India

NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian lawmakers approved legislation granting citizenship to non-Muslims who migrated from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, even though critics said it undermines the country’s secular constitution.

The Citizenship Amendment Bill seeks to grant Indian nationality to Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Jains, Parsis and Sikhs who fled the three countries because of religious persecution before 2015. It does not, however, extend to Rohingya Muslim refugees who fled persecution in Myanmar.

Aligarh, 12 Dec 2019: 25,000 students of Aligarh Muslim University have called for a hunger strike from tomorrow against the religion-based Citizenship Bill, that was passed in the Lok Sabha around midnight on Monday and National Register of Citizens (NRC).

“All the dining halls will be locked and a total of 25000 residential students are going to sit on hunger strike,” one of the organizers told Maktoob.

“The exclusion of Muslims from the bill, and the government’s plan of nation wide NRC together reveal the genocidal intention of government,” the students said.

Guwahati, Dec 11 (PTI) Curfew was imposed in Guwahati in Assam on Wednesday to control deteriorating law and order situation, amid massive protests over the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, officials said.

The curfew was imposed at 6.15 pm and will be in place till 7 am on Thursday, Assam Police Director General Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta told PTI.

Jaipur, Dec 11 (PTI) A Sainik School teacher in Rajasthan's Jhunjhunu district was arrested for sodomising around a dozen students, police said on Wednesday.

Ravindra Singh Shekhawat was produced before the court on Tuesday and was sent to two-day police remand.

The arrest was made following a complaint lodged by school principal Major Abhilash Singh, DSP (SC/ST) Gyan Singh said.

New Delhi, Dec 10 (PTI) The Supreme Court Tuesday commenced hearing on a batch of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Centre's decision to abrogate Article 370, which gave special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.

The hearing before a 5-judge Constitution bench, headed by Justice N V Ramana, started with senior advocate Raju Ramachandran, appearing for bureaucrat-turned-politician Shah Faesal and other petitioners, advancing his arguments.

New Delhi, Dec 10 (PTI) One of the four convicts, Akshya Kumar Singh, moved the Supreme Court Tuesday seeking review of its 2017 judgement handing down death penalty to all of them in the 2012 Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case.

The apex court, on July 9, 2018, had dismissed the review pleas filed by three other convicts in the case.

Akshya, 31, who had not filed the review plea earlier with other three convicts, has now moved the apex court with the petition, his lawyer A P Singh said.

Gandhinagar, Dec 11 (PTI) The Nanavati Commission report on the 2002 Gujarat riots was tabled in the state Legislative Assembly here on Wednesday.

Minister of State for Home Pradeepsinh Jadeja tabled the report in the House, five years after it was submitted to the then state government.

Retired Justices G T Nanavati and Akshay Mehta had in 2014 submitted their final report on the 2002 riots - in which over 1,000 people, mainly of the minority community, were killed - to the then state chief minister Anandiben Patel.

Guwahati, Dec 10 (PTI) The All Assam Students Union (AASU), which is spearheading the anti-CAB protests in the state, on Tuesday said that it will move the Supreme Court against the Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2019.

The AASU chief advisor Samujjal Bhattacharya slamming the BJP-led government at the Centre for thrusting the contentious piece of legislation on the people of the North East said it will not be accepted "under any circumstance".

New Delhi, Dec 10 (PTI) Lok Sabha on Tuesday unanimously passed a Constitution amendment bill to extend reservation to SCs and STs in Lok Sabha and state assemblies by another 10 years even though the opposition slammed the government for not giving the benefit to the Anglo-Indian community.

Responding to the debate on the Constitution (126th) Amendment Bill, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad asserted that quota in legislatures for SCs and STs was required to build a new political leadership of the two communities.

Agartala, Dec 10 (PTI) Internet services have been suspended in the entire Tripura for 48 hours from 2 pm on Tuesday in view of the ongoing protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, an official notification said.

The order also prohibits SMS messages of all mobile service providers.

The step has been taken to prevent mischief mongers from spreading rumours.

The state Home department's notification has been signed by A K Bhattacharya, Additional Secretary, Government of Tripura.