AMU proctor quits, 21 students booked for burning effigies of PM, others

According to police, the group of students, six of whom have been identified, had also written slogans of ‘Hindutva terror down down’, ‘Islamophobic Yogi’ on the effigies

The Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) proctor, Afifullah Khan, has resigned from the post without defining any reasons for the same. The resignation was accepted late on Tuesday night. The Vice Chancellor has appointed Professor Mohammad Wasim Ali of the Law Department as the new proctor.

The proctor’s resignation comes days after AMU students launched an agitation demanding the resignations of Vice Chancellor Tariq Mansoor and Registrar Abdul Hamid in the wake of the campus violence on December 15. Meanwhile, 21 students of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) were booked by the Aligarh police on Tuesday night for allegedly burning effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on the campus on Monday evening.

According to police, the group of students, six of whom have been identified, had also written slogans of ‘Hindutva terror down down’, ‘Islamophobic Yogi’ on the effigies. They had burnt the effigies and raised slogans on the campus. Civil Lines circle officer Anil Samaniya said that the students have been booked under section 6 of Uttar Pradesh Special Power Act 1932 and section 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion) of Indian Penal Code (IPC) at the Civil Lines police station…

Anti-CAA protest: Cong members protest against Anurag Thakur in Lok Sabha

Thakur, who is the Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs, had made some controversial remarks during a recent poll rally in the national capital

The Congress on Monday raised slogans against Union minister Anurag Thakur in Lok Sabha over his controversial remarks during a recent election rally in the national capital. While Opposition members, mainly from the Congress, were protesting against the amended citizenship law, they raised their pitch whenever Thakur started replying to questions.

Thakur, who is the Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs, had made some controversial remarks during a recent poll rally in the national capital. Belligerent Congress members, who were in the Well, shouted slogans against the minister and asked ‘Aapka goli kaha hai? (where is your bullet?)’, an apparent reference to the minister’s controversial remarks. Some members also shouted ‘Goli maarna band karo (Stop shooting)’.

Whenever Thakur was responding to supplementaries during the Question Hour, the members began sloganeering against him. During the election rally, Thakur had egged on the crowd to raise an incendiary slogan, “shoot the traitors”, after he lashed out at anti-CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) protestors. The Election Commission had also banned him for three days from campaigning for the Delhi elections in the wake of his controversial remarks…Keep reading

As SC starts CAA hearings, Congress looks to broad base protests to economy

It would get difficult for Congress to champion the cause of anti-CAA protesters if the apex court were to find the controversial law constitutional

As protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) rage across the country, Congress is increasingly feeling the need to broad-base them to encompass issues of economic slowdown, joblessness, inflation and farm distress.

On January 28, days ahead of the Union Budget, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will address a public meeting in Jaipur. The focus of his speech would be unemployment and inflation. This will be the first of several such meetings he will address across the country, party sources said. The former Congress president is also likely to address a rally in Madhya Pradesh, where he will focus on issues confronting the farmers, tribals and rural workers. Further, he is likely to address a meeting of small and medium industrialists, traders and professionals at Mumbai. Interestingly, the party is yet to schedule any meeting in Delhi, which will vote to elect its new Assembly on February 8.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court will start hearing over a hundred petitions challenging Citizenship Amendment Act as unconstitutional from Wednesday. Congress strategists, and those of other opposition parties, understand it would get difficult for them to champion the cause of anti-CAA protesters if the apex court were to find the controversial law constitutional. They are uneasy that such a situation might trigger further protests, and with mainstream political parties unable to stand with the protesters, radical elements could take over the protests.

The issue of the National Population Register (NPR) is similarly vexed. The Congress-led state governments, and those of other opposition parties, cannot afford to flout the Centre’s notification to conduct the NPR. If they do, these state governments could run the risk of getting sacked.

Back immigration or risk missing out on tech boom: Microsoft CEO Nadella

“…people will only come when people know you’re an immigrant friendly country.”, Nadella said.

Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella said he worries that mistrust between the US and China will increase technology costs and hurt economic growth at a critical time. Using the $470 billion semiconductor industry as an example of a sector that is already globally interconnected, Nadella said the two countries will have to find ways to work together, rather than creating different supply chains for each country.

“All you are doing is increasing transaction costs for everybody if you completely separate,” Satya Nadella said in an interview with Bloomberg News Editor-in-Chief John Micklethwait at Bloomberg’s The Year Ahead conference in Davos. That’s a concern as the executive said the world is on the cusp of a revolution around technology and artificial intelligence. “If we take steps back in trust or increase transaction costs around technology, all we are doing is sacrificing global economic growth,” he said.

The Trump administration is considering steps to further limit the ability of US companies to supply Huawei Technologies, China’s flagship tech company, in addition to pressuring countries around the world to avoid using its equipment for 5G mobile networks.The agreement signed last week between the US and China was “not sufficient,” said Nadella. Yet, he represented “progress” on the issue of intellectual property protections for US technology companies working with China…

Cops urge Shaheen Bagh protesters to consider ‘hardship’ to school students

Cops urge Shaheen Bagh protesters to consider ‘hardship’ to school students

The Delhi Police on Monday appealed to protesters at Shaheen Bagh to unblock the road after parents of schoolchildren expressed “deep anxiety” in view of forthcoming board examinations. Thousands of people, including women and children, are protesting for over a month at Shaheen Bagh and nearby Jamia Millia Islamia to oppose the Citizenship Amendment Act protests (CAA) and the National Register (NRC).

The Delhi Police took Twitter to appeal to people. “We have already appealed to you once before. Meanwhile, more complaints have been received regarding inconvenience due to blockade of Road No.13A, particularly to school children who are facing extreme hardship in reaching their schools, coaching centres and private tuitions, ” they tweeted.

“Their parents have expressed deep anxiety in view of forthcoming Board examinations. Daily commuters, local residents and businesspersons are also facing acute harassment. We once again appeal to the protesters at Shaheen Bagh to clear the road and restore normal traffic,” the department said in Twitter.

The Delhi Police on Friday appealed to agitators to unblock the Kalindi Kunj-Shaheen Bagh stretch due to which the residents of Delhi and NCR are suffering, officials said..

Would love to see a Bangladeshi immigrant next Infosys CEO: Nadella on CAA

Satya Nadella said saying he would love to see a Bangladeshi immigrant create a Unicorn in India or become the next CEO of Infosys

Microsoft’s Indian-origin CEO Satya Nadella on Monday voiced concern over the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), saying what is happening is “sad” and he would love to see a Bangladeshi immigrant create the next unicorn in India.

His comments came while speaking to editors at a Microsoft event in Manhattan where he was asked about the contentious issue of CAA which grants citizenship to persecuted non-Muslim minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. “I think what is happening is sad… It’s just bad…. I would love to see a Bangladeshi immigrant who comes to India and creates the next unicorn in India or becomes the next CEO of Infosys,” Nadella was quoted as saying by Ben Smith, the Editor-in-Chief of New York-based BuzzFeed News.

In a statement issued by Microsoft India, Satya Nadella said: “Every country will and should define its borders, protect national security and set immigration policy accordingly. And in democracies, that is something that the people and their governments will debate and define within those bounds.

“I’m shaped by my Indian heritage, growing up in a multicultural India and my immigrant experience in the United States. My hope is for an India where an immigrant can aspire to found a prosperous start-up or lead a multinational corporation benefitting Indian society and the economy at large”.

JNU attack: Protests continue across India as govt pushes for calm

Union minister Prakash Javadekar expressed confidence that the ongoing police probe will ‘unmask’ the accused

Students came out in large numbers across the country on Wednesday to protest Sunday’s violence against students at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) while Opposition parties, including the Congress, announced they would soon meet to decide their future course of action.

In view of the continuing protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not attend the inaugural function of the third Khelo India event to be held in Guwahati from January 10 to 22. In a separate development, the Centre moved the Supreme Court on the day, seeking transfer of petitions challenging constitutional validity of the CAA pending before different high courts to the top court.

A bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde posted the matter for January 10. The Bench, also comprising justices B R Gavai and Surya Kant, said, “We are of the prima facie view that high courts should hear petitions challenging CAA and in case there is a conflict then we may look into it”.

Tushar Mehta, Solicitor General of India, appearing for the Centre, said there would be a problem as different high courts may take conflicting views and lawyers will move to different states to attend proceedings. The top court said lawyers moving to different states to attend hearings was not its priority…

Protest against Pakistan’s atrocities on minorities: Modi to CAA protesters

He likewise said the street has been cleared for the development of an excellent Ram mandir at Lord Ram’s origination with harmony and participation of everybody.

Attacking Congress and its partners for restricting the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the fights were against the Parliament and approached the fomenters to speak more loudly against Pakistan’s barbarities on its minorities throughout the previous 70 years.

“The individuals who are challenging the Parliament of India, I need to disclose to them that the need was to uncover Pakistan’s deeds on the world stage. On the off chance that you need to dissent, dissent and speak more loudly against Pakistan’s deeds throughout the previous 70 years, you ought to have that guts,” he said.

Tending to a social affair at Siddaganga Math, he stated, “On the off chance that you need to yell mottos, yell against the manner by which abominations are occurring against minorities there; in the event that you need to hold rallies, hold it for Dalits and discouraged who have originated from Pakistan (to India). On the off chance that you need to do dharna, carry out it against Pakistans things.”

There is change in India’s approach against psychological warfare, Modi stated, by revoking Article 370, exertion has been made to evacuate dread of fear and vulnerability from the life of individuals there and a fresh start of improvement has been introduced both in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. He likewise said the street has been cleared for the development of a stupendous Ram mandir at Lord Ram’s origination with harmony and collaboration of everybody…Read More

NRC an internal affair of Indian govt, says Bangladesh Border Guards chief

The BGB will keep on attempting to counteract illicit intersections into India, its Director General Maj Gen Shafeenul Islam said at a question and answer session here.

The procedure of production of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) is totally an “inside issue” of the Indian government and the collaboration between the outskirt guarding powers of the two nations is awesome, the head of Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) said on Sunday.

The BGB will keep on attempting to forestall unlawful intersections into India, its Director General Maj Gen Shafeenul Islam said at a question and answer session here. A BGB appointment, drove by Islam, is on a reciprocal visit to India to hold DG-level fringe chats with their partners, the BSF said.

“This is totally an interior undertaking of the Indian government,” he said when requested to remark on the NRC issue. When gotten some information about the arrangements of the CAA that tries to allow Indian citizenship to mistreated non-Muslims from three nations, the DG said he might not want to offer any remarks….

CAA, NRC protests : Many UP cities switch off internet to foil unrest

Thousands of police and paramilitary are on the streets in Uttar Pradesh to ensure peace for Friday prayers.

CAA Protests: A huge number of police and paramilitary are in the city in Uttar Pradesh to guarantee harmony for Friday supplications, trying to anticipate brutality that killed at any rate 19 individuals in about fourteen days of fights against the new citizenship law. Web has been suspended in 14 urban communities, including Bulandshar, Mathura, Ghaziabad and Agra, for the day to avoid bits of gossip during challenges the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC).

India has been shaken by shows since December 12, after the administration authorized CAA that gives non-Muslim minorities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan who moved here before 2015 a pathway to Indian citizenship.

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 Police walk through Gorakhpur

Police walked through Gorakhpur and met with harmony boards of trustees after savagery in the upper east Uttar Pradesh town on November 20. Paramilitary power and state police have been conveyed in the city, Gorakhpur District Magistrate Vijyendra Pandiyan told PTI.

Web off again in UP urban areas

Web suspended in Ghaziabad, Bulandshahr, Meerut, Muzaffarnagar and Shamli again after about seven days of administration. In Agra, web will be suspended till Friday evening, detailed news organization PTI citing an anonymous cop….

Three killed in police firing as CAB protests flare across the Northeast

Two Bangladeshi ministers cancel visit to India; uncertainty over Guwahati hosting Shinzo Abe in India-Japan summit on December 15

Several parts of the Northeast continued to burn for a second day on Thursday, as people defied curfew in Assam to protest the passage of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, leaving at least three dead in police firing in Guwahati.

The police opened fire to disperse protesters at Lalungaonn area in Guwahati. There were reports of people getting injured. Police also fired in the air in several other areas of the city, including the Guwahati-Shillong Road that turned into a war zone as protesters vandalised shops and buildings, burnt tyres, and clashed with security forces, PTI reported.

The All Assam Students Union (AASU) and peasants’ organisation KMSS called for a mega gathering at Latashil playground in the city, which was attended by hundreds of people. Several prominent personalities from the film and music industry, including icon Zubeen Garg, joined the gathering along with college students. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi and CM Sarbananda Sonowal have betrayed the people of Assam by ensuring passage of the Bill,” AASU advisor Samujjal Bhattacharya said.

Airlines cancelled their flights, with hundreds of passengers stranded at the Guwahati airport, and the railways suspended plying of trains beyond Guwahati. Schools will remain shut in Assam until December 22. Internet services remained suspended in the state, and were stopped in Meghalaya for 48 hours….Click Here

India abandoning its founding principles with Citizenship Amendment Bill

The purpose is to create, through law, a permanent threat to hang over every single Muslim head in India, writes Mihir S Sharma.

For 70 years, India has struggled to remain a secular state. In spite of its people being overwhelmingly Hindu, it chose not to distinguish between its citizens–or putative citizens–on the basis of their religion. That principle was what its founding fathers fought for, and what for decades led it to proudly distinguish itself from Pakistan, born at the same time as India but explicitly as a homeland for Muslims.

The Hindu nationalist party of which India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party played no part in the popular struggle for independence. It has no reason to quarrel with the “two-nation theory” that holds that the Muslims and Hindus of the subcontinent are always and forever two nations–the theory that Pakistan’s founders proposed and India’s founders rejected. Indeed, as far as the BJP is concerned, India is knit together by its Hindu heritage; India’s Muslim citizens are at best to be uneasily tolerated, and at worst to be seen as interlopers who belong in Pakistan.

This week, India’s parliament enshrined this worldview in law. It passed an amendment to India’s citizenship act that allowed a swift path to citizenship for refugees and migrants from certain neighboring countries–as long as they are Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Christian, Zoroastrian or Buddhist…

Read More: Citizenship Amendment Bill