LIVE! RSS-linked Muslim body submits UCC suggestions

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Sun, 23 July 2023

RSS-linked Muslim body submits UCC suggestions

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22:48 Boy found wandering street with chained hands in J-K's Rajouri; locals alert police

An 11-year-old boy wandering the streets with his hands chained in this district of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday caught the attention of people, prompting intervention by the police and the child protection wing.

The hapless boy told the police that he had escaped from a madrassa in Palullian village where he was tied with iron chains and beaten up mercilessly by his teacher, officials said.

They said the boy is a resident of Androoth village of Rajouri.

The locals informed the police and the child protection committee after spotting the minor.

A case under relevant sections of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act was registered and further investigation is on to bring the culprits to book, a senior official said.

Shivanghi Kant, legal officer, Child Protection Committee said the matter is of grave concern and necessary action is being taken.

"This is a serious matter. The child has been beaten up mercilessly. The police have started an investigation, while we are also initiating legal proceedings," he said. -- PTI

22:37 RSS-linked Muslim body submits UCC suggestions

A delegation of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-linked Muslim Rashtriya Manch on Sunday called on Law Commission chairman Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi and submitted its suggestions on the proposed Uniform Civil Code.

The delegation, jointly led by the MRM's functionary Shiraz Quraishi and its national media In-charge Shahid Saeed, met Justice Awasthi at his residence in New Delhi and submitted a memorandum, supporting the move to bring a UCC in the country, the organisation said in a statement.

During the meeting, Justice Awasthi noted that there is a lot of confusion among various sections of society with regard to the drafting of a UCC but people need not worry for anything, the MRM said.

Law Commission chairman Justice Awasthi told the MRM delegation that there are many confusions but there is no threat to the internal practice of any religion, community or class from the UCC, it said.

Justice Awasthi also noted that there is a rumour about the UCC that it will be brought in the next session of Parliament but nothing like this is going to happen, the MRM said. -- PTI

A 33-year-old man has been arrested in Gaziabad for allegedly raping and forcing his live-in partner to convert to Islam, the police said on Sunday.

The Dalit woman, who moved in with Khalid Chaudhary in September 2022, was also forced to undergo an abortion by him, they said.

Chaudhary was arrested on Saturday night and he confessed to his crime during interrogation, the police said.

According to a complaint lodged by the woman, she came in contact with Chaudhary, who posed as a journalist and introduced himself as Deepak, on social media three years ago and moved in with him in September 2022.

Chaudhary forced her to convert to Islam, eat beef and terminate her pregnancy of almost four weeks, the complainant alleged, adding she was also raped and beaten up by him.

"After receiving the complaint of the woman, an FIR has been lodged under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, and the Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Act at Vijay Nagar police station," deputy commissioner of police, city, Nipun Agarwal had said on July 21. -- PTI

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21:53 Manipur unrest: Security tightened across Mizoram

Security was beefed up across Mizoram on Sunday ahead of state-wide protests by Mizo organisations against violence in Manipur and amid reports of Meiteis leaving the state after a statement by an ex-militant group, the police said.

While 78 people flew to Manipur on Sunday in three flights, 65 people travelled to the neighbouring state on Saturday.

However, it was not immediately clear how many of these people were regular passengers, and how many were fleeing out of fear as these were scheduled commercial flights, officials said.

Another 41 Meitei people from Mizoram went to Assam's Cachar district by road after the ex-militants' group asked the community to leave the state following the viral video of two women being paraded naked in Manipur, they said.

Also, 31 Mizo students from Manipur returned to Mizoram due to the prevailing situation there, they added.

NGO Co-ordination Committee, a conglomerate of five major civil society organisations including the Central Young Mizo Association and Mizo Zirlai Pawl, will stage demonstrations across the state on Tuesday to extend solidarity to the Zo ethnic people in strife-torn Manipur.

Mizoram's director-general of police Anil Shukla held a high-level meeting on Sunday to assess the security arrangements, a statement said. -- PTI

An earthquake of magnitude 3.2 on the Richter scale hit Uttarakhand's Pithoragarh on Sunday evening, according to the National Center for Seismology.

According to the NCS, the earthquake occurred at 6.34 pm at a depth of 5 kilometres.

"Earthquake of Magnitude:3.2, Occurred on 23-07-2023, 18:34:39 IST, Lat: 30.58 & Long: 80.18, Depth: 5 Km, Region: Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand, India," the NCS tweeted.

Earlier in the day, the National Centre for Seismology reported that an earthquake of magnitude 3.3 on the Richter scale hit Arunachal Pradesh's Tawang on Sunday morning.

The earthquake occurred at 6.56 am.

According to the NCS, the earthquake occurred at a depth of 5 kilometres.

"Earthquake of Magnitude:3.3, Occurred on 22-07-2023, 06:56:08 IST, Lat: 27.44 & Long: 92.51, Depth: 5 Km, Location: Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh, India," the NCS tweeted. -- ANI

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20:59 Kargil Vijay Diwas: Army's Dagger Division scales Mount Kun in record time

A team of mountaineers from the army's Dagger Division has achieved a historic feat by climbing the 7,077-metre high Mount Kun in record seven days to mark Kargil Vijay Diwas celebrations.

"The journey commenced on July 8 when the team was flagged off from Baramulla by Maj Gen Rajesh Sethi, GOC, 19 Infantry Division. Setting off from the base camp on July 11, the intrepid mountaineers led by Col Rajneesh Joshi achieved their long-awaited victory as they summited Mount Kun on July 18 at 11:40 am," a defence spokesman said in Srinagar.

To give an extraordinary touch to their accomplishment, the mountaineers also performed yoga at the 7,077 metres altitude, making it the highest point ever where yoga has been practiced, he said.

"This remarkable feat not only showcases the unwavering dedication and exceptional skills of the Indian Army's mountaineering team, but also highlights the deep-rooted connection between physical well-being and spiritual practices," the spokesman noted.

With the successful ascent of Mount Kun, the focus now shifts to the upcoming expedition to Mount Nun, soaring at an awe-inspiring height of 7,135 metres.

The same team will now proceed towards Mount Nun, carrying with them the hopes and aspirations of the nation, the spokesman added. -- PTI

Two labourers died on Sunday after an under-repair beam in a cinema hall collapsed on them in Amroha, Uttar Pradesh, the police said.

Circle officer (city) Vijay Kumar Rana said that one of the beams in the 'Madhav Palace' cinema hall suddenly collapsed around 11 am, burying several labourers.

"Nine labourers were engaged in the work and they came under the debris. After the debris was removed, two labourers, Rafique, aged 45, and Yaseen, aged 22, were found dead," the CO said.

The bodies of the victims have been sent for post mortem, he said, adding the other injured have been hospitalised. -- PTI

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20:36 Kanwariyas pelted with stones in UP's Bareilly

A group of kanwariyas was pelted with stones near a mosque in Jogi Nawada area in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh on Sunday, the police said.

As many as 12 of them got injured in the pelting and were admitted to a hospital.

The kanwariyas were on their way to Budaun to get water from the Ganga River when the incident occurred near the Shahnoori mosque.

According to the police, the kanwariyas staged a protest in the area demanding action against their attackers.

Additional district magistrate (city) RD Pandey said situation is normal and police force has been deployed in the area. -- PTI

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20:21 Maha ATS to probe 2 terror suspects held in Pune

Days after the Pune police arrested two suspects for their alleged involvement in terror-related activities, the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad took over the investigation into the case, an official said on Sunday.

The police apprehended the duo, who were wanted by the National Investigation Agency for their alleged involvement in a terror-related case in Rajasthan, from Kothrud area of Pune city in the wee hours of Tuesday.

A court in Pune sent the duo -- Mohammad Imran Mohammad Yunus Khan (23) and Mohammad Yunus Mohammad Yakub Saki (24) -- to police custody till July 25.

The two suspects hail from Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh and are graphic designers.

Both carried a bounty of Rs 5 lakh each, the police have said.

"The NIA had booked the two terror suspects under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. After their arrest, the Pune police on Saturday handed over the case to the ATS," a senior police official from Kothrud police station said.

An ATS official confirmed that the agency has taken over the probe into the case from the city police. "We will now investigate the case further," the ATS official said. -- PTI

Golden Temple in Amritsar

19:45 SGPC launches YouTube channel for gurbani broadcast

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee launched its YouTube channel on Sunday for the broadcast of gurbani from the Golden Temple in Amritsar even as its president Harjinder Singh Dhami slammed the AAP government in Punjab for hatching conspiracies to weaken the Sikh body.

The channel, which has been named as "SGPC Sri Amritsar" and will be available on YouTube and Facebook page, was launched by Dhami from the Manji Sahib Diwan Hall at the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar while holding a brief religious ceremony in the presence of a sizable gathering of devotees.

The timings of Gurbani broadcast will be 3:30 am till 8: 30 am, 12:30 pm till 2:30 pm, and 6:30 pm till 8:30 pm.

In his address, Dhami said all the rights to broadcast Gurbani will remain with the SGPC and no other channel will be able to broadcast it.

He said the SGPC will soon set up its own satellite channel, the process of which is being done actively.

Dhami asked the Punjab government to stop interfering in the SGPC affairs.

"The Punjab government should focus on its affairs rather than interfere in the Sikh religious affairs as SGPC is capable to carry out its all religious works. So we don't need any kind of help from the Punjab Government. SGPC is capable of setting up its own channel," he said.

Dhami alleged the Punjab government was hatching conspiracies to weaken the Sikh organisation.

The Aam Aadmi Party-led state government and the SGPC have locked horns over the live broadcast of Gurbani from the Sikh shrine in Amritsar. While the SGPC asserts that the broadcast rights of the religious hymn should be reserved for the apex Sikh body only, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has sought its free telecast on all TV channels. -- PTI

Maharashtra deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said finance minister Ajit Pawar hasn't given any preferential treatment to Nationalist Congress Party MLAs backing him, while allocating funds to legislators for development work in the supplementary demands tabled in the state legislature.

BJP and Shiv Sena MLAs have also been given funds.

It is not correct to say that only they (Ajit Pawar supporters) have been given the funds, Fadnavis told reporters. Pawar on Monday presented supplementary demands of Rs 41,243 crore for financial year 2023-24.

Supplementary demands are additional funds sought by the government over the budget demands.

Fadnavis' clarification came after media reports that Pawar had allocated Rs 1500 crore in the supplementary demands for legislators.

The report claimed that NCP MLAs who supported Pawar when he rebelled against Sharad Pawar to take oath as deputy CM on July 2 had got at least Rs 25 each towards development work in their constituencies, with an NCP woman MLA getting Rs 40 crore. -- PTI

Child being rushed to a hospital in Bihar after rescuing from borewell/ANI

18:55 3-year-old boy, who fell into borewell in Bihar, rescued

A three-year-old boy, who fell into a 40-ft borewell in Kul village in Bihar's Nalanda district on Sunday, was pulled out alive by National Disaster Response Force personnel.

Teams from the NDRF, which were deployed at the site, led the rescue mission that lasted a few hours.

"The boy has been rescued and is doing fine. He was rushed to a hospital. It took us about 5 hours to pull him out alive," Ranjeet Kumar, an NDRF officer, said.

Officials informed further that the rescued 3-year-old was identified as Shivam Kumar.

Further, according to officials, a farmer dug the borewell and left it uncovered, resulting in the incident.

The children, who were playing with little Shivam before he fell into the borewell, informed his parents after which the rescue operation was launched.

Earthmovers were deployed in the operation, which focussed on providing oxygen support to the child and rescuing him. -- ANI

The chief of a gurdwara at a village in Hoshiarpur in Punjab was arrested on Sunday for allegedly molesting a 13-year-old girl, the police said.

The incident took place on July 20 when the girl went to the gurdwara in her village in the Chabbewal area of Hoshiarpur, Garhshankar deputy superintendent of police Balkar Singh said.

The gurdwara chief, Sakatar Singh (65), called the girl to his room where he allegedly molested her, the DSP said.

The girl's parents informed the police after she narrated the incident to them, he added.

Sakatar Singh has been arrested under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, the police said. -- PTI

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18:36 AI flight from Thiruvananthapuram to Dubai returns due to AC issue

An Air India Express flight from the Kerala state capital to Dubai returned, on Sunday, barely a couple of hours after take off due to an issue with the air conditioning system of the aircraft, Thiruvananthapuram airport officials said.

The flight, IX 539, which took off with 178 people onboard -- including the crew -- from here at 1.19 pm returned and landed safely at 3.52 pm, an airport official said.

"The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew are fine. A local standby was declared. It was an AC issue, " the official said.

The passengers are presently at the airport and would be taking off within an hour on another flight arranged by the airline, he added. -- PTI

A team of the National Security Guard on Sunday visited the eatery on Mall Road where a gas leak apparently led to a blast, killing one person and injuring 13 others.

The blast occurred on Tuesday evening at Himachali Rasoi restaurant, known for serving Himachali cuisines, located in Middle Bazaar adjacent to the fire brigade office in the heart of the city.

Police said the blast was apparently caused by a gas leak. A team from the National Bomb Data Centre of the NSG has come for the post-blast investigation to find out the cause of the explosion, director general of police Sanjay Kundu said.

The place where the blast occurred was sensitive as it is near the police reporting room.

The NSG specialises in this field and their services are being availed to determine the cause of the blast according to the standard operating procedure of the government, he said.

On July 19, Kundu visited the blast site and said preliminary investigation and forensic examination have pointed out that the gas leak led to the blast.

According to the statement of the injured people, a gas leak from two LPG cylinders led to the blast but more casualties were averted as the place was closed for maintenance.

Shimla superintendent of police Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi said people in the vicinity of the eatery had complained of a gas leak before the blast.

However, suspicion is being raised due to the high intensity of the blast that shattered windows of several shops and houses in the vicinity and the sound of the explosion was heard miles away. -- PTI

The National Disaster Response Force has finally called of its search-and-rescue operation in Wednesday's landslide in Irshalwadi in Maharashtra's Raigad district, state minister Uday Samant said on Sunday.

Addressing a press conference, Samant, who is guardian minister of Raigad, said the decision was taken in consultation with the district administration and other concerned authorities as well as local residents.

So far, 27 bodies have been recovered while 57 are untraceable, officials said, adding that no body was found from the debris on Sunday.

These include 12 men, 10 women and four children, while one corpse has not been identified as yet, they added.

At least 17 of 48 houses in the remote tribal village, which is at least an hour away from a motorable road, were fully or partially buried in the landslide that took place around 10:30pm on July 19. -- PTI

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17:25 Two drug smugglers held in Punjab's Fazilka, 20 kg heroin recovered

The Punjab police foiled a trans-border smuggling attempt and arrested two persons with 20 kg heroin in Fazilka district, they said on Sunday.

The accused were nabbed after collectting the consignment from Hastan Kalan village where it was air-dropped through drones, the police said.

In a major breakthrough against trans-border narcotic smuggling networks, SSOC #Fazilka recovered 20 Kg Heroin after arresting two persons," director general of police Gaurav Yadav said in a tweet.

"Arrested persons picked up the drug consignment from village Hasta Kalan which was air-dropped with the help of drones," Yadav added in his tweet.

The Punjab DGP said a case has been registered under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.

He added that an investigation is underway to arrest more suspects involved in the drug supply chain. -- PTI

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16:56 MNS workers ransack Maha toll plaza for stopping Raj Thackeray's son

Some Maharashtra Navnirman Sena workers allegedly ransacked a toll plaza in Nashik in the early hours of Sunday after party leader Amit Thackeray was stopped at it earlier, an official said.

He is the son of MNS founder Raj Thackeray and was reportedly stopped at Gonde toll plaza in Sinnar at 9:15pm on Saturday while on his way to Mumbai due to some mismatch in his vehicle's Fastag details, he said.

At around 2:30am on Sunday, a mob, allegedly MNS workers, ransacked the plaza and made a functionary there apologise.

A video of the incident went viral on social media.

"A probe is underway into the incident and further action will be taken after CCTV etc is checked. We have not got any complaint (from toll plaza staffers) but a process to register a case is on," the Wavi police station official said. -- PTI

16:38 Two Chinese nationals arrested in Bihar

Two Chinese nationals have been arrested in Bihar by immigration officials who noted that they had sneaked into the Indian territory, through Nepal, for the second time in less than a month.

They were arrested on Saturday night at the Raxaul border outpost falling in East Champaran district, assistant foreigner regional registration officer SK Singh said.

He said during interrogation the foreigners said their names were Zhao Jing and Fu Cong and they both hailed from Jaoxing province of China.

They were found without valid travel documents and claimed to have left their passports at a hotel in Birganj, right across the border, where they had stayed the previous night.

They had reached the border by an autorickshaw and tried to cross over on foot, Singh said.

The immigration department official added that as per records the Chinese nationals had made an earlier attempt to sneak into Indian territory on July 2 when they claimed to have done so inadvertently.

They had been let off and their passports were returned with "entry refused" stamped on these, said the official.

He, however, added, "Their repeated attempts to enter the area raises suspicions. Hence they have been handed over to the local police for further investigation and action". -- PTI

A convict serving life sentence in the 2002 Godhra train carnage case was arrested from Gujarat's Panchmahal district a year after he jumped parole, the police said on Sunday.

Acting on a tip-off that Sattar was living in Limkheda, the parole furlough squad reached there on Saturday and arrested him, a release from Panchmahal police stated.

He was handed over to the City B division police so that he can be taken to Sabarmati central jail in Ahmedabad to serve the remainder of his sentence, the release added.

Sattar was sentenced to life imprisonment in the February 27, 2002 case of setting two coaches of Sabarmati Express on fire in Godhra.

It killed 59 passengers and plunged the state into communal riots in which more than 1,200 persons lost their lives.

He was arrested in March 2002 and charged with Indian Penal Code sections pertaining to murder, attempt to murder, dacoity, voluntarily causing grievous hurt, deterring public servant, etc as well as provisions of the Railway Act and Prevention of Damages to Public Properties Act.

In March 2011, a total of 11 convicts were handed down death sentences, while 20 were sentenced to life imprisonment by a special court for the train arson incident. -- PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Gujarat on July 27 and 28 during which he will inaugurate the newly-built greenfield airport at Rajkot, officials said on Sunday.

He will also inaugurate 'Semicon India 2023', an event in state capital Gandhinagar to highlight investment opportunities in India's semiconductor sector, they said.

Modi will dedicate the Hirasar greenfield airport to the nation on July 27 before addressing a public rally in Rajkot city, collector Prabhav Joshi said.

The PM laid the foundation stone for the airport in October 2017.

On July 28, Modi will inaugurate 'Semicon India 2023' in Gandhinagar.

The exhibition of the event will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on July 25, and the programme will run from July 25-30, a government release said.

Union ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw, S Jaishankar and Rajeev Chandrasekhar will mark their presence at the event.

The exhibition aims to educate visitors about the intricate manufacturing process of semiconductors and the remarkable strides achieved in this dynamic field, it said.

During PM Modi's recent visit to the US, President Joe Biden announced the establishment of a state-of-the-art semiconductor assembly, testing, marking and packaging facility by Micron Technology Inc in India, it said.

Later, the Gujarat government signed an MoU worth Rs 22,500 crore with semiconductor chip giant Micron Technology to establish the ATMP facility at Sanand in the state. -- PTI

15:33 Mumbai cops gets call about RDX-laden tanker

Mumbai Police Control room on Sunday received a threat call, in which the caller informed that a tanker filled with RDX and two Pakistani nationals were going from Mumbai to Goa, said the Mumbai police.

The caller identified himself as Pandey.

Investigation into the matter is underway, said the police. -- ANI

Justice Sunita Agarwal was on Sunday sworn in as the 29th Chief Justice of Gujarat high court.

She is the second woman CJ of the Gujarat high court.

Governor Acharya Devvrat administered the oath of office at a ceremony at Raj Bhavan in Gandhinagar, which was attended by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Speaker of Gujarat assembly Shankar Chaudhary, and minister of law and Justice Rushikesh Patel.

The Supreme Court collegium had, on July 5, proposed the appointment of Justice Agarwal as the Chief Justice of Gujarat high court.

The apex court had stated she would be the only woman chief justice of an HC as presently there is no woman among the chief justices of the high courts in the country.

Before her, Justice Sonia Gokani was Chief Justice of Gujarat high court for a few days till her retirement on February 25, 2023, after which Justice AJ Desai was serving as the acting CJ.

Born on April 30, 1966, Justice Agarwal graduated in law from Awadh University in the year 1989. She enrolled as an advocate on December 16, 1990, and practised in the civil side at Allahabad high court. -- PTI

Police with recovered cash and gold from house of accused in Nagpur/ANI

14:52 Maha bizman duped of Rs 58 cr by cricket bookie

The Maharashtra police have registered a case against a Gondia-based international cricket bookie for allegedly luring a businessman to invest in doctored betting apps, and then duping him to the tune of over Rs 58 crore, the officials said on Sunday.

According to officials, a team of police raided the house of the accused, who was identified as Anant Jain alias Shontu, but he managed to escape.

The raiding team however seized more than Rs 17 crore in cash, gold, and silver from his house.

"The Nagpur police raided his (Anant Jain's) residence at Kaka Chowk and seized more than Rs 17 crores in cash, gold weighing around 4 kg and 200 kg silver. The accused fled before police raided his residence. Further investigation is underway," Amitesh Kumar, CP Nagpur said.

The police suspect that many others may have been duped by the accused.

CP Amitesh Kumar said that a special investigation team comprising the crime branch and cyber experts will probe the illegal international trade, which, he said, is operating from Dubai and spreading its tentacles across India. -- ANI

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14:45 Hirakud dam authorities release season's first floodwater after heavy rains

The authorities of Hirakud dam in Odisha's Sambalpur district on Sunday released the season's first floodwater to downstream of river Mahanadi, official sources said.

The water was released following a steady rise in the water level in the reservoir due to heavy rain in upstream of river Mahanadi.

The authorities of certain barrages in neighbouring Chhattisgarh have released floodwater which went to Hirakud reservoir taking its water level to 613 feet against the full reservoir level of 630 feet.

The officials said the floodwater was initially released from sluice gate number 7 of the dam at 9 am.

Four more gates will be opened later in a phased manner.

The release of water will lead to a rise in the water level in river Mahanadi and its tributaries.

The Odisha government has issued an alert to the districts in the Mahanadi downstream and cautioned people not to venture into the river as flood water may reach soon.

There are 98 gates to release floodwater from Hirakud Dam. While 64 are sluice gates, the rest 34 are crest gates.

Each sluice gate can discharge 16,440 cusecs of water when the reservoir level is at 630 ft. Each crest gate can discharge 16,238 cusecs of water.

Meanwhile, the India meteorological department has forecast rains across Odisha for four more days as a fresh low-pressure area is likely to be formed on July 24. -- PTI

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14:03 Goods train derails in MP; no casualty, rail traffic restored after 10 hrs

A goods train derailed between Narsinghpur and Kareli stations in Madhya Pradesh, disrupting rail traffic on the route, an official said on Sunday.

No one was injured in the incident which took place at around 11.30 pm on Saturday in Narsinghpur district, West Central Railway's chief public relations officer Rahul Shrivastava said over phone.

Traffic on the Jabalpur-Itarsi up line was affected due to the derailment.

It was completely restored by 9.30 am on Sunday, the official said.

The brake van (last wagon) of the goods train derailed between Narsinghpur and Kareli stations, the official said.

"We diverted trains from the down line (Itarsi to Jabalpur) after the incident. The traffic on the up line has now been completely restored," he said.

Itarsi is one of the busiest railway junctions in the country. -- PTI

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13:33 Flood alert in Noida, 200 shifted from Hindon banks

The Gautam Buddh Nagar administration has issued a flood warning for low-lying regions along the Hindon as water discharge in the river increased, officials said on Sunday.

Around 200 people from five villages have been evacuated and shifted to shelter homes after the alert was raised on Saturday, they said.

The river is flowing below the danger mark of 205-metre in the district, bordering Delhi in western Uttar Pradesh, according to a senior officer.

"Around 200 people from five villages have been evacuated and shifted to shelter homes that have been set up by the administration to provide them accommodation, food and health care, Additional District Magistrate Atul Kumar said.

"The Hindon is currently flowing at 200-metre, below the danger mark of 205-metre," said Kumar, who is also the nodal officer for flood relief work in Gautam Buddh Nagar.

The district is located between Hindon and Yamuna rivers.

The district recently witnessed floods along the Yamuna river banks, which submerged 550 hectares of low-lying land, and impacted thousands of people and animals. -- PTI

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13:24 E-auction of 808 FM radio stations soon: Anurag Thakur

The government will soon conduct an e-auction of 808 FM radio stations across 284 cities to further increase the footprint of radio communication, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said on Sunday.

Addressing the Regional Community Radio Sammelan (North) in New Delhi, Thakur said the government has also eased the processes for getting a license to operate radio stations, particularly community radio, by reducing the number of compliances.

He said India currently has 388 FM radio stations in 113 cities across 26 states and five Union Territories.

"Government is now planning a third batch of e-auction of 808 channels across 284 cities soon to further expand radio services," Thakur said. -- PTI

Former environment minister Jairam Ramesh on Sunday hit out at the government over its handling of the Cheetah reintroduction programme, saying that if science rather than vanity had been put at the forefront of the project "we may not have witnessed the current tragedy".

A male cheetah Suraj, translocated from Africa, died at the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh earlier this month, taking the number of cheetahs that have died at the park in Sheopur district since March this year to eight.

Taking to Twitter, Congress general secretary Ramesh shared a media report which claimed that Indian wildlife authorities have imposed a gag order on all concerned associated with the cheetah introduction project.

"Stephen J. O' Brien is a distinguished molecular biologist. He is also a dedicated conservationist who uses genetics to protect endangered species. I had spent considerable time with him in 2009 to understand the genetic history of the cheetah. His book makes for fascinating reading," Ramesh said in a tweet.

"If only science had been put at the forefront of the Cheetah reintroduction project in India rather than vanity and showmanship, we may not have witnessed the current tragedy," he said. -- PTI

Hollywood star Jamie Foxx thanked his family and well-wishers for being a continuous support in his road to recovery as he spoke publicly for the first time since his hospitalisation due to an unspecified health problem earlier this year.

Foxx was admitted to an Atlanta hospital in April after facing a medical complication, halting production on his Netflix film "Back in Action," in which he will star alongside Cameron Diaz.

"I want to say thank you to everybody that's prayed, man, and sent me messages. I cannot even begin to tell you how far it took me and how it brought me back. I went through something that I thought I would never ever go through," Foxx said.

The 55-year-old actor said even though he was aware that a lot of people were waiting to hear updates from him, he didn't want them to "see me with tubes running out of me and trying to figure out if I was going to make it through."

"I want you to see me laughing and having a good time, partying, cracking a joke, doing a movie or television show... And to be honest with you, my sister, Deidra Dixon, and my daughter, Corinne Marie, saved my life. So to them, to God, to a lot of great medical people, I'm able to leave you this video," he added.

Without sharing the details of his medical condition, Foxx dismissed speculation that he was paralysed or blind. By being quiet, sometimes things get out of hand.

"People say what I got. Some people said I was blind, but as you can see the eyes are working. The eyes are working just fine. But I went to hell and back. And my road to recovery had some potholes as well. But I'm coming back and I'm able to work. So I want to thank the people who let me work. I just want to say that I love everybody and I love all the love that I got." -- PTI

Incessant rainfall triggered a landslide near Arakot market and blocked the Arakot-Himachal Pradesh Road in the region, an official said on Sunday.

Superintendent of police Uttarkashi Arpan Yaduvanshi said that the Arakot-Himachal Pradesh road was blocked due to a heavy landslide near the Arakot market.

The SP also advised passengers to temporarily postpone their Gangotri-Yamunotri Yatra for the time being in view of the monsoon alert.

"Arakot-Himachal Pradesh road was blocked due to a heavy landslide near Arakot market. In view of the monsoon alert, the passengers should postpone their Gangotri-Yamunotri Yatra for the time being," said Uttarkashi SP Yaduvanshi.

Speaking to ANI on the intense spell of monsoon rain, Uttarkashi district magistrate Abhishek Rohila on Sunday stated that torrential downpours in the region caused severe damage to several areas of the Uttarkashi district.

"Due to heavy rain, 50 buildings have been damaged in Purola, Barkot and Dunda of Uttarkashi district. 50 roads are closed in the district. Electricity supply has stopped in about 40 villages and more than 400 drains of agricultural land have been washed away," said Rohila. -- ANI

A bike taxi rider has been arrested for allegedly molesting a woman passenger during a trip in Bengaluru on July 21, the police said on Sunday.

K Shivappa (23) from Haveri was arrested based on the complainant's post on social media tagging the city police.

The victim told the police that she had booked a ride from Town Hall after attending a protest in solidarity with the Manipur victims, to her destination.

On the way he touched her inappropriately.

Later the man texted and called her on WhatsApp, the complainant stated in the complaint. Shivappa was arrested on Saturday. -- PTI

Justice Alok Aradhe

12:10 Justice Alok Aradhe sworn in as Chief Justice of Telangana HC

Justice Alok Aradhe was on Sunday sworn in as Chief Justice of the Telangana high court.

Aradhe, who was previously a judge of the Karnataka high court, was administered the oath of office by Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan at an event held at the Raj Bhavan in Hyderabad.

Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, and some of his cabinet colleagues were present on the occasion.

Justice Alok Aradhe succeeds justice Ujjal Bhuyan, who has been elevated to the post of judge of the Supreme Court.

Born on April 13, 1964 at Raipur, Alok Aradhe enrolled as lawyer on July 12, 1988.

He practiced at the high court of Madhya Pradesh in Jabalpur, dealing with civil and constitutional, arbitration and company matters.

He was appointed as the additional judge of the high court of Madhya Pradesh on December 29, 2009 and permanent judge on February 15, 2011.

Justice Alok Aradhe took oath as Judge of Karnataka high court on November 17, 2018 and assumed charge as the acting Chief Justice of Karnataka high court on July 3, 2022. -- PTI

Representational image

11:40 More than 100 illegal structures on enemy property demolished in Nainital

More than 100 illegal structures erected on enemy property in Metropole hotel area in Nainital have been demolished, officials said on Sunday.

An enemy property is an immovable asset left behind by people who have taken citizenship of Pakistan and China.

The district administration had issued eviction notices to the encroachers who approached the Uttarakhand high court against the demolition.

After their plea was rejected, the demolition exercise was carried out on Saturday.

A total of 134 encroachments were demolished in the presence of police and PAC personnel.

The exercise began at 8 am and went on for 11 hours.

It was carried out under the supervision of nodal officer and Nainital deputy collector Shivcharan Dwivedi, SDM Rahul Shah and superintendent of police (crime) Jagdish Chandra, they said.

The demolition comes in the wake of an ordinance passed by the state government which has made the provision for a 10-year prison term for those who encroach upon government land.

The removal of encroachments from the Metropole hotel area will help decongest the city, officials said.

Considered one of the finest hotels of Nainital at one time, the Metropole Hotel belonged to the Raja of Mehmoodabad and hosted the founding father of Pakistan Mohammad Ali Jinnah and his wife Rattanbai on their honeymoon. -- PTI

A scene in Christopher Nolan's historical drama Oppenheimer has sparked controversy, with an organisation called Save Culture Save India Foundation demanding the Information and Broadcasting ministry to 'take action and punish those involved' in it.

Released on July 21, Oppenheimer is the biopic of J Robert Oppenheimer, the mind behind the world's first atomic bomb. The scene in question shows Oppenheimer, played by Cillian Murphy, reading the Bhagavad Gita while having sex.

Uday Mahurkar, information officer with the government of India, and founder of the 'Save Culture Save India Foundation', issued a statement on Twitter, calling the movie an attack on Hinduism.

The statement read, 'It has come to the notice of Save Culture Save India Foundation that the movie Oppenheimer which was released on 21st July contains scenes which make a scathing attack on Hinduism. A scene in the movie shows a woman makes a man read Bhagwad Geeta aloud while getting over him and doing sexual intercourse (sic).'

'One is perplexed as to how the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) could approve the movie with this scene,' it further said.

Calling for an 'investigation' by the 'I&B ministry on an urgent basis', the statement said that 'those involved should be severely punished'.

'The Foundation urges, on behalf of the public of this nation and timeless tradition of lives being transformed by revered Geeta, the I & B Ministry to do all that is needed to uphold dignity of the revered holy book of the Hindus, punish those involved and setting processes in place that such things do not happen in future (sic),' it said.

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Sunday hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party for comparing the situation in Manipur to that of Bihar, West Bengal and Rajasthan, alleging that the government in the northeastern state has 'collapsed' while the Centre is in a 'self-induced coma'.

The BJP has been raising the incidents of atrocities against women in West Bengal, Rajasthan and Bihar and questioning the 'silence' of the opposition, which has termed it as a diversionary tactic to avoid debate on the situation in violence-hit Manipur.

More than 160 people have lost their lives, and several have been injured since ethnic violence broke out in Manipur on May 3 when a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

In a long Twitter post, Chidambaram said, 'Let's admit that there were incidents of violence against women in Bihar, West Bengal and Rajasthan. How does that excuse the continuing and relentless violence in Manipur?'

'Are there any Kukis left in the valley? Are there any Meiteis left in Churachandpur and other hill districts of Manipur?' the former home minister said.

If reports are true, ethnic cleansing is almost complete in Manipur, he said.

On an objective assessment, there is a collapse of constitutional government in Manipur, Chidambaram asserted.

The writ of the chief minister and his ministers does not run beyond their homes and offices, he claimed.

'How can the situation in Manipur be compared to the situation in Bihar, West Bengal and Rajasthan? The central government has not only been incompetent and partisan, it is callous and cruel when it hides behind the smokescreen of odious comparisons,' he said.

Chidambaram said if stern action is required in Bihar, West Bengal and Rajasthan, certainly instruct the state governments to take stronger action, but that does not excuse the barbarism that is taking place in Manipur.

'The government of Manipur has collapsed. The government of India is in a self-induced coma,' he said. -- PTI

The administration in Maharashtra's Raigad district on Saturday imposed prohibitory orders under section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) in Irshalwadi, where 27 people have died in a landslide.

The order issued by sub-divisional officer Karjat Ajit Nairali prohibits the movement of people other than those related to the relief and rescue works and tourists and trekkers.

The prohibitory orders will be effective from July 23 till August 6, it stated.

The death toll in the landslide at Irshalwadi hamlet in Maharashtra's Raigad district mounted to 27 on Saturday, the third day of the the search and rescue operation, while 81 persons are yet to be traced, an NDRF official said.

As per the order, the undetected bodies and animals are decomposing, and foul smell is spreading to the entire area.

Constant rains, strong winds, and the menace of mosquitos adversely affect the work of search for the bodies, and the route has become marshy and there is a fear of another landslide in the region, it stated.

Considering these factors, the movement of citizens and others who are not connected with the rescue and relief work is prohibited, the order stated.

Talking to PTI, resident deputy collector of Raigad Sandesh Shirke said there were 11 orphaned children and some others are returning from ashram schools gradually on finding out about the tragedy.

The exact count will be known after the children are lodged in the camp he said.

The revenue team has been assessing the land lost in tragedy and a proposal to allot land to affected persons will be forwarded to the concerned authorities, he said.

A special camp will be held to issue various certificates and documents, including Aadhaar cards, to villagers who have lost the same in the landslide, the official added. -- PTI

08:51 DCW chief says Manipur govt blocked her visit

Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal alleged on Saturday that the Manipur government has denied her permission to visit the state to interact with survivors of sexual violence.

Maliwal was supposed to visit the northeastern state, rocked by ethnic violence, on July 23.

On Friday, she wrote to the director general of police (DGP) of Manipur on her plans to visit the strife-torn state following the surfacing of a video that showed two women being paraded naked by members of a rival community.

Maliwal had on Thursday written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi too, urging him to take steps in the matter. In her letter to the Manipur DGP, she said she plans to visit the state on July 23 to assess the situation there and submit a fact-finding report.

'After telling me I can come to Manipur, Government has taken a U-turn and suddenly denied permission to me. This is shocking and absurd. Why can't I meet survivors of sexual violence? I have already booked my tickets after discussing with them. Why try and stop me?' she said in a tweet, tagging Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh and the state police.

Maliwal was scheduled to be in the state till July 30. -- PTI

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