National
'Be on watch out', VP Dhankhar tears into Cong leader's 'B'desh can happen here' comment
Jaipur, Aug 10 (IANS) Vice President of India Jagdeep Dhankhar on Saturday urged people to guard against a narrative being floated by some people that what happened in Bangladesh can happen in India too, as he expressed shock at the comparison drawn between the neighbouring countries.
To recall, after Sheikh Hasina quit as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh on Monday in the face of a massive student-led uprising and fled to Delhi, Congress leader Salman Khurshid during a book release function had said that though “everything may look normal on the surface, what is happening in Bangladesh could happen in India”.
Speaking during the platinum jubilee celebrations of the Rajasthan High Court in Jodhpur on Saturday, the Vice President said: “Be on watch out. Efforts by some to infuse a narrative that what happened in our neighbourhood is bound to happen in our Bharat is deeply concerning. How can a citizen of this country having been a Member of Parliament, and the other who has seen enough of Foreign Service, take no time in saying that what happened in the neighbourhood will happen in India!”
To recall, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, who was also present at book launch event on Tuesday, had said a day later that he could not explain what Khurshid meant, but the larger message that Bangladesh has given is about the “importance of democracy and free and fair elections”.
Addressing judges and lawyers from across the country, Dhankhar said these forces are ready to divide the country and run a fabricated narrative to derail the development and democracy of the nation.
The Vice President also warned that national interest is paramount, which can never be compromised.
Praising the role of the judiciary in strengthening the roots of democracy in the country, the Vice President said that only once in the history of Independent India the judiciary bowed down before the ‘dictatorship’ of one person which was during the Emergency in 1975.
He also said that the new generation has very little knowledge about the dark period of Emergency.
Appreciating the announcement by the Government of India to observe June 25 (the day Emergency was declared) as ‘Samvidha Hatya Divas’, the Vice President said this day will alert the countrymen about how the Constitution was stabbed in 1975 and its basic spirit was crushed.
Recalling his days spent in the Rajasthan High Court, Dhankhar said he is proud that this court is one of the nine high courts which, despite the Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi, decided that even during Emergency, a person cannot be arrested without reason.
The Vice President said that it is a matter of regret that “our respected Supreme Court, which has contributed immensely in promoting democratic values in the country, did not stand up for the citizens during Emergency”.
The Supreme Court overturned the decisions of these nine courts and held that the court cannot give relief to an individual during Emergency and the government can continue with Emergency as long as it wants, Dhankhar said.
He also said that had the Emergency not been imposed, India could have touched new heights of development decades ago.
–IANS
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National
Defence Ministry: Year 2025 will be year of reforms
On Wednesday, the Defence Ministry announced that 2025 will be designated as the “Year of Reforms,” with a primary focus on establishing integrated theatre commands to enhance collaboration among the three branches of the military.
These reforms are aimed at transforming the armed forces into a technologically advanced, combat-ready force capable of executing multi-domain integrated operations, the ministry stated.
The initiative will emphasize emerging domains such as cyber and space, alongside cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning, hypersonics, and robotics.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh described the “Year of Reforms” as a pivotal milestone in the modernization of the armed forces.
“It will set the stage for significant advancements in the nation’s defense capabilities, ensuring the security and sovereignty of India in the face of 21st-century challenges,” he said.
National
A 3.2 magnitude tremor struck Gujarat’s Kutch district on Wednesday morning
A 3.2 magnitude tremor struck Gujarat’s Kutch district on Wednesday morning, according to the Institute of Seismological Research (ISR).
The district administration reported no casualties or property damage following the quake.
The tremor occurred at 10:24 am, with its epicenter located 23 kilometers north-northeast (NNE) of Bhachau, as per the Gandhinagar-based ISR.
Last month, the region experienced four seismic events exceeding a magnitude of 3, including a 3.2 magnitude tremor just three days ago, with its epicenter also near Bhachau.
Earlier tremors in the area included a 3.7 magnitude earthquake on December 23 and a 3.2 magnitude event on December 7, according to ISR reports.
Kutch was also jolted by a 4.0 magnitude earthquake on November 18, 2024. On November 15, a 4.2 magnitude quake hit Patan in north Gujarat, based on ISR data.
Gujarat is considered a high-risk earthquake zone, having experienced nine major earthquakes over the past 200 years, according to the Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority (GSDMA). The 2001 earthquake in Kutch, which occurred on January 26, was the third-largest and second-most destructive in India in the last two centuries, according to the GSDMA.
National
Diljit Dosanjh faces legal action over concert songs
Singer and actor Diljit Dosanjh’s much-anticipated New Year’s Eve concert in Ludhiana faced legal hurdles after a complaint was filed by Punditrao Dharenavar, an assistant professor from Chandigarh.
Following the complaint, the Deputy Director of the Women and Child Department, Government of Punjab, issued a formal notice to Ludhiana’s District Commissioner, urging them to prohibit Dosanjh from performing specific songs during his live show on December 31, 2024.
The notice specifically targets songs accused of promoting alcohol, including Patiala Peg, 5 Tara Theke, and Case (Jeeb Vicho Feem Labbiya), even if the lyrics are slightly modified. The complaint points to previous warnings issued to Dosanjh by various commissions advising against performing these controversial tracks.
Despite these warnings, the singer allegedly continues to perform the songs with minor alterations. Dharenavar raised serious concerns about the influence of such music on young audiences, especially when minors are present at live events.
Adding to the controversy, Dharenavar referenced a 2019 Punjab and Haryana High Court ruling, which directed law enforcement to ensure that songs promoting alcohol, drugs, or violence are not played at public events, including concerts. This ruling underscores the legal basis for the complaint and has further intensified the scrutiny surrounding the event.
National
UP Minister’s convoy overturns, 5 person injured
Five people sustained injuries when a vehicle in the convoy of Uttar Pradesh Minister and Nishad Party chief Sanjay Nishad overturned into a ditch near Januan village in the Khejuri Police Station area of Ballia district late last night.
Sanjay Nishad shared details of the incident, stating that the accident injured five party workers, including four women.
“I was traveling with the convoy to participate in the Constitutional Rights Yatra organized by the party on Tuesday night. Near Januan village in the Khejuri area, one of the vehicles following the convoy lost control while trying to avoid an animal and overturned into a ditch,” Nishad explained.
The injured individuals have been identified as Rakesh Nishad, Ramrati, Usha, Geeta, and Iravati Nishad.
Senior police and administrative officials quickly arrived at the scene following the incident to oversee the situation.
National
Suchir Balaji’s mother alleges Murder
The mother of Suchir Balaji, a 26-year-old former OpenAI researcher found dead after accusing the company of copyright violations, has alleged that her son was “murdered” and called for a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) probe.
Poornima Rao, Suchir’s mother, claimed her son’s death was a “cold-blooded murder” that authorities wrongly ruled as suicide. She further disclosed that a private autopsy report conflicted with the findings of the initial police investigation.
Rao alleged that her son’s apartment had been “ransacked” and cited evidence of a struggle in the bathroom, including bloodstains that suggested he had been assaulted.
“We hired a private investigator and conducted a second autopsy to uncover the truth. The private autopsy does not confirm the cause of death stated by the police. Suchir’s apartment was ransacked, there were signs of a struggle in the bathroom, and it appears he was hit based on blood spots. This is a cold-blooded murder being misclassified as a suicide. Lobbying in San Francisco won’t deter us from seeking justice. We demand an FBI investigation,” Rao wrote on X.
Elon Musk reacted to Rao’s post, commenting, “This doesn’t seem like a suicide.”
Balaji was discovered dead in his San Francisco apartment months after accusing OpenAI of violating copyright laws during the development of ChatGPT, as reported by Fox News. Despite these claims, the San Francisco Police Department found no evidence of foul play and ruled the death a suicide.
On October 24, shortly before his death, Balaji voiced doubts about the “fair use” defense in generative artificial intelligence. “I recently participated in a NYT story about fair use and generative AI, and why I’m skeptical ‘fair use’ would be a plausible defense for a lot of generative AI products,” he wrote on X.
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