1. Tensions Grip Bhopal After Stone-Pelting Over Prayers Inside Hamidia Hospital
Tension gripped Bhopal’s Old City on Tuesday night after arson and stone-pelting following differences between Muslims and Hindus over the right to pray inside Hamidia Hospital complex.
There were two rounds of stone-pelting in the area and at least four vehicles were set on fire near Peer Gate.
The first was reported around 8:30pm when a large number of Muslims had gathered on the road for Iftar and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) members started heading towards a temple inside the hospital complex to offer prayers, said a police officer who did not want to be named.
Police cane-charged the mobs and also used teargas shells to disperse them. There were reports of injuries to some people, but they could not be immediately confirmed. Arson was also reported from the area.
The stone-pelting spread panic and shops closed. A second round of stone-pelting started around 10:30 pm when Muslims came out on the road after namaz in a nearby masjid. Police repeatedly cane-charged the mobs, but they kept coming back.
Source: Hindustan Times
2. Babri Masjid Demolition Case: BJP Veterans Charged With Criminal Conspiracy; Congress Asks Uma Bharti to Go
Senior BJP leaders LK Advani, Uma Bharti and Murli Manohar Joshi along with nine others were on Tuesday charged with criminal conspiracy in the 1992 Babri mosque demolition case by a special CBI court.
The court later granted them bail on a personal bond of Rs 50,000 each.
The charge of conspiracy is in addition to the existing charges against them for promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion. The serious charge of criminal conspiracy was restored against them by the Supreme Court which on 19 April had directed clubbing two cases relating to the demolition.
The other charges against them include indulging in deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings, uttering statements leading to public mischief, rioting and unlawful assembly.
Source: Indian Express
3. India and Germany Are Made for Each Other, Says PM Narendra Modi
India and Germany are "made for each other", PM Narendra Modi said as the two countries signed a slew of agreements covering cyber security, urban development, vocational education, digitisation and infrastructure during the bilateral inter-governmental consultations here on Tuesday.
Calling India a "reliable partner", German Chancellor Angela Merkel said, "We've intensified our bilateral relationships in a variety of areas". She said that she spoke to Modi about shaping the global order. In his comments, Modi said he appreciated Merkel's vision for Europe.
On the Paris climate accord, which is in danger of crumbling under potential US rejection, Modi said India would be committed to a cleaner future even if there hadn’t been a Paris agreement.
Source: The Times of India
4. Eight Days on, Not One Delhi University Form Filled Online
It's been eight days since the start of the online registration for DU colleges, but not a single form has been completed.
This is despite the results of all major board exams, including CBSE, being declared. Of the nine tabs on the online portal, three are still not functional, including the crucial ‘academic details’ tab.
The centralised registration portal went online on 22 May, at which time several complaints were received of the tabs not functioning properly.
DU officials had then said that some tabs, like those requiring academic details, had been disabled deliberately as a decision on moderation was awaited.
On Tuesday, applicants complained that they were still not able to fill in their Class XII results.
Source: The Times of India
5. IIT Madras ‘Beef Fest’ Organiser Thrashed by Alleged Right-Wingers
A day after IIT Madras students organised a “Beef Fest”, one of the organisers, Suraj R, was allegedly attacked by right-wing students.
A PhD scholar in Aerospace Engineering department is seriously injured in the right eye and is currently on the way to a multi-specialty hospital in Chennai.
A friend of the scholar said, “It is being reported as a beef party. It was not a celebration of the right for us to consume beef.”
He said that the main point of the event was to have discussion within the institute and to raise awareness.
Students said the government’s move could interfere with one’s dietary freedom. Another added that governments in different states haven’t been able to function, owing to the Modi government's attitude.
Read the full story on The Quint.
6. Vibrant Gujarat Summit Forced Silence on Zika?
For a week, the Union Health Ministry has maintained that the decision to not make cases of Zika public was to avoid panic. However, an investigation by The Hindu reveals that the Vibrant Gujarat Summit “was a factor” in the decision to keep the Zika incidence under wraps.
The cases in Ahmedabad district were confirmed by 4 January 2017. In just about a week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s flagship project to attract foreign investors, Vibrant Gujarat, was scheduled to take place.
A travel advisory at this time could have ruined the summit. Two independent sources, one of whom is highly placed in the Health Ministry, confirmed that the investment summit was the reason for covering up the Zika cases.
The health officials were not the only people in the dark. The entire district, with population of close to six lakh people, was told that the screenings were for malaria.
Source: The Hindu
7. BSF Jawan Posted in West Bengal Brought Home With '8 Bullet Wounds', Kin Seek Probe
The family of a Border Security Force (BSF) subedar posted in West Bengal has demanded a probe into his death, alleging that the body, when they received it, had eight bullet holes. While the paramilitary force's officials have stated that it was a suicide, an internal investigation has been ordered.
Subedar Bijendra Singh (52), posted at the 98 Battalion camp Toofanganj, Cooch Behar, died on 28 May. His unit officers called his family and informed them that he had shot himself, and that the post mortem confirmed this.
The body was then sent home to Tundla in Firozabad on Tuesday, where Singh’s family lives. Singh’s colleagues from 25 Battalion in Delhi, who brought the body, gave it a guard of honour.
Singh's family, including his wife and three sons, claimed that the body bore eight bullet holes, and demanded an investigation into the death. They also refused to conduct his last rites, seeking a second post mortem.
Source: The Times of India
8. Ramdev's Patanjali Products Fail Quality Test, RTI Inquiry Finds
Nearly 40 percent of Ayurveda products, including items from Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali, were found to be of substandard quality by Haridwar’s Ayurveda and Unani Office, a Right to Information (RTI) reply revealed.
Out of the 82 samples collected between 2013 and 2016, 32 failed the quality test. Patanjali’s Divya Amla Juice and Shivlingi Beej were among the products that failed to meet the quality standards.
Last month, the armed forces’ Canteen Stores Department (CSD) had suspended the sale of a batch of Patanjali’s amla juice after it ‘failed’ a quality test carried out at West Bengal Public Health Laboratory.
According to Uttarakhand state government lab report, the pH value – which measures the alkalinity of water soluble substances – was found to be less than the prescribed limit in the amla juice. Products with pH value less than seven could lead to acidity and other medical complications.
Source: Hindustan Times
9. IAS Officer Drowns Trying to Save Woman, Family Suspects Foul Play
A 30-year-old rookie IAS officer drowned allegedly while rescuing a woman colleague who had accidentally fallen into a swimming pool at the Foreign Service Institute in Ber Sarai in Delhi on Tuesday.
The deceased, Ashish Dahiya, was a Jammu and Kashmir cadre officer and had won the Director's Gold Medal during his IAS training around a fortnight back.
Ashish’s family, however, said that he was a good swimmer and raised doubts over the claim that he had died due to drowning.
According to police, Ashish was attending a pool side party with friends from the Indian foreign and revenue services. During the party, they decided to go for a swim in the pool located at the club. Police suspect they had consumed alcohol.
Read the full story on The Quint.
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