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Missing JNU student’s mother dragged away by cops even as court slams CBI for shoddy investigation

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Fatima Ahmed,  mother of missing JNU student Najeeb Ahmed, was dragged away screaming and struggling, from a protest site in Delhi today. Najeeb mysteriously went missing from his hostel room a year ago on Oct 13. His mother and friends had been demanding answers about his whereabouts ever since then. A fresh protest began on the first anniversary of his disappearance and Fatima was seen demanding answers from authorities even as the case was being heard by the Delhi High Court today. “Kahaan hai mera beta? Kaun batayega mujhe,” (Where is my son? Who will tell me?) she was heard asking. Shortly after she started speaking to members of the press, a few police women arrived and dragged her into a police vehicle even as other policemen tried to keep the media and other protesters away from her.
 

Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court slammed the CBI for ‘complete lack of interest’ in tracing Najeeb Ahmed. The court expressed reservations at the CBI for making “ contradictory statements” in front of the court- against what was submitted in the status report of the case in a sealed cover. The High Court has severely reprimanded the CBI lawyer for not filing the details of Najeeb’s disappearance after the assault on him, for changing its lawyer in every hearing instead of ensuring that the DIG himself attends the court proceedings, and for its very shoddy investigation.”If this is the supervision of the DIG, what will happen when there is no supervision…? We direct the concerned DIG to ensure that status report is filed under his signature or at least he should read them,” the court observed. 

The Court has instructed the CBI for looking into the Call data records (CDR) of the ABVP members (including whatsapp and text messages that they sent to each other), and their location on the night of the assault on Najeeb and his disappearance. The Court has also instructed CBI to no longer delay the mode of investigation via polygraph test; the CBI should file for undertaking the test today itself at Patiala House Sessions Court. The next hearing is on Nov 14.

Dalit Rights Activist Detained, Threatened with ‘Encounter’

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Dalit Rights activist Pradeep Narwal has alleged that he was illegally detained by personnel of the UP police on Sunday who also threatened to conduct an ‘encounter’ against him. Narwal who is the convener of the Defense Committee for the Bhim Army says the incident took place near the Faridabad-Delhi border at about 2pm. “We were stopped by UP police personnel, none of whom were wearing name tags. One of them put a gun to my head and threatened to do an encounter,” he recalls. “I was made to sit in a police vehicle, while a policeman got into my vehicle. I was then driven around and taken to Muradnagar, but not into the police station. I was questioned by these policemen about my links with the Bhim Army,” says Narwal. He was allowed to leave after four and a half hours. Narwal who is a student of JNU has now filed a written complaint (DD No. 22B) that was lodged at the Vasant Kunj police station. Vasant Kunj police confirmed that an entry of the complaint had been made.
 

Achche Din? From job-less’ to ‘job-loss’ economy

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The falling work participation rate shows that the economy is in deep crisis. Various other economic indicators show this as well.


Newsclick Image by Nitesh Kumar
 
In a stark and chilling confirmation of what the whole country has known for some time, a govt. report shows that Indian workforce (those actually working) declined from about 54% of the working age population in 2011-12 to 51% in 2015-16. While the working age population increased by 2.9% per year during this period, the number of people with jobs increased at less than half the rate, at just 1.2% per year. These estimates emerge from the Labour Bureau’s Employment-Unemployment Survey reports for these years.

The falling work participation rate shows that the economy is in deep crisis. Various other economic indicators show this as well. Growth of credit flow to industry is at an all-time low, the index of industrial production is dipping, and wages in industry are stagnant. It is a crisis which is engulfing even those who own means of production, barring perhaps the big players.

The Labour Bureau’s data reveals a much bigger problem – the piling backlog of unemployed. Although the working age population increased by 4.66 crore between 2011-12 and 2015-16, those who were working increased by about 1.1 crore only. In other words, about 1.2 crore people become ready to work every year but only 0.2 crore actually get jobs.

The difference of about 3.5 crore comprises some who are not looking for jobs at all, like women or students. But the majority is of those who are unable to find jobs. If this backlog of unemployed keeps accumulating every year, a stupendous task confronts the government in coming years.

Rural areas, home to the country’s biggest workforce in agriculture, showed a small annual increase of only 1% in employment while jobs grew at 1.8% in urban areas. This reflects the over saturation of the agriculture sector with working people and its diminishing capacity to absorb new workers. Since jobs in industries and services do not seem to be opening up at a fast enough rate, the jobless are caught in a vicious cycle.

Another aspect, repeatedly brought out in various reports is the disguised unemployment rampant in India. A very large number of people are working at very low wages, or part time, or for a few months in different jobs interspersed with periods of joblessness. The Labour Bureau report for 2015-16 shows that just 61% of workers actually work for all 12 months of the year. The rest work less than that. In rural areas, this proportion is even lower at 52%.

Falling employment is just the big symptom of the crisis. Workers have been affected also by stagnating or falling wages. Take the growth in salaries and wages paid to workers/employees by the corporate sector. According to analysis of RBI data on corporate finances by CMIE, the average annual growth in real wages during the past three years (2014-15 through 2016-17) works out to 3.9%, far lower than the long term annual average of 6% and a median of 5%. It also compares very poorly with the real GDP growth rate of about 6 per cent during the same period.

The prospects for the future are looking dim because all the underlying factors seem to be in a fatal tailspin. Between July 2016 and July 2017, the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) released by the govt’s. Central Statistical Office (CSO) has increased by just 1.2% indicating almost no improvement. This means that industrial production is hardly growing. In which case, there is very little scope for increasing jobs and with an army of unemployed available, industrialists are likely to push down wages even more.

Similarly, between August 2016 and July 2017, bank credit to industry grew by just 0.4% and for the services sector by 4.6%, according to RBI data. Credit is a measure of how much economic activity is going on. A growth of this kind is negligible and is like no growth. This is likely to cast a long shadow in the coming months because Modi sarkar has no clue about how to revive production and growth. India is facing a dark economic crisis and sadly, the reins of power are held by people who are only interested in helping their cronies.

This article was first published on Newsclick.in.