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Kolhapur returning to normalcy, 36 people arrested so far for violence, say police

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ANI
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kolhapur, violence, maharashtra, tipu sultan
Kolhapur returning to normalcy, 36 people arrested so far for violence, say police 2

The situation in Maharashtra’s Kolhapur is gradually returning to normal, a day after violence during a demonstration against the alleged use of Tipu Sultan’s image along with an objectionable audio message as social media “status” by a few locals, a senior police official said on Thursday.

At least 36 people have so far been arrested and cases registered in connection with the violence, he said.

Businessmen opened their establishments and people were seen buying items of daily need from shops in Kolhapur city.

Tension gripped the city on Tuesday after two men allegedly put 18th-century Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan’s image along with an offensive audio message as their social media ”status”.

Wielding lathis, police on Wednesday dispersed hundreds of protesters after they hurled stones during a demonstration at Shivaji Chowk against the alleged use of Tipu Sultan’s image.

The situation was brought under control on Wednesday afternoon, and district guardian minister Deepak Kesarkar held a meeting of a peace committee in the evening, Kolhapur Superintendent of Police Mahendra Pandit said.

Members from various organisations and communities pledged to maintain peace in the city, he said.

”Precautionary measures have been taken, with police deployment in sensitive areas of the city and district along with the ongoing patrolling,” he said. Asked about the situation in the city, Pandit said, ”The situation is gradually returning to normal. Shops in the main market area have started reopening.” He said three cases have been registered in connection with the riots that took place on Wednesday. So far, 36 people have been arrested in connection with the violence, the official said.

Additionally, five cases have been registered by police in the district pertaining to objectionable posts. Five persons, including juveniles, have been detained in two of these cases, the police said. Minister Kesarkar has instructed the administration to set up separate peace committees comprising members of all communities to ensure peaceful celebration of all festivals in Kolhapur, as per a release of the district administration. He has also directed for the formation of an independent committee to prevent any communal discord in the city, the release said.

RBI keeps policy repo rate unchanged as inflation softens

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ANI
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repo rate, reserve bank of india, rbi, rbi governor
RBI keeps policy repo rate unchanged as inflation softens 4

The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) monetary policy committee unanimously decided to keep the repo rate unchanged at 6.5 per cent. The repo rate is the rate of interest at which RBI lends to other banks.

A consistent decline in inflation (currently at an 18-month low) and its potential for further decline may have prompted the central bank to put the brake on the key interest rate again. Most analysts had expected the RBI to continue to keep the repo rate unchanged.

Inflation has been a concern for many countries, including advanced economies, but India has managed to steer its inflation trajectory quite well. The RBI in its April meeting, the first in 2023-24, had paused the repo rate.

Barring the April pause, the RBI raised the repo rate by 250 basis points cumulatively to 6.5 per cent since May 2022 in the fight against inflation. Raising interest rates is a monetary policy instrument that typically helps suppress demand in the economy, thereby helping the inflation rate decline.

India’s retail inflation was above RBI’s 6 per cent target for three consecutive quarters and had managed to fall back to the RBI’s comfort zone only in November 2022. Under the flexible inflation targeting framework, the RBI is deemed to have failed in managing price rises if the CPI-based inflation is outside the 2-6 per cent range for three quarters in a row. Coming to the GDP outlook, the RBI expects India’s 2023-24 GDP growth at 6.5 per cent, with quarter Q1 at 8.0 per cent, Q2 at 6.5 per cent, Q3 at 6.0 per cent, and 5.7 per cent. The RBI governor Shaktikanta Das, while reading the monetary policy statement on Thursday, said the central bank sees risks to these GDP figures as evenly balanced.

As per the provisional estimates released by the National Statistical Office (NSO) recently, real GDP growth for 2022-23 stood at 7.2 per cent, higher than the 7 per cent projected. The government expects an upward revision in the 2022-23 GDP numbers going ahead. Despite global headwinds and tighter domestic monetary policy tightening, various international agencies have forecasted India to be one of the fastest-growing economies in 2023-24, supported by robust growth in private consumption and sustained pick-up in private investment.

Intense speculation over Sachin Pilot’s next move, sources close to him say he awaits party high command’s response

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PTI
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sachin pilot, congress, inc, indian national congress, rahul gandhi, sonia gandhi, gehlot,
Intense speculation over Sachin Pilot's next move, sources close to him say he awaits party high command's response 6

Amid speculation over Congress leader Sachin Pilot’s next move, sources close to him on Tuesday said he was firm on his demands, including action against alleged corruption during the previous Vasundhara Raje government, and was waiting for a definitive response from the party high command.

While some reports have claimed that Pilot may announce floating a new party, sources close to him maintained that he is focussed only on the fulfilment of his demands that the Ashok Gehlot government takes action against alleged corruption during the previous BJP regime and acts on issues of the youth such as those related to government recruitment examination paper leaks.

The sources said that the meeting Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Pilot had with party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi last week did not result in any resolution of ”core issues” between the two Rajasthan bigwigs.

Gehlot and his former deputy have been engaged in a power tussle since the Congress formed government in the state in 2018 and the party is seeking to broker peace between the two ahead of the assembly elections in the state, slated for later this year.

There is intense speculation that Pilot may give a clear indication on his way forward on June 11 when he marks his father’s death anniversary in Dausa.

”He (Pilot) is waiting for a response from the party leadership, the ball is in their court,” a source close to him said.

Leaders close to Pilot said he has taken a ”principled position” and it is not about posts. The issues of corruption and paper leaks are his top priority, they added.

Besides graft, Pilot’s two other demands were reconstituting the Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC) and making fresh appointments in it, and compensation for those affected by the cancellation of government recruitment exams following paper leaks.

The preparations for the programme marking Rajesh Pilot’s death anniversary, which is held annually, are going on in full swing in Dausa and are being supervised by Minister of State for Agriculture Marketing Murari Lal Meena, who is known to be close to Pilot.

With all eyes on that programme, Meena told reporters, ”I have no idea from where the speculation of the new party started. I do not see any substance in such speculations. I work following the ideology of the party.” The Congress last Thursday had said the party is supreme and will fight the Rajasthan Assembly polls unitedly to emerge victorious, an assertion that came after Pilot refused to budge from his demands.

In a bid to defuse the tensions, Kharge and Gandhi had held marathon discussions with Gehlot and Pilot separately last week, sources had said. They had later posed for photographs at Kharge’s 10 Rajaji Marg residence here.

After the meetings, the party had said Gehlot and Pilot have agreed to fight the upcoming assembly elections unitedly and have left all issues to be resolved by the party high command.

Addressing reporters after the meeting earlier this week, Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal had said, ”Both the leaders, Ashok ji and Sachin ji, agreed to the proposal on these things.” Asked what proposal he was talking out, Venugopal had said, ”Both have left it to the (party) high command.” Gehlot and Pilot have been engaged in a power tussle since the Congress formed government in the state in 2018. In 2020, Pilot led a revolt against the Gehlot government after which he was removed from the posts of the party’s state unit president and deputy chief minister.

Last year, an attempt by the high command to effect a leadership change in Rajasthan had failed after Gehlot loyalists dug their heels in and did not allow a legislature party meeting to take place.

Pilot had last month defied a warning from the party and went ahead with a day-long fast targeting Gehlot over his ”inaction” on alleged corruption during the previous Raje government.

My stay at Rudranath made me better human – Part 1

By
Vaidehi Taman
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rudranath, gopeshwar, rudranath trek, travel, himalaya, uttarakhand, mountains
My stay at Rudranath made me better human - Part 1 8

My life was set with a clock; I literally started behaving like a robot. Home to office and office to home—life was taking me nowhere. There was no inner peace, but only a rush to meet everyday challenges. At the same time, I was undergoing extensive medical treatment. My spiritual Guru, guide, and friend, whom I call Bapu, was visiting Mumbai at the time and requested that I take some time off. On his earnest request, I agreed to pay a visit to Rudranath because, most of the time, he resides there. I thought I would go there to seek darshan and return the next day. We went to Delhi by flight; from there, we went to Dehradun; and again, from Dehradun, by road, we went to Gopeshwar. Chamoli Gopeshwar is a township in the Garhwal hills and a municipal board within Chamoli district.

Gopeshwar is a very beautiful place; here I was treated like a princess. I checked into a hotel owned by Vedprakash ji, who is a temple poojari. The hotel was surrounded by small shops and lovely pastel-colored houses. I took enough rest at night and in the morning visited a temple. This temple was built somewhere between the 9th and 11th centuries by the wealthy Katyuri kings. The engravings present on the divine trident placed in the temple date back to the 12th century. After the Panch Kedar shrines, this is the most respected Shiva temple in Uttarakhand. Its architecture resembles that of other Shiva temples in Uttarakhand, such as Kedarnath and Tungnath. It is a Swayambhu Shivling, which is known as Gopinath. It is placed inside the sanctum sanctorum and has 24 doors. The famous Shiva’s trident, 5 meters long, is placed in the temple’s courtyard. One can also find partially damaged idols in temple premises that were restored by the architectural survey department.

There are several stories behind this temple. One story is that when Lord Krishna organized Ras leela at Vrindavan, Shiva dressed as a Gopika (a female disciple of Krishna) to participate in leela, but Parvati caught him, and that’s how Gopeshwar came into existence. There is another belief that says the trident in the temple enclosure belongs to Lord Shiva. Shiva hurled his trishul in order to kill Kamadeva (God of Lust) when he tried to interrupt Lord Shiva’s meditation. The trident got fixed in that spot and has been there ever since. It is believed that only the slightest touch of a true devotee can shake the trident, which otherwise remains unmoved even with strong force. Another belief is that when Lord Shiva turned Kamadeva into ashes, his wife Rati did atonement at Gopeshwar. Pleased with her devotion, Lord Shiva assured her that her husband would come back to life.

The Shiv Linga here is very beautiful, and the temple treats eyes and souls. After seeking darshan from Gopeshwar, we traveled 5 kilometers to Sagar village (सगर). Sagar is the start point for the Rudranath Trek. This charming little place is one of those pahari-style villages’ in between the mountain peaks and beautiful valleys. We started our trek at noon, and it was scorching hot. I walked a few steps, but my body was melting in the sun. Somehow, after walking a few kilometers, I took a small break. From here, we were interested in a semi-forest, beautiful trees, a breeze, and chirping birds. Those furry dogs on the way made me forget all the pain that I was carrying. In the meantime, Bapu and his disciples were another breather; they were very supportive and kind. The journey became easy just because of them.

After walking for 5 kilometers, we took our first halt at Pung Bugiyal, which means open spaces in between the mountains. Here we found a nice stay in the tent and good food made by locals. We had a bonfire because it was chilly outside. We had a lot of fun here at Pung Bugiyal. The stay, washrooms, food—everything was just awesome, clean, and hygienic. What I loved the most was the approach of localities towards yatris. The next day we took a bath, had a nice breakfast, and started our journey. From Pung, it’s a straight upward walk. If you don’t have control over your breathing, you might get very tired quickly. This walk teaches you to be in sync with your breathing. This walk teaches you to be composed. The trees, flowers, and jungles have a lot to give you.

To be continued… 

Sisodia fails to get relief, HC rejects interim bail plea in money laundering case

By
Afternoon Voice
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manish sisodia, manish, aap, aam aadmi party
Sisodia fails to get relief, HC rejects interim bail plea in money laundering case 10

In a fresh setback for AAP leader Manish Sisodia, the Delhi High Court on Monday refused to grant him interim bail in a money laundering case arising from the alleged excise policy scam, to attend to his ailing wife, in view of the ”extremely serious” allegations against him and the possibility of ”evidence tampering”.

Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma, however, allowed him to meet his wife in custody for one day at her convenience between 10 am and 5 pm.

Noting that the case concerns “extremely serious allegations” and there is a possibility of evidence tampering if Sisodia, who held several positions in the city’s AAP government, is released, the judge said, “the court finds it very difficult to persuade itself to release the petitioner on interim bail for 6 weeks.” The court, which had earlier called for a report from LNJP Hospital about Sisodia’a wife, also suggested that she be examined by a board of doctors at AIIMS. It directed that she should be given the best medical treatment.

The court noted the medical report from LNJP Hospital said the condition of Sisodia’s wife was stable and she required close monitoring. The former Delhi deputy chief minister had sought release on a temporary basis for six weeks contending he was the sole caretaker of his ailing wife. His plea for regular bail in the matter is pending before the high court.

Sisodia, who was arrested on March 9, is currently in judicial custody in the case lodged by the ED.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had opposed the plea for interim bail on grounds of possibility of evidence tampering.

The ED lawyer also claimed Sisodia’s wife has been suffering from such a medical condition for the last 20 years.

The high court had earlier rejected Sisodia’s bail plea on May 30 in the corruption case filed by the CBI in the alleged excise policy scam, saying he is an influential person and the allegations against him are very serious in nature. The Delhi government implemented the policy on November 17, 2021 but scrapped it at the end of September 2022 amid allegations of corruption.

In the CBI case, the high court has kept the interim bail plea pending for July.

Sakshi Malik refutes reports that she has parted ways with protesting wrestlers, says “will continue our fight”

By
Web Team
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sakshi malik, wrestlers, protesting wrestlers, malik, twitter, bajrang punia, punia, rumors, brij bhushan sharan singh
Sakshi Malik refutes reports that she has parted ways with protesting wrestlers, says "will continue our fight" 12

Olympic medalist Sakshi Malik rejected rumours and false news about her leaving the ongoing protest against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh on Monday, saying she will continue the battle for justice and that none of the wrestlers have and will not back down.

”This news is completely wrong. In the fight for justice, none of us has backed down, nor will we. Along with Satyagraha, I am fulfilling my responsibility in Railways. Our fight continues till justice is served. Please don’t spread any wrong news,” Malik tweeted after reports of her distancing from the protest emerged.

Even Bajrang Punia tweeted in the same vein as his national teammate and termed reports of withdrawing the FIR as ”completely false”.

”The news of withdrawing the movement is just a rumour. These news are being spread to harm us. We have neither retreated nor have we withdrawn the movement. The news of women wrestlers taking back the FIR is also false. The fight will continue till justice is served,” said Bajrang.

Bajrang, Sakshi along with fellow Olympian and World Championship medallist Vinesh Phogat have been protesting against outgoing Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, demanding his arrest on allegations of sexual harassment charge against seven wrestlers, including one minor. It must also be mentioned that all three India internationals, have returned to work as Office on Special Duty (Northern Railways) since last week.

Antilia bomb scare case: SC grants 3 weeks interim bail to ex-cop Pradeep Sharma

By
PTI
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pradeep sharma, antalia, mukesh ambani, police, mumbai police, sharma
Antilia bomb scare case: SC grants 3 weeks interim bail to ex-cop Pradeep Sharma 14

The Supreme Court on Monday granted three weeks interim bail to former police officer Pradeep Sharma, arrested in connection with the Antilia bomb scare case and the killing of businessman Mansukh Hiran, to file a fresh application seeking interim bail.

A vacation bench of Justices Aniruddha Bose and Rajesh Bindal granted the relief to Sharma after noting that his wife has to undergo surgery.

The top court said Sharma would be released on interim bail subject to conditions imposed by the trial court.

“List on June 26, 2023. On that day petitioner shall furnish a medical report indicating therein the status of treatment of wife of the petitioner,” the bench said.

Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati opposed the grant of bail.

Earlier, Additional Solicitor General S V Raju had argued that Sharma was seeking interim bail without filing an interlocutory application (application in appeal already instituted).

The counsel appearing for Sharma had sought interim bail on humanitarian grounds and said the wife of the petitioner has developed serious complications after a surgery.

He had claimed the condition of Sharma’s wife was deteriorating with each passing day, and he was seeking interim bail for the limited purpose of taking care of her.

The top court had on May 18 issued notice on Sharma’s plea challenging an order of the Bombay High Court which had refused to grant him bail. The high court had expressed anguish at the manner in which the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had probed the case. It had noted that the NIA’s probe was silent on the co-conspirators involved with dismissed policeman Sachin Waze in planting gelatin sticks in an SUV parked outside the residence of industrialist Mukesh Ambani. On February 25, 2021, an explosives-laden SUV was found near Ambani’s residence ‘Antilia’ in south Mumbai.

Businessman Hiran, who was in possession of the SUV, was found dead in a creek in neighbouring Thane on March 5, 2021. The allegation against Sharma, who along with police officers Daya Nayak, Vijay Salaskar and Ravindranath Angre was a member of the Mumbai Police’s encounter squad that killed over 300 criminals in numerous encounters, was that he had helped his former colleague Waze in eliminating Hiran. Salaskar had died during the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack. Sharma had approached the high court last year challenging a February 2022 order of a special NIA court rejecting his bail plea. Sharma was arrested in the case in June 2021 and is currently in judicial custody.

Thai Prime Ministerial Candidate attends Pride Parade, proposing same-sex marriage, gender identity rights

By
Web Team
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Pita Limjaroenrat, pride month, bangkok, thailand, thai, prime minister, elections
Thai Prime Ministerial Candidate attends Pride Parade, proposing same-sex marriage, gender identity rights 16

On Sunday, the frontrunner for Thailand’s next prime minister marched in a Pride parade in Bangkok, promising to introduce legislation allowing same-sex marriage and gender identity rights if elected. Thousands of LGBTQ+ persons, allies, and political leaders marched through central Bangkok to celebrate Pride month and promote gender equality in the country’s second official Pride parade.

Marchers carried rainbow flags and held placards that said “freedom to choose gender” and “love is love” in rainbow colours. According to Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt, approximately 50,000 people participated in this year’s Pride march, more than double the attendance from the previous year. Pita Limjaroenrat, leader of the progressive Move Forward party, joined the march after gaining the most seats in a May 14 general election in which people expressed their desire to end nearly ten years of rule by the military and military-backed governments.

“Once the government is formed we will support Marriage Equality (Act), Gender Identity (Act) and several others, including welfare,” Pita told reporters at the parade. “These few things will make the celebration of diversity in Pride Month into pride always,” he said.

The coalition, which consisted of eight political parties, has made a joint pledge to pass laws, including the Marriage Equality Act, to ensure equal rights for all couples regardless of gender, after the passage of the draft law and related legislations were stalled in parliament under the previous government. Thailand has one of Asia’s most open and visible lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities, but many political activists say Thai laws and traditional institutions have yet to reflect changing social attitudes and still discriminate against LGBT people and same-sex couples.

Court convicts jailed mafia Mukhtar Ansari in Awadhesh Rai murder case

By
Web Team
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Mukhtar Ansari, Awadhesh Rai, varanasi
Court convicts jailed mafia Mukhtar Ansari in Awadhesh Rai murder case 18

On Monday, the MP MLA court in Varanasi found jailed mafia Mukhtar Ansari guilty of the murder of Awadhesh Rai.

On August 3, 1991, Congress leader and brother of former MLA Ajay Rai, Awadhesh Rai, was shot dead outside Ajay Rai’s house in Varanasi.

Russia to return to START if US abandons ‘hostile stance’

By
ANI
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Sergei Ryabkov, Russia
Russia to return to START if US abandons 'hostile stance' 20

Russia will return to full compliance new start treaty If Washington abandons its “hostile stance” towards Moscow, Russian news agencies reported, citing Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov.

The United States said earlier this week it would stop providing Russia with some information required under an arms control treaty, including updates on its missile and launcher locations, in response to Moscow’s “ongoing violations” of the accord. Can be avenged.

According to Ryabkov, the move did not come as a surprise to Moscow and Russia Suspend the New START Treaty Stands in spite of any counter-measures.

Russia stands by its decision

The Tass news agency quoted him as saying, “Regardless of any measures or retaliation from the US, our decision to suspend the START treaty remains unshakable.”

“And our own condition for returning to a fully operational treaty is that the United States abandon its fundamentally hostile stance toward Russia.”

In a fact sheet on its website, the State Department said the United States would stop giving Russia Flight telemetry information – remotely collected data – on launches of US intercontinental and submarine-launched ballistic missiles.

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