Delhi Confidential: New role & rules
Down Memory Lane
A recent morning meeting at Delhi Police headquarters to discuss security arrangements, including bandobast for the death anniversary of former PM Rajiv Gandhi, struck a chord with Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora, a 1988-batch IPS officer from Tamil Nadu cadre, who was posted in the state as Assistant Commissioner of Police when the former PM was assassinated in Sriperumbudur on May 21, 1991. The police chief recalled how uncertainty clouded the atmosphere as information about the blast trickled in. Recounting the events as they unfolded and the chaos that followed the incident, he told the officers, many of whom were too young to have joined the force or even remember what happened, that the world had stopped for a moment for all of them who were on duty that day.
Wait For Reports
The long pending annual reports of the National Commission for Backward Classes was submitted by its chairperson Hansraj Ahir to President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday. Two reports were submitted for the years 2022-23 and 2023-24. The wait for the reports' release, however, will continue as they will first get tabled in Parliament. The annual report for 2024-25 is also under process, it was learnt.
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New Indian Express
a day ago
- New Indian Express
Why BJP's backing of term 'Bangladeshi language' must be making even SP Mookerjee turn in his grave
A slip of the pen by an inspector of Lodhi Colony, New Delhi, has turned into a nightmare for the BJP in West Bengal, blunting its chances of seriously challenging Mamata Banerjee in the 2026 elections. Perhaps the inspector should have sent that letter to the Bangladesh high commission. But no. The inspector sent it to Banga Bhavan, West Bengal's state guest house in Delhi, which doubles as the office of the state resident commissioner, and requested the services of a translator for the 'Bangladeshi language'. The police, he explained, had detained some suspected Bangladeshis who had produced documents in a language that could not be understood. And, so, the services of a translator, please. Mamata Banerjee saw red at 'Bangladeshi language' -- unquestionably a faux pas as no such thing exists. They speak Bengali across the border as do the people of West Bengal. But the BJP, instead of putting a lid on the debate over the error, tried to justify it – an abomination that would have made even SP Mookerjee cringe. The BJP's founding father was a Bengali bhadralok whose mother tongue was Bengali. Not Bangladeshi. For Mamata Banerjee, already fuming at the BJP for allegedly harassing migrant labour from West Bengal in BJP-ruled states, labelling them Bangladeshis and deporting them, it was a heaven-sent cause celebre to ratchet up her rhetoric against the BJP and kickstart her 2026 campaign with a bang.'Scandalous, insulting, anti-national, unconstitutional,' she thundered on X where she shared the controversial letter. 'See now how Delhi police under the direct control of Ministry of Home, Government of India (read Amit Shah aka BJP), is describing Bengali as 'Bangladeshi' language!' Now,the BJP could have nipped the sticky issue in the bud, passing off the 'Bangladeshi language' offence as an inadvertent error by the inspector. But instead, in an inexplicable act of self-harm, it tried to explain the error and shot itself in the foot. BJP Bengal leaders struggled to contain the damage. But Amit Malviya hit the ball out of the park. In a lengthy tweet, he said, 'Delhi Police is absolutely right in referring to the language as Bangladeshi in the context of identifying infiltrators. The term is being used to describe a set of dialects, syntax and speech patterns that are distinctly different from the Bangla spoken in India. The official language of Bangladesh is not only phonologically different but also includes dialects like Sylheti that are nearly incomprehensible to Indian Bengalis. 'There is, in fact, no language call 'Bengali' that nearly covers all these all these variants. 'Bengali' denotes ethnicity, not linguistic uniformity. So when the Delhi Police uses 'Bangladeshi language,' it is a shorthand for the linguistic markers used to profile illegal immigrants from Bangladesh – not a commentary on Bengali as spoken in West Bengal,' Malviya concluded. This attempt to justify the term 'Bangladeshi language' has not gone down well with many in West Bengal who view it as a slur on the mother tongue Bengali. It is a language for which an entire population fought and won nationhood in 1971: Bangladesh. In the early 1950s, Islamabad declared Urdu the sole national language of Pakistan, triggering protests in the east over Bengali being marginalised. The language movement that swept East Pakistan culminated on 21 February 1952 when around 30 people died in police firing at Dhaka University. Since then, 21 February is observed as 'Bhasha Dibash' or language day on a mammoth scale in Dhaka and, on a much smaller scale, in Kolkata. In 1999, the UN declared 21 February International Mother Tongue Day. Bengalis in India have their own language day, 19 May, when, in 1961, 11 Bengali speaking persons died in police firing at Silchar in Assam's Barak Valley while protesting the government's decision that Assamese would be the state's sole official language. The Barak Valley, comprising three districts, is Bengali-dominated and protests there against the marginalisation of Bengali forced the Assam government to roll back its decision on its only-Assamese policy. Just as the speakers of every other language take pride in their mother tongue, so do the Bengalis. It is also the second most spoken language in India after Hindi, the seventh most spoken language in the world and an entire nation was born because of this language. And Rabindranath Tagore, who wrote in Bengali, is the first Nobel laureate from Asia. For literature. He also gave us our national anthem. In Bengali. And Bangladesh's, too. Now, Bangladeshis speak the same language as people from West Bengal. Yes, there are distinct dialects like Sylheti, perhaps a little tough to understand for the untrained ear but Sylheti is Bengali. Like Cockney is English, though often hard for a standard English speaker to understand. Dialects are defined as "sub-forms of languages which are, in general, mutually comprehensible'. So, what's the big deal about Sylheti? For the BJP, the defence of the reference to 'Bangladeshi language' spells trouble as it reinforces the Trinamool Congress's charge that the BJP is a party of outsiders – bahiragata – alien to Bengali thought and culture. That strategy worked for the TMC in the 2021 elections and again in 2024. In the forthcoming elections, too, the BJP may have to pay through its nose for failing to feel the pulse of Bengali Asmita and doggedly defend an error by a poorly-lettered inspector who should have known better.
The Hindu
a day ago
- The Hindu
Call for true religious freedom in India
Hyderabad Speakers at a national seminar on Saturday expressed grave concern over 'increasing cases of violence against Christians', even as they alleged misuse of law to foist cases on members of this community. 'Religious Freedom in India: Reality or Dream?', organised at the Centenary Baptist Church, by the Civil Rights Initiative Internationale (CRII), saw prominent speakers, including former civil servants, sharing their views. The seminar brought together intellectuals, legal experts, and policy makers, who laid emphasis on justice, equality, and true religious freedom. K. Babu Rao, former IPS officer, and national president of CRII, recalled the case of an Adivasi pastor, Subhash Bhagel, whose son was unable to bury him in the village graveyard. His son had to move the apex court in an effort to get justice. 'Is living as a Christian a crime? Enjoying the religious freedom guaranteed by the Constitution is our right,' he said. Speakers also highlighted the 'lack of religious freedom faced by Dalit Christians and Muslims' due to the 1950 Presidential Order, and urged that efforts should be made towards its repeal. They expressed concern over misuse of anti-conversion laws. 'We are Indians, and we will uphold the Constitution,' was the collective message. Recent incidents from Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh were pointed out. In one incident, over 500 people were booked during a prayer service though they were not 'converted'. In another, birthday cake cutting was labelled a Christian ritual. Keynote speeches were delivered by advocates Tehmina Arora and Franklin Thomas Caesar, both of whom joined the seminar from Delhi. They shared their opinions on how legal systems have been affecting religious freedom in India. Former Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh Minnie Mathew was the Chief Guest. Mr. Rao released a book titled 'Swechha Nunchi Cherasala Loki' (From Freedom to Prison), written by journalist Suresh Pulugujju.
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Indian Express
Delhi HC pulls up police for separating interfaith couple: ‘If couple wants marriage, will protect them' rules judge
The Delhi High Court on Friday came to the rescue of an interfaith couple, ordering for their continued protection and stay at a government safe house, while pulling up the police for allegedly separating the couple instead of providing them protection. The court also sought that the police identify the personnel responsible for the same. A 26-year old Muslim man, in a relationship with a 25-year old Hindu woman since 2018, had moved HC last month seeking its urgent directions to the Delhi Police to provide the couple necessary protection and a safe house. The request was made after the couple expressed their intent to marry, which was met with familial opposition and threats. According to advocate Utkarsh Singh, representing the man, instead of being provided with the safety, the couple was 'forcibly separated', with the woman 'medically examined, and later detained at a woman's shelter July 24, despite her repeated pleas to be with her partner. The police, in a status report filed before HC on August 6, asserted 'there was no element of coercion, unlawful separation, or procedural irregularity at any stage', with all actions 'taken purely from a welfare and constitutional standpoint,' with due regard to the woman's 'safety and autonomy'. The police's submission, however, did not convince the court. The woman, who virtually interacted with Justice Sanjeev Narula on Friday, said that she was taken away forcibly by the police and separated from her partner. She asserted that when the couple had initially sought protection, the police had said 'there is no such thing as a safe cell', and coerced her into undergoing a medical examination. 'I went for a medical examination and without telling me or without my consent, I was taken to a shelter home,' she told Justice Narula, adding that all her personal belongings were taken away, including her phone. Orally remarking that 'police has to sensitise its officers' and that they are 'forcibly separating' consenting adult partners, Justice Narula expressed disapproval with the police's status report. 'Has he (the police personnel who filed the status report) even interacted with the (woman) to understand what has happened? I'm not going to allow this at all.' The HC also refused to allow the woman's father – who is opposed to the relationship – to interfere, noting that he has 'no role' given that his daughter is an adult and has consented to the relationship. The father's counsel impressed before the court that 'social reality has to be taken into consideration', with 'in Indian society, parents have to be consulted' for marriage. To this, the court orally responded, 'What law requires an adult to ask father for marrying someone of different faith?… You are insisting on something that I cannot appreciate… Constitutional right guarantees she can marry of her choice and I am going to honour that… If the couple wants to get married, I am going to protect them.' After sustained interaction with the woman, Justice Narula went on to assure her orally, 'If you are firm about your decision, we will support you. I am supporting your choice, I will support your decision.' 'As far as the police are concerned, they will support you,' the HC said, while recording in its order that the woman's 'intention to marry is informed and consistent based on her relationship with him (her partner) over the past seven years'.
