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Japan: The world’s oldest person from Japan has died, reports said.

Believed to be world’s oldest person Nabi Tajima died at an age of 117 years.

Tajima, according to reports was born on Aug. 4, 1900, was the last known person born in the 19th century.

She reportedly had more than 160 descendants, including great-great-great grandchildren, reports said.

Her town of Kikai is in Kagoshima prefecture on Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan’s four main islands.

She had attained the stature of world’s oldest living person after the death in September of Violet Brown in Jamaica, also at the age of 117.

After Tajima’s death another Japanese woman Chiyo Miyako, has now become the world’s oldest person, according to the U.S.-based Gerontology Research Group.

Rahul Pandita

In 1755, a major earthquake destroyed the city of Lisbon, killing thousands of its inhabitants. It created a theological crisis of sorts in Europe, with ordinary people and philosophers alike questioning how a “kind God” would allow such suffering.

Since then, humans have brought so much destruction upon themselves that the only question one needs to ask of God is why men could turn so evil. As the philosopher Susan Neiman writes in ‘Evil in Modern Thought’, “The more responsibility for evil was left to the human, the less worthy the species seemed to take it on.”

Nowhere has this been more evident recently than in the Kathua case. We are not supposed to take her name, but how does one stop thinking about the girl who lies buried in an alien patch of land, away even from her temporary home in Kathua, where she played football by herself? Her parents have left, following the old tradition of their forefathers, negotiating one hill after another, setting up camp wherever they can, along with their livestock. The girl who cannot be named, the girl who had big eyes, the girl who the autopsy report said was 110 centimetres long, cannot accompany them any longer.

Immanuel Kant believed stupidity is caused by a wicked heart. To this the philosopher Hannah Arendt added that wickedness may be caused by absence of thought. In the case of the people who are in absolute denial about the circumstances that could have led to the girl’s death, perhaps both of these are true. Otherwise how can one explain their diabolical proclivity to spread lies or believe in lies about her murder? This is tantamount to mutilating the girl several times over.

In the past week, I have become sick with random news items landing in my email and other inboxes from such people or from others who get severely confused after reading them. “What do you have to say about this?” asked one, after he sent me a Facebook post on how the girl’s biological parents were dead and how her murder was a result of a property dispute. This is after her real parents had already been interviewed several times by journalists. Then another item was sent on how the “in charge” of the crime branch team was involved in the custodial death of a man and the rape of his sister in 2007 in Jammu’s Doda region. This pertained to one of the members of the team — not the in charge — who was accused but later exonerated of all charges and reinstated in the force with full benefits.

And then, I was flooded with screenshots of a report in a national Hindi daily that claimed that there had been no rape. I cringed at it. I had seen the autopsy report on January 17 itself, conducted on the day the girl was found dead, when the crime branch was not even involved in the case. The investigation officer at that time was the policeman who is now one of the accused in the case. But such facts do not matter to those who keep on brandishing their ignorance the way they waved the national flag earlier in favour of the accused.
There is no doubt that Jammu has some genuine concerns about the Rohingya influx. Last year, the state home department said in the assembly that there were 5,743 Rohingya in Jammu who had “entered the state on their own”. The number is believed to be much higher. India has provided sanctuary to refugees for centuries, but in this case one wonders how the Rohingya ended up so far in a state that has already seen polarisation and violence for decades. While the civil society in Jammu was well within its rights to raise this issue, it committed the mistake of conflating it with the girl’s brutal murder. And then, on April 9, a few lawyers in Kathua thought that shouting Jai Shri Ram would let them prevail over India’s Constitution.

Now we know one thing. The court will decide whether the accusations made in the chargesheet are true or not. But, so far, whatever has been produced as ‘evidence’ in favour of the accused has turned out to be false.

Till the court decides, it is time for everyone to quieten down. Let the judiciary do its job. In the meantime, listen to a song or something. I have personally taken solace in ‘Ek Lau’ from the movie, Aamir, sung beautifully by my friend Shilpa Rao. Also, if you can, take Yale historian Timothy Snyder’s advice and stay away from the internet as much as possible. Also, if you can, lock yourself in a room and read Hannah Arendt on the “banality of evil.”

(Pandita is the author of ‘Our Moon Has Blood Clots: A memoir of a lost home in Kashmir’ )

The Article Was First Published On Times Of India

Assures students quickest trial of Kathua rape accused, harshest punishment to convicts

Srinagar, Apr 21: Assuring students that government would ensure quickest trial of Kathua rape accused and harshest punishment to convicts, Minister for Education and Finance Syed Altaf Bukhari Saturday said “our children show wisdom and they should ensure that shortage of class attendance does not become an issue for them to sit in the examinations”.
According to KNS, talking to reporters, Altaf Bukhari asked students to control their emotions and return to classes to ensure that shortage of attendance does not become an issue for them to sit in the examination after few months.
Reposing trust and confidence in the students, Bukhari said “our children show wisdom in trying times and hope they would return to classes peacefully. I assure them that government would ensure quickest trial of the Kathua rape accused and harshest punishment to the convicts of that unpardonable crime. Today Union Cabinet is meeting and of central government passes an ordinance to allow courts for awarding death penalty to rape convicts the state government would also invoke a suitable legislation similar to the one which the central government would pass in the parliament. (KNS)

Srinagar, Apr 20: Class work to remain suspended tomorrow in all Srinagar colleges in view of prevailing law & order situation.
An official of District Administration Srinagar told KNS that class work in all Srinagar colleges to remain suspended tomorrow 21 April (Saturday), as a precautionary measure.

Srinagar: As student protests refuse to die, senior minister and Jammu and Kashmir Government spokesman Naeem Akhtar on Tuesday questioned the protests when all accused in the rape and murder of a minor girl had been arrested.

“What is the occasion for protests, stone-throwing when the case (at the police end) is solved, accused in jail and the trial is on? Shouldn’t they be attending classes instead,” Akthar tweeted.

The minister said the protests were only hurting the image and interests of the state.

“What is there to protest about? The case is solved, chargesheet filed, accused in custody, trial on. Those who still pelt stones in the name of the poor girl of Kathua are only hurting the image and interests of the state,” he wrote in another tweet.

While the government in a bid to stop student protests has been closing schools, colleges and universities, students continue to take to the streets.

Another senior PDP minister Imran Ansari has also urged the students to concentrate on studies. “I would strongly urge my young students to please concentrate on their studies. Understand your anguish against #Kathua but a trial is on. Ministers have resigned. Justice will be delivered. My message to you — pls study,” Ansari tweeted.

The protests also came in for censure by Director of Vigilance Javaid Gillani, who served as Inspector General of Police, Kashmir, during the 2016 unrest. “It is high time the students went back to their classrooms and stopped creating anarchy in the name of seeking justice for an unfortunate victim.”

“The chargesheet in the case has been filed in the court. In due course, the court would announce its verdict on the basis of the evidence presented before it. Those aggrieved with the verdict would have an option to go before a higher judicial forum. The due process of law would settle the issue and ensure justice is delivered. What are those on the street now protesting for? Wouldn’t the protests now be seen as an attempt to influence the judicial process? Public opinion should not be allowed to interfere with the judicial processes. Verdicts cannot be delivered on the streets. It is high time the students went back to their classrooms and stopped creating anarchy in the name of seeking justice for an unfortunate victim. Let them not become a tool to fulfil someone else’s agenda,” Gillani wrote in a Facebook post.

Kathua incident: No reason to protest when accused are in jail: Govt

Srinagar, Apr 19: While the students continued to clash with forces to protest against Kathua rape and murder case, the government on Thursday said that there was no reason to protest when the accused in the incident are already apprehended.
Government spokesman and Works Minister, Naeem Akhter on micro-blogging site said that there was no reason to protest and pelt stones on forces when the case was already solved by placing the accused behind the bars.
He further stated that the students should attend their classes. “What is the occasion for protests, stonepelting when case is solved, accused in jail and trial on? Shouldn’t they be attending classes instead,” Naeem tweeted.
In his second tweet, Naeem said that those who are still pelting stones on forces over Kathua incident are hurting the image and interests of the state.
“What is there to protest about? Case is solved, charge sheet filed, accused in custody, trial on. Those who still pelt stones in name of the poor girl of Kathua are only hurting the image and interests of the state,” he tweeted.
Notably, the students continued to protest and clash with the forces from past five days to seek capital punishment for culprits involved in Kathua incident.
Scores of students as well as the cops sustained injuries during the clashes that took place from past few days.

Srinagar: Kashmir Valley will witness moderate rainfall throughout the day on April 20 tomorrow, a MeT official said.

“We are expecting a spell of light rain for a couple of more days, but tomorrow rains will lash whole Valley,” he said.

He said Kashmir witnessed a longest dry spell this year but this month it was more rainy.

“We expect more rainfall till the end of this month,” he added.

Srinagar, April 17: Government forces on Tuesday launched a cordon-and-search operation at Seer area of Tral in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district.

Official sources told GNS that a group of suspected militants opened fire upon the army’s 42 RR patrolling party at Seer Jagier area of Tral.

The fire was retaliated ensuing a brief exchange of gunfire, they said, adding that the militants later fled from the spot.

Soon after the attack, additional reinforcement of army’s 42 RR and SOG reached the spot and cordoned off the entire area to trace out the militants, they said.

Deputy Inspector General of police (DIG) for South Kashmir Range Amit Kumar confirmed the attack on army’s patrolling party and said that searches have been launched to nab the assailants.

“We are looking into the incident and are verifying the details,” DIG said. (GNS)

Srinagar: A special police officer (SPO) and a youth were injured after suspected militants opened fire at Bungam area of south Kashmir’s Shopian district on Monday.

Official sources told news agency GNS that the gunmen fired upon the SPO Bilal Ahmad at Bungam at around 4:22 pm, resulting into severe injuries to him.

One of the bullets also hit a pedestrian identified as Rafiaq Ahmad Lone son of Bashir Ahmad Lone of Vehil, Shopian. Both the person were shifted to the nearby hospital from where both of them were referred to Srinagar in critical conditions.

Soon after the attack, the government forces reached the spot and cordoned off the entire area.

Bilal, a resident of Babapora Zainapora village is said to be a guard of the former district president of National Conference Shopian, Shabir Ahmad Kulley.

When contacted Shabir Kulay said that he was his former guard and is presently posted in police lines.

SSP Ambarkar Shriram Dinkar confirmed the injuries to two persons and said that a case has been registered and investigations have been taken up. (GNS)