Archives for April 2025

Hubballi (Karnataka): Three women were killed after the car they were travelling in crashed into a compound near Noolvi Cross in Hubballi on Saturday night, police said.

The deceased were residents of Lingaraj Nagar.

Two others, who were critically injured, have been admitted to a government hospital for treatment.

The women were travelling from Varur village towards Hubballi when the driver lost control near Noolvi Cross, hit the road divider, and then crashed into a compound.

The car was severely damaged in the accident.

A case has been registered, and investigation is underway.

Farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal

Chandigarh: Punjab farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal on Sunday ended his hunger strike which he had started on November 26 last year to press for various demands of agitating farmers including a legal guarantee on the minimum support price for crops.

The announcement came a day after Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Union Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu appealed to him to end his fast-unto-death.

Union Minister Bittu and Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema welcomed Dallewal’s decision.

At a ‘Kisan Mahapanchayat’ organised at the grain market in Sirhind in Fatehgarh Sahib district of Punjab, Dallewal said he had acceded to the request of the”sangat” to end his fast-unto-death and asserted that their fight for the legal guarantee on MSP for crops and other demands continues.

“You all have said (to me) to end the fast-unto-death. For me ‘sangat’ (people) is ‘rabb da roop’ (a form of God). I am indebted to you for looking after the agitation the way I had said. I respect your sentiments,” said Dallewal, who addressed the gathering from a stretcher.

“The ‘morcha’ (agitation) continues. Even today I do not want to end the indefinite fast but you have asked me time and again (to end fast) and I respect it. But I want an assurance that we will put up a stronger ‘morcha’. The fight is on. The MSP (guarantee) has to be taken and a bigger ‘morcha’ has to be put up. Do you agree on holding a bigger ‘morcha’,” he asked the gathering.

“The government is alert and it knows farmers can fight. The way you took care of the ‘morcha’, the government has seen it,” he said.

He asked those present to raise their hands in a show of support for the agitation. “Dear friends, your order is like a direction of God,” said Dallewal who was visibly emotional as the grain market reverberated with slogans of ‘Kisan Mazdoor Ekta Zindabad’ and ‘Sardar Jagjit Singh Dallewal Zindabad’.

Replying to questions from media persons, he later said farmer leaders will attend the meeting with the Centre on May 4.

“If we do not go to the meeting, then it (the government) will have an excuse that farmers did not come to put forth their demands,” he said.

Referring to the previous meetings with the central delegation, Dallewal claimed the government did not have any counter to their arguments made in support of their demands.

The development comes more than a fortnight after Punjab Police cracked down on agitating farmers, detaining their leaders in Mohali when they were returning from a meeting with a central delegation led by Agriculture Minister Chouhan in Chandigarh.

The March 19 meeting was organised to discuss the farmers’ demands, especially the MSP guarantee.

Police also evicted farmers and dismantled temporary structures from the Shambhu and Khanauri border points where the sit-ins were being held.

On Saturday, Union Minister Chouhan appealed to Dallewal to end his hunger strike.

In a post on X, he said, “The ongoing dialogue between the representatives of the Government of India and the representatives of farmers’ organisations regarding their demands is continuing.

“Farmer leader Shri Jagjit Singh Dallewal has now returned from hospital and we wish him a speedy recovery. We also request him to end his hunger strike and we will meet with the representatives of the farmers’ organisations for talks at 11 am on May 4 as per the already decided date.”

A similar appeal was made by Union minister Bittu on Saturday.

Punjab FM Cheema welcomed Dallewal’s announcement and said the farmer leader had been fighting against the BJP-led central government over their various demands.

Dallewal is a senior leader of a joint forum of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM), which were spearheading the agitation at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points in support of their various demands.

He began his indefinite hunger strike on November 26 last year to press the Centre to accept the farmers’ demands.

During his prolonged fast, his health had “deteriorated” but he continued to resist medical assistance until the government accepted farmers’ demands. A team of doctors had also been deployed at the Khanauri site to look after him.

His frail health had earlier drawn the attention of the Supreme Court, which had put the onus on the Punjab government officials and doctors to decide on his hospitalisation.

Even a Supreme Court-appointed high-powered committee, headed by former Punjab and Haryana High Court judge Justice Nawab Singh, had met Dallewal at the protest site, urging him to take medical aid.

After the Centre invited the farmer leaders for talks in January, Dallewal started taking medical aid at the Khanauri protest site but did not end his fast.

Dallewal, who is the president of Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta Sidhupur), hails from Dallewal village in Faridkot. Be it inadequate compensation for the acquisition of farmland, pending payment of farmers or cases of farmers’ suicides, Dallewal has been at the forefront of raising these issues.

He had earlier gone on fast in support of farmers’ issues in March 2018, January 2019, January 2021, November 2022 and June 2023.

Dallewal’s BKU (Ekta Sidhupur) was part of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha, which led the 2020 farmers’ stir against the now-repealed three central farm laws. But it broke away after SKM leader Balbir Singh Rajewal formed the Samyukta Samaj Morcha to fight the 2022 Punjab assembly polls.

Dallewal later formed the SKM (Non-political) by involving like-minded farmer leaders.

Mangaluru: The Mangaluru Women’s Police Station has arrested a man from Hejamady on charges of cheating a woman suffering from depression by sexually harassing her and deceiving her of Rs. 1 lakh under the pretext of treating her for black magic and spiritual afflictions.

The arrested accused has been identified as G. Abdul Karim alias Kulur Ustad, a resident of Guruvayankare.

According to police sources, in 2022, the victim was suffering from depression and, on the advice of her sister’s husband, had gone to the house of Ustad Abdul Karim, who was then residing in Hejamady. It is said that there, Abdul Karim, also known as Kulur Ustad, saw the woman and told her that someone had cast a spell on her, and that she needed to undergo a ritual to get rid of it.

Abdul Karim had allegedly asked the woman to visit frequently, promising to cure her of black magic. The woman visited him several times, often accompanied by her elder sister. She informed the police that he had recited verses from the Quran to her during these visits.

However, on February 10, 2022, she went alone as her elder sister had other commitments. During that visit, the Ustad recited the Quran to her but then allegedly molested her under the pretext of treatment and took ₹55,000 from her, according to the complaint she filed with the police.

The victim also alleged in her complaint to the police that Ustad deceived her by claiming that the cost of her treatment would increase each time she visited Hejamady. As a result, she was allegedly cheated out of approximately ₹1 lakh.

It has been learnt that there are multiple complaints against the man, alleging that he cheated and harassed several others in a similar manner, posing as a Ustad who could remove black magic. Reports suggest that he misled people into believing that they needed to follow his instructions to protect their families from black magic, and under this pretext, he also physically harassed them.

Balakrishna Nayak, Inspector of the Mangaluru Women’s Police Station, has registered a case in connection with the incident and is currently leading the investigation.

Mathura: A Canara Bank officer has been arrested for allegedly stealing nearly Rs 10 lakh from the donation boxes of the Thakur Banke Bihari temple in Vrindavan here, police on Sunday said.

The theft was uncovered after temple security monitoring CCTV footage observed the officer concealing bundles of cash in his clothing.

Police Circle Officer (Sadar) Sandeep Kumar said, “One Abhinav Saxena, son of Saket Saxena and a resident of Rampur, UP, currently residing in Mathura, was caught red-handed during the monthly counting of donations from 16 collection boxes on Saturday.”

Monitoring CCTVs, the temple security noticed Saxena, an official from the Canara Bank Mathura branch, concealing bundles of Rs 500 and Rs 200 notes in his pants.

When the alleged theft was spotted, temple authorities alerted the police, who frisked Saxena in front of witnesses and found on him Rs 1,28,600.

During interrogation, Saxena confessed to stealing over the previous two days an additional Rs 8,55,300, which was later recovered from his house in Ashoka City, Mathura.

“A case of theft and breach of trust has been registered based on a complaint filed by temple manager Munish Kumar Sharma. Saxena was arrested and presented before a magistrate, and has been sent to judicial custody in the district jail on Sunday,” said the officer.

The bank’s Vrindavan branch manager, Mohit Kumar, confirmed that Saxena, who had been transferred to the Mathura loan department after serving in the Vrindavan branch from 2020 to 2024, has been suspended with immediate effect.

The bank has also initiated its own internal investigation into the matter.

Jaipur: Barmer was the hottest place in Rajasthan on Sunday recording a maximum temperature of 45.6 degrees Celsius, 6.8 degrees above normal, the Jaipur Meteorological Center said.

Parts of Rajasthan witnessed scorching heat today. Jaisalmer recorded a high of 45.0 degrees Celsius, Chittorgarh 43.2 degrees, Jodhpur 43 degrees, Kota 42.4 degrees and Jalore 42 degrees.

Barmer saw a record breaking maximum temperature of 45.6 degrees in the first week of April. The highest temperature the city witnessed during this period was 45.2 degrees Celsius on April 3, 1998, a MeT department spokesperson said.

The heat wave prevailing in many parts of the state will intensify in the coming days, he said.

The temperature is likely to increase in the state by 3 to 4 degrees in the coming days. On Monday, the maximum temperature in some parts of southwestern Rajasthan is likely to settle around 44 to 45 degrees and 42 to 44 degrees in parts of eastern Rajasthan, he said.

BJD Chief Naveen Patnaik

Bhubaneswar: All doesn’t seem well within the opposition BJD headed by former chief minister Naveen Patnaik as senior leaders of the regional outfit voiced their objections following the party’s alleged change of stand over the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025 which was passed in Parliament recently.

While former minister Bhupinder Singh on Sunday described the prevailing situation in the BJD akin to ‘Kalabaishakhi’ (Nor’wester), party’s deputy leader in the Assembly and former MP Prasanna Acharya suspected the hand of some “external force” behind the party’s alleged decision not to oppose the Waqf Bill.

The rift seems to be gradually widening with the BJD rank and file denouncing the change of party’s stand which has put its secular credentials at stake.

However, Acharya defended the party’s stand, saying there might have been a change in the decision regarding the Bill, but the BJD continues to uphold its secular credentials.

He further explained, “Ours is a secular party, maintaining equal distance from both the NDA and the UPA. As a regional party, BJD supports or opposes any issue based on the interests of Odisha.”

Bhupinder Singh, also a former Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, acknowledged the discontent within the party over the Waqf Bill issue.

“There is discontent within the party, and we must accept it. However, our leader, Naveen Patnaik, is capable of handling the situation. This is just a temporary phase,”” Singh said, adding that Patnaik has always promoted communal harmony without religious discrimination.

The controversy began after Sasmit Patra, BJD’s leader in the Rajya Sabha, posted a message stating that party members were free to vote on the Waqf Bill based on their conscience.

This statement contradicted the party’s earlier decision, where the parliamentary party had resolved to oppose the Bill.

Acharya admitted that there has been widespread discussion within the party about who changed BJD’s stance and whether an “external force” is influencing the decision.

“Who is the force working for and against the party? All leaders are united in their view that such decisions should be made within the party forum, like the Parliamentary Party. The party will face problems if decisions are made by external forces,” he said.

Acharya expressed confidence that Patra was not the person who altered the party’s stance on the Waqf Bill.

“Let Patra return from his foreign tour. He has no authority to make such decisions. He should be following directions from someone. Everything will be clear once he speaks out about who directed him to change the party’s decision,” Acharya added.

He said discussions are ongoing within the party to identify those who might be operating behind the scenes, influencing critical decisions without the leadership’s knowledge.

Meanwhile, veteran Congress leader and former Leader of Opposition, Narasingha Mishra, alleged that someone else is making decisions for the BJD while Patnaik is effectively in “house arrest.”

Mishra claimed, “He is being controlled from behind the scenes by his chief advisor. This is not the first time he has been put in such a position.”

He also alleged a possible “deal” between the BJP and the BJD, suggesting it could explain the party’s shift in stance on the Waqf Bill.

Adding to the controversy, BJP MP Balabhadra Majhi predicted the eventual collapse of the BJD, saying, “The party has no ideology or guiding principles and is being driven by inexperienced leadership. It will soon vanish from the state’s political landscape.”

West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee

Kolkata, Apr 6 (PTI): West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose on Sunday hailed the Mamata Banerjee government for ensuring a peaceful Ram Navami in the state.

Bose said the previous experiences of “political mudslinging and violence” appeared distant during this year’s Ram Navami celebrations.

“In a first of sorts in recent memory and in several years, Ram Navami has passed off peacefully across the State of West Bengal. The concerted effort of all has paid off,” a statement issued by the Raj Bhavan said.

Bose said the state government and the political parties had joined hands to ensure that Ram Navami was celebrated in a joyful manner.

“Governor Bose thanked the people, above all, for responding to his appeal over the last few days to celebrate Shri Ram Navami with the dignity it deserves,” the statement said.

“The Chief Minister and the government made a comprehensive plan and deployed an adequate number of security forces. The mechanism put in place is on high alert. The administrative drive and competence were on full display as it was a great success for everyone to ensure that people celebrated the festival in an atmosphere of joy and peace,” it added.