Rohtak: People from Jat community stage a demonstration to press for Special Backward Class (SBC) status in Rohtak on Feb 20, 2016. (Photo: IANS)

By Amulya Ganguli

Just as Prime Minister Narendra Modi described MNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) as a living monument to the Congress's decades-old neglect of rural distress, the quota system is the fallout of, first, a similar prolonged failure in the fields of employment and education and, secondly, of political chicanery.

Haryana is bearing the brunt of these failures because of the violent agitation by the Jat community for reservations.

Originally envisaged as a gesture for a limited period to the Dalits and Adivasis who suffered social and economic deprivation for many centuries, reservations are now regarded as a pathway to easy official jobs and out-of-turn admissions to government schools and colleges by the backward castes.

In view of these advantages, which over-ride merit, the quota system has become a tool in the hands of vote-hungry politicians for buttressing their support bases.

The prime villain in this respect was prime minister V.P. Singh, who included the backward castes in the quota system in 1990 as a safeguard against being undercut by his rival, Devi Lal.

The Pandora's box was thus opened with more and more communities seeking the benefits of secure jobs in government offices and seats for their children in public educational institutions.

However, it is the stagnant economy and a moribund educational sector which fuelled the demand for preferential treatment. Had the economy prospered and a greater number of jobs been available, there wouldn't have been such a rush for reservations.

A buoyant economy would have created an atmosphere of wellness, encouraging greater public and private investment in the educational sector.

But the 2/3 percent Hindu rate of growth under the Congress's "socialist" regimes till 1991 ensured that the economy limped along, aggravating the unemployment problem and starving the academic sphere of funds.

The post-1991 era of liberalization did not bring about a dramatic improvement in the situation despite the much higher growth rate because the world had entered a period of automated technology where machines did the work of men. Hence the term 'jobless growth'.

Although more jobs were available than before in the services, real estate and infrastructure sectors, they were not enough to satisfy the growing demand, which was caused not only by a rising population but also the limited availability of agricultural land as the farming families grew in numbers.

Needless to say, it is not only the failures on the economic front which added to the appeal of reservations but also an official inability to enforce the population control programme.

The distortion which V.P. Singh introduced in the quota system was to include the relatively well-off, though socially backward, communities like the Yadavs of the Hindi heartland who had considerable clout in the countryside.

Now, the Jats who, like the Yadavs, are an influential group in the countryside are also clamouring for quotas in their favour. Not surprisingly, the Supreme Court described them as a "self-proclaimed socially backward class of citizens" while turning down the Congress-led central government's decision to confer the backward caste status on them before the last general election.

This warping of the system has recently been accentuated by the demand of the Patidars or the Patels of Gujarat for reservations despite being well-placed, both socially and economically.

But the worst example of the skewed nature of reservations was the demand by the Gujjars of north India for relegation from their present backward caste status to that of scheduled tribes or Adivasis.

The reason for this desire to retreat into the company of the Vanvasis or forest-dwellers, as the Adivasis are sometimes called, is the fear of the Gujjars that the entry of Jats into the backward caste category, which has been pending since 1999, will reduce their share of reserved jobs and educational opportunities.

As the judge of a commission which considered their demand said, "earlier the craze was to move forward. Now it is the opposite".

With even the "forward" groups like the Patels demanding affirmative action in their favour, it has been suggested that the quota system should be opened up to include not only the backward castes but also the economically weaker sections of the "forwards" as well.

However, perhaps the best course may be to abolish the reservations altogether, as Hardik Patel, the leader of the Patel agitators said, and let the various communities compete on the basis of merit and not the accident of birth.

Such a step will mean reviving the original goal of reservations which envisaged doing away with them a decade after their introduction in 1950.

The idea of scrapping the quota system has been floated by both proponents of a market economy, who favour a meritocracy, and social conservatives like Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat, who wants a review of the system.

Irrespective of whether Bhagwat's views reflect the longstanding resentment of the upper castes over the bounties offered to the lower castes by reservations, there is little doubt that the quota system is out of place in an open economy with its emphasis on individual enterprise and not family background.

(Amulya Ganguli is a political analyst. The views expressed are personal. He can be reached at amulyaganguli@gmail.com)

The post Jat mayhem: Quota system out of sync in open economy appeared first on Social News XYZ.

The mass casual leave was part of the ongoing weeks long strike, the Nurses Federation had called after their repeated negotiations with the health ministry, who allegedly ignored their demands.

As per data from the Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital, over 80 surgeries were rescheduled while over 50 surgeries were postponed at Safdarjung hospital.

"This is the problem we face every time when nurses go on strike but as all of them went on leave as part of their protest, we had a hard time in the hospitals and surgeies had to be delayed," said Sameer Purkhyasta, a senior surgeon at RML.

According to him, junior residents had to perform the work of nurses, as the emergency surgeries could not be delayed. However, there were no law and order problems at the hospital.

The Delhi government hospitals where the surgeries got delayed and cancelled included Lok Nayak Jai Prakash hospital, Guru Teg Bahadur and a few others.

The nurses are also demanding nursing allowance, risk allowance and night-duty allowance, all as per the Pay Commission recommendations which are yet to be implemented by the central government.

A communication by the commission had informed the federation that the recommendations won't be implementable for them.

"We want our payment to be as per the Seventh Pay Commission. Up until now all the pay commissions have been implemented without any problems. Why is the Seventh Pay Commission not being implemented for the nurses?" Aruna Jangia, a nurse with GTB hospital, told IANS.

The nurses have also said that if their problems are not being addressed by the government, they would go on permanent strike from March 15 onwards.

The post Over 250 surgeries delayed, cancelled after nurses’ en masse leave appeared first on Social News XYZ.

Director General of Police Y.P. Singhal said 30 people lost their lives while over 200 people were injured in the agitation that paralysed life in the state.

At least 10 Haryana districts were severely affected by the violence.

A police spokesman said 13 of the dead were killed in Jhajjar district, eight in Sonipat, five in Rohtak and two in Jind and one person each died in Kaithal and Hisar districts.

Singhal said the army, which was requisitioned by the Haryana government to control the Jat protests, would start withdrawing from the affected areas.

"Normalcy is fast returning to the state. All railway tracks and highways are functional," he said.

He said 713 First Information Reports (FIRs) wer registered till Friday and 133 people had been arrested.

"Anyone found to have indulged in arson, hatching a conspiracy or vandalism won't be spared."

The violence during the agitation saw several government buildings, private shops, malls, educational institutions, hospitals and showrooms being set on fire by hooligans.

Hundreds of shops were looted and set on fire.

A trade and industry body has pegged the losses in Haryana at around Rs.20,000 crore.

Rohtak bore the brunt of the violence with hundreds of shops and other establishments, government and private buildings and educational institutions and private hospitals set on fire and several shops looted.

The post Haryana Jat agitation death toll is 30 appeared first on Social News XYZ.

Traders in Rewari, about 55 km from here, also expressed moral support for businessmen whose outlets were looted and torched across Haryana, specially in Jat-dominated Rohtak, Sonipat, Jhajjar and Jind districts.

A protest march snaked through different parts of Rewari led by people mainly from Punjabi and Saini communities.

The demonstrators burnt the effigies of former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Jat cabinet ministers O.P. Dhankar and Abhimanyu for their alleged role in instigating the Jat agitators.

They demanded compensation for traders who suffered heavily and urged the state government not to compensate "criminal agitators" killed in clashes with the army and paramilitary forces.

The demonstrators said only innocents who died in the agitation should be compensated -- that too after a high-level probe.

Jat agitators on February 22 blocked and vandalized vehicles in Rewari district and railway tracks from February 21 to 23. Rewari saw much less violence compared to Jat-dominated districts.

Punjabis taking part in the protest demonstration on Friday accused the police of inaction against Jats in Rewari and elsewhere in Haryana. They also sought strict action against senior erring police officers.

A memorandum of demands was submitted to Rewari Deputy Commissioner Yash Garg to be passed on to Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.

"The shutdown was peaceful. No untoward incident was reported," Garg told IANS.

Thirty people were killed and more than 200 injured as Jats took to the streets for nine days across Haryana demanding quotas in government jobs.

The agitation was marred by largescale destruction of government as well as private property, the latter mainly belonging to non-Jat communities.

The government has announced Special Backward Class status for Jats in the state.

The post Rewari traders protest against Jat violence appeared first on Social News XYZ.

Haryana's Director General of Police (DGP) Y.P. Singhal said that 30 people lost their life, while over 200 people were injured in the violent agitation that paralysed life in the state. At least 10 Haryana districts were severely affected by the violence.

He also said that the army, which was requisitioned by the Haryana government to control the volatile situation, would start withdrawing from the affected areas on Friday.

"Normalcy is fast returning to the state. All railway tracks and highways are functional and withdrawal of the army would begin today (on Friday) and continue in a phased manner," the DGP said.

He said that 713 first information reports (FIRs) had been registered till Friday and 133 people have been arrested.

"Anyone who is found to have indulged in arson, hatching a conspiracy or vandalism would not be spared," he added.

The violence during the agitation saw several government buildings, private shops, malls, educational institutions, hospitals and showrooms being set on fire by the hooligans. Hundreds of shops were looted and set on fire.

A trade and industry body has pegged the losses in Haryana due to the agitation at around Rs. 20,000 crore.

Rohtak bore the brunt of the Jat violence with hundreds of shops and other establishments, government and private buildings and educational institutions and private hospitals being set on fire and shops looted.

The Jat community was demanding reservation in government jobs and educational institutions.

The post Haryana Jat stir death toll now 30, army withdrawal begins appeared first on Social News XYZ.

Rohtak (Haryana), Feb 25 (IANS) The arson and fury of Jat protests may be over but the orgy of violence has left behind deep scars that residents of Rohtak town say are unlikely to go away for a long, long time.

After days of turmoil, Rohtak - like many other places in the state - is a town now visibly divided between Jats, who took to the streets seeking job quotas, and non-Jats who bore the brunt of their anger.

Both young and elderly Rohtak residents are furious that a town widely seen as Haryana's political capital has been left looking like a war zone after nine days of unrest that virtually crippled Haryana.

Non-Jats, who until the other day counted Jats as friends and vice-versa, now complain that inter-community relations are badly strained - and might never be the same again.

"Burning our city was an act of insanity," college student Anmol told IANS. "I can't forgive the people who did this. Burning schools and shops and looting them show their mental status.

"They have lost all respect in my eyes," said the 22-year-old, reflecting what seems to be a widely held view among non-Jats.

Although Jats are in majority in Rohtak district, the town is also home to tens of thousands of Punjabis, Banias, Sainis, Brahmins and Yadavs. Until now, caste differences never led to such acute conflict.

But as Jats went reportedly on a destruction spree with the Jat-dominated police merely watching, virtually everything came under attack, leaving behind burnt or destroyed schools, hotels, eateries, businesses, showrooms, shops as well as numerous vehicles, almost all belonging to non-Jats.

Lawyer Brijesh Vashisht told IANS: "There is now hatred among different communities which until now peacefully coexisted. People are not comfortable talking to people from other communities."

Sumit Kathuria, who belongs to Rohtak but works in Gurgaon, is also bitter.

"It was never about reservation. All that the goons wanted was destruction and loot," Kathuria said. "They were no less than terrorists."

He feels the Jats were uncomfortable with Manohar Lal Khattar, a Punjabi and Haryana's second non-Jat chief minister. He is upset over Khattar's failure to contain the mayhem and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's silence.

"Earlier we were all united no matter what caste we belonged to," Kathuria said. "Everything has changed after the Jat agitation."

The Jat protests across Haryana, which crippled road and rail traffic in much of northern India and also caused a water crisis in Delhi, left 28 people dead and over 200 injured.

Officials are not giving a caste break-up of the fatalities but most people say that while Jats died in firing by security forces, the non-Jat fatalities were to be blamed on Jats.

Residents say Rohtak's image as a business and educational hub has been rudely shattered. Located 70 km northwest of Delhi, it is Haryana's sixth most populous town with 84 percent literacy rate.

Virender Phogat, a senior journalist and a Jat, admitted to IANS that "socially and politically the divisions in Haryana will last and political parties will take advantage of it. The society will suffer".

He said people would blame the Jats for what had happened. "There is now low trust and discomfort. There are also going to be psychological problems."

Another Jat who did not want to be named said Jats who live in areas populated mainly by non-Jats were apprehensive of a possible backlash.

The government's decision to give compensation to those who died in the agitation has also angered non-Jats, who are pressing for compensation for the widespread losses they had incurred.

Rohtak resident Priyanka Kaushik said no businessman would want to and live in Rohtak any more.

"All of us now see a gap between Jats and others. Unintentionally, I have started hating the entire community even though I know not every Jat took part in the agitation," she said.

The post After violence, Rohtak a bitterly divided Haryana town appeared first on Social News XYZ.

At the court of the chief judicial magistrate, Imphal west, where she was presented on Wednesday, Sharmila told reporters that she would continue her fast at Kangla, the old capital of Manipur, through March 1 when she is expected to be released.

On fast since November 4, 2000, she has been charged -- more than once -- with attempt to commit suicide under Section 309 of the Indian Penal Code.

As the law court had released her as not guilty last year, her lawyer hopes that this time too she will be set free.

Since the District and Sessions Court did not find her guilty, it ordered the court of the chief judicial magistrate to release her.

The court released her on January 22, 2015.

However, the police re-arrested her two days later as she continued her fast at the women's market in Imphal.

Since the Act under which she is arrested provides detention for one year only at one go, Sharmila is ritually released at the end of each year.

She was once released on October 5, 2006. She slipped away to Delhi to carry on her fast at Jantar Mantar. Delhi Police arrested her and a trial is going on at the Patiala House court on the charge of trying to commit suicide.

Sharmila is lodged in a security ward of Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences here. She is guarded round-the-clock by jail, police and hospital staff. The government is spending about Rs.70,000 a month on her medication and feeding her through the nose.

Several times she could not be produced in the Patiala House court as the cash-strapped government could not arrange travel expenses in time for Sharmila and her entourage.

The post Irom Sharmila to continue fast unto death appeared first on Social News XYZ.

Patna: Lawyers stage a demonstration to press for removal sedition charges against JNU leader Kanhaiya Kumar in Patna, on Feb 22, 2016. (Photo: IANS)

New Delhi, Feb 24 (IANS) More than 200 lawyers marched silently here on Wednesday to demand "strict action" against fellow lawyers who attacked journalists, lawyers and JNU teachers and students at the Patiala House Court here.

The march from the Supreme Court to the Bar Council of India (BCI) office was held under the banner of Lawyers for Democracy and Justice.

The lawyers demanded that the Bar Council should take proactive action to ensure that the democratic space, right to freedom of expression and right to access to justice was not curtailed in any manner.

"There was a sense of deep anguish over the incidents of assault in the Patiala House and the failure of the courts and police to ensure the safety of litigants, journalists and lawyers," a statement said.

The lawyers' body said the BCI should comprehensively investigate the matter, initiate disciplinary proceedings and impose strict punishment on the accused within two months.

They also demanded setting up a broad-based committee to lay down guidelines and devise mechanisms to prevent recurrence of the violence witnessed in the court on February 15 and 17.

The lawyers condemned the assault made in the name of "nationalism" and emphasised that any attempts to create divisions between different sections of society threatened the unity and integrity of the nation.

"The joint secretary of the Bar Council received a representation from the advocates and gave an assurance that our demands shall be put up before the BCI chairman and the council and all possible action taken," the statement said.

"He said the Bar Council had already initiated action and constituted a committee to look into the conduct of errant lawyers."

Lawyers march to seek action over court violence

The post Lawyers march to seek action over court violence appeared first on Social News XYZ.

Assistant Labour Commissioner M.S. Patel said the striking workers wanted the suspension of their 28 colleagues to be revoked but the management would not do so till it had completed an inquiry.

A company spokesman maintained on Wednesday that the strike has had no impact on production at the Sanand plant, which makes Nano car.

In all, 422 employees of the total 2,200 working at the plant are on strike since Monday night.

Patel said the trouble broke out about two months ago when two of the workers were suspended allegedly on disciplinary grounds.

"While one had allegedly abused his supervisor, the other was suspended because he had walked into another department. The workers went on flash strike," he said.

When the management failed to keep its promise of reinstating the two suspended workers, their remaining colleagues began seeking the immediate reversal of the suspension order.

"The management says the workers scratched and damaged over 50 vehicles in the plant and so they had to suspend 26 more people on Monday night. This saw the remaining workers going on flash strike," Patel said.

Striking workers have formed a seven-member committee to negotiate with the company management and the Gujarat government since they have no union.

The post Strike continues at Tata Nano plant appeared first on Social News XYZ.

Hundreds of vehicles were stranded along the highway due to the ban, announced by the Naga Students Federation (NSF) after the Manipur government refused to book certain police commandos who allegedly harassed NSF delegates on February 14.

The NSF claimed that the commandos detained the delegates at Mantri Pukhri and snatched their mobile phones when they were on their way to Ukhrul district to attend a Naga seed-sowing festival.

However, Manipur Police maintained it was routine checking and the delegates were not detained or harassed in any manner.

Meanwhile, All Manipur Students Union (AMSU) leader Ranjit Sarangthem asked the NSF here on Wednesday to end its indefinite ban on the vehicles of Manipuris and warned of a counter-ban on vehicles owned by the Nagas in Manipur and other Manipuri-inhabited areas in the north-eastern region.

Youths suspected to be Naga students snatched the papers of over 30 trucks after intercepting them at Mayangkhang and Ningthoukhang in Senapati district of Manipur along National Highway-2. Sarangthem demanded the return of these documents to their owners.

The AMSU leader said if the Manipur commandos were guilty of high-handedness against the NSF delegates, the issue should be resolved with the Manipur government but the common people should not be harassed.

Manipur Director General of Police L.M. Khoute urged his Nagaland counterpart L. Doungel to ensure the safety of the vehicles, drivers and passengers belonging to Manipur in Nagaland.

Nagaland Chief Minister T.R. Zeliang also appealed to the NSF to call off the ban to prevent harassment of innocent people.

The post Ban by Naga students body hits vehicular traffic from Manipur appeared first on Social News XYZ.

"We want the Modi government to implement the recommendations made in the Swaminathan Committee report. A farmer must get the double of the cost incurred in cultivation," said social and agricultrual activist Medha Patkar, addressing a farmers' gathering at Jantar Mantar.

"The MSPs of many crops and farm yields are abysmally low and the government needs to increase this substantially. A farmer in Madhya Pradesh gets Rs.6 for papaya which is sold by a retail vendor in metro cities for Rs.60 to 80 per piece. The money is going in pockets of middlemen and hoarders," she added.

"Government must fix Rs.2,200 per quintal of wheat and Rs.2,000 per quintal of jowar as MSP. We will continue with the protest till it is done," said Patkar, the Narmada Bachao Andolan and Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sanghathan convener.

"We along with 300 farmer bodies had organised the protest which was attended by peasantry of 14 states," Madhuraesh Kumar of National Alliance for Peoples' Movement told IANS.

The post Farmers demand hike in MSP for agriculture produce appeared first on Social News XYZ.

New Delhi, Feb 24 (IANS) A high-level committee set up by the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) administration to inquire into an event organised on the campus, which has triggered international headlines, has been broad based with the induction of two more members.

"Professor G.J.V. Prasad of the School of Language, Literature and Culture Studies and Professor Ummu Salma Bava of the School of International Studies will also be part of the high-level committee," JNU public relations officer Poonam Kudesia said on Wednesday.

The committee was set up to inquire into an event held on the campus on February 9 to commemorate the third anniversary of the execution of Parliament House terrorist attack convict Afzal Guru, during which anti-national slogans were raised.

On Monday, the inquiry committee sought an extension for a week to submit its report.

"The internal inquiry committee, investigating the February 9 incident, has sought an extension by a week in order to have discussion with wider groups and the administration has extended its term by a week. They will now submit the report on March 3," a JNU statement said.

The committee consisting of three professors was set up on February 10.

Two more members join JNU inquiry panel

The post Two more members join JNU inquiry panel appeared first on Social News XYZ.

Shops and business establishments, which survived the wrath of the Jat community rioters in the last few days, opened in Rohtak, Bhiwani, Jind, Jhajjar, Sonipat, Hisar, Panipat and other districts.

Traders, businessmen, companies and government officials started assessing the damage to immovable and movable property during the peak of the violence in the state.

Several government buildings, private shops, malls, educational institutions, hospitals and showrooms were set on fire by the hooligans. Hundreds of shops were looted and set on fire.

Experts have pegged the losses in Haryana due to the agitation at around Rs.20,000 crore.

Soldiers and paramilitary forces continued to be deployed in the worst affected areas. Traffic was restored on all highways and roads and railway tracks were being repaired to restore railway traffic.

The Jat community is demanding reservation in government jobs and educational institutions.

Political developments in the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) shifted to Delhi where all its Haryana MPs were called to meet Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and some other ministers and legislators are also camping in Delhi.

Non-Jat leaders within the BJP are upset with the party leadership for bowing before the demands of the Jat community which brazenly resorted to violence.

The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) said on Wednesday that the BJP government in the state and Congress leaders were responsible for the mindless violence during the Jat agitation.

"A case should be registered against Bhupinder Singh Hooda as his close aide Varinder Singh was caught on audio tape trying to instigate violence," a party leader said.

The post Haryana calm, people count losses appeared first on Social News XYZ.

Both Khalid and Bhattacharya surrendered before the police late night on Tuesday. The other three students Ashutosh Kumar, Rama Naga and Anant Prakash Narayan, facing the same charges, are yet to surrender.

According to sources, the arrested students told police that the event was unorganised and was held without permission and pro-separatists slogans may have been raised at the gathering.

“Ashutosh managed the poster and banners of the programme while a person Riyaz decided the slogans to be raised at the event. A girl volunteer managed social media and networking for the event,” an official who knew about the interrogation told IANS declining to be named.

Riyaz is one of the three youths against whom the Delhi Police last week had issued lookout notices at the airports.

The post Arrested JNU students deny raising “anti-national” slogans appeared first on Social News XYZ.

New York, Feb 24 (IANS) A group of activists gathered here outside Apple's flagship store to protest against the FBI's attempt to install software with backdoors in all of Apple's iPhones.

With posters saying "Don't break our phones" and displaying cell phone images saying "No entry" in hands, the high-spirited protesters braved drizzling rain and bitter wind outside the Fifth Avenue Apple Store, Xinhua news agency reported.

"We are standing in solidarity with Apple and their decision to oppose the FBI's scheme to put backdoors to the iPhones," said Jeff Lyon, chief technical officer of the activist group Fight for the Future.

The protest occurred against the background of a major feud between the country's law enforcement agencies and Apple over its security measures on iPhones.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a motion last Friday to compel Apple to comply with a court order to help the Federal Bureau of Investigation access data on an iPhone owned by the terrorist shooter of San Bernadino, California.

The FBI has in its possession of the iPhone 5C used by Syed Farook and his wife Tashfeen Malik, but couldn't access the data on the phone without a passcode. The couple shot dead 14 people in December 2015 in San Bernadino and were later killed by police.

In response to FBI's request, a federal judge ordered Apple to create a software that bypasses a security feature that erases data in the iPhone after 10 unsuccessful unlocking attempts.

"This case sets a dangerous precedent for the FBI to get a court to order Apple to push new software on all their phones that creates a government backdoor," said protester David Moore.

In a statement released last week, Apple CEO Tim Cook refused to comply with the court order, saying that "in the wrong hands, this software - which does not exist today - would have the potential to unlock any iPhone in someone's physical possession," which would in turn compromise the data security of all Apple's customers.

"Once you break one phone, you break all the phones. All our phones are breakable using the same technology," said protester Theo Chino.

Pro-Apple protest against FBI in New York

The post Pro-Apple protest against FBI in New York appeared first on Social News XYZ.

New Delhi: People participate in a march organised from Ambedkar Bhawan to Jantar Mantar to condemn the "institutional killing" of 26-year-old scholar of the University of Hyderabad (UoH), Rohith Vemula; in New Delhi, on Feb 23, 2016. (Photo: IANS)

New Delhi, Feb 23 (IANS) A solidarity march to condemn the "institutional killing" of Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula on Tuesday drew support from thousands including students and faculty members of various universities, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Left leaders.

Students, activists, party leaders and faculty members took out a march from Ambedkar Bhawan to Jantar Mantar in support of the 26-year-old Vemula, who committed suicide on January 17 after being suspended from the University of Hyderabad, and demanded action against central ministers Smriti Irani, Bandaru Dattatreya and others.

Five Dalit students, including Vemula, were suspended in September following a clash with a leader of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). Dattatreya, who is the MP from Secundrabad, had written to Irani, the human resource development minister, seeking action against the students, following which they were suspended.

Vemula's family members, friends and teachers were also joined by senior Communist leaders including Sitaram Yechury, D. Raja, Kavita Krishnan and several Aam Aadmi Party leaders including Ashutosh.

Members of the Congress-affiliated National Students' Union of India (NSUI), the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Aam Aadmi Party students' wing Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti (CYSS) also participated in the solidarity march along with students of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Delhi University (DU) and University of Hyderabad.

Kejriwal, who addressed the rally at Jantar Mantar, accused the central ministers of "driving Vemula to suicide".

"Till today, the two ministers have not been questioned. The ministers who drove Rohith Vemula to commit suicide are roaming freely and no action taken against them. The culprits should be immediately arrested and investigation initiated against them," he demanded.

Accusing the Narendra Modi-led government of being at "war with the students of the country", he warned the prime minister against such a course.

"Modiji, don't mess with students. If they get together, they'll shake your chair in such a way that you won't forget ever," he said.

Kejriwal also requested the government not to "interfere" in academic affairs. "Leave the educational institutes to the educationists. Do not interfere in it."

As a man was seen raising 'Aarakshan virodhi Kejriwal' slogan when Kejriwal addressed the rally, the Delhi chief minister, instead of intervening, said that he should be allowed to protest.

"Let him protest. We believe in freedom of expression. When did I say I am against reservations? I have always supported them," he said.

Hitting hard at the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Gandhi said that it was robbing students and thinkers of their freedom of expression and dissent.

"RSS and BJP want to impose one language one ideology on everyone throughout the country. They don't want other ideas and traditions to flourish but we don't want our India to be like this. We want crores of ideas, crores of ideologies, an India where creativity flourishes," he said.

Gandhi also demanded a law against discrimination in educational institutions across the country.

"What happened to Rohith has not happened to him exclusively.... many students across the educational institutes face discrimination. Our girls are suppressed, Dalits are discriminated against and tribals are repressed," he said.

Students, teachers, politicians at solidarity march for Vemula

The post Students, teachers, politicians at solidarity march for Vemula appeared first on Social News XYZ.

New Cooch Behar: The members of Greater Coochbehar Peoples' Association(GCPA) disrupt railway services to press for their demands at the New Cooch Behar railway station in West Bengal on Feb 21, 2016. (Photo: IANS)

Kolkata, Feb 23 (IANS) With at least two passengers losing their lives due to the indefinite rail blockade demanding statehood or union territory status for Cooch Behar in northern West Bengal, the Greater Cooch Behar People's Association (GCPA) on Tuesday temporarily withdrew the agitation, even as police carried out an operation to clear the rail tracks in which five policemen and some protesters sustained injuries.

The GCPA, however, asserted it has temporarily withdrawn the stir on its own, and not due to the police action.

GCPA agitators have been laying siege to the tracks at New Cooch Behar station seeking dialogue with union home ministry officials to resolve the issue.

Cooch Behar district police and Government Railway Police on the day carried out an operation to clear the rail track, that led to pitched battles between police and the agitators.

"We arrested 14 people including two central committee members of GCPA. The tracks have been cleared," said Superintendent of Railway Police (Siliguri) E. Annappa.

Annappa said at least five policemen and some protesters sustained injuries.

The fourth day of agitation on Tuesday threw train movement haywire across the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR), with at least 22 trains including the Brahmaputra Mail and Mahananda Express being cancelled.

While 29-year-old Benoy Thakur, onboard the stranded Kanchanjunga Express, died on Sunday due to alleged lack of medical aid, 56-year-old Rabina Khatun travelling to her hometown in Chapra in Bihar for treatment collapsed and died at the Alipurduar station.

"We have withdrawn our agitation temporarily today (Tuesday), but that doesn't mean we have given up on our demands. We are discussing with various stakeholders and soon will restart our agitation," GCPA chief Bangshi Badan Barman said.

Barman said the GCPA was still awaiting a response from the Centre on its pleas for a dialogue.

"We have written to various central government authorities, including the home ministry, seeking a dialogue over the issue. We are yet to get any reply," he added.

Alipurduar divisional railway manager Sanjeev Kishore said the railways were awaiting a nod from police for resuming train services.

"Police and the district administration have initiated an operation to remove the agitators from the tracks. Once we get a communication from them, we will undertake an inspection for resuming the services," said Kishore.

Cooch Behar stir lifted, five policemen injured in clash

The post Cooch Behar stir lifted, five policemen injured in clash appeared first on Social News XYZ.

Rohtak, Feb 23 (IANS) Angry traders on Tuesday hurled shoes towards former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda when he arrived in this Haryana town to meet with people who had suffered heavy losses during the violent Jat agitation in the past one week.

Hooda, who hails from the town and had to face allegations during his nearly 10-year-long tenure (2005-2014) as chief minister that all development was only taking place on Rohtak, had to retreat when the traders hurled shoes at him. The shoes hurled towards him, however, did not hit him.

Hooda, who enjoys Z-plus security cover, was whisked away by his security personnel.

Rohtak saw the worst violence in Haryana's history as violent Jat youth protestors went on the rampage and looted shops and other establishments before setting everything on fire.

Shoes hurled at Hooda during Rohtak visit

The post Shoes hurled at Hooda during Rohtak visit appeared first on Social News XYZ.

New Cooch Behar: The members of Greater Coochbehar Peoples' Association(GCPA) disrupt railway services to press for their demands t the New Cooch Behar, West Bengal on Feb 21, 2016. (Photo: IANS)

Guwahati, Feb 23 (IANS) Thousands of passengers were on Tuesday stranded in Guwahati and other railway stations in Assam as 22 trains were cancelled by the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) due to the ongoing agitation by the Greater Cooch Behar People's Association (GCPA).

Members of the GCPA have been staging a blockade for the last several days at Cooch Behar demanding statehood or Union Territory status for the region in northern West Bengal.

"The running of trains has been severely affected. A total of 22 trains were cancelled on Tuesday. We have been running some trains by diverting their routes. However, it is not possible to run all of them as there is heavy congestion on the New Jalpaiguri -Siliguri Jn - Alipurduar Jn - New Bongaigaon route," said NFR chief public relations officer Pranav Jyoti Sharma.

Some of the cancelled trains include the Tista Torsha Express from Sealdah on February 24 and 25, the Brahmaputra Mail leaving from Delhi on February 23 and 24, the Uttar Banga Express from Sealdah on February 24 and 25, the Saraighat Express from Howrah on February 24 and from Guwahati on February 24 and 25, the Capital Express from Rajendranagar on February 24 and from Guwahati on February 26, the Kamrup Express from Howrah on February 24 and from Dibrugarh on February 24, 25 and 26.

NFR cancels 22 trains due to agitation in Cooch Behar

The post NFR cancels 22 trains due to agitation in Cooch Behar appeared first on Social News XYZ.

Kolkata, Feb 23 (IANS) A section of students at Jadavpur University here took out a torch rally on Tuesday calling for consolidation of campus democracy against fascist expansion in the wake of recent events at JNU.

Eschewing any organisational affiliation, at least 50 students walked with blazing torches urging others to remain united.

With slogans like "moshal diye korbo sesh lej gutiye RSS" (the torches will force RSS to fold), they also encouraged more debates on the issue of campus democracy.

The university was at the centre of a raging controversy last week.

Pro-Afzal Guru slogans were heard and posters put up "seeking independence" for Kashmir and demanding "freedom" for Manipur and Nagaland during protests against the Narendra Modi government's handling of the Jawaharlal Nehru University row and the arrest of student leader Kanhaiya Kumar.

Jadavpur University vice chancellor Suranjan Das has come under fire from the BJP for refusing to lodge a police complaint against the students saying the university will maintain its tradition of autonomy and be open to debates and discussions.

Torch rally in Jadavpur against 'fascist expansion'

The post Torch rally in Jadavpur against ‘fascist expansion’ appeared first on Social News XYZ.

Rohtak: Security beefup in Rohtak in the wake off Jats demonstration on Feb 20, 2016. (Photo: IANS)

Chandigarh, Feb 23 (IANS) The deployment of army columns continued in Haryana on Tuesday, the first day when most parts of the state saw normalcy returning after days of mindless violence.

"Army deployment in riot-affected areas of Haryana has entered the fourth day today. Columns of the Kharga Corps of Western Command are now deployed in Sonipat, Panipat, Karnal, Kaithal, Rohtak and Bawana. Flag marches are being conducted along all sensitive areas in these districts," a defence spokesman said here.

He said that the army had played a laudable role by rising to the occasion in strife-torn Haryana and had limited the magnitude of loss to life and property to every possible extent.

"It restored supply of water to the national capital by taking control of the important regulators along the Munak canal. Intensive patrolling by the army along the stretches of the canal also ensured that the no further damage was caused to the canal. Repair of Khubru headwork has also been completed," the spokesman said.

He said that national highway No. 1 (NH-1) had been cleared and groups of protestors at various stretches of the highway have been dispersed.

"Other succour provided by the army in this situation includes helping out the stranded passengers, particularly the aged, to safer places," he said.

"The Western Command has contributed a lot towards restoring normalcy especially in Rohtak, which has been one of the districts worst affected by the ongoing agitation. Rapid deployment of internal security columns was done by employing helicopters.

"This enabled the command to overcome the problem of blockade of Delhi-Rohtak highway by the agitators and build up sufficient strength before the situation turned worse," he pointed out.

Army deployment continues in riot-hit Haryana after four days

The post Army deployment continues in riot-hit Haryana after four days appeared first on Social News XYZ.

Ahmedabad Deputy Labour Commissioner M.S. Patel told reporters outside the Tata Motors plant that in all 422 employees out of the total 2,200 working at the plant went on strike on Monday night.

"They want the management to reinstate their colleagues," he said.

Patel said the trouble broke out about two months ago when two workers were suspended "on disciplinary grounds".

"While one had allegedly abused his supervisor, the other was suspended for having walked into another department. The workers went on flash strike but we had immediately intervened and resolved the issue," he said.

However, later when the management failed to keep its promise of reinstating the two suspended workers, their remaining colleagues began demanding immediate reversal of suspension order.

"The management says that the workers scratched and damaged over 50 vehicles in the plant and so they had to suspend 26 more people on Monday night. This saw the remaining workers going on a flash strike," he said.

He said the key problem for his department is that Tata Motors plant, on the outskirts of Ahmedabad city, does not have a organised labour union.

"Though all of them are salaried and permanent employees of the plant, there is no single leader. They have a panel of seven people with whom we are now trying to have a dialogue," he said.

Meanwhile, an statement from Tata Motors said around 300 workmen at their Sanand plant went on an "illegal" strike on Monday "demanding re-instatement of the workmen suspended (pending enquiry) for serious misconduct".

"While the management team is continuing to make efforts to talk to the workmen on strike and convince them to restore normalcy, plant operations are simultaneously continuing," it said.

The company said that there have been "continued agitations for further monetary increases as well as protests against disciplinary actions against those instigating the workmen, resulting in serious threat to company personnel as well as losses due to tampering".

It said that viewing these "as attempts to coerce the management, around 20 workmen have been suspended (pending enquiry) on various changes of serious misconduct".

The Sanand plant came into the limelight in November 2008 when on the invitation of then Gujrat chief minister Narendra Modi, the company moved the plant to manufacture the Rs.1 lakh dream car Nano from Singur in West Bengal.

However, the run has not been rosy for the dream car. Beginning its operations in 2010, the Sanand plant of Tata has seen several hiccups in the production of Nano.

Against the installed capacity of 250,000 cars per annum, it is reported to have produced roughly 42,560 Nano cars in the two years between January 2014 and December 2015, after the demand for what was once dubbed the cheapest car in the world fell dramatically.

The post Workers on flash strike at Tata Nano plant in Gujarat appeared first on Social News XYZ.

Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said the fighting broke out when the terrorists, initially composed of 40 men, attacked a military detachment in Bayabao village in Butig town of Lanao del Sur Province last Saturday, Xinhua reported.

"The motive of the attack remains unknown," Padilla told reporters in a press briefing, adding that soldiers from the Army' s 51st Infantry Battalion manning the detachment were able to defend their position.

"When (government) reinforcements arrived late weekend, the (terrorist) group was held at bay, were cordoned off and are holding their position as of press time," Padilla said.

The post 23 killed in Philippine clash appeared first on Social News XYZ.

"The Jat agitation has been called off following talks," the state's Social Welfare Minister Arun Chaturvedi, who had been holding discussions with Jat leaders, said in Bharatpur, the epicentre of the stir in the state.

The protest badly affected road and railway traffic in Bharatpur district, over 170 km from state capital Jaipur.

Jats in Rajasthan are classified as Other Backward Classes (OBC), except for Jats of Bharatpur and Dholpur districts. Jats in Bharatpur are now demanding that they also be classified as OBCs.

Monday's talks between Chaturvedi and Jat community leaders failed to arrive at a solution.

A police officer told IANS that the protesters had resorted to road and train blockades in some places, mainly between Bharatpur to Mathura, Jaipur and Agra and roads connecting various towns in the district.

In Nadabi, Helak and Bharatpur city, protesters vandalised properties and shops, while in Khumer, they damaged two ATMS.

In Helak railway station, protesters tried to torch the engine of a goods train. They also tried to set ablaze a room in Paprera railway station.

However, police were able to douse the fire in both the cases.

Many trains in the Jaipur, Agra and Mathura sectors were cancelled while train traffic between the important Delhi-Mumbai sector was also affected.

Roads from Bharatpur to Delhi, Deeg, Alwar and Mathura were also blocked.

To maintain law and order, the district administration had earlier imposed prohibitory orders and blocked mobile internet and internet service in the district.

The protesters on Monday set ablaze a Rajasthan Roadways bus, and damaged another near Bharatpur city.

The post Jat stir called off in Rajasthan appeared first on Social News XYZ.

New Delhi, Feb 23 (IANS)

Khalid -- one of the six students accused of raising anti-national slogans in the JNU campus on February 9 -- delivered a speech on the campus premises on February 21 wherein he asserted that he was "not a terrorist", and opined that the BJP government "needed an excuse to target the campus".

The track, which features excerpts from Khalid's speech, has been rendered in MojoJojo's trademark style of bass-rich electronic music.

MojoJojo, whose debut album "Shots Fired" was released last year, says he was inspired to create the track, titled "Yeh ladai", after hearing Khalid's emotional speech.

"He talks about how he was subjected to a public trial by the (electronic) media, where fictitious 'facts' about him were created for the sake of TRPs, how because of his religion he was branded a terrorist, how there was a witch hunt for him and his family, among other things," MojoJojo told IANS in an email interview.

"Most of all, he talks about how his fight is against oppression by the state and not against the country, because he is a son of the soil, like you and me. He talks about how without dissent, a university is like a prison," he added.

MojoJojo, whose first tryst with music was at the young age of 10, says his aim behind creating the song was to project the matter in a "new light".

"Over the past several days, he (Khalid) was portrayed in a certain light by sections of the media and the state. I thought that with this song, the matter could be projected in a new light, given a fresh perspective of sorts," he said.

While calling himself a "proud citizen" of the country, MojoJojo also said he was saddened with the way the matter has been dealt with so far.

"My stand on the entire matter is that, of course, anything against our beloved mother land should not be tolerated. I am a proud citizen of this country but when you charge students, who are protesting peacefully, with sedition... when you target an institution, when you launch a propaganda against it, when you doctor speeches, you are ravaging the basic social fabric of secular India," he observed.

"It saddens me that this matter has been dealt with such heavy-handedness and, instead of mitigating the damage already done to our secular society, things are only getting worse."

Music-maker MojoJojo turns Umar Khalid's speech into music track

The post Music-maker MojoJojo turns Umar Khalid’s speech into music track appeared first on Social News XYZ.

Chandigarh, Feb 23 (IANS) With 19 lives being lost and property and assets worth thousands of crores being destroyed in just five days of mayhem in Haryana during the Jat agitation, the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday directed the state government to submit a status report on the issue by next Monday.

A division bench of Justice S.K. Mittal and Justice H.S. Sidhu issued the direction following a public interest litigation filed by Bhiwani resident Murari Lal Gupta.

They also directed Haryana's Advocate General B.R. Mahajan to prepare an inventory of the damage in the state and the losses suffered by people.

The petitioner pointed out that there was complete breakdown of law and order machinery in the state during the Jat agitation and common people were left to fend for themselves with the police and administration nowhere to be seen.

He pointed out that Rohtak, Bhiwani and Jind districts were worst affected by the violence and people were living in terror.

The nine-day-long agitation paralysed life in the state and neighbouring states suffered due to its fallout as highways and railway tracks were blocked and damaged by Jat protestors.

The post HC seeks status report from Haryana on Jat agitation appeared first on Social News XYZ.

Kolkata, Feb 23 (IANS) Burdwan University in West Bengal was on the boil on Tuesday after police baton-charged a group of student agitators who had allegedly vandalised the campus over anomalies in undergraduate results and postponement of exams.

Vice Chancellor Smritikumar Sarkar said the university administration was forced to seek police security after some agitators, pretending to be students, vandalised the campus.

"The way they entered the answer paper section, we were forced to call police. They broke doors... and given their violent demeanour, to ensure safety of staff and prevent property damage, we called police," Sarkar said.

TV grabs showed the agitators, reportedly affiliated to the Students Federation of India, waving flags and trying to climb over the gate. Police were seen chasing them and resorting to baton-charge.

"I don't want to comment. Police decided to do what they thought best according to the situation," said Sarkar.

A student agitator said the university authorities were informed in advance about the 'peaceful' protest and police began a baton-charge without any provocation.

Bengal varsity on boil after police baton-charge agitators

The post Bengal varsity on boil after police baton-charge agitators appeared first on Social News XYZ.

Jaipur, Feb 23 (IANS) A mob tried to set ablaze the engine of a goods train in Rajasthan's Bharatpur district on Tuesday, as the Jat community continued its protest for the third day demanding reservation.

The protest badly affected road and railway traffic in Bharatpur district, over 170 km from state capital Jaipur.

Jats in Rajasthan are classified as Other Backward Classes (OBC), except for Jats of Bharatpur and Dholpur districts. Jats in Bharatpur are now demanding that they also be classified as OBCs.

Monday's talks between Rajasthan's Social Welfare Minister Arun Chaturvedi and Jat community leaders failed to arrive at a solution.

"The protesters have resorted to road and train blockades in some places, mainly between Bharatpur to Mathura, Jaipur and Agra and roads connecting various towns in the district," a police official told IANS on Tuesday.

Police resorted to baton-charge to control a mob in Deeg area of the district.

In Nadabi, Helak and Bharatpur city, protesters vandalised properties and shops, while in Khumer, they damaged two ATMS.

In Helak railway station, protesters tried to torch the engine of a goods train. They also tried to set ablaze a room in Paprera railway station.

However, police with the help of local administration officials were able to douse the fire in both the cases.

There were reports of stone pelting in some places.

Looking at the tense situation, the district administration has blocked mobile internet and internet service in the district.

Many trains in the Jaipur, Agra and Mathura sectors were cancelled while train traffic between the important Delhi-Mumbai sector was also affected.

Roads from Bharatpur to Delhi, Deeg, Alwar and Mathura were also blocked.

To maintain law and order, the district administration had earlier imposed Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure banning unlawful assembly of people at public places.

Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje has appealed to the Jat community to maintain peace.

The protesters on Monday set ablaze a Rajasthan Roadways bus, and damaged another near Bharatpur city.

Jats in Bharatpur try to burn goods train engine

The post Jats in Bharatpur try to burn goods train engine appeared first on Social News XYZ.

The victim, believed to be an Olimpia fan, was near Defensores del Chaco Stadium when he was shot by suspected Cerro Porteño fans. Hundreds of fans clashed after Sunday's match, which Cerro Porteño won 1-0, and attacked police in numerous incidents, reports Efe.

Officers seized several pistols and knives from suspects, officials said on Monday. The 54 suspects arrested are being held at the Metropolitan Police Station in Sajonia, the police said.

Security was tight for the Olimpia-Cerro Porteño classic, which draws tens of thousands of fans whenever the two clubs meet.

The post Fight at Paraguayan football match; 1 killed, 54 arrested appeared first on Social News XYZ.

According to Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR), over three dozen trains, including the Awadh Assam Express and the North East Express, have been cancelled on account of agitations by Greater Cooch Behar People's Association (GCPA) as well as by the members of the Jat community in Haryana.

GCPA has been conducting a 'rail roko' (trains blockade) agitation to press for its demand for 'C-category' statehood or union territory status for Cooch Behar in northern West Bengal.

GCPA activists have laid blockades across railway tracks, demanding dialogue with union home ministry officials to resolve the issue.

"Unless our demands are met, we will continue with our agitation. Despite submitting memorandums to the central government, including the home ministry, we haven't received any kind of reply," GCPA chief Bangshi Badan Barman said.

"Our demands are age-old and a result of the treaty between the government of India and Maharaja Jagadipendra Narayan Bhup Bahadur, the then king of Cooch Behar princely state. So, unless our demands are met, we will continue to agitate," added Barman.

The demands include official recognition for Rajbanshi language, induction of special regiment called Narayani Sena of the erstwhile king of Cooch Behar, and the details of funds, the erstwhile king donated to the people of Cooch Behar.

The post Cooch Behar movement disrupts train traffic in Bengal appeared first on Social News XYZ.

Rohtak: Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar interacts with press in Rohtak on Feb 23, 2016. (Photo: IANS)

Rohtak/Chandigarh, Feb 23 (IANS) Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had to face the wrath of locals and traders in Rohtak when he visited the violence-hit town on Tuesday.

Khattar was shown black flags by a section of traders and residents who also questioned him on his government’s failure to deal with the violent Jat agitation.

The chief minister arrived in Rohitak, which saw the maximum violence and damage during the nine-day agitation, on Tuesday by helicopter as most areas of Haryana are still limping to normalcy.

“There are some forces behind the recent incidents. We will get it probed,” Khattar said, addressing people in Rohtak. He left for Delhi after a while.

The chief minister said that the role of officers, especially from the police, would be probed and strict action taken if they were found wanting in carrying out their duties during the agitation.

Khattar said the role of “conspirators” behind the mindless violence would be probed.

“We will fully compensate the losses of people who have suffered,” Khattar told the traders whose shops were looted and torched by the rioters.

Elsewhere, officials said traffic had been restored on the Delhi-Ambala national highway No. 1 (NH-1).

Three people were killed when Jat protesters blocked the highway on Monday, forcing security forces to open fire on them.

Traffic was also restored on the Delhi-Hisar NH-10, especially near Sampla town, police said.

Curfew was relaxed in Rohtak town and some other places.

Hisar and Kaithal districts remained tense after members of Jat and non-Jat communities headed for a clash. Army and paramilitary forces remained on high alert in both districts.

Despite the BJP promising reservation for the Jat community in Haryana and assuring that a bill will be brought in the next session of Haryana assembly, Jats have not ended their agitation at some places in Rohtak, Hisar, Sonipat and Jhajjar districts.

The army and paramilitary forces remained stationed in the violence-hit districts.

The violence led to 19 deaths, including three people killed in firing by security forces on rioters blocking the NH-1 in Sonipat district on Monday.

Over 200 people have been injured in the frenzy that has ravaged the state bordering Delhi. The loss to property is estimated to be in hundreds of crores.

The Jat community is demanding reservation under the OBC category in government jobs and educational institutions.

The Haryana government has decided to give full compensation for the damage caused to private property, residential or commercial.

It has also decided to give an ex-gratia of Rs.10 lakh to the next of kin of those innocent people killed in the agitation and employment to a member of the family of the deceased.

Khattar faces black flags during Rohtak visit

The post Khattar faces black flags during Rohtak visit appeared first on Social News XYZ.

A statement by Subenthing Kigam, president of the Nagaland-based NSF, said they will stop the entry of Manipuri vehicles into Naga-populated areas, including five hill districts in the state, unless the police commandos who had allegedly harassed some of their activists on February 15 are punished.

According to the NSF, they will bar entry of vehicles into Naga areas, which include Nagaland and all Naga-populated areas in Manipur and neighbouring states.

The NSF said its members, who were on their way to Ukhrul district to attend the Lui Ngai Ni -- the seed sowing festival of the Nagas in Manipur, were intercepted at Mantri Pukhri near Imphal.

A memorandum submitted to Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh on February 16 said the commandos harassed the delegates, snatched their mobile phones and unnecessarily detained them.

Upset as no action was taken against the personnel, the NSF held a meeting in Kohima on Monday and resolved to ban the vehicles.

Director General of Police L.M. Khoute said: "We have spoken to our Nagaland counterpart Lein Doungel two times on Tuesday. We requested him to take up measures in Nagaland to ensure that there is no damage to vehicles or injury to drivers."

On the alleged harassment, he said: "As per procedure, the commandos asked them to get down which they refused. However, later they were allowed to proceed."

Sources told IANS that drivers including those driving inter-state buses, trucks and private vehicles are not taking any chances. They are in a hurry to return to Manipur before the expiry of the deadline and are likely to refrain from plying to the five hill districts from Wednesday.

The post Naga students threaten to stop Manipuri vehicles appeared first on Social News XYZ.

New Delhi: Jats stage a demonstration press for reservation in New Delhi, on Aug 4, 2015. (Photo: IANS)

Himadri Ghosh & Nikhil Babu

Sonipat, Gurgaon, New Delhi, Feb 23 (IANS/IndiaSpend) Square-jawed, cleft chin and hair untidily spiked, Vikas Thakaran glowered as he explained why he was here in this scrum of young men blocking Bakhtawar chowk, 30 km southwest of India’s capital, part of a violent week-long agitation that has left 12 dead, vehicles and railway stations burnt, and the army deployed.

Thakaran, 24, is a computer-science engineer, but he is unemployed. “I applied for government jobs four-five times, many times elsewhere, but I didn’t get through,” he told IndiaSpend. We found many educated, angry and either unemployed young men like Thakaran, or those unable to find a job commensurate with their aspirations and education, among the thousands of protestors from a caste group that many say has no reason to protest.

Traditional landowners, the Jats are a powerful Hindu caste now demanding classification as a “backward” caste - a contention rejected last year by the Supreme Court - so that government jobs can be reserved for them.

However, an IndiaSpend analysis of employment data and evaluation of aspirations of young Jats revealed that the protests are manifestations of India’s slow, inadequate job-creation and a failing education system creating thousands of “unemployable” graduates.

This disconnect between education, aspirations and jobs explains similar demands to be classified as “backward” and “other-backward-caste (OBC)” by socially powerful caste groups - Gujjars (Rajasthan), Marathas (Maharashtra), Patels (Gujarat) and Kapus (Andhra Pradesh), among others - struggling to find satisfactory employment.

Organised industry added 500,000 jobs in 2014; India needs more than a million a month

Saurabh Rangi, 24, a native of Rohtak city, scored 75 percent in the All India Engineering Entrance Exam (AIEEE), but he is on the streets of Haryana’s Gurgaon city - 30 km northwest of Delhi-because he did not get admission to a government college and had to pay “lakhs” of rupees to graduate from a private college. Rangi is angry; he holds a public-relations trainee job at cardekho.com, an automobile website, but wants a government job.

“I got a B.Tech in 2013, but I am unemployed even after two years,” said Keshav Lather, as he protested in Gohana, Sonipat, 43 km west of Rohtak. “I have applied for a Central government job. But I always lose out because of reservation…a professional education does not necessarily mean a good job. We were surprised at the type of jobs and money offered to many of our friends.”

Labourers, guards and maids form the majority of the jobs available to more than a million Indians - some estimate it is nearly two million - who join the workforce every month, as IndiaSpend reported. Over 30 years, India generated no more than seven million jobs every year, with only a fraction being the kinds of jobs the young Jats desire.

This is why protestors across India demand secure government jobs; it is why engineers and doctors throng job openings for peons, clerks and constables (as they did in Uttar Pradesh last year, when 2.3 million applied for 368 positions of peons).

As we also reported, new employment data indicate two disquieting trends.

One, a slowdown in employment in the formal, organised sector (which in any case employs only 12 percent of India’s labour force), the prime staging ground of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Make in India programme. In Indian factories, more than 400,000 people lost their jobs during the financial year 2012-13, according to government data.

Two, this slowdown hides a larger, long-term trend: India Inc is automating and squeezing more output from its workers and so needs fewer of them.

In isolation, the latest government data show that organised industry added nearly 500,000 jobs in 2013-14. Unemployment in India, according to labour ministry data, is less than five percent, but these data do not reflect under-, partial- or disguised-employment, such as Rangi’s.

No more than 17 percent of all Indians were wage earners, as a 2013-14 labour ministry report acknowledged, with no more than 60 percent of those above 15 years old who sought work over the year getting it (more than 46 percent in urban India did not find work).

“What India needs annually is not just 23 or 24 million jobs but livelihoods,” said economist Ajit Ranade.

He said job opportunities would come only with new investments and enterprises. “If we need to create two million jobs every month, then we need to also create 20,000 to 50,000 new enterprises every month,” he said. “At this stage of our business cycle, we need a big push in the form of investment in infrastructure.”

Jat youth on the streets do not want informal-sector jobs, as our interviews indicated, but here too, as IndiaSpend has reported, employment declined by six percent since 2004-05-and this is the sector that offers the most jobs - 340 million.

Ranade said the government should focus on small and medium enterprises, revamp infrastructure, rationalise tax structures, revive skills in traditional industries, set up technical training institutes producing skilled workers and ensure ease of doing business.

(In arrangement with IndiaSpend.org, a data-driven, non-profit, public interest journalism platform. Nikhil Babu is a Delhi-based independent journalist. Himadri Ghosh is a member of 101reporters.com. With inputs from Prathamesh Mulye of 101reporters. The views expressed are personal. The authors can be contacted at respond@indiaspend.org)

Ignited hopes, no jobs. Why Jats, others revolt

The post Ignited hopes, no jobs. Why Jats, others revolt appeared first on Social News XYZ.

Members of the National Students' Union of India (NSUI), Bahujan Samaj Party and the Aam Aadmi Party students' wing Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti (CYSS) also participated in the solidarity march along with students of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and Delhi University (DU).

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted that he will be meeting Vemula's mother at Jantar Mantar.

"Will go to Jantar Mantar to express solidarity with Rohith's family and to speak to students," he tweeted.

JNU student accused of raising anti-national slogans at the JNU on February 9, Umar Khalid's father Syed Qasim Illyas Rasool, president of political outfit Welfare Party of India, also took part in the protest along with his party members.

Vemula committed suicide on January 17, triggering widespread protests demanding action against central ministers Smriti Irani, Bandaru Dattatreya and others, blaming them for the suicide.

Five Dalit students, including Vemula, were suspended in September following a clash with a leader of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).

The post Hundreds join solidarity march for Rohit Vemula appeared first on Social News XYZ.

The Jat protesters are demanding reservation under the OBC category in government jobs and educational institutions.

The "Murder" actress, who comes from a small village in Hisar district of Haryana, took to Twitter to make her appeal.

"My appeal to the jaat community to maintain peace and nonviolence #JaatReservation #jaatagitation #haryana," Mallika tweeted.

The actress is known for her bold performances in films such as "Khwahish" and "Murder", and was last seen on screen in the 2015 film "Dirty Politics".

Last week, actor Randeep Hooda, who belongs to the Jat community, also urged Jats to refrain from using violent measures and to seek a way out of the problem in a peaceful manner.

Mallika Sherawat urges Jats for peace and non-violence

The post Mallika Sherawat urges Jats for peace and non-violence appeared first on Social News XYZ.