India

Leicester, Sep 19 (IANS) Fifteen people have been arrested in an operation to "deter further disorder" in Leicester, a media report said.

There was large-scale unrest on Saturday amid tensions involving mainly young men from sections of the Muslim and Hindu communities, BBC reported.

The police said it had been sparked by an "unplanned protest". Another protest involving about 100 people followed on Sunday.

Leicestershire Police said there had been no further disorder overnight. The force added that all 15 people arrested on Sunday remained in custody.

Leicester's elected mayor, Sir Peter Soulsby, said he and community leaders were "baffled" by the events, saying they had been "fanned by some very distorted social media" and "a lot of people who came in from outside", BBC reported.

During Sunday's protest, people congregated on Belgrave Road, with members of the crowd telling the BBC they were on the streets as a result of the recent unrest.

Officers closed the road and some of the crowd briefly tried to push through police lines, complaining they were being prevented from marching.

Later, the protesters walked along Green Lane Road in the North Evington area, followed by officers.

There was also police presence on Humberstone Road, with several nearby streets closed off.

The force said in a statement: "Officers became aware of groups of young men gathering on Sunday afternoon in the North Evington area of the city. Officers spoke to them and took steps, including putting in place a temporary police cordon, to minimise harm and disturbance to communities."

The police have said they wanted to avoid a repeat of Saturday night's confrontations, and that dispersal powers would be used to break up any further gatherings, BBC reported.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Sep 19 (IANS) Senior advocate Dushyant Dave, representing some petitioners challenging the Karnataka High Court judgment on hijab, on Monday told the Supreme Court that there is a pattern to marginalise a community and citing the Pulwama attack, added that only one suicide bombing took place in India, which shows minorities have placed their faith on the country.

Dave submitted before a bench of Justices Hemant Gupta and Sudhanshu Dhulia that more than 10,000 suicide bombings have taken place in Islamic world and this country only faced one suicide bombing in Pulwama, which shows minority communities' faith in the country.

He added that religion is a very difficult frame of mind to guide the masses and it is leaders who can guide them.

Dave said the whole issue of "love jihad" and now, the prevention of Muslim girls from wearing hijab in educational institutions, reflects a pattern to marginalise the minority community, and Muslim girls wearing hijab cannot hurt anybody's sentiments and hijab is their identity.

Emphasising the significance of liberal aspect of Indian civilisation, Dave said the country is built on liberal tradition and there is unity in diversity. He submitted that if a Hindu girl asks a Muslim girl wearing hijab "why is she wearing it? And, she talks about her religion. This is really beautiful".

Dave added that the West has already permitted hijab and the American army has also allowed turbans. He said as one cannot quarrel with right of Sikhs to wear turbans, similarly, one should also have no quarrel with right of Muslim women to wear hijab, and stressed that for centuries, Muslim women have been wearing hijab in countries across the world.

He contended that hijab is important for Muslim women and it is their faith and added that somebody wants to wear tilak, somebody wanting to wear cross, everybody has the right and that is the beauty of social life.

"How would wearing hijab threaten the unity and integrity of the country?" he said. At this, the bench replied that even the Karnataka High Court judgment does not say that and nobody is saying that.

The bench also said the argument here could be self-contradictory, saying the right to wear hijab flows from Article 19 and it can be restricted only under 19(2) only by a statutory law. Dave submitted that fundamental rights, in this case under Article 25, can be exercised anywhere.

The bench said some judgments talk about religious practice inside the religious places. Dave said Article 25 uses the words freely practice, profess, and propagate religion, and a person can exercise fundamental rights anywhere, be it a classroom too.

He said if a Muslim woman thinks that wearing of hijab is conducive for her religion, no authority, or no court can say otherwise.

The hearing on the petitions challenging the Karnataka High Court's judgement of March 15 upholding ban on hijab in pre-university colleges will continue on Tuesday.

--IANS
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Mumbai, Sep 19 (IANS) A Special Prevention of Money Laundering Act Court extended the judicial custody of Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut by 14 days till October 3 here on Monday.

Raut was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on August 1 in connection with the alleged Patra Chawl redevelopment scam case, and has been in custody since.

The ED had recorded the Sena MP's statement and later raided his home on July 31, detained and then arrested him early on August 1 in the Patra Chawl, Goregaon case.

The issue pertains to the stalled redevelopment project of the Patra Chawl for 672 tenants which was taken up by Guru Ashish Constructions Pvt. Ltd. in which Sanjay Raut's close associate Pravin Raut was one of the Directors.

The ED has claimed that Pravin Raut benefitted to the tune of Rs 112 crore by illegal sale of the FSI from the project and he had allegedly passed on a certain portion of the proceeds to Sanjay Raut and his wife.

Last Wednesday, Raut had applied for bail before the Special Court contending that he was arrested and being victimised by the change of power (in Maharashtra) to crush the Opposition.

In his bail plea, he pointed how the ED had shown the Rs 112 crore as proceeds of crime in the Patra Chawl cse and again in the Punjab & Maharashtra Cooperative Bank (PMC) case where Pravin Raut is one of the accused.

According to Raut, the ED has claimed that the Rs 112 crore was tainted money earned from the PMC Bank fraud, and in the Patra Chawl matter it was from the illegal sale of FSI.

He argued that the ED cannot be allowed to show the same amount in two different cases and take action against different persons for it.

Furthermore, the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) had conducted a forensic audit which concluded that Pravin Raut had not received any money from the Patra Chawl project fraud, said Sanjay Raut.

Accordingly, if the amount received by Raut was not tainted money, then no offence can be made out as the ED case was based on the EOW's report, and sought immediate bail.

In its supplementary charge sheet filed in the case last Thursday, the ED has accused Sanjay Raut of playing a 'major role' through Pravin Raut, whose role has been brought in comprehensive details by the investigations.

The ED has also alleged that Sanjay Raut received Rs. 1.06 crore from Pravin Raut.

--IANS
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Bhopal, Sep 19 (IANS) Five people have been arrested on the charge of gang-raping a 17-year-old girl in Madhya Pradesh's Rewa district, police said on Monday.

A search for the sixth accused is underway.

As per police, on Saturday morning, the man went to the girl's house, met the family and took the girl to a temple. After darshan, they were strolling in a jungle just behind the temple when six men accosted them. They overpowered the youth, thrashed him, and dragged the couple two to the bushes where they took turns to rape the girl.

The criminals threatened to kill them if they dared to shout for help or tell anyone about it. After an hour of torture, the rapists left, reminding the couple of their threat.

Subsequent to an FIR, the district police swung into action and claimed to have arrested five suspects, including two minors, within 24 hours of the complaint.

According to SP Rewa, three suspects were arrested from Rewa and two were apprehended from Mumbai, while the search for sixth is underway.

On Monday, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan sought reports from Rewa district police. During a digital meeting with district collector and SP, the chief minister instructed them to take strict action against those involved. "I am directing you not to listen to anyone and destroy all those involved in the gangrape incident. They do not deserve any leniency, even if they are minors," Chouhan said during the meeting.

A senior police officer, who is leading the investigation, told IANS that houses of five suspects have been demolished using bulldozers and the same action awaits the sixth accused.

Notably, the couple was to get married after three months, after the girl (victim) turned 18.

The incident comes a week after a three-year-old girl child was sexually assulted in the state capital Bhopal.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Sep 19 (IANS) Congress leader Deepender Singh Hooda on Monday termed former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh's decision to join the BJP as a wrong decision as after the farmers' protest it will not be appreciated by the people.

Amarinder Singh was asked to step down as the Chief Minister of Punjab in September last year by the Congress following a power tussle within the party, and in subsequent Assembly election the party was wiped out.

Ahead of his joining the BJP, Singh met the party president J.P. Nadda.

Speculation of Amarinder Singh joining the BJP had grown stronger after he met Union Home Minister Amit Shah on September 12.

"Had a very productive meeting with Hon'ble Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Discussed various issues pertaining to national security, the rising cases of narco-terrorism in Punjab and the future roadmap for the overall holistic development of Punjab," Singh had tweeted after meeting Shah.

Singh had floated his own party after quitting the Congress last year citing humiliation by the grand-old party.

The two-time chief minister of Punjab had fought the Assembly elections in the state earlier this year in alliance with the BJP as well as Akali Dal (Sanyukt).

His party -- Punjab Lok Congress -- had failed to get even a single seat during the Assembly elections.

Singh himself lost from his hometurf Patiala urban constituency.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Sep 19 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Monday declined to entertain a plea seeking probe into the murder of advocate and state BJP leader Tikalal Taploo in Kashmir in 1989 by militants.

A bench comprising Justices B.R. Gavai and C.T. Ravikumar declined to entertain the petition saying that another similar matter was not entertained by the apex court. The bench said it cannot discriminate between the petitions and told the petitioner's counsel to avail alternate remedies, as it dismissed the petition as withdrawn. The plea was filed by Ashutosh Taploo, son of the deceased.

The counsel, representing Taploo, attempted to draw the court's attention on the differences in his client's petition and another petition, which the apex court declined to entertain. The counsel submitted that he is on personal liberty and "I am aggrieved, my fundamental right is violated and due to the kind of atmosphere I cannot pursue it there..."

The counsel also cited the direction of constitution of an SIT to investigate the 1984 anti-Sikh riots after nearly three decades. The bench said the relief can be sought before the high court.

On September 2, the Supreme Court declined to entertain a plea seeking an SIT probe into the targeted killings of Kashmiri Pandits in Kashmir, which had led to their exodus from the valley. A bench comprising Justices B.R. Gavai and C.T. Ravikumar told the counsel, representing the NGO We the Citizens, to raise the grievances before the Central government.

Advocate Barun Kumar Sinha, representing the petitioner, urged the bench to hear his submissions highlighting the plight of the Kashmiri Pandits. The bench said he should approach the Central government. After a brief hearing in the matter, petitioner's counsel agreed to withdraw the petition.

The bench allowed the counsel to make representation before the Central government and the concerned authorities. The plea sought a direction for the rehabilitation of those who migrated out of the valley and also sought SIT be formed to identify those who 'aided and abetted the genocide' of the Hindu and Sikh communities between 1989-2003.

--IANS
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Hyderabad, Sep 19 (IANS) Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) working president K.T. Rama Rao has asked IndiGo to respect local languages after a woman was allegedly made to shift from her seat on a flight because she understood only Telugu.

Rama Rao was reacting to an incident which occurred on the Vijayawada-Hyderabad IndiGo flight on September 16.

Devasmita Chakraverty, an assistant professor of education at Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad tweeted that the woman aboard IndiGo 6E 7297 was originally sitting in 2A (XL seat, exit row) was forced to shift to seat 3C because she understood only Telugu, not English/Hindi. The attendant said it was a security issue

Devasmita Chakraverthy, who posted a photograph with her tweet, called the incident a discrimination. Reacting to her tweet, TRS leader and Telangana minister Rama Rao requested IndiGo management to start respecting local languages and passengers who may not be well conversant in English or Hindi in regional routes.

"Dear @IndiGo6E Management, I request you to start respecting local languages & passengers who may not be well conversant in English or Hindi In regional routes, recruit more staff who can speak the local language like Telugu, Tamil, Kannada etc. This will be a win-win solution," wrote KTR, as the minister is popularly known.

KTR received support from Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra. "Short haul European flights ex London all have attendants who are native language speakers," she tweeted.

The minister's tweet sparked a debate. Some Twitter users agreed with him while others found fault for turning it into a language issue.

"This is because the persons in the exit row seats need to be extra vigilant and support in an emergency by opening the door, communicating with others etc. It is unfair to showcase it as a language issue," wrote a Twitter user Subbaraju.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Sep 19 (IANS) A court here on Monday stayed the trial court proceedings and bail hearings of arrested Delhi minister Satyendar Jain and others in a money laundering case being probed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

Hearing the September 15 application moved by the ED for the transfer of the bail plea of Jain from the present court, the District Judge of Rouse Avenue Court also issued notice in the matter.

Earlier, Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju, representing the ED, submitted that he has instructions to move an application for transfer of the bail application (of Jain) and he has requested a short adjournment for the same.

Jain, whose bail has been denied in various hearings since his arrest in the PMLA case on May 30, is presently lodged in Tihar jail.

As per the earlier submissions of the ED, Jain was in de facto control of shell companies used for alleged money laundering, and co-accused Ankush Jain and Vaibhav Jain were just dummies.

On the other hand, Jain's counsel argued that the alleged role attributed to him doesn't fall in the ambit of Section 45 of the PMLA.

Earlier, the CBI had accused Jain, his wife, and others of offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act. On March 31, the ED provisionally attached immovable properties worth Rs 4.81 crore belonging to companies beneficially owned and controlled by the minister.

On June 6, the ED conducted raids at multiple locations belonging to Jain, his wife and his accomplices, who had either directly or indirectly assisted him or participated in the processes of money laundering. A recovery of Rs 2.85 crore in cash and 133 gold coins weighing 1.80 kg was made during the raid.

--IANS
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Rajkot, Sep 19 (IANS) Two 'bahubali netas' (musclemen-turned-politicians) of the BJP from the Rajput community are fighting to get tickets for their sons from Gujarat's Gondal Assembly constituency.

However, this fight has made the politicians in the Rajkot district worry about the political tug of war between the two bahubalis that can disturb the social fabric which was settled after a long struggle.

BJP's former MLA Jayrajsinh Jadeja wishes the party nominates his son Ganeshsinh this time, instead of his wife Gayatriba, who is the sitting MLA from the Gondal seat. Whereas Anirudhsinh Jadeja, another bahubali wants the BJP to nominate either his son Rajdeepsinh or the candidate of his choice from the same seat.

Jayrajsinh Jadeja was convicted in Nilesh Rayani's murder case of 2004 and Anirudhsinh Jadeja was convicted in Congress party's sitting MLA Popatlal Sorathiya's murder case of 1998. Political sources say that both are considered big power brokers, and unofficial arbitrators in land disputes.

The political war between the two Jadeja families broke out after Jayrajsinh defeated Anirudhsinh's father Mahipatsinh Jadeja in the 1998 Assembly elections. Jayrajsinh had contested on a BJP ticket and Mahipatsinh was contesting as an independent candidate. Mahipatsinh was a two-term MLA from the constituency as an independent MLA in 1990 and 1995.

Jayrajsinh represented the seat from 1998, 2002 and 2012, in 2017 his wife Gayatriba got elected to the Assembly seat on the BJP symbol.

The Gondal Assembly constituency has a total 2,35,000 voters, one lakh Patidar voters, 10,000 Kshtriya Rajputs and the rest 1,20,000 of other communities.

"It becomes difficult for the local leaders, when two bahubalis are in race, but as a district BJP Committee, our job is simply to send a panel of aspiring candidates to the parliamentary board to finalise the candidate. But when a sensitive matter comes, then Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi take a call," said Mansukh Khachariya, president of the Rajkot District BJP Committee.

"Both families are trying for the ticket of the BJP, if either fails to get a ticket and if the candidate has a good track record, for such candidates gates of Congress are always open," said Arjun Khatariya, Rajkot District Congress Committee.

--IANS
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Lucknow, Sep 19 (IANS) Samajwadi Party MLAs on Monday held a dummy Vidhan Sabha on Vikramaditya Marg where they were staging a dharna in protest against not being allowed to march to the state Assembly.

The SP MLAs sang "Vande Mataram" and then read out an obituary resolution to condole the demise of BJP MLA Arvind Giri.

They observed a two-minute silence before calling off the dharna.

A similar agenda was followed in the UP Assembly where the proceedings were adjourned for the day after condoling the demise of the BJP MLA.

--IANS
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