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'Farmer was financially sound, had no intention to commit suicide'

April 23, 2015

New Delhi, Apr 23 : The issue of Gajendra Singh's suicide is expected to figure in Parliament as well today. Several opposition parties, including JD(U) and SP, have moved an adjournment motion demanding discussion on the matter.

Farmer suicide

• A team of Delhi Police is heading to Dausa to further investigate the matter of farmer's suicide. It may be recalled that the Delhi Police Commissioner had ordered an investigation into the matter after being instructed by Home Minister Rajnath Singh.

• It is being reported that the Delhi Police had advised the AAP to hold rally against Land Ordinance at Ramlila Maidan instead of Jantar Mantar.

• Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal has issued a statement on the farmer's suicide at his party's Jantar Mantar rally. It says: “Loss of life of this farmer in distress is an extremely sad incident. Delhi government does not wish to engage in any blame game on this terrible tragedy and no words can fulfill the irreparable loss caused to Gajendra’s family. We will do everything to find out how such an incident took place in full public view.”

“The Delhi government is committed to the well being of farmers and will continue to strive for their betterment. District Magistrate of the area has already begun his probe into the entire incident and the government will await the inquiry report before any further reaction.”

• Satish Kumar Jain, tehsildar of Nangal, says crop damage in the region was below 24%. “We had sent the report to the government. The limit for disbursing compensation is 33%.” Jain adds that Gajendra Singh was financially sound.

• Mortal remains of deceased farmer Gajendra Singh arrive at his residence in Nangal, Jhamarwada, in Rajasthan's Dausa.

• Gajendra's farmer faints while waiting for his son's mortal remains.

• Workers of both the BJP and Congress will today hold protest against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over farmer Gajendra's suicide at AAP rally.

• He had gone with a hope to get help. We had given him the chit to read it out at the rally, but he did not get an opportunity, says Jaiveer Singh on the suicide note recovered at the rally site.

• Jaiveer Singh, Gajendra's uncle, also reiterates that the deceased farmer was in contact with Manish Sisodia.

• We don’t know what speech was given. We don’t know how he was provoked at the rally and ended up doing this (committing suicide), adds Rajender Singh.

• We have come to know that Gajendra had gone to Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia's house at around 11 am yesterday, before the rally, says Gajendra's cousin Rajender Singh.

• He was not distressed. He had gone to Delhi to represent us over the crop damage that we had suffered due to unseasonal rains, says Girdhari Singh.

• Was it a jungle where Gajendra committed suicide? Wasn't there anyone who could have saved him? asks Girdhari Singh, a relative of Gajendra Singh.

What happened on Wednesday

An AAP rally attended by thousands against the Land Ordinance on Wednesday turned tragic when a Rajasthan farmer, his crops ruined by untimely rains, hanged himself from a tree in the heart of the capital, shocking India and sparking an ugly political blame game.

"Gajendra (Singh)'s death has saddened the nation," Prime Minister Narendra Modi's office said, referring to the father of three who climbed a neem tree at the Jantar Mantar protest site and died after tying his scarf around his neck to a stout branch.

The statement came hours after the dramatic death when Aam Aadmi Party leader Kumar Vishwas, addressing the mass gathering, suddenly spotted the man on the tree, seemingly precariously perched, and asked police and AAP activists to bring him down.

Three party activists clambered up the tree and untied the scarf. But before they could take a good grip of him, the limp body slipped from their hands and fell with a thud, only to cause chaos at the rally.

Shouting anti-police slogans, some volunteers rushed the man to the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, around two kilometers away, where doctors declared him dead.

A hand-written 'suicide note' in Hindi found at the spot said the man was taking his life because rains had destroyed his crops. He ended the note with "Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan, Jai Rajasthan".

In no time, a political war erupted.

Taken aback by the suicide, AAP leaders blamed Delhi Police, saying police did not even respond to their appeals to bring the man down from the tree.

"Police didn't play their role properly. They should have made efforts to save Gajendra Singh. It were AAP activists who put their lives at risk and brought him down and took him to hospital," said Kumar Vishwas.

Asked why the rally was not halted after the incident, AAP leader Sanjay Singh said: "If we had stopped the rally, there would have been a stampede or other law and order problems."

Police denied AAP's charges and said an inquiry was on to find out what happened. The investigation was ordered by Home Minister Rajnath Singh, to whom Delhi Police reports.

The Bharatiya Janata Party hit out at the AAP. Its spokesman Sambit Patra asked: "Why didn't AAP leaders stop the farmer from committing suicide?"

The first to reach the hospital was Congress leader Ajay Maken, who blamed both police and the AAP for the suicide. Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi came calling later.

In Rajasthan, the family of the deceased farmer said Gajendra was shaken after losing his entire wheat crop to untimely rains.

Gopal Singh, an uncle of Gajendra Singh, said that the man was not compensated by the state government.

"He had around 25 bighas (around 2.5 hectare) of land and grew wheat. His crop was destroyed by rains and hailstorm... So far no compensation has been given to us."

The Congress announced Rs 2 lakh as compensation to the dead man's family.

Kejriwal was told of the incident -- it wasn't clear then whether the man was alive or dead -- by some volunteers on the dais. Thinking that the man was probably alive, he said he would call on him after the rally.

In his speech, Kejriwal accused the Narendra Modi government of trying to snatch farmers' land to give it to the "super rich".

"Today farmers have realised that this is not a government of farmers, it is a government of anti-farmers," he said to loud cheers. "This is 'super amiron ki sarkar (a government of the super rich)."

Kejriwal questioned the need to enact an Ordinance to make land takeover easy.

"What is the urgency? Is there a big emergency? What is the compulsion? Is some major project stalled? Our farmers want to know."

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Agencies
June 21,2020

New Delhi, June 21: Diesel prices rise to record high after 60 paise hike in rates, petrol up 35 paise; rates up by Rs 8.88 and Rs 7.97 in 15 days.

Petrol price in Delhi was hiked to Rs 79.23 per litre from Rs 78.88, while diesel rates were increased to Rs 78.27 a litre from Rs 77.67, according to a price notification of state oil marketing companies. 

In Bengaluru, petrol will be costlier by 37 paise at Rs 81.81 per litre, while diesel will cost 57 paise more per litre at Rs 74.43.

Rates have been increased across the country and vary from state to state depending on the incidence of local sales tax or VAT.

The 15th daily increase in rates since oil companies on June 7 restarted revising prices in line with costs after ending an 82-day hiatus in rate revision, has taken diesel prices to a new high. The petrol price too is at a two-year high.

Over 63 per cent of the retail selling price of diesel is taxes. Out of the total tax incidence of Rs 49.43 per litre, Rs 31.83 is by way of central excise and Rs 17.60 is VAT. 

Petrol in Mumbai costs Rs 86.04 per litre and diesel is priced at Rs 76.69.

Prior to the current rally, the peak diesel rates had touched was on October 16, 2018 when prices had climbed to Rs 75.69 per litre in Delhi. The highest-ever petrol price was on October 4, 2018 when rates soared to Rs 84 a litre in Delhi.

When rates had peaked in October 2018, the government had cut excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs 1.50 per litre each. State-owned oil companies were asked to absorb another Re 1 a litre to help cut retail rates by Rs 2.50 a litre.

Oil companies had quickly recouped the Re 1 and the government in July 2019 raised excise duty by Rs 2 a litre.

The government on March 14 hiked excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs 3 per litre each and then again on May 5 by a record Rs 10 per litre in case of petrol and Rs 13 on diesel. The two hikes gave the government Rs 2 lakh crore in additional tax revenues.

Oil PSUs Indian Oil Corp (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL), instead of passing on the excise duty hikes to customers, adjusted them against the fall in the retail rates that was warranted because of a decline in international oil prices to two-decade lows.

International oil prices have since rebounded and oil firms are now adjusting retail rates in line with them.

In 15 days of hike, petrol price has gone up by Rs 7.97 per litre and diesel by Rs 8.88 a litre.

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News Network
May 10,2020

Thiruvananthapuram , May 10: Issuing latest order in view of coronavirus outbreak, the Kerala government has ordered complete shut down on all Sundays.

"With a view to prevent the spread of COVID-19, improve the quality of life, reduce the carbon emissions, protect the environment and greenery of the State, the following protocol would be observed on Sundays across the State. Sundays will be observed as total shut down days until further orders," the order read.

Following activities will be permissible on Sundays:

A) Shops selling essential items

B) Collection and distribution of milk

C) Supply of Newspaper, media, hospitals, medical stores, medical labs and related institutions

D) No social gathering is permitted except for marriages and funerals

E) Departments, agencies and activities connected with the containment of COVID-19

F) Movement of goods vehicles

G) Agencies in the field of waste disposal

H) All manufacturing and processing activities of continuous nature and ongoing construction activities will be permitted

I) Take away counters of the hotel from 8 a.m to 9 p.m, online delivery up to 10 pm

J) Walking and cycling will be permitted.

K) In addition, the following roads mentioned in Annexure will be closed for motorised traffic except for movement of essential goods and emergency vehicles from 5 am to 10 am. During this time, non-motorised traffic such as walking and cycling will be permitted.

L) Movement of persons on Sundays are allowed only for health emergencies, Government servants on emergency duties and persons engaged in activities connected with Covid-19 containment, persons involved in the activities from (a) to (k) above, priests and other religious persons responsible for conducting rituals in worship places.

M) Any other movement of persons, if any in exigencies, shall only be with the travel passes obtained from District Collector or Police authorities concerned.

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Agencies
June 5,2020

Malappuram, Jun 5: A lawyer has filed a complaint with Superintendent of Police, Malappuram against BJP leader Maneka Gandhi and others for allegedly indulging in a hate campaign against Malappuram district and its residents.

Advocate Subhash Chandran, who hails from Malappuram, on Thursday filed a complaint seeking registration of FIR against former Union Minister Maneka Gandhi and others for allegedly indulging in a hate campaign against Malappuram and the residents of the district.

The complainant alleged that the campaign against the district was very derogatory and with a malafide intent.

The complaint stated that the unfortunate death of an elephant in Mannarkkad, Palakkad District dominated social media conversations in the last two days but a group of people deliberately added communal colour into it only to spread hatred against Malappuram, which is a Muslim majority district in Kerala.

It also stated that the elephant in question died on May 29, 2020, in Palakkad not in Malappuram as claimed by a section in social media users. Prominent news outlets operating from the South also reported that the elephant died after consuming explosive-laden pineapple in Palakkad.

The complaint also named political commentator, Tarek Fatah, for allegedly starting a hate campaign against the district and the minority community.

It alleged that Union Minister Maneka Gandhi made false and frivolous allegations against the district of Malappuram and its residents.

Chandran, through the complaint, prayed to the district police chief to register an FIR against Maneka Gandhi and others under Section 153A, 120B etc. of Indian Penal Code.

An elephant had died after she ate the pineapple stuffed with crackers and forest officials said that it died standing in river Velliyar after it suffered an injury in its lower jaw.

The elephant was seen standing in the river with her mouth and trunk in the water for some relief from the pain after the explosive-filled fruit exploded in her mouth.

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