- Another Historic First For Modi? CBI Says It Is Being Pressurised To Appoint Officers Who Are Being Probed By CBI
As per a report published in The Indian Express today, the Central Bureau of Investigation has written a letter to the Central Vigilance Commission saying that despite its repeated formal communications, names of such officers were being considered for induction in the CBI who “were under examination by the CBI as suspects/ accused in criminal cases under investigation with the Bureau”. The letter also states that the second senior most officer in the CBI- Rakesh Asthana, is himself “under (the) scanner” in several cases and “cannot be consulted for inducting officers into CBI”. Read more here.
- There Was No Stone Throwing In Our Village, Yet The Army Came And Shot Dead Three Youth (Including A 15-Year-Old Girl)
Travelling to south Kashmir has always been an adventure – lush green valleys and mountains, rivulets and above all, the heart-warming and welcoming people. However, a small incident in October 2010, initially overlooked by most, changed the scenic as well as the political landscape of South Kashmir. Hizbul Mujahideen’s poster boy Burhan Muzaffar Wani, his younger brother and one of his friends were beaten and harassed by the Special Operations Group (SoG) of the Jammu & Kashmir Police. Eight years down the line, South Kashmir is no less than a war zone. Read more here.
- Modi ‘Diverting’ People’s Attention From Rising Crimes Against Women: SP
The Samajwadi Party today accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of “diverting” people’s attention from “rising” cases of rape and crime against women across the country. “Not even Sambhal, cases of crime against women and rape are rising steadily across India. The Prime Minister is trying to divert the attention of the people,” SP general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav told reporters here. Read more here.
- Assam: BJP Lawmaker’s Daughter Summoned In Multi-Crore Cash-For-Jobs Scam
The Assam Police on Sunday summoned Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) leader RP Sharma’s daughter, Pallabi Sharma and 18 others in a multi-crore cash-for-jobs scam. Sharma has been accused of accepting huge bribes for selecting candidates for plum government jobs, reported NDTV. A senior police officer investigating the case said, “Police officer Pallabi Sharma is the daughter of Bharatiya Janata Party’s Lok Sabha MP from Tezpur, R.P. Sharma.” Read more here.
- Temples Aren’t Going To Create Jobs For Tomorrow: Pitroda
Debating religion will not create jobs for tomorrow, only science will build the future, technocrat Sam Pitroda told students at a university here today. He also said when employment is talked about, it’s given a political angle and involves “a lot of rhetoric and very little substance”. “When I hear all the debates in this country about temple, religion, God, caste, I worry about India. Temples are not going to create jobs for tomorrow. Only science will create the future,” Pitroda said. Read more here.
- Did Rahul Gandhi Say Congress Is A Party Of Muslims?
On July 12, an article appeared in the Urdu daily Inquilab, according to which Congress President Rahul Gandhi had said that the Congress party is a political party of the Muslim community. The daily quoted Gandhi as saying, “Yes, Congress is a Muslim party”. A screenshot of the article is posted below, an excerpt of which reads, “If BJP says that Congress is a party of Muslims, it is fine. Congress is a party of Muslims, because Muslims are weak and Congress always stands with the weak” (translated). According to the report, Gandhi had said these words at a closed-door meeting with members of the Muslim community. Read more here.
- Uttar Pradesh: Eight People Hospitalised For Suspected Food Poisoning
Eight members of a family, including two children, were admitted to a hospital for suspected food poisoning at a village in Shamli district, the police said today. After drinking cold drinks from a local shop, they complained of a headache, vomiting and stomach disorder following which they were shifted to the district hospital, the SHO of Kairana Police Station said. Read more here.
- Economic Crisis: WPI Inflation Spikes To 4-Year High Of 5.77% In June
Inflation based on wholesale prices accelerated to over 4-year high of 5.77 per cent in June on increasing prices of vegetables and fuel items, raising chances of a rate hike by the RBI in its monetary policy review next month. The Wholesale Price Index (WPI) based inflation stood at 4.43 per cent in May and 0.90 per cent in June last year, as per the government data released today. Read more here.
- Gujjar And Bakerwal Tribes Demand Law To Restrict Conversion Of Grazing Land
An organisation of the Gujjar and Bakerwal tribes today voiced concern over fast shrinking of grazing land in Jammu and Kashmir and demanded a law to preserve it in the state. The Tribal Research and Cultural Foundation (TRCF), headed by noted Gujjar researcher Javaid Rahi, also demanded a probe into the transfer of land to influential people under the Roshni Act in the state. Read more here.
- Badal Family Spent Rs 121 Cr On Travelling In Private Helicopters: Sidhu
Punjab cabinet minister Navjot Singh Sidhu today accused the Badal family of the Shiromani Akali Dal of spending a whopping Rs 121 crore on travelling in private helicopters during their 10-year rule in the state, and said he would request Chief Minister Amarinder Singh to order a probe into it. The local bodies minister made these allegations based on information procured by Daljit Singh Gilzian, the son of Congress MLA Sangat Singh Gilzian, through an RTI query. Read more here.
- Woman Who Accused Ex-BJP MLA Of Rape Goes Missing: Surat Police
Surat police today said the woman who had lodged a rape case against former BJP MLA Jayanti Bhanushali, which led to his ouster from the party, was untraceable. The 21-year-old victim, a resident of Surat, had written to the police on July 10 seeking registration of a rape case against the BJP MLA who represented the Abdasa constituency between 2007 and 2012. Read more here.
- Cong To Highlight ‘Failures’ Of Modi Govt In Parliament
Punjab Congress chief and Lok Sabha MP Sunil Jakhar today said the party will highlight the four-years of “failures” of the Narendra Modi government in the Parliament’s Monsoon session beginning July 18. In a statement issued here, the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president said Modi had only six months left in the office, but the “government of jumlas has done nothing to fulfil its election promises.” Read more here.