The Evening Wrap: NHRC issues notices to Bengal govt, police on Birbhum incident

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Thursday issued notices to the West Bengal Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police over the violence in Birbhum district earlier this week. The NHRC took suo motu cognisance of media reports about eight people, including children, being burnt to death following the murder of a Trinamool Congress leader on Tuesday. It sought detailed reports within four weeks, including the status of FIRs in the matter, steps taken for the safety of people in the village and relief and rehabilitation provided by the State government. “Issuing the notices, the commission has also observed that going by the contents of the media reports, the incident of hate violence indicates that the law and order is not appropriate in the area,” the NHRC statement said. Meanwhile, the West Bengal government on Thursday submitted a preliminary report on the Birbhum violence before the Calcutta High Court along with a case diary of the matter. A Division Bench of Chief Justice Prakash Shrivastava and Justice Rajarshi Bharadwaj reserved their order on a probe by the CBI into the matter. In a related development, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday met the families of those killed in the violence at Baktui village in Birbhum. She announced jobs for one person in a family and a monetary compensation of ₹5 lakh to the kin of those killed. She directed the police to ensure that villagers return to their home and are given round the clock protection. Banerjee also asked the police to arrest Trinamool Congress block president, Rampurhat 1 Anarul Hossain for his involvement in the violence. “TMC block president Anirul will be arrested or he will surrender. The SDPO and the Inspector in charge did not act responsibly. I want strong action against them,” she said. The Chief Minister’s visit to the violence-torn village comes three days after the incident. On Monday, eight people, mostly women and children, were burnt to death following the murder of TMC deputy pradhan Bhadu Sheikh. Banerjee stated, “Killing someone is bad and setting houses on fire is worse.” The Chief Minister, who tried to placate the irate villagers, maintained that there was a “bigger conspiracy”. She also met the injured at the Rampurhat Sub- Divisional hospital. The villagers whose houses have been set on fire would get ₹2 lakh for repairs, she added. Zelenskyy says Russia using phosphorus bombs in Ukraine Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia on Thursday of deploying phosphorus weapons in his country and urged NATO to provide military support. “This morning, by the way, phosphorus bombs were used. Russian phosphorus bombs. Adults were killed again and children were killed again,” Zelenskyy said during a video address to the US-led military alliance. Zelenskyy urged NATO on Thursday to provide Kyiv with unrestricted military aid, one month into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “To save people and our cities, Ukraine needs military assistance without restrictions. In the same way that Russia is using its full arsenal without restrictions against us,” the Ukrainian leader told NATO representatives via video-link. Russia will “destroy freedom” in Europe and pursue its neighbours, Zelenskyy warned Swedish lawmakers in an address. “If Ukraine wouldn’t endure and protect ourselves, it would mean that... all neighbours of Russia are in danger from now on,” he said in a video link speech that got a standing ovation. “Russia went to war against Ukraine because they want to advance further in Europe, they want to destroy freedom in Europe.” “This is a fundamental challenge for the European security and defence system,” he said, calling for Europe to issue hard-hitting weekly sanctions packages against Russia. He warned Sweden that Moscow had its Baltic Sea island of Gotland in its sights. Sweden reopened its garrison on Gotland in 2018, in the wake of Russia’s annexation of Crimea, after shutting it down in 2004. “It would mean that you are in danger, because it is only the sea that divides you and this aggressive policy,” he said. “Russian propagandists already discuss on air, on TV broadcasts, how Russia will occupy Gotland and how they will control it for decades”, he added. “They think it would be comfortable to put anti-defence systems and bases there to cover the advance on the Baltic states.” Zelenskyy thanked Sweden for its support, after it agreed to ship weapons to a country at war for the first time since 1939. Not a member of NATO and officially militarily non-aligned, Stockholm on Thursday announced a second delivery of 5,000 anti-tank launchers. Support for NATO membership has soared in Sweden since Russia’s invasion, but Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson has so far ruled out the idea. Joining the alliance risks “destabilising” northern Europe, she said. Follow our live coverage here. Supreme Court fixes outer limit of 60 days for claims for COVID-19 deaths up to March 20 The Supreme Court on Thursday fixed the outer limits to apply for COVID-19 death compensation at 60 days for deaths that occurred prior to March 20, 2022 and 90 days in case of future deaths. The States have to process the applications and make the actual payment of ₹50,000 for each death within 30 days of the date of receipt of a claim. “If no outer limit of time is fixed, there is a greater possibility of making false claims,” a Bench of Justices M.R. Shah and B.V. Nagarathna reasoned. The States have received approximately 7,38,610 applications for ex-gratia compensation for the death of their loved ones. Taking into consideration the possibility of fake claims, the Bench ordered the Centre through the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the National Disaster Management Authority to carry out a random scrutiny of 5% of the claim applications made in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Kerala and Maharashtra at the first instance. The four States have to cooperate with the scrutiny. The court agreed with the Centre that the pandemic has subsided and it had been nine months since the court endorsed the payment of ex gratia aid in a judgment on June 30 last year. “This court passed the order directing the Union of India/NDMA/concerned States to pay ex gratia amount keeping in mind the humanity and keeping in mind the sufferings of the family members who lost one of their family members due to COVID-19. Therefore, nobody can be permitted to misuse the same and it is also against morality, and is unethical, which can never be accepted,” the court underscored. It said that all the genuine claimants, more or less, would have applied for financial aid by now. “The process of receiving the claims would go on endlessly... There is a possibility of false claims,” it noted. However, it disagreed with the Centre’s submission that it was enough to give families of those who died another four weeks before closing the window for receiving claims. “The families would need some reasonable time to recover from the death and sorrow and filing the claim,” the court said in a seven-page order. The court also did not make the outer limits inflexible. Instead, it stated that if any family could not apply within the outer limits in case of “extreme hardship”, they could approach the Grievance Redressal Committee with their claims. The panel would consider these claims on a case-to-case basis. Ordering the random scrutiny, the Bench said the Centre should complete the exercise in three months and submit a report before it. If anybody is found to have made a fake claim for financial aid, he or she would face legal action under Section 52 of the Disaster Management Act of 2005. The provision prescribes imprisonment for a term extending to two years and fine. Trinamool MPs meet Amit Shah to demand Governor Jagdeep Dhankar’s removal A delegation of Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders called on Home Minister Amit Shah to demand the removal of West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankar even as the issue of Birbhum vioelnce was raised in the Lok Sabha on Thursday. Raising the issue in the House, Congress’ Deputy Leader Gaurav Gogoi accused the State government of not allowing the party’s leader in the House, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, to visit the site of the violence. On Wednesday, Chowdhury had written to President Ram Nath Kovind to invoke Article 355 to ensure that “West Bengal is governed as per constitutional provisions”. “He [Mr Chowdhury] has been stopped at Bolpur, nearly 90 km away from the spot. It is a blow to democracy as he was there to express his solidarity with the victims,” Gogoi said. Shouting slogans against the TMC government, BJP’s Saumitra Khan rushed to the well of the House, sat in the aisle briefly and alleged that Bengal had become a “land of terror”. Khan’s angry tirade found support from other BJP members but Speaker Om Birla reprimanded the member to express his displeasure. “The House cannot run in such a manner,” he said. Birla advised members to exercise restraint and maintain the dignity of the House and not resort to personal comments. TMC leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay defended the State government and informed the members of his meeting with Shah. The Home Minister said that there was no politics over the issue and that firm punishment should be given to the guilty, he added. Earlier, after his meeting with the Home Minister, The TMC leader told reporters that the Governor was working against constitutional norms. “Parliamentary system is under threat from him,” he stated. Earlier, after his meeting with the Home Minister, The TMC leader told reporters that the Governor was working against constitutional norms. “Parliamentary system is under threat from him,” he stated. In brief Yogi Adityanth was elected leader of the Uttar Pradesh BJP Legislature Party on Thursday in a unanimous vote and is all set to take oath on Friday in a ceremony in Lucknow to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and significantly, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar as well as Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled States. Union Home Minister Amit Shah and former Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das, appointed central observers for the legislature party meet were present as the announcement was made, after a resolution proposing Adityanath as the leader of the legislature party was moved by Suresh Khanna, nine–time MLA from Sanjhapur, and supported by many other MLAs. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow [logo] The Evening Wrap 24 MARCH 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]( NHRC issues notices to Bengal govt, police on Birbhum incident; Mamata visits violence-hit Baktui village   The [National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Thursday issued notices]( to the West Bengal Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police over the violence in Birbhum district earlier this week. The NHRC took suo motu cognisance of media reports about eight people, including children, being burnt to death following the murder of a Trinamool Congress leader on Tuesday. It sought detailed reports within four weeks, including the status of FIRs in the matter, steps taken for the safety of people in the village and relief and rehabilitation provided by the State government. “Issuing the notices, the commission has also observed that going by the contents of the media reports, the incident of hate violence indicates that the law and order is not appropriate in the area,” the NHRC statement said. Meanwhile, the [West Bengal government on Thursday submitted a preliminary report on the Birbhum violence]( before the Calcutta High Court along with a case diary of the matter. A Division Bench of Chief Justice Prakash Shrivastava and Justice Rajarshi Bharadwaj reserved their order on a probe by the CBI into the matter. [West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee interacts with the family members of slain Trinamool leader Bhadu Sheikh at his residence in Birbhum on March 24, 2022. ] In a related development, West Bengal Chief Minister [Mamata Banerjee on Thursday met the families of those killed in the violence at Baktui village in Birbhum]( She announced jobs for one person in a family and a monetary compensation of ₹5 lakh to the kin of those killed. She directed the police to ensure that villagers return to their home and are given round the clock protection. Banerjee also asked the police to arrest Trinamool Congress block president, Rampurhat 1 Anarul Hossain for his involvement in the violence. “TMC block president Anirul will be arrested or he will surrender. The SDPO and the Inspector in charge did not act responsibly. I want strong action against them,” she said. The Chief Minister’s visit to the violence-torn village comes three days after the incident. On Monday, eight people, mostly women and children, were burnt to death following the murder of TMC deputy pradhan Bhadu Sheikh. Banerjee stated, “Killing someone is bad and setting houses on fire is worse.” The Chief Minister, who tried to placate the irate villagers, maintained that there was a “bigger conspiracy”. She also met the injured at the Rampurhat Sub- Divisional hospital. The villagers whose houses have been set on fire would get ₹2 lakh for repairs, she added. Zelenskyy says Russia using phosphorus bombs in Ukraine Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy [accused Russia on Thursday of deploying phosphorus weapons]( in his country and urged NATO to provide military support. “This morning, by the way, phosphorus bombs were used. Russian phosphorus bombs. Adults were killed again and children were killed again,” Zelenskyy said during a video address to the US-led military alliance. Zelenskyy urged NATO on Thursday to provide Kyiv with unrestricted military aid, one month into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “To save people and our cities, Ukraine needs military assistance without restrictions. In the same way that Russia is using its full arsenal without restrictions against us,” the Ukrainian leader told NATO representatives via video-link. Russia will “destroy freedom” in Europe and pursue its neighbours, Zelenskyy warned Swedish lawmakers in an address. “If Ukraine wouldn’t endure and protect ourselves, it would mean that... all neighbours of Russia are in danger from now on,” he said in a video link speech that got a standing ovation. “Russia went to war against Ukraine because they want to advance further in Europe, they want to destroy freedom in Europe.” “This is a fundamental challenge for the European security and defence system,” he said, calling for Europe to issue hard-hitting weekly sanctions packages against Russia. He warned Sweden that Moscow had its Baltic Sea island of Gotland in its sights. Sweden reopened its garrison on Gotland in 2018, in the wake of Russia’s annexation of Crimea, after shutting it down in 2004. “It would mean that you are in danger, because it is only the sea that divides you and this aggressive policy,” he said. “Russian propagandists already discuss on air, on TV broadcasts, how Russia will occupy Gotland and how they will control it for decades”, he added. “They think it would be comfortable to put anti-defence systems and bases there to cover the advance on the Baltic states.” Zelenskyy thanked Sweden for its support, after it agreed to ship weapons to a country at war for the first time since 1939. Not a member of NATO and officially militarily non-aligned, Stockholm on Thursday announced a second delivery of 5,000 anti-tank launchers. Support for NATO membership has soared in Sweden since Russia’s invasion, but Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson has so far ruled out the idea. Joining the alliance risks “destabilising” northern Europe, she said. [Follow our live coverage here.]( Supreme Court fixes outer limit of 60 days for claims for COVID-19 deaths up to March 20  The Supreme Court on Thursday [fixed the outer limits to apply for COVID-19 death compensation]( at 60 days for deaths that occurred prior to March 20, 2022 and 90 days in case of future deaths. The States have to process the applications and make the actual payment of ₹50,000 for each death within 30 days of the date of receipt of a claim. “If no outer limit of time is fixed, there is a greater possibility of making false claims,” a Bench of Justices M.R. Shah and B.V. Nagarathna reasoned. The States have received approximately 7,38,610 applications for ex-gratia compensation for the death of their loved ones. Taking into consideration the possibility of fake claims, the Bench ordered the Centre through the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the National Disaster Management Authority to carry out a random scrutiny of 5% of the claim applications made in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Kerala and Maharashtra at the first instance. The four States have to cooperate with the scrutiny. The court agreed with the Centre that the pandemic has subsided and it had been nine months since the court endorsed the payment of ex gratia aid in a judgment on June 30 last year. “This court passed the order directing the Union of India/NDMA/concerned States to pay ex gratia amount keeping in mind the humanity and keeping in mind the sufferings of the family members who lost one of their family members due to COVID-19. Therefore, nobody can be permitted to misuse the same and it is also against morality, and is unethical, which can never be accepted,” the court underscored. It said that all the genuine claimants, more or less, would have applied for financial aid by now. “The process of receiving the claims would go on endlessly... There is a possibility of false claims,” it noted. However, it disagreed with the Centre’s submission that it was enough to give families of those who died another four weeks before closing the window for receiving claims. “The families would need some reasonable time to recover from the death and sorrow and filing the claim,” the court said in a seven-page order. The court also did not make the outer limits inflexible. Instead, it stated that if any family could not apply within the outer limits in case of “extreme hardship”, they could approach the Grievance Redressal Committee with their claims. The panel would consider these claims on a case-to-case basis. Ordering the random scrutiny, the Bench said the Centre should complete the exercise in three months and submit a report before it. If anybody is found to have made a fake claim for financial aid, he or she would face legal action under Section 52 of the Disaster Management Act of 2005. The provision prescribes imprisonment for a term extending to two years and fine. Trinamool MPs meet Amit Shah to demand Governor Jagdeep Dhankar’s removal A [delegation of Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders called on Home Minister Amit Shah]( to demand the removal of West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankar even as the issue of Birbhum vioelnce was raised in the Lok Sabha on Thursday. Raising the issue in the House, Congress’ Deputy Leader Gaurav Gogoi accused the State government of not allowing the party’s leader in the House, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, to visit the site of the violence. On Wednesday, Chowdhury had written to President Ram Nath Kovind to invoke Article 355 to ensure that “West Bengal is governed as per constitutional provisions”. “He [Mr Chowdhury] has been stopped at Bolpur, nearly 90 km away from the spot. It is a blow to democracy as he was there to express his solidarity with the victims,” Gogoi said. Shouting slogans against the TMC government, BJP’s Saumitra Khan rushed to the well of the House, sat in the aisle briefly and alleged that Bengal had become a “land of terror”. Khan’s angry tirade found support from other BJP members but Speaker Om Birla reprimanded the member to express his displeasure. “The House cannot run in such a manner,” he said. Birla advised members to exercise restraint and maintain the dignity of the House and not resort to personal comments. TMC leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay defended the State government and informed the members of his meeting with Shah. The Home Minister said that there was no politics over the issue and that firm punishment should be given to the guilty, he added. Earlier, after his meeting with the Home Minister, The TMC leader told reporters that the Governor was working against constitutional norms. “Parliamentary system is under threat from him,” he stated. Earlier, after his meeting with the Home Minister, The TMC leader told reporters that the Governor was working against constitutional norms. “Parliamentary system is under threat from him,” he stated. In brief [Union Home Minister Amit Shah greets Yogi Adityanath on his election as the leader of U.P. BJP Legislature Party at a meeting in Lucknow on March 24, 2022. ] [Yogi Adityanth was elected leader of the Uttar Pradesh BJP Legislature Party]( on Thursday in a unanimous vote and is all set to take oath on Friday in a ceremony in Lucknow to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and significantly, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar as well as Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled States. Union Home Minister Amit Shah and former Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das, appointed central observers for the legislature party meet were present as the announcement was made, after a resolution proposing Adityanath as the leader of the legislature party was moved by Suresh Khanna, nine–time MLA from Sanjhapur, and supported by many other MLAs. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow  Today‘s Top Picks [[Watch | How are Coimbatore’s onion puffs made?] Watch | How are Coimbatore’s onion puffs made?]( [[Can the new Apple Mac Studio’s storage be expanded?] Can the new Apple Mac Studio’s storage be expanded?]( [[In ideological shift, CPI(M) plans to actively take part in temple festivals] In ideological shift, CPI(M) plans to actively take part in temple festivals]( [[Home or abroad? Ukraine-returnee students in a fix] Home or abroad? Ukraine-returnee students in a fix]( Copyright @ 2021, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. 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