AHMEDABAD:  Bajrang Dal workers created ruckus at Garba event over the participation of people from the Muslim community. The workers thrashed more than 3 men at various Garba pandals. A video of the incident has gone viral on Social media.

Since first day of navaratra, Bajrang Dal workers have been making surprise visits at various Garba venues in the city to create awareness about ‘love jihad’ among Hindu women. They put ‘tilak’ on people’s forehead who come to play garba at pandals. They also ask for their ID cards. They found some Muslims at R K Party plot in Ahmedabad on Tuesday night and thrashed them.

Gujarat VHP spokesperson Hitendrasinh Rajput said, “Around 40 workers visited two Garba venues on Tuesday and distributed leaflets among girls and women asking them to be careful while speaking to men from other communities or religions.”

Student president of Bajrang Dal Gujarat unit Ujjwal Seth said that every year surprise checks are done to prevent love jihad.  VHP threatened more aggressive action in the coming days of Navratri. Gujarat Police, however, denied to have received any complaint. 

HUBBALLI: The investigation into the alleged forceful conversion of a 26-year-old youth to Islam a few months ago is bringing out new insights into the links between various groups allegedly involved in religious conversions in Karnataka, said police sources.

The police in Hubballi have been questioning a few people and on Wednesday visited some houses in Kasabapet area. A special team has been formed under an ACP-level officer and it is touring different parts of the state to gather information. In all, 12 people have been listed in the FIR lodged at the APMC-Navanagar police station in Hubballi.

The police said the victim, Shreedhar Gangadhar, an employee of a private firm, was cheated and forcefully converted to Islam. For many weeks, he was threatened of dire consequences if he went to the police or informed anybody of his ordeal. Shreedhar was held up at a house in Bengaluru where he was forcibly circumcised and made to eat beef. “Most of the accused live in Bengaluru. The victim has given enough information, telephone numbers and addresses of the accused and their associates,” said the police.

“We had information about conversion material and of some people from Hubballi. One of the main accused is from Hubballi. After a tipoff, we searched some homes in Kasabapet. It is a routine investigation procedure and so far no arrests have been made,” the officer added. The police are also checking the sources of funding and bank accounts from which the victim received money. One of the accused had given the victim Rs 35,000 and the gang had promised Rs 40,000 for each person converted. “The victim was given a target of three people annually for conversion. The victim was blackmailed with a picture of him holding firearms,” the police said.

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday held that all women, irrespective of their marital status, are entitled to safe and legal abortion till 24 weeks of pregnancy under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act.

A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud, JB Pardiwala and AS Bopanna delivered the verdict on the interpretation of the MTP Act, and whether unmarried or single women can be allowed like their married counterparts the benefit of abortion up to 24 weeks.

The top court said the distinction between married and unmarried women under the abortion laws is “artificial and constitutionally unsustainable” and perpetuates the stereotype that only married woman are sexually active.

The bench, on August 23, had reserved its verdict on interpretation of the MTP Act provisions which makes a distinction between married and unmarried women on the issue of abortion till 24 weeks of pregnancy.

As suspense over whether or not Gehlot would agree to resign as CM to file his nomination papers continued, names of other Congress probables started doing the rounds. Right on top of the list was that of former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh Digvijaya Singh, who shares a close personal equation with Rahul Gandhi. Gandhi family loyalist Ambika Soni, considered close to Sonia, could also be on the ballot.

Others include the party’s top Dalit leaders like Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, AICC general secretary Mukul Wasnik, former Maharashtra chief minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar and former Haryana president of Congress Kumari Selja. Party treasurer Pawan Kumar Bansal’s name is also being mentioned as a possible contender.

On Wednesday, Sonia Gandhi consulted Ambika Soni and A K Antony, who was called from Kerala where he is leading a retired life, on the Rajasthan crisis. She was advised to meet Gehlot one last time to try and iron out the differences.

The two central observers Ajay Maken and Mallikarjun Kharge shielded Gehlot in their report after returning from Jaipur where they were not able to meet the party MLAs loyal to the CM. These MLAs opposed to the high command’s plan to replace Gehlot with his former deputy Sachin Pilot and refused to sign a resolution authorising Sonia to pick the successor. Gehlot was originally scheduled to leave Jaipur at 5.30 pm but delayed his departure.

‘To express feelings of loyalists’
“The CM is going to Delhi to express the feelings of 102 MLAs, as their guardian, with the party leadership,” minister Pratap Khachariyawas said.

NEW DELHI: Himachal Pradesh Congress working president Harsh Mahajan joined the BJP on Wednesday and claimed the opposition party has become “vision-less, directionless and leaderless”.

A former state government minister and close aide of former chief minister Virbhadra Singh, who died last year, Mahajan lashed out at the Congress leadership in the state, saying it is very much ruled by “maa-beta” like in Delhi.

Singh’s wife Pratibha Singh is the state Congress president now and their son Vikramaditya Singh is a party MLA.

Nothing has been left in the Congress after the death of the former chief minister, he told reporters.

He joined the BJP in the presence of Union minister Piyush Goyal and lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership for providing a “strong government”.

Goyal said the BJP will script history in the state by retaining power following the polls likely to be held later this year.

Mahajan had been with the Congress for over four decades.

Welcoming Mahajan, Goyal said he held important positions in the Congress and has maintained a clean image.

The BJP government in the state will be repeated, he claimed.

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday held that all women, irrespective of their marital status, are entitled to safe and legal abortion till 24 weeks of pregnancy under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act.

A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud, JB Pardiwala and AS Bopanna delivered the verdict on the interpretation of the MTP Act, and whether unmarried or single women can be allowed like their married counterparts the benefit of abortion up to 24 weeks.

The top court said the distinction between married and unmarried women under the abortion laws is “artificial and constitutionally unsustainable” and perpetuates the stereotype that only married woman are sexually active.

The bench, on August 23, had reserved its verdict on interpretation of the MTP Act provisions which makes a distinction between married and unmarried women on the issue of abortion till 24 weeks of pregnancy.

NEW DELHI: Lt General Anil Chauhan (Retired) has been appointed as the next Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) who shall also function as Secretary to Government of India, Department of Military Affairs, with effect from the date of his assumption of charge and until further orders.ADVERTISEMENTAds by 

The post of CDS was lying vacant since December 8, 2021, when the first CDS General Bipin Rawat was killed in a helicopter accident in Coonoor, Tamil Nadu. The post of the CDS was created on 24 December 2019.

In a career spanning nearly 40 years, Lt Gen Anil Chauhan had held several command, staff and instrumental appointments and had extensive experience in counter-insurgency operations in Jammu & Kashmir and North-East India.

Born on 18th May 1961, Lt Gen Anil Chauhan was commissioned into the 11 Gorkha Rifles of the Indian Army in 1981. He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla and Indian Military Academy, Dehradun.

In the rank of Maj General, the officer had commanded an Infantry Division in the critical Baramula sector in the Northern Command. Later as Lt General, he commanded a corps in the North East and subsequently went to become the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Command from September 2019 and held the charge until his retirement from the service in May 2021.

In addition to these command appointments, the officer also tenanted important staff appointments including the charge of Director General of Military Operations.

Earlier, the officer had also served on a United Nations mission to Angola. The officer superannuated from the Indian Army on 31 May 2021.

Even after his retirement from the Army, he continued to contribute to national security and strategic matters.

For his distinguished and illustrious service in the Army, Lt General Anil Chauhan (Retired) was awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Uttam Yudh Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Sena Medal and Vishisht Seva Medal.

NEW DELHI/JAIPUR: Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Monday decided to depute senior party leader Kamal Nath to persuade Ashok Gehlot to resign from the post of Rajasthan Chief Minister before filing his nomination papers for the post of the party’s national president.

Sources said Kamal Nath has been asked to convey to Gehlot that if he does not resign, he would not be supported by the party high command for presidentship. They said if Gehlot does not heed to Kamal Nath’s message he may be asked not to file his nomination papers in the party election. 

Kamal Nath, who flew in here from Bhopal on Monday, met Sonia at her residence. There was no clear word on whether he will fly to Jaipur to convey her message. Top Congress leaders told this paper that Gehlot’s rebellion may not only cost him Congress presidentship but may also lead to his removal from the post of chief minister as he has refused to accept his former deputy Sachin Pilot as his successor.

He has conveyed to the party leadership that he would not accept either Pilot or anyone from his camp. He said Pilot and the MLAs who had walked out with him to form a government with the help of the BJP are not acceptable to a large number of Congress MLAs.

Kamal Nath’s meeting with Gehlot is the party leadership’s last-ditch attempt to seek Gehlot’s compliance with its decision to hand over chief ministership to Pilot. Congress MLAs loyal to Gehlot had on Sunday refused to meet the party’s central observers Ajay Maken and Mallikarjun Kharge. The central observers were sent to get the MLAs to pass a resolution authorising the Congress president to choose the next chief minister. MLAs in the Gehlot camp refused to sign the resolution. The party leadership in Delhi feels the MLAs avoided the central observers on the direction of Gehlot.

This is being seen as an open rebellion by Gehlot against the Gandhi family and the party’s central leadership. Congress leaders in Delhi said the party has started looking for an alternative candidate for the post of Congress president. There are four days left for the nominations to close for the party’s presidential election. Nominations for the presidential elections close on September 30.

The Congress Legislature Party meeting, which was called on Sunday, had to be cancelled as more than 90 MLAs loyal to Gehlot threatened to resign. Gehlot loyalists Shanti Dhariwal and Chief Whip Mahesh Joshi are being seen by the high command as the key players in the drama.

Gehlot met Kharge in the hotel he was staying on Monday afternoon. Before leaving for Delhi, Kharge said, “Everyone will have to be on the same page with Congress president’s decision. There has to be unity and discipline in the party unit.” Dhariwal later alleged that Maken was part of a plot to unseat Gehlot as CM.