1. Showing Affection to My 11-Yr-Old Mentee Is Not Alien to Me: Papon
Supreme Court advocate Runa Bhuyan on Friday filed a complaint against popular singer Papon for allegedly "inappropriately kissing a minor girl" who is a contestant on reality TV show, Voice of India Kids 2018. The incident, according to &TV, which airs the show, happened on 20 February in Mumbai.
The complainant – in a letter addressed to the chairperson of the National Commission For Protection of Child Rights – alleged that a viral video featuring Papon “has objectionable contents violating bodily integrity amounting into sexual assault on a minor girl”.
The video has been shot on a van. Participants of the reality show – of which Papon is a jury member – are seen playing Holi. He is captured on the video applying colours on a minor girl, and then kissing her. The girl is from Udmari village, near Kalaigaon in Assam.
The singer was booked under the POCSO Act.
Read more here.
2. Trudeau India Visit: India, Canada Sign Multiple Agreements
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau began the last leg of his week-long India visit on a controversial note after reports surfaced about convicted Khalistani separatist Jaspal Atwal being invited by the Canadian government to dine with the PM.
Trudeau met PM Modi on Friday, 23 February, following days of speculation that the former was being snubbed by the Centre.
India and Canada signed multiple agreements in the areas of energy, education, ICT, sports and others.
After the controversy over Jaspal Atwal being invited to dinner with Trudeau, the Canadian High Commission said it had rescinded the invitation of the Khalistani separatist. Responding to the Jaspal Atwal controversy, Trudeau asserted on 22 February, “He should never have received an invitation”.
Read more here.
3. AAP-CS Row: Delhi Police Seizes CCTV Recordings From Kejriwal’s Residence; Bail Plea of MLAs Rejected
Delhi Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash alleged that Aam Aadmi Party MLAs attacked him inside Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence on 19 February, leading to a full-blown political battle. Delhi Police arrived at Kejriwal’s residence on Friday, 23 February, to review CCTV visuals that has reportedly recorded events of 19 February.
Two AAP MLAs Amanatullah Khan and Prakash Jarwal were arrested and sent to a 14-day judicial custody. A Delhi court on Friday rejected the bail plea of the two AAP MLAs accused of assault.
Reacting to the raids on Friday, Kejriwal asked if the police would “question” Amit Shah in the Judge Loya case.
Read more here.
4. Review: ‘Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety’ Is Predictable, but Harmless Fun
The universe is a familiar one! There are Kartik Aaryan, Sunny Singh, and Nushrat Bharucha we recognise from the last Pyaar ka Punchnama installment. Luv Ranjan and his vehemently held view about toxic love is all too visible.
And the equation is one we have dealt with before – the girls are irresistibly beautiful and manipulative creatures who are a threat to dosti and bromance.
Read the full review here.
5. 1996 vs 2019: Lessons for Rahul’s vs Sitaram Kesri’s Congress
Even Congress critics concede that Rahul Gandhi seems to have not put a step wrong since he became the undisputed Congress chief two months back. From the astute campaign in Gujarat to the stunning electoral triumph in Rajasthan to the unquestioning support to regional satraps like Siddaramaiah and Amarinder Singh, to the healing touch in Delhi politics, to respecting the old guard, he seems to have begun well.
But as we come closer to 2019, Rahul Gandhi has to learn a lesson from his predecessor, Sitaram Kesri’s blunders in 1996. The last years of Narasimha Rao’s Congress government had almost sounded the death knell of the party. Scams, resignations of seven ministers, a split with the “loyalist” faction, Jain Hawala Diaries – small wonder that the Congress got wiped out in UP and Bihar, winning a paltry 140 seats in the 11th Lok Sabha Polls of 1996, its lowest tally ever.
Read the full story here.
(The Quint, in association with BitGiving, has launched a crowdfunding campaign for an 8-month-old who was raped in Delhi on 28 January 2018. The baby girl, who we will refer to as 'Chhutki', was allegedly raped by her 28-year-old cousin when her parents were away. She has been discharged from AIIMS hospital after undergoing three surgeries, but needs more medical treatment in order to heal completely. Her parents hail from a low-income group and have stopped going to work so that they can take care of the baby. You can help cover Chhutki's medical expenses and secure her future. Every little bit counts. Click here to donate.)
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