NRC could threaten national security and start communal violence - Binay Tamang

12:52 PM

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Politics

"NRC political game of BJP - could threaten national security and start communal violence in the country" - says Binay Tamang

GJM (BT) faction chief and the current GTA Board of Administrators Chairman Binay Tamang on Wednesday said that he would extend legal support to Assam’s Gorkha community if they were displaced following implementation of NRC.

He claimed, "of the 40 lakh people in Assam whose names have not appeared in NRC, nearly 1 lakh are Gorkhas."

“The NRC draft is not final. People whose names are not on the list can submit fresh applications. But even after that, if those whose names have been struck off do not get enlisted, then our party will extend all support,” said Binay Tamang.

He further added “NRC is a political game of BJP, which could threaten national security and start communal violence in the country. We abhor such political games”.

He alleged that BJP would also implement NRC in Bengal to displace not only Gorkhas but other minority communities in the state in order to make political gains.

[With inputs from Times News Network, file pic]

Via TheD

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Muzaffarnagar death toll 31 UP govt to report every 12 hours

7:10 PM

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Live National News

Fresh incidents of violence were reported from Muzaffarnagar and Shamli districts on Monday where the death toll in communal clashes has now reached 31 even as the state government said no political leaders will be allowed to visit the riot-hit areas.

Meanwhile, Union home ministry has asked the Uttar Pradesh government to send Muzaffarnagar situation report every 12 hours.

"The death toll in the violence in Muzaffarnagar and other areas have climbed to 31," principal secretary (Home) RM Srivastava said. One person was stabbed to death by some miscreants in Meerapur town of Muzaffarnagar district on Monday.

Violence also spread to neighbouring district of Shamli where a 40-year-old Imam of a mosque, Maulana Umar Din, was shot dead, Shamli district magistrate P K Singh said. Security has been beefed up in these areas.

The police have arrested 200 people and registered cases against 1000 people, including four BJP MLAs and a former Congress MP. The clashes have triggered speculation that political parties are seeking to polarise the state along religious lines ahead of 2014 general elections.

The Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde has asked 28 Indian states to stay vigilant as such tensions were expected to escalate further in the run-up to the polls.   

A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) delegation led by Ravi Shankar Prasad and Union minister and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief Ajit Singh and his son Jayant were detained in Ghaziabad while they were en-route to the riot-hit areas.

“There have been more than 100 cases of communal riots in Uttar Pradesh since the Samajwadi Party came to power in the state,” Singh said while demanding that President’s rule should be imposed in Uttar Pradesh.

Bahujan Samaj party (BSP) chief Mayawati has also demanded imposition of President’s rule in the state while accusing the SP and the BJP of playing “dirty politics” over the clashes. Congress leader Pramod Tiwari also said the SP and BJP are “trying to fan communal tensions to reap political benefits”.

Meanwhile, in Muzaffarnagar, senior officials described the situation as tense but under control and said the curfew will continue for a few days. Traffic was thin on NH-58 and security personnel were deployed at toll plaza. Shoot-on-sight orders were issues in the troubled areas yesterday as incidents of violence escalated.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also spoke to UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and offered him Centre’s support. SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav also met with Akhilesh.

Violence first erupted in Muzaffarnagar on Saturday after people returning from a mahapanchayat held at Nagla Mandor village under Sikhara police station were attacked.

The meeting had been convened over the murder of two people of a community. The two murders followed the killing of a man from another community on August 27 over alleged vulgar remarks passed at a girl.

Under fire over the violence, the Uttar Pradesh government transferred Saharanpur DIG DD Mishra and SHO, Phugana, Omveer. SSP Muzaffarnagar Subhash Chandra Dubey and SP Shamli Abdul Hamid have also been transferred.

“We are also cancelling arms licenses in Phugana, Shahpur, Dhaurakalan as they were misused during the violence,” ADG, law and order, Arun Kumar said.

He said FIRs have been registered against BJP legislative party leader Hukum Singh, MLAs Suresh Rana, Bhartendu, Sangeet Som and former Congress MP Harendra Malik for violating prohibitory orders. These leaders had addressed the mahapanchayat where provocative statements were made.

Meanwhile, UP governor BL Joshi has sent his report on Sunday to the Centre, official sources said in Lucknow. The governor has cited the sequence of events beginning August 27 and mentioned administrative lapses as well as the situation prevailing in the town.

Officials said apart from army, 10,000 Provincial Armed Constabulary personnel, 1300 CRPF men and 1200 Rapid Action Force personnel have been deployed.

Source: hindustantimes.com 

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Muzaffarnagar communal clashes - death toll rises to 12

12:30 PM

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India Live news

Muzaffarnagar: The death toll in clashes between two communities in western Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar district has risen to twelve. Over 1000 Army jawans were moved from Meerut to Muzaffarnagar today while 38 companies of the paramilitary forces have been deployed.

Muzaffarnagar communal clashes

The situation continues to be tense, with sporadic incidents of violence reported today. Police have arrested more than 30 people so far. 

Uttar Pradesh has been put on high alert following the communal clashes. The state government has decided to continue the curfew in the affected areas of Muzaffarnagar for a week. 

Violence broke out in the Kawal area of Muzaffarnagar yesterday when members of a community returning from a panchayat meeting in Naglabadhod, three kilometres from Kawal, clashed with members of another community.

Rajiv Verma, who worked as a freelance television journalist, was reportedly caught in the crossfire at Meenakshi Chauraha. In Sekeda village, a photographer who the police had hired, was beaten to death. 

Appealing for calm, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav said, "People should not pay attention to the rumours and exercise restraint. Whosoever has done this will not be allowed to go scot free." 
muzaffarnagar-army295x200.jpg
The state government has announced a relief of Rs. 15 lakh to the family of the TV journalist and Rs. 10 lakh to the family of others killed in the clashes. The seriously injured will be paid Rs. 50,000 each while those who received minor injuries will get Rs. 20,000, officials said.

The Kawal area has been tense since August 27 when three young men belonging to the two communities were murdered. 

The police booked several politicians for allegedly making inflammatory speeches in the area. These include three Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leaders - an MP and two MLAs from Muzaffarnagar - and one Bharatiya Janata Party MLA from Meerut.

The police have also registered cases against 299 others for promoting enmity on religious grounds after they posted a fake video claiming it showed the young men being killed on social networking site Facebook.

Source : ndtv.com

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Myanmar - Buddhist mob burned Muslim homes

3:52 PM

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Live world news

Fresh sectarian violence struck northwestern Myanmar early Sunday when a 1,000-strong Buddhist mob burned down dozens of Islamic homes and shops following rumors that a young woman had been sexually assaulted by a Muslim man, police said. There were no reports of injuries.

A crowd surrounded the police station late Saturday and then went on an hours-long rampage after authorities refused to hand over the assault suspect, a police officer from the area told The Associated Press.

About 35 houses and 12 shops — most belonging to Muslims — were destroyed before calm was restored, he said, asking not to be named because he did not have the authority to speak to reporters.

The radical monk Wirathu, whose anti-Muslim rhetoric has placed him at the center of rising religious violence in the predominantly Buddhist nation, posted news of the riot in the outskirts of the town of Kantbalu on his Facebook page.

Myanmar has been grappling with sectarian violence since the country's military rulers handed over power to a nominally civilian government in 2011.

The unrest — which has killed more than 250 people and left 140,000 others displaced — began last year in the western state of Rakhine, where Buddhists accuse the Rohingya Muslim community of illegally entering the country and encroaching on their land. The violence, on a smaller scale but still deadly, spread earlier this year to other parts of the country, fueling deep-seeded prejudices against the Islamic minority and threatening this country's fragile transition to democracy.

Almost all of the victims have been Muslims, often attacked as security forces stood by.

Myint Naing, an opposition lawmaker who represents constituents in Kantbalu, was outraged by the latest violence.

He said Muslims and Buddhists have lived side-by-side in the area for many years.

"There is a mosque in almost every village in our township and we live a peaceful co-existence," he said as he headed to the scene, adding that at least one mosque was burned down in the violence.

"I cannot understand why the authorities were unable to control the crowd when it originally started," he said.

Details about the riot were still being collected Sunday afternoon. The local Daily Eleven newspaper, which had a reporter at the scene, said 1,000 people were involved in the violence.

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