Latest news with #Bhat
The Hindu
4 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Of 2,899 complaints against police personnel, only 40 referred to Karnataka Human Rights Commission's police wing
The number of complaints alleging human rights violations by police personnel in the State is on the rise. While a total of 5,385 complaints were filed in 2024, the Karnataka State Human Rights Commission (KSHRC) has already received 2,899 complaints by May 30 this year. However, the police wing, headed by an Additional Director General of Police rank officer - meant to assist the commission by probing such complaints - has been referred only 40 complaints so far this year. This has raised eyebrows, especially given the fact that by the end of May, investigations by the police wing of the Commission have led to the indictment of as many as 15 police personnel. T. Sham Bhat, the acting chairman of the commission, said that only serious cases are referred to the police wing for investigation. 'Many complaints are regarding illegal detention by police personnel in districts outside Bengaluru, where timely intervention is needed. Sending police from here may not serve the purpose. So we refer cases from other districts to respective the Deputy Commissioners. Many complaints also pertain to deaths in prisons, which we refer to senior officials in the Department of Prisons and Correctional Services,' he said. Demand for a full-time chairperson The commission has been without a full-time chairperson for the past 14 months now, and Mr. Bhat has been serving as the acting chairman during the time. Several human rights activists have been demanding the immediate appointment of a full-time chairperson from the state government. 'A chairperson must be appointed without delay, as a headless commission means that the KSHRC is abysmally failing in its duty to protect human rights, especially when the state is the violator. If the Congress government claims fidelity to the Constitution, they must act now, to ensure that the KSHRC becomes functional and the constitutional mandate is fulfilled,' said Arvind Narrain, President, People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), Karnataka.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Men face serious charges for exploiting natural disaster for profit: 'Criminals took advantage'
Two men have been charged with using industrial machinery to harvest sand from a protected forest, according to MENAFN. The mining had been reportedly taking place by the Doodh Ganga River, in the Jammu and Kashmir region of northern India. The illegal mining reportedly ramped up when a lethal shooting distracted law enforcement officials. Sand mining accelerates land erosion, which poses equal threats to both wildlife and humans that use the habitat. Bridges have been known to collapse thanks to nearby sand mining, for example. Illegal mining in Kenya has led to full-blown violent cartels controlling supply. Mining in India poses threats to wildlife as well. Jammu and Kashmir is home to threatened species like the markhor, musk deer, and snow leopard, all of which stand to suffer from further loss of habitat. Sand mining has been conducted worldwide along beaches, riverbeds, and low-lying coastal communities to their detriment. The demand for sand has been accelerating to meet the needs of the construction industry, particularly in cement and glass production. Sand aside, concrete production already generates a significant amount of pollution. Concrete recycling is making progress to viability, but it is still not common enough to displace virgin production and all of the environmental costs that come with it. An environmental activist in India, Dr. Raja Muzaffar Bhat, has been posting online for some time to raise awareness about this critical problem. "I am thankful to the concerned authorities for taking action. It is shameful that criminals took advantage of the national focus on the Pahalgam tragedy to loot the forest," Bhat said, per MENAFN. "The accused must be held accountable, and their machinery — like the JCB and tipper — should be confiscated. Furthermore, the Geology and Mining Department officials involved should face penalties, and environmental compensation should be sought from them." Do you think America does a good job of protecting its natural beauty? Definitely Only in some areas No way I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Revitalised Kuthlur government school all set to reopen on Friday
A portion of the corridor at the government school in Kuthlur village, Belthangady taluk of Dakshina Kannada, features murals of all eight Kannada Jnanpith award recipients, including Kota Shivarama Karanth. Ra. Bendre and Kuvempu. Another section of the corridor features murals of the human body, an Indian map, and portraits of national personalities, including Mahatma Gandhi and Saalumarada Thimmakka. A team of artists led by Sudhakar from Moodbidri has given a new look to the school, which reopens on May 30, Friday. President of the School Development and Monitoring Committee, Ramachandra Bhat, said the school follows the 'Nali Kali' (play and learn) system of teaching primary school students. The mural paintings have been created to support this teaching system. A scene of an aquarium has been painted in a classroom that is scheduled to be turned into a smart classroom. There are paintings related to popular tourist places, such as Mysuru Palace, Halebidu, Vidhana Soudha, and Jog Falls, in another classroom. The solar system has also been painted in a portion of the school building. The exterior of the new toilet, constructed using ₹8 lakh from MRPL's CSR funds, has a painting showing the scene in a village,' Mr. Bhat said. A fresh coat of paint has been applied to the school using funds sanctioned by the Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who recently received a bag full of vegetables grown in the school, has donated two computers and a projector to the school. Mr. Siddaramaiah's Press Advisor, K.V. Prabhakar, has donated a pair of uniforms and a bag to each of the 104 school students. BASF India donated books and other materials, worth ₹1 lakh, to students. A function to felicitate all the donors will be held in the school on May 30, Mr. Bhat said. The Dakshina Kannada Union of Working Journalists had conducted its 'village stay' at this school in 2018, acting as a bridge between the government and the people of the village to address their grievances.
Scroll.in
4 days ago
- Politics
- Scroll.in
A border ran through it: The life and lonely death of an 80-year-old Kashmiri man
Around 7 in the morning on April 26, there was a knock on the door of the Bhat family home in Srinagar. The visitor was a low-ranking official from Jammu and Kashmir police's Criminal Investigation Department. He had come with a 'Notice to Leave India' for one of the members of the family – an 80-year-old bedridden and immobile man, Abdul Waheed Bhat. Four days before, a terror attack in Pahalgam had left 26 civilians dead. It soon pushed India and Pakistan to the brink of war. In response to Pakistan's purported involvement in the terrorist attack, India directed states to identify Pakistani nationals and ensure their exit. The Jammu and Kashmir police officials were at Bhat's door to carry out that order. For three days, Bhat's family tried to reason with the authorities and the police to prevent his deportation. They asserted that he was not a Pakistani national, even though Indian authorities claimed so. 'He was born in Srinagar and had lived most of his life in Kashmir, barring 15 years that he spent in Pakistan,' a relative of Bhat, who did not want to be identified, told Scroll. 'He had been living in Kashmir since 1980.' They submitted his medical reports, which showed that he could not speak or stand, nor be left alone without assistance. Besides, the authorities had no answers about where in Pakistan Bhat was being sent. Despite their pleas, on the morning of April 29, the Jammu and Kashmir police put Abdul Waheed Bhat, paralysed and unable to communicate, on a bus headed for the Attari border in Punjab. There was no one with him, except for 40-odd Pakistani nationals brought from various parts of Jammu and Kashmir to be deported to Pakistan. A day later, as Indian officials tried to put together the paperwork needed for his deportation, Bhat died in the bus outside the check post in Attari – alone and unattended, on the cusp of India and Pakistan. He had nothing on him, except a few medicines, some diapers, prescriptions, a blanket and a water bottle. In his death as in his life, the shadows cast by hostilities between India and Pakistan – by the border that divided the two countries – had caught up with Abdul Waheed Bhat. A life-changing visit Like countless others, Bhat's life was shaped by the events set in motion by the Partition of British India in 1947. Bhat was born in Khanyar, a neighbourhood in Srinagar's downtown area, the youngest of his parents' four children, a relative of his told Scroll. He declined to be identified. Bhat's father was an officer in the customs and excise department. In 1965, when Bhat must have been in Class 3 or 4, he travelled to Pakistan along with his maternal aunt, whose two sons had moved there after Partition. 'They had gone to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir without any visa or any other document,' the relative said. 'At that time, all one needed to go to the other side was a legal permit, which they had.' In the 1960s, it was common for Kashmiris to travel across the border under a permit system, introduced in 1948. The system regulated travel between the two parts of Jammu and Kashmir, explained Shahla Hussain, associate professor of South Asian History at St. John's University, New York. 'This was separate from the broader India-Pakistan passport and visa scheme adopted in 1952, which governed travel between the two countries more generally,' Hussain told Scroll in an email interview. Unlike passports, the permits to travel to the other side 'were issued by the state government and required elaborate approvals', said Hussain, the author of a book titled Kashmir in the Aftermath of Partition in 2021. 'It is plausible that Bhat used such a permit route to travel to Pakistan-administered Kashmir in the 1960s.' But fate had other plans for Bhat as he stepped into the part of Kashmir under the control of Pakistan. Shortly after their arrival, a war between India and Pakistan broke out. In August 1965, India and Pakistan engaged in a military conflict over Kashmir. This was the second war – after 1948 – between the two countries over the region. The hostilities between the two neighbours only ceased following diplomatic intervention by the United States and the USSR. 'Bhat and his aunt could not return and got stuck there,' the relative said. 'When the borders reopened after some time, Bhat's aunt chose to remain in Pakistan with her sons. Bhat's family in Kashmir asked him to stay back with her.' Five years later, a message arrived from home for Bhat. 'In April 1970, Bhat's mother passed away,' the relative said. 'The loss left a deep void in his father's life. That's when he asked Bhat to return to Kashmir.' But returning to Kashmir was not as easy as it had been five years before. The war had hardened the borders. Movement across the ceasefire line – which became the Line of Control after the 1972 Simla Agreement between Indian and Pakistan – was significantly curtailed after the 1965 war, said Hussain. 'Although the permit system technically remained in place, in practice, I presume it might have become increasingly difficult to enter the Indian side of Kashmir, particularly for individuals who had spent extended periods in Pakistan,' she said. 'Such individuals might have often been perceived as potential security risks and subjected to intense scrutiny. Bhat had travelled to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir through a process that did not involve any passport or visa, without any documents of citizenship. When he wanted to return to his home in Srinagar, his entry was barred. 'Bhat was forced to apply for a Pakistani passport,' the relative said. That itself took another decade. After staying in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir for around 15 years, Bhat finally stepped foot in India in 1980. 'He was welcomed with a huge reception by his family at the Attari-Wagah border,' the relative said. 'Yes, the same border where he eventually died.' A new life Back in Kashmir, Abdul Waheed Bhat settled down in his ancestral home in Khanyar locality in Srinagar. He started a poultry business and went on with his life. It was a peaceful time. A militant movement seeking an independent Kashmir was yet to roil the Valley. But the shadow of his long-stay in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir never really left him alone. A few years after his return, the Jammu and Kashmir police lodged a first information report against him for his alleged 'overstay in India'. A chargesheet was presented in the case. 'However, the court acquitted him of all charges, stating that the prosecution had failed to prove the case,' the relative said. What this meant is that the Indian government had failed to prove that Abdul Waheed Bhat was a Pakistani national. Nevertheless, Bhat never forgot the fact that he did not fit easily into the grid of citizenship, that there was no official recognition of his identity – a Kashmiri on a Pakistani passport, who lived in India. 'He did not get married as he always believed that he was neither recognised as a Pakistani nor as an Indian,' the relative said. 'As he was constantly under surveillance, he thought it would be better to not ruin a girl's life by marrying her.' Deteriorating health With the passage of years, Bhat's health deteriorated, though he continued to live on his own. In 2016, Bhat suffered a major heart attack, prompting doctors to implant several stents in his body. Five years later, in 2021, he had a brain stroke. Two more strokes followed in 2022 and 2023. In 2025, just two months before his death, Bhat suffered another stroke that left his body completely paralysed. As a result, he shifted to the home of his sister, his only surviving sibling, on the outskirts of Srinagar. 'He could not even eat on his own and was completely dependent on others,' the relative added. A medical condition certificate issued by a block medical officer in January this year following a physical inspection of Bhat states that the 'brain stroke couple of years back … has triggered a neuromuscular disability resulting in his confinement to bed'. The certificate, accessed by Scroll, also noted that Bhat has been 'bedridden for more than five years and the disability seems to be of permanent nature'. It declares, 'He is not at all able to stand on his own.' The doctor-certified document also mentions that Bhat was on 'psychotropic medication' as his 'physical stress' had turned him 'irritable' and 'hostile'. It adds, '…in his best interest he should not be left without any attendant overlooking his safety.' The deportation Two days after the 'Notice to Leave India' was handed over to Bhat's family, police officials paid several visits to the house of Bhat, taking his photographs and telling him that he had to leave India. 'But Bhat could not understand anything,' the relative said. The requests from his family members to the police officials to not deport him went unheeded. A senior security official in Jammu and Kashmir said the decision to deport Pakistani nationals had been taken by the Centre. 'We were just executing the orders,' said the official, who declined to be identified. The official conceded that the family had approached the administration and police authorities with Bhat's medical records. 'The situation was really tense at that time,' he said. 'The local administration could not have intervened in a decision made by the Union government.' Later that night, at 11, the local police station called a relative of Bhat and asked them to bring him to the police station. 'They said they had to take some photographs,' the relative said. 'When Bhat arrived with some family members, they were informed that a few police personnel from the station would accompany him to the Police Control Room.' On reaching the Police Control Room in Srinagar, Bhat's family realised that he was going to be deported. Dozens of civilians had been lined up and three buses were on standby. 'Around 3.30 am on April 29, the police officials put all the civilians on these buses and drove off for Punjab,' the relative said. According to the relative, the family was not allowed to follow the buses that were being escorted by security vehicles. However, the senior administration official told Scroll that relatives of the deportees had not been prohibited from accompanying them till the border. 'Along with Bhat, there were 36 other Pakistani nationals living in Jammu and Kashmir who were taken for deportation to Pakistan,' he said. 'If their family members could reach Attari by following these buses, one wonders why his family did not.' For nearly a day and a half, Bhat's family had no information about his condition. Around 8 pm on April 30, Bhat's family in Srinagar received a call from a police station in Punjab, informing them that he had died. The family still has no clear idea about Bhat's final moments. 'We heard from someone that he had died of dehydration,' the relative said. 'He had likely remained in the bus the entire time and being completely paralysed, he must have been unable to ask anyone for water or help.' Bhat's body was brought back by the Srinagar administration on the night of May 1. The next morning, around 8.30, Bhat was laid to rest at his ancestral graveyard in Srinagar's Malkha locality. 'His funeral prayers were held in Khanyar, where he was born and grew up,' the relative added. His family is haunted by several questions about Bhat's lonely death on the India-Pakistan border. His relative said: 'The question that will always remain is: 'Who killed Abdul Waheed Bhat?''
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First Post
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- First Post
Netflix's 'Black Warrant' actor Rahul Bhat on his film 'Kennedy' being unreleased in India: 'It hurts because...'
Bhat also said, 'It's gone all over the world, and it has been received so well, with a thumping response. It had been to Cannes and within minutes the tickets were sold.' read more Netflix's 'Black Warrant' actor Rahul Bhat did Anurag Kashyap's 2023 thriller Kennedy that was also showcased at the Mumbai Film Festival that year and opened to rave reviews. But it still remains unreleased in India. And talking about the same, the actor said, 'There's a possibility that it will be released this year. We worked so hard on that film. It hurts, because what is acting all about if people don't see? Why do we make movies or art?' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD He added, 'For people to appreciate it, see it, and tell you the good things, criticise you but tell you something! The whole purpose of art is to reach people. If it doesn't reach people, then what's the point?' Bhat also said, 'It's gone all over the world, and it has been received so well, with a thumping response. It had been to Cannes and within minutes the tickets were sold. In Toronto too, tickets were sold the moment they opened it. " He continued, 'Here in Mumbai, I think they said in one-minute tickets were sold. In Kolkata, 2000 people were inside and 3000 were outside! There was a lathi charge. In producero ke kaan mein kuch sunai nahi padta hai ya kya pata nahi (I don't know if this news even reached the producer), it's crazy.' In Kennedy, there's an operatic feel even to the unflinching violence and humor Kashyap establishes in his scenes. There's something gorgeous about the way he shoots brutality. The stretch involving jokes on Covid-19, a quarrelling family, and two gruesome murders in quick succession particularly stands out. Kennedy begins with a quote of William Wordsworth about poets, their gladness, and madness, and despondency. This could also reflect on the characters in the film. The first shot shows Kennedy, the washed out hero, peeling an apple while smoking a cigarette. The never-ending peel comes off smoothly, the man knows how to strip something naked. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
