The Hindu Editorial Analysis : 7th August 2024

The Hindu Editorial Analysis

We understand the significance of reading The Hindu newspaper for enhancing reading skills, improving comprehension of passages, staying informed about current events, enhancing essay writing, and more, especially for banking aspirants who need to focus on editorials for vocabulary building. This article will delve into today’s editorial points along with practice questions and key vocabulary.

Hasina resigns, leaves Bangladesh, and arrives in India

• Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who had been in power for the past 15 years, resigned and fled the country on Monday afternoon by helicopter after weeks of deadly unrest that resulted in the deaths of over 300 people.
• The country is now preparing to have an interim government.
• Later in the day, Hasina arrived at the Hindon Air Force station near Delhi. She has requested asylum from the U.K. Her sister, Rehana, a U.K. citizen, is with her, according to sources from The Hindu.
• In a national address in Dhaka, Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman announced her resignation. He called on protesters to end the unrest and promised to meet their demands and ensure justice for those who lost their lives.
• The General mentioned he would discuss with the President to establish an interim government. He has already held discussions with the main opposition parties and civil society members but has not engaged with the Awami League, the party of Prime Minister Hasina. He will also meet with student leaders who are protesting.
• The General expressed his commitment to taking full responsibility for the situation, emphasizing that if conditions improve, there would be no need for an emergency. He highlighted the significant suffering and economic impact on the country, and the loss of lives, and stressed the need to stop the violence and work towards a better future.
• On Monday, as part of the ‘March to Dhaka’ campaign demanding the resignation of Ms. Hasina, organized by the group Students Against Discrimination, thousands began gathering at key locations in Dhaka, defying a curfew order.
• The police managed to stop them in some areas, but couldn’t hold them back for long as thousands mobilized in the streets.
• Around 3 p.m. local time, protesters broke through the police barricades, opened the gates of Gonobhaban, the Prime Minister’s official residence, and entered the premises.
• A source close to Ms. Hasina confirmed that before leaving her residence, she wanted to record a speech. However, she didn’t get the chance to do so. She and her sister were escorted to a motorcade and informed that a large crowd had already gathered nearby, so they shouldn’t waste any time.
• The security team swiftly transported her to the airport at Old Tejgaon, which dates back to the Second World War. She and her sister were taken to the airstrip and airlifted by a Mi-17 helicopter. After arriving in Agartala, they boarded a C-130. The BAF C-130J first circled over Kolkata before proceeding to Hindon Air Force Station, according to a source.
• National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Air Marshal P.M. Sinha, Chief of the Indian Air Force’s Western Air Command, met with Ms. Hasina at Hindon.
• Hasina is anticipated to spend one or two nights in India while awaiting approval for asylum in the U.K., according to an official source. The Indian High Commission is expected to stay in Dhaka, sources confirmed.

The lack of manual weather stations in hill districts is a concern

• Despite frequent landslides caused by rainfall in Kerala’s hill districts, Idukki, Wayanad, and Pathanamthitta lack both Doppler weather radars and manual observatories from the India Meteorological Department (IMD). In 2023, the Union government approved a plan to acquire two radars, one for Kozhikode and one for Mangaluru (Karnataka).
• The site inspection for the installation of an X-Band radar, which has an observation range of 100 km, is still ongoing. Meanwhile, a C-Band radar with an observation range of 250 km is anticipated to be set up in Mangaluru. Installing the radar in Kozhikode will enhance the IMD’s weather monitoring capabilities in the Western Ghats, particularly in north Kerala, including Wayanad.
• Although south and central Kerala are monitored by two functional radars—a S-band radar in Kochi and a C-band radar at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in Thiruvananthapuram—a permanent weather radar in north Kerala has long been a pending request from the State.
• Additionally, the lack of manual observatories in Pathanamthitta, Idukki, Wayanad, and Kasaragod is a significant gap in evaluating weather conditions in key monsoon areas on the windward side of the Western Ghats in Kerala. Assessing cloud details and weather phenomena such as atmospheric pressure, moisture, wind speed, fog, mist, and haze relies heavily on manual observatories.
• The automatic weather stations (AWSs) installed across the State are unable to detect certain weather parameters. While the IMD can use the AWSs for rainfall data, the temperature readings from these stations have often been inaccurate due to various factors, including a lack of periodic calibration.
• The lack of manual observatories in Wayanad and Idukki often puts the IMD in a difficult position, particularly during the winter, as the agency struggles to record instances of mercury dropping to zero or below.

The High Court upholds Kejriwal’s arrest, stating that the CBI acted without malice

• The Delhi High Court ruled on Monday that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) did not act with malice in arresting Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in a corruption case related to the excise policy.
• Justice Neena Bansal Krishna denied Mr. Kejriwal’s request for a declaration that his arrest by the CBI and all subsequent remands and imprisonment were illegal, stating, “It cannot be concluded that the arrest lacked justifiable reasons or was unlawful.”
• The judge also denied a separate bail request by the Chief Minister in the CBI corruption case, stating that the charge sheet had not been filed when the bail plea was submitted. However, since the chargesheet has now been filed in the trial court, the High Court advised that “it would be beneficial for the petitioner to first approach the Court of Sessions Judge.”
• Kejriwal claimed that his arrest by the CBI was an “insurance arrest” intended to keep him in prison. On June 26, the CBI took the AAP leader into custody from Tihar Jail, where he was already under judicial custody in a money laundering case filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
• However, the High Court stated: “The CBI proceeded with further investigations into this matter, leading to the petitioner’s eventual arrest, only after sufficient evidence was collected and the sanction was secured in April 2024.”
• “In Punjab, there were ties to this crime, yet because of the petitioner’s position and the power he held, essential witnesses hesitated to come forward. Only after he was detained did the witnesses from Punjab provide their statements. Two of these witnesses even became informants against the petitioner,” the judge stated.

Important questions

1. What led to Sheikh Hasina’s resignation and subsequent departure from Bangladesh?
2. What steps is the interim government in Bangladesh taking following Sheikh Hasina’s resignation, and how is the situation being managed by the military and other political leaders?
3. What are the current limitations of weather monitoring in Kerala’s hill districts, and how is the Union government’s plan addressing these issues?
4. What was the High Court’s reasoning for upholding Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest by the CBI in the corruption case related to the excise policy?
5. How did the High Court address the issue of bail for Mr. Kejriwal, and what did it recommend regarding his next legal steps?

Important vocabulary

1. Interim – Temporary or provisional; used to describe a government or position that is not permanent.
2. Airlifted – Transported by aircraft, often under emergency conditions.
3. Curfew – A regulation requiring people to remain indoors during certain hours, usually at night.
4. Barricades – Barriers or obstacles placed to block or control access to an area.
5. AWS (Automatic Weather Stations) – Devices that automatically collect and record weather data such as temperature, humidity, and precipitation without manual intervention.
6. Doppler Weather Radar – A type of radar that measures the velocity of precipitation, often used to track weather patterns and storm movement.
7. Upholds – To maintain or support a ruling or decision.
8. Malice – The intention to act with ill will or cause harm.
9. Charge Sheet – A formal document filed by police that outlines the evidence and accusations against a person.
10. Sanction – Official approval or authorization, often required for legal actions or investigations.

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