Aussie police get shoot-to-kill power for marauding drivers
Sydney: Police in part of Australia were given shoot-to-kill powers on Monday, to stop drivers who deliberately plough into pedestrians. Eight people have been killed and more than 45 injured in three such attacks in Melbourne, Victoria's state capital and Australia's second-biggest city, since 2017.
Victoria Police said officers will be required to take "decisive action" in response to vehicle attacks -- including ramming cars involved or shooting the driver. Deputy Commissioner Shane Patton said officers had wide powers to stop an attack -- or even the threat of one.
"Any tactical option that currently exists, they can use, but additionally the policy says they can use lethal force," he told reporters in Melbourne. Though Patton said these were "extreme things to include in a policy", he said giving police clarity on exactly what actions they could take was "very important".
"We don't want to wait until a car ploughs into a group of people, we want them to stop it before it occurs," he said. The announcement comes ahead of an inquiry into the deaths of six people killed when a driver mowed down shoppers in the heart of Melbourne in January 2017.
It will examine whether police should have prevented the man from getting into the city centre for the attack, which left 27 others injured. James Gargasoulas was jailed for life for the murders, which police determined were not terror-related. The new hostile vehicle policy, which comes into force immediately, is the first of its kind in Australia.
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AIITA welcomes Karnataka’s ban on obscene songs in school events
Bhatkal: The Karnataka unit of the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AIITA) has welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to strictly ban school children from dancing to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes in government, aided, and private schools across the state.
AIITA Karnataka State President M. R. Manvi congratulated the government for taking what he termed an important step to preserve the sanctity of education.
“Such decisions to safeguard the dignity of school children and uphold the values of education are the need of the hour. This rule should not be limited to government schools alone but must be strictly implemented in all private educational institutions as well,” he said.
He further urged the government to address other concerns within school programmes.
“The government should not only prohibit obscene dances in the name of school anniversaries, but also ensure that plays and dialogues that incite religious hatred are avoided. Schools should be centres of harmony, not platforms for spreading hatred,” he added.
According to a recent circular issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, obscene dances are adversely affecting the mental health and moral values of students.
In this regard, schools have been advised to use songs that promote nationalism, positive thinking, the greatness of Kannada culture, and value-based traditions instead of inappropriate content during programmes.
The circular also emphasises that students should be dressed in decent attire.
AIITA also backed the department’s warning that disciplinary action would be taken against head teachers if such guidelines are violated. The association has further demanded that district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction strictly monitor the implementation of these rules.
