LIVE! Adhir refuses to be part of simultaneous polls panel

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Sat, 02 September 2023

Adhir refuses to be part of simultaneous polls panel

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23:18 NIA arrests 2 for harbouring terrorists involved in civilian killings in J-K

The National Investigation Agency has arrested two persons for allegedly harbouring terrorists who had killed seven innocent civilians in Dhangri village of Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district early this year.

Nisar Ahmed alias 'Haji Nisar' and Mushtaq Hussain, both of whom are presently lodged in Central Jail Kot Bhalwal (Jammu) in another case, were formally arrested by the NIA on Thursday, the central agency said in a statement in Jammu.

It said they were produced before the Special NIA Court, Jammu on Friday and were sent to NIA custody for 12 days.

Five persons were killed when terrorists fired indiscriminately on members of the minority community at Dhangri village on January 1.

Two more persons were killed and several others injured when an Improvised Explosive Device, which was left behind by the terrorists before fleeing the village, exploded.

During the course of investigations, the statement said, a team of NIA officials camped for quite some time in the hilly terrain of Rajouri, Poonch and Reasi districts of J-K and examined a large number of suspicious entities and later zeroed in on the two accused who had provided "logistics support to the terrorists for more than two months".

The case was initially registered at Police Station Rajouri under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Arms Act. NIA re-registered the case on January 13. -- PTI

Actor and model Rakhi Sawant on Saturday filed a criminal defamation complaint in a court here against her friend for `comparing her to a dog' and making unsavoury remarks about her character.

In the complaint filed before the Andheri metropolitan magistrate, Sawant sought action against her friend Rajashree Morey under Indian Penal Code sections 500 (defamation), 504 (intentional insults and provocation), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 509 (intending to insult the modesty of a woman).

Morey, who runs a nail art studio, had a tiff with Sawant, following which she allegedly made the comments at a press conference.

Its video is available online, said Sawant's plea, filed through advocate Ali Kaashif Khan.

Morey blatantly implied and accused Sawant of being involved in prostitution and thus "outraged her modesty" in public, the plea alleged.

Further, she also compared the actor to a dog and questioned her mental health, the complaint said.

The matter will be heard on November 6. -- PTI

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury

22:53 Adhir refuses to be part of simultaneous polls panel

Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Saturday declined the invitation to be part of the 8-member committee constituted by the Centre to examine 'One nation, One election'.

"I have no hesitation whatsoever in declining to serve on the Committee whose terms of reference have been prepared in a manner to guarantee its conclusions. It is, I am afraid, a total eyewash," he said in a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

"Furthermore, I find that the current LOP in the Rajya Sabha has been excluded. This is a deliberate insult to the system of Parliamentary democracy. In these circumstances, I have no option but to decline your invitation," Chowdhury said in the letter.

YSR Telangana Congress Party founder YS Sharmila on Saturday said her discussions with Congress party on working together or a possible "merger" have come to a final stage.

Sharmila had held talks with Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in the national capital, amid speculation about YSRTP's merger with the grand old party.

"Prolonged discussions were held (between Sharmila and Gandhis). We discussed how to work together and how to defeat the KCR's (Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao) corrupt government. These discussions have reached final stages," she told reporters after garlanding the statue of her father and former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh (undivided) YS Rajasekhar Reddy on his death anniversary on Saturday.

She further claimed that Congress leaders Sonia and Rahul were not aware of the inclusion of her father's name in a "quid-pro-quo' case filed against him and his son, the present Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, in 2011 over investments and it was not deliberate.

She said they told her that the party is still feeling the void created by Rajasekhar Reddy after his departure.

"They (Congress party) have a lot of respect towards Rajasekhar Reddy,' she said. -- PTI

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22:14 JU death: Registrar offers to quit after threat letter

Amid a row over the death of a student after ragging in a hostel of Jadavpur University, Registrar Snehamanju Basu has offered to resign after getting a letter threatening her with dire consequences, but she reversed the decision following the intervention of officiating Vice-Chancellor Buddhadeb Sau.

The anonymous letter the registrar and joint registrar Sanjay Gopal Sarkar received by post on Friday issued life threat to them, if any harm was caused to one of the former students who were arrested in connection with the case, a JU official said.

The officialting VC told PTI on Saturday that the registrar was a bit scared initially over the threat letter and sent him a mail offering to resign.

Sau said, "After going through her mail, I called her up and assured her of adequate security on the part of the university administration. I am certain she will be discharging her responsibility in the present capacity."

He said Basu has lodged an FIR in connection with the anonymous threat letter.

The registrar later told reporters: "I don't want to run away from my responsibilities when the university is passing through a difficult time. I am busy with replying to the queries of the state government's fact-finding team about anti-ragging measures as well as those posed by UGC on the same matter." -- PTI

A former Bharatiya Janata Party MLA's son allegedly rammed his Lamborgini Huracan car into the railing of the Bandra-Worli Sea Link in Mumbai on Saturday, the police said.

Former Mira-Bhayander MLA Narendra Mehta's son Taksheel was driving towards Worli around 7.30 am when he lost control of the luxury vehicle and rammed it into the railing, he said.

While Taksheel sustained some burn injury to his right hand, no other person was injured in the accident, the official said.

Following the accident, the Worli police took the car to the police station to prevent traffic congestion on the route, he said.

A case under sections 279 (rash driving) and 336 (act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the Indian Penal Code has been registered against Taksheel, the official said. -- PTI

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21:19 Modi calls on President Murmu

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday called on President Droupadi Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.

The President welcomed him with a bouquet and expressed compliments for the success of India's Chandrayaan-3 mission.

"Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi called on President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The President welcomed him with a bouquet and expressed compliments for the success of India's Chandrayaan-3 mission," the President's office said in a post on microblogging site X, and shared pictures of the meeting. -- PTI

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20:11 Assam flood: One more dies, over 2.42 lakh people still affected

Assam's flood situation continued to improve as the number of affected people decreased to below 2.5 lakh on Saturday even though one more person died due to the deluge, taking the toll to 17, an official bulletin said.

The Brahmaputra river continued to flow above the danger level in several places, it said.

The Assam State Disaster Management Authority said 18 districts are still reeling under the floods, affecting 2,42,515 people.

The worst-hit district was Nalbari with 72,427 people suffering from the deluge, followed by Darrang with 69,112.

The number of affected people was 3,24,938 in 18 districts on Friday.

The ASDMA bulletin said one death was reported from Darrang district, taking the toll in the flood this year to 17.

The Brahmaputra river continued to flow over the red mark at Dhubri, Goalpara, Guwahati, Tezpur and Neamatighat.

Altogether, 2,169 affected people are currently taking shelter in seven camps, while 43 relief distribution centres are also operational.

A total crop area of 15,670.85 hectares remained inundated, while 1,61,758 animals and poultry have also been affected.

One embankment has been breached in Udalguri district, while two have been damaged in Darrang. -- PTI

A Varanasi court on Saturday fixed September 8 for hearing the Archaeological Survey of India's plea seeking an additional eight weeks to complete the scientific survey of the Gyanvapi mosque complex and submit its report.

The district judge's court had earlier ordered ASI to survey Gyanvapi premises, except the sealed 'Wazukhana', and submit its report by September 4.

District government counsel Rajesh Mishra said that the ASI had submitted the application seeking more time to complete the survey work and submit the survey report.

As district judge AK Vishvesh is on leave, district judge-in-charge, ADJ-I Sanjeev Sinha posted the matter for hearing by the district judge court on September 8, Mishra said.

The ASI is carrying out a scientific survey of the Gyanvapi mosque premises to determine whether the 17th-century mosque was constructed over a pre-existing structure of a Hindu temple.

The survey began after the Allahabad high court upheld a Varanasi district court order and ruled that the step is "necessary in the interest of justice" and will benefit both the Hindu and Muslim sides. -- PTI

A six-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted by a senior student inside a school bus in northwest Delhi's Rohini area, police said on Saturday.

The accused has been apprehended, a senior police officer said. Earlier in the day, the Delhi Commission for Women issued a notice to the Rohini deputy commissioner of police, seeking information about the action taken in connection with the alleged sexual assault of the minor girl on a private school bus.

The police on Wednesday got information regarding the incident of molestation of a minor girl, a senior police officer said.

"The father of the victim, in his written complaint, alleged that his daughter had been molested in the school bus by a boy," the officer said.

A case under sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 228A (disclosure of identity of the victim of certain offences) of the IPC and 10/21 of the POCSO Act has been registered at Begumpur police station, the officer said.

The accused has been apprehended and further investigation is underway, the officer said.

"The commission has been informed that the child studies in a private school in Begumpur area of Delhi. The mother of the girl has informed that on August 23, when her daughter's school bus dropped her daughter at her society's gate, she found that her daughter's bag was wet due to urine. She has alleged that on enquiry, the girl informed that a student studying in a senior class has been molesting the girl in the school bus," the letter to DCP of Rohini district read. -- PTI

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19:21 Army chief visits forward areas along LoC in J-K's Rajouri

Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande on Saturday visited forward areas along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri sector and reviewed operational preparedness and security situation, Army officials said.

General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, northern command Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi along with other senior officers received the chief of army staff and briefed him about the operational preparedness, the officials said.

"General Manoj Pande, #COAS visited and reviewed the forward areas in Rajouri Sector. #COAS was briefed by Commanders on ground about the operational preparedness and prevailing security situation,' additional directorate general of public information of the Indian Army posted on X, formerly Twitter.

"The COAS appreciated the operational readiness & effective domination of Line of Control,' they said.

"The COAS during his motivational interaction with the troops exhorted them for their continued professionalism and steadfastness in meeting the operational challenges,' they said on X.

The ADGPI also shared several pictures of the Army chief's visit to the Rajouri sector. -- PTI

Home Minister Amit Shah

19:00 Shah, Adhir, Azad on simultaneous polls panel

The government on Saturday named other members to the committee chaired by ex-President Ram Nath Kovind to suggest changes to Constitution for simultaneous polls.

Home Minister Amit Shah, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, ex-MP Ghulam Nabi Azad have been named in the panel on simultaneous polls.

Other members of the committee are jurist Harish Salve, ex-CVC Sanjay Kothari, former secretary general of the Lok Sabha Subhash C Kashyap and ex-chairman of Finance Commission N K Singh.

Law Minister Arjun Meghwal is a special invitee.

Details soon.

The wife of LDF candidate for Puthuppally assembly bypoll, Jaick C Thomas, lodged a complaint with the Kerala police on Saturday alleging cyber attacks against her.

Thomas' wife, Geethu, who is pregnant, lodged the complaint with the district police chief, alleging that certain social media handles have been targeting her for campaigning for her husband.

"Some social media handles have created videos with slanderous comments. I have lodged a complaint today," Geethu said.

The social media handles have made the videos alleging that the Left candidate was trying to garner votes using his pregnant wife.

Earlier, on August 28, Achu Oommen, the younger daughter of former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy had approached the police against alleged cyber attacks against her.

As the campaign has intensified in Puthuppally, where a bypoll is scheduled for September 5, the personal lives of candidates, their close relatives, and their assets have been the topic of discussion by some online media groups.

Achu's brother, Chandy Oommen, is the Congress-UDF candidate in Puthuppally.

Left candidate Jaick C Thomas had earlier criticised the "cyber attacks" against Achu and said personal insults and humiliation against anyone could not be accepted. -- PTI

A 'bandh' was observed on Saturday in Beed in Maharashtra in protest against police action a day earlier on those sitting on a hunger strike in Jalna seeking reservation for the Maratha community in jobs and education.

On Friday, the police had resorted to baton charge and lobbed tear gas shells to disperse a violent mob in Antarwali Sarathi on Dhule-Solapur road in Jalna's Ambad tehsil after those at the site allegedly refused to let authorities shift a man on hunger strike to the hospital.

The shutdown called by the Maratha Kranti Morcha in Beed was mostly peaceful, though incidents of stone pelting were reported from Majalgaon, while private and state-run buses stayed off the roads, officials said.

Stones were pelted at Shivaji Chowk, new bus station, Purnawadi bank and a hotel near Sambhaji Chowk in Majalgaon town, they informed, though a top police official said just one case of stone-pelting was reported.

The road blockade at Gevarai as part of the shutdown went off peacefully, these officials informed.

An official said the main protests were held at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Chowk and in front of the Beed collectorate, while the shutdown also affected areas like Dharur, Ashti and Ambajogai talukas in the district.

"A stone-pelting incident took place in Majalgaon but there is no report of anyone getting injured," Superintendent of Police Nandkumar Thakur said. -- PTI

17:21 Jet Airways founder Goyal sent to ED custody

A special PMLA court in Mumbai on Saturday remanded Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal in the Enforcement Directorate's custody till September 11 in an alleged case of fraud of Rs 538 crore, registered on a complaint filed by Canara Bank.

Goyal (74) was arrested by the Central agency on Friday night under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act following a long session of questioning at its office in Mumbai.

He was produced before the court on Saturday.

The money laundering case stems from a First Information Report registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation against Jet Airways, Goyal, his wife Anita and some former executives of his defunct airline.

The FIR was registered on the bank's complaint alleging that it sanctioned credit limits and loans to Jet Airways (India) Ltd to the tune of Rs 848.86 crore, of which Rs 538.62 crore is outstanding.

JIL diverted funds to its subsidiaries, it alleged. -- PTI

A 29-year-old man from Uttar Pradesh was arrested by the police for allegedly attempting to abduct a four-year-old girl from her house near Mavelikkara in Alappuzha, the police said on Saturday.

According to the police, Manjith Singh, a salesman, was selling some household cleaning materials in the locality on Friday.

"The girl was playing with her elder brother in front of their house. Her brother went to the neighbour's house to collect some flowers and when he came back, he saw the accused attempting to nab her," the police said.

As the children shouted and cried, he dropped her and escaped.

The locals apprehended him from the locality and handed him over to the police.

"He was produced before the court today which remanded him to judicial custody," the police said. -- PTI

Uday Kotak

17:18 Uday Kotak resigns as CEO of Kotak Mahindra Bank

Uday Kotak has resigned as the managing director and chief executive officer of Kotak Mahindra Bank, the bank said in a stock exchange filing on Saturday.

Joint managing director Dipak Gupta will be the chief executive until December 31, it said.

"Uday Kotak has ceased to be the managing director & CEO of the Bank, with effect from September 1, 2023 on account of his resignation considered at the bank's board meeting held on Saturday and has become a non-executive director of the bank," the filing said.

No reason was cited for Kotak's resignation.

As an interim arrangement, Gupta will carry out the duties of the managing director & CEO until December 31, 2023, subject to the approval of the RBI. -- PTI

Aditya L1's flight towards the Sun on Saturday is the culmination of the hardwork of a number of people under its project director Nigar Shaji.

With 35 years of service in ISRO, Shaji has made illustrious contributions to the Indian Remote Sensing, communication and interplanetary satellite programmes at various responsibilities, sources in the space agency said.

She hails from Tamil Nadu's Tenkasi and joins a list of illustrious names from the state--Mayilsamy Annadurai, M Vanitha and P Veeramuthuvel, who have helmed the country's three lunar missions so far.

Shaji joined ISRO Satellite Centre in 1987. She was also the associate project director of Resourcesat-2A, which is the Indian Remote Sensing Satellite for National Resource Monitoring and management.

She has authored several papers on image compression, system engineering among others. Shaji hails from Tenkasi in Tamil Nadu, about 550 km from state capital Chennai. -- PTI

The fifth accused wanted in the alleged murder of an Amazon executive in northeast Delhi's Bhajanpura area has been arrested, the police said on Saturday.

The accused has been identified as Adnan (23), a resident of Subhash Mohalla in Bhajanpura, they said, adding that he was previously involved in three criminal cases.

The police got a tip-off and nabbed Adnan from the Sadar Bazar area, special commissioner of police (crime) Ravindra Singh Yadav said.

Earlier, four members of a gang -- Sohail (23), Jubair (23), Mohammad Sameer alias Maya (18) and Bilal Gani (18) -- were arrested in connection with the murder, the police said.

Harpreet Gill (36) and his maternal uncle Govind Singh (32) were shot at and injured around 11.30 pm on August 29 in the Subhash Vihar area when the two were out on a motorcycle.

Gill was pronounced dead at a hospital.

The accused were partying in North Ghonda, Bhajanpura and decided to step out for a ride on two scooters around 10.30 pm.

They stopped at a few places and finally started riding on a narrow lane, police said.

Gill and Singh, riding in the same lane, wanted the accused to stop and give them a way.

Gani and his associates became aggressive and Junaid slapped Singh.

When Gill and Singh tried to get down to speak with the accused, Sameer opened fire at the two, aiming at their heads, they said.

Govind has been discharged from the hospital and recuperating in his home, police said.

According to the police, before committing the crimes, the gang used to come live on Instagram and brag about their plans to commit future crimes. -- PTI

The fifth accused wanted in the alleged murder of an Amazon executive in northeast Delhi's Bhajanpura area has been arrested, the police said on Saturday.

The accused has been identified as Adnan (23), a resident of Subhash Mohalla in Bhajanpura, they said, adding that he was previously involved in three criminal cases.

The police got a tip-off and nabbed Adnan from the Sadar Bazar area, special commissioner of police (crime) Ravindra Singh Yadav said.

Earlier, four members of a gang -- Sohail (23), Jubair (23), Mohammad Sameer alias Maya (18) and Bilal Gani (18) -- were arrested in connection with the murder, the police said.

Harpreet Gill (36) and his maternal uncle Govind Singh (32) were shot at and injured around 11.30 pm on August 29 in the Subhash Vihar area when the two were out on a motorcycle.

Gill was pronounced dead at a hospital.

The accused were partying in North Ghonda, Bhajanpura and decided to step out for a ride on two scooters around 10.30 pm.

They stopped at a few places and finally started riding on a narrow lane, police said.

Gill and Singh, riding in the same lane, wanted the accused to stop and give them a way.

Gani and his associates became aggressive and Junaid slapped Singh.

When Gill and Singh tried to get down to speak with the accused, Sameer opened fire at the two, aiming at their heads, they said.

Govind has been discharged from the hospital and recuperating in his home, police said.

According to the police, before committing the crimes, the gang used to come live on Instagram and brag about their plans to commit future crimes. -- PTI

15:21 HC issues show-cause notice to Raj CM Gehlot

A division bench of the Rajasthan high court on Saturday issued a show-cause notice to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on a PIL seeking suo moto criminal contempt proceedings against him.

The PIL was filed by local advocate Shivcharan Gupta on Thursday following the chief minister's remark suggesting "corruption" in the judiciary.

A division bench headed by Justice M M Shrivastava and Justice Ashutosh Kumar heard the matter on Saturday and issued the notice to Gehlot, directing him to respond within three weeks.

While talking to reporters in Jaipur on Wednesday, Gehlot said, "Corruption is rampant in the judiciary today. I have heard that some lawyers themselves take the judgement in writing and the same judgement is pronounced."

However, after facing criticism, the chief minister later clarified that what he had said was not his personal opinion and that he has always respected and believed in the judiciary.

In protest against the chief minister's comment, thousands of advocates boycotted work in the high court and lower courts in Jodhpur on Friday. -- PTI

A two-and-a-half-year-old boy was crushed to death by a car in a housing complex in Maharashtra's Palghar district, police said on Saturday.

The incident took place in Virar town of the district late on Thursday night, an official said.

Manish Dhakal, the son of a security guard in the building, was playing on the premises when a resident was taking his car out.

The vehicle ran over the toddler and killed him on the spot, he said.

A case under sections 304(a) (death by rash or negligent act), 279 (rash driving) and other relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code and Motor Vehicles Act has been registered, the official said, adding that no arrest has been made in this regard so far. -- PTI

Lunar mission Chandrayaan 3's rover and lander are functioning well and they would be put to "sleep" soon to withstand the night on the Moon, ISRO chairman S Somanath said on Saturday.

The lander and rover, 'Vikram' and 'Pragyaan', respectively, were still functioning and "our team with scientific instruments are doing a lot of work now," he said.

"The good news is that the rover has moved almost 100 metres from the lander and we are going to start the process of making both of them sleep in the coming one or two days because they have to withstand the night," he said.

The ISRO chief was addressing from the Mission Control Center here after the launch of India's maiden solar mission, Aditya L1. -- PTI

Superstar Salman Khan on Saturday shared the first poster of Tiger 3, the fifth chapter of Yash Raj Film's spy universe.

Directed by Maneesh Sharma, Tiger 3 will see Khan and Katrina Kaif return as spy agents -- Tiger and Zoya.

The movie, which follows Ek Tha Tiger (2012) and Tiger Zinda Hai (2017), will make its debut in theatres on Diwali in November in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.

"Aa raha hoon! #Tiger3 on Diwali 2023. Celebrate #Tiger3 with #YRF50 only at a big screen near you. Releasing in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. #KatrinaKaif | #ManeeshSharma | @yrf," Salman posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, along with the official poster.

The 'YRF Spy Universe', conceptualised by Chopra, brings three franchises headlined by leading stars -- Salman's "Tiger" movies, Shah Rukh's Pathaan and Hrithik Roshan's War -- under one umbrella.

The studio's recent blockbuster Pathaan marked the beginning of the cinematic universe with a cameo by Salman as Avinash Singh Rathore aka Tiger. -- PTI

The Aditya-L1 spacecraft onboard a PSLV rocket on Saturday successfully got separated and would be proceeding on its journey towards the Sun on a 125-day voyage, ISRO said on Saturday.

ISRO chief S Somanath said the spacecraft was injected in the "precise orbit".

"Aditya L1 spacecraft has been injected in an elliptical orbit of 235 by 19,500 km which is intended, very precisely by the PSLV," he said.

"From now on Aditya L1 will go on a long journey for 125 days," towards the Sun, he said from the Mission Control Center in Sriharikota, flanked by Union Minister Jitendra Singh, project director Nigar Shaji and mission director Biju. Shaji said the spacecraft was injected into the orbit flawlessly by the PSLV "as always," and that the solar panels are deployed.

"Aditya L1 has started 125 days of long journey to the Sun," she said.

Union Minister Singh, described today's achievement as a "sunshine moment," and thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the support to the space sector.

The Sun is a giant sphere of gas and Aditya-L1 would study its outer atmosphere.

Aditya-L1 will neither land on the Sun nor approach it any closer, ISRO said.

It is expected to travel for about 125 days to reach the Halo orbit around the Lagrangian Point L1, which is considered closest to the sun. Aditya-L1, weighing about 1,480.7 kg, is the first space-based observatory class to study the Sun. -- PTI

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13:39 Rajouri terror attack: Victim families call for protest on Jammu-Poonch highway

Family members of the seven people killed in a terror attack earlier this year in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district have called for a protest on September 4 against an alleged delay in action by security agencies over the incident.

Seven people died and 13 more were injured on January 1 when terrorists struck Dhangri village of Rajouri and opened indiscriminate fire.

They also left behind an improvised explosive device which went off the next morning.

The police, however, said two of the terrorists involved in the attack were killed and two more arrested.

The police response came on a video showing Saroj Bala, who lost both her sons in the attack, using a public address system to urge people to support their protest at Muradpur on the Jammu-Poonch national highway.

"Two terrorists killed so far. Two arrested by NIA (National Investigation Agency). We are committed to completely resolving this terror attack," the police media centre Jammu wrote on 'X', formerly known as Twitter.

Bala, who visited Muradpur Bathuni, Kallar, Chingus and Nowshera on Friday, said they will cover other parts of the district on Saturday and Sunday to mobilise public support.

"Eight months have already passed since the terror attack but we are still waiting for justice. We request everyone to join us in the protest on September 4," she said. -- PTI

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12:51 Five ISIS women terrorists arrested in Pakistan's Punjab province

In a first, police in Pakistan's Punjab province arrested five women terrorists belonging to the Islamic State terrorist group, authorities said on Saturday.

The counter terrorism department of the Punjab police said it arrested the five women from Lahore and Sheikhupura after receiving a tip-off. Weapons, cash, banned literature and cell phones were recovered from them, it said in a statement.

"The women are active members of Daesh (also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) and involved in terror activities in the country," the statement said.

The arrested militants have been identified as Aiman, Javeria, Sadia, Faiza and Fakhra.

Terrorism cases have been registered against them.

They have been shifted to an undisclosed location for further investigation.

This is the first time that the CTD arrested five terrorist women in one go.

Last month, the CTD arrested over 20 terrorists who wanted to target important installations and religious places across the country.

Most of them belonged to banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan and ISIS. .

Hundreds of alleged terrorists of TTP and ISIS have been nabbed this year after the truce between the Pakistan government and TTP ended in November last year. -- PTI

Two more terrorists, absconding for over 30 years, were arrested by the Special Investigation Agency from Jammu and Kashmir's Doda district, officials said on Saturday.

The accused have been as Firdous Ahmad Wani of Ghat village and Khurshid Ahmad Malik of Bharat village.

The duo, both trained in Pakistan, were wanted by police for their active involvement in militancy in their home district in 1990s, they said.

With the latest arrests, a total of 10 terrorists absconding for decades have been held in Jammu region since August 31.

Most of those arrested are residents of Doda district.

According to officials, the Special Investigation Agency, in pursuance of its larger objective and mandate of achieving zero terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, has initiated a special drive to trace and produce before the court all absconders of terrorism related cases for facing the trial under law.

Out of total 734 absconders, including 417 in Kashmir and 317 in Jammu, who are wanted in 327 Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act and the Prevention of Terrorism Act, SIA has so far verified and identified 369 absconders -- 215 in Jammu and 154 in Kashmir. -- PTI

Three policemen were killed and two others injured when the car carrying them collided with a stationary truck in Khargone district of Madhya Pradesh on Saturday morning, an official said.

The incident occurred near Badud village under Sanawad police station limits around 5 am, he said.

Superintendent of police Dharmveer Singh said that two sub-inspectors and a constable, all posted in Sanawad police station, died on the spot when their car rammed into a stationary truck.

"Two other policemen travelling in the vehicle were injured in this accident and they were referred to Indore for further treatment," he said.

They were returning to Sanawad from Khargone after completing their duty in a religious procession, the official said. -- PTI

The PSLV-C57.1 rocket carrying the Aditya-L1 orbiter, lifted off successfully from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh at 11.50 am on Saturday.

The successful launch of the maiden solar mission of the Indian Space Research Organisation came on the heels of the historic lunar landing mission -- Chandrayaan-3.

The ISRO successfully placed a lander on the unexplored lunar south pole, a feat that put India in the record books as the first country to do so.

According to the agency, the Aditya-L1 mission is expected to reach the observation point in four months.

It will be placed in a halo orbit around Lagrangian Point 1 (or L1), which is 1.5 million km away from the Earth in the direction of the sun.

It will carry seven different payloads to have a detailed study of the sun, four of which will observe the light from the sun and the other three will measure in-situ parameters of the plasma and magnetic fields.

The largest and technically most challenging payload on Aditya-L1 is the Visible Emission Line Coronagraph or VELC.

VELC was integrated, tested, and calibrated at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics' Centre for Research and Education in Science Technology campus in Hosakote in collaboration with ISRO. -- ANI

President Droupadi Murmu will confer the National Teachers' Award 2023 to 75 selected awardees on 5th September 2023 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, said the Union ministry of education in a statement.

Every year, India celebrates 5th September, the birth anniversary of India's former president Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, as National Teachers' Day.

The purpose of the National Teachers' Award is to celebrate the unique contribution of teachers in the country and to honour those teachers who, through their commitment and dedication, have not only improved the quality of education but also enriched the lives of their students.

Each award carries a certificate of merit, a cash award of Rs 50,000 and a silver medal.

The awardees would also get an opportunity to interact with the Prime Minister, said the statement.

Department of school education and literacy, ministry of education has been organising a national level function on Teachers Day every year to confer the National Awards to the best teachers in the country, selected through a rigorous, transparent selection process.

This year, the ambit of the National Teachers' Award has been expanded to include teachers of the department of higher education and the ministry of skill development & entrepreneurship.

50 school teachers, 13 teachers from higher education and 12 teachers from the ministry of skill development and entrepreneurship will be awarded this year. -- ANI

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Friday criticised the BJP-led Centre's proposal for 'one nation, one election', saying there is no practical way in which such a system can be implemented.

Talking to reporters in Thiruvananthapuram on his first visit to his Lok Sabha constituency after becoming a member of the Congress Working Committee, Tharoor said the 'one nation, one election' initiative of the government would be against the existing system, which is based on parliamentary democracy, where parties cannot continue in power if they lose the majority in the house.

"There is no practical way in which you can implement such a system. The second concern that many of us have is that the big diversity of India actually benefits from the staggered calendar that has evolved over the years," Tharoor said.

Former president Ram Nath Kovind was on Friday tasked by the Centre with the responsibility of heading a committee to explore the feasibility of 'one nation, one election'.

The committee will explore how the country can go back to having simultaneous Lok Sabha and state assembly polls, as was the case till 1967.

Tharoor said the Chief Executive of the country is selected by a parliamentary majority and a legislative majority, and the moment that majority goes, for whatever reason, the government falls.

Then a new election has to be held out of sync with the calendar.

He said that between 1947 and 1967, India had all national and state elections on the same date, but the system collapsed when the coalition government fell in 1967 and the calendar slipped.

Then the national government fell in 1970, and elections were held in 1971, he said.

"Therefore, that calendar also slipped There's been a number of changes, and that's why now there are different calendars for different states. The same thing will happen again in the future," Tharoor said.

He said the opposition would attentively listen to Ramnath Kovind's committee on this.

"Let us see if Mr Kovind's committee can come up with any practical solutions. We will listen attentively, but we have every reason to have a lot of scepticism about this entire initiative," Tharoor added. -- PTI

Mohamed Al-Fayed, the outspoken Egyptian tycoon who turned around the fortunes of two iconic London institutions -- Harrods department store and Fulham Football Club -- and waged a war of words with the British royal family after his son was killed in a car accident alongside Diana, Princess of Wales, has passed away at 94, CNN reported citing a statement from his family.

"Mrs Mohamed Al Fayed, her children and grandchildren wish to confirm that her beloved husband, their father and their grandfather, Mohamed, has passed away peacefully of old age on Wednesday, August 30, 2023," the family statement, which was released by Fulham FC on Friday, said.

After moving to the UK in the 1970s, Al-Fayed bought a number of lavish businesses and forced his way into London's high society. He also owned the legendary Ritz Hotel in Paris for four decades.

He became a more controversial figure, nevertheless, when he publicly fought for British citizenship, and even more so after Diana and his son Dodi Fayed passed away in Paris in 1997, according to CNN.

Despite investigations showing otherwise, Al-Fayed believed for decades that the two had been killed, and in his later years, he was contemptuous of the British royal family.

Al-Fayed, born in Alexandria, Egypt in 1929, made the most of the opportunities and chances that came his way during his brief union with Saudi author Samira Khashoggi, who is also the sister of wealthy arms trader Adnan Khashoggi.

The tycoon's fractious relationship with the British elite rose to fame alongside his investments at the same time.

He publicly battled for British citizenship for many years; this fight got started when Rowland questioned him about where his money came from. Then, in 1994, he named British legislators who had taken money from him in exchange for asking questions in Parliament on his behalf, causing a political crisis, as reported by CNN.

After his son and Diana were killed in a car accident in 1997, Al-Fayed repeatedly insulted the British royal family and became a persona non grata among some of the nation's elite.

"I live in a country where I feel sorry for the ordinary people and the masses of the people who live in this country. Their destiny and their human rights are kidnapped by gangsters and people who call themselves the establishment," he once told CNN.

A 56-year-old man allegedly shot dead his wife, but soon afterwards collapsed and died, apparently due to a heart attack, at their residence in Thane city of Maharashtra, police said on Saturday.

The incident occurred around 10.15 pm on Friday in Yashwant Nivas building located in Kumbhar Ali of Kalwa, they said.

The victims were identified as Dileep Salvi and his 51-year-old wife Pramila, the police said.

A police official said, "Soon after Salvi returned home on Friday night, an altercation broke out between him and his wife. In a fit of rage, he took out his revolver and fired two rounds at his wife, who died on the spot."

Soon afterwards, Salvi collapsed on the ground and died after apparently suffering a heart attack, he said.

Sources close to Salvi said when the latter pointed his revolver at his wife, she raised an alarm and called her son, but before he could arrive at the spot she was dead.

The exact motive behind the killing is being ascertained by the police, the official said.

According to police, Salvi belonged to an influential family in Kalwa as its members are known to be involved in local politics and social activities. A number of civic and other projects are named after his father late Yashwant Rama Salvi.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone I) Ganesh Gawade visited the site after the incident and he is supervising a probe.

The bodies of the couple were sent to a government hospital for post-mortem and an offence is being registered, the police said. -- PTI

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar asserted that the Narendra Modi government at the Centre has lent credence to his anticipation of early Lok Sabha polls by convening a special session of Parliament.

The Janata Dal-United leader made the remark here while replying to queries from journalists after returning from Mumbai where the opposition coalition INDIA held the latest round of talks.

"You need to understand that this special session is a sign that they are thinking of early polls, the possibility of which I have been seeing and sharing with you all for quite some time," he told reporters on Friday.

Parliament, which was last month adjourned sine die after the monsoon session, will meet from September 18 to 22 for a special session of which the Centre has not made public the agenda.

The JD(U) leader, whose party has 16 MPs in the Lok Sabha, did not respond to queries about 'one nation one election', but added, "There are issues which will be strongly raised during the upcoming session."

"This government is dragging its feet on the issue of caste census. Forget a caste census, it has not even begun the census which, as per norms, should have been completed long back. This government has time for all other things," said the former NDA ally, who got a caste survey done in the state after the Centre made it clear that it would not conduct separate headcounts for social groups other than SCs and STs. -- PTI

United States President Joe Biden will travel to India next week to participate in the G20 Summit and will have a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 8 on the sidelines of the historic meeting, the White House has announced.

India, President of the G20, will host global leaders for the Summit scheduled to take place on September 9 and 10 in New Delhi.

During the Summit, Biden will commend Modi for his leadership of the G20, the White House said.

"On Thursday (September 7), the President will travel to New Delhi, India to attend the G20 Leaders' Summit. On Friday, the President will participate in a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi," the White House said in its week ahead schedule of the president released Friday night.

On Saturday (September 9) and Sunday (September 10), the President will participate in the G20 summit, where he and G20 partners will discuss a range of joint efforts to tackle global issues, including the clean energy transition and combatting climate change.

They will also mitigate the economic and social impacts of Russian President Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine, and increase the capacity of multilateral development banks, including the World Bank, to better fight poverty, including by addressing global challenges, the White House said. -- PTI

Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will address public meetings in Chhattisgarh, where assembly elections are due by the year-end, on Saturday.

Ahead of the polls in the Congress-ruled state, this is for the first time that events of the two senior leaders belonging to rival parties are coinciding on the same day.

While Shah will attend two functions, one in Raipur and the other at Saraipali in Mahasamund district, Gandhi will address a programme of Rajiv Yuva Mitan Club in Nava Raipur, the upcoming new capital city of Chhattisgarh.

Shah will release an 'Aarop Patra' (charge sheet) against the Bhupesh Baghel-led Congress government at Pt Deendayal Upadhyay Auditorium in Raipur at 11 am, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) functionary said.

He will then leave for Khairmal village in Saraipali area to attend an 'abhinandan' programme organised by tribal groups. He will also address the function, he said.

After being in power for 15 years since 2003 under the leadership of Raman Singh in Chhattisgarh, the BJP suffered a massive defeat in the 2018 assembly elections at the hands of Congress and now it is looking to wrest the state.

Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi will address the state-level convention of Rajiv Yuva Mitan Club, constituted under the state's sports and youth welfare department, at 'Rajyotsav Mela Sthal' at 2 pm, an official said.

The Congress leader was in Mumbai on Friday to take part in a meeting of the opposition INDIA alliance.

It will be Gandhi's first visit to the poll-bound state after the Congress held its plenary session in Raipur in February this year. Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel will be present during the function.

In the 2018 assembly polls, the Congress won 68 of 90 seats in the state, while the BJP finished a distant second at 15. The JCC (J) won in five constituencies and its ally BSP got two seats. The Congress currently has 71 members in the House. -- PTI

United States President Joe Biden will travel to India on Thursday to attend the G20 summit on the sidelines of which he will also have a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the White House has announced.

India, President of the G20, will host global leaders for the Summit scheduled to take place on September 9 and 10 in New Delhi.

On Thursday, the President will travel to New Delhi, India to attend the G20 Leaders' Summit, the White House said in a statement on Friday.

On September 8, the President will participate in a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Modi.

On Saturday and Sunday, the President will participate in the G20 summit, where the President and G20 partners will discuss a range of joint efforts to tackle global issues, including the clean energy transition and combating climate change.

While in New Delhi, the President will also commend Prime Minister Modi's leadership of the G20 and reaffirm the US commitment to the G20 as the premier forum of economic cooperation, including by hosting it in 2026. -- PTI

A 21-year-old tribal woman was allegedly stripped naked and paraded in a village in Rajasthan's Pratapgarh district by her husband, police said on Friday, after a video of the incident surfaced online.

Initial investigation revealed that the woman was in a relationship with another man, Dhariyawad SHO Peshawar Khan said, adding that the incident took place on Thursday.

Director General of Police (DGP) Umesh Mishra said the in-laws of the woman kidnapped her and took her to their village where the incident took place. Her in-laws were annoyed as she was staying with another man, he said.

On the direction of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, DGP Mishra sent ADG (Crime) Dinesh MN to Pratapgarh on Friday night.

The video showed a man stripping a woman in front of people and parading her naked in a village of the district.

DGP Mishra in Jaipur said that the state government has taken the incident very seriously and has sent ADG Dinesh to Pratapgarh.

He said six teams have been formed to arrest the accused and Pratapgarh Superintendent of Police Amit Kumar is camping in the village.

Gehlot took cognisance of the incident and posted on X, "Such incidents have no place in a civilised society."

He said that the accused will be arrested soon and he will be tried in a fast-track court.

Former chief minister Vasundhara Raje alleged that the video of a pregnant woman being stripped in front of people was doing rounds on social media but the administration was not aware of it.

The BJP leader also appealed to people to not share the video, saying that the incident has put Rajasthan to shame. -- PTI

ISRO is all set to launch India's maiden solar mission, Aditya L1, from the spaceport in Sriharikota on Saturday, the countdown for which was on.

Aditya-L1 is the first space-based observatory class to study the Sun and is being fired using ISRO's reliable Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) at 11.50 am.

The spacecraft, after traveling about 1.5 million km from the Earth over 125 days, is expected to be placed in a Halo orbit around the Lagrangian point L1 which is considered closest to the Sun.

The major objectives of the mission include understanding the Coronal Heating and Solar Wind Acceleration, the initiation of Coronal Mass Ejection, and near-earth space weather and the solar wind distribution.

The Aditya-L1 mission carries seven scientific payloads to carry out the study.

The Sun expedition comes close on the heels of ISRO's successful moon mission, Chandrayaan 3.

The 23.40 hour countdown for today's launch commenced at 12.10 pm on Friday. -- PTI

Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das has been ranked as the top central banker globally by US-based Global Finance magazine.

Das has been rated 'A+' in the Global Finance Central Banker Report Cards 2023. Das has been placed at the top of the list of three central bank governors who have been rated A+.

Grades are based on a scale from A to F for success in inflation control, economic growth goals, currency stability and interest rate management, according to a statement by Global Finance magazine.

An 'A' represents an excellent performance down through an 'F' for outright failure.

Das is followed by Switzerland Governor Thomas J Jordan and central bank chief of Vietnam Nguyen Thi Hong.

"Fighting inflation, which has been fueled by pent-up demand and disrupted supply chains, has everyone turning to their central bankers for help," it said.

Global Finance's annual Central Banker Report Cards celebrate bank governors whose strategies outperformed their peers through originality, creativity and tenacity, it said.

The central bank governors who earned an 'A' grade included Roberto Campos Neto of Brazil, Amir Yaron of Israel, Harvesh Kumar Seegolam of Mauritius and Adrian Orr of New Zealand. -- PTI

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01:10 President Murmu stops convoy, hands out chocolates to children

President Droupadi Murmu on Friday stopped her convoy and gave chocolates to children on her way to Guru Ghasidas Central University in Chhattisgarh's Bilaspur district.

The President, on a two-day visit to Chhattisgarh, visited the Mahamaya temple at Ratanpur town earlier in the day. On her return to attend the tenth convocation ceremony at Guru Ghasidas Central University Bilaspur, the president asked to stop the convoy midway in Ratanpur and got down from her car, a senior police official said.

She went up to a group of people gathered on the roadside and greeted them.

The president then gave chocolates to the children in the group, the official said.

Taken by surprise, the people shouted 'Vande Mataram' and 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai'.

After spending about five minutes with them, the president resumed the journey. Murmu returned to Delhi in the evening from Raipur, officials said. -- PTI

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00:59 One more arrested in Coimbatore car bomb blast case

The National Investigation Agency has arrested another person linked to a module that carried out a car bomb explosion in Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu last year, an official said on Friday.

Mohammed Azarudeen alias "Azar" is the 13th person to be arrested in the case, which was taken over by the NIA on October 27 last year, a spokesperson of the federal agency said.

The car bomb blast had taken place on October 23 last year in front of a temple -- Arulmigu Kottai Sangameshwarar Thirukovil -- on Eswaran Kovil Street in Coimbatore's Ukkadam.

The agency said that Azarudeen is currently lodged at the Viyyur high-security prison in Thrissur in Kerala, in another case.

He was earlier arrested and charge-sheeted in the Tamil Nadu ISIS module case and was subsequently sent to judicial custody, it said.

"Investigations have revealed that Azarudeen had previously taken secret 'bayan' classes along with the accused in the Coimbatore blast case, including Jamesha Mubeen, the vehicle's driver who was killed in the explosion. It was at these classes that all the accused were indoctrinated with ISIS ideology and motivated to commit violent acts of terror," a spokesperson of the agency said.

The official said during the course of further probe, the NIA found that Mubeen along with two other arrested persons had met Azarudeen in prison. -- PTI

As many as 23 students of Punjab government schools Friday took a flight from Chandigarh to Sriharikota to attend ISRO's Aditya L1 launch event.

As India aims for the Sun on Saturday with its maiden solar expedition, ISRO's PSLV C57 will carry the Aditya L1 mission on a 125-day voyage to the Sun.

The 23.10 hour countdown for the launch commenced at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh on Friday, ISRO said.

Students of Punjab government schools took a flight from Chandigarh on Friday to witness the launch event.

Punjab school education minister Harjot Singh Bains said on Friday that the state government will bear all the expenses of the students visiting Sriharikota in Andhra Bains said this step was aimed at raising the interest of governemnt school students in science.

Earlier, two batches of students went to Sriharikota during the launch of Chandrayaan 3 and PSLV-C56.

About the solar expedition, ISRO Chairman S Somanath has said the Sun mission will take 125 days to reach the exact radius.

Aditya L1 is designed for providing remote observations of the solar corona and conduct in-situ observations of the solar wind at L1 (Sun-Earth Lagrangian point), which is about 1.5 million kilometres from the Earth. -- PTI

00:25 IIT Delhi students hang self in hostel room

A 21-year-old engineering student allegedly hanged himself in his hostel room at Indian Institute of Technology Delhi on Friday evening, the police said.

Anil Kumar was pursuing B.Tech in Mathematics and Computing (session 2019-2023), and was staying in Vindhyachal Hostel of the institute, a senior police officer said.

The matter was reported around 6 pm at Kishangarh police station.

According to the institute's rules, Kumar was supposed to vacate the hostel room in June, but since he could not qualify some subjects he was given an extension for six months to clear his subjects, the officer said.

The door was closed from inside and had to be broken open by the fire department.

The dean of students/CMO IIT, chief security officer, crime and forensic teams were present at the time of breaking of the door.

No foul play has been observed so far. Inquest proceedings are being conducted, the police added. -- PTI

The tour of the Rashtrapati Bhavan for the general public will remain closed for 10 days due to preparatory work related to the upcoming G20 Summit, according to an official statement.

The G20 Summit will be held in the national capital form September 9 to 10.

"Tour of Rashtrapati Bhavan for the general public will remain closed from September 1 to 10, 2023, due to preparatory work related to upcoming G20 Summit," the statement issued by the Rashtrapati Bhavan said. -- PTI

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