8,000 bags from Bihar brought to Bathinda

Wheat procurement is to start in Punjab from Saturday, smuggling of grain from states where no MSP is paid has already begun

Sukhmeet Bhasin

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, April 9

Even as wheat procurement is to start in Punjab from Saturday, smuggling of grain from states where no MSP is paid has already begun. At least 24 wheat trucks from other states reportedly arrived here last night.

Traders make Rs 2L per truck

• Traders buy wheat at Rs1,100 per quintal from states which don’t pay MSP to farmers and sell it in Punjab at MSP (Rs1,925 per quintal)
• They earn over Rs2 lakh per consignment of 400 quintals in one truck after paying Rs225 per quintal for transportation

Sources say traders buy wheat at Rs 1,100 per quintal from other states and sell it in Punjab at the MSP of Rs 1,925 per quintal. Even after paying Rs 225 per quintal transportation and other costs, the traders make over Rs 2 lakh per truck carrying 400 quintals of wheat.

The matter came to light after acting on a tip-off, local BJP leader Sukhpal Sra and his supporters reached the grain market late last night and found wheat-laden trucks parked there. They called the police. Sra alleged many drivers fled with their trucks, but three of them were nabbed.

Inderjit Singh, a truck driver, said: “I had brought 380 quintal of wheat from Darbhanga (Bihar). I was told to unload it at a chemical factory here.” Following the incident, farmers under the banner of BKU Sidhupur started a protest at the grain market, demanding a probe into the illegal practice. Kuldeep Singh Brar, DGM (Ferozepur Division), Punjab Mandi Board, said: “Around 20 trucks laden with wheat were brought here from Bihar and Rajasthan. Unscrupulous traders were trying to sell the low-priced grain at MSP here.” Daljit Brar, SHO, Kotwali police station, said three trucks were seized and an FIR was registered against two firms.

Farmers block the Ropar-Kharar highway on Friday. Tribune photo

Ropar, April 9

Protesting import of wheat from Uttar Pradesh by local flour mill owner, farmers blocked the Ropar-Kharar national highway here today.

They said the move would hurt those whose crop was yet to be procured by the government. The mill owner, however, avoiding confrontation, agreed to return the imported wheat and announced Rs 2.5 lakh contribution to the farmer agitation. Last night, 40 truckloads of wheat from UP arrived at a mill near Solakhian. On getting the information, farmers reached the spot and protested.

Officials from the police and district marketing office arrived at the scene and promised to look into the matter. Around 11.30 am today, farmers assembled on the Ropar-Kharar highway demanding action against the mill owner.

Farmer leader Gurmail Singh Barra said it was a conspiracy to weaken the farmers of Punjab financially. Two hours later, the police and marketing board officials effected a compromise between farmers and the mill owner, following which it was decided that the imported wheat would be returned and the mill owner would contribute towards the farmer agitation. — TNS

Disengagement process in remaining friction points Hot Springs, Gogra and Depsang

ndia and China held another round of military talks on Friday to take forward the disengagement process

India and China held another round of military talks on Friday to take forward the disengagement process in the remaining friction points such as Hot Springs, Gogra and Depsang in eastern Ladakh, people familiar with the development said.

The 11th round of the Corps Commander-level talks began at around 10:30 am at the Chushul border point on the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, they said.

The 10th round of the military dialogue took place on February 20, two days after both militaries concluded the withdrawal of troops and weapons from the North and South banks of the Pangong lake. The talks lasted for around 16 hours.

The Indian delegation at Friday’s talks is led by Lieutenant General PGK Menon, the Commander of the Leh-based 14 Corps.

One of the people cited above said India will insist on completing the disengagement process at the remaining friction points at the earliest.

Late last month, Army chief General MM Naravane said the threat to India has only “abated” following the disengagement in the Pangong lake areas, but it has not gone away altogether.

The border standoff between the Indian and Chinese militaries erupted on May 5 last following a violent clash in the Pangong lake areas and both sides gradually enhanced their deployment by rushing in tens of thousands of soldiers as well as heavy weaponry.

As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two sides completed the withdrawal of troops and weapons from the North and South banks of the Pangong lake in February, in line with a disengagement agreement.

India has been insisting that the resolution of the outstanding issues, including at Depsang, Hot Springs and Gogra, is essential for the overall ties between the two countries. PTI 

India on Friday registered a record single-day spike of 1,31,968 new COVID-19 cases

Farmers protest at the Singhu border in Delhi. — PTI

New Delhi, April 9

The alarming rise in the number of COVID-19 cases in Delhi notwithstanding, farmer leaders on Thursday said that nothing, not even the fear of coronavirus, can disrupt their protest against the agri laws.

Over the past four months, the farmers have managed to keep their agitation going, withstanding extreme cold, rains, and heat. 

They devised many ways to deal with these issues – for cold there was ample supply of winter wear, for rain they elevated their beds, and to prepare for the heat, they have started building houses, and arranging for ACs, coolers and fans. 

Tackling the second wave of COVID-19 won’t be very different for them, they said, adding they are prepared with certain basic precautions in place.

“We have been making announcements from the stage at the Singhu border about the necessity of wearing masks, and washing hands frequently. We are also encouraging the protestors to get vaccinated,” said Lakhbir Singh, vice president (Punjab) of All India Kisan Sabha.

With multiple health camps at these protest sites, immediate medical assistance is always at the farmers’ disposal in case a protestor develops symptoms like fever or breathlessness.

“If somebody has fever or cold, or any other COVID-like symptoms, then the doctors here take a call. The patient is either admitted to a hospital, or sent back to their village for 8-10 days,” said Jagmohan Singh, general secretary of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Dakaunda).

On Friday, India registered a record single-day spike of 1,31,968 new COVID-19 cases. Delhi too, recorded 7,437 fresh cases in its highest single-day spike this year, with the capital’s death roll reaching 11,157 on Thursday.

According to Swaraj India president Yogendra Yadav, farmers do treat the pandemic with a “certain indifference”, but also pointed out that none of the protest sites were COVID-19 hotspots either, making it difficult to challenge the farmers’ attitude.

“If you would notice, each of these places has doctors, clinics. They are not doing COVID testing, but if many people are reporting fever and so on, they would get to know because qualified doctors are there in every single morcha. 

“Some of them have proper hospitals. If there was a surge in fever and breathlessness that would have been noticed immediately,” he said.

He added that while the habit of wearing masks and washing hands was being cultivated among the farmers, “distancing has not worked”, which, he added, was true for most places in the country.

“Farmers are just like any ordinary Indian citizen… they are just about as careful as other citizens are, or about as careless, as most Indian citizens are,” Yadav said.

One of the major threats that seems to loom over the farmers’ movement with the rising number of COVID-19 cases, is the repeat of what happened to the Shaheen Bagh protest last year – they were forced to end the agitation fearing the spread of the disease.

This year, Yadav said, however, the situation was different.

“That time, there was a sense of doom, a sense of ‘you don’t know what would happen’ with corona. It was just the beginning… we didn’t know anything at that point. 

“Now, that unspecified sense of doom is not there, and therefore, while at that time the government could use that as a pretext to get the protestors to move away, using that now would be utterly cynical,” he said. 

He added that if the government uses the coronavirus as an excuse to remove the protesting farmers, it would only expose their “hypocrisy” with the election campaigning underway in West Bengal.

“In that case they should ban election campaigning in Bengal. The first thing they should do is to ban BJP’s own rallies, where the home minister is addressing the crowds. The hypocrisy of that would obviously be seen,” Yadav said.

Thousands of farmers from different parts of the country have been protesting against the three farm laws since the last week of November, 2020. 

While the government has been projecting these laws as major agricultural reforms, farmers have expressed apprehension that the move would lead to the elimination of the Minimum Support Price system, and leave them at the mercy of big corporates.

Ask Paramjit Singh if the farmers are afraid of contracting the disease that has already claimed over 1.6 lakh lives in the country, and he said, “what choice do we have?” “Our lives are already on the line. We were afraid of the biting cold, and are afraid of the heat that awaits us, so yes we are afraid of the disease but there is no other option. 

“We are taking precautions at individual levels by wearing masks and avoiding shaking hands with people, but the movement has to and will continue,” the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Lakhowal) Punjab general secretary said. —PTI

These seismic activities manifest large-scale subsurface deformation and weak zones, underlining the need for deeper insights into the ongoing deformation beneath these tectonically unstable zones. — File Photo

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, April 9

Scientists have found that the Himalayas are not uniform, and have assumed different physical and mechanical properties in different directions. 

The property present in crystals is called ‘anisotropy’—which could result in significantly large earthquake events in the Himalayas. 

Researchers, including Dr Sushil Kumar, Shubhasmita Biswal, Professor William Mohanty, and Mahesh Prasad Parija from Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG), Dehradun, and Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IIT KGP), used data from WIHG to show that the North-West Himalayan region exhibits a peculiar characteristic present in crystals, according to an official statement.

The NW region of India—an area covering Garhwal and Himachal Pradesh—has been hit by four destructive moderates to great earthquakes since the beginning of the 20th century-the Kangra earthquake of 1905, the Kinnaur earthquake of 1975, the Uttarkashi earthquake of 1991, and the Chamoli earthquake of 1999.

These seismic activities manifest large-scale subsurface deformation and weak zones, underlining the need for deeper insights into the ongoing deformation beneath these tectonically unstable zones, it said.

The joint study, using seismic waves from 167 earthquakes recorded by 20 broadband seismic stations deployed in the Western Himalaya, suggested that the major contribution of the anisotropy is mainly because of the strain induced by the Indo-Eurasia collision (going on for 50 million years) and deformation due to the collision is found to be larger in the crust than in the upper mantle. It has been recently published in 2020 in the Journal ‘Lithosphere (GSA)’.

The inhomogeneity along the Himalayas influences the stressing rate is because of variation in the geometry of the Main Himalayan Thrust (MHT) system, and it controls the rupture size during the earthquake. 

This lack of homogenous physical and mechanical properties of the Himalayas could help explore new perspectives on deformations taking place at the Himalaya-Tibet crustal belt involved in the formation of the Himalayan Mountains.

India conveys concerns to US

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 9  

In what could lead to serious questions on the India-US relations, the US Navy has announced that it  has ‘asserted’ navigational rights in the Arabian Sea and inside India’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), without requesting India’s prior consent.

The 7th Fleet of the US Navy has made an announcement about one of its warships saying “USS John Paul Jones (it) asserted navigational rights and freedoms approximately 130 nautical miles west of the Lakshadweep Islands. This freedom of navigation operation (“FONOP”) upheld the rights, freedoms, and lawful uses of the sea recognised in international law by challenging India’s excessive maritime claims.”

Also read: US sail unlikely to raise diplomatic heat

The US said its act was consistent with international law while India’s claims were not in order of the international law. “India requires prior consent for military exercises or manoeuvres in its exclusive economic zone or continental shelf, a claim inconsistent with international law,” the statement of the 7th fleet said.

The statement said, “We conduct routine and regular FONOPs, as we have done in the past and will continue to in the future. FONOPs are not about one country, nor are they about making political statements.”

US forces operate in the Indo-Pacific region on a daily basis. All operations are designed in accordance with international law and demonstrate that the United States will fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows, it said.

Former Indian Navy chief Admiral Arun Prakash tweeted, “There is irony here. While India ratified UN Law of the Seas in 1995, the US has failed to do it so far. For the 7th Fleet to carry out FoN (Freedom of Navigation) missions in Indian EEZ in violation of our domestic law is bad enough. But publicising it? USN please switch on IFF (identification of friend or foe).”

The Indian Navy is yet to respond.

Two years ago, a Chinese survey vessel was driven out of the EEZ off the coast of Andaman and Nicobar Islands on the same grounds that it had no prior permission.

The US statement has come even as five countries, including four members of the Quadrilateral or ‘Quad’ countries, are in the middle of a military exercise in the Bay of Bengal near the strait of Malacca, the busy shipping way that leads to China.https://54046f2092377def32de0ec3791bd3b7.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html

The ‘Quad’ — India , US, Japan and Australia — along with the French Navy are doing a first-of-its kind multi-lateral maritime exercise, La Pérouse.

India conveys concerns to US

Meanwhile, India on Friday said it has conveyed concerns to the United States over a US Navy ship carrying out a freedom of navigation operation in the Indian exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said US Navy ship John Paul Jones was continuously monitored transiting from the Persian Gulf towards the Malacca Straits.

India’s reaction came after the US Navy, in an unusual move, announced that one of its ships conducted patrols in the Indian EEZ this week, without seeking consent from India.

“The USS John Paul Jones was continuously monitored transiting from the Persian Gulf towards the Malacca Straits. We have conveyed our concerns regarding this passage through our EEZ to the government of USA through diplomatic channels,” the MEA said.

It said India’s stated position has been that the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea does not authorise other countries to carry out military exercises or manoeuvres in an EEZ and on the continental shelf without the consent of the coastal nation.

“India’s stated position on the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea is that the convention does not authorise other States to carry out in the Exclusive Economic Zone and on the continental shelf, military exercises or manoeuvres, in particular those involving the use of weapons or explosives, without the consent of the coastal State,” the MEA said. —with PTI

Top court makes Haryana govt party to a PIL filed by a single mother troubled by blockade of roads in NCR

File photo for representation.

Satya Prakash
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, April 9

Public roads can’t be blocked in protest and there should be free flow of traffic on roads, the Supreme Court said on Friday.

While hearing a PIL filed by a woman commuter against blocking roads connecting Delhi with Noida by farmers protesting against farm laws, a Bench led by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul made the government of Haryana party to the case.

The top court clarified that it was not concerned with the larger issue on farm laws which can be decided judicially, politically or administratively but limited to clearing of roads blocked by farmers.

“We have said this before, roads should not be blocked. This is a single mother who has to face many issues because of blocked roads,” the Bench said posting the matter for further hearing on Monday.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appeared for the governments of Delhi, UP and Haryana.

As the main roads connecting Delhi and Noida remain blocked since the beginning of protests against farm laws in November last, the Supreme Court had on March 29 issued notice to the Centre and the UP government on a petition by a woman who said commuting had become a nightmare for her.

Acting on the PIL filed by Monicca Agarwaal – a resident of Noida and a single parent with some medical issues, a Bench had asked the Centre and Uttar Pradesh government to explain why the roads connecting Delhi and Noida were not kept free from blockades.

“We consider it appropriate to issue notice to the Union government and others to ensure that the road area is kept clear so that the passage from one place to another is not affected,” it had said.

Agarwaal said though her work place was in Noida she had to travel to Delhi frequently as she was in a marketing job.

Noting that it was taking two hours instead of the normal 20 minutes, she contended that it had become a nightmare to commute between Noida and Delhi.

Maintaining that “democracy and dissent go hand in hand”, the Supreme Court had on October 7, 2020 ruled that roads and public spaces can’t be blocked indefinitely and demonstrations expressing dissent have to be in designated places alone.

On February 9, the top court dismissed a petition seeking review of the verdict, saying the right to protest can’t be anytime and everywhere.

Agarwaal pointed out that despite directions issued by the top court to keep the roads blockade-free nothing had happened.

Noting that a judicial view had already been taken and the matter reflected an administrative failure, the Bench agreed to take up the matter after the petitioner said the court should ensure that people’s right to passage wasn’t hindered.

‘Save Constitution Day’ and ‘Kisan Bahujan Unity Day’ to be celebrated on April 14

Farmers participate in a bike rally as part of their ongoing protest against Centre’s farm reform laws, in Gurugram. PTI

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, April 9

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha on Friday made announcements regarding the next strategy of the movement.

It has announced that on Saturday, April 10, the KMP-KGP expressway will be blocked for 24 hours (from 8 am, 10th April to 8 am, 11th April) as a warning to the government.

On April 13, the foundation day of Khalsa Panth will be celebrated on the borders of Delhi and at the same time there will be programs in honour of the martyrs on the anniversary of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.

‘Save Constitution Day’ and ‘Kisan Bahujan Unity Day’ will be celebrated on 14 April. On this day, all the stages of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha will be managed by agitators of Bahujan Samaj and all the speakers will also be Bahujan, it announced.

In their spirit of hatred and division, BJP leaders can perform various programmes in Haryana by presenting farmers and labourers as enemies. We appeal to all Dalit-Bahujans and farmers to protest against these forces while remaining peaceful, it said.

On this day, the deputy chief minister of Haryana is deliberately organising a programme in Kaithal. We appeal to the farmers and Dalit-Bahujan to protest against this event by reaching maximum numbers while remaining peaceful.

Honouring the participation and dedication of the local people in this movement, on April 18, local people will be honoured on the stages and the responsibility of managing the stage will also be given to the local people.

On April 20, on the birth anniversary of Dhanna Bhagat, the soil will be brought to the borders of Delhi from his village Doha Kalan and programs will be held on the Tikri border stage in his memory.

On April 24, on completion of 150 days of this movement at Delhi borders, week-long special programs will be organised in which along with farmers and labourers, employees, youth, traders, students and other organisations will be called to join the Delhi Morcha, it announced.

In the last week of April, there will be a national convention of organisations supporting the farmers movement across the country, in which plans will be made to intensify this movement nationwide.

The exact date and preparation of the Parliament march will be announced after the next meeting of the morcha, it said.

‘A regular occurrence but public statement is unusual’

File photo for representation.

Sandeep Dikshit
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, April 9

The sail past by a US Navy ship through the Indian exclusive economic zone (EEZ) has raised political temperatures but may not rock the bilateral diplomatic ties except for the matter of issuance of a public statement by the US Navy which has not happened in the past, said sources.

The US routinely challenges what it sees as “excessive maritime claims” of 22 countries. They include the entire South Asian littoral belt, including Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Pakistan besides close ally Taiwan further in the east.

The statement by the US Navy has been unusually made public and there are several voices against its tone and tenor. But sources said the thrust of the latest statement is the same as the ones quietly served through diplomatic channels since the US Navy started carrying out these sails in Indian EEZ from 1992.

Initially the sails took place every second year. They became annual affairs in 1999. It didn’t take place in 2018 and the COVID-hit 2020.   

Friend or foe, the US has adopted this practice of confronting “inconsistent claims” by 22 countries that it says are “excessive maritime claims”.

The US follows a two-pronged approach. Its Department of State diplomatically protests excessive maritime claims and asks the countries concerned to adhere to international law.  

The Department of Defence then exercises the US’ maritime rights by conducting tangible, operational challenges against excessive maritime claims.

These FON (freedom of navigation) sails are deliberately planned in a manner that does not provoke armed conflict, said sources.

The differences between the US and the 22 countries are on a wide range of issues. But the entire rule book is thrown at China while India’s alleged misdemeanours merit a few lines.

The US conducts these FONs through the Indian EEZ to contradict New Delhi’s claim that prior consent is required for military exercises or manoeuvres in the EEZ.

Top court refuses to entertain BJP leader Ashwani K Upadhyay’s PIL seeking to check fraudulent religious conversions

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 9

Maintaining that an adult is free to choose a religion of his or her choice, the Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain a BJP leader’s PIL seeking directions to ban black magic, superstition and fraudulent religious conversions.

“We don’t see a reason why a person above 18 years can’t choose his or her religion,” a Bench headed by Justice RF Nariman said, terming Upadhyay’s PIL a “publicity interest litigation”.

The top court said there was a reason why the word “propagate” figured in Article 25 of the Constitution, which guaranteed right to religion.

After the top court’s refusal to entertain his PIL, Upadhyay chose to withdraw it. Later, the BJP leader said he would approach the Ministry of Law and Justice and the Law Commission with his demand.

Upadhyay — a Delhi BJP leader and an advocate– had sought directions to the Centre and states to ban black magic, superstition and fraudulent and forcible religious conversions. He wanted the top court to ask the government to appoint a committee to ascertain the feasibility of enacting anti-conversion law to check the abuse of religion.

Highlighting incidents of forceful religious conversion by “carrot and stick” and use of black magic “reported every week throughout the country, Upadhyay had pointed out that the Supreme Court had in the Sarla Mudgal Case (1995) directed the Centre to ascertain the feasibility of enacting an anti-conversion law.

“The law may provide that every citizen who changes his religion cannot marry another wife unless he divorces his first wife. The provision should be made applicable to every person whether he is a Hindu or a Muslim or a Christian or a Sikh or a Jain or a Buddhist. Provision may be made for maintenance and succession etc. also to avoid clash of interest after death…This would go a long way to solve the problem and pave the way for a unified civil code,” he had submitted, quoting from the Sarla Mudgal verdict.

In fact, the victims of such forcible conversions were often socially and economically under privileged people, particularly belonging to the SC-ST, Upadhyay had contended.

Terming forceful as a violation of right to equality, right to life and liberty and right to religion guaranteed under Articles 14, 21 and 25 of the Constitution, he had said it was also against the principles of secularism – an integral part of basic structure of Constitution.

Accusing the Government of having failed to take any concrete action against these menace so of the society, he had said, the “Centre is empowered to make special provisions for the benefit of women and children under Article 15(3) and freedom of conscience, free profession, practice and propagation of religion under Article 25 is subject to public order, morality, health and other provisions of Part-III.”

Alternately, he had demanded that the Law Commission should be asked to prepare a report on “Black Magic, Superstition and Religious Conversion within three months in spirit of the Judgment in Sarla Mudgal Case

Being custodian of the Constitution and protector of fundamental rights, the court should use its plenary constitutional power to pass directions to stop conversion by carrot and the stick, he had submitted.

The SC refused to entertain a PIL seeking an independent probe into the Nandigram episode in which Mamata Banerjee allegedly got injured. Top court asks petitioners to approach the Calcutta High Court.