'Ploy to divert attention from illegalities': Indian govt refutes Amnesty's claims

Controversy

The government said that all the "glossy statements" about humanitarian work were a "ploy to divert attention" from Amnesty's activities which violated Indian laws.

PTI

Representational image

The Union Home Ministry on Tuesday strongly refuted Amnesty International's allegation that it was being subjected to an "incessant witch-hunt", saying India, by settled law, does not allow interference in domestic political debates by entities funded by foreign donations. Coming down heavily on the organisation, the ministry also said all the "glossy statements" about humanitarian work and speaking truth to power are nothing but a "ploy to divert attention" from their activities which were in clear contravention of laid down Indian laws. The Amnesty International's statement was "unfortunate, exaggerated and far from the truth," the home ministry said. "Such statements are also an attempt to extraneously influence the course of investigations by multiple agencies into the irregularities and illegalities carried out over the last few years," the home ministry said in a detailed statement. The home ministry said the Amnesty International had received permission under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) only once and that too 20 years ago, on December 19, 2000. Since then the organisation, despite its repeated applications, has been denied FCRA approval by successive governments since as per law it is not eligible for it. However, in order to circumvent the FCRA regulations, Amnesty UK remitted large amounts of money to four entities registered in India by classifying it as Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). A significant amount of foreign money was also remitted to Amnesty (India) without MHA's approval under the FCRA. "This mala fide rerouting of money was in contravention of extant legal provisions," it said. Owing to these illegal practices of Amnesty, the previous government had also rejected the repeated applications of Amnesty to receive funds from overseas, the home ministry said.This had led Amnesty to suspend its India operations once during that period as well. The home ministry said this bipartisan and purely legal approach towards Amnesty, under different governments, makes it clear that the entire fault lies in the dubious processes adopted by Amnesty to secure funds for its operations. "The stand taken and the statements made by Amnesty International are unfortunate, exaggerated and far from the truth," the home ministry said. The home ministry said Amnesty is free to continue humanitarian work in India, as is being done by many other organisations. "However, India, by settled law, does not allow interference in domestic political debates by entities funded by foreign donations. "This law applies equally to all and it shall apply to Amnesty International as well," the home ministry statement said. India has a rich and pluralistic democratic culture with a free press, independent judiciary and a tradition of vibrant domestic debate, it said. The people of India have placed unprecedented trust in the current government, the home ministry said. "The Amnesty's failure to comply with local regulations does not entitle them to make comments on the democratic and plural character of India," it said. Earlier in the day, the Amnesty International said it is halting all its activities in India due to freezing of its accounts and claimed that it is being subjected to an "incessant witch-hunt" over unfounded and motivated allegations. The Amnesty India said the organisation has been compelled to let go of staff in India and pause all its ongoing campaign and research work. "The complete freezing of Amnesty International India's bank accounts by the Government of India which it came to know on 10 September 2020, brings all the work being done by the organization to a grinding halt," the Amnesty said in its statement.

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Writer and literary critic GS Amur passes away in Bengaluru

Obituary

The writer, known for his proficiency in both Kannada and English, was a recipient of several prestigious honours, including the Sahitya Akademi Award, Rajyotsava Award and Bharatiya Bhasha Award.

TNM Staff

GS Amur

Veteran writer and literary critic Dr G S Amur died on Monday due to age related ailments. He was 95 and he passed away at his residence in Bengaluru, his family members said. The literateur, known for his proficiency in both Kannada and English, was a recipient of several prestigious honours, including the Sahitya Akademi Award, Rajyotsava Award and Bharatiya Bhasha Award. GS Amur was born in Bommanahalli of Dharwad district in 1925. He had a long career as an English professor at various universities in Maharashtra and Karnataka. His much acclaimed books in Kannada include 'Are Kannada Kadambariya Belavanige', 'Arthaloka', 'Vyavasaya' and 'Kaadambariya Swaroopa'. Amur's English works included 'Forbidden Fruit, Views on Indo-Anglian Fiction' and 'Colonial Consciousness in Commonwealth Literature'. In his condolence message, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said Amur got his doctorate for his thesis on 'The Concept of Comedy: A Re-statement’. "Amur had equal command over English and Kannada. He was the leading figure in critiquing the modern Kannada literature," he said. As a noted critic of English literature, he wrote extensively about the works of late RK Narayan and Raja Rao, both hailing from the state. His works on the poetry of Jnanapeetha awardee, the late Da. Ra. Bendre, and on the works of AN Krishnaraya, Sriranga and on the evolution of the Kannada novel are highly acclaimed and enjoy a vast readership even to this day. He received the Sahitya Academy Award in 1996 and the highest literary award of Kannada, the Pampa award, in 2006. Recently, he was chosen for the Nrupatanga award for lifetime work in literary criticism. 

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2 months after seizing 750 MDMA tablets in Bengaluru, NCB nabs 4 in drug case

Crime

The drugs were also reportedly sold to college students in Udupi, Karnataka.

TNM Staff

The Narcotics Control Bureau in Bengaluru has arrested four members of a drug syndicate following detailed analysis of a parcel which was sent to India from the Netherlands in July this year. Apart from selling these drugs all over the country online, the accused also used to sell the contraband to college students in Udupi, Karnataka, the central agency said. After intercepting the parcel in July, the NCB had, at the time, seized 750 MDMA tablets which were ordered through the dark web. The payment for the same was made with bitcoins. In a press note, the NCB said, “On the basis of specific information the NCB BZU had seized a parcel destined to India from Netherlands on 30/07/2020 from foreign post office. The said parcel was found to contain 750 tablets (142 gms) of MDMA. There was no address mentioned of the consignee on the parcel. Thus, detailed technical analysis with manual intelligence was carried out. On 24/09/2020, the detailed investigation in the case with the help of digital analysis led NCB team to the arrest of all the syndicate members.” The accused have been identified as consignee K Pramodh, mastermind Fahim and their associates, A Hashir and SS Shetty.  The NCB said Fahim had learnt the concept of purchasing drugs online on the darknet after watching a web series. He started purchasing bitcoins and used them to order drugs from the darknet. “Fahim used to deliver consignment at various addresses in India and thereafter collect from there. He further sold the drugs to students of various colleges in Udupi. Further investigations of the forward linkages are underway,” the NCB said. These arrests come after the NCB earlier this month had raided the residence of a Bengaluru corporator and his son in connection with another case. Earlier in August, the NCB had managed to bust an international drug racket in multicity raids including in Bengaluru which had eventually led to the ongoing drugs case against the Sandalwood industry.

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Child allegedly beaten to death by self-styled godman and brother in Karnataka

Crime

The ‘baba’ claimed that the child was possessed by ‘evil spirits’ and proceeded to beat her as part of the ‘treatment’.

TNM Staff

Image for representation

A three-year-old child, who was reportedly suffering from night terrors, was allegedly murdered by a self-styled godman and his brother on Sunday at Ajjikyaathanahalli village in Chitradurga district of Karnataka, in an attempt to ‘cure’ her of them. According to multiple reports, the parents took their child to the self-styled godman for treatment as the child was experiencing nightmares. The ‘baba’ claimed that the child was possessed by ‘evil spirits’ and allegedly beat up the child for almost an hour while the parents who were standing nearby did not intervene. The accused have been identified as Rakesh (19) and his brother Purushotham (21) who were living in a hut in the outskirts of the village and used to run a ‘clinic’ where they allegedly claimed to rid people of the evil spirits. When they realised that they had murdered the child, they allegedly lied to the parents that their child would regain consciousness in a couple of hours and fled from the scene. When the child did not wake after a couple of hours, the parents Praveen and Baby rushed her to a nearby health centre where the doctors declared that the child was dead upon arrival. Praveen who owns a tea shop in the village has another child, a one-year-old son, according to a report in the Times of India. A police complaint was filed with the Chikkajajur police who arrested the accused nearly 300 km away from the scene of the crime as the duo had fled to Davanagere district. The accused are currently in judicial custody. They have been booked under the Indian Penal Code section 302 (murder) and section 3 of the Karnataka Prevention and Eradication of Inhuman Evil Practices and Black Magic Act, 2017, for practising black magic under which the accused can be jailed up to seven years, and in case of death, can be imprisoned for life.

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Sira and Tumakuru bypolls in Karnataka on November 3

Politics

Results for these elections will be declared on November 10.

TNM Staff

File image

The Election Commission of India, on Tuesday, announced that bypolls for two Assembly seats in Karnataka—Sira in Tumakuru and RR Nagar in Bengaluru—will be held on November 3. The result of these elections will be declared on November 10. The Sira seat had fallen vacant with the demise of B Sathyanarayana, the former MLA of the JD(S) after he succumbed to an advanced chronic liver disease at the age of 69 on August 4. The RR Nagar seat had remained vacant with the resignation of former Congress MLA and now BJP leader Munirathna. Munirathna was among the 17 who resigned with 16 other MLAs of the then ruling coalition to pave the way for the current BS Yediyurappa-led government. While many of his fellow “rebels” have been re-elected and secured ministerial posts, the election in RR Nagar was stalled due to a legal case until now.  MLC elections Similarly, elections to the four vacant Legislative Council seats in Karnataka will be held on October 28, the EC said on Tuesday. The four seats belonged to the category of Karnataka South-East Graduates' constituency, Karnataka West Graduates, Karnataka North-East Teachers and Bengaluru Teachers' constituency and have been vacant since June 30. R Chowda Reddy Thoopalli, SV Sankanur, Sharanappa Mattur and Puttanna represented the four constituencies in the Legislative Council. The EC had put the elections on hold for an undeclared period due to the coronavirus scare though the tenure of the four incumbents ended on June 30. According to the schedule announced by the Commission, the notification for the elections will be issued on October 1 while the last date of filing nominations is October 8. Scrutiny of nominations will take place on October 9 and the last date for the withdrawal of candidature is October 12. Polling will take place on October 28 from 8 am to 5 pm while the counting will be on November 2. The EC also issued guidelines for conduct of the elections in view of the COVID pandemic.

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Viral message says Bengaluru police seeking info on bachelor tenants, cops deny

Controversy

Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Kamal Pant clarified even if any cop has given any such oral instruction, it has no credence.

Soumya Chatterjee

Representational image

A screenshot of a notice purportedly issued by an apartment association in Bengaluru’s Whitefield asking residents to share personal details of bachelor tenants has gone viral and triggered much outrage. The notice further said that the local police have asked details of all tenants, especially bachelors and spinsters, as many such people living alone have been found to be consuming drugs. While the apartment association which purportedly issued this notice is yet to be identified, police have denied any involvement. Responding to a query on the “notice”, Bengaluru City Police on Twitter said that neither Kadugodi Police or Whitefield Police has issued such a notice. Clarification: Please be informed that no such notice/ circular has been issued by Whitefield and Kadugodi Police Stations. — BengaluruCityPolice (@BlrCityPolice) September 29, 2020 The note claims that residents are supposed to provide the police with the “name, contact number and flat number of bachelors/spinsters”. In addition, their vehicle numbers are also to be provided if they are going out or coming in late at night. Further residents are asked to report “suspicious activities like late night parties, drug consumption or storage or buying/selling the same”. The note which is also a clear case of moral policing also says, “Police affirmed to not worry….even if your suspicion goes wrong…” and that the police will carry random searches in all apartments in the Kadugodi area. Speaking with TNM, Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Kamal Pant, denied knowledge about the particular notice and questioned the veracity of the contents.   “We need to know which policeman has said this. If this is an oral advice given by a policeman, then it has no credence. I don’t think any policeman will be stupid enough to do this? If the police have to maintain surveillance, they will do it anyway,” he told TNM. The Commissioner also clarified that the police need a warrant under CrPC (criminal procedure code) 165 for a search to be carried out in an ongoing investigation and have to record the reason and subsequently satisfy the court about the need for such a warrant. ACP (Assistant Commissioner of Police) Whitefield Manoj Kumar also denied knowledge of any such instruction given by the police to apartment associations. He also said, “Random searches based on no proper grounds cannot be done. Only when there is information from an accused or a witness that something is hidden somewhere, we can conduct a search and seizure operation.” While police denied any development, some residents TNM spoke to alleged that police are keeping an informal database of bachelors and foreign nationals who stay as tenants in light of high-profile drug cases and increased seizures of contrabands. 

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Bengaluru police search private channel after complaint related to ‘sting’ on BSY family

Controversy

The police carried out searches at the offices of Power TV and the residence of a company official on Monday.

TNM Staff

Rakesh Shetty and BS Yediyurappa

Bengaluru police has begun an investigation against the management of a private television channel and carried out searches at the offices of Power TV and the residence of an official at the television channel on Monday. The police investigation was based on a complaint filed by the director of a construction company who was featured in a report by the channel which alleged acts of corruption. Power TV, a private Kannada television channel, ran a series of programmes last month using the audio of a sting operation allegedly done by an official in the channel on a member of the Chief Minister's family.  A police complaint was filed on September 24 by Chandrakanth Ramalingam, the director of a construction company - Ramalingam Construction Company Limited (RCCL) -  against Power TV.  The director's complaint alleged that an official from Power TV coerced him into making statements that he had made payments to political figures. He also alleged that these conversations were recorded by the channel without his consent. Chandrakanth also raised serious allegations that Rakesh Shetty said he would ensure Chandrakanth's outstanding amounts for various government contracts are paid and he would take commission for it. Police registered a case under the charges of criminal intimidation, forgery cheating and criminal conspiracy against officials of Power TV. Police obtained a search warrant to conduct searches in Power TV's office and the residence of Haseebur Rahanman, a company official. The search was limited to collecting physical and digital evidence relevant to the case. However, according to sources, police seized equipment and ensured that the channel went off air. RCCL, as per its website, is involved in construction and irrigation projects in Karnataka. Chandrakanth Ramalingam was arrested in 2016 by the ED and CBI in relation to a case of cash seizure and money laundering. TNM cannot describe the news report by Power TV since a temporary injunction obtained by BJP worker C Nagaraja Gowda from a civil judge prohibits the airing of "allegations against the Chief Minister of Karnataka, his family members and the BJP on the basis of false, fabricated and concocted stories prepared or edited by the defendants until the next hearing.” The injunction was granted on September 2 and as many as 55 defendants are mentioned in the order restricting them from reporting on the issue. Complicating matters further is a defamation case filed by Vijayendra, son of Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, on September 20, which names three officials from Power TV - Rakesh Shetty, managing director and editor-in-chief; and anchors Chandan Sharma and Rehman.  “Being in public life is not easy. You refuse illegal demands & reject requests of News channel head and the channel turns vicious against you & your family members. I won't take this lying down, Power TV. My first response - Criminal defamation - is on its way. More will follow,” Vijayendra said in a tweet.  Being in public life is not easy. You refuse illegal demands & reject requests of News channel head and the channel turns vicious against you & your family members. I won't take this lying down, Power TV. My first response - Criminal defamation - is on its way. More will follow. pic.twitter.com/4ZtjAOGSE6 — Vijayendra Yeddyurappa (@BYVijayendra) September 20, 2020 The opposition Congress, in a press conference on September 23, demanded Yediyurappa’s resignation and an independent probe on the allegations raised by Power TV’s sting operation.  “Propriety and probity in public life demands a complete, thorough and independent investigation of the allegations of corruption against BS Yeddyurappa and his family members. This is only possible by way of a time bound and an independent probe by a sitting Supreme Court judge or by the Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court himself, aided and assisted by an SIT,” the Karnataka Congress said in a press release.  The Congress also raked up the issue in the Karnataka Assembly where an emotional Yediyurappa challenged the Congress to prove the allegations made by the channel.

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