JAC-AATB Press Release

PC: JAC Press Release

Lamka, April 14, 2017

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The Joint Action Committee Against Anti-Tribal Bills (JAC) would like to clarify the numerous rumours doing the rounds in various media circles regarding its Charter of Demands and the two rounds of preliminary talks it had with the new BJP-led Manipur Government.

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With an invitation from the new Manipur Government indicating its desire to bring an amicable solution to the current impasse, the JAC held a series of consultations with various sections of the tribal society within a span of one week, including one with the general public on March 28, 2017. Based on the discussions and suggestions, a Charter of Demands was prepared; the same was thoroughly reviewed and approved by the JAC and leaders of the various tribe/community-based organizations who have continued to support the JAC, namely, Mizo People Convention, United Zou Organization, Simte Tribe Council, Tedim Chin Union and Young Paite Association. The same was submitted to the Chief Minister Pu N. Biren Singh on April 2, 2017.

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Based on the Chief Minister’s invitation, a delegation comprising of members of the JAC and the above-mentioned community-based organizations met with the Chief Minister and his cabinet on April 7, 2017 wherein the three-page Charter of Demands comprising of the following main points were deliberated:

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I. Constitutional safeguard for ancestral tribal territories and development of tribal people

1. Send an immediate response to repeated queries raised by the Ministry of Home Affairs regarding the “local adjustments and amendments” rider for extension of Sixth Schedule provisions.

2. A written assurance that no bills affecting the interest as well as the ancestral territories of the indigenous hill tribes shall ever be passed by the Manipur Legislative Assembly unconstitutionally and without prior due consultation of the tribal stakeholders.

3. Creation of Lamka District for administrative convenience.

II. Restoration of the Manipur Land Revenue & Land Reforms (MLR&LR) Act, 1960 to its original principal Act status.

III. Justice for the Tribal Martyrs and the injured including declaration of August 31 as an annual State Holiday on the occasion of Tribal Unity Day.

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At the first round of preliminary discussion, the Chief Minister mentioned that with the tripartite talks involving various groups under Suspension of Operations in progress, the State cannot make any commitment or declaration regarding Sixth Schedule, and pointed out the impracticality of restoring the MLR&LR Act, 1960 to its original status. However, he gave a positive indication regarding the feasibility of the other points in the Charter of Demands and expressed his desire to meet again on April 10, 2017 to finalize on the Memorandum of Understanding, which will then be signed in the presence of a witness from the Ministry of Home Affairs at Lamka on April 12, 2017. 

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However, at the second round of discussion on April 10, 2017, to the utter surprise of the JAC-led delegation, the Manipur Government laid down certain ground rules which negated its earlier positive indications towards the JAC’s demands other than those involving compensation and ex-gratia to the Martyrs’ families and the injured. The Government also mentioned its inability to declare August 31 (Tribal Unity Day) as a general holiday in the State.

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Contrary to various Imphal-based media reports, the demand for a new district was never a priority for the JAC. While the tribal people are still mourning the death of the Tribal Martyrs, and with the JAC continuing to its fight for tribal self-determination, the then Congress Government without consulting any stakeholder created seven new districts within one night which was perceived as a blatant aim to create division among the tribal people. This was done with the sole intention of enticing certain tribes/communities to withdraw their support from the JAC, and resulted in appeasing those tribes/communities at the cost of the ones who continue to be ardent supporters to the Tribal Movement.

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With the new BJP-led Government in Manipur showing no intention of rolling back the seven new districts hastily-created by the previous Congress Government, the JAC is in favour of reviewing the district boundaries, and realigning and creating new ones where needed; however, this was never a priority of the JAC. In fact, the demand for creation of Lamka District became a part of the JAC’s Charter of Demands only after an indication of its possibility by the Manipur Government before the preparation of the draft document itself.

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It is a customary practice among the Christian tribals to give an honourable burial to the dead; however, until and unless the extreme sense of insecurity among the tribal people fuelled by the passing of the three anti-tribal bills can be mitigated through an amicable and sustainable solution, the burial of the remaining eight Tribal Martyrs is not our priority. 

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The three anti-tribal bills are the symptoms while the palpable sense of insecurity among the tribal people is the disease, and the JAC is focusing on finding a cure for the disease while treating the symptoms at the same time.

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The JAC would like to humbly appeal to one and all not to engage in rumour mongering and spreading false propaganda at the interest of peace and communal harmony, and would like to make known to the public that the JAC is still hopeful of arriving at an amicable solution acceptable to the tribal people shortly.

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Information and Publicity Department

Delhi horror: Minor girl kidnapped, confined, sold twice and raped by four men for four months

The girl was allegedly sold twice, gang-raped by three men for about four months during which she was kept captive at various places in Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana. She was rescued on February 2.(Representative image)

New Delhi: A 15-year-old girl, who left her Chhattisgarh home in October 2016 after a fight with her mother, was kidnapped from New Delhi Railway station allegedly by a human trafficker, who confined her in his south Delhi room and raped her for several days with the help of his live-in partner.

The girl was allegedly sold twice, gang-raped by three men for about four months during which she was kept captive at various places in Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana. She was rescued on February 2 by a border security force (BSF) personnel with the help of the Delhi Police.

While the three men, who purchased the girl and subjected her to sexual, mental and physical torture, were arrested from Delhi and Faridabad on February 3 and February 4, the couple fled and remained underground for over two months. They were arrested on April 11 from south Delhi’s Sarai Kale Khan after the police were tipped off about their presence in the locality.

The girl, who was produced before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC), is staying in a children’s home. She refused to go back to her family at Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh and told the CWC that despite being a minor her family will force her into marriage, said police.

The girl’s sufferings, a senior police officer said, started in October 2016 when she fled her home after a fight with her mother, who wanted her to marry a man double her age. She boarded a train and reached New Delhi railway station. She was wandering at the railway station when an alleged human trafficker, Arman, spotted her.

Offering her a job and shelter, Arman allegedly lured her to his room in Sarai Kale Khan village where he stayed with his live-in partner Haseena. The two reportedly confined her in the room and Arman raped her for almost 15 days.

The couple allegedly sold the girl for Rs70,000 to a man named Pappu Yadav, who took her to his native village at Sawai Madhopur in Rajasthan and raped her for several days. Yadav then took her to Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh and forcibly married her.

Yadav finally brought her to his rented room in Haryana’s Faridabad, where he worked as a labourer in a private factory. He allegedly confined her in the room for over a month during which he tortured her sexually, mentally and physically.

On January 30, 2017, the girl managed to escape from Yadav’s confinement but ended up meeting Haseena again at Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station. Haseena apologised for her mistakes and convinced the girl that she will take care of her.

“Haseena then gave the girl a spiked drink and confined her to her room after she fell unconscious. The couple sold her again, this time to Mohammad Afroz for Rs 2,000. Afroz along with his friend Mohammad Zakir gang-raped her for two days near Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station behind platform number 1,” said the officer.

On February 1, the girl escaped again from their captivity but was located the next day by Haseena and Afroz, who allegedly wanted to sell her a third time. While they were dragging her to Haseena’s room, a BSF jawan spotted her and called the women helpline number 181. A police team rescued the girl.

Romil Baaniya, DCP (southeast), said a case was registered and Afroz, Zakir and Yadav were arrested from Delhi and Faridabad. “Arman and Haseena fled but we have caught them as well,” he said.

Source: Hindustan Times

India should aspire to become global power of happiness: Prez

Bengaluru, Apr 14: President Pranab Mukherjee today underscored the need for India to be a global powerhouse not just in terms of economic parameters but also 'Gross National Happiness'.

"If we aspire to be one of the leading economic powers of the world, yes, we can be, but merely in statistical terms, in terms of gross domestic product (GDP), in terms of skill are not adequate," Mukherjee said after laying the foundation stone for the Bengaluru Dr B R Ambedkar School of Economics here.

The President said the concept of development has changed now and international organisations like the World Bank and IMF are talking about development in terms of GDP as well as Gross National Happiness (GNH).

"Along with GDP, GNH is considered as one of the important factors of development," Mukherjee emphasised.

He expressed concern over unemployability of the youth in India, saying "600 million youth are entering the job market, but their employability is not adequate".

"They are educated, but not employable. Their employability is not up to the world standard," he said.

Mukherjee observed that skill development may not appear glamorous but most important in the Indian context.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Union ministers Ananth Kumar and D V Sadananda Gowda, state Governor Vajubhai Vala were present at the event, along with state higher education minister Basavaraj Rayareddi and academicians.

Source: PTI

Student dies while clicking selfie

A college student in Nashik died after drowning in Waldevi dam while trying to take a 'selfie'. What makes the incident even more unfortunate is that his friend who jumped into the dam to save him, also died.

Faridabad (Har), Apr 14: A 20-year-old student died here allegedly after he drowned in a lake while trying to pose for a selfie today, police said.

The incident occurred at Sirohi village when Aayub Khan, a first year BCA student, along with his three friends had gone to a nearby lake, police said.

While Aayub died, his other friends were rescued by other tourists present by the lake, SHO Preetpal Sangwan said.

The body has been sent for postmortem, he said, adding further probe is on.

Source: PTI
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Teenager drowns while clicking selfie in Nashik, friend dies trying to save him

Nashik: A college student in Nashik died after drowning in Waldevi dam while trying to take a 'selfie'. What makes the incident even more unfortunate is that his friend who jumped into the dam to save him, also died.

These students were part of a group of ten college students who went for a picnic to the dam near Ghoti in Nashik district yesterday, according to Manohar Patil, the Wadivhare police station in-charge.

Sourabh Jagannath Chulbhar (18), a resident of CIDCO area, lost his balance while attempting to click a selfie while standing on a rock of the dam.

Manohar Patil added that his friend, Ajinkya Bhausaheb Gaikar (18), also jumped into the water to save him, but unfortunately both drowned.

Later, some villagers rushed to the spot and fished out the bodies with the help of local fishermen last evening.

Both the bodies were sent to Nashik Civil Hospital for postmortem after the 'panchanama', Patil added.

Source: India Today

An Expiry Date For LPG Cylinders?

PC: Khochungte Awgin

14 Apr 2017 | KA 24x7 Online Portal News
Commonly used in our everyday lives, LPG cylinders are something most of us wouldn’t be able to cook without. But these harmless looking cylinders can actually be dangerous.Yes, practically every house in India depends on LPG cylinders for their daily meals and one small slip or oversight is all it takes to cause a massive fire.

Expired Cylinders are not safe for use and can cause lethal accidents.Using LPG cylinder past its expiry date can result in leakage that can also lead to an explosion.

How to check the expiry date of the LPG

On one of three side stems of the cylinder, the expiry date is coded alpha numerically which starts with A, B, C or D followed by a two digit number. e.g. D06.

A year is divided into four quarters –

A – for March (First Qtr) i.e, January to March

B – for June (Second Qtr) i.e, April to June

C – for Sept (Third Qtr) i.e, July to September

D – for December (Fourth Qtr) i.e, October to December

For example, your cylinder has ‘B-13’ painted on the metal strip. The alphabet B represents month June, and 13 indicates the year 2013. So a cylinder having B-13 mentioned on it means it will expire on June 2013.

However, there is a limited grace period of three to four months after the expiry as the cylinder cannot be pulled out immediately out of the circulation.There have been reports that distributors tamper with the expiry date as it is written with paint.

Veterans stage protest over Troubles 'witch-hunt'

Protesters at a military veterans' rally at Horse Guards Parade in London - PA Wire/PA Images

London: The government should pass a statue of limitations preventing British Army veterans from prosecution over killings during the Troubles, the chair of the Commons defence committee has said.

Dr Julian Lewis MP told veterans rallying against a “witch hunt” they say is targeting former soldiers that “common sense and natural justice” demanded an end to the prosecutions.

Dr Lewis said new criminal investigations over killings that had already had military inquiries were “totally unfair”.

The investigation of former soldiers has caused outcry among veterans who contrast their treatment with the Government’s decision to free IRA prisoners and reassure on the run terrorists they will not be pursued.

It emerged late last year that as many as 1,000 soldiers are under investigation over 302 killings that took place over a 35-year period since 1969.

Dr Lewis said his committee was investigating the issue, but his early thoughts were “that a statute of limitations should be possible if it’s coupled with a mechanism for helping uncover the truth”.

He said the statute should apply to all sides in the conflict.

Around 1,000 veterans rallied in London, with more marching in Glasgow and Belfast.

Alan Dalgliesh, 53, who served with 2nd Bn Scots Guards between 1979 and 1994, said: "It's a bit of a witch-hunt for me.

"You join up (to the Army), take your allegiance and you're doing it for the government and now they're backtracking and getting folk for their duty.

"It's just wrong that you're just waiting for that knock on the door about something that happened years ago which you did as your job.

"Every regiment, every veteran is united on this. I've heard of a couple of guys who've had a knock on their door (from police) asking: 'What happened here, what happened there?'"

Source: The Telegraph

Tesco apologises for 'offensive' advert claiming beer makes Good Friday 'better'

Tesco Bank

London: Tesco has apologized for a beer advert that ran with the "offensive" slogan: "Good Friday just got better."

The advert, promoting "great offers" on alcoholic beverages, ran in some newspapers in the run up to Easter.

The supermarket chain said it would not run the promotion again after it attracted criticism from religious figures.

Reverend Richard Coles, former keyboard player for the The Communards, said the advert was "extraordinarily and unnecessarily ignorant" and would likely "cause offence to many of their customers".

"It's not clever. It gets the 'Good 'of Good Friday wrong," he added.

Good Friday sees Christians commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday.

The meaning of "Good" is contested but differs from how the word is used in everyday conversation.

Some claim it is simply another way of saying "holy", while others suggest it is a corruption of "God's Friday".

Michael Wakelin, executive associate in public education for the Faculty of Divinity at Cambridge University, said Tesco had "got it badly wrong" with a "crass" advert.

"This is a sign of desperate religious illiteracy," he told the BBC. "We are illiterate as a nation for lots of reasons ... This is a sign of people who have not taken the trouble to understand the religious mind."

It was also a "decidedly poor way of treating such a holy day", he added.

But others took to social media to defend the advert.

"Like it or not the Easter is also a secular holiday as well as a religious one. Most are travelling to families rather than to church," one user wrote.

A Tesco spokesperson said: "We know that Easter is an important time of the year for our customers.

"It is never our intention to offend and we are sorry if any has been caused by this advert."

Source: International Business Times