The Navy and the National Disaster Response Force team are struggling to retrieve the decomposed body of the second miner found deep inside the 370-foot-deep coal mine in Meghalayas East Jaintia Hills district, officials said on Monday.

On December 13, water from the nearby Lytein River flooded a network of tunnels in the illegal rat-hole coal mine in Lumthari village of East Jaintia Hills, trapping 15 men and prompting a multiple-agency rescue attempt.

Nearly 200 rescue personnel from the NDRF, the Indian Navy, Odisha Fire Service and state agencies are involved in the search-and-rescue operation.

The body of the second miner was found nearly 300 feet away from the bottom of the main shaft three days ago by the underwater ROV of the Navy but the operation to retrieve the remains took longer as there are too many obstacles, operations spokesperson R Susngi said.

"The operation took longer and the Navy are struggling to retrieve the body due to many obstacles inside the small man-hole and materials used by the miners.

"The turbidity of the water has also affected even as efforts are going on till filing of the report," Susngi said.

The remains of the first miner, identified as Amir Hussain from Assam's Chirang district, was detected by the ROV on January 16 at about 200 feet away from the bottom of the shaft and it took eight days to pull the body out.

The state government had announced Rs 1 lakh interim relief to 15 of the trapped miners identified even as the police are trying to verify the claims of the other two.  -- PTI

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad on Monday said there was no reason for it to doubt the Narendra Modi government's intentions on the Ram temple issue.

The organisation, which is spearheading the movement for the construction of a Ram temple at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, however, also said that there was no progress on the issue since the government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power at the Centre.

"In the last four-and-a-half years, no headway was made for the construction of the Ram temple, which has led to resentment among people," VHP international president Vishnu Sadashiv Kokje said.

"We are also angry about this, but we do not have any reason to doubt the intentions of the Centre on the issue," he told PTI.

The former high court judge added that 'we cannot say that the Centre is not constructing the temple deliberately or it does not have the intention to do so'.

He had learnt that the government had received legal advice that if it brought an ordinance or a law to pave the way for the construction of the temple, it could be challenged in the court, Kokje said.

"It may further delay the resolution of the Ayodhya dispute," he added.

Kokje also said the BJP was the only party which was a 'well-wisher' of Hindus and which supported the cause of the Ram temple.

Asked if the issue was being raked up in view of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, he said, "The BJP will not gain anything from going back on its assurance to Hindus on the Ram temple issue.

"But if the construction begins during its current term, then it will definitely get electoral benefits."

Kokje added that some people were creating obstacles in the way of hearings in the Supreme Court in the matter and therefore, the chances of the court's verdict coming before the polls were bleak.

The Supreme Court on Sunday cancelled the January 29 hearing in the politically-sensitive Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land title dispute case as a member of the five-judge Constitution bench would not be available.

Fourteen appeals have been filed in the apex court against the 2010 Allahabad high court judgment that the 2.77-acre land in Ayodhya be partitioned equally among three parties -- the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla.  -- PTI

A 55-year-old Chinese woman has been apprehended at the Delhi airport for allegedly carrying a gold biscuit in her baggage in violation of rules, officials said on Monday.

They said the woman was intercepted by CISF personnel on January 26 at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) when she arrived at the facility to take a flight to Dehradun along with another person.

A 1-kg gold bar, valued around Rs 30 lakh, was recovered from the woman's hand bag and she was handed over to customs officials as she could not produce required valid documents for carrying the yellow metal, the official said.

The woman had arrived in India on January 25 from Hong Kong, he said.  -- PTI

Former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh diagnosed with H1N1 influenza, popularly known as swine flu.

He is being treated at the Indira Gandhi Medical College, Shimla.

More details awaited.   -- ANI

Indian compositions would dominate the Beating the Retreat ceremony this year as 19 of the 27 tunes to be played at the event on Tuesday, would be from local musicians.

"As many as 27 performances on the historic Vijay Chowk will enthral the spectators with captivating and foot-tapping music of the bands from the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, the state police and Central Armed Police Force (CAPF)," the Defence Ministry said in a release.

"Out of the 27 performances, 19 tunes have been composed by Indian musicians, which are 'Indian Star', 'Paharon ki Rani', 'Kumaoni Geet', 'Jai Janam Bhumi', 'Queen of Satpura', 'Marooni', 'Vijay', 'Soldier-My Valentine', 'Bhupal', 'Vijay Bharat', 'Aakash Ganga', 'Gangotri', 'Namaste India', 'Samudrika', 'Jai Bharat', 'Young India', 'Veerta Ki Misal', 'Amar Senani' and 'Bhumiputra'," it further added.

The eight western tunes planned to be played include 'Fanfare by Buglers', 'Sound Barrier', 'Emblazoned', 'Twilight', 'Alert (Post Horn Gallop)', 'Space Flight', 'Drummers Call' and 'Abide with me'.

The event will come to a close with the ever-popular tune of 'Sare Jahan se Acha', the Ministry said.

This year, 15 Military Bands, 15 Pipes and drum bands from Regimental Centres and Battalions are participating in the ceremony.

One band each from the Navy and the Air Force will also be part of the event.

Another band of the State Police and CAPF comprising the Central Industrial Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force and Delhi Police will also take part in the ceremony.

Beating the Retreat ceremony, organised at the Vijay Chowk on January 29 every year, marks the culmination of the four-day-long Republic Day celebrations.

The ceremony traces its origins to the early 1950s when Major Roberts of the Indian Army developed the unique ceremony of display by the massed bands.

'Beating Retreat' marks a centuries-old military tradition, when the troops ceased fighting, sheathed their arms and withdrew from the battlefield and returned to the camps at sunset at the sounding of the Retreat.  -- ANI

A mob went on a rampage alleging cow slaughter in Maharashtra's Ratnagiri district on Saturday after cattle carcasses were found in a village, following which two persons have been arrested on charge of rioting.

Protesters tried to block the Mumbai-Goa highway on January 26 after body parts of cattle were allegedly found near Lavel Phata in Lote industrial township in the district, with villagers claiming that a cow had been slaughtered.

When the police tried to disperse the mob, they were pelted with stones, a police official said.

The mob also attacked police officials with sticks and torched a police vehicle, he added.

A case was registered against over 300 persons -- some of whom have been identified -- for attempt to murder, rioting and under other relevant Indian Penal Code sections for the violence.

The carcasses found in the area were sent to a Forensic Science Laboratory, he said, adding they were awaiting the report.

Cow slaughter and consumption or sale of beef is banned in the state.

The protest on Saturday came just hours after some villagers intercepted a vehicle allegedly carrying cattle for slaughter at nearby Dhamandevi village, the police official said.

The villagers alleged that the men accompanying the cattle brandished pistols to threaten them before driving off.

The vehicle was found abandoned nearby later with a cow and a bull inside but the persons travelling in it had fled, the official said.

Two persons were arrested in connection with the protest on the Mumbai-Goa highway, said Pravin Mundhe, Superintendent of Police, Ratnagiri.

The police were ascertaining the identity of other members of the mob with the help CCTV footage, he said.

"We are also investigating the other offence where unidentified persons were allegedly smuggling cattle for slaughter and threatened villagers," Mundhe added.

Inspector General of Police Naval Bajaj and Mundhe visited the area Monday and the situation was now under control, another police official said.  -- PTI

Hours after Ratlam police claimed that Himmat Patidar, who is associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, faked his 'murder' for life insurance sum and instead allegedly killed his farm help, the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh on Monday took potshots at the Bharatiya Janata Party which had held protests against recent killings of saffron leaders in the state.

Earlier in the day, police said Patidar had allegedly killed his farm labourer Madan Malviya, 32, last week to pass it off as his own 'murder'.

Patidar is alive and is on the run, a senior police officer has said.

Taking a swipe at the opposition BJP, Home Minister Bala Bachchan said, "Former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan should visit the house of the Dalit man who has been allegedly killed by Patidar, one of their (BJP's) own men, and console his family members. Why he (Chouhan) has not tweeted yet?"

Bachchan was apparently referring to the tweet posted by Chouhan in the wake of the alleged killing of BJP leader Manoj Thakre, 48, in Barwani district on January 20 by unidentified persons.

In that tweet, Chouhan had said that it was a matter of grave concern that BJP leaders are being killed in Madhya Pradesh, and accused the Congress of taking the incidents lightly.

Chouhan had stressed that Thakre, a BJP mandal president, was killed in the home district of Bachchan. Bachchan said state police are close to crack the Thakre murder case.

"The BJP had run a slander campaign against the state government over the killing of a businessman in Indore, and murder of their leader in Mandsaur thereafter," he said.

Bachchan said both the crimes were cracked within a short span of time.

"The killers have direct or indirect connection with the BJP," the home minister said, adding that the 'real face' of the BJP now stands exposed under the Congress rule.

"The BJP had burnt the effigies of Chief Minister Kamal Nath and mine claiming lawlessness. Now they should burn the effigies of Patidar and the Dalit man's (Malviya's) killers, who are the BJP's own men, across the state," he said.

Bachchan alleged the BJP was trying to malign the image of the newly-formed Congress government, and is trying to create a general atmosphere of mistrust against it.

"We inherited a messy law and order from the BJP which had ruled the state for 15 years. We are setting it right," the home minister said.

When asked if the government would initiate action against Chouhan and others for 'sullying the image' of the government, Bachchan said, 'we will take action against wrongdoers'.  --  PTI

In order to reduce the expenses of grieving families, Air India has decided to charge a "flat rate" to bring back mortal remains from six Gulf countries, which have a significant number of Indian immigrants.

 

"After discussions with the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Civil Aviation, we have decided that we will be charging a 'flat rate' to bring back dead bodies from six Gulf countries...This flat rate would be 40 per cent lower than what is usually charged," a senior Air India official said on Monday.

He added that this "flat rate services" for bringing a body back would currently be available for six Gulf countries and it would be 1,500 Dirhams for the United Arab Emirates, 220 Saudi Riyal for Saudi Arabia, 2,200 Qatari Riyal for Qatar, 225 Bahraini Dinar for Bahrain, 160 Omani Rial for Oman and 175 Kuwaiti Dinar for Kuwait. 

According to the current exchange rates, the "flat rate" would approximately be the following in Indian currency -- Rs 29,000 for the United Arab Emirates, Rs 41,800 for Saudi Arabia, Rs 43,000 for Qatar, Rs 42,500 for Bahrain, Rs 29,500 Oman and Rs 40,900 for Kuwait.

The Air India official added that these services might be extended to various other countries that had a significant Indian immigrant population. -- PTI

Former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah landed in a controversy Monday when he engaged in a wordy duel with a woman and snatched the microphone from her, dislodging her dupatta in the process at an event in

Varuna in Mysuru.

     

The incident which occurred during a public interaction organised by Siddaramaiah, his MLA son Yathindra who represents Varuna assembly constituency, and others, was caught on camera with the video of it going viral.

     

While the BJP condemned the incident, Chairperson of the National Commission for Women Rekha Sharma said the commission would write to Karnataka police seeking appropriate action on the matter.

      

The meet was convened to discuss strengthening the party base in the constituency, earlier held by Siddaramaiah, ahead of the coming Lok Sabha elections.

      

The video showed a wordy duel between Siddaramaiah and Jamalar, a former District Panchayat member, who said she was upset that his son Yathindra  "showed up" seven months after getting elected.

     

I am not going to keep quiet. We are seeing Saheb today, during the election time, said Jamalar during the meeting.

      

Her accusation irked Siddaramaiah, who said his son keeps visiting the constituency, which she strongly contested.

      

The woman tapped the table to buttress her point, further enraging Siddaramaiah who shouted at her and forcibly asked her to sit.

     

As she beat the table the second time, Siddaramaiah lost his cool and snatched the microphone with which the dupatta got entangled.

      

Later speaking to reporters, Jamalar said the local officers did not respond and they wanted the MLA's intervention.

      

"The MLA does not visit our area. Where should we go if we have to get our official works done?" Jamalar asked

      

She, however, regretted thumping the table.

      

In a tweet, NCW chief Sharma said "NCWIndia has taken Suo Motu cognisance. Will write to Karnataka Police to take appropriate action." -- PTI

Delhi's air quality was recorded in the 'poor' category on Monday and is expected to deteriorate slightly over the next three days, according to the authorities.

 

As per the Central Pollution Control Board data, the overall air quality index in the city was 267, which falls in the 'poor' category.

An AQI between 100 and 200 comes under 'moderate' category, 201 and 300 is considered 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', while that between 401 and 500 is 'severe'.

In the National Capital Region, Ghaziabad, Noida and Greater Noida also recorded 'poor' air quality, it said.

The overall PM2.5 level -- fine particulate matters in the air with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers -- in Delhi was 123, while the PM10 level was 206, it said.

The Centre-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting (SAFAR) said current air quality of Delhi is in 'poor' category.

"The moderate wind speed is preventing it to cross to next level (very poor). Cold wave conditions and moderate fog is likely to prevail for next two days. Hence, air quality is predicted to deteriorate slightly but will fluctuate between very poor to poor for next three days," the SAFAR said. -- PTI 

He accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ruling BJP of trying to create two Indias -- "one of the Rafale scam, Anil Ambani, Nirav Modi, Vijay Mallya, Mehul Choksi and the other of the poor farmers". 

This is in response to Hegde's statement in Kodagu yesterday, where he said, "There should be a fundamental shift in our thinking. We should keenly observe what's happening around us. Regardless of caste and religion, a hand that touches a Hindu girl should not exist. History is written like that." 

Union Minister Ananth Kumar Hegde, who is known to make controversial statements in the past, yet again sparked a row on Sunday after he explained how to keep "Hindu girls safe.' Addressing a public event in Karnakata's Kodagu, Hegde said that the hands which "touch' Hindu girls, should be "chopped off' and "cease to exist.' 

In a contentious statement, Hegde said, "There should be a fundamental shift in our thinking. We should keenly observe what's happening around us. Regardless of caste and religion, a hand that touches a Hindu girl should not exist. History is written like that." 

Hegde then hit out at the Congress leader" "I shall definitely answer this guy Rao's queries, before which could he please reveal himself as to who he is along with his achievements? I only know him as a guy who ran behind a Muslim lady," he tweeted.

This is what political discourse has come to. 

Speaking to reporters in Mumbai after a meeting chaired by party chief Uddhav Thackeray, the Sena's Rajya Sabha MP and chief whip in Parliament, Sanjay Raut, said the party also wanted the income tax threshold to be raised from the existing Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 8 lakh. 

"Shiv Sena is the big brother (in the alliance with BJP and other parties) in Maharashtra and will continue to be so," Raut asserted. "There is no proposal from the BJP to form any alliance with the Shiv Sena. Those who wish to forge an alliance with us are talking about it. We are not waiting for any proposal to be offered to us," he added. Till 2014, the BJP and Sena, allies for long, used to have an understanding under which the former would contest a larger share of Lok Sabha seats and the latter would get a greater number of Maharashtra Assembly seats to fight. 

In this way, both parties took the role of elder and younger sibling in the general and state polls in their political "brotherhood". The 2014 Assembly polls, however, ended this "sibling" agreement as the BJP, on the back of a strong Narendra Modi wave and contesting alone, won 122 seats against the Sena's 63 in Maharashtra. -- PTI

BJP President Amit Shah in Una says, "When the BJP government was formed, within one year Modiji delivered on his promise on One rank one pension (OROP). Modiji gave OROP to our jawans, Congress gave 'only Rahul only Priyanka, one rank one pension'. 

Ending years of fevered speculation, Gandhi family scion Priyanka Gandhi Vadra formally entered politics last week with her brother and Congress president Rahul Gandhi appointing her as general secretary for Uttar Pradesh East, which also comprises Lok Sabha seats of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and state chief minister Yogi Adityanath. 

His comments a day after a ruling Congress MLA demanded that Siddaramaiah be made the chief minister again. At an event in the city on Sunday, ST Somashekhar had claimed that development works had come to a grinding halt in parts of the state. 

Strongly reacting to the comments, Kumaraswamy said, "If my way of functioning is not acceptable, I am ready to resign. I don't crave for position. 

"Our government has taken up projects worth Rs 1 lakh crore including suburban train, elevated corridor and peripheral ring road," the chief minister told reporters after dedicating six-coach metro rail on 'Green Line' at the Mantri Square Metro Station. 

A red-faced Karnataka Congress president Dinesh Gundu Rao, who too was present there, said such statements by the Congress MLAs were not acceptable and a showcause notice would be issued to them. 

"Today Rs 8,000 crore worth work is happening. I condemn such public statements and will issue a showcause notice to them," Rao told reporters. "This morning I saw ST Somashekhar's statement. It breaches the disciplinary line. The coalition government has done lots of development work in Bengaluru." 

The works sanctioned by the previous Siddaramaiah government were also being taken up, he said. Noting that Somashekhar was chairperson of the Bengaluru Development Authority, he said, "His public statement is inappropriate. I condemn it and I will issue a show-cause notice to him." -- PTI

"Gadkari has shown the mirror to the Congress. The party didn't fulfil the promises it made to the people. That is why they are at 44 seats today in the Lok Sabha. Our government has completed all the promises we made," BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain told ANI.

Another BJP leader GVL Narasimha Rao said comments by Gadkari were being twisted for political benefit "He (Gadkari) was hinting at the Congress, which only gave slogans of 'Garibi Hatao' but did not do anything for poverty alleviation and towards Rahul Gandhi who makes empty promises," Rao said. 

On Sunday, Gadkari while addressing a rally in Mumbai had said, "People like politicians who show them big dreams but those (politicians) who don't fulfil the dreams...  are thrashed by people. Therefore, one should only commit what they can fulfil." -- ANI

NCP's national spokesperson Nawab Malik on Monday claimed Gadkari was also trying to establish himself as an alternative to Modi "as the BJP was going to lose" the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. 

"The way Gadkariji has become outspoken after the Assembly polls in the three states (Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh), it indicates there will be no Modi and BJP government after the polls," Malik said.

NCP's ally Congress had last month emerged victorious in the elections in these three Hindi heartland states, dislodging the BJP from power there. "Somewhere, voice is being raised within the BJP over Modi's failure. Since the BJP is going to lose, he (Gadkari) is trying to establish himself as the alternative to Modi," Malik said.

Union Water Resources Minister Gadkari had on Sunday said political leaders who sell dreams to people, but fail to make them a reality get "beaten up" by the public. The minister had asserted he is a doer and delivers on his promises.

Last month, Gadkari said at an event in Pune that leadership should have the tendency to own up defeat and failures. The remarks had come days after the BJP's dismal show in Rajasthan, MP and Chhattisgarh Assembly polls.

At the valedictory function of the annual Marathi literary meet at Yavatmal on January 13, Gadkari had said politicians should not interfere in other fields. The meet was embroiled in a controversy after an invitation to writer Nayantara Sahgal was withdrawn apparently under pressure from a political party. -- PTI

A bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Sanjiv Khanna said it would hear the central government's curative petition for enhanced compensation for the victims in April. 

The Centre is seeking a direction to Union Carbide and other firms for Rs 7,844 crore additional amount over and above the earlier settlement amount of USD 470 million for paying compensation to the gas tragedy victims. Over 3,000 people had died in the tragedy due to release of methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas. 

The Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) gave a compensation of USD 470 million (Rs 715 crore) after the toxic gas leak from the Union Carbide factory on the intervening night of December 2-3, 1984, killed over 3,000 people and affected 1.02 lakh others.

The survivors of the 1984 tragedy have been fighting for long for adequate compensation and proper medical treatment for ailments caused by the toxic leak. -- PTI

Read the touching story here. 

Tharoor, who recently wrote a book on Modi titled "The Paradoxical Prime Minister', said the prime minister makes all the liberal statements in public such as "sab ka saath sab ka vikas" (together with all, development for all) or the "Constitution is my only holy book", but relies on the "most illiberal' elements in the Indian society for his electoral support and political viability. 

Speaking on Priyanka Gandhi's induction as the Congress's general secretary, the 62-year-old MP from Thiruvananthapuram said she had the charisma to galvanise voters and will be an asset to the party.

"The Congress will pull out all the stops before the general elections. Priyanka Gandhi is seen as a figure with great appeal and great credibility. So far, she has been very restrained, doing behind the scenes work and confining herself to Amethi and Rae Bareli. 

"The fact that she is now going to take a new role is a sign that we are not holding back our big guns,' Tharoor told PTI in an interview. "The Congress party intends to aim for Modi's defenestration. We want Modi and his government's defenestration (action or process of dismissing someone from a position of power or authority) ,' he said on the sidelines of the Jaipur Literature Festival. 

Tharoor said Gandhi may have yet to prove her mettle publicly, but privately the party has seen her involved in a number of issues. 

"Those who have seen her even on television know how quickly she makes a connection, how fluently and idiomatically she speaks and how easily she connects with the people. She doesn't behave like a political novice," he said. 

Tharoor questioned the prime minister's "complete silence" on issues like cow vigilantism, ghar wapsi and love jihad, saying paradox remains central to Modi's leadership. 

"Modi is the best orator in Hindi that I have seen. Yet he has remained silent when his moral leadership was called on. He modulates his voice, chooses his words to the maximum impact, uses theatrical gestures. That is part of his major political appeal. 

"Why can't he speak when the country is crying out for a voice to share the pain of the families of Mohammad Akhlaq, Juniad Khan, Pehlu Khan, Rohith Vemula or for the Dalit boys who were flogged in Rajasthan for skinning the carcass of a cow which was their job? Nothing on any of these cases from him. Just complete and total silence," he said.

Tharoor also touched upon the controversial remark he made at the Bangalore Literature Festival, where he claimed that an unnamed RSS leader had compared Modi to "a scorpion sitting on a Shivling".  -- PTI

In the case before the trial court, three persons -- Kumar, Brahmanand Gupta and Ved Prakash -- are facing trial on charges of murder and rioting pertaining to the killing of Surjit Singh in Sultanpuri. The riots broke out after the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards on October 31, 1984. -- PTI

There may be six assembly polls held along with the Lok Sabha polls this year, a top BJP source in New Delhi, told Rediff.com. 

The three BJP-ruled states of Haryana, Jharkhand and Maharasthra have almost made up their mind to dissolve their assemblies and call elections in March 2019.

The other three states which are due for polls are Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim and Odisha. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP Chief Amit Shah are to take a final call on the matter on Thursday when their weekly meetings take place at the Prime Minister's residence.

Meanwhile, despite the unceasing offensive from the Shiv Sena, the party alliance with the BJP is intact.

A phone call from Sena president Uddhav Thackrey to Amit Shah is being talked about in the NDA. In fact, the BJP headquarters in New Delhi is enthusiastic about the BJP agreeing to allot two more seats to the Shiv Sena in Lok Sabha.

The credit for the successful negotiations lie with Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis, a a senior BJP leader, said. 

A Twitter war has erupted between Union skill development minister Ananth Kumar Hegde and Karnataka state Congress president Dinesh Gundurao. 

Hegde, a highly controversial minister and a five-time BJP MP from Uttara Kannada, had asked people on Sunday to make the hand which touches a Hindu woman disappear. 

Gundurao condemned Hegde's statement in a tweet and questioned his contribution to Karnataka and his achievements as a minister. 

An angry Hegde responded to Gundurao saying that state Congress chief's only achievement is running behind a Muslim girl, an oblique reference to his wife Tabu Rao, a Muslim.

An infuriated Dinesh attacked Hegde for lack of manners in public discourse, saying perhaps he didnt learn from Hindu scriptures. 

His wife Tabu, who stays away from politics, has in the past requested her husband's political opponents not to drag her into debates. 

Even during the Karnataka assembly elections BJP MPs Shobha Karandlaje and Pratap Simha had attacked Dinesh Gundurao's inter-religious marriage. 

Wife of Prashant Natt, who had allegedly shot down the policeman Subodh Kumar on December 3 in Bulandshahr, has accused the police of planting false evidence against her husband in the case.

The Uttar Pradesh police had on Sunday reportedly recovered the mobile phone of Subodh Kumar from the house of Prashant Natt.

However, Prashant's wife Sonam has alleged that Subodh Kumar's phone was not present at their house.

"Police is making false allegations against us. If it was inspector Subodh's phone then why would have we kept it with us? We would have destroyed the device. The police brought the phone. They have taken four more phones from our home. My husband is innocent," Sonam said.

On the other hand, Atul Srivastav, Superintendent of Police City, said: "As per information received from sources, an operation was conducted to recover the mobile of the deceased policeman Subodh Kumar. His phone was recovered from the main accused Prashant Natt's house."

The search for the pistol is underway, he added.

Inspector Kumar was killed on December 3, 2018, in violence that flared up after carcass of cattle was apparently found in a forest close to a police post in Uttar Pradesh.

Kumar was wounded and later died. A postmortem report had found that the policeman had died of a bullet wound below his left eyebrow.

One of the prime accused in the case, BJP's Yuva Morcha leader Shikhar Agarwal was arrested by the police from Hapur on January 10.

So far over 35 people, including Prashant Natt, have been arrested in connection with the violence.

Natt, had confessed to shooting at Subodh Kumar, according to police. 

Supreme Court judge Justice A K Sikri told a gathering of law graduates on Sunday that the values of democracy are at stake.

Speaking as chief guest at the ninth convocation of the Gujarat National Law University, Sikri said, Today, we are undergoing transformation of a different kind. See the world at large. Even the values of democracy, which Greeks gave to this world 2,500 years ago, are at stakethere is a backsliding of democratic values.

There are so many challenges, which we may be facing, of a different nature. In all this and in our constitutional scheme, judge has to perform a very vital role. One Ahron Barak, former president of Supreme court of Israel, equal to our Chief Justice of India, has said there are two roles which a judge in a democracy is supposed to perform. One is to uphold the law and Constitution and save the democracy. Second is to bridge the gap between law and society. So, therefore, those of you who join judicial fraternity, these are the roles you have to perform in the challenging world.

Justice Sikri attended the meeting of the high-powered committee comprising Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge which decided to transfer CBI director Alok Verma earlier this month.

Justice Sikri said his father instilled in him a sense of morality and ethical values.

Nobody says dont earn. You are joining profession to earn. Unlike any business, what is the most admired about this profession is that you can earn a lot by maintaining moral and ethical values, which in some of the other professions, maybe in some businesses, have to be sacrificed, he said.

A police constable and a notorious criminal died during an encounter in Amroha on Sunday, a senior UP government official said.

 

The incident took place in Indrapur village which comes under the jurisdiction of Bachhraaun police station.

"The constable was identified as Harsh Chaudhary, a resident of Hathras district. In the encounter, the criminal -- Shiv Avtar alias Shivia -- was also killed," the official said.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has announced a compensation of Rs 40 lakh for the wife of the constable and Rs 10 lakh for his parents as well as extraordinary pension for his wife and service for one dependent in his family, he added.

Lieutenant Bhavana Kasturi, the first woman officer of the Indian Army to lead an all-men contingent of Army Service Corps at the 70th Republic Day Parade, said saluting President Ram Nath Kovind was the most memorable moment of her life.

"The moment when I saluted the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces, the President, that was the most memorable moment of my life," she said.

She said that ASC contingent got the chance to march at Rajpath after 23 years and she is hopeful of getting the best marching contingent award this year.

"Even more memorable was the enthusiasm and satisfaction in the eyes of my jawans when we finished our parade and reached Red Fort. Hardwork of one year is not a small thing," she said.

She also said that nothing is impossible for women.

"Girls have got so much potential in them and nothing is impossible, one has to never give up and hard work never goes in vain," said Lt Bhavana Kasturi.

The young woman officer who hails from Hyderabad said that her family was always by her side.

Voting began for the high-stake multi-cornered bypoll to the Jind assembly constituency of Haryana on Monday.

 

The polling began at 7 am and will continue till 5 pm.

All necessary arrangements have been put in place for smooth and peaceful conduct of polling, officials here said.

The constituency is witnessing a multi-cornered contest with prestige at stake for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, the opposition Indian National Lok Dal, Congress and the fledgling Jannayak Janta Party formed by Lok Sabha MP Dushyant Chautala after the split in the INLD.

The bypoll was necessitated following the death of INLD legislator Hari Chand Middha last August last year.

Nearly 1.7 lakh people, including 80,556 women, are eligible to vote, officials said. Braving cold weather conditions, people could be seen queuing up at various polling booths to cast their vote. There are 71 polling booths in rural areas of this constituency and 103 polling booths fall in urban areas.

As part of elaborate security arrangements to ensure smooth and peaceful conduct of polling, nearly 3,000 policemen have been put on duty, a senior police official said. Besides, 500 home guards and over 200 personnel drawn from the CRPF and the Rapid Action Force have also been deployed.

Additional police forces have been deployed at sensitive and highly-sensitive booths.

Counting of votes will take place on January 31.

Arch rivals BJP, Congress, INLD and the JJP are eyeing the results as a self-assessment exercise ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

The election is considered as a referendum on the Manohar Lal Khattar government and also a semi-final ahead of the general election.

Democratic US presidential aspirant Tulsi Gabbard has alleged that she had become a victim of "religious bigotry" and some media outlets were targeting her and accusing her supporters, who have Hindu names, of being Hindu nationalists.

Gabbard, the first Hindu elected to the US Congress, wrote an op-ed for the Religious News Services on Sunday, describing the campaign against her, supporters and donors as "profiling and targeting of Hindu Americans and ascribing to them motives without any basis".

The 37-year-old had on January 11 announced that she would be running for the White House in 2020.

In the hard-hitting piece, Gabbard pointed out to the accusation against her of being a Hindu nationalist. "Tomorrow will it be Muslim or Jewish Americans? Japanese, Hispanic or African Americans?" she asked.

"My meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India's democratically elected leader, have been highlighted as 'proof' of this and portrayed as somehow being out of the ordinary or somehow suspect, even though President (Barack) Obama, Secretary (Hillary) Clinton, President (Donald) Trump and many of my colleagues in Congress have met with and worked with him," Gabbard said.

"I am proud to be the first Hindu-American to have been elected to Congress, and now, the first Hindu-American to run for president," the four-term Democratic lawmaker from Hawaii said. 

"And, while the headlines covering my announcement could have celebrated this historic first, maybe even informed Americans at large about the world's third-largest religion, some have instead fomented suspicion, fear and religious bigotry about not only me but also my supporters," Gabbard said.

Gabbard said India was one of America's closest allies in Asia and is a country of growing importance in a critical region of the world.

Union minister Nitin Gadkari Sunday said political leaders who sell dreams to people, but fail to make them a reality get "beaten up" by the public.

  

The minister, who handles a host of infrastructure-related portfolios in the Modi government, asserted he is a doer and delivers on his promises.

"People like (political) leaders who sell them dreams. But if these dreams are not realised, then they beat them up (politically) as well," Gadkari said, speaking at a function.

"I am not the one who only sells dreams, but I deliver 100 per cent what I talk about," he said.

Gadkari, a former BJP president, also spoke about his stint as Maharashtra's PWD minister when the Shiv Sena-BJP government was in power (1995-99) in the state.

"The mediapersons in Mumbai know what kind of a person I am as they have seen how I complete projects. They do trust me," said the 61-year-old politician from Nagpur.

"People used to laugh at me when I, as PWD minister, used to claim that I was going to build over 50 flyovers in Mumbai, and bring down the travel time between Mumbai and Pune to merely two hours (via 91-km expressway).

"I was ridiculed but I proved them wrong and completed every project I had promised," Gadkari said.

In December, Gadkari said at an event in Pune that leadership should have the tendency to own up defeat and failures.

The remarks had come days after the BJP's dismal show in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh assembly elections.

As the comments created a controversy, Gadkari said his statements had been twisted and alleged "there was a sinister campaign by some opposition parties and a section of the media to twist" his comments and "draw politically motivated inferences to malign" him and his party.