Regional

Chennai, Sep 22 (IANS) Shocked by early morning raids across the country, the Popular Front of India (PFI) is planning protest marches across Tamil Nadu on Thursday.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids in many places across Tamil Nadu. The raids are part of a nationwide search and raid operation against the PFI in various parts of the country.

NIA sources told IANS that 106 Popular Front leaders were taken into custody since the early morning raids across the country. The National President of the organisation, O.M.A. Salam and its General secretary, Naseerudin Elamaram were among those who have been taken into custody.

The raids, according to the NIA, is due to certain incriminating documents the agency has received while probing terror funding and the murders the organisation in Kerala and Karnataka is accused of.

Three RSS leaders, Sanjith, Adv Ranjith, and Sreenivasan were killed by the Popular Front activists in Palakkad and Kollam districts of the state. A Hindu Munnani and Bajrang Dal activist Harsha was killed by alleged PFI activists in Shivamoga in Karnataka state. Several documents were seized during the raids conducted after the murders of these people and it was, according to certain sleuths of NIA, found that the Popular Front had prepared a list of RSS and other Hindu activists who were to be killed.

The NIA and ED raids are due to these killings as also documents indicating funding. A Popular Front activist, Nasser was earlier taken into custody from Ernakulam in Kerala and he had, according to sleuths, revealed about the funding modus operandi of the Popular Front of India.

The NIA and ED on Thursday morning conducted raids at Chennai, Coimbatore, Tirunelveli, Kanniyakumari, Dindigul, Salem, Ramanathapuram, and Erode areas of Tamil Nadu. The raids at the PFI state committee office in Chennai were conducted at 3.30 a.m. and it lasted till 8 a.m. Sources in the NIA told IANS that some documents were seized from the office.

The PFI, according to its leaders, will be conducting a protest march to the NIA Tamil Nadu head office in Chennai later in the day. Roads have been blocked in many parts of the state by the PFI and SDPI activists.

A heavy contingent of CRPF and other central police agencies were providing security to the NIA and ED teams who conducted the raids at the PFI offices.

--IANS
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Chandigarh, Sep 22 (IANS) In an embarrassment for Punjab's ruling AAP government, Governor Banwarilal Purohit withdrew his decision to summon a special day-long Assembly session to bring a confidence motion on Thursday to "seek confidence of the people of state".

The Governor withdrew the decision just a few hours before the session on the plea to seek legal opinion after the Congress and BJP approached him arguing that the House rules did not allow it.

Meanwhile, to recall the session most probably by next week, the Cabinet called a hurried meeting here on Thursday.

It is also learnt that all the 92 legislators will hold a protest march in Chandigarh from the Vidhan Sabha to the residence of the Punjab Governor.

On September 19, the AAP government had decided to convene the special session.

"The people of the state had given thumping majority to our government but some forces inimical to democratic values are trying to lure our MLAs with money. So we have decided to seek confidence from people of state in this special session," Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had said.

He had unequivocally said that AAP MLAs were non-purchasable as they are committed to the ideology of the party, and "nefarious attempts to destabilise the government had failed in Punjab too as the party MLAs are loyal to the people of the state".

Mann had said this special session will clear the mystery regarding conspiracy to topple the democratically-elected government in Punjab.

Meanwhile, Shiromani Akali Dal President Sukhbir Singh Badal had asked Mann not to enact the drama of a confidence vote, saying bribery allegations could only be verified by an independent inquiry by the CBI or the high court and that no purpose could be achieved by calling a special session of the Vidhan Sabha.

--IANS
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Chennai, Sep 22 (IANS) The Popular Front of India (PFI) and its political arm Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) cadres were protesting in Chennai, Dindigul, Salem, and other places of Tamil Nadu against the early morning raids by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) at the offices of the PFI on Thursday.

The raids were part of nationwide raids that the central agencies were conducting at the premises of the PFI, including New Delhi, Karnataka, Kerala and eight other states.

More than 100 cadres of PFI and SDPI were present in front of the party offices in Chennai after the commencement of the raids. The central agencies are accompanied by the Central police forces and have avoided the state police.

R. Nasser, a functionary of PFI at Mylapore, Chennai while speaking to IANS said, "This is the attack by the fascist forces against a social organisation. We strongly protest against the anti-democratic raids being carried out by the central agencies with the blessings of the fascist regime. We will not be cowed down by such cowardly acts and we don't have anything to hide from the agencies."

The Popular Front of India (PFI) is an Islamist organisation and has been in the news for some financial transactions in its various accounts in New Delhi and Kerala. Some of the PFI office-bearers were earlier questioned by the central agencies.

At Dindigul also the NIA and ED were conducting joint raids at the offices of the PFI as also the residences of some senior office-bearers of the organisation. PFI cadres in large numbers were present in front of the office of the organisation and were protesting against the raids.

Suhail Khan, an office-bearer of the PFI at Dindigul while speaking to IANS said, "The early morning raids of the NIA is an indication of the fascist nature of the powers at the centre. They are trying to intimidate PFI, which is functioning for the welfare of the downtrodden in the society, including the Dalits and Muslims. These raids are being carried out to crush our morale but they are mistaken. We have the resilience as we are an organisation that is functioning under the pure ethos of democracy."

--IANS
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Puducherry, Sep 22 (IANS) Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting and Fisheries L. Murugan is slated to meet Puducherry Chief Minister N. Rangasamy on Friday to solve the vexed issue between the saffron party and All India NR Congress(AINRC).

While BJP is an alliance partner of AINRC in Puducherry, ever since Rangasamy became Chief Minister of the territorial government, there have been differences between the two coalition partners. BJP Puducherry unit president Saminathan told IANS that they are expecting a good meeting between the two leaders.

Sources in the BJP told IANS that if the meeting fails to give a positive result, then the BJP unit is planning to complain to the national leadership.

The Puducherry Unit of the BJP is sore that Rangasamy has not been considering them for any new postings and that the Chief Minister was deliberately not filling the posts of Chairman in Public Sector Undertakings, including corporations. The BJP is of the opinion that the Chief Minister was deliberately not filling the posts to avoid the claims of the BJP leadership.

It is to be noted that the Puducherry unit president of the BJP, Saminathan, and Home Minister and senior BJP leader A. Namassivayam had recently met the Chief Minister and urged him to fill the vacant posts of Chairmen and other allied posts. However, the Chief Minister did not agree to their demands and said that the corporations and mills were bleeding and that it was not viable to open it for the sake of opening. The Chief Minister, it is learned, has told the leaders that it was not possible to appoint new chairman in PSUs that were loss-making entities.

Rangasamy, according to BJP sources, has informed the leaders that he won't have any problem in appointing new chairman for the PSU given the possibility that the central government is providing extra funds to these corporations.

During the last Assembly session, BJP MLA Kalyanasundaram had lashed out at the state government and especially Chief Minister and pointed out that there were irregularities in sanctioning new distilleries. This was seen as a direct fight the BJP had taken to the doorsteps of the Chief Minister.

However, sources in the party told IANS that the ice may break with the arrival of Murugan, who was the state president of the BJP in neighbouring Tamil Nadu and has an excellent personal rapport with Chief Minister Rangasamy.

--IANS
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Bengaluru, Sep 22 (IANS) Karnataka Police have arrested a man and three others in connection with giving 'supari' or contract to a gang to kill his wife, who had lodged a dowry case against him, police said on Thursday.

The City Central Branch (CCB) police arrested Siddharth Hosamani, an insurance agent and Ambulance helper Yogesh, driver Ranjith. The police have also booked rowdy-sheeter Bettappa, who is presently lodged in the jail.

According to police, accused Hosamani had married a widow 10 years ago. He had got insurance done for their family, when her husband passed away he had helped to get the claims realised. The widow developed a special bond with Hosamani and later they married and had a son from this marriage.

However, Hosamani was already married with two children. He had given away a son born to second wife to his first wife's sister who didn't have children. The second wife had been demanding that her son should be given back to her.

She also lodged a complaint of dowry and child kidnapping against her husband in the Malleshwaram police station. Hosamani was sent to jail in this case and later obtained bail. Enraged by this, he decided to finish off his second wife. He sought the help of accused Ranjith and Yogesh to kidnap and gave 'supari' to another gang to kill her.

He had told them that his second wife was a drug addict and she could be kidnapped from a club in the pretext of bringing her to a rehabilitation center. From there, another gang would take her away and kill her.

Accused Siddharth made contacts in prison and used them now. However, the police got to know about the suspicious movements of the ambulance and arrested the accused before they could kidnap.

The investigations have shown that rowdy-sheeter Bettappa, who always stayed in prison, used to take 'suparis' and get them executed. The police are probing further into the case.

--IANS
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Lucknow, Sep 22 (IANS) The Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS) in Lucknow is opening new faculties that will initiate head and neck surgery, paediatric endocrinology and infectious disease & vaccine research departments.

The governing body of the institute has approved the creation of new departments.

The department of head & neck surgery at SGPGIMS would cater to patients of head and neck cancer which constitute 21 per cent of the overall cancer cases detected in the state.

Director SGPGIMS Professor Radha Krishna Dhiman said that after creation of this department, head and neck cancers would be treated in a better and organised way.

These new departments are very significant considering the occurrence of throat cancer, paediatric complications, and the recent Covid Pandemic.

Uttar Pradesh will have long term benefits with availability of specialised treatment in these new departments.

Prof Dhiman said, "The department of paediatric endocrinology will cater to the areas of growth and puberty in children. SGPGIMS had started the first formal training programme in paediatric endocrinology in 2001. Now after creation of the department, cases of diabetes, obesity, thyroid and other disorders prevalent in children can be treated with complete focus and dedication."

He said the department of infectious diseases and vaccine development was much needed after the recent Covid pandemic. This new department at SGPGIMS would exclusively handle infectious diseases like Swine Flu, Japanese Encephalitis, viral hepatitis and Corona.

The SGPGIMS has also increased the B.Sc and M.Sc seats in the College of Nursing and also approved new courses in various departments.

The director said that SGPGIMS was striving for excellence and all resources and facilities would be optimally utilised and enhanced in future in order to provide best possible medical care.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Sep 21 (OANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) said on Wednesday that it carried out two search operations under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in Arunachal Pradesh in connection with its probe relating to the Trans-Arunachal Highway (TAH) project and freezed bank accounts and FDs having a balance of Rs 3.95 crore.

The ED initiated the money laundering investigation on the basis of an FIR registered by the Special Investigation Cell (Vigilance), Itanagar, under the various sections of Indian Penal Code and Prevention of Corruption. Act.

The FIR revealed that some government officials in connivance with some private individuals misappropriated compensation funds meant for persons affected by the Trans-Arunachal Highway project.

Investigation by the ED revealed that multiple fake beneficiaries were created by some government officials in connivance with private individuals to cause wrongful gain to themselves and wrongful loss to the government exchequer.

The investigation also established that part of the proceeds of crime were routed through several bank accounts and FDs.

--IANS
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Bengaluru, Sep 21 (IANS) The Karnataka government is all set to implement the controversial Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Bill, 2021 popularly known as the anti-conversion bill in the state.

The bill, which has been effective in the state through promulgation, has been passed in the Legislative Council during the ongoing Monsoon session. It was passed in the Legislative Assembly on December 21, 2021.

Home Minister Araga Jnanendra on Wednesday tabled the Act in the assembly to be sent for the Governor's consent. Once the consent is given, which is just a formality now, it will be implemented across the state.

According to the new law, any converted person, his parents, brother, sister or any other person who is related to him by blood, marriage or adoption or in any form associated may lodge a complaint of such conversion which contravenes the provisions. The offence is non-bailable and cognizable.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Sep 21 (IANS) The Karnataka government on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that there is no restriction on wearing hijab on the school campus, and it is only restricted in the classroom while defending its decision to disallow hijab in classrooms of pre-university colleges.

It also emphasized that it has not touched any "religious aspect" in the hijab ban row.

Advocate General Prabhuling K. Navadgi, representing the Karnataka government, contended before a bench of Justices Hemant Gupta and Sudhanshu Dhulia that it has never happened in Karnataka that a group of students came to school in hijab and began banging the gates.

As the bench queried if it started in one school and then spread, Navadagi said yes.

"There was a possibility of a public order issue," he said, and emphasised that restriction on hijab was only in the classroom and when it was asserted militantly that they want to wear hijab and retaliated by others, it became a concern.

He said that it has to be demonstrated that wearing of hijab is a right to expression and right to privacy is still evolving jurisprudence and can't be exercised in all zones.

The AG said France has prohibited hijab and the women there have not become any less Islamic. He added that the state has not touched any religious aspect or religious issue. "Much hue and cry is made by saying that hijab is banned. Let me clarify, hijab is not banned and the state never intended," he said.

Navadgi submitted assuming wearing of hijab is a religious practice ordained in Quran and every mundane activity connected with the religion can't be an essential religious practice. He added that if it were to be accepted that whatever is said in the Quran to be essential, it will defeat the tests of essentiality.

Citing Article 51A(j) of the Constitution, the AG contended that one should rise above religious identity to become part of one group, and the right to wear a dress cannot be absolute.

He said the right to wear dress as part of expression can't be readily given at the mere asking and it has to be established what is the expression they want to convey and to whom they want to convey. He said that "they say they wear hijab as Islam mandates. That is no expression."

Navadagi said the state only wants to inculcate discipline in students by regulating uniforms and any restrictive effect on rights under Article 19 of the Constitution is "incidental" and it cannot be a ground to invalidate the law. He added that there is no restriction on wearing hijab either on school campus or school transport. "It is only in classroom," he said.

The bench quizzed Navadagi, citing the government circular, whether wearing a headscarf goes against unity and equality, and cited one of the contentions of the petitioners that there should be no uniform - since it is pre-university and some do not have uniform.

The AG contended that the words used in circular were if there is no uniform prescribed, wear something which goes along with unity and equality and also has no impact on law and order.

He said the state has only said educational institutions can prescribe uniforms for students, something which is "religion neutral".

The top court will continue to hear arguments on Thursday on petitions challenging the Karnataka High Court verdict refusing to lift the ban on hijab in educational institutions of the state.

--IANS
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Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 21 (IANS) In a point to point rejoinder to Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday night slammed him for turning the Raj Bhavan into a hub of political activism and for glorifying the RSS.

"Unprecedented things are happening in Kerala as we all saw a press meeting in Raj Bhavan... such a thing is happening in Kerala for the first time and perhaps in the country also. There are times when differences of opinion between the state government and Governor arise and when it happens, then are accepted ways to address such.

"Constitution is the backbone in a democracy and the Governor is the Constitutional head, while the executive is the elected government. The Constitution is very clear on the powers of the Governor and the Sarkaria Commission also states very clearly what the powers of the Governor is," said Vijayan.

It was on Monday that Khan went hammer and tongs against Vijayan, alleging that the latter even went to the extent of requesting him to appoint a Vice Chancellor of his choice at his home town in Kannur.

Rebutting each and every aspect which Khan had raised, Vijayan praised renowned historian Irfan Habib, and also Kannur Vice Chancellor Gopinath Ravindran.

"Of, late Khan has time and again been referring to the incident that occurred at the Indian History Congress (held in Kannur three years back). 92-year-old hugely popular historian Irfan Habib took part and Khan calls him a 'goonda'. All know how Habib has been hunted and haunted by the Sangh Parivar forces for long as he has all along staunchly opposed their way of tinkering with the educational system including the curriculum. Likewise, Ravindran also has been strongly opposing saffronisation of Universities and quit as Member-Secretary of the Indian Council of Historical Research," he said.

Vijayan claimed that the game plan of the RSS is to make universities into a political laboratory and the role of the Governor is to appoint Vice Chancellors first and then bring in the Sangh Parivar activists into the Universities.

"In some states the respective Governors have not signed laws appointing Chief Ministers as the Chancellor of Universities and this is done to ensure that the Hindutva agenda can be implemented, if the Governor retains it (the power)," he said.

When it was pointed out that Khan told the media that he will soon reach out to the people, Vijayan replied: " You never know, he (Khan) might be fielded by the BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls in Kerala and if that's the case, then it's fine."

Asked what favours he sought from Khan as claimed by him, Vijayan said: "I have not taken favours from anyone and it's not proper on my part to say what all things were discussed between us when we met."

Vijayan also categorically said that the CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) will not be implemented in Kerala and said the first signs of the Centre taking it up again was reported when Union Home Minister Amit Shah told the West Bengal BJP leaders that after the Covid booster does is given to all, the CAA issue will be taken up again.

"Perhaps it's that what Khan is now often raking the Indian History Congress incident, because the protest that took place at the venue was when the anti-CAA protests was at its peak," he added.

--IANS
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