'India’s score has shown the biggest decline among the world’s 25 largest democracies in the new report from Freedom House, the oldest American organisation devoted to the support and defence of democracy around the world. The steep fall has been blamed on three actions of the Narendra Modi government: the unilateral annulment of the semi-autonomous status of Jammu and Kashmir, the implementation of the National Register of Citizens in Assam and the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA)...'
'A Hubballi court on Monday extended the judicial custody of three Kashmiri students who were arrested for sedition, till March 7. The students of the KLE Institute of Technology, who were arrested on February 15 for allegedly saying Pakistan Zindabad, will continue to be lodged at the Belagavi district jail, as the police cited safety concerns. Nasir Khuehami, the spokesperson of the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association, confirmed the development...'
'A Polish student of Comparative Literature in Kolkata’s Jadavpur University has been sent a notice by the Foreign Regional Registration Office (FRRO), under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, and asked to leave the country, according to information. While the student concerned, Kamil Siedcynski, refused to interact with the media in this regard, students at the university said he was sent the notice most likely for participating in rallies against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA)...'
'Despite Narendra Modi’s reminder to his Twitter followers that “peace and harmony is central to our ethos”, the international press put the blame for the Delhi violence on the Prime Minister’s hardline policies, especially the rollout of the Citizenship Amendment Act. Most publications also noted the culpability of BJP leader Kapil Mishra, whose inflammatory remarks are said to have majorly contributed to the violence that has led to over 40 deaths.
'BJP general secretary BL Santhosh on Thursday said Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders’s reaction to the violence in northeast Delhi was compelling “us to play a role in Presidential elections.” Sanders had shared the Washington Post’s report on the violence and slammed US President Donald Trump’s response, calling it “a failure of leadership on human rights.”...'
'A Bangladeshi student at West Bengal’s Visva-Bharati University has been asked to leave India for taking part in “anti-government activities” after she posted pictures of anti-Citizenship Act protests on her campus, reported The Telegraph on Thursday. The student, Afsara Anika Meem, a first-year student at the university, was trolled on social media after she posted the photos. One of her friends claimed that around 250 social media posts described her as an “anti-national” even though she did not participate in the demonstrations.
'...Karnataka minister BC Patil on Sunday advocated central legislation that enables authorities “to shoot at sight” those chanting pro-Pakistan slogans. Responding to reporters’ queries on the ongoing fracas over the chants, Patil said he would appeal to PM Narendra Modi to bring in a law so that anti-national elements are “killed on the spot”...'
'Raising questions over Pakistan’s intent in agreeing to throw open the Kartarpur Corridor, the Punjab Police chief, Dinkar Gupta, Friday said the visa-free passage cleared for Sikh pilgrims was “a huge security challenge from terrorism point of view”. Claiming that there were reasons why the Corridor was not opened all these years, Director General of Punjab Police said that some elements based in the neighbouring country were “trying to woo the pilgrims and making overtures to them”.
'Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia will not be part of an event next week when US First Lady Melania Trump is likely to watch a "happiness class" at a Delhi government school, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) sources said. Party sources alleged that Mr Kejriwal's and Mr Sisodia's names were dropped from the event by the central government. According to the earlier plan, Mr Kejriwal and Mr Sisodia, who were re-elected this month for the third time in Delhi after a huge election victory, were scheduled to welcome Melania Trump at the south Delhi government school.
'Ever since the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) began, Amulya Leona Noronha, the 19-year-old firebrand student activist, showed that she could go toe-to-toe with the biggest names in the city’s anti-CAA movement. Known for her fiery speeches and ability to hold audiences in thrall, there appeared to be no end to the student of journalism’s meteoric rise in activist circles. That rise appeared to come to an end on Thursday night, following Leona’s controversial ‘Long Live Pakistan’ sloganeering...
