Khalistani terrorist Bhullar likely to be hanged secretly

April 15, 2013

New Delhi, Apr 15: While Tihar Jail authorities wait for Devender Singh Pal Bhullar to be shifted back to prison from the Institute of Human Behaviour Allied Science (IHBAS), intelligence assessments have started trickling in, warning of an adverse fallout in Punjab of his impending execution. Intelligence circles are already debating whether his hanging should be carried out in secrecy, as was done in the case of Ajmal Kasab and Afzal Guru.

Khalistani_terroristAccording to a senior intelligence official, the likely spectre of trouble from radical fringe elements in his home state, Punjab, and possible attempts by inimical forces across the border to capitalize on his hanging to underline the alienation of Sikhs in India, may force the government to avoid his body's last journey to Bhatinda. Instead, his cremation may be carried out on the Tihar premises itself.

The bodies of Indira Gandhi's assassins — Satwant Singh and Kehar Singh — were also not handed over to their kin and cremated in Tihar after their execution in 1989.

Yet, mindful of the widespread criticism of its failure to inform Afzal's family ahead of its hanging, the government may be more sensitive this time to the concerns of Bhullar's kin. Care may be taken to keep the family in the loop on the execution of his death sentence, while also ensuring that secrecy is not compromised.

"The stress will be to convince the family of the inevitability of his hanging, underlining how all judicial avenues were allowed and exhausted. The family can be persuaded to put national interest over their personal loss, and cooperate with the authorities on averting any negative repercussions of his hanging on law and order," said a senior officer of the security establishment.

Though security analysts do not see any immediate law and order exigency in Punjab on account of the rejection of Bhullar's plea for commuting of his death sentence, they are watching with interest the political handling of the fallout in the Shiromani Akali Dal-ruled Punjab. With SGPC already questioning the judgment and calling it "biased against Sikhs", it remains to be seen how the radical elements and the powerful deras in Punjab react to the development.

Though analysts like former Intelligence Bureau (IB) chief Ajit Kumar Doval do not see Bhullar's judgment reviving the undercurrent of militancy, they are concerned that some dormant extremist elements may resort to mischief and sell the notion of alienation of Sikhs to unemployed and radicalized youth of Punjab. With some of the Sikh militancy leaders - Wadhawa Singh of Babbar Khalsa, Khalistan Commando Force Paramjit Singh Panjwar and Tarsem Singh of the Khalistan Liberation Army - enjoying a safe haven in Pakistan for decades, their ISI mentors may step up pressure on them to use Bhullar's death sentence to paint India as an anti-Sikh nation.

However, not many think that this might revive militancy as a people's movement. "The Sikhs now no longer feel alienated and are involved in the political process. The people of Punjab have moved on, though fringe elements remain," former BSF director general UK Bansal told TOI. Doval, while pointing out that radicalized elements continue to enjoy support and funding from the Sikh diaspora, said this did not really point to return of militancy.

"The alienation caused by Bhullar's hanging will at most be a small contributory factor, apart from unemployment and poor political handling of the case's fallout. But, we should address these factors to avoid bigger problems," Doval added.

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News Network
January 22,2020

New Delhi, Jan 22: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said Indian values consider all religions equal, and that is why the country is secular and never became a theocratic state like Pakistan.

Speaking at the NCC Republic Day Camp in Delhi, Singh said: "We (India) said we would not discriminate among religions. Why did we do that? Our neighbouring country has declared that their state has a religion. They have declared themselves a theocratic state. We didn't declare so."

"Even America is a theocratic country. India is not a theocratic country. Why? Because our saints and seers did not just consider the people living within our borders as part of the family, but called everyone living in the world as one family," the minister said.

Singh underlined that India had never declared its religion would be Hindu, Sikh or Buddhist and people of all religions could live here.

"They gave the slogan of 'Vasudev Kutumbakam' -- the whole world is one family. This message has gone to the whole world from here only," he added.

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A Member of Va…
 - 
Thursday, 23 Jan 2020

 

Very thoughtful and eye-catching statement by Defense Minister, Rajnath Singh.

Sir, I kindly request you to convey this beautiful message to your Party’s comrades, who are deprived of this dosage for long times and are badly need of this.  

Also, for those from your Party, who are, time and again, spitting the venomous rhetoric against Dalits, Muslims, Christians and others alike.

Yashwant Sinhaji is now doing a wonderful job in this regard.

You will also follow his suit for sure in the days to come; that’s what your honest statement indicates.

    

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Agencies
May 31,2020

New Delhi, May 31: India registered its highest single-day spike of COVID-19 cases on Sunday with 8,380 new infections reported in the last 24 hours, taking the country's tally to 1,82,143, while the death toll rose to 5,164, according to the Union Health Ministry.

The number of active COVID-19 cases stood to 89,995, while 86,983 people have recovered and one patient has migrated, it said.

"Thus, around 47.75 per cent patients have recovered so far," a senior health ministry official said.

The total confirmed cases include foreigners.

The death toll has gone up by 193 since Saturday morning, of which 99 were from Maharashtra, 27 from Gujarat, 18 from Delhi, nine each from Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, seven from West Bengal, six each from Tamil Nadu and Telangana, five in Bihar, three from Uttar Pradesh, two from Punjab, and one each from Haryana and Kerala.

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News Network
July 20,2020

New Delhi, July 20: India's retail trade has suffered a business loss of about Rs 15.5 lakh crore in past 100 days due to the COVID-19 lockdown, traders' body CAIT said on Sunday. 

In a statement, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) said traders across the country are depressed because of minimal of the consumers, considerable absence of employees, facing financial crunch and yet have to meet several financial obligations.

"No support policy from the central or state governments is yet another crucial factor which is haunting the traders," CAIT claimed. 

CAIT Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal said the domestic trade is passing through its worst period in the current century which reflects that if immediate steps are not taken about 20 per cent of the shops in India will have to close down their shutters.

The traders’ body has also urged the government to award a substantial package to traders to ensure their survival. Their demands include: Relaxation in payment of taxes, extension in repayment of bank loans and EMIs without any further interest or penalty as well as measures that would provide money directly in the hands of the traders.

In April, the losses stood at about Rs. 5 lakh crore whereas in May it was estimated to be about Rs. 4.5 lakh crore, followed by Rs. 4 lakh crore in June. Losses stood at about 2.5 lakh crore in the first fortnight of July offering a grim snapshot of the effect of the pandemic on consumer spending. 

“Even as the lockdown was relaxed, store footfall was only 10 per cent. Most of these traders do not have deep pockets to sustain this severe economic catastrophe and on the other hand have several financial obligations to meet. At this crucial time, handholding of these traders is all the more much required,” Khandelwal said.

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