Home Blog Page 152

Man’s Body Found In Suitcase At Mumbai’s Dadar Railway Station, 2 Arrested

By
PTI
-
crime incident, crime, crime site, accident, incident, murder
Man's Body Found In Suitcase At Mumbai's Dadar Railway Station, 2 Arrested 2

Two people have been arrested after a dead body was found in a bag at Dadar railway station in Mumbai.

Mumbai Police have apprehended two suspects who were carrying the body in a suitcase on the train after committing the murder.

Early Monday morning, Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP) were conducting a luggage-checking operation when they discovered the body inside a suitcase.

Upon interrogation, it was revealed that the murder took place in the jurisdiction of Pydhunie Police Station.

According to the police, there was a dispute between the victim and the accused over a female friend.

The suspects have been identified as Jai Praveen Chavda and his accomplice Shivjeet Surendra Singh.

Both were involved in the murder of Arshad Ali Sheikh, a resident of Santacruz.

After the murder, on Sunday night, the suspects planned to travel by Tutari Express train to dispose of the body, the police said.

Dadar Railway Police registered a case and arrested one of the suspects at the railway station. The other escaped but was later arrested in Ulhasnagar.

The victim and both suspects are deaf-mutes and communicate using sign language. The police enlisted a sign language expert to assist in the interrogation, which clarified the motive for the murder.

The primary suspect had a fight with the victim over a female friend. The victim was invited to the suspect’s house for a party, during which a dispute broke out again and escalated to the point of murder. The body was completely wrapped in plastic and packed in a suitcase, the police said.

Further investigation is underway, and more details are awaited.

Former Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina Heads to London via India Amid Protests

By
Afternoon Voice
-
sheikh hasina, hasina, bangladesh, prime minsiter bangladesh, army coup, army
Former Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina Heads to London via India Amid Protests 4

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned on Monday after unprecedented anti-government protests.

She is en route to London via India, traveling in a Bangladesh Air Force transport aircraft, with a likely stopover in India, according to diplomatic sources.

The Indian government has granted her plane safe passage through its airspace following a request from Dhaka.

India is closely monitoring the rapid developments in Bangladesh but has yet to issue an official reaction.

In a televised address, Bangladesh Army Chief General Waqar-uz-Zaman confirmed Hasina’s resignation and announced that an interim government will assume control, with the Army maintaining law and order.

Over 100 people died during the recent protests, which began over a controversial job quota scheme and escalated into a broader anti-government movement.

Bangladesh: Mamata Urges All to Maintain Peace in Bengal, Avoid Provocation

By
PTI
-
mamata banerjee, india alliance, tmc, trinamool congress, west bengal
Bangladesh: Mamata Urges All to Maintain Peace in Bengal, Avoid Provocation 6

Amid the ongoing unrest in neighbouring Bangladesh, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday appealed to the people of the state to maintain peace and avoid provocation.

Declining to comment on developments in Bangladesh, the chief minister said it is a matter for the Ministry of External Affairs to respond.

“I would appeal to all citizens of West Bengal to maintain peace and avoid all forms of provocation,” Banerjee told reporters at the West Bengal assembly.

“Whatever decision the Centre takes on this issue, we will abide by it,” she said.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday resigned and left the country, several news reports said, amid massive protests against her government that claimed more than 106 lives in the last two days.

Raj Thackeray Flays Quota Row, Seeks ‘100 PC Jobs for Locals’ in Maharashtra

By
Web Team
-
raj thackeray, mns, quota, reservation
Raj Thackeray Flays Quota Row, Seeks '100 PC Jobs for Locals' in Maharashtra 8

Eyeing the upcoming state Assembly elections, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) President Raj Thackeray slammed the ongoing caste controversy while demanding jobs for all the locals in the state on Monday.

Reviving the MNS’ old ‘sons-of-the-soil’ plank, he urged that the local youth must get jobs, without the question of caste entering, “as our youth are being deprived of educational and employment opportunities” at the cost of ‘outsiders’.

“Is there any reservation in private educational institutions? People from all over India come here, get education and jobs. But, what about the same opportunities being denied to the locals,” demanded Raj Thackeray, while on a pre-poll tour of the region.

The MNS chief argued that there was no need for quotas in Maharashtra if things were properly managed, as the state generates a lot of employment opportunities that can fulfil the needs of the locals, but the latter are ill-informed of it.

“People from other states are coming and getting education and work here… Maximum resources are spent on outsiders and all urban infrastructure is being created for them. Owing to this, our local boys and girls are suffering. So, people from Maharashtra must be given 100 per cent job reservations,” Raj Thackeray declared.

He frowned at the ongoing caste fracas in the state saying vested interests are busy inciting people, playing politics in the name of castes and firing from someone else’s shoulders while the core issues are being ignored.

To a query, the MNS leader said that the party will review all 288 Assembly seats and contest between 225-250 constituencies, indicating the party might go solo in the October elections.

On the question of alliance with the ruling MahaYuti ally Bharatiya Janata Party, Raj Thackeray made it clear that his support (to BJP) was restricted only to the Lok Sabha (2024) elections and not the upcoming Assembly polls.

BJP Fields Pravin Darekar to Take on Manoj Jarange

By
Vaidehi Taman
-
manoj jarange patil, manoj jarange, pravin darekar, darekar, bjp, maratha reservation, maratha andolan, andolan, devendra fadnavis
BJP Fields Pravin Darekar to Take on Manoj Jarange 10

Pravin Darekar, a prominent Maharashtra leader, is frequently seen with Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and has now become a significant figure in Maharashtra politics. Ahead of the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections, the BJP has put forward one of its prominent Maratha leaders to counter Manoj Jarange Patil, who led the Maratha reservation movement in the state. The BJP has fielded Pravin Darekar, expecting concrete results in the upcoming elections, and has taken measures to address the Maratha reservation movement.

The BJP’s initiative aims to improve its political image and counter Manoj Jarange Patil’s demands for Maratha reservation. Darekar, a Maratha politician, has been tasked with improving the party’s anti-Maratha image and has openly attacked Jarange Patil, who accused him of propping up the Maratha Thok Morcha, a social outfit fighting for Maratha reservation, to engineer a split in his agitation and divide the community.

Darekar started his political career with the Shiv Sena student organization. A B.Com. graduate from Mumbai University, he entered politics as a member of the Shiv Sena’s students’ wing, the Bharatiya Vidyarthi Sena (BVS), which was then led by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) founder Raj Thackeray. In 2005, he followed Raj into the MNS and became one of its founding members.

In 2009, Darekar made his electoral debut as an MNS candidate from the Magathane Assembly constituency but lost to Sena’s Prakash Surve five years later. He quit the MNS in 2015 and joined the BJP, a move met with confrontation by some within the party. His rise in the BJP under Fadnavis has also seemingly not gone down well with some old-timers in the party.

Having started his political career with the Shiv Sena’s students’ wing over three decades ago, Pravin Darekar was elected as an MNS MLA and then switched to the BJP, serving as the Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Council.

Darekar, from the Maratha community, gained attention when he took on Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil on the controversial Maratha reservation issue, which is likely to have a significant impact on the Assembly polls later this year. The Maratha community’s sentiments on the quota issue contributed to the BJP’s poor performance in the recent Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra, where the party’s tally dipped from 23 in 2019 to nine.

However, Darekar found support from some leaders within the party. He also faced disappointment as the BJP rejected his requests for an Assembly ticket in 2019 and denied him a berth in the Eknath Shinde Cabinet. His tenure as the chairman of the Mumbai District Central Cooperative Bank (MDCCB) between 2015 and 2022 was marred by controversies, with allegations of financial irregularities.

He was accused of faking his status as a laborer to get elected as a representative of the MDCCB, an accusation he has repeatedly denied as baseless and politically motivated. He was booked in 2015 on charges of cheating and criminal conspiracy. During the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government’s tenure, he was disqualified by the registrar of cooperative societies, an order he challenged in the Bombay High Court but later withdrew.

In 2022, an FIR was filed against Darekar for allegedly forging documents to show him as a laborer, even as his 2016 MLC election affidavit described him as a “businessman/entrepreneur.” Darekar also faced criticism from the BJP during the 2009 and 2014 Assembly polls and flak from the MVA after his switch to the BJP. After Shinde assumed charge in June 2022, Darekar returned unopposed as MDCCB chairman, and in December that year, the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) gave him a clean chit in the 2015 case.

295 Killed In Wayanad Landslides, 40 Rescue Teams Resume Search Operation

By
PTI
-
wayanad landslide, death toll, wayanad, kerala, rescue operation, search operation
295 Killed In Wayanad Landslides, 40 Rescue Teams Resume Search Operation 12

Braving rains and adverse terrain, 40 teams of rescuers resumed search operations in landslide-hit Wayanad district on the fourth day on Friday, officials said.

The search and rescue operations that got underway early morning received an impetus due to the completion of the 190-foot-long Bailey bridge that will enable the movement of heavy machinery, including excavators, and ambulances to the worst-affected Mundakkai and Chooralmala hamlets, they said.

A Defence source said Columns with dog squads commenced search operations at 7 am. Search operations were planned based on local interest.

The 40 teams will conduct search operations in six zones of the landslides-hit areas — Attamala and Aaranmala (first), Mundakkai (second), Punchirimattam (third), Vellarimala village (fourth), GVHSS Vellarimala (fifth), and riverbank (sixth).

The joint teams will include personnel from the army, NDRF, DSG, Coast Guard, Navy, and MEG along with three locals and one forest department employee.

In addition to this, a three-pronged search operation will begin, focusing on the Chaliyar River, according to the rescue plan devised by the authorities.

The eight police stations, along the 40-km stretch of Chaliyar, will join forces with local swimming experts to search the river for bodies that may have flown downstream or are trapped along the riverbanks.

Simultaneously, another search operation will be conducted using a police helicopter.

Besides this, the Coast Guard, Navy, and Forest Department will jointly conduct a search operation focusing on the riverbanks and areas where bodies may be trapped, according to the rescue plan.

According to official sources, the extent of human loss will emerge when rescuers clear houses covered by debris and wood logs using heavy machinery. So far, 295 people have been killed and over 200 missing in the tragedy.

State Revenue Minister K Rajan, a day ago, had said that a drone-based radar from Delhi would arrive on Saturday to locate bodies buried in the mud.

He also said that currently, six dogs are assisting in the search operation and four more will arrive in Wayanad from Tamil Nadu.

Didn’t Cancel NEET-UG 24 Examination as There Was No Systematic Breach: SC

By
PTI
-
supreme court, sc, supreme court of india, fir, police, courts
Didn't Cancel NEET-UG 24 Examination as There Was No Systematic Breach: SC 14

The Supreme Court today said it did not cancel the controversy-ridden NEET-UG 2024 examination amid concerns of paper leak because there was no systemic breach of its sanctity.

In its detailed reasons for the order which was pronounced on July 23, a bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra said the National Testing Agency (NTA) must stop its flip-flop which was noticed this year as it does not serve the interest of students.

“We did not cancel the NEET-UG examination because there was no systemic breach of sanctity of the exam beyond Hazaribagh and Patna,” the bench said.

It issued a slew of directions and expanded the remit of the Centre-appointed panel headed by former ISRO chief K Radhakrishnan to review the NTA’s functioning and recommend exam reforms.

The top court said since the remit of the panel has been expanded, the committee would submit its report by September 30 on various measures to rectify deficiencies in the examination system.

The bench said the Radhakrishnan panel should consider framing standard operating procedure for adoption of technological advancements to strengthen the examination system.

It said the issues which have arisen during the NEET-UG examination should be rectified by the Centre.

On July 23, the top court dismissed the pleas seeking cancellation and re-test of the exam, holding that there was no evidence on record to conclude that it was “vitiated” on account of “systemic breach” of its sanctity.

The top court, while pronouncing the order, had said its detailed reasons would follow.

The interim verdict came as a shot in the arm for the embattled NDA government and the NTA, which were facing strong criticism and protests, on streets and in Parliament, over alleged large-scale malpractices like question paper leak, fraud and impersonation in the prestigious test held on May 5.

Over 23 lakh students gave the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG) in 2024 for admissions to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and other related courses.

The data on record is “not indicative of a systemic leak of the question paper which would indicate a disruption of the sanctity of the examination”, the top court had said.

It had said ordering the test afresh would be replete with serious consequences for over 24 lakh students who appeared in the examination.

That, the court said, will cause “disruption of admission schedule, cascading effects on the course of medical education, impact on availability of qualified medical professionals in the future and be seriously disadvantageous for the marginalised groups for whom reservation was made in allocation of seats.”

The bench had said ordering cancellation of the entire exam was not justified on application of “settled principles propounded by this court on the basis of material on record”.

For cancelling the exam, the wrongdoing should be widespread and systemic, breaching the sanctity of the entire test, it had observed.

The bench had rejected the submission by the lawyers for petitioners that the leak was systemic in nature, and coupled with structural deficiencies, left the court with the only option of ordering a re-test.

The court, however, said the fact that the leak of question paper indeed took place in Hazaribagh and Patna is “not in dispute”, and referred to the Central Bureau of Investigation’s status report to say, “155 students drawn from the exam centres at Hazaribagh and Patna appeared to be the beneficiaries of the fraud.”

“Chai and Biscuits on Me,” Says Rahul Gandhi Claiming ED Raid Being Planned Against Him

By
ANI
-
rahul gandhi, gandhi, ed, enforcement directorate, ed raid on rahul gandhi, congress, chai and biscuit
"Chai and Biscuits on Me," Says Rahul Gandhi Claiming ED Raid Being Planned Against Him 16

Leader of Opposition and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi claimed on Friday that the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) was planning a raid on him following his ‘Chakravyuh’ speech in the parliament on July 29.

The Congress MP said that he was ‘waiting with open arms’ after ED ‘insiders’ told him that a raid was being planned.

In a post on X, Rahul Gandhi said, “Apparently, 2 in 1 didn’t like my Chakravyuh speech. ED ‘insiders’ tell me a raid is being planned. Waiting with open arms, @dir_ed. Chai and biscuits on me.”

This comes after Gandhi attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi while speaking on the Union Budget 2024 in the Lok Sabha on July 29. He said farmers, workers, and youngsters of the nation are terrified.

He criticised PM Modi for prominently displaying the lotus symbol and claimed that a new ‘Chakravyuh’ had been created in the 21st century.

“Thousands of years ago, in Kurukshetra, six people trapped Abhimanyu in a ‘Chakravyuh’ and killed him. I did a little research and found out that ‘Chakravyuh’ is also known as ‘Padmavuyh’ – which means ‘Lotus formation’. Chakravyuh’ is in the shape of a Lotus. In the 21st century, a new ‘Chakravyuh’ has been formed—that too in the form of a Lotus. The Prime Minister wears its symbol on his chest. What was done with Abhimanyu, is being down with India – the youth, farmers, women, small and medium businesses. Abhimanyu was killed by six people. Today, too there are six people in the centre of ‘Chakravyuh’. Six people control India today too -Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Mohan Bhagwat, Ajit Doval, Ambani and Adani,” he added.

The LoP said that the budget has stabbed the middle class, which enthusiastically banged thalis when asked to do so by Prime Minister Modi.

The LoP said that the ‘Chakravyuh’ that the central government has built is harming crores of people.

BJP Lok Sabha MP Anurag Thakur took a jibe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s statements on Mahabharata and Chakravyuh on Wednesday and said that some people are ‘accidental Hindus’ and their knowledge of Mahabharata is accidental too.

Anurag Thakur attacked Rahul Gandhi’s Chakravyuh statement and said that he did well by raising the topic of Chakravyuh because this country has well seen many “Chakravyuhs of Congress Party.”

He attacked Congress by counting 7 Chakravyuhs while saying that the first Chakravyuh was Congress itself, which divided the country.

Following this, Prime Minister Narendra Modi applauded BJP leader Anurag Thakur for his speech in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, where the latter responded to Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s earlier address and described it as “a perfect mix of facts and humour.”

“This speech by my young and energetic colleague, Shri @ianuragthakur is a must hear. A perfect mix of facts and humour, exposing the dirty politics of the INDI Alliance,” PM Modi posted on X.

The budget session of Parliament began on July 22 and, according to schedule, will end on August 12.

Wayanad Landslides: Over 200 Deaths, Bodies Being Recovered, Says NDRF DIG Mohsen Shahidi

By
ANI
-
wayanad, landslide, wayanad landslides,
Wayanad Landslides: Over 200 Deaths, Bodies Being Recovered, Says NDRF DIG Mohsen Shahidi 18

Over 200 deaths have been reported and bodies are being recovered in the aftermath of massive landslides that struck Wayanad, Kerala, early Thursday. DIG Mohsen Shahidi stated that numerous central force teams are on the ground to aid in the rescue operations.

The landslides in Mundakkai and Churalmala have led to extensive destruction and injury to hundreds, as confirmed by the Kerala Revenue Department. Rescue teams, including the Indian Army and NDRF, are working tirelessly to recover bodies and provide aid. More than 150 people were rescued on the first day, and the efforts continue.

Kerala’s Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan chaired a meeting to discuss the ongoing rescue operations and assured swift rehabilitation for the affected. Rescue efforts are further supported by assistant collectors from neighboring districts. The Chief Minister plans to visit the affected areas later today.

Netanyahu Says, Israel Has Delivered ‘Crushing Blow’ to Enemies; White House Reacts on Haniyeh’s Killing

By
Web Team
-
Benjamin Netanyahu, battle, tel aviv, israel, hamas
Image: Reuters

Hours after the deaths of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh and senior Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on Wednesday said that his nation has delivered “crushing blows” to enemies in the last few days, CNN reported.

Netanyahu, during the address to the nation, however, didn’t claim Israel’s responsibility for Haniyeh’s killing. Notably, Israel has neither confirmed nor denied being behind Haniyeh’s assassination.

“Three weeks ago, we attacked the military chief of Hamas, Mohammad Deif. Two weeks ago we attacked the Houthis, in one of the farthest attacks the Air Force has carried out. Yesterday we attacked the military chief of Hezbollah, Fuad Shukr,” the Israeli PM said.

Netanyahu said Israel is facing “challenging days” and it will “settle score” with anyone who harms the country.

“These are challenging days. There are threats From Beirut. We are ready for any scenario. We are prepared,” CNN quoted him as saying.

“We’ll settle the score with anyone who harms us, anyone who massacres our children, anyone who murders our citizens, anyone who hurts our nation, blood is on his head,” Netanyahu added.

He further affirmed that Israel will keep fighting until the aims of the war are achieved.
Netanyahu referenced previous calls he has received to end the war in Gaza, saying, “I did not give in then and I am not giving in today.”

Reacting to Haniyeh’s death, the White House said it “can’t confirm or verify” reports from Hamas that the group’s political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, was killed in an Israeli strike in the Iranian capital of Tehran.

The United States National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications, John Kirby, however, acknowledged that the deaths of Haniyeh in Tehran and Fuad Shukr in southern Beirut Tuesday “certainly don’t help with the temperature going down.”

“I’m not going to be Pollyannish about it — we’re obviously concerned about escalation,” Kirby told reporters during Wednesday’s White House press briefing. “All of this adds to the complicated nature of what we’re trying to get done.”

In another development, Hezbollah confirmed the death of senior commander Fuad Shukr on Wednesday, as reported by CNN.

“We celebrate the great jihadist leader, dear beloved brother Fu’ad Shukr (Moshin), as a great martyr on the path to Jerusalem,” Hezbollah said in a statement on Wednesday.

Israel said on Tuesday itself, that its strike in Beirut killed Shukr, whom it blamed for a deadly Saturday attack in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, which killed 12 children.

Meanwhile, Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas announced a national day of mourning Wednesday over the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, as he condemned the killing as a “cowardly act and dangerous development.,” the Times of Israel reported.

Palestinian flags were flown at half-staff for the day, the Palestinian official news agency Wafa reported, as Palestinian factions announced a general strike and called for demonstrations in the West Bank.

Notably, the mourning for the leader of the terror group marked a rare moment of Palestinian unity amid fragmentation and uncertainty about Gaza’s future leadership after the war.

1...151152153...5,577Page 152 of 5,577