September 2019

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September 2019 

High Court refuses to stay 

ban on TV serial in Punjab Shahjahanpur 

Chandigarh : The Punjab and Haryana 

High Court on Monday refused to stay the 

ban on the telecast of the television series 

"Ram Siya Ke Luv Kush" imposed by the 

state of Punjab two days ago. The court 

adjourned the case for next hearing on 

September 12. 

During a special hearing on a petition 

filed by Colors TV, Justice T.S. Dhindsa 

declined to grant stay on the order passed 

Sibal tears into government 

as it completes 100 days 

New Delhi : On a day the union 

government went aggressive to publicise 

its achievements of the first 100 

days in power, the Congress fielded 

senior leader Kapil Sibal to take on 

the the Modi government. Calling it 

the government of arrogance, vendetta 

politics, uncertainty, 

anguish and suspense, 

Sibal launched attack on 

multiple fronts. " 

39 new bills were 

introduced out of which 

28 were passed in the 

budget session of 

Parliament. However, 

none was sent for scrutiny 

to either the Standing 

Committee or Select 

Committee", alleged 

Sibal. In what could 

spell trouble for the Congress, he 

called abrogation of Article 370 an 

act of ’arrogance’. He also alleged that 

the RBI was made to transfer Rs 1.76 

lakh crore record surplus to the 

Government. Accusing the government 

of doinbg vendetta politics, 

Sibal highlighted the arrest of former 

Financce Minister P. Chidambaram, 

by various District Commissioners in their 

capacity as District Magistrates. 

Arguing the case, Additional Advocate 

General Rameeza Hakeem said the decision 

to ban the telecast of the serial had 

been taken on the ground that Rishi 

Valmiki had been portrayed in a negative 

light, hurting the sentiments of the Valmiki 

community in Punjab. 

During the hearing, which went beyond 

former Karnataka Minister D. K. 

Shivakumar and questioning of Raj 

Thackeray (MNS), Ajit Pawar (NCP), 

Partha Chatterjee (TMC) and Kamal 

Nath’s nephew, saying that that the 

Modi government is targeting its 

political opponents. "The agencies 

apply the law selectively 

to opposition leaders 

while those belonging to 

the BJP are given an 

easy escape route", said 

Sibal. He said the axing 

of Article 370 and final 

list of the National 

Register of Citizens 

(NRC) in Assam have 

only created uncertainty 

in the country. He 

alleged, "the NRC, 

which has left around 1.9 

million people, has only created 

chaos and uncertain future". Sibal 

didn’t leave any stone unturned to target 

the government on the economic 

slowdown. "Auto sales have slumped 

to a near two-decade low, 3,50,000 

workers have been laid off; over 300 

dealerships have been closed. 

See Page 10 

5 p.m., Colors TV contended that the ban 

order was passed without adhering to the 

principles of natural justice, and without 

the ingredients of Section 19 of the Cable 

Operators Regulation Act. The channel 

also placed on record an offer from the 

producers of the serial to enter a dialogue 

with the Home Secretary to discuss the 

contentious scenes. They offered to delete 

the scenes that portrayed Valmiki in objectionable 

light. The court called upon the 

Additional Advocate General to take 

instructions in the matter, especially on the 

offer made by the producers to delete the 

objectionable scenes. Hakeem later said 

the offer would be considered by the state 

government, whose response would be 

submitted before the court on the next date 

of hearing. Punjab Chief Minister 

Amarinder Singh on Saturday ordered the 

Deputy Commissioners to immediately 

ban the telecast of "Ram Siya Ke Luv 

Kush", which had offended the members of 

the Valmiki community who staged a 

protest on the same day. 

The Chief Minister had also written to 

the government of India, urging it to 

instruct the direct-to-home channels to stop 

telecasting the serial. 

Brexit: British 

Parliament to be 

suspended later 

London : The five-week suspension 

of the Parliament in the UK will 

begin later as the MPs are expected to 

again reject the government’s call for a 

snap election. Opposition MPs confirmed 

that they would not back the 

push for a October 15 poll, insisting 

that a law blocking a no-deal Brexit 

must be implemented first, the BBC 

reported. Ministers have said that they 

will test what the law -- expected to get 

final approval on Monday -- requires 

of them. Prime Minister Boris Johnson 

has been warned that he could face 

legal action for flouting it. 

The government has described the 

law, which would force the PM to seek 

a Brexit delay if MPs don’t approve a 

new deal or no deal by 19 October, as 

"lousy". See Page 10 

BJP leader raped me 

for over a year, 

alleges law student 

(Uttar 

Pradesh) : The 

law postgraduate 

student, who 

had levelled 

charges of sexual 

harassment 

against former 

Union Minister 

S w a m i 

Chinmayanand, 

on Monday 

alleged that she 

was raped and 

exploited for over a year by the 

BJP leader. 

Addressing the press here, 

the woman, who was studying 

at a law college where 

Chinmayanand was the director, 

claimed that he exploited 

many more girls like her, but 

only she had courage to come 

ahead and file a complaint. 

"Swami Chinmayanand 

raped me and even exploited 

me physically for one year," 

she alleged before the media, 

her face covered with a black 

scarf. 

"I have every evidence of 

BA strike cancels 

nearly 100% flights 

London : British Airways (BA) 

had been forced to cancel nearly 100 

per cent of its scheduled flights as 

pilots held a two-day strike over pay, 

the UK flag carrier said on Monday. 

The airline 

operates roughly 

850 flights 

daily and the 

industrial action 

could affect 

around 145,000 

passengers each 

day, Efe news 

reported. 

Flights to 

New York, 

Delhi, Hong Kong and Johannesburg 

have all been affected, with the airline 

telling passengers: "If your flight is 

cancelled, please do not go to the airport." 

"We understand the frustration 

and disruption BALPA’s strike action 

has caused you. After many months of 

trying to resolve the pay dispute, we 

are extremely sorry that it has come to 

this. "Unfortunately, with no detail 

the crime... go and open my 

hostel room," 

she added. 

She also 

alleged that the 

Uttar Pradesh 

Police had 

refused to file 

her FIR and 

hence, she 

decided to file 

an complaint in 

Delhi. "The 

Delhi Police 

has registered this complaint at 

the Lodhi Road police station 

and has forwarded it to 

Shahjahanpur police," she said. 

The woman also accused the 

local District Magistrate of trying 

to threaten her parents for 

complaining against 

Chinmayanand, a three-time 

MP. 

"Here I was running for my 

life, and the DM of 

Shahjahanpur threatened my 

father that you must see against 

whom you are filing a complaint," 

the girl said. 

See Page 10 

from BALPA on which pilots would 

strike, we had no way of predicting 

how many would come to work or 

which aircraft they are qualified to fly, 

so we had no option but to cancel 

nearly 100 per 

cent our 

flights," BA 

added on its 

website. 

Travellers have 

been offered full 

refunds, flights 

on different carriers, 

or the 

option to fly on 

a different date, 

but should not turn up at the airport 

without a confirmed flight. 

The British Airline Pilots’ 

Association (BALPA) has organised 

the two-day strike over a pay dispute 

with the airline and has planned a second 

day of industrial action on 

September 27 if the issue goes unresolved. 

See Page 10

2 


ASIA 

www.theasianindependent.co.uk 

Hong Kong protesters appeal to Trump for help 

Tokyo : At a time when data 

breaches have become common, a 

clerk in Japan stole credit card information 

by just looking at and memorising 

the details of over 1,300 customers. 

According to the police, 

Taniguchi 

worked the register 

part-time at 

a mall in Koto 

City. Whenever 

a customer 

would pay by 

credit card, the 

suspect allegedly 

memorised 

their 16-digitnumber, 

name, 

expiry date, and 

security code, all in the time it took to 

process their purchase, said a report in 

japantoday.com on Sunday. 

The 34-year-old clerk, working at a 

mall in Koto City, near Tokyo allegedly 

memorised the 16-digit credit card 

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Hong Kong : Pro-democracy protesters in 

Hong Kong appealed to US President Donald 

Trump for help as they marched near the US 

Consulate General in the city. Some were carrying 

banners reading "President Trump, please save 

Hong Kong" and "Make Hong Kong great again", 

the BBC reported on Sunday. The protests, now in 

their 14th straight week, have continued despite 

Hong Kong's leadership finally meeting one of the 

protesters' key demands. China has consistently 

warned other countries not to interfere. It says the 

situation in Hong Kong, a former British colony 

handed back to China in 1997, is purely its own 

internal affair. 

Sunday's crowd waved US flags and chanted 

pleas for the US to "liberate" Hong Kong from 

China. 

They sought that the US pass a proposed "Hong 

Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act", which 

Democratic senators are pushing for consideration 

next week. The law would require the US to certify 

Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy on an 

annual basis to justify its special trade status. 

It could also expose Chinese officials to US 

sanctions if they were found responsible for suppressing 

Hong Kong's freedoms. Protesters sang 

the US national anthem and a new rallying cry of 

"five demands, not one less" - after one of their 

long-standing conditions for ending demonstrations 

was met earlier this week. The appeal for US 

intervention comes despite Trump's characterisation 

of Chinese President Xi Jinping as "a great 

leader who very much has the respect of his people". 

For its part, China has not only warned foreign 

powers not to interfere, but has outright 

accused the US and Britain of encouraging the 

protests. The US State Department has issued a 

travel advisory for Americans visiting Hong Kong, 

warning that US citizens and diplomatic staff "have 

been subject to a People's Republic of China propaganda 

campaign falsely accusing the United 

States of fomenting unrest in Hong Kong". 

Man steals credit card 

info of 1,300 people 

by memorising it 

number, security code and expiry date 

of customers and used it to make purchases 

online. 

The scammer, despite apparently 

having a Sherlock Holmes-level of 

memorisation ability, led police 

straight to him 

by using stolen 

credit card 

information to 

buy two bags 

valued at 

270,000 yen 

(approximately 

$2,500) -- 

which he then 

had mailed to 

his own 

address, 

according to ANN news. The police 

have found a notebook containing several 

dozen names and numbers and are 

currently linking them to past incidents 

to determine the scope of the alleged 

crimes of Taniguchi. 

AKHILESH YADAV 

postpones Rampur visit 

Lucknow : Samajwadi Party (SP) 

Chief Akhilesh Yadav on Monday 

postponed his visit to Rampur to 

express solidarity with Azam Khan, 

MP from his party. 

Akhilesh Yadav said during a press 

conference that the Yogi government 

had stopped him from going to 

Rampur, forcing him to cancel his 

visit on Monday. He said: "I had to 

leave for Rampur today. I had shared 

all the details with the administration, 

including the people whom I was 

going to meet. But, the District 

Magistrate gave the pretext of 

Muharram and told us that the 

arrangements for the visit could not be 

made." 

Akhilesh Yadav added: "Since 

Muharram and Ganesh Visarjan is 

happening, so I have postponed my 

programme. I am going there on 

September 13 and 14. I will be sending 

all the details to the administration" 

The former Chief Minister 

accused the District Magistrate (DM) 

of not making the arrangements: "The 

DM is seeking extension, he wants to 

be in Uttar Pradesh only." 

Akhilesh Yadav attacked his erstwhile 

partner Congress also. He said: 

China reaffirms support for 

Pak on KASHMIR issue 

Islamabad : China has reaffirmed its 

situation in Kashmir and reiterated that the 

support for Pakistan on the Kashmir issue 

issue was a "dispute left from history", and 

and said that it opposed any unilateral 

should be properly and peacefully resolved 

actions that could complicate the regional 

based on the UN Charter, relevant UN 

situation, according to a joint statement. 

Security Council resolutions and bilateral 

The statement was issued on Sunday after 

agreements. The two sides also underlined 

the conclusion of Chinese Foreign Minister 

that a peaceful, stable, cooperative and prosperous 

South Asia was in the common inter- 

and State Councillor Wang Yi's two-day visit 

to Pakistan where he held talks with Prime 

est of all parties and they need to settle disputes 

and issues in the region through dia- 

Minister Imran Khan, his counterpart Shah 

Mehmood Qureshi, President Arif Alvi and 

logue on the basis of mutual respect and 

Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed 

equality, The News International quoted the 

Bajwa, reports The Express Tribune. in working for a better external security statement as saying. Before the joint statement 

was issued, Khan during his meeting 

"The Chinese side reaffirmed its support environment, and in playing a more constructive 

role in regional and international with Wang earlier on Sunday briefed the 

for Pakistan in safeguarding its sovereignty, 

territorial integrity, independence, and issues," the statement said 

Chinese side on the situation in Kashmir 

national dignity, in choosing its development 

path in light of its national conditions, was also paying close attention to the current Jammu and Kashmir's special 

The visiting delegation said that China after India's August 5 move to revoke 

status. 

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"The BJP, Congress and the administration 

are in unison in Rampur. BJP 

has no faith in democracy. They don't 

want the University to be there. The 

government has made Rampur an 

issue only to hide their failures." 

Azam Khan has been slapped with 

81 cases. And, when he seemed to be 

fighting a lonely battle, Mulayam 

Singh came out in support of him. A 

few days back, Mulayam Singh held a 

press conference in Lucknow and 

asked the party workers to agitate in 

support of Azam Khan. After this, 

Akhilesh fixed his programme of 

meeting Azam Khan's family on 

Monday. Congress leader and vice 

president of the Uttar Pradesh 

Congress Committee minority cell 

Faisal Khan had written to Uttar 

Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, 

appealing to her to stop Akhilesh 

Yadav from going to Rampur as this 

could instigate violence in the area. 

JD-U 

leader's son 

shot dead in 

Bihar 

Patna : A Janata Dal- 

Union (JD-U) leader's son 

was shot dead here by 

unidentified assailants, 

police said on Sunday. 

The body of Saurabh 

Kumar, JD-U leader 

Vinod Mukhiya's son, was 

found near the Buddha 

Dental College on Sunday 

morning. 

District police official 

Jitendra Kumar said a 

case has been lodged and 

a probe was underway. 

Vinod Mukhiya was 

elected unopposed as the 

party's President of Rahui 

block in Nalanda district.


ASIA 


3 

90-95% OF MISSION 

objectives achieved: ISRO 

Chennai : The Rs 978 crore 

Chandrayaan-2 -- Indias first moon 

landing mission -- has accomplished 

90-95 per cent of the mission objectives 

even though the lander Vikram 

cannot be reached and its status is not 

known, said Indian Space Research 

Organisation (ISRO). 

In a statement, ISRO said: "The 

success criteria was defined for each 

and every phase of the mission and to 

date 90 to 95 per cent of the mission 

objectives have been accomplished 

and will continue to contribute to 

lunar science, notwithstanding the 

loss of communication with the 

Lander." 

According to ISRO, the Vikram 

Lander followed the planned descent 

trajectory from its orbit of 35 km to 

just below 2 km above the surface. 

"All the systems and sensors of the 

Lander functioned excellently until 

this point and proved many new technologies 

such as variable thrust 

propulsion technology used in the 

Lander," ISRO said. 

The Indian space agency said the 

precise launch and mission management 

has ensured a long life of almost 

seven years for the Chandrayaan-2 

Since the launch of 

Chandrayaan-2 on July 22, 

2019, not only India but 

the whole world watched 

its progress from one 

phase to the next with 

great expectations and 

excitement. 

Orbiter instead of the planned one 

year. 

According to ISRO Chairman 

K.Sivan, the Orbiter has sufficient 

amount of fuel on-board for it to operate 

for seven years. The ISRO said 

Chandrayaan-2 mission was a highly 

complex mission, which represented a 

significant technological leap compared 

to its previous missions. 

The Chandrayaan-2 mission 

brought together an Orbiter, Lander 

and Rover to explore the unexplored 

south pole of the Moon. 

Since the launch of Chandrayaan-2 

on July 22, 2019, not only India but 

the whole world watched its progress 

from one phase to the next with great 

expectations and excitement. 

"This was a unique mission which 

aimed at studying not just one area of 

the Moon but all the areas combining 

the exosphere, the surface as well as 

the sub-surface of the moon in a single 

mission," ISRO said. "The Orbiter 

has already been placed in its intended 

orbit around the Moon and shall 

enrich our understanding of the 

Moon's evolution and mapping of the 

minerals and water molecules in the 

polar regions, using its eight state-ofthe-art 

scientific instruments," the 

statement added. The Orbiter camera 

is the highest resolution camera 

(0.3m) in any lunar mission so far and 

shall provide high resolution images 

which will be immensely useful to the 

global scientific community, ISRO 

added. However, the statement is 

silent on the reason for the deviation 

in the Vikram's plotted descent chart 

which may not have to do with snapping 

of the communication link. 

Only a photograph of the Vikram 

on the moon will tell whether it crashlanded. 

'India may have lost contact 

with moon on hard landing' 

Twitterati hail ISRO 

as lander Vikram's 

LOCATION FOUND 

New Delhi : As the Indian Space 

Research Organisation (ISRO) 

announced that it has found its moon 

lander Vikram on the lunar surface on 

Sunday, the twitterati wasting no time 

in sharing words of hope and support 

for the organisation. 

"#Vikram lander spotted on the 

moon. Let's see what happens next.. 

important data coming ahead," wrote 

a user. 

"It's a good news. Hope ISRO will 

succeed in establishing communication 

with Lander," wrote another user. 

"The lander seems to have hit the 

lunar surface and is in an upturned 

position," an official told IANS preferring 

anonymity. He also said there 

is a possibility of the lander having 

broken on impact. 

@GauravVprince wrote: "Proud 

moment for #India as #Chandrayaan2 

's #VikramLander has been found, 

said #ISRO chief K. Sivan." 

On July 22, the Rs 978-crore 

Chandrayaan-2 was launched into 

space by India's heavy-lift rocket 

Geosynchronous Satellite Launch 

Vehicle-Mark III (GSLV Mk III). 

Early on September 7, Vikram while 

on its descent to soft land on the 

moon's south polar region apparently 

lost control and crash-landed, thereby 

losing all communication links. 

Bengaluru : Echoing Indian space 

agency Chairman K. Sivan's hunch on 

the descent of lander Vikram being terrifying, 

a space expert on Sunday said 

its hard landing on the moon at a tilted 

angle could have snapped the communication 

link with the mission control 

here, 3.84 lakh km away. 

"The contact has been lost because 

Vikram would have hit the moon's surface 

hard at high speed and tumbled 

over rather than landing softly on its 

four legs as intended," former Space 

Commission member Roddam 

Narasimha told IANS. 

Though the Indian Space Research 

Organisation (ISRO) is yet to affirm 

what could have snapped the contact 

between Vikram and its Telemetry, 

Tracking and Command Network 

Centre (Istrac) on early Saturday, the 

86-year-old veteran space scientist 

said the link would have been lost as 

the lander hit the lunar surface hard, 

damaging its half-a-dozen sensitive 

devices such as laser detection cameras, 

ka band and laser altimeters, and 

other vital sensors. 

Sivan had announced in a tense 

mission control room that the communication 

link was lost when Vikram 

was 2.1 km above the lunar surface on 

descent mode as planned, and its performance 

was normal till then. 

Narasimha said: "As the telemetry signals 

showed Vikram descending angularly 

as planned, going through the 

rough and fine braking phases with its 

four engines on, the lander deviated to 

the right for a while before getting 

back to the intended path. This could 

have delayed Vikram's positioning in a 

vertical mode for soft landing." 

The hard landing would have also 

occurred if the four engines had not 

shut off when the lander was descending 

from 400 metres height and the 

central engine had not maintained the 

thrust to decelerate its speed for soft 

landing on a rocky surface in a hostile 

environment. 

"If the four engines or thrusters, 

which were moving the lander downwards, 

did not stop burning during the 

fine braking and the fifth or central 

engine did not generate enough thrust 

to reduce its speed, a hard landing 

would have been a body blow to 

Vikram," pointed out Narasimha. 

Although the space agency on 

Sunday claimed to have found the 

location where Vikram had landed or 

crashed from a thermal image taken by 

its orbiter at 100km above the surface 

while spinning over its north-south 

poles, its health condition and the fate 

of its sensitive devices would be 

known only after analyzing the data 

and scanning the image. 

The space agency did not confirm 

reports in a section of the media that 

the communication link between the 

lander and the orbiter was intact but 

not with Istrac through its Deep Space 

Network (DSN) at Bylalu. 

"Even if the link between Vikram 

and the orbiter was intact, the space 

agency has to tell if the latter (orbiter) 

has relayed to the ground station the 

lander's condition and what it has 

been relaying since it hard landed 

because they both have been programmed 

to transmit and receive 

telemetry signals through electromagnetic 

waves to perform the specific 

tasks as per the mission's objectives," 

said Narasimha, who served the space 

agency for the longest period (18 

years) from 1994-2012.

4 


ASIA 


Use SCIENCE to promote humanist 

values and not in the service of gods 

There is no need for either panic or 

high voltage celebrations on the 

Chandrayaan issue. Science and scientific 

inventions are a continuous 

process which give a lot of learning 

after every incident. India’s space mission 

was formed under the incredible 

leadership of Dr Vikram Sarabhai and 

later Prof Satish Dhavan took it forward. 

Today, we have reached at the 

stage when our scientists are achieving 

great heights and we must be 

proud of them. 

But the way the government, the 

media made it an event management 

as if nothing had happened before, 

actually show how public life has fallen 

down. While you celebrate the 

achievement of science and scientific 

inventions, you still want to discourage 

scientific minds among our youth. 

You hate debate, discussions, questioning 

and love those who keep quiet 

and accept whatever you are offering 

to them as ‘explanation’. 

It is here the things are more tragic 

when the chief our science mission go 

to Tirupati and offer coconut to the 

Gods. It reflect poor on those and 

compel us to think whether our scientists 

are engineers or really scientists 

because without a scientific mind we 

can not build a healthy India based on 

reasoning and questioning variety. 

One day we will be able to land on 

Will 'test to limit' 

Brexit law, don't 

want delay: Govt 

London : The Boris Johnson government will 

"carefully" examine the law compulsorily requiring 

it to secure an extension of the October 31 deadline 

moon. Our scientists will also go to 

Mars and investigate solar system 

further. But my worry is whether the 

science community is propagating 

the scientific ideas and critical mind. 

Is this the community whose head 

was Dr Vikram Sarabhai, the genius 

or the community lead by Dr Homi 

Jahangir Bhabha ? Or we are in an 

age when scientists will also have the 

coconut broken at Tirupati and 

women scientists might have their 

Karwachowth after landing on moon. 

What a ‘great’ day would it be when 

a woman scientist land on moon and 

celebrate Karwachowth there. 

Perhaps, the troll will make it so. 

Indians whether they reach any 

where, will never leave calling moon 

as Chanda Mama, ‘He’ remain eternal 

mama for all. 

The other day when I was to be 

operated, the night before the operation, 

the assistant to the doctor called 

me and gave some guidelines. Sir, get 

up early, take a good bath and eat your 

breakfast before 730 am as after that 

you cant take anything including 

water. He added, and 

dont forget to sleep 

remembering the 

God and doing all 

your puja. I had a hearty laugh. At the 

operation theatre when the doctor prepare 

for you and try to make things 

to leave the EU, if no 

agreement is 

achieved by October 

19, a minister said on 

Sunday. Asserting 

that the government 

would follow the 

law, Foreign 

Secretary Dominic 

Raab said the government 

would "look 

very carefully" at its 

"interpretation" of 

the legislation, the BBC reported. 

The law is likely to gain royal assent on Monday, 

and Johnson has been warned he could face legal 

action if he chooses to flout it. Raab, however, said 

the "lousy" legislation has "weakened" the government's 

negotiating position in Brussels. "That legislation 

is lousy, it envisages multiple delays, it would 

effectively force us to accept conditions from the EU 

however vindictive, punitive and harsh they may 

be," he said on Sky News on Sunday. 

"We will adhere to the law but we will also - 

because this is such a bad piece of legislation - want 

to test to the limit what it actually lawfully requires," 

he said, terming it "the responsible thing to do". 

Chancellor Sajid Javid also said on the BBC that 

the government "absolutely will not" ask the EU to 

extend the date of Brexit, adding: "We will leave on 

31 October." 

Appearing on the Andrew Marr programme, 

Javid, asked how this would work out, said: "You 

will have to wait and see what happens because there 

are a lot of days between now and October 19." 

comfortable before the full 

anesthesia wait for you. 

They were talking to me and 

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat 

social and human rights activist 

Pak students 

set school afire 

after death of 

classmate 

Lahore : The classmates of Hunain 

Bilal, who was allegedly tortured to 

death by his school teacher, set their 

school on fire on Saturday, Pakistani 

media reports said. 

On Saturday morning the classmates 

of Bilal, enraged at his death, entered 

the school carrying petrol bottles and set 

the building on fire. However, they managed 

to set fire to only two rooms of the 

building. Police officials soon arrived at 

the spot and arrested several students. 

The fire brigade also reacted promptly 

and brought the fire under control before 

it could spread to other parts of the 

school. Earlier on Thursday, a teacher at 

the private school in Lahore's Gulshane-Ravi 

area allegedly brutally beat the 

student over failure to complete the 

homework, leading to his death. 

Bilal's family members alleged that 

the teacher kicked the teen in the back 

and stomach due to which he lost consciousness 

but was not immediately 

rushed to the hospital. 

Later, Bilal succumbed to his 

injuries. The family, mourning the 

tragedy at home, demanded justice for 

the deceased teenager. Police said they 

have arrested the teacher and the 

school principal and started an investigation 

after sending the body for postmortem. 

Punjab Minister for School 

Education Murad Raas, who visited 

the bereaved family, has directed the 

authorities to take strict action against 

the accused. 

I told them, Doctor, I 

believe in you so please 

dont tell me to remember God. I trust 

you more and I dont know 

anything about God. We are 

surviving not because of God 

but because of the critical 

human minds and their had 

work in the greater interest of 

humanity. All of them 

laughed and nodded their 

heads in appreciation. 

What I am saying here is that it is 

time for the scientific community to 

promote scientific values which mean 

to make our young more interested in 

questioning things with critical mind. 

Only a critical mind can appreciate 

human spirit and dedicate his life for 

the welfare of human being. 

The God’s chelas only dedicate 

their lives to appease him and dont 

care about human being. At the time 

when there is conflict on whose God 

is more powerful or which got is more 

powerful knowing fully well that all 

our gods are nothing but human creations 

and cant help people as it is our 

money and funds, which are being 

used to ‘protect’ Gods and not the vice 

versa. 

India will gain tremendously if we 

develop humanist values and discard 

superstition from our value system. 

All our scientific achievements will 

not be able to make us a great society 

if we do not develop scientific thinking 

by doing critical analysis of thing 

and humanist attitude of life. Science 

in the service of Gods will be lethal 

human lives and will only destroy us. 

Vidya Bhushan Rawat is a social 

and human rights activist. He blogs 

at www.manukhsi.blogspot.com 

twitter @freetohumanity 

Email: vbrawat@gmail.com


ASIA 


5 

Pak action futile: India 

on overflight clearance 

New Delhi : India has 

expressed its displeasure at 

Pakistan's unilateral decision to 

disallow President Ram Nath 

Kovind's plane over its airspace. 

Responding to a query 

on denial of overflight clearance 

to a VVIP special flight by 

Pakistan, Raveesh Kumar, 

spokesperson for Ministry of 

External Affair, said, "We 

regret the decision of the government 

of Pakistan to deny 

overflight clearance for the 

VVIP special flight which is 

otherwise granted routinely by 

any other country. We call upon 

Pakistan to recognize the futility 

of such unilateral actions". 

Pakistan on Saturday rejected 

a request made by New 

Delhi to let the airplane of 

Indian President Ram Nath 

Kovind fly over its airspace. 

Islamabad turned down the 

request based on the "alarming 

human rights situation in 

Indian-occupied Kashmir 

(IoK)", according to Pakistan's 

Foreign Minister Shah 

Mehmood Qureshi. 

Qureshi said Prime Minister 

Imran Khan had approved of 

the decision to reject the 

request and added that "the 

Indian aggression in IoK" was 

responsible for Pakistan's 

move. The Minister added that 

Pakistan had shown "restraint" 

in reacting to India's move on 

Kashmir, but New Delhi was 

"refusing to budge from its 

stubbornness and was denying 

basic facilities to the residents 

of occupied Kashmir". 

"In view of this, we have 

decided to not allow the Indian 

President to use our airspace," 

he told PTV. 

Islamabad's decision comes 

amid tensions between the two 

Probe into Kanshi 

Ram's death 

'obsolete': BSP 

Lucknow : The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on 

Friday termed Uttar Pradesh Minister Giriraj Singh 

Dharmesh's demand for a CBI inquiry into the 

death of party founder Kanshi Ram as "irreverent 

and obsolete". 

BSP leader 

Sudheendra 

Bhadoria said: "I 

think raising this 

issue after one and a 

half decade of 

Parinirvan Diwas of 

Kanshi Ram is irrelevant 

and obsolete. 

The people of this 

country know how 

Kanshi Ram and 

Mayawati worked 

together to build a 

movement for the 

liberation of the Dalit 

and poor of this country." "Mayawati became Chief 

Minister many times on the strength of Bahujan 

Samaj Party and on her own strength, therefore, 

these issues are irrelevant and I must say that 

Mayawati today is one of the iconic figures of 

Indian Dalit movement. She wants to create social 

order of equality with full commitment under the 

Constitution," he added. 

Earlier in the day, Dharmesh had said that he 

would meet Chief Minister Yogi Adityanth and 

seek a Central Bureau Investigation (CBI) probe 

into the mysterious circumstances that led to 

Kanshi Ram's death in 2006. 

Kanshi Ram's sister Suvarna had also accused 

Mayawati of not allowing the family to meet 

Kanshi Ram in his last days. 

Lucknow : The Uttar Pradesh is on 

its toes ahead of the Samajwadi Party 

(SP) President Akhilesh Yadav's 

planned demonstration in Rampur on 

Tuesday to protest against the detention 

of party leader Azam Khan's son 

Abdullah Azam. Yadav is arriving in 

Rampur on 

Monday for 

two days. "In 

the morning, 

Akhilesh will 

be in Bareilly 

to meet the 

family of former 

MLA 

Siyaram 

Sagar, who 

passed away 

recently. He 

will reach 

Rampur 

around 4 p.m. 

and meet 

party leader Azam Khan's family," 

Samajwadi Party spokesperson 

Rajendra Chaudhary said on Saturday. 

The Rampur district administration has 

already imposed Section 144, which 

prohibits unlawful assembly, ahead of 

Samajwadi Party's protest. However, 

the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister 

has asked his party workers from 

neighbours over New Delhi's 

revocation of the special status 

to Jammu and Kashmir on 

August 5. Qureshi also said 

New Delhi's "barbarism" in 

Kashmir was a serious issue 

which he would take up with 

the UN Human Rights Council. 

He added that "34 days have 

elapsed since Indian authorities 

imposed a crippling curfew in 

occupied Kashmir" after revoking 

the region's special autonomy. 

In August, it was reported 

that Khan was considering 

shutting down Pakistani airspace 

for India. A complete ban 

on Indian trade to Afghanistan 

through Pakistani land routes 

was also under discussion, 

reports say. 

Pakistan's Minister for 

Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan 

had told a press conference earlier 

this week that their government 

had so far not taken any 

decision to close the eastern 

airspace to commercial flights 

from India; however "we have 

reserved the right to do so and 

it would be utilized at an appropriate 

time". 

UP govt on its toes 

ahead of Akhilesh's 

protest in Rampur 

Bareilly, Pilibhit, Sambhal, Badaun, 

Amroha, Moradabad and Bijnor to 

reach Rampur on Tuesday. SP patron 

Mulayam Singh Yadav has also urged 

the party workers to support Azam 

Khan. Abdullah Azam was detained 

late last month after he tried to prevent 

state police 

officials from 

carrying out 

a raid at the 

Mohammed 

Ali Jauhar 

University, 

which is run 

by Azam 

Khan. In the 

raid, the 

police recovered 

several 

hundred rare 

b o o k s 

allegedly 

stolen from 

other institutes in the district. There are 

more than 81 cases of power theft, 

encroachment, buffalo theft and using 

indecent language against Samajwadi 

Party's Rampur MP Azam Khan. He 

has also been accused of illegally occupying 

government and farmers' land. 

An arrest warrant has also been issued 

against him in three such cases. 

OMCs resume jet fuel supply 

to Air India at 6 airports 

New Delhi : State-owned oil marketing firms on Saturday 

evening resumed fuel supply to national carrier Air India at six 

airports. Accordingly, the fuel supply which had been stopped 

on August 22 was restarted after an agreement was reached over 

payment obligations. The OMCs led by the IndianOil had 

stopped jet fuel supply at six airports — Ranchi, Mohali, Patna, 

Vizag, Pune and Cochin following non-payment of dues. 

“The fuel supply to Air India was recommenced from 

Saturday evening at all the six airports. An agreement over payment 

obligations was reached,” a senior official with an OMC 

told IANS here. Currently, jet fuel accounts for the largest chunk 

of the operating cost for airlines. 

Around 5,000 challans per day 

in first week of new MV Act 

New Delhi, The Delhi Police has issued around 5,000 challans 

per day for violating traffic rules in the national capital 

since the implementation of the new traffic fines, a senior police 

official said. 

According to a senior police officer, a total of 254 drunken 

driving, 1,229 without seat belt, 4,097 without helmet, 1,527 

dangerous driving and 2,698 red light violation challans have 

been issued. The Motor Vehicles Amendment Act, approved by 

President Ram Nath Kovind last month, aims at stricter punishment 

for violation of traffic regulations. 

Imran meets Chinese Foreign 

Minister in Islamabad 

Islamabad : Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday 

met visiting Chinese Foreign 

Minister and State Councillor 

Wang Yi here on Sunday. The 

meeting came a day after 

Foreign Minister Shah 

Mehmood Qureshi hosted his 

Chinese and Afghan counterparts 

here to discuss the Afghan 

peace efforts, counterterrorism 

cooperation, and other issues, 

reports The Express Tribune. 

Wang was accompanied 

Vice Minister for Foreign 

Affairs Luo Zhaohui. The other 

members present in Sunday's 

meeting were Qureshi, 

Minister for Planning 

Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar, Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan 

Yao Jing and senior officials. Saturday's trilateral dialogue in 

Islamabad saw Pakistan, Afghanistan, and China agree that there 

was a need for a "comprehensive" peace deal through "an inclusive 

Afghan-led and Afghan-owned" reconciliation process, as 

three sides condemned the recent surge in Taliban-backed terrorist 

attacks in the war-ravaged country. In a joint statement issued after 

the trilateral meeting, there was an emphasis on intra-Afghan dialogue, 

including direct negotiations between the Afghan government 

and Taliban, something President Ashraf Ghani's administration 

had been demanding for many months.

6 September 2019 

ASIA 


HIT BY FLOODS, Punjab 

farmers mull doing labour 

Jalandhar : A fortnight after floods 

ravaged around 50 villages, affecting 

standing crop across 103 villages of the 

district, worries over seed procurement 

for the upcoming wheat sowing season 

starting November haunt farmers. 

With special girdawari yet to be 

announced, farmers say the floods threaten 

their future means of subsistence. 

Many are contemplating taking to dailywage 

labour to make ends meet. “It doesn't 

seem losses will be compensated 

enough. We’ll take to daily-wage labour,” 

says a Lohian farmer. “Water has not 

receded yet. Today it rose three feet. 

Farmers in Mandala Channa belt have 

lost all crop. We wonder if the land will 

by dry enough to sow wheat. Many are 

Dubai/Thiruvananthapuram : 

Kerala politician Thushar Vellapally, 

who was arrested last month in the UAE 

in a cheque default case, on Sunday got a 

full discharge in the case. After 

Vellapally, who heads the Bharath 

Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS) - the secondbiggest 

constituent of the NDA in Kerala, 

planning to pursue daily wage labour,” 

says Satnam Singh from Raiwal village. 

While official estimates suggest 

around 10,000 farmers have been affected, 

farmers claim the number is much 

higher. The government has pegged girdawari 

at Rs 12,000 per acre for affected 

farmers. While the administration says 

21,000 to 25,000 acres have been affected, 

farmers say it is 35,000 to 40,000 

acres. The Agriculture Department has 

deputed 52 personnel to carry out damage 

assessment. Chief Agriculture 

Officer Nazar Singh said: “It seems crop 

damage may be less than 20,000 acres. 

The picture will be clearer on Tuesday. 

Besides, free wheat seed will be provided 

to all farmers.” 

UAE court dismisses cheque 

case against Kerala politician 

Bihar schools to have 

nutrition classes in Sept 

Patna : As part of the ongoing National 

Nutrition Month that began September 1, government 

schools in Bihar will have a special health 

and nutrition class, which will educate the children 

on the benefits of cleanliness and proper 

nutrition, an official said. State Education 

Department Principal Secretary R.K. Mahajan 

has issued directions to schools in all districts to 

begin the class from Monday in this regard. 

Nutrition fairs would be held in several blocks of 

the districts between September 7-13, and 

between September 23-28 in district headquarters 

in which the children would be taught about food 

diversity, said a state Education Department official. 

Debates, seminars, quiz and slogan competitions 

would be organised in schools during this 

period. Bihar's Social Welfare Department is also 

running awareness campaigns during the 'nutrition 

month'. 

was arrested last month, Kerala Chief 

Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had written to 

External Affairs Minister S. Jaisankar on 

the issue, while the state BJP leadership 

maintained silence. Though Vellapally 

secured bail the next day on August 22, 

his passport was impounded and he was 

asked to stay back till the case is settled. 

Following a few hearings, it came to 

light that the case did not have merit and 

on Sunday, the court in UAE's Ajman 

cleared Vellapally in the case and his 

passport was returned. He is expected to 

return to Kerala on Sunday itself. The 

complainant in the case, N. Abdullah, 

who hails from Kerala's Thrissur district, 

had worked as a sub-contractor in the 

UAE for Vellapally and complained that 

when Vellapally's cheque, given almost a 

decade back, was presented a few months 

back, it bounced. In the 2019 Lok Sabha 

polls, Vellapally has unsuccessfully contested 

against Congress leader Rahul 

Gandhi from Wayanad constituency. 

Zomato lays off 541 staffers, 

says blame it on automation 

New Delhi : Food delivery 

platform Zomato on Saturday 

said that it has laid off 541 people 

-- 10 per cent of the company's 

strength -- across customer, 

merchant and delivery 

partner support teams. 

The reason behind the move 

is an improved Zomato platform 

with Artificial 

Intelligence (AI)-driven bots 

and automation in resolving 

customer queries that has led to 

an overall reduction in direct 

order-related support queries, 

the company said in a statement. 

"While this has been a painful decision, 

to make the transition smoother, 

we have extended between two-month 

months severance pay (based on 

tenure), family health insurance cover 

(till the end of January 2020) and 

career fair opportunities with companies," 

said Zomato. 

The company, which is at the loggerheads 

with the National Restaurant 

Association of India (NRAI) over 

deep discounts in its fine-dining Gold 

programme, claimed it has improved 

the speed of service resolution and 

now only 7.5 per cent of its orders 

need support (down from 15 per cent 

in March). 

"Over the last few months, we have 

seen our technology products and 

platforms evolve and improve significantly. 

This has led to an overall 

reduction in direct order-related support 

queries," said the company. 

Zomato said it hired over 1,200 

people across functions (excluding its 

last-mile delivery fleet) and another 

over 400 off-rolls positions, and is 

currently hiring in technology, product 

and data sciences teams. 

The company is planning to introduce 

its Gold programme across multiple 

cities on its delivery platform. 

The NRAI said on August 30 that 

there is an in-principle agreement 

between the association and the two 

major online delivery platforms, 

Zomato and Swiggy, to resolve the 

issues of the industry including deep 

discounts. 

However, Zomato is hellbent on 

carrying on with its plans to make its 

Gold programme now available for 

delivery. 

Belly dancers 

come to 'rescue' 

Pak's ailing 

economy 

Islamabad : In a desperate 

attempt to revive its cashstrapped 

economy, Pakistan 

organised belly dance performances 

at an event to woo global 

investors. Organised by the 

Sarhad Chamber of Commerce 

and Industry (SCCI) in 

Azerbaijan's capital Baku from 

September 4 to 8, the Khyber 

Pakhtunkhwa Investment 

Opportunities Conference had 

belly dancers among other attractions 

to rope in potential foreign 

investors. 

The video in which women 

can be seen belly dancing at the 

event has gone viral on social 

media and Twitterati were quick 

to react. 

Some Pakistani local media 

sites and Twitterati called it the 

'Naya Pakistan way'. "Pakistan 

woos foreign investors with belly 

dancers to revive country's ailing 

economy. What next? Bachabaazi?" 

a user tweeted. Another 

wrote: "Incredible event in 

Pakistan. Investments attracted 

through belly dancing. If economic 

condition of Pakistan worsens 

further it might lead to strip dancing 

also." A Twitter user pointed 

out that while India is launching 

Moon missions like 

Chandrayaan-2, Pakistan is 

organising belly dancing to entice 

investors. "From selling buffaloes 

to hosting belly-dancing 'conferences', 

Pakistan is clearly thinking 

out of the box to fix the economy," 

a user wrote. 

In July, the International 

Monetary Fund (IMF) had 

approved a three-year $6 billion 

loan package for Pakistan to rein 

in mounting debts and stave off a 

looming balance of payments crisis, 

in exchange for tough austerity 

measures.


ASIA 


7 

Protester shot at in Nakodar 

during bandh over TV serial 

Jalandhar : Skirmishes 

were reported from several 

parts of Punjab today following 

a call for statewide 

bandh by the Valmiki community 

demanding withdrawal 

of TV serial “Ram 

Siya Ke Luv-Kush”. 

A Dalit youth, Gurpreet 

Gopi, who was trying to 

shut down a generator shop 

in Nakodar, was allegedly 

shot at by the owner, 

Nirvail Singh. Gopi was hit 

by a bullet in the abdomen 

and was taken to a private 

hospital in Jalandhar where 

he was operated upon. 

Nirvail and his brother 

Kulwinder Singh have been 

arrested by the police and 

booked under Section 307 

of the IPC and the SC/ST 

Act and the Arms Act. 

Soon after the incident, 

protesters attacked the shop 

with stones and rods. “The 

victim is from a poor family and owns 

a small shop,” said SSP (Rural) 

Navjot S Mahal. The situation 

outside the hospital 

remained tense as representatives 

of the SC community 

gathered in large 

numbers to express solidarity 

with the victim. 

Deputy Commissioner 

Varinder K Sharma and 

Commissioner of Police 

Gurpreet Bhullar reached 

the hospital even as a 

team of surgeons was 

called in to operate upon 

the victim. 

In another incident at 

Sudama Market, protesters 

armed with swords 

destroyed vegetables and 

crates lying covered. 

They reportedly took 

away mobile phones and 

Rs 40,000 in cash belonging 

to the traders and terrorised 

them. The community 

is opposed to the 

portrayal of Bhagwan 

Valmiki in the serial. 

Capt directs immediate ban on ‘Ram 

Siya Ke Luv-Kush’ across Punjab 

Asks Centre to ban serial telecast on DTH; violence mars bandh 

Chandigarh : Punjab Chief 

Minister Captain Amarinder Singh 

on Saturday night ordered immediate 

ban by the respective DCs on the 

telecast of the controversial TV serial 

‘Ram Siya Ke Luv-Kush’, which 

has sparked protests among the 

Valmiki community. 

Acting on the CM’s orders, 

District Commissioners started issuing 

the necessary notification banning 

the telecast of the serial by cable 

operators in their respective districts. 

The CM also warned against any 

attempt to disturb the state’s peace 

and communal harmony. 

The Valmiki community had on 

Saturday called for a protest bandh, 

during which a youth was shot at in 

Jalandhar’s Nakodar but was later 

operated upon. Expressing anguish 

over the incident, the CM warned of 

strict action against anyone found 

trying to disrupt the state’s peace and 

communal harmony. In Fazilka, a 

man was injured after the community 

members allegedly pelted traders 

with stones while enforcing the 

bandh. The daylong bandh led to 

minor incidents of violence and 

threw life out of gear in parts of the 

state as markets remained largely 

shut. Endorsing the religious sentiments 

of the Valmiki community on 

the issue, the CM has also written to 

the Centre to instruct the direct-tohome 

(DTH) channels to stop telecast 

of the serial. 

“Any responsible producer should 

refrain from producing or launching 

such a programme/serial,” said 

Captain Amarinder, adding that his 

government respect the religious sentiments 

of every community and 

would ensure that the serial is not 

telecast in the state. 

Capt Amarinder has also asked the 

DGP to ensure strict vigil and crackdown 

on any disruptive elements, in 

order to maintain peace and tranquility 

in the state. 

Valmiki protest stirs 

tension in Fazilka 

Fazilka : Tension gripped the border 

town today when a trader was 

injured in stone-pelting by protesters 

during the bandh called by the 

Valmiki community against the 

alleged objectionable content of TV 

serial “Ram Siya Ke Luv Kush”. The 

shopkeepers went on strike after the 

assault on the trader. 

Sources said a few shopkeepers 

kept their shops closed in response to 

the bandh call in the morning. When 

the protesters found Prem 

Madan’s grocery shop 

open at Mehrian Bazaar, 

they allegedly insisted 

that he closed it. When 

Madan refused, they 

allegedly started throwing 

the grocery on the road. Soon, a 

large number of traders, led by their 

president Ashok Gulbadhar, reached 

the spot and decided to meet Fazilka 

DC and SSP to lodge a complaint 

against the protesters. While they 

were on the way to the District 

Administrative Complex (DAC), the 

protesters, who were coming from the 

opposite direction, started pelting 

them with stones and bricks. Another 

grocery shop owner Sunil Parnami 

suffered a head injury. 

Ashok said Parnami was rushed to 

Trader hurt in 

melee, Beopar 

Mandal counters 

protesters 

the local Civil Hospital where he 

received six stitches. He alleged that 

the protesters assaulted the traders in 

the presence of City SHO and other 

officials. Meanwhile, Deputy 

Commissioner Manpreet Singh and 

SSP Bhupinder Singh invited the 

traders to put forth their viewpoint. 

The traders demanded that an FIR be 

registered against the assailants and 

action taken against the police officials 

present at the time of incident. 

The Beopar Mandal 

activists held an emergency 

meeting at the 

local Aroravansh 

Bhawan at 6 pm and 

decided to grant three 

days’ time to the administration 

to take action against the 

assailants. The members unanimously 

resolved that if their demands were 

not accepted, they would go on indefinite 

strike from September 11. 

Fazilka SDM Subhash Khatak, 

who later on joined in the meeting, 

assured the traders that an FIR was 

being registered. He appealed to the 

traders to maintain harmony in the 

town. It was stated that some persons 

had submitted an application to the 

authorities accusing the traders of 

racial slur.


ASIA 


Is Ladakh part of Buddhist 

ring encircling CHINA? 

Gaya : Hardline Buddhist monks in 

Sri Lanka have celebrated the creation 

of a new Buddhist entity in Ladakh. It 

is an optical illusion that Jammu and 

Kashmir has been neatly divided into 

Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh, that is, 

Hindu, Muslim and Buddhist entities. 

The projection of Ladakh as purely 

Buddhist is odd because in the combined 

population of Kargil and Leh, 

Muslims are a majority according to 

the 2011 census. 

New Delhi has also been keeping a 

steady gaze on Sri Lanka where 

Buddhist, Muslim and Christian factors 

came into play during the April 

21, Easter Sunday massacre. Indian 

Intelligence had alerted their counterparts 

in Colombo as early as April 4 

that a major act of terror would be 

executed in the island nation, possibly 

near Easter. When the bombs were 

detonated in Colombo’s churches and 

hotels killing nearly 300 people and 

injuring 500 more, Indian Intelligence 

looked very impressive after the event. 

Then Intelligence agencies from the 

US, UK, Israel, Australia, India, all 

descended on Colombo with state of 

the art technology. Everyone was out 

to hold Colombo’s hand. A petrified 

establishment, it was hoped, would 

fall into the Western lap. Machinations 

would then follow to steer Sri Lanka 

away from the Road and Belt 

Embrace. Spanish Anthropologist, 

Joseba Zulaika’s famous dictum is 

worrisome: “Counter terrorism is terrorism’s 

best friend”. Hints of terror 

cells in South India, the cover up in Sri 

Lanka, the political turnstile in the 

Maldives makes this Indian Ocean triangle 

a source of anxiety. 

All the more worrisome because the 

current phase of terrorism is not just 

Muslim anger, revenge, vendetta. It has 

been identified as energy to be harnessed 

as an asset. It all began with the 

Afghan Mujahideen in the 80s. Just 

take a look at what some scholarly 

investigations in Sri Lanka have found. 

Sniffer dogs, making a round of the 

Hilton hotel found nothing but the 

hotel staff asked the handlers to examine 

another branch of the hotel. At this 

new location something mysterious 

was experienced. The dogs would not 

stop barking in front of one room. 

There was some humming and hawing, 

and excuses by the management as to 

why the room could not be opened. It 

was occupied by employees of the US 

embassy. According to Dr. Michael 

Roberts of the University of Adelaide, 

Australia, when the embassy officials 

ultimately opened the room, Sri 

Lankan police found two bomb detectors 

which, the officials explained, 

were for their own safety. The overawed 

Sri Lanka police appears not to 

have pursued the obvious line of 

inquiry. Sniffer dogs would bark only if 

the detectors had been in contact with 

material which went into the manufacture 

of bombs. One complicating factor 

is the divergent foreign policy preferences 

of the President, a votary of 

China’s Belt and Road initiative, and 

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe 

who has exerted every muscle to sign 

the Status of Forces Agreement which 

would give the US Military a free run 

of an island. Note the head on conflict. 

The Prime Minister is keen that SOFA 

is signed before the Island’s general 

elections next year. There are some 

tell-tale details. I have earlier mentioned 

a research paper, 

“Weaponization of Religion” by Darini 

Rajasingham-Senanayake. According 

to her, the growing Chinese influence 

on the island may well have been the 

target of the Easter attacks. 

Not only were hotels targeted 

which had Chinese affiliations, but the 

six Chinese who lost their lives were 

from the South China Institute of 

Oceanography. Western agencies 

would not look at this data. They were, 

quite tellingly, focused only on the 

clash of civilizations and conflicts 

across faiths. 

Tibet, Ladakh, Bhutan, Sikkim, 

Mongolia, Myanmar and Sri Lanka, 

are all bound by Buddhism, though 

sometimes of distinct Mahayana and 

Hinayana strands. How many of 

these would possibly be brought into 

play in President Donald Trump’s 

strategy of encircling China? 

When Trump entered the White 

House in 2016, his avowed aim was to 

upturn everything Barack Obama had 

ever erected in the arena of foreign 

affairs, as in other areas. But his 

demoniacal desire to eradicate 

Obamaism from its root has run into 

that constant called American national 

interest. The Obama-John Kerry 

team’s priority became the nuclear 

deal with Iran, signed in 2015 for a 

reason: focusing on West Asian affairs 

on a daily basis was keeping the 

administration away from other global 

priorities that required urgent attention 

– the pivot to Asia, for instance. 

Despite Israel and Saudi Arabia 

throwing every monkey wrench at 

hand into the 5+1 discussions with 

Iran, the team determinedly concluded 

the deal with several objectives but 

one which often goes unnoticed. 

Lyndon Johnson’s colourful image 

was instructive. “It is better to have 

the camel in the tent, peeing out, than 

to leave him out peeing in.” Iran was 

going to be part of West Asian balance 

of power along with Israel, Saudi 

Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, Qatar. 

Washington would then have the time 

to focus on Asia Pacific. To be characteristically 

contrary, Trump walked 

out of the nuclear deal, made a mess 

with Europe, North Korea, raised 

stakes everywhere. But eventually he 

picked up the thread where Obama 

had left it: “Pivot to Asia” but only 

after having soiled much turf enroute. 

The US support to the protests in 

Hong Kong, playing up the Taiwan- 

China differences, shady US behaviour 

in Sri Lanka, the Economic showdown 

with Beijing are all part of 

Trump’s risky, untidy “contain China” 

movement set by his predecessor. But 

with Trump you know nothing until 

you do. Who would have expected 

him to propose a meeting with 

President Hassan Rouhani on the margins 

of the UN General Assembly? Or 

that he would initiate direct talks with 

the Houthis in Yemen either with 

Saudi concurrence or without it, sailing 

above their heads? Either Prime 

Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be 

hopping mad at this turn or he will be 

pleased as punch in case he was in the 

loop and these leaks are only designed 

to set up adversaries. Who knows? 

UK braces for coldest 

winter in 30 years 

London : The UK could be bracing for one 

of the coldest winters in 30 years, scientists 

have warned. The scientists made this prediction 

after analysing current sea temperatures 

and weather systems over the North Atlantic, 

The Daily Mail said in the reported. 

The team, led by professor Mark Saunders, 

told The Sunday Times: "This would rank the 

2020 January-February central England temperature 

as the coldest winter since 2013 and January- 

February 2020 as the seventh coldest winter in 

the past 30 years." Freezing Arctic air is set to 

descend on the UK in the first months of next 

year as the Gulf stream will sidestep Britain, 

leaving the country without the rise in temperature 

it normally brings to the British Isles from 

the Atlantic and Caribbean sea. According to climate 

prediction experts at University College 

London, before the cold blast, warmer weather 

was on the way, with some forecasters suggesting 

it could turn out to be the hottest September on 

record, with highs of 26 degrees Celsius.

www.theasianindependent.co.uk ASIA September 2019 9 

Dalit MLA’s insult not an isolated incident in Andhra 

Hyderabad : The alleged 

insult of a Dalit MLA from the 

ruling YSR Congress Party 

(YSRCP) at a Ganesh pandal in 

Amaravati last week, highlights 

the deep-rooted caste discrimination 

that exists in Andhra 

Pradesh where politics is brazenly 

played along caste lines. 

Undavalli Sridevi, a member 

of the state Assembly, was 

allegedly insulted by few men, 

said to be from an upper caste. 

The accused reportedly prevented 

the legislator from performing 

puja at the pandal on the 

occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi. 

The accused said that if the 

MLA breaks a coconut there, the 

place will lose its sanctity. The 

legislator, who represents 

Tadikonda Assembly constituency 

in Guntur district, was left in 

tears. The issue took a political 

turn as the accused belongs to 

the opposition Telugu Desam 

Party (TDP). The police registered 

a case against four men 

under the Scheduled Castes and 

Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of 

Atrocities) Act and arrested 

them. While the YSRCP targeted 

the TDP for humiliating a Dalit 

woman MLA, the latter alleged 

Punjab CM 

rejects charges on 

celebrations of 

Guru Nanak Dev 

Chandigarh : Rejecting the 

SGPC charges against his government 

over the 550th birth 

anniversary celebrations of Guru 

Nanak Dev, Punjab Chief 

Minister Amarinder Singh on 

Sunday said a group of ministers 

had already been constituted to 

coordinate with the religious 

body to finalise the commemorative 

programme. 

The Chief Minister said cabinet 

ministers Charanjit Singh 

Channi, Sukhjinder Singh 

Randhawa and O.P. Soni had 

been directed to discuss the 

modalities of the Prakash Purb 

celebrations with the Shiromani 

Gurdwara Parbandhak 

Committee (SGPC). It was not 

the government which had 

shown no interest in holding a 

joint function, as directed by 

Akal Takht Sahib, but the SGPC 

that had been refusing to join the 

government in celebrating the 

historic occasion on a common 

platform, he added. 

Reiterating his appeal to the 

SGPC to support the government 

in commemorating the celebrations, 

Amarinder Singh urged the 

religious body’s chief to keep an 

open mind on the issue. 

that she was not a Dalit. 

TDP president and Leader of 

Opposition N. Chandrababu 

Naidu tweeted that Sridevi had 

revealed in an interview that she 

was a Christian and her husband 

was from Kapu community. 

"Is it not the YSRCP which 

did injustice by fielding a 

Christian from an Assembly seat 

reserved for SCs?" asked Naidu. 

The former Chief Minister 

also alleged that state government 

was adopting double standards 

as no cases were booked 

when YSRCP leaders attacked 

Dalit women in the same district. 

Naidu claimed that YSRCP 

was born with the "principle" of 

creating communal and caste 

clashes, adding that TDP was a 

party born for weaker sections 

and social justice. 

The MLA’s incident was not 

the first. Instances of caste discrimination 

were not new to the 

state, where politics has deep 

roots in casteism. Political analysts 

have said that incidents of 

caste discrimination keep happening 

in the state. Telakapalli 

Ravi told IANS that two Dalits 

were beaten to death this May on 

suspicion of stealing mangos in 

Ambala : Tens of thousands of civilians 

residing in the Ambala Cantonment 

Board area are struggling due to the century-old 

archaic laws that they feel are 

proving hindrance to building of Smart 

Cantonments on the line of Smart 

Cities . 

Like the country s 62 Cantonment 

towns, civilians of the Ambala 

Cantonment too are 

facing problems of 

increasing pressure on 

civic amenities and its 

failure to cope up with 

the modern times. 

The civilians, residing 

along the defence 

personnel families in 

this Cantonment, mainly 

complain about 

movement on restricted 

roads, long delay in 

transfer and mutation 

of properties held on 

old grant or lease, conversion 

of old grant or 

leasehold properties into freehold, and 

restriction on new constructions due to 

stringent bylaws. 

According to them, amendments are 

required to the Cantonment Act, 1924, 

by which Cantonments are administered. 

While Ambala Cantonment Board 

Vice-President Ajay Baweja said the Act 

was last amended in 2006 but the government 

at that time failed to give much 

relief to the civilians. The civilians are 

facing issues that are affecting their dayto-day 

existence, like lease and transfer 

of property rights, building bylaws and 

also service charges payable to the 

Cantonment Board, Baweja said. 

According to him, all 62 Cantonment 

Boards have almost similar issues. Each 

East Godavari district. "Dalits 

faced social boycott by caste 

Hindus in Garaparru village in 

West Godavari district over the 

installation of a statue of Dr 

Ambedkar near the panchayat 

office," said Ravi, referring to 

the conflict that began in 2017 

but continued for several 

months. 

The analyst said that in the 

past too, Dalit MLAs in 

Tadikonda constituency faced 

humiliation at the hands of some 

Cantonment Board has a provision of 

eight elected and seven nominated 

members. While the elected members 

choose the vice-president, the post of 

president is held by an Army 

Commander. 

According to Baweja, around 400 

families have been residing in the 

Cantonment area for decades and been 

involved in cultivation, raising livestock 

and similar professions. 

For 25-30 years, the army has not 

been collecting the lease money from 

them. As they are facing eviction, the 

state government has come to their rescue. 

Taking the Defence Ministry into 

confidence, the government has agreed 

to buy the land for Rs 86 crore, he said. 

After the transfer of land to the state 

government, it would be developed and 

basic amenities would be provided to 

residents, Baweja said. The Defence 

Ministry has also opened several roads 

that were closed for civilians. 

The Ambala Cantonment s functions 

are similar to the municipal administration. 

In addition to providing basic 

upper caste people. Ravi said 

that since Dalits supported the 

YSRCP in a big way, both the 

TDP and Bharatiya Janata Party 

(BJP) were trying to project 

them as Christians. "A kind of 

communal polarization is being 

attempted here now, leading to 

further tensions," he said. 

"Andhra Pradesh politics is 

divided among Kammas, 

Reddys and Kapus. Political 

leaders over decades fuelled 

these differences for their political 

gains," said another analyst P. 

Raghava Reddy. The caste factor 

had dominated the recent elections 

with YSRCP, which 

enjoyed the support of the 

Reddys, highlighting how the 

TDP government led by 

Chandrababu Naidu went out of 

the way to favour senior police 

officials belonging to the 

Kamma community. 

The TDP is considered as a 

party dominated by Kammas 

while YSRCP enjoys the backing 

of Reddys. The YSRCP led 

by Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy 

stormed to power in the state 

with a landslide majority. 

Besides the Reddys, Kapus, 

BCs, SCs, STs and minorities 

were believed to have thrown 

their weight behind YSRCP. 

The Reddy community traditionally 

dominated the politics of 

undivided Andhra Pradesh. 

However, with the emergence of 

the TDP on political scene in 

early 1980s changed the scenario. 

The party floated by popular 

actor N.T. Rama Rao 

changed the caste equation with 

support of the backward classes 

and weaker sections of the society. 

However, an incident during 

Ambala Cantonment civilians 

pine for Smart Cantonment 

amenities, the Cantonment Board also 

manages public welfare institutions and 

facilities for the Cantonment area residents. 

The Cantonment is spread over 

8,100.49 acres and as per the 2011 census, 

houses 55,370, including troops. 

The British built Cantonments to station 

troops, house them and their families. 

The Ambala Cantonment came into 

existence in 1843. 

According to historians, 

Karnal was initially 

selected by the 

British for the development 

of the 

Cantonment in 1806. 

But most soldiers died 

from malaria and 

cholera. It forced the 

British to shift the 

Cantonment to 

Ambala. 

Says K.C. Yadav, 

former Director of the 

Haryana Academy of 

History and Culture, 

says in 1806 the British had established 

the Cantonment in Karnal. But given the 

prevalence of malaria and other such 

diseases in the area, in 1841 the British 

started shifting the Cantonment to 

Ambala and in 1843 the Ambala 

Cantonment came into existence. 

The Ambala Cantonment is also 

known for the St Paul s Church, one of 

the oldest churches in the region and 

Holy Redeemer Church built by soldiers 

in 1905. St Paul s Church was consecrated 

on January 4, 1857. However, it 

got damaged during the 1965 Indo-Pak 

war bombing. 

Like its 61 other peers in the country, 

the Ambala Cantonment too has its rich 

and glorious past. 

N.T. Rama Rao’s regime rocked 

the state. On July 17, 1985, six 

Dalits were killed and 20 injured 

in an attack allegedly by Kamma 

landlords in Karamchedu village, 

Prakasam district. Nearly 

23 years after the attack, the 

Supreme Court in 2008 awarded 

life sentence to the main accused 

and three years imprisonment to 

23 others. The second major 

attack on Dalits occurred on 

August 6, 1991m at Tsundur village 

of Guntur district. Eight 

Dalits were killed and many others 

were injured in the attack 

allegedly by people belonging to 

Reddy and Kapu communities. 

Houses of Dalits were looted 

and set afire and several families 

were forced to flee from Tsundur 

and adjoining villages. 

In 2014, the Andhra Pradesh 

High Court set aside 2007 order 

of a special court that sentenced 

21 people to life imprisonment 

and 35 others to one year’s jail 

for Tsundur massacre. 

The Court struck down the 

sentence for lack of evidence in 

the sensational case, which had 

attracted national attention. 

The Supreme Court later 

stayed the High Court order. 

Bangladesh kicks 

off blue economy 

MINISTERIAL 

CONFERENCE 

Dhaka, Sep 5 (IANS) Ministers and 

representatives from Indian Ocean 

Rim Association (IORA) on Thursday 

gathered in the Bangladeshi capital for 

a summit which aims at strengthening 

maritime cooperation. 

Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh 

Hasina in Dhaka inaugurated the 3rd 

IORA Blue Economy Ministerial 

Conference (BEC-III) titled 

"Promoting Sustainable Blue 

Economy, making the best use of 

opportunities from the Indian Ocean", 

Xinhua news agency reported. 

The conference was preceded by a 

working session on Wednesday to discuss 

the means and ways to strengthen 

blue economy implementation. 

According to the World Bank, the 

blue economy is the "sustainable use 

of ocean resources for economic 

growth, improved livelihoods, and 

jobs while preserving the health of 

ocean ecosystem".


ASIA 


DGP asks police to protect 

inter-caste couples in UP 

Lucknow : UP Director 

General of Police O.P. Singh on 

Monday directed the state police 

to provide protection to every 

newly married inter-caste and 

inter-religious couple in the state. 

The DGP also warned the 

police officials that if any personnel 

of the force is found neglecting 

the orders, they will have to face 

strict action. The orders have been 

sent to all the IGPs, Deputy IGPs 

and other senior police officials in 

the state to make them effective as 

earliest as possible. The DGP has 

clearly said that if any inter-caste 

or inter-faith couple feels unsafe 

or is under threat of 'honour 

killing', it is the responsibility of 

the state police to provide them 

protection. 

If such couples receive any 

kind of threat, then the police 

should take an immediate action 

against the miscreants on priority 

basis, he said. The order said there 

should not be any delay in filing a 

criminal case against the accused 

in 'honour-killing' matter and 

probe in such matters should be 

completed in the pre-decided 

time-limit. Forensic science assistance 

should be a priority in these 

matters so that the culprit could 

not escape, the order said. 

Father kills daughter for wanting to marry boyfriend 

New Delhi : In a suspected 

case of honour killing, a 50-yearold 

man and his 30-year-old friend 

were arrested on Sunday for 

allegedly killing a girl child in the 

Adarsh Nagar area of northwest 

Delhi in July, the police said on 

Monday. The accused have been 

identified as Lakhan and his friend 

Raju, both residents of Lal Bagh. 

According to a police officer, a 

police control room (PCR) call 

was received on July 24 that an 

18-year-old girl had allegedly 

committed suicide and her family 

members had taken the body for 

cremation in a hurry. 

"When the police reached the 

residence of the deceased Sheetal, 

they found that the family members 

had had taken the body for 

cremation at the Kewal Park cremation 

ground. They rushed to the 

the cremation ground. Sheetal's 

body had been placed on the pyre 

and arrangements were being 

made for the funeral," said 

Vijayanta Arya, Deputy 

Commissioner of Police (North- 

West). 

The police seized the body and 

shifted it to Babu Jagjivan Ram 

Hospital for the post-mortem. 

According to the autopsy report, 

the cause of death was asphyxia 

due to manual strangulation and 

all the injuries were ante-mortem 

in nature, Arya said. 

A case under sections 302 

(punishment for murder) and 201 

(causing disappearance of evidence 

of offence, or giving false 

information to screen offender) 

has been registered at the Adarsh 

Nagar police station. 

On interrogation, the father 

confessed to the crime, Arya said 

and added, the girl was in love 

with a man and wanted to marry 

him, but her parents were opposed 

to that. 

Maya wants action 

against caste divide 

in UP SCHOOL 

Lucknow : Bahujan Samaj Party chief 

Mayawati has demanded strict action against 

officials responsible for making Dalit students 

at a primary 

school in Rampur, admitted that the practice 

continues even after the authorities told students 

not to differentiate on caste lines. 

"We ask students to 

school in Uttar 

sit together and eat 

Pradesh's Ballia sit 

separately for midday 

meals. According 

together but they go 

separate ways as soon 

as we leave. 

to reports, Dalit students 

We keep telling 

at the primary 

school in Rampur in 

Ballia were also asked 

to bring their plates 

from home for the 

meals and then made 

to sit separately when 

food is served. 

According to some 

Dalit students, "Anyone can eat in plates provided 

by the school but we bring our own 

plates." P. Gupta, principal of a primary 

them that all are equal 

but the lessons they 

have learnt from home 

are stronger. The students 

of upper caste do 

not let others from 

Dalit castes sit with 

them," he said. 

Mayawati said in a 

statement that the state government should 

take action on this caste discrimination so 

that such incidents do not recur. 

Continue Page 1 

Brexit: British 

Parliament to be 

suspended later 

MPs will seek to press 

ministers on the issue later 

in the House of Commons. 

Downing Street confirmed 

that the expected prorogation, 

or suspension, of the 

Parliament until October 

14 will begin at the end of 

Monday's sitting. It means 

MPs will not get another 

chance to vote for an early 

election until after then, 

meaning a poll would not 

be possible until the end of 

November at the earliest. 

One plan reportedly under 

discussion to get round the 

Brexit delay legislation is 

to ask a sympathetic 

European Union member 

to veto an extension. 

Another potential option 

would be to formally send 

the extension request 

mandated by the new law. 

However, Lord 

Sumption, a former judge 

of the UK's Supreme 

Court, said such a ploy 

would not be legal 

because the legislation 

compels the Prime 

Minister to seek an extension. 

"To send the letter 

and then try and neutralise 

it seems to me to be plainly 

a breach of the act," he 

told BBC Radio 4's Today 

programme. 

Nirav Modi custody extended till Sept 19 

London : Fugitive diamantaire 

Nirav Modi, wanted in India in connection 

with the Rs 13,500-crore 

Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud 

case, on Thursday appeared before a 

UK court via videolink and was 

remanded in prison till September 

19. Judge Tan Ikram of the London 

Westminster Court decided to 

extend the custody of Nirav Modi, 

indicating that there continues to be 

"substantial grounds" to believe that 

Modi possesses the financial means 

to abscond. Ikram gave directions 

for the court clerk to seek confirmation 

of the proposed five-day extradition 

trial dates starting May 11, 

2020. The court had in July extended 

the judicial custody of Nirav 

Modi till August 22 in connection 

with the Rs 13,500 crore Punjab 

National Bank (PNB) fraud case. 

The 48-year-old businessman, 

wanted in India, was arrested from 

Holborn here on March 19. Since 

then he has been fighting extradition 

proceedings. 

Modi and his uncle Mehul 

Choksi are being investigated by the 

Enforcement Directorate and the 

Central Bureau of Investigation 

after the PNB alleged that they 


BJP leader raped me for over a year... 

The Supreme Court heard the woman's account in a closed hearing 

and ordered the UP government to set up a Special 

Investigation Team (SIT) to inquire into her allegations. It had also 

directed that she and her brother - who was doing his LL.B at the 

same college here - should be transferred to another institution. 

"On Sunday, the SIT quizzed me for about 11 hours. I have told 

them about the rapes. Even after I told them everything, they 

haven't arrested Chinmayanand yet," she said. The woman was 

tracked down in Rajasthan on August 30, a week after she vanished 

following her Facebook post alleging that a "big leader of the Sant 

Samaj" had "destroyed the lives of many other girls and also has 

threatened to kill me". In the post, she had requested Chief Minister 

Yogi Adityanath and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to help her. 


BA strike cancels nearly 100% flights 

"We put forward a proposal to BA management last Wednesday 

that would have enabled us to call off the strikes for Monday and 

Tuesday. BA didn't reply," it said on Twitter on Sunday. "One day 

of strike action will cost BA, on their own figures, 40 million 

pounds ($49 million). The difference between us now is 5 million 

pounds. Why won't they work with us to end this dispute?" Both 

parties have said they were willing to negotiate. BA pilots rejected 

an offer of an 11.5 per cent pay increase over three years. The 

airline said that flights operated by its subsidiary BA CityFlyer 

and its franchises SUN-Air, in Scandanavia, and Comair, in South 

Africa, were not affected by the strike action. 

cheated it of Rs 13,500 crore with 

the involvement of some bank 

employees. 

Modi also faces charges under 

the Fugitive Economic Offenders 

Act. The ED has filed a chargesheet 

against Choksi in a Prevention of 

Money Laundering Act Court in 

Mumbai. Both fled India before 

details of the fraud emerged in 

January 2018. "The quality of evidence 

produced by India, which has 

been a key contention in the Vijay 

Mallya extradition was not brought 

into question, rather the judges have 

affirmed the allegations of destruction 

of evidence and witness by 

Modi. This brings yet another 

respite to India," he said. He said 

these routine "call over hearings" 

(video links) are yet to formally 


Sibal tears into government as it completes 100 days 

Auto component maker Sundaram-Clayton Ltd has announced 

that it would shut its Padi factory in Tamil Nadu for two days", 

alleged Sibal. Picking examples of the textile and gold sector, 

Sibal alleged, that people are angry with the government. 

The Congress leader also hit out at the government for sliding 

GDP, low manufacturing and slowdown in construction activity. 

Taking a subtle dig at Chandrayan 2, he said, "As there is suspense 

over whether scientists would be able to make contact with 

Chandrayan's lander, there is deep suspense over whether economy 

will recover in the near future." 

proceed to actual trial, "which has 

been scheduled for May 2020, 

meaning Modi's extradition, if successful, 

could only happen closer to 

2021 because either side could 

invoke appeal process." 

715-C Parkfield Road 

Wolverhampton, WV4 6EE 

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Studio : 01902 457875 

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Since ten years I have through 

Samaj Weekly tried to draw attention 

of the Sabhas, Organisations and our 

religious Gurus that instead of concentrating 

on own personal gains 

please give your attention in finding 

of ways to UNITE because introduction 

of the Manusmriti is hanging 

around the corner. It failed to draw 

any attention because I feel they 

lacked ability to see ahead. 

In my speeches I used to stress 

upon essentiality of acting as one 

unit. Even though we all have our 

own beliefs but to face coming surge 

of Manusmriti , we will have to go 

beyond our beliefs and act on one 

platform and under one flag. I used 

to state in my articles that the 

Savidan of India is under threat but 

on one took any notice. Many have 

now to come me and said what I used 

to say was right. 

When the issue of Caste-Act was 

ongoing, in that period I tried to 

bring to notice that in London the 

Hindus are trying to introduce 

Manusmriti in schools and this needs 

to be stopped. I begged to raise this 

issue with their MP’s because 

Manusmriti was the cause to caste 

system in India and it’s revival is 

going to have very harmful results. 

Revival of Manusmriti is similar to 

revival of the SLAVE TRADE in 

America. People failed to pay any 

attention because they believed that 

the Manusmriti was done and dusted 

since introduction of the Indian 

Constitution by Dr. Bhim Rao 

Ambedkar. They failed to realise 

that RSS and BJP have predicted to 

reinstate Manusmriti back in India 

within seventy to hundred years. We 

gave them this opportunity and they 

are going to make most of it. 

If we would have raised this issue, 

the people world-wide would have 

been much wiser and co-operated 

with us in stopping Manusmriti in 

India because it causes division within 

humanity. The six hundred year 

old Guru Ravi Dass Mandir has been 

knocked down to prove that this BJP 

Government can do what they like. 

The public has become aware of 

their behavior and have also come to 

know that for their gains they will go 

to any length. It is a scary thought 

for eighty five percent of the Indian 

population, so to stop BJP advances 

they have decided to get together and 

act as one unit. 

Via wisdom, I have gained 

through my experience I did put my 

ASIA 

INTRODUCTION OF 

MANUSMRITI 

points across but failed to gain any 

recognition because they could not 

visualise the danger ahead. The 

Valmikians are the ones who have 

felt the full blunt of the 

Untouchability and Bhagwan 

Valmiki Ji has made certain that they 

do not escape recognition. 

He made Gandhi Ji to spent nine 

months in the Bhagwan Valimiki 

Mandir- Delhi and Modi Ji to clean 

feet of the five Valmikian sweepers 

and declare them Karam-Yogis in the 

presence of vast number of pundits, 

rishis, maha-rishis MP’s and the 

Indian Army and senior authorities 

from the Indian Air Force. A hundred 

years ago, no one could have imagined 

this to happen but it has. Such 

happenings bring pride and dignity 

to the Valmikian community and 

Bhagwan Valmiki Ji is behind this. 

This happened in the celebration of 

the Kumb-Mela in the year 2019. 

Super star Amir Khan produced a 

special programme Satya-mev- 

Jayate. He made different episodes 

covering various subjects and also 

contained one on the Untouchables. 

He introduced Koshal Panwar in this 

episode to share the mistreatment she 

had gone through for being from an 

Untouchable family. 

She is a professor in Jawahar Lal 

University-Delhi and teaches 

Sanskrit. To reach where she is now, 

she had to face a lot of problems 

and she shared them 

with the millions who were 

watching the show all around 

the world. It touched their 

hearts and even Amir Khan 

could not hold back his tears. 

But the programme also 

included an interview of one 

pundit who very boldly declared that 

he held no respect for the Indian 

Constitution. His constitution is 

Code of Manu and he firmly 

believed in the four varnas Brahmin, 

Kshatriya, Vyash and Shudra and 

confirmed that to him Manusmirity 

is the law of the God. Even Amir 

Khan was disturbed by his words and 

said “that there are people in India 

who are overriding Indian 

Constitution and the Governments 

are pulling a blind eye to it.” I could 

sense the danger and brought to 

attention via Samaj Weekly that they 

M Teji 


11 

are not his own words he has 

expressed a united voice. We should 

take it seriously and make efforts to 

unite together and stop Manusmriti 

lurking around the corner. 

I am sorry to say that no one took 

notice because they could not 

see ahead. I wish if they had 

taken it on board and this success 

the BJP is enjoying today 

through introduction of the 

Manusmriti may not have 

happened. I have always 

declared that I have many 

years of experience in dealing 

with the Valmikian issues . My late 

father Mr. Hazara Ram Teji spent all 

his life doing the same therefore we 

have combined experience and with 

Bhagwan Valmiki Ji’s blessing we 

can for see ahead that many cannot. I 

wrote to Ameer Khan Ji and thanked 

him for his presentation on the 

Untouchables and mentioned that we 

feel that you have brought awareness 

and the acting Government will look 

into it. Time passed by and rape and 

molestation of the Dalits increased 

but the acting Government failed to 

respond. The reason to their drawback 

was that they were behind it. 

Now introduction of the Manusmriti 

sums it all. Only by reinstating 

Manusmriti they can establish the 

Hindu control they are seeking for. 

As there is no opposition in the 

Indian Parliament, they can make 

and pass laws to suit them unless 

MP’s from the scheduled castes unite 

and stand in opposition. Will they do 

this we will have to wait and see? 

The world is keeping quite. 

America has pulled aside by saying 

that this is an internal matter between 

India and Pakistan. There is danger 

of war and threats of using nuclear 

arsenal are coming from both sides. 

Because of Kashmir tensions on both 

sides are high. The UNO needs to 

step in and stress that the matter 

should be sorted out through dialogue. 

The danger does not end in 

Kashmir. Kashmir is the starting 

point and the Punjab is next and so 

on. It is well worked out strategy to 

impose complete Hindu control in 

India. There is a good chance of civil 

war taking place in India because the 

RSS is waiting to strike and spread 

complete control in India. 

Bloodshed is on the cards. Millions 

of dalits, Sikhs, Christians and 

Muslims may lose their lives. The 

UNO and the Humanitarian 

Organisations need to keep eye on 

developments in India. The main 

motive of the BJP Government is to 

bring back Manusmriti and 

code–of—manu because it makes 

them superior then the rest by birth. 

Manusmriti will hand complete control 

back to the Higher Castes and 

they will be again able to re-establish 

Brahmin era. 

Do we want slavery back in 

India. The world is trying to bring 

equality amongst mankind but in 

India they are trying to disperse 

equality. To understand Modi do 

not listen to his words but try to 

work out the reason behind his 

words. Nobody knows more about 

Manusmriti then the Untouchables 

who have been victimised and 

molested for thousands of years 

through Code-of-Manu. It spreads 

hate between mankind and to stop 

this Indian Constitution was introduced. 

We want to keep peace and 

equality in India therefore all over 

the world demonstrate against 

Manusmriti and let people know the 

reasons behind it’s introduction. 

Jai Bharat 

On kanshi TV 

channel 772. 

SATURDAY at 

6 :00 pm 

SUNDAY at 

6 :00 pm 

Ambedkarites News and Views 

by 

BUDDHIST INTERNATIONAL MEDIA 

Mob : 07411 251 804, 07847 307 059


BUSINESS 


Centre open to raise auto sector’s 

plea at GST COUNCIL 

Double whammy for auto 

sector as July exports dip 

New Delhi : Already grappling with a domestic consumption 

slowdown, Indian automobile sector’s exports have also taken a 

hit in July, an industry analysis showed on Wednesday. 

According to the Engineering Export Promotion Council 

(EEPC) of India analysis, the export market for auto manufacturers, 

along with their component vendors, has been depressed, 

in-sync with other key engineering export items from the country. 

The exports of automobile sector, comprising of “motor 

vehicles, two or three wheelers and auto parts and components” 

showed a decline of 3.82 per cent in July 2019 over the same 

month last year. Besides, the aggregate exports from these three 

segments dropped on a year-on-year basis from $1.33 billion to 

$1.28 billion for the month under review. 

Commenting on the trend, EEPC India Chairman Ravi Sehgal 

said: “In a way, the auto makers face a double whammy. Exports 

too are laggards even as the fall in the domestic market is reported 

to be quite sharp. It is time to take immediate measures like 

faster refund of state and central taxes. Besides, steel availability 

at international prices would be crucial to make automobile 

exporters competitive.” “There is a strong connect between 

manufacturing and export of engineering goods. As per the overall 

GDP data for the first quarter of the current fiscal, manufacturing 

could barely keep its head above water with 0.6 per cent 

growth. But engineering exports during the same period slipped 

badly and fell by 1.86 per cent.” 

Cotton growers, textile industry 

see hard times ahead 

Chandigarh : From cotton growers to ginners, spinning mills 

to fabric/garment manufacturers, all in the textile industry chain 

foresee bad times 

ahead. Ginners say 

the demand from 

spinning mills is 

expected to remain 

low, with mills mostly 

using their reserve 

stocks. Spinning 

mills say there is a 

sharp decline in 

demand from fabric 

and garment manufacturers, forcing them to cut their production. 

They are also going in for business consolidation, mainly 

by laying off labour. 

Kuljit Pal Singh, a cotton grower from Jatri village in 

Bathinda, says the prospect of going to mandi with his produce 

is giving him goosebumps as he expects a much lesser price for 

his produce than the Rs 5,800 per quintal he got last year. 

“The demand for cotton is low as the textile sector is facing a 

recession as bad as in 2008. Due to weakening demand by the 

spinning mills, our produce will sell at price than the MSP of Rs 

5,425 per quintal. Only Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) buys 

the crop at the MSP. But the commission agents have decided 

not to allow the CCI to make direct purchase. As a result, we see 

a bleak prospect of selling the crop,” he rues. 

His apprehensions don’t seem unfounded. Rajesh Jain, a 

commission agent in Maur Mandi, foresees much lesser price 

for the crop this year. “The arrivals have just begun. Last year, 

when we didn't allow the CCI to purchase the crop directly, the 

mills were buying at higher rates. But this year, the crop will not 

fetch the higher price due to weakening demand,” he said. 

Mridula Jain, chairperson, Shawl Club, Ludhiana, said 

besides domestic market, exports of garments were also down 

by 20-30%. “Since manufacturers go in for production after getting 

export orders, they have been forced to restrict the production 

due to weak demand. On the domestic front also, sales are 

not picking up despite festival season having started. Retailers 

are not willing to keep more stocks. As a result, the manufacturers 

have a little choice but to go in for consolidation and labour 

layoffs,” she said. 

New Delhi : The central 

government is open to take the 

industry’s proposal on reducing 

the Goods and Services Tax 

(GST) on automobiles to the 

GST Council. Speaking at the 

ACMA annual convention here 

on Friday, Minister of State for 

Finance and Corporate Affairs 

Anurag Thakur said the government 

had received several 

representations from various 

stakeholders, including automobile 

dealers, OEMs and car 

manufacturers, regarding the 

reduction in GST rate from 28 

per cent to 18 per cent. 

The industry has demanded 

that the GST should be brought 

down to 18 per cent to reverse 

the consumption slowdown. 

The Minister asked the auto 

industry players to reach out to 

the State Finance Ministers as 

well as the decision on any 

change in GST can only be 

taken by the GST Council. 

“Any rate cute in the GST 

needs to be first approved by 

the GST Fitment Committee 

and then by the GST Council. I 

request all of you to also reach 

out to State Finance Ministers, 

who are part of the GST 

Council… We are open to take 

it (rate cut proposal) to the GST 

Council, deliberate it there and 

New Delhi : Crisil Research 

on Wednesday said it has 

revised downwards its India 

GDP growth forecast for fiscal 

2020 to 6.3 per cent from an 

earlier estimated rate of 6.9 per 

cent. Just a week back, a plunge 

in domestic private consumption 

demand, slump in manufacturing, 

halving of merchandise 

exports growth, and a 

high-base effect from last year 

gnawed away at first-quarter 

growth which came in at 5 per 

cent. Fiscal 2020’s first quarter 

GDP growth at 5 per cent was 

the slowest in 25 quarters. 

“Nevertheless, given the 

twin trouble of slack private 

most of the decisions are unanimously 

been taken in the previous 

GST Council meetings,” 

he said. The GST council’s next 

meeting is scheduled in Goa on 

September 20. 

He said that government is 

listening to the industry and at 

the same time taking quick policy 

decisions to address these 

concerns raised by various sectors. 

Further, the minister 

called for the industry to realign 

their strategy given that 

consumers preferences are 

changing. 

Union Minister of State for 

Parliamentary Affairs and 

Heavy Industries & Public 

US stocks close mixed amid 

Powell’s speech, data 

New York : US stocks closed 

mixed on Friday as investors digested 

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome 

Powell’s speech as well as major economic 

data. The Dow 

Jones Industrial Average 

was up 69.31 points, or 

0.26 per cent, to 

26,797.46. The S&P 500 

rose 2.71 points, or 0.09 

per cent, to 2,978.71, 

Xinhua news agency 

reported. The Nasdaq 

Composite Index fell 

13.75 points, or 0.17 per cent, to 

8,103.07. Powell said on Friday at an 

event in Switzerland that the trade 

tensions between the US and China 

are weighing down companies’ 

investment decisions. 

He said uncertainty around trade 

policy is causing some companies to 

hold back on investment, 

according to reports. On 

the economic front, total 

nonfarm payroll employment 

rose by 130,000 in 

August, and the unemployment 

rate was 

unchanged at 3.7 per cent, 

the US Labor Department 

said on Friday. August’s 

total nonfarm payroll employment is 

down from July’s downwardly revised 

number of 159,000, and is lower than 

the Wall Street estimates of 150,000. 

Enterprises Arjun Ram 

Meghwal, who also attended 

the event said that he expects 

rationalisation of tax rates 

levied on auto parts soon and 

that export incentives might be 

considered for the sector. The 

automobile component manufacturers 

faces a unique tax 

structure as most of their products 

attract GST tax at 18 per 

cent, while some high-end parts 

attract a rate of 28 per cent. 

He termed the auto sector’s 

woes as minor and which will 

be settled very soon as the 

Centre is aiming to make India 

a $5 trillion economy. The 

automobile sector is suffering 

consumption and manufacturing 

in the quarter, we believe 

the remaining quarters are 

unlikely to over reach to take 

the full year number to our earlier 

forecast of 6.9 per cent,” 

the firm said. 

According to the firm, the 

6.3 per cent GDP growth rate is 

under the assumption that the 

sales downturn due to factors 

like high GST, farm distress, 

stagnant wages and liquidity 

constraints. Inventory pile-up 

and stock management of 

unsold BS-IV vehicles too have 

become a problem for the sector. 

Consequent to the slowdown, 

the Finance Minister 

Nirmala Sitharaman had, on 

August 23, announced that 

government departments would 

be allowed to buy new vehicles. 

In addition, automobiles 

purchased till March 31, 2020, 

can avail the benefit of additional 

depreciation of 15 per 

cent, with total depreciation up 

to 30 per cent. Even BS-IV 

vehicles bought till March 31, 

2020, would remain operational 

for their entire registration 

period. Lately, all major 

OEMs consisting of passenger, 

commercial, two and three 

wheeler manufacturers have 

reported a massive decline in 

domestic sales. Figures from 

the Society of Indian 

Automobile Manufacturers 

(SIAM) showed that industry 

which has recorded an overall 

decline of 18.71 per cent in offtake 

for July, the highest 

monthly sales de-growth in the 

last 19 years. August figures 

are still awaited 

India’s forex reserves 

down by $446 mn 

Mumbai : India’s foreign exchange reserves 

declined by $446 million during 

the week ended August 30, 

official data showed on Friday. 

According to the Reserve 

Bank of India’s weekly statistical 

supplement, the overall 

forex reserves declined to 

$428.60 billion from $429.05 billion reported for the 

week ended August 23. India’s forex reserves comprise 

Foreign Currency Assets (FCAs), gold reserves, 

Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) and India’s reserve 

position with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). 

On a weekly basis, FCAs – the largest component of 

the forex reserves – edged lower by $1.12 billion to 

$396.005 billion. However, the RBI’s weekly data 

showed that the value of the country’s gold reserves 

went up by $682 million to $27.55 billion. 

Crisil cuts India’s FY 2020 GDP growth forecast to 6.3% 

second quarter will see some 

mild pick-up in growth, which 

continues through the year. 

“We expect growth to get 

some lift from the low base 

effect that will now set in (second 

half fiscal 2019 GDP 

growth was at 6.2 per cent),” 

the firm said. “An easing monetary 

policy, improved transmission 

of rate cuts, and the 

government’s minimum 

income support scheme to 

farmers would also feed into 

consumption. The recently 

announced steps by the Finance 

Minister will also address some 

pain points and support sentiment.”


HEALTH 


13 

AI helped design a promising drug in flat 21 days 

Hong Kong : In a significant development, 

a Hong Kong-based health startup 

has used Artificial Intelligence (AI) to 

design a drug in just 21 days that showed 

potential treatments for fibrosis – a discovery 

that can speed up drug designing 

for various incurable diseases. The AI system 

called generative tensorial reinforcement 

learning (GENTRL) helped design 

six promising treatments for fibrosis in 21 

days. “Four compounds were active in 

biochemical assays, and two were validated 

in cell-based assays. One lead candidate 

was tested and demonstrated favorable 

pharmacokinetics in mice,” said 

Insilico Medicine in a paper published in 

the journal Nature Biotechnology. 

In comparison, traditional drug discovery 

starts with the testing of thousands 

of small molecules in order to get 

to just a few lead-like molecules and 

only about one in 10 of these molecules 

pass clinical trials in human patients. 

In a similar technique used by 

DeepMind to outcompete human GO 

players, GENTRL — powered by generative 

chemistry that utilizes modern 

AI techniques — can rapidly generate 

novel molecular structures with specified 

properties. Insilico has also made 

GENTRL’s source code available as 

open source on Microsoft-owned repository 

GitHub. “The development of 

these first six molecules as an experimental 

validation is just the start,” said 

Alex Zhavoronkov, CEO of Insilico 

Medicine. “By enabling the rapid discovery 

of novel molecules and by making 

GENTRL’s source code open 

source, we are ushering in new possibilities 

for the creation and discovery of 

new life-saving medicine for incurable 

diseases,” he added. The new technology 

leveraged Insilico’s groundbreaking 

academic research in 2016 about using 

modern AI techniques of generative 

adversarial networks (GAN) and generative 

reinforcement learning (RL) to 

accelerate drug discovery. “When we 

first proposed the idea of using the AI 

technique of generative adversarial networks 

to accelerate drug discovery in 

2016, most of the industry was sceptical,” 

said Zhavoronkov. The creation of 

the new molecules marks the industry’s 

first scientific validation of using of 

generative and reinforcement learning 

AI technologies for the successful discovery 

and generation of new molecules. 

Insilico Medicine is developing a 

comprehensive drug discovery pipeline 

utilizing AI generating novel molecules 

with the specified properties for a variety 

of target classes. 

“This paper is certainly a really 

impressive advance and likely to be 

applicable to many other problems in 

drug-design,” said Dr Michael Levitt, 

professor of structural biology, Stanford 

University who received the Nobel 

Prize in Chemistry in 2013. 

Sedentary lifestyle linked 

to doubled mortality risk 

London : Sedentary lifestyle for 20 years 

is associated with a two times risk of premature 

death as compared to those who lead a 

healthy life, according to a new study. 

"Our findings imply that to get the maximum 

health benefits of physical activity in 

terms of protection against premature allcause 

and cardiovascular death, you need to 

continue being physically active," said the 

study's author Trine Moholdt from the 

Norwegian University. 

This study aimed to assess how changes 

in physical activity over 22 years were related 

to subsequent death from all causes and 

cardiovascular disease. The HUNT study 

invited all residents of Norway aged 20 and 

older to participate in 1984-1986, 1995-1997 

and 2006-2008. At all three time points, individuals 

were asked about their frequency and 

duration of leisure-time physical activity. 

The current study used the data from the first 

and third surveys. A total of 23,146 men and 

women were included in the analysis. 

Physical activity was categorised as inactive, 

moderate—less than two hours a week and 

high—two or more hours per week. 

Physical activity data were linked to 

information on deaths until the end of 2013 

using the Norwegian Cause of Death 

Registry. 

The risk of death in each physical activity 

group was compared to the reference 

group—those who reported a high level of 

exercise during both surveys. Compared to 

the reference group, people who were inactive 

in both 1984-1986 and 2006-2008 had a 

2-fold higher likelihood of all-cause death 

and 2.7-fold greater risk of dying from cardiovascular 

disease. 

Those with moderate activity at both time 

points had 60 per cent and 90 per cent raised 

risks of all-cause and cardiovascular deaths, 

respectively, compared to the reference 

group. "Our data indicate that you can compensate 

for a previously inactive lifestyle and 

the sooner you get active, the sooner you will 

see positive results," said Moholdt. 

The study was presented at the ESC 

Congress 2019 in Paris.` 

Drinking coffee 

may protect 

against gallstones 

London : In a treat to coffee lovers, researchers have found that 

drinking coffee may help in reducing the risk of developing gallstones. 

“We have tested the hypothesis that high coffee intake 

causally protects against symptomatic gallstone disease,” said 

researchers from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. 

According to the research published in the Journal of Internal 

Medicine, among 104,493 individuals, those who drank more than 

six cups of coffee per day had a 23 per cent lower risk of developing 

symptomatic gallstones compared with individuals who did not 

drink coffee. Drinking one extra cup of coffee per day was associated 

with three per cent lower risk, the study said. 

Also, individuals with certain genetic variants that have been 

linked to increased coffee consumption had a lower risk of 

gallstones. The researchers also highlighted several mechanisms 

by which coffee consumption might help to prevent gallstones 

from forming. 

70-90% of Indians are vitamin deficient: Study 

MUMBAI : Almost 70-90 per cent people in 

the country are vitamin D deficient putting 

them at risk of having hypertension and 

diabetes, according to a study. A 2019 

pan-India study found that 70-90 per 

cent of Indians are deficient of the sunshine 

vitamin, and the deficiency can 

have adverse consequences for skeletal 

development in babies and children, 

and bone health in adults. The 

study was authored by diabetologist 

PG Talwalkar, and Vaishali Deshmukh, 

MC Deepak and Dinesh Agrawal. 

It noted that the deficiency is linked to 

chronic disease, including diabetes, hypertension 

and cardiovascular disease. The study found 

that 84.2 per cent of Type II diabetes patients were 

Vitamin D deficient, as were 82.6 per cent of hypertension 

patients. 

It noted that there is no significant variation 

in deficiency levels across North, 

South, East or West regions with each 

reporting deficiency prevalence of 88 

per cent, 90 per cent, 93 per cent and 

91 per cent respectively. 

Drug firm Abbott facilitated 

awareness around the study. 

"Pregnant women in India have up 

to 84 per cent prevalence of Vitamin D 

deficiency, which also correlates with 

the level of Vitamin D deficiency in their 

newborns. 16 children of mothers with 

suboptimal Vitamin D are at risk of reduced 

prenatal and postnatal skeletal development, 

which affects both height and bone-health," Abbott 

Medical Director Srirupa Das said.


HEALTH 


Decoded : Why women get 

heart attacks later than men 

Want to live longer? Stop 

consuming soft drinks 

London : Greater consumption of sugar-sweetened and 

artificially-sweetened soft drinks is linked to a higher incidence 

of all-cause mortality, researchers have warned. 

“We found that higher soft drink intake was associated 

with a greater risk of death from any cause regardless of 

whether sugar-sweetened or artificially-sweetened drinks 

were consumed,” said study senior author Neil Murphy 

from International Agency for Research on Cancer in 

France. “Our results for sugar-sweetened soft drinks provide 

further support to limit consumption and to replace 

them with healthier beverages, preferably water,” Murphy 

said. For the study published in the JAMA Internal 

Medicine, nearly 452,000 men and women from 10 

European countries participated. The study found that 

drinking two or more glasses per day — compared with 

less than one glass per month — of soft drinks, sugarsweetened 

soft drinks and artificially-sweetened soft 

drinks was associated with higher risk of death from all 

causes during an average follow-up of 16 years in which 

41,693 deaths occurred. 

According to the study, 43 per cent died from cancers, 

21.8 per cent from circulatory diseases and 2.9 per cent 

from digestive diseases. The findings support public 

health initiatives to limit soft drink consumption. 

London : Although 

women develop coronary 

artery disease (CAD) 

almost 10 years later than 

men as scientists have 

attributed this decade-long 

delay to the protective 

effects of sex hormones, 

the heart disease finally 

catches up with women 

owing to the presence of 

"fat-absorbing" XX hormones. 

There is a lot of evidence 

that hormones like 

estrogen and progesterone 

protect the heart, but scientists 

had little data on the 

influence of the genetic 

component -- the X chromosome 

-- on the heart. New research at the 

University of Kentucky has confirmed that the 

presence of XX sex chromosomes increases the 

amount of fat circulating in the blood, which 

leads to narrowing of the arteries and ultimately 

a higher risk of heart attacks and coronary 

artery disease. The team looked at lipids 

absorbed from the diet and made in the liver. 

"We looked at how our X sex chromosomes 

were influencing the levels of lipids in the 

blood and in the arteries," said Lisa Cassis, a 

researcher in the UK College of Medicine, in a 

paper published in the journal Nature 

Communications. What they found is that an 

XX sex chromosome combination promotes 

efficient use of fat. Women need fat to bear and 

feed babies, Cassis explained. "We're set up, 

potentially through our XX sex chromosomes, 

so that we can effectively absorb that lipid from 

the diet and put it into our fat cells and maybe 

even make it in the liver." Cassis's team studied 

chromosome effects in mice, and for this most 

recent discovery they were able to zero in on 

XX chromosomes by removing hormones. 

According to Yasir Al-Siraj, a 

post-doctoral scholar and the 

paper's first author, if the levels 

of circulating lipids transported 

by the blood are too high, they 

will start to accumulate in and on 

the artery wall, leading to plaque 

buildup. These plaques harden 

and narrow the artery, reducing 

blood flow to the vital organs. 

Everything is fine until 

women hit menopause and the 

protective effects of hormones 

disappear, leaving women with, 

what Cassis calls, "that XX 

thrifty, fat-absorbing kind of 

genotype." The team is looking at 

genes that are changed in the 

liver and in the intestine to find 

novel targets for drug development. 

If they can find target genes that influence 

atherosclerosis, scientists can then explore 

the effects of existing drugs or develop new 

ones. "We don't know if our findings are due to 

the presence of two X chromosomes or due to 

the absence of the Y chromosome," said Al- 

Siraj. These findings may also drive choice of 

diet for post-menopausal women. 

"For example, if they're very effective fat 

absorbers, obviously, once they get postmenopausal, 

they need to be careful about the 

fat content," added Cassis. 

MOUTHWASH use could 

negate benefits of exercise 

LONDON : The blood pressure-lowering 

effect of exercise is significantly reduced 

when people rinse their mouths with antibacterial 

mouthwash rather than water, according 

to a study which shows the importance of 

oral bacteria in cardiovascular health. 

The study, published in the journal Free 

Radical Biology and Medicine, suggests that 

health professionals should pay attention to 

the oral environment when recommending 

interventions involving physical activity 

for high blood pressure. 

"Scientists already know that 

blood vessels open up during exercise, 

as the production of nitric 

oxide increases the diameter of 

the blood vessels (known as 

vasodilation), increasing blood 

flow circulation to active muscles," 

said Raul Bescos, from 

the University of Plymouth in 

the UK. "What has remained a 

mystery is how blood circulation 

remains higher after exercise, in 

turn triggering a blood-pressure 

lowering response known as postexercise 

hypotension," Bescos said. 

Previous research has suggested that 

nitric oxide was not involved in this 

post-exercise response -- and only 

involved during exercise -- but the new study 

challenges these views. "It's all to do with 

nitric oxide degrading into a compound 

called nitrate, which for years was thought to 

have no function in the body. But research 

over the last decade has shown that nitrate 

can be absorbed in the salivary glands and 

excreted with saliva in the mouth," said 

Bescos. Twenty-three healthy adults were 

asked to run on a treadmill for a total of 30 

minutes on two separate occasions, after 

which they were monitored for two hours. 

On each occasion at one, 30, 60 and 90 minutes 

after exercise they were asked to rinse 

their mouths with a liquid—either antibacterial 

mouthwash (0.2 per cent chlorhexidine) 

or a placebo of mint-flavoured water. 

Their blood pressure was measured and 

saliva and blood samples were taken before 

exercise and at 120 minutes after exercise. 

The study found that when participants 

rinsed with the placebo, the average reduction 

in systolic blood pressure was 5.2 

milimetres of mercury (mmHg) at one hour 

after exercise. However when participants 

rinsed with the antibacterial mouthwash, the 

average systolic blood pressure was 2.0 

mmHg at the same time point. Systolic blood 

pressure refers to the highest blood pressure 

level when the heart is squeezing and pushing 

the blood round the body. These results 

show that the blood pressure-lowering effect 

of exercise was diminished by more than 60 

per cent over the first hour of recovery, and 

totally abolished two hours after exercise 

when participants were given the antibacterial 

mouthwash. Previous views also 

suggested that the main source of 

nitrite in the circulation after exercise 

was nitric oxide formed during exercise 

in the endothelial cells (cells 

that line the blood vessels). 

However, the new study challenges 

this. When antibacterial 

mouthwash was given to the participants, 

their blood nitrite levels 

did not increase after exercise. It 

was only when participants used the 

placebo that nitrite levels in blood 

raised, indicating that oral bacteria 

are a key source of this molecule in the 

circulation at least over the first period of 

recovery after exercise. "These findings 

show that nitrite synthesis by oral bacteria is 

hugely important in kick-starting how our 

bodies react to exercise over the first period 

of recovery, promoting lower blood pressure 

and greater muscle oxygenation," said Craig 

Cutler, who conducted the research as part of 

his PhD at the University of Plymouth. "In 

effect, it's like oral bacteria are the 'key' to 

opening up the blood vessels. If they are 

removed, nitrite can't be produced and the 

vessels remain in their current state," he said. 

Mobile app can help manage 

uncontrolled asthma 

Stockholm : A mobile app can help manage uncontrolled asthma 

by measuring lung function and giving feedback in the form of 

automated and doctor-prescribed treatment recommendation, say 

researchers. 

People suffering from uncontrolled asthma frequently experience 

breathing difficulties or asthma attacks and inadequate management 

and/or incorrect use of medicines are common causes of 

this situation. A study by researchers at Karolinska Institutet found 

that a treatment adjustment algorithm based on lung function and 

symptoms in a mobile phone can be an efficient tool in managing 

uncontrolled asthma.For fuss-free measuring of lung function, the 

phone connects to a wireless spirometer and the app can register 

respiratory symptoms and provide visual feedback on treatment, 

said researchers in a paper published in European Respiratory 

Journal. “The system called ‘AsthmaTuner’ analyses lung function 

and symptoms in accordance with asthma-care guidelines,” said 

Bjorn Nordlund, research group leader at Karolinska Institutet. 

“The users also receive a picture of the inhaler that is to be used 

and instructions on whether the medication is to be maintained, 

increased or decreased,” Nordlund added. AsthmaTuner enables 

the measuring of lung function via a wireless spirometer connected 

to a mobile telephone app. The study comprised 77 uncontrolled 

asthma sufferers aged six upwards. Around half of these were children 

and adolescents. “We could see that asthma symptoms 

improved more with the digital tool than they did with traditional 

care. Adult patients who used the tool at least once a week also 

more often remembered to take their medicines,” said Nordlund.


HEALTH 


15 

New Delhi : The digestive system 

is one of the most critical of our body 

systems. If it can’t digest the food 

properly and help the body absorb 

nutrients, then it is impossible to 

achieve good health. Improper digestion 

affects not only the gut, but also 

hormonal, immune and nervous systems. 

It is possible that our diet may 

be balanced, but if the gut is not functioning 

properly, then it will affect the 

body’s nutrient absorption, and consequently, 

its energy production. 

If small intestine does not absorb 

nutrients, the liver cannot process 

these and turn these into useful energy 

for the body. Hippocrates, often 

regarded as father of western medicine, 

is believed to have said that ‘all 

disease begins in the gut’. He was not 

off the mark. A major portion of the 

body’s immune system resides in the 

gut, which is also known as the second 

brain of the body. It keeps track of 

the allergens and microbes that get 

into our system. If the digestive system 

is unhealthy, it makes us susceptible 

to immune dysfunction. 

Medicines designed to moderate 

acid levels in our stomach to treat gastrointestinal 

conditions often end up 

making it worse, and limit the absorption 

of key nutrients like magnesium 

and calcium. If the digestive enzymes 

don’t do their job, the food we eat 

does not get broken down properly. 

The indigestion can lead to flatulence, 

bloating and fecal impaction. 

Look after the digestive system 

Our gut health is often disturbed by 

unhealthy eating and living habits and 

mental stress. Naturopathy seeks to 

address the underlying causes behind 

improper functioning of the body, taking 

into consideration physical, mental, 

social, genetic, environmental and 

other factors. Naturopathic physicians 

have a thorough understanding of 

how digestive wellness affects our 

overall health. 

NEW YORK : 

Researchers have found 

that individuals with 

greater optimism are 

more likely to live 

longer and achieve 

"exceptional longevity". 

"While research has 

identified many risk factors 

for diseases and premature 

death, we know 

relatively less about positive 

psychosocial factors 

that can promote 

healthy aging," said 

Lewina Lee, Assistant 

Professor at the Boston 

University. "This study has 

strong public health relevance 

because it suggests that optimism 

is one such psychosocial 

asset that has the potential to 

extend the human lifespan. 

Interestingly, optimism may be 

modifiable using relatively 

simple techniques or therapies," 

Lee added. 

The study, published in the 

journal Proceedings of the 

National Academy of Sciences, 

was based on 69,744 women 

A natural boost 

for HEALTH 

Lifestyle disorders are often the result of unhealthy eating and living 

habits. Digestive wellness can help us achieve overall wellbeing 

Here are some tips that will help us 

maintain a healthy digestive system: 

1 Cut back on sweets, as well as 

fried and fatty foods. Fatty foods 

are one of the main reasons behind 

bloating. Fat slows down the 

process of emptying the stomach, 

which may result in increasing the 

sensation of fullness. 

2 Do not overeat, and make sure to 

include plenty of fibre-rich vegetables, 

sprouts and fruits in the 

diet. 

Want to live longer? 

Optimism is the key 

SYDNEY 

and 1,429 men. Both groups 

completed survey measures to 

assess their level of optimism, 

as well as their overall health 

and health habits such as diet, 

smoking and alcohol use. 

Women were followed for 10 

years, while men were followed 

for 30 years. 

When individuals were compared 

based on their initial levels 

of optimism, the researchers 

found that the most optimistic 

men and women demonstrated, 

on average, an 11 to 15 per cent 

longer lifespan, 

and had 50-70 

per cent greater 

odds of reaching 

the age of 85 

compared to the 

least optimistic 

groups. 

The results 

were maintained 

after accounting 

for age, demographic 

factors 

such as educational 

attainment, 

chronic 

diseases, depression and also 

health behaviours, such as alcohol 

use, exercise, diet and primary 

care visits. 

"However, exactly why optimistic 

people appear to live 

longer is still up for debate," 

Lee said. 

The researchers also consider 

that more optimistic people 

tend to have healthier habits, 

such as being more likely to 

engage in more exercise and 

less likely to smoke, which 

could extend lifespan. 

: 

Researchers have 

discovered how 

fatty liver disease 

develops in lean 

people, aiding the 

development of 

potential treatments 

for these 

patients. "Lean 

fatty liver patients 

have a very distinct 

metabolism 

compared to nonlean 

ones, which 

can explain some 

of the differences we see in disease 

progression," said Jacob 

George, Professor at the 

Westmead Institute for Medical 

Research in Australia. 

Fatty liver disease—a condition 

characterised by a build-up 

of fat in the liver— affects a 

quarter of the world's population. 

Although it commonly 

develops in overweight and 

obese people, many individuals 

with a Body Mass Index (BMI) 

of less than 25kg/m2 develop 

the disease and tend to have 

worse outcomes compared to 

obese patients. During the 

study, researchers compared 

3 Chew food thoroughly while eating. 

Do not gulp down either food 

or liquids. 

4 Avoid stimulants like alcohol, caffeine, 

sugar, carbonated drinks and 

white flour. 

5 Keep yourself hydrated; drink at 

least 3 litres of clear water every 

day. Dehydration slows down the 

lymphatic system and inhibits the 

removal of waste from the body. 

6 Herbal teas are good for boosting 

digestive health. Chamomile, ginger, 

peppermint, green tea, dandelion 

root and lemon tea have been 

shown to aid in healthy digestion. 

7 Drink two glasses of water when 

you wake up, followed by a cup of 

green tea with lemon juice. It will 

aid in good bowel movement, and 

help avoid constipation. 

8 Avoid dairy products. Opt for soya 

milk and its products. 

9 Reduce simple carbohydrates in 

the diet. 

10 Avoid non-vegetarian food, 

the metabolism, gut bacteria 

and genetic profiles of patients 

with lean and non-lean fatty 

liver disease to determine factors 

that contribute to disease 

development and progression. 

Compared to non-lean 

patients, lean patients had higher 

levels of bile acids, which 

play a role in the digestion of 

fats, and a protein called 

fibroblast growth factor 19 

(FGF19). According to the 

study published in the Journal 

of Hepatology, Bile acids and 

FGF19 increase energy expenditure, 

which can explain why 

lean individuals with fatty liver 

refined oils, and fried items. 

11 Do not eat if you are anxious, 

upset or in a hurry. Meal time 

should always be a relaxed occasion. 

Eating when you are stressed 

out or while watching TV can 

interfere with our digestion. 

Practice mindful eating. 

12 Avoid consumption of tobacco in 

any form — smoking, chewing, 

snuff, zarda, or pan masala. 

Tobacco is responsible for some of 

the most common digestive disorders, 

like peptic ulcers, gastroesophageal 

reflux disease 

(GERD). Smoking also affects the 

liver’s ability to process alcohol, 

medications and other toxins, 

causing these to accumulate within 

your body. 

13 Make sure to exercise daily. Take 

a brisk walk or practice yoga for at 

least 45 minutes daily. 

14 Take four teaspoons of isabgol and 

a quarter tea spoon of ajwain with 

a cup of warm soya or skimmed 

milk before you go to bed. 

Following these simple tips will 

promote good digestive health and aid 

optimal liver function. If you still face 

problems, then a naturopathic doctor 

can recommend a diet based on your 

needs and condition. 

THIS IS WHY LEAN PEOPLE 

GET FATTY LIVER DISEASE 

disease stay lean. 

This suggests that 

lean patients with a 

fatty liver may have 

an 'obesity-resistant' 

profile and better 

adaptation to an 

excess intake of 

calories."We also 

identified changes 

in particular gut 

bacteria and novel 

genes that can 

influence the development 

of fatty 

liver disease in lean 

patients. For example, we identified 

that a variant in the gene 

TM6SF2, previously linked to 

fatty liver disease, is more 

common in lean patients," said 

co-lead researcher Mohammed 

Eslam. Without treatment, fatty 

liver disease can result in liver 

scarring, liver cirrhosis and, in 

severe cases, liver failure. "The 

metabolic adaptive mechanisms 

in lean fatty liver disease 

tend to be lost in the late stages 

of the disease. This could 

explain why these patients have 

worse disease outcomes compared 

to their obese counterparts," 

Eslam said.


ENTERTAINMENT 


‘Want to release 

my MUSIC 

ALBUM SOON’ 

Her last film Mission Mangal shattered a number of records at the box office. Actor 

Sonakshi Sinha is, of course, ecstatic and has begun work in full gear on her next project, 

which is the Salman Khan-starrer Dabbang 3. But, what’s also playing on her 

mind, is the idea of cutting her own music album! 

Most of her contemporaries, actors such as Alia Bhatt, Parineeti Chopra and 

Shraddha Kapoor have already proved their singing prowess. And Sonakshi, 

who sang in a couple of her films for instance Rajj Rajj Ke (Akira; 2016), 

and even released a single (Aaj Mood Ishqholic Hai, with Meet Bros 

Anjjan), is now hopeful of releasing her album. “I have sung a few songs 

and banked them. But, I had no time to shoot the music videos and give 

them a proper release. So that’s been put on the back burner, but it’s definitely 

something that I want to do in life. It’s in the pipeline,” reveals the 

actor. 

What’s keeping her busy now is the third instalment of the Dabbang 

series — the first part of which was Sonakshi’s debut film in 

Bollywood. She shares that working with the team is always a “special 

experience” and adds, “It’s always been home turf for me. I feel so at 

home on that set. Everybody is a familiar face and everybody is 

someone I have worked with before so it’s just a nice, fun experience. 

I can play Rajjo in my sleep as well because it’s now 

a part of me.” The upcoming instalment of the film will 

release after nine years of the first. Sonakshi says playing 

Rajjo again has made her nostalgic. “So much has 

changed in nine years. As a person and as an actor, I’ve 

changed a lot. When I started out, I was so unsure and confused 

and I didn’t even know if I wanted to continue to act. 

But now, I know that there is nothing I’d rather be doing 

in life! As an actor, I’ve grown so much and learned so much. 

Today, every film I begin, I treat it as my first film and I’m 

always learning something. I feel like a completely different person,” 

she adds. But, talk about criticism she often faces for mostly choosing 

Bollywood potboilers, and Sonakshi is unfazed. She replies, “I have got my due, and 

that comes in the form of box office numbers. I don’t feel like I have done anything 

wrong working in commercial films. Five people are complaining about me doing just 

commercial films; I would say let them. How does it make a difference to anyone?” 

Sonakshi Sinha, who has sung a couple of songs for her films, says she’s 

now planning to shoot and release her unheard songs as an album 

Mira Nair excited to 

start 'A Suitable Boy' 

shoot in Lucknow 

New Delhi : Acclaimed filmmaker Mira Nair will start shooting 

for the screen adaptation of the Vikram Seth classic "A 

Suitable Boy" in Lucknow on Saturday. 

The film features Tabu, Ishaan Khatter and newcomer Tanya 

Maniktala. Tanya will play the central role of Lata, in the project 

adapted by Andrew Davies. 

The creative forces behind the show -- Nair, Seth, and Davies 

-- got together in Mumbai recently to start rehearsals and read 

through scripts alongside the cast. 

"The talent in the room sizzled -- Vikram Seth, author of the 

masterpiece that I have loved since the day it was written, 

Andrew Davies, the great craftsman of distillation of epic stories 

into screenplays, cutting-edge actors, first-timers and legends 

from across the subcontinent, all coming together to make a 

human, funny, political, sexy chronicle of India," Nair said. 

"A Suitable Boy" tells the story of spirited university student 

Lata in 1951 at the same time as the country is carving out its 

own identity as an independent nation and is about to go to the 

polls for its first democratic general election. It is a tale charting 

the fortunes of four large families and exploring India and its 

rich and varied culture at a crucial point in its history. The sixpart 

BBC One drama will be shot on locations across India. 

Produced by Lookout Point, it is slated to launch next year. 

Prince and Yuvika’s choreographer 

quits ‘NACH BALIYE’ 

Irina Shayk dares to 

bare all in new shoot 

Los Angeles : Supermodel Irina Shayk has ditched her clothes 

and bared it all for a new campaign of a fashion brand. 

The 33-year-old model went nude in a new campaign to promote 

Calvin Klein handbags, reports "dailymail.co.uk". 

The former partner of superstar Bradley Cooper took to 

Instagram to share a clip of her latest fashion campaign. She is 

seen striking sultry poses without any clothes, to show off the 

accessories line, using only a bag to hide her modesty. 

In the images, Shayk sits on a chair, wearing fishnet stockings. 

Mumbai : Celebrity couple Prince 

Narula and Yuvika Chaudhary have been 

wooing the audience with their dancing 

skills in the ninth season of “Nach Baliye”. 

Unfortunatley, their choreographer 

Aishwarya Radhakrishnan has now left the 

show. “I have decided to move on from 

‘Nach Baliye’ due to personal reasons. I 

enjoyed being a part of this show. It provided 

me with a platform to work with artistes 

from various walks of life. I would like to 

thank the organizers for giving me this 

opportunity,” Aishwarya said. Apart from 

“Nach Baliye”, the 27-year old choreographer 

has worked in several dance-based 

shows, including “So You Can Think You 

Can Dance: Ab India Ki Baari”, “Jhalak 

Dikhla Jaa” and “Super Dancer Chapter”. 

Feels 

unreal... 

... says basketball 

star Satnam Singh 

on his biopic 

Popular Indian basketball player Satnam Singh has always loved films based on sports, and now that a 

movie is getting made on his life, he is on cloud nine. In 2015, 19-year-old Satnam created history by 

becoming the first Indian to be selected in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Zee Studios will now 

produce an original digital film based on his journey. “It feels unreal that a film is being made on me. As a 

sportsman, I have always loved films based on sports, and I feel honoured that this film is my story,” Satnam 

said. “What excites me most is that this is a basketball film, the first of its kind. I hope that the film will 

boost the game and more kids will want to try it out. There is huge potential for the game to grow in India, 

if only more people come out in support of it.” While his name has already gone down in the annals of 

Indian basketball, today, at the age of 24, after 15 years of living and breathing the game, Satnam still cannot 

afford to slow down. He now represents India in various tournaments around the world.


ENTERTAINMENT 


17 

Dharmendra would eat onions 

to mask smell of alcohol on 

sets with ASHA PAREKH 

Mumbai : Veteran actor 

Dharmendra has recalled how, 

back in the day when he had to 

shoot with Asha Parekh, he would 

he would turn up on the set after 

eating onions. 

"Every movie of Asha ji's was a 

super-duper hit and I used to call 

her Jubilee Parekh," recalled 

Dharmendra, adding that he finally 

got to work with her in the 1966 

film, "Aaye Din Bahaar Ke". 

"We were shooting in 

Darjeeling, and after pack-up the 

producers and other crew members 

would party till late in the 

night. I would also join the party 

and we would get drink. In the 

morning the smell (of alcohol) 

would be quite evident, so to hide 

the smell I would eat onions," said 

Dharmendra. Parekh, however, would then 

complain that he "smells of onion" adding 

that she didn't like it. Asha Parekh and 

Dharmendra, along with Waheeda Rehman, 

are set to reveal such anecdotes when they 

turn up as guests in an upcoming episode of 

the kids' singing reality show, "Superstar 

Singer", on Sony. On his onion-eating trick, 

Dharmendra finally admitted to Parekh on 

the reality show: "I told you that I 

eat onions to hide the smell of 

alcohol, and you asked me to stop 

drinking. On your suggestion, I 

stopped drinking and we became 

very good friends. We are like a 

family and those days were lovely. 

The Beautiful memories at times 

make me sad but the amazing 

experiences of the past help me 

cheer up." 

Asha Parekh recalled how 

Dharmendra would not touch a 

drop of alcohol even if he felt cold, 

just because he had promised her. 

"There was a song in which 

Dharmendra ji had to dance in the 

water. Because it was so cold, he 

would turn blue. Every time he 

came out of the water, he would be 

offered brandy. However, he would look at 

me, because I had told him that if he drinks I 

will walk out of the set. This went on for two 

or three days, but he did not take a sip of 

alcohol out of his respect for me." 

VARUN DHAWAN 

feels Ileana D’Cruz 

is as hot as thunder 

Mumbai : Fans have been 

gushing over the super-hot pictures 

that Ileana DCruz has been 

posting on Instagram lately. The 

latest to be clean bowled is her 

“Main Tera Hero” costar Varun 

Dhawan. Ileana posted posted a 

snapshot on Insta where she 

poses seductively, lying down in 

a white swimsuit. “Waiting for 

the sun to come out…” she captioned 

the image. Varun commented 

on her post with a “thunder” 

emoji. Other B-Towners 

also couldn’t help gushing. 

Malaika Arora commented with 

a couple of “fire” emojis. On the 

work front, Ileana will next be 

seen in Anees Bazmee’s 

“Pagalpanti,” where she stars 

alongside Anil Kapoor and John 

Abraham. 

Priyanka Chopra says having a baby with 

husband Nick Jonas is on her ‘to-do’ list 

Mumbai : Actress Priyanka 

Chopra-Jonas says having a baby 

and buying a home in Los 

Angeles are currently on her todo 

list. "For me home is wherever 

I'm happy, as long as I have the 

people I love around me. Buying 

a home and having a baby are on 

my to-do list," said the actress, in 

the September 2019 edition of 

‘Vogue India’. 

In the interview, she has also 

spoken about her journey from 

Bollywood to Hollywood, her 

plans to settle abroad and her 

upcoming movie ‘The Sky Is 

Pink’. The actress, who is married 

to singer Nick Jonas, added 

that she would never dare sing 

with him. "We sing together in 

the house - he'll often play the 

piano while waiting for me to get 

dressed. But I would never dare 

sing with him. He's a bit of a 

musical prodigy," said Priyanka. 

Priyanka, who keeps juggling 

between India and US, said she 

sees Los Angeles as a longterm 

option to invest in a home for 

Nick and her. The ocean and 

weather remind her of Mumbai. 

She also spoke about how 

proud she is because her pitch for 

a wedding comedy has been 

picked up by Universal Pictures. 

"The story basically came 

from my wedding, where a bunch 

of Americans were exposed to 

this grandiose palace -- the food, 

the family, the culture, the clothes 

and the comedy that comes with 

it," she said. Priyanka feels proud 

that the show has an all-South 

Asian star cast, a minority she 

hopes to see more of in global 

pop culture. She broke the mould 

by landing the lead role in the 

FBI drama ‘Quantico’. 

"Everything that I am today or 

am doing in America, I learnt in 

India. I'm just showing a perspective 

of it. I taught myself confidence. 

I learnt it's what you do 

after failure that makes you a success," 

she said. Right now, she is 

ready for a comeback next month 

with her next Bollywood release, 

‘The Sky Is Pink’. Priyanka said 

the "film is a celebration of life 

instead of the sorrow of death". 

Karisma Kapoor has fans 

guessing with a throwback pic 

Mumbai : Karisma Kapoor has 

shared a throwback film still on 

Instagram and asked her fans to 

guess the name of the movie. The 

actress took to Instagram on Friday 

and posted a photo from her 

younger days. In the picture, she 

poses with her hair let loose. 

“#flashbackfriday Any guesses 

which film this pic is from? #guessinggame,” 

Karisma captioned the 

image. 

Soon, fans started responding to 

her post with names of her early 

hits, including “Jeet”, “Raja 

Hindustani”, “Chal Mere Bhai”, 

“Hum Saath – Saath Hain”, and 

“Hero No. 1” among others. 

Requesting her to make a comeback, 

a fan wrote: “Queen please 

return to movies, dying to see you 

on screen.” On the work front, the 

45-year-old actress was last seen in 

the Shah Rukh Khan movie, 

“Zero,” where she did a cameo as 

herself. Even though Karisma is not 

actively doing films for the past 

seven years, the actress will be 

making her digital debut this year 

with the web series, “Mentalhood”.


ENTERTAINMENT 


That’s the right course 

Gender parity will sensitise one to women crimes: Richa 

Actress Richa Chadha, who is gearing up 

for the release of her forthcoming film 

Section 375, says the idea is to sensitise one 

to women crimes and it will only happen with 

more gender parity within the workforce. 

“The gap is a reality for sure, but so is the 

fact that there are such super advocates like 

Indira Jaising, Pinky Anand and Karuna 

Nandy, that we are just a step away from taking 

inspiration from the right people. The 

government is doing its bit in setting up more 

mahila courts, which takes up crime cases 

about women and has women judges at the 

helm. Such initiatives are surely a step in the 

right direction,” Richa said. 

Screen shot : Section 375 is a courtroom 

drama where Richa plays the public prosecutor 

who is fighting the case of a rape victim 

Anjali Dangle, played by Meera Chopra. 

“The idea is to sensitise one to crimes against 

women and it will only happen with more 

gender parity within the workforce as far as 

lawyers and judges are concerned. The survivor 

will be in a more comfortable spot and 

thus gender crimes can be approached from a 

more lived-in space,” she added. 

Unedited bikini pic helped Demi 

Lovato conquer her biggest fear 

Diljit 

Dosanjh 

Diljit Dosanjh on not signing too 

many films: ‘It doesn’t suit me’ 

New Delhi : It has been almost three years for Punjabi rockstar 

Diljit Dosanjh in Bollywood. He says the reason he does not 

do too many films is because he feels all of them does not "suit" 

him. Diljit made his Bollywood debut with ‘Udta Punjab’ in 

2016. He was later seen in films like ‘Phillauri’, ‘Welcome To 

New York’, ‘Soorma’ and ‘Arjun Patiala’. 

"It's not that I choose everything right, but a lot of offers do 

come my way and I can't take up all (of them) because some 

don't suit me, even if the film is good. (There are offers where) 

The artist is big, the production is big and the director bigger, but 

'main awayin na nikal jaaun saste main' (I would get a raw deal) 

," Diljit told IANS. 

Now, the singer-actor is busy shooting for the Raj Mehtadirected 

‘Good News’, a comic family drama co-starring 

Akshay Kumar, Kareena Kapoor and Kiara Advani. In the film, 

Akshay and Kareena, and Diljit and Kiara play married couples 

trying for a baby. 

‘Lacks grace’: National award 

winning editor on Lata Mangeshkar's 

comment for RANU MONDAL 

Mumbai : Melody queen Lata 

Mangeskhar's reaction to Ranu Mondal, 

stating that the internet sensation should 

"be original", has disappointed many fans 

and social media users, who feel the legendary 

singer could have been "more gracious". 

Bollywood celebrity Apurva Asrani who 

won a National Film Award for Best 

Editing in 2000 for the film 'Snip!'. 

He tweeted along with an article carrying 

legendary singer's reaction on Ranu: 

"This statement lacks grace. Reminds me 

of my childhood when original talents like 

Runa Laila, Suman Kalyanpur, Usha 

Uthup & Sadhna Sargam didn't get their 

due because Lataji ruled the roost. Only 

imitators survived, somewhat. 

#RanuMondal #LataMangeshkar". 

"Such a superstar and so ungracious," 

wrote a user on Twitter. 

"A poor lady sang on a railway platform 

for a living. #RanuMondal's voice was 

miraculously noticed by SM and she 

became a star. Inspiring Lata ji could have 

been more gracious, complimented and 

Los Angeles, Singer Demi Lovato says she 

faced her biggest fear by sharing an unedited 

bikini photograph. 

Lovato shared the unedited shot on 

Instagram on Thursday, and explained the 

reason behind going “authentic” on social 

media. 

“This is my biggest fear. A photo of me in 

a bikini unedited. And guess what, it’s CEL- 

LULIT! I’m just literally so tired of being 

ashamed of my body, editing it (yes the other 

bikini pics were edited — and I hate that I did 

that but it’s the truth) so that others think I’m 

their idea of what beautiful is, but it’s just not 

me. This is what I got,” she wrote alongside 

the image. 

“I want this new chapter in my life to be 

about being authentic to who I am rather than 

trying to meet someone else’s standards. So 

here’s me, unashamed, unafraid and proud to 

own a body that has fought through so much 

and will continue to amaze me when I hopefully 

give birth one day. It’s such a great feeling 

to be back in TV/film while not 

stressing myself with a strenuous workout 

schedule before 14 hour days, or 

depriving myself from a real birthday 

cake rather than opting for watermelon 

and whip cream with candles because I 

was terrified of real cake and was miserable 

on some crazy diet shit,” she said 

as she continued her impassioned statement. 

The singer, who is seen flaunting 

her curves in a leopard print two piece, 

said she loves the “raw and real” version 

of herself. 

“I love me. And you should love you 

too! Now back to the studio… I’m 

working on an anthem. Just so everyone’s 

clear… I’m not stoked on my 

appearance but I am appreciative of it 

and sometimes that’s the best I can do. 

I hope to inspire someone to appreciate 

their body today too,” added the 

singer, who battled with eating disorders 

in the past. 

helped her. This lecture on "imitation" was 

avoidable," another user said. A user "disagreed" 

with Mangeshkar and called her "a 

bit harsh", while another said that this 

could have been taken in "true spirits by a 

senior artist like Lataji". 

Mondal, who has now recorded three 

tracks for singer-composer Himesh 

This is truly inspiring 

Alia Bhatt gets nominated for ‘Most 

Inspiring Asian Woman of 2019’ 

People’s Choice Awards nominations list for the year 

2019 is out and it has a pleasant surprise for Indians 

across the globe. While the list is dominated by 

Avengers: Endgame, Game of Thrones and other big 

names from the movies, TV shows, music and pop culture, 

it was one Indian actress’ mention in the list that 

has got us excited. The international awards show has 

nominated Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt for the ‘Most 

Inspiring Asian Woman of 2019’. 

Interestingly, Alia is the only Indian celebrity to feature 

in the PCA 2019 nomination list. She has been nominated 

alongside Thai model Chutimon 

Chuengcharoensukying, South Korean singer-songwriter 

CL, South Korean actress Jung Yu-mi, Thai 

actress Praya Lundberg, Indonesian actress Raline Shah, 

Malaysian singer-songwriter Yuna and Chinese actress 

Zhou Dongyu. The voting has begun and it will be open 

until October 18. The winner will be announced on 

November 10. Meanwhile on Bollywood front, Alia is 

currently working on three big movies which release in 

2020. These are Brahmastra, Sadak 2 and SS 

Rajamouli’s RRR. 

Reshammiya, became an overnight social 

media sensation after a video of her singing 

Lata Mangeshkar's soulful number ‘Ek 

pyaar ka nagma hai’ at Ranaghat railway 

platform went viral on the internet. 

The video has paved the way for her 

phenomenal rise from a street singer to a 

debutante playback singer in Bollywood.


TRUECALLER crosses 

500mn downloads, 

150mn daily active users 

Stockholm : Swedish caller identification 

app Truecaller on Wednesday announced it 

has crossed the 500 million mark in terms of 

downloads and now has 150 million daily 

active users globally. 

The 150 million daily active users achievement 

makes Truecaller the most used communication 

app in India after apps like WhatsApp 

and Facebook Messenger, the company said in 

a statement. 

"This is a very significant achievement. 

150 million daily active users and 500 million 

downloads is extraordinary. These milestones 

underline the faith and trust our users have in 

our brand," said Alan Mamedi, CEO and Cofounder, 

Truecaller. 

Recently, the company announced it has 

crossed one million paying subscribers globally 

and has added a series of new features to its 

paid subscription service, Truecaller 

Premium. With its offices in Bengaluru, 

Gurugram and Mumbai, more than half of the 

company’s employees are from India. 

Boston : Humans have systematically 

altered the brains of dogs through selective 

breeding for favoured behavioural traits over 

hundreds of years, according to a study. 

Erin Hecht, from Harvard University in the 

US and her colleagues investigated the effects 

of this kind of selective breeding on the brain 

structure of canines by 

analysing magnetic resonance 

imaging (MRI) 

scans of 33 dog breeds. 

"Most modern dog 

breeds were developed 

in an intentional, goaldriven 

manner relatively 

recently in evolutionary 

time; estimates for the 

origins of the various 

modern breeds vary 

between the past few thousand, to the past few 

hundred years, researchers wrote in the study 

published in the journal JNeurosi. 

The team observed vast differences in the 

brain structure, not only related to the body 

size or head shape of dogs, but to the patterns 

in neural networks associated with different 

brain functions. There is a hundred-fold difference 

between the body mass of a Chihuahua 

(about one kilogramme) and the body mass of 

a Great Dane. However, we found that dog 

TECH 

Selective breeding 

for traits altered 

dogs’ brains: Study 

brain sizes do not scale commensurately to dog 

body sizes, the researchers noted. 

For instance, by comparing dachshund and 

golden retriever brain scan images, the team 

found that the dachsund’s brain takes up most 

of the available endocranial space, while the 

golden retriever showed noticeably larger 

sinuses. By comparing 

the evolutionary lineages 

of the dog breeds, the 

team revealed that 

changes in relative brain 

size are not predicated by 

relatedness. Instead, the 

study notes that these are 

more likely caused by 

human selection for specific 

traits in dogs -- 

occurring more recently 

across the tree of dog evolution. 

When the team examined the areas of the 

brain with the most variation across breeds, 

they generated maps of six brain networks, 

with proposed functions varying from social 

bonding to movement. 

Each of these was associated with at least 

one behavioural characteristic, the researchers 

said. The differences in behaviours across 

breeds was linked to the anatomical differences 

in the six brain networks. 


19 

Apple s cheaper 

iPhone SE successor 

may arrive next year 

San Francisco, 

Aiming to take on 

Huawei and other 

Chinese rivals, 

Apple is reportedly 

mulling to resurrect 

the cheaper 

iPhone SE for 

emerging markets, 

especially India 

and China, early 

next year. 

The new model 

would be Apple s 

first low-cost 

smartphone since 

the launch of the 

iPhone SE in 2016, 

which started at $399. 

Though the name and price of the new model hasn t 

been decided, it is viewed as the latest generation of the 

iPhone SE, the Nikkei Asian Review reported on 

Wednesday. Reported to be similar to the 4.7-inch iPhone 8 

that was launched in 2017, the new iteration would arrive 

next year. 

It is likely to feature an LCD display and most of the 

same components as this year s flagship iPhones. 

The cheaper iPhone is designed to help Apple gain 

ground in emerging markets, where consumers are more 

price sensitive. It could also counter mid-to-high range 

smartphone models from Samsung Electronics, Huawei 

and Oppo as well as challenge Google, which became 

the No. 5 smartphone maker in the US during the June 

quarter thanks to its $399 Pixel 3A, the report added.


TECH 


Did Vikram lose control and 

crash land on the moon? 

Chennai, Did India s first 

moon lander Vikram crash on 

to the lunar surface resulting in 

the sudden snapping of the 

communication link with the 

Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter? All 

was going well with the 1,471 

kg Vikram that began its 

descent at about 1.38 a.m. on 

Saturday from an altitude of 30 

km at a velocity of 1,680 

metres per second. 

Announcing the snapping of 

communication links, Indian 

Space Research Organisation 

(ISRO) Chairman K. Sivan said 

that the performance of the lander 

was as per the plan till it 

was 2.1 km from the moon surface. 

The communication link got 

snapped after that, he added. 

In an official statement, the 

ISRO said: This is Mission 

Control Centre. Vikram lander 

descent was as planned and 

normal performance was 

observed up to an altitude of 

2.1 km. Subsequently communication 

from lander to the 

ground stations was lost. Data 

is being analysed. 

On the screen at ISRO s 

telemetry, tracking and command 

network (Istrac) centre, it 

was seen that Vikram slightly 

How embryo develops at 

molecular level decoded 

Washington : Researchers in the US 

have created the first detailed map of the 

changes at the molecular level in cells that 

lead to embryonic development. 

The research, published in the journal 

Science, used the latest technology from 

the emerging field of single cell biology 

the study of all chemical processes happening 

at the cellular level to profile 

more than 80,000 cells in the embryo of 

the worm Caenorhabditis elegans. 

"Over the past few years, new single 

cell genomics methods have revolutionised 

the study of animal development," 

said John I Murray from the 

University of Pennsylvania in the US. 

"Our study takes advantage of the fact 

that the C. elegans embryo has a very 

small number of cells produced by a 

known and completely reproducible pattern 

of cell divisions. Using single cell 

genomics methods, we were able to identify 

over 87 per cent of embryonic cells 

from gastrulation (when there are about 50 

cells present) through the end of embryogenesis," 

he added. 

The worm hatches with only 558 cells 

in its body, and like every multicellular 

organism, each of its cells is derived from 

division from a single fertilized egg. 

changed from its planned path 

and then the communication 

link got snapped. 

The lander was smoothly 

coming down with the ISRO 

officials applauding at regular 

intervals and their faces beaming 

with pride. 

The lander successfully 

completed its rough braking 

phase with its descent speed 

going down well. 

So what went wrong at the 

last moment? 

According to an ISRO official, 

the lander could have lost 

its control when its thrusters 

were switched off during its 

descent and crash-landed snapping 

the communication links. 

Meanwhile all is not lost as 

far as the Rs 978 crore 

Berlin : Chinese smartphone manufacturer 

Huawei on Friday launched its latest 

Kirin 990 (5G) flagship chipset with an 

integrated 5G modem at the IFA 2019 

here. Kirin 990 (5G) is the world s first 

5G SoC, and it will enable end-users to 

access superb 5G connectivity experience 

one step ahead in the first year of 5G commercialization. 

To meet users requirements for 

enhanced 5G experiences in the 5G era, 

Kirin 990 (5G) has been fully upgraded in 

terms of performance and power efficiency, 

AI computing, and ISP, extending 

mobile phone experiences to a new level, 

Richard Yu, Huawei s consumer business 

CEO said in a statement. 

Kirin 990 (5G) is the first full-frequency 

5G SoC to support both non-standalone 

(NSA) and standalone (SA) architectures 

as well as TDD/FDD full frequency bands, 

enabling it to accommodate 

hardware 

requirements under 

diverse networks and 

networking modes. 

It is the first flagship 

SoC that packs 

a dual-core NPU 

built on the Da Vinci 

architecture, which 

comprise large and 

tiny NPU cores. The 

large cores achieve 

Chandrayaan-2 mission is concerned. 

Only 5 per cent of the 

mission has been lost Vikram 

the lander and Pragyan the 

rover while the remaining 95 

per cent that is the 

Chandrayaan-2 orbiter is 

orbiting the moon successfully, 

an ISRO official told IANS 

who did not want to be identified. 

With a mission life of one 

year, the Orbiter can take several 

pictures of the moon and 

send it to the ISRO. 

The Orbiter can also take 

pictures of the lander to know 

its status, he added. 

The Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft 

comprised three segments 

the Orbiter (weighing 2,379 

kg, eight payloads), Vikram 

(1,471 kg, four payloads) and 

Pragyan (27 kg, two payloads). 

On July 22, the Rs 978 

crore Chandrayaan-2 was 

launched into the space by 

India s heavy lift rocket 

Geosynchronous Satellite 

Launch Vehicle-Mark III 

(GSLV Mk III) in a text book 

style. After five earth-bound 

orbit raising activities, 

Chandrayaan-2 was inserted 

into lunar orbit. On September 

2, Vikram separated from the 

orbiter. 

Huawei announces Kirin 

990 (5G) chip at IFA 2019 

high performance 

and power efficiency 

in heavy computing 

scenarios, while the 

tiny core structure, 

first in the industry, empowers ultra-low 

power consumption applications, fully tapping 

into the intelligent computing power 

brought by the innovative NPU architecture. 

For gaming experiences, Kirin 990 

(5G) supports an upgraded Kirin Gaming+ 

2.0 that enables efficient collaboration 

between hardware infrastructure and solutions, 

offering industry-leading smooth 

and fast gaming experience. 

The Kirin 990 5G features better dualimage 

signal processor (DISP) for better 

photo-taking capabilities than on the Kirin 

980. Compared to the Snapdragon 855, 

Huawei claims that the Kirin 990 5G offers 

a 10 per cent and 9 per cent single-core and 

multi-core performance advantage, 

The company has launched its new 

processor just a few days after South 

Korean tech giant Samsung launched a 5G 

chipset of its own, the Exynos 980. 

Indian-origin researcher 

finds 419mn Facebook 

users exposed data 

San Francisco : Sanyam Jain, a security researcher and 

member at Hague-based non-profit organisation GDI 

Foundation, has discovered a massive database containing over 

419 million phone numbers of Facebook users on an unsecured 

server which were available for anyone to access. 

The database included 133 million records of US-based 

Facebook users, 18 million records of UK users and more than 

50 million records of users in Vietnam, TechCrunch reported on 

Wednesday. According to Jain, he found profiles with phone 

numbers associated with several celebrities. 

Jain found the database and contacted TechCrunch after 

he was unable to find the owner. After a review of the data, neither 

could we. But after we contacted the web host, the database 

was pulled offline, said the report. 

This latest data breach exposed millions of users phone numbers 

just from their Facebook IDs, putting them at risk of spam 

calls and SIM-swapping or SIM jacking where a mobile 

number is transferred to a new SIM card. 

This dataset is old and appears to have information obtained 

before we made changes last year to remove people s ability to 

find others using their phone numbers, a Facebook spokesperson 

was quoted as saying by the Engadget. 

After the web host was contacted, the Facebook users database 

was pulled offline. Some of the records also had the user s 

name, gender and location by country. There have been several 

incidents after the Cambridge Analytica episode involving 87 

million users where Facebook acknowledged series of privacy 

lapses, including the latest admission that it mishandled millions 

of users passwords on Instagram and unintentionally 

uploaded emails of nearly 1.5 million of its new users. 

26-foot-long dinosaur roamed the 

earth 72 million years ago, 

nearly complete skeleton found 

TOKYO : Japanese scientists have identified a new species 

of dinosaur from a nearly complete skeleton that was the largest 

ever discovered in the country, measuring eight metres (26 feet) 

long. After analysing hundreds of bones dating back 72 million 

years, the team led Hokkaido University concluded the skeleton 

once belonged to a new 

species of hadrosaurid 

dinosaur, herbivorous 

beast that 

roamed the Earth in 

the late Cretaceous 

period. 

A partial tail was first found in 

northern Japan in 2013 and later 

excavations revealed the entire 

skeleton. 

The team named the dinosaur 

"Kamuysaurus japonicus," which means 

"Japanese dragon god," according to a 

statement issued by the university. 

They believe the dinosaur was an adult aged nine 

years old and would have weighed either four tonnes or 5.3 

tonnes depending on whether it walked on two legs or four. 

The discovery was published in British peer-reviewed journal 

"Scientific Reports". "The fact a new dinosaur was discovered in 

Japan means there was once an independent world of dinosaurs 

in Japan or in East Asia, and an independent evolution process," 

said team leader Yoshitsugu Kobayashi. 

Kamuysaurus japonicus probably lived in coastal areas, a rare 

habitat for dinosaurs at that time and the fossils also provide 

valuable insights into their environment. The research raises the 

possibility that some species of dinosaurs "preferred to inhabit 

areas near the ocean, suggesting the coastline environment was 

an important factor in the diversification" of the dinosaurs in 

their early evolution, the university said.


NEWS 


21 

If alive today Dr Ambedkar would have been 

speaking for the rights of the people in Kashmir 

Quote and misquote related to Dr 

Baba Saheb Ambedkar have become 

part of political discourse particularly 

since the abrogation of article 370 ( 

which is technically not correct as the 

article is not yet abrogated, special status 

is abrogated using the same article). 

Many people are quoting Baba Saheb in 

Kashmir as if he and Shayama Prasad 

Mukherjee, the leader of the Jan Sangh 

were on the same ideological wavelength. 

Baba Saheb Ambedkar wrote 

extensively on issues concerning us and 

his two work : Thought on Pakistan and 

Pakistan or partition of India, show him 

a great statesman, rising above the narrow 

confine of nationality and religion 

while dealing the issue of Hindu and 

Muslim in a very balanced way. These 

two books are often used by experts 

for selective quoting of Baba Saheb. 

The Sangh Parivar quotes him copiously 

on his views on Muslims and Islam 

while the others quote him when he 

speak about Hindutva or Hinduism. 

In this note, I wish to clarify that I 

dont want to quote him here again but 

certain facts about Dr Ambedkar must 

be kept in mind. The first and foremost 

of that was the interest and welfare of 

the Dalit community and ensuring its 

fair representation everywhere. In fact, 

we always discuss the subcontinental 

history from the binary of Hindu and 

Muslims, basically, Hindu upper castes 

and Muslim upper castes or landed 

peasantry. Why shouldn t the others 

issues be discussed. So Dr Ambedkar s 

concern those times were about the 

Dallit and ensuring their human rights 

and he articulated them at every opportunity. 

That made him put for the case 

of strong centre because he felt that If 

the laws have to implemented, it is 

Wolverhampton 

cash and carry boss 

banned for 8 years 

Boss of Wolverhampton cash and carry banned for eight 

years after consistently failing to provide evidence that 

excise duty owed on alcohol had been paid. 

Rajinder Singh Bains (46), of 

Wolverhampton, was appointed sole director 

of Midland Wines (UK) Ltd in June 

2013. The company was a wholesaler of 

wine, food and tobacco, supplying retailers 

and members of the public. 

However, only a year later, Rajinder 

Bains caused the company to trade in a 

manner which led to the tax authorities suffering 

excise duty losses. Over an 18-month 

period between July 2014 and January 

2016, HMRC assessed that Midland Wines 

owed almost £260,000 in excise duty. 

HMRC contacted Rajinder Bains about the 

essential that centre has to play the lead 

and guiding force as states might have 

their prejudices. 

I am not going to quote what Dr 

Ambedkar said about Kashmir because 

the portion being quoted from two 

important work, has his own concern. 

We may agree with them or disagree 

but my point is not with what he said 

but what he would have said today. 

Now, I want people to think for a 

moment. Leave aside, all ideological 

prejudices and think about Dr 

Ambedkar. Who he was and atleast 

people like me would always say, the 

greatest dissenter of independent India, 

the leader and statesman, a human 

rights icon for all of us. So, what would 

have Dr Ambedkar said today on 

excise duty rules and regulations, as well as 

the importance of verifying that excise duty 

had been paid on the goods he was handling, 

but he failed to take the correct 

action. Rajinder Bains resigned as a director 

in early January 2016 before the company 

entered Creditors Voluntary Liquidation at 

the end of that month. The appointed liquidators 

filed a report with the Insolvency 

Service highlighting the conduct of 

Rajinder Bains while he was director and 

the fact that the company had failed to pay 

the correct amount of tax. 

In August 2019, the Secretary of State 



Kashmir ? Would he support suspension 

of people s political rights ? Would 

he support arrest of political leaders ? 

Would he support curtailment of dissenting 

voices which are nothing compare 

to what he has written and spoken 

which can still send shivers in the heart 

of the brahmanical elite and yet they are 

forced to chant his bhajans though they 

may not like his ideological dissent. 

It is sad that many people are suggesting 

today that Dr Ambedkar did not 

want 370 or autonomy of Kashmir. The 

question is not what happened in the 

Constitution Assembly debate.Dr 

accepted an 8-year disqualification undertaking 

from Rajinder Bains. 

Effective from 3 September 2019, he 

cannot, without the permission of the court, 

be involved in the formation, promotion or 

management of a company, directly or indirectly. 

Sue Macleod, Chief Investigator for 

the Insolvency Service, said: "The length of 

the disqualification of Rajinder Singh Bains 

sends a clear message to the business community 

that failure to pay excise duty that is 

rightfully owed is serious misconduct and 

will not be tolerated." 

From: The Insolvency Service 

Ambedkar worry was all about the conditions 

of untouchables in Pakistan particularly 

in the East Pakistan or what 

now is Bangladesh where Muslim fundamentalists 

and Pakistani army that 

time tortured non Muslims and forcibly 

converted Hindus, Christians and Dalits 

in embracing Islam. There was lot of 

pressure on the government 

and Ambedkar 

wanted the central government 

to look into 

that affair. I am not 

exaggerating these factors 

but they are the reason 

for which Jogendra 

Nath Mandal, first law minister of 

Pakistan, Chairman of the Constituent 

Assembly of Pakistan, had to relinquish 

his post and leave his Pakistani citizenship 

and came back to India. Kashmir 

question is a valid assurance by 

Government of India to people of 

Jammu and Kashmir. Article 370 is a 

strong pillar of that. My simple point is 

that whether Dr Ambedkar today would 

have endorsed the way things were 

done. I can say never. Talking about 

Kashmir, he always talked that it has 

three parts. Kashmir valley where the 

dominance of Muslims exists while in 

Jammu, it is the Hindus and in Ladakh, 

it is the Buddhist. He was pragmatic 

enough about these things that end of 

the day, no domain want to work under 

any one. He never wanted a war hence 

wanted to resolve it. Obviously, Nehru 

hailing from Kashmir, wanted it as his 

personal conviction towards secularism. 

Dr Ambedkar wrote that democracy 

does not mean rule of the majority 

alone the minorities have to be included 

in decision making. Life long, he was 

fighting for the rights of the depressed 

classes under minorities. Even in 

Kashmir, his concern would have been 

that of the Dalits there but if he were 

standing today, I can say with full conviction, 

he would have chosen to stand 

with the people of the state who have 

been denied right to speak, communicate 

and assemble to voice political dissent. 

There was no question of his 

standing with those who claim everything 

is normal after full communication 

blockade. 





Email: vbrawat@gmail.com 

Vital for women to speak 

up on sexual harassment: 

PRIYA RAMANI 

New Delhi : Journalist Priya 

Ramani on Monday said it was 

important and necessary for 

women to speak up about sexual 

harassment at the workplace 

and told a court here that she 

hopes that her disclosures 

against former 

Union Minister 

M.J. Akbar 

would empower 

women and help 

them better 

understand their 

rights. Ramani 

was recording 

her statement as 

a witness in a 

defamation plaint 

filed against her 

by Akbar. "I spoke the truth 

when I disclosed the experience 

of my first job interview in my 

Vogue Article and my tweet of 

October 8. It was important and 

necessary for women to speak 

up about sexual harassment at 

the workplace. Many of us are 

brought up to believe that 

silence is a virtue. 

"In all my disclosures pertaining 

to Mr Akbar, I spoke the 

truth in public interest and the 

public good. It was my hope 

that the disclosures which were 

a part of the MeToo movement 

would empower women and 

would help them better understand 

their rights 

at the workplace," 

she told 

Addiditional 

C h i e f 

Metropolitan 

Magistrate 

Samar Vishal at 

the Rouse 

Avenue Court. 

She said the 

case has come at 

a great personal 

cost to her. "I have nothing to 

gain of it. I am a well-known 

journalist, I live a quiet life 

with my family in Banglore." 

She also said that it is not 

easy for any woman to make 

such disclosures. "By staying 

silent, I could have avoided the 

targeting but that would not 

have been the right thing to 

do," she added.


WORLD 


Army releases video 

of unclaimed Pak BAT 

commando corpses 

New Delhi : The Indian Army 

released a video clip on Monday 

showing unclaimed dead bodies of 

four Pakistani Special Services 

Group (SSG) commandos gunned 

down along the LoC in Jammu and 

Kashmir on August 1. 

The clip - which is 1.52 secs in 

duration - shows aerial footage of a 

hilly terrain in the Keran sector of 

Jammu and Kashmir shot using a 

drone-mounted camera. The footage 

shows five dead bodies lying on the 

hilly terrain apart from weapons that 

were being carried by the commandos. 

"Pakistan is yet to claim the dead 

bodies," said an Army officer. 

On August 3, the Army had 

claimed that it had foiled an attempt 

by Pakistan's Border Action Team 

(BAT) to carry out a strike in Keran 

sector on the LoC. 

Army sources said heavy casualties 

were inflicted on the BAT and assessed that 

at least four possible SSG commandos 

were killed as the bodies were spotted 

close to the post on LoC where the action 

took place. 

The BAT attempt had taken place on the 

intervening night of July 31 and August 1. 

According to the Army, search operations 

and attempts to recover the bodies are 

being continuously interfered by Pakistani 

AAP dares BJP to follow 

Delhi power tariffs 

New Delhi : Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) 

here on Monday challenged the Bharatiya Janata Party to 

give free 200-unit power in any of 

the states ruled by it, after the BJP 

criticised the announcement by the 

Arvind Kejriwal government. At a 

public meeting, AAP Delhi chief 

Gopal Rai said the electricity was 

available 24X7 to residents of 

Delhi. Before the AAP, the 

Congress was in the government for 

15 years and the BJP for five years 

before that but neither of them showed any seriousness 

about the increasing power bill. 

"In Delhi, up to 200 units have been free since August. 

Not only this, there is also a 50 per cent rebate on bills for 

200-400 units," Rai said. "Two of our neighbours, Haryana 

and UP, are ruled by the BJP. The condition of electricity, 

water and school in those states is not hidden from anyone. 

The UP government recently increased power tariffs 12 per 

cent," Rai said. 

PUBG-addicted son held for 

killing father in Karnataka 

Belagavi (Karnataka) : In a shocking incident in 

Karnataka's Belagavi, a 21-year-old youth was arrested for 

allegedly killing his father for refusing money to re-charge 

his mobile phone to play the addictive Player Unknown's 

Battle Grounds (PUBG) online game, police said on 

Monday. 

"The gruesome murder took place earlier in the day 

when accused K. Raghuveer attacked his father K. 

Shankarappa, 62, with a kitchen knife, slitting his throat, 

chopping his hands and legs in a fit of rage at home for 

allegedly refusing him money to recharge his mobile phone 

for playing PUBG, to which was addicted," Belagavi city 

police commissioner B.S. Lokesk Kumar told IANS here. 

troops deployed in the area. This location 

within the Keran sector has been under 

intermittent shelling by Pakistani army 

posts. 

The BAT comprises Pakistani Army 

commandos as well as terrorists and carries 

out cross-border operations and raids 

across the LoC in order to ensure domination 

along the stretch over India. BAT personnel 

are trained by Pakistani Army and 

the Air Force. Intelligence reports have further 

alerted that Pakistan plans to carry out 

Azam Khan's 

sons, wife get 

notice in land 

grabbing case 

Rampur (Uttar Pradesh) : 

Trouble for Rampur Member of 

Parliament (MP) Azam Khan and 

his family members is mounting 

day by day. The District 

Administration has pasted a notice 

on the house of Azam Khan's son 

Abdullah Azam here on Monday. 

The notice has been issued to 

Azam Khan's wife Tazeen Fatima, 

who is also Rajya Sabha MP and 

two of their sons - Abdullah Azam 

Khan and Adeeb Azam Khan 

under various sections of the 

Indian Penal Code (IPC) over land 

encroachment. They have been 

alleged to have grabbed farmers 

land for Mohammad Ali Jauhar 

University. 

According to the notice, all the 

accused have been summoned for 

questioning. Police have given 

them three days time to appear 

before it for questioning. 

BAT action against India at the LoC. 

Special Services Group commandos have 

been activated near the Iqbal Bajwa post of 

Pakistan opposite Sir Creek in Gujarat. 

On Monday, Lieutenant General 

Satinder Saini, GoC-in-C of Southern 

Command, said security capacities are 

being built up in the Sir Creek area after 

discovery of abandoned boats in the estuary 

that points towards possible infiltration 

of Pakistan-trained militants into Indian 

territory. 

SC moved for changes in 

SOP of NRC in Assam 

New Delhi : 

An impleadment 

application was 

filed in the 

Supreme Court, 

seeking to suggest 

changes in a 

standard operating 

procedure 

(SOP) for the 

adjudication of 

appeals by the 

Foreigners 

Tribunals for 

those excluded 

from the National Register of 

Citizens (NRC) in Assam. 

The impleadment application 

said changes in SOP will 

provide a provision for change 

in the legacy persons as errors 

have taken place due to confusion 

created by a large number 

of identical names. It has been 

filed by the Assam-based 

Brahmaputra Valley Civil 

Society through advocate Satya 

Mitra, which works for the 

uplift of the poor and for the 

enforcement of their social, 

economic and cultural rights. 

The society has requested the 

apex court to consider its suggestion 

on SOP to provide fair, 

just, reasonable and transparent 

proceedings before the 

Tribunals. 

The SOP has been drawn to 

make the process of appeals 

fair and transparent, and provides 

a reasonable opportunity 

to all concerned uniformly 

throughout the state in a timebound 

manner. 

The petitioner said the 

appellants could submit legacy 

data or documents of their 

ancestors or selves in support 

of their appeals as per the list of 

admissible legacy documents 

and they might change their 

wrongly identified and used 

legacy persons in the original 

application. In case of change 

of legacy person, a modified 

list of children and grandchildren 

(called the family tree) of 

the legacy person could be submitted. 

"Certified copy of the legacy 

documents, submitted by the 

appellants, may be verified as 

per existing norms followed by 

the Tribunal. The authenticity 

of the legacy data may be verified 

by using the NRC website 

and database," the petitioner 

said. To check the misuse of 

legacy data or documents, the 

veracity of the family tree may 

be ascertained by hearing adult 

members of each family of the 

modified family tree submitted 

due to change of legacy person, 

the application suggested.


WORLD 


23 

Hooda, Mayawati meet, 

may join hands in Haryana 

Chandigarh : Speculations are rife over 

a pre-poll alliance between the Congress 

and the BSP in Haryana after a closed-door 

meeting between two-time former Chief 

Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and 

Mayawati in New Delhi, party insiders said 

on Monday. The meeting that lasted for 

over half an hour on Sunday night saw the 

presence of newly-appointed state 

Congress President Kumari Selja, too. 

Both the parties may have an understanding 

to jointly contest the elections for 

the 90 Assembly seats in the BJP-ruled 

state. The polls are slated for October. 

The meeting was in the backdrop of 

Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati 

withdrawing pre-poll alliance last week 

with the Indian National Lok Dal's (INLD) 

breakaway faction Jannayak Janata Party 

(JJP), led by Dushyant Chautala, the grandson 

of O.P. Chautala. 

The JJP had offered 40 seats to the BSP, 

which it refused. 

Announcing the decision to end the 

alliance, Mayawati said the agreement 

reached with Chautala was "inappropriate" 

in terms of the proposed seat-sharing formula. 

Sounding a poll budge, Prime Minister 

Narendra Modi at a public meeting in 

Rohtak on Sunday not only presented his 

government's report card in the first 100 

days of governance but also praised the 

Manohar Lal Khattar-led government for 

fighting corruption and nepotism. While 

the main opposition -- the INLD -- has 

been reduced to a minority as most of its 

legislators and leaders have joined the BJP, 

infighting continues to dog the Congress, 

which ruled the state for two consecutive 

terms till 2014. 

Cement trader commits 

suicide in Jharkhand 

Ranchi : A cement trader, identified as Vinod Singh, allegedly 

committed suicide in the Koderma district of Jharkhand on 

Sunday, reportedly due to financial stress. 

According to the police, Singh's body was found hanging with 

a ceiling fan at his rented house in Mahatma Gandhi Nagar. He 

was alone in the house as his wife had gone to Bengaluru to meet 

their daughter. The incident was reported to the police by his landlord 

Ramanuj Pandey, who saw from the window his body hanging 

from the ceiling fan. The body has been sent for post-mortem. 

No suicide note has been found. 

However, Singh's elder brother Vijay Singh said he was under 

tremendous pressure due to financial stress as his business was not 

picking up. The company he was dealing with had stopped giving 

him cement due to which he was under stress, said his brother. 

"The economic slowdown might have prompted him to commit 

suicide," Vijay said. 

Ram Jethmalani passes 

away in Delhi, cremated 

3 get lifeterm 

for rape 

murder of Gurugram club dancer 

Gurugram : A district court here on Sunday awarded life 

imprisonment to three in connection with the gangrape and 

murder of a bar dancer and repeatedly violating her body. 

The incident occurred on February 23, 2016 at a rented 

accommodation in Chakkharpur village of Haryana, when 

the three accused -- Vipin, 20, his brother Nitiesh Kumar, 20, 

and their friend Monu, 24 -- raped and killed her. 

They also desecrated the body and escaped from the spot. 

While the brothers are residents of Pataudi, the third accused 

is a native of Raisina village in Haryana. 

According to the Gurugram police PRO Subhash Bokan, 

it appeared during investigation that the victim was friend of 

one of the accused. She worked as a dancer at a night club 

and also paid for his rented room. 

When she stopped paying the rent and footing other 

expenses, the accused planned to get rid of her, said Bokan 

on the basis of their confessional statement in the court. 

The crime was reported to the police by Tejpal, the landlord, 

who spotted the body of the victim. Tejpal had rented 

out the room to Vipin and Nitiesh. 

They have also been fined Rs 50,000. 

New Delhi : Veteran criminal lawyer 

and former Union Law Minister Ram 

Jethmalani, who passed away on Sunday 

morning at his residence at the age of 96, 

was cremated at the Lodhi Road crematorium, 

here on Sunday evening. 

He was undergoing treatment for agerelated 

problems. A full-time nurse was 

there to take care of him at his 2, Akbar 

Road residence. Jethmalani's health deteriorated 

over the last two weeks. He was 

bed-ridden for a week and had lost a lot of 

weight, sources close to the family told 

IANS. 

Politicians and senior lawyers were 

among those who visited the Jethmalani's 

residence following the death a little before 

8 a.m. 

People who visited his residence to pay 

tributes were Vice President M. Venkaiah 

Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, 

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP chief 

Amit Shah, besides former Prime Minister 

Manmohan Singh and senior BJP leader 

Subraminan Swamy. CPI(M) leader 

Sitaram Yechury, RJD leaders Manoj Jha, 

Premchandra Gupta, former Justice Kurian 

Joseph besides senior advovocate Gopal 

Subramanium, senior Congress leader 

Ghulam Nabi Azad and senior Advocate 

Soli Sorabji and Siddharth Luthra also paid 

their last respect to Jethmalani. 

Jethmalini is survived by his son 

Mahesh Jethmalani and his US-based 

daughter. One of his other daughther died 

earlier. 

He had also served as the Minister of 

Urban Development in the Atal Bihari 

Vajpayee-led NDA government. In 2010, 

he was elected as the President of the 

Supreme Court Bar Association. 

Born on September 14, 1923 in Sindh 

province of Pakistan, Jethmalani completed 

his L.L.M. from the S.C. Shahani Law 

College, Karachi. He was first elected to 

the Lok Sabha in 1977. He took charge as 

Union Minister of Law, Justice and 

Company Affairs in October 1999 until 

July 2000 in the Vajpayee government. 

A noted criminal lawyer, Jethmalani has 

been part of legendary cases including the 

famous multi-crore 2G allocation case. 

He had appeared for Satwant Singh and 

Kehar Singh, convicted for the assassination 

of the late Prime Minister Indira 

Gandhi; Rajiv Gandhi assassination case 

convict V. Sriharan alias Murugan; 

Harshad Mehta in the stock market scam; 

underworld don Haji Mastan in smuggling 

cases; and had argued for senior Bharatiya 

Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani in 

the Hawala case. 

Jethmalani has also written various 

books including the "Conflict of Laws", 

"Justice: Soviet Style" and "Big Egos and 

Small Men". 

Specialist in Criminal and 

Constitutional Law, he was also a part-time 

professor in Government Law College 

(Mumbai), Jawaharlal Nehru University 

(New Delhi) and Wayne State University in 

the US. 

He also was made Chairman of the Bar 

Council of India in 1970 and member of 

International Bar Association in 1966.


WORLD 


Jethmalani : An advocate thoroughly 

dedicated to his professional values 

The passing away of Ram 

Jethmalani is sad though he enjoyed 

his life till end. Not many get such an 

adventurous and complete life as he 

got. His politics might not be in resonance 

with the ideas that he fought in 

the court but one thing was clear, 

whether he was part of the Bhartiya 

Janta Party or not, Ram Jethmalani 

was a man on his own and an absolute 

constitutionalist. 

Ofcourse, every successful person 

be it lawyer, film maker, authors, 

social activists, academics, bearucrats, 

all have one disease in common 

which is ‘desire’ to be in ‘Parliament’ 

as if without that they cant survive 

and they convert themselves into 

extraordinarily ordinary as none of 

them could raise issues or change the 

course of our political destiny. 

Perhaps, we need more power houses 

outside parliament, with people who 

could be a pressure force for the 

unruly rulers who are turning democratic 

dictators with the help of media. 

Ram Jethmalani was politically 

part of the Hindutva group but his 

associations with politicians acorss 

the party line and the reason for that 

was that he picked up the most difficult 

cases, which others might have 

refused. He fought the case of Kehar 

Singh and Balbir Singh accused of 

conspiring to assassinate indira 

Gandhi. Balbir Singh was ultimately 

acquitted by the apex court. 

After Rajiv Gandhi got massive 

mandate in 1985 and the clouds of 

Boforse eclipsed his government, 

Jethmalani started questioning Rajiv 

Gandhi on a daily basis which was 

responded by the Congress goon in a 

very unprofessional way giving benefit 

to all those forces who campaigned 

against Boforse. 

When National Front was coming 

to power in 1989, the question of 

leadership of the alliance was clear 

and V P Singh was the choice of most 

of the parties yet Chandra Shekhar put 

his foot down and decided that VP 

will never has his vote and that he 

cant be allowed to become leader of 

the alliance unopposed. Jethmalani 

was upset with Chandrashekhar 

and was actually manhandled by 



the supporters of Chandra Shekhar. 

He became Minister of Law in the 

SEVA Trust UK raised £1000 for 

Flood Victims in Punjab, India 

Social Education Voluntary 

Association (SEVA) Trust UK 

organised a meeting at Guru Gobind 

Singh Gurdwara (Sikh Temple), 

Kempston on Sunday 01 Sept. It 

was attended by the SEVA Trustees, 

Temple Management committee 

members and Bharpur Gill, Aid 

Coordinator for Khalsa Aid 

International who gave up update on 

the continuing rescue and recovery 

operations being led by the UK 

based international charity Khalsa 

Aid in Punjab, India. 

A cheque of £1000 was presented 

to Bharpur Gill by SEVA Trust. 

Thanking the attendees, Bharpur 

said ‘The whole region has been left 

devastated by the recent severe 

floods, with over 300 villages being 

directly affected and are now in 

need of emergency aid. Khalsa Aid 

International has established a team 

of rescue specialists in the region to 

provide emergency aid and assistance 

to the victims of the disaster. 

It’s a great effort by Bedford communities 

to support Khalsa Aid who 

have been instrumental in leading 

humanitarian efforts globally with 

huge support by all communities’. 

2 PATNA cops suspended for not 

checking Union Minister son's car 

Patna : Two Bihar Police officials 

have been suspended on 

Sunday for their failure to check the 

documents of a vehicle being used 

here by the son of Union Minister 

Ashwani Choubey, officials said. 

Patna Police Commissioner 

Anand Kishor suspended the two 

policemen on duty -- an Assistant 

Sub-Inspector (ASI) and a 

Constable -- for failing to check the 

documents of the vehicle of 

Choubey's son Arjit. According to a 

district officials, Kishor had asked 

the two police personnel to check 

the vehicle in which Arjit Choubey, 

his wife and mother were travelling. 

The police stopped the vehicle but 

were unable to check the documents. 

Kishor, who has been personally 

monitoring the ongoing 

vehicle checking drive, ordered the 

suspensions of ASI Devpal Paswan 

and Constable Dilip Chandra. 

Atal Bihari Vajpayee ministry and 

could never digest the growing clout 

of Arun Jaitley who he never considered 

an able lawyer. Fact of the matter, 

Jaitley was not really a great legal 

minds though he was suave and a 

great networker. The other person that 

Jethmalani despised by Subramanyam 

Swamy who he often remarked, the 

man who dont know abc of law. 

Jethmalani was a power house. He 

never compromised on his legal principals 

and fought all those cases 

which brings abuses by the trolls these 

days. He was a strong votary of article 

370 and maintained that it can not be 

abrogated. Watch an episode where 

Subranyam Swami was encouraging 

the abrogation and jethmalani was 

quoting the constitution of J & K that 

unless the constituent assembly of the 

J & K ask for, nobody has the power 

to abrogate article 370. 

Jethmalani fought many cases 

including that of Lalu Prasad Yadav. 

He fought for social justice issues as 

well as those of Asa Ram 

Bapu but he was categorical 

that he was fulfilling 

his legal duties when taking 

up such cases and 

cant prejudge a person 

based on police accusations. 

Technically, he was 

right. While he lived a complete life 

yet his absence will be noted in the 

legal circles as he was the person who 

spoke without fear and intimidation. 

At the time when our legal fraternity 

has become more polarised, it is people 

like Jethmalani who were needed 

more, who had the capacity of speaking 

as a dissenting voice to those in 

power. We have very few left now 

who could stand up and defend those 

who have been ‘declared’ as ‘indefensible’ 

by our media and political class. 

We cant do it in the greater interest of 

jurisprudence and legal system. We 

cant allow people to decide fate of 

people in the street and at the TV studios. 

Jethmalani was true to his profession, 

a thorough professional who 

defended his clients to the best of his 

ability and not judged them on the 

colour of their skins, religion or political 

ideologies. Sadly , that tribe, 

totally dedicated to constitutional values 

and professionalism is now 

diminishing. In Jethmalani’s death we 

have lost one such great minds who 

was fearless and dedicated to his professional 

duties. His absence will be 

greatly missed in the legal circles. 





Email: vbrawat@gmail.com

September 2019

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