Month: April 2022

Jamiat Ulama-I-Hind has moved the Supreme Court against employing bulldozers to raze down the houses of persons suspected to be involved in criminal incidents such as violence.

Jamiat Ulama-I-Hind has urged the Supreme Court to issue appropriate direction to the Union of India and all states that no lasting precipitative action be taken against any accused in any criminal proceedings and issue directions that residential accommodation cannot be demolished as a punitive measure.

In a tweet, President of Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind Arshad Madani, said, “Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind has filed a petition in the Supreme Court against the dangerous politics of bulldozers that have been started to destroy minorities especially Muslims under the guise of crime prevention in BJP-ruled states.”

Jamiat Ulama-I-Hind, in his petition, said that there has recently been an increase in the incidents of demolition of residential and commercial properties by government administration in several states as a punitive measure towards persons purportedly involved in criminal incidents such as riots.

“In response to alleged acts of violence, the administration in several states has been

employing bulldozers to raze down the houses of persons suspected to be involved in such acts/ incidents. A number of ministers and legislators, including the Chief Minister and the Home Minister of the state of Madhya Pradesh, have made statements advocating such acts and especially threatened the minority groups with the destruction of their homes and commercial properties in case of riots,” the petition read.

According to the petition, resorting to such measures/ actions is clearly against our constitutional ethos and the criminal justice system, as also in violation of the rights of accused persons.

“Such measures by the governments undermine the criminal justice system of our country, including the important role of the courts. The legal process, including the pre-trial and trial stage, is hindered by these acts of the state, therefore, immediate action is needed to prevent such incidents from repeating,” the petitioner said, urging the top court to step in to stop the situation from escalating any further and also prevent such acts from being repeated in other states as well.

Therefore Jamiat Ulama-I-Hind has sought directions that any commercial property

cannot be demolished as a punitive measure. It also sought to issue directions to provide training to police personnel in handling communal riots and situations where populations become restive.

The petitioner also urged to issue directions that ministers, legislators and anybody unconnected with the criminal investigation should be restrained from apportioning criminal responsibility regarding criminal action publicly or through any official communication until determination by a criminal court publicly or through any official communication until determination by a criminal court. (ANI)

The national capital continues to register an increase in its daily COVID-19 caseload as it reported 517 new infections during the last 24 hours, said the Delhi health department on Sunday.

This is the highest number after February 20. Delhi registered a total of 570 COVID-19 cases on 20 February.
Yesterday the national capital reported 461 new infections and two deaths.

According to the health bulletin, the total number of COVID-19 cases in Delhi has mounted to 18,68,550, including 1,518 active cases which is the highest since March 3.

The positivity rate for the day stands at 4.21 per cent.

As many as 261 people recovered from the infection during the last 24 hours, taking the total recoveries in the national capital to 18,40,872.

With zero death in the last 24 hours, the death toll due to the virus in the city stands at 26,160.

A total of 12,270 samples were tested for the presence of the virus during the last 24 hours. Of these, 6,446 samples were tested using the RT-PCR testing kits while 5,824 samples were tested using Rapid-Antigen kits.

There are currently 66 patients admitted in the hospitals in the national capital, with 29 being suspected to have COVID-19 and 37 being confirmed cases of the virus. 964 COVID-19 patients are currently in home isolation.

During the last 24 hours, 37,244 COVID-19 vaccination doses were administered, out of which 8,331 people received their first dose of the vaccine while 17,550 people received their second dose.

Meanwhile, India logged 1,150 fresh infections in the last 24 hours, 175 more than yesterday, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Sunday. (ANI)

The State Investigation Agency (SIA) tightened the noose around the author of a seditious article Abdul Aala Fazili and the Editor and other associates of the monthly digital magazine “The Kashmir Wala”. The search was held at several locations in Srinagar, informed the officials on Sunday.

“The article titled “The shackles of slavery will break” written by Abdul Aala Fazili and published in the monthly digital magazine “The Kashmir Wala” on the one hand is highly provocative, written with the purpose of abetting the youth to take the path of violence by glorifying terrorism and on the other, the write-up promoted and propagated the false narrative, which is essential to sustain secessionist-cum-terrorist campaign aimed at breaking the territorial integrity of India,” informed the police in an official statement.

The officials also informed that the repeated reference to freedom and terror outfit’s rhetoric makes it amply clear that the article is not ‘merely propaganda but also the articulation of Pakistan ISI and the vision of its sponsored terrorist secessionist networks.’

The searches for the collection of evidence, by the sleuths of SIA of Jammu and Kashmir, were conducted at the Office of The Kashmir Walla at Rajbagh, at the residence of Abdul Aala Fazili at and the residence of Fahad Shah (Editor of the monthly digital magazine) at Soura Srinagar.

The search teams seized incriminating evidence, which includes the material in computers, laptops and other digital equipment. (ANI)

A total of 20 people have been arrested and two juveniles apprehended in connection with clashes that broke out in Delhi’s Jahangirpuri area on Saturday, said police.

Three firearms and five swords have been recovered from the possession of the accused persons, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) North-West, Usha Rangnani.

“An FIR has been registered under sections 147, 148, 149, 186, 353, 332, 323, 427, 436, 307, 120B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and 27 Arms Act dated April 16, following 20 accused persons have been arrested and 2 Juveniles in conflict with the law have been apprehended,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Police Crime Branch and the district police are jointly probing the incident, said Ravindra Yadav, Special Commissioner of Police, Crime Branch.

Earlier, an altercation had broken out between two communities in the Jahangirpuri area of the national capital on Saturday evening during a religious procession, in which nine people, including eight police personnel and one civilian, were injured.

Of the 20 accused persons in the case, 14 were produced before the Rohini court on Sunday, which sent two prime accused – Ansar and Aslam – to police custody for one day. The remaining 12 were sent to judicial custody for 14 days, informed Advocate Vikas Verma.

In Rohini 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.”

In order to ensure peace and harmony in the national capital, the police today held a meeting with members of Aman (peace) committees in north-west Delhi. The meeting was organised by the Deputy Commissioner of Police North West at Kushal Chowk in the Jahangirpuri area with the members of the Aman committee of PS Jahangirpuri, PS Mahendra Park and PS Adarsh Nagar.

Another such meeting was also held in Chandini Chowk. Corner meetings were also held in communally sensitive areas.

Heavy security has been deployed in the violence-hit area to prevent any untoward incident.

According to the police, flag marches were taken out to eliminate anti-social elements in the area, while WhatsApp groups have been formed to eliminate any kind of rumour-mongering. Reserve staff of police arranged to cater to any contingency. (ANI)

Looking dapper in black outfits, Bollywood superstars Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan marked their presence at Baba Siddiqui’s annual Iftaar party on Sunday.

While Salman attended the ceremony with his father Salim Khan and brother Arbaaz Khan; Shah Rukh made a solo appearance at the star-studded party which was halted for two years owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

While Salman opted to wear a black shirt and pant set, King Khan chose to sport a black pathani suit.

Sanjay Dutt, Shilpa Shetty, Chunky Panday, Karan Singh Grover and filmmaker Anees Bazmee were also in attendance.

After China constructed a bridge over the Pangong lake in Ladakh, a senior official of the Chushul region has claimed that it has now installed mobile towers near its side of the border.

Chushul Councillor Konchok Stanzin in a tweet flagged the issue and claimed that three mobile towers have been installed near China’s hot spring very close to the Indian territory.

“After completing the bridge over Pangong lake, China has installed three mobile towers near China’s hot spring very close to the Indian territory. Isn’t it a concern? We don’t even have 4G facilities in human habitation villages. 11 villages in my constituency have no 4G facilities,” Stanzin said.

Speaking to ANI, the Councillor said pointed out that the towers could be used to observe our territory and communicate details. He also claimed that China is “doing rapid infrastructure development” on its side of the border.

Urging the government to equally counterattack China’s move in terms of development, Stanzin alleged that in maximum border villages, India does not 4G internet service. “In my constituency, out of 12, 11 villages do not have 4G internet facilities. We should take it seriously. We are lagging in the communication facility. We only have one mobile tower whereas on their side, they have nine towers,” he said.

In February this year, Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan had informed the Lok Sabha a bridge was being constructed by China on Pangong lake in areas that have continued to be under the illegal occupation of China since 1962, adding that the Government of India has never accepted this “illegal” occupation.

In the summer of 2020, the Ladakh border standoff between India and China erupted following a clash of the Armies in the Pangong area. The situation escalated after the Galwan Valley clashes in June the same year.

Both the countries shave held 15 rounds of talks for disengagement to defuse the tensions in the area. As a result, India and China have disengaged their troops in the Gogra Heights area of eastern Ladakh. The troops of the two sides also disengaged in Pangong Lake area in February last year.

Meanwhile, the Centre scrapped provisions of Article 370 that had given Jammu and Kashmir special status and split it into two Union territories (UTs) under the J&K Reorganisation Act of 2019. For Ladakh, it may be a welcome move as the region has suffered for the last seven decades due to neglect. Its new status as a Union territory might not only boost development but also create jobs in the region. (ANI)

Pakistan is estimated to be in the top 10 list of the world’s countries facing water scarcity, said Munir Akram, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN) while emphasizing the water issues which plagues the country.

He made these comments while speaking about the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 6 which deals with the issue of clean water. Highlighting the water issues, he said that Pakistan is on the top when it comes to water scarcity, reported ARY News.

Stressing on the cause of water issues, the UN representative cited climate change, floods and drought as the reason. An appropriate framework around which to structure the themes of the dialogues can be formed through its five accelerants Financing, Data and Information, Capacity Development, Innovation and Governance, said the UN envoy.

Munir Akram, speaking about the water governance issues, added that the transboundary water cooperation has a key role crucial role when it comes to supporting wider regional integration, peace and sustainable development, as well as in tackling regional security challenges and in supporting climate change adaptation.

“Currently, transboundary waters account for 60 per cent of the world’s freshwater flows. 153 countries have territory within at least one of the 286 transboundary river and lake basins and 592 transboundary aquifer systems,” the statement read, as per the news channel.

It added, “With most of the world’s water resources being shared between two or more countries, the need for transboundary cooperation assumes even greater urgency with rising water scarcity.”

This comes at a time when Pakistan’s National water supplies have dipped substantially low and are facing severe strain as despite an early onset of summer in mid-March and April getting hotter than usual. It is because the snow melting process in mountainous and hilly areas has not picked up the pace.

Pakistan’s water supply level is much below last year’s levels. It is also below average supplies of the last five or 10 years. On Saturday, the country received 90,000 cusecs in all its rivers against the last 10-year average of 1,37,700 cusecs, a drop of 27.73pc.

This crisis has forced Pakistan to kick off the Kharif season with a shortage of nearly 40 per cent in both of its water-producing systems — 30pc in Indus and 10pc in the Jhelum arm, reported Dawn. (ANI)

Amid the soaring prices of lemons in Rajkot, it has found a place on the expensive wedding gift list. A groom in the Gujarat district was gifted lemons as an ‘expensive’ gift from his friends and relatives during one of the ceremonies.

At the ceremony in Rajkot’s Dharoji town, a group of friends chose to gift lemons to a friend on his special day.

Dinesh, the groom’s relative, said, “At this time, the prices of lemons in the state and the country have gone up a lot. There is a lot of need for lemons this season. That’s why, I have presented lemons.”

With high demand for lemons amid rising temperatures, the price of the citrus fruit has skyrocketed in Rajkot with wholesale rates reaching as high as ₹200 per kg.

The lemon price hike is majorly due to a shortage in supply and high demand during the ongoing summer season.

Customers and wholesalers said that the production of lemon is less this time and due to rising temperature and festivals, the demand has soared. The summer season has just started and the prices have already gone up.

Among vegetables, as of now, one of the steepest hikes has been witnessed in the prices of lemon and chillies in Rajkot. (ANI)

Amid a declining economy, Pakistan’s oil and eatable import bills surged by 59.98 per cent to $21.87 billion in the July-March period, local media reported.

Last year, in the corresponding period, the import bill surged to USD 13.67 billion owing to higher international prices and massive depreciation of the Pakistani Rupee, Dawn newspaper reported.

The country’s overall import bill spiked by 49.10 per cent to USD 58.87 billion in the nine months ending September 2021 (9MFY22) against the USD 39.48 billion in the same month last year.

The shares of these products in the total import bill also jumped to 37.14 per cent in 9MFY22. According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics data, the import bill of oil increased by over 96.09per cent to USD14.81 billion in 9MFY22 from USD 7.55 billion over the corresponding months of last year, reported Dawn newspaper.

The steady increase in import bills of these two sectors is triggering a trade deficit in the country and also poses a threat of creating pressure on the external side of the government.

Not only oil, but the Crude oil imports rose by 82.25 per cent in value and 3.50 per cent in quantity during the period under review while those of liquefied natural gas increased by 91.78 per cent in value, reported Dawn newspaper.

Liquefied petroleum gas imports also rose by 46.32pc in value in 9MFY22.

The food import bill rose by over 15.46pc to USD 7.06bn in 9MFY22 from USD 6.12bn over the corresponding period last year to bridge the gap in food production.

The rising food imports and the consequent trade deficit are yet another thing that is the main tension for the government. Pakistan spent over USD 8 billion on the import of edible items in the last fiscal year, reported Dawn newspaper.

According to the publication, the import bill will go up further in the coming months as the government decided to import 0.6m tonnes of sugar and 4m tonnes of wheat to build strategic reserves.

Due to rising world prices, especially after the Russia-Ukraine crisis, the palm oil import bill grew by 46.74 per cent in value in 9MFY22 to USD 2.73 billion from USD 1.86 billion in 9MFY21. The prices of vegetable ghee and cooking oil also went up.

On one hand, the prices of food items are increasing while on other hand the number of imports of products is fluctuating, reported Dawn newspaper.

The import of soyabean oil hiked by 113.7 per cent in value and 6.98 per cent in quantity in 9MFY22 from a year ago. However, the wheat imports fell by 38.91 per cent to 2.206m tonnes in 9MFY22 against 3.61 million tonnes in 9MFY21.

The import of sugar also rose. It rose by 11.24pc to 311,031 tonnes in 9MFY22 against 279,604 tonnes in 9MFY21. The import bill of pulses, tea, and spices also grew rapidly during the period under review, reported Dawn newspaper. (ANI)

Fourteen people have been arrested so far in connection with the violence in northwest Delhi’s Jahangirpuri, informed the police on Sunday.

While nine people were arrested on Saturday, five more were arrested on Sunday, informed Deputy Commissioner of Police North-West Usha Rangnani.

“One of the accused who opened fire has also been arrested. The pistol used in the commission of the crime has been recovered from his possession,” added the DCP.

“After Delhi’s sensitive incident, a flag march is being conducted by police with the goal to create an atmosphere of faith and security for the public. I appeal to the public to maintain peace and not pay heed to rumours,” said Love Kumar, Joint Police Commissioner (Law and Order).

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.

Delhi Police has registered a case and started the investigation of the incident.

Special Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Depender Pathak said that the situation is under total control and the atmosphere is peaceful.

Moreover, Union Home Minister Amit Shah also spoke with Delhi Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana and Depender Pathak over Jahangirpuri violence and asked them to maintain law and order, said official sources. (ANI)