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Condemn attacks on Dalits, Muslims: Veteran Armymen write to Modi

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New Delhi: The recent attacks on Dalits and the Muslim community in the country is drawing flak from people from all walks of life. Condemning the recent spate of attacks, a group of 114 veterans of the Indian Armed Forces have penned an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Voicing concern over the recent incidents, the Army veterans said “what is happening in our country today strikes at all that the Armed Forces, and indeed our Constitution, stand for. We are witness to unprecedented attacks on society at large by the relentless vigilantism of self-appointed protectors of Hinduism.”

They also condemned the clampdowns on free speech by attacks on media outlets, civil society groups, universities, journalists and scholars, through a campaign of branding them anti-national and unleashing violence against them while the State looks away.

The veterans have clarified that they do not hold affiliation with any political party. They said they stand with the ‘Not in My Name’ campaign that mobilised thousands of citizens across the country to protest against the current climate of fear, intimidation, hate and suspicion.

In the letter, the veterans expressed their distress and said, “It saddens us to write this letter, but current events in India have compelled us to register our dismay at the divisiveness that is gripping our country.”

Stating that the Armed forces stand for ‘Unity in Diversity’, the letter signed by veteran Armed force personnel to the Prime Minister further mentioned, “Differences in religion, language, caste, culture or any other marker of belonging have not mattered to the cohesion of the Armed Forces, and servicemen of different backgrounds have fought shoulder to shoulder in the defence of our nation, as they continue to do today.”

It further said, “Throughout our service, a sense of openness, justice and fair play guided our actions. We are one family. Our heritage is like the multi-coloured quilt that is India, and we cherish this vibrant diversity.”

The letter by Armed force veterans said, “We urge the powers that be at the Centre and in the States to take note of our concerns and urgently act to uphold our Constitution, both in letter and in spirit.”

The letter comes a month after scores of people took to streets in various cities to protest a rise in mob lynching. The campaign called ‘Not In My Name’ was sparked after a teenage Muslim boy was killed by a mob, on a train near Delhi, who accused him of being a ‘beef-eater’.

Prime Minister has also condemned the killings, saying, “Killing people in the name of Gau Bhakti (reverence of cows) is not acceptable.”

(Agencies)

Decision in Bihar ‘unfortunate’: Sharad Yadav breaks silence

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New Delhi: Breaking his silence for the first time after the grand alliance faced rupture, Janata Dal (United) (JD(U)) leader Sharad Yadav on Monday called the decision in Bihar ‘unfortunate’.

“I don’t agree with the decision in Bihar, its unfortunate. The mandate by the people was not for this,” Yadav said.

Nitish Kumar, on last Wednesday, ended his two-year grand alliance with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Congress, citing a “call of conscience” over corruption charges slapped against his former deputy and Lalu Prasad Yadav’s son Tejaswi Yadav.

Lalu, his wife Rabri Devi and Tejaswi are central to a CBI inquiry into the land-for-hotels deal when Lalu was the Union railways minister.

Veteran JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav was also not present during the oath taking ceremony of Nitish Kumar last week.

The leader, however, expressed his dissatisfaction with the split in JD(U) and RJD alliance on social media. He for the first time spoke on the issue with media on Monday.

Sharad Yadav has been indirectly hitting out at BJP. The recent attack came on Sunday when Yadav told that BJP has failed to keep the promise of bringing back black money stashed abroad.

“Neither black money stashed abroad returned, one of the main slogans of the ruling party, nor anyone caught out of those named in Panama papers,” Yadav took to Twitter.

He also targeted the Centre for lack of development in the country. He said, “Although Govt collects number of cesses in d name of different services from public, yet don’t see any improvement in any area in d country.”

Sharad Yadav also termed the Union government’s Crop Insurance Scheme ‘unsuccessful’ and said, “Amongst others Fasal Bima Yojana is another unsuccessful scheme of d Govt through which only private insurance companies being benefitted.”

In his Twitter account Sharad Yadav also asked for an explanation from the government over slow growth in infrastructure sector. “Almost all sectors of d economy are showing slow growth & in d major sector infrastructure also investment declined sharply.Govt to explain,” he said.

(Agencies)

Govt extends I-T returns deadline to Aug 5

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New Delhi: The Income Tax department on Monday extended the tax returns filing deadline from July 31 to August 5. The new last date will give taxpayers enough time to prepare documents and file their tax returns.

The extension in deadline has reportedly been granted as people have faced problems in filing income tax returns on last day using income tax website. Besides, taxpayers have also complained that income tax website was not working as there was huge rush on to the site.

Earlier, CBDT had said last date for filing of Income Tax Returns (ITRs) for the financial year 2016-17 will not be extended beyond today’s deadline, a top official said. “The last date for filing of ITRs remains July 31. There are no plans to extend this deadline.

The department has already received over 2 crore returns filed electronically. The department requests taxpayers to file their return in time,” the official said.

On reports of the e-filing website facing some glitches, the official said that no major glitches have been reported with the department’s e-filing website– http://incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in/–barring a few times when the portal was “interrupted for maintenance”.

The department has also issued advertisements in leading national dailies in the last few days stating that taxpayers should disclose their income “correctly” and file their ITRs on or before July 31.

The linking of Aadhaar number with the PAN (Permanent Account Number) of a taxpayer has also been made mandatory for filing of an ITR, beginning July 1.

The department has also asked taxpayers to declare cash deposits made in bank accounts aggregating to Rs. 2 lakh or more, post demonetisation between November 9-December 30 last year, in the ITRs. The ITRs to be filed by July 31 pertain to 2016-17 fiscal or assessment year 2017-18.

(Agencies)

Obituary: Inder Kumar 26th Aug, 1973 – 28th Jul, 2017

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The untimely demise of actor Inder Kumar, who succumbed to cardiac arrest at a ripe young age of 43 on Fri 28th Jul, 2017 exposes Bollywood’s dark underbelly, which is lined with countless stories of despair born out of professional disillusions. According to friends Inder Kumar, the late actor – producer who had rubbed shoulders with Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar & Sanjay Dutt on screen in the early 2000’s, was battling with severe alcohol & substance abuse even as he underwent treatment for depression. However, his current wife, Pallavi Sarraf, who oversaw the last rites on Fri evening, asserts that he had been working on 2 comeback films – Who Is The First Wife Of My Father? and a bilingual Krina, wasn’t depressed at all. “He went away too early, too soon,” she said.

In 1995, at 22, Inder Kumar left Kolkata with little money and no familial support to chase his Bollywoodian dreams. He bunked with 4 aspiring actors in Lokhandwala, dashing from 1 audition to another for 2 months. Then, Dhirubhai, an executive producer with Times Music, cast him in a number of music videos and after 6 months, introduced him to his filmmaker friend Mahesh Kothare who was working on the Hindi remake of his Marathi hit Maza Chakula. Inder Kumar was signed opposite Ayesha Jhulka.And Masoom was a surprise hit.

While shooting for his 2nd film, Ghoonghat, he impressed Chinni Prakash with his dance moves and the choreographer extended his portions in all the film’s tracks. Tirchi Topiwale (1998) brought him close to Monica Bedi. They attended Bollywood soirees together and developed a circle of mutual friends who would come to Inder Kumar’s aid in later years. One of them was Pro Raju Kariya who had worked as Inder Kumar’s publicist cum manager till 2009. He’d also given his blessings to the marital alliance between Inder Kumar & his daughter, Sonal Kariya. “He was like a son to me. He’d call me baba,” said an emotional Raju Kariya.

Inder Kumar also caught the eye of Salman Khan and they bonded over films, fitness & food. Salman got him a role in Kahin Pyaar Na Ho Jaaye & then a part in buddy Sanjay Dutt’s Baaghi in 2000. A year later, they reunited for Tumko Na Bhool Payenge. Around this time, filmmaker – siblings Saeed Mirza & Aziz Mirza paired him with Isha Koppikar in Ek Tha Dil, Ek Thi Dhadkan. “The film never saw the light of the day but Inder Kumar & Isha Koppikar started dating each other and were soon inseparable,” informed Raju Kariya.

Inder Kumar was on the rise when a knee injury in 2002 triggered a downward spiral. While filming Partho Ghosh’s Maseeha, Inder Kumar insisted on doing his own stunts much against the advice of action directors Ravi Shinde & S Kamoo. A miscalculated jump from a helicopter damaged both his knees and he couldn’t walk for almost 6 months. “He only resumed work after 2 years and in Bollywood out of sight is out of mind. Everyone forgot Inder Kumar, so did Isha Koppikar,” Raju Kariya reminisced.

The long period of inactivity took the actor to a psychiatrist’s door. He was put on anti – depressants. Inder Kumar then moved in with Raju Kariya & his daughter Sonal Kariya and they began to look after him. “I was surprised when he told me that he wanted to marry Sonal because I’d assumed he was still seeing Isha Koppikar,” Raju Kariya. admitted.

On 2nd Oct, 2003, Salman Khan hosted the wedding party at Sea Princess Hotel. Ronit Roy who had replaced Inder Kumar as Mihir Virani in Ekta Kapoor’s small screen serial Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, stayed close to him throughout the night.

Soon after, Sujit Guha offered Inder Kumar the Bengali thriller, Agnipath. The film tanked, so did Ek Aur Amar Premm. The disappointments led Inder Kumar to substance abuse and Sonal Kariya filed for divorce. “Inder Kumar saw their daughter Khushi for the last time at the final court hearing in 2005. Sonal Kariya moved to Nagpur with her daughter and never returned,” Raju Kariya sighed.

Back on his own again, Inder Kumar learnt that Sahil Khan had bagged a parallel lead in Sohail Khan’s Aaryan and went to the Khans. He tried hard but the film flopped. In the end, only the industry friends & well – wishers like Rahul Prakash & Keshav Arora remained by his side. Inder Kumar’s day would begin with a drink and he’d smoke 2 – 3 packets of cigarettes through it, informs a friend

2 years later, in 2007, at a Holi party at filmmaker Sanjay Gupta’s residence, he tried to rekindled his romance with Isha Koppikar. But they broke up again and Isha Koppikar went on to marry a restaurateur Timmy Narang in 2009 while Inder Kumar suddenly announced that he was marrying a Punjabi model & actress Kamaljeet Kaur. The same year, Salman Khan gave him 1 last break in Prabhudheva’s Wanted. The film was a blockbuster and Salman Khan was back. But Inder Kumar was still stuck with small budget films. His 2nd marriage with Kamaljeet Kaur too ended after 2 months.

He found love for the 3rd time in 2013, when he met Pallavi Sarraf, a model, at a party. They got married after a year of dating each other and had a daughter a year later. Inder Kumar thought it was the right time to turn a producer.

But on 25th Apr, 2014, he was arrested after a model accused him of rape & assault. He was charged under Sections 376 for rape, 324 for causing grievous hurt & 506 for criminal intimidation. On 9th May, 2014 medical reports supported the woman’s claims but Inder Kumar equivocally denied the allegations, arguing that it had been a consensual relationship. Pallavi Sarraf vouched for her husband but Inder Kumar was found guilty.

There is also a flip side to it. On 25th April 2014, Inder Kumar was arrested by the Versova police, after a 22 years old female model & aspiring actress registered an FIR alleging that he had raped & assaulted her with a promise of role in movies. Inder Kumar had claimed it was a consensual relationship and she was seeking a revenge after he ended the fling and went back to his wife. People of Bollywood distanced themselves from him and he was left with no friends, money or career when his daughter was only 15 months old. He was charged under sections 376 (rape), 324 (causing grievous hurt) & 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code. Under the Indian law even the consensual sex in a long – term fling can be claimed as rape by the woman, as the law says “consensual sex is rape when a man knows that he is not the husband of woman”, which High Court observed is misused as a form of revenge by the jilted female lover to accuse the men of rape. On 9th May, 2014 the police asserted that the medical reports supported that the woman had been raped as well as assaulted. Inder Kumar denied the allegations saying that he had had a consensual relationship with the woman. His wife Pallavi defended him fiercely in public with the statement that he slipped by having a consensual fling and during the 2 days during which the woman accused him of rape the claimant was freely moving in & out of her apartment alone in a cheerful mood to order food & buy alcohol to party at home with Inder Kumar, who later on apologized for leaving his wife for a short fling and he returned to his family. Subsequent to that, Inder Kumar was granted bail on 10th June, 2014. And the woman who accused him was arrested by police on 1st Aug, 2014 in an unrelated case for robbing her sister’s residence in the same locality of jewellery worth INR 10 lakh.

After being in jail for 5 months Inder Kumarwas granted bail on 10th Jun, 2014. “It was during this time that all the friends he’d made during his association with Monica Bedi came in handy and he came out of the jail looking fitter & better.

Excited about his upcoming releases, he had called me last week to say that it had been a long time since we met. “Come, let’s party” he urged. We had plans of a reunion on 3rd Aug, 2017. But the party, like his dreams to become a star, will remain unfulfilled,” sobbed Raju Kariya.

When last heard he was also working on a film called Phati Padi Hai Yaar. Oh! How symbolic.

Bengaluru: Civil contractor held for molesting minor in car

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Bengaluru: A 36-year-old contractor was arrested for molesting a 15-year-old girl on the pretext of dropping her home from school on Saturday. The arrested has been identified as Afzal Hussain.

According to the police, the accused – Afzal Hussain– had befriended the girl’s brother while visiting a construction site near their home. On Saturday, Hussain met the girl near her school and offered to drop her home. After she got into the car, he allegedly drove to an isolated location and attempted to molest her.

The girl got out of the car, and upon reaching home, complained to her mother. Her parents filed a complaint with the Pulikeshi Nagar police. In her statement, the girl said Hussain had molested her in the past as well. He would force her to watch porn videos and threaten of dire consequences. Out of fear, the girl did not inform her parents about his acts for long.

Based on the complaint, the police arrested Hussain under various sections of the POCSO Act.

‘We won’: Al-Aqsa Mosque reopened to all Palestinians

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Worshippers of all ages enter mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem after Israel lifts restriction on men under 50.

(AFP/Ahmad Gharabli)

by Al Jazeera

Thousands of Palestinians have re-entered al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem, after Israeli authorities lifted an age restriction it had placed earlier on Friday.

The Islamic Waqf religious authority that administers the compound announced that all gates would be opened to Palestinians of all ages.

Earlier in the day, Israeli police prevented access to the holy shrine for men under the age of 50 and closed some of the compound’s gates.

The announcement came just a few hours before Friday prayers began. Thousands of men prayed in the streets and just outside the compound’s gates.

According to religious officials, 10,000 worshippers made their way inside al-Aqsa Mosque compound for noon prayers.

Small protests against these restrictions broke out after prayers in different towns and cities in the occupied West Bank.

Police fired water cannon and tear gas at protesters in Bethlehem, and there was a high police presence near al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said it received 225 cases of injuries across the West Bank and Jerusalem.

Al Jazeera’s Stefanie Dekker, reporting from outside the Damascus Gate, said the situation there had been “largely peaceful”.

“There’s been a few skirmishes around Lion’s Gate and Wadi Joz, but in general everything has passed relatively peacefully,” she said, referring to a Palestinian neighbourhood north of the Old City.

In Bethlehem, approximately 200 Palestinians held prayers in front of the Separation Wall.

Israelis fired live rounds, rubber-coated steel bullets and tear gas at the crowd, the Red Crescent said.

Later on, a young man was shot to death by Israeli soldiers after an alleged stabbing attempt south of Bethlehem near the Gush Etzion settlement block.

However, local witnesses said that Israeli soldiers fired at 24-year-old Abdullah Taqatqa when he was 20 metres from them.

Protests also broke out along the Gaza Strip’s border, resulting in the killing of 16-year-old Abdelrahman Abu Humeisa by the Israeli army.

Seven other Palestinians were wounded by live fire in east Jabaliya, north of the strip and east of the Bureij area, in the middle.

Checkpoint clashes

In Ramallah, clashes broke out after prayers near the Qalandiya checkpoint, one of the main barriers that separates the West Bank from Jerusalem.

“We saw Israeli security forces use concussion grenades as well as a lot of tear gas,” Al Jazeera’s Scott Heidler said, reporting from Qalandiya. He said live rounds had also been used.

Tensions remain high in East Jerusalem, with a fortified Israeli military and security presence.

In an act of civil disobedience, Palestinians have held prayers day and night outside al-Aqsa Mosque compound for the past two weeks in protest at Israel’s increased surveillance measures and obstacles to free movement at the entrances and gates.

On Thursday, Palestinians made their way inside the compound for the first time in 13 days after the Israeli government removed newly installed security cameras and metal detectors.

The scenes of jubilation, with many describing the day as a victory for the Palestinians, quickly soured after Israeli forces fired stun grenades and tear gas inside the compound at the Palestinians, wounding more than 100.

The Israeli measures were installed after an attack carried out by three Palestinian citizens of Israel on July 14, who shot and killed two Israeli policemen.

The Palestinians were then chased inside the compound and shot dead.

Israeli authorities closed the compound for two days, angering Palestinians, who feared that a change in the status quo of the holy site would see it going under the control of Israelis.

In more than 12 days of protests, Israeli forces wounded more than 1,000 Palestinians during clashes, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent.

Three Palestinians were killed last Friday during Day of Rage protests across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

Later that night, a Palestinian assailant climbed over the fence of Halamish, a Jewish-only settlement in the West Bank, and killed three Israelis in their home.

The compound, known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as the Temple Mount, has been the site of much contention in recent years.

‘It is our social place’

Palestinians view al-Aqsa Mosque compound as more than just a religious site, Ahmad Buderi, a Jerusalem affairs commentator, said.

“It is a place where we meet, a place where we bury our dead people, a place where we get married,” he told Al Jazeera. “It is our social place. It is where we play football in the afternoons.”

Palestinians knew that they would bear the responsibility of protecting the mosque, Buderi said, adding that the Arab and Islamic world can do nothing.

“The Palestinians joined together and forgot about their political and social differences, and that’s how we won,” he said.

Qatar accuses Saudi Arabia of politicising Hajj

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Rights group files complaint to UN special rapporteur over restrictions imposed on Qatari pilgrims amid GCC crisis.

As custodian of Islam’s holiest sites in Mecca and Medina, Saudi Arabia organises the annual Hajj [File: Reuters]

by Al Jazeera

Qatar has accused Saudi Arabia of politicising the Hajj, claiming Riyadh has imposed restrictions on Qatari nationals planning to travel to Mecca for the annual Muslim pilgrimage.

Qatar’s National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said on Saturday that Qatari citizens have been told they can only enter Saudi Arabia through two airports, and that they must travel via Doha to be allowed in.

This would be challenging for Qataris who do not live in Doha, such as those studying abroad.

The NHRC said it has filed a complaint with the UN special rapporteur on freedom of belief and religion over the restrictions, which it said were in “stark violation of international laws and agreements that guarantee the right to worship”.

The restrictions are part of a boycott launched on June 5 by Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt, which saw the group sever diplomatic ties with Qatar and impose a blockade. They accuse Qatar of funding terrorism, allegations Qatar has strongly denied.

The four Arab states cut transport links with Qatar, and Saudi Arabia has closed the peninsula’s only land border.

As the custodian of Islam’s holiest sites in Mecca and Medina, Saudi Arabia organises the annual Hajj.

The pilgrimage is one of the five pillars of Islam, which every able-bodied Muslim who is able to afford the journey is obliged to undertake at least once in a lifetime.

Hajj is due to begin in early September.

The NHRC said it was “extremely concerned over [Saudi Arabia] politicising religious rituals and using [Hajj] to achieve political gains”.

“The Saudi authorities have allowed the Qatari pilgrims to enter Saudi Arabia only through two airports via Qatar only, thus any Qatari citizen located outside Qatar, must first return to Qatar then travel to Saudi Arabia,” it said.

The civil liberties group also said that it will lodge a second complaint against Saudi Arabia with UNESCO for subjecting Qatari nationals to harassment and threats in Saudi territory.

During the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, the group claimed that officials in Saudi Arabia forced Qataris who were visiting religious sites to leave their hotel rooms. Unable to fly on commercial flights, which had been blocked from travelling from Saudi Arabia to Qatar, they were forced to use charter flights.

In June, the Doha-based Al Sharq newspaper reported that Saudi authorities barred Qatar nationals from entering the Grand Mosque in Mecca.

The NHRC said that its complaints were part of a wider effort to highlight Saudi Arabia’s violations of religious freedom and the right to worship, and expose them to the international community.

Afraid of poaching by BJP, Congress flies out 44 MLAs from Ahmedabad to Bengaluru Resort

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Bengaluru: After its six MLAs deserted ahead of Rajya Sabha polls, a wary Congress has lodged its 44 Gujarat legislators at a private resort on the outskirts of Bangalore, saying it is “protecting” them from the BJPs “hooliganism”.

Ashok Gehlot, the Congress general secretary in-charge for Gujarat, defended the partys action and repeated the allegations that the BJP was using money, muscle and state power to force party MLAs in Gujarat to quit.

“They (MLAs) were picked up, harassed, threatened and forced to quit. The way the state machinery, the police are being misused (in Gujarat), why cant we then bring them at one place to protect them from the hooliganism and anti-social activities there,” he said.
 
Bengaluru Rural MP D K Suresh, who is overseeing the arrangements, however, said that the leaders from Gujarat “have come to our state for rest and tourist purpose and we are stationed here to facilitate it”.

The MLAs wish to visit some tourist destinations and religious places, he said, adding “they want to seek the Almightys blessing to save Gujarat and democracy.”

Police personnel have been deployed around the resort for security.

The Congress is keen to fend off alleged “poaching” attempts by the BJP ahead of the August 8 Rajya Sabha polls in Gujarat.

Though there is no clarity about exact number of MLAs  at the resort, Gujarat Congress General secretary Nishit Vyas, who is with the legislators here, earlier today told PTI that the party has shifted 44 of its MLAs to Bengaluru.

“It was for the safety and security of the MLAs who  are being threatened if they do not agree to switch sides… that is why we decided to bring them to Bengaluru,” he said.

Not wishing to specify the number of Gujarat legislators at the resort, Suresh, in response to a question, said “all our party legislators are there”.

Of the 57 Congress MLAs in Gujarat, from where Sonia Gandhis political secretary Ahmed Patel is contesting for Rajya Sabha, six have resigned from the party in the last two days with three of them joining the BJP yesterday.

The party has apprehensions about Patels election to the Rajya Sabha, if more MLAs defect.

The BJP has denied the Congress allegations and said it cannot be blamed if Sonia Gandhi and her deputy Rahul are unable to hold the crumbling organisation.

The Congress sources said MLAs are likely to travel to some tourist destinations in the state and also to Tirupati.

Suresh said the legislators tour schedule would be finalised later, as they have come early today and are taking rest.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah declined to comment on Gujarat MLAs being lodged at a resort outside the city, saying he has no information about it.

(PTI)

First Test: Ashwin, Jadeja spin India to 304-run win against Sri Lanka

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Galle Spin twins Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja took three wickets each to help India thrash Sri Lanka by 304 runs in the opening Test and take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series at the Galle International Stadium here on Saturday.

Chasing an improbable 550, Sri Lanka, reduced to nine men after skipper Rangana Herath and Asela Gunaratne were ruled out, failed to put up a fight before being bundled out for 245 in their second innings.

Opener Dimuth Karunaratne and stumper Niroshan Dickwella provided some resistance by scoring 97 and 67 respectively but Ashwin (3/65) and Jadeja (3/71) dominated with the ball to clinically dismantle the hosts on the penultimate day itself.

Joining forces in the post-lunch session after the quick dismissals of Kusal Mendis (36) and Angelo Mathews (2), Karunaratne and Dickwella steadied the Sri Lankan ship to take them to 192/4 by tea.

Karunaratne’s gritty 208-ball knock proved to be the stumbling block for the Indians as he along with Dickwella added 101 runs for the fifth wicket before Ashwin, playing his career’s 50th Test, ended the stumper’s 94-ball vigil.

Ashwin struck again with the key wicket of the left-handed opener, who dragged a bottom-edge onto his stumps when he was in sight of a sixth Test hundred.

Tailenders Nuwan Pradeep (0) and Lahiru Kumara (0) failed to provide any support to Dilruwan Perera (21 not out) and were dismissed in quick succession by Ashwin and Jadeja respectively.

Earlier, after India declared their second innings at 240/3, the new ball duo of Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav dealt two quick blows in the form of Upul Tharanga (10) and Danushka Gunathilaka (2) respectively to reduce the home side to 85/2 at the lunch break.

Having got an attacking 64 in the first innings, Tharanga failed to cash on the advantage when Kohli dropped him at first slip, to be bowled off an inside edge in the next ball from Shami.

Gunathilaka also gifted his wicket by flicking Yadav’s delivery straight to square leg fielder Cheteshwar Pujara before Mendis and Karunaratne joined forces.

Resuming the day at 189/3, India skipper Virat Kohli (103 not out) went on to complete his 17th Test century, as the visitors stretched their second innings lead to 549 runs. Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane (23 not out) added a quickfire 51-run fourth wicket stand in 6.3 overs.

The India captain, who went unbeaten on 76 at stumps on the third evening, started tapping for singles and doubles, before latching on a Dilruwan Perera delivery to clobber over midwicket for six to move to 89.

He completed his hundred with a single to midwicket, reaching the landmark in 133 balls and thereby surpassed former India skipper Sourav Ganguly’s tally of 16 Test tons.

The 28-year-old has now equalled Indian stalwarts V.V.S. Laxman and Dilip Vengsarkar’s tally of 17 and is only behind Mohammad Azharuddin (22), Virender Sehwag (23), Sunil Gavaskar (34), Rahul Dravid (36) and Sachin Tendulkar (51).

This was also Kohli’s first century after a gap of seven innings, since his 204 against Bangladesh earlier this year.

In their first innings, India posted a massive total of 600, thanks to centuries from Shikhar Dhawan (190) and Cheteshwar Pujara (153) before skitling the Lankans out for 291.

With the win, India have now taken a 1-0 lead in the three-match series and will now head to Colombo for the second Test, starting August 3.

(IANS)

Shahid Khaqan Abbasi to be interim Pakistan PM after Sharif’s removal

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Islamabad: Former petroleum minister and senior Pakistan Muslim League-(Nawaz) leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi will be appointed as interim prime minister of Pakistan after Nawaz Sarif was disqualified by the Supreme Court in Panamagate case.

Pakistan Finance Minister Ishaq Dar was also disqualified by the Supreme Court in the case.

Abbasi will run the government as interim prime minister until Nawaz Sharif’s brother Shahbaz is elected as member of parliament.

After a consultative session of the ruling PML-N, Shahbaz has emerged as the most likely candidate to be the next prime minister of Pakistan after an interim premier has served the 45-day period, Geo News reported.

(Agencies)

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