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New Delhi:  Delhi police said on Saturday they have registered 690 cases and held nearly 2,200 people in connection with the communal riots that took place in northeast Delhi, claiming 53 lives and injuring over 200. Of the total cases registered, 48 were related to Arms Act, police said in a statement. They said 2,193 people have been either detained or arrested in connection with the riots. Of them, 50 have been arrested on charges under the Arms Act. Meanwhile, a 27-year-old man was arrested for allegedly being involved in another man's death during the violence. The crime branch, probing the murder cases registered during the riots, arrested Shahnawaz for allegedly killing Dilbar Singh Negi, 20, and is trying to identify other suspects in the case. Negi's, whose decapitated and charred body was found in Brahmpuri on 26 February, had come to the National Capital six months ago from Uttarakhand's Pauri Garhwal and worked at a sweet shop in northeast Delhi. Also on Sa

Mumbai: Hundreds of women from different organisations in Maharashtra participated in a march against the CAA, NRC and NPR at Matunga in central Mumbai on Saturday. Women's March happening in Mumbai! Woh toh naya zamaana layegi! #BoycottNPR #CAA_NRC_Protests pic.twitter.com/ypWZGjim2I — We The People of India (@ThePeopleOfIN) March 7, 2020 On the eve of International Women's Day, observed on 8 March, women from various organisations, including tribal and Dalit outfits, marched from Five Gardens in Matunga to Chaityabhoomi in Dadar. Earlier, the Mumbai Police had denied permission for the march and had even circulated a message on WhatsApp warning people of strict action if they conducted or participated in the rally. However, even as the message was widely circulated on social media, hundreds of women gathered at Five Gardens, following which the police allowed them to march. Women marched holding placards and banners with messages against the Citizenship Amendmen

Three more people tested positive for the coronavirus in India on Saturday, taking the total number of cases in the country to 34. The total number of cases across the world crossed 1,00,000 mark, with countries such as Iran, Germay, South Korea and Italy recording their biggest one-day increases in cases. The Union health ministry said that three more positive cases of novel coronavirus were detected, with two from Ladakh and one from Tamil Nadu. The two patients from Ladakh have a travel history to Iran while the one from Tamil Nadu had visited Oman, the ministry said, adding all the patients are stable. The ministry further said that more that 150 people, who had come in contact with two American nationals who tested positive for coronavirus in Bhutan and had toured various places in India, including Assam, Mumbai and Kolkata, have been put under Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP). State governments steup up efforts State governments, too stepped up vigil, amid sus

New Delhi: A Delhi court on Saturday said there was not sufficient evidence to summon former Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) special director Rakesh Asthana in a bribery case lodged by the agency. Special Judge Sanjeev Aggarwal made the observation while taking cognisance of a chargesheet filed by the CBI, in which Asthana's name was mentioned in Column 12. Column 12 means there is not enough evidence to make a person an accused. File photo of Rakesh Asthana. PTI The court made a similar observation about CBI Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Devender Kumar, who was arrested by the agency in 2018 and later got bail. His name was also mentioned in Column 12 of the chargesheet. The court, however, summoned  "middleman" Manoj Prasad, who was arrayed as an accused in the chargesheet. It also summoned Prasad's brother Someshwar Srivastava and father-in-law Sunil Mittal, saying there was sufficient material to proceed against them. Both Srivastava's

Ayodhya: The Ayodhya administration on Saturday, hours before the arrival of Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray here to pay obeisance to Ram Lalla at the makeshift temple, put three Hindu seers under house arrest for threatening to greet the CM with black flag, said police. File image of Uttar Pradesh Police. Reuters The seers had threatened to greet Thackeray with black flag saying that he has formed government in Maharashtra with the help of those who had dubbed Lord Ram as an imaginary figure. The three seers who were put under house arrest on early Saturday morning are Mahant Raju Das of Hanumangarhi Temple, Mahant Paramhans Das of Tapaswi Chhawni Temple and Rakesh Dutt Mishra, the president of Hindu Mahasabha, said Ayodhya Senior Superintendent of police Ashish Tiwari. Thackeray reached the temple town shortly after the noon. Sources said three teams of police personnel swooped on the houses of the three saints and served them with the adminstration order to stay

Guwahati: The Assam government on Saturday asked people not to panic in the wake of a US tourist testing positive for the novel coronavirus in Bhutan after leaving the state, saying "special measures" were taken at the places where he had visited. No person has tested positive for the coronavirus in Assam and the state government has put in place stringent screening procedures, Minister of State for Health Pijush Hazarika said. "There is no need to panic as the US tourist had tested positive three days after leaving Assam. Wherever he had travelled in Assam, we have taken special measures in those places," he told a press conference. A medic official uses thermal screeing device on a passenger in the wake of deadly coronavirus, at an airport in Dibrugarh, Assam. PTI The second floor of the hotel in Guwahati where the 76-year-old man had stayed was sealed and a medical team sent to Neamatighat in Jorhat district which he had visited, the minister said. "

In his written testimony at the USCIRF hearing on citizenship rights and religious freedom — held in Washington on Wednesday to haul India over the coals on Citizenship Amendment Act — professor Ashutosh Varshney of Brown University submitted that anti-CAA protests that “raged in cities and towns virtually all across the country” have apparently “been primarily non-violent, and have continued for over two and a half months” till such time “Hindu-Muslim riots broke out in the National Capital”. The professor goes on to claim in his submission that CAA may render a “large of number of existing Muslim citizens stateless”, and once their basic rights including citizenship are taken away, “the community (will be) highly vulnerable to oppression and discrimination”. File image of protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act in Patna. PTI The forecast over the CAA in India is pretty grim, except that it’s nonsense. First, let’s highlight the factual errors in Varshney’s testimony. The

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi directed officials to identify locations for sufficient quarantine facilities and make provisions for critical care as he reviewed the coronavirus situation on Saturday. Three positive cases of novel coronavirus — two persons from Ladakh with travel history to Iran and another from Tamil Nadu who had visited Oman — were reported in India, taking the total number of confirmed cases to 34 on Saturday. All the patients are stable. At the meeting with all ministries and departments concerned, the prime minister said that in view of expert opinion, people should be advised to avoid mass gatherings as much as possible and made aware of the do's and don'ts. While complimenting all departments for the work done so far, Modi stressed that as the coronavirus scenario evolves, India has to be prepared in its response. "All departments should work in convergence and action should be initiated for creating awareness in community about the

Mumbai: Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday visited Ayodhya and announced an aid of Rs 1 crore for the construction of Ram Temple while stressing that his party, the Shiv Sena, is committed to Hindutva even though it has broken ties with the BJP. Thackeray, on his first visit to Ayodhya after becoming CM last November and completing 100 days in office on Friday, also said the aid will be given on behalf of a trust and not the Maharashtra government. Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray addresses a press conference in Ayodhya. PTI He was accompanied by his wife Rashmi, son and Maharashtra tourism minister Aaditya Thackeray and another minister and Congress leader Sunil Kedar. "In Marathi, there is a phrase ' phool na phoolachi paakli ' (one should offer a petal if not the whole flower). So I am humbly announcing Rs 1 crore assistance for temple construction, not on behalf of the (Maharashtra) government, but our trust," Thackeray said.

Islamabad: Pakistan on Saturday rejected as "factually incorrect" India's assertion that the industrial autoclave seized from a Karachi-bound Chinese ship at the Kandla port has military applications, saying similar furnaces are being used in several industries around the world over. India on Thursday said it has conveyed its concerns to China after seizure of an item having military applications from a Chinese ship which was detained by Indian authorities at Gujarat's Kandla port last month. The autoclave seized from 'Da Cui Yan', the Hong Kong flagged ship bound for Karachi. "We have noted the reports about inspection and seizure by the Indian authorities of an item from a Pakistan bound commercial vessel by the Indian authorities," Pakistan Foreign Office (FO) said. It said that the private company in Pakistan which had imported the item under question had approached the government. "Claims about the possible military dimension of the

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday asked people to stay away from rumours regarding coronavirus and emphasised on the need to follow the advice of doctors in this regard. He also asked people to avoid handshakes and start greeting others with 'namaste' once again. "In such times rumours circulate very rapidly. Some say don't eat this, don't do that. Some people will bring in new things such as eat this to keep coronavirus away. It is my request to all my fellow countrymen, kindly keep away from these kinds of rumours," he said. "Whatever you do, kindly do it on the advice of your doctor. Let's not become doctors ourselves," the Prime Minister added. The entire world is taking up the habit of 'namaste', Modi said. If due to some reason we have discontinued this habit, it is the right time to once again take this up instead of handshakes, Modi said. He was interacting with owners of some Jan Aushadhi Kendras and bene

New Delhi: Congress leader and former Union finance minister P Chidambaram on Saturday said the Yes Bank fiasco was caused by "mismanagement" of financial institutions under the BJP government and demanded that the RBI conduct a thorough probe and fix accountability in the matter. He said it was "bizarre" for State Bank of India to invest Rs 2,450 crore to pick up a 49-per cent stake in the crisis-ridden bank under the government-approved bailout plan. File image of P Chidambaram. PTI "This is a matter that must be thoroughly inquired into and accountability fixed," he told reporters. He asked how no officer of the RBI noticed a 35-per cent jump in the loan book of the bank in a year, when loan books of other banks were growing at nine per cent. Yes Bank indulging in loan giving spree "isn't banking but buccaneering", he said, adding that the loan book of Yes Bank from March 2014 to March 2019 was allowed to grow and jump manifold. &

Amritsar: Two persons from Hoshiarpur tested positive for COVID-19, the novel coronavirus at the Guru Nanak Dev Hospital here in Amritsar on Saturday. Medical Superintendent of Guru Nanak Dev Hospital, Raman Sharma said: "Both these patients came to the airport of Amritsar from Italy on March 3. They were coughing so they were admitted to the hospital for treatment and their blood samples were examined. These patients have been isolated and are being treated in the same isolated room." Representational image. PTI "Their preliminary investigation confirmed the infection of COVID-19. Their final report is yet to come from the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune," he added. Sharma further said: "People should stay away from each other to avoid COVID-19, especially those who have just come from abroad, should not get their hands together, those who have a problem of cough should stay away from other people." Till Friday 31 positive cases were be

New Delhi: The government on Saturday revoked the 48-hour ban imposed on Friday on two Malayalam news channels for reportage that could "enhance communal disharmony" across the country. The ban on Asianet News was lifted at 1.30 am, while the ban on Media One was lifted at 9.30 am on Saturday, and both were back on air, a source at the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting told PTI. Later in Pune, I&B Minister Prakash Javadekar said the Centre has lifted the ban and the government supports the freedom of the press. While Asianet news editor MG Radhakrishnan said his channel's management had contacted the ministry after the ban was imposed and spoken with relevant people, explaining the channel's position, Media One editor-in-chief CL Thomas said his channel had not reached out to the government and the ministry "suo motu" revoked the ban. "We were proceeding for legal action. Today we got the information that the ban has been revoked, so

Mumbai: The Enforcement Directorate on Saturday continued questioning Yes Bank founder Rana Kapoor in connection with a money laundering probe against him and others, officials said. They said Kapoor was brought to the agency's office in the Ballard Estate area Saturday afternoon. The ED had searched Rana's residence in the upscale 'Samudra Mahal' complex in the Worli area on Friday night and had grilled him there too. The questioning of Kapoor is continuing, they said. The case against Kapoor is linked to the scam-hit DHFL as the loans lent by the bank to the company allegedly turned non-performing assets (NPAs), they said. Action against Kapoor is being conducted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) by the ED. The central agency is also probing Kapoor's role in connection with the disbursal of loans to some corporate entities and the subsequent alleged kickbacks reportedly received in his wife's accounts. Other alleged irregularities ar

New Delhi: The government on Saturday revoked the 48-hour ban imposed on Friday on two Malayalam news channels for reportage that could "enhance communal disharmony" across the country. The ban on Asianet News was lifted at 1.30 am, while the ban on Media One was lifted at 9.30 am on Saturday, and both were back on air, a source at the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting told PTI. Later in Pune, I&B Minister Prakash Javadekar said the Centre has lifted the ban and the government supports the freedom of the press. While Asianet news editor MG Radhakrishnan said his channel's management had contacted the ministry after the ban was imposed and spoken with relevant people, explaining the channel's position, Media One editor-in-chief CL Thomas said his channel had not reached out to the government and the ministry "suo motu" revoked the ban. "We were proceeding for legal action. Today we got the information that the ban has been revoked, so

New Delhi:  No country in the world says everybody is welcome, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday, hitting out at those criticising India over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. Jaishankar criticised the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for its criticism on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, saying its director had been wrong previously too and one should look at the UN body's past record on handling the Kashmir issue. "We have tried to reduce the number of stateless people through this legislation. That should be appreciated," he said when asked about the CAA at the ET Global Business Summit. "We have done it in a way that we do not create a bigger problem for ourselves." "Everybody, when they look at citizenship, have a context and has a criterion. Show me a country in the world which says everybody in the world is welcome. Nobody says that," the minister said. The external affairs minister said moving out of the R

Child environmental activist from Manipur Licypriya Kangujam turned down the offer to join Prime Minister Narendra Modi's #SheInspiresUs campaign on International Women's Day, saying she doesn't want to be "celebrated" as the prime minister doesn't "listen" to the young activist's voice. Dear @narendramodi Ji, Please don’t celebrate me if you are not going to listen my voice. Thank you for selecting me amongst the inspiring women of the country under your initiative #SheInspiresUs . After thinking many times, I decided to turns down this honour. 🙏🏻 Jai Hind! pic.twitter.com/pjgi0TUdWa — Licypriya Kangujam (@LicypriyaK) March 6, 2020 The government had chosen the eight-year-old environmental activist as one of the women to run Modi's social media accounts as part of his #SheInspiresUs campaign — dedicated to women "whose life and work will help ignite motivation in millions" on Sunday. Taking to Twitter, the government

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday asked people to stay away from rumours regarding coronavirus and emphasised on the need to follow the advice of doctors in this regard. He also asked people to avoid handshakes and start greeting others with 'namaste' once again. Modi was interacting with owners of Jan Aushadhi Kendras and beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojna (PMBJP) through video conference. "I appeal to my fellow countrymen to stay away from rumours regarding coronavirus," Modi said. We need to follow the advice of doctors in this regard, he said. People should avoid handshakes and start greeting others with 'namaste' once again, the Prime Minister added. Talking about the impact of the PMBJP initiative, he said every month, over one crore families are getting benefits of cheap medicines from these Jan Aushadhi Kendras. Over 6,000 Jan Aushadhi Kendras across the country have helped people save between R

Jaipur:  A total of 40.59 per cent of the crimes related to environment in the country were committed in Rajasthan during 2014-16, according to a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) . The report pointed out that despite the fact, state-level interagency coordination committee and wildlife crime control units to combat wildlife crimes were not established in the state. The crimes were mostly related to violation of the Forest (Conservation) Act -- such as uses of forest land for non-forest purposes without approval of government -- and Wildlife Protect Act -- capturing, poisoning, snaring or trapping of wild animals. Representational image. Rajasthan Govt Forest Portal The CAG report, for the year ended 31 March, 2018, was tabled in the Assembly on Friday. It highlighted that the highest number of crimes related to the environment were committed in Rajasthan from 2014-2016. Referring to the data by the National Crime Records Bureau (October 2017), the report menti

Editor's note : This is the first in a three-part series on Maharashtra’s water management process.  Kamal Mahale's dread and  anticipation of the looming summer season do not suggest she lives in a normal rainfall zone. Her descriptions of the past summers bear no hint of the fact that four rivers flow through the taluka she lives in. With the beginning of the month of March, residents of Mokhada in Maharashtra’s Palghar district brace themselves for three months of hardships. "If not four," Kamal quickly added, explaining that monsoons are often delayed these days. "Initially, it is bearable with only five to seven hours dedicated to fetching water. After mid-April, it gets crazy." Women line their pots up in front of the well at night, said Kamal, and even sleep near the well under the open sky to protect their spot in the queue. "This is a forested area," she said. "Sleeping under the open sky means taking the risk of being bitten by a s

New Delhi: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B Ministry) on Friday suspended the broadcast of two Kerala-based news channels, Asianet News and MediaOne TV , for 48 hours for their reporting of Delhi violence. "While reporting such a critical incident, the channels should have taken utmost care and should have reported it in a balanced way. Such reporting could enhance the communal disharmony across the country when the situation is highly volatile," an order by the I&B Ministry said. "The Ministry has come to the conclusion that the channels had violated Rule 6 (1) (c)& (e) of the Programme Code prescribed under the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995 and the rules framed thereunder by selecting said news regarding the northeast Delhi violence, " the order observed. "The central government in exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (2) & (3) of Section 20 of the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act,

Fear gripped Assam as Bhutan announced its first case of novel coronavirus on Friday. An elderly US tourist who tested positive for COVID-19 was traced to have spent at least a week in Assam as part of his India tour from 21 February to 1 March. He is travelling with his 59-year-old partner, and had taken a flight to Bhutan from Guwahati on 2 March. Among the ten other passengers on board the Drukair flight, eight are Indian nationals. "At the Paro International Airport, the patient’s health declaration form was assessed. He had indicated ‘negative’ against all conditions. He did not have a sign of fever," read an official statement by the Bhutan government. Representational image. AP “The patient suffers from chronic hypertension and is on medication. However, even at that time, he did not have any flu symptoms,” the statement further read. The 76-year-old tourist was tested positive after being kept under observation at a flu clinic designated for COVID-19 patients.