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'What is India's national language?': DMK MP Kanimozhi's response in Spain goes viral

'What is India's national language?': DMK MP Kanimozhi's response in Spain goes viral

Time of India2 days ago

NEW DELHI: DMK MP Kanimozhi, who is leading an all-party delegation, was caught in a difficult situation after she was asked what was India's national language. Given her party's history of expressing dissent with widespread protests over the three language policy, Kanimozhi's response went viral on social media.
"The national language of India is unity and diversity," she said, adding, "That is the message this delegation brings to the world, and that is the most important thing today."
— ANI (@ANI)
Kanimozhi, who is leading an all-party delegation, was addressing the Indian diaspora in Spain.
DMK has recently taken a leading role in opposing the Centre over the three-language formula proposed in the National Education Policy 2020.
Kanimozhi herself has taken on the Centre accusing it of "withholding funds to Tamil Nadu" for the three-language policy and NEP and "ruining the future of children". The DMK had protested against the Bhartiya Janata Party-led central government outside Parliament and in Tamil Nadu.

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Exposed: Inside Pakistan's Brutal Crackdown In Balochistan – Killings, Kidnappings And Silence
Exposed: Inside Pakistan's Brutal Crackdown In Balochistan – Killings, Kidnappings And Silence

India.com

time26 minutes ago

  • India.com

Exposed: Inside Pakistan's Brutal Crackdown In Balochistan – Killings, Kidnappings And Silence

Geneva/Balochistan/New Delhi: Blood on the sand. Balochistan bleeds again. Pakistan hunts its own. Killings. Kidnappings. Torture. Global watchdogs raise alarm. No action. No justice. Voices vanish. Bodies dumped. Families shattered. And ironically, the world stays silent. Balochistan screams in daylight. The Baloch human rights group, Paank, has condemned the recent alleged extrajudicial killings of Samiullah (son of Muhammad Hanif) and Bismillah (son of Ghulam Sarwar), whose bullet-ridden bodies were discovered on June 3 in the Ganda Gain neighbourhood of Kalat. The two young men, residents of Padang Abad, Mastung, were abducted by Pakistani security agencies on May 29, only to be found lifeless and tossed aside like trash. 'This is not law enforcement; it is a barbaric campaign of annihilation,' Paank posted on X. Paank unequivocally condemns the extrajudicial killing of Samiullah son of Muhammad Hanif and Bismillah son of Ghulam Sarwar, residents of Padang Abad, Mastung district, whose bodies were discovered on June 3, 2025, in the Ganda Gain area of Sheikhri, Kalat. Levies sources… — Paank (@paank_bnm) June 4, 2025 Levies sources confirmed to news agency ANI the brutality and said the victims were shot, discarded and later transported to RHC Mangochar. The purported massacre joins a list of alleged atrocities being documented month after month in Balochistan, including 'staged encounters, torture and targeted assassinations'. The figures speak volumes. Just in February, Paank recorded five 'extrajudicial' killings and 33 'enforced disappearances'. The body of Mehrab, tortured to death, was found in Kech on April 6. Another, Rehana, was allegedly gunned down in Awaran while trying to save her husband from abduction. Sher Khan Nazar was allegedly kidnapped on April 15. Zabid Ali was reportedly pulled from his home in Chaghi on May 11. These are not only numbers; they are lives erased and families destroyed. Paank strongly condemns the continued practice of enforced disappearances carried out by Pakistani security forces in #Balochistan On June 4, 2025, Pakistani forces extrajudicially detained Babu Jan, son of Muhammad Shafa, from his home in Killi Bahram Shai, Mastung district, at… — Paank (@paank_bnm) June 4, 2025 Paank demands the safe and prompt recovery of three members of the same family who were forcibly disappeared in Pidarak area in Kech district #Balochistan 1. On June 3,2025, Sinkandar Baloch, son of Muhammad Anwar , a resident of Pidarak area in Kech district of Balochistan,… — Paank (@paank_bnm) June 4, 2025 Paank unequivocally condemns the extrajudicial killing of Samiullah son of Muhammad Hanif and Bismillah son of Ghulam Sarwar, residents of Padang Abad, Mastung district, whose bodies were discovered on June 3, 2025, in the Ganda Gain area of Sheikhri, Kalat. Levies sources… — Paank (@paank_bnm) June 4, 2025 Paank strongly condemns the ongoing extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances in Balochistan, exemplified by the brutal murder of Muslim Baloch in Khuzdar on June 3, 2025. Summoned by a death squad led by Shafiq Mengal and executed en route, Muslim Baloch's killing… — Paank (@paank_bnm) June 4, 2025 Paank strongly condemns the enforced disappearances of two Baloch youths by the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) in #Karachi. On May 30, 2025, Lal Muhammad Bugti, son of Aitbar Khan from Naseerabad, #Balochistan, was forcibly detained by CTD from Anwar Marri Goth, Karachi.… — Paank (@paank_bnm) June 2, 2025 Paank expresses grave concern over the alarming wave of enforced disappearances carried out by Pakistani security forces on June 1, 2025, in #Balochistan. At least seven individuals including Khalil Ahmed, Muhammad Wafa, Asim Farooq, Aurangzeb Muhammad Shahi, Ghulam Jan Shahwani,… — Paank (@paank_bnm) June 1, 2025 Paank strongly condemns the continued practice of enforced disappearances in Balochistan, where Pakistani security forces are systematically targeting civilians. •On May 29, 2025, Samiullah, son of Muhammad Hanif, and Bismillah, son of Ghulam Sarwar both residents of Padang… — Paank (@paank_bnm) June 1, 2025 Paank stands in solidarity with the campaign demanding justice for the victims of enforced disappearances. We urge everyone to raise their voice, unite, and stand against injustice. Join the online campaign for the safe release of Bahram Wahid, a 15-year-old matriculation… — Paank (@paank_bnm) June 1, 2025 Paank stands in solidarity with the campaign to demand justice for the victims of enforced disappearances. We urge everyone to raise their voice, unite, and stand against injustice. Join the online campaign to demand the safe release of Aimal Baloch. Date: 2 June 2025 … — Paank (@paank_bnm) June 1, 2025 Paank condemns escalating state violence in Awaran #Balochistan Paank strongly condemns the extrajudicial killing of Sageer Ahmed, a police employee and resident of Gwrjak Mashkai, who was brutally shot dead by a state-backed death squad in Shareeki Awaran, on May 30, 2025.… — Paank (@paank_bnm) May 31, 2025 PAANK strongly condemns the continued abduction of Baloch civilians by Pakistani security forces. •On May 8, Jumma Buzdar was forcibly disappeared from Kingri, Musakhel. •On May 9, Nasarullah Buzdar and his father Jamaluddin were abducted from Radasham, Musakhel. •On May 9,… — Paank (@paank_bnm) May 31, 2025 The tragic list grows: Zarina Marri abducted (still missing). Brahumdagh Bugti's sister & niece killed. Dr. Allah Nizar's wife & Prof. Aslam's sister abducted. Mahal, Dr. Mahrang Baloch, Gulzadi, Beebo Baloch, and now Majiben Baloch. When will this end?! #Balochistan… — Noora Baloch (@noorabaloch2) June 4, 2025 As international human rights groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch call on Pakistan to end this brutality, Islamabad continues to hide behind impunity. Meanwhile, the alleged clampdown continues. The Balochistan Home Department has extended the detention of Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leader Shah Ji Sibghatullah by another 30 days under the notorious Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) ordinance. It is his third consecutive extension. Arrested in April, he was first allegedly held in an undisclosed location before being moved to Hudda Jail. The state's condition for release? Stay away from protests, sit-ins and political activism. He refused. 'The judiciary must not obey the orders of the military and intelligence agencies. Unfortunately, both judges have surrendered the principles of justice to the state's will,' said the BYC while slamming the Balochistan High Court for rejecting release petitions. The state's paranoia about dissent is now allegedly spilling over to women and students. On June 4, protesters flooded the streets of Basima in Washuk district, demanding the immediate release of Mahjabeen Baloch and her brother Younus, allegedly abducted by Pakistani security forces on May 29 and May 24 respectively. No warrant. No charges. No court. Just vanishing in plain sight. Mahjabeen, a student of library science at the University of Balochistan, was allegedly dragged out of her hostel in Quetta by intelligence operatives. Her brother was reportedly snatched from their home. Since then, the family has received no word. The Baloch Women Forum called the act an 'act of cowardice' and demanded her unconditional release. 'This is becoming intolerable and intense,' the forum said. Sabiha Baloch of BYC minced no words, 'The state is blatantly continuing genocide against the Baloch. Our youth are being disappeared in daylight and darkness. Now they've started targeting women and children.' The protesters in Basima warned of a province-wide uprising if the siblings are not freed within 24 hours. 'If anything happens to Mahjabeen or Younus, the state and its institutions will be held fully responsible,' they declared. This is what #Balochistan looks like: tanks roll in, homes are burned, drones hover, & families run for their lives.#Pakistan's military doesn't bring peace—it brings destruction. This is the reality #Baloch people face.#PakistanTerroristState #FreeBalochistan @UN_OCT @hrw — Shanaaz Baloch (@ShanaazBaloch) June 3, 2025 Pakistan's alleged dark underbelly of terror in Balochistan has been laid bare – a 'terrifying blend of military might, intelligence cover-ups, judicial silence and systematic erasure of dissent'. While Islamabad lectures the world on democracy and sovereignty, it continues to crush an entire people within its borders. (With ANI inputs)

SP jibe at BJP: Caste census will be held under PDA govt
SP jibe at BJP: Caste census will be held under PDA govt

Time of India

time26 minutes ago

  • Time of India

SP jibe at BJP: Caste census will be held under PDA govt

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Allahabad High Court denies relief to Rahul Gandhi over remarks on Army
Allahabad High Court denies relief to Rahul Gandhi over remarks on Army

The Hindu

time41 minutes ago

  • The Hindu

Allahabad High Court denies relief to Rahul Gandhi over remarks on Army

Observing that freedom of speech is subject to reasonable restrictions, the Allahabad High Court last week denied relief to the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, in a defamation case filed against him over his alleged remarks against the Indian Army. Rejecting Mr. Gandhi's plea challenging the defamation case as well as the summoning order passed in February 2025 by an MP-MLA court in Lucknow, a Bench of Justice Subhash Vidyarthi on May 29 said the trial court was right to summon the Congress leader to face trial for the offence under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code, as it had taken into consideration all the relevant facts and circumstances of the case. 'No doubt over the fact that Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution of India guarantees freedom of speech and expression but this freedom is subject to reasonable restrictions and it does not include the freedom to make statements which are defamatory to any person or defamatory to the Indian Army. Therefore, the ratio laid down in Javed Ahmad Hajam (Supra) and Kaushal Kishore (Supra) would not apply to the facts of the present case,' the Court noted. The matter pertains to a case filed against Mr. Gandhi by a former Border Roads Organisation (BRO) Director, Uday Shankar Srivastava, who alleged that his statements, given after a clash between the Indian and Chinese armies on December 9, 2022, had defamed the Indian Army. The remarks were made by Mr. Gandhi during the Congress's Bharat Jodo Yatra on December 16, 2022. Also read: Rahul Gandhi's surrender barb insult of armed forces, says BJP The plea quoted Mr. Gandhi as allegedly saying, 'People will ask about Bharat Jodo Yatra, here and there, Ashok Gahlot and Sachin Pilot and whatnot. But they will not ask a single question about China capturing 2000 square kilometers of Indian territory, killing 20 Indian soldiers and thrashing our soldiers in Arunachal Pradesh. But the Indian press doesn't ask a question to them about this. Isn't it true? The nation is watching all this. Don't pretend that people don't know.' The lower court in Lucknow had in February summoned Mr. Gandhi in the case, following which the Congress leader approached the High Court. In his plea, Mr. Gandhi said the complainant was not an officer of the Indian Army and hence the defamation case did not hold water. While rejecting the contention of the Congress leader, the High Court noted that under Section 199(1) the Cr.P.C., a person other than the direct victim of an offence can also be considered an 'aggrieved person' if they are impacted by the offence.

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