The Evening Wrap: Two former U.P. Ministers join SP

Former Uttar Pradesh Cabinet Minister and prominent OBC leader Swami Prasad Maurya on Friday joined the Samajwadi Party (SP) along with another rebel Minister Dharam Singh Saini. Five BJP MLAs and Apna Dal (Sonelal) legislator Amar Singh Chaudhary also joined the SP in the presence of Akhilesh Yadav. The five BJP MLAs who joined the SP are Bhagwati Sagar (Bilhaur in Kanpur), Roshanlal Verma (Tilhar in Shahjahanpur), Vinay Shakya (Bidhuna in Auraiya), Brijesh Prajapati (Tindwari in Bahraich) and Mukesh Verma (Shikohabad in Firozabad). Chaudhary is MLA from Shohratgarh. They were given the SP membership at its office here. The resignation of state Labour Minister Maurya had come as a jolt to the ruling BJP in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh. The developments appear to strengthen the SP’s influence among the non-Yadav OBCs in the state, less than a month before the crucial elections that will also have an impact on the 2024 parliamentary polls. Uttar Pradesh is scheduled to have a seven-phase poll beginning from February 10. IAF chopper crash | Inquiry rules out mechanical failure, sabotage or negligence The tri-services inquiry into the Mi-17 V5 helicopter that killed Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen. Bipin Rawat and 13 others has submitted its preliminary findings according to which the crash occurred due to “unexpected change” in weather conditions that led to spatial disorientation of the pilot resulting in Controlled Flight into Terrain (CFIT), the Indian Air Force (IAF) said on January 14. “The Court of Inquiry (CoI) has ruled out mechanical failure, sabotage or negligence as a cause of the accident. The accident was a result of entry into clouds due to unexpected change in weather conditions in the valley. This led to spatial disorientation of the pilot resulting in CFIT,” the IAF said in a statement. “Based on its findings, the CoI has made certain recommendations which are being reviewed.” The IAF added that the inquiry team analysed the Flight Data Recorder and Cockpit Voice Recorder besides questioning all available witnesses to determine the most probable cause of the accident. As reported by The Hindu on January 1, the inquiry findings which were sent for legal vetting before being submitted to the Defence Ministry had indicated CFIT as the probable cause of the crash. J&K Police arrest human rights activist Ahsan Untoo for ‘spreading disaffection’ against India The J&K Police on January 14 said they have booked and arrested human rights activist Ahsan Untoo for “spreading disaffection, ill-will and disharmony against the Union of India”. “By spreading false propaganda, disinformation campaigns and hate speech through the social media spaces, Untoo is not only threatening to disturb the prevailing peaceful atmosphere of UT of J&K but spreading disaffection, ill-will and disharmony against the Union of India. He is also actively spreading the terrorist secessionist agenda and is thus inciting youth to resort to violence and indulge in unlawful activities,” a police spokesman said. The police said the activities of Untoo amount to commission of cognizable offence. The Srinagar Police have registered a case against him under relevant sections of the law. An investigation into the matter has been initiated and the accused has been arrested, who is on police remand, it added. Of late, the J&K Police have launched a major campaign against those Kashmiris who are vocal on social media and critical of the current government and its policies in Kashmir. Earlier, it booked Muzammil Ayyub Thakur and Dr. Asif Dar, both living outside India, on many counts, including militancy and secessionism. The police said Untoo was a proactive secessionist and an active participant and speaker at Twitter spaces titled ‘Radio Resistance Kashmir’ led by Thakur and Dar, two known secessionists. Thakur and Dar, in their online statements, have refuted the police charges and denied their involvement in any militant activities in J&K. Bishop Franco acquitted in nun rape case The Additional District and Sessions Court I in Kottayam on January 14 acquitted Bishop Franco Mulakkal, former head of the Latin Catholic Diocese of Jalandhar, of all charges in connection with a rape complaint filed by a nun in the same diocese. “Praise the Lord”, the Bishop told media persons, while emerging out of the court after the verdict. He also broke down and embraced his lawyers following the judgment. Earlier in the day, the police had beefed up security on the court premises by taking into consideration a possible crisis in the law and order situation. Based on a rape complaint lodged by a nun on June 29, 2018, the bishop was arrested on September 21 the same year. He was in jail for 25 days after the court remanded him. The chargesheet against the Bishop, which consisted of 2,000 pages in three volumes, was submitted on April 4, 2019. The trial in the case commenced in November 2019 and concluded on January 10. Of the 83 witnesses listed by the prosecution, 39 were examined during the trial. The witnesses included Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church Cardinal Mar George Alencherry, Bishop Kurian Valiyakandathil, Bishop of Bhagalpur in Bihar, and Bishop Sebastian Vadakkel of the diocese of Ujjain, and 11 priests and 25 nuns. The bishop was arraigned as an accused in the case under Indian Penal Code Sections 342 (wrongful confinement), 376 (2k) (rape on a woman incapable of giving consent), 376 (2n) (causing grievous bodily harm during rape), 376 (c) (a) and 377 (unnatural offence), and 506 (1) (criminal intimidation). Russia demands U.S., NATO response next week on Ukraine Russia on Friday strongly repeated its demand that NATO will not expand eastward, despite the rejection of that by the military alliance amid a Russian troop buildup near Ukraine. It added that it wouldn’t wait indefinitely for the Western response. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Friday described Moscow’s demands that NATO will neither expand nor deploy forces to Ukraine and other ex-Soviet nations as essential for the progress of diplomatic efforts to defuse soaring tensions over Ukraine. He argued that the deployment of NATO forces and weapons near Russia’s borders poses a security challenge that must be addressed immediately. “We have run out of patience,” Lavrov said at a news conference. “The West has been driven by hubris and has exacerbated tensions in violation of its obligations and common sense.” Lavrov said that Russia expects Washington and NATO to provide a written response to its demands next week. Amid the tensions, Ukraine sustained a massive cyberattack Friday, which hit websites of multiple government agencies. This week’s negotiations in Geneva and a related NATO-Russia meeting in Brussels were held amid a significant Russian troop buildup near Ukraine that the West fears might be a prelude to an invasion. Russia, which annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014, has denied having plans to attack its neighbor but warned the West that NATO’s expansion to Ukraine and other ex-Soviet nations is a “red line” that mustn't be crossed. Washington and its allies firmly rejected Moscow’s demand for security guarantees precluding NATO's expansion, but Russia and the West agreed to leave the door open to possible further talks on arms control and confidence-building measures intended to reduce the potential for hostilities. The negotiations took place as an estimated 1,00,000 Russian troops with tanks and other heavy weapons are massed near Ukraine’s eastern border. The U.S. and its allies urged Russia to de-escalate by pulling troops back to their permanent bases, but Moscow has rebuffed the demand, saying it’s free to deploy forces on its territory wherever it deems necessary. Novak Djokovic’s visa cancelled for a second time by the Australian government The Australian government cancelled Novak Djokovic’s visa for a second time on January 14, saying the world tennis No. 1, unvaccinated for COVID-19, may pose a risk to the community. The decision raises the prospect of a second court battle by the Serbian tennis star to be allowed to stay and bid for a record 21st major tennis title at the Australian Open, but time is running out with the tournament starting on January 17. Australian Immigration Minister Alex Hawke exercised his discretionary powers to revoke Djokovic’s visa after a court quashed an earlier revocation and released him from immigration detention on January 10. “Today I exercised my power under section 133C(3) of the Migration Act to cancel the visa held by Mr. Novak Djokovic on health and good order grounds, on the basis that it was in the public interest to do so,” Hawke said in a statement. The government “is firmly committed to protecting Australia’s borders, particularly in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Hawke said. He said he had “carefully considered” information from Djokovic, the Department of Home Affairs and the Australian Border Force. Under the section of the Migration Act which the minister used to exercise his power to cancel the visa, Djokovic would not be able to secure a visa to come to Australia for three years, except in compelling circumstances that affect Australia’s interest. Djokovic, the Australian Open defending champion, was included in the draw on January 13 as top seed and was due to face fellow Serb Miomir Kecmanovic for his opening match, probably on January 17 or January 18. The saga has intensified global debate over rights of choice for vaccines, raised questions over Australia’s bungled handling of Djokovic’s visa, and become a tricky issue for Prime Minister Scott Morrison as he campaigns for re-election. The tennis star, a vaccine sceptic, fuelled widespread anger in Australia when he announced last week he was heading to Melbourne for the Australian Open with a medical exemption to requirements for visitors to be inoculated against COVID-19. Australia has endured some of the world’s longest lockdowns, has a 90% vaccination rate among adults, and has seen a runaway Omicron outbreak bring nearly a million cases in the last two weeks. On his arrival, Australian Border Force officials decided his exemption was invalid and he was held alongside asylum-seekers at an immigration detention hotel for several days. A court on January 10 allowed him to stay on the grounds that officials had been “unreasonable” in the way they handled his interview in a seven-hour process in the middle of the night. Djokovic’s cause was not helped by a mistake in his entry declaration relating to overseas travel in the prior two weeks, which he attributed to his agent. He also acknowledged he should have rescheduled an interview and photo-shoot for a French newspaper on December 18 while infected with COVID-19. An online poll by the News Corp media group found that 83% favoured the government trying to deport the tennis star. Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments The number of reported coronavirus cases from India stood at 3,66,65,760 at the time of publishing this newsletter, with the death toll at 4,85,650. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [logo] The Evening Wrap 14 JANUARY 2022 [The Hindu logo] Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. [[Arrow]Open in browser]( [[Mail icon]More newsletters]( U.P. Assembly Elections 2022: Swami Prasad Maurya, Dharam Singh Saini, others join Samajwadi Party Former Uttar Pradesh Cabinet Minister and prominent OBC leader Swami Prasad Maurya on Friday [joined the Samajwadi Party (SP) along with another rebel Minister Dharam Singh Saini](. Five BJP MLAs and Apna Dal (Sonelal) legislator Amar Singh Chaudhary also joined the SP in the presence of Akhilesh Yadav. The five BJP MLAs who joined the SP are Bhagwati Sagar (Bilhaur in Kanpur), Roshanlal Verma (Tilhar in Shahjahanpur), Vinay Shakya (Bidhuna in Auraiya), Brijesh Prajapati (Tindwari in Bahraich) and Mukesh Verma (Shikohabad in Firozabad). Chaudhary is MLA from Shohratgarh. They were given the SP membership at its office here. [Former Ministers Swami Prasad Maurya and Dharam Singh Saini are with SP chief Akhilesh Yadav after joining the party in Lucknow on January 14, 2022.]  The resignation of state Labour Minister Maurya had come as a jolt to the ruling BJP in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh. The developments appear to strengthen the SP’s influence among the non-Yadav OBCs in the state, less than a month before the crucial elections that will also have an impact on the 2024 parliamentary polls. Uttar Pradesh is scheduled to have a seven-phase poll beginning from February 10. [underlineimg] IAF chopper crash | Inquiry rules out mechanical failure, sabotage or negligence The tri-services inquiry into the Mi-17 V5 helicopter [that killed Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen. Bipin Rawat and 13 others]( has submitted its preliminary findings according to which [the crash occurred due to “unexpected change” in weather conditions]( that led to spatial disorientation of the pilot resulting in Controlled Flight into Terrain (CFIT), the Indian Air Force (IAF) said on January 14. “The Court of Inquiry (CoI) has ruled out mechanical failure, sabotage or negligence as a cause of the accident. The accident was a result of entry into clouds due to unexpected change in weather conditions in the valley. This led to spatial disorientation of the pilot resulting in CFIT,” the IAF said in a statement. “Based on its findings, the CoI has made certain recommendations which are being reviewed.” The IAF added that the inquiry team analysed the Flight Data Recorder and Cockpit Voice Recorder besides questioning all available witnesses to determine the most probable cause of the accident. [Army personnel carry out an investigation procedure at the crash site in Coonoor, Tamil Nadu, on December 9, 2021 a day after an Army helicopter crashed, killing 13 people, including Indian defence chief General Bipin Rawat.]  As [reported by The Hindu on January 1]( the inquiry findings which were sent for legal vetting before being submitted to the Defence Ministry had indicated CFIT as the probable cause of the crash. [underlineimg] J&K Police arrest human rights activist Ahsan Untoo for ‘spreading disaffection’ against India The J&K Police on January 14 said they have [booked and arrested human rights activist Ahsan Untoo]( for “spreading disaffection, ill-will and disharmony against the Union of India”. “By spreading false propaganda, disinformation campaigns and hate speech through the social media spaces, Untoo is not only threatening to disturb the prevailing peaceful atmosphere of UT of J&K but spreading disaffection, ill-will and disharmony against the Union of India. He is also actively spreading the terrorist secessionist agenda and is thus inciting youth to resort to violence and indulge in unlawful activities,” a police spokesman said. The police said the activities of Untoo amount to commission of cognizable offence. The Srinagar Police have registered a case against him under relevant sections of the law. An investigation into the matter has been initiated and the accused has been arrested, who is on police remand, it added. Of late, the J&K Police have launched a major campaign against those Kashmiris who are vocal on social media and critical of the current government and its policies in Kashmir. Earlier, it booked Muzammil Ayyub Thakur and Dr. Asif Dar, both living outside India, on many counts, including militancy and secessionism. The police said Untoo was a proactive secessionist and an active participant and speaker at Twitter spaces titled ‘Radio Resistance Kashmir’ led by Thakur and Dar, two known secessionists. Thakur and Dar, in their online statements, have refuted the police charges and denied their involvement in any militant activities in J&K. [underlineimg] Bishop Franco acquitted in nun rape case The Additional District and Sessions Court I in Kottayam on January 14 [acquitted Bishop Franco Mulakkal]( former head of the Latin Catholic Diocese of Jalandhar, of all charges in connection with a rape complaint filed by a nun in the same diocese. “Praise the Lord”, the Bishop told media persons, while emerging out of the court after the verdict. He also broke down and embraced his lawyers following the judgment. Earlier in the day, the police had beefed up security on the court premises by taking into consideration a possible crisis in the law and order situation. Based on a rape complaint lodged by a nun on June 29, 2018, the bishop was arrested on September 21 the same year. He was in jail for 25 days after the court remanded him. The chargesheet against the Bishop, which consisted of 2,000 pages in three volumes, was submitted on April 4, 2019. The trial in the case commenced in November 2019 and concluded on January 10. Of the 83 witnesses listed by the prosecution, 39 were examined during the trial. The witnesses included Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Church Cardinal Mar George Alencherry, Bishop Kurian Valiyakandathil, Bishop of Bhagalpur in Bihar, and Bishop Sebastian Vadakkel of the diocese of Ujjain, and 11 priests and 25 nuns. The bishop was arraigned as an accused in the case under Indian Penal Code Sections 342 (wrongful confinement), 376 (2k) (rape on a woman incapable of giving consent), 376 (2n) (causing grievous bodily harm during rape), 376 (c) (a) and 377 (unnatural offence), and 506 (1) (criminal intimidation). [underlineimg] Russia demands U.S., NATO response next week on Ukraine Russia on Friday strongly [repeated its demand that NATO will not expand eastward]( despite the rejection of that by the military alliance amid a Russian troop buildup near Ukraine. It added that it wouldn’t wait indefinitely for the Western response. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Friday described Moscow’s demands that NATO will neither expand nor deploy forces to Ukraine and other ex-Soviet nations as essential for the progress of diplomatic efforts to defuse soaring tensions over Ukraine. He argued that the deployment of NATO forces and weapons near Russia’s borders poses a security challenge that must be addressed immediately. “We have run out of patience,” Lavrov said at a news conference. “The West has been driven by hubris and has exacerbated tensions in violation of its obligations and common sense.” Lavrov said that Russia expects Washington and NATO to provide a written response to its demands next week. Amid the tensions, Ukraine sustained a massive cyberattack Friday, which hit websites of multiple government agencies. This week’s negotiations in Geneva and a related NATO-Russia meeting in Brussels were held amid a significant Russian troop buildup near Ukraine that the West fears might be a prelude to an invasion. Russia, which annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014, has denied having plans to attack its neighbor but warned the West that NATO’s expansion to Ukraine and other ex-Soviet nations is a “red line” that mustn't be crossed. Washington and its allies firmly rejected Moscow’s demand for security guarantees precluding NATO's expansion, but Russia and the West agreed to leave the door open to possible further talks on arms control and confidence-building measures intended to reduce the potential for hostilities. The negotiations took place as an estimated 1,00,000 Russian troops with tanks and other heavy weapons are massed near Ukraine’s eastern border. The U.S. and its allies urged Russia to de-escalate by pulling troops back to their permanent bases, but Moscow has rebuffed the demand, saying it’s free to deploy forces on its territory wherever it deems necessary. [underlineimg] Novak Djokovic’s visa cancelled for a second time by the Australian government The [Australian government cancelled Novak Djokovic’s visa for a second time]( on January 14, saying the world tennis No. 1, unvaccinated for COVID-19, may pose a risk to the community. The decision raises the prospect of a second court battle by the Serbian tennis star to be allowed to stay and bid for a record 21st major tennis title at the Australian Open, but time is running out with the tournament starting on January 17. Australian Immigration Minister Alex Hawke exercised his discretionary powers to revoke Djokovic’s visa after a court quashed an earlier revocation and released him from immigration detention on January 10. “Today I exercised my power under section 133C(3) of the Migration Act to cancel the visa held by Mr. Novak Djokovic on health and good order grounds, on the basis that it was in the public interest to do so,” Hawke said in a statement. The government “is firmly committed to protecting Australia’s borders, particularly in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Hawke said. He said he had “carefully considered” information from Djokovic, the Department of Home Affairs and the Australian Border Force. Under the section of the Migration Act which the minister used to exercise his power to cancel the visa, Djokovic would not be able to secure a visa to come to Australia for three years, except in compelling circumstances that affect Australia’s interest. Djokovic, the Australian Open defending champion, was included in the draw on January 13 as top seed and was due to face fellow Serb Miomir Kecmanovic for his opening match, probably on January 17 or January 18. The saga has intensified global debate over rights of choice for vaccines, raised questions over Australia’s bungled handling of Djokovic’s visa, and become a tricky issue for Prime Minister Scott Morrison as he campaigns for re-election. The tennis star, a vaccine sceptic, fuelled widespread anger in Australia when he announced last week he was heading to Melbourne for the Australian Open with a medical exemption to requirements for visitors to be inoculated against COVID-19. Australia has endured some of the world’s longest lockdowns, has a 90% vaccination rate among adults, and has seen a runaway Omicron outbreak bring nearly a million cases in the last two weeks. On his arrival, Australian Border Force officials decided his exemption was invalid and he was held alongside asylum-seekers at an immigration detention hotel for several days. A court on January 10 allowed him to stay on the grounds that officials had been “unreasonable” in the way they handled his interview in a seven-hour process in the middle of the night. Djokovic’s cause was not helped by a mistake in his entry declaration relating to overseas travel in the prior two weeks, which he attributed to his agent. He also acknowledged he should have rescheduled an interview and photo-shoot for a French newspaper on December 18 while infected with COVID-19. An online poll by the News Corp media group found that 83% favoured the government trying to deport the tennis star. [underlineimg] Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments The [number of reported coronavirus cases from India]( stood at 3,66,65,760 at the time of publishing this newsletter, with the death toll at 4,85,650. 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