1. Two Children Die as Dalit Family’s House Set Ablaze
Two-and-a-half-year-old Vaibhav and 11-month-old Divya died, while their parents were hospitalised after “upper caste” people set the Dalit family’s house ablaze at 2:30 am on Tuesday.
The incident occurred in Sunped village in Haryana, situated on the outskirts of the national capital, Delhi.
Balwant and his son Dharm Singh have been arrested, while nine others have been booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code for pouring petrol on the victims’ house and setting fire to it while they were asleep.
Rekha (28) and Jitender (31) are undergoing treatment in Delhi. The Haryana government has announced a Rs 10 lakh compensation for the family.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and sought a report from the state administration.
Read the complete report of the incident on The Quint.
2. Hardik Patel Booked for Dacoity
After being charged with sedition on Tuesday, Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) leader Hardik Patel, was booked for dacoity for an incident in July, reports The Times of India.
Sedition charges were filed against Patel for instigating Patidar youth to kill policemen, while the dacoity charges were filed for violence and vandalism in Visnagar city of Mehsana district of Gujarat on July 23.
Based on a petition by the Surat Detection of Crime Branch (DCB), Judicial Magistrate JK Christian remanded Patel in police custody till 4pm on October 23, Friday.
The hearing took place late on Tuesday night after Patel was interrogated for six hours in the Hajira police station by the DCB.
Read the story here.
3. Finally, Pulse Price is a Poll Issue in Bihar
Rising pulse prices became the centre of discussion during the election in Bihar as political parties indulged in the blame game, reports The Hindu
The issue found mention in Bihar after reservation, the Dadri lynching incident and cow slaughter.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his ally Lalu Prasad Yadav brought up the issue of rising pulse prices at a poll meeting and blamed the Central government for it.
Pulses have vanished from the plate of the poor, but prices of petrol and diesel have come down... can people eat and drink petrol instead?
Lalu Prasad Yadav, RJD Chief and Grand Alliance Leader
Radha Mohan Singh, the union agriculture minister, however, shifted the blame back to the Nitish government.
The Central government wrote to several State governments, including Bihar, to take advantage of the Price Stabilising Fund. But the Nitish government ignored it for political reasons.
Radha Mohan Singh, Union agriculture Minister
Read the report here.
4. Dandiya No Religious Practice: Bombay HC
The Bombay High Court denied permission to central government employees to play dandiya at the government quarters located next to Rocky Hills area of Mumbai, reports DNA.
Meanwhile even as the Bombay HC denied permission to play dandiya in the residential area, civil hospital staff in Ahmedabad, Gujarat danced the garba inside the Intensive Care Unit.
In a place where even mobiles aren’t allowed, the staff was recorded playing loud music and dancing in front of the ailing patients.
The festival of Navratri evidently has different importance in the neighbouring states.
Read the report here.
5. British Steel Sneezes, Indian Names Shiver
Sixteen steel and engineering companies of Swraj Paul’s Caparo Industries were placed “in administration”, while the Tatas confirmed shedding of another 1,200 jobs, reports The Telegraph.
“Placed in administration,” the report says, means the management of the company is left at the administration’s mercy. The administration mostly ends up finding a suitable “buyer” for the company.
British steel, which is processed and forged into various parts by companies in India, has lost ground in it’s major market, Europe.
British Prime Minister David Cameron plans to speak with Chinese President Xi Jinxing about the booming Chinese steel in Europe.
Meanwhile, the job-cuts in Scotland by Tata Industries further emphasised on the issue.
The UK steel industry is struggling for survival in the face of extremely challenging market conditions. This industry has a crucial role to play in rebalancing the UK economy, but we need a fairer system to encourage growth.
Karl Koehler, Chief Executive of Tata Steel’s European Operations
The top steel players, mostly Indian, in Britain are challenged by China.
Read the story here.
6. Mangalore Man Who Forced Closure of Abattoir is Hacked to Death, 8 Held
Prashant Poojary, a 29-year-old Bajrang Dal activist who was actively involved in a campaign that led to the closure of a slaughter house in the Moodabidri region of Dakshina Kannada, was hacked to death on October 9.
Eight people have been arrested in the case, reports The Indian Express.
Before he died, Prashant revealed the identities of four of his assailants to his father Anand Poojary, police said.
Four were arrested on Sunday and four were arrested on Tuesday.
Mangalore police commissioner S Murugan identified the ones arrested on Sunday as Mohammed Hanif (36), Mohammed Ilyas (27), Ibrahim Liyaqat (26), and Abdul Rashid (39), all residents of Dakshina Kannada district.
On Tuesday, Mohammed Sharif (42), Mustafa Kavoor (28), Mohammed Mustafa (25), and Kabeer (28) were arrested.
Read the report here.
7. Uber Cab Rape Case: Shiv Kumar Yadav Convicted of All Charges
A year after the incident, the 32-year-old Uber cab driver Shiv Kumar Yadav was found guilty of raping 25-year-old woman by a court in Delhi on Tuesday.
Yadav was found guilty on charges of rape, abducting with an intent to compel the victim for marriage and criminally intimidating and causing hurt.
Yadav was arrested on December 7, 2014 from Mathura and is currently in judicial custody.
Arguments on sentencing will be heard on Oct 23.
Read the timeline of the case on The Quint.
8. Chandrababu Naidu Reminds Centre of its ‘Moral Commitment’
The Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Chandrababu Naidu, said on Tuesday that it was the “moral responsibility” of the Centre to support his state as it is only 16-months old, reports The Hindu.
The CM spoke ahead of the foundation of his ambitious project—building a new capital for the state in Amravati—on October 22.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the chief guest at the grand function.
The issue of environmental clearances for the massive project, however, remains a sticking points along with the source of investment.
Read the story here.
9. Accessible India: Disabled-Friendly Initiatives to Earn Firms Brownie Points From Government
India Inc will soon have an incentive to design disabled-friendly buildings and human resource policies, reports The Economic Times.
The new parameter will be introduced as a part of the “Accessible India” campaign on December 3, 2015.
The government will start the new exercise with 10 private companies from different sectors.
December 3 is also celebrated as International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
Read the story here.
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