LIVE! 4 held for attack on TMC MP Abhishek's convoy

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Sat, 27 May 2023

4 held for attack on TMC MP Abhishek's convoy

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21:26 AAP dissolves Goa executive committee; revamp on the cards

The Aam Aadmi Party on Saturday dissolved its Goa executive committee, a senior AAP leader said.

The move is aimed at revamping the party's state unit, AAP's Goa president Amit Palekar said.

Palekar said AAP's national general secretary Dr Sandeep Pathak has issued the orders dissolving the executive committee, though he continues to hold his position.

The state leaders from the Arvind Kejriwal-led party recently visited Delhi.

The party has said that it would contest both the seats in the coastal state in next year's Lok Sabha elections.

Palekar said the party will soon undergo a complete revamp in the state. AAP had won two seats in the 2022 Goa assembly polls. -- PTI

Adheenams handing over the Sengol to Prime Minister Narendra Modi/ANI

20:56 Modi meets Adheenams day before inaugurating parliament building

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday met Adheenams at his residence and took their blessings a day before he inaugurates the new Parliament building.

The Adheenams, who arrived from Tamil Nadu earlier in the day, met Modi at his residence and handed him special gifts including Sengols amid chanting of 'mantras'.

Modi sought their blessings and also honoured them.

The prime minister will on Sunday inaugurate the new Parliament building, equipped with state-of-the-art technology, amid a boycott by several opposition parties which insist that President Droupadi Murmu as head of the State should do the honours.

On Friday, Modi said the new Parliament building will make every Indian proud and shared a video of the new complex. -- PTI

Abhishek Banerjee'

20:39 4 held for attack on TMC MP Abhishek's convoy

Four people were arrested on Saturday in connection with the attack on senior Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee's convoy, in which state minister Birbaha Hansda's vehicle was vandalised, the police said.

The accused were identified as Ajit Mahato, Anit Mahato, Manmohit Mahato and Anup Mahato, they said.

While Anup is a resident of Manikpara in Jhargram district, the other three are residents of Garh Salboni where the incident happened on Friday evening, they added.

Hansda's vehicle was vandalised as stones were allegedly hurled at Banerjee's convoy when they were travelling to Gajimul near Lodhasuli after leading a roadshow in Jhargram town, the police said.

Glass particles from the shattered windscreen of the car hit Hansda, and also injured her driver.

Some cars and motorcycles that were following them were also vandalised in the stone-pelting.

The accused were arrested after hours of questioning.

When produced at a court, they were sent to three days in police custody.

The police said the accused dressed as members of Kurmi outfits, tying yellow bands on their foreheads.

Members of the Kurmi community are protesting in the region for weeks, demanding Scheduled Tribe status. -- PTI

A court in Delhi on Saturday sent gangster Lawrence Bishnoi to four days' custody of Delhi police's Special Cell in an illegal arms supply case.

The court passed the order on an application moved by the Delhi police seeking Bishnoi's custodial interrogation in a case related to the recovery of 25 pistols from an alleged arms trafficker, Mukund Singh, who supplied weapons and ammunition to the Lawrence Bishnoi-Kala Jathedi gang.

The police submitted that sustained interrogation of the accused was required to identify his gang members to whom the recovered arms and ammunition were to be supplied and to unearth the conspiracy hatched by the gang to eliminate its rivals and others.

The Delhi police also said that Bishnoi needs to be confronted with Singh, who is already in custody in this case. -- PTI

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19:57 NIA seizes huge cache of ammunition from Maoist hideout in Jharkhand

The National Investigation Agency has seized a huge cache of ammunition from a Maoist hideout in a forest area in Jharkhand, an official said on Saturday.

The seizure of 1,245 rounds of 7.62 MM and 271 rounds of 5.56 MM ammunition from a dense forest in the Kamdara area of Gumla district on Friday was made on the disclosure of the self-styled supremo of the proscribed People's Liberation Front of India Dinesh Gope, who was arrested last week, a spokesperson of the agency said.

"The seized ammunition was received at Siksohara, Nalanda (Bihar), about two years ago. It had been carefully stashed away for eventual delivery to PLFI operatives and cadres for carrying acts of terror and violence," the official said.

Gope, who had over 100 criminal cases against him and was carrying a reward of Rs 30 lakh, was arrested on May 21 from Delhi, and is currently in NIA custody.

Most of these cases relate to abduction, threats, extortion, murder and raising funds for the PLFI, a militant Maoist outfit formed in 2007 in Jharkhand and splinter group of the Communist party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist).

Known by aliases of "Kuldeep Yadav" and "Badku", Gope of Jharkhand's Khunti district was earlier chargesheeted by the NIA in the case related to the recovery of demonetised currency of Rs 25.38 lakhs from PLFI operatives. -- PTI

19:40 3 members of ISIS module sent to NIA custody

A court in Bhopal on Saturday sent three alleged members of an ISIS-linked terror module, arrested during overnight raids in Jabalpur city of Madhya Pradesh, in the custody of the National Investigation Agency till June 3.

Syed Mamoor Ali, Mohammad Adil Khan and Mohammad Shahid were produced before special judge for NIA cases Raghuveer Prasad Patel in Bhopal and the central probe agency sought their remand for further investigation, special prosecutor Deepesh Joshi told PTI.

The arrests were made during raids at 13 locations in Jabalpur in an intelligence-led joint operation with the Anti-Terror Squad of Madhya Pradesh police, a spokesperson of the NIA had said earlier in the day. -- PTI

Mild tremors of 3.3-3.5 magnitude were reported in Maharashtra's Palghar district on Saturday, an official said.

The first tremor of 3.3 magnitude was recorded at 5.15 pm, while the second one of 3.5 magnitude followed in less than 15 minutes at 5.28 pm, said Vivekanand Kadam, chief of the District Disaster Cell.

The tremors were felt at Talasari area of the district at the depth of 8 km and 5 km respectively, he said.

There was no report of any casualty or damage due to the seismic activity as of now, the official added. -- PTI

The police in Jaunpur registered an FIR against a college professor on Saturday, officials said, a day after a video of him speaking indecently to a girl student went viral on social media.

However, Pradeep Singh, who teaches ancient history at TD College, denied any wrongdoing.

Students of TD College had created a ruckus on Friday after the video, in which Pradeep Singh is purportedly seen asking for sexual favours from the girl in lieu of ensuring that she clears the B.Ed-TET examination, came to light.

The FIR against Pradeep Singh has been registered at Line Bazar police station in Jaunpur, the officials said.

Station house officer Sanjay Verma said, "Professor Pradeep Singh of TD College was seen talking in an indecent manner to an unidentified girl student. Following a preliminary inquiry, an FIR has been lodged against him under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code."

TD College Principal Alok Singh told reporters that a notice was issued to Pradeep Singh on Friday, seeking his response on the matter.

In his response, the professor denied wrongdoing and claimed it was a doctored video, the principal said. -- PTI

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18:50 Youth detained for flying 'suspicious' drone in Lucknow

A man was detained for flying a 'suspicious' drone at the Hazratganj intersection in Lucknow late on Friday night, the police said on Saturday.

The accused was identified as Ankit Singh, a resident of the Hazratganj intersection in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.

According to the Hazratganj police officials, the accused youth living on the eighth floor of the Kasmanda apartment at the Hazratganj intersection was caught flying the suspected drone just one kilometre away from the residence of the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

Officials said that as soon as information about the suspected drone was received, police officials rushed to the spot.

"As soon as the information about the suspected drone was received, assistant commissioner of police Hazratganj and the local outpost in charge reached the spot and the person flying the drone was taken into custody," said the police.

The police further added that the accused youth has been detained for questioning.

Further investigation into the matter is underway. -- ANI

A 16-year-old NEET aspirant allegedly committed suicide by hanging herself from a ceiling fan at her uncle's house in Kota Thermal Power Plant colony in Kota on Saturday, the police said.

The deceased has been identified as Sakshi Choudhary, a class 11 student, they said.

In a suicide note recovered from her room, the teen held no one responsible for the suicide, however, her family members stated that average performance in her class 10 board exams could be the reason behind her extreme step, deputy superintendent of police (Kunhari) Shankar Lal said.

The latest incident is the fifth suicide case by a coaching student in Kota this month and the tenth this year so far.

Choudhary, a resident of Tonk district, lived with her two sisters at her uncle's house in Kota and was preparing for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test at a coaching institute here, he said.

The body was handed over to the family members after post-mortem and a case has been lodged under Section 174 of CrPC for further investigation, DSP Lal said. -- PTI

The Haryana police on Saturday said they have arrested an interstate arms smuggler from Madhya Pradesh along with the recovery of 14 illegal pistols and as many magazines.

The accused has been identified as Gurudev Singh Barnala, a resident of Umrati village in Madhya Pradesh, who was living in Burhanpur district of the state, a Haryana police spokesperson said.

On September 20, 2022, a police team was on patrolling duty along the Hodal-Punhana road in Haryana when they received information about one Ashif who possessed illegal pistols and intended to sell them, the spokesperson said.

"Acting on this information, Ashif was apprehended and two pistols and two magazines were recovered from his possession," he said.

Further investigation led to the arrest of another suspect, Shehnawaz alias Saini, a resident of Uttar Pradesh's Mathura, on May 19, he said.

Upon interrogation, Shehnawaz disclosed about Barnala, who was subsequently arrested on May 23 from Madhya Pradesh, the spokesperson said.

During the search, police recovered 14 illegal country-made pistols and 14 magazines from his possession, he said.

The police are questioning Barnala. It is expected that more information about the entire network involved in arms smuggling will be revealed, he said. In total, three people have been arrested in connection with this case and a total of 16 pistols and 16 magazines have been seized so far, the spokesperson said. -- PTI

17:46 Excise policy: Court summons Sisodia on June 2

A Delhi court summoned Delhi's former deputy CM Manish Sisodia and other accused on June 2 after the supplementary chargesheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation in connection with the Delhi excise policy case.

The Rouse Avenue court took cognisance of the supplementarycharge sheet filed by the CBI against AAP leader Sisodia, Arjun Pandey, Butchi Babu and Amandeep Dhal and issued summons to them for June 2.

The CBI claimed in the supplementary chargesheet that Sisodia admitted to destroying two phones which he was using before July 2022.

"The two handsets which were used prior to 22.07.22 have been admittedly destroyed by accused Manish Sisodia as confirmed by him in his response to Notice under section 91 CrPC," the agency alleged.

The CBI said that investigation revealed that from January 1, 2020 to August 19, 2022, Sisodia used three mobile handsets. The last handset used by him was seized during the searches in the case. -- ANI

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16:48 Over 250 people stuck in Himachal's Lahaul Spiti after snowfall rescued

Over 250 people stranded with their light vehicles and motorbikes at Baralacha La and Lahaul and Spiti district following a snowfall have been rescued after a multi-agency nightlong operation, the police said on Saturday.

They said the focus of the joint operation of the Lahaul and Spiti police, Border Roads Organisations and the Mountain Journey Jispa has now shifted to rescuing those stuck with their heavy motor vehicles.

However, the police did not share the number of people who are still awaiting being rescued.

The operation was launched Friday evening after a tourist coming from Baralacha informed the authorities that over 400 vehicles including more than 90 light motor and 30 motorbikes and rest heavy motor vehicles were struck in a about 10-km-long jam following snowfall at Baralacha La.

Immediately, a police team was rushed from Darcha, and it was joined by another team of Lahaul Hotelier association, Tourism Society and Mountain Journey Jispa while two police teams were rushed from Keylong for the rescue operation, officials said.

Patients among those stranded were provided medical aid. -- PTI

The Mumbai police arrested a Right to Information activist for his "derogatory" remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP leader Kirit Somaiya among others, the police said on Saturday.

The accused identified as Ghulam Qazi is an RTI activist, the police said.

"We have registered a case under Indian Penal Code Sections 509, 500,506 (2) and 504 against the accused and taken him into custody," the police said.

An official of Mumbai's Sakinaka police station said that the accused made alleged "derogatory" remarks against the prime minister and other leaders in a Facebook post.

"The accused allegedly threatened them," the police added. -- ANI

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15:59 Petrol pump employee in Delhi refuses to accept Rs 2,000 note, man files complaint

A man filed a complaint against an employee of a petrol pump in South Extension Part-1 in New Delhi after the attendant allegedly refused to accept a Rs 2,000 note, the police said on Saturday.

A complaint regarding the matter was received at Kotla police station on Friday, a senior police officer said.

The complainant stated that he went to a petrol pump in South Extension Part-1 to fill petrol in his scooter.

He gave a Rs 2,000 note against a bill of Rs 400, but the petrol pump attendant refused to take the note, the officer said.

The officer said that the complaint is being examined.

On May 19, the Reserve Bank of India announced the withdrawal of Rs 2,000 currency notes from circulation but gave the public time till September 30 to either deposit such notes in accounts or exchange them at banks. -- PTI

Amid the row over the Centre's ordinance on control of administrative services in the national capital, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday met his Telangana counterpart K Chandrashekhar Rao in Hyderabad.

The Aam Aadmi Party national convenor sought the support of Bharat Rashtra Samithi against the Centre's ordinance which the party claims circumvent the Supreme Court order.

Kejriwal was accompanied by his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann and AAP MPs Sanjay Singh and Raghav Chadha.

The Delhi chief minister on May 23 embarked on a nationwide tour to seek support from the Opposition parties against the ordinance.

Earlier, Kejriwal had met West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, former Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray, Nationalist Congress Party supremo Sharad Pawar, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and his deputy Tejashwi Yadav.

He also informed that he would not be able to attend the NITI Aayog meeting to be held on Saturday in the national capital.

This comes after the Union government on May 19 brought an ordinance to notify rules for the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi regarding the 'transfer posting, vigilance and other incidental matters'. -- ANI

An aerial view of the new Parliament House in New Delhi/ANI

15:14 Tight security in Delhi ahead of new Parl's launch

The Delhi police has beefed up security around the new Parliament building ahead of the inauguration ceremony on May 28, with around 70 policemen deployed in the area.

Delhi police special CP Deepender Pathak told ANI that enough police deployment will be made for maintaining the law and order situation during Sunday's event.

"Our focus is to maintain law and order situation and carry out the programme (inauguration ceremony of the new Parliament building) tomorrow. We will ensure enough police deployment for tomorrow's event," he said.

Notably, the Delhi police has received inputs that on the day of the inauguration, some miscreants may put up "anti-national and anti-PM" slogans on the walls of the campus.

Regarding this, the police have decided to deploy heavy security around the new Parliament building throughout the 24 hours.

The assistant commissioner of police rank officers are also continuously monitoring the whole situation through CCTV surveillance, the sources said. -- ANI

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14:32 All meat shops in Sikkim to remain closed till June 4 in view of Tibetan festival

All meat shops in Sikkim will remain closed till June 4 as the state government on Saturday banned animal slaughter to mark the observance of 'Saga Dawa', an auspicious month in the Buddhist calendar followed by Tibetan people.

The decision to ban animal slaughter for a week till June 4 was taken by the Ecclesiastical department.

All meat shops must remain closed between May 27 and June 4 to ensure observance of 'Saga Dawa' in Sikkim, it said.

The import of meat from outside only may be permitted under unavoidable circumstances, such as for marriage ceremonies, social events, and for feeding of zoo animals, the notification said, adding that the importers must seek prior permission from the ecclesiastical department.

The fish shops, however, have been exempted from any restriction though it will be desirable if fish too are not sold out of respect for religious sentiments during this period.

Those found indulging in animal slaughter in this duration will be penalised as per law with a fine up to Rs 1,000, it added. -- PTI

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14:07 Manipur unrest: Search launched to track terrorists

Amid the recent spurt in violence in Manipur, the Indian Army and the Assam Rifles on Saturday launched massive combing operations in sensitive flash points to track down armed insurgents.

The Indian Army said that the operation was launched in the higher reaches surrounding the Imphal Valley.

Multiple search operations were also launched in areas of Kangchuk, Motbung, Saikul, Pukhao and Sagolmang in Manipur to track down any armed insurgents operating in these areas.

"Army and Assam Rifles have launched multiple search operations in areas of Kangchuk, Motbung, Saikul, Pukhao and Sagolmang areas of Manipur in the wee hours of May 27 to track down any armed insurgents operating in these areas. Operations underway," the Spear Corps, Indian Army said in a statement.

Earlier on Saturday, the security forces in Imphal East and Churchandpur prevented the firing incidents between the two communities, where some armed miscreants opened fire and ran towards higher reaches. No casualties were reported, the Army said. -- ANI

Twenty-one Adheenams have left for Delhi from Chennai to participate in the inauguration ceremony of the new Parliament building.

Dharmapuram Adheenam, Palani Adheenam, Virudhachalam Adheenam, Thirukoyilur Adheenam were among the Adheenams who left for Delhi from Chennai to attend the ceremony.

At the inauguration of the new Parliament building on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will establish the historical and sacred Sengol in the Parliament House.

Home Minister Amit Shah had said on Wednesday that the sacred Sengol is the symbol of the transfer of power from the British to India.

He said that the Parliament House is the most appropriate and sacred place to install the historic Sengol.

Modi took a decision to adopt Sengol as a national symbol of the Amrit Kaal.

The sceptre Sengol will be presented to Modi during the inauguration of the new Parliament building by the 293rd head priest of Madurai Aadheenam.

Seers of Dharmapuram Adheenam will present a special gift to Modi.

Talking about the installation of Sengol, a symbol of justice, Ambalavana Desiga Paramachariya Swamigal of Thiruvavaduthurai Aadheenam said on Friday that it is a matter of pride for Tamil Nadu that Sengol is being given its significance. -- ANI

Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' will be on a four-day official visit to India beginning May 31, his first visit abroad since assuming office in December last year.

Dahal, who will be in New Delhi at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will be accompanied by a high-level delegation.

During the visit, the Nepal prime minister will call on President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar.

He will hold extensive talks with Prime Minister Modi to discuss the diverse areas of the bilateral partnership between India and Nepal. Dahal will also travel to Ujjain and Indore as part of his visit.

"The visit continues the tradition of regular high-level exchanges between India and Nepal in furtherance of our 'Neighbourhood First' policy," a statement from the external affairs ministry said.

"The bilateral relations between the two countries have significantly strengthened in the last few years in all areas of cooperation. This visit underscores the importance given by both sides in adding further momentum to the bilateral partnership," it said. -- PTI

A leader of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena was stabbed to death by a group of about six people in Maharashtra's Thane district, a police official said on Saturday.

No arrests have been made yet, he said.

Shabbir Shaikh (45) was attacked with sharp weapons at Jai Janata Colony in Ulhasnagar on Friday night, said senior inspector Ranjeet Dere of the Hill Line police station.

The official said Shaikh had been appointed as Sena's Ulhasnagar township president four months ago.

The police suspect Shaikh, who was into manufacture of jeans, was targeted over money.

A case has been registered under Indian Penal Code Section 302 (murder) and police are on the lookout for the suspects, who have been identified, added the official. -- PTI

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal

13:03 Plaint against Kharge, Kejri over remarks on Murmu

A complaint has been filed against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and others for making inciteful statements citing caste of President Droupadi Murmu regarding the event of the inauguration of the new Parliament building with the intent to promote enmity among communities/groups and trying to create distrust for the government of India to fulfil their political motives which are an offence u/s 121,153A,505 and 34 IPC. -- ANI

NITI Aayog's eighth governing council meeting, which will deliberate on several issues including, health, skill development, women empowerment and infrastructure development, with an aim to make India a developed nation by 2047, began in New Delhi on Saturday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is chairing the meeting.

The council, the apex body of NITI Aayog, includes all chief ministers, lieutenant governors of Union Territories and several Union ministers.

The prime minister is the chairman of NITI Aayog. Union ministers Amit Shah, Niramala Sitharaman, Piyush Goyal and chief ministers of Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Jharkhand, and Madhya Pradesh are attending the meeting, among others.

West Bengal, Punjab and Delhi chief ministers are boycotting the meeting.

Generally, the full council meeting happens every year and last year, it was held under the chairmanship of Modi on August 7.

The council meeting was not convened in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The first meeting of the council took place on February 8, 2015. -- PTI

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12:34 Army chief Gen Manoj Pande to visit Manipur today to review situation

Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande will visit Manipur on Saturday to review the situation in the violence-hit state, officials said.

The Eastern Army commander Lt Gen Rana Pratap Kalita will also accompany the Army chief during his two-day visit to the state.

A senior Army official told PTI that Pande and Kalita will reach Imphal from Delhi to review the ground situation on the backdrop of ongoing ethnic clashes between communities.

"Pande will meet the Governor, chief minister and security advisor to discuss the situation," he added.

Gen Pande and Lt Gen Kalita will also meet the ground commanders, including those from other forces, and review the law and order situation.

Gen Pande is scheduled to return on Sunday, while Lt Gen Kalita is likely to stay back for Union Home Minister Amit Shah's visit to Manipur from Monday, Army sources said. -- PTI

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12:25 4 Delhi flights diverted to Jaipur due to bad weather: Officials

A total of four flights coming to Delhi from different cities were diverted to Jaipur due to heavy rain and bad weather, Airport officials informed on Saturday.

Meanwhile, flight operations at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport were also affected on Saturday due to rain and inclement weather.

The airport authorities have advised the people to contact the airlines for getting updated flight information.

"Due to bad weather, flight operations are impacted at Delhi airport. It is advisable to contact the airlines concerned for updated flight information," the Delhi airport said in a statement on Saturday.

Parts of Delhi-NCR witnessed heavy rains accompanied by thunderstorms and gusty winds on Saturday morning.

The sudden change in weather is expected to bring respite from the hot weather conditions prevailing over North India.

India meteorological department had also predicted the rains and thunderstorms in Delhi and its surrounding areas on Saturday morning. -- ANI

Congress leaders HK Patil takes oath as minister in Bengaluru/ANI

12:12 K'taka: Patil, Byregowda take oath as ministers

Congress leaders HK Patil and Krishna Byregowda took oath as Karnataka ministers as part of the cabinet expansion of the Siddaramaiah-led government.

Congress MLAs namely N Chaluvarayaswamy, K Venkateshtake, Dr HC Mahadevappa Eshwar Khandre also took oath as Karnataka ministers. -- ANI

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11:52 Terror conspiracy: NIA raids 13 places in MP city

The National Investigation Agency on Saturday conducted raids at 13 locations in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur in its ongoing probe into a terror conspiracy case.

The case is linked to the Bhopal terror funding case involving the proscribed organisation, Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh.

The raids are still underway at the premises of the suspects involved in a terror conspiracy based on specific inputs, said a source privy to the development.

NIA's multiple teams launched the raids early on Saturday in close coordination with the Madhya Pradesh police.

The fresh raids were carried out just two days after the anti-terror agency on May 25 searched two locations in Uttar Pradesh in the Bhopal terror funding case involving JMB. -- ANI

The Jammu and Kashmir police arrested a terror associate of the banned terror outfit Lashkar-e-Tayiba during an operation in Nagbal Chandoosa area of Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district, a statement said on Saturday.

According to the Jammu and Kashmir police, the terror associate was identified as Mohammed Ashraf Mir, a resident of Laridoora Chandoosa, Baramulla.

During the search, the police recovered one grenade from his possession.

A case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Arms Act was registered against the accused at Chandoosa police station.

Acting on a tip-off, the joint forces of Baramulla police and 52 Rashtriya Rifles launched a search operation in the village Nagbal Chandoosa in Baramulla.

"During the operation, one suspect person who was coming from Shrunz towards Nagbal Chandoosa tried to flee while noticing a joint naka party but was apprehended tactfully. During the search, one grenade was recovered from the possession of the accused terror associate and was taken into custody immediately," the police said. -- ANI

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and deputy CM DK Shivakumar arrived at Vidhana Soudha on Saturday morning in Bengaluru ahead of the cabinet expansion.

A week after assuming power, the Congress government led by Siddaramaiah will carry out the cabinet expansion by inducting 24 legislators who will be sworn in as ministers.

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11:34 JPMorgan slashing about 500 jobs this week

JPMorgan Chase is letting go of about 500 employees this week across the bank, a spokesperson confirmed to CNN on Friday (local time).

The layoffs, first reported by CNBC, are taking place company-wide but will focus mostly on technology and operations, JPMorgan said.

A JPMorgan spokesperson said the company regularly reviews its business and customer needs and continues to hire in other areas.

The bank has more than 13,000 total job openings and employs nearly 300,000 people.

The news comes just a day after JPMorgan informed about 1,000 First Republic Bank employees that they will no longer have jobs.

JPMorgan acquired most of First Republic's assets earlier this month after the San Francisco-based regional bank was seized by the government, according to CNN Business.

It marked the second-biggest bank failure in US history. -- ANI

11:20 Keep Airfares Moderate, Govt Tells Airlines

Deepak Patel/Business Standard

The aviation ministry has suggested airlines keep airfares at a moderate level as it has observed that ticket prices on certain routes are rapidly rising after Go First's exit, a senior official has stated.

Go First stopped operating flights from May 3 onwards. The top five routes of the airline, which was operating about 200 flights per day in April, were Delhi-Srinagar, Delhi-Leh, Mumbai-Goa, Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Pune.

On such routes, the ministry has observed that the spot airfares have rapidly risen after Go First's exit.

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

Go First has squarely blamed Pratt & Whitney (PW) for the cash crunch, stating that it did not supply engines on time, due to which almost half of its 54 aircraft fleet is grounded.

Not just Go First, even IndiGo is suffering due to this issue.

IndiGo's 37 planes, powered by PW engines, are currently grounded. IndiGo, India's largest airline, has about 140 PW-powered planes in its fleet.

The senior official said that on routes where Go First was a major player, the ministry has advised the airlines to make sure that the upper ceiling for price tickets is not too high.

"There should not be a huge gap between the upper ceiling and lower ceiling. The airfares should remain moderate" the official added.

The official made it clear that the government has no plan to regulate airfares.

11:18 Delhi wakes up to heavy rain, thunderstorms

Rain and gusty winds lashed Delhi and the National Capital Region on Saturday morning lowering temperature to 19.3 degrees Celsius, seven notches below the season's average, the weather department said.

Uprooted trees and waterlogging led to traffic snarls in several parts of Delhi, including at the Vasant Vihar-Delhi airport road stretch, the Kanshiram Takkar Marg and the Mahipalpur highway underpass.

Thunderstorm and more downpour have been predicted during the day by the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The maximum temperature is likely to settle around 32 degrees Celsius.

The department said a cluster of cloud patches is passing over Delhi-NCR. Under its influence, thunderstorm or dust storm with light to moderate intensity rain and gusty winds with 40-70 kmph speed would continue in Delhi-NCR and its adjoining areas during the next two hours, the IMD said in a report around 6.30 am.

The relative humidity was recorded 100 per cent at 8.30 am.

Delhi's air quality index (AQI) was recorded in the 'moderate' category with a reading of 110 at 9 am, Central Pollution Control Board data showed.

An AQI between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', and 401 and 500 'severe'.

Commuters took to Twitter to complain about traffic jams.

Major jam building on flyover from Vasant Vihar to airport, a person posted on the social media platform, while another reported heavy traffic on the flyover to Rohini from Mangolpuri.

Road blocked from both sides after tree fell on Kanshiram Takkar Marg, a Twitter user posted.

Mahipalpur underpass towards highway is waterlogged, another person posted.

On Friday, the maximum temperature in Delhi settled at 34.5 degrees Celsius, five notches below normal. -- PTI

11:00 Active Covid case tally down to 5,259

India saw a single day rise of 425 new coronavirus infections, while the number of active cases has decreased to 5,259, according to the Union health ministry data updated on Saturday.

The death toll has increased to 5,31,859 with three fatalities, which includes one death reconciled by Kerala, the data updated at 8 am stated.

The COVID-19 case tally was recorded at 4.49 crore.

The active cases now comprise 0.01 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has been recorded at 98.80 per cent, according to the health ministry website.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease rose to 4,44,52,223 while 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

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday paid tributes to Jawaharlal Nehru on his death anniversary.

India's first and longest-serving prime minister, Nehru, died in office in 1964.

Modi tweeted, 'On his death anniversary, I pay tributes to our former PM Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.' -- PTI

10:05 Army, Assam Rifles beef up security in Manipur

The Indian Army and Assam Rifles have intensified domination across Manipur amid the reports of fresh violence in the state.

Both the security teams in Imphal East and Churchandpur prevented the firing incidents between the two communities, where some armed miscreants opened fire and ran towards higher reaches, the Army said.

However, there were no reports of casualties and further operations were underway.

Manipur has seen ethnic violence with Chief Minister N Biren Singh stating earlier this month that around 60 people have lost their lives.

Houses have also been burnt during the violence with new incidents also reported from some parts of the State.

Earlier on Friday, Chief Minister Biren Singh informed that additional security forces had been brought into the state and security personnel consisting of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), Manipur Police, Manipur Rifles, India Reserve Battalion (IRB) and Village Defence Force (VDF) had been deployed at 38 vulnerable areas. -- ANI

A prominent American lawmaker has introduced a bill in the United States Congress to declare Diwali, the festival of lights, a federal holiday, a move welcomed by different communities from across the country.

"Diwali is one of the most important days of the year for billions of people across the globe, and for countless families and communities in Queens, New York, and the United States," Congresswoman Grace Meng told reporters during a virtual news conference in Washington, DC soon after introducing the bill in the House of Representatives on Friday.

The Diwali Day Act, when passed by the Congress and signed into law by the President, would make the festival of lights the 12th federally recognised holiday in the United States.

Establishing a federal holiday for Diwali, and the day off it would provide, would allow families and friends to celebrate together, and demonstrate that the government values the diverse cultural makeup of the nation, the Congresswoman said.

"Diwali celebrations are a wonderful time here in Queens, and each year it is easy to see just how important this day is to so many people. America's strength is derived from the diverse experiences, cultures and communities that make up this nation," she said.

"My Diwali Day Act is one step toward educating all Americans on the importance of this day, and celebrating the full face of American diversity. I look forward to shepherding this bill through Congress," Meng said.

Welcoming the move, New York Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar said, "This year, we saw our entire state speak with one voice in support of recognising Diwali and the South Asian community."

"My extraordinary partner in government Congresswoman Meng is now taking the movement national with her historic legislation to make Diwali a federal holiday. Together, we are showing that Diwali is an American holiday. To the over 4 million Americans who celebrate Diwali, your government sees you and hears you," she said.

Applauding Meng for her continued work to increase the visibility of the Asian-American community, New York State Senator Jeremy Cooney said naming Diwali a federal holiday not only honours those who observe but highlights a cultural tradition some Americans do not experience regularly.

"Diwali is a special holiday for so many South Asian and Indo-Caribbean communities," said New York City Councilman Shekar Krishnan.

"As the first Indian American ever elected to NYC government, I am so proud to support Congresswoman Meng's legislation to establish 'Deepavali' as a federal holiday. It is crucial that children like my own are able to officially celebrate our holidays with their families in a way that I was not able to growing up," he said.

A large number of community members applauded the introduction of the Diwali Day Act in the House of Representatives.

"The recognition of Diwali and Bandi Chhor Divas is pivotal to enriching the cultural fabric of the United States and fostering greater understanding and appreciation for the rich South Asian diaspora," said Sim J Singh Attariwala, Senior Policy and Advocacy Manager of The Sikh Coalition.

"Today is a milestone that demonstrates our visibility, our contributions, and the progress we are making in the United States with the Diwali Day Act," said Richard David, Board Member at the Indo-Caribbean Alliance.

Congratulating Congresswoman Meng, Coalition of Hindus of North America president Nikunj Trivedi said this joyous festival is celebrated by millions of Americans and symbolises the victory of good over evil and of light over darkness and brings together people from all backgrounds to cherish goodness, well-being, peace and prosperity -- things that everyone can value and benefit from.

"As Hindu Americans, we are so glad to see a bill to honour the multitude of celebrations that take place across the Indian subcontinent, the Caribbean, and beyond on Diwali," said Ria Chakrabarty, Policy Director for Hindus for Human Rights.

"It is high time to recognise Diwali as a holiday in US public schools," said Dr Neeta Jain, founder and president of the International Ahimsa Foundation.

"Our children should be treated equally. As our children celebrate other cultures, others should celebrate and learn about our culture as well. This is the only way we can teach children to have mutual respect, mutual understanding and mutual acceptance," she said. -- PTI

A week after assuming power in Karnataka, the Congress on Friday released a list of 24 legislators who will be sworn in as ministers on May 27, according to party leaders.

The Karnataka government can have 34 ministers.

Ten of them, including Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar, were sworn in on May 20.

MLAs H K Patil, Krishna Byregowda, N Cheluvarayaswamy, K Venkatesh, H C Mahadevappa, Congress working president Eshwar Khandre and former state Congress president Dinesh Gundu Rao are among those who will take oath on Saturday noon.

Others on the list are Kyathasandra N Rajanna, Sharanabasappa Darshanapur, Shivanand Patil, Ramappa Balappa Timmapur, S S Mallikarjun, Shivaraj Sangappa Tangadagi, Sharanaprakash Rudrappa Patil, Mankal Vaidya, Laxmi Hebbalkar, Rahim Khan, D Sudhakar, Santosh Lad, N S Boseraju, Suresha B S, Madhu Bangarappa, M C Sudhakar and B Nagendra. Lakshmi Hebbalkar, Madhu Bangarappa, D Sudhakar, Cheluvaraya Swami, Mankul Vaidya and M C Sudhakar are close to Shivakumar, according to Congress sources.

The Congress' list figures names of six Lingayats and four Vokkaligas.

Three MLAs are from Scheduled Castes, two from Scheduled Tribes and five from Other Backward Communities -- Kuruba, Raju, Maratha, Ediga and Mogaveera.

In Dinesh Gundu Rao, Brahmins have also got representation in the cabinet. Seven ministers each are from Old Mysuru and Kalyana Karnataka regions, six from Kittur Karnataka region and two from central Karnataka.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has struck a balance by giving caste and region-wise representation along with giving due respect to senior as well as junior MLAs, an official statement said.

He also said the cabinet will have eight Lingayats.

'Within them, different sub-sects of the community have been given representation. There will be five Vokkaligas, including Shivakumar,' the statement said.

'The cabinet will have nine Scheduled Caste ministers,' it said.

The portfolios have not been allotted yet.

State Minister K H Muniyappa said the portfolios will be announced by Saturday evening.

Both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar have been in Delhi for the last three days and have held several rounds of discussion with the party leadership.

The names of the 24 MLAs were decided after hours of hectic deliberations between Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar and the top central leaders, including All India Congress Committee general secretaries K C Venugopal and Randeep Surjewala.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Rahul Gandhi gave the final nod to the list.

Earlier, the two Karnataka leaders also met Sonia Gandhi, for the first time after government formation in the state.

"Differences between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar had emerged over names of probable ministers but these were sorted out during the discussions," the sources said.

Meanwhile, all the leaders left for Bengaluru from Delhi for the oath-taking ceremony of the new ministers.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu and his Jharkhand counterpart Hemant Soren also left with Shivakumar and Surjewala for Saturday's event. -- PTI

The Sengol was handed over to Lord Mountbatten and then it was presented to Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru in 1947 to symbolise transfer of power from British and wrong claims made in this respect by some people caused sadness, the head of a Tamil Nadu monastery said here on Friday.

Speaking to reporters in Chennai, Tiruvavaduthurai Aadeenam, Ambalavana Desika Paramacharya Swami said the Sengol that that was away from the gaze of people would now be prominently displayed in Parliament for the world to see.

This was the first response of the pontiff following the political controversy that erupted over the Sengol.

To a question on proof for handing over the Sengol, the pontiff said there were evidences including photographs and reports that appeared in newspapers and magazines in 1947.

"To claim that Sengol was not given is wrong information."

Answering a query, the pontiff said dissemination of 'wrong information' (by some people) in respect of Sengol caused sadness.

He also displayed a math publication that had photographs on handover of Sengol in 1947.

"It is a matter of pride for Tamil Nadu that Sengol has gone from the Tiruvavaduthurai Aadeenam located in the Chola country (region ruled by the Cholas)."

The sceptre signified righteousness for a just and fair regime and there are references to the Sengol in Tamil literature including the classic didactic work Tirukkural, the pontiff noted.

On Hindu religious motif on the Sengol, he said: "In keeping with the traditions followed during the reign of the Chola empire, the Sengol was made and the Rishaba (Nandi, the Bull) symbol was placed on it."

The spiritual leader said, "Sengol is a sign of Dharma, the Nandi is a symbol of Dharma; it symbolised protection of Dharma for all the times to come."

He also cited a Tamil Shaivite hymn to underscore the importance of Nandi symbolising Dharma. -- PTI

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