The Tribune – Anand Marriage Act; Centre begins consultations

Jangveer Singh, Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 30 The Union Cabinet is set to consider the provision of independent registration of Sikh marriages under the Anand Marriage Act. Union Law Minister Salman Khurshid, talking to TNS, said his ministry had made two proposals following complaints by the Sikh community that the amendment to the Act in 2008 did not address their concerns.

The amendment in the Anand Marriage Act in 2008 allowed for a separate register to record Sikh marriages. However, there was criticism that the Anand Marriage Act continued to be part of the Hindu Marriage Act:1955 and should be made a separate Act.

Salman Khurshid said: “We have proposed a Central Act providing for registration of births, deaths and marriages.

Under this, certificates submitted under the Anand Marriage Act could be registered. Alternatively, the provision for separate registration could be provided under the Anand Marriage Act itself.” The Law Minister said that both the proposals had been forwarded to the Home Ministry for consultation.

The ministry was expected to elicit the opinion of various ministers as well as Punjab leaders in Punjab. “Once this is done, the matter will be forwarded to the Cabinet for a decision”, he explained.

The Anand Marriage Act came into being in 1909 following a proposal by Maharaja Ripudaman Singh of Nabha.

Later, the Act became part of the Hindu Marriage Act that grouped Sikhism, Jainism and Buddhism as offshoots of Hinduism. Hardeep Singh, SGPC member, said the amendment in 2008 was a mere eyewash.

He said even Pakistan and Bangladesh had separate Anand Marriage Acts and that India should follow suit.

However, Rajya Sabha nember Tarlochan Singh said amending the Hindu Marriage Act would be difficult and that the present amendment met the aspirations of the Sikhs and should be retained as such.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20111201/punjab.htm#4

Tribune Exclusive – How Haryana changed its mind on honour crime laws

Aditi Tandon, Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 30 Last November, Haryana took a position before the Supreme Court, currently hearing the honour killing petition, that it agreed with the Centre in amending existing laws to ensure strict action against those involved in honour crimes. A few months down the line, the state took a new position, dissociating itself from the pro-Centre stand it had taken earlier.

The Tribune has in its possession two sets of affidavits that Haryana had filed in the Supreme Court in connection with the ongoing writ petition on honour killings, filed in June 2010 by community-based organisation Shakti Vahini.

In its first affidavit, the state said to the court that it supported Centre’s stand to amend existing statutes and allow stringent legal action against the perpetrators (often khap panchayat members, apart from families of victims). Later, it went back on its position and sought court’s permission to withdraw the old affidavit and file a fresh one in which it had deleted the reference to its agreement with the Centre on changes to the laws to stop honour crimes.

The first affidavit (dated November 30, 2010) was filed by BS Sandhu, Additional Director General Police, Law and Order, Haryana. It listed steps the state was taking to protect runaway couples. In the end, the affidavit explicitly mentions, “In addition to these steps, the state government fully agrees with the Central Government for amendment to the Evidence Act, the IPC, the CrPC and the Special Marriage Act in order to take strict legal action against the accused involved in cases of killing of runaway couples and to prevent harassment of couples.”

However, on April 26 this year, Kamal Mohan Gupta, counsel for the state of Haryana, approached the court, requesting for permission to withdraw the November 30, 2010, affidavit and file a new one. The court allowed a counter-affidavit but placed both affidavits (with contradictory positions) on record. The new affidavit was also filed by BS Sandhu.

The Centre, which had constituted a Group of Ministers on honour crimes, had earlier proposed making honour killings a separate offence under the IPC to bring clarity to law enforcement agencies. Another proposal was to amend the Indian Evidence Act to put the burden of proof on the accused, which means khap panchayats and family members who perpetrated killings would have to prove their innocence.

An amendment was also being conceived for joint liability of the killer and perpetrator. Another change to the Special Marriages Act was being proposed to reduce the cooling off period before a marriage is registered. The period currently is one month.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20111201/main7.htm

The Hindu – Half of HIV patients in Asia live in India

The prevalence is 18 per cent in South India, says UNAIDS report

New Delhi, 1 December 2011

Aarti Dhar

India houses half of Asia’s HIV patients and is way ahead of China in disease burden. It also finds a place in the list of 22 countries prioritised for preventing mother to child transmission infection, according to the latest UNAIDS report, drafted jointly with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organisation (WHO).

About 48 lakh people were living with HIV in Asia in 2010 and nearly half of them – 49 per cent to be precise – are in India, says the report released on the eve of World AIDS Day. The percentage of pregnant women who tested positive for HIV infection in India also rose from 2 per cent in 2005 t0 23 per cent in 2010.

Seven Asian countries report an estimated 100,000 or more people living with HIV in 2009, collectively accounting for more than 90 per cent of people with HIV in the region. India tops the list followed by China, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar and Vietnam, though the highest prevalence rate, one per cent, was observed only in Thailand. In Asia, the rate of HIV transmission appears to be slowing down. The estimated 360,000 people who were newly infected with HIV in Asia in 2010 were considerably fewer than the 450,000 estimated for 2001.

Traditional risk groups

Notwithstanding regional variations, the HIV epidemic is being stabilised among female sex workers and traditional risk groups in the six high-prevalence States including Karnataka. But epidemics among men who have sex with men are growing across the region including India.

High prevalence

High prevalence — between 8 and 32 per cent — has been found among surveyed men who have sex with men in many Asian cities. The UNAIDS report quotes one study, which shows that the prevalence is 18 per cent in South India. The report also says that 35 per cent of children with HIV infection were receiving anti-retroviral therapy treatment.

Variation exists among commercial sex workers, with a 2009 survey showing HIV prevalence of 4.6 per cent among female sex workers in Mumbai and Thane and 24 per cent among street-based sex workers. The prevalence could be as high as 29 per cent among their brothel-based counterparts in some districts of Maharashtra.

Yielding results

There is also evidence that prevention programmes are working in India. One such programme in Karnataka was associated with a drop in HIV prevalence from 25 per cent to 13 per cent among female sex workers in three selected districts between 2004 and 2009.

A similar programme brought down the prevalence from 1.4 per cent to 0.8 per cent among young antenatal clinic attendees between 2004 and 2008 in 18 districts.

And yet another intervention programme in Mumbai and Thane led to a decline from 45 per cent HIV prevalence in 2004 to 13 per cent in 2010 among brothel-based sex workers.

http://www.thehindu.com/health/article2675546.ece

Sint-Truiden Guru Nanak Nagar Kirtan 23 October 2011

Halmaal-Dorp

Halmaal-Dorp

 Panj Piare - Halmaal-Dorp

Halmaalweg

 To see more Sint-Truiden Gurdwara related pictures go to :

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12445197@N05/sets/72157624495772533/  

More Nagar Kirtan pictures to follow
Harjinder Singh
Man in Blue

The Tribune – Pan-India terror module busted

6 IM men held
Arrested include Pakistan national
‘Mastermind’ still on the run

Shaurya Karanbir Gurung, Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 30 With the arrest of six suspected Indian Mujahideen operatives, including a Pakistani, allegedly involved in blasts in Pune, Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore and Delhi’s Jama Masjid, Delhi Police today claimed to have smashed a pan-India terror module.

A seventh person Ahmad Siddi Bappa, alias Imran, believed to be the person who was allegedly providing finance and other logistics besides coordinating various modules, is on the run, police sources said.

The breakthrough was achieved following joint countrywide operations by with special teams of the Delhi Police, West Bengal Police, Bihar Police and Tamil Nadu Police aided by the Central agencies coordinating.

The Delhi Police said the six persons were allegedly involved in the blasts at Pune’s German Bakery on February 13, 2010, outside Banaglore’s Chinnaswamy stadium during the IPL on April 17, 2010 besides the Jama Masjid shootout just before the Commonwealth Games in October 2010.

Confirming the arrest of six suspected IM operatives, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram said,” They are being interrogated for their role in several blasts.”

The arrested IM members have been identified as Mohammed Adil (40) – a Pakistani national, Mohammed Qateel Siddiqi (27), Mohammed Irshad Khan, Gauhar Aziz Khumani (31), Gayur Ahmad Jamali (21) and Abdur Rahman (19), police said.

Qateel Siddiqi was arrested near the Anand Vihar bus terminal in East Delhi on November 22. Siddiqi is a resident of Darbhanga in Bihar.

The police recovered from him a 9mm loaded pistol with 14 live cartridges, fake currency notes worth Rs 2 lakhs, two forged passports, a fake NCC identity card and a driving licence registered under the name of Vivek Mishra.

During interrogation, the police learnt that Siddiqi was a member of the IM module led by one Ahmad Siddi Bappa, a native of Bhatkal in Karnataka. This is same place where the Bhatkal brothers —Riyaz and Iqbal — now based in Pakistan, had launched the IM.

In fact, it was the arrest of Siddiqi that proved to be the clincher. The subsequent probe led to the arrest of Gauhar Aziz Khumani. He is also a resident of Darbhanga and was, at present, living in Delhi. Following the leads provided by Qateel Siddiqui, raids were conducted in Madhubani, Bihar and Gayur Ahmad Jamali was apprehended on November 24.

The following day the police nabbed Mohd Adhil, alias Ajmal, alias Shoaib, alias Guddu. A Pakistani national, he was living at Mahubani in Bihar.

Further raids in Chennai led to the arrest of Irshad Khan. He hails from Samastipur, Bihar. At present he was residing in New Delhi. He was on a visit to Chennai and was in touch with Abdul Rahman, another resident of Darbhanga. Two AK-47 rifles along with 50 cartridges, 1.2 kg white explosive material, one kg chemical, 1.4 kg black explosives and five detonators have been recovered from their hideouts in and around Delhi.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20111201/main1.htm

BBC News – Pakistan blocks BBC World News TV channel

30 November 2011

Pakistani cable television operators have begun blocking the BBC’s international news TV channel, BBC World News.

The operators say that the move is in response to a documentary broadcast by the channel, entitled Secret Pakistan.

Other foreign channels broadcasting “anti-Pakistan” material have been warned that they too will be blocked.

The BBC said it was deeply concerned by the move, and called for its channel to be speedily reinstated.

“We condemn any action that threatens our editorial independence and prevents audiences from accessing our impartial international news service,” a BBC spokesperson said.

“We would urge that BBC World News… to be reinstated as soon as possible.”

The two-part BBC documentary questioned the country’s commitment to tackling Taliban militancy.

It argued that some in Pakistan were playing a double game, and quoted US intelligence officials as saying that they had acted as America’s ally in public while secretly training and arming the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Correspondents say the Pakistani government is likely to have put pressure on the operators to impose the ban, although Pakistan has denied this.

The country’s High Commission in London said the cable operators had taken the decision to block BBC World News on their own.

“The government of Pakistan strictly believes in the freedom of press and media,” said a statement from the High Commission.

‘Strong message’  

The decision to block BBC World News and the warning to other international news channels come after a media uproar in Pakistan over a Nato air strike that killed 24 Pakistani troops near the Afghan border at the weekend.

The All Pakistan Cable Operators Association announced on Tuesday that all foreign news channels airing “anti-Pakistan” content would be barred from Wednesday.

The operators called on the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) “to revoke the landing rights of foreign channels” if they were found to be “propagating” information harmful to the country.

Relations between Pakistan and the US in particular, and the West in general, have been strained by the raid – as well as by continuing US drone strikes in Pakistan, the killing of Osama Bin Laden in May and a row over a CIA contractor acquitted earlier this year after killing two men in Lahore.

Correspondents say it is not possible to see BBC World News in most Pakistani cities, with the ban expected to be extended to rural areas by Wednesday.

Cable Operators Association spokesman Khalid Arain said that no anti-Pakistan foreign channel would “ever” be broadcast in the country.

He said BBC World News would only be put back on air if the corporation offered assurances that it would not broadcast anything “against Pakistan”.

BBC World News is thought to be the only foreign channel taken off air so far.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-15936881