Avideo clip of two women being paraded naked by a mob in trouble-torn Manipur has shocked the nation. The incident elicited a prompt response from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who said the horror inflicted on the two women had shamed 140 crore Indians. Taking cognisance of the revolting footage, the Supreme Court told the Centre and the Manipur government to take immediate action, even as it said that ‘using women as instruments of perpetrating violence’ was ‘deeply disturbing’ and ‘simply unacceptable’.
The northeastern state has been on the boil for the past two-and-a-half months, ever since clashes broke out during a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ taken out in protest following a High Court order relating to the Scheduled Tribe status to the Meitei community. The BJP, which is the ruling party both at the Centre and in the state, has been accused by the Opposition of mishandling the situation and failing to resolve the ethnic dispute. Now, with the Manipur turmoil taking centre stage amid the nationwide outrage over the incident in Senapati district, the BJP finds itself under greater pressure to restore peace and normalcy in the state.
Bringing to justice all perpetrators of the dastardly crime is the least that the state government can do. It is imperative for both the treasury and Opposition benches to ensure that a constructive debate on Manipur is held during the ongoing parliamentary session. An endless blame game will not help the cause of the strife-hit state. Rising above party affiliations, the stakeholders must expedite relief and rehabilitation measures for the displaced people. The horrifying humiliation of the two women must rouse the powers that be to prioritise the safety and welfare of hapless Manipuris.
The NIA today carried out searches at five locations in J&K in a case pertaining to the criminal conspiracy for carrying out terrorist and subversive activities hatched by the cadres and overground workers of various banned outfits and their affiliates operating under pseudo names at the behest of their Pakistani handlers, officials said.
The raids were conducted in Baramulla, Pulwama and Shopian. NIA’s sleuths were accompanied by personnel of the police and the CRPF. The searched premises also included those of hybrid terrorists. Besides, sympathisers’ premises were also being covered, officials said.
In Srinagar, a self-styled journalist was arrested for allegedly receiving funds for terror activities, the police said. Identified as Muzamil Zahoor Malik, he is a resident of Indergam, Pattan. The police said a case under the UAPA and the IPC had been registered. Five accused have already been arrested in connection with the case.
Army seizes weapons in Kupwara
Army personnel have seized a huge cache of arms and ammunition during a search operation along the LoC in Kupwara.
Two AK rifles, six pistols, four hand grenades and other war-like stores were found, stated Army’s Srinagar-based Chinar Corps.
A man who was part of the mob that paraded two naked tribal women in Kangpokpi district of Manipur and was seen dragging one of them was among four persons arrested on Thursday.
In the evening, Chief Minister N Biren Singh said two persons, including the mastermind, had been arrested. Hours later, official sources said two more arrests had been made. The police said the first arrested person — Huirem Herodas Meitei — was seen directing the mob at B Phainom village in the 26-second video that surfaced on Wednesday.
The identity of the other three arrested persons was not known. Taking suo motu cognisance of the video, the police last night said a case of abduction, gangrape and murder had been registered against unknown men and that all-out efforts were on to arrest the culprits at the earliest.
The CM termed the incident as “inhuman” and said the culprits deserved “capital punishment”. & PTI
Manipur incident grossest of rights violation: Supreme Court says if govt won’t act, it will
Taking suo motu cognisance of a video of two women allegedly being paraded naked in Manipur, the Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Centre and the state government to inform it about the action taken against the perpetrators.
“The court is deeply disturbed by the visuals which have appeared in the media since yesterday depicting the perpetration of sexual assault and violence on women in Manipur. It is grossest of Constitutional and human rights violation…. Using women as instruments for perpetrating violence is simply unacceptable in a constitutional democracy,” a three-judge Bench led by CJI DY Chandrachud said.
Simply unacceptable
The court is deeply disturbed by the visuals…. Using women as instruments for perpetrating violence is simply unacceptable. —CJI-led Bench
“The video may be from the month of May, but that does not make any difference… We will give a little time to the government…If the government does not act, we will,” said the Bench which also included Justice PS Narasimha and Justice Manoj Misra.
The top court directed the Centre and the state government to take immediate remedial, rehabilitative and preventive steps and inform it of the action taken before the next date of hearing on July 28. It directed the Union Home Secretary and the Manipur Chief Secretary to file affidavits in this regard.
“This court must be apprised of the steps which have been by the government to hold the perpetrators accountable and ensure that such incidents are not repeated,” the Bench said. At the request of the Bench, Attorney General R Venkataramani and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta were present during the brief proceedings.
HISTORY CAN BE SUPPRESSED, THOUGH CAN’T be OBLITERATED
Ashok Leyland has secured ₹ 800 crore worth of orders from the Indian Army, which include the procurement of specialist vehicles FAT 4×4 and GTV 6×6 for towing light and medium guns. The vehicles are scheduled to be delivered over the next 12 months. According to Amandeep Singh, President for Defence Business at Ashok Leyland, the mobility platforms, ranging from 4×4, 6×6, 8×8, 10×10 & 12×12 are indigenously developed and manufactured by Ashok Leyland and that contributed significantly towards import substitution. Mumbai, Commercial vehicle maker Ashok Leyland on Monday said it has bagged orders worth ₹800 crore from the Indian Army. The contracts awarded also include the procurement of the Field Artillery Tractor (FAT 4×4) and the Gun Towing Vehicle (GTV 6×6), Ashok Leyland said in a statement. “We have secured these orders from the Indian Army. The Defence business has been a strong pillar of growth for us, and this win further establishes our leadership in Defence mobility vehicles business,” said Shenu Agarwal, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer at Ashok Leyland. The vehicles will be delivered over the next 12 months to meet the requirements of the Indian Army, the company said. The FAT 4×4 and GTV 6×6 are specialised vehicles employed by the artillery for towing light and medium guns, respectively, according to the company. “Ashok Leyland’s dependable mobility solutions have consistently remained a formidable asset within the defense sector, catering to the diverse needs of personnel and logistics across the armed forces,” said Amandeep Singh, President for Defence Business at Ashok Leyland. Ashok Leyland has invested in development of mobility platforms ranging from 4×4, 6×6, 8×8, 10×10 & 12×12 for various applications and operational requirements of the Indian Armed Forces, he stated. These platforms are indigenously designed, developed and manufactured by Ashok Leyland and contribute significantly towards import substitution, according to the company.
‘STEALTHY AND FAST’: ALL ABOUT THE SCORPENE SUBMARINES THAT INDIA IS SET TO ACQUIRE MORE OF FROM FRANCE
The 3 new submarines are being built by the Mazagon Dock Ltd Shipyard in Mumbai, in partnership with France’s Naval Group. They are designed for hunting down enemy submarines & surface ships. The sixth Scorpene-class submarine procured under P-75, INS Vagsheer, began its trial in May New Delhi: India is set to expand its naval power in the Indian Ocean with the purchase of three additional Scorpene-class submarines from France. The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) approved the deal Friday during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day visit to France. India already has six of these submarines in service, which are designed for hunting down enemy submarines and surface ships. The three new Scorpene-class diesel-electric submarines, also known as Kalvari-class, are being built by Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) Shipyard in Mumbai in collaboration with the Naval Group of France — a leading defence company. With India’s P75(I) program — under which six conventional submarines are to be built with air-independent propulsion (AIP) systems that will allow them to stay underwater for longer — still under works, the three submarines will help the Indian Navy boost its underwater capabilities. The Naval Group has a dedicated team at the MDL Shipyard and has even established a subsidiary by the name Naval Group India. The Scorpene— ‘Stealthy And Fast’ The Scorpene is a new-generation, conventional-propulsion submarine with an intermediate size and is capable in terms of “mobility and discretion”. It can carry out operations in both open ocean and coastal waters. The submarine, which is 67.56m long, has a high level of operating automation that allows the crew to be limited to 25 — lowering operational costs. While its surface displacement is 1,615 tons, the submerged displacement is 1,775 tons. It can carry 18 weapons, including torpedoes, missiles, and mines, and has six weapon-launching tubes. It can travel at more than 20 knots underwater and can stay submerged for 50 days. The Scorpene is a 2,000-tons conventional-propulsion submarine that was developed by the Naval Group, France, for various missions, including surface vessel warfare, anti-submarine warfare, long-range strikes, special operations or intelligence gathering. The Naval Group calls these submarines “extremely stealthy and fast”. Interestingly, all the six Scorpene submarines built for India do not have the main weapon— heavy-weight torpedoes. They are currently using a Russian-made torpedo that has been given a life extension. According to the original plan, the Indian Navy was to procure ‘Black Shark’ torpedoes from Italian firm WASS, owned by the AgustaWestland chopper scam-tainted Italian firm Finmeccanica, which had rebranded itself as “Leonardo” a few years ago. A decision is yet to be taken on whether to buy the heavyweight torpedo from the Italian firm or the one proposed by Naval Group, called the F 21. AIP System: A Unique Addition The three new Scorpene submarines will have indigenous AIP fitted on board. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Naval Group France signed an agreement in January to install an indigenous AIP system on Kalvari-class submarines. All six previous submarines will undergo a refit to install AIP in due course of time. The project is already delayed because, according to the original plan, the fifth and sixth Scorpene were to have indigenous AIP on board. The Navy currently operates 16 conventional submarines, including seven Russian Sindhughosh-class submarines, four German Shishumar-class submarines and five Scorpene-class submarines. The sixth and the final Scorpene-class submarine procured under P75 — INS Vagsheer — began its sea trials in May. In addition, India also has two nuclear-powered ballistic missile-carrying submarines of the Arihant-class.
Security forces bust terrorist hideout in J-K’s Poonch, one detained
Security forces have busted a terrorist hideout and nabbed a person during their search operation in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district, official sources said on Tuesday.
Three grenades and other materials have been seized from the hideout, they said.
The search operation was being conducted by the Army and the special operations group in the Kala Jhula forest area.
Security was beefed up in Poonch town and vehicles plying on the roads were being examined as part of the search operation. On Monday, two terrorists were killed as troops foiled an infiltration bid along the Line of Control in Poonch.
ARMY NOT SOLUTION FOR POLITICAL ISSUES: BRIG KULDEEP SINGH KAHLON
