Three people have been arrested for allegedly trying to convert a woman worker of the Bharatiya Janata Party to Christianity in the Khoda area of Ghaziabad district in Uttar Pradesh, police said on Sunday.

Ibrahim Thomas, his wife Reewa and one Babita were arrested on Saturday following a complaint by Sunita Arora, a local BJP worker.

In her complaint, lodged at Khoda police station on Friday, Arora alleged that her neighbour Babita introduced her to Thomas, a Kerala native working at the Kalwari Church.

She alleged that Thomas organises ceremonies with the help of his wife to convince people of other religions to convert to Christianity.

Thomas, with the help of Babita, called Arora to a parlour and tried to convince her to convert, she alleged in her complaint.

A case was registered and Thomas, Reewa and Babita were arrested under the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Act and sent to jail, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Trans Hindan) Vivek Chandra Yadav said.   -- PTI

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday slammed All-India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi and said that he will close 300 more madrassas this year.

While addressing a gathering at Karimnagar, CM Sarma said, "We're working to stop love jihad in Assam, and we're also working towards closing down Madrassas in the state. After I became CM, I closed 600 madrassas in Assam.

"I want to tell Owaisi that I will close 300 more Madrassas this year," he added.

Earlier in March, CM Sarma said that he has closed 600 madrassas and intended to close all of them as he wants to build colleges, schools and universities instead.

Addressing a rally, meant for 'Shiva Charithe', in Belgavi, the Assam CM said, "People from Bangladesh come to Assam and create a threat to our civilization and culture."

"I have closed 600 madrassas and I intend to close all madrassas because we do not want madrassas. We want schools, colleges and universities," he added.  -- ANI

A first information report (FIR) was registered against Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray MP Sanjay Raut in Nashik city of Maharashtra for his alleged appeal to state officials and police personnel to not follow orders of the 'illegal' state government, police said on Sunday.

These remarks were made by Raut, a Rajya Sabha member and Shiv Sena-UBT spokesperson, on May 12, a day after the Supreme Court pronounced its verdict on the Shiv Sena-centric political imbroglio in Maharashtra.

In a press conference, Raut had appealed to government officials and policemen to not follow 'illegal orders of this illegal government'.

He had also said the incumbent Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government will collapse in the next three months.

Nashik Police suo motu took cognisance of the remarks and an FIR was registered at Mumbai Naka police station under section 505(1) (B) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Police (Incitement to Disaffection) Act, 1922, and other relevant sections, an official said.

Section 505 (1) (b) deals with the 'intent to cause, or which is likely to cause, fear or alarm to the public, or to any section of the public whereby any person may be induced to commit an offence against the State or against the public tranquility'.   -- PTI

The defeat of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the Karnataka assembly elections is the result of its nature and behaviour and Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra' definitely helped the Congress, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray said on Sunday.

Speaking to reporters at Ambernath in Maharashtra's Thane district, Thackeray said the opposition party never wins the election, it's the ruling party that loses in the polls.

In the May 10 elections to the 224-member Karnataka assembly, the Congress put up an impressive show by winning 135 seats, while incumbent BJP and the former prime minister H D Deve Gowda-led Janata Dal-Secular secured 66 and 19, respectively.

Thackeray said that the Bharat Jodo Yatra', Rahul Gandhi's foot march from Kanyakumari to Srinagar, also helped in changing the fortunes of the Congress in the southern state.

He said citizens should never be taken for granted and that political parties should learn lessons from the results in Karnataka.

It is too early to predict in what way these results will affect the parties in Maharashtra in the coming elections, including the 2024 polls, he said.

Lok Sabha elections and Maharashtra assembly polls are scheduled to be held next year.   -- PTI

The Karnataka Congress Legislature Party meeting is underway at Shangri La hotel in Bengaluru.

Supporters of two front-runners for the chief ministerial role -- Siddaramaiah and D K Shivakumar -- are raising slogans outside the hotel.

Ahead of the meeting, Shivakumar's supporters raised slogans of 'We want DK Shivakumar as CM' outside his residence.  -- ANI

Communist Party of India leader D Raja on Sunday met Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar at his residence in Mumbai and discussed providing an alternative to the Bharatiya Janata Party, a meeting coming a day after the saffron party's drubbing in Karnataka elections.

Addressing reporters after the meeting, Pawar indicated that the Karnataka template needs to be implemented in other states, and for that, like-minded parties will have to work on a common minimum programme (CMP).

"The Karnataka assembly elections have given a message. We need to work on creating a situation like Karnataka in other states. The Congress alone gave an alternative to the BJP in Karnataka, but in other states, like-minded parties will have to work on a common minimum programme (CMP)," the NCP chief said.

"We will work on both fronts (of creating a strategy like Karnataka and the CMP) and we are starting this process," he added.

Raja spoke about a common understanding to defeat the BJP.

"The state-level strategy can be worked out. We may find some time to interact in Delhi now. The BJP can be defeated and it will lose the 2024 parliamentary as well as state (Maharashtra) elections. The myth of the party being invincible has been broken," he said referring to the Karnataka poll outcome.   -- PTI

With Congress emerging victorious in the Karnataka Assembly election, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen president Asaduddin Owaisi on Sunday said he hoped that the grand old party will fulfill its pre-poll promises made to the public.

The Congress on Saturday made a stunning comeback in Karnataka, ousting the Bharataiya Janata Party from its lone southern citadel with a comfortable majority.

In the May 10 elections to the 224-member assembly, the Congress won 135 seats, while the ruling BJP and the former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda-led Janata Dal-Secular secured 66 and 19 seats, respectively.

AIMIM had contested two seats in the elections and lost both of them.

The Congress has promised to implement poll 'guarantees' 200 units of free power to all households (Gruha Jyoti), Rs 2,000 monthly assistance to the woman head of every family (Gruha Lakshmi), 10 kg of rice free to every member of a BPL household (Anna Bhagya), Rs 3,000 every month for graduate youth and Rs 1,500 for diploma holders (both in the age group of 18-25) for two years (YuvaNidhi), and free travel for women in public transport buses (Shakti -- on the very first day after coming to power in the state.

"The people of Karnataka took a decision...(they) gave power to Congress. We expect them (Congress) to fulfill the promises they made to the people. But, the work on strengthening of Majlis (AIMIM) in states be it Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana, Maharashtra, Bihar, Jharkhand and Bengal will continue," the Hyderabad MP said.

On the results of the Karnataka elections, Owaisi said, "We did not succeed there. We will work hard. We won't be discouraged (with the poll outcome)." -- PTI

Prominent Vokkaliga pontiff of Adi Chunchanagiri Nirmalananda Natha Swamiji on Sunday appealed to the Congress leadership to appoint Karnataka party unit president D K Shivakumar as the next chief minister of the state.

In the wake of Congress getting a thumping majority in the Assembly polls, he also said Shivakumar is the most eligible candidate by all standards to head the state.

The Vokkaliga Sangha, which is the main body of one of the dominant communities of Karnataka, organised a meeting of Vokkaliga pontiffs where a unanimous decision was taken to request the Congress top brass to appoint Shivakumar, a Vokkaliga who has been steering the state unit, as the next chief minister.

"This programme has been organised to request all the seniors right from Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and Siddaramaiah to give Shivakumar an opportunity to run the administration and serve the society," Nirmalananda Natha Swamiji said.

He added that Shivakumar had suffered a lot while discharging his duty.

"We all saw tears in his eyes yesterday, which were a mix of joy and pain. The man who toiled so much should get the result," the seer said.  -- PTI

The Bharatiya Janata Party, which witnessed defeat in the Karnataka Assembly polls, failed to win even a single seat reserved for the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category.

Besides, the party also lost in 24 constituencies out of 36 reserved for the Scheduled Caste (SC) candidates.

Karnataka has 51 reserved constituencies, out of which 36 seats are reserved for SC candidates and 15 for candidates belonging to the ST community.

On Saturday, the BJP conceded defeat in the state assembly elections after its seat share came down to 66 from 104 in the 2018 polls.

The poor show of the saffron party in the reserved seats came despite the outgoing Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai's decision to increase reservation for the SC/ST community in the state.

The Congress, which won 135 seats in the 224-member state assembly, registered a massive win in the seats reserved for the SC/ST candidates.

Out of 36 SC seats, Congress candidates won 21, while the BJP candidates emerged victorious in 12 seats.

The Janata Dal-Secular, which showed poor performance in the polls, managed to win just three seats.

The BJP finished as first runner-up on 13 SC-reserved seats.

Congress candidates won Kudachi, Mudhol, Nagthan, Chittapur, Kanakagiri, Hubli-dharwad-East, Haveri, Mayakonda, Mudigere, Koratagere, Pavagada, Kolar gold field, Bangarapet, Pulakeshinagar, Anekal, Devanahalli, Nelamangala, Malavalli, Nanjangud, T Narasipur and Kollegal seats reserved for the SC category.

The BJP registered victory in Raybag, Chincholi, Gulbarga Rural, Aurad, Lingsugur, Shirahatti, Hadagalli, Holalkere, C V Raman Nagar, Mahadevapura, Sakleshpur and Sullia seats for SC category.

The JD-S managed to win Hagaribommanahalli, Shimoga Rural, and Mulbagal seats.

The Congress trounced the BJP by winning 14 out of 15 seats reserved for the ST category pushing the saffron party to the runner-up place.

The JD-S won Devadurga seat. Congress candidates won Yemkanmardi, Shorapur, Raichur Rural, Manvi, Kampli, Siruguppa, Bellary, Sandur, Kudligi, Molakalmuru, Challakere, Jagalur, Heggadadevankote and Maski seats reserved for the ST category.

In the 2018 assembly elections, the BJP had won 22 out of 51 reserved seats. -- PTI

Bharatiya Janata Party councillor Pawan Sehrawat on Sunday returned to Aam Aadmi Party's fold and said it was like 'coming back to my family'.

AAP's MCD in-charge Durgesh Pathak made the announcement during a press conference in New Delhi.

The Bawana councillor had joined the BJP in February, ahead of a crucial MCD House meeting, and had alleged that he felt 'suffocated' due to 'corruption' in the party led by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Pathak said Sehrawat has returned to the AAP and he been welcomed back in the party.

"I have returned to my family (AAP) today. And, we will take forward the work of the AAP and work shoulder-to-shoulder with CM Kejriwal," Sehrawat told reporters.  -- PTI

Congress general secretary in charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh on Sunday, came out hard against the Bharatiya Janata Party over the election results in Karnataka and claimed that people have become 'tired' of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and were not even enthusiastic about his campaign.

Meanwhile, the Congress party registered a thumping victory in Karnataka by winning 135 out of the 224 assembly seats in the state, pushing BJP out of the only southern state it ruled.

Speaking to ANI, Ramesh said, "His (PM Modi) language...double engine! What does he even mean by that? In his mind, a double engine means he himself sitting in Delhi, and his remote control sitting in Bengaluru, Bhopal or anywhere else. This is not double engine. Double engine means one engine economic development and the other engine social harmony."

"People are tired of PM and his campaign, no matter how many roadshows he did, flowers were sprinkled from the sky, but people were not enthusiastic. Just look at the voter turnout. It was over 73 per cent in Karnataka but so less in Bengaluru," the senior Congress leader added.

He further said that the party received votes from all sections of society.

"Our (Congress) vote share increased, and our seats also increased. We received votes from all sections of society, especially from the poor, rural, Adivasis and tribal people," he said.

The Congress leader also slammed BJP over the 'Bajrang Bali' row that erupted after the party mentioned 'stringent action' against organisations like Bajrang Dal in its election manifesto.

"Bajrang Dal is different and Bajrang Bali is different. Bajrang Dal believes in spreading politics of hatred and violence. What about when then Goa CM Manohar Parrikar banned 'Shri Ram Sena'? Did PM Modi ask then that Shri Ram has been insulted?" Ramesh said.

He added, "And what Congress did say in its manifesto; is any organisation that breaks the law, spreads religious hatred, religious bigotry, spreads communal violence will be dealt with according to the law and constitution."  -- ANI

The Kerala Story has raised Rs 112.99 crore in nine days since its release at the India box office, the makers said Sunday.

In a press note, production house Sunshine Pictures said the film earned Rs 19.5 crore on Saturday, bringing up the total of its domestic earnings to Rs 112.99 crore.

The Kerala Story, a film on conversion that has polarised the political discourse in the country leading to bans in some states and a tax-free status in others, hit the screens on May 5.

Directed by Sudipto Sen and fronted by Adah Sharma, the Hindi movie was released in 37 countries on May 12.

Produced by Vipul Shah, The Kerala Story depicts how women from Kerala were forced to convert and recruited by the terror group Islamic State (IS).

The film is banned in West Bengal and multiplexes in Tamil Nadu have stopped its screening citing law and order situation, whereas BJP-ruled states like Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh have given it a tax-free status.  

The Supreme Court on Friday sought replies of the West Bengal and Tamil Nadu governments on a plea of the producers of The Kerala Story that the movie is not being shown in theatres in these two states. -- PTI 

AICC general secretary in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala on Sunday said Latha Mallikarjun, who has got elected as an independent from Harapanahalli Assembly segment has extended unconditional support to the Congress party in the State.

Latha Mallikarjun, is daughter of veteran leader and former Deputy Chief Minister, late M P Prakash.

"She has extended unconditional support to the Congress Party in Karnataka considering her ideological roots and commitment to Congress ideals. I thank her, her husband Mallikarjun and all the supporters and well wishers. We will serve the 6.5 Crore Kannadigas together," Surjewala said in a tweet.

Latha Mallikarjun has won the Harapanahalli seat by defeating BJP's G Karunakara Reddy by a margin of 13,845 votes.

M P Prakash was a veteran socialist and Janata Parivar leader. In his last days, he had joined Congress which was continued by his son, M P Ravindra, who died in 2018.

In the May 10 elections to the 224-member Assembly, the Congress scored an emphatic victory with 135 seats, while the ruling BJP and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda-led Janata Dal (Secular) secured 66 and 19 seats, respectively. -- PTI

The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations has declared Class 10 and Class 12 results, Secretary Gerry Arathoon said on Sunday. 

 

"The result has been announced and can be accessed on the CAREERS portal and the board's website," Arathoon said. 

The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations conducted the Class 10 (ICSE) and Class 12 (ISC) examinations in February-March. --PTI

A day after the Congress romped to victory in the Karnataka assembly elections, the party's state unit president D K Shivakumar on Sunday hinted that he is in the chief ministerial race saying he took everyone along and never sought anything for himself.

He also brushed aside speculations about differences between him and former chief minister Siddaramaiah.

Speaking to reporters at Nonavinakere in Karnataka's Tumakuru, Shivakumar said the Congress and the Legislature Party will decide the next chief minister of Karnataka.

On the question that those who toiled should also get preference instead of those who are liked by the people, Shivakumar said when Siddaramaiah and Dinesh Gundu Rao had resigned as the Congress Legislature Party president and head of the state unit respectively after the party's rout in 2019 by-elections, then Congress national president Sonia Gandhi had reposed faith in him and made him president.

Shivakumar also recalled that when he was in jail in a money laundering case, Gandhi had visited him to show her support.

"I had not done anything wrong for myself. Whatever I did was for the party. All my sufferings were for the party," he asserted.

The Congress state chief, who won the assembly election on Saturday from Kanakapura, said he had toiled day and night while taking everyone along.

"Everyone was saying that there are differences between me and Siddaramaiah but let me tell you not a single iota of difference is there. I did not give anyone a chance. I just kept myself grounded and walked my path," Shivakumar added.

The Congress won the Karnataka Assembly elections with a thumping majority by winning 135 out of 224 seats whereas the ruling BJP could garner only 66 seats. -- PTI

Praveen Sood, Karnataka police chief, has been chosen as the next director of the Central Bureau of Agency (CBI).

He will take charge after the current director Subodh Kumar Jaiswal's term ends on May 25.

Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party has decided to do a detailed analysis of the overall poll results and also constituency-wise outcomes to find out the reasons for the party's debacle in the assembly election, outgoing Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Sunday.

In the May 10 elections to the 224-member assembly, the Congress scored an emphatic victory with 135 seats, while the ruling BJP and the former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda-led Janata Dal (Secular) secured 66 and 19, respectively.

Rejecting the Congress's claim that it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi's defeat, he said multiple factors have contributed to the party's performance and they will all be analysed. A meeting of all newly-elected members and candidates will be held soon in this regard.

Some BJP leaders including Bommai met under the leadership of state BJP president Nalin Kumar Kateel at the party headquarters in Bengaluru on Sunday and held discussions.

"We have had informal discussions regarding the results and regarding getting information from various regions. We have come to a decision to do a detailed analysis of the overall results and to get a constituency-wise analysis," Bommai said.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, he said despite BJP's vote share remaining the same, seats have come down. The analysis of constituency-wise vote share may give the reasons for it, like segment-wise anti-incumbency, among others.

"It has also been decided to call a meeting of all elected members, followed by a meeting of all candidates to have detailed discussions regarding organising and strengthening the party in the days to come," he added.

Stating that BJP doesn't work only for elections, Bommai said organising the party is a constant process.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has appointed former chief minister Sushilkumar Shinde and party leaders Jitendra Singh and Deepak Babaria as observers for the election of the CLP leader in Karnataka.

AICC general secretary, organisation, KC Venugopal said the central observers will oversee the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting.

 

"Hon'ble Congress President has deputed Shri.Sushilkumar Shinde (Former Chief Minister, Maharashtra), Shri.Jitendra Singh (AICC GS) and Shri.Deepak Babaria (former AICC GS) as observers for the election of the CLP Leader of Karnataka," he tweeted.

 

The Congress on Saturday made a stunning comeback in Karnataka ousting the BJP from its lone southern citadel with a comfortable majority.

The crucial meeting of the CLP will be held later this evening where a decision to elect the leader will be taken.

Former chief minister Siddaramaiah and KPCC president D K Shivakumar are both front runners for the chief minister's post. -- PTI

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and former Maharastra minister Aaditya Thackeray met Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at his residence in New Delhi on Sunday and discussed current political developments.

 

Kejriwal posted pictures of his meeting with Thackeray on Twitter.

"I got an opportunity to host Aaditya Thackeray at my residence today. I held a detailed conversation with him on the current political developments", the Aam Aadmi party national convenor tweeted.

The defence ministry has approved a fresh list of 928 components and subsystems which will only be procured from domestic industry after a ban on their import kicks in under a staggered timeline of around five-and-a-half years.

 

The ministry on Sunday said the aim of the move is in sync with the government's overall aim to promote 'Aatmanirbharta' (self-reliance) in defence production.

It is the fourth such "positive indigenisation list (PIL)" comprising line replacement units, sub-systems and components used for various military platforms, equipment and weapons.

"To promote 'Aatmanirbharta' in defence and minimise imports by defence public sector undertakings, the Ministry of Defence has approved fourth Positive Indigenisation List (PIL) of 928 strategically-important line replacement units/sub-systems/spares and components, including high-end materials and spares, with import substitution value worth Rs 715 crore," the ministry said in a statement.

The aim of the indigenisation list is to minimise imports by the defence public sector undertakings (DPSUs).

The defence ministry has set specific timelines for import ban of the items, spanning the period from December 2023 to December 2028.

This list is in continuation to the three similar PILs that were brought out in December 2021, March 2022 and August 2022.

"These lists contain 2,500 items which are already indigenised and 1,238 (351+107+780) items which will be indigenised within the given timelines," the ministry said. Of 1,238, 310 items have been indigenised so far, it said.

The items which were already indigenised comprised 262 from the first PIL, 11 from the second list and 37 from the third PIL, according to the ministry.

"The DPSUs will undertake indigenisation of these items through different routes under 'Make' category and in-house development through the capabilities of MSMEs and private Indian industry, thereby providing impetus to the growth in economy, enhanced investment in defence and reduction in import dependence of DPSUs," the ministry said.

A day after results of the urban local body polls in Uttar Pradesh were announced, Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati Sunday accused the ruling BJP of misusing government machinery, and said her party will not sit silently over it.

The BJP on Saturday swept the mayoral elections, winning the posts in all the 17 municipal corporations in Varanasi, Lucknow, Ayodhya, Jhansi, Bareilly, Mathura-Vrindavan, Moradabad, Saharanpur, Prayagraj, Aligarh, Shahjahanpur, Ghaziabad, Agra, Kanpur, Gorakhpur, Firozabad and Meerut.

In a series of tweets in Hindi on Sunday, Mayawati said, "The BSP is not going to sit silently over the BJP's misuse of government machinery."

She also accused the ruling party of using any means ('saam', 'daam', 'dand', 'bhed') at its disposal, and said, "When the time comes, the BJP will definitely face the consequences."

Thanking people for extending support to her party, the BSP chief said, "Gratitude and thanks to the people for reposing faith in the BSP and voting for its candidates despite facing a host of adverse circumstances. Had this election been free and fair, the results would have been something else. If the mayoral elections were conducted using ballot papers, the BSP would had won."

The BSP had fielded mayor candidates on all the 17 seats in the state but none could register a win.

"Whether it's the BJP or the SP, both parties are equally adept at winning elections through misuse of power. This is why the ruling party often manages to secure more seats through manipulation, and this election was no different. It is a matter of great concern," Mayawati added. -- PTI 

Shiv Sena-UBT leader Sanjay Raut said that the Karnataka assembly results have shown that the Modi wave is over.

"The Modi wave is over and now our wave is coming across the country," Raut said while speakins with mediapersons.

Raut also said the meeting of MVA leaders has been called today at 4.30 pm at the residence of the NCP chief Sharad Pawar.

"The Modi wave is over and now our wave is coming across the country. Our preparation for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections has started and today a meeting has been called under the chairmanship of Sharad Pawar. We will discuss about the 2024 elections in this meeting and start preparing for it," he said.

Uddhav Thackeray, Congress leaders Nana Patole and Balsaheb Thorat, NCP leader Ajit Pawar and other leaders will be attend the meeting, raut added.

People will be able to block and track their lost or stolen mobile phones across India with the rollout of a tracking system by the government this week, a senior government official said.

   

Technology development body Centre for Department of Telematics (CDoT) has been running the pilot of the CEIR system in some of the telecom circles, including Delhi, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and North East region, and the system is now ready for pan-India deployment, a DoT official, who did not wish to be identified, told PTI.

 

"CEIR system is scheduled for pan-India launch on May 17," the official said.

 

When contacted, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman Project Board at CDoT Rajkumar Upadhyay did not confirm the date but confirmed that the technology is ready for pan-India deployment. 

 

"The system is ready and now it will be deployed across India in this quarter. This will enable people to block and track their lost mobile phones," Upadhyay said.

 

CDoT has been able to add features to check the use of cloned mobile phones across all telecom networks.

 

The government has made it mandatory to disclose IMEI -- a 15-digit unique numeric identifier -- of mobile devices before their sale in India.

 

The mobile networks will have access to the list of approved IMEI numbers which will check the entry of any unauthorised mobile phones on their network.

 

Telecom operators and CEIR system will have visibility into IMEI number of the device and mobile number linked to it, and the information is being used in some states to track your lost or stolen mobiles through CEIR. 

 

"One of the common practices is that miscreants change IMEI number of stolen mobile phones which prevents tracking and blocking of such handsets. It was a national security issue. The CEIR will be able to block any cloned mobile phones on the network with the help of various databases," Upadhyay said.

 

The basic purpose of CEIR is to ease reporting of stolen and lost mobiles and block the use of mobiles all over the country. This will discourage the theft of mobile phones, enable the tracing of the stolen and lost mobiles to the police, detection of cloned or counterfeit mobiles, restrict the use of such cloned mobiles, as well as protect the interest of the consumers by making them aware of the information related to fake and cloned mobile phones.

 

Recently, Karnataka Police recovered and handed over more than 2,500 lost mobile phones to their owners using the CEIR system.

 

Apple already has a system to track lost mobile phones with the help of Apple ID but major issues have been around Android mobile phones. -- PTI

India has logged 1,272 new coronavirus infections, while the active cases have dipped to 15,515, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Sunday.

 

The death toll has increased to 5,31,770 with three deaths. While two deaths were reported from Punjab, one was from West Bengal, the data updated at 8 am stated.

The Covid case tally was recorded at 4.49 crore (4,49,80,674)

The active cases now comprise 0.03 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has been recorded at 98.78 per cent, the ministry said.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 4,44,33,389 and the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.18 per cent. 

According to the ministry's website, 220.66 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in the country so far under the nationwide vaccination drive. -- PTI 

A day after the Congress' big win in Karnataka polls, Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Sunday urged his former party to "win people's hearts" for the next five years in the state by being open, honest and non-discriminatory.

The Congress on Saturday made a stunning comeback in Karnataka, ousting the BJP from its lone southern citadel with a comfortable majority in a morale booster win that will be key for reviving its electoral fortunes ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

In a tweet, Sibal said, "Karnataka, winning elections is tough. Winning people's hearts is tougher! For the next 5 years win people's hearts by being: open, honest, non-discriminatory."

The BJP lost for not being any of this, he added.

 

Earlier reacting to the poll results, Sibal had tweeted, "The PM lost, The people of Karnataka won. No to :40%, Kerala story, Divisive politics, Arrogance, Falsehood. 

Congress deserved to win".

Sibal, who was a Union minister during UPA 1 and 2, had quit the Congress in May last year and was elected to the Rajya Sabha as an Independent member with the Samajwadi Party's support.

He recently floated a non-electoral platform 'Insaaf' aimed at fighting injustice. -- PTI 

A day after Congress's big victory in the Karnataka assembly elections, the supporters of party leaders Siddaramaiah and DK Shivkumar have put up posters in the state demanding them to be declared as the state CM. 

Supporters of former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar put up their posters outside their residences in Bengaluru, referring them as "the next CM of Karnataka." 

The Congress on Saturday made a stunning comeback in Karnataka, ousting the BJP from its lone southern citadel with a comfortable majority in a morale booster win that will be key for reviving its electoral fortunes ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

The first meeting of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) in Karnataka will be held at 5.30 pm on Sunday, according to All India Congress Committee in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Surjewala.

The meeting is likely to decide the name of the new chief minister.

Special arrangements have also been made in the remote areas of the state to take them to Bengaluru and observers have also been appointed to do this exercise, party sources said.

The Congress on Saturday made a stunning comeback in Karnataka ousting the Bharatiya Janata Party from its lone southern citadel with a comfortable majority in a morale booster win that will be key for reviving its electoral fortunes ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

A clash broke out between members of two communities in Maharashtra's Akola city over a social media post following which Section 144 of the CrPC to prevent unlawful assembly of people was imposed in parts of the city, officials said on Sunday.

          

Two-three persons were injured in the incident which took place at around 11.30 pm on Saturday in the sensitive Old City area, Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Monika Raut said, adding that one person was also feared dead in the violence.

        

Members of the two groups pelted stones at each other. Some vehicles were also damaged in the incident, she said.

        

Police used tear gas to disperse the rioters and the situation was now under control, the official said.

        

According to local administration, state Deputy State Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who is also the guardian minister of Akola district, was monitoring the situation and appealed to people to maintain peace. 

         

District Magistrate Neema Arora ordered the imposition of Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), which prohibits unlawful assembly of people, in four police station areas in the city to maintain law and order.

        

Heavy security was deployed in the city following the incident, ASP Raut said.

        

One thousand personnel of the State Reserve Police from Amravati have been deployed in Akola city, she said.

        

Raut appealed to citizens not to panic and not to believe in any rumour. -- PTI 

An encounter broke out Sunday between the militants and security forces in the Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said.  

   

The security forces had launched a search and cordon operation in Andan in Sangam area of the district following information about presence of militants there, a police officer said.  

 

The operation turned into an encounter after militants opened fire at the security forces.  

 

According to the police, there were no reports of any casualties so far on either side and the combat was still underway. -- PTI

The former Narcotics Control Bureau officer, Sameer Wankhede, who is accused of allegedly demanding Rs 25 crore as a bribe for not framing Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan in the drugs-on-cruise case, on Saturday alleged that he was being punished for being a patriot. 

 

Wankhede's statement came in response to the Central Bureau of Investigation raids at his residence and other premises on Friday. 

 

Wankhede alleged that 18 CBI officials yesterday raided his house while his wife and children were present in his house. 

 

"I am getting rewarded for being a patriot. Yesterday 18 CBI officials raided my residence and searched it for more than 12 hours while my wife and children were present in the house. They found Rs 23,000 and four property papers. These assets were acquired before I joined the service," said Wankhede. 

 

Sameer Wankhede further claimed that CBI officials also took the phone of his wife Kranti Redkar in their possession. 

Apart from that, CBI recovered Rs 28,000 from his sister Yasmin Wankhede's house and Rs 28,000 from his father Dnyaneshwar Wankhede's house. Rs 1800  were also recovered from the residence of Wankhede's father-in-law. 

 

The CBI on Friday conducted searches at 29 locations across the country following the alleged corruption case against him and three others linked to the Aryan Khan drugs-on-cruise case. 

Muruganandam will also hold the post of development commissioner in full additional charge, the government said. 

P Amudha, principal secretary, rural development and Panchayat Raj department, is transferred and posted as principal secretary, home, prohibition and excise department vice K Phanindra Reddy, who is transferred and posted as additional chief secretary to transport department vice K Gopal. 

The latter has been posted as additional chief secretary, vigilance commissioner and commissioner for administrative reforms vice Shiv Das Meena, holding additional charge. 

Greater Chennai Corporation commissioner Gagandeep Singh Bedi has been transferred and posted as principal secretary, health and family welfare department vice P Senthilkumar, who has been transferred as principal secretary to rural development and Panchayat Raj department vice Amudha. 

K Manivasan, principal secretary, public works department, has been transferred and posted as principal secretary to tourism, culture, and religious endowments department vice B Chandra Mohan, who has been transferred to the public works department. -- PTI

Looking furious over the manner the military establishment was bent upon crushing his party, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, Khan, during his address from his Zaman Park residence at 8 pm, asked the military leadership to review its "anti-PTI policy" for the sake of Pakistan, saying its steps have already brought the country to brink of disaster. 

A triumphant Khan returned to his Lahore home on Saturday after having locked himself in the Islamabad high court premises for hours for fear of re-arrest despite being granted bail on Friday. 

Before leaving for Lahore, the 70-year-old Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief hit out at the imported government for kidnapping him despite the IHC granting him bail in all cases. 

Taking a pot shot at Inter-Services Public Relations director-general Major General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry's statement in which he called Mr Khan hypocrite', the PTI chief said: "Listen to me Mr DG ISPR you were not even born when I was representing my country in the world and earning good name for it. You need to ashamed of yourself for calling me hypocrite and anti-Army."

He said the ISPR, the media wing of the military, had never said such things (about a politician). 

"You have jumped into politics. Why don't you form your own party. Who has given you the right to make such frivolous allegations. Have some shame for saying that no one else harmed the army to the extent that I did, and that you will crush us," Khan said. -- PTI

Congress candidate Sowmya Reddy was earlier leading by 294 votes in a close contest with BJP's CK Ramamurthy.

An Election Commission official said the recounting of postal ballots was ordered following an appeal by Ramamurthy.

Of the total 224 seats in Karnataka, Jayanagar is the only segment where the result has not yet come out.

Khan reached the TMC chief's residence around 4.25 pm, as fans gathered in large numbers on the streets to catch a glimpse of the superstar. 

During the meeting, they discussed various topics, from the world of cinema to art to society and people's development, Banerjee said. 

"It was a pleasure to meet renowned personality and celebrated film actor Salman Khan ji at my residence today and indulge in a hearty conversation with him. Our discussion included meaningful insights on varied topics, from the world of cinema to art to society and people's development. I express my humble regards to him (Salman) for paying a visit amidst his busy schedule. May he continue to climb the steps of success in good health. I convey my best wishes to him for his future," Banerjee wrote on Facebook. 

Khan spent around 30 minutes at the chief minister's residence, an official said. 

The actor later performed for around three hours in East Bengal football club's extended centenary celebrations. -- PTI