New Delhi: Cure for the “unnatural practice” of same-sex relationships. That’s what an editorial in the Urdu press called for this week in reference to the Supreme Court’s decision on same-sex marriage.
Earlier this week, a constitution bench headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud held that the ‘right to marry’ isn’t a fundamental right, while turning down petitions to tweak the Special Marriage Act to allow same-sex couples to marry.
An 18 October editorial in Roznama Rashtriya Sahara stated that instead of giving legal protection to such same-sex relationships, there’s a need to provide treatment to people “suffering from such diseases”. This, according to the editorial, is so that “such unproductive, sick minds” can overcome “their unnatural tendencies” and “help contribute to human development”.
But despite the space given to the Supreme Court’s hearing of the case, it was Israel’s bombardment of Gaza in the aftermath of the Hamas attack that kept the Urdu papers buzzing all week. Editorials in all three prominent Urdu newspapers — Sahara, Inquilab, and Siasat — not only criticised Israel but also questioned what one called “the world’s silence” on the subject.
Also on the front pages of all three papers was the Allahabad High Court’s acquittal of Surinder Koli in 12 cases and Moninder Singh Pandher in two cases of the 2005-06 Nithari killings.
Here’s a wrap of all the news that made the front pages and editorials of the Urdu press this week.
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Israel and Gaza
Over 3,500 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Israel began its strikes against Hamas on 7 October. The Urdu press continued to give wide coverage to the ongoing conflict — including Israel’s strikes in Lebanon and Syria.
Newspapers also reported the US deployment of troops to help Israel in its war against Hamas, as well as the visit of US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to Israel as a show of support.
In its editorial on 14 October, Siasat condemned the international media for what it believes is “biased” coverage. The land of Palestine belongs to the Palestinian people, and yet their rightful demand has been crushed for decades, the editorial stated. Instead of intervening and putting a stop to it, the world and its media continue to support “the usurper and oppressor” Israel, it said.
In a 15 October editorial, Sahara stated that the world leaders who kept calling for humanity in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are now “encouraging” Israel.
“Why is Gaza being punished by cutting off its electricity, water, and food supplies?” it read.
On 17 October, all three Urdu newspapers reported that amid the ongoing conflict, a 71-year-old man stabbed a 6-year-old Palestinian child to death in Illinois, USA. Also reported was the Human Rights Watch’s allegation that the Israel Defence Forces were using white phosphorus munitions in their strikes in violation of International Humanitarian Law (IHL).
On 19 October, all three newspapers reported that over 500 people were killed after a blast ripped through Gaza’s Al-Ahli Arabi Baptist Hospital. Israel’s military claims it had no involvement in the explosion, blaming it on a misfired rocket sent out by the militant group Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ).
In its editorial the same day, Siasat condemned the attack and accused the world of complicity in the Gaza situation. Titled ‘Israel’s cruelty, world’s silence’, the editorial also urged Islamic countries to take action, saying that they will need to do more than merely holding meetings or appealing to Israel to stop.
“They should spring into action,” the editorial stated. “We should put pressure on Israel and stop it from committing atrocities.”
On 20 October, Inquilab condemned the hospital blast as a “cowardly and shameful act” and called for an international commission to investigate such war crimes.
“Just as killing innocents is not heroic, bombing a safe school or hospital is also not heroic,” the editorial said. “No law in the world allows this. Therefore, it’s the duty of all countries in the world who believe in the rule of law to condemn this inhuman aggression strongly.”
Economy
On October 19, Sahara’s editorial commented on the state of the Indian economy and retail inflation. It stated that while there’s no doubt that the Narendra Modi government has tried to improve fiscal policy in recent months with measures including cutting down fuel prices and banning rice and sugar exports, it has still been unable to bring down inflation.
The editorial also questioned the government’s inflation data.
According to figures from the Ministry of Statistics, India’s retail inflation for September eased to 5.02 percent in September as against 6.83 percent in August.
“According to several recent international estimates, inflation in India is projected to remain at 7 percent for this year due to rising inflation and deteriorating financial conditions,” the editorial stated. “It is difficult to believe the figures of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and NSO. Looking at the inflationary situation in the market, this clearly appears to be a fraud and a lie.”
(Edited by Uttara Ramaswamy)
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