The following interactive displays the major militant activities in Bangladesh after the Holey Artisan Bakery attack in July 2016
Republished with permission from Dhaka Tribune
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In Yogi’s footsteps: Crackdown on meat trade goes viral across five other BJP-ruled states
Taking a cue from UP’s BJP chief minister Yogi Adityanath, the Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Haryana, MP and Chhattisgarh too have launched a drive targeting illegal slaughter houses and unlicensed meat shops in their respective states, according to several news reports.
Photo credit: Reuters
Even as the Shiv Sena leadership in Maharashtra insists it is opposed to such action, Shiv Sainiks along with other Hindutva organisations forcibly shutdown 500 meat shops in Gurgaon, Haryana yesterday.
Meanwhile, the protesters in Sambhal town of UP resorted to violence on Wednesday to chase away the police, the Urdu daily, Inquilab, reports.
According to the Inquilab, the civic administration has sealed or shut down three shops in Hardwar (UP), 11 in Raipur (MP), one in Indore and numerous shops across Haryana.
The crackdown has affected the supply of meat across several states and many hotels have either shut down or are now serving only vegetarian food.
The Times of India has reported that over 15,000 students living in hostels in Aligarh Muslim University have had to go without meat as only vegetarian food is being served in the mess for the past few days.
Inquilab reports that several persons were injured in a clash between the police and Muslim protesters yesterday. The protesters resorted to heavy stone pelting forcing the police to flee from the spot.
The Urdu daily reports that on receiving news that two bullocks had been brought to the Deep Sarai locality in Sambhal for illegal slaughter, the police reached the spot and took away the cattle. Later the same afternoon, two policemen returned to the locality, roughed up two Muslim youth and attempted to arrest them.
On this agitated local Muslims chased away the two policemen and then resorted to heavy stone pelting when the latter returned with reinforcement. The policemen were forced to run away from the area. Thereafter, the police returned once again and arrested several people.
According to Inquilab a section of the meat traders are planning to approach the courts with their concern but it is feared that before then the police and the civic administration would have succeeded in forcing closures of slaughter houses and retail shops.
On Wednesday, the local administration called upon the traders and retail shopkeepers to call of their strike but to no avail.
A citizens’ apology to Irshad Ali, who spent 11 years in jail on false terror charges
In the eleven years he spent in jail, he lost his parents and an infant daughter. Despite suffering this mammoth tragedy, all Ali asked for was an apology
Photo credit: Hindustan Times
It was deeply painful to read about Irshad Ali, who was acquitted of terror charges by a trial court on December 22, 2016 but not before spending eleven precious years of his life in prison on false charges. First, he was forced to become a police informer and deployed on life-threatening tasks and after he refused to join a militant group across border on his wife’s advice, his angry handlers in the police implicated him in false terror charges.
In the eleven years he spent in jail, he lost his parents and an infant daughter. Despite suffering this mammoth tragedy, all Ali asked for was an apology in his interview with the Indian Express. Being totally aware of the fact that even your humble request of a mere apology is not going to be fulfilled, here, we say sorry.
We are sorry to the constitution-makers whose ideals of freedom, rights, justice and rule of law, we failed to implement.
We are sorry Ali:
On behalf of our constitution-makers who continued with the repressive colonial police structure which was formed to suppress our own people by our colonial masters.
We are sorry Ali on behalf of successive governments of India who had no political courage to bring much needed police reforms, which would have made our police citizen- friendly and not just an oppressive tool in their hands.
We are sorry on behalf of our brutal police who picked you up at an age of 21, along with your father, and tortured him in front of you. Police forced you to join them as their informer who would risk his life in their assignments. First, they used you as a pawn in their cynical ambition of getting awards and rewards by falsely implicating Muslim youths and after sometimes when you refused to be a part of their sinister plan they implicated you also.
We are sorry on behalf of the entire judicial system which was unable to come to your rescue for 11 long years due to its slow moving pace; for public prosecutors who come on television to do chest-thumping after every terror conviction and invent “chicken biryani” stories to influence public opinion. Our judicial system abandoned you helplessly for 11 years, the same system which can be evaded by the rich, political leaders and businessmen by hiring expensive lawyers.
We are sorry Ali on behalf of the media which amplify every petty issue at their prime time shows but, as you said, in the year 2008 CBI's clean chit in your case fell on deaf ears.
We are sorry on behalf of the youth of India that while you spent your entire youth in prison, we were in the premier universities enjoying every aspect of life. All the learnings, pleasures, joyful moments with friends and meeting with our loved ones whenever we want are all now loaded with a sense of guilt that while we enjoy here many youths like you are thrown into the prison on false charges.
We are sorry to your dead parents, your young wife and your dead infant daughter. Your old mother died after knocking every door for your rescue. Your old father too died after spending life time and savings on attempts to secure your release. Your young wife and your kids were deprived of your love and care and had to face great hardships to make their ends meet. They were ostracised by neighbours, relatives and society.
We are sorry to your religion which might have been a factor in your ordeal. While authorities are asked to go soft on the accused belonging to a particular religion, the prejudices against your religion lead the same authority to be extra tough on the accused of belonging to your religion.
We are sorry to the constitution-makers whose ideals of freedom, rights, justice and rule of law, we failed to implement.
This story was first published on Two Circles.
M’tra Govt Opposes NHRC Order Granting Compensation to Palghar Girls arrested in 2012 for FB Post, NHRC Concedes: Mumbai Mirror
Mumbai Mirror reports that acceding to the Maharashtra police’s claim that Shaheen Dhada and Renu Srinivasan “had to be arrested keeping in view the tense situation“ and claimed that “all the norms and directions of the Supreme Court were observed at the time of arrest“, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has gone back on it’s own order grating Rs 50,000 each as compensation to the young women. In sharp and stark contrast to its scathing orders in the past, the NHRC accepted the state's contention and closed the case. “The Commission has considered the report of the State Government and is of the view that it is not necessary to keep this matter pending on the Board. Therefore, we leave it to both the victims to take such measures which are permissible under the law to implement the recommendations made by this Commission vide its proceedings dated 4.11.2013."
On November 19, 2012, the day after Bal Thackeray's funeral, Shaheen Dhada and Renu Srinivasan from Palghar were arrested for questioning the state-wide bandh in a Facebook post. The arrests sparked nationwide outrage, with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) even ordering the state to pay a compensation of Rs 50,000 each to both girls. After hearing the state's belated response justifying the arrests, the NHRC has now had a change of heart and concluded that the girls need not be compensated. The young women have however stated that they would continue to fight for their rights.
After Thackeray's death on November 17, 2012, the Sena called a state-wide bandh the next day, the day of the funeral. Questioning the bandh, Shaheen had posted on Facebook, “With all respect, everyday, thousands of people die, but still the world moves on. Just due to one politician died a natural death, everyone just goes bonkers… Respect is earned, given, and definitely not forced. Today Mumbai shuts down due to fear, not due to respect (sic).“
In its long-delayed reply to the NHRC, the state said that the two girls “had to be arrested keeping in view the tense situation“ and claimed that “all the norms and directions of the Supreme Court were observed at the time of arrest“.The state also contended that the action of the police was “justifiable for the situation“ and also for “the protection of both the girls“.
While Dhada had written the post, Srinivasan had merely `liked' it. A Sena leader filed a complaint against the two, while party supporters vandalised a clinic run by Dhada's uncle in Palghar. The two were booked under section 66A of the IT Act (sending offensive messages through a computer or a communication device) along with other sections of IPC for `causing communal disharmony'. In 2015, the Supreme Court held Section 66A `unconstitutional'.
Their arrest sparked nationwide protests and drew into focus the misuse of Section 66A of the IT Act. Due to the expression of public outrage, the police were forced to drop charges against the two.
On November 4, 2013, a year after the incident, the NHRC directed the Government of Maharashtra to pay Rs 50,000 each to Dhada and Srinivasan for violation of their human rights. When the state refused to do so, NHRC released a scathing press release on July 15, 2014 titled “Pay Rs 50,000 each to two girls or face coercive process in Facebook comments case.” Maharashtra had a change in government in October 2014.
The state finally responded to the order only last year, where it claimed that an enquiry into the incident was conducted by a police inspector of Palghar police station. Requesting the Commission to drop the proceedings, the state said, “During the enquiry, both the girls along with other witnesses were examined. Keeping in view the tense situation, the girls had to be arrested… The action of police was justifiable for the situation and also for the protection of both the girls. Therefore, the case is not fit for any compensation.”
When the Mumbai Mirror contacted Dhada, she said, “I was not expecting such an order but I intend to fight for my rights.“ She said freedom of speech is the most important thing in a country like ours and needs to be upheld, adding, “What happened with me was a nightmare.“
Bihar BJP Protests Budget Allocations for Minorities
Belying the Slogan ‘Sab Ka Saath, Sab Ka Vikas’, the Bihar unit of the BJP has opposed budgetary allocations for minorities and also announced its intention to invite the newly elected and controversial UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath for a felicitation programme in Bihar. Media reports have suggested that Yogi Adityanath’s Hindu Yuva Vahini has announced launching of its units in the Muslim dominated Seemanchal areas of Bihar.
Image: India Today
The Opposition in Bihar, the BJP, on Wednesday staged protest within the Bihar Legislative Assembly against Nitish Kumar government’s decision to enhance the budgetary allocation for minorities welfare for 2017-18 by a whopping 254 per cent as compared to the last year.
Accusing the Grand Alliance government of indulging in "minority appeasement", BJP and NDA members trooped into the well of the house and raised anti-government slogans. The issue was raised by leader of Opposition Prem Kumar during zero hour.
Later, while talking to sections of the media, Prem Kumar also demanded closure of thousands of illegal abattoirs in Bihar too as done in Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand. The opposition leader said that in the budgetary allocation for the next fiscal, a 254 per cent hike has been given to minority welfare as compared to 2016-17. He claimed that the budgetary allocations for SC/ST welfare has been slashed by 20 per cent and for OBC and Extremely Backward castes by 22 per cent, he said. Echoing the divisive issues raised by the Modi-Shah combine during the run up to the UP polls late last month, Kumar also said that while works related to the fencing of graveyards (kabristan) were completed on time in Bihar during the last year, works related to the smashan (crematorium) dragged on.[The fencing of 5307 of the total 8064 graveyards in the state were completed in 2016-2017, while crematoria were not given any attention, he claimed]. Taking a cue from the arbitrary crackdown on illegal abattoirs in the neighbouring state of Uttar Pradesh, the Bihar BJP also demanded the closure of thousands of unlicensed abattoirs in the state.
Prem Kumar who was accompanied by Lallan Paswan of RLSP (Rashtriya Lok Samata Party), an ally of BJP in NDA, and BJP leader Neeraj Singh Bablu, also demanded the stopping of illegal trade of cattle and buffaloes from Bihar to Bangladesh and other parts of the country.
Affirming India’s Diversity, Mamata Govt rolls out Meat Delivery Vans
The initiative has been started by WBLDCL’s popular brand ‘Haringhata Meat’, which also deals in non-conventional meat such as that of quail, duck, turkey and emu.
Image: Indian Express
While Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state is under the grip of police terror unleashed in the name of ‘curbing illegal slaughterhouses’, and hundreds of thousands of livelihoods have been snatched away, the West Bengal government is set to get non-vegetarian delicacies to Kolkata’s doorsteps through ‘Meat on Wheelz’. UP’s reign of terror has been imitated by BJP-ruled Jharkand that is ironically also an Adivasi state (state of the indigenous peoples).
The initiative has been started by West Bengal Livestock Development Corporation Limited (WBLDCL)’s popular brand ‘Haringhata Meat’, which also deals in non-conventional meat such as that of quail, duck, turkey and emu. Officials said that apart from taking cooked non-veg delicacies to Kolkata and its suburbs, ‘Meat on Wheelz’ would also sell frozen packaged items of Haringhata, reports The Indian Express.
The scheme was launched by Animal Resources Development Department Minister Swapan Debnath on Monday at the department’s headquarters at Salt Lake. There would be three vans initially, spread out across Kolkata. “Depending on the success of the pilot project, a few more vehicles would be added, including in other district headquarters of the state,” an official said.
On Tuesday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee commented about the “recent happenings” in Uttar Pradesh, where meat sellers went on strike in protest against the crackdown on slaughterhouses. “People are afraid & many are scared about differences over caste, creed & religion,” she said in a statement. Among the dishes planned on Meat on Wheelz are quail briyani, ‘gandharaj turkey’ and duck roast.
An official said that Haringhata Meat’s sales had trebled over the past few years, with that of quail, duck and turkey meat doubling in the last one year. “In 2014-15, we had sales of Rs 4.35 lakh in frozen and processed meat. By 2015-16 September, it had jumped to Rs 9.58 lakh. If you take into account sales during the Ahare Bangla food festival, we crossed the Rs 10 lakh mark,” said the official. Ahare Bangla is an annual food festival organised by the West Bengal government, which saw participation from other countries as well last year.
Officials said Haringhata had also tied up with three food courts at shopping malls in Kolkata, one in Siliguri and with different hotel and retail chains.WBLDCL deals primarily with the production, processing and marketing of hygienic meat products of different types, like chicken, pork, chevon (adult goat meat), mutton, duck, quail, emu, vanaraja chicken (chicken breed bred for rural areas) and turkey. The organisation also sells non-meat products like table eggs, duck eggs, quail eggs, pure mustard oil, ghee and honey.
The corporation has two modern hygienic meat processing units in Haringhata of Nadia district — one for pork products and the other for chicken, duck, goat and lamb.
MP: Police Arrest & Jail Muslim Youth who Posted Photo of Sadhu Purchasing Meat
The Kotwali Police in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh booked the private practitioner in his late twenties under Section 505 (2) of the IPC and produced him before a local court that sent him to judicial custody. In a clear attack on freedom of expression, this Muslim youth from Jhabua who shared an image of a Sadhu buying meat was arrested and sent to jail on Tuesday.
Section 502 of the Indian Penal Code(IPC) penalises “ Sale of printed or engraved substance containing defamatory matter.—Whoever sells or offers for sale any printed or engraved substance containing defamatory matter, knowing that it contains such matter, shall be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both.”
The selective use of hate speech, hate writing and ‘defamation’ under the BJP ruled states is evident given the fact that inciteful speeches by elected officials against he minorities have been completely ignored. However, Atik Afzal Khan, a BMHS practitioner, had shared the image on his Facebook page on Monday with the caption: “Rahim Ki dukan se Ram hari sabjiya kharidate hue, ek durlabh tasvir (Ram buys green vegetable from Rahim’s shop, a rare photograph).
The Kotwali Police booked the private practitioner in his late twenties under Section 505 (2) of the IPC and produced him before a local court that sent him to judicial custody. Police constable Ramkumar Yadav said one Anil Hemraj Prajapati, 21, had lodged a complaint against Khan, a resident of Kailash Marg in Jhabua town.
· A Muslim youth from Jhabua who shared an image of a sadhu buying meat was arrested and sent to jail on Tuesday, March 29.
· Atik Afzal Khan, a BMHS practitioner, had shared the image on his Facebook page on Monday with the caption: Rahim Ki dukan se Ram hari sabjiya kharidate hue, ek durlabh tasvir (Ram buys green vegetable from Rahims shop, a rare photograph).
· The Kotwali Police booked the private practitioner in his late twenties under Section 505 (2) of the IPC and produced him before a local court that sent him to judicial custody.
· Police constable Ramkumar Yadav said one Anil Hemraj Prajapati, 21, had lodged a complaint against Khan, a resident of Kailash Marg in Jhabua town.
Taking Law Unto Its Own Hands, Shiv Sena shuts 500 meat shops in old Gurgaon
As many as 500 meat shops, including a KFC outlet, in old Gurgaon were allegedly shut down by over 200 Shiv Sainiks for nine days on account of Navratri. They also threatened the shop owners yesterday to shut their establishments on every Tuesday.
Representation Image
"We have served notices to meat shop owners, including KFC, and other fast food outlets to shut their shops till Navratri ends and on every Tuesday," Gautam Saini, the president of Shiv Sena, Gurgaon, said to PTI.
The Sena workers assembled at Palam Vihar yesterday and forced the closure of meat market and dhabas such as Bismillah Khan eatery in others areas too.
However, ACP-PRO of Gurgaon Police Manish Sehgal said that though some meats shops were shut down but they were later opened. These shops have commercial licence to sell meat. Strict action will be taken against those forcing closure of shops illegally, he said.