Last year, the death of a 19-year-old woman in Uttar Pradesh had sparked outrage

News Desk

NEW DELHI: The alleged rape and murder of a nine-year-old, low-caste girl has sparked a third day of protests in India’s capital, in the latest case to spotlight the country’s high levels of sexual violence.

Hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets in New Delhi on Tuesday, holding banners reading “give justice to the little girl” and demanding the death penalty for the four men accused of the crime.The 200-million-strong lowest caste Dalit community has long faced discrimination and abuse in India, with attacks increasing since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted on Tuesday that the alleged attack was “barbaric” and “shameful”.”There is a need to improve the law and order situation in Delhi,” he wrote, adding that he would meet with the girl’s family on Wednesday.Opposition Congress leader Rahul Gandhi tweeted Tuesday that “a Dalit’s daughter is also the daughter of the country”.

The girl’s family told local media she was cremated without their consent and feared she was assaulted by a priest and three crematorium workers.Terrorism of casteists in India at peak level like Delhi cantt ‘s 9 years old girl rape and murder incident, Hathras rape and murder case and also cremated forcefully by criminals#JusticeForDelhiCanttGirl #RapistShould_BePunished

She had gone to the crematorium, which is located near the family’s home in southwest Delhi, to fetch water on Sunday.The four men allegedly called her mother to the crematorium and told her the girl had been electrocuted.Her mother was told that if she reported the incident to the police, doctors conducting an autopsy would remove her organs and sell them, Deputy Commissioner of Police for southwest Delhi, Ingit Pratap Singh, told the Hindustan Times.The child’s body was then cremated, Singh added.

Last year, the death of a 19-year-old woman from her injuries after being allegedly raped by four upper-caste men in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh sparked outrage across the country and triggered days of protests.

ISLAMABAD, Aug 04 (DNA): Tactics to change demographics of the occupied valley which have been a linchpin of the BJP’s Hindu-supremacist agenda in post-August 5 Indian Occupied Kashmir were denounced by speakers at the 15th meeting of Institute of Policy Studies-Working Group on Kashmir (IPS-WGK).

The agenda of the meeting organized by IPS was to discuss Indian attempts to change the demography of Kashmir during the last two years. Among the speakers were Syed Abrar Hussain, former ambassador and vice chairman IPS, Iftikhar Gillani, a senior Kashmiri journalist, Farzana Yaqoob, former AJ&K minister and General Secretary IPS-WGK, Ambassador (retd) Tajammul Altaf, senior research associate at IPS, Advocate Nasir Qadri, International Law Expert from Legal Forum for Oppressed Voices of Kashmir (LFOVK), and Naufil Shahrukh, GM Operations at IPS. The session was chaired by IPS Chairman Khalid Rahman.

It was observed during the discussion that under the new laws imposed by the Modi government, domicile certificates are being awarded to a number of individuals from outside the valley as any person who has studied or lived in the region for 15 years is now eligible for domicile. Even the children of Indian government employees who have served in IOK for ten years are eligible to purchase land and properties.

The speakers rued the fact that Indian army and paramilitary forces, which have already illegally occupied tens of thousands of acres of private and public land, have been given legal impunity against usurping and occupying any land which they deem ‘strategic’ under new laws.

Nasir Qadri opined that Urdu is no more the only official language of the valley as the government has added Hindi, Dogri, English and Kashmiri as other official languages. He chastised the government’s action of setting up the Jammu and Kashmir Industrial Development Corporation that can acquire any land in the disputed valley. The corporation, he added, can use the government to invoke a land acquisition law if so needed, placing it above the law as no court can take action against the corporation in this regard.

Commenting on the findings of the former Indian foreign minister Yashwant Sinha-led commission, Concerned Citizens Group, which visited the valley recently, Iftikhar Gillani maintained that the demand for restoration of special status of the valley echoed among the people of Jammu and Kashmir including Ladakh as per the report issued by the commission. He also said that Kashmiris termed the abrogation of Article 370 and 35A as imposition of Hindutva agenda of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in Kashmir.

The session was told that the Indian government is bringing officers from outside the valley amid very thin representation of Kashmiri Muslims in the bureaucracy to run the government machinery. Moreover, a panel headed by a top police officer will review cases of government employees in the IOK who could be sacked under a law in the Indian Constitution.

Under new laws, applications for government jobs will now undergo harsher scrutiny as applicants are directed to produce a comprehensive ‘satisfactory report’ from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for selection.

Regarding the new media policy, the experts said that now a mid-level bureaucrat will decide whether the news is ‘fake’ or passes the government’s test. The new policy, as mentioned by the speakers, will deprive newspapers and publications of government advertisements for non-compliance. Furthermore, several journalists have been booked under an anti-terror law as punishment.

ISLAMABAD, AUG 4 /DNA/ – Amb Sajjad Haider Khan met with the Chairman of the Belarusian Universal Commodity Exchange (BUCE), Mr. Alexander Osmolovsky.  The meeting was also attended by the head of the organization’s Foreign Relations Department, Mr. Alexander Bashily. 
The Chairman briefed in detail regarding evolution, organizational structure, operations, and expanding international outreach of BUCE. Established in 2004 and the only mercantile exchange in Belarus, BUCE has flourished to enlist 26000 companies from 66 countries as its partners. Boasting of being the Eastern Europe’s largest spot exchange, it clocked in 400,000 transactions with an annual turnover of USD 2.5 billion. 
The setup is fashioned as a virtual platform for commodity trade wherein the buyers and sellers across the continents are facilitated through secure business transactions.
The two sides exchanged views on ways and means to promoting participation of Pakistani business community for expanding trade between the two countries. BUCE agreed to hold series of virtual briefing sessions for the Pakistani business community.

Srinagar Aug 4: (DNA ) JK Salvation Movement chairman Altaf Ahmad Bhat on Wednesday appealed people of occupied Jammu Kashmir  to  observe a shutdown on Aug. 5, saying this is the day when occupiers snatched our basic and fundamental  rights .In a statement released here Altaf Ahmad Bhat said that India has no right to change status of Jammu Kashmir as its political  futre is yet to be decided.In a statement , Altaf Ahmad Bhat  said the day should be observed in every nook and corner of besieged state  and people need to resist as the step was taken to alter demography ad muslim identity of disputed state.We appeal  Kashmiri diaspora to hold protest  rallies outside Indian embassies, he said.Altaf Ahmad Bhat while criticising New Delhi for its dictatorial approach,  said that they are following their Hinduta dogma and they have  turned state into forces garrison .“Kashmiris will never relinquish their rightful struggle for their rights,” he added.He in his statement deplored state administration, saying that state of jammu kashmir has been turned into a big jail where youth are arrested on fake charges .He expressed his deep grief over the plight of detainees and added that those resisted the illogical move were being ill  treated and even basic faciities are denied to them.