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Sat, 31 March 2018

US may tie social media to visa applications

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21:13 US may tie social media to visa applications

The Trump administration has said it wants to start collecting the social media history of nearly everyone seeking a visa to enter the US.

The proposal, which comes from the state department, would require most visa applicants to give details of their Facebook and Twitter accounts.

They would have to disclose all social media identities used in the past five years.

About 14.7 million people a year would be affected by the proposals.

The information would be used to identify and vet those seeking both immigrant and non-immigrant visas.

Applicants would also be asked for five years of their telephone numbers, email addresses and travel history. They would be required to say if they had ever been deported from a country, or if any relatives had been involved in terrorist activity.

The proposal would not affect citizens from countries to which the US grants visa-free travel status - among them the UK, Canada, France and Germany. However, citizens from non-exempt countries like India, China and Mexico could be embroiled if they visit the US for work or a holiday.

The Vaishno Devi yatra has been temporarily suspended due to overcrowding in last evening. "The pilgrimage to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi shrine has been suspended from the Katra base camp in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district due to an unprecedented rush of pilgrims," an official of the cave shrine said.

The official went on to say that such was the rush, that the ticket counter had to be closed last evening at 8 pm, nearly two hours before its scheduled closing time. "More than 41,000 pilgrims were climbing towards the shrine with many already queued up for darshan. Apart from this, a further 15,000 to 20,000 pilgrims showed up at the Katra base camp. They are currently stranded," he said.

In January this year, the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi cave shrine pilgrimage yatra, which begins from Katra was suspended as the number of devotees crossed the 50,000 mark on New Year's Eve.

It has been noted that an average 35,000 to 40,000 devotees arrive in Katra every day to pay their obeisance at the Vaishno Devi shrine.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has said neither India nor Pakistan are in a position to fight a war. She urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to re-open talks between the two neighbours. She also appealed to Kashmiri Pandits who fled the Valley to return to their roots.

Mufti's appeal to PM Modi mirrors similar statements made by her political opponent, National Conference patron Farooq Abdullah. She raised the example of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee's bid to move forward with talks with Pakistan to press her case.

"I urge Prime Minister Modi to talk to Pakistan, just like Vajpayee ji did. Neither we nor Pakistan are in a condition of fighting a war. Both countries know if there will be a war, nothing will be spared. Both nations will lose everything," said Mufti.

Mufti also urged Kashmiri Pandits, who fled Kashmir to escape violence during the militancy of the 1990s to return to the Valley. "Kashmiri Pandits should visit Kashmir. Their younger generations should see where their roots belong to. We will make all arrangements. Whatever has happened in the past is unfortunate, but now we will have to move forward," she said.

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav today indicated that Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya, who had promised him to support the BSP candidate in Rajya Sabha polls, does not appear to be on his side anymore.

His comments came days after reports had suggested that Raja Bhaiya, an independent legislator from Kunda, did not vote for BSP candidate Bhim Rao Ambedkar in the March 23 polls despite assuring Yadav to do so.

Raja Bhaiya was present at the dinner hosted by the SP before the polls and had said he was with Yadav. He had also met Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath during the polls.

Yadav had tweeted a photograph of him with Raja Bhaiya, thanking him for his support. He later deleted the tweet.

The SP had reached an understanding with the BSP to ensure the candidate put up by Mayawati's party is elected from one of the 10 seats that went to the polls in the state.

Asked why he deleted the photograph, Yadav said: "Tweet is an expression of your feeling. If the information is true that we did not get his support, we deleted the tweet."

"What's wrong in this," he said. "At least it should be clear. If you are with me, you stand with me and if you are against - stay away."

Stating that he did not want to say anything more on Raja Bhaiya, Yadav said: "It's good that eyes are opened. It does not seem that he (Raja Bhaiya) was with us."

After the results of the Rajya Sabha polls were announced, Mayawati had said that Yadav should not have trusted Raja Bhaiya to help them win the election.

"He made a mistake in relying on Raja Bhaiya," she had said.

Raja Bhaiya and Mayawati has had a rocky relationship.

The BSP candidate received 32 first preference votes, five short of the required number to get a Rajya Sabha berth. He lost to BJP's Anil Kumar Agarwal after counting of second preference of votes.

A Bhagalpur court today rejected the anticipatory bail plea of Union minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey's son Arijit Shashwat in connection with a case filed against him for allegedly triggering communal violence in the district earlier this month.

Additional District and Session Judge (IV) Kumud Ranjan rejected Shashwat's bail plea.

"The court pronounced a one-line order that Arijit Shashwat's anticipatory bail petition is rejected and fixed a date for pronouncing order for eight other accused persons' bail plea," said Shashwat's lawyer Viresh Kumar Mishra.

Shashwat, 36, has been named in one of the two FIRs for leading a procession without permission of the administration in Bhagalpur on March 17. Violence had erupted after people belonging to minority community objected to loud music being played during the procession.

A Bhagalpur court had issued an arrest warrant on March 24 against Shashwat and others named in the FIR.

-- PTI

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will be travelling to Russia next week to attend the seventh Moscow Conference on International Security.

This will be her first visit to Russia in her capacity as the defence minister.

During her three-day tour, between April 3 and 5, she will participate in the VII Moscow Conference on International Security, according to a statement from Indian Embassy here.

Sitharaman will also meet her Russian counterpart Army General Sergei Shoigu, and other senior leaders, it said.

"The visit is in keeping with the tradition of high level exchanges between India and Russia.

"It will provide an opportunity to reinforce the traditional warm and friendly relations that exists between the two countries with particular reference to military technical cooperation," the statement said.

-- PTI

18:42 Pakistan arrests 52 Indian fishermen

Pakistani authorities have arrested 52 Indian fishermen for allegedly straying into the country's territorial waters, an official said today.

The latest batch of Indian fishermen was arrested on Thursday night by the Pakistan Maritime Security Forces, he said.

Eight fishing boats were also seized.

A judicial magistrate sent the 52 Indian fishermen to judicial remand, the official said.

They will be lodged in the Malir jail here, he said.

Rajesh, 28, couldn't stop crying as policemen lined up the fishermen to take them to the jail.

"Most of us come from a village in Dandi near Gujarat coastal area and we didn't know we had strayed into Pakistani territory while fishing at night," he said.

It is neither the first time nor the last time that poor fishermen ended up in jails in both the countries for straying into each other's territorial waters for fishing along the Sir Creek area of Gujarat in the Arabian sea.

-- PTI

Hours after students protested outside CBSE office in New Delhi claiming to have the leaked Hindi paper, CBSE chairperson Anita Karwal rubbished the rumours saying the paper has not leaked.

This is definitely a mischief. Group of students protesting outside CBSE claim to have it, they are circulating it too. The Hindi exam is on April 2.

The latest development comes amid the entire hullabaloo around the CBSE paper leak and re-exam announcement, with students all across the country venting their anger through protests and petitions. Moments after the Board announced its decision to hold re-exams for class 12 and 10 economics and mathematics paper, students were shocked and dismayed with the prospect of studying once again for the exams, attending tuitions, paying fees, etc.

The board has announced a re-examination of the class 12 economics paper on April 25, while the re-test for the Class 10 Mathematics paper is likely to be conducted in July.

Six more people, including two directors of a private coaching centre here, were today apprehended in connection with the CBSE question paper leaks, police said.

Since yesterday, 12 people, including Class 10 and 11 students, have been apprehended in the CBSE leak case from Jharkhand's Chatra district, they said.

The examination board came under criticism after its Class 10 mathematics and Class 12 economics papers were leaked earlier this week.

The police had yesterday detained six Class 10 students in the case.

The police said that among those apprehended today, four are students of different schools in the district and two directors of a private coaching centre here.

A Class 11 student was detained from the Navodaya Vidyalala campus here. He had hid chits containing answers of a leaked question paper in the school's bathroom, police said.

Two students are from Patna, they said.

The police said that the directors have been put under arrest.

-- PTI

Arnold Schwarzenegger, who underwent a heart surgery this week, is now in a stable condition.

His spokesperson, Daniel Ketchell, said on Twitter that the 70-year-old "underwent a planned procedure to replace a pulmonic valve that was originally replaced due to a congenital heart defect in 1997."

"Schwarzenegger is awake and his first words were actually 'I'm back', so he is in good spirits," Ketchell tweeted.

"That 1997 replace valve was never meant to be permanent and has outlived its life expectancy, so he chose to replace it yesterday through a less-invasive catheter valve replacement," he said. "During that procedure, an open-heart surgery team was prepared, as they frequently are in these circumstances, in case the catheter procedure was unable to be performed."

He said Schwarzenegger's pulmonic valve was "successfully replaced" and that the star "is currently recovering from the surgery and is in stable condition," adding, "We want to thank the entire medical team for their tireless efforts."

The Delhi Police's Crime Branch has got a reply from Google on the details it had sought pertaining to the e-mail address from where the CBSE chairperson was sent a mail about the Class 10 mathematics paper being leaked, an official privy to the probe said.

A senior police officer said they had got a reply from the online search engine but refused to divulge further details.

Meanwhile, the police continued with their quest to trace the origin of the papers leak as they visited the schools and coaching centres in outer Delhi that had come under their scanner. More than 60 people have been questioned till now, but the officer said there was "no breakthrough" in the case so far.

Central Board of Secondary Education Chairperson Anita Karwal had received an e-mail a day before the Class 10 mathematics exam, which was held on March 28, informing her about the paper being leaked.

The sender of the e-mail had stated that the mathematics paper was leaked on WhatsApp and that the exam should be cancelled.

The mail also contained 12 images of the handwritten mathematics paper allegedly leaked on WhatsApp.

In order to identify the sender of the e-mail, the police had written to Google, asking it to share the details of the e-mail ID. Yesterday, the police had sent a reminder to the website to expedite the process.

The Delhi Police had registered separate cases on March 27 and March 28 to probe the leak of the Class 12 economics paper and Class 10 mathematics paper, following a complaint by the regional director of the CBSE.

The cases were registered on charges of criminal breach of trust, cheating and criminal conspiracy.

Actor Eddie Redmayne is among the first to have arrived in Cambridge for the funeral of renowned theoretical physicist Professor Stephen Hawking, who died at home on March 14, prompting an outpouring of grief around the world.

The service will be held at Great St Mary's Church, which is close to Gonville and Caius College, where Prof Hawking was a fellow for 52 years.

Since his death at home earlier this month, thousands of people have visited this college to sign his book of condolence.

Despite having said he is an atheist, Prof Hawking's family felt a traditional church service would give his many friends in the city a chance to remember and pay tribute to him.

Stephen Hawking's children, Lucy, Robert and Tim, said in a statement: 'Our father lived and worked in Cambridge for over 50 years.

Prof Hawking's ashes with be interred next to the grave of Sir Isaac Newton at Westminster Abbey.

The Dean of Westminster, the Very Reverend Dr John Hall, said: 'It is entirely fitting that the remains of Professor Stephen Hawking are to be buried in the Abbey, near those of distinguished fellow scientists. Sir Isaac Newton was buried in the Abbey in 1727. Charles Darwin was buried beside Isaac Newton in 1882.

Russia expelled 59 diplomats from 23 countries in the aftermath of poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal at his home in Salisbury in the United Kingdom earlier this month.

The move by Moscow is a tit-for-tat response to the similar actions taken by countries such as the United States over the poisoning of the former Russian military intelligence officer.

"The diplomats were handed notes of protest and told that a corresponding number of diplomats of their countries working in Russia were declared "personae non gratae" in response to their unjustified expulsion of Russian diplomatic personnel based on Britain's unproven accusations against Russia related to the so-called "Skripal case", the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

According to media reports, 13 diplomats from Ukraine were expelled, while four each from Canada, Poland, Germany and three each from Lithuania, Czech Republic and Moldova were sent back to their respective countries.

Two diplomats each from Italy, Netherlands, Spain and Denmark were also sent back.

Furthermore, one diplomat from Finland, Latvia, Sweden, Romania, Norway, Ireland, Croatia and Estonia were expelled by Russia.

Moscow has also ordered the expulsion of four French diplomats over the same.

The Russian foreign ministry added that taking into account the fact that Belgium, Hungary, Georgia and Montenegro decided to join the listed countries at the last moment, Russia "reserves the right to respond" to these countries.

Moscow on Thursday said that it will expel 60 US diplomats and close the American consulate in St Petersburg.

According to the British government, Skripal and his 33-year-old daughter Yulia were on March 4 exposed to a military-grade nerve agent in the British city of Salisbury. The father-daughter duo has since then been hospitalised in a critical condition.

With the AAP keen to contest the Haryana assembly polls next year, the party's national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today held a roadshow in the Rohtak-Bhiwani belt of the state.

Kejriwal's roadshow, which began in the morning and is expected go on till evening, comes close on the heels of a rally in Hisar on Sunday.

At the Hisar rally, the AAP leader had announced that his party would contest the forthcoming Haryana Assembly polls.

Kejriwal, who was accompanied by the AAP's Haryana head, Naveen Jaihind, had covered Bahadurgarh, Sampla and Rohtak till late afternoon during his roadshow today.

The roadshow will also pass through Kalanaur, Dadri, Bhiwani and Tosham.

At the Hisar rally, Kejriwal had attacked the BJP-led Centre and Haryana governments over a number of issues.

The AAP national convener, who hails from Haryana, had invoked his Haryana roots and asked the people of the state to strengthen his party.

"We will create a new Haryana. If you want peace, security, schools, hospitals, roads, then vote for the AAP," he had said.

After tasting defeat at the hustings in the previous Lok Sabha polls from Haryana, the AAP had not contested the October 2014 assembly elections in the state.

-- PTI

Bharatiya Janata Party chief Amit Shah on Saturday called the decision of the Karnataka government to give minority status to Lingayat community as a strategy to 'polarise votes'.

Addressing the media, the BJP chief termed the step as a part of plan chalked out to stop their chief ministerial candidate BS Yeddyurappa from becoming the chief minister.

"This is a strategy to stop Yeddyurappa Ji from becoming Karnataka chief minister. They (Siddaramaiah government) want to polarise Lingayat votes but the community is aware of it. BJP will make its stance clear after polls," Shah said.

Shah said the Congress has become a 'symbol of corruption' and added that the people of Karnataka have made up their mind to change Siddaramaiah government.

The elections to the 224-Karnataka assembly will be held on May 12, while the counting of votes will take place on May 15.

The West Bengal State Election Commission today announced three-phased panchayat polls in the state in May this year.

Panchayat polls will be held in three phases on May 1, 3 and 5, State Election Commissioner A K Singh told reporters. The counting of polls will take place on May 8.

Bharatiya Janata Party MP Babul Supriyo on Saturday blamed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for the recent communal tension in the Asansol, saying that it was an outcome of her "appeasement politics".

"Processions are taken out in West Bengal for a long time. There was a feeling of competition between communities. This is the outcome of Mamata Banerjee's appeasement politics," the Asansol MP said while talking to media here.

Further attacking Banerjee for her governance, Supriyo said all was well until she became chief minister in 2011.

"I want you to ask her why all festivals of Bengal were celebrated in good gesture till 2011 and what [why] situation became tense after it," he said.

The Ram Navami celebrations on March 25 had turned sour after clashes erupted in various parts of Bengal leaving three dead and several injured.

On March 28, the Centre sought a report from the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government on incidents of arson and violence.

-- ANI

Minister of State for Culture Mahesh Sharma and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National General Secretary Ram Madhav on Saturday attended 'Thank You India' event in Dharamshala, organised to mark 60 years of The Dalai Lama's exile.

The year-long event has been planned by Central Tibet Administration.

This comes after Centre recently issued advisory asking leaders and government functionaries to avoid attending functions organised by Tibetans living in India in exile.

The decision was taken in a bid to restore peace between India and China

The Dalai Lama has been living here in exile since 1959.

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan had his fan boy moment as the actor met renowned filmmaker Christopher Nolan today.

Nolan, known for modern classics such as "Memento", "The Prestige", "Inception" and the Dark Knight series, is in India on a three day trip along with visual artiste Tacita Dean.

The 52-year-old star took to Twitter to share his experience about meeting the ace director.

"My Fanboy moment. Inspiring to hear Mr Nolan and Ms Tacita Dean talk of the virtues of celluloid as an artistes medium. Thanks @shividungarpur for having me over" SRK tweeted along side his picture with Nolan.

Earlier, South superstar Kamal Haasan had shared a photograph with the "Dunkirk" director.

The actor had said he was surprised to know that Nolan had seen his film "Papnasam".

During his trip, Nolan will also be present for the screenings of two of his recent films Oscar-nominated "Dunkirk" and "Interstellar".

-- PTI

The entire AIADMK cabinet barring Chief Minister K Palaniswami and his deputy O Panneerselvam will participate in the April 3 fast to be observed by the party seeking formation of the Cauvery Management Board.

According to the list released by the party, senior Ministers Dindigul C Sreenivasan (Forest), K A Sengottaiyan (School Education), P Thangamani (Electricity), D Jayakumar (Fisheries) and SP Velumani (Municipal Administration) among others will head the fast organised at different locations across the state.

The party nominated seven functionaries from Puducherry including MLAs to observe fast in the neighbouring union territory on the issue.

Senior party leaders, heads of various wings, MPs and MLAs were also named in the list released by the party.

The protest will be held in all 32 districts of Tamil Nadu, besides in Puducherry, urging the Centre to constitute CMB and Central Water Regulatory Committee.

With the Cauvery issue appearing to be snowballing into an embarrassment for the ruling AIADMK which has largely been friendly with the Centre, the party on Friday made an announcement on observing the hunger strike next week.

-- PTI

Unidentified persons vandalised the statue of B R Ambedkar in Gohaniya village in Uttar Pradesh triggering protests by locals, police said today.

The statue was found damaged this morning. Soon locals gathered at the spot and demanded immediate arrest of the culprits.

The statue is being replaced and a case has been lodged against unidentified persons, SP, Dr Dharamvir said.

Efforts are on to identify those behind the incident, he said.

Domariyaganj MLA, Raghvendra Pratap Singh, who rushed to the village soon after the incident, alleged that it was a conspiracy hatched by the Samajwadi Party and the BSP and the culprits will not be spared.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is scheduled to visit the district on April 2.

-- PTI

The ED on Saturday said it has attached assets worth Rs 4.53 crore, including 29 plots and deposits in 10 bank accounts, of the main accused in the Bihar topper scam that had rocked the state in 2016.

The action under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act against the Secretary cum Principal of Vishun Roy College in Vaishali district, Bachha Rai alias Amit Kumar, comes at a time when two CBSE question papers of Class X and XII have leaked and police are looking for culprits.

The agency, in a statement, said it has attached 16 plots in the name of Bachha Rai in Lalganj, Mahua, Bhagwanpur and Hajipur and 13 plots in the name of his wife Sangeeta Rai.

Bank deposits in the name of his daughter Shalini Rai, a flat in Patna and a two-storey house in Hajipur of the Rai family have also been attached.

The Enforcement Directorate had registered a money laundering case last year to probe alleged irregularities in this case, related to the state school examination board, taking cognisance of Bihar Police FIR and the findings of the Special Investigation Team constituted to probe the scam.

The scam had rocked Bihar in June 2016 after Ruby Rai, a student of Vishun Roy College in Vaishali district who had topped in the arts category, failed to answer basic questions and went on to describe political science as prodigal science that taught cooking.

Embarrassed by the irregularities, the state government had ordered a SIT probe in the matter.

Minister of State for External Affairs General V K Singh (retired) said that the legal procedures of obtaining the mortal remains of the 39 Indians killed in Iraq has been completed and New Delhi was waiting for Baghdad to give the green signal.

"As soon as we get a nod from Baghdad ambassador, we will leave with a C-17 plane to bring back the mortal remains with due honours. We will handover the mortal remains to their families." They will not have to come to the airport," General Singh said.

"After visiting Baghdad to retrieve the bodies, we will then fly to Amritsar, where we will hand over the bodies of 27 people from Punjab and four bodies from Himachal Pradesh to the families there. Then, we will go to Kolkata to handover the two bodies there. And in Patna, we will hand over the remaining bodies," he explained.

General Singh is scheduled to leave Iraq to retrieve the bodies of 39 Indians there on April 1.

On March 20, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj informed the Rajya Sabha members in the Parliament that the 39 Indian nationals, who went missing in Mosul in 2014, were killed by the terror outfit Islamic State .

-- ANI

12:50 WB governor visits violence-hit Asansol

West Bengal Governor K N Tripathi today held an hour-long meeting with senior police and administration officials and took stock of the situation in violence-hit areas of Raniganj and Asansol.

One person was killed and two police officers suffered serious injuries on Monday when clashes broke out between two groups over a Ram Navami procession in Raniganj area of Bardhaman West district.

The violence fanned out to Asansol areas, prompting police to suspend Internet services and clamp prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC in trouble-torn areas of the district.

The governor, who reached Asansol circuit house this morning, is scheduled to visit the violence-hit areas of Raniganj and Asansol areas later in the day.

Earlier this week, the state government had advised him against visiting Asansol and Raniganj, citing security reasons.

Union minister Babul Supriyo and state BJP Mahila Morcha president Locket Chatterjee were also stopped from entering the Asansol-Raniganj area by police on Thursday.

12:27 Students protest outside CBSE office in Delhi

A group of students today staged a demonstration near the Central Board of Secondary Education office at Preet Vihar against the leak of Class 10 Mathematics and Class 12 Economics papers.

"The students tried to block the road in front of the CBSE office, but we kept them away. A group of about 25-30 students are protesting outside the CBSE office," said a senior Delhi Police officer.

The board has announced a re-examination of the Class 12 Economics paper on April 25, while the re-test for the Class 10 Mathematics paper is likely to be conducted in July.

Education Secretary Anil Swarup said yesterday that a preliminary enquiry had revealed that the leak for the Class 10 Mathematics paper was restricted to Delhi and Haryana.

Two cases have been registered in the paper leak incident so far. The Crime Branch of Delhi Police has questioned nearly 60 people, including students and tutors, in this connection.

-- PTI

Former media baron Peter Mukerjea has been sent to judicial custody by a Delhi court till April 13 in connection with the INX Media case.

Earlier this week, the court sent Peter to CBI custody till March 31.

INX Media Ltd, which was owned by Mukerjea, had allegedly paid bribes to get a Foreign Investment Promotion Board approval which was facilitated by former finance minister P Chidambaram's son Karti Chidambaram.

CBI also stated that Peter Mukerjea didn't cooperate with the investigators and so they couldn't confront him with Karti or his CA. For the next dates, Peter will be produced through video conferencing from Mumbai Jail. He will be taken to Mumbai today.

However, on March 23, the Delhi high court granted bail to Karti in connection with the case, on a surety of Rs 10 lakh.

-- ANI

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 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 here 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

The Central Bureau of Investigation has registered a preliminary enquiry against ICICI Bank CEO Chanda Kochhar's husband Deepak Kochhar in connection with Videocon loan row, sources said on Saturday.

Chanda Kochhar, her husband Deepak Kochhar, and Venugopal Dhoot, the promoter of Videocon Group are caught up in a controversy over ICICI allegedly granting loan worth Rs 3,250 crore to Videocon, of which the unpaid Rs 2,810 crore were declared NPA in 2017.

The role of Deepak Kochhar in the case dates back to December 2008, when he set up a joint venture with Dhoot, NuPower Renewables Pvt Ltd with 50-50 shares owned by both and their associates.

In 2009, Dhoot resigned as NRPL director and transferred around 25,000 shares of his to Deepak Kochhar, and a year later his company Supreme Energy Private Limited allegedly gave loan of Rs 64 crore to Deepak Kochhar's NRPL.

In what followed a timeline of share transfer between the two, Dhoot's Supreme Energy took over majority of the shares of NRPL which he transferred to his associate Mahesh Chandra Punglia.

Punglia in turn transferred his entire stake in Supreme Energy to Deepak Kochhar's Pinnacle Energy for only Rs 9 lakh, just six months after the Videocon Group got a loan of Rs 3,250 crore from ICICI Bank.

This has raised a question of conflict of interest, on part of Chanda Kochhar.

Soon after the reports came, the RBI imposed monetary penalty worth Rs. 58.9 crore on ICICI, for failing to abide by rules on the sale of bonds in the held-to-maturity category.

-- ANI

11:14

JUST IN: INX Media case: Peter Mukerjea sent to judicial custody till April 13 by Delhi's Patiala House court.

10:59 Malala visits Pak hometown in Swat Valley

Malala Yousafzai, the youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner, today arrived in her Swat Valley hometown in Pakistan for the first time after she was shot in the head by Taliban terrorists for advocating girls education more than five years ago.

Amid tight security, she along with her parents arrived in Swat district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on a day-long visit, sources said.

She has been put up in Circuit House. The venue had been surrounded by the law enforcers.

She will be visiting her ancestral home in Makan Bagh in Mingora, her school besides inaugurating a girls school in Shangla district, the sources added.

In an interview to Geo News yesterday, Malala said that she plans to return to Pakistan permanently once her studies are completed.

"My plan is to return to Pakistan as this is my country. I have the same right on the country as any another Pakistani, Malala said.

She reiterated her joy of being in Pakistan and her mission of providing education to children.

"We want to work for the education of children and make it possible that every girl in Pakistan receives a high-level education and she can fulfill her dreams and become a part of society."

Malala, now 20, was shot by a gunman for campaigning for female education in 2012 in Pakistan's Swat Valley.

Severely wounded, Malala was taken by helicopter from one military hospital in Pakistan to another, where doctors placed her in a medically induced coma so an air ambulance could fly her to Great Britain for treatment.

After she was attacked, the Taliban released a statement saying that they would target her again if she survived.

At age 17, Malala became the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 for her education advocacy.

She shared the coveted prize with India's social activist Kailash Satyarthi. -- PTI

Two pilot projects of Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System in sectors along nearly 200 km long International Border will be completed by April end, DG BSF K K Sharma said.

The CIBMS is an integration of a number of new gadgets and technologies to ensure electronic surveillance of borders.

"The two pilot projects of 5.5 and 5.3 kilometer of stretches each are nearing completion. I am hopeful that by the end of April, both these patches will be complete for the inauguration," Sharma told PTI.

These provide feeds to BSF personnel at the border outposts, where monitors would be installed. In case of a threat, quick reaction BSF teams will intervene and neutralise it.

The BSF chief expressed hope that it will be able to plug the gaps in "vulnerable areas" along the country's borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh in the next three to five years.

He said that the BSF plans to put up a CIBMS in areas along the Indo-Pak and India-Bangladesh border, where it is difficult to put up a fence due to the nature of the terrain as well as check cross-border infiltration and smuggling.

The BSF has decided to go ahead on construction of 10-meter high wall cum embankment along IB in Jammu frontier after much delay.

The Central government had begun the process of building a wall 10 meters high and 190 km long IB to prevent infiltration, and protect locals from shelling across the border in 2016.

The wall, called border embankment for strategic reasons, will be built along the 110 km stretch of the Kathua-Jammu region is going to be 135 feet wide. A proposal to construct 80 additional border posts has also been approved.

Out of 118 villages in the districts of Kathua, Samba and Jammu, authorities have completed land acquisition in 106 villages. In all over 1,600 acres of land is being procured at a cost of Rs 104 crore. -- PTI

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BJP President Amit Shah's meeting with Dalit leaders in Mysuru turned chaotic after some angry protesters raised slogans demanding Union Minister Anant Kumar

Hegde's ouster for his reported controversial comments about Dalits and change in the Indian Constitution.

At an interaction with Dalit leaders, Shah was asked several questions in writing, but he preferred to answer a few.

Replying to the protesters demand to explain his stand on Hegde's remarks, Shah said neither he nor his party had anything to do with it.

Disappointed with Shah's reply, the protesters flayed him and sought removal of Hegde from the cabinet.

Subsequently, Mysuru MP Pratap Simha tried to pacify the protesters, but the situation went out of control and turned chaotic.

Police immediately took the Dalit leaders into custody.

Shah, who was in the state ahead of crucial May 12 assembly polls, was visiting Mysuru, Chamarajanagar, Mandya and Ramanagara which are considered as Vokkaliga heartland.

Hegde had also reportedly said "we are here to change the Constitution and we'll change it."

The minister had to tender an apology in the Lok Sabha after a nudge by the Speaker, but he said his speech at a function in Karnataka was 'distorted'.

He had also denied having made any anti-Dalit remarks. -- PTI

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Shalabh Mani Tripathi has filed a defamation case against Rahul Gandhi for allegedly making derogatory remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi during Congress party's national conclave in New Delhi recently.

The BJP spokesperson filed the complaint at the Deoria district fast track court under IPC sections 499 and 500 (defamation).

Tripathi's counsel said April 5 has been fixed as the date of hearing of the case.

When contacted, Tripathi said, "During the Congress party national conclave in Delhi, Rahul Gandhi tried to draw similarities between PM Modi, Nirav Modi (tainted diamond businessman) and Lalit Modi (former IPL commissioner)."

"He also said the name Modi had become synonymous to corruption. This remark has hurt the sentiments of BJP party workers and countrymen and for this reason I have filed a defamation case against him in Deoria court today," he said.

Reacting to the development, the Congress party said it would keep raising voice against government's policies and its "failure" to check corruption.

"It is our duty to raise issues related to the people of the country and we will continue to do so," said Congress district general secretary Anwar Hussain. "We are ready to face court cases and even jail for country."

During three-day Congress national conclave in Delhi on March 16,17 and 18, Congress president Rahul Gandhi attacked PM Modi and compared him with Nirav Modi and Lalit Modi, both accused of fleeing the country after massive fraud. -- PTI

09:33 Will not contest 2019 LS polls: Deve Gowda

Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda on Friday said he will not be contesting the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

The Janata Dal Secular president also indicated that his grandson Prajwal Revanna may contest in his place from Hassan, if public decides and no other senior leaders of the party was willing to take it up.

"I have decided not to contest for parliament (election), I have asked all leaders from our district if they would like to contest for parliament. They will be given

first preference," Gowda told reporters in Hassan.

Pointing out that several party leaders have expressed their unwillingness, he said "What should I do, I have completed 85 years (age)."

"My honest opinion is that I want to send Prajwal Revanna to parliament, but people will decide."

"Prajwal is educated and has the capability, but some times he easily gets upset, it is common..," he added.

Prajwal, son of Gowda's elder son and senior JD-S leader H D Revanna, who was until recently involved in party activities as a worker in Hassan district, the family's home turf, was in November appointed state general secretary.

The appointment was then seen as a push to the political aspirations of Prajwal, who has been openly demanding a party ticket for the May 12 assembly elections. -- PTI

09:25 Sitharaman to visit Russia on Apr 3

Defence Minister Niramala Sitharaman will be travelling to Russia next week to attend the seventh Moscow Conference on International Security.

This will be her first visit to Russia in her capacity as the defence minister.

During her three-day tour, between April 3 and 5, she will participate in the VII Moscow Conference on International Security, according to a statement from Indian Embassy in Moscow.

Sitharaman will also meet her Russian counterpart Army General Sergei Shoigu, and other senior leaders, it said.

"The visit is in keeping with the tradition of high level exchanges between India and Russia. It will provide an opportunity to reinforce the traditional warm and friendly relations that exists between the two countries with particular reference to military technical cooperation," the statement said. -- PTI

Moderate Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has said it was up to the government to withdraw his security cover as he had never asked for it.

"I reiterate that the government is free to withdraw the police personnel as and when it wants as I have never asked for it," the Mirwaiz said addressing Friday congregation at the Jamia Masjid in Srinagar.

Apparently referring to Centre's written response to a question in Parliament, Mirwaiz said the issue of police cover provided to him is being raked up and "exploited" by the government.

"Drums are being beaten about the expenditure incurred on the cover. What is obvious is the pettiness of such people that they can play politics even on such an issue," he said.

The Mirwaiz said after the killing of his father, Mirwaiz Mohammad Farooq by militants in 1990, police personnel were stationed at his house at Nigeen when he returned from Mirwaiz Manzil Rajouri Kadal where his family were staying for two months.

"When we inquired (about the presence of police personnel), it was communicated that it was obligatory on the state to provide the cover based on their assessment of threat perception to me after my father's Shahadat (martyrdom), and will not be removed," he said.

"While hundreds of crores are spent on the police cover provided to thousands of people in the state, singling me out and drumming it up when they very well know the background of the whole issue shows their shallowness," he added.

Mirwaiz said for him prayers of his people are "my protection and their selfless love and trust in me my strength and asset". -- PTI

The Congress has accused the government of attacking institutions and attempting to install people having Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ideology in the judiciary.

Congress leader Kapil Sibal alleged that while the Bharatiya Janata Party has already appointed RSS 'pracharaks' in key positions in educational institutions of the country, it is now attempting to install RSS pracharaks or people of their thinking in the judiciary.

"They have filled educational institutions with RSS pracharaks. Now they are making attempts to fill the judiciary with RSS pracharaks or people with their thinking," he told reporters.

The former law minister said, "This is not acceptable to us and will oppose it. If need be, we will also raise this issue with the judiciary."

He alleged that every institution in the country was under attack and attempts were being made to control the media and the judiciary.

"If this happens, democracy will be weakened," he said.

"This government's thinking is to control the judiciary, as it feels the judiciary is going out of its control," he said, and cited a letter written by Justice Chamleshwar of the Supreme Court, raising concerns over direct intervention of the central government in the judiciary.

He said it is for the first time that the central government has written directly to the Karnataka chief justice, instead of writing to the Chief Justice of India.

"Slowly every institution in the country is being attacked under this government...The prime minister has first ruined the institution of Parliament and now the media and the judiciary. This government is continuously attacking the judiciary...," he said.

Sibal also alleged that the government was doing "selective appointments" in the judiciary by according approval to appointment of people of their choice and putting the rest in the cold storage. --PTI

The pilgrimage yatra to the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Cave Shrine has been suspended from the Katra base camp in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district.

The decision was taken in lieu of an unprecedented rush of pilgrims.

An official from the board stated that the ticket counter had to be closed nearly two hours ahead of its scheduled closing time due to a massive crowd of pilgrims.

"More than 41,000 pilgrims had left for the shrine, but the ticket counter was closed at 8:00 pm, two hours before its scheduled time due to heavy rush of pilgrims,'' the official said.

Furthermore, the official noted that around 15,000 to 20,000 pilgrims are stranded at the Katra base camp.

Scores of devotees have visited the holy shrine this year to obtain blessings of the lord, which has resulted in an unexpected rush at the premises.

In January, the pilgrimage yatra from Katra was suspended as the number of devotees crossed the 50,000 mark on New Year's Eve.

On a related note, an average 35,000 to 40,000 devotees are arriving at Katra every day to pay their obeisance at the Vaishno Devi shrine. -- ANI

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