Guj: University cancels seminar after ABVP opposes participation by Jamia Millia Islamia professor
Vadodara (Guj), Mar 15: The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda (MSU) here on Wednesday cancelled a seminar after members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) objected to the participation by a professor from Jamia Millia Islamia university.
Zubair Meenai, the professor, is "a communist and known for making anti-India comments," claimed a leader of the ABVP, a student organization affiliated to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
MSU's Faculty of Social Work had organized the seminar on 'Respecting diversity through joint social action' on its campus on Wednesday afternoon.
As per the invitation, one of the invited speakers was Prof Meenai of the Department of Social Work, Jamia Millia Islamia university, New Delhi.
But soon after the event started, ABVP members reached the spot and started shouting the slogan 'Bharat Mata ki Jai', compelling the organisers to cancel the event.
In a video which went viral, ABVP members can be seen confronting the Dean of the Faculty of Social Work, Dr Bhavna Mehta.
When one of the ABVP members asked why they invited Meenai 'who is known for making anti-India comments,' Mehta said he was invited as an academician.
ABVP members then asked Mehta not to invite such people in the future.
Mehta was not available for comments.
"Meenai is a communist and known for making anti-India comments. He even made such comments against (late RSS ideologue) Nanaji Deshmukh. How come the Faculty did not find a worthy academician in Gujarat to speak on the subject that they had to invite him?ABVP will never tolerate such persons who have anti-India mindset," said Dhruv Parekh, the ABVP's MSU unit president.
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Missile attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels damages a ship in the Red Sea
Jerusalem (AP): A missile attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels damaged a ship in the Red Sea on Monday, authorities said, the latest assault in their campaign against shipping in the crucial maritime route.
The attack happened off the coast of Mokha, Yemen, the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said. The ship was damaged in the attack, the UKMTO said, though its crew was safe and heading to its next port of call. The agency urged vessels to exercise caution in the area.
There was “an explosion in close proximity to a merchant vessel,” the UKMTO said. “Vessel and crew are reported safe.”
The US military's Central Command identified the ship damaged as the Cyclades, a Malta-flagged, Greece-owned bulk carrier. The military separately shot down a drone on a flight path toward the USS Philippine Sea and USS Laboon, the military said Tuesday.
Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree claimed the attack on the Cyclades and targeting the US warships in a statement early Tuesday.
Meanwhile Monday, the Italian Defence Ministry said its frigate Virgino Fasan shot down a Houthi drone that morning near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
“A missile exploded in the water in the vicinity of the escorted vessel, causing only minor superficial damage,” the Italian Defence Ministry said, not identifying the commercial vessel being escorted. “The frigate Fasan and the protected merchant vessel are continuing their southward route as planned to exit the Red Sea.”
Saree did not acknowledge that attack, though he claimed the Houthis also targeted a ship in the Indian Ocean. There was no immediate report or evidence to support that claim.
The Houthis say their attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden are aimed at pressuring Israel to end its war against Hamas in Gaza, which has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians there. The war began after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people and taking some 250 others hostage.
The Houthis have launched more than 50 attacks on shipping, seized one vessel and sunk another since November, according to the US Maritime Administration.
Houthi attacks have dropped in recent weeks as the rebels have been targeted by a US-led airstrike campaign in Yemen. Shipping through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden has declined because of the threat.
American officials have speculated the rebels may be running out of weapons as a result of the US-led campaign against them and after firing drones and missiles steadily for months. However, the rebels have renewed their attacks in the past week. Early Sunday morning, the US military shot down five drones in the air over the Red Sea, its Central Command said.
The drones “presented an imminent threat to US, coalition, and merchant vessels in the region,” Central Command said in a statement.
The Houthis on Saturday claimed they shot down another of the US military's MQ-9 Reaper drones, airing footage of parts that corresponded to known pieces of the unmanned aircraft. US Air Force Lt. Col. Bryon J. McGarry, a Defence Department spokesperson, acknowledged to The Associated Press on Saturday that “a US Air Force MQ-9 drone crashed in Yemen.” He said an investigation was underway, without elaborating.
