Indian envoy to the Lao, Dinkar Asthana has been appointed as the next ambassador to Senegal, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Wednesday.
“Dinkar Asthana (IFS: 1990), presently Ambassador of India to the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Senegal,” the MEA said in a statement. He is expected to take up the assignment shortly.
Dinkar Asthana joined the Indian Foreign Service in August 1990. He knows Hindi, English, German and rudimentary French. He has served in the Indian diplomatic missions in Bonn, Bangkok, Colombo and Mexico City.
In New Delhi, he has served in the Policy Planning, PAI (Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran), Protocol, and Multilateral Economic Relations Divisions. He was Deputy Director General in the Indian Council for Cultural Relations from March 2014 to September 2015 and Joint Secretary (SAARC, BIMSTEC & Border Connectivity) from October 2015 to January 2016.
From February 2016, he was Joint Secretary (Development Partnership Administration-II), before taking over as Additional Secretary (Development Partnership Administration) in September 2018. He has been the Ambassador of India to Lao PDR since end-April 2019.
In what appears to be a bizarre travel advisory, Canada has advised its citizens to avoid all travel to areas in states of Gujarat, Punjab and Rajasthan, which share a border with Pakistan due to the “presence of landmines” and “unpredictable security situation.”
“Avoid all travel to areas within 10 km of the border with Pakistan in the following states due to the unpredictable security situation and presence of landmines and unexploded ordnance: Gujarat, Punjab Rajasthan,” the advisory states.
The travel advisory put out by Canadian government on its website that was last updated on September 27, also asks its citizens to exercise a high degree of caution in India due to “threat of terrorist attacks throughout the country.”
This advisory excludes travelling to or within the Union Territory of Ladakh. It also urges people to avoid non-essential travel to Assam and Manipur “due to the risk of terrorism and insurgency.”
Incidentally, India had on September 23 issued an advisory for Indian nationals and students in Canada to remain vigilant amid increasing incidents of crimes and anti-India activities in the country.
In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Indian missions in Canada have taken up these incidents with the Canadian authorities and requested them to probe these crimes.
“There has been a sharp increase in incidents of hate crimes, sectarian violence and anti-India activities in Canada. The Ministry of External Affairs and our High Commission/Consulates General in Canada have taken up these incidents with the Canadian authorities and requested them to investigate the said crimes and take appropriate action,” the MEA said in a statement.
The statement also stressed that “the perpetrators of these crimes have not been brought to justice so far in Canada.” “In view of the increasing incidences of crimes as described above, Indian nationals and students from India in Canada and those proceeding to Canada for travel/education are advised to exercise due caution and remain vigilant,” the statement added.
The advisory also said Indian nationals and students from India in Canada may also register with the High Commission of India in Ottawa or the Consulates General of India in Toronto and Vancouver through their respective websites, or the MADAD portal madad.gov.in.
“Registration would enable the High Commission and the Consulates General to better connect with Indian citizens in Canada in the event of any requirement or emergency,” the advisory said. This advisory after India termed the so-called Khalistan referendum conducted by separatist groups as a “farcical exercise”.
Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said there was enough evidence to prove that the Popular Front of India, banned by the Centre for five years, was sowing seeds of violence in society.
The aim of the organization was to spread rumors and trigger violence, Fadnavis, who holds charge of the Home department, told reporters.
The central government on Wednesday banned PFI, alleged to be involved in several violent and terror incidents and having “links” with global terror groups like ISIS, along with its several associates for five years.
“There is enough evidence with the government and probe agencies that the PFI was sowing seeds of violence. Spreading rumors, raising funds and triggering violence was their aim,” Fadnavis said.
“A fake video of a mosque being demolished in a north eastern state was circulated with an intention to trigger violence. We have seen such an incident in Amravati in the past. It later came to light that the video was from Bangladesh,” he said.
Fadnavis said Kerala was the first state to demand a ban on the PFI. Similar demands were later made by other states in the country also.
With the Union government banning the PFI, like every other state Maharashtra will also issue a detailed order on the implementation of the ban, he said.
Besides PFI, the organisations which were also declared banned under the stringent anti-terror law UAPA include Rehab India Foundation, Campus Front of India, All India Imams Council, National Confederation of Human Rights Organisation, National Women’s Front, Junior Front, Empower India Foundation and Rehab Foundation, Kerala.
More than 150 people allegedly linked with PFI were detained or arrested in raids across seven states on Tuesday, five days after a similar pan-India crackdown against the 16-year-old group had led to the arrest of over a hundred of its activities and seizure of several dozen properties.
Amid the political crisis in the state, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot held an informal meeting with a few ministers and party MLAs at his residence here on Tuesday, sources said.
The sources said Forest and Environment Minister Sukhram Bishnoi, Minister of State for Home Rajendra Yadav, Minorities Minister Saleh Mohammad, Sports Minister Ashok Chandna and MLAs Madan Prajapat, Rafiq Khan, Amin Kagzi, Khushveer Jojawar, Amit Chachan, Jagdish Jangid were among those present.
The Congress is grappling with a political crisis in Rajasthan over leadership change after Gehlot emerged as the top contender in the party’s presidential polls for which the process of nominations has already begun.
AICC incharge Ajay Maken and senior leader Mallikarjun Kharge, who were appointed observers for a meeting of the Congress Legislature Party could not meet MLAs individually to ascertain their views and a “parallel meeting” was held by loyalists of Ashok Gehlot who are opposed to Sachin Pilot being elevated to the post.
Maken termed the “parallel meeting” as indiscipline and did not agree to some other demands of MLAs and ministers seen close to Gehlot.
Maken and Kharge, who returned to Delhi from Jaipur on Monday, have given their written report to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi.
Sachin Pilot, a former Deputy Chief Minister of State, has also come to Delhi.
The nomination process for election to Congress president will continue till September 30 and the results of the election will be declared on October 19.
The Shiv Sena rebel faction led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday welcomed the Supreme Court’s order as the “victory of democracy”.
Welcoming the SC’s ruling that the Election Commission will continue to hear the plea of the Shinde faction seeking the poll symbol of Shiv Sena, its spokesperson Naresh Mhaske said, “the rights of the EC and its powers have remained intact due to the decision of the apex court”.
Kalyan MP and CM Shinde’s son Shrikant Shinde hailed the ruling as the victory of democracy. “I hope they (Uddhav Thackeray camp) will learn a lesson. They will also realise which is the real Shiv Sena of Bal Thackeray,” he added.
Mhaske said 40 MLAs of Shiv Sena and 12 of the 18 MPs are with the Shinde group, besides more than 80% of the district chiefs, corporators and councilors in Maharashtra.
Broken rice, Export, government, extended the date | Image: Representative
The export of broken rice has been extended and the last day will be till October 15, 2022. Earlier the Government had put a ban on the export of broken rice but it would be allowing some shipments.
In a report, it showed that the export of broken rice was extended till September 8 later due to some shipment of other consignments it was extended till September 9 to 15,2022.
Later the export of broken rice was extended till September 20, 2022, due to other consignments it was extended till September 30.
In a report, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade said in its notification that “Export of broken rice which was allowed till September 8, 2022, now further it has been extended till October 15, 2022
Himachal Pradesh Congress working president Harsh Mahajan joined the BJP on Wednesday and claimed the opposition party has become “vision-less, directionless and leaderless”.
A former state government minister and close aide of former chief minister Virbhadra Singh, who died last year, Mahajan lashed out at the Congress leadership in the state, saying it is very much ruled by “maa-beta” like in Delhi.
Singh’s wife Pratibha Singh is the state Congress president now and their son Vikramaditya Singh is a party MLA. Nothing has been left in the Congress after the death of the former chief minister, he told reporters.
He joined the BJP in the presence of Union minister Piyush Goyal and lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership for providing a “strong government”.
Goyal said the BJP will script history in the state by retaining power following the polls likely to be held later this year. Mahajan had been with the Congress for over four decades.
Welcoming Mahajan, Goyal said he held important positions in the Congress and has maintained a clean image. The BJP government in the state will be repeated, he claimed.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday welcomed the Union government’s decision to ban the Popular Front of India, which has allegedly been involved in a series of violence, and said it has come to light that the organization was planning “something serious” in the state.
The organization members had also tried to disturb peace in Pune, but swift police action foiled their bid, Shinde told reporters in Nashik and thanked Union Home Minister Amit Shah for the step to ban PFI and its several associates for five years.
“The PFI and its allied organizations were found to be involved in serious crimes. The organization recently became active in terror funding, murders, insulting the Constitution, disturbing the social harmony and unity of the country. It has also surfaced that the organization was planning something serious in Maharashtra as well,” the CM said.
“The plans of anti-social elements to undertake anti-national activities and divide the society will never succeed’’, he added.
More than 150 people allegedly linked to the PFI were detained or arrested in raids across seven states on Tuesday, five days after a similar pan-India crackdown against the 16-year-old group had led to the arrest of more than a hundred of its activities and seizure of several dozen properties.
Former Uttarakhand DGP Aloke B Lal has said the hurry in the demolition of the resort in question in the Ankita Bhandari murder case must have destroyed crucial evidence.
There have been allegations from various quarters about the destruction of evidence in the murder case by an overnight razing of parts of the resort at Bhogpur in Pauri district.
“It seems to me that the proper procedure of a demolition of the so-called illegal resort was not followed in this case. Usually, a show-cause notice is issued before any such exercise is undertaken,” Lal told media in interview on Tuesday.
“However, in this case, bulldozers razed portions of the resort in the dead of night without any prior notice. The sudden action must have destroyed crucial evidence in the case,” he added.
The main purpose behind the late-night action could be seen as the administration’s over zealousness to project itself as effective. The action seems to have been aimed at gaining brownie points for quick action against the accused, Lal said.
He also wondered if the demolition was carried out by the accused persons themselves. He said the investigation would establish who actually carried out the demolition and on whose orders.
On the Pauri district administration’s claim that videography of the resort had been done on September 22 itself, two days before a bulldozer razed parts of it and that all evidence was intact in the video footage, the former DGP said videography cannot record such forensic evidence like strands of hair, sweat, saliva or semen drops which would have been crucial to establish relevant facts.
The doubts about possible destruction of evidence are only deepened by news reports that the mattresses of rooms put on fire allegedly by an angry mob of locals were found floating in a pool in the resort, he added.
“Mattresses in such cases may contain vital evidence like strands of hair or semen drops,” the former DGP said.
He wondered where was the footage recorded on the CCTV cameras of the resort. That will have vital evidence to establish what happened before the alleged scuffle took place.
Another factor that makes things look murky is the delay in transferring the case from revenue police to regular police. People may see in it a deliberate attempt to protect the guilty, Lal said.
“Revenue police is both untrained and unequipped to handle murder cases. Why was the case allowed to lie with it for four days? Murder cases are time sensitive. Delay leads to loss of evidence and the case becomes more difficult to unravel,” he said.
“During my tenure in the Police HQ in 2001-2002, I had written to the government seeking an end to the stone age revenue police system but, unfortunately, it still continues in Uttarakhand,” he said.
Lal stressed that it must immediately be replaced by regular police everywhere in the state.
However, the former DGP said he hoped that the SIT headed by DIG P Renuka Devi would examine the case from all angles and bring out the truth.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday welcomed the Union government’s decision to ban the Popular Front of India, which has allegedly been involved in a series of violence, and said it has come to light that the organisation was planning “something serious” in the state.
The organisation members had also tried to disturb peace in Pune, but swift police action foiled their bid, Shinde told reporters in Nashik and thanked Union Home Minister Amit Shah for the step to ban PFI and its several associates for five years.
“The PFI and its allied organisations were found to be involved in serious crimes. The organisation recently became active in terror funding, murders, insulting the Constitution, disturbing the social harmony and unity of the country. It has also surfaced that the organisation was planning something serious in Maharashtra as well,” the CM said.
“The plans of anti-social elements to undertake anti-national activities and divide the society will never succeed,” he added.
More than 150 people allegedly linked to the PFI were detained or arrested in raids across seven states on Tuesday, five days after a similar pan-India crackdown against the 16-year-old group had led to the arrest of more than a hundred of its activities and seizure of several dozen properties.
