CAMPUSES ACROSS NATION RALLY BEHIND JNU STUDENTS AMID POLITICAL SLUGFEST Campuses across India yesterday united behind the JNU community that was at the receiving end Sunday evening of an unprecedented mob attack of which no clues were forthcoming yesterday. Students from several higher educational institutions – Aligarh Muslim University, Delhi University, University of Mumbai, Jadavpur University, Bengal; Pondicherry University, Ambedkar University, Bangalore University, University of Hyderabad, BHU, National Law University Bengaluru, Savitribai Phule University and film institute in Pune, and the Tata Institute of Social Sciences and IIT-Mumbai – rallied behind JNU where 34 students were injured in the violence unleashed by masked armed men and women who ran riot on the campus for over three hours yesterday. Though the injured students were back home safely after treatment, the JNU violence triggered anger against the government and university establishment with the JNU Teachers’ Association and the CPM pressing for VC M Jagadesh Kumar’s resignation. While JNU students seethed from what most described as “utter failure of the VC in securing the campus”, HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal threatened action against the perpetrators. “I have said this earlier. Autonomous institutions can’t be allowed to become political dens. We will take strong action against those involved in the attack,” Pokhriyal said in Bhubaneshwar. The ministry has asked JNU for a report. The Delhi Crime Branch was yet to make any arrests in the incident but political slugfest continued with Congress president Sonia Gandhi leading the Opposition demand for an independent judicial inquiry into the matter and terming the incident state-sponsored violence. While BSP chief Mayawati sought a judicial probe, TMC chief Mamata Banerjee sent a delegation to Delhi to back JNU students. Eyewitnesses and many of those injured said the men, who as per some estimates numbered around 100, were mostly outsiders and belonged to the ABVP — a charge the BJP’s student outfit denied. Delhi Police spokesperson Mandeep Singh Randhawa denied the charge that police personnel was late in reaching the varsity despite several calls by students. Randhawa said the varsity administration was responsible for the internal security of JNU. “We have responded to PCR calls, and law-and-order situation professionally,” he said. The Delhi Police further said the case had been transferred to the Crime Branch, which has found vital clues and was working on it. An FIR against unidentified persons has been registered for rioting and damage to property. DELHI GOES TO POLLS ON FEB 8, RESULTS ON FEB 11 Delhi will vote for a new Assembly on February 8, and the counting of votes will take place on February 11. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) goes into its bid for a new term with its track record of last 5 years. The BJP has announced it will contest the election in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and on the plank of The Citizenship (Amendment) Act. The Congress, which is the least consequential of the three players, is yet to indicate what its campaign will focus on. The 2015 elections returned Arvind Kejriwal to power with an extraordinary mandate of 67 out of the 70 seats in the Assembly, and 54.3% of the popular vote. Yesterday, within minutes of the Election Commission of India announcing the dates of the elections, he posted on Twitter: “Ye chunav kaam par hoga (This election will be fought on the record of performance).” Delhi solidly backed Modi in the Lok Sabha elections of both 2014 and 2019, giving the BJP all seven seats on each occassion. The party’s vote share rose from 32 per cent in the 2015 Assembly elections to 57 per cent in the May Lok Sabha elections. The BJP is yet to come up with a chief ministerial face. In fact, the leadership issue is festering — with many leaders like Vijay Goel, Manoj Tiwari, Meenakshi Lekhi, and Union Ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and Harsh Vardhan fancying their chances. West Delhi MP Parvesh Verma is the latest addition. The Congress, which lost power in 2013 after ruling the national capital for 15 long years, is struggling. From a meagre 9.65 per cent in 2015, its vote share did go up to 22.63 in the Lok Sabha elections surpassing AAP’s 18.2. But the context was national — very different from what it faces now. The party does not have a popular face in Delhi. INDIA PAK TRADE CHARGES OVER TREATMENT OF RESPECTIVE MINORITIES India on Monday summoned Pakistan’s Chargé d’affaires Syed Haider Shah “to lodge strong protest at the recent acts of vandalism and desecration of the holy Gurdwara Sri Janam Asthan at Nankana Sahib, Pakistan, and the targeted killing of a minority Sikh community member in Peshawar, Pakistan”. The MEA said India shared with Shah “strong concerns raised by members of civil society, parliamentarians and others at the continued persecution of religious and ethnic minorities in Pakistan, including the recent despicable and heinous acts”. It said Pakistan’s government was “called upon to ensure safety, security, and welfare of the members of the minority communities in Pakistan, including their places of worship, and take immediate measures to expeditiously bring the perpetrators of such despicable and heinous acts to justice”. This is the third such statement issued by India within a week. Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on Monday to reject the “Indian propaganda”. The statement said the “BJP government’s mischievous portrayal of isolated incidents in Peshawar and Nankana Sahib as alleged ‘persecution’ of minorities is part of its smear campaign” and that it is a “desperate attempt to divert attention from ongoing state terrorism” in Jammu and Kashmir and “systematic discrimination against minorities in India”. It said it “completely rejects these fabrications, which will in no way shield the BJP government from opprobrium by the international community on “the adverse fallout of the discriminatory Citizenship Amendment Act and National Register of Citizens”. Meanwhile, the main accused in the recent vandalism at Gurdwara Nankana Sahib in Pakistan’s Punjab province was arrested and charged under a non-bailable section of the stringent anti-terrorism act and blasphemy. The suspect, identified as Imran Chishti, is the elder brother of Mohammad Hassan who married a teenage Sikh girl in September last year after allegedly abducting and converting her to Islam, triggering a controversy. LETTER ON US PULLOUT FROM IRAQ A 'MISTAKE' The U.S. military on Monday told the Iraqi government that American troops were preparing to pull out of the country but a top U.S. general in Washington said the message was sent by "mistake". It came after a deadly American drone strike on Baghdad on Friday that killed senior Iranian and Iraqi military commanders, sparking fury in both countries with Tehran vowing "revenge". The head of the U.S. military's Task Force Iraq, Brigadier General William Seely, informed his Iraqi counterparts in a letter dated Sunday that troops were preparing to leave. "We respect your sovereign decision to order our departure," said the letter, whose authenticity was confirmed to AFP by both Iraqi and U.S. defence officials. Seely said the U.S.-led coalition would "be repositioning forces over the course of the coming days and weeks". "In order to conduct this task, Coalition Forces are required to take certain measures to ensure that the movement out of Iraq is conducted in a safe and efficient manner," said the letter. It said helicopters would be travelling in and around Baghdad's Green Zone where the U.S. embassy is located as part of the preparations. But Pentagon Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley said on Monday the letter was a mere "draft" and"should not have been sent". "This was a mistake," Mr. Milley told reporters. "It was a mistake, an honest mistake, a draft unsigned letter, because we are moving forces around," he said. "It shouldn't have been sent," Mr. Milley said. US Defence Secretary Mark Esper said the letter was "inconsistent" with Washington's position, denying there has been a decision to leave Iraq. U.S.-IRAN UNREST: WEEPING, IRAN SUPREME LEADER PRAYS OVER GENERAL SLAIN BY U.S. Weeping amid wails from a crowd of hundreds of thousands of mourners, Iran's Supreme Leader on Monday prayed over the remains of a top Iranian general killed in a U.S. airstrike in Baghdad, an attack that's drastically raised tensions between Tehran and Washington. The targeted killing of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani already has seen his replacement vow to take revenge. Soleimani's daughter, Zeinab, directly threatened an attack on the U.S. military in the Mideast while speaking to a crowd of hundreds of thousands in Tehran that stretched as far as the eye could see. Iranian state TV put the crowd size at "millions". Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei himself prayed over the caskets of Soleimani and others slain in the attack. Khamenei, who had a close relationship with Soleimani, wept at one point during the traditional Muslim prayers for the dead. The crowd wailed. TRUMP UNDER FIRE FOR THREAT TO IRANIAN CULTURAL SITES US President Donald Trump has faced growing criticism over his threats to attack Iran's cultural sites. Mr Trump made the threats amid fallout from the US assassination of Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani. The president said cultural sites were among 52 identified Iranian targets that could be attacked if Iranians "torture, maim and blow up our people". But the UN's cultural organisation and UK foreign secretary were among those to note that such sites were protected. The US and Iran have signed conventions to protect cultural heritage, including during conflict. Military attacks targeting cultural sites are considered war crimes under international law. On Monday, White House adviser Kellyanne Conway defended the president, saying he had not said he was targeting cultural sites, only "asking the question". She also said: "Iran has many strategic military sites that you may cite are also cultural sites", before later clarifying her remark to say she was not suggesting Iran had camouflaged military targets as cultural sites. CITIZENSHIP, ARTICLE 370, RAM TEMPLE PROBLEMS OF LEGACY: JAISHANKAR Calling the issues of citizenship regarding the new law, abrogation of Article 370 and the building of a Ram Temple as legacy issues, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Monday that what the government has to deal with right now are the problems which were not addressed earlier. “Today, we have accumulated a legacy of problems, and if you see today what is happening in this country, these problems have caught up with us…,” the minister said at a book release. On the citizenship issue, he said, “Just look at the citizenship issue, the citizenship issue started 40-50 years ago, Rajiv Gandhi did an agreement in Assam in 1980s.” Mentioning Article 370, he said, “It was a temporary Article, if you look through the Constituent Assembly, the general sentiment…went on for 70 years.” He said, “Look at Ayodhya. Show me where in the world you will have an unresolved problem for 150 years.” Also referring to GST, he said, “Take something like GST. Today, it is blindingly obvious that we need a single tax system and yet people kept kicking it down the road.” CENTRE TO SC: IF PARENTS IN ASSAM NRC, KIDS WON’T BE SENT TO DETENTION CAMPS Attorney General of India K K Venugopal assured the Supreme Court on Monday that children excluded in the National Register of Citizens (NRC) will not be sent to detention centres in Assam for now if the names of their parents feature in the NRC. “I cannot conceive children being sent to detention centres and being separated from their families. Children whose parents have been granted citizenship will not be sent to detention centres,” he said. The law officer made the remarks before a bench comprising Chief Justice of India S A Bobde, and Justices Suryakant and B R Gavai over a plea seeking protection of children who were left out of the NRC. The court also sought an explanation from the Assam government over allegations that the new state coordinator Hitesh Dev Sarma made anti-immigrant and communal statements on social media before his appointment to oversee the NRC process in the state. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal submitted Sarma’s Facebook posts that allegedly contained anti-Muslim statements. “He should not be saying all these things. You will have to explain this,” the court observed while asking Sarma to either explain or withdraw his comments. The court allowed four weeks for the Assam government to respond to the plea challenging Sarma’s appointment. JNU VIOLENCE WAS PRECEDED BY BOYCOTT OF REGISTRATION FOR NEW SEMESTER As a group of masked people unleashed mayhem and violence at Jawaharlal Nehru University for three hours on Sunday evening, attacking students and teachers with sticks and iron rods, tensions had been brewing in the campus since Saturday over the issue of registration for the new semester. On the back of protests against hostel fee hike, that has been going on for around three months, the JNU Students’ Union on Friday decided to boycott the process of registration for the new semester on all five days. Registration for the winter semester has been opened from January 1 to 5. In November, the ABVP withdrew support to the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union’s strike against the hostel manual. The ABVP backed the continuation of the registration process. On January 4, a scuffle reportedly broke out between Left and ABVP students after students from Left parties allegedly went into the computer room and disconnected cables to stop the registration process. Around noon, a few ABVP students, who had gone for the registration of the winter semester, were allegedly attacked. Later, on Sunday evening a masked mob went on a rampage at JNU, injuring several students, including JNU Students’ Union (JNUSU) president Aishe Ghosh, two teachers, and two guards, who have been admitted to AIIMS and Safdarjung Hospital. Following the violence, the administration, including the Vice-Chancellor, sought to suggest the students protesting against hostel fee hike were responsible for violence on campus. 9-JUDGE BENCH FOR SABARIMALA CASE A nine-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court will on January 13 commence hearing to decide on the legality of religious practices considered to be discriminatory against women, including the age-old practice debarring women between the age of 10 and 50 years from entering Lord Ayyappa’s hilltop emple at Sabarimala in Kerala. Enlarging the scope of Sabarimala Temple entry restrictions issue, the SC on November 14 last year referred to a larger Bench the issue of discriminatory practices in other religions as well for laying down constitutional principles for determination of such issues. By 3:2 majority verdict, a five-judge Bench headed by then Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi had framed seven issues for consideration of a larger Bench for enunciating constitutional principles to be followed in dealing with such issues in any religion. UTTAR PRADESH: COURSE ON ‘GARBHA VIGYAN SANSKAR’ ON ANVIL If everything goes according to plan, Ram Manohar Lohia Avadh University (RMLAU) in Ayodhya will soon teach expecting mothers and students on how to make a foetus mentally stronger. How? RMLAU is likely to start a three-six month certificate course on ‘Garbha Vigyan Sanskar’ (the science of educating foetus) — said to be the first-of-its-kind course in the state. The Executive Council of the university will take a call on the matter on January 10. “There are 16 different sanskars (moral values) in the Hindu culture, but Garbha Sanskar has scientific significance as well,” says Vice-Chancellor Manoj Dixit. He said the course, to be undertaken by the Yoga Therapy Department, will be a mix of traditional and modern sciences. “Even medical science has proved that environment of the expecting mother plays a significance role in the development of the foetus. Thus, we plan to mix the ancient and modern sciences together with the help of this course,” said Dixit. Earlier, BHU started a course in ‘Bhoot Vidya’ for psychosomatic disorders. SC TELLS TATA, WADIA TO TALK OUT DIFFERENCES The Supreme Court today asked Bombay Dyeing chairman Nusli Wadia and Ratan Tata, chairman emeritus of Tata Sons, to sit together and resolve their differences in a defamation case. Wadia filed a criminal defamation case against Ratan Tata and other directors of Tata Sons in 2016 after he was voted out of the boards of some Tata Group companies. “You both are mature people. You both are leaders of industry. Why don’t you both settle the matter? Why don’t you sit together and resolve your differences? Do you all need to pursue litigation like this?” said a Bench headed by Chief Justice SA Bobde. SENSEX CRASHES ALMOST 800 POINTS, RUPEE SLIDES OVER IRAN TENSIONS Indian stocks markets fell sharply yesterday, tracking a global selloff amid US-Iran tensions. The Sensex fell almost 800 points, breaching the 41,000 mark, while Nifty fell below 12,000. The Indian rupee also slid past 72 against the US dollar as oil prices spiked. The rupee letter clawed back some. Among the Sensex stocks, Bajaj Finance fell nearly 5% while ICICI Bank, M&M, Nestle India, Asian Paints, Hero MotoCorp, IndusInd Bank, Maruti Suzuki, HDFC and SBI declined between 2% and 4%. Global oil benchmark Brent today surged past $70 for the first time since September when attacks on two Saudi Arabian facilities briefly halved output by the world's top producer.