1. Kerala Floods: Military Work on War Footing
As Kerala continues to be battered by devastating floods, the armed forces are carrying out rescue and relief operations on a war footing.
The Indian Air Force has deployed three Boeing C-17s, three IL-76s, six C-130 and nine AN-32 military transport aircraft to ferry National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF), army and naval equipment to provide succour to those affected by the natural calamity, the worst in decades, an IAF spokesperson said on Friday, 17 August.
“Overall, a total of 1,073 disaster relief personnel and 118.2 tonnes of load and equipment have been positioned for support of relief work. Further efforts will continue to ensure timely aid to the civil population of Kerala to overcome the emergency situation,” he said. The IAF has positioned teams in Thrissur, Ernakulam, Pathanamthitta, Alleppey and Malappuram to coordinate the massive relief effort.
“As many as 22 IAF helicopters are operating from Sulur, Kochi and Trivandrum and 14 more choppers are on their way to join the overwhelming rescue and relief effort. “A total of 311 civilians have been rescued by winching and food is being distributed at various critical flood-affected areas,” he said.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
2. Atal Bihari Vajpayee Cremated as Nation Pays Teary-Eyed Tribute
“There is hardly any dry eye here,” the Doordarshan anchor said during the live coverage of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s funeral ceremony at Rashtriya Smriti Sthal in New Delhi on Friday, 17 August.
Thousands mourned over the loss as one of BJP’s tallest leaders was laid to rest with full state honours. The mortal remains of the departed leader were consigned to flames amid bugle sounds and Vedic mantras as Namita Kaul Bhattacharya, Vajpayee’s adopted daughter, lit the funeral pyre. She was accompanied by her granddaughter and other members of the family as cries of “Atal Bihari Amar Rahe” reverberated in the air.
The poet-politician, who breathed his last on Thursday, left his admirers and critics in tears as he had earned respect as a ‘gentle giant’ who was always soft-spoken. Vajpayee’s last journey witnessed a sea of people, including top politicians and common folk who followed the cortege.
(Source: The Indian Express)
3. Swami Agnivesh Attacked on Way to Pay Homage
Social activist Swami Agnivesh was allegedly abused, heckled and assaulted by a group of people, who he said were BJP workers, near the BJP headquarters on Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, when he was on his to pay homage to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Friday, 17 August. A video of the alleged attack was later circulated on social media.
The 79-year-old former Janata Party MP alleged that the attackers called him a “traitor” and his pagdi fell down while they continued pushing and thrashing him for almost one kilometre till he reached close to the BJP headquarters. He also alleged that several BJP leaders and party workers witnessed the assault but no one came to his rescue.
BJP leaders, however, denied the allegations. “Our party workers couldn’t have been involved in this case. Why would they resort to violence on a day like this?” said Ravinder Gupta, general secretary, Delhi BJP.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
4. Men Claiming Responsibility for ‘Attack’ on Umar Khalid Fail to Surrender
The Delhi Police on Friday, 17 August, said they are yet to catch the two men who — in a video being circulated on WhatsApp — claimed responsibility for the alleged attack on Jawaharlal Nehru University PhD scholar Umar Khalid on Monday.
In the video, the two men had said that they would surrender before police in the village of Sikh revolutionary Kartar Singh Sarabha in Punjab on Friday. However, they did not turn up at the village to surrender, police said.
According to police, teams from the Delhi Police’s special cell and their counterparts in Punjab were deployed at Sarabha’s village throughout the day as the two men had, in the video, claimed that they would reach there on 17 August noon and surrender. The two had also cautioned the police not to stop them on their way to the village otherwise they would change their route and go somewhere else.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
5. SC for Lower Storage at Mullaperiyar
The Supreme Court on Friday, 17 August, suggested that the disaster management sub-committee, the National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) and the supervisory panel monitoring the Mullaperiyar dam in flood-hit Kerala hold meetings to explore ways to reduce the water level in the reservoir to 139 feet.
It said every step should be taken to give advance warning to the people in the downstream areas before water is released. The court said Kerala should follow the instructions issued by the NCMC on rescue and rehabilitation, while Tamil Nadu should “scrupulously” comply with any instruction to bring down the level of the dam.
The next hearing is scheduled for 24 August.
(Souce: The Hindu)
6. MANS Members Ask Govt to Clear Its Stand on Sanatan Sanstha
Members of the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmulan Samiti (MANS) have urged the government to clear its stand on the Sanatan Sanstha, a Hindutva outfit whose members are facing charges of orchestrating blasts and carrying out murders.
At a press conference held in Pune on Friday, 17 August, MANS state secretary Milind Deshmukh said, “Those arrested in connection with the murders of Dabholkar, Govind Pansare and Gauri Lankesh, as well as those recently arrested by the state Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) with crude bombs, pistols and weapons, are suspected to have links with the Sanatan Sanstha. This is a serious issue. Police have not been able to arrest (Sarang) Akolkar and (Vinay) Pawar yet, but the recent action of ATS has raised hopes. We have been repeatedly pointing at the role of Sanatan Sanstha. Now, it is time the government clears its stand about the outfit”.
(Source: The Indian Express)
7. Form Panel on Solid Waste Management: SC to Delhi L-G
The Supreme Court asked Delhi’s lieutenant governor Anil Baijal on Friday, 17 August, to consider forming an expert committee to frame a policy on solid waste management in the national capital amid growing concern over garbage being dumped in the city .
A bench led by Justice MB Lokur told additional solicitor general (ASG) Pinky Anand that the committee should consist of officials from various civic bodies and also representatives of civil society and be mandated to recommend measures to deal with the city’s garbage problem.
ASG Anand agreed with the bench’s suggestion and said she would revert to the court on 22 August.
According to justice Lokur, the committee should look into all aspects of solid waste management in Delhi, including cleaning of dumps in the Okhla neighbourhoood.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
8. China Says Will Extend Fresh Invitation to Mamata Banerjee
A senior Chinese official in Kolkata said on Friday, 17 August, that his country will again extend invitation to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to visit China and the dates for the proposed visit were being worked out.
Banerjee was scheduled to visit China in June but she cancelled the trip abruptly hours before starting her trip on 22 June. She attributed the cancellation of the visit to “non-confirmation of political meetings at the appropriate level”. She was to address a meeting of CEOs of Chinese firms in Shanghai in a bid to invite them to invest in West Bengal.
Ma Zhanwu, consulate general of China in Kolkata, said Banerjee’s visit did not take place owing to “some technical reasons”.
(Source: The Indian Express)
9. Shelter Home Case: CBI Raids Bihar Ex-Minister's Residence
A team of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday, 17 August, searched the residence of former Bihar Social Welfare Minister Manju Verma in Patna and other places in connection with the Muzaffarpur shelter home rape case.
As many as 34 minor girls were allegedly sexually abused at the government-funded home, run by main accused Brajesh Thakur’s NGO, Sewa Sankalp Evam Vikas Samiti.
Verma’s husband Chandeshwar Verma has been accused of visiting the Muzaffarpur shelter home for minor girls “frequently.”
The CBI team also searched seven premises of the main accused Brajesh Thakur, his friends and relatives. In a marathon operation, the team searched 16 places in Patna, Begusarai, Muzaffarpur, Motihari, Samastipur, Bhagalpur and other places and seized several documents.
(Source: The Hindu)