Tag: 2020

Delhi Riots 2020: Man accused of killing cop arrested in UP’s Aligarh

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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One of the main accused in the killing of a head constable during the Delhi Riots of 2020 has finally been arrested by police. The accused, named Mohammed Wasim, was picked up two years after the incident from Uttar Pradesh’s Aligarh. He had been hiding at various places in the state.

Wasim had allegedly been part of a mob that had killed head constable Ratan Lal and injured over 50 police officers, including then Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Shahdara Amit Sharma and then ACP of Gokal Puri Anuj Kumar. While the police had earlier managed to nab 22 of the accused in the incident, Wasim along with four of his associates had managed to escape the police at the time.

Constable Lal had died when he tried to save Sharma and Kumar and sustained over 24 grievous injuries.

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Wasim is also accused of allegedly creating, planting and attacking the police using crude bombs during the riots. The police said that Wasim had placed the bombs on the terraces of houses in a lane where the mob confronted the police.

“He was also present on the ground and attacked Lal and other policemen with weapons. It was a melee as a big group of protesters were moving towards the police and a few locals were running towards their homes,” sources told Indian Express.

ALSO READ: Russian national arrested by CBI for JEE Main exam hacking in 2021

The riots had erupted post the anti-CAA protests and in the immediate aftermath of the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) victory in the Delhi elections. The protests coincided with US President Donald J Trump’s visit to the city and resulted in 53 deaths, 550 injured, and the destruction of 122 houses, and hundreds of shops and vehicles. Thousands were displaced from their homes and lost their businesses.

The Delhi Police registered over 750 cases and arrested over 2,500 individuals under various provisions, including Sections under UAPA.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

NCW received 23,722 complaints in 2020, highest in six years

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The National Commission for Women received 23,722 complaints of crimes committed against women in 2020, the highest in the last six years.

Nearly one-fourth of the total complaints were of domestic violence, according to NCW data.

Among states, the highest number of complaints were received from Uttar Pradesh at 11,872 followed by Delhi 2,635, Haryana 1,266 and Maharashtra 1,188, it added.

Of the 23,722 complaints, 7,708 complaints were received under the right to live with dignity clause.

The right to live with dignity clause takes into account the emotional abuse of women.

According to the NCW data, a total of 5,294 complaints were related to domestic violence.

NCW Chairperson Rekha Sharma said economic insecurity, increased stress levels, anxiety, financial worry, and lack of other such emotional support from parents/family’s side may have resulted in domestic violence in many instances in 2020.

“More so, home has become the workplace of both the spouses and as well as schools and colleges for their children. In such situations, women are multitasking being professional at the same time supporting their families from the same space. But the biggest challenge for women this year is not only to adapt but to thrive in this unprecedented situation,” she told PTI.

The number of complaints received in 2020 have been the highest in six years. In 2014, a total of 33,906 complaints were received, according to the NCW data.

The NCW was flooded with complaints of domestic violence in March as the lockdown, imposed in view of the coronavirus outbreak, forced women to remain confined to their homes with their abusers.

The number of complaints of domestic violence went on increasing through the months and in July, a record number of 660 such complaints were received.

Sharma underlined how domestic violence remained a serious concern for the commission through the year.

“Victims of domestic violence are distanced from their regular support systems making it difficult for them to call out for help. The series of COVID-19 lockdowns in India reduced the opportunities of reporting of domestic violence cases,” she said.

The NCW chairperson said the lockdown incapacitated women by preventing them from moving to safer places in cases of violence and abuse, reduced contact with the natal family which is usually the first point of contact for the victim.

“The machinery under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act had not been identified as an essential service during the lockdown. Hence, protection officers and NGOs were not able to visit households of victims and police officers being at the frontline to tackle COVID-19 were overstretched to help victims effectively,” she said.

After the right to live with dignity and domestic violence, the third highest number of complaints have been of harassment of married women or dowry harassment at 3.784 followed by that of molestation at 1,679.

According to the data, 1,276 complaints of police apathy towards women and 704 complaints of cyber crime were received by the commission.

As many as 1,234 complaints of rape and attempt to rape were received while 376 complaints of sexual harassment were received by the commission in 2020, the data showed.

Sharma encouraged women to reach out to the NCW whenever they want.

In 2021, she said the commission will continue to work with commitment to ensure justice and empowerment to even the last woman standing at periphery and will continue with its endeavours.

Women rights activist Yogita Bhayana, who heads the People Against Rape in India (PARI), the high rate might also be because of high awareness among women to talk about such incidents and report them.

“There has been an increase because there is also an increase in awareness because women are getting more proactive reporting it and talking about it. Earlier they used to suppress their grievances and the government is also spreading awareness and women get motivated by other women reporting it,” she said.                             “Because of social media the reporting of domestic violence has increased. Women have become more vocal and they have less tolerance which is very good,” Bhayana added.

Another women rights activist Shamina Shafiq said the government needs to talk strongly about domestic violence.

“Unfortunately a man feels it is his right to beat a woman and he enjoys the fact that I am the one in control of the life of another person. There should be writing on the wall that spousal violence is wrong,” she said.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Here is what people miss about workplace

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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With work-from-home taking over most of our lives in 2020, do people miss going to their workplaces?

A WeWork year-end survey reveals that office parties, tea breaks, street food treats, meetings and even their office chairs, top the list of what people missed most about their workspace while hustling from home.

The survey was carried out on respondents across levels and industries including IT, Internet, Hospitality, Human Resource, and three major metros — Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi. The survey was taken by 3,000 plus participants.

Here are some of the key insights gathered from the survey that reveal what people missed most about offices and expected trends of how workplaces in 2021 will look like:

“Keep calm and drink beer”

When asked, “What is the one thing that everyone misses most about the office but won’t say out loud”, a majority of the respondents agreed that they miss office parties – for the free beer. Among the top responses, about 33 per cent (LinkedIn) of the respondents also said that a break from family drama is sorely missed, and around 23 per cent (Twitter), missed that one glimpse of their office crush when away.

“I want my chair back!”

Working from home has led us to work from beds, sofas, bean bags or even floors. A majority of the respondents in the survey revealed that they want to go back to work because they want their office chairs back. Also, the satisfaction of uninstalling Zoom and prepping for a one-on-one meeting is what respondents look forward to the most upon their return.

“Back to work, back to life”

About 60 per cent of the respondents rated the ‘lack of company and reduced personal connect with colleagues’, distractions during work — like children, visitors, housework and ‘monotony of being in the same environment’ as the top reasons to go back to work.

“Stuck in traffic, no more an excuse”

About 76 per cent of the post-pandemic world don’t wish to travel more than 5 km to get to work. Workspaces near homes and flexible workplaces are the need of the hour.

“Safety and Hygiene is non-negotiable”

Almost two-thirds of the respondents said that strict social distancing norms had a very high likelihood to increase their willingness to go back to the office. An extra cautious and apparent behaviour toward safety and hygiene is what every respondent in the post-pandemic world will be indulging in.

“Office lunchtime is bae”

When asked about the importance of lunch breaks, 33 percent responded that a typical lunch while working is with colleagues and a side of office gossip. However, if that’s what one doesn’t choose to indulge in, street food treats during and post work come to the rescue as well.

“Miss you everyday, chaiwala bhaiya”

More than 40 percent agree that the one thing they missed about the office but would rather not say it out loud is that they missed their tapri wali chai (local tea stall)

“The year 2020 was a massive change not just for the business but for the entire human race globally. It changed how we worked and lived, blurring lines and sense of time. As 2020 was drawing to a close, we decided to lighten up the mood a little and hence we planned this year-end survey to find out in all honesty if and what people miss about their offices. And the survey did reveal some really fascinating and quirky insights. Respondents opened their hearts and their responses have also helped us identify their exact needs from workplaces in 2021. We observed enthusiasm to go back to work in a safe and healthy environment,” Vineet Singh, Head of Brand and Marketing at WeWork India signed off.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

2020: Bihar went to polls amid COVID 19; NDA scraped through, oppn came out stronger

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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In a year that left the world in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bihar pulled off a mammoth electoral exercise which saw the NDA retain power but a reinvigorated opposition snapping at its heels. The state was relatively less affected by the deadly coronavirus, accounting for under five per cent of the total cases in the country, and an even smaller percentage of fatalities, despite being home to almost one-tenth of its population.

Nonetheless, it bore the brunt of a massive migrant crisis triggered by the pandemic-induced nationwide lockdown that rendered millions of people homeless and jobless, forcing them to undertake arduous treks to their native villages hundreds of miles away from their places of work.

Bihar also remained in news for the dramatic turn of events following Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s suicide in Mumbai. The FIR lodged against actress Rhea Chakraborty by the actor’s Patna-based father, and alleged attempts by Mumbai police to hinder the investigation prompted the Nitish Kumar government to recommend a CBI probe into the matter, a request quickly accepted by the Centre. The Shiv Sena, which heads the ruling coalition in Maharashtra, smelt a rat and alleged that the Bihar chief minister was acting with his eyes on ”electoral gains”.

Although the CBI investigation opened a can of worms in the film industry over alleged bias against outsiders and consumption of drugs, it is yet to find any incriminating evidence against Chakraborty, an ex-girlfriend of Rajput, linking her to his suicide. She hit back with a counter-complaint against the deceased actor’s sisters, accusing them of giving statements in the media aimed at misleading the probe.

The emotive issue, however, disappeared from public discourse as the assembly elections drew nearer and matters pertaining to governance took centre stage. The state’s outspoken police chief Gupteshwar Pandey, who hogged media limelight during the row between Bihar and Maharashtra police over Rajput’s suicide probe, took VRS and joined the chief minister’s JD(U) hoping to make a splash in the elections, could not secure a ticket and was left cooling his heels on the sideline.

While the NDA emerged victorious, its composition underwent a change with the entry of smaller players like Jitan Ram Manjhi’s HAM and Mukesh Sahni’s VIP. More importantly, the BJP emerged as the stronger partner, returning with a tally far greater than that of the JD(U), a development that is expected to alter power equations in the times to come.

The JD(U) blamed the slump in its tally on the brinkmanship of LJP leader Chirag Paswan, who pulled out of the NDA and fielded candidates against many of Nitish Kumar’s nominees. He also levelled a litany of allegations over governance and claimed Kumar misbehaved with his late father and Lok Janshakti Party founder Ram Vilas Paswan. In the opposition camp, Lalu Prasad’s younger son and heir apparent Tejashwi Yadav came of age, steering the RJD to an impressive performance in the assembly polls, though the Grand Alliance helmed by his party fell short of getting a majority.

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Quite expectedly, accusatory fingers were pointed towards the Congress which seemed to have pulled the five- party coalition down, contesting 70 seats but winning only 19. In contrast, the moribund Left performed beyond expectations, with the CPI, CPI(M) and the CPI(ML) together winning 20 out of the 29 seats the three parties contested.

Yadav, however, maintained that the NDA owed its victory to alleged manipulations by pliant district-level officials. His party is hopeful of a major upset in political equations in the not-so-distant future, with an aggressive BJP flexing its muscles and a weakened Nitish Kumar worried about a possible diminution in his clout.

The NDA enjoys a slender majority with 125 seats in the 243-strong assembly. The Grand Alliance has a tally of 110. In a surprise development, Sushil Kumar Modi, the most visible face of the BJP in Bihar since the 1990s, was relieved of his duties as the deputy chief minister, with some analysts citing his failure to assert himself before Nitish Kumar as the reason.

The saffron party’s Tarkishore Prasad and Renu Devi were sworn in as Kumar’s new deputies. Modi was recently elected to the Rajya Sabha from the seat that had fallen vacant after Paswan’s death. There is talk of his possible induction into the Modi government.

The JD(U) chief is, meanwhile, working towards regaining lost ground. To this end, he is understood to have been giving a thought to mending fences with allies-turned- adversaries such as Upendra Kushwaha, whose RLSP drew a blank in the assembly polls. RLSP’s poll ally AIMIM, headed by Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi, however, got lucky. It won five seats, notwithstanding accusations by the Grand Alliance that its entry into Bihar was aimed at helping the BJP-led NDA by communally polarising voters, especially in the Seemanchal region which has a large Muslim population.

Although Bihar has not witnessed protests by farmers organisations against the three contentious agriculture marketing laws on a scale comparable to northern states, political parties outside the NDA have supported the agitation. The state saw many demonstrations against the CAA- NPR-NRC before COVID-19 struck and large public gatherings were banned.

CPI’s rising star Kanhaiya Kumar undertook a spirited statewide tour against the CAA while fellow JNUite Sharjeel Imam, who has been booked for sedition, was arrested in his home town Jehanabad for his alleged inflammatory speeches on the issue. Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) ended up supporting the Citizenship Amendment Bill in Parliament and ousted dissidents like Pavan Varma and Prashant Kishor, who said the move could cost the JD(U) its following among Muslims.

The chief minister, however, attempted a damage control and a resolution opposing a country-wide NRC was unanimously passed by the assembly with more than 50 BJP MLAs supporting it.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Rewind 2020: A year full of undesired surprises

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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2020 has been a year like no other. Over 100 million people in India lost their jobs by the end of March when a lockdown was imposed to combat COVID-19. Since then, many who managed to hold on to their jobs were forced to take pay cuts. CNBC-TV18’s Ritu Singh looks back at the year that was for India’s job market and finds that employment rate has been falling since 2017.

2020 will also be remembered as a year when the India-China relations went through a hard reset. Embroiled in a border stand-off in eastern Ladakh since May, 20 Indian soldiers were killed in June, in what were the worst clashes between Indian and Chinese troops in 45 years. The Chinese side too suffered casualties. India has retaliated by banning Chinese apps and putting Chinese investments under greater scrutiny. Nine months since the border tensions began, lakhs of Indian and Chinese troops remain deployed at the LAC. China has refused to pull back troops from Indian positions and instead wants India to accept the new status quo. So, will the LAC standoff pan out in 2021 in a way that benefits India? CNBC-TV18’s Parikshit Luthra looks for some answers.

2020 also saw the centre cross swords with most state governments – and again, it was the fragile GST that was at the crux of the dispute. Things came to a head when the government threw its hands up and said the prolonged lockdown had left its coffers empty and the near-zero balance in the GST compensation fund meant states could not be compensated. CNBC-TV18’s Timsy Jaipuria recounts the skirmish that ended with most states tapping out.

This year has taught us about how we could work from home over an extended period of time. And while the jury may still be out on just how effective work-from-home is, we bring you two contrasting stories from Chennai and Delhi, on how working from home worked out in two different ways for two different people. Here’s the story of Neha and Abu, and their work-from-home journey.

For full show, watch the video

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Housing sales to fall 47% in 2020 across 7 top cities due to COVID-19: Report

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Housing sales across seven major cities are estimated to fall 47 percent year-on-year to 1.38 lakh units this year on lower demand because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to property consultant Anarock. New housing supply, too, is likely to fall 46 percent to 1.28 lakh units in 2020 in seven cities — Delhi-NCR, Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), Pune, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai and Kolkata.

Releasing its data 10 days before the end of this year, Anaraock said the total home sales in seven cities are estimated at over 1.38 lakh units in 2020 against 2.61 lakh units in 2019. New housing supply in 2020 declined to 1.28 lakh units this year from about 2.37 lakh during 2019. While residential real estate bottomed out in 2020 against the previous peak of 2014, there are strong revival signs during the October-December quarter, the report said.

Commenting on the data, Anarock Chairman Anuj Puri said: ”2020 has been an unprecedented year due to COVID-19, causing all-round upheaval. However, the residential segment was quick to pick up momentum in the last two quarters of 2020 on the back of growing homeownership sentiment – catalysed by the exigencies of the pandemic”.

This pent-up demand was further accelerated by the ongoing discounts and offers, the prevailing lowest-best home loan interest rates and limited-period stamp duty cuts in states such as Maharashtra, he added.

Mumbai Metropolitan Region is expected to see maximum sales of about 44,320 units this year followed by Bengaluru  with 24,910 units. As per the data, housing sales in MMR are likely to be around 44,320 units this year, a decline of 45 percent from 80,870 units in 2019.

Bengaluru, housing sales are estimated to fall 51 percent to 24,910 units in 2020, against 50,450 units in 2019. Housing sales in Pune are expected to drop 42 percent to 23,460 units in 2020 from 40,790 units last year.

Delhi-NCR is likely to witness a fall of 51 percent in sales to 23,210 units in 2020 from 46,920 units last year. The sales of residential properties in Hyderabad may decline by 48 percent to8,560 units in 2020 compared to 16,590 units in 2019. Chennai, housing sales are expected to dip at 6,740 units this year as against 11,820 units in 2019.

Housing sales in Kolkata are seen at 7,150 units in 2020 against 13,930 units in 2019, a a49 percent yearly drop. The unsold housing stocks are likely to decline 2 percent to 6,38,020 units this year from about 6,48,400 units in 2019-end.

Also Read: Indian real estate is recovering, but it’s the big brands making money

Realtors’ apex bodies CREDAI and NAREDCO do not compile data of new supply and sales of their total 25,000 developer members. The housing market data are being provided by a few property consultants and data analytics firms on a quarterly basis. Listed real estate companies also provide their own quarterly sales bookings and launch numbers.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow