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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2016
INDIA India test-fires nuclear-capable Agni-V missile Agni 5 was successfully flight tested by DRDO at 1100 hours from Dr Abdul Kalam Island, Odisha. The full range test-flight of the missile has further boosted the
of the country
BLASTOFF: In this handout photograph received from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on January 31, 2015, the Agni V blasts off from a canister mounted atop a mobile truck on Wheeler Island, off the eastern state of Orissa. - AFP file
BALASORE (Odisha): India on Monday successfully test-fired Agni-V, its most lethal nuclearcapable inter-continental ballistic missile that has a range of over 5,000km covering whole of China, from Abdul Kalam island off the coast of east Indian Odisha state. The successful test-firing on Monday will pave the way for user trial of the missile and its eventual induction into the Strategic Forces Command (SFC). “Agni 5 was successfully flight tested by DRDO at 1100 hours from Dr Abdul Kalam Island, Odisha. The full range test-flight of the missile has further boosted the indigenous missile capabilities and deterrence level of the coun-
try,” a statement by the Defence Ministry said. It added that all the radars, tracking systems and range stations tracked and monitored the flight performance and all the mission objectives were successfully met. This was the fourth test of Agni-V missile and the second one from a canister on a road mobile launcher. All the four missions have been successful. The three-stage, solid propellant surface-to-surface missile was test-fired from a mobile launcher from launch complex-4 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at about 1105 hours, DRDO sources said. About 17-metre long and weighing over 50 tonne, the missile majestically rose from the confines of its canister flawlessly and
indigenous missile capabilities and deterrence level
achieved all targets, sources in Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) said. The Agni-V missile has a range of over 5,000 km. At present, India possesses Agni-I with 700km range, Agni-II with 2,000km range, Agni-III and Agni-IV with 2,500km to more than 3,500 range in its armoury of Agni missile series, they said. It is the fourth developmental and second canisterised trial of the missile, integrated with a sophisticated mobile launcher in its deliverable configuration that enables launch of the missile with a very short preparation time as compared to an open launch, they said. It also has advantages of higher reliability, longer shelf life, less maintenance and enhanced mobility. President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar congratulated the DRDO scientists, saying it will add tremendous strength to the country’s strategic defence and deterrence capabilities. While the first test of Agni-V was conducted on April 19, 2012, the second was on September 15, 2013 and the third on January 31, 2015 from the same base. Among the missiles of Agni series, the latest Agni-V is the most advanced having some new technologies incorporated with it in terms of navigation and guidance, warhead and engine, the sources said. Lot of new technologies developed indigenously were successfully tested in the trial. The very high accuracy Ring Laser Gyro based Inertial Navigation System (RINS) and the most modern and accurate Micro Navigation System (MINS) had ensured the missile reached the target point within few meters of accuracy, they said. - PTI
C E N T R A L B OA R D O F S E C O N D A RY E D UC AT I O N
Circular issued to remove Channar Revolt from Class IX textbooks REJIMON K
reji@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Indian students studying in 19,000 Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) affiliated schools, will be deprived of learning about Channar revolt — commonly known as “Upper Cloth Revolt” or ‘Maru Marakkal Samaram’ – led by lower caste people in Kerala. On December 19, the CBSE has issued a circular to remove it from Class 9 textbooks after objections were raised against “derogatory” references to women. The circular reads that no questions from the controversial section in the social science textbook will be asked in 2017. The “Upper Cloth Revolt” refers to a protest against a 19th century caste practice in Travancore, where Nadar men and women were not allowed to cover their upper body parts in front of members of higher castes. Political parties such as the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) have objected to details about the revolt mentioned in the textbook under the section “Caste Conflict and Dress Change”. The textbook says that women of the Chanar caste were attacked by Nairs in public places in 1822 for covering parts of upper body. In 1829, the government of Travancore had directed Chanar women “to abstain in future from covering the upper parts of the body.” The textbook, published by the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT), has been followed by the CBSE and 15 state boards. Rupesh Kumar, a documentary maker from Kerala who also actively follows Dalit issues in India, says that this is a political move by the BJP led government to bury the struggles initiated by lower caste people in India. “If this is the case of Nadars and Ezhavas, in Dalits cases’ it will be
more dangerous and they will be erased from the history,” Rupesh said adding that Hindu powers always discarded the histories of such movements from any communities. “Nowadays, children are more mature and have clear thoughts and perception on nudity when compared to our generation,” Rupesh added. In 19th century, lower-class women in Travancore were not allowed to wear clothes that had covered upper body parts. Baring chest to higher status was considered a sign of respect, by both males and females. Higher-class women covered upper body parts, but Nadar women were not allowed to cover their bosoms, as did most of the non-Brahmin women, which revealed their low status. Uneasy with their social status, a large number of Nadar community members had converted to Christianity, and started to wear “long cloths,” at the request of the Christian missionaries. When conversion further spread, the Nadar women started to wear the Nair upper body parts cloth too. Both the Nadar and Ezhava women successfully campaigned to be allowed to cover their upper body parts. In 1813, Colonel John Munro, the then British dewan of Travancore, issued an order granting permission to women converted to Christianity to wear upper cloth. However, the order was withdrawn when Pindakars, members
of the Raja’s council, complained about this, arguing that this right would obliterate caste-differences, and lead to widespread pollution in the state. This led to increasing violence in 1820s against Nadar women, and also burning of schools and churches. In 1828 the Travancore government again banned Nadar-women from wearing Nair-style upper-clothes, but permitted them to wear jackets. In 1829, the Rani (queen) issued yet another proclamation, which denied the right of Nadar women to wear upper clothes. In 1858, violence broke out in several places in Travancore. On 26 July 1859, under pressure from Charles Trevelyan, the Madras Governor, the king of Travancore issued a proclamation declaring the right for all Nadar women to cover their upper body parts, either by wearing jackets, like the Christian Nadars, or tie a coarse-cloth around their upper-body, like the Mukkavattigal (fisher-women). Yet, they were not allowed to cover their upper body parts as worn by higherclass women. However, the missionaries, were not satisfied with this royal proclamation, as they considered the Christian Nadar women to be of a higher status than the Mukkavattigal women. The Nadars continued to ignore the restrictions, and started wearing an upper-wear style which resembled the style of the higher class Hindu women. However, some Hindus still considered it as a provocation by the missionaries. The dressing code remained discriminatory until 1915-1916, and the Nadar’s opposition to it was supported by a social reformer Ayyankali. After the revolt, pamphlets appeared putting forth the claims of according Kshatriya status to Nadars. Nadars, claimed the right to wear the sacred thread and to ride palanquins to attend wedding ceremonies.
RELIEF TO SONIA AND RAHUL GANDHI
Court rejects Swamy’s plea for papers in National Herald case NEW DELHI: In a relief to Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, a Delhi court on Monday rejected “as fishing inquiry” a plea of BJP leader Subramanian Swamy seeking a direction to Congress party and Associated Journals Ltd (AJL) to produce certain records related to the National Herald case. The court said that Swamy “seemed to enlarge the scope of present proceedings”. Metropolitan Magistrate Lovleen, meanwhile, gave last opportunity to Swamy to submit the list of his witnesses in the case lodged against Gandhis and some other Congress leaders and fixed the matter on February 10 for hearing arguments on framing of charges. “At the very outset, this court
must observe that by using the terms ‘verify’/’see’/’investigate’ (in application) the complainant (Swamy) admits that he himself is not aware of the contents of the said documents. “In these circumstances, the prayer of the complainant is nothing but a fishing enquiry which is not permitted under the law. This court feels that by seeking the above documents the complainant seems to enlarge scope of present proceedings,” the court said. The court also said that most of the documents sought “do not seem relevant in view of context of present allegations” and “do not seem to be connected to the facts required to be proved by the complainant”. It said that a few
documents which seemed to be relevant, could not be ordered to be summoned as those were “to be contemporaneous with the examination of prosecution witnesses. In the present case the complainant has not even placed a list of witnesses, whom he proposes to examine in pre-charge stage. So the prayer made by the complainant for summoning the documents from Congress and AJL has to be rejected.” Swamy, in his private criminal complaint, has accused Gandhis and others of conspiring to cheat and misappropriate funds by paying just Rs5 million through which Young Indian Pvt Ltd (YI) obtained the right to recover Rs 90.25 crore which AJL owed to the Congress. - PTI