1. An Emotional Sonia Gandhi Vows to Teach TRS a ‘Fitting Lesson’
UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, who visited Telanagana for the first time on Friday, 23 November, called upon the people of the county’s newest state to teach a fitting lesson to Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) for completely shattering their hopes and aspirations in the four-and-a- half years of its rule.
Addressing a rally at Medchal on the outskirts of Hyderabad, she said, “It is an emotional moment for me, as I feel like a mother who is meeting her children after several years,” amidst loud cheers from the public.
Gandhi said she had to undergo a lot of difficulties while taking a decision on granting statehood to Telangana.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
2. India Strongly Protests After Diplomats Harassed, Barred from Pakistan Gurdwaras
India on Friday, 23 November, lodged a “strong protest” with Pakistan after two officials of the Indian high commission in Islamabad were reportedly humiliated and barred from entering gurdwaras in the neighbouring country.
“India lodges strong protest with Pakistan government that despite being granted prior travel permission by Pakistan’s MFA (ministry of foreign affairs), high commission of India in Islamabad’s consular officials were harassed and denied access on 21 and 22 November at Gurudwara Nankana Sahib and Gurudwara Sacha Sauda to Indian pilgrims,” the ministry of external affairs said, according to news agency ANI.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
3. Mob Surrounds Houses of 6 Africans over ‘Cannibal’ Rumours, Cops Intervene
Four Tanzanian women and two Nigerian men had to be rescued by the Delhi police after rumours spread in west Delhi’s Dwarka that some “cannibal” Africans had kidnapped a boy, police said.
A probe revealed that the boy believed to have been kidnapped had not even gone missing, said a senior police officer.
The incident happened at 6.30 pm on Thursday, 22 November, when police received five calls from Dwarka neighbourhood about a mob threatening to attack Africans living in the area. The sixth call complained about a 16-year-old local boy having been kidnapped.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
4. After Protests, Sanitary Worker Accused in Harassment Case Arrested
A 28-year-old sanitation worker was Friday, 23 November, was arrested for the alleged sexual harassment of a woman student of SRM University following a complaint by the varsity, the police said. The institute expressed regret over the “unfortunate incident,” and placed a hostel warden under suspension.
A statement from N Sethuraman, Registrar, SRM Institute of Science and Technology (SRMIST) said the accused was arrested following a complaint lodged by it with the police.
(Source: The Indian Express)
5. Babri Masjid Demolished in 17 Mins, How Long for a Law on Ram Temple: Shiv Sena
Mounting pressure on the government to bring an ordinance to build a Ram temple in Ayodhya, BJP’s cantankerous ally Shiv Sena on Friday, 23 November, said while the Babri Masjid was demolished in 17 minutes, the saffron party had failed to construct the shrine despite being in power for the past four years.
“The Babri mosque was demolished in 17 minutes (in 1992)… in about half an hour what needed to be done was done by the Ram bhakts,” PTI quoted Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut as saying. The latest virulent broadside against BJP comes a day ahead of party chief Uddhav Thackeray’s arrival in Ayodhya, which is set to clash with a massive rally being organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the RSS.
(Source: The Indian Express)
6. J&K: Militant Behind Killing of Journalist Shujaat Bukhari Among Six Shot Dead
Azad Ahmed Malik, an accused in the killing of senior journalist Shujaat Bukhari, was among the six militants killed in a pre-dawn operation Friday, 23 November, by a joint team of Army, paramilitary and J&K Police in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district. According to J&K Police, Malik was among three militant commanders in the group that was killed in the operation. Hailing from Arwani Bijbehara, Malik is said to have been the Lashkar-e-Toiba’s (LeT) district commander for Anantnag.
The militants were killed during a gun battle after the joint team cordoned off the Sekipora area in Bijbehara and launched a “cordon and search operation” based on a tip-off, police said.
(Source: The Indian Express)
7. After Rebuke from Rahul Gandhi, CP Joshi Tweets Apology
Following a public rebuke from Congress President Rahul Gandhi, senior Congress leader from Rajasthan CP Joshi apologised for his controversial remarks made at a public meeting at Sema village in Nathdawra.
Video footage of the meeting showed him as saying that “only Brahmins know and can talk about Hinduism”. Gandhi disapproved of the comment in a tweet, saying Joshi’s remarks did not reflect, and were contrary to, the ideals of the Congress.
“CP Joshi’s remark is contrary to the Congress party’s ideals. Party leaders should not give any statement that hurts any segment of society,” he said.
(Source: The Hindu)
8. RTI Request to See RTI Amendment Bill Denied
The Centre has denied a Right to Information Request for a copy of the Right to Information (Amendment) Bill 2018, which had been notified for introduction in the monsoon session of Parliament.
The Bill sought to give the Centre power to set the tenure and salaries of State and Central Information Commissioners. Critics worry this could threaten the independence of Commissioners. An RTI request for details on the applicants and search committee set up to fill the vacancies on the Central Information Commission (CIC) has also been denied.
(Source: The Hindu)
9. She Should Have Played the Match, Says Mithali’s Coach
India’s leading run-getter in women’s cricket, Mithali Raj, is “crestfallen”, her personal coach RSR Murthy (South Central Railway) said.
Mithali was dropped for the ICC Women’s World T20 semifinal against England at Antigua on Friday.
For those who watched the game, the image of Mithali sitting in the dressing room, watching her teammates with a grim face even as India lost the match sent mixed signals.
Initially, it was believed that she was rested because of an injury. But that was not the case.
(Source: The Hindu)
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