In today’s edition: The row over Rohingya housing; restructuring of BJP’s Parliamentary Board; India’s road to ‘developed nation’; and more
The Big Story
Hours after Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri announced that Rohingya “refugees” would be provided housing and police protection in Delhi, the Home Minister’s Office denied any such move, and said “illegal foreigners” will be kept in a detention centre until their deportation.
🔴 Puri’s announcement, sources said, went against everything that the BJP and the government had said over the past five years on the issue. They added that there was shock and annoyance within the BJP and the larger Sangh Parivar over his announcement.
🔴 Puri backed down, saying “Home Ministry’s press release with respect to the issue of Rohingya illegal foreigners gives out the correct position”.
🔴 Meanwhile, worry and resignation prevailed in the Madanpur Khadar Rohingya colony at the centre of the row. The question of where the refugees will stay became more urgent after a fire burnt down close to 50 hutments in the area in June 2021 and left 250 people without a roof over their heads.
Only in the Express
After the Gurdwara Dashmesh Pita in Kabul was destroyed in an attack, claimed by the Islamic State, the Taliban regime gave 40 lakh Afghani rupees for its rebuilding and brought in their engineers to assess the damage, the Hindu and Sikh community in charge of the construction work told The Indian Express.
Speaking about her ordeal with moral policing, a former professor from St Xaviers University, Kolkata, writes in an anonymous Opinion column, “I was summoned to the university via a phone call on October 7 on the pretext of a meeting with the Vice-Chancellor. The meeting turned out to be a modern re-enactment of a witch trial where I was interrogated and subsequently slutshamed over my private Instagram pictures.”
From the Front Page
Restructuring its Parliamentary Board, the party’s apex decision-making body, and the Central Election Committee (CEC) after eight years, the BJP introduced six new faces, including former Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, while dropping Union minister Nitin Gadkari and Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
Breaking her silence for the first time after the release on remission of the 11 convicts who were convicted of gangraping her and killing 14 members of her family, including her three-year-old daughter, Bilkis Bano said on Wednesday that she was “bereft of words” and “still numb”. “how can justice for any woman end like this?” she said in a statement issued by her advocate Shobha Gupta.
Must Read
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Electoral Officer Hirdesh Kumar said around 25 lakh new voters are expected to be enrolled in the Union Territory, with those “ordinarily” residing in J&K and having achieved the age of 18 or above as on October 1 to be included. A special summary revision of electoral rolls is being held for the first time in J&K after abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, a precursor to long-awaited elections in the state.
In his Independence Day address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked Indians to embrace the “Panch Pran” — five vows — the first one being for India to become a developed country in the next 25 years. We explain:
👉 What is a “developed” country?
👉 Why is the United Nations classification of ‘developed’ and ‘developing’ countries contested, and where does India stand?
👉 How much can India achieve by 2047?
And Finally…
Candidates had to answer 37 mind-twisting questions to crack the Indian cricket board’s level-2 exam for umpires, which was held last month in Ahmedabad. Clearing the exam is the first step in the making of an Elite BCCI umpire who can stand in international games. Only three of the 140 aspirants made the cut.
Delhi Confidential: As the Supreme Court heard the case involving FIFA’s ban on All India Football Federation, Kerala-based football club Sree Gokulam FC was stranded in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, where it has gone to participate in the AFC Women’s Club Championship. The club was waiting for official communication from the government to FIFA to allow them to play in the tournament. Told about the anxious players, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta personally intervened to ensure the Sports Ministry sent the communication immediately.
🎧 In today’s episode of the ‘3 Things’ podcast, eminent conservationists Ravi Chellam and Prerna Bindra discuss the scientific, logical and ethical concerns of bringing Cheetahs to India.
Until next time,
Sonal Gupta and Srishti Kapoor
