Page 7 - Protests

French rioting appears to slow on 6th night after teen's death in Paris

Unrest across France sparked by the police shooting of a 17-year-old appeared to slow on its sixth night, but still public buildings, cars and municipal trash cans were targeted nationwide by fires and vandalism overnight into Monday. In all, according to the Interior Ministry, there were 157 arrests overnight, out of a total of 3,354 arrests in all since June 27, and two law enforcement stations were attacked, among other damage. Around 45,000 officers were deployed nationwide to counter violence fuelled by anger over discrimination against people who trace their roots to former French colonies and live in low-income neighbourhoods. Nahel, the teenager killed last Tuesday, was of Algerian descent and was shot in the Paris suburb of Nanterre. Across France, 297 vehicles were torched overnight along with 34 buildings. A 24-year-old firefighter died of a heart attack while responding to a blaze in an underground garage that spread to the apartment building above, according to a ...

Manipur CM Biren Singh backtracks on resignation after high-voltage drama

High-voltage drama unfolded in Imphal after thousands of demonstrators blocked Manipur Chief Minister Biren N Singh's convoy from proceeding towards Raj Bhavan. However, after women leaders came out of his residence and told the crowd that the CM has assured them that he is not resigning, the mob slowly dispersed from his residence. Unconfirmed reports said that the CM had typed out a resignation letter but was persuaded by his supporters to tear it up. Earlier in the afternoon, hundreds of youth wearing black shirts and women sat down in front of the CM's residence demanding that Biren Singh should not resign. Sources said there were strong rumours in Imphal since morning that the chief minister was contemplating resigning from the post after renewed violence in the state on Thursday that claimed three more lives and left 5 injured. Kshetrimayum Shanti, a women leader said, At this critical juncture, the Biren Singh government should stand firm and crack down on troublemakers. T

600 arrested, 200 police officers hurt on France's 3rd night of protests

Protesters erected barricades, lit fires and shot fireworks at police in French streets overnight as tensions grew over the deadly police shooting of a 17-year-old that has shocked the nation. More than 600 people were arrested and at least 200 police officers injured as the government struggled to restore order on a third night of unrest. Armored police vehicles rammed through the charred remains of cars that had been flipped and set ablaze in the northwestern Paris suburb of Nanterre, where a police officer shot the teen identified only by his first name, Nahel. On the other side of Paris, protesters lit a fire at the city hall of the suburb of Clichy-sous-Bois and set a bus depot ablaze in Aubervilliers. The French capital also saw fires and some stores ransacked. In the Mediterranean port city of Marseille, police sought to disperse violent groups in the city center, regional authorities said. President Emmanuel Macron planned to leave an EU summit in Brussels, where France play

Sena (UBT) leaders meet police officials to discuss protest march route

A Shiv Sena (UBT) delegation on Tuesday met senior officials of Mumbai Police to discuss the route of the party's march on July 1 to protest against alleged irregularities in the Mumbai civic body. Party leader and Lok Sabha MP Arvind Sawant told reporters that police requested the party to take the 'morcha' to Azad Maidan in south Mumbai. The party did not oppose it but it would be little inconvenient as the road leading to Azad Maidan is narrow, he said. We suggested that the march will start from Metro Cinema, take a turn at Crawford Market and end near the Times of India office. We will have a stage there. They have not given a reply," Sawant added. Police have not denied permission to the march either, he said. The party has planned a mega march led by Aaditya Thackeray to protest against "scams" in the civic body which is currently under an administrator, blaming the Maharashtra government led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde for the state of affairs.

Protests continue in Assam against delimitation proposals amid dissent

Protests against the delimitation proposals continued in Assam on Saturday, with allies of the ruling BJP-led coalition as well as opposition parties venting their discontent. Terming the draft delimitation proposal an attempt by the BJP to polarise voters on religious lines disregarding the sentiment of the people, opposition parties decided to present the 'grievances' of the citizens before the Election Commission. Protests by Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) leaders took place in the Amguri Assembly constituency in Sivasagar district on Saturday. The constituency is represented by Pradip Hazarika of the AGP, an ally of the BJP. "Our Amguri constituency is being merged with another constituency and we are losing our identity. We will not accept it and continue our agitation," a local AGP leader said. Opposition AIUDF held protests in Barak Valley districts on Friday. The protestors demanded that status quo of boundaries and the name of constituencies be maintained. It has been decided

Mob torches Manipur minister's godown, tries to burn down residence

A group of people has set on fire a private godown of Manipur minister L Susindro at Chingarel in Imphal East district, reducing it to ashes, police said on Saturday. An attempt was also made to torch another property of the consumer and food affairs minister and his residence at Khurai in the same district on Friday night but timely intervention prevented it. Security forces fired several rounds of tear gas shells till midnight to prevent the mob from gheraoing his Khurai residence, police said. No casualty was reported in the incident. Earlier, the official quarters of the state's woman minister Nemcha Kipgen at Lamphel area in Imphal West district was set on fire by unidentified people on the night of June 14. A house belonging to Union Minister RK Ranjan Singh was attacked and attempts were made to burn it down the next day. More than 100 people have lost their lives and a large number of houses were torched rendering many people homeless in the ethnic violence between Meitei

Small industry players stage protests in Karnataka over power tariff hike

Traders and small industry owners took out protest rallies in several parts of Karnataka on Thursday opposing the recent power tariff hike. Following a call for a 'bandh' given by Hubballi-based Karnatak Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), industrialists and small traders participated in a protest march in big numbers. Their protests came at a time when the state government started the registration process earlier this week for the 'Gruha Jyoti' scheme offering up to 200 units of free electricity for residential connections. Holding banners, posters and placards, the traders and industrialists marched in the district headquarters in Hubballi-Dharwad, Shivamogga, Belagavi, Ballari, Vijayanagar, Davangere and Koppal, among others. They shouted slogans demanding that the government roll back the hike. In Belagavi, a large number of traders and small and micro industry owners marched up to the office of the Deputy Commissioner with banners and placards. KCCI acting President San

Urban Company's beauty segment workers stage protests over ID blocking

The partners have alleged that Urban Company blocked their cards if their ratings fell below 4.8 out of 5

Khap, farmer activists block Rohtak-Delhi NH in Haryana's Jhajjar district

Activists of some Khaps and farmers on Wednesday blocked the Rohtak-Delhi national highway in Jhajjar district as part of a 'Haryana Bandh' call given in support of protesting wrestlers, farmers and other issues. Ramesh Dalal, a senior leader of the Bhumi Bachao Sangharsh Samiti outfit, led the protesters who squatted on NH-9 in Bahadurgarh and imposed a blockade. Vehicles were seen stranded on the road as a result of this. Jhajjar Superintendent of Police Arpit Jain told PTI that they were trying to persuade the protesters to lift the blockade. Dalal told reporters at the site that as part of his outfit's Haryana Bandh call, 25 demands had been raised, including justice for wrestlers protesting against outgoing Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, loan waiver for farmers, legal guarantee of crop MSP and enhanced compensation for land. Meanwhile, in most parts of Haryana, the call for the strike failed to evoke any response and life remained normal. In .

Govt sets up committee in Manipur to facilitate peace-making process

The Centre has constituted a committee in Manipur headed by the governor to facilitate the peace-making process among various ethnic groups and initiate dialogue between conflicting parties, the Union home ministry said on Saturday. The members of the peace committee include the chief minister, a few ministers, MPs, MLAs, leaders from different political parties and civil society groups, it said. "Government of India has constituted 'Peace Committee' in Manipur under the chairpersonship of the governor, Manipur. The members of the committee include the chief minister, a few ministers in the state government, MP, MLAs and leaders from different political parties," a home ministry statement said. The mandate of the committee will be to facilitate the peace-making process among various ethnic groups of the state, initiate peaceful dialogue and negotiations between conflicting parties and groups, it said. The committee will strengthen social cohesiveness, mutual understanding and ...

Manipur rights panel asks govt to consider restoration of internet services

The complaint called it a "human rights violation"

Security forces recover 29 automatic weapons during combing ops in Manipur

During home minister Amit Shah's recent visit to Manipur, he appealed to the public to hand over all weapons and ammunition to the administration for maintaining peace and order

Manipur: Youth unwilling to surrender arms as militants intensify attacks

He said that the highways, especially the Imphal-Dimapur National Highway, has been blockaded by the militants and their supporters for over 30 days, said COCOMI

Hollywood directors ink deal with studios, writers still on strike

The tentative agreement includes improvements in wages and guardrails around artificial intelligence

Manipur Minister Konthoujam Govindas' house vandalised by irate mob

However, the minister and his family members were not present at the house when around 100 agitated people, mostly women, ransacked the house

Pak used excessive force against Imran's supporters: Human Rights Watch

"The Pakistani government should uphold the right to peaceful protest while responding to violence with the minimum force needed," it added

Protests to violence: What happened in Pakistan after Imran Khan's arrest?

Violent clashes between Khan's supporters and security forces have left at least seven people dead and nearly 300 injured across Pakistan

Kapil Sibal questions PM Modi's 'silence' over wrestlers' protest

Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal Saturday questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "silence" over the sexual harassment allegations against WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and asked whether the accused is so important electorally in Uttar Pradesh that he cannot be removed from the post till the probe is over. Sibal's attack on the government came a day after Delhi Police recorded the statements of seven women wrestlers in connection with the cases registered against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Singh. On April 28, Delhi Police registered two FIRs in connection with sexual harassment allegations levelled by the women wrestlers against the WFI chief. Sibal, a senior advocate, has represented the wrestlers in the Supreme Court. In a tweet, Sibal said, "Brij Bhushan; 2 Wrestlers to police: Allegation: On the pretext of checking breath, touchedMy question: Is he so important for UP elections that can't be removed as President of the Federation till the investigation is ...

Various outfits protests against controversial movie 'The Kerala Story'

Various youth outfits in Kerala on Friday staged demonstrations against the screening of controversial multi-lingual movie 'The Kerala Story' which hit theatres across the country today. Activists of the Nationalist Youth Congress (NYC), the youth wing of the Nationalist Congress Party, and the Fraternity Movement staged a protest in front of a local theatre in Kochi, the commercial hub of the state. Holding placards in their hands, the NYC protesters raised slogans in front of the theatre demanding a ban on the movie, which they alleged to have portrayed the southern state in a bad light. They were later removed from theatre premises by the police. A group of activists of the Fraternity Movement, including women, marched to the theatre in Kochi alleging that the movie was a bundle of lies and was part of the Sangh Parivar's divisive agenda. They tried to jump the barricades placed on the road near the theatre but the police personnel stopped them. They later staged a sit-in on th

AAP extends support to protesting wrestlers, urges PM to ensure justice

AAP leaders on Friday extended support to the wrestlers protesting against Wrestling Foundation of India president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh at Jantar Mantar here and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure they get justice. Delhi Cabinet ministers Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj, and AAP spokesperson Reena Gupta met the protesters. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will visit Jantar Mantar on Saturday. The wrestlers have launched a second round of protest against Singh, who is also a BJP MP, over allegations of sexual harassment and intimidation. As the chorus of support for the protesting wrestlers grew, Delhi Police on Friday filed two FIRs against Singh on allegations of sexual harassment levelled by seven women wrestlers. Atishi said she was heartbroken to see the plight of the wrestlers but the Centre is not bothered. "I was watching a TV debate yesterday and when I saw the wrestlers here break down, I was heartbroken. "I thought to myself what kind of a central gover