India outclass New Zealand 4-0 in men's hockey test series
Bengaluru, July 22 : The Indian men's hockey team wrapped up the three-match test series against New Zealand on a winning note as they thrashed the visitors 4-0 at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) stadium here on Sunday.
With this, India also won the series 3-0, raising hopes for the upcoming 18th Asian Games, scheduled to be held in Jakarta from August 18.
In Sunday's match, Rupinder Pal Singh (8th minute), Surender Kumar (15th minute), Mandeep Singh (44th minute) and Akashdeep Singh (60th minute) scored for India while the team's defence ensured a clean sheet denying the visitors any scoring opportunities.
In the first quarter, India took a 1-0 lead after Rupinder scored off the team's second Penalty Corner. He fired low towards the right corner of the post, taking his personal goal count to four in the series against New Zealand.
Brilliant stick work by Surender Kumar and a clever assist by Rupinder from the top of the striking circle earned India their second goal of the match.
India's third goal was set up by Sardar Singh as he worked magic with his stick making way from the left flank, beating New Zealand defenders to find Simranjeet Singh who later flicked it to Mandeep.
A simple yet clever deflection was enough to beat New Zealand goalkeeper George Enersen.
It was Akashdeep Singh who was enthralling as he scored the home team's fourth goal in the 60th minute, taking India's winning scoreline to 4-0.
Chief coach Harendra Singh said he was happy with his team's performance.
"Playing high intensity matches against one of the Top 10 Teams in the World ahead of a crucial event like the Asian Games is beneficial for us," Harendra said.
"During these three matches, we tried out different combinations and variations in Penalty Corner (PC) and we are better prepared for the upcoming tournament," the coach said.
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Woman declared foreigner gets Indian citizenship under CAA
Guwahati (PTI): A woman, who spent two years in detention after being declared a foreigner, has been granted Indian citizenship under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in Assam's Cachar district, her lawyer said.
The woman, identified as 59-year-old Depali Das, a resident of the Hawaithang area under the Dholai assembly constituency, was declared an illegal migrant by a Foreigners' Tribunal (FT) in February 2019.
Depali is the first declared foreigner in Assam who had once been lodged in a detention centre and later released on bail to receive Indian citizenship under the CAA.
The police detained her after the tribunal's order and sent her to the Silchar detention centre on May 10, the same year, where she remained for nearly two years before being released on bail on May 17, 2021, following a Supreme Court order, her lawyer Dharmananda Deb said.
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Depali was originally a resident of Dippur village under Dhirai police station in Bangladesh's Sylhet district and had married Abhimanyu Das of Parai village under Baniachong police station in Habiganj district in 1987, he said.
A year later, in 1988, the couple entered India and moved to Cachar district, where they have been living since then.
Her citizenship came under scrutiny in 2013 when police initiated an inquiry against her, and a chargesheet was submitted by the police on July 2, 2013, stating that Depali was a resident of Baniachong in Bangladesh and had entered India illegally after March 1971, Deb said.
"The chargesheet later proved crucial in her application for Indian citizenship under the CAA because the applicant must provide documentary evidence showing migration from Bangladesh, Pakistan or Afghanistan," he said.
"In most cases, applicants fail to produce such documents, but in Depali's case, the chargesheet submitted by the police officer in 2013 clearly mentioned that she was from Bangladesh. The authorities accepted this document as valid proof," he added.
After her release on bail in 2021, she wanted to apply for citizenship under the CAA and had approached Deb for legal assistance once the rules of the Act were notified in 2024.
Her first hearing took place on February 24 last year at the office of the Superintendent of Post Offices in Silchar, which is designated to process such applications.
Two more hearings were held subsequently, after which all her documents were submitted online to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
"She was called to the office of the Superintendent of Post Offices in Silchar for a final appearance on May 25 last year after the field verification by Home Ministry officials, and on March 6, she received her Indian citizenship certificate," social activist Kamal Chakraborty said.
Her three children, a son and three daughters, can now rely on their mother's citizenship certificate if their own citizenship is ever questioned in the future, since all the children were born in India, he added.
The Citizenship Amendment Act, passed by Parliament on December 11, 2019, triggered widespread protests across the country, particularly in Assam.
The Act allows Hindu, Christian, Buddhist, Sikh, Jain and Parsi migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who entered India between March 25, 1971 and December 31, 2014 to apply for Indian citizenship.
Before Das, four Bangladeshi nationals living in Assam were granted Indian citizenship under the CAA.
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