Page 825 - War Conflict
Mevani denies making inflammatory speech
Dalit leader and Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani on Friday denied making inflammatory speech in Pune.Addressing a press conference here, Mevani said, "Not even a single word of my speech was inflammatory or provocative."An F.I.R. was registered against Mevani and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student leader Umar Khalid in Pune on Thursday under sections 153(A), 505 and 117 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).The F.I.R. was registered after two complainants -- Akshay Bikkad and Anand Dhond - approached police and alleged Mevani and Khalid had made "provocative" comments at an event on December 31 at an event organised to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the battle of Bhima-Koregaon.The dalit leader alleged that the 'false' F.I.R. is the brainchild of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Bharatiyia Janata Party (BJP)."Members of Sangh Parivar (RSS) and BJP made a childish attempt to tarnish my image and target me. It is an after effect of the Gujarat results and also because ...
Bhima-Koregaon Gram Panchayat denies existence of casteism in region
Days after Maharashtra witnessed massive protests and outrage following the death of a youth in Bhima-Koregaon violence, a member of the Bhima-Koregaon Gram Panchayat, said that there is no conflict on the basis of caste in the village and people live peacefully there.While addressing the media here, the member of the Bhima-Koregaon Gram Panchayat said that they would not get involved in any kind of violence and inflict atrocities, which could harm their own people."We will not burn our own houses and cars; inflict atrocities on our mothers and sisters. There is no caste problem here in the village. There are Muslims, Dalits, Marathas and we all live here together peacefully," she said.Earlier on January 1, a youth was killed in clashes between two groups during an event to mark 200 years of Bhima-Koregaon battle near Pune.The incident prompted Dalit community to hit the streets in Maharashtra and many other states.A total of 16 FIRs was registered by the Mumbai Police, relating to ...
Suspect indicted in failed San Francisco attack
A former US Marine suspected of plotting a Christmas holiday terror attack on a popular San Francisco tourist destination was indicted by a grand jury, the media reported.
Islamic State claims responsibility for Kabul attack
The Islamic State (IS) terrorist group has claimed the responsibility for a suicide bombing in Kabul's PD9 on late Thursday, which left more than 20 people dead and 30 others injured.According to the Anadolu Agency, the Amaq news agency of the IS said a suicide bomber targeted the police and intelligence officers busy in an operation in the Banayee area of the city. The Kabul police had recently conducted an operation against suspected drug traffickers in the same neighbourhood.The Afghan Interior Minister, confirming the death toll, said that the victims were mostly police personnel.The attack took place near a security establishment at Banaee area of the city in the evening.Earlier this week, the Afghan intelligence operatives managed to foil a series of deadly attacks plotted by the IS in Kabul city and at least 13 insurgents were arrested in connection with the same.
Two Naxals killed in Chhattisgarh
Two Naxals, including a woman, were killed in an encounter with security forces near the Muduvandi-Kawadgaon forest area in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district today.During the operation, that involved the CRPF's CoBRA (commando battalion and the District force of Chhattisgarh police, one .303 rifle, one 12 bore rifle and other ammunition was recovered.The encounter took place at around 7:30 a.m.Special Director-General (Anti-Naxal Operation) D.M. Awasthi said, "On an intelligence based operation we recovered two dead bodies of uniformed naxals in gangaloor area of Bijapur.One .303 rifle, one 12 bore and other material recovered.
CRPF SUV with JK licence plate stolen, triggers security alert
Security agencies have flashed an alert after an SUV with a "JK" numberplate belonging to the CRPF was stolen from outside a camp of the force late last month, official sources said. The alert, warning against misuse by terrorists ahead of Republic Day celebrations on January 26, has been issued by multiple agencies, including the Delhi Police, the CRPF and central agencies. Official sources said a white Sumo Victa of the Central Reserve Police Force was stolen from outside a camp of the force in R K Puram area on the intervening night of December 29-30. The official number plate of the stolen four-wheeler is 'JK 02A W5441', they said. The vehicle, with a 'Police' sticker, was stolen by at least three people that night, sources said, referring to CCTV footage of the incident. The alert issued by security agencies, especially to agencies and forces based in Kashmir, said the vehicle could be misused for a possible sabotage attack or fidayeen raid. Intelligence inputs have
Afghan police: Kabul suicide attack death toll soars to 20
Afghan police say the death toll from the previous night's suicide attack in Kabul has jumped to 20, with another 27 policemen wounded. The attack took place on Thursday night in the eastern part of the Afghan capital where dozens of security officers had congregated to protect a demonstration of shopkeepers that had been held earlier in the day. First reports immediately after the blast put the death toll at six officers but police official Jan Agha said that by Friday morning, the number of those killed had significantly increased. No one has so far claimed responsibility for the bombing but both Taliban insurgents and the Islamic State group's affiliate in Afghanistan have targeted the country's security forces in the past.
North Korean defector numbers slump as controls tighten
Fewer than 100 North Koreans a month defected to the South last year, Seoul said today, the lowest for 15 years as Pyongyang and Beijing both tighten controls on movement. A total of 1,127 North Koreans came to the South last year, down 21 percent from 2016, according to data from the unification ministry. It was the lowest figure since 2001. The vast majority of defectors from the impoverished North, which suffers chronic food shortages and is subject to UN Security Council sanctions over its banned nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes, go first to China. They sometimes stay there for several years before making their way to the South, often via a third country. "This decrease in arrivals is extremely concerning because it's not that life became that much better in North Korea, it is because the Chinese authorities, while signing up for increased sanctions on the North Korean economy, also stepped up their crackdowns on North Korean refugees," said Sokeel ...
Maha violence accused Sambhaji alleges 'conspiracy', wants probe
Head of Shiv Pratishthan Hindustan and the prime accused in the Bhima-Koregaon violence, Sambhaji Bhide, on Friday accused Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh chief Dr Prakash Ambedkar of conspiring against him.Bhide also appealed the Centre for a thorough inquiry into the allegations levelled by Ambedkar."Prakash Ambedkar blamed me for the conspiracy which is completely wrong. I demand the government to investigate the matter thoroughly and to give strong punishment to the one found guilty", said Bhide.This comes after Ambedkar alleged that Hindu Ekta Aghadi and Shivraj Pratishthan were responsible for instigating violence against the Dalit community, in which a youth was killed.The incident has prompted the Dalit community to hit the streets in Maharashtra and many other states.The Battle of Koregaon was fought on January 1, 1818 between the British East India Company and the Peshwa faction of the Maratha Confederacy, at Koregaon Bhima.The Marathas ultimately withdrew, fearing the arrival of .
A rivalry in the realistic setting of a forgotten war (Book Review)
Title: The Beckoning Isle; Author: Abhay Narayan Sapru; Publisher: Wisdom Tree; Pages: 157; Price: Rs 245
J-K: Live bombs, IEDs defused, major tragedies averted
The Army recently averted major tragedies by detecting and defusing the live bombs and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) planted along the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir.The troop launched a massive search operation on Thursday to locate the live bombs and IEDs in Rajouri's Nowshera sector.Advanced technology and cameras were used to detect the bomb cache and destroy it in safer places."It is because of the Indian Army, we are safe. We stand tall with the security forces in their initiates. They have always retaliated bravely to Pakistan", said a local.
Kabul blast: Death toll rises to 20
The death toll in Kabul's PD9 explosion has risen to 20, while 30 others injured in the blast.According to the Tolo News, Afghan Interior Ministry has confirmed the death toll.Earlier it was reported that at least 15 people died in the suicide bomb attack.The attack took place near a security establishment at Banaee area of the city in the evening.Reportedly, the victims were mostly police personnel.No group has claimed the responsibility for the attack so far.
Maharashtra: 286 public buses vandalised in protests
A total of 286 Bombay Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) buses were vandalised in two days -January 2 and 3- in various parts of Maharashtra, during protests against violence over the bicentennial celebration of the Bhima-Koregaon battle.The stone-pelting at the buses have cost a damage worth Rs 20,51,760, informed the spokesperson of BEST.The death of a youth in the clashes that broke out between Dalits and alleged right-wing groups over the celebration near Pune triggered violent protests across Maharashtra, wherein cases of vandalism of vehicles were reported in various areas, including Aurangabad, Pune and Nagpur.Other incidents like road and railway blockage, and arson also took place on the day of statewide bandh called by Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh (BBM) leader and grandson of B.R. Ambedkar, Prakash Ambedkar on January 3.A total of 16 FIRs were registered by the Mumbai Police relating to statewide bandh.The violence originated on January 1 when the right-wing groups were ...
Bhima Koregaon strife: Right wing leader Sambhaji Bhide seeks
Controversial right wing leader Sambhaji Bhide, who is accused of instigating violence against dalit community in Pune district, today appealed for a thorough inquiry into the matter. Bhide (85), who heads Shiv Pratishthan Hindustan, today met with Sangli district collector along with thousands of his supporters and demanded withdrawal of charges against him. A day after the Bhima Koregaon violence on January 2, Pimpri Police in Pune district filed a case against Bhide and others under SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act and under various sections of the IPC including attempt to murder as one person was killed in the caste clashes. In his letter to media, Bhide stated that his name was being deliberately linked with the violence in Pune district. "It is a 'banav' (false) that I was present at the riot site in Pune district and was also responsible for it. Dalit leader Prakash Ambedkar has levelled allegations of my involvement in inciting the violence. There should be a .
Afghanistan: 15 dead in suicide bomb attack
At least 15 people died in a suicide bomb attack in the Afghan capital, Kabul, on Thursday, according to local TOLOnews network.About 20 people have also been injured in the attack which took place near a security establishment at Banaee area of the city in the evening.Reportedly, the victims were mostly police personnel.No group has claimed the responsibility of the attack yet.More details are awaited.
11 killed, 25 wounded in Kabul suicide attack
A suicide attacker blew himself up near a crowd of police and protesters in Kabul today, killing at least 11 people and wounding 25 others, officials said, in the latest deadly violence to bring carnage to the Afghan capital. "A suicide attacker has detonated himself... close to a number of police who were trying to provide security for an ongoing protest," deputy interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi told AFP. Health ministry spokesman Wahid Majroh told AFP that 11 bodies had been taken to hospitals around the city along with 25 wounded. Majroh added that the toll could rise. A security source who spoke to AFP on the condition of anonymity said 20 people had been killed and 20 wounded in the attack, but that higher toll could not be immediately confirmed. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack which happened during a protest following the death of a shopkeeper during a police operation targeting alcohol and bootleggers, an unnamed official ...
Suicide blast rocks Kabul, many casualties: officials
A suicide attacker blew himself up near a crowd of police and protesters in Kabul on Thursday, causing many casualties, officials said, in the latest violence to hit the Afghan capital. "A suicide attacker has detonated himself... close to a number of police who were trying to provide security for an ongoing protest," deputy interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi told AFP.
Casualties feared in Kabul explosion
An explosion on Thursday late evening occurred in an area of the Afghan capital Kabul in the vicinity of the 9th police district (PD9).It was a suicide bombing, reported TOLO News, citing, eyewitnesses as saying.There are no reports available regarding the casualties as of now.According to the reports, police officials have not commented on the incident so far.No group has claimed the responsibility of the attack yet.More details are awaited.
Bhima-Koregaon violence: FIR against Mevani, Khalid
An FIR was registered against Dalit activist Jignesh Mevani and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student Umar Khalid for their alleged "provocative" speeches during an event here on December 31, an official said today. Both were charged for allegedly creating a rift and spreading disharmony between the Maratha and Dalit communities, he said. Additional Commissioner of Police (South/North) Ravindra Sengaonkar said their speeches are being analysed and they will be summoned for questioning. Mevani, the newly elected MLA in Gujarat, and Khalid had attended the "Elgar Parishad", an event organised to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the battle of Bhima- Koregaon, at Shaniwar Wada in the city on December 31. According to a complaint filed by city resident Akshay Bikkad, Mevani and Khalid allegedly made "provocative" speeches at the event and their remarks were aimed at creating disharmony and rift between the communities, which led to the violence at Bhima-Koregaon on ...
Nigerian army says it rescued another Chibok girl
The Nigerian army said today it rescued one of the kidnapped Chibok girls amid a wave of deadly Boko Haram kidnappings and bombings rocking the country's northeast. The army said troops found Salomi Pugo in the remote Pulka region of Borno state near the Cameroon border, without giving further details. The abduction of more than 200 Chibok schoolgirls in 2014 by Boko Haram brought global attention to the Islamist insurgency sweeping through northeast Nigeria. "Troops of Operation Lafiya Dole deployed in Pulka today rescued one of the Chibok girls abducted by Boko Haram terrorists earlier in 2014," Colonel Onyema Nwachukwu said in a statement. "Currently the girl, who was intercepted in the company of another young girl, Jamila Adams, about 14 years old with a child, are in the safe custody of troops and receiving medical attention." News of the rescue comes after weeks of relentless attacks by Boko Haram in the northeast, including the abduction of 30 loggers and a ...