1. Jammu and Kashmir’s Political Thriller Ends in Anti-Climax, Assembly Dissolved
At the end of a day of dramatic developments, Jammu & Kashmir governor Satya Pal Malik on Wednesday night dissolved the state assembly in a contentious decision that may well be challenged in the courts.
The dissolution, announced in a statement by Raj Bhawan, came after Mehbooba Mufti’s Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its arch-rival National Conference (NC) teamed up with the Congress for a shot at government formation with the support of 56 legislators in the 87-member assembly. The People’s Conference led by Sajjad Lone, later staked a rival claim, saying it had the support of 25 legislators belonging to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and “more than 18” others.
Prior to dissolving the assembly, the governor consulted the Union government, people close to the central leadership said. The action, under Article 53, does not need to be ratified by Parliament under J&K’s Constitution.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
2. After Killing of US National, Spotlight on Reclusive Sentinelese Tribe
American national John Allen Chau’s killing on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands’ North Sentinel Island on 16 November has brought the reclusive Sentinelese tribe into focus. The Sentinelese inhabit the island, which is located 102 km west of the Port Blair, the capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
They are hunters and gatherers, who live on the out of bounds North Sentinel Island isolated from the outside world. The Sentinelese are to believed to be the world’s last pre-Neolithic tribe. Chau, 26, was killed after some fishermen illegally ferried him to the island on 16 November.
The fishermen spotted his body, which is yet to be recovered, a day later. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands director general of police Dipendra Pathak said the Sentinelese are protected by the law and nobody, except tribal welfare officers, are allowed to step onto their island.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
3. Rival Parties Want to Get Me Killed: Kejriwal on Chilli Powder Attack
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday, 21 November, said some political parties want to ‘get him killed’, and that is why he has been attacked four times in the last two years.
Kejriwal had come to Thana Kalan village in Haryana’s Sonepat district to hand over a Rs 1 crore cheque to BSF martyr Narender Singh’s family as he said the compensation given by Haryana government to martyrs (Rs 50 lakhs) was not adequate.
Talking to media, Kejriwal said Tuesday’s chilli powder attack on him inside Delhi secretariat was a result of other political parties’ insecurity.
“This is not a small thing. I don’t think in the history of our country any chief minister has been attacked four times in two years. So it is clear that these attacks are not happening just like that, but someone is behind them,” he said.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
4. Amritsar Grenade Attack: Son of Operation Blue Star Deserter Wanted, His Accomplice Held
Police in Punjab on Wednesday, 21 November, named two persons as the men who carried out a grenade attack on a Nirankari congregation in Amritsar — Bikramjit Singh (26), a farmer who has been arrested, and Avtar Singh (32), whose father Gurdial Singh reportedly deserted the Army after Operation Blue Star in 1984. Avtar, from Chak Mishri Khan village in Ajnala, is on the run.
According to residents of the area, he is a registered medical practitioner. A senior police officer, who did not want to be named, confirmed that Gurdial was an Army deserter.
(Source: The Indian Express)
5. Can’t Stop Pilgrims in Groups Chanting Ayyappa Songs: Kerala High Court
The Kerala High Court on Wednesday ruled that Sabarimala pilgrims should not be prevented from moving in groups and chanting Ayyappa keerthanam (devotional songs) on the pretext of maintaining prohibitory orders at the shrine.
The division bench issued the interim order on a bunch of petitions moved by various organisations, which had challenged imposition of Section 144 of CrPC at Sabarimala.
The prohibitory orders have been in place at Sabarimala and nearby base stations since November 15 to prevent violent protests in a bid to stop women of menstruating age from going to the temple.
(Source: The Indian Express)
6. BJP Lodges Protest with EC over Kamal Nath’s Video on ‘Muslim Votes’
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday shot off a letter to the Election Commission, demanding action against Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Kamal Nath for “seeking to divide the voters along communal lines”. The BJP urged the poll watchdog to take action against Nath and the Congress under the Representation of People Act, which bars seeking votes in the name of religion.
In its complaint to the EC, BJP referred to a purported video in which the state Congress chief, in an address, appealed to Muslim voters to mobilise 90 per cent votes for Congress in ‘Muslim’ booths.
(Source: The Indian Express)
7. Modi Government Trying to Weaken Democracy: Manmohan
The Narendra Modi government is trying to weaken democracy, his predecessor, Manmohan Singh, said in Indore on Wednesday, 21 November.
Ahead of the Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh and other States, the former Prime Minister addressed a press conference, his first.
“The country has witnessed the credibility of institutions like Parliament and CBI being systematically denigrated. There is a careful, well-thought-out and calibrated effort to weaken democracy,” he said, reading out from a written statement. “The rule of law is under attack. History shall never forgive our present generation if the situation is not changed,” Singh said.
(Source: The Hindu)
8. Navy Makes Formal Request for Multi-Role US Copters
India made a formal request to the US for the purchase of 24 MH-60R Multi-Role Helicopters (MRH) for the Navy in a deal estimated at $2bn. This is among a series of defence procurements and inductions from the US and Russia in the last two months.
“The Government issued the Letter of Request (LoR) on November 15 for procurement of 24 MRH from the US government under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) route,” a defence official said.
The Navy is presently facing a critical shortage of helicopters and several frontline warships are plying with empty helicopter decks. These helicopters are being procured as replacement for 15 Sea King ASW helicopters de-inducted from service in 1991 and one Sea King 42B MRH lost in accident.
(Source: The Hindu)
9. Australia Edge India by 4 Runs in Rain-Curtailed Brisbane T20
It went down to the wire in the end and the hosts benefitted from a rain stoppage as India lost the first T20 international against Australia by 4 runs at the Gabba in Brisbane.
Chasing a steep target of 174 runs to win in 17 overs, after Australia’s total of 158/4 (in 17 overs) was revised according to the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern system, India’s response was led by a fighting knock at the top of the order by Shikhar Dhawan.
The southpaw kept hitting boundaries at will even as wickets kept tumbling at the other end. Rohit Sharma (7), KL Rahul (13) and Virat Kohli (4) failed to get going but Dhawan didn’t let the pressure get to him as he launched a massive counter attack. But once Dhawan was dismissed for 76 in the 12th over, Australia were in a commanding position.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
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