Archives for November 2016

New Delhi: A proctorial enquiry by JNU has found ABVP member Vikrant Kumar guilty of assaulting Najeeb Ahmed during a brawl following which the latter went missing over a month ago.

Najeeb (27), a student of School of Biotechnology and a native of Badaun in Uttar Pradesh, went missing on October 15 following an on-campus scuffle allegedly with the members of ABVP, including Vikrant, the night before.

JNU had ordered a proctorial enquiry into the incident.

“In the proctorial enquiry, Vikrant Kumar has been found to be involved in hitting Najeeb Ahmed and using derogatory language with provocative behaviour on October 14. This is an act of indiscipline and misconduct,” an official order read.

Vikrant has been asked to explain why disciplinary action should not be initiated against him.

ABVP has, meanwhile, come out in Vikrant’s support and accused the university administration of being “biased” in conducting the enquiry.

“The proctor has taken deposition of those students into account who were not even present there. Not only the enquiry is biased but even the administration is siding with the left-dominated students union,” Saurabh Sharma, ABVP member and former JNUSU member said.

JNU students and teachers have been agitating against the university administration and Delhi Police for their failure to locate the missing student.

The protesting students had even confined the Vice Chancellor and other senior officials in the administrative building for over 20 hours.

Last month, an SIT was formed to trace the missing student on the directive of Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to Delhi Police Commissioner Alok Kumar Verma.

The SIT, headed by Additional DCP-II(South) Manishi Chandra, failed to get any actionable clues in the matter. The case was later transferred to Delhi Police’s Crime Branch.

(Agencies)

Bangalore: The Income Tax department today conducted surveys on at least ten locations of high-end event management firms, catering and multi-media service providers who were engaged for the extravagant wedding of daughter of Karnataka’s former BJP minister G Janardhan Reddy.

Officials said that taxmen visited seven locations here and three in Hyderabad of those event management companies which were given contracts to give a blockbuster look for the wedding of Bramhani last week here. Reddy is also a mining baron.

They said the department, after receiving reports of high spending for the event, initiated the action and is checking the account books, payment receipts and contract portfolios of these firms who specialise in creating special ambience and customised display for high-end spending clientele during their special events like weddings.

The firms include those providing special swiss tents, expensive cutlery, multi-cuisine food and pyrotechnic dealers who brought a lavish style to the event.

Under the survey action, tax sleuths visit business premises of the trader/operator and make analysis of the available stock and record it whereas under search operations both residential and business premises are visited by the taxman and seizure of cash and incriminating documents, if any, is effected.

Once the scrutiny of accounts and contract books is done, they said, further action of issuing notices to investigate tax evasion by both the contractor and the contractee will be undertaken.

The multi-crore wedding was in the spotlight recently for its sheer opulence and extravagance at a time when numerous people were facing a cash crunch and had to queue up outside banks and ATMs to withdraw their hard-earned money in the wake of the demonetisation of the two large currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000.

The five-day extravaganza was held at the Palace grounds here with ceremonies held against the backdrop of lavish settings.

The mining baron’s event presented almost a surreal picture as Bramhani entered into wedlock with Rajeev Reddy, a leading businessman’s son from Andhra Pradesh, with rituals conducted by a battery of priests from the famous Tirumala temple.

The grandeur of the wedding was such that huge sets replicating Vijaya Vitthala temple of Hampi, the seat of the glorious erstwhile Vijayanagara empire, and Tirumala Tirupati temple were erected at the venue, along with the replica of the homes of both of bride and the groom.

(Agencies)

New Delhi: Finding common ground over the demonetisation issue, 10 opposition parties today decided to take on the government unitedly, both inside and outside Parliament.

Leaders of Congress, Trinamool Congress, JD(U), BSP, CPI(M), CPI, NCP, RJD, JMM and DMK held a meeting here this morning to forge a common plan of action with an aim of mounting attack on the government.

At the meeting, which was attended by Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, it was decided that these parties will continue to press for an adjournment motion in Lok Sabha and a debate under a rule which entails voting.

Proceedings in the Lower House have already been washed out during the last two working days because of these demands.

Rajya Sabha, which saw day-long inconclusive debate on demonetisation on the opening day of the session on November 16, has failed to function as the opposition has been pressing for the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the House before the discussion could be resumed.

The government has refused to accept this demand, saying Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has been present in the House all through the debate and he will reply to it.

Leaders of these parties will hold such strategy sessions every morning before Parliament assembles during the ongoing Winter session, sources said.

It was decided that MPs of these 10 parties will stage a sit-in near Mahatma Gandhi’s statue in the Parliament complex on Wednesday. This will be followed by a march to Rashtrapati Bhawan, date for which is being worked out, the sources said.

With Trinamool Congress taking the lead in uniting the opposition parties, its chief Mamata Banerjee is expected to reach Delhi tomorrow for the agitational programme, they said.

“This is good news that opposition parties have decided to work together with focus on alleviating the sufferings of the people,” Trinamool Congress leader Derek O’Brien told PTI.

Besides Rahul, those who attended today’s meeting included Congress party’s Leaders of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and Ghulam Nabi Azad, Trinamool’s Sudip Bandhyopadhyay and O’Brien, JD(U)’s Sharad Yadav, BSP’s Satish Mishra, CPI(M)’s Sitaram Yechury, CPI’s D Raja.

“The PM can speak on Cold Play (conclave), but not address the opposition on demonetisation, demands for a JPC on leakage of demonetisation information to some corporates and deaths of people standing in queue to get money from banks and ATMs,” said Mohd Salim of CPI-M.

(Agencies)

(Photo: PTI/File)

Chennai: Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalithaa has been shifted from the ICU to the normal ward, the official twitter account of AIADMK tweeted today.

This is the first time that that Jayalalaithaa has been moved out of the ICU since she was admitted on September 22 with complaints of ‘fever’ and ‘dehydration.’

She would, however, continue to be on tracheostomy and so visitors would be restricted, hospital authorities have reportedly said.

(Agencies)

Mangaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that those who attempted to disrupt communal harmony would not be spared.

Addressing the media at Circuit House in the city on Saturday, Siddaramaiah said that he had already directed the officials to take action against those involved in disrupting peace.

Regarding the center’s move on demonetization, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that it involved several flaws. He added that though he had written to the central ministers regarding the issue, there was no reply from them.

Responding to a question on Tanvir Sait, he said that officials from the Department of Cyber Crime were investigating the matter.

(Agencies)

Mumbai: The National Investigation Agency (NIA), along with the Mumbai Police, on Saturday carried out searches at 10 places in a case registered against Dr Zakir Naik’s Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) in Mumbai.

The NIA had named Zakir Naik, IRF, and others in an FIR registered under anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act on Friday.

The search operations are still underway at IRF premises.

The central government had on Tuesday banned IRF for five years with immediate effect.

The move came after the government found the Islamic preacher to be involved in utilising funds meant for his NGOs for radicalisation of youths.

Some other organisations, being run by Naik, have also been under the government scanner, sources added.

(Agencies)

Mumbai: Shiv Sena today came out in support of Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, who is under attack from BJP for drawing a comparison between the Uri terror attack casualties and the deaths after demonetisation, saying an apology by him for the comments will not change the truth.

BJP has sought an apology from Azad, the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, for his remarks but he has rejected the demand. “Will the truth change if Azad apologises?” asked an editorial in Sena mouthpiece ‘Saamana’.

“In the Uri attack, 20 jawans were martyred. Due to the demonetisation, 40 brave patriots have lost their lives (while standing in queues at banks to exchange demonetised notes).

“The difference is in the attackers. Pakistan attacked us in Uri, where in the case of demonetisation (deaths) it was our own rulers,” Sena, a partner of the BJP-led alliance at the Centre, said.

“Even if the number of deaths caused by inflation, recession and unemployment rises from 40 to 40 lakh, this government will say they are victims of patriotism. “We only hope that going by this rate, a time will come wherein we have to declare the entire country as a martyr,” Sena said.

Parliament was stalled for the last two days due to ruckus caused by charges and counter charges by the ruling NDA and Opposition over demonetisation. Sena has been unrelenting in its attack on the Centre over demonetisation and had even joined hands with some opposition parties in demonstrations in Delhi over the issue.

Two days back, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and is believed to have conveyed BJP’s unhappiness over NDA ally participating in a march against demonestisation even as the Sena stuck to its criticism, saying it could have been implemented in a better way.

(Agencies)