SC commences final hearing on UP violence
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday commenced final hearing on a batch of petitions demanding independent probe either by CBI or special investigating team (SIT) into the recent communal clash in Muzaffarnagar and its adjoining districts in Uttar Pradesh. Besides impartial inquiry, a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam is also monitoring the relief and rehabilitation measures undertaken by the state administration for the riot-affected people. The petitions filed by some advocates, mostly residents of of riot-affected areas, NGOs and others have also sought direction that the state should take all precautions to keep away anti-social elements from the area and that relief measures should reach the affected people without any discrimination. Further, the petitioners sought framing of mechanism to make the administration responsible for any lapse in handling of the situation. The bench said it was mainly focusing on the main issues in the riot-hit districts and will decide later whether to hear the petition for initiating contempt action against the Uttar Pradesh government and top leadership of Samajwadi Party for allegedly violating the apex court directions. (PTI)
2 suspected LeT operative sent to judicial custody till Feb 4
New Delhi: Two suspected LeT operative, whose arrest and alleged connection with Muzaffarnagar region have created a controversy, were on Tuesday remanded in judicial custody till February 4 by a Delhi court. Rashid and Shahid was produced before Additional Sessions Judge Daya Prakash after expiry of their earlier custody who sent them to Tihar jail after the special cell of Delhi Police did not seek their further custodial interrogation. The court allowed police’s plea and remanded Rashid and Shahid in judicial custody till February 4. “The accused are remanded in JC (judicial custody) for 14 days. Produced them before the court on February 4,” the court said. Earlier this month, advocate M S Khan, who is appearing for both the accused, had apprised the court that a letter has been sent by his clients to Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde requesting him to transfer the case from the special cell of Delhi Police to National Investigation Agency (NIA). The accused had said the matter requires a “thorough and fair” probe as there were loopholes in the version of special cell. In the letter, the counsel had referred to a speech given by Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on October 24 last year at Indore when he said that “an officer of Intelligence Bureau had briefed him about the infiltration of ISI in relief camps in Muzaffarnagar for the purpose of recruitment of youngsters”. (PTI)
India, Pak don’t scuffle over Urdu anymore: Meher Faroorqi
Jaipur: Neighbours India and Pakistan may not see eye to eye on a whole range of issues but not anymore over the Urdu language, says Meher Farooqi, the author of Oxford India Anthology of Modern Urdu Literature. “We still have a scuffle over the border, but it’s about other issues, it isn’t about Urdu anymore. Urdu is off the dark now,” Farooqi told PTI on sidelines of the annual Jaipur literature festival here on Tuesday. The author pointed out “After Partition, due to political reasons Urdu stayed on a sort of backburner in India for a while, whereas Pakistan was promoting Urdu actively against Punjabi and Sindhi, the main languages then.” A resurgence of interest in Sufi music, gazal, poetry and also just the sweetness of the language itself, said the author, led to the change. “I find a huge following for the language in the younger generation. They have no problems in learning the script too. So, the future of Urdu is not really dark. It is no longer the language confined to the madarsas,” she said. Farooqi, an Associate Professor of Urdu and South Asian Literature at the University of Virginia, believes that the grounds for learning Urdu are still “not so fertile.” Despite having specific departments for the language at the university level there aren’t enough Urdu teachers, the academic pointed out. (PTI)
Nitish’s olive branch to LJP will do no good: BJP
Patna: Amid indications of growing closeness between Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) and Ram Vilas Paswan’s LJP, opposition BJP on Tuesday said any “opportunistic” tie-up would not help as the base voters of LJP would side with BJP in the coming Lok Sabha elections. “Nitish Kumar will not gain anything by forging opportunistic alliance with LJP as base voters of the party will side with BJP in the coming Parliamentary elections,” senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi told reporters. “With nine MLAs hailing from Scheduled Caste, BJP is the true champion of the SCs,” he said. Modi refused to buy Kumar’s claim of having no truck with the Congress. “While on the one hand, the CM is denying any attempt to forge alliance with the Congress, on the other hand, many leaders of his own party are in touch with Congress for tie-up,” Modi said, adding, “Kumar is waiting for an alliance with Congress.” He, however, said shaking hands between leaders does not guarantee acceptance of ties among people. Attacking Congress, Sushil Kumar Modi said it was supporting Nitish Kumar government in Bihar like it has extended support to Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Admi Party in Delhi. (PTI)
West Bengal minister gets ‘threat call’ from KLO
Malda: West Bengal social welfare minister Sabitri Mitra has complained of receiving a threat call from a man who threatened to kill her and her family members for not paying Rs 50 lakh to the KLO, the police said. The call was made to the minister on Sunday night when she was in Siliguri ahead of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s visit, Malda police superintendent, Kalyan Mukherjee said. The caller, sources said, claimed that he was calling Mitra on behalf of the KLO chief Malkhan Singh, who wanted the minister to pay the ransom. Tracing the number Old Malda police had detained a woman, against whose name the number was registered. The woman, identified as 32-year-old Rinara Bibi from Balarampur, was a homemaker and wife of a daily labourer, told the investigators that she had lost the mobile few days back. “We are looking into the matter… We have detained one woman from Balarampur because the number from which the call was made was in her name and are investigating whether she has got any connection with the KLO,” Mukherjee said. (PTI)