Tag: NRC

Delhi HC rejects Umar Khalid bail plea citing Jawaharlal Nehru

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

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The Delhi High Court on Tuesday, October 17, denied bail to ex-JNU student leader Umar Khalid. Revolution by itself is not always bloodless, the Delhi High Court said, while referring to India’s first PM Jawaharlal Nehru, who believed democracy has made revolution superfluous after Independence. A Bench of Justices Siddharth Mridul and Rajnish Bhatnagar made the reference while dealing with the content, context and use of certain phraseology in the speeches of former JNU student Umar Khalid, whose bail prayer it rejected in the 2020 north east Delhi riots case.

The court found the speeches prima facie incriminating and inflammatory. In one of his speeches delivered in February 2020, Khalid used words like Inquilabli Salam and Krantikari Istiqbal.

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During the arguments on the bail plea, the counsel for Khalid had tried to explain the meaning and import of Inquilabli Salam (Revolutionary Salute) and Krantikari Istiqbal (Revolutionary Welcome) by submitting that these words were used for greeting everyone and inviting the spirit of revolution. He had said these words were used in his speech in the context of people standing against a discriminatory law and protesting against it. 

It was also submitted that the protests were a call for an opposition to an unjust law, and in any case Khalid did not call for violence. In the submission of the appellant (Khalid), these words were used as a call to boycott an unjust law and the speech neither spread terror of any kind nor did it excite anyone present there and merely, a shamiana was set up, where people came and left peacefully and there was nothing provocative about the speech delivered by the appellant and it was only aimed at exposing the non-functioning government and the law targeting one community, the court noted as submissions made by Khalid’s counsel.

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However, the Bench was not impressed with Khalid’s argument, saying the call to revolution does not have to affect only the immediate gathering. The call to revolution may affect many beyond those who were visibly present, which is why this court finds it apt to mention Robespierre, who was at the vanguard of the French Revolution. This court is of the view that possibly, if the appellant had referred to Maximilien Robespierre for what he meant by revolution, he must have also known what revolution meant for our freedom fighter and first prime minister.

The very fact that Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru believed that democracy has made revolution superfluous after Independence and how it meant the complete opposite of a bloodless change, it said. The Bench said, revolution by itself isn’t always bloodless, which is why it is contradistinctly used with the prefix – a ‘bloodless’ revolution. So, when we use the expression, ‘revolution’, it is not necessarily bloodless.

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The Bench said the court is reminded of that although the activity of revolution in its essential quality may not be different but from the point of view of Robespierre and Nehru, in its potentiality and in its effect upon public tranquillity, there can be a vast difference. Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, and several others have been booked under the anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and provisions of the Indian Penal Code for allegedly being the “masterminds” of the February 2020 riots, which left 53 people dead and over 700 injured.

The violence had erupted during the protests against CAA and NRC.

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Assam eviction drive: What we know so far

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

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Horrific videos from the eviction drive in Assam’s Dholpur on Thursday have sparked outrage over police brutality on protesters. Two civilians were killed and nine policemen were injured in the mob fury that broke out when the government tried to evict illegal settlers. In the video, the police in riot gear can be seen firing on a man in a vest running towards them holding a lathi. After the protester takes a hit and falls to the ground, the policemen rain batons on him.

Later, a photographer approaches the protester lying on the ground and stomps on him and punched him repeatedly, even as policemen try to stop him. The photographer, identified as Bijoy Bania by the PTI, was employed by the district administration to document the Assam eviction drive. He was later arrested, DGP Bhaskarjyoti Mahanta said.

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Confirming that the video in circulation was from the eviction drive at Dholpur on Thursday, Assam Special DGP GP Singh said: “Wherever there were violations of SOPs and protocols, police will take action. The only thing I can say is that having seen the video, we will take action against him (Bania)… no questions asked.”

Phased eviction at Dholpur

More than 800 families have been evicted in Assam’s Darrang district under the state’s drive against “illegal encroachments”. Last Monday, the district administration carried out a similar drive in the Dholpur area.

“Continuing our drive against illegal encroachments, I am happy and compliment district administration of Darrang and @assampolice for having cleared about 4500 bigha, by evicting 800 households, demolishing 4 illegal religious structures and a private instn at Sipajhar, Darrang,” Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had tweeted on Monday.

Continuing our drive against illegal encroachments, I am happy and compliment district administration of Darrang and @assampolice for having cleared about 4500 bigha, by evicting 800 households, demolishing 4 illegal religious structures and a private instn at Sipajhar, Darrang. pic.twitter.com/eXG6XBNH6j

— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) September 20, 2021

The eviction drives on Monday and Thursday were carried out at Dholpur 1 and Dholpur 3 villages in Sipajhar of Darrang district which is largely inhabited by Bengali-speaking Muslims. The drive on Monday was peacefully conducted as most families dismantled their homes and moved elsewhere.

On Thursday, another 500 households, which were served notice a day earlier, were to be evicted. But villagers gathered to demand rehabilitation. The police said the mob of nearly 2,000 people attacked them, forcing the police to lathi charge and open fire. This resulted in two deaths.

What is the eviction drive

Prior to the state election, the BJP-led government had promised to free government land from encroachers and give them to the indigenous landless people of Assam. After being re-elected, the idea of eviction was first mooted by CM Sarma when he visited the region on June 7. Under his instructions, the district administration has been clearing the areas for afforestation and agriculture activities involving indigenous youth.

Similarly, the district administration had evicted 70 families in Hojai’s Lanka area and 25 families from Sonitpur’s Jamugurihat in June. The government plans to begin work on its multi-crore ‘Garukhuti Project’ in Sipajhar. The project is part of the state budget 2021-22.

On May 10, the Gauhati High Court had put on hold any eviction activity due to rising COVID-19 cases. However, the High Court vacated the order in August as the situation in the state improved.

Criticism

The government has drawn criticism from the opposition and social activists over how the eviction drive unfolded.

Congress’ Rahul Gandhi tweeted: “Assam is on state-sponsored fire. I stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in the state- no children of India deserve this.”

Assam is on state-sponsored fire.

I stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in the state- no children of India deserve this. pic.twitter.com/syo4BTIXKH

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) September 23, 2021

Condemning the incident, the All India United Democratic Front said the government should have given the locals adequate time to move out of the region.

“The process could have been carried out in an amicable manner. But chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma seeks to get sadistic pleasure by targeting innocent civilians. Assam seems to be turning into a police state with no rule of law. People of the state are watching and will give a befitting reply in due time,” AIUDF organising secretary Md. Aminul Islam said.

Activists said the local residents have been living in the area since the 1970s and were now being evicted without any proper rehabilitation plan.

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COVID, corruption charges among key challenges that Himanta Biswa Sarma faces as Assam CM

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

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Himanta Biswa Sarma was sworn in as the new chief minister of Assam on May 10 along with 13 members of his Cabinet. Sarma, who held the key portfolios of finance, health and education in the previous government, succeeded Sarbananda Sonowal as the 15th chief minister.

Sarma, who joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2015 after spending nearly two decades in Congress, has been rewarded for leading the party to two consecutive wins in Assam and in other states in the region as the convenor of the Northeast Democratic Alliance (NEDA). He was instrumental in the BJP’s forays in Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura Mizoram, Manipur, and Meghalaya.

This is a rare occasion in the history of BJP that a former Congress leader has been made the CM. The challenges are many for Sarma as he takes over the reins in Assam.

A list follows:

Rise in COVID-19 Cases

Though he has been credited with deftly handling the COVID-19 crisis in Assam as the health minister in the previous Sonowal government, a lot needs to be done to fight the second wave. Assam reported over 32,000 active cases and 1,500 deaths till date. The new CM has his task cut out to ensure these cases do not go up and the death rate plateaus.

Corruption Charges

While Sonowal was acknowledged as someone who believed in zero-corruption governance, there are a few allegations against Sarma. His name cropped up in the Saradha chit fund scam. Further, allegations of bribery were made against him by officials of Louis Berger, a consulting firm for a water supply project in Guwahati, which tarnished his image to some extent.

Religious Identity

Sarma went hammer and tongs on this issue in the elections by highlighting AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal as the biggest threat to Assam. By changing the stance from Assamese versus illegal immigrants to Hindu versus Muslims, the new CM has to now ensure welfare and development for all.

CAA and NRC

Sarma has the tough task of delivering on the promises of removing illegal Bangladeshis from the voter list as his party used this as a major political plank to return to power in Assam. The two slogans that struck a chord in the hearts of the Assamese, Jai Shri Ram and Joi Aai Axom (Hail Mother Assam) also worked in his favour. Sarma now has to do a balancing act like his predecessor, who did not allow anything untoward to happen in Assam.

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No decision on countrywide roll-out of NRC, MHA tells parliamentary panel

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

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The Centre has not taken any decision on the roll-out of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) for the whole country, the Ministry of Home Affairs has told a parliamentary panel.

“It has been clarified at various levels in government time and again that till now no decision has been taken to create National Register of Indian citizen,” the ministry told the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs headed by Congress leader Anand Sharma, according to a report tabled in Parliament on Tuesday.

The update of the NRC was carried out in Assam to identify bona fide Indian citizens living in the state but the initiative had created a nationwide uproar. A total of 3.3 crore people in Assam had applied to be included in it. Of them, 3.11 crore have been included in the document and 19.06 could not find place in the NRC, according to the final report published in August 2019.

There were statements by several BJP leaders seeking a nationwide roll-out of the NRC. The parliamentary committee had earlier observed that there is a lot of dissatisfaction and fear among the people regarding the National Population Register (NPR) and census.

In the action taken by the government on the committee recommendations with regard to the issue of fears associated with the National Population Register (NPR) and census, the home ministry said all individual-level information collected in census are confidential. In census, only aggregated data are released at various administrative levels. Like the earlier censuses, wide publicity measures would be taken up for creating proper awareness among public so as to conduct and complete the Census 2021 successfully.

The ministry said questionnaires for census along with that of the NPR have been tested at drive conducted successfully across the country. The committee was also of the view that Aadhaar data should be used in the upcoming census to reduce the duplicity and wastage of expenditure. To this, the government has replied that NPR and Aadhaar are separate exercises with the former collecting more detailed data.

“Aadhaar number has been developed as a separate database which is being used only for de-duplication purpose and authentication of beneficiaries of various government schemes,” the home ministry said. The committee in its final observation noted that Aadhaar already has biometric information of the individuals and so the already stored Aadhaar metadata of the individuals may be used in creating a family database for the upcoming census.

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Heavy police deployment in Shaheen Bagh

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

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Delhi police made heavy deployment of security personnel in southeast Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh area, where several women have been leading a protest on the road against the new citizenship law for more than two months, as a precautionary measure on Sunday, officials said.

The police deployment has come after a fringe right-wing group, Hindu Sena, gave a call to clear the Shaheen Bagh road on March 1. However on Saturday, with the intervention of police, they called off their proposed protest against the anti-CAA agitation in Shaheen Bagh.

“The proposed protest call was cancelled with timely intervention. But as a precautionary measure, we have made heavy police deployment here,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) RP Meena said.

Twelve companies, including two of female forces, have been deployed in Shaheen Bagh, 100 men each from four police districts have also been deployed along with the local police, the official said.

The Hindu Sena said in statement police pressured them to call off their protest on Sunday against the Shaheen Bagh agitation.

Shaheen Bagh, near Jamia Millia Islamia, has been a protest venue for a section of people opposed to the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizens since December 15 last year.

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Delhi violence escalates: Death toll mounts to 20, over 200 injured

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

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Communal violence over the amended citizenship law escalated in northeast Delhi on Tuesday night taking the death toll to 20 as police struggled to check the rioters who ran amok on streets, burning and looting shops, pelting stones and thrashing people.

In his first reaction to incidents of violence in Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday appealed for peace and brotherhood and said he has held an extensive review of the prevailing situation in various parts of the national capital.

He also said it was important that calm and normalcy was restored at the earliest.

“Had an extensive review on the situation prevailing in various parts of Delhi. Police and other agencies are working on the ground to ensure peace and normalcy,” Modi tweeted.

“Peace and harmony are central to our ethos. I appeal to my sisters and brothers of Delhi to maintain peace and brotherhood at all times,” he added.
At least 20 people have been killed in communal violence in northeast Delhi for the last few days.

Meanwhile, Congress president Sonia Gandhi has blamed the Centre and also the Delhi government for the violence.

Addressing a press conference after chairing a Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, she said there was a conspiracy behind the violence and tragic incidents in Delhi.

“The conspiracy was witnessed during Delhi polls and BJP leaders gave hate speeches creating atmosphere of fear and hatred,” she said.

The Centre, home minister and the Delhi government are responsible for the situation in the national capital, the Congress chief said.

Gandhi said that Union Home Minister Shah must take responsibility for the violence in Delhi and resign.

Delhi violence in pictures: Death toll mounts as city remains on the edge

Over 200 people, including 48 police personnel, have been injured and half of the civilians have suffered gunshot wounds, hospital authorities said.

The violence, which started on Sunday after anti-CAA protests blocked a road outside Jaffrabad Metro station and BJP leader Kapil Mishra called a gathering in favour of CAA, intensified on Tuesday, despite shored up security in the city in view of US President Donald Trump’s visit.

The protesters withdrew from the site on Tuesday night.

(A man supporting a new citizenship law throws a petrol bomb at a Muslim shrine during a clash with those opposing the law in New Delhi, February 24, 2020. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui)

As Delhi Police faced allegations of inaction, Union Home Minister Amit Shah held a meeting at noon with Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, city police commissioner Amulya Patnaik and others on steps to restore peace.

IPS officer S N Shrivastava was appointed as the new Delhi Police Special Commissioner (Law and Order) after the Union Home Ministry repatriated him from the CRPF on Tuesday night to take control of the situation in the wake of communal violence in the city, officials said.

Delhi Police spokesperson Mandeep Singh Randhawa said 11 FIRs have been registered in connection with the violence. Over 20 persons have been detained and only one person, identified as Shahrukh who had fired a few rounds in the air after brandishing a gun at a policeman, has been arrested.
Sixty-seven companies of police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed across the area, police sources said.

In scenes not seen in the national capital for decades, frenzied groups thrashed people on the road and vandalised vehicles.

Media persons were also attacked. Akshay, a journalist with JK 24X7 News, received a bullet injury and was in a serious condition in hospital, and two reporters from NDTV were beaten and punched by rioters. Many other journalists were heckled and told to go back.

HC tells police to ensure safe passage, treatment of injured

In a midnight hearing, the Delhi High Court directed police to ensure safe passage and emergency treatment for those injured in the violence over the amended citizenship law.

The hearing took place at the residence of Justice S Murlidhar on an urgent plea seeking safe passage for the injured to medical institutions with adequate facilities.

The Bench of Justices S Muralidhar and Anup J Bhambhani directed the Delhi Police to deploy all resources to ensure this.

The Bench also called for a compliance report, including information about the injured and the treatment offered to them.

The matter will now be heard on Wednesday at 2.15 pm.

The Bench said the order be communicated to the medical superintendents of the Guru Tegh Bahadur and Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan hospitals in Delhi.

Delhi CM meets officials to discuss measures to restore peace

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday requested Union Home Minister Amit Shah to increase police force in violence-affected areas in northeast Delhi and held a meeting with AAP MLAs and officials to discuss measures to restore peace.

The chief minister, accompanied by his deputy Manish Sisodia, other ministers and party MLAs, visited Mahatma Gandhi’s memorial Rajghat to pray for peace in Delhi. He also requested the people to maintain calm and peace.

“Violence can solve nothing. The people of Delhi should maintain calm and peace,” Kejriwal urged on more than one occasion.

The clashes through Tuesday

After overnight incidents of arson, tension smouldered in the national capital and as the day progressed streets in several localities like Chand Bagh, Bhajanpura, Gokulpuri, Maujpur, Kardampuri, and Jaffrabad saw pitched battles between the members of two groups who also hurled petrol bombs and opened fire.

Late in the night, locals in Maujpur area claimed that announcements were being made by police on loudspeakers about the promulgation of shoot-at-sight orders, but Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northeast) Ved Prakash Surya denied it.

Rioters damaged two fire tenders in Gokulpuri and crowds raising incendiary slogans set on fire fruit carts, rickshaws and anything that came in their way in the epicentre of the trouble Maujpur and other places.

Police fired teargas shells to disperse the rioters — armed with stones, rods and even swords and many wearing helmets to protect themselves — and were assisted by paramilitary personnel.

Streets were littered with mangled remains of vehicles, bricks and burnt tyres, mute testimony to the violence and bloodshed that took on a communal taint on Monday.

According to Guru Tegh Bahadur Hospital officials, eight people succumbed to injuries suffered during violence on Tuesday, taking the death toll to 13.
“Fifty percent of those injured have sustained bullet injuries,” Medical Superintendent Sunil Kumar said.

Flag marches were conducted in Bhajanpura, Khajuri Khas and other places, but clashes continued till late in the night. Randhawa said the areas affected by violence are congested and inhabited by a mixed population.

The meeting presided by Shah resolved that workers of political parties should join hands to restore peace and peace committees should be reactivated in all localities.

Schools were shut and fearful residents stayed indoors as mobs roamed the streets, seemingly unmindful of prohibitory orders restricting the assembly of more than four people imposed on Monday.

“There is hardly any police presence in the area. Rioters are running around threatening people, vandalising shops. Families need to be evacuated. We are unsafe in our own homes,” said a resident of Maujpur, requesting anonymity.
Another added that this is the first time in 35 years — possibly since the 1984 anti-Sikh riots — that he has seen a situation such as this. “The area had always remained peaceful,” he told PTI.

Trouble continued through the day. Around 5 pm in Chand Bagh, for instance, security personnel were pelted with stones. They chased the mob, only to be attacked afresh with some people also armed with petrol bombs.

A few residents in Yamuna Vihar and Jaffrabad said they had seen rioters with swords in their hands. The dead include Delhi Police head constable Ratan Lal.

Vinod Kumar, a resident of Ghonda, was brought dead to the hospital and his body is at the morgue of the Jag Parvesh Hospital.

Also killed was Mohammad Furkan from Kardampuri, near Jafrabad, who got married in 2014 and has two children. His brother, Mohammed Imran, overcome with grief, said they were both in the handicrafts business.

“He had gone to get some food for his children. Someone told me he had been shot. I couldn’t believe it as I had met him barely an hour earlier. I kept calling him… I then rushed to GTB Hospital where I was told that he is dead,” he told reporters, sobbing inconsolably outside the hospital.

Imran blamed BJP leader Kapil Mishra’s tweet, giving Delhi Police an ultimatum to clear the streets of protesters and saying people would be quiet only until Trump is in India.

“Before that everything was peaceful,” he said.

Asked whether action will be taken against Mishra, Delhi Police PRO Randhawa said, “All these things are under investigation. We will investigate and take action against conspirators.”

Mishra, however, remained defiant saying he was not scared of the “massive hate campaign” against him for “speaking truth” and supporting the amended citizenship law.

(With agency inputs)

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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

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How Biryani cooked up a political storm

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

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Outranking many others as India’s favourite dish, the not so humble biryani is quite literally a melting pot of flavours, much like the country itself, and is now suddenly not just about culinary delights but also political choices.

Meticulously layered with rice and meat, and sometimes vegetables, tempered with aromatic cloves, pepper and cardamom and smatterings of saffron, biryani has many avatars — add to all that a dash of politics and a pinch of controversy and the popularity quotient spirals high.

India is a mosaic where everybody retains their identity within a larger role and biryani is the best example of that. Everybody eats biryani, yet each biryani is different and we appreciate that, said food critic and author Vir Sanghvi.

The rice dish is simply being used by political leaders for their own benefits despite it having become a part of the Indian gourmet map , added food writer Pritha Sen.

It requires careful assembling before it is packed into a cauldron, or a degh, sealed tight and slow cooked until the many favours percolate to each grain of rice.

The number of ways of making biryani is as varied as the spices that go into it, with at least 19 varieties from different regions.

And just like it is impossible to nail down just one flavour from the many in a biryani, so it is to separate the many strands that make for a syncretic, composite India.

Hindus too make biryani at home. Veg biryani is a big thing. While we don’t differentiate because it has become a part of our entire food repertoire, the present political regime is just dividing people for their own benefits, Sen told PTI.

The biryani, for long a symbol of a unified Indian identity, jumped from the dining table to become the stuff of political debate in January this year. That’s when BJP’s IT Cell head Amit Malviya shared a video claiming protesters at Shaheen Bagh were accepting Rs 500 and biryani to stage their sit-in against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

According to fact checking website Alt News, the video was shot at a shop some eight kilometers away from Shaheen Bagh and had no credibility.

In the run-up to the February 8 Delhi elections, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also raged against the Aam Aadmi Party for feeding biryani to protesters.

Sanghvi said biryani has won in the fight between its popularity and political jeering . This is evident by the entry of new businesses in the market, entirely dedicated to biryanis.

There are two most contradictory developments happening at the same time. We are in the middle of the biggest biryani boom in history, whole restaurants dedicated to biryani have opened up everywhere in India.

The other is biryani has become a quote phrase of politicians to refer to what they consider Muslim appeasement’. So why are these two developments carrying on side by side? My view is that the political sneering is losing and biryani is winning, Sanghvi told PTI.

A quick search on a food delivery app backs Sanghvi’s assertion. Type keyword biryani’ and scores of options open up in every area of the city.

According to Raymond Andrews, co-founder of Biryani Blues which has 41 outlets in four cities and employs 600 people, apps have helped almost double the market in the last five years. Biryani Blues also delivers food through Swiggy and Zomato.

On February 11, when the AAP won 62 of the 70 seats, many people ordered in biryani to prove a political point. The surge in sales on Delhi’s election result day was the same as a Friday evening when people like ordering out, said Andrews.

Biryani always had universal appeal. The surge in sales after the controversy wasn’t any different from a typical Friday evening. Biryani was popular even before Swiggy and Zomato. However, the apps have helped the market almost double from what it was five or six years ago, Andrews said.

Away from the furious political debate, Mohammad Irfan of Tahir Qureshi Kabab Corner near Jama Masjid in the walled city said only a few of his customers believe in politics. The rest tuck in as they always did.

We have Hindus as well as Muslim customers. Our business has only gained over the years. I don’t think these politicians matter at all, the 40-year-old said.

Workers at the shop, which has stood its ground in the crowded Urdu Bazaar for 60 years, ladle out chicken, mutton and buff biryani till they scrape the bottom of the cauldrons every day.

Region-specific preparations and ingredients have culminated in different types of biryanis across the country.

There is the Old Delhi biryani with the distinct tang of pickle, the super spicy Memoni biryani from Gujarat, Tamil Nadu’s Ambur biryani with jeeraga’ samba rice, Bhatkal biryani from coastal Karnataka with a generous infusion of grated onion, and Thalassery biryani from Kerala with roasted nuts.

And then of course, the arguably more famous cousins from Hyderabad, Lucknow and Kolkata biryani.

Sanghvi believes the recipe originally came from the Mughal court in Delhi and travelled across the country taking up regional influences.

I don’t see any point making an argument about it. Something like roti differs from one part of India to another then why shouldn’t biryani. I think it is the greatness of India that the same dish can taste totally different in different places, he said.

Since the political divide has been caused because biryani is associated with Muslim cuisine, other foods like samosa and potatoes should also be treated the same, Sen argued.

There isn’t a better example than the biryani of the age-old saying of unity in diversity , according to Sanghvi.

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

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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

Digvijaya Singh attacks Amit Shah on CAA, asks him to resign

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

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Congress leader Digvijaya Singh attacked Union Home Minister Amit Shah and asked him to withdraw the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act and say No to the NPR and the NRC.

The Congress leader tweeted in hindi: “Today people of Shaheen Bagh will be meeting Amit Shah. Take three decisions, then there will be peace in the country, take back CAA, No NPR and No NRC. Otherwise follow the statement given by Mohan Bhagwat in Ahmedabad and resign.”

The people of Shaheen Bagh, who are sitting on protest since December 15 demanding rollback of the CAA, is likely to meet the Home Minister on Sunday.

The protesters have been demanding that the government should also withdraw NPR and give assurance on the NRC.

The Supreme Court is hearing the matter that the protesters should be removed as the traffic from Noida to Delhi is blocked for the last two months due to the ongoing protest. The apex court is also hearing the petition on the CAA and the NPR.

A section of the protesters is planning to meet Home Minister Amit Shah, while others are opposing it.

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Wipro says Assam NRC data went offline due to non-payment of dues

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

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IT services major Wipro has clarified that the disappearance of the Assam NRC data from its cloud service is related to a non-payment of dues and will be restored once the government makes the payment.

Wipro worked with the Registrar General of India and the Ministry of Home Affairs in the Supreme Court-mandated National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise in Assam. The exercise sought to separate legal Indian nationals from the alleged illegal immigrants.

Concerns were raised when the entire database went offline from the Wipro website, with the spectre of malafide intent being brought up. However, Wipro has issued a statement clarifying that the disappearance of the database is due to pending payment.

The Benglauru-based IT giant revealed that the contract for the project, commissioned by the Registrar General of India and the Ministry of Home Affairs, expired in October 2019. But no payment was made for renewal.

Wipro continued to pay hosting service “as a gesture of goodwill” until January end before pulling the plug.

The Wipro statement read: “In 2014, Wipro Ltd was appointed as the System Integrator for the National Register of Citizenship (NRC) project in Assam after a rigorous tender process. The project was commissioned by the Registrar General of India and the Ministry of Home Affairs, and was monitored by the honourable Supreme Court of India. As an IT services provider, Wipro was tasked with providing the technical architecture and technology solutions for the project.

“These services were provided in accordance with the terms of its contract with NRC and the same was monitored by the concerned authorities. The IT Services Contract was not renewed by the authorities upon its expiry in October, 2019.

“However, as a gesture of goodwill, Wipro continued to pay the hosting service fee until January-end, 2020. Wipro is willing to continue providing these services if the IT services agreement is renewed by the authorities.”

The final NRC was published last year and excluded 19,06,657 persons. Across Assam, a total of 3,11,21,004 names were included out of 3,30,27,661 applicants.

Union ministers have variously hinted at the possibility of a nationwide NRC exercise in the near future.

Earlier, Wipro had removed the page documenting its work on the Assam NRC exercise from its website a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a speech in late December 2019 said that there were no plans of a nationwide NRC and challenged naysayers to show detention camps meant for illegal immigrants.

The page was subsequently restored.

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