LIVE! 1 held with fake Rs 2000 notes, over Rs 4 lakh seized in raid

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Mon, 21 November 2016

1 held with fake Rs 2000 notes, over Rs 4 lakh seized in raid

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23:48 Kolkata has stinkiest loos, followed by Delhi, reveals survey

Sanitation has become a big priority for travellers in India and Kolkata as a travel destination is a big no-no for many.

According to a study by HolidayIQ, 43 per cent of about 10,000 travellers surveyed say that Kolkata has the most foul-smelling toilets, followed by Delhi (32 per cent), Chennai (29 per cent), Mumbai (29 per cent), Hyderabad (20 per cent), Pune (18 per cent) and Bangalore (14 per cent).

The survey revealed that 22 per cent travellers rate pay-and-use toilets as most unclean.

Some places that have been named as lacking cleanliness include the Golden Temple in Amritsar, Nandi Hills and Mysore Palace (Karnataka), Golkonda Fort (Hyderabad), Humayun's Tomb, Red Fort and Qutab Minar (Delhi), Taj Mahal (Agra), Ajanta and Ellora caves (Maharashtra), Princep Ghat (Kolkata) and Bada Imambara (Lucknow).

23:15 Modi condemns terror attack on Kabul mosque

Prime Minister Narendra Modi tonight condemned the terror attack on a Shiite mosque in Kabul and asserted that "all sanctuaries, safe havens and support to such terrorists must end" for regional peace.

He said that "India stands with Afghanistan" in its fight against terrorism.

"For regional peace and security, all sanctuaries, safe havens and support to such terrorists must end.

"We strongly condemn the heinous terrorist attack today on a Shia shrine in Kabul & condole loss of innocent lives," the Prime Minister said on Twitter.

A suicide bomber struck a Shiite mosque in the Afghan capital today, killing 32 people, the UN office said, the second large-scale attack targeting minority Shiites in Kabul in just over a month.

In two separate incidents, Odisha Police arrested a youth on charge of circulating fake Rs 2,000 notes and recovered Rs 4.8 lakh stocked in the newly-introduced denomination post the Centre's demonetisation move.

Madhusudan Meher of Jharsuguda was arrested while he was trying to use the fake currency at petrol pump in Sunarimunda, a senior police officer said.

The petrol outlet staff handed him over to the cops.

"The note is a colour photocopy of an original Rs 2,000 currency. A case has been registered at the Jharsuguda police station and investigation is underway," Sub-divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of Jharsuguda, Bijay Nanda said.

Meanwhile in Bolangir district, police seized over Rs 12 lakh from the house of a recruitment agent of migrant labourers, popularly known as 'dadan sardar' on charge of stashing huge amount of cash.

The police raided the house of Khirasagar Bag, a dadan sardar at Tingra village under Saintala police station limits last night and seized Rs 12,75,900, Bolangir SP Asish Singh said.

Pakistan today summoned Indian Deputy High Commissioner J P Singh and lodged a protest over alleged ceasefire violations by India at the LoC that resulted in the death of four civillians, and also over New Delhi's refusal of diplomatic flight clearance to Pakistani aircraft.

Singh conveyed "strong condemnation of the unprovoked ceasefire violations by Indian occupation forces on the LoC in Khuiratta sector on November 19," the Foreign Office said.

The violations resulted in the death of four children, including three girls, and injuries to two other civilians, it said.

"The Deputy High Commissioner was told that the deliberate targeting of civilian populated areas was highly deplorable," it said.

India was urged to respect the 2003 ceasefire understanding in letter and spirit; to investigate the continued incidents of ceasefire violations; stop targeting the villages and civilians and maintain peace along the LoC, according to a statement by the Foreign Office.

Pakistan also expressed concern over Indian refusal of diplomatic flight clearance to Pakistani aircraft.

22:13 NIA unlikely to probe jailbreak in Bhopal

The National Investigation Agency is unlikely to probe the controversial jailbreak in Bhopal by eight SIMI activists saying too many investigations have been ordered into the incident.

The NIA is believed to have conveyed to the home ministry that the Madhya Pradesh government has already ordered several inquires into the incident, which generated controversy after all eight escapees were killed by police within hours of the jailbreak.

There is no need to involve the NIA in the matter and the NIA conveyed this to the home ministry, official sources said.

Soon after the November 1 incident, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Home Minister Bhoopendra Singh Thakur had announced that the NIA will be roped into to probe the jailbreak case, but the separate case of encounter will be judicially inquired into along with a state police criminal probe.

The hands of the MP government were tied as the state police had invoked sections of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act while filing an FIR in connection with the incident.

A day after he claimed that wheels of the Indore-Patna Express had made some strange sound long before it derailed in Kanpur Rural district of Uttar Pradesh, Prakash Sharma, who had travelled between Indore and Ujjain, was asked to depose before competent authority.

"A railway officer from Kanpur rang me up and asked me to be ready to depose before the competent officer regarding my statement that wheels of Indore-Patna Express made some strange sounds on November 19," Sharma (35), a resident of Kherkheda village in MP's Mandsaur district said.

Sharma said he was ready to cooperate and record his statement in any probe "though I have not been informed when and where I am supposed to depose."

He said four officers of Ratlam Railway Division under Western Railway came to his place today and connected him to a higher official, whom he apprised about his claim in detail.

"On November 19, I boarded (sleeper coach) S-2 of Indore-Patna Express around 2 pm at Indore and after an hour I alighted at Ujjain. I informed an officer in railway uniform in my coach about the strange sound of the wheels. But he didn't take it seriously," he had told reporters yesterday.

Sharma had said that he didn't know the name of that official.

In the worst rail accident in recent years, 146 passengers were killed and more than 200 injured, when 14 coaches of the Patna-bound train derailed near Kanpur rural district early on Sunday due to suspected rail fracture.

The withdrawal of Indias Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes has led to Indian currency being illegally exchanged at a premium in towns and markets in the border areas of Nepal.

Nepalese citizens, who have been facing problems in exchanging the withdrawn notes held by them, are now grappling with the problem. A report from Bhairawa, a city close to Indias Uttar Pradesh state, said the activity was rampant and Indian nationals were allegedly involved in it.

The illegal exchange of Indian currency is becoming rampant in border districts such as Parsa, Banke, Nawalparasi, Kanchanpur and Rupandehi, according to reports.

Since Indian currency is widely accepted in Nepal, the country has been hit hard by the Indian governments demonetisation drive. Among the worst affected areas are the southern plains bordering India.

The Reserve Bank of India has relaxed rules for classifying bad loans for small borrowers, saying they may need more time to repay their loan dues after the government withdrew Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes.

Banks and other financiers will get an additional 60 days for recognising housing, car, farm and other loans up to one crore as substandard, the RBI said in a notification.

The relaxation will apply to dues payable between November 1 and December 31, it said.

The government's sudden decision earlier this month to pull high value banknotes took out 86 per cent of the money out of circulation and in the cash crunch that has followed, the ability of many borrowers to pay EMIs has been affected.

With withdrawals being restricted per account, many loan borrowers have been unable to get dues on time from creditors, limiting their options to repay their loan dues.

Also, normal banking activities, including clearing of cheques, have been severely hampered after the government's announcement, with bankers having to first serve people who have been queuing up for a one-time exchange of old notes for new ones at bank counters.

"It is a welcome move by the RBI as many customers have expressed their inability to repay dues in time because of the ongoing demonetisation drive," said Harshil Mehta, CEO of housing finance company DHFL.

The last thing Uttam Kumar remembers is a huge bang as his carriage was violently crushed. When he came to, he was trapped upside down in the wreckage of the Indore-Patna Express that derailed on Sunday, killing more than 140 people.

Fighting back tears, the 26-year-old business student recalled how he waited over three hours to be cut out of the mangled train carriage, which was crushed under another by the violence of the crash.

When rescuers finally put him in an ambulance, there were only dead bodies for company.

"They cut the part of the carriage where I was stuck and pulled me out. Then I remember being moved to the ambulance, which was parked next to the site. I was the only one alive among all the dead bodies," he said.

An estimated 2,000 people were on board the intercity express train when it came off the tracks around 3 am on Sunday, violently jolting passengers out of their sleep.

So far, 143 bodies have been pulled from the mangled wreckage, a painstaking process involving metal cutters, heavy lifting equipment and sniffer dogs.

Rescue workers say many of the bodies are so badly damaged they are unrecognisable, and expect the toll to rise further as the worst affected carriages are cleared.

Kumar's family managed to track him down quickly thanks to the help of local residents, who heard his screams for help from the wreckage and took down his home telephone number so they could contact his relatives.

Upping the ante against demonetisation, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today exhorted people to "change" the prime minister instead of defunct notes, saying those supporting the exercise were against the country, even as AAP announced a march to Parliament tomorrow.

Countering his Mahasrastra counterpart Devendra Fadnavis' contention that opposing the decision was "anti-national", Kejriwal said it was those who were in support of the drive that were against the country and the citizens.

Kejriwal also continued to target Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the issue, asking the latter to come clear on his "relations" with a mobile wallet company, claiming its business has seen an "upswing" since demonetisation.

"Note nahi, PM Badlo (Change PM, not note)...Fadnavis ji, fire is raging across the country following the decision of the Prime Minister. The person who is standing with the PM on this would be against the country and the citizens," the chief minister, who is touring poll-bound Punjab, tweeted.

In another tweet, he urged Modi to either "waive off" farmers' loans or deposit Rs 10,000 in each Jan Dhan account using the money deposited by people in banks since November 10, the day banking opened post demonetisation.

In view of the cash crunch being faced by borrowers after demonetisation, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Monday provided an additional 60 days for repayment of housing, car, farm and other loans worth up to Rs 1 crore.

This is applicable to loans payable between November 1 and December 31, the RBI said in a notification. ... it has been decided to provide an additional 60 days beyond what is applicable for the concerned regulated entity for recognition of a loan account as substandard, it said.

The above relaxation is available to entities running working capital accounts with any bank with the sanctioned limit of Rs 1 crore or less. Term loans, whether business or personal, secured or otherwise, the original sanctioned amount of Rs 1 crore or less, on the books of any bank or any NBFC, including NBFC (MFI) would also get benefit of this relaxation. This will also include housing loans and agriculture loans, it said.

RBI further said that all regulated financial institutions should note that this is a short-term deferment of classification as substandard due to delay in payment of dues arising during the period specified above and does not result in restructuring of the loans.

19:34

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley asks banks to make available funds to farmers for rabi season through cooperative banks.

19:08 CBI obtains non-bailable warrant against Mallya, to seek his extradition

The Central Bureau of Investigation on Monday initiated an extradition request to bring back former liquor baron Vijay Mallya from the United Kingdom through a Special Court in Mumbai.

The investigative agency secured a non-bailable warrant against Mallya, following it with an extradition request from the Special Court, to competent authorities in the United Kingdom, CBI sources said in New Delhi on Monday.

Mallya had left the country on March 2 and has not returned ever since, they said.

Keralas renowned hill shrine, Sabarimala temple will now be known as Sabarimala Sree Ayyappaswamy temple.

In a major decision, the Travancore Devaswom Board, which governs the holy shrine, has issued an order changing the name of the temple to Sabarimala Sree Ayyappaswamy Temple.

In official records, the temple, dedicated to Lord Ayyappa and situated in a dense forest in Pathanamthitta district, is known as Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha Temple.

Pope Francis, making permanent a temporary measure put in place for the Vatican's jubilee year, declared today that all priests would have the right to forgive abortion.

'I henceforth grant to all priests, in virtue of their ministry, the faculty to absolve those who have committed the sin of procured abortion,' the pope wrote in an apostolic letter marking the end of the 'Year of Mercy', which wound up yesterday, AFP reported.

'The provision I had made in this regard, limited to the duration of the Extraordinary Holy Year, is hereby extended, notwithstanding anything to the contrary,' he wrote.

The 79-year old Argentine said he had to 'restate as firmly as I can that abortion is a grave sin, since it puts an end to an innocent life'.

Yesterday, as he brought the jubilee to an end by closing the bronze-panelled Holy Door in Saint Peter's Square, Francis gave an interview in which he slammed abortion as "a horrendous crime".

But he said today that the end of the special year did not mean the end of mercy itself, and so-called sinners must be given a chance to repent. The Church considers abortion to be a sin.

'May every priest, therefore, be a guide, support and comfort to penitents on this journey of special reconciliation,' the pope wrote.

The family of a deceased senior citizen, who allegedly died due to standing in a queue for replacing old currency notes after the demonetisation move, has moved the Supreme Court seeking a compensation of Rs 50 lakh from the Centre.

70-year-old Siya Ram, a daily wager by profession, died on November 17 due to brain haemorrhage.Ram's son Kanhaiya Lal has filed petition in the top court stating that he was standing in queue from three days to exchange his currency.

The petition also claims that 40 ATMs in the city of five lakh residents are not even dispensing cash regularly.-- ANI

A special court today charged five suspected ISIS operatives with conspiracy to carry out terror acts in the national capital and adjoining regions during Ardh Kumbh in Haridwar.

According to the court sources, district judge Amar Nath framed the charges under the sections of IPC and anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) against the accused.

The charges were framed against Akhlakur Rehman, Mohd Azeemushan, Mohd Meraj, Mohd Osama and Mohsin Ibrahim Sayyed for alleged offences committed under Section 120B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC and under Sections 17 (punishment for raising funds for terrorist act), 18 (conspiracy for terror act) and 20 (punishment for being member of terror group) of UAPA.

The accused are at present in judicial custody.

The court has now fixed December 15 for the next date of hearing.

The case was filed by the special cell of Delhi Police on January 18, 2016. On the directions of ministry of home affairs, the case was later transferred to NIA.

With the exit of Arnab Goswami from Times Now, the Congress party and Aam Aadmi Party have lifted their 'boycott' of Times Now, and have started appearing in prime time debates and giving bytes to the TV network.

For the past one year the Congress party had boycotted Arnab's show because of his rude manner and for cricising Rahul Gandhi for everything, AICC spokesperson Randeep Surjewala even informally confirming the boycott of Times now.

16:52 Sack BCCI office-bearers: Lodha panel to SC

India Today reports:

In an application submitted to the Supreme Court, the R M Lodha panel has recommended removal of all Board of Control for Cricket in India officials and has sought the appointment of ex-home secretary G K Pillai as its observer,

The Lodha Panel, in the application, has asked the apex court to disqualify BCCI office-bearers.

On October 17, the SC had reserved its order after the BCCI sought more time to implement the Justice Lodha committee reforms.

16:41 Suspected militants rob bank, decamp with cash

Suspected militants on Monday robbed a bank in Chrar-e-Sharief area of central Kashmirs Budgam district, decamping with nearly Rs 13 lakh cash, police said.

The gunmen barged into the Jammu and Kashmir Bank branch at Malpora in Chrar-e-Sharief and took away cash from the counters at gunpoint, a police official said.

He said while exact amount of the money taken by the gunmen was being ascertained, the bank officials believe the amount to be around Rs 13 lakh.

Police have taken cognisance of the incident and started investigations, the official said, adding further details were awaited.

NDTV reports: Five days after the extravagant wedding of Karnataka politician and mining tycoon Gali Janardhan Reddy's daughter in Bengaluru, the Income Tax department surveyed vendors involved in it.

The tax department is carrying out surveys in Bengaluru and Hyderabad.

Last Wednesday, around 50,000 guests attended the wedding, which has been widely criticized as outrageous at a time a currency ban has left millions facing a cash crunch.

Brazilian dancers, helium balloons with the Reddys' images and mini-villages featured in the multi-crore wedding that began with invitations with LCD screens.

16:14

ANI reports: Rs 12 lakh looted by four men from a bank branch in Budgam in Jammu and Kashmir

16:14

PTI reports: Non-bailable warrant issued against businessman Vijay Mallya by a special court in Mumbai

15:39

Sensex tanks 385.10 pts to end at 25,765.14; Nifty falls 145 pts to 7,929.10.

15:39

Rashtriya Lok Dal, Janata Dal-United form an alliance to contest the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls.

15:05 Suicide blast at Kabul mosque kills 27

At least 27 have been killed and 35 wounded after a strong blast hit a Shiite mosque in Kabul today as worshipers gathered there for a religious ceremony, officials said, with casualties feared.

"A blast was reported at around 1230 (local time) in police district 6 of Kabul, we are still gathering the details," interior ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said.

Officials said the attack took place at the Baqir Olum mosque in the western part of the city.

At least 15 wounded were taken to hospitals, the health ministry said.

The Delhi high court today agreed to hear a plea against demonetisation, saying once the currency was invalidated then how could the government direct certain public utilities including hospitals and petrol pumps to accept old notes.

A bench of Justices B D Ahmed and Jayant Nath listed for hearing tomorrow the plea which also sought discontinuation of the new Rs 2,000 currency note, terming the move as "unconstitutional and bad in law".

Petitioner Pooja Mahajan, running a designer showroom, mentioned the matter pleading urgency on the ground that she is being deprived of earning her livelihood and her fundamental rights are being infringed.

She also blamed the government for taking a dual stand saying on one hand it was encouraging people to deposit old notes in bank accounts and on the other hand threatening them of prosecution for depositing over Rs 2.50 lakh.

Advocates, A Maitri and Radhika Chandrashekhar, counsel for the petitioner, urged the court to quash various notifications with regard to demonetisation issued on and after November 8, saying they are in contravention of the Constitution of India and Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Act.

14:56

ANI reports: Income Tax raid at Janardhan Reddy's Obulapuram mining company in Bellary, Karnataka

14:29 Banks disbursed Rs 1.03 lakh crore cash since note ban: RBI

RBI lays out numbers since the implementation of the ban on 500 and 1000 rupee notes:

* Public deposited Rs 5.12 lakh crore in banks and exchanged old currency notes worth Rs 33,000 crore since November 10

* Banks disbursed Rs 1.03 lakh crore cash over the counter or through ATMs since November 10.

Who will succeed Arnab Goswami?

That is the question on the minds of most news TV journalists as the celebrated news anchor exited from Times Now last week and is yet to disclose his future plans.

According to highly-placed sources, senior journalist Rahul Shivshankar will take over from Arnab Goswami as the editor-in-chief of Times Now. Shivshankar, who earlier worked with Times Now, moved to NewsX in 2013. He has since resigned as the managing editor of NewsX.

Sources said the announcement of the hire is likely to be made in a day or two by Vineet Jain, managing director of Times of India group who had met with Shivshankar twice before finalising him.

Further relaxing cash withdrawal norms, the Reserve Bank today said overdraft and cash credit account holders can now withdraw up to Rs 50,000 in a week.

Earlier, current account holders were allowed to withdraw up to Rs 50,000 in cash, in a week.

"On a review, it has been decided to extend this facility to Overdraft and Cash Credit accounts also," the central bank said.

Accordingly, holders of current/overdraft/cash credit accounts, which are operational for the last three months or more, may now withdraw upto Rs 50,000 in cash, in a week.

However, this enhanced limit for weekly withdrawal is not applicable for personal overdraft accounts.

The Reserve Bank further said the Rs 50,000 withdrawals may be disbursed predominantly in Rs 2,000 denomination bank notes.

Government has taken several decisions to ease withdrawal restrictions for farmers, small traders, Group 'C' employees of Central Government including equivalent levels in the defence and para military forces, railways and CPSEs in the aftermath of the cancellation of the legal tender character of the old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes.

The Supreme Court today directed that status quo be maintained with regard to New Delhi Municipal Council's auctioning process of the iconic Taj Mansingh Hotel in Delhi, run by Indian Hotels Company Ltd (IHCL).

A bench of justices P C Ghose and U U Lalit, which is hearing IHCL's plea against a high court order allowing its auctioning, also refused NDMC's prayer that the hotel should be restrained from taking any fresh booking.

The court said "it's very difficult to restrain the fresh bookings for a running hotel. Everything will be decided when we hear the matter."

The bench posted the matter for further hearing on the second week of January.

IHCL, which runs the Taj Mansingh Hotel in the national capital, had on November 8 approached the apex court against the Delhi High Court order that cleared the decks for auctioning of the iconic property. The firm had challenged the October 27 verdict delivered by a division bench of high court which had dismissed IHCL's petition challenging the move by New Delhi Municipal Council to auction the property.

Ministry of Finance has rolled out new guidelines aimed at giving relief to farmers left stranded due to the demonetisation policy.

In a series of posts, the finance ministry said: "To further support farmers for the current Rabi crop, the government has decided to allow farmers to purchase seeds with old Rs 500 notes."

"Farmers can purchase seeds from centres, units, outlets of central/state govternments, PSUs, National/State Seeds Corp on producing proof of identity."

"This is in addition to the decision taken earlier for making cash available with the farmers by permitting them to draw up to Rs 25,000 per week from their KYC compliant accounts subject to the normal loan limits and conditions apart from the other facilities announced on 17.11.2016."

India today slammed Pakistan's "hugely damaging" approach of "blocking" every possible regional initiative in SAARC, saying it will force countries of the region to look for other options like BIMSTEC.

Severely critical of Islamabad's approach towards SAARC, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar, without taking Pakistan's name, said some basic standards of regional cooperation have to apply and that bulk of the member countries want to go ahead with regional initiatives.

Referring to China-Pakistan ties, he said some issues arising out of the relationship were causing concern for India, including the economic corridor Beijing was

constructing through Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir.

Delivering a talk on 'India and the Great Powers: Continuity and Change', the Foreign Secretary said there was no need for involvement of any third country for resolution of issues between India and Pakistan saying it will give rise to illusion and expectations.

If you have an umpire, the game loses natural balance, he said.

When you come out of Mumbai's Sahar international airport you could be pardoned for thinking you are at Dadar railway station and not the swanky, world-class airport terminal.

Like Dadar which is infamous for its demanding cabbies, the demonetisation and the consequent currency shortage have turned Sahar into something similar, reports Rediff.com's A Ganesh Nadar who landed in Mumbai this morning.

"For prepaid cabs you paid your fare at the counter, the company kept 10% and the rest of the money was given to the cabbie immediately. But after the ban on Rs 1000 and Rs 500 notes on November 8, for three days they were not distributing any money as the notes were old,' explained a veteran cabbie. "Then they started paying out, but the accounts of the cabbies and those kept at the counters did not match. So they came to blows and the counters shut down, and are yet to reopen."

While the Easy Cab and the Meru counters are manned, the black and yellow taxi counters are closed, causing a lot of hardship to travellers as they are the cheapest option available.

So what's happening now is that the black and yellow cab drivers ask for random fares and refuse to use their calibrated meters. Ganesh, who had to reach Khar, was quoted Rs 600 by one driver, another said Rs 350 and a third one asked for Rs 300.

"It was Rs 310 at the counter, of which we used to get Rs 270, but I am charging you Rs 10 less,' the last guy reasoned.

On the way to Khar the driver even offered Ganesh some fortuitous advice. "You know we are not getting change for the Rs 2000 notes. They should have released the new Rs 500 notes first and then the higher currency. That way enough change would have been available in the system and not this heartache.'

Words of wisdom, indeed.

After two days of relaxation by the Hurriyat Conference, the prolonged shutdown picked up where it left off in Kashmir Valley on Monday as schools, colleges and business establishments followed the protocol and streets resumed their deserted look.

Meanwhile, the police and CRPF have been deployed across all the district headquarters and in Srinagar city to foil the separatists protest call.

The two-day respite from the shutdown by separatists came after private passenger vehicles plied on some routes in Srinagar after being severely hit by the four-month long strike.

This was the first time that separatists announced full-day relaxation during the ongoing unrest which began after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani on July 8.

The separatists had called on the people to use public transport to make up for the losses incurred during the last few months.

12:26 Fire breaks out at SSKM hospital in Kolkata

A fire broke out at SSKM Hospital in Kolkata on Monday morning creating panic among patients and family members at the main referral hospital of the state.

There is no report of casualty or injury as of now, fire department said.

The fire had been reported shortly after 11 am and eight engines had already been pressed into service, the fire department sources said.

Thick black smoke can be seen billowing from the fifth floor of the historic Ronald Ross building, housing several departments of the hospital, police said.

Two CRPF jawans were today injured in a pressure bomb blast triggered by Naxals in the dense forest of Chhattisgarh's worst insurgency-hit Sukma district, police said.

"The incident took place at around 9.20 AM when a patrolling team of CRPF's 74th battalion was out on a road opening duty in Chintalnar police station area," a senior

police official told PTI.

While they were cordoning off a patch near Wallemagu rivulet between Chintalnar and Narsapuram villages, the jawans inadvertently stepped over the pressure IED (improvised explosive device) connection triggering the blast that left two of them injured, he said.

"Head Constable Parvinder and Constable P Sagar, belonging to CRPF's 74th battalion sustained injuries in the blast," he said.

12:04

India successfully conducts twin trial of nuclear capable Prithvi-II missile from a test range in Odisha: Defence sources.

11:41 Toll in Sunday's train derailment climbs to 142

The death toll in the Indore-Patna Express derailment in Kanpur rural area has mounted to 142, as rescue workers wrapped up their operation this morning after efforts continued overnight to pull out the trapped passengers from the mangled bogies.

All the 14 derailed coaches of the Patna-bound train 19321 have been removed from the tracks. "142 bodies have been found so far, out of which 110 have been identified," said the inspector general (Kanpur range) Zaki Ahmad.

While 120 bodies were pulled out till last night, some others were found as rescuers later cleared the wreckage, and 97 bodies have been handed over to relatives, he said.

11:32 India does twin trial of N-capable Prithvi II

Just In: India successfully conducts twin trial of nuclear capable Prithvi-II missile from a test range in Odisha: Defence sources.

11:20

Debate later, but first accept our tributes for people who have died standing in queues & other bank officials: Sitaram Yechury in Rajya Sabha

11:15 Stealth destroyer INS Chennai commissioned

INS Chennai (D65), the third and final ship of Class P15-A Stealth Guided Missile Destroyer has been commissioned into active service.

INS Chennai is among the largest destroyers constructed in India having a length of 164 meter and displacement of over 7,500 tonne. The ship is a potent platform capable of undertaking a variety of tasks and missions, spanning the full spectrum of maritime warfare.

Armed with supersonic surface to surface 'BrahMos' missiles and 'Barak-8' long range surface to air missiles, the ship possesses formidable prowess of missile technology. The undersea warfare capable boasts of indigenously developed anti-submarine weapons and sensors, prominently the Hull Mounted Sonar 'HUMSA-NG', Heavyweight Torpedo Tube Launchers, Rocket Launchers and Towed Arrau sonar capability.

For defence against enemy missiles, the ship is fitted with 'Kavach' chaff decoy system and for defence against enemy torpedoes, it is fitted with 'Mareech' torpedo decoy system, both developed indigenously in India.

The ship is designed to carry and operate up to two multi-role helicopters.

11:15

Rajya Sabha has been adjourned till 11:30 am after Opposition raised slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi

11:12

Opposition not ready for debate, trying new tactics everyday to disrupt the Parliament proceedings: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in Rajya Sabha

11:04 Agra-Lucknow Expressway to be inaugurated today; 8 IAF jets to land on the road

In a first of its kind event, eight fighter jets of the Indian Air Force will touch down on the newly-built Agra-Lucknow Expressway on Monday.

While an IAF jet had last year landed on the Yamuna Expressway near Delhi, today's event is more special given the number of top-of-the-line fighter jets attempting simulated landings.

The IAF show is part of the inauguration event of the expressway at Unnao, around 50 kms from Kucknow. The expressway will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and his father and Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Four Sukhoi jets will fly down from Bareilly and four Mirage 2000s from Gwalior and skim the six-lane highway in simulated landings, a first for any road inauguration event.

10:58

Supreme Court agrees to hear on November 23 Centre's plea seeking transfer of all demonetisation cases either to the Apex court or any one high court.

10:41

Opposition parties to stage protest on November 23 outside Parliament against demonetisation.

10:34

Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu to make statement today in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on Kanpur train tragedy.

10:30

Flight operations hampered due to fog at the Srinagar airport since Saturday, all flights cancelled for today.

10:29 Notes ban: Govt rules out PM's intervention in Rajya Sabha

NDTV reports: Government rules out PM's intervention in Rajya Sabha on discussion over notes ban.

With turbulence expected over the issue of demonetisation, the Congress has been planning to put pressure on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to show up in the House and address the matter at hand.

Speaking to reporters on Monday morning, Leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said that an adjournment motion has been passed on this issue and the opposition will be looking to raise the matter of demonetisation in the Parliament unitedly.

"We will start the discussion on the issue and then we are going to insist on the Prime Minister's presence in the house. We are all against blackmoney, but the Centre's intention is different regarding demonetisation," Kharge said.

on Sunday, Bharatiya Janata Party chief Amit Shah turned up the heat on the opposition in a strong move to corner them on the demonetisation debate, saying that opposition parties were climbing "the same tree like rats, cats and snakes to escape the demonetisation flood", and appealed to the people to help Prime Minister Narendra Modi change the country by giving him 15 years "from panchayat to Parliament".

The opposition has also called the Centre to form a joint parliamentary committee for probing allegations of prior information on demonetisation being leaked to BJP leaders.

ANI reports: Unprovoked ceasefire violation by Pakistan from 0830 hours on Indian Army posts along the Line of Control in Krishna Ghati sector, J&K.

Exchange of fire is still on.

There have been over 290 incidents of firing and shelling along the LoC and the International Border in Jammu and Kashmir by Pakistani troops.

These incidents have resulted in the death of 26 people, including 14 security personnel, since the surgical strike on terrorist launch pads in PoK on September 29.

Meeting of the Opposition parties in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, begins in Parliament.

Opposition leaders are likely to raise the demand of a joint parliamentary committee probe into the alleged selective leakage of demonetisation information to the ruling BJP.

Sources in the opposition camp said there is unanimity among all parties on the need for a comprehensive investigation into prior intimation of the decision to some

people.

A senior opposition leader said, "Many parties are determined to take this matter of selective leakage to the masses and jointly take on the government in Parliament. There are other worrisome aspects of the demonetisation decision which we will raise in both Houses of Parliament."

The Congress is leading the deliberations with Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad and Deputy Leader Anand Sharma coordinating with other opposition parties.

The sources said all outfits including the TMC, JD(U), BSP, SP, NCP and Left parties are on the same page on the issue and will step up their offensive in both Houses.

Pakistan has said it handed over a dossier to the UN military observer group on alleged ceasefire violations by India along the Line of Control.

Representatives of the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan yesterday met Pakistani officials at the General Headquarters Rawalpindi, where they were handed over a dossier on repeated "violations of the ceasefire agreement" by India, Pakistan Foreign Office said.

The detailed dossier was given to UNMOGIP representatives in view of the death of four people, including three children, in firing by Indian forces in Khuiratta Sector of the LoC, Foreign Office Spokesman Nafees Zakaria said on twitter.

Pakistan has asked the UNMOGIP to investigate the incident, he said.

09:40

Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir: After two days' relaxation, shutdown continues in Kashmir valley

09:16

Will insist for PM Modi's presence as the debate on demonetization starts in the Parliament: Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress

09:13 Army eager to teach enemy a lesson, we allowed 2-3 times: Parrikar

The Army is eager to teach a lesson to enemy of the country and it is just waiting for permission from the government, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has said.

"The morale of the Army has gone up. Army wants to teach lesson to our enemy. They are just waiting for permission from the government... We gave them permission two-three times," Parrikar said during BJP's campaign meeting in Vasco on Sunday.

His statement came days after Pakistan conducted a military exercise in a strategically located area in Punjab province bordering India with its Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif saying that they will give a "befitting response" to any "ambitious and reckless move" by its enemies.

Parrikar said, "We want to tell our enemy that if they stare at us, we can stare with bigger eyes."

The minister said the country's borders are secured and no one could dare attack India.

"We are completely committed towards the security of the country. It is not just about tightening the border but we have also given required armaments to the soldiers," he said.

08:57

Two bogies of a goods train derailed in Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh early Monday morning.

08:46 BSF head constable, injured in Pak shelling, dies

A Border Security Force head constable who was injured in heavy cross-border firing from the Pakistani side succumbed to his injuries on Monday in Rajouri sector of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.

Rai Singh, 40, was injured in Sunday night's shelling from the Pakistani side along the line of control in the Rajouri sector in which three other BSF personnel were also injured. The condition of another BSF personnel was critical.

"Last night in heavy shelling from Pakistan side along the LoC in Rajouri area, four BSF Personnel sustained splinter injuries. Head Constable Rai Singh, who was seriously injured, succumbed to his injuries, while the condition of another personnel was serious," a BSF officer said.

Singh, a resident of Jhajjar district of Haryana, is survived by wife, three sons and mother, he said.

The army and the BSF were giving befitting response to the Pakistani ceasefire violations and the exchange of fire was going on till last reports came in.

PTI reports: Some passengers injured in the train derailment in Pukhrayan on Sunday mysteriously received cash, mostly in the denomination of scrapped Rs. 500 notes, while they were admitted in a hospital.

Stumped by this development, the authorities promised to probe the matter.

Commissioner of Kanzpur Zone Iftikharuddin said he will get the matter inquired into by the Chief Medical Officer of Mati Hospital in Kanpur Dehat district where such cases were reported.

Among those who were given Rs. 5000 cash by some unknown persons were Asha Mishra and Anil. Both received 10 notes of Rs 500, which have been declared invalid since November 8.

A relative of one of the injured claimed that the person who handed over the money told her that the money was given to them by the railways.

There was, however, no confirmation as to whether the money was actually sent by the railways.

Helpline numbers are:

Indore- 07411072

Ujjain- 07342560906

Ratlam- 074121072

Orai-051621072

Jhansi- 05101072

Pokhraya- 05113270239

The number of people killed in the worst train accident in recent years has gone up to 133.

14 coaches of Indore-Patna Express had derailed in Pukhrayan in Kanpur rural area in the wee hours on Sunday due to suspected rail fracture.

The disaster took place just a little after 0300 hrs when the passengers were jolted out of their sleep as the Patna-bound train jumped the tracks, badly damaging four ordinary sleeper coaches in which hundreds were trapped.

Of the four coaches, the S1 and S2 had telescoped into each other and most of the casualties were feared to have been in these two compartments.

S3 and S4 coaches also suffered severe damage while an AC III tier coach was also affected but casualties in it were not heavy.

As railway personnel assisted by those of army, National Disaster Response Force and state police carried out the search and rescue operation, the number of casualties kept on increasing by the hour.

Railways has made available the following helpline numbers -- Indore-07411072, Ujjain- 07342560906, Ratlam- 074121072, Orai-051621072, Jhansi- 05101072, Pokhraya- 05113270239.

08:10 What's making news today

* A BSF head constable injured in heavy shelling by Pakistan last night in Rajouri sector of Jammu and Kashmir succumbs.

* Congress VP Rahul Gandhi meets people outside ATM in Delhi's Anand Parbat area, talks to them about problems faced due to demonetization

* Special train with survivors of Kanpur train tragedy reached Patna in early morning hours.

* Opposition parties in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha to meet today at 9:30 am

* Congress parliamentary strategy meeting scheduled to take place today at 10:30 am

* Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand arrives in Delhi.

08:10

Good morning everyone...

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