15:52 What’s the fuss about, ask viewers as ‘Padmaavat’ releases:
Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmaavat finally opened today amid tight security and palpable tension but audiences streamed in to theatres across the country to watch the film that has the nation agog.
Initial reports suggested good business for the film, which has been the focal point of protests by various Rajput groups, which allege that it distorts their history and defames their queen Padmavati.
While the occupancy in Delhi was around 60 to 70 per cent for the first show at 9 am, in Mumbai it was lower at 40-45 per cent.
Shows later in the day, including late night, were almost packed. Given that it’s a long weekend, trade analysts were hopeful that business would be good.
“The response has been positive so far. We are hopeful it will increase during the day and in the evening,” Mumbai-based Nitin Datar, a member of the Cinema Owners and Exhibitors Association of India, told PTI.
Many of those who watched the film condemned the violence of the last few weeks, particularly the stoning of a schoolbus in Gurugram yesterday, and said the film has nothing objectionable in it.
In some halls, like the Satyam cineplex in west Delhi, the entire front row was occupied by uniformed security personnel. The hall also had bouncers.
The Rs 150 crore Sanjay Leela Bhansali-directed film is a period drama based on 16th century poet Malik Muhammad Jayasi’s epic Padmavat.
Deepika Padukone plays Rani Padmavati in the film, which also features Shahid Kapoor as Maha Rawal Ratan Singh and Ranveer Singh as Alauddin Khilji.
A Rajput viewer, who requested anonymity, made it a point to watch the first show in Mumbai’s Cinepolis and said it was an “excellent” effort by Bhansali and actually glorifies their culture.
He also said there was nothing offensive in the movie, or in the “Ghoomar” song.
“I am a Rajput and it pains me to see why people are behaving the way they are over this film. The violence, the threats, all are unnecessary and sad. We don’t and can never support that,” he said.
Chunky Mehta, who also watched the film in the same theatre, said it presents the Rajput community in a good light and it is a “shame” that some people are creating an unsafe atmosphere. — PTI
Image: Security personnel guard outside a cinema house in Delhi after release of the film Padmaavat on Thursday. Photograph: Ravi Choudhary/PTI Photo
The national capital has been brought under a ground-to-air security cover in view of the Republic Day celebrations and the visit of 10 ASEAN leaders for a high-profile summit here, a senior police official said today.
Thousands of armed personnel have been keeping a tight vigil for Republic Day in Delhi and in border areas of the city to ensure a smooth passage of the celebrations tomorrow.
Additional security personnel will be deployed on high- rises with anti-aircraft guns, the official said.
CCTV cameras have been installed and control rooms have been set up to monitor the feed from the cameras. Police officials were maintaining a tight vigil at strategic points.
All market places have been put on alert and Delhi Police teams were carrying out security audits. The police has deployed dog squads in key market areas.
Leaves of police personnel have been cancelled, the official said.
The entire central and New Delhi region will have nearly 50,000 security personnel drawn from the Delhi Police and the central security forces. Several security layers have been put in place and Delhi Police personnel along with paramilitary and NSG commandos have been deployed.
The visiting ASEAN leaders, after attending an ASEAN summit here today, will be the chief guests at the Republic Day parade tomorrow.
The ASEAN is a multilateral body, comprising Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. — PTI
15:07 Muslims, Dalits done, ‘they’ are now entering our homes: Kejriwal:
The forces that “killed Muslims and burnt Dalits” are now “intruding into our homes, coming after our children”, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said today, condemning the attack on a school bus by a mob protesting the release of ‘Padmaavat’ in Gurgaon.
Kejriwal said it was imperative to “speak up” against “divisive forces” as people cannot afford to remain silent anymore like “they were” when Muslims and Dalits were targeted in the country in the past.
“I appeal to everyone. We cannot afford to remain silent anymore. They killed Muslims, burnt Dalits alive, thrashed them. Today, they have started pelting our children with stones, have started intruding into our comes. Don’t remain silent now, speak up,” Kejriwal said.
The Delhi chief minister was speaking at a state-level event to celebrate Republic Day at north Delhi’s Chhatrasal Stadium in New Delhi.
In the nearly 40-minute-long speech, marked by a combative tone, Kejriwal said it was a matter of “shame” that schoolchildren were pelted with stones a few kilometres away from the national capital ahead of the Republic Day.
Kejriwal said people involved in yesterday’s incident should be given strong punishments, “harsher than the punishment Lord Rama had given to Ravana”.
“It is the land of Rama, Krishna, Gautam Budhha, Mahavira, Guru Nanak, Kabir and Meera, followers of Prophet Mohammad and Jesus Christ. I want to ask were the people who hurled stones Hindus, Muslims or Christians? Which religion preaches violence against children?
“I am raising this issue ahead of Republic Day with a heavy heart as I love my nation. I cannot see such violence in the country. People here love their country and want peace and love. I request the powers at the Centre (Hukum marano), please spare us,” he said. — PTI
Acknowledging that Pakistan’s relationship with the United States is “under stress”, the country’s envoy in Washington has urged the US not to look at Islamabad with a “very narrow approach” through one lens or the other.
The US has recently suspended about USD 2 billion in security aid to Pakistan for failing to clamp down on the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani Network terror groups and dismantle their safe havens.
The freezing of all security assistance to Pakistan comes after US President Donald Trump, in a New Year’s Day tweet, accused the country of giving nothing to the US but “lies and deceit” and providing “safe haven” to terrorists in return for USD 33 billion aid over the last 15 years.
“Currently, it (US-Pakistan relationship) is under stress. I must admit,” Pakistan’s ambassador to the US Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry told a Washington audience this week.
Chaudhry said he believes that this is because in the US, sometimes, Pakistan is looked at from one lens or the other.
“Sometimes we are viewed through the lens of Afghanistan, and since United States is not making progress in Afghanistan, that could actually be up against failure. Perhaps it is through — because of Pakistan and therefore tendency to view Pakistan in that narrow lens,” he said.
He said that sometimes, it is viewed through the lens of China, which is an emerging rival of the US, perhaps Pakistan being close to China is not going to be friendly with the US.
“Sometimes, it is viewed through the lens of India, that India now is a strategic partner for the US and is expected by the US to play a larger role in the Indo-pacific region. And since Pakistan is not on good terms with India, therefore, Pakistan perhaps is not worth to maintain relationships,” the Pakistan envoy said.
“It is also viewed purely from a counter-terrorism lens or security lens. I believe this is a very narrow approach to a country the size of Pakistan and the potential of Pakistan,” he said in his appearance before the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a top American think-tank. — Lalit K Jha/PTI
14:01 Amid protests in India, Padmaavat to be released in Pak without any cuts:
Pakistan censor board has cleared the controversial Indian film Padmaavat without any cuts for screening in the country.
Islamabad-based Central Board of Film Censors chairman Mobashir Hasan took to the social media to announce that the film has been passed by the board.
“Central Board of Film Censors has declared a feature film containing Indian cast and crew, ‘Padmaavat’, without any excision suitable for public exhibition in the cinemas with a ‘U’ certification,” he wrote on Twitter.
With the clearance, Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s period drama is all set to be released in Pakistan, removing fears that the film could face cuts due to the negative portrayal of Alauddin Khilji, a Muslim ruler of the Delhi Sultanate.
“CBFC isn’t biased in arts, creativity and healthy entertainment,” Hasan added.
According to the officials the CBFC had also invited Professor Waqar Ali Shah, Chairman, Department of History, Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad to check the historical references in the film.
The movie is facing protests as it releases in India today. — Sajjad Hussain/PTI
13:48 Lose weight, take care of your health: Modi’s advice for ministers: His roster of appointments at Davos done, Prime Minister Narendra Modi left the Swiss town on Tuesday night and flew into New Delhi early on Wednesday. Soon after, he presided over meetings of the Cabinet Committee on Security, Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs and the Union Cabinet.
After NSA Ajit Doval’s briefing on the overall international scenario, Modi gave his inputs from the World Economic Forum meetings. He was keen to know about the 10 ASEAN heads of states who will be in Delhi for Republic Day and how to ensure their security.
Modi was in a relaxed mood, we are told, and told a few of his ministers that they should lose weight and take care of their health, else it will not be good for the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. He also praised BJP chief Amit Shah for losing 20 kilos in the hectic Gujarat poll campaign.
The BJP’s legal minds are convinced that the impeachment, a judicial power, cannot be used by politicians to threaten the judiciary.
The party’s top leadership believes that CPM boss Sitaram Yechury wants use the impeachment motion to divert the attention from the fact that the party is facing an existential crisis. With two views emerging from the recent meeting of the central committee, Yechury’s fate as general secretary hangs in balance. Hence, this diversion, the BJP leaders say.
13:30 Driver kept moving or worse could have happened: Gurugram bus conductor:
A day after a school bus was attacked in Gurugram by a mob protesting the film Padmaavat, the bus conductor said the driver kept moving the bus even after protestors continued pelting stones on the bus.
“Protesters were pelting stones on cars and clashing with Police. We tried to navigate safely but got caught in the violence. Fortunately we were able to ensure safety of children which was our priority,” bus conductor Vijender told ANI.
While speaking to NDTV the conductor said that it was driver who kept moving the bus or worse could have happened.
Around 20-25 students of the G D Goenka World School in Gurugram had a narrow escape yesterday when a frenzied mob protesting the release Padmaavat attacked their bus.
Neeta Bali, Principal of the school said, “Students and teachers are safe now. Our staff handled the situation. Teachers didn’t let students panic. We are grateful to our staff who were able to tackle the situation so beautifully as they are trained for this.
The students were on their way home when a group of around 60 protesters, believed to be members of a fringe group, attacked the bus with bamboo sticks asking the driver to stop the vehicle.
When the driver did not comply, the miscreants pelted the vehicle with stones apparently to hurt the children.
The school bus staffer asked the kids to crawl under seats for safety and directed the driver to not stop it, Ravinder Kumar, public relations officer, Gurugram Police said.
The Madras high court has allowed a 40-year-old convict serving life imprisonment in the central prison in Tirunelveli district to go on a two-week leave for the “purpose of procreation”.
A division bench of Justices S Vimala Devi and T Krishna Valli granted the two-week temporary leave to Siddique Ali, an inmate of Palayamkottai Central jail on a Habeas Corpus petition filed by his 32-year-old wife.
The bench then observed that it was time the government forms a committee to consider allowing conjugal visits to prisoners and that many countries had given them such rights.
“It is time the government constitutes a committee to consider possibilities of providing conjugal visits and analyse the merits and demerits of permitting conjugal visits,” it said.
The judges further noted that the Centre had already passed a resolution that conjugal visits are a right and not privilege and prisoners should be entitled to have their wish.
“The right of prisoners for conjugal visits has been recognised in a few countries. If prisons are overcrowded the government should find solution for such problems,” they said.
“Conjugal visits help prisoners maintain relationship with families, reduce recidivism and motivate and an incentive to good prisoners. Reforming the prisoners is part of the correctional mechanism provided in the criminal justice,” the judges observed.
In the present case, the judges said preliminary investigation has found that there was a possibility of the prisoner having a child.
After due medical treatment on release, an additional two weeks leave could be considered, they added.
Rejecting the plea of prison officials that Ali’s s life was in danger and there was no provision in the prison manual for giving leave on such grounds, the judges stated that under extraordinary reasons prisoners could be given leave.
“Providing for release of prisoner for the purpose of procreation of child with available law can be done. It can be interpreted as a request covered under extraordinary reason” they said.
The judges then directed the prison authorities to follow usual procedures and safeguards when the prisoner was out of jail.
They should provide an escort in civil dress, they added. — PTI
12:53 How the slaughter ban threatens India’s dairy industry: It’s not just slaughterhouses and leather tanneries that are affected by the government’s ban on the sale of cattle destined for slaughter at animal markets across the country.
‘Deprived of the option of turning their spent milkers into hamburgers, the farmers who make up India’s 5.3 trillion rupee dairy industry have little incentive to expand their herds, which threatens government plans to expand the milk supply,’ report Anindya Upadhyay, Pratik Parija, Kanika Sood and P R Sanjai in bloomberg.com.
‘Yogurt maker Danone SA is closing a factory near Delhi and exiting India’s market for fresh and long-life milk products to concentrate on its “best-performing’ nutrition and infant-formula brands, the Paris-based company said in a Jan. 12 statement,’ they point out.
Then there is the violence. ‘Last year, 11 people died in attacks by so-called cow vigilantes'”the deadliest year since IndiaSpend, a data journalism website, began tracking the hate crimes in 2010,’ the report points out.
11:39 Padmaavat row: SC to hear contempt pleas against Karni Sena, 4 states:
Two contempt pleas have been filed in the Supreme Court against the Karni Sena and four states — Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh — for failing to contain violence against controversial film Padmaavat.
The apex court agrees to hear plea filed by Congress supporter Tehseen Poonawalla on Monday.
A lawyer files separate plea seeking similar contempt action against the Karni Sena and its office-bearers for violating apex court orders.
Defying the Supreme Court order, Rajput outfits went on rampage in several states, clashing with police, burning vehicles and vandalising malls.
The protestors did not even spare children, attacking a bus full of students in Gurugram.
The SC had on Tuesday rejected the pleas filed by Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh seeking modification of its January 18 order that had paved the way for the nationwide release of Padmaavat, and sternly warned the protestors to “abide by our order”.
We will not modify our order. Otherwise these people, who are taking to the streets, will make a virtue of creating trouble. They will first create trouble and then make a virtue of it, the top court had strongly observed.
Image: A notice put up outside PVR Cinemas in Gurugram’s Ambience Mall. Photograph: ANI
11:14 Elton John says upcoming tour will be his last:
Veteran musician Elton John has decided to retire from touring after almost 50 years in the music scene.
“I’m not going to be touring anymore. Apart from the last tour that is going to start in September,” the eight-time Grammy winner, 70, said during the live streaming event, revealing that he will embark on the three-year Farewell Yellow Brick Road global tour before he retires.
“My priorities have changed in my life. We had children and that changed our lives. In 2015, David (Furnish) and I sat down with the school schedule and I said, ‘I don’t want to miss too much of this.’
“My life has changed. My priorities now are my children and my husband and my family,” he added.
John is not vowing to never perform on concert again after 2021, but he was very specific about the limited form that might take.
“If I do live shows ever again. I would imagine it would be something like a residency, like Kate Bush did at the Hammersmith Apollo; she did three weeks. I don’t want to travel. I won’t be going back to Europe; I will not be going back to Australia or Asia or South America, and probably not America,” he said.
Meanwhile, there will be no retirement from record-making.
“I definitely want to make a couple more albums, but that will be easy, because I can do that at home. I’ll be writing more musicals.” — PTI
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today urged the people eligible to vote to register themselves as voters in large numbers to strengthen the Indian democracy.
In his message on the National Voters’ Day today, Modi also congratulated the Election Commission on its anniversary.
“I urge all the eligible voters, particularly youngsters, to register themselves and strengthen our democracy with their participation. The power of a vote is immense,” Modi tweeted.
The National Voters’ Day is observed to mark the establishment of the Election Commission on this day in 1950, a day before India became a republic. — PTI
10:13 Class 1 student kidnapped in Delhi from school bus:
A Class 1 student was kidnapped in broad daylight in Delhi today by two bikers, who stopped a school bus full of children, shot the driver and runaway with the child.
The incident happened around 8 am near IBHAS hospital in Shahdara area.
According to eye witnesses, the men were on a black bike and fled towards UP with the child.
An FIR has been filed and crime branch has also been roped in to crack the case, police said.
Congress chief Rahul Gandhi hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party which leads the government in Haryana, where anti-“Padmaavat” protesters on Wednsday attacked a bus carrying school children, alleging the party’s use of “hatred and violence” is setting the country on fire.
The Congress President also condemned the violence against children by the mobs which have been protesting the release of the controversial film.
“There will never be a cause big enough to justify violence against children. Violence and hatred are the weapons of the weak. The BJP’s use of hatred and violence is setting our entire country on fire,” Gandhi tweeted.
The opposition party also slammed the BJP government in Haryana over its “failure” to maintain law and order in the state.
Around 20-25 students of a leading Gurgaon school had a narrow escape when a frenzied mob attacked their bus, a day ahead of the controversial film’s scheduled release.
Congress’s communications in-charge Randeep Surjewala took to Twitter to term the attack as “unacceptable” and “reprehensible” that endangered the lives of children.
“Unacceptable, reprehensible and devastating as vandals attack school bus and Haryana Roadways bus in Gurgaon endangering the lives of innocent children and passengers.”
“Terrified children cry inconsolably and anarchy prevails. Khattar Govt fails again miserably in upholding law and order (sic),” he tweeted.
The students were on their way home when a group of around 60 protesters, believed to be members of a fringe group, attacked their bus with bamboo sticks asking the driver to stop the vehicle. The miscreants also pelted the bus with stones.
Violent protestors also torched a bus in Sohna, where they pelted a fire tender with stones and forced it back when it came to douse the fire, local officials said. — PTI
09:17 Legislation introduced in US Senate to end aid to Pakistan:
A legislation seeking to prohibit the United States from sending nearly USD 2 billion of taxpayer’s money to Pakistan was introduced in the Senate on Wednesday by a top Republican leader.
The bill introduced by Senator Rand Paul seeks to redirect those funds, amounting to USD 1.28 billion from the State Department and USD 852 million from United States Agency for International Development to the Highway Trust Fund.
Early this month, US President Donald Trump had supported such a move by Paul.
Trump after assuming office has been criticising Pakistan for providing safe havens to militants.
In his first tweet of 2018, Trump said that the US had foolishly given Pakistan more than USD 33 billion in aid over the last 15 years, while Pakistan had returned only lies and deceit.
Congressman Mark Sanford from the Republican party and Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard from the opposition Democratic will be introducing companion legislation in the US House of Representatives.
“We fail our responsibilities to protect our country and properly steward taxpayers hard-earned money when we support countries that chant Death to America and burn our flag,” Paul said.
“Lets bring that money home and use it to help rebuild our infrastructure instead of giving it to a nation that persecutes Christians…,” he said.
The Congressional move comes in less than a month after the Trump administration suspended nearly USD 2 billion in security assistance to Pakistan alleging that it is not co-operative in the fight against terrorism. –– Lalit K Jha/PTI
The Indian government does not discriminate on the basis of religion and believes that all citizens should enjoy equal rights, Union minister Suresh Prabhu said at the World Economic Forum summit.
Participating in a session on ‘India’s Role in the World’, he also stressed that fruits of growth should reach everybody and said that if the government was against a particular community, then why should it have brought the
triple talaq bill.
“If we were against the Muslims, we would not have thought of bringing a triple talaq bill to Parliament. If you talk about Muslims, say 14 per cent (of population), then 7 per cent are women.
“If we were against a community, then why would we bring bills like this to protect a woman even at the expense of alienating maybe a sizeable population?
“We do not believe that we should use a religion at the time of elections to make sure that one particular class of people would vote for us,” he said.
To a query by Fareed Zakaria, who was moderating the session, on whether it is a fair criticism that in search of electoral advantage, the BJP has marginalised Indian Muslims, Prabhu replied, “I would say that this is the first government which does not discriminate on the population on the basis of their religion”.
“We strongly believe that all citizens of India enjoy equal rights and privileges. They should not be discriminated on the basis of religion,” the commerce and industry minister said.
Prabhu also said there is also an idea of developing ease of living index in India. — PTI
08:44 Padmaavat protests: Many schools in Gurugram and Noida shut today:
A day after a school bus was attacked in Haryana’s Gurugram during protest against Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film Padmaavat, several schools in Gurugram and Noida have declared a holiday today as a precautionary measure.
“As of now it’s peaceful here but it is indeed disturbing that in Gurugram some schools are shut as preemptive measures due to protests. This is a failure of administration,” one parent told ANI.
Around 20-25 students of the G D Goenka World School in Gurugram had a narrow escape yesterday when a frenzied mob protesting the release Padmaavat attacked their bus.
The students were on their way home when a group of around 60 protesters, believed to be members of a fringe group, attacked the bus with bamboo sticks asking the driver to stop the vehicle.
When the driver did not comply, the miscreants pelted the vehicle with stones apparently to hurt the children.
The school bus staffer asked the kids to crawl under seats for safety and directed the driver to not stop it, Ravinder Kumar, public relations officer, Gurugram Police said.
Image: Protestors torched a bus at Gurugram’s Sohna Road in Haryana on Wednesday. Photograph: ANI
00:14 Pope warns against ‘fake news’ and likens it to ‘crafty serpent’:
Pope Francis released a message condemning “fake news,” saying that it’s a “sign of intolerant and hypersensitive attitudes, and leads only to the spread of arrogance and hatred.”
The tragic history of human sin, the Pope says in his message, is the first “fake news” and it dates back to the book of Genesis, when the “crafty serpent” lied to the woman. In present day, according to the Pope’s message the fast digital world helps fuel the spread of “fake news” — which he defines as “the spreading of disinformation on line or in the traditional media.”
“Spreading fake news can serve to advance specific goals, influence political decisions and serve economic interests,” the Pope said.
The Pope’s message blames the difficulty in unmasking and eliminating fake news to people interacting with homogeneous news environments rather than listening to differing perspectives and opinions.
Source: Rediff