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Massive protests rock Chennai as PM Modi arrives

News Network
April 12, 2018

Chennai, Apr 12: Chaos ruled the highway connecting Tamil Nadu's capital with Tiruchirapalli for several hours on Thursday morning as hundreds of cadre belonging to various political outfits blocked the roads and displayed black fags in protest against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's day-long visit.

Giant balloons in black colour with "GoBackModi" written all over them were released at various locations near the Chennai Airport, where Modi's special aircraft landed around 9.30 am on Thursday, even as ace directors Bharathiraaja, Ameer and Vetri Maran landed at the arrival area of the airport and shouted slogans against the Prime Minister's visit.

Major roads leading the airport witnessed bumper-to-bumper traffic as vehicles moved at a snail pace for more than 4 kilometres, causing severe inconvenience to thousands of people, especially fliers. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's vehicle was caught in the heavy traffic snarl and he was forced to walk more than a kilometre to reach the airport to welcome the Prime Minister, who later flew to Thiruvidanthai, 40 km from here, to inaugurate the Defence Expo.

The outfits are protesting Modi's visit accusing him of acting against the interests of Tamil Nadu by delaying setting up of Cauvery Management Board with an eye on May 12 Karnataka Elections. The call which was first given by principal Opposition DMK was lapped up by almost every other outfit barring the ruling AIADMK, its splinter group led by T T V Dhinakaran and the BJP which jumped into the fray to show black flags to the visiting Prime Minister.

Black flags were hoisted atop the residences of top Opposition leaders, including those belonging to DMK chief M Karunanidhi and working president M K Stalin, since Thursday morning, even as cadre belonging to fringe outfit, Tamizhaga Vaazhurimai Katchi, released giant balloons in black in large numbers to show their protest against the Prime Minister's visit.

Cadres of Naam Tamizhar climbed onto giant hoardings in the vicinity of the Airport and showed black flags. Though the Prime Minister will avoid stepping onto major roads, the protesters said their agitation was symbolic but powerful since thousands of common people were on the streets protesting the delay in constituting Cauvery Management Board.

Black was the colour of the day as Stalin, his allies Thol Thirumavalavan, R Mutharasan, G Ramakrishnan and other leaders continued their Cauvery Rights Retrieval walk for the sixth day clad in black shirts. Though the city police had made elaborate security arrangements, groups of protesters sneaked into the airport and shouted slogans against Modi's visit.

Unwilling to take chances, the Special Protection Group (SPG) that guards the Prime Minister and the Chennai Police made several changes to Modi's itinerary to avoid his cavalcade on the main roads. After inaugurating the Defence Expo, Modi will take a chopper to reach Chennai to attend the Diamond Jubilee celebrations of the Adyar Cancer Institute.

To avoid getting onto the Sardar Patel Road, a wall connecting the Cancer Institute with Children's Park has been demolished to ensure direct entry into the hospital from IIT-Madras, where the Prime Minister's chopper will land. The chopper will land at the cricket ground of the prestigious institution raising the hackles of environmentalists who say landing of the helicopter will cause massive stress to animals in the campus and at the Guindy National Park located just metres away.

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News Network
January 18,2020

New Delhi, Jan 18: Lieutenant Governor (LG) Anil Baijal has granted the power of detaining authority to the Delhi Police Commissioner under the National Security Act (NSA), according to a notification. The NSA allows preventive detention of an individual for months if the authorities feel that the individual is a threat to the national security, and law and order, sources said.

In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (3) of section 3, read with clause (c) of Section 2 of the National Security Act, 1980, the Lt Governor is pleased to direct that during the period January 19 to April 18, the Delhi Police Commissioner may also exercise the powers of detaining authority under sub-section (2) of the section 3 of the aforesaid Act, the notification stated.

The notification has been issued on January 10 following the approval of the LG.

It comes at a time when the national capital has been witnessing a number of protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

However, the Delhi Police said it is a routine order that has been issued in every quarter and has nothing to do with the current situation.

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News Network
March 7,2020

New Delhi, Mar 7: No country in the world says everybody is welcome, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday, hitting out at those criticising India over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

Jaishankar criticised the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for its criticism on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, saying its director had been wrong previously too and one should look at the UN body's past record on handling the Kashmir issue.

"We have tried to reduce the number of stateless people through this legislation. That should be appreciated," he said when asked about the CAA at the ET Global Business Summit. "We have done it in a way that we do not create a bigger problem for ourselves."

"Everybody, when they look at citizenship, have a context and has a criterion. Show me a country in the world which says everybody in the world is welcome. Nobody says that," the minister said.

The external affairs minister said moving out of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) was in the interest of India's business.

Asked about the UNHRC director not agreeing with India on the Kashmir issue, Jaishankar said: "UNHRC director has been wrong before.

"UNHRC skirts around cross-border terrorism as if it has nothing to do with country next door. Please understand where they are coming from; look at UNHRC's record how they handled Kashmir issue in past," he added.

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Agencies
July 30,2020

New Delhi, Jul 30: Preparing for a long haul in the Eastern Ladakh sector in extreme winters, the Indian Army has an edge over the Chinese as it has deployed 35,000 troops there who have already done tenures in high altitude and cold conditions.

The Indian troops deployed there are mentally prepared for tackling the weather and terrain.
In contrast, the Chinese troops deployed along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) are not used to these conditions as they have been brought from mainland China and are not accustomed to high altitude extreme cold weather conditions.

"We are preparing to provide extreme cold weather portable cabins for around 35,000 troops that have been deployed in the Eastern Ladakh sector," government sources said.

"Our soldiers deployed there have already done a tenure or two in Siachen, Eastern Ladakh or Northeast and they are physically and mentally prepared for a longer deployment there," they said.

The Chinese soldiers deployed on the Indian front include mainly conscripts who join the PLA for a period of 2-3 years and then return to their normal lives, sources said.

Indian and Chinese troops are engaged in a standoff situation all along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh from sub-sector north with both sides having deployed around 40,000 troops against each other over there.

The two sides have disengaged at three friction points including Patrolling Point 14, PP-15 and PP-17 and PP-17A.

At PP-17 and 17A, the Chinese have now maintained a small element of close to 50 troops and the remaining elements have gone back into their permanent locations.

The sources said the Army is also not much bothered about the Chinese build-up along the LAC as it has got more than two additional divisions from outside Ladakh sector.

India Army has more troops than what the Chinese have brought there, they said.

For the winter deployment, the Army already has a sizeable stock of clothes and habitat for troops as the Indian army deploys troops at the world's highest battlefield Siachen glacier and is prepared.

For additional requirements, the force is in the process of placing orders for additional tents and shelters from indigenous as well as foreign vendors.

The time for summer stocking is on and we are going to get the additional cabins and tents by that time, the sources.

Months of June, July, and August are considered to be the best time for stocking winter rations and ammunition. The snowfall is expected to start soon in the Eastern Ladakh area where the temperature is already low.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has given financial powers of Rs 500 crore per procurement to the defence forces to address any type of shortages of weapons, ammunition, and habitat.

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