CURRENT AFFAIRS
04 April 2021
NATIONAL NEWS:
A) Five security personnel killed in encounter with Naxals in Chhattisgarh.
Five security personnel were killed and a few others injured on April 3 in an encounter with Naxals in a forest in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district, a top police officer said. According to the police, some Maoists are also suspected to have been killed during the exchange of fire. The gun battle broke out in Tarrem area (along Sukma and Bijapur border) when a joint team of security forces was out on an anti-Naxal operation, Chhattisgarh Director General of Police D.M. Awasthi said. The personnel belonging to the CRPF’s elite Commando Battalion for Resolute Action unit (CoBRA), the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and the Special Task Force (STF) were involved in the operation, he said. As per the preliminary information, five jawans were killed and a few others were injured in the gunfight, Awasthi said, adding that further details are awaited. On March 23, five DRG personnel were killed when Naxals blew up a bus carrying the security personnel with an IED in Narayanpur district.
B) Assam Elections | EC reduces campaign ban on Himanta Biswa Sarma to 24 hours.
The Election Commission of India (EC) on Saturday cut short the ban on campaigning by BJP leader and Assam Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma from 48 hours to 24 hours, taking into account his unconditional apology and assurance to adhere to the Model Code of Conduct (MCC). The EC had on Friday banned Sarma from campaigning for the April 6 polls for 48 hours after finding that a speech he made violated the MCC. He had said that the Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) chief Hagrama Mohilary would be jailed if he (Mohilary) engaged in extremism. On Saturday, the EC wrote to Sarma saying that it had considered his representation sent on Saturday and reduced the ban from 48 hours to 24 hours, which meant that he could campaign from Saturday evening onward. With polls on April 6, campaigning is scheduled to close on Sunday. The EC said Sarma had requested it to accept his sincere regret and assurance of abiding MCC in future. The EC said Sarma had also pleaded on the grounds that he was himself a candidate in the constituency that was scheduled for the poll on April 6. Reducing the ban from 48 hours to 24 hours, the EC said Sarma could be given permission for holding any public meetings, processions, rallies, road shows, etc., by the district authorities concerned. Meanwhile, the EC has ordered the replacement of Sarma’s brother as the Superintendent of Police of Goalpara district. In an official communication to the State’s Chief Electoral Officer on Friday, the EC ordered the transfer of Sushanta Biswa Sarma from Goalpara to some suitable post in State headquarters.
C) No trade with India under current circumstances: Imran Khan.
Prime Minister Imran Khan decided that Pakistan cannot go ahead with any trade with India under the current circumstances after holding consultations with key members of his Cabinet on importing cotton and sugar from the neighbouring country, a media report said on Saturday. Pakistan’s U-turn on Thursday came a day after the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC), under newly-appointed Finance Minister Hammad Azhar, recommended importing cotton and sugar from India, lifting a nearly two-year-long ban on its import from the neighbouring country amidst tensions over the Kashmir issue. The Prime Minister, after consultations on Friday, instructed the Ministry of Commerce and his economic team to immediately take steps to facilitate the relevant sectors, value added, apparel and sugar, by finding alternative cheap sources of import of the needed commodities, the Dawn newspaper quoted sources as saying. While the decision was not on the formal agenda of the Cabinet meeting, the issue was brought up by Cabinet members and the prime minister instructed that the ECC’s decision be deferred and immediately reviewed, the report said. India has said that it desires normal neighbourly relations with Pakistan in an environment free of terror, hostility, and violence. India has said the onus is on Pakistan to create an environment free of terror and hostility.
D) Bombay HC grants pre-arrest bail to man accused of raping married woman for 10 years, orders probe.
The Bombay High Court recently granted pre-arrest bail to a man accused of raping a married woman for 10 years after she submitted an affidavit stating that the investigating officer had made her add charges of rape against the man. The court said the circumstances were disturbing and directed the Commissioner of Police to conduct an inquiry into the episode. A Single Bench of Justice S.V. Sarang was hearing an anticipatory bail plea filed by Sachin alias Tanaji Mahadeo Maykude. The FIR filed by the woman herself stated that Maykude had been her neighbour when she was residing with her husband and children. The FIR categorically stated that Maykude committed forcible sexual intercourse amounting to rape without her consent. She alleged that he threatened to harm her children and hence, she succumbed to the force. Maykude also blackmailed her by saying that he had her photographs in his cell phone, the FIR said. On March 7, 2020, she was allegedly raped again and then told her husband, after which an FIR was registered. The Bench also remarked that however, the circumstances in this case are quite disturbing. There are allegations against the police officers made by the lady. There is a possibility that she has made contrary statements and has changed her version through her affidavit. The matter cannot be just ignored like this. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct an inquiry to take the matter to its logical end.
E) Special NIA court extends Sachin Vaze’s custody till April 7.
The special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court extended suspended assistant police officer Sachin Vaze’s NIA’s custody till April 7 in connection with explosives found near Mukesh Ambani’s residence on February 25. Vaze was arrested on March 13 by the central agency. After arresting him at 11.50 p.m., the NIA’s spokesperson had said he was arrested for his role and involvement in placing an explosives-laden vehicle near Carmichael Road. The counsel appearing for NIA told the court on Saturday that they were not merely investigating cases under UAPA but also several other cases related to him and sought an extension of his custody. The agency has till now also raided a prominent eatery in South Mumbai after getting to know that Vaze used to hold several of his meetings there. The NIA has seized seven vehicles, including the Scorpio found with 20 gelatin sticks and a threat letter. The owner of the abandoned Scorpio, Mansukh Hiren, an auto parts dealer, was found dead on March 5 at the Thane creek. Vaze has also been charged with sections 286 (negligent conduct with respect to explosive substance), 465 (punishment for forgery), 473 (making or possessing counterfeit seal, etc., with intent to commit forgery punishable otherwise), 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) 120 B (punishment of criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and The Explosive Substances Act.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
A) Blinken speaks with Pearl’s family, assures them of Justice.
Mr. Pearl, the 38-year old South Asia bureau chief for The Wall Street Journal, Was abducted and beheaded while he was in Pakistan investigating a story in 2002 on the links between the ISI and al-Qaeda. Blinken spoke with members of the family of Daniel Pearl and their representatives today to assure them that the U.S. government remains committed to pursuing justice and accountability for those involved in Daniel’s kidnapping and murder, State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said on Friday. Last week, Pakistan’s Supreme Court criticised the prosecution for its failure to prove the guilt of British-born al-Qae Saeed Sheikh, the main accused. The Sindh High Court on April 2, 2020 commuted the death sentence of Sheikh to seven years. The Supreme Court on January 28 ordered authorities to release the accused while issuing a split order.
B) Jordan Kings former adviser, others arrested.
Jordanian security forces arrested a former adviser to King Abdullah, a member of the royal family and others on security related grounds, the Petra state news agency said. U.S.-educated Bassem Awadallah, a long-time confidant of the king who later became Minister of Finance, and Sharif Hassan Ben Zaid, a member of the royal family, were detained along with other unnamed figures, Petra said. It gave no details. Awadallah, who was a driving force behind economic reforms before he resigned as chief of the royal court in 2008, has long faced stiff resistance from an old guard and an entrenched bureaucracy that flourished for years on government perks. Jordan’s powerful intelligence agency has played a bigger role since the introduction of emergency laws at the outset of the pandemic, which activists say violate civil and political rights.
C) Biden lifts Trump’s sanctions on international court officials.
President Joe Biden on Friday lifted sanctions that Donald Trump had imposed on two top officials of the International Criminal Court (ICC), undoing one of the past administration’s more aggressive moves targeting international institutions and officials. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a statement stressed that the U.S. still strongly disagreed with some actions by the court. They believe, however, that our concerns about these cases would be better addressed through diplomacy rather than through the imposition of sanctions, Mr. Blinken wrote. The U.S. sanctions had targeted ICC chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda and the court’s head of jurisdiction, Phakiso Mochochoko, for pressing ahead with investigations into the U.S. and its allies, notably Israel, for alleged war crimes. Two sets of sanctions were imposed, the first being a travel ban on Ms. Bensouda in March 2019, and then 18 months later a freeze on any assets she and Mr. Mochochoko may have in the U.S. or U.S. jurisdictions. The second round also made giving the pair material support a potentially sanctionable offence. The Trump administration was openly hostile to the tribunal for pursuing prosecutions of Americans for actions in Afghanistan and Israelis for actions against the Palestinians. Both sets of sanctions had been roundly denounced by the ICC. The removal of the sanctions was the latest signal that the Biden administration is intent on returning to the multilateral fold.
