West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee reacts to the detention of TMC MPs at Silchar airport. Speaking to ANI, she said, "These atrocities being done, aren't only being condemned, I think this is beginning of the end. They are frustrated, they are political tensed and depressed. And that's why they are showing muscle power."


A Trinamool Congress delegation which reached Silchar today to assess the situation in Assam in the wake of the publication of the complete draft of the NRC was stopped at the airport, official sources said.


TMC MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, who is a member of the delegation, told PTI that the police stopped them at the airport on their arrival saying their visit might create trouble. He said there were 1000 cops at the airport.


The TMC delegation including six MPs were kept in the VIP lounge of Kumbhigram airport here in Cachar district under Barak Valley region, the sources said.

The Cachar district administration last night issued prohibitory order under Section 144 of the CrPC and banned entry of any person not involved with the NRC process in the district.


The TMC team went there at the instructions of party supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Banerjee has been accusing the BJP-led central government of resorting to "vote-bank politics" on the NRC issue and saying that "Indian citizens have become refugees" in their own land.

Atishi Marlena @AtishiMarlena tweets this image of a government school, which breaks down preconceived notions. She writes, "Yesterday a friend called - the Principal of a private school had seen pictures of the new desks in Delhi Govt schools and wanted to buy the same for their private school. Now Pvt schools want to follow govt schools! Who would have thought this was possible?!"


Atishi Marlena is an adivsor to the Delhi government and has been credited for turning around the abysmal public education system in the national capital.

However, in April she was dismissed by the HRD ministry. Education department officials said Marlena was the most critical person for the Aam Aadmi Party in its efforts in the field of education, something the party has said is its electoral plank in other states.

The woman who is making news for castrating her husband. Police said the husband, Yunus had two wives and his first wife was unhappy with him as he didn't provide any support for her children. Angry, she castrated him. The woman has been arrested.


John Bobbitt and his wife Lorena made world headlines in 1993 when Lorena cut off her husband's penis with a knife while he was asleep in bed. The penis was subsequently surgically reattached.  Bobbitise has become a part of the urban dictionary used to describe castration inflicted by a woman.

The Indian Penal Code's provision on adultery violates the fundamental Right to Equality as it treats married men and women differently, the Supreme Court said today.


Terming IPC's Section 497 "manifestly arbitrary", a five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra said it treats a married woman as "chattel" because her relationship with a married man depends on the "consent or connivance of her husband".


The bench, also comprising Justices R F Nariman, A M Khanwilkar, D Y Chandrachud and Indu Malhotra, which is hearing a petition challenging the constitutional validity of Section 497, was critical of a part of the provision stating that no offence of adultery is made out if a married woman enters into a sexual relationship with a married man with the consent of her husband.


Section 497 of the 158-year-old IPC says: "Whoever has sexual intercourse with a person who is and whom he knows or has reason to believe to be the wife of another man, without the consent or connivance of that man, such sexual intercourse not amounting to the offence of rape, is guilty of the offence of adultery."


"Definitely the matrimonial sanctity aspect is there, but the way the provisions are enacted or made run counter to Article 14 (Right to Equality of the Constitution)," the court said.


The bench added that it would see whether the provision can stand the test of the Right to Equality on grounds like "discretion and manifest arbitrariness".


Advocate Kaleeswaram Raj, appearing for petitioner Joseph Shine, an Indian living in Italy, referred to various facets of Section 497 and said the provision does not apply to a consenting sexual relationship between two unmarried adults and it treats married men and women differently with regard to their prosecution for adultery. He said married men can be prosecuted for the offence of adultery but this is not the case with married women and referred to various inconsistencies in the section.


The apex court had yesterday commenced hearing on pleas seeking quashing of the adultery provision in the IPC on the ground that it only punishes married men for having extra-marital sexual relations with a married woman. -- PTI

An FIR was registered against six people, including two village heads, for allegedly denying drinking water to a woman Dalit officer in Kaushambi, UP.


A deputy chief veterinary officer was allegedly denied drinking water because of her Dalit identity in Ambawa Poorab village in Manjhanpur block, around 167 km away from the state capital Lucknow, on July 31. An FIR under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.


SP Kaushambi Pradeep Gupta said the matter is being thoroughly probed and strict action will be initiated against those found guilty.


The officer, Dr Seema, said she had gone to the village on the directions of the DPRO to review developmental works. She claimed that she was not given water for two-and-a-half-hours despite her being a diabetic.


"I was told to visit the village only after contacting DPRO Ravi Dutt Mishra and BDC (block development chief) Tiwari, popularly known as Jhallar in the block. They behaved very abnormally with me, and when I asked for water, I was not given water for two-and-a-half-hours by six people sitting there. I am a diabetic. My body started trembling and I had to rush out from there," Seema told PTI.


"I was also told that the bottle would get spoiled (if I drink water from it) and had to be thrown away," Seema said. She alleged that when she sought water from the villagers, village head Sampat and the DPRO gestured not not to give her water.  -- PTI

The Bombay High Court on Thursday rejected the status report filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation and Special Investigation Team in the Narendra Dabholkar and Govind Pansare murder cases.


The court also criticised the agencies for submitting similar reports every time as status reports in the matter.


Dabholkar was murdered by unknown bike-borne assailants on August 20, 2013, in Pune, while he was returning home from a morning walk.


A CBI investigation is underway in the matter and is being monitored by the Bombay High Court. However, no major breakthrough has taken place in the case so far despite several warnings and deadlines front the high court.


After Dabholkar's murder, another rationalist, MM Kalburgi, was murdered in Karnataka's Dharwad district two years later.The investigation had earlier revealed that there was a similarity of modus operandi in both the murders and were reportedly committed using the same weapon.
-- ANI


Image: Rationalists Narendra Dabholkar and Govind Pansare

Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis on quotas for Marathas: "Today a meeting was held with state leaders from diverse sections and a joint statement has been signed to give reservation to Marathas lawfully. State Govt stands in absolute support for Maratha reservation and we are following requisite processes to do it at the earliest."

First reactions from the TMC on its leaders being barred from exiting the Silchar airport in Assam. TMC spokesperson Derek O'Brien says, "Our delegation was detained at Silchar airport. It is our democratic right to meet people, this is a super emergency like situation."

An eight-member TMC team is being detained at the Silchar airport in Assam. The team which includes six TMC MPs and two MLAs was sent by West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee to assess the situation in the Bengali-dominated Silchar in south Assam's Barak Valley in the aftermath of the National Register of Citizens draft.

The TMC team says it will not leave the airport. The team is sitting on dharna at the arrivals lounge raising slogans. Outside the airport is large-ish police contingent.

When the team was heading to the VIP exit at the Arrivals section of the airport, they were stopped by CISF personnel and prevented from exiting the airport. The MPs said they were law makers and not law breakers, but the personnel at the airport did not allow them to exit.

The team was supposed to meet various sections of people from Silchar and hold public meetings on the NRC issue.

TMC MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, who is a member of the delegation, told PTI that the police stopped them at the airport on their arrival saying their visit might create trouble.

The TMC delegation including six MPs were kept in the VIP lounge of Kumbhigram airport here in Cachar district under Barak Valley region, the sources said.


The Cachar district administration last night issued prohibitory order under Section 144 of the CrPC and banned entry of any person not involved with the NRC process in the district.

A eight-member team from the Trinamool Congress has been detained at the Silchar airport in Assam. The team which includes six TMC MPs and two MLAs was sent by West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee to assess the situation in the Bengali-dominated Silchar in south Assam's Barak Valley in the aftermath of the National Register of Citizens draft.


When the team was heading to the VIP exit at the Arrivals section of the airport, they were stopped by CISF personnel and prevented from exiting the airport. The MPs said they were law makers and not law breakers, but the personnel at the airport did not allow them to exit. Last reports said they are now on dharna at the airport.


Mamata has maintained that the NRC exercise was targeted at those with Bengali surnames and would lead to a "civil war". The team is expected to go to Guwahati tomorrow to meet eminent citizens in the city. 

First reactions from former cricketer and now golfer Kapil Dev on reports that he has been invited to Imran Khan's swearing-in ceremony.


Speaking to ANI, Kapil Dev said, "I haven't checked yet about the invitation, but if I get the invite then I will surely go to Pakistan for the oath ceremony after approval from the government."


Imran Khan has decided against inviting foreign leaders and celebrities to his oath taking ceremony as Pakistan's new prime minister as he wants to keep the event very simple, according to a media report.


Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf emerged as the single largest party in the elections held on July 25. The 65-year-old leader is expected to take oath on August 11.


His party had initially planned to invite several foreign leaders and personalities, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bollywood superstar Amir Khan and Indian cricketers like Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavasker and Navjot Singh Sidhu to the event.


However, in an apparent change of heart today, Khan has opted against a fancy ceremony, Dawn newspaper reported. "The PTI chairman has directed to stage the oath-taking event with austerity," Dawn newspaper quoted PTI spokesperson Fawad Chaudhry as saying. "He will take his oath in a simple ceremony at Aiwan-e-Sadr (President House)," the spokesperson said.

"It has been decided that no foreign personalities will be invited to the ceremony '" it will be a completely national event. Only a few close friends of Imran Khan will be invited." "There will be no show of extravagance at the event," Chaudhry said. However, he added that some foreign friends of Imran will be invited to the event.


"A few of Imran's friends are the only foreign nationals being invited to the event," he said. President Mamnoon Hussain will administer him the oath of the office.


Navjot Sidhu also announced that he would attend. "It's a personal invitation from him and not a political one.  I respect the foreign policy of the government and the country, but this is a personal invitation. I believe sportspersons and artists break barriers."

The Indian Army and it's Chinese counterpart have expressed mutual desire to maintain peace and improve relations at the functional-level along the Line of Actual Control, a defence official said today. 


"The ceremonial Border Personnel Meeting (BPM) was held yesterday on the occasion of China's PLA Day at Chinese BPM hut of Chushul-Moldo meeting point in Eastern Ladakh,' Srinagar-based defence spokesman Colonel Rajesh Kalia said in a press statement here.


He said the ceremonial BPM was marked by saluting of national flags by delegation members. "The ceremonial address by both delegation leaders included exchange of greetings and vote of thanks and reflected the mutual desire for improving relations at functional-level at the border.


Thereafter, a cultural programme showcasing Chinese culture and traditional grandeur was organised,' the spokesman said. He said both the delegations interacted in a free and congenial environment. -- PTI

PRS Oberoi - the 89-year-old son of the patriarch MS Oberoi - grimaces at the sight of the squalid pavement that rings Oberoi Grand, the group's iconic Kolkata property, which is now overrun by squatters and hawkers who choke every corner of the building. Oberoi doesn't mince his words: "It is very sad to see what is happening to the centre of the city.... I feel very sad when I come to Calcutta. The city has deteriorated. There is no real development.... No new investment is coming to Bengal.... You should know the reason. If you want to buy something from the Grand Arcade, you can't go there. The shopkeepers are crying."

Read more

The government intends to pass a bill in the current Parliament session to restore the original provisions of a law on atrocities against SC/ST people, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said today.


As the Opposition criticised the government for not taking action to restore the provisions which were struck down by the Supreme Court, Singh told the Lok Sabha that the Union Cabinet has already cleared a bill in this regard.


The bill to restore the original provisions of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act was approved by the Cabinet on Wednesday, acceding to a key demand of Dalit groups ahead of their call for a 'Bharat Bandh' on August 9.


Raising the issue during the Zero Hour, Congress leader Mallikarjuna Kharge said the Supreme Court judgement regarding the Act was "very dangerous" for the SC/ST people. In a ruling in March, the Supreme Court had introduced safeguards against arrests, which Dalit leaders and organisations said diluted the Act and rendered it toothless. -- PTI

Food ordering and delivery firm Swiggy today said it has acquired Mumbai-based on-demand delivery platform Scootsy. The all-cash acquisition of Scootsy is for approximately Rs 50 crore, a source in knowledge of the deal said.


With this acquisition, Swiggy will further strengthen Scootsy's curated restaurant network and help the brand expand to newer cities on the back of its operational excellence and back-end strength, Swiggy said in a statement.


Scootsy will continue to operate as an independent app post the acquisition, it added. Commenting on the development, Swiggy CEO Sriharsha Majety said, "With a shared belief of providing a superior user experience, its addition will extend the convenience and reliability that Swiggy is synonymous with." 

Articulate segments of Muzaffarpur have been at the the forefront of all anti-establishment mobilisation, which makes their silence over the atrocities in a shelter home in the town puzzling. Could it be that if those accused of horrific crimes belong to dominant castes and if the victims belong to the vulnerable groups, then the middle classes become mute, asks Mohammad Sajjad. Read the column on Rediff.com.

No foreign leaders will be invited for PTI chief Imran Khan's swearing-in ceremony as the prime minister of Pakistan, says the country's foreign office.


This ends speculation on whether Khan would invite PM Narendra Modi for his swearing-in ceremony and whether he would attend.

Khan has however extended invitations to Indian actor Aamir Khan and former cricketers Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and Navjot Singh Sidhu to his oath-taking ceremony on 11 August.

Khans Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf emerged as the single largest party in Pakistans National Assembly after the 25 July general elections but it is short of numbers to form the government on its own. The PTI is said to be in talks with other political parties and independents join its ranks to make up the numbers for a coalition government.


Sidhu held a press conference today accepting Khan's invite and said it was a huge honour for him.

"Its a personal invitation from him and not a political one.  I respect the foreign policy of the government and the country, but this is a personal invitation. I believe sportspersons and artists break barriers."

Supreme Court restrains the media from telecasting images and videos of minor rape victims even in blurred and morphed form. Court also expresses concern over identity of child rape victims being revealed by media and as to how the media has revealed their identities.

Lunchtime read.

Jennifer Aniston's love life and womb are nobody's business. The actor who has gone through intense media scrutiny over her split with husband Justin Theroux earlier this year, said she is not "heartbroken" and it's about time people moved on from the narrative of 'Jen can't keep a man' or she is 'selfish' and does not want to have a baby.

In an interview with Molly McNeary for InStyle's September issue, the 49-year-old actor said media should stop with sexist stories about female stars. "It's pretty crazy. The misconceptions are 'Jen can't keep a man', and 'Jen refuses to have a baby because she's selfish and committed to her career. Or that I'm sad and heartbroken," Aniston said referring to tabloid stories about her split with Theroux after two years of marriage.


"First, with all due respect, I'm not heartbroken. And second, those are reckless assumptions. No one knows what's going on behind closed doors. No one considers how sensitive that might be for my partner and me. They don't know what I've been through medically or emotionally. There is a pressure on women to be mothers, and if they are not, then they're deemed damaged goods. Maybe my purpose on this planet isn't to procreate. Maybe I have other things I'm supposed to do?" Asked whether she faced sexual harassment at work place, Aniston said there were some "sloppy" moves made on her by other actors but she handled it by walking away.


"I've never had anyone in a position of power make me feel uncomfortable and leverage that over me. In my personal experience I've been treated worse verbally and energetically by some women in this industry." The actor said it is unfair to pick women apart and pit them against one another based on looks and clothing and superficial stuff. "When a couple breaks up in Hollywood, it's the woman who is scorned. The woman is left sad and alone. She's the failure. F that. When was the last time you read about a divorced, childless man referred to as a spinster?" Aniston hopes things with improve for better in the post #MeToo and Time's Up movement and she believes men should be a part of this conversation. -- PTI

Home Minister Rajnath Singh, responding to Congresss Mallikarjun Kharge said the BJP government, led by Prime Minister Modi, wants to enact the SC/ST bill in the parliament in the monsoon session itself.

The Supreme Court takes suo moto cognizance of the Muzaffarpur shelter home rape cases. The court has issued a notice to the Bihar government and Centre and sought a detailed reply from them.


As many as 34 girls were sexually assaulted in a shelter home in Muzaffarpur, with fresh medical reports confirming rape of five more girls.


Muzaffarpur Senior Superintendent of Police Harpreet Kaur told PTI that fresh medical reports of 13 girl inmates have confirmed that five of them were sexually abused.


Investigations have also revealed that the girls were regularly given sedatives claiming that it was de-worming tablets before they were sexually assaulted.

During their medical examination many girls have said that they were given the deworming tablets every night after dinner, after which they would soon go to sleep.


Also read: How the Muzaffarpur sex scandal was unearthed

Chennai: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan meets MK Stalin and Kanimozhi at Kauvery Hospital, where DMK Chief M Karunanidhi is admitted.

The condition of Karunanidhi is stable.

The Bengaluru Police, just like other state authorities, has issued a warning against the viral 'In My Feelings' challenge - also known as the 'Kiki' challenge - and urged people not to do it.

The challenge requires people to jump out of their cars and dance on the streets to singer Drake's hit 'In My Feelings' song. The bizarre social media sensation has been causing numerous accidents, which has got the authorities worried.

The Bengaluru City Police's official Twitter handle posted the warning, writing, "BCP's Kiki: If you dance for #KikiChallenge on the roads, We're sure of making you dance behind the bars!! Kiki Challenge may get you a KICK OF LAW not KICK OF DANCE"

Earlier on Tuesday, the Delhi Police took to social media and requested everyone to "keep Delhi roads safe for all."

"Dance on the floors, not on the roads! #KikiChallenge is not worth the fun. #InMyFeelings Keep #Delhi roads safe for all," read the tweet. -- PTI

Assam governor Jagdish Mukhi backs the draft National Citizens' Register of Assam saying it is historical for the Assamese people as it has been done as per the wishes of the Assamese and the Assam accord.

He said many people are worried over the non-inclusion of their names in the NRC, but he assured them that anyone who is an Indian will certainly find their name in the final NRC list.

"The government assures that each and every Indian shall be included in the final NRC report and guarantees security of each and every citizen in the state.

"The Central govt has a right to know about the foreigners staying in the state or country. It will be better if every state has NRC prepared, they should not only prepare NRC rather they should update it with every census, this will ensure full proof security in the country."


A day after BJP president Amit Shah said the NRC would weed out ghuspethiye (infiltrators) in Assam, the Supreme Court-appointed coordinator for the exercise termed such descriptions as too premature and said that all the 40,07,707 people left out of the complete draft cannot be clubbed under that description, or as illegal migrants, merely on the basis of the register.


Yesterday, disappointed over Mamata Banerjees remarks on the final draft of the Assam National Register of Citizens two All India Trinamool Congress leaders quit the party.

The leaders Diganta Saikia, Pradeep Pachoni said that the West Bengal Chief Minister has been commenting and slamming the NRC Assam final draft without any knowledge.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders on India's invite to US president Donald Trump as the chief guest on Republic Day. Sanders confirmed the invitation had been extended, but no decision has been made. "Secretary Mattis and Secretary Pompeo will be in India next month and will begin discussion for a potential visit next year," she said.


The Narendra Modi government has invited US President Donald Trump to be the chief guest for next year's Republic Day parade. The invite was sent out in April.


In 2015, the then US President Barack Obama was the chief guest during the Republic Day celebration. It was also the first R-Day celebration during the Modi regime. If Trump accepts the invitation, this could be touted as India's biggest foreign policy coup in the past few years.

Rahul Gandhi shifts his sights from PM Modi to Sushma Swaraj. Slamming the external affairs minister, @RahulGandhi tweeted, "Amazing how a lady like Sushmaji has buckled and prostrated herself in front of Chinese power. Absolute subservience to the leader means our brave jawan has been betrayed on the border. #Doklam."


Rahul's barb comes after the Swaraj told the Lok Sabha yesterday that status quo was being maintained at the Doklam trijunction and that the issue had been resolved in August last year through "diplomatic maturity."


Responding to a question  raised by Sugata Bose of the Trinamool Congress during question hour, Swaraj said the informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, in April this year, was without any fixed agenda, which is why the word "Doklam" was missing from reports of the meeting.

India's shame.

A deputy chief veterinary officer was allegedly denied drinking water in Uttar Pradesh's Kaushambi district because of her Dalit identity, officials said today. The incident happened yesterday in Ambawa Poorab village in Manjhanpur block, 167 km from Lucknow.The officer, Dr Seema, said today that she had gone to the village on the directions of the district panchayat raj officer to review developmental works. As there was no water in her bottle, Seema had asked the village pradhan, Shiv Sampat Pasi, and village development officer, Ravi Dutt Mishra, for water. She alleged that both of them refused to give her water as she was a Dalit. She added that when she sought water from the villagers, the two allegedly gestured them not to give water to her.


When contacted, District Magistrate Manish Verma said, "We have taken cognizance of the incident after the officer lodged a written complaint. Superintendent of police has been asked to probe the matter." -- PTI

Delhi: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj leaves for three-nation tour of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan & Uzbekistan.

Sanno, the three-year-old girl, who had fallen into a 165 ft-deep borewell is now recuperating in hospital. She was rescued last night after a 30-hour long operation in Bihar's Munger district, officials said. She has now been referred to a bigger hospital in Patna.

The Reserve Bank of India's decision to raise the repo rate by 25 basis points to 6.50 per cent is a "win-win" situation for both markets and the banks as inflation is expected to rapidly decelerate to sub-5 per cent in coming months, suggests the report from the Economic Research Department of State Bank of India.


The report has been authored by Dr Soumya Kanti Ghosh, Group Chief Economic Adviser, SBI. "The Monetary Policy Committee decided to increase repo rate by 25 bps (for the second time in a row) to 6.50 per cent by 5-1 vote and kept the stance neutral. RBI had to choose the timing of rate hike between now and later in the October 2018 policy.


However, RBI decided to walk the talk and the rate hike is a win-win situation for both markets and the banks as inflation is expected to rapidly decelerate to sub-5 per cent in coming months and it would have been difficult for RBI to hike then and convince the markets," the SBI report suggested. -- ANI

Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis to chair meeting of party MLAs and senior leaders over Maratha reservation issue in Mumbai today.


The Maratha Kranti Morcha protesters on Wednesday blocked the Pune-Solapur Highway in the ongoing Maratha stir over demand for reservation for the Maratha community. The Maratha Kranti Morcha released a press note according to which the community is organising a Jail Bharo Andolan for their major demands.


Protests took place at Azad Maidan in Mumbai, but were low-key. The Mumbai police had also tightened security for the Jail Bharo Andolan to maintain law and order. The police have also been asked to be on alert in other parts of Maharashtra.


A 35-year-old man committed suicide at Beed district while eight protesters attempted suicide in Latur on Tuesday as the agitation by the Maratha community demanding reservation intensified. As the state witnessed the fifth suicide over the issue, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that for the quota to be valid, it needs to stand legal and constitutional scrutiny. 

A woman chopped off her husband's genitals for allegedly neglecting her and "staying with his second wife", police said today. The incident took place in the Mimlana area of Muzaffarnagar yesterday.


The man was rushed to a hospital in a serious condition, they said. The man had married the second time with consent of his first wife, as they did not have a child.


The second wife had recently given birth to a child, Station House Officer, Kotwali police station, Anil Kaperwan said. He had been staying at her second wife's residence for some time, and it apparently angered the woman, he said. The man's relatives have filed a complaint with police against his first wife, the SHO said. -- PTI