The Samajwadi Party has claimed that the temple of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in Bharatkund was built by a 'Bharatiya Janata Party supporter' to 'capture' private land.

In a tweet, the SP also attached a newspaper article in which a native of Ayodhya has alleged that his nephew got the temple constructed on his land on the Faizabad-Prayagraj highway, 25 km away from the under-construction Ram Mandir, without his permission.

Bharatkund is believed to be the place where Lord Ram's younger brother Bharat bade him farewell before he went into exile.

In a complaint sent to the chief minister on September 21 through the grievance redressal 'Jansunwai' portal, complainant Ramnath Maurya, a resident of Kalyan Bhadarsa, alleged that the land on which Adityanath's temple has been built was initially owned by him and his late elder brother Jagannath Maurya.

However, the property was divided, and after Jagannath passed away, his son Prabhakar Maurya allegedly kept the entire parcel of land to himself without giving Ramnath his share.

Prabhakar is the one who got Adityanath's temple constructed. It has a life-size idol of the chief minister, with a bow and arrows, and a halo around his head. The idol is clad in a saffron robe.

Special prayers are being offered twice every day at the temple.

'Prasad' is also distributed to 'devotees'.

Ramnath further alleged that Prabhakar was also eyeing to capture a piece of government land adjacent to the temple.

Pointing to the complaint, Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav asked Adityanath if he will take action against the 'land mafia' or a special squad from Delhi will be sent after the accused.

'The uncle of the person who has built the temple has complained to the chief minister himself that it has been built with the intention of taking illegal possession of his land. Now, the chief minister should tell whether he will take action against the 'land mafia' or a special squad will arrive from Delhi,' he said in a tweet on Friday.

The SP separately issued a tweet from its official handle in which it attached the newspaper report carrying the complainant's version against his nephew and said, 'The biggest land mafia is the BJP! To capture the barren land in Ayodhya, BJP supporters built a temple of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on it. Very embarrassing! How much more will the BJP stoop? Get the matter investigated and take action against the culprits under the National Security Act.'

The revenue department in Ayodhya, however, said it was not aware of the matter and would get it investigated in case a complaint is lodged.

Sohawal Tehsildar Pawan Kumar, under whose jurisdiction the village falls, said, the administration was not aware of the matter and it would be probed if a complaint is received.

BJP's state unit spokesman Harish Chand Srivastava said the local administration under the Yogi Adityanath government will investigate the matter to find out the facts.

"Such a reaction from a former chief minister, national president of a party and  Leader of Opposition is very superficial," he said.  -- PTI

The Punjab Police on Saturday said it has arrested an Army man in connection with the Chandigarh University case, in which it was alleged that a hostel recorded several objectionable videos of girl students in the common washroom.

Punjab Director General of Police Guarav Yadav said Sanjeev Singh was nabbed from Arunachal Pradesh.

He will be produced before a Mohali court.

'Crucial breakthrough in the #ChandigarhUniversity case with the assistance of the #Army, #Assam & #Arunachal Pradesh Police. Accused Army personnel Sanjeev Singh arrested from Sela Pass, Arunachal Pradesh. Transit remand obtained from Ld CJM Bomdilla for production before Mohali court,' said the DGP in a tweet.

Police had earlier arrested three people, a girl student and two men, from Himachal Pradesh.

Protests had rocked the university campus in Punjab's Mohali last week over allegations levelled by students that a hostel inmate recorded several objectionable videos of students in the common washroom.

Some students had even claimed that the videos were leaked.

The university authorities, however, dismissed these allegations as 'false and baseless'.   -- PTI

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has deployed his satellite-based 'Starlink' service in Iran amid widespread protests in the country following which authorities had restricted internet access.

Iranian authorities had cut off internet access for many of its citizens on Wednesday amid widespread protests over the death of a 22-year-old woman, Mahsa Amini, in police custody, according to reports.

On Friday, SpaceX founder Elon Musk had indicated that he will make Starlink available in Iran.

US State Secretary Antony Blinken earlier announced on Twitter aboout advancing internet freedom and the free flow of information for the Iranian people by issuing a General License to provide them greater access to digital communications to counter, what he claimed, was the Iranian government's censorship.

Replying to Blinken's tweet, Musk wrote, 'Activating Starlink ....'

Protestors have been demanding basic rights of freedom and holding demonstrations against the mandatory dress codes including the compulsory wearing of the hijab.

The protests in Iran erupted last weekend after Mahsa Amini died following her detainment by Iran's morality police.

She died a few days after falling into a coma while being detained on an accusation of violating a law related to hijabs.

It is worth noting that earlier this week, lawmakers from New York and New Jersey had urged US Treasury Department to grant approval if SpaceX sought licensing permission to make internet service available in Iran.

Lawmakers, led by Claudia Tenney of New York and Tom Malinowski of New Jersey, reportedly made the appeal to the Treasury Department, Fox News had reported.

The letter came after Musk tweeted Monday that SpaceX would seek exemptions from sanctions on the country.

SpaceX has deployed Starlink in emergency situations in past, such as in Ukraine after Russia invaded and in the South Pacific islands of Tonga after a volcanic eruption.   -- ANI

The Congress on Saturday alleged the education model being promoted by the Arvind Kejriwal government in Delhi is a 'model of fraud' and, if applied in other states, the entire education system will be 'ruined'.

Congress spokesperson Sandeep Dikshit said it is important to expose the 'so-called education model' of the Aam Aadmi Party, so that the education system running in other states does not get ruined by their 'bluff'.

"This is not a model of education, but a model of fraud, a model of modeling," the former MP alleged.

Citing statistics, Dikshit also claimed if Kejriwal's 'so-called education model' is adopted in other states, the entire education system will be ruined.

Dikshit said when the Congress government was formed in Delhi in 1998, 64 per cent of the children of class 12 used to pass in government schools.

In 2013-14, when the Congress went out of power, 89 percent of the children passed, he said at a press conference at the AICC headquarters in New Delhi.

"Now 96 percent of children are passing. Which means that in the 15 years of Sheila Dikshit's government, there was a 25 per cent increase in those passing, while in the eight years of the Kejriwal government, only seven per cent increase was there in their numbers," Dikshit said.

Under the Sheila Dikshit government, the number of 10th class students passing increased from 34 per cent to 90 per cent, while in the Kejriwal government, 80 per cent children are passing with difficulty, he claimed.

"The Congress government built 150 schools in Delhi, while the Kejriwal government has built hardly 20 schools. Some rooms have been repaired, so that is being publicised," he alleged.

"The Congress government and Sheila Dikshit ji never flaunted their work, never got articles written in foreign newspapers. The Congress government only focused on the development of Delhi," Dikshit said.

Dikshit, the son of former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit also said that in an RTI query it was asked how many jobs were given by the AAP government, and the reply was that only 440 jobs.

Nowhere in the history of India there has been such a dysfunctional government, he alleged.  -- PTI

Angry locals on Saturday damaged the vehicle of Yamkeshwar MLA Renu Bisht in Rishikesh allegedly over her late response to the murder of a 19-year-old girl who worked as a receptionist at a resort.

People smashed the rear windscreen of the legislator's car when she was passing by Cheela canal, from where the body of the girl was fished out earlier in the day.

Bisht escaped the attack unhurt and was escorted to safety by the police personnel.

The people alleged that despite being a woman, the MLA not only failed to fight for justice for the daughter of Yamkeshwar but also reacted to the incident days after her murder.

The girl was allegedly killed by the resort owner, a BJP leader's son, and his two other employees.

According to Uttarakhand police chief, the girl was killed because she refused to engage in special services with resort guests as demanded by the resort owner.

Before her body was found, she was reported missing by her parents after they could not find her in her room Monday morning.

Locals in Bhogpur had on Friday also hurled stones at Vanantara', the resort at the heart of the controversy, breaking several of its panes.

A pickle factory inside the resort premises mysteriously caught fire on Saturday.

However, the fire did not spread due to rain.

The resort has been sealed and police personnel deployed at the site, Pauri DM Vijay Kumar Jogdande said.   -- PTI

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Saturday got the nomination forms for the All India Congress Committee presidential poll collected from the party headquarters in New Delhi, all but confirming an electoral face-off for the top party post with Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.

Tharoor's close aide Aalim Javeri collected the forms from the office of the party's central election authority chairman Madhusudan Mistry at the AICC headquarters in New Delhi on the first day of the start of the nomination process.

After over two decades, the Congress is set to see a contest for the post of party chief with Rajasthan Chief Minister Gehlot, who has announced his candidature, expected to take on Tharoor.

Tharoor on Monday had met Sonia Gandhi and expressed his intention to contest poll, while the Congress president conveyed that she would stay 'neutral' in the elections, according to sources.

Sonia Gandhi welcomed the idea of more people contesting the poll and dispelled the notion that there would be an 'official candidate'.   -- PTI

Waterlogging on multiple stretches caused by intermittent rain for the third consecutive day led Gurugram Traffic Police to issue an advisory on Saturday about diversion and congestion.

Traffic police personnel and teams of Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority were pressed into action to manage the traffic and drain the water.

'Commuters on NH8 from Delhi/Gurugram to Manesar, Rewari and Jaipur side are requested to follow alternate routes like Golf course extension, Vatika Chowk and SPR,' Gurugram Traffic Police said in its advisory on Twitter.

'Similarly inner city commuters may follow Rajiv Chowk to Vatika Chowk and SPR route. This way will be free from water logging and they will be able to avoid slowdown of Traffic at Narsingpur water overflow/logging on Highway and service lanes. Traffic police will be there to facilitate your easy flow.'

Several vehicles were seen submerged at various places as the rain started on Saturday morning.

More than 50 areas, including Sector 15 Part 2, New Colony, Sector 7, Golf Course Road, Golf Course Extension, Service Lane of Delhi-Gurugram Expressway to Kherki Daula, Sector 10, Village Khandsa and Manesar, have been affected by the waterlogging.

A senior traffic officer said the situation was under control on the main carriageway but traffic was slow near Manesar due to heavy waterlogging. -- PTI

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday expelled Vinod Arya and his son from the party a day after the leader's another son was arrested in the murder case of a woman receptionist at a resort in Pauri.

Vinod Arya's son Pulkit -- who owns the resort in Pauri's Yamkeshwar block -- was arrested Friday along with two employees of the resort for allegedly killing the receptionist, who had been missing for the past few days.

The party's media incharge Manveer Chauhan said on Saturday that action has been taken against Vinod Arya and Ankit on the orders of state BJP president Mahendra Bhatt.

Vinod Arya, a party leader from Haridwar, has formerly served as a chairman of the Uttarakhand Mati Board with a state minister's rank.

Pulkit's brother Ankit is the vice president of state OBC Commission.

The three murder accused -- Pulkit Arya, resort manager Saurabh Bhaskar and assistant manager Ankit Gupta -- were sent to 14-day judicial custody by a court on Friday.   -- PTI

The Nationalist Congress Party on Saturday accused the spokesperson of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction of sharing a 'morphed' photo of Baramati MP Supriya Sule sitting on the chief minister's chair, and urged the Mumbai police to take action.

Incidentally, the NCP had on Friday accused Lok Sabha member Shrikant Shinde, son of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, of sitting in a chair meant for his father, although the parliamentarian from Kalyan had claimed that the picture had been taken at the office at their private residence.

Sheetal Mhatre, who is the spokesperson of the Shinde-led Sena faction, tweeted a photo of NCP MP Sule sitting on the chief minister's chair.

In the post, Mhatre also asked, "Look who is sitting on the chief minister's chair."

The photo shows Sule sitting on a chair and behind her there is a board with 'Maharashtra Government - Chief Minister' written on it.

It also shows her being flanked by former ministers and NCP leaders Dilip Walse Patil and Rajesh Tope.

Mhatre also posted a picture of Yuva Sena leader Varun Sardesai attending a meeting chaired by the then chief minister Uddhav Thackeray at the state secretariat.

Accusing Mhatre of posting a morphed picture, the NCP urged the Mumbai police's cyber cell to take action.

Ravikant Varpe, a state spokesman of the NCP, accused Mhatre of maligning the image of Supriya Sule and asked the police to act against her. He tagged the Mumbai police in his tweet.

Aditi Nalawade, an NCP functionary and close aide of Supriya Sule, posted a tweet in which she asked Mhatre to be original.

"Be original. Copies fail too fast," she said.

She also posted some pictures saying Walse Patil and Tope had attended a virtual meeting of COVID management called by PM Modi from Mantralaya, while former CM Uddhav Thackeray participated from Varsha, the official residence.

Nalawade also said that Sule's original picture was from one of the NCP functions.   -- PTI

The Congress has resumed its Bharat Jodo Yatra, after a day's break, from Perambra junction in the Thrissur district of Kerala on Saturday.

Workers and people of Thrissur came out in large numbers to support Rahul Gandhi and all the Padyatris as the Bharat Jodo Yatra resumes after a break.

On Thursday night, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had come to Delhi and the party has resumed its Yatra today with him.

The yatra, which began at 6.30 am from Perambra junction reached Amballur junction at 10 am for their morning break.

The yatra will then resume at 5 pm from Talore Bypass junction after which the leaders, workers, and supporters of the party are scheduled to take an evening break at Swaraj Round road at Vadakkumathan South Gate at 7 pm.

All the yatris of the Bharat Jodo Yatra shall stay at Thope Stadium in Thrissur as the yatra reaches it 16th day of the 3,500-km march from Kanyakumari to Kashmir.

The march aims to cover as many as 12 states in five months.From Kerala, the Yatra will traverse through the state for the next few days, reaching Karnataka on September 30.

It will be in Karnataka for 21 days before moving north.

The padyatra (march) will cover a distance of 25 km every day.

The Bharat Jodo Yatra took its 'much deserved break' right before the day of the filing of the nominations for the Congress presidential poll in the national capital today, which will be concluded on September 30.

Congress' presidential election will be held on October 17 and the election results would be declared on October 19.   -- ANI

Farmers on Saturday morning lifted their 20-hour blockade of the National Highway-44 at Shahabad in Kurukshetra after the government assured them of procuring more Kharif crops per acre than usual.

Farmers under Haryana Bhartiya Kisan Union (Chaduni) had on Friday blocked the national highway connecting Delhi and Chandigarh, demanding the government to immediately begin paddy procurement.

The procurement of Kharif crops, including paddy, in Haryana will start from October 1.

Haryana BKU (Chaduni) chief Gurnam Singh Chaduni said the decision to end the stir was taken after the government agreed to consider procuring 30 quintals of paddy per acre instead of the earlier 22 quintals.

Further, he said the district authorities will manage the crops that farmers bring to the mandis till the procurement begins on October 1.

Kurukshetra Deputy Commissioner Shantanu Sharma confirmed that the farmers had lifted the blockade.

As the vehicular movement had come to a standstill on Friday, a local advocate had filed a petition in the Punjab and Haryana high court asking it to direct the government to ensure smooth flow of traffic.

In a midnight hearing, the bench of Justice Augustine George Masih and Justice Alok Jain had passed necessary directions to the government in this connection.   -- PTI

The Pune police have registered an offence against more than 60 persons for holding without permission a protest in Pune against the nationwide raids on the Popular Front of India (PFI) and the arrest of its activists, an official said on Saturday.

Police had detained 41 of these protesters during their agitation held outside the Pune district collectorate on Friday, he said.

"We have registered an offence against more than 60 persons, including 41 who were detained yesterday, for organising a protest without permission, for unlawful assembly and for blocking the road," senior inspector Pratap Mankar of Bundgarden police station said.

The police had earlier given a notice to the organisers not to hold any protest, but they did not follow the order, he said.

Accordingly, an offence was registered against the protesters under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 141, 143 ,145, 147,149 (all pertaining to unlawful assembly), 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and 341 (wrongful restraint), and also under sections the Maharashtra Police Act.

In a massive crackdown on the PFI, multi-agency teams spearheaded by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had, on Thursday, arrested 106 leaders and activists of the radical Islamic outfit in near-simultaneous raids in 15 states for allegedly supporting terror activities in the country.

Maharashtra and Karnataka accounted for 20 arrests each, Tamil Nadu (10), Assam (9), Uttar Pradesh (8), Andhra Pradesh (5), Madhya Pradesh (4), Puducherry and Delhi (3 each) and Rajasthan (2).

The PFI, formed in 2006, claims to strive for a neo-social movement ostensibly for the empowerment of marginalised sections of India, and is often accused by law enforcement agencies of promoting radical Islam.  -- PTI

Hollywood star John Cusack on Saturday extended his support to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra and said he stands in solidarity with "anti-fascists everywhere".

 

Cusack, the star of blockbusters such as Serendipity, High Fidelity, Con Air and 2012, has been vocal about various global issues on social media.

Taking to Twitter, the 56-year-old actor wrote, "Indian parliament member  Rahul Gandhi is walking to Kashmir - from Kerala."

After a user thanked Cusack for supporting Gandhi's campaign, the actor said, "Yes - solidarity - to all anti fascists everywhere!"

The actor had earlier extended support to the farmers' protests against three farm laws and to the students protesting against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

The Congress' Bharat Jodo Yatra will cover 3,570 km in 150 days. It started from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu on September 7 and will conclude in Jammu and Kashmir.

The yatra, which entered Kerala on the evening of September 10, will go through the state covering 450 km, touching seven districts in 19 days before entering Karnataka on October 1. -- PTI 

Parts of Mumbai witnessed heavy rains on Saturday morning, but the public transport services in the city remained unaffected and no major waterlogging was reported, civic officials said.

          

The city and its eastern and western suburbs received heavy showers between 7 am and 8 am. But the rainfall stopped after that in most of these places. 

        

A civic official said that during the one hour, Dadar Fire station and Ravali Camp recorded 28 mm rainfall, F-North ward office 21 mm, F-South office 18 mm, Wadala Fire station 17 mm and Britannia at Reay Road recorded 12 mm rainfall.

        

In eastern suburbs, M-East and L-East ward offices recorded 17 mm and 12 mm rainfall, respectively, while SWM Workshop recorded 20 mm, Cooper Hospital and H-East ward 18 mm, Andheri fire station 17 mm and Versova Pumping station recorded 14 mm rainfall, he said. 

        

"No major waterlogging was reported anywhere in the city or Suburbs. The suburban train services running normal and bus services of Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) also were not diverted," the official said.

        

Mumbai city, its eastern suburbs and western suburbs recorded rainfall 27.45 mm, 5.24 mm and 9.38 mm, respectively, in the last 24 hours ending at 8.30 am on Saturday, the civic officials said. 

        

The India Meteorological Department has predicted partly cloudy skies in the morning and light to moderate rainfall in the city and its suburbs in the evening. -- PTI 

Police early Saturday recovered the body of a female receptionist, allegedly killed by a BJP leader's son, from Cheela canal where the accused had dumped her.

   

The development in the case was shared by Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami in a tweet, who said he was pained by the incident.  

 

Pulkit Arya, the key accused in the case and the owner of the resort where the victim worked, is a son of Vinod Arya, a BJP leader from Haridwar.

 

The politician was formerly a chairman of the Uttarakhand Mati Kala Board.

 

An SIT led by DIG police P Renuka Devi has been set up to conduct a speedy probe into the killing of the 19-year-old woman.

 

The resort, built illegally in the Yamkeshwar block of Pauri district by the BJP leader's son, was demolished late Friday night, Dhami said.

 

Those who have committed the heinous crime will not be spared, he said.

 

Pulkit Arya, resort manager Saurabh Bhaskar, and assistant manager Ankit Gupta were arrested on Friday after they confessed to have killed the girl and thrown her body into Cheela canal.

 

Initially, they tried to mislead the police, but when interrogated sternly they confessed to the crime, Pauri ASP Shekhar Chandra Suyal had said on Friday.

 

Before she was found dead, the girl was reported missing at a revenue police outpost by her parents, after they did not find her in her room on Monday morning. -- PTI  

United States President Joe Biden has terminated the designation of Afghanistan as a major non-NATO ally, more than a year after the Taliban captured power in Kabul. 

In 2012, the United States named Afghanistan a major non-NATO (MNNA) ally, which cleared the way for the two countries to maintain a defence and economic relationship.

The designation gave several facilities and concessions to Afghanistan in terms of defence and security-related assistance and equipment.

"By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 517 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961,...I hereby terminate the designation of Afghanistan as a Major Non-NATO Ally of the United States for the purposes of the Act and the Arms Export Control Act," Biden said in a presidential memorandum to the Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

The change in Afghanistan's status follows Biden's withdrawal of US troops from the country last year, ending nearly 20 years of war.

Afghanistan swiftly fell back into the hands of the Taliban, which have repeatedly made assurances to the international community that they will protect the rights of women and girls, while simultaneously stripping away many of their freedoms and protections. 

The MNNA status was first created in 1987. With Afghanistan's status rescinded, the US will have 18 major non-NATO allies, according to the State Department. 

They are Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Qatar, South Korea, Thailand and Tunisia.

Former Congress leader and senior lawyer Kapil Sibal has alleged that people have been living in fear of investigating agencies, the State, and the police.

Talking about the "use of religion as a weapon", the Rajya Sabha MP on Friday said that even though it was happening all over the world, "India is an excessive example of the use of religion."

"It's happening all over the world. It was complete intolerance what happened in Leicester yesterday. We all know what happened there. So it's being exported now. 

 

"The real problem is, in India today those who are part of the hate speech are the collaborators of a particular ideology, the police are not willing to do anything," Sibal said.

The former Cabinet minister was speaking at the launch of his book, "Reflections: In Rhyme and Rhythm", published by Rupa Publications. 

He added that those who give hate speeches are not prosecuted and hence, are "emboldened to give another speech of the nature." 

"Whole populations are afraid and they get mentally ghettoised. What do they do? So they are afraid. We are living in constant fear. We fear the ED, we fear the CBI, we fear the State, we fear the policemen, we fear everybody. We don't have any trust in anybody anymore," the politician-turned-poet said.

The 74-year-old senior advocate also criticised the judiciary, alleging that the poor man cannot come to the court as he has "no money to pay the lawyers."

"It is the fight between two corporate world in the court every day. Amazon vs Reliance, this vs that. And the poor man, he cannot come to the court. He doesn't have the money to pay for lawyers. A guy from Kerala, from the Northeast, West Bengal, in the south, how is he going to come to the Supreme Court. He just doesn't have the means," he rued.

He added that people's confidence in the justice system is waning.  

"Then there is the issue of fairness. What is fair? Fair is when you have great confidence that you will get justice. Lot of us believe that that confidence is waning and the general public, people of India think. 

 

"People who interact with me on a daily basis, will we get justice? I cannot assure them... There is no way to help. Because the system doesn't help them," Sibal said.

 

The book launch was also attended by Congress leader Shashi Tharoor and Jammu & Kashmir National Conference president Farooq Abdullah. -- PTI 

In a strong response to Pakistan, India has said in the United Nations General Assembly that a country that claims to seek peace with its neighbours would never sponsor cross-border terrorism nor would it shelter planners of the horrific Mumbai terrorist attack, disclosing their existence only under pressure from the global community.

India exercised the Right of Reply in the UN General Assembly on Friday to respond sharply to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who had raked up the issue of Jammu and Kashmir during his address to the high-level General Debate earlier in the day.

"It is regrettable that the Prime Minister of Pakistan has chosen the platform of this august assembly to make false accusations against India," First Secretary in the Permanent Mission of India to the UN Mijito Vinito said in the Right of Reply.

"He has done so to obfuscate misdeeds in his own country and to justify actions against India that the world considers unacceptable," the young Indian diplomat said.

In his address, Sharif reiterated that Pakistan wants to have peace with India but added that long-lasting, enduring peace can only be insured and guaranteed through a just and fair solution to the issue of Kashmir under the UN Charter and Security Council resolutions.

India responded that a "polity that claims it seeks peace with its neighbours would never sponsor cross-border terrorism, nor would it shelter planners of the horrific Mumbai terrorist attack, disclosing their existence only under pressure from the international community."

Vinito said such a country would not make unjustified and untenable territorial claims against neighbours, it would not covet their lands and seek to illegally integrate them with its own.

"But it is not just about the neighbourhood that we have heard false claims today. It is about human rights, about minority rights and about basic decencies," he said.

"When young women in the thousands from the minority community are abducted as an SoP (Standard Operating Procedure) what can we conclude about the underlying mindset?

India asserted that the desire for peace, security and progress in the Indian subcontinent is real. It is also widely shared and it can be realised.

"That will surely happen when cross-border terrorism ceases, when governments come clean with the international community and with their own people. When minorities are not persecuted and not least, when we recognise these realities before this Assembly."

Pakistan then exercised its Right of Reply in response to the comments by India. -- PTI

N R Narayana Murthy, co-founder of IT giant Infosys, has lamented that economic activities in India were "stalled" and decisions were not taken by the Manmohan Singh government in time in the Congress-led UPA-era.

During his interaction with young entrepreneurs and students at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIMA) on Friday, Murthy expressed confidence that young minds can make India a worthy competitor of China, the world's second largest economy.

"I used to be on the board of HSBC in London (between 2008 and 2012). In the first few years, when China was mentioned two to three times in the boardroom (during meetings), India's name would be mentioned once," said the well-known businessman in response to a question on where he sees India in the future.

"But unfortunately, I don't know what happened (to India) afterwards. (Former PM) Manmohan Singh was an extraordinary individual and I have tremendous respect for him. But, somehow, India stalled (during UPA-era). Decisions were not taken and everything was delayed," said Murthy.

The IT czar said when he left HSBC (in 2012), India's name hardly found a mention during meetings, while China's name was taken nearly 30 times.

"So, I think it is your (young generation) responsibility to make people mention India's name whenever they mention any other country's name, particularly China. I think you people can do that," said Murthy.

The former Infosys chairman said there was a time when most Westerners looked down upon India, but today, there is a certain level of respect for the country, which has now become the world's fifth largest economy.

According to him, the economic reforms of 1991, when Manmohan Singh was the finance minister, and the present Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA government's schemes like 'Make In India' and 'Startup India' have helped the country gain ground.

"When I was of your age, there was not much responsibility because not much was expected from neither me nor India. Today, there is an expectation that you will take the country forward. I think you people can make India a worthy competitor of China," said Murthy.

The software industry veteran said China has left behind India by a huge margin in just 44 years.

"China is unbelievable. It (Chinese economy) is six times larger than India. In 44 years, between 1978 and 2022, China has left India behind so much. Six times is not a joke. If you make things happen, India will get similar respect to what China is getting today," said Murthy. -- PTI

Shankaracharya of Dwarka-Sharda Peeth in Gujarat, and Jyotish Peeth in Uttarakhand, Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati died on September 11 at his ashram in Madhya Pradesh. 

Niranjani Akhara secretary and president of Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad Mahant Ravindra Puri claimed the appointment of Avimukteshwaranand as the Shankaracharya is against the rules. 

A meeting of all seven sanyasi akharas will soon be convened to decide the strategy for the appointment of the new Shankaracharya, Puri added. 

There is a procedure for the appointment of the Shankaracharya which was not followed in the case of Avimukteshwaranand, he said. 

Avimukteshwaranand was declared as the new Shankaracharya allegedly on the basis of a will prepared by Swami Swaroopanand by another disciple of his, Subuddhanand. -- PTI

The representatives will be meeting with the Industries Minister Uday Samant in the Mantralay. 

The association warned of going on a strike from September 26 if their demands go unfulfilled. 

"The Mumbai Taximen's Union, Mumbai Taxi Association and Autorickshaw Unions have decided to go on indefinite strike from 26th September 2022 in protest against the failure to honour the commitment made by industrial minister, Maharashtra state Uday Samant, to revise the taxi and autorickshaw fare," read a statement by Mumbai Taximen's Association. 

The association also informed that the decision comes after minister Sawant failed to deliver his earlier promises in a meeting that was held on September 13. -- ANI

A revenue police sub-inspector was suspended for allegedly misbehaving with the victim's parents at the time of filing a complaint in the matter, officials said. 

The three accused -- Pulkit Arya, who owns the resort in Yamkeshwar block here, resort manager Saurabh Bhaskar and assistant manager Ankit Gupta -- were sent to 14-day judicial custody by a court, the police said. 

Pulkit Arya is the son of Vinod Arya, a BJP leader from Haridwar. 

Vinod Arya was formerly the chairman of the Uttarakhand Mati Kala Board with a state minister's rank. 

Vinod Arya does not hold any post in the Uttarakhand BJP at present, state party unit media incharge Manveer Chauhan said. 

The woman's parents lodged a missing complaint at a revenue police outpost after they did not find her in her room on Monday morning, the police said. 

Pulkit Arya, Bhaskar and Gupta were arrested after they confessed to have killed the woman. 

They threw her body into the Cheela canal, Pauri additional superintendent of police Shekhar Chandra Suyal told PTI. Initially, they tried to mislead police but they confessed to the crime when they were interrogated sternly, he said. 

A team has been sent to fish out the woman's body from the canal, the ASP said, adding that the case was cracked within 24 hours of being transferred from the revenue police. -- PTI