July 2023 - Page 12 of 49 - Lokmarg

Under Cong Tenure, Manipur Was Blockade: Sarma

By LokMarg 22nd July 2023

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday launched a scathing attack at Congress and United Progressive Alliance (UPA) over its tenure in Manipur till 2017 stating that northeastern state had became the blockade capital of the country during their ruling period and now on the contrary Congress has started displaying immense interest in the state.

In this regard, Assam CM Sarma took to Twitter and said, “Congress is suddenly displaying immense interest in Manipur. Important to rewind a bit and look at PM Manmohan Singh’s own response to similar crises in the State. The party’s duplicity is simply alarming.”
He further stated that every year there were blockades in the state for over a month during UPA tenure in Manipur.

“During UPA’s tenure, Manipur became the blockade capital of the country. Between 2010-2017, when Congress ruled the State, every year there were blockades ranging from 30 days a year to upto 139 days a year,” he further tweeted.

He also mentioned that year 2011 was one of the worst bloackades in Manipur which lasted for more than 120 days and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi remained silent on issue for more than four months.

“Petrol and LPG prices went upto Rs 240 and Rs 1,900 a litre during each of these blockades, translating into a complete humanitarian crisis. 2011 was one of the worst blockades in Manipur lasting more than 120 days,” he said.

In Manipur, two women were paraded naked and sexually assaulted before being set free by the mob comprising the majority community. The incident allegedly took place on May 4, a day after ethnic clashes broke out in Manipur.

The violence in Manipur erupted after a rally by the All Tribal Students Union of Manipur (ATSUM) on May 3 in protest against the proposed inclusion of people belonging to the Meitei community in the list of Scheduled Tribes (STs).

Recently. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday spoke about the Manipur viral video that showed two women being paraded naked.

The Prime minister said, “I am filled with pain and the incident is shameful for any civil society.”

“No accused will spared, we will never forgive those who are behind this,” he said.

Amidst a nationwide outcry over the appalling incident in Manipur, the UNAU students forum organised a protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on Saturday.

A video of the two-month-old incident had gone viral evoking strong sharp reactions from various political parties and triggering outrage. (ANI)

Read More: http://13.232.95.176/

UAE Condemns Killing Of World Food Programme Worker In Taiz

By LokMarg 22nd July 2023

The UAE condemned the killing of a UN World Food Programme worker from Jordan, in Taiz, Yemen.

In a statement, Reem bint Ebrahim Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation, affirmed that the UAE expresses its strong condemnation of these criminal acts and its permanent rejection of all forms of violence and terrorism aimed at destabilising security and stability in contravention of human values and principles.
Al Hashimy expressed her sincere condolences and sympathy to the government of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the family of the victim of this heinous crime, and the World Food Programme, reiterating that targeting humanitarian aid staff is a flagrant violation of all international treaties that ensure the protection of relief and rescue workers. (ANI/WAM)

Read More: http://13.232.95.176/

Shah Inaugurates Aviation Security Control Centre For Airports

By LokMarg 22nd July 2023

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday inaugurated the newly established Aviation Security Control Centre (ASCC) at CISF Campus Mahipalpur in the national capital.

DG CISF Sheel Vardhan Singh, Tapan Kumar Deka, Director, IB, Zulfiquar Hasan, Director General BCAS, and other dignitaries were also present on the occasion.
The CISF was inducted at airports for the first time in February 2000. After two decades, currently, CISF is providing security cover to 66 airports out of 134 operational airports in the country, including extremely busy and hypersensitive airports like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Jammu, Srinagar, and Amritsar.

In order to monitor the security functions and resource utilization on a real-time basis, Security Operations Control Centres (SOCCs) are functional at every airport.

These SOCCs serve as nerve/nodal centre for the collection and dissemination of important information 24×7, especially during contingencies.

Over a period of time, due to increased air traffic and passenger load, current security scenario, evolving nature of threat perceptions and geographical spread of airports across the country, a need was felt for centralised monitoring of incidents and events occurring at airports to resolve them on a real-time basis.

To fulfil the aforesaid requirement, CISF has established a Modern state-of-art centralised Aviation Security Control Centre, integrating the SOCCs of all 66 airports.

The control centre is also equipped with cutting-edge technologies like a data centre, R-D Lab and War room.

The salient features of the centre include 24×7 real-time data monitoring and trend analysis of passengers and air traffic.

“This facility will provide realistic input about pax traffic at a given point of time and help in mobilising the resources for optimum utilisation. Some of the aspects covered are- Bomb threat calls, VVIP movement highlights, major incidents, pax clearance time, utilisation of security gadgets, queue management system etc,” the CISF said.

All 66 airports are now connected through VPN and IP telephonic systems and can be accessed at any point of time by the senior officers during the time of any contingent situation.

The CISF further said that the centre will also perform the trend analysis of real-time data to enhance the effectiveness of decision-making at higher levels.

“Research will be done on advanced and AI-based aviation security equipment available worldwide, with comparative analysis of different equipment and its applicability at Indian airports. Resolution of social media feedback by monitoring popular social sites,” it said, adding that the newly established ASCC will play an important role in its quest to play a greater role in aviation security and the future of the force. (ANI)

Read More: http://13.232.95.176/

Manipur Police Arrests Sixth Accused In Viral Video Case

By LokMarg 22nd July 2023

The Manipur Police on Saturday arrested another accused in connection with a viral video which showed two women being paraded naked and sexually assaulted in the state.

Police said that total of six arrests have been made so far in the incident which occured on May 4,2023.
In this regard, the official media handle of Manipur Police took to Twitter and said,”6 (six) including 1 (one) Juvenile Arrested/Apprehended. As regard to the viral video of 2 (two) women on May 4, 2023, another accused was arrested today. Altogether 6 (six) persons including 5 (five) main accused and one juvenile have been arrested and apprehended in the case so far.”

Police said that it is making all-out effort to arrest the remaining culprits by conducting raids at many suspected hideouts.

On July 20, Police had arrested four accused in the case and all were later remanded to 11 day police custody.

The first arrest in the case was made in the early hours of Thursday, hours after the video surfaced widely.

According to a senior police official the incident took place on May 4 in Manipur’s Thoubal district and a case of abduction, gangrape and murder was registered in the matter.

Superintendent of Police (SP), K Meghachandra Singh in a statement on July 19 said “As regards the video of 2 (two) women paraded naked by unknown armed miscreants on 4th May 2023, a case of abduction, gangrape and murder was registered at Nongpok Sekmai Police Station (Thoubal district) against unknown armed miscreants.”

Manipur has been witnessing violence since May 3, following the protests by the Kuki and Meitei communities against the High Court’s order asking the state government to consider the inclusion of Meitei community in the category of Scheduled Tribes (ST). Only STs can buy lands in hilly areas.

The majority Meitei community, which occupy the Imphal valley and nearby areas, sought the ST status keeping in view their increasing population and increased requirement of land, so that they could purchase lands in the hilly areas.

Earlier on Friday, state Chief Minister N Biren Singh evaded a question over the demand for him to step down, stating that his job was to restore peace to the state and ensure that the perpetrators of the alleged incident in the viral video are brought to book.

On the raucous protests by the Opposition in Parliament over the issue, Singh said the people in Manipur respect all women in the same manner as they respect their mothers and sisters. (ANI)

Floor Leaders Of I.N.D.I.A To Meet RS LoP In Parliament On Monday

By LokMarg 22nd July 2023

Floor leaders of the newly formed Opposition alliance the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (I.N.D.I.A) will meet at the office of Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge in Parliament on July 24 to chalk out the strategy for the floor of the House, the sources said on Saturday.

The leaders are likely to protest in front of the Gandhi statue on the Manipur issue.
The situation in Manipur dominated the proceedings of the second day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, which began on Thursday, with the Opposition demanding the Centre to discuss the issue.

The Congress and opposition leaders are demanding a statement from the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Parliament during the ongoing Monsoon session.

Meanwhile, the proceedings of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha faced adjournments for the second consecutive day amid uproar over the Manipur incident.

However, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi informed members that the government is ready to have discussions on the Manipur violence in both Houses, and the Home Minister would give his reply once the discussions are conducted.

The 12th session of the 17th Lok Sabha has begun close on the heels of 26 opposition parties forming the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) to take on the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

In a recent incident in Manipur, two women were paraded naked and sexually assaulted before being set free by the mob comprising the majority community.

The incident allegedly took place on May 4, a day after ethnic clashes broke out in Manipur.

After a video of the same went viral, the police swung into action and arrested five people, including the main accused.

Taking suo motu cognisance of the video, Police on Thursday night said that a case of abduction, gang rape and murder was registered at Nongpok Sekmai police station in Thoubal district against unknown armed men and that all-out efforts were on to arrest the culprits at the earliest.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi while briefing the media ahead of the monsoon session on Thursday, said he is pained over the incident that is “shameful for any civil society”.

“No accused will be spared, we will never forgive those who are behind this,” PM Modi said.

Read More: http://13.232.95.176/

Maharashtra's Yavatmal Mi-17 V5 helicopter

Maharashtra: Mi-17 V5 Helicopter Deployed To Evacuate People In Yavatmal

By LokMarg 22nd July 2023

With heavy rains lashing Maharashtra’s Yavatmal, Mi-17 V5 helicopter has been inducted from Nagpur to evacuate 40 people who have been stranded due to floods.

“Based on the requisition of the District administration, one Mi-17 V5 helicopter is being inducted from Nagpur to evacuate 40 people stranded due to floods in Yuvatmal district,” said Wing commander (Wg Cd) Ratnakar Singh, Defence PRO Nagpur.
With heavy rains lashing Maharashtra’s Yavatmal on Friday night, many residential areas in the district were inundated, and water also entered several houses on Saturday.

As per locals, it rained for around four hours at night and they woke up to flooded streets and rainwater entering their houses.

“It started raining heavily around midnight, and when we woke up in the morning, we saw our house submerged in water. Currently, the water has entered our house and our furniture including sofa, fridge, ration got submerged in the water,” said a local.

Locals said that over 500 houses have been inundated.

“Yavatmal hasn’t witnessed this amount of rainfall earlier. Water started entering people’s houses at 4 am and till now over 500 houses have been submerged,” Sujit Rai, one of the residents said.

Earlier on Friday, train services in Mumbai and adjoining areas were disrupted following waterlogging due to heavy rains in Maharashtra.

Waterlogging at Kurla station of the Harbour Line Down from Wadala to the Mankhurd section, suburban traffic was closed as a safety precautionary measure for a brief period. Rest assured, all sections were running. UP Harbour Line trains were running, the Central Railway Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) said on Friday.

Maharashtra has seen a flood-like situation in various parts of its districts owing to incessant rainfall in the state.

Regional Meteorological Department has predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places in several districts including Palghar, Thane, Mumbai, Raigad, Ratnagiri, and Sindhudurg. (ANI)

Read More: http://13.232.95.176/

Taliban Appeals To Pak For Peace Talks With Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan

By LokMarg 22nd July 2023

The Afghan Taliban has renewed its call for peace talks between Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and Pakistan as Islamabad’s efforts to persuade Kabul to take action against the terrorist group failed, reported The Express Tribune.

This week, Pakistan sent a special envoy on a three-day mission to Kabul to make it clear that the interim administration must act swiftly to stop the TTP. But after several talks, the Afghan Taliban told him that Pakistan should choose the route of peace rather than using force, as per The Express Tribune.
The Express Tribune is an internationally affiliated newspaper in Pakistan.

During his visit, Ambassador Asad Durrani had meetings with the acting foreign minister and deputy prime minister of Afghanistan, Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi and Mawlawi Abdul Kabir, as per The Express Tribune.

Quoting official sources, familiar with the matter, The Express Tribune reported that the Afghan Taliban leadership was told clearly that Pakistan’s patience was wearing thin vis-à-vis the TTP.

In her weekly news briefing, Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said, “The issue of terrorism, as I’ve said in the past, including in the last briefing, is an issue of serious concern to Pakistan. And Pakistan has raised this issue with the Afghan authorities on multiple occasions and at every important engagement that takes place between Pakistan and the Afghan interim authorities.”

“We have discussed the threat of terrorism emanating from the Afghan soil,” she added when asked whether Ambassador Durrani took up the issue of cross-border terrorism with the Afghan authorities.

However, the Afghan Taliban administration is not prepared to follow that course, despite Pakistan’s insistence on taking action against TTP.

According to sources, cited by The Express Tribune, the deputy prime minister of Afghanistan advised the Pakistani ambassador to choose the “path of peace” rather than “use of force”. They said that it was obvious the Afghan Taliban had no interest in attacking the TTP. Instead, Kabul once rejected a request from Pakistan to begin peace negotiations with the TTP.

The TTP increased attacks and exploited the prior rounds of negotiations, leading Pakistan to give up on the peace effort.

Pakistan will no longer pursue negotiations with the TTP, the civil and military leadership determined. In any case, though, negotiations can only begin until the TTP gives up.

The deputy prime minister of Afghanistan asked Durrani that Pakistan should choose peace over war. He claimed that given Afghanistan’s bitter experiences of war, he would advise Pakistan to pursue a diplomatic solution instead.

As a Muslim nation, Afghanistan does not desire fighting or disturbance in Pakistan, according to Maulvi Kabir, who also believes that peace in Pakistan is in Afghanistan’s best interests. He also sees acts of violence in Pakistan as a loss for Afghanistan.

The Afghan Taliban government, he informed the Pakistani envoy, had a policy of refraining from meddling in the domestic affairs of other nations. He asserted that Afghanistan would not permit Pakistan or any other nation to exploit Afghan land against them.

According to the sources, after returning from Kabul and providing his assessment, Ambassador Durrani would update the administration. According to the reports, Pakistan is unlikely to accept the offer from the Afghan Taliban.

The sources also said, Pakistan would plan its strategy while considering the special envoy’s suggestions, The Express Tribune reported. (ANI)

Read More: http://13.232.95.176/

Over 150 Students Stranded In Uttarkashi School Due To Falling Debris Rescued

By LokMarg 22nd July 2023

Uttarakhand State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel has rescued all students who got stranded due to the heavy debris being swept into the Kasturba Inter College in Uttarkashi district, officials said on Saturday.

Heavy rains caused water-logging in the residential school leading to the evacuation.
The SDRF was informed by the Uttarkashi Disaster Management, in the middle of the night on Thursday about students being trapped inside Kasturba Inter College due to falling debris near Gangnani.

“Acting on the information, as per the instructions of Manikant Mishra, Commandant SDRF, the SDRF rescue team immediately reached the spot with rescue equipment,” an official statement read.

About 150 students were trapped due to the debris and all of them were rescued by the SDRF rescue team in the night itself and taken to a safe place.

People from commercial hotels, shops and nearby houses in the area were taken to a safe place, urging them to leave the place immediately due to the potential danger. There was no loss of life, said officials.

Meanwhile, scores of commuters, including tourists as well as locals are stranded in Uttarkashi after the Yamunotri National Highway was blocked at many places today due to falling debris near Gangnani officials said.

Visuals from the area showed vehicles being stuck in debris, leaving commuters stranded for hours.

According to the Uttarkashi administration, the highway was blocked at many places including Chhatanga, adding that a Tehsildar was sent to take stock of the situation.

Uttarkashi district disaster management officials said that due to heavy rains near Gangnani in the Barkot area, there has been a lot of debris and stones on the Yamunotri National Highway.

“The fresh spell of rains led to water-logging in Kasturba Gandhi residential school. The school children had to be shifted to safer places,” they said.

A team each from the State Disaster Response Force team and the fire brigade was immediately sent to the spot to carry out relief work, they added.

Similarly, Badrinath National Highway near Chamoli district was also blocked in three places due to falling debris as incessant rainfall continued in the region.

As per officials, the incident left a large number of commuters stuck on both sides of the national highway for hours.

“The roadway is blocked due to debris at Nandprayag, Belakuchi, and Pagalnala on the Badrinath National Highway,” Chamoli police said in a tweet on Saturday morning.

In Uttarakhand, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted heavy to very heavy rains accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning at isolated places over Dehradun, Uttarkashi, Tehri, Pauri and Nainital in the next 24 hours.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday reviewed the progress of relief and rescue works in Damkothi in Haridwar district in connection with waterlogging in the area. (ANI)

Read More: http://13.232.95.176/

Manipur: 5th Accused Arrested In Viral Video Case

By LokMarg 22nd July 2023

The Manipur police on Saturday arrested another accused in connection with a viral video which showed two women being paraded naked and sexually assaulted in Manipur.

Yesterday, four others who were arrested on July 20 were remanded to 11-day police custody.
“This is the fifth arrest made so far in connection with the months-old video, which went viral days ago,” Manipur police said today.

All-out efforts are being taken to arrest the remaining culprits by conducting raids at many suspected hideouts, Manipur police said in a tweet.

The first arrest in the case was made in the early hours of Thursday, hours after the video surfaced widely.

According to a senior police official the incident took place on May 4 in Manipur’s Thoubal district and a case of abduction, gangrape and murder was registered in the matter.

Manipur has been witnessing violence since May 3, following the protests by the Kuki and Naga communities against the High Court’s order asking the state government to consider the inclusion of Meitei community in the category of Scheduled Tribes (ST). Only STs can buy lands in hilly areas.

Earlier on Friday, state Chief Minister N Biren Singh evaded a question on the demand for him to step down, stating that his job was to restore peace to the state and ensure that the perpetrators of the alleged incident in the viral video are brought to book.

On the raucous protests by the Opposition in Parliament over the issue, Singh said the people in Manipur treat all women in the same way as they do their mothers and sisters and never condone crime, adding that this explains why there were ongoing statewide protests in Manipur.

Earlier, on Thursday, Singh told ANI that the video of the incident was leaked after 40 days and was from May 4, a day after ethnic clashes broke out in Manipur.

“Really shocked when I saw the video. I inquired about the incident and learned that it happened on May 4. This video was leaked after 40 days. I ordered a combing operation (to track down the accused), and, last night itself, we arrested one of the accused,” the Manipur chief minister said on Thursday, adding that the government will take strict action against all the perpetrators and would even consider pressing for death penalty for the perpetrators. (ANI)

Read More: http://13.232.95.176/

Raigad Landslide Toll Rises To 22

By LokMarg 22nd July 2023

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) continued its search and rescue operations at the landslide-hit Irshalgad in Raigad on Saturday. Till now, 22 dead bodies have been recovered from the site, officials said.

One team of NDRF reached the site early this morning and more are of its teams are expected to join the search operation later today.

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray will visit the landslide-affected people lodged in a nearby temple around 10.30 am today.

A landslide struck the tribal village situated on a hill slope in Khalapur tehsil, Raigad district, approximately 80 km from Mumbai around 11pm on Wednesday.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde visited the site of the tragedy yesterday and took stock of the relief and rescue efforts. He also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh to the families of the deceased, said officials.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah also spoke to Chief Minister Shinde after the incident. Shah said four National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have been deployed to execute the rescue operation.

Five more bodies were recovered on Friday and the search and rescue operation was suspended for the day with the consultation of District administration due to bad weather conditions, said SB Singh, commandant, 5 Battalion, NDRF.

“We carried out a search and rescue operation with three of our dogs and one of our dogs detected two bodies today. We are facing many challenges and cannot take our latest machinery to the (landslide-hit) site”, said an NDRF official on Friday. (ANI)

Read More: http://13.232.95.176/