India News
Group of men from Hindutva outfits attacked two Kashmiri vendors in Lucknow
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Men from a fringe right-wing group in Lucknow attacked two Kashmiri dry fruit vendors on Wednesday evening (March 6).
The attackers have been arrested after videos of the attack were widely shared.
In one video, the vendors were being abused, slapped and beaten up brutally by the men dressed in saffron and their wares were thrown around.
Another video shows the attackers ask the second vendor to show his identity card as he tried to pack up and leave. The attackers called the victims “stone pelters”. The dry fruit sellers obliged but the men continued to beat them.
One of the attackers, Bajrang Sonkar, who was arrested, is affiliated to the Vishwa Hindu Dal and has 12 criminal cases, including a murder case registered against him, Senior Superintendent of Police Kalanidhi Naithani said.
Another individual, Himanshu Awasthi, who claims to be the president of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, has been posting on Facebook, claiming that he and his men were responsible for the attack. He also reportedly shared a video of the incident, which has since been taken down.
Mohammmed Afzal Naik and Abdul Salaam, however, were rescued by some of the locals, who advised the attackers not to “take law into your own hands.”
“These men just descended on us. They started beating us and calling us terrorists. We have been coming for 20 years. Something like this has never happened with us before,” one of the dry fruit sellers said while describing the traumatic moments to reporters.
“They said we are terrorists. We were told that we sell items here and throw stones there. They started thrashing us. They asked for our Aadhaar cards. We showed it to them,” Mohammmed Afzal Naik said.
“This is a very unfortunate and one-off incident which has happened. We will crack down on such incidents with the entire force of the law. Nobody is above the law and nobody can target innocent citizens like this…. The strongest possible action will be taken to target innocent Kashmiris,” senior police officer Anand Kumar told NDTV.
Omar Abdullah of the National Conference tweeted tagging Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Nothing will do more damage to the idea of India in J&K than videos like these. Keep thrashing Kashmiris like this on the streets at the hands of RSS/Bajrang Dal goons & then try to sell the idea of “atoot ang”, it simply wont fly. https://t.co/MYkuEuDLjj
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) March 7, 2019
Mehbooba Mufti tweeted and said:
Kashmiris are being hounded & punished. The culprits here were clad in saffron kurtas & are from VHD. They have no fear & in fact uploaded the video on SM. GoIs conspicuous silence is actually a political tactic to encourage such elements & communalise the atmosphere until polls. https://t.co/PuSZsZyiyY
— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) March 7, 2019
Several other parties, including the Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party and Asaduddin Owaisi have also condemned the assault.
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India News
Government making sincere attempts to draft laws in Indian languages: PM Modi at International Lawyers Conference
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also stressed on the paramount role lawyers and the judiciary have played in shaping India’s legal system and maintaining law and order.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday addressed the International Lawyers Conference at Vigyan Bhawan in Delhi. He expressed his gratitude to the legal fraternity for their substantial contribution to the country’s independence movement and its continued progress.
Speaking at the event, Prime Minister Modi asserted that his government is making sincere attempts to draft laws in a simple manner and in Indian languages to the maximum extent. He added that the legal fraternity plays a very important role in the building of any country. For years, the judiciary and Bar have been the patron of India’s law and order, he continued.
The Prime Minister noted that the Indian government is thinking that law should be produced in two ways: one draft will be in the language that the lawyers are used to and the second draft will be in a language which the country’s common man can understand. He added that the common man should consider the law his own.
Narendra Modi further highlighted the traditional Indian practice of conflict resolution through Panchayats, which, he said, has been ingrained in the country’s culture for decades. He also mentioned that to formalize this age-old system, the government recently enacted the Mediation Act, a move that aims to put forth a regulated structure to the informal conflict resolution process.
Furthermore, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also stressed on the paramount role lawyers and the judiciary have played in shaping India’s legal system and maintaining law and order. He voiced that India completed 75 years of independence recently. In the fight for independence, the legal fraternity played a huge role. Many lawyers left their practice to join the independence movement, he continued.
The Prime Minister also pointed out that the International Lawyers’ Conference coincided with multiple historic developments in India, including the passage of the women’s reservation bill and the successful landing of the Chandrayaan-3 mission on the south pole of the Moon.
India News
Kabaddi player Hardeep Singh shot dead in Punjab, chopped body parts thrown outside his house
The incident gained attention when the athlete’s chopped-up body parts were found in front of the murdered Kabaddi player’s house.
A shocking incident has been reported from Punjab’s Kapurthala district where a kabaddi player Hardeep Singh was reportedly shot dead a few days ago. The incident gained attention when the athlete’s chopped-up body parts were found in front of the murdered Kabaddi player’s house, as per the reports.
The shocking incident has caused Sukhbir Singh Badal, the leader of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), to express sharp disapproval. The SAD leader slammed the Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party government, alleging that there is a ‘jungle raj’ in Punjab.
Badal asked CM Mann to step down following the incident.
SAD chief Bada took to X, formerly Twitter and hit out at the Maan government. He said it is shocked to learn about the brutal killing of a young Kabaddi player at Vill Dhilwan in Kapurthala. Badal said looking at the level of fearlessness of the murderers, they knocked at the door and told the parents “Aah maar ditta tuhada Sher putt”. This isn’t an isolated incident. There is a complete Jungle Raj prevailing in Punjab, where murders, loot, snatchings and robberies are becoming an everyday affair, the SAD chief said in a tweet.
He further added that it’s a proven fact that CM Mann is unable to handle the situation. He should step down without any further delay.
As per the reports, there is no arrests have been made in the case so far.
On Thursday, Sukhbir Singh Badal met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and talked about the India-Canada conflict. During their meeting, Badal expressed hope to Home Minister Amit Shah for a quick resolution to the disputes between the two countries. Badal highlighted that many Punjabis reside in the affected areas and the deteriorating relations are causing them anxiety and distress.
Badal stated to reporters that it is distressing to hear about the problems faced by Punjabis, including many Sikhs, due to the deteriorating relations between the two countries
India News
Maharashtra: Severe waterlogging in Nagpur, central forces deployed for rescue operations
The National Disaster Response Force carried out flood water rescue operations and safely evacuated six people in the Ambajhari Lake area in the city.
Maharashtra’s Nagpur city witnessed severe waterlogging after incessant rains in the area. Heavy rains lashed Nagpur city from Friday midnight, inundating low-lying areas and prompting measures to shift people from these pockets to safer places.
Many areas such as Canal Road Ramdaspeth, Ambajhari Lake area witnessed severe waterlogging. As per the weather department, Nagpur airport recorded 106 mm of rainfall till 5.30 am.
The National Disaster Response Force also carried out flood water rescue operations and safely evacuated six people in the Ambajhari Lake area in the city. According to reports, after overnight heavy rains, the administration declared a holiday for schools as a precautionary measure.
In addition, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation has also issued helpline numbers for citizens and advised people not to step out of their homes unless for important work. Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, took to X, formerly Twitter to share that he is continuously monitoring the rain situation in the city.
Devendra Fadnavis asserted that Ambazari lake has overflowed due to heavy rains in Nagpur last night and water has entered some areas. He added that the collector informed him that there was more than 100 mm of rain in just 4 hours. He further affirmed that Nagpur Collector, Municipal Commissioner have reached the spot and necessary measures are being taken immediately.
The Deputy Chief Minister continued that instructions have been given that the citizens stuck in the low-lying areas should be helped first. He noted that one team of NDRF and two teams of SDRF have been deployed for rescue operations. He also affirmed that they are constantly in touch with the administration and are monitoring the situation.
The Nagpur centre of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecasted severe and moderate thunderstorms with lightning which will likely continue at isolated places in Nagpur, Bhandara and Gondia districts. It noted that there is also a possibility of intense rain at isolated places in these areas.
The weather department underlined that light to moderate rainfall is expected to take place at multiple places in Wardha and some parts of Chandrapur, Bhandara and Gondia districts. Furthermore, light rainfall is very likely to occur at isolated places over Amravati, Yavatmal and Gadchiroli, it added.
