THE HINDU EDITORIAL : APRIL 13, 2018
THE HINDU EDITORIAL : APRIL 13, 2018
Aspirants can find the important editorial from the 13th April – THE HINDU in the video discussion which is provided below.
Crime in Kathua
The 15-page chargesheet filed by the Jammu and Kashmir Police’s Crime Branch on the abduction, rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Kathua district is chilling. An unspeakably horrific crime has been overlain with an ugly form of communal politics, which has heightened the feeling of vulnerability among the Bakherwal nomadic community. Asifa Bano had been missing in Rasana village since January 10. On January 17, her mutilated body was found, bearing the marks of gang rape. This week, local lawyers tried to prevent the police from filing the chargesheet, and the Jammu High Court Bar Association called for a bandh on Wednesday demanding that the investigation be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation. By all accounts, the demand owes less to any faith in CBI impartiality, and more to the ongoing attempt to influence the police’s investigation that has led to the arrest of eight men, including some policemen charged with destroying evidence. The chargesheet lists as the main conspirator the caretaker of the temple in Rasana where Asifa was allegedly held, and threads together the sequence of events. The insinuation that a local police force that reflects the multi-religious composition of the State cannot be entrusted with a case in which the victim is a Muslim and the alleged accused are Hindus must be strongly resisted.
It is a shame that the State government, a coalition of the J&K Peoples Democratic Party and the BJP, has been so feeble in criticising the sectarian undercurrents. Protests in Kathua have been going on for months, amidst allegations that innocent people are being framed and demands that one of the arrested police officers be released. An organisation called the Hindu Ekta Manch too populated the protests and two BJP ministers from the State government were present at a rally in support of the accused. The Gujjar-Bakherwal community’s sense of isolation, as the dead eight-year-old is sought to be defined by her ethnic and religious identity, is especially heightened given the backdrop of drives to evict them from what they say are their traditional camping sites in forests. One line of inquiry is that the motive for her abduction and assault was to instil fear among the nomads in pressing for their rights to the forests and commons. But while it is understandable that the nomads are feeling the brunt of the intimidation and it is vital to address their larger anxieties, to superimpose the crime on the tussle over forest rights would be to diminish the brutality brought upon the little girl. The investigation must be pursued for the hate crime it is. It does not just tie in with her community’s rights — along with the Unnao rape case in U.P., in which the victim’s father died in police custody this week, it shows how loaded the system is against those seeking justice.
b) Chennai loses out
The shifting of Indian Premier League cricket matches out of Chennai reflects poorly on the Tamil Nadu administration. It is misleading to see the development as a victory for protesters espousing the Cauvery cause or as the inevitable result of the current political mood in Tamil Nadu. By conveying its inability to give adequate police security to the remaining matches to be held in the city, the State government, which had adopted a wishy-washy attitude towards holding the IPL in Chennai, simply capitulated. It is undeniable that there were aggressive protests around the Chepauk stadium just before the season’s first match in the city. Road blockades, frayed tempers and scuffles between the police and protesters suggested it would be a challenge to hold more matches. But governments exist to maintain public order and are expected to stand up to threats made by a fringe, whether it is calling for the ban of a book, a film or a cricket match. If cricket is a victim of such protests, it is because of its very success. It is a soft, high-profile target for those who want to raise their visibility and profile. This is why the sheer irrationality of singling out one tournament – which has no connection whatsoever to the Centre or the State government or the Cauvery crisis for that matter — was lost on those leading the call for a ban.
Instead of going weak and ambivalent on assurances of safety, the State government and the police should have worked out a solution under which scheduled matches and the right of the protesters to voice their grievances were both protected. As for the IPL management, it may have felt there was sufficient reason to drop Chepauk as a venue because of the State government’s attitude. While cricket stadiums are now securely protected, there was no mechanism to screen ticket-buyers and — as the last match in Chepauk revealed — very little that can be done to stop protesters from flinging shoes and other objects on to the ground. There is legitimate and widespread concern in Tamil Nadu over the Centre’s inexplicable delay in framing a scheme to resolve the Cauvery problem, over which there has been more than one protest over the last few days. But the fact that the Chennai Super Kings’ ‘home’ matches will now be played in Pune is a blow to the game’s fans in Chennai. That the IPL is a commercially driven extravaganza bordering on entertainment does not justify it being fair game for protesters. It may be true that sport cannot remain completely divorced from politics and there is no denying the dominant political mood on the Cauvery issue. However, rarely has this principle been extended to threaten a sporting event that has no link whatsoever to the political cause — in this case a water-sharing crisis that principally involves two States.
WORDS/ VOCABULARY
1) Abduction
Meaning: The action of forcibly taking someone away against their will.
Example: “They organized the abduction of Mr Cordes on his way to the airport”
2) Chilling
Meaning: Horrify or frighten (someone).
Example: “The city was chilled by the violence”
| Synonyms: | Scare, Frighten |
| Antonyms: | Comfort, Reassure |
3) Overlain (Overlie)
Meaning: Lie on top of.
Example: “Soft clays overlie the basalt”
4) Nomadic
Meaning: Living the life of a nomad; wandering.
Example: “Nomadic herdsmen”
5) Mutilated
Antonyms Meaning: Inflict a violent and disfiguring injury on.
Example: “Most of the prisoners had been mutilated”
| Synonyms: | Mangle, Maim |
6) Bearing
Meaning: Have or display as a visible mark or feature.
Example: “Many of the papers bore his flamboyant signature”
| Synonyms: | Display, Exhibit |
7) Owes
Meaning: Have an obligation to pay or repay (something, especially money) in return for something received.
Example: “They have denied they owe money to the company”
| Synonyms: | Be in debt (to), be indebted (to) |
| Antonyms: | Settle up |
8) Conspirator
Meaning: A person who takes part in a conspiracy.
Example: “Conspirators had planned to seize the state”
| Synonyms: | Conspirer, Plotter |
9) Allegedly
Meaning: Used to convey that something is claimed to be the case or have taken place, although there is no proof.
Example: “He was allegedly a leading participant in the coup attempt”
| Synonyms: | Reportedly, Supposedly |
10) Insinuation
Meaning: An unpleasant hint or suggestion of something bad.
Example: “I’ve done nothing to deserve all your vicious insinuations”
| Synonyms: | Implication, Inference |
11) Entrusted
Meaning: Assign the responsibility for doing something to (someone).
Example: “I’ve been entrusted with the task of getting him safely back”
| Synonyms: | Give responsibility for, charge, invest |
12) Victim
Meaning: A person harmed, injured, or killed as a result of a crime, accident, or other event or action.
Example: “Victims of domestic violence”
| Synonyms: | Sufferer, Injured party |
| Antonyms: | Attacker, Assailant |
13) Accused
Meaning: A person or group of people who are charged with or on trial for a crime.
Example: “The accused was ordered to stand trial on a number of charges”
14) Coalition
Meaning: A temporary alliance for combined action, especially of political parties forming a government.
Example: “A coalition between Liberals and Conservatives”
| Synonyms: | Alliance, Union |
15) Feeble
Meaning: Failing to convince or impress.
Example: “A feeble excuse”
| Synonyms: | Ineffective, Ineffectual |
| Antonyms: | Effective |
16) Rally
Meaning: Bring together (forces) again in order to continue fighting.
Example: “The king escaped to Perth to rally his own forces”
| Synonyms: | Muster, Marshal |
| Antonyms: | Demobilize, Disband |
17) Ethnic
Meaning: Relating to a population subgroup (within a larger or dominant national or cultural group) with a common national or cultural tradition.
Example: “Ethnic and cultural rights and traditions”
| Synonyms: | Racial, Race-related |
18) Evict
Meaning: Expel (someone) from a property, especially with the support of the law.
Example: “A single mother and her children have been evicted from their home”
| Synonyms: | Expel, Eject |
| Antonyms: | Admit |
19) Abduction
Meaning: The action of forcibly taking someone away against their will.
Example: “They organized the abduction of Mr Cordes on his way to the airport”
20) Instil
Meaning: Gradually but firmly establish (an idea or attitude) in a person’s mind.
Example: “The standards her parents had instilled into her”
| Synonyms: | Inculcate, Implant |
21) Nomads
Meaning: A member of a people that travels from place to place to find fresh pasture for its animals and has no permanent home.
Example: “The withering of their grasslands forced the nomads of the Sahara to descend into the Nile valley”
| Synonyms: | Itinerant, Traveller |
22) Brunt
Meaning: The worst part or chief impact of a specified action.
Example: “Education will bear the brunt of the cuts”
| Synonyms: | full force, force, Impact |
23) Intimidation
Meaning: The action of intimidating someone, or the state of being intimidated.
Example: “The intimidation of witnesses and jurors”
| Synonyms: | Frightening, Menacing |
24) Superimpose
Meaning: Place or lay (one thing) over another, typically so that both are still evident.
Example: “The number will appear on the screen, superimposed on a flashing button”
25) Tussle
Meaning: A vigorous struggle or scuffle, typically in order to obtain or achieve something.
Example: “There was a tussle for the ball”
| Synonyms: | Scuffle, Fight |
26) Diminish
Meaning: Make or become less.
Example: “The new law is expected to diminish the government’s chances”
| Synonyms: | Decrease, Decline |
| Antonyms: | Increase, Flare up |
27) Brutality
Meaning: Savage physical violence; great cruelty.
Example: “Brutality against civilians”
| Synonyms: | Savagery, Cruelty |
| Antonyms: | Gentleness, Kindness |
28) Espousing
Meaning: Adopt or support (a cause, belief, or way of life).
Example: “The left has espoused the causes of sexual and racial equality”
| Synonyms: | Adopt, Embrace |
| Antonyms: | Reject, Oppose |
29) Wishy-washy
Meaning: Feeble or insipid in quality or character.
Example: “Wishy-washy liberalism”
| Synonyms: | Feeble, Ineffectual |
| Antonyms: | Strong, Firm, Decisive |
30) Undeniable
Meaning: Unable to be denied or disputed.
Example: “It is an undeniable fact that some dogs are easier to train than others”
| Synonyms: | Indisputable, Indubitable |
| Antonyms: | Debatable, Questionable |
31) Frayed
Meaning: (Of a person’s nerves or temper) showing the effects of strain.
Example: “An effort to soothe frayed nerves”
32) Scuffles
Meaning: A short, confused fight or struggle at close quarters.
Example: “There were minor scuffles with police”
| Synonyms: | Fight, Struggle |
33) Fringe
Meaning: The outer, marginal, or extreme part of an area, group, or sphere of activity.
Example: “His uncles were on the fringes of crooked activity”
| Synonyms: | Unconventional, Unorthodox |
| Antonyms: | Mainstream, Middle |
34) Sheer
Meaning: Nothing other than; unmitigated (used for emphasis).
Example: “She giggled with sheer delight”
| Synonyms: | Utter, Complete |
35) Ambivalent
Meaning: Having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone.
Example: “Some loved her, some hated her, few were ambivalent about her”
| Synonyms: | Equivocal, Uncertain |
| Antonyms: | Unequivocal, Certain |
36) Grievances
Meaning: A real or imagined cause for complaint, especially unfair treatment.
Example: “A website which enabled staff to air their grievances”
| Synonyms: | Injustice, Unjust act, Wrong |
37) Flinging
Meaning: Throw or hurl forcefully.
Example: “He picked up the debris and flung it away”
| Synonyms: | Throw, Toss |
38) Legitimate
Meaning: Conforming to the law or to rules.
Example: “His claims to legitimate authority”
| Synonyms: | Legal, Lawful, Licit |
| Antonyms: | Illegal, Illegitimate |
39) Threaten
Meaning: Cause (someone or something) to be vulnerable or at risk; endanger.
Example: “A broken finger threatened his career”
| Synonyms: | Endanger, Be a danger to |
40) Crisis
Meaning: A time of intense difficulty or danger.
Example: “The current economic crisis”
| Synonyms: | Catastrophe, Calamity |
Want to learn more , Check the Previous Day of THE HINDU EDITORIAL which was published in our Bankersdaily and learn new words to enhance your Vocabulary.
THE HINDU EDITORIAL – APRIL 7, 2018
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FEBRUARY – THE HINDU EDITORIAL
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