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The Centre formed a Group of Ministers (GoM) under home minister Rajnath Singh and a high-level committee under union home secretary Rajiv Gauba Monday to deal with rising incidents of mob lynching. The committee led by Gauba will submit its recommendations to the GoM in four weeks. The GoM, in turn, will examine these recommendations and submit its final report to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The announcement came hours after Congress chief Rahul Gandhi tweeted about the lynching incident at Alwar, Rajasthan, The Hindu reports.
The GoM includes external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, road transport minister Nitin Gadkari, law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and social justice and empowerment minister Thaawar Chand Gehlot.
Aslam Khan, the other victim attacked by the Alwar mob, has told police that the assailants had claimed to have the support of an “MLA” and said they “could not be harmed”, The Indian Express reports. The police also said Aslam overheard the attackers calling each other by name — Dharmendra, Paramjeet, Naresh, Suresh and Vijay.
Meanwhile, Rajasthan police have admitted to making mistakes, and suspended an assistant sub-inspector and sent three other constables to police lines in connection with lapses in handling the lynching case, Hindustan Times reports. Photos of the victim prove the 28-year old’s life could have been saved had police not delayed taking him to hospital, doctors told Sanya Dhingra of ThePrint.
At least 16 girls were allegedly raped at a shelter in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur. The NGO-run ‘home’ sheltered 44 girls under the supervision of the social welfare department (SWD). A social audit carried out by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) in May this year revealed multiple testimonies of sexual exploitation. It was based on the 100-page TISS report that a police complaint was filed by the social welfare department, which revealed the condition of the girls, The Hindu reports.
Peaceful protest a fundamental right: The Supreme Court struck down a ban on protest demonstrations at Jantar Mantar imposed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) last year. It also restored protesting rights at the Boat Club, saying ‘people had a fundamental right to demonstrate peacefully,’ The Times of India reports.
The Congress may move a privilege notice against PM Narendra Modi and defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman Tuesday for allegedly misleading the Lok Sabha regarding what it claims are ‘irregularities in India’s acquisition of Rafale fighter jets from France,’ Hindustan Times reports. The government, however, maintains the deal is above board, saying certain details cannot be disclosed because of a secrecy agreement with the French.
Amit Shah’s road trip has come to an end. The BJP president has visited 28 of 29 states over the last 40-45 days, instructing party units to also begin their ground campaign for the general election 2019 by 1 August, Hindustan Times reports. With his last stop being Himachal Pradesh this weekend, Shah will complete a nationwide tour for the fourth time since taking charge of the BJP.
Business Class
Iran becomes India’s No. 2 oil supplier, ahead of Saudi Arabia. Livemint reports that Iran was the second-biggest oil supplier to Indian state refiners between April and June, replacing Saudi Arabia, as companies took advantage of steeper discounts offered by Tehran. “Iraq continued to be the top oil supplier to India in the April-June period,” the report adds.
Rs 133 billion spent on irrigation with little to show. The office of the comptroller and auditor general (CAG) has said that of the 16 major irrigation projects identified as national ones in 2008, only five are under implementation — and unsatisfactorily, reports Business Standard. “In the five projects on which work has started, the CAG said as on end-March 2017, a total of Rs 133 billion was incurred but none was anywhere near completion,” the report states.
News it’s just kinda cool to know
A family managed to raise Rs 18 lakh for liver transplant surgery via social media, saving the life of a 10-year-old girl, Fatimah, from Kashmir’s Bandipore district, DNA reports.
When Donald Trump SHOUTS on Twitter, everybody listens, and then laughs. The US President’s “explosive” reply to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has triggered a series of tweets mocking and mimicking his aggressive, all-capitals style, NDTV reports.
Point of View
The Times of India, in its editorial, comments on the upcoming Pakistani election and Shehbaz Sharif’s claims of “taking Pakistan ahead of India” if his party wins. Commending the sentiment, it writes, “Pakistan’s rise would galvanise India’s political class and compel it to speed up economic progress. It’s better to have healthy economic competition between the two countries than the current state of hostility and covert warfare.”
In a column for Hindustan Times, Pakistani journalist Arifa Noor writes about the challenges Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the son and grandson of former prime ministers, faces in the upcoming election. Drawing a parallel between Zardari’s Pakistan Peoples Party and India’s Congress, she writes, “Both parties produced a long-running ruling dynasty, with a fair share of tragedies, and the passing of the party leadership to a reluctant (in India’s case) spouse and an unpopular one (in Pakistan’s case). And now both parties on either side of the border have once again pinned their hopes on the sons.”
Two Punjab AAP MLAs were recently sent back from an airport in Canada. An editorial in The Tribune explains that the action reflects new norms in play. “The action of the Canadian immigration authorities in refusing entry to two AAP MLAs is likely to be interpreted in many ways, but one thing is clear, Canadians have taken a stand against foreign nationals’ political activities on their land.”
Sports writer Mihir Vasavda, in a column in The Indian Express, notes that the recent FIFA World Cup brought forth the softer side of Russian football players and their country. Commending Russian hospitality, he writes, “…Last month, the Russians showed us that events like these are about people and not governments. Football forges relationships in ways that are unimaginable. The game in itself may be only a small part of the experience. But what it ultimately delivers is joy, fascination and togetherness.”
Prime Time
Investigating lynching
On NDTV India, Ravish Kumar’s show focused on the recent lynching of Rakbar Khan in Alwar. In the episode, NDTV reporter Harsha Singh’s investigation raised serious questions on whether the victim was lynched by a mob or beaten to death by police.
“Why did it take three hours for police to reach a hospital 4 km away. Was the police protecting a mob?” asked Kumar. Singh’s report also quoted the victim’s relatives, the first responder and the tea seller at whose place police stopped before carrying the victim to the police station.
‘Cows can come later’
On her show, India Today TV’s Preeti Choudhry asked, “Who is responsible for the Rajasthan lynching incident?” While the Congress’ Rohan Gupta blamed the state government, the BJP’s Aman Sinha tried to play down the incident.
“The Rajasthan government should have taken a strong action,” pointed out Gupta. “Police should first ensure the safety of life and property of the citizens, cows can come later,” noted former UP DGP Vikram Singh.