Archives for 2023

Raichur: Four people were killed while another was grievously injured after the mini truck they were travelling in collided head-on with a lorry near the taluk headquarters town of Sindhanur in this district on Thursday, police said.

The mini truck’s driver was among the dead.

According to police, the accident occurred when the victims, who were from the same village, were on their way to attend a function. The injured person is undergoing treatment.

The lorry driver, who fled from the spot, has been identified and efforts are being made to nab him, they said.

Colombo: At least 21 Indian fishermen have been arrested for allegedly poaching in Sri Lanka’s territorial waters, the island nation’s Navy has said, taking the total number this year to 195.

The Indian fishermen were arrested and their four trawlers were seized on Wednesday in the northeastern waters off Mannar and Kovilan.

The Navy said in 2023 they had arrested 195 Indian fishermen for poaching in Sri Lankan waters.

The fishermen issue is a contentious one in the ties between India and Sri Lanka, with Lankan Navy personnel even firing at Indian fishermen in the Palk Strait and seizing their boats in several alleged incidents of illegally entering Sri Lankan territorial waters.

The Palk Strait, which is a narrow strip of water separating Tamil Nadu from Sri Lanka, is a rich fishing ground for fishermen from both countries.

There have been periodic instances of Indian fishermen being arrested by Sri Lankan authorities for allegedly crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line and fishing in Sri Lankan waters.

The Ethics Committee Chairman, Vinod Sonkar, tabled the committee’s report recommending Moitra’s disqualification. However, the lower house did not address the matter. 

NEW DELHI: Lok Sabha was adjourned till 2 pm amid opposition uproar over report recommending TMC member Mahua Moitra’s expulsion from lower house. 

Vinod Sonkar, tabled the committee’s report recommending Moitra’s disqualification. However, the lower house did not address the matter. 

The report was earlier listed in the agenda of the lower house for December 4 but was not tabled.

Meanwhile, Mahua Moitra was quoted as saying by ANI, “Maa Durga aa gayi hai, ab dekhenge…Jab naash manuj par chhata hai, pehle vivek mar jaata hai. They have started ‘vastraharan’ and now you will watch ‘Mahabharat ka rann’.”

Speaker Birla said the matter is listed, and he will give time to the MPs to speak when the business is taken up.

“The matter has not been taken up yet. Question Hour is your time, you can ask questions,” he said.

“This is not as per the rules of procedure. It is there in the list of business, when it is taken up I will provide you enough time to speak,” Birla said. As the din continued, the speaker adjourned the House till 12 noon.

Bengaluru: In the wake of Cyclone Michaung which raged across Tamil Nadu and Andhra coast, the Indian Meteorological Department on Wednesday forecasted cold conditions to persist across the state including the state capital till December 09.

Bengaluru city is expected to experience cold weather for the next couple of days. Consequently, the met department advised the residents to take precautions until December 9. Rainfall is anticipated in the southern hinterland areas, with many parts likely to experience rain from December 7 to December 9. The IMD has also forecasted some rain in the northern interior regions, including Bidar, Kalaburagi, and Yadgiri districts.

Coastal Karnataka regions including Dakshina Kannada and Udupi, are expected to receive rain on December 9. Residents in these regions are urged to exercise caution. Additionally, due to the heavy rains in Tamil Nadu, Bengaluru may also be mildly affected. The state capital has already been under the influence of cloudy weather for the past few days.

Durg: The father of a man named as an accused in the Mahadev betting app scam has been found dead under suspicious conditions at a village in Chhattisgarh’s Durg district, a senior police official said.

The body of Sushil Das (62), who was missing since the last two days, was found in a well at Achhoti village under Anda police station limits on Tuesday afternoon and prima facie it looks like a case of suicide, Durg Senior Superintendent of Police Ram Gopal Garg said.

The deceased was the father of Asim Das, an alleged cash courier in the case arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

Sushil Das, who worked as a security guard in a private company, was missing since Sunday evening, Garg added.

Prima facie, it seems to be a case of suicide, but the exact reason behind the death was yet to be ascertained, the official said.

The body was sent for post-mortem examination and further investigation was underway, he added.

Asim Das and another accused, constable Bhim Singh Yadav, were arrested by the ED on November 3.

The ED claimed that a forensic analysis and a statement made by cash courier’ Das had led to “startling allegations” that Mahadev betting app promoters have paid about Rs 508 crore to outgoing Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel so far, and that “these are subject matter of investigation”.

Baghel had stoutly denied the allegations and accused the BJP of misusing the ED.

Asim Das was arrested by the central agency in Raipur after it claimed to have recovered Rs 5.39 crore in cash from him.

He was allegedly sent by the app promoters from the UAE “especially, to deliver a large amount of cash for electioneering expenses of the ruling Congress Party”, according to the ED.

“Asim Das has admitted that the seized funds were arranged by the Mahadev app promoters to be delivered to one politician ‘Baghel’ for upcoming election expenses in the state of Chhattisgarh,” the agency had said in a statement issued before the two-phase polling on November 7 and 17.

On November 25, Das had submitted before a special PMLA court that he had been framed as part of a conspiracy and he had never delivered cash to politicians.