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The Morning Wrap: 21 Injured In Kashmir During Clash On Eid; 'Freedom 251' Will Come With Extra Delivery Charges

The Morning Wrap: 21 Injured In Kashmir During Clash On Eid; 'Freedom 251' Will Come With Extra Delivery Charges
A Freedom 251 smartphone, which is to be priced at Indian Rupees 251 or USD 3.6 approximately, is shown during its release by an official of Ringing Bells Pvt. Ltd. in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016.(AP Photo/Saurabh Das)
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A Freedom 251 smartphone, which is to be priced at Indian Rupees 251 or USD 3.6 approximately, is shown during its release by an official of Ringing Bells Pvt. Ltd. in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016.(AP Photo/Saurabh Das)

The Morning Wrap is HuffPost India's selection of interesting news and opinion from the day's newspapers. Subscribe here to receive it in your inbox each weekday morning.

Essential HuffPost

Mohammed Khalid, a 31-year-old man, who was arrested on Wednesday for tormenting around 1,500 women with vulgar messages and calls, was driven by the sadistic pleasure he derived when the victims begged him to stop harassing them. According to reports, his only aim was to see his victims helpless.

Raunak Banerjee, a 14-year-old student from Bengaluru was so scared of heights that he couldn't even stand on a table. But last week, the Class IX boy jumped off the 10th floor of his apartment building after returning from school. A suicide note in his schoolbag said he couldn't take the bullying by his peers any more but did not name anyone or specify where the bullying took place.

Backed by a glowing Madras High Court judgment on a petition that sought to forfeit all copies of his controversial novelMadhorubagan, Tamil writer Perumal Murugan on Wednesday said that he wanted to savour the moment — seen as a major victory for creative freedom in a nation where religion often dominates public discourse. A bench, comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice Pushpa Sathyanaraya, made the observations in its detailed judgment on a batch of petitions for and against the Tiruchengode-based author who faced protests from Hindutva and caste outfits, over the novel.

Main News

21 security personnel, including two police officers were injured in a clash in the Kashmir Valley after Eid celebrations on Wednesday because senior separatists were disallowed from congregational prayers. Violence broke out immediately after Eid prayers at Idgah in Srinagar, Sopore in Baramulla district and in Anantnag. Locals accused the security forces of bursting tear-gas shells without provocation.

Noted Islamist scholar Salafist Zakir Naik has been caught in the middle of a controversy after investigations revealed that his sermons and ideology inspired Rohan Imtiaz, one of the perpetrators of the recent terror strike in Dhaka. But a combination of ambiguity on terror, arguments that verge on anti-Semitism, notions of superiority of one religion and use of modern technology has made Zakir difficult to ignore both for followers and security agencies.

AAP leader HS Phoolka on Wednesday said that to atone for the party's 'unintentional mistake' of putting up a picture of the Golden Temple on it youth manifesto, he would participate in a sewa on the weekend. He also made an appeal to party volunteers to do the same.

Off The Front Page

A Kolkata resident had to face a scary threat from a cab driver when he yelled at her, saying that if she didn't shut up, he'd kidnap and then rape her. The woman, who had booked the app cab believing it was safe, had to jump off the moving car. Now, the suspect, identified as one 28-year-old Santu Parmanik, has been arrested and charged with molestation and criminal intimidation.

Controversial Noida-based startup Ringing Bells has announced that the company will begin delivering the Freedom 251 smartphone from 8 July. The company has said that the delivery will be made only to 5,000 customers, and they will be charged ₹40 extra for delivery.

Indian travellers spend a lot of time glued to their smartphones due to their 'fear of missing out' on anything while they are away, says a recent survey. Hotels.com Mobile Travel Tracker survey showed that Indian travellers spend 50 per cent more time on their smartphones while on a vacation. The global study was conducted among 9,200 travellers across 31 countries.

Opinion

Anil Madhav Dave, Prakash Javadekar’s replacement in the environment ministry, has done some work on green issues, which could be a new beginning for the ministry, writes Bahar Dutt in Mint. "Prakash Javadekar’s move from the environment ministry, where he was minister of state (independent charge), to the human resource development (HRD) ministry with a full cabinet rank is being seen as a “reward” for him. But what is the legacy that Javadekar leaves behind," she asks.

An attribute of PM Narendra Modi's cabinet reshuffle is the recognition that politics is, first and foremost, about social mediation, writes Pratap Bhanu Mehta in The Indian Express. "Certainly, while there are three or four ministries that deserve better, within political limits, a message has been sent about performance. But the talent debate can also be naive in two respects: The metric of performance as measured by the media is often off the mark. Second, the real issue is: Will the relationship between the PMO and the ministries also be transformed? Will this be genuine cabinet government or an all powerful PMO with a large entourage in tow," he says.

The Madras High Court must be lauded for upholding the rights of writer Perumal Murugan. But for speech to be truly free, the judiciary must stop asking literature to justify its aesthetic or its intent, writes Gautam Bhatia for The Hindu. "Until that time, individuals such as Murugan, who are lucky enough to have their cases heard by progressive judges, will triumph; but free speech will lose, and lose again," he says.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.