Archives for February 2023

BENGALURU: Four former BBMP corporators concertedly took on Jayanagar MLA Sowmya Reddy, accusing her of blocking development works. Warning her that this time the election contest will be tough, former corporators SK Nataraj, Somashekhar, Govind Naidu and CK Ramamurthy launched protests holding banners, raised slogans against the MLA, and appealed to voters to oust her.

“Jayanagar’s commercial complex and surrounding areas are in shambles, and the MLA has failed to develop those areas. Besides, Rs 6 crore was allocated for a community hall at Bhovi Colony, Byrasandra ward, but work never took off despite a work order and job code. At Sarakki and Shakambari Nagar vegetable markets, there are no basic facilities,” said CM Ramamurthy, an aspiring BJP candidate. 

Interestingly, it was Somashekhar, former corporator from Shakambari Nagar ward who was a ticket aspirant during the 2018 byelections against Sowmya, who supported Ramamurthy’s candidacy from the same segment after they reached an understanding. 

“It is obvious they are protesting as elections are coming up. Why didn’t they protest when the state government cut down 61% of Jayanagar’s funds? I have to work with the funds at my disposal. You can ask the citizens about me. Their response will be that I am accessible, clean and I work with those who are protesting.

I have spoken up about various issues in the assembly, like TenderSure and the Jayanagar complex,” said Sowmya. Former corporator from Byrasandra ward N Nagaraj said the MLA has been struggling to get work done for Jayanagar and its commercial complex shopkeepers’ association over a few years.

Actor Swara Bhasker took to Twitter on Thursday to reveal the news of her marriage with Samajwadi Party’s state youth president Fahad Ahmad. They submitted their court marriage papers on January 6.

Swara also shared an emotional video montage featuring moments from their relationship captioning it thus: “Sometimes you search far and wide for something that was right next to you all along. We were looking for love, but we found friendship first. And then we found each other! Welcome to my heart @FahadZirarAhmad It’s chaotic but it’s yours!”

Faraz Ahmad shared the video-post and wrote: “I never knew chaos can be so beautiful. Thank you for holding my hand love.”

Last month, the actor had posted a photo with a man’s face which was not visible, and captioned it, “This could be love…”, inspired by a song from the 1987 blockbuster ‘Dirty Dancing’.

The ‘Raanjhana’ actor was last seen in ‘Jahaan Chaar Yaar’ which released in theaters on September 16 last year. She will star in ‘Mimamsa’ and ‘Mrs Falani’ next.

Fahad Ahmad had joined the Samajwadi Party in August 2022 and is currently serving as the State President of its Youth Wing.

MUMBAI: Indian cricketer Prithvi Shaw’s car was attacked with a baseball bat by a person after an argument over taking selfies with him outside a luxury hotel at Santacruz in Mumbai, officials said on Thursday.

Following the incident that took place in the early hours of Wednesday, the police registered a case of rioting and extortion against eight persons, including a woman, they said.

The incident took place when the cricketer had gone to the hotel located near the domestic airport at Santacruz for dinner with his businessman friend, an official said.

A complaint in this connection was lodged by Shaw’s friend and flatmate Ashish Yadav, who runs a cafe. Yadav has been staying with Shaw for the last three years at Bandra.

As per the complaint, an unidentified person approached Shaw for a selfie. Initially, the cricketer allowed that person to do so. However, after the person insisted on clicking more selfies with him, Shaw turned down the request. After that, the accused started arguing and misbehaving with the cricketer, the official said.

On seeing this, the manager of the hotel intervened and asked the person, who was demanding selfies with Shaw, to vacate the premises, he said. After this incident, Shaw and Yadav had dinner at the hotel.

But while they were stepping out of the place along with their friend, they saw the same person holding a baseball bat in hand. After they sat in their car, the accused attacked the windshield of the vehicle with the baseball bat. Sensing more trouble, Shaw was shifted to another car, while Yadav and others drove his vehicle to Oshiwara, he said.

Yadav saw three motorcycles and a white-coloured car chasing their vehicle. Around 4 am, those following him attacked his car when it was taking a U-turn near a petrol pump on Link Road. One of them slammed the baseball bat on the rear windshield.

The six motorcycle-borne persons and two others in the car, including a woman, abused Yadav and those accompanying him.

After that, Yadav took the car to Oshiwara police station. The eight accused also followed them there. The woman accused started arguing and threatened Yadav to pay Rs 50,000 to settle the matter or else she would lodge a false police complaint against them, the police official said.

After that, Yadav lodged a complaint against the accused.

Based on his complaint, the Oshiwara police registered a case against the eight accused under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 148 (rioting), 384 (extortion), 506 (criminal intimidation) and others, he said.

Investigation into the case is underway, the police official said.

RAIPUR: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has announced to launch of a foot march ‘Hindu Swabhiman Jagran Sant Padyatra’ in Chhattisgarh in support of their demand to make India a ‘Hindu Rashtra’. The ruling Congress party cited the move as ‘political’ questioning ‘why such a yatra was missing during the earlier 15-year rule of BJP’. 

According to the VHP’s plan, the yatra is set to begin on February 18 and will cover 700 km across Chhattisgarh in a month.

“It will start from four Shaktipeeth located in different areas of the state—Maa Mahamaya, Maa Chandrahasini, Maa Bambleswari and Maa Danteshwari. The yatra will pass through the 33 districts of the state and around 500 saints (priests) are expected to participate,” said a VHP functionary.

Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel responded to the VHP’s yatra and asked the participating ‘sadhu-sant’ to include in their itinerary, the temple of Mata Kaushalya (mother of Lord Rama), which his government has taken care of and renovated.

“They should also see the Ram Van Gaman Path (believed to have been undertaken by Ram during his exile) and the nine developed religious spots along this route that the state government has developed,” Baghel said as he questioned, “Why did the VHP not carry out the padayatra during the earlier BJP regimes in the state?.”

CM Baghel asserted that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is using all means to gain an advantage by activating their frontal organisations in the state but they have not been successful so far. “Now the VHP people along with sadhu-saints are arriving. It’s good. Let them also see our work and achievements,” he added.

“This padayatra is not intended for any electoral gain. We will also invite the Congressmen to join the yatra,” said Ghanshyam Choudhary, co-convenor of the padayatra.

The Congress party in Chhattisgarh alleged that such religious yatra at the behest of the RSS is based on its policy of “divide and rule” to secure power by spreading hate, violence and religious frenzy.

Krishnagiri (TN): An Indian Army soldier, who was severely thrashed by a DMK functionary and his accomplices, succumbed and six people have been arrested in connection with the crime, said police on Wednesday.

The 29-year-old Lance Naik M Prabhu was ambushed by Chinnaswamy and others and was brutally beaten up, they said.

He was admitted to hospital with grievous injuries and succumbed today.

On February 8, an altercation ensued between Prabhakaran and his brother Prabhu with the DMK functionary Chinnaswamy at Velampatti in Pochampally over washing clothes near the town panchayat’s water tank.

Later, in the evening, Prabhakaran and his brother were attacked allegedly by Chinnaswamy and his men. Prabhu was admitted to a private hospital in Hosur.

The Nagarasampatty police altered the case from IPC section 307 – attempt to murder to section 302 – murder.

“Chinnaswamy, a DMK councillor in Pochampally area, beat up an army soldier Prabhu to death @CMOTamilnadu must initiate appropriate action. As Akhil Bharatiya Poorva Sainik Seva Parishad senior vice president, I strongly condemn this act,” Lt Col N Thiagarajan tweeted.

BJP State chief K Annamalai expressed shock and anger over the incident and said in a tweet “soldiers are not safe in their hometown due to DMK anarchy. The DMK and its allied parties have turned to the extent of threatening their families, attacking and even killing soldiers who are protecting the country at the border, risking their lives.”

“Tamil Nadu’s chief minister is keeping the police in hands… I request on behalf of the BJP Tamil Nadu that strict action be taken against the killers immediately and that such anti-social acts should be prevented from happening,” he further said in a tweet.

Bengaluru: The family of a 51-year-old woman who was reported missing from Bengaluru since February 13, has informed that the lady has been found.

The woman, identified as Bilquees Fatima, was missing for three days. A police complaint in this regard was registered at JC Nagar Police Station in the city on Tuesday after the family said they were unable to trace her even after using all possible resources and through all avenues.

The woman had gone missing earlier as well, Bilquees’ brother Shais Ahmed had said. Requesting for help on a viral WhatsApp message, he had added that “last time she went missing, we had found her through the active support of the WhatsApp and social media community and we need your kind help once again.”

Shais had also shared a picture of his sister urging people to support him in finding the woman.

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has rejected the presumption of a Motor Accident Claims Tribunal that a man who is competent to drive a four wheeler cannot be expected to be incompetent to ride a two wheeler and allowed an insurance firm to recover money from an offending driver in an accident case.

The high court said it failed to appreciate as to how a person who can drive a four wheeler can be automatically presumed to be competent to ride a two wheeler as well.

“On the other hand, the skills required for driving a two wheeler are quite different from those required for driving a four wheeler. Driving a two wheeler would require balancing of the vehicle which would not at all be relevant for driving a commercial vehicle which is much larger in size.

“It appears that the trial court has failed to appreciate that under the Motor Vehicles Act, a light motor vehicle (LMV) and a two wheeler have been placed in two distinct categories. Merely because respondent no. 2 (driver) held a valid licence for a light motor vehicle could not imply that he was authorised or competent to drive a two wheeler,” Justice Rekha Palli said.

The judge said the presumption of the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) that a male who is competent to drive an LMV (commercial) could not be expected to be incompetent to drive a two wheeler, is in my view, wholly without any basis.

The high court set aside the award passed by the MACT where it had refused to grant recovery rights to the insurance company against the driver/ owner of a two-wheeler involved in an accident.

While rejecting the insurance company’s contention that it was not liable to pay anything as the rider was not holding a valid licence to drive the two wheeler, the MACT had said that a male person who is competent to drive an LMV cannot be expected to be incompetent in driving a two wheeler.

In an appeal filed before the high court against the order of the tribunal, the insurance company argued that in view of the unrebutted testimony of the record clerk from the Sarai Kale Khan Transport Authority here, it was clear that the driver did not have a valid licence to drive a two wheeler, and thus, the terms and conditions of the insurance policy stood breached.

The high court said it was evident that the offending vehicle, a motor cycle was being driven by a person who did not have a driving licence and therefore, it was a clear case where there was a breach of the terms and conditions of the insurance policy.

Consequently, the finding of the tribunal that the insurance firm was liable to pay the compensation is “unsustainable” and is set aside, it said.

New Delhi: A cash reward of Rs 15 lakh was announced by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday for information leading to the arrest of Canada-based gangster-turned-terrorist Lakhbir Singh Sandhu alias ‘Landa’, who is wanted in connection with terror cases in Punjab, officials said.

“A cash reward of Rs 15 lakh is announced for any information leading to arrest of Lakhbir Singh Sandhu alias ‘Landa’,” the official spokesperson of the agency said, adding the identity of the informer will be kept secret.

A resident of Tarn Taran in Punjab, Sandhu, believed to be residing in Edmonton in Alberta in Canada, is an absconder and is wanted by security agencies in a case related to the grenade attack on the Punjab Police intelligence headquarters in Mohali in 2022.

The NIA registered the case in 2022 after it emerged that terrorist outfits and terror elements based abroad were operating in tandem with leaders and members of organised criminal gangs in northern states of the country to commit targeted killings and violent criminal acts.

“It had emerged that the terror-gangster-drug smuggler network was also engaged in smuggling terrorist hardware such as arms, ammunition, explosives and IEDs across border through a widespread inter-state network of gunrunners, illegal arms and ammunition manufacturers and suppliers and explosive traffickers,” the spokesperson said.

The NIA has succeeded in getting Canada-based Arsh Dalla designated as an “individual terrorist” by the Ministry of Home Affairs on January 9 in a separate case.

The NIA has registered a general case that relates to terror activities of chiefs and members of proscribed terrorist organisations such as Khalistan Liberation Force, Babbar Khalsa International and International Sikh Youth Federation.

Their activities include smuggling of arms, ammunition, explosive and IEDs across international borders for use by operatives and members of terror outfits and organised criminal gangs for carrying out terrorist acts in Punjab.