'Promised cricket bats': Locals say they were tricked into going to Sri Sri event

Agencies
March 11, 2018

Srinagar, Mar 11: Groups of people raised pro-freedom slogans at an event of Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in Srinagar.

People left midway alleging that they were tricked into participating in the programme.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar was speaking at Paigham-e-Mohabbat (message of love) function at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC) lawns, people started to leave the venue, forcing the spiritual leader to cut short his speech.

The people alleged they did not know that Ravi Shankar was to speak there and were invited to the programme on different pretexts.

"We reached here early in the morning. We were told that we will be given jobs and some management company is giving training here," a group of youth from Pantha Chowk area of the city said.

Another group from central Kashmir's Budgam district said they were told some religious scholar was to shed light on Islam.

"We would not have participated in this event had we known who was to speak. We were tricked by the organisers," they claimed.

A group of students alleged that they were promised cricket kits by the organisers.

We were promised cricket kits and money. But we have not been given anything, not even a glass of water," Javed Ahmad, a student from Baramulla district, said.

The people raised pro-freedom slogans at the event, but dispersed peacefully later.

Asked about the allegations made by people, Ravi Shankar said it was he who was invited to Kashmir and he had not invited those people but would be available to hear whatever they want to say.

Earlier, the Art of Living founder in his speech said he wanted to see Kashmir as the Switzerland of Asia.

"I want to see an atmosphere of beauty, peace and love here, for which we all have to work together? If we think about past only, then we will remain sad. We should look forward. We have the courage and power to be resilient and think about our future," he said.

Later, talking to reporters at another location, Ravi Shankar said that he had come to Kashmir to hear the people.

"I will be meeting several delegations, including victims of violence. I will hear them over the next two days and I want to create a wave of happiness and an atmosphere of love in Kashmir."

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News Network
June 9,2020

New Delhi, Jun 9: Petrol price on Tuesday was hiked by 54 paise per litre and diesel by 58 paise a litre - the third straight daily increase in rates after oil PSUs ended an 82-day hiatus in rate revision.

Petrol price in Delhi was hiked to Rs 73.00 per litre from 72.46, while diesel rates were increased to Rs 71.17 a litre from Rs 70.59, according to a price notification of state oil marketing companies.

This is the third daily increase in rates in a row. Oil companies had on Sunday restarted revising prices in line with costs, after ending an 82-day hiatus.

Prices were raised by 60 paise per litre each on both petrol and diesel on Sunday as well as on Monday. In all, petrol price has gone up by Rs 1.74 per litre and diesel by Rs 1.78 a litre in three days.

Oil PSUs - Indian Oil Corp (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL) - had put daily price revisions on hold soon after the government on March 14, hiked excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs 3 per litre each.

Oil companies did not pass on that excise duty hike, as well as the May 6 increase in tax on petrol by Rs 10 per litre and Rs 13 a litre hike on diesel by setting them off against the decline in retail prices that should have effected to reflect international oil rates falling to two-decade low.

International rates have since rebounded and oil companies having exhausted all the margin are now passing on the increase to customers, an industry official said.

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News Network
January 28,2020

Jehanabad, Jan 28: Anti-CAA activist Sharjeel Imam, who was on the run after sedition charges were slapped against him for allegedly making inflammatory statements, was arrested from Bihar's Jehanabad district on Tuesday, the state's police chief Gupteshwar Pandey said.

The JNU scholar was wanted by police of several states, including Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Delhi.

"Sharjeel Imam has been arrested from his native Kako village in Jehanabad," Bihar's director-general of police Gupteshwar Pandey said.

Earlier in the day, Sharjeel Imam’s brother was picked up by police in a fresh attempt to trace the anti-CAA activist.

Police had raided his ancestral home on Sunday as it went hunting for him but Imam eluded the dragnet.

He is likely to be produced in a Bihar court where police will seek his remand for questioning. It is not yet clear whether he will be questioned in Bihar or taken to the national capital.

A graduate in computer science from IIT-Mumbai, Imam had shifted to Delhi to pursue research at the Centre for Historical Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University.

He was slapped with a sedition case after a video of his purported speech went viral on social media in which he was heard speaking about "cutting off" Assam and the Northeast from the rest of India.

"If five lakh people are organised, we can cut off the Northeast and India permanently. If not, at least for a month or half a month. Throw as much 'mawad' (variously described as pus or rubbish) on rail tracks and roads that it takes the Air Force one month to clear it.

"Cutting off Assam (from India) is our responsibility, only then they (the government) will listen to us. We know the condition of Muslims in Assam....they are being put into detention camps," he was shown in the video as saying.

Meanwhile, reacting to Imam's arrest, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar said people have the right to protest but nobody can talk about the country's disintegration.

Kumar told reporters that police must have acted in accordance with law in arresting Imam and now the courts will take appropriate action.

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News Network
February 29,2020

New Delhi, Feb 29: Amid the raging communal violence in the entire north-east Delhi earlier this week, there were people who were trying to save persons and families from the "other community" from the fury of the mobs of their own community.

Naeem Ali Pradhan, 34, from Shiv Vihar, helped at least 7-8 Hindus on the night of February 24 -- when the violence was at its peak-- escape to safer locations. Shiv Vihar is one of the worst affected areas in the violence.

According to Naeem Ali, that night mobs attacked dozens of shops on the road and later tried to enter inside the residential areas.

Suddenly, he spotted a group of youth who were looking hassled and frantically asking for directions.

"I saw them. Thye were Hindus who were trying to escape a mob looking to target them. They had lost their way inside the streets of our colony. I along with other Muslim men escorted them to the nearby Hindu locality," Naeem, who is also a member of the Aman Committee constituted by the Delhi police, told ANI.

"Several shops which were on the roads including some showrooms were attacked by a group. These Hindus were worried as a mob which was on the main road was attacking people. They asked me the address of a colony as they were unable to find their way," Naeem said.

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