Renowned Indian steel and energy company, Jindal Steel and Power Limited on Sunday issued a clarification regarding a news article that allegedly uses photographs of the Chairman while reporting a sensitive matter.

'We wish to inform that certain recent developments in the public domain have involved the name of one Mr Naveen Kumar Jindal. We hereby clarify that the developments are in no way related to our Group Chairman Mr Naveen Jindal.

'Certain sections of the media have also erroneously used the photographs of our Chairman while reporting the matter,' said an official statement.

The statement further read, 'This clearly is a case of mistaken identity. We urge all to avoid this mistake and refrain from using photograph or social media handles of our Chairman Naveen Jindal with regards to the concerned matter. We thank you for your understanding and cooperation.'  -- ANI

A group of people attacked and damaged a local train at Bethuadahari railway station in West Bengal's Nadia district on Sunday evening, a police officer said.

It was not immediately known whether there was any casualty.

The group was protesting against controversial remarks of suspended Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Nupur Sharma on Prophet Mohammad.

The officer said a large number of protestors put up a road blockade and when they were chased by the police, some of them entered the station and threw stones at the train which was on a platform.

Train services on the Lalgola line have been affected due to the attack, he said.  -- PTI

A massive search operation was underway in the forward areas of Anjaw district in Arunachal Pradesh by the Indian Army to find the two soldiers who went missing on May 28, a defence spokesperson said on Sunday.

Naik Prakash Singh and Lance Naik Harender Singh, deployed in a forward post, are presumed to have accidentally fallen into a river, spokesperson Lt Col Amrinder Singh Walia said in a statement.

Despite an immediate and extensive search, including aerial reconnaissance and tracker dogs being pressed into action, they could not be located, he said.

The search operations are continuing for the last two weeks, he added.

A court of inquiry to investigate the incident has been convened by the Army.

The families of the two soldiers, natives of Uttarakhand, are being regularly updated on the situation, the spokesperson said.   -- PTI

Eight police personnel including an Inspector and a Sub-Inspector were suspended after a lapse in security of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, a senior officer said on Sunday.

The lapse occurred on Friday when Adityanath was on his way to welcome Bharatiya Janata Party national president J P Nadda at Gorakhpur Airport.

Taking serious note of the incident, Gorakhpur SSP Vipin Tada suspended eight personnel on Saturday.

On Friday around 11.28 am, when the CM was going to Gorakhpur Airport to receive the BJP national president with his fleet, many vehicles coming from Kusmahi road had come in front of it.

Tada ordered a probe into the matter and suspended the police personnel on the basis of the findings.

Nadda on Friday had come to Gorakhpur to inaugurate a newly-constructed building of BJP zonal office.

During investigation it was found that policemen deployed to stop the vehicles near the airport somehow due to carelessness turned the vehicles coming from Kusmahi towards the airport, Tada said.

Inspector Yadunandan Yadav, Sub Inspector Ajay Rai, constables Brijesh Yadav, Satyendra Yadav, Vivek Mishra, Sujit Yadav, Arunima Mishra, and Kiran Choudhary were suspended after the probe.

During the investigation, it was also found that Inspector Yadunandan and SI Ajay Rai were also not carrying wireless sets while on duty, due to which they were not able to communicate to the officials about the lapse, police said.   -- PTI

In the upcoming Presidential election, Lalu Prasad Yadav plans to throw his hat in the ring, firm in his belief that there must be a Bihari in the contest.

However, he is not the Rashtriya Janata Dal chief.

A resident of Saran district, which incidentally has been the karmabhoomi (land of work) of his famous namesake, Yadav claims to have already booked a flight ticket to Delhi where he proposes to file his nomination papers on June 15.

He had filed his nomination papers in 2017 as well when the contest was between the then Bihar Governor Ram Nath Kovind, who went on to win, and former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, who was also a native of the soil.

My papers got rejected last time since these were not endorsed by an adequate number of proposers.

This time, I am better prepared, Yadav told PTI over phone.

A resident of Yadav Rahimpur village in Marhaura assembly segment of Saran, Yadav is barely 42, young enough to be a son of the RJD president, though, like the latter, he too takes care of a large family.

"I practise agriculture for a living and engage in social work. I have seven children. My eldest daughter is married," said Yadav.

It is not surprising that acquaintances call him dharti pakad (one who clings on to the earth), an epithet that has come to be associated, in India's political lexicon, with those who like to contest elections for the sake of thrill and publicity.

Yadav takes the derision on his chin and recalls with pride that the RJD supremo had blamed me for the defeat of his wife Rabri Devi in 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

Rabri Devi, a former chief minister herself, had contested from Saran which was previously represented by her husband who got disqualified in 2013 following his conviction in the fodder scam.

She lost to the BJP's Rajiv Pratap Rudy, who rode the Narendra Modi wave, by a margin of around 50,000 votes.

Lalu Prasad Yadav polled less than 10,000 votes and forfeited his deposit.

Undeterred, Yadav again jumped into the fray in 2019 and polled about six thousand votes.

"I keep trying my luck, from panchayats to presidentship. If nothing else, I may come to hold the record for contesting the maximum number of elections," he said with a deadpan expression.  -- PTI

Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Sunday said if the control of the Enforcement Directorate is given to their party, then even Bharatiya Janata Party leader Devendra Fadnavis will vote for the Sena.

His reaction comes in the backdrop of Shiv Sena candidate Sanjay Pawar losing the sixth seat in the Rajya Sabha polls from Maharashtra held on Friday, a contest which had become a high-prestige battle between the ruling Sena and the opposition BJP in the state.

Fadnavis, the leader of opposition in the state Assembly, is credited for the BJP's victory on the sixth seat, won by party nominee Dhananjay Mahadik by defeating Shiv Sena's Sanjay Pawar.

Prior to the polls, Raut had alleged that the BJP was using central agencies to put pressure on independents and smaller parties to vote in favour of the BJP candidates.

The independents and smaller parties, some of whom had pledged support to the Sena, played a crucial role in the BJP's victory.

Talking to reporters on Sunday, Raut said, "If the ED's control is given to us for two days, then Devendra Fadnavis too will vote for us."

The Shiv Sena's chief spokesperson had on Saturday described BJP's victory on three Rajya Sabha seats in Maharashtra as the 'mandate of horse-trading'.

He had also accused the Election Commission (EC) of siding with the opposition party, which he claimed 'put pressure' on the poll panel.         Some horses were up for sale at a higher price and shifted sides despite assurance of their votes to our candidate, he had said.

When asked about these comments, Raut on Sunday said, We only expressed our feelings. They (those who did not vote for the Sena) as well the BJP are aware of what we are saying.

Raut had earlier said three MLAs of the Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA), an independent MLA from Karmala Sanjaymama Shinde, Swabhimani Paksha MLA Devendra Bhuyar and PWP MLA Shyamsunder Shinde did not vote for the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA-comprising the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress), despite assuring to do so.

The Sena leader said they had taken note of this development and that Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray was distressed over the defeat of Sanjay Pawar.  -- PTI

The Gauhati high court has quashed a case in a trial court relating to the alleged violation of the model code of conduct by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

A single-judge bench of Justice Rumi Kumari Phookan quashed the case and set aside all the proceedings as well as observations by the Chief Judicial Magistrate of Kamrup Metropolitan.

"In view of the legal proposition discussed above, the impugned order of taking cognizance by the learned trial court is nothing but a mechanical one, without due application of judicial mind, which is bad in law," she said in the order on June 10.

The case was filed by the Additional Chief Electoral Officer in May 2019 against Sarma, who was a minister in the then chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal's government, and News Live TV channel for allegedly violating the model code of conduct during the Lok Sabha polls.

The Chief Judicial Magistrate of Kamrup Metropolitan, A K Baruah, on February 25 had imposed a fine of Rs 2,000 on Sarma and his wife Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, who is the chairman-cum-managing director of News Live channel, and ordered the duo to appear before the court on March 21.

Challenging this order and appealing to quash the case, Sarma approached the high court on February 28 and filed a criminal petition.

Justice Phookan said, "The Magistrate has totally failed to discharge its judicial discretion while conducting a proceeding. The conduct of a judicial officer must be above the personal whims and traits and every order should be founded on cogent and reasonable grounds, which is not reflected in the present case.

"It is said 'justice should not only be done but also seen to be done'... The (trial) court also made certain observation in the said order which is self contradictory and difficult to dilute as it does not conform to the procedure to be followed in a complaint case."

The high court also noted that the prohibition imposed by the Election Commission is applicable to the polling area during the 48 hours ending with the hour fixed for conclusion of the poll for any election in that area.

'In the present matter, at the time of news telecast in Guwahati on 10.04.2019, no polling was scheduled to take place in Guwahati on the next 48 hours because as per the notification poll was scheduled to be held on 23.04.2019 in Guwahati,' it added.

'Obviously, while passing the aforesaid order, the learned CJM, has exceeded the jurisdiction. Being an officer of justice delivery system, no one can conduct the affairs of the prosecution as an inquiry officer,' the high court said.

As the original complainant did not pursue the matter nor produced the relevant documents, as directed, such a complaint is liable to be dismissed for non-prosecution, it added.

The high court asserted that a court of law is never assigned to undertake an inquiry to pursue a matter with the higher authority as has been revealed from various orders in this case.

'Accordingly, all these orders suffer from serious illegality,' it added.

During the first hearing of the petition on March 2, Justice Phookan had stayed all the proceedings of the case that was going on at the Court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) and called all the records.

Sarma had filed the petition against the Election Commission of India (ECI), Chief Election Commissioner, Senior Principal Secretary of the ECI, the State Election Department, Chief Electoral Officer and Vibekananda Phookan, who was the then Additional Chief Electoral Officer in May 2019.  -- PTI

West Bengal Leader of Opposition (LoP) Suvendu Adhikari was on Sunday afternoon stopped by police at Tamluk in Purba Medinipur district 'as a precautionary measure' to prevent him from visiting violence-hit Howrah district, where prohibitory orders under Section 144 of Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) has been imposed, a senior officer said.

Adhikari was moving with his security entourage when he was stopped by a huge police team at Radharani More in Tamluk.

He was not accompanied by any other BJP leader.

"We have received information that Adhikari was planning to visit Howrah district, in parts of which Section 144 of CrPC has been imposed. So, as a precautionary measure, we had to prevent him from going there as his visit may cause a law and order problem," a senior police officer told PTI.

Adhikari remained seated inside the vehicle, claiming he had no intention of visiting Howrah.

He was also reluctant to return to his Kanthi in Purba Medinipur district from where he had started.

He engaged in heated arguments with police officers present at the spot, who were blocking his vehicle.

The stand-off continued till the report was filed.

Before leaving for Howrah, Adhikari had said he would move the court on Monday if he was stopped from visiting vandalised Bharatiya Janata Party offices in the district, which witnessed violent protests over controversial remarks on Prophet Muhammad by suspended BJP spokespersons.

His assertion came after Kanthi Police Station issued a letter asking him not to visit Howrah as prohibitory orders are clamped in several areas in the district.

The letter, issued by the officer-in-charge of Kanthi Police Station, stated that concern over his security was the main reason for asking him not to visit parts of Howrah district where Section 144 of CrPC has been imposed.

"I will visit our party offices in Howrah district that were ransacked. Police have asked me not to visit areas where Section 144 of CrPC has been imposed. But I will not violate prohibitory orders as I will go there alone.

"If I am stopped by the police, I will move the court tomorrow (Monday). An LoP can't be stopped from visiting a trouble-torn area," Adhikari said before leaving his Kanthi residence.

BJP state unit chief Sukanta Majumdar was arrested on Saturday afternoon when he was heading towards Howrah district. He was later released.

'After putting BJP WB president Sukanta Majumdar under detention, Mamata Banerjee is now ensuring that LoP Suvendu Adhikari is not able to visit Howrah, where BJP offices have been gutted. Her entire focus is on the opposition, not on rampaging 'Dudhel Gais' (milch cows), as she calls them,' BJP's West Bengal co-in charge Amit Malviya tweeted.

Reacting to the development, senior Trinamool Congress leader Kunal Ghosh alleged that Adhikari wants to visit Howrah with the intention of fanning trouble.

"What is the need for visiting areas where Section 144 of CrPC has been imposed? He is going to Howrah to create trouble. The BJP wants to destroy the peaceful atmosphere in the state," he said.

Protests erupted in several parts of Howrah district on Friday over controversial remarks by suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma and expelled leader Naveen Jindal on Prophet Muhammad.

Agitators resorted to stone-pelting, setting police vehicles on fire and damaging public property during violent protests and clashes with the law enforcers in the district.

Fresh violent protests were reported in Panchla on Saturday.

Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC have been clamped in several areas of Howrah including Uluberia, Panchla and Domjur till June 15 and internet services have been suspended in the entire district till June 13 to prevent the spread of misinformation.   -- PTI

Congress president Sonia Gandhi has come to the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in New Delhi for routine medical check-up on Sunday, sources said.

She is being examined by doctors and her current condition is stable, they said.

"She came to the Ganga Ram hospital today for a routine check-up," a hospital source said.

However, there was no information yet on whether she would be admitted at the facility.

Officials on Friday had said that the Enforcement Directorate has issued fresh summons to the Congress president to appear before it for questioning on June 23 in a money laundering case linked to the National Herald newspaper.

Gandhi, 75, was earlier asked to depose on June 8 but as she had got infected with COVID-19, she sought a fresh date from the federal probe agency.  -- PTI

Accepting Union Minister Nitin Gadkari's fund for weight loss challenge, Bharatiya Janata Party MP from Ujjain Anil Firojiya claimed to have reduced 15 kg weight in less than four months and is entitled to get Rs 15,000 crore fund for development in his constituency as promised by Gadkari.

Firojiya, a first-time MP said that in order to motivate him to get fit, Gadkari had said that funds for development works would be only allocated to him if he loses weight.

In a public event, the Union Minister had said that he would allocate Rs 1,000 crore to Firojiya for each kg weight loss, said the BJP MP.

Speaking to ANI, Firojiya said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the 'Fit India' movement. Union Miniter Nitin Gadkari had told me on stage that for each kilogram I lose, I will earn Rs 1,000 crore for development works in Ujjain. I took it as a challenge and have lost 15 kg so far. I will reduce it further and request him to release funds as promised."

"If weight loss brings more budget allocation for Ujjain, I am ready to continue my fitness regime for the development of the constituency," he said.

The BJP MP said he follows a strict diet chart for weight loss.

Explaining his fitness regime, Firojiya said, "I wake up 5.30 in the morning and then go for morning walk. My morning workout includes running, exercise and yoga. I follow an Ayurvedic diet chart. I take light breakfast. For lunch and dinner, I eat salad, one bowl of green vegetables and one roti made up of mixed cereals. Occasionally I take carrot soup or dry fruits in between."

Earlier in February this year, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari in a public event in Ujjain had said, "I made a condition for allocating funds to Firojiya ji. Once my weight was 135 kg more than that of Firojiya ji. But now my weight is 93 kg. I showed him my old photograph. It is hard to recognise me in that photo. I will allocate Rs 1,000 crore for each kg he loses."  -- ANI

The Congress is gearing up to demonstrate a political show of strength on Monday when the party leader Rahul Gandhi will appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection in connection with a money laundering case linked to the National Herald newspaper.

The Congress is planning a big event to show its strength and convey its political message to Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party government.

The ED on Friday issued a fresh summons to Sonia Gandhi asking her to appear on June 23 for questioning in connection with the National Herald money laundering case.

According to sources, Congress MPs, and Congress Working Committee (CWC) members have also been asked to be present in Delhi on Monday.

A meeting of All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretaries, State Incharges, and Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chiefs was called on Thursday to decide the strategy for the same.

Congress leader Manickam Tagore said that party workers will hold demonstrations at around 25 offices of the probe agency across the country against the political vendata and the 'misuse' of the central investigative agencies by the central government to 'silence the voice of opposition'.

Congress held press conferences across the country today over summons issued against party president Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi by ED in the National Herald case.

A senior party leader told ANI, "All the Members of Parliament have been asked to be present in the national capital on June 13, and they will also be marching towards the ED Office along with Rahul Gandhi. The meeting was called to discuss and take a view of the leaders across the country to take a final call on this as there is another view that along with Delhi, simultaneously, protests should be held in every state capital by the Pradesh Congress Committees."

Rahul Gandhi has been summoned to join the investigation on June 13.

He was earlier summoned to join the investigation but he was out of the country and later he was given a fresh date of June 13 to join the probe.

Meanwhile, the Congress party has alleged that it is a 'political vendetta' and the case has no grounds for investigation.

The ED also questioned senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge and Congress Treasurer Pawan Bansal in April this year in New Delhi in connection with its money laundering probe into the National Herald case.

The agency then recorded the statements of both the Congress leaders under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The National Herald is published by Associated Journals Limited (AJL) and owned by Young Indian Private Limited (YIL). While Kharge is the CEO of YIL, Bansal is the Managing Director of AJL.

The ED is currently investigating the shareholding pattern and financial transactions as well as the role of party functionaries in the functioning of the AJL and YIL.

The YIL promoters include Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

BJP MP Subramanian Swamy had alleged that the Gandhis cheated and misappropriated funds, with YIL paying only Rs 50 lakh to obtain the right to recover Rs 90.25 crore that AJL owed to the Congress.

He had filed a complaint with a Delhi court earlier.

Following the court taking cognisance of an Income Tax Department probe against YIL on Swamy's petition, the ED also registered a fresh case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).   -- ANI

The Uttar Pradesh Police has so far arrested over 300 people from eight districts of the state in connection with Friday's violence during protests against the controversial remarks of suspended Bharatiya Janata Party functionary Nupur Sharma on Prophet Muhammad.

In a statement issued here on Sunday, Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar said, "As many as 304 persons have been arrested from eight districts of the state, and 13 cases have been registered in this connection in nine districts of the state."

Elaborating further, Kumar said, "91 persons have been arrested in Prayagraj, followed by 71 in Saharanpur, 51 in Hathras, 34 each in Ambedkar Nagar and Moradabad, 15 in Firozabad, six in Aligarh and two in Jalaun."

Of the 13 cases, three cases each were registered in Prayagraj and Saharanpur, and one each in Firozabad, Ambedkar Nagar, Moradabad, Hathras, Aligarh, Lakhimpur Kheri and Jalaun, the senior officer said.

UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who has often spoken of how under his rule the state has been rid of frequent riots, issued a stern warning on Saturday.

"Strictest action will be taken against the anti-social elements involved in the chaotic efforts to spoil the atmosphere in various cities in the past few days," he said while issuing directives to officials.

"There is no place for such anti-social people in a civilised society. No innocent should be harassed, but not a single guilty should be spared," he said.

In a tweet in Hindi, Mrityunjay Kumar, the media advisor to the chief minister, on Saturday had said, 'Unruly elements remember, every Friday is followed by a Saturday' and posted a photo of a bulldozer demolishing a building.

Under Adityanath, the state administration has been cracking down on criminals and riot accused, seizing or razing their properties.

His critics have often accused him of adopting strong-arm tactics.

On Friday, people pelted stones at police personnel in Prayagraj and Saharanpur during their protests after Friday prayers in mosques.

At least four other cities witnessed similar scenes during the marches that were carried out to protest the controversial remarks on Prophet Muhammad made by now-suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma.    

In Prayagraj, the mob set on fire a few motorcycles and carts and also attempted to set ablaze a police vehicle.

Police used tear gas and lathis to disperse the protesters and restored peace.

A policeman was injured, according to police.

Sharma was suspended by the BJP as several Islamic nations denounced her comments on the Prophet during a TV debate.

In Saharanpur, protesters shouted slogans against Sharma and demanded the death sentence for her.

There were protests in Bijnor, Moradabad, Rampur and Lucknow as well. -- PTI

The Bhiwandi police in Maharashtra have summoned suspended Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Nupur Sharma to record a statement on Monday in connection with her alleged objectionable remarks against Prophet Mohammad, an official said on Sunday.

Besides, expelled BJP functionary Naveen Kumar Jindal has also been asked by the Bhiwandi police in Thane district to record his statement on June 15 over his alleged controversial tweets against Prophet Mohammad, senior police inspector Chetan Kakade told reporters.

The Bhiwandi police had registered a case against Sharma following a complaint lodged by a representative of the Raza Academy on May 30, he said.

They had also registered a case against Jindal, the official said.

Earlier, the Mumbra police in Thane asked Sharma to appear before them on June 22 to record her statement over her remarks.

The Mumbai Police have also summoned her to record a statement on June 25 in connection with her remarks about the Prophet during a TV debate triggered a huge controversy.

The police had asked for a video of the debate from the news channel concerned.

The BJP had on June 5 suspended its national spokesperson Nupur Sharma and expelled Delhi BJP media head Jindal after their alleged derogatory remarks against the Prophet led to an outrage in India and Gulf countries. -- PTI

A group of renowned personalities of West Bengal have expressed discontent over the appointment of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as chancellor of state-run universities, arguing that the move will "deal a blow" to the varsities' autonomy and is against the spirit of democracy.     

They also said the decision of the state cabinet ignores the long-standing demand of people to have an eminent educationist in that post.

"We are surprised and stunned over the recent decision to appoint the chief minister as chancellor of state universities. We all know about the imperatives of autonomy and freedom of educational institutions, and such a decision will deal a blow to that, and is against the spirit of democracy," they said in a statement on Saturday.

Among the 40 signatories are actor Kaushik Sen, directors Anik Dutta and Raja Sen, painter Samir Aich, thespian Bibhas Chakraborty, social activist Miratun Nahar and rights activist Sujato Bhadra. 

The newlyweds were apparently delivered a legal notice for wearing shoes inside the temple premises and performing photoshoots. 

In the photos that have now gone viral on the internet, Nayanthara was seen walking in the premises of the shrine wearing her footwear. 

Shivan issued an apology letter to the Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanam board. 

He wrote, "Dear all, we have always wanted our marriage to happen in tirupati but due to logistical reasons that was not possible and we had to do our wedding in Chennai. To wholesomely complete our wedding, we made sure we headed to tirupati directly from our wedding venue (without going home) to watch the Sami Kalyanam and to receive the blessings of Lord Balaji who we have utmost devotion towards. We had a wonderful darshan and wanted to click a picture outside the temple to have this day in our memory and to feel like the wedding got completed here, as per our wish but due to the crowd and chaos we had to exit the premises and re-enter at a time when there was a lesser commotion. In the hurry for a quick picture we did not realize we had our footwear on when we got back later for the quick picture outside the temple. We are a couple who go to temples regularly and have immense faith in God. We have been to Thirumala almost 5 times in the past 30 days trying to do our wedding there!" 

He continued and said, "We sincerely apologise to those who we could have offended and we mean no disrespect to the lord who we love. We are grateful for the love and wishes we have received from everyone for our special day and we hope you continue to shower us with only the positivity we need from you." -- ANI

The police have identified the arrested accused as the president of Jamiatul Quresh, Nizam Qureshi from Kanpur. 

According to the police, Qureshi was often seen with other accused persons Hayat Jaffar Hashmi and Hafiz Faisal Zafri Qureshi was appealed to stop meeting with Hayat during a meeting at Akbar Azam Hall on June 1, said the police. 

Recently on June 8, a special investigation team visited the violent site and collected evidence. 

All accused, including key conspirator Hayat Zafar Hashmi, were sent to 14-day judicial remand on Sunday in connection with the incident. 

They were taken to District Jail in Kanpur by the police after they were sent on a 14-day remand. -- ANI

At around 2 am on Sunday, two trucks carrying diesel and petrol were coming from Paradip to Nayagarh in Odisha when one of the trucks fell into Kusumi river, said superintendent of police Alekha Chandra Pahi. 

The crew of the second tanker rushed to rescue the staff of the first tanker, said the SP adding a sudden explosion took place and four employees of the two trucks were charred to death. 

"One received severe injuries and his condition is critical, said the official. -- ANI

"Two persons have been arrested last night under section 153A of IPC. Friday namaz always has a crowd, so we were alert that something could happen. But the way people came after offering namaz with banners and placards denotes that there is some kind of planning behind it," said deputy commissioner of police, Central district, Shweta Chauhan. 

Section 153A of IPC is charged for promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc; and doing acts prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony. 

"We are investigating the matter and the messages circulated on WhatsApp over it. The initial probe has identified 4-5 locals. But most of the people are not locals," added the DCP. Earlier on Friday, a massive protest erupted after Friday prayers at Delhi's Jama Masjid over alleged inflammatory remarks of suspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma and expelled leader Naveen Jindal. 

"Almost 1,500 people had gathered in Jama Masjid for Friday prayers. After the prayers, nearly 300 people came out and started protesting over the inflammatory remarks by Nupur Sharma and Naveen Jindal," DCP Chauhan said. -- ANI

The action was taken following a complaint received through a Twitter message from the state general secretary of the Congress' minority cell, Akbar Chaudhary, the official said.                 

Ishu Shikharwar, the convener of Hindu Raksha Dal, had allegedly made a deranging comment on Facebook against another religion while supporting Nupur Sharma. 

He has been arrested, Circle officer Anshu Jain said. -- PTI

The accused has been identified as Kshitij Dwivedi, a resident of Shastri Nagar, Kakadev, the police officials said. 

Violence broke out in parts of Uttar Pradesh during protests against the controversial remarks of now-sacked BJP functionaries on Prophet Mohammed on Friday with mobs pelting stones at policemen and an attempt being made to set ablaze a police vehicle. 

However, Kanpur, which witnessed violence over the issue on June 3, remained peaceful. Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Anand Prakash Tiwari said that Kshitij Dwivedi was arrested from Kakadev for circulating messages on WhatsApp asking people to close their shops on June 10. 

The accused had created a group and shared messages appealing people to observe a bandh on June 10 with an intention to instigate people and disturb communal harmony, he added. 

An FIR has been lodged in the matter under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the IT Act on a complaint by a sub-inspector. -- PTI

The ganja was recovered from a house at the border village in the Cooch Behar district. 

One person has been arrested and will be produced before the court in Coochbehar, informed the police. 

Further investigations are underway. -- ANI

The fire erupted in the Gaffar market in Karol Bagh. 

As many as 39 fire tenders rushed to the spot. 

The fire is under control. 

Delhi police personnel also reached the spot on information. 

According to Delhi Fire Service, no one is trapped inside and no injuries have been reported so far. 

The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. Further details are awaited. -- ANI

Those who took part in the procession told reporters that the entire Hindu society was supporting Nupur Sharma and the BJP needed to respect her. 

The BJP had last Sunday suspended Nupur Sharma and expelled its Delhi media head Naveen Kumar Jindal after their controversial remarks against Prophet Mohammed. 

Protests erupted in several parts of India on Friday against the controversial remarks on Prophet Mohammed, leaving two persons dead and a few policemen injured in stone-pelting while security forces had to resort to lathi-charge, tear gas shelling and firing in the air at some places. 

Superintendent of police Anil Kumar said CrPC Section 144 is already in force in Bhadohi district and there has been a ban on any kind of procession and demonstration. 

No permission was taken for this procession, he said, adding a case has been registered in this regard at the Gopiganj police station and strict action will be taken based on a video of the procession. 

So far 25 locals have been identified through the video, the SP said. -- PTI

The encounter broke out Saturday in Drabgam area of the south Kashmir district and one terrorist was killed before the night fell, they said. 

A police official said a tight cordon was maintained during the night to stop the terrorists from fleeing, and when the firing resumed early Sunday morning two more terrorists were killed. 

Kashmir inspector general of police Vijay Kumar said all three are locals, linked with the terror outfit LeT. 

"One of them has been identified as Junaid Sheergojri, involved in #killing of our colleague #Martyr Reyaz Ahmad on 13/5/22, he tweeted. The two others have been identified as Fazil Nazir Bhat and Irfan Ahmad Malik," he said. 

The exchange of fire had begun Saturday after security forces had launched a cordon and search operation in Drabgam area of the south Kashmir district following inputs about the presence of terrorists there. 

The IGP said the police have also recovered incriminating material, arms and ammunition including two AK 47 rifles and one pistol during the operation. -- PTI