TUESDAY 02 JULY 2024 www.thestatesman.com Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR REVANTH MEETS GUV AMIDST BUZZ OVER CABINET EXPANSION ‘BE ALERT & PROACTIVE TO DEAL WITH COMPROMISE ON MORALITY’ P4 P5 SENSEX 79,476.19 NIFTY 24,141.95 WEATHER GENERALLY CLOUDY SKY. MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN/THUNDERSTORM/LIGHTNING ACCOMPANIED WITH GUSTY WINDS(SPEED 3040 KMPH). THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 33 AND 27 DEGREES CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. RAINFALL: Nil RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 82 % TEMPERATURE GOLD 74,560.00 THUMBNAILS Villagers shift their belongings on a boat as they move to a safer place at flood-affected Mayong village in Assam. ANI Commercial LPG cylinder prices slashed by `30 from 1 July: The state-backed oil marketing companies slashed prices of 19 kg commercial LPG cylinders by Rs 30 per cylinder with effect from July 1. After this prie slash, a 19 kg cylinder will now be available for `1,646 in Delhi against ?1,676 earlier. In Mumbai, a 19 kg cylinder costs `1,598 whereas it costs `1,756 in Kolkata. L eader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Monday spoke on President Droupadi Murmu’s address to Parliament and said the BJP-led government in the last 10 years, had committed a systematic attack on the Constitution and the idea of India, creating fear among farmers and the common people. In his first speech as the Leader of the Opposition in the House, Mr Gandhi said the BJP’s government was characterized by concentration of power and whoever resisted BJP’s ideas and the attack on the Constitution, was put in jail. There was aggression on dalits, poor and minorities and he himself had to undergo 55 hours of interrogation by the Enforcement Directorate. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and some other Ministers objected to Mr Gandhi’s observations that the BJP did not represent the true spirit of Hinduism as it “talked” of violence and tried to create fear among people. Mr Modi said this is a serious matter, Mr Gandhi is calling the whole Hindu society violent. Mr Gandhi said “BJP does not repre- STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 1 JULY sent the whole Hindu society; RSS too cannot claim to represent all Hindus.” The Congress leader said his party’s symbol Hand represented the “abhaya mudra” (hand posture dispelling fear) which was also observed in the images of divine figures in all religions. Mr Gandhi said all religions want their followers to be fearless and not spread fear. The Home Minister said crores of people are proud to be Hindus and the Leader of the Opposition calls them violent. It is not fair to link any religion with violence, he said. Mr Shah said how can a Congress leader talk of fear in the country when his party imposed the Emergency and the nation 'Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita' BNSS has taken its place and the Indian Evidence Actwhichwasinplacesince1872, will also be a thing of past, with Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA) taking its place. The HM further said that going in line with the spirit of our Constitution, the priority of the sections and the chapters have been set in the new laws, and top priority has been given to crimes against women and children. He stressed that there is a provision of 20 years imprisonment or life imprisonment in case of gang rape and death penalty in case of gang rape with a minor. A separate crime has been defined for sexual exploitation by hiding one's identity or making false promises, Shah said, adding that a provision has been made to record statements of the victim at her home in the presence of women officers and family members. Besides this, the facility of online FIR has been provided tooasalotofwomencanbesaved from embarrassment this way, he added. As a first, longstanding demand for the provisions against mob lynching is going to be come into effect for the first time with these laws, the HM said. In the new criminal laws, the section related to sedition was removed and replaced with sectionoftreason,thehomeminister said, adding that a new section on organized crime was also addedintheIndianJudicialCode. With more emphasis now on the victim as well as the complainant's rights, they will be betterprotectednow,asearlierfocus was more on safeguarding police's rights. 5 members of family found hanging in MP, stark resemblance to Burari deaths in Delhi STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE The deceased were identified as Rakesh Dodwa (27), his wife Lalita Dodwa (25), and their three minor children, including daughter Laxmi (9) and two sons, Prakash (7) and Akshay (5). BHOPAL, 1 JULY All five members of a family were found dead, hanging inside their house in a village in Alirajpur district of Madhya Pradesh Monday morning. It was not yet certain whether the family members committed mass suicide or one member killed the others and then committed suicide or if they were all murdered, and the police were probing the incident from angles. According to the police, they received information from some relatives of the family, who visited the house and saw the bodies. The incident occurred in village Raudi under the jurisdiction of Sondwa police station. The deceased were identified as Rakesh Dodwa (27), BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 85.55 Oppn protest at Parl against ‘misuse’ of Central agencies PM Modi objected to Rahul's speech twice, says 'calling Hindus violent a serious issue' was in fear, and there were killings of Sikhs during the Congress rule. Shah also demanded an apology from Rahul Gandhi. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh responded to Mr Gandhi’s charge that the Agniveer jawans getting killed in action were not cared for. The Defence Minister said the government gave Rs 1 crore compensation to families of the Agniveers dying in action. As Mr Gandhi continued to attack the government on various issues, Speaker Om Birla had to intervene repeatedly because of frequent interruptions from the Treasury Benches. Mr Birla agreed to the government’s request that Mr Gandhi’s claims be verified. The Leader of the Opposition ‘Justice’ replaces ‘punishment’, ‘Indian soul’ added: Shah on new criminal laws Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the justice system is becoming indigenous almost 77 years after independence with the implementation of the three new criminal laws from Monday. With these coming into effect across all police stations in the country, 'punishment' will be replaced by 'justice' and instead of delay, now there will be a speedy trial and justice delivery, he said while addressing the media. Earlier, the rights of police were safeguarded, but now there will be more emphasis on the rights of the victims and complainants. The new laws have come into effect since midnight with a new vision,andtheIndianPenalCode which existed since 1860, has been replaced by the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita(BNS), Criminal Procedure Code which was known as CrPC and was since 1898 will be no more and P12 SILVER 90,200 'Hindu' remark: PM slams LoP, Shah demands apology NEW DELHI, 1 JULY Min: 28.4 °C (+1) SUN SETS 19:23 hrs MOON SETS 16:05 hrs ‘SENIORS WILL CONTINUE AS INDIA TARGET 2025 CT’ P10 STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Min. 59 % Max: 36.0 °C (-1) SUN RISES 05:28 hrs MOON RISES 02:39 hrs ` vs $ 83.44 ‘PUBLIC SAFETY TOP PRIORITY DURING FLOODS’ his wife Lalita Dodwa (25), and their three minor children, including daughter Laxmi (9) and two sons, Prakash (7) and Akshay (5). Rakesh’s uncle visited the house in the morning and saw the five hanging. He told the villagers and subsequently the police were informed. Villagers told the police that they were not aware of any stress or financial problems being faced by Rakesh. According to Alirajpur SP Rajesh Vyas, the police sent the bodies for postmortem and further investigations were on in the matter. The incident bore stark resemblance to the alleged mass suicide of 10 members of a family and murder of the 11th member of the Chundawat family at Burari in Delhi. That incident had occurred six years ago in 2018 and came to light on 1 July, the same date as Monday’s incident in Madhya Pradesh. More accountability on part of the law enforcement agency willbeensuredwiththenewlaws, he said. Those provisions which wereproblematicforIndiansand existed since the British rule have been reformed. Shah asserted full confidence that with the implementation of the new laws acrossthecountry,theywillprove to be the most advanced laws. Throwing more light, Shah said 99.9 per cent of the police stations have been computerized, the Zero FIRs and E FIR etc will be digital and the victim will be given the case progress within 90 days. He added that 6 lakh police police personnel have been imparted with training regarding the new legislations to ensure a smooth transition. The HM also clarified over the news regarding the first case registered under new laws, stating it has been registered in Gwalior, MP, and the case at Kamla Market PS Delhi was one of the first cases registered in Delhi. said the Hindus do not spread fear while the BJP does so 24 hours and its leaders created fear in the party also. He said Ayodhya, the birth place of Lord Rama, had given the message to the BJP by rejecting its candidate for the Lok Sabha. Mr Gandhi said the Ayodhya’s Samajwadi Party MP Ayodhya Prasad, who sat by him, had told him the people of the constituency rejected the BJP because the party had created fear among people there by acquiring their land, and demolishing shops, without giving any compensation. During his Bharat Jodi Yatra, he said, he had found women were living in fear because of price-rise, and getting beaten up by their husbands because they had no food to serve them because of price-rise. Fear was sought to be created among farmers through three farm laws. Mr Gandhi said they are still agitating for legallyguaranteed MSP for crops. Students are financially and emotionally drained and have lost all hope because the professional exam NEET had been made commercial, enabling only the rich to get medical seats, he said. This has created a fear in the country. Manipur is forgotten. Mr Gandhi said families of Agniveers also lived in fear and if his government came to power, it would end the Agniveer scheme. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 1 JULY Leaders of the INDIA bloc, including Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, staged a protest on the Parliament premises here on Tuesday against alleged misuse of Central investigative agencies. The Opposition leaders held a demonstration in front of the Makar Dwar at the new Parliament building shouting slogans against the Narendra Modi Government and holding aloft placards reading, “End the reign of fear. Stop ED, Income Tax, CBI misuse; respect Opposition, stop intimidation.” The INDIA bloc has been accusing the ruling dispensation of misusing agencies to target prominent leaders of the Opposition alliance. They have become vocal in their criticism of the government on the alleged misuse Kejriwal moves Delhi HC against his arrest by CBI, challenges remand order AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 1 JULY The Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday approached Delhi High Court against his arresting by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in Excise Policy case. He has also challenged the trial Court order of June 26, sending him to three days of Custodial remand to CBI and observing his arrest legal. The Rouse Avenue Court of Delhi on Saturday sent Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to Judicial custody in connection with Excise policy case. The CBI alleged that during the police custody remand, the accused Arvind Kejriwal has been examined/ interrogated. However, he did not co-operate with the investigation and deliberately gave evasive replies contrary to the evidences on record. On being confronted with the evidences, he did not give proper and truthful explanation regarding the enhance- ment of the profit margin for wholesalers from 5 per cent to 12 per cent under new Excise Policy of Delhi 202122, without any study or justification, said CBI. He also could not explain as to why during the peak of 2nd wave of Covid, the Cabinet approval for revised Excise Policy was obtained through circulation in hurried manner within 01 day, when the accused persons of the South Group were camping in Delhi and holding meetings with his close associate Vijay Nair. He evaded the questions regarding the meetings of his associate Vijay Nair with various stake holders of liquor business in Delhi and demanding illegal gratification from them for favourable provisions in the upcoming Excise Policy, the CBI added. He also could not give proper explanation regarding his meeting with Magunta Sreenivasulu Reddy, accused Arjun Pandey and accused Mootha Gautham of India Ahead News. He also evaded the questions regarding the transfer and utilization of illgotten money to the tune of Rs.44.54 crores in Goa Assembly Elections by his party during 2021-22, the CBI said. In the light of aforesaid facts and circumstances, the further custodial interrogation of the accused Arvind Kejriwal is not required at this stage, the CBI said. CBI alleged that he is deliberately and intentionally evading the just and relevant questions related to the case. India, Pakistan exchange lists of civilian prisoners, fishermen STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 1 JULY India and Pakistan on Monday exchanged, through diplomatic channels simultaneously at New Delhi and Islamabad, the lists of civilian prisoners and fishermen in each other’s custody. Under the provisions of the bilateral Agreement on Consular Access 2008, such lists are exchanged every year on 1st January and on 1st July. India has shared names of 366 civilian prisoners and 86 fishermen in its custody, who are Pakistani or are believedto-be-Pakistani. Similarly, Pakistan has shared names of 43 civilian prisoners and 211 fishermen in its custody, who are Indian or are believed-tobe-Indian. India has called for early release and repatriation of civilian prisoners and fishermen along with their boats, and missing Indian defence personnel from Pakistan's custody. Pakistan has been asked to expedite the release and repatriation of 185 Indian fishermen and civilian prisoners, who have completed their sentence. In addition, Pakistan has been asked to provide imme- diate consular access to the 47 civilian prisoners and fishermen in Pakistan's custody, who are believed-to-be-Indian and have not been provided consular access so far. Pakistan has also been requested to ensure the safety, security and welfare of all Indian and believed-to-beIndian civilian prisoners and fishermen, pending their release and repatriation to India. ''India remains committed to addressing, on priority, all humanitarian matters, including those pertaining to prisoners and fishermen in each other's country. In this context, India has urged Pakistan to expedite the nationality verification process of 75 believed-to-be-Pakistani civilian prisoners and fishermen in India’s custody, whose repatriation is pending for want of nationality confirmation from Pakistan,'' the Ministry of External Affairs said. As a result of sustained efforts by the government, 2,639 Indian fishermen and 71 Indian civilian prisoners have been repatriated from Pakistan since 2014. This includes 478 Indian fishermen and 13 Indian civilian prisoners who have been repatriated from Pakistan since 2023 till date. of the Central agencies after the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren by the ED. It may be mentioned here that in March, at the "Save Democracy" mega rally organised by the INDIA bloc at the Ramlila Maidan, Opposition leaders vociferously demanded the release of Kejriwal and Soren. While Soren, who was arrested by the ED in an alleged land scam case, has been released from jail last week after the Jharkhand High Court granted him bail, Kejriwal is still incarcerated with his bail plea pending a hearing in the Supreme Court. Notably, the protest on Monday came close on the heels of a demonstration by the INDIA bloc at Parliament last week alleging an attack on the Constitution under the Narendra Modi-led NDA Government. You bowed to PM Modi: Rahul tells Speaker STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 1 JULY Participating in a discussion on the President’s address in the Lok Sabha, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Monday told Speaker Om Birla that after his election as the Speaker last week, he had bowed down before Prime Minister Narendra Modi while shaking hands with him. On the other hand, Mr Gandhi said, Mr Birla stood straight while shaking hands with him on the same occasion. Home Minister Amit Shah said Mr Gandhi had made a charge against the Speaker. The Speaker said the Prime Minister is the leader of the House and he is elder to him. He said his culture had taught him that one should bow before elders, and this he followed in personal and public life, while conducting himself as an equal with equals. Mr Gandhi said after becoming the Leader of the Opposition, he realized he was now two people. He was leader of his party and held the Constitutional position of the Leader of the Opposition, representing all Opposition parties. “I represent all Opposition parties equally,” he said. When Mr Hemant Soren or Mr Arvind Kejriwal is in jail, it hurts him. He said "There are now two structures; one is he (Rahul Gandhi) as an individual and one is the Leader of the Opposition. As individual, I might have likes and dislikes but I as Leader of Opposition have to suppress them, reduce them and say the voice of opposition. That is the idea of the democratic system. The people have given me responsibility and that responsibility should overcome my personal likes, dislikes and aspirations.” Mr Gandhi said that whatever the Speaker says fundamentally defines Indian Democracy. “You are the final arbiter of the Lok Sabha. You are the final word here. What you say fundamentally defines Indian Democracy," he said.
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