LIVE! Tharoor bats for Gurmehar, slams Virender Sehwag over his tweet

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Tue, 28 February 2017

Tharoor bats for Gurmehar, slams Virender Sehwag over his tweet

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23:41 Tharoor bats for Gurmehar, slams Virender Sehwag over his tweet

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor voiced regret over Sehwag's attempt to 'trivialise a serious issue like war'.

I am disappointed that my cricket hero Virender Sehwag chose to enter the wholly politicised debate over Gurmehar Kaurs words by saying I didnt score two triple centuries, my bat did, Tharoor said on Facebook.

Not everyone might agree with an idealist students comment: Pakistan did not kill my father, war killed him.

But who are we, who have not endured what Gurmehar did at a tender age, to substitute our worldly-wise realpolitik for the idealism of a 20-year old student? Viruji, it does not do justice to the memory of the martyr for any of us to be insensitive to the feelings of his family, however emotional their words may be, since they, not us, have suffered the brunt of the loss, and is their prerogative to react to that loss, said Tharoor, who is the chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on external affairs.

Your seemingly witty counter to her is not only wrong, it is also trivializes a serious issue concerning war, loss, and deeply personal emotions that are felt only by those who have suffered, he said, adding: Do not let cynics exploit the power of your words to silence a young womans idealism.

US Senator Bernie Sanders has literally laughed out loud at Trump's statement describing heath care as "complicated", adding that providing health care was in fact an extremely complicated matter.

In an interview with CNN, Sanders expressed his mirth over the remark and spoke about the complexity of the issue by rolling out his experience working on the legislative side.

"Some of us who were sitting on the health education committee, who went to meeting after meeting after meeting, who heard from dozens of people, who stayed up night after night trying to figure out this thing, yeah we got a clue. When you provide health care in a nation of 320 million people, yeah, it is very, very complicated," Sanders said.

Trump has almost consistently branded Obamacare as a failure, stating that it must be repealed and replaced.

Earlier House Speaker Paul Ryan said, "We have to step in and prevent Obamacare from getting worse, from collapsing, and we will replace it with a law that is better."

After Javed Akhtar and Naseeruddin Shah, Jawaharlal Nehru University scholar Umar Khalid has come out in support of Gurmehar Kaur and students of the Delhi University condemning former cricketer Virendra Sehwag's tweet saying he represents Board of Control for Cricket in India and not India.

"Virender Sehwag played for BCCI, he does not represent India. The thousands of students and teachers who came out in Delhi University today, they represent India - a vision of a new India based on equality, justice and freedom," Khalid posted on Facebook.

India batting legend Sehwag had earlier tweeted an image of himself holding a placard that said, "I didn't score two triple centuries, my bat did."

The post, allegedly, aimed at trolling Gurmehar Kaur, who in a video posted on youtube held a placard that said, "Pakistan did not kill my father, War did."

An independent candidate who contested the February 21 BMC poll, has asked the State Election Commission to probe what he called as 'disappearance' of votes cast by him and his family members.

"I voted for myself, so did my family members. But when counting of votes was completed, it showed that I had polled zero votes. This looks suspicious," Shrikant Shirsat, who contested from the Saki Naka municipal ward in suburban Mumbai, said.

In his complaint to the SEC, Shirsat, who contested from ward number 164, said other candidates from his ward were mulling approaching court against 'malpractices' in counting of votes.

The development comes amid allegations by some candidates who lost in recent Nashik civic elections, that EVMs were 'manipulated'.

Stating that people nowadays should be more tolerant and there is no place of intolerance, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today said it is the fundamental right of a person to choose his religion.

"It is absolutely their freedom of choice what religion they will follow, what they will eat and what they will wear. Nobody has the power to interfere into the fundamental rights and the religious rights of any person. The country's Constitution has not given them the freedom to do so. Our Constitution is our armour," Banerjee said.

"In the present times we have to be more tolerant. There is no place for intolerance. There is no place for vandalism. If you are loving a religion, you have to respect it," she said.

Last week's violent fracas at Delhi's Ramjas College has ignited, yet again, a nationwide debate on freedom of speech and what it means to be (anti) national.

The script of the current unrest seems similar to last year's Jawaharlal Nehru University controversy when a group of students was alleged to have raised anti-national slogans.

However, JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar raised no anti-India slogans for which he was charged with sedition last year, top officials investigating the case have revealed to India Today, citing forensic examination of voice samples.

Read full story HERE

21:11

The numbers say it all! India's GDP growth

21:06 IMD warns temperatures expected to rise above normal this year

India should prepare for a harsh summer as heat wave conditions are expected to intensify in the next few months, the weather department has warned.

Northwest India will be the worst-affected, with average temperatures expected to be 1 degree Celsius above normal between March and May. The rest of the country will also experience a warmer summer, according to the seasonal forecast released on Tuesday by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD).

Heat wave conditions are likely to impact Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, Telangana and parts of Maharashtra and coastal Andhra Pradesh.

The weather department also reported that 2016 was the warmest year on record in India since 1901, with temperatures hovering almost 1 degree Celsius above the 1961-90 mean. The trend continued into the new year as temperatures rose 0.67 degrees Celsius above normal in January. The data is consistent with the rise of global mean temperatures.

A grieving, wailing mother. A stoic father. A wife numb with shock. And distraught family-members. Heartbreaking scenes unfolded at the house of Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla as his mortal remains arrived at his hometown late on Wednesday.

Kuchibhotla, 32, was shot dead by a US Navy veteran on Wednesday at a bar in Kansas in a possible hate crime. Kuchibhotla's colleague Alok Madasani, also an Indian, and an American citizen, who tried to stop the shooter, were injured in the incident.

Kuchibhotla's mother Parvatha Vardhini was inconsolable on seeing her son's body which arrived in Hyderabad late on Monday night and brought to his parents' residence at Bachupalli on the city outskirts. She continued to weep loudly as people helped her back into the house.

"I will not allow my younger son to go back to the US again. I want him and his family to return to Hyderabad for good."

"He went to the US to serve that country. We were happy that one of the Kuchibhotla family went to the US for a better future. What was the crime he had committed for being killed?"

20:06

JUST IN: MiG-29 fighter jet of Navy makes emergency landing at Mangalore airport following hydraulic failure

19:41 Kanhaiya joins DU march, preaches non-violence

JNU student Kanhaiya Kumar, out on bail in a sedition case, today joined the anti-ABVP march at

the Delhi University demanding "non-violence" on campuses even as ABVP members raised "go back Kanhaiya" slogans.

The protest march by students and teachers of various universities came after widespread violence between ABVP and AISA members on February 22 at the DU's Ramjas College.

The clashes took place over cancellation of an invite to JNU students Umar Khalid and Shehla Rashid for addressing a seminar at the College.

Kanhaiya, who led the protesters in shouting his traditional "azaadi" slogans, clarified at the march that he wasn't participating in the protest as a "JNU student or Leftist" but as a student like others who are demanding "non-violence on university campuses".

Academicians from universities across the globe, including Coulmbia, Cambridge, Trinity College and New York University, have condemned the recent Ramjas College clashes as state-tolerated violence.

In a joint statement, the academicians said no progress is possible in a country if the young people are not permitted the full freedom to discuss difficult and pressing issues.

The ruling partys student wing -- ABVP -- has been emboldened to intervene violently in any attempt by students to have open discussions about matters that the Sangh Parivar deems to be inappropriate. This is thuggish censorship. We stand against it, the statement reads.

It alleged that the Sangh Parivar wants to use reforms to college admission policy and to the policies on student life as a way to engineer the student body.

They want to disallow progressive politics and allow only the politics of violent cultural nationalism. Their agenda is to close the Indian mind and destroy intellectual flexibility and we stand against it, the statement added.

Price Waterhouse Coopers, the accounting firm responsible for the integrity of the Academy Awards said on Monday that its staffers did not move quickly enough to correct the biggest error in Oscars history the mistaken announcement of the best picture winner.

PwC, formerly Price Waterhouse Coopers, wrote in a statement that several mistakes were made and two of its partners assigned to the prestigious awards show did not act quickly enough when La La Land was mistakenly announced as the best picture winner. Three of the film's producers spoke before the actual winner, the coming-of-age drama Moonlight was announced.

"PwC takes full responsibility for the series of mistakes and breaches of established protocols during last night's Oscars," PwC wrote. It said its partner, Brian Cullinan, mistakenly handed presenters Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway an envelope containing the winner of the best actress award.

"Once the error occurred, protocols for correcting it were not followed through quickly enough by Mr. Cullinan or his partner," the statement read.
It did not address in detail which protocols were violated, or say whether a tweet Cullinan sent about best actress winner Emma Stone before the best picture announcement contributed to the mistake.

The firm, which has handled Oscar winner announcements for eight decades, apologized to Beatty, Dunaway, the cast and crew of La La Land and Moonlight the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and host Jimmy Kimmel.

"We wish to extend our deepest gratitude to each of them for the graciousness they displayed during such a difficult moment," the statement said. "For the past 83 years, the academy has entrusted PwC with the integrity of the awards process during the ceremony, and last night we failed the academy."

The statement came after nearly a day of speculation about how the worst gaffe in Oscars history unfolded. The fiasco launched countless punchlines, memes and a probe of what went wrong.

The mystery deepened Monday afternoon after the Wall Street Journal reported that Cullinan tweeted a behind-the-scenes photo of winner Emma Stone holding her statuette. "Best Actress Emma Stone backstage!" the tweet read. The tweet, sent moments before the best picture announcement, raised the question of whether the accountant was distracted from the task at hand. Although the tweet was deleted from the social media site, a copy of it was kept by Google and available through a cache page.

The mistaken announcement altered the usual celebration that follows the coronation of a best picture winner. The only Oscars mistake that came close occurred in 1964, when Sammy Davis was given the wrong envelope for best music score winner but made a quick correction.

The La La Land,Moonlight mix-up, in contrast, took a painfully long time to be announced, with two-plus minutes elapsing before it was announced to the moviemakers and the world at large.

The embarrassing episode stepped squarely on what should have been a night of high-fiving for the academy. After last year's awards were clouded by the #OscarsSoWhite protests, diversity ruled Sunday as actors Viola Davis (Fences) and Mahershala Ali (Moonlight) were among the people of color claiming trophies, while Moonlight focused on African-American characters.
PwC, which originated in London over a century ago, was quick to apologize to the movies involved. The academy has not yet commented on the mistake.

Amid heart-rending scenes, the mortal remains of Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla, who was shot dead in the US in an apparent hate crime incident, were consigned to flames in Hyderabad today.

Kuchibhotla's father Madhusudana Rao lit the funeral pyre at the crematorium in Jubilee Hills in the afternoon. The parents of the 32-year-old engineer were in deep sorrow over the tragedy that has struck them.

The growth in GDP during 2016-17 is estimated at 7.1% as compared to the growth rate of 7.9 % in 2015-16. GDP growth was at 7% in the #DeMonetisation period (Oct-Dec)Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya, several other leaders, family members and friends of Kuchibhotla were present on the occasion.

As the funeral pyre was lit, some of those present at the crematorium raised slogans in memory of Kuchibhotla and against the US administration.
The body was earlier taken to the crematorium from his house at Bachupally on the city's outskirts.

Following complaints that female students and media persons were harassed by police personnel during the violent clashes at Ramjas College on February 22nd, the National Human Rights Commission on Tuesday issued a notice to the Delhi Police Commissioner.

"Allegedly, some journalists, covering clashes, were slapped, punched and kicked by the policemen. The Commission has taken on record complaints as well as media reports making similar allegations including threats to some students on social media. The Commission has given him four weeks to submit a detailed report in the matter," read the NHRC notice.

Earlier, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said that he was in touch with Delhi Police over the turbulent situation arising out of the Ramjas College clash.

"I have told Delhi Police to practice restraint so that nothing goes wrong. I am constantly in touch with the police commissioner," he said.

A day after clash broke out between All India Students Association (AISA) and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) students at Ramjas College, the Delhi Police HAD called for strict action, while asserting that few policemen's unprofessional actions were also noticed in handling law and order situation during the scuffle.

"Yesterday it came in the notice of top leadership of the Delhi police that unprofessionalism was seen on the part of certain policemen in handling law and order situation. We will take action according to the circumstances," Delhi Police spokesperson Dependra Pathak told ANI.

Asserting that strict action would be taken against the guilty, Pathak said a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) level officer is conducting an enquiry into the matter.

"A committee is instituted and top leadership is monitoring and taking care of it. We don't condone such action. Strict action will be taken," he added.

Emphasising that the police would make sure such events do not recur in future, he said: "In future, regarding student protest, we request students to remain peaceful and be in the bounds of law.

Image: Police detain ABVP members after their clash with AISA students at Delhi University in Delhi on Wednesday.

Bollywood lyricist and poet Javed Akhtar on Tuesday hit out at cricketer Virender Sehwag and wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt for trolling Gurmehar Kaur, a Delhi University student who launched a social media campaign against the ABVP.

Akhtar tweeted: "If a hardly literate player or a wrestler troll a pacifist daughter of a martyr its understandable but whats wrong with some educated folks."

Sehwag referred to an old image of Gurmehar, in which she holds a placard saying: Pakistan did not kill my dad, war did. Sehwag, posted an image of him holding a placard, which read: I didnt two score triple centuries, my bat did.

Today, Olympic wrestler Yogeshewar Dutt posted has an image of Gurmehar along with Adolf Hitler, Osama Bin Laden and a Black Buck.

The picture of Hitler read: Did not kill jews GAS DID. Bin Ladens image said: Did not kill people BOMBS DID. And the Black Buck image said: Bhai didnt kill me BULLETS DID, drawing reference to an incident which allegedly involved actor Salman Khan.

Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu today termed as "cheap" Rahul Gandhi's comment that the Prime Minister needs rest, saying it was made out of the fear and frustrations of losing assembly polls.

Taking a dig at Gandhi, he said the comments were coming from a person who himself do not have the patience to come to Parliament and attend important debates and who "disappears suddenly" from the country by going abroad. "Rahul might be speaking from his own experience of going out of the country and suddenly disappearing from the political scene...not coming to Parliament to attend even the important debates. They are saying that the Prime Minister is tired.

"The Congress party is tired and the people want to retire it. That is what is happening. In order to cover up their frustrations, they are making such cheap comments," Naidu told reporters in Delhi.

He was reacting to Gandhi's reported comment at a rally in Uttar Pradesh in which he had said that Narendra Modi was tired and Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav can lighten the PM's burden and give him some rest by becoming the CM again.

Then, Rahul said, in 2019, they would take all the PM's load in next Lok Sabha elections and send him out of power. Countering the Congress Vice President's suggestions to Akhilesh, Naidu said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was working "day-in and day-out" and covered more than 40 countries in a short span of time.

Army veterans in Punjab have stepped forward to fight a legal battle on behalf of Gurmehar Kaur, the daughter of an army martyr, who started a social media campaign against the ABVP. The mother of the 20-year-old Delhi University student, whose defiant stand against the ABVP drew a volley of hate messages on her Facebook account, however, refused to be drawn into the controversy over it.

When contacted, Rajvinder Kaur said, "No thanks... I do not want this controversy to go on."

Punjab State Ex-Servicemen Welfare Association (Sewa) president Col (retd) Kuldip Singh Grewal vowed to fight a legal battle on Gurmehar's behalf "till the matter reaches its logical conclusion". "Her opinion should be respected as she has the right to raise her voice," he said. "No one should remain unaffected when a daughter is threatened with rape. The people of the country should raise their voice to protect the daughter of a martyr," Col (retd) Tejinder Singh Bajwa, a member of the association, said.

Gurmehar's father Capt Mandeep Singh was commissioned in the 49 Army Air Defence Regiment in 1991 and was serving with the 4 Rashtriya Rifles battalion when he died fighting militants on August 6, 1999. Brigadier (retd) Ashwini Kumar, former Commanding Officer of the 3 Rashtriya Rifles battalion, who was serving in the area when the attack on Capt Mandeep's company took place, said, "The Captain and his men fought against militants with great courage and they were given a befitting reply." Mandeep's brother Davinderdeep Singh, a professor at a college in Nakodar at Jalandhar -- Gulmehar's hometown, said his brother would have stood like a rock behind her. "She is entitled to her opinion... she did not say anything anti-national," he said.

Meanwhile, a number of ex-servicemen and representatives of various organisations condemned the rape threat to Gurmehar and appealed to the Delhi government to provide "proper security" to her.

Image: Gurmehar Kaur's Facebook profile pic which she updated nine hours ago.

16:54 SC asks Sahara to deoposit Rs 5000 crore

The Supreme Court directs the Sahara Group to deposit Rs 5092.6 crore by
April 7 for its chief Subrata Roy to get bail. SC asks entity willing to buy Sahara's stake in US hotel to deposit Rs 750 crore in the apex court registry by April 10.

16:37 Pune pitch rated 'poor' by ICC match referee

ICC match referee Chris Broad has given poor rating to Pune pitch where India and Australia played the opening Test of the 4-Test match series.

The BCCI has 14 days to respond.

India lost to Australia by a huge 333-run margin in the first Test failing to score even 110 runs in both innings.

Many believe India's ploy to roll out a turning track backfired on the hosts, who fell prey to Australia's left-arm spinner Steve O'Keefe.

He claimed 12 wickets, the best figures recorded by a visiting spinner on Indian soil.

Just In: Supreme Court directs Sahara group to deposit Rs 5092.6 crores by April 7 for its chief Subrata Roy to get bail.

BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha, a known loyalist of veteran leader LK Advani, and who had lobbied to get Advani projected as the BJP and NDA's prime ministerial candidate, has posted a series of tweets addressed to author Chetan Bhagat.

Sinha has been critical of the government in the past, and has been one of the few voices in the party to speak out against demonetisation. This time, however his ire was directed at Bhagat's comments on his mentor LK Advani on national television. This is what Sinha had to say":

"I am a little disappointed in our intellectual friend Chetan Bhagat who sounded like a "Sarkari and Darbari" on National Channels yesterday. While hitting out at our friend and senior national leader Rahul Gandhi (saying that he is not result oriented and should be replaced, I feel he made a faux pas or shall I say an unwarranted comparison with our highly respected, able and acceptable leader, our friend, philosopher and guide Honorable Mr. L.K.Advani - suggesting that he was "removed" because he did not work enough to bring desired results.

"I beg your pardon Chetan! Was he really removed because he did not work enough, or was he not allowed to work any further and eased out of the scene because some of our people, out of fears, complexes, insecurities or maybe vested interests did not want him on the scene.

"Doesn't everyone know that? Today, he or even people like me are not seen anywhere in any campaign not because we are not tried, tested and effective, but because of, you may call it in-house politics. We believe in discipline of the party and we do not create a scene. We are not invited and well, today we are not even interested, at the fag end of the campaign though being party loyalists, we hope, wish and pray that we get the desired results and our people and party get more than expected seats,

"I am an Advani loyalist. Whatever I am in the Party is mainly because of him. The growth and prosperity of the party from 2 seats to where it reached, if not wholly and solely, has been mostly because of Mr Advani's contribution and leadership..

"My friend Chetan! I see you as an intellectual, but advise you to not slip into becoming a pseudo intellectual. Please dont hurt me or millions of supporters of Mr. Advani. We have tremendous faith in him. Long live Advaniji and the party."

Indian designer Anita Dongre met the Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton, who had famously flaunted one of her creations during her India trip last year, at the Buckingham Palace.

They met at the reception dinner marking UK-India Year Of Culture. The designer attended the event on Monday and said that it was lovely meeting Middleton, who wore a jewellery piece from Dongre's Pinkcity line for the gala.

"Was lovely meeting the Duchess of Cambridge last evening. We chatted about our love for Rajasthan and she chose to wear Pinkcity earrings," Dongre said on social media.

Middleton wore a delicate pair of uncut diamond and pearl-drop earrings from Pinkcity.

During her visit to India in early 2016, Middleton wore a hand blockprinted tunic dress from the Anita Dongre couture label.

Also read: When Queen Elizabeth tried dance mudras

And then, this: Anita Dongre: The designer who broke the Internet

Image: Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton wears uncut diamond and pearl-drop earrings from Anita Dongre's Pinkcity Collection. Pic courtesy: Anita Dongre

Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has called on President Donald Trump to speak out against hate crimes following the murder of an Indian engineer in Kansas last week. "With threats & hate crimes on rise, we shouldn't have to tell @POTUS to do his part. He must step up & speak out," Clinton said on Twitter.

Trump is yet to comment on the shooting, which took place last Wednesday night, leaving Indian techie Srinivas Kuchibhotla dead and two others injured in an apparent hate crime. However, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said last week that it was too early to call the act a hate crime. Spicer also referred to the shooting at a news conference yesterday. He was voicing the president's concerns about recent acts of vandalism against Jewish cemeteries in St Louis and Philadelphia.

"No one in America should feel afraid to follow the religion of their choosing freely and openly. The president has dedicated to preserving this originating principle of our nation," Spicer said. "And while we're at it, I don't want to get ahead of law enforcement, but I was asked the other day about the story in Kansas, the shooting in Kansas. And while the story is evolving, early reports out of Kansas are equally disturbing," he said.

14:46 A VVIP on the Churchgate-Dadar local

World Bank CEO Kristalina Georgieva travelled in a Mumbai local train from Churchgate to Dadar. That, for those who are not familiar with Mumbai, is travelling in peak hours but in the opposite direction, against the crowd. Which means the trains are almost empty.

This is how Twitter reacted...

CA. Shiva Mudgil‏ @shivamudgil Big deal World bank CEO travels Churchgate to Dadar, ask her to travel Andehri to Dadar at 8:30 am

Gtix‏ @TheFatBoho Churchgate to Dadar is literally the stoner-chill route of the local. Lemme see the CEO go from Ghatkopar to Dadar without getting suicidal

Thunderstorm ‏ @lustslikeme So World bank CEO travels from Churchgate to Dadar. kya ukhaada bhai? Virar local mei chadhke dikhaye toh maanu.

Image: World Bank CEO Kristalina Georgieva holds up her Churchgate-Dadar train ticket

In a shocking incident of xenophobia, a customer at Irving Wal-Mart in the US asked an employee to 'go to their own countries'.

The incident, which was caught on video, went viral on social media. According to local media reports, the employee video-recorded the whole incident, where the person said he wanted a white employee to assist him.The employee, who became a US citizen 20 years ago after emigrating from El Salvador, expressed her disappointment over the incident and said she belongs to a working class society, who pay taxes and have college-going children.

What actually happened was, after the woman referred the person in question to a doctor to check his prescription, the latter demanded assistance of a white employee.

She then went to her supervisor to express her grievances, which was ignored by the latter as well.The woman began recording the video on her cellphone, after the person complained about a black woman in an electric wheelchair.

"All of these foreigners are living off of us good working white people. Yes, I'm just telling you the truth. It's all right. I know you ain't leaving. I know you're here to stay. Y'all should go to your own countries and fix up your own countries," the person said to the employee.

According to the woman, she never faced such a discrimination in her life earlier.

Representational image.

President Pranab Mukherjee is keen to hold a three-day governors' conference in New Delhi before his tenure ends in July. The governors' conference is slated for the middle of April and the President's Secretariat has been seeking dates with the offices of the Prime Minister and Vice President. The PM is likely to attend the conference for a day as he plans visits to two foreign countries. The President has also indicted to the government that he is not keen on a foreign visit before end of his term.

"She is a martyr's daughter. His soul must be weeping that his daughter is being misguided by those who celebrate on the bodies of martyrs," Kiren Rijiju, the Minister of State for Home, said today.

The Union Minister's comment comes as Delhi University begins its 'Save DU' march in the North Campus. Rijiju tweeted his criticism of Delhi University student Gurmehar Kaur's posts blaming war, not Pakistan for the death of her father who was killed in the Kargil war.

Kaur had posted the video in May last year as an appeal for peace between India and Pakistan. When the ABVP-AISA battle broke out at Ramjas College, the 20-year-old student had posted a profile picture on Facebook holding up a placard saying, "I am a student from Delhi University. I am not afraid of ABVP. I am not alone. Every student of India is with me. #StudentsAgainstABVP".

Rijiju yesterday said he had disapproved of a post by Kaur and stressed, "Everyone has freedom of speech and expression. Do whatever you want but don't say anything against the country. Students must concentrate on their studies."

Today, Kaur withdrew from her social media campaign against the ABVP after allegedly receiving threats from the members of the RSS-backed outfit and being trolled by the ruling BJP leaders and sportspersons like Yogeshwar Dutt and Virender Sehwag and Bollywood stars like Randeep Hooda.

Kaur, daughter of martyr Captain Mandeep Singh, received support from her college -- the Lady Shri Ram college -- which termed her act as sensible and brave.

13:34

More memes on DU student Gurmehar Kaur's tweet. This one by Olympian Yogeshwar Dutt.

13:27 PM takes notes in Gujarati at meetings

There is little doubt that PM Narendra Modi is methodical, but our source tells us just how much. During meetings with Constitutional authorities like the Chief Justice of India or with governors or even chief ministers, the prime minister takes notes and follows up contentious issues and tries to resolve them as early as possible. There were instances when age-old problems brought up by some Constitutional authorities were resolved in a week or fortnight. The discussions at the meetings are reviewed with the PMO and the concerned Union Minister. This is how solutions to at least 25 to 30 key issues were found. Interestingly, the PM takes notes in Gujarati, which people at the table may not be able to read.

In the wake of the ongoing controversy over Delhi University student Gurmehar Kaur, who alleged rape threats over her social media campaign against the student group ABVP, Kargil war hero martyr Captain Saurabh Kalia's father NN Kalia on Tuesday said the honour and dignity of women is paramount, adding the culprits must be punished.

"Women's honour and dignity of any caste, creed or religion is of paramount importance and Gurmehar Kaur has alleged threats of rape attempts. Anyone who attempts such heinous crime must be punished under the existing law," he told ANI.

He, however, disagreed with Gurmehar's assertion that Pakistan did not kill her father but war killed him."It would have been a dishonour and insult to her father' sacrifice for India and for all other martyrs by saying that they are not killed by Pakistan but by war. And I absolutely defer and disagree with this statement of her," he said.

Meanwhile, Gurmehar has pulled out of a march today against campus violence. In a series of tweets, she has appealed to others to join the "Save DU" march at the Delhi University campus by students and teachers in huge numbers.

The 20-year-old was given police protection yesterday after she was trolled with tweets threatening rape over her Facebook post against ABVP.Violence erupted last week after the ABVP students allegedly manhandled and thrashed students protesting the cancellation of an event at Ramjas College at which controversial JNU student Umar Khalid was scheduled to speak.

Readour 2013 interview Saurabh Kalia's father here

The English department faculty at Lady Shri Ram College, where student Gurmehar Kaur is pursuing her English Honours, has released a statement backing the her right to express her opinion on issues that embroil the Delhi University.

The faculty said they were proud "that Gurmehar has fulfilled her duty as a young citizen of this country."

Here is the faculty's full statement:

"We, the faculty members of the English Department, Lady Shri Ram College unequivocally and strongly support our student Gurmehar Kaur and her right to express her opinion on issues that embroil our university. It is immensely gratifying to us as her teachers that she has responded sensitively, creatively and bravely to events in her immediate context rather than seek the safe refuge of silence.

"We feel that it is the bounden duty of educational institutions to nurture sensitive, responsive and critical thinking students without the fear of violent retaliation. We are proud that Gurmehar has fulfilled her duty as a young citizen of this country. The threats of violence and brutality that she faces are absolutely reprehensible. Responses on social media by public figures such as VirendraSehwag and RandeepHooda are shameful trivialization of the intimidation that Gurmehar faces at the hands of violent mobs whose viciousness the university has recently witnessed.

"We fervently appeal to the good sense of the public and to institutions of redressal to help restore our faith in law and justice in our country and let our young citizens think and articulate without fear of intimidation."

12:29 India's first integrated helipad at Delhi

Just In: Country's first integrated heliport inaugurated at Rohini in North Delhi.

The Supreme Court today refused to allow a woman, who is in her 26th week of pregnancy, to abort her foetus on the ground that it suffered from 'down syndrome', saying "we have a life in our hands".

The apex court said that as per a report of the medical board constituted to examine the 37-year-old woman, there was no physical risk to the mother in continuation of pregnancy.

A bench of Justices S A Bobde and L N Rao observed that though "everybody knows that children with down syndrome are undoubtedly less intelligent, but they are fine people."

The bench said as per the report, the foetus is "likely to have mental and physical challenges" but the advise of the doctors does not warrant termination of pregnancy.

"With this report, we don't think we are going to allow termination of pregnancy. We have a life in our hands," the bench said.

"In these circumstances, as per the present advise, it is not possible to grant permission to terminate the pregnancy," the court said.

12:26 Uphaar case: SC to hear plea of Gopal Ansal

The Supreme Court today agreed to hear on March 3 the fresh plea of real estate baron Gopal Ansal seeking modification of its verdict asking him to serve the remaining jail term in the Uphaar fire case.

The apex court had recently asked Gopal Ansal to undergo the remaining jail term in the case while his elder brother Sushil Ansal got relief from incarceration with a prison term already undergone by him in view of age-related complications.

The younger brother has sought similar relief claiming that he was 69 years old and would suffer irreparable damage to his health if he is sent to jail.

A bench headed by Chief Justice J S Khehar assured senior advocate Ram Jethmalani that it would ascertain the availability of the bench which had heard the review and would list it for hearing on Friday.

Senior advocate K T S Tulsi, appearing for the Association for Victims of Uphaar Tragedy, opposed the plea saying there cannot be a review of the review judgement.

12:02 Bronze for shooter Rai at World Cup

India's Jitu Rai wins bronze medal in 10m Air Pistol event at the Shooting World Cup in New Delhi.

This is Rai's second medal having claimed the top prize in 10m air pistol mixed event with Heena Sidhu on Monday.

Ankur Mittal clinched the silver medal in a marathon double trap on Monday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Governor ESL Narasimhan today discussed the setting up of a group of ministers to sort out issues relating to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, like space for government offices, river waters dispute, setting up of a high court, and the central government's special sanction for Andhra.

On Monday the governor had met President Pranab Mukherjee, the chief of Army staff, Chief Justice of India and the attorney general. Narasimhan could not meet Home Minister Rajnath Singh who was away campaigning for the Uttar Pradesh elections.

The heir to the Samsung empire and four other top executives from the world's biggest smartphone maker were indicted today on multiple charges including bribery and embezzlement, South Korean prosecutors said.

"Special prosecutors today indicted Samsung Electronics vice chairman Lee Jae-Yong... for bribery, embezzlement, hiding of assets overseas... and perjury," said Lee Kyu-Chul, spokesman for the team probing the corruption and power abuse scandal that has seen President Park Geun-Hye impeached.

Lee was arrested earlier this month and the laying of formal charges against him and his colleagues makes them almost certain to face trial, casting new uncertainty over South Korea's biggest firm as it seeks to recover from a humiliating recall.

The 48-year-old has effectively been at the helm of the conglomerate since his father suffered a heart attack in 2014. Among other allegations, Lee is accused of paying nearly $40 million in bribes to a confidante of President Park's to secure policy favours. Lee -- who is also accused of concealing stolen assets -- has denied all charges.

Five militants from the banned JMB terror outfit were today sentenced to death in Bangladesh for killing a 66-year-old Japanese national in 2015.

The order to hang five militants from the Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh was given by a court in Rangpur, the Daily Star reported. The court acquitted two accused in the case as the allegations brought against them were not proved.

Kunio Hoshi, who had come to Bangladesh in May 2015, was gunned down on October 3 in the same year in Rangpur. His murder came five days after a 50-year-old Italian aid worker was shot dead by motorbike-born militants in Dhaka's upmarket diplomatic area.

Charges were framed against eight members of the JMB in mid-November 2016 for killing Hoshi. Five of them are in a Rangpur jail, while two died in "gunfights" with security forces and one militant is yet to be arrested, the report said.

Bangladesh has seen a wave of extremist violence since 2015.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has apologised to the casts and crews of La La Land and Moonlight and said it "deeply regrets the mistakes" that led to Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway announcing the wrong film as winner of the best picture award.

In its first statement since the debacle at the end of the 89th Academy Awards stunned the stars gathered at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles and made headlines around the world, the Academy paid tribute to the "tremendous grace" shown by those involved in both films and acknowledged their experience of the night was "profoundly altered by this error".

The statement went on to say that PwC -- formerly Price Waterhouse Coopers, the accounting firm that has been used by the Academy to handle the voting process for 83 years -- had taken full responsibility for breaches of established protocols that led to the error.

"We have spent last night and today investigating the circumstances, and will determine what actions are appropriate going forward," it said.

Read the full statement HERE

11:14 Staff strike hits bank operations across India

Branches of public banks remained either closed or non-operational today as staffers and officers went ahead with their day-long strike pressing for various demands, including accountability of top executives in the wake of mounting bad loans.

Services like cash deposits and withdrawal from branches and cheque clearance have been hit hard in the strike, which has been called under the aegis of the United Forum of Bank Unions.

"The strike has been forced on us because of adamant and insensitive attitude of the bank management and IBA. They even did not bother to talk about providing compensation for the extra hours put in by bank staff during the demonetisation period," All India Bank Employees' Association general secretary C H Venkatachalam said.

The UFBU is an umbrella body of 9 unions, but two Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh affiliates -- the National Organisation of Bank Workers and the National Organisation of Bank Officers -- are not part of the stir.

Unions are also opposed to the proposed labour reforms of the government and outsourcing of permanent jobs in the banking sector.

Some of the demands include compensation of employees and officers for extra hours they put in following demonetisation in November and early initiation of next wage revision.

They have also demanded adequate recruitment in all cadres, stringent measures to recover bad loans and accountability of top executives.

Besides, they have pitched for criminal action against wilful defaulters.

The UFBU, which claims a membership of nearly 10 lakh across banks, also requested the government for cost reimbursement of demonetisation to banks.

As many as 27 public sector banks control 75 per cent of the total business.

India Today reports: Rajinikanth's daughter Soundarya's car meets with accident.

Her car crashed into a standing auto rickshaw, injuring the driver.

He has been admitted to hospital

The fire in a century-old building in central Kolkata's wholesale market Burrabazar continued to rage today, with 35 fire tenders working to douse the blaze which broke out last night.

There was no report of any casualty, officials said.

Thick smoke was seen billowing out of the building engulfing the entire area. The ceiling and wooden staircase of the building have collapsed.

Fearing that the building may collapse, the police had evacuated the building, when the fire broke out at around 9.35 pm yesterday, and adjacent houses.

Traffic movement around Rabindra Sarani and nearby roads has been controlled as a precautionary measure.

Firefighters continued operations overnight, defying the challenges in reaching the building located on the narrow Amaratala Lane in the densely congested Burrabazar area, a senior official of the fire department said this morning.

"The fire is still not under control but we are fighting hard to douse it. As the building is located inside a narrow lane, it is difficult to reach there quickly," the officer said.

State fire minister and city mayor Sovan Chatterjee was present at the scene for almost the entire night.

On the reason for the fire, the official said it was yet to be ascertained but storage of inflammable materials quickened the spread of fire.

Traders at the Burrabazar area have decided to keep the Bagri market close for the entire day.

10:37

Just In: Indian Embassy in US issues demarche to US State dept on killing of an Indian engineer, calling for a speedy probe: Sources

10:36 Javed Akhtar takes aim at Rijiju: 'I know who is polluting your mind'

Noted lyricist Javed Akhtar on Tuesday lashed out at Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju over his rhetorical question on Gurmehar Kaur saying, "I know who is polluting your mind."

Without directly referring to Rijiju, Akhtar tweeted, "I don't know about her, but Mr Minister I know who is polluting your mind."

On Monday, Rijiju, had posted a slew of tweets, asking, "Who's polluting this young girl's mind?"

He also said, "Some people say they need freedom in India. Listen to those people taking shelter in India after facing torture in neighbouring countries."

He also said that "freedom of expression is not a license to shout anti-national slogans in campuses. Criticise the government but don't abuse the motherland."

A man gets Rs 500 notes without serial numbers printed on them from a State Bank of India ATM machine in Damoh, Madhya Pradesh.

At least seven passengers were killed and over 30 injured when a Visakhapatnam-bound bus fell into a canal in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh in the wee hours today.

Police said the toll might go up as the front portion of the bus was badly mangled and many were trapped inside.

The private Volvo bus coming from Hyderabad lost control, hit a road divider and fell into the canal between two bridges.

The driver of the bus was said to be drowsy and thus lost control.

Deputy Chief Minister (Home) N China Rajappa has directed the Krishna district police to carry out rescue operations on a war-footing. The injured passengers were rushed to hospitals in Vijayawada for treatment.

09:59 Maharashtra gets a new chief secretary

Senior IAS officer Sumit Mullick was today appointed as the chief secretary of Maharashtra.

He will succeed Swadheen Kshatriya, who was due for retirement on January 31, but was given a month's extension.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis signed the file on Mullick early this morning, an official from the chief minister's office said.

Mullick, a 1982 batch IAS officer is additional chief secretary and is currently serving as the chief protocol officer in the general administration department.

He had earlier served as the divisional commissioner of Amravati and worked as secretary of school education.

He was also secretary to the governor.

Mullick is the senior-most bureaucrat in the state after Kshatriya and will retire in April 2018.

Mullick will take charge this evening.

Day after BJP's youth wing ABVP took out a Tiranga march in Delhi University, several protests marches and counter-marches are expected in Delhi University and JawaharLal Nehru University campuses today.

Students and teachers of DU and JNU along with AISA members will stage a march from Khalsa College in the North Campus to the Arts Faculty.

Congress-backed NSUI is also organising a symbolic one-day hunger strike at the arts faculty, followed by a 'Mashaal' rally.

Earlier in the day, Gurmehar Kaur, the Delhi University student at the centre of controversy surrounding the premier educational institution, has decided to distance herself from the patriot war playing out at the Ramjas College.

On Tuesday, Kaur posted a series of tweets, saying she will not be participating in the AISA march. "I'm withdrawing from the campaign. Congratulations everyone. I request to be left alone. I said what I had to say", Gurmehar Kaur said.

Also Read: When Rediff.com interviewed Gurmehar

Watch this video of Gurmehar saying that she is not scared of the ABVP and that she is ready to take bullet for the country.

US President Donald Trump has said the chaos that erupted at the end of the Oscars was due to Hollywood obsessing about him rather than concentrating on running a smooth show.

In an Oval Office interview with conservative website Breitbart News, Trump said Oscars organizers had taken their eyes off the ball because they "were focused so hard on politics."

"It was a little sad. It took away from the glamour of the Oscars," he told the site, which was previously managed by Steve Bannon, who now serves as Trump's chief White House strategist.

"It didn't feel like a very glamorous evening. I've been to the Oscars. There was something very special missing, and then to end that way was sad."

Trump's comments came after Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty mistakenly presented the best picture statuette at the climax of the ceremony to La La Land, when Moonlight was the real winner. The mixup, which made for a chaotic end to ABC's telecast of the show, has been described as one of the most embarrassing moments in Oscars history.

Gurmehar Kaur, whose Facebook post against BJP-linked student outfit ABVP over campus violence is at the centre of a huge political row, on Tuesday took to Twitter to announce that she was pulling out the campaign.

She tweeted, "I'm withdrawing from the campaign. Congratulations everyone. I request to be left alone. I said what I had to say... I have been through a lot and this is all my 20 year self could take :)"

"The campaign is about students and not about me. Please go to the March in huge numbers. Best of luck.."

"To anyone questioning my courage and bravery.. I've shown more than enough."

"One thing is for sure, next time we will think twice before resorting to violence or threats and that's all this was about."

Last Friday, Kaur mounted a rather simple protest against the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad's violence at Ramjas College last week. She posted a picture of herself on a social media site holding up a placard that read: "I am a student of Delhi University. I am not afraid of the ABVP. I am not alone. Every student of India is with me."

This was an emphatic statement in support of free speech. The reaction to this though was shocking. Her ramarks drew sharp reactions from several BJP leaders, including Union ministers M Venkaiah Naidu and Kiren Rijiju, who told her not to "abuse the motherland".

09:04

ANI reports: Dignity of a woman is of paramount imp, culprits must be punished, says N K Kalia, Kargil martyr Saurabh Kalia's father on rape threats to Gurmehar.

09:01 Nation is proud of you Gurmehar: Robert Vadra

Here's what Robert Vadra, Congress president Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law, had to say on his Facebook page about the controversy surrounding Gurmehar's remarks:

"Way to go Gurmehar Kaur, for taking on fascists bravely. A daughter of a martyred army man, Gurmehar has been trolled on social media with rape threats. In an interview, she said, 'I have been getting a lot of threats on social media. I think it is very scary when people threaten you with violence or with rape.' Gurmehar has stood her ground and has made the entire nation & women fraternity proud. It is indeed disgusting & shameful to see a dignified woman being trolled by respectful citizens, for her remarks against politics in DU. My message to Gurmehar: "I am with you and all those people who stand for their rights & freedom of speech. The nation is proud of you for standing your ground & fighting fascist forces."

The fight over Gurmehar Kaur's comments about ABVP and the subsequent reaction reached a new level when wrestler Babita Phogat entered the fray.

In tweets aimed at Gurmehar, Babita tweeted on Tuesday, "Jo aapne desh ke haq m bat nhi kar sakti uske haq m bat karna thik h kya??? I condemn rape threats If log iss tarah se dhamki de rahe h to ye bahut hi galat bat h.Lekin m aapne desh k khilaf single word nhi sun sakti" (If she can't speak in the interest of the nation, why bother taking her side? I condemn rape threats. It's wrong if people are giving such threats. But I can't bear a single word being spoken against my country."

On Monday, when cricketer Virender Sehwag made a comment which criticised Kaur's comments, actor Randeep Hooda backed his comments and came in for some criticism.

When journalist Rana Ayyub took a jibe at Randeep Hooda's statement that Kaur "is being used as a political pawn" saying the latter is from Haryana and he is doing his bit in liberating women, it didn't go down well with Babita Phogat among many others. She responded to Ayyub saying "We Phogat sisters are from Haryana too. What do you know about Haryana?"

Ayyub urged Babita to speak and stand up for Gurmehar Kaur, but Babita responded saying, "Is it right to talk in favour of someone who doesn't talk in favour of her nation?"

The last rites of engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla, who was shot dead in the United States will be performed on Tuesday.

His mortal remains reached Hyderabad late on Monday night.

Kuchibhotla was killed when 52-year-old Adam Purinton, walked into Austins Bar and Grill in the Kansas City suburb of Olathe and opened fire on Wednesday evening.

Kuchibhotla's friend, Alok Madasani, and Ian Grillot, a bar-goer who tried to intervene in the attack, were also shot, but survived.

Witnesses told local media they heard the suspect yell, "Get out of my country." Meanwhile, the FBI has launched an investigation to determine whether the shooting was a hate crime.

Purinton has been charged with one count of premeditated first-degree murder and two counts of attempted premeditated first-degree murder. However, the White House has attempted to downplay notions that there was any correlation between the incident and President Donald Trump's stance on immigrants.

Noting that the incident was tragic indeed, White House spokesperson Sean Spicer asserted that it was "absurd" to draw parallels between with the President's rhetoric.

"Obviously, any loss of life is tragic, but I'm not going to get into, like, to suggest that there's any correlation I think is a bit absurd. So I'm not going to go any further than that," Spicer said.

Police are searching for the vandals that damaged what one local rabbi said was nearly 500 headstones at a Jewish graveyard in Philadelphia.

Money is being raised to repair the graves and to identify and prosecute the apparently anti-Semitic attackers.

The vandalism comes less than a week after a Jewish cemetery near St Louis, Missouri, was vandalised.

And on Friday, religious slurs and swastikas were spray-painted in several neighbourhoods of Buffalo, New York.

On Monday, at least six Jewish Community Centers on the US East Coast - including in the Philadelphia suburbs - received telephone bomb threats, leading to building evacuations.

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