Centenary tribute to Shirdi Sai Baba
Shirdi: A special volume on Sai Baba, Seat of Syncretic Spirituality, brought out by The Hindu, was launched in Shirdi on Saturday by the chairman of Shri Shirdi Sai Baba Sansthan, Dr. Suresh Kashinath Haware. Dr. Haware praised The Hindu for bringing out the 100-page book consisting well researched articles on the life and times of the saint with some memorable colour photographs of Samadhi Mandir, Dwarkamai (the masjid where Sai Baba lived), Chavadi, Gurusthan, and other important places within the temple complex.Prior to the formal release, the special volume was placed at the feet of the marble idol in the Samadhi Mandir, in the presence of thousands of devotees. Dr. Haware said the Sai movement was growing throughout the world. He said there are over 500 temples already in different countries, and over 4,000 temples within India. “This movement would continue to grow,” he added.Dr. Haware said the year-long centenary celebrations beginning October 01, 2017 would be celebrated in a grand manner with sevakkari (service) as the main theme. He added that the temples across the world and within India would initiate several sevakkari initiatives during the celebrations. Others present at the release of the volume included vice chairman of the trust Chandrasekhar Laxmanrao Kadam, trustees Bhausaheb Rajaram Wakchaure, Sachin Bhagwat Tambe, Mohan Motiram Jayakar, Pratap Sakhahari Bhosale, mayor and trustee Yogita Abhay Shelke, executive officer of the trust Bhajirao Walmik Shinde, public relation officer Mohan J. Yadav, deputy executive officer Sandeep Aher, and chief accounts officer Baba Saheb Ghorpade. Regional general manager of The Hindu, Mumbai, N. Vaidyanathan was also present at the event.
Dalit issue rocks Assembly
The issue of a Dalit groom being barred from riding a horse during his wedding procession rocked the Haryana Assembly which saw heated exchanges on Tuesday with Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar saying a minister has been rushed to the village to ease tensions. Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Congress leader and former Speaker Kuldeep Sharma said members of the Dalit community from Sagga village have been forced to leave their homes and were now sitting on protest in Karnal. Heated exchanges ensued as Health Minister Anil Vij attacked the Congress, saying it has no moral standing to raise the issue.
Tripura film fest to focus on environment
Youth for Integration, a forum of tribal youth, and six other social groups are hosting an international film festival in Tripura to promote awareness on preserving environment.The Kirloskar Vasundhara International Film Festival (KVIFF) will be held at three places, including in Agartala.Organisers said the festival at Khumulwng is slated for three days, from July 5 to 7, and for two days each in Agartala (July 8 and 9) and Ambassa (July 10 and 11). Khumulwng is the headquarters of tribal autonomous district council and Amassa is the headquarters of tribal majority Dhalai district in eastern Tripura.“KVIFF is just not a festival or celebration, it’s a movement to change minds and attitudes of people and make them understand about the need to preserve our priceless natural heritage,” Youth for Integration president Bibhuti Debbarma said on Saturday. He said the festival would showcase films from 25 countries including short films, feature films and documentaries essentially on nature and environment. Mr. Debbarma said: “These are award-winning films and highly acclaimed globally.”Since 2009, Youth for Integration had been working for socially deprived people, to preserve nature, forests and environment with the support of volunteers and students.
Evidence that nailed Ram Rahim: CBI
Corroborative statements of two rape victims and their relatives, besides adverse lie-detection test results of three close associates of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and other circumstantial evidence, proved crucial in his conviction by the Special CBI court in Panchkula, 15 years after the case was registered.The charge-sheet filed in the case reveals that given the influence wielded by Ram Rahim, it was not an easy investigation for the CBI.Taking cognisance of an anonymous letter, alleging sexual exploitation of girls by the Dera Sucha Sauda chief, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had in May 2002 directed the District and Sessions Judge (Sirsa) to probe. However, the judge found that no one was willing to speak up. Not ruling out the possibility, the judge recommended a central agency investigation and therefore, on the High Court directive, the CBI registered the case on December 12, 2002.2 of 130 speak outIn 2005, the agency managed to get a list of residents at the dera, revealing that 53 “Sadhvis” lived in the girls’ hostel and 80 in the Dera Sacha Sauda’s Sirsa ashram, while 24 others had left by then. The agency contacted 130 girls, who declined to cooperate owing to “an atmosphere of fear and physical, mental and spiritual control of Baba Gurmeet Singh”.Of the 24 “Sadhvis” who had left the Dera between 1997 and 2002, 20 were traced. Most of them were married and did not want to come out with the truth, fearing adverse consequences.The CBI examined 18 girls who had left the ashram, some of who said the Dera chief, its management and his followers were “very dangerous people” and they feared for their lives if they spoke up.It was in May-July 2006 that the CBI managed to convince two victims to share complete information. They gave a detailed account of what was happening inside the Dera chief’s rooms and what transpired to them in August 1999. One of them recorded her statement under Section 164 of the Cr.PC in March 2007.As described by the victims, there was an old and a new Dera complex in the ashram, where Ram Rahim had a separate accommodation called the Gufa (cave)”.The Gufa in the old Dera had three gates, two of which opened towards the area where Satsang was held, whereas the third gate opened towards the girls’ hostel,” said the charge-sheet. The “Sadhvis” would guard the entry door to the cave between 8 p.m. to midnight and midnight to 4 a.m., taking turns.Ram Rahim would allegedly summon the “Sadhvis” into his cave and then force himself upon them. Narrating her woes, one victim said one night, Ram Rahim called her to his cave.“Baba told her to sit on the bed near to him. She hesitated and tried to sit on the floor, but Maharaj asked her to sit on the bed. Accordingly, she sat on the bed by the side of Maharaj, who asked about her life and experience in the Dera…thereafter, Gurmeet Singh started fondling her body,” alleged the charge-sheet. She was then raped.The victim’s father told the CBI that her sister had also been sexually exploited by Ram Rahim. A relative of another victim also recorded his statement.Investigations into the murder of local journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati, who had published the anonymous letter in his newspaper, and a former Dera follower also had a bearing on the probe into rape allegations, said the CBI.The former follower’s close relative was also a “Sadhvi” in the Dera, but she later left it. His father told the agency that after the anonymous complaint surfaced, his son had confirmed to him that the allegations were correct and that Ram Rahim and his close associates suspected that he was behind the letter. The former follower was later gunned down.The adverse lie-detection tests of accused Avtar Singh, Inder Sain and Krishan Lal, whose names came up during the probe, showed “deceptions” in their statements indicating that Ram Rahim was sexually exploiting the “Sadhvis” in the “Gufa”, alleged the charge-sheet.
HC allows woman to abort 25-week foetus
The Bombay High Court on Monday permitted a 28-year-old woman to medically terminate her pregnancy, as her 25-week-old foetus has neurological and skeletal abnormalities, making the baby’s survival doubtful, and possibly harmful to the mother.A Division Bench comprising Justices Shantanu Kemkar and G.S. Kulkarni was hearing a plea filed by the Jogeshwari resident, who moved the court on November 2 seeking permission to terminate her pregnancy of 25 weeks and six days. This is beyond the 20 weeks permitted by the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act.Her plea, filed by advocate Meenaz Kakallia, claimed she has suffered immense mental and physical anguish due to the 20-week restriction under section 3 of the Act, when pregnancies may be terminated by medical practitioners. It also said that it is safe to abort a foetus in the 26th week, or later. On November 3, the HC directed a committee of experts from JJ Hospital to submit their opinion in the case. After conducting tests, the report was submitted on Monday to the Bench. It said, “There are multiple serious neurological and skeletal abnormalities in the foetus. There are high chances of meningitis, mental retardation, paralysis of lower limbs and loss of urine and bowel control. The condition of the foetus fulfils the criteria of ‘substantial risk of serious physical handicap’ in the foetus.”(With PTI inputs)
Chandigarh stalking case: Vikas Barala’s bail plea rejected for the fourth time
A Chandigarh court on Monday rejected the bail plea of Vikas Barala, who was booked on the charges of stalking and attempting to abduct a 29-year-old woman. Vikas is the son of Haryana BJP chief Subhash Barala.It was the fourth time that the bail plea of Vikas Barala was rejected.“The court of Additional District and Sessions Judge R.K Sharma dismissed the bail plea,” defence counsel Rabindra Pandit said.Charges have already been framed against Vikas Barala, and his friend Ashish Kumar, in connection with the stalking case involving the daughter of a senior IAS officer.The incident had triggered widespread outrage and a spate of protests across the country.Vikas Barala and his friend Ashish Kumar were arrested in the month of August in connection with the case.Earlier, the same court had dismissed the bail plea of Vikas Barala. The court of judicial magistrate first class (JMIC) Barjinder Pal Singh had also rejected the bail plea twice.The woman, the daughter of a senior IAS officer, had accused Vikas Barala (23) and his friend Kumar (27) of stalking and attempting to abduct her.The two men were arrested on the intervening night of August 4 and 5 following her complaint but were released on bail as they were booked under bailable sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Motor Vehicles Act.They were arrested again on August 9 after they joined the investigation and were charged with attempted abduction under sections 365 and 511 of the IPC.
NHRC issues notice to Assam government
Terming it a violation of the right to equality and dignity, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said on Wednesday that the nationality checks being conducted in Assam were leading to “harassment of poor people”. Taking suo motu cognisance of media reports, the NHRC issued a notice to the Assam Chief Secretary over the alleged harassment by the police in the garb of verification of nationality. The Assam government had set up a Foreigners’ Tribunal to look into cases where a resident’s nationality was in question, keeping in mind the illegal immigration from Bangladesh.While the NHRC observed that it would not intervene in the steps taken by the government to verify the nationality of residents, the harassment and humiliation meted out during the checking was a violation of rights. One case cited by the NHRC was of Moinal Molla, whose citizenship was questioned by the government, though his parents, wife, children, brother and other family members were Indians. He ended up spending more than two years at a detention centre set up by the government before the Supreme Court intervened and justice was done. As per reports, over 89,000 people are living in Assam as illegal immigrants.
The lowdown on Assam’s NRC drive
What is it? On December 31, at the stroke of midnight, the Assam government published the first draft of an updated version of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) with the names of 1.9 crore people. In all, 3.3 crore people from 68.7 lakh families have submitted over 6 crore documents to back their claim of being a citizen of India. Another draft is expected by early March after the documents of the residents are verified. If any resident is left out, he or she can approach the authorities with the requisite documents for their name to be included in www.nrcassam.nic.in (http://be%20included.in%20www.nrcassam.nic.in% 20this/). This is called the claims and objection process to rectify any error. Once the verification is over, a final updated NRC will be published with the names of citizens. Those excluded will be considered foreigners.How did it come about?The first draft was published as per the directives of the Supreme Court. However, the issue has its roots in the anti-foreigner movement or ‘Axom Andolan’ that was launched in June 1979 by the All-Assam Students’ Union (AASU). It started after the death of Mangaldoi Lok Sabha member Hiralal Patwari in 1978 that necessitated a byelection. When the electoral rolls were being prepared, the number of voters increased dramatically. It was suspected that the increase was largely because illegal immigrants from neighbouring Bangladesh had settled down in the State. After years of mass protests that at times resulted in violence, including the Nellie massacre of 1983, the Assam Peace Accord was signed between the Rajiv Gandhi government, the AASU and the Asom Gana Sangram Parishad in 1985.Anyone who entered the State after the midnight of March 24, 1971, was considered a foreigner. The State government was to “detect and deport” illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. However, successive governments in the State have failed to make progress in detecting and deporting foreigners as laid down in the Accord.In 2005, another agreement was signed among the Centre, the Tarun Gogoi government and the AASU. It mandated an update of the NRC.Though the Gogoi government started the update as a pilot project in some districts, the exercise was stopped after violence broke out in some parts of the State. Assam Public Works, a non-governmental organisation, petitioned the Supreme Court for identification of Bangladeshi foreigners and deletion of their names from the electoral rolls. The court directed the State to complete the NRC update first.Why does it matter? The NRC — first published after the 1951 Census in the post-partition India when parts of Assam went to the erstwhile East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) — is being updated to determine foreigners who entered Assam after the cut-off date. Once the exercise is over, it is expected to tell the authorities how many migrants might have illegally settled down in the State. It will also provide dignity to all those Bengali-speaking settlers who continue to live under the shadow of being called “illegal Bangladeshis.”In pre-independent India, migration of farmers from Mymensingh district of the erstwhile East Bengal was common as they were brought in as experts in wet paddy cultivation. Many of them had come in when Sir Syed Muhammed Saadullah was heading the government of Assam Province and launched the Grow More Food campaign to aid British war efforts in the early 1940s.What next?The next stage is undoubtedly the most difficult part of the exercise. The State and the Centre are expected to take a call on what to do with those identified as foreigners. Bangladesh does not recognise them as their nationals and even the cut-off date of March 1971 is 46 years old. There are apprehensions of it becoming a law and order issue. Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has talked about dealing with the issue humanely.
Eyeing bypoll, Congress takes back suspended Dalit leader
The Congress in Rajasthan has revoked the suspension of an influential Dalit leader, Babulal Nagar, who was a Minister in the previous Ashok Gehlot government, a year after he was acquitted by a sessions court in a rape case. Mr. Nagar was lodged in the Central Jail here for three years during the trial of the case.Mr. Nagar, 57, a three-time Congress MLA, holds a considerable clout in the Dudu region of Jaipur district, which falls in the Ajmer Lok Sabha constituency going to by-election later this month. He was suspended from the party’s primary membership in October 2013, when he was arrested by CBI in a rape case registered by a married woman.The 34-year-old woman had accused Mr. Nagar of sexually assaulting her on the pretext of getting her a government job. Mr. Nagar, who failed to secure a bail during the trial, resigned as the Minister. The sessions court acquitted him on January 30, 2017, while holding that the prosecution had failed to prove its case “beyond reasonable doubt.”The case against Mr. Nagar was registered under Sections 376 (rape) and 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) of the Indian Penal Code. Congress has ostensibly decided to take him back in the party fold, a year after his acquittal, in view of his utility in the Dudu Assembly constituency during the campaign for the January 29 by-election.
Gang-rape victim’s suicide sparks protests in Odisha
Protests were held across Odisha on Tuesday following the suicide of an alleged gang-rape victim at Kunduli in Koraput district. The BJP and the Congress have given separate ‘dawn to dusk’ bandh call on Wednesday, demanding justice to the minor girl, a student of Class IX. Both parties blamed the State government for the situation that led the girl to take the extreme step. They demanded a CBI inquiry into the case and blamed the State police for not arresting the culprits. Tension prevailed at Kunduli under Pottangi police station limits throughout the day. On Tuesday morning, Congress activists led by former MP Pradeep Majhi took away the victim’s body from Kunduli Community Health Centre (CHC) without letting the doctors perform autopsy. They blocked the NH27 along with the body. State Congress president Prasad Harichandan and Jeypore MLA Taraprasad Bahinipati also took part in the demonstration.In the evening, the victim’s body was taken to Musaguda village for creamation. Just before the rituals began, the autopsy was conducted in the presence of the police and the local tahsildar. Demonstrators carried body of the victim to her village, Musaguda at evening for cremation. Autopsy of the body could be conducted at Musaguda funeral ground just before the funeral in the presence of police and local tehsildar.Meanwhile, protests by BJP on the issue turned violent in Bhubaneswar. BJP activists clashed with police while trying to ghearao Naveen Nivas, residence of Odisha Chief Minister, Naveen Patnaik. Police resorted to lathi charge when BJP activists breached the security cordon near Sishu Bhavan square. Some BJP supporters and police personnel were injured during the clash. Women’s wing of the party held demonstrations in different parts of the State including Berhampur.Activists of Odisha unit of Women’s Congress were also restrained by police while they were trying to demonstrate near Odisha CM’s residence. Students’ Congress held a demonstration in front of Utkal University in Bhubaneswar.A tragedy, says NaveenSpeaking to newsmen, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik described the suicide by the girl as a tragic incident and expressed his condolences. State Women and Child Development Minister, Prafulla Samal said his department would look into the the factors that led to suicide of the victim.The victim had allegedly committed suicide inside her house at Musaguda under Pottangi police station limits on Monday afternoon. On Oct 10, 2017 she had alleged that she had been gang raped near Kunduli by four persons in combat attire like security personnel. Odisha police has tagged it as a ‘Red Flag’ case because of its seriousness. But on Nov 7, Human Rights Protection Cell (HRPC) of Odisha police had remarked that as per medical reports the victim had not been raped. On Nov 8, Odisha government ordered judicial enquiry into the incident by a sitting district judge. Parallel enquiry by State Crime Branch was also ordered. But the culprits are yet to be identified or arrested. On Nov 18, she had consumed overdose of iron tablets to commit suicide and was admitted in SCB medical college and hospital, Cuttack. She had been discharged from SCB medical college and hospital on Nov 27 and she had returned back to her home in Koraput district.
Dalit boy brutally assaulted in Gujarat
A 13-year-old Dalit boy was brutally assaulted allegedly by two men of an upper caste, who objected to his trying to look like a Kshatriya. The incident occurred at Vithlapur near here on Thursday.The assault on the minor was recorded on video by the accused, who are absconding after the police filed an FIR.In the two video clips shot by the accused, which went viral on the social media, the accused are seen slapping the victim, who is pleading to be freed.‘Stern action’On Friday, the police provided protection to the victim’s family and launched a manhunt. “The police have formed teams to arrest the accused,” Gujarat Minister of State for Home Pradipsinh Jadeja said in a statement.“They have persuaded the family to file an FIR,” he said, warning of stern action against those who targeted the marginalised communities.According to the complaint filed by the victim, the two men asked him why he was trying to look like a Kshatriya, wearing jeans and shoes. “They started assaulting without any reason,” he said.In recent months, the attacks on Dalits have increased in the State. Recently, a rag-picker was assaulted and killed in a factory near Rajkot.
Six U.P. cops booked on charges of ‘killing’ Dalit
Six policemen, including an inspector and a sub-inspector, were booked on Wednesday on charges of “killing” a Dalit man in their custody in Amroha district here, said a senior police officer.The department has already suspended 11 police officers of Dhanaura police station for their alleged involvement in the custodial death, said Amroha Superintendent of Police Brijesh Kumar Singh.The six policemen, booked on charges of “custodial killing” of 30-year-old Dalit man Balkishan, have been identified as Dhanaura police station in-charge inspector Arvind Mohan Sharma, sub-inspector Manoj Upadhyay, head constable Ravindra Rana and constables Vinit Chaudhary, Jitendra and Vivek. They have also been booked on various charges under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.The victim’s wife Kunti demanded damages for the murder of her husband and a job for herself from the U.P. government.The police registered the FIR after hundreds of residents from the victim’s village held a protest on Wednesday morning at a nearby national highway, disrupting traffic.According to the complaint, Balkishan, a resident of Basi Sherpur, had been picked up by the police on Sunday for questioning in a case of purchase of a stolen motorcycle. His health deteriorated on Tuesday midnight and he was rushed to a hospital where he was declared “brought dead”.
Odisha may hike relief for death in wildlife attack
The Odisha Forest and Environment Department has proposed to the State government to increase the compensation for human deaths caused in conflict with animals from ₹4 lakh to ₹5 lakh.The department has also decided to procure special vans to rescue wild animals in distress.“The department has proposed to increase the compensation amount for human deaths caused by wildlife from ₹4 lakh to ₹5 lakh. We hope it would have a positive impact in the region affected by man-wildlife conflicts,” said Sandeep Tripathi, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife), here on Tuesday.The proposal has been sent to State government for approval, Mr. Tripathi added.Between 2011-12 and 2018-19, as many as 680 people died in wild animal attacks. Of these, 535 were killed by elephants. During the same period, 6,417 houses were damaged by elephant herds.Special vehicles The forest department is in the process of procuring four special vehicles equipped with a crane to rescue elephants in distress. These vehicles would also have a few veterinarians on board to attend to the animals. The vehicles, each costing about ₹25 lakh, would also be used to chase tuskers away from human habitations. The Odisha Forest and Environment Department has sought the help of its West Bengal counterpart in the procurement of these vehicles.Since 2011-12, a total of 548 jumbos have died in Odisha with the annual average loss estimated at 70.
Congress seeks local flavour in LS probables
The Pradesh Election Committee of the ruling Congress in Rajasthan on Wednesday asked its members to form panels of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in the next three days, which will be sent to the AICC screening committee. The PEC left the final decision on candidates’ selection to the party’s high command.‘Party ready for polls’At a meeting of PEC at the Pradesh Congress Committee headquarters here, PCC president and Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot said the party was ready for the Lok Sabha polls with the target to win all the 25 seats in the State. “All senior leaders will be in the field for the election campaign and a special camp will be organised in Jaipur on February 11 and 12 for training of party workers,” he said.The PEC will filter and short-list the names of candidates on the basis of feedback received from the office-bearers at the block, district and State levels, besides considering the suggestions of Ministers in charge of various districts. The political situation and strategy for elections will be discussed before sending panels of names to New Delhi.The AICC has retained the PEC constituted during the State Assembly election last year. The PEC, headed by Mr. Pilot, comprises 44 members.‘Highlight initiatives’The PEC members suggested that the local aspirants of the constituencies be given preference while finalising the candidates’ names and the initiatives, such as farmers’ loan waiver and unemployment allowance, taken up by the Congress government immediately after assuming office be widely publicised to claim credit during the election campaign.Mr. Pilot said the training camps on the policies and programmes of Congress, along with booth management, would be organised in all districts between February 15 and 25.
Assam government asked to punish refinery for defying SC order to demolish wall on jumbo path
The Assam government has been urged to take action against Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) for non-compliance of the Supreme Court and National Green Tribunal’s orders to demolish a wall erected on a major elephant corridor.The refinery is in eastern Assam’s Golaghat district and a 2.2 km wall around its extended township is partly on the 133.45-hectare Deopahar Reserve Forest besides blocking the migration route of elephants. The reserve forest falls within the No-Development Zone around Kaziranga National Park, about 200 km east of Guwahati.Hearing a petition by Golaghat-based green activist Rohit Choudhury, the NGT had on August 24, 2016, ordered the public sector refinery to demolish the wall. But the refinery pulled down only a 289-metre stretch of the wall within a month’s deadline set by NGT.The case was taken to the Supreme Court, which on January 18 this year ordered NRL to comply with the NGT order and demolish the entire wall.The Assam government and NRL have shown utter disregard for the order of the NGT, Mr. Choudhury wrote in his letter to the State Chief Secretary Alok Kumar on February 20. He also outlined the penalties under relevant sections of the National Green Tribunal Act of 2010 and pointed out that letting the wall be would be contempt of the apex court’s order.“It is stated that the illegal boundary wall constructed by NRL in the Deopahar forest of No-Development Zone be demolished immediately. In case no action is taken urgently to demolish the said boundary wall, then the undersigned will be constrained to take legal recourse,” Mr. Choudhury wrote with copies of the letter to the Supreme Court, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest and other senior administrative officers.NRL officials, however, said the refinery has taken no decision yet about removing the wall. While one officer said they were not aware of any direction of the NGT or the Supreme Court, a spokesperson on Friday said they have maintained “status quo because of a Gauhati High Court stay against the demolition”.Notably, the Golaghat district administration had, on February 14, ordered the refinery to demolish the wall within a week. The deadline ended on Thursday.“We are pursuing the matter,’ the district’s Deputy Commissioner Dhiren Hazarika said.
Assam to cut pay of staff who ignore parents
The Assam government on Tuesday formed a three-member Commission for hearing cases under a pay-cut policy envisaged to make its employees take care of their dependent elderly parents and physically challenged siblings.The three-member PRANAM (Parents Responsibility and Norms for Accountability and Monitoring) Commission is headed by Chief Commissioner V.B. Pyarelal. Former MLA Alaka Desai Sarma and social worker Jugabala Buragohain are the two Commissioners.“We hope the policy acts as a deterrent for employees who have been ignoring their parents and physically challenged siblings,” Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said at a programme to announce the panel.Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had in 2017 said that such a law would be introduced to ensure parents are cared for.Geriatric care was linked to the State government employees’ pay from the 2018-2019 fiscal. The policy, enforced on October 2 last year, said an employee would be liable to part with 10-15% of his or her pay if found guilty of ignoring their dependent parents and physically challenged siblings.The deducted money would then be transferred to the bank account of a parent or sibling.
Speaker Pramod Sawant frontrunner for Goa CM post
With the speculation rising in political circles in Goa that the State Legislative Assembly may be kept in suspended animation in view of the political crisis, Leader of Opposition and Congress leader Chandrakant Kavlekar rushed to the Raj Bhavan on Monday afternoon to stake claim to form a government. In the meantime, Goa BJP president Vinay Tendulkar said the swearing-in ceremony of new Chief Minister will take place in the Raj Bhavan at 3.30 pm on Monday. Congress has 14 MLAs in the 36-member State Legislative Assembly, while the BJP has 12. Mr. Kavlekar admitted that Governor Mridula Sinha had not given the Congress delegation an appointment despite repeated requests and that the Congress “rightfully deserved to be called for staking a claim because it is the single largest party in the State legislative assembly.” “We do not have an appointment, because she is refusing to give us time. But despite that, we have arrived here to meet the Governor to stake our claim. It is our right as a single largest party,” Mr. Kavlekar told presspersons outside the Raj Bhavan gates. Following the death of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Sunday a political crisis has developed with the BJP-led coalition still unable to have consensus among allies over the name of the leader to succeed Mr. Parrikar.Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has been camping in Goa since Sunday late night trying to form an alliance with members of the earlier coalition.While the negotiations appear to have dead-locked, a former minister from allies told The Hindu on request of anonymity that the BJP is pressing for Speaker Pramod Sawant as its chief ministerial candidate but allies have not endorsed the name. The former minister expressed surprise over the news of swearing-in ceremony later in the day.
BHU chief proctor among five named in student murder FIR
The chief proctor of the Banaras Hindu University was among the five persons named in the police complaint in connection with the murder of a suspended student, who was shot dead on campus on Tuesday evening.Chief proctor Royana Singh, along with the other accused, faces charges of murder and criminal conspiracy. Four persons have been arrested in connection with the case.The FIR lodged by the police at the Lanka police station in Varanasi names Ms. Singh, the first woman chief proctor in BHU history, as accused number 1.Four others, Ashutosh Tripathi, Rupesh Tiwari, Kumar Manglam and Vinay Dwivedi, who are mentioned as BHU students, are also accused of the crime.Gaurav Kumar Singh, a Master of Computer Applications student, who was on suspension since 2017, was on Tuesday evening shot at indiscriminately by three-four bikeborne persons, while he was standing at the Birla A intersection in the sprawling campus. He was rushed to the BHU trauma centre but succumbed to his injuries, said a police officer.As per the police complaint lodged by the deceased student’s father Rakesh Pratap Singh, Ms. Singh is accused of hatching the “conspiracy” to get his son murdered due to old enmity.Anil Kumar, the circle officer, said it was a case of personal enmity between the students. The FIR was lodged under Sections 147, 148,149, 120 B, 302 and 34 of the IPC and 7 CLA.Gaurav was suspended in 2017 for his alleged role in the arson on campus. He was accused of burning buses and damaging government property, during an agitation on campus safety.Talking to The Hindu, Ms. Singh said her name was dragged into the FIR as part of a “political conspiracy” as she had acted against rival student groups for creating trouble. “Perhaps they want to disrupt the administration work which I have been doing,” she said. Asked how she is connected to the incident, Ms. Singh quipped: “That’s a million dollar question.”She said the deceased student had been living illegally in the Arts faculty hostel, while those named in the FIR, were no longer students of the varsity.
Rajasthan HC takes suo motu cognisance of rape cases
The Rajasthan High Court on Friday took suo motu cognisance of rising rape incidents in Bharatpur and Jhalawar districts and issued a notice to the State government seeking reply by May 27.A Division Bench of Justices Sandeep Mehta and Vinit Kumar Mathur, while expressing concern over an abrupt spurt in such cases, said the administration and the police have miserably failed in taking befitting and timely steps to curb these incidents.“It appears that the administration and the police have turned incapable. There are the reports of rape one after another in the State. It is a matter of huge concern,” the Bench commented.Two new casesTwo fresh incidents were reported on Thursday wherein a minor girl was gang-raped in Bharatpur when she was alone at her home, while another woman was raped by seven people when she was out to answer nature’s call in Jhalawar’s Ratlai village. The police said on Friday that the seven persons have been booked for the 26-year-old woman’s rape in Jhalawar district.Bane Singh, Ghanshyam, Dewan, Mangilal, Durgalal, Pappu and Magilal hail from village Manpura Jagir in Jhalawar district and are yet to be nabbed, they said; the first three are siblings.Based on the woman’s complaint, the accused were booked under section 376D (gang rape) of Indian Penal Code late Thursday evening.
ScienceShot: New Hope for Identifying Mystery Diseases
When a baby is slow to crawl or talk or has other symptoms suggesting a genetic disorder, parents often find themselves embarking on a long, frustrating quest for answers. Doctors may order a series of tests but cannot arrive at a specific diagnosis. Now, cheap DNA sequencing could help uncover the causes of such mystery disorders. The idea is to sequence the 1% of the patient’s DNA that codes for protein—the “exome”—then sift the data for the genetic culprit behind the disease. Today in The New England Journal of Medicine, researchers report that using exome sequencing, they successfully identified the mutations underlying the conditions of 25% of 250 patients, most children with neurological disorders. Among them were three patients with Cornelia de Lange syndrome, which can cause intellectual delays and distinctive facial features such as long, thick eyebrows and downturned lips (above). This success rate suggests that exome sequencing could be used routinely for clinical diagnosis of a variety of rare genetic conditions.See more ScienceShots.Sign up for our daily newsletterGet more great content like this delivered right to you!Country *AfghanistanAland IslandsAlbaniaAlgeriaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntarcticaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBolivia, Plurinational State ofBonaire, Sint Eustatius and SabaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBouvet IslandBrazilBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBrunei DarussalamBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCanadaCape VerdeCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaChristmas IslandCocos (Keeling) IslandsColombiaComorosCongoCongo, The Democratic Republic of theCook IslandsCosta RicaCote D’IvoireCroatiaCubaCuraçaoCyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFalkland Islands (Malvinas)Faroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuatemalaGuernseyGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHeard Island and Mcdonald IslandsHoly See (Vatican City State)HondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIran, Islamic Republic ofIraqIrelandIsle of ManIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJerseyJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKorea, Democratic People’s Republic ofKorea, Republic ofKuwaitKyrgyzstanLao People’s Democratic RepublicLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyan Arab JamahiriyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacaoMacedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic ofMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoMoldova, Republic ofMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorwayOmanPakistanPalestinianPanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPitcairnPolandPortugalQatarReunionRomaniaRussian FederationRWANDASaint Barthélemy Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da CunhaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Martin (French part)Saint Pierre and MiquelonSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSint Maarten (Dutch part)SlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsSouth SudanSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSvalbard and Jan MayenSwazilandSwedenSwitzerlandSyrian Arab RepublicTaiwanTajikistanTanzania, United Republic ofThailandTimor-LesteTogoTokelauTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited StatesUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuela, Bolivarian Republic ofVietnamVirgin Islands, BritishWallis and FutunaWestern SaharaYemenZambiaZimbabweI also wish to receive emails from AAAS/Science and Science advertisers, including information on products, services and special offers which may include but are not limited to news, careers information & upcoming events.Required fields are included by an asterisk(*)