"BJP laid red carpet for Bengali Hindus from Bangladesh": AIUDF MLA Rafiqul Islam slams Assam govt
Rafiqul Islam told ANI, 'There is not a single Muslim who is a foreigner in Assam. Muslims have documents in their hands. They have complete records. Their voter list, land records, and father-grandfather's papers of NRC.'
Attacking the BJP, he added, 'For those, the BJP has laid a red carpet, are Bengali Hindus coming from Bangladesh. Those who are still coming, and after 1971, they have come in millions. The same people who obtain their Aadhaar cards illegally will now be caught. Those whom the BJP targets and wants to take to the DC office, they have papers and genuine records.'
The AIUDF MLA further stated that the arrangements at the DC office should be made to prevent people from having to stand in long queues.
'The arrangements should be correct. People should not have to line up after going there, people should not have to travel there for two days, three days, four days.'
On the eviction drive by the Assam government, he stated that the government is not evicting certain individuals, but rather those who are landless.
'The suspected people are not getting evicted. This is the government's false claim. Evictions are taking place against landless people. They also have 200-year-old records, 400-year-old records. They are moving bulldozers into the house of the Gwalparia people. They are Gwalaparia; their origin is Rajbanshi. The Rajbanshis are older than Hemant Biswa Sarma.'
To ensure that no illegal immigrant obtains an Aadhaar card, the Assam government has decided to implement a rule where Aadhaar cards for adults will only be issued by the District Commissioners (DCs), Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced on Friday.
He further said that the decision to tighten Aadhaar issuance rules would aid the state government's efforts to safeguard its demographic profile.
'Last night, we pushed back 20 more Bangladeshis as part of our ongoing efforts to detect and push back illegal infiltrators. Very soon, we will implement a decision where Aadhaar cards for adult citizens will be issued only by DCs. This will ensure that no illegal immigrant can get an Aadhaar made and we can track and push them back easily,' Himanta Biswa Sarma said.
'We will make a decision on it in the next Cabinet meeting,' the Assam Chief Minister added.
The tea plantation workers are an exception under the new Aadhaar card issuance policy. (ANI)
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Failure to file the chargesheet within this period entitles an accused to default bail. — Days after the April 26 ruling, the ED approached the SC and told a bench presided by then CJI D Y Chandrachud that the Delhi High Court had granted bail to the accused in a case probed by it based on the SC judgment in the Ritu Chhabaria case. The agency pointed out that the decision will have nationwide repercussions. By order dated May 12, 2023, the SC suspended the operation of the April 26 judgment. — On Tuesday, CJI Gavai expressed his displeasure over the one-judge bench, even if that be the CJI-headed bench, hearing appeals against judgements of any other bench of the SC. — 'The Chief Justice of India is not superior to the other judges. He is the first among the others. The CJI exercises the same judicial powers as all other judges of this court,' the CJI said. 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All appointments of officers and staffs of the Supreme Court of India are made by the Government only after consulting the Chief Justice of India. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? (a) 1 and 3 only (b) 3 and 4 only (c) 4 only (d) 1, 2, 3 and 4 Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme: Critically examine the Supreme Court's judgement on 'National Judicial Appointments Commission Act, 2014' with reference to appointment of judges of higher judiciary in India. (UPSC CSE 2017) Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance. Mains Examination: General Studies-II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. What's the ongoing story: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will introduce open-book assessments (OBE) in Class 9 from 2026-27, after a pilot study showed strong 'teacher support' for the idea. 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The move has put the spotlight on OBEs and the debate over their place in India's classrooms. — An open-book exam allows students to use approved resources like textbooks, class notes, or other specified material during an assessment, rather than mainly testing memory. — The challenge lies in knowing where to look, making sense of the material, and applying it to the problem at hand. In a science paper, for instance, the facts might be in front of you, but the real test is linking them together to reach a conclusion. These exams evaluate whether students can interpret ideas effectively, instead of just repeating them. — Open-book exams have been around for decades. In fact, Hong Kong introduced them as early as 1953. — Despite early experiments, OBEs remain rare in high-stakes school exams. Most secondary boards and standardised tests — such as the UK's GCSEs or the US SATs — still require closed-book answers. — The Covid-19 pandemic changed that temporarily. As universities shifted online, many introduced open-book, open-note or even open-web exams. Many students struggled initially — not because of the subject matter, but because they were not familiar with the format. — The open-book examination is not a new concept in India. In 2014, CBSE launched the Open Text-Based Assessment (OTBA) to steer students away from rote learning. It applied to Class 9 for Hindi, English, Mathematics, Science and Social Science, and to Class 11 final exams for subjects like Economics, Biology and Geography. Students were given reference material four months in advance. — But by 2017-18, CBSE dropped the initiative, concluding it had not succeeded in developing the 'critical abilities' it was meant to promote. — The CBSE approval to the OBE is part of a larger shift in the way schools approach assessment. While the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 does not name open-book tests, it calls for moving away from rote memorisation and towards competency-based learning. The goal is for students to grasp concepts, understand processes, and explain how they apply them. Do You Know: — Open-book formats have a stronger presence in collegiate education. The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) approved their use in engineering colleges in 2019 after an expert panel's recommendation. During the pandemic, Delhi University, Jamia Millia Islamia, Jawaharlal Nehru University and Aligarh Muslim University used OBEs, while IIT Delhi, IIT Indore and IIT Bombay ran them online. — Delhi University's first OBE took place in August 2020; the last was in March 2022. The university returned to physical exams in January 2022 but allowed one more round for students admitted in November 2021. — More recently, Kerala's higher education reforms commission has proposed using the format only for internal or practical exams. Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍Best of Both Sides: With open book exams, Indian students will benefit from ancient wisdom, modern pedagogy 📍Before open book exams, teach students to think Previous year UPSC Prelims/Mains Question Covering similar theme: (5) Which of the following provisions of the Constitution does India have a bearing on Education? (UPSC CSE 2012) 1. Directive Principles of State Policy 2. Rural and Urban Local Bodies 3. Fifth Schedule 4. Sixth Schedule 5. Seventh Schedule Select the correct answer using the codes given below: (a) 1 and 2 only (b) 3, 4 and 5 only (c) 1, 2 and 5 only (d) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance. 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This effectively excludes the BCCI because it does not receive any direct financial aid from the government. — The proposed law will provide for the recognition of national sports bodies and regulate their functioning, and will align sports governance in India with the Olympic and Paralympic Charters, and with international best practices. — The aim is to bring transparency and accountability in national sports federations, and open up hosting, collaboration, and funding opportunities. Since cricket will soon be an Olympic sport, it is necessary for the government to also bring BCCI under the proposed law. — A subsequent amendment to the draft, however, said that a recognised sports organisation 'receiving grants or any other financial assistance' from the government shall be considered a public authority only 'with respect to utilisation of such grants or any other financial assistance'. — The BCCI has for long argued that it is a private, autonomous body and not a 'public authority'. Indeed, it is not a sports federation under the Union Sports Ministry; legally, it is an autonomous charitable society registered under the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act, 1975. — In its 275th Report (2018) titled 'Legal Framework: BCCI vis-à-vis Right to Information Act, 2005', the Law Commission of India recommended that BCCI should be classified as a public authority, pointing to the significant indirect financial assistance it had received from the government over the years. — The Report noted that between 1997 and 2007, the board had received tax exemptions to the tune of more than Rs 2,100 crore due to its legal status as a charitable institution. The foregoing of this revenue amounted to indirect funding for the board, the Commission argued. — The report also cited examples of state governments providing land to state cricket associations at highly subsidised rates; for example, in Himachal Pradesh, the land for a stadium was reportedly leased for Re 1 per month. — The Supreme Court has noted that the BCCI performs 'public functions' that are akin to those of a state body. In a 2015 judgment, the court noted that it selects the teams that represent India, uses national colours and symbols, and exercises a monopoly over the sport with the 'tacit concurrence' of the government. — A committee led by Justice R M Lodha, which was appointed by the Supreme Court in 2015 to recommend reforms in cricket, described the functioning of the BCCI as a 'closed door and back-room affair', and said that the 'legislature must seriously consider bringing BCCI within the purview of the RTI Act'. — Bringing the BCCI under the RTI Act would mean that any citizen of India could seek information covering not just financial matters, but the entire gamut of the board's operations. — The public would be able to demand information on the criteria for team selection, details of contracts awarded for broadcasting and infrastructure, the process of appointment of officials and coaches, and the minutes of BCCI meetings. This would force the board to justify its decisions to the public at large, and not just to its constituent members. Do You Know: — Parliament on Tuesday also passed a new income tax Bill to replace the six-decade-old Income Tax Act, 1961. — The National Anti-Doping (Amendment) Bill, which reinforces NADA's autonomy as required by the World Anti-Doping Agency, was also passed by the Parliament. — Piloting the Income Tax Bill, 2025, in Rajya Sabha, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said it does not impose any new tax rate and only simplifies the language, which is required for understanding the complex income tax laws. — The new Bill removes redundant provisions and archaic language and reduces the number of Sections from 819 in the Income Tax Act of 1961 to 536 and the number of chapters from 47 to 23. — The Lok Sabha passed the Indian Ports Bill 2025 and the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill 2025 by voice vote. — The Indian Ports Bill 2025 intends to establish and empower State Maritime Boards for effective management of ports other than major ports besides establishing the Maritime State Development Council for fostering structured growth and development of the port sector. — The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill 2025 seeks to widen the scope and territorial domain of the National Mineral Exploration Trust to enable the use of the funds accrued to it within India, including offshore areas, and outside India for the exploration and development of mines and minerals. Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍Explained Interview | Unpacking the National Sports Governance Bill, now in Lok Sabha UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme: An athlete participates in the Olympics for personal triumph and nation's glory; victors are showered with cash incentives by various agencies, on their return. Discuss the merit of state sponsored talent hunt and its cultivation as against the rationale of a reward mechanism as encouragement. (UPSC CSE 2014) Human-canine conflict is not a novel issue in India…In the present case, the Supreme Court's concern is understandable. When there is complete failure on behalf of the state to address an issue, even the doctrine of separation of powers permits the judiciary to step in and hold the executive accountable. However, the Court's August 11 intervention is legally problematic on multiple counts.' 'The first major problem with the order is that it was passed in contravention of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960 and the PCA (Animal Birth Control) Rules, 2023, which prohibit the relocation of dogs and provide for the establishment of scientifically proven and robust animal birth control programmes across the country.' 'Second, by ignoring its own jurisprudence on the issue, the Supreme Court has violated the principle of stare decisis (to stand by things decided). The Supreme Court has already settled this in Animal Welfare Board of India vs People for Elimination of Stray Troubles (2024). Reopening the issue in just a little over one year will dilute the people's faith in the certainty and finality of decisions of the apex court.' 'Third, the Supreme Court's order violates a core principle of natural justice: Audi alteram partem (hear the other side).' Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter. 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The Hindu
20 minutes ago
- The Hindu
U.S. report says India acts minimally, Pakistan rarely acts against rights abuses
The U.S. government noted abuses in India and Pakistan in a shortened human rights report released on Tuesday (August 12, 2025) that said India 'took minimal credible steps' to combat the abuses while Pakistan 'rarely took credible steps.' The Trump administration scaled back the annual U.S. government report on human rights worldwide, dramatically softening criticism of some allies and countries that have been President Donald Trump's partners. The State Department human rights documentation for India and Pakistan was also much shorter and scaled back this year. India has been an important U.S. partner in recent years in Washington's effort to counter China's rise, although relations have been tense over Mr. Trump's imposition of a 50% tariff on goods from India. Pakistan is a non-NATO U.S. ally. About India, the report said, 'The government took minimal credible steps or action to identify and punish officials who committed human rights abuses.' On Pakistan, it added, 'The government rarely took credible steps to identify and punish officials who committed human rights abuses.' Indian and Pakistani embassies in Washington had no immediate comment on the report released on Tuesday (August 12, 2025), which documented instances in 2024. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch fault the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government for its treatment of minorities. They point to rising hate speeches, a religion-based citizenship law the U.N. calls 'fundamentally discriminatory,' anti-conversion legislation that challenges freedom of belief, the 2019 removal of Muslim-majority Kashmir's special status, and the demolition of properties owned by Muslims. Mr. Modi denies discrimination and says his policies, such as food subsidy programs and electrification drives, benefit everyone. In Pakistan, Amnesty International says government authorities fail to protect minorities, including Christians, and use 'excessive and unnecessary force' against civil society voices and protesters. In particular, rights groups, the U.N., and Western governments raised concerns over the 2024 Pakistani elections. A U.N. working group said last year that former Prime Minister Imran Khan's detention violated international law. Khan remains in jail. Islamabad says its elections were fair and dismisses allegations of rigging and foul play. Washington and New Delhi have not reached a trade deal, while the United States has reached an agreement in recent weeks with Pakistan. Mr. Trump angered India by taking credit for an India-Pakistan ceasefire in May after hostilities between the neighbours following an April attack in India-administered Kashmir. India says New Delhi and Islamabad should resolve their ties directly without outside involvement.
