Advani, Joshi and Bharti Among 32 Accused Acquitted in Babri Demolition Case; ‘Brutalised by System’, Hathras Tragedy Sparks Nationwide Outrage
BJP veterans LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharti were among 32 accused acquitted in the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition case, 28 years after the incident pushed India into a cycle of communal riots and politics. The Special CBI Court said there was no ‘conclusive’ proof against the accused, who, apart from the three BJP leaders, included former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Kalyan Singh.
‘Dismissed’: All the charges, from obstructing a civil servant from discharging their duty to criminal conspiracy, were rejected by Special CBI court Judge Surendra Kumar Yadav in his 2300-page verdict. We highlighted three prime reasons why the court dismissed all the charges levelled by the CBI against the accused.
Hathras Tragedy: A 19-year-old Dalit woman, who died at a Delhi hospital after she was gang-raped allegedly by four upper-caste men, was cremated by the UP police around 3am on Wednesday against the wishes of the family. The police’s actions have been described as gross inhumanity, and have led to demands of immediate action against the cops.
Barbaric crime: Even as several political parties and groups united to protest against the Hathras tragedy, another case emerged in Balrampur District where a 22-year-old Dalit woman died after allegedly being gang-raped. The police have arrested two men based upon the statement of the victim?s family.
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Presidential debate: Joe Biden and Donald Trump exchanged heated barbs, attacking each other?s competence and credibility, in a fiery first presidential debate 35 days ahead of the most tense US election in recent memory. Just minutes in, the debate turned into an all-out and personal brawl.
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On Our Specials
Battle of optics: The Karnataka by-polls is a matter of personal prestige for all three major parties in the fray ? ruling BJP, opposition Congress and third-party JDS. The Congress is pinning hopes on Jayachandra’s image and Shivakumar’s capabilities to swing the election in its favour. And JDS, however, looks directionless, with the emergence of Shivakumar proving to be a major hurdle in its free run. DP Satish writes how no one can afford to lose K’taka bypolls.
Court wrap: Exonerating all 32 accused, including BJP leaders LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharti, the CBI court maintained the demolition was the handy work of a few vandals, who did not even care that the idol of Ram Lala under the central dome could also be desecrated in the pandemonium. The judgment, authored in Hindi, maintains that there was no premeditated conspiracy. Utkarsh Anand writes.
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