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Kolkata: Former India cricket captain Sourav Ganguly on Monday admitted he has received a death threat from an unnamed source.
“I got the letter couple of days back. I have informed the police about the same,” the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) President said.
The iconic batsman was scheduled to go to Midnapore district in West Bengal for Vidyasagar University’s programme on January 19.
The letter, it was learnt, advised him to refrain from visiting the area.
(IANS)
New Delhi: The Election Commission has issued show cause notice to BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj for his remarks that those who talk of four wives and 40 children are responsible for population problem, saying prima facie he has violated the model code of conduct.
He has been given time till tomorrow morning to file his reply as to why no action should be taken against him.
The Commission notice issued last night said prima facie he has violated the model code which came into force on January 4 following announcement of assembly polls in five states, including Uttar Pradesh.
It said read in entirety, his remarks “have effect of promoting enmity between classes of society…”
Speaking at a sant sammelan in Meerut last week, Sakshi Maharaj had said, “Desh mein samasyaein khadi ho rahi hain jansankhya ke karan. Uske liye Hindu zimmedar nahin hain Zimmedar toh wo hain jo chaar biwion aur chalees bachchon ki baatein karte hain.”
(There are problems in the country because of the growth of population. Hindus are not responsible for that. Those responsible are the ones who talk of four wives and 40 children.)
He also said that the money earned from cattle slaughter was being used to fund terrorism.
The BJP MP’s remarks come days after the Supreme Court ruled that political parties and candidates can’t seek votes in the name of religion or caste and ahead of the first phase of polling in Uttar Pradesh on February 11.
(Agencies)
New Delhi: The Election Commission has asked the poll machinery in the five poll-bound states to either cover or remove photographs of political leaders on all hoardings and advertisements which seek to project the achievements of any living political functionary or political party.
The commission gave these fresh directions by reiterating its instructions issued on December 12, 2004 after the chief electoral officer of Goa raised the issue after the election schedule was announced on January 4. The poll watchdog said photos in advertisements or hoardings of similar type should also be removed or “covered suitably” so that spirit of its instructions is fully complied with.
It, however, made it clear that hoardings put up by the government which convey general message to the masses on family planning or social welfare schemes “may be allowed to be displayed”. “However, all those hoardings, advertisements which seek or purport to project the achievements of any living political functionary or political party and which carry their photos or name or party symbol should be removed forthwith…
“…No political party or functionary can use public resources and incur or authorise expenditure from public exchequer to eulogise himself or itself or enhance his/its own or any political leader’s image,” it said.
The poll panel made it clear that such images or hoardings “undoubtedly amount to their individual/party election campaign at public cost”. Between February 4 and March 8, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur are going for Assembly polls and the Model Code of Conduct came into force on January 4 when the schedule was announced.
(Agencies)
Dharwad: Expressing concern over increasing sexual assaults against women in Indian cities, first female Jagadguru Mate Mahadevi has urged the girls not to wear provocative dresses and avoid roaming in the night freely.
A female spiritual leader and president of Basava Dharma Peetha, Mate Mahadevi, said on Saturday that there had been an increase in sexual assaults against women as “girls roam in the night freely.”
Reacting to the molestation of girls during the New Year’s Eve celebrations in Bengaluru, the spiritual head of Lingayat community said that it was not right on the part of girls to behave “provocatively” wearing skimpy dresses on the pretext of New Year’s Eve celebrations. “Such conduct is an invitation to sexual perverts,” she said.
Mahadevi, who is also the president of Basava Dharma Peetha, said that in order to prevent such instances in future, girls should cover themselves up and a dress code should be introduced for them in colleges.
“Women are partly responsible for rapes against them and so is society. Porn movies too play a role. Therefore, a dress code on the lines of one in Arab countries should be introduced for women in India,” she said.
(Agencies)
Kolkata/New Delhi: Flaying the Centre over demonetisation, the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress on Monday launched a three-day countrywide protest demanding removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to “save the country”.
Terming as “flop show” Modi’s November 8 decision of spiking Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes, Trinamool supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Banerjee said the party will hold demonstrations in Odisha, Punjab, Bihar, Manipur, Tripura, Assam and Jharkhand, besides West Bengal and the national capital.
“Trinamool Congress is organising nationwide protest against Modi Babu’s shameless flop-show,” Banerjee said in Kolkata.
Banerjee, who has been demanding a rollback of demonetisation, also called for removal of restrictions on the withdrawal of cash from banks and ATMs.
Holding placards with slogan “Modi Hatao Desh Bachao” (remove Modi, save the country), some 35 Trinamool MPs demonstrated in the national capital calling for setting up of a “National Government” at the Centre.
“Even after two months of the draconian decision, countless people across the country continue to suffer, while over a 100 people have lost their lives.
“Modi’s removal is a must to save the country. A National Government should be formed at the Centre,” Trinamool MP Sultan Ahmed said.
Banerjee on January 6 called for President Pranab Mukherjee’s intervention to “save the country” and mooted a National Government headed by BJP veteran L.K. Advani or Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley or Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
(IANS)
New Delhi: Chennai and Bengaluru have once again retained the dubious distinction of being the suicide capitals of the country, even as the metro cities recorded a minor increase in incidents of people taking their lives.
While Chennai has reported a slight increase, suicides in Bengaluru, Delhi and Mumbai have shown a drop.
According to the Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India 2015 published last week, 53 metro cities, which have a population of more than 10 lakh, reported 19,665 suicides in the country as against 19,597 in 2014.
“The number of suicides in 53 mega cities shows a mixed trend during 2012 to 2015. It shows an increasing trend from 2012 (19,120) to 2013 (21,313). However, a decline of 8.1% is seen in 2014 over 2013. A steep rise of 11.5% was observed in 2013 over 2012,” the report stated.
An analysis of the figures showed that Chennai had the highest incidents of 2,274 suicides in 2015 as against 2,214 in 2014, a 2.7% increase.
However, suicides in Bengaluru had a 2.7 decline — from 1,906 to 1,855 — while Delhi had 1,553, down from 1,847, which was a decrease of 15.9%. Mumbai, which is the fourth in the table, had 1,122 suicides, a decrease of 6.2%.
The IT capital Bengaluru (87) and financial capital Mumbai (86), where a number of people migrate for jobs, recorded the highest number of suicides due to unemployment.
Only Bhopal was ahead of these cities with 173 suicides due to joblessness. Meerut (86) and Pune (83) were other toppers, while Chennai had 41 and Delhi 19 such cases.
Major causes
According to the report, family problems (other than marriage-related issues) were major reasons behind suicides in the cities, accounting for 34% (6,682), followed by illnesses at 17.2% (3,379). However, 1,019 victims have committed suicide in cities due to marriage-related issues, accounting for 5.2% of the total suicides in the cities.
While Chennai had the highest number (870) of suicides due to family problems, Bengaluru was a close second at 815. Those who committed suicide due to an illness was also high — Chennai (448) and Bengaluru (229).
In these four cities, 186 people committed suicide due to bankruptcy, while another 146 took their life due to unemployment and 21 due to poverty. Chennai had 154 suicides due to bankruptcy, while Bengaluru had 21, Mumbai (6) and Delhi (5).
Bengaluru also topped the list among the four cities in suicides over love affairs at 73, followed by Chennai (61), Delhi (39) and Mumbai (30).
(Agencies)
Bengaluru: Bengaluru police have cracked one of molestation cases that rocked the city and discovered that the culprit Irshad Khan, had staged the molestation drama with the intention of marrying his sister-in-law.
Footage from a CCTV camera showed a man stalking a burqa-clad woman walking towards a bus-stop on a deserted road on Friday morning. Another video, later in the day, showed wounds on her lips, tongue, hand and toes as she tried to resist the alleged molester.
Deputy commissioner of police (east division) Ajay Hilori said investigators found that it was a set-up. The alleged stalker is the woman’s brother-in-law and he plotted the incident meticulously because her parents were trying to marry her off.
The duo is in a relationship and decided to stage the molestation because she wouldn’t be able to find a match then. The accused thought he could then convince his wife to let him marry her sister,” the officer said.
The idea came after watching television channels that aired footage from a surveillance camera of a woman being molested by two men riding a two-wheeler in the Kammanahalli area of the city on New Year’s Eve.
Hilori said the accused surveyed the area for cameras and staged the incident.
(Agencies)
Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government on Monday sought a compensation of Rs 2,480 crore from Karnataka for not releasing water to the state despite getting a Supreme Court directive to do so. The apex court in its sitting on Monday has ordered both the Tamil Nadu and the Karnataka governments to file a list of witnesses within a week. It also said that the details of witnesses affidavit should also be listed within four weeks. However, the apex court on January 4 announced to continue the hearing of the Cauvery water issue on February 7.
A bench of the Supreme Court headed by Justice Dipak Misra and comprising Justice Amitava Roy and Justice A M Khanwilkar extended the interim order in the water issue, directing Karnataka to release 2,000 cusecs of Cauvery water per day to Tamil Nadu, till the next order.
The lawyer from the side of Tamil Nadu Shekhar Naphade urged the three-judge bench to bring the matter to a logical end for which there should be continuous hearing. The apex court mentioned that the hearings would go on for three weeks at 2 p.m. daily from February 7 onwards so that the issue could be resolved and the appeal would be finalised.
Earlier, on December 9, the apex court upheld its constitutional power and right to hear appeals filed by Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala, against the 2007 Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal final award.
(Agencies)
New Delhi: Credit and debit cards will continue to be accepted at petrol pumps even after January 13 without customers having to pay transaction charges, the government said today.
Banks and oil companies are in discussions as to who should bear these charges, it said a day after averting a crisis that would have hit millions of people as oil pump owners threatened to stop taking card payments.
“Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) charges will be levied as per RBI guidelines but who will take the hit? Banks, oil marketing companies are discussing,” Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan told reporters after meeting Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on the issue.
“We had assured yesterday also that since retail outlets, petrol pump owners work as commission agents, we will not pass on the cost to them,” he said.
Petrol pump operators had yesterday threatened to stop accepting card payments after banks said the transaction charges of up to 1 per cent will have to be borne by them. The crisis was averted after banks agreed not to insist on transaction charges for five more days, leading to pumps owners deferring their plans till January 13.
Pradhan said the government stands by its decision that customers using non-cash digital modes of payments will not have to pay any transaction charge. Also, the 0.75 per cent discount on fuel rate for using digital payments will continue.
“Banks and oil marketing companies (OMCs) are discussing the issue. In the coming days a mechanism will be worked out under which customers or petrol pump owners will not bear the cost,” he said.
Pradhan said the government had in February last year issued a circular saying customers will not have to bear the MDR charges on digital transactions so as to help the country move towards digital transaction and less cash economy.
“Government will ensure implementation of that decision,” he said. “In the coming days whatever digital transactions happens especially in petrol pumps, the burden will not be passed on to customers.”
When a card payment is made using a POS machine, service charges are levied. All stakeholders are discussing who will bear these, he said.
Pradhan said the Reserve Bank of India has come out with a circular on the amount of MDR to be charged for transactions below Rs 1,000, those between Rs 1,000 and Rs 2,000 and those above Rs 2,000.
Asked if petrol pumps will continue to accept card payments after January 13, he said, “They will accept cards. I want to assure the people of the country who want to do digital transactions in petrol pumps, they will continue to do so.”
With OMCs already facing Rs 5,000 crore hit from having to bear 0.75 per cent discount on fuel sold using digital modes, Pradhan said the numbers are “fictional”.
“It (Levying MDR charges on card transactions) is a business model between banks and OMCs. They will decide who will take how much cost,” he said. “Government will not bear the cost.”
Card payments involve 2/3 players — payment gateways, POS machine provider and banks/merchandise outlet. “All these have their own share in the MDR charges. After negotiations, it will be decided to what extent the MDR charges can be brought down that we are discussing,” he said.
Pradhan said people can use cards for fuel purchases even after January 13. “0.75 per cent cash back incentive that we have given to customers will also continue.”
“It will be resolved before January 13. Bargaining and negotiations are going on. An amicable solution will be worked out,” he said.
(Agencies)
