The Evening Wrap: India protests China’s construction in Shaksgam Valley

India has registered its protest with China against their ‘illegal attempts to alter facts’ in connection with Beijing’s construction activities in the Shaksgam Valley, the Ministry of External Affairs said. China has invested in the construction of military infrastructure in the Shaksgam Valley, reports suggested. Responding to a question of infrastructure construction in lower Shaksgam Valley in Kashmir by China, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, in his weekly briefing said, “The Shaksgam Valley is a part of the territory of India. We have never accepted the so-called China Pakistan Boundary Agreement of 1963 through which Pakistan unlawfully attempted to cede the area to China, and have consistently conveyed our rejection of the same. We have registered our protest with the Chinese side against illegal attempts to alter facts on the ground.” The MEA statement comes after recent media reports suggested China’s road breaching the Indian border at Aghil Pass and entered the lower Shaksgam valley of Kashmir, less than 30 miles (48 kilometres) away from Siachen. Satellite images showed the Chinese road approaching Aghil Pass, with construction resuming this month advancing towards areas north of Siachen Glacier. The Shaksgam valley in the trans-Karakoram tract, part of PoK, was handed over on a platter by a supine Pakistan to China through an illegal border agreement on March 2, 1963. However, the continuing Chinese occupation of Kashmir’s territory does not find adequate mention in the contemporary discourse surrounding this issue. China occupies 5,180 square kilometres in the Shaksgam Valley in addition to approximately 38,000 square kilometres in Aksai Chin. China and Pakistan have colluded to obfuscate these facts, even as they brazenly promote the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which runs through parts of Indian territory under their respective occupation. Prajwal Revanna sexual exploitation case: Lookout circular against Hassan MP by Government of Karnataka The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has put out a lookout circular against Prajwal Revanna, the grandson of former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda and ‘absconding’ member of Parliament of Hassan. The Janata Dal (Secular) has suspended the MP who is accused of sexual harassment of several women and is believed to be in Germany. The government of Karnataka has set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the allegations. The lookout circular has been issued to all immigration points across India, which means Prajwal Revanna will be detained as soon as he reports at any of the immigration points at airports, sea ports, or at border checkposts. This comes a day after he did not comply with a notice by the SIT summoning him for questioning. An advocate claiming to represent the Hassan MP had sought seven days’ time for his client to present himself before the SIT. Sources in the SIT said Prajwal Revanna’s return ticket has been booked for May 15. Revanna is said to be in Munich, Germany, where he flew from Bengaluru overnight on April 27-28 using his diplomatic passport, hours before the SIT was set up to probe the alleged sex scandal in which several of explicit videos of him with multiple women are in circulation. He has been booked for sexual abuse, based on a complaint by a woman who claims to be a victim. On May 1, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his intervention to cancel Prajwal Revanna’s diplomatic passport and to use the offices of the Union Government to ensure the return of the ‘absconding’ MP to India to ‘face the full force of the law’. Delhi L-G sacks 223 DCW employees, alleging they were hired by Swati Maliwal ‘without due procedure’ 223 employees from the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) were removed with immediate effect on the order of Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena on May 2, alleging that former DCW Chairperson Swati Maliwal had appointed them without permission. The Women and Child Development (WCD) department of the Delhi Government has directed the DCW to sack the contractual staffers who it said were hired without “following due procedure”. Former DCW chief and AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal slammed the order. In a Hindi post on X, she said, “LG Saheb has issued a ‘Tughlaqi’ order to remove all the contract staff of DCW. Today, there are a total of 90 staffers in the Women’s Commission, out of which only 8 people have been given by the government, the rest are on a contract for 3 months each.” “If all the contract staff are removed, the Women’s Commission will be locked. Why are these people doing this? This organisation is built with blood and sweat. Instead of giving it staff and protection, you are destroying it from the roots? As long as I am alive, I will not let the Women’s Commission be closed. Put me in jail, don’t oppress women!” Maliwal said. According to officials, Saxena approved the department’s proposal regarding the termination of appointments, following which the department issued an order on it. “... the Hon’ble Lieutenant Governor has approved the proposal of the department that the appointments of contractual staff engaged in DCW without having sanctioned posts and without following due procedures is void ab-initio and the same cannot be allowed to continue in DCW,” read an official order issued by the WCD department on Monday. “Therefore, the approval of the government is hereby conveyed to Delhi Commission for Women to discontinue the services of all contractual staff with immediate effect who have been appointed by DCW at any point of time, by going beyond its delegated power and without following various procedures laid down and in violation of DCW Act/rules/regulations/guidelines issued by Govt. of NCT of Delhi (GNCTD) from time to time,” the order read. The order said the Delhi government has provided 40 sanctioned posts in the DCW “in compliance of sub-section (i) of section 5 of the Delhi Commission for Women Act, 1994”. The Act reads, “The government shall provide the commission with such officers and employees as may be necessary for the efficient performance of the functions of the Commission under this Act.” The DCW has violated the statutory provisions of DCW Act, 1994 and various standing instructions of the Department of Finance and Planning Department by creating 223 posts and “engaging staff without following due procedure”. “...no study was conducted to assess the actual requirement of additional staff and eligibility criteria for each post, no administrative approval and expenditure sanctioned was obtained from the GNCTD for engaging such manpower and applications for such posts were not formally invited, role and responsibility for any of these posts were not assigned and emoluments of some of the incumbents which were decided at the time of initial appointment, were enhanced very sharply and arbitrarily,” read the order. Hindu marriage not valid unless performed with requisite ceremonies: Supreme Court A Hindu marriage is not an event for “song and dance”, “wining and dining” or a commercial transaction, the Supreme Court has observed and said it cannot be recognised in the “absence of a valid ceremony” under the Hindu Marriage Act. In its recent order passed in the matter of two trained commercial pilots, who sought a divorce decree without performing a valid Hindu marriage ceremony, the Bench urged young men and women to “think deeply about the institution of marriage even before they enter upon it and as to how sacred the said institution is, in Indian society”. “A marriage is not an event for ‘song and dance’ and ‘wining and dining’ or an occasion to demand and exchange dowry and gifts by undue pressure leading to possible initiation of criminal proceedings thereafter. A marriage is not a commercial transaction. It is a solemn foundational event celebrated so as to establish a relationship between a man and a woman who acquire the status of a husband and wife for an evolving family in future which is a basic unit of Indian society,” the Bench said. “We deprecate the practice of young men and women seeking to acquire the status of being a husband and a wife to each other and therefore purportedly being married, in the absence of a valid marriage ceremony under the provisions of the (Hindu Marriage) Act such as in the instant case where the marriage between the parties was to take place later,” the Bench said. In its April 19 order, the Bench said where a Hindu marriage is not performed in accordance with the applicable rites or ceremonies such as ‘saptapadi’ (taking seven steps by the groom and the bride jointly before the sacred fire), the marriage will not be construed as a Hindu marriage. “We further observe that a Hindu marriage is a sacrament and has a sacred character. In the context of saptapadi in a Hindu marriage, according to Rig Veda, after completing the seventh step (saptapadi) the bridegroom says to his bride, ‘With seven steps we have become friends (sakha). May I attain to friendship with thee; may I not be separated from thy friendship’. A wife is considered to be half of oneself (ardhangini) but to be accepted with an identity of her own and to be a co-equal partner in the marriage,” it said. In Hindu Law, marriage is a sacrament or a ‘samskara’ and it is the foundation for a new family, the Bench noted, and said, “There is nothing like a “better-half” in a marriage but the spouses are equal halves in a marriage.” Observing that with the passage of centuries and the enactment of the Act, monogamy is the only legally approved form of relationship between a husband and a wife, the court said, “The (Hindu Marriage) Act has categorically discarded polyandry and polygamy and all other such types of relationships. The intent of the Parliament is also that there should be only one form of marriage having varied rites and customs and rituals. The Bench said after the Act came into force on May 18, 1955, it had codified the law relating to marriage among Hindus and it encompasses not only Hindus as such but Lingayats, Brahmos, Aryasamajists, Buddhists, Jains and Sikhs also who can enter into a valid Hindu marriage coming within the expansive connotation of the word Hindu. “Unless the parties have undergone such ceremony, there would be no Hindu marriage according to Section 7 of the (Hindu Marriage) Act and a mere issuance of a certificate by an entity in the absence of the requisite ceremonies having been performed, would neither confirm any marital status to the parties nor establish a marriage under Hindu law,” it said. The top court highlighted that the advantage of marriage registration is that it facilitates proof of factum of wedding in a disputed case but if there has been no marriage in accordance with Section 7 of Hindu Marriage Act, “the registration would not confer legitimacy to the marriage”. It noted that under the Special Marriage Act, 1954, a man and a woman can acquire the status of being a husband and a wife as per the provisions of the said Act. “The Special Marriage Act, 1954 is not restricted to Hindus. Any man and woman irrespective of their race, caste or creed can acquire the status of being a husband and a wife under the provisions of the Special Marriage Act, 1954 but under the provisions of the Act (Hindu Marriage Act, 1955), there should not only be compliance of the conditions as prescribed under Section 5 of the said Act but also the couple must solemnise a marriage in accordance with Section 7 of the Act,” it said. Exercising its plenary powers under Article 142 of the Constitution, the apex court declared the estranged couple were not married in accordance with the law and held the marriage certificate issued to them in absence of valid ceremony under the Hindu Marriage Act as null and void. It also quashed their divorce proceedings and a dowry case lodged against the husband and his family members. Colombia’s President says country will break diplomatic relations with Israel over war in Gaza Colombian President Gustavo Petro on May 1 announced his government will break diplomatic relations with Israel effective May 2 in the latest escalation of tensions between the countries over the Israel-Hamas war. Petro again described Israel’s siege of Gaza as “genocide.” He previously suspended purchases of weapons from Israel and compared that country’s actions in Gaza to those of Nazi Germany. “Tomorrow, diplomatic relations with the State of Israel will be broken … for having a genocidal President,” Petro said during an International Workers’ Day march in Colombia’s capital. “If Palestine dies, humanity dies, and we are not going to let it die.” Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz quickly rebuked Petro’s comments on the platform X. “History will remember that Gustavo Petro decided to side with the most despicable monsters known to mankind who burned babies, murdered children, raped women and kidnapped innocent civilians,” he said. Weeks after the October 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel that sparked the current war in Gaza and killed some 1,200 people, Petro recalled Colombia’s Ambassador to Israel as he criticised the country’s military offensive. Historically, Colombia had been one of Israel’s closest partners in Latin America. But relations between the two nations have cooled since Petro was elected as Colombia’s first leftist President in 2022. Colombia uses Israeli-built warplanes and machine guns to fight drug cartels and rebel groups, and both countries signed a free trade agreement in 2020. “Relations between Israel and Colombia always were warm and no antisemitic and hate-filled President will succeed in changing that,” Katz wrote on April 30. “The state of Israel will continue to defend its citizens without worry and without fear.” The South American country deepened its military ties with Israel in the late 1980s by purchasing Kfir fighter jets that were used by Colombia’s air force in numerous attacks on remote guerrilla camps that debilitated the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. The attacks helped push the group into peace talks that resulted in its disarmament in 2016. Poll roundup: Calling JD(S) candidate of Hassan, Prajwal Revanna, a ‘mass rapist’, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should apologise to the nation for campaigning for such a candidate. Addressing an election rally in Shivamogga on May 2, Rahul Gandhi said, “Prajwal Revanna’s case is not just a sex scandal. It is a case of mass rape.” He claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi knew about his case when he campaigned for him for the Lok Sabha elections. “Mr. Modi should seek an apology from the nation for campaigning for him,” he said. The BJP on May 2 named Karan Bhushan Singh, son of former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, as the party’s candidate from Kaiserganj Lok Sabha seat. Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the incumbent Kaiserganj MP, is facing accusations of sexual harassment from several women wrestlers. Reacting to the development, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) described it as “shameful” and a case of “politics by proxy”. “This also shows that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is not ready to condemn the sexual assault committed by Brij Bhushan Singh,” TMC Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose said. In Brief:Iran slaps sanctions on U.S., U.K. over Israel support Iran announced on Thursday sanctions on several American and British individuals and entities for supporting Israel in its war against the Palestinian militant group Hamas. The Islamic republic, the regional arch-foe of Israel, unveiled the punitive measures in a statement from its Foreign Ministry. It said the sanctions targeted seven Americans, including General Bryan P. Fenton, commander of the U.S. special operations command, and Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, a former commander of the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet. British officials and entities targeted include Secretary of State for Defence Grant Shapps, commander of the British army strategic command James Hockenhull and the UK Royal Navy in the Red Sea. Excise policy ‘scam’: Sisodia moves Delhi HC seeking bail in CBI, ED cases Former Delhi deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on May 2 approached the Delhi High Court seeking bail in the corruption and money laundering cases lodged by the CBI and the ED in relation to the alleged excise policy scam. The plea was mentioned before a bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet P.S. Arora for an urgent hearing and the court agreed to list on May 3. “Let the judge go through the file so let it come tomorrow,” the bench said. Advocates Rajat Bhardwaj and Mohd. Irshad, representing Sisodia, submitted that the petitioner is an MLA and urged the court to list both pleas seeking bail for an urgent hearing. Sisodia has approached the high court challenging a trial court’s April 30 order by which his bail pleas in the two cases were dismissed. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [logo] The Evening Wrap 02 May 2024 [The Hindu logo] Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. [View in browser]( [More newsletters]( India lodges protest against Beijing’s construction in Shaksgam Valley, rejects China-Pakistan Boundary Agreement [India has registered its protest with China against their ‘illegal attempts to alter facts’ in connection with Beijing’s construction activities in the Shaksgam Valley, the Ministry of External Affairs said.]( China has invested in the construction of military infrastructure in the Shaksgam Valley, reports suggested. Responding to a question of infrastructure construction in lower Shaksgam Valley in Kashmir by China, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, in his weekly briefing said, “The Shaksgam Valley is a part of the territory of India. We have never accepted the so-called China Pakistan Boundary Agreement of 1963 through which Pakistan unlawfully attempted to cede the area to China, and have consistently conveyed our rejection of the same. We have registered our protest with the Chinese side against illegal attempts to alter facts on the ground.” The MEA statement comes after recent media reports suggested China’s road breaching the Indian border at Aghil Pass and entered the lower Shaksgam valley of Kashmir, less than 30 miles (48 kilometres) away from Siachen. Satellite images showed the Chinese road approaching Aghil Pass, with construction resuming this month advancing towards areas north of Siachen Glacier. The Shaksgam valley in the trans-Karakoram tract, part of PoK, was handed over on a platter by a supine Pakistan to China through an illegal border agreement on March 2, 1963. However, the continuing Chinese occupation of Kashmir’s territory does not find adequate mention in the contemporary discourse surrounding this issue. China occupies 5,180 square kilometres in the Shaksgam Valley in addition to approximately 38,000 square kilometres in Aksai Chin. China and Pakistan have colluded to obfuscate these facts, even as they brazenly promote the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which runs through parts of Indian territory under their respective occupation. Prajwal Revanna sexual exploitation case: Lookout circular against Hassan MP by Government of Karnataka The [Special Investigation Team (SIT) has put out a lookout circular against Prajwal Revanna]( the grandson of former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda and ‘absconding’ member of Parliament of Hassan. The Janata Dal (Secular) has suspended the MP who is accused of sexual harassment of several women and is believed to be in Germany. The government of Karnataka has set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the allegations. The lookout circular has been issued to all immigration points across India, which means [Prajwal Revanna]( will be detained as soon as he reports at any of the immigration points at airports, sea ports, or at border checkposts. This comes a day after he did not comply with a notice by the SIT summoning him for questioning. An advocate claiming to represent the Hassan MP had sought seven days’ time for his client to present himself before the SIT. Sources in the SIT said Prajwal Revanna’s return ticket has been booked for May 15. Revanna is said to be in Munich, Germany, where he flew from Bengaluru overnight on April 27-28 using his diplomatic passport, hours before the SIT was set up to probe the alleged sex scandal in which several of explicit videos of him with multiple women are in circulation. He has been booked for sexual abuse, based on a complaint by a woman who claims to be a victim. On May 1, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his intervention to cancel Prajwal Revanna’s diplomatic passport and to use the offices of the Union Government to ensure the return of the ‘absconding’ MP to India to ‘face the full force of the law’. Delhi L-G sacks 223 DCW employees, alleging they were hired by Swati Maliwal ‘without due procedure’ [223 employees from the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) were removed with immediate effect on the order of Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena]( on May 2, alleging that former DCW Chairperson Swati Maliwal had appointed them without permission. The Women and Child Development (WCD) department of the Delhi Government has directed the DCW to sack the contractual staffers who it said were hired without “following due procedure”. Former DCW chief and AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal slammed the order. In a Hindi post on X, she said, “LG Saheb has issued a ‘Tughlaqi’ order to remove all the contract staff of DCW. Today, there are a total of 90 staffers in the Women’s Commission, out of which only 8 people have been given by the government, the rest are on a contract for 3 months each.” “If all the contract staff are removed, the Women’s Commission will be locked. Why are these people doing this? This organisation is built with blood and sweat. Instead of giving it staff and protection, you are destroying it from the roots? As long as I am alive, I will not let the Women’s Commission be closed. Put me in jail, don’t oppress women!” Maliwal said. According to officials, Saxena approved the department’s proposal regarding the termination of appointments, following which the department issued an order on it. “... the Hon’ble Lieutenant Governor has approved the proposal of the department that the appointments of contractual staff engaged in DCW without having sanctioned posts and without following due procedures is void ab-initio and the same cannot be allowed to continue in DCW,” read an official order issued by the WCD department on Monday. “Therefore, the approval of the government is hereby conveyed to Delhi Commission for Women to discontinue the services of all contractual staff with immediate effect who have been appointed by DCW at any point of time, by going beyond its delegated power and without following various procedures laid down and in violation of DCW Act/rules/regulations/guidelines issued by Govt. of NCT of Delhi (GNCTD) from time to time,” the order read. The order said the Delhi government has provided 40 sanctioned posts in the DCW “in compliance of sub-section (i) of section 5 of the Delhi Commission for Women Act, 1994”. The Act reads, “The government shall provide the commission with such officers and employees as may be necessary for the efficient performance of the functions of the Commission under this Act.” The DCW has violated the statutory provisions of DCW Act, 1994 and various standing instructions of the Department of Finance and Planning Department by creating 223 posts and “engaging staff without following due procedure”. “...no study was conducted to assess the actual requirement of additional staff and eligibility criteria for each post, no administrative approval and expenditure sanctioned was obtained from the GNCTD for engaging such manpower and applications for such posts were not formally invited, role and responsibility for any of these posts were not assigned and emoluments of some of the incumbents which were decided at the time of initial appointment, were enhanced very sharply and arbitrarily,” read the order. Hindu marriage not valid unless performed with requisite ceremonies: Supreme Court [A Hindu marriage is not an event for “song and dance”, “wining and dining” or a commercial transaction, the Supreme Court has observed and said it cannot be recognised in the “absence of a valid ceremony” under the Hindu Marriage Act.]( In its recent order passed in the matter of two trained commercial pilots, who sought a divorce decree without performing a valid Hindu marriage ceremony, the Bench urged young men and women to “think deeply about the institution of marriage even before they enter upon it and as to how sacred the said institution is, in Indian society”. “A marriage is not an event for ‘song and dance’ and ‘wining and dining’ or an occasion to demand and exchange dowry and gifts by undue pressure leading to possible initiation of criminal proceedings thereafter. A marriage is not a commercial transaction. It is a solemn foundational event celebrated so as to establish a relationship between a man and a woman who acquire the status of a husband and wife for an evolving family in future which is a basic unit of Indian society,” the Bench said. “We deprecate the practice of young men and women seeking to acquire the status of being a husband and a wife to each other and therefore purportedly being married, in the absence of a valid marriage ceremony under the provisions of the (Hindu Marriage) Act such as in the instant case where the marriage between the parties was to take place later,” the Bench said. In its April 19 order, the Bench said where a Hindu marriage is not performed in accordance with the applicable rites or ceremonies such as ‘saptapadi’ (taking seven steps by the groom and the bride jointly before the sacred fire), the marriage will not be construed as a Hindu marriage. “We further observe that a Hindu marriage is a sacrament and has a sacred character. In the context of saptapadi in a Hindu marriage, according to Rig Veda, after completing the seventh step (saptapadi) the bridegroom says to his bride, ‘With seven steps we have become friends (sakha). May I attain to friendship with thee; may I not be separated from thy friendship’. A wife is considered to be half of oneself (ardhangini) but to be accepted with an identity of her own and to be a co-equal partner in the marriage,” it said. In Hindu Law, marriage is a sacrament or a ‘samskara’ and it is the foundation for a new family, the Bench noted, and said, “There is nothing like a “better-half” in a marriage but the spouses are equal halves in a marriage.” Observing that with the passage of centuries and the enactment of the Act, monogamy is the only legally approved form of relationship between a husband and a wife, the court said, “The (Hindu Marriage) Act has categorically discarded polyandry and polygamy and all other such types of relationships. The intent of the Parliament is also that there should be only one form of marriage having varied rites and customs and rituals. The Bench said after the Act came into force on May 18, 1955, it had codified the law relating to marriage among Hindus and it encompasses not only Hindus as such but Lingayats, Brahmos, Aryasamajists, Buddhists, Jains and Sikhs also who can enter into a valid Hindu marriage coming within the expansive connotation of the word Hindu. “Unless the parties have undergone such ceremony, there would be no Hindu marriage according to Section 7 of the (Hindu Marriage) Act and a mere issuance of a certificate by an entity in the absence of the requisite ceremonies having been performed, would neither confirm any marital status to the parties nor establish a marriage under Hindu law,” it said. The top court highlighted that the advantage of marriage registration is that it facilitates proof of factum of wedding in a disputed case but if there has been no marriage in accordance with Section 7 of Hindu Marriage Act, “the registration would not confer legitimacy to the marriage”. It noted that under the Special Marriage Act, 1954, a man and a woman can acquire the status of being a husband and a wife as per the provisions of the said Act. “The Special Marriage Act, 1954 is not restricted to Hindus. Any man and woman irrespective of their race, caste or creed can acquire the status of being a husband and a wife under the provisions of the Special Marriage Act, 1954 but under the provisions of the Act (Hindu Marriage Act, 1955), there should not only be compliance of the conditions as prescribed under Section 5 of the said Act but also the couple must solemnise a marriage in accordance with Section 7 of the Act,” it said. Exercising its plenary powers under Article 142 of the Constitution, the apex court declared the estranged couple were not married in accordance with the law and held the marriage certificate issued to them in absence of valid ceremony under the Hindu Marriage Act as null and void. It also quashed their divorce proceedings and a dowry case lodged against the husband and his family members. Colombia’s President says country will break diplomatic relations with Israel over war in Gaza [Colombian President Gustavo Petro on May 1 announced his government will break diplomatic relations with Israel effective May 2 in the latest escalation of tensions between the countries over the Israel-Hamas war.]( Petro again described Israel’s siege of Gaza as “genocide.” He previously suspended purchases of weapons from Israel and compared that country’s actions in Gaza to those of Nazi Germany. “Tomorrow, diplomatic relations with the State of Israel will be broken … for having a genocidal President,” Petro said during an International Workers’ Day march in Colombia’s capital. “If Palestine dies, humanity dies, and we are not going to let it die.” Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz quickly rebuked Petro’s comments on the platform X. “History will remember that Gustavo Petro decided to side with the most despicable monsters known to mankind who burned babies, murdered children, raped women and kidnapped innocent civilians,” he said. Weeks after the October 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel that sparked the current war in Gaza and killed some 1,200 people, Petro recalled Colombia’s Ambassador to Israel as he criticised the country’s military offensive. Historically, Colombia had been one of Israel’s closest partners in Latin America. But relations between the two nations have cooled since Petro was elected as Colombia’s first leftist President in 2022. Colombia uses Israeli-built warplanes and machine guns to fight drug cartels and rebel groups, and both countries signed a free trade agreement in 2020. “Relations between Israel and Colombia always were warm and no antisemitic and hate-filled President will succeed in changing that,” Katz wrote on April 30. “The state of Israel will continue to defend its citizens without worry and without fear.” The South American country deepened its military ties with Israel in the late 1980s by purchasing Kfir fighter jets that were used by Colombia’s air force in numerous attacks on remote guerrilla camps that debilitated the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. The attacks helped push the group into peace talks that resulted in its disarmament in 2016. Poll roundup: - Calling JD(S) candidate of Hassan, Prajwal Revanna, a ‘mass rapist’, [Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should apologise to the nation]( for campaigning for such a candidate. Addressing an election rally in Shivamogga on May 2, Rahul Gandhi said, “Prajwal Revanna’s case is not just a sex scandal. It is a case of mass rape.” He claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi knew about his case when he campaigned for him for the Lok Sabha elections. “Mr. Modi should seek an apology from the nation for campaigning for him,” he said. - [The BJP on May 2 named Karan Bhushan Singh, son of former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, as the party’s candidate from Kaiserganj Lok Sabha seat](. Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the incumbent Kaiserganj MP, is facing accusations of sexual harassment from several women wrestlers. Reacting to the development, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) described it as “shameful” and a case of “politics by proxy”. “This also shows that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is not ready to condemn the sexual assault committed by Brij Bhushan Singh,” TMC Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose said. In Brief: Iran slaps sanctions on U.S., U.K. over Israel support [Iran announced on Thursday sanctions on several American and British individuals and entities for supporting Israel in its war against the Palestinian militant group Hamas](. The Islamic republic, the regional arch-foe of Israel, unveiled the punitive measures in a statement from its Foreign Ministry. It said the sanctions targeted seven Americans, including General Bryan P. Fenton, commander of the U.S. special operations command, and Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, a former commander of the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet. British officials and entities targeted include Secretary of State for Defence Grant Shapps, commander of the British army strategic command James Hockenhull and the UK Royal Navy in the Red Sea. Excise policy ‘scam’: Sisodia moves Delhi HC seeking bail in CBI, ED cases [Former Delhi deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on May 2 approached the Delhi High Court seeking bail in the corruption and money laundering cases lodged by the CBI and the ED in relation to the alleged excise policy scam](. The plea was mentioned before a bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet P.S. Arora for an urgent hearing and the court agreed to list on May 3. “Let the judge go through the file so let it come tomorrow,” the bench said. Advocates Rajat Bhardwaj and Mohd. Irshad, representing Sisodia, submitted that the petitioner is an MLA and urged the court to list both pleas seeking bail for an urgent hearing. Sisodia has approached the high court challenging a trial court’s April 30 order by which his bail pleas in the two cases were dismissed. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. 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