Imphal : The Manipur government has ordered a magisterial probe into the looting of arms from an India Reserve Battalion (IRB) camp at Chingarel in Imphal East district on February 13 to “ascertain the facts and circumstances leading to the incident”.

An order issued by the Home Department on Sunday said “an unfortunate incident occurred on February 13 in which a mob mostly youths stormed the camp of 5th IRB located at Chingarel Tezpur and snatched away arms and ammunition leading to a confrontation between mob and security forces involving exchange of fire at the spot.”

As per the order, District Magistrate Imphal East Khumanthem Diana has been appointed as the Enquiry authority to “ascertain facts and circumstances” leading to the incident and to “suggest remedial measures to avoid recurrence of such incidents in the future.”

The enquiry report is to be submitted to the government in 30 days from the date of issue of the order.

Six persons were arrested by police for their involvement in the looting of arms incident. Seven IRB personnel were also suspended.

Police have so far recovered four Insas rifles, one AK Ghatak 2, magazines of SLR and sixteen small boxes of 9mm ammunition suspected to be looted from the IRB camp.

The Manipur government on Sunday had also ordered a magisterial inquiry in connection with a recent mob violence in Churachandpur district over the action taken against a policeman.

At least two people were killed and 30 injured in firing by security forces on February 15, after a mob barged into a government complex housing the deputy commissioner and superintendent of police offices, torched vehicles and ransacked property, hours after the suspension of a head constable.

“The state government is of the opinion that it is necessary to institute a magisterial inquiry to ascertain facts and circumstances leading to the crimes/violence/vandalism/arson of seditious nature and loss of lives, intimidation and threats to the lives of the DC and SP, Churachandpur…” an official order said.

The probe would “ascertain the facts and circumstances leading to loss of lives and properties” and “suggest remedial measures to avoid recurrence of such incidents in the future”, it said.

Head constable Siamlalpaul was placed under suspension after a purported video of him with “armed men” went viral on social media.

The inquiry report should be submitted within 30 days, the order said.

Chandigarh: A panel of three Union ministers on Sunday proposed the buying of pulses, maize, and cotton crops by government agencies at minimum support prices for five years after entering into an agreement with farmers.

Speaking to the media after a more than four-hour-long meeting with farmer leaders here, Union Minister Piyush Goyal said the “innovative” and “out-of-the-box” idea came up during the discussions.

The minister said the farmer leaders will decide on the proposals put forward by the government by Monday morning.

“Cooperative societies like the NCCF (National Cooperative Consumers Federation) and NAFED (National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India) will enter into a contract with those farmers who grow ‘tur dal’, ‘urad dal’, ‘masoor dal’ or maize for buying their crop at MSP for next five years,” said Goyal.

“There will be no limit on the quantity (purchased) and a portal will be developed for this,” he added.

It will save Punjab’s farming, improve the groundwater table, and save the land from getting barren which is already under stress, Goyal, the Minister of Commerce and Industry, said.

He also proposed that the Cotton Corporation of India buy cotton from farmers at a minimum support price (MSP) for five years after entering into a legal agreement with them.

“We also want the cotton crop to be revived in Punjab. Whosoever farmer revives cotton or sows it, the CCI will enter into a legal agreement and whatever crop comes from the field through diversification will be bought for five years at MSP,” said Goyal.

A panel of Union ministers held the fourth round of talks with farmer leaders here on Sunday over their demands, including a legal guarantee of MSP, as thousands of protesting farmers were camping at the Punjab-Haryana border.

Goyal, along with Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Minister Arjun Munda, and Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai reached the Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration in Sector 26 for the talks.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann also joined the meeting.

The Union ministers and farmer leaders had met earlier on February 8, 12 and 15 but the talks remained inconclusive.

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will not appear before the Enforcement Directorate on Monday for questioning in a money laundering case linked to the Delhi excise policy, the AAP said.

Terming the agency’s sixth summons to its national convener as “illegal”, the party said that the ED should wait for the court’s decision instead of repeatedly sending summonses to Kejriwal.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had approached a city court after Kejriwal skipped multiple summonses.

On Saturday, the court had granted exemption to Kejriwal from personal appearance for the day in connection with the complaint filed by the central agency.

The application moved by Kejriwal’s counsel stated that the Budget Session of the Delhi assembly has commenced on February 15 and shall continue till the first week of March.

He will physically appear before the court on the next date of hearing on March 16, it said.

Chennai : The Tamil Nadu government on Monday presented its budget for the year 2024-25, premising the exercise on the “7 grand Tamil dream,” that included social justice and women’s welfare at the core.

Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu presented the budget and made a slew of announcements.

This included the “Kalaignarin Kanavu Illam,” a housing scheme named after the late DMK patriarch and former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi. As per the scheme, 8 lakh concrete houses will be constructed in rural areas across the state to make it ‘hut-free’ by 2030, he said.

Social justice, welfare of the marginalised, making Tamil youth global achievers were among the 7 goals, Thennarasu said in his budget speech.

Among others, he announced allocating Rs 300 crore in budget for civic amenities including roads for areas nearby city corporations.

Thennarasu said the state has made very significant progress in poverty reduction through its welfare schemes.

The NITI Aayog has said that people below poverty line in Tamil Nadu was only about 2.2 per cent, he added.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the notices issued by the privileges committee of the Lok Sabha Secretariat to the West Bengal chief secretary, DGP and others over a complaint of “misconduct” filed against them by BJP MP Sukanta Majumdar.

Majumdar sustained injuries last week as BJP workers clashed with police personnel after being stopped from going to violence-hit Sandeshkhali in West Bengal.

A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and justices JB Pardiwla and Manoj Misra took note of the submissions of senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for the state officials, and stayed the notices issued seeking their presence at 10.30 am on Monday.

The counsel for the Lok Sabha secretariat opposed the grant of stay by the top court, saying this is the first sitting of the privileges committee.

“They are not being accused of anything. This is a regular process. Once an MP sends a notice and the speaker thinks there is something to look into then notices are issued,” the counsel said.

West Bengal Chief Secretary Bhagwati Prasad Gopalika and Director General of Police (DGP) Rajeev Kumar were summoned by the Lok Sabha Secretariat to appear on Monday.

The bench issued notices to the Lok Sabha Secretariat and others and sought their responses in four weeks and in the meanwhile stayed the proceedings before the panel of the lower House.

The MP and others were stopped from entering Sandeshkhali, where women have been agitating over alleged atrocities committed against them by Trinamool Congress leader Shajahan Sheikh and his aides.

Sandeshkhali has been tense with a large number of women in the locality accusing Trinamool Congress strongman Shajahan Sheikh and his supporters of “land-grab and sexually assaulting” them under coercion.

KT Gatti

Mangaluru : Renowned novelist KT Gatti, known for his impactful works in Kannada literature, passed away in Mangalore on Monday.

Originally from Kudlu in Kasaragod district, he had recently settled in Mangalore. KT Gatti was a distinguished writer and recipient of prestigious awards such as the Karnataka Sahitya Akademi Honorary Award and the Karnataka Rajyotsava Award.

Gatti, who served as a professor at T M Pai University, Udupi, travelled to Ethiopia as a professor from the Government of India. After returning from Ethiopia, he settled in Ujire and engaged in agriculture.

Keenly interested in learning, KT Gatti earned a diploma in English Studies from Trinity and Oxford Colleges in England.

Novels of KT Gatti:

Shabdas (1976), Soumya (1978), Mane, Ramayajna, Siddhu, Abrahmana, Amukta, Avibhaktaru, Karmanye Vadhikarasthe, Koopa, Pujari, Bisilugudure, Mrityorma Amritham Gamaya, Yugantara, Shilatapasvi, Swarnamriga, Aragina Mane.

A rape survivor in Tripura has accused a magistrate of sexually abusing her inside his chamber. A three-member panel, headed by a district and Sessions court judge, has commenced an investigation into the matter.

The survivor alleges that the incident occurred on February 16 when she visited the first-class judicial magistrate’s chamber to have her statement recorded in the rape case. In her complaint to the additional district and sessions judge in Kamalpur, she stated, “When I was about to give my statement, the judge groped me. I rushed out of his chamber and informed the lawyers and my husband about the incident.”

Subsequently, the survivor’s husband also filed a separate complaint with the Kamalpur Bar Association. The investigating panel, led by District and Sessions Judge Gautam Sarkar and Chief Judicial Magistrate Satyajit Das, visited Kamalpur’s additional district and sessions judge’s office to probe the matter further.

Shibendra Dasgupta, the secretary of the advocate body, confirmed that the panel had met with members of the Kamalpur Bar Association to gather their perspective on the allegations. Meanwhile, V Pandey, the Registrar General of Tripura High Court, stated, “We have not yet received any official complaint regarding the issue. Once we receive a complaint in a proper format, we will definitely take appropriate action.”

Bollywood luminary Ajay Devgn’s recent social media post celebrating the conferment of the Bharat Ratna upon Dr. MS Swaminathan has triggered a wave of controversy, with netizens questioning the actor’s stance in relation to the ongoing farmers’ protests.

Devgn lauded Dr. Swaminathan as a visionary leader whose agricultural innovations have significantly impacted the nation.

However, a section of social media users has accused Devgn of tacitly supporting the government’s agenda and diverting attention from the farmers’ agitation.

Critics argue that the actor’s conspicuous silence on the farmers’ protests, juxtaposed with his endorsement of the Bharat Ratna for Dr. Swaminathan, implies a certain alignment with the government’s narrative.

According to these social media users, Devgn’s apparent support for the award is viewed as an attempt to overshadow the farmer protests and project an image of governmental concern for agricultural welfare.

The controversy has ignited a heated online debate, with users expressing varying opinions on the actor’s motivations and allegiances. Some defend Devgn’s right to applaud the recognition of Dr. Swaminathan’s contributions, emphasizing the need to separate the individual’s achievements from broader political dynamics. Others, however, argue that the actor’s timing and choice of subject inadvertently align him with the government’s narrative, which seeks to downplay the gravity of the farmers’ concerns.

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday moved a motion of confidence in the Assembly which the House will discuss on Saturday.

Seeking the vote of confidence in the Assembly, he said, “Two MLAs had come to me saying they were contacted by BJP members offering them Rs 25 crore each. They were told that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will be arrested and the government will be toppled.”

Claiming that the Delhi excise policy case was false, he alleged the BJP wanted to topple the AAP government.

A Delhi court has asked Kejriwal to appear before it on February 17 on a complaint filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for skipping summons in an excise policy-linked case and noted that prima facie the AAP chief was “legally bound” to comply.

The ED had moved the court after Kejriwal skipped the fifth summons by the probe agency for questioning in a Delhi liquor policy-linked money laundering case.