Above the fold: Top stories of the day
1. Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh’s relatives may have received money from a government engineer accused of corruption.
2. Nine years after the Mumbai train bombings, court to pronounce verdict today.
3. Fourteen months after it broke down, India and Pakistan have agreed to reinstate the ceasefire on the border.
4. Facing the heat from its both the Shiv Sena and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, the Bharatiya Janata Party has agreed to restrict the Mumbai meat ban to two days.
5. Two Indian soldiers and two militants were killed in an encounter at Handwara in Kupwara district of north Kashmir.
6. A Muslim woman in Chhattisgarh has gone to court challenging her husband’s move to take a second wife.
The Big Story: no time to be diplomatic
Separate reports from two medical boards prima facie corroborated the physical and sexual assault on two Nepalese women – aged 44 and 20 – employed as domestic workers at the Gurgaon house of a Saudi Arabian diplomat.
The two victims have been examined by a gynecologists and followed by a four-member medical board. The medical examination confirmed the initial reports of sexual assault including rape and sodomy.
According to reports in the Indian Express the women were also suffering from vaginal and anal infections and were badly kept, with even their clothes in tatters.
In response, Delhi has asked Saudi Arabia to waive the accused diplomat’s official immunity from Indian law. Chief of Protocol Jaideep Mazumdar formally asked the Saudi Ambassador, Dr. Saud Mohammed Alsati for this. The accused is the First Secretary for the Saudi Embassy in Delhi.
Saudi Arabia, though, denied the charges and, in turn, issued a protest of its own complaining about the police’s behavior as well as media reports.
The Hindu reports that while it is unlikely that immunity would be waived off, this is a formal first step in order to act against the diplomat. As a second step, the accused would be declared a “persona non grata” thus forcing whether the Saudis can call him back or whether he will be expelled from India.
The Big Scroll: Scroll.in on the day’s biggest story
Far from showing any sensitivity in a case where a terrible crime has been committed, the Saudi press went on the offensive, ironically blaming Indian authorities for even the mild action that has been taken.
Politicking & Policying
1. Nitish Kumar is misleading people over the Prime Minister’s special package to Bihar, claims Sushil Modi.
2. Modi hits back at Sonia Gandhi, punning on her word “hawabazi” (rhetoric) to make “hawalabaz” (money lauderer).
Punditry
1. In the Indian Express, MM Ansari writes about how when it comes to Pakistan, of late, India has bungled up badly.
2. MK Narayanan in the Hindu says that no matter the hyperbole regarding the Naga agreement, much work still needs to be done.
3. In the Business Standard, Bhupesh Bhandri wonders if we're back in the dark days of License Raj.
Don't Miss
Anuraag Baruah's photo essay on the Assam floods shows that while the authorities struggle to provide relief, people are finding ways to get by.
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1. Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh’s relatives may have received money from a government engineer accused of corruption.
2. Nine years after the Mumbai train bombings, court to pronounce verdict today.
3. Fourteen months after it broke down, India and Pakistan have agreed to reinstate the ceasefire on the border.
4. Facing the heat from its both the Shiv Sena and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, the Bharatiya Janata Party has agreed to restrict the Mumbai meat ban to two days.
5. Two Indian soldiers and two militants were killed in an encounter at Handwara in Kupwara district of north Kashmir.
6. A Muslim woman in Chhattisgarh has gone to court challenging her husband’s move to take a second wife.
The Big Story: no time to be diplomatic
Separate reports from two medical boards prima facie corroborated the physical and sexual assault on two Nepalese women – aged 44 and 20 – employed as domestic workers at the Gurgaon house of a Saudi Arabian diplomat.
The two victims have been examined by a gynecologists and followed by a four-member medical board. The medical examination confirmed the initial reports of sexual assault including rape and sodomy.
According to reports in the Indian Express the women were also suffering from vaginal and anal infections and were badly kept, with even their clothes in tatters.
In response, Delhi has asked Saudi Arabia to waive the accused diplomat’s official immunity from Indian law. Chief of Protocol Jaideep Mazumdar formally asked the Saudi Ambassador, Dr. Saud Mohammed Alsati for this. The accused is the First Secretary for the Saudi Embassy in Delhi.
MEA Chief of Protocol called in Saudi Amb today, conveyed request of Haryana Police for coopn of Embassy in the case of 2 Nepali citizens
— Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) September 10, 2015Saudi Arabia, though, denied the charges and, in turn, issued a protest of its own complaining about the police’s behavior as well as media reports.
The Hindu reports that while it is unlikely that immunity would be waived off, this is a formal first step in order to act against the diplomat. As a second step, the accused would be declared a “persona non grata” thus forcing whether the Saudis can call him back or whether he will be expelled from India.
The Big Scroll: Scroll.in on the day’s biggest story
Far from showing any sensitivity in a case where a terrible crime has been committed, the Saudi press went on the offensive, ironically blaming Indian authorities for even the mild action that has been taken.
Politicking & Policying
1. Nitish Kumar is misleading people over the Prime Minister’s special package to Bihar, claims Sushil Modi.
2. Modi hits back at Sonia Gandhi, punning on her word “hawabazi” (rhetoric) to make “hawalabaz” (money lauderer).
Punditry
1. In the Indian Express, MM Ansari writes about how when it comes to Pakistan, of late, India has bungled up badly.
2. MK Narayanan in the Hindu says that no matter the hyperbole regarding the Naga agreement, much work still needs to be done.
3. In the Business Standard, Bhupesh Bhandri wonders if we're back in the dark days of License Raj.
Don't Miss
Anuraag Baruah's photo essay on the Assam floods shows that while the authorities struggle to provide relief, people are finding ways to get by.
At Khowang, some older children play hide-and-seek among the tents, while the younger ones complain to their mothers. Two women busily chop a gourd to cook on a makeshift stove of bricks. Some lucky ones were able to rescue gas burners and cylinders while escaping the rising floodwaters. The less fortunate are now using kerosene stoves and firewood.
