Activist Aakar Patel booked for tweet calling for ‘US like protests’ in India

FIR

The FIR was registered based on a complaint filed by one police inspector in Bengaluru.

Soumya Chatterjee

Aakar Patel, activist, journalist and the former head of Amnesty International India, has been booked by Bengaluru police for a tweet calling for protests, similar to those being held in the US over the murder of George Floyd, in India as well.  TNM has accessed the copy of the first information report (FIR) registered on May 31 by JC Nagar Police Station where he has been booked under Sections, 153 (Wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot) and 117 (Abetting commission of offence by the public or by more than ten persons) and 505 (1)B of the Indian Penal Code. Section 505 (1) (B) deals with statements conducting public mischief with intent to cause, or which is likely to cause, fear or alarm to the public, or to any section of the public whereby any person may be induced to commit an offence against the State or against the public tranquillity. The FIR was registered based on a complaint filed by a police inspector, Nagaraj. In the said tweet, Aakar had tweeted a US media report of the protests in Colorado, USA, saying, “We need protests like these. From Dalits and Muslims and Adivasis. And the poor. And women. World will notice. Protest is a craft (sic).” We need protests like these. From Dalits and Muslims and Adivasis. And the poor. And women. World will notice. Protest is a craft. https://t.co/6btWiMtbOX — Aakar Patel (@Aakar__Patel) May 31, 2020 Speaking about this, Aakar Patel told TNM, “I don’t think they can make an offence out of the tweet. I came to know about the FIR from the news reports, the police have not contacted me.” Reacting to the development, Amnesty India has issued a statement.  In the statement, the Executive Director of Amnesty International India, Avinash Kumar said, "The FIR filed by the Bengaluru police against Aakar Patel is just another example of how the right to dissent is being increasingly criminalised in the country.”  He added, “The Bengaluru police must stop abusing its authority and put an end to the intimidation and harassment of Aakar Patel for exercising his constitutionally guaranteed right to freedom of expression. People of this country have the right to agree or disagree with those in power, and to express these opinions in peaceful protests - without fear or unlawful interference. Peacefully protesting against the government is not a crime. Not agreeing with the policies of those in power does not make you a traitor either.”

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Karnataka CM warns illegal beneficiaries to give up BPL ration cards

Crime

Nearly 63,000 such ration cards were cancelled before the COVID-19 outbreak, the CM noted and directed officials to initiate a campaign to cancel all illegal ration cards.

TNM Staff

Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Thursday said government employees and owners of tractors and other vehicles must return the BPL (below poverty level) ration cards immediately, failing which stringent legal action would be initiated against them. The CM issued directions in this regard to officials as he conducted a review meeting of the Food and Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs department on Thursday. Proper supply of ration must be ensured to eligible beneficiaries and action has to be taken to prevent misuse of the facility by those not eligible, Yediyurappa was quoted as saying by his office in a release. Nearly 63,000 ration cards were cancelled before the COVID-19 outbreak, he noted and directed officials to initiate a campaign to cancel all illegal ration cards. "This campaign would help in curtailing the financial burden on the state's reserves," he added. In the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic, both the Central and state governments have distributed sufficient quantities of ration, and about 95% ration card holders have availed the benefit, the release said. Under the Chief Minister's Anila Bhagya Scheme, 98,079 beneficiaries have been given three gas cylinders free of cost, it added. However, despite the government’s claim, many citizen led srveys have shown that several people in the lower socio-economic class in the state were forced into acute distress during the lockdown. One detailed survey carried out by Azim Premji University along with the Centre for Advocacy and Research (CFAR) and Gauri Media Trust which came out last week, said that 74% of vulnerable households (household income less than Rs 10,000 per month) did not receive any government (central or state) assistance in terms of ration.  However, the sample in that survey was not random or representative of the state but was focussed on casual workers, self-employed persons and migrants across the state.

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Karnataka HC issues notice to Centre over mandatory usage of Aarogya Setu app

Coronavirus

he PIL mentioned that only 35% of India’s population owns a smartphone and this would mean that lower income groups would miss government services and opportunity to travel.

TNM Staff

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The Karnataka High Court on Thursday issued a notice to the Central government over the mandatory use of Aarogya Setu’ app amid the COVID-19 pandemic. A bench headed by Chief Justice AS Oka issued the notice while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) on the matter. The petitioner in his PIL demanded that the use of the app be made voluntary instead of the mandatory rule for availing government facilities or for travelling on trains and flights. The Hindu reported that the petition was filed by one Anivar A Aravind who is a software engineer based in Bengaluru and also works for a city-based non-profit focused on democratising technology. His primary contention in the PIL is that the mandatory usage rule of the Aarogya Setu app works only in favour of those owning a smartphone and also stressed on issues related to breach of privacy of individuals. Further, the petitioner argued that the mobile phone being a personal device owned by the user, the government did not have a right or authority to direct usage of the app. Live Law reported that the matter will be heard again on June 12 and asked the government to respond by then. The petition also mentioned that while other democratic countries have also gone for similar solutions for contact tracing, the usage of those apps was voluntary and further, those apps were mostly using Bluetooth signals as opposed to the location of the user. The Hindu quoted the petitioner as stating that when the purpose of the app is to tell users if they have got in touch with an infected person, it can be done with the help of Bluetooth rather than tracking the location of the user.  The petition mentioned that only 35% of India’s population owns a smartphone and this would mean that lower income groups would miss government services and opportunity to travel. The petition also invoked the Puttaswamy judgement which outlined the principle of “data minimisation and purpose limitation”, the Live Law report said.

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BMTC to allow students to travel for II PUC exam by showing hall ticket or college ID

Transport

This is because the bus passes of students have expired.

TNM Staff

The Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation on Thursday said that Class 12 students writing their board exam on June 18 will be able to travel on buses by showing their hall ticket or college ID since their bus passes have expired.  "On 18 June, students commuting from their home to exam centres and returning can show their examination hall ticket or their student smart card. All driving staff are hereby informed about this," a note issued by the BMTC stated. The smart card passes issued in the previous academic year will allow students to commute.  The lone remaining state board Class 12 – or second PUC – exam is the English exam which could not be completed in March due to the lockdown imposed over the coronavirus outbreak in the country. The Karnataka government is keen on finishing the exam. The Karnataka government is also considering opening government and private schools in the state from July and invited opinions from parents and officials working in schools in the state.  TNM earlier reported that a majority of parents are opposed to the idea of reopening schools in July. They contended that reopening schools in the month of July would be too risky since many schools in the state are unprepared to handle the situation.  On Thursday, COVID-19 cases in Karnataka rose to 4,320 after 257 cases were recorded. The cases have risen over the past week with 388 cases recorded on Tuesday, which is the highest increase in a single day. Despite the rising cases, the state government appears keen to resume activities in the state including reopening schools and conducting Class 10 and 12 board exams. 

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179 stranded migrant workers airlifted to Raipur from Bengaluru in chartered flight

Migrant Workers

The air travel was arranged by the alumni of the Bengaluru-based National Law School of India University (NLSIU) and a few generous donors.

PTI

Image for representation

Helped by a group of law school graduates and generous donors, 179 stranded migrant workers, including women and children, were airlifted from Bengaluru to Chhattisgarh's capital Raipur on Thursday in a chartered flight. The air travel was arranged by the alumni of the Bengaluru-based National Law School of India University (NLSIU) and a few generous donors. It was the latest in a series of such flights arranged by well-meaning individuals to ferry migrant workers stranded in various parts of the country due to the coronavirus- enforced lockdown and provide them hassle-free travel. The IndiGo flight carrying 179 migrants, including women and children, took off from the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru around 8 am and landed at the Swami Vivekanand Airport in Raipur around 10 am, a Raipur airport official told PTI. A few civil society organisations in Chhattisgarh decided to bring back by flight over 350 migrant workers from Karnataka and contacted alumni of the NLSIU and National Academy of Legal Studies and Research (NALSAR), Hyderabad, said Vinaysheel, who coordinated the effort. Alumni of the NLSUI paid for air travel of 179 passengers who landed in Raipur on Thursday while the travel cost of other 174 migrants, scheduled to land here from Bengaluru on June 5, was being footed by alumni of NALSAR, he said. The flight was sponsored by Ajay Bahl, the managing partner of a leading law firm, whereas the NLS Alumni team liaised with the Chhattisgarh government to ensure that the workers could reach their homes from Raipur, said Vijay Grover, a journalist who has been working for the cause of migrant workers stranded in Karnataka. The check-in process for the flight was carried out around midnight, Grover told PTI. He said that former students of the National Law School of India under their initiative 'Mission Aahan Vaahan', with contributions from within the alumni network as well as sponsorship from generous donors, ferried more than 500 stranded workers by chartered flights to Jharkhand and Odisha from Mumbai since May 28. "This is the first flight out of Bengaluru under Mission Aahan Vahaan and the initiative has been managed primarily by some NLS Alumni members who are based in Bengaluru," Grover said. Coming out of the Raipur airport, migrants looked relaxed and happy. For almost all of them, it was their first experience of air travel. "I am happy to have come back safely. I am thankful to all those who helped us return," said Rajni Chandra (28) who was carrying her two-year-old child in her arms. Chandra, who worked as a labourer at a construction site in Karnataka, was stuck there after lockdown was imposed in March to contain coronavirus. She was a bit jittery as she was traveling by aircraft for the first time, but the journey will remain etched in her memory forever, she said. The Raipur district administration made arrangement for medical screening of arriving migrants at the airport and provided buses to ferry them to their respective districts, said a local official. The passengers will be quarantined after they reach their home districts, he said.

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States prod nursing homes to take more Covid-19 patients

Offered vastly higher reimbursements, many substandard facilities are jumping at the chance to accept sick residents.

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Police arrest tactics at protests add to virus risk

The arrest and detention of thousands jeopardizes the health of demonstrators — and that of police officers and the broader community.

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