The Hindu Editorial Analysis : 9th July 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.

With two more killed, the death toll of militants in the operation at Kulgam, J&K rises to six

• With the discovery of two more bodies during the second consecutive day of gunfights at two encounter sites in Kulgam, south Kashmir, on Sunday, a total of six militants were killed in the operations that began the previous evening.
• Two soldiers were killed in the gunfight with militants. Additionally, another soldier was injured in a separate militant attack in Rajouri.
• “There were two encounters at different locations. So far, the bodies of six terrorists have been recovered,” said Jammu & Kashmir Director-General of Police R.R. Swain.
• The police and the Army are continuing combing operations at the encounter sites in Chinigam and Motergam, where security forces surrounded two locations and engaged hiding militants in firefights on Saturday.
• “Once the operation is completely over, we will be able to determine the identities and affiliations of the slain terrorists,” Mr. Swain said.
• The DGP stated that security agencies would soon bring the fight to its “logical conclusion”, despite the enemy continuing its activities.
• Officials reported that one soldier was killed in the Chinigam encounter and another in the Motergam gunfight. Their names were revealed as Lance Naik Pardeep Kumar and Sepoy Pravin Janjal Prabhakar.
• The Chinar Corps Commander, the J&K Chief Secretary, and the J&K DGP paid tribute to the fallen soldiers.
• “The Chinar Warriors pay tribute to the bravery and sacrifice of both heroes. We stand united with the families of the fallen soldiers and are dedicated to supporting them,” stated an Army spokesperson.
• One soldier sustained injuries during an attack by militants on an Army installation in Rajouri on Sunday. Officials reported that militants fired at an Army camp in the Manjakot area at Galuthi in Rajouri around 4 a.m. The security personnel at the camp retaliated, and after the attack, a search operation was initiated to locate the militants. The exchange of fire, which lasted for half an hour, resulted in one soldier being injured.

Death toll in flood-hit Assam rises to 66; rivers remain swollen

Over 2.27 million people, about 33% of them in Dhubri district near the Bangladesh border, remain affected. Authorities in 28 districts are on high alert as the Brahmaputra and Barak rivers flow above the danger level.

• Eight people, including two children, died in the past 24 hours, raising the death toll from two waves of floods in Assam since May to 66.
• This number excludes the fatality of an eight-year-old boy in Guwahati, whose body was found on Sunday, three days after he was swept away in a stormwater drain. Furthermore, a woman and her child perished in a landslide triggered by heavy rain near the Assam-Meghalaya border on Friday.
• On Sunday night, the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) provided an update indicating that eight individuals, including three children, drowned or were swept away since Saturday evening.
• According to a spokesperson from the ASDMA, authorities in 28 districts are maintaining heightened vigilance as rivers like the Brahmaputra and Barak, along with other major rivers, are currently flowing above the danger mark. Instructions have also been issued to ensure sufficient relief supplies for 53,689 individuals housed in 269 relief camps.
• She stated that over 2.27 million people remain affected, with approximately 33% of them in Dhubri district in western Assam, which borders Bangladesh.
• Rescue workers recovered the body of Avinash Sarkar in the city’s Rajgarh locality, more than a kilometer from where he was swept away. His parents identified his body at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital on Sunday morning.
• The boy disappeared at approximately 11 p.m. on Thursday after slipping into a swift-moving stormwater drain. His father, a motor mechanic, lost his balance while attempting to climb a muddy slope on a two-wheeler, with the boy riding as a passenger.
• Officials in Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve in central-eastern Assam reported that the water level in the 1,307.49 sq. km rhino habitat has receded, but 15 animals have died in the last 24 hours.
• To date, 129 animals have perished while attempting to flee from the flooded park towards the safety of the hills across National Highway 715, which skirts its southern boundaries. This tragic toll includes six rhinos and an otter pup.
• The remaining animals that perished were all hog deer, two of which were struck by vehicles exceeding the speed limit of 40 km per hour.
• Out of the park’s 233 anti-poaching camps, 68 are still inundated, while forest guards had to evacuate four others.

The Supreme Court asserts that bail cannot be denied as a form of punishment

• The Supreme Court has decreed that denying bail to an accused individual cannot be used as a punitive measure, irrespective of the crime’s severity.
• The apex court reminded that denying bail is an unjust punishment that leads to the imprisonment of an accused, who is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
• In a recent order, a Bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Ujjal Bhuyan emphasized that if the state or any prosecuting agency cannot ensure an accused’s fundamental right to a speedy trial under Article 21 of the Constitution, they should not oppose bail solely on the grounds of the seriousness of the crime. Article 21 of the Constitution applies regardless of the nature of the offense committed.
• The order stemmed from an appeal filed by Javed Gulam Nabi Shaikh against a Bombay High Court decision that denied him bail in a case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA).
• The Supreme Court denied a request from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to adjourn the case and decided to restore Javed Gulam Nabi Shaikh’s liberty. The Bench observed that Shaikh had been languishing in prison as an undertrial for the past four years. They noted that the trial court had not yet framed charges and that the State of Maharashtra and the NIA have 80 witnesses to examine in the case.
• The Supreme Court underscored that trial courts and high courts have progressively overlooked the established legal principle that bail should not be refused as a punitive measure.
• The prosecution alleges that Shaikh was apprehended on February 9, 2020, with a bag of counterfeit ₹2,000 notes. The consignment was purportedly smuggled from Pakistan to Mumbai.

Important questions

1. How many militants lost their lives during the operations in Kulgam, and what prompted the ongoing combing operations at the encounter sites?
2. What were the outcomes of the militant attacks on the security forces in Kulgam and Rajouri, and how did the officials respond to the casualties?
3. What measures are being taken by authorities in Assam to provide relief to those affected by the floods?
4. What has been the impact of the floods on wildlife in Kaziranga National Park?
5. Why does the Supreme Court assert that bail should not be withheld as a form of punishment?

Important vocabulary

1. Encounter: A term used in conflict zones, particularly in Jammu & Kashmir
2. Militant: An individual engaged in armed conflict or rebellion, often against the government or occupying forces.
3. Combing Operation: A systematic search conducted by security forces to locate and neutralize militants or hidden threats in a specific area.
4. Retaliate: To make an attack or assault in return for a similar attack, often used in the context of military or conflict situations.
5. Inundated: Flooded with water; submerged. Often used to describe areas that are covered with water due to excessive rainfall or overflowing rivers.
6. Pillion: A secondary seat or passenger position on a motorcycle or bicycle, typically behind the driver.
7. Recede: To retreat or decrease; to lessen in intensity or magnitude. In the context of floods, it refers to the water level going down or retreating.
8. Apex Court: Refers to the highest court of law in a country, which in India’s case is the Supreme Court.
9. Undertrial: A person who is awaiting trial in a court of law and has not been convicted of any crime yet.
10. Adjourn: To temporarily suspend proceedings in a court or other official meeting.

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