1. 5 July Rally Against Mob Lynching: Gujarat High Court Stays Arrest of Two Congress Leaders
The Gujarat High Court has stayed the arrest of two Congress leaders who were charged by Surat police under rioting and attempt to murder, in a peaceful rally in the city that turned violent on 5 July. The court in its order also mentioned that the content of the FIR does not justify invoking Section 307 (attempt to murder) of IPC against the accused.
Two Surat Congress leaders, Former Secretary of Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee Feroz Malek and Surat City Congress Minority Cell President Haji Chandiwala, had been absconding in the the rioting and attempt to murder case lodged by police with regard to the 5 July rally. Both the leaders filed a plea on 16 July in the Gujarat High Court seeking a stay on their arrest. On July 19 the court passed the order staying their arrest.
(Source: The Indian Express)
2. With 263 Lives Lost, 2018 Saw the Highest Labour Deaths in Three Years
The last three years alone saw 687 workers being killed in industrial accidents in the state. Between 2016 and 2018, around 4,450 labourers were injured in industrial accidents. Overall the number of accidents and deaths affected 5,137 labourers.
The highest number of deaths in the last three years were reported in the year 2018 when 263 labourers lost their lives in accidents. The overall number of injuries and deaths during the year was 1,299 which was incidentally the lowest in the last three years.
An analysis by Pathey, an organisation that simplifies Budget said on an average 2018 saw at least 3 accidents every day in the state which was incidentally lower than the 5 accidents that the state saw in the year 2017 and 2016.
(Source: DNA)
3. Gujarat’s Water Woes May Keep Narmada’s Riverbed Power House Shut Long Term
The move by the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Ltd (SSNNL) to seek a nod from the Narmada Control Authority to stop power generation in the Riverbed Powerhouse (RBPH) of the Sardar Sarovar dam in order to fill it to its Full Reservoir Level (FRL) of 138.63 meters — the height after the completion of construction and subsequent inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 17, 2017— has resulted in a war of words between Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat over the sharing of the Narmada river water.
Madhya Pradesh has threatened to restrict the flow of water into the Sardar Sarovar dam located in Narmada district in Gujarat. The matter turned contentious when SSNNL requested the Narmada Control Authority in April this year to stop generation of electricity at the 1,200 MW Riverbed Power house (RBPH) in order to be able to fill the dam to its FRL to test the concrete structure of the dam to the full thrust capacity.
(Source: The Indian Express)
4. Surat: Man Serving Life Term Arrested for Threatening Transwoman
A 32-year-old man serving a life term at Surat’s Lajpore jail was arrested by the Navapura police in Vadodara on Tuesday, 23 July, for threatening a 25-year-old transwoman from the city. Based on allegations by Zoya Khan that the accused, Sakir Sheikh used to threaten to kill her if she did not develop a relationship with him, Sheikh was booked under IPC section 507 (Criminal intimidation by an anonymous communication).
‘Since he was already serving life imprisonment in the Lajpore jail for a murder case, as per procedure we had sought his transfer and arrested him. We can only keep him in custody for 24 hours to interrogate him, produce him before the magistrate and then hand him over to the jail authorities again,” said Investigating Officer, M D Hadia. “He has confessed that he was in touch with Zoya while he was out on parole, but has denied threatening her. We are still investigating the claims,” the police said.
(Source: The Indian Express)
5. Gujarat Congress MLAs Seek End to Atrocities Against Dalits
The Congress on Tuesday, 23 July, said that there has been considerable rise in crimes against Dalits in the state. MLAs from the Opposition pointed out the rising incidents of violence against Dalits. Congress MLA Shailesh Parmar said that the number of such cases rose from 1,046 in 2015 to 1,545 in 2018. Dalit leader and Vadgam MLA Jignesh Mevani also chided BJP MLA Hitu Kanodia for stating that several people played politics over the death of Dalits.
Mevani said that a country that could launch the Chandrayaan 2 is yet to find the technology to ensure that no man is sent down the sewers to clean it. "If you are truly concerned about social justice, then I urge you to introduce the rule of one village one cremation ground. Even today Dalits don't get a space to cremate their dead in villages," said Mevani.
He further said that the Prevention of Atrocities Act was introduced to prevent atrocities, but in Gujarat atrocities against Dalits continue unabated. He suggested that the chief minister should try to rid at least one village in the state of untouchability before this Independence Day.
(Source: DNA)
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