LIVE! CBI to probe graft in Delhi govt's bus procurement

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Sun, 21 August 2022

CBI to probe graft in Delhi govt's bus procurement

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22:23 CBI to probe graft in Delhi govt's bus procurement

The CBI has registered a preliminary enquiry over allegations of alleged corruption in the procurement of 1,000 low-floor buses by the Delhi government, officials said on Sunday.

The enquiry was registered on a reference of the Union home ministry, they said.

The Delhi government had refuted the "allegations" of corruption in bus procurement and accused the BJP-led central government of "harassing" it by using the CBI.

The matter of "corruption" in annual maintenance contract of the bus procurement by the Delhi Transport Corporation was raised by the BJP in Delhi assembly in March last year.

A three-member committee formed by former Lt governor Anil Baijal in June last year had found procedural "flaws" in the AMC and recommended scrapping it.

The LG had referred the matter to the MHA in for its consideration, the officials said.

A preliminary enquiry is the first step in ascertaining allegations in a complaint if they prima facie indicate a crime deserving an FIR, they said.

MP Governor Mangu Bhai C Patel/Twitter

22:08 MP governor tests positive for Covid; admitted to Bhopal AIIMS

Madhya Pradesh Governor Mangu Bhai C Patel tested positive for coronavirus on Sunday and was admitted to the Bhopal-based All India Institute of Medical Sciences, a bulletin said.

Patel's swab sample collected through RT-PCR was sent to the microbiology department on Sunday morning, which is found positive for COVID, the bulletin said. Patel's CT scan of the chest shows mild pneumonitis, it said.

The AIIMS also said that the governor is being treated for COVID-19 and an expert group of multi-speciality doctors are continuously monitoring his health.

Patel, 78, continues to be on oxygen support at the rate of one litre per minute and is maintaining oxygen saturation of 96 per cent. -- PTI

AIIMS, New Delhi

21:06 All 23 AIIMS to be named after local heroes, monuments, geographical identities

The government has firmed up a proposal to give specific names to all the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, including that in Delhi, based on regional heroes, freedom fighters, historical events or monuments of the area or their distinct geographical identity.

Majority of the 23 AIIMSs have submitted a list of names, after the Union ministry of health and family welfare sought suggestions from them in this matter, official sources said.

AIIMS, many of which are operational while others being set up under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana, are known by its generic name and distinguished only by their location, an official explained.

"So, the Union health ministry has drafted a proposal to give specific names to all the 23 AIIMS, which include those fully functional, partially operational or under construction," the source said.

In this regard, suggestions were sought for assigning specific names to different AIIMS, which could be linked to local or regional heroes of prominence, freedom fighters, distinct geographical identity of the area where the institute is located and prominent historical events or monuments of the region," the source explained. -- PTI

The damaged car/ANI

20:42 Bihar CM Nitish Kumar's convoy attacked

Stones were pelted at the convoy of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday.

The CM was not present in the convoy at the time of the incident.

The window glasses of the car were damaged in the attack. -- ANI

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19:51 Video showing undertrial cutting cake inside Maharashtra police van goes viral

A video showing an undertrial cutting a birthday cake inside a police van when he was brought to court for a hearing in Kalyan in Maharashtra's Thane district has gone viral on social media, prompting the police to begin an inquiry, an official said on Sunday.

Roshan Jha from Ulhasnagar celebrated his birthday by cutting a cake which his friends passed to him through the window of the police escort van stationed near the court premises, he said.

"The police escort team that brought him to the court belonged to Thane Rural police. We are inquiring into the issue," he said. -- PTI

19:23 CBI look out circular against 8 in excise case

The Central Bureau of Investigation on Sunday issued a look out circular against eight accused -- all private persons -- in connection with the CBI case against Delhi deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and others for alleged irregularities in the excise policy.

A senior CBI official confirmed that there was a total of nine private persons have been named in the FIR.

Except for Manoj Rai, ex-vice president of Pernod Ricard, LOC has been issued against all private persons.

The accused who have been put on the list of LOC include Vijay Nair, former CEO of Only Much Louder, an entertainment and event management company, Amandeep Dhal, owner of Brindco Spirits, Sameer Mahendru, owner of Indospirit, Amit Arora, director of Buddy Retail Pvt. Limited, Dinesh Arora of Radha Industries, Sunny Marwah of Mahadev Liquors, a proprietorship firm, Arjun Ramchandra Pillai and Arjun Pandey.

Earlier, in the day Manish Sisodia took a jibe over reports of look out circular against him and other accused in the excise policy case, but sources in CBI have clarified that it might be issued soon and that the procedure to do so was underway.

CBI sources later clarified that look out circular is "in process, not issued yet".

It was a procedural matter that takes the due process to be followed before issuing it against any person. -- ANI

Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh has sought more time to join the investigation in the case of the nude photographs registered against him, the police said on Sunday.

Singh was summoned to record his statement on August 22 in connection with a First Information Report registered against him at the Chembur police station.

Singh has requested that he be given some time to appear before the police and join the investigation, a police official said.

Personnel of the Chembur police station on August 12 visited Singh's residence to serve him a notice to join the probe, but they were informed that he was not in Mumbai and scheduled to return on August 16.

The FIR was registered against Singh at Chembur police station last month based on a complaint filed by an office-bearer of a non-profit organization.

The actor hurt the sentiments of women in general and insulted their modesty through his photographs, the complaint claimed. -- PTI

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18:49 5 big tech cos' execs to depose before Parl panel

Top executives of the Indian arms of Apple, Google, Amazon, Netflix and Microsoft will on Tuesday depose before a parliamentary panel looking into anti-competitive practices in the digital space, the committee's chairman Jayant Sinha said.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance has been looking into various aspects of competition in the marketplace, especially concerning technology majors.

According to a notice issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat, the agenda of the meeting is "Oral evidence of the representatives of big tech companies on the subject 'Anti-Competitive' practices by big tech companies."

"Representatives of Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Netflix, from their Indian arms and a few others will appear before the parliamentary panel on the issue of competitive behaviour in the digital market," Sinha said on Sunday.

The BJP leader and former Union minister further said the committee has already held deliberations with the Competition Commission of India, the ministry of corporate affairs, and Indian tech firms on the issue.

Representatives of food delivery platforms Swiggy and Zomato, e-commerce player Flipkart, cab aggregator Ola, hotel aggregator Oyo, and the All India Gaming Association are among those who have already been called by the Sinha-led panel. -- PTI

Mahendrasinh Baraiya/Facebook

18:15 Former Cong MLA set to join BJP; blames party inaction on factionalism

A former Congress MLA from Sabarkantha district in Gujarat has resigned from the party and is set to join the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in the state.

Mahendrasinh Baraiya, former legislator from Prantil Assembly seat, on Sunday said he would join the BJP at its 'Kamalam' headquarters in Gandhinagar on Monday.

Baraiya had won the Prantil seat in 2012 by beating BJP's Jaysinh Chauhan, while he lost the elections in 2017 by a margin of 2,551 votes to BJP's Gajendrasinh Parmar.

"I was an MLA between 2012 and 2017. In 2017, factionalism within the Congress led to my defeat. I told the party leadership about this and requested them to work to control the damage. But the party has no policy for this. In fact, some senior party leaders are themselves involved in such things," he said.

Baraiya praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said the BJP government had worked for the development of his region, adding that he was joining the ruling party due to its emphasis on development.

He will be joining the BJP in the presence of its state unit chief CR Paatil just a few days after two senior Congress leaders and former state ministers joined the ruling party. -- PTI

The Punjab police on Sunday tightened security and carried out intensive checking of vehicles in Mohali in the wake of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit on August 24 to inaugurate the Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital and Research Centre at Mohali's Mullanpur.

"As part of security arrangements in view of the prime minister's visit on August 24, we are carrying out a special drive under which all vehicles are being thoroughly checked," deputy superintendent of police, Mohali, HS Mann said.

"Besides, random checking at other public places is also being done in the district," Mann said.

The police were deployed in strength to conduct checking of public transport vehicles and those entering the district from border.

"The vehicles are being checked at state borders and strict vigil is being maintained to check anti-social elements," he said.

In Chandigarh too, police strengthened security arrangements and carried out intensive checking of public transport vehicles at inter-state bus terminuses in Sector 43 and Sector 17 on Sunday.

Besides, checking of vehicles at other checkpoints in the city was also being conducted, officials said, adding security has been strengthened at crowded places including shopping malls in the city. -- PTI

Japan PM Fumio Kishida

17:02 Japan PM Kishida tests COVID positive, symptoms mild

Amid a sharp spike in the COVID cases in Japan, the country's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida tested positive Sunday for the novel coronavirus, media reports said citing the premier's office.

To recover from the contracted virus, Kishida is now resting at his official residence.

The Japanese PM started experiencing mild symptoms such as a slight fever and cough on Saturday night, Japan's local media outlet Kyodo News reported citing the office.

The 65-year-old Japanese leader was scheduled to resume his duties on Monday after taking a roughly weeklong summer vacation with his family.

Japan reported 253,265 additional coronavirus cases Saturday, marking the third straight day of over 250,000 with no end in sight for the ongoing seventh wave of infections.

Tokyo reported 25,277 new cases, up 1,504 from the same day a week earlier, while in Osaka Prefecture, 23,098 new cases were reported.

Record numbers of cases were confirmed in Miyagi, Yamagata, Tottori, Okayama and Tokushima prefectures, with 254 additional deaths nationally. -- ANI

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16:38 Surrendered Maoist killed in Chhattisgarh

A Maoist allegedly murdered a former colleague, who had surrendered before the police three months ago, in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district, a senior official said on Sunday.

Baman Poyam, who was in his 40s, was found dead on a road near Pondum village under Bhairamgarh police station limits on Sunday morning, the official said.

Poyam, who was a Maoist janmilitia member, had surrendered before the police in Bijapur on May 30 and had since been staying in the Police Lines area, he said.

As per preliminary information, Poyam went missing a few days ago from Police Lines and the local police was trying to trace him, the official said.

On being alerted about the death, a police team reached the spot and recovered the body, he said.

"Poyam's body bore injury marks made by sharp-edged weapons. Prima facie, it seems to be the handiwork of Moists, but an investigation is underway," the official added. -- PTI

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16:18 Pakistani intruder held near LoC in Rajouri

A Pakistani intruder was arrested by army troops near the Line of Control in the Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday, officials said.

The infiltrator sustained injuries when the Indian army opened fire on observing suspicious movement from across the border in the Jhangarh area of the Nowshera sector, the officials said.

The officials said the intruder was taken into custody and shifted to a medical facility for treatment.

Nothing incriminating was recovered from his possession, they added. -- PTI

The JD-U will hold meetings of its national executive and national council in Patna on September 3 and 4 respectively.

Party general secretary Afaque Ahmed Khan said organisational issues and membership drive will be discussed over the two days.

The meetings assume significance as they come in the wake of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's decision to snap his party's ties with the BJP and join hands with the RJD-Congress-Left alliance.

Kumar's move has infused some fresh energy in the otherwise dispirited opposition camp and given rise to speculation that he may emerge as its prime ministerial candidate in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The national executive and the national council are the two most important organisational bodies of the JD-U. -- PTI

Its eyes fixed on the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the Bharatiya Janata Party is likely to continue with changes at key positions in its several state units to address organisational issues and emerging political challenges.

The recent revamp of its apex organisational body, parliamentary board, may have made more news for its omissions of Union minister Nitin Gadkari and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, but the BJP has also made it more socially and regionally representative.

For the first time, non-upper castes are in a majority in the board, as the party continues with its outreach to traditionally weaker and backward sections of society.

Before that, the BJP top brass had effected changes in several states and is now likely to appoint a new president of its Uttar Pradesh unit and bring in some new faces in Bihar where its traditional calculation has been upended after the JD-U dumped it and joined hands with the RJD-Congress-Left combine.

In the last few weeks, the BJP has appointed state presidents in Maharashtra, Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh and shuffled people manning crucial positions in several states, including Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and West Bengal.

The ruling party had reaped a bumper harvest in most of these states in 2019 and made major gains in Bengal and Telangana.

There has also been speculation about the fate of Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.

Critics have questioned his leadership abilities in a state where the opposition Congress remains a strong force but the BJP has so far ruled out any change.

Its decision to include BS Yediyurappa, the ageing but still-powerful Lingayat leader, in the parliamentary board though highlights its continuing attempt to sharpen its social outreach in its lone southern stronghold.

Giving Sunil Bansal, its high profile UP general secretary in charge of the organisation, a national role is as much an acknowledgment of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's pre-eminence in the state's affairs as of its faith in Bansal's abilities amid talks of differences between the two leaders on several issues. -- PTI

Pakistan's electronic media watchdog has banned satellite television channels from broadcasting live speeches of ousted prime minister Imran Khan, hours after he threatened state institutions and made provocative statements while addressing a rally in Islamabad.

Khan, while addressing a public gathering here on Saturday, threatened to file cases against top police officials, a woman magistrate, Election Commission of Pakistan and political opponents over the treatment meted out to his aide Shahbaz Gill, who was arrested last week on charges of sedition.

The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority in a communique issued on Saturday said that television channels despite repeated warnings had failed to implement a time-delay mechanism to stop the broadcast of material against 'state institutions'.

"It has been observed that Mr Imran Khan, chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, in his speeches/statements is continuously alleging state institutions by levelling baseless allegations and spreading hate speech through his provocative statements against state institutions and officers which is prejudicial to the maintenance of law and order and is likely to disturb public peace and tranquility," it said.

The regulator said Khan's speeches were in violation of Article 19 of the Constitution and against the code of conduct for the media.

"The competent authority ie, chairman PEMRA in view of the above mentioned background and reasons, in exercise of delegated powers of the authority vested in Section 27(a) of the PEMRA Ordinance 2002 as amended by PEMRA (Amendment) Act 2007, hereby prohibits broadcast of live speech of Imran Khan on all satellite TV channels with immediate effect," it added.

PEMRA, however, said Khan's recorded speech would only be permitted to be aired after an effective delay mechanism to ensure monitoring and editorial control.

Reacting sharply to the ban imposed on the PTI chairman, the party said the government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has a fascist regime.

"Imported fascists are trying to ban Imran Khan's speeches on TV. They have lost the battle completely and now using fascism; they will fail! #HelpPakistan by raising our voices against fascists!," Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party said in a tweet.

Saturday's rally was organised by PTI to express solidarity with Gill and stage a protest against what Khan claimed was "blatant fascism' prevalent under the "imported regime' of prime minister Shehbaz Sharif. -- PTI

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday claimed she had been put under house arrest to stop her from visiting the family of Kashmiri Pandit Sunil Kumar Bhat who was shot dead by terrorists in Shopian recently.

Taking to Twitter, Mufti posted pictures of the locked gates of her residence in Gupkar area in Srinagar and a CRPF vehicle parked outside.

The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said the Centre's "callous policies" have led to target killings of Kashmiri Pandits.

"GOI wants to push the plight of Kashmiri Pandits under the rug because its their callous policies that've led to unfortunate targeted killings of those who chose not to flee. Projecting us mainstream as their enemy is why Ive been placed under house arrest on Sunday," she wrote on Twitter.

Mufti said her attempts to visit Bhat's family at Chotigam were "scuttled" by the administration.

"The same administration claims that locking us up is for our own security while they themselves visit every nook & corner of the Valley," she added. -- PTI

Former union minister Anand Sharma has resigned from the chairmanship of steering committee of Himachal Pradesh Congress, said sources on Sunday.

In letter to Sonia Gandhi, the Congress leader said that his self-respect is non-negotiable, added the sources.

More details soon. -- PTI

Delhi deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia

13:22 Delhi excise case: No LOC issued by CBI against any accused, say officials

The Central Bureau of Investigation has not issued a look out circular "as of now" against any accused including Delhi deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in the excise policy scam case, officials said Sunday.

They said the process of scrutinising documents is going on and notices are being issued to suspects for questioning, they said.

This comes after Sisodia claimed a lookout notice against him in the excise policy case being probed by the CBI and termed the move a "drama" as the agency found "nothing" during a raid at his residence on Friday.

"As of now" no look out circulars have been issued against any of the accused in the case, the officials said. The CBI has also not felt the need to issue an LOC against public servants so far because they cannot leave the country without intimating the government," they said.

Sisodia is among 15 individuals and entities named in an FIR registered by the CBI in connection with alleged irregularities in the implementation of the Delhi government's Excise Policy 2021-22.

The agency on Friday carried out searches at 31 places including Sisodia's residence and premises of some bureaucrats and businessmen. -- PTI

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13:17 Boat capsizes off Ratnagiri coast in Maharashtra; 4 persons rescued, 1 missing

A boat carrying five people capsized in the Arabian Sea in Maharashtra's Ratnagiri district on Sunday, the police said.

The police later rescued four people, while search was on for one missing person, an official said.

The incident took place around 9.45 am off the Bhatye coast in Ratnagiri, located more than 300 km from Mumbai, he said.

The police received a distress call following which they rushed to the coast and started a rescue operation with the help of local disaster management authority, the official said.

Four persons were rescued and efforts were on to trace one missing person, he added. -- PTI

Clashes between the supporters of Trinamool Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party erupted on Sunday amid the ongoing municipal bypolls in the Asansol constituency of West Bengal.

We had come to see whether polling was going on peacefully or not, but the TMC supporters attacked us. The TMC is rigging votes being cast," BJP MLA Laxman Ghorui alleged.

The voting had begun early in the day amid heavy security at the polling booth premises. -- ANI

Munugode, a nondescript assembly constituency in Telangana, has become the cynosure in the state political arena as political bigwigs descend on the town to woo voters.

Munugode assembly segment in Nalgonda district fell vacant after sitting legislator K Rajgopal Reddy tendered his resignation.

The town is all set to witness a public rally by Amit Shah on Sunday, a day after Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao tore into the BJP in a meeting.

Rao, in his address, challenged Shah to answer as to why the Centre has not yet decided the Krishna river water sharing formula for the state.

He alleged that the Centre has not decided on the share of river water even after eight years since Telangana's formation.

Political temperature has raised in Telangana as the outcome of the upcoming bypoll to Munugode assembly segment is expected to give a perceptual edge to the winner ahead of next year's assembly elections.

As Congress decided to fight tooth and nail to retain the seat, the BJP on the other hand wants to prove that it is the "alternative" to the ruling TRS by clinching the segment.

The TRS on its part was pooling all resources to win Munugode seat to prove a point that people of the state are with the ruling party no matter when the assembly elections come.

It may be noted that securing second position will be a significant one as the party which comes in the second position can claim that it is the principal challenger of the winner. -- PTI

Iqbal Kaskar (right)/ANI

12:17 Dawood's brother Kaskar hospitalised after chest pain complaint

Fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim's jailed brother Iqbal Kaskar was admitted to the government-run JJ Hospital in Mumbai after complaint of chest pain, an official said on Sunday.

Kaskar was rushed to the hospital on Saturday from the Taloja jail in neighbouring Navi Mumbai and is undergoing treatment in the medical facility's cardiac department, the official said.

The Enforcement Directorate had arrested Kaskar in February this year in connection with a money laundering case.

The ED had taken him in custody from the Taloja jail where he was lodged in connection with multiple extortion cases registered against him.

He had later been remanded in judicial custody. -- PTI

Two suspected terrorists linked with the Al-Qaeda Indian Subcontinent and Ansarullah Bangla Team terror groups were arrested by the Assam police in the Goalpara district on Saturday.

The arrested persons have been identified as Abdus Subhan, Imam of Tinkunia Shantipur mosque under Mornoi police station and Jalaluddin Sheikh, Imam of Tilapara Natun mosque under the Matia police station in Goalpara, after they were grilled by the police for several hours.

VV Rakesh Reddy, superintendent of police of Goalpara district said that both the aforesaid persons were arrested after they were grilled for hours.

"We have gotten input in July this year from arrested Abbas Ali who is also linked with Jihadi elements. During the interrogation, we found that they were directly connected with Barpeta and Morigaon modules of AQIS/ABT in Assam," the SP said.

"During the house searches of the accused persons, a number of incriminating material related to the Al-Qaeda, Jihadi elements, posters, books among other documents were seized along with the mobile phones, SIM cards and ID cards," he added.

The top Assam cop further said that they (accused) have also given logistic support to the Jihadi terrorists who came Goalpara from Bangladesh.

"The Bangladeshi nationals are absconding and the arrested terrorists had given shelter to the Bangladeshi terrorists in Goalpara. The arrested persons had organized one Dharma Sabha in December 2019 at Sundarpur Tilapara Madrassa under the Matia police station where many Bangladeshi nationals with linkages to AQIS were invited as guest speakers," the police official said. -- ANI

11:41 Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck get married again

Star couple Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck tied the knot for the second time on Saturday in a lavish, star-studded ceremony.

Lopez, 53, and Affleck, 50, got married during a three-day celebration for friends and family at the latter's sprawling riverfront estate near Savannah, Georgia.

The nuptials come nearly a month after the duo eloped to Las Vegas, according to entertainment website E! News.

Lopez wore a couture Ralph Lauren dress made in Italy for the ceremony, which was officiated by celebrity life coach Jay Shetty.

The dress code for the second wedding was white and the function was attended by Matt Damon and his wife Luciana, director Kevin Smith, and actor Jason Mewes, among others.

The couple, who had announced their engagement in April, recently returned from Paris where they went for their honeymoon.

Lopez and Affleck first dated after working on the movie Gigli.

They got engaged in November 2002, but Lopez called off the engagement in early 2004.

She has been married three previous times, including to singer-songwriter Marc Anthony, the father of her twins Max and Emme; actor Chris Judd and producer Ajani Noa.

This is Affleck's second marriage after his 2018 divorce from Jennifer Garner, with whom he has three children: daughters Violet and Seraphina, and son Samuel. -- PTI

11:08 India logs 11,539 Covid cases

India on Sunday recorded 11,539 fresh coronavirus infections that pushed its tally to 4,43,39,429, while the number of active cases came down to 99,879, according to Union health ministry data.

The toll due to COVID-19 climbed to 5,27,332 with 34 fatalities, including nine deaths reconciled by Kerala, the data updated at 8 am stated.

The active cases comprise 0.23 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate stands at 98.59 per cent, the ministry said.

Shiv Sena MLA and former Maharashtra minister Aaditya Thackeray has sought to know what did the rebel legislators achieve by "backstabbing" the party leadership when it supported them in every possible way.

He made the remarks on Saturday at a public rally in Jalgaon, the Assembly constituency of rebel Sena leader and present state minister Gulabrao Patil.

In June this year, Shiv Sena MLA Eknath Shinde and 39 other legislators revolted against the party leadership, leading to the collapse of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, which comprised the Sena, NCP and Congress.

Shinde was sworn in as the chief minister on June 30 along with BJP's Devendra Fadnavis as his deputy.

CM Shinde recently expanded his cabinet, inducting nine ministers each from the Sena and the BJP.

"We gave them tickets, made efforts to get them elected and supported them in every possible way. Why did they backstab us? What did they achieve by being traitors?" Aaditya Thackeray asked.

"Whatever they have got, they got it for themselves. They have not given anything back to the people," claimed the MLA, who is the son of former CM Uddhav Thackeray.

In the Shinde-led ministry, Gulabrao Patil has retained charge of the water supply and sanitation department, which he held in the previous MVA government. -- PTI

Former Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Gyan Dev Ahuja, who was caught on tape saying that his supporters have so far "lynched five people" for cow smuggling, has been booked by the Alwar Police for allegedly promoting hatred and enmity.

SHO of Govindgarh police station, Shiv Shankar, said the case was registered by police on the basis of the video which surfaced after he visited the family of 45-year-old Chiranjilal Saini, who was lynched by Mev Muslim community members on suspicion of tractor theft, on Friday last.

Saini died during treatment at Jaipur's state-run SMS Hospital on Monday.

Shankar said the FIR was registered under section IPC 153-A for promoting hatred and enmity on the grounds of religion.

In the video, the BJP leader is seen making the comment while interrupting a speaker, who was urging a group of people to launch an agitation against the lynching of Saini.

"We have so far lynched five people, be it in Lawandi or Behror. This has happened for the first time in this area that they have lynched someone. I have given free hand to workers to kill. We will get them acquitted and secure bail," the MLA is seen saying in the video, referring to the Pehlu Khan and Rakbar Khan lynching cases.

As the remarks sparked a controversy, BJP's Alwar (South) chief Sanjay Singh Naruka told PTI that the party "does not have this thinking".

"These are his own views," he added.

When contacted, the former Ramgarh MLA maintained that anyone involved in cow smuggling and slaughter won't be spared.

The MLA said he was sitting with a local RSS leader who suggested launching of an agitation to protest against the lynching of Saini.

A lookout notice has been issued against Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and 12 other people named in a First Information Report filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation on liquor policy violations, restricting them from travelling abroad.

The CBI had carried out searches at the residence of Manish Sisodia, who also handles the Excise Department, and 31 other locations on Friday over allegations of corruption in the liquor policy.

The Rajasthan State Commission for Protection of Child Rights is yet to ascertain whether the death of the nine-year-old Dalit boy in Jalore district was a result of caste-based discrimination, its member said on Saturday.

The report of its findings will be submitted to the state government on Monday.

It has been widely reported that Indra Kumar Meghwal, a Class III student of Saraswati Vidhya Mandir in Surana village, was allegedly beaten up by his teacher Chail Singh on July 20 for touching a drinking water pot and he succumbed to his injuries at a hospital in Gujarat's Ahmedabad on August 14.

Shiv Bhagwan Naga, an RSCPCR member, who visited Surana village in Jalore on August 17, said according to fellow students, teacher Singh had slapped Meghwal and another student for "fighting over a drawing book", as a result of which he suffered injuries in his ear and eye.

"I visited the boy's school and home. I spoke to many of the students, teachers and local people apart from the family. While most of the students ruled out any caste-based discrimination and separate drinking water arrangement in the school, Meghwal's cousin said the teacher thrashed him because he drank water from the pot after lunch," he told PTI.

Meghwal's cousin is a Class V student in the same school.

Naga said according to other students and teachers, there was no water pot in the school and everyone on the premises drank water from a tank.

Villagers have also denied any incident of caste-based discrimination there, he said.

Naga said the commission has directed the education department to ensure that in case the school's recognition gets withdrawn, its students should be shifted to another school so that their studies do not suffer.

Jalore Superintendent of Police Harsh Vardhan Agarwalla also said the allegation that the teacher had beaten up the boy for touching the water pot could not be established so far.

"The matter is under investigation but it could not be established so far that the teacher thrashed him for touching the pot," he said.

Meanwhile, MP from Rajasthan's Nagaur constituency Hanuman Beniwal sat on a dharna along with his supporters at the Jalore district collectorate demanding a compensation of Rs 50 lakh to Meghwal's family. -- PTI

Former Lok Sabha member and prominent OBC leader Haribhau Rathod is all set to join the Aam Aadmi Party on Sunday.

Rathod, who was the Lok Sabha member of the BJP from Yavatmal in Maharashtra, told PTI that he would join the AAP on Sunday in the presence of the party's National Convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

A prominent leader of the Banjara community, Rathod was once a confidant of BJP leader late Gopinath Munde and a Lok Sabha member from 2004-08.

He was expelled from the BJP after he abstained from the trust vote sought by the then UPA government in 2008 over the nuclear deal with the US.

Rathod joined the Congress in 2013 and was made a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Council the next year.

In 2019, Rathod aligned with the Shiv Sena and campaigned for the party candidates in the assembly elections.

After winning Punjab assembly elections, Kejriwal is looking at expanding his party in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat and eyeing a national role in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Political pundits believe Rathod's work for the OBC communities in Maharashtra and other parts of the country could come handy for the AAP as it seeks to spread its wings. -- PTI

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has stripped cabinet ministers Rajendra Trivedi and Purnesh Modi of the revenue and the road and building portfolios, respectively, ahead of the assembly elections due later this year.

The CM will hold the additional charge of both the ministries as of now, while Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi has been given the additional responsibility of revenue as its MoS, BJP sources said on Saturday night.

Minister of State for Industries and Forest and Environment, Jagdish Panchal, will be the MoS for road and building department, they said.

Trivedi is now left with the disaster management, law and justice, legislative and parliamentary affairs department, while Modi will continue to hold charge of the transport, civil aviation, tourism and pilgrimage development departments.

Both Trivedi and Modi are among the 10 cabinet-rank ministers in the Bhupendra Patel government.

Patel replaced Vijay Rupani as the chief minister last September when the entire Gujarat cabinet was asked to resign by the top BJP leadership.

The Gujarat assembly elections are due in December this year.

At least 31 people were killed, 22 of them in Himachal Pradesh alone, as heavy monsoon rains triggered flashfloods, landslides, and house collapses, upending normal life across large swathes of the country.

The fatalities included four each in Uttarakhand and Odisha, and one in Jharkhand.

Heavy rainfall in Himachal Pradesh since Friday caused landslides and flashfloods, with officials saying 22 people, including eight members of a family, died. Ten people were injured in the state which has reported 36 weather-related incidents.

As many as 743 roads, including the Manali-Chandigarh national highway at Mandi and the Shimla-Chandigath highway at Shoghi, have been blocked for traffic.

In Mandi alone, 13 people died and six went missing in flash floods and landslides triggered by heavy rainfall, Deputy Commissioner Arindam Chaudhary said. Those missing are feared dead, he said.

The Chakki bridge in Himachal Pradesh's Kangra collapsed due to heavy rains on Saturday, disrupting train services between Pathankot and Jogindernagar.

In Uttarakhand, a series of cloudbursts early Saturday killed four people, while 10 went missing as rivers breached banks, washed away bridges, and threw mud and waters inside houses, forcing evacuation of multiple villages.

As the gushing waters threatened more damage, a number of roads were blocked for traffic, while all Anganwadi centres and schools were ordered shut in the Pauri district of Uttarakhand.

Rains also pounded parts of eastern India, with Odisha -- already reeling under floods in the Mahanadi river system with around 4 lakh people marooned in 500 villages � reporting four deaths, and neighbouring Jharkhand one.

Odisha braced for more damage with parts in its north receiving rains since Friday night. Prices of vegetables have shot up in the markets of Bhubaneswar with the supply chain disrupted.

Water levels in Subarnarekha, Budhabalang, Baitarani and Salandi are being monitored as Balasore, Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj received heavy rain on the previous night, Odisha Water Resources Chief Engineer B K Mishra said on Saturday.

In the neighbouring Jharkhand, heavy rainfall associated with high-speed winds since Friday evening uprooted scores of trees and electricity poles, and submerged low-lying areas in many districts.

A woman died when a mud wall of her house caved in on her in West Singhbhum district on Saturday morning as the deep depression that crossed the Odisha coast on the previous evening brought incessant rainfall in several areas, an official said.

Normal life was thrown out of gear with rain disrupting power supply in many areas for long hours and causing traffic jams in major cities.

Two flights have also been cancelled till 2 pm due to bad weather on Saturday, officials at Birsa Munda Airport in Ranchi told PTI.

The India Meteorological Department said isolated extremely heavy rainfall is expected over West Madhya Pradesh on Sunday and East Rajasthan on Monday.

Meanwhile, the yatra to the famous Mata Vaishno Devi shrine atop Trikuta hills in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district resumed this morning on the old track after remaining temporarily suspended overnight following heavy rains.

However, the Himkoti (battery car) track which is also known as the new track, is still closed due to ongoing clearance operation, even as the helicopter service remained suspended due to bad weather, officials said.

The pilgrimage was temporarily suspended Friday evening following heavy rains in the Trikuta hills. Thousands of pilgrims were present at the shrine when it started raining heavily around 6 pm and continued till midnight.

Several videos shared on social media show flood-like situations on the Vaishno Devi track.

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