Today in History (January 24^th, 2008)

The day was initiated by the country’s Ministry of Women and Child Development in 2008. Since then, every year the day has been celebrated across India with a common annual theme.

Summary of Today’s News

Kheda flogging incident is a case of ‘police atrocity’, says Supreme Court

• The 2022 incident of four Gujarat Police officers publicly flogging some men
• They were tied to a pole for allegedly disrupting a garba event in Kheda district.
• This has been called as an “atrocity”. By the Supreme Court.
• Justice B.R. Gavai asked “Did they have an authority in law to tie people to a pole and beat them and take videos.
• The police officers had appealed to the Supreme Court against a Gujarat High Court order in October sentencing them to 14 days’ imprisonment for contempt of court.
• The conduct of these police officers was found to be in contempt of the directions of the Supreme Court
• These directions were given in the K. Basu judgment of 1996against police abuse and custodial violence.

D.K. Basu judgment

• The D.K. Basu verdict had highlighted the deep concern in a free society for the protection of an individual from torture and abuse by the police and other law enforcing officers.
• “Police is, no doubt, under a legal duty and has legitimate right to arrest a criminal and to interrogate him during the investigation of an offence but it must be remembered that the law does not permit use of third degree methods or torture of accused in custody during interrogation and investigation with that view to solve the crime,”.

Maldives rules out research by Chinese vessel in its waters

• Chinese research vessel Xiang Yang Hong 03 will not be carrying out research in Maldivian waters, but will arrive for a port call, the Government of Maldives said on Tuesday.
• ‘Welcoming vessels’ “The vessel would not be conducting any research while in the Maldivian waters,” the Ministry said in a statement, which Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer shared on social media platform X.
• The Ministry said the Maldives “has always been a welcoming destination for vessels of friendly countries” and continues to host both civilian and military vessels making port calls for peaceful purposes.
• Earlier Sri Lanka denied persmission to this vessel to its port.
• India-Maldives relations are already on its low due to recent controversies over the pics of Indian Prime Minister and derogatory comments by Maldivian officials.

Illegal shops demolished in Mumbai suburb.

• Civic authorities on Tuesday evening carried out an anti-encroachment drive in Mumbai’s Mira Road suburb,
• Here a some Islamic extremists attacked people those were having flags of Shri Ram on the occasion of pran pratishtha ceremony at Ayodhya’s Ram Temple.
• Over 20 persons have been arrested for attacking the innocent people.
• A senior police officer said violence erupted around 11 p.m. when a group of people in four vehicles bearing saffron flags drove through the locality .
• They were attacked by a mob from the neighbourhood, the officer added.

Exercise Khanjar

Context: Recently, India-Kyrgyzstan Joint Special Forces Exercise KHANJAR has commenced at the Special Forces Training School in Bakloh, Himachal Pradesh.

Key Points

• It was first initiated in December 2011, in Nahan, India.
• It is the 11th edition of India-Kyrgyzstan Joint Special Forces Exercise.
• It is an annual event conducted alternatively in both the countries.
• The Indian Army contingent comprising 20 personnel is being represented by troops from The Parachute Regiment (Special Forces) and the Kyrgyzstan contingent comprising 20 personnel is represented by Scorpion Brigade.

Parakram Diwas

Key Points

• It is celebrated on January 23 to commemorate the birth anniversary of freedom fighter Subhas Chandra Bose.
• This year marks the 127th birth anniversary of Bose, fondly known as ‘Netaji’.
• Parakram Diwas aims to instil fearlessness and patriotism, especially among the youth, inspiring them to stand strong in the face of challenges.

Some Key points about Netaji

• He was born on January 23, 1897, in Cuttack, Orissa.
• In 1920, he passed the civil service examination, but in April 1921, after hearing of the nationalist turmoil in India, he resigned from his position.
• Bose then joined the Indian National Congress and actively participated in the Indian independence movement.
• President of Indian National Congress: Bose was elected president of the Indian National Congress for two consecutive terms but resigned from the post following ideological conflicts with Mahatma Gandhi.
• In 1939, he formed the Forward Bloc, an organization aimed at unifying all the anti-British forces in India.
• At the outset of the Second World War, he fled from India and traveled to the Soviet Union, Germany and Japan, seeking an alliance with the aim of attacking the British in India.
• With Japanese assistance, he reorganized and later led the Indian National Army, formed from Indian prisoners-of-war and plantation workers from Malaya, Singapore, and other parts of Southeast Asia, against British forces.