The Special Cell of the Delhi Police on Tuesday morning conducted raids and seized laptops and mobile phones from journalists associated with the news portal NewsClick.

According to official sources, the Special Cell has registered a case in the matter under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

Authoritiies have previously indicated that they suspect the owners of the portal to have received money from Chinese sources to fund the daily operations of the organization.

At the same time, it is unusual for journalists of an organization to be raided in a case involving financial mismanagement by the owners or the parent company.

In today’s raid, the journalists have been questioned and their mobile and laptops were seized by the cops. However, no arrests have been made so far.

Senior Journalist Abhisar Sharma took to social media to inform about the raid being conducted at his residence.

“Delhi police landed at my home. Taking away my laptop and Phone…,” Sharma wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Sources confirmed to the New Indian Express that searches are being made at around a dozen locations, including the office of NewsClick.
On August 5, The New York Times published a report titled “A Global Web of Chinese Propaganda Leads to a US Tech Mogul” which claimed that the news portal NewsClick was part of a global network that received funding from American millionaire Neville Roy Singham, who allegedly works closely with the Chinese government media.

Referring to the NYT report, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Singh Thakur had alleged that the Congress, China and NewsClick are attached to an ‘anti-India umbilical cord’ and the agenda of the Communist Party of China is being pushed through the website.

Following the NYT report, the NewsClick had also issued a statement two days later and claimed that the allegations were made against it “are unfounded and without basis in fact or law.”

Imphal: Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh Saturday iterated that security personnel involved in the “excessive use of force” against students during a crackdown on a protest rally here in connection with the alleged killing of two students will be punished.

He appealed to the people to remain united, maintain calm and collectively fight the enemies of the state, which has witnessed ethnic violence.

Expressing shock over the incident in Imphal area which more than 100 students were injured in clashes with security forces on Tuesday and Wednesday this week, Singh, who was speaking at the sidelines of a programe here, said “I am really shocked at the excessive use of force … at what was done to the children. Ministers of the state have personally met the injured students.”

Inquiry is on into the serious injury to the students. “Those responsible for the extreme injuries will be arrested and be dealt with legally,” the chief minister said.

Two students were seriously injured in the clash with the state police and the Rapid Action Force during the two consecutive days.

One of them received more than 40 pellet bullets on his skull fired by security persons and another, 17-year- old L Kishan’s shoulder was shattered by pellets fired from a close range, authorities of the hospital where the two are being treated told reporters.

“Rs 50,000 has been provided as financial assistance to the badly injured students for treatment. Hospitals have also been informed that expenses for all their requirements will be borne by the government, including those who need to be taken outside Manipur,” the

chief minister added.

The crackdown followed the massive protests by students against the alleged killing of two youths who went missing on July 6. Photos of their bodies went viral on the social media recently triggering the protests and led to the sending of a CBI team from Delhi to the state for enquiry.

“A CBI special director is still in Imphal and investigation is on” Singh said.

Paying his respects to ‘Jana Neta’ Hijam Irabot, the founder of the Communist party in the state, on his 127th birth anniversary at the programme, he said “On this day, I want to urge all again to remain calm, stay united and collectively fight the enemies of the state. To come and sit together to resolve all misunderstandings so as to protect the integrity of the state and to live peacefully”.

Bengaluru : Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday said a review petition has been filed before the Cauvery Water Management Board regarding the Cauvery water release order.

The state government said in its review petition that it cannot release water, the Chief Minister’s office said in a statement.

Also, the government sought permission to build a balancing reservoir across Cauvery river at Mekedatu near Kanakapura in Ramanagara Taluk.

After reviewing the situation, a similar petition will be filed before the Supreme Court, he added.

Speaking to the reporters here, Siddaramaiah said he had convened a meeting with retired judges of the Supreme Court and the Advocate General and took suggestions. Accordingly action will be taken.

Karnataka had witnessed a bandh on Friday against the release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu.

Prior to that, there was a Bengaluru bandh on Tuesday.

Ranchi: A special CBI court on Saturday convicted all three main accused in the Tara Sahadeo conversion case, including her former husband and her mother-in-law.

The court of special CBI judge Prabhat Kumar Sharma held the trio guilty in the case and has set October 5 as the next date for announcing the quantum of sentence.

The three convicted- Shahdeo’s husband Ranjit Kohli alias Raqibul Hasan, his mother Kaushar Rani and Mustaq Ahmed were sent to judicial custody.

Shahdeo had said in her complaint that she had married Ranjit Kohli alias Raqibul Hasan as per Hindu rituals on July 7, 2014 but just after second day of her marriage her husband and Ahmed, who was at that time serving as registrar of vigilance, had started forcing her to change her religion and go through a Nikaah.

The CBI had taken over the investigation in 2015 and registered a case in Delhi.

Shahdeo was granted a divorce by a family court in Ranchi in June 2018 on grounds of cruelty. She had petitioned to the court that Hasan had provided false information regarding his religion and tricked her into marriage. She had also accused Hasan of torturing for refusing to convert to Islam.

Nuh (Haryana): Congress MLA Mamman Khan, who was arrested in connection with the July 31 Nuh violence, was granted bail in two cases by a court here on Saturday, police said. However, Khan will remain in jail as he is yet to get bail in two other cases related to the Nuh violence.

The court has fixed October 3 as the next date of hearing on his bail plea, they added.

After hearing the arguments of both sides earlier in the day, Additional Sessions Judge Sandeep Duggal reserved his order on the bail plea of the Congress MLA from Ferozpur Jhirka till 4 pm “The court verdict granted bail to the Congress leader in FIR numbers 149, 150, but Khan has not yet got bail in FIRs 137, 148 of Nagina police station.

“Due to this, he will have to remain in jail for now and the next hearing on the bail is fixed for October 3”, said Khan’s counsel Tahir Hussain Dewla.

Khan was arrested on September 15.

His lawyer argued that the allegations of the SIT are baseless and he should be granted bail.

At the same time, prosecution advocate Surendra Kumar said that enough evidence had been found against the MLA during the investigation.

The accused did not cooperate in the investigation even during the remand period, the advocate alleged.

A religious procession led by the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) was attacked by mobs in Nuh on July 31. Six people were killed in the incident and the ensuing communal violence. A cleric was killed in an attack on a mosque in adjoining Gurugram.

The Congress’s Haryana unit had alleged that its MLA was arrested due to a “political witch-hunt” and demanded a judicial probe into the Nuh violence under the supervision of a high court judge.

Colombo: Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe has ordered a probe into the resignation of a district judge in the Tamil-majority Northern province’s Mullaithivu over threats to his life, officials said on Saturday.

T Saravanarajah tendered his resignation to the Judicial Service Commission on September 23, claiming threats to his life and reportedly left the country.

Among the various cases presided over by the judge, he had ruled against the building of a Buddhist shrine at a disputed archaeological site. The legal proceedings over the digging of an alleged mass grave in the same area were also presided over by Saravanarajah.

According to informed officials, President Wickremesinghe directed the Secretary to the President to probe the circumstances of Saravanarajah’s resignation, as the judge hadn’t lodged any complaints on the alleged threat to his life previously.

As the district judge of the northern region of Mullaithivu, Saravanarajah had ruled against the building of a Buddhist shrine at Kurunthamale, a disputed archaeological site. The Tamils in the region had protested against what they claimed were land grants by the state for Buddhist archaeological excavations.

Saravanarajah also presided over the legal proceedings at the digging of an alleged mass grave in the same area.

In June, the alleged mass grave was accidentally discovered at Kokkuthuduvai by the National Water Board workers while carrying out digging activities for a development project in the area. The minority Tamil community demanded a credible investigation into an alleged mass grave in the northeastern district.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) ran a military campaign for a separate Tamil homeland in the northern and eastern provinces of the island nation for nearly 30 years before its collapse in 2009 after the Sri Lankan Army killed its supreme leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran.

Mullaithivu was a nerve centre of the LTTE as they ran a parallel state before May 2009 when they were defeated by the Sri Lankan military.

Many legal associations, including the Bar Association of Sri Lanka, described the judge’s resignation as a “serious threat” to the independence of the judiciary in the island nation and urged the Judicial Service Commission to carry out an independent investigation.

The Delhi Police registered an FIR under various section of Indian Penal Code 1860 in
connection to an alleged attack by the Patient on the doctor. He was in the emergency ward of
the South Delhi Safdarjung hospital as the officials stated on September 4. The complainant is a
third year PG student where the patient asked him to remove cannula from his hand , in response
the doctors asked to take the assistance of the nurse where the patient pilloried the doctor. The
doctor sustained several physical injuries since the patient pulled out a screw driver and attacked
him . Violence against healthcare professionals needs to raked over the coals. Doctors reiterates
on legislation regarding the protection of healthcare professionals. The recurring incidents
makes it perspicuous for the protection towards healthcare. The legislation should be
comprehensive and impose stringent penalties in instances of non-compliances .

Speedy investigation and prosecution should be included , stated by Dr Aviral Mathur the
president of Federation of Resident Doctors Association. Since health is a state subject , the urge
to all states to pass state laws regarding the protection of frontline workers. Very recently a
tormenting incident where the surgeon was stabbed to death in Kerala made the state pass an
ordinance taking stringent punishment on violence. Attack and Violence on health care
professionals are a silent pandemic we have been facing for a prolonged period , failing to curb
the same. Zero tolerance should be given and condemned both at state and centre. The lack of
central legislation is subverts the intensity of the issue. There are several cases that is being

reported and many that goes unreported. The focus should be on the upgrading the healthcare
system and providing a shield to the healthcare professionals. It is a moral commitement to
safeguard those who dedicate their lives serving others, thus a central legislation becomes the

CHENNAI: The Enforcement Directorate carried out searches in Chennai on Tuesday, which comes after the raids carried out on September 12 in 34 locations, including eight sand mines, in six districts. 

Sources said ED officers interrogated Jothi Kumar employed as an accountant at Kamalalayam, BJP state headquarters,  and also his landlord. Officers raided Jothi Kumar’s house which is in an apartment complex belonging to realtor Shanmugam. ED is yet to release an official statement on the search which lasted until noon, police said. 

It may be noted that the ED searched the mines belonging to sand mining contractors K Rathinam, S Ramachandran and Karikalan in six districts. ED also searched auditor Shanmugaraj’s premises as well as the Water Resources Department headquarters. ED had also frozen `12.82 crore unaccounted cash along with 1 kg gold.