OBSERVER The Weekly
Volume 14 | Issue 23
Friday, February 13, 2015
9 dead in Black Friday train wreck 13-year-old boy youngest victim
Natasha Singh Tushar Kaushik At least nine passengers, including a thirteen year old boy, died and six were critically injured when a train derailed near the town of Anekal, 36 kms from Bangalore. The Bengalore City-Ernakulam Intercity express (Train no. 12677), travelling from Bangalore to Ernakulam, derailed at 6.15 am, and at least seven coaches of the train left the track. The reason for the accident wasn’t clear. Suresh Prabhu, the Railway Minister, tweeted this morning, “Unfortunate rail accident in Karnataka,Boulder fell on track in Ghat section, train hit it. directed all sr officers to rush with full help.” H.D Bhargavya, of the police force deployed in the area, said, “There is only one bogie which has most of the casualties. The
coach was numbered 93620.” The railway safety train had been deployed at the site. The Deputy Commissioner of Bangalore, Shankar, said: “Out of the nine dead four are from Karnataka, three from Kerala and two from Andhra Pradesh. Also out of the 25 admitted in the hospital, 12 are discharged.” Anand, an employee of the engineering department, said that the residents of the surrounding villages were the first to reach the scene of the accident and helped passengers, who reached the accident site at 7 am. He added that the first ambulance arrived at 7.30 am. All the bodies of the victims were sent to Victoria Hospital for post-mortem examination. There were still three unidentified as of 3pm. An assistant fire station officer said, “Rescue teams and the civil defence team have carried out the maximum rescue work.” He added that a gas-cutter had been used to cut
The wheels from a carriage – ripped off during the derailment that claimed nine lives
through the damaged coach to check for bodies and survivors. He also said that while the reason for the accident wasn’t yet known, a lot of information could be obtained by checking for records of the train’s speed, which could be obtained from the railway authorities. The final few bodies were carried into an ambulance at 2.30 pm, after which police began to clear the area. The General Hospital, Anekal, confirmed that nine people died – four men, four women and a 13-year-old boy. Malati, a pharmacist at the general hospital, said, “Their bodies have been sent for postmortem to Victoria Hospital.” Of those injured, six are in a critical condition. Three have been transferred to Spursha Hospital, and the remaining survivors were sent to Victoria Hospital, Oxford Hospital and Sanjay Gandhi Hospital.
Valsamma Jacob was seated in the waiting section of the general hospital. Eleven members of her family were on the train on the way to a family wedding and they had a miraculous escape. Although her sister assured her immediately after the accident that everyone was fine, she came to the hospital out of concern. She said, “They were shifted from the coach which was most affected to a different coach by the conductor just five minutes before the accident took place.” She said that her relatives only had minor injuries. “My sister has injuries in her ankle; she is not able to walk properly because of the pain,” she added. Her father Davasia, who was on the train, said that it felt like an earthquake. “Suddenly there was dust and smoke up in the air. Even though my sister told me they are only slightly injured, I was still worried and came here. It’s my entire family. They are all I have.”
Everyone in Valsamma’s 11 member family had a narrow escape, including her father
2 The Weekly OBSERVER
Friday, February 13, 2015
Team Observer
Exclusive
Courtesy: Shinyou Hwang
State loss from Swiss Leaks According to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, “A Team of journalists from 45 countries unearthed secret bank accounts which were maintained for criminals, traffickers, tax dodgers, politicians and celebrities” The Investigation done by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists jointly with Le Monde, a French newspaper, shared with 45 media organizations worldwide, a list that revealed the names of people having an account in the Swiss branch of HSBC.
According to The Guardian, HSBC, the world’s second largest bank, has now admitted wrongdoing by its Swiss subsidiary. “We acknowledge and are accountable for past compliance and control failures,” the bank said in a statement. These leaked files were made available by a former HSBC Geneva employee Hervé Falciani in the early 2007. Investigation has revealed that the account holdings were more than $100billion.
The loophole in the Swiss Financial centre, which realigned itself in 2007, has been exposed.
The list, which spans well known figures from across 200 countries, includes tennis players, rock stars, Hollywood stars, arm dealers, etc. What shook India was the number of Indians and NRI names that figured on the list with balance worth Rs. 25420 Cr. The number of Indians holding Swiss accounts had doubled from 638 to 1150.
The Weekly Observer has trawled the data to unearth the Karnataka accounts- those from this state who feature in the global story. In the two days following the revelations, the HSBC share price dropped by over 6 per cent.
Vijay Mallya, chairman of UB group
Vijay Mallya is the chairman of UB Group, an Indian conglomerate with interests in alcohol, aviation infrastructure, real estate and fertilizer among others. He also co-owns the Formula One team Sahara Force India. His companies own Indian Premier League team Royal Challengers Bangalore, the I-League teams Mohun Bagan A.C. and East Bengal F.C. He is also a member of the World Motor Sport Council representing India in the FIA. Mallya is the chairman of several public companies in India and
the US including Sanofi India (previously Hoechst AG and Aventis) and Bayer CropScience (India) for over 20 years. His company, the UB Group, sponsors many sports events and teams such as the Signature golf tournament, the Kingfisher Derby and McDowell’s Indian horse racing teams. In December 2012, an arrest warrant was issued against him for not appearing in court in relation to bouncing checks issued to GMR Hyderabad International Airport. In February 2014, Mallya spent Rs 28.7 crores buying players for RCB when Kingfisher Airlines hadn’t paid its employees and the airlines posted a third quarter loss of Rs 822 crore. This was followed by Kolkatabased United Bank of India (UBI) declaring him a wilful defaulter in September 2014 after his grounded Kingfisher Airlines declined to repay its debt. In November 2014, the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and the National Stock Exchange (NSE) announced the suspension of trading in shares of Kingfisher Airlines. On December 1, Mallya resigned as director of Mangalore Chemicals & Fertilizers. Captain Sanjay Sudan, an exemployee of Kingfisher Airlines, went to court on December 23 where the court directed the company to pay him his outstanding salary – Rs 12.9 lakhs. Naresh
Goyal,
founder-
chairman of Jet Airways
The man who was against FDI in the Indian carriers, Naresh Goyal is a legend who has managed to keep his fleet of Jet airways alive for more than two decades in the industry. Naresh Goyal, founder-chairman of Jet Airways, has been accused of stashing away $ 18.7 million in HSBC Geneva. In 2008, Jet Airways entered into an agreement with Kingfisher in order to cut losses. After the revelations of the details of the Swiss Leaks, Goyal was quoted saying, “There is no black (money)...There is nothing to hide, nothing to worry. (I am) following all regulations and rules,” in the Economic Times on February 9, 2015. As of March 2014, Jet had a debt of Rs 9,794 crore and it has been alleged that the money came from Punjab National Bank (PNB) as Goyal pledged all his 51 per cent shares of Jet, amounting to Rs 2,600 crore, to PNB in January 2015.
In a letter addressed to Sangita Gairola in 2011,the then joint secretary of ministry of home affairs, Anjan Ghosh, the then joint director of Intelligence Bureau (IB), the IB confirmed that Naresh Goyal hadthe likes of Dawood Ibrahim, the leader of D-Company, an Indian organised crime syndicate and Chota Shakeel,who has been accussed of being associated with Dawood Ibrahim. According to an article dated April 29, 2002 published in The Outlook, the allegations were that these contacts “are believed to have been used repeatedly not only to get direct investments, but also to get tainted Indian money laundered and recycled into business in India...” In December 2011, Naresh Goyal received two notices from the Income Tax department. The notices were slammed under Sections 143 and 131 against his company Tailwinds. Tailwinds which hold 79.99 per cent stake in Jet Airways, is based out of the Isle of Man: a country where taxes are levied at a low rate. According to an article, which dates back to dec. 2011, published in Business Today, Goyal responded to the first notice, stating that the Tailwinds accounts were officially disclosed to and approved by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB), and the Ministry of Civil Aviation and that there was no tax evasion. In an email reply to a TV channel, he confirmed the reception of the notices and that measures were taken to deal with the same.
The Weekly OBSERVER Chandru Lachhmandas Raheja owner of the real estate group K Raheja Corporation
Friday, February 13, 2015
Décor and a known industrialist of India had a balance of $40.61 million in HSBC Geneva as of 2006-07, according to reports from the ICIJ. A Bangalore address is mentioned in the data but a check showed the house mentioned in the address was sold by Tharani a decade ago.
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Upcoming Events Comic
Alok Bhartia, Vice-President, Taegu Tec India
Pickles and Lota Feed yourself a treat of comics and cartoons this weekend with Goda Anirudh Raghavan. She will bring out the humour in the best way to add laughs to your Saturday at the Indian Institute Of Cartoonists, MG Road
Alok Bhartia is the Vice-Chairman of Taegu Tec India set up in 2000. This company is a subsidiary of a South Korean manufacturer of tools and instruments. He owns another Bangalore company, Dakshin Foundry, in which wife Alpana is a director. Both are co-holders of an HSBC account they opened in 2006 and the alleged bank balance as of 2007-08 was $ 1.3 million.
Theater
Chandru Lachhmandas Raheja owns the real estate group K Raheja Corporation which has built several residences, offices, malls, hotels and IT parks. Some of its more famous projects include Shoppers Stop, Hypercity and In Orbit Malls. Raheja and Servcorp, an Australian firm formed an alliance to provide serviced offices. With a net worth of US $1.5 billion, he is one of Forbes’ billionaires and is known for his modest lifestyle. His balance in HSBC Geneva hasn’t been revealed. A law graduate from the National Law College in Mumbai, Chandru Raheja is married to Jyoti C. Raheja and has two sons Ravi and Neel who work with Raheja in his real estate business. The K Raheja Corp was set up in 1996 and is the first company to initiate the concept of self contained township and commercial business districts with residential apartments, offices and malls. Because they established Shoppers Stop, the company is also credited with being the first to bring retail boom to India. Some of the hotels under the K Raheja Corp are The Resort Madh Island, Renaissance Mumbai Hotel and Convention Centre, JW Marriott, Lakeside Chalet and Marriott Executive Apartments. Raheja, who claims to be a philanthropist, has established S.L Raheja Hospital & Diabetic Research Center, The Bombay Scottish School, L. S. Raheja College of Arts & Architecture and L. S. Raheja Technical School. Various parks, children’s play areas and beautiful traffic islands have also been built by him to contribute towards maintaining a green and equitable environment. Mahesh Tharani, Director of Bliss Blass Home Décor Mahesh Tharani, Director of Bill Blass Home
The Vagina Monologues The play, in itself, is a series of monologues written after interviewing hundreds of women from all walks of life spanning across different ages, socioeconomic groups, professions and polarizing social conditions thereby bringing out their experiences at Alliance Francaise, P.B. 108, Thimmaiah Road, Opp.UNI Building, Vasanthnagar, Bangalore
Sports
Chairman of Embassy Group, Jitendra Virwani Sai Ramakrishna Karuturi, Chairman, Karuturi Global Ltd.
Sai Ramakrishna Karuturi is the chairman of Karuturi Global Ltd. He has been said to have leased 300,000 hectares of land in Ethiopia to produce cereals and edible oil. According to reports, in 2007, Karuturi registered companies in tax havens and with huge authorised capitals. He is a shareholder or a beneficial owner of six companies that have a collective authorised capital of $2.2 million, according to ICIJ data.
Courtesy : Sudhanva Atri
Jitendra Virwani, Chairman of Embassy Group Jitendra Virwani is chairman of Bangalorebased Embassy Group, one of the biggest companies involved in construction of office parks and complexes in the country. He along with his wife Vandana, reportedly opened a joint account with HSBC in 2001. The data showed a 2006-07 balance of $14,517 and the couple’s Bangalore address was listed in the HSBC data.
Tweets on Swiss Leaks Costas Panayides @costas_panayi :
According to ICIJ #Swiss leaks: Cyprus #56 in dollar amounts. 269 client accounts (308 clients -25% with Cypriot passport or nationality)
Chitra Subramaniam @ chitraSD :
Illegal monies were paid. #India should work with #Swiss and #Italians to crack #chopper deal. All else is selective leaks and noise. #news
Chandavenkatesh @ Chandavenkates1 :
#Swiss leaks investigation vindicated its two-year stand on black money: AAP The Economic Times http://ecoti.ms/ Pdks7Z
Anto T Joseph @AntoJoseph :
#Swiss Leaks: Reactions galore after Indian Express investigation reveals HSBC list http:// shar.es/1okOHW via @sharethis
Bengaluru FC vs Shillong Lajong FC Watch the city club, Bangalore FC, headed by Captain Sunil Chettri, play against Shillong Lajong FC on 14th February at 7.pm, Sree Kanteerava Outdoor Stadium: Bangalore
Dance
Dancing Tales Performance of Indian stories for children and adults combining the oral and visual medium of dance and oral storytelling. Performed by Vikram Sridhar and the students of Poornima Kaushik at Atta Galata,134 KHB Colony, 5th Bloack Koramangala, Banglore
Stand-up comedy
The Comedy Club Presents ‘’Blurred Lines’’ An evening of English comedy - Blurred Lines is a compilation of the year that went by with Bangalore’s favorite comedian, Sundeep Rao. In this Comedy Special, Rao looks back at 2014 and the foggy memories, hazy experiences and blurred lines it was filled with at The Biere Club, Vittal Mallya Road, Bangalore
4 The Weekly OBSERVER
Friday, February 13, 2015
Awareness required to curb child leprosy Kimaya Varude Children are becoming easy targets of leprosy as their parents lack awareness, says the director of the only government leprosy hospital in Bangalore. “Children are soft targets of leprosy disease as they are unaware about it. This is mainly because even their parents do not know about the symptoms of the disease,” said Fr. Peter D’Souza, Director of Sumanahalli Leprosy Rehabilitation Training Center. According to the Census of 2014, population of Karnataka is 6,38,66,391. The state has 2,800 new leprosy cases on record till March 2014. The prevalence rate of leprosy per 10,000 population in the state is 0.44%. In the same year, 12,043 leprosy cases were detected in children all over India. Indian Development Foundation, IDF is a national NGO dedicated to health, education and development of the people. Dr. Franklin, chief executive of the NGO’s south India operations said “Leprosy is not hereditary, it is an airborne disease. Children are affected by coming in close contact with leprosy affected people. Most of these spread to children by sleeping next to people affected by leprosy. Hence, maximum number of leprosy cases in children is from slums or rural areas.” IDF started a program called
World Leprosy Day is celebrated on January 25 or any Sunday that comes closer to that day. As for this year, India celebrated World Leprosy Day on January 30. Below are a few fast facts about Leprosy in India as updated by the annual progress report for 2013-14 of the National Leprosy Eradication Program. • • •
A total of 1.27 lakh new cases were detected during the year 2013-14 A total of 0.86 lakh cases are on record as on 1st April 2014, giving a Prevalence rate (PR) of 0.68 per 10,000 population. Out of this 36.91% are female, 9.49% children, 4.14% with grade II Deformity, 17.88% ST cases and 18.03% SC cases.
Bal Gurukul to help educate children of leprosy patients and leprosy affected children. Franklin said: “We have a school in Sumanahalli to provide supplementary education to children. Our schools are equipped with computers and other facilities to help bring these children at par with students from big schools. India launched it National Leprosy Eradication Progam was launched in 1983. Dr. Franklin says that the program has not been successful to eradicate leprosy completely. Fr. D’Souza says that Sumanhalli Center treats around 10-15 patients per month out of which two are child cases. “Our center is in-charge of 75 wards of Bangalore city and we cater to leprosy affected people of all these wards. There are two types of cases, first one is
already affected by leprosy and the second is freshly detected leprosy cases. Leprosy cases in children are treated differently.” Dr. Ravi Hiremagalur, dermatologist at Manipal Hospital said, “Leprosy is not common among children but they can be easily affected as it can spread through air and close contact. The drugs and medicines to treat leprosy among children and adults are the same but the dosage differs depending on the weight of the child.” Karnataka is one of the 33 states that achieved the level of elimination of Leprosy. According to World Health Organisation, elimination of the disease is defined as reaching a prevalence of less than 1 leprosy case per 10,000 population. “One of the main reasons why India cannot achieve com-
Children of people affected with leprosy and children with leprosy need education and support says Dr. Franklin plete eradication of leprosy is lack of awareness. Leprosy does not show symptoms like other diseases. Hence, people mistake simple signs and ignore the disease. This ignorance lets the disease affect their peripheral nerves to develop into various forms of deformities.” He dded that people need to be educated to define between several signs and symptoms of such dis-
eases. If the people are unaware, children will be affected by leprosy and the child cases will rise. “It is impossible to achieve complete eradication of the leprosy disease by only relying on the multi drug therapy. Awareness also plays an important role in the eradication process and our state government lacks on that behalf,” added Fr. D’Souza.
Sports not a ‘challenge’ for the physically challenged
Parasuram at the recent sports event for the physically challenged Ridhi Agrawal There has been an increase in the number of disabled people participating in sports. According to Mr.J.Chandrashekar, Secretary General, Paralympic Committee of India, there has been a 5% rise in the number of sports participants from Karnataka. He said, “For the athletic Championship scheduled for March 2014, we are expecting around 300 participants from
Karnataka alone.” Similarly, the Wheelchair Basketball Federation of India(WBFI) has seen a 232.5% increase in the number of disabled people registering for their training programmes. The WBFI held a workshop in July 2014, in Chennai, which saw 47 participants from Tamil Nadu alone. These workshops teach, train and instill confidence in the disabled people to play wheelchair basketball. In December 2014, there was a nine day workshop organized in
Chennai where 140 people from five states participated. There were 22 participants from Karnataka. In another workshop held in Bangalore around the same time, 38 people with physical impairments turned up. Parasuram D, 24, a participant from Davangere in Karnataka, who attended this workshop, said, “It was a good experience. I learnt a lot about the game and it helped me to get a good name. I also got the opportunity to play basket ball and visit different places.” Laxman Reddy, another participant who attended the workshop in Chennai said, “He was very happy that he attended the workshop and was a a part of playing the wheelchair basketball.” Since the inception of these training programmes, WBFI has managed to train 256 individuals across India. As per census 2011, the number of disabled people in India has increased by 22.4% in a span of 10 years. However, this has not deterred the spirits of people to participate in sports. Started in 2010, the Karnataka Wheelchair Tennis Association (KWTA) has also seen a rise in the number of people participating in the sport. In the recently held National Paralympics Wheelchair
Tennis Championship 2015, there were 75 participants from nine states across India. Mr.Sandesha B.G, Hon. Secretary, Karnataka Wheelchair Tennis Association said, “Out of the 75 participants, 32 participants were newbie’s. All these players are well qualified & have practiced hard for the sport. ” Mrs. Kalyani Rajaraman, The general secretary of WBFI said: “WBFI’s vision is to enable largescale participation and following for wheelchair basketball as a means to empower physicallychallenged persons and to nurture strong state-level and national teams for Wheelchair Basketball in India.” She added: “Sport has value
in everyone’s life. It is even more important in the life of a person with disability.” She added, “Rehabilitative influence of sport on physical well being is well understood, but contribution to mental well being and social inclusion are very important dimensions that are not fully recognized.” She added, “Furthermore, sport inculcates independence. These are all reasons why sports promotion among persons with disabilities needs to be intensified.” Opening the doors for more opportunities, she said that the organization hopes to take their basketball players to RIO 2016 and Tokyo 2020.
Parasuram being certified for attending the workshop in Dec. 2014
The Weekly OBSERVER
Suharika Rachavelpula More than 25,000 anganwadi teachers from all over the state protested in Bangalore for better pay. “For the past 39 years 1,25,000 anganwadi worker’s salary remain at Rs 5,500,” said Sunanda, State General Secretary, Karnataka Centre of Indian Trade Unions.
Teachers demand higher pay “We need job security.” Anganwadi workers, mostly women, started the protest at 11 a.m. in front of the Karnataka State Prisons Head Office and then later moved to Freedom Park.
Ravi Kumar, Sub inspector, Upperpet Police Station said: “The roads were blocked from 11 a.m. The protest has also blocked roads from Kalidasa road to Anand Rao circle.”
Friday, February 13, 2015
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Protest has been going on for 11 days in various districts. Uma Sri, minister of women and child development reached the scene at around 7 p.m. and discussions are on-going. “If there won’t be any response by today, then tomorrow the protest will be drawn in front of Vidhan soudha,” said Soubhagya, anganwadi worker from Kodugi.
Mountain to climb - tourists left high and dry Punita Maheshwari An adventure sports center in one of the state’s best known tourist attractions is in a state of ruin. Tourists flocking to Badami for an adventure sports holiday are returning home disappointed because of a funding row that has been raging since 2011. The Badami Rock Climbing Training Institute is in a terrible condition and has been turning tourists away for the past four years. The institute is situated at the heart of the taluk but now has broken doors and almost no staff. Tourism brochures state that Badami is famous for rock climbing and other adventure sports and tourists from all over the world travel there, but the institute has not ran a training camp since 2011. “We came all the way from
Humpi as we missed rock climbing there, turns out there is no scope here as well. We have our own guide with us and we will leave in a day or so,” said, Max, 28, a Russian tourist. The state of the training institute is the immediate reason for damaging the reputation of the place as a prominent tourist destination in South India. “I am a caretaker since 2011 and we have not received any application in the last two years. No one comes here for training and finances are regulated in the Bangalore office, said, Mohantesh, caretaker of the institute. GETHNAA, General Thimaya National Academy of Adventure, in Bangalore, is responsible for the maintenance and funding of the institute. “We cannot disclose the budget without following the protocol. As for the state of the institute, I feel that funding is the main issue,” said, Arun Kumar,
Centre of Badami Rock Climbing. The tourism department of the taluk also accepts the unstable state of the sport. “The institute needs an immediate upgrade as we have already lost many tourists. The central government has agreed to provide 22 crore for the development of Badami and we will make sure that adequate funding is distributed with the institute as well,” said, Manjunath Sulloli from the tourism department of Badami. Tourists visit Badami to see the sessions of rock climbing as well. “I am 45, I cannot think of climbing a mountain but I was hoping to witness at least one of the sessions, said, David, a British tourist. Apart from the financial and training hurdles, there was a lack of will on the part of locals and authorities for the development of the place. “There are a lot of ways the place can be upgraded as
The rock climbing institute lies in the heart of the Badami taluk with no trainers
a major tourist destination which can be done by both government and efforts from the locals. But the unfortunate part is, none of them
care,” said, Dr, Shilakant Pattar, a respected research scholar who wrote a book on Badami tourism.
An enthusiastic tourist enjoying the view
PC: Inamdar
6 The Weekly OBSERVER
Friday, February 13, 2015
Survey claims women to blame for crimes against them Saheli Sen Gupta Three quarters of men and women who were asked why there is violence against women said women “asked for it” or “lacked social awareness”. A Weekly Observer survey, which included 26 women, also revealed that most people believe sadistic husbands - closely followed by dis-satisfied in-laws - are the prime reason for women being attacked more after marriage. Chandreyi Bandyopadhyay, a 23-year-old communications professional, said, “There are men who think they own women. They are literate but uneducated, social but uncivilized. Mostly, their parents never took stringent actions.” While more than half of the responders admitted to having witnessed and/or encountered an incident of violence against women, 75 per cent agreed that women are easily dominated in today’s society and more exploited after marriage. The responders, ranging between 16 to 55 years old, are students, IT professionals, doctors, entrepreneurs and media professionals and unanimously agreed that violence against women ad-
“It might have started because men are in general physically stronger but today, it is infiltrated in the social, physical, psychological and even ethical structure of the society. Women should realise they are giving in and should stand by each other instead of calling each other their enemies.” - Ankhi Nath, a 23-year-old advertiser
versely affects social circumstances. More than half of the people believe that young girls are more vulnerable in today’s society. They also said that homes are where this violence occurs mostly. Ivan Mehta, 24-year-old IT professional, said, “Society looks down upon women. If more girls are allowed to be educated then this situation would be improved. Also, men should be taught to respect women by information and by law.”
“It’s the structure of power play which has been here forever. Women have been either seen as a goddess or a slave but never just a person,” said Ankhi Nath, 23, advertiser. Although 24-year-old marketing executive, Althea Brett believes that media helps in the improvement of the status of women, she also said, “Media tends to create hype when such horrendous acts occur but no proper action is taken. As the hype subsides with time, people also tend to become complacent.” Karthika Aravind, 23, a software engineer, blames a woman’s incompetence along with dowry for being more violated after marriage. She said that “mere stupidity” is the reason for the existence of such customs. While three responders said that a higher sex ratio might help the cause, seven people said that weapons being given to women for safety might be more useful. Most of them felt that strict laws and awareness would be more helpful. Rajeev, a 26-year-old consultant, said, “Men should realize how important women are and should respect them. Men should
NEWS DIGEST
vow to protect women. Lack of protection from government, no strict laws to instigate fear among the culprits and slow pace the government manifests while dealing with criminals are reasons why these things still prevail in society.”
“The roots of the violence lies in the basic psychology of Indians. I witnessed many women too who are against women independence and self identity. Men think a woman as a public property that they can anything with her and no one is going to get offended.” - Swathi, 26-years-old corporate Team Leader
Saniya Sharma, 25, a dentist, said that she has witnessed violence against women and added, “Women are taught to compromise. When they report an incident, they are not taken seriously and are blamed for everything. The victims are victimized their entire lives, while the people behind such crimes roam around shamelessly.” Many blamed the lack of good education and said that kids should be taught to respect women to prevent them from believing that it is okay to violate women. Priyanka Lahiri, 34, said, “Women themselves are not aware of how they are being abused and manipulated.” However, Satyajit Dhawale, 26, student, said, “According to me, women are scared of men, as they consider themselves physically weak. A woman’s father or family members play an important role in making her life scary.” In 2013, Bangalore lice received 2,280 cases violence against women in 2014, 1,625 cases were istered from until August
poof and reg31.
*A total of 50 people responded to our online survey on violence against women. While 24 were male, 26 were female.
Arvind Kejriwal , the soon-to-be appointed Chief Minister of Delhi, along with senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia, met Prime Minister Narendra Modiearly yesterday morning. A range of issues concerning the national capital were discussed. A 57-yr-old Indian citizen, Sureshbhai Patel, was beaten-up last week by police in Madison, Alabama while walking on the sidewalk. The elderly Indian is temporarily paralyzed. He belongs to Pij, a small town in Gujarat’s Kheda district, and was in the U.S. on vacation. US President Barack Obama yesterday asked Congress to authorize military action against Islamic State militants. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 fans have some opportunities coming their way. The International Cricket Council has announced a series of digital activations through which fans can engage with the event and the players. The official ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 game has been launched by Disney India’s Interactive Business. It has been released for PC’s, Androids and iOS. The Special Investigation Team has questioned MP Shashi Tharoor for a second time, to ‘know certain details’ over the mysterious death of his wife, Sunanda Pushkar.
OBSERVER Team: Editor - Natasha Singh, Chief Sub-Editor - C.L Ramakrishna, News Editor - Ridhi Agrawal, News Desk - Elizabeth Mani, Layout - Punita Maheshwari, , Sub-Editors - Tushar Kaushik, Nikhil Babu, Proofreader - Saheli Sen Gupta