Tag: UnItedNations

FREEWHEELING

About: A break free commentary on events on our Planet, anchored on the news of the world. Any comments beyond the storyline, are entirely mine, without prejudice -take it or leave it. This is a run of events from 16 September to 26 September 2025: Rumblings of a Palestine State; Trump at the UN; more Tariffs on India; Leprosy concerns; and a cure for Huntington’s Disease.

Rumblings

France’s President Macron is clearly off the grid, saying, “The recognition of a Palestinian State is the best way to isolate Hamas”. Well, without anyone asking, that was what Israel did- albeit in a different way-in the year 2005. It unilaterally, and with the best intentions, wholly vacated the Gaza Strip, even going to the depth of digging up graves of buried Israelis and shifting them to mainland Israel. It left behind flourishing businesses, especially modern Green Houses, which were destroyed and parts cannibalised for making and sending rockets into Israel, in an endless cycle of violence. The Palestinians in the Gaza Strip voted for Hamas to rule them, and look what’s happened. Instead, Macron needs to be schooled-maybe even slapped on the face by his once-upon-a-time Teacher wife, to say, “Release the 48 hostages, give-up arms, show us you can peacefully co-exist alongside Israel, and we’ll think about recognising or helping you establish a peace-loving Palestine State”. Some sense does prevail in the world with countries such as Singapore, Japan, New Zealand saying exactly that. I wished India, which recognised Palestine way back in the 1980s, would re-consider and ‘de-recognise’, on similar lines. Diplomacy is a tough task; some things cannot be undone?
Some States are formed on pure love; some on unalloyed hatred.

US President Donald Trump stormed the United Nations (UN) with a commonsensical, blunt speech, after he and wife Melania Trump were almost knocked off an Escalator, which suddenly stopped working. And thanks to their great fitness levels, they stood standing. Trump used the Escalator malfunction to talk about the ineffectiveness of the UN in preventing wars. He boasted of having stopped seven wars and it being the UN’s job to stop wars, it was nowhere in sight, did not even call him to ask; only writing letters of condemnation. And not paying attention to the matter.

He flung Climate Change out of the Sky back onto Planet Earth, saying the ‘Go Green’ initiative is the biggest cheat and fake thing happening in the world: with all the noisy windmills and acres of solar panels stifling real green vegetation. Become friends with coal- fall in love with it – gas, and oil and use these resources to grow and develop. And he had a word on Immigration that each country should safeguard its borders – else they will find themselves heading to hell. What with people who have nothing to do with your culture and faith entering your country – built on the shoulders, the blood, sweat, and tears of your forefathers (wish Churchill was around – he would have imposed a 100% tariff on stealing his famous lines)? He rambled on to say, the jails of Germany, Austria, and beautiful Switzerland are filled with immigrants, who refuse to follow your rules!

The load on India cannot get heavier. Donald Trump, with his Bull-in-China-Shop attitude, imposed at $100,000 fee per H1 B Visa for ‘talent’ coming into the US, from India. That works out to about ₹89 Lakhs. Initially, it was thought that it would apply annually and to everyone, but then it was said to be a one-time fee and only for the newcomers. Better India keeps its good stuff within its borders. And why did India not think of holding its great talent pool, incubated in its superb Institutions, instead of letting them walk to America? Do we need a Trump to show us what is wrong with our systems?

The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is India’s highest award in the field of cinema, given by the Government of India and presented annually at the National Film Awards. The recipient is honoured for outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian cinema and is selected by a committee consisting of eminent personalities from the Indian film industry. The award comprises a Swarna Kamal (Golden Lotus) medallion, a shawl, and a cash prize of ₹1,000,000. It is named after Dadasaheb Phalke, who is regarded as the father of Indian cinema. He directed India’s first full-length feature film, ‘Raja Harishchandra’ in the year 1913.

This year, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award Selection Committee selected Malayalam Actor Mohanlal Viswanathan, 65, for the Award. Mohanlal is a legendary actor, director, and producer, who with his unmatched talent, versatility, and relentless hard work has set a golden standard in Indian film history. The Award was presented at the 71st National Film Awards ceremony on 23 September 2025.

Mohanlal predominantly works in Malayalam cinema, and has also occasionally appeared in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, and Kannada films. He has a prolific career spanning over four decades, during which he has acted in more than 400 films. The Government honoured him with Padma Shri in 2001, and Padma Bhushan in 2019, Mohanlal was named as one of ‘the men who changed the face of the Indian Cinema’ by CNN.

A little known fact is, he is married to famous Tamil Actor and Filmmaker K Balaji’s daughter Suchitra. The couple have two children.

Leprosy

The World Health Organisation’s (WHO) latest update, which recorded nearly 182,815 new Leprosy cases world-wide rings alarm bells. A tails-up approach is required. India reported 107,851 of these, a 59% share of the world’s new cases. 20 years earlier, the global tally stood at 451,325 and India’s share then was even more, at 81 %, with 367,143 cases.

Leprosy is a Neglected Tropical Disease, which still occurs in more than 120 countries with about 200,000 cases reported every year. As per Year 2023 data, Brazil, India, and Indonesia continue to report over 10,000 new cases, every year.

Leprosy, also known as Hansen’s Disease, is a chronic infectious disease caused by a Bacteria, Mycobacterium Leprae, which affects the skin and peripheral nerves (nerves and ganglia which lie outside the Brain and Spinal Cord – the Central Nervous System), mucosa of the upper respiratory tract, and eyes. If left untreated it may cause progressive and permanent disabilities.

Transmission is via droplets from the nose and mouth during close and frequent contact with untreated people having the disease. It does not spread through casual contact such as shaking hands, hugging, sharing meals or sitting next to an affected person. Leprosy is curable with Multi-Drug Therapy (MDT). And the best part is, the person stops transmitting upon initiation of treatment.

Leprosy manifests itself through skin lesions and enlargement of the peripheral nerves. Cardinal signs are, definite loss of sensation in a pale or reddish skin patch, thickened peripheral nerves with loss of sensation or weakness of muscles supplied by that nerve. And by microscopic detection of the bacilli is a slit skin smear.

India has set itself a target of year 2027 for eradication of Leprosy through The National Leprosy Eradication Programme (NLEP). The aim is to achieve zero transmission, zero disability, and zero discrimination by 2027.

Leprosy was declared a Notifiable Disease in 2025. Any disease that is required as per law to be reported to the Public Health Authorities is a Notifiable Disease. Besides Leprosy, eleven other notifiable diseases in India are: Cholera; Diphtheria; Encephalitis; Plague; Malaria; Measles; Hepatitis A, B, C, and E; Meningitis; Dengue; Tuberculosis; and AIDS.

Huntington’s Disease

One of the most devastating diseases in the world, Huntington’s Disease, has been successfully treated for the first time, marking a break-through milestone in medicine. It is a genetic disease-hence hereditary-runs through families, and is known for killing brain cells. The symptoms resemble a combination of dementia, Parkinson’s, and motor neuron disease.

The disease gets its name from George Huntington, an American physician who contributed a classic, clinical description of the disease. We do not get to know about a lot many things until someone catches it by the collar and effectively pins it down by an understandable description. By George, Huntington did just that!

He described this condition in the first of only two scientific papers he ever wrote in 1872, when he was just 22, a year after receiving his medical degree from Columbia University in New York. It is said that, “In the history of medicine, there are few instances in which a disease has been more accurately, more graphically or more briefly described.”

It is a throughly wretched disease, characterised by the jerky movements of the sufferers. The first symptoms of Huntington’s disease appear in your thirties or forties, and progresses without control leading to senility and premature death within two decades of its onset.

Huntington’s Disease is because of a gene, gone rouge-one mutation in the HTT gene-which produces a protein called huntingtin. The mutation turns the gene into a ’neuron-killer’.

The huntingtin protein is one of the most complex proteins in the human body, and we have no idea what it is actually for. Somebody will hunt it down, one day!

In the United Kingdom, Huntington’s Disease Centre Professor Sarah Tabrizi spoke after the disease had been successfully treated for the first time. The Research Team said the data showed that the disease slowed by 75% in patients. The decline patients usually expected in one year would ultimately take four years after treatment, giving patients decades of a ‘good quality’ of life.

The new treatment is a type of gene therapy given within 12 to 18 hours of a delicate brain injury. It uses cutting-edge genetic medicine combining gene therapy and ‘gene silencing’ technologies. It starts with a safe virus that has been altered to contain a specially designed sequence of DNA. The virus then acts like a microscopic postman – delivering the new piece of DNA inside brain cells, where it becomes active. This leads to lower levels of mutant huntingtin in the brain. In the new treatment there’s a 50% chance that one will inherit the altered gene. The future looks bright and promising.

More healthy stories coming-up in the weeks ahead. Stay watchful with Freewheeling.

WORLD INTHAVAARAM, 2024-9

About: the world this week, 25 February 2024 to 2 March 2024; The United Nations; Gaza and Israel; Russia and nuclear weapons; Sandeshkhali arrests; Moon Landing; India’s Astronauts; India’s Economy; a Princess in distress; and Japan’s Naked Festival.

Everywhere

In a moment of reckoning, United Nations(UN) Chief Antonio Guterres deplored how the UN Security Council had failed to respond adequately to the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, saying the conflicts had ‘perhaps fatally’ undermined its authority. And of course, the disastrous operations of UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East), in the Gaza Strip, being complicit with the terrorist Hamas, runs in our minds.

Guterres said the UN Security Council often found itself, “unable to act on the most significant peace and security issues of our time”. Asked if the Security Council could eventually be considered ‘brain dead’ Guterres quipped, “If the Security Council one day shows that it is incapable of doing anything, then it will be very close to this medical condition.” That’s the best loud-thinking one can hear all week! The UN is certainly in need of a complete overhaul. Wonder, who’s going to do it?

This week there was a stampede in Gaza when dozens of people were trampled to death or run-over when aid trucks had arrived for distribution of food and supplies. There are conflicting reports on what exactly happened. Hamas says that Israeli forces shot and killed at least 100 Palestinians during the rush to get food; Israel says it fired warning shots to try to break up the crowd, which was getting out of control. And the firing caused trucks to leave in panic.

Over the past few weeks, getting aid into Gaza has become increasingly difficult in the midst of the ongoing war, with a complete breakdown in public order. The UN says the Gaza population is close to famine and there are reports of people eating animal feed and grass to survive. But this latest incident may have even bigger consequences. And Gaza is on a deadline. Israel has said that if Hamas does not release the remaining 130 hostages by 10th March, which marks the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramzan, it will begin its ground offensive in Rafah, in southern Gaza, where more than 1.4 million Palestinians are sheltering.

The war in Ukraine has triggered the worst crisis in Russia’s relations with the Western World, since the Cuban Missile Crisis in the year 1962. President Vladimir Putin has previously spoken of the dangers of a direct confrontation between NATO and Russia, but his nuclear warning, this week, was one of his most explicit.

Putin warned Western countries that there was a genuine risk of nuclear war if they send their own troops to fight in Ukraine, and he said Russia had the weapons to strike targets in the West. In Russia signs of opposition, to Putin’s regime, still flicker despite the state machinery working round the clock to snuff out the slightest dissent over the invasion of Ukraine and, more recently, the death in detention of opposition leader, Alexi Navalny. This week, Russia Authorities finally handed over Alexi Navalny’s body to his parents and he was buried at a cemetery on the outskirts of Moscow. His wife Yulia and their two children, who live in exile in the United States, did not attend on fears of being detained.

Sheikh Shahjahan, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader accused of turning Sandeshkhali in India’s West Bengal State into a hellhole of torture, land grab, and sexual exploitation, was finally arrested this week by the State police. He was on the run for over 55 days and was nabbed from a house around 30 km from Sandeshkhali, which is around 85 km from State Capital of Kolkata. A court sent him to 10 days in police custody. Shahjahan ‘dressed for the occasion’ walked to the courtroom with policemen behind him, escorting him like he was a VIP, waving to reporters gathered. Celebrations erupted in Sandeshkhali as the news of Shahjahan’s arrest broke, with residents distributing sweets. The TMC suspended Shahjahan for six years, but his body-language, the arrogance, and nonchalance spoke many things, all at once – a criminal controlling the system.

This week, India developed a swag in its stride, running on the double, to achieve its goal of becoming one of the largest economies in the World. The October to December 2023 GDP growth figures revealed a terrific 8.4%, beating all estimates. India’s growing economy is best amplified by Industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman of the Aditya Birla Group, as recounted by my favourite news person, Minhaz Merchant.

“The Indian Economy, It’s just looking like a Wow. This dynamism and energy of a young country and an ancient civilisation that has found its voice and footing. There is a palpable sense that the country is on the move. India is awash with optimism, pride, and anticipation. This anticipation stems from our country’s accelerated high-growth trajectory”. I think India’s time has come.

Last Thursday, a spacecraft built and flown by Texas-based company Intuitive Machines landed on the Moon’s surface near its South Pole, becoming the first in more than half a century and the first ever by the US private sector. NASA had several research instruments aboard the vehicle. And is well into achieving its goal of sending a squad of commercially flown spacecraft on scientific scouting missions to the moon ahead of a planned return of astronauts to the Moon, later this decade.

Earlier, on 15 February 2024, the Odysseus– nicknamed Odie – lunar lander was launched into space, atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at Cape Canaveral from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The rocket fired Odie into Earth’s orbit and after burning through its fuel detached itself, leaving the lunar lander to fly solo through space. The robotic explorer then consulted an onboard map of the stars so it could orient itself in space, pointing its solar panels toward the sun’s rays to charge its batteries. Odie then went into an oval-shaped path around Earth, and after about 18 hours into spaceflight, ignited its motors, for the first time, to continue a fast-paced trip toward the lunar surface. The moon then gave Odie a gentle gravitational tug as the spacecraft approached, pulling the vehicle towards its cratered surface. The six-legged Odie made a nail-biting touchdown on 22 February in what was called a ‘white-knuckle touchdown’, meaning ‘alive and well’ but resting on its side instead of fully upright.

Human-error led to a failure of the spacecraft’s laser-based range finders, but engineers detected the glitch, by chance, hours before landing time, and improvised an emergency fix that saved the mission from a probable crash. But initial communications problems following the landing raised questions about whether the vehicle may have been left impaired or obstructed in some way.

The spacecraft was not designed to provide live video of the landing, which came one day after it reached lunar orbit and a week after its launch from Florida. It also took some time after an anticipated radio blackout to re-establish communications with the spacecraft and determine its fate. When contact was finally renewed, the signal was faint, confirming that the lander had touched down but leaving mission control immediately uncertain as to the precise condition and orientation of the vehicle. Odie could have broken a leg on landing too fast, and tipped-over: details are awaited.

Continuing with the space theme, this week, India named four astronauts to travel to space as part of the India’s first manned spaceflight mission in Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Gaganyaan. They are Test Pilots, Group Captains, Prashanth Nair, Ajit Krishnan, Angad Pratap, and Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla. The astronauts are already undergoing rigorous training. And the next step would be a demonstration of human spaceflight capability by launching them into an orbit of 400 km for a three-day mission and bringing them back safely to Earth by landing in Indian sea waters.

India’s ambitious space plans, quickly brought back memories of Rakesh Sharma who made history, becoming the first Indian to travel to Space. In April 1984, he along with two Soviet Union cosmonauts flew the Soviet Spacecraft Soyuz T-11, which docked and transferred the three member crew to the Salyut 7 Orbital Station. Sharma spent about 7 days aboard Salyut 7 during which time he conducted scientific and technical studies with the team, practiced Yoga, and had a conversation with the then Prime Minister of India. The journey to space and back lasted about 21 days.

What’s going on with the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton? England’s Royal Family at Kensington Palace said that the Princess is recovering from a successful, planned abdominal surgery, but the meme-makers of the internet aren’t fully convinced. Kensington Palace previously announced on 17th January that Kate Middleton had undergone surgery and would be returning home after a hospital stay, adding that she wanted to keep her medical details private. It was said that she would likely not be able to return to public duties until after Easter. But the fact that she apparently hasn’t even been spotted by British tabloids since Christmas Day 2023 has concerned certain corners of the internet. But, the Royals know how to keep a secret!

For over 1250 years Japan has been celebrating the Hadaka Matsuri, or the ‘Naked Festival’ at the Konomiya Shrine, in central Japan. It’s always been a men’s only festival and this year, for the first time ever, women have been allowed to join. Turns out that there was never a ban on women participating; no one asked; and this time when someone asked, they were allowed, why not?

The ‘naked festival’ has been celebrated by men in an attempt to drive away evil spirits, before praying for happiness at the shrine. The men make a big scramble, rushing to the shrine yelling, “Washoi! Washoi!” – let’s go, let’s go! And clamber over one another to touch the Shin Otoko, or the ‘male deity’ – a man chosen by the shrine. Touching him, as the tradition goes, is meant to drive evil spirits away. However, in the scrabble, women are not allowed.

Hold on… ‘naked men’ and with women participating, ‘naked women’ too? Here, naked is defined as men wearing nothing but the traditional Japanese loin cloth. And the women wear ‘happi coats’ – long, purple robes – and white shorts, while carrying their own bamboo trunk offerings. They stand in two parallel lines and carry the long bamboo sticks wrapped in intertwined red and white ribbons, encouraging their men to make the naked dash!

Japan has one of the fastest ageing populations on Earth. Last year, for the first time, it was found that more than one in 10 people were aged 80 or older. Meanwhile, its birth rate stands at just 1.3 per woman, with only 800,000 babies born last year.

Hope Japan’s population woes are heard by Shin Otoko, and the men are driven to be be productive. Meanwhile, “Washoi Washoi,” the women too, join in the shout.

More naked and clothed stories coming-up in the weeks ahead. Washoi Washoi with World Inthavaaram.

WORLD INTHAVAARAM, 2023-50

About: the world this week, 10 December to 16 December 2023; the United Nations tries for a cease-fire; India’s new State Chief Ministers; Jammu & Kashmir; and smoke in India’s Parliament.

Everywhere

The United Nations, Israel, and America

Late last week, the United Nations (UN) Security Council met to discuss and pass an immediate, cease-fire Resolution in the ongoing Israel-Hamas War. The Security Council consists of 5 permanent members, and 10 non-permanent (elected for a two-year term by the UN’s General Assembly) members. Only the permanent members have a veto, and for a resolution to be adopted all permanent members must vote in agreement. And a Resolution passed by the Security Council is binding.

The meeting was convened after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres invoked Article 99 of the UN Charter which says, he may bring to the attention of the Security Council any matter which in his opinion may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security.

The Security Council failed to adopt the cease-fire Resolution, put forward by the United Arab Emirates, due to a veto by the United States, following a debate earlier in the day. Thirteen Security Council members voted in favour while the United Kingdom abstained.

The US told the UN Security Council: “We do not support this resolution’s call for an unsustainable ceasefire that will only plant the seeds for the next war.”

The US and Israel opposed the ceasefire, saying it would only benefit Hamas, which Israel has vowed to annihilate in response to the deadly 7th October cross-border massacre of Israeli civilians.

Later, the United Nations, while still trying to build a consensus, adopted a non-binding resolution in the General Assembly: 153 votes for to 10 against, with 23 abstentions, to demand a ceasefire in Gaza. The same vote in October had got 120 for, 12 against, and 45 abstentions.

More than 17,700 Palestinians have been killed during the latest Israel-Hamas war. And as humanitarian concerns continue to rise, Israel and Hamas do not appear any closer to resolving the conflict than they were at the start.

Meanwhile, in America, over last weekend, University of Pennsylvania (Upenn) President, Liz Magill resigned. It comes almost a week after she, along with the Presidents of Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), participated in a congressional hearing on antisemitism on college campuses. And was unable to confirm that, ‘calling for the genocide of Jews’ would violate University policies on bullying or harassment. Harvard has said its President will not step-down, on account of this testimony. MIT is still thinking.

India’s New State Chief Ministers

This week, India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rolled-out its choice of Chief Ministers (CM) for the three States it overwhelmingly won when votes were counted and results declared last week.

In the State of Chhattisgarh, the BJP picked Vishnu Deo Sai, 59, a prominent tribal leader, as the next CM: he was elected as leader of the BJP’s legislative party. Sai comes from a family of former Jan Sangh -a precursor to the BJP- leaders, where two elder brothers of his father were MLAs (Member of Legislative Assembly). He started his political career as a village Sarpanch and rose to become Union Minister – Minister of State Steel & Mines – in an earlier BJP Government. He is a four-time Lok Sabha Member of Parliament (MP) and also the Chhattisgarh BJP President for about 4 years.

In the State of Madhya Pradesh, the BJP chose Mohan Yadav, 48, the Ujjain South MLA, as Chief Minister. The BJP legislature party elected him to replace Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the four-time outgoing CM. Mohan is a three-time MLA and worked as the Higher Education Minister in the outgoing Government. The party also named two Deputy Chief Ministers, Jagdish Devda, and Rajendra Shukla – the first time the State has such a combination.

Then, as if two surprises weren’t enough, the BJP came-up with a third: choosing first-time MLA, Bhajan Lal Sharma, 55, as Rajasthan’s next Chief Minister, ending days of speculation.

Bhajan Lal worked as the General Secretary of the BJP Rajasthan Unit, for four consecutive terms. In the year 2003, he contested the Assembly Elections for the first time from Nadbhai, Rajasthan. However, he finished fifth and lost his deposit with a vote share of 6.28%. This time, he won from the Sanganer Constituency. Diya Kumari, a member of the Jaipur royal family, and Prem Chand Bairwa were added as Deputy Chief Ministers in Rajasthan – in this surprising new CM + 2 Deputies ‘combo-offer’ of the BJP.

Jammu & Kashmir

The State of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) has a deep troubled history going back to the time of India’s independence. In August 1947, the British partitioned India into the present-day India, and Pakistan, on religious lines – Hindu and Muslim respectively – before handing over governance and leaving. Freedom, it was, from colonial rule of 89 years, which began in the year 1858.

India, at that time, consisted of 562 Princely States, which had to be brought under the Indian Union by signing an Instrument of Accession-voluntarily, by a polite nudge, tough coercion, or even brute force. It was a Himalayan task successfully and deftly accomplished by the unforgettable ‘Iron Man of India’, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, and his Home Ministry team.

The State of Jammu & Kashmir had a majority Muslim population and was ruled by a Hindu King, Maharaja Hari Singh. There was a tussle between India and Pakistan for possession of this State, and finally, after initial dithering, the Maharaja signed the Instrument of Accession to India on 26 October 1947-making it a part of India. The Maharaja was hesitant to join any side, had ‘independent’ ideas, and signed only after Pashtun tribals, aided by Pakistan, invaded J&K and India agreed to help on the condition of accession. The Schedule appended to the Instrument of Accession clearly gave the Indian Parliament power to legislate for J&K on only three subjects – defence, external affairs, and communications.

Later, when the Constitution of India was written and came into force on 26 January 1950, Jammu & Kashmir was mostly exempted from the Indian Constitution – by Article 370, which was a ‘temporary provision’ that provided special status to the State.

J&K was allowed a Constituent Assembly for framing its constitution and restricting the legislative authority of the Indian Parliament. And the future of the State was to be determined by a ‘reference to the people’. Temporary also meant that except Article 1, which declared India as a ‘Union of States’, and Article 370 itself, no part of the Indian Constitution would apply to J&K. Article 370 itself could not be amended or repealed—unless the Constituent Assembly of Jammu & Kashmir consented.

After a five-year process, on 17th November 1956, the Constitution of J&K was made and adopted with a declaration: ‘The State of Jammu and Kashmir is and shall be an integral part of the Union of India’. On the same day, having completed its task, the Constituent Assembly of J&K dissolved itself.

Over the years there was unusual, persisting violence in J&K, mostly ‘angry’ Pakistan sponsored terrorism from across the border and supported by parties inside J&K, enjoying the special status. And a portion of J&K was occupied by Pakistan-Pakistan Occupied Kashmir(POK)-which India could not get back despite a War. India had to settle with a ‘temporary’, Line Of Control (LOC) drawn by the United Nations, which was called to resolve. The UN also passed a Resolution that Pakistan must vacate POK, which was never implemented. The Indian Army had a permanent presence in the State due to the volatile situation.

The present Indian Government embarked on a mission to get the bits and pieces of J&K’s history together. It had to navigate a minefield of officialese in documentation and interpretation, to fully integrate it with India, and pushed hard for a solution, culminating in Jammu & Kashmir’s complete integration with India in 2019. And its actions were legally approved by the highest court of India, this week, this year.

On 5 August 2019, the Government revoked the 70-year-old special status, or autonomy, granted to J&K under Article 370, bringing it into the fold of mainstream India, just like any other State. Jammu & Kashmir no longer has its own Constitution, flag, or anthem, or its people provided dual citizenship, as a result of the repeal of Article 370. J&K now abides by all legislation made by India’s Parliament. This was a decisive action by the Government, which no other Government attempted, or could not do, since India’s Independence.

On 6 August 2019, The President of India formally issued an order under the power of Article 370, overriding prevailing Orders and nullifying all the provisions of autonomy granted to J&K. The Home Minister introduced a Reorganisation Bill in Parliament, to divide J&K into two union territories to be governed by a Lieutenant Governor and a unicameral legislature. The resolution seeking the abrogation of Article 370 and the bill for the state’s reorganisation was debated and passed by both Houses of Parliament -Rajya Sabha, the upper house, and the Lok Sabha, the lower house – in August 2019. The original State of Jammu & Kashmir was divided into two Union Territories: Jammu & Kashmir, and Ladakh. That is how it stays today.

The Government’s decision was challenged by Parties opposed to the abrogation of Article 370 and the bifurcation of J&K, in the Supreme Court (SC) of India. This week, the SC, after hearing arguments, pronounced its verdict – a historic one – to complete the last remaining unfinished business of partition and legalise the Government’s actions. There is no going back.

The SC unanimously upheld the Government’s 2019 decisions to scrap the special status for Jammu & Kashmir under Article 370, and also approved bi-furcation of J&K. The question of relegating J&K to the status of a Union Territory was left for another discussion, as the Centre has promised to restore its statehood as soon as possible.

The five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud held that the President’s exercise of power under Article 370(3) to abrogate this Article was not mala-fide; that Article 370 was meant for constitutional integration and not for the disintegration of J&K with the Union of India; that the Article was temporary in nature, and that there was no need to hold consultations or collaborate with the elected Government of J&K before ceasing its operation; and that J&K didn’t retain any element of sovereignty when it joined the Union of India.

I’m glad the Supreme Court approached the complex issue in a clear Top-Down manner: Jammu & Kashmir is an integral part of India – last words by its now dead Constituent Assembly. All other word-play, Articles, procedural aspects, and other angles, in which this could have been done, does not matter, and at best is a subject of academic discussion.

Smoke in the Eyes

It was on 13 December 2001, when India’s Parliament came under a sudden and unexpected terrorist attack. Five armed terrorists drove their vehicle into the Parliament premises and began shooting, resulting in the deaths of six Delhi Police personnel, two Parliament Security Service personnel, and a gardener. All the five terrorists were killed by security forces. No lawmakers were hurt.

This year, on 13th December, on the 22nd anniversary of the 2001 Parliament Attack, the New Delhi weather was getting awfully cold with the onset of winter. And Parliament was in session in a spanking new Parliament building, with state-of-the-art infrastructure and security. It was a business as usual day. All was quiet on the Parliament front.

Then suddenly inside Parliament two people jumped into the well of the Lok Sabha from the Visitors Gallery, armed with yellow coloured smoke canisters, which they set-off. Meanwhile, outside Parliament two others began chanting slogans after releasing red coloured smoke from similar canisters. The canisters used were over-the-counter colour smoke release canisters, often used in Indian festivals.

The two – one could be seen monkey jumping over the desks – inside were quickly subdued, bashed-up, and manhandled by muscular Members of Parliament and handed over to the Security staff. The two outside were promptly arrested and led away by Police.

The stunning breach of an iron-clad Parliament security system took some time to sink-in, even while the yellow smoke, inside, and the red smoke, outside, settled down and dissolved in the much polluted New Delhi air.

The investigations began at a fantastic speed and the Police began knocking doors across the country. It came to light that an almost pan-India Facebook Group called the ‘Bhagat Singh Fan Club’ had been working on the plan for about a year, timed with the anniversary of Parliament Attack. And the plan to breach parliament security began with obtaining Parliament Visitors Passes – in this instance issued by the ruling BJP’s Member of Parliament from Mysuru, Karnataka. Looks like the motive of the Group was to highlight the unemployment problem in the country, inspired by Bhagat Singh and Che Guevara. At lease one of the Group had done a recce during the Budget Session of Parliament, when they learnt that security personnel did not not ask visitors to take off their shoes or check them. The smoke canisters were cleverly hidden in specially-made thick-soled shoes.

The members of the Group: Manoranjan from Mysuru, Sagar Sharma from Lucknow, Neelam Azad from Haryana, Amol Shinde from Maharashtra, and the believed-to-be kingpin Lalit Jha, a Teacher from Bihar, arrived in Delhi by separate means, and were hosted by one of their associates, Vikram and his wife, in Gurugram, early in the week. On the day of the episode, Sagar collected the passes from the MP’s Office and the Group – except Vikram – met at India Gate. Amol handed over one canister to each member. All of them then deposited their mobiles with Lalit Jha, before the intrusion. He fled the Parliament area soon after, when a man-hunt was launched to nab him.

In the middle of the week, Lalit Jha was arrested after he turned himself in at Kartavya Path, New Delhi, accompanied by another key suspect, Mahesh Kumawat.

The array of slogans bellowed by the Group, Bharat Mata Ki Jai (Long live mother India), Jai Bheem (Victory to Ambedkar), Tanashahi Nahin Chalegi (Dictatorship does not work), have been battle cries of diverse groups who have been often at odds with each other. And the slogans do not follow any particular pattern. Details are awaited on the actual motive and the real persons behind the Group.

The sensational episode has exposed loop-holes in what is claimed to be one of the strongest security arrangements in the country. Whatever, this should serve as yet another wake-up call for security agencies.

More sensational stories coming-up in the weeks ahead. Keep the smoke out of your eyes and stay with World Inthavaaram.