‘This is shocking’: Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, others slam cops for manhandling Ram Guha

CAA

Historian Ramchandra Guha was a part of the anti-CAA protests organised at Town Hall in Bengaluru, where he was dragged by the police and detained.

TNM Staff

Prominent public figures including Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, slammed the Bengaluru city police for manhandling noted historian Ramchandra Guha. He was detained by the police in the morning and let off in the afternoon.  Dramatic scenes unfolded on Thursday morning at Town Hall in Bengaluru where a protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act was organised. The 61-year-old historian was also a part of the protest at Town Hall, where prohibitory orders under section 144 were imposed. Ramchandra Guha arrived at Town Hall with a poster of BR Ambedkar which stated ‘CAA against Constitution’. In a video clip which has since gone viral, Ramchandra Guha is seen talking to the policemen at the protest spot, holding a placard. As a policeman who stood around him started pulling him, the other two policemen joined in to drag and manhandle him. .@Ram_Guha arretsed by @BlrCityPolice at townhall #CAAProtest pic.twitter.com/XTcbMhSuUa — Imran Khan (@keypadguerilla) December 19, 2019 Slamming the action of the police on a world-renowned historian and intellectual, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, a Padma Bhushan awardee and the chairperson and managing director of Biocon, expressed shock at the incident. “This is shocking n reflects the total lack of understanding of fundamental freedom to express dissent - a peaceful protest shd not be mishandled in this manner,” she tweeted. https://t.co/kQpbEkDqbt This is shocking n reflects the total lack of understanding of fundamental freedom to express dissent - a peaceful protest shd not be mishandled in this manner — Kiran Mazumdar Shaw (@kiranshaw) December 19, 2019 As the video went viral, many other celebrities too joined Kiran Mazumdar Shaw in condemning the behaviour of the police. Edward Luce, Associate Editor of Financial Times, tweeted in solidarity with Ramchandra Guha. “A system that can arrest and detain @Ram_Guha, Gandhi’s biographer, for peacefully protesting to uphold its constitution is not a liberal democracy. I fear for India. Stand with Ram!,” he tweeted. A system that can arrest and detain @Ram_Guha, Gandhi’s biographer, for peacefully protesting to uphold its constitution is not a liberal democracy. I fear for India. Stand with Ram! — Edward Luce (@EdwardGLuce) December 19, 2019 Actor-politician Kamal Haasan also slammed the police action on Ramchandra Guha as well as on Yogendra Yadav on Thursday. Yogendra Yadav, the founder of Swaraj India, was detained in New Delhi for participating in protests. I applaud with glee at the stupidity of the government for stoking the fire of Satyagraha by arresting the thinking and questioning minds of India like @Ram_Guha & @_YogendraYadav . Yet I am concerned for their safety. India stands with you. — Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) December 19, 2019 Other public figures also took to Twitter to register their shock and disapproval at the way Bengaluru city police treated Ramchandra Guha. @Ram_Guha was standing alone with a placard. What is this nonsense? Why are they touching him? #section144 #Bengaluru https://t.co/ro0xFqFtgo — Siddharth (@Actor_Siddharth) December 19, 2019 One of the most profound, insightful and thought provoking books on India ever written is 'India after Gandhi' by @Ram_Guha. The same guy who just got detained. That's it. Nothing else to be said. — Parminder Singh (@parrysingh) December 19, 2019 The cops not only arrest but come close to punching @Ram_Guha . Outrageous https://t.co/ALptFqfjOS — William Dalrymple (@DalrympleWill) December 19, 2019

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Don't take law into your hands, Karnataka CM Yediyurappa tells his police

CAA

The CM’s statement came after around 200 people were forcibly detained by the Bengaluru police as they attempted to protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

TNM Staff

Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Thursday warned Bengaluru police against taking law in their own hands. The minister was speaking to the media even as hundreds of protesters gathered at Town Hall, defying Section 144, to protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019. “For no reason should the police take law into their own hands. I will give this instruction to the police right now — if someone is creating law and order problem, police should take action only against them. No action should be taken against common people. I will take action against any police official takes action against common people,” Yediyurappa told the media on Thursday.  This came hours after historian Ramchandra Guha, who had gone to Bengaluru’s Town Hall to protest against the CAA, and around 200 others were dragged and forcibly detained by the police as they attempted to protest the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in two places in Bengaluru. “I sincerely appeal to all the political parties and people of India to keep calm. CAA is no threat to people of this country. It is only an Act applied to people from other countries who seek citizenship. CAA does not discriminate on the basis of religion or caste. Vested interests who are doing this (protesting) are doing so with a political interest. The CAA is a national Act, a constitutional provision. There is no question of states rejecting it. As a member of the federal setup, every state is bound by the Constitution,” Yediyurappa said.  He also asked people who are protesting to maintain peace.  “There is false information being spread about CAA. This is being done with malicious political intent and I request people to not pay heed to this. Please do not harm public peace,” he added.  Track live updates here The detentions on Thursday morning from Town Hall and Mysuru Bank in Bengaluru were made as the protestors had gathered despite orders prohibitory orders being in place in the city. Heavy police presence marked the area since Thursday morning, including 100 policemen and three Karnataka State Reserve Police vehicles.  The imposition of Section 144 of the CrPC was announced late on Wednesday evening in light of at least two major anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests being planned.  Also read: Historian Ramachandra Guha detained at Bengaluru's Town Hall for protesting CAA-NRC  

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Historian Ramachandra Guha detained at Bengaluru's Town Hall for protesting CAA-NRC

CAA

Meanwhile, multiple activists and lawyers are set to approach the Karnataka High Court to vacate the prohibitory orders.

Prajwal Bhat

At least 200 people including historian and academic Ramachandra Guha were detained in Bengaluru on Thursday morning as they attempted to protest the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in two places in Bengaluru. Historian Ramchandra Guha was forcibly detained by the police while he was giving interviews, dragged away into the bus by men in khaki.  The 61-year-old was participating in a protest at the Town Hall in the city where Section 144 was imposed. .@Ram_Guha arretsed by @BlrCityPolice at townhall #CAAProtest pic.twitter.com/XTcbMhSuUa — Imran Khan (@keypadguerilla) December 19, 2019 The detentions from Town Hall and Mysuru Bank were made as the protestors had gathered despite orders prohibitory orders being in place in the city. Heavy police presence marked the area since Thursday morning, including 100 policemen and three Karnataka State Reserve Police vehicles. The first wave of protesters had gathered around 10.45am on Thursday while the second batch came at 11 am. Once they were in substantial number and started speaking to the media, they were detained by the police. The imposition of Section 144 of the CrPC was announced late on Wednesday evening in light of at least two major anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests being planned.  Historian Ramachandra Guha arrived with a poster of Ambedkar which said “CAA against Constitution”. Speaking to reporters at the protest, Guha slammed the police saying there were acting at the behest of their masters. "They are getting orders from Delhi. Our paranoid rulers in Delhi are scared," he alleged.  @Ram_Guha at a peaceful protest in Town Hall #Bengaluru: our paranoid rulers in Delhi are scared#Section144 #CAAProtest pic.twitter.com/JQ26G4ienj — Arpita Raj (@arpitaraj92) December 19, 2019 The police were seen asking people who were turning up to leave, and if they resisted, they were detained. Police detained around 100 people in Town Hall las well and took them in buses to Adugodi, SJ Park, Ashok Nagar and Sampangiram Nagar police stations. Additional Commissioner of Police (East) said that the protesters will not be booked. Just as the protesters were being taken away in the two buses, more protesters came in, and started protesting with slogans and placards. The police could not detain them initially as both the buses had left. Later, they were also detained.  Around 11.30 am, another group of protesters from National Law School in Bengaluru and other colleges also gathered at Town Hall. They were not raising slogans but simply sat down, holding up anti-CAA posters. The DCP Central Chethan Singh Rathore was seen negotiating with them to disperse.  Another protest was planned in Bengaluru on Thursday near Mysore Bank Circle. Around 150 people gathered around 11 am and started raising slogans against CAA and imposition section 144. Protesters said that instead of focusing on the economy and unemployment, the government had brought out legislation which was spreading hatred between communities.  Meanwhile, multiple activists and lawyers are set to approach the Karnataka High Court to vacate the prohibitory orders. Among them are lawyers collective Alternative Law Forum and Brijesh Kallapa of the Congress.

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‘Shame on you, Yediyurappa’: Siddaramaiah slams CM over Sec 144 in Karnataka

CAA Protests

Section 144 has been imposed across Karnataka including in Bengaluru in the wake of protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act.

TNM Staff

Hours after permissions for all protests over the Citizenship Amendment Act were cancelled and Section 144 was imposed across Karnataka, Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah slammed the ruling BJP in the state and the Chief Minister, BS Yediyurappa.  “After series of assault on the values enshrined in the Constitution, it is time to take away the Right to Peaceful Protest through Sec144. I never expected @bsybjp to play to the tune of @narendramodi. I thought he was more progressive & inclusive. Shame on You Mr. Yediyurappa,” Siddaramaiah tweeted on Thursday morning.  After series of assault on the values enshrined in the Constitution, it is time to take away the Right to Peaceful Protest through Sec144 I never expected @bsybjp to play to the tune of @narendramodi. I thought he was more progressive & inclusive. Shame on You Mr. Yediyurappa. — Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) December 18, 2019 Two protests were given permission initially for Thursday — one at Bengaluru’s Town Hall and another, called by Left parties, at Mysore Bank Circle.  Protesters, however, defied prohibitory orders and showed up at Town Hall on Thursday morning, where a few people were detained, including historian Ramachandra Guha. On Wednesday night, Bengaluru Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao announced that Section 144 had been imposed in the city for three days, following which the Home Minister confirmed that it was being imposed across the state till midnight on December 21. Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure prohibits the assembly of more than four people in a particular place. Following the imposition of Section 144, permissions were cancelled for all protests. The police had said that action will be taken against those who violate prohibitory orders under section 188 of the IPC. (Disobeying orders promulgated by a public servant). Justifying the decision in a press conference at his office on Wednesday night, Bhaskar Rao said, "As many as 60 groups (both for and against) CAA had requested permission for protests on Thursday. We took a decision that both groups should not be allowed. Taking into consideration what's been happening in various parts of the country where protests and processions have resulted in violent actions, resulting in large scale law and order problems, including injury, death and police firing, buses being stoned and burnt, we do not want such a situation in Bengaluru." Furthermore, when the Commissioner was questioned if such an order is against the right of the citizens to protest, he said, "People have a fundamental right to protest but fundamental right stops when someone's wellbeing is affected. We have taken this decision to ensure normal Bengaluru runs peacefully."

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‘Mahadayi has been a long struggle for us, will try to get justice’: Karnataka CM

Mahadayi Dispute

Yediyurappa was reacting after the Centre kept in abeyance its earlier communication regarding environment clearance to the Kalasa Banduri project.

PTI

Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Wednesday said he would make all efforts to get justice for the state on the Kalasa Banduri project related to inter-state Mahadayi river as the Centre kept in abeyance its earlier communication regarding environment clearance to it. In a reprieve to Goa, with which Karnataka has a dispute over sharing the Mahadayi river water, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF) on Wednesday kept in abeyance its October 17 letter stating that the proposed project does not need environment clearance. The move comes after Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, who is in New Delhi to attend the GST Council meeting, met Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar on Wednesday, seeking withdrawal of the letter. "I will convince (those concerned)... I have already spoken to those concerned, I will try and set tings right. Mahadayi has been a long struggle for us, I will try to get justice for the state," Yediyurappa said. Speaking to reporters in Hubballi, he said, "I will look into it, I'm yet to get details on why such a step was taken (by the Centre), and see to that it doesn't happen." Karnataka government, which has locked horns with Goa on the larger issue of sharing Mahadayi river water between both the states, has also been fighting a long battle with the neighbouring state with regard to Kalasa Banduri Nala project. The project, which involves diverting water from Mahadayi river into the Malaprabha river, is aimed at providing drinking water to three important districts of north Karnataka — Belagavi, Gadag and Dharwad- which go parched in summer due to acute water scarcity. Opposition Congress and JD(S) criticised the ruling BJP at both the Centre and the state, accusing it of neglecting Karnataka's interest after reaping electoral gains. "It has become a habit for BJP to use Kannadigas during elections and then to oppress them when it comes to programmes, projects and grants...," former chief minister and JDS leader H D Kumaraswamy tweeted. BJP leaders of the state after seeking votes during election promising to resolve the Mahadayi issue, have now lost their voice fearing Modi, he charged. Senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah accused the Narendra Modi government at the Centre of bowing down to Goa's pressure and betraying Kannadigas. In a series of tweets, the former chief minister demanded that Yediyurappa call an all-party meeting to discuss about "injustice" to Karnataka and lead a delegation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to put pressure on the issue. State Congress Working President Eshwar Khandre said, "They (BJP) behave and make statement differently when there is election and once it is over. If any injustice happens to the state on the Mahadayi issue, Congress will not tolerate and will agitate against it."

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True patriots are ashamed of the crimes their country commits: Ramachandra Guha

Politics

Guha was also highly critical of the Left and the Congress, especially the Gandhi family whom he held responsible for the rise of present-day BJP

Soumya Chatterjee

“A true patriot is someone who feels shame at the failure of his or her country. A true patriot feels depressed when his religion practices discrimination. As an upper caste Hindu, I must be ashamed as how some upper caste Hindus ill-treats Dalits. As a Muslim man must feel ashamed at how some Muslim clerics still treat their women. The ability to feel or say that my religion, my nation is not perfect and the desire to correct the failures and faultlines of your religion, nation is vital to patriotism,” said historian and author Ramachandra Guha. Guha was speaking at a discussion titled 'Indian Pluralism: Past, Present and Future' in Bengaluru on Wednesday evening, in the wake of the nationwide protests against the recently passed Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC). The event was organised by Civil Liberties Collective, a forum of progressive organisations including Darsana, Bengaluru Collective, Secular Forum, KMCC, MMA, Karnataka Pravasi Congress and Karnataka Malayali Congress. All these groups have been protesting against CAA and NRC as representing exclusive nationalism and curbing of basic Constitutional values and freedoms. He continued, “A true patriot is someone who is ashamed of the crimes, his or her country commits. A true Hindu or a true Muslim or a true Christian is someone who feels aghast at the extraordinary discrimination and oppression practiced in the name of their faith. And the last aspect of patriotism as defined by Gandhi and Ambedkar was 'while you are rooted in your own culture, you must be willing to learn from other cultures and other countries’”  In his speech, which concentrated largely on the pluralist legacy of the country based on the ideals of the founding fathers of the nation, Guha also touched on the striking contrast of the present ruling dispensation with that. Criticising the present discourse, Guha said, “The idea that a religion, a country or a leader is perfect, irrefutable and flawless is completely inconsistent to true patriotism,” adding the model of plural, outward looking, open-minded, enlightened, egalitarian patriotism is in tatters. He said, “What we now have is a new model associated with HIndutva and Hindutva has three features — one, Hindus are superior as non-Hindus. Two, Hindi is superior to other Indian languages. Three, and if you are a true Indian you must hate Pakistan.” Going back to history, Guha pointed out that present day India would seem like a 19th century European nation based on the idea of one language, one religion and a common enemy, while those European nations have now evolved with time. Incidentally he mentioned how Pakistan was formed on the same basis unlike India, which chose to be an inherently diverse. “Hindutva's model of nationalism is narrow, impoverished and anti-plural. The other aspects of Hindutva are deeply anti-democratic. Crushing dissent, calling critics as anti-national or Urban Naxal or worse, murdering authors and intellectuals because they opposed Hindutva,” he said. In an hour-long speech, Guha also said that he thought there was nothing Indian about Hindutva and its principles borrowed from 19th century Europe and medieval Islamic times.  Guha was also highly critical of the Left and the Congress, especially the Gandhi family whom he held responsible for the rise of the present-day BJP and its Hindutva stance. “Modi would have not been not here where he is now if Rahul Gandhi was not here. Being a scholar on Nehru and a student of Indian political history, Nehru would have been appalled about how Rahul Gandhi is,” he said. He also slammed the Congress for their nepotism and corruption. Taking about the Left in India, he said the “hypocritical” Left in India has always been anti-national, although it has always had great influence among artists, musicians and filmmakers despite being in power only in three states in the country. “The tragedy about the Indian communists have been they have always loved another country more than India,” Guha said.  While the protests in Jamia Milia Islamia and the Aligarh Muslim University have garnered attention of the nation and world due to alleged police excesses, there have been widescale protests in the north-eastern states as well. The governments has snapped internet services in some parts of the country. In anticipation of wide-scale protests on Thursday in Bengaluru and other parts of Karnataka, the state government imposed Section 144 on the state for three days to prevent assembly of more than four persons. Similar steps have been taken in UP, parts of Tamil Nadu, including Chennai, and parts of the Delhi. The critics and vocal opponents of both the NCR and the CAA say while the former is an exclusionary exercise for the poor, Dalits, Adivasis, landless labourers and other deprived sections of the society, the CAA makes it blatantly anti-Muslim. The CAA seeks to simultaneously offer citizenship to illegal migrants -- Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi or Christian -- from the neighbouring three countries taking shelter in India on the presumed ground of persecution, while the NRC leaves Indian residents to prove their citizenship through legacy documents.

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Udaipur-Bengaluru flight stopped before takeoff, IndiGo says 'false alarm'

Aviation

Earlier, it was reported that smoke was detected on board, but IndiGo has denied this.

TNM Staff

Representational image

The Udaipur Maharana Pratap Airport (UDR) in Rajasthan witnessed momentary panic on Wednesday when a Bengaluru-bound Indigo flight reportedly started emitting smoke just before take-off. The emergency personnel were immediately alerted.   All passengers and crew on board are safe. After they were evacuated, the A320neo aircraft was shifted from the main runway for inspection. The Indigo flight (6E 979) was supposed to take off at 1.20 pm and reach Bengaluru at 3:45 pm. The flight finally took off at 3.10 pm after the inspection and touched down at 5:20 pm.  A statement from Indigo confirmed the developments and added that standard procedures were followed once the incident came to light. “The ATC (Air Traffic Control) suspected smoke from the auxiliary power unit in the aircraft tail section. Following the laid standard operating procedures, the pilot returned the aircraft to the bay for further inspection. During the inspection, there were no unusual observations, so it was a false alarm. The aircraft was released for further flight,” it read. This comes after an incident in August, when smoke was detected from an Indigo aircraft. At the time, the flight had to make an emergency landing at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) in Hyderabad after smoke was noticed in the cockpit. A preliminary investigation revealed that an exhaust fan in the plane's air conditioning system may have malfunctioned. The airlines said that the A320neo aircraft, which was travelling from New Delhi to Hyderabad, was grounded temporarily as a probe was ongoing to ascertain the reason for the mishap. Air traffic control was immediately alerted and a fire engine, medical personnel and other experts were on standby as the aircraft began its descent. However, there was no untoward incident during the landing and the passengers were evacuated safely. The airline's engineering staff immediately rushed in to check the cockpit. Earlier in April, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) carried out a safety audit of Indigo. In July, the regulatory body for civil aviation found multiple safety lapses and served four show-cause notices to senior officials of Indigo’s Flight Operations and Safety Department.

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