‘Centre should give draft copy of UCC to prevent confusion among people’: Mangaluru Catholic Sabha
Mangaluru: The Catholic Sabha Central Committee has called for the Central Government to release a draft copy of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) to provide better understanding of the proposed law.
During a press conference held at the Press Club in Mangaluru, the Catholic Sabha's legal advisor, Praveen Pinto, expressed the view that instead of using a questionnaire to collect public opinion, the government should provide details on how the implementation of the UCC would impact personal laws. Pinto suggested that a draft copy of the UCC would help alleviate confusion among the people and enable them to provide informed feedback on the code.
Pinto highlighted the diverse religious, caste, and tribal communities in India, with over 10 religions, 3,000 castes, 25,000 sub-castes, and numerous scheduled castes and tribes. He emphasized that personal laws governing marriage, divorce, inheritance, and adoption apply to all citizens of India, regardless of their religion, caste, or race. However, he noted that personal laws based on customs and traditions specific to religion, caste, and race have distinct importance from a cultural perspective. Pinto stated that retaining personal laws is vital to preserving the cultural diversity of the country.
Allwyn D’Souza, President of the Catholic Sabha Mangaluru, requested that the state government declare September 8, the day Christians in the coastal district have been celebrating the Harvest Festival for centuries, as a government holiday. D’Souza also urged the government to increase the grant allocated to the Christian Development Corporation from Rs 100 crore to Rs 200 crore. Additionally, he called for the withdrawal of the anti-conversion law.
Former presidents of the Catholic Sabha, Paulo Rolphy D’Costa and Stanley Lobo, as well as General Secretary Wilma Monteiro and others, were present at the press conference.
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Explosive device kills 13, injures 38 on bus in southwestern Colombia as violence persists
Bogota (Colombia) (PTI): An explosive device killed 13 people travelling on a bus in southwestern Colombia on Saturday, an attack the country's army chief described as a “terrorist act" that also left at least 38 injured as violence linked to drug trafficking in the region escalates.
Octavio Guzman, the governor of the region of Cauca, said on X that the device was set off while the bus was travelling along the Panamerican Highway in the municipality of Cajibio. Five children were among the injured, Cauca Health Secretary Carolina Camargo told Noticias Caracol, a TV news program.
Gen. Hugo Lopez, commander of Colombia's Armed Forces, told a news conference that it was a “terrorist act" and blamed the network of a man known as “Ivan Mordisco” — one of Colombia's most wanted figures — and the Jaime Martínez faction. Both are dissidents of the now-defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia that operate in the region.
Neither Ivan Mordisco nor the Jaime Martínez faction abide by the peace agreement signed with the state in 2016.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro condemned the attack on X.
“Those who carried out the attack and killed seven civilians — and wounded 17 others — in Cajibío — many of them Indigenous people — are terrorists, fascists, and drug traffickers,” he wrote.
The attack is the latest in a spate of explosions that have attempted to target public infrastructure. At least 26 incidents have taken place in the past two days in southwestern Colombia, which Lopez said have only affected civilians.
They included a shooting at a police station in the rural area of Jamundi, and an attack on a Civil Aviation radar facility in El Tambo, where authorities took down three explosives-laden drones earlier on Saturday. No one was hurt.
On Friday, two vehicles rigged with explosives were detonated near military units in Cali and Palmira, causing material damage.
The escalation of violence in that region — a territory contested by illegal armed groups linked to drug trafficking — prompted the mobilisation of high-ranking officials on Saturday. Led by Defence Minister Pedro Sanchez, the delegation that includes regional governors and local authorities, was meeting in Palmira when the deadly explosion occurred.
“These criminals seek to instil fear, but we will respond with firmness,” Sanchez said on X.
Meanwhile, Francisca Toro, governor of Valle del Cauca, has called upon the national government to provide “immediate support.” In a message on X, Toro called for a reinforcement of public security forces, enhanced intelligence operations and “decisive actions” against crime in the face of a “terrorist-level escalation.”
According to authorities, Cauca and Valle del Cauca serve as a critical hub for illicit activities of illegal armed groups vying for control over sea and river access routes leading to the port of Buenaventura — a key transit point used to traffic drugs to Central America and Europe.
The government has also offered a reward of more than 1 million dollars for information leading to the capture of “Marlon,” who is identified as the leader of the region's dissident group. On Friday, local authorities offered more than USD 14,000 for information leading to the identification and location of those behind the attacks in Cali and Palmira.
