One person was killed and at least seven others were injured on Monday in a clash between alleged encroachers and forest guards at the Burhachapori Wildlife Sanctuary in Sonitpur district of Assam, officials said.

Nagaon Wildlife Divisional Forest Officer Jayanta Deka claimed that alleged encroachers, who were earlier evicted from the forest, have been 'trying to occupy land again' inside the sanctuary in the past few days.

"Today, around 800-900 people armed with machetes, sticks and other sharp objects came to Chitalmari camp to encroach land. Our people tried to speak with them, but they instead attacked the forest guards," he told PTI over the phone.

At least three forest guards were injured in the attack by the villagers, who came from various areas of the neighbouring Nagaon district on the southern bank of the Brahmaputra river, Deka said.

"There were around 12 forest guards in the camp. In self-defence, they fired in the air to disperse the mob. In the melee, probably some bullets hit the crowd also. The local police have arrived at the spot and they told us that one woman has died," he said.

A police officer said that at least four people from the crowd sustained bullet injuries in the clash. The deceased woman has been identified as Rahima Khatun, who succumbed to her injuries when she was taken to a hospital, he said.

All the other injured people have been sent to Nagaon for treatment, the police officer said.

The villagers, on the other hand, claimed that they were taking shelter in the highland of the forest because their houses in nearby villages have been inundated due to flood.

"Our cattle and poultry sheds are under water due to incessant rain in the last few days. That is why we constructed temporary sheds with tarpaulins, but the forest guards came to evict us, alleging that we have set up houses by encroaching forest land," said Rahmat Khan, one of the villagers.

In one of the largest eviction drives in Assam, the administration cleared 2,099 hectare of land in the Burhachapori Wildlife Sanctuary and nearby revenue villages in February, which affected around 12,800 people.

During the day, the Assam government also carried out an eviction drive in Goalpara district to clear the Nalbari Reserve Forest from encroachers. 

Lakhipur Ranger Dhruba Dutta said around 100 hectare of the Nalbari Reserved Forest area has been encroached over the years, and the administration has now decided to clear those.

"We carried out an eviction drive today and cleared around three hectare of land. In the process,15 families were evicted from the encroached land," he said.

The exercise was carried out in the presence of civil and police officials, Dutta said.

"We have not faced any resistance during the eviction drive. In the rest of the encroached land, such an exercise will be carried out in the coming days," he said without specifying any timeframe for the drive.  -- PTI

All seven candidates -- six of the Trinamool Congress including Derek O'Brien and Saket Gokhale and one from the Bharatiya Janata Party -- were elected unopposed to the Upper House of Parliament on Monday, West Bengal Assembly officials said.

Six Rajya Sabha seats of the state are scheduled to go to the polls on July 24, the tenures of which are going to end in August.

A by-election was also supposed to be held in another RS seat.

"After the scrutiny of nomination papers, the assembly secretary today announced that all six candidates of the TMC and one of the BJP have been elected to Rajya Sabha unopposed," an assembly official said.

Among those of TMC who got elected to Rajya Sabha were Derek O'Brien, Sukhendu Sekhar Ray and Dola Sen.

O'Brien, an MP since 2011, is the TMC's leader in Rajya Sabha, while Ray, who was first sent to the Upper House of Parliament in 2012 is the deputy chief whip.

Sen, a senior leader and trade unionist, became an MP in 2017.

The newcomers on the list were Bangla Sanskriti Mancha president Samirul Islam, the TMC's Alipurduar district president Prakash Chik Baraik, and RTI activist and TMC spokesperson Saket Gokhale.

Gokhale was elected in the by-poll to a Rajya Sabha seat that became vacant following the resignation of former Goa chief minister Luizinho Faleiro as a TMC MP in April.

Ananta Rai 'Maharaj' became the BJP's first elected member of the Rajya Sabha from West Bengal.

He has earlier been demanding a separate state of 'Greater Cooch Behar' to be carved out of the northern part of the state.

The TMC has 216 MLAs in the 294-member assembly and enjoys the support of five BJP legislators, who switched over to the ruling party but are yet to resign from the House.

The saffron party has 70 lawmakers in the assembly.

According to the number, out of the six seats whose tenure is going to expire, the TMC was supposed to get five, and the BJP one. Gokhale got elected in the by-poll.

"The most important matter in Parliament is debate. We aim to ensure that there is a proper debate on all the bills and not just bills being passed through a voice vote," Gokhale said.  -- PTI

Eleven members of a family from Ayodhya, who had boarded a bus in Chandigarh for Himachal Pradesh's Manali on July 9, have been missing since then, relatives said on Monday.

The relatives have approached the Ayodhya police after they came to know that a bus had an accident on the night of July 9 in the Himachal region and feared that the eleven may have boarded the same bus.

The relatives have given a written complaint to the police in this regard and appealed to Himachal Pradesh authorities to help trace the missing persons. 

The missing members of the family are Abdul Majeed (62), his wife Nazima (60), his son Bashar (42), Bashar's wife Parveen (40), Bashar's two sons -- Waris Ali (10) and Mausam (6) and daughter Alvira (4), Majeed's younger son Omaisa, Majeed's daughter Kareena (18), Ishtihar (21), Ishtihar's wife Shabna (19).

All the missing persons are natives of Pithla village in Ayodhya, police said, adding they worked as daily wage labourers in Manali.

Majeed's relative Ejaz Ahmed (30), a native of Musafirkhana in Amethi district who accompanied him, is also missing.

Ayodhya additional SP Atul Kumar Sonkar told PTI, "We are in contact with the Himachal Pradesh police and trying to trace the missing family." 

According to the relatives, Majeed and his family left their home in Ayodhya on July 8 and boarded a bus in Chandigarh on July 9 for Manali. The relatives said that they spoke to the family members on July 9 moments before they boarded the bus to reach Manali by midnight but they did not reach there and their phones are unreachable.

Rehbar, Majeed's son-in-law who was in Manali on that day, was in regular contact with the family members.

Rehbar said that Kareena, one of the missing person, had said that by midnight of July 9/10, they (Majeed and family) would reach Manali bus stand, and had asked him to receive them.

Rehbar said he kept waiting for his in-laws at Manali bus stand but they did not reach there.

He also tried to contact them, but all the mobile phones were found switched off.

Rehbar said he later came to know that a portion of road in Manali was washed away on the night of July 9 due to the floods caused by heavy rains in the state.

Some buses and other vehicles parked on the road were also washed away in the floods, he said.  -- PTI

Amid security provided by central police forces, Ponmudy was taken to the ED office where he is likely to be questioned, official sources said, adding that searches were held for about 10 hours on premises linked to the minister in Chennai and in Villupuram.  

The ED conducted searches on properties associated with Ponmudy as well as his MP son Gautham Sigamani in a money laundering case linked to alleged illegal sand mining.

Balkar Singh, a resident of Pehowa, allegedly threw his daughter in the canal near Jyotisar on July 12, they said, adding that his brother Kuldeep Singh has also been arrested along with him. 

The kanwariya noticed Singh dropping the toddler in the Saraswati feeder of Narwana Branch canal and fleeing on a motorcycle. He jumped into the canal and saved the child, the police said, adding that the pilgrim handed her over to the in-charge of a 'kanwariya centre' at Raogarh village after which she was given to the the police at Jyotisar. 

The police said she is currently in a hospital receiving treatment. 

Jyotisar chowky in-charge Mahinder Singh on Monday said Balkar Singh has two daughters from his second wife and he wanted to throw away both of them. 

After allegedly throwing his younger daughter in the canal he made a phone call to his wife, who had gone to Ludhiana, to inform her of what he had done. He allegedly asked her to tell people they gave away their daughter for adoption. He also allegedly threatened to kill her if she told the truth to anyone. 

The accused wanted to throw both the daughters but as the elder one started crying he ran away, the police said. When his wife came back, she informed her father-in-law and other relatives about it who approached the police, resulting in the arrest of the two accused. 

Both the accused were produced before the court which sent them to 14 days judicial remand.

Lok Janshakti Party-Ram Vilas leader Chirag Paswan has decided to return to the National Democratic Alliance, Bharatiya Janata Party chief J P Nadda announced on Monday, hours after Paswan met Union Home Minister Amit Shah, a day before the crucial meeting of the ruling coalition.

'I met Chirag Paswan ji in Delhi. He has decided to join the NDA alliance under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership. I welcome him to the NDA family,' Nadda said on Twitter and posted photographs of his meeting with Paswan.

Paswan had been in talks with the BJP for finalising his party's share of Lok Sabha seats in Bihar for 2024 and the meeting is being seen as part of that exercise.

'Had a positive discussion with the country's Home Minister respected Shri Amit Shah in New Delhi on issues related to the alliance,' Paswan said in a tweet after meeting Shah.

Later, Shah said in a tweet that he and Paswan had an extensive discussion about Bihar politics.

Following his talks with Shah and Nadda, Paswan also tweeted that his party has accepted the invitation to join the NDA meeting under Prime Minister Modi's leadership.

Union minister Nityanand Rai, a senior BJP leader from Bihar, had earlier met Paswan twice.

The undivided LJP under late stalwart Dalit leader Ram Vilas Paswan, Chirag's father, had contested six Lok Sabha seats in 2019 and also received a Rajya Sabha seat as part of its seat-sharing deal with the BJP.

The young leader wants the BJP to stick to the same arrangement despite a division in his party, with another faction, Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party, headed by his uncle and Union minister Pashupati Kumar Paras already a part of the ruling alliance.

Chirag Paswan has emphasised on clarity from the BJP about his share of Lok Sabha and also assembly seats in Bihar before formalising their alliance, sources in the LJP-R said.

He also wants the BJP to concede to him the Hajipur Lok Sabha seat, a pocket borough of his father for decades but currently represented by Paras in Parliament.

His uncle has also staked claim to the seat, asserting that he and not Chirag is the late leader's political heir.

The BJP has also been working to bring about a rapprochement between the two sides, with Rai meeting the Union minister as well.

Even though Paras got the support of all other four MPs of the party except Chirag Paswan, his nephew is seen to have largely succeeded in inheriting the support of the vote bank loyal to his father.

Since the split with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal-United, the BJP has been keen to bring Paswan back to its side as it works to bolster its strength in the politically crucial state.

Paswan had walked out of the NDA during the 2020 assembly polls in the state due to his opposition to Kumar, then a BJP ally.

He has, however, been supportive of the BJP on key issues.  -- PTI

The Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) of Uttar Pradesh Police on Monday questioned Pakistani citizen Seema Haider, who entered India illegally in May and is now living with her Indian partner Sachin Meena in Greater Noida, officials said.

The development comes a day after UP ATS arrested a suspected agent of Pakistan's intelligence agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in Lucknow on charges of supplying 'vital information about defence establishments' to his handlers in the neighbouring country.

The questioning of the Pakistani woman by the ATS also comes at a time when a little-known right-wing fringe group in Greater Noida has threatened of a protest if Haider, who illegally entered India with her four children, is not evicted from the country 'within 72 hours'.

A senior officer confirmed to PTI that Haider was being interrogated by the ATS on Monday and that local police were not involved in it.

Local police are separately investigating the case and are yet to file a chargesheet, the officer said.  -- PTI

Additional district sessions judge Ashok Kumar acquitted Tikait, accused of killing farmer leader Chaudhary Jagbir Singh in 2003, saying that the prosecution has failed to prove its case.

According to defence counsel Anil Jindal, the court has found several lacunae in the case.

Chaudhary Jagbir Singh, who was Rashtriya Kisan Morcha president, was shot dead at Ahlawalpur village under the Bhaurakalan police station limits in Muzaffarnagar on September 6, 2003, said assistant district government counsel Amit Tyagi.

On the basis of a complaint by deceased leader's son Yograj Singh, the police had registered a case against three persons -- Naresh Tikait, Bittu and Praveen. Later, the investigation was handed over to the crime branch-crime investigation department (CB-CID).

During investigation, the CB-CID had given a clean chit to Tikait, but the court summoned him in the case.

During pendency of the case, the two other accused, Bittu and Praveen, died. Only Tikait was facing a trial. 

The bus, which has been hired by the civic-run transport undertaking from a private contractor, was operating on route number 186 when the blaze broke out at 10:45 am under Reliance Flyover there, the official said.        

"The bus, which had left Agarkar Chowk in Andheri East for Vihar Lake in Powai, had at least 35 passengers, including some students, at the time of the incident. The fire may have been caused by a short circuit. There was sparks inside the dashboard,"  driver Mohammad Hussain Shaikh told PTI.

Shaikh (56) said he asked passengers to alight immediately and used the two fire extinguishers in the vehicle to douse the fire but in vain.

"A policeman who arrived at the spot also used an extinguisher from another vehicle but failed to douse the fire. We got through to the fire brigade after some time as their number was initially busy," he said.        

The fire brigade arrived in 15 minutes with two fire tenders and doused the blaze but by then the bus had been gutted, he said.

Shaikh said he had been driving at the airport for the last 11 years and for a private contractor hired by BEST for one-and-half years and the training during these stints helped him use the fire extinguisher.

Incidentally, this is the fifth incident of BEST buses catching fire since the beginning of 2023 and the second since June 16.

On June 16, a bus caught fire in the undertaking's Dharavi depot.               

 In February, BEST had taken 400 wet leased buses off the roads after three fire incidents in quick succession. 

Apart from Jaishankar, the other two BJP candidates elected to the Upper House of Parliament for a 6-year term are Kesridevsinh Jhala and Babubhai Desai.

The rupee gained 12 paise to close at 82.05 (provisional) against the US dollar on Monday, as domestic equity benchmarks scaling all-time high levels and weakness in the American currency overseas boosted investor sentiments.

Besides, steady foreign fund inflows into domestic capital markets also supported the local unit, forex traders said.

At the interbank foreign exchange market, the local unit opened at 82.14 against the US dollar and settled 12 paise higher at 82.05 (provisional) against the previous close.

During the day, the domestic unit witnessed an intra-day high of 82.03 and a low of 82.20.

On Friday, the rupee had closed at 82.17 against the dollar.

The rupee traded with a slight positive bias on positive domestic markets and a soft dollar.

The domestic equity market touched fresh all-time highs, boosting the domestic currency.

The US dollar is trading near its lowest levels in 15 months on rising odds of just one more rate hike by the US Federal Reserve due to faster-than-expected cooling in inflation, said Anuj Choudhary -- Research Analyst at Sharekhan by BNP Paribas.

"We expect the rupee to trade with a slight positive bias on account of the rise in risk appetite in global markets and the weakness in the US Dollar.

"A decline in crude oil prices and foreign inflows may also support the rupee. However, concerns over global economic slowdown may cap a sharp upside. Market participants may remain cautious ahead of retail sales data from US and UK's inflation data this week. We expect the USD/INR spot to trade between 81.60 to 82.50 in the near term," Choudhary said.  -- PTI

The flight AI 470 was delayed by at least an hour and later took off for Delhi, one of the officials said.

An airline official said there was a malfunction of the mobile phone charger of a passenger.

Further, the airline official said the passenger noticed overheating of the mobile phone and alerted the cabin crew. Subsequently, the aircraft, which had pushed back, returned as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of the passengers.

However, an official at the Udaipur airport said there was apparently smoke onboard the aircraft following which it returned after pushback.                

While the exact sequence of the development could not be immediately ascertained, reports claimed that there was an issue with a power bank of a passenger. 

The minister has been accorded 'A' class facilities in prison. 

The police said that the stipulated amenities would be made available to him in compliance with the norms. 

The minister was arrested last month by the ED and remanded by a court in Chennai in judicial custody till July 26. 

Following his arrest, he was hospitalised and underwent a coronary bypass surgery recently. 

Today, he was taken in a government '108 ambulance' from the hospital to the Puzhal prison amid police security.

With several opposition parties holding a meeting aimed at forging unity for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Sitaram Yechury on Monday ruled out any alliance with the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal and said that secular parties along with the Left and the Congress will take on the Bharatiya Janata Party as well as the TMC in the state.

Speaking to reporters at the venue of the two-day meeting to be attended by him, TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee and other leaders, Yechury referred to the 2004 model which brought the Left-Congress coalition to power at the Centre.

"The situation is different in every state. The effort is to ensure that in these situations the division of votes which gives BJP the advantage should be minimal. This is not a new thing. Like in 2004, the Left had 61 seats, out of which we won 57 defeating the Congress candidates...then Manmohan Singh government was formed and it ran for 10 years.

"Mamata and CPI-M will not happen. There will be secular parties along with the Left and the Congress in West Bengal which will fight against the BJP and TMC," the CPI-M general secretary said, adding that at the Centre what form this will take will be decided later.

He also said that the road to be taken is similar to the one that led them to form the government at the Centre in 2004.

Top leaders of 26 opposition parties are expected to attend the two-day meeting in Bengaluru where they are likely to start work on a common minimum programme and announce a joint agitational plan to take on the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

West Bengal has been a bone of contention within the Opposition ranks with the Left parties and Mamata Banerjee's TMC not seeing eye to eye.

The Left parties have also attacked Banerjee over the violence in the recently concluded panchayat polls in the state.

However, the two have shared the stage on several occasions at Opposition-related events.

The BJP has often highlighted differences among the opposition parties in various states, including West Bengal, to claim that they are a 'divided lot' and have no specific programme other than to defeat Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Hitting out at the BJP for claiming that it has 31 parties along with it, Yechury said that the biggest parties of the Northeast, the Shiv Sena-UBT and the Akali Dal are no longer with it.

"Now they are searching everywhere to find small parties to add to their numbers," he said.

Asked about the face of the opposition to take on Prime Minister Modi, Yechury said that in 2004, the Left-Congress coalition emerged victorious despite the stature of Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

"The road is like in 2004. As for the face of the opposition, we have given them the answer in 2004 when Manmohan Singh became PM even when a charismatic leader like Vajpayee was the face of the BJP," he said.   -- PTI

Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar, battling a crisis in his party, will attend the meeting of Opposition parties in Bengaluru on Tuesday, a party spokesperson said.

Sharad Pawar has decided to attend the meeting of Opposition parties in Bengaluru tomorrow.

He will go there irrespective of what is happening here (in Maharashtra), said NCP chief spokesperson Mahesh Tapase.

Top leaders of 26 opposition parties are set to brainstorm in Bengaluru on Tuesday and are likely to start the work on a common minimum programme and announce a joint agitational plan to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

Notably, Sharad Pawar's nephew Ajit Pawar and eight MLAs of NCP loyal to him joined the Shiv Sena-BJP government in Maharashtra on July 2.

While Ajit Pawar was sworn in as deputy chief minister, the eight other MLAs took oath as ministers.

Ajit Pawar was subsequently allocated the key finance portfolio while his camp managed to bag heavyweight ministries like Cooperation and Agriculture.

Nearly two weeks after he joined the state government, Ajit Pawar, along with 15 MLAs of NCP, met Sharad Pawar on Monday in Mumbai and asked him to ensure the party stays united.

It was the second meeting of Ajit Pawar with his political mentor and uncle in two days.   -- PTI

The second meeting of opposition parties in Bengaluru is likely to see progress on the agenda of unity for the 2024 battle with the possibility that a convenor may be appointed and groups formed to decide on various issues apart from deciding on a common minimum programme.

Sources said Congress is keen that the chairperson should be from the party as it is the largest party in the grouping.

However, the party may not be not adamant on the matter and would be willing to go by the combined decision of opposition parties, sources said. 

They said no one has any objection to the name of former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi.

She is also not a contender for the post of prime minister and is attending the two-day opposition meeting beginning Monday.

The sources said that opposition parties are keen not to make the 2024 Lok Sabha polls a battle between 'a leader vs Modi' but to keep focus on issues and make it a 'Modi vs people' battle.

They said that some parties had proposed making Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar the convenor of the grouping in the meeting of opposition parties held in Patna last month and if there is a unanimity on the matter, the Congress would go along.

The sources said there is a proposal to make two-three subgroups or a coordination committee.

There is a suggestion that a group should be formed to decide on issues to be raised collectively against the Narendra Modi government.

Any such group may also be entrusted with deciding the issues on which to hold agitations against the government and to stay away from issues that could help the BJP by causing 'polarisation'.

Sources said there is a proposal to form a group to decide on seat allocation in states.

They said that since leaders of 26 opposition parties cannot hold meetings in a short period, there is a proposal to form a group for coordination.

"There is also a proposal to formulate a common minimum programme," a source said.

They said all issues will be discussed in the meeting and decision t taken on those on which there is an agreement.

The issues on which there is no agreement will be discussed further, they said.  -- ANI

The bear entered the school in Digdi Tenda village in Kinwat tehsil on Sunday, so students and teachers were not present, an official said. 

"The school is close to a forest patch, which is home to several wild animals. We believe the bear may have gone back to the forest some time later," the district official added. 

In the video, the bear can be seen running in the school's verandah and ground and also moving about close to the building.

 "In today's meeting with Sharad Pawar, we again asked him to ensure that the NCP stays united," Patel said. Those MLAs (of the Ajit Pawar faction) who could not meet Sharad Pawar during the meeting held on Sunday were present on this occasion, Patel told reporters. PTI

 Analysts said the first quarter results by Indian companies have been mostly in line with expectations, triggering a rally in local equities despite mixed global cues.

 The 30-share BSE Sensex jumped 529.03 points or 0.80 per cent to settle at its new all-time closing high of 66,589.93. During the day, it climbed 595.31 points or 0.90 per cent to hit its lifetime intra-day peak of 66,656.20. As many as 18 Sensex shares closed in the green while 12 declined. The NSE Nifty also soared by 146.95 points or 0.75 per cent to close at a new record high of 19,711.45. During the day, it rallied 167.35 points or 0.85 per cent to its record intra-day high of 19,731.85.

 From the Sensex pack, State Bank of India rose the most by 2.82 per cent. Gains in Wipro, Reliance Industries, HDFC Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank and IndusInd Bank helped the index closed at record levels. HDFC Bank climbed 2 per cent after the company reported a 29.13 per cent jump in consolidated net profit for the June quarter at Rs 12,370.38 crore. Tata Motors, Bharti Airtel, Titan and JSW Steel were among the laggards.

 A bench of justices BV Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan noted that the pleadings have been completed and all the convicts have been served notices through newspaper publications or directly. 

 "We hold that pleadings in the matter are complete and all the respondents have been served notices in all the cases though newspaper publications or directly. We list the matter for final hearing on August 7. All parties should file short written submissions, synopsis and list of dates," the bench said. On May 9, the top court had directed the publication of notices in local newspapers, including in Gujarati and English, against the convicts who could not be served notices, including the one whose house was found by the local police to be locked and his phone switched off. All 11 convicts were granted remission by the Gujarat government and released on August 15 last year. Bano has filed a writ petition challenging the remissions.

After the meeting Patel said, "Ajit Pawar, Sunil Tatkare and I met Sharad Pawar at YB Chavan Centre. We again requested him to keep NCP united, and he listened to us, but did not say anything on it."

Team Ajit Pawar had met Sharad Pawar on Sunday as well. 

The Sharad Pawar camp has consulted with their legal team in Delhi for passing a resolution on the MLAs who defected.  

 Hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA)'s scheduled meeting in Delhi on July 18, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday said that the saffron party is "baffled" by what the opposition is doing and hence gathering "factions of parties." 

 "If he (PM Modi) is stronger than the entire Opposition and he alone is enough for them, why is he calling together the 30 parties? Disclose the names of these parties. Are they even registered with the Election Commission? People with us have always been with us...They are baffled by what we are doing, so they are gathering factions of parties to show their strength," Kharge said. 

 The NDA meeting in the national capital will be chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The meeting is being organised to mark the completion of 9 years of the central government under Prime Minister Modi. The opposition parties are seeking to put up a united front to take on the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The two-day meeting will conclude on Tuesday after a formal meeting of opposition leaders.

On Sunday, Ajit Pawar, along with Praful Patel, Chhagan Bhujbal and Dilip Walse Patil had met the NCP supremo at the YB Chavan Centre. "We all came here to seek the blessings of respected Sharad Pawar today. We requested Pawar Sahib that NCP should stay united. On this, Sharad Pawar did not give any reaction," said Praful Patel, Ajit Pawar faction leader after the meeting.

 Kushwaha, who quit Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U) a few months ago to float a new outfit, however, kept his cards close to the chest when asked whether he will be taking part in the NDA meeting scheduled in Delhi on Tuesday. 

 To queries about reports that an invitation has been extended to his Rashtriya Lok Janata Dal for the meeting, Kushwaha replied "everything does not need to be disclosed in the media". 

 A couple of small parties in the state, former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi's Hindustani Awam Morcha and Chirag Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), have confirmed having received invitation from BJP president JP Nadda for the meeting where the PM is likely to be present.

 However, when this was pointed out to Kushwaha, he said, "All leaders and parties can speak only for themselves. Whether I am in NDA or not, is not something I need to discuss before the media." 

 Kushwaha had floated another party, RLSP, in 2013, which he merged with JD(U) eight years later. The RLSP had fought the 2014 Lok Sabha polls as an NDA partner and Kushwaha became a minister in the first Narendra Modi government.

 He quit JD(U), giving up his membership of the legislative council, in protest against Kumar virtually declaring Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav, who belongs to RJD, as his political successor. 

 When Kushwaha's views were sought on the opposition meet in Bangalore, he said, "In 2024, I see no alternative to Narendra Modi. His closest rivals seem to be so far behind." Asked whether he was referring to Kumar, who has initiated the opposition unity drive, or Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Kushwaha said "I am not talking about individuals. But all these party seem to have no other agenda except defeating Modi. This is the sole agenda and it cannot resonate with voters." 

 Asked about speculations that Kumar may be made convener of the opposition coalition, the disgruntled former aide said "not much has been left for imagination after RJD chief Lalu Prasad has likened the formation to a wedding procession in which Rahul Gandhi was the groom".

 Over 1,44,000 kilogram of drugs worth Rs 2,416 crore was destroyed in various parts of the country by Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in coordination with Anti-Narcotics Task Forces (ANTFs) of all states in the presence of the Home Minister in the event. 

 With the destruction of these drugs, the total quantity of drugs destroyed in one year reached around 10 lakh kilograms, which has a value of around Rs 12,000 crore. The drugs destroyed include 6,590 kg by NCB's Hyderabad unit, 822 kg by Indore and 356 kg by Jammu. Along with this, various law enforcement agencies of different states also destroyed a total of 1,44,122 kg of drugs, including 1,486 kg drugs in Assam, 229 kg in Chandigarh, 25 kg in Goa, 4,277 kg in Gujarat, 2,458 kg in Haryana, 4,069 kg in Jammu and Kashmir, 1,03,884 kg in Madhya Pradesh, 159 kg in Maharashtra, 1,803 kg in Tripura and 4,049 kg in Uttar Pradesh. 

 Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said, the Government has adopted a 'Zero Tolerance' policy against narcotics to create a drugs-free India. Since June 1, 2022, till July 15 this year, all regional units of NCB and ANTFs of states have collectively destroyed around 8,76,554 kilogram seized drugs worth around Rs 9,580 crore, which is more than 11 times the target.

 Responding to reports that Pawar would skip the Opposition meeting on Monday and take part in it on Tuesday, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh rejected such insinuations, saying the official meeting of opposition parties is on Tuesday and Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is only hosting a dinner on Monday.

 Asked about Pawar, Kharge, while interacting with reporters, said he has spoken with Pawar earlier in the day. 

 "He said the (Maharashtra) Assembly is starting there today and he would like to be there (Mumbai). But he will be present for the meeting tomorrow. I called him up to say that it is important for him to come... He said he is coming on July 18 morning, there is no concern about that," Kharge said.

 "There is no problem, everyone is coming. Mamata ji is coming, read in the papers Kejriwal ji is coming, Nitish ji, Tejashwi ji, Stalin ji... In fact, more people are aligning with us than those present at the Patna meeting," the Congress president said. 

 Top leaders of 26 opposition parties are expected to brainstorm in Bengaluru on Tuesday at the official conclave of Opposition parties where they are likely to start work on a common minimum programme and announce a joint agitational plan to take on the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. PTI

Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru as opposition parties gather in the city for the meeting, Venugopal alleged that the BJP wants to "silence the voice of opposition' and said disqualification of party leader Rahul Gandhi from Lok Sabha and developments in Maharashtra are examples. 

Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh and Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar also addressed the press conference.

Venugopal said the opposition parties had a successful meeting in Patna on June 23.

"Tomorrow 26 political parties will participate in the Bengaluru meeting. We will decide the future course of action during the meeting which will be a game changer for the Indian political scenario. We will also chalk out the Parliament strategy. Now they (BJP) are also meetings,  this is the real success of the opposition unity," he said.

Venugopal said the opposition parties are united by a common purpose - to protect democracy in this country, to ensure the Constitutional rights and the independence of our institutions. -- ANI

 The deceased identified as Srisha was an eighth standard student. His neck was entangled in the rope while playing near his house at Malavantige in Belthangady taluk and he fell down from the swing when his sister noticed him. 

 He also said that his party has not received an invitation from BJP-led National Democratic Alliance for a meeting on July 18. "Opposition never considered JD(S) a part of them. So, there is no question of JD(S) being a party of any Mahagathbandhan," he said. 

 He was responding to a query about the meeting of opposition parties in Bengaluru on July 17-18. Asked about any invitation from NDA, he said they will see on that front. "NDA has not invited our party for any meeting. We will see on that front," Kumaraswamy said. 

He said Mahagathbandhan managers are delusional that "JD-S is drowned". The JD-S leader slammed the Congress government in Karnataka and said it had put up posters along the roads "boasting about its achievements".

Addressing a press conference here Raut said, "The agenda of today's meeting is to be one. Discussion will be held on many issues including EVM machines, Lok Sabha seat sharing, and also decide on what will be the name of the front." 

Raut further confirmed that Shiv Sena chiefs Uddhav Thackeray and Aaditya Thackeray will also participate in the meeting in Karnataka's Bengaluru.

"Shiv Sena chiefs Uddhav Thackeray and Aaditya Thackeray will also attend the meeting. This meeting will run in two sessions. Congress leader Sonia Gandhi will attend today's meeting. NCP chief Sharad Pawar will attend the meeting tomorrow. Today we will discuss national level issues at the meeting," he added. -- ANI

 The legislators, led by former minister Yashomati Thakur and Mumbai Congress chief Varsha Gaikwad, assembled on the steps of the Vidhan Bhavan and raised slogans against the government. 

 From the Shiv Sena (UBT), only Ambadas Danve, who is the leader of opposition in the state Legislative Council, was present during the protest.

 The Opposition camp including Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, and the NCP (Sharad Pawar group) on Sunday boycotted the customary tea party hosted by the Maharashtra government on the eve of the state legislature's monsoon session. Danve told reporters on Sunday that they decided to boycott the high tea invitation of the state government as it has failed to solve the woes of people on several fronts. 

 "This government's validity on constitutional norms is already in question," he said. He alleged the government seems to have deployed a policy of "misusing" probe agencies to pressure the Opposition and force them to either join the government or face false charges and harassment. We are seeing a gory picture of democracy in Maharashtra as several constitutional norms are disregarded. The chief minister of Maharashtra himself is facing disqualification, Danve said. PTI

 "An incident of cloud burst has occurred near village Kayas, (Raysan) Tehsil & District Kullu. In this incident one person died on the spot and three persons got injuries," District Emergency Operation Centre (DEOC), Kullu, said in a statement, adding the victims were washed away in a vehicle. 

 "Police Team on the way to incident site (road is blocked at one point, JCB has been deployed for that). Further information will be shared soon," the DEOC said. 

 The deceased has been identified as Badal Sharma from village Chansari in Kullu district. The three injured have been identified as Khem Chand from village Badogi, Suresh Sharma from village Chansari and Kapil from village Chansari in Kullu district. 

 Earlier, IMD tweeted that Himachal Pradesh is likely to receive heavy to very heavy showers on Monday.

 The death toll has been recorded at 5,31,915, the data updated at 8 am stated. The tally of Covid cases has been logged at 4.49 crore. 

The national COVID-19 recovery rate has been recorded at 98.81 per cent, according to the health ministry website. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 4,44,61,565 while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.18 per cent. 

 According to the ministry's website, 220.67 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in the country so far under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive. PTI

 Dr Mangala Narlikar was battling cancer for more than a year, a family member said. She is survived by her husband, three daughters and five grandchildren. After moving to India from Cambridge, England with her husband, she had started working at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research and also taught maths at the University of Bombay.

 In 1989, the couple moved to Pune where she worked in the mathematics department of the University of Pune (now Savitribai Phule Pune University). Her mortal remains would be kept at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) here for people to pay homage. The cremation will later be held at the Vaikunth crematorium. -- PTI 

"We have all come together with a certain ideology, and we have come together to preserve the idea of India and the Constitution. If the BJP has a problem with our unity, it means that they are afraid that they will be unseated," the Congress leader told ANI ahead of the 2-day opposition meeting starting in Bengaluru today. 

"You can also see how BJP's and Prime Minister's Modi's magic is waning...This goes to show that Mr Modi's popularity is down, BJP is clueless and their policies are hurting India," the minister added.

On AAP's participation in the joint opposition meeting after Congress declared to oppose the Centre's Ordinance overturning Supreme Court ruling vesting powers in the Delhi government, Karnataka Minister said they were "against the dictatorial attitude" of the central government.

"We are very clear on what is happening in Delhi. The Ordinance route that they (the Centre) have taken to take away the powers of the state government is not in good taste. Today it is happening in Delhi, tomorrow it might happen in Karnataka. So, we are against this dictatorial attitude of the Central Govt," he said.

Leaders of at least 25 Opposition parties will converge at a hotel in Bengaluru on July 17-18 as part of their efforts to present a united front against the BJP government at the Centre.

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister, DK Shivakumar, has been deputed as in-charge to monitor all the preparations for the meeting.

 The Rani Kamalapati-Hazrat Nizamuddin Vande Bharat Express train started at 5.40 am from Bhopal, West Central Railway's chief public relations officer Rahul Shrivastava said.

 "When it was passing through Kalhar station, the station manager noticed smoke billowing out from the battery box of the C-14 coach following which he alerted senior officials and the train was stopped at Kurwai-Kaithora station, the official said in a statement. Fire brigade personnel extinguished the blaze by 7.58 am, he said.

 The battery box is located quite far away from the passenger area under the coach, the official said. As soon as the fire incident took place, the electrical safety system separated batteries from it. The batteries were removed and the fire was extinguished, he said. Railway staff was conducting the repair work, officials said. PTI

 Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the water has started receding and people will soon be able to go back to their homes from relief camps. 

 "We have to help them get their life back to normal. I appeal to all people to help them. This is a work of virtue," he said in a tweet. 

 Delhi Minister Atishi said the road behind Red Fort, which was inundated, has been cleared by the Public Works Department (PWD) and it would be open for commuters soon. 

 Chief Minister Kejriwal also thanked the PWD, Delhi Jal Board, Army, Navy, National Disaster Response Force, Irrigation and Flood Control Department, and all other officers for their cooperation in the relief and rescue effort. PTI

Also, given the fast spread of the OTT ecosystem, TRAI has focussed on the need to bring together stakeholders who differ on its key aspects, they said.

On July 7, TRAI brought out a new consultation paper that aims to discuss 14 specific points regarding OTTs, including their definition, difference between OTT communication services and telecom services and a possible collaborative mechanism between them.

In a key move, the regulator has also sought comments on whether OTT services should potentially banned under certain circumstances and what kind of a mechanism may be adopted for this.

"The arguments raised by DoT on several occasions in favour of regulations, has triggered the latest consultations. It has also been observed that many stakeholders are increasingly pointing out the real life implications of the OTT ecosystem, so it was felt that a new consultation would benefit all," a senior official said.

The telecom sector regulator had once before brought out a consultation paper on a possible regulatory framework for OTT services back in November 2018.The paper had concluded that since these entities aren't governed by the license conditions applicable to Telecom Services Providers (TSPs), the need to regulate them to ensure protection of consumers privacy and data security was urgent and inescapable.

However, in September 2020, TRAI had subsequently recommended that no comprehensive regulatory framework for various aspects of OTT services was required, and especially ruled out any regulatory intervention for issues related to the privacy and security of OTT services.

DoT has now pointed out that TRAI had not provided any detailed justification for the same and the authority's directions have been at variance with those of the department.

"TRAI has duly rebuffed all the points DoT made against the regulators earlier recommendations," another official said.

-- Subhayan Chakraborty/Business Standard

 The arrests were made from different parts of the district, they said. Superintendent of Police (Imphal East) Ksh Shivakanta Singh said an investigation was underway, and if any other person was found involved in the murder, they would be arrested. The woman was from the Maring Naga community.

 The Heikakmapal Village Development Committee said it would banish three accused from the locality. 

 Meanwhile, a 12-hour shutdown began at 6 am on Monday in the areas where Naga people live in the state. The shutdown has been called by the United Naga Council (UNC), the apex body of Nagas in Manipur, to protest the killing. The UNC demanded a judicial inquiry into the murder and "exemplary punishment" for the accused. 

 More than 150 people lost their lives and several thousand were injured since ethnic clashes broke out in the state on May 3, after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribals -- Nagas and Kukis -- constitute another 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districts.  -- PTI

Last month, the CCI had issued a notice to Air India asking why its proposed merger with Vistara should not be probed over concerns about competition in the Indian aviation market.

Meanwhile, Tata Sons Chairman Emeritus Ratan Tata and Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran personally reviewed seat options for premium cabins in Air India's future aircraft, Wilson said.

In February, Air India placed the world's second largest single-tranche order for 470 planes -- 250 with Airbus and 220 with Boeing.

"You may have recently read that the CCI has asked for more information regarding our proposal to merge with Vistara. We welcome this request," Wilson told employees in a message that has been reviewed by Business Standard.

Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines (SIA) had, in April, filed a merger application with the CCI.

It stated that the amalgamation of Vistara with Air India will not lead to any change in the competitive landscape or cause any appreciable adverse effect on competition in India.

They expressed hope to conclude the merger by March 2024. Air India is wholly owned by Tata Sons. Vistara, on the other hand, is a 51:49 joint venture between Tata Sons and SIA.

On India's top-five busiest routes, the Air India Group -- which comprises Air India, Vistara, AirAsia India and Air India Express  -- in June held 38-53 per cent share in terms of scheduled flights, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.

Wilson said the process related to the CCI is running its 'proper course'.Air India continues to make progress on the integration of its low-cost carriers (LCCs): Air India Express and AirAsia India, he added. 

-- Deepak Patel/Business Standard

The Enforcement Directorate on Monday conducted raids at the premises of DMK leader and Tamil Nadu Higher Education Minister K Ponmudy and his MP son Gautham Sigamani in a money laundering case, official sources said.

The raids are being undertaken at the premises of the father-son duo in state capital Chennai and in Villupuram, they said.

The money laundering case is linked to alleged irregularities when Ponmudy was the state mining minister (between 2007 and 2011) and there were allegations of violation of quarry licence conditions leading to loss of about Rs 28 crore to the exchequer.

The ED had recently initiated a similar action against senior DMK leader and TN Transport Minister Senthil Balaji. -- PTI 

Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar to skip the big opposition meeting today at Bengaluru, days after his nephew Ajit Pawar split the NCP and joined the Eknath Shinde-BJP government in Maharashtra.

Sharad Pawar, 82, was present at the previous opposition meeting in Bihar's Patna on June 23.

His daughter Supriya Sule, whom he appointed working president of the NCP recently, will attend the meeting alone, according to media reports.

The two-day meeting in Bengaluru begins today. 

Top leaders of as many as 26 opposition parties are likely to attend the two-day brainstorming session in Bengaluru from Monday where they will chalk out their strategy to unitedly fight against the Bharatiya Janata Party in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

Rains lashed many places in Uttarakhand on Sunday, triggering landslides that blocked several roads, even as the Ganga crossed the danger mark in Devprayag and the warning level in Haridwar due to heavy release of water from the dam on the Alaknanda river.

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According to officials, the Ganga was flowing at 463.20 metres following which water filled up in Sangam Ghat, Ramkund, Dhaneshwar Ghat and Fuladi Ghat. There was also a tremendous jump in the water level of the Ganga after 2,000-3,000 cusecs of water was released from the dam of the GVK hydroelectric project built on the Alaknanda river. 

Tehri District Disaster Management officer Brijesh Bhatt said the district administration is making frequent calls to warn people to stay away from the banks of the river. He said the water level of the Ganga in Muni ki Reti area of Tehri near Rishikesh also increased to 339.60 metres, which is 0.10 metre above the warning level of 339.50 metres. 

Officials said the Ganga crossed the warning level of 293 metres and reached 293.15 metres in Haridwar Sunday evening, adding that an alert has been issued in the low-lying areas due to the increased level of the river. 

The State Disaster Operation Centre has directed Haridwar District Magistrate Dheeraj Singh to repair Gate No 10 of the Bhimgoda barrage at the earliest to avert any heavy losses due to the high-speed water flowing through the breached gate.

A flood-like situation is prevailing in 71 villages of Laksar, Khanpur, Roorkee, Bhagwanpur and Haridwar tehsils due to incessant rains in the past few days. 

The rescue and relief operations are being carried out with the help of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), army and state police.

The abutment of a bridge on the Joshimath-Malari road was damaged due to debris and excess water flowing into the Girthi Ganga river at Niti Ghati in Chamoli district's Joshimath, they said.

According to the disaster management department, this bridge was only used by the Army and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police.

The Dehradun Meteorological Centre has issued an 'orange' alert, warning of heavy rain, in all 13 districts of Uttarakhand on Monday.

An 'orange' alert is issued as a warning for extremely bad weather with the potential for disruption in commuting with road and drain closures and interruption of power supply.

Meanwhile, the water level of the Kali river in Pithoragarh's Dharchula area is also flowing above the warning level of 889 metres.

In Roorkee, Bhagwanpur, Laksar and Haridwar tehsils, 3,756 families have been affected in 71 villages. Of these families, 81 have been shifted to relief camps, they said.

Five people have died in these areas due to the floods. Seven houses have been completely damaged and 201 suffered partial damage. Seventeen roads and nine bridges have also been damaged due to the heavy rains in Haridwar, they added. -- PTI

Army on Monday foiled an infiltration bid along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district, a defence spokesperson said.

 

The infiltration bid was foiled in the joint operation which is still underway, he said. 

Further details about the operation is awaited, the spokesperson added. -- PTI 

Chief whip of Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar camp) Jitendra Awhad has written to the Maharashtra assembly speaker seeking separate sitting arrangement for members of the Ajit Pawar camp and the rest of MLAs of the party for the legislature session beginning Monday.

In a letter addressed to Speaker Rahul Narwekar on Sunday, Awhad said except for the nine MLAs- including Ajit Pawar- who have joined the government, the Nationalist Congress Party is part of the opposition.

"Except for the nine MLAs who were sworn in, the sitting arrangement for others should be made separately. The NCP is in the opposition and we want to sit in the opposition," Awhad stated.

Narwekar had recently said there was no clear distinction between who is in power and who is not in the case of the Nationalist Congress Party.

"There will be a lot of deliberations and arguments over how to decide who represents the actual NCP," he had said.

When asked about Shiv Sena which had also witnessed a similar revolt last year, Narwekar said, "The Election Commission of India (ECI) has given its verdict hence Shiv Sena's issue is solved for me. However, the NCP has written a letter to the ECI, but I do not have any update from its office."

Before Ajit Pawar and eight other MLAs joined the Shiv Sena-BJP government earlier this month, the NCP had 53 MLAs in the 288-member assembly.

In the first meeting held by Ajit Pawar in Mumbai post the split in the party, 35 MLAs of NCP and five of the eight MLCs had marked their presence.

However, the exact number of MLAs backing the Ajit Pawar camp is not known. -- PTI