BJP, SP leaders to blame for 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots: Probe panel

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September 24, 2015

A panel probing the Muzaffarnagar riots of 2013 in Uttar Pradesh has blames the ruling Samajwadi Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the violence.

The Justice (retd) Vishnu Sahai Commission has prepared its report and blamed local leaders of the two parties for inciting violence in which over 60 people were killed and some 50,000 rendered homeless.

The Commission did not spare district-based senior police and administrative officials either and indicted them for lapses that allowed the clashes to spread.

As per the daily, the panel’s findings were submitted in the form of a report to state Governor Ram Naik on Wednesday. The report will now be forwarded to Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav for further action.

“The Commission has handed over the first copy of the report. It will be sent to the state government for necessary action soon,” Naik said, as per the newspaper. Apart from Sahai, secretary to the inquiry commission, Dilip Kumar, was also present at the Raj Bhawan when the report was submitted.

Riots had engulfed Muzaffarnagar as well as five other west UP districts in September 2013.

The SP government had later set up the Sahai Commission to probe the violence.

JNU needs ANB to raid dorms, arrest Naxals, jehadis: Subramanian Swamy

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Afternoon Voice

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September 24, 2015

In yet another controversy, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Dr Subramanian Swamy on Thursday tweeted that Jawahar Lal Nehru University (JNU) in the national capital needs an Anti-Narcotics Bureau on the campus to raid dorms and arrest Naxals, jehadis and Elis. Swamy said JNU should also have a Border Security Force camp. Swamy tweeted, “I think JNU needs an Anti Narcotics Bureau campus branch office to raid dorms and arrest Naxals, jehadis and Elis. BSF camp also.”

Dr Swamy has always been a strong critic of the JNU. He alleges that it is a breeding centre of the naxals, communists and anti-national elements. Recently, media reported that Swamy has been offered the Vice Chancellor post of the JNU. According to these reports Swamy has put certain conditions to accept the post. However, he has maintained a silence over the issue.

Some BJP leaders have also been attacking the JNU culture by saying that it is a hub of anti-national activities. In the recently held JNU elections, the ABVP backed candidate won one seat. The ABVP managed to win a seat at the JNU after 14 years.

The JNU campus has been a Red bastion since its inception in the 1960s. The current General Secretary of CPM, Sitaram Yechury is also an alumni of the JNU.

Don’t take unilateral actions along Sino-India border: PLA to Indian Army

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Afternoon Voice

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September 24, 2015

China’s military on Thursday asked the Indian Army not to take any “unilateral actions” affecting the stability of the border areas, days after the Indian side removed a Chinese-built hut in the Ladakh sector.

“The recent actions by the Indian Army in the relevant area was not consistent with the relevant agreement and spirit of the consensus of the two sides,” China’s Defence Ministry spokesman Wu Qian said, commenting for the first time on the recent incident at Ladakh’s Burtse area in which the Indian army removed the hut along with surveillance cameras.

“Jointly maintaining peace and tranquility of the India-China border is an important consensus reached between the leaderships of the two countries and also a solemn commitment and promise made by the two governments and militaries,” Wu, who took over as new spokesman of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), said replying a question.

“We ask the Indian army to earnestly implement the important consensus reached by the two governments and refrain from taking any unilateral actions which will effect the situation in the border areas and work together with the Chinese military to jointly maintain peace and stability in China-India border areas,” he said.

Asked whether any meetings have been held between the two militaries to discuss the incident, he said, “The China India-Border areas generally maintain peace and stability. The two sides are in contact and communication through diplomatic channels and border mechanisms.”

Youths addicted to technology-Part I

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Afternoon Voice

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September 24, 2015

In the highly competitive world students are striving hard for success. As the stakes are very high the younger generation vie for top honors and the social media is playing a pivotal role in making their dreams come true. So blaming the youngsters for their inclination to operate Internet, but at the same time they should not cross the limit and break the online laws. Whatever you mention in social media transmits faster and one should take proper care before posting messages in respect to sensitive matters. There is no question of doing it knowingly or unknowingly but make sure before you post controversial content on social media.

Misuse of password and hacking are part and parcel of the present day working. And number of cases is referred to Economic Offence Wing to get clarity and justice of such financial frauds taking place in the Banking Industry. In this context, young generation should mind it not to enter into such cyber-crimes and lose their credentials in the society just to make few thousand rupees. The greed may land them behind bars. As an active user of facebook, I take all the precautions to protect my decorum and not to be too controversial on subjects relating to sports, cinema or even politics. As a senior citizen, I take this opportunity to give proper feedback to my pals and train them how to go about the task of becoming a respected citizen of this country without any adverse record and to keep away from the ill effects of social media as well as cyber-crimes and lead a troubled life. It is a matter of convenience and that should not come in the way of cropping up fresh problems in a technology based society.

Increasing interest in Internet is very much intruding and the youngsters fall prey to the web world. Even advertisements are screened showing a youngster sitting and operating his mobile and ear phone to frustrate the head of the family. To add to the woes even political parties are offering free Wi Fi to appease young voters to pin their faith on select party for winning elections with this favour. So the online culture is leading the children towards
darkness.

The young generation sit late hours to browse through the net and gather good as well as bad information through their search and thus losing valuable sleep in the late night hours. At times the evil mind indulges in cyber-crimes and the number of offence is on the increase as per Crime Records Bureau. This is a very bad precedence as we expect that the young generation is the future of our country. Due to prolonged usage of laptop and mobiles, the youngsters spoil their eyesight as well and make their lives miserable with black circle forming round their eyes. It is indeed a matter of great concern and thus we as parents should desist the youngsters from falling prey to this habit and enable them to get rid of technology addiction.

(This is a first part of the article and the remaining part will continue tomorrow.)

C.K Subramaniam

‘Fifty Shades Darker’ nowhere near casting: Producer

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Afternoon Voice

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September 24, 2015

“Fifty Shades of Grey” producer Dana Brunetti says that the movie’s team is nowhere near casting, despite rumours that Henry Cavill is being eyed to play Dakota Johnson’s new boss in the sequel.

It has been rumoured for sometime that Cavill will join Johnson and Jamie Dornan in “Fifty Shades Darker”.

“We’re nowhere near casting. We haven’t gotten into anything like that. We don’t even have a casting director on it yet,” Brunetti said.

About the rumours, Brunetti said, “It’s so insane. Somebody posts something on some obscure blog and then it gets picked up by something a little less obscure and it keeps going. Fans are starting the news by saying things like (the Cavill casting).”

Back in July, Cavill was reportedly being eyed to play Jack Hyde, Anastasia Steele’s (Johnson) new boss, who takes an immediate liking to her.

James Foley returns to direct with a screenplay written by EL James’ husband Niall Leonard. Brunetti will produce alongside Michael De Luca and James.

The sequel to “Fifty Shades of Grey” is slated for a US release on February 10, 2017.

Calvin Harris about to ask Taylor Swift to marry him with a $1.4 million ring?

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Afternoon Voice

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September 24, 2015

DJ Calvin Harris is reportedly planning to propose to singer Taylor Swift by October-end with a $1.4 million engagement ring.

A source close to Harris, who was spotted shopping for jewellery, said: “He wanted something ‘very special’ for Taylor. He was asking about the best cuts and eyed a ring that (cost) $1.4 million! He was clearly eager to get the perfect rock, no matter the cost.”

While they have not been in a relationship for very long, the 25-year-old singer’s friends believe she’s also ready to take the next step with her beau.

“She’s not shy about telling anyone who’ll listen that she loves him, and she’s not being coy around him either. At a recent dinner, she blurted it out and asked if he’d ever consider marrying her!” said an insider.

Bhumi Pednekar tells fans how she lose weight

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Afternoon Voice

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September 24, 2015

Bhumi Pednekar, who played a simple plus-sized girl in her debut film ‘Dum Laga Ke Haisha’, has shared “the fun little things” she did to lose weight.

“My first post, about the fun little things I did to lose weight… hope you like it and it helps :) #LoseItLikeBhumi,” Bhumi tweeted.

Bhumi, who before ‘Dum Laga Ke Haisha’, was an assistant casting director for six years at Yash Raj Films (YRF), also took to Instagram to share her secret.

“Since my film released, there was this one question I was always asked – ‘How did you lose your weight?’ I have spoken about my journey very often. But I didn’t know how to communicate with you guys better. So after a lot of thinking I realized, let’s start sharing some fun things I did to lose weight with you guys. I hope it’s of some use,” she wrote.

She shared that she had read a lot about how drinking enough water is important.

“It absolutely is!!! But how often do we manage drinking six to seven litres of water? Not very. I do it now and trust me; water is a boon for your body. I wanted to make this habit a lot more fun, and I found this thing called detox water.

“It cleanses and detoxifies your body. Lemon not only cleanses your body but also makes it alkaline. It also boosts your immunity. Mint aids digestion and gives the drink some sweetness without any sugar,” she added.

She also posted the benefits of cucumber. “It’s good for your skin, it keeps your body hydrated, and it contains anti inflammatory properties. In short, it’s good for you. Just pop it in your sipper and keep sipping on it…one of the things I tried,” she wrote.

Never did ‘Court’ with such an expectation: Director Chaitanya Tamhane

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Afternoon Voice

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September 24, 2015

From being a broke 24-year-old to directing a National-award-winning film that will represent India at the Oscars, life has come a full circle for Chaitanya Tamhane with his debut movie ‘Court’.

Tamhane, 28, says he never expected the Marathi film to have the kind of journey that it has but it was a story that he always believed in.

“I feel very fortunate and grateful for the way it has been received. We did not make the movie with that many expectations. We were not sure what will happen but we were surprised constantly. It is my debut film so it is a great feeling,” Chaitanya told in Tokyo. He is there to attend a film festival.

“Court” saw off competition from 29 other films including ‘Killa’, ‘NH 10’, ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’, ‘Baahubali’, ‘Haider’ and ‘Masaan’ to be named as India’s official entry to the Oscars yesterday.

The director says the announcement came as a surprise as they had kept their expectations low, considering the unpredictability around the selection.

The road to success has not been easy for Chaitanya, who first started writing the film when he was 24.

“I was 24, broke, with no money and there was a lot of pressure from my family to earn. Till that time, I had done my own projects like a play, a short film and a documentary but that did not earn me any money. I was very depressed at that time.

“Court” revolves around the trial of a folk singer. Chaitanya says it was challenging and expensive to shoot the film in Mumbai.

“There were many challenges. We had a big cast of non-professional actors and shooting in Mumbai is very expensive. Also, people have very set ways of working because they have worked in Bollywood and this was a different way of filmmaking but in the end it worked out well for us”, he added.

Prove the allegations else resign

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Afternoon Voice

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September 23, 2015

The allegation made by the BJP against Sena pertaining to the nullah cleaning work is baseless says Rahul Shewale.

Shiv Sena MP Rahul Shewale said that BJP leader Ashish Shelar should first prove about Sena’s involvement in the nullah cleaning scam or else he should resign. Earlier Shelar had held Sena responsible for the 100 crore nullah (desilting) scam to divert people’s attention from the meat ban issue. Even though Shiv Sena is the alliance partner of the BJP led Maharashtra government but both the party has been at loggerheads with each other over several issues. Sena frequently criticises the BJP in its editorial published in the party mouthpiece Saamna. Following the assembly elections of 2014, in which it emerged the largest party in Maharashtra, the BJP has begun a systematic campaign to wrest control of the BMC from the Shiv Sena in the civic elections scheduled for February 2017. The two parties have been running the civic body together for two decades but the Shiv Sena has always been the big brother here.

Shewale said, “Instead of blaming the Shiv Sena for the alleged misappropriation of funds in the nullah cleaning work, Shelar should provide evidence to support his claim failing which he should resign.”

The Brihanmumbai has allocated Rs 281 crores for undertaking the nullah cleaning work for a period of two years out of which Rs 140 crore was meant to be spent during the first year. Only 60 per cent of the cleaning work was carried out prior to the beginning of monsoon. Only 16 per cent of the amount has been paid to contractors while the remaining amount is yet to be paid to them.

Shewale said, “The allegation made by the BJP against Sena pertaining to the nullah cleaning work is baseless. Shelar should stop making allegations against us. He (Shelar) is trying to take credit for the desilting probe. The Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis should intervene in this matter and ask Shelar to resign from his post.”

Earlier, at a party function, Shelar said BJP suspects a scam “to the tune of Rs 100 crore” in nullah cleaning work.

On September 19, he had tweeted, “I had demanded a probe on BMC officials, contractors and their negligence for flooding during rains. Now they stand punished. Let us give due credit to the leaders who made this probe reach logical end: CM @Dev_Fadnavis & BMC Commissioner Ajoy Mehta.”

The BMC chief Ajoy Mehta had ordered an inquiry into the alleged nexus between contractors and civic engineers after shoddy work – despite spending over Rs 200 crore of taxpayers’ money – caused widespread flooding in Mumbai during the season’s first downpour in June.

If you have done this, then Shame on you Somnath Bharti

By

Vaidehi Taman

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September 23, 2015

As many as 50 officers and eight police teams are part of a manhunt for AAP MLA and former Delhi Law Minister Somnath Bharti, who is facing charges of domestic violence and attempt to murder, made by his wife Lipika Mitra. The former minister’s assistant and another person were detained by police for questioning but released later on. Minutes after the Delhi High Court dismissed Bharti’s anticipatory bail plea, two special teams of south-west district police carried out raids at both his office and residence in Malviya Nagar, but the lawmaker remained elusive. Bharti was under technical surveillance and investigators were tracking his movements, but then he switched off his cell phone and gone untraceable. If Bharti is really involved in domestic violence then running away from the law is his grave mistake. He is a politician, he should have given priority to his family where he should begin governance and show tolerance. However, he has failed in it. He should better quit as an MLA and surrender himself to the police. It is meaningless to go to SC and again face rejection. Moments after the Delhi High Court turned down his bail application; Bharti accused the Delhi Police of deliberately trying to malign his image and added that he will not surrender till the matter is decided by the Supreme Court.

Bharti alleges that Delhi Police is working on behest of its political masters. Their aim from the beginning has been to arrest him and malign his reputation. Now, he will exercise all legal remedies available with him before deciding on the next step. As the high court has rejected his bail plea, he could be arrested anytime. Bharti is hiding as he wants further legal stems before he goes through arrest and harassment. The entire episode also raises many questions on Lipika’s integrity too.

Bharti is an Indian lawyer who has become a politician representing the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). As a lawyer, he practiced at the Supreme Court of India and Delhi High Court. He was elected as the AAP candidate for the Malviya Nagar constituency in the Delhi state assembly elections, 2013 and was Minister of Law, Tourism, Administrative Reforms, Art & Culture in the Government of Delhi, from 28 December 2013 to 14 February 2014, at which time the AAP government resigned. In the 2000s, Somnath Bharti ran a Delhi-based IT firm. The Spamhaus Project accused him of spamming on behalf of TopSites LLC, naming him in Register of Known Spam Operations (ROKSO) as one of the top spam operators in the world. According to Bharti, he was listed in ROKSO after an Open Directory Project editor Conrad Longmore ran a story on him. Responding to a PCQuest investigation in 2005, he insisted that all the e-mails sent by his company complied with the laws and regulations. PCQuest found that he had been sued in a California Superior Court for spamming by Daniel Balsam. Balsam’s attorney Timothy Walton revealed that in 2004, Bharti and two others had paid Balsam in damages apart from making a court declaration agreeing to use only confirmed opt-in e-mail addresses when sending commercial e-mails. Bharti defended himself by saying that he chose to settle because defending the case in the United States would have been costlier for him.

In June 2012, Bharti was involved in a campaign against the alleged interference of the then Minister of Human Resources and Development, Kapil Sibal, in the Joint Entrance Examination process for admission to Indian Institutes of Technology. In 2010-2013, he appeared in news for defending the rights of homeschooled children and subscribers of alternate education system in view of the binding provision of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act through Public Interest Litigations filed in Delhi High Court thrice. In response to his PILs, the Ministry of Human Resources and Development, through an affidavit, clarified that they are not against homeschooling. In 2009, Bharti represented Vikram Buddhi. He led a movement against the abeyance of sentencing of Buddhi in the USA. Patiala House Court had in 2013 indicted Bharti for “tampering with evidence” along with his client, Pawan Kumar, in a corruption case. He was asked by the Bar Council of Delhi to explain why he should not be disbarred.

Bharti was the Aam Aadmi Party candidate for the Malviya Nagar constituency in the Delhi state assembly elections; 2013. Bharti was briefly Minister of Law, Tourism, Administrative Reforms, Art & Culture in the Government of Delhi. In January 2014, during his time in office, Bharti revealed the identity of a Danish tourist who had been raped, despite such identification being illegal in India. The government’s resignation, led by Arvind Kejriwal, pre-empted a personal resignation by Bharti in response to accusations of vigilantism.

On 10 September 2015, Bharti was arrested on a domestic abuse case after his wife alleged he beat her for a prolonged period. A non-bailable warrant was also issued against him by a Delhi High Court. The Delhi High Court rejected his anticipatory bail plea and is currently absconding from arrest. Let’s see what will happen to him further.