The Maoist attack in Sukma in Chattisgarh resulted in the killing of 9 personnel of the 212 Battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) on Tuesday. Intelligence agencies had earlier issued multiple warnings and had alerted the security forces about the Maoist presence in the region, reported IE. The report also said that there were several letters written by the State Intelligence Bureau (SIB) asking the forces to not use vehicles in districts across Bastar, during the tactical counter-offensive campaign (TOCOC). The CRPF personnel lost their lives in an IED blast in the Kistaram area of Sukma. Reports suggest that around 100 Maoists carried out the ambush and attacked the CRPF personnel. The attack at Sukma comes in the wake of security forces neutralising 10 Maoists in Bijapur district of Chattisgarh. The report also mentioned a letter written to DM Awasthi, Special Director General, SIB and Anti-Naxal Operations. The letter dated 18th February 2018, also alerts the forces of a large group of armed Maoist cadres from Telangana along with PLGA BN 01 who were suspected to be camped near Gudrai village. The letter also mentions that they were carrying out a recce of Palodi camp and suggested that…
Month: April 2021
UP Bypolls: Subramaniam Swamy’s advice to BJP after party’s shocking loss in Yogi Adityanath’s Gorakhpur
UP Bypolls: A day after an experimental alliance between partners defeated the seats held by Bharatiya Janata partys two tallest leaders in the state – Yogi Adiyanath and Keshav Prasad Maurya – in their pocketborough, leaders from the saffron party have come out all guns blazing against the duo. Firebrand BJP leader Subramanian Swamy lashed out at Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, though he did not name him directly. In a veiled attack at the UP CM, Swamy said that the BJP Parliamentary committee leaders must think before giving out important positions to the minister who cant even win their own constituencies for the party. The attack comes a day after the SP-BSP alliance humiliated the saffron party in its bastion – Gorakhpur and deputy CMs constituency Phulpur. Not just Subramanian Swamy, but senior BJP leader Ramakant Yadav also took a jibe at the UP CM Yogi Adityanath while reacting to the BJPs defeat in the UP bypolls. In one of the most severe attacks on the UP CM, Yadav, as per media reports, said that a person involved in worship and devotion has been made the CM. He said, Jis parakar se puja path karne wale ko mukhyamantri…
Karti Chidambaram gets bail in INX Media case
The Delhi High Court on Friday granted bail to Karti Chidambaram, son of senior Congress leader P Chidamabaram, in the INX Media bribery case. Justice SP Garg while granting bail to Karti asked him to furnish a surety of Rs 10 lakh. He will have to seek prior permission of the CBI if he wants to go abroad. Besides, he will not tamper with any evidence in the case, the court said. The CBI had opposed his bail plea on the grounds that he has While denying allegations of tampering with evidence, Karti said when the CBI had not sought his further custodial interrogation, why should he be kept in judicial custody. Kartis counsel had argued that no case under the Prevention of Corruption Act was made out against him since the CBI has neither questioned any public servant, nor made them an accused in the matter. Karti was arrested on February 28 at the Chennai airport on his return from the UK. Just hours after his arrest, he was sent to the CBI custody by a special court and then to judicial custody till March 24. Karti is being questioned in connection with the INX Media corruption case lodged…
Updates: Salman Khan sent to jail for 5 years in blackbuck poaching case; bail plea hearing Friday
Salman Khan conviction LIVE updates: Apart from Salman, Bollywood actors Saif Ali Khan, Sonali Bendre, Tabu and Neelam were other accused in the case. However, they have been acquitted. Final arguments were concluded on March 28. The verdict was delivered by Chief Judicial Magistrate Dev Kumar Khatri. Salman and other actors Salman was facing charges under Section 51 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, which prescribes six-year jail for the guilty. The case pertains to poaching of two blackbucks during the shoot of Hum Saath Saath Hain. Salman was last seen in Tiger Zinda Hai, released on December last. His next movie will be Race 3. Check Salman Khan conviction LIVE updates: 4.30 pm: Justice has not been given properly in this case. I am feeling bad for him. 3.43 pm: He should be given relief. He has done a lot of humanitarian work. ALSO READ |22 pm: Hearing in the bail application of Salman Khan in Blackbuck poaching case to take place on Friday in Jodhpur Session Court. 3.05 pm: Since He is most loved person by industry N people for his human reasons too. I am extremely shocked to hear @BeingSalmanKhan being convicted by session court but also having…
Bihar will get ODF status before 2019 deadline: Official
In Bihar, where millions of people still opt for open defecation, the state government is trying hard and will achieve open defecation-free (ODF) status by March 31, 2019, against the deadline of October 2, 2019, an official said on Thursday. We are not only constructing toilets as behaviour change is a complex phenomenon. Even after a villager constructs toilet, its use has to be sustained for at least one year for habit change, Rural Development Department Secretary Arvind Choudhary said. Choudhary was speaking at a function Chalo Champaran – Satyagrah to Swachhagrah – a social movement for open defecation-free Bihar. He admitted that Bihar is at the bottom on ODF issue, with not even a single district so far declared ODF. Balamurugan D., CEO of Jeevika and Mission Director, Lohiya Swachh Bihar Abhiyan, (LSBA) said the primary focus was on sustained behavioural change, for which 30,000 swachhagrahis and eight lakh women self-help groups promoted by Jeevika are working across all districts to create awareness on safe sanitation practices. Asadur Rahman, chief, UNICEF, Bihar Field Office, said open defecation posed serious threat to children, who account for 46 per cent of Bihar population. Pravin More, WASH Specialist, UNICEF said Rohtas district…
SC/ST Act: BJP president Amit Shah accuses his Congress counterpart Rahul Gandhi of inciting hatred in society
BJP president Amit Shah today accused his Congress counterpart Rahul Gandhi of inciting hatred in society with his lie that the SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act has been revoked. Shah, who is on a tour of Odisha, tagged on Twitter a short video of a Gandhis speech in which he is heard telling people in a rally that atrocities against Dalits and tribals are rising and the SC\/ST act is revoked. Narendra Modi ji does not say a word. Hitting back, Shah said, Lies and only Lies! See how Rahul Gandhi fictitiously revokes the SC\/ST Act to incite hatred in society. A recent ruling by the Supreme Court on the Act, which, several Dalit groups say, has diluted the law, had triggered protests with the opposition parties accusing the government of not doing enough. The government has moved the apex court seeking a review of its March 20 judgement on the Act, while the BJP has charged the opposition with playing politics over the sensitive issue. At least 11 persons were killed in the violent protests during Bharat Bandh called by Dalit groups on Monday against the courts ruling. With the Dalit vote swings holding key to the…
No end to horror! Now, girl found dead in Surat; possibly held captive, raped, say police
Amid the outrage over the Kathua and Unnao rape cases, a shocking incident of another minor being raped and murdered has come to the fore. The body of the victim, which was found in a cricket ground Bhestan locality in Surat on April 6, had 86 injury marks, according to police. The identity of the victim is yet to be ascertained and she is believed to be between 9 and 11 years old, according to reports. According to the autopsy report said there were 86 injury marks on her body, including the private parts, indicating that she was tortured and raped. She was strangulated, Inspector K B Jhala of Pandesara police station was quoted as saying. Here is all you need to know about the incident: An FIR has been lodged under sections 302 (murder), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 376 (rape) of the IPC and under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) against unidentified persons, Surat Police Commissioner Satish Sharma said. Ganesh Govekar, a doctor at the City Civil Hospital where the autopsy was conducted, said, Going by the nature of injuries, they seem to have been caused over a period ranging from one week to…
Cauvery row: MDMK leader Vaiko’s nephew Saravana Suresh sets himself on fire
MDMK leader Vaiko A police officer told The Indian Express that the incident reportedly took place at around 7 AM when Suresh doused himself with kerosene and set himself on fire on an open ground near his house. Around 7 am, he was found to have doused himself with kerosene and set himself on fire on an open ground near his house. He was reportedly raising slogans demanding the formation of the Cauvery management board, the officer said, while adding that he had suffered 80 per cent burns and was taken to the Virudhunagar government hospital before being shifted to a private hospital in Madurai. Meanwhile, Vaiko broke down while addressing the media at the Madurai hospital and appealed people not to commit suicide. Suresh is the son of Vaikos wife Renuka Devi He is fighting for his life now, he said. Suresh did not hold any official post in the party but Vaiko said that he was actively involved in work for several years now. Suresh had recently participated in Vaiko People have been protesting since April 9 when the Supreme Court pulled up the Centre for not sticking to the March 29 deadline on framing a scheme to…
‘Lalu ji dying in jail, Nitish Kumar conspiring to kill family’: Rabri Devi cries foul as government withdraws security
Upping the ante against Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, former CM Rabri Devi has alleged that the present government is conspiring to get her and her family killed. Rabri Devis statement came after security was withdrawn from her house in Patna. The Bihar government withdrew the 32 Military Police jawans stationed outside Lalu Yadav and Rabri Devis residence. Rabri Devi said while Nitish Kumar, Sushil Modi and Bihar government is conspiring against them, her husband Lalu is dying in jail. Its conspiracy by Nitish Kumar, Sushil Modi govt. Lalu Ji is in jail dying every day, dont know if hes dying due to disease or being killed using medicines. His sugar level is rising. How do I trust govt? If govt asks us to vacate our house were ready to do it (sic), said Rabri Devi. The former Bihar CM said that the security was revoked at 9 in the night. See what the govt is doing? It is a conspiracy to get me my family killed, Rabri Devi added. With the security at her house withdrawn, Rabri Devi has now written to Nitish Kumar saying that if any untoward incident takes place with her and her family, it is…
Salman Khan, Saif Ali Khan, others reach Jodhpur to hear verdict in black buck case
Bollywood star Salman Khan and other actors arrived today in Jodhpur where a court is scheduled to pronounce its verdict in a 1998 poaching case in which he is accused of killing two black bucks. Final arguments of the case were completed in the trial court on March 28, after which Chief Judicial Magistrate Dev Kumar Khatri had reserved the judgment for tomorrow. All actors, including Salman Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, Sonali Bendre and Neelam, will be present in the court for the pronouncement of the verdict. Salman Khan, 52, arrived from Mumbai in a chartered flight. He was earlier in Abu Dhabi for the shooting for Race 3. Bendre, Later, a video went viral in which Saif, after arriving here, can be heard using rough language and asking his driver to roll up the cars window-panes and reverse as a crowd gathers around his vehicle. Salman Khan was accused of killing two black bucks in Bhagoda ki Dhani in Kankani village near Jodhpur on the intervening night of October 1-2, 1998, during the shooting of He is facing charges under Section 51 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act and the other actors have been charged under Section 51 read…
Another Delhi shocker! Merchant navy officer arrested for stalking Delhi University girl
Delhi Police has arrested a merchant navy officer on charges of allegedly stalking and harassing a student of the Delhi University. The accused was arrested on Friday evening and a local court on Saturday sent him to three-day judicial custody to Tihar Jail. The man has been identified as Suraj Dey (25), a senior officer, working with a Hong Kong-based merchant navy company, according to media reports. He is said to be a resident of capitals Amar Colony. DCP (southeast) Chinmoy Biswal said Dey was taken into custody after receiving a complaint against him. Police said an investigation is underway and police will take further action against the accused after receiving any other complaint. Police said Dey had met the complainant first at a park months ago. He introduced himself as a merchant navy officer. The man asked her to allow him to make an urgent call from her mobile phone as his phone battery was dead. It was only when he managed to exchange mobile numbers with the girl. He also told her that he was looking for a PG accommodation for his friend. During the preliminary investigation, it was revealed that after some weeks he started sending messages…
Mecca Masjid blast verdict: Judge resigns, Kapil Sibal takes satirical jibe at NIA; top highlights
Mecca Masjid blast verdict: Former Union Minister and senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal has come down heavily on the National Investigation Agency (NIA) after all the accused in the Mecca Masjid blast case were acquitted by a special anti-terror court yesterday. Hindutva preacher Swami Aseemanand was among the five accused. In a tongue-in-cheek jibe at the NIA, Sibal said, Mecca Masjid bomb blast. 9 killed 58 injured. NIA must be honoured for proving there was no killer!. Task well done ! Desh badal chuka hai ! he posted on Twitter. The Congress leaders jibe comes after some victims and relatives of those killed in the Mecca Masjid bomb blast claimed they have not got justice and urged the Telangana government to move the High Court against the special NIA court verdict. Adding to the controversy barely hours after the much-debated verdict, special NIA court judge of Hyderabad K Ravinder Reddy, who pronounced the judgement, resigned citing personal reasons. He however made it clear that his resignation had nothing to do with the Mecca Masjid blast judgement. In fact, he said, he was considering resignation for quite some time, a senior judicial official said, according to reports. The exoneration of all…
Encounter in Uttar Pradesh: Death number hits 50; Yogi Adityanath’s Police on a mission
Uttar Pradesh Police has successfully carried out its 50th encounter killing during Chief Minister Yogi Adityanaths tenure so far. The latest one took place on Thursday when a criminal, who was carrying a reward of Rs 50,000 on his arrest, was shot at by the state police during an encounter in Muzaffarnagar yesterday. The accused later succumbed to bullet injuries, according to The Indian Express report. The deceased was identified as Rehan. According to the report, he was member of the Mukeem Kala gang and wanted in several cases. Police said that 15 cases, including murder and attempt to murder, were registered against Rehan. Rehan and his associate were riding on a motorcycle when the encounter took place. According to police, both of them were going to attack 45-year-old woman and her 11-year-old daughter whom Rehan believed to be the witness in a case against an associate. The women and daughter were severely injured but were saved by timely medical intervention. Since then, we had been looking for Rehan, The SSP said that a police team intercepted Rehan and his associate on the Charthawal-Peena road upon receiving a tip off that the woman might be attacked. We took him to…
Situation on LoC, working boundary with India rapidly deteriorating: Pakistan foreign minister
Pakistan Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif today said that the situation on the Line of Control and Working Boundary with India has been rapidly deteriorating since 2017. Responding to a query in the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, he alleged India has committed more than 400 ceasefire violations along the LoC and the Working Boundary since January in which 18 civilians have been killed. Heavy weapons, including mortars are frequently being used by the Indian forces on the civilian population on the Pakistani side of the LoC and the Working Boundary, he said. Asif said the LoC violations were an attempt to divert the attention from the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Valley. He said that the role of the UN Military Observers Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) was crucial to ensure peace at the LoC. The minister alleged that Pakistan always extended full cooperation to the UNMOGIP but India was not cooperating with the world body representatives. India maintains that the UNMOGIP has outlived its utility and is irrelevant after the Simla Agreement and the consequent establishment of the Line of Control (LoC).
Ratattack! 3.19 lakh rats killed in a week inside Maharashtra secretariat? Eknath Khadse has a problem
Bizarre is the word to describe the claims made by a private pest control company handed the contract for pest control in the state secretariat. As per the companys claims, it has managed to kill a staggering 3,19,400 rats in a matter of seven days. According to a report in The Indian Express, the contract to carry out the pest control in the state secretariat was given by General Administration Department (GAD) of the government of Maharashtra under Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to a private player. Sharing this piece of information in the Vidhan Sabha on Thursday, former minister and BJP leader Eknath Khadse questioned the private player by stating: He then asked the government to conduct a probe in the matter. Khadse then presented statistics from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to establish the anomaly. He said that the BMC has killed six lakh rats in two years and that too in entire Mumbai. The GAD issued the work order to the company based on a survey which allegedly said there were 3,19,400 rats in Mantralaya and the company was given six months to get rid of them all. Khadse then went deep into the statistics and calculated that…
CM Chandrababu Naidu calls on electric vehicle manufacturers to make Andhra Pradesh pollution free
In an endeavour to make Andhra Pradesh pollution free, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu on Friday called on companies producing electric vehicles to set up a base in the state. Speaking at the Hero Motor Corp. foundation stone laying ceremony, Naidu said Andhra Pradesh is number one state in terms of skill development and that all the best companies in the world are working with the state government. Electrical automobile market should be produced here. This is the cluster we are thinking and the hub we want to create. My government aims to make Andhra Pradesh totally pollution free, he said. Andhra Pradesh is number one in skill development. All the best companies in the world are working with us, he added. The Chief Minister further said that Andhra Pradesh is doing well in the agriculture sector and that his government now is planning to shift focus on industrialisation and development of service sector to generate employment and improve the economy. In the past four years, Andhra Pradesh, which is an agriculture-based economy, has registered double digit growth of 10.5 perecnt. Owing to this, we have focused on industrialisation and development of service sector to generate employment and improve the economy,…
Anna Hazare targets Modi government, starts indefinite hunger strike for Lokpal at Ramlila Maidan
Social activist Anna Hazare today started an indefinite hunger strike to press for his demand to appoint a Lokpal at the Centre, nearly seven years after his anti-corruption movement caught the imagination of millions of Indians and shook the then UPA government. He sat on hunger strike at the iconic Ramlila Maidan, the same venue of his protest in 2011. However, this time, his target is expected to be the Narendra Modi-led government. Hazare has been pressing for setting up of the Lokpal at the Centre and Lokayuktas in the states, besides implementation of the Swaminathan Commission report, which has suggested ways to address the agrarian distress. Yesterday, he took a round of the Ramlila Maidan, where the organisers claimed that thousands of people will attend the protest. The Delhi Traffic Police has issued an advisory warning commuters to avoid taking routes towards Aruna Asaf Ali Road, Delhi Gate, Darya Ganj, New Delhi Railway Station, Ajmeri Gate, Paharganj, ITO, Rajghat, Minto Road, Vivekanand Marg, and JLN Marg.
Suresh Prabhu speaks to Goa CM Manohar Parrikar; says he is responding well to treatment in US
Union Minister Suresh Prabhu said today ailing Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar is responding well to medical treatment in the USA and expressed the hope he will return home soon. Parrikar (62) is suffering from a pancreatic ailment and is undergoing treatment at a hospital in the USA, where he was admitted in the first week of March. Spoke to @manoharparrikar who is responding well to treatment in the US Hospital. Wished him speedy recovery, early return home to lead Goa, the commerce and industry minister tweeted. The chief minister took ill on February 14 following which he was admitted to Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai. He was discharged from the Mumbai hospital on February 22. The same day, Parrikar, who also holds the finance portfolio, returned to Goa and presented budget in the Assembly. After spending a couple of days at home, Parrikar was admitted to the Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) near here after he complained of dehydration. The CM stayed at the GMCH for four days and was again admitted to Lilavati Hospital on March 5, from where he was taken to the US. A three-member Cabinet Advisory Committee (CAC) has been constituted to handle the day-to-day…
Idea Exchange: Modi govt is among the most committed towards sports, says Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore
RAJYAVARDHAN SINGH RATHORE: Sports, as I see it and as the government sees it, is essential to education. It is no longer just a co-curricular activity. It is central to being a citizen of the country. For us sports is vital, the fans are vital, and the athletes and coaches are vital. The bureaucracy, the sports federations, the administration, they are all taking a backseat now to serve these goals and people. My priority is to ensure that the base of the sports pyramid in the country is wide and strong. To this effect, we have launched We also have the We have taken away the red tape, the bureaucracy and increased interaction with athletes. Under the programme, we take care of the athletes We give them an allowance of `50,000 per month. We started it in September 2017 and it will continue right up to the Olympics (2020). In terms of infrastructure, it is not the big mammoth stadiums that we are interested in. We will invest in practical solutions at smaller levels. This will involve going beyond government institutions and partnering with private organisations. For the first time, we have a Prime Minister who is completely involved in…
Big lesson for Delhi: How cities like Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai didn’t feature in WHO air pollution report
No south Indian city figured in the just- released global air pollution report of the World Health Organisation (WHO). The WHO report said 14 of worlds 15 most polluted cities were in India which includes Delhi, Kanpur and Varanasi. Asked what helped in tackling pollution, a pollution control official in Tamil Nadu said efforts aimed at improvisation were prioritised always and such measures bore fruit. An action plan is being readied now to tackle air pollution better, he said. Measures being planned to tackle air pollution better include putting in place advanced gadgets in industrial premises to enable real time monitoring, he told PTI. Such monitoring will help more in checking emissions which lead to air pollution. To a question on some real time air pollution (PM 2.5) data for Chennai pointing to pollution comparable to cities like Varanasi (PM 2.5\/ 151\/WHO data), he said it was dynamic, and keeps changing all the time. Such so-called high pollution levels, were confined only to some individual pockets reflecting isolated factors and does not reflect the true scenario in the entire city, he said. Tackling pollution is a continuous process involving multiple government agencies and the people too, he said. Municipal bodies,…
National executive of Indian Youth Congress to meet in Delhi on Monday
The national executive of Indian Youth Congress (IYC) will meet here tomorrow with a focus on enhanced political participation and empowerment of the women in the country. The meet, themed Why not her, will be held at the Vishwa Yuwak Kendra in Chanakyapuri from 10 am, said IYC spokesperson Amreesh Ranjan Pandey. There would be an emphasis on the need for women empowerment by increasing women representation\/participation in politics, Pandey said. Several Congress leaders will address the meeting which will have a significant participation of women delegates from across the country, he said. Congress president Rahul Gandhi has also been invited in the meet, Pandey said. The agenda of the meeting will include topics such as the current situation of the country and governance with a special emphasis on rising unemployment, failing businesses, inflation, attack and atrocities on Dalits, Adivasis and backwards. The meeting will be chaired by IYV president Amarinder Singh Raja and Krishna Allavaru, AICC joint secretary.
Rare alliance! BJP, Congress come together to rule district council in Mizoram
The BJP is all set to rule the Chakma Autonomous District Council (CADC) in Mizoram with the support of six Congress members after the election threw a fractured mandate, a top state BJP leader said. The CADC is an autonomous council for ethnic Chakma people living in South-Western Mizoram bordering Bangladesh and Myanmar. Joining of hands by traditional rivals, the BJP and the Congress, is an interesting political event. The BJP leader said the saffron party, with five members in the CADC, would head the district council formed under the sixth schedule of the Constitution in 1972. State Sports Minister and Congress leader Zodintluanga had said on April 25 that a post-poll alliance was forged after local leaders of both the parties reached an agreement, and this would not have any bearing in Delhi or in the coming election to the assembly in the north eastern state. BJP sources had, at that time, said the party may take action against its elected CADC members for forging the alliance with the Congress. Later, the party leadership agreed to the tie-up after the six Congress members decided to join the coalition, the United Legislature party (ULP), as individual members leaving their party…
SC prohibits further constructions in unauthorised colonies in Delhi
The Supreme Court today prohibited any further construction not in confirmity with the building bye laws in 1,797 unauthorised colonies in Delhi and questioned the authorities intent in regularising such colonies having illegal constructions. The apex court, while observing that there cannot be any area in Delhi where there was no rule of law, directed the Centre to immedietly set up a special task force (STF) to oversee enforcement of laws regarding unauthorised constructions, and asked it to remove encroachments from public roads, public streets and the areas meant for pedestrians. A bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta, while refusing to vacate the stay at this stage on the proposed amendments in the Delhi Master Plan-2021, also sought details and figures on the status of groundwater level in the national capital since 2000 onwards. We direct that there should not be any further construction in any unauthorised colonies and public land., the bench said. Senior advocate Ranjit Kumar, assisting the court as an amicus curiae, said the building bye laws do not apply to constructions in unauthorised constructions, which has led to haphazard constructions in Delhi and nothing has been done despite apex courts 2007 judgement on…
Srinivas Kuchibhotla murder: US man pleads guilty to charges of killing Indian techie at Kansas bar, faces 50 years in jail
A man charged with fatally shooting an Indian techie Srinivas Kuchibhotla last year at a suburban Kansas City bar pleaded guilty Tuesday to murder in the slaying that fanned fears of anti-immigrant violence following President Donald Trumps election. Witnesses said Adam Purinton, who is white, yelled Get out of my country! before firing at two men who had stopped for an after-work drink at Austins Bar and Grill in Olathe, Kansas. Srinivas Kuchibhotla was killed in the Feb. 22, 2017, attack. His friend Alok Madasani was wounded. The men, both 32, had come from India to the U.S. as students and worked as engineers at nearby GPS-maker Garmin. Another man, Ian Grillot, was wounded when he tried to intervene. Purinton faces life in prison with no chance of parole for 50 years when he is sentenced May 4 for premeditated first-degree murder. At the time of the shooting, officials in India expressed concern about their citizens safety in the United States. Kuchibhotlas widow, who was not present at the hearing, issued a statement saying she hoped the guilty plea would send a strong message that hate is never acceptable. We must understand and love one another, Sunayana Dumala said. According…
Pakistan shells villages and posts in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch
Pakistani troops heavy shelled forward posts and villages along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir overnight, police said today. The shelling from across the border in Balakote sector started late last night and continued for over two hours, a police official told PTI. Indian troops effectively retaliated.
Anantnag encounter: Restrictions imposed in parts of Srinagar
Authorities imposed restrictions in parts of Srinagar on Monday to maintain law and order in the wake of the killing of three militants earlier in the day, police said. The militants including one from Srinagar were killed in a gunfight with the security forces in Anantnag district. Apprehending protests, the authorities imposed restrictions in areas under the jurisdictions of Soura and four other police station areas, the police said. All schools and colleges will also remain shut. Exams scheduled for Monday by the Kashmir University were postponed. The militants were identified as Eesa Fazli of Srinagar, Syed Owais and Sabzar Ahmad Sofi, both from Anantnag district. Before joining the militant ranks, Fazli was pursuing a B.Tech course in Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University in Rajouri district.
Kupwara gunbattle: All 5 terrorists killed were foreigners; search on for missing jawan, say cops
All the five suspected Lashker-e-Toiba terrorists killed in the 48-hour long Kupwara encounter in north Kashmir were foreigners, the police said today even as the security forces launched a search operation in a dense forest area to locate a missing Army jawan. Apart from the five terrorists, the fierce gun-battle which ended yesterday also claimed the lives of three Army jawans and two policemen. An Army official said a search operation was on as the security forces were looking for an Army jawan reported missing since yesterday. According to police, the encounter broke out in the Halmatpora area, at least 8 kms from the Line of Control (LoC), after a police party intercepted a group of militants. A joint team of the Kupwara police along with companies of the Army, the Territorial Army (TA) and the CRPF were engaged in the operation which began Tuesday morning. According to sources, the group of militants sneaked in nearly 8 kms across the Line of Control (LoC) after crossing two ridges of the Shamsabari mountain range. The militants had met their reception party (overground workers and militants already present in the Valley) after crossing the LoC and were proceeding towards Kupwara town when…
Good news for Delhi residents! Now get hourly compensation of Rs 100 for unscheduled power cuts
In a delightful news, Delhiites will now get hourly compensation of Rs 100 in case of unscheduled power cuts with the same being adjusted in their monthly bills, Power Minister Satyendar Jain said today. Lt Governor Anil Baijal had yesterday approved the initiative by the Delhi government. There is real-time data of outages and if an unscheduled power cut affects more than 50 consumers in an area, they need not complain. The compensation will be adjusted in their monthly bills, the minister told reporters here. The real-time data of outages is maintained by power discoms and the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC). The policy has been made to ensure accountability of discoms to consumers, Jain said. The proposal has now been sent to the DERC and it will be notified soon, he said. As per the policy, the discoms will not have to pay compensation if outage lasts for one hour. For next one hour, they will pay the same at the rate of Rs 50 per consumer. They will have to pay Rs 100 for each hour following first two hours of power cut. Delhi has nearly 50 lakh domestic and 10 lakh commercial power connections, the minister said….
On ISA sidelines, PM Narendra Modi holds talks with African leaders
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today held bilateral talks with the leaders of five African countries and discussed ways to deepen cooperation with them. With Ghanian President Nana Akufo-Addo, Modi discussed ways to step up cooperation in the areas of climate change, renewable energy, developmental cooperation, agriculture and capacity building, Raveesh Kumar, Spokesperson, Ministry of External Affairs, said in a tweet. Modi and Teodoro Mbasogo, the President of Equatorial Guinea, exchanged views on cooperation in trade and investment, renewable energy, developmental assistance and international forums while with the Niger President Issoufou Mahamadou, the prime minister discussed ways to enhance ties in the areas of climate change, capacity building and developmental cooperation. The leaders are here to attend the Founding Conference of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) tomorrow. Modi also met his Chadian counterpart Pahimi Padacke and held talks on developmental cooperation, oil and gas, renewable energy, counterterrorism, and cooperation at international forums. A meeting also took place between Modi and and Daniel Kablan Duncan, the Vice President of C Last few years have witnessed India making efforts to enhance its ties with countries in the African continent, which has been witnessing increasing economic influence of China. In 2015, New Delhi held…
Dawood Ibrahim keen to return to India, government spurns ‘preconditions’
Well-known criminal lawyer Shyam Keswani on Tuesday said fugitive mafia don Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar is reportedly keen to return to India but with certain preconditions which are not acceptable to the Indian government. Speaking to the media outside the Thane Court, where he represented Iqbal Ibrahim Kaskar (the absconder dons brother) in an extortion case, the lawyer said among the conditions Dawood has stipulated are that he should be lodged only in the high-secure precincts of Arthur Road Central Jail (ARCJ) in Mumbai. He had also conveyed his intentions through (former union minister and eminent lawyer) Ram Jethmalani a few years ago but the Indian government has not entertained any of his preconditions to return, Keswani said. The ARCJ is the same prison where the Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab was lodged for nearly four years till his hanging for his role in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack. Keswanis statement on Dawoods desire to return came more than six months after Maharashtra Navnirman Sena President Raj Thackeray made a similar revelation in Mumbai. In his explosive remarks, Thackeray had claimed that not only was Dawood keen to come back but he was reportedly negotiating a settlement with the Modi government. The…