1Wednesday, August 10 to August 16, 2016 Wi

Vol. 14 Issue 4 Wednesday August 10 to August 16, 2016 www.thesouthasian.info Price $1 Published Weekly from New York

Behind gau raksha lies lust for power, right-wing agency and pelf.(Insider Bureau)

At a little after 10 pm on therainy night of July 14, a group ofcow vigilantes hurtled down ahighway in Haryana’s Ambaladistrict. They were chasing apick-up van filled so they saywith cows. As the van speededaway, her pursuers issued asocial media SOS. Theirmessage landed in aWhatsApp group run byYamunanagar-based cowvigilante, 28-year-oldengineering graduate RohitChaudhary. Chaudhary’s gauraksha dal (GRD), or cowprotection group, is one ofHaryana’s 114, with scores ofgau-bhakts, or cow-worshippers, on speed dial.Gujarat has 200 such vigilantegroups, and they are sproutingin Punjab, Uttar Pradesh andRajasthan.

At a primal level, thesegroups seek to simply terrifyanyone dealing with the ‘holycow’. But look deeper, and aninsidious cocktail of businessand religion emerges. Economicterrorism has been introducedby the targeting of anyone whodeals with cattle, cattle skin oranimal byproducts. GRDs areout to deprive some of India’slargest (and poorest)communities many of themDalits and Muslims of theirtraditional trade in animals andanimal products. There have

been incidents all over north Indiain recent months. The messagespreads via horrific WhatsAppvideos. That’s how Dalits in Gujaratremain up in arms against gaurakshaks who viciously beat upcow-skinners in Una town.

The vigilantism is spreading. InPunjab and Haryana, GRDs havebrought prosperous elite-casteHindu merchants to their knees bylevelling false charges of tradingin cow byproducts. Businessmennarrate how GRDs function likeorganised extortion rackets. Manywho refuse to bribe cow protectorshave had to shut shop. Even hidesof fallen cows headed for tanneries

in UP are unsafe. GRDs, aided bypolice, routinely extort wayfarersin gau mata’s name. Where do thecattle GRDs ‘rescue’ from‘smugglers’ end up? Why, ingaushalas (cattle shelters) theyown, or in animal hospices that getstate patronage or donations froman unsuspecting or acquiescingpublic.Abbas was headed homewith two oxen in his white pick-uptruck when Chaudhary’s gangwaylaid him past midnight nearKurukshetra. A tractor was parkedacross a road, creating a naka orroadblock. Abbas’s little truck triedto flee but was stopped by anothernaka, fashioned out of iron nails,

with local sympathisers’ help. AsAbbas’s van approached,Chaudhary fired four rounds fromhis companion’s double-barrel.“Only in the air,” he says. “Andthey were blanks.” Abbas’s familysays their son never returned. Nexttime he was seen, around 25 dayslater, he was dead, floating facedown in a Kurukshetra drain.“Abbas went to buy oxen that weuse for farming. Why did they haveto kill him,” asks Tahir Hassan, hisdistraught father. Hassan says heidentified his son, who had gunshotwounds, from a tooth cavity and amole below his chest. ButKurukshetra SP Simardeep Singh

says it isn’t certain if Abbas waspresent that night. A DNA andviscera test report is awaited.“Only police can conduct raids,”Singh agrees. “If gau rakshaksdo it, it’s illegal. We tell themthis,” he says. “We avoid jointoperations. We only takeinformation on cattle movementfrom them.” The incident is nowbeing investigated by the CBI ona High Court of Punjab andHaryana order, which also saysgau rakshaks enjoy police,administrative and politicalpatronage.

“We got information ofAbbas’s vehicle throughinformants, so we had set up anaka. A fellow gau sevak calledthe police. We regularly conductjoint operations with them,”Chaudhary boasts. But now heacknowledges the murkiness inthe gau rakshak world. “I did somuch for Hindu society. I brokethe back of Muslim cowsmugglers. But Hindu traitorsand some rakshaks take bribesfrom Muslim smugglers and letcows get slaughtered,” hecomplains. Chaudhary’scalculations were simple. “Onecaptured truck means asmuggler loses Rs 1 lakh. That’sRs 60,000 worth cattle, Rs10,000 lawyers’ fees and sundryexpenses on fuel, hiring pick-upsetc,” he says. “One or two raidson a trader and he’s finished.”

(Contd on page 21)

Holy Cow

While politics goes on, thousands of cows are dying inshelters. And livelihoods inch towards ruin.

2Wednesday, August 10 to August 16, 2016 COMMUNITY

India Day Parade organized in Hicksville , Long Island

(By Ajay Batra) NewYork-: 69th Anniversary of India’sIndependence was celebrated bythousands on Saturday August6th. As our Indian Prime MinisterHon. Narendra Modiji, PresidentPranab Mukherjee and team, gettogether planning for theprestigious Independence day inIndia on August 15th, followingthe footsteps, the foundingleaders of IDPUSA Bobby K.Kalotee, President BeenaLKothari, Indu Jaiswal, MohinderTaneja, Kamlesh Mehta,President Beena Kothari alongwith many esteemed communityleaders like Jagdish Sewhani,Past President Peter Bheddah,AAPI National President AjayLodha and many others, cametogether to celebrate India’sIndependence this pastweekend. Bobby Kumar Kalotteeaddressed the crowd thankingand specially recognizingPresident Beena Kothari, TeamMembers Flora Parekh, allcommittee members, founders,sponsors, media, honorees,

supporters, well-wishers andvolunteers, who strived day andnight to make the event a hugesuccess. “As diversified andSecular India is, this parade isattended each year by diversifiedand secular community leadersregardless of nationality andreligion” say Founder Bobby K.Kalotee.

Welcomed among thedignitaries were Top Bollywoodcelebrity Grand Marshal BobbyDeol and Prashantt Guptha alongwith Canadian Rockstar andYouth Heartthrob Raghav, BritishSinger and song writer NavinKundra, Ballroom dancer andChoreographer Sandip Soparkar,Miss India International andbeauty pageant winners. OysterBay Town Supervisor JohnVenditto, Town of NorthHempstead Supervisor JudiBosworth , NY State SenatorJack M. Martins, NassauCounty Executive Ed Mangano,Politician Tom Suozzi, NY StatePolice, NY State SenatorMichael Venditto, Town Of

Hempstead Clerk Nasrin G.Ahmad, Nassau CountyComptroller Mr. GeorgeMargoes, Several County andSupreme Court Judges andmany more. Long Island air filledwith Orange, white and greenballoons — the colors of India’sflag, as multicultural floats, cars,marching bands, pipe bands,cultural dancers, electedofficials, dignitaries & celebritiesmarched down at Saturday’s fifthannual India Day Parade inHicksville, celebrating India’sindependence from Britain. Theparade was visualized bythousands as several residentsand business owners lined partof the route. The parade crossedin front of several residentialhomes where a number ofHicksville residents sat outsidetheir houses to watch firefighterslead a parade full of floats, carsand foot marchers, celebratingties to both countries by singingIndian and US National Anthemsand rallying behind cheers ofbeing proud and caring Indian-

Americans. With themes ofeducation environment andecosystems, the parade’sfestivities started in the parkinglot of Grand Sponsor Apna Bazarfarmers on Bethpage RoadHicksville and ended in a parkinglot adjacent to LIRR railroadwhere a huge stage withmulticultural performers rockedthe event. Several vendorsexhibited exclusive designerclothing, jewelry and mouth-watering Indian cuisine wassold along with delicious kulfi.Children rides, performancesand attractions drew hundredsof ch i ld ren. Ce lebr i typer formances rocked theparade and s tagemesmerizing the audiencewith their appearance andper formances. At tendeescould a lso see l iveper formances inc lud ingtraditional dances to Indianmusic and several artists andsurprise beauty and talentexhibitors. Raffle Tickets to FreeTrip to India drew attention of

major attendees. The event wascovered by South Asian Mediaand American Media. Thanks alot to our Media Partners, TVAsia, ITV, Global Punjab, IVS TV,Desi Fusion, Jus Punjabi, Jus24X7, PTC Punjabi, B4U TV,NY1TV, News Day, South AsianTimes, Indian Panorama, SouthAsian Insider, Hum Hindustani,Radio Chai, Radio Zindagi, IndianExpress, India Eye.net, GujratTimes, Divya Bhaskar SherePunjab, Apna Punjab, Writerweekly, Josh India TV. Behindevery successful man there is awoman behind it, let’s changethis phrase today, everysuccessful event there is mediabehind it, Mr Ajay Batra Said This3 day mega event started withan exclusively planned Pressconference honoring all Indian-American Media, followed byparade and ended with Grandcelebrations at the Gala luncheon.“Our main goal is to bring allcommunities and cultures togetherunder one umbrella K. Kaloteein his closing remarks

Kesha Ram lost inVermont LG Primary

By Staff Reporter :Washington :Kesha Ram, thegreat greatgranddaughter ofGanga Ram, anInd ian c iv i lengineer known forbuilding a networkof health infrastructures inboth India and Pakistan beforepartition, lost the race for a topelected position in the USState of Vermont. Indian-Jewish-American Kesha, 29,lost the Democratic primaryfor Vermont Lt Governor toDavid Zuckerman who won theelection yesterday with 45 percent of the votes. She came adistant third with just 18 percent of the votes. Ms Ram wasthe first woman of colour to runfor Sta te-wide o ff ice in

Vermont.Her father was born in

Lahore but after partition thefamily moved to India and grewin Punjab. He came to LosAngeles for s tud ies as astudent where he met hermother, a Jewish American.For her studies, Ms Rammoved to the University ofVermont. She was elected tothe state House ofRepresentatives at age 22 torepresent the University Districtand Hill Section of Burlington.

7,000 Indians Get Malaysian Citizenship:Malaysian Indian Congress President

(Agencies) Kuala lumpur : After years ofbattling bureaucracy, about 7,000 Indians whowere born in Malaya before its independencefrom Britain have at lastobtained Malaysiancitizenship. SSubramaniam, presidentof the country’s largestethnic Indian politicalparty Malaysian IndianCongress (MIC), saidabout 7,000 Indians haveobtained citizenship sofar but a lot more peoplehave yet to register.

“On average,probably more than15,000 Indians have yetto register to obtain thecitizenship. So, thisprocess will becontinued to solve this issue. “We will find waysto solve this immediately,” he said after

attending a religious ceremony ‘Kalvi Yathirai’organised by the Sri Murugan Centre in KualaLumpur on Sunday. Prime Minister Najib

Razak said recently thatthose yet to obtaincitizenship should redeemtheir right. MrSubramaniam hoped thegovernment would refinethe citizenship registrationprocess for ethnic Indiansby reducing the existingbureaucracy to expeditethe process. “Many haverepeatedly applied butfailed due to thebureaucracy. I admit themain problem isdocumentation whereby,their birth records havebeen missing. If the

bureaucracy is reduced, we target this issue willbe solved by this year,” he said.

3Wednesday, August 10 to August 16, 2016 US

Obama ‘founder’ of Islamic State, Hillary co-founder: Trump(Agencies) Donald Trump has

accused President Barack Obama onWednesday of establishing the IslamicState group that is wreaking havoc fromthe Middle East to European cities. Amoment later on another topic, hereferred to the president by his full legalname: Barack Hussein Obama.

“In many respects, you know, theyhonour President Obama,” Trump saidduring a raucous campaign rally outsideFort Lauderdale, Florida. “He is thefounder of ISIS.”

He repeated the allegation three moretimes for emphasis.

The Republican presidential nomineein the past has accused his opponent,Democrat Hillary Clinton, of founding themilitant group. As he shifted the blameto Obama on Wednesday, he said that“crooked Hillary Clinton” was actually thegroup’s co-founder. Trump has long

blamed Obama and his former secretaryof state — Clinton — for pursuing Mideastpolicies that created a power vacuum inIraq that was exploited by IS, anotheracronym for the group. He’s sharplycriticized Obama for announcing he wouldpull US troops out of Iraq — a decisionthat many Obama critics say created thekind of instability in which extremistgroups like IS thrive.

The White House declined tocomment on Trump’s accusation.

The Islamic State group began asIraq’s local affiliate of al-Qaeda, the groupthat attacked the U.S. on 9/11. The groupcarried out massive attacks against Iraq’sShiite Muslim majority, fuelling tensionswith al-Qaida’s central leadership. Thelocal group’s then-leader, Jordanian-bornAbu Musab al-Zarqawi, was killed in 2006in a U.S. airstrike but is still seen as theIslamic State group’s founder.

Trump’s accusation — and his use ofthe president’s middle name, Hussein —echoed of previous instances where he’squestioned Obama’s loyalties.

In June, when a shooter who claimedallegiance to IS killed 49 people in anOrlando, Florida nightclub, Trumpseemed to suggest Obama wassympathetic to the group when he saidObama “doesn’t get it or, or he gets itbetter than anybody understands.” In thepast, Trump has also falsely suggestedObama is a Muslim or was born in Kenya,where Obama’s father was from.

The president, a Christian, was bornin Hawaii.Trump lobbed the allegationmidway through his rally at a sportsarena, where riled-up supporters shoutedobscenities about Clinton and joined inunison to shout “lock her up.” He railedagainst the fact that the Orlando shooter’sfather, Seddique Mateen, was spotted in

the crowd behind Clinton during a Mondayrally in Florida, adding, “Of course he likesHillary Clinton.”

Sitting behind Trump at his rally onWednesday was former Rep. Mark Foley,R-Fla., who resigned in 2006 afterallegations he sent sexually suggestivemessages to former House pages.

Mullah Mansour’s death disrupted Taliban finances: US general

(Agencies) The killing ofMullah Akhtar Mansour severelycrippled Taliban operations inAfghanistan as it disrupted theflow of funds to militants, GenJohn Nicholson, the commanderof US forces in the war-torncountry, said on Wednesday.

Mansour, killed in a US dronestrike in Pakistan in May,controlled the Afghan Taliban’sfunds from drug sales andoverseas donors.

The Taliban offensive throughlast winter exhausted theirstocks of arms and money, saidNicholson, who was on an officialvisit to India. This year, thoughthey have attacked checkpoints,“we don’t see anything wherethey hold terrain” except for briefperiods, he added.

Mansour had a very tightcontrol over revenue sources.The Taliban finance commission“frankly doesn’t know where themoney is” following his death,said Nicholson, though thegroup is trying to re-establishfunding streams.

Over the past two weeks, USand Afghan forces carried out amajor drive against the IslamicState Khorasan in which about300 fighters were killed. This wasabout a quarter of the IS’sstrength in Afghanistan. “Thereis a clear connection” between

the IS Khorasan and the IS inSyria and Iraq, Nicholson said.

In a change from the past,troops have seen the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) conductingoperations in Afghanistan and USforces are now “putting pressure”on them, Nicholson said.

Though these disparategroups didn’t seem to worktogether, some Tehrik-e-TalibanPakistan fighters from theOrakzai tribal region joined theIS Khorasan when the USattacked the latter.

Nicholson confirmed thatPakistan Army chief Gen RaheelSharif had raised concerns aboutIndian military assistance to theAfghan Army. The US response,he said, was to say this aidedthe creation of a “strong,prosperous and independentAfghanistan” which was inPakistan’s interest.

Sharif, Nicholson said, hadwelcomed his decision to visitNew Delhi where he has metIndia’s national security advisor

and foreign and defencesecretaries.The top UScommander in Afghanistanwelcomed India’s gift of four Mi-25 gunship helicopters to theAfghan military, reversingWashington’s long-standingopposition to New Delhi providinglethal weaponry to Kabul.

Nicholson said “there is animmediate need for more aircraft”and a repair facility for the AfghanAir Force.

Western sanctions againstRussia have disrupted the abilityof Afghans to get spare parts fortheir Russian aircraft, he said.Because of the sanctions, $4.5billion in international donationsfor the air force cannot be usedfor such parts. “Spare parts by

India would be most welcome,”he said.

An aircraft repair facility inAfghanistan would be useful, headded. Aircraft needingmaintenance are currently sentto eastern Europe. This wouldseem to be a thumbs-up for Indo-Russia plans to build a repairfacility for the gunshiphelicopters. Nicholson also saidIndia’s provision of education andtraining for thousands of Afghansoldiers and students was havinga “tremendous impact on thehuman side”. India’s professionaltraining is helping the youngAfghan Army “fill the junior andmid-level ranks”, who are new tothe ways of a professionalmilitary.

4Wednesday, August 10 to August 16, 2016

The Real Reason Trump Makes OutlandishClaims Like Obama Is “the Founder of ISIS”

(Agencies) Donald Trump isDonald Trump–ing again. Speakingat a campaign rally on Wednesdaynight, he suggested PresidentObama actually created the IslamicState terror group. “In manyrespects, you know, they honorPresident Obama,” Trump said inFlorida. “He’s the founder of ISIS.He’s the founder of ISIS. He’s thefounder. He founded ISIS.” Then forgood measure, the GOP nomineeworked his general election rival into

the nonsensical myth. “I would saythe co-founder would be crookedHillary Clinton.”

It’s not totally surprising to hearsuch an idea from Trump, who haspreviously claimed that Clinton hada founding role in the creation of ISISand suggested that Obama issomehow sympathetic to the terrorgroup. If you wanted to give Trumpthe benefit of the doubt, an overlygenerous reading of his commentswould be something like, President

Obama and his former secretary ofstate Hillary Clinton’s foreign policydecisions in Iraq, Libya, andelsewhere have contributed to therise of ISIS. Trump, after all, hasoffered similar criticism in the past,albeit in less coherent terms. Butthat is not what Trump said onWednesday—and, much moreimportantly, also not what hewanted voters to hear, as thecandidate himself has since madeclear.

Trump was given multiplechances to walk back hiscomments Thursday morning butrepeatedly passed them up. Duringan interview on CNBC, Trump evenfeigned surprise that what he saidwas controversial in the first place.“What?” he asked. “Are peoplecomplaining that I said he was thefounder of ISIS?” During a separateinterview, he was offered multiplelifelines by a friendly interviewer onlyto bat them away. “I know what you

meant,” conservative radio host andTrump-endorser Hugh Hewitt toldhim. “You meant that [Obama]created the vacuum, he lost thepeace.” To which Trump promptlyresponded: “No, I meant that he’sthe founder of ISIS, I do.” Hewitt,though, kept at it with his bestimpersonation of Sean Hannityleading Trump to water, via theofficial transcript:

Things only get more muddledfrom there, as they often do whenTrump speaks. But after all ofHewitt’s prompting, Trump finallynodded vaguely to Obama’s “badpolicies” and how “if he wouldhave done things properly, youwouldn’t have had ISIS”—buteven with those caveats, hemade it clear his conclusionhadn’t changed: “Therefore, hewas the founder of ISIS.” Hewittthen countered one last time bysuggesting that he personallywould use “different language” tocommunicate the samecriticism. Trump’s response wasremarkable for its awareness.“But they wouldn’t talk about yourlanguage,” he told Hewitt, “andthey do talk about my language,

right?” That remark is telling, andit illustrates something thatshould be obvious by now but isoften lost in the noise of each newcontroversy that comes every timeTrump says something outlandishand/or obviously untrue. This wasnot some ad-libbed comment thatwent awry, a bad joke that did notland, or the candidate going “offmessage,” as Beltway pundits callit. In fact, he’s completely onmessage, and this has been themessage for years, dating backto Obama’s first term, duringwhich Trump used the birthermovement to lay the foundationfor his current presidential run.More than anything, Trump hasbuilt his campaign on (white)America’s fears of the other, andwhat better way for him to harnessthose than by othering the sittingpresident of the United States, be itby questioning his citizenship, hisfaith, or his loyalty. It doesn’t matterto Trump whether his wild-eyedaccusations are true; it doesn’tmatter to him whether they’reoffensive. All that matters to him iscasting an illusion his supporterswant to believe in.

US government will NOT loosen marijuana laws after lengthy review

(Agencies) Marijuana hasbeen ruled one of the mostdangerous drugs and has nomedical use, the governmenthas announced.

The decision marks the endof a lengthy government review,which found the drug ‘has a highpotential for abuse’ and ‘noaccepted medical use’.

The weed will remain aSchedule 1 drug alongsideheroin, despite growing supportfor legalization, the DrugEnforcement Administration

announced on Thursday.The DEA will allow more

research into its possible medicalbenefits.

The decision comes a dayafter President Obama’sdaughter Malia was accused ofsmoking marijuana after a videoof her puffing on a suspiciouscigarette at a festival wasreleased.

The DEA’s announcementsparked outrage in theburgeoning cannabis communitythat now covers more than half

the US, and Bernie Sandersslammed the verdict on Twitter.

Sanders tweeted: ‘Peoplecan argue about the pluses andminuses of marijuana, buteveryone knows it’s not a killerdrug like heroin.’

President Obama is yet tocomment on the decision.

Attitudes towards cannabishave transformed in the last fewyears, with the drug’s medicinalva lue dr iv ing legal izat ionefforts.

The US government haspoured mi l l ions in toresearching the drug, and anumber o f papers haveconcluded that CBD - an activeingredient in marijuana - canaid treatment of ailments fromanxiety to cancer.

But that momentum hasbeen stunted by the DEA’sconc lus ion, which c i tesscientific evidence purportedlyshowing no real medical value.

‘We are tethered to scienceand bound by statute,’ DEAspokesman Rusty Payne saidThursday.

Joel Milton, CEO of cannabisbranding company Baker,slammed the supposed evidenceas nonsense.

‘They’re saying there are nomedical benefits. We crossedthat hump years ago,’ Milton toldDaily Mail Online.

‘State by state progress hasshown the very obvious medicalbenefits of cannabis.

‘Each state [with legalmarijuana] has a governmentbody that is very clear about what

can be done.‘We need to move forward and

not inhibit all of the businessesthat are up and running.’

More than half the states havelegalized the drug for eithermedicinal or recreational use.

And the cannabis industryhas thrived under the Obamaadministration.

However, after Thursday’sverdict, marijuana proponentsslammed Obama for passing thebuck to the DEA.

David Bienenstock, Head ofContent, HIGH TIMES, a 42-year-old media company thatreports on the industry, said:

‘Allowing the DEA to set ournational policy on cannabis fliesin the face of the very rational,science-based approach thatthe Obama administration hasbeen promising for eight years,

and yet again has failed todeliver.

‘Does anyone on earth besidethe DEA actually believe thatmarijuana should be classifiedalongside heroin in Schedule I asan incredibly dangerous drug withno medicinal value? 'Perhaps theDEA should spend more timereading the latest research onthis plant's incredible medicalefficacy, and less time plottinghow to bust peaceful citizens forweed.

'At least the DEA finally stoodup to dispel the myth thatmarijuana is a gateway drug. It'sabout time.'

The DEA said it plans to makeit easier for researchers to studymarijuana's possible medicalbenefits by expanding the numberof entities that can legally growmarijuana for research purposes.

US

5Wednesday, August 10 to August 16, 2016 US

Macy’s Is Closing 100 Stores. Where Did All of Its Customers Go?

(Agencies) Macy’s announcedThursday morning that 100 of itsstores, representing almost 15percent of its locations, will ringup their final sale sometime overthe next year, as the fameddepartment-store chaincontinues to struggle in the fast-changing retail environment.When completed, this will leaveMacy’s with 628 stores acrossthe United States.It seems likely that evenprofitable locations will be on thestore closing chopping block.

Sad to say, in the retailenvironment of 2016, evenMacy’s officials admit the landunderneath many of their storesis more valuable than therevenues from the actual storesthemselves.

Is anyone reallysurprised? Chances are thatyou’re part of Macy’s problem. Icertainly am. Do you rememberthe last time you visited adepartment store? I don’t.

In today’s retail arena,Macy’s is getting socked by a

one-two punch—or maybe aone-two-three punch. There areso many things going wrong.

First, as the middleclass contracts, Macy’s suffers.Many former Macys shoppersare trading down, purchasing anincreasing percentage of theirwardrobes from up-to-the-moment inexpensive options likeH&M and Zara.

At the same time, someof those former middle class folksare now upper-middle-classfolks. And the Macy’s empireisn’t perceived as being quite asupscale as, say, Saks. And eventhere, the luxury end of thedepartment-store trade isexperiencing problems of its ownas the strong dollar discouragesshoppers from abroad. Lastmonth, the New York Postreported that same-store salesat privately held Barney’s fell 10percent in the first quarter of 2016over the equivalent period in 2015.

Second, many of us arebuying different stuff than we didin the past. Those behavioral-finance folks who proselytize thatspending on things we do like

dining and travel makes ushappier than buying a blender oryet another pair of jeans—well,many of us are listening. A 2014poll found almost 4 out of 5millennials said they would ratherspend their money onexperiences than things. All thisis compounded by consumers’increasing use of online shoppingoptions. According to UPS, whichconducts an annual survey oninternet shopping, this yearmarked the first time a majorityof all purchases made by peoplewho use the internet to shop weremade online, not in traditionalstores. In fact, those surveyedclaimed that of everything theybought, only 1 out of 5 came fromwhat could be described astraditional shopping—as in goingto a store and buying the itemwithout even checking onlineoptions. As a result, even as theoverall employment situation inthe United States is improving,the retail sector of the economyis shedding a substantial numberof jobs. Companies ranging fromWalmart to Ralph Lauren haveannounced store closings this

year. Others are completelygoing away—Sports Authorityfiled for bankruptcy, and theentire chain is in the process ofshutting down. According toconsultancy Challenger, Gray &Christmas, retailers haveannounced they are cuttingalmost 44,000 positions since thebeginning of the year. That figuredoes not account for what is likelyto be a substantial number of jobcuts at Macy’s.It isn’t entirely bad news forMacy’s. Sales fell less than retailanalysts expected this pastquarter. Moreover, it seems WallStreet likes the plan to cut thenumber of outlets, likely becausethey foresee profits from realestate sales. As a result, sharesare up by more than 15 percentas I type. So far no word fromDonald Trump. After Macy’sdiscontinued carrying hisclothing line following hiscomments about Mexicanimmigrants last year, he took toTwitter more than once tocelebrate the company’s badnews. His supporters, however,are not remaining silent. Sigh.

When Public Housing Is Bulldozed, Families AreSupposed to Eventually Come Back. Why Don’t They?

(Agencies) Since the mid-1990s,the United States governmenthas spent billions of dollarstearing down public housingprojects—replacing many ofthese communities with mixed-income housing on the premisethat when the poor and the middleclass live together, it’s betterforever.Dissipating the concentratedpoverty of aging housing projectsmay sound like a fine idea, butthe new developments—oftenbuilt on prime urban real estate—rarely end up housing significantnumbers of the original residentswho must be displaced to makeway for new construction.Communities are broken up andnever again reassembled.

If there is a slight exception tothat rule, it’s in Atlanta. There,on the site of the East LakeMeadows housing project,officials were able to bring back25 percent of former residents tolive in the new development, asmy colleagues and I recount inthis week’s episode of Slate’sPlacemakers podcast. Thatpercentage sounds low—exceptthat the nationwide averagehovers below 19 percent.n cities like San Francisco,Philadelphia, Tampa, andelsewhere, housing authoritieshave told residents of publichousing complexes that theirugly, sometimes barely habitablehomes would be rebuilt as partof newly beautiful communities.

The neighborhoods would besafe, with better schools, jobs,and nice, middle-classneighbors. In the interim, citiesstarted handing out Section 8vouchers and relocatingresidents. The tenantssometimes sued to stopdemolition, but the bulldozersalways won. And while some ofthose residents do return to thosenewly polished communities,most stay away for good.So why don’t most people comeback to the neighborhoodsthey’ve lived in, sometimes theirentire lives?In the new documentary 70Acres in Chicago, the wholeprocess looks like a targeted hit.When the city of Chicago decidedto tear down and replace theCabrini-Green housing projectbeginning in the 1990s, residentsheard one promise after anotherfrom the city as the demolitionbegan. The biggest promise of all:“Every family that wants to stayin this community will stay inthis community,” said ChicagoMayor Richard M. Daley in 1997.Today, almost none of the tensof thousands of people who livedin Cabrini-Green now occupy thenew townhomes and apartmentsthat sit on the land.hicago filmmaker Ronit Bezalelspent 20 years filming the

demolition for her documentary.The last of the high rises camedown in 2011. And Chicagoansare still uneasy about whathappened there. "People arecrying at the screenings,"Bezalel told me. Formerresidents of Cabrini-Green areespecially moved to see their oldneighborhood return to life onscreen. Bezalel’s film is nowmaking the rounds in the filmfestival circuit, on publictelevision, and at smallerscreenings in Chicago.Among the people she follows inthe film is Mark Pratt. He grewup in Cabrini, but he and his wifecouldn’t come back to the newmixed-income community,because there weren’t enoughapartments for large families.Pratt and his wife took a Section8 voucher and moved down toanother neighborhood, inChicago’s South Side. “We wereall under the impression that wewere moving to betterneighborhoods,” Pratt said.But his new neighborhood is justas poor and violent as the onehe left. “Even though there wasa lot of violence in Cabrini, I didfeel a lot safer there,” he said.Networks of friends and relativesin Cabrini kept many of the poorresidents afloat. These networkswere a casualty of Cabrini’s

destruction, when people weredispersed across the city. Thisdisruption of the supportnetworks for poor families is stillhaunting Chicago today.Despite the promises thateveryone could come back, thenumbers don’t add up. Thedecrepit, infamous Cabrini-Greenhad 3,600 public housing units.When the rebuilding is completein 2019, there will be around2,830 units. Only 30 percent arefor families in public housing. Gotthat? Fewer than 900 units.The screening process is the nextbarrier. People are kept out of thenew neighborhood if a familymember has a single arrestrecord—even if no charges werepressed. Public housingresidents have to submit tomandatory drug testing everyyear. They can have no record ofrent and utility delinquency. Theycannot take in friends andrelatives. New rules in theneighborhood include nosmoking, no barbecuing, no loudmusic, no washing cars on thestreet“You actually have to be a nun,”said Deidre Brewster, one of thefew original residents of Cabrini-Green who passed all therequirements and got anapartment in her oldneighborhood.

6Wednesday, August 10 to August 16, 2016 OP-ED

I Want To Set The Record Straight On Bihar's Liquor Ban My public record is

transparent. When I commit to thepeople, I do my best to deliver.Last year, I announced in an officialprogram that if we come to powernext time, we will implement liquorprohibition.

This was a tough ask to deliver.Not that any other is easy ingovernance. But what sets theliquor prohibition apart is that noone in the past has been able todeliver it totally. The liquor lobbycheers to this one fact more thananything else. I am determined tochange this track record of publicpolicy.

It is impossible to imagineMahatma Gandhi as anauthoritarian. When it came tobanning liquor, he made it a primaryagenda. Gandhi wrote in YoungIndia in 1931 - "If I was appointeddictator for one hour for all India,the first thing I would do would beto close without compensation allthe liquor shops." His other quotesare no less sharp. For example,"Nothing but ruin stares a nationin the face that is prey to the drinkhabit. History records that empireshave been destroyed through thathabit."

The Directive Principles of StatePolicy enshrined in theConstitution mandates the Stateto make endeavour to bringprohibition. Even the SupremeCourt has held that "there is nofundamental right to do trade orbusiness in intoxicants. The State,under its regulatory power, has theright to prohibit absolutely everyform of activity in relation tointoxicants and its manufacture,storage, export, import, sale andpossession." The Apex Courtfurther stated that this "power ofcontrol is an incident of thesociety's right to self-protectionand it is rests upon the right of theState to care for the health, moralsand welfare of the people."

When I had expressed theintent of liquor prohibition last year,it was an inspirationalannouncement. But what hasfollowed in more than inspiration -long deliberations, extensivereviews and meticulous planning,both in policy and practice, hasresulted in the state governmentdeciding on Total Prohibition inBihar - with an all-encompassingpeople's campaign and anappropriate law to back theimplementation.

What followed has beentransformational. It has to beexperienced to be believed.

An awareness drive waslaunched through street plays,slogans and posters, whichshaped into a massive publiccampaign. A resolution has beentaken and signed by more than 1crore 19 lakh guardians of children

studying in government schoolsthat they will not consume alcoholand even motivate others who drinkto stay away from alcohol. A ''gramsamvad dal'' in each panchayatvisited households and read out anappeal regarding liquor prohibitionand requested participation inspreading this awareness further.These gram samvad programswere held in more than 48,000habitations with the participationof 5 lakh self-help groups and20,000 village organizations.Social motivators, tola sewaks,education volunteers, healthworkers and various public groupswere involved for writing slogansat public places against liquor andin support of prohibition. Suchslogans can be seen at 9 lakhlocations. Cultural events andstreet plays were organized indistricts with the help of localgroups of artistes. Through songs,plays and communitydiscussions, more than 25,000locations have been covered in thestate.

On the invite of Jeevika, awomen's self-help group, I attendedtheir gatherings in each of the ninedivisional headquarters. In total, aboutone lakh women self-help groupmembers attended these programs.Their narrations of personalexperiences and efforts opened awhole new dimension to anadministrative decision. It was arevelation to see the seeds of a deep-seated social transformation in Biharlike never before. I reaffirmed to myselfthat there is no going back, whatevermay be the consequence.Experiencing the socio-economicbenefits and outcomes, I am morethan determined to implement totalliquor prohibition in Bihar in true letterand spirit.

However, the vested interest ispowerful. Let us not forget that even instates where liquor has been banned,the ban is merely symbolic or partial.Countless articles have already

proclaimed that liquor ban will not workin Bihar. I must say, for every word thathas been written against the liquor banin the last few months, there arenumerous real families - women andchildren who have cheered forprohibition in Bihar and rest of India. Ihave openly requested the leadershipin Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand to banliquor. Those calls have been cheeredby people of the state, and yet, theleaders have looked the other way.Powerful they are, but they cannotshake the will of the people. I willcontinue to build upon the will of thepeople.

Bihar has pursued solid measuresto enforce the ban. Socially, I haverelentlessly encouraged the self-helpgroups and public representatives todemonstrate "social leadership" andstrengthen the hands of the state andsociety in the continuedimplementation of the prohibition.

Bihar Prohibition and Excise Bill,2016 is a decisive step. In simplewords, it makes the violators directlyaccountable for their actions. The Billstates that "in case liquor is foundor consumed in anyone's home, anadult member (from family - "man-wife & dependent children"occupying the house, not relatives) ofthe household will presumed to behaving the knowledge of such anoffence, unless proved otherwise. Thebill, rather, protects the women of thehousehold from a male adult whowishes to pin the blame away fromhim to any other member of family.Those criticizing this may care toadvise as to the person to bearrested if, in a house, bottles ofliquor are recovered, and nomember of the family owns up toit. They should also enlighten uswho should be arrested in a case ifthe house is in the name of thewife. Should the police either returnempty-handed or commit a furthertravesty of justice by arresting thewife, knowing fully-well that inalmost all the cases, it is thehusband who drinks? Those

criticizing are also presuming thatthe adult male member who isactually drinking and violating thelaw, will, when caught, be inhumanand cruel enough to share theaccusation with his wife and adultchildren.

However, the truth is that thesemeasures are a response to theadministrative experience of the statein enforcing the ban. Theseproblems, if unchecked, will lead toan unresponsive system of leakagewhich creates hooch tragedies. Wehave decided to nip this in the bud byplacing direct accountability. We havealso taken due care to protect peoplewho might be vulnerable toexploitation by making a provision forserious penalty in case anyone inthe administration machinery is foundmisusing the provisions of the Bill.

When we implemented the banon country liquor on 1st April, 2016,stating that the total prohibition willbe implemented in a phased manner,those in the opposition went on anoverdrive calling for a total ban andasking us to disclose the datesof the next phase. When news ofthe people's agitation, especiallywomen, against the opening offoreign liquor shops flowed in, wequickly gauged the mood of thepopulace and concluded that theenvironment was conducive for theimposition of total prohibition.Thus the total ban was imposedon April 5, 2016. Now the samepeople say that this wassupposed to be done much laterand we have acted in haste.

While framing this new Bill,many of the provisions have beenborrowed from similar laws like theBombay Prohibition Act, the GujaratAmendment, Delhi Excise Act,Karnataka Excise Act, Model ExciseAct circulated by Government of India,the Madhya Pradesh Prohibition Bill(draft); the majority of the provisionsare from the Bihar Excise(Amendment) Act 2016, which wasunanimously approved by both

houses of the Bihar state assembly.One will have to go into details to comeup with an informed criticism. Youcannot just criticize the law withoutsuggesting the alternatives. It requiresmore than just playing to the galleries.

As expected, the vested interesthas gone into a massive overdrive tomisinform people about the Act, eventhough almost all of the penalprovisions of the Bill are the samewhich were unanimously passed byboth houses of the state assembly inthe budget session this year. Politicshave overtaken a social initiative. Someare selectively criticizing few provisionsof the new Act without reading thesame holistically. They are missingthe larger picture with too muchemphasis on letters and withoutrecognizing the spirit. To them, I haveto say - "you cannot have the cakeand eat it too." If one is serious anddetermined to see through prohibitionin Bihar, then there is no place for "ifs"and "buts". A combination of a fair andstrict implementation of law coupledwith an inspired people's campaign isa way to go.

So, I want to set the recordstraight. Those who violate the banon liquor in Bihar, appropriatemeasures will be taken to placeaccountability. But at the sametime, let me assure you of a fairimplementation of the law. I am readyto incorporate the best ideas in makingthe prohibition successful and takingit to more states.

The tussle between Delhi’s lieutenantgovernor Najeeb Jung and the Aam AadmiParty government now resembles aperpetual motion machine. No issuehowsoever small goes unchallenged by oneor the other. With the court ruling that powerin a Union Territory ultimately vests with theLieutenant Governor (L-G) as theadministrator of Delhi, the government hasupped its attacks on the L-G, the latest salvobeing a remark from an AAP leader that MrJung harbours a perennial hatred for chiefminister Arvind Kejriwal.

In all this, those who are suffering arethe people of Delhi who voted overwhelminglyfor this government. With the L-G nowreviewing many decisions taken by thegovernment, we are likely to see a furthergovernance gridlock. Delhi has manyproblems, not the least of which is the safety

and security of people in general and womenin particular. This lies within the domain ofthe L-G and politics should not hold upmoving ahead on this. The issue of rampantunauthorised construction is another issuewhich is causing huge problems in Delhi.Public transport is yet another as is watersupply. The government must understandthat any criticism of its record is notnecessarily an attempt to dislodge it. It mustfocus on the promises it made when it waselected, that of good and cleangovernance.Previous governments haveworked with L-Gs and though there have beenglitches, things have moved along quitesmoothly on several issues. Disagreement,as the L-G has said, does not meanconfrontation. AAP has to sit together withthe L-G and evolve a more conciliatoryapproach to governance. If those at the top

are not on the same page, the bureaucracy,too, will not be able to function to itspotential fearful as it will be of getting caughtin the crossfire. Both sides should try andwork on areas where there are least pointsof contention for a start. AAP is looking toexpand its footprint across India and forthat its performance in Delhi will be keenlyobserved by potential voters. While it is truethat a Union Territory has its own uniquefunctioning problems, there is nothing inthe present case which cannot be sortedout. AAP cannot wash its hands off issueswhich are in the L-G’s domain, rather itshould come up with constructivesuggestions. Now that the ground ruleshave been laid by the court, both sides haveto learn to work together howsoever difficultthis may seem in the present chargedatmosphere.

Jung vs Kejriwal: Both sides have to learn to work together

(Nitish Kumar)

7Wednesday, August 10 to August 16, 2016

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Should MPs decide their own salaries?A mechanism to determine MPs’ salaries will address issues of legitimacy

and accountability.The decision to increase the salaries of Members of Parliament in India is

always met by a public furore and adverse reactions in the media. The recentrecommendation of the Parliamentary Committee on Salaries and Allowancesled by Bharatiya Janata Party MP Yogi Adityanath to double the salaries ofMPs has also raised eyebrows and drawn criticism from various corners.Yes, there are worries about the unreasonably high salary hike proposed bythe committee, but more than that, it is the decision-making process thathas added to the criticism — the salary of the MPs is proposed to be increasedby those who would be its beneficiaries. This, when it is done as per laid-down norms and a worked-out criteria for all other professions committed topublic service: teachers, government officials, diplomats, judges and evenfor the highest offices of the President and the Vice-President.

udging by comparative standards, the remuneration of a member of IndianParliament is not very high compared to what is paid to a member of thenational legislature in countries like the U.S. and the U.K. even going bypurchasing power or similar indices. But what angers the people at large isthat these hikes in salaries are proposed without any justification, withoutany timelines, without any formula or rationale, while there is a strict timelineregarding when the salary of a government official will be revised, justificationabout why such a revision is taking place and a formula laid down about howmuch the revised salary is going to be. One should also remember this isonly for government employees, who constitute less than 2-3 per cent of thetotal workforce in India. A huge majority of people engaged in other kinds ofgainful employment is left out of this process. The private sector employeesare at the mercy of their employer for such revision while those self-employed,either in business, agriculture or in professional work, have neither of the twooptions available.

The issues related to salaries and perks for MPs is decided by a JointParliamentary Committee consisting of members of both Houses of Parliament.Any decision to raise the salary or perks of MPs is passed as an amendment Billas per the recommendations of this parliamentary panel. Such amendment proposalsare usually approved, without any delay, by an all-party consensus.

India is not an exception to this practice where MPs decide their own salaries.In Canada, a multiparty parliamentary committee called the Board of InternalEconomy enjoys the right to revise salaries of MPs. However, other comparativeexamples run contrary to this practice. In other advanced democracies such as theU.K. and Australia, the salaries of MPs are decided by an autonomous body calledthe Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority and the Remuneration Tribunal(set up by the Remuneration Tribunal Act, 1973), respectively. In a young democracysuch as South Africa, salaries of lawmakers are decided by an autonomous bodycalled the Independent Commission for the Remuneration of Public Office Bearerswhose recommendations are subject to the final approval of the President. A newborndemocracy like Bhutan also follows a similar practice according to which salariesare determined by an independent body.

In terms of how salaries are determined, Singapore provides a good case: salariesof lawmakers are decided by the Public Service Division located in the PrimeMinister’s Office; the salaries are determined by a benchmark which is pegged to60 per cent of the median income of the top 1,000 Singapore citizen earners. Adheringto this formula, salaries of the MPs are pegged at 17.5 per cent of the above-mentioned benchmark. Many other countries follow this practice. In both Franceand Japan, salaries of parliamentarians are decided in relation to the salaries of thehighest-paid bureaucrats. Even in the U.S. Congress, salaries of senators are usuallyrevised on an annual basis as part of an automatic adjustment process which reflectsincrease in living cost.

Thus it is imperative that in the larger interests of India’s democratic polity, itmay be useful to create a mechanism of determining salaries, perks and allowancesaddressing the two concerns of legitimacy and accountability. This would fosterhigher levels of trust in our political institutions such as parties, which have over theyears witnessed dwindling levels of trust. The result of a survey conducted by theCentre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) indicates that the level of trustin political parties has declined from 43 per cent to 37 per cent during the last onedecade.

Interestingly, the Prime Minister had remarked a few months ago that lawmakersshould not decide their own salaries; rather it should be linked to the salaries ofsome important offices in the country like the President or the Vice-President. Itseems to be a good proposal worth considering and implementing.

Trump’s Wink Wink to ‘Sec-ond Amendment People’

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabingot assassinated.

His right-wing opponents just kept delegitimizing him as a “traitor” and “aNazi” for wanting to make peace with the Palestinians and give back part of theLand of Israel. Of course, all is fair in politics, right? And they had God on theirside, right? They weren’t actually telling anyone to assassinate Rabin. Thatwould be horrible.

But there are always people down the line who don’t hear the caveats. Theyjust hear the big message: The man is illegitimate, the man is a threat to thenation, the man is the equivalent of a Nazi war criminal. Well, you know what wedo with people like that, don’t you? We kill them.

And that’s what the Jewish extremist Yigal Amir did to Rabin. Why not? Hethought he had permission from a whole segment of Israel’s political class.

In September, I wrote a column warning that Donald Trump’s language towardimmigrants could end up inciting just this kind of violence. I never in my wildestdreams, though, thought he’d actually — in his usual coy, twisted way — suggestthat Hillary Clinton was so intent on taking away the Second Amendment rightto bear arms that maybe Second Amendment enthusiasts could do somethingto stop her. Exactly what? Oh, Trump left that hanging.

“Hillary wants to abolish, essentially abolish, the Second Amendment,” Trumpsaid at a rally in Wilmington, N.C., on Tuesday. “By the way, and if she gets topick her judges, nothing you can do, folks. Although the Second Amendmentpeople, maybe there is, I don’t know.”

Of course Trump’s handlers, recognizing just how incendiary were his words,immediately denied that he was suggesting that gun owners do anything harmfultoward Clinton. Oh my God, never. Trump, they insisted, was just referring tothe “power of unification.” You know those Second Amendment people, theyjust love to get on buses and vote together.But that is not what he said. What hesaid was ambiguous — slightly menacing, but with just enough plausibledeniability that, of course, he was not suggesting an assassination. Again, it’sjust like the Rabin story. When I wrote about this issue back in the fall it was tourge readers to see the new movie “Rabin: The Last Day,” by the Israeli directorAmos Gitai, timed for the 20th anniversary of Rabin’s assassination.

As The Times’s Isabel Kershner reported from Israel when the film wasreleased, it “is unambiguous about the forces it holds responsible” — the extremistrabbis and militant settlers who branded Rabin a traitor, the right-wing politicianswho rode the “wave of toxic incitement against Mr. Rabin as they campaignedagainst the Oslo accords,” and the security services that failed to heed thewarnings that the incitement could get out of hand.

8Wednesday, August 10 to August 16, 2016 OPINION

How Rajnath Singh's Visit Has Given Pak The Clear Upper HandKudos to Home Minister

Rajnath Singh on havingtransformed SAARC into theSouth Asian Association forRegional Confrontation.

He had no constructive aims.He only wanted to show naive andimpressionable Indian saffronitesthat he had the chutzpah to tickoff the Pakistanis on their own soil.That may have won him somebrownie points at home, but noone else was impressed. Certainly,the joint conclusions drafted at theend of the meeting made nomention of the pyrotechnics ofeither India or Pakistan. While thetwo principals were going for eachother's throats, the SAARCministers got no further thanreiterating that earlier decisionsrelating to SAARC cooperation onterrorism needed to be acted on.It was clear that the six otherSAARC partners were keen onlyto not be seen taking sides in theIndia-Pak tu-tu-mein-mein. Theyhad all heard it before.

What has been little reportedor not reported at all in the Indianmedia is Pakistan Interior Minister,Chaudhury Nisar Ali Khan's riposteto Rajnath Singh. Dawn, on theother hand, reported our HomeMinister's stinging remarks,"Terrorists should not be glorifiedas 'martyrs'. There is no good orbad terrorism. Terrorism isterrorism." What is reallyunfortunate for us, however, is thatsame news item also reportedwhat Nisar Ali Khan had said inresponse: "violence againstfreedom fighters in a disputedterritory under Indian occupationis state-sponsored". Did we reallywant our partners in SAARC tohear such language directed atus? Or while we mutter that "talksand terrorism cannot go together",do we really want to hear thePakistani Interior Minister tellingSAARC and the whole world that"Pakistan is ready to engage inany dialogue process based onmutual respect and dignity with nostrings attached"? Dawn told itsreaders that Rajnath Singhstormed out of the meeting "afterlosing a war of words with hisPakistani counterpart". We mayargue till Kingdom Come who wonand who lost this "war of words"but certainly no higher diplomaticpurpose is served in letting thePakistanis get away with the lastword.

We certainly have not beenseen by the United States ascoming out the victor. While rituallyasking Pakistan to "act againstgroups targeting neighbours",while Rajnath Singh demands toknow how we can cooperateagainst terrorism with a state thatitself sponsors such terrorism, theUS State Department's deputy

spokesman, Mark Toner, availedhimself of the opportunity providedby the spat to restore thehyphenated US view of India andPakistan. Said Toner, "Weadvocate for closer cooperation,certainly, between India andPakistan to deal with the terroristthreat in both countries". If that isn'tone in the eye for India, I wouldlike to know what is. Rajnath'sposition has been repudiated andNisar Ali's view has been reflectedin the US State Department'sreaction to the SAARC HomeMinisters' meeting. Toner went onto make things even more explicit:"Terrorism is obviously a reality inboth countries, and in order toeffectively confront it, they need towork together." We say we can'twork with a terrorism-complicitPakistan government; Pakistansays there is no alternative to Indiaand Pakistan working together tocontrol terrorism; and the US Statedepartment, mixing up who is its"Major Defence Partner" in SouthAsia, not only wants India to followthe Pakistan line, it endorsesNawaz Sharif's boast, saying, "Webelieve that Pakistan has takenand is taking steps to counterterrorist violence." The spokesmanthen moderates that complimentby adding that these steps are"certainly focusing on thosegroups that threaten Pakistani orPakistan's stability." He reiteratesthat $300 million in aid to Pakistanhas been put on hold because theUS is not satisfied that adequateattention is being paid to actionagainst the Haqqani network, butconfirms that no such aidsuspension is contemplated forPakistani non-action againstgroups "focusing" on India. Does

this amount to "US endorsesIndia's anti-terror stand" as morethan one Indian media headlineclaims?While Indian opinion hasbeen inflamed by pictures andstories of Pakistani terrorist leadersholding demonstrations againstRajnath Singh, a report by ImtiazAhmed in The Hindustan Times of6 August gives a startling twist tothe tale. It quotes Pakistani officialsas saying that "it was the army thatdiscouraged religious and hardlineparties from banding togetherunder the banner of the Difa-e-Pakistan Council (Defence ofPakistan Council) and holdingcountrywide protests." This, saysImtiaz Ahmed, resulted in protestsbeing largely limited to "HafizSaeed's Jamaat-ud-dawah andSyed Salahuddin's HizbulMujahideen". It was apparentlyensured that the demonstrationswould be held al l of tenkilometres distant from the siteof the meeting.

This report by one of India'sbetter known friends in thePakistan media stressed thatboth the Pakistan army and thegovernment were concerned forthe stability of the Nawaz Sharifregime if serious trouble were tobreak out as a result of protestsduring Rajnath Singh's visit. Hequotes a wel l-knownindependent Pakistani analyst,Ali Zaidi, as saying "if thereligious parties had started apublic agitation which resulted inviolence and deaths, the situationwould have turned precarious forthe government. At such a time,the arrival of the Indian homeminister, who is seen as one of theplayers behind the violence (inKashmir), is hard to justify".

Another Pakistani journalist, TahirNajmi, adds an explanatory note:"That is why we saw the blackingout of coverage of the event onnational channels as well asdownplaying on most media."

Surely, all this was conveyedby our High Commissioner inIslamabad to the Modigovernment before the latterdecided to send Rajnath on afruitless trip to Pakistan. Ourviews about Pakistani-sponsoredterrorism were well-known. We didnot need yet another platform torepeat what we have been sayingfor years. Why then send sosenior a minister as our HomeMinister, effectively Number 2 inour government, to indulge ingrandstanding in Islamabad if hisspeech was going to bedownplayed, indeed not madepublic at all as per SAARCconventions and past practice?That could have been left toRajnath's affable and able deputy,Kiren Rijiju, especially as nobilateral meetings with thePakistanis were scheduled on thesidelines. After all, only Bhutanand Sri Lanka were representedat Home/Interior minister level;Afghanistan and Maldives senttheir deputy ministers.Bangladesh sent their HomeSecretary. And Nepal wasrepresented by theirAmbassador.Has our war againstterrorism been advanced an inchby the Home Minister's flying visitto Pakistan? Are we any saferthan we would have been if India,like Pakistan, had "downplayed"the event? Rajnath Singh did nothave anything of substance to sayby way of strengthening on theground the SAARC mechanism

for regional action againstterrorism. Of course, in the givensituation, SAARC has littleopening to operationalizemeasures agreed to in principle onpaper. But when that is so, whyundertake a futile exercise in high-profile denunciation of the hostcountry?

Ever since Simla 1972, wehave rejected any role for the UNin Kashmir. The UN has been onlytoo pleased to wash its hands ofthe whole affair. So, the HomeMinister's thunder could not havebeen addressed to theinternational community. His wordswere not heard at all in Pakistan.The other SAARC ministers werejust not interested and, in anycase, could do nothing about it.The US, as shown above, barelybacked us. So, what nationalpurpose has been served byRajnath Singh personallyperforming to a non-audience inIslamabad?

It was not always like this.When P Chidambaram as HomeMinister went to Islamabad in 2010,he was given a ceremonialwelcome. His main purpose,publicly stated, was to presentdefinitive evidence on Pakistan'sinvolvement in the Mumbai 26/11terrorist outrage. Stone-throwinghad resumed in the Valley. Tensionwas in the air. And yet, there wasenough respect for the IndianHome Minister for Chidambaramto receive a welcome fit for a HomeMinister. This time insults wereexchanged, courtesies were giventhe go-by, nothing was achievedat either SAARC or bilaterally withPakistan. Was it for this thatRajnath Singh took his "Plane toPakistan"?

The image of a distraught Indian hockeycaptain Sreejesh sitting alone after a goalby Germany three seconds before the full-time whistle broke millions of Indian hearts.But one. Writer Shobhaa De, known for hermerciless takedowns, was unsparing ofathletes who were giving everything they hadin Rio.

hile most of us kept awake late intoSunday night hoping for three unassuminggirls to bring us some glory in archery, ordid our own version of a somersault afterDipa Karmakar became the first Indian toreach the final of any gymnastics event, MsDe had zero team spirit.

I wonder what it takes to even talk orthink like this when the rest of the countryhas for once united with national pride.Neither am I convinced that this wasdirected at the officials who accompaniedthe team and chose to travel business classwhile sending our athletes in economy.

t is also doubtful that Ms De personallyfinanced any player on the team, or has everplayed much of a sport; else, she wouldhave had at least an inkling of how athletes

have no semblance of a normal life whenthey train for the Olympics. But it is easy togive gyaan sitting in air-conditioned roomsfar away from wrestling akharas or dilapidatedfacilities. Abhinav Bindra, whose ownOlympic dreams were shattered - he missedthe bronze medal by a whisker in the men's10m air rif le - also issued areprimand.Admittedly, it hasn't been the beststart by us but I will continue to wake up inthe morning expecting some magic from oursportsmen, many of whom have come fromextremely humble backgrounds. Insteadwhat Ms De did was trivialize every sacrificethey and their families have made and pushedour thinking back by years. People like herare a big reason why, for decades, we neverhad a sporting culture.

An Indian athlete wins in spite of ourcricket obsession and despite our systemof power-hungry babus and shoddyinfrastructure. Ms De's parochial mindset itseems is only interested in being a part ofthe good times. Maybe more than a few feelthe same about your writing Ms De! If youhave nothing nice to say, sometimes it really

is better not to say anything.Instead of making a mockery of our

athletes maybe she should consider howthey reached where they have in the firstplace, how winning isn't always everythingand for us most of them are alreadywinners. Wonder if she knows that DattuBhokanal, the 23-year-old rower whoqualified for the quarter-finals has a motherback home who is seriously unwell andsinking. Or that the father of the women'shockey team captain is a cart-puller. Forgetselfies, they should be doing the sambafor what they have achieved.

Ms De on the other hand should besticking to what she does best, celebrityair kissing and dissing. Only the frivolouswill find it humourous, because when thechips are down and all that you haveworked for in the last four years comes tonought, like Jitu Rai, Abhinav Bindra or anyof the others in Rio, then it is our duty toremind our sportsmen and women that theyare still champions and will always be.

Thank you, Sachin Tendulkar, for doingjust that.

Shobhaa De, Stick To Your Air Kissing, Not Dissing

9Wednesday, August 10 to August 16, 2016 OPINION

What Kashmir saysI have been a journalist for the

last 22 years and I feel my curseis to write the same story, againand again. That story is Kashmir.It is in essence a single storywhere like Sisyphus’s rock, effortsto resolve the dispute go througha similar and endless journey eachtime it is pushed up the mountain.

There is a script, a standardoperating procedure is put intoplay each time Kashmir erupts,seeking “azadi” from India. So thistime, when after more than amonth of total lockdown, killing of56 young Kashmiris, and blindingof hundreds of others, New Delhifinally decided to hold an all-partymeeting, I am not wondering aboutthe outcome of this effort. It hashappened before. I have seen it.

There will be a promise of a“dialogue with all stakeholders”,with the compulsory disclaimerthat J&K is an integral part of India.A group of parliamentarians maygo to the Valley to “meet andascertain” the reason for theuprising as if it is unknown to thosein the corridors of power in Delhi.By the time the all-party delegationgets to Srinagar, Indianintelligence and security agencieswould have gathered the samehandful of groups for the meeting.

Like in 2010, wholesale muttondealers will show up,shikarawallas will be rowed in andapple growers will be brought.Voices palatable to New Delhi willbe told to spell out theirrequirements, while a fewbureaucrats-turned-civil societymembers and former Ikhwanis-turned-politicians known to NewDelhi’s dialogue circuit will beshooed in.

This time, though, the groundhas shifted. There are two reasonsfor it.

First, the complexion of theuprising has changed on theground and the movement for azadihas transcended human rightsissues. Unlike previous upsurgesin 2008, 2009 and 2010, theprotestors aren’t angry against acivilian killing. Though there are anumber of reasons for thisaccumulated anger, the trigger forthis massive outpouring explainsthe shift.

These large gatherings aren’ta protest against the killing ofKashmiri militant Burhan Wani.Instead, Kashmir has risen toendorse what Burhan stood forand the consensus seems to bearound one theme: “We don’t wantto be part of India.” The languageof the people has never been so

clear.When Kashmir erupted in

1990, it was a sudden explosion,the heavy cost of such a demandfor freedom was unknown. TheKashmiri youth who decided topick up the gun in 1990 were ofmy generation and as classroomafter classroom emptied to join themilitancy, there were few whounderstood the scale of the staterepression that it would draw. Oncethe state crushed the initial phaseof the militancy, the azadimovement turned into a lament,centered on human rights abuses.Each time armed forces wouldconduct cordon and searchoperations looking for militants, theentire male population would beherded at one place. One by one,they would be brought before amasked informer. There was somuch fear, hardly anybody wouldprotest.

In the beginning of the newmillennium, while azadi continuedto be the main demand, militancystarted to take a backseat andhopes for a negotiated settlementarose. By 2008, there was astrong realisation that peacefulmeans alone would help. In 2008and 2010, there were scores ofinstances where people madehuman chains around a securitybunker or a vehicle of the armedforces to avoid a confrontation.People would throw stones onlywhen the government disallowedpeaceful marches. Thegovernment’s response to therallies and the marches was thesame as against the militantmovement. The peaceful protestswere called “agitational terrorism”and sought to be crushed.

In 2016, there is no illusion that

anything would convince New Delhito accept and engage with theevident reality that a vast majorityof Kashmiris don’t want to be partof India. The fear seems to haveevaporated completely. The youngmen, who go out to confront thearmed forces, are aware of thecosts.

The hints for dialogue by NewDelhi, the constituting ofparliamentary committees and civilsociety groups that are sent to visitKashmir after every uprising, areseen as nothing more than afaçade aimed at soft surrender.Unlike in the past, the knownstructures of separatist politics tooaren’t in control of the street. Theoligarchs of separatist politics areexhausted. The state hasn’tallowed them to do politics, leavinga big void. This uprising is run by anew generation born after 1990 —the children of the conflict, as theyare called — and they are deeplysuspicious of the customary peacetalk.

The second reason is the policyshift in New Delhi. The reason whythe Centre doesn’t want to evenacknowledge the ground reality inKashmir isn’t an aberration or areactionary response by a fewhawkish officials. It is amanifestation of the Modigovernment’s Kashmir policy.

Ever since P.V. Narasimha Raodeclared that the “sky is the limit”for resolving the Kashmir dispute,New Delhi’s policy had been rootedin the belief that managing theconflict, maintaining status quo anddelaying resolution will ultimatelytire out the majority in Kashmir andend the political problem. WhileNew Delhi used force to suppressthe separatist movement, the “sky

is the limit” promise was aimedat convincing the NationalConference to participate in the1996 assembly polls.

By getting an NC governmentto replace governor’s rule, NewDelhi managed to put up aKashmiri political face withoutupsetting the status quo andwithout losing direct control ofKashmir. When in June 2000, theNC passed the autonomyresolution in the assembly, theVajpayee government rejected itsummarily. It, however, kept theveneer of dialogue intact.

While maintaining andcontrolling the status quo, NewDelhi kept sending emissaries —first politicians, then bureaucrats— and mostly, the talks were onlyabout the modalities of talks. Theemergence of both the PDP andthe moderate Hurriyat between1999 and 2004 was an outcomeof New Delhi’s policies to createa favourable buffer between thepro-azadi camp and theintegrationists.

Even Vajpayee’s much-hypedpromise of a dialogue “within theambit of humanity” was only avague expression to allow theseparatists to avoid the “taint” ofsurrendering by agreeing to talkwithin the framework of theConstitution. For New Delhi, theengagement itself became theobjective. The UPA governmentset up working groups but didn’tconsider their recommendations,sent interlocutors but disownedtheir report. There was a tacitunderstanding on Article 370 too:

Erode it gradually to the pointwhere there is no need to removeit.

The Modi government has onlypulled the iron fist out of the velvetglove. Its policy is based on theideological position of the RSS,which wants Kashmir’s “completeassimilation” by removingconstitutional hurdles such asArticle 370 and the PermanentResident Act. The RSS calls theKashmir dispute a myth, insiststhat the problem is limited to SunniMuslims of the Valley and thateven if Muslims are a majority, “85per cent of the area is Hindu orBuddhist dominated”. In a speechin Kargil in 2014, Modi talked abouthis government’s focus on “20 percent of J&K’s population”, clubbingtogether “the West Pakistanrefugees, Kashmiri Pandits andvictims of militancy”.

The recent speech where Modirefered to Vajpayee’s “insaniyat”framework is a repeat of what hesaid in Srinagar in 2014. ArunJaitley has explicated the regime’sunderstanding: “The politicaldebate on the constitutionalframework of J&K is no longerlinked to the aspirations ofcommon people.”

As Kashmir erupts again, Ilook back at the two decades ofstories I wrote. I wrote aboutpromises for resolving the conflictand the sterile notes of fact-findingteams and parliamentarycommittees. I wrote of despair aswell as hope. It seems that I wroteonly one story that is repeatingitself.

All parties meet today to talk about Kashmir.But are they prepared to hear the Kashmiris?

A GST Less TaxingKeeping the rates of the tax low would keep a check on inflation.

The GST is expected to beimplemented from April 1, 2017.Many are worried about itsinflationary impact.

There is talk of a revenue neutralrate (RNR) of between 15 per centto 18 per cent — the rate at whichthe amount of tax collected underthe GST would be the same as thatcollected at present. A shortfall inrevenue is a worry for states, sincethey cannot easily resort to a deficitbudget. For them, the loss ofrevenue usually translates into cutsin the allocations to welfareprogrammes.

A single RNR rate implies thatsome current rates of indirect taxeswill rise while some others will fall.For instance, services are taxed ata rate of 15 per cent currently but ifthe RNR is fixed at 18 per cent, thenall services prices will rise. However,if some good faces a combinedexcise and sales tax rate of 22 percent then its rate of tax would falland so would its price. Thus, in theaggregate, prices should not risewith the RNR. But there is a catch:Even with the RNR, the rate ofinflation is likely to rise.

Indirect taxes “cascade” from

one tax to the other and also feedfrom one good or service to another.Even though wheat does not bearan excise or a sales tax, whentaxes on diesel are increasedtransport costs rise and so do theprices of wheat. The more basic acommodity, the more the prices ofother goods rise. VAT is supposedto get rid of such cascading effects.Sales, excise and service taxeswere already collected as VAT. Butthe cascading of service tax on salesor excise or of sales tax on servicesand excise, and other suchcombinations, did not get eliminated

and GST is expected to do that. Thecascading effect of taxes makes theeffective rate of tax higher than inthe statute books; so the price riseis also more. Thus, if the cascadingeffect is removed/reduced, then tocollect the same amount of taxesas earlier, the rate of tax under GSTmust rise. But under a one tax (or afew taxes) regime that would meanhigher taxes on basics and,therefore a greater inflationaryimpact. If inflation kicks up,inequalities rise, output stagnatesand that impacts employmentgeneration. It has also been arguedthat a single market will hit the smalland the cottage sectors even if theyare kept outside the GST net. Theway out of this political quicksand wouldbe to go for a rate lower than RNR. GSTwould apply to non-agriculture which is86 per cent of the GDP.

10Wednesday, August 10 to August 16, 2016 ADVERTISEMENT

11Wednesday, August 10 to August 16, 2016 ADVERTISEMENT

12Wednesday, August 10 to August 16, 2016 INDIA

Air India Pilot With Gold Bars Worth Rs.16 Lakh Arrested At Mumbai Airport

(Agencies) Mumbai : A seniorpilot of Air India was arrested fromthe Mumbai Airport on Wednes-day evening for allegedly smug-gling gold bars worth Rs. 16 lakh.The pilot was found to be carry-ing around 600 grams of goldduring routine checks. He hadkept the gold bars inside hischeck-in and hand baggage.Seven gold bars lakh were seizedfrom the pilot’s possession, said

an official of the Air IntelligenceUnit of the Customs depart-ment. “He has admitted to pos-session, carriage and conceal-ment of bars which were be-ing smuggled into India,” theofficial said. The senior pilotwas later released on bail. Allair crew have been subjected toroutine checks recently, said offi-cials. There was no immediatecomment from Air India.

Zakir Naik got Rs 60 crore in 3 years from abroad: Cops

(Agencies) Mumbai : A total of Rs 60crore was deposited in controversialtelevangelist Zakir Naik+ ‘s bank accountin the last three years from three differentcountries, a Mumbai police+ probe hasfound. The money was transferred to fiveaccounts belonging to Naik’s familymembers, a police officer who did notwish to be named said.

Police sources said they had probedthe money angle and found details of alltransactions. “We still don’t know whatthis money was meant for. We have donean inquiry and found the money trail. Themoney was transferred to familymembers’ accounts,” said the officer.

The account, the officer made clear,does not belong to Naik’s NGO IslamicResearch Foundation (IRF) but is hisown. Police are looking into the financialtransactions of Naik and the IRF.However, they are yet to question IRFofficials.

“We may question them about thesource of income, the connectionbetween the depositors and Naik,” saidthe officer.

A decision on whether to initiate actionagainst Naik’s two NGOs under the

Foreign Contributions (Regulation) Act2010 is yet to be taken. The Union homeministry is examining possible FCRAviolations by IRF and IRF EducationalTrust, both registered as “educational”NGOs under FCRA but reportedlyreceiving and utilising foreign funds for“religious and religion-linked” activities.A source close to Naik however said,“There is no illegal transaction. Themoney came into the bank account, andall the records of IRF have been clearedtill 2015 by the Income-Tax department.Whatever money came is in white andall the records are maintained. This alsohelps the country’s foreign exchange togrow.”

Mumbai police are also probing theaccounts of an international school runby Naik. A police inquiry report, submitted

to commissioner D D Padsalgikarrecently, was compiled after goingthrough the bank statements and moneytransfers, sources said.

Media had on Wednesday reportedthat the Maharashtra government is allset to book Naik for promoting religiousenmity+ . The tele-preacher has beenunder the scanner after a probe into theJuly 1 Dhaka attack revealed two of theattackers were inspired by him.

Last month, Kerala police registereda case of forcible conversion against ArshiQureshi and Rizwan Khan and arrestedthe two. Qureshi was in the past attachedto the IRF. Mumbai police on August 6registered a case against four persons,including Khan and Qureshi, for allegedlyradicalizing Ashfaque Abdul Majeed, 22and instigating him to join the IS.

Kerala man who survived Emiratescrash-landing wins lottery

Air India Pilot With Gold Bars Worth Rs.16 Lakh Arrested At Mumbai Airport

(Agencies) When his phone rangon Tuesday, Ahmad AbdulKhadar’s first thoughts were,“Must be a relative calling toenquire about the accident.”Khadar, 62, was among 300passengers who escaped deathby a whisker when his flightcrashlanded at the Dubai airportlast week. It turned out to bearguably the most shocking,pleasantly that is, call he everreceived — someone called fromDubai to inform that he has won$ 1 million (around Rs 6.5 crore)in a Dubai duty-free raffle. “Forthe lucky escape I have beenpraying to Almighty all thesedays. After the precious first gift(of life) I got another one... Thelatest gift has emboldened me todo more good things for the restof my life,” he said. Khadar, who

had a habit of buying lotterytickets on journeys back home,had purchased one at the Dubaiairport while returning to Keralaon Eid last month. Khadar isworking in the middle-east since1978 and is employed as a fleetmanager with a car dealer inDubai. One of his sons suffereda paralytic attack after a fall 16years ago. “My wife used toscold me for spending hugeamount for raffles. I alwaysconsoled her, one day we will hitthe jack port. I think this is my17th lottery or so,” said Khadar.

Kerala man who survived Emiratescrash-landing wins lottery

Life of the bovine: Delhi has no timefor ‘holy’ cows dying in shelters

(Agencies) Cows are dying bythe thousands in Delhi’s cowshelters, even as protectiongroups and political partiessquabble over saving the ‘holy’animal. Data collated by themunicipal corporations in Delhiand government cow shelters isstartling.

The South Delhi MunicipalCorporation sent 3,398 cattle toshelters in 2015-16 and 3,685died during the same period. In2014-15, 2,974 cattle were sentand 2,143 died. The East DelhiMunicipal Corporation sharedsimilar figures. Between Augustand October 2015, 190 cattlewere sent to shelters. Of these,120 died. The North DelhiMunicipal Corporation did not

share any data. Managers ofthese shelters say most cowsand bulls that come to them areeither il l or are injured inaccidents. Cows have been innews for over a year. Morerecently after Prime Minister

Narendra Modi criticised self-styled cow-protection groups andsaid their actions make himangry, and then after 500 died ina shelter in Jaipur.All the while,Delhi’s stray-cow problem hasremained unsolved.

‘GSTN-a PC time bomb’Why Subramanian Swamy thinks GST won’t survive in SC

(Agencies) The ruling NDA government,economists and even the opposition is optimisticabout the Goods and Services Tax. But BharatiyaJanata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamyis not.

A day after the 122nd constitutionamendment bill was cleared by Parliament,ending the legislation’s five year-long hibernation,Swamy raised questions if the future GST actcan withstand legal scrutiny.

“I am confident Smart Cities will be a realityin 2018 but not sure if the future GST Act cansurvive in SC because of GSTN— a PC timebomb,” Swamy tweeted on Tuesday morning.

The Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN)is the special purpose vehicle that was formedto create the information technology backboneto the roll-out of the new, nationwide tax that willreplace myriad local levies.

In the GSTN, the government of India holds24.5 % share. State governments, including NCTof Delhi and Puducherry, and the Empowered

Committee of State Finance Ministers, togetherhold another 24.5%. Balance 51% equity is withnon-government financial institutions.

Swamy, a Harvard-returned economist, hasnot been a vocal supporter for the GST. He isalso known to have a bitter equation withChidambaram who is now in the same RajyaSabha, where Swamy is a member. During theseven-hour-long debate on the GST bill in theUpper House last week, the BJP did not allowSwamy to participate.

The BJP leader also re-tweeted an articlethat questioned why the tax collectionmanagement of GST has been given to anentity where private players have a majoritystake. On Monday, Prime Minister NarendraModi said the GST bill will liberate peoplefrom “tax terrorism” as the Lok Sabha passeda Constitution amendment bill for GST.

Modi also said the consumer will be “king”in the new system and hailed the new taxregime as “pro-poor” and “pro-consumer”.

‘GSTN-a PC time bomb’Why Subramanian Swamy thinks GST won’t survive in SC

13Wednesday, August 10 to August 16, 2016 INDIA NEWS ANALYSIS

Progressive Modi? The PM speaks on transgenders, Dalits and Kashmir

(Agencies) After cows, Dalitsand Kashmiris came the turn oftransgender people.

Prime Minister Narendra Moditold his party MPs on Tuesdayto reach out to the transgendercommunity in their respectiveconstituencies, setting them atarget of meeting 500,000 peoplefrom one of India’s mostmarginalised sections.

This is possibly the first timethat the BJP leader has reachedout to the transgendercommunity, often ostracised bysociety and shut out from jobsand education opportunities.

“Humanity is not confined tomale or female. Go and meetthem. Have meetings and rallies,”Modi told his party members,hailing a bill conferring rights totransgender people as a “greatstep for social reforms”.

Modi’s comments aren’tsurprising though he leads aparty that has been in the newsfor its deeply conservative views.It is in line with the views of newprogressive Modi – a 2.0 of theHindu Hriday Samrat if you will –who lashes out at once-patronised cow protectionvigilantes, asks people to attackhim instead of Dalits and lovesKashmir.

For the past four days, theprime minister has sprung asurprise—indicating to the world

that he is alert to mountinginternational criticism of hisadministration as a tech-savvybut culturally intolerant regimethat is hostile to minorities anddissent.

His paean to Dalits cameshortly after the United Statesexpressed concern over risingatrocities against the vulnerablecommunity. He spoke on thespiraling violence in Kashmirmore than a month after the firstclashes and it came after hisimage as a pan-India leader wasquestioned in national andinternational media because ofhis silence.

Every single of thesemessages appeared carefullytailored for an internationalaudience and aimed at giving outthe message that India is ruledby a global leader withprogressive views.

This is a sea change from theprime minister’s earlierresponses, when he chose to besilent and bulldoze through atorrent of criticism followingHindu hardline ghar wapsiconversion programmes, vitriolagainst alleged cases of “lovejihad” and especially the moblynching of Mohammad Ikhlaqover rumours that he slaughtereda cow.

Even this January when Indiawas rocked by protests over the

death of PhD student RohithVemula in Hyderabad afteralleged casteist hounding byuniversity authorities, Modi choseto keep silent – making a shortstatement that further infuriatedanti-caste activists andopposition parties.

Most commentators attributethis change-of-heart to upcomingpolls in a clutch of states wherethe desertion of the Dalit vote cansink the BJP. But apart from pollcompulsions – after alltransgender people aren’t asignificant vote bank — thestatements hide a leader whohas begun to realise that vitriolby constituents might giveelection dividends but doesn’tplay well in high diplomacy.

Of course, this comes at acost – the undying love of hardlineHindu elements, who are alreadygrumbling that the new “secular”Modi isn’t the leader they votedfor. The BJP and the RashtriyaSwayamsevak Sangh have hada troubled relationship withoppressed communities of allhues – be it religious minorities,backward castes or the Lesbian,Gay, Bisexual and Transgendercommunity.

Hindu hardliners haveattacked couples out onValentine’s Day, have beenaccused of peddling violence andpatriarchal norms that shacklewomen, and have calledhomosexuality an abomination –India’s home minister RajnathSingh called it a mental illnesslast year. Modi’s overtures mightfurther rupture his relationshipwith his core constituency.

But a more pressing concernis whether the statements willinspire any real change. Dalitactivists have already said they’dprefer stricter implementation ofanti-atrocity laws to impassionedappeals. Kashmiris have

unequivocally rejected the primeminister’s professed love for theValley and his offer ofdevelopment, saying they’drather see some real politicalchange on the ground.

But a host of others haveraised questions about the bill,which they say dilutes SupremeCourt guidelines from a historicverdict two years ago.

Many activists say the bill infront of the Lok Sabha mutilatesthe definition of transgenders,erases important provisions forquotas and initiatives inemployment and education, andcrates an elaborate arrangementthat will most likely makes thingsmore difficult for transpersons toget government benefits.

“The terms, phrasing andwording of the bill, - veryignorant, i l l-informed andinadequate - are things to worryabout, and may hurt thetransgender community morethan it helps,” said Nadika N, anon-binary writer from Bengaluru.

On top of that is the questionof Section 377, a colonial-era lawthat criminalises homosexuallives and love and is usedprimarily by police to harasstransgender people on thestreets. The government hasbarely moved to remove a lawthat puts India in dubious globalcompany, choosing to take

shield behind judicialproceedings. Before coming topower, the BJP batted for the law.Till today, it appears hostile tothe LGBT community.

Modi himself receivedwidespread flak two months ago,when he expressed solidaritywith the victims of the Orlandoclub shooting in the UnitedStates, without mentioning thatthe victims were gay or puttingin a thought about the millions ofsimilar Indians who liveprecariously.

If the prime minister isserious about his transgenderoutreach, it will not remainconfined to mere words. Hisgovernment will consult transactivists and amend the bill, batfor stricter implementation ofbenefits, and induct transgenderleaders in his party.

He will also follow through onhis promises to other minorities– because transgender peoplecan be Dalits, Muslims or women– and violence against onecommunity touches all. Hisgovernment will come out againstsection 377 and end thisshameful law once-and-for-all.Anything less may soar theprime minister’s internationalreputation and make for goodheadlines abroad, but will do littleto help the people he is electedto serve.

14Wednesday, August 10 to August 16, 2016 INDIA

On highway toBulandshahr, yetanother gangrape;woman thrownfrom vehicle

On highway toBulandshahr, yetanother gangrape;woman thrownfrom vehicle

(Agencies) A young womanwas allegedly gangraped andthrown from a moving vehicle onto the highway leading toBulandshahr on Tuesday, lessthan a fortnight after a motherand her minor daughter weregangraped in the same area. A23-year-old woman alleged shewas attacked by relatives of herlive-in partner whom she hadlodged a case against. The victimwas found semi-conscious onthe road by locals near MMR mall– about 100m from Kotwali –where she was thrown from avehicle. When they revived her,she said she had beengangraped. Locals informed thepolice, who took her to thedistrict hospital. After initialmedical treatment, the victimwas brought to Kotwali (rural).

“The girl said that she wasfriends with one Paras Tomar,who worked at the same mallwhere she was employed. Theywere in a live-in relationship inNoida for several years.Sometime ago, Paras hadassaulted her. The girl had alsolodged a case against him inNoida in May (after he refused tomarry her). Paras was sent to jailnine days ago,” superintendentof police (city), Man SinghChauhan told Hindustan Times.

The woman, who hails fromLucknow, works as a beauticianat a mall in Noida. According tothe victim’s statement, somerelatives of Paras asked her toaccompany them in a car onMonday because they wanted totalk to her. They triedpressurising her in to

withdrawing the case againstParas. When she refused, theyabducted her and took her toBulandshahr where she wassexually assaulted by two of themand dumped outside MMR Mall.The accused then fled from thespot.

“The police have registered acase on the basis of her writtencomplaint and furtherinvestigations are in progress,”Chauhan said. A medicalexamination of the woman wasconducted but the report is yet tocome. On the night of July 29, afamily of six was driven off nationalhighway 91 in Bulandshahr, and a35-year-old woman and her teenagedaughter were gangraped byhighway robbers. On August 8,police managed to nab the mainaccused in the case.

Whodunit! Cops clueless 24 hours afterTamil Nadu’s great train robbery

(Agencies) Three policeteams in Tamil Nadu are racingagainst time to crack the caseof the country’s most audacioustrain robbery. But more than 24hours later, the police are stillclueless.

Robbers had cut a gapingthrough the roof of SalemExpress coach, transportingthe soiled currency notes of theReserve Bank of India toChennai from Salem, andescaped with Rs 5.75 croreafter breaking open two of the226 wooden trunks on board on

Tuesday. The trunks were in twobogies that were sealed fromoutside.

Investigators are trying tofigure out how and where therobbers boarded the train orwhere they could have cutthrough the roof of the bogey.

Police have widened theirsearch from the originating point– Erode from where the rakes ofthe train came – and also werelooking at the CCTV footage ofall the 10 stations betweenSalem and Egmore in Chennaiwhere the train terminated. “We

are investigating Erode yard fromwhere the train rake originated,if the hole could have been cutthere. We have also questionedthe porters who loaded the trainand also checking with the bankstaff about the people who hadinformation about the moneybeing transported,” said P.Rajmohan, divisional securitycommissioner, RPF, SalemRailway Division.

The money was loaded in thetrain in afternoon when the SalemExpress was in its yard.

“We are looking at the casefrom the originating point – thebanks in Salem, their staff,”Rajmohan said.

“We are leaving nothing tochance and are looking intoevery angle, including thepossibility of it being thehandiwork of a gang from outsidethe state,” said a senior policeofficial associated with the probe.

Nine armed securitypersonnel on guard duty for theconsignment, were insteadtravelling in other bogies. Theyhave also been questioned but

are not being suspected in thecase, said a police official. InSalem, a 10-member teamcomprising railway police,reserve police and Tamil Nadupolice is investigating the case.

The investigators have visitedSalem station, yard, Erode andinspected the line for fewkilometres to check for clues.They have also questionedseveral people in Salem includingbank officials and porters wholoaded the money. Railwayemployees were also beingquestioned. The police are yet tocome to a conclusion as towhere the heist could have beenpulled off – between Salem andVridachalam (most likely as thissection of the railway tracks wasnot electrified) or later at anyother station. Investigators arecovering an 80 km stretch fromAathur to Vridachalam.

Investigators have picked upfinger prints left by the robbersand are checking with thedatabase of gangs of knowntrain thieves. A police officer saida similar heist was carried outby an Andhra Pradesh-basedgang in Guntur a few years agowhen 10 people allegedly lootedvaluables in a moving train. Theinvestigating team from Chennaiis headed by governmentreserve police SP Vijaykumarand has three DSPs. In Tiruchy,a team headed by an SP hasbeen formed. Railway PoliceInspector General MRamasubramanian said thatinvestigations began after acomplaint was filed by theReserve Bank of India (RBI).Banks routinely send soilednotes to the RBI to replacethem with fresh currency ofsame value.

Former Arunachal CM Kalikho Pul foundhanging, leaves note on his ‘thoughts’

(Agencies) Former ArunachalPradesh chief minister KalikhoPul was found hanging at theofficial chief minister’s residencein Itanagar on Tuesday.

“The body was found hangingaround 9 am by a servant. Hemay have committed suicide onMonday night itself,” DGPArunachal Pradesh SNithianandam told HindustanTimes.

“A long note titled ‘My Vichar’(my thoughts), which containsdetails on various subjects, wasfound in the room where the bodywas hanging. I won’t call it asuicide note,” Nithianandamsaid.

Preliminary investigation didnot reveal any foul play. Policehave taken possession of thebody and sent it for post mortem.

The 47-year-old, who held the

CM’s post for about five months,had left office last month after aSupreme Court ruling orderedremoval of his government. Buthe hadn’t vacated his officialresidence.

Unconfirmed reports suggestPul was extremely upset sincethe apex court’s order and hadstopped communicating properlywith others for the past few days.

“It is sad and reallyunfortunate that young leaderKalikho Pul is no more with us,”former CM Nabam Tuki told ANI.“A loss for entire ArunachalPradesh. The Congress family iswith his family in this moment ofgrief.”

Pul belonged to the KamanMishmi tribe and hailed fromWalla village in eastern ArunachalPradesh’s Anjaw district —among the most backward areas.

15Wednesday, August 10 to August 16, 2016 INDIA

Grim forecast! This hurricane seasoncould be the worst since 2012

(Agencies) US forecasterssay it’s more likely this could

be the bus ies t At lant ichur r icane season s ince2012.In 2012, Hurricane Sandydec imated much o f theNortheastern Coast.

I t i s the cost l ies t UShurr icane af ter Hurr icaneKatrina and killed 233 people.

The National Oceanic andAtmospheric Administration’supdated outlook predicts 12 to

17 named storms, includingfive to eight hurricanes, two tofour of which could be ‘major’.

On average, the U.S. gets12 named Atlantic storms aseason, inc lud ing s ixhurr icanes, three of themmajor.

Sandy was the tenthhurricane of 2012, and thesecond major hurricane.

Atlantic hurricane seasonruns from April until aroundNovember, w i th s tormintensity peaking late Augustthrough September.

The El Nino effect in thePacific that tends to reduceAtlantic hurricane activity isnow dissipating.

Gerry Be l l o f NOAA’sClimate Prediction Center said

in a statement Thursday thatthe oppos i te , La Nina,phenomenon may form asthe six-month season peaks,but shou ldn ’ t have asignificant impact.

Lands l ides f romHurricane Earl killed nearly50 people in Mexico lastweek. Two tropical stormshave hit the US this year.

Canadian ISIS suicidebomber blew himself up

in the back of a taxi

(Agencies) These pictures show the inside of ataxi after a would-be suicide bomber detonatedan explosive device, injuring himself and the driverbefore police shot him.

Aaron Driver, 24, a Canadian man previouslybanned from associating with ISIS extremists, hadprepared a martyrdom video and was on the vergeof committing a terror attack in a major city,authorities said.

But a tip from the FBI triggered a ‘race againsttime’ as police scrambled to identify and locatethe balaclava-wearing man in the video and stopthe atrocity.

Driver was killed in southern Ontario after hedetonated his device inside a taxi and was shotat by officers, the Royal Canadian Mounted Policesaid.

Police said they were tipped off by the Americanauthorities at 8.30am on Wednesday.

The FBI provided a screen shot and later a videoof the masked suspect threatening a terror attack.

After being tipped off by the FBI, Canadianpolice furiously worked to find out who it was.

By 11am, Canadian police said they had a goodidea who it was.

Driver was identified as the person in the videoand planned to carry out a suicide bombing in apublic area during rush hour within 72 hours,Deputy Roya l Canadian Mounted Pol iceCommander Mike Cabana said.

‘It was a race against time,’ Cabana said.RCMP Commander Jennifer Strachan said Driver,or ig ina l ly f rom Winn ipeg, Mani toba, wasintercepted by police as he entered a taxi with abackpack outside his home in Strathroy. She saidDriver detonated an explosive device, injuring himselfand the taxi driver, before police shot at him.

16Wednesday, August 10 to August 16, 2016 ADVERTISEMENT

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19Wednesday, August 10 to August 16, 2016 CONTD

If the statue had a rightankle, the door reserved forworkers would open into it.Once inside, the hubbubdisappears. There is l i t t lenatural light and only a few barebulbs. Flights of open stairsmake their way up through thecentre, between the criss-crossed concrete supports thatgive the statue its strength. Athick skin of reinforced concretemeans the inside is cool,despite the summer heatoutside.

Climbing up, a number iscrudely painted on the wall ofeach of the 12 floors in whatfeels like an abandoned, dustywarehouse. There is no signthat this is the inside of Christthe Redeemer until an upperlevel, where a roughly shapedheart bulges from the inside ofthe chest. It is covered in thesame stone mosaic as theoutside of the statue - where theoutline of the heart can also beseen - the only delicate detailin an interior that's otherwiserough around the edges. Fromthe top of the last set of stairs,a vertical steel ladder leads toa tunnel in the statue's arm. Adark, narrow passageway thenstretches all the way to thefingers. The only way to inspectthe damage caused by therecent lightning strikes is to goout - through the top of the 30m-high statue. The workers whocrawl out of the holes in thearms, shoulders or head useropes to tether them as theyabseil down the torso or inchalong the 28m-span of thearms, the city spreading outbefore them, far below.Brazil’stropical location makes it oneof the lightning capitals of theworld, which was never going tobe good for a statue on a sharp710m-high granite peak.

There are two, maybefour, direct hits each year,according to the Brazil ianInstitute of Space Research.Most cause no damage. Butrecent storms have beenunusually violent. “In the pastfew years, there have beensome cases of stormsregistering more than 1,000lightning bolts, which did notoccur previously,” says DrOsmar Pinto, chief of theinst i tute’s atmosphericelectr ic i ty group. “ I t isnecessary to review thestructure of the statueperiodically and revise theearthing system of the lightningrods.” The statue has aconductor that covers its headin something resembling a

crown of thorns, and stretchesdown each arm to the hands.Part of the work now under wayis to extend the lightning rodsto the statue’s f ingert ips.Improving the earthing of therods is just as important.Effectively earthed, there wouldbe less risk of damage to thestatue in the immediate vicinityof the conductor. But earthingis tricky at the top of a biggranite rock, as granite itselfconducts electricity poorly.

The damage caused byJanuary's dramatic lightningstrikes was more serious thanusual says Paolo Dal Pino,president of tyre companyPirelli in South America, whichis foot ing the 1.9m real(£500,000, $790,000) bill for thecurrent round of repairs. “For amonument like this, that hoststwo million guests a year - it’sgoing to be three million peopleprobably in 2014 - a place likethis, damaged, is somethingthat cannot exist,” he says.With bigger storms, and thestatue gett ing older, i t ’spossible that such repair jobswill be needed more frequently.But the original pale grey-greenstones that make up the mosaicsurface have run out - so thereis a possibility that the statuewill gradually turn a darkershade. Already, years ofpiecemeal repairs mean thestatue is a patchwork of varyingshades of grey, blue and green,when seen from close quarters.Future repairs will be furtherfrom the original colour, unlessa new deposit of the stone isfound. Marcia Braga, thearchitect who led a restorationof the statue in 2010, says shefaced difficulties finding the rightstone. In the process ofreplacing 60,000 tiles, sherejected 80% of those suppliedby the quarry. “The idea is todo something as close to theoriginal as possible becausewhen you use different coloursit’s not a pleasant aesthetic,”she says.

Reports that all thestatue's six million stones willbe replaced, and that Christ theRedeemer will change colour inone fell swoop, have beendenied. The next majorrenovation is expected in 2020,10 years after the last. As yetno decision has been made onhow many tiles to renew, butany new stones used will be adeeper shade, “a different, adarker green”, says spokesmanfor Brazil’s National Institute ofHistoric and Artistic Heritage.“The stones of Christ are hard

to find.”The stone tiles thatcover Christ the Redeemer wereone of the last pieces of thedesign to be f inal ised.According to the project 'sBrazilian architect, Heitor daSilva Costa - seated, in thepicture above - it was the firsttime mosaic would be used ona statue. The original idea for amonument to Christ came froma group of Brazilians who, in thewake of World War One, fearedan advancing t ide ofgodlessness. Church and statehad been separated when Brazilbecame a republic at the endof the previous century, andthey saw the statue as a wayof reclaiming Rio – then Brazil’scapital city – for Christianity.

The first proposal wasfor a bronze statue of Christ onSugar Loaf - the giant lump ofrock with a smooth, curvedsummit that rises out of theocean at the entrance toGuanabara Bay. But it was soondecided that Corcovado(“hunch back”) - a peak in theforested hills behind the city -was a better location. Da SilvaCosta, whose design waschosen in February 1922,imagined the statue facing therising sun: “The statue of thedivine saviour shall be the firstimage to emerge from theobscurity in which the earth isplunged and to receive thesalute of the star of the daywhich, after surrounding it withits radiant luminosity, shall buildat sunset around its head ahalo fit for the Man-God,” hewrote. His initial design showedChrist carrying a large cross,which he hugged to his bodywith one hand, while holding acelestial globe with the other.Some people made fun of it,calling it “Christ with a ball”. Ashe studied the Corcovado fromvarious vantage points in thecity - at that point topped witha radio transmission towererected by Westinghouse - anew design took shape. In thisnew version, developed withartist Carlos Oswald, Christ washimself the cross, hisoutstretched arms signifyingthe redemption of mankind atthe crucifixion. But the newdesign introduced newchallenges. Da Silva Costa hadalready concluded thestructure would need to behuge, to be visible from the citycentre 4km (2.5 miles) away. Itwould also have to beimmensely strong, to supportthe massive arms. Da SilvaCosta decided on reinforcedconcrete, “the material of the

future” as he saw it, and headedfor Europe in 1924 to seek helpfrom the leading Frenchengineer in the field, AlbertCaquot.While there, he alsomet a number of Europeansculptors. Antoine Bourdelle,who had worked with Rodin,was one of those approachedto make a 4m-h igh sca lemodel based on Oswald’sdrawings, but it was French-Po l i sh scu lp to r Pau lLandowski who received thecommiss ion . Oswa ld ’ sske tches we re a l r eadyvogu ish ly ar t deco – butLandowski intensif ied thiss t y l i sa t i on , wo rk ingparticularly on the head andhands, which he producedfull-sized in clay, to be shippedto Rio where they werereproduced in concrete. By1927 a preliminary steel framehad already been erected onthe top of Corcovado and yet theproblem of the statue’s finishhad still not been solved. DaSilva Costa regarded concreteitself as unacceptably roughand c rude . “We weremarch ing t owards t heinevi table ar t is t ic fa i lure,w i thout be ing ab le to goback , ” he w ro te l a te r.I nsp i ra t i on came i n anarcade which had recentlyopened on t he ChampsElysees, where, after workone evening, he saw a fountaincovered in a silvery mosaic. “Byseeing how the small ti lescovered all the curved profilesof the fountain, I was soontaken by the idea of using themon the image which I always

had in my thoughts,” wrote DaSilva Costa. “Moving from theconcept to the making of it tookless than 24 hours. The nextmorning I went to a ceramicstudio where I made the firstsamples.” For the material, DaSilva Costa chose soapstone,according to his great-great-granddaughter, Bel Noronha,partly because it had beenused by the 18th Centurysculptor Alei jadinho (“ thecripple”) in the state of MinasGerais, just north of Rio. Afterlosing his fingers to disease,Alei jadinho miraculouslycontinued to carve ornatestatues using a hammer andchisel tied to what was left ofhis hands. That these were stillin good condition 120 yearslater, in Da Silva Costa’s view,test i f ied to the stone’sdurability. He selected a pale-coloured example from quarriesnear the city of Ouro Preto,where Aleijadinho had worked– unaware that eight decadeslater it would run out.

Small triangles of thestone, 3cm x 3cm x 4cm, and5mm thick were then glued onto squares of linen cloth bywomen volunteers in one ofthe parishes at the foot of theCorcovado. They often addeda personal touch to thei rwork by writing messages ortheir boyfriends' names onthe back of the tiles. “I wrotemany w i shes on t hesoapstones,” said one of theworkers, Lygia Maria Avila daVeiga, in a film shot by BelNoronha. “They are up there, upthere on top.”

Arms wide Open

“The calls used to bemade to one Jaspreet Singh ofHandowal village, who was a‘Gatka ’ (a Sikh re l ig iousmartial form) teacher in agurdwara in ChhakowalShiekhan. Avtar Singh (fromItaly) met Jaspreet at thegurdwara on October 11, 2015.Avtar returned to Italy in Junethis year and used to callJaspreet.

“Avtar Singh and HarjapSingh, who is based in the US,were in touch with Jaspreet andmotivated him to revive theKhalistan movement in Punjab.They even sent him money,religious literature and T-shirts.Jaspreet roped in two more youth– Hardeep Singh and KuldipSingh, for this purpose,” aninvestigating officer told IANS.

After tracking theiractivities for a few days, PunjabPolice and central agencies tookJaspreet and Hardeep intocustody. Kuldip was taken intocustody based on thequestioning of these youths.

The conspiracy wasunearthed earlier this monthand the case registered onAugust 6, police officials said.The suspects have beenbooked under various sectionsof the Arms Act, Indian PenalCode ( IPC) and UnlawfulActivities Prevention Act.

“The names of at leastfour o ther Khal is tansympath isers have beenrevealed, who are part of thismodule. These people weretrying to collect explosives andammunition. Investigations arein progress,” the source said.

Besides the three KLFactivists and two NRIs, othersnames mentioned in the FIR(first information report) includeVikramjit Singh and BalwinderSingh of Gurdaspur district.

Police sources saidthe suspects had revealedduring interrogation that theweapons and bul let proofjackets had been brought fromPakistan via the border belt inTarn Taran district in Punjab.

Terror module linked to NRIsbusted in Punjab before I-Day

20Wednesday, August 10 to August 16, 2016 CONTD

How The British Gave A Fillip To Cow Vigilantism In Colonial India("Ocean of Mercy for the

Cow") was a widely distributedtext that was drafted in supportof the movement.

Riots related to cows firsthappened in April, 1881, when aMuslim butcher bringing in anuncovered basket of raw beef intoMultan was fined, followed by anorder issued on 23 April that allbeef being brought into the citycould be permitted only througha specific gate. As Muslims rosein protest, riots broke out inPunjab. These were quelled by aspecial police force deputedthrough taxes levied on theinhabitants of Multan.

In 1883, during Bakr-Id, dueto Hindu pressure the localmagistrate in Multan issued anorder on a maulvi, restraining the

sacrifice of a cow which he hadpurchased from a Brahmin. Theorder was lifted in the Lahore HighCourt, and the maulvi succeededin having the cow slaughtered.

This encouraged the Muslims.In the following year, the numberof cows sacrificed in Delhi duringId rose from about 30 to 170. By1886, the number had escalatedto 450. In Ludhiana that year,riots broke out during Bakr-Id.Hindus seized beef claiming ithad been slaughtered inside thetown in contravention of thegovernment's statutory ruling of1849. In Ambala, a local Hindufestival coincided with the Idcelebrations, initiating furthertension. The tensions wereaggravated in the followingmonth, in October, when

Muharram partially coincided withDussehra. Riots broke out inDelhi, Hoshiarpur, Faridpur,Alapur, Etawa and Ambala.

Ironically, just eight yearsbefore the beef-related riots firstbroke out, the Journal of the EastIndia Association (1873) reportedupcoming research suggestingthat the sacred Vedas and thewritings of Manu clearlysuggested that even the mostdevout Hindus sometimesconsumed beef. An importanttext written by Bulloram Mullick--Essays on the Hindu Family inBengal (1882) -- claimed beefeating to be common practice forthe heterodox theistic Bengalis.Under the influence of theenlightenment brought about bythe Brahmo Samaj, such a claim

is absolutely credible.onetheless, after a hiatus of

about 20 years, when beef-riotsbroke out again it was in Calcutta,in 1909. In January that year,Muslims sacrificed a cow inpublic. The Hindu mob-rebellionwas so severe that a joint fire bythe police and military was calledinto action to dispel the rioters.

In 1912, v io lent r io tsensued in Fyzabad andAyodhya. The Fyzabadincident began when a Muslim,walking behind an Englishregiment with a cow that wasnot required for sacrifice inAyodhya, started taunting theHindu crowds. That Muslim manwas let go, but the Hindus killeda maulvi instead, inaugurating athree-year-long dispute which

was only somewhat suppressedby an emergency order issued in1915, under section 144 of theCriminal Code, forbiddingsacrifice of cows in Ayodhyaduring Id.

Patna and Muzzaffarpur andGaya, in Bihar, witnessedwidespread clashes between1911 and 1917. On 30September, 1917, a mob of25,000 Hindus attacked a Muslimvillage in Ibrahimpur. When theriots happened in Delhi --especially during 1924, the worstyear -- Hindus as well asMuslims took turns at murderinginnocents and desecratingtemples and mosques. Katra Nil,Ballimaran, Sadar Bazaar, LahoriGate and Bagh Diwar were thebloodiest areas of the city.

The buck stops here, in officers’ pockets under his jurisdiction to

allot them additional charge ofChild Development ProjectOfficer (CDPO). A sufferer of

the district told Tehelka,“The DM has turned thedistrict’s government officesinto a fish market. It is verydifficult to work honestly”.

The IAS officer in questionhas already been reprimandedby the auditor general forwrongfully drawing transportallowance for a year. He wasforced to repay the money hehad wi thdrawn but hecontinues in other corruptpractices because he is veryclose to a powerful politician.

So what is the NarendraModi government doing aboutcorruption in high places? In awritten reply to Parliament inJu ly 2015, the Uniongovernment admitted that 100IAS officers have come underthe CBI scanner for theiralleged involvement in variouscorruption cases. The Uniongovernment has accordedsanction to prosecute 66 ofthem.

The minister of state forpersonnel, public grievancesand pensions, Jitendra Singh,had at that time assured theHouse that CBI officers wouldpursue al l pending casessincerely for their expeditiousand timely disposal. However,sources in the CBI informedthat the government is notserious about pending casesfor reasons best known to it.

S imi lar ly, another IASofficer holding the post ofd is t r ic t magis t ra te inSeemanchal reg ion hascr iminal cases registeredagainst him in one of thestates in the North-east whichhappened to be his original

cadre. But by d in t o f h is‘intellect’ he succeeded ingetting his cadre changeduntil he retires. Since then hehas enjoyed plum postings inBihar. During elections forAssembly and Parliament, hewas removed from importantposts at the direction of theelection commission. But hegets reinstated soon after‘model code of conduct ’limitations are lifted.

Another IAS officer holdsthe pos i t ion of pr inc ipa lsecretary of a ‘c reamy’department. His yearly incomefrom the bribes is estimated tobe in crores. That wrongfulincome is said to increasemani fo ld dur ing paddyharvest ing season. Hisimmediate political boss-cum-departmental minister hasgiven him words to solicit hisservice t i l l h is minister ia lt e r m e n d s i n 2 0 2 0 . T h eofficer has got a sprawlingbungalow bui l t in the IASc o l o n y n e a r R a j a B a z a rloca l i t y. H is subord ina terevealed, “Saheb is delayingt h e c e l e b r a t i o n o f t h eceremonial function calledGriha Pravesh of his newhouse to avoid the attentionof media”.

The three characters aremerely a tip of the iceberg.Reliable sources in the statev i g i l a n c e d e p a r t m e n trevealed that as many as 10IAS off icers are under i tsl e n s f o r t h e i r d e e pi n v o l v e m e n t i n c o r r u p tp r a c t i c e s . O n e o f t h e mJ i t e n d r a G u p t a , S D M o fMohania in Kaimur district,was arrested recently andsent to ja i l a f te r he wasfound guilty of taking bribesfrom truck drivers to release

their t rucks. He has a lsob e e n s u s p e n d e d b y t h egovernment.

In the neighbouring stateof Jharkhand, a female IASo f f i c e r h o l d s a v e r yimportant post despite hertainted track record. As theyoung district magistrate ofa Maoist-affected district inBihar, she was al leged tohave got fake ballot papersprinted to ensure electoraladvantage to a pol i t ic ian.Now she happens to be themost trusted officer of thestate’s chief minister.

I n f a c t , t h i s i s w h yp o l i t i c i a n s i n t e r v e n e i npostings and transfers. Pliablebureaucrats are in demandwith political bosses. Thoseofficers who do not cater totheir whims, do not heed themaster’s voice, are sent onpunishment postings. The laiddown norm of having an officerat a particular post for three

years is rarely adhered to.All chief ministers have playedthe transfer game in the past.In the process, the steel frameof the administ rat ion hasbecome totally malleable.

In the past, the governmentwashed its hands off as manyas 15 corrupt IAS officers bytransferring their files to theJharkhand government justafter the formation of the newstate in November 2000.Ideally, they should have beenpunished, not handed over tocreate trouble for the newdispensat ion. The Bihargovernment saved its ownreputation by refusing to lodgecriminal cases against taintedofficers considered close to it.

Interestingly, those officersby pulling invisible strings inwinning the hearts of the

political bosses of the rulingclass. This became clear whenthe group Citizens Cause fileda PIL in the Jharkhand HighCour t . A d iv is ion benchcomprising then acting chiefjustice SJ Mukhopadhaya andjustice NN Tiwary asked thestate government to submit thenumber of officers, includingIAS, against whomprosecution sanction has beensought. The state governmentis yet to respond to the court.

The IAS officers who haveclean images and provenadministrative capability todeliver the goods are at thereceiving end in almost allstates in the country. No lessthan 13 IAS officers have beenfacing criminal cases of beinginvolved in corrupt ion inJharkhand. The cases arepending wi th the s tatev ig i lance depar tment . Asizeable number of them havebeen chargesheeted. But nostern action has been takenagainst them because theyenjoy the blessings of thepowers that be.

Apart from these cases, theUnion government gotconf ident ia l repor ts f romdifferent agencies, includingthe Income Tax department,about corrupt IAS officers. Asan of f icer revealed, “Thereports are speci f ic , wi thdesignations of the officialsand the time during which theymisused their position to makei l legal money. Theseconfidential reports come atregular intervals, especiallyaf ter ra ids by centra lagencies.”

In a wr i t ten rep ly toParliament in 2015, the Centreadmitted that 100 IAS officershave come under the CBI

scanner for involvement incorruption cases. Sanctionhas been given to prosecute 66of them.

Unfortunately, no actionhas been taken and ironicallythe government not even asksthese agencies to submitevidence on the basis of whichthey named the of f icersinvolved in the corruptioncases.

When the corrupt areallowed to go on the rampage,it hurts their own families.Haryana cadre off icer BKBansal probably neverimagined even in his wildestdream that h is i l l -got tenmoney would ruin his family.He was caught red-handedtaking a bribe on 16 July. Threedays la ter, h is wi fe anddaughter committed suicide,hanging themselves by theceiling fan, as they could nolonger live a dignified life. Theshocking incident suggeststhat they did not know thatBansal was involved incollecting money through illicitchannels.

Honest IAS officers alsohave to live with a damagedreputation due to their corruptco l leagues. An off icerattached to the petroleumdepar tment in Delh i to ldTehelka over the phone, “A fewcorrupt IAS of f icers havedefamed our fraternity. TheMajor i ty among us aresurviving on our salary. Thesuicide incident should be alesson for the ta in tedbureaucrats”. And there isalways the view, put forth by aDM in centra l B ihar, thatofficers are corrupted by theirrespective political bosses.But that amounts to passingthe buck.

21Wednesday, August 10 to August 16, 2016 CONTD

Holy Cow

One day, Chaudhary WhatsAppeda photo of a big white torch, the kindgau rakshaks use to blind drivers ofoncoming trucks, cracked andsmeared with blood. Minutes later, heWhatsApped another photo, of ableeding hand, symbol of the gauraksha enterprise.

The hullabaloo is over cattle beingferried around, whether for dairying orslaughter. What’s forgotten is that 60per cent of the value of cattle is for otheruses—there’s leather for domesticand industrial use, glue from bones,collagen and elastin for the cosmeticindustry and so on. Most god-fearingconsumers would be surprised at thenumber of daily products they use thathave come from dead bovines (seegraphic). This is worsened by GRDsalso att-acking buffalo, goat and evenchicken transporters and processors,

(Contd on page 21)as they aim to impose

vegetarianism and capture the cattletrade. The GRDs are wrecking a wholenetwork of downstream industries, liketallow manufacturers who provide rawmaterial for soap. The chain ofproduction that yields cattle productsprovides subsistence to millions—livestock producers (farmers, dairies),traders, butchers, wholesale meatdealers, retailers and dealers inindustrial products.

The cow’s holiness is just a ruse.What’s going on is a takeover bid ofindustrial proportions, at gunpoint.

Nights Of Long KnivesWhat Yamunanagar’s Chaudhary

did that July night shows up GRDs’violent tactics, while the state turns ablind eye. “We have our network ofkhabris (informants) just like thepolice,” says Chaudhary, who claimsto be an RSS member. “Some of ourinformers are cattle smugglersthemselves, who snitch on rivals foralcohol, money or to settle personalscores,” he told MediaAfter eachsuccessful raid, cow vigilantes postphotos, posing with guns, sticks andcaptured cattle on social media.These videos help establish them inthe gau raksha pecking order and lurenew members. Fiercely committedgau rakshaks are also ‘imported’ fromother states to ‘patrol’ highways inSUVs with blazing blue beacons,blaring police sirens and windscreensdeclaring ‘GAU RAKSHA DAL’. Theycarry guns, sticks, iron rods andequipment to barricade roads. Theyeven fence their windscreens with irongrills, as if prepared to go into ‘battle’.The legality of this is hazy. Often,policemen pose with gau rakshaksand conduct joint raids. The GRDsalso inform the police on cattlemovements in the rural north.

Chaudhary explains that eachGRD sticks to demarcated ‘areas’. He‘controls’ 75 km from Hathnikund toKarnal along the Yamuna borderingSaharanpur in UP, a traditional cattle-trade hub. He claims to haveconducted dozens of raids over threeyears and having ‘saved’ a hundredcows. “We are fighting a war and don’thave as many members or money aswe can. Eight out of ten cow smugglersare Muslim but some Hindus are badtoo,” he says.Though Haryana andother states do have a ban on cowslaughter, gau rakshaks, as notedabove, are going after buffalo traderstoo, riding on a growing impunity. Inpredominantly Muslim Mewat region,which spans Rajasthan and southernHaryana, cattle traders report havingto pay hefty bribes to gau rakshaks orrisk losing cattle on charges of crueltyto animals. “Gau kasam, we considerthe cow our mother but even buffaloesshould not be slaughtered. Hindusdon’t believe in killing any life,”Chaudhary insists. This is bitterlyironic, for this very April Chaudhary wasaccused in the mysterious death of acattle trader named Mustain Abbas,from Saharanpur, UP.

Abbas was headed home withtwo oxen in his white pick-up truckwhen Chaudhary’s gang waylaid himpast midnight near Kurukshetra. Atractor was parked across a road,creating a naka or roadblock. Abbas’slittle truck tried to flee but was stoppedby another naka, fashioned out of ironnails, with local sympathisers’ help.As Abbas’s van approached,Chaudhary fired four rounds fromhis companion’s double-barrel.“Only in the air,” he says. “And theywere blanks.” Abbas’s family saystheir son never returned. Next timehe was seen, around 25 days later,he was dead, floating face down ina Kurukshetra drain. “Abbas wentto buy oxen that we use for farming.Why did they have to kill him,” asksTahir Hassan, his distraught father.Hassan says he identified his son,who had gunshot wounds, from atooth cavity and a mole below hischest.

But Kurukshetra SPSimardeep Singh says it isn’tcertain if Abbas was present thatnight. A DNA and viscera test reportis awaited. “Only police can conductraids,” Singh agrees. “If gaurakshaks do it, it’s illegal. We tellthem this,” he says. “We avoid jointoperations. We only takeinformation on cattle movementfrom them.” The incident is nowbeing investigated by the CBI on aHigh Court of Punjab and Haryanaorder, which also says gau

rakshaks enjoy police,administrative and polit icalpatronage.

“We got information ofAbbas’s vehicle throughinformants, so we had set up anaka. A fellow gau sevak calledthe police. We regularly conductjoint operations with them,”Chaudhary boasts. But now heacknowledges the murkiness inthe gau rakshak world. “I did somuch for Hindu society. I brokethe back of Muslim cowsmugglers. But Hindu traitors andsome rakshaks take bribes fromMuslim smugglers and let cowsget slaughtered,” he complains.Chaudhary’s calculations weresimple. “One captured truckmeans a smuggler loses Rs 1lakh. That’s Rs 60,000 worthcattle, Rs 10,000 lawyers’ feesand sundry expenses on fuel,hiring pick-ups etc,” he says. “Oneor two raids on a trader and he’sfinished.”

One day, ChaudharyWhatsApped a photo of a bigwhite torch, the kind gaurakshaks use to blind drivers ofoncoming trucks, cracked andsmeared with blood. Minuteslater, he WhatsApped anotherphoto, of a bleeding hand, symbolof the gau raksha enterprise.Days later, Abbas’s cousin AliAkhtar also sent pictures ofChaudhary on WhatsApp. Hesays he found them on Facebookdays before Abbas was himselffound dead. In one, Chaudharyand his group stand jubilantlybefore a white pick-up van. Hisfamily says it is Abbas’s pick-up.

Chaudhary also took his‘rescued cattle’ to a gaushala,from which he resigned thismonth, possibly under duresssince the CBI probe. Hisunnamed benefactors took hisSUV away. He says he has retiredfrom gau raksha. “I’ll dedicatemyself to Ma Bharti.”

New Business ModelMadan Mohan Chhabra in

Kurukshetra is a VHP veteran withenormous experience of ‘raids’.“If a village has a gau bhakt,everybody will know whom toinform about smugglers’movements. Once we get thisinformation, our yuva karyakartagather. We also call people fromPunjab,” he says. Identifying‘genuine’ cattle traders from thenefarious ‘taskars’, or cattlethieves, is being elevated to anart by gau rakshaks like Chhabra.“Genuine transporters show theirdocuments and stop for checks.”

Chhabra is also associatedwith a gaushala which, he says,is run by two policemen. “Peopleshould know about the healthbenefits of gau mutra and gobar(urine and cow dung). Withoutthis, solely on the basis of milkand ghee, one cannot make thecow economically viable,” hesays, admitting that the desi cowdoes not give enough milk tojustify the expenditure on her care.He holds up examples ofcommercial organisations thathave cropped up in recent years,to produce and market cow’surine and cow dung as an FMCGproduct. This demented world is

where hapless cattle traders andother merchants in ani-malproducts venture, should they wishto survive. Strict anti-pollution rulesbar commercial vehicles within citylimits from dawn to dusk, so mostcommerce is by night. “But themoment we hit the road, gauraksha people lie in wait. Theycatch us at toll gates, beat us andtake our buffaloes,” says MohdIqbal, a cattle trader of Ghasera inMewat.

Ghasera has over 500 cattletraders who deal solely inbuffalo—landless Muslims hereknow no other trade. That is why,despite repeated beatings by gaurakshaks, men like Mohd Vakeelcontinue to ferry buffaloes to Delhi,UP, Rajasthan, Himachal andPunjab. Vakeel was last thrashedby a GRD last month on the Delhi-Gurgaon highway. Fifty mensurrounded him, letting him off forRs 2,000. Once, he was stoppedat Delhi’s Ashram flyover, wherepolice extorted Rs 5,000.

“Ever since Modiji has come,gau rakshaks are angry with us.Nobody touched us before.... Wetake newly-born and young cattleand we take milch cattle too. Pargau rakshak hamari bhains ki bhigai bana detey hain (cow-protectors turn even our buffaloesinto cows). We don’t deal with cowsnow. If we do, can you imagine whatthey will do to us?” asks Vakeel.One May night, an SUV full of gaurakshaks chased Ghasera’s MohdIqbal’s van. His son, with severalothers, was headed for Faridabadwith buffaloes. The SUV overtookthem at Manesar and forced themto a halt. After thrashing them, thegau rakshaks made off with 17buffaloes and calves worth Rs 5lakh, which were deposited at ananimal shelter over charges ofcruelty during transport. Iqbal hasspent Rs 60,000 trying to releasethem, unsuccessfully, despite afavourable court order.

Buffalo transport doesn’t breakany cow protection law. Here adifferent strategy seems to beunder way. A perusal of roughly adozen FIRs filed around Mewatsince February 2015 shows cattletraders are routinely booked oncharges of cruelty to animals.“When they catch us they call usdirty, they say we’re Muslims, cow-killers,” says Mohd Fajinoor, anelderly, bearded trader. “Can’t youtell the gau rakshaks they havewrecked us traders?”

In Haryana, this bizarre,Kafkaesque situation has beenhanded over to Bharti Arora, a jointcommissioner of police, recentlyappointed head of the state’s newcow protection force. “Somepolicemen don’t know the law, sothey stop buffalo traders. It’s a newlaw and we are training them onit,” she says. “We tell gau rakshaksnot to conduct raids independently orthey can face action. Some of themare committed, attached to cows butthere are also blackmailers amongthem.”As for buffaloes, she says,“Cruelty against animals is animportant aspect of law. Buffalotraders can be caught for it.” She saysshe knows nothing of shelters wherethe cattle ends up. Bharti also claims,invidiously, that Mewatis cull ‘500 cows

a day’ for meat. “Mewat is a fertilezone,” she says, incorrectly. “Whydon’t they eat vegetables?”

Bharti runs a gaushala from herofficial Gurgaon residence. “My cowsare strays or rescued fromsmugglers,” she says, offering kheermade from the captured animal’smilk. Recently, she ferried most of her‘rescued’ stock to another shelter inRewari, where she was earlier SP.Incidentally, Azad Arya—a formerclassmate of yoga guru Baba RamDev, is now vice-president, GRDHaryana—took credit for herappointment. “Bharti Arora ko hamnehi lagwaya hai (we got her appointed).We knew of her excellent work inRewari and thought she is an achhiladki,” Arya told Outlook.

Clearly, Arora is closely identifiedwith the GRDs, a strange position fora pol-ice officer. Close ties like thisensure pro-tection for vigilante groupsand give them legal cover. She’s notalone. Retired IAS officer S.P. Gupta—currently director-general, HaryanaInstitute of Public Administration—and his wife Shashi run KamdhenuGowdham amidst the Aravalis inMewat’s Bissar-Akbarpur. Her 1,500cows were also rescued, she says,entirely from ‘smugglers’.

Shashi insists the desi(indigenous) cow prevents or curescancer, diabetes, obesity and otherillnesses. This helps justify heravowed goal—improvement ofindigenous varieties. This is a tallorder, for, a handful of exceptionsaside, desi cows produce 2 to 10 ltrmilk, while Jerseys can give 60 ltrs.Shashi expects ‘success’ in nineyears—a paltry 15 ltrs for the thirdgeneration reared at Kamdhenu. Onestep towards her target isinexplicable: monthly pravachans orreligious lectures held to inculcategau sanskar or respect for the cowamong attendees. “Many peopledonate generously, even at thesepravachans,” Shashi says. An‘adopt a cow’ scheme, withmonthly donations starting fromRs 2,000, is up and running. Inturn, some donors get a regularsupply of milk, manure and ghee.

“We get no government aid. Let’ssee what happens in future,” Shashisays.

Disaster In Dairy LandPunjab’s commercial dairies

started cross-breeding Jersey cowsin the late ‘90s, using semenimported from the US. From 20-25litres, Punjab’s cows now yield 40-65litres, rivalling European and Americanyields. “But the Punjab governmenthas encouraged gau raksha dals,whose job is to loot us,” says DaljitSingh Gill, president, ProgressiveDairy Farmers Association, a networkof 6,500 large dairy farmers. “Nobodycan transport anything related to cowsin Punjab; even buffaloes are beingstopped,” he says.

Higher milk production lowereddairying costs but GRDs don’t get this,or the fact that dairying depends onmilk and sale of animals. High-yielding cows from Punjab fetched Rs75,000 to Rs 1 lakh plus a couple ofyears ago. Now, cow prices are as lowas Rs 60,000. Buyers are too terrified ofGRD attacks to risk transportation.Farmers have taken to letting cowsloose on roads to avoid GRD wrath.

(By Pragya Singh in Haryanaand Uttar Pradesh. As reported by

Outlookindia.com)

22Wednesday, August 10 to August 16, 2016 SPECIAL REPORT

(Agencies) In the short sixkilometre drive on the VIP Roadfrom Baguiati to Kolkata’s airport,a visitor so inclined could havehis pick of 70(ish) dance bars. Ineach of these little havens, fromthe muggy pressures of the day,can be found alcohol, greasyfood, and girls fully, albeitprovocatively, clothed, wigglinghip and limb in the hope ofearning an appreciative note ortwo from clients. The men,meanwhile, grub together whatnotes they can for a flash ofuncovered thigh, for the glimpseof a navel, or even cleavage intowhich the notes can be placed.For those who can afford it, thedancing is a precursor to afleeting encounter in a purpose-built cubbyhole or even an hourin a grim room.

Women dance on poles.Waiters circumnavigate theroom with change for tips.Numbers and addresses areexchanged on paper napkins.And the cars and SUVs convergeat all hours. Dozens of bars havesprouted in the southern andnorthern fringes of the city. Eventhe centre, a stone’s throw fromthe city police headquarters, isnot immune. Outside bars incentral Dharmatala pimps closein on pedestrians. “Laagbe naki?laagbe naki?” they hiss,“Noorjehan, Anarkali,patakaguddi.” Show interest andyou are pulled aside and shownan album of girls in glitzycostumes. Hesitate or linger amoment and you’re pushed intoa bar, the music-”oh baby merichittiyaan kalaiyaan ve”-and the

AC turned on full blast. NightQueen’s, a bar in Esplanade,even has reviews on the websiteZomato, all of them disapprovingof the “shadiness”.

That these bars are sleazy isnot in doubt. But are they illegal?The Maharashtra government hastried to ban dance bars, andfailed. In April this year, theSupreme Court once againreminded the Maharashtragovernment of its responsibilities.“As the state,” said Justice DipakMisra in April, “your job is toprotect the dignity of thesewomen in their workplace. Yourattitude should not go into theextremes of prohibition when youare only supposed to regulate....In case the performances slipinto obscenity, it naturally stopshaving legal permissibility andthe Indian Penal Code will takecare of the rest.” In Kolkata, feware arguing that these dance barsare flouting the law, even if thelaw is nebulous. According toSection 239 of the West BengalExcise Act, no licensed retailvendor is allowed to hold anyprofessional entertainment ordance or live music, vocal orinstrumental, without the specialsanction of the DistrictMagistrate or, in Kolkata, theExcise Collector and PoliceCommissioner.

So-called ‘crooning’ licencesare granted at the discretion ofthe police department. “Thelicence issued by civic bodieshas no provision called ‘dancinglicence’,” points out SDPO,Baruipur, Arka Banerjee, who hasraided several of these bars. In

May, last year,he led a teamthat rescued25 girls from abar near VIPRoad. The girlshad beentrafficked fromH a r y a n a ,P u n j a b ,Maharashtraand UttarPradesh, areversal of theusual trend inwhich girls fromWest Bengalare trafficked inthe north. “Thep r o b l e m , ”Banerjee says,“is that whilebar owners can

be booked for a show ofobscenity in public, the offenceis bailable. There are non-bailable sections for trafficking,but a senior cop of deputysuperintendent rank or abovehas to lodge the complaint onthe basis of which arrests andseizures are made andinvestigations started. But thereare over 100 bars in the northernoutskirts and it isn’t humanlypossible for senior police officersto keep track of what ishappening in these bars whenthere are more pressingproblems at hand.”

Bishakha Datta, who runs theNGO Point of View, argues that“rather than focusing on theobscenity issue, the emphasisshould be on providing safeworking conditions for women,whether they are beingfinancially exploited or not, theirright to safe mobility, whetherclients are taking a lunge at themor harassing them, just like inany other profession”.

The first alarm against thesebars in Kolkata was raised inMarch 2015, when 21-year-oldTwinkle and her 18-year-oldsister Rosy Rajput lodged an FIRwith the Baguiati police stationagainst their employer for forcingthem to entertain a client whotried to rape them. The girlsalleged that they were broughtto Kolkata by a Manu Agnihotri,who promised them a job andplaced them in a flat in ChinarPark. Girls from the north ofthe country are of particularappeal here. SDPO Banerjeesays that “analysis of whatFIRs there are show that themajority of girls are traffickedfrom north India. The bait isan office job or housekeepingat a hotel. Very rarely arev ic t ims ab le to f i le acomplaint because they arekept under tight surveillance, butwhen they do, it is because theyare being denied a ‘fair’ share ofthe profits”. Sometimes dancersturn to NGOs. “When we cannottake it anymore,” says Pooja

Singh (name changed) fromPunjab, “when a band leaderexploits us, for instance, we seekhelp despite the risk of beingmurdered. One friend of minecontracted a venereal disease,and the bar owner, instead ofhaving her treated, fired herwithout notice and without pay.”

Accurate statistics abouttrafficking are hard to come by,but the Kolkata police maintainthat most girls from out of thestate are brought to the cityunder false pretence. The money,though, motivates many to keepgoing. And the profits foreveryone, from dancers to so-called band leaders to bar ownersto the politicians said to beinvolved, are large enough to keepbars thriving. Band leaders arethe key middlemen. They arrangethe girls, provided by pimps andtouts, look a f ter the i raccommodat ion and rentfloors from bars. One bandleader, on the condition ofanonymity, explained his role:“The cost of providing shelterto these girls is high. We lookfor flats in ‘posh’ areas wherepeople don’t ask too manyquestions and there is a mixed

crowd. Sometimes rent costs asmuch as Rs 30,000.” The barowner rents his space to the bandleader and ensures thatpoliticians don’t interfere. Anemployee of one bar, who gavehis name as Arif, said that the“lease of floors can cost as muchas Rs 20 lakh a month butearnings on a single weekendnight can be Rs 15-20 lakh.Popular bars bring in revenue ofRs 80 lakh-2crore a month, andthe most popular dancers canearn one, or even two, lakhsrupees a month.”

Owners such as Jagj i tSingh and Ajmal Siddiqui,whose names figure in thepolice records, are said to bemulti-millionaires, with barsa b r o a d , i n t h e l i k e s o fPa t taya , a reso r t c i t y i nThailand. Jagjit Singh was ataxi driver. At Down Town,h is f i r s t ba r, he used toprovide a free beer for everyp u r c h a s e o f a b o t t l e o falcohol. In 2006, as Salt Lakewas being turned into an IThub, and New Town (Rajarhat)was taking of f , Singh puthimself in prime position toopen new bars.

Bengali nightsKolkata’s dance bars thrive in a twilight world of

obscure laws and political connections. Despitetroubling allegations of trafficking, the

nightspots continue to flourish.

23Wednesday, August 10 to August 16, 2016 SPECIAL REPORT

India witnessed religiously motivated killings in 2015, says US

(Agencies) A US report onreligious freedom around theworld in 2015, released onWednesday, took note of thereturning of state awards byIndian filmmakers and authorsprotesting growing intolerance.

The report, an annualexercise by the statedepartment, also noted “reportsof religiously motivated killings,assaults, riots, coerced religiousconversions, actions restricting

the right of individuals to changereligious beliefs, discrimination,and vandalism”.

It was in this context that thereport noted the return of awardsin 2015: “Several well-knownauthors, filmmakers, and othercivil society members returnednational and state-sponsoredawards to protest what they saidwas the growing religious andcultural intolerance in thecountry.”

This is the first time that thestate department hascommented on the status ofreligious freedom in India with afull year under the Narendra Modigovernment.

The report also cited PMModi’s speech in February onwhat the government was doingto address the issue: “Mygovernment will ensure that thereis complete freedom of faith andthat everyone has the undeniableright to retain or adopt the religionof his or her choice withoutcoercion or undue influence.”

“On several occasions, suchas at a meeting in February withChristians in New Delhi, PrimeMinister Modi publicly stated hewould defend religious freedom,”the state department said in itsreport which documents theallegations of violence against theChristian community in various

parts of the country includingPunjab.

“Christians who reported thatthey were victims of religiously-motivated violence or otheranimus voiced concern about thelack of police action against suchincidents, as well as of hostilityby the police towards Christians.

“According to the All IndiaChristian Council and theEvangelical Fellowship of India,police resisted filing criminalcomplaints and had in severalinstances threatened falsely toincriminate the victims,” said thereport.

But at the release of the reportat the state department, officialsfaced questions about growingintolerance in the US itself,specially in light of the remarksand comments from Republicanpresidential nominee DonaldTrump.

The US is outside the purviewof the report, a state departmentofficial said, adding theadministration had addressedconcerns raised by Trump’sremarks.

President Barack Obamahas been scathing in his criticismof Trump’s call, for instance, totemporarily suspend immigrationfrom areas of the world impactedby terrorism, mostly Muslim-majority countries.

The state department report’ssection on India cited instancesand incidents of religion-relatedviolence and discriminationbased on local news reports.

And, it added, US officials atall levels, starting at thepresident, had engaged theirIndian counterparts and“underscored the importance ofreligious freedom throughout theyear”.

Gujarat Model in DangerChief Minister Anandiben Patel’s exithighlights the crisis within the BJP in

Gujarat after the Patel and Dalitagitations alienate the votebanks.

(Agencies) On a Mondayafternoon on May 16 this year,as the mercury touched 44degrees in New Delhi, GujaratChief Minister Anandiben Patelcalled on Prime MinisterNarendra Modi. The venue wasthe PM’s official 7, Race CourseRoad residence. AnandibenPatel, 74, had fought a battle forsurvival ever since the violentPatel agitation for reservationrocked Gujarat last July. Theclamour for her exit mountedwithin the party after hermishandling of the situation. BJPpresident Amit Shah, one of hermost bitter critics within theparty, stepped up demands forher replacement. His concernshad risen after a fact-findingmission to the state in April hadfound the party’s electoralsupport base diminishing rapidly.The study also put a questionmark on the CM’s leadership. Itwas, therefore, not a matter of ifbut when Anandiben would go.Herhalf-hour-long meeting with thePM ended with her requesting agraceful exit from office.Anandiben offered to quit on her75th birthday, on November 21.It was a wish Modi granted.Anandiben, like Amit Shah, wasone of his most trusted aideswithin the party.

Come July, and Unaexploded. A video of Shiv Sainiksstripping and flogging Dalits foralleged cow slaughter went viral,triggering statewide protests bythe community. As opposition

leaders poured into Una and Dalitprotests refused to die, Modi tooka call on July 28. He waswithdrawing the lifeline he hadextended to Anandiben.

The PM had to be seen takingaction after the Dalit agitation, amessenger personally informedAnandiben. He would very muchappreciate it if she could stepdown. It was a request the CMcould not refuse.Over the nextthree days, Anandibenannounced a series of rapidfirepeople-friendly measures toleave behind as her legacy. In apublic function on July 30, sheannounced the abolition of all tolltaxes on state roads; on July 31,she announced the adoption ofthe seventh pay commissionreport by the state for itsemployees; later, 391 of the 430police cases against Patelagitators last year werewithdrawn. On August 1, shemade education in medical anddental colleges free for girls fromfamilies below the poverty lineand then, in possibly a first foran Indian CM, she posted herresignation on Facebook as anote and a video post. “After thechief ministership of ShriNarendrabhai for over 12 years, Iwas chosen to take his place,which is naturally as difficult ascounting stars in the sky, but Iam proud of the fact that nowherehave I lagged behind inmaintaining the pace in takingGujarat forward on the course ofdevelopment charted by him,”

she signed off.CHINKS IN THE ARMOURAnandiben’s departure solves

only one of the many problemsfor the BJP. It heads off apossible anti-incumbency andgives her successor a clean slateto start with. The trouble is, theGujarat assembly elections area little over a year away.

Even until last year, Mission2017 for the BJP seemed to bethe challenge in Uttar Pradesh,its assembly elections inJanuary. Now, there’s another.Prime Minister Modi’s home turfis under threat. This is where heforged his political reputation,built up the Gujarat model-decisive governance leading toeconomic growth-and created arecord for the longest-ruling BJPchief minister, for 12 years andseven months (broken only nowby Chhattisgarh CM RamanSingh, who completed 12 yearsand 230 days in power on July25).

The consequences of a defeatin Gujarat could be debilitatingfor the party and the PM. Forstarters, it will severely dent hisaura, diminishing his chances ofwinning the 2019 polls.

The return of Congress, outof power since 1995, could have

other consequences. It couldmean the revival of old cases stillin the courts, including thecontroversial 2004 killing ofalleged LeT terrorist Ishrat Jahanin an encounter, to target Modiand Amit Shah.

The estrangement of Dalitsfrom the BJP in Gujarat, broughton more by a keen oppositionstrategy than Sangh Parivar high-handedness, is more worrisome.It risks rupturing years of workput in by the RSS and SanghParivar.

There are signs that Dalit ireagainst the BJP could spreadacross the country, provingelectorally lethal nationwide. Itcould especially impact theparty’s fortunes in UP where ithas been assiduously wooing thebackward castes. The politicalturbulence in Gujarat hasunsettled the party. “The oxygenfor 2019 has to come fromGujarat and UP,” explains onesenior BJP leader. “We have towin UP and Gujarat, come whatmay.” That seems like an uphilltask at the moment. The Patels,Gujarat’s most powerfulcommunity which comprisesclose to 15 per cent of theelectorate, have been on thewarpath for over a year.

The opposition has beenquick to sense this chink inModi’s armour. Last June,Congress po l l s t ra teg is tPrashant Kishor advised partyleaders in the state to redirecttheir attack towards Modi andAmit Shah and away from chiefminister Anandiben. The longershe continued as CM, Kishorreasoned, the greater thechances of victory. Kishor hadsimilar advice for aides of pro-reservation leader Hardik Patelwhen they met h im for astrategy meeting.

“The Gujara t CM’sresignation is an indication ofthe BJP’s sure defeat in 2017elections,” says CongressRajya Sabha member AhmedPate l , who has famous lydubbed the Gujarat model ofdevelopment ’13 years of falsepubl ic i ty ’ . Gu jara t BJPspokesperson Bharat Pandyadismisses any suchpronouncement . “We aregoing to return to Gujarat witha thumping major i ty in2017,”he said. “A few politicalups and downs don’t affect theGujarat model. Before everyassembly poll, the Congressdreams of defeating us, buteach time it is proved wrong.”

24Wednesday, August 10 to August 16, 2016 SPECIAL REPORT

Behind bars for greasy palmsThey rose to the rank of chief secretaries but that did not save them from prosecution.

Mudit Mathur reports from Uttar Pradesh on how anti-corruption measures failed(Agencies) Once, they

used to call the shots,considering themselves to beabove the law, leadingluxurious lifestyles. Now, dingyjail barracks are their destiny.This is what happens when thelaw takes its course.

Two former chief secretariesof Uttar Pradesh are in jailbecause of corruption casesagainst them, quite a humblingexperience for those who onceexuded the arrogance of power.When the trial in the Noida plotallotment scam reached itslogical conclusion, two top IASofficers found themselvesconvicted. The Allahabad HighCourt upheld their convictions.Now they have gone to theSupreme Court in appeal.

Meanwhile, the NationalRural Health Mission (NRHM)scam trial has been draggingon for many years. Here too,senior bureaucrats are facingaccusation of bribery andcorruption.

Corruption in thebureaucracy of the largestnorth Indian state came intoprominence in 1996, whensome young and honestofficers came together underthe banner of the UP IASAssociation. As part of a self-cleansing exercise, they helda vote to identify the three mostcorrupt bureaucrats amongthemselves. The spark of theidea came from Income Taxraids on houses of some IASofficers. Twenty years later, theactivism of conscientiousmembers of the cadre is a thingof the past. Most of them havebecome mute spectators ashigh-level political andadministrative corruption rules.

The UP IAS Association,through secret ballot, identifiedAkhand Pratap Singh, NeeraYadav and

Brijendra Yadav as themost corrupt officers of thestate cadre and dubbed themthe black sheep among the IAScommunity. This processevoked nationwide response;the identified officers came onthe radar of anti-corruptionagencies and tax authorities.

While corruption cases havebeen booked against the firsttwo, the third accused diedbefore any action could beinitiated against him. ThoughIncome Tax raids took place athis premises too, the evidencecollected was subsequentlydestroyed in a mysterious firein the IT Department’s Bareillyoffice, where all investigationrecords were kept.

The idea behind identifyingcorrupt officers by uprightofficers was to draw publicattention to growing corruptionat the highest levels ofadministration. Instead oftaxpayers’ money being usedhonestly for development,

infrastructure and welfareprojects, it is being misused withthe active connivance of politicalmasters for personal gain,betraying the common man’strust.

Uttar Pradesh saw uniqueexamples of executive failurewhen the Supreme Court of Indiacame forward and removed itstwo chief secretaries — AkhandPratap Singh, a 1967 batch IASofficer and Neera Yadav, a 1971batch IAS officer — from themost sensitive post becausethey were facing corruptioncharges. It was clear theirpolitical masters were interestedin keeping them in such acoveted post.

The scale of corruption ismind-boggling. Former UP ChiefSecretary Akhand Pratap Singhwas arrested in 2007 by the CBIfor possessing assets over 200crore, clearly disproportionate tohis known sources of income. Itwas found that he had no less

than 84 prime properties inseveral cities. CBI hadregistered a disproportionateassets (DA) case against himin 2005. The agency allegedthat Singh indulged in large-scaleforgery of documents andconverted his gains intoimmoveable assets in the namesof his family members, relatives,friends and also a few privatelimited companies. The CBIinvestigations unearthed 84properties in prime locations inDelhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, GreaterNoida, Lucknow, Bahraich andNainital.

The FIR lodged by the agencyhad alleged Singh and his familyowned a house worth 30 lakh and

a double-storey building inLucknow, a flat in Delhi’s VasantVihar, agricultural land in UP’sBahraich, and farmhouses inLucknow and Bhimtal,Uttarakhand. After the raids ondifferent premises owned by thepowerful officer, they found over 100bank accounts with large depositsand huge investments in shares,debentures and luxurious vehicles.“Investigation has also revealedlarge-scale forgeries perpetrated byhim in the process of acquisitionof assets and their laundering intoseemingly legitimate assets.”Legal proceedings were initiatedagainst him in different courts butthe final outcome is still awaited.

Another Uttar Pradesh chiefsecretary, Neera Yadav, wasalso voted as the second mostcorrupt

bureaucrat by her fraternity.She was convicted in twoseparate corruption casesrelating to the Noida land scam,wherein she was awarded four-

and three-year jail terms aspunishment. In the first case, shewas convicted in December 2010for illegally allotting land to acompany. Her second convictionwas in a case pertaining to makingillegal allotments of lands to herkith and kin, close relatives,bureaucrats and politicians.

In 2012, a Ghaziabad CBI courtalso convicted senior IAS officerRajeev Kumar to three yearsimprisonment in a Noida plotscam. He served under NeeraYadav in 1994- 95. On the strengthof the stay order of the AllahabadHigh Court, he managed tocontinue on the sensitive post ofPrincipal Secretary(Appointments) in Akhilesh

Yadav’s Samajwadi Partygovernment till recently. He wasremoved only after the HighCourt’s query, “How could aconvicted officer be allowed todischarge such an importantduty relating to transfer andpost ing o f IAS and PCSofficers?” His unceremoniousexit was only possible when theHigh Cour t conf i rmed h issentence, d ismiss ing h isappeal against the CBI Court’sjudgement, that held him guiltyo f cor rupt ion charges. Hesurrendered before the courtand was lodged in Dasna Jail,Ghaziabad.

He has now challenged theHigh Court verdict before theapex court. His case has beenconnected with Neera Yadav’spetition as it was disposed ofby a common judgement.

The centrally funded NRHMprogramme in UP fell prey toh igh- leve l po l i t i ca l andbureaucratic corruption. Former

family planning minister inthe Bahujan Samaj PartyBabu Singh Kushwaha and hisprincipal secretary PradeepShukla, a 1981 batch officer,were arrested andchargesheeted for large-scalecorruption to tune of 4,800crore that led to murders ofsome Chief Medical Officerseven when they were in prison.Besides CBI investigation intocriminality aspects of thescam, the EnforcementDirectorate (ED) initiated itsprobe and attached assetsworth 196 crore belonging toKushwaha.

The attachment orderdisclosed that Kushwaha hadhelped many private firms inrigging contracts for the healthscheme. ED registered 14separate cases againstKushwaha and others to probethe alleged financialirregularities in the NRHMscheme. These actions wereinitiated under the provisions ofthe Prevention of MoneyLaundering Act (PMLA).

Despite all this, PradeepShukla got undue favoursunder the Samajwadi Party.This is evident from the factthat as soon as he was bailedout, the present governmentwelcomed him by reinstatinghim in service and postinghim as Member, Board ofRevenue. Some of i tsministers visit him in jail.UP’s hous ing secretaryPandhar i Yadav wasremoved f rom the chiefminister’s secretariat whenhis name came up in thecourt-directed CBI probe intolarge-scale corruption in theUPA government’s flagshipscheme for guaranteed 100days employment schemeto rura l poor underMNREGA. Now he is takingall major decisions in thelucrative housing sector,where real estate companiesneed to get their projectscleared. Change in land usefrom agriculture to housing,commercial, industrial oreducational uses are known tocome at a price.

25Wednesday, August 10 to August 16, 2016 SOUTH ASIA & WORLD

The carnage in Quetta

India should avoid ‘entanglement’in South China Sea: Chinese media

(Agencies) India shouldavoid “unnecessaryentanglement” in the SouthChina Sea dispute duringChinese Foreign MinisterWang Yi’s visit to New Delhi toprevent it becoming yet“another factor” to impactbilateral ties, a state-runChinese daily said on Tuesday.

“India may want to avoidunnecessary entanglement

with China over the SouthChina Sea debate duringWang’s visit if the countrywishes to create a goodatmosphere for economiccooperation, which wouldinclude reducing tariffs onmade-in-India productsexported to China amid theongoing free trade talk knownas the RegionalComprehensive EconomicPartnership,” an article in

the state-run Global Timessaid.

“India is expected to allowonly moderate tariff reductionon made-in-China productsunder the talks in a bid topreserve i ts domest icindustries. If India wants Chinato be more generous in termsof tariff reduction, it would beunwise for the country to letits relationship with Chinadeter iorate further at this

moment,” it said.The daily said it is puzzling

that India is focusing on theSouth China Sea issue at thismoment, a move which it saidmight risk “unnecessary sideeffects” to bilateral ties andpotentially create obstacles forIndian exporters hoping toincrease their presence inChina, the world’s secondlargest importer.

Underlining that tensions

between China and India havebeen increasing in recentmonths owing to a series ofpolitical incidents, i t said,“Considering that India doesnot face territorial disputeswith China in the South ChinaSea, is it worth letting theSouth China Sea issuebecome another factor thatwill impact India’s cooperationwi th China? India shouldconsider this.”

Wang will arrive in India tohold talks with his counterpartSushma Swaraj on August 13during which key regional andbi la tera l issues wi l l bediscussed, including India’sbid for membership in theNuclear Suppliers Group.

His visit comes ahead of theG20 Summit to be held in theChinese city of Hangzhou nextmonth in which Prime MinisterNarendra Modi is expected totake part.

Following the ruling by aninternational tribunal last monthwhich rejected Beijing’s claimsover much of the disputed sea

area, China is campaigningagainst the issue to be raisedin G20 Summit, saying it is amatter to be resolved betweenparties concerned andoutsiders have no role.

“ I n f a i r n e s s , a f t e rdozens of countries havee x p r e s s e d s u p p o r t f o rC h i n a ’ s s t a n c e i n t h eSouth China Sea, India’satt i tude toward the issuemay not be as important asthe nation had imagined,”the art icle said.

“Whi le many Ind ianpeople have been focused onthe South China Sea aheadof Chinese Foreign MinisterWang Yi’s upcoming trip tothe country, less attentionhas been paid to the recentfall in exports of made-in-India products to China,” i tsaid.

I t s a i d I n d i a s h o u l dm o v e i t s f o c u s f r o mgeopolitical competition toeconomic issues to stop afurther decline in exportsto China.

(Agencies) The suicidebombing at a hospital in Quettaon Monday that left at least 72people dead is yet another violentreminder of the securitychallenges Pakistan faces. Whatmakes matters complicated thistime is that the attack in theBalochistan capital has beenclaimed by two terrorist groups,the Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA), ahome-grown faction of theTehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan(TTP), and the Islamic State (IS).But irrespective of theorganisational l inks of thebomber, it is apparent nowthat mi l i tan t groups thatsuffered a setback after thearmy’s heightened counter-terror operation two years agoare striking back wheneverthey get the opportunity. Takethe case of the JuA. Foundedin 2014, i t has a l readyemerged as one of the mostpotent terror ist groups inPakistan. It remains loyal tothe TTP, but had ear l ie rdeclared support to the ISleadership. Over the last twoyears the JuA had carried out anumber of deadly attacks,including the Wagah strike of2014 and the Lahore parkbombing in March this year. If theJuA is behind the Quetta blast,it is yet another warning to thePakistani establishment. The ISconnection too is worrying. Theauthorities say the IS does nothave any organisational presencein the country, but Pakistanactually faces a high risk of IS-linked terror. The group has

already established a foothold ineastern Afghanistan, close to theborder with Pakistan. Also,Pakistan’s jihadist underworld,largely based in the northwesternregion, is a potential recruitingground for powerful terroristgroups. Besides, the IS’sproximity to groups such as theJuA and the fact that both groupshave claimed the Quetta attackraise questions on whether theTTP factions are cooperating withthe IS.

For the Pakistani armyand civilian government, this isthe new reality they have to cometo grips with. The rising numberof terror attacks and the entry ofnew outfits into the region’sjihadist map show that whateverthe army and the governmenthave been doing in the fightagainst terror has simply notbeen enough. A large part of theproblem is with Pakistan’s anti-terror strategy itself. Thoughterrorism cannot be eliminatedovernight, governments need acomprehensive strategy tocounter it. Pakistan has a historyof supporting groups fightingAfghanistan and India, whilecracking down on thoseoperating within the country. Themilitary’s close ties with theAfghan Taliban, for instance, havecompromised its fight against theTTP, which now refuses to pipedown despite military action. IfPakistan is serious about tacklingthis jihadist complex, it should firststop categorising them as goodTaliban and bad Taliban, or as goodterrorists and bad terrorists.

Ciudad Guhyana — I washanging out with some neighborsin the hallway recently. We livein one of the short turquoisebui ld ings o f a mixedc o m m e r c i a l - r e s i d e n t i a lcomplex in this northeasterncity, supposedly a model ofurban deve lopment . Wedec ided to make teacombining resources from ourfour apartments. We couldn’tscrounge up enough sugar.Someone had f rozenpineapple and passion fruitpeels. Someone boiled water.

Everyone brought theirown cup, each with a differentdesign. Mine, with a picture ofa cow, was the ugliest. We saton the floor of the hallwayoutdoors and in the shade ofa tall mango tree. The infusionwas surpr is ing ly tas ty,considering the ingredients.One of the guys said, “Yeah,and it helps a little with thehunger.” That’s Manuel. He’sa law s tudent and theyoungest in the group. Heused to be buff.

My brother, a lawyer

Middle Class and Hungry in Venezuelawho once had a fat neck,nodded. “We don’t even havethe mangoes to round offdinner,” he said. I looked at thetree. We live on the third floor,so we’ve always been able tograb its highest fruits fairlyeasily. In season, they usuallygo to waste. This year, thetree’s already bare. “It’s betterto go to sleep, so you don’t feelthe hunger,” said María, a lawyerwho worked as an undocumentedimmigrant in a restaurant in Spainbut returned after two months,horrified by the workingconditions there. I said, “Do that,and you end up dreaming of food.”

I was speaking fromexperience. Taking another sipof tea, I thought about thattime when after watching a“Game of Thrones” episode Idreamed of a medieval feast,with a huge pig in the middleof the table, several cakes andmead. Other times, I dream ofa supermarket w i th fu l lystocked shelves. That usuallyhappens after a long day ofstanding in line in the sun ata store, hoping for a delivery

truck to arrive. Coffee and milkbecame luxuries for me a fewyears ago, but the really scaryscarcity — of things like breadand chicken — hit my middle-class home at the beginningof this year. There was a weekwhen I had to brush my teethwi th sa l t .N ine out o f 10Venezuelans can no longerafford to buy enough food,according to a study by SimónBolívar University. The I.M.F.has forecast that inf lat ionwould exceed 700 percent thisyear. We gossiped about thepeople we’d been noticingwere getting skinnier. The listwas long. It struck me howbackward this was — howbeing fat is a sign of wealthagain. Detecting the parasiticbourgeois has never beeneasier. The bourgeois, thewealthy and the private sectorare the groups PresidentNicolás Maduro blames forVenezuela’s recession. Buti t ’ s years o f economicmismanagement under his andHugo Chávez ’s soc ia l is trevolution that have done us in.

26Wednesday, August 10 to August 16, 2016

This isour onlylocation

Is your husband flirting with someone? Find out how to deal with it

(Agencies) Earlier thismonth, reports revealedhow men and women inrelationships react to theirpartners flirting. In one ofthe surveys mentioned inthe reports, researcherswanted to find out if aheterosexual man in aroom with an attractive,flirty woman would answerquestions about hissignificant other differently,as opposed to aheterosexual woman in aroom with an attractive,flirty man. As it turns out,men and women didanswer the questionsdifferently. However, menwere less tolerant of theirpartner’s hypotheticaltransgressions after flirting,while women were moretolerant.

Crossing the lineWe have all flirted or hadsomeone flirt with us atsome point in our lives.Most of the time, it isharmless. But, when thereis an underlying motive toit, it can affect ar e l a t i o n s h i p .Psychotherapist andrelationship counsellorGittanjali Saxena says

most people flirt for fun.But, at times, they crossthe line. She says, “Flirtingcan be termed as cheatingif you do it with theintention of winning aperson’s love or to have afling.” According toSaxena, if an individual isin a committed relationshipand shows a sexualinterest in someone other

than his or her partner, itmeans that some of theindividual’s needs are notbeing met by the partner.It shows that therelationship needs help.Avoiding frequent flirtingAbid Khan (name changed),35, an advertisingprofessional, has beenmarried for 10 years. Headmits that womenconstantly flirt with him, buthe makes sure they don’tcross the line. He says, “Awoman in the office flirts withme all the time. But whenshe crosses the line, I justignore her.” Then, there arealso instances when anindividual may not realisethat he or she is flirting ina manner that could impacthis or her relationship.

Joslyn D’souza (namechanged), 29, who works atan export firm, recountsher experience. She wasgood friends with one of hercolleagues, and chatted withhim regularly on the phone.“This guy called me almosteveryday post work, mostlybefore my husband returnedfrom his office. One day, myhusband came home early.He was shocked to hear ourconversation. He made merealise that this wasn’tharmless flirting. I have nowlimited my chats with thiscolleague to only work-related matters,” saysD’souza. While D’souzahad no intention to cheaton her husband in thiscase, Shetty believes thatpeople in relationships

shouldn’t ignore thesituation when theirpartners flirt with someoneelse. Saxena says sherecently counselled such acouple after the wifediscovered that herhusband was having anaffair. “She revealed thatshe had always known thather husband was a flirt.She did not think much ofit, but it resulted in anextramarital affair. If shehad taken the right steps,this would not havehappened,” she says. Anindividual may be the bestjudge of whether his or herpartner is indulging inharmless flirting or not. Butif there is an underlyingmotive to it, it’s best to dealwith it before it is too late.

LIFE & STYLE

27Wednesday, August 10 to August 16, 2016 BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY

Spuul aims to provide best in class user experience on its video-on-demand platform

(Agencies) V ideo contentaggregator startup Spuul justhappened to come in toex is tence when a mediaindust ry exper t , a techentrepreneur, a banker, abusinessman and a goodbottle of wine came together,reveals CEO Subin Subaiah.“It was clear that building a fullstack, pure play enterprise,leading v ideo-on-demand(VOD) player for India contentwas a phenomenon waiting tohappen. Once the idea wasgerminated by the founders, itwas jus t a mat ter o fharnessing the right talent toexecute to plan,” explainsSubaiah. He adds that thediversity of Spuul’s foundingteam is its strength.

Co-founder SudeshIyer comes with deep domain

knowledge of the advertising,film and television business;fe l low co- founder RajeshBothra is the CEO of Kobian,an electronics company andalso a savvy investor. Techentrepreneur S Mohan bringsin his vision and talent ofcommerc ia l is ing ideas.Subaiah himself has been asenior banker with leadingWall Street players. “Trust,f r iendsh ip and a sharedaspiration to build Spuul intoa hugely successful brandbonds the shareho lderstogether,” says Subaiah.

Launched in 2012,Spuul is a Singapore-basedstudio neutral aggregatorstartup that aggregates avar iety of content acrossbanners . Shor t ly a f terinception, it developed smart

Google hammers yet another nail inFlash’s coffin, but Flash still refuses to die(Agencies) More and more nails arebeing hammered into Flash’s coffin and we’vebeen hammering thosenails in since at least2010. The most recentnai l being driven incomes cour tesy o fGoogle. Fast on theheels of Apple’s Safaribrowser, Google hasannounced that Chromewill prioritise HTML5content over Flashwherever possible. AdobeFlash popped up at an awkward time for theinternet. Developers wanted to do a lot morewith the web than HTML standards allowed.Features like streaming multimedia content,rich interactions and animations, all thesewere close to impossible to implement. WithFlash, Adobe offered a powerful tool thatcould do all this and more. But even then, itwas an imperfect solution and for that, Adobeis entirely to blame.This was in the early 2000s,long before the iPhone and at a time when H.264

(you’ll know it as mp4 video today) wasn’t amainstream codec. Early HTML was mostly

about text and images,rich pages andembedded contentwasn’t as easy toimplement as withAdobe Flash. There wasno real HTML standardwhen it came tostreaming and animationand interaction wasmuch easier toimplement via Flash.

We call the solution imperfect becauseFlash, while easy to implement, was a little hardto fine-tune. In fact, we rarely notice the goodimplementations of Flash, partly because thereare so few of them and the bad ones, theycompletely ruin our browsing experience.Tomake matters worse, Flash was, and still is, acompletely closed platform. As Steve Jobshimself put it in his famous “Thoughts on Flash”editorial, if something is positioning itself as astandard, it needs to be open.

Google hammers yet another nail inFlash’s coffin, but Flash still refuses to die

TV and mobile applications forstreaming content. Spuul’scatalogue currently consistsof approximately 900 movies.The supported platforms for

s t reaming inc lude Web,mobi le ( iOS, Android), TV(Samsung, Panasonic, LG),Airplay on iOS and Chromecaston Android. Besides India, other

key markets for Spuul (in termsof user volume) are the US, UK,Pakistan, Australia and the UnitedArab Emirates. The Spuul teamconsists of 29 members.

Cell : 917-612-3158

28Wednesday, August 10 to August 16, 2016

(My India is better than the whole the world , I don't have a place to live, but whole world is mine.Empty promises and impressive Independence events can't hide the hungry and lost souls of India.)

We have collectively failed, even if a single soul goes empty stomach.

Rehne ko Ghar Nahin, Magar Saara Jahan Hamara

SPECIAL MESSAGE

29Wednesday, August 10 to August 16, 2016 FASHION

The Lawn Muse : You asked , She answered.

I have picked few of the mostwidespread and grippingquestions of Interest for all theLawn Muses( beautiful woman inlove with Lawn) any where in theworld , who struggle with stylingIndian Sub Continent trends.

Q I am a Muslim womanin mid-thirties. We travel a lotand am permitted to wear onlyShalwar Kameez. My biggestproblem is to give aninternational look withoutcompromising on mytraditional staple dress whenon holidays. Want a moreholiday chic look.

A This is a typical catch-22situation for many young womanwho are raised/ married intradit ional famil ies l ike inPunjab, Haryana, Gujrat andmany other regions in IndianSub Continent , Muslims orNon- Muslims.

My Genera lrecommendation would be tohave a good pair of Lawnstretch ankle length Sl imPants/ Cigarette Pants with

detail ing just to add moreinterest to it. You can go forready to wear pants availableat any of the internationalstores, too and pair it withtunics. For the chic holidaylook, go for super short lengthsor knee length tunics. Lots ofgood Lawn Brands l ike AlKaram, Gul Ahmed , Orient doseparates. Charizma and SanaS a f i n a zm u z l i ns e p a r a t e stoo are verytrendy and international intheir style. For a more funkychic prints Asim Jofa andSobia Nazir high thread countunstitched tunics too make astatement.

When stitched with cut-out, flared ,or 3/4 sleeves withcuffed roll on, they make aninternational ensemble. Moststaple neck used is Band collar,Mandarin ( oriental style )collar.Boat Neck , sleeves less tunicsare the mirror image of the resortwear tops.

Apart from SlimPants, flared boot cutPants, Palazzo's,Capri's ,Culotte's andTulip Pants all go wellwith the internationaltrend.

If carrying dupattais a must , pair thesewith trendy stoles/scarves with hip printsand vibrant colors. Tieyour hair in a top knotor high pony and don'tbe afraid to use thesescarves as head gearsand let it be the mostfashionable accessoryof your outfit. Pair thislook with flats ,metallic sneakers andbe ready to navigateon Holiday Ramps.

Q How can Iwear leggings withKurti's when I amcurvy?

A. Try to pickcolors in dark tones,avoiding light neutrals.Best colors as per mysuggestion would beBlack, dark shades ofTeal, Indigo, Charcoal,Burgundies and evenemerald green.Wearing bright toneslike Fuschia, Parrot

Green , yellow will accentuateyour calves and thighs.

Avoid buying leggings withvery high percentage of lycra asit is leg hugging. Instead look formore cotton based leggingswhich will give you a straight fitfrom thigh to ankle . Slim but nothugging .

Be playful with your tops. Gofor embellished tunics, fancy tie

necks andin te res t ingdetail whichkeeps the eyefocus on top .

Try to wearat least kneelength tops ifnot below.Short tunicsare not foryou, misscurvy.

If in amood tom a k estatement gofor floor lengthor anklelength jackettunics. Thisstyle is bestsuited forcurvy girls as

they are fitted till waist ,accentuate your narrowest partof the body and then A line.....adding flare and hiding all thebulges at right place. Biggestperk of this style is leggingsplaying the role of peek a boo...

Q. I love stone statementnecklaces, which are bigthese days. How do i wearearrings with these on formaloccasions?

A. This a tough one !!!Statement necklaces aresupposed to be a statement intheir own. Now wearing two boldstatement pieces together wouldeither be a fashion disaster or therule we bend once in a while tomake it "The Statement Look "

Bottom line for me withStatement Neck pieces is to seeif ears feel naked or no. If doinghair in a way that it covers yourear lobes, I hardly would botherto wear anything in ears.

On the contrary, If hair is tiedback and whole ear is exposedand look is incomplete, my bestsuggestion would be studs inmatching stone color. Diamond,Garnet and pearl studs are mostversatile to go with many.

Otherwise, just pair withmatching color metals, stone.

But still, if not satisfied andthe need of the hour says for abolder look. You can pair thesenecklaces with hoop or danglingearrings . But these need to bevery carefully paired.

Avoid them if you already arewearing a very heavy dress inflorals, prints, embroidery orlayered in different fabrics. It willdestroy the look. Simple rule asper my suggestion would be towear earrings only with fine flowydresses in solid and minimaldetailing. Otherwise you couldend in a very over busy look.

Q Five Basic Mix n Matchstaples for a woman whowears only Lawn and don'twant to over spend ?

A. My Mix n Match staplesfor woman wearing Ethnicdresses and wardrobe being selfsufficient without a massivebudget.

1. First comes first, Goodbranded Lawn Trousers in basiccolors-- Black, white, off white,Beige. Add your detailing withpleating, anchoring, buttons,c rochet /po t t l ibuttons. Finee m b r o i d e r ypatches.

2. For semicasual look- Finelawn Tunics withembroidery andvaried stitchingstyles . Underlinedifferent stitchingstyles as varietyis the spice of life

FormalCasual look- SilkTunics with digitalprinting andembellishments

3. Fine QualityPure Chiffon/Silk/Tabby silkdupatta's in basiccolors to match theneutral lowers,Edging anddetailing should bevery fine so that itadds no extraweight to thematerial.

4. A fineFormal Lawn /Chiffon complete3 pieces dress forformal occasion's.Since its a formal

Q&A with Komal

dress you should opt for more formallower's like sharara, gharara orskirts.

5.A good pair of comfortableembellished Khussa's in pearls ormetallics. You can never go wrongwith these.

Style is unique, as all womenare unique on their own. These aregeneral suggestions.

Rules are meant to be broken.Don't be afraid to create your OwnRules. Any questions to beasked can be emailed atthelawnmuse@gmail.com

The Lawn Museby Komal Bindra

30Wednesday, August 10 to August 16, 2016 BOX OFFICE INSIDER

Aamir Khan has his hands full, willstart working on Thug post Dangal

(Agencies) Superstar AamirKhan has recently revealed thathe will start filming for VijayKrishna Acharya’s Thug soonafter Dangal — his upcomingsports biopic — is released.

Speculations are rife that the51-year-old actor will he seenplaying a father to three teenagegirls. It will be more of a lightercharacter with lots of puninvolved, in particular, which isexactly contrary to his part in theupcoming Dangal, reportsBollywoodLife.As per reports, therole was initially offered to HrithikRoshan, but due to his demandfor changes in the script, the dealcouldn’t work out. Later, the

director approached the Ghajiniactor with a tweaked script.Aamir, who is known for taking a

long time to give a nod to a movie,reportedly agreed immediatelyafter going through the script.

Salman wanted to be part of Freaky Alibut Sohail chose Arbaaz instead

(Agencies) Salman Khan revealed at the trailer launch of Sohail Khan’supcoming movie, Freaky Ali, that he wanted to act in the NawazuddinSiddiqui-starrer film, but was denied a role despite repeated requests.The 50-year old actor said, “I so wanted to be part of Freaky Ali butSohail somehow wasn’t ready. I even asked him for several characters,but he took Aarbaaz, not me.”“This film was completed in 38 days. If Ihad been in the film, it would have taken 138 days,” The BajrangiBhaijaan actor added.Arbaaz Khan, while speaking about his characterin the film, said, “I play Maqsood in the film, a side kick. He is a gangster,a petty thief and extortionist. When Ali (Nawazuddin’s character) is in trouble,he helps him. He shares a turbulent equation with Ali throughout the film.”FreakyAli is themed around golf and shows how a poor man makes a name forhimself in a rich man’s sport. Siddiqui plays protagonist in the film, with AmyJackson and Azbaaz Khan in important roles. Freaky Ali is slated to hit thetheatres on September 9.

Ajay Devgn unfazed by Shivaay –Ae Dil Hai Mushkil box office clash(Agencies) The impending BO clash of

Ajay Devgn’s ambitious project, Shivaay,and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, a Karan Johardirectorial after four years, has got theindustry talking, but the actor says it doesnot bother him.

Shivaay, an action-adventure not onlystars Ajay but also marks his seconddirectorial venture, and he believes it isbetter to focus on the film than think aboutthe clash.

“The clash really doesn’t matter.Though, a solo release is always a solorelease. I am more concerned about whatI am doing. I am not concerned about what

others are doing,” Ajay said. Ae Dil HaiMushkil, a romantic-drama, stars RanbirKapoor, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan,Anushka Sharma and Fawad Khan. Thetwo films are set for Diwali release onOctober 28. “When I announced the filmfor Diwali, at that time nobody else’s filmwas there. So, we thought this was theright time to release,” the 47-year-old actorsaid.Shivaay will also mark Bollywooddebut of veteran actor Dilip Kumar’s grandniece Sayessha Saigal and Polish actressErica Kaar. When asked if signing newfaces for such an ambitious film was a risk,Ajay said, “Not at all. I needed fabulous

actors. And for the Indian girl, I definitelyneeded a new face.” “As for the other girl,Erica, she had to be a foreigner. Thecharacter’s demand was such. I got twofabulous actors. It’s a performance-orientedfilm. Even the little child, I can challengeanybody including myself, we could not haveperformed better than her,” he added.Earlier,there were reports that Ajay’s wife Kajol wouldalso be a part of the film.

The Drishyam actor, however, said, thatcouldn’t happen as none of the roles suitedher at all. “No, it didn’t suit her in any way. Onerole needed a foreigner. And for the other one,I needed a new younger girl,” he said.

Everyone is going crazy over Rakhi Sawant’s‘sexy’ Narendra Modi dress, and not in a good way

(Agencies) Controversy’s favourite child akaRakhi Sawant is at it again! The woman, who neverfails to attract attention—whatever the raging issueof the hour maybe—chose to leverage theattention Indian PrimeMinister gets in the US,in her favour.Theactress, who was inattendance at a pre-Independence Dayparty in Chicago, USA,was seen wearing agarish black numberemblazoned withpictures of Narendra Modi. Besides the tinyheadshots of the PM, the worst part seems to bethe PM’s figure that’s placed strategically enoughfor his hand to land right on Rakhi’s bust.Andbehind, Sawant’s butt bears another image ofModi with the Prime Minister seemingly giving

the actress’ booty a first class rating with hisgestures. Twitter reactions started to pourin, as expected. Congratulations! Proud Moment

for all Indians, RakhiSawant’s #MakeInIndiaCostume for PM.p i c . t w i t t e r . c o m /U1YH6aAahK â•” sarika(@NSarika) August 10,2016 We just don’t knowwhat Ms Sawant wasthinking when she wentahead with this twistedshow of patriotism (wasit?). Well, we guess only

she can answer that question.What we doknow is that no one would have known thatRakhi came and went to Chicago, had it notbeen for that dress. Considering that she’sbeen away from the limelight for sometime,what a stellar comeback that dress ensured!

31Wednesday, August 10 to August 16, 2016 BOX OFFICE INSIDER

A film that gave Bollywood an action heroPhool Aur Patthar not only gave Bollywood veteran

Dharmendra recognition in the Hindi film industry butalso made him a matinee idol, writes Rajiv Kaplish

(Agencies) 1966 belonged toDharmendra and Phool Aur Patthar. Itwas a year he will always rememberand viewers will always cherish. Aseminal phase in his cinematic journey,it brought him glad tidings. The actorbecame a star and the Hindi filmindustry got an action hero. If releaseslike Aaye Din Bahar Ke, Anupama,Devar, Baharen Phir Bhi Aayengi,Mohabbat Zindagi Hai, Dulhan Ek RaatKi, Mamta and Dil Ne Phir Yaad Kiyaduring the period brought Dharmendrarecognition, the blockbuster, calledPhool Aur Patthar, made him a matineeidol. An outstandingly handsome manwith a robust physique, Dharmendra,who made his debut with ArjunHingorani’s Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Terein early 60s, had average success tillmid-60s with flicks like Soorat AurSeerat, Bandini, Anpadh, Shola AurShabnam, Aaye Milan Ki Bela, Kaajal,Main Bhi Ladki Hoon, Pooja Ke Phool,Akashdeep and Poornima, in which he

played lead as well as supporting roles.Interestingly, most of the actresseswith whom he worked in these films likeMala Sinha, Meena Kumari, Nutan andNanda were big stars already.The kindof commercial and critical acclaim theyhad won eluded Dharmendra. It wasthen that he got the lead role in OPRalhan’s Phool Aur Patthar opposite thetragedy queen, Meena Kumari. SunilDutt was reportedly the original choice,but things didn’t work out andDharmendra bagged the role. Therewere also reports that during themaking of the film, Dharmendra andRalhan had a showdown oversomething and at one stage, the actoreven thought of walking out of theproject. However, the two later sortedout the matter.

Come Phool Aur Patthar andthe actor became an overnightsensation. A riveting account of ahardened criminal turning a GoodSamaritan by nursing an ailing widow

to health in a house he had gone toburgle and later fighting against theodds to rescue her from her greedy in-laws and redeeming himself in theprocess, the fi lm catapultedDharmendra to stardom. With songslike Sheeshe se peeya and Sun lepukar, OP Ralhan’s deft direction,tightediting,popular dialogues, actionsequences and stellar performancesby its actors, the movie became agolden jubilee hit and was the highestgrosser of the year. ThoughDharmendra didn’t sing any song in thefilm, his tour de force performanceestablished him as the He-Man of thefilm industry. Images of the hero in ablack jacket and a scarf around hisneck were enough to draw theaudiences in droves to theatres. Asedate Meena Kumari was the perfectfoil to the tough but vulnerable villain.The lead actors became a hit pair afterthe film’s release and later starred inmore movies like Chandan Ka Palna,

Manjhli Didi and Baharon Ki Manzil. Ralhanacquired the status of a prominent director.The hero also won a nomination in the BestActor category of the Filmfare Awards for thatyear, a trophy which eventually went to DevAnand for Guide. Phool Aur Patthar was alsoremade in Tamil . Sunil Dutt’s loss wasDharam’s gain.

Actress Tisca Chopra’s Accountof the Casting Couch is Now Viral

(Agencies) A video, titled ‘ReptileDysfunction,’ of actress TiscaChopra detailing her experience ofthe casting couch has gone viralsince it was posted some days ago.“It’s gone viral. Thanks, people,”tweeted Ms Chopra, who isspending Wednesday responding toposts praising the video. In aYouTube session with creativecollective Kommune, Ms Chopra

says her first film -1993’s Platform-‘vanished without a trace and soonafter, her dates diary looked like abarren desert.’ At a loose end, MsChopra went on a break to Goa. Andjust when she was wonderingwhether she would ever get anywork at all, she received a call from“a very, very famous producer anddirector.” In the video, Ms Choprarefers to the filmmaker as “RP orReptile” and says that he asked herto meet him for an apparently“extravagant film.” After seeing MsChopra, RP told her, “You need to learnhow to walk in heels. You need amanicure and you need to do aspa for your hair. And you needto learn how to ooze.”Ms Chopraadmits that she took RP’s words

seriously, adding that her friends weredelighted to hear that she would star inthis ‘extravagant film.’ A few friends alsoexpressed concern as they believed thatRP had a “scene” with all theactresses he worked with. A certainfriend also told Ms Chopra that adirector wanted her to accompanyhim on location hunting as he wanted“the script to penetrate every inch of herbody.” So, they started shooting inBombay, with Tisca Chopra beingallotted a hotel room adjoiningRP’s. On set, people could tellthat RP was “getting fond” of her.One fine day, after directing MsChopra in an intimate scene, RPtold her, “So, let’s meet in myroom for dinner. We’ll discuss thescript.”

Kangana Ranaut slams Shobhaa De for tweet on Indian Olympians at Rio(Agencies) Actor Kangana Ranaut,who is known for her power-packedperformances in film such as Queenand Tanu Weds Manu, onWednesday slammed authorShobha De for her tweet on IndianOlympians at Rio saying thecomment was “disheartening.”Dehad mocked Indian athletes, sayingthat their aim was only to clickselfies and return without anymedal. Her tweet angered manywho slammed and trolled the

writer.When asked to comment onthe matter, Kangana told reportersin Mumbai, “It is a very disturbingthing to say to people, who arerepresenting us. It can be also a verypersonal opinion but being such acredible author and a powerful womanwho people look up to, for someonelike that saying this is disheartening.”The 29-year-old star hopes theathletes do not get disheartened anddo their best.“It is not a good news,for sure. I hope our athletes don’t get

disheartened and we need to do ourbest.” The actor was speaking at thelaunch of a short film on SwachhBharat Abhiyan, titled “Don’t let hergo”.De received backlash fromseveral quarters. Following thecriticism, she came up with anothertweet, putting the blame on officialsand not the athletes. “Official apathymain reason why we fare so poorlyduring every Olympics, not just Rio.Difficult for athletes to ‘compete’ withthis hurdle,” she tweeted.

Alia Bhatt swings to Tip Tip Barsa Panito promote Akshay’s Rustom

(Agencies) Despite not being anindustry insider, Akshay Kumar hascemented his place as a superstar inBollywood. Now, when the 48-year-oldactor’s film Rustom is set to hit thescreens, every A-lister in the movieindustry is making sure that Akki knowsthey are by his side.The latest to doso is Alia Bhatt, who is yet to do a filmwith Akshay Kumar. However, thathasn’t stopped her from sharing a videoon Twitter in which she is reenacting ahit song from Akshay’s 1994 film, Mohra. This song, Tip TipBarsa Pani, was a rage during the ‘90s and was filmed onRaveena Tandon where she dances in the rain in a bright yellowsaree. Composed by Viju Shah, the song featured the voices ofAlka Yagnik and Udit Narayan. Later, Akshay Kumar thankedAlia for her gesture.Directed by Tinu Suresh Desai, Akshay’sRustom is slated to hit the silver screen on August 12, 2016.

32Wednesday, August 10 to August 16, 2016 HEADLINES THIS WEEK

(Agencies) To mount thesteps and slowly, fearfully peerout is to see the world throughthe eyes of a bird, or even a god.Far below, white blocks of flatsand offices cluster among foldsof tropical green.

Down there are the poor in thefavelas, the rich in the luxury high-rise apartments, the homeless,the famous football stadiums andGuanabara bay with its scatteredislands and boats. Beyond thesands of Copacabana andIpanema, the limitless Atlanticocean. To the left, standing twice

a man's height, is the slightlybowed head of Christ, also lookingdown on the beauty of the city.

But unlike the forests or theocean, this statue was the workof man and will not last for ever.Close up, the toll of 83 years ofweathering is starkly apparent.

Unnoticed by the 5,000 whovisit the landmark every day - andsee it only from a distance - thesurface is a patchwork of wornmosaic tiles resembling the skinof an aged reptile.

Lightning storms have beenchipping away at it. In January, two

direct hits in eight days blastedoff a middle fingertip andscorched the back of the head,sparking a race to patch up Rio'sfavourite picture-postcard scenebefore the World Cup in June.

Such is the statue'spopularity that even at 8am thereis a babble of tourists takingphotographs and enjoying theview. For them, the only sign ofanything wrong is the scaffoldingthat leads up the 8m (26ft)pedestal to a discreet entrancein the hem of the cloak.

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Terror module linked to NRIs busted in Punjab before I-Day

(Agencies) Ages ago inMahabharata, Vidur said toDhritharashtra, that tapa (tapasya)is defined as the one at the end ofwhich there is an inc-rease in thejoy one feels in life. And it’s not thatwe don’t do tapa, or voluntaryrenunciation of pleasures—we havegiven up on ghee and eat our rotissookha, we no longer have sugar inour tea, have even given up on riceat night, make food in minimum oralmost no oil, etc. But unlike Vidur’sdefinition, our efforts have landed usin more of the same kind of trouble.This kind of renunciation has a nametoo—asuri tapa. That which, otherthan causing harm, does very littlegood.

Food is simple, till wecomplicate it with protein, carbs andfat. And like life, once you startcomplicating it, there’s no end to it.You can spin yourself endless webs

of confusion and disillusionment, till,like the law of karma says, you areliterally knocked into your senses.And then when you open your eyes,you see that the USDA hasreviewed its guidelines in April 2015to say that cholesterol is no longera nutrient of concern foroverconsumption and that there isno upper limit to your daily fat intake.That’s like your grandmom sayingeat ghee and eat as much as youwant. Sounded so simple that youthought it just comes out of blindlove and must be ign-ored. But then,when USDA says it and makes itsound a bit complicated, we like itsscientific tone. Not superstitious likeyour grandma; what’s she got to dowith science, right? But the wholepoint of science is that, like Ikeafurniture, if the pieces don’t fiteffortlessly together, you are doingsomething wrong.

The 21st Century TapasyaFood is simple, till we complicate it with

protein, carbs and fat. And like life, once youstart complicating it, there’s no end to it.

(Agencies) Chandigarh/Hoshiarpur: In amajor swoop ahead of Independence Day,security agencies and the Punjab Policehave busted a Khalistani terror module withlinks to NRIs and Pakistan’s notoriousInter-Services Intelligence (ISI) . Themodule was busted in Punjab’s Hoshiarpurdistrict, 140 km from Chandigarh.

Punjab Police has arrested threesuspects, all linked to the KhalistanLiberation Force (KLF), and booked twoNon-Resident Indians (NRIs) on chargesof trying to revive terrorism in Punjab. Thecase has been registered in Chhabewalpolice station, 10 km from Hoshiarpurtown. In a joint operation, central security

agencies and Punjab Police recoveredthree pistols, ammunitions and explosivesand nearly 15 bullet-proof jackets from theirhideout.

The terror suspects are from theKLF — an insurgent group which was partof the separatist Khalistan movement inPunjab in 1980s. The NRIs booked includeUS-based Harjap Singh Japi, who is linkedto radical Sikh organization in the US —Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) — and Italy-basedAvtar Singh. Both NRIs hail fromHoshiarpur district.

Police sources told IANS thatfurther investigations were in progress andsome other people have been taken into

custody and were being interrogated. Themodule is also being linked to terror andseparatist outfits in neighbouring Jammuand Kashmir.

“We are trying to find out if thismodule had any plans to carry out a strikeon or around the Independence Day,” asenior police officer said. Punjab PoliceInspector General Loknath Angraconfirmed the arrests and busting of theterror module. The module was bustedfollowing inputs from security agencies,based on phone call intercepts coming tosome persons in Handowal village inHoshiarpur district.

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How The British Gave A Fillip ToCow Vigilantism In Colonial India(Agencies) The lynching ofMohammed Akhlaq in Dadri, UttarPradesh, on 28 September, 2015,by Hindu mobs, on suspicions ofeating beef on Eid-ul-Adha, didnot inspire condemnation fromPrime Minister's Narendra Modi.The recent Dalit backlash at Una,in Gujarat certainly did.

"Cow vigilantism" in Indiahas allowed the prime time voicesof the nation to redeem theirpolitical ideologies. It has alsoallowed for a retrospect of India'scommunalism under colonialrule. According to orders issuedby the Board of Administration offor the Punjab in 1849, the saleof beef was banned in Multan. Inthe early 1880s, the same festivalwhich marked the killing ofAkhlaq led to communal riots in

Punjab, which later spread to theUnited Provinces (Benares) andBihar (Patna). The cow-vigilantismof the1880s was its first recordedinstance in modern India.Hindu agi ta t ions for cowprotection proceeded withestabl ishing support f romexisting tradit ionalist anti-co lon ia l groups and

demonstrating the allegedly"nationwide" opposit ion tobeef-consumption throughsevera l pet i t ions to thegovernment. A key leader of the1880s' cow-vigilantism wasSwami Dayanand Saraswati,whose pamphletGoukarunanidhih

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The buck stops here, in officers’ pocketsOf the total 5,000 plus IAS officers across the country, manyare so corrupt that they would laugh if reminded of their oathto serve the nation. Kanhaiya Bhelari reports from Bihar

(Agencies) In British times,a Collector was meant to gatherrevenue for the colonialauthority. Even in independentIndia, some officers think theyare entitled to ‘collect’ money fortheir personal pockets. That’swhat an additional districtmagistrate (ADM) discoveredwhen posted in a district ofMithilanchal region of Bihar. Hesent a petition to the districtmagistrate seeking leave forthree days to do some urgentwork at his village. The collectorcalled him at his officialresidence and ‘authoritatively’said, “My fee against grantingleave for a day is 1,000. You willhave to pay 3,000 to me for three

days leave.” The poor officershelled out the money to theboss.

That, of course, is just thetip of the iceberg. The districtmagistrate in question, an IASofficer of the 2008 batch, usedto collect 2 lakh as bribe fromthe each Block DevelopmentOfficer (BDOs)

(Contd on page 20)