Dalit agitation death toll mounts

Agencies
April 3, 2018

New Delhi/Bhopal/Lucknow/Jaipir, Apr 3 : At least seven people were killed and many injured in violence on Monday as Dalit protesters went on a rampage during a nationwide bandh against the dilution of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

While five people were killed in cross-firing in Madhya Pradesh alone, one each died in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, according to officials there.

Curfew was imposed in several places and hundreds were detained.

Fifteen companies or 1,700 personnel of Rapid Action Force were rushed to UP, MP and Rajasthan. Two companies of the BSF were sent to Punjab.

Transport, mobile and internet services were hit in many states with over 100 trains getting affected due to protests.

Some states had ordered closure of educational institutions as a precaution.

Incidents of arson, firing and vandalism were reported from many states.

Appealing for peace, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said the government was committed to ensuring the welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and guaranteeing them full protection of law. "I am deeply pained by the acts of violence and loss of precious lives in some parts of the country," he said.

In Madhya Pradesh, two died in Gwalior, two in Bhind and one in Morena.

Sources said that one person was killed in Muzaffarnagar in UP, when pro-bandh supporters opened fire while forcing closure of shops. Another person received bullet injuries and was admitted to the hospital, where his condition was stated to be critical.

Police detained nearly 400 people, including former BSP MLA from Meerut Yogesh Verma .

UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath appealed for peace and urged the people not to vitiate law and order.

The CBSE has already postponed Class 12 and Class 10 examinations scheduled to be held on Monday in Punjab at the request of the state government.

The Supreme Court had on March 20 diluted certain provisions of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, in a bid to protect 'honest' public servants discharging bona fide duties from being blackmailed with false cases under the Act.

Western UP districts having sizable Dalit population witnessed large scale violence.

Dozens of vehicles were torched in Muzaffarnagar, Meerut. They also attacked scribes and molested women, sources said.

BSP supremo Mayawati attributed the violence to ''outside criminal elements'' and asked the government to identify such people and punish them.

In Rajasthan, Pawan Kumar, a youth, died in police firing after protesters attacked a police station in Alwar and tried to set it ablaze. "A youth sucummbed to injuries. He along with other protestors had beaten up the police and were trying to burn the police station," N R K Reddy (ADG Law & Order) confirmed.

Meanwhile Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje appealed for peace in the state.

In Punjab, the Indo-Pak bus service too was hit. The Lahore-bound bus from Delhi was made to go off the road at Sirhind, while the Delhi-bound bus from Lahore was stopped at Amritsar.

In Gujarat, though there have been no reports of any loss of life or major incidents of violence, crowds stopped vehicules on highways and in the cities and got into scuffles with the police.

Comments

shaji
 - 
Tuesday, 3 Apr 2018

This shows utter failure of Central Govt.  Looting, arson, unrest, killing of innocents, destruction of publice + Govt properties etc is going on all over India and Central Govt is unable to control it.  The only thing it doing is rise in fuel prices to bring profit to business tycoons.  Govt should step down immedaitely taking moral responsibilities of death of scrores of innocents.  Goondas and Terrorists of sangh parivar are taking law in their own hand and POlice is silently watching it. Its really shame.  Its as if Police is supporting these terrorists. If this continues, i think economy of India will go down.  President should interfere and take necessary action.

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News Network
March 4,2020

Beijing/Zurich, Mar 4: China has approved the use of Swiss drugmaker Roche's anti-inflammation drug Actemra for patients who develop severe complications from the coronavirus as it urgently hunts for new ways to combat the deadly infection that is spreading worldwide.

China is hoping that some older drugs could stop severe cytokine release syndrome (CRS), or cytokine storms, an overreaction of the immune system which is considered a major factor behind catastrophic organ failure and death in some coronavirus patients.

Actemra, a biologic drug approved in 2010 in the United States for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), inhibits high Interleukin 6 (IL-6) protein levels that drive some inflammatory diseases.

China's National Health Commission said in treatment guidelines published online on Wednesday that Actemra can now be used to treat coronavirus patients with serious lung damage and high IL-6 levels.

Separately, researchers in the country are testing Actemra, known generically as tocilizumab, in a clinical trial expected to include 188 coronavirus patients and running until May 10.

Roche, which donated 14 million yuan ($2.02 million) worth of Actemra during February, said the trial was initiated independently by a third party with the aim of exploring the efficacy and safety of the drug in coronavirus patients with CRS.

It added that there was currently no published clinical trial data on the drug's safety or efficacy against the virus.

More than 3,000 people have died and 93,000 have been infected by the novel coronavirus thought to have originated in Wuhan, China, before spreading to around 90 countries including the United States, Italy, Switzerland, France and Germany.

The Swiss company, for which China is its No. 2 market behind the United States, also makes diagnostic gear to detect the coronavirus.

Since Actemra's approval a decade ago, it has become a go-to drug against other inflammatory conditions, including cytokine storms in cancer patients receiving cell therapies from Novartis and Gilead Sciences.

In 2012 it helped save the life of a young U.S. girl, the first child to be treated for leukaemia with Novatis' Kymriah, from a post-treatment rush of IL-6.

Priced at between $20-30,000 annually for RA according to SSR Health, Roche's medicine is also used for rare juvenile arthritis and giant cell arteritis, or inflammation of the blood vessels.

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News Network
March 4,2020

Mumbai, Mar 4: BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday said Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray should not give "vague" replies on the 5 per cent Muslim quota issue and declare "with courage" that his government will not bring law granting reservation to the minority community.

Mr Fadnavis made the remark after Mr Thackeray, during a press conference earlier in the day, said he has not yet received the proposal regarding giving quota to Muslims and that the Shiv Sena-led government is yet to take any decision on it.

Mr Thackeray made the comments after Maharashtra Minority Affairs Minister Nawab Malik recently said in the legislative council that thestate government will provide 5 per cent quota to Muslims in education.

Mr Malik, an NCP leader, had also said the state government will ensure that a legislation to this effect is passed soon.

The NCP and the Congress, both proponents of Muslim quota, are constituents of the Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government.

Asked about Mr Thackeray's remarks on the issue, Mr Fadnavis said instead of making comments at the press conference, the chief minister should make a statement in the legislature which is currently having its budget session.

The Leader of the Opposition in the assembly said that Mr Malik's opinion is the official position of the government as the minister had talked about giving quota in the council.

"So, instead of making vague comments in the press conference, the chief minister should say in the council that it is not his view (the one expressed by chief minister).

"The chief minister gave vague answers during the press conference, saying the proposal has not come to him. Your minister (Malik) only has said it," Mr Fadnavis told reporters outside the legislature building complex.

The BJP leader maintained there is no provision in the Constitution for religion-based reservation in government jobs or education.

"Say with courage that you will not give the quota, that the Constitution doesn't accept quota based on religion. Hence, we (the government) will not bring law granting quota," the former Chief Minister said.

Mr Fadnavis claimed that if given within the 50 per cent ceiling set by the Supreme Court, the Muslim quota will affect the existing reservation granted to OBCs.

"And if given outside it, it will affect Maratha quota," he added.

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News Network
June 3,2020

Jammu, Jun 3: A mob on Tuesday disrupted the last rites of a coronavirus victim in Jammu and Kashmir and forced his family members to flee with the half-burnt body, prompting intervention by the administration which later ensured the cremation at another place as per protocol.

A 72-year-old man, hailing from Doda district, became the fourth victim of the novel coronavirus to die in Jammu region. He breathed his last at the Government Medical College (GMC) hospital on Monday.

"We had set out for the funeral along with a revenue official and a medical team, and had lit the pyre at a cremation ground in Domana area when a large group of local residents appeared at the scene and disrupted the last rites," son of the deceased said.

Only close relatives of the deceased, including his wife and two sons, were present during the cremation. They had to flee with the half-burnt body in an ambulance to save their skin from the mob which pelted stones and attacked them with sticks.

"We had sought permission from the government to take the body to our home district for the last rites, but we were told that all necessary arrangements were in place, and that we would not face any trouble during the cremation," the victim's son said.

He also alleged that the security officials present at the scene were of no help.

Two policemen who were present there failed to act against the unruly crowd, while the accompanying revenue official went missing, he said.

"The ambulance driver and other staff from the hospital helped us a lot and managed to take us back to the GMC hospital with the body the government should have come out with a better plan to conduct the last rites of coronavirus victims, taking into consideration the past experience and problems encountered during the funeral of such victims," the victim's son said.

Later, the body was taken to a cremation ground at Bhagwati Nagar area of the city, where it was consigned to flames in the afternoon in presence of senior civil officials, including additional deputy commissioner and sub-divisional magistrate under tight security.

"My uncle was admitted in the hospital last week and died on Monday afternoon. He was suffering from various ailments, especially lungs and heart diseases. Before shifting him to GMC hospital Jammu, he underwent a coronavirus test in Doda which came negative," nephew of the deceased said.

However, he said, the victim's second test after his admission in the GMC hospital came positive on Sunday.

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