New Delhi: Veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty, star of films such as “Mrigayaa”, “Surakshaa”, “Disco Dancer”, and “Dance Dance”, was on Monday named recipient of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the government’s highest recognition in the field of cinema.

The announcement comes months after Chakraborty was awarded Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian honour, by the Government of India.

Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw made the announcement on X.

“Mithun Da’s remarkable cinematic journey inspires generations! Honoured to announce that the Dadasaheb Phalke Selection Jury has decided to award legendary actor, Sh. Mithun Chakraborty Ji for his iconic contribution to Indian Cinema,” the minister said in the post.

The award will be presented to Chakraborty at the 70th National Film Awards ceremony on October 8, 2024, Vaishnaw said.

The three-member jury — comprising former Dadasaheb awardee Asha Parekh, actor-politician Khushbu Sundar and filmmaker Vipul Amrutlal Shah — selected Chakraborty for the prestigious honour.

Chakraborty, 74, is very happy, said his son Namashi Chakaborty about the Dadasaheb Phalke Award announcement.

“We all are feeling very proud. He is in Kolkata, I just spoke to him. He is a self-made superstar and a great citizen. This was long, long overdue but I am so proud that he is finally being awarded with this honour,” Namashi told PTI over phone from Los Angeles.

Chakraborty, whose real name is Gourang Chakraborty, is an alumnus of Pune’s Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) who has predominantly worked in Hindi and Bengali cinema.

He made his acting debut with Mrinal Sen’s 1976 film “Mrigayaa”, for which he won his first National Film Award for Best Actor. He earned two more National Awards for 1992’s “Tahader Katha” (best actor) and 1998’s “Swami Vivekananda” (best supporting actor).

Chakraborty shot to stardom with his distinctive dancing style in the 1982 superhit “Disco Dancer”, which is widely credited for ushering in the era of disco dancing in India through chartbusters like “I Am A Disco Dancer” and “Yaad Aa Raha Hai”.

Then followed several hits like “Mujhe Insaaf Chahiye”, “Hum Se Hai Zamana”, “Pasand Apni Apni”, “Ghar Ek Mandir”, “Kasam Paida Karne Wale Ki” and “Commando”.

He was also praised for his role in the 1990 film “Agneepath”, fronted by Amitabh Bachchan.

A former Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament, Chakraborty joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the 2021 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election.

Chakraborty also served as the head judge or ‘grandmaster’ on the popular dance reality series “Dance India Dance” from 2009 to 2018.

In 2023, Waheeda Rehman was named recipient of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award.

Pune: AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has expressed strong opposition to the demolition of a mosque in Pune by the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government. Owaisi questioned the government’s decision, pointing out that while only the mosque is being targeted for demolition, thousands of houses around it are also illegal but remain untouched.

According to Owaisi, the Masjid Darululam Jamia Inamiya in the Thergaon Kaliwadi area of Pimpri-Chinchwad, Pune, has existed for over 25 years. He stated that despite the fact that numerous houses in the area are unauthorized, only the mosque has been singled out for demolition. He accused right-wing Hindu organizations of instigating the complaint, leading to the notice for the mosque’s removal.

Owaisi further challenged Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, asking why the demolition was limited to a mosque and did not include other unauthorized structures in the vicinity. He raised concerns over the perceived discrimination and questioned the government’s approach in handling the issue

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann

Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who is admitted to a private hospital in Mohali, underwent some heart-related tests on Friday and reports are awaited, doctors said.

Doctors attending to the chief minister said his condition is “completely stable”.

Mann, 50, was admitted to Fortis Hospital late on Wednesday night for a “routine health checkup”.

In a health bulletin issued by Fortis Hospital on Friday evening, Director and Head of Department of Cardiology, Dr R K Jaswal said he conducted some heart-related tests and examinations on Mann, the results of which are still awaited.”

“Due to an increase in pressure in the chief minister’s pulmonary artery, there was pressure on his heart, leading to irregular blood pressure.

“Currently, all vitals of the chief minister are completely stable. The doctor will take further decision only after the results of the heart tests and examinations are available,” the statement said.

The chief minister is responding well to treatment, it said.

Police investigate after four-member gang broke open three ATMs run by the State Bank of India (SBI) using a gas-cutter, in Thrissur

Namakkal (Tamil Nadu): The Namakkal police gunned down a man among a gang of seven suspected to have been involved in the ATM heist in Kerala’s Thrissur and detained six of them, when they brazenly attempted to flee after ramming into cars and two wheelers at Kumarapalayam in the district on Friday, a senior police official said.

The car which was used in the robbery was confiscated along with the container truck and an investigation was on to ascertain their role in the ATM heist that took place in the district recently, Salem range DIG E S Uma said.

One of them was injured when police opened fire in self defence. Two police officials who were injured when the container driver and his associate attacked them in a bid to flee, have been admitted to a government hospital with injuries, she said.

“They targeted the ATM of a nationalised bank. As per their modus operandi, the members split into two groups and travelled separately in a container and a car from Haryana to stage the heist,” the DIG told reporters here.

All the members hailed from Haryana, she said, and added that the Namakkal district police arrested two persons from Haryana in a similar heist in the district recently.

Briefing reporters, the senior police official said following information from the Thrissur police, the Namakkal superintendent of police S Rajesh Kannan and other officials organised a vehicle check to identify the car used in the heist.

“Shortly thereafter the Thrissur police alerted us about the movement of a container truck. During the vehicle check, the police signalled a container truck bearing RJ (Rajasthan) registration number to stop but the vehicle went without stopping,” she said.

Upon being chased by the police, the vehicle sped towards the Sanghugiri toll gate but finding it closed, took the Veppadai road to escape. At Sannasiapatti, it indulged in a road rage ramming into a two wheeler, and a car, and dragged a car for about 250 meters, before it was finally intercepted by the police.

“We secured the truck driver and four others found in the cabin. While escorting the vehicle to Veppadai police station, we asked the driver to stop after hearing a loud sound at the rear of the container. The driver identified as Jamal opened the door and two persons stepped out of the container,” the DIG said.

One of them, carrying a blue coloured travel bag containing cash, asked Jamal to escape and tried to run after attacking a police Inspector with a sharp weapon. Jamal too attacked the police official when the latter attempted to nab him.

The police had to open fire on the duo in order to prevent them from escaping. While Jamal died, the man with the money bag was injured in the leg, she said.

“We have secured all five persons and the injured man who has been admitted to a government hospital,” Uma said.

Responding to a question, she said that the police were totally unaware of the presence of a car and two persons inside the container.

The road rage in Sannasiapatti, Kumarapalayam, left the road users in shock. Some of the passers-by pelted stones at the truck in a frantic bid to stop the vehicle.

Washington: Satellite imagery showed that China’s newest nuclear-powered attack submarine sank alongside a pier while under construction, a senior US defence official said Thursday.

The sinking of China’s first Zhou-class submarine represents a setback for Beijing as it continues to build out the world’s largest navy. Beijing has become increasingly assertive in pursuing its claim to virtually the entire South China Sea, which is crucial to international trade.

Meanwhile, China faces longtime territorial disputes involving others in the region including Brunei, Malaysia, the Phillippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. The United States has sought to strength ties to its allies in the region and regularly sails through those waters in operations it says maintains the freedom of navigation for vessels there, angering Beijing.

The submarine likely sank between May and June, when satellite images showed cranes that would be necessary to lift it off the bottom of the river, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide details about the submarine loss.

China has been building up its naval fleet at a breakneck pace, and the US considers China’s rise one of its main future security concerns.

The Chinese Embassy in Washington on Thursday said it was “not familiar with the situation” and it did not have information to provide.

The US official said it was “not surprising” that China’s navy would conceal it. The submarine’s current status is unknown.

The identification of the sunken nuclear submarine was first reported by The Wall Street Journal. Thomas Shugart, a former US Navy submariner and an analyst at the Center for a New American Security, first noticed the incident involving the submarine in July, though it wasn’t publicly known at the time that it involved the new Zhou-class vessel.

Satellite images from Planet Labs PBC analyzed by The Associated Press show what appears to be a submarine docked at the Shuangliu shipyard on the Yangtze River before the incident.

An image taken June 15 appears to show the submarine either fully or partially submerged just under the river’s surface, with rescue equipment and cranes surrounding it. Booms surround it to prevent any oil or other leaks from the vessel.

A satellite image taken August 25 shows a submarine back at the same dock as the submerged vessel. It’s not clear if it was the same one.

It remains unclear if the affected submarine had been loaded with nuclear fuel or if its reactor was operating at the time of the incident. However, there has been no reported release of radiation in the area in the time since.

China as of last year operated six nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, six nuclear-powered attack submarines and 48 diesel-powered attack submarines, according to a US military report.

News of the submarine’s sinking comes as China this week conducted a rare launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile into international waters in the Pacific Ocean. Experts say it marked the first time Beijing had conducted such a test since 1980.

Srinagar: At least four security forces personnel and a traffic police officer were injured in an encounter with terrorists in the Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, police said.

The gunbattle broke out in Adigam village in the Devsar area of the district after security forces launched a cordon and search operation.

Additional SP (traffic) Mumtaz Ali suffered minor injuries after being struck by a stray bullet near the encounter site, officials said.

They said four security personnel involved in the anti-terrorist operation sustained injuries.