Month: February 2021

The Congress party has won all the seven municipal corporations in Punjab that went to the polls on February 14, claimed Sunil Jakhar, President of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) in a press conference on Wednesday.

“We want to congratulate all the workers of Punjab Government, Congress workers are behind this win, and all the people of Punjab from different sectors justified with their vote that who is good for Punjab. Those who see the old days of Punjab knew about Captain Amrinder Singh’s leadership. They have voted for us,” Jakhar said.

Jakhar further said that the people of Punjab know how to take their rights in a democratic manner. “We have given a reply to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and opposition parties with peace. Punjab knew how to take his right in a democratic manner. BJP’s high command ignored people’s feelings. We will work hard in future and I would like to launch campaign 2022,” he added.

“People have selected Congress in seven out of seven municipal corporations in the state. However, the result of Mohali corporation is awaited due to re-polling. Out of 109 municipal councils, the results have come for 104 out of which people have selected us in 98 of them,” Jakhar claimed.

“People have given a strong reply to the political parties who ignored the problems of the people and tried to defame Punjab,” he added.(ANI)

A Delhi Court on Wednesday acquitted journalist Priya Ramani in a criminal defamation case filed by former Union Minister MJ Akbar against her.

The Delhi Court while acquitting Ramani said, “Woman has right to put her grievance even after decades.” MJ Akbar, the former Minister of State for External Affairs, had filed a defamation case against the journalist Priya Ramani for accusing him of sexual misconduct.

Ramani was the first woman to accuse Akbar of sexual harassment during the #MeToo campaign. The allegations levelled against him forced him to resign from the Union Cabinet on October 17, 2018. (ANI)

All States and UTs have reported a significant decline in active cases in January, with country’s total active caseload currently at 1.36 lakh (1,36,549) on Wednesday.

The active caseload now consists of just 1.25 per cent of the country’s total positive cases. Maharashtra has shown a substantial decline in active cases from 53,163 on January 17, to 38,307 on February 17, reads an official release.

Eighteen States/UTs including Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, J&K (UT), Jharkhand, Puducherry, Himachal Pradesh, Lakshadweep, Manipur, Ladakh (UT), Assam, A&N Islands, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh has not reported COVID-19 deaths in the last 24 hours, it added.

Meanwhile, India’s cumulative recoveries show a progressive increment on a daily basis. It stand at 1.06 crore (1,06,44,858) today. With a recovery rate of 97.33 per cent, 11,833 patients have discharged in the last 24 hours. Rising recoveries combined with fewer new cases have ensured a decline in active caseload.

However, 11,610 new daily cases have been recorded in the last 24 hours.
As of February 17, till 8:00 am, the cumulative vaccination coverage to healthcare and frontline workers against coronavirus in the country has reached nearly 90 lakhs.

89,99,230 vaccine doses have been given to beneficiaries through 1,91,373 sessions, as per the provisional report till 8 am today. These include 61,50,922 HCWs (1st dose), 2,76,377 HCWs (2nd dose) and 25,71,931 FLWs (1st dose). (ANI)

By Ankur Sharma

A global conspiracy has been hatched by Khalistan Commando Force (KCF) to target farmers’ leader protesting at Delhi’s borders. Central intelligence agencies– R&AW and Intelligence Bureau — are tracking such attempts of KCF, a terror outfit, and few days back a report has been prepared by the intelligence agencies on the same.

As per the report prepared by central intelligence agencies based on inputs, the conspirators are from Belgium and the United Kingdom who in coordinated manner have prepared a plan to eliminate a farmer leader protesting at Delhi’s border.

The KCF’s plan is also to settle score with the leader who was “alleged to have involvement in eliminating KCF cadres from Punjab in the past”.
The KCF is a militant organisation involved in various assassinations in India. The outfit has members based in various countries like Canada, United Kingdom, Belgium and Pakistan.

A senior government official said there was a plan to eliminate a farmer leader, regarding which reliable input has been received. They have learnt that three KCF militants who are from Belgium and the UK have planned an assassination of a farmer leader currently protesting at a Delhi border.
According to the input, the farmer leader was allegedly involved in eliminating KCF cadres in the past in Punjab.

Information received by agencies also said the KCF perceived that the ‘killing of the leader at this juncture could lead to increase in violence in India and onus of killing will be on government agencies or workers of a political party.”

Khalistani separatists groups have been trying to gain ground through farmers’ protest.

Also, more than 400 Twitter handles run from Pakistan had been narrowed down by Indian agencies who were active to add fuel to the fire.

On January 26 when farmers assembled around Red Fort, members of Khalistani separatist groups staged a protest outside the Indian embassy in Washington DC.

The protesters claimed that they had assembled to support the farmers protesting in New Delhi. Many in the mob held so-called ‘Khalistan’ flags and raised slogans. (ANI)

A group of 24 diplomats from foreign missions, who arrived in Srinagar on Wednesday, were accorded a traditional welcome in Budgam district.

The diplomats visited Magam block in Budgam district where they were welcomed by the District Development Council (DDC) Chairman, Nazir Ahmad Khan and other panchayat representatives. Thereafter, Nazir Khan also addressed the envoys.

The foreign envoys were briefed on Panchayati Raj and grievance redressal through Back to villages and Block, thus elaborating how the administration reaches the doorstep of people.

The delegation also interacted with locals.

French envoy Emmanuel Lenain and Italian envoy Vincenzo de Luca interacted with locals in Magam block of Budgam district.

Foreign diplomats from Chile, Brazil, Cuba, Bolivia, Estonia, Finland, France, Ireland, Netherlands, Portugal, Belgium, Spain, Sweden, Italy, Bangladesh, Malawi, Eritrea, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Senegal, Malaysia, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and the European Union are on the visit.

The latest visit of foreign envoys comes in the backdrop of District Development Council polls, which saw huge participation and restoration of 4G mobile internet in the entire region after 18 months, which many see as a return of full normalcy in the Union Territory.

This will be the first visit by foreign diplomats to Jammu and Kashmir since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Two batches of foreign diplomats had earlier visited J-K in January and February last year after the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019.

Sources told ANI that some elements, who are working against Jammu and Kashmir’s progress and restoration of normalcy, have been giving calls of a shutdown during the visit of envoys.

In January last year, envoys of 15 countries including the then US Ambassador to India Kenneth Juster and diplomats from Vietnam, South Korea, Brazil, Niger, Nigeria, Morocco, Guyana, Argentina, Philippines, Norway, Maldives, Fiji, Togo, Bangladesh and Peru visited Jammu and Kashmir to see first-hand the efforts being made by the government in the region.

In February last year, 25 foreign diplomats, including those from Germany, Canada, France and Afghanistan, visited Jammu and Kashmir to witness the ground situation in the region. (ANI)

US President Joe Biden on Tuesday (local time) said that China will have to face repercussions over human rights abuses.

“The US must speak up on human rights abuses and that there will be repercussions for China, and (Xi Jinping) knows that,” Biden said during CNN town hall.

“What I’m doing is, making it clear that, we, in fact, are going to continue to reassert our role as spokespersons for human rights at the UN and other agencies that have an impact on their attitude,” CNN quoted Biden as saying.

Biden went on to explain what he told the Chinese leader with regards to human rights abuses and the United States’ stance during his phone call to President Xi jinping.

“I point out to him no American President can be sustained as a President if he doesn’t reflect the values of the United States. And so the idea is, that I am not going to speak out against what he’s doing in Hong Kong, what he’s doing with the Uyghurs in the western mountains of China and Taiwan trying to end the one-China policy by making it forceful…he gets, it culturally there are different norms that each country and that leaders are expected to follow,” Biden said.

“China is trying very hard to become the world leader. And to get that moniker and be able to do that they have to gain the confidence of other countries. And as long as they are engaged in an activity that is contrary to basic human rights, it’s going to be hard for them to do that,” Biden said adding that the issue and China policy, in general, is “much more complicated than that, I shouldn’t try to talk China policy in 10 minutes on television.”

President Biden elaborated about his administration’s vaccine plans and the timeline for distribution, he affirmed that Covid-19 vaccines will be widely available to the general public by the end of July.

Assuring that the country may be back to normal by ‘next Christmas’, Biden said, “By the end of July we’ll have over 600 million doses, enough to vaccinate every single American.”

Asked when he thinks the country will get back to normal, President Biden said he is cautious of predicting a timeline, but pointed to “next Christmas” as a moment where the nation could be under a “very different circumstance,” CNN reported.

“I’m not going to call names out, Look, for four years all that’s been in the news is Trump. For the next four years, I want to make sure all the news is the American people,” Biden said while he was asked about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s comment that Republican senators who voted to acquit former President Trump were “cowards.” (ANI)

Delhi Police has said in its First Information Report (FIR) related to ‘Toolkit’ case that the document was created with the aid of a banned organisation, Sikhs for Justice, to “disrupt the Republic Day ceremony and precipitate unlawful acts in the name of ongoing farmer protest”.

It said that during social media monitoring, it had been found that SFJ was conspiring to disturb atmosphere on Republic Day in the guise of farmers’ protest. The FIR said that SFJ had also announced cash rewards for anyone hoisting a seditious flag at India Gate on January 26.

The banned terror outfit, through its multiple websites, had also made provocative and “seditious appeals” to people to file petitions in international forums such as the United Nations to fulfil their “seditious agenda” in the garb of farmers protest, they added.

“It has also been observed during social media monitoring that post large scale violence on January 26, perpetrated by agitators in the guise of tractor rally, there is a concerted and vicious campaign to spread hatred and disaffection to disrupt peace and tranquillity through fake news and manipulated social media posts using old videos and pictures,” the FIR said.

It stated that fake news about mass resignations by police personnel was sought to be spread on social media in an “organised, concerted manner”.
“During social media monitoring on February 2, it came to notice that a link of a Google Document that has been accidentally shared on Twitter contains a detailed plan of a large conspiracy to wage an economic social cultural and regional war against India, ” the FIR said.

It referred to the contents of the google document.

“On January 26, a major day of globally coordinated actions show your support. Wherever you are either find protests happening in your city/state/country and participate in large or small numbers or organise one, the document stated.

In addition to the options below, you are encouraged to organise solidarity protests either Indian embassies near your local government offices, While we are focusing on the January 26, you are encouraged to continue organising gatherings as and when possible for this is not going to end anytime soon,” the FIR said, referring to ‘toolkit’.

The FIR referred to document mentioning more ways to “participate” from February 21 to 26 and said it sought to encourage people to record videos and take pictures to support the protest and that the same would be shown to the protesters at the protest sites.

A section of the document titled “prior actions” urged people to do a number of things, including a “tweet storm” on January 23, physical actions near Indian embassies, government offices and others on January 26 and “watch out for (or) join the farmers march/parade, a first of its kind, into Delhi and back to the borders on January 26 among other things”.

The FIR said that ‘toolkit’ was promoting campaign material by Poetic Justice Foundation, a Canada-based organization that openly and deliberately shared posts on social media “that tend to create disharmony or feelings of enmity, hatred or ill will between different religious, racial language or regional groups or castes or communities”.

While the original document accidentally shared on Twitter was removed, another modified document was shared as the ‘updated toolkit’ with similar intentions, the FIR stated.

It said the accidentally shared “confidential document” lists a “playbook of activities” that were to take place during the tractor march held on Republic Day and other protests in Delhi and NCR, the FIR reads.

The document contains a detailed plan by the title ‘Global Day of Action Protesting for Farmers on India’s Republic Day’, the FIR said.

It noted that documents contained in both the ‘toolkits’ also have planned activities for February 4 and 5, 2021 in the form of a “twitter storm” as well as “on-ground action” on February 13 and 14.

It said there is a call for “economic warfare against India and certain Indian companies” and “their assets in India and outside are to be made targets for physical as well as coordinated actions”.

There is also a call to protest specifically outside Indian embassies and target symbols linked to Indian culture such as Yoga and “chai”, the FIR said.

It said that the documents specifically mention targeting certain regions of India to instigate “enmity and divide further” and noted that detailed plans had been made by conspirators to “instigate certain communities against one another”.

It said secessionist banned organization SFJ had declared a reward of USD 250,000 “for waving a secessionist flag at the India Gate on Republic Day, 2021 which also contributed to the violence which happened as a result of the said tractor rally”.

The rally, which was initially agreed to by the farmers’ unions as a peaceful march, turned violent on January 26 as a result of the said instigation by elements behind this document and its toolkit, the FIR said.

The violent protesters not only caused grievous injuries to police personnel but also besieged the Red Fort and as a result, several FIRs were filed against them, it said.

“The secessionist organisations that strongly advocate the secession of Punjab from India as Khalistan have not only been pushing its agenda in the garb of farmers protest but also instigating people by offering monetary rewards and circulating unlawful material on social media to cause violence that would undermine the sovereignty and integrity of the nation and would be detrimental to public order, the FIR said

It said that after violence that occurred on January 26, 2021, “various social media handles are being used to spread rumours and fake news videos to promote enmity between different groups wantonly,” or to excite disaffection towards the central government.

“From the contents of the above-mentioned documents it is evident that there is a global conspiracy to bring or attempt to bring into hatred or contempt or excite or attempt to excite disaffection towards the government established by law in India as well as to promote disharmony or feelings of enmity, hatred or between different groups and to wantonly give provocation with the intent to cause riots,” the FIR said. (ANI)

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday directed senior officials to take strict action against people or organisations who flout COVID-19 guidelines.

Thackeray and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar held a meeting with the divisional commissioners and district collectors of the state through via video conferencing today.

“If people do not wear masks or follow COVID-19 rules, then the district and police administration has the responsibility to strictly enforce these rules. They must take strict punitive and necessary action without showing any leniency,” stated Thackeray.

He directed officials to create a health map of the state with the help of health workers by carrying out “My family, my responsibility” campaign.
Thackeray expressed displeasure over improper implementation of the standard operating procedures (SOP).

“Over the past year we have set SOPs for various sectors while fighting COVID-19, but it does not appear to be implemented. It is a serious concern,” said the chief minister.

“Wedding ceremonies, parties and other social events are seen taking place without following guidelines. We have extended the times of restaurants and hotels but we do not see that the rules are being followed,” said Thackeray.

He directed the officials to send local administration teams to visit the places of gathering and take strict action if violations of rules are found.
“Revoke the licences of halls where rules are not followed at weddings or other ceremonies. Strict action should be taken immediately if hotels and restaurants are not following SOPs,” he said.

The chief minister directed the municipalities in the state to spray disinfectant at public places regularly. The state government also decided to increase the testing by sending mobile testing facilities to villages.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra reported 3,663 new COVID-19 cases and 2,700 recoveries on Tuesday.

“A total of 19,81,408 patients have been cured and discharged. The total active cases of COVID-19 in the state stand at 37,125. The patient recovery rate in the state is 95.66%,” said Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope. (ANI)

An alleged key accused in the 2002 Godhra train burning case has been arrested after being on the run for 19 years, police said.

“Of all the offenders registered for the Sabarmati railway murder at Godhra Railway Police Station, the main accused, Rafiq Hussain Bhatuk, was arrested on Monday by Special Operations Group (SOG), Godhra,” Dr Leena Patil, SP Panchmahal told ANI on Tuesday. “The accused was on the run for 19 years. He was surviving by working in menial jobs at different construction sites,” she added.

The complete process of his arrest is ongoing by the Godhra Railway Police.
Around 58 people lost their lives when some coaches of Sabarmati Express were torched at the Godhra Railway Station in Gujarat on February 27, 2002. The incident had triggered large-scale riots in Gujarat.

The five accused, who were arrested by different investigation agencies between 2015-2016, were put on trial at the special court, set up at the Sabarmati Central Jail in Ahmedabad. (ANI)