...the BJP's template of operation was different or if the Centre and the state were ruled by dissimilar parties? asks Shyam G Menon.
A high-level government review committee has given its stamp of approval on a decision to block 306 accounts being used on micro-blogging site Twitter in the wake of communal violence in Assam's Kokrajhar district and large scale migration of people from the South.
'The TMC can't go on forever taking advantage of the people's fright of the BJP.'
An order issued by the Home Department of the Delhi government said the 1985-batch AGMUT cadre officer is being appointed to the new post with 'immediate effect'.
The anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act protest was secular but the charge sheet in the Delhi riots conspiracy case was communal and the police fabricated a story to suit its narrative, former Jawaharlal Nehru University student leader Umar Khalid told a court in New Delhi on Tuesday calling it a 'naked form of false implication.'
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday accused the Maharashtra government of adopting an apathetic attitude to the desecration of Ganesh idols and other cases which led to communal violence in the state and said strong and timely action could have prevented the situation from deteriorating.
Barely a few kilometres from Nuh, which witnessed communal clashes on July-end, a group of people belonging to different communities is busy preparing for Durga Puja.
Party vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi accused the Samajwadi Party government in the state of "fomenting" communal trouble and demanded the President's rule in Uttar Pradesh.
Defying curfew, irate mobs on Friday torched vehicles and road kiosks and clashed with the police, leaving a superintendent of police and five other personnel injured in Bareilly, which has been hit by communal violence since March 2.Additional Director General of Police (law and order) Brij Lal said in Lucknow that unruly elements indulged in heavy brick-batting and arson in Sanjay Nagar and Subhash Nagar localities, forcing the police to use tear gas shells.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said that polls can be rigged through social media, and that if social media companies want, they can make any party win an election.
The army on Sunday staged a flag march in riot-hit areas of Muzaffarnagar district where the toll in clashes between members of two communities has risen to 12.
At least 20 FIRs were registered in connection with stone-pelting during rallies held in protest against the Tripura communal violence in five districts of Maharashtra and 20 persons were arrested, police said on Saturday.
The video purports to show the 22-year-old man, with his lower body stripped, tied to a bullock cart. Multiple men and women can be heard in the background, with some also being heard inciting a dog to attack him and others encouraging a thrashing. A voice can be heard saying, "Let it go, what if he dies?"
The communal violence in Kandhmal in the aftermath of the killing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Swami Laxmananda Saraswati and four of his disciples, has so far claimed 26 lives, Orissa Home Secretary Tarun Kanti Mishra said in Bhubhaneshwar on Monday.
The principal responsibility for the initial inaction is that of the state government and its police but there has been contributory negligence by the internal security machinery of the government of India too, says B Raman
Such an incident has never occurred in the history of the state, he said.
The Haryana government on Friday rejected in the high court the suggestion that a demolition drive in violence-hit Nuh did not follow procedure and was an exercise in 'ethnic cleansing', as the bench hearing the case referred it to the chief justice's court.
'Rather than assuaging the feelings of the Hindus accommodated in schools and hospitals, she calls a meeting of imams and tries to assuage them.'
'The state police failed to stop the crimes, failed to protect me from the attackers, they were friendly with the attackers, they tried their best that I did not register an FIR, not make complaints against police, the police did not take down my statement as I narrated in detail and they abandoned me half of the way. I was raped and now I don't want to be victimised by the Orissa police. I want a CBI enquiry,' says the nun
"I feel no one can reject the contribution of Maharashtra and Marathi people in the history and present of the country. If someone is rejecting it, then I feel it is wrong," Fadnavis said.
She has been booked under the anti-terror law in a case related to communal violence in northeast Delhi in February. Additional Sessions Judge Dharmender Rana granted the interim relief from June 10 to June 19 to Jahan on furnishing two sureties of Rs 1 lakh.
Official sources said the probe was ordered by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik who visited the riot-torn area on Thursday to take stock of the situation.
India's strong reaction came after the OIC secretariat issued a statement alleging targeting of the Muslim community in several states in India during Ram Navami processions.
Former Gujarat minister of state for home Gordhan Zadafia has told the Nanavati Commission that he was not aware of riots in Naroda area and Gulburg society when the communal violence unfolded there during the 2002 riots. The content of his in-camera deposition of December 27 was released by the commission today.
The Lucknow bench of the court said the persons concerned may file their responses to the notices within 15 days and directed the state authorities to consider the said replies and a pass reasoned order on those.
Parts of Gujarat had witnessed large-scale violence in 2002 following the train burning incident at Godhra railway station in February that year.
L2: Empuraan is an ambitious sequel that is bigger, bolder and timid in equal measure, observes Arjun Menon.
A Circle Officer (CO) in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, India, defended his controversial remarks comparing the frequency of Holi and Friday prayers, calling for communal harmony. The CO, Anuj Chaudhary, had previously stated that Holi is a festival celebrated once a year while Jumma namaz takes place 52 times a year. He has since clarified that his intention was to emphasize the importance of respecting festivals of all religions and called for mutual respect and participation in each other's celebrations.
The police have so far arrested 115 people in connection with the violence that erupted on May 13 night in the sensitive Old City area over a social media post and registered six cases at the Old City and Ramdas Peth police stations.
A mosque was set on fire and a short circuit apparently triggered a blaze in another in Haryana's Nuh district, while two brothers belonging to Muslim community were allegedly beaten up in Gurugram by a group of about 30 people, the police said on Thursday.
During the Gudhi Padwa festival, Hindus visit Hazrat Sayyad Badshah Dargah near the mosque, a villager said.
The minister said the objective behind setting up the special squad was to create communal harmony.
'The level of violence that took place and also occurred at different points, the way stones were collected, the way weapons were brandished, the way shots were fired, it does not appear to have happened all of a sudden'
Fresh clashes broke out between people belonging to Zomi and Hmar tribes in Manipur's Churachandpur district, hours after a peace settlement was reached between the apex bodies of the two communities. The Zomi Students' Federation imposed a shutdown in the district after a group of men tried to take down a flag of a Zomi militant outfit. Several persons were injured in the clashes. Meanwhile, MLAs and tribal organisations appealed for peace, urging the administration to take necessary measures to restore law and order.
975 people have been arrested in connection with the violence in Muzaffarnagar, in which 40 people lost their lives, police said on Tuesday.
"We are not happy with the judicial inquiry ordered by the Orissa government. Since both Central and state governments failed to check the spread of arson in Kandhamal, there must be a CBI probe," said Sajan K George, president of the Global Council of Indian Christians. He observed that Christians in riot-hit areas of Kandhamal were denied the right to worship on Christmas due to widespread violence and attack on places of worship.
There are challenges galore before him, and it is not going to be easy. In the next four years, he has to conjure a system that changes the optics about him and the BJP both nationally and internationally so that he can ride back on his own, claim the top slot, and not have to lean on a coalition, asserts Ramesh Menon as Modi 3.0 completes a year in power.
The Circle Officer (CO) of Sambhal, Anuj Chaudhary, has been cleared of any wrongdoing regarding his controversial remarks about Holi and Jumma (Friday) prayers. Chaudhary had previously stated that those uncomfortable with Holi celebrations should stay indoors, sparking criticism from some sections of the community. The police investigation was launched following a complaint by former IPS officer Amitabh Thakur.
The Meitei group Arambai Tenggol surrendered 246 firearms to security forces in Manipur, bringing the total number of weapons surrendered to 307. The surrender follows a deadline set by Governor Ajay Bhalla for the return of illegal weapons. Arambai Tenggol's decision was influenced by assurances from the governor, including the eradication of opium poppy cultivation, implementation of border fencing, and a general amnesty for members of the group. Officials believe the surrender will contribute to restoring peace in the state, which has been rocked by ethnic violence for nearly two years. The police have urged others in possession of illegal firearms to surrender them before the deadline. Former Chief Minister N Biren Singh welcomed the surrender, calling it a "big step towards peace."
