Everyone sitting in this house is wise people, Kapil Sibal is a very senior advocate in Supreme Court, show me any provision in the CAA law due which Muslims will lose citizenship,” the home minister asked the house.

As Amit Shah had taken Sibal’s name, the Congress leader rose to intervene, and said, “nobody is saying that CAA will snatch the citizenship of any person. We are not saying that”.

After that Sibal went on to bring the issue of NPR, saying that during the enumeration for NPR, the enumerators will ask dozens of questions, and put D before names of people. This is not about Muslims, but poor will suffer, Sibal claimed.

Amit Shah then intervened to say several of Sibal’s party colleagues had made statements alleging the CAA will take away the citizenship of a particular group. He said that he can quote numerous leaders of Congress saying CAA is against minorities. Responding to Sibal’s allegations on NPR, the Home Minister also reiterated that no documents will be sought for NPR, like the last NPR during UPA govt. and people are free to not provide if they are not willing or able to provide some information. “As the Home Minister I am saying in Rajya Sabha, no name is going to be marked as D, there is no need for anyone to fear the process of NPR,” Amit Shah clarified. The home minister made it clear that nobody will be marked as D (doubtful) for leaving some columns during the NPR enumeration, as alleged by the opposition parties. To this, leader of opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad rose and asked, “I think the home minister is saying that no D will be put with anyone’s name, if I heard correctly. You are saying this? so there will be D?” Amit Shah replied in affirmative, which was acknowledged by Azad.

The home minister added that if any member of the house still has any doubt, leader of opposition Ghulam Navi Azad can bring them to him for clarifications. Shah said that senior leaders like Azad, Anand Sharma and other members can come to meet him to discuss the issue to remove all the myths about CAA and NPR, in the presence of officials.

Time has come to stop the myths about CAA and NPR, Amit Shah said.

Although CAA is meant to expedite the process of giving citizenship to persecuted minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, and it has nothing to do with Indian citizens, several opposition parties including the Congress party and left-liberal intellectuals and journalists have been spreading the falsehood that CAA will take away the citizenship of Muslims, thereby causing fear among the community and resulting in riots across the country.

This is, however, not the first time the Congress leader has stated the fact contradicting the lies spread by other leaders of the party. In January 2020 while speaking at the Kerela Literature Festival, Congress leader and lawyer Kapil Sibal categorically stated that states do not have the power to stop implementation of a law that has been passed by the Parliament. His comments directly contradicted the rigid stance that the CMs of the Congress-ruled States had assumed.

Sibal’s views were also shared by Congress old guard, Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Monday. He stated that a State cannot say no to a law passed by the Parliament from a Constitutional perspective. Hooda, however, said that the law can always be challenged in a Court of law.

It is pertinent to note here that the Congress party has been vehemently opposing the Citizenship Amendment Law, along with NRC and NPR. In fact, in its manifesto released for the Delhi elections, the party promised to not implement the National Population Register (NPR) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) in its present form. The grand old party also vowed to challenge the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in the apex court.

NPR is a part of the census and was earlier prepared in 2010-2011 along with the 2011 Census during the Congress-led UPA government. CAA aims to fast-track the citizenship of minorities from three neighbouring countries of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who have migrated to India illegally, owing to religious persecution. As for a nationwide NRC, no draft has been laid down by the government. The exercise to update the NRC in Assam was initiated during the Congress government in the state, while by the time it was completed BJP had come to power.

Despite hard-hitting facts, the Congress party and its leaders did not back down from rumour-mongering and casting aspersions on CAA, NRC, and NPR.

The distinct narratives peddled by these Congress loyalists often contradicted each other and thus left the people hanging in the balance to figure out the party’s official stand on its own. One thing, however, remained common in their various statements – the attempt to club NRC (National Register of Citizens) and NPR (National Population Register) with CAA.

Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein sentenced to 23 years in prison for rape and sexual assault in landmark #MeToo case

OpIndia Staff
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Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein sentenced to 23 years in prison for rape and sexual assault in landmark #MeToo case

In what is being considered as a big victory for the #MeToo movement, the New York court sentenced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein to 23 years in prison for rape and sexual assault. The MeToo movement had started after allegations against Harvey had surfaced.

In the judgment that was announced on Wednesday morning at the Manhattan Supreme Court by Judge James Burke, the tainted filmmaker was given a minimum of five years and a maximum of 29 years in prison for raping an aspiring actress in 2013 and forcibly performing oral sex on a TV and film production assistant in 2006. A second criminal case is pending in California.

Weinstein (67) had arrived at his sentence hearing in a wheelchair and handcuffs. The former movie producer’s trial came to a close at the end of February, with a New York jury of five women and seven men finding him guilty of rape in the third degree and a criminal sexual act in the first degree. The charges were based on testimony in a New York courtroom by Miriam Haley and Jessica Mann, who both spoke at the sentencing.

From the Manhattan courtroom, Weinstein was taken to the Downstate Correctional Facility, in Fishkill, 75 miles north of New York City, to await his assignment to an upstate prison, where he will start to serve his term.

He is likely to be sent in the near future to Los Angeles, where he faces charges, including forcible rape, forcible oral copulation, sexual penetration by use of force and sexual battery by restraint. Those charges, based on allegations made by two women, carry a potential 28-year prison sentence.

On the eve of sentencing, more than 1000 pages of emails and documents sent by the disgraced film producer were made public in which he had begged forgiveness and support from friends including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Mike Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York, and Apple CEO Tim Cook. Weinstein told them, in November 2017, a month after The New York Times published bombshell allegations against him, that he was suicidal.

Weinstein’s own brother Bob, with whom he co-founded entertainment company Miramax, responded: “F–k u Harvey Weinstein. I pray there is a real hell. That’s where u belong. You deserve a lifetime achievement award for the sheer savagery and immorality and inhumanness, for the acts u have perpetrated,” he wrote, adding that his brother should not reply to the email.

Harvey Weinstein is a former movie producer who established the Miramax Films Corporation with his brother, Bob, in 1979. Miramax went on to produce critical and commercial hits like ‘Pulp Fiction’ and ‘Shakespeare In Love’, and the brothers found more success after launching The Weinstein Company in 2005.

Weinstein’s reputation was severely damaged after the New York Times published an article in October 2017, detailing decades of allegations of sexual harassment against Harvey Weinstein. Actresses Rose McGowan and Ashley Judd were among the women who had come forward. Among the accusations were that he forced women to massage him and watch him naked. He also promised to help advance their careers in return for sexual favours.

After this, many more women came up to share their ordeal, all of whom accused the producer of sexual harassment. More than 80 women had made allegations against Weinstein by October 31, 2017. Following these allegations, Weinstein was in October 2017, dismissed from his company and expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

The allegations against him had, in fact, evoked the #MeToo social media campaign worldwide and many similar sexual abuse allegations against powerful men around the world started flowing in. This phenomenon was referred to as the “Weinstein effect“.

Weinstein was arrested in New York and charged with rape on May 25, 2018. His trial began on January 6, 2020, and he was also charged with rape in Los Angeles. On February 24, 2020, he was found guilty of two of five felonies in New York, charges which carry a sentence of up to 25 years. Today, on 11 March 2020 he was sentenced to 23 years in prison.

Tamil Nadu government refuses to adopt resolution against the Citizenship Amendment Act, opposition MLAs walk out of assembly

OpIndia Staff
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Tamil Nadu government refuses to adopt resolution against the Citizenship Amendment Act, opposition MLAs walk out of assembly

The Tamil Nadu government led by AIADMK on Wednesday clarified in the Tamil Nadu state assembly that no resolution against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) will be adopted because that will be amounting to cheating the public.

Revenue Minister RB Udhayakumar in a response to an issue raised by DMK leader MK Stalin said, “The Leader of Opposition MK Stalin demands to adopt a resolution against CAA. But he knows well that a resolution adopted by the State Assembly will not be binding on legislation enacted by Parliament. So, adopting such a resolution will be akin to cheating the people.”

Repeating that minorities need not have any fears over the NPR, the minister said, “All cases relating to CAA will be dealt with only by the Supreme Court. Hence, the House should ponder over how adopting a resolution against the CAA, an issue contested before the apex court will safeguard the interests of the people here.”

Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam said, “AIADMK has been safeguarding the interests of all sections of the people for over four decades. So, the AIADMK government will check any trouble for minorities including Muslims and Christians.”

Udhayakumar also clarified that the central government is yet to respond to the state government’s letter seeking clarifications regarding certain questions in NPR 2020. He also stated that only difference between the format for carrying out NPR 2010 and NPR 2020 was the additional three questions relating to the details about the native place, date of birth of parents and spouse, mother tongue, Aadhar card and Driving License number added in the format for NPR 2020.

TN Udhayakumar said, “The Opposition demands that these questions should be dropped. In the same vein, the state government has also urged the Centre to avoid these questions during NPR. But we did not ask the Centre to give up NPR itself since it was carried out already during the UPA government in 2010. The state government has, so far, has not issued any notification for NPR 2020.”

Referring to parties which had earlier supported the CAA and later changed their stand, Stalin said, “As such, the Tamil Nadu government should adopt a resolution in the State Assembly that the NPR which would pave way for the NRC in future will not be carried out in the state. It is crystal clear that NPR 2020 is being carried out only for facilitating NRC. NPR would divide people on the basis of religion and this would affect the plurality of the country. Hence the state government should adopt a resolution saying NPR in the present format will not be carried out in Tamil Nadu.”

Since the ruling party indicated that no resolution will be adopted against CAA, Stalin walked out with his party. MLAs belonging to the Congress and IUML and Thameemun Ansari, an MLA who is an ally of AIADMK followed suit.

Earlier, Tamil Nadu CM Edappadi K Palaniswamy had strongly defended the CAA, challenging the opposition to show any minority in India that will be affected by it.

Prima Facie, the riots on a large scale in such a short span of time reeks of a conspiracy: Amit Shah in Lok Sabha on Delhi riots

OpIndia Staff
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Prima Facie, the riots on a large scale in such a short span of time reeks of a conspiracy: Amit Shah in Lok Sabha on Delhi riots

Following the anti-CAA riots that gripped several parts of North East Delhi in the last week of February, the Union Home Minister Amit Shah today spoke for the first time about the ghastly violence that rendered about 50 dead and several hundred injured. The Lok Sabha discussed the Delhi riots today under Rule 193 of the house proceedings, which meant there would be no voting after the debate. The Congress legislators staged a walkout even as Shah detailed measures adopted by the government to contain the spiralling riots.

Here are salient points made by the Union Home Minister Amit Shah during his speech in the Lok Sabha:

No incidents of riots took place after February 25th

Paying homage and expressing his condolences for the victims of the Delhi riots, Shah said that no riots took place after February 25 and that attempts were being made to politicise the riots.

Shah praises Delhi Police’s handling of the riots

Defending Delhi Police, Shah revealed in the lower house of the parliament that the police contained the riots within 36 hours of their eruption. Delhi Police was held in the dock for their supposedly biased handling of the riots in the National Capital. Rubbishing the aspersions against the police, Shah lauded their effort and declared that the police probe is underway and it will soon be submitting a report on the violence in Delhi.

Shah also added that he skipped his visit to the pre-scheduled program with the US President Donald Trump and sat all day with the Delhi Police officials to monitor the situation in the National Capital, claiming that he chose not to visit the program as it would have caused Delhi Police to strain their resources on his security arrangements.

Social Media was used as an instrument to incite violence

According to Shah, Delhi Police are closely scrutinising about 60 social media accounts which were created on February 22 and closed down on February 26, 2020. Shah stated that the violence in Delhi was fanned by inflammatory posts on social media by nefarious elements, adding that a thorough investigation by Delhi Police is underway to determine the culprits behind the incident.

700 FIRs registered till date in the Delhi violence case

While talking about the police action in the violence that gripped north-eastern part of Delhi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that about 700 FIRs have been lodged till date since February 27 in connection with the riots in the National Capital. Shah assured that all those who have been involved in causing unrest in the city will be brought to book and none of them will be spared.

Riots in Delhi were orchestrated and a case of conspiracy has been registered to probe the angle: Shah

Shah contended that the riots on such a massive scale in a short span of time is impossible without the possibility of a conspiracy. He stated that a case of conspiracy has been lodged to investigate the angle and the police have made 3 arrests on the charges of financing the violence in the North East Delhi.

“We did not take the riots casually. Prima facie, I believe that the riots were pre-planned. I assured families of the riot victims that the culprits will not be spared no matter which religion, caste or political party they belong to,” Shah said.

Fearing similar fate? Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot hits out at Jyotiraditya Scindia over joining BJP, calls him an ‘opportunist’

OpIndia Staff
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Fearing similar fate? Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot hits out at Jyotiraditya Scindia over joining BJP, calls him an ‘opportunist’

The Rajasthan chief minister and senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot tore into former Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia for joining BJP after leaving the party following an 18-year-long association with it.

The Congress senior leader took to Twitter to call Scindia an “opportunist”, saying: “People will teach him a lesson”.

“What has happened in Madhya Pradesh, it is murder of democracy. Entire nation is watching, how shamelessly horse trading is being done. In which direction they are taking the nation? They will definitely be taught a lesson by the people when the time comes”, he tweeted.

Ashok Gehlot said in several tweets, “attempts are being made to threaten, intimidate and worst kind of tactics are being used. Such brazen abuse of power has never been seen. Entire Congress party is united and we will together teach them a lesson. Their attempts to destabilize elected govts are because of their money power and horse-trading. They are not talking about any ideology. They want to grab power on basis of huge amount of money they have hoarded. The biggest scam that is happening in country, is of electoral bonds. They have amassed huge amounts of money, people are being looted by creating fear of CBI, ED, IT inquiries. Corruption is at its peak. On this money power, they are plotting to destabilise democratically elected govts. They are giving threats now but public is not going to be intimidated by their threats. People will never bow down due to these threats, nor are we going to bow down. I am very much hopeful that they will be taught a lesson. The sooner opportunists leave, the better. Congress party gave so much, held various posts for 17-18 years, was made an MP, a Union Minister. Despite all this, what came out was just an opportunist, public would never forgive”.

“Such opportunists should have left the party much earlier. Congress party gave him so much for 18 years. People will teach him a lesson,” Gehlot told media at Jaipur Airport. Reacting to the Madhya Pradesh crisis, he said: “Mauka aane pe maukaparasti dikhai hai”.

Speaking at Jaipur, the Rajasthan CM furthered: “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”, said Ashok Gehlot.

Once seen as one of Rahul Gandhi’s closest aides, Jyotiraditya Scindia ditched the Congress party, leaving its government in Madhya Pradesh in chaos on Tuesday afternoon. His resignation, along with that of 21 MLAs, has left the Kamal Nath government in the state on the brink of collapse. It is currently five MLAs short of the new majority mark of 104. Scindia joined BJP today and he has nominated by BJP for upcoming Rajya Sabha elections.

Probably distressed over his party’s fate in Madhya Pradesh and scared of facing a similar fate in his state, Ashok Gehlot had taken to Twitter yesterday also to strongly denunciate Jyotiraditya Scindia, saying he betrayed the “trust of the people and the ideology” and dubbed him as a leader with “self-indulgent political ambitions”.

Gehlot said, “Joining hands with BJP in a time of national crisis speaks volumes about a leaders self-indulgent political ambitions. Especially when the BJP ruining the economy, democratic institutions, social fabric and as well the Judiciary.”

The tremor of Jyotiraditya Scindia’s revolt in Madhya Pradesh is now being felt in Rajasthan as well. All eyes are now on Sachin Pilot, a close friend of Scindia, amid speculation that he could take the same route. 

Rajasthan chief minister, who has not been sharing a cordial relationship with his deputy CM Sachin Pilot is now probably having cold feet after Jyotiraditya Scindia quitted Congress on Tuesday, leaving the party in Madhya Pradesh in a lurk.

Gehlot has been in a continuous tussle with state party president Sachin Pilot who was sidelined in the race for the Chief Minister’s post following the Congress’s win in the State Assembly elections.

Sachin Pilot’s camp had insisted that it was his hard work as state party chief that enabled the Congress to return to power in Rajasthan but the Chief Ministerial crown was handed over to veteran leader Gehlot. Ever since, Pilot has remained a constant challenge for Gehlot, often criticizing his own government in the past 15 months.

Last year, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot blamed Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot for the defeat of his son Vaibhav from Jodhpur constituency. Following this development, Congress MLA Prithviraj Meena had suggested that Pilot should replace Gehlot.

Yogi government moves the Supreme court against the HC order of removing the ‘Name and Shame’ hoardings comprising the details of Anti-CAA rioters

OpIndia Staff
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Yogi government moves the Supreme court against the HC order of removing the ‘Name and Shame’ hoardings comprising the details of Anti-CAA rioters

The Supreme court on Thursday is set to hear a petition filed by Uttar Pradesh government challenging the Allahabad high court order of removal of hoardings comprising photos and other personal details of anti-CAA hooligans who had damaged public property during riots.

The bench of justices UU Lalit and Aniruddha Bose of the Supreme court will hear the petition.

The High Court on Monday ordered Lucknow District Magistrate and Commissioner of Police to remove the hoardings comprising pictures of Anti-CAA rioters and their personal details. The court stated that the state’s action “violates” Article 21 of the Constitution and is an infringement of privacy.

An Allahabad High court bench of Justices had Govind Mathur and Ramesh Sinha said, “Privacy is an intrinsic part of the right to life and liberty under Article 21 of the Constitution of India, and the actions of the state government amount to an unwarranted interference into it.”

The HC bench also stated, “why the personal data of these persons have been placed on banners though in the State there are lakhs of accused persons who are facing serious allegations pertaining to the commission of crimes whose personal details have not been subjected to publicity.”

The Uttar Pradesh government had vowed to move the Supreme Court against the Allahabad High Court order in its bid to continue “profiling” the rioters. 

The UP government has put up hoardings of 57 anti-CAA rioters in prominent intersections in state capital Lucknow. The hoardings included their names, addresses, and photos of the rioters who damaged public property during the riots that claimed 22 lives in December last year. They were asked to pay the penalty within a month.

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