Social News

1 Two held over social media clip in J&K.

The Jammu and Kashmir police on Sunday arrested a local leader of an organisation calling itself
“Bharat Raksha Manch” for allegedly making derogatory remarks against a religious head in a video
clip on social media. One other person was also killed in this connection.

The video clip was made by a local news portal – and featuring one satpal Hindu, a class 7 dropout
who is an electrician at a prestigious club in Jammu city- has kept the administration and police in
tenterhooks.

Jammu Inspector General of Police, Mukesh Singh, said Satpal , along with one Deepak, has been
arrested. The video seemed to have been “maliciously posted to create communal tension, said a
police spokesperson.

On enquiry, the Bharat Raksha Manch man claimed that he was not reffering to any religious head,
but a revenue official who had been arrested recently.

In the clip, which was later removed by the news portal, satpal had also talked of an incident where
a farmer had hurt a bovine animal eating his crop while trying to scare it off his field. Several people
had been later arrested for assaulting the farmer.

2 PM office denies RTI request on PM CARES fund, “says will disproportionately divert resources”.

Prime Ministers Narendra Modi’s office has denied to give information related to the PM CARES
Fund – set up in March in the wake of coronona virus pandemic to a right to Information activist,
saying it would ‘ disproportionately divert the resources’ The Hindu reported on Sunday.

This happened despite a Kerela High Court Judgement and multiple orders of the Central
Information Commission that the rationale stated by the prime minister’s office can be only used
when asked to change the format of information provided and not to deny it fully.

PM CARES an acronym for Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations –
was set up in March with the stated objective of being a ‘ dedicated national fund’ to deal with “any
kind of emergency or distress situation”. Modi is the funds chairperson and senior cabinet ministers
serve as trustees. Opposition parties have questioned the need to create the reserve when Prime
Minister’s National Relief Fund is already in existence. They have also expressed doubts about the
funds transparency.

RTI activist Commodore Lokesh Batra (retired) filed an application, seeking details about the number
of requests and appeals received and disposed of by Modi’s office each month since April this year,
as well as the information related to PM CARES and the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund.

In reply it was written that “ the information sought by you is not maintained in this office in
compiled form,” the chief public information officer in the PMO said. “ Its collection and compilation
would disproportionately divert the resources of this office from the efficient discharge of its normal
functions, thereby attracting the provisions under Section 7(9) of the Act.”
3 Scuffle breaks out between pro-Pakistan Kashmiri groups in UK over Kashmir issue

A major scuffle took place between overseas Pakistanis and Kashmiri secessionist (Nationalist)
organizations over Kashmir issue in  the UK, on Saturday (August 15) during a demonstration in front
of the Office of Consulate General of India in Birmingham.

The British Kashmiri group led by Raja Qadri, Altaf Hussain, Hassan Khawaja and Khadim Hussain
confronted Chaudhary Shah Nawaz of PPP representing overseas Pakistanis in Birmingham for giving
Pakistani colour to indigenous Kashmir movement and raised their voice against forcible occupation
of Kashmir by Pakistan.

Shahnawaz group objected to slogans like "Foreign Forces Go Back from Kashmir" (as it will include
both forces), ‘Zabri Naate tod do, Kashmir hamaara chord do’, and not to shout slogans on
sovereignty (Khudmukhtiyari). The nationalist organizations also objected to slogans raised by by
PPP-led group at the behest of Pakistan. It is learnt that pro-Pakistan Kashmiri groups are also
divided over Islamabad's decision to release new map which ends the scope for UN's role in the
region forever