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Ramadan Ceasefire In Kashmir Meaningless If Media War Continues

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Ramadan Ceasefire In Kashmir Meaningless If Media War Continues

~By Saeed Naqvi

I have never seen the electronic media so totally defiant of the BJP government. Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s avowed intention to calm Kashmir by announcing a Ramadan ceasefire appears to have been dismissed as “appeasement of Pakistan and terrorists”.

A guest peering out of one of the six windows on the TV screen was frothing in the mouth. “Murderers of our brave jawans are being shamelessly appeased.” The other went one better: “a brave nation does what the Sri Lankan army did to the LTTE – just finished them off.” The anchor on this Aaj Tak show Thursday evening looked angrier than both. This apparently is common fare.

The Communist Party of India is receiving signals from its Kashmir unit that it may have to rename itself. The ‘I’ in the CPI has been hurting the state unit for quite some time. But after the recent surge in shootings, stone pelting, “encounters”, sustained images of wailing women, trailing the spate of funerals, and relentless media jingoism, the “I” now invites physical danger. True, a defunct party by any name will remain defunct, but even so, Communist Party of Kashmir (CPK) will atleast not incur the wrath of the street.

The relative Ramadan peace is a good occasion to take stock. Even in days of drift in Kashmir during the time of P.V. Narasimha Rao, Atal Behari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh, there was a semblance of political control by the National Conference and the PDP. Elements of the Hurriyat had fingers on the street pulse. The scene recently has been anarchic: there was no control.

Recent increase in violence was described by reliable sources as “indigenous” which is not what officials say.  A narrative which discounts outside “meddling” is not honeyed music to the establishment. Nor to that shrill panel – on Aaj Tak. Ironical, isn’t it, that absence of outside support to the insurgency disturbs us?

Just when Kashmir was at fever pitch, the mayhem in Aligarh Muslim University erupted around the photograph of Mohammad Ali Jinnah.

Friends are in error if they consider the undiluted hooliganism on view in Aligarh an occasion to engage in a serious debate on Jinnah’s culpability in partitioning the country. The hoodlums of Aligarh were not busting their guts to have Jinnah’s portrait removed from the AMU union office. Quite the contrary. Hindu Yuva Vahini would love to provoke Aligarh hotheads to dig their heels in to preserve Jinnah in the university precincts. This will be the ammunition which can come in handy at all times. The campus will be the ordnance depot for frequent explosions in the service of the projected Hindu Rashtra.

This is not the first time in recent decades that AMU has been exploited for saffron politics. Ever since Prime Minister V.P. Singh aggravated identity politics by implementing the Mandal Committee report providing reservation in government jobs to lower castes, the BJP has rushed to prevent the caste structure from crumbling. Hindu consolidation, by building up the Muslim ogre, has been the obvious strategy.

Aligarh was frequently the target as part of this strategy. There was no Arnab Goswami in the 90s but Hindi newspapers played a lead role in widening the Hindu-Muslim divide.

A story appears in newspapers that, after horrendous riots in Aligarh city, some of the injured Hindus being taken to the University Medical College for treatment, are being killed by Muslim doctors and interns. Even though the university is only three hours drive from New Delhi, newspapers choose to rely on unverified agency copy which, in turn, quotes upper caste Hindi newspapers.

An incredible scene is being enacted on the outskirts of the university. Local scribes seated on chairs arranged in a circle under a mango tree, sip tea even as one Krishna Kumar Navman, BJP MLA from Aligarh, holds them in his thrall with graphic accounts of murders in the hospital.

“Has anyone visited the Medical College?”, I ask. They had not, they say, because it is “risky”.

At the medical college the picture is surreal: petrified doctors encircle me.

“No one has come to us for clarification”, they complain.

Why have they not reached out to the journalists with their story? After a long, pregnant silence, they speak up. They thought it would be dangerous stepping out of the campus “in the midst of communal violence”. This is what I call uninstitutionalized apartheid.

That was 30 years ago when there were no TV channels to inculcate saffron nationalism on the scale I saw the other day and which I have mentioned above.

Folks overtly agitated or elated at the turn of events in Aligarh, may find it sobering that Pakistan’s Jinnah is not the only leader around whom communal polarization can be contrived. Ram Navami processionist in Kankinara, 24 Parganas in West Bengal were so overpowered by the spirit of Rama that they pulled down the statue of Congress President and India’s first Education Minister, Maulana Azad – a person, who in his outlook was exactly the opposite of Jinnah. This was in preparation for the Panchayat elections currently in the news.

Protection to anti namaz lumpens in Gurugram, or those who pasted a Maharana Pratap Road placard on Akbar Road (the placard was removed the next morning), Modi clenching his fist at Tipu Sultan during the recent campaign, are minor episodes in an epic of hatred being manufactured for 2019 ofcourse, and beyond if need be. In this gameplan there is no real, long term respite for Kashmiris, Muslims, or Indo-Pak peaceniks. Alongside, the rage of the dalits and tribals is spiraling out of control. There is an element of simulation in anti Muslimism for political reasons but the retribution faced by dalits and tribals in the countryside is visceral.

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Security tightened across Delhi metro stations after bomb threat emails

Delhi is on high alert after bomb threat emails targeted metro stations, the Red Fort and the Assembly. Authorities confirmed the threats were hoaxes but tightened security as a precaution.

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Delhi Metro

Security has been intensified across all metro stations and major installations in the national capital after a series of bomb threat emails were received on Monday. Authorities later confirmed that the threats were hoaxes following detailed inspections by security agencies.

According to officials, several key institutions — including the Delhi Secretariat, Delhi Assembly, the Red Fort and two schools — received threatening emails earlier in the day. Extensive searches were carried out at all the locations mentioned in the messages, but nothing suspicious was found.

A senior police officer said cyber teams are working to trace the origin of the emails. Preliminary findings suggest that the senders may have used Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) in an attempt to conceal their identities and mislead investigators. Officials expressed confidence that those responsible would be identified.

Metro stations under heightened surveillance

Following specific references to metro services in the emails, security arrangements were strengthened across the entire network of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation. Additional personnel have been deployed at stations, and anti-sabotage checks are being conducted.

Police said random frisking of passengers and intensified CCTV surveillance are being carried out as part of precautionary measures. Bomb disposal squads and dog squads were stationed at sensitive sites, including the Red Fort, Delhi Secretariat and the Assembly complex.

The threatening emails reportedly included the slogan “Delhi banega Khalistan” and warned of explosions at an Army school, the Assembly and the Red Fort at specific times during the day. Officials stated that all mentioned locations were thoroughly checked and declared safe.

Authorities also coordinated with counterparts in neighbouring states to enhance security at metro stations falling under their jurisdictions.

While no explosives were found, officials said the tightened security arrangements will remain in place as a precaution. Cyber teams continue efforts to trace the IP addresses and identify those behind the threat emails.

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JNU protest turns violent as Left and Right student groups trade charges

A late-night protest at JNU turned violent as Left and ABVP student groups accused each other of stone-throwing and attacks near the East Gate.

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JNU Protest

Tension gripped the campus of Jawaharlal Nehru University in the early hours of Monday after a protest march allegedly spiralled into violence, with rival student groups accusing each other of triggering the unrest.

Students claimed that the incident occurred around 1.30 am when a confrontation broke out during a march called by the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union. The protest, named “Samta Juloos”, was headed towards the East Gate and was organised to demand the resignation of Vice-Chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit and the withdrawal of a rustication order.

According to protesters, several students were injured after alleged stone-throwing during the clash. They alleged that the university administration did not intervene during the march and instead permitted members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad to confront demonstrators.

However, the ABVP denied the allegations and countered that Left-affiliated organisations instigated the confrontation and were spreading misinformation about the events.

Left-backed groups, including the All India Students’ Association, claimed that ABVP activists targeted the JNUSU encampment and hurled stones at “unarmed students”, leading to multiple injuries.

Videos shared by students on social media reportedly showed chaotic scenes near the protest site, with members of rival groups engaged in heated exchanges and physical scuffles.

University authorities did not immediately respond to queries regarding the incident. Students said the situation on campus remained tense following the overnight clashes.

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World praised India’s AI potential at AI Impact Summit, says PM Modi

PM Modi said the world praised India’s AI potential at the AI Impact Summit 2026, where 89 countries endorsed the New Delhi Declaration on artificial intelligence.

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pm modi speech

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that the world wholeheartedly praised India’s potential during the recently concluded AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi, highlighting the growing global confidence in the country’s young technology talent.

In a post on X, the Prime Minister said the summit demonstrated how the mindset of India’s youth in the field of technology would serve humanity at large. He described the event as historic and underlined the positive global response to India’s AI capabilities.

The AI Impact Summit 2026, organised in New Delhi last week, concluded with the adoption of the New Delhi Declaration on AI Impact. The declaration has been endorsed by 89 countries and international organisations, signalling broad global agreement on promoting artificial intelligence for economic growth and social welfare.

Broad global participation

The summit saw the participation of several prominent world leaders and top technology executives. Among those present were UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, French President Emmanuel Macron, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and Swiss President Guy Parmelin.

Other leaders attending the summit included Sri Lanka President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, Mauritius Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam, Croatia Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, Serbia President Aleksandar Vucic, Seychelles Vice President Sebastien Pillay, Estonia President Alar Karis, and Finland Prime Minister Petteri Orpo.

Chief executives and senior leaders from major global technology firms were also part of the gathering.

Focus on inclusive AI growth

Held under the theme ‘Sarvajan Hitay, Sarvajan Sukhay’ (welfare for all, happiness of all), the summit aimed to position India as a global leader in artificial intelligence while ensuring that AI development remains inclusive and sustainable.

The event brought together more than 500 international AI leaders. This included around 100 CEOs and founders, 150 academicians and researchers, and 400 CTOs, vice presidents and philanthropists. Additionally, over 100 government representatives and nearly 60 ministers and vice ministers participated in discussions.

The New Delhi Declaration seeks to strengthen international cooperation and ensure that AI technologies contribute to economic progress, social good and environmental protection.

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