Election officials team, led by Returning Officer of Bhadravathi M Dase Gowda, seized household merchandise, including cookers and hot boxes worth Rs 6 lakh at Baranduru check post in the taluk on Wednesday.
As per Dase Gowda, the officials halted a mini lorry and checked the products. At the point when the driver neglected to produce records and give a fitting reaction to their inquiries, they grabbed the vehicle alongside products. The enquiry is in progress.
FIR filed against BJP MLA in Unnao gangrape case, case to be handed to CBI
Police in Uttar Pradesh today registered an FIR against ruling BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar in connection with the alleged gangrape of a minor girl in Unnao, hours after the government said it would hand over investigation into the case to the CBI.
Till the premier investigating agency takes over, the local police will continue with the probe, Principal Secretary (Home) Arvind Kumar said. The letter for handing over the probe to the CBI for maintaining total transparency in the case will be sent today, he told reporters.
The decision on whether to arrest the accused MLA will be taken by the CBI on the merits of the case after investigations, he said. The Unnao police this morning registered the case against Sengar under various sections of IPC and provisions of the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act in the Makhi police station area. The FIR has been registered under sections 376 (rape), 366 (kidnapping, abducting or inducing woman to compel her marriage,), 363 (kidnapping) and 506 (criminal intimidation).
“An FIR be lodged under appropriate sections considering the allegations of rape levied on MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar and others and the investigation be handed over to CBI,” the Principal Secretary (Information) said in an statement late last night.
Addressing a press conference, the principal secretary home and state Director General of Police (DGP) O P Singh said the MLA had not been named in the FIR till now as the girl had not mentioned his name in the statement given before the magistrate earlier.
The case was registered now that she and her family had told the Special Investigation Team (SIT), which visited them yesterday, that they had not done so because of fear, they said. Refusing allegations that police was trying to shield the MLA, the officials said it was because of this that the probe was being handed over to the CBI. Besides, the government has also decided to extend security to the family of the 17-year-old girl, they said.
The officials assured that no one found guilty will be spared and added that action has already been taken against some policemen and doctors for laxity and negligence. The teen rape survivor, who had tried to immolate herself outside the chief minister’s house just a day before her 50-year-old father died on Monday, has alleged that she was confined to a hotel room by the district administration, leaving her “without a phone or water and guards at every corner”.
Modi arrives in TN amid Cauvery row
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here on Thursday amid growing political turmoil over the Cauvery water issue and black flag protests by Opposition parties.
Modi, who arrived by a special aircraft from New Delhi, was received at the airport by Union Ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and Pon Radhakrishnan, Governor Banwarilal Purohit, Chief Minister E. Palaniswami, Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam and Chief Secretary Girija Vaidyanathan.
After a brief reception, he left for Mamallapuram, about 55 km from here, from where he would reach the temple town of Tiruvidanthai to formally inaugurate the Defence Expo-2018, which began here on Wednesday.
Later, he would unveil the diamond jubilee plaque at the Adyar Cancer Institute.
Earlier, a press conference was planned with the Prime Minister at the IIT-Madras, adjacent to the Cancer Institute, but it failed to materialise.
The police have made tight security arrangements in view of the visit.
Meanwhile, opposition parties, inclduing the DMK, various fringe outfits and Tamil organisations greeted the Prime Minister with black flag protests to condemn the Centre for its failure to set up the Cauvery Management Board (CMB) and the Cauvery Water Regulatory Committee (CWRC) as directed by the Supreme Court.
The six-week deadline set by the Apex Court ended on March 29 and the Centre, keeping the next month’s Assembly elections in Karnataka in mind, filed a clarification plea in the Court at the last minute and sought three months time to implement its order, by which time the polling process in the neighbouring state would have been concluded.
DMK leader M.K. Stalin, along with his party cadres, protested in Sirkazhi, Nagapattinam district, by wearing black shirts.
The DMK has appealed to the people to hoist black flags atop their houses and stage demonstrations against the Prime Minister.
Activsits of fringe parties including the Tamizhaga Vaazhvurimai Katchi (TVK) led by T. Velmurugan, Tamil Nationalist Movement headed by P. Nedumaran also staged demonstration in front of the Alandur Metro station in Chennai.
MLAs Tamimum Ansari and Thaniarasi along with SDPI members were arrested in Tirisoolam near the airport.
Similarly, members of the newly-formed Tamilaga Kalai Illakiya Panpattu Maiyam by noted filmmakers Bharathiraaja, Ameeer, Gouthaman and Thangarbachan, were also arrested as they staged a black flag protest at the airport.
As the political atmosphere in the state remained tense and surcharged following unending protests on the Cauvery issue, the remaining six IPL matches of the Chennai Super Kings were shifted to Pune.
BJP MPs stage hunger strike
All seven Delhi BJP MPs staged a hunger strike here on Thursday against the washout of the second part of Parliament’s budget session due to continuous disruptions, which the party blamed it on the Congress.
Union Minister Harsh Vardhan, who represents the Chandani Chowk constituency, East Delhi MP Maheish Girri, New Delhi MP Meenakshi Lekhi, West Delhi MP Pravesh Verma, North West Delhi MP Udit Raj, South Delhi MP Ramesh Bidhuri and North East Delhi MP Manoj Tiwari participated in the day-long strike that will conclude at 4 p.m.
Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu would also visit and meet the fasting Delhi MPs and party workers.
Delhi BJP President Manoj Tiwari said that he will continue his “indefinite hunger strike” to protest against the continuous biased neglect of development work in North East Delhi by the Arvind Kejriwal government in Delhi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will fast while on a day-long visit to Tamil Nadu.
BJP President Amit Shah will observe a hunger strike in Hubli in poll-bound Karnataka, while party MPs will fast in their constituencies.
The BJP’s fast comes days after Congress President Rahul Gandhi led the party’s day-long hunger strike at the Rajghat here on Monday over alleged increasing atrocities on Dalits, adivasis, and minorities.
(IANS)
Will take all steps to protect people, territory: Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said India is ready to take all steps to equip the armed forces to protect her people and territory. He said his government has streamlined defence manufacturing and procurement processes.
“India has sent one of the largest numbers of UN peacekeepers all over the word. Our commitment to peace is just as strong as our commitment to protecting our people and our territory,” Modi said after formally inaugurating the Defence Expo 2018 here.
“For this, we are ready to take all necessary measures to equip our armed forces, including through the establishment of a strategically independent defence industrial complex.”
The country’s history of thousands of years shows India never desired anyone else’s territory, Modi added.
On the defence front, he said his government has taken steps to strengthen and improve manufacturing licenses, exports clearances, Foreign Direct Investment and reforming procurement.
“In all these areas, our regulations, processes and procedures have been made more industry-friendly, more transparent, more predictable, more outcome-oriented,” he added.
Modi said the Defence Procurement Procedure has been revised with many specific provisions for stimulating growth of the domestic defence industry.
“We have also de-notified some items earlier made exclusively by Ordnance Factories, so that the private sector, especially, the MSMEs can enter this space,” he said.
(IANS)
HC seeks information from petitioners in JD(S) rebel MLAs case
The Karnataka High Court guided the candidates to document an affidavit in the court on the advantage and their effects, if Speaker of the Legislative Assembly disqualfies seven JD(S) rebel MLAs who have just resigned from their posts.
Two JD(S) legislators C N Balakrishna (MLA Shravanabelagola) and B Ningaiah (Mudigere) have recorded a request of looking for preclusion of seven rebel JD (S) MLAs who defied the party’s whip in the 2016 elections to the Rajya Sabha by voting for a Congress competitor.
The candidates had additionally looked for a course to the Speaker not to allow them to vote in the Rajya Sabha elections held a month ago.
Three Congress Leader’s children get Congress ticket
Three senior Congress leader’s children, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s son Dr Yathindra from Varuna, Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy’s daughter Sowmya Reddy from Jayanagar and former Union Minister K H Muniyappa’s daughter Roopa Shashidhar from KGF, are probably going to get party ticket to challenge the upcoming assembly elections.
A senior congress leader said that, in spite of the fact that over twelve senior leaders have looked for the ticket for their children, the Congress high command has affirmed just three aspirants as they have nursed the constituencies for long and their odds of winning the polls are high.
The Congress screening committee headed by Madhusudhan Mistry is learnt to have rejected the plea by a few leaders saying that the party needs to offer tickets to different leaders in view of position blends.
The screening committee likewise chose to leave it to the Central Election Committee (CEC) headed by Congress president Rahul Gandhi to settle on Siddaramaiah challenging from two Assembly portions, Chamundeshwari in Mysuru and Badami in Bagalkot.
The announced plea by Karnataka Pradesh Congress president G Parameshwara to enable him to challenge from Koratagere (SC Reserved) in Tumakuru area and Pulakeshinagar (SC Reserved)) in Bengaluru has additionally been alluded to the CEC by the screening committee.
The CEC will meet in the capital at 10 am on Friday and clear the list endorsed by the screening committee. Sources said that the party may report possibility for all the 224 seats in one go.
A leader said that the party supposedly asked Public Works Minister H C Mahadevappa to choose whether he or his son Sunil Bose will challenge from T Narasipura constituency. The party rejected Mahadevappa’s plea to field his son from Nanjangud by replacing sitting MLA Kalale Krishnamurthy.
In spite of the fact that Law Minister T B Jayachandra looked for the ticket for his son Santosh from Chikkanayakanahalli in Tumakuru region, the party chose to field a leader of Yadava community to maintian position adjust as vast number of voters of that group live in Tumakuru and Chitradurga areas.
From Karkala in Udupi locale, the gathering is probably going to field former MLA Gopal Bandari, a loyalist of former Chief Minister M Veerappa Moily.
Regardless of Siddaramaiah demanding that all the sitting MLAs and new contestants ought to get the ticket, the gathering leaders left the choice on renominating N A Haris from Shantinagar and H Y Meti from Bagalkot to the CEC. While Haris’ son is in prison and Meti quit as Excise serve over a sex CD embarrassment.
Leaders have additionally suggested the name of former MLA B Prasanna Kumar from Pulakeshinagar. Siddaramaiah has proposed the names of his secretary Bhimasenarao Shinde for Aurad and personal secretary Heera Naik for Mayakonda replacing sitting MLA B Shivamurthy Naik. The choice on these two seats were likewise left to the CEC.
Trump tells Russia to ‘get ready’ for Syria missile attacks
Trump’s warning comes after the US and allies threatened to take action after a suspected gas attack in Syria [Carlos Barria/Reuters]
by Al Jazeera
US President Donald Trump told Russia in an early morning tweet to prepare for “nice and new and ‘smart!'” missile attacks in Syria after an alleged gas attack on the last rebel stronghold in the country.
The tweet came after the Russian ambassador to Lebanon said in an interview on Tuesday with Hezbollah-owned al-Manar TV that “if there is a US missile attack, we – in line with both Putin and Russia’s chief of staff’s remarks – will shoot down US rockets and even the sources that launched the missiles”.
Trump further chided Russia for its support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Wednesday’s tweet, saying it “shouldn’t be partners with a Gas Killing Animal who kills his people and enjoys it!”
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova responded to Trump’s tweet saying: “Smart missiles should fly towards terrorists, not [Syria’s] lawful government, which has spent several years fighting against international terrorism on its territory.”
The warnings come as the United States and several European countries threatened to use military action against the Syrian government and its main ally, Russia, in response to a suspected chemical weapons attack on the rebel-held town of Douma.
Saturday’s attack in Eastern Ghouta has killed dozens of people, mostly women and children, according to activists and local medics.
The Syrian government and Russia have denied that a chemical attack took place.
On Tuesday, rival draft resolutions by the US and Russia to set up a new expert body to probe chemical weapons attacks in Syria both failed to pass at the United Nations Security Council.
James Mattis, US defence secretary, did not rule out any military action against Assad’s forces, while US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, warned Washington was ready to “respond” to the attack regardless of whether the Security Council acted or not.
Vladimir Shamanov, chairman of the defence affairs committee in Russia’s lower house of parliament, said on Tuesday that Russia has “the necessary means for that and that Americans and their allies know that quite well”, adding that a retaliatory strike could target US aircraft and naval ships, Reuters news agency reported.
Meanwhile, the Syrian government has put its forces on “high alert” amid the looming threat of a US military response.
With Russian military assistance, President Assad launched a bloody offensive on Eastern Ghouta, which had been under rebel control since mid-2013.
Since the start of the aerial bombardment campaign on February 18, the offensive has claimed more than 1,600 civilian lives, and has, through a series of deals reached with rebel groups, internally displaced more than 45,000 people according to the UN.
Trump later tweeted that Russian-US relations are “worse now” than ever before.
The president concluded by opening the possibility of a detente: “There is no reason for this. Russia needs us to help with their economy, something that would be very easy to do, and we need all nations to work together. Stop the arms race?”
Algeria: 257 killed in Boufarik military plane crash
The military plane was reportedly heading to the western Algerian city of Bechar when it crashed [AFP]
by Al Jazeera
At least 257 people have been killed after a military plane crashed near the Boufarik airbase outside the Algerian capital, Algiers, according to Algerian state television.
The plane, an Ilyushin Il-76, mostly carried soldiers when it went down shortly after takeoff on Wednesday morning, state TV reported.
Algeria’s defence ministry was quoted as saying that 247 passengers and 10 crew members were among the dead following the crash.
Ennahar TV quoted an Algerian ruling party official as saying that 26 people onboard were members of the Polisario Front, a separatist movement in West Sahara – a territory also claimed by Morocco.
Algerie24, a local news website, said the plane was heading to the western Algerian city of Bechar.
Images posted on an Algerian website showed thick smoke billowing from the site of the crash, as several people rushed to help.
The crash at Boufarik would be the worst in Algeria since 2003 when an Air Algerie jet crashed shortly after takeoff from Tamanrasset, killing 102 people.
In 2014, more than 70 off-duty military personnel and their family members were killed when a C-130 plane crashed into the Djebel Fertas mountain shortly before it was to land in the northern city of Constantine.
In December 2012, two military jets conducting routine training operations collided in mid-air near Tlemcen, in Algeria’s northwest, killing the pilots of both planes.
A month earlier, a twin-turboprop CASA C-295 military transport aircraft, which was carrying a cargo of paper for the printing of banknotes in Algeria, crashed in southern France.
That plane was carrying five soldiers and a representative of the Algerian central bank, none of whom survived.
All India Mahila Empowerment Party (MEP) unveils manifesto
The All Indian Mahila Empowerment Party (MEP) today unveiled its manifesto in an event at The Leela Palace. It also brought out the first list of spokespeople from party for the upcoming Karnataka Assembly elections scheduled to be held on May 12.
Dr. Nowhera Shaik, President, All India Mahila Empowerment Party said, “We are contesting on a platform of social justice and equality for all. The welfare of the downtrodden and oppressed groups is our main aim. We are especially concerned about the welfare of the voiceless women who face the maximum discrimination and economic suffering.”
Introducing the spokespeople, Dr. Shaik said, “Our members are those who are concerned with the conditions of women in the country. They understand the need to be the voice of the women who have been denied a voice by the society while working to uplift the economic conditions of women.”
Mr Khan, Vice-President, All India Mahila Empowerment Party mentioned, “We are glad to be associated with MEP since this is the first party in India which is focussing on women and aims to help them in every possible way. We aim to reserve 50% of the seats in local bodies for women, build separate hospitals for women in each district and provide interest-free loans for enthusiastic women entrepreneurs.”
Mr Kutubuddin Kazi, Spokesperson, AIMEP said, “Education and employment is our key focus. We have plans to provide free education from LKG to PG to all BPL families, free training and coaching for poor students appearing in competitive exams and create ten lakh jobs every year so that society gets economically uplifted.”
The All India Mahila Empowerment Party (AIMEP) will contest all 224 seats in Karnataka Assembly polls. The party aims to make a pro-women government and work towards women empowerment.
About MEP
The Mahila Empowerment Party had its origins in 2012 when Dr Shaik felt the need for a political party as a vehicle for helping women meet their potential by extending the constitutional rights due to them.
About Dr Nowhera Shaik
Dr Shaik has been running her own business for over 20 years and has been educating girls as a means to empower them. She is the President of a reputed Muslim women’s organisation, At-Tawheed International Dawah Centre for Women, which supports thousands of poor women through her charitable activities like sponsoring education, arranging marriages, health camps, etc. The organisation today has chapters across cities in India and the Middle East.
Key highlights of the manifesto:
Women and child welfare
- 50% of the seats in local bodies reserved for women
- Separate hospital for women in each district
- Interest free loans for enthusiastic women entrepreneurs
Agriculture
- All loans would be waived off along with interest
- Agriculture training centres in all districts
- Interest-free loans for agriculture and cottage industry
Education
- Free education from LKG to PG to all BPL families
- Free training and coaching for poor students appearing in competitive exams
Employment
- Ten lakh jobs to be created every year
- Vacant posts in Govt offices to be filled up every year
Health
- Financial support up to 6 months for women post delivery
- Free medical treatment for BPL families at super speciality hospitals
- Action against privt hospitals charging exorbitant treatment fees
Transport
- Free travel facility for senior citizen and BPL card holders in urban transport
- Free bus pass facility for girls studying in schools and colleges
Law
- Mobile courts to be enhanced
- Strict implementation of Prohibition of Alcohol Act
Good Governance
- CCTV in all Government offices to ensure transparency and honesty
- Third party inspection to ensure quality in Government works