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Showing posts from February, 2019

Won’t let the country bow down: PM Modi after IAF strike in Balakot

As the crowd cheered along, the Prime Minister said that today was such a moment that all the bravehearts of India should be paid tribute. Hours after India carried out a non-military preemptive strike on a major Jaish-e-Mohammad terror camp in Balakot, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that the country is in safe hands. “Aaj aapka mijaz kuch aur lag raha hai (Today, your mood seems a bit different),” the Prime Minister said as he went onto the stage in Rajasthan’s Churu district to address a rally. Speaking from the stage, which had photos of soldiers in its background, a smiling Modi said, “Aapka ye bhavnaye, aapka ye utsah, aapka ye josh, mai bhali bhati samajh raha hu (Your emotions, this enthusiasm and this energy of yours, I am able to understand it quite well).” As the crowd cheered along, the Prime Minister said that today was such a moment that all the bravehearts of India should be paid tribute. “Aaj Churu ki dharti se mai desh vasiyon ko vishwas dil

After Balakot strike, Pakistan drone shot down near Gujarat border

On hearing a loud sound around 6 am, villagers went to the spot and found the debris of the UAV, the sources said. A Pakistani unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was on Tuesday shot down near the International Border in Kutch district of Gujarat, police sources said. Debris of the UAV was seen near Nanghatad village in Abdasa taluka of Kutch, they said. On hearing a loud sound around 6 am, villagers went to the spot and found the debris of the UAV, the sources said. Asked if a Pakistani UAV had been shot down by the Indian armed forces, a police official, on condition of anonymity, said, “Such an incident has happened, we are investigating the matter.” The official, however, refused to elaborate further. Earlier, government sources said that in a pre-dawn strike, combat jets of Indian Air Force bombed terror camps at multiple locations across the Line of Control on the Pakistani side, 12 days after Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed terror group carried out the dastardly Pulwama a

IAF surgical strike in Pakistan: PM Modi says India in safe hands, won’t let country down

Addressing a BJP rally in Churu in Rajasthan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi began his speech saying "I understand your enthusiasm today. You are in a different mood". Hours after Indian forces destroyed a major JeM terror camp in Pakistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday said the country is in “safe hands”. Addressing a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rally in Churu in Rajasthan, the prime minister began his speech saying, “I understand your enthusiasm today. You are in a different mood…I want to assure the people that the country is in safe hands. There is nothing above the nation.” Paying tribute to jawans serving at the border, Modi also said: “My soul says today is the day to reiterate what I had expressed in 2014. I swear by my land I won’t let my country be destroyed. I will not let the country stop. I will not let the country bow down. I pledge to the motherland that I will not let her head down.” The prime minister also said he was able to work because t

IAF surgical strike in Pakistan’s Balakot: What we know so far about attack on JeM terror camp

IAF surgical strike in Balakot: Sources told The Indian Express that JeM terror camp was deep inside Pakistan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The MEA, however, only confirmed that the camp was located in a thick forest on a hilltop, far away from any civilian presence. Indian forces struck a major Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terror camp across the Line of Control (LoC) in Balakot in the early hours of Tuesday, Foreign Ministry secretary Vijay Gokhale said. At a packed press briefing in New Delhi, Gokhale said intelligence reports confirmed that the JeM was preparing to follow up the Pulwama terror attack with a wave of suicide attacks in various parts of the country. “Credible intelligence was received that JeM was attempting another suicide terror attack in various parts of the country, and the fidayeen jihadis were being trained for this purpose. In the face of imminent danger, a preemptive strike became absolutely necessary,” he said. Balakot attack: What we know so far: J

Uttar Pradesh: 13 killed, six injured in explosion at shop in Bhadohi

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has expressed grief over the loss of lives in the incident and directed the district officials to ensure proper treatment of the injured, a spokesperson said in Lucknow. Thirteen people, including nine from West Bengal, were killed in an explosion at a shop here on Saturday afternoon which led to the collapse of three adjacent houses, officials said. Six people were also injured in the incident. It is suspected that some people are still trapped under the debris and a rescue operation has been launched, they said. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has expressed grief over the loss of lives in the incident and directed the district officials to ensure proper treatment of the injured, a spokesperson said in Lucknow. The blast took place at the shop in Rohta Bazaar, which was run by Kaliyar Mansoori. His son was running a carpet factory behind the shop and its workers could be among those trapped under the debris, District Magistrate Rajendra Prasa

Tension grips Kashmir as govt launches crackdown on separatists, arrests 150 people

Though police termed the action as routine saying that leaders and potential stone pelters have been picked up in the past, officials privy to the development said this was the first major crackdown on the Jamaat-e-Islami. Tension mounted in Kashmir on Saturday as the government launched a massive crackdown on separatists and detained over 150 people, mainly from the Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir, including its chief Abdul Hamid Fayaz, ahead of a hearing in the Supreme Court on Article 35-A of the Constitution. Though police termed the action as routine saying that leaders and potential stone pelters have been picked up in the past, officials privy to the development said this was the first major crackdown on the Jamaat-e-Islami. The hearing on Article 35A, which provides special rights and privileges to natives of Jammu and Kashmir, is likely to take place in the apex court on Monday. The Jamaat-e-Islami has in the past been touted to be the parent political party of the

PM Modi denounces attacks on Kashmiris, says ‘such incidents should not happen’

The Prime Minister’s statement comes amidst reports of attacks on Kashmiris throughout the country in the aftermath of the terror attack in Pulwama on February 14, which resulted in the death of 40 CRPF personnel. Denouncing the attacks on Kashmiris in the wake of Pulwama terror attack last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that “such incidents should not happen in this country” and insisted that the nation’s fight is against terrorism and against those who are enemies of humanity and not against Kashmir or Kashmiris. “Aur mai dekh raha hu, ki in dino social media par jaise veer ras ki baadh ayi hai. Lekin bhaiyo aur beheno, hamari ladai, atankbad ke khilaf hai, manavta ke dushmano ke khilaf hai, hamari ladai, Kashmir ke liye hai, kahsmir ke khilaf nahi hai, kashmirion ke khilaf nahi hai. (I am seeing that these days, social media is flooded with veer ras. But brothers and sisters, our fight is against terrorism, against the enemies of humanity. Our fight is

Rahul-Priyanka combine game changer for Cong in LS polls; country needs young team: Pitroda

Pitroda, the Indian Overseas Congress chief and a long-time friend of the Gandhi family, also said Rahul Gandhi has learnt a lot from the 2014 elections and is much more "mature, stronger, wiser", and ready to take on the job of Prime Minister. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will complement Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s efforts in winning over young voters and the brother-sister combine will be a game changer for the party in the Lok Sabha polls as the country needs a young team, technocrat-turned-politician Sam Pitroda said Sunday. He said the Rahul-Priyanka duo will make a “great team” along with many other young leaders active in the party, including Sachin Pilot, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Milind Deora, as people who can take the country forward, rather than keeping it hung up on history and religion. Pitroda, the Indian Overseas Congress chief and a long-time friend of the Gandhi family, also said Rahul Gandhi has learnt a lot from the 2014 elections and is much more “

Don’t have hope on BJP to solve Goa mining impasse: GMPF

Shah made his one-line mention of the state's mining woes while addressing BJP workers at 'Atal Booth Karyakarta Sammelan' here on Saturday. "We will make all possible efforts to resume mining which has stopped in Goa," Shah had said Saturday. A day after BJP chief Amit Shah said his party would try its best to find a solution to the mining impasse in Goa, an organisation comprising those dependent on the sector Sunday said they did not have much hope from the ruling party. Shah made his one-line mention of the state’s mining woes while addressing BJP workers at ‘Atal Booth Karyakarta Sammelan’ here on Saturday. “We will make all possible efforts to resume mining which has stopped in Goa,” Shah had said Saturday. The mining sector in the state came to a standstill in March last year after a Supreme Court order quashed 88 leases and banned the extraction of iron ore. Reacting to the BJP chief’s statement, Puti Gaonkar of the Goa Mining People’s Front s

Govt refuses to share details on EWS quota decision-making process

The Centre has implemented 10 per cent reservation for economically weaker sections of the general category in central government posts and services from February 1, 2019, onwards. The government has refused to share details of the decision-making process on quota for economically weaker section (EWS) citing a clause of the RTI Act that bars disclosure of records of cabinet papers and discussions by ministers. Venkatesh Nayak, who works as Programme Coordinator, Access to information Programme with NGO Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), had sought details like copy of cabinet note on the matter besides correspondence received from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) in this regard. The Centre has implemented 10 per cent reservation for economically weaker sections of the general category in central government posts and services from February 1, 2019, onwards. In reply to Nayak’s RTI query, the Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry said the requisite information can

Rajasthan: Gujjars’ dharna for quota turns violent, police vehicles torched; shots fired

Three police vehicles, including two jeeps and a bus were set afire by agitators The Gujjar community agitation demanding five per cent quota in jobs and educational institutes turned violent in Dholpur district Sunday as shots were fired and three police vehicles torched. Unidentified miscreants fired 8-10 rounds in the air while the blockade on the Agra-Morena Highway was in place, Dholpur Superintendent of Police (SP) Ajay Singh told PTI. Three police vehicles, including two jeeps and a bus were set afire by agitators, Singh added. The SP said the protesters also pelted stones, injuring four jawans, adding that police had to lob tear gas shells to disperse the crowd. Gujjar leader Bainsla. The blockade by Gujjar Arakshan Sangarsh Samiti chief Kirori Singh Bainsla and his supporters began Friday evening in Rajasthan’s Sawai Madhopur district and has forced the West Central Railway (CWR) to divert, cancel or partially terminate nearly 200 trains in the last two da

Robert Vadra appears before ED for third time in money laundering case probe

Officials said the investigating officer (IO) of the case required Vadra to answer more questions in connection with the case and hence was asked to depose on Saturday, after his two sessions of questioning on February 6 and 7. Robert Vadra, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi’s brother-in-law, on Saturday appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for the third time in connection with a probe into allegations of money laundering in purchase of assets abroad. Vadra arrived at the ED’s office at Jamnagar House in central Delhi at about 10.45 am in his private vehicle. Officials said the investigating officer (IO) of the case required Vadra to answer more questions in connection with the case and hence was asked to depose on Saturday, after his two sessions of questioning on February 6 and 7. Vadra’s appearance before the investigative agency also acquired political overtones after his wife Priyanka Gandhi, who was recently appointed Congress general secretary in-charge of easte

Saradha scam: CBI questions Kolkata police chief in Shillong

Saradha scam: Both Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar and a ten-member CBI team arrived at the central agency's headquarters in Shillong today morning. Kolkata Poice Commissioner Rajeev Kumar is being grilled by the CBI in Shillong Saturday in connection with the Saradha chit funds scam case. Both Kumar and the CBI officials arrived at the central agency’s headquarters in Shillong today morning, reported news agency ANI. The Meghalaya capital was chosen as the “neutral” meeting place by the Supreme Court last week. Accompanied by three top state police officers, Kumar reached Shillong on Friday. A ten-member team constituted by the CBI will question the top cop in connection with the central agency’s ongoing probe into chit fund cases. Meanwhile, Trinamool leaders and supporters on Friday staged a protest outside the CBI headquarters at CGO Complex, shouting slogans against the Centre. The CBI had accused Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar of being a “potenti

IRCTC train ticket booking online: How to book a general and reservation train ticket online

Indian Railway, IRCTC Train Ticket Booking Online Rules and Charges: With Unreserved Ticketing System (UTS App), one can book general train tickets without standing in the queue at railway stations. Indian Railway, IRCTC Train Ticket Booking Online Rules and Charges: Long queues at the railway booking counters are now a thing of the past. With the advent of technology, people now have the privilege to book tickets from wherever they are. The facility was first introduced for reserving a seat in the trains. And now, with UTS App, one can avail the benefit for general train tickets too. To book tickets on (Unreserved Ticketing Service (UTS) App -Download the free ‘UTS on mobile’ App through Google/Windows/Apple app stores. -Register as an individual by providing his/her mobile number, nearest station, default booking train type, class, ticket type, number of passengers and frequently travelled routes -After successful registration, a zero-balance R-Wallet account will be a

Kerala: 21-year-old lived with minor girl in forest for 23 days, arrested for rape

A police official said he was baffled how the duo were able to survive for so long in the forests, eating bare-minimum food and barely any roof over their heads. Over the past couple of weeks, the dense forests of Adoormala on the eastern border of Kerala with Tamil Nadu were playing witness to a cat-and-mouse game between a young couple and a team of police officials. More than a few times, the couple came eye to eye with the cops, only to slip away. On Tuesday this week, that game came to an end when the police nabbed the 21-year-old youth and charged him with abducting and raping a 17-year-old girl, with whom he was hiding in the forests. A police officer who was part of the investigating team, told indianexpress.com that the search operation began on January 6 when her family reported the disappearance of the teenager. “It was a Sunday. According to the complaint, she had gone to attend mass at the local church and never returned home. When we searched the house, we foun

Pulwama encounter: Two militants killed in early morning operation

Two militants were killed in an encounter with security forces in South Kashmir's Pulwama district early on Friday morning. A J&K Police official said security forces launched a cordon and search operation (CASO) late on Thursday evening in Drabgam village. During the search, militants opened fire at security forces. Two militants were killed when personnel retaliated. The police are trying to ascertain the identities of the militants and their affiliations. “As the search operation was going on, hiding terrorists fired on the search party. The fire was retaliated leading to an encounter,” the official said. The Jammu and Kashmir Police tweeted, “Two terrorists killed in the #Pulwama operation. Identity and affiliation being ascertained. Arms and ammunition recovered.” Translate this page: You can translate the content of this page by selecting a language in the select box.

Like former boss Chhota Rajan, Ravi Pujari sought title of ‘Hindu don’

According to officers, like Rajan was said to have been used as an asset by agencies to target 1993 blasts-accused Dawood Ibrahim’s infrastructure, Pujari tried to demonstrate his dislike for Pakistan-linked dons, and those alleged to be part of jihadi terror infrastructure. Like his once-boss in the underworld, Chhota Rajan, Ravi Pujari aspired for the title of a ‘Hindu don’, or a ‘patriotic don’, a tag coveted by several estranged Rajan gang members to get protection of a section in the Indian security establishment, according to police officials. Detained in Senegal, he has been accused in at least 50 cases registered with Mumbai Police. “Pujari has been apprehended in Senegal a few days back,” Mumbai Police Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Ashutosh Dumbare told The Indian Express on Friday. A senior officer said, “Since the 1980s, there are more than 50 cases against Pujari in Mumbai and several Red Corner Notices had been issued against him…. We will now seek his e

Supreme Court says unhappy over interim arrangement for CBI director

A bench of Justices Arun Mishra and Navin Sinha asked the Centre this while hearing a petition by NGO Common Cause, challenging the appointment of M Nageshwar Rao as the interim director of the CBI. The Supreme Court on Friday expressed its displeasure over the interim arrangement for the “sensitive post” of CBI chief and questioned why the Centre had not appointed a regular director till now. A bench of Justices Arun Mishra and Navin Sinha asked the Centre this while hearing a petition by NGO Common Cause, challenging the appointment of M Nageshwar Rao as the interim director of the CBI. Justice Mishra said the posting did not amount to an appointment and told Attorney General K K Venugopal that “you should have appointed a CBI Director in the interregnum”. Venugopal tried to explain the situation created by the clash between former Director Alok Verma and his number two, Special Director Rakesh Asthana. But the bench wondered why the government had not started the exerci

Delhi air pollution today: Despite rain, AQI touches ‘very poor’ range

The air quality in the capital saw little improvement as compared to Friday, which recorded the AQI value as 310, falling under the 'very poor' category. Delhi’s air quality went down to ‘very poor’ category Saturday morning with average the Air Quality Index (AQI) reflecting as high as 359 in Anand Vihar area, according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Among the affected areas, northern parts of the capital, including Pitampura, Dhirpur, Chandni Chowk and Delhi University area and Noida, have the worst AQI, according to System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR). Central Delhi, including Lodhi Road, recorded AQI at 290, which falls under the ‘poor’ category. The air quality in the capital saw little improvement as compared to Friday, which recorded the AQI value at 310, falling under the ‘very poor’ category. Despite heavy rain and strong windspeed in January, the average air quality value remained 328, worse than last year whi