Bhim Army chief detained, over 40 in police custody after Friday’s violence

News Network
December 21, 2019

New Delhi, Dec 21: Chandrashekhar Azad, the Bhim Army’s leader, was taken into custody from outside the Jama Masjid early on Saturday, after giving the Delhi Police a slip on Friday during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act in the Daryaganj area.

More than 40 people, including at least three minors, were detained after clashes that broke out during the mostly-peaceful agitation against the newly-amended citizenship act in Daryaganj on Friday evening. A case of rioting and arson has been registered at the Daryaganj police station.

Chandrashekhar Azad said he was inside the Jama Masjid during the protest against CAA.

“We have to make sacrifices so that the legislation is taken back. We do not support violence. We were sitting inside the mosque since Friday morning and our people were not involved in violence,” Azad said, according to news agency.

Police resorted to a lathi-charge and used water cannons to disperse the crowd that turned violent in Daryaganj on Friday, just minutes after a two-and-a-half-hour long peaceful agitation against the amended citizenship law got over.

The police action, which followed stone-pelting and arson, forced several people to flee, including many of those who had joined protests that started in the afternoon and went on till evening.

At least 46 people were injured in the stone-pelting and police action.

Police also said the protesters set a private car parked at Subhash Marg in Daryaganj on fire. The fire was immediately doused with water and fire extinguishers.

“Hours after the violent protest near Delhi Gate, around 36 injured people, including eight policemen, got medical treatment at Lok Nayak hospital. One person, who has got a fractured leg is admitted, while two others who have suffered minor head injuries are under observation and not yet admitted,” Lok Nayak Hospital’s medical superintendent Dr Kishore Singh said, according to PTI.

Eye-witnesses said thousands—including protesters, local residents and those who were there to offer Friday prayers—had gathered in the afternoon on Netaji Subhash Marg, where police had put up barricades near Delhi Gate.

The number swelled at around 5pm to about 15,000 as per police estimates and they started to break the cordon.

Police spokesperson MS Randhawa said security personnel first launched water cannons to disperse the crowd and then charged with batons as the agitators torched the private vehicle and started pelting stones.

Some people in the area, however, alleged the police response was disproportionate and indiscriminate, a charge denied by officials.

“Suddenly, some anti-social elements in the gathering started breaking the barricades and pelting stones in a bid to march towards Jantar Mantar against the police advice. Police used water cannon and absolutely minimum force to push them back,” Randhawa said.

Police and residents said that those involved in the violence were “outsiders”.

Fifty-eight additional companies of security personnel were brought in to bolster the strength of local police.

Large gatherings were also reported from areas like Seelampur, Shastri Park, Jamia Nagar and Shaheen Bagh. They, however, dispersed peacefully after senior officers constantly persuaded them with the help of prominent locals in these areas.

Delhi has been witnessing protests since last Sunday. Authorities clamped prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) in several parts and shut down mobile services—for the first time in the Capital—and stopped Delhi Metro trains on Thursday.

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Agencies
July 13,2020

New Delhi, Jul 13: The Land & Development Office, which comes under the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, has sent a notice to news agency PTI, demanding it to cough up more than Rs 84 crore as penalty. The notice dated July 7 says that the penalty has been imposed due to "breaches" at its office in Delhi.

The notice that sought Rs 84,48,23,281 argues that "the less will be pleased to regularise the breaches in the premises temporarily up to 14.07.2020 and withdraw the right of re-entry of the premises subject to the following conditions being fulfilled by you within 30 days from the date of issue of this letter."

The notice also stipulates that the news agency needs to give an undertaking on non-judicial stamp paper stating that it will pay the difference of "misuse/damage charges" if the land rates are revised with effect from 01.04.2016 by the government and will also remove the "breaches" by 14.07.2020 or get them regularised by paying charges.

The notice also warns that further action to execute the deed has to be subject to complete payment and putting the premise to use according to the masterplan.

The Land & Development Office so warned that an additional 10 per cent interest may need to be coughed out by PTI if it fails to furnish the concerned amount within the stipulated time period.

Additionally, if the news agency fails to comply with the terms within the said period, the concession will be withdrawn. In other words, they will have to pay the penalty up to the actual date of payment then and will also be subject to actions.

This stern notice for alleged violations by PTI comes closely on the heels of national broadcaster Prasar Bharati locking horns with PTI over its reportage that it called "anti national".

Prasar Bharti had recently sent a letter threatening to end its "relationship" with PTI after it carried an interview of Chinese Ambassador Sun Weidong, where he blamed India for the India-China violent standoff that saw 20 Indian bravehearts getting martyred.

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Agencies
February 18,2020

Mumbai, Feb 18: A group of citizens on Tuesday demanded a thorough inquiry into the death of special CBI judge Brijgopal Harkishan Loya in 2014.

The group has written a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, seeking a time-bound probe into the death of Loya.

Loya, who was hearing the high-profile Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case of Gujarat, died of a cardiac arrest in Nagpur on December 1, 2014, when he had gone to attend the wedding of a colleague's daughter.

Social activist Ashok Pai, addressing a press conference on behalf of the group, also demanded proper compensation for the judge's family, saying he was on an "official" tour.

Pai said on Tuesday he met NCP president Sharad Pawar, whose party is a key constituent of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra, and raised these demands with him.

Pawar assured to look into the demands, he said at the press conference at the Mumbai Marathi Patrakar Sangh.

"We have handed over a letter to Maharashtra Assembly speaker Nana Patole and dispatched a copy of the letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray (seeking a probe into Loya's death)," Pai said.

As the matter relates to "mysterious" death of a sitting judge of the CBI, all facts about it must be made public after a detailed and time-bound probe, Pai said.

The Loya death case had reached the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court had held that Loya had died of "natural causes" and had rejected PILs seeking an SIT probe into the death, questioning their motive.

The SC had held that petitions were moved by political rivals to settle scores which was a serious attempt to scandalise the judiciary and obstruct the course of justice through a "frontal attack" on its independence.

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News Network
July 18,2020

New Delhi, Jul 18: The Covid-19 lockdown-led reduction in air pollution levels across five Indian cities, including Delhi and Mumbai, may have prevented about 630 premature deaths, and saved USD 690 million in health costs in the country, according to a new study.

Scientists, including those from the University of Surrey in the UK, assessed the levels of harmful fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from vehicles and other sources in five Indian cities -- Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad -- since the beginning of the lockdown period.

The study, published in the journal Sustainable Cities and Society, compared these lockdown PM2.5 figures from 25 March up until 11 May, with those from similar periods of the preceding five years, and found that the measure reduced pollution levels in all these places.

According to the scientists, during this period, the levels of these harmful air pollutants reduced by 10 per cent in Mumbai, and by up to 54 per cent in Delhi.

"The percentage reduction for the other cities ranged from 24 to 32 per cent, which was slightly smaller than the measured values for Delhi and Mumbai," the scientists noted in the study.

"While the reduction in PM2.5 pollution may not be surprising, the size of the reduction should make us all take notice of the impact we have been having on the planet," said Prashant Kumar, a co-author of the study from the University of Surrey.

The scientists said these reductions in PM2.5 were comparable to those reported in other cities across the world, such as in Austria's capital Vienna (60 per cent), and Shanghai (42 per cent) in China.

They also calculated the monetary value of the reduced mortality due to air pollution and found that the lowered levels of PM2.5 may have saved 630 people from premature death, and USD 690 million in health costs in India.

Coronavirus India update: State-wise total number of confirmed cases, deaths on July 17

According to the researchers, the present lockdown situation offers observational opportunities regarding potential control systems and regulations for improved urban air quality.

They said an integrated approach might help in understanding the overall impacts of Covid-19 lockdown-style interventions and support the implementation of relevant policy frameworks.

"This is an opportunity for us all to discuss and debate what the 'new normal' should look like - particularly when it comes to the quality of the air we breathe," Kumar said.

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