Good morning,
From bulldozers rolling into Jahangirpuri, razing parts of several structures, to UK PM Boris Johnson’s two-day visit to India – here are the top stories from today’s edition. The Big Story
Hit by communal violence days earlier, Jahangirpuri in North West Delhi saw seven bulldozers roll into the neighbourhood on orders of the BJP-led North Delhi Municipal Corporation, razing parts of several structures, including the exterior gate of a place of worship. The demolition, which started around 10.15 am, went on for two hours despite the Supreme Court’s directions at 11 am that status quo be maintained. One was selling cold drinks to police until yesterday. Another had been running a store in the building where he was born 40 years ago. A third was saving up for the festival. None had any prior notice, none were given the right to respond — all were scrambling on Wednesday evening to pick up the pieces of what was left. The Delhi municipal corporation’s snap anti-encroachment demolition drive, a few days after a Hanuman Jayanti procession in the area sparked communal violence, has left in its wake a trail of devastation and despair, cutting across fault lines. As the BJP-controlled North MCD’s demolition action in Jahangirpuri reached the Supreme Court and some among the Opposition slammed the use of bulldozers, the party indicated that there would be no backing down and its Delhi unit would “keep the pressure on illegal immigrants”. Baijayant Panda, BJP vice president and the party in-charge of Delhi, told The Indian Express: “Just like we have seen in certain places in Europe — in Sweden, Holland and Belgium etc — where immigrant communities have created no-go zones where people or even police are afraid to go, it seems illegal immigrants have replicated the same in Delhi.”
Bulldozers rolled into Jahangirpuri on Wednesday morning to begin the anti-encroachment drive. (Express Photo) Only in the Express Commenting on the recent violence at Delhi’s Jahangirpuri on Hanuman Jayanti, Pratap Bhanu Mehta writes: “New Hinduism is about widespread acceptance of vile prejudice, the dismantling of any semblance of conscience, the alignment of the state with majoritarian power, the complete effacement of the individual by imposed communal identification, the self-justification of the majority that has cloaked itself as the victim, the total contempt for rights, the glorification of violence, the search for the slightest pretext for revenge, and the radical othering of minorities.” From the Front Page As British Prime Minister Boris Johnson lands in Ahmedabad today for the start of a two-day visit to India, UK and Indian businesses are set to announce investments and export deals worth over £1 billion, in areas from software engineering to health. On Friday, Johnson will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on economic, security and defence collaborations. He is expected to announce commercial agreements, hailing a new era in trade, investment and technology partnership between the two countries. An overheated job market in the software and BPO space has triggered a surge in attrition rates at TCS and Infosys, the top two IT companies in the country by revenue, prompting tech companies to fall back on unconventional tactics in an attempt to retain talent. A workers union representing IT and BPO sector employees has said that Bengaluru-based Infosys is enforcing a clause in the employee contract to prevent workers from joining some of its competitors. Must Read
Despite the BJP’s Central leadership indicating that the party will be projecting a CM face in Rajasthan, former Chief Minister Vasundhara Rane appears to be readying herself for the role. In a marked shift in her usual political stance, she seems to have taken on a pronounced pro-Hindutva approach in targeting the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government. Earlier this month, Raje accused the Gehlot government in Rajasthan of practising ‘appeasement politics’, soon after an April 1 order of Jodhpur Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited directed 10 districts under its jurisdiction to ensure there were no power cuts in Muslim-dominated areas during Ramzan. Two years since it was first launched, the Andhra Pradesh government’s “first-of-its-kind” Disha app for women’s safety continues to be immensely popular. In fact, the number of SOS calls received on the app have officially overtaken calls to the emergency police number — 100 — in the state. Its strategy is simple but effective — the response time is less than 10 minutes and support is provided by trained responders. “We have deployed special patrol vehicles, which are connected to the Disha control room through GPS, where the staff will respond in 4-5 minutes in cities and towns, and 8-10 minutes in villages,” explains former state Home minister Mekathoti Sucharita. The Centre’s plan of developing 100 Command and Control Centres (ICCCs) — an integral component of its Smart Cities Mission — is well underway, with 80 already set up and the remaining 20 set to be completed by August 15. These ICCCs are spread across various states that have been developing Smart Cities, with states such as Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat leading in terms of the total number of ICCCs set up. We explain the Smart Cities Mission and the purpose of the ICCCs. And Finally...
“It’s an important moment for the sport in the country.” From stockbrokers and industrialists to publishers and bankers — the six-member team that won India’s first-ever silver medal at the World Bridge Championship earlier this month may hail from various backgrounds, but the sixty-somethings are tied together by their love for the card game. In the final, India took on Poland, which had five former world champions in its team. The European giants proved too strong, recording a 45-point win over six sets and 96 deals. 🤫 Delhi Confidential: The Home Ministry was abuzz with activity on Wednesday with Home Minister Amit Shah being present in office. Bureaucrats and Cabinet Ministers — including Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav, Parliamentary Affairs and Coal Minister Pralhad Joshi and Law Minister Kiren Rijiju— met with Shah throughout the day. In the afternoon Delhi BJP leaders also came to meet Shah in the wake of the Jahangirpuri demolitions. Until tomorrow,
Rounak Bagchi and Rahel Philipose  | 
