FIFA has suspended the All India Football Federation (AIFF) with immediate effect citing “undue influence” from third parties
“The Bureau of the FIFA Council has unanimously decided to suspend the All India Football Federation (AIFF) with immediate effect due to undue influence from third parties, which constitutes a serious violation of the FIFA Statutes,” FIFA said in a statement.
The international football governing body said the suspension will be lifted once an order to set up a committee of administrators to assume the powers of the AIFF Executive Committee has been repealed and the AIFF administration regains full control of the AIFF’s daily affairs.
“The suspension means that the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup 2022, scheduled to take place in India on 11-30 October 2022, cannot currently be held in India as planned,” the statement added.
FIFA said that it is assessing the next steps with regard to the tournament and will refer the matter to the Bureau of the Council if and when necessary.
The governing body said that it is in constant constructive contact with the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in India and is hopeful that a positive outcome to the case may still be achieved.
Jyoti Mete, wife of Shiv Sangram Party leader Vinayak Mete who was killed in a car crash, on Monday claimed he had died two hours before being shifted to a hospital in Navi Mumbai and demanded an inquiry into the “time gap”.
Jyoti Mete said something was being hidden regarding the actual time of the accident that occurred on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway on Sunday morning and the time of death as told by officials.
Mete, 52, was killed when his car headed towards Mumbai hit a truck from behind on the expressway near Madap tunnel in Raigad district. He was travelling to Mumbai from his home district Beed to attend a meeting called by the state government regarding the Maratha quota.
A former MLC, he was cremated on Monday afternoon with state honours.
Jyoti Mete said the exact cause behind her husband’s death and the time will be revealed in the postmortem report.
“Being a doctor I understood that something was wrong the moment I saw his body at the hospital in Kamothe. As per medical science, a person’s face does not become white instantly after his death. Mete saheb’s face was white when I saw his body. Blood was coming out from his nose and ears,” she told a news channel.
Jyoti Mete said she told her brother that the accident didn’t occur 45 minutes back as told by officials on Sunday.
“The accident and the death might have occurred at least two hours back (when she saw the body). Something was being hidden from us. The time of the accident being told and the actual time of death should be investigated,” she said, adding that she had reached the hospital within 45 minutes after receiving the information about the incident.
Jyoti Mete said social issues were more important for her husband than politics.
“I think it was the social cause that might have killed him,” she added.
On Sunday, a doctor who checked on Vinayak Mete at the MGM Hospital told reporters that the Shiv Sangram Party leader had died before he was brought to the hospital.
“He was brought in at 6.20 am. He had no pulse or blood pressure, and his pupils were not moving. He died before being brought to the hospital. We even performed an ECG (electrocardiogram), but it showed a flat line (indicating no heart movement),” the doctor had said.
Mete’s driver Eknath Kadam had told the police he did not receive any help for almost an hour after the accident and vehicles plying on the expressway didn’t stop.
Kadam suffered minor injuries in the incident while Mete’s police bodyguard was seriously injured.
The highway police, however, had denied the claim of the driver. They said police reached the spot within seven minutes after receiving information about the accident.
On Sunday, Shiv Sena chief spokesperson Arvind Sawant demanded a thorough probe into Mete’s death in the road accident.
“Despite the recent political developments in Maharashtra, Mete never uttered a single word. Then why was he suddenly called for a meeting (in Mumbai)? Who made a call to him?” he asked.
Dilip Patil and Abasaheb Patil, who represent various Maratha groups that support the demand for quota for the community, also raised doubts over Mete suddenly being called to Mumbai for a meeting.
Former Bihar Minister and BJP leader Subhash Singh passed away at the AIIMS Delhi on Tuesday morning.
Confirming the news development, former Bihar Minister Tarkishore Prasad, in a tweet wrote, “Heartfelt tributes to the former minister of Bihar government and MLA from Gopalganj, Subhash Singh on his death.
May God give peace to his soul and strength to his bereaved family members to bear this loss. His death is an irreparable loss to the politics of Bihar and the BJP.
Om Shanti.” Subash Singh was an elected member of the Bihar Legislative Assembly in 2015 from Gopalganj.
Northern Army Commander, Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi and all ranks salute LNk (Late) Chander Shekhar (Photo: Twitter Northern Command)
The Northern Command of the Indian Army on Monday said that they have recovered the mortal remains of a soldier who went missing during an Army operation in Siachen in 1984.
The Indian Army said that Lance Naik Late Chander Sekhar had been missing since 29 May 1984 in Siachen.
“A patrol of the Indian Army recovered the mortal remains of LNk (Late) Chander Shekhar who was missing since 29 May 1984 while deployed at Glacier due to an Avalanche,” Northern Command of Indian Army said in a tweet.
The Indian Army said that a late soldier was identified with the help of the identification disk bearing his Army number.
“LNk (Late) Chander Shekhar was identified with the help of the identification disk bearing his Army number which was entangled along with the mortal remains,” it said, adding that further details were recovered from official Army records.
According to the Indian Army’s records, a Late soldier had been deployed for Operation Meghdoot at Gyongla Glacier in 1984.
“The Northern Army Commander, Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi and all ranks salute LNk (Late) Chander Shekhar who made the supreme sacrifice while being deployed for Operation Meghdoot at Gyongla Glacier in 1984; mortal remains will be handed over to the family shortly,” it added.
‘Operation Meghdoot’, the code-name for an Indian Armed Forces operation, was launched 38 years on April 13.
Launched in 1984 to capture the Siachen Glacier in Jammu and Kashmir, precipitating the Siachen conflict, this military operation was unique as the first assault was launched at the world’s highest battlefield.The military action resulted in Indian troops gaining control of the entire Siachen Glacier.
The Siachen Glacier is the highest battleground on earth, where India and Pakistan have fought intermittently since 1984. Both countries maintain a permanent military presence in the region at a height of over 6,000 metres (20,000 ft).
More than 2,000 soldiers have died in this inhospitable terrain, mostly due to weather extremes and the natural hazards of mountain warfare.
Seven people were arrested for allegedly posing as officers of Mumbai Police and robbing a wellness centre here after getting inspired by Bollywood flick ‘Special 26’, officials said on Sunday.
The accused were arrested from Delhi, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh, they said. The police said the incident took place Wednesday afternoon when four people, including a woman, entered the centre’s office at Netaji Subash Place Complex here after posing as Mumbai Police officers.
On the pretext of conducting a raid, which went on five hours, they robbed Rs 5-7 lakh, police said.
The victim was threatened at gunpoint and had to call his wife who then took out Rs 5 lakh that was collected by the female accused, police said Apart from cash, the accused also fled with a laptop, 10 phones and bank documents of the victim, police said.
“We registered a case and started looking for the accused. Initial investigation revealed that the accused were accompanied by a group of people who stood guard outside the office.
“They kept roaming outside at the time but didn’t enter. We started looking for them. Based on technical surveillance and local enquiry, one of them was identified and arrested,” said Usha Rangnani, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northwest).
The arrested accused, Prashant Kumar Patil (29), revealed that he and his six associates committed the crime. Based on his questioning, two women — Jyoti (30) and Neha (22), were arrested from Rohini, she said.
Other two accused, Jahid Khan and Sanjay Manocha, were arrested from Mewat while two others, Faisal and Imran, were arrested from Madhya Pradesh, she added. “Seven out of eight accused involved were arrested and they revealed that they were inspired by the Bollywood movie ‘Special 26’.
“Faisal, Imran, Neha and Majid had entered the office while others stood guard. Prashant and Jahid knew the complainant so they stood outside,” the DCP said.
The police said Prashant had a central government job but he was suspended after a case was registered against him by the Bhopal Crime Branch over allegations of sanctioning loans to fake companies.
“Prashant was lodged in Bhopal Jail where he met co-accused Majid who was lodged there in a cheating case. They made the plan to rob the victim in Delhi. Neha is a computer expert and made the fake police IDs and documents, the DCP said. The police recovered part of the robbed cash, phones and the laptop along with fake Mumbai Police IDs.
Opposition parties on Monday called out Prime Minister Narendra Modi after he hailed ‘nari shakti’ in his Independence Day speech, asking him to look inwards and on his party’s attitude towards women.
Addressing the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort, Modi urged people to pledge not to do anything that lowers the dignity of women, saying a mentality to insult them in speech and behaviour has crept in.
TMC MP Derek O’ Brien took a swipe at Modi and reminded of the “Didi o Didi” comment made by him on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during an election rally in the state.
“Let’s pledge to wipe out misogyny’ said Prime Minister @narendramodi today. Completely agree, Sir. Should we start with you, leading by example,” wrote O’Brien on Twitter, attaching a video of the PM making the reference to Banerjee in his speech. CPI general secretary D Raja too urged the PM to examine the attitude of his own party men with regards to women.
“It is not just about women. All humans should be treated with respect in society. This is not happening because the mindset is being controlled by a party which believes in the Manusmriti, patriarchy and caste system. This government has the numbers in both the Houses of Parliament, yet they have not passed the women reservation bill. “His speech is mere rhetoric and there is no serious commitment whether towards women or towards the socially backward,” said Raja, who also raised incidents against women and the Dalits where the PM has chosen to remain silent.
Shiv Sena leader and Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said that Modi’s words did not match the actions on the ground. “If we look at Maharashtra not having any woman in cabinet with even the women and child portfolios being handed by male ministers. Even the labour force participation is rapidly decreasing and the government is not able to address them,” she said.
“There is also the matter of 33 per cent reservation being championed by the BJP, and despite having a full majority, it has not been implemented. So, those are the issues that we are looking at in 25 years from now. We also have to look at how policies have impacted the women on ground,” Chaturvedi said.
She also referred to the ‘Sulli and Bulli deals’ incident in which women were berated and ‘auctioned’ on social media.
At least two jawans of the Assam Rifles were injured in a gunfight with militants of NSCN-K (Yung Aung) in Nagaland’s Mon district in the early hours of Monday, officials said.
The incident happened around 2.35 am in Nyasa village in Phomching area of the district along the inter-state boundary with Arunachal Pradesh, they said.
In wake of heightened security in the run-up to Independence Day, troops of the Assam Rifles were proactively dominating the sensitive areas with a deployment posture designed to thwart any unwarranted attempt by the insurgent groups to disrupt peace in the region, the force said in a statement.
Acting on a tip-off about the movement of militants, the troops laid multiple ambushes to dominate the area, it added.
Around 2.35 am, the alert personnel noticed suspicious movement on a jungle track between Zankham to Nyasa, the Assam Rifles said.
On being intercepted, the militants opened fire, which was appropriately retaliated, causing severe casualties in the militant group, it said.
Two Assam Rifles’ jawans sustained injuries and were evacuated to the Jorhat Air Force Hospital for further treatment, it said.
They were evacuated with the help of local villagers, who have provided all the support to the security forces, the force claimed. Search operations in the area is underway, it said.
Mon’s Deputy Commissioner Ajit Kumar Verma told to the agency that the administration is yet to receive any report of casualties on the other side. The situation is now normal and the Independence Day celebrations have been peaceful, he said.
The Yung Aung faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang (NSCN-K) has Nagas mostly from Myanmar, and the group is active in some eastern districts of Arunachal Pradesh.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday congratulated the people of India on 75 years of independence and highlighted the thriving Living Bridge between the two countries. “Congratulations to the people of India on 75 years of independence.
During my recent visit to Gujarat and New Delhi I saw for myself the thriving Living Bridge between our countries. I look forward to seeing these bonds go from strength to strength in the next 75 years,” tweeted Johnson.
Wishes are pouring in for India on the occasion of its Independence Day.
Congratulating India on the occasion, US President Joe Biden said that he was confident that the two largest democracies of the world (India and US) will stand together to defend rules-based order, and advance a free and open Indo-Pacific.
“I am confident that in the years ahead our two democracies will continue to stand together to defend rules-based order; foster greater peace, prosperity and security for our people, advance a free & open Indo-Pacific and together address challenges we face around the world,” Biden said in a statement.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday (local time) wished India on its 75th Independence Day and lauded its achievements. Wishing all those marking India’s Independence Day a wonderful celebration, Albanese said in a statement, “All Australians applaud India’s successes and the many achievements that define this great country and its people.
We also give thanks for the contribution of our Indian-Australian community to our society, to our culture, to our country, and to the links between our nations.” French President Emmanuel Macron also extended his wishes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the occasion.
“Dear friend @NarendraModi, dear people of India, congratulations on your Independence Day! As you proudly celebrate India’s stunning achievements in the past 75 years, you can count on France to always stand by your side,” tweeted Macron.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had, on March 12, 2021, launched the “Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav” to celebrate and commemorate 75 years of independence that started a 75-week countdown to the anniversary of independence.
This Mahotsav is dedicated to the people of India who have not only been instrumental in bringing India thus far in its evolutionary journey but also hold within them the power and potential to enable Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of activating India 2.0, fuelled by the spirit of Aatmanirbhar Bharat.
Several events have been held over the last 75 weeks to celebrate the 75 years of India’s independence.
While addressing the nation for the ninth time today from the Red Fort on the occasion of Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the youth to dedicate the next 25 years of their lives to the development of the nation and highlighted five resolves to accomplish the same.
Senior Congress leader and Lok Sabha member Shashi Tharoor on Monday said that ruling LDF MLA K T Jaleel should not just ”grudgingly withdraw” his controversial remarks, but also apologise to the nation ”forthwith”.
Taking to Twitter, Tharoor said that an MLA who has sworn an oath on the Constitution ”has no business” making such ”anti-national” remarks.
”On the @ktjaleel controversy, I do believe that an MLA who has sworn an oath on the Constitution has no business using anti-national terms like ”Azad Kashmir” & ”Indian-Occupied Kashmir”. He should not just grudgingly withdraw these terms but apologise to the nation forthwith,” the Congress leader tweeted.
On Sunday, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan had termed as ”very unfortunate” and ”totally unacceptable” the recent controversial remarks on Kashmir made on social media by Jaleel.
The ruling CPI(M) has distanced itself from the former minister’s remarks, saying they were not the party’s view.
After his remarks kicked up a row, Jaleel withdrew his statement and at the same time claimed that the same was misinterpreted.
Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan, reacting to the incident, had said that the Kerala government should not think that making Jaleel withdraw his comments was the end of the matter.
He had said the BJP will take the issue forward till a permanent solution was found.
Meanwhile, a complaint has been made at the Thiruvananthapuram City Police Commissioner by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) state secretary N C T Sreehari seeking strict action against the MLA for his remarks.
In his social media post on August 12, the Kerala MLA had said, ”The part of Kashmir annexed to Pakistan was known as ‘Azad Kashmir’ and it was an area where the Pakistan government does not have direct control.” Jaleel, who was a minister in the previous CPI(M)-led LDF government, had also said ”Indian adheena Jammu and Kashmir” consists of parts of Jammu, Kashmir Valley and Ladakh.” The comments had invited severe criticism from several people, especially BJP leaders.
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Monday launched a broadside against the NDA government at the Centre, alleging that it is hurting federal values, weakening the states financially and also centralising powers.
In his Independence Day address after hoisting the national flag at the historic Golconda Fort here, he said the makers of the nation’s Constitution put in place a federal structure as they wanted the Centre and states together to lead the march of progress.
“The present Central government in Delhi is hurting federal values. The Centre is indulging in conspiracies that weaken the states financially, as if cutting the branch on which one is seated,” he said.
Rao, also known as KCR, alleged that the states are supposed to get 41 per cent share in revenue accruing through taxes collected by the Centre, but the Central government is acquiring income indirectly by imposing cess instead of taxes to reduce the states’ share.
Through this, the Centre is reducing the states’ share of income by 11.4 per cent in 2022-23, he said.
The Centre is causing injustice to the states by providing only 29.6 per cent share where 41 per cent should have been provided, he said.
As if that is not enough, the Centre is also imposing various restrictions hurting the freedom of the states in the economy, he charged.
The Central government which talks about the ideals of cooperative federalism is, in reality, indulging in centralisation of powers, he claimed.
The Centre is thrusting upon states decisions taken on issues in the concurrent list without consultation, he alleged citing the examples of farm laws which have now been withdrawn.
Rao hit out at the present NDA regime for allegedly trying to portray farmers protesting in Delhi against farm laws as betrayers of the nation. The Prime Minister had to finally apologise to farmers, he claimed.
The Centre is imposing enormous burden on poor and middle classes by imposing taxes on various products, including milk and construction of graveyards, he charged.
Wading into the row over freebies, the Chief Minister said, “People’s welfare is the primary responsibility of the governments. It is blame-worthy that the Centre, without properly fulfilling that responsibility, is insulting by calling welfare schemes as freebies,” Rao said.
He alleged that, due to the shortcomings in the Centre’s management, the country’s economic growth slowed down, inflation is rising, value of rupee is declining and unemployment growing in the country.
Those in power at the Centre, to hide their failures, are indulging in tactics of dividing people with hate politics, he further alleged.
Highlighting the nation’s unity in diversity, he claimed that “those in constitutional posts are indulging in fascist attacks” to hurt India’s peaceful coexistence.
Rao further claimed that destructive forces are trying to foment communal trouble in Telangana and to hurt peace and development.
He said it is the responsibility of every Telangana citizen to safeguard the ‘Ganga Jamuna tehzeeb’ (fusion of Hindu-Muslim cultures) in the state.
Referring to criticism of his government taking heavy debt, he said the state’s debt was over Rs 2.25 lakh crore in 2019-20. Telangana inherited a debt of Rs 75,577 crore in 2014 when the state was formed. The debt taken by the state government was thus Rs 1.49 lakh crore which was used to build projects and provision of infrastructure, he said.
Rao, who highlighted numerous welfare schemes and progress achieved in Telangana during the last eight years of his rule, said the state’s revenue was Rs 62,000 crore in 2014-15 which rose to Rs 1.84 lakh crore by 2021.
Telangana emerged as a mighty economic powerhouse in a short period of eight years, he said.
