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Patna : Bihar deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi has said the updating process of the National Population Register (NPR) will be carried out in the state from 15 May to 28 May this year, notwithstanding the West Bengal and Kerala governments' decision to put the exercise on hold in their respective states. Bihar senior BJP leader also said administrative and punitive action would be taken against officials if they refuse to carry out the NPR. "The NPR process in 2020 will be carried out between 1 April to 30 September in the country. In Bihar it will be done between 15 May and 28 May", Sushil Modi told reporters on Saturday. The process of preparing NPR began in 2010 during the UPA regime which was completed between 1 April to 30 September that year, he said. The Centre is "updating" the NPR 2010 in 2020 just before the 2021 census, Bihar deputy chief minister said. "NPR and NRC are two different things", he said. He also dared West Bengal and

New Delhi: Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Sunday sàid it was "shameful" that Sadaf Jafar, SR Darapuri and Pavan Rao were arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Police for violence without any evidence against them. He also said that it was a shocking admission by the police that there is no evidence of their involvement. "Sadaf Jafar, SR Darapuri and Pavan Rao Ambedkar released on bail after police ADMITTED no evidence of their involvement in violence. Shocking admission," he said on Twitter. "If that were so, why did the police arrest them in the first place? And how did the Magistrate remand them to custody without looking at the evidence," he asked. "The law says 'find evidence, then arrest'. The reality is 'first arrest, then search for evidence'. Shameful," Chidambaram tweeted. If that were so, why did the police arrest them in the first place? And how did the Magistrate remand them to custody without looking at the ev

New Delhi : The overall air quality in Delhi was in the 'very poor' category on Sunday with the Air Quality Index (AQI) docking at 336, said Centre-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR). Major pollutants PM 2.5 at 264 and PM 10 at 260, both in 'poor category' in the Lodhi Road area, according to the AQI data. An AQI between 0 to 50 is considered good, 51 to 100 is satisfactory, 101 to 200 moderate, 201 to 300 poor, 301 to 400 very poor and 401 to 500 is marked as severe or hazardous. The SAFAR has advised 'Sensitive Groups' to avoid all physical activity outdoors and move activities indoors. If asthmatics then keep relief medicine handy. "People are advised to stop outdoor activity in the early morning and after sunset times and avoid prolonged or heavy exertion. Go for a short walk instead of a jog and take more breaks. Stop any activity level if you experience any unusual coughing, chest discomfort, wheezing, breathing

Muzaffarnagar : Ten madrassa students held in connection with the violence that took place during anti-citizenship law protests in the city on 20 December have been granted bail. The students of the Madrassa Hoja Ilmiya were granted bail by a court on Saturday on the basis of a special investigation team (SIT) report that found no evidence against them. The SIT found the students not involved in any serious offence and withdrew all charges against them except that of violation of prohibitory orders, the prosecution said. It has been learned that 18 people were released after being found innocent in the SIT investigation. Over 70 people had been arrested for violence during the protests against the amended Citizenship Act in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar. from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/2QLR1mD Press Trust of India

From offers of "100 percent guaranteed" jobs to promises of free Netflix subscriptions and mobile internet data to discounts on premium watches and private hot chats, several accounts on Twitter are asking users into sending missed calls to the BJP's toll-free number launched two days ago to register people's endorsement for the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act 2019. A quick search of the toll-free number "8866288662", which was launched by the BJP on Thursday, lists out several such messages from Twitter users asking people to sending missed calls to the number. A compilation of some of the click-bait messages asking people to send missed call to BJP toll free number 8866288662 One Twitter user @kapilverma73, citing sources, goes on to tell people that (Prime Minister Narendra) "Modiji would deposit Rs 15 lakhs to their account if they send missed call to 8866288662. " Paisa turant aapke khate mein (the money will come immediately to yo

Chandigarh: The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandhak Committee (SGPC), the apex body which manages Sikh shrines, will send a four-member delegation to Pakistan to take stock of the situation following a mob attack on Gurdwara Nankana Sahib. Strongly condemning the mob attack on the historic Sikh shrine, SGPC chief Gobind Singh Longowal on Saturday appealed to the Pakistan government to take strict action against culprits. "We strongly condemn the attack on Gurdwara Nankana Sahib in Pakistan and appeal to the Pakistan government to take stringent action against the culprits and also ensure the safety of Sikhs living there," Longowal said on Saturday. "We will send a four-member delegation to Pakistan to take stock of the situation there," he said, adding that the delegation would also meet Sikh families in Nankana Sahib. "The delegation will also meet Pakistan's Punjab Governor and Chief Minister,” he further said. He said the delegation will comprise Rajin

Kota:  Criticising his government over the deaths of 107 children in Kota's state-run JK Lon Hospital, Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot on Saturday said their response to the infant deaths could have been more sensitive. He said it was not a small incident and also stressed that accountability for the entire episode should be fixed. “As many as 107 children have died in the hospital. This is very painful. Our response to the entire matter was not satisfactory to some extent. The response could have been more sensitive and we should have been more compassionate,” the deputy chief minister told reporters. Pilot, who is also Congress' state party chief, had earlier visited some of the families who lost their children and also went to the hospital. “The underprivileged people are dependent on these hospitals. They have lost their children and do not accept the argument about how many deaths occurred earlier and how many have died now,” the deputy chief minister said.

From offers of "100 percent guaranteed" jobs to promises of free Netflix subscriptions and mobile internet data to discounts on premium watches and private hot chats, several accounts on Twitter are baiting users into sending missed calls to the BJP's toll-free number launched two days ago to register people's endorsement for the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act 2019. A quick search of the toll-free number "8866288662", which was launched by the BJP on Thursday, lists out several click-bait messages from Twitter users misleading people into sending missed calls to the number. One Twitter user @kapilverma73, citing sources, goes on to tell people that (Prime Minister Narendra) "Modiji would deposit Rs 15 lakhs to their account if they send missed call to 8866288662. " Paisa turant aapke khate mein (the money will come immediately to your account," the user adds. ब्रेकिंग न्यूज़... मोदी जी से अपने 15 लाख लेने के लिए इस नंबर पर मिस कॉ

Mumbai: The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), a key Congress ally, Saturday called for withdrawal of a controversial Seva Dal booklet which claims that Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Savarkar and Mahatma Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse were in a physical relationship. NCP's chief spokesperson Nawab Malik said that since Savarkar was not alive, it was wrong to make such a claim. The Hindi booklet, titled " Veer Savarkar, Kitne 'Veer' ?" ("How brave was Veer Savarkar?", was distributed at a camp of Seva Dal , a frontal organisation of the Congress in Madhya Pradesh recently. The booklet also questions Savarkar's credentials as a patriot and his reputation for valour. It also claimed that Savarkar received money from the British after he was released from Andaman's Cellular Jail. "The booklet should be withdrawn. You may have ideological differences with the person concerned. But it is not right to make such personal remarks against one wh

From the time of the British Raj, India has had a rich culture of student dissent and protest. Periodically, students have risen up against instances of injustice and state excess. The students strike at the King Edward Medical College, Lahore in pre-Partition India in 1920, the 1965 statewide students agitation in Tamil Nadu against the Official Languages Act, the JP Movement, protests against the Emergency and the Assam Agitation , all reflect some large scale movements spearheaded by students in India. Therefore, with such an abundant history of student activism deeply embedded into India's universities, it was not surprising to see student-led protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) sweep across the country over the past fortnight. Protests started from Jamia Milia Islamia in New Delhi, in essence, the catalyst of this movement, and soon spread to the Aligarh Muslim University, Banaras Hindu University, Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay, and even the apolit

Mumbai : Ranjit Savarkar, grandson of  Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, was hospitalised late on Friday night after he complained of high blood pressure, sources said on Saturday. Sources claimed that the 55-year-old was under a lot of stress and tension following the controversy over his grandfather. The controversy erupted after a booklet, distributed by Congress affiliated Seva Dal in Madhya Pradesh, questioned Savarkar's credentials as a patriot and his reputation for valour. "Ranjit has been visiting television studios to defend his grandfather and it took a toll on his health. His blood pressure shot up to 220 last night, following which he was admitted to Raheja Fortis Hospital at Mahim," a source said. Ranjit Savarkar was admitted to the ICU, but his condition is stable now, he said. Titled "Veer Savarkar, Kitne Veer?", the Hindi booklet had also claimed that Savarkar and Mahatma Gandhi's killer Nathuram Godse were in a physical relationship. The bookl

CAT 2019 results |   The results of the Common Admission Test (CAT) were announced on Saturday. Ten candidates — all men from technology and engineering background —have scored a perfect 100 percentile in the CAT, officials told PTI.  The CAT conducted in 2019 saw the highest number of test takers in the past 10 years, they added. The score cards can be downloaded from the official website  iimcat.ac.in. Here are the steps to download the score card: Step 1: Go to the official website  iimcat.ac.in Step 2: Click on Login button below Download CAT 2019 Score Card Step 3: Log in with user name and password Step 4: Download and save score card for future reference The IIM had conducted the computer-based CAT in two sessions on 24 November, 2019. The answer key was released on 29 November. The CAT is a pre-requisite for admission to various postgraduate and fellow programmes of IIMs. CAT 2019 scores are allowed to be used by listed non-IIM member institutions as well. With

Kota : A central team of experts on Saturday visited JK Lon Hospital in Kota to take stock of infant deaths in Rajasthan. According to the officials, the death toll has mounted to 107 on Saturday, after a child died in the morning. A three-member State government committee of doctors that was sent to investigate the matter on 23 and 24 December found that JK Lone Hospital is short of beds and requires improvement. However, the committee gave a clean chit to the doctors for any lapses over the death of infants admitted there. As per the government report, at least 91 infants lost their lives at the government hospital in December last year. Meanwhile, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued a notice to the Chief Secretary of Rajasthan to submit a detailed report within four weeks about the steps being taken to address the issue. The Commission also asked the Chief Secretary to ensure that such deaths of children do not recur in the future due to a lack of infrastruct

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday condemned the mob attack on Nankana Sahib Gurdwara in Pakistan, saying bigotry is a dangerous, age old poison that knows no borders. Taking to Twitter, Rahul termed Friday attack reprehensible, and said the only known antidote to bigotry is love, mutual respect and understanding. "The attack on Nankana Sahab is reprehensible & must be condemned unequivocally. Bigotry is a dangerous, age old poison that knows no borders. Love + Mutual Respect + Understanding is its only known antidote," he said in a tweet. A violent mob attacked the Nanakana Sahib Gurdwara in Pakistan Friday and pelted it with stones. Nankana Sahib is the birth place of first Sikhguru Guru Nanak Dev. from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/2QInDxz Press Trust of India

New Delhi: A day after a mob attack on the Nankana Sahib Gurdwara in Pakistan, Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri sought to know on Saturday whether those protesting across the country against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) needed more evidence of the oppression of minorities in the neighbouring country. Taking to Twitter, the Union housing and urban affairs minister said the violent mob that besieged the Nankana Sahib Gurdwara on Friday had threatened to change the name of the holy place to "Ghulam-e-Mustafa". Gurdwara Nankana Sahib, also known as Gurdwara Janam Asthan, is the site near Lahore in Pakistan where the first Guru of Sikhs, Guru Nanak, was born. A violent mob had attacked the gurdwara and pelted it with stones on Friday. "The violent mob that besieged Nankana Sahib Gurudwara has threatened to change the name of our holy place to Ghulam-e-Mustafa. "Do those who are opposing the CAA need more evidence of oppression of minorities in Pakistan,&

On Saturday morning, Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry Kiran Bedi was mocked by Twitterati for putting up a fake video of the Sun "chanting Om as recorded by NASA". First, the smart alecs on Twitter began piling on the former Indian Police Service officer, who put up the tweet at 8.11 am: @thekiranbedi be like pic.twitter.com/RySKDrUWbr — AzAad Prem khopda (@roflchopra) January 4, 2020 Sun Chanting Om! pic.twitter.com/4dh9VTcBKj — Rofl Republic 🍋🌶 (@i_theindian) January 4, 2020 NASA recorded the sound of sun during Monsoon season. Via @thekiranbedi pic.twitter.com/BmSWU9W2kN — Veer Rofl Gandhi 2.0 (@RoflGandhi_) January 4, 2020 The age of Sun & Earth is 4.6 billion years. Humans or Homo Sapiens are just 175000 years old. Humans developed language 20000 years ago. Religion was created 5000 years ago. And yet the Sun Chants OM. Wah @thekiranbedi I wonder if the Dinosaurs also chanted OM??? — Advaid (@Advaidism) January 4, 2020 Sun be like pic.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Ballari G Somashekhar Reddy on Friday stoked controversy by warning those protesting against the amended citizenship law of consequences if the majority community were to hit the streets, according to several media reports. Screen grab from video of G Somashekhar Reddy. News18 "Be careful because we are 80 percent of the population while you are just 15 percent. You are just a minority, and I want you to think what will happen if the majority comes out on the streets against you all," said the Ballari MLA in  in an apparent reference to the Muslim community at a rally in Ballari, NDTV reported. Reddy also attacked the Congress and its supporters for “misleading” people and said that BJP MP Tejasvi Surya's was right in calling anti-CAA protesters as " puncturewallahs ". “People in Congress are idiots. They are trying to mislead you and you believe them and then come out on streets,” he said, as per the NDTV report. Ac

New Delhi: Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday slammed Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan for peddling a seven-year-old violence video from Bangladesh as a case of what he claimed to be "Indian police's pogrom against Muslims in UP". "Tweet Fake News. Get Caught. Delete Tweet. Repeat. #Oldhabitsdiehard," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted. Tweet Fake News.Get Caught. Delete Tweet. Repeat #Oldhabitsdiehard pic.twitter.com/MjFtzP0WHW — Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) January 3, 2020 The now-deleted video shared by Khan was soon fact-checked and found to be of 2013 and showed police action against a group of people in Bangladesh. The Pakistan Prime Minister had tried to pass off the clip as a case of police brutality "against Muslims" in Uttar Pradesh. At one point in the now-deleted video, a policeman is seen holding a shield of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), proving that it was an incident in Bangladesh. The RAB i

New Delhi : Union minorities affairs minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Saturday slammed West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee for targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi over Pakistan remark saying, "she should stop provoking people" and "must focus on protecting her own house." "She should stop provoking people and must make efforts in the direction of bringing peace in the state. Anti-national forces in West Bengal have made life tough for the common man. Merely targeting the Prime Minister is not going to help her. She should first focus on protecting her own house," the Union Minister said while speaking to ANI in New Delhi. Banerjee had led a protest march against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) and targeted Modi by stating that he always talks about Pakistan. "I am fighting against the NRC and CAA. Join hands with me. Requesting all people to come forward to save our democracy," she had said

Srinagar: Suspected terrorists hurled a grenade on CRPF personnel in Kawdara locality here on Saturday, resulting in injuries to a 16-year-old boy, police said. However, there was no injury to any CRPF personnel as the grenade missed the intended target and exploded on the roadside, a police official said. He said unidentified terrorists lobbed the grenade to target CRPF personnel posted in Kawdara locality of the interior area of the city in the afternoon, causing panic among the people. A boy, who was moving on the road, received minor splinter injuries when the grenade exploded, the official said. Two private vehicles were damaged in the attack, he added. The boy has been shifted to a hospital, the official said. The area was immediately cordoned off to nab the terrorists involved in the attack, he said. No outfit has so far claimed responsibility for the blast. from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/39CGlPz Press Trust of India

It is interesting to note how the anti-CAA protests — initially fashioned as battle for reclaiming the ‘Idea of India’, ‘Constitutional values’ and preserving India’s ‘secular ethos’ — have metamorphosed into an expression of Islamist assertiveness and manifestation of Muslim identity politics. The cultural clarion calls that have become de rigueur in these rallies: Tera Mera Rishta Kya, La Ilaha Illallah; Azadi Kaun Dilayega, La Illaha Illallah  are deeply Islamist in nature that have troubling connotations for a secular nation. They not only speak of supremacy of one faith over all other but also of a pan-Islamic identity that towers over other all identities, including that of a nation-state. One of the key issues that confronted the protesters when Parliament passed the Citizenship Amendment Bill, following which it was enacted into a law giving persecuted Hindu, Sikh, Christian, Jain, Parsi and Buddhist refugees from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh a fast-track Indian ci

Srinagar: Many parts of Kashmir received fresh light snowfall on Saturday, leading to an increase in the minimum temperature which brought some relief to the people from the intense cold conditions, the meteorological department said. A MeT official said the weather would remain generally cloudy in Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh Union territories on Saturday with chances of light rain or snow. "Light snowfall of two to five inches occurred at many places of Kashmir, hilly areas of Jammu and on the higher reaches of Ladakh," he said. The official said the weather would remain generally cloudy in both the Union territories on Saturday. "A spell of widespread light to moderate snowfall is likely to occur from 6 to 7 January  evening," he said. The official said the fresh snowfall brought some relief to the residents in the Valley from the intense cold conditions as the night temperature showed improvement. Srinagar city recorded a low of minus 0.1 degree Celsius Fr

Srinagar: Many parts of Kashmir received fresh light snowfall on Saturday, leading to an increase in the minimum temperature which brought some relief to the people from the intense cold conditions, the meteorological department said. A MeT official said the weather would remain generally cloudy in Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh Union territories on Saturday with chances of light rain or snow. "Light snowfall of two to five inches occurred at many places of Kashmir, hilly areas of Jammu and on the higher reaches of Ladakh," he said. The official said the weather would remain generally cloudy in both the Union territories on Saturday. "A spell of widespread light to moderate snowfall is likely to occur from 6 to 7 January  evening," he said. The official said the fresh snowfall brought some relief to the residents in the Valley from the intense cold conditions as the night temperature showed improvement. Srinagar city recorded a low of minus 0.1 degree Celsius Fr

Muzaffarnagar : The district administration has sent notices to 46 people for their alleged involvement in damaging public property during the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar. The notices to 46 people have been sent by a panel set up under additional district magistrate Amit Kumar by the authorities. They have been told that the authorities found their involvement in alleged vandalism during the protests against the CAA on 20 December in the district, Kumar said. The accused have been asked to send their replies by 9 January, he said. Meanwhile, four madrasa students, arrested after violence during anti-CAA protests, were released on the orders of a court as police gave them clean chit in its report filed before the chief judicial magistrate here on Friday. from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/2rX8yQk Press Trust of India

Jammu: Asserting that the Citizenship (Amendment) act (CAA) was implemented in Jammu and Kashmir the day it was passed by Parliament, Union minister Jitendra Singh on Friday said the government's next move would be regarding the deportation of Rohingya refugees as they will not be able to secure citizenship under the new law. He demanded a probe into how the Rohingyas reached and settled down in the northern-most belt of Jammu after passing through several states from West Bengal. "The CAA has been implemented in Jammu and Kashmir the day it was passed (by Parliament). There are no 'ifs' and 'buts', by the implementation (of the CAA in Jammu and Kashmir), what would happen here is that the next move would be in relation to (the deportation) of Rohingyas," Singh said at a function here. The minister, who was addressing the officers of the Jammu and Kashmir government at a three-day training programme on the general fund rules here, pointed out that Jamm

Kolkata:  The Popular Front of India (PFI), an alleged radical Islamic outfit, was on Friday denied permission for an anti-citizenship law rally scheduled on Sunday in West Bengal's Murshidabad district, a senior police officer said. The Kerala-based organisation, following the denial of approval, decided to "postpone its meeting for the time being", PFI West Bengal general secretary Manirul Sheikh said. "They (PFI) had applied for permission to hold a rally in Murshidabad district on 5 January. However, we haven't given them approval," the police officer said. Meanwhile, TMC MP Abu Taher Khan has lodged a police complaint against the PFI for adding his name in the list of speakers for the Sunday rally without seeking his consent. "I had lodged a police complaint as they had used my name in their posters as one of the speakers without taking prior permission from me," Taher said. The Uttar Pradesh government had recently written to Union Home Mi

Kota: The state-run hospital in Kota, where more than 100 children died in December, rolled out a "green carpet" on Friday to welcome Rajasthan Health Minister Raghu Sharma. After the decision was slammed by the opposition BJP and others, the JK Lon Hospital administration removed the carpet shortly before the minister's arrival. Asked about the preparations to welcome him at the hospital, Sharma said when he came to know about it he immediately directed the officials to no do such things. Rajasthan: A carpet laid out at Kota's JK Lon Hospital ahead of the visit of State Health Minister Raghu Sharma, was removed after seeing media presence. #KotaChildDeaths pic.twitter.com/WJRmoqry2S — ANI (@ANI) January 3, 2020 The Kota Nagar Nigam removed at least 50 stray pigs from the premises. The hospital management undertook several measures for the minister's visit. It had repaired damaged portions of the hospital, whitewashed the walls and organised all equipmen

Islamabad: Pakistan on Friday rejected reports that Gurdwara Nanakana Sahib near Lahore was desecrated by certain groups. Gurdwara Nankana Sahib, also known as the Gurdwara Janam Asthan, is the site where the first Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Nanak, was born. It is regarded as one of the holiest Sikh sites. Foreign Office in a midnight statement said the provincial authorities in the Punjab province have informed that there was a scuffle in the city of Nankana Sahib on Friday between two Muslim groups. The altercation happened on a minor incident at a tea-stall and the District Administration immediately intervened and arrested the accused. Stones pelted at Nankana Sahib gurdwara in Pakistan on Friday. ANI "Attempts to paint this incident as a communal issue are patently motivated. Most importantly, the Gurdwara remains untouched and undamaged. All insinuations to the contrary, particularly the claims of acts of ‘desecration and destruction' and desecration of the holy plac

India "strongly condemned" the vandalism of the Gurudwara Nankana Sahib in Pakistan on Friday evening and called on Islamabad to take immediate steps to ensure the safety and security of the Sikh community in the locality. According to initial reports, an angry group of local residents pelted stones at the gurdwara. The group, reports said, was led by the family of a boy who had allegedly abducted a Sikh girl Jagjit Kaur, who is also the daughter of the gurdwara's reader. Akali Dal MLA Manjinder Singh Sirsa shared the video which, he said, showed an angry mob shouting anti-Sikh slogans outside Nankana Sahib. "Live footage from Nankana Sahib where an angry Muslim mob is outside Gurdwara Sahib and raising anti-Sikh slogans," Sirsa said in a tweet. LIVE Footage from Nankana Sahib where an angry Muslim mob is outside Gurdwara Sahib and raising anti-Sikh slogans I urge @ImranKhanPTI Ji to take immediate action on such communal incidents that are increasing the

Guwahati: Former Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi on Friday said the Congress will bring a resolution during the special one-day session of the Assam Legislative Assembly on 13 January to ensure that the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) is not implemented in the state. The resolution will make a plea to ensure that the Assam Accord is not violated or diluted in any way by the CAA which should not be implemented in the state, Gogoi told reporters in Guwahati. "The Assam Accord must be implemented in letter and spirit and should not be diluted in any way. The CAA has violated the Accord and the Preamble of our Constitution, leading to widespread agitations across the country", he said. File image of Tarun Gogoi. PTI The stir demanding CAA's withdrawal is not confined to Assam alone but even in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Varanasi constituency where Section 144 has been imposed, Gogoi said. The special session of the state assembly has been called on January 13