14082024-TT-03.qxd 8/13/2024 11:10 PM 13 SEBI ROW: CONG’S PROTEST ON AUGUST 22 NATION /thetribunechd Page 1 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 144 NO. 225 | 18 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881  HIMACHAL PRADESH TRUMP, MUSK INTERVIEW HIT BY TECH GLITCHES WORLD wednesday | 14 august 2024 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com ‘No progress’: HC hands over doc’s rape, murder case to CBI Urges protesting medicos to end stir | Agency begins investigation Tribune News Service Bangladesh’s chief adviser Muhammad Yunus at the famous Dhakeshwari Temple in Dhaka on Tuesday. PTI Yunus reaches out to Hindus with temple visit, vows safety Dhaka, August 13 Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, chief adviser of the interim government of Bangladesh, today visited the historic Dhakeshwari Temple here and promised safety and security of minorities in the country. To instil confidence in these communities, especially Hindus who have borne the brunt of violence after Sheikh Hasina’s ouster as PM, the interim government has set up a hotline asking people to provide information about attacks on Hindu temples, churches or any other religious institutions. This comes as Hasina and six others, including two of her senior ministers and the sacked police chief, were booked over the death of a grocery shop owner during Indian visa centre in Dhaka resumes ‘limited ops’ the violent clashes. This is the first case against the 76year-old leader after she fled to India last week. At the temple, Yunus met representatives of two puja committees as well as officials from its management board. “Rights are equal for everyone. Do not make any distinctions among us. Exercise patience, and later judge — what we were able to do and not. If we fail, then criticise us,” Prof Yunus sought to placate the community. “In our democratic aspirations, we should not be seen as Muslims, Hindus, or Buddhists, but as human beings. continued on page 11 RSS moves UNHRC inside Investigate killings, vandalism: Hasina New Delhi, August 13 Former PM Sheikh Hasina has called for action against those involved in “killings and vandalism” in the country last month, her first comments since violent protests forced her to flee to India. In her statement, issued on X through son, Hasina said: “I demand that those involved in these killings and vandalism be properly investigated and culprits be identified and punished accordingly.” — TNS New Delhi, August 13 The Calcutta High Court today ordered a CBI probe into the alleged rape and murder of a woman junior doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata last week. The direction was passed in the wake of a petition moved by the victim’s parents praying for a court-monitored probe and multiple other PILs seeking shifting of the probe to the CBI. Hours after the high court’s direction, the CBI swiftly completed all formalities and took over the investigation into the case. A team of CBI officials from Delhi along with forensic scientists and medical experts will visit Kolkata on Wednesday, officials said. Earlier in the day, the high court ordered the state police to hand over the case diary to the CBI by 10 am on Wednesday, amid allegations of a botched probe and cover-up as well as protests and strikes by doctors over the incident. The HC order came five days after the gruesome incident came to light. The body of the postgraduate trainee with severe injury marks all over was found inside the seminar hall of the state-run hospital’s chest department on Friday morning. Doctors protest assault and murder of a medico at RG Kar Medical College & Hospital, in Kolkata. PTI Verdict in Phogat case put off again; now on August 16 Paris, August 13 The ad-hoc division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport has once again deferred its decision on Vinesh Phogat’s appeal against her disqualification from the Olympic finals, this time till August 16. The 29-year-old was disqualified from the women’s 50kg free-style final for being 100 gm overweight. In her appeal, Vinesh has demanded that she be given a joint silver with Cuban wrestler Yusneylis Guzman Lopez, who had lost to her in the semifinals but was promoted to the final following the Indian’s disqualification. — PTI Reprieve for Asaram, allowed to undergo treatment in Pune JODHPUR: While transferring the case from the police to the CBI, a Division Bench led by Justice TS Sivagnanam said it was being done as there had been no significant progress in the investigation. He also urged the protesting doctors to call off their strike. “We are truly appreciative of feelings of the doctors of RG Kar Medical College. But we appeal to them to consider calling off the agitation so that people coming to the hospital for treatment are not prejudiced,” the Bench said. The Bench also questioned the administration for not filing a murder case in the inci- dent in the initial stage. Justice Sivagnanam asked how principal Sandip Ghosh was appointed as the principal of another medical college, hours after he stepped down from post at the hospital where the incident occurred. He said Ghosh should be sent on leave. On Monday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee gave a deadline to the Kolkata police to crack the case by August 18, failing which the case would be transferred to the CBI. Meanwhile, protesting over the rape and murder of the doctor, medicos across the country have refused to return to work. The Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association has appealed to resident doctors to suspend elective services like outpatient departments (OPDs), operation theatres and ward duties, but continue emergency services. AIIMS, Delhi, which gets 10,000 OPD patients a day, saw a 20 per cent reduction in registration. A team from the Indian Medical Association on Tuesday met Union Health Minister JP Nadda, Union Health Secretary Apurva Chandra and Director General of Health Services Dr Atul Goel. continued on page 11 The Rajasthan High Court on Tuesday allowed self-styled godman Asaram Bapu, who is serving a life sentence for raping a minor, to undergo treatment for seven days at an Ayurvedic hospital in Maharashtra under police custody. Asaram, 83, who was arrested in September 2013, was admitted to AIIMS-Jodhpur for two days after he developed some heart-related ailment and has been undergoing treatment there. The high court’s Jodhpur Bench directed that Asaram would stay for treatment at the hospital under police custody for seven days. — PTI Sirsa dera chief out on 21-day furlough, 10th time in 7 yrs BJP’s way to get votes: Cong; no politics involved: Govt Tribune News Service An Aam Aadmi Clinic in Ludhiana. TRIBUNE PHOTO: HIMANSHU MAHAJAN What’s in Aam Aadmi Clinic’s name? ~933cr Nitin Jain Tribune News Service Ludhiana, August 13 “What’s in a name?” William Shakespeare said this in his play ‘Romeo and Juliet’ to convey that the naming of things is irrelevant. But in Punjab, it has cost over Rs 933 crore. The branding of primary health centres (PHCs) and health and wellness centres (HWCs) as Aam Aadmi Clinics (AACs) has made Punjab lose the National Health Mission (NHM) grant for the past two years. While the state has lost the major share (over 80 per cent) in the past fiscal, it has got only 3.74 per cent of the total allocation for the current financial year so far. However, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann told The Tribune on Tuesday that the matter would be resolved soon. “We are in talks with the Centre and hopefully, an early resolution will be Centre cuts grants over rebranding of facilities FUND STATUS FISCAL RELEASED ALLOCATED 2024-25 22.05 588.8 2023-24 91.49 457.9 2022-23 448.89 448.89 2021-22 349.21 349.21 2020-21 568.14 712.02 712.02 The entrance to Dera Sacha Sauda all decked up welcoming furlough to sect head Gurmeet Ram Rahim (inset) in Sirsa on Tuesday. PHOTO: ANIL KAKKAR ❝ POLITICAL MOVE, GOVT ENACTED LAW TO FAVOUR CONVICT This is a political decision meant to benefit a person who has repeatedly disrupted law and order… the BJP govt has brought a new law to favour such people. While an ordinary prisoner struggles for months to obtain parole, Ram Rahim’s requests are swiftly approved. Anshul Chhatrapati, VICTIM’S SON Chandigarh, August 13 As rape and murder convict, Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, was released today on 21-day furlough and proceeded to his Baghpat ashram in Uttar Pradesh, Congress and BJP traded charges on the timing of his release. The dera chief has influence over several districts of Haryana and could help the BJP in the state elections as he had been doing in the past. State Congress chief Udai Bhan said that the saffron party could do anything to win the poll and claimed that the dera chief’s release would not impact the Congress’ prospects. He said, “This is their (BJP) mentality to get votes. They can do anything to get the mandate, but people have understood their game. The release is not going to impact the poll.” On the other hand, Jails Minister Ranjit Singh replied, “There is no politics involved. The matter doesn’t even come to us and is decided by the Divisional Commissioner concerned as per the 2022 Act [Haryana Good Conduct Prisoners (Temporary Release) Act, 2022].” Dera Sacha Sauda has a significant number of followers in Sirsa, Fatehabad, Hisar, Panchkula, Ambala and Kurukshetra. Ram Rahim has frequently been granted furlough or parole around elections. Earlier, he was released on a 21-day furlough on February 7, 2022, just before the Punjab Assembly elections on February 14. — TNS 568.14 2019-20 Rohtak, August 13 Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda chief and rape and murder convict, Gurmeet Ram Rahim, was released from Sunaria jail in Rohtak district today after he got yet another furlough for 21 days. It is the 10th time that the dera head has been released from jail on furlough/parole ever since he was awarded jail term by a special CBI court in August 2017. The dera chief is undergoing 20-year imprisonment in connection with the rape of two of his disciples. Later, he was also convicted for the murder of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati. He was taken to Barnawa ashram in UP’s Baghpat district after his release this morning. Meanwhile, as the dera head’s carcade came out of the jail towards the main road, an SUV abruptly stopped there. On being (Source: MoHFW, amount in rupees crore) worked out shortly,” he said. As per the branding guidelines, the PHCs and HWCs should have been named as Ayushman Arogya Mandir (earlier known as Ayushman Bharat-Health and Wellness Centre), but Punjab has christened these as Aam Aadmi Clinics with big pictures of CM Mann displayed prominently on the clinics. continued on page 11 questioned by the police, the SUV occupants maintained that the vehicle had stopped due to some snag. The occu- pants then tried to flee. The police nabbed one of them and seized a dozen sacks of poppy seed from the SUV. DSP Virender Singh said the occupants of the SUV were bringing the drug from Rajasthan for supply. Is mere downloading child porn on mobile a crime? SC to examine Satya Prakash Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 13 Does mere storage of child pornography in a mobile phone amount to crime under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, or the Information Technology Act, 2000? Acting on a petition by Just Rights for Children Alliance, a Supreme Court Bench led by CJI DY Chandrachud on Monday decided to examine a verdict of the Kerala HC which ruled that mere downloading and storing of child pornography on one’s phone couldn’t be considered as an offence under the POCSO Act or the IT Act. The top court issued notices to the Kerala Government, Sebin Thomas and one other, asking them to spell Kerala HC said no crime under POCSO or IT Acts out their respective stand on the petition challenging the high court’s verdict. Citing the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, the petitioner — a coalition of over 120 NGOs — sought to highlight the fact that there was almost a c m y b 2,561% increase in child pornography cases between 2018 and 2022. On behalf of the petitioner, senior counsel HS Phoolka told the Bench that the Kerala Police had found that several local children in the age group of 8-10 and 15-16 years were involved in the offending sexual videos. Phoolka said the accused was arrested during Opera- tion P-Hunt, a special drive launched by the Countering Child Sexual Exploitation team of the Kerala Police functioning under Cyberdome to curb crimes against children. Ruling that an automatic or accidental downloading of child pornography was not an offence under Section 67B (b) of the IT Act or Section 15(2) of the POCSO Act, when evidence showed no specific intent to transmit or distribute such content, the high court had discharged the accused who had allegedly downloaded child pornography from an app. The top court referred to a challenge against a Madras HC order that said watching child pornographic videos will not by itself attract offences under the POCSO Act.