LIVE! Pilot must have conversation first: Cong

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Sun, 02 August 2020

Pilot must have conversation first: Cong

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22:34 NIA arrests 6 more people in Kerala gold smuggling case

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested six more people and conducted searches at six places in connection with the Kerala gold smuggling case, an official said on Sunday.

The agency has so far arrested 10 people in the case of smuggling of gold through diplomatic baggage addressed to the United Arab Emirates consulate in Kerala capital Thiruvananthapuram.

On July 30, two accused -- Jalal A M of Ernakulam and Said Alavi E of Malappuram -- were arrested for conspiring with the arrested accused Ramees K T, an NIA spokesperson said.

On July 31, two more accused, Mohammed Shafi P and Abdu P T, both residents of Malappuram, were arrested in the case, he said.

On August 1, the NIA arrested two more persons -- Ernakulam-residents Muhammad Ali Ebrahim and Muhammad Ali -- after investigation revealed that they were part of the conspiracy, besides aiding and assisting Jalal A M in collecting the smuggled gold from Ramees K T in Thiruvananthapuram and distributing the contraband among other conspirators, he said.

Muhammad Ali is a member of the Popular Front of India and was earlier charge-sheeted by the Kerala Police with chopping the palm of a professor but got acquitted after trial in 2015, the official said.

On August 2, the NIA conducted searches at six places -- the residences of Jalal A M and Rabins Hameed in Ernakulam, and of Ramees K T, Mohammed Shafi, Said Alavi and Abdu P T in Malappuram -- the official said.

During searches, two hard disks, one tablet computer, eight mobile phones, six SIM cards, one digital video recorder and five DVDs were seized, besides various documents including bank passbooks, credit/debit cards, travel documents and identity documents of the accused, he said.

The NIA took over the probe and registered a case on July 10 against four people, including a key woman suspect, for their alleged involvement in smuggling 30 kg gold worth Rs 14.82 crore in a diplomatic baggage in Kerala.

Further investigation in the case was underway, the official added. -- PTI

22:06 Pilot must have conversation first: Cong

After Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said he will embrace rebel Congressmen if they apologise to the 'high command', the Congress on Sunday made it clear that Sachin Pilot must first spell out his position unequivocally and hold a conversation.

The Congress also claimed that its government in Rajasthan was safe and would prove its majority on the floor of the house when the assembly meets on August 14.

"Sachin Pilot must come and hold a conversation first. Pilot must come out and state his position clearly and unequivocally first and only then can any talk of his return happen," Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said at a press conference.

Asked about Gehlot's comments that he will embrace the rebels and accept them, after having used some harsh words against Pilot a few days ago, Surjewala said the same were stated out of 'hurt feelings and sentiments' due to the conspiracy to topple his government.

"Ashok Gehlot ji has acted responsibly and in a mature fashion in what he has stated," he said.

"It should also set to rest all criticism of some remarks in a way out of his hurt feelings and sentiments, on account of a clear conspiracy in collusion with the BJP to topple his government in the state," the Congress leader said.

Asked how many MLAs supported the Congress in Rajasthan, Surjewala said, "We have over 102 MLAs."

He has earlier claimed the support of 109 MLAs in the state, which has a total of 200 MLAs.

Gehlot had said on Saturday in Jaisalmer, where the party MLAs have been shifted from Jaipur, ahead of the assembly session, that he has no issues with any of the rebels if they apologised to the party high command and would abide by whatever the leadership decided about them. -- PTI

The mortal remains of Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh were brought to the national capital on Sunday evening from Singapore, where he breathed his last, sources close to the family said.

Singh, 64, died in a Singapore hospital, where he was undergoing treatment for kidney-related ailments, on Saturday.

His mortal remains were brought to Delhi in a chartered aircraft, the sources said, adding that Singh's wife Pankaja was also on the plane.

The cremation will take place at the Chhatarpur crematorium on Monday morning.

Due to COVID-19 protocols, Singh's last rites will be performed in the presence of a limited number of people, the sources said.

The former Samajwadi Party leader had undergone a kidney transplant in 2011 and was not keeping well for a long time. -- PTI

The Centre has written to all states and Union Territories stating that smartphones and tablet devices should be allowed for hospitalised COVID-19 patients so that they can interact with family and friends through video conferencing, which would provide them psychological support.

Though mobile phones are allowed in hospital wards, the missive was issued following some representation from the kin of patients alleging otherwise.

Director General of Health Services (DGHS) in the Health Ministry Dr Rajiv Garg in the letter to the principal secretaries of health and medical education of states and Union territories said appropriate protocols for disinfecting devices and allotting timeslots can be developed by the hospital concerned to facilitate contact between patients and their family.

He underlined that administrative and medical teams should be responsive to the psychological needs of patients admitted in COVID-19 wards and ICUs of various hospitals.

'Social connection can calm down patients and also reinforce the psychological support given by the treating team. Please instruct all concerned that they should allow smartphones and tablet devices in patient area so that the patient can video conference with their family and friends,' stated the letter issued on July 29.

'Though mobile phones are allowed in the wards to enable a patient stay in touch with his or her family, we received representations from the patient families from some states stating mobile phones are not being allowed by hospital administrations because of which they were not being able to stay in contact with the patient," said Dr Garg. -- PTI

19:56 Suicide of Sushant's ex-manager to be probed

The Bihar Police team, which is in Mumbai to investigate a case related Sushant Singh Rajput's death, will also probe the alleged suicide of his former manager Disha Salian, and if needed also record the statements of those Bollywood personalities, who were earlier questioned by their Mumbai counterparts, officials said on Sunday.

Patna City Superintendent of Police (SP), Vinay Tiwari, on Sunday reached Mumbai to supervise the probe being conducted by the four-member team from the Bihar capital.

Rajput, 34, was found hanging at his apartment in suburban Bandra on June 14.

Mumbai Police, who are probing the death case, have so far recorded statements of nearly 40 people, including those from Rajput's family, his cook and people from the film industry that include filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, film critic Rajeev Masand, director-producer Sanjay Leela Bhansali and filmmaker Aditya Chopra.

The Bihar Police team is probing a separate 'abetment to suicide' case on the basis of a complaint filed by the late actor's father in Patna.

Talking to PTI, Inspector General of Police (Patna zone) Sanjay Singh, said, "We are going to investigate the suicide case of Sushant Singh Rajput's former manager Disha Salian, and will also question his friend and creative content manager Siddharth Pithani, who was staying with the actor for the past one year."

"Our officials are visiting all possible places related to this case. They had also visited Rajput's residence and recreated the scene. In the coming days, more people are likely to be questioned in the case," he said.

Salian, 28, allegedly committed suicide by jumping from the high-rise building in Malad area here on June 8.

Apart from Rajput, Salian had also managed the work of actors like Bharti Singh, Rhea Chakraborty and Varun Sharma. Earlier Pithani had sent an e-mail to the Mumbai Police, alleging that family members of the late Bollywood star pressurised him to give a statement against actress Rhea Chakraborty, an official said. -- PTI

19:00 UP BJP chief tests positive for COVID-19

The chief of Uttar Pradesh's Bharatiya Janata Party unit, Swatantra Dev Singh, has tested positive for COVID-19 and has quarantined himself at his home as per doctors' advice.

Singh made public this information on Sunday in a tweet in Hindi.

'I had been experiencing initial symptoms of COVID-19 and underwent a test for it. I was found positive for COVID-19, said Singh in his tweet.

'The leader also requested his acquaintances who came in his contact recently to get themselves tested for the infection.

'I request every person who came in my contact to get themselves tested for infection and quarantine themselves as per the guidelines,' he added in his tweet.

'On the advice of doctors, I have quarantined myself at my home. I request all the residents of UP to exercise caution and strictly adhere to the guidelines of the government,' he said in another tweet. -- PTI

18:18 TN Guv tests Covid positive, asymptomatic

JUST IN: Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit tests positive for COVID-19.

He is asymptomatic and clinically stable.

As the infection is mild, he has been advised home isolation and will be monitored by the medical team of Kauvery Hospital, says Kauvery Hospital, Chennai. -- ANI

17:14 Amitabh tests Covid negative, discharged

JUST IN: Veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan has been discharged from hospital after testing negative for COVID-19, announces his son and actor Abhishek Bachchan.

'My father, thankfully, has tested negative on his latest Covid-19 test and has been discharged from the hospital. He will now be at home and rest. Thank you all for all your prayers and wishes for him,' Abhishek tweeted.

'I, unfortunately due to some comorbidities remain Covid-19 positive and remain in hospital.

'Again, thank you all for your continued wishes and prayers for my family. Very humbled and indebted.

'Ill beat this and come back healthier! Promise,' he said in another tweet.

Abhishek's wife Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and daughter Aaryadhya were discharged a few days ago. -- with ANI inputs

16:57 Amit Shah tests positive for COVID-19

JUST IN: Union Home Minister Amit Shah tests positive for COVID-19.

He is being admitted to the hospital.

The home minister tweeted that he is fine.

'I got tested for COVID-19 after showing initial symptoms. The report is positive. I am fine, but being admitted to a hospital on advice of doctors. I request all those who came in contact with me to isolate themselves and get a test done,' Shah tweeted in Hindi. -- ANI

Akhil Bharatiya Sant Samiti, one of the highest bodies of Hindu sadhus and sants, has launched a scathing attack on Shiv Sena Chief and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray for suggesting that the bhoomi poojan of Ram Temple at Ayodhya be performed via video conferencing.

Jitendranand Saraswati General Secretary Akhil Bharatiya Sant Samiti said that a 'nalayak' (unworthy) son was occupying the legacy of a tall leader (Bal Thackeray).

"Uddhav has studied in a convent school and can't understand the difference between virtual and real," he added.

"Baap ki virasat par nalayak beta baitha ho use dharm adhyatm ki bhasha rajneeti ki bhasha lage, yeh dukhdh hai. Jab Italian Battalion ki god mein baithe ho to yahi hoga (It is sad that the unworthy son who is living on his father's legacy equates political language with that of spirituality. What can you expect more from someone who is sitting in the lap of Italian battalion)," said Saraswati.

Saraswati praised Balasaheb Thackeray for his continued support to the Ram temple cause.

"His father was a tall figure. But Uddhav studied in a missionary school and will not understand the difference between virtual and real. How can the bhoomi poojan be performed without touching the earth?" asked Saraswati.

The religious leader, who has been invited to the bhoomi poojan, stated that industrialists coming to the event will help rebuild Ayodhya.

"Today's dilapidated Ayodhya will be future India's spiritual capital. We cannot even imagine the change after the bhoomi poojan. Many industrialists are coming here.

"We expect them to rebuild Ayodhya. From ruins, filth and monkey menace and it will move towards Ram Rajya. That is the aim of this bhoomi pujan," he said.

Saraswati is now excited about the future of temples at Kashi and Mathura as well.

"Hopefully, we will witness Krishna janmbhoomi after Ram janmbhoomi. Kashi, and Mathura were not different for us when we took up the cause of Ayodhya.

"We just wanted three of our temples back. Sangh will discuss the time frame as and when it can be taken under a legal framework," he said.

Shree Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, a Supreme Court-mandated trust will define temples' role towards sanathan Hindu society and strengthen the society in areas like education and health, he added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to lay the foundation stone of the Ram temple in Ayodhya on August 5.

The construction of Ram temple will begin in Ayodhya after the ceremony to lay the foundation stone in which various dignitaries from the political and religious fields are likely to participate apart from RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. -- ANI

A registry of hospitalised COVID-19 patients across the country is being mooted to collect real time data which will help improve treatment outcomes, analyse trends in the progression of the pandemic and calibrate response, officials said.

The ICMR in collaboration with the Health Ministry and the AIIMS is planning to set up the National Clinical Registry which will help researchers and policy makers understand effectiveness of investigational therapies, adverse effects taking place and generate evidence for improving the treatment of COVID-19 patients.

"The aim is to collect data of the hospitalised COVID-19 patients like clinical and laboratory features, their demographics, co-morbidities, treatment outcomes, complications in all age groups among others," officials said.

The novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2 and the illness it is causing has so many unknown parameters that are a barrier to the proper understanding and management of the disease, they said.

"A systematically collected, comprehensive database covering different regions of the country will enable both researchers and policy makers to generate pertinent hypotheses, to inform crucial understanding of COVID 19, to detect trends in the progression of the pandemic and to accordingly calibrate response to the pandemic," an official said.

Fifteen institutions of national repute including the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh, AIIMS Delhi, AIIMS Jodhpur, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru and Armed Force Medical College in Pune will connect with the hospitals and medical colleges to get them on board.

These 15 institutions would be the registry sites and would be mentoring around 100 COVID-19 hospitals which would be called satellite centres from where the data would be collected as part of the exercise.

The proposal has been sent for approval to the Central Ethics Committeeon Human Research (CECHR)of the ICMR.

"The data will help improve the clinical management protocols as the repository would help us know which drug is working better in which age group, effectiveness of investigational therapies and adverse effects taking place. The idea is to generate evidence for improving the treatment of COVID-19 patients," another official said. -- PTI

15:20 Bihar police looking for Sushant's flatmate

Bihar police is looking for Sushant Singh Rajput's flatmate Siddharth Pithani to record his statement in the actor's death case but has failed to locate him so far, a top state police officer said on Sunday.

Pithani is a creative content manager and flatmate of the late actor who was found dead at his Bandra apartment in Mumbai on June 14.

Bihar police is looking for Siddharth Pithani to record his statement as he used to stay with the actor.

Efforts to contact Pithani have been futile.

He has not come forward before the police...Notice will be served if he does not appear, Inspector General, Patna Zone, Sanjay Singh told PTI.

Pithani had alleged in an email to Mumbai police two days ago that he was being pressured by Rajput's family to record a statement against his girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty.

Pithani had said that he shared a professional relationship with the late actor.

Singh said that IPS officer Vinay Tiwary, who is posted as City SP (Central) Patna, has already left for Mumbai to lead the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case.

Bihar DGP Gupteshwar Pandey had Saturday said, if needed, an IPS officer would be sent to Mumbai to join the investigation.

Pandey had also said that Bihar police team had failed to locate Rhea Chakraborty, whom Rajput's father has accused of abetting the actor's suicide.

Rajput's father has also accused Chakraborty of wrongful confinement of the actor, spiriting away Rs 15 crore from one of his bank accounts, and having him undergo treatment for mental illness without keeping his family informed.

A four-member team is already in Mumbai to probe the Bollywood actors death case after his father K K Singh lodged a police complaint in Patna on July 25, more than a month after his demise.

Mumbai police is also parallelly probing the case. Several political leaders including Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi have alleged that Mumbai police was not cooperating with their Patna counterparts in the investigation.

'Uddhav Thackeray (Maharashtra CM) is under pressure from the Congress-funded Bollywood mafia. So it's bent on saving all the elements responsible in the case,' the Bharatiya Janata Party leader had tweeted in Hindi on Saturday, and accused the Mumbai police of creating hurdles before the Bihar police team.

Bihar DGP Gupteshwar Pandey, meanwhile, said the state police team in Mumbai had not yet got any documents from the metropolitan police.

"Apart from the FIR that we have registered, we have nothing. We have not received the inquest report, postmortem report, video footage of the building.....That the investigation moves forward and truth is unravelled is the responsibility of both Mumbai and Bihar police. Sushant's death is not a simple matter," he told a TV news channel. -- PTI

Former Delhi University professor G N Saibaba, who is serving life term in a jail here in Maharashtra for links with Maoists, has lost his ailing mother even as his lawyer made an unsuccessful last attempt to get him see her through video-conferencing.

On Tuesday, the Nagpur bench of Bombay high court rejected the bail application of Saibaba, who had sought release for 45 days on medial grounds so that he could get treatment outside and also meet his 74-year-old mother, who was suffering from cancer, in Hyderabad.

She died in Hyderabad on Saturday, Saibaba's wife said in a statement.

Saibaba, who is wheelchair-bound with over 90 per cent physical disability, is currently lodged in the Nagpur Central Jail.

His advocate Akash Sarode told PTI on Sunday that he informed the Nagpur jail authorities through e-mail on Friday that the condition of Saibaba's mother was serious and it was her wish to see her son.

The lawyer said he requested the jail authorities to arrange a video-conferencing facility for Saibaba to see his ailing mother.

However, he did not receive any reply from the jail authorities even after he called them up over phone.

After Saibaba's mother died on Saturday, Sarode again called up the jail authorities to arrange for a phone call with the family, but he did not get any reply for it also, the lawyer said.

Saibaba's wife Vasantha said her mother-in-law Gokarakonda Suryavathi died at 1.40 pm on Saturday. She was undergoing cancer treatment at NIMS, Hyderabad, and her health was progressively getting worse.

She was 'desperately waiting to be reunited with her eldest son, Dr G N Saibaba, currently languishing in prison under unfair charges', she said in the statement on Saturday.

The court rejected his bail petition and parole, where he expressed his desire to see his mother in her final moments.

Her son could not see her for the past four years since his incarceration, Saibaba's wife said.

"I feel extremely saddened by the loss of this kind and caring woman and even deeply disappointed in myself that I could not fulfill her final wish of letting her meet her son," she said, adding that the deceased had tested negative for coronavirus.

In March 2017, a sessions court in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district convicted Saibaba and four others, including a journalist and a Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student, for Maoist links and engaging in activities amounting to 'waging war against the country'.

The court held Saibaba and others guilty under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). -- PTI