Muslim intellectuals’ body for ban on cow slaughter
Aligarh (UP), July 3 (PTI): A body of Muslim intellectuals today said it would extend full support to any proposal of the Centre for banning cow slaughter and declaring cow as the national animal. “Our organisation has passed a resolution welcoming Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent statement condemning the lynching of innocent people in the name of ‘gau raksha’ (cow protection) in different parts of the country,” Director of Forum for Muslim Studies and Analysis (FMSA) Jasim Mohammad said here. “We will extend full support to any proposal of the Centre for banning cow slaughter and declaring cow as the national animal of India,” he said. Jasim said the repeated incidents of lynching of innocent people posed a serious threat to the right to life and the right to earn a living for a large section of the populace. “Every Muslim in the country was interested in ensuring protection to the cow because of religious sentiments of the majority community. However, the lynching of Muslims involved in buffalo trade on any other pretext is now posing a serious threat to the internal security in the country,” he said. He urged the prime minister to take all necessary steps to ensure law and order to stop lynching incidents.
Fire at Kolkata’s Apollo hospital, no injuries
Kolkata, July 3 (IANS): A fire broke out inside the operation theatre of a leading city-based private hospital here on Monday, a fire department official said. The fire broke out on the second floor of Apollo Gleneagles Hospital around 9 a.m. Primary investigation shows that a short circuit in the OT light might have caused the blaze, the fire official said. The hospital authority said it was a minor fire and all patients and staff were safe. “There was a minor fire in the OT cabin number nine in our hospital. However, our own security team were able to put out the blaze. We informed the fire brigade as a protocol. No patients or staff were hurt in the incident,” hospital CEO Rana Dasgupta said. However, West Bengal Fire Minister Sovan Chatterjee, who rushed to the spot after the incident, said an enquiry would be conducted to check if there was any negligence from the hospital’s end. “We cannot let the life of people be jeopardised like this. There will be an enquiry and appropriate legal action will be taken if any negligence is found,” Chatterjee said. “It is possible that the system to lock the smoke in case of a fire is either unavailable or not working properly. One of our fire fighters was suffocated after inhaling the smoke while working today (Monday),” he added.
Two minor girls gang raped in UP
Lucknow, July 3 (IANS): Five men gang raped two minor girls in Uttar Pradesh, police said on Monday. A manhunt is on to nab the accused. The girls, aged 14 and 15 years, were gang raped on Saturday night when they went out to answer nature’s call in a field, the victims said in a police complaint registered on Monday. They said the attackers, who were from their village, abducted them and then took turns to rape them inside a school building. They told the police that the five men -- Raees, Samru, Fatte, Yasu and Sohail -- then dragged them into a car and raped them again inside the moving vehicle. They were then dumped on the Delhi-Badaun highway, some 15 km from the village. Superintendent of Police (City) Praveen Ranjan Singh said that a case has been registered. The girls were sent for medical examination.
A man was lynched by villagers in Jharkhand’s Sahibganj district as he was trying to run away after murdering his wife, police said on Monday. Asadul, along with his elder brother, murdered his wife Shaili Bibi on Sunday. They were trying to run away when the villagers caught him and beat him to death, the police said. The brother managed to flee. The incident took place in Jamnagar which is around 500 km from here. The brothers had on July 28, 2015, murdered Shaili Bibi’s brother Saddam. They wanted her to mediate in that case, which she refused. Saddam was against Asadul and his sister’s marriage. On Sunday, the police reached the village and sent the couple’s bodies for post-mortem.
Two militants were killed on Monday in an ongoing gunfight in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district. A police spokesman said the killings took place in Bahmnoo village. The first militant was killed earlier in the day after the Army, acting on specific information, carried out cordon and search operation in the village. The Central Reserve Police Force assisted the police in the operation. Monday’s offensive in Pulwama came barely 10 hours after civilian protesters helped a group of militants to escape a cordon in Malangpora village in the same district. The protesters had clashed with the security forces on Sunday evening, forcing them to call off the operations.
Nashik police have arrested a college student from Rajasthan for allegedly hacking 31 WhatsApp accounts and sending obscene messages through them. Diptesh Salecha (20), the accused, was arrested from Jasol in Barmer district of Rajasthan and brought here last night, police commissioner Dr Ravindra Kumar Singhal said. The cyber crime wing of Nashik police had registered a case under section 66-C (identity theft) of Information Technology Act on June 28 against an unknown person after receiving several complaints of hacking of WhatsApp accounts from the city. Most of the complainants were women. The accused hacked accounts by managing to get hold of one-time-password (OTP) issued for account verification. He then sent obscene messages from the hacked account to other people on the victim’s contact list, police said.A local court this evening remanded him in police custody till July 7.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will soon publish a book dedicated to the youth, both in India and across the world. Modi is said to address core issues like overcoming exam stress, keeping one’s composure during exams and even what to do after the exams get over. “I have chosen to write on a subject that is close to my heart, and one that is fundamental to my vision for a youth-driven and youth-led tomorrow,” Modi said in a statement. The announcement has been made by the publisher, Penguin Random House, which said it is the first of its kind by a serving Prime Minister. The publisher said the book will cover many aspects that students can relate to, especially regarding the crucial Class X and XII examinations. “Through the book, the Prime Minister hopes to become a friend to the students, supporting them as they prepare for the examinations,” Penguin Random House said in a statement. The tone and tenor of the work is informal and conversational. The book, the publisher said, clearly states why it is important to prioritize knowledge over marks and how to take responsibility for the future. The book is scheduled for publication later this year and will be published in multiple languages.
