Tanzanian girl stripped, beaten in Bengaluru; 'deeply pained' says Sushma

[email protected] (News Network)
February 3, 2016

Bengaluru, Feb 3: The African students in north Bengaluru closed ranks on Wednesday as details emerged of a mob of locals allegedly attacking and stripping a Tanzanian girl in the neighourhood on Sunday.

The 21-year-old girl who had been attacked met with top police officials on Wednesday to narrate what the mob had done to her. She gave her statement at the DCP's office in Peenya.tanzanian

As the details spread, community leaders were constantly in touch with their fellow nationals and relayed the safer routes they should take when commuting between their homes and colleges.

"We are now scared of every Indian around us after what happened to me," the 21-year-old student of a city college told mediapersons at Sapthagiri Hospital, where she was taken for a medical test by police.

External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj took note of the incident and tweeted, "We are deeply pained over the shameful incident with a Tanzanian girl in Bengaluru."

She asked the state government to ensure the safety and security of all foreign students.

Earlier, in a note verbale, Tanzania high commission asked the external affairs ministry to take strong legal action against those who assaulted the girl.

Bengaluru police on Wednesday registered a case under 354 IPC (outraging the modesty of a woman) against unidentified persons.

Four locals were taken into custody later in the evening.

The girl's nightmare unfolded around 7.30pm on Sunday when she and her three Tanzanian friends were going in a car in Ganapathinagar, off Hesaraghatta Main Road. Almost 2km away and about 30 minutes hour earlier, a car driven by a Sudanese student had run over Shabana Taj, 35, who had been walking with her husband, electrical contractor Sanaullah.

A mob allegedly comprising locals, who were rioting following the accident, stopped the girl's car. "We got out of the car and there were many people around. There was a policeman standing nearby and I asked him what had happened. He said nothing. A friends rushed to me and asked me not to walk around. By then, the mob started hitting him," she said.

"They pushed me around and hit me. I was wearing a T-shirt. They tugged at it and tore it, leaving me literally without anything. They continued to thrash us and we ran for our lives. My friends and I hopped onto a bus. The driver didn't move and the other passengers threw us out. We were at the mob's mercy. A passerby who offered me a T-shirt was also attacked. They thrashed us again till we took shelter near some shops," she said.

The mob, meanwhile, had set ablaze the car.

As they made their way to Sapthagiri Hospital, the mob chased them. Even at the hospital, the mob allegedly threatened to storm the hospital if the Africans were not sent out.

Police sources said they took the girl's statement on Wednesday, confirming there's been a three-day delay in acting on the incident.

African student leaders condemned the killing of the woman in an accident involving a Sudanese student but said the law should take its course. However, attacking innocent people based on their ethnicity should not be tolerated, they said, adding that the matter has been taken up with their embassies too.

"A woman has died and those responsible for the accident should be brought to book. But these students had nothing to do with it," said Bosco Kweesi, legal adviser to the African students.

A leader of the Tanzanian association, said she and some of her friends rushed to the police station Sunday night, seeking help to take their injured compatriots to hospital. "They plainly refused to come to our help or accept our complaint.. Police already had one of our fellow nationals who was in no way connected to the accident in their custody. A policeman told us that 'you all look alike and your fellow national will be set free only if you bring the guilty African car driver'," she said.

Comments

mohammad.n
 - 
Thursday, 4 Feb 2016

She asked the state government to ensure safety and security of all FOREIGN STUDENTS. What about indian students safety? What about indian ladies safety? What about justice for raped indian girls?

Worst ruling indian government, nothing less than a british rule before independence, worried about foreigners rather than the Indians which should be the most priority.

Mohammed SS
 - 
Thursday, 4 Feb 2016

Sushma Didi, show more and more pain as you want BJP govt. in Karnataka, there Is no such pain in your backyard for criminal acts and incidents where your party is ruling... apply Burnol deeply in to your backyard

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Ram Puniyani
February 13,2020

Forthcoming Census and RSS campaign

Currently massive protests are going on against NPR, NCR and CAA. At the same time we are going to begin the process of decadal census in 2021. Already RSS is active in promoting NPR, NCR and CAA. At the same time RSS wants that Adivasis should register themselves as Hindus rather than ticking the column of ‘Others’. As per their spokesperson in the 2011 census many Adivasis groups ticked that column because of which the population of Hindus came down to by 0.7 percent point to come down to 79.8 %. This has sent signals to this Hindu nationalist organization and is planning to ensures that Adivasis tick the column of Hindus in this census.

As such RSS has a very clever attitude in defining the term Hindu. The first formulation was by Savakakar who said that all those who regard the land east of Indus as their Holy land and Father land are Hindus. This left out Muslims and Christians, and brought all others in the ambit of Hindu fold. From the decade of 1980s due to electoral compulsions they have been trying to articulate that all those who are living in India are Hindus. Murli Manohar Joshi stated that Muslims are Ahmadiya Hindus and Christians are Christi Hindus. Recently there was a controversy when they restated that Sikhs are not a separate religion but are a sect of Hinduism. Many Sikh organizations stood up to say that Sikhism is a religion by itself and recalled the book of Kahan Singh Nabha, “Hum Hindu Nahin”

As far as Adivasis are concerned in contrast to what is being planned by Hindu nationalist RSS, many Adivasis groups have been meeting from last couple of years to demand just the contrary. As per them there should be a column where they can tick their identity of Adivasis.  There are active campaigns among Adivasis groups to uphold their Adivasi identity in Census. As per them in the first census which was conducted in Independent India, the column, Aborigines, was there, which was later removed forcing them to club themselves with other religions.

After 1951 in addition to Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian, Jain and Buddha, the column ‘others’ was also there which was removed in 2011. Even during British period if you look at the censuses of the British era (from 1871 to 1931); there was provision for tribes to choose Aborigine as an option. There are nearly 83 religious practices being followed by Adivasis. Few major of these are Sarna, Gondi, Punem, Adi, and Koya. What they share in common is that they are animists, worship nature and spirit of ancestors; do not have priestly class or Holy Scriptures and Gods and Goddesses characteristic of the broad Hindu pantheon.

RSS as per its political agenda of Hindu Nation regards them as Vanvasi. They pontificate that they have been part of Hindu society who were driven away to forests to escape the forcible conversion being done by the Muslim invaders. This concoction is contrary to the interpretations based on the studies from population genetics. The Hindu nationalist argues that Aryans have been the original inhabitants of the country from where they spread to other parts of the World. The book by Tony Joseph, ‘Early Indians’ tells us that away from the race theory, we are all mixed up. The first inhabitants in our land were the ones who emigrated from South Asia over Sixty thousand years ago.

The Indo-Aryans came here nearly three thousand years ago and they pushed the aborigines to the forests and hills and that’s what constitutes the Adivasi community of India.

Hindu Nationalists like all the nationalists who construct their nationalism around their religion claim to be the most original inhabitants of the land, and their interpretations of past are molded according to that. RSS right from beginning has not been using the word Adivasi, it calls them Vanvasi. As per its agenda it wants them to be part of Hindu fold, despite Adivasis themselves saying that they are not Hindus, they have beliefs and practices which are far away from Hinduism in whatever form.

To enhance its political reach from the decades of 1980s in particular its work in Adivasis areas has been intensified. While ‘Vanvasis Kalyan Ashram’, part of RSS Combine which was formed much earlier, it was in the decades of 1980s that their work was jacked up by sending more Pracharaks in Adivasi areas. We see that in Gujarat, Dangs and nearby area, Swami Aseemanand, in MP, centered around Jhabua-the followers of Asaram Bapu and in Orissa Swami Laxmananad stationed them. They saw Christian missionaries working in the field of education and health as an obstacle to Hinduization of Adivasis. Their propaganda against Christian missionaries led to the ghastly murder of Pastor Graham Stains. It was this propaganda which led to anti Christian violence in various forms, the most horrific being the Kandhamal violence of 2008.

In order to culturally co-opt them into the fold of Hinduism they began series of religious congregations, Kumbhs. Shabri Kumbh in Dangs and many other Adivasis predominant areas created an atmosphere of fear, Adivasis were asked to be part of it, saffron flags were distributed and they were made to put it in their houses. Two religious icons were popularized in these areas, one was Shabri and other was Hanuman. To cap it all, Ekal Vidyalayas, started spreading RSS’s interpretation of history in these areas. The other angle of the whole thing is that Adivasis are living in the areas rich in minerals, which the BJP supporter Corporate World wants to take over.

World over aborigines have similar pattern. They are animists and what they practice is a culture as such. Many have converted to other religions out of their choice for sure, but finally in these matters what is important is the self perception. Hemant Soren the Chief Minister of Jharkhand pointed out that “Adivasis are not Hindus. ”Keeping that in mind; the column of Aborigines needs to find its place in our census forms.

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News Network
June 21,2020

India on Sunday witnessed annual solar eclipse or 'surya grahan' 2020, the third eclipse even for this year after first two lunar eclipses took place in January and June and the last annual solar eclipse of this decade.

The solar eclipse started from around 9 a.m. across the Indian map as the Sun, the Moon, and the Earth came in a straight line, and the country witnessed the 'deepest' annular solar eclipse in over a century.

Astrologers said it a fourth super rare hybrid eclipse which is a mix between an annular and total solar eclipse.

Areas like Hyderabad, Chennai, Bhubaneshwar, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Delhi, Patna, Shillong and more witnessed a partial phase of the annular solar eclipse from 9 a.m.

In the eclipse, the distance of the Moon and Earth will be larger than usual which means the moon will not be able to cover up the sun fully and will leave out the borders of the sun - giving an appearance of a "Ring of Fire".

Press Information Bureau in a tweet informed that it is the last annular solar eclipse in India of this decade.

People can catch glimpse of the partially covered sun between 10 a.m. and 2.28 p.m. as per the time differing as locations in India. The eclipse will continue for over three hours covering 84 per cent Sun.

There are three types of solar eclipses - total, partial, and annular.

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coastaldigest.com news network
July 21,2020

Udupi, Jul 21: Sri Sugunendra Teertha Swami, the chief pontiff of Puthige Mutt, has tested positive for coronavirus. 

The pontiff got admitted into KMC Hospital Manipal last night and his treatment is in progress at the said hospital.

He was supposed to initiate his annual Chaturmasa Vruta at Padigaru Mutt on Tuesday.

According to sources, he was suffering from fever and hence he opted to get tested for covid-19. His health condition is said to be stable.

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