Nagaland Post www.nagalandpost.com
Vol XXX No. 81
DIMAPUR, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2020 Pages 12 ` 5.00
Azam Khan, wife, son sent to judicial custody
Champions League: Barca survives Napoli scare
COVID-19: 1,560 arrested for fake items
national, Page 7
sports, Page 12
international, Page 9
Uneasy calm in Delhi riot-hit areas; toll touches 27
NEW DELHI, FEB 26 (AGENCIES): After two days of communal clashes that claimed 27 lives, a brittle quiet settled over parts of riot-hit northeast Delhi Wednesday but there was violence in some other places with shops set ablaze and the body of an Intelligence Bureau staffer found in a drain. As police conducted flag marches and security personnel spread out across the northeastern edge of the national capital in a bid to quell the violence raging since Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his first reaction appealed for peace and brotherhood. Asserting that it was important for calm to be restored at the earliest, Modi said on Twitter, “Had an extensive review on the situation prevailing in various parts of Delhi. Police and other agencies are working on the ground to ensure peace and normalcy.” Away from ‘leaderspeak’, fear hung like a heavy cloud over the area, littered with the detritus of a riot -- mangled and charred vehicles, bricks, stones and jagged glass. Shops and schools were closed and many streets
Charred remains of vehicles allegedly set ablaze by rioters during communal violence over the amended citizenship law at Shiv Vihar area of the riot-affected north east Delhi, Wednesday. (PTI)
deserted with police making announcements that no one should come out of their homes. There was heavy deployment of force in Chand Bagh with security personnel not allowing anyone to come out. The blackened walls of a ‘mazaar’ in the locality spoke volumes of the violence the day before. In Ashok Nagar, a mosque was vandalised and set on fire by miscreants, a day before. The shops outside the mosque, belonging to Hindus and Muslims, were also set on fire.
What makes this more disturbing is that all these instances of violence have occurred within a radius of just 12 km from India’s most secured area--the Raisina Hill. It is an area that houses the Parliament House Complex, the Rashtrapati Bhawan, the Prime Minister’s Office and the defence and home ministries, among other high-profile offices. Meanwhile, Prime Minister tasked National Security Advisor Ajit Doval with the mandate to restore normalcy in riot-hit North East Delhi as concerns grew
over inept handling of the situation by Delhi Police, officials said on Wednesday. After he visited the affected areas and interacted with locals on Wednesday, Doval said the situation in the violence-hit northeast Delhi is under control and the police are doing their job. SC rebukes police: Supreme Court rebuked Delhi Police on Wednesday for failing to act “professionally” to check the violence in north-east Delhi which has left 27 people dead and scores injured, but refused to entertain pleas related to the
riots over the new citizenship law, CAA. The apex court lashed out at the law enforcing agencies for allowing the “instigators of violence” to get away and said they should act as per law without waiting for somebody’s nod. “If somebody makes an inflammatory remark, police has to take action,” it said. Though the top court did not look into the applications on the violence, it said there was a need for “conducive environment” to go into the matters related to Shaheen Bagh protests. HC directs police to file FIR against BJP leaders, and others: Delhi High Court Wednesday directed Delhi Police to take a “conscious decision” on the registration of FIRs against three prominent political leaders for allegedly inciting violence in the national capital. The court witnessed jam packed courtroom as a Division Bench of Justice Muralidhar and Justice Talwant Singh heard a petition praying for arresting BJP leader Anurag Thakur, Kapil Mishra and Parvesh Verma for inciting violence in north-east Delhi.
Govt and Oppn indulge in verbal duel over Delhi violence; Shah asked to quit
NEW DELHI, FEB 26 (PTI): A fierce war of words broke out between the government and opposition parties over the incidents of violence in the northeast Delhi with the Congress accusing the government of “colossal failure of duty” and demanding Home Minister Amit Shah’s resignation, a demand termed as “laughable” by the BJP which charged Congress president Sonia Gandhi with playing “dirty politics” on the issue. While the Congress held a meeting of its working committee on the Delhi situation and passed a resolution, urging the people to “reject the politics of hate and do their best in healing the crisis caused by these shameful events”, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury described Delhi violence a “chilling reminder” of the 2002 Gujarat riots. “After reviewing the situation, the CWC is of the firm opinion that what has happened in Delhi is a colossal failure of duty for which the entire responsibility must be borne by the Central government and particularly (Cont’d on p-7) the Home Minister and (the
CWC) calls upon the Home Minister to tender his resignation immediately,” Gandhi said while reading out the CWC resolution. Hitting back, Union minister and senior BJP leader Prakash Javadekar said Gandhi is politicising the violence at a time when violent incidents are abating and investigation is on to find out culprits. Taking a swipe at the Congress, he said those whose hands are “tainted with the bloods of innocent Sikhs” are now talking about checking violence, a reference to the 1984 antiSikh riots. Attacking the government and Amit Shah, Yechury at a joint press conference with CPI general secretary D Raja, alleged that it was clear that the violence in Delhi has the sanction of police and that of the “powers that govern them”. Opposition leaders including Akhilesh Yadav, Sharad Yadav along with Yechury and Raja have sought time from President Ram Nath Kovind to discuss the Delhi violence.
Yechury has written a letter to the President seeking appointment for the group of leaders which also include members of the DMK and the NCP. Senior AAP leaders Sanjay Singh and Gopal Rai urged the Centre to deploy the Army in the violence-hit areas to bring the situation under control and asked why the borders areas were not sealed despite repeated requests by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. “Wake up Home Minister, you are calling meetings just as a formality and what are your party members doing. They are inciting violence. Just taking meetings as a formality is not going to solve anything,” Singh said. Singh alleged that on one hand, Shah was holding meetings and on the other hand, BJP leaders were making provocative statements. Re a c tin g str o ng ly, NCP national spokesperson and Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik alleged that some kind of “2002 Gujarat model” is unfolding in Delhi.
CNSA asks NSF to Excise department raids liquor clarify on ultimatum outlets in Dimapur; 29 booked DIMAPUR, FEB 26 (NPN): Central Nagaland Students’ Association (CNSA), while appreciating the Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) for raising the issue of backdoor appointments, however expressed pain and dismay over the “threat issued in the form of ultimatum” to the state government by “persons and organizations” that had nothing to do with Nagaland. CNSA through its media cell expressed strong belief that the NSF, by issuing ultimatum, had undermined the “intelligentsia of the Nagas of Nagaland”. CNSA has, therefore, sought immediate clarification from NSF as to why the federation “resorted to issue ultimatum to the government of Nagaland using other people and organizations who has no connection whatsoever undermining the Nagas of Nagaland.” CNSA maintained that the “magnanimous nature of the people of Nagaland” has been misconstrued by others for too long. It stated that in the name of sovereignty and independence Nagas of Nagaland have been subjected to “undergo many threats and intimidation both physically and psychologically for decades”. CNSA said the moment has come for “any informed people” to read the writings on the wall that “The Cross border organisation is not feasible for a just growth of Nagas”. It further stated that some apex bodies, once considered strong and vibrant organization, have got decimated and become irrelevant to the society.
DIMAPUR, FEB 26 (NPN): Barely a week after Dimapur Naga Students’ Union (DNSU) served a seven-day ultimatum on Excise department to close down all illegal liquor dens and check illegal flow of liquor in Dimapur, the Excise department on Tuesday carried out raids at several places in and around Dimapur. The excise department, comprising its three units – narcotics cell, mobile squad and district excise – conducted several raids in suspected liquor outlets, restaurants, lounges, hotels, etc. In a statement, Excise commissioner Tarep Imchen informed that during the operation, 29 offenders were booked under Nagaland Liquor Total Prohibition (NLTP) Act, 1989 and penalised accordingly. Altogether 2,017 bottles of assorted IMFL (rum, whisky, beer, gin, Breezer, brandy, wine, etc) were also seized and recovered during the operation. Cautioning against sale and conduct of business in such illegal contraband, the department
warned that offenders would be subjected to the full force of law. It added that these raids would be conducted from time to time to ensure such activities were prevented at all cost. It may be recalled that DNSU in its ultimatum, issued on February 21, also demanded strict adherence to the rules and regulations of NLTP Act, 1989. DNSU further warned that in the event of failure to comply with its ultimatum, it would be compelled to chart its own course of action for which the department would be held solely responsible, for any untoward consequences. It may be recalled that the Central Nagaland Tribes Council on January 19, had also expressed concern over the spurt in outlets under the garb of bottled water shops in Purana Bazaar and other areas of the town selling spurious liquor and had asked the district administration and Naga Council Dimapur, Dimapur District GBs and chairmen forums to check and close down these at the earliest.
Amid COVID-19 outbreak, take precaution against H1NI NEW DELHI, FEB 26 (IANS): Amid the ongoing novel coronavirus (COVID19) outbreak, fresh cases of H1N1 virus causing swine flu have emerged in India. In view of this, the Confederation of Medical Associa-
This is it!
“Dear Modi, we both share the same ideology except I have a bosss at home.” K Y M C
tions in Asia and Oceania (CMAAO) issued an advisory on Wednesday. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Tuesday, five judges of the Supreme Court were infected by H1N1 virus causing swine flu, while three of them have resumed duties, two were recuperating and were being kept in isolation in their homes. H1N1 is a seasonal infection and occurs every year with two peaks (JanMar and Jul-Sept). Swine flu was pandemic in 2009 worldwide. Since then it is considered as an endemic virus with focal outbreaks in winter. According to K.K. Aggarwal, President CMAAO, “When indicated, antiviral therapy should be initiated as soon as possible since antiviral therapy is most likely to provide benefit when initiated within the first 48
hours of illness.” In a public healthcare advisory, doctor said that the mitigation precautions include respirator y hygiene and cough etiquette combined with hand wash contact precautions. The precautions are same as for any coronavirus. “Remember no fever, no flu. All mild cases should be treated with online consultations and all individuals with severe disease or at high risk for complications should receive antiviral drugs,” Aggarwal said. Last Thursday, business software solutions major SAP India shut all its offices in the country for sanitisation after two of its employees were tested positive for swine flu. In Kashmir, 18 positive cases of swine flu were admitted to Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) in Srinagar.
COVID-19 cases emerging faster outside China: WHO GENEVA, FEB 26 (AFP): There are now more new cases of coronavirus reported each day outside China than inside the hardest-hit country, the WHO said Wednesday. “Yesterday, the number of new cases reported outside China exceeded the number of new cases in China for the first time,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told diplomats in Geneva. Tedros said “sudden increase of cases” in those countries was “deeply concerning”. While new case numbers and deaths are dwindling at the disease epicentre in China, the country remains by far the hardest hit. As of Wednesday, 78,190 cases of COVID-19 had been registered in China, including 2,718 deaths. K Y M C