3 killed, 16 injured in Pak firing in J&K

JAMMU, Aug 28: Three persons were killed and 16 others injured in a fresh ceasefire violation by Pakistani troops along the international border in Jammu district, officials said on Friday.

Pakistani troops targeted border posts in RS Pura and Arnia sectors in Jammu with heavy mortar fire since Thursday night, a BSF spokesperson said. The firing continued till Friday morning.

The injured were taken to Government Medical College, police officials said.

On Tuesday, an army personnel was killed in firing by Pakistani forces in Nowgam sector of Jammu and Kashmir. Six people died in Pakistani shelling in Balakote area on August 15.

There have been 51 violations of the 2003 ceasefire agreement by Pakistan in August and more than 245 violations since the beginning of the year.

The fresh ceasefire violations along the Line of Control and international border came days after the dramatic collapse of talks between India and Pakistan and a string of terrorist attacks in Jammu and Kashmir during which two Pakistani militants were captured by Indian security forces.

The two countries could not find common ground on the agenda for a planned meeting of the national security advisers after India insisted that the talks should focus on terrorism-related issues.

On porn ban, John Oliver has some advice for India

LONDON, Aug 11: English comedian John Oliver has joined the long list of people who have criticised the NDA government for its two-day ban on porn sites.

Last week, Internet Service Providers in India had blocked access to 857 websites on receiving government orders. The ban had triggered a debate, with civil society activists saying that such a ban curbs the personal liberty of individuals, and forced the government to revoke the decision.

In the latest episode of Last Week Tonight, Oliver went over the list of banned websites and made fun of their hilarious names.

Oliver advised the Indian government to not ban the listed websites but make watching them mandatory because their jarring nature was more likely to make people never want to have sex again. At least, that is what, he says, happened to him.

He also played a television clip of BJP leader Subramanian Swamy saying that watching porn can "corrupt you and make you a sex maniac"

Mumbai cops round up couples from hotels

MUMBAI, Aug 9: Social media users have strongly reacted to Mumbai Police rounding up around 40 couples from hotel rooms and detaining them on charges of “indecent behaviour in public”, sparking a debate on the right of unmarried couples to stay together in a hotel.

Consenting adults who checked into several hotels in Madh Island and Aksa area were shocked to find policemen knocking on the doors of their rooms on Thursday.

The couples were taken to the nearby police station, where they said they were insulted while some were even made to call their parents, the tabloid Mid-Day reported on Saturday.

The report said although the couples were inside hotel rooms, they were charged with “indecent behaviour in public” and fined Rs 1,200 before being let off nearly five hours later.

Mira Kamdar, a journalist with The New York Times, tweeted: "How can conduct in a private room be a public offense? Morality policing goes off rails in India."

"The BJP version of women's safety and women's rights. No surprises at all," commented Mitali Saran on Twitter.

A 21-year-old woman was quoted by the Mid-Day as saying she was slapped by a female constable when she questioned the harsh action and refused to pay any fine.

Another young man was quoted as saying: “The police first insulted all of us in front of all the officers and the other couples and then forced us to call our parents and insulted and disgraced us in front of them. They also made the parents feel guilty as if their children had committed some heinous crime.”

40 dead in two train derailments in MP

HARDA (Madhya Pradesh), Aug 5: At least 40 people died and many were injured when two trains derailed within minutes of each other while crossing a small bridge in Madhya Pradesh shortly before midnight on Tuesday.

The Kamayani Express, headed for Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh from Mumbai, derailed near Harda town, 160 km south of Madhya Pradesh capital Bhopal, shortly before midnight.

The Janata Express, en route to Mumbai from Patna, too derailed at the same spot minutes later.

Officials engaged in the rescue operations said they feared the death toll could rise. Survivors said some persons could have been washed away by the swollen waters of the Machak river.

The accident occurred at Kudwa, about 18 km from the district headquarters Harda, located between Bhirangi and Khirakia railway stations.

Harda district public relations officer Vitthal Maheshwari said 31 people were killed, including 10 women and five children.

The chairman of the Railway Board, AK Mittal, said on Wednesday that the derailment of the two trains near Harda in Madhya Pradesh may have been caused by a sudden flash flood.

Mittal said that ten minutes before the unfortunate tragedy, spot train movement was absolutely normal, and there was no inkling about the accident taking place.

An inquiry was ordered into the incident and the commissioner of railway safety (central zone) will conduct the probe.

The railways announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh for the next of the kin of the dead and Rs 50,000 to those who sustained serious injuries.

As rescuers initially grappled with darkness and inclement weather, survivors recounted the midnight horror.

Manoj Mongi, a resident of Muzaffarnagar who was on board Kamayani Express, said: "I was sleeping and suddenly I felt a jolt...I came out. I saw three women floating, but could not save them."

Tax consultant Shashi Bhushan Pandit, another passenger, said: "The water level on the track was almost waist-high. The current was swift...I cannot say how many people are trapped."

Though the exact reason for the derailments is not yet known, railway officials said heavy rains in the past few days might have damaged railway tracks.

"There was water on the tracks and the bridge was submerged. So, the last bogies of Kamayani Express got derailed. Simultaneously, on the other track, the engines and coaches of the Janata Express also got derailed," railway spokesperson Anil Saxena said.

TV news channels reported some bogies of Kamayani Express fell into the Kalimachak river but Madhya Pradesh chief secretary Anthony did not confirm these reports.

Congress MPs demonstrate outside Parliament over suspension of 25 MPs

NEW DELHI, Aug 5: Congress lawmakers from both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha staged a demonstration outside Parliament on Wednesday morning, as the Opposition ramped up protests over the suspension of MPs.

Congress MPs, including party leaders Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, sported black armbands as they demonstrated near the Gandhi statue in Parliament premises.

The protests were backed by MPs from other opposition parties with Janata Dal (U) leader KC Tyagi saying they will not let Parliament function till the suspension of 25 MPs was withdrawn.

The demonstration was on till the House resumed business at 11 am.

The Congress' all out offensive comes even as the government is believed to be trying to find an amicable solution to de-escalate tensions and pass the long-pending goods and services tax bill.

On Tuesday, Congress managers privately said they couldn’t guarantee their MPs wouldn’t resort to protests, making things more difficult for the peace-brokers. Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan too, showed no sign of softening, saying, “A mother sometimes has to be strict to control her children.”

Regional parties such as the Samajwadi Party, BJD and Trinamool Congress started back-channel negotiations with senior government managers but the Congress didn’t make any effort to reach out to Mahajan.

Instead, it boycotted a land bill meeting with eight other parties and staged protests outside Parliament, targeting the government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Party members feel the “martyr” status arising out of the suspension suits them well politically but government managers argue the Congress must come forward for any effort of rapprochement to succeed. Any attempt to stabilise the situation without Congress’ support may be counter-productive, they feel.

Parliamentary affairs minister Venkaiah Naidu backed Mahajan’s decision, saying she gave “enough chances” before taking action. But he added, “It is painful to see anyone suspended from the House.”

Although the government formally maintained the decision to revoke the suspension lay entirely with the speaker and it had nothing to do with it, ruling party managers made it clear they were keen to see the current situation improve.

The government is worried rising tensions leave almost no room for introduction of the GST bill in the upper House. Naidu said the government was inclined to bring the reform bill next week in Rajya Sabha. “It is very much on our agenda. We will definitely try to bring it this session.”

It's murder of democracy: Sonia on suspension of 25 MPs

NEW DELHI, Aug 4: Congress MPs led by president Sonia Gandhi, vice president Rahul Gandhi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh demonstrated against the suspension of 25 party MPs outside Parliament on Tuesday, vowing to keep up pressure on the government and expand their protest across the country.

The lawmakers, wearing black arm bands, gathered near the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in the Parliament complex and criticised Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan’s decision to suspend the MPs for five days for their unruly behaviour within the House on Monday.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Supriya Sule and some members of the RJD and SP joined the protest.

Referring to the suspension of the Congress MPs, Sonia Gandhi told the media that “democracy is being murdered”. Former Prime Minister Singh said the suspension of lawmakers is “no way of resolving issues”.

Rahul Gandhi was more scathing in his remarks, saying: “What is being done to the 25 MPs is being done to the whole of India...We will not end the pressure on (foreign minister) Sushma Swaraj, (Rajasthan chief minister) Vasundhara Raje and (Madhya Pradesh chief minister) Shivraj Singh Chouhan.”

The Congress has stalled proceedings in Parliament over its demand for the resignation of Swaraj and Raje, who have been accused of aiding tainted former IPL chief Lalit Modi, and Chouhan, who has been linked to the Vyapam recruitment and admission scam.

“The Vyapam scam has destroyed the future of thousands in Madhya Pradesh. There is clear evidence that Sushma Swaraj-ji has broken the law. The Rajasthan chief minister is directly involved financially with Lalit Modi,” Rahul Gandhi alleged.

“I and the Congress are not asking for their resignations, the people are asking for their resignations. The Prime Minister is fond of ‘mann ki baat’ (speaking his mind), I would ask him to listen to the mann ki baat of the people of India,” he added.

Congress leader Kamal Nath told reporters that the suspension of MPs was unprecedented. “It’s a breakdown of parliamentary dialogue,” he said.

Senior party leader Mani Shankar Aiyar said Parliament could resume functioning if Swaraj put in her papers.

The Speaker’s decision to suspend the Congress MPs worsened a bitter stand-off between the government and the main opposition party and dimmed chances of key bills being passed during the monsoon session.

But BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, the minister of state for parliamentary affairs, said the resolution to suspend the MPs because of their “obstructionism and negativity” was unanimously passed.