Famous Sufi singer Hans Raj Hans today joined the Congress party. He was inducted into the party by the PCC president Amarinder Singh here. Welcoming Hans into the party, Amarinder said, given his appeal that goes across all the sections of the society his joining the Congress will definitely benefit it.

He said people like Hans who enjoy a clean image and reputation are widely admired by the people. Speaking on the occasion Hans said, he had resigned from the Akali Dal about one and a half year ago as he had not found it coming to his expectations. Hans said he looked around and found that the Congress under Amarinder's leadership was best suited to rule Punjab.

He made it clear that he had not joined the party with any condition as his only aim was to see Punjab grow and prosper. About the Aam Aadmi Party, he said, there was a "great gulf" in what they preach and what they practice. He said, the AAP "balloon was deflating" in Punjab

As violence spread to more areas in Haryana today due to pro-reservation protest by the Jat community, the administration clamped prohibitory orders in Gurgaon for two days.

Hundreds of Jat community members blocked Garhi Harsaru railway line, NH-8, Atul Kataria chowk, Iffco Chowk, and other city roads disturbing traffic through out the day. "We have imposed section-144 for two days. Schools will open from Monday which was earlier directed to be closed," Gurgaon District Magistrate T L Satyaprakash said.

The DM said they have been communicating with Jat leaders and headmen of Sukhrauli, Kadipur, Baktawarpur, Kasan ki Dahni and other villages to identify anti-social elements trying to provoke people to disturb harmony. Gurgaon police spokesperson Hawa Singh said over 500 police personnel, with 12 ACP rank officials, have been deployed to keep a tab on Delhi- Gurgaon border area, and the city's major intersections such as NH-8, toll plaza.

"They protested at places like Iffco Chowk, Garhi Harsaru railway line, Dalatabad, Sarai railway line, Bhagat Singh Chowk, Islampur chowk, Patli Railway station and other junctions," Hawa Singh said.

Ruling BJP today said Peacock has been removed from the proposed list of vermins in Goa while a decision on including Indian Bison in the category of nuisance animals is still under consideration.

The statement comes in the wake of a recent report that the national bird and Indian Bison (Gaur) were among animals proposed to be listed as vermins, making them easier to cull.

The government move had drawn flak from activists and environmentalists besides opposition Congress, which dubbed the proposal as "suicidal". "Peacock is deleted from the list but other names are being considered. Gaur is still on the (proposed) list and its deletion is being considered," BJP Goa unit president Vinay Tendulkar told reporters.

He said the government has listed out nuisance animals after receiving complaints from farmers about crop damage caused by them.

Amid a raging row at JNU over an event during which anti-national slogans were allegedly raised, a group of Jamia students have claimed that a few of the students spotted in a video are from their university and the administration should help identify them.

The Jamia Students Forum has written a letter to the Vice Chancellor Talat Ahmad in this regard. "We would like to draw your attention to the fact that the videos of recent incidents which took place in JNU and press club and were reported to be anti-national, have some Jamia students. We request you to identify them from the video and help the police in a fair enquiry," the letter sent said. Repetitive calls and text messages to varsity spokesperson Mukesh Ranjan, seeking the university administration's response on the issue, went unanswered.

The students agitating at JNU demanding release of their union president Kanhaiya Kumar, who is in custody in a sedition case, in connection with an event during which anti-national slogans were allegedly raised, have also said that there were certain unidentified people in the protest during the Februrary 9 event.

Britain will hold a historic referendum on whether to stay in the European Union on June 23, Prime Minister David Cameron announced today even as he warned that leaving the 28-nation bloc would be a "leap in the dark". Making the announcement outside his 10 Downing Street residence after briefing the cabinet on the EU reform deal he struck in Brussels yesterday, Cameron said,

"The vote would be one of the biggest decisions this country will face in our lifetimes." He said he would be campaigning to remain in a reformed bloc as the UK would be "safer and stronger" if it remained in the EU.

"The choice is in your hands - but my recommendation is clear. I believe that Britain will be safer, stronger and better off by remaining in a reformed European Union," Cameron said in his direct appeal to the British public. The Prime Minister warned that leaving the EU would be a "leap in the dark" as he appealed to voters to back his reform deal.

"Those who want to leave Europe cannot tell you if British businesses would be able to access Europe's free trade single market, or if working people's jobs are safe, or how much prices would rise. All they're offering is a risk at a time of uncertainty - a leap in the dark," he said.

As Haryana remained on the boil with sudden spurt of violence due to Jat agitation over quota, Western Railway today announced cancellation of eight trains that were scheduled to pass through the affected region. Also, fifteen mail services were short-terminated and five other trains diverted today, a statement issued by WR said.

The trains that were cancelled are: 12926 Amritsar-Bandra Paschim Express, 22926 Kalka-Bandra Terminus Paschim Express, 12472 Shrimata Vaishnodevi Katra-Bandra Terminus Swaraj Express, 12217 Kochuveli-Chandigarh Sampark Kranthi Express, 12450 Chandigarh-Madgaon Goa Sampark Kranti Express, 12920 Jammu Tavi-Indore Malwa Express, 12215 Delhi Sarai Rohilla-Bandra Terminus Garib Rath Express, 12957 Ahmedabad- New Delhi Swarna Jayanti Rajdhani Express.

The trains that were short-terminated are: 12925 Bandra Terminus'"Amritsar Paschim Express, which had set off on February 19 terminated at Sonipat; 22451 Bandra Terminus-Chandigarh Superfast Express was terminated at Narela; 12449 Madgaon-Chandigarh Goa Sampark Kranti Express terminated at Hazrat Nizamuddin and 12471 Bandra Ter

JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar, charged with sedition, may have to spend another couple of days in prison as the Delhi High Court is likely to hear on Tuesday his bail plea in which he has contended that he was 'falsely implicated'.

His counsel said all defects in his petition pointed out yesterday by the Registry have been rectified and the legal team would press that he was wrongly arrested on the basis of an FIR which was devoid of evidence to book him under such a serious charge.

The counsel said the petition is limited to bail for Kanhaiya who was arrested on February 12. Kanhaiya has sought bail claiming he was falsely implicated as he had never raised any anti-national slogans during an event organised in Jawaharlal Nehru university on February 9. In the plea, he has also claimed that no case is made out against him as there was no evidence.

Kanhaiya had approached the high court after the Supreme Court yesterday refused to hear his bail petition on the ground that it will set a "dangerous precedent" and had asked him to approach the high court.

Escorted by the police, Kanhaiya's lawyers Sushil Bajaj and Vrinda Grover had thereafter rushed to the high court Registrar yesterday and mentioned the petition when certain deficiencies were pointed out in it.

As Haryana remained on the boil with sudden spurt of violence due to Jat agitation over quota, Western Railway today announced cancellation of eight trains that were scheduled to pass through the affected region. Also, fifteen mail services were short-terminated and five other trains diverted today, a statement issued by WR said.

The trains that were cancelled are: 12926 Amritsar-Bandra Paschim Express, 22926 Kalka-Bandra Terminus Paschim Express, 12472 Shrimata Vaishnodevi Katra-Bandra Terminus Swaraj Express, 12217 Kochuveli-Chandigarh Sampark Kranthi Express, 12450 Chandigarh-Madgaon Goa Sampark Kranti Express, 12920 Jammu Tavi-Indore Malwa Express, 12215 Delhi Sarai Rohilla-Bandra Terminus Garib Rath Express, 12957 Ahmedabad --New Delhi Swarna Jayanti Rajdhani Express.

The trains that were short-terminated are: 12925 Bandra Terminus'"Amritsar Paschim Express, which had set off on February 19 terminated at Sonipat; 22451 Bandra Terminus-Chandigarh Superfast Express was terminated at Narela; 12449 Madgaon-Chandigarh Goa Sampark Kranti Express terminated at Hazrat Nizamuddin and 12471 Bandra Terminus- Jammu Tavi Swaraj Express terminated at New Delhi.

Meanwhile, the Congress Working Committee will meet on February 22 to discuss current political situation ahead of Budget Session, party general secretary Janardan Dwived has said.

A 'doctored' video allegedly showing arrested JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar as raising anti-India slogans has been sent to a forensic laboratory by the District Magistrate conducting a probe into the sedition row.

The video was broadcast by certain news channels. It also went viral on social media and was widely used to condemn the organisers of the controversial event in JNU campus. Later, another set of news channels started broadcasting different version of the same video, questioning its authenticity.

"We got to know about the video showing the JNU student leader raising anti-India slogans and we also came across allegations that the video was doctored. So, we have sent it for forensic examination," sources said.

Refusing to comment on the video clips which the police have probed so far, a senior official claimed that the charges in the case can be established with the help of the footage which the police have in their possession.

Dozens of people were trappedinside a government building in Pampore area on Srinagar-JammuNational Highway as a militant took shelter in the premises of Entrepreneurship Development Institute after opening firing on security forces.

Militants opened firing on a CRPF bus in Pampore town of Pulwama district, near the EDI complex, which was retaliated by the security forces, a police official said.

Six CRPF personnel were injured in the initial firing by the militants, the official said.

He said at least one militant while fleeing from the spot entered into the EDI complex where over 100 students were undergoing training in entrepreneurship when the incident took place.

The official said around 50 staffers were also present inside the complex.

A large number of passengers were left stranded here as several trains passing through Haryana were cancelled due to the pro-quota agitation by Jat protesters.

Several trains from Jammu were cancelled due to the protest by the community seeking reservation under OBC category in Haryana, causing inconvenience to passengers, specially those who had come on pilgrimage to Mata Vaishno Devi cave shrine. "We were told that our train was cancelled due to the agitation of Jats in Haryana and now we have been left stranded at Jammu railway station waiting for the rail traffic to start again," Sheetal Kumari, a pilgrim from New Delhi, said. The passenger said that she cannot even take a bus to Delhi as the agitating Jats have blocked the highway at several places. A railway official said that around 25,000 to 30,000 passengers have been affected due to the cancellation of 15-20 trains from Jammu.

"Around 25,000 to 30,000 passengers have been affected due to the cancellation of 15-20 trains from Jammu. All the trains, which go via Delhi and pass through Haryana, have been cancelled," Divisional Traffic Manager (DTM), Northern Railway Sudhir Kumar Singh said.