Outlook The News Scroll
December 23, 2020
Washington, Dec 22 (PTI) A Democratic American lawmaker on Tuesday urged the Indian government to provide safety to the protesting farmers as he hailed the recent offers of dialogue and a proposal from India''s Supreme Court to set up mediation.
India has called the remarks by foreign leaders and politicians on protests by farmers as "ill-informed" and "unwarranted", asserting that the matter pertains to the internal affairs of a democratic country.
"We have seen some ill-informed comments…relating to farmers in India. Such comments are unwarranted, especially when pertaining to the internal affairs of a democratic country," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said early this month.
"I call on India’s government to demonstrate its commitment to democratic norms by guaranteeing protesters’ safety and by treating them with respect. Democracy demands this much," Congressman David Trone said.
Trone, who represents the sixth Congressional District of Maryland, also expressed concern over reports of violence used against the protesters. He was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2018.
"I further welcome the government’s engagement with the protestors, including recent offers of dialogue and a proposal from India''s Supreme Court to set up mediation," he said in a statement.
"As we continue to watch the democratic process unfold in India, where stakeholders from all sides are included, I’m hopeful to see a path forward that respects the rights of all Indians," said Trone, who previously was owner of a major American wine retailer.
Thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana and several other states have been protesting on various borders of Delhi since November 26, seeking repeal of three farm laws enacted in September.
Dubbing these laws as "anti-farmer", these farmers claim that the newly enacted legislations would pave the way for the dismantling of the minimum support price system, leaving them at the "mercy" of big corporations.
However, the government has maintained that the new laws will bring farmers better opportunities and usher in new technologies in agriculture. There have been multiple rounds of talks between representatives of the protestors and the Indian government but the logjam continues.
"The partnership between the United States and India has grown exponentially over the course of the past several years based on shared interest in a variety of areas: from security and trade to climate change and human rights," he said.
"Our relationship with India not only helps anchor US policy in the Indo-Pacific, but it serves to set an example for cooperation that extends far beyond our two countries. As President-elect (Joe) Biden takes office in January, I look forward to working with the new Administration to strengthen this partnership based on the democratic values President-elect Biden has espoused throughout his career," he said.
Trone said India’s citizens, like those of the US, have a longstanding tradition of engaging in a civic debate that aims to hold the government accountable to its people.
"We are reminded of this as thousands of Indians have taken to the streets in recent weeks to peacefully protest implementation of new laws. Their demonstration is an exercise of the democratic process, one that grants civic rights and freedom of expression,” he said. PTI LKJ MRJ MRJ
Disclaimer :- This story has not been edited by Outlook staff and is auto-generated from news agency feeds. Source: PTI
The elections to 280 DDC seats – 14 in each of the 20 districts -- were held in eight phases in the Union Territory from November 28 to December 19 and so far the results of 240 seats have been declared after the counting of votes began Tuesday morning, the officials said.
The Peoples Alliance for Gupkar Declaration has so far won 95 seats followed by BJP at 68, while Congress had got 21 seats till the last reports came in.
Among the 42 successful independent candidates, the Kashmir valley elected 28 of them while the rest were elected in Jammu region. Both Kashmir and Jammu divisions have 10 districts each.
Seven independent candidates won from Srinagar, the highest in any district in J&K, followed by four each in Pulwama, Shopian and Poonch and three each in Bandipora and Baramulla districts, according to the official data released by J&K Election commission.
The biggest upset at the hands of independent candidates was the defeat of former MLA Shah Mohammad Tantray, who had resigned from the PDP early this year. Tantray was defeated by Riyaaz Choudhary who polled 3,829 votes against 2,898 by him in Loran constituency of Poonch district.
However, independent candidate Shahnaz Ganai was not so lucky as she was defeated by National Conference candidate Ateeqa Begum. Ganai was a former National Conference MLC before leaving the party and tried her luck from Mandi constituency. Ganai polled 6,759 votes against 8,040 by the winning NC candidate.
Three independent candidates each won from Bandipora and Baramulla, two each in Ganderbal, Kupwara and Anantnag and one in Budgam.
In Jammu region, besides Poonch, the independent candidates registered their win in Ramban, Rajouri, Kishtwar, Reasi and Doda districts. PTI TAS SKL RDM RDM
Disclaimer :- This story has not been edited by Outlook staff and is auto-generated from news agency feeds.
Superintendent of Police (Rural) Iraj Raja said the assailants shot six times at the man outside his home in Siroli village of Loni area.
Jainendra alias Jaini Bansal was a farmer by profession and sitting in his courtyard when the gunmen reached there and called him outside.
The farmer stepped out for a brief talk with the men when they took out guns and pumped 5 to 6 bullets into his body. The gunmen fled the spot.
Bansal was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment, where the doctors declared him brought dead.
Police are looking at CCTV footage from the area to ascertain the turn of events.
Meanwhile, the body was sent for a post-mortem.
An investigation and other legal formalities, including FIR registration, are underway, the SP added. PTI CORR HDA
Disclaimer :- This story has not been edited by Outlook staff and is auto-generated from news agency feeds.
"The trends that have emerged in the DDC polls in JK are very encouraging for the @JKPAGD. The BJP had made this election a prestige issue about Art 370 and JK’s special status. The people have now spoken and it’s for those who believe in democracy to pay heed to these voices," he tweeted.
Abdullah''s remarks came amid counting of votes of the DDC elections, in which the People''s Alliance on Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) has won 86 seats so far and was leading in 28 others when the last reports came in. There are 280 seats in Jammu and Kashmir.
He said the PAGD alliance had "emerged out of the betrayal of the people of JK on 5th Aug 2019. We have faced every obstacle - illegal detentions, agency threats and pressures, our candidates were locked up to stop them campaigning and from all this we are emerging victorious."
He expressed gratitude from the entire PAGD to the people for their "support at this critical juncture. We reaffirm our commitment to use all democratic and legal weapons at our disposal to continue to fight for our rights".
Taking on the BJP for showcasing the three maiden seats won from Kashmir, Omar expressed surprise that the party was silent about the seats won and leads established by the PAGD in Jammu region.
"I understand the temptation to over play the 3 seats the BJP has won in the valley but why underplay the 35 wins/leads of the @JKPAGD in Jammu province. We aren''t Kashmir based parties, we are political parties with strong support in both Kashmir AND Jammu," he tweeted.
Three BJP candidates -- Aijaz Hussain, Aijaz Ahmad Khan and Minha Lateef -- won from Khonmoh-II seat in Srinagar, Tulail seat in Bandipora district and Kakpora in Pulwama respectively.
This is the first time that the BJP has registered a win in the Kashmir valley while facing regional heavyweights like the National Conference and the PDP.
The party''s General Secretary Vibodh Gupta congratulated the party candidates who registered victories in the DDC elections, especially in Kashmir region, and said the people of the Valley have exhibited their faith in the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Earlier, Abdullah had told PTI that the results and emerging trends of the DDC polls should act as an "eye-opener" for the BJP and "its proxy political party", Abdullah said in an apparent reference to the Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party. The trends show that the people have not accepted the government’s “unilateral decision” of revoking the special status of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir on August 5, 2019, and downgrading it to a Union Territory, the NC leader said. Abdullah, who is a former chief minister, said the results and trends are an "important milestone" for the PAGD as they endorse "our view" that revoking of special status was not acceptable to the people. "Now if the BJP and its proxy political party believe in democracy, as they have stated, they should immediately reverse its decision (abrogation of special status) and respect the verdict of the people of this region," he said. Abdullah said the BJP had flown in a number of Union ministers and central leaders to campaign for the DDC elections. "The BJP is the one which turned these elections as a referendum of its policy of 2019. I hope they have understood the desire of the people," he said. The NC leader said the PAGD, comprising seven mainstream political parties of the Union Territory, had made its stand very clear to the people and also that the alliance would seek all democratic and legal measures to restore the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir as well as its special status. "We were not allowed to campaign much but still people showed that they could not be swayed away by the campaign launched by the BJP and its support party," he said. The NC and the Mehbooba Mufti-led PDP are among the constituents of the PAGD. PTI SKL RDM RDM
Disclaimer :- This story has not been edited by Outlook staff and is auto-generated from news agency feeds.
Chennai, Dec 22 It was a memorable treble for India as Grandmaster Nihal Sarin, Woman International Master Rakshitta Ravi and D Gukesh won the titles in their respective categories in the FIDE Online World Youth and Cadet Rapid Championships on Tuesday.
While the highly-rated Sarin (Elo 2620) beat Armenian GM Shant Sargyan 1.5-0.5 in the Open under-18 section final, Rakshitta Ravi also won by a similar margin against China''s Song Yuxin in the girls under-16 final.
The 16-year old Sarin won a marathon 58-move second game after honours were shared in the first.
Meanwhile, Rakshitta after a draw in the first game, won the second in 39 moves to emerge champion.
Earlier in the semifinals, Sarin had beaten Italian Francesco Sonis 1.5-0.5.
The Indian player was initially scheduled to take on Narayana Hepler Ramirez in the semifinals. However, Ramirez was found in violation of the tournament''s fair-play policy and thus was disqualified as a result of which Sarin faced IM Sonis.
Also, Gukesh made it three wins for India when he beat Volodar Murzin 2-1 in the final of the under-14 category. Earlier, Gukesh beat FM Denis Lazavik by the same margin in the semifinals.
In the under-10 boys section, Mrinmoy Rajkhowa missed a couple of opportunities and crashed out in the semifinal, with a loss to American Andy Woodward.
The games were played in best of two Rapid 15 mins + 10 seconds increment in the tournament where a 1-1 tie will result in Armageddon (sudden death tie-break games). PTI SS HDA
Disclaimer :- This story has not been edited by Outlook staff and is auto-generated from news agency feeds.
The accused, Sandeep Kumar, is a resident of Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, they said.
The matter came to light on September 6 when police were informed regarding a woman being sexually assaulted by a police officer in a hotel in Paharganj area.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Sanjay Bhatia said on the statement of the complainant, a case of rape was registered and during investigation, it was observed that the identity used by the accused to book the hotel was fake.
As part of the probe, several CCTV cameras were checked, call detail records were analysed, but the accused frequently changed his mobile phone numbers and location. It came to notice that the accused was in touch with some woman and visited bars in Delhi-NCR, the officer said.
Later, with the help of bar employees, he was arrested from one of the bars, he said.
During interrogation, it was disclosed that he used to trap innocent women by impersonating a police officer of Uttar Pradesh Police, he added.
A nameplate of UP Police, three mobile phones and two identity cards were recovered from his rented house, the DCP said. PTI AMP KJ
Disclaimer :- This story has not been edited by Outlook staff and is auto-generated from news agency feeds.
Comments
Post a Comment