New Delhi : Union Home Minister Amit Shah will chair a meeting on Left Wing Extremism (LWE) here on Friday.
“Naxalism is a curse to humanity and we are resolved to uproot it in all its forms, ” he said in a post on X.
“I look forward to chairing the Review Meeting on Left Wing Extremism (LWE) in New Delhi today to further our efforts to fulfil PM Narendra Modi Ji’s vision of an LWE-free nation, ” the Union Minister added.
The meeting is scheduled to take place at Vigyan Bhawan here.
The Allahabad High Court recently held that before dismissal of an employee from service, the authority must look at the conduct that led to his conviction on criminal charge.
“Mechanical order of dismissal cannot be passed based on mere conviction, ” the court added.
Allowing a writ petition filed by one Vishwanath Vishwakarma, Justice Neeraj Tiwari said, “The apex court has considered this issue repeatedly and has held that even after conviction of an employee, his conduct must be considered while passing the removal or dismissal order, as without that, any order of dismissal is improper.”
The petitioner worked as Lekhpal in Sultanpur district and was promoted in 1994 and 2000.
In 1992, an FIR was lodged against the petitioner under section 302 (murder) and other sections. After trial, the petitioner was convicted for life imprisonment under section-302 (murder) in 2009 and was taken into custody.
He was released on bail in 2017.
Due to his conviction, he had been dismissed from service on August 30, 2014, a day before his superannuation.
A departmental appeal was filed by the petitioner, wherein direction was issued to pay GPF only.
The remaining post retiral dues would be released according to the decision of the high court in criminal appeal, it was added.
The petitioner challenged the two orders on the ground that under Article 311(2)(a), conviction cannot be sole ground for dismissal from service and past conduct must be factored in.
It was argued that the authority had failed to apply its mind while passing the order. The petitioner relied on the decision of Supreme Court in State of Jharkhand and others Vs Jitendra Kumar Srivastava and one other to state that pension and post retiral benefits were not bounties but a property under Article 300A, which cannot be taken away without specific provisions of law. The court directed the respondent state authorities to pay post retiral dues to petitioner, including pension and other dues, within three months.
Amethi : BJP’s Amethi district unit has demanded that the management of the Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Trust be handed over to Maneka Gandhi and her son Varun Gandhi, BJP MPs from Sultanpur and Pilibhit, respectively.
In a memorandum addressed to the Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, the BJP has also demanded that free treatment be provided at the hospital.
“The Sanjay Gandhi Hospital is constructed on the land given on lease by the state government. The conditions of the lease were not adhered to and the hospital continued to be run in a disorganised manner. Hence, the government should hand over the management of Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Trust to BJP leader Maneka Gandhi, widow of Sanjay Gandhi, and her son and BJP MP from Pilibhit Varun Gandhi, ” the memorandum said.
“Else, the government should take over the hospital and hand over its management to Lucknow-based Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGI), ” it added.
The memorandum was handed over to the District Magistrate of Amethi by BJP’s district unit Chief Ram Prasad Mishra.
On September 27, more than 400 employees of the hospital sat on a ‘dharna’ against the suspension of its licence.
A political controversy erupted over the issue after local Congress leaders also staged a protest outside the Chief Minister’s Office.
Union Minister and BJP MP from Amethi, Smriti Irani, had attacked the Congress over the suspension of hospital’s licence, saying instead of supporting the deceased woman’s family, the party was “crying over loss of its profits”.
The woman patient, Divya, who was admitted to the Sanjay Gandhi Hospital on September 14, went into a coma during a surgery. Her family members alleged that she was kept at the hospital for more than 30 hours before being referred to Lucknow where she died on September 16.
The next day, an FIR of causing death by negligence was registered against four employees of the hospital, including its chief executive officer.
Security forces killed two Hizbul Mujahideen militants during an encounter in Kulgam district of south Kashmir on Wednesday.
The militants, identified as Basit Amin Bhat from Frisal and Saqib Ahmad Lone from Hawoora, Kulgam, were targeted based on specific intelligence.
A joint team of police and Army initiated a cordon and search operation in the Kujjar area of the district. The militants, hiding in the area, opened fire on the search party, to which the security forces retaliated. In the ensuing exchange of gunfire, both militants were neutralized, and their bodies were recovered from the encounter site.
A cache of incriminating materials, as well as arms and ammunition, including two AK series rifles, were seized from the encounter location.
Vijay Kumar, the Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Kashmir, praised the joint efforts of the police and army, considering this operation a major success without any collateral damage.
Cordon and search operations will continue in the area to maintain security and further eliminate potential threats.
New Delhi : While condoling the loss of lives in the Sikkim cloudburst and subsequent flash floods, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday said that such tragedies, also including the recent rain-related calamities in Himachal Pradesh, should be declared as national disasters by the Centre.
In a lengthy post on X, Kharge said: :The situation in Sikkim is precarious as several people have lost their lives and many including our brave Army personnel are missing due to cloudburst and flash floods.
Our thoughts are with the people of Sikkim who are battling these distressing times.”
The Congress president went on to say that the Centre “must do everything possible to rescue people in safer locations and find the missing persons, whose count is reportedly steadily increasing”.
“A lot of damage has been done to the infrastructure, and the Union and the state governments must work together in the medium and long term to rebuild this beautiful state.”
He also said that the Congress and workers will provide help in “all possible ways in this humanitarian crisis”.
Drawing a similarity, Kharge said that the Centre “must recalibrate its strategy in dealing with ecologically fragile Himalayan states and must declare such tragedies, like Sikkim and Himachal Pradesh, as national disasters so that these states get adequate funds to rebuild themselves in a more sustainable manner”.
On Wednesday, the Defence PRO in Guwahati said that one soldier has been rescued so far while search and rescue operation by the Army continued for the remaining 22 soldiers who went missing after the sudden cloudburst over the Lhonak Lake in north Sikkim.
Release of water from the Chungthang dam led to further sudden increase in water level upto 15-20 feet high downstream, the Army spokesman said.
“Sudden increase in water level has led to Army vehicles parked at Bardang near Singtam getting affected, ” he said.
The Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority has said that in Pakyong district, 59 people including 23 Army personnel have been reported missing, while at least five people were confirmed dead.
The National Disaster Response Force has deployed three teams in the affected areas and rescued many people.
Opposition Parties in Jammu, led by National Conference President Farooq Abdullah, have announced plans to stage a peaceful protest on October 10 against the current administration.
The decision was made during a meeting held in Jammu, which included leaders from various opposition parties.
Abdullah, addressing the media after the two-hour-long meeting, expressed concerns about the current situation in Jammu and Kashmir, as well as across the country. He said that during the meeting, several issues were discussed, including the atmosphere created by the BJP-led government at the national level.
The primary objective of the planned protest is to demand the restoration of constitutional rights for the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
The meeting was attended by prominent leaders, including PDP President Mehbooba Mufti, her party’s General Secretary Amreek Singh Reen, JKPCC President Vikar Rasool Wani, Working President Raman Bhalla, CPI(M) leader M Y Tarigami, Dogra Sadar Sabha Chief Gulchain Singh Charak, and Jammu and Kashmir Shiv Sena (UBT) President Manish Sahni.
New Delhi : The Supreme Court on Wednesday came down heavily on the Punjab government for its delayed approach towards the construction of the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal.
An apex court bench comprising Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, C.T. Ravikumar, and Sudhanshu Dhulia heard the case regarding the ongoing dispute between Haryana and Punjab over the construction of SYL canal.
Punjab government’s counsel expressed his predicament, citing pressures from the opposition parties and the land aquired by the farmers.
The apex court, in its order, has directed the Centre to look into the mediation process over the dispute and also carry out a survey on Punjab side to see the extent of construction made by the state.
In March, the court had directed the Centre to play a more active role in the resolution as the main arbitrator in the case.
Earlier on July 2020, the apex court had also asked the Chief Ministers of the two states to resolve the issue amicably.
The conflict dates back to a water-sharing agreement of 1981 after Haryana was carved out of Punjab in 1966.
The SYL canal once constructed will facilitate watersharing between the two states from the Ravi and Beas rivers. Punjab was opposed water sharing citing riparian principles.
It was agreed upon that both the states would construct their portions in the SYL canal.
In 2004, the Punjab government passed the Punjab Termination of Agreement Act (PTAA) cancelling the SYL agreement.
In 2016, the apex court struck down this unilateral law by the Punjab government. The matter is listed for further hearing on January 2024.
Superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s latest movie Jawan has become a blockbuster. The entire Jawan film unit is basking on the super success of their latest release, including actor Sanya Malhotra. The actress has also been receiving positive reviews for her performance in the Shah Rukh Khan starrer from all sides. Sanya played the role of a doctor in the film, who gets accused of multiple child deaths. Because it resembled so much to the 2017 Gorakhpur case of Dr Kafeel Khan, the actress was recently asked if the case was ever point of reference for the Atlee directorial. Replying to the same, the actress told Indian Express that she dosen’t know if it was inspired by someone. According to her, she used to surrender to the director’s vision on the set.
The actress also added that she got to know that Dr Kafeel tweeted about it. She added she feels very fortunate to have played a character like Eeram. According to her, it is a very important message that they are trying to give out. According to the book The Gorakhpur Hospital Tragedy written by Dr Kafeel Khan, he was the Junior-most lecturer at the college’s paediatrics department at the time, but he went to great lengths to secure oxygen cylinders, perform emergency treatment and rally the staff to prevent as many deaths a possible- a track eerily similar to that of Sanya Malhotra in the film.
What is the truth ? Is Sanya Malhotra’s character in Shah Rukh Khan Starrer ‘Jawan’ inspired by Dr Kafeel Khan ? To unearth the truth, Dr Kafeel Khan came down to Delhi, to meet Tehelka reporter and answered all the questions related with the movie ‘Jawan’. The edited excerpts of his interview are given below.
Q 1. Was Sanya Malhotra’s character in SRK starrer Jawan Inspired by you or it’s a co-incidence ?
The charcter of Sanya Malhotra in the movie Jawan is not a co-incidence, it is being inspired by me. Although nobody from the film unit approached me during the making of Jawan. But Dr Kafeel Khan said that he has written a book, The Gorakhpur Hospital Tragedy. And he has distributed his book in the bollywood. May be the character has been taken from there.
Q 2. When did you come to know about your incident being mentioned in the movie Jawan ?
The day movie released. From the same evening I started getting calls from my friends and family members. My phone kept ringing whole night. Media persons also started calling me for my versions. Social media was also flooded with the messages for me from my well wishers.
Q 3. Were you approached by the film unit during the making of the movie Jawan ?
Frankly speaking nobody from the film unit approached me during the making of jawan.
Q 4. Your feelings after watching movie Jawan ?
I recently watched the movie. It has become a world wide hit. I am very happy that my character has also become world wide hit. What else I want from the God. Shah Rukh Khan has given me a massive platform, and have shown courage to mentioned my incident in the film.
Q 5. Did Uttar Pradesh Government approached you after the Jawan release ?
They didn’t approached me directly. A local Intelligence Unit [LIU ] of the state approached my family in Uttar Pradesh asking about my whereabouts etc.
Q 6. People say that you got money from Shah Rukh Khan for the movie ?
People thought that I took money from the filmmaker to give my story in the film. Some say I took 3 crore other say 5 crore. People are sending messages on the social media that I took money from Shah Rukh Khan to give my story. But truth is I took no money. Neither did I knew that my incident will be mentioned in the film.
Q 7. Have you written a letter of thanks to Shah Rukh Khan ?
Yes I recently I have written a letter to Shah Rukh Khan, thanking him for taking his incident in the movie Jawan. Along with the letter I have sent my book also to Shah Rukh Khan. I am waiting for his reply.
Q 8. Are you getting any offer to contest forthcoming assemblies elections ?
I have contested one election and lost. I will never going to contest any other election. Its an expensive affair. Without money elections are impossible in India. I lost all my money in one election. I will not going to contest any future elections.
Q 9. Why you are not staying in your home state Uttar Pradesh ?
I am not staying in Uttar Pradesh because I feel threatened in the state. My children also don’t feel secure there. So I have decided to move out from the state with my family. My brother and mother still lives in Uttar Pradesh.
Q 10. How you are earning you living ?
I am jobless since years now. My elder brother is taking care of me.
In response to the government’s continued disregard for numerous protests expressing the people’s concerns, hundreds of young individuals from the Khurai Assembly constituency have taken to the streets. As violence in Manipur reaches its sixth month, these protesters, adorned in black shirts and masks, march silently without chanting or shouting. Their demands are clearly displayed on placards they carry, united in their stride through the streets of Khurai.
The “Khurai Pana Naha Sing (Youth of Khurai Pana)” conducted their silent demonstration for about 3 kilometres, starting from YOSC Ground and culminating at the Social Standard Club ground in Khurai Nandeibam Leikai, Salanthong. In a poignant moment, they paused for two minutes of silence, paying tribute to those who have tragically lost their lives in the ongoing conflict.
Contrastingly, the previous evening, a Meira Paibi delegation conveyed to the media their disapproval of the rally organized by the youth of Khurai Pana. They urged the residents of Khurai Assembly constituency to refrain from participating. Yet, in an unexpected twist, hundreds of Meira Paibi members, alongside numerous youths, openly supported the rally’s organizers and their cause.
Building on the unfolding events, Ms. Sana Mangang, one of the participants in the rally, conveyed her disapproval towards the district administration’s decision to declare a curfew in the Khurai areas. “We had clearly communicated that our intention was a non-violent, peaceful protest,” she pointed out. “Through our release, we ensured the public knew it was going to be a silent demonstration. Our attire, black shirts and masks covering our mouths, was symbolic, and we refrained from shouting any slogans. Everything we wanted to say, we did so through banners and placards.”
She then shifted her focus to the broader issue at hand. “Today marks the completion of five distressing months of violence in Manipur, and we’re yet to see a resolution from the government. As young citizens of a democratic country, we, the youth of Khurai Pana, express our profound disappointment at the government’s move to impose a curfew, essentially trying to undermine our peaceful rally.”
Ms. Mangang’s expressions of disappointment didn’t end with the district administration. She also lamented the position taken by certain Meira Paibis who openly disapproved of their rally and even went as far as discouraging participation. “The very future of Manipur’s youth hangs in the balance,” she stressed. “Our intention behind the protest was to safeguard that future. It’s truly disheartening to see such statements from the Meira Paibis without them genuinely attempting to understand the essence of our protest.”
She then clarified the position of Khurai Pana’s youth. “We, the youth of Khurai Pana, stand in solidarity with all CSOs and fellow youth of Manipur, provided their protests align with democratic principles.” Ms. Mangang proceeded to enumerate the specific demands of their rally directed at the government. These included: the implementation of the NRC in Manipur, facilitating the return and resettlement of displaced individuals to their hometowns, a clear stance against granting separate administration, a firm commitment to eradicate narco-terrorism from Manipur, and an immediate guarantee to halt crimes against women and innocent children.
In response to whether the Meira Paibi from the Khurai area were informed about the appeal made by certain women to prohibit the rally, one Meira Paibi, who had actively participated in the protest, conveyed her unawareness. “We hadn’t heard of any such announcement. If we had, and it was a consensus decision, why would we be here supporting the youth?” she questioned.
She insinuated that some factions within the Meira Paibis, possibly influenced by political interests, might have made the announcement without a broader consensus. “Decisions taken under political influence without our knowledge are not representative of all Meira Paibis,” she emphasized.
Further solidifying the stance of the Meira Paibis, she said, “We stand firmly with our youth. We recognize that this is not a trivial or personal matter, but a significant issue concerning our state. We are and will always be at the forefront to support their initiatives.”
She then transitioned to criticizing the state government’s handling of the situation. “The unrest in Manipur began on May 3, and it’s been five long months. Realistically, the government had the means to resolve this within a mere 10 days. Instead, they’ve continued to prevaricate and mislead the public,” she lamented.
Two army Jawans were injured during an ongoing gunfight with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district.
The encounter ensued following a cordon and search operation in a forested area.
A joint team comprising Jammu and Kashmir Police and the army had cordoned off the Soom and Broh regions in the Kalakote area, acting on information about suspicious movements. The terrorists, however, engaged the security forces in gunfire as they attempted to break the cordon. In the ensuing exchange of fire, two army jawans sustained injuries, but their condition is reported to be stable and under control.
Currently, the police report that two terrorists remain trapped within the cordon area. Reinforcements have been deployed to seal off escape routes. Lt. Col Suneel Bartwal stated that technology is being utilized to monitor the terrorists’ movements, and an intensive operation is underway to capture the two individuals believed to be hiding inside the forest. The entire jungle area has been surrounded by security personnel.
This incident follows a six-day encounter in Anantnag in September, during which four security personnel lost their lives. Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander Uzair Khan was killed during that operation. The military had utilized high-tech weaponry, including sophisticated drones, motor shells, and rockets, throughout the 100-hour operation to target terrorist hideouts. Security forces also employed drones and quadcopters to locate the terrorists in the Kokernag area. Motor shells were fired at areas suspected of harboring terrorists.
