QWrap: Bulandshahr Boils, Una Victims Seek Permission to End Lives

From Bulandshahr violence to Jodhpur ka Jadugar, here are the top five headlines of the day.

The sequence of events that led to the Bulandshahr tragedy all raise questions that still remain unanswered.

(Photo: The Quint)

1. Bulandshahr Violence: Nobody is Giving Subodh Justice, Says Wife

A day after clashes broke out in Bulandshahr, UP, over alleged cattle slaughter, ADG (Law and Order) Anand Kumar confirmed that four people have been arrested. Addressing the media, Kumar clarified that Bajrang Dal leader Yogesh Raj is an accused but hasn’t been arrested. He further said that an SIT has been formed for the investigation.

Meanwhile, police have registered two FIRs naming 27 people and mentioning 60 unnamed people. While one FIR has been filed against the alleged cattle slaughter, the other one has been registered against the violent protests which followed.

Speaking to the media, an angry sister of deceased police officer Subodh Kumar said that her brother was investigating Akhlaq case and that is why he was killed. His son said that his father always taught him to be secular, but was himself killed in communal clashes.

(Get live updates here)

2. We Received No Land, Dues: Una Victim Refutes Gujarat Govt’s Claim

The Dalit victims of the 2016 Una flogging incident in Gujarat have sought permission from President Ram Nath Kovind to end their lives, claiming that the BJP government in the state have not fulfilled their promises to them in over two years ago.

Seven members of a Dalit family were thrashed by self-proclaimed cow vigilantes in Mota Samadhiyala village in Una taluka, Gir Somnath district, on 11 July 2016. One of them, Vashram Sarvaiya, wrote a letter to Kovind on 28 November, on behalf of all the victims, requesting him to grant them the permission to end their lives.

Meanwhile, Gujarat’s Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Ishwar Parmar said compensation has already been paid in full to the 2016 Una incident victims. Parmar stated that 5.33 acres of land was given to the Una victims as part of the compensation.

(Read the full story here)

3. This Jaadugar in Jodhpur Recalls Ashok Gehlot’s Time as a Magician

Old friend and erstwhile colleague of former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, this magician in Jodhpur has an unique way of campaigning for the Congress.

Gopal Jaadugar doesn’t shout party slogans. Instead, he goes around the poll-bound city in Rajasthan performing magic tricks to ask for votes for his party’s candidates.

From making rival BJP’s flags disappear in a bag to bringing out a flag with the Congress emblem out of thin air, to conjuring up rupee notes to attack demonetisation, Gopal Jaadugar always has a few tricks up his sleeve.

The magician says he learnt his tricks from Gehlot’s father, Laxman Singh Gehlot.

(Watch full video here)

4. Harman, Smriti Want Ramesh Powar to Stay

On Monday, women’s T20 team captain Harmanpreet Kaur and her deputy Smriti Mandhana wrote emails to the BCCI asking for Powar’s tenure to be extended, despite his public spat with ODI captain Mithali Raj.

Committee of Administrators (COA) chairperson Vinod Rai told PTI that Harmanpreet and Smriti have backed Powar to continue as coach till 2021. However, reports also suggest that Ekta Bisht and Mansi Joshi are against Powar’s reinstatement along with Mithali.

"I, as the T20 captain and ODI vice-captain, is appealing before you to allow Powar to further continue as our team coach. There are hardly 15 months for the next T20 World Cup and a month to go for the New Zealand tour. The way he has transformed us as a team, I feel no reason to replace him," Harmanpreet wrote in the letter.

(Get live updates here)

5. Keshav Suri and Cyril Feuillebois Celebrate Their Love in Goa

Hotelier and Executive Director of The Lalit group of hotels, Keshav Suri celebrated his love for his partner, Cyril Feuillebois, at a big weekend gathering in Goa on 1 December.

Keshav has been an active participant in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights in India and was one of the key petitioners in the landmark Supreme Court ruling on #Section 377 of the IPC. He has also founded the #PureLoveCampaign and Keshav Suri Foundation to empower the LGBTQ community economically and professionally.

The couple, who have been together for ten years had exchanged vows in Paris earlier this year. Here is how they celebrated their love in Goa.

(Read full story here)