The Congress was in power when the Mumbai attacks took place but questioned the BJP government’s surgical strikes in Pakistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said here on Monday, hitting out at the opposition party on the issues of terrorism and Naxalism.
The prime minister was addressing an election rally here on the tenth anniversary of the 26/11 terror strike when 10 Pakistani terrorists sneaked into Mumbai, killing 166 people over 60 hours.
In a broadside against former Congress president and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, he said New Delhi was at the time being governed by “madam” through remote control.
“I remember the slightest criticism over the attacks used to rile the then ruling party,” Modi told the gathering in this textile city ahead of elections in the state on December 7.
The Congress, he added, taught the lesson of patriotism. But when the Army carried out a surgical strike by crossing over the border, the party questioned it and asked for video proof.
The soldiers have their lives in hands and not a camera, Modi said.
India, he said, will never forget the 26/11 terror attack or its perpetrators.
“Justice will surely be done, I want to assure the country,” he added while expressing solidarity with the families of those who lost their lives.
“A grateful nation bows to our brave police and security forces who valiantly fought the terrorists during the Mumbai attacks,” Modi said.
The prime minister said his government had responded to terrorists and Naxals in their own language.
Claiming that terror strikes had come down under BJP rule, the prime minister said terrorists now find it difficult to go beyond Kashmir.
On the one hand, there is terrorism and, on the other, Maoism and Naxalism. They are giving guns in the hands of children and killing innocent people but Congress leaders and close aides of ‘naamdaar’ are calling Naxals revolutionaries and giving them certificates, he said.
Modi has frequently referred to Congress president Rahul Gandhi as “naamdar” (dynast).
He also attacked the Congress for its alleged casteist remarks and said issues relating to the people do not bother the party.
“As the elections are approaching, Congress asks for my caste and are curious about my father,” he said.
When the Indian prime minister visits America and meets the president, they talk about welfare, Modi said.
“Does the president ask him his caste before any discussion? The prime minister represents the caste of 125 crore people of India, he said.
Modi said he was nothing but a workaholic.
I am a workaholic (kaamdaar) who has 125 crore people of the country standing behind him… Have you ever heard that I took a holiday? Have you ever heard that I went somewhere for leisure or was missing for a week? I give an account of each and every decision I take and the work that I do,” he said.
Braving threats, people in Jammu and Chhattisgarh came out to vote in large numbers with voting percentages remaining 70-75 per cent, Modi added.
While people in Chhattisgarh voted for a new assembly earlier this month, panchayat elections were held in Jammu and Kashmir.
On the occasion of Constitution Day on Monday, Modi recalled the stellar contribution of B R Ambedkar.
We are proud of our Constitution and reiterate our commitment to uphold the values enshrined in it, he said.
In Modi’s view, even a month would not be enough to give an account of work done by BJP governments at the Centre and state.
Before the BJP came to power in 2014, even 40 percent villages did not have toilets, he claimed. However, in four years, 95 percent villages have toilets.
This is called work… They will not give an account of work done but will continue to ask about caste, he said in another jibe at the Congress.
In 2014, only 50 per cent people of the country had bank accounts and 55 per cent LPG connections in 2014. Now, every India has his bank account and 90 per cent families have LPG connection. he said.
The prime minister also spoke about developmental works by Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje.
He said 36,000 km of new roads were constructed in last five years and 50 lakh young entrepreneurs in Rajasthan received loans under Mudra Scheme.
Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi on Monday said that the Indian Constitution is the voice of the marginalised and prudence of majority.
On the Constitution Day, Gogoi while addressing a gathering at Vigyan Bhawan said: “Our Constitution is the voice of marginalised and prudence of majority. Its wisdom continues to guide us in moments of crisis. It is in our best interest to heed advice under the Constitution. If we do not, our hubris will result in a sharp descent into chaos.”
Elaborating upon the history of the Constitution, Gogoi said: “When it (Constitution) was brought into force, it was criticised. Sir Ivor Jennings termed it as far too large and rigid. However, (passage of) time has weakened criticism. It is a matter of pride that our Constitution has lived with great vigour in the last seven decades.”
The CJI asserted that today is not a day to celebrate but a day to test the constitutional promises. “The Constitution is not a document frozen in time. Every generation inherits the Constitution and in turn leaves an imprint,” he added.
Each year, November 26 is celebrated as the Constitution Day to commemorate its implementation as on this day in the year 1950 the Indian Constitution came into effect.
The opposition Congress and NCP stalled proceedings of the Maharashtra Assembly on Monday, demanding immediate tabling of reports recommending quota for the Maratha and Dhangar (shepherd) communities in the state.
Amid the din, the House was initially adjourned for 10 minutes and later for the rest of the Question Hour.
The opposition members were on their feet, saying they will not allow the House to function till the demand was met.
When Assembly Speaker Haribhau Bagde called for the Question Hour, Leader of Opposition Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil asked why the government was running away from a debate in the House on the State Backward Class Commission’s recommendations over the Maratha quota issue.
“We want to discuss the quota issue. What do we discuss if we don’t know what is mentioned in the report?” he asked.
The Maharashtra government had last week announced that the Maratha community will be granted quota under a new category called ‘Socially and Educationally Backward Class’ (SEBC), as per the recommendation of the State Backward Class Commission.
Vikhe Patil said the city-based Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) had also submitted its report on quota for the Dhangar community and that the reservation for Muslims in education was upheld by the high court.
“We want the government to announce its stand on reservation for Muslims and table the reports on quota for Marathas and Dhangars in the House for discussion,” he said.
The Congress leader also reiterated the party’s demand for a compensation of Rs 50,000 per hectare for farmers in the state’s drought-hit areas and Rs 1 lakh per hectare for horticulture crops.
He accused the government of not allowing Maratha organisations to hold protests in Mumbai over the demand for tabling the Backward Class Commission’s report in the House.
“The House will not be allowed to function till the demand is met,” Vikhe Patil said.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar also supported the Congress leader’s demand.
However, state Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil rejected the allegation that the government was preventing Maratha organisations from holding protests.
“We just said that today is a sensitive day in Mumbai since it is the anniversary of the 26/11 terror attack. We told them to consider postponing the protest by a day in view of the law and order situation,” Patil said.
He also said that there was no need of protests since the government had accepted the recommendations of providing reservation to Marathas under the socially and educationally backward category.
The reservation will be given within the legal and constitutional framework without hurting the existing quota, the minister said.
On the issue of quota for Muslims, he said reservation on the basis of religion given in Andhra Pradesh and Kerala did not stand in court.
“All backward communities among Muslims are given reservation under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category. If more castes need to be added, the State Backward Class Commission should be approached,” he said.
Ajit Pawar objected to the minister’s comments, saying the court had accepted reservation for Muslims in education.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ashish Shelar then questioned why the Congress and the NCP had not tabled the Rane committee’s report on Maratha reservation in the Assembly, when the two parties were in power.
He accused the two opposition parties of shedding “crocodile tears” over the issue.
“Their only agenda is to divide the society,” Shelar charged.
Amid the uproar, the House was first adjourned for 10 minutes and later till the end of the Question Hour.
The Maratha community, which constitutes over 30 per cent of the state’s population, has been demanding quota for a long time and its agitation for the same in July and August this year had taken a violent turn.
The state government had last week said it was also committed to provide reservation to the Dhangar community under the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category.
It refers to Union Ministry for Highways working on new toll-policy where toll-tax will have to be paid only for stretch of road used rather than for complete road-stretch between two toll-plazas. Any such new policy will require lot of investment on existing highways tolling system under Pay-As-You-Use plan, even though new highways like Eastern and Western Peripheral Expressway around Delhi are equipped with new system.
But best is to replace toll-system by charging one-time toll-tax on purchase of new vehicles like system exists for charging one-time road-tax on purchase of new vehicles. It may be recalled that all concerned including vehicle-users and transport-authorities welcomed such a system of one-time payment of road-tax avoiding cumbersome procedure of paying and collecting road-tax.
Amount collected through one-time toll-tax on purchase of new vehicles can then be utilised for developing and maintaining highways without necessitating toll-plazas as big hurdles causing queues at toll-plazas. One-time toll-tax can be fixed according to ex-showroom price of new vehicles so that people having expensive cars may have to contribute more than those purchasing economy cars. People paying extra clubbed with the cost of new vehicle will never mind because of facility of toll-free movement in future.
– Subhash Chandra Agrawal
2) Self Sufficient Villages
The other day I was listening to Javed Akhtar, “Build new cities”.
We have to make villages and small towns , self sufficient.
Medium and small scale industry must thrive in villages and adjacent small towns to stop migration of population from villages to, say, Mumbai and Delhi.
Small capacity motors and pumps must be made in these areas only. Food preservation activity must develop here. Clothing should be made here.
Government must develop infrastructure here and provide hand holding of farmers by industrialists and businessmen.
Fruits and vegetables must be produced here and carried via IWT.
Government must provide for power and water. Young sports persons must be picked up from here and be trained. Bollywood must pick up beautiful and talented actors from here.
Skill development program must be intensified here.
Government must think, how to protect the crop of farmers from cows and nilgais .
Gram panchayats must be empowered to decide matters locally.
– Mahendra Singh
3) Mithali Raj’s omission proved costly for Team India!
Mithali Raj is the Sachin Tendulkar of Women’s cricket & her omission from the T-20 semi-finals cost India the game. It is always easy to criticize on hindsight but Mithali Raj’s experience & skills to the young Indian outfit would have boosted the morale of the team. India though, had a fruitful tournament as they made it to the Semi-finals to prove that they are a force to reckon with in women’s cricket.
Smrithi Mandhana played a gallant knock but had no support from the other end as England had the better of us in a one-sided game. Indian women side can only improve from here on to make an impact in future tournaments. Bad luck girls. Better luck next time.
– S.N.Kabra
4) Fishermen’s great rescue act
The fisher folks of Palghar did a great rescue act and save a 30 feet whale shark from the net. It was a superhuman effort to make 900kg weight shark to rescue by dragging the fishing net laid down to catch fish. We have seen such rescue act in the social media but the live act in Palghar was stupendous. The fishermen made great efforts in disentangling the whale shark and released it back to the Arabian Sea. Thus a marathon effort saw the shark came out of captivity with the clever thinking of the fishermen. The spotted shark is a rare species and struggled to swim against currents. The climate change must have changed their direction and it faces a huge threat as poachers kill the whale shark for its meat, fin and oil. This rescue act was indeed a remarkable one.
– Chitra Rugmini
6) Heinous attack on Chinese consulate in Pakistan
It is totally condemnable that Chinese consulate was attacked in Pakistan’s largest city of Karachi killing four persons including two policemen. The attack was claimed by the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist insurgent group that opposes Chinese exploitation of natural resources. This severe attack shows the lack of priority of Pakistan towards security and protection of foreign consulates. Otherwise how is it possible for the three heavily armed suicide bombers to storm the Chinese consulate? Pakistan must consider that such violence is the main hindrance in the way to development and doesn’t hold any justification. So, the Pakistan should put some strong measures in place to prevent such heinous attacks.
– Mohd Faheem
7) Income tax Department crack-down on service-charge levied by hotels and restaurants
It refers to initiative of Income Tax Department to scrutinise anti-consumer practice of levying service-charge by many hotels and restaurants to ensure that the amount so levied reaches to staff of concerned hotels and restaurants rather than being pocketed by owners as their additional income. Perhaps such an initiative by Income Tax Department may discourage hotels and restaurants to discontinue such anti-consumer practice. But it is quite likely that staff of hotels and restaurants may not be benefitted through such initiative of Income Tax Department, because owners may be employing staff with less salary taking into consideration such extra income of employees while negotiating salary.
It is unfortunate that Department of Consumer Affairs failed in its duty to ban levying of service-charges in bills of hotels and restaurants. Government-advisories on such issues are gimmick to befool consumers. It should be probed why Department of Consumer Affairs does not officially and legally ban practice of levying service-charge by hotels and restaurants especially when the Department itself considers the practice improper.
– Madhu Agrawal
8) Dangerous dengue deaths increasing
Dengue deaths are increasing day by day and it is causing concern. Both Kolhapur and Mumbai head the list of most dengue deaths and that is not encouraging news. Dengue is dangerous and if people show the symptoms then adequate care must be taken. As the number of patients soars high, BMC should act immediately. Dengue has turned into an epidemic and it is high time we treat the patients in the best way possible. The crux of the problem is contamination of water and it is high time the Municipal Authorities take up the responsibility and see that both hospitals and Government machinery act in the best way and to tackle the situation. Need based action is the need of the hour rather than precipitating the matter still further.
– C.K. Subramaniam
9) The attack on CM Kejriwal should not be politicised
The statement of BJP Chief Manoj Tiwari alleging that the attack on Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was scripted by the party itself, does not sound good. It is extremely possible that there might have been a BJP leader instead of CM Kejriwal who would have been attacked, so he should not politicise the matter. Rather his responsibility is to condemn the attack irrespective of all political differences and disputes. It was the matter of great concern that a CM was attacked with chilli powder in his Secretariat, but the BJP is politicising the matter rather than to condemn it. It is also interesting to note that the accused was clearly a BJP worker and openly threatened to attack CM Arvind Kejriwal. However, I condemn Manoj Tiwari’s statement in this regard.
– F.R.Murad
10) Why there is so much fuss about bullet trains
When a new project is taking shape there would be number of hiccups to face in the initial stages but once the project is complete and starts yielding good service then people forget all the discomfiture. Bullet trains introduction is also like that for that matter. To complete the bullet train project land is required as in the case of an airport project. When all the other developing countries are having fast trains, India is lagging behind by at least 20 years and it is high time we give importance to bullet trains. For the acquiring of land, compensation is going to paid then why make so much fuss? Anyway environmental clearance will be obtained before completing the project. I do not know why there is so much fuss about the introduction of bullet trains in India.
– Nickhil Krishnan
11) Unmanned level crossing accident
The incident of the local train ramming into a bus at Juhi level crossing resulting in three injured again raised the question of providing a guarded gate in future. Four years back a 502 Best Bus suffered the same fate and this time it was a 18 number NMMT bus which got hit by empty train. People are really looking for safety in public carriers in general and railways in particular. Despite commencing Railway services in the year 1853 we are still lagging behind. There are number of unmanned level crossing in cities and there are number of accidents involving vehicles and trains in this corridor. The Indian Railway has been in the recent past plagued by accidents and the priority of the Railway Minister should be safety first rather than increasing the speed of the trains. More thrust should be given for safety on the road- approaching unmanned level crossing by appointing more staff to cope up with the requirements. Railway Minster should make it a point to cover all unmanned level crossings with a proper gate and security staff. The fracture caused to the school children must be a matter of concern. Railways should be vigilant in this pocket and see to it that such accidents do not occur in future.
– Anandambal Subbu
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
Most families today have now discovered new (yet old) ways to honour their loved ones in how the body is buried. In making the decision of whether to bury or cremate the body, many factors are taken into consideration. One of the final disposition options that are becoming more widespread in recent years is shrouding.
A shroud is a long piece of cloth, usually natural material such as cotton, linen or bamboo, which is wrapped around a dead body after it has been prepared for burial. The shrouded body is usually placed directly in the grave without a casket. This simple method uses a minimum of materials while still honouring the dignity of the deceased during burial.
Shrouding is simple, eco-friendly, and relatively affordable. Some faiths require it, some people simply prefer the aesthetics of it, some families are looking for a budget-friendly option, and of course, many people have health concerns about the environmental impact of burial. For these reasons and many more, the idea of a natural burial with a body wrapped in a simple shroud is appealing to many families.
A shortage of space in cemeteries is forcing the Christians to reuse graves, but bodies buried in coffins do not decompose fast enough for burial spaces to be reused. Therefore, in view of the non-decomposition of bodies, it has been strictly recommended to have shroud burials, but the idea is yet to become popular in India among Christian communities.
Many Christian communities in Mumbai agree that the idea of shroud burials is good since coffins are expensive and require the cutting down of trees for the wood. Coffins also take a long time to disintegrate in the soil and do not free-up grave space. Crowded cemeteries are a problem across the world. Churches in Eastern Europe have created grisly but spectacular installations from skeletons taken from graveyards. Paris’s catacombs contain the remains of millions of bodies exhumed from overflowing graveyards. Cremations have become popular in most European countries where the grave space is limited.
In India, niche burials — where the bodies are interred in concrete cubicles stacked above the ground — are becoming more common.
Many cultures and religions all around the world use or have shrouds as part of their burial rituals, including Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Judaism.
The church has used the example of Jesus Christ who is believed to have been buried in a shroud. If Jesus Christ and the early Christians could be buried in shrouds, why can’t we modern-day Christians since coffins cost around Rs 20,000 to Rs 35,000 per piece depending upon the type of wood used to make it?
There is a piece of fabric called the ‘Shroud of Turin’ which is still preserved by the Catholic Church with the imprints of a bearded man on it (believed to be the real face of Jesus Christ), but scholars are not fully convinced about its authenticity to inform people that it was actually the face of Jesus Christ whose bleeding face and a crown of thorns are on it.
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
On the 50th edition of monthly radio broadcast Mann Ki Baat on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi attesting the show of not being political and not about praising the government or Modi, sounded paradoxical to a large part of the 130 crore population. While the Prime Minister claimed the show to be about the aspirations and success stories of the fellow citizens, most parts of most of its editions have also encompassed the success stories of government policies and welfare schemes.
“Modi will come and go, but this country will remain united, and our culture will remain. The small, inspiring stories of 130 crore people will remain. When ‘Mann Ki Baat’ commenced, I had firmly decided that it would carry nothing political, or any praise for the government, nor Modi for that matter anywhere,” the PM stated. Stressing on the purpose behind the programme, he also said that inspiring stories have the power to connect people from villages to the metros. “Most people think that the biggest contribution of Mann Ki Baat is that it has increased sentiment of positivity in society,” he added further.
Political experts have a different view on the issue. They noted, on one hand, when the ruling party and the PM took the opportunity of ‘incomparable radio connectivity’ to reach the largest section of the audience and quite successfully used the show as a marketing tool to promote their governance, calling Mann Ki Baat ‘apolitical’ sounds ‘sardonic’.
BJP MLA Atul Save asserted, “Of course it’s a political radio show. Nobody is saying it is not. In “Mann Ki Baat”, we are explaining whatever good things the government has done in the last four and a half years. Whenever any government is doing any good work, it should definitely be conveyed to the people.”
The very first episode of Mann Ki Baat was broadcasted on October 2014. Its 50 episodes so far have covered several social and national issues as well as international implications. Education of girl child, protection of girl child, tackling exam stress, drug menace, the skewed sex ratio in Haryana, the importance of yoga, climate change, celebratory wishes, and significances found a place in PM’s address. Besides that, government initiates and schemes too were given coequal placement on the show — be it Swachh Bharat, Make In India, GST, demonetisation, welfare schemes for the farmers, youth, and poor of the country — PM Modi was always all in praises about all the Modi government initiatives.
Ahead of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) completing a year on July 1, 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on an episode acknowledged the contribution of the states for showcasing ‘cooperative federalism’ in its implementation. He also termed the new tax regime as ‘victory of integrity’ and ‘celebration of honesty’ which ended inspector raj in the country. World’s tallest Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s Statue of Unity, the importance of whose huge cost of construction hit the headlines, too was a part of the radio show. The PM appealed to the citizens to participate in the “Run for Unity” on the day of inauguration. One of his address also stressed how his ‘government extensively exercising on agricultural reforms across the country in order to ensure that the farmers get a fair price for their crop’.
Many listeners have often criticised the PM for going wrong with his facts. Boasting about the decision of demonetisation, one that many economist have marked as the most under-prepared and wrong-timely call ever, the Prime Minister was also heard addressing the youth of the country to take a pledge of making the country a cashless society that would curb rampant black money and corruption. Even to take people’s feedback on his government’s programmes and policies, the PM launched Jann Ki Baat. If in all these editions of the Mann Ki Baat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had boldly balanced the show with national and political interest, what made him take a U-turn all of a sudden?
Calling PM Modi a dictator, Ravi Raja, Congress Corporator and leader of Opposition in the BMC said, “At present, whenever PM Modi is trying to promote his policies through his public addresses, people are not accepting it because none of the policies has been successful. Thus, he is using his own radio show to boast about the government policies.”
Asurvey, carried out across 13 states with a sample size of 12,447, revealed that 53.22 per cent of the children reported having faced one or more forms of sexual abuse with Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Assam, and Delhi reported the highest percentage of such incidents. In 50 per cent of child abuse cases, the abusers were known to the child or were in a position of trust and responsibility and most of the children did not report the matter to anyone. Over 50 per cent of children were subjected to one or the other form of physical abuse and more boys than girls were abused physically. The first-ever survey on child abuse in the country disclosed that nearly 65 per cent of schoolchildren reported facing corporal punishment — beatings by teachers — mostly in the government schools. Of children physically abused in families, in 88.6 per cent of the cases, it was the parents who were the perpetrators. More than 50 per cent had been sexually abused in ways that ranged from severe such as rape or fondling — to milder forms of molestation that included forcible kissing. When it comes to emotional abuse, every second child was subjected to emotional assault and in 83 per cent of the cases, the parents were the abusers.
Now tell me, how can one think of a secured nation or society for young lives in India?? Narendra Modi, as the PM campaigner, promised Beti Bachao and protection for a woman with the slogan “Band Karo Nari Par Var.” However, it has failed on all these aspects. Keeping the selfish and ruthless politics aside, even we the people could not do much to change the scenario.
Actually, in recent years, the Indian people, Indian culture, and environment has undergone a drastic and vertical transformation in every aspect of life whether it may be sociological, philosophical, biological, psychological, or economical, but when sudden changes to this extent is observed in the traditional and conservative society as India is, the situation found is more hard-hitting. Sometimes incapability to withstand with ancient traditions like high prestige issues, egoistic behaviour, male dominance, dowry etc. seems hard to accept and a clever and intelligent move to come up with such a situation is sometimes found in fake emotional involvement which after its conclusion results into a revengeful act of rape. Actually, in traditional countries like India, sex is considered as a prime taboo whose ill effect is the psychological trauma which victim feels after rape. In most of the cases, victims are not offended but the psychological trauma and ill-treatment from their nearby personals make them feel offended thousand times more than the people in developed or liberated countries where this act of rape is just considered a little more than being robbed or molested, which positively helps a victim to overcome the situation.
The only solution can be to understand and flow with the pace of change and try not to adopt and define the primal characters of the western world in our words and benefits, as our society is definitely not going to adopt western intellect, tools and techniques with that ease but instant follow of trade and traditions like openness, free-living, financial liberty, etc. can lead us to a situation of tug of war where many severe consequences may result just in order to overcome the lacuna developed because of mismatch of western culture in the Indian situations.
Another major reason is that the women have started to speak up. They have started to come forward and report the rape and molestation attempts they have faced with enough guts. It is not that earlier there were lesser rape attempts, but women wouldn’t come up and report them. However, the most important change that India really needs is a change in society’s perception of women, a change that involves viewing women as equals to men, neither goddesses nor sex objects.
One of the most prominent reasons due to which developing countries like India are facing this problem with this intensity is the traditional, conservative, and highly restricted outlook of both males and females in all sections of life — majorly when egos of both men and women contradict each other. Also the class division of Indian society in recent years into many subclasses (particularly on economic criteria) also has provided an enhancing drift to narrow minded, conservative people here who are obviously and naturally highly egoistic and self-centric person who adopt this act as a revenge from their “clever and cunning” (in their view) counterparts. This is more easily accepted when they find it as an answer “in a language in which they usually play” to get their easy cup of cake where they have to put tremendous efforts sometimes. The problem also lies in the mentality of the patriarchal Indian society wherein a woman is considered inferior to men in society. It lies in the thought that a man has the right to rule over the body, mind, and soul of a woman; that a woman is incomplete without a man. It lies in the thought that a woman dressed “provocatively” wants to be raped. A woman going out to discotheques and pubs, drinking, smoking or going out with a gang of boys is considered to be an easy catch. She is labelled to be characterless, “A Bad woman”, and is considered to be giving an “invitation to rape”. The question arises in the male minds is “She is a woman. How can she?” On parallel lines, a man dressed fashionably is cool. This patriarchal mentality itself is the main cause of the increasing rape scenario. The root of all causes lies in this cheap mentality. Of course, it is not true for all sectors of the Indian society and cannot be generalised, but it stands true for the majority of the cases. One of the most strong reasons for which India is evidenced, executed and also propaganda for increasing rape cases in India is what India has transformed into a relatively short period of time in all spheres of life and also it is possible to adopt these sudden changes by the people who are still attached to Indian traditional culture, myths, and lifestyle?
No doubt rape is the biggest and most harassing act performed by males on females (generally) but that too also demands some questions to think about that why this problem is taken with such a magnitude in the Indian society. It is one of the most burning, hard-hitting, and sensitive social problem existing in developing India which demands a high level of comprehension, observations, and practical outlook to find its solution which majorly includes what and how India has transformed from what in the last 20 to 25 years and the most important, how it has affected the huge sub-classified socially variant people existing in Indian culture and space. It should be done not only keeping a sympathising outlook for the victims of such a deed but also as an attempt to understand the psychology and condition which a “culprit” usually undergoes which makes him so offensive to perform this act.
(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@www.afternoonvoice.com)
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the killing of journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh has named Hindu right wing outfit Sanatan Sanstha in its additional charge sheet filed before a Bengaluru court. In the 9,235-page charge sheet submitted before the Principal Civil and Sessions court on Friday evening, it was also stated that the killing of Lankesh was plotted for almost five years.
A network within the Goa-based Sanatan Sanstha targeted Lankesh for no personal reasons, it said. “Sanatan Sanstha members’ involvement is there. We have named them. We have also mentioned its allied organisation,” a top officer in the SIT told PTI here Saturday. Reacting to the charge sheet, Goa-based Sanatan Sanstha dismissed its alleged link with the killing of Lankesh, saying none of the accused were its members. “None of the accused are members of the Sanatan Sanstha. So far, the SIT has not said this officially. If the SIT mentions our name in the supplementary charge sheet, we will fight it legally. So far, we haven’t got the copy (of the charge sheet),” Chetan Rajhans, Sanstha’s head of communication, told the agencies over phone. “Other than this, if any organisation indulges in maligning the name of the organisation without proof, it would face legal consequences,” Rajhans said. Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara, who holds the Home portfolio, Saturday said the government would soon take a call on banning organisations involved in the killing of Lankesh. “No discussions have taken place regarding the organisations involved in the case, but we will shortly take a decision on that,” Parameshwara told reporters. He also refused to divulge information about the progress made in the investigation. “The killer and the killed have no personal or any other enmity. Why she was killed? Because she believed in a certain ideology, she wrote and spoke on that. So it must be an ideology and it must be an organisation,” Special Public Prosecutor S Balan told agencies.
The SIT has also sought permission to investigate the case further.
Minister of State for External Affairs General (retd) VK Singh on Sunday clarified that Punjab Minister and Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu was never condemned for advocating for the opening of the Kartarpur corridor, a new border entry and road to allow pilgrims from India to visit a Gurudwara in Pakistan. The Minister in an exclusive interview to ANI, while responding to the question if Sidhu’s critics must apologise, said that “Criticism was not on Kartarpur. It was on certain things and do not deserve comment at the moment.” He added, “Anything happening for good of country and community, people are in it, they will get a commendation. If they do not go by that, people will criticise.”
The corridor made headlines in August after Congress party politician Sidhu, on returning from the oath-taking ceremony of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, said that the neighbouring country had decided to open the corridor of Kartarpur Sahib. In a landmark decision, after many weeks of internal consultations and preparation within the government, the Union Cabinet on Thursday approved building and development of Kartarpur corridor from Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district to India-Pakistan International Border. The following day, the Pakistan government reciprocated and said that they would open route next year on the occasion of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev. The ground-breaking ceremony on the Pakistani side of the corridor is slated for on November 28. The Kartarpur route along the India-Pakistan border is 3 kilometres away from Gurdaspur, Punjab. If opened, it will allow Sikh pilgrims a direct access to the historic Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, Pakistan, where Guru Nanak spent the last 18 years of his life and died in 1539.
A 2007 Ajmer dargah bomb blast accused, who was on run since the last 11 years, was arrested Sunday by the ATS from Bharuch in Gujarat. The National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is probing the case, had announced a reward of Rs 2 lakh on head of the accused, identified as Suresh Nair As per the NIA, Nair had allegedly supplied a bomb to the planters at the famous sufi shrine in Rajasthan and was also present at the spot, the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) said in a statement. Three persons were killed and 17 others injured in the blast that occurred on October 11, 2007. After he was apprehended from Bharuch, Nair was shifted to Ahmedabad for further investigation, the ATS said. He is a resident of Thasara in Kheda district of Gujarat.
“Officials of Gujarat ATS had received a credible information that Suresh Nair will visit Shukaltirth in Bharuch in near future, following which a close watch was kept at the place,” the agency said, adding that Nair was apprehended from the spot. He will be handed over to the NIA, it said.
