Jignesh Mevani campaigns for Kanhaiya Kumar in Bihar
Patna: Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani, who had spearheaded a Dalit movement in his state a couple of years ago, Thursday campaigned for former JNU students' union president Kanhaiya Kumar the CPI candidate from Begusarai Lok Sabha seat in Bihar.
The social media was abuzz with pictures of the two young politicians traversing the dusty tracks of Begusarai, sometimes on foot and sometimes pillion riding on bicycles, as they addressed several small political meetings seeking support for the upcoming Left leader.
Mevani also tweeted a picture of himself enjoying the traditional Bihari lunch of rice, lentil soup and mashed potatoes with the caption-- "Dal bhaat chokha khaenge, Kanhaiya Kumar ko jitayenge, theek hai", parodying a hit number of Bhojpuri singer Khesari Lal Yadav.
Mevani's canvassing for Kumar who is pitted against firebrand BJP leader Giriraj Singh is being seen as an attempt to garner Dalit support in favour of the upper caste CPI candidate in a caste-riven state like Bihar.
Both Kumar and Singh belong to the influential Bhumihar community which in the recent years have been more inclined towards the BJP though in Begusarai, they have been till a few decades ago supportive of the CPI which has sent many MLAs and MPs to the state assembly and parliament respectively from the district.
Kumar would need the support of Dalits in order to provide a credible challenge to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate, almost twice his age and armed with the saffron party's huge election machinery.
Moreover, Lalu Prasad's Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) may end up making the contest tougher for the poll debutant as it plans to field a Muslim candidate from Begusarai, going back on its earlier stand of supporting Kumar's candidature.
Left sympathisers across the country have been keenly watching the electoral battle in Begusarai as a victory for Kumar could indicate that the moribund communist parties were showing signs of revival.
There have been reports that more than Rs 20 lakh have been raised in the former JNU student leader's favour through crowdfunding and Bollywood personalities Javed Akhtar and Shabana Azmi were likely to lend a whiff of glamour by taking part in his election campaign.
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Allahabad HC orders police protection to married couple apprehending 'honour killing'
Prayagraj (PTI): The Allahabad High Court has granted protection to a married couple who expressed fear that they may be killed by the woman's family.
The order was passed by a division bench comprising Justice JJ Munir and Justice Tarun Saxena on March 25.
"No individual can make an 'honour issue' out of a consenting adult marrying a person of their own choice. It is the state's duty to protect the life, limb, and property of such persons even against their own family members," the bench said.
The court was hearing a petition filed by Prachi Agrawal and her partner, who sought relief in connection with an FIR filed under Section 87 of Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for kidnapping, and abducting or inducing a woman to compel her marriage.
The couple submitted that they married at an Arya Samaj temple and possessed a marriage registration certificate issued under the Uttar Pradesh Marriage Registration Rules, 2017.
The petitioners alleged that the woman's family members were averse to their marriage and lodged a bogus FIR against them.
The couple further submitted a joint affidavit expressing apprehension of an honour killing by the woman's family.
The court said that a prima facie case was made out and issued notice to the private respondent and granted two weeks to file a counter-affidavit.
Meanwhile, as an interim measure, the court granted the petitioners protection from arrest.
The court also explicitly ordered the woman's family members and relatives not to harm the petitioners, enter their matrimonial home, or establish contact with them directly or through any electronic means.
The bench directed the Aligarh senior superintendent of police to ensure that no harm comes to the couple and posted the matter for hearing on April 8.
