LIVE! CAA is also against 40% of Hindus: Ambedkar

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Fri, 27 December 2019

CAA is also against 40% of Hindus: Ambedkar

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23:30 Home Ministry relaxes travel conditions for OCI cardholders

Overseas Citizenship of India cardholders, in certain age groups, can travel to India even if they have not re-registered it after the issuance of their new passports, as the home ministry has relaxed travel conditions till June 30, 2020, an official said on Friday.

An Overseas Citizen of India card holder is required to re-register each time a new passport is issued till 20 years of age and once after 50 years of age, the ministry spokesperson said on Twitter.

This is not mandatory in the age group of 21-50 years, she said.

In order to facilitate OCI cardholders, the requirement has been relaxed till June 30, 2020, according to the union home ministry instructions dated December 17, 2019, but they will have to carry old and new passports, she said.

The OCI card gives the cardholder lifelong visa to India.

The ministry has been informed that immigration authorities and airlines in some countries are not allowing OCI cardholders to travel to India because either the cardholder did not re-registered after attaining 50 years of age or did not get it re-issued on passport renewal (for the age group of below 20 years), the December 17 order said.

"It is informed that instruction regarding re-issuance of OCI card on renewal of passport or on attaining specified age is a requirement expected to be timely complied with by the OCI card holders," the ministry said.

The ministry asked the External Affairs Ministry to advice the Indian Missions abroad to temporarily relax the conditions in the wake of problems faced by the cardholders, it said.

"In case an OCI cardholder below the age of 20 years has not got the OCI card re-issued on change of passport, he/she may travel on the strength of his/her existing OCI card bearing old passport number till June 30, 2020 subject to the condition that along with the new passport, the OCI cardholder carries old passport mentioned in the OCI card," the order posted on twitter by the spokesperson said.

"In case an OCI cardholder who has attained the age of 50 years and got his/her passport renewed subsequently but has not got his/her OCI card re-issued on renewal of passport, he/she may travel till June 30, 2020 on the strength of the existing OCI card along with new and old passport," it further said. -- PTI

23:14 CAA is also against 40% of Hindus: Ambedkar

The National Register of Citizens exercise and the Citizenship Amendment Act is not just affecting Muslims but also "40 per cent of Hindus", Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi chief Prakash Ambedkar said at a rally in Maharashtra's Aurangabad on Friday.

He also attacked the Narendra Modi government for building "detention camps" across the country.

"NRC, CAA affects not only Muslims but 40 per cent of Hindus. The detention camp in Nerul (Navi Mumbai) has a capacity of 1.5 lakh inmates. The capacity of the one in Kharghar is 5 lakh people. When NRC is not coming into force as claimed by the government, then what is the need of such camps," he asked.

NCP MLA Jitendra Awhad said Muslims are being shown as the face of the protests against NRC and CAA, but over 6700 other communities are also affected.

He said Modi was "the rebirth of (Nazi dictator) Adolf Hitler" and his government was "digging its grave" with such moves.

RJD Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha said the protesters were being "provoked" to be violent but added that it was essential that protests are held peacefully. -- PTI

The Central Bureau of Investigation has arrested two conmen posing as its chief R K Shukla for allegedly threatening senior customs officers with registering a case against them, officials said on Friday.

The alleged cheaters used two methods to give impression of being the CBI chief -- saving a mobile number as that of Shukla and using a phone software to spoof landline number of the agency, they said.

Though the agency FIR did not mention that the imposters were posing as the CBI chief, officials in the agency said that the conmen had saved a number, which popped up on a spam filter mobile application as that of Shukla when a recipient picked the phone giving an impression that call is from the CBI Director.

The imposters were staying at a four star hotel in central Delhi from where they were arrested, officials said.

"In a swift operation, CBI arrested two conmen posing as senior officers of the agency. Searches were conducted in this regard. Further investigating is on," CBI spokesperson Nitin Wakankar said.

The officials said that the number used by conmen was never used by the CBI chief.

This is the second such case in two months after a separate group of imposters posing as CBI officers threatened a Mumbai-based businesswoman in October about an ongoing inquiry against her, using spoofed e-mail address of the CBI.

In the latest case, the CBI has booked Haridwar resident Daksh Aggarwal and Puneet Pareek, a resident of upmarket Silver Arch apartments on Ferozshah Road here, for allegedly threatening senior customs officials with a CBI probe against them, the officials said.

They said the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (Mumbai) is carrying out an inquiry against three companies, Nemani Steel Pvt Ltd, Sunita Developers Pvt Ltd and Great Town Trading Pvt Ltd.

Pareek, on behalf of these three companies, engaged Aggarwal to threaten Parecha for which he has also promised to pay him Rs 30 lakh out of which Rs two lakh has already been paid, the agency said.

On December 18, the investigating officer of the case, GST Superintendent Haresh Parecha, received a call from a number which popped up on a spam filter screen as that that of CBI Director R K Shukla, the officials said.

The caller allegedly threatened Parecha that CBI had received a complaint against him that he is blackmailing these companies and demanded case documents, they said.

"Source has further informed that the suspect person has stored the mobile number 90909-99999 as a senior officer of CBI to create an impression that the senior CBI officer is using the number," the FIR said.

Parecha sent a couple of Panchnama and other documents through WhatsApp on the said number believing it to be from the CBI boss, officials said.

The suspect again called on the next day from a landline number 011-24360213, "which is registered in the name of CBI, New Delhi," the FIR said.

The CBI received information from sources that the landline number was spoofed by the imposter and a call was also made to Rajesh Sanan, Commissioner, CGST. -- PTI

Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Friday said the indigenous people of the state, whose interests are protected by the Assam Accord, will be not be affected by granting of Indian citizenship to a "small number" of persecuted people.

Sonowal, while addressing BJP's 'Peace and Progress March' in Morigaon district of Assam which was also attended by leaders of its alliance partners AGP and BPF, said the state government is committed to protecting the land rights, culture and language of the indigenous people.

"Congress could not provide security to the small number of people who fled their country due to religious persecution. Now, they are being given an opportunity to get Indian citizenship by applying under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019.

"These people will not have any negative impact on the indigenous people. Do not get misled by the misinformation being spread that the BJP-led government will bring in foreigners and settle them on the surplus lands in villages and tea gardens," Sonowal said.

Noting that only a negligible number of foreigners will get Indian citizenship under the Act, he said the BJP governments at the Centre and the state will ensure that the interests of the indigenous people are protected under Clause 6 of the Assam Accord.

Sonowal said the Clause provides constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards for protecting, preserving and promoting the cultural, social and linguistic identity and heritage of the Assamese people.

He said the BJP never worked against the interests of the Assamese people and the party had even supported the six-year-long anti-foreigners Assam Movement.

The state government will also reach out to the people to dispel their misunderstandings about CAA, he said.

Sonowal accused the Congress of settling "lakhs of foreigners" in Assam during its rule and wondered why there were no movements against foreigners then like what the state is witnessing now. -- PTI

The Indian economy would rebound in the future and the current slowdown was cyclical, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu said at the 102nd annual conference of the Indian Economic Association in Raipur on Friday.

He said the economy was facing challenges due to decline in growth this fiscal, and asked the gathering to be optimistic about a turnaround.

"This conference is being organised in the backdrop of recent economic figures. It is true there are some challenges for the Indian economy...But I want to tell everyone there are ups and downs. But we must be optimistic. We should not be pessimistic," he said.

Naidu claimed the country had faced similar situations earlier in the wake of the East Asian financial crisis and global slowdown, but had bounced back with higher growth rates every time.

Moves like demonetisation, Goods and Services Tax, the Insolvency Code and steps taken against black money would make the economy "more robust and more resilient", the VP said.

Naidu said over 66 lakh new taxpayers were registered under the GST regime since its launch and this indicated the rising trend of formalisation of the economy.

The problem of non-performing assets in the banking sector was being tackled, he added.

The VP said waivers and subsidies provided to the agriculture sector was "unsustainable" in the longer run, adding that "non-farm activities are equally crucial for the growth of the rural economy".

Stressing on the Union government's resolve to double farm income by 2022, Naidu said the rural economy has to be made sustainable and remunerative.

He said agricultural produce must have access to larger markets, storage and supply chains, and in-situ food processing sector must be encouraged in villages.

22:03 Happy birthday Salman

Bollywood actor Salman Khan cuts a cake on his 54th birthday in Mumbai. Photograph: ANI

22:03 Goyal cites Mahatma Gandhi to defend CAA

Mahatma Gandhi was in favour of giving shelter to refugees coming from Pakistan, Union minister Piyush Goyal said on Friday, justifying the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

The Bharatiya Janata Party leader held a press conference at Margaon in Goa to defend the controversial law which has sparked off protests across the country.

"This (the Act) is not about political ideology but about humanity. The same thing was stated by Mahatma Gandhi when he wrote to (Jawaharlal) Nehru and said that refugees (from Pakistan) should be given shelter in India," he said.

Former prime minister Manmohan Singh had also demanded in th past that minorities (from neighbouring countries) be given citizenship in India, Goyal said.

"It is unfortunate that some political parties are giving a religious colour to the act," he said.

The CAA does not take away the citizenship of any religious group, but provides citizenship to "religious minorities from the countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh who are persecuted", he said.

A lot of propaganda is being spread against the CAA and "our children are being misled", he alleged.

"Nobody's citizenship would be affected," the Union minister added.

"We believe it was a duty of India and every Indian to protect those who were being persecuted on religious grounds. Many Christians are also persecuted in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan," Goyal said. -- PTI

The Kerala government on Friday said it was not planning to set up detention centres in the state to house illegal immigrants.

No such decision has been taken, a statement from chief minister's office said adding false propaganda was being carried out in a section of the media with regard to the detention centres.

"The present government has also instructed the authorities concerned to stop all works started by the previous government since 2012 in connection with the detention centres, in view of the present situation," the statement said.

In a detailed statement, the CMO stated that seven years ago in August 2012, the Union government had written to home secretaries of all states asking them to ensure setting up of detention centres to house those continuing to stay in the country despite the expiry of their visa and passports and the foreigners awaiting their deportation after undergoing punishment.

The letter had also wanted proposals to be submitted.

On the basis of this letter, on November 4, 2015, the home ministry had called a meeting in which the then DGP, ADGP Intelligence and IGP (Jail) participated, the statement said.

As part of the decision taken at the meeting, it was decided to start such centres in the state under the social justice department and the staff to man such centres would be decided by the police department.

It was also decided that such centres would be different from the police-jail departments.

On February 29, 2016, the social justice department director was asked to submit the proposal for the centres and submit necessary recommendations.

State crime records bureau was also asked to submit details. -- PTI

20:55 LIC pays Rs 2,611 cr dividend to govt

State-owned Life Insurance Corporation on Friday paid a dividend of Rs 2,610.74 crore to the government for financial year 2018-19.

"During the Financial Year 2018-2019, LIC generated a valuation surplus of Rs 53,214.41 crore, registering a growth of 9.9% over the previous year. It has a market share of 76.28% in number of policies and 71% in First year Premium as on 30.11.2019," the finance ministry said in a tweet.

This is for the first time in LIC's history that Valuation surplus has crossed Rs 50,000 crore, the insurer said in a statement.

LIC chairman M R Kumar handed over the cheque to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in presence of Finance Secretary Rajiv Kumar and Special Secretary Debasish Panda.

"Union Finance Minister Smt. @nsitharaman receives a cheque of Rs 2,610.74 Crores from Shri M.R. Kumar, Chairman of LIC, as Government's share of surplus for Financial Year 2018-2019 here today. Shri Rajeev Kumar, Finance Secretary, was also present," the ministry said.

LIC has completed 63 years since its incorporation and now manages assets worth more than Rs 31.11 lakh crore.

It had annual income of Rs 5.61 lakh crore and achieved the highest ever First Year Premium Income of Rs 1,42,191.69 crore in 2018-19, it said.

During 2018-19, it has paid 2.59 crore claims for an amount of Rs 1.63 lakh crore. -- PTI

The Congress on Friday hit back at the Bharatiya Janata Party for calling Rahul Gandhi "liar of the year", saying the ruling party resorts to abuse and personal attacks when it has no answers to his "tough questions" on issues such as the state of the economy and women's security.

Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera also alleged that there was "star wars" in the top leadership of the BJP with one saying something in Parliament and the other saying something else at Ramlila Maidan, an apparent reference to home minister Amit Shah's remarks and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's comments at a rally in New Delhi.

"Rahul Gandhi from every platform asks tough questions. The government of the day is either too arrogant to respond to these questions which the people want answers to or the government has no answers to cover their failures. They hide behind abuse, very low, very petty level of narrative, to make it a personal attack," he told reporters.

Khera's remarks came in response to senior BJP leader and Union minister Prakash Javadekar accusing the Congress of trying to fan instability in the country.

"When Rahul Gandhi was Congress president, he would say anything and speak lies all the time. Now he is no longer president but continues to speak lies. If there were a category of the liar of the year, he would be its recipient. His comments used to embarrass his family. His lies now embarrass his party and the entire country," Javadekar told reporters.

Likening the National Population Register and the National Register of Citizens with demonetisation, former Congress president Gandhi said in Chhattisgarh that these exercises are "tax" on the poor, who will suffer the same way they did after the note ban in November 2016.

Khera said the Congress has a responsibility as an opposition party to voice the concerns and articulate the questions of unemployed youths of this country with unemployment touching a 45-year-old low. -- PTI

20:21 NPR is NRC in disguise, alleges Ajay Maken

The Congress on Friday charged the Narendra Modi government at the Centre with working on the National Register for Citizens across the country in the garb of National Population Register, which received the cabinet nod earlier this week.

Congress spokesman Ajay Maken, who was speaking to newsmen, sought to buttress the point by citing that the NPR forms are seeking informations like mobile numbers of all family members and driving license details which had not been sought when the NPR was last conducted in the 2010-11 by the United Progressive Alliance government in which he was the minister of state for home.

Maken also rejected the governments contention that these details were to be shared voluntarily and not mandatorily.

"The NPR forms have an ambiguous 'if available' clause. Anybody who does not share these details would run the risk of his citizenship being deemed doubtful," he told a press conference in New Delhi.

Asserting that the NRC has always been on the BJPs agenda, Maken pointed out that way back in 2003 when the NDA was in power it had brought out an amendment in the Citizenship Act seeking to make registration of every citizen compulsory.

"When we (Congress) came to power in 2004, there was a pilot project being carried out in a union territory with a small population of 3.1 million. We junked it though the BJP had sought to implement it across the country, as it was found that less than half of the residents could produce valid documents. Most of them were poor who had no means to be in possession of documentary proof of citizenship," the Congress leader pointed out.

Repudiating Prime Minister Narendra Modi's contention that the opposition is making noise over NRC when it was not in the offing, Maken said," There have been countless occasions, on the floor of the Parliament and at public meetings, when he has given a clear indication of his intentions."

At an election rally in West Bengal earlier this year, he had said that immigrants will be dealt with once NRC is rolled out across the country, Maken said.

Defending the Congress decision to oppose the Citizenship Amendment Act, he said the legislation is the greatest onslaught on the Constitution which guarantees non- discrimination to citizens on the basis of their religion, caste, sex and place of birth.

20:04 Shadab Jakati quits all forms of cricket

Goa spinner Shadab Jakati, who also played in the cash-rich Indian Premier League, on Friday retired from all forms of cricket.

Jakati, who was part of teams like Chennai Super Kings, now defunt Gujarat Lions and Royal Challengers Bangalore, took to Twitter to announce the decision.

"Just announced my retirement from all forms of cricket. Even though I have not been playing much over the last 1 year,it has been one of the harder things I have done in my life.Thank you @BCCI @goacricket11 with sincere gratitude 4 making me live my dream for the last 23 years," tweeted Jakati, a slow-left arm orthodox spinner.

He had sclaped 275 wickets from 92 first-class matches.

Jakati made his first-class debut in the 1998/99 season and played his last first-class game against Punjab in October 2017.

He, however, could never make it to the Indian team.

"At this juncture as I look back at my career I wish to thank with sincere gratitude my family,friends who have stood by me all the while. @BCCI #GCA, senior cricketers, all my fellow teammates,support staff with whom I have spent moments which I shall cherish all my life," he further tweeted. -- PTI

20:02 Modi lying about detention camps: Ex-Assam CM

Senior Congress leader Tarun Gogoi on Friday called Prime Minister Narendra Modi a "liar" for saying that there is no detention camp in the country and claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government at the Centre had sanctioned Rs 46 crore for one in Assam's Goalpara district.

Gogoi said the Congress government in Assam he had headed had set up detention camps in the state as per a Gauhati high court order.

Former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee had suggested setting up detention camps for illegal immigrants, he said.

"Modi is a liar", Gogoi said at a press conference in Guwahati referring to a rally by the prime minister at the national capital in which he had said there is no detention camp in the country.

"In 2018 the Narendra Modi government had sanctioned Rs 46 crore for constructing the largest detention centre at Matia in Goalpara district of Assam for housing 3,000 illegal immigrants. Suddenly he says there is no detention camp," Gogoi said.

"Why did the BJP government in 2018 sanction Rs 46 crore? This shows Modi is a liar", Gogoi asserted.

He said the Congress government which he helmed in the state had set up detention camps in Assam as per the directions of the Gauhati high court in 2008.

Gogoi had led three consecutive governments in the state from 2001 to 2016.

"They (BJP) say these (detention) camps were set up by the Congress. We set them up as per the order of the high court to detain people who were declared 'foreigners' by the Foreigners' Tribunal," he added. -- PTI

19:58 Who is Prashant Kishor, asks Union minister

"Who is Prashant Kishor?", Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri asked on Friday, days after the poll strategist's political consultancy firm I-PAC was roped in by the Aam Aadmi Party ahead of the Delhi assembly election.

Replying to a question at a press conference in New Delhi, the Union housing and urban affairs minister, who is also the co-incharge of the BJP for the Delhi polls, said he did not know Kishor personally.

"Who is Prashant Kishor?," he asked, when a question was put to him about I-PAC being roped in by the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP ahead of the Delhi polls, slated to be held early next year.

When reporters told the minister that Kishor was a part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's campaign in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, he said, "I was not there during that time."

"May be I should know, but I do not know him (Kishor)," Puri said on being told by reporters that he was also part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance -- the national vice-president of the Janata Dal-United.

On December 14, Kejriwal had announced that I-PAC had come on board with his party.

"Happy to share that Indian-PAC is coming on-board with us. Welcome aboard!" the Delhi chief minister had said in a tweet.

The election to the 70-member Delhi Assembly is due early next year. The national capital is set to witness a three-cornered fight with the AAP, which had won 67 seats in the last Assembly polls, seeking to retain power by defeating the BJP and the Congress.

The I-PAC had used innovative programmes such as "chai pe charcha" in the 2014 campaign for Modi.

The firm worked on a number of successful campaigns since 2014, including the one that brought JD-U supremo and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar to power in the state in 2015.

It also helped Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy win the assembly polls and put up a good show in the general election this year. -- PTI

Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Brinda Karat said on Friday that the Centre was using the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, National Register of Citizens and National Population Register as a "trishul" (trident) to attack people.

She also dismissed the government's claim that the amended citizenship law has no nexus with the NRC and NPR.

Opposition parties have been alleging that the NPR is a step towards a nation-wide NRC.

"The Modi government is using the CAA, NRC and NPR as a trishul to hit the heart of the country's people. The government does not follow the Constitution. It does not know the condition of women in the country," she said.

She also called Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah "manufacturing units of lies".

Karat was talking to PTI on the sidelines of an event organised by the All India Democratic Women's Association in Byculla in south Mumbai.

"Ninety-three women are raped in India every day, of which a third are minor. But the conviction rate in such cases is only four per cent," she said.

Contrary to the government's claim, the CAA is linked to the NRC, which in turn is linked with the NPR, the communist leader said.

"This government is talking about the 2010 NPR, so why did they add six new questions to NPR pre-test questionnaire? From where people will provide the documents and proof of dead parents? The government is just playing with people's sentiments," she said. -- PTI

Photograph: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com

19:31 125 crore residents now have Aadhaar: UIDAI

The Unique Identification Authority of India on Friday said that 125 crore residents of India now have Aadhaar.

"The achievement comes along with the rapidly increasing use of Aadhaar as the primary identity document by the Aadhaar holders. This is evident from the fact that Aadhaar-based authentication services have been used close to 37,000 crore times since inception," an official statement said.

The UIDAI said a new milestone has been achieved by the Aadhaar project, that of crossing of the 125 crore mark.

"This means that over 1.25 billion residents of India have the 12-digit unique identity," it added.

The UIDAI receives about 3 crore authentication requests every day.

"Also, residents are more inclined on keeping their details in Aadhaar updated. The UIDAI recorded close to 331 crore successful Aadhaar updates (biometric and demographic) till date," it said.

At present, the UIDAI receives about 3-4 lakh Aadhaar update requests daily, the release pointed out. -- PTI

19:15 Never felt pressure to convert: Danish Kaneria

Pakistan's banned Test leg-spinner Danish Kaneria on Friday said there were a "few players" who targetted him for being a Hindu during his time with the national team but he never felt the urge or the pressure to change his religion.

The spinner, who is serving a life ban for spot-fixing, has been brought into focus after former pacer Shoaib Akhtar alleged that some Pakistani players refused to even share food with him due to his faith.

Speaking to 'Samaa' channel on Friday, Kaneria said a few players made remarks about him behind his back.

"(But) I never made an issue of it. I just ignored them because I wanted to focus on my cricket and bring victories for Pakistan," he said.

"Look I am a proud Hindu and Pakistani. I would like to make it clear here don't try to portray our cricket fraternity in Pakistan in negative manner because there are a lot of people who have supported me and backed me regardless of my religion," he added.

When asked about former batsman Yousuf Youhana, a Christian who converted to Islam, Kaneria said he would not comment on an individual choice.

"What Muhammad Yousuf did was his personal decision but I never felt the need to change my religion because I believe in it and no one forced me either to do it," he said.

When pressed on Akhtar's comments, Kaneria chose to side-step a day after acknowledging the discrimination and threatening to come out with names.

"Shoaib bhai has said what he must have heard or someone must have told him but I have represented Pakistan at the highest level and I feel proud of it. When I came into cricket I always wanted to represent Pakistan at the highest level and I did that," he said.

The leg-spinner, who played 61 Tests for Pakistan, made it clear that former captain Inzamam-ul-Haq always supported him.

"Inzamam called me a match-winner. I can say lot of institutions supported me in my career. I always did my best on the ground to prove Inzamam right. The fact is I am proud to be a Pakistani," he said.

Pressed to name those few players who he felt targetted him, Kaneria said he would reveal their names later on his YouTube channel.

"The time is not right and I will use my channel to talk about it."

Asked to recall any incident where players refused to eat with him, Kaneria said, "Pakistan is my janambhumi and I don't think anyone should politicise this issue or our cricket fraternity because of a few players' behaviour. I request everyone don't give it a wrong angle." -- PTI

Union minister Ramdas Athawale said in Mumbai on Friday that he disagreed with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat's assertion that all 130 crore people living in India are Hindus.

Speaking in Hyderabad on Thursday, Bhagwat had said that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh considers the entire population of India as Hindu society, irrespective of people's individual religions and culture.

Athawale, a Dalit leader who heads the Republican Party of India, a constituent of the NDA, told PTI that he did not agree with Bhagwat.

"If it is said that RSS considers everyone Indian (instead of Hindu) and we are all united, I can understand. Hindus are the majority community, but there are also Buddhists, Muslims, Christians, Jains, Dalits, Backward Classes. All of us are one and united as Indians," he said.

At one time Buddhism was a dominant religion in many countries including India, he said, adding, "Should we (then) say all of us are Buddhists?" -- PTI

18:23 Stay away from violence: Akshay on CAA protest

Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar on Friday urged people to stay away from violence during the Citizenship Amendment Act protests, irrespective of their political leanings.

The 52-year-old actor said as someone who is against violence, he wants people to deal with the situation in a positive way.

"I don't like violence. Whether any side left side or right side, just don't do violence. Don't destroy property, don't do that, be away from violence. Whatever you want to say to each other do it with positivity, talk to each other, stop violence. Just do not destroy anybody's property, nobody should do that," Akshay said in a group interview in Mumbai.

The actor faced the wrath of social media users after he "accidentally" liked a video on Twitter, that made fun of Delhi police's crackdown on the students of Jamia Milia after their protest against the legislation.

Several Bollywood celebrities such as Farhan Akhtar, Parineeti Chopra, Richa Chadha, Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub, Anurag Kashyap, Shabana Azmi, Javed Akhtar, Saif Ali Khan, Hrithik Roshan and Swara Bhasker among others have voiced their disappointment over the amended Citizenship Act.

Protests broke out across the country after the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill was cleared by Parliament and signed by President Ram Nath Kovind into an Act.

According to the Act, people from Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities who have come to India till December 31, 2014, from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan due to religious persecution there will be given Indian citizenship.

The protesters claim that the legislation was "unconstitutional and divisive" as it excludes Muslims. -- PTI

18:17 Rahul Gandhi is liar of the year: BJP

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday slammed Rahul Gandhi for his claim that the National Population Register is a "tax" on the poor and said he is the "liar of the year" for his comments which have "embarrassed" people and his Congress party.

Senior BJP leader and Union minister Prakash Javadekar accused the Congress of trying to fan instability in the country but asserted that people are with the government on the new citizenship law and NPR.

The NPR does not involve any monetary transaction and its data is used to identify the poor so that government welfare schemes could reach the targeted people, he said.

A similar exercise was undertaken in 2010 as well, he said.

"When Rahul Gandhi was Congress president, he would say anything and speak lie all the time. Now he is no longer president but continues to speak lies. If there were a category of the liar of the year, he would be its recipient. His comments used to embarrass his family. His lies now embarrass his party and entire country," Javadekar told reporters.

A large number of people gathered for a pro-CAA rally at the historic August Kranti Maidan, where a massive protest against the Citizenship Act was held last week.

Present at the rally was also former Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis.

At the rally, organised by BJP's Sanvidan Sanman Manch', supporters of CAA were seen carrying national flags along with placards with pro-CAA and NRC messages and shouting slogans. They were also carrying photographs of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar. Big photographs of V D Savarkar, Mahatama Jyotiba Fule, Bharatmata and Shahu Maharaj on the stage.

The Sanvidan Sanman Manch' is organising such rallies in various parts of the city. One such rally in support of CAA and NRC was organised at Dadar last week. The organisers had planned a support march between the August Kranti Maidan to Lokmanya Tilak statue at Girgaum Chowpatty but Mumbai police denied them permission for the march citing law and order issues.

On December 19, August Kranti Maidan, where Mahatma Gandhi in 1942 told the British to quit India, witnessed a huge gathering of citizens against the CAA. Those present then included workers of non-BJP parties, students and many Bollywood personalities. PTI

Pakistani army violated the ceasefire and resorted to heavy shelling along the Line of Control in twin districts of Rajouri and Poonch on Friday, inviting a befitting reply from the Indian Army, officials said. "Around 1315 hours on Friday, Pakistani army initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation by firing small arms and shelling with mortars along LoC in Sunderbani sector," a defence spokesman said. The Indian Army retaliated befittingly, he added. Last night too, the Pakistani army violated the ceasefire along LoC in Poonch-Rajouri sector. That provocation was also retaliated effectively to inflict damage on Pakistani posts, officials said. PTI

India Meteorological Department scientist Kuldeep Srivastava on Friday said that in 2019 Delhi is likely to witness the second coldest December in 120 years.

"In 2019, the month of December has so far averaged 19.5 degrees Celsius and is likely to finish below that mark by the end of the month. Thus, making it the second coldest month of December in 120 years," Srivastava told ANI.

"In the year 1919, it was 19.8 degrees Celsius; in 1929 it was 19.8 Celsius; in 1961 it was 20 Celsius and 1997 it was 17.3 degrees -- which was the coldest December," he added.

Answering the question about how the coldest day of the year is calculated, he said, "We take an average of the maximum temperature of a month and then divide it by 31 days."Over the persisting severe conditions in Northern parts of the country, Srivastava said that these conditions will continue for the next two days. -- ANI

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday hit out at the opposition Congress, accusing the party of misleading people over the amended Citizenship Act. He also clarified that the legislation had no provision to take away citizenship.

"The Congress and company is spreading rumours that Muslims may lose their citizenship," said Shah during at rally at the historic Ridge Maidan in Shimla to mark the second anniversary of BJP government in the state.

"I challenge Rahul Baba that let me know if there is even a single line in the Act regarding the withdrawal of anyone's citizenship. Don't misguide and divide people over the CAA," he added.

Amit Shah said he wanted to ask the minorities, especially Muslims, to look into the CAA, which was now available on the government website. "Go through the Act. No one will lose citizenship," he added.

The Union minister said the CAA would provide citizenship to the minorities who faced religious persecution in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. Pakistan failed to implement the Nehru-Liaquat pact to protect religious and other rights of the minorities, Shah said, adding that it prompted the Narendra Modi-led BJP government to table the legislation in Parliament. Amit Shah also attended the ground-breaking ceremony of projects worth over Rs 13,500 crores in Shimla.

NCP leader Ajit Pawar on Friday said his party's leadership would decide on his inclusion in the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra government. Speaking to reporters after inaugurating a sports event at Balewadi stadium in Pune, Pawar said cabinet expansion would take place in the state on December 30.

Media reports and statements from a wide of range of leaders in the state have indicated that the Baramati MLA is a front-runner for the post of deputy chief minister in the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government.

Asked about his chances of taking oath on December 30, Pawar said, "I have clarified my stand on this issue. I will follow the directives of the party leadership."

Pawar had briefly moved away from the NCP and become deputy chief minister under BJP's Devendra Fadnavis, but the government unravelled in 80 hours and the Baramati MLA came back to mentor Sharad Pawar. -- PTI

Image: Ajit Pawar with former Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis during his two-day dalliance with power.

The BJP is likely to organise a national-level conference in January to reach out to Muslims and counter the opposition's campaign on citizenship issues in the community, sources said on Friday.

They said senior BJP leader and Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Friday held a meeting, which was attended by National Commission for Minorities chairman Ghayorul Hasan Rizvi and some key Muslim BJP leaders, to chalk out a strategy in this regard.

The sources said BJP leader Ghayorul Hasan Rizvi and the party's minority morcha president Abdul Rasheed Ansari also attended the meeting. The idea is to "demolish misinformation campaign" being carried out by some political parties on the new citizenship law, NRC and NPR, they said.

They said the party has launched a nationwide campaign to create awareness over these issues. A national-level conference will be organised in the first week of January to inform Muslims about the key aspects of these issues and "how the opposition is spreading confusion", they said. PTI

Image: Anti-CAA protesters at Azad Maidan in Mumbai today. Pro-CAA protesters are also meeting in Mumbai at August Kranti Maidan today. Pic: ANI

16:36 At -5.6C, Srinagar records coldest Dec night

The cold wave continued its record breaking spree in Kashmir as Srinagar recorded the coldest night of the season with the city freezing at minus 5.6 degrees Celsius, MeT Office said on Friday. The minimum temperature across Kashmir and Ladakh remained several degrees below the freezing point on Friday owing to clear sky, an official of the Meteorological Department said. He said Srinagar recorded the coldest night of the season so far as the minimum temperature in the city settled at minus 5.6 degrees Celsius last night -- 0.6 degrees down from minus 5.0 degree Celsius the previous night, leading to freezing of water supply lines at several places.

The ski-resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir recorded the low of minus 9.5 degrees Celsius last night '" up from the previous night's minus 11.2 degrees Celsius, he said.

The night temperature at Pahalgam resort, which also serves as one of the base camps for the annual Amarnath yatra in south Kashmir, settled at a low of minus 12.0 degrees Celsius as against minus 12.7 degrees Celsius yesterday, he said. Pahalgam, in south Kashmir's Anantnag district, was the coldest recorded place in the valley, he added.

The official said Qazigund -- the gateway town to the valley - in south Kashmir recorded a low of minus 10.5 degrees Celsius -- a decrease of nearly two degrees from minus 9.8 degrees Celsius yesterday.

Kokernag town, also in south, recorded a low of minus 7.0 degrees Celsius, while Kupwara, in north, registered the minimum of minus 6.3 degrees Celsius, the official said. -- PTI

Image: The Dal Lake freezes over as temperatures dropped to below zero.

The wood and silver casket containing relics of Goa's patron saint Francis Xavier will undergo restoration in 2020 at the hands of Aurangabad-based Science Branch of Archaeological Survey of India and the work requires immense precision, a senior official said on Friday. In 1622, the Catholic Church canonised Francis, and his body was placed in a silver casket and kept in the Chapel of St Francis of Borgia in the Bom Jesus Church in 1624. A new casket was made in 1637 by Goan silversmiths.

"We have got approval for the restoration of Saint Francis Xavier's casket in Goa. Some formalities (of the approval) are remaining but we expect the work to start in the new year," Deputy Superintending Archaeological Chemist of Maharashtra and Goa, Shrikant Mishra, told PTI.

"The work is very delicate. The wooden part and the silver plates will have been treated separately. Minute examination of the casket has to be carried out. The 32 plates which are nailed to the wooden casket need to be removed very carefully," he said. He said it has to be checked if the casket has a termite problem, adding that the velvet cloth inside is also tattered.

Mishra said an ASI team of five to six persons will be part of the restoration work but more experts will be pencilled in if required. St. Francis Xavier died on 3rd December 1552, on the Chinese island of Shangchuan, at the age of 46. -- PTI

16:22 Friday prayers end peacefully in UP: DGP

Friday prayers passed off peacefully in Uttar Pradesh amid tight security arrangements put in place after last week's violence during the anti-citizenship law protests.

"The entire state was peaceful," Uttar Pradesh DGP OP Singh told PTI. He said there was no report of any untoward incident from anywhere in the state. The state was placed under a thick security cover with deployment of central paramilitary forces in sensitive areas.

Drones were used to keep a hawk-eyed vigil, especially in areas where violence had broken out last week after Friday prayers. Internet services were suspended to check rumour-mongering. To a question, the DGP said the toll in the clashes remained at 19. -- PTI

Image: Policeman Ajay Kumar hugs Haji Qadir who rescued him from a violent mob in Firozabad on December 20 during protests over the Citizenship Amendment Act.

16:12 No CAA in Bengal as long as I'm alive: Mamata

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Friday said that as long as she is alive the Citizenship (Amendment) Act will not be implemented in Bengal. None can snatch away the rights of the people of the country, like citizenship, the Trinamool Congress supremo said at a programme.

Supporting the students' protest across the country against the contentious CAA, she wondered why they can vote to elect a government on turning 18 but not have the right to protest.

"As long as I am alive CAA will not be implemented in Bengal. No one has to leave the country or the state. There won't be any detention center in Bengal," Banerjee said. "Why can't students protest against a draconian law? The Centre is taking action against protesting students and is rusticating them from universities," she added. PTI

16:06 Ice, ice, baby...

A portion of the Dal lake in Srinagar freezes over as temperature dips in the region.

Farhan Akhtar condoles the death of actor and colleague Kushal Punjabi who was found dead today. "Shocked and saddened to hear of Kushal Punjabi taking his own life. Have fond memories of working with him on Lakshya and witnessing him kick everyone's behind at boot camp. You will be missed brother. Condolences to the family."

Read the report here.

BJP MP Gautam Gambhir on Friday said Pakistani cricketer Danish Kaneria's remark that he was mistreated by a few teammates for being a Hindu showed the "real face of Pakistan".

"We had captains like Mohammad Azharuddin leading India for such a long time... This is happening in a country helmed by Imran Khan who himself was a cricketer," Gambhir said.

The former India opener said Kaneria has played 60-55 Tests for his country. If despite that he's being made to face such torture, "this is really shameful".

"India gave so much respect to Mohammad Kaif, Irfan Pathan, Munaf Patel. In fact, Patel is my close friend. We always played as a team to make our country proud. But the reports coming in from Pakistan are really unfortunate," Gambhir said, adding, "this shows the real face of Pakistan".

The cricketer-turned-politician said if a sportsperson could be meted out such a treatment, "one can only imagine what Hindus, Sikhs and other minorities have to go through (in Pakistan)".

Former pacer Shoaib Akhtar first revealed Kaneria faced discrimination at the hands of a few Pakistani cricketers, who were reluctant to even eat with him because he is a Hindu. Kaneria supported Akhtar's claim.

Kaneria, only the second Hindu to play for Pakistan after his maternal uncle Anil Dalpat, took 261 wickets in 61 Tests at an average of 34.79. He also played 18 ODIs. On the ongoing protests against the amended citizenship law, Gambhir said people were being misled and the legislation was not "anti-Muslim or anti-Indian".

"I would request people...whatever you want to do, please do it peacefully. The government will resolve your issues. Nothing will come out of violence, stone-pelting on police and damaging public property," he said. -- PTI

15:31 Youngistan will not budge: Priyanka on CAA

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday took a veiled dig at Home Minister Amit Shah over his "understand the chronology" remark on the National Register of Citizens and Citizenship Amendment Act and said "youngistan will not budge".

Her sharp attack at Shah comes amid massive protests across the country against the Citizenship Amendment Act which the Congress is also opposing, alleging that it is unconstitutional and discriminatory.

"Understand the chronology... First they will promise you two crore jobs. Then they will form government. Then they will destroy your universities. Then they will destroy the country's constitution. Then you will protest. Then they will call you a 'fool' but youngistan will not budge," she tweeted in Hindi.

Shah, ahead of the Lok Sabha polls in April, had reportedly said, "Aap chronology samajh lijiye (please understand the chronology). He had reportedly said first CAB will come, then NRC and not just for Bengal but for the entire country. -- PTI

15:24 Protesters marching towards PM's home stopped

Hundreds of people with their hands tied marching towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence to demand the release of Bhim Army chief Chandra Shekhar Aazad and to protest the amended Citizenship Act were stopped in the way by police on Friday.

Amid heavy security arrangement and drone surveillance, the protesters including Bhim Army members started from Dargah Shah-e-Mardan in Jor Bagh in the national capital and were stopped by police at a barricade en route the PM's residence at Lok Kalyan Marg. They participated in the march with their hands tied, saying they did it so that they could not be blamed for violence and arson during the protest.

They raised slogans of 'Tanashahi nahi chalegi' and carried posters of Babasheb Ambedkar and Aazad. "We have tied our hands and are protesting so tomorrow they do not attack us and lie that we were not protesting peacefully," said Majid Jamal, one of the participants in the protest.

Former chairman of the National Commission For Minorities Wajahat Habibullah said the new law is against the basic principles laid down in the Constitution.

"The way people have been arrested in Uttar Pradesh for no fault of theirs, the government needs to remember that when the MPs we elect don't raise voice for us that is when people take to streets to raise their voices themselves," he added.

Drones hovering over the protesters keeping a close watch on them. When the protesters were stopped from marching towards their destination, they appealed to the police personnel to allow them to continue their march. Aazad was arrested for allegedly instigating protesters to indulge in violence in old Delhi's Daryaganj in an inflammatory speech last Friday. -- PTI

Image: Anti-CAA protests in Delhi on Tuesday. Pic: ANI

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday termed the National Register of Citizens and National Population Register as an attack on the poor people of the country and said that it was akin to taxing them.Talking to reporters here, the Congress leader said, "Whether it is NRC and NPR, it is a tax on poor people of the country. Demonetisation was a tax on poor people of the country. This too is the same thing. Go to the officer...poor people will go...show your papers...give bribe if your name is slightly wrong. Crores of money will go from the poor people to the same 15 people.

"I am saying that it is an attack on poor people. Poor people are asking how will we get employment? The economy earlier used to grow at 9 per cent, now it has come down to 4 per cent, that too when it is being measured by the new method. By the old method, it will be 2.5 per cent," he added.

Lamenting about the state of the economy, Rahul said, "You know about the economy. Today, unemployment is highest in 45 years. That is not so in Chhattisgarh. Because we are helping farmers here, providing them the right prices. BJP and Narendra Modi government in the country are not able to explain why they blew the Indian economy to pieces (wo ye nahi bata pa rahi hai ki unhone Hindustan ke arthvyvasthe ki dhajjiyan kyun udai)," he said.

"Earlier the world used to say that India and China are growing at the same pace but now the world is seeing violence in India, women not feeling safe on the streets and rising unemployment," the Congress leader said.

Hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rahul said, "But Narendra Modi is not able to explain that. Probably, he too doesn't understand what is happening, how did this happen. Earlier, he used to mock, now he is not able to do the job of Prime Minister.

"He alleged that the country's time is being wasted and that money is being given to "the 15 richest people.""The entire capital went to their pockets from the market. Nobody is buying anything. Factories are getting closed. It is simple economics, there is nothing difficult here. But perhaps the Prime Minister is not able to understand this," said the Wayanad lawmaker. -- ANI

14:52 PMC scam: 32000-page chargesheet filed

Mumbai police's Economic Offences Wing on Friday submitted a 32,000-page charge sheet against five persons in the multi-crore Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative Bank scam in a metropolitan magistrate court.

The charge sheet has named former managing director of the bank Joy Thomas, former chairman Waryam Singh, former director of the bank Surjit Singh Arora, along with Housing Development and Infrastructure Limited (HDIL) promoters Rakesh Wadhawan and Sarang Wadhawan. The accused have been charged under various sections of Indian Penal Code including cheating, fraud, destruction of evidence and falsification of documents.

Superstar Salman Khan's younger sister Arpita Khan Sharma and her husband, actor Aayush Sharma, on Friday welcomed their second child together. The couple, who are already parents to three-year-old son Ahil, were blessed with a baby girl on Salman's 54th birthday.

"With great joy and immense pleasure, we announce that we have been blessed with a baby girl. On this joyous occasion, we would like to thank our family, friends and all our well-wishers for their unconditional support.

"We also extended a humble thank you to our media friends and to our fans for their constant love and support. This journey couldn't have been complete without you all," the statement from the family read. Salman rang in his birthday with his family and friends from the industry. -- PTI

Hundreds of people marching towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence to demand the release of Bhim Army chief Chandra Shekhar Azad and to voice their protest against the CAA and the NRC were stopped by police on Friday.

The protesters took part in the march with their hands tied so they can't be blamed for violence and arson during the protest. The protesters, including Bhim Army members, began marching from the Jor Shahe Mardan Qarbala in Jor Bagh and were stopped by police at a barricade on the way to the prime minister's residence in Lok Kalyan Marg a few kilometres away. PTI

Braving cold weather, several people gathered outside the iconic Jama Masjid in Old Delhi on Friday to protest against the amended citizenship law. Congress leader Alka Lamba and former Delhi MLA Shoaib Iqbal were among those who joined the demonstrations. Lamba hit out at the BJP government saying "unemployment is the real issue in the county, but you (PM) are trying to put people in a queue for NRC, as it was done during demonetisation". PTI

14:01 Check context with Army Chief: VK Singh

The Narendra Modi government came to the defence of Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Friday after he drew flak from several quarters over his remarks criticising those leading protests and guiding students to carry out arson and violence.

Speaking to ANI, Union Minister and former Army Chief Gen (Retd.) VK Singh defended the comments made by Bipin Rawat and asked the opposition not to politicise everything.

Singh also said that there was nothing political in asking students to maintain peace while protesting.

"In our great country, the opposition can turn anything into a controversy. Ideal would have been to see the statement into context in which Army Chief has said a particular thing. Ask him what he meant. I don't see any politics in it. If I tell students don't unnecessarily damage property, is it politics? Search your heart and ask this question. Cross-check with Army Chief and in what context he might have said it," he said.

"If I play football, the opposition will say it's politics. If you don't understand the context, go and check with him. If he had given advice to students to not indulge in arson, it's not a bad thing. Don't know what is so wrong in it?" Singh said.

Singh's defence of Gen Rawat came a day after the Army Chief's remarks while addressing an event in the national capital on Thursday.

The opposition alleged that the comments were political in nature and the Army Chief should desist from indulging in politics.Singh also pointed out that while the BJP and its ministers were trying to remove misconceptions regarding the CAA and NRC, the opposition was still trying to create confusion regarding it.

"I will take you back to the land acquisition bill. All states were consulted, suitable amendment was passed and then myths started circulating and goalposts were changed. It is exactly the same thing that is happening today. We know who is doing it. People are churning lies and I am aghast. We reduced the time period from 11 years to five years (for granting citizenship to minorities from neighbouring countries) it becomes a Hindu -Muslim issue.

The way things have been done and the internet is churning out stories, and none of the pseudo-intellectuals and politicians shouting at the pitch of their voice are bothered about the country. They are concerned over their image and awards," the former Army Chief said. -- PTI

13:39 India can't be run without all sections: Rahul

Hitting out at the Centre over the "sagging" economy, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday said the country cannot be run without involving every section of the society.

He was speaking at the inaugural function of Nationak Tribal Dance Festival, 2019 at the Science College ground in Raipur.

"You know the condition of the country. What is happening in other states," he said, apparently referring to protests over the new citizenship law and NRC.

"You all know the problem of farmers' suicides, deteriorating condition of the economy and unemployment," he said. "I would like to say that without taking people from every religion, every caste, tribals, dalits and backward (classes) together, the economy of the country cannot be run," he said.

-- PTI

13:27 Mommy, where are you?

Two leopard cubs were recovered from a sugarcane field at Mudagere village in Chamarajanagar, Karnataka today. Forest department officials are at the spot.

13:25 Mobile internet services restored in Kargil

Mobile Internet services were restored in Kargil district of Ladakh on Friday after remaining suspended for 145 days in the wake of the Centre abrogating provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution, officials said.

The services were restored in view of complete normalcy returning to Kargil, with no untoward incident taking place over the past four months, the officials said.

They said local religious leaders have appealed to people not to misuse the facility. Broadband services were already functional in Kargil. Internet services were suspended on August 5, the Centre announced abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcation of the state into the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. -- PTI

Union Minster Hardeep Singh Puri on Friday said the Citizenship (Amendment) Act does not alter India's secular credentials and accused opposition parties of spreading "misinformation" on the new law.

"As opposition parties mount an anti-govt campaign using CAA as the lightening rod to spread misinformation, inflame passions, mobilise forces inimical to India's interests & incite violence," he tweeted. "CAA neither alters nor challenges rights of any Indian citizen, irrespective of religion, caste, creed, sect, ethnicity or race. The narrative that it threatens religious minorities in India is ignorance at best, & treacherous at worst," he said.

Puri added that the opposition against the new citizenship law was riding on a false narrative. "CAA does not mean that Muslims who are otherwise persecuted in these countries cannot apply for Indian citizenship - in fact, in the last five years, PM Modi's govt has granted citizenship to nearly 600 Muslims from these countries," he said. PTI

A flag march was conducted in some areas of the Northeast district in the national capital and heavy police force was deployed in parts of the city ahead of Friday prayers and protests calls by some organisations against the amended citizenship act, police said.

The police organised a flag march in northeast Delhi's Seelampur, Jafrabad, Welcome and Mustafabad areas, they said. Adequate police force from adjoining districts and fifteen companies of paramilitary forces were deployed in the Northeast district to maintain the law and order situation in the area, they said. PTI

File pic

12:48 Internet suspended in 21 districts in UP

Internet services have been suspended in 21 districts and security has been tightened as part of measures adopted to prevent any untoward incident in the state on Friday.

Apart from internet suspension which is aimed at checking rumours, the police have also made strategic deployment in sensitive areas, according to state DGP OP Singh."We have suspended internet services in 21 districts. They will be restored as and when the situation demands," Singh told ANI, adding that "law and order situation is absolutely under control".

He also stated that the state continues to have a strategic deployment of forces.The state police chief said that people involved in violent protests will not be spared. "We are not touching innocents and we will not spare people who were involved in it (violence). And that is the reason we have arrested active members of many organisations, whether it is PFI or any other political parties," he said.

Security was mounted and patrolling intensified in sensitive areas across Uttar Pradesh to ensure peace during Friday prayers in view of widespread violence by those protesting against the amended Citizenship Act which has so far claimed 19 lives. 3,500 personnel of central paramilitary forces and 12,000 jawans of the UP provincial armed constabulary (PAC) are on the job to maintain peace, the UP DGP said.

On Thursday, Singh ordered a Special Investigation Team (SIT) inquiry in the incidences of violence that broke out during the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests in the state.

Over 1,110 people have been arrested and 5,558 were taken into preventive custody in connection with violence during the anti-CAA protests across the state in which 19 people have lost their lives.

Over 327 FIRs have been registered in connection with the violent protests. At least 288 policemen were injured and 61 of them had received bullet injuries during the protests, the police have said.

The police is also monitoring social media to check the spread of misinformation and have taken action against many rumour-mongers.

Update on actor Kushal Punjabi's death.

The actor was found hanging in his Bandra apartment in the early hours of Friday, police said. He was 42. Punjabi, whose body was found by his parents around 2 am, left behind a suicide note in which he said nobody should be held responsible for his death, a police official said. His parents went to his home in Alstic Building on St Andrews Road after he did not pick up his phone, officials said.

"He was found dead by his parents around 2 am on Friday. His parents reached his building after he did not picked up their calls. He left a one-and-a-half page suicide note...," senior police inspector from Bandra police station Vijay Lakshmi Hiremath said.

The note said that all his property should be divided between his parents, daughter and sisters, he said.

A Norwegian woman tourist has been asked to leave the country after she was found to have participated in an anti-CAA protest in Kochi early this week, violating visa norms, a senior official said here on Friday.

"Our enquiry found that she has violated visa norms and so she was asked to go back," Anoop Krishnan, Officer in the Foreigners Regional Registration Office told PTI.

The FRRO, under the Union Home Ministry, had said that it was probing the matter after it came to know through the social media that the Norwegian woman allegedly participated in the protest against Citizenship Amendment Act on December 23, Janne-Mette Johansson said in a Facebook post that she has been directed by the Bureau of Immigration authorities, who again came to her hotel, to leave the country at once.

"I was told to leave the country at once, or legal action would be taken", she said. The 71-year-old woman settled in Sweden said when she sought an explanation or something in writing, the authorities informed her that she would not get anything in writing.

She said her friend was arranging a flight ticket to Dubai, from where she would catch a flight back home to Sweden. "The officer from the Bureau is not leaving me before he can see that I have a flight ticket", she said. -- PTI

11:50 Mamata to attend Soren's swearing-in ceremony

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is likely to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Hemant Soren as Jharkhand chief minister, to be held in Ranchi on December 29, TMC sources said.

With top opposition leaders of the country scheduled to attend the programme, Soren's swearing-in ceremony is likely to be a "show of unity" in the wake of countrywide protests against the amended Citizenship Act and the proposed pan-India NRC. "We share a very good relationship with Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and Hemant Soren. So far, it has been decided that our party supremo along with some senior leaders would attend Soren's swearing-in ceremony on December 29," a senior TMC leader said.

The ceremony will be more of a "show of strength and unity of opposition leaders", he said. "This would send out be a very crucial political message in the wake of ongoing unrest across the country over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, " another senior TMC leader said. Banerjee, earlier this week, had written to all opposition leaders and chief ministers to unite and fight together against the amended Citizenship Act and the proposed NRC.-- PTI

11:26 Sandeep Dikshit: Half of police force corrupt

Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit, on reports that police vandalised the house of a Muslim family in Muzaffarnagar (UP) and told them 'You've only 2 places, Pakistan or Kabristan': "Aadhe se zyada police toh hamari bhrasht hai, vo apna bhrashtachar kaise mitayen? More than half of our police force is corrupt. So, how will they end corruption?

"Toh sabse pehle aap rashtravadi type ka nara lo, dikhao ki hum aisa kaam karte hain jisme sawal na poocha jaye. So, first of all, they will shout nationalistic slogans and show they are involved in the kind of work that doesn't allow questions to be raised.

Jitni bhrasht sanstha utni zyada vo rashtravad ki baat karegi. Jab koi police/fauj aise naare lagaye, samajh lo koi na koi kaali kartoot vo chipa rahi ha. The more corrupt the organsiation, the more their nationalistic fervour. When you see a police force or security forces raising nationalistic slogans, understand that they are up to dirty tricks."

At least 21 trains were delayed for a maximum of six hours in the north due to weather conditions. "The minimum temperature was recorded at 4.2 degrees Celsius in Delhi, three notches below normal," a meteorological department official said. The humidity level was recorded at 86 per cent.

According to the meteorological department, the city will witness clear sky, shallow fog in the morning, cold day to severe cold day conditions at many places. The maximum temperature will hover around 15 degrees Celsius, the official said.

The air quality was recorded in the "very poor" category (365), primarily due to low wind speed, high humidity and cold weather on Friday morning.

With a numbing cold continuing to sweep Delhi-NCR, the region is expected to record its second-coldest December since 1901, the weather department said.

According to the IMD, a "cold day" is when the maximum temperature is at least 4.5 notches below normal. A "severe cold day" is when the maximum temperature is at least 6.5 degrees Celsius below normal. -- PTI

Former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday alleged that police damaged private property during anti-CAA protests in UP and demanded an inquiry into police excesses and compensation for those affected.

Speaking to reporters in Lucknow, the Samajwadi Party chief said that the BJP government in the state wants to terrorise people in the name of action against anti-CAA protesters and seeks to create a divide in the society. "CCTV footage shows police ransacking houses, breaking CCTV cameras and damaging public property. When will the government order a probe into the damage done by the police and provide compensation to the people?" Yadav said. He said, "BJP is fearful of Hindu-Muslim unity in the country and trying to rip up the social fabric by raising issues like the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

However, OP Singh,UP DGP (pictured) said the law and order situation was absolutely under control. "We continue to have strategic deployment of forces and Special Investigation Teams have been formed to investigate cases.

"We have suspended internet services in 21 districts and they will be restored as and when the situation demands it.

"We are not touching innocents and we will not spare people who were involved in it (violence). And that is the reason we have arrested active members of many organisations, whether it is PFI or any other political parties."

Ex-Congress MLA Mateen Ahmed who has been named in an FIR in connection with the December 17 anti-CAA violence in Seelampur said, "We were denied permission for a bike rally. The police knows I don't speak the language of instigating people. This has been done on the direction of Home Ministry to cause damage to the Congress."

10:18 Assam activist Akhil Gogoi jailed for 14 days

Activist Akhil Gogoi was sent to 14-day judicial custody by a special NIA court in Guwahati on Thursday.

"The NIA produced Akhil Gogoi in the special court and also sought for 10 days remand. But the court after hearing the counsel for both the sides has decided to reject such prayer," advocate Shantanu Borthakur said while speaking to reporters.

The National Investigation Agency yesterday conducted a raid at Gogoi's residence in Guwahati.

Gogoi was arrested by the Assam Police on December 12 as a preventive measure amid protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 and a case was registered against him.

Subsequent to a police complaint, the case was handed over to the NIA two days later. The court had then sent him to 10-day NIA custody.

Sources in the NIA said, "Akhil Gogoi is in touch with a Maoist group and his arrest is important for conducting a probe. The agency will interrogate him about the links he has with the Maoists."

Akhil Gogoi is an active leader of Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) which is a peasant organisation based in Assam. - ANI

Equity benchmark BSE Sensex jumped over 150 points in opening session on Friday tracking gains in index-heavyweights RIL, SBI and HDFC twins amid positive global cues.

The 30-share BSE index was trading 161.85 points or 0.39 per cent higher at 41,325.61, and the broader NSE Nifty rose 57.70 points or 0.48 per cent to 12,184.25. SBI was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rising up to 2.14 per cent, followed by PowerGrid, Axis Bank, Bharti Airtel, Reliance Industries, Maruti and HDFC twins.

On the other hand, TCS was the top loser, shedding up to 0.68 per cent. Tata Steel, HUL, HCL Tech, Bajaj Auto and Tech Mahindra were also trading in the red. In the previous session, the 30-share gauge ended 297.50 points, or 0.72 per cent, lower at 41,163.76. Similarly, the Nifty closed 88 points, or 0.72 per cent, down at 12,126.55. -- PTI

Image: SBI was the top gainer in the Sensex pack

10:07 Unabated cold wave grips northern India

A cold wave has spread over the northern states of the country as the mercury continued its downward trend on Friday. According to the India Meteorological Department, severe cold conditions in many pockets of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh are likely today.

"Cold day conditions at isolated pockets are also very likely to persist over Madhya Pradesh and Bihar during the next two days," the IMD stated in its All India Weather Warning Bulletin.

"Dense fog is very likely to engulf Uttar Pradesh, some pockets over Punjab and Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and also a few parts of north Rajasthan.

"According to the weatherman, a fresh Western Disturbance is very likely to affect the Western Himalayan region from December 30 night onwards.

"Under the influence of this Western Disturbance and its interaction with lower-level easterlies, major parts of Northwest and Central India are very likely to experience fairly widespread to widespread rainfall accompanied with hailstorm at isolated places during December 31, 2019- January 1, 2020, and over East India on January 2, 2020."

Image: Homeless people in Delhi spend the night in one of the many night shelters set up by the Kejriwal government.

09:58 Actor Kushal Punjabi dead

Popular TV and film actor, Kushal Punjabi has died. The cause of his death remains unknown. He had just turned 37.

The news of his death was announced by his friend and actor Karanvir Bohra, who shared a series of images of Kushal on social media.

Karanvir wrote, "Ur demise has shocked the hell out of me. I'm still in denial @itsme_kushalpunjabi. I know you are in a happier place, but this is unfathomable. The way you lead your life really inspired me in more ways than one....but what was I to know. Your zest for dancing, fitness, off-road biking, fatherhood and above all that, that smiling face of yours, your happy-go-lucky nature your warmth all that was such ingenuity. I'm gonna miss you so much #kushlani. You will always be remembered as a guy who lived a full life."

Kushal was part of several TV shows including Love Marriage, CID, Dekho Magar Pyaar Se, Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa, Yeh Dil Chahe More, Kasam Se, Sssshhh... Phir Koi Hai, Zindagi Wins, and much more. He was also a participant in Fear Factor and Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 7.

Read our 2014 interview with the actor: 'It is disappointing when your scenes are edited from a film'

As a precautionary measure, Internet services, that were resumed after nearly a week, were suspended again in Ghaziabad, Bulandshahr, Meerut, Muzaffarnagar and Shamli. In Agra, the services will remain suspended till Friday evening, a senior police official said.

To avoid a repeat of last Friday's violence in Gorakhpur, police staged flag march in sensitive areas and held a meeting with peace committees in all circle and police station areas.

Paramilitary force personnel and state police force have been deployed, and drone cameras are being used to ensure security on Friday, Gorakhpur District Magistrate Vijyendra Pandiyan said.

Meanwhile, the process to confiscate the property of those involved in damaging public assets during the protests gained momentum as 372 people were served notices in different districts.

A Home Department spokesperson on Thursday put the death toll at 19 in the violence, which left 288 policemen injured, including 61 who received firearm injury. He said 327 FIRs have been registered and 5,558 preventive arrests made.

-- PTI

09:10 Plane with 100 on board crashes in Kazakhstan

A plane with 95 passengers and five crew members on board crashed near Almaty on Friday, the airport of Kazakhstans biggest city said.

Emergency service personnel have rushed to the scene and seven deaths have been confirmed. Survivors are being evacuated, the airport said.

The plane was en route from Almaty, Kazakhstan's largest city, to the country's capital of Nursultan.

08:59 NRC+CAA may affect Muslims in India: US report

The amended Citizenship law along with a National Register of Citizens being planned by the Narendra Modi government "may affect the status" of Muslim minority in India, a report by the Congressional Research Service has said.

The December 18 report also said that for the first time in independent India's history, a religious criterion has been added to the country's naturalization process.

The CRS is an independent research wing of the US Congress which prepares reports periodically on issues of domestic and global importance for the lawmakers to take informed decision. These are not considered as official reports of the US Congress.

"In tandem with a National Register of Citizens planned by the federal government, the CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) may affect the status of India's large Muslim minority of roughly 200 million," said the CRS in its first ever report on the amended Citizenship law.

According to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, non-Muslim refugees who came to India till December 31, 2014, to escape religious persecution in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan will be given Indian citizenship.

"India's Citizenship Act of 1955 prohibited illegal immigrants from becoming citizens. Among numerous amendments to the act since 1955, none contained a religious aspect," the CRS said in its two-page report.

The CRS claims that the amendment's key provisions -- allowing immigrants of six religions from three countries a path to citizenship while excluding Muslims -- may violate certain Articles of the Indian Constitution, in particular Articles 14 and 15.

-- PTI

A Norwegian tourist, who took part in anti-citizenship law protests in Kochi in Kerala, was summoned by authorities on Thursday seeking an explanation over her presence at the demonstrations.

The development comes close on the heels of the Chennai immigration department's move asking a German exchange student to leave India after he took part in an anti-Citizenship Amendment Act agitation.

Janne Mette-Johannson, who is on a visit to India, is likely to face similar action after the Foreigners Regional Registration Office called her for an inquiry. The FRRO, which comes under the Union Home Ministry, is an office exclusively for the services of foreign tourists in the country.

The development was confirmed by Anoop Krishnan, the Foreigners Regional Registration Officer, who said Mette-Johannson was called for a brief meeting to the office in Nedumbassery.

"We are investigating whether the foreigner has violated Visa norms or not. We can't say a concrete action is taken into it. An inquiry is on," Foreigners Regional Registration Officer Anoop Krishnan was quoted as saying. He said the agency came to know about the participation of the foreign national in the protest from the social media platform.

Mette-Johannson, who took part in the protests on Monday, posted her picture on Facebook with a message saying, It started out from Gandhi Circle, Ernakulam, and we marched with slogans and flags to Vasco Da Gama Square Cochin while the protesters were singing and chanting and with their fists up. The Peoples Long March was very well organised. During these 12 km, there were two places we got water with salt and sugar, we also had orange juice. No riots, just people determined, lifting up their voices, saying what has to be said. The police were helpful during this protest march (sic)."

Additional Director General Prashant Kumar on Thursday said that 317 people have been arrested and 79 cases registered in connection with the violence during the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests in Meerut.

"79 cases have been registered and 317 were arrested. 108 police personnel are injured in which 10 sustained firearm injuries. Ten administration officials and 7 people including some journalists also sustained injuries. Five people lost their lives in the violence," Kumar said.

"The administration is educating people on CAA and we are also monitoring social media.

On the arrest of two people from Meerut Nauchangi area, Kumar said: "Two men of Popular Front of India's wing SDPI were arrested. One of them is the state chief of the organisation. We have found some objectionable literature from them.

"In Shamli, some people from this organisation were arrested earlier. The police had also recovered such literature from their office in Meerut. We are investigating the organisation's role," he said.

Protests have erupted across the country against the Act which grants Indian citizenship to refugees from Hindu, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist and Parsi communities fleeing religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh, who entered India on or before December 31, 2014.

-- ANI

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday, saying with a focus on the National Population Register, Citizenship Amendment Act and a countrywide National Register of Citizens, it wants to "somehow implement its Hindu Rashtra" project.

Speaking at a programme in Chennai, organised by a Left-backed outfit, he also criticised the IIT Madras director over a German student, Jacob Lindenthal, being asked to leave the country allegedly because he had taken part in a protest against the CAA.

"By taking part in the protests, he (the student) has actually reminded us that the IIT Madras was set up with the support of the German government. We should thank him for that. But he was asked to leave the country. Where did the IIT director go? Is he retired? or has he gone on a leave? Or is he dead?" the former Union home minister asked.

The meeting was also attended by CPI-M leader Prakash Karat and Member of Parliament Kanimozhi.

Chidambaram said after the BJP came back to power with a bigger mandate, it was focusing on subjects like the National Population Register, the CAA and the NRC.

"What they want is to somehow implement the Hindu Rashtra. If Hindu Rashtra gets implemented, it will not only harm Muslims, but also other sections of society like the Dalits," he said.

Chidambaram said that countrywide protests against the CAA should not be portrayed as an issue between the government and Muslims because "that is what government is also wanting".

"Do not fall prey to that. This is a protest between all section of people who live in the country and the government", he said.

Talking about the German student, the Congress leader said, "He was silently asked to leave India (for taking part in the anti-CAA rally). There is no (official) word from IIT Director on this."

While taking part in an anti-CAA rally, Jacob Lindenthal was carrying a poster that read "1933-1945: We Have been There" (a reference to the Nazi regime). He later told media that IIT Madras and immigration officials had asked him to leave the country a few days after the agitation. -- PTI

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