Nasheman

India's largest selling Urdu weekly, now also in English

You are here: Home / Archives for News & Politics / India

60 per cent turnout till 1 PM in Bengal

by

(AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

(AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Kolkata: Amid reports of stray incidents of violence in some pockets, an estimated 60 per cent voters today exercised their franchise till 1 PM in 31 assembly constituencies in three districts of West Bengal in part two of the first phase of election.

Election Commission officials here said an average 60 per cent polling was recorded in Bankura, West Midnapore and Burdwan districts till 1 PM as people queued outside polling booths since morning to cast their votes.

West Midnapore recorded 65 per cent turnout, Bankura 57.6 per cent and Burdwan 56.7 per cent, officials said.

A large number of people lined up in front of the polling booths even before 7 AM when voting began to beat the sweltering heat as day temperatures are above 40 degrees C due to a heatwave.

Sporadic incidents of violence were reported from polling booths in Jamuria Assembly constituency in Burdwan.

A CPI(M) agent was injured after he was allegedly beaten up by Trinamool Congress workers and obstructed from entering a polling booth in Jamuria. TMC denied the allegation.

Two bags containing bombs were found near a polling booth in Jamuria by police.

Polling was disrupted for some time at a booth in Pandaveswar constituency in Burdwan district when a polling officer Parimal Bauri died of heart attack. Voting resumed after another officer took charge.

Seven EVMs were found to be malfunctioning at Barjora, two at Bankura and three at Chatna constituency before polling began in Bankura district. The EVMs were replaced quickly.

One EVM developed problem during voting at Chatna which was also replaced.

Surjya Kanta Mishra, CPI-M state secretary and sitting MLA from Narayangarh seat was among the early voters.

Repoll in two booths of Bankura and West Midnapore districts, where polling was held in the first part of the first phase poll on April 4, is also being held today.

(Agencies)

Temple fire: One booked for violating licence norms

by

(Photo via AP)

(Photo via AP)

Kollam: One person, who had allegedly stored crackers and fireworks ten times more than the permit, was today booked by police in connection with the Puttingal Devi Temple fire tragedy here.

Attingal police said they have registered a case against the licensee, Surendran, who had stored about 150 kgs of crackers and fireworks material at the storehouse without valid permission.

Surendran had license to store only about 15 kg, police said. “It is a clear violation of license. So far no arrests have been made,” police said.

Meanwhile, forensic experts, police and fireforce took evidence from the accident spot.

In one of the worst tragedies to hit Kerala, 100 people were killed and 383 injured in the major fire that engulfed the 100-year-old Puttingal Devi Temple complex near here during a display of fireworks, for which no permission had been granted by the authorities.

(Agencies)

Women’s entry in Shani temple will lead to rapes: Shankaracharya

by

Shankaracharya

Haridwar: Dwaraka-Sharda Peeth Shankaracharya Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati has held the worship of the “unworthy” Shirdi Sai Baba by his followers responsible for a drought-like situation in Maharashtra.

The seer, who is known for his bitter opposition to Hindus worshipping Shirdi’s Sai Baba, has made this remark on Sunday during a fortnight-long visit to Haridwar.

According to the Dwaraka seer, worshipping Sai Baba, a ‘fakir’, as if he were a god was ‘inauspicious’.

“Calamity strikes where those unworthy of worship are worshipped,” the Shankaracharya was quoted as saying in a report by Times of India.

In support of his claim, the Dwaraka-Sharda Peeth Shankaracharya also quoted scriptures to emphasise that “such places suffer drought, flood, death or fear”

Maharashtra is facing all of these, he concluded.

The 94-year-old seer also expressed his opinion on the Shani temple row and said that women should not have entered the sanctum sanctorum of the Shani Shingnapur temple as “it will bring bad luck to them”.

“Shani is a planet of sins. Worshipping him will lead to a rise in crime against women,” he added.

Women entered Shani temple inner sanctum, due to this, incidents of rapes will increase further, Shankaracharya Swaroopanand was quoted as saying by ANI.

The Dwaraka seer had on many occasions in past disapproved worshipping Sai Baba.

In 2014, he had said the “mystic who was no god” should not be worshipped, and asked his devotees to remove his photographs and idols from temples where “Sai Baba gets pride of place with Hindu deities”.

Sai Baba of Shirdi, also known as Shirdi Sai Baba, was an Indian spiritual master who is regarded by his devotees as a saint.

He is revered by both his Hindu and Muslim devotees. But most of the devotees treat him as an incarnation of God and worship him.

(Agencies)

Shoe hurled at Arvind Kejriwal, attacker detained

by

Arvind Kejriwal shoe

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal came to inform the public about the second phase of the odd-even vehicle rationing scheme from April 15 to 30, and instead, almost took a shoe hit.

The shoe thrower, identified as Ved Prakash, has been detained for questioning and is reportedly a member of the Aam Aadmi Sena.

Incidents of shoes being thrown at politicians are not new.

In India, in April 2009, Jarnail Singh, a journalist with a national daily then, had hurled a shoe at then Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram in protest against his remarks on the clean chit given to Congress leaders in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case.

Today, Singh is a legislator of the AAP.

Earlier, on December 14, 2008, during a press conference in Baghdad, Iraq, an Iraqi journalist Muntadhar al-Zaidi threw both of his shoes at then United States president George W. Bush. Bush ducked in time and avoided being hit by either of the shoes.

Al-Zaidi was subsequently grabbed, kicked and hurried out of the room by former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s guards.

(ANI)

Mallya skips ED third time in a row, seeks time till May

by

Vijay Mallya. Photo: Reuters

Vijay Mallya. Photo: Reuters

New Delhi: Beleaguered businessman Vijay Mallya will not be presenting himself before the Enforcement Directorate investigators for the third time today as he sought time till May to depose before it in connection with a money laundering probe in the over Rs 900 crore IDBI loan fraud case.

Officials said Mallya has informed the Investigating Officer (IO) of the case in Mumbai that he will be unable to depose personally as scheduled today citing the ongoing legal proceedings going in the Supreme Court over settlement of loans.

However, it is understood that the liquor baron has suggested his legal team can help ED in taking the probe forward.

Sources did not immediately comment as to what next step the agency will take now as he has sought time till May, a request he made to the IO last week too and which was turned down.

“The next action will be decided in due course,” they said. The agency had issued fresh summons last week to Mallya asking him to appear on April 9 after he sought two extensions from the earlier dates of March 18 and April 2 citing official reasons.

Officials had, however, earlier said that the agency has by and large two options in case an accused skips appearance on summons thrice, the maximum time allowed under PMLA.The options include revoking his or her passport and/or getting issued a non-bailable warrant.

ED officials had earlier hinted that the April 9 summons could possibly be the last to Mallya.The IO of the case had allowed his plea to postpone his appearance till now, they said, both on technical and legal grounds.

It is understood that Mallya, while seeking extensions, had informed the IO that cases related to bank loans were currently sub-judice in the Supreme Court and he was trying to settle these loans with the help of his legal and corporate team and, hence, would require some more time.

Mallya was first summoned by the agency to “appear in person” at its office in Mumbai on March 18 but he sought more time citing his prior engagements, following which the agency asked him to depose on April 2.

Mallya, who is facing legal proceedings for alleged default of loans worth over Rs 9,000 crore from various banks, was also directed by the Supreme Court to disclose all assets owned by him and his family in India and abroad by April 21.

The Supreme Court also sought to know when he will appear before the apex court. The directions by the apex court came after a consortium of banks led by State Bank of India “unanimously rejected” his proposal to pay Rs 4,000 crore by September towards settlement of his loans.

The bench agreed with the consortium that Mallya’s presence was necessary in the country to show his bona fides that he was serious about settling his dues. He is reported to be in the UK after he left India on March 2.

The ED has registered a money laundering case against Mallya and others based on an FIR registered last year by the CBI. The agency is also investigating financial structure of the now defunct Kingfisher Airlines and looking into any payment of kickbacks to secure loans.

(PTI)

Teenager in rash driving case charged with culpable homicide

by

Mercedes

New Delhi: The 17-year-old boy who allegedly knocked dead a man with his father’s Mercedes in Civil Lines here has now been charged with culpable homicide considering his past record of negligent driving, police said today.

“On examination of CCTV footage, the possibility of knowledge to the accused juvenile offender that his extremely fast driving in a residential area can cause a death cannot be ruled out,” DCP (North) Madhur Verma said.

“Further, during investigation it emerged that it was not the first offence of rash and negligent driving by this accused juvenile. In the past too he was found driving in a rash and negligent way, thereby causing a road accident with another vehicle,” he said. Last year, the minor was also challaned thrice — for over-speeding in April and June and wrong parking in February.

“In view of these facts, the death of Siddharth Sharma is a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder and, hence, section 304 of IPC has been added in the FIR,” said Verma.The last time Delhi Police booked someone under culpable homicide in such a matter was in the Sanjeev Nanda BMW case 17 years ago, a senior official said.

On January 10, 1999, six persons, including three policemen, were killed by a speeding BMW car allegedly driven by Nanda in the wee hours in south Delhi’s Lodhi Colony area.Similar stand was also taken by Mumbai Police in the Salman Khan case.

Delhi Police yesterday arrested the juvenile’s father, an Old Delhi-based businessman who lives with his family at a posh apartment in Civil lines area, under Sections 109/304 (abetment to culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of IPC.

“There has not been a single step taken by the father of the accused in prohibiting him from taking the vehicle. This is an act of criminal omission, thereby abetting the crime of the said juvenile,” the official said.

Meanwhile, the investigating officer of the case was also changed after the victim Siddharth Sharma’s sister met Delhi Police Commissioner Alok Kumar Verma yesterday and urged him to take strict action against the perpetrators.

The incident took place on Monday when Sharma was trying to cross a road near Ludlow Castle School in Civil Lines and the speeding Mercedes hit him.

The car was being driven at a speed of at least 80 km per hour and Sharma was flung several feet into the air by the impact of the crash and landed around 15 metres away from where he stood. After the incident, a group of youths stepped out of the vehicle and fled the spot, abandoning the car there.

(PTI)

Rahul slams Modi for silence on probe into Panama Papers

by

Rahul-Gandhi

Kamalpur: Congress Vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Friday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of making ‘big promises’ on bringing back black money and asked him to explain why he has not instituted a probe into the matter of the Chattisgarh chief minister’s son’s name featuring in the ‘Panama Papers’.

“The Panama Papers have been leaked and many names have been mentioned about black money kept in Panama. It has also mentioned that Chattisgarh chief minister’s son Abhishek Singh has account in Panama,” Gandhi said while addressing a Congress poll rally here for the second phase of Assam Assembly election on April 11.

“Modi makes big promises to you about bringing back black money kept abroad. He should have at least said why no investigation has been ordered into the featuring of the chief minister’s son name in them,” Gandhi said. He said he had asked Modi in Parliament why former IPL chief Lalit Modi, who had escaped from the country, had not been brought back.

“Modiji did not utter one word in response.” Claiming that the Modi government was not taking action against black money hoarders, Gandhi said, “Recently Jaitley brought a new ‘Fair and Lovely scheme’ whereby any gangster, goon, drug dealer can make their black money white by just taking it to the government and paying minimal tax on it.”

Modi, he said, only made false promises during Lok Sabha elections about bringing back black money. “None of the Indians have received the Rs 15 lakh of that money in their bank accounts as assured by Modi.”

Addressing another election rally at Dhamdhama, the Congress Vice President said this time two parties with diametrically opposite ideologies were contesting in the Assam Assembly elections.

“Congress believes in working for peace and development with feelings of brotherhood. On the other side is the BJP, RSS which indulge in divisive politics and talk only about violence, make one Indian fight with another Indian, Hindus with Muslims”, Rahul said.

Stating that 15 years ago when BJP’s present poll alliance partner AGP was in power in the state and the saffron party was at the Centre, he said, “there was only sad news, violence till Congress came and restored the peace”.

(Agencies)

After men barge in, Shani temple trust allows women to enter inner sanctum

by

Shani Shingnapur

Nashik: Shani Shingnapur temple trust has decided to lift restriction on women from entering the sanctum sanctorum soon after over 100 male devotees brazenly stormed into sanctum sanctorum on the occasion of Gudi Padwa on Friday, according to reports.

Bhoomata Brigade activists who had forced entry into the inner sanctum of the temple were assaulted and prevented by villagers even after Bombay High Court had backed the activists’ right to enter the temple’s sanctum.

Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis also had assured that the court’s order will be implemented in true spirit.

Details are awaited.

(PTI/Agencies)

Panama Papers: Congress wants removal of Amitabh from ‘Save Tiger Project’

by

Amitabh Bachchan

New Delhi: With actor Amitabh Bachchan’s name figuring in the Panama Papers leaks, the opposition Congress in Maharashtra on Thursday sought his ouster as state’s ambassador for the ‘Save Tiger project’ even as a BJP MLA objected to the ‘vilification campaign’ against the Bollywood megastar.

“Till Bachchan gets a clean chit in the Panama Papers case, he should be removed as tiger brand ambassador as well as from advisory panel on the development of part of the Bandra Kurla Complex as International Finance and Services Centre,” the Leader of Opposition Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil said while raising the issue in Lower House.

Incidentally, Bachchan visited Mantralaya on Thursday to attend a meeting of the panel.

“It would be improper if Bachchan continues to occupy the two posts especially when his name has allegedly figured in the Panama Papers,” the opposition leader said.

The Papers are a leaked set of 11.5 million confidential documents that provide detailed information about more than 214,000 offshore companies listed by corporate services provider Mossack Fonseca.

“Bachchan should be removed from the two posts till the inquiry launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in this regard is complete,” the opposition leader said.

BJP MLA Yogesh Sagar objected to the ‘vilification campaign’ against a star of Bachchan’s repute.

Bachchan, whose name figured in the leaks as allegedly having links with offshore entities in two tax havens, had already denied any connection with those companies, saying his name may have been “misused”.

“I do not know any of the companies referred to by Indian Express – Sea Bulk Shipping Company Ltd, Lady Shipping Ltd, Treasure Shipping Ltd, and Tramp Shipping Ltd. I have never been a director of any of the above-stated companies. It is possible that my name has been misused,” he had stated after the Indian Express newspaper broke the story.

(Agencies)

Statements of witnesses in Malegaon blasts case go missing

by

Malegaon

Mumbai: Confessional statements of some witnesses in the 2008 Malegaon blasts case are reported to be “missing” from the special MCOCA court here, prompting the authorities to mount a search for those.

The issue came to light earlier this week when staff of the special court approached former Special Public Prosecutor Rohini Salian to inquire about whether she had with her some of the confessional statements of witnesses in the case.

“I was surprised when such a query was made to me. The court staff asked whether I had confessional statements of six or seven crucial witnesses recorded before a magistrate.

“I conveyed that all documents had been handed over to the new Special Public Prosecutor Avinash Rasal in presence of NIA officers and, in any case, the originals were in the court records only,” Salian said.

The witnesses whose statements have gone missing include those of a close aide of Ramji Kalsangra who had “confessed” before a magistrate about the criminal conspiracy hatched to plant explosives in Malegaon in Maharashtra.

Two low-intensity explosions in Malegaon on September 29, 2008, had left seven people dead. The Maharashtra police’s Anti Terrorist Squad, which investigated the case before it was handed over to CBI and later to NIA in 2011, arrested a dozen odd accused, including self-styled Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur and serving Indian Army officer Lt Col Srikant Purohit.

Rasal, however, contended that the files were not missing and said, “They may have been misplaced and we are looking for them.

“You see, this case is being heard in various courts including Supreme Court of the country. There is a possibility that it could have been misplaced and it will be found,” he said.

If Worse comes to worst and the statements are not found, the NIA will take the permission of the court and lead the xerox copies of the same statements as “secondary evidence”.

Salian, however, contended that statements recorded under 164 are always primary evidence and the files going missing could have a bearing on the case.

(PTI)

KNOW US

GET INVOLVED

PROMOTE

Archives