Month: February 2022

A day after an attack on the convoy of AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi in Uttar Pradesh, the Lok Sabha MP on Friday said he will talk to Speaker Om Birla over the matter.

“Speaker called me yesterday and asked about my well-being. He said that he was informed by police that two people were apprehended. He said he sought a report on the incident. I will talk to Speaker today,” Owaisi told ANI.

Meanwhile, the central government has reviewed the security of the AIMIM chief and provided him with Z security of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) with immediate effect, said sources on Friday.

Two men have been arrested allegedly for firing at the convoy of Asaduddin Owaisi when he was leaving Meerut’s Kithoudh area for Delhi after poll campaigning, informed Uttar Pradesh Police.

AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi was in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut for campaigning on Thursday.

The Uttar Pradesh assembly election for the 403 assembly seats would be held in seven phases from February 10 to March 7. The counting of votes will take place on March 10. (ANI)

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on late Thursday evening arrested Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi’s nephew Bhupinder Singh Honey in an illegal sand mining case from Jalandhar after day-long questioning, said sources.

Honey was being questioned at ED’s office at Jalandhar. ED arrested Honey under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). He is likely to be produced later in the day before a Special Court at Mohali.

ED’s action came around 20 days after it seized more than Rs 10 crore, gold worth above 21 lakh and a Rolex watch worth Rs 12 lakh from the residential premises of Bhupinder Singh Honey, and others in connection with an alleged illegal sand mining case.

The ED had declared the recoveries after it concluded its two-day raid conducted at the business and residential premises of the accused persons and their associates in over a dozen places in Mohali, Ludhiana, Rupnagar, Fatehgarh Sahib and Pathankot.

The federal agency had also raided the premises of the accused persons and their associates including Kudratdeep Singh, the owner of Pinjore Royalty Company, and his partners and shareholders Kanwarmahip Singh, Manpreet Singh, Sunil Kumar Joshi, Jagveer Inder Singh on January 18 and 19.

The raids were also conducted at the premises of Randeep Singh, the owner of Providers Overseas Consultants Pvt Ltd and its other directors and shareholders including Bhupinder Singh and Sandeep Kumar.

The places being searched then included Honey’s Homeland Heights Society residence in Mohali’s Sector-70.

ED initiated a money-laundering investigation on the basis of FIR registered at Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar Police Station under section 379, 420, 465, 467, 468 and 471 of Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 21(1) and 4(1) of Mines and Minerals (Regulation of Development) Act, 1957 in March 2018.

In the FIR, it was mentioned that a team comprising of officials of the Mining Department, Civil Administration and Police Department made a surprise check on March 7, 2018, on the basis of a complaint received at Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar Police Station regarding illegal sand mining.

Consequently, it was found that several mines were being excavated by various machines and mining was being carried out beyond the designated area.

Accordingly, several tippers and trucks, Porcelain machines and JCB Machines were captured and seized by the investigating team.

“The seized tipper and trucks were also found to be overloaded with sand. The seized weighment slips having office stamps had actually not been issued by the concerned office and were forged,” ED had said.

Subsequently, the ED had also informed, the mining operation at the Malikpur mining site was stopped and also the approval of weighment slips was stopped by the team.

As per the FIR, apart from Malikpur, illegal mining activities were also carried out at Burjtahl Das, Barsal, Lalewal, Mandala and Khosa.

On the basis of information available, the ED said, the investigation was initiated against all the accused mine owners and their associates in order to ascertain the money laundering activities undertaken by them for laundering their proceeds of crime.

The ED suspects that black money was invested in getting a contract for the sand mine. The company floated, sources say, is of very small scale and unlikely to get a contract worth crores.

Honey’s partner Kudratdeep Singh of Ludhiana and 25 others are already booked by Punjab Police and its FIR was registered in 2018. When the ED questioned Kudratdeep Singh it came to the fore that the main facilitator was Honey.

With the Assembly election in Punjab slated for February 20, the timing of raids and arrest of Punjab CM’s nephew is all set to rise the electioneering mercury in the State.

Voting for 117 assembly seats in Punjab is slated for February 20.

Punjab CM Channi had earlier termed the raids by ED in January as part of a political vendetta, saying “Congress party and its leaders will not budge under any pressure”. (ANI)

Congress, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and Trinamool Congress (TMC) members among other Opposition party leaders staged a walkout from the Rajya Sabha on Friday, protesting against Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi’s decision to return the NEET Exemption Bill and demanded him to immediately recall the decision.

Raising the issue in the Upper House, DMK MP from Tamil Nadu Tiruchi Siva and his party members stepped into the Well of the House.
DMK members said that NEET Exemption Bill was unanimously passed by the Tamil Nadu assembly and the action of the Governor was against the will of the people of the state. The matter was raised during the Zero Hour of the House.

DMK members kept on insisting on the issue, but Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu did not allow them to speak. They were instead asked to go back to their seat and to “let others speak” in the Zero Hour.

DMK members were demanding the government to recall Governor RN Ravi.

Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge raised an issue by requesting the Chairman to allow members to put forth their issue.

As the Chairman did not allow them to speak over the issue and continued the Zero Hour irrespectively, Kharge announced to walk out.

The Congress, DMK and TMC members along with others in the opposition parties then walked out of the House.

A similar protest was seen in the Lok Sabha on Thursday too when opposition members belonging to the DMK, the Congress and the Left parties raised slogans against Governor RN Ravi over the issue. (ANI)

Actor Akshay Kumar is currently in Mussoorie for the shoot of the Hindi remake of Tamil film ‘Ratsasan’.

While busy working on the film, Akshay is making sure to fully enjoy the cold weather.
On Thursday, Akshay took to Instagram and shared a video in which he is seen clad in a cop uniform with aviator. In the clip, he is strolling on the road covered in snow with a smile on his face.

Sharing his experience, Akshay wrote, “Grateful to have a job which helps me live such beautiful experiences. Mussoorie, you’re a dream to shoot in.”

The song, ‘Dil Na Jaaneya’, from his film ‘Good Newwz’, can be heard in the background of the video.

Akshay will be seen sharing screen space with Rakul Preet Singh in the Hindi remake. (ANI)

Indian women’s football team star Kamala Devi said that announcing her retirement from the game was a very emotional decision for her.

Having served Indian Football for the better part of 12 years, Kamala decided to hang up her boots earlier this week, after a fulfilling career.

“It had already been on my mind for some time, but I can tell you, it’s not an easy decision to make. It was a very emotional moment for me, and my aunt, who has always been by my side since childhood, helped a great deal. But I did feel that it was the right time for me to retire. I’ve played at the top level for many years now, and it’s not always easy to carry on,” said Kamala Devi as per an AIFF release.

“My biggest critic was probably my father (laughs), but in a good way. He wanted me to do well in life, and he did not know much about the avenues one could create through football. That’s why when I was a kid, he would always tell me to stop playing so much and concentrate on studying. I guess, after a while, he also realised it was useless to keep me away from the game, but when he did see that I was getting to places through football, he did start supporting me,” she added.

Regarding her future plans, Devi said that she might get into coaching and she wants to stay connected to football.

“Well, maybe I’ll get into coaching. But more than that, I want to give back to society and to football. I have wanted to make my own football academy in my village. There are plenty of kids who love football over there, but they do not have the right guidance. I feel, with all the experience I’ve had as a footballer, I can give something back to all of them. I have given the academy a lot of thought, and now that I have more time, I can work towards it,” said Devi.

“If you love football, play it with passion. Nothing in life is easy. There are difficulties every step of the way. But it’s all about the passion and the mentality with which you approach it. If you are passionate about what you are doing, and if you are motivated and stubborn enough, then you can overcome it, no matter how difficult the task is,” she added. (ANI)

India’s total COVID-19 death toll breached the five-lakh mark as the country logged 1,072 fresh fatalities along with 1,49,394 fresh COVID cases in the last 24 hours, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare informed on Friday.

The death toll in the country stands at 5,00,055. With 1,42,859 deaths, Maharashtra has reported the most fatalities in the country, followed by Kerala (56701), Karnataka (39,197), Tamil Nadu (37,666), Delhi (25,932) and Uttar Pradesh (23,277).

The cumulative COVID-19 caseload reported in the country has risen to 4,19,52,712 including 14,35,569 active cases. Active cases account for 3.42 per cent of the total cases.

As many as 2,46,674 recoveries were reported in the last 24 hours thereby taking the total recoveries in the country to 4,00,17,088. The recovery rate currently is at 95.39 per cent.

Of the 16,11,666 tests conducted in the last 24 hours, a daily positivity rate of 9.27 per cent was reported. Moreover, 73.58 crore total tests have been conducted so far.

The ministry informed that as many as 168.47 crore vaccine doses have been administered so far under the nationwide vaccination drive. (ANI)

Several parts of the national capital received light rainfall early on Friday morning. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted a generally cloudy sky with light rain or drizzle in Delhi on Friday.

The IMD said that the minimum temperature in Delhi dropped to 9 degrees Celsius, owing to the rain and maximum the maximum temperature is expected to touch 17 degrees Celsius.

Meanwhile, the air quality in the national capital continues to remain in the ‘very poor’ category with an overall Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 313, according to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR).

Under the influence of rain and gusty winds, the air quality in the national capital may gradually get better from tomorrow and the air quality index is expected to slightly improve from ‘lower end of poor’ to ‘moderate’ from February 5.

“AQI today indicates ‘Very Poor’ air quality and likely to improve due to rain along with the gusty wind that is expected to improve AQI to ‘Poor’ through wet deposition and strong dispersion. Intermittent rain is expected tomorrow improving AQI further to ‘Lower end of poor’ or ‘moderate’. From 5th onwards air quality gradually degrades as the rate of accumulation of pollutants is likely to be more than that of ventilation,” SAFAR said in its bulletin.

The concentrations of PM 2.5 and PM 10 were recorded at 136 in the ‘very poor’ and 221 in the ‘moderate’ category respectively.

The air quality in Noida and Gurugram also remained in the ‘very poor’ category with AQI at 313 and 314 respectively.

As per the government data, an AQI between zero and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 and 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 and 200 ‘moderate’, 201 and 300 ‘poor’, 301 and 400 ‘very poor’, and 401 and 500 ‘severe’. (ANI)

The attackers who opened fire on Asaduddin Owaisi’s convoy in Meerut on Thursday told the Uttar Pradesh Police that they took the action after being hurt by the AIMIM chief’s anti-Hindu remarks.

Uttar Pradesh Police has arrested one of the attackers while detaining another person. Police said the interrogation of attackers is underway. During interrogation, they told police that they carried out the act upon being hurt by Owaisi’s anti-Hindu statements.

“Uttar Pradesh Police is analysing the CCTV footage. One person was arrested in connection with the incident. An illegal 9 mm pistol was recovered from him. Five teams have been formed and the investigating is underway,” Prashant Kumar, ADG (Law and Order) told ANI.

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi was in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut for campaigning earlier today.

After reaching Delhi, Owaisi while speaking in Delhi said, “I had a roadshow in Meerut and Kithau. When I was returning, bullets were fired at my car. somehow my car managed to escape. I have seen two people. One was wearing a red hoodie while the another was wearing a white jacket. The tyre of my car punctured and after 2-3 km, I changed the car. I talked to the Additional SP who said one is arrested and arms were recovered. There are three bullets marks on my car. The SP said the forensic team will investigate.”

“It is the responsibility of the Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government as well as central government to look into the matter. I will also meet the Lok Sabha Speaker on this matter. Attack on a sitting MP is a very serious matter. I believe it is a well-planned attempt to hurt me. The incident took place near the toll plaza, which means the attackers were already doing recce. It is not the first time that there is an attack on me. The Election Commission should take notice of it since I was campaigning for the polls,” he added.

Earlier on Thursday, two people attacked Owaisi and fired bullets on his convoy when he was leaving Meerut’s Kithoudh area for Delhi. The incident took place near Chhajarsi toll plaza.

He also informed that his car got punctured which led him to leave the place in another vehicle.

The Uttar Pradesh assembly election for the 403 assembly seats would be held in seven phases from February 10 to March 7. The counting of votes will take place on March 10. (ANI)

In a veiled attack at the BJP-led Central government, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi while laying the foundation stone of ‘Amar Jawan Jyoti’ in Chhattisgarh’s Raipur on Thursday said that India is a bouquet of different ideologies, cultures, languages but “they want a single ideology to rule” the country.

Addressing the event in Raipur today, Gandhi said, “Hindustan is a bouquet having different ideologies, cultures, languages but they want a single ideology to rule over it but I’ve said yesterday in Parliament that we’ll not let it happen. We will show BJP the true ‘Hindustan”
He took a jibe at Bharatiya Janata Party and stated “we will show BJP the true ‘Hindustan’.

Further, the Wayanad MP claimed that BJP is dividing the country into two nations, that is, one with select billionaires which include 100-500 people and the second with crores of poor.

“They (BJP) think India’s poor are scared, but they aren’t scared of anyone. Development is not any party’s gift but the efforts of poor, farmers,” he added.

Earlier in the day, Gandhi also released the first instalment of ‘Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Bhumiheen Krishi Mazduur Yojana’ in the state.

Under this scheme, the Chhattisgarh government will give annual financial aid of Rs 6,000 to rural landless families. The registration for the scheme was started last year in September.

He also attended the foundation laying ceremony of a ‘Sevagram’ being built in Nava Raipur during his visit to the state. (ANI)