GUWAHATI, INDIA // Christian outrage at a school book picture showing Jesus Christ holding a beer bottle and a cigarette has spurred authorities in a north-eastern state to draft an anti-blasphemy law for schools.
Police in Meghalaya have seized the notebooks and are taking a New Delhi-based private publisher to court on accusations of offending religious sentiments.
In the notebooks, which were meant for handwriting classes, the Jesus picture accompanies the word "idol" and is used to illustrate the letter I.
The publisher has apologised to the people of Meghalaya and recalled all copies of the notebook from the market. The picture has also enraged Christians in the northern Punjab state and sparked protests, local media said.
Christian organisations across the state have condemned the incident and demanded the government pass a law to monitor all schoolbooks for offensive content before they are circulated.
"The publication of the picture has deeply hurt our religious sentiments, and [the] publisher has violated the provisions of the constitution of India," said a statement by the Indian Catholic Youth Movement in Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya.
Christians make up 2.3 per cent of India's 1.1 billion-plus population.
* Reuters
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Started: 2019
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Ways to control drones
Countries have been coming up with ways to restrict and monitor the use of non-commercial drones to keep them from trespassing on controlled areas such as airports.
"Drones vary in size and some can be as big as a small city car - so imagine the impact of one hitting an airplane. It's a huge risk, especially when commercial airliners are not designed to make or take sudden evasive manoeuvres like drones can" says Saj Ahmed, chief analyst at London-based StrategicAero Research.
New measures have now been taken to monitor drone activity, Geo-fencing technology is one.
It's a method designed to prevent drones from drifting into banned areas. The technology uses GPS location signals to stop its machines flying close to airports and other restricted zones.
The European commission has recently announced a blueprint to make drone use in low-level airspace safe, secure and environmentally friendly. This process is called “U-Space” – it covers altitudes of up to 150 metres. It is also noteworthy that that UK Civil Aviation Authority recommends drones to be flown at no higher than 400ft. “U-Space” technology will be governed by a system similar to air traffic control management, which will be automated using tools like geo-fencing.
The UAE has drawn serious measures to ensure users register their devices under strict new laws. Authorities have urged that users must obtain approval in advance before flying the drones, non registered drone use in Dubai will result in a fine of up to twenty thousand dirhams under a new resolution approved by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai.
Mr Ahmad suggest that "Hefty fines running into hundreds of thousands of dollars need to compensate for the cost of airport disruption and flight diversions to lengthy jail spells, confiscation of travel rights and use of drones for a lengthy period" must be enforced in order to reduce airport intrusion.
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