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Indian Express
4 minutes ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Rajasthan party renews demand for a Bhil Pradesh for tribals, BJP leaders slam ‘divisive' move
Tribal leaders in southern Rajasthan and surrounding regions, led mainly by the Bharat Adivasi Party (BAP), have renewed their demand for a Bhil Pradesh, or a separate state for tribals, arguing it is a long-pending demand that should be met. The BAP founder and Lok Sabha MP from Banswara Rajkumar Roat, who is leading the campaign, said, 'If the government is truly supportive of the interests of tribals, then our long-standing demand for a Bhil Pradesh, which is essential for preserving the existence and identity of the tribal community, must be fulfilled.' While sharing on social media a proposed map of Bhil Pradesh – which tribal leaders say would include 49 districts across Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra – Roat said, 'The demand for Bhil Pradesh has been raised since before Independence as the culture, language, dialect, and customs of the people here are distinct from other regions.' 'In 1913, under the leadership of (social reformer) Govind Guru, more than 1,500 tribals were martyred at Mangarh for the demand of a Bhil Pradesh. After Independence, injustice was done to the people of this region by dividing Bhil Pradesh into four states,' Roat said. On Thursday, the BAP will also lead a Bhil Pradesh Sandesh Yatra to Mangarh Dham, Banswara, as a step towards 'fulfilling the unfulfilled dreams of our ancestors', Rajkumar Roat said. BAP national president Mohan Lal Roat said, 'Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution empower Parliament to form new states. When Telangana, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, and Chhattisgarh can be created, why not Bhil Pradesh? Three crore of us stand at the threshold of the Constitution – take a decision now or history will judge … We cannot be ruled (anymore) by dividing us.' Talking to The Indian Express, Mohan Lal Roat said, 'This is not a BAP issue but an issue of the people of the region. Jaipur is about 650 km from here so development is slow to reach. It is still a backward area and so we have been demanding a separate state.' On July 15, BAP and tribal leaders also submitted a memorandum at their local block offices to push their demand. As per the party president, about 60 blocks were covered in Rajasthan, 44 in Madhya Pradesh, 22 in Gujarat and about half a dozen blocks in Maharashtra, apart from Dadra and Nagar Haveli. He said this is an annual practice that has been ongoing for the last decade every July 15. 'The Constitution has also given special provisions to tribals for conservation of our languages and customs, and demanding a separate state is our Constitutional right,' he said. While BJP and Congress leaders in Rajasthan have avoided speaking on the issue – both parties fear alienating tribals, especially in the state's tribal-dominated Vagad region – veteran BJP leader Rajendra Rathore said, 'The conspiracy to break the pride, honour, and glory of Rajasthan will never succeed. The so-called 'Bhil Pradesh' map released by Rajkumar Roat is a shameful political stunt. It is not only an attack on the unity of glorious Rajasthan but also an attempt to spread confusion in the name of the tribal community and gain cheap popularity.' 'If someone is talking about Bhil Pradesh today, and tomorrow someone demands Maru Pradesh, will we divide our splendid history, heritage, and pride into pieces like this?' he said, adding that the map released by Roat 'falls under the category of treason against the state'. State BJP spokesperson Laxmikant Bhardwaj said, 'They are doing it of their own accord, there is no such demand or support for this from the public. They are misleading people to gain political ground; their divisive agenda is to serve their own political interests.' Congress leaders in Rajasthan, meanwhile, said it is a 'national issue as it covers multiple states and hence, it is for the party's national leadership to address.' While this Bhil Pradesh demand is made annually, it becomes louder with each passing year, and currently the BAP and Rajkumar Roat have become its most vocal proponents. Since the BAP's creation, tribals in the region have been consolidating under Roat through its propagation of the sentiment that the Congress and BJP have only used tribals for 'selfish ends'. The party was formed in September 2023 out of the Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP), which had two MLAs in Rajasthan in the previous Congress government. One of the BAP's chief aims, like the BTP, is the creation of a Bhil Pradesh. From the BTP's two MLAs in Rajasthan, the BAP now has four MLAs and one MP, with Roat defeating Congress rebel turned BJP candidate Mahendra Jeet Singh Malviya in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The latest move also helps the party tide over recent bad press over the arrest of its Bagidora MLA, Jaikrishn Patel, who was arrested by the Anti Corruption Bureau in May for allegedly accepting a Rs 20 lakh bribe for dropping three mining-related questions in the Rajasthan Assembly.
Indian Express
4 minutes ago
- Health
- Indian Express
Blood sugar signs you may ignore: My patient felt thirsty even in cool environs, felt itchy at night
A young man came to me saying he wasn't quite feeling himself lately, that he was just feeling 'a bit off.' So I asked him to list what was 'off.' He said that he was low on energy, feeling thirstier than usual even in cool environs and had broken sleep because he had to go to the washroom to urinate twice or thrice. His skin would itch at night, too. I also noticed that there were dark patches in the folds of his neck and a cut on his hand that had not healed even after 10 days. He was displaying signs of high blood sugar. The reason we tend to miss these signs is because they are subtle and easily explainable to other health conditions. If you're tired, you tell yourself, it's probably work. If you are urinating frequently at night, then you think it's because of all the fluid you had during the day or the extra tea and coffee. If you feel all too sleepy after eating, then you attribute that to the heaviness of the meal. If you have blurry vision, you think it is an eye problem, if it is dry mouth, you think you have not had enough water. Sometimes, you may have repeated urinary tract infections or darkening skin patches and rashes which you treat in isolation. But fact is that these are all signs of high blood sugar which can go unnoticed for years. Understanding red flags Itchy skin: This especially happens around the groin or underarms. Diabetes can disrupt the skin's ability to retain moisture, leading to dryness and itching. This is often due to impaired sweat and sebaceous gland function, which hydrates the skin. Dry skin can be exacerbated by poor circulation, a common complication of diabetes. Unexplained weight loss: If your body can't get enough fuel from your food, it goes to burn muscle and fat stores instead. So, the patient may lose weight. Extreme fatigue: This usually stems from being dehydrated because of constant urination. Poor vision: High blood sugar can damage blood vessels in your eyes and you may experience blurry vision. If left untreated, permanent damage can occur and lead to more complications. Delayed healing of wounds: High blood sugar can damage nerves and blood vessels, impairing blood circulation. So nutrients and oxygen do not reach the wounded area for proper healing. The same can cause tingling, numbness or pain in your hands and feet. Dizzy spells: Sometimes people may feel light-headed and dizzy, which passes off quite quickly. High blood sugar may result in dehydration, which affects concentration and memory. Irritability: Bouts of irritation and changing moods are indicative of rapid shifts in blood sugar. Unusual smelling breath: Low insulin levels lead to ketosis because the body, lacking sufficient insulin to utilise glucose for energy, turns to fat for fuel, producing ketones as a byproduct. This may further be broken down to acetones that smell like nail polish. At what age should one ideally get their first blood sugar test done? For most healthy adults, age 30 is a good time to begin routine blood sugar screening. However, if someone has risk factors, like a family history of diabetes, is overweight, has a sedentary lifestyle or has conditions like PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome), high blood pressure or high cholesterol, it's advisable to start even earlier — possibly in the mid-20s. What tests to take? A simple fasting blood sugar test, along with an HbA1c test (average blood sugar count of three months) are enough to start with. If needed, we may also do a postprandial (after-meal) test. In many cases, if the tests are done in the prediabetes stage, then its progression to full-blown diabetes can be avoided. That stage can often be reversed with lifestyle changes like diet, exercise and weight management. That's why early detection is so important. (Dr Mohan is chairman, Dr Mohan's Diabetes Specialities Centre, Chennai)
Indian Express
4 minutes ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Syrian govt, Druze leaders announce new ceasefire as Israel continues strikes
Syrian government officials and leaders in the Druze religious minority announced a renewed ceasefire Wednesday after days of clashes that have threatened to unravel the country's postwar political transition and drawn military intervention by powerful neighbor Israel. Convoys of government forces began withdrawing from the city of Sweida, but it was not immediately clear if the agreement, announced by Syria's Interior Ministry and in a video message by a Druze religious leader, would hold. A previous ceasefire announced Tuesday quickly fell apart, and a prominent Druze leader, Sheikh Hikmat Al-Hijri, disavowed the new agreement. Israeli strikes continued after the ceasefire announcement. The announcement came after Israel launched rare airstrikes in the heart of Damascus, an escalation in a campaign that it said was intended to defend the Druze and push Islamic militants away from its border. The Druze form a substantial community in Israel as well as in Syria and are seen in Israel as a loyal minority, often serving in the military. The escalation in Syria began with tit-for-tat kidnappings and attacks between local Sunni Bedouin tribes and Druze armed factions in the southern province of Sweida. Government forces that intervened to restore order clashed with the Druze militias, but also in some cases attacked civilians. The violence appeared to be the most serious threat yet to efforts by Syria's new rulers to consolidate control of the country after a rebel offensive led by Islamist insurgent groups ousted longtime despotic leader Bashar Assad in December, ending a nearly 14-year civil war. The new, primarily Sunni Muslim, authorities have faced suspicion from religious and ethnic minorities, especially after clashes between government forces and pro-Assad armed groups in March spiraled into sectarian revenge attacks. Hundreds of civilians from the Alawite religious minority, to which Assad belongs, were killed. No official casualty figures have been released for the latest fighting since Monday, when the Interior Ministry said 30 people had been killed. The UK-based war monitor Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said more than 300 people had been killed as of Wednesday morning, including four children, eight women and 165 soldiers and security forces. Israel has launched dozens of strikes targeting government troops and convoys heading into Sweida, and on Wednesday struck the Syrian Defense Ministry headquarters next to a busy square in Damascus that became a gathering point after Assad's fall. That strike killed three people and injured 34, Syrian officials said. Another Israeli strike hit near the presidential palace in the hills outside Damascus. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said after the initial Damascus airstrike in a post on X that the 'painful blows have begun.' Israel has taken an aggressive stance toward Syria's new leaders, saying it doesn't want Islamist militants near its borders. Israeli forces have seized a UN-patrolled buffer zone on Syrian territory along the border with the Golan Heights and launched hundreds of airstrikes on military sites in Syria. Kats said in a statement that the Israeli army 'will continue to attack regime forces until they withdraw from the area — and will also soon raise the bar of responses against the regime if the message is not understood.' An Israeli military official who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations said the army was preparing for a 'multitude of scenarios' and that a brigade, normally comprising thousands of soldiers, was being pulled out of Gaza and sent to the Golan Heights. Syria's Defense Ministry had earlier blamed militias in the Druze-majority area of Sweida for violating the ceasefire agreement reached Tuesday. Reports of attacks on civilians continued to surface, and Druze with family members in the conflict zone searched desperately for information about their fate amid communication blackouts. In Jaramana near the Syrian capital, Evelyn Azzam, 20, said she feared that her husband, Robert Kiwan, 23, was dead. The newlyweds live in the Damascus suburb, but Kiwan would commute to Sweida for work and got trapped there when the clashes erupted. Azzam said she was on the phone with Kiwan when security forces questioned him and a colleague about whether they were affiliated with Druze militias. When her husband's colleague raised his voice, she heard a gunshot. Kiwan was then shot while trying to appeal. 'They shot my husband in the hip, from what I could gather,' she said, struggling to hold back tears. 'The ambulance took him to the hospital. Since then, we have no idea what has happened.' A Syrian Druze from Sweida living in the United Arab Emirates said her mother, father and sister were hiding in a basement in their home near the hospital, where they could hear the sound of shelling and bullets outside. She spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear her family might be targeted. She had struggled to reach them, but when she did, she said, 'I heard them cry. I have never heard them this way before.' Another Druze woman living in the UAE with family members in Sweida, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said a cousin told her that a house where their relatives lived had been burned down with everyone inside it. It reminded her of when the Islamic State extremist group attacked Sweida in 2018, she said. Her uncle was among many civilians there who had taken up arms to fight back while Assad's forces stood aside. He was killed in the fighting. 'It's the same right now,' she told The Associated Press. The Druze fighters, she said, are 'just people who are protecting their province and their families.' The Druze religious sect began as a 10th-century offshoot of Ismailism, a branch of Shiite Islam. More than half of the roughly 1 million Druze worldwide live in Syria. Most of the other Druze live in Lebanon and Israel, including in the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Mideast War and annexed in 1981. Videos surfaced on social media of government-affiliated fighters forcibly shaving the mustaches of Druze sheikhs and stepping on Druze flags and pictures of religious clerics. Other videos showed Druze fighters beating captured government forces and posing by their bodies. AP reporters in the area saw burned and looted houses. The observatory said at least 27 people were killed in 'field executions.' Interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa issued a statement Wednesday condemning the violations and vowing that perpetrators would be punished. 'These criminal and illegal actions cannot be accepted under any circumstances, and completely contradicts the principles that the Syrian state is built on,' the statement read. Druze in the Golan gathered along the border fence to protest the violence against Druze in Syria. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that Washington is 'very concerned' about the Israel-Syria violence, which he attributed to a 'misunderstanding,' and has been in touch with both sides in an effort to restore calm.
Indian Express
4 minutes ago
- Climate
- Indian Express
South Korea lashed by heavy rain, 1 dead, more than 100 evacuated
One person has died and more than 100 people have been evacuated in South Korea after the country was lashed by torrential rain on Thursday, the safety ministry said. As of Thursday morning, some parts of the South Chungcheong region to the south of the capital Seoul had received more than 400 millimetres (15.7 inches) of rain since Wednesday, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said. Landslide alerts were raised to the highest level for several regions including Chungcheong as the heavy rains continued, according to the Korea Forest Service. Two people trapped in a landslide in South Chungcheong had been rescued, the Yonhap News Agency said.
Indian Express
6 minutes ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Teargas, water cannons and injured leaders as BJD hits the streets over Odisha student's death
Workers of the opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in Odisha clashed with the police on Wednesday as they tried to gherao the Lok Seva Bhawan seeking justice for a Balasore college student, who succumbed to injuries after setting herself on fire. The girl had taken the extreme step after her complaint alleging harassment by a professor was ignored. Tension escalated when the police blocked BJD workers, who were marching towards the Lok Seva Bhawan, the highest seat of power in the state, after breaching security barricades. Several senior BJD leaders, including former ministers Pranab Prakash Das, Pritiranjan Gharei and Rajya Sabha member Sulata Deo, sustained injuries as police fired tear gas shells and used water cannons to disperse the protesters. BJD sources said the injured are currently being treated at various hospitals. BJD leaders alleged the college student, who had flagged the issue with the institution and the police, could have been saved had the government intervened in the matter when she tried to reach out to the party's leadership, including Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and the state's higher education minister Suryabanshi Suraj. 'It's just the beginning of the protest in the state capital. We want to warn the government that it will be intensified and spread across the state. They cannot silence our voice by using police force. We will continue to protest against the BJP government until they order a judicial probe and the education minister and chief minister resign,' senior BJD leader Sanjay Dasburma said. Senior BJD leader Arun Kumar Sahoo said the protest reflected the anger of the people against the state government, which has failed to protect women. Before the protest, police had made elaborate security arrangements by erecting barricades on routes leading to Lok Seva Bhawan. Officials said several hundred BJD leaders and workers were detained for violating 'prohibitory orders'. The BJD has also been observing an eight-hour bandh from 6 am till 2 pm in the Balasore district. While traffic came to a standstill on major routes, including the Chennai-Howrah NH-16 in Balasore, commercial establishments, major markets, and educational institutes remained closed. Railway services have also been affected due to the shutdown, with BJD workers seen protesting on the tracks in several places.
