Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Tamil Nadu president Armstrong

IAF Cadet Found Dead, Family Alleges Murder By Six IAF Officials

A 27-year-old IAF cadet was found dead at Air Force Technical College, Bengaluru on September 21, North Bengaluru Deputy Commissioner of Police Vinayak Patil said on Sunday.

The cadet was found hanging in his room. The police have also recovered a seven-page note from the site, as per police.
The brother of the deceased cadet Ankit Kumar Jha has filed a police complaint alleging murder by six IAF officials, according to the complaint.

He also alleged that the IAF officials were also involved in the tampering with evidence and demanded to charge them for that, as per the complaint.

The cadet’s brother further demanded the immediate arrest of the IAF officials. He also urged to stop the autopsy of his deceased brother’s body as the case needs to be investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation( CBI).

A case has been registered under section 302 IPC by the Jalahalli Police. (ANI)

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Harnaaz

Harnaaz Meets Priyanka At Global Citizen Event In NY

Miss Universe 2021 Harnaaz Kaur Sandhu, on Sunday shared a picture featuring former Miss World Priyanka Chopra Jonas on social media.

Taking to her Instagram handle, Harnaaz dropped a picture from the meet-up with Priyanka.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Ci6jSnDDoj_/

Harnaaz meets the ‘Bajirao Mastani’ actor at the Global Citizen Festival.

In the picture, Harnaaz could be seen standing next to the 40-year-old actor, who was dressed in a white crop top that she paired with an abstract printed shrug and trousers.

On the other hand Miss Universe was seen wearing a black tee that she teamed up printed blazer and blue flared pants.

They were also accompanied by two girls in the picture.

Sharing the picture, Harnaaz wrote, “I couldn’t have asked for us to meet in any other way. Thanks @priyankachopra for your kindness at @glblctzn … you killed it!”

As soon as the picture was posted, the fans and industry friends chimed into the comment section.

Former Miss World reacted with a heart and smile with red heart emojis.

One of the users wrote, “ICONIC.”

Another comment reads, “It happened!!!!! Two influential woman creating history and making India so proud.”

Harnaaz is the first Indian woman to secure the Miss Universe win in 21 years after Lara Dutta won the pageant in 2000.

22-year-old defeated contestants from 79 countries to bring home the title. The 70th Miss Universe 21 was held in Eilat, Israel.

Harnaaz, who belongs to Chandigarh, Punjab, has previously bagged numerous pageant titles including LIVA Miss Diva Universe 2021 and Femina Miss India Punjab 2019.

Priyanka is the UNICEF global goodwill ambassador. She has been working with the organisation for more than a decade now. Recently, she addressed the United Nations General Assembly and spoke in depth about the problems the world is currently facing.

Meanwhile, on the work front, Priyanka will be seen in international projects such as ‘It’s All Coming Back To Me’, and the series ‘Citadel’. Produced by Russo Brothers, ‘Citadel’ will hit the OTT on Prime Video. The upcoming sci-fi drama series is being directed by Patrick Morgan and stars Richard Madden alongside Priyanka.

In Bollywood, she will be starring with Alia Bhatt and Katrina Kaif in Farhan Akhtar’s ‘Jee Le Zaraa’, which promises to be another tale of friendship following the lineage of ‘Dil Chahta Hai’ and ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’, both of which have become cult classics over the years. ‘Jee Le Zaraa’ is reportedly going on floors around September 2022 and will be ready for release in the summer of 2023. (ANI)

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The state funeral of Abe

State Funeral Of Abe To Be Held On Sept 27

The state funeral of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated on July 8 in the city of Nara during a campaign speech, will take place on September 27 and is expected to see thousands of attendees.

According to Japan Times, representatives from over 217 countries and international organizations are expected to participate in the state funeral which is slated to start at 2 p.m. on Tuesday at the Nippon Budokan in central Tokyo.
Abe’s funeral on September 27 will be the second state funeral for a former prime minister since World War 2. The first one was held in 1967 for Shigeru Yoshida. Other deceased prime ministers received a joint Cabinet Office and Liberal Democratic Party service.

The state funeral ceremony will be the first major public event since new police security guidelines were implemented, including sniffer dogs at train stations and police patrols at Tokyo-area airports after Abe’s assassination on July 8.

Several foreign dignitaries are expected to attend the funeral service in Tokyo.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also attend the state funeral of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and separately meet Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

Japan Times reported quoting the Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno who told a news conference Wednesday that the funeral planning committee has decided to set aside two flower offering stands in the park from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the day of the funeral, however the area around the Nippon Budokan will be off-limits to anyone other than invited guests due to security concerns.

The funeral service will likely last for approximately one-and-a-half hours following which the national anthem of the country will be played, observing silence for the late Prime Minister.

As chair of the funeral committee, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will deliver a commemorative speech that will then be followed by the speeches of the speaker of the House of Representatives, Hiroyuki Hosoda; Speaker of the House of Councilors, Hidehisa Otsuji; Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Saburo Tokura; and former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga as a representative of Abe’s closest colleagues, Japan Times reported.

Furthermore, the royal family of Japan will also pay tributes to Abe at his state funeral, however, maintaining the line of tradition, Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako, Emperor Emeritus Akihito and Empress Emerita Michiko will not be attending the funeral, and their imperial envoys will pay their respects.

Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko, will lay flowers of condolence, followed by other attendees, Japan Times stated citing sources.

The ceremony will finish with the sending off of Abe’s remains and the placing of remembrance wreaths.

Abe was shot on July 8 in the Japanese city of Nara. Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, approached the politician from behind and fired two shots from a distance of about 10 meters (33 feet).

The attacker reportedly plotted the assassination of the 67-year-old former head of government for nearly a year.

Abe sustained two gunshot wounds to the front of his neck and the bullet that killed him damaged his heart and a major artery, causing blood loss, Hidetada Fukushima, the head of emergency services at Nara Medical University Hospital said.

Doctors attempted a blood transfusion after they were unable to stop the bleeding, Dr Fukushima said. Shinzo Abe arrived at a hospital without any vital signs after being shot during a campaign speech in western Japan.

Abe, Japan’s longest-serving Prime Minister, stepped down in 2020 citing health reasons. He was Prime Minister of Japan twice, from 2006-07 and again from 2012-20. He was succeeded by Yoshihide Suga and later by Fumio Kishida. (ANI)

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Petrol Bombs

Petrol Bombs Thrown At House Of RSS Member In TN

As many as three petrol bombs were hurled into the house of a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) member in the Madurai district of Tamil Nadu.

The incident was captured in the CCTV footage which as per the timestamp took place around 7:38 pm on Saturday at Mel Anuppanadi housing board area in Madurai at the residence of MS Krishnan.
The CCTV footage shows bike-borne men were seen approaching the house and hurling petrol bombs before the duo sped away.

Police are probing the incident.

“Three petrol bombs were thrown at RSS member house and we are investigating in this regard. No one was injured and damaged in the accident,” Shanmugam Madurai South’s Assistant Commissioner told ANI.

In this regard, RSS member Krishnan and BJP Madurai district president Suseendran filed a petition to the Keerathurai police.

After receiving his petitions, the police assured to arrest the accused soon.

“I have been working in an RSS organization for the last 45 years. Around 7 pm we did puja at my house with about 65 people. Then I heard a noise outside and when I came out, my car was on fire. Last year in 2014 police gave protection to me due to danger to my life but the police protection was withdrawn in 2021. More than 20 RSS workers like me have been attacked in Tamil Nadu alone. We have lodged a complaint with the police regarding the petrol bomb hurled at my house. They assured to arrest the accused by tonight,” said Krishnan.

BJP’s Suseendran said that the idea of PFI is to establish an Islamic state in India adding that they are doing a planned action to disrupt the Hindu nation and disrupt the traditional culture of the democratic country.

“In the last two days more than 20 people’s houses have been attacked, DMK Congress and its allied parties have not expressed any condemnation against this incident. But they only need Hindu votes. They (DMK and alliance party’) did not come forward to voice the atrocities against Hindus. Soon there will be a change of government in Tamil Nadu. If the police delay in arresting the accused, the protest will continue till the arrest of the accused,” said Suseendran.

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu BJP has written to Home Minister Amit shah highlighting the increasing attacks against BJP and RSS functionaries in recent times.

The letter to Amit shah mentioned 19 attacks against those belonging to Hindu outfits (the incident include the damaging of houses, vehicles, hurling of petrol bombs etc.).

Earlier, a petrol bomb was hurled at the house of an RSS leader near Tambaram near Chennai in the early hours of Saturday, said the police.

No person was injured or no major property damage took place.

“Petrol bomb hurled on RSS functionary Seetharaman’s residence at Chitlapakkam in Tambaram near Chennai. Efforts are underway to nab two unidentified people who threw petrol bomb,” according to the Tamil Nadu police.

The occupant, Seetharaman (62), a district coordinator of RSS was inside the house with his family. Family members rushed out after hearing a loud noise.

“At around 4 am, we heard a loud sound and saw fire outside. We thought it to be a short circuit but it wasn’t the case. We doused the fire and called police officials. They got the footage of the accused,” Seetharaman told ANI.

After being informed about the incident, Chitlapakkam police officers came to the spot and examined the CCTV footage of the area. The footage revealed that suspects on a two-wheeler stopped in front of Sitharaman’s house, ignited the bottle filled with petrol and threw it inside the house.

Another bottle bomb was hurdled at BJP worker Sarath’s residence in Kuniyamuthur city in Tamil Nadu on Friday night in which a car parked in the premises was damaged. Earlier on Thursday, a bottle filled with inflammable substance was hurled at the BJP office.

Following this, BJP workers protested in the area demanding action against the culprits. According to BJP, this is a kind of “terror attack”.

“Petrol bomb thrown at our office, this is how terror attacks come, today raids (against PFI) took place at several places, it is the anniversary of Hindu Munnani leader and BJP National president too is in the state,” Nandkumar, BJP worker said on Thursday.

The incident came hours after National Investigation Agency, Enforcement Directorate and the state police forces jointly carried out coordinated searches at the houses and offices of the top Popular Front of India (PFI) leaders and members across India on Thursday, including Tamil Nadu.

Searches were conducted at 93 locations in 15 states of India on Thursday. The states where the raids were conducted included Andhra Pradesh (4), Telangana (1), Delhi (19), Kerala (11), Karnataka (8), Tamil Nadu (3), Uttar Pradesh (1), Rajasthan (2), Hyderabad (5), Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Goa, West Bengal, Bihar and Manipur.

A total of 106 Popular Front of India (PFI) cadres were arrested yesterday in a joint operation conducted by the National Investigation Agency, Enforcement Directorate and state police forces across 15 states in the country’s multiple locations, according to the sources.

The searches were conducted in connection with five cases registered by the NIA following “continued inputs and evidence” that the PFI leaders and cadres were involved in the funding of terrorism and terrorist activities, organising training camps for providing armed training and radicalising people to join banned organisations.

A large number of criminal cases have been registered in different states over the last few years against the PFI and its leaders and members for their involvement in many violent acts.

Earlier on Thursday, the PFI and SDPI workers staged a protest in Karnataka’s Mangaluru against the raids, following which they were detained by the state police.

PFI workers sat on the road in protest against the NIA raid at the party office in Chennai.

The PFI was launched in Kerala in 2006. (ANI)

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Badrinath-Rishikesh Highway

Ankita Case: Locals Block Badrinath-Rishikesh Highway

Anger over the Ankita Bhandari death case poured onto the streets as the locals on Sunday blocked the Badrinath Rishikesh highway area in front of the base hospital where Ankita’s remains are kept.

The administration team tried clearing the jam caused due to the barricading.
The masses demanded the post-mortem report of the deceased and capital punishment for the culprits.

The local market was shut on Sunday as people showed solidarity ahead of Ankita Bhandari’s funeral. Traders of Srinagar kept their business establishments wholly closed.

The development came ahead of Ankita’s funeral in Garhwal, Srinagar.

Earlier, the family of the deceased refused to perform the last rites as they demanded the handing over of the post-mortem report.

The administration on the other hand tried convincing Ankita’s family.

“We won’t conduct her last rites until her post-mortem report is given. We saw in her provisional report that she was beaten up and thrown in a river. But we’re awaiting the final report,” said Ajay Singh Bhandari, brother of Ankita Bhandari.

The SIT on Sunday told ANI that her Whatsapp chats were also being probed.

Earlier on Saturday, the Vanatara resort in Rishikesh owned by expelled BJP leader Vinod Arya’s son Pulkit Arya, who is an accused in the Ankita Bhandari murder case, was set on fire by angry locals.

Anger over the horrific crime poured onto streets in other parts of Uttarakhand as well as locals jammed the bus station in Pauri. Protestors also gheraoed the District Magistrate’s office in Pauri.

The body of 19-year-old Ankita Bhandari, who was reported missing a few days ago was recovered on Saturday from the Chilla canal in Rishikesh. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami ordered a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to be formed to probe the case. (ANI)

Read More:Ankita’s Body Recovered From Chilla Canal In U’khand

Gyanvapi Mosque Issue

‘Some People Want Political Mileage from Gyanvapi Issue’

Maulana Abdul Batin Nomani, Mufti-e-Shahar, Banaras & general secretary, Anjuman Intezamia Masajid, says he has complete faith in Indian judicial system. His views:

The Gyanvapi mosque issue was essentially a religious one. It has been deliberately turned into a political issue through a litany of court cases dating back to 1991. Speaking about the recent order by the Varanasi District Judge, Anjuman Intezamia Masajid had staked claim that the present suit is not maintainable on account of the Places of Worship Act, 1991, and that when a certain law holds the field, the suit is bound to be dismissed.

However, Varanasi district court’s recent acceptance of the suit filed by five Hindu women seeking permission to pray at Gyanvapi Masjid complex not only violated the Places of Worship Act 1991 but has also reopened what the Supreme Court’s 2019 Ayodhya verdict was supposed to have closed forever—a debate on the religious character of places of worship.

AIM Varanasi, as a party to the case, is of the view that it will abide by the judiciary, whatever be the verdict. We have full faith in the judicial processes. Already a dozen litigations are pending in the courts over Gyanvapi mosque. We do not know what will be the due course in this matter but we will certainly challenge the order of Varanasi District Court in Allahabad High Court.

This recent legal dispute is a result of the survey of the Gyanvapi premises ordered by Varanasi court on petitions seeking all-year-long access to pray at a Hindu shrine Shringar Gauri located behind the western wall of the Gyanvapi Mosque complex (which is currently opened for prayers once a year). AIM had then sought leave of the Supreme Court that its application under Order 7 Rule 11 should be heard first by the Civil Judge.

ALSO READ: ‘Varanasi is An Icon Of Harmony, Don’t Destroy It’

Supreme Court, on 20 May 2022, ordered that the application filed by the Committee of AIM Management shall be decided on priority by the District Judge. So the question reverted back to the District Judge, Varanasi on whether the Gyanvapi mosque does conceal in its premises a “Shivling”.

Here, the things went wrong. We still have older generation who is witness to the fountain inside the mosque premises, which is being claimed as Shivling. Themedia played its part in politicising the issue and creating a fake debate. The original petition asking for the worship of Shringar Gauri got deflected and the whole debate moved in the wrong direction. Now we are in a legal quagmire.

Meanwhile, disturbing statements have been made by a few elements like Haji Mahboob, the petitioner in Babri Masjid case. I would like to appeal to all citizens not to pay heed to these divisive statements. Muslims of Benares should abide by the court of law.

At the same time, it is unfortunate that some people are raising questions on the judiciary itself. Judiciary is the supreme among the four pillars of our democracy. Any question on the judiciary is an indication that something is fundamentally flawed. We need to rectify it and restore the faith of people in the judiciary.

Whatever be the end result, I have been repeatedly asking Muslims of Benares to sit calm and accept the judicial verdict because the final verdict comes in the court of the Almighty. But we as responsible citizens of this country must maintain peace and abide by the constitutional values at any cost.

As told to Abhishek Srivastava

Five Things That Happened Last Week

Five Things That Happened Last Week (And what to make of them)

In Ukraine, the war continues as does the propaganda

For a moment imagine that you have a time machine at your disposal. A contraption that can take you forward or, in this case, behind in time, at your whim and at any time. Let’s use it to go back to August 2, 1990. Where were you on that day? Ah, yes, many of you probably did not exist yet then and an equally large number of you were too young to remember. For the rest of us dinosaurs, if memory still serves us right we will be able to remember that date as the beginning of the Gulf War.

To quickly recap, it was a war waged by a coalition force of 34 nations led by the United States against Iraq to counter Iraq’s invasion and annexation of Kuwait. The war, which, towards the end, was codenamed Operation Desert Storm, lasted for around seven months, roughly as long as Russia has been waging its ongoing offensive against Ukraine right now.

The point of bringing up the Gulf War is, however, not about the reasons for that war or the controversy that surrounded it and later led to further turmoil and tension in the Middle East. The point was about how much we got to know about that war in real time and with reasonable levels of accuracy. One of the most distinctive factors about the Gulf War was the live reporting from the war zone. Most significantly, many will recall CNN’s 24×7 live reporting with images and videos from a Baghdad hotel. Millions of people across the world were able to access that reporting. In India, cable TV was taking baby steps then but in larger cities there were many venues where viewings were organised for the cognoscenti to watch what was happening in the Gulf.

Thirty-two years later, media technology has taken quantum jumps. Theoretically, international media groups today have access to technology and devices that can help them produce accurate, real-time reportage with much greater ease than the challenges CNN and other media organisations had to overcome back in 1990. And yet, reportage on the war in Ukraine is disputed and so pockmarked by propaganda from both sides that it is difficult to get a handle on the real facts. Russia, which has been waging the war now for seven months, insists that it now controls increasing parts of Ukraine. One the other hand, Ukraine claims that it has countered the Russian forces by weakening them and winning back lost territory. Nobody knows who to believe.

Recent reports suggested that Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has ordered conscription of 300,000 able-bodied male citizens to join the Russian military offensive. Thousands of people protested against the decision and faced a crackdown by the authorities. Meanwhile, Russia has also commenced holding referendums in what it considers Russia-occupied regions of Ukraine– Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. The referendums will seek people’s votes on whether these regions should be annexed by Russia. Ukraine and the NATO-aligned West believe that the referendums will be rigged and that the exercise is a sham. Meanwhile, the exodus of Russians to neighbouring countries continues with long lines of vehicles at Russia’s borders with two neighbouring countries, Finland and Georgia.

But as both sides continue to make claims and counterclaims over what is happening in Ukraine, the only fact that is real is that no one knows for sure what is really happening. And that is quite a deplorable comment on the credibility of contemporary media.

Is Moonlighting Here to Stay?

Wipro, the leading Indian IT company, recently decided to terminate the jobs of 300 employees when the company found that they were secretly working for other firms, including Wipro’s rivals, in violation of the terms of their employment contracts. The practice of working for another company while being employed in one company is known as moonlighting, thus named because typically it is work that is done secretly and at night.

Moonlighting is not new in the work arena. It is a common practice followed by many in industries and businesses where the individual employee doesn’t really need capital goods or a team of others to produce output. Take journalism or creative copywriting or even legal or financial advisory services. Even if employed by a firm exclusively, secretly an employee can do similar work, usually anonymously, for someone else and earn additional remuneration, which in many cases is untaxed or unaccounted for.

Wipro, which sacked 300 employees, responded in a predictable way. It found out that 300 of its employees were working illegally for rival firms and decided to terminate their services. Most companies, if they found that their employees were doing something like that, would follow Wipro’s example.

But what “work” really means has been rapidly changing. Especially in the past couple of years in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic. Remote working or Work from Home (WFH) has become an accepted norm, not only in industries where individuals work without needing machines or factories but also in a limited manner in highly capital-intensive industries. In such a scenario conceivably working hours have become flexible and employees are able to enjoy far more autonomy and independence than they did before when they had to be in their workplaces or offices at fixed hours.

The new scenario is what is often referred to as the “gig economy” where instead of choosing one “job”, individuals can opt for a few different employers and allocate time and effort to work for each of them. Of course, there is the aspect of legality. If an employee insists on exclusivity (as most employers continue to do) then an individual would be violating their contractual obligation if they secretly worked for others.

But is it not time for employers to change the way they formulate contractual agreements with their employees? Or at least offer their employees contracts that are flexible enough for them to decide whether they can work on two, three or more “jobs” at a time? In some industries, the time may have come to go for that systemic shift.

Worrying Trends of Communal Tensions

What happened recently in the British city of Leicester can be compared to what often happens in many Indian cities and towns when an incident sparks communal tension, particularly between Hindus and Muslims. In Leicester, the incident happened to be a cricket match between India and Pakistan in Dubai on August 28. Mobs of Muslims and Hindus clashed for a number of days after India beat Pakistan in the match.

Although the cricket match is cited widely as being the trigger for the violence and the clashes, many believe that social media posts may have aggravated the incidents. Some believe that tensions have been simmering between the two communities among the immigrants from the sub-continent. As for the British authorities, they fear that unless reined in, such incidents could spread to other parts of Britain.

Inter-communal tension has been ratcheting up in India in recent years. After the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in 2014, anti-Muslim sentiment has been rising. Many believe that incidents such as what happened in Leicester recently could be influenced by the widening chasm between the communities in India.

RSS’s New Overtures

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is an Indian right-wing, Hindu nationalist organisation to which India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is affiliated. The RSS has a hardline against minorities such as Muslims in India and its stance has clearly been majoritarian.

So when the chief of the organisation, Mohan Bhagwat, 72, reached out to Muslim leaders recently, it was news.

Last week, Bhagwat met Imam Umer Ahmed Ilyasi, the chief of the All India Imam Organisation at a closed-door meeting in a New Delhi mosque. Not much is known about what transpired but RSS sources said that the meeting was a part of Bhagwat’s efforts to meet people from “all walks of life”.

But observers believe that the outreach to Muslims–Bhagwat also visited a Madrassa and met other Muslim intellectuals–could be a part of the move to soften the public perception of the right-wing organisation whose image is not exactly describable as tolerance or secular.

Cinema Halls Open in Kashmir

For the people in violence-torn Kashmir, there was a bit of good news last week as movie theatres opened after being closed for three decades. The theatres were shut when armed rebellion erupted in the state and public places such as cinema halls were targeted with violence.

The Lieutenant-Governor of Kashmir, Manoj Sinha, who inaugurated a new multiplex in the state, said, “The opening is a reflection of a new dawn of hope, dreams, confidence and aspirations of people” The theatre he inaugurated held a special screening of Lal Singh Chaddha, the Bollywood remake of Forrest Gump, starring Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor.

After the split of Jammu and Kashmir and the latter being brought under more direct governance of New Delhi, there have been sporadic protests by local leaders and a demand for democratised elections in the state, which are scheduled to be held in the near future.

Many believe that the opening of cinema theatres could be one more step towards normalcy in Kashmir.

PFI and RSS Same

PFI And RSS Two Sides Of Same Coin, Says Digvijaya Singh

Stoking a controversy, Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Saturday compared Rashtriya Swyamsevak Sangh (RSS) to the Popular Front of India (PFI) and said “whoever spreads hatred” they are “Ek thali ke chatte batte” (of the same ilk).

He demanded action against RSS and VHP following government action against PFI.

Answering queries from reporters over action against the Popular Front of India in Madhya Pradesh, the former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister said action should be taken against “whoever spreads violence, hatred, religious frenzy”.

“If action is being taken against them, why action is not being taken against the Sangh, why not against VHP, there should be action against them,” Singh said.

Asked if RSS can be compared to PFI, Singh said “definitely”. “Whoever spreads hate, religious frenzy, they are of the same ilk. ‘Ek hi thaali ke chatte-batte hain’. They complement each other,” he said.

The joint teams of the National Investigation Agency, Enforcement Directorate and police conducted multiple raids across 15 states of the country against PFI on September 22 and arrested over 106 members.

The largest-ever crackdown that was conducted against the Popular Front of India (PFI) members spread across 15 states was code-named “Operation Octopus”, sources said on Saturday.

The searches were conducted in connection with cases registered by the NIA following “continued inputs and evidence” that the PFI leaders and cadres were involved in the funding of terrorism and terrorist activities, organising training camps for providing armed training and radicalising people to join banned organisations.

A large number of criminal cases have been registered in different states over the last few years against the PFI and its leaders and members for their involvement in many violent acts. (ANI)

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Hijab Protests

Iran Suspends Internet To Cripple Protests Against Hijab

Iranian authorities on Saturday announced to restrict internet access in the country over intensified protests after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died in police custody after her arrest for allegedly failing to comply with Iran’s strict rules on women’s dress by wearing an “improper hijab”.

The internet monitoring agency Netblocks said Friday that Iranians are facing a third wave of “nation-scale” loss of mobile internet connectivity as the protests continue, reported CNN.

The watchdog group said earlier in the week that Iran was experiencing the most severe internet restrictions since 2019, with mobile networks largely shut down and social networks Instagram and WhatsApp restricted in the country since protests began.

To circumvent internet blocks, Iranians both inside the country and in the diaspora are turning to popular Virtual Private Network (VPN) providers such as Tor Project and Hula VPN – the top downloaded apps available in Iran via Google Play Store, a marketplace for Android smartphone users to download apps, according to monitoring service AppBrain.

However, Netblocks has warned that the kind of internet disruption seen currently in the country “cannot generally be worked around with the use of circumvention software or VPNs,” reported CNN.

Thousands of Iranians have taken to the streets in protest since the death last week of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was apprehended in Tehran and taken to a “re-education center”, apparently for not wearing her hijab properly.

Since Friday, demonstrations have taken place in at least 40 cities nationwide, including the capital Tehran, with protesters demanding an end to violence and discrimination against women as well as an end to compulsory wearing of the hijab.

Dozens of protesters have reportedly been killed in the resulting clashes with security forces, reported CNN.

Amnesty International said Friday that at least 30 people, including four children, had died; according to state media the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, 35 people have died.

Authorities hope that by restricting the internet they can bring the protests under control.

Speaking with state broadcaster IRIB on Friday, Iran’s Minister of Communications Ahmad Vahidi said, “Until the riots end, the internet will have limitations. To prevent riot organization through social media, we are obliged to create internet limitations.”

Vahidi’s comments came after videos on social media showed scenes of public defiance, with women removing and burning their headscarves and demonstrators chanting such slogans as, “women, life, freedom.”

The move to further restrict the internet also followed a call by the United Nations for an independent investigation into Amini’s death and for Iran’s security forces to refrain from using “disproportionate force” on the protesters, reported CNN.

Amini’s death has now become a symbol of the violent oppression women have faced in Iran for decades, and her name has spread around the globe, with world leaders invoking her even at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City this week.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on Thursday said UN experts strongly condemned the use of physical violence against women in Iran by state authorities, reported CNN.

“Iranian authorities said (Amini) died of a heart attack, and claimed her death was from natural causes. However, some reports suggested that Amini’s death was a result of alleged torture and ill-treatment,” it said in a statement.

“We call on the Iranian authorities to hold an independent, impartial, and prompt investigation into Ms Amini’s death, make the findings of the investigation public and hold all perpetrators accountable,” it added.

Meanwhile, Internet activist hacker group Anonymous has also targeted the Iranian government online over the past week, announcing several breaches of government websites on Thursday, reported CNN.

Using the hashtag #OpIran, short for Operation Iran, which started gaining traction on social media following the death of Amini, Anonymous also tweeted Thursday that the organization was successful in hacking more than 1,000 CCTV Iranian cameras – a claim CNN has not been able to independently confirm.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday said that he was “concerned about reports of peaceful protests being met with excessive use of force leading to dozens of deaths and injuries.”

“We call on the security forces to refrain from using unnecessary or disproportionate force and appeal to all to exercise restraint to avoid further escalation,” Guterres’ spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said at the daily briefing on UNTV.

The UN said it’s closely following the protests in Iran and called on authorities to “respect the right to freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly and association.”

Guterres reiterated a call from the Acting High Commissioner for Human Rights for a prompt investigation into the death of Amini by an “independent competent authority,” reported CNN. (ANI)

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US Inflation Signs Of Cooling Off

FDI Inflows To Cross $100 BN In 2022-23

The inflow of FDI (foreign direct investment) to India is expected to surge to a record $100 billion in the current financial year, helped by the Make-in-India initiative and steps taken by the government to improve the country’s ranking in ease of doing business.

According to data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry on Saturday, FDI to India almost doubled to $83.6 billion in 2021-22 from $ 45.15 billion in 2014-2015.
To attract foreign investments, the Government of India has put in place a liberal and transparent policy wherein most sectors are open to FDI under the automatic route. FDI inflows in India stood at US $ 45.15 billion in 2014-2015 and have since consecutively reached record FDI inflows for eight years, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said in a statement.

The year 2021-22 recorded the highest ever FDI at $83.6 billion. This FDI has come from 101 countries and invested across 31 UTs and States and 57 sectors in the country.

On the back of economic reforms and Ease of Doing Business in recent years, India is on track to attract $100 billion FDI in the current financial year, the ministry said.

Launched in 2014, ‘Make in India’ initiative has played a crucial role in transforming the country into a leading global manufacturing and investment destination. The initiative is an open invitation to potential investors and partners across the globe to participate in the growth story of ‘New India’. Make in India has substantial accomplishments across 27 sectors. These include strategic sectors of manufacturing and services as well, the ministry said.

The Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, across 14 key manufacturing sectors, was launched in 2020–21 as a big boost to the Make-in-India initiative. The PLI scheme incentivizes domestic production in strategic growth sectors where India has a comparative advantage.

This includes strengthening domestic manufacturing, forming resilient supply chains, making Indian industries more competitive, and boosting export potential. The PLI Scheme is expected to generate significant gains for production and employment, with benefits extending to the MSME ecosystem.

Recognizing the importance of semiconductors in the world economy, the Government of India has launched a USD 10 billion incentive scheme to build a semiconductor, display, and design ecosystem in India.

To strengthen the Make in India initiative, several other measures have been taken by the Government of India. The reform measures include amendments to laws, and liberalization of guidelines and regulations, in order to reduce unnecessary compliance burdens, bring down costs and enhance the ease of doing business in India. Burdensome compliance with rules and regulations has been reduced through simplification, rationalization, decriminalization, and digitization, making it easier to do business in India.

Additionally, labor reforms have brought flexibility in hiring and retrenchment. Quality control orders have been introduced to ensure quality in local manufacturing. Steps to promote manufacturing and investments also include reductions in corporate taxes, public procurement orders, and a phased manufacturing program.

To promote the local industry by providing their preference in public procurement of goods, works, and services, the Public Procurement (Preference to Make in India) Order 2017 was also issued pursuant to Rule 153 (iii) of the General Financial Rules 2017, as an enabling provision. The policy aims at encouraging domestic manufacturers’ participation in public procurement activities over entities merely importing to trade or assembling items.

The policy is applicable to all ministries or departments or attached or subordinate offices or autonomous bodies controlled by the government of India and includes government companies as defined in the Companies Act, the Ministry of Commerce & Industry said. (ANI)

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