NATIONAL NEWS
Two locals killed in firing during an eviction drive in Assam’s Darrang district
Two persons were killed and at least ten others, most of them policemen, were seriously injured on Thursday in firing by the force on protestors demanding rehabilitation of 800 families evicted by the Darrang district administration in Assam and the clash that followed between the two sides, police said. The evicted families had launched a protest at Sipajhar demanding that the eviction be stopped and that they be provided with a comprehensive rehabilitation package. Trouble broke out when a mob of protestors, who were armed with sharp weapons, started pelting stones and attacking policemen and general people present at the spot, Darrang Superintendent of Police Sushanta Biswa Sarma said. The police opened fire in self-defense, killing two persons, both civilians. This led to the two sides coming to blows in which at least ten others were injured, he said. Most of the injured were policemen and the condition of an assistant sub inspector Moniruddin was stated to be critical by doctors treating him. He has been shifted to Gauhati Medical College Hospital, he said. The dead have been identified as Saddam Hussain and Sheikh Forid, Sarma said. The situation was later brought under control and the mob dispersed. The eviction is on in Dholpur I and Dholpur III villages despite the tension in the area after the clash with the police. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said in Guwahati that there will be no stop to the ongoing eviction drive. The police has been entrusted with the responsibility of clearing the land of illegal encroachers and they will continue till the job is done. The eviction will stop when it turns dark and resume again on Friday, he added. The Darrang district administration has cleared 602.04 hectares and evicted 800 families since Monday and demolished four illegally constructed religious structures at Sipajhar, officials said. The chief minister had visited the area on June 7 and inspected the riverine areas allegedly encroached by illegal settlers near Dholpur Shiva Temple and had directed the district administration to clear the area for a community farming.
Tension continues in Chhattisgarh Congress
As uncertainty over change of guard in Chhattisgarh continues, supporters of Health Minister T.S. Singh Deo complained of intimidation by police following an FIR against Congress secretary Pankaj Singh for allegedly manhandling a paramedic at the Chhattisgarh Institute of Medical Sciences. Deo, who has staked claim for the Chief Minister’s post as part of a 2018 arrangement of rotational tenure that he claims was agreed upon between him and Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, has been in Delhi since Monday. He has said it is a personal visit. So far, he has not met former Congress president Rahul Gandhi or any other functionary at the party headquarters, to avoid speculation of renewed efforts by him to lobby for the post. He is leaving for Raipur on Friday. Gandhi is expected to visit the State next week. He is coming on an invitation from Baghel. The tension between the two sides in the State has refused to subside. Deo’s supporters held a demonstration outside the Kotwali police station in Bilaspur on Wednesday to protest against the FIR. Singh himself has described it as an act of revenge. He claimed that he was only intervening because the hospital staff refused to conduct an MRI on a poor patient. The FIR was also filed days after the incident, the supporters claimed. The Bilaspur police booked Singh based on a CCTV footage retrieved from the hospital. Bilaspur MLA Shailesh Pandey said the action was unfortunate and it had been taken only because Singh was a supporter of Deo. This FIR is just the tip of the iceberg, the police have been told to dig up dirt on everyone who is supporting Deo. Discreet investigations are also on against Deo himself, a Congress leader close to Deo said.
Kapil Sibal demands immediate meeting of CWC, says ‘group of 23’ not ‘Jee Huzur 23’
With several Congress leaders quitting the party and its Punjab unit in turmoil, senior party leader Kapil Sibal on Wednesday demanded that an immediate meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) be convened and wondered who in the party was taking decisions in the absence of a full-time president. Addressing the media, he said a senior member of the ‘Group of 23’ has written to Congress President Sonia Gandhi for convening the CWC meeting immediately to discuss the party affairs and the exodus. Sibal said the grouping is not a Jee Huzur 23 and will continue to put forth the views and will continue to repeat the demands. He said the Congress needs to be strengthened as a strong opposition to take on the government and once again reiterated the demands of the group for holding elections to the post of Congress president, the CWC, and the central election committee. He expressed anguish over the developments in the party in Punjab and the recent exodus of party leaders, saying all such issues need to be discussed at a party platform.
Clearly define exemptions to govt. agencies from Data Protection Law: Parliamentary panel
The Joint Parliamentary Committee on Data Protection has found a middle ground on the contentious clause, which in the name of sovereignty, friendly relations with foreign states and security of the state, allows any agency under the Union government exemption from all or any provisions of the law. More than ten MPs in the panel had objected to the clause, saying that it made the entire Act infructuous. Invoking sovereignty and integrity of India, public order, friendly relations with foreign states and security of the state, the legislation gives powers to the Central government to suspend all or any of the provisions of the Act for government agencies. Sources said that the committee has largely agreed that the clause needs to be appropriately amended. The members demanded that the conditions for making the exemptions should be clearly laid down without leaving scope for interpretation. No other details of how it will be worded to avoid a possible abuse were forthcoming. In a day-long meeting on Wednesday, the committee deliberated on close to 55 clauses and is nearly half-way through the Bill. The report on the Bill is long overdue. The Bill that seeks to provide protection of personal data of individuals was introduced in the Lok Sabha in December 2019 and soon after referred to the Joint Parliamentary Committee. It got its fifth extension in the monsoon session of Parliament in July this year and has now been asked to submit the report by the winter session, which is expected to be called in the third week of November.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
China displays new drones, jets.
Country stages its biggest airshow in Zhuhai. China on Tuesday showed off its increasingly sophisticated air power including surveillance drones, with an eye on disputed territories from Taiwan to the South China Sea and its rivalry with the United States. The country’s biggest airshow, in the southern coastal city of Zhuhai, comes as Beijing pushes to meet a 2035 deadline to retool its military for modern warfare. China still lags behind the United States in terms of tech and investment in its war machine, but experts say it is narrowing the gap. On Tuesday, the air force aerobatic team left colourful vapour trails as it manoeuvred in formation, while visitors inspected new jets, drones and attack helicopters on the tarmac. The CH-6, a prototype drone with a wingspan of 20.5 metres, was among the domestic tech unveiled. It is designed for surveillance and can also carry weapons for strike missions, according to open-source intelligence agency Janes. Other debutants included the WZ-7 high-altitude drone for border reconnaissance and maritime patrol as well as the J-16D fighter that has the ability to jam electronic equipment. The Zhuhai airshow, usually held every two years, was postponed from last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and is being staged before a largely domestic audience due to travel restrictions.
Pakistan exploring expansion of CPEC to Afghanistan: envoy
Pakistan has discussed Taliban-led Afghanistan joining the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) infrastructure project, the Pakistani Ambassador to the country said on Monday. Regional connectivity is an important element of our discussion with the Afghan leadership and our way forward for our economic interaction with Afghanistan, said Mansoor Ahmad Khan, Pakistan’s envoy to Kabul, in an interview with Reuters. This important project — China Pakistan Economic Corridor provides good opportunities, good potential for providing infrastructure and energy connectivity between Afghanistan and Pakistan [and] also connecting South Asia to the Central Asian region. CPEC is a central part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), under which Beijing has pledged over $60 billion for infrastructure projects in Pakistan, much of it in the form of loans. Mr. Khan said discussions had been held with the Taliban-led administration on this and other ways to develop the country’s economy. There has been deep interest in terms of developing the economic connectivity of Afghanistan with Pakistan through CPEC and with other neighbouring countries, including Iran, China and Central Asian countries. In recent days, representatives from Pakistan, China and Russia have held meetings with the Taliban officials. Mr. Khan said security and economic development were the two main topics under discussion.
