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Sun, 15 April 2018
K'taka Cong leader asks people to hit UP CM with slippers, row erupts

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20:38   Message in a banner from a Haryana town
Even as the nation remains outraged by Kathua and Unnao rapes, with protest meets being called across the country, photographer Sandeep Pal sent us this photograph from Fatehabad in Haryana.

'BJP leaders and office-bearers are not allowed in this locality as women and young girls live here', the banner, put up by the residents, says.
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20:30   K'taka Cong leader asks people to hit UP CM with slippers, row erupts
The political discourse in poll-bound Karnataka touched a new low with Congress working president Dinesh Gundu Rao calling upon the people to hit Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath with slippers whenever he comes to the state.
 
Rao made the controversial remarks at a candle march organised by the Karnataka Pradesh Congress in Bengaluru to show solidarity with the victims of rape in Uttar Pradesh's Unnao and Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua.
 
The comments drew an angry response from the BJP which termed them "heinous" and accused the ruling Congress of instigating violence.
 
As his comments stoked a major political row, Rao said it was an "emotional outburst" and "all I said was just show him (Yogi Adityanath) slippers".
 
He said he regretted his remarks if they were offensive.
 
At the protest meet last night, Rao had said, "This man from Uttar Pradesh who comes to Karnataka to deliver lectures is not a yogi. He is a hypocrite, a liar and a thug. He should not be allowed to enter Karnataka..."
 
"... In case Yogi Adityanath No, there is no need to call him Yogi. He is Bhogi Adityanath. If he comes to Karnataka, he should be beaten up with slippers and sent back. If you (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) have little self-esteem and if you have respect for women, sack the Uttar Pradesh chief minister. Unseat him. What you are doing now is a heinous crime (by retaining him)," he said.
 
Hitting back, furious Karnataka BJP leaders reminded Rao that Adityanath was a "revered saint of Nath tradition".  

Strongly condemning the remarks, Karnataka BJP president B S Yeddyurappa said it was "highly derogatory and uncivilised".
 
He said a person who did not know how to speak about "a sant" and a democratically elected chief minister did not deserve to be in public life.
 
Yeddyurappa asked Congress president Rahul Gandhi to expel Rao from the party and said the Election Commission should also take cognisance of Rao's "inflammatory remarks" and take "stern action" against him.
 
The party tweeted, "Mr Rao, your love for Muslims must not translate to hatred for Hindu saints. What were you thinking when you said Yogi Adityanath must be beaten with chappals? Hindu-Vokkaligas of K'taka hold him in high regard. You have insulted the entire community with your heinous comments!"
 
Vokkaligas are considered the second largest community in Karnataka after Lingayats.
 
The party termed it Congress "deep hatred" for saffron and anyone who is an "unapologetic Hindu".
 
"It also shows the party's disregard for rule of law," said the BJP, alleging, the "Congress instigates violence for political gain".
 
It asked the Election Commission to register a case against Rao under section 153A of the Indian Penal Code.
 
The BJP said the statement shows Congress party's "utter contempt" for a democratically elected chief minister.
 
Enraged by Rao's remarks, BJP MP from Mysuru Pratap Simha said in a video message, "One should be cautious while talking and control his tongue. Else, you will get a befitting reply."
 
Rao said, "I should not have said so. It is wrong. All I said was just show him (Yogi Adityanath) slippers. I did not say slap him with slippers. It was not a scripted statement. In a fit of anger I said so. I was wrong."
Later, he tweeted, "It was an emotional outburst in a speech on the plight of the rape victims and the complete apathy of Adityanath government. I regret if it's offensive but the abuse of law in UP is a serious issue."
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20:09   Two Union ministers pitch for increased quota in higher judiciary
Two Union ministers have pitched for increased reservations for Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes in higher judiciary, saying such people do not have adequate representation in the Supreme
Court and the high courts.
Ram Vilas Paswan, Union minister and the chief of Lok Janshakti Party, an NDA ally, said it was time to launch a movement to press for their demand.
"I am speaking in the capacity of LJP chief that we should launch a movement for getting reservation in the judiciary," Paswan said here yesterday while addressing a national conference of Dalit Sena on the occasion of the birth anniversary of B R Ambedkar.
He appreciated the Nitish Kumar government in Bihar for introducing reservations in lower and higher judicial services in the state.
Upendra Kushwaha, another Union minister and Rashtriya Lok Samta Party chief, said no one can even dare to think of abolishing the reservation system in the country.

Rather, the quantum of reservation should be increased, he said.

"We will demand for more reservation. We will not stop till our mission is completed...Ye dil maange more," Kushwaha, who also present at the programme, said.
The judiciary should create a system, where poor people can become judges of Supreme Court and high courts, he added. -- PTI  
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19:41   India unites in protests over Kathua, Unnao rape cases
Hundreds of protesters marched in various cities on Sunday evening to demand justice for victims in the Kathua and Unnao rape cases. 

People, carrying placards and forming human chains, are protesting across Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Goa and Kerala. 

Protests are also being held in Rajasthan's Ajmer, Gujarat's Surat and Madhya Pradesh's Bhopal.

After facing criticism for his silence on the rapes for days, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the incidents in Kathua and Unnao "cannot be part of a civilised society".

In Kathua, eight people, including a juvenile, have been chargesheeted for abducting, drugging and raping an eight year-old-girl before murdering her in January. 

In Uttar Pradesh's Unnao, a BJP MLA is accused of raping a 17-year-old girl. 

On Saturday, he was sent to the custody of the Central Bureau of Investigation for seven days but only after the Allahabad high court took suo motu cognisance of the crime and asked for the legislator to be arrested.

Image: People hold placards during a protest at Carter Road in Mumbai's Bandra, Photograph: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com
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19:13   Togadia targets Modi after quitting VHP
A day after quitting the Vishwa Hindu Parishad in wake of his nominee losing an organisational poll, firebrand leader Pravin Togadia today launched a vicious attack against the Modi government at the Centre.
 
Togadia, who has decided to undertake an indefinite fast from Tuesday, said his "disenchantment" with Prime Minister Narendra Modi began right after the 2002 post-Godhra riots.
"I am not in the VHP anymore.... I will continue to work for the welfare of Hindus. From Tuesday, I will go on an indefinite fast in Ahmedabad for fulfilling the longstanding demands of the Hindus," he had said yesterday after former Himachal Pradesh governor V S Kokje defeated his nominee Raghav Reddy in an election in Gurgaon for the post of VHP International president.
 
Togadia, who returned in Ahmedabad last night, met his supporters and top VHP functionaries in Gujarat today to finalise his plans for the fast at the state VHP headquarters.

"I got disenchanted with this government in the last four years. The disenchantment, in fact, had started slowly after the 2002 events in Gujarat," he said, speaking to reporters later.
 
Claiming that scores of Hindus were killed in police firing during the post-Godhra riots, he said he could not understand how it could happen when "Narendrabhai" (Narendra Modi) was the chief minister.
"Cases were registered against thousands of Hindus and they were put in jail," he alleged.
"In 2014 elections, the VHP offered full support to Narendrabhai. But he called gau-rakshaks `gundas' (goons). Eleven cow-protectors in Jharkhand were given life imprisonment (by a court) after his statement. This hadn't
happened even under the Congress government," Togadia said.
"This government has taken back cases against Pakistan-supporters and stone-pelters in Kashmir. I was shocked as this government has helped Pakistan-supporters," he went on to say.
 
Togadia said his indefinite hunger strike would be aimed at the welfare of Hindus and to seek construction of Ram Janmbhoomi Temple at Ayodhya, nation-wide ban on cow slaughter, enforcement of the common civil code and relocation of displaced Kashmiri Hindus, he said.
 
All these years he and his associates have been fighting for these causes but to no avail, Togadia said, alleging that "for the last six months, enormous pressure was put on me instead to stop making all these demands."
 
Many of Togadia supporters, shouting slogans in their mentor's favour at the state VHP headquarters in Paldi area here, said they would turn his fast into a show of strength. -- PTI
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18:43   BJP announces candidates for council seats in Bihar, UP
Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi is among the 13 candidates the BJP today announced for Bihar and Uttar Pradesh legislative council seats with an eye on social equations aimed at consolidating its votes.
Among the 10 candidates for UP seats are Bukkal Nawab, Yashwant Singh and Jaiveer Singh, who had left rival parties to join the BJP after its win in the assembly polls, besides Mohsin Raja, the lone Muslim minister in the UP government, the party said in a statement.
Bukkal Nawab is another Muslim candidate in the list.
In Bihar, two other candidates are Mangal Pandey, a minister in the Nitish Kumar government, and Sanjay Paswan, a former Union minister who hails from an influential Dalit community.
The candidature of Paswan, who was kept out of any important responsibility within the organisation for several years, underlines the saffron party's renewed vigour to win over Dalits in a state where they will be key in the direct fight between the BJP-JD(U) combine and the RJD-Congress alliance.
Other candidates for the UP polls are Mahendra Singh, Sarojini Agarwal, Vidya Sagar Sonkar, Vijay Bahadur Pathak, Ashok Kataria and Ashok Dhawan.
The MLCs will be elected by MLAs and BJP sources said all their candidates are likely to emerge victorious. -- PTI 
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18:41   No question of Sidhu resigning over road rage case: Amarinder
With opposition mounting attack on Punjab Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu in connection with a 30-year-old road rage case, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh today scotched speculation that the Congress leader would be resigning from the state cabinet.
        
The chief minister said there was no question of asking Sidhu, the tourism, culture and local government minister, to quit.
 
Last week, the state government in the Supreme Court had favoured the Punjab and Haryana high court verdict convicting and awarding a three-year jail term to Sidhu in the 1988 case. 

Gurnam Singh, a Patiala resident, had died after he was given fist blow by Sidhu.
Amarinder pointed out that the apex court had stayed Sidhu's conviction in 2007 and was yet to pronounce its final verdict on his petition challenging the high court order.
        
The question of the minister resigning, merely because the state government had repeated its stand of 30-years in the case before the Supreme Court, did not arise, he added.
"There was neither any impediment in Sidhu's induction into the cabinet nor in his continuation now, in view of the stay on his conviction", Amarinder said in a statement here.
The categorical clarification from the chief minister came amid reports suggesting that Sidhu had been asked to resign, and also in the wake of the demand from the opposition that he should step down.
However, the chief minister once again expressed the hope "that the judge would take cognizance of Sidhu's contribution to the society and the country in deciding the case." -- PTI
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18:22   PM hails Indian team's success at 2018 Commonwealth Games
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said the Indian contingent's success in the 2018 Commonwealth Games made every Indian proud and hoped it would motivate the young to pursue sports as well as create awareness on the importance of fitness.
 
Congress president Rahul Gandhi also tweeted to congratulate the Indian team for its third place in the Games, held in Australia.
 
"India's contingent at the 2018 Commonwealth Games has made every Indian extremely proud. All our sportspersons gave their best and played very well. I congratulate all those athletes who are bringing back medals," Modi tweeted.
 
He added that athletes who represented India at the Games inspire people.
 
"Their life stories illustrate the power of dedication and a never-say-die attitude that made them overcome countless hurdles to attain the heights of success they did at the CWG," he said.
 
The prime minister hoped India's success at the Games motivated more youngsters to pursue sports and create awareness on the importance of fitness in everybody's lives.
 
"On our part, we in the Government are doing everything possible to strengthen the #FitIndia movement," Modi said.
 
Gandhi also took to the micro-blogging site to congratulate the team.
"Congratulations Team India on your 3rd place finish at Commonwealth Games 2018 with 26 Gold Medals. You've made us all very proud," he said.
 
With 26 gold, 20 silver and as many bronze medals, India stood third in the Games which concluded today, two notches above its position in the last Games in Glasgow.
 
At the 2010 Games in New Delhi, India won 101 medal, including 38 golds, while at the 2002 Manchester Games, India had a total of 69 medal, of which 30 were gold. -- PTI 
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18:20   Pak army chief backs dialogue with India to resolve Kashmir issue
The peaceful resolution of India-Pakistan disputes, including the core issue of Kashmir, can be found through comprehensive and meaningful dialogue, Pakistan's Army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa has said.
Bajwa's remarks came during his speech at the passing-out parade of cadets at the Pakistan Military Academy in Kakul on Saturday, according to a statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations, the media wing of the country's armed forces.
"It is our sincere belief that the route to peaceful resolution of Pak-India disputes -- including the core issue of Kashmir -- runs through comprehensive and meaningful dialogue.
"While such dialogue is no favour to any party, it remains the inevitable precursor to peace across the region. Pakistan remains committed to such a dialogue, but only on the basis of sovereign equality, dignity and honour," he said. 
Addressing the cadets, Bajwa, 57, said Pakistan is a peace loving country and seeks harmonious and peaceful co- existence with all countries, especially its neighbours, according to the statement.
"However, this desire for peace must not, in any sense, be construed as a sign of weakness. Our valiant armed forces are fully prepared to respond across the full spectrum of threat in a befitting manner," he added.
The army chief also reaffirmed his country's "political and moral support" to the "basic right of self-determination" for the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
He said Pakistan has done its part to cleanse itself of the scourge of terrorism and extremism without any distinction and the efforts have started to bear results.
"We are committed to continue these efforts, not out of any compulsion, but to make Pakistan a safe, prosperous and progressive country," he said.
Bajwa also said that a "hybrid war" had been imposed on Pakistan to internally weaken it. -- PTI

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17:40   Will not take sides in US-China trade spat, says India
India today said it would not take sides in the ongoing trade spat between United States and China amid differences with Beijing over its controversial Belt and Road Initiative.
Remarks by NITI Aayog vice-chairman Rajiv Kumar came as he held the fifth Strategic Economic Dialogue dialogue with his Chinese counterpart He Lifeng, the chairman of China's top planning body the National Development and Reform Commission in Beijing yesterday.
During the talks, the BRI also came up for discussion.
"India suo motu has been the supporter of the rule-based multilateral trading order. In that sense, we don't have to take sides either one-way or the other," Kumar told the media when asked about India's stand on the current trade spat between China and US.
The SED, a key platform between India and China to discuss trade and economic issues, was resumed this year after last year's disruption amid Doklam standoff.
The meeting took place amid growing rapprochement between the two countries after the standoff.
"India has always taken independent position on trade issues," Kumar told the Indian media.
His remarks came as the US and China announced tit-for-tat tariffs on each other's products. US President Trump is ramping up pressure on China to cut the USD 375 bilateral billion trade deficit.
"While India does not like any measures that harm the rule based international trade regime, there is no reason to take sides in this," he said.
"We are not that level of player inf the market. Our shares are much smaller. We are the takers of the rules than makers," he said.
Kumar mentioned the US and Japanese trade war in late 1980 when Washington successfully pressured Japan to cut the trade deficit. -- PTI
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17:37   'You are a shame on India and Hindus': Swara blasts troll for shaming Kareena
Swara Bhasker today defended her "Veere Di Wedding" co-star, Kareena Kapoor Khan, from a troll who shamed the actor for marrying Saif Ali Khan.
The 30-year-old actor recently shared Kareena's photo on Twitter, where she could be seen holding a placard demanding justice for the minor girl, whose gangrape-murder in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district shocked the entire country.
A user criticised Kareena for marrying into a Muslim family and naming her son, Taimur.
"She should be ashamed of the fact that despite being a Hindu (she) is married to a Muslim. Has a child with him and named him Taimur, after a brutal Islamic barbarian (sic)" the person wrote in reply to the actor's tweet.
Swara slammed the Twitter user for spreading hate.
"You should be ashamed you exist. That God gave you a brain which you chose to fill with hate and a mouth you chose to spew filth from.
"You are a shame on India and Hindus. That s**ts like you feel emboldened to talk this crap publicly is this government's legacy," she wrote back.
Kareena and Saif were relentlessly trolled on social media shortly after the birth of their firstborn in December 2016 when they named the baby boy, Taimur. -- PTI
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17:25   2 years back, RBI found no 'quid pro quo' in ICICI loans to Videocon: RBI docs
The Reserve Bank of India had two years back conducted a detailed scrutiny to probe allegations of impropriety in ICICI Bank extending loans to Videocon Group but found no proof of any "quid pro quo" or reciprocal benefits, according to RBI documents.
The RBI had undertaken a scrutiny in mid-2016 after the Prime Minister's Office referred to it allegations of ICICI Bank CEO Chanda Kochhar's husband, Deepak reaping windfall gains from his association with businessman Venugopal Dhoot, whose Videocon Group is a large debtor to ICICI.
The RBI, which is the regulator for the banking sector, in its first response, sometime in mid-July of 2016, stated that ICICI Bank had sanctioned a loan of Rs 1,730 crore to the Videocon Group in 2012 as part of a debt consolidation programme undertaken through a consortium of banks led by the State Bank of India, according to the documents and sources with direct knowledge of the matter.
It went on to state that it was difficult to establish any conflict of interest in the sanctioning of the loan but flagged that it was not able to determine the sources of funding in some of the transactions involving Deepak Kochhar's renewable energy venture NuPower.
The source of funding was critical for ascertaining the legitimacy of NuPower transactions, the RBI had said, adding that it was for investigative agencies to ascertain that.
Later in December that year, RBI gave a detailed response to allegations of "quid pro quo" in loan sanctioned to the Videocon Group in 2007-08 and 2012, saying ICICI Bank was a part of the debt recast programme of Rs 20,195 crore by a consortium of banks led by SBI, where ICICI Bank's share was Rs 1,750 crore.
RBI stated that 'quid pro quo' could not be established as ICICI Bank had to take a share like other banks in the consortium, they said.
The central bank said the transfer of ownership of NuPower Renewables Ltd, which Deepak had set up with Dhoot family in December 2008, by Videocon was an unrelated event outside the banking domain. Such a transfer can only be examined by Sebi (Securities and Exchange Board of India) or Ministry for Corporate Affairs (MCA).
On the investment in NuPower coming from Mauritius, the RBI had stated that the funds had come under the automatic route and reported to the central bank and no violation was reported.
According to the RBI papers, the central bank had left it to the Department of Financial Services in the Ministry of Finance to investigate if there was a non-disclosure of related party transaction or if there were FEMA (Foreign Exchange Management Act) violations.
The RBI, however, raised questions over the ownership of the Mauritius-based entity, First Land Holding, which had invested Rs 325 crore in NuPower. Also, there was no clarity over the alleged Rs 64-crore loan (unsecured fully convertible debentures) given to NuPower by Supreme Energy, which was 99.99 per cent owned by Videocon chief Venugopal Dhoot at that time.
While Chanda Kochhar sat on the credit committee that approved the loan to Videocon, there are allegations of conflict of interest in her husband's brother, Singapore-based Rajiv Kochhar, performing debt-restructuring work on errant corporate borrowers from ICICI, including Videocon. The restructuring wasn't commissioned by the bank but by the borrowers.
Last month, the board of ICICI Bank expressed full faith in Chanda Kochhar, whose current tenure as CEO is set to end on March 31, 2019. It had reviewed credit approval processes and found them to be robust, according to a March 28 filing by the Bank. -- PTI 
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17:17   Mehbooba accepts resignations of 2 BJP ministers
Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti has accepted resignation of two Bharatiya Janat Party ministers, Lal Singh and Chander Prakash Ganga ,who had questioned police role in Kathua rape and murder case, Press Trust of India reports quoting officials.
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17:05   Jignesh Mevani stopped at Jaipur airport
Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani was today stopped at Jaipur international airport, police said.
The administration of Nagaur, where Mevani had a rally, had restricted his visit and the police stopped the Gujarat MLA at the airport to inform him about the order, they said.
After Mevani was stopped at the airport, he took to Twitter to say that he only wanted to talk about the Indian Constitution.
"Immediately after I landed at Jaipur airport, few cops made me sign a letter saying MLA Jignesh Mevani's entry is restricted in entire Nagaur district of Rajasthan. I was going there to talk about Indian Constitution and Baba Saheb Ambedkar," he tweeted.
In another tweet, he said, "Now the police is saying you are not allowed to move around even in Jaipur and they are forcing me to fly back to Ahmedabad and also not allowing to hold even a press conference...this is shocking."
The police said Mevani was restricted from moving around in Jaipur because of the prohibitory order under section 144 of the CrPC which was in effect in the district after the violence during the 'Bharat bandh' on April 2.
"We are providing him Nagaur district administration's order and (telling him about the) imposition of section 144 in Jaipur after which he is free to travel anywhere," DCP Jaipur East Kunwar Rashtradeep said.
"He was neither detained nor arrested by the police," said Rashtradeep. -- PTI
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16:10   Rewriting is part of the writing of history: ICHR chief
The debate in the country on rewriting history is unnecessary as some "exaggerations" need to be removed from time to time, Indian Council of Historical Research Chairman Arvind Jamkhedkar has said.
In an interview to PTI, he also said the mandate of the ICHR, a body under the human resource development ministry, was not to dictate history or decide curriculum but to encourage research to facilitate the rewriting of history.
 
"Rewriting is part of the writing of history," he stated.
 
The ICHR chief supported his argument by stressing that rewriting was a "healthy" trend.
 
"Over a period of time certain awareness comes among historians and they find certain lacunae which would have been left by previous schools (of history)," he said.
 
"History has always been rewritten and it is a healthy thing because there have been exaggerations. For instance, it was thought that probably earlier economic historians might have exaggerated a few things and history was then rewritten," he said.
 
Asked about the debate in the country over revisions of history curricula, the chairman said, It is not ICHR's mandate to dictate history or decide what should be taught. Its job is to encourage scholars to conduct fresh and meaningful research to rewrite history."
 
The ICHR is a flagship research-based institution that functions under the HRD ministry. -- PTI  
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16:08   Guns are not a solution: Gen Rawat to Kashmiri youths
Army chief General Bipin Rawat on Sunday said the radicalised youth of Kashmir would soon realise that the gun was not the solution to their problem as neither the army nor the terrorists would achieve their goals through it.
 
Peace, he said, was the only way to improve the situation in Kashmir that had been witnessing insurgency for about three decades now.
 
"There is hope that the situation in Kashmir will improve...it's not gone wrong. There are some youths in Kashmir who have strayed and have been radicalised. They think they can achieve their goal through guns.
 
"But the time is not far when even they will be convinced that neither the forces nor the terrorists will be able to achieve their goal. We have to together find a way for peace and we will be successful in that," Rawat said.
 
The army chief was speaking at the 70th foundation day of Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry regiment.
 
He said although a section of people in the valley had strayed but that was a "very small" number and majority of people desired peace and believed that they were Indians.
 
"It is wrong to say that situation in Kashmir has deteriorated. The atmosphere is vitiated but the situation has not deteriorated," he said.
 
Rawat, who served extensively in Kashmir through his tenure, said the concept of Kashmiryat had to be brought back and the process initiated from the University of Kashmir.
 
He noted that unity in diversity was the real essence of Kashmiriyat and it is important to inform the youth about it.
 
"To revive that Kashmiriyat, we need to get our act together. It is not difficult. We have to get our act together, sit down together, work together and make sure that we all get united and bring about peace," he added. -- PTI
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15:52   Rahul to launch 'save the Constitution' drive next week
Seeking to reach out to Dalits, Congress president Rahul Gandhi will on April 23 launch his party's nationwide 'save the Constitution' campaign, aimed at highlighting alleged attacks on the Constitution and the community.
The Congress' present and former Dalit lawmakers, those holding offices in zilla parishad, civic bodies and panchayat samitis, will take part in the launch event, aimed at sensitising the attendees on the current state of affairs with regard to the community.
Besides, the Congress' office-bearers attached to its regional units, its youth, women and Seva Dal wings will also attend the event, to be held in New Delhi at the Talkatora stadium.
The attendees are expected to take the message forward, holding similar campaigns in states to reach out to community members, the Congress' scheduled caste department chairman and event organiser Nitin Raut told PTI.
          
"The Constitution is under attack under the BJP's rule. The community is being denied educational, employment opportunities. There is anger among its members on various issues. The meeting will highlight that.
          
"Our leaders will take message from the convention in their respective areas," Raut added.
Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's reported remarks that he could be elevated to the coveted post because of the Dalit icon B R Ambedkar, Raut asked why then the Constitution and Dalits were allegedly under attack under his dispensation.
          
Raut further claimed that such a situation did not prevail when the Congress was in power.
          
"The Congress has delivered for the community. Those attending the convention will highlight that too in their areas," he added.
          
Dalits form roughly 17 per cent of the country's electorate. There are 84 Parliamentary seats reserved for candidates belonging to the scheduled castes. The BJP had bagged nearly half of the seats in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, reflecting in its success in politically key states such as Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. -- PTI
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15:47   10, including 7 women, killed in accident in Kutch
Ten people, including seven women and a minor boy, were today killed after their tractor was hit by a bus near Shikra village in Gujarat's Kutch district, police said.
An official of the Bhachau police station said that the tractor was ferrying 25 people, all from the same family, proceeding to a marriage ceremony from Shikra to Vij Pasar village, when a luxury bus rammed into it early this morning.
"As soon the tractor came out on the national highway, the bus, on its way from Gandhidham to Kumbhardi, hit it, killing nine persons, including a 10-year-old boy, on the spot. Four persons were seriously injured," the official said.
One of the injured died after being shifted to a government hospital in Bhachau, he said.
The official said that the deceased were identified as Kankuben Anawadiya (60), Pamiben Anawadiya (55), Jigyaben Anawadiya (25), Dayaben Anawadiya (35), Manaben Anawadiya (50), Nishaben Anawadiya (17),  Ramaben Anawadiya (60), Kishor Anawadiya (10), Vishal Anawadiya (20). -- PTI
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14:59   Major fire destroys Rohingya refugees camp in New Delhi
A major fire broke out at the Rohingya camp near New Delhi's Okhla in the early hours of Sunday morning, destroying everything they possessed including clothes and documents.

Around 226 Rohingya refugees lived here.

Already persecuted in their country of origin, Myanmar, Rohingyas had found shelter in New Delhi among other places in India.

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14:54   India lodges protest with Pak for blocking consular access to Sikh pilgrims
India today lodged a strong protest with Pakistan over blocking of access of visiting Sikh pilgrims to Indian diplomats in that country and even "compelling" the Indian envoy to return while on way to a prominent gurudwara there.
The ministry of external affairs said a group of around 1800 Sikh pilgrims are on a visit to Pakistan from April 12 under a bilateral agreement on facilitating visits to religious shrines.
In a statement, the MEA also said the Indian high commissioner, who was to greet Indian pilgrims on the occasion of Baisakhi, was compelled to return when he was en route to Gurdwara Panja Sahib yesterday.
The MEA called it an "inexplicable diplomatic discourtesy" by Pakistan, holding that these incidents constitute a clear violation of the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations.
"India has lodged a strong protest with Pakistan over a block of access for visiting pilgrims to Indian diplomats and consular teams," it said in a statement.
The fresh incidents came, over two weeks after India and Pakistan agreed to resolve matters related to treatment of diplomats after envoys of the two countries made claims and counter-claims about harassment of each other's diplomats.
The MEA said the Indian high commissioner to Pakistan, who was to visit Gurdwara Panja Sahib at the invitation of the Chairman of the Evacuee Trust Property Board, was suddenly asked to return while en route the shrine yesterday, for unspecified 'security' reasons.
It said the high commissioner, who was to greet Indian pilgrims on the occasion of Baisakhi, was thus compelled to return without meeting Indian citizens.
 
"India has lodged a strong protest with Pakistan against this inexplicable diplomatic discourtesy, pointing out that these incidents constitute a clear violation of the Vienna Convention of 1961, the bilateral Protocol to visit Religious Shrines, 1974 and the Code of Conduct (for the treatment of diplomatic/consular personnel in India and Pakistan) of 1992, recently reaffirmed by both countries," the MEA said. -- PTI
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13:46   Girl found dead in Surat might have been held captive, raped: Police
The body of an unidentified minor girl was found from Bhestan locality in Gujarat's Surat earlier this month with "86 injury marks" and officials suspect that she had been held captive, tortured and raped over a period of
time, a police officer said today.
The body of the girl,  believed be in the age group of 9 to 11 years, was spotted lying in bushes in a cricket ground in the locality on April 6 by some passersby, who informed police.
"The police are yet to identify the girl. We have taken the help of print as well as social media, like WhatsApp, to spread her pictures with the hope that someone who knows her would identify her," said Pandesara police station inspector K B Jhala.
Ganesh Govekar, a doctor at the city civil hospital where the postmortem was conducted, said there were as many as 86 injury marks on the body of the girl.
"Going by the nature of the injuries, they seem to be caused in the period ranging from one week to one day prior to the recovery of the body, suggesting that the girl might have been held captive, tortured and possibly raped," said Dr Govekar.
Police have announced a reward of Rs 20,000 for anyone coming forward to give information about the girl.
The Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) has been roped in the investigation.
Police have registered a case under sections 302 (Punishment for murder), 323 (Punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), and 376 (Punishment for rape), and under provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) against unidentified persons. -- PTI 
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13:43   Pak successfully test fires enhanced version of Babur cruise missile
Pakistan has successfully test fired an enhanced version of the indigenously-built Babur cruise missile that can deliver conventional and non-conventional weapons with a range of 700 kilometres, covering many Indian cities.
        
The Pakistan Army said that the 'Babur Weapon System-1 (B)' is a low-flying, terrain-hugging missile, which carries certain stealth features and is capable of carrying various types of warheads.
        
The missile incorporates advanced aerodynamics and avionics that can strike targets both at land and sea with high accuracy, the army said in a statement.
        
"Equipped with the Terrain Contour Matching (TERCOM) and all time Digital Scene Matching and Area Co-relation (DSMAC) technologies, which enable it to engage in various types of targets with pinpoint accuracy even in the absence of GPS navigation, thus making it an important force multiplier for Pakistan's strategic deterrence," the army said.
        
Senior officials and scientists of the Strategic Plans Division were present to witness the launch.
        
President Mamnoon Hussain and Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi appreciated the scientists and engineers on the successful conduct of the missile test. -- PTI 
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13:02   Conditions not yet conducive' for Rohingya refugee to return to Myanmar: UN agency
The conditions in Myanmar are not yet conducive for the safe and dignified return of Rohingya refugees to their homes, the United Nations refugee agency said, underlining that the responsibility for creating such conditions remains with the country's authorities.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, and the government of Bangladesh finalized a memorandum of understanding in Geneva on April 13 relating to voluntary returns of Rohingya refugees once conditions in Myanmar are conducive.
"The UNHCR considers that conditions in Myanmar are not yet conducive for returns to be safe, dignified, and sustainable. The responsibility for creating such conditions remains with the Myanmar authorities, and these must go beyond the preparation of physical infrastructure to facilitate logistical arrangements," the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees said in a statement.
 
The comments come amid the repatriation of the first Rohingya family back to Myanmar.
 
"The five members of a family came back to Taungpyoletwei town repatriation camp in Rakhine state this morning," according to the government's Information Committee.
The agreement, signed by UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi and Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haque, established a framework of cooperation between the UNHCR and Bangladesh on the safe, voluntary, and dignified returns of refugees in line with international standards.
More than 670,000 Rohingya fled violence in Myanmar since last August, joining an estimated 200,000 Rohingya who have sought shelter in Bangladesh, arriving in waves over the past decades.
The agency said that in the absence of a tripartite agreement between the UNHCR, Myanmar and Bangladesh, the UN agency has continued to engage with governments of both the countries in negotiations on two separate agreements meant to ensure that any future returns are conducted in line with the international standards of voluntariness, safety and dignity.
According to the UNHCR, the refugees have said that before considering return to Myanmar, they would need to see concrete progress in relation to their legal status and citizenship, security, and their ability to enjoy basic rights at home in Rakhine state. The UNHCR has continued to call on the government of Myanmar to take concrete measures to address the root causes of displacement.
The UNHCR also urged the Myanmar Government to immediately provide full and unhindered access to refugees' places of origin in Rakhine, which would enable it to assess the situation and provide information to refugees about conditions in the places of origin, as well as to monitor any possible future return and reintegration of refugees.
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12:26   SC/ST act verdict: Govt considering various options, including ordinance
There is a need to overturn the Supreme Court order laying down fresh guidelines on arrest of those accused of committing atrocities against SC and ST communities, the government feels, and bringing an ordinance to restore the original provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act is one of the options being considered.
Sources aware of deliberations within the government at different levels say promulgating an ordinance to restore the original provisions would help calm tempers.
Introducing a bill in the monsoon session of Parliament slated for July to amend the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 to overturn the SC order is the second option before the government, the sources said.
"If an ordinance is issued, it too will have to be converted into a bill and passed by Parliament. The result of the two exercises is the same -- to restore the original provisions. But the ordinance has the benefit of giving instant results. It will help calm tempers immediately," a senior functionary said.
Dalit groups had organised protests across the country on April 2 against the alleged dilution of the act through the March 20 verdict of the Supreme Court. 

The protests had turned violent at several places which left several people dead.
Opposition parties also accused the government of failing to protect Dalit rights.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday asserted his government will not let the law to prevent atrocities on SCs and STs to be diluted.
"I want to assure the nation that the law which has been made stringent by us will not allowed to be affected (by the SC order)...," he had said.
But the sources said no decision has been taken so far and much would depend on the way the hearing on a review petition filed by the ministry of social justice and empowerment in the apex court progresses.
They said since review pleas may not bear immediate results and the SC decision could not be favourable, the government will have to firm up its stand on future course of action.
The apex court had laid down new guidelines for police officers on how to ensure that innocent people, especially public officials, are protected from false complaints under the act.
In a written submission filed before the top court on Friday, the Centre said the verdict on the SC/ST Act has "diluted" its stringent provisions, resulting in "great damage" to the country by causing anger and a sense of disharmony among the people.
Observing that the court had dealt with an issue of a "very sensitive nature", the submission said the verdict has caused "commotion, anger, unease and a sense of disharmony" in the country.
It dubbed the entire judgement as "vitiated" as it proceeded on the basis that the top court can legislate a law despite having no such power.
The stand of the government came a week after the apex court refused to keep in abeyance its verdict, saying those agitating against its order putting in place certain safeguards on arrests under the 1989 Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, may not have read the judgement or could have been misled by "vested interests". -- PTI
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12:04   Arun Jaitley takes oath for new Rajya Sabha term
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who is undergoing treatment for kidney ailment, took oath for his new six years term in the Rajya Sabha.

Jaitley took oath in Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu's chamber in Parliament.

BJP MP Ananth Kumar, Leader of Opposition in the Upper House Ghulam Nabi Azad and several other senior leaders were present during the ceremony.
 
The 65-year old Jaitley was elected recently from Uttar Pradesh and took oath at a special ceremony due to his health condition.
 
Jaitley was on April 3 once again appointed as the Leader of the Upper House following the re-election.
 
He has not been going to his North Block office since April 2. He underwent dialysis at AIIMS on April 9 and has been confined to a 'controlled environment' at home.
 
He had cancelled his scheduled foreign visits and had confirmed his illness in a tweet. -- PTI
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10:57   Martin Sorrell, head of WPP, world's largest ad agency, steps down
Martin Sorrell -- arguably the most powerful advertising executive in the world -- has 'retired' as CEO, WPP, the advertising titan which owns 400 companies including in India.

Sorrell -- who founded and has managed WPP for 33 years -- left the agency on Saturday, April 14, after an investigation into alleged 'personal misconduct'.

Twelve days ago, on April 3, The Wall Street Journal reported that the WPP board was investigating if Sorrell had 'misused company assets.' Sorrell had then denied 'any financial impropriety.' 

WPP is worth $21.3 billion and has 200,000 employees the world over.
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10:56   Forces trying to divide nation for political gains: Venkaiah Naidu
In the aftermath of the Kathua rape and murder case, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu warned that communal forces were working to fracture social harmony for their own political agenda.

"Unfortunately, various forces in the country are trying to divide the nation for their narrow political gains," Naidu said at the launch of the book 'Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar: Vyakti Nahin Sankalp' at the Rashtrapati Bhawan.

Naidu, who has deep roots in the BJP's ideological fountainhead, the RSS, went on to say that a nationalist is someone who respects all individuals living in the country.

"Nation means all living creatures of this land, unless one respect each human being, one cannot be called a nationalist," the vice president said.

Naidu's remarks came against the backdrop of heightened communal tensions in Jammu and Kashmir following the horrific gangrape and murder of an eight-year-old Muslim Bakerwal girl in Kathua district. 

The minor was repeatedly raped while being held captive at a temple for several days. Police said the premeditated attack was as a way to terrify the Bakarwals into leaving the area.
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10:19   RSS gets its way as Pravin Togadia quits VHP
Vishwa Hindu Parishad strongman Pravin Togadia on Saturday quit the organisation he had become synonymous with following an RSS-backed revolt which saw his nominee Raghav Reddy being routed in the election for the post of president.

Raghav lost to retired MP HC judge and former HP governor V S Kokje by a two-thirds margin, in what was being seen as a statement of the Sangh Parivars support for PM Narendra Modi who has been at the receiving end of Togadias relentless attacks. Kokje got 131 of 192 votes polled despite Togadia throwing his weight behind Reddy.

The newly-elected VHP president nominated Alok Kumar as replacement for Togadia. The election, the first in VHPs in 52 years, was organised because of RSSs discomfort with Togadia using the banner of the organisation and his perch as its international working president to accuse Modi and his government of betraying the Hindutva cause. Coming during the lead up to the 2019 LS polls, the loss of Togadia suggests his charges against Modi have nocurrency among RSS affiliates.

Togadia wasted no time in announcing his resignation and an aggressive plan to carry a parallel exercise to rally opinion on Hindutva themes. He said he would sit on a fast in Ahmedabad from Tuesday with demands like law for the construction of a Ram temple, common civil code and protection for cows.
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09:46   CWG gold medallist Poonam Yadav attacked in Varanasi
Commonwealth Games gold medallist and weightlifter Poonam Yadav was attacked with bricks and stones by unidentified assailants on Saturday when she was visiting a relative, police said.

When her father, uncle and cousin tried to intervene they too were beaten up. Amid heavy stone pelting and ruckus, the police team escorting her managed to save her and bring her out of the melee.

Superintendent of Police, Rural Amit Kumar said that as soon as the news of the incident reached them, extra police force was sent to secure Yadav and added that the people behind the attack will not be spared.

The attack, according to police, emanated from an old land dispute between a relative of Yadav and a neighbouring village head. 

When Yadav tried to intervene, she too was attacked after which she dialed UP 100 service and managed to escape.

Police force has been deployed to ensure that there was no escalation of hostilities.

Poonam Yadav won gold for India in the 69 kg category by lifting 100 kg in the snatch and 122 kg in clean and jerk.
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09:10   Trump mocked for 'Mission Accomplished!' tweet after Syria strike
The Twittersphere piled on US President Donald Trump after he tweeted on Saturday that the US-led strikes on Syria "could not have had a better result." 

"Mission Accomplished!" he wrote of the US, UK and French strikes against targets in Syria over the suspected use of chemical weapons.

Twitter users immediately saw a connection to comments from US President George W Bush in 2003 when he gave a speech announcing an end to major combat operations in Iraq with a massive banner behind him that read, "Mission Accomplished." 

Here's how Twitter responded:

"I didn't think I could be shocked by a tweet anymore but 'mission accomplished' was so surprising I had to double check that it was not a spoof," US Senator Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, wrote. 

Ari Fleischer, White House press secretary under Bush, responded to Trump's tweet, writing, "Um...I would have recommended ending this tweet with not those two words." Fleischer went on to describe the back story of the banner.

MSNBC host Joy-Ann Reid tweeted, "Saying 'mission accomplished' always works out well for presidents."

Mike Levin, a Democratic candidate for California's 49th Congressional District, also criticised Trump's move.

"Even George W Bush, who almost never admitted mistakes, said using that term was a bad decision."
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08:45   Modi to meet German Chancellor Merkel on way back from Britain
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel during a stopover in Berlin on April 20 after concluding his visits to Sweden and the United Kingdom.

The external affairs ministry said in its statement, "At the suggestion of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be making a brief stopover in Berlin on April 20 after completing his visits to Sweden and the United Kingdom."

During his visit, the PM will meet Chancellor Merkel and both the leaders will exchange views on a number of bilateral, regional and global issues.

This will be the first meeting between the two leaders since Chancellor Merkel began her fourth term on March 14 this year.

The visit demonstrates the commitment by the two countries to maintain the momentum of high-level exchanges.

Prime Minister Modi will be visiting Sweden and Britain from April 16 to 20 with an aim to boost bilateral cooperation in key areas, including trade and investment.

-- ANI
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08:13   Kathua rape case: Sense of justice reinforced in J-K, says Mehbooba
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said that the unflinching resolve for ensuring justice in the Kathua gang rape and murder case would go a long way in restoring people's confidence in the institutions and reinforcing the sense of justice in the state.

The CM lauded the country's political leadership, judiciary, media and the civil society for standing with the Jammu and Kashmir Government to ensure justice in the Kathua gang rape and murder case.

"The essence of India's democracy lies in its robust institutions and it has been once again established that these institutions have the grit to ensure justice with all sections of the society cutting across the divide," Mehbooba said while addressing a meeting of the People's Democratic Party legislators and leaders here on Saturday.

The CM equally commended the role of the people of Jammu for having discounted the divisive agenda of the rabid fringe elements and coming out with unwavering support for the victim. "It has strengthened my belief that Jammu serves as a model of inclusiveness and together the people of J-K inspire secular unity and righteousness," she said and added that this serves as a cue that the people of Jammu and Kashmir can hold a beacon of hope for the whole country amid harshly polarized discourse.

She said the way the whole country came out seeking justice for the eight-year-old victim, has generated a new hope among the people in Jammu and Kashmir which needs to be built on to recreate an inclusive India. "Intolerance and hate are hitting at the country's core values and posing a great threat to the pluralism, the only option for achieving the goals India has set out," she said and added that India comprises a composite culture and no one has domination in it.

-- ANI

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