LIVE! I know their programme, they want to kill me: Atiq

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Sun, 26 March 2023

I know their programme, they want to kill me: Atiq

Timeline Refresh

Malayalam actor Innocent

Popular Malayalam actor former Lok Sabha member Innocent died at a hospital in Kochi late on Sunday night.

He was 75.

Innocent is survived by his wife and two children.

Kochi's Lakeshore Hospital, where he was undergoing treatment, in a statement issued said that Innocent died at around 10.30 pm after his condition worsened.

Innocent, who acted in more than 500 Malayalam movies mainly as a comedian, had represented Kerala's Chalakkudy Lok Sabha constituency from 2014 to 2019 after he won it as an independent candidate with the Left support.

He also served as president of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists, the body of Malayalam movie artists, for several years.

The actor was cancer survivor after he was diagnosed with the disease in 2012.

Innocent had been undergoing treatment after he developed various health problems at the hospital since March 3.

Congress MP from Kerala Shashi Tharoor condoled the death of Innocent.

"Mourning the loss of character actor, comedian & one-time Kerala MP Innocent, who has just passed away at age 75. Aside from being a brilliantly inventive & gifted actor, he was a fine human being whom it was a pleasure to interact with in the Lok Sabha. RIP. Om Shanti,' Tharoor said in a tweet.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday paid a courtesy visit to MNS president Raj Thackeray at the latter's residence in Mumbai.

Along with Thackeray, his wife Sharmila, son Amit and some party workers were present, a statement said.

Addressing the rally of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena on Wednesday in Mumbai, Raj Thackeray slammed the Eknath Shinde-BJP government for spending Rs 1,700 crore for the beautification of Mumbai.

He had also blamed Uddhav Thackeray for the exit of many Shiv Sena leaders from the party, including CM Shinde and 39 MLAs supporting him, who raised a banner of revolt in June last year.

A day after the MNS chief showed a video of a 'mazar' or mausoleum-like structure being constructed illegally off the coast of Mahim area of Mumbai at the rally, the structure was demolished on Thursday. -- PTI

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday paid a courtesy visit to MNS president Raj Thackeray at the latter's residence in Mumbai.

Along with Thackeray, his wife Sharmila, son Amit and some party workers were present, a statement said.

Addressing the rally of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena on Wednesday in Mumbai, Raj Thackeray slammed the Eknath Shinde-BJP government for spending Rs 1,700 crore for the beautification of Mumbai.

He had also blamed Uddhav Thackeray for the exit of many Shiv Sena leaders from the party, including CM Shinde and 39 MLAs supporting him, who raised a banner of revolt in June last year.

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20:53 Delhi logs 153 fresh Covid cases, positivity rate jumps to 9.13%

Delhi recorded 153 fresh coronavirus cases with a positivity rate of 9.13 per cent on Sunday, according to data shared by the health department.

Delhi reported 139 cases with a positivity rate of 4.98 per cent on Saturday.

It saw 152 cases with a positivity rate of 6.66 per cent on Friday and 117 cases with a positivity rate of 4.95 per cent on Thursday.

The city had logged cases in three-digit figures last October.

Delhi has seen an increase in the number of fresh COVID cases over the last few days amid a sharp rise in H3N2 influenza cases in the country.

The city registered 84 coronavirus cases with a positivity rate of 5.08 per cent on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, it had reported 83 cases with a positivity rate of 5.83 per cent and a fatality linked to the disease.

The number of fresh cases had seen a decline over the past few months in Delhi.

It had dropped to zero on January 16, the first time since the pandemic began ravaging countries.

With the fresh cases, the national capital's COVID-19 tally has increased to 20,08,732, while the death toll stands at 26,524.

The health department data also showed that 1,675 tests were conducted on Saturday.

Thirty-nine of the 7,984 beds are occupied in dedicated COVID-19 hospitals, while 340 patients are in home isolation, it said. -- PTI

Soon after stepping out of the Sabarmati central jail in Ahmedabad before being taken to Prayagraj by the Uttar Pradesh police, gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed on Sunday expressed fear that he might be murdered.

"Hatya, hatya (murder, murder)," Ahmed told reporters outside the jail.

When some reporters asked him when he was being taken to a police van where he was feeling afraid, the former Samajwadi Party MP said, "Mujhe inka programme maloom hai...Hatya karna chahte hain (I know their programme...They want to murder me)."

A team of the Uttar Pradesh police reached the Sabarmati jail in Ahmedabad city in the morning and left the premises with Ahmed amid tight security around 6 pm after completing the necessary formalities.

He will be produced before a court in Praygraj city of UP on March 28 when it passes an order in a kidnapping case in which he is an accused, officials said. -- PTI

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20:16 Sri Lanka, India to begin passenger ferry service from April

The much-delayed passenger ferry service between Sri Lanka and India is set to start by the end of April, Civil Aviation Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said on Sunday.

On April 29, the ferry service between Karaikal and Kankesanthurai in port in Jaffna district would begin.

"Each passenger would be allowed a 100 kg baggage allowance at a very concessionary rate," the minister said.

De Silva said the opportunity would be open to any passenger ferry operator of both countries to run the service.

A passenger terminal is being built by the Sri Lanka Navy at Kankesanthurai.

The service would be a four-hour-long voyage, the Aviation Ministry here said. -- PTI

Bansuri Swaraj

19:56 Bansuri Swaraj appointed co-convener of Delhi BJP's legal cell

Bansuri Swaraj, the daughter of late Sushma Swaraj, has been appointed as co-convener of the legal cell of Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party, paving her entry into active politics.

Swaraj practices law in the Supreme Court.

Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva, in his first appointment in the state unit, after taking over as full-time state president of the party, appointed Swaraj as co-convener of the legal cell. In a letter issued on Friday,

Sachdeva said that Swaraj's appointment would come into force with immediate effect and hoped that she would strengthen the BJP.

Swaraj said she was a qualified lawyer and had been helping the party in legal matters earlier as well.

"It is just that I have been formally given an opportunity to serve the party more actively in the capacity as a legal department co-convener of the Delhi BJP," she said. -- PTI

Actor Salman Khan

19:23 Man held in Raj over threat mail to Salman Khan

The Mumbai police apprehended a man from Rajasthan in connection with an email threatening actor Salman Khan that was received at the latter's office in Mumbai recently, an official said on Sunday.

The man, a resident of Rajasthan, was nabbed by the team of Bandra police station and is being brought to Mumbai, an official said.

The complaint about the threat e-mail was recently lodged at the Bandra police station by one Prashant Gunjalkar, who according to police, frequently visits the Bandra-based residence of Salman Khan and runs an artist management company.

When Gunjalkar was present in Khan's office in Galaxy Apartment recently, he noticed an email had been received from the ID "Rohit Garg".

The sender of the e-mail, written in Hindi, said: "Goldy Bhai (gangster Goldy Brar) wanted to talk to Salman Khan face-to-face to close the matter", adding, "Agli baar, jhatka dekhne ko milega (You'll see something shocking)", the police had said.

"After a detailed technical investigation into the case, police got information about the accused person's whereabouts, following which a team was sent to Rajasthan and the man was apprehended," the official said.

He is being interrogated by a police team about the threat to the actor, he said. -- PTI

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde

19:18 Shiv Sena-UBT leaders, activists from Nashik join Shinde-led faction

Several leaders and activists of the Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray faction from Malegaon and Nashik on Sunday joined the party fold led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

As per a release issued by Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena party, Shinde welcomed the leaders and activists from Shiv Sena-UBT into the fold during a function held at Anand Ashram in Thane.

Nashik guardian minister Dada Bhuse, the party's state coordinator and former mayor Naresh Mhsake and district chief Ajay Boraste were present at the programme.

"As activists have joined the party with full faith in us, the problems of Nashik district will now be resolved by the state government, which is committed to the development of the state and its citizens," the chief minister said on the occasion. -- PTI

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19:00 Nikhat wins her second World Championships title

Ace Indian boxer Nikhat Zareen added a second world Championships title to her name, defeating Vietnam's Nguyen Thi Tam in the 50kg summit clash in New Delhi on Sunday.

Nikhat upstaged Tam by a 5-0 verdict.

Nikhat becomes only the second Indian after the legendary MC Mary Kom to win the prestigious title twice.

On Saturday, Nitu Ghanghas (48kg) and Saweety Boora (81kg) were crowned world champions.

Hosts India are on course to match their best-ever performance in terms of gold medals won with Olympic medallist Lovlina Borgohain set to take the ring later in the day.

India had won the four golds in the 2006 edition at home which was also the country's best ever display with a haul of eight medals, including a silver. -- PTI

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18:44 Railways to operate Vande Bharat Metro train between Jammu and Srinagar: Vaishnaw

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday said a Vande Bharat Metro train will be operated between Jammu and Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir once the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link Project becomes fully operational.

Addressing mediapersons at the first run of a track-mounted trolley on the world's highest arch bridge constructed on the Chenab river, he said the USBRL project will be completed by December this year or January 2024.

Vaishnaw travelled on the track-mounted trolley with railway officials and inspected the iconic bridge having the height of 359 metres from the Chenab riverbed.

Vaishnaw said it has been decided to set up a Vande Bharat Express train maintenance facility at Badgam in the Kashmir Valley and in the first go Vande Bharat Metro will be run between Jammu and Srinagar cities once this important railway link, which will connect the Kashmir Valley with the rest of the country through rail network gets completed.

The iconic bridge having a foundation equal to half the football field is a "subject of pride" and it was "difficult challenge of engineering", he said, adding that more than 28,000 metric tonnes of steel was used for the bridge structure that is built in a highly active seismic zone.

The Northern Railway officials said the arch bridge was constructed at a cost of Rs 1,486 crore.

The deck height of the bridge is 359 metres, while its length is 1,315 metres.

The arch bridge has 17 spans and the linear length of the main arch span is 460 metres and it is curvilinear, they said. -- PTI

President Droupadi Murmu will be on a two-day tour of West Bengal from Monday, during which she will visit Santiniketan to grace the annual convocation of Visva-Bharati, according to a statement issued by the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Sunday.

The president will visit Netaji Bhawan in Kolkata to pay homage to Subhash Chandra Bose on Monday.

Later on during the day, she will visit Jorasanko Thakurbari -- Rabindranath Tagore's House -- to pay tributes to him, the statement said.

In the evening, the president will attend a civic reception to be hosted in her honour at Netaji Indoor Stadium, Kolkata, it added.

The president will visit Belur Math the next day.

She will also grace the celebration of completion of 80 years of UCO Bank in Kolkata.

Later, the president will visit Santiniketan where she will grace the annual convocation of Visva-Bharati, the statement said. -- PTI

Balwant Singh/ANI on Twitter

17:51 Man who harboured Amritpal's close aide held

The Punjab police arrested one Balwant Singh for allegedly harbouring a close associate of Warris Panj-Aab De chief Amritpal Singh.

Balwant had allegedly harboured Tajinder Singh Gill alias Baba Gorkha -- a close associate of Amritpal Singh -- has been arrested, the Khanna police confirmed.

"His questioning is underway, but no connection between Amritpal Singh and Balwant Singh has been found yet,' the police said. -- ANI

The Puducherry Pradesh Congress Committee will hold a dawn to dusk fast in Puducherry on Monday to condemn the disqualification of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as member of Parliament.

Former Puducherry Chief Minister and senior Congress leader V Narayanasamy told participants in a protest rally organised by the PPCC in Puducherry Sunday that, "the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi is a clear case of political vendetta unleashed by the Bharatiya Janata Party-headed NDA government at the Centre."

He said that the Central government was attempting to gag the voice of the opposition particularly when the Congress leader was exposing the Narendra Modi led government's nexus with the industrialist and billionaire Gautam Adani.

"The Prime Minister tried to silence the opposition but our protests would continue unabated," Narayanasamy said announcing that a day-long fast would be observed on Monday to condemn the disqualification of Gandhi. -- PTI

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16:58 Justice Diwaker sworn in as Allahabad HC chief justice

Justice Pritinker Diwaker was sworn in as the chief justice of the Allahabad high court on Sunday.

He was administered the oath of office by Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel in the courtroom of the chief justice.

During the ceremony, all the judges of the court, including the Lucknow bench, and most of the lawyers were present.

The governor was given a guard of honour in the court compound on her arrival.

In a notification dated March 24, President Droupadi Murmu appointed Justice Diwaker as the chief justice of the Allahabad high court with effect from the date he assumes charge of his office.

Till now, Justice Diwaker was working as the acting chief justice of the court.

Born on November 22, 1961, Justice Diwaker graduated from Durgawati University, Jabalpur.

He was enrolled as an advocate in the year 1984 and has dealt with constitutional, civil and criminal matters.

He also worked as standing counsel for SAIL, SBI, Chhattisgarh Gramin Bank, Bank of Baroda and IDBI, among others. -- PTI

The MP police arrest Vikrant Bhuria in Jhabua/Vikrant Bhuria/Twitter

16:37 Rahul stir: Youth Cong chief held for stopping train

Madhya Pradesh Youth Congress president Vikrant Bhuria was on Sunday arrested for leading a protest against the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi as Lok Sabha MP by stopping a train at Kamlapati railway station in Bhopal, a police official said.

Bhuria was arrested from his residence at Gopal Colony in Madhya Pradesh's Jhabua after he was charged under Indian Penal Code and Railway Act for stopping the Dakshin Express on Friday, Bhopal railway police inspector Nitin Patel told reporters.

Bhuria, who is the son of MLA and former Union minister Kantilal Bhuria, was taken away while a crowd of Congress supporters shouted slogans in his support.

15:46 Advance booking opens for 'Bholaa'

The advance booking of Ajay Devgn-starrer Bholaa is open, the makers announced on Sunday.

The film, scheduled to be released on Mar 30, is produced by Ajay Devgn Films, Reliance Entertainment, T-Series Films, and Dream Warrior Pictures.

"Ajay Devgn's definition changing action sequences, deep emotion connects and the thrilling storyline has got audiences eagerly waiting to watch Bholaa.

"After getting a tremendous response for IMAX 3D and 4DX ticket bookings, the makers have opened the advance bookings from today. Get ready to go on a thrilling journey with Bholaa from this Thursday, 30th March in 2D, 3D, IMAX 3D and 4DX," the makers said in a press note.

Bholaa is the Hindi remake of the Tamil hit Kaithi, which was written and directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj.

The story revolves around an ex-convict (Karthi) who decides to meet his daughter for the first time after being released from prison but gets caught in a face-off between police and drug mafia. -- PTI

A major tragedy was averted on Friday when an Air India and a Nepal Airlines aircraft came close to collision mid-air but the warning systems alerted the pilots whose timely action prevented the disaster, authorities said in Kathmandu on Sunday.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal has suspended two employees of the air traffic controller department for "carelessness", according to CAAN spokesperson Jagannath Niroula.

On Friday morning, a Nepal Airlines plane coming to Kathmandu from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and an Air India plane coming to Kathmandu from New Delhi almost collided.

The Air India aircraft was descending from 19,000 ft while the Nepal Airlines aircraft was flying at an altitude of 15,000 ft at the same location, Niroula said.

After it was shown on the radar that the two aircraft were in proximity, the Nepal Airlines aircraft descended to 7,000 ft, the spokesperson said.

The civil aviation authority has formed a three-member probe committee to investigate the matter.

The CAAN has suspended the two officers, who were in charge of the control room at the time of the incident. -- PTI

The body of a well-known Bhojpuri model actor Akanksha Dubey (25) has been found in a hotel in Sarnath, Varanasi.

The police have already sent the body for a post-mortem.

The assistant commissioner of police of Varanasi said, "The prima facie report suggests it might be a case of suicide. But we have to wait for the post-mortem report to be sure of the cause of the death."

Akanksha Dubey was found hanging in the room.

The police are yet to ascertain whether it's a case of suicide.

Akanksha had worked in Bhojpuri cinema, music, and films.

Akanksha had huge followers on Instagram and her reel videos were quite popular.

It's reported that the actor has risen to fame in quick time.

She started gaining prominence as one of the well-known artists of Uttar Pradesh.

The police started an investigation in the matter. -- ANI

A team from Uttar Pradesh police reached Sabarmati Central Jail in Gujarat's Ahmedabad on Sunday for mafia-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed, who has been lodged here since June 2019, an official said.

According to sources, the Uttar Pradesh police had arrived here most likely to take Ahmed, who is a key accused in a high-profile killing that took place in February, to their state.

"The Uttar Pradesh police are at Sabarmati central jail for convict Atiq Ahmed," said superintendent of police (Sabarmati Jail) JS Chavda.

The UP police are yet to submit official papers to Gujarat police, Chavda added.

Ahmed is the main accused in the 2005 murder case of the then BSP MLA Raju Pal, and was recently booked after Umesh Pal, a key witness in the case, was shot dead in Prayagraj in UP on February 24. -- PTI

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14:41 Five women hospitalised after fire breaks out in Mumbai high-rise

Five women, including three senior citizens, were hospitalised after a fire broke on the fourth floor of a residential high-rise in Kanjurmarg in Mumbai on Sunday morning, an official said.

The fire broke out in the gound-plus-14 storey building in Mhada Colony in Karve Nagar at 9:26am and was doused some 45 minutes later, he said.

"The fire was confined to the wiring, electric installation in the common meter cabin on the ground floor as well as the electric duct. Fire brigade and police personnel arrived at the spot and rescued five persons who were trapped," he said.

"They have been hospitalised after suffering injuries and suffocation from smoke inhalation. Their condition is stable," he added. -- PTI

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14:01 Physically-challenged man inflicts burns on fellow passenger on Mumbai local

A physically-challenged man allegedly inflicted burn wounds on a fellow passenger in a local train in Maharashtra's Thane district, an official from the government railway police said on Sunday.

The incident took place in the compartment for physically-challenged persons in a local train from Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus to Kalyan around 10.45 pm on Saturday, senior inspector Pandhari Kande of Thane GRP said.

The accused allegedly set fire to a handkerchief smeared with some narcotic substance and threw it on the victim Prasade Wadekar (35), who sustained burns on his hands, he said.

The victim was admitted to KEM Hospital, where he is undergoing treatment, the official said.

An offence under section 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means) of the Indian Penal Code has been registered against the accused, who managed to escape the scene, he added. -- PTI

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13:50 Coast Guard chopper makes emergency landing

A Dhruv Mark 3 advanced light helicopter of the Indian Coast Guard was made an emergency landing in Kochi, Kerala on Sunday.

The pilots of the Coast Guard were testing the chopper when the incident took place, said ICG officials.

The chopper was at around 25 feet height when it had to make a forced landing.

The ICG is working towards resuming the operations of the ALH Dhruv fleet, said ICG officials.

The fleet of the Dhruv choppers has been grounded since March 8 after a Navy chopper met with an accident off the coast of Mumbai. -- ANI

Bharatiya Janata Party president JP Nadda on Sunday said his party would win more than 200 out of 230 assembly seats in Madhya Pradesh, where elections are set to be held at the end of the year.

He has arrived in the state capital to lay the foundation stone of a BJP office.

"The warm welcome accorded to me by the spirited BJP cadre shows we are going to more than 200 Assembly seats in MP," he said.

The 2018 elections in Madhya Pradesh threw up a hung assembly, with the Congress emerging as the largest party with 114 seats in the 230-member House, while the BJP won on 109 seats.

However, the BJP got 41.02 per cent votes against the Congress' 40.89 per cent.

The Congress formed a government under Kamal Nath, which fell in March 2020 when MLAs loyal to Jyotiraditya Scindia revolted, paving the way for the return of Shivraj Singh Chouhan as chief minister. -- PTI

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12:32 Sidhu Moosewala's father receives death threat

The father of late Punjabi rapper Sidhu Moosewala, Balkaur Singh, on Sunday alleged that he was threatened once again through an email saying that he would be killed soon.

"I've received threats on email from Rajasthan saying that I'll be killed soon, so don't take Lawrence Bishnoi's name", alleged Moosewala's father.

Previously also, Balkaur Singh alleged that he was threatened and said that he will be killed before April 25.

"What wrong am I doing? Should I not fight my son's case? I was threatened on February 18, 24 and 27 that I will be killed before April 25...I would like to tell the Government, to take back my security, I will continue to fight," he added.

According to the police, a case has been registered against unknown people for threatening Moosewala's father.

On March 7, Singh held a protest outside the Punjab assembly and demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation investigation into the murder of his son.

Speaking to media persons outside the Punjab assembly, Singh said no investigation is happening in his favour. -- ANI

Amritpal Singh

12:03 Patiala woman held for harbouring Amritpal, aide

The Punjab police arrested a woman from Patiala for allegedly sheltering fugitive radical preacher Amritpal Singh and his aide, officials said on Sunday.

According to a senior police official, Amritpal and his aide Papalpreet Singh had allegedly stayed at the residence of Balbir Kaur in Patiala's Hargobind Nagar on March 19.

Kaur allegedly sheltered Amritpal and Papalpreet for five to six hours before they moved to Shahabad in Haryana's Kurukshetra district, the police said.

Amritpal has been on the run since March 18 when the police launched a crackdown against him and elements of 'Waris Punjab De', an outfit headed by him.

The elusive preacher himself gave the police the slip and escaped their dragnet when his cavalcade was intercepted in Punjab's Jalandhar district.

On Saturday, CCTV camera footage purportedly showing Amritpal, dressed in a jacket and trousers and speaking on a mobile phone, emerged in Patiala.

In the footage, the 'Waris Punjab De' chief could also be seen holding a bag with a white cloth covering his face.

Papalpreet could also be seen in the footage. -- PTI

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11:58 Left-Congress alliance wins Haldia dock polls, TMC draws a blank

The Left-Congress alliance made a clean sweep in the elections of the Haldia dock institute management committee in West Bengal's Purba Medinipur district by trouncing ruling the Trinamool Congress candidates.

The win of the Left-Congress alliance on Saturday assumes significance after the defeat of the TMC in the Sagardighi assembly by-election at the hands of Left supported Congress candidate Byron Biswas recently.

The Left-Congress alliance won 19 out of 19 seats which is significant ahead of the panchayat polls.

Of the 737 electorate, 694 cast their franchise in the high voltage triangular battle between Left-Congress, TMC trade union and Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh which was supported by BJP, an official involved in the election process said.

The permanent employees and officers of the port cast votes.

The total number of candidates in the three panels was 58.

Last time Trinamool Congress had won all the seats in the management committee, but the post of vice president was bagged by the Left.

The TMC tasted it's first defeat after 13 years. -- PTI

Union Minister Giriraj Singh

11:29 Bihar court acquits Union minister Giriraj Singh, 22 others in 9-year-old case

A court in Bihar on Saturday acquitted senior BJP leader Giriraj Singh and 22 others accused in a case related to the staging of a rail blockade in 2014.

The special MP-MLA court of Muzaffarpur gave relief to Union Minister Giriraj Singh, Vaishali MP Veena Devi, 2 former ministers and others who were acquitted in this matter due to a lack of evidence.

In March 2014, a state-wide "rail roko" campaign was launched by BJP leaders against the Congress-led Union government for not granting special category status to Bihar.

A case was registered in this case in Sonpur. The case was later transferred from Sonpur to Muzaffarpur court.

Giving information about the whole case, the defence advocate Ashok Kumar, while talking to the media said, "A total of 27 people were named in this case and out of them 23 were accused. All of them were acquitted as no evidence was found against them". -- ANI

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi updates his Twitter account bio to Dis'Qualified MP.

Gandhi was disqualified as a member of Parliament after he was convicted in a criminal defamation case over his 'Modi surname' remark. -- ANI

The Delhi Police has denied permission to the Congress for holding 'satyagraha' at Rajghat to protest against Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from the Lok Sabha, officials said on Sunday.

In a letter, the Delhi Police said the request was rejected due to law and order and traffic reasons and prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC imposed in and around Rajghat.

A senior police officer told PTI that while permission for holding the satyagraha has been denied, adequate security arrangements have been put in place.

The Congress has announced plans to hold a day-long satyagraha in front of Gandhi statues at all states and district headquarters on Sunday to protest against Gandhi's disqualification.

Gandhi was disqualified from the Lok Sabha on Friday, a day after a court in Gujarat's Surat convicted him in a 2019 defamation case.

The disqualification will bar Gandhi, 52, a four-time MP, from contesting polls for eight years unless a higher court stays his conviction. -- PTI

IMAGE: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, party leaders Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Jairam Ramesh, K C Venugopal and other leaders at Rajghat to protest against the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi as a member of Parliament. Photograph: ANI on Twitter

After a Washington, DC-based Indian journalist was attacked by Khalistan supporters, the Indian embassy in the United States has condemned the incident in a statement released on Saturday.

'We condemn such a grave and unwarranted attack on a senior journalist. Such activities only underscore the violent and anti-social tendencies of the so-called 'Khalistani protestors' and their supporters, who routinely engage in wanton violence and vandalism,' the statement from the Indian embassy said.

Washington, DC-based Indian journalist Lalit Jha was physically attacked and verbally abused by Khalistan supporters while he was covering a pro-Khalistan protest outside the Indian Embassy on Saturday afternoon.

'We have seen disturbing visuals of a senior Indian journalist from the Press Trust of India being abused, threatened & assaulted physically while covering so-called 'Khalistan protest' in Washington, DC earlier today,' the Indian embassy in US said in a press release by Saturday.

The statement said, 'We understand that the journalist was first verbally intimidated, then physically assaulted, and fearing for his personal safety and well-being, had to call in law enforcement agencies, who responded promptly.'

The Indian embassy in their statement also thanked the law enforcement agencies for their prompt response in the matter.

Jha on Sunday thanked US Secret Service for protecting him and helping him do his job.

He said he was hit on his left ear with two sticks by Khalistan supporters.

He also shared a video of the Khalistani supporters on his Twitter handle.

'Thank you @SecretService 4 my protection 2day 4 helping do my job, otherwise I would have been writing this from the hospital. The gentleman below hit my left ear with these 2 sticks & earlier I had to call 9/11 & rushed 2 police van 4 safety fearing physical assault,' Jha tweeted on Sunday. -- ANI

Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) heaviest rocket LVM3 carrying 36 satellites belonging to United Kingdom-based OneWeb Group lifted off from Sriharikota space port in Andhra Pradesh on Sunday.

The second dedicated mission for NewSpace India Ltd, the commercial arm of the ISRO is part of the agreement signed with Network Access Associates Ltd, United Kingdom (OneWeb Group Company) for launch of 72 satellites into Low-Earth orbits (LEO).

The first set of 36 satellites of OneWeb Group company was launched on October 23, 2022 by ISRO.

At the end of the 24.5 hour countdown, the 43.5 metre tall rocket blasted off at 9 am from the second launch pad in Sriharikota, about 135 km from Chennai.

Bharti Enterprises is a major investor in OneWeb group, which is engaged in the implementation of the constellation of low earth satellites.

It is a global communication network powered from space, enabling connectivity for governments and businesses.

The launch was the 18th for OneWeb Group company while for ISRO, it would be the second mission in 2023 after the successful launch of SSLV/D2-EOS07 mission undertaken in February.

With today's mission, OneWeb would have 616 satellites in its fleet which would be more than enough to launch global services later this year.

The mission marks OneWeb's second satellite deployment from India, highlighting the collaboration between the United Kingdom and Indian space industries, OneWeb said.

Across India, OneWeb would bring secured solutions not only to enterprises but also to towns, villages, municipalities and schools including the hardest to reach areas across the country, the company said.

The first set of satellite separation (comprising four of the 36 satellites) is scheduled to take place around 20 minutes after lift-off.

The remaining satellites are expected to be placed into the 450 km circular orbits in sometime.

The satellites after being placed into the low-earth orbits would be divided among 12 planes at an altitude of about 1,200 km from Earth's surface.

Each plane would be separated in an altitude by 4 km to prevent inter-plane collision, ISRO said.

This is the sixth flight of LVM3 which was earlier known as the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle MkIII (GSLVMkIII) with a cryogenic upper stage.

It had five consecutive missions including the Chandrayaan-2. -- PTI

Ajnala court in Punjab on Saturday sent 10 associates of Waris Punjab De, headed by fugitive pro-Khalistan leader Amritpal Singh, to judicial custody till April 6 in connection with a first information report (FIR) registered related to the Ajnala incident where pro-Khalistan supporters clashed with police.

One other accused Sukhpreet Singh remanded to 4-day police custody, the official said.

The 10 persons are accused of storming the Ajnala police station and clashing with the Punjab police in February this year to free a member, who had been arrested in an abduction case.

On February 23, thousands of Amritpal Singh's supporters stormed the Ajnala police station, flashing swords and high-calibre firearms and threatening the police with dire consequences if they did not release Lovepreet Toofan, who was arrested for allegedly assaulting and abducting a man.

The supporters, brandishing swords and guns, broke through police barricades erected outside the Ajnala police station.

An FIR was registered against the elements of Waris Punjab De over the incident, regarding which the Ajnala court today sent 10 of them to two days of police custody. -- ANI

At least 23 people were killed and dozens injured as tornado and strong thunderstorms swept across Mississippi, United States, late Friday, leaving a trail of damage for over 100 miles, ABC News reported citing local and federal authorities said.

Mississippi Governor Tata Reeves said 23 people were killed in the tornado and storms that struck Mississippi.

Reeves tweeted, 'At least twenty three Mississippians were killed by last night's violent tornados. We know that many more are injured. Search and rescue teams are still active.'

In another tweet, he stated, 'Many in the MS Delta need your prayer and God's protection tonight. We have activated medical support--surging more ambulances and other emergency assets for those affected. Search and rescue is active. Watch weather reports and stay cautious through the night, Mississippi!'

Meanwhile, Mississippi Emergency Management Agency in a tweet said, 'We can confirm 23 dead, dozens injured, 4 missing due to last night's tornadoes. We have numerous local and state search and rescue teams that continue to work this morning. A number of assets are on the ground to assist those that have been impacted.'

It further said, 'We will provide more information as it becomes available.'

Speaking to ABC News, Coroner Angelia Easton said that 13 people had died in Sharkey County. Carroll County Coroner Mark Stiles confirmed that three people had died.

Coroner Alan Gurley said that two people died in Monroe County.

Jose Watson, a Mississippi Highway Patrol trooper, said one person died in Silver City, in Humphreys County, as per the news report.

As thunderstorms battered Mississippi late Friday, a tornado was reported at about 8:50 pm (local time) in Silver City and Rolling Fork, the National Weather Service said.

From there, the tornado rolled onto the northwest side of Tchula and along Highway 49, ABC News reported citing officials.

NWS officials in Mississippi in an alert on Friday, said, '9.31 pm - Confirmed tornado is on the ground moving across I-55 moving into the city of Winona in Montgomery County shortly', as per the news report.

They further called on the people to 'Take cover now!'

According to an NWS official, a tornado Emergency alert was later issued for Winona with a tornado moving northeast through town. -- ANI

IMAGE: An aerial view of the aftermath of a tornado, in Rolling Fork, Mississippi, on March 25, 2023. Photograph: SevereStudios.com/Jordan Hall/via Reuters

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