The French Embassy here on Tuesday said there was no ban on wearing turbans in public space while reacting to a charge by a Sikh organisation that the community has been fighting for their rights in France.
“Outside the premises of public schools, wearing the Sikh turban is very much allowed in public space, contrary to the allegations of certain radical organisations. Only the burkha is banned in public places, for obvious security reasons.
No hostility on Sikhs, their shrines
“Furthermore, neither Sikhs wearing turbans in the streets nor Sikh shrines were ever subject to any hostility in France,” the embassy said in a statement here.
It also noted that the embassy issued this clarification following recent allegations regarding the so-called restrictions imposed on the wearing of the Sikh turban in France.
We uphold the freedom of religion
“France upholds the freedom of religion, as well as the right not to have one, and opposes discriminations on this ground. There is no ban on the wearing of turbans. French law in this matter is very precise: the restriction applies to the wearing of all visible religious signs, without any discrimination, and it applies only to public schools.
“It leaves it to the heads of public schools to take the most appropriate measures, so that it is implemented in a sensitive manner,” the statement added. This measure has been explained to the Indian authorities and representatives of the Sikh community in France, with whom a regular dialogue has been established, the Embassy said.
“The Sikhs of France understand and have assimilated the laws on French principle of separation between the State and religious institutions and practical solutions have been found to reconcile their religious practice with the principles of the French Republic,” it added.
Hollande wanted Sikh contingent at R-Day parade
Protesting against the absence of a Sikh regiment contingent at the Republic Day parade where French President Francois Hollande was the chief guest, the Shiromani Akali Dal on Monday said it was a setback to the struggle of Sikhs who have been fighting for their rights in France.
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had also written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in this regard.
Four air-conditioned special trains will be run next month from Nagpur to Pune, Nagpur to Amritsar and back, to clear the extra rush of passengers.
Train number 02124 will depart from Nagpur to Pune on February 2, 9, 16 and 23 (every Tuesday), and train 02123 will leave Pune on February 3, 10, 17 and 24 (on Wednesdays).
Train 02124 will leave Nagpur at 7.50 PM and arrive in Pune at 11.45 AM the next day.
Similarly, train 02123 will depart from Pune at 3.15 PM and reach Nagpur at 5.15 AM the next day, Central Railway Public Relations Officer P D Patil said here.
The trains will consist of 16 coaches, including one 1 AC, four 2 AC and nine 3 AC.
These will halt at Wardha, Dhamangaon, Badnera, Akola, Bhusaval, Manmad, Kopargaon, Dound and Pune in both the directions.
Besides, four air-conditioned special trains from Nagpur to Amritsar and back will also be run next month.
The trains to Amritsar will operate on February 6, 13, 20 and 27 and return on February 8, 15, 22 and 29.
Train number 02125 will depart Nagpur at 5.20 PM and reach Amritsar next day at 9.05 PM.
It will return from Amritsar at 4.20 AM and arrive in Nagpur at 4.25 AM the next day.
The trains will halt at Bhopal, Jhansi, Gwalior, Agra, New Delhi, Ambala, Ludhiana and Jalandhar in both the directions.
These will consist of one 1 AC, four 2 AC and nine 3 AC coaches.
India today became the number one side in the ICC T20 rankings after whitewashing Australia in the three-match series here today.
India, who are also the number one in Tests, overtook the West Indies to reach the top sport in the shortest format. India have 120 rating points, two more than the Caribbean unit. Sri Lanka also have 118 rating points like the West Indies but they are third in the charts.
India have hit top form in the T20 format ahead of the World T20 to be held at home in March-April. They had famously won the inaugural World T20 in South Africa in 2007.
England (117 rating points) are fourth in the rankings ahead of New Zealand (116), South Africa (115), Pakistan (113) and Australia (110). Afghanistan (80) and Scotland (66) round up the top-10.
A 42-year-old man has been sentenced to 10 years rigorous imprisonment by the district court here for raping his teenage step-daughter.
Additional Sessions Judge U M Nandeshwar passed the judgement yesterday against the man, who is a resident of Bhiwandi taluka.
Additional Public Prosecutor Ruma Navle told the court that the victim was raped in March, 2013 by her step-father in their house.
After the incident, the traumatised girl fled the house and came to Kalyan train station here, from where she reached Dadar train station in Mumbai, she said.
Some persons, who saw her wandering, enquired why she was there following which she told them about the ordeal.
The girl was then taken to Sneha Sadan, a children’s home, whose volunteers brought her to her residence, she said.
There, she divulged the incident to her mother, following which a case was registered and investigation initiated, she said, adding the accused was arrested on April 3, 2013.
Later, the victim’s mother disappeared from the house, after which the girl was brought to Sneha Sadan again, she said.
The prosecutor, stressing on the serious nature of the crime, demanded strictest punishment for the accused.
The accused was held guilty under relevant sections of the IPC and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, and sentenced to 10 years rigorous imprisonment.
The judge also imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on the convict, and ordered additional imprisonment of six months in case of default in payment of fine, she said.
PTI
New Delhi: Extending support to striking MCD workers demanding dues, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday hoped that “some solution” will emerge after the high court hears the matter next week.
“I support demand of protesting MCD employees that they shud get their full salaries. I hope some solution will emerge after Tue HC hearing,” Kejriwal, currently in Bangalore for naturopathy treatment, said on Twitter.
The chief minister also lauded personnel from the state’s public works department (PWD) for working the “whole night” to clear garbage and urged AAP functionaries to help the department men.
“I am told PWD people and trucks worked whole nite to clean up garbage. I wud urge all AAP volunteers to help PWD,” he said on the micro-blogging site, urging the PWD to “keep it up”.
The government had yesterday deployed hundreds of PWD workers to lift garbage from across the city as nearly 60,000 civic sanitation workers continued their indefinite strike demanding payment of dues amid a blame game over the issue between AAP and BJP, which rules the three municipalities.
The strike was launched by sanitation workers on January 27, demanding timely salaries and payment of arrears.
New Delhi: The Delhi government has proposed setting up Local Complaints Committee (LCC) in every district of the national capital which the victims of sexual harassment at workplace denied justice by the Internal Complaints Committees (ICC) can approach.
According to the proposal drafted by the Women and Child Development department, District Magistrates or Additional District Magistrates will be notified as District Officers (DOs) to exercise the powers and discharge functions under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act 2013.
The DO will constitute the LCC in his district and will further appoint a nodal officer in every ward, municipality to receive the complaints and forward it to the concerned Committee within a period of seven days.
The DO will also monitor the timely submission of reports furnished by the local complaints committees and take measures as may be necessary for engaging NGOs in creating awareness about sexual harassment and the rights of women.
The members of the LCC will include a chairperson, to be nominated from among eminent women in the field of social work and committed to the cause of women. There will be one member from among the women working in municipality in the district, two members, of whom at least one shall be woman, to be nominated from among such NGOs or associations as are committed to the cause of women or a person familiar with the issues related to the protection of women from sexual harassment.
Also, an officer dealing with women and child development in the district, shall be it ex-officio member.
The chairperson and every member of the LCC will hold office for three years from the date of their appointment as may be specified by the DO.
Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chairperson Swati Maliwal has expressed sadness over the fact that even after two years of the passage of the Act, the DOs and LCCs have not been notified in the city till date. She had written to Delhi Lt Governor Najeeb Jung about it.
“There has already been a considerable delay in this regard. It cannot be overemphasized that the Act virtually exists on paper and steps are yet to taken for its effective implementation,” she had said in her letter, adding, the Commission has been receiving a large number of complaints regarding sexual harassment at workplace.
Under Section 5 and 6 of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, state is required to set up a LCC to investigate complaints related to sexual harassment from cases which cannot be dealt with by the ICC or where there is no ICC.
by: pti
NEW DELHI: Rahul Gandhi today accused the government of delaying a decision on the issue of net neutrality on the “pretext” of repeated discussions and took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying his ‘Digital India’ scheme cannot become a “euphemism” for an Internet controlled by large remote corporations.
Insisting that the Congress has always stood for ‘Freedom of the Internet’ and ‘Net Neutrality’, he said the party wanted that Internet Service Providers (ISPs)/Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) and government should treat all data on Internet equally.
“With Digital India, people would get more access to the Internet – the whole Internet – and not primarily a filter on the web. This is imperative for India to grow in 21st Century.
I sincerely hope that TRAI report and Modi government will adhere to this bounden need espoused by millions of Indians”, the Congress Vice President said in a statement.
He told the Prime Minister that ‘Digital India’ “cannot become a euphemism for an Internet controlled by large remote corporations. Digital India should mean Internet connectivity as a public utility, open ended and generative.”
“Congress Party’s and my belief is shaped by our faith that Internet users should be free to connect to any website or service that they want, enabling a level playing field on the ‘world wide web’. We recognize the danger of privileging a private platform over a public Internet introducing a new digital divide,” he said.
He wanted the government to realise that Internet is a powerful poverty alleviation tool, offering unbounded opportunities limited only by imagination, whether it is a farmer looking for information on monsoon preparedness, artisans connecting with buyers in a market place or a college student from rural India enrolling for an online course.
“NASSCOM has asked for Net Neutrality, over 500 start-up entrepreneurs are pleading for it, young in India have been demanding it, yet we have a government, which under the pretext of repeated discussions, has been delaying framing a clear-cut policy on this”, Mr Gandhi said attacking the government.
He charged that the BJP government “quietly looked the other way” when Telecom companies introduced price differential through zero rating plans and attempts to charge for OTT (Over The Top) services.
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has issued consultation papers on the issue twice over, covering similar questions for consumers to answer on Net Neutrality, free basics and data price differentiation.
“Like millions of Indians out there, I am earnestly hoping to see a TRAI report (scheduled for 31st January) and Modi government’s commitment in favor of an open Internet in its entirety where there is no ambiguity in regard to difference in pricing or VOIP”, Rahul Gandhi said.
The Congress Vice President said he was aware that past few months haven’t been easy for Free Internet and Net Neutrality activists, civil society and researchers, who are engaged in the movement to disseminate useful and relevant information to the public despite “misleading marketing gimmicks.”
“I salute their indomitable spirit and would like to congratulate them.”
Four persons, including a member of Autonomous Council and three Congress workers, have been abducted by unidentified persons from two separate places in Assams Dima Hasao district last night, police said here today.
Jibon Kemprai, member of Dima Hasao Autonomous Council, was kidnapped from his house at Thaijuwari under Diyungbra police station while three Congress workers, belonging to the Bieate community, were kidnapped from a place between Umrangshu and Sangabar under Umrangshu police station.
The abducted Congress workers have been identified as Luapuia Thaite, Joseph Nampui and Lala Nampui.
In another incident, unidentified persons fired at the residence of BJP Dima Hasao district committee General Secretary Deben Thaosen at Sengya Sambhudhan Raji under Sarkari Bagan police out post here.
A protest rally was taken out by members of the Bieate community demanding immediate release of persons kidnapped.
Deputy Commissioner Amrendra Barua assured the delegation who met him that the culprits would be nabbed immediately and the abducted will be released.
The Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said the security agencies were capable of dealing with any threat posed by the ISIS group.
“We have the capacity to meet any threat. We will face it,” he told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.
The Home Minister’s comments came when asked about the ISIS threat in the country.
Last week, 14 youths were arrested by the NIA and other security agencies after they allegedly formed a module on the pattern of dreaded ISIS to carry out strikes at vital installations.
According to Indian intelligence agencies, a total of 23 Indians have so far joined the ISIS of which six were reportedly killed in different incidents in Iraq-Syria.
by : pti
In a fresh setback to the Mumbai attack trial, a Pakistani court has dismissed the government’s petition seeking voices samples of 26/11 mastermind Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi and six other suspects in the case.
The prosecution had filed an application in the Islamabad High Court seeking voice samples of the suspects to compare it with the communication intercepted by Indian intelligence and then present it before the anti-terrorism court (ATC) as evidence against the seven suspects in the Mumbai attack case.
The Islamabad High Court on Monday dismissed the petition.
In 2011 and 2015, the issue of obtaining voice samples of Lakhvi had been dismissed by the trial court on the grounds that “no such law exists that allows obtaining of voice sample of an accused”.
The prosecution’s petition said the Indian intelligence agencies had intercepted communication between the suspects and the terrorists in connection with the Mumbai attack in 2008.
In the recorded intercepts, the suspects are alleged to be instructing the terrorists.
The prosecution lawyers had argued that the samples were essential for concluding the investigation of this high profile case.
The trial court had also rejected another petition of the prosecution requesting the court to declare Ajmal Kasab and Faheem Ansari absconders in order to meet legal formalities.
The prosecution had told the court that unless it declared the two men absconders, the trial against them would remain “inconclusive” as both have been cited as accused in the Mumbai attack case by Indian authorities and that they were also wanted by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) that was probing the 26/11 case.
Pakistani authorities arrested seven Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) members involved in the planning of the attacks including the terrorist group’s operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, the mastermind of the Mumbai attack.
Six accused — Abdul Wajid, Mazhar Iqbal, Hamad Amin Sadiq, Shahid Jameel Riaz, Jamil Ahmed and Younis Anjum –have been in Adiala Jail for more than six years in connection with planning and executing the Mumbai attack in November, 2008, that left 166 people killed.
Lakhvi, 56, secured bail in December, 2014, and was subsequently released from Adiala Jail on April 10, 2015, after the Lahore High Court set aside the government’s order to detain him under a public security act.
A trial is underway against them at the ATC since 2009.
by : PTI
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