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Mon, 05 June 2023
CBI team visits Odisha train accident site

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23:36   CBI team visits Odisha train accident site
A 10-member Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) team on Monday visited the Balasore train accident site and began its probe into the triple train crash, a Railway official said.

ECoR's Khurda Road division DRM Rintesh Ray said that according to his information, the CBI probe has begun but the details were not immediately known.

The Railway Board on Sunday recommended a CBI probe into the accident.

Earlier, Commissioner of Railway Safety Shailesh Kumar Pathak visited the accident site where he went to the control room, signal room and signal point at Bahanaga Bazar railway station.

This apart, the Government Railway Police in Balasore has registered a case on June 3 under various sections of Indian Penal Code and Railway Act over the accident.  -- PTI
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23:13   Abhishek Banerjee dares ED to arrest him, wife
Senior Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee, whose wife Rujira was allegedly stopped from boarding a United Arab Emirates-bound flight on Monday, said the 'harassment' of his family was aimed at stopping his outreach campaign ahead of the panchayat elections in West Bengal.

Addressing a press conference in Singur in Hooghly district, he dared the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to arrest him or his wife.

"I will not bow my head before anyone apart from the masses. The ED has summoned my wife, as they (BJP) want this outreach campaign to stop. The BJP is afraid of the public support for the campaign, and that is why they are harassing my family," he claimed.

Abhishek, the nephew of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, claimed that the ED's action of stopping his wife from flying abroad violated a Supreme Court order, which stated that there were no foreign travel restrictions on the couple.

"I dare the ED to arrest me or my wife if they have any proof of corruption. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP can't fight us politically, so they are harassing us. If they want, they can also arrest my kids," he said.

The TMC MP said he would move court against the 'violation' of the SC order.

Rujira Banerjee was allegedly stopped from boarding a UAE-bound flight citing a 'lookout' notice by the ED that asked her to appear before them on June 8, her lawyer said.

Sources said Rujira had reached Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata with her two children around 7 am and was stopped before immigration.

Abhishek is touring the state since April as part of his Trinamooley Nabojowar (New Wave in Trinamool) campaign ahead of the panchayat elections.   -- PTI
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Representative image only
22:54   Woman, daughter killed after billboard falls on car in Lucknow
A woman and her daughter were killed while their driver was injured after a billboard fell on their car outside Ekana Stadium in Lucknow on Monday, police said.

The accident occurred in the area under Sushant Golf City police station area in the evening, they said.

A billboard fell on the Scorpio vehicle in which Preeti Jaggi (38) and her daughter Angel (15), residents of Indira Nagar colony in Ghazipur police station area, were travelling, Gosaiganj Assistant Commissioner of Police (ASP) Amit Kumawat said.

The mother-daughter duo was going to a mall with their driver Sartaj (28) when the accident happened, SHO (Sushant Golf City) Atul Kumar Srivastava said.

The billboard in front of gate number two of the stadium fell on their vehicle, killing the two, he said.

Sartaj is injured and has been admitted to hospital. Further legal action is being taken, the SHO said.   -- PTI
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22:41   Odisha hospital procures 5 deep freezers to preserve bodies
Facing an uphill task of preserving the bodies of those killed in the Balasore train accident, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhubaneswar has procured at least five deep freezer containers from Paradip Port to prevent further decay of the mortal remains of the deceased.

The medical establishment has received 123 of the 197 bodies brought to Bhubaneswar on Sunday.

"It was very difficult to store such a large number of bodies with care, identify those and dispatch the bodies to their families after all due formalities," AIIMS Executive Director Dr Ashutosh Biswas said.

He said, nevertheless, the bodies have been stored at the Forensic and Anatomy Department with care at present and 60 bodies have already been dispatched to their relatives after identification and the process for the remaining is underway.

"By the time AIIMS received the bodies, 30 hours had already passed. Our prime objective was to prevent further decay of the bodies. The bodies were kept in cold storage and embalming was done on a war footing.

"But five containers were procured from Paradip Port as already three days have passed since the triple train accident took place. The bodies will soon be shifted to these containers. Each container can store 30-40 bodies," he said.

Such containers are used to ship fish, meat or other perishable goods.

Experts from AIIMS New Delhi, Nagpur and Raipur, besides RML and Lady Hardinge Medical College have joined hands to preserve the bodies, Dr Biswas added.   -- PTI
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22:15   Train tragedy: GRP books unidentified persons
Odisha Government Railway Police (GRP) has registered a first information report (FIR) against unidentified persons under multiple sections of the Railway Act 1989 and Indian Penal Code (IPC) in connection to the Odisha train accident.

According to the FIR Report, the case has been registered under Sections 154, 175, and 153 of the Railway Act and under sections 337, 338, 304 A, and 34 of the Indian Penal Code.

'On 03.06.2023 at 01.00 AM, I Sub Inspector Papu Kumar Naik at Chaklundapal, Police station Turununga, Dist Keojhar, At/Pre-SI of Police Balasore GRPS drew up the plain paper FIR at the PS on 02.06.2023 at 06.55 PM due to collision between Train No-12841 Howrah-Chennai Coromandel Express and Train No-12864 Yesbantapur-Howrah Express, the Boggies of both trains capsized causing death more than hundred and injuries to several hundreds of passengers,' FIR read.

'The dead body and injured person were shifted to DHH Balasore, DHH Bhadrak, CHC Soro and other Hospital rescue operations continuing. This report reveals a coge case, Balasore GRPS Case No-64, dated 03.06.2023 under sections 337/338/304A /34 IPC /153/154/175 Railway Act, his registered and requested to Ranjeet Nayak OPS SDRPO Cuttack has taken off the investigation,' it added.

The FIR also mentioned that at present culpability of specific Railway Employees is not ascertained, which will be unearthed during the investigation.   -- ANI
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21:29   3 killed, 4 injured in fresh violence in Manipur
Three persons were killed and four others injured in a gunfight between two armed groups in Manipur's Imphal West district on Monday morning, police said.

The incident happened in Kangchup area of the district, they said.

Those injured were admitted to a hospital in Imphal where their conditions were stated to be stable, police said.

In Kakching district, four people were injured in Serou in an exchange of fire between two groups, they said.   -- PTI
Image used only for representation
Image used only for representation
21:23   Passenger held after bid to set fire to moving train in Kerala
In the latest fire-related incident on a train in Kerala, a passenger travelling in an inter-city express was taken into custody for allegedly attempting to set the coach on fire on Monday.

The incident occurred onboard the Kannur-Ernakulam Intercity Express around 4.15 pm, both Railway Protection Force and Railway Police officials confirmed.

However, neither of the officials specified as to whose custody the man was in.

"As it was an attempt, no one was injured. The man appeared to be mentally unsound," a Railway official said.

Over the last two months, there have been two incidents of arson on trains.

In the first instance, three people including a baby died and nine others suffered burns in a train arson in Kozhikode district on April 2.

On that day, accused Shahrukh Saifi had set his co-passengers on fire onboard the Alappuzha-Kannur Executive Express train when it reached Korapuzha bridge near Elathur in Kozhikode.

Subsequently, on June 1, a West Bengal native allegedly set ablaze a coach of the same express train in the early hours after it had halted at Kannur railway station and all the passengers had de-boarded.

The man was arrested the very next day and police said that he was a beggar who was suffering mental trauma.

After the second incident, both the opposition Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party had criticised the ruling Left government stating that such incidents have created 'insecurity' in the minds of the people in the state.  -- PTI
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21:09   Ahmednagar: 4 booked for Aurangzeb posters in procession
Four people were booked for allegedly carrying posters of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb during a procession in Ahmednagar in Maharashtra, a video of which went viral, an official said on Monday.

The Bhingar Camp police official said the procession was held in Fakirwada area at 9am on Sunday.

"Amid music and dance in the procession, four youth carried posters of Aurangzeb. An offence was registered against these four under Indian Penal Code for intention to incite a community to commit an offence against another community, hurting religious sentiments, as well as other offences," he said.

Meanwhile, state Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday said such acts will not be pardoned.

"If someone flashes the poster of Aurangzeb, it will not be tolerated. In this country and state, our revered deities are Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj," he said.

Maharashtra Nationalist Congress Party chief Jayant Patil said the state government must take appropriate steps to maintain law and order.

Shiv Sena-UBT MLC Ambadas Danve alleged the government makes tall claims of strict action when such incidents come to light but fails to act.  -- PTI
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20:33   Rail accident: NDRF ends op, withdraws all teams
The National Disaster Response Force on Monday ended its rescue operation with the withdrawal of all its nine teams from the triple train accident site in Odisha's Balasore district that has claimed at least 275 lives, officials said.

The force rescued 44 victims and retrieved 121 bodies from the spot since the teams were deployed after the accident on June 2, they said.

The operation has ended and all nine teams have now been withdrawn as there are no live or dead victims present at the accident site near the Bahanaga Bazar Railway Station.

Eight teams were relieved on Sunday, while one was drawn out on Monday, they said.

The nine teams had joined the personnel of state disaster forces and the local administration to undertake rescue and relief operations after they were sent in from Balasore, Mundali (Cuttack district) and Kolkata.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) rescuers carried heavy plasma and gas cutters, lifting pads, stretchers, canine teams and other equipment to undertake the operation.

The Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express entered the wrong track and hit a stationary goods train on Friday.

Its coaches got scattered all around, including on an adjoining track and another passenger train -- Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express -- coming at a high speed rammed into them and derailed.   --  PTI
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20:29   Train tragedy: King Charles III sends message of condolence to Prez
Britain's King Charles III on Monday sent a condolence message to President Droupadi Murmu, expressing his profound shock and sadness over the deadly train accident in Balasore, recalling his fond memories of a visit to Odisha 43 years ago.

The accident, involving three trains, is one of the worst in the country and took place in Odisha's Balasore district on Friday night which has claimed an estimated 275 lives and left over 1,200 people injured.

Both my wife [Queen Camilla] and I have been most profoundly shocked and saddened by the news of such a dreadful accident outside Balasore. I would like to express our deepest possible condolences to the families of all those who have so tragically lost their lives, Charles was quoted as saying in a statement issued by Buckingham Palace.

In the statement that was also posted across the royal social media channels, the 74-year-old monarch speaks of the special place in his heart for India and reflects upon his fond memories of a visit to Odisha 43 years ago.

'I do hope you know what a special place India and the people of India have in our hearts. I have particularly fond memories of visiting Odisha in 1980 and meeting some of its people on that occasion,' it said.

'I pray, therefore, that you may be able to convey our most heartfelt prayers and sympathy to all those who have been affected by this appalling tragedy, together with our special thoughts for the people of Odisha,' the King concludes.

The message follows several condolence messages from the UK government, including from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak who extended his heartfelt support and admiration to the survivors and those working tirelessly to respond  to the accident.   -- PTI
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19:49   Gujarat: Dalit man's thumb chopped off after...
A group of people allegedly assaulted a Dalit man and chopped off his thumb after his nephew picked up a cricket ball during a match at a school playground in Gujarat's Patan district, police said.

The incident took place in Kakoshi village in the district on Sunday, an official said.

According to the first information report (FIR), the accused got angry and threatened the boy who had picked up the ball while watching a cricket match at a school playground in the village, he said.

They also allegedly hurled casteist slurs with the intention to insult and intimidate members of the Dalit community, the official said.

When the boy's uncle Dhiraj Parmar objected to this, the matter was settled for the time being, he said.

However, later that evening, a group of seven men armed with sharp weapons assaulted the complainant Dhiraj and his brother Kirti, the official said.

One of the accused chopped off Kirti's thumb and injured him seriously, he said.

An FIR has been registered under sections 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons), 506 (criminal intimidation) and other relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities Act), the official said.

Efforts are on to apprehend the accused, he added.  -- PTI
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19:42   Veteran actor Sulochana Latkar cremated with state honours
Noted actor Sulochana Latkar, known for her innumerable mother roles in Hindi and Marathi cinema, was cremated with state honours at the Shivaji Park crematorium in Mumbai on Monday.

The 94-year-old actor died on Sunday due to prolonged illness at a hospital in Mumbai.

Sulochana's daughter Kanchan Ghanekar performed the last rites.

Earlier in the day, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, MNS chief Raj Thackeray, actor Jackie Shroff and actor Sachin Pilgaonkar paid their last respects to the actor at her residence in Prabhadevi.

"The cremation was performed between 5:30 to 5:45 pm with state honours. It was held in presence of family, colleagues and friends like Sonali Kulkarni, Sanjay Manjrekar, Mahesh Kothari, Sachin Pilgaonkar among others," her grandson-in-law Parag Ajgavkar told PTI.

Sulochana, started her career in 1940s and went on to feature in over 250 films in a six decade long journey in the movies.

Some of Sulochana's notable films are Sasurvas, Vahinichya Bangdya, and Dhakti Jau in Marathi and Aaye Din Bahar Ke, Gora Aur Kala, Devar, Talaash, and Azaad in Hindi.

The actor largely played on-screen mother in the Bollywood films of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, almost invariably dressed in a white saree.

She worked with all the lead stars of the era, including Sunil Dutt, Dev Anand, Rajesh Khanna, Dilip Kumar, and Amitabh Bachchan.  -- PTI
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18:43   Wipro shareholders okay Rs 12,000-crore share buyback
IT company Wipro's shareholders have approved a share buyback programme worth Rs 12,000 crore, according to a scrutiniser report released on stock exchanges on Monday. 

The Wipro board had approved the buyback of 26.96 crore equity shares at a price of Rs 445 apiece. 

According to the scrutiniser's report on the special resolution by way of postal ballot and e-voting process, 99.9 per cent voted in favour of the share buyback resolution. 

"The chairman noted the results of voting as stated above and it was declared and recorded that the special resolution as set out in the notice of postal ballot dated April 27, 2023, was duly passed by the shareholders on June 01, 2023, with requisite majority," the report said. 

The e-voting period commenced at in the morning of May 3 and ended at 5 pm on June 1. 

The board of Wipro had approved a proposal to buy back up to 26,96,62,921 equity shares, being 4.91 per cent of the total paid-up equity shares of the company for an aggregate amount not exceeding Rs 12,000 crore at a price of Rs 445 per equity share. 

Bengaluru-headquartered Wipro -- which competes in the IT services space with larger rivals like Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Infosys -- posted a net profit of Rs 3,074.5 crore for the just-ended quarter against Rs 3,087.3 crore in the year-ago period. 

The revenue for March 2023 quarter stood at Rs 23,190.3 crore, 11.17 per cent higher year-on-year, according to the filing. 

For the full FY23, the net profit of Rs 11,350 crore was 7.1 per cent lower than the preceding fiscal, while revenue of Rs 90,487.6 crore was 14.4 per cent higher.
Representational image. Pic: Robert Galbraith/Reuters
Representational image. Pic: Robert Galbraith/Reuters
18:15   Indian American dies rescuing his son at California beach
An Indian-American has lost his life while rescuing his 12-year-old son at a beach in the US state of California, a report said.

Multiple agencies were dispatched to Panther State Beach in Santa Cruz County just after 6 pm last Monday when Srinivasa Murthy Jonnalagadda entered the water to rescue his minor son who was unable to get out of the water, California Fire said on Twitter. 

Jonnalagadda, who did not know how to swim, managed to rescue his son but was then dragged by the riptide into deeper waters and drowned as his family helplessly bore witness.

He was then boarded onto a California Highway Patrol helicopter and taken to the Stanford Hospital where he died later, FOX KTVU reported.

Another man, who helped Jonnalagadda rescue his son, however, got out of the water on his own without any injuries, the report said. 
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17:50   Mamata offers jobs to kin of train crash victims
West Bengal Chief Minister on Monday announced state government jobs for the next of kin of those who lost their lives in the triple train crash in Odisha's Balasore.

The West Bengal CM said that relatives of those who lost their limbs in the horrific crash will also be given government jobs.

Banerjee added that her government will also give cash aid to those who were on board the Coromandel Express and are currently going through mental and physical trauma.

She will visit Bhubanewsar and Cuttack on Tuesday to meet the injured passengers recuperating in different hospitals.

She said currently there are 206 injured passengers from West Bengal admitted in different hospitals of Odisha.

There are 33 critical passengers in Cuttack hospitals, she said, adding that a few Bengal ministers and senior officers will accompany her.

She will distribute the ex gratia cheques and appointment letters to the next of the kin of the victims on Wednesday.

The Bengal chief minister added that she did not want to get into any sort of politics on the accident and would do everything to help the injured passengers and their families.

Earlier in the day, Banerjee cancelled her four-day trip to Darjeeling at the last minute to supervise the treatment and rehabilitation of passengers of the state who were injured in the train accident, sources said.

The Trinamool Congress chief was supposed to visit Darjeeling where she was scheduled to meet members of all political parties in the Hills before the panchayat elections slated this year, secretariat sources said.

"She wants to be in Kolkata and oversee how the rehabilitation and treatment of injured passengers from West Bengal who were on board the Coromandel Express that met with an accident. She will visit the Hills later," the source told PTI.

A coal-laden goods train from Vizag port to Rourkela Steel Plant became the first to run on the restored tracks around 10.40 pm on Sunday night, hours after both the up line and the down line tracks were repaired.

The first high speed passenger train - Howrah-Puri Vande Bharat Express - passed through Balasore on Monday morning through the same tracks, officials said.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw was present at the accident site and waved to the drivers when the train passed through, the officials said.

The Coromandel Express crashed into a stationary goods train, derailing most of its coaches at 7 pm on June 2.  -- PTI
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17:12   GoAir exit: Delhi-Pune fares jump from Rs 5000 to Rs 15,000
Indian carriers have started new flights on Go First's top routes to partly fill the void created by its exit. Nevertheless, spot fares on these routes have increased by as much as fivefold.

Go First operated 52 flights per week on the Delhi-Ahmedabad route, making it the sixth-busiest route of the airline, according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium.

After the airline declared insolvency and stopped all services from May 3, Air India introduced 14 new flights per week on the Delhi-Ahmedabad route.

However, the spot fares on the route have jumped by about 400 per cent to Rs 16,585 in the last one month, according to data provided by travel portal ixigo. The rising airfares have become a concern for the civil aviation ministry. It has told the airlines to keep airfares at moderate levels on such routes.


"We have observed the rising airfares on certain routes, such as Delhi-Pune and Delhi-Ahmedabad, where Go First's exit has created a significant impact," a senior government official noted.

Go First used to operate 52 flights per week on the Delhi-Pune route in April, according to Cirium.

However, since its exit, none of the airlines have started new flights on this route. As a result, the spot fare on this route has jumped from Rs 5,048 on April 24 to Rs 15,093 on May 24.

The government official said that airlines have been advised to increase flights but they are unable to do much because of paucity of fresh capacity (new planes).

Deepak Patel/Business Standard
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17:08   Flipkart makes it to Times Square
Flipkart, India's e-commerce marketplace, has announced its much-awaited 'Big End of Season Sale' event, which will bring close to 200,000 sellers and more than 10,000+ brands together to bring a wide selection of fashion, beauty and lifestyle products to millions of customers across India. 

Flipkart Big EOSS will be featured on a billboard at the iconic New York Times Square attracting over 600,000 to 700,000 eyeballs every hour.

Commenced 1st June 2023, the week-long event will give customers a differentiated shopping experience with the introduction of technology interventions such as Image Search, Video Catalog, Virtual Try-Ons, Video Commerce and Top Filters. 
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17:03   Stunned silence as Vande pax pass train mishap site
As the Vande Bharat Express crossed the site of the triple train crash at Bahanaga Bazar Monday morning successfully, the first train to cross the disaster site during day hours, passengers on board gasped as the horror of the devastation unleashed by the train pile up last Friday unfolded before their eyes. 

 As the train which started from Howrah slowed down as a mark of caution running across freshly repaired tracks, a few muttered Jagannath, Jagannath, the name of the presiding deity of Puri, the destination of the train, but most were too stunned to speak. The railway authorities had on Sunday informed passengers through a group SMS that the train would leave on time. 

 The train left on time from Howrah station at 6.10 am but no one was sure of the route it would take as news on the state of the tracks which had broken up because of the accident which claimed 275 lives was unknown. Passengers were heard discussing the route it might take, especially as the display board in the compartment showed it was travelling at a speed of over 110 km per hour. 

 The majority of the passengers were bound for Puri, the sea side pilgrim town and a favourite go-to-destination for tourists in eastern India. However, after the train reached Kharagpur the announcements that the next station would be Baleswar made the passengers rush to the large windows of the train, ready with their mobile phones. The train speed was still between 110 km and 122 km. The train reached Kantapara station, a few km ahead of Bahanaga Bazar and stopped for a brief time.

 "Just four minutes away," said Bimal Saha , a young man in hushed tones after checking on the Google map on his phone. The speed as the train crawled forward was now down to 20 to 25 kmph and all eyes were fixed at the scene that unfolded outside. When the train crossed the first mangled coach lying next to the up track at around 9.25 am, on which Coromondal Express travelled that fateful night, not one man or woman spoke. Mobile cameras were switched on by almost all of them. 

 The mangled compartments lying next to the up railway line presented an apocalyptic sight for about the next 25 minutes. The railway authorities have screened off the area with green cloth but the eyes sought out the twisted and mangled steel. The sight was bizarre as most of them lay capsized, one after another, with their heavy steel underbelly and the wheels protruding into the sky. 

Though every passenger had read about in newspapers or watched its aftermath on their television sets, the actual dimensions sunk in as the vista unfolded.

 The Coromandel Express had crashed into a stationary goods train, derailing most of its coaches at 7 pm on June 2. A few coaches of the Coromandel toppled over the last few coaches of the Bengaluru-Howrah express which was passing by at the same time in the opposite direction, turning it into a devastating triple train crash. 

 There were a large number of policemen at the site and members of the electronic media were visible in sizeable numbers. A number of them were even seen taking shots of the passing Vande Bharat Express. There were also a large number of laborers, many of whom who had their noses covered to perhaps keep out the stench.

 A few capsized compartments could also be seen lying next to the down track on which the ill- fated Bangalore-Howrah-Yashwantpur Express was travelling Friday evening. As the train moved through the spot at slow speed, there was no jerk at all. "Undoubtedly, the railway engineers have done a great job. But wish our systems are more advanced to prevent any collision," said Kanika Chaudhury, 60. "So many lives lost, so many families affected," sighed her daughter Soumika, a graphic designer. "This is too painful to be watched, let alone from the comfortable confines of the Vande Bharat," said Saha, who had remained glued to the window for quite sometime to catch a glimpse of just the scene which was now upsetting him. No other train was seen at the spot. Just two to three trains were seen between Howrah and Kharagpur, one being the Baghajatin Express from Bhadrak to Howrah. 

 As the train reached Soro, the next station, it picked up speed. At Soro too a large number of laborers were seen waiting with their bags. Perhaps to work at the accident site for next few days.
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16:40   Malini Parthasarathy resigns from The Hindu board
Malini Parthasarathy tweets, "My term as Chairperson of The Hindu Group Publishing ends. However, I have also resigned from the Board of the THGPPL as I find the space and scope for my editorial views shrinking. My entire endeavour as Chairperson and Director, Editorial Strategy was to ensure that The Hindu Group revives its legacy of fair and unbiased reporting. Also my efforts were to free our narrative from entrenched ideological bias. Since I find the scope for my efforts has narrowed, I have decided to move on. I thank all my well-wishers and friends who have supported this challenging journey."
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16:35   She's back
Amruta Fadnavis bonds with nature on World Environment Day. "Some wander in the man-made world to get lost and some wander in the woods of nature to find themselves ! Love the environment, embrace the environment & protect it to find yourself & to find the purpose of your life !"
Lloyd Austin with Rajnath Singh
Lloyd Austin with Rajnath Singh
16:32   We see bullying, coercion from China: US Def secy
Visiting United States Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin on Monday said that the world is witnessing bullying and coercion from China which was seeking to "redraw borders by force" and also threaten the national sovereignty of countries. 

 Addressing a press conference after holding a bilateral meeting with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, the US Defence Secretary said, "We face a rapidly changing world. We see bullying and coercion from China, Russian aggression against Ukraine that seeks to redraw borders by force and threatens national sovereignty, as well as transnational challenges, such as terrorism and climate change." 

 The US Defence Secretary highlighted the importance of joint military exercises between India and the US. 

 "So democracies must now rally together around not just our common interest, but also our shared values. Preserving and protecting the freedoms that are essential to peace and prosperity will require vigorous leadership from the United States and India. And so we still have a lot of work to do, but I am confident that the US-India Partnership will help to secure an open and prosperous future for the Indo-Pacific and the wider world," he added.
Sand artist Subala Maharana pays tribute to victims
Sand artist Subala Maharana pays tribute to victims
16:05   Father believed son survived accident, finds him alive in morgue
A father's refusal to believe his son, on board Coromandel Express, had died in the accident made him travel more than 230km in an ambulance to Balasore, trace him to a makeshift morgue, resuscitate him in hospital and bring him back to Kolkata for further treatment. Read the amazing story here. 
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16:01   All 9 NDRF teams at train accident site withdrawn
The Inspector General of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Narendra Singh Bundela on Monday announced the withdrawal of all nine teams of NDRF deployed for rescue operation in Odisha's Balasore after the triple-train accident. 

"Train movement on main lines has been restored, and things are back to normalcy after the full operation. All 9 teams of NDRF who were working in Odisha's Balasore have been withdrawn," Narendra Singh Bundela told ANI.

 He said that they went through a lot of challenges as the crash involved three trains with multiple coaches. 

 "The way trains crashed, coaches were derailed and overturned. We had to enter inside affected coaches, rescue passengers stuck inside, and provide medical assistance to those injured," the IG further explained.

On Sunday, the government said the accident occurred due to a "change in electronic interlocking". The probe of the tragic Odisha train accident that claimed the lives of 275 people and left over 1000 injured, was handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). 

 The incident occurred near the Bahanaga Baazar station in Balasore district, about 250 km south of Kolkata and 170 km north of Bhubaneswar on June 2. It involved the Bengaluru-Howrah Express and Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express -- and a goods train.
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15:32   Injured Coromandel Express drivers stable
The condition of injured engine driver Gunanidhi Mohanty and his assistant Hajari Behera, who are undergoing treatment at AIIMS Bhubaneswar, is stable, officials said. 

 Both were rescued from the Coromandel Express that derailed near Bahanaga Bazar Station on June 2 that had claimed 275 lives and left around 1,200 injured. Both the drivers are stable. 

While Mohanty was taken out of the ICU on Monday, Behera is awaiting a head surgery, South Eastern Railway (SER) Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Aditya Choudhury told a television channel.

 Families of both the drivers have appealed to all for privacy and allow them to recover physically and mentally. They claimed that the drivers could not be blamed for the mishap as they operated the locomotive as per rules.

 Earlier, the Railway Ministry had apparently given clean chit to both of them. 

 The Commissioner Railway Safety, SER Circle, which began its inquiry into the accident on Monday, will record the statements of both of them after their recovery. 

 A coal-laden goods train from Vizag port to Rourkela Steel Plant became the first to run on the restored tracks around 10.40 pm on Sunday night, hours after both the up line and the down line tracks were repaired. 

 The first high speed passenger train - Howrah-Puri Vande Bharat Express - passed through Balasore on Monday morning through the same tracks, officials said.

The Coromandel Express crashed into a stationary goods train, derailing most of its coaches at 7 pm on June 2. A few coaches of Coromandel toppled over the last few coaches of the Bengaluru-Howrah express which was passing by at the same time. 

A goods train was also involved in the crash. Investigators are looking into possible human error, signal failure and other possible causes behind the three-train crash. PTI
Sakshi Malik was manhandled by the Delhi police
Sakshi Malik was manhandled by the Delhi police
14:54   Wrestlers rejoin jobs but protests NOT over
Wrestlers Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia have resumed duty as OSD (Sports) in the railways, but have clarified that the protest against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh is NOT over. 

Sakshi Malik tweeted to say that news that she had withdrawn from the protests is untrue. "This is news is completely wrong. None of us have withdrawn or will withdraw from the fight for justice. Along with satyagraha we will fulfill our responsibilities at the railways. But our fight will carry on till we get justice. Please do not run fake news," Malik tweeted. 

The Delhi Police on April 28 had registered two FIRs against the outgoing Wrestling Federation of India chief Singh at the Connaught Place police station, including one on the basis of a complaint from the father of a minor wrestler invoking the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act that entails a prison term of up to seven years on conviction. 

 The FIRs registered following a Supreme Court order have charged him under various Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections, including assaulting a woman to outrage her modesty (section 354), sexual harassment (354A) and stalking (354D), that are punishable with jail terms of two-three years. Some of the complainants also alleged that Singh made advances to seek "sexual favours", promising to help them in their careers.
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14:39   No bail for Sisodia, but can meet ailing wife
The Delhi High Court on Monday refused to grant interim bail to AAP leader Manish Sisodia in a money laundering case arising from the alleged excise policy scam. Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma, however, allowed him to meet his ailing wife in custody for one day as per her convenience between 10 am and 5 pm. 

 The former Delhi deputy chief minister had sought release on a temporary basis for six weeks on grounds that he was the sole caretaker of his ailing wife. His plea for regular bail in the matter is pending before the high court. Sisodia, who was arrested on March 9, is currently in judicial custody in the case lodged by the ED.

The Enforcement Directorate had opposed the plea for interim bail on grounds of possibility of evidence tampering. The ED lawyer has also claimed that Sisodia's wife has been suffering from such a medical condition for the last 20 years. 

 The Delhi government implemented the policy on November 17, 2021 but scrapped it at the end of September 2022 amid allegations of corruption. On May 30, the court had dismissed the bail plea of Sisodia in the excise policy scam being probed by the CBI, saying he is an influential person and the allegations against him are very serious in nature. In the CBI case, the high court has kept the interim bail plea pending for July.
Mukhtar Ansari
Mukhtar Ansari
14:22   Mukhtar Ansari gets lifer for murder of Cong leader
Varanasi's MP MLA court awards life imprisonment to jailed mafia Mukhtar Ansari in 1991 Awadhesh Rai murder case. 

A special MP-MLA court in Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi convicted jailed gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari in the over three decades old murder case of Awadhesh Rai.

 On August 3, 1991, Congress leader and brother of former MLA Ajay Rai, Awadhesh Rai, was shot dead outside Ajay Rai's house in Varanasi. The court is expected to pronounce the quantum of sentence in the case after 2 pm today, advocate Vikash Singh told ANI. 

Pradeep Sharma
Pradeep Sharma
14:09   SC grants 3 weeks interim bail to ex-cop Pradeep Sharma
The Supreme Court on Monday granted three weeks interim bail to former police officer Pradeep Sharma ,who was arrested in connection with the Antilia bomb scare case and the killing of businessman Mansukh Hiran.

 A vacation bench of Justices Aniruddha Bose and Rajesh Bindal granted the relief to Sharma after noting that his wife has to undergo surgery. The top court said Sharma would be released on interim bail subject to conditions imposed by the trial court. List on June 26, 2023. 

On that day petitioner shall furnish a medical report indicating therein the status of treatment of wife of the petitioner, the bench said. Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati opposed the grant of bail. Earlier, Additional Solicitor General S V Raju had argued that Sharma was seeking interim bail without filing an interlocutory application (application in appeal already instituted). 

 The counsel appearing for Sharma had sought interim bail on humanitarian grounds and said the wife of the petitioner has developed serious complications after a surgery. He had claimed the condition of Sharma's wife was deteriorating with each passing day, and he was seeking interim bail for the limited purpose of taking care of her.
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13:58   Only party heads should be at Oppn meet: Nitish
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said that he was insistent upon heads of respective parties attending the opposition meet, which was scheduled on June 12, but has been postponed. 

 Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a function here, the JD(U) supreme leader said a new date for the much talked about meeting will be announced after consultation with all parties. "We had to put off the June 12 meeting after the Congress and another party conveyed to me that they found the date inconvenient. I have therefore decided to postpone the meet and asked the Congress to suggest a new date after consultation with other parties. But I have made one thing very clear. All parties which agree to attend the meeting, must be represented by their respective heads," Kumar said. "If any party insisted that it be represented by someone else, that would not be acceptable," he said. 

"For example, there was an impression that the Congress may send someone else other than its president. This was something we could not accept," added Kumar, who has, since his exit from the NDA last year, embarked on a drive to bring together all parties opposed to the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha polls next year. 

 Last week, state Congress president Akhilesh Prasad Singh had said that his party was planning to send one chief minister and another senior leader for the meeting. 

 This had evoked taunts from the BJP, now in opposition in Bihar, which claimed neither Rahul Gandhi, who is abroad, nor Mallikarjun Kharge, the Congress president, was assigning much importance to the initiative of Nitish Kumar, despite being his ally in the state.

The idea of a meeting of opposition parties in Patna was first mooted by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at a press conference she addressed jointly with Kumar in April. -- PTI
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13:51   India cracks down on critics of coal
Documents reveal government anger over opposition of Indian nonprofits and their Western allies to the project of a powerful ally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi -- Gautam Adani. Read the report here. 
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13:42   IMD: Monsoon set to advance in Kerala because...
A cyclonic circulation which is set to develop into a low-pressure area over the southeast Arabian Sea and intensify in the next two days is expected to critically influence the advance of the monsoon towards the Kerala coast, the India Meteorological Department said on Monday. 

 The weather department, however, did not give a tentative date for the arrival of the monsoon in Kerala. 

 "Westerly winds over the south Arabian Sea continue to prevail up to 2.1 km above mean sea level. However, because of a cyclonic circulation over the southeast Arabian Sea, the cloud mass is more organized and concentrated over the same area and there has been some reduction of clouds off the Kerala coast in the last 24 hours. 

 "Also, under the influence of this cyclonic circulation, a low-pressure area is very likely to form over the same region during the next 24 hours. It is likely to move nearly northwards and intensify into a depression over the southeast and adjoining east central Arabian Sea during the subsequent 48 hours," the IMD said. 

 The formation and intensification of this system and its near northward movement are likely to critically influence the advance of the southwest monsoon towards the Kerala coast, the IMD said. The southwest monsoon normally sets in over Kerala on June 1 with a standard deviation of about seven days. In mid-May, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said monsoon might arrive in Kerala by June 4. The southeast monsoon arrived in the southern state on May 29 last year, June 3 in 2021, June 1 in 2020, June 8 in 2019 and May 29 in 2018. 

 India is expected to get normal rainfall during the southwest monsoon season despite the evolving El Nino conditions, the IMD had earlier said. Northwest India is expected to see normal to below-normal rainfall. East and northeast, central, and south peninsula are expected to receive normal rainfall at 94-106 per cent of the long-period average of 87 centimetres.
Shankar Mishra, the infamous Air India 'pee passenger'
Shankar Mishra, the infamous Air India 'pee passenger'
13:07   Unruly passenger behaviour on rise: IATA
One unruly passenger incident was reported for every 568 flights last year compared to one such incident per 835 flights in 2021, according to international airlines' grouping IATA.

In recent times, there has been a steep rise in unruly passenger behaviour incidents, including in India. As it released an analysis of such incidents on Sunday, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) also urged more states to take the necessary authority to prosecute passengers under Montreal Protocol 2014 (MP14).

 "Latest figures show that there was one unruly incident reported for every 568 flights in 2022, up from one per 835 flights in 2021. The most common categorisations of incidents in 2022 were non-compliance, verbal abuse and intoxication. 

 "Physical abuse incidents remain very rare, but these had an alarming increase of 61 per cent over 2021, occurring once every 17,200 flights," IATA said in a release. 

 Although non-compliance incidents initially fell after the mask mandates were removed on most flights, the frequency began to rise again throughout 2022 and ended the year some 37 per cent up on 2021, IATA said. 

 Smoking of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, vapes and puff devices in the cabin or lavatories; failure to fasten seatbelts when instructed; exceeding the carry-on baggage allowance or failing to store baggage when required; and consumption of own alcohol on board flights were among the most common examples, it added. 

 IATA Deputy Director General Conrad Clifford said the increasing trend of unruly passenger incidents is worrying. "In the face of rising unruly incident numbers, governments and the industry are taking more serious measures to prevent unruly passenger incidents. States are ratifying MP14 and reviewing enforcement measures, sending a clear message of deterrence by showing that they are ready to prosecute unruly behaviour," he noted.

 When asked the possible reasons for the rising number of unruly air passengers post the coronavirus pandemic, Clifford told PTI that he was not sure and was looking into the trend. He spoke on the sidelines of the IATA Annual General Meeting and World Air Transport Summit here
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12:43   Mukhtar Ansari convicted in Rai murder
Varanasi's MP MLA court convicts jailed mafia Mukhtar Ansari in Awadhesh Rai murder case. On August 3, 1991, Congress leader and brother of former MLA Ajay Rai, Awadhesh Rai, was shot dead outside Ajay Rai's house in Varanasi. 

 Ajay Rai had named Mukhtar Ansari, Bhim Singh and former MLA Abdul Kalim, in the FIR. On May 17, a Ghazipur MP/MLA Court acquitted Mukhtar Ansari accused in a case of conspiracy of a murder attempt in Uttar Pradesh's Mohammadabad area in the district. 

 In 2009, Mir Hasan filed a case of attempt to murder against Ansari under 120B. A case under section 307 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was registered against Ansari at Mohammadabad police station in Ghazipur.
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12:34   Govt's rail safety claims exposed: Cong tells PM
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Odisha railway tragedy, saying "all the empty safety claims" of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw have now been "exposed" and the government must bring to light the real reasons that caused this grave accident.

 In his letter to Modi, Kharge hit out at the Railway minister for seeking a CBI probe, saying the law enforcement agency is meant to investigate crimes, not railway accidents. 

"The people in charge your good self and Railway Minister Vaishnaw do not want to admit that there are problems," the Congress chief said. "The Railway Minister claims to have already found a root cause, but yet has requested the CBI to investigate. The CBI is meant to investigate crimes, not railway accidents. The CBI, or any other law enforcement agency, cannot fix accountability for technical, institutional and political failures," Kharge argued. 

"In addition, they lack the technical expertise in railway safety, signalling, and maintenance practices," he said. "There is serious concern among the common passengers about this deterioration in safety of railways," the Congress chief claimed. "Therefore, it is incumbent upon the government to ascertain and bring to light the real reasons that caused this grave accident," he said.

 The crash involving Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express and Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express, which were carrying around 2,500 passengers, and a goods train on Friday has left 275 people dead and over 1,100 injured. Kharge said the latest audit report of CAG makes a special mention of how between 2017-18 and 2020-21, about seven out of 10 train accidents happened due to derailment. 

 "But this was erroneously ignored. Between 2017 and 2021, there was zero testing of Rail and Weld (track maintenance) for safety in East Coast Railways. Why were these grave red flags ignored?" he said. 

 In his letter, Kharge said the devastating train accident in Balasore, Odisha, one of the worst in Indian history, has shocked the nation.

 "The country stands united in this hour of grief. However the loss of so many precious lives has shaken the conscience of every Indian. The loss of these lives is irreparable and no amount of monetary compensation or words of condolence can make up for this grave tragedy," he said. "Despite all the revolutionary strides in field of transportation, the Indian Railways is still a lifeline for every common Indian," he said. "It isn't just the most reliable but also the most economical mode of transport and it's remarkable how the railways transport passengers that equal the whole population of Australia every single day," he noted. 

 "But I say with remorse that instead of focusing on strengthening the railways at the basic level only superficial touch up is being done to stay in news. Instead of making the railways more effective, more advanced, and more efficient, it is instead being meted out with step-motherly treatment," he said. 

 Meanwhile, consistently flawed decision making has made travelling by rail unsafe and has in turn compounded the problems of our people, Kharge alleged. PTI
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12:29   Meet IAF's first Agniveers
After five months of rigorous training, the Agniveervayus passed out of the Airmen Training School, impressing the audience with the skills they had acquired in just 22 weeks of training. Read Archana Masih's report on Rediff.com here.  
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12:21   IISC Bengaluru ranked India's best university
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras continued to bag the top spot in the National Institute Ranking Framework, 2023 for the fifth consecutive year, while the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru has been ranked as the best university, according to the Ministry of Education.

IISc Bengaluru has bagged the second spot in the "overall" category followed by IIT Delhi. Among the engineering institutions, IIT Madras retained the top spot for the eighth consecutive year. IIT Delhi and IIT Bombay have been ranked second and third, respectively in the category.

 Delhi University's Miranda House and Hindu College have bagged the first and second spot among colleges followed by Presidency College, Chennai. IISc Bengaluru has been ranked as the best institution for research, while IIT Kanpur has been ranked the best for innovation. 


Among the management colleges, Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad has been ranked at the top followed by IIM Bangalore and IIM Kozhikode. In pharmacy, the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Hyderabad has been ranked first. Jamia Hamdard and BITS Pilani have been ranked at the second and third spot, respectively. Similarly for law, the National Law School of India University, Bengaluru followed by the National Law University, Delhi and NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad have figured in the ranking.
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12:13   Boy dies in bomb blast at public toilet in Bengal
An 11-year-old boy was killed in a bomb blast at a public toilet in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district on Monday, police said. The minor, a resident of Subhaspally, was seriously injured when he went to the public toilet near rail gate-1 in Bongaon area and the explosion took place, a senior officer said. The boy was taken to a local hospital where doctors declared him brought dead, he said. 

 Apparently, bombs stored in the public toilet at Buxipally went off, the officer said. Locals expressed shock over the incident and demanded the arrest of those who allegedly stored bombs in the public toilet. PTI
NDRF personnel at the site of the triple train mishap
NDRF personnel at the site of the triple train mishap
11:44   Another train derails in Odisha, no casualties
A goods train derailed on a private narrow gauge rail line in Odisha's Bargarh district on Monday, days after a horrific three-train accident in Balasore led to 275 deaths. 

 Officials said five bogies of the train carrying limestone derailed when it was en route to Bargarh from Dunguri. No injury or casualty was reported in the incident, they said. Officials said the incident happened inside a private siding. 

"A private siding is owned by a company and its maintenance and operations are not done by the railways. There is a private narrow gauge rail line between Dungri Limestone Mines and Cement Plant of ACC Bargarh. The line, wagons, loco all are private. It is in no way connected with the Indian Railway system," the officials said, adding the incident occurred on this line early morning. PTI
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11:36   Actor Gufi Paintal dies
Actor Gufi Paintal, best known for playing 'Shakuni mama' in the epic TV serial "Mahabharat", died on Monday at a hospital here due to age-related issues, his nephew Hiten Paintal said. He was 79. 

 The veteran actor was admitted at a hospital in suburban Andheri.

 "Unfortunately, he is no more. He passed away at the hospital at around 9 am. His heart gave up. He passed away peacefully in his sleep," Hiten told PTI. Hiten had earlier told PTI that his uncle was not keeping well due to age-related health issues.

 "He had blood pressure and heart issues. He was keeping unwell and all this was going on for a while. Things got severe now so we got him to the hospital for observation. He has been in the hospital for seven to eight days. He was critical initially, but right now he is stable," Hiten had told PTI.

 Paintal's acting credits also include 1980s Hindi films such as Suhaag, Dillagi, as well as television shows CID and Hello Inspector, but his manipulative uncle act as Shakuni mama from BR Chopra's "Mahabharat" made him a household name. He is survived by his son, daughter-in-law and a grandchild. The last rites will be held today at around 4 pm at a crematorium in suburban Andheri.
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11:26   Sena, BJP will contest all polls together: Shinde
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday said the Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will contest all future elections together, including civic polls. 

 Shinde, whose Shiv Sena shares power with the BJP in Maharashtra, in a tweet also informed that he and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Sunday night. 

 During the meeting, it was decided that all future elections (including the Lok Sabha, Assembly and civic bodies) will be contested jointly by the Shiv Sena and BJP. We will contest and win the elections with majority, the CM tweeted along with a photograph of his meeting with Shah. 

 Shinde and Fadnavis went to Delhi on Sunday evening and held a meeting with Shah. The CM said issues related to agriculture and cooperation were discussed during the meeting with Shah. Several pending projects in the state have been streamlined now and they are on way to completion, he said. "We have always received guidance from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for various projects. We met Shah to discuss issues related to the cooperation sector," Shinde said in the tweet.
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11:02   Sharp-eyed staff notices crack in train coach
A likely train disaster avoided. "Yesterday at 3:36 pm a crack was noticed by C&W staff in the S3 coach of train No 16102 (Chennai Egmore Express) while entering Sengottai station in Tamil Nadu. Railway officials immediately detached the coach and accommodated the passengers in other coaches after which the train left at 4:40 pm. The staff who detected the crack will be appreciated for vigil watch and awarded by Divisional Railway Manager, Madurai Division today," Southern Railway railway officials say. 

This comes as the country reels under the horrific train accidents -- 12841 Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express, 12864 Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express and a goods train -- were involved in the accident, one of the worst railway tragedies in the country.

Citing reports available till late afternoon Saturday, the official said 275 people were killed in the accident.
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10:36   BJP will blame Cong for train accident: Rahul
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has said that the BJP and RSS are "incapable" of looking at the future and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is trying to drive the Indian car by only looking in the rearview mirror which will lead to "one accident after another." 

 Gandhi addressed a massive community event at the Javits Centre organised by the Indian Overseas Congress -- USA on Sunday as he wrapped up his US visit that included trips to San Francisco and Washington DC. 

"Back home we have a problem, and I will tell you the problem. BJP and the RSS are incapable of looking at the future. They're incapable. Unse aap kuch bhi poocho, woh peeche ki aur dekhte hain (You ask anything they look into the past), he said. He said that if you ask the BJP why a train accident happened, they will say the Congress Party did such and such thing 50 years ago, taking a swipe at the government following the Odisha train accident, one of the worst railway tragedies in the country. The accident involving three trains has left around 275 dead and brought into focus the issue of railway safety. There has been a demand for the resignation of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw from some quarters. Gandhi said that if you ask the BJP why they removed the periodic table from the textbooks, they will refer to what the Congress party did 60 years ago. Their immediate response is to look back, he said, adding that one cannot drive a car by looking only in the rearview mirror as that will only lead to "one accident after another." That is the phenomenon of Narendra Modi ji. He is trying to drive the Indian car and he only looks in the rearview mirror. And then he does not understand why this car is crashing, not moving forward. And it's the same idea with the BJP, with the RSS, all of them. "You listen to them. You listen to their ministers. You listen to the Prime Minister, you will never find them talking about the future. They will only talk about the past and they will always blame somebody else for the past, he said amidst applause from the Congress party members. He said that when a train accident happened when the Congress party was in power, it did not say it is the fault of the British that the train has crashed. No. The Congress minister remember said it is my responsibility the train has crashed. I'm resigning, Gandhi said. He said the fight going on in India is a fight between two ideologies in which on one side you have Mahatma Gandhi and on the other side there is Nathuram Godse.
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10:28   Sushmita Sen completes shooting for 'Aarya' season 3
Bollywood star Sushmita Sen says she has finished filming for the third season of her acclaimed web series "Aarya". 

 The 47-year-old actor took to social media on Sunday night to share the update with fans and followers. "It's a wrap!!! #Aarya3 #lovelove Captain @RamKMadhvani #KapilSharma #Shradha & #AaryaFamily," she captioned a video from the set of the show. "Aarya" is co-created by Ram Madhvani and Sandeep Modi. 

The show, an official Hindi adaption of the Dutch series "Penoza", follows the journey of Aarya, played by Sen, a woman who finds herself in the world of crime after her husband Tej Sareen (Chadrachud Singh) is murdered. 

 In late April, Sen restarted shooting for "Aarya" season three in Jaipur, almost two months after she suffered a heart attack. 

 The former Miss Universe, in an Instagram post early March, revealed she underwent angioplasty following a "big" heart attack. 

 The much awaited season of the Disney+ Hotstar series is co-produced by Ram Madhvani Films and Endemol Shine India.
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10:04   Passenger trains services via Balasore resume
Indian Railways on Monday has started running passenger trains on the tracks in Bahanaga village in Odisha's Balasore which were affected due to the triple train accident. 

The triple train accident in Odisha's Balasore which left 275 dead and more than 1,000 injured, Indian Railways on Monday resumed running passenger trains on the tracks of the accident-affected route. 

 Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday waved at the crew of a goods train and prayed for a safe journey, as services resumed after 51 hours of a train accident in Balasore. 

 "Services on both tracks have been restored. Normal train services on both lines have now been restored, 51 hours after the accident," said Ashwini Vaishnaw.

 On Sunday, Vaishnaw said the accident occurred due to a "change in electronic interlocking". 

 Electronic interlocking is an arrangement of signal apparatus that prevents conflicting movements between trains through an arrangement of tracks. It is basically a safety measure to prevent signals from being changed in improper sequence. The aim of this system is that no train gets the signal to proceed unless the route is proven safe. 

 Meanwhile, the probe of the tragic Odisha train accident that claimed the lives of 275 people and left over 1000 injured, to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

 "The way this accident happened, looking at the conditions, and according to the administrative information. The Railway Board is recommending the probe to the CBI," Vaishnaw added.
Barkha Dutt
Barkha Dutt
09:52   The Mojo content gets deleted
Barkha Dutt tweets, "After hours of urging @TeamYouTube to act & being assured action is being taken, I woke up to find @themojostory channel content ALL DELETED by the hackers- four years of blood, toil, sweat, tears, 11 thousand videos, COVID work of 3 years, ALL GONE. I am heartbroken @nealmohan."
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09:48   At late-night meet Amit Shah told wrestlers, Let...
India's top wrestlers, who have been protesting against BJP MP and chief of the country's wrestling federation Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, met Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday.

Olympian Bajrang Punia told NDTV that they met the Home Minister late on Saturday evening at his Delhi home.

NDTV says the meeting that began at 11 pm lasted for more than an hour and that it was attended by Punia, Sakshee Malikkh, Sangita Phogat and Satyawart Kadian.

The wrestlers demanded an impartial probe and quick action against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh - who has been accused of sexual harassment by seven female wrestlers, including a minor, they said.

Amit Shah assured the wrestlers that the law remains same for everyone, it's learnt. "Let the law take its own course," he reportedly told the wrestlers.

Sources say the protesting wrestlers had sought a meeting with Shah after their five-day deadline for action against the wrestling federation chief ended on Saturday.

The wrestlers, who allege that their protest against the wrestling federation chief has been largely ignored, had last month announced their decision to immerse their medals into the river Ganga in Haridwar.
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09:26   Our responsibility is not over yet: Railway minister
Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday said that their goal is to make missing persons' family members to find them as soon as possible after the horrific triple train accident that took place in Odisha's Balasore on June 2. 
 
"Our objective is to ensure that all the missing persons' family members find them as soon as possible. Our responsibility is not over yet," said a visibly emotional Vaishnaw as he announced the restoration of the accident affected section. 

The first train on the section where the accident happened in Balasore started its journey at around 10.40 pm on Sunday, 51 hours after the horrific crash which killed 275 people, officials said.  
 
The goods train was seen off by Vaishnaw as scores of mediapersons and railway officials looked on.  

The train carrying coal is headed towards Rourkela Steel plant from Vizag port and is running on the same track where the ill-fated Bangalore-Howrah train met with the tragedy on Friday.

The Howrah-bound train crashed with the capsized bogies of the Coromandel Express which had collided with a stationary freight train seconds earlier.
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09:21   No intention to hide deaths: Odisha govt
Odisha Chief Secretary PK Jena said his government has no intention to hide the deaths in the Balasore train crash and the entire rescue operation was being conducted in full public view.
 
Reacting to allegations that the death toll figure was being manipulated, he said Odisha believes in transparency.
 
"Media persons are very much present at the accident site since the beginning. Everything is being done in the presence of cameras," he said.
 
"The railways had stated the death toll as 288. We also said that, and the figure was based on information from the railways. But, our Balasore District Collector has verified the death toll, and the figure was 275 till 10 am of Sunday," he said.
 
Asked about the change in the toll, Jena said it was due to double counting of some bodies.
 
The chief secretary said there was also no prohibition on the entry of media persons at the accident site. "The rescue and even restoration activities went on in full public view," he said.
 
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee questioned the death figures, stating that 61 people from her state were dead and 182 were still missing.

"If from one state, 182 are missing and 61 are confirmed dead, then where would the figures stand?" she asked, addressing a press conference.
 
Railway Minister Ashiwini Vaishnaw declined to take any questions from journalists in connection with Banerjee's allegation.
 
Of the 275 dead bodies, only 108 have been identified, the chief secretary said.

He said the state would like all the bodies to be identified so that those could be cremated by their families.

"Keeping in view the prevailing hot weather, the bodies are decomposing fast. Therefore, the state can maximum wait for two more days before disposing of them as per the law," he said. -- PTI  
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08:23   Cong didn't blame...: Rahul's dig at BJP over train crash
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party saying they never talk about the future, and always blame somebody else in the past for their failures.  
   
Gandhi, who is on a visit to the US, was addressing the members of Indian diaspora in the Javits Centre in New York. 

They observed 60-second silence in respect of those who died in the Odisha train accident.

The accident involving three trains has left at least 280 dead and brought into focus the issue of railway safety. There has been demand for the resignation of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw from some quarters.
 
"I remember a train accident when the Congress was in power. The Congress did not get up and say 'now it is the fault of the British that the train has crashed'. The Congress minister said 'it's my responsibility and I'm resigning'. So this is the problem we have back home, we make excuses and we are not accepting the reality we are faced with," Gandhi said, without naming the Congress minister.

He said the BJP and the RSS are incapable of looking into the future. 
 
"He (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) is trying to drive the car...the Indian car and he looks in the rear-view mirror. Then he does not understand why this car is crashing, not moving forward. And it's the same idea with the BJP, with the RSS. All of them. You listen to the ministers, you listen to the prime minister. You will never find them talking about the future. They only talk about the past," he said.

"The BJP and the RSS are incapable of looking into the future. They never talk about the future; they only talk about the past. And they will always blame somebody else for the past," he said.

He said there is a fight going on back in India between two ideologies -- one represented by the Congress and the other by the BJP and the RSS.
"The simplest way to describe this fight is that on one side you have Mahatma Gandhi and on the other side, Nathuram Godse," he said.
 
He also praised the Indian-American community for the way they have lived in the US.

"All the giants that have emerged from India, you can see that there were certain qualities that all of them possessed. Firstly, they searched for, represented and fought for the truth. Secondly, all these people were humble, and there was no arrogance in them. That is how Indians have worked in the US, and that's why Indians are successful here. I respect and honour you for that." -- PTI

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