Ukraine Conflict

Blood On Your Face!

A portrait of Stalin hangs on the wall. The lector reads a report on Stalin, then, the choir sings a song about Stalin, and, finally, an actor declaims a poem about Stalin. What’s the occasion? An evening commemorating the hundredth anniversary of Pushkin’s death.
(A student tells this joke. For this crime, the student gets ten years in the labour and death camps, without the right of correspondence.)
Second-Hand Time by Svetlana Alexievich

Stalin allegedly used to write poetry in his youth. So did Pol Pot, the butcher, and General Mohammed Ershad of Bangladesh. So did, perhaps, Idi Amin of Uganda and Augusto Pinochet of Chile.

Perhaps, Vladimir Putin too writes his own brand of botoxed poetry bloodied with the bloody redness of innocence — from Kiev to Lviv. Certainly, they would all be verse, as terrible as the terrible poetry Stalin wrote during his Georgian youth.

Think of Russia: 10,000 or more young soldiers dead. For no rhyme or reason. Most of them from the provinces did not even know why they were fighting this war, why they were killing people who looked like them and spoke their language and ate the same food and sang the same songs and shared the same oral traditions of the war against fascism.

Treacherous Generals! Thus wrote great Spanish poet Fredrico Garcia Lorca. So, he was shot in the woods by perhaps a footsoldier of another general, while, perhaps, another general gave him shelter. Several top generals of the Russian top brass have been killed in combat. Where have you ever heard generals fighting in the frontlines, except in those magical, mythical, medieval times?

As the sad song goes: It‘s happening in Russia. It is happening in Russia!

As another great poet, Pablo Neruda, a buddy of Lorca, wrote: Come and see the blood on the streets. Come and see the blood on the streets. Come and see the blood on the streets…

Think of Ukraine. Come and see the dead on the streets of Bucha. At Kharkhiv and Irpin. In the outskirts of Lviv and Kiev. Out there in the smoked-out Eastern Front of Ukraine. Hands tied at the back, some bodies. An entire family shot and dumped in the garden. A theatre bombed out. A railway station ravaged by hell-fire.

Dead children and mothers. A few million turned refugees; no more the warmth of their cosy homes in this freezing cold. Now, borderline cases stranded on various European borders: Lithuania, Moldova, Poland…

ALSO READ: Theatre Of Horror In Ukraine

In this grotesque anti-poetry Putin has penned, there are no between the lines. No verse or pause, silence or nuance. Only the sinister shadow of Ivan the Terrible, the Tsar of Russia, And, of course, Totalitarian Stalin of the Great Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). And he knows so well that this mindless war waged by him for mindless reasons, he has already lost. He lost it on Day One! He did.

Isolated in Europe and the West, and across the world, a megalomaniac Putin, a ruler for life, can’t even have his last hurrah. Another dictator with a half-twisted smile, in China, also a ruler for life, with his alleged communist hangover, seems to have backstabbed him on Ukraine. So, what will the hallucinating Tsar do now?

His banking system has been turned almost redundant, his lucrative oil economy is bleeding, the rouble has shrunk, his international financial system has collapsed, his finest sycophants in his caricature of a cabinet have all been sanctioned, his best billionaire buddies are finding their assets frozen, including the super-luxury yachts parked at multiple ports; so, what will Putin do now?

Till this day, even as it becomes 60 days and more, in a post-modern era where wars, rare as they are, are fought on the battlefronts in short, decisive stints, and, where diplomacy rules the roost,  this long march to eternity has only nowhere as a dead-end. Till this day, Putin and his beleaguered and confused armed forces, have not been able to win any city or town, port or infrastructure, despite the huge military resources at his command. Even from Chernobyl they have withdrawn.

Reports The Guardian: “Mariupol has become a symbol of Ukraine’s unexpectedly fierce resistance since Russian troops invaded the former Soviet state on February 24.” The UN World Food Programme has stated that 100,000 plus citizens in ravaged Mariupol are starving and there is serious scarcity of water, sanitation and heating. Undoubtedly, it is a major humanitarian catastrophe, and the blame squarely falls on Putin.

“The city still has not fallen,” the Ukrainian Prime Minister said on Sunday. “There’s still our military forces, our soldiers. So they will fight to the end,” he told ABC’s The Week. “We will not surrender.”

Putin and his commanders tried the strategy of putting the capital of Ukraine under siege for days. In contrast, even the satellite towns did not surrender, so brave, strategic and resilient has been the Ukrainian response on the ground. Hence, now top European leaders are making a beeline for Kiev, right under the nose of Putin, standing with the troops and the brave, fighting citizens of Ukraine. Even Joe Biden might land up at Kiev anytime soon, and as did Boris Johnson in a sudden, surprise, solidarity visit.

Hence, while the brilliant comic star of reality TV and valiant president and soldier in fatigue on the frontlines, Volodimir Zelenskiy, fights a winning battle 24/7 with his back to the wall, with clever rhetoric and imaginative manuevering, Putin stands cornered, ghettoized and isolated. All he now has is the dream to capture Donbas and Lugansk, etc, and focus on the Eastern Front, like he did with Crimea in the past. That is, indeed, a big loss to his grand project of extending the Great Stalinist Soviet Empire!

All he could do therefore was order massacres, executions, Stalin-style, indiscriminate bombing and missiles flying into homes, hospitals and schools. Surely, these are no signs of a smart and strategic military commander sitting in Moscow which led such a stoic and sustained battle for months in the frozen landscape in Stalingrad and Leningrad.

Putin seems to have willfully forgotten that more than 20 million Russians died in the protracted war against fascism, whereby, the Red Army first liberated Berlin, whereby, Adolf Hitler and his wife, then, chose to commit suicide. Many of the millions who died came from Ukrain and neighbouring  Belarus, also ruled by a tin-pot dictator, another best buddy of the Tsar in Moscow.

The tragic epic hereby unfolding is heart-breaking: between the young men and women fighting each other in a meaningless war in Ukraine, there is a history of deep, intrinsic, intimate and shared memory. These shared memories are stronger than war, victory or defeat. They are childhood memories, spoken as fairy tales turned real, inside the warmth of the home and hearth, around a soft, crackling fire, as the snow would fall over the meadows like sheets of white, and the howling wind would creep in through the cracks in the window. These are real stories, and they shall never die.

Nobel Prize winning journalist Svetlana Alexeviech narrates another joke cracked by the grandson of a seasoned communist and party card holder who was tortured and brutalized in all kinds of dingy hell-holes during the Stalinist purges for reasons no one knows till this day. His wife, also a card-holder, died of the brutality, cold and hunger in prison. The joke:

A professor and an Old Bolshevik are at a séance. The professor: ‘From the very beginning, communism was based on an error. Remember the song: Our train is flying forward… The next stop is the commune…’

The Old Bolshevik: “Of course, I do. What’s the problem? Trains don’t fly.’

Jahangirpuri Violence: Five Of A Family Arrested

Delhi Police arrested five people and apprehended one minor of the same family in connection with the April 16 Delhi Jahangirpuri violence.

A total of 23 people have been arrested and two juveniles apprehended so far in connection with the incident in which nine people, including eight police personnel and a civilian, were injured.

Delhi Police have arrested people from “both communities” for the violence. Among all the arrested, the police have arrested all the men of a family belonging to “one particular community”. The accused have been identified as Suken Sarkar, his brother Suresh Sarkar, Suken’s two sons Neeraj and Suraj, and Sukeen’s brother-in-law Sujit. Police have also detained Suken’s minor son.

After the arrest, Suken’s wife Durga Sarkar told ANI, “My husband, brother-in-law, three sons and my brother have been arrested by the police. They are all innocent. They were on the chariot in the procession and stones were pelted at him. A brick was thrown at my husband. His brother suffered severe injuries to his head, but despite this, they saved the Hanuman idol.”

Durga told that her husband came home and told her that people belonging to the “other community” first started arguing with them and they also were the ones to start stone-pelting.

“My husband ran away from that place to save his life. He does a small job and my son is in Class 12. He has his board exams. If he is not released, his life would be ruined”, she added.

Durga Sarkar further alleged a larger conspiracy. She said, “Why is just my family members arrested? There were others too. This is a conspiracy, I want my family members to be released.”

Arrested Sujit’s wife Meenu said, “My husband has been arrested by the police. He was pulling the chariot in the Shobha Yatra. He told that 5-6 people came from the mosque and asked them to stop the loudspeaker and stop chanting Jai Shri Ram.”

“When the people in the procession refused, hundreds of people from the ‘other community’ came out with swords and attacked the procession. My husband somehow ran to save his life”, added Meenu.

According to Meenu, her husband did not participate in stone-pelting. “Or he would only do it for self-defence. If someone comes to kill me, should I not try to protect myself?”, she added.

“My husband knows all the people who actually started the riot. But despite this, the other community became heroes, our people became villains. We live in Hindustan and it is our right to chant Jai Shri Ram.”

Clashes broke out between two groups after stone-pelting incidents were reported from the Jahangirpuri area in the national capital on Saturday evening during a procession last Saturday. Some people, including two policemen, have been injured. (ANI)

Biden Approves 4 BN$ Arms Package Sale To India

Biden Has ‘No Plans’ To Visit Ukraine: White House

US President Joe Biden has no plans to visit Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said on Monday (local time).

“There are no plans for the President to go,” Psaki said regarding the Biden administration’s plans to send a high-level US official to Kiev soon.
The US earlier had announced to provide Ukraine with an additional 800 million US dollars’ worth of military aid including heavy artillery as Washington anticipated a “wider assault” by Russia in eastern Ukraine.

Today, Washington has sent four planes loaded with security assistance to Ukraine over the weekend and made one more delivery on Monday, as per Psaki.

“There were four planes that arrived of military assistance over the course of the weekend, another one is supposed to arrive today if it hasn’t already from the US 800 million package the President announced,” Psaki said during a press briefing on Monday.

The United States remains the largest supplier of military aid to Ukraine among the 30 allies supporting the country.

Washington has committed more than USD 3.2 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since President Joe Biden took office in January 2021. Approximately USD 2.6 billion of the total amount was approved since the beginning of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine at the end on February, according to the Defense Department.

The US military assistance includes lethal weapons such as Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, Javelin anti-armor systems, Howitzers and artillery rounds, Mi-17 helicopters, small arms and ammunition, drones, radar devices, among other equipment, according to Sputnik.

On February 24, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine after the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk requested help to defend them from intensifying attacks by Ukrainian troops. (ANI)

Polish PM Morawiecki To Visit Ukraine’s Lviv on Tuesday

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki will visit Ukraine’s Lviv city on Tuesday, Michal Dworczyk, the head of his chancellery, said.

At the initiative of the Polish government, container towns for internal refugees are being created, the official said, adding that women and children fleeing from eastern Ukraine will find refuge there.

“The first of them will be opened today by Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki in Lviv,” Dworczyk tweeted. (ANI/Sputnik)

Telugu Film Producer Narayan Das Narang Passes Away

Veteran film producer Narayan Das Narang, who has bankrolled many Tollywood movies, has passed away. He was 76 when he breathed his last in Hyderabad on Tuesday.

Indin film critic and trade analyst Taran Adarsh confirmed the news on his Twitter handle with a condolence message.
“Extremely sad to hear about the demise of Shri #NarayanDasNarang ji, a hugely respected personality of the #Telugu film industry… #NarayanDas ji was Chairman of #AsianGroup and an eminent producer, exhibitor and financier… Deepest condolences to his family… Om Shanti,” his tweet read.

South star Mahesh Babu also mourned the demise of the veteran star on his Twitter handle.

“Shocked and saddened by the demise of #NarayanDasNarang garu. A prolific figure in our film industry.. his absence will be deeply felt. A privilege to have known and worked with him,” he wrote.

Narayan Das Narang had reportedly bankrolled more than 600 movies, including Naga Chaitanya and Sai Pallavi’s ‘Love Story’ and Naga Shaurya’s ‘Lakshya’.

As per sources, his funeral will be held at 4 pm at the Mahaprasthanam on Tuesday. Several South stars are expected to pay their last respects and offer their condolences to the late producer’s family. (ANI)

CM Biplab Meets Shah In Delhi, Discusses Bru Rehabilitation, Land Issue

Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb on Tuesday informed that he discussed several state issues in his meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

The chief minister apprised Shah of the development of Bru Rehabilitation in Tripura. He also informed the Union Home Minister about the obstacles being faced in the opening of Sainik Schools in the state.
“It was an honour to meet with Hon’ble Home Minister, Adarnia @AmitShah

Ji. Apprised him about the development of Bru Rehabilitation in Tripura. Along with this, informed him about the obstacles being faced in the opening of Sainik School in the state,” Deb tweeted.

After decades of waiting, internally displaced Bru people in Tripura have started to live in their permanent houses constructed under the quadripartite Bru resettlement pact signed in the year 2020.

The Tripura Chief Minister also discussed the issue of Assam Rifles and was assured of all possible help from the Central Government by Shah.

“The land issue of Assam Rifles was also discussed. He assured all help from the central govt. Much gratitude to him for his continuous support for the development of #Tripura,” he added.

The Supreme Court recently rebuked the Tripura government for not handing over the title of 121 acres in Agartala city to Assam Rifles, which has been in its possession since 1951. The court was hearing a suit filed by the Union of India against the Tripura government over a piece of land in possession of Assam Rifles, measuring 121.358 acres at Mauja Bhati, Abhoy Nagar. This land was transferred to Assam Rifles by a Presidential Order in November 1951. It has since remained with them. (ANI)

Haryana Makes Wearing Of Mask Mandatory In 4 Districts

As the country witnesses a sudden rise in the COVID-19 cases, the Haryana government on Monday made it compulsory to wear masks to prevent the spread of infection in the state.

Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij made it compulsory to wear a face mask by each person while being in public places and at the workplace.
The order has been issued for the districts of Gurugram, Faridabad, Sonipat and Jhajjar.

Notably, India’s daily COVID infections witnessed a jump of 89.8 per cent on Monday.

According to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the daily case positivity rate also saw a sudden rise from 0.31 per cent (on Sunday) to 0.83 per cent (on Monday). The weekly positivity rate saw an uptick from 0.27 per cent (on Sunday) to 0.32 (on Monday).

Earlier, on April 2, the Haryana government lifted the mandate of wearing masks in public places and workplaces and said that no penalty or fine of Rs 500 shall be imposed on not wearing face masks in public places or workplaces.

However, the government advised the general public to adhere to the COVID appropriate behaviour and said that wearing face masks, frequent use of sanitisers and hand hygiene and maintaining social distance are desirable. (ANI)

Pak: Death Sentence To 6 In Priyantha Kumara Lynching

A Pakistani court on Monday awarded the death sentence to six and handed life imprisonment to seven as it announced its verdict in Sri Lankan citizen Priyantha Kumara’s lynching case that had sparked nationwide outrage.

The lynching of Priyantha Kumara in Sialkot last year over blasphemy allegations by a hardline mob was seen as evidence of the rising religion-based hatred violence in the country.
Kumara was lynched by a mob comprising hundreds of protesters, including the employees of the factory in Sialkot he was the manager of, on December 3. The mob had tortured him to death and later burnt his body, Dawn newspaper reported.

An anti-terrorism court had indicted 89 individuals accused of the lynching on March 12.

The Sri Lankan factory manager who was killed by a mob in Pakistan over alleged blasphemy, was tortured to an extreme degree and his skull and other bones of the body also had severe damage, the post-mortem report revealed.

The report has confirmed a broken skull and burn wounds damaging 99 per cent of the tissues of Priyantha Diyawadana’s body, ARY News reported.

Diyawadana’s death occurred owing to multiple hits on his skull. All bones of the body except that of a leg were found broken, the report said showing the impact of the extreme torture Diyawadana had to bear before his death. (ANI)

Bengaluru Crime Branch Busts Cryptocurrency Ponzi Scheme

Crime Branch of Bengaluru on Monday arrested four persons for their alleged involvement in running a Helium Crypto Token (HNT) through a mobile application.

The police informed that via this mobile application, Rs 15 crore was routed through 44 different bank accounts among other items.

“Cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme busted! @CCBBangalore has arrested 4 persons for running and operating a Crypto Miner-HNT (Helium Crypto Token) through a mobile app called SHAREHASH. The app promised high returns on investments and collected crores of rupees from gullible people,” tweeted Commissioner of Police of Bengaluru City, Kamal Pant.

“Rs15 Crore routed through 44 different bank accounts, 1.6 Kg of gold ornaments, Rs78 lakh cash, 44 Digital Signature Certificate tokens, 5 company seals, mobile phones, and laptops have been seized,” the tweet further read.

The tweet read, “Here’s some advice: Be careful, if they are offering you high returns, it could be a trap. A cash reward of Rs70k reward has been announced to the team. Further investigation is underway.” (ANI)

Jahangirpuri Violence: Police Arrests Accused Who Fired Gunshots

Delhi Police on Monday arrested a 28-year-old man who allegedly opened fire during the Jahangirpuri violence in Delhi on April 16.

A video that the police said is circulating on social media shows a man in a blue kurta opening fire during the incident.
“The 28-year-old man in the blue kurta, Sonu alias Imam alias Yunus, whose video was being circulated on April 17 on social media for opening fire during the violence in the Jahangirpuri area, Delhi, on April 16, has been nabbed,” police said.

Earlier in the day, a team of police personnel had gone to Sonu’s house for search and examination.

“A video was being circulated on April 17 on social media showing a man (in blue kurta) opening fire during the violence in Jahangirpuri area on April 16. A police team had gone to his house in CD Park road in his search and for examination of his family members,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) North-West, Usha Rangnani.

A total of 23 people have been arrested and two juveniles apprehended so far in connection with the incident in which nine people, including eight police personnel and a civilian, were injured.

Delhi Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana, while addressing a press conference on Monday, assured that action will be taken against those found guilty irrespective of their class, creed, community and religion.

Two prime accused – Ansar and Aslam – were sent to police custody till Wednesday by a Delhi Court today. Four other fresh accused of the incident were sent to judicial custody for 14 days.

A day ago, during submission before the court, Delhi Police alleged that the main accused – Ansar and Aslam – got to know about the ‘Shobha Yatra’ on April 15 and then they built up this “conspiracy.” Delhi Police also said, “We have to go through the CCTV footage, and identify others involved in this case.”

A total of 14 accused in the case were produced before the Rohini court on Sunday. Of these, two were Ansar and Aslam while the remaining 12 accused, produced before the court, were sent to judicial custody for 14 days.

Earlier, an altercation between two groups erupted during a religious procession in Delhi’s Jahangirpuri on April 16 that left nine people injured including eight police personnel and a civilian. (ANI)