LIVE! Dalit youth killed 'for owning, riding horse'; 3 detained

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Fri, 30 March 2018

Dalit youth killed 'for owning, riding horse'; 3 detained

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22:22 Dalit youth killed 'for owning, riding horse'; 3 detained

A Dalit youth was allegedly killed in Bhavnagar district of Gujarat by upper caste men for owning and riding a horse, police said.

Pradip Rathod, 21, was killed on Thursday evening at Timbi village of Umrala taluka in Bhavnagar district and three suspects have been detained for questioning, A M Saiyad, Deputy Superintendent of Police of the Bhavnagar SC/ST Cell said.

"We have detained three persons for questioning. We have also acquired some CCTV footage showing Pradip on his horse before his dead body was found. We are probing this case from different angles, including an old rivalry or a love affair," said Saiyad.

In his complaint to Umrala police, Pradip's father, Kalubhai Rathod, claimed that some upper caste Rajput men held a grudge against his son after he bought a horse recently.

He claimed that these men had threatened to kill Pradip if he didn't sell off the horse.

His complaint stated that Pradip was killed using sharp weapons by some Rajput men when he was returning home from his farm on his horse yesterday evening.

One Natubha Darbar of Timbi village and some other unidentified persons have been shown as accused in the FIR, police said.

After taking over the probe from Umrala police, Saiyad today said that three persons had been detained. -- PTI

Image for representation only.

India and Pakistan have mutually agreed to resolve matters related to the treatment of diplomats and diplomatic premises, in line with the 1992 'Code of Conduct for the treatment of diplomatic/consular personnel in India and Pakistan', says the Ministry of External Affairs.

More details awaited.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi today kept up his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the CBSE leaks, saying he would now write a sequel to his book Exam Warriors to teach students stress relief after their lives were 'destroyed' due to paper leaks.

Mocking the prime minister on Twitter, Gandhi attached a photograph of of Modi playing with children.

'PM wrote Exam Warriors, a book to teach students stress relief during exams.

'Next up: Exam Warriors 2, a book to teach students and parents stress relief, once their lives are destroyed due to leaked exam papers,' he tweeted.

The prime minister had also talked about fighting exam stress in his Mann ki Baat programme ahead of the board exams.

The Congress has been attacking the prime minister on the CBSE announcing a retest of the Class 10 mathematics and Class 12 economics papers after reports that they were leaked.

It has demanded the sacking of HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar and CBSE chairperson Anita Karwal and a judicial probe by a high court judge. -- PTI

An Imam in Asansol, who has lost his son in the violent incidents over Ram Navami celebrations, has urged the people not to make it an issue and restore peace in the area.

"I have lost my son. I have not lodged any police complaint. Do not make it an issue. If you love me, then restore peace," Noorani Masjid Imam Imdatullah Rashid said.

The youngest son of the Imam, Hafiz Sabkatulla, was found dead with injuries on his head and throat at the Asansol district hospital on Wednesday.

The Imam made the appeal yesterday when the body of the 16-year-old, who had recently appeared in this year's Class 10 board examination conducted by the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education, was laid to rest at a burial ground in Asansol in the presence of about 1,000 people.

Asansol and Raniganj in West Burdwan district of West Bengal had witnessed violent clashes between two groups over Ram Navami processions on Sunday and Monday.

Official sources had said one person was killed and two police officers were injured in the violence. -- PTI

Education secretary's press conference:

CBSE Class 12 re-examination will be on April 25.

Regarding Class 10 re-examination, as leak was restricted to Delhi and Haryana, if it at all a re-exam will happen, it will happen only in Delhi and Haryana and a decision will be taken on this in next 15 days. If at all a re-exam is done, it will be in July. -- ANI

Delhi police said that the Central Board of Secondary Education exam papers were circulated in 10 WhatsApp groups with more than 50 members each including private tutors, students and parents.

Delhi Police Crime Branch is questioning admins of these WhatsApp groups.

Meanwhile, a complainant Chandan Gupta said that on 27 March, at 10:40 pm, he made a call to police control room regarding paper leak.

"I informed them that I had received a question paper. The source of the exam paper leak should be traced. I was questioned by the police that day and they are doing further investigation now," Gupta said.

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has written to Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar, requesting him to convene a day-long brain storming session of education minsters so that such incidents do not happen in the future. -- ANI

IMAGE: Congress workers hold placards and protest against the alleged paper leak outside CBSE headquarters in New Delhi on Friday. Photograph: Kamal Kishore/PTI Photo

In the wake of violence over Ram Navami processions in West Bengal, Bharatiya Janata Party chief Amit Shah today constituted a four-member committee comprising senior party leaders, who would visit the state and submit a report to him in this regard.

Shah condemned the violence in Asansol in West Bengal and said 'such incidents are unfortunate and painful', the saffron party said in a statement.

The four-member committee the BJP chief formed comprises the party's national vice-president Om Mathur, spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain and two MPs -- Roopa Ganguly and V D Ram.

The committee members will visit the state and submit a report to Shah, the statement said.

Earlier, the BJP had hit out at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the incidents of violence in the state and accused the Trinamool Congress supremo of doing politics while the state was burning.

A clash had broken out between two groups over a Ram Navami procession at Raniganj, near Asansol, on Monday.

One person was allegedly hacked to death while a deputy commissioner of police had lost a hand after being hit by a bomb. -- PTI

15:42 CBSE paper leak: 10 WhatsApp groups identified

Delhi Police Crime Branch has identified over 10 WhatsApp groups, each having 50-60 members in Central Board of Secondary Education paper leak case.

Investigation and questioning is underway.

Meanwhile, students are holding protests in different cities against the leak.

Protests were held in Uttar Pradesh' Kanpur and Punjab's Ludhiana. -- ANI

15:22 President Kovind to watch 'Hichki' tomorrow

President Ram Nath Kovind will catch a special screening of Rani Mukerji's hit film Hichki at the Rashtrapati Bhavan tomorrow.

The movie, which released last Friday, featured the actor as Naina Mathur, a teacher with Tourette's Syndrome.

The Sidharth P Malhotra directorial is continuing to receive a great response from the audience.

'Hichki has a strong social message which is appealing to audiences across all age-groups. The relevancy of the film has become a huge draw for audiences who want to see actors back quality content films through their craft.

'The huge acclaim of Hichki has found its taker in none other than the President of India who will be watching the film on Saturday,' a press release from production banner Yash Raj Films said.

Producer Maneesh Sharma said it was a great honour and a humbling experience for the team to host the President.

"It is an incredible feeling to receive such love from audiences for Hichki. It is a matter of great pride for any filmmaker to have his/her film screened for the President of India. I'm extremely humbled that 'Hichki is spreading such important social messages across the country," Sharma said. -- PTI

The Tamil Nadu government will move the Supreme Court on the issue of constituting the Cauvery Management Board, state fisheries Minister D Jayakumar said today.

The minister, however, declined to spell out what kind of petition the government will move, "We are going to approach the Supreme Court...the government is holding discussions... I cannot reveal (the nature of petition) since it is a policy decision," he told reporters in Chenai.

A meeting was chaired by Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami yesterday to discuss legal steps.

Thursday's meeting was held following the end of a six-week deadline given by the Supreme Court to the Centre to formulate a scheme on the Cauvery dispute.

Tamil Nadu's stand is that the Centre must constitute the CMB and Cauvery Water Regulatory Committee (CWRC) within six weeks from the day the apex court gave its verdict, which would be March 29. -- PTI

Six students were detained by police in Jharkhand on Friday for questioning for their alleged involvement in Central Board of Secondary Education paper leak case.

The students were held near Chatra's Sadar Police Station area.

Earlier in the day, the Delhi Police interrogated over 30 people, including students and teachers of private coaching centers, in connection with the same case.

Over a dozen mobile phones belonging to these people have also been seized by the police. -- ANI

13:29 Sec 144 imposed near Javadekar's residence

JUST IN: Section 144 CrPC imposed near Prakash Javadekar's residence on Kushak Road in New Delhi in view of protests over CBSE paper leak. -- ANI

Clarifying on mistakenly saying that Yeddyurappa government was corrupt, Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah said in Mysuru that he might have 'committed a mistake but people of Karnataka won't'.

"In a slip of tongue, I said that Yeddyurappa government is corrupt instead of Siddaramaiah's and the entire Congress party started to rejoice. I want to tell Rahul Gandhi, that I might have made a mistake but the people of Karnataka will not," Shah said.

On Tuesday, addressing the media, Shah had remarked, "A Supreme Court retired judge has said that if a comparison is made on corruption, then the Yeddyurappa government would get the number one award."

Former BJP Karnataka chief Prahlad Joshi, also present at the conference, nudged Shah by naming Siddaramaiah, the Congress chief minister in the state, and Shah promptly corrected himself.

"Er...Siddaramaiah government will be given the number one award," Shah said.

However, soon after that, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi tweeted, 'Gifted to us by the BJP president, our campaign in Karnataka is off to a fabulous start. He says Yeddyurappa ran the most corrupt Government ever... True.'

Congress social media in-charge Divya Spandana Ramya also mocked Shah's comment.

'Who knew Amit Shah could also speak the truth -- we all concur with you Amit ji B S Yeddyurappa is the most corrupt!' she tweeted.

Shah also expressed concern over 'killing of BJP and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh workers in Karnataka'.

"I condemn the killing of BJP and RSS workers under Congress rule. More than 24 workers have died and the police hasn't taken any action against the killers. They are roaming around free. Siddaramaiah government's end is nearing and once the BJP is in power we will ensure justice,' Shah said in Mysuru. -- ANI, PTI

Union Minister of State for Home Hansraj Ahir on Friday blamed the West Bengal and Bihar governments for communal violence in the state on Ram Navami while saying that it was their responsibility to maintain law and order.

"It is the state government's duty to maintain law and order, people expect security from the government. The chief minister should be impartial and safeguard all the people, what happened was unbearable, and not fair on the government's part. You cannot play your politics everywhere," Ahir said.

Recently, tension gripped Bihar and West Bengal after communal violence erupted in several parts of the states during Ram Navami procession.

In Bihar's Bhagalpur, a procession without prior permission led to communal clash while in West Bengal the violence was triggered after sword-wielding activists defied the state government's ban on armed rallies on Ram Navami. -- ANI

Image only for representation.

The Delhi crime branch has interrogated the CBSE controller of examination for some four hours over the CBSE paper leak case, the police said, adding at least 1,000 students could have accessed the leaked papers.

The Central Board of Secondary Education's exam in-charge and two other officials were asked about the security measures, how the papers are printed and how they are sent to exam centres, the police said.

On Thursday, 25 people -- five tutors of a Delhi-based coaching centre and 18 students -- were questioned by the police. The dates of the re-examination of Class 10 Mathematics and Class 12 Economics papers will be announced soon, the Central Board of Secondary Education has said.

CBSE chief Anita Karwal said the decision to hold fresh exams in the two papers for some two million students was taken "in favour of children".

The co-founder of online portal "Postcard News", Mahesh Vikram Hegde, was arrested in Karnataka on charges of spreading fake and communally sensitive news. The editor has been charged under cybercrime laws.

Hegde's arrest is based on his tweet on March 19, reporting an accident involving a Jain monk. His portal had reported that Upadhyaya Mayank Sagar Ji Maharaj was hit by a drunk biker, who is Muslim. "Very sad news, yesterday in Karnataka Jain muni attacked by Muslim youth. No one is safe in Siddaramaiah's Karnataka," the editor had said in the tweet that was on the Postcard News handle and was retweeted hundred times. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is among those who follow Mr Hegde on Twitter.

The incident was falsely reported, say the police. A leader of the state's ruling Congress reportedly filed a complaint against the site and its founder.

The monk was hit by a car on March 13, not a bike, and the driver was not Muslim. The monk suffered injuries to his arm and head when he was hit by the car.

The portal had earlier been charged with publishing content that incites communal hate. In December, Postcard News had published a controversial article on a legendary 18th century Chittor Queen, Chennamma, which provoked much outrage.

The first murmurs about the leak of a CBSE exam paper began when the police control room in Rohini received a phone call about the Class 12 accountancy paper being leaked on March 13, two days before the subjects examination.

The caller told the police that his tuition friend had offered to sell him the question paper for Rs 4,000. Rajneesh Gupta, deputy commissioner of police (Rohini), said that efforts to track the caller failed as he switched off his mobile and the address given for his SIM card verification was incomplete. The complaint was shelved without much probe.

Read full story HERE

Minister of State of ministry of external affairs General V K Singh (retired) will visit Iraq on April 1 (Sunday) to bring back the mortal remains of the 39 Indians who were killed by the Islamic State in Mosul.

On March 20, External Affairs Minister in a statement in Parliament that the 39 Indians abducted by the Islamic State terror outfit in Mosul in Iraq three years ago were dead and their bodies had been recovered.

While it was not immediately known when the Indians were killed, their bodies were recovered from Badosh -- a village in northwest of Mosul, and their identities were established through DNA testing.

She had said, "I had said that I will not declare anyone dead without substantive proof... today I have come to fulfil that commitment."

I had said that closure will be done with full proof. And when we will, with a heavy heart, give the mortal remains to their kin, it will be a kind of closure.

A group of 40 Indian workers, mostly from Punjab, and some Bangladeshi were taken hostage by the Islamic State when it overran Iraqs second largest city Mosul in 2014.

Former employee of Cambridge Analytica, Christopher Wylie, has revealed that the controversial data firms parent company, SCL Group, was hired to work in India between 2009 and 2010 to assess the phenomenon of honour killing in Punjab, Haryana, UP and Rajasthan. However, Wylie hasnt named the client for whom SCL Group worked on this subject.

This is among the revelations gleaned from 122 pages of written evidence provided by Wylie, a former research director with CA, to the House of Commons digital, culture, media and sport committee, made public Thursday night. Wylie had given a lengthy statement to the British parliamentary committee on Tuesday when he had claimed CA had worked for Congress.

The evidence given by Wylie to the panel states: At the level of enforcement, local police and magistrates are often sympathetic to the practice of killing. This has made enforcement of the law somewhat problematic. SCL helped its client to better understand the often convoluted and secretive culture surrounding honour killings. SCL analysed the issue via problem space mapping and on that foundation proposed a number of interventions to stop honour killings.

It was revealed in the evidence on Thursday CA was also engaged for anti-jihadist projects in Pakistan as well as Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir.

SCLs client UK FCO hired the firm in October 2008 to carry out a behavioural study in Pakistan to counter violent jihadism. It then delivered actionable recommendations, which impacted on policy in the near term and the FCOs strategic direction in the country, the evidence says.

According to the evidence, in 2009, SCL carried out behavioural research in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan, the northern areas and two locations within POK. However, the client for this research is not named. The aim was to understand support for and recruitment into violent jihadist and militant Islamic groups, according to the evidence.

David Warner, who has been identified as the instigator of a ball-tampering scandal that rocked the cricket world, will hold a media conference to discuss the issue on Saturday, Cricket Australia has said.

A CA investigation found opener Warner had instructed junior batsman Cameron Bancroft on how to scuff up one half of the ball with sandpaper during the third test against South Africa.

Warner suspended from international and state cricket for 12 months and banned from ever holding a leadership position in the test team. Bancroft was banned for nine months for his part, while axed skipper Steve Smith also received a one-year ban.

Darren Lehmann said on Thursday he would step down as coach following this week's match against South Africa.

CA said on Friday that Warner, who arrived home separately from his former captain, would hold a formal media conference on Saturday. Local media said it would be held at New South Wales Cricket's offices.

Both Bancroft and Smith gave tearful media conferences when they arrived back on Thursday.

The 31-year-old Warner has largely been silent since the scandal unfolded despite becoming the target of much of the blame by media, fans, former players and commentators.

He arrived back late on Thursday with wife and two daughters and briefly addressed a large number of local media.

"As you can understand, it has been a tough, emotional time for my wife and kids," Warner said at Sydney airport. "At the present time, you'll hear from me in a couple of days.

"At the moment, my priority is to get these kids in bed, and rest up and get my mind a bit clear so I can think, and talk in a couple of days."

Russia's decision to expel 60 American diplomats and ordering a closure of the US Consulate in St Petersburg mark a further deterioration in bilateral ties, the White House said today.

"Russia's action today to expel American diplomats marks a further deterioration in the US-Russia relationship," White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said, hours after Russia in a retaliatory action asked 60 American diplomats to leave the country within seven days and ordered the shutting down of the US Consulate in St Petersburg within 48 hours.

"The expulsion of undeclared Russian intelligence officers by the United States and more than two dozen partner nations and NATO allies earlier this week was an appropriate response to the Russian attack on the soil of the United Kingdom," Sanders said.

The Trump administration had earlier ordered the expulsion of 60 Russian diplomats and shutter the country's consulate general in Seattle.

She said the Russian response was "not unanticipated", and the US will "deal" with it.

-- PTI

Amid the ongoing tussle between the Bharatiya Janata Party and Telugu Desam Party regarding special status for Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu claimed that if his party had not allied with the former, they would have won 15 more seats.

"Post bifurcation, we had tied up with the BJP. It was not for political gain, but solely with the intention of development. Had we not allied with the BJP, we would have won 15 more seats. They have cheated us on the special status front," Naidu said at the TDP's 37th formation day celebrations.

The TDP chief also accused the Centre of "spreading lies" regarding the quashing of the special category status for states.

"They (BJP) said the special category status is quashed. But even now, its benefits are being given to North-Eastern states. Then why are they not giving it to us? It is our right. The Centre is spreading lies," he said.

On March 16, the TDP reached a deadlock with the BJP over the issue of granting 'special category status' to Andhra Pradesh, which ultimately forced the party to quit the National Democratic Alliance coalition.

-- ANI

The Congress's Twitter poll against Sushma Swaraj backfired spectacularly with over 76 per cent voting "No" to the opposition party's question: whether the death of 39 Indians in Iraq was her biggest failure as Foreign Minister. Swaraj scored big by re-tweeting the Congress poll.

Undeterred, the Congress today tweeted another poll -- just to make things "explicitly clear" -- and challenged Ms Swaraj to retweet its post again.

Which of these two is Sushma Swaraj's biggest failure? #IndiaSpeaks

- Congress (@INCIndia) March 28, 2018

The new tweet gives respondents two options to choose from -- the killing of Indians in Iraq or the "unresolved" Doklam dispute. "No" is not an option in this one. So far, there are over 11,400 votes. And many of the respondents have taken fresh shots at the Congress.

"Well well well! After she has trolled u badly, u had ur time to think how to get revenge of her trolling & came up with this cheap poll with two negative options! Show some courage if u have any & add positives also & u will see how Indians will vote! Let's see if u can do!"

- Vaibhav Deshmukh (@DeshVaibhavM) March 29, 2018

Others responded with their own poll disparaging the Congress as well as its president Rahul Gandhi.

The Congress has been targeting Swaraj since she confirmed in Parliament last week that 39 Indians had been killed by the Islamic State. Its last post was a self-goal, with Swaraj walking away with high approval ratings and more fans.

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