NATIONAL NEWS
Mutilated body of man found near farmer protest site at Singhu border
An unidentified man was on Friday found dead with his wrist severed and body tied to a police barricade near the farmers’ protest site at the Singhu border in Haryana’s Sonipat. The police said a First Information Report was lodged against unidentified men in this connection. Hansraj, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Detective Dept., Sonipat, told reporters that a police officer found the body tied to the barricade around 5 a.m. He said the hands and the legs of the body were chopped off and there were no clothes on it except for an underwear. The spot at Singhu border where a mutilated body of a man was found. The people at the spot were questioned regarding the incident but no concrete information could be gathered. The deceased is unidentified. An FIR has been registered against unknown people, added Hansraj. However, a video that has surfaced shows a group of Nihangs standing over the man as he lies on the ground in deep shock and pain with his wrist cut and bleeding profusely, raising suspicion that the murder could be related to an incident of blasphemy. The Nihangs, surrounding him, could be heard asking his name and native village, but none comes forward to help him. We are looking into this video and many other videos doing the rounds on social media, apparently related to the incident. It is a matter of investigation, said Hansraj. The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) has condemned the murder and mutilation of the man. In a statement issued after an emergency meeting of farm union leaders, the SKM said that a Nihang group at the scene has claimed responsibility, saying that the incident took place because of the deceased’s attempt to commit sacrilege with regard to the Sarbaloh Granth. The SKM added that it has been reported that this deceased was staying with the same group of Nihangs for some time. The SKM identified the dead man as Lakhbir Singh, son of Darshan Singh, hailing from Cheema Kala village in Tarn Taran district, part of the Police Station Sarai Amanat Khan. Samyukt Kisan Morcha condemns this gruesome killing and wants to make it clear that both the parties to this incident, the Nihang group and the deceased person, have no relation with Samyukt Kisan Morcha, said the statement. The SKM added that while it is against sacrilege of any religious text or symbol, that does not give anyone the right to take the law into their own hands. The group of farm unions demanded that the culprits be punished according to law after investigating the allegation of murder and conspiracy behind sacrilege. SKM leaders said they would cooperate with the police and administration in any lawful action.
SAD, AAP hit out at Centre for decision to enhance BSF’s powers, call it an attack on federalism
The Ministry of Home Affairs’ decision to enhance the powers of the Border Security Force (BSF) to arrest, search and seize within 50 km from the international boundary in Punjab has created a furore among political parties in the State. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) accused the Centre of impugning the rights of Punjab and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) termed it a direct attack on the federal structure of the country. SAD leaders and workers on Thursday staged a protest near the Governor House against the decision. SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal alleged that the BJP and the Congress have both colluded to hatch the anti-Punjab conspiracy. Badal said this was the second time that the Centre had impinged on the rights of the State in quick succession. The Centre has discriminated against the farmers of the State by bringing in the three farm laws. Now it is effectively taking control over law and order over half of the State by extending the jurisdiction of the BSF, he observed. He termed the move an attack on the federal structure of the State. The SAD will fight to right this wrong as we stand for a genuine federal structure. He charged Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi with selling off the interests of the State and the government of not mounting an effective opposition to the new measure, which was condemnable. Leader of the Opposition Harpal Singh Cheema of the AAP stressed that Channi should convene an all-party meeting on the BSF issue and call for a delegation to meet the representatives of the Central government. He demanded a special session of the Assembly to condemn and pass a resolution seeking a rollback of the decision. An unannounced emergency-like situation had been created by the BJP government. Earlier also, the Union government had enacted agriculture laws without the consent of the states on the issue of agriculture under their jurisdiction, thus robbing them of their rights, Cheema added in a statement.
Family objects to Manmohan Singh being photographed inside AIIMS during Mandaviya’s visit
The family of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is upset about him being photographed when Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya called on him at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). In a statement on Friday, Dr. Singh’s daughter, Daman Singh, said her mother had objected to the presence of a photographer during the Minister’s visit to the former prime minister’s room but her objections were ignored. My father is being treated for Dengue at AIIMS. His condition is stable but his immunity is low. We have restricted visitors due to the risk of infection. It was nice of the Health Minister to visit and express his concern. However, my parents were in no state to be photographed at the time, she stated. My mother insisted that the photographer should leave the room, but she was completely ignored. She was very upset. My parents are trying to cope in a difficult situation, she added. After calling on Dr. Singh on Thursday, the Minister reportedly posted a few photos of his visit to the former Prime Minister’s hospital cabin in his Twitter handle. However, following a social media backlash, Mandaviya removed the photographs from his handle. But there has been no official statement on the issue, neither from the AIIMS nor the Health Ministry. Following fever and complaints of severe weakness, Dr. Singh, 89, was admitted to the AIIMS on Wednesday. His condition was said to be stable.
Senior Maoist leader RK dead
The CPI (Maoist) received a major setback as one of their senior most leader and central committee member Akkiraju Hargopal alias Ramakrishna alias RK passed away in the forests of South Bastar on October 14. Confirming the death of one of its members Akkiraju Hara Gopal aka Ramakrishna (RK), CPI (Maoist)’s Central Committee announced on Friday that he died around 6 a.m. on October 14. In this October 20, 2004 photo, the Communist Party of India (Maoist) State secretary, Ramakrishna, (RK) is surrounded by PLGA men before he leaves Manjeera Guest house for historical peace talks with the andhra Pradesh government. The outlawed party’s Central Committee said RK died due to kidney failure and other ailments. He suddenly developed kidney-related complications. Immediately medical treatment was started with dialysis when his kidneys failed, triggering other health complications, a statement in the name of Central Committee’s spokesperson Abhay said. Despite extending ‘good medical treatment’, he could not be saved, it said. Tributes were paid to him by conducting his final rites in the presence of revolutionary cadre, it said, describing his death as an irreparable loss to the party. RK, who joined the Maoist movement in the late 1970s in Kondapalli Seetha Ramaiah’s outfit PWG (People’s War Group), was the chief advisor of the organisation’s Andhra Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee (AOBSZC). He also had led the peace talks during the time of then Andhra pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy in September 2004. The Maoist leader was from Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh. He played a pivotal role in strengthening the base of the CPI (Maoist) in Andhra-Odisha Border (AOB) in various positions during his long underground life spanning three to four decades. His son Prithviraj alias Munna was killed in a major exchange of fire with the police at Ramaguda in the AOB area in 2016.
Delhi Police register case after AIIMS doctor alleges she was raped by her senior colleague
The Delhi Police have lodged a case after a doctor working at the All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), New Delhi alleged that she was raped by one of her senior colleagues during a birthday party inside the campus, officials said on Friday. The accused is at large and efforts are on to nab him, they said. The incident took place on September 26 during a birthday party of one of their colleagues, they added. The police received information about the incident on October 11 at the Hauz Khas police station, officials said, adding that the Medico Legal Case (MLC) was also done. According to the police, when their team reached the hospital and met the victim, she told them that on September 26, one of her senior colleagues allegedly raped her after she went to his room for the birthday celebration. Based on her statement, a case was registered under sections 376 (Punishment for rape) and 377 (Unnatural offences) of the Indian Penal Code at the Hauz Khas police station, said Benita Mary Jaiker, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South). During investigation, the statement of the victim was recorded before a magistrate under section 164 CrPC, and raids are being conducted at some hideouts of the accused. Technical surveillance has also been mounted but the accused is still at large, she said.
One killed, 16 injured after vehicle runs into religious procession in Chhattisgarh
One person was killed and 16 others were injured when an SUV ran into a religious procession at Pathalgaon in Jashpur district of Chhattisgarh on Friday afternoon, police said. The incident took place when residents of Bazarpara locality had taken out a procession for the immersion of Goddess Durga idols, an official said. The deceased man was identified as Gaurav Agrawal (21). Two occupants of the vehicle, Bablu Vishwakarma (21) and Shishupal Sahu (26), natives of Singrauli in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh, were later arrested from the outskirts of the town while the vehicle itself was found burning, he said. Locals claimed that the two were smuggling ganja and set the SUV on fire themselves to destroy evidence as they were being chased. Tension prevailed in the town and a large number of people gathered outside the Pathalgaon police station. Terming the incident as sad and heart-wrenching, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel said the accused were immediately arrested and action has also been taken against some police officers who were prima facie found at fault.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
More than 30 killed in deadly suicide attack on Shia mosque in Kandahar
A suicide bomber attacked a Shia mosque in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar during Friday prayers, Taliban officials said, killing more than 30 people and injuring 74 others. The assault came just a week after a suicide attack on Shia worshippers at a mosque in the northern city of Kunduz, which was claimed by the Islamic State group. There has not yet been any claim of responsibility for the assault in Kandahar, the spiritual heartland of the Taliban. Our initial information shows it was a suicide bomber who blew himself up inside the mosque. We have launched an investigation to find out more, a local Taliban official said. Last Friday, an Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K) suicide bomber targeted a Shiia mosque in Kunduz, killing scores of people. The group, a bitter rival of fellow Sunni Islamist movement the Taliban, claimed responsibility for the attacks against Shia worshippers, whom it regards as heretics. Bangladesh PM says culprits behind attacks on Hindu temples won’t be spared Some Hindu temples in Bangladesh were vandalised by unidentified miscreants during Durga Puja celebrations, prompting the government to deploy paramilitary force in 22 districts after four people were killed and many others injured in riots, media reports said on Thursday, October 14, 2021. According to media reports, three people were killed during clashes between Muslim bigots and the police at Hajiganj sub-district in Chandpur, bordering Cumilla on Wednesday while the fourth one succumbed to his wounds later. Authorities enforced a ban on rallies in Haziganj where officials confirmed the deaths of four people in gunshots, adding that two others were critically injured in the clashes. The police said that a couple of their officials were injured as the mob attacked them and vandalised their and local administrators’ cars. They, however, did not explain if the casualties were caused due to the police actions but media reports said that the police opened fire on a mob of over 500 people. According to the officials, the police were alerted about an alleged blasphemy incident at a Durga Puja pavilion in Cumilla, about 100 kms from here, after which a probe was launched. However, violence erupted as bigots attacked temples in parts of Cumilla, neighbouring Haziganj, northwestern coastal sub districts of Hatia and Banskhali while social media was used largely to instigate the communal tensions. Hindu religious leaders called the violence as part of a plot to upset the Durga Puja celebrations and demanded action against the bigots and protection of Hindu temples and establishments. The police said that they have so far detained 43 people in connection with the violence. People who posted the first video on the Cumilla puja venue on social media were also under custody. Ruling Awami League general secretary and road transport minister Obaidul Qader said that fanatic elements staged attacks on Hindu temples at 10 to 12 places with a political motive. But our government led by (Prime Minister) Sheikh Hasina will not let them proceed with their evil design, he told reporters visiting a Puja pavilion at the Ramkrishna Mission here. The religious affairs ministry issued an emergency notice, urging members of the public not to take the law into their hands as it reiterated calls to maintain communal harmony and peace, it said. Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina promised that the culprits would be brought to book. The incidents in Cumilla are being thoroughly investigated. Nobody will be spared. It doesn’t matter which religion they belong to. They will be hunted down and punished, she said, according to PTI. Hindus make up some 10% of Muslim-majority Bangladesh’s 169 million population. In the past several years, there have been reports of sporadic violence, mostly sparked by rumours spread on social media.
Bhutan, China sign MoU for 3-step process to expedite boundary talks.
During a meeting held via video on Thursday, China and Bhutan signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on a Three-Step Roadmap to help speed up boundary talks that have been delayed. The MoU is of historic significance and is the result of years of joint efforts and sincere cooperation between the two sides. The Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs of China, Wu Jianghao, and the Foreign Minister of Bhutan, Lyonpo Tandi Dorji, signed the MoU on the Three-Step Roadmap for Expediting the Bhutan-China Boundary Negotiations at the virtual signing ceremony. Wu said China and Bhutan are friendly neighbors linked by mountains and rivers. The traditional friendship between the two peoples goes back to ancient times. It is expected that the MoU will make a meaningful contribution to speed up the negotiation on demarcation and promote the process of establishing diplomatic ties between the two countries, Xinhua News Agency reported. China will follow Xi Jinping Thought on diplomacy, follow the neighborhood diplomacy featuring amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness, and be a good neighbor, friend and partner of Bhutan on the principles of equality and peaceful coexistence, Wu said. Foreign Minister of Bhutan, Lyonpo Tandi Dorji said that Bhutan will work with China to implement the MoU, unswervingly push forward the negotiation on demarcation and be committed to strengthening bilateral relations, Xinhua reported.
