January 2024 – Page 764 – Safir News Agency

Arvind Kejriwal To Be Arrested Today? AAP Leaders Raise Alarm

admin Jan 3, 2024 0

Arvind Kejriwal To Be Arrested Today? AAP Leaders Raise Alarm

New Delhi:

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal could be arrested in the morning following a raid at his home, leaders of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party tweeted hours after he refused to appear for questioning in the alleged Delhi liquor scam. Party sources said they are ready for any eventuality. Sources in the Enforcement Directorate – the central agency probing the money laundering angle, which has called Mr Kejriwal for questioning several times — have said they have no such information.

“News coming in that ED is going to raid @ArvindKejriwal’s residence tmrw morning. Arrest likely,” posted senior party leader and Delhi minister Aatishi on X, formerly Twitter.

News coming in that ED is going to raid @ArvindKejriwal‘s residence tmrw morning. Arrest likely.

— Atishi (@AtishiAAP) January 3, 2024

Similar posts were seen on the handles of senior party leaders Saurabh Bhardwaj, Jasmine Shah and Sandeep Pathak.

सुनने में आ रहा है कल सुबह मुख्यमंत्री केजरीवाल जी के घर ED पहुँच कर उन्हें गिरफ़्तार करने वाली है ।

— Saurabh Bharadwaj (@Saurabh_MLAgk) January 3, 2024

BREAKING

Sources confirm that ED is going to raid the residence of CM Arvind Kejriwal tomorrow morning.

He is likely to be arrested.

— Jasmine Shah (@Jasmine441) January 3, 2024

Mr Kejriwal has skipped summons for questioning thrice. The last time he refused to appear was today. He had also refused to appear before the probe agency on November 2 and December 21. Under the rules, a non-bailable warrant can be issued against him any time and he can be arrested.

In April, he was questioned for nine hours by the Central Bureau of Investigation. He has not been named as an accused in the case.

Mr Kejriwal insists that the summons are “motivated” and says it is not clear whether he is being called as a witness or a suspect in the case.His party said it was a plan to stop him from campaigning in the national election due later this year.

With three of its leaders — Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh and Satyendra Jain — behind the bars, AAP has long been anticipating the eventuality and has discussed the possible courses of action. They even want Mr Kejriwal to remain the Chief Minister and do his job from jail.

The CBI contends that liquor companies were involved in framing the excise policy, which would have brought them a 12 per cent profit. A liquor lobby it dubbed the “South Group” had paid kickbacks, part of which was routed to public servants. The Enforcement Directorate alleged laundering of the kickbacks.

The BJP has alleged that the proceeds of the alleged scam were used by the AAP to fund its large-scale campaign in Gujarat, in which it got a 12.91 per cent votes and established itself as a national party.

The party has also taken a swipe at the Delhi Chief Minister, saying he is “shaking in fear” and is not appearing before the agency because he knows that he is the “kingpin” of the alleged liquor policy scam.

Editorial: Lessons for India

admin Jan 3, 2024 0

Prompt response mechanism and not compromising with building bylaws are the most important lessons from Japan

Published Date – 11:45 PM, Wed – 3 January 24

Editorial: Lessons for India — A woman looks at the burned-out marketplace by a fire following earthquakes in Wajima, Ishikawa prefecture, Japan Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024. (Kyodo News via AP)

Japan’s level of preparedness to face natural disasters is worth emulating. The recent efforts to withstand the shock from a massive earthquake and tsunami deserve appreciation from the rest of the world. Despite being hit by a strong earthquake with a magnitude of 7.6 on the Richter scale followed by over 155 smaller tremors and tsunami waves up to one metre high along the Sea of Japan coast on New Year’s Day, Japan has been successful in minimising the human loss and damage to vital installations. Most of the buildings in the affected areas of central and western Japan withstood the severe jolts. Being the most quake-prone country in the world, it has invested heavily in technology to make its infrastructure quake-proof and establish a quick and efficient response mechanism for such disasters. Countries like India have much to learn from Japan. The lessons range from quake preparedness to a prompt response mechanism, including issuing timely alerts. Most significantly, it is about not compromising with building bylaws related to quake resistance. Japan makes it a point to update the mitigating measures after every massive quake. The first quake-resistant building code was drawn up after the 1923 disaster. The 2011 earthquake, which sparked a tsunami, leaving over 18,000 dead, provided vital clues to dealing with the double whammy of the earth shaking and sea waves crashing inland. Japan was well equipped to deal with the seismic activity. While the recent earthquake-tsunami did cause fires and buildings to wobble violently, with some collapsing, and roads cracking open, hampering rescue operations, the upheaval was handled extremely well.

The expertise of the Japanese administration was on display as they virtually raced against time to restore power supply and communication services. Nearly one lakh people were evacuated to sports halls and school gymnasiums that double up as emergency evacuation buildings. The country’s tsunami warning system won a seemingly impossible race against giant ocean waves. Japan’s timing is significant for countries such as India and Sri Lanka because the nearest fault line in the Indian Ocean lies near the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The latest destruction brought back memories of the 2004 tsunami, one of the worst disasters of the century, shattering millions of lives. It remains a sombre reminder of the fragility of human life in the face of nature’s fury. It underscored the importance of international solidarity and the need for collective action in the face of disaster. The lessons learnt from that fateful day continue to shape disaster management programmes worldwide. India established a tsunami early warning system in October 2007. The Early Warning Centre receives real-time seismic data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and other international bodies. In India, there are several seismologically vulnerable regions, including the Himalayas where there is a high possibility of occurrence of major earthquakes.