Page 7 - Social Issues
Indian tourists racially abused on a train in Ireland
An Indian family of three was subjected to racial abuse by a man on a train from Belfast to Dublin earlier this month.Indian tourist Prasun Bhattachrjee and his parents were at the receiving end of an hour-long tirade against their skin colour, culture and accent by a man sitting next to them on the train during their holiday in the European nation, as per an Irish Times report.The man, who was sitting next to them during the train journey was drinking from a can of beer. Bhattachrjee believes that the man was drunk while making the derogatory statements against them.Speaking to the Irish daily, Bhattachrjee said that the man had verbally abused them for their "skin colour, nationality and other things".Witnesses say that when a member of the train staff arrived at the scene, he simply asked the unidentified man -- who would occasionally get up from his seat -- to sit down. He was not asked to deboard or refrain from making the racially abusive comments."The train guard could have ...
Delhi woman found dead in UP's Shamli, husband booked for abatement of suicide
Body of a woman from Delhi was found hanging in Uttar Pradesh's Shamli district, following which police booked her husband for abatement of suicide, officials said Saturday. The incident happened on Friday in Kandhla town of the district, where her inlaws' house is. Police said Mallika Begum, who was in her 40s, allegedly committed suicide due to some problems in her family and a case was filed against her husband, Nafees Ahmad, following a complaint by her brother. Her brother, Savaiz, alleged in the complaint that her sister was being harassed by her husband, police said. Nafees and Mallika were married for 22 years, they said. Further investigations into the case are currently underway, officials said.
Pompeo asks Pakistan to do more on religious freedom
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday urged Pakistan to do more to stop the abuse of blasphemy laws after the release of Asia Bibi, who escaped a death sentence in a case that drew international scrutiny. Releasing an annual report on international religious freedom, Pompeo estimated that more than 40 others were serving life sentences or facing execution for blasphemy in Pakistan. "We continue to call for their release and encourage the government to appoint an envoy to address religious freedom concerns," Pompeo said. Blasphemy is an incendiary issue in Muslim-majority Pakistan, where mere allegations of insulting Islam have sparked lynchings, although activists say many cases stem from personal disagreements. Bibi, a Catholic, was convicted of blasphemy in 2010 and sent to death row. Despite public protests against her, Bibi was acquitted on appeal last year and in May was able to leave for Canada. Pompeo also strongly criticized US adversaries Iran and China, pointing to ...
"Women empowerment major factor for building society"
Women empowerment is not a matter of choice but it is an essential factor for building an inclusive and forward-looking society, eminent speakers observed at a session on Friday. "Empowerment of women is important in achieving the objective of equitable and sustainable development and it is not only a national goal but also a global agenda," the speakers said. A session on "Women Achievers - Showcasing Excellence in Fashion and Creativity" was organised by the Merchants' Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) and its Ladies Forum. The speakers on the occasion were fashion designers Sharbari Datta and Agnimitra Paul, Kantha exponent and social entrepreneur Malika Varma and culinary expert Sneha Singhi. "It is beyond doubt that women can excel in different spheres of life, if the right opportunity and proper environment are provided, the Chairperson of MCCI Ladies Forum, Prapti Jhajharia, said. "Thus there is an urgent need to create suitable conditions to facilitate and .
Businessman suicide: Kerala HC initiates proceedings based on reports
The Kerala High Court Friday took up a Public Interest Litigation on its own over the suicide of an NRI businessman, which it described as "painful", and issued notice to the government, asking for an explanation by July 15. The court initiated proceedings based on news reports. The 49-year-old Nigeria-returned businessman Sajan Parayil, who had spent about Rs 16 crore for an auditorium, hanged himself at his home Tuesday after the Anthoor municipality refused to grant the certificate for his project. Initiating the PIL against the municipality secretary, the district town planner and the secretary to the state government's local self government, a division bench comprising Chief Justice Hrishikesh Roy and Justice A K Jayasankaran Nambiar termed as "painful" the news about the suicide of the businessman. The court also said the "lethargic attitude" of authorities led to the incident. It sought the state government's explanation by July 15. The high court also came down heavily on ...
Disability rights activist misses flight, meeting after shabby
Disability rights activist Arman Ali has shared a distressing experience of being "treated horribly" by two drivers of an app cab service in Chennai, for which he missed a flight and a meeting and had to shell out Rs 14,000 to book a fresh air ticket. Ali, Executive Director of National Centre for Promotion of Employment of Disabled People, alleged that the first driver cancelled the trip around 15 minutes after verbally confirming it, while the second one refused to put his wheelchair in the backseat, "pushed out of the cab" and cancelled the trip. In a Facebook post on Thursday in which he tagged the Prime Minister's Office and Narendra Modi, the Assam-based wheelchair-bound man said Uber India apologised to him and offered to refund the cancellation fee of Rs 45 only. "I was treated horribly and #discriminated against by @uber @uber_india in #chennai yesterday evening. I had booked the 1st Uber for the airport at 3 pm which I verbally confirmed with the driver. He ...
MP: Ex-CM Chouhan demands CBI probe in custodial death case
Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan Friday demanded that policemen involved in the custodial death of a 25-year-old man in state capital Bhopal be charged with murder and the probe be handed over to the CBI. Shivan Mishra had died in custody on June 19, hours after he was picked up by Bairagarh police for driving his sports utility vehicle into a BRTS corridor railing. Police have maintained that Mishra died of a heart attack, though authorities placed five personnel, including the Bairagarh station in charge, under suspension. Speaking at a sit-in protest at Bharat Mata Square, Chouhan said, "The way police have brutally killed the young man in custody...it is not a simple incident, but murder. This has happened in the state capital where the chief minister, other ministers and top police brass including director general of police (DGP) have offices." "Strict action should be taken against such murderers. The CBI should probe the incident," he ...
Don't destroy efficient public transport system for 'electoral gains': Sreedharan to Delhi govt
'Metro Man' E Sreedharan has alleged that the Delhi government's proposal of free travel for women is an "election gimmick" and urged the Kejriwal dispensation to "not destroy" the efficient and successful public transport system for electoral gains. In a letter to Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, the former DMRC chief also said free travel will "worsen overcrowding" and "lead to mishaps". There was no immediate reaction from the Delhi government or the AAP in this regard. Sreedharan's letter to Sisodia, dated June 20, comes days after the AAP leader wrote to the former, expressing "surprise" over his opposition to the AAP government's scheme. "I am not opposing Delhi government's proposal to bear the cost of free travel for women but objecting only to the concept of free travel in a metro. If we allow free travel for women, what about more deserving categories such as students, disabled persons and senior citizens?" he said in the letter. Sreedharan, who is also the principal ...
Lesbian couple seek police protection in Shamli
Two women have sought police protection citing threats from their families who were allegedly against their "relationship" in Shamli district of western Uttar Pradesh.In their application to the police, the women have said that they have been living together and their parents are opposed to their relationship.The girls, in the application, said, "We both are self-dependent adults. We both are in a job and want to live together on our will. Our families are against us.""Our families are against us and there is a threat to our life from our families. We have come to you for your police help," the women said in the application.The women, who hail from Un Tehsil of the district, are employed in Delhi and have been living together.Shamli Additional SP Rajesh Srivastava said that the women have been sent to Kandhla Police Station. "Kandhla SHO will investigate the matter and will try to persuade their families for their relationship. The women will also be given police protection," he said.
Bihar deputy CM demands 100 cr, ICU with 100 beds from Centre to combat AES
Bihar deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi on Friday demanded the formation of an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) consisting of 100 beds and a research centre in the state to combat the spread of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES).He had also demanded an assistance of Rs 100 crore from the Centre.A press note from Bihar government stated, "In the meeting of Finance Ministers of the state with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sithraman on Friday, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister has demanded the formation of ICU consisting 100 beds and a Research Center in the state to combat Acute Encephalitis Syndrome. Sushil Modi has also demanded an assistance of Rs 100 crore from the Centre and requested for the state Medical College to be developed into AIIMS."The press release said that Modi has also asked for the reimbursement of Rs 29,400 crore spend by the state government over providing water to households in the state under the scheme called "Har Ghar Nal Jal".The release said, "Modi has informed the .
Many child care homes use corporal punishment as a way to discipline children: WCD Ministry
An analysis of child care institutions showed that authorities at many such homes use corporal punishment as a way to discipline children, the Women and Child Development (WCD) Ministry said. In written response to a query in Lok Sabha, WCD Minister Smriti Irani said the ministry conducted a national mapping exercise of child care institutions (CCIs) in 2016. The mapping aimed at ascertaining whether child care institutions were being run by state governments and UT administrations under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 (JJ Act), she said. "The analysis showed that many CCIs use forms of disciplining children which fall under the ambit of corporal punishment as defined by the JJ Act," she said. Irani said the ministry shared the information with states and UTs drawing their attention towards the findings. The ministry stressed upon the need for mandatory monitoring as prescribed under the Juvenile Justice (Child and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 ...
Mizo court asks police, CWC to keep rescued Rohingya girls in protection home
A local court Friday ordered that eight Rohingya girls, who were rescued by the Mizoram Police from Dungtlang village in Champhai district, should be sent to a protection home in Aizawl, police said. Champai district is located near the Mizoram-Myanmar border. The court instructed the police and the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) in the district to choose a women protection home, which would be able to accommodate the Rohingya girls, reported to be victims of human trafficking. "The girls were allegedly abducted from a Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh and brought to Mizoram to be sent to Myanmar," police said. These Rohingya girls were rescued from Dungtkang village in Mizoram on Monday. According to police, the girls were being taken to Myanmar from Bangladesh via India. In April, eight Rohingya women, who were trying to enter Mizoram without any travel documents, were detained by the state police at the Mizoram-Assam border. They had claimed that they were from the Kutupalong ...
Congress opposing Triple Talaq Bill is matter of great distress: Ravi Shankar Prasad
Union Law and Justice Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Friday termed the Congress party's opposition to the controversial Triple Talaq Bill as "a matter of great distress.""It was a matter of great distress that the Congress chose to oppose the introduction of Triple Talaq Bill. Earlier they had not opposed it. Last time they had walked out from the Lok Sabha. But today they were siding with the likes of Asaduddin Owaisi, who were opposing it," Prasad told reporters here.The Minister said that it is painful to see the Congress party taking an anti-woman stand in the House on the Bill even when Sonia Gandhi is the Parliamentary party's chairperson."A woman leader like Sonia Gandhi ji is the leader of the Congress party. Yet the Congress party takes an anti-woman position in the Lok Sabha by opposing even the introduction of the Bill. I must say it is not only painful but deeply regrettable," he said.Prasad reiterated that the issue was not an issue of religion but of women's empowerment
CM Gehot writes to CEC, seeks review of poll code
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday demanded that the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) be reviewed keeping in view public interest and welfare. It becomes difficult for any elected government to work due to prohibition on even small work when the MCC is in effect. It should be reviewed in view of public interest and public welfare, Gehlot wrote in a letter to Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora Gehlot, in the letter, expressed the need to minimise the duration for which the poll code is effected and sought a review of its various provisions. He said the implementation of code of conduct for a long time obstructs states to discharge their constitutional obligations, causing policy paralysis. The Model Code of Conduct remained effective in the country during the Lok Sabha elections for 78 days and the government work stopped which led to problems for the public. Conducting election process for such a long duration has "raised question mark on Election Commission's motive and .
Bihar: MoS Nityanand Rai sanctions Rs 25 lakh to build PICU in Samastipur hospital
Union Minister of State for Home Ministry Nityanand Rai has sanctioned a sum of Rs 25 lakh to build Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Sadar hospital in his parliamentary constituency of Samastipur.Rai wrote a letter to District Magistrate Chandrashekhar Singh asking him to take speedy action and to ensure treatment of children.In Bihar, the death toll due to Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) has touched 122 in Muzaffarpur district.
Triple talaq Bill tabled in LS amidst stiff opposition
On the first day of the Lok Sabha session, the Modi government, in its second tenure, introduced the the controversial triple talaq Bill, amidst stiff opposition from Congress and Muslim Majlis after a division was pressed opposing the tabling of the measure.The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2019, that seeks to criminalise the act of instant divorce among Muslims with a three-year jail sentence for men was finally introduced after a brief debate.AIMIM member Salauddin Owaisi pressed for a division and the voting saw 186 members supporting the bill and 74 against. The voting had to be taken through paper slips as the newly-elected members have to be allotted seats and division numbers yet in the electronic voting system.The bill, which was passed by the Lok Sabha in December last but lapsed in the Rajya Sabha after the dissolution of the Lower House, seeks to replace an ordinance issued by the government in February.The government got introduction of the triple
140 complaints against CCIs received in last 3 years: WCD
As many as 140 complaints against child care institutions and shelter homes have been received in the last three years, the Women and Child Development Ministry told the Lok Sabha on Friday. Responding to a Lok Sabha query, WCD Minister Smriti Irani said the government has legislated the Commissions for Protection of Child Rights Act, 2005 (CPCR), under which National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) and State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCRs) have been created as statutory bodies for protection of child rights. "As reported by the NCPCR, it has registered 140 complaints against CCIs and shelter homes during the last three years," she said in a written response. In response to a separate question, Irani said a total of 539 child care institutions (CCIs) have been closed since last year over non-compliance of provisions of the Juvenile Justice (JJ) Act. She also said for rehabilitating children from the 539 CCIs, the government is implementing Child ...
Russia frees Chechen activist for top rights group
Chechen rights activist Oyub Titiyev walked free on Friday after being granted parole from a sentence for drugs possession that prompted international condemnation. Titiyev, the 61-year-old head of the Chechen branch of Russian rights group Memorial, was arrested in January last year, accused of possessing a marijuana-like substance. Memorial is one of a few rights groups to continue operations in Chechnya, a region under tight control of strongman Ramzan Kadyrov where activists have been beaten up and killed. In March Titiyev was sentenced to four years in a penal colony but was granted parole this month. Emerging from prison in the Chechen town of Argun, Titiyev said he "had never ceased his work on human rights," said Oleg Orlov, a Memorial representative who was among those welcoming him. "We're all happy that our colleague is finally free," said Orlov, while adding Tityev will probably not be able to continue working in Chechnya as before. "I think it's hardly possible he could ..
Triple Talaq Bill is 'unconstitutional', says Owaisi
New Delhi [India], Jun 21 (ANI): AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi on Friday claimed that the controversial Triple Talaq Bill is unconstitutional, saying it would be a great injustice against Muslim women if the Bill became law."Triple Talaq Bill is unconstitutional. It is a violation of the Constitution's Article 14 and 15. We already have the Domestic Violence Act 2005, CrPC Section 125, Muslim Women Marriage Act. If Triple Talaq Bill becomes a law it will be even greater injustice against women," he told reporters outside the Parliament.Voicing his opposal on the Bill, Owaisi said, "If a man gets arrested how will he give allowance from jail? The government says if a Muslim man commits this crime the marriage will remain intact and he will be jailed for three years if punished by the court. He will be jailed for three yrs but marriage will be intact. What law is Mr (Narendra) Modi forming?""I would like to ask him (Modi) what kind of justice is this that if such law is implemented on a ...
China police raids rescue 1,100 trafficked women
Chinese police rescued 1,130 abducted foreign women in the second half of last year in coordinated operations with five Southeast Asian countries, the Ministry of Public Security said Friday. Police arrested 1,322 suspects, including 262 foreigners, for allegedly luring and kidnapping women after promising jobs or marriages, the ministry said, in what appears to be the largest such operation to date. "In recent years, some lawless locals and foreigners have conspired to abduct women from neighbouring countries and sell them as wives in China," public security spokesman Guo Lin said at a news conference in Beijing. "It's a serious violation of these women's rights and interests." Demand for foreign brides in China has mounted in recent years. It's fuelled by Beijing's one-child policy, which skewed China's gender balance for decades before the government changed it three years ago. Many men in the Chinese countryside struggle to find wives, especially if they lack a car, house, or ...