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Mon, 28 March 2022
2 Maha mins booked for brandishing swords
Timeline Refresh
Dmitry Muratov/Reuters
23:36 Russia's independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta suspends operations
Russia's leading independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta is putting its operations on hold until the end of the war in Ukraine, reported Deutsche Welle.
The suspension of the operations comes after alleged pressure from the Russian government for its coverage on the war, said the report.
The editor of Novaya Gazeta, Dmitry Muratov, who had won the Nobel Peace Prize last year, said the decision to suspend the newspaper's operations was after several warnings from the Russian government's censorship agency.
22:43 UP govt: Adityanath keeps home, Khanna gets finance ministry
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will head home, vigilance and personnel among the 34 departments with him as the portfolios of the new Bharatiya Janata Party-led government in Uttar Pradesh were announced on Monday.
Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya gets rural development and food processing, while another deputy Chief Minister Brijesh Pathak will head medical education, among others.
Suresh Khanna will take care of finance and parliamentary affairs, Swatantra Dev Singh jal shakti and Baby Rani Maurya women and child welfare departments, the list of portfolios released in Lucknow said. -- PTI
Aslam Shaikh and Varsha Gaikwad
22:19 2 Maha mins booked for brandishing swords
An FIR was registered on Monday against Maharashtra education minister Varsha Gaikwad, textiles minister Aslam Shaikh and AICC minority department chairman Imran Pratapgarhi for allegedly brandishing swords at a function in suburban Bandra, a Mumbai police official said.
The alleged incident occurred on Sunday night at the Rang Sharda Bhavan in Bandra during the event to welcome Pratapgarhi, the official said.
According to the official, the FIR was registered after the police took cognisance of the incident.
Sections of the Bombay Police Act and the Arms Act are invoked in the FIR against Pratapgarhi, two ministers and others, he said.
In video and pictures of the event which have gone viral, Shaikh, Gaikwad and Pratapgarhi can be seen brandishing swords.
Bharatiya Janata Party functionary Mohit Kamboj, however, claimed that the police registered the FIR on his complaint.
"FIR Registered By Mumbai Police Against Minister Aslam Sheikh , Minister Varsha Gaikward and Others Congress Leaders On My Complain Yesterday Of Bandra Sword Incident ! Satyameva Jayate !'he tweeted. -- PTI
21:12 'RRR' reaches Rs 500 cr worldwide milestone
SS Rajamouli's directorial RRR has reached Rs 500 crore worldwide gross box office collection on the third day of its release.
The highest-grossing film at the worldwide box office in the last three days boasts of a powerful star cast including Jr NTR, Ram Charan, Alia Bhatt and Ajay Devgn among others.
Film critic and trade analyst Taran Adarsh shared the gross box office collection of the hit film on his Twitter handle.
He wrote, "#RRR is setting new BENCHMARKS... Rs 500 cr [and counting]... WORLDWIDE GBOC *opening weekend* biz... EXTRAORDINARY Monday on the cards... #SSRajamouli brings back glory of INDIAN CINEMA. Note: Non-holiday release. Pandemic era."
He also shared a list of the top five Hindi films in the pandemic era, based on their net box office collection in the country on Sunday.
RRR topped the list with a whopping Rs 31.50 crore.
The magnum opus also became India's biggest-ever opener with Rs 223 crore worldwide, after overtaking Baahubali 2, which had made Rs 217 crore worldwide on its opening day. -- ANI
Representational image
20:49 2-phase lockdown in Shanghai amid Covid spike
Amid the new COVID-19 outbreak in the country, the Chinese city of Shanghai is going into a two-phase lockdown starting on Monday.
This comes after Shanghai has seen a surge in cases of virus, forcing the Chinese authorities to redirect some international passenger flights to other cities from March 21 to May 1.
Shanghai, which has a population of nearly 25 million people, over the past day detected 50 local and 10 imported COVID-19 cases, and another 3,454 asymptomatic cases.
The first lockdown phase was in effect from 5 am local time and will last until 5 am April 1 in the areas located east and south of the Huangpu River.
The second phase will last from April 1 to April 5 in areas west of the Huangpu River.
Media reports said the operation of public and private traffic will be shut down, and the bridges over the Huangpu river will also close for the lockdown period.
China has imposed various rules to keep the COVID-19 cases away from the country since the deadly initial outbreak in 2020 but the fast-spreading variant known as 'stealth omicron' is testing China's zero-tolerance strategy. -- ANI
20:40 Chief ministers of Goa
Three-time MLA Pramod Sawant, who led the Bharatiya Janata Party to win 20 seats in the recently concluded elections to the 40-member Goa assembly, was sworn in as the state's chief minister for the second time on Monday.
Representational image
20:15 Afghan family says Taliban arrest journalist in Kandahar
The Taliban arrested an Afghan journalist in Kandahar province for unknown reasons, media reports said on Monday.
The family of journalist, Mirwais Atal, said that he is still being held by the Islamic group, TOLO news reported.
Atal is director of Zema Radio in Kandahar.
"My son is neither a criminal, nor a gunman, nor has he worked in the previous government. He is an ordinary person and a journalist, he should be released as soon as possible," said Maria, mother of Mirwais Atal.
Rights groups have expressed serious concern over the recent arrests of journalists, TOLO news reported.
Media outlets say that 16 media workers have been arrested in the past month.
"Over the past month, about sixteen media officials and journalists have been detained by the Islamic Emirate for interrogations or briefings," said Jamil Weqar, head of the investigation committee of journalists.
Hujjatullah Mujaddidi, a leading member of the Federation of Journalists and Media of Afghanistan, called on the Taliban to solve any kind of problem with the Afghan media, through legal channels. -- ANI
Abdul Khader Nadakattin receives the Padma Shri
19:56 President Kovind presents 65 Padma awards
President Ram Nath Kovind on Monday presented two Padma Vibhushan, nine Padma Bhushan and 54 Padma Shri awards for the year 2022 at the Civil Investiture Ceremony-II held at Rashtrapati Bhavan in the presence of Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister for Home Affairs Amit Shah and other dignitaries.
19:37 Rupee rises by 8 paise to 76.16 against US dollar
The rupee appreciated 8 paise to 76.16 against the US dollar on Monday, supported by positive domestic equities and a fall in global crude oil prices.
However, a strengthening American currency overseas and concerns over renewed foreign capital outflows capped the gains in the domestic unit, forex traders said.
At the interbank forex market, the local unit opened weak at 76.36 but entered positive territory later in the session.
It witnessed an intra-day high of 76.15 and a low of 76.38.
The rupee traded at 76.16 at 1530 hrs, registering a rise of 8 paise over its previous close.
In the previous session, the rupee had settled at 76.24 against the US dollar. -- PTI
BJP MPs protest against WB assembly incident in New Delhi/ANI
19:34 Centre can't be mute spectator to WB events: BJP
Accusing Trinamool Congress MLAs of 'violently assaulting' its legislators in the West Bengal assembly on Monday, the Bharatiya Janata Party asserted that the Centre cannot remain a 'mute spectator' to the state government 'flouting' constitutional norms.
Expressing concern over the state of affairs in West Bengal, Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told reporters at Parliament House Complex that criminal and anarchic elements have 'hijacked' the constitutional machinery in the state.
Ruling TMC and opposition BJP MLAs came to blows in the assembly as chaos erupted after the latter demanded a statement from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the 'deteriorating' law and order situation in the state.
Naqvi alleged that democratic normals are being 'murdered' in Bengal under the patronage of the state government and Banerjee.
BJP MLAs were physically attacked and their clothes torn in the assembly, he alleged.
People had given Banerjee the mandate in the 2021 polls to make amends for her government's mistakes but she has again let loose a reign of violence and anarchy, he said. -- PTI
18:51 Taliban bans BBC, VOA broadcast services in Afghanistan
The Taliban on Sunday banned British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and Voice of America (VOA) broadcast services in Afghanistan.
The ban is the latest in a series of restrictions the Islamist group has imposed on Afghan media to stifle freedom of expression since taking control of the country last August, reported VOA.
"The BBC's TV news bulletins in Pashto, Persian, and Uzbek have been taken off air in Afghanistan after the Taliban ordered our TV partners to remove international broadcasters from the airwaves," Tarik Kafala, head of languages at BBC World Service, said in a statement. -- ANI
18:45 Ukrainian cat raises $10,000
This Ukrainian cat Stepan has raised $10,000 on Instagram to support animals suffering from Russia's war in Ukraine. According to Stepan's Instagram account, the money will go to several Ukrainian charities supporting animals.
18:27 SRK son case: NCB seeks more time for chargesheet
Aryan Khan drugs-on-cruise matter: SIT of NCB seeks 90-day additional time from Mumbai Sessions Court to file chargesheet in the matter. It was supposed to file the chargesheet by 2nd April.
Aryan Khan spent 22 days in Arthur Road jail following his arrest during a drug raid on a cruise ship off the city coast last year.
The 23-year-old was arrested on October 3 by the Narcotics Control Bureau.
18:22 Aditya Thackeray tours Konkan
Maharashtra Tourism Minister Aaditya Thackeray is on a 3-day visit to Konkan. He inspected the Malvan Jetty embankment.
Representational image
18:15 28,000 suicide cases in Assam since 2012
As many as 28,056 suicide cases have been registered in Assam since 2012, the Assembly was informed on Monday.
In a written reply, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who also holds the Home portfolio, said inquiry into such cases has revealed that individuals have taken their own lives for various reasons, including family dispute, financial crisis or a relationship gone wrong.
Sarma also said that in the last 10 years, 12,703 cases of murder, 111 rape and murder, 18,519 rapes and 31,360 molestations have been registered. The CM, to another question, said a total of 1,19,800 cases pertaining to nine types of crimes, including theft, rape, kidnapping, murder and dacoity, have been recorded from 2017 till February 28, 2022. -- ANI
18:09 FMs of 5 countries to visit China on March 31
Foreign Ministers of five nations including Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Myanmar and Panama will visit China from March 31 to April 4, the Chinese Foreign Ministry informed on Monday.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said the Foreign Ministers of Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Myanmar will pay visits to China separately from March 31 to April 3.
Panamanian Foreign Minister will visit China on April 4, Chinese spokesperson was quoted as saying by Xinhua News Agency.
The foreign ministers are visiting at the invitation of the Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi.Wenbin said that Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Myanmar are all important members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), as well as friendly neighbours of China.
18:00 Pak Oppn tables no-trust motion against Imran
Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif has tabled the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Pakistan has been on the edge since Opposition parties on March 8 submitted the no-confidence motion before the National Assembly Secretariat, alleging that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government led by Prime Minister Khan was responsible for the economic crisis and the spiralling inflation in the country.
17:47 Injured woman dies, Birbhum carnage toll 9
A woman who had suffered burns in the violence at Bogtui village in Birbhum district last week died in a hospital on Monday, raising the toll to nine, a police officer said.
Out of the nine deceased, seven are women and two are children.
"The woman, Najema Bibi, had nearly 65 per cent burn injuries. Her condition deteriorated last night following which she was put on ventilation in the Rampurhat Government Medical College and Hospital. She died this morning," the police officer said. Three persons, including a boy, are still undergoing treatment at the same hospital. The CBI probing the case could not record the statement of Najema on Sunday, when its sleuths visited the hospital, as her condition was critical.
"We could not talk to her as her condition was not suitable for that. She could have been a good source of information regarding that night's attack and the killing," a CBI officer told PTI when contacted.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had visited the injured persons in the hospital on March 24 during her visit to Bogtui.
On the night of March 21, eight people were burnt to death after a number of houses in the village were set on fire by unknown miscreants, in a suspected fallout of the murder of a local Trinamool Congress leader.
17:44 Classical singer Prabha Atre honoured
President Ram Nath Kovind presents Padma Vibhushan award to Hindustani classical vocalist Prabha Atre.
17:41 Singer Sulochana honoured
Singer Sulochana Chavan receives Padma Shri from President Ram Nath Kovind.
17:39 Irish Sanskrit prof gets a Padma
President Ram Nath Kovind presents the Padma Shri award to Ireland's Professor Rutger Kortenhorst for his contribution to popularising Sanskrit in Irish schools.
17:37 Neeraj Chopra gets the Padma Shri
Tokyo Olympic Gold medallist Neeraj Chopra receives Padma Shri award from President Ram Nath Kovind.
17:36 Covaxin vaccine makers get Padma Bhushan
President Ram Nath Kovind begins conferring the Padma awards for the year 2022 at the Civil Investiture Ceremony-II at Rashtrapati Bhavan today. Amongst the prominent awardees at today's Investiture ceremony will be Padma Vibhushan recipients - Dr Prabha Atre and Kalyan Singh (Posthumous), Padma Bhushan recipients Victor Banerjee, Sanjaya Rajaram (Posthumous), Pratibha Ray and Acharya Vashishtha Tripathi.
Image: Bharat Biotech MD Krishna Ella and Joint MD Suchitra Ella receive the Padma Bhushan award.
17:32 The gainers today
Bharti Airtel rose the most by 3.4 per cent among Sensex stocks. Axis Bank rose by 2.13 per cent, ICICI Bank by 1.59 per cent and SBI by 1.44 per cent. Reliance Industries rose by nearly 1 per cent, helping the barometer recover from losses. IndusInd Bank rose by 1.33 per cent, Bajaj Finserve by 1.09 per cent while Kotak Bank and HDFC Bank also advanced.
17:21 Sensex, Nifty rebound on gains banking, oil & gas shares
Benchmark stock indices Sensex and Nifty reversed early losses to close higher by 0.40 per cent on Monday helped by buying in index heavyweight Reliance Industries, ICICI Bank and Bharti Airtel amid gains in global equities.
After falling 537.11 points to a low of 56,825.09 in morning trade, the 30-share BSE barometer staged a recovery in afternoon trade and climbed 231.29 points or 0.40 per cent to settle at 57,593.49.
As many as 20 Sensex stocks closed with gains while 10 declined The broader NSE Nifty recovered 69 points or 0.40 per cent to settle at 17,222 with 29 of its constituents ending in green.
Bharti Airtel rose the most by 3.4 per cent among Sensex stocks. Axis Bank rose by 2.13 per cent, ICICI Bank by 1.59 per cent and SBI by 1.44 per cent.
Reliance Industries rose by nearly 1 per cent, helping the barometer recover from losses. IndusInd Bank rose by 1.33 per cent, Bajaj Finserve by 1.09 per cent while Kotak Bank and HDFC Bank also advanced. FMCG major ITC jumped 1.54 per cent while Hindustan Unilever rose by 1 per cent.
Among losers, Nestle fell the most by 1.83 per cent, HDFC by 1.58 per cent and HCL Tech by 1.41 per cent. Dr Reddy dropped 1.4 per cent, Asian Paints by 0.64 per cent and Wipro by 0.59 per cent due to profit booking.
17:05 Birbhum killings: WB governor meets Amit Shah
West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday called on Union Home Minister Amit Shah at his residence in New Delhi.
The agenda of the meeting has not been disclosed yet. The meeting comes amid the ongoing row between Trinamool Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party over the issue of Birbhum violence.
Earlier on Monday, five BJP MLAs including the Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari were suspended from the West Bengal Assembly on Monday following a clash with TMC MLAs on the floor of the House over Birbhum violence.
Slamming West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over Birbhum violence earlier had said that it is high time to revisit confrontational unconstitutional stance so that democratic values and human rights get restored and people get a reprieve from repressive 'fear' and suffering.
In a three-page reply letter to Banerjee, the Governor said that there was a "political conspiracy" behind the violence. He also said that the number of casualties may be higher.
As many as eight people were burnt to death in the Rampurhat area of West Bengal's Birbhum after a mob allegedly set houses on fire following the killing of Trinamool Congress leader Bahadur Shaikh.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the probe of the Birbhum violence case following the Calcutta High Court order.
16:51 Delhi Court allows CBI to collect handwriting specimen of Chitra Ramkrishna
A special court in Delhi on Monday allowed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to collect a handwriting specimen of Chitra Ramkrishna, former managing director and chief executive officer of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) in connection with the NSE co-location case.
The CBI Judge Sanjeev Aggarwal on Monday allowed CBI to collect handwriting specimen during judicial custody for investigation purposes. Meanwhile, the court also extended the judicial custody of Chitra Ramkrishna till April 11, 2022. She was produced before the court at the end of her judicial custody.
CBI prosecutor on Monday submitted that the investigation is presently at a very crucial stage and we are examining several digital pieces of evidence in the case.
Last week the same court had sought a response from the investigation agency within two weeks in the bail petition of Chitra Ramakrishna.
In the National Stock Exchange Co-location case, the CBI stated that the investigation has alleged that in pursuance of criminal conspiracy, the accused Chitra Ramakrishna, by misusing her official position, re-designated the post of accused Anand Subramanian as Group Operating Officer and Advisor to MD from April 1, 2015, without bringing the same to the notice of NRC and the board.
The CBI is probing the alleged improper dissemination of information from the computer servers of the market exchanges to the stockbrokers. -- PTI
16:41 No, Putin-Zelenskyy will not meet for talks
Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that the talks between Russia-Ukraine negotiators could take place on Tuesday but there are no plans for a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
According to the Russian Times, Peskov said that Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul is unlikely to start on Monday but could happen on Tuesday instead.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke by phone on Sunday with Putin. They agreed that the next round of talks between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators would be held in Istanbul, a source familiar with the matter told Sputnik.
"The meeting is expected to begin tomorrow afternoon and last until the evening. Ankara's mediation on Ukraine will be the top item on the agenda," the source said.
Earlier, the head of the Russian delegation and presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky said that Russia-Ukraine talks are ongoing every day in a video format.
16:31 Fire at Ghazipur dumping yard; 6 fire tenders at spot
A fire broke out at the dumping yard of east Delhi's Ghazipur area on Monday, fire officials said. Six fire tenders have reached the spot to bring the blaze under control, they said. A call was received around 2.30 pm about a fire in Khaata at Ghazipur, they said. Further details are awaited. PTI
16:23 Take a bow, Maharashtra
After seemingly finding permanence on the 2nd spot for over a year, Maharashtra now finds itself on the fifth spot for the number of Covid-19 cases among states. Karnataka has unfortunately taken Maharashtra's spot.
16:12 Russia abducting mayors, killing them: Zelenskyy
Updates from Ukraine: Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy tells the Economist: "Some mayors abducted by Russia have turned up dead.
"(Russians) are kidnapping the mayors of our cities. Some of them we cannot find. Some of them we have already found, and they are dead," Zelenskyy said.
In an interview with independent Russian media outlets, Zelenskyy stressed that Ukraine's priority is ensuring its sovereignty and preventing Moscow from carving it up. But, he added: "Security guarantees and neutrality, non-nuclear status of our state -- we are ready to go for it."
Russia has long demanded that Ukraine drop any hope of joining the western NATO alliance, which Moscow sees as a threat. Zelenskyy said that the question of neutrality, which would keep Ukraine out of NATO or other military alliances, should be put to Ukrainian voters in a referendum after Russian troops withdraw.
"We must come to an agreement with the president of the Russian Federation, and in order to reach an agreement, he needs to get out of there on his own feet ... and come to meet me," he said in an interview that Russia barred its media from publishing.
Image: An apartment building heavily damaged during the Ukraine-Russia conflict in Mariupol. Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters
15:44 Birbhum killings: Accused taken to CBI office
A CBI team takes the Birbhum violence accused to the CBI camp this afternoon for a probe into the arson and killings of eight people.
A 30-member team of the central agency visited the Bogtui village in Birbhum on Saturday and started investigation into the case.
Bhadu Sheikh, a deputy pradhan owing allegiance to the state's ruling Trinamool Congress, was murdered last week, triggering attacks in the village where assailants set several houses on fire that charred at least eight people to death.
Sleuths of the Central Forensic Science Laboratory, a unit of the CBI, also visited the gutted houses and started collecting samples.
The Calcutta high court on Friday handed over the investigation into the Birbhum killings to the CBI and set a deadline of April 7 to submit its progress report.
15:32 Will Smith's son reacts to Oscar slap
American rapper and actor Jaden Smith has weighed in on the eventful night that his parents had at the 94th Academy Awards.
His father Will Smith went on to win the Best Actor award for his performance in 'King Richard' after earlier getting into a heated exchange with Chris Rock, in which he smacked the comedian onstage.
Soon after the broadcast concluded, Jaden seemingly showed support for his dad on Twitter by writing, "And That's How We Do It."
In another tweet, Jaden shared a photo of himself wearing sunglasses in the backseat of a car, writing: "My Dads Speech Made Me Cry."
The incident during the award show unravelled after Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith's hair loss, which she had previously revealed was due to her years-long struggle with alopecia. "Jada, I love ya. G.I. Jane 2, can't wait to see ya," he joked.
Initially, Smith was laughing but Jada clearly looked affected by the joke. The actor then went onto the stage and slapped Rock, leaving everyone stunned.
"Oh wow! Will Smith just smacked the s-- out of me," said a seemingly taken-aback Rock as Smith made his way back to his seat.
The 94th Academy Awards took place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday. -- ANI
15:26 That's Rs 2.6 lakh!
A youth in Salem paid Rs 2.6 lakh to buy a bike with Re 1 coins he collected in three years. Imagine the pain of counting the coins!
15:21 Reconciliation, not revenge, is the way forward in Kashmir
Films like 'The Kashmir Files', which turn pain into propaganda, facilitate polarising politics, writes a Kashmiri Pandit. Read the column here.
15:11 17,000 Russian troops killed in Ukraine
The Kyiv Independent: These are the indicative estimates of Russia's combat losses as of March 28, according to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Russian forces have made no significant progress in the past 24 hours amid continuing supply problems and aggressive resistance from Ukrainian fighters, U.K. defense officials say.
Poor morale and a lack of momentum have compounded the problems facing Russian forces, Britain's Ministry of Defense said in its latest intelligence briefing.
Heavy fighting continues around Mariupol as Russian forces try to capture the port on the Sea of Azov, which connects to the Black Sea, the ministry said in a briefing posted on Twitter.
Earlier, the ministry said Russia was maintaining a blockade of Ukraine's Black Sea coast, cutting off maritime trade with the country.
The Russian navy is also launching sporadic missile strikes against targets in Ukraine, the ministry said.
14:59 Govt strengthening defence PSUs: Rajnath in RS
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Monday that there is no question of weakening state-owned companies operating in the defence sector and asserted that the government is taking all steps to strengthen them with equity support, clearing liabilities besides giving high-level orders.
Replying to a query during the Question Hour in the Upper House, the Defence Minister said, "Our government is strengthening all DPSUs (Defence Public Sector Undertakings) with equity support. We are also clearing their committed liabilities so that our DPSUs do not weaken in any manner."
That apart, the government is providing high level orders to DPSUs.
"As per my knowledge, about 80 per cent orders are given to DPSUs even today. There is no question of weakening the DPSUs," he added.
Noting that the defence sector is driven by high-end technology and innovation, Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhat said production orders are given to DPSUs too, even as FDI has been allowed in areas where the country does not have expertise and capacity.
The government is taking steps to make the country self-reliant in defence sector. Therefore, the government has split the Ordnance Factory Board into seven new public sector units, he said.
14:53 We are not amused, Bhuvi's daughter seems to think
Bhuvneshwar Kumar shares this loved up picture with his baby daughter with a sprinkling of heart emojis.
Bhuvi will be leading the bowling for SunRisers Hyderabad again this IPL season tomorrow.
Bhuvi and his wife Nupur gave birth to their daughter on November 24th 2021.
14:41 Chris Rock won't press charges after Will's slap
Chris Rock has declined to file a police report following an altercation with Will Smith at the 94th Academy Awards.
Smith took to the stage during the ceremony and slapped Rock after the comedian made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith.
A full statement from the Los Angeles Police Department obtained by Variety reads: "LAPD investigative entities are aware of an incident between two individuals during the Academy Awards program. The incident involved one individual slapping another. The individual involved has declined to file a police report. If the involved party desires a police report at a later date, LAPD will be available to complete an investigative report."
While presenting the best documentary feature at the Oscars, Rock made a joke about Pinkett Smith's shaved head by comparing it to the look of Demi Moore in the 1997 movie 'G.I. Jane'. Rock said he couldn't wait to see Pinkett Smith, who has alopecia, star in 'G.I. Jane 2'.
Initially, Smith was laughing but Jada clearly looked affected by the joke. Smith then took to the stage to slap Rock. Smith returned to his seat and shouted, "Keep my wife's name out of your f**king mouth!"
A few minutes after the incident, Smith was announced Best Actor at the Oscars. During his acceptance speech, he apologised for his behaviour.
14:38 SpiceJet flight collides with electric pole at Delhi airport
A SpiceJet flight collided with an electric pole at the Delhi airport during pushback of the aircraft. The aircraft was changed for the passengers on board; investigations have been launched, an airport official said.
More clarity from a SpiceJet spokesperson: "Today, SpiceJet flight SG 160 was scheduled to operate between Delhi and Jammu. During push back, the right-wing trailing edge came in close contact with a pole, causing damage to the aileron. A replacement aircraft has been arranged to operate the flight."
During the incident, the passengers were on board and the airline company replaced the aircraft.
13:52 Russia kills 143 children in Ukraine
The Kyiv Independent: 143! Russia kills 143 children in Ukraine.
Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, 143 children have been killed and 216 injured, according to Ukraine's Ombudsman. The actual numbers may be higher as Ukraine cannot reach some cities due to heavy fighting.
Image: A kindergarten room destroyed in a rocket strike in the Byshiv, Ukraine. The rocket hit the kindergarten on March 2 and 3. It used to accommodate 120 children from the area, they were evacuated long before the strikes. Anastasia Vlasova/Getty Images
FM Nirmala Sitharaman
13:52 Banks never got back money from defaulters under UPA govt: FM
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday attacked the previous UPA regime for its alleged failure to recover money from those who turned their loan accounts into non performing assets, and said under the Modi government, banks for the first time got back money from defaulters.
Sitharaman also said in the Lok Sabha that actions have been taken, including registration of FIRs, against those who have cheated small savings depositors through various fraudulent activities.
She said the Reserve Bank of India is also monitoring activities of App based financial companies. Responding to questions by DMK's T R Baalu about the government's action against loan defaulters and NPAs, the minister said writing off loans does not mean complete waive off and the banks are following every loan to recover the outstanding amount.
"Over Rs 10,000 crore, I am saying 'over' as I don't want to disclose the actual figure, have been recovered by PSU banks from loan defaulters after taking over their assets. For the first time in the country, under the Modi government, the banks got back money from many NPAs. While during the UPA government, no money was recovered from the NPAs," she said.
Sitharaman's remarks invited sharp reaction and protests from Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury. The finance minister said the opposition party must listen to the bitter truth and alleged that the loans were given during the previous UPA regime due to political considerations. -- PTI
13:42 Another Oscar loss: India's 'Writing with Fire'
"Writing With Fire", the Indian documentary that chronicled the rise of a newspaper run by Dalit women, lost to "Summer of Soul (Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)" in the best documentary feature category at the 94th edition of the Oscars, Hollywood's biggest awards ceremony.
"Summer Of Soul" is directed by the Roots frontman Ahmir Thompson, best known by his stage name Questlove. For the film, Thompson arranged the never-seen-before archival footage of the Harlem Cultural Festival, celebrating African American music and culture, and promoting Black pride and unity, attended by 300,000 people in the summer of 1969.
The "stunning" win of the movie was about "the marginalised people in Harlem that needed to heal from pain", he said.
"It's not lost on me that the story of the Harlem Cultural Festival should have been something that my beautiful mother and my dad should have taken me to when I was five years old," Thompson added.
Overcome by emotion, the musician said Black cultural institutions and expressions are still ignored in contemporary pop culture. "Just know in 2022, this is not just a 1969 story about marginalised people in Harlem. This is a story of... I'm sorry, I'm just overwhelmed right now," added Thompson. -- PTI
13:42 Another Oscar loss: India's 'Writing with Fire'
"Writing With Fire", the Indian documentary that chronicled the rise of a newspaper run by Dalit women, lost to "Summer of Soul (Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)" in the best documentary feature category at the 94th edition of the Oscars, Hollywood's biggest awards ceremony.
"Summer Of Soul" is directed by the Roots frontman Ahmir Thompson, best known by his stage name Questlove. For the film, Thompson arranged the never-seen-before archival footage of the Harlem Cultural Festival, celebrating African American music and culture, and promoting Black pride and unity, attended by 300,000 people in the summer of 1969.
The "stunning" win of the movie was about "the marginalised people in Harlem that needed to heal from pain", he said.
"It's not lost on me that the story of the Harlem Cultural Festival should have been something that my beautiful mother and my dad should have taken me to when I was five years old," Thompson added.
Overcome by emotion, the musician said Black cultural institutions and expressions are still ignored in contemporary pop culture. "Just know in 2022, this is not just a 1969 story about marginalised people in Harlem. This is a story of... I'm sorry, I'm just overwhelmed right now," added Thompson. -- PTI
13:40 Oscars skip Lata, Dilip Kumar in 'In memoriam'
Melody queen Lata Mangeshkar and cinema veteran Dilip Kumar were not included in the 'In Memoriam' segment of the 94th Academy Awards, an apparent oversight from the organisers that left Indian fans enraged.
The absence of two of Indian cinema's giants from the 2022 Oscars ceremony was a glaring one, especially after the British Academy Film and Television Awards (BAFTA) honoured Mangeshkar and Kumar earlier this month.
In its 2021 edition, the Oscars featured actor Irrfan Khan and Oscar winning costume designer Bhanu Athaiya in its tributes section, while Bollywood stars Rishi Kapoor and Sushant Singh Rajput found mention on the official website of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).
The fans expressed their anger on Twitter, slamming the Academy for omitting the two Indian legends. One user wrote, "Shame that @TheAcademy didn't pay homage to the two all time greats - Lata Mangeshkar & Dilip Kumar..." "They should have shown Lata Mangeshkar and Dilip Kumar in the In Memoriam section ..I mean come on man! They are CINEMA LEGENDS! #Oscars," another person posted on Twitter.
One more Twitteratti referred to Will Smith and Chris Rock's slapgate incident and posted, "So #Oscars didn't have time to pay tribute to Indian legends #LataMangeshkar & #DilipKumar. Not that it should matter to us but they rightfully deserve a slap. Consider #WillSmith charging at #Oscar2022"
While Mangeshkar found a mention on the 2022 list, posted on the Academy's website, Kumar was absent from this line-up as well.
During the live telecast, the Oscars honoured actors such as Sidney Poitier, Betty White, Carmine Salinas, Olivia Dukakis, William Hurt, Ned Beatty, Peter Bogdanovich, Clarence Williams III, Michael K Williams, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Sally Kellerman, Yvette Mimeux, Sonny Chiba, Saginaw Grant, Dorothy Steel, Dean Stockwell, Melvin Van Peebles, Norman Lloyd, and Max Julien in the 'In Memoriam' segment at the show held at Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
Suvendu Adhikari and 4 other BJP MLAs were suspended
13:32 WB speaker suspends 5 BJP MLAs for unruly conduct
Five BJP MLAs, including Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, were suspended by West Bengal Assembly Speaker Biman Bandyopadhyay on Monday for their alleged unruly conduct in the House.
Adhikari, along with BJP legislators Dipak Burman, Shankar Ghosh, Manoj Tigga and Narahari Mahato, were suspended by the Speaker for future sessions this year.
Earlier in the day, the assembly plunged into pandemonium as ruling TMC and BJP MLAs exchanged blows after saffron party legislators demanded a statement by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over "worsening" law and order situation in the state.
Around 25 BJP MLAs led by Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari then walked out of the assembly, claiming that several party legislators were roughed up by TMC MLAs inside the House.
TMC leader and state minister Firhad Hakim, however, told reporters that the BJP is staging a drama to create chaos in the assembly. He also said that some Trinamool Congress legislators were injured during the scuffle that took place inside the House. PTI
13:24 Mann launches doorstep ration in Punjab
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday announced the rollout of the doorstep ration delivery scheme, saying the poor will no longer need to stand in queues as good quality ration will be delivered at their doorstep.
However, the scheme will be optional for the eligible beneficiaries, Mann said in a video message. Mann said the details of this scheme will be made available shortly.
"The AAP government has decided to start the doorstep delivery of ration scheme. Under the scheme, good quality ration items will be delivered at the beneficiaries' doorstep and no one will now need to stand in queues or leave his work for this, he said. "Our officers will make a phone call to the beneficiaries and ration will be delivered at their homes as per their convenience and availability," said Mann.
He said this scheme is optional. The Punjab chief minister said if the ration depot is very close to your home, one may fetch the ration from there. Mann said the Arvind Kejriwal government had started this scheme in Delhi too, "but unfortunately it was stopped. But in Punjab we are going to implement this scheme and we will run it successfully".
Mann said it is sad that even 75 years after country's independence, the poor and common people still have to stand in long queues outside ration depots to get their ration. In this age of digitalization, various items of daily needs including food items, are delivered at people's doorsteps at one phone call, he said.
"But on many occasions, poor people, most of whom are daily wagers, have to give up their day's work for taking ration (from fair price shops). The person who is living hand to mouth, if he has to leave his day's work to fetch his ration, how sad it is.
"I know many elderly women who have to walk two km to get their ration from depots, whose quality is sometimes not that good," said Mann. He said now people will get rid of all these things. "Governments are for the people, they are elected by the people and governments should be to facilitate people and not to harass them or create problems for them," he pointed out.
"You (beneficiaries) will get good quality ration, what people commonly consume, what rich consume, you will get the same flour, pulses..," he said. Earlier on March 19, Mann, in the first decision of his first Cabinet meeting, threw open 25,000 jobs in various state government departments, including 10,000 in the Police Department.
12:45 Hijab row: Muslim Law Board moves SC against HC
The All India Muslim Personal Law Board has moved the Supreme Court against Karnataka High Court order which dismissed pleas against the ban on Hijab in educational institutes.
In the petition filed through advocate MR Shamshad, the petitioners All India Muslim Personal Law Board and two Muslim women members, have challenged the Karnataka High Court order dated March 15, 2022 which has upheld government order relating to strict enforcement of dress code in educational institutes.
The petitioner claimed that the Karnataka HC's judgment presents an erroneous understanding of the Islamic texts particularly the primary and highest source of Islamic law i.e, the Holy Quran.
"In its impugned Judgment, the High Court of Karnataka curtails religious freedom and constitutional rights of Muslim women," the board claimed.
They further said that certain sporadic groups started heckling Muslim girl students practicing Hijab in December 2021 and when it escalated to a larger scale, the Government of Karnataka issued the impugned Government Order dated February 5, 2022, making an issue of direct discrimination of selectively chosen class of girls by directly referring to "headscarf or a garment covering the head" not being violative of Article 25.
"The Government Order dated February 5, 2022, is on the face of it blatantly partisan and communal in colour appeasing to hecklers demand. Ironically, the impugned Government Order dated February 5, 2022, was upheld as being in consonance with "constitutional secularism" ignoring that the same leads to discrimination against Muslims in general and Muslim girls in particular whose right to education are denied," the petitioner said. -- ANI
Aam Aadmi Party MP Raghav Chadha
12:33 The AAP MP who walked the ramp at LFW
Senior leader of Aam Aadmi Party, Raghav Chadha took a walk down the fashion lane as a showstopper at the Lakme Fashion Week 2022.On Sunday, Chadha walked the ramp for his maternal uncle and fashion designer Pawan Sachdeva.
Dressed in a leather jacket, paired with leather pants and matching shoes, he exuded confidence in his ramp debut.
An orange belt with lining on shoulders in the same colour stood out in the otherwise all-black outfit.
Actor Aparshakti Khurana also walked the ramp for Sachdeva, flaunting a grey suit with matching jogger pants, sports shoes and sported round glasses with chain.
12:10 Banking svcs partially hit In 2-day Bharat bandh
A 48-hour Bharat Bandh or a nationwide strike called by various trade unions, including banking staff, to protest government policies began in several states on Monday, affecting normal life in some areas.
Banking services were partially impacted as a section of employees did not report for duty, news agency PTI reported.
Transactions at many public sector banks were hit and delays were expected in cheque clearances. However, there was barely any impact on the functioning of most private sector banks.
12:03 Mujib was a complex man, politicians are complex
Shortly after midnight of March 25, 1971, a message was sent to Chittagong. "...from today Bangladesh is independent...' it read. It was from Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, also known as Bangabandhu. Nine months later, the War of Liberation was finally over and a new nation was delivered. Director Shyam Benegal has just finished shooting his film 'Mujib: The Making of a Nation' . The Telegraph spoke to him. Read more here.
11:39 Israel PM tests Covid +ve, India visit doubtful
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday, according to his media adviser. Bennett, 50, was scheduled to visit India from April 3 to 5. It is not yet known if the visit will be called off.
The Prime Minister is feeling well and will continue to work from home," a statement from his office said.
"Bennett will hold a situational assessment this morning on last night's terror attack with the participation of Defence Minister Benny Gantz, Internal Security Minister Omer Barlev, Israel Defence Forces Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi, Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, police chief Kobi Shabtai and other officials," it said.
Bennett attended a meeting in Hadera, the site of the terror attack in which two Israeli border policemen were killed and few others injured on Sunday but was seen wearing a mask in the officially released photograph. PTI
11:34 CM Adityanath, Akhilesh Yadav take oath as members of UP Assembly
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday took oath as member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly. After Adityanath, Akhilesh Yadav, who has been named as the Leader of the Opposition, took oath as MLA.
While Adityanath won the recent state polls from the Gorakhpur Urban seat, Yadav was elected as an MLA from the Karhal assembly constituency. Pro-tem speaker Ramapati Shastri administered oath to members in the House
11:25 Pramod Sawant takes oath as Goa CM
Pramod Sawant takes oath as Goa Chief Minister for the 2nd consecutive term.
The key attendees included Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP President JP Nadda, Haryana CM ML Khattar and Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.Vishwajeet Rane, Mauvin Godinho, Ravi Naik, Nilesh Cabral, Subhash Shirodkar, Rohan Khaunte, Atanasio Monserrate, and Govind Gaude also took oath as Ministers today.
Before Sawant, Goa for the Bharatiya Janata Party had all been about the former Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who had also served as Union Minister for Defence.
11:24 BJP Parl meet tomorrow
BJP Parliamentary party meeting scheduled to be held tomorrow, 29th March, at Ambedkar International Centre, Delhi.
10:58 Shah to introduce 'The Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill, 2022' in LS today
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday will introduce "The Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill, 2022" in the Lok Sabha.
The bill aims at authorising the police to take measurements of convicts and other persons for the purposes of their identifications and investigations in criminal matters to preserve records.
The bill allows police to collect "finger-impressions, palm-print impressions, footprint impressions, photographs, iris and retina scan, physical, biological samples and their analysis, behavioural attributes, including signatures, handwriting or any other examination" referred to in section 53 or section 53A of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973.
As per the provisions of the bill, any person convicted, arrested or detained under any preventive detention law will be required to provide "measurements" to a police officer or a prison official.
The bill will repeal the existing 'The Identification of Prisoners Act, 1920'.
Empty offices seen due to strike
10:52 Maha invokes MESMA barring power cos employees from joining strike
As the two-day nationwide strike called by trade unions began on Monday, the Maharashtra government has invoked the Maharashtra Essential Services Maintenance Act or MESMA barring employees of state-run electricity companies from joining the protest.
Maharashtra Power Minister Nitin Raut confirmed the invocation of MESMA.
According to government sources, electricity consumption in Maharashtra has already gone up at present and there is also a coal shortage in the state.
Staging a strike at this juncture will cause inconvenience to farmers, industries and the people in general, the sources said.
"The government has so far ensured that there is no load shedding in Maharashtra despite the coal shortage and financial concerns. However, if the strike happens at this juncture, it will result in load shedding.
"The government does not want this to happen. People should not be inconvenienced and hence, MESMA has been invoked in the state today," the minister said.
Sources also said that the government is open to talking with representatives of unions of employees attached to the state's power companies like Maharashtra State Power Generation Company, Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company and Maharashtra State Electricity Transmission Company over their concerns.
The employees are against the alleged privatisation of power companies in the state and, therefore, want to join the nationwide strike called by the trade unions.
"Issues can be resolved through dialogue. Why go on strike then?" the sources asked. -- PTI
10:44 India records 1,270 new COVID-19 cases
With 1,270 new coronavirus infections being reported in a day, India's total tally of COVID-19 cases rose to 4,30,20,723, while the active cases further declined to 15,859, according to the Union health ministry data updated on Monday.
The death toll climbed to 5,21,035 with 31 daily fatalities, the data updated at 8 am stated.
The active cases constitute 0.04 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.75 per cent, the health ministry said.
A reduction of 328 cases was recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.
The daily positivity rate was recorded at 0.29 per cent while the weekly positivity rate was 0.26 per cent, according to the health ministry. -- PTI
09:53 China imposes lockdown in Shanghai over Covid outbreak
China began locking down most of its largest city of Shanghai from Monday to curb an Omicron-driven Covid outbreak.
In the second phase of the lockdown, the vast downtown area west of the Huangpu River that divides the city will then start its own five-day lockdown from Friday.
Residents will be required to stay home and deliveries will be left at checkpoints to ensure there is no contact with the outside world.
China has reported more than 56,000 infections nationwide this month, with a surging outbreak in the northeastern province of Jilin accounting for most of them.
Shanghai has had relatively few of those cases, with just 50 cases recorded on Monday.
09:28 'Encanto' wins best animated feature at Oscars
Walt Disney Pictures' Encanto, a Colombia-set story of a family living in a magical house, won the best animated Oscar at the 94the Academy Awards.
Directed by Jared Bush and Byron Howard and co-directed by Charise Castro Smith, the film was a box office success and also charmed the critics when it released in November last year.
Interestingly, Encanto co-director Bush is best known for co-directing Oscar-winning animation Zootopia.
The film beat out fellow animated nominees Flee, Luca, The Mitchells vs. the Machines and Raya and the Last Dragon.
The story of Encanto is told through an ordinary 15-year-old who's struggling to find her place in her family. But when she discovers that the magic surrounding the Encanto is in danger, she realises that as the only ordinary member in her family, she might be their last hope.
In an earlier interview with PTI, the directors had said that with Encanto, they wanted to create a culturally-authentic family during the pandemic.
"We never knew, when we're setting out to tell the story about a family in a home, that we would end up telling the story with our families from our homes. I think it turned out to be a really unexpectedly wonderful thing to be able to do that as we all saw our families differently,'' Bush said in the November 2021 interview.
To tell a story, which has not just one but a bunch of people in focus, was an exciting experience for Howard, the director behind Disney's much-loved movie Tangled'.
"I'm just very excited about how the movie speaks to these ideas of large extended families, something that we haven't really conquered before with the Disney films," Howard had said.
09:13 Petrol, diesel prices hiked for 6th time in 7 days
Petrol price on Monday was hiked by 30 paise a litre and diesel by 35 paise, taking the total increase in rates in the last one week to Rs 4-4.10 per litre.
Petrol in Delhi will now cost Rs 99.41 per litre as against Rs 99.11 previously while diesel rates have gone up from Rs 90.42 per litre to Rs 90.77, according to a price notification of state fuel retailers.
Rates have been increased across the country and vary from state to state depending upon the incidence of local taxation.
This is the sixth increase in prices since the ending of a four-and-half-month long hiatus in rate revision on March 22.
In the first four four occasions, prices were increased by 80 paise a litre - the steepest single-day rise since the daily price revision was introduced in June 2017. On Sunday, petrol price went up by 50 paise a litre and diesel by 55 paise.
In all, petrol prices have gone up by Rs 4 per litre and diesel by Rs 4.10.
Prices had been on a freeze since November 4 ahead of the assembly elections in states like Uttar Pradesh and Punjab -- a period during which the cost of raw material (crude oil) soared by about USD 30 per barrel.
The rate revision was expected soon after counting of votes on March 10 but it was put off by a couple of weeks. -- PTI
09:02 Oscars 2022: Will Smith punches Chris Rock over joke about wife
In a wild and what appeared to be an unscripted moment at the Oscars, Will Smith strode to the stage and landed a punch on Chris Rock after the comedian cracked a joke about the Hollywood star's wife Jada Pinkett-Smith.
Smith later won the best actor Oscar for his role in biographical drama King Richard.
The exchange started when Rock came on stage to announce the winners for best documentary feature award.
Before revealing the winner, Rock decided to land a joke on Pinkett-Smith, saying that she could star in the sequel to G.I. Jane, to which she was seen rolling her eyes.
The joke was in reference to Pinkett-Smith's shaved head because of autoimmune disorder alopecia but it didn't go down well with Smith, who went up to the stage and punched Rock, leaving everybody in attendance shocked over the events.
After receiving the jab from the actor, Rock said, "Wow. Will Smith just smacked the s**t out of me."
Once he reached back to his seat, Smith shouted at Rock, saying, "Keep my wife's name out of your f**king mouth!".
After Rock announced the winners of the best documentary feature award, Diddy was the next presenter during the ceremony.
The rapper, who appeared to introduce the 50th anniversary celebration to The Godfather, addressed the situation by saying, "Will and Chris, we're going to solve that like a family. Right now we're moving on with love. Everybody make some noise."
This year's ceremony, held at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood (formerly Hollywood & Highland), is being hosted by Wanda Sykes, Amy Schumer and Regina Hall. -- PTI
A scene from 'Writing With Fire'
08:35 India's 'Writing with Fire' loses at Oscars 2022
Writing With Fire, the Indian documentary that chronicled the rise of a newspaper run by Dalit women, lost to Summer of Soul (Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) in the best documentary feature category at the 94th edition of the Oscars, Hollywood's biggest awards ceremony.
Summer Of Soul (Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised) is directed by the Roots frontman Ahmir Thompson, best known by his stage name Questlove.
For the film, Thompson arranged the never-seen-before archival footage of the Harlem Cultural Festival, celebrating African American music and culture, and promoting Black pride and unity, attended by 300,000 people in the summer of 1969.
Like the feature CODA, the acclaimed documentary feature was a festival favourite winning both the grand jury and audience awards in the US Documentary Competition category at the Sundance Film Festival 2021.
Other Oscar nominees in the best documentary feature category were Ascension, Attica and Flee.
Writing with Fire, directed by debutants Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh, was considered a dark horse in the Oscars race with its feel-good story of Khabar Lahariya, India's only newspaper run by Dalit women.
But just weeks before the award ceremony, the film was mired in controversy when the newspaper organisation issued a lengthy statement saying the documentary did not accurately present their story.
It is not immediately clear whether the controversy affected the documentary's chances at the Oscars.
Last week, Khabar Lahariya editor Kavita Bundelkhandi said the film portrayed the newspaper "inaccurately" by insinuating that it only focuses on reporting on issues surrounding "one political party".
"The documentary portrays our work inaccurately because it shows only a part of what we do, and shows that ours is only about one political party," Bundelkhandi told PTI without naming the political party.
She said they were proud that a documentary was made on their achievements but wished it was a more rounded portrayal.
Win or loss, the nomination in the final five at the Oscars is a huge achievement for the documentary community in India, which has been steadily making a mark for itself in the international festival circles.
And Ghosh had said as much when the nominations were announced in February.
"This is a massive moment for us and for Indian cinema... This film is about fearless Dalit women journalists who are redefining what being powerful means, quintessentially the story of the modern Indian woman," Ghosh had told PTI.
08:21 'Dune' rules at Oscars 2022, lifts 6 awards
Denis Villeneuve's Dune, which is nominated in 10 categories, won early Oscars for the best sound, best editing, best cinematography, best score, best production design and best visual effects in the controversial pre-taped announcement by the Academy this year.
The Academy had decided to pre-tap eight of this year's Oscars categories, also including documentary short, makeup/hairstyling, production design, animated short, live-action short and sound.
Mac Ruth, Mark Mangini, Theo Green, Doug Hemphill and Ron Bartlett were the winners for Dune in the best sound category, which also had nominations from Belfast, No Time to Die, The Power of the Dog and West Side Story.
Legendary composer Hans Zimmer, who is known for scoring most of the Christopher Nolan's films, walked away with the best original score trophy for Dune.
The other contenders in the category were Nicholas Britell for Don't Look Up, Germaine Franco for Encanto, Alberto Iglesias for Parallel Mothers and Jonny Greenwood for The Power of the Dog.
Joe Walker nabbed the trophy for best editing for Dune, beating out films such as Don't Look Up, King Richard, The Power of the Dog and Tick, TickBoom!.
The film also won in the production design category ahead of Nightmare Alley, The Power of the Dog, The Tragedy of Macbeth and West Side Story.
Greig Fraser won the best cinematography award for Dune, which was nominated alongside Nightmare Alley, The Power of the Dog, The Tragedy of Macbeth and West Side Story in the category.
The film also picked best production design award for Zsuzsanna Sipos and Patrice Vermette, and best visual effects for Paul Lambert, Tristan Myles, Brian Connor and Gerd Nefzer. -- PTI
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