Azerbaijani leader: Christian churches will be protected
Moscow: The president of Azerbaijan has promised that Christian churches will be protected when the strongly Muslim country takes possession of areas formerly controlled by Armenians.
President Ilham Aliyev's office said he made the promise in a telephone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is deploying peacekeeping forces in the areas under an agreement that ended six weeks of fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Ethnic Armenian forces had controlled Nagorno-Karabakh and sizeable adjacent territories since the 1994 end of the separatist war. Fighting resumed in late September and ended with an agreement that calls for Azerbaijan to regain control of the outlying territories as well as allowing it to hold on to parts of Nagorno-Karabakh that it seized during the fighting.
The first of the territories, Kalbajar, is being turned over on Sunday.
Kalbajar is home to the well-known Dadivank monastery of the Armenian Apostolic Church. A day before the territory's handover, workers removed many of the monastery's sacred objects. Other residents in Kalbajar torched their own homes, fearing what will happen when Azerbaijani forces take over.
Azerbaijan is about 95% Muslim and Armenians fear that churches would be damaged or closed when it takes control of the territories.
"President Aliyev said that Christian churches in Azerbaijani territories, which are returned to Azerbaijan in accordance with the trilateral statement, will also be properly protected by the state. Christians of Azerbaijan will have access to these churches, said the statement from his office.
Hundreds, if not thousands, of combatants and civilians, have been killed since fighting flared anew in late September.
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TMC's reign of terror prevails in West Bengal: Rahul
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday strongly condemned the killing of party worker Debdeep Chatterjee allegedly by TMC goons, and said his party will not bow before this politics that stains India's non-violent tradition.
Chatterjee was brutally murdered in Asansol during post-poll violence. He was closely associated with Asansol North Congress candidate Prasenjit Puitandi, the party claimed.
The worker was attacked and beaten by those linked to the ruling All India Trinamool Congress and succumbed to injuries shortly thereafter, the West Bengal Congress alleged.
"The murder of Congress worker Debdeep Chatterjee by TMC-affiliated goons after the elections is utterly reprehensible. My deepest condolences to the grieving family," Gandhi said in a post on X.
"In West Bengal today, it is not democracy but TMC's reign of terror that prevails. Intimidating, attacking, and eliminating opposing voices after votes are cast -this has become the defining character of TMC," Gandhi also said.
He said the Congress' politics has never been based on violence, nor will it ever be.
"We too have lost our workers, yet we have always chosen the path of non-violence and the Constitution. This is our legacy, this is our resolve. "The demand is clear -immediate arrest of all the guilty, the harshest punishment, and grant full security and compensation for Debdeep's family," the former Congress chief said.
"We will not bow before this politics that stains India's non-violent tradition. Justice will be done," Gandhi said.
The West Bengal Congress, in a post on its X handle, said this tragic incident exposes the complete collapse of law and order in the state and raises serious questions about the safety of opposition workers in West Bengal.
"The fact that such violence has occurred immediately after polling highlights a deeply disturbing pattern of political intimidation and vendetta," it said.
The Congress stands firmly with the bereaved family and demands immediate arrest of all those responsible for this heinous crime and a fair, impartial, and time-bound investigation. It also said adequate compensation and protection for the victim's family.
"It is deeply concerning that even an FIR had not been registered at the time of reporting, further indicating administrative apathy in the face of such a grave incident.
"The Indian National Congress reiterates that democracy cannot survive in an atmosphere of fear and violence. We will continue to raise our voice against such atrocities and fight to ensure justice for every victim," the party said.
The Congress said the murder of Chatterjee by goons associated with TMC is highly condemnable and termed it a direct attack on democracy.
"Democracy in West Bengal has ended, and TMC's reign of terror continues. Silencing and subduing opposing voices through violence has become TMC's hallmark. We demand that the culprits be arrested immediately and given the harshest possible punishment. We will not allow the democracy of our country to be destroyed by these anti-people forces," the Congress said.
