Month: August 2022

As the nation bled blue and the streets echoed with cheers for the Indian cricket team facing their arch-rivals Pakistan at the T20 Asia Cup in Dubai, bowler Avesh Khan’s family was glued to the television as the home side bowled the greens in the first inning on Sunday.

The family sounded positive and rallied on high energy as Khan who’s part of the playing XI in the match was seen crashing a wicket at the Dubai International stadium.

“Irrespective of Avesh playing or not, India must win the match along with winning the trophy,” Avesh Khan’s father told ANI.

The whole family was seen engrossed in the match including the kids.

He further showed confidence in the team and said, “Indian team is strong. We must win.”

The Indian captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to field first against the arch-rivals Pakistan in a blockbuster clash in the second match of the Asia Cup 2022 here at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

Indian cricket star Virat Kohli is all set to play his 100th T20I match when he takes to the field against Pakistan in the much-anticipated Asia Cup 2022 campaign opener.

The last time India met Pakistan in a T20I was the 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, where they were thoroughly defeated with Pakistan registering a 10-wicket victory. That was the first time Pakistan defeated India in a World Cup clash. And now, India finally have their chance to avenge the loss.

The high-profile clash will have a few big names missing, including Jasprit Bumrah, Shaheen Afridi and Harshal Patel, but that won’t take away from the excitement of the two teams competing for the first time since October last year.

India are the team in form heading into the Asia Cup 2022, with away T20I series triumphs in Ireland, England and West Indies.

Naseem Shah of Pakistan is making a T20 international debut against India.

Speaking at the time of the toss, India captain Rohit Sharma, “Honestly, I don’t think the toss is that important, we just hear to play good cricket. We’ve played here in the IPL, so hopefully, the pitch will be good. It was a tough call we had to take between playing Dinesh and Rishabh, Rishabh sadly misses out. And Avesh makes it as the third seamer. This is an important game for us, but as cricketers, we don’t want to think about the opposition, we just want to correct whatever mistakes we are doing. We are bowling first.”

Speaking at the time of toss, Pakistan skipper Babar Azam, We would have also been bowling first, but this is not in our hands. We will look to make a big score and see. Three fast bowlers, two spinners and a debut for Naseem Shah. There are a few new faces, and some old faces in that Indian team. We are trying to give it our best.”

India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma(c), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Dinesh Karthik(w), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Avesh Khan, Yuzvendra Chahal and Arshdeep Singh.

Pakistan (Playing XI): Babar Azam(c), Mohammad Rizwan(w), Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf and Shahnawaz Dahani. (ANI)

The meeting of the guide board of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Kashi province, was held on Sunday at Alopi Bagh-based ashram of Jagatguru Swami Vasudevanand Saraswati Ji in Prayagraj.

The unity of Hindu society was emphasized in this meeting. At the same time, the dignitaries have raised their voices for a complete ban on conversion.
Briefing the theme of the meeting, All India Sant Sampark Pramukh Ashok Tiwari said, “The issue of untouchability and ‘Love Jihad’ is serious before the Hindu society which was discussed today.”

Chief Guest Jagatguru Swami Vasudevanand Saraswati asked the saints to leave their Math and temples and awaken the Hindu society for the promotion and protection of Hindus.

“From time to time, the guidance of the society by the saints is necessary for the support of the Hindu religious culture. The awakening of the Hindu society is the solution to the problems of the Hindu society. We have to do the work of bringing our brothers who are away from the mainstream of Hindu society,” he said.

Acharya Jitendra Nath Maharaj of Eknath Peeth said that the roots of Hindu religious culture are so deep that no invader could end it.

“We wish for the happiness of the whole world and our society which has been away from us for some period also stands together in the name of religion and culture. We have to do the work of bringing them into the mainstream. To motivate mothers and sisters, many programs will be organized from time to time through Vishwa Hindu Parishad and saints,” Acharya Jitendra further said.

Mahant of Sacha Baba Ashram, Swami Gopal Das Ji Maharaj who was presiding over the meeting, said, “After Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Movement, Baba Amarnath Yatra, and after protecting Ram Setu, the issue of conversion, love jihad is in front of Hindu society.”

Swami Gopal further said that a ‘Jagrit’ (awakened) Hindu is the leader in the whole world.

Saints present in the meeting of VHP Kashi province have also given their views about Krishna Janmabhoomi in Kashi Vishwanath, Mathura

Mainly, Acharya Jitendra, Maharaj Ghanshyam Acharya, Jamuna Puri, Maharaj Swami Lal Baba, Omkar Giri, Swami Narayan Das, Chandra Bhushan Das, Ram Prapannacharya, Kul Shekhar Acharya, Radhe Giri and Nirmal Sharan Maharaj gave their views. (ANI)

A 1991 plaintiff related to Varanasi’s Gyanvapi case received death threats and Police registered a case on Saturday.

According to Police, Harihar Pandey, aged 60, one of the other three plaintiffs of the 1991 case named ‘Lord Vishweshwar Nath Swayambhu Jyotirlinga’, on August 24, 2022, received death threats from an unknown international caller. At around 8 am, Harihar Pandey received a voice call and on the phone call, some persons threatened to kill him and his family.
After the phone call, Pandey, a resident of Aurangabad, Varanasi, also received some photos showing the decapitation on the social media platform WhatsApp and soon those messages were deleted.

According to the police, the number is linked to Pakistan.

Shocked by the threat, Harihar Pandey claimed an unsafe environment for him and his family. After Pandey’s complaint, a case was registered against an unknown person at the Laksa police station of Varanasi.

Police personnel were deployed in his security after the registration of the case.

Earlier, Harihar Pandey received threats in the same case on April 8, 2021, on behalf of Harihar Pandey’s ancient idol Swayambhu Jyotirling Lord Visheshwarnath, Pandit Somnath Vyas, Ramrang Sharma and he as a plaintiff in the year 1991. The suit was filed in the civil court.

Pandit Somnath Vyas, Ramrang Sharma and Harihar Pandey, on behalf of the ancient idol Swayambhu Jyotirlinga Lord Visheshwarnath, filed a case in the civil court in the year 1991 as plaintiffs.

Plaintiffs Pandit Somnath Vyas and Ramrang Sharma died a few years after the case was filed in court. Now, Harihar Pandey is the only representative left in this case.

Meanwhile, Civil Judge Senior Division Ravi Kumar Diwakar had received threats by sending a letter. In the same case, the advocate of the Hindu side, Dr Sohan Lal Arya, also received death threats. (ANI)

Soon after the demolition of the Supertech Twin Towers, Noida Authority CEO Ritu Maheshwari on Sunday said that 10 metres boundary wall of a nearby society, ATS has been damaged after being hit by the debris.

The Supertech twin towers in Noida came crashing down within a span of nearly nine seconds after the use of 3,700 kg explosives on Sunday, thus ending a nine-year-long legal battle.
Now the cleaning process is underway in the vicinity of the Supertech Twin Towers that were demolished.

Speaking to ANI, Noida Authority CEO said that the demolition was successfully done and the residents of nearby vacated societies will be allowed to return to their homes at around 7 pm.

“The planned demolition of Supertech Twin Towers was successfully done at 2:30 pm. The cleaning work has started and supplies restoration will start soon,” said Maheshwari.

She further said that the pre and post-demolition AQI data is almost the same.

“Around 7 pm, the residents of nearby vacated societies will be allowed to return to their homes. Around 100 water tankers and 300 cleaning staff have been deployed here,” she said.

“10 metres boundary wall of a nearby society, ATS has been damaged after being hit by the debris. No information of damage from anywhere other than this has been received,” Maheshwari added.

Chetan Dutta, Edifice Official said that the demolition was 100 per cent successful and it took 9-10 seconds for the entire building to demolish.

“I was just 70 metres away from the building. The demolition was 100 per cent successful. It took 9-10 seconds for the entire building to demolish. There were 10 people in my team, 7 foreign experts and 20-25 people from Edifice Engineering,” said Dutta.

Noida Police Commissioner said that the team is going to the site to assess the remnants and leftover explosives if any are left there.

“Largely exercise was executed as per plan, expert teams are on spot. Assessment is being done as of now. Only experts can ascertain the post-demolition situation. We’re going to the site to assess the remnants and left-over explosives if at all they are left there,” said Noida CP.

Clouds of dust have engulfed the area after the demolition of the Supertech Twin Towers.

The rubble of demolished Supertech Twin Towers laid bare along with a cloud of dust in the vicinity after the demolition.

Taking precautionary measures, the hospitals near Sector 93A have made preparations to render emergency medical services if the need arises.

The health expert suggests people in surrounding areas to stay indoors, keep the doors closed and windows of houses, turn on air purifiers and wear N-95 masks when they step outside their homes.

The towers, Apex (32 floors) and Ceyane (29 floors), which are taller than the Qutub Minar in the national capital, were 100 metres tall and were brought down with explosives weighing at least 3,700 kg, in the biggest ever planned tower demolition bid.

Soon after the explosion that took place at the press of a button, the towers came crashing down, generating a cloud of massive dust and thus polluting the atmosphere around.

However, the Environment Department of the Uttar Pradesh government has installed six Special dust machines at the demolition site to monitor pollution levels.

Anti-smog guns also sprayed water droplets in the air to bring down dust installed in an area nearby the demolition site.

The demolition of the Apex (32 storeys) and Ceyane (29 storeys) towers would have left behind about 35,000 cubic metres of debris that would take at least three months to be cleared.

The Supreme Court had given the go-ahead for the towers’ demolition, which it had set for August 21, but was extended to August 28 at the Noida Authority’s request. (ANI)

On the 418th Parkash Utsav of Guru Granth Sahib, a special Nagar Kirtan will be held and a Sikh Marshal art team and a school army band will perform here.

“In Sikhism, there’s no boundation of Shri Guru Granth Sahib ji being taken by Sikhs only. People from every religion, be it Hindu, Muslim, Christians, can come here and pay there in front of Guru Granth Sahib. We should follow the words which are written in the Guru Granth Sahib,” said Partap Singh, Additional Secretary, SGPC.
For celebrating the 418th anniversary of Guru Granth Sahib’s first Prakash ceremony, we have gathered here and we feel so peaceful. Devotees from all over the world have been here to bow down and pay their respects,” said a devotee.

The occasion marks the completion of the holy book of Sikhs, Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji, under the supervision of the fifth Guru Arjan Dev ji in 1604 at Gurdwara Ramsar Sahib. (ANI)

Congress Rajya Sabha MP Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday said that Rahul Gandhi should take the lead of the Congress party since he has the ability to lift the party from the crisis.

Speaking to ANI, Kharge said, “Today the whole situation has become clear regarding the election of Congress Party President. I have my personal opinion and it is the feeling of all the workers that Rahul Gandhi should take the lead of the Congress party at this time. He should become the president of the Congress party.”
“Rahul Gandhi is the only one who can lift the Congress. He can unify and strengthen the party. Only he has the ability to assemble people even in the Bharat Jodo programme,” added the veteran leader.

Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting was held on Sunday to decide the election schedule for the party president post. The meeting was chaired by party interim president Sonia Gandhi. The meeting was also attended by Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh also attended the meeting via virtual mode.

In the meeting, it was decided that the election for the Congress president will be held on October 17 and the counting of votes will be done on October 19.

According to the party statement, the election notification will be released on September 22. The nomination can be filed between September 24 and September 30. The scrutiny will be on October Further, the last date of withdrawal of nomination is October 8. Finally, the results will be declared on October 19.

The CWC reiterated its resolve to make the Mehangai Par Halla Bol rally in New Delhi on September 4 and the launch of the Bharat Jodo Yatra from Kanyakumari on September 7 and its continuation thereafter a resounding success.

Asked whether there was any discussion on who should be president and if there was discussion on whether Rahul Gandhi should become president, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal said, It is an open and fair election. Whosoever wants to be president, should file a nomination.”

The CWC meeting came against the backdrop of the party’s senior leader Gulam Nabi Azad’s resignation on Friday. The sources had said that the election for the post of president has now become a challenge for Congress with the reluctance of Rahul Gandhi to contest the polls.

According to sources, the Central Election Authority has already made preparations to complete the election process on time.

Sources said the process was stuck since Rahul Gandhi is not willing to contest the election for the post of Congress president, although all the efforts to convince him are still going on.

Meanwhile, Congress plans to embark on ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ from Kanyakumari on September 7 under the leadership of party leader Rahul Gandhi and the 148-day march will culminate in Kashmir.

The five-month yatra is scheduled to cover a distance of 3,500 kilometres and more than 12 states. The padayatra (march) will cover a distance of 25 km every day.

The Yatra will include padayatras, rallies, and public meetings which will be attended by the senior Congress leaders including Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. (ANI)

As Bollywood actor Neha Dhupia turned 42 on Sunday, the actor dropped a beautiful picture of herself along with a thank note for the birthday love on her social media.

Taking to her Instagram handle, Neha posted a thank you note.

Sharing the picture, the ‘Julie’ actor wrote, “Thank you for the birthday love…My heart is full… Mentally I was on a bicycle by the ocean, watching sunsets and physically it was a day at work and now post a red eye flight and 4 days away from home …the birthday blues are real.”

In the picture, the ‘Chup Chup Ke’ actor struck a pose with a mesmerizing ocean view while riding a bicycle. She was seen donning a white dress and a cute big smile.

Neha Dhupia was crowned Femina Miss India on July 4, 2002. She became a household name after the glorious victory and entered the film industry.

Neha made her Bollywood debut with Ajay Devgn starrer ‘Qayamat: City Under Threat’ in 2003. Also have done films including ‘Chup Chup Ke’, ‘Ek Chalis Ki Last Local’, ‘Singh is Kinng’, ‘Moh Maya Money’ and many others.

Recently, Neha wore the crown again as she completed 20 years of bagging the Miss India crown.

On the work front, Neha was last seen in the film ‘A Thursday’ alongside Yami Gautam. The movie hit the OTT platform Disney + Hotstar in February this year. (ANI)

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Sunday confirmed a discussion with the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly in connection with the irregularities reported in the Uttrakhand Subordinate Service Selection Commission (UKSSSC) paper leak case.

“Since the Uttarakhand Vidhan Sabha is a constitutional body, I will speak to the Speaker of Legislative Assembly in regards to the reported irregularities,” CM Dhami told ANI.
He further added that the inquiry will be conducted into all the appointments made in Uttarkhand Vidhan Sabha, irrespective of the tenure.

“All the appointments, in past or present, wherever the discrepancies have been reported should have unbiased inquiries,” he said mentioning that there should be a fair probe in the matter of the recruitments done this way.

He has also assured the government’s cooperation for further details and investigation in the UKSSSC paper leak case n 2021.

On August 23, Hakam Singh Rawat, the mastermind who was arrested in connection with the UKSSSC question paper leak was also accused of using the government resources for his personal use.

Rawat was arrested earlier this month for allegedly taking money from candidates for providing solved question papers in the graduate-level examination held on December 4 and 5 last year.

It was alleged that Rawat, the Uttarkashi panchayat member had asked for a government helicopter to transport his ailing mother for her treatment. It has also been alleged that his mother was treated at government expense by the Disaster Management Relief Fund.

Notably, Special Task Force (STF) detained Rawat in connection with the issue on August 13 from Arakot on the Himachal border for questioning.

The case pertains to a written exam conducted by the Uttarakhand Subordinate Services Selection Commission (UKSSC) in December 2021. This was one of the major examinations conducted by the commission for 854 posts across 13 departments.

However, there were widespread allegations that there were irregularities in the conduct of the test. Following these allegations, Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami called for a probe and a strict action against those guilty. Following this, the secretary of the commission was removed from the post. A Special Task Force (STF) was also constituted to investigate the alleged irregularities.

Initially, the Dehradun police registered a case against the unidentified accused. After that, the Police Headquarters (PHQ) handed over the investigation to the STF.

Since then, 20 people have been arrested in the case. These include some prominent names like district panchayat member Hakam Singh. Singh was arrested near the Mori area near the Himachal Pradesh border after he returned to the country from a trip abroad on August 7.

Gaurav Chauhan, an Additional Private Secretary working in the Public Works and Forest Department of State Secretariat, was also arrested in connection with the case. Also, several officials and directors of a Lucknow-based printing press were called for questioning. This came after a staffer of the company was named a prime accused in the case post-arrest. (ANI)

Mom-to-be Alia Bhatt dropped a series of pictures flaunting her pregnancy glow in a beautiful red-orange dress on social media.

Taking to her Instagram handle, the Raazi actor treated her fans with a new look from the ‘Brahmastra’ promotions.
She captioned the picture,” another day another wall. 9th September —- BRAHMASTRA.”

In the first picture, Alia was seen wearing holding her wrapped dress while looking at the camera. The second was a close-up of her giving the camera a stunning look. Alia completed her look with dewy makeup and nude lips and left her tresses open to raise the chic quotient of the outfit.

She accessorized her look with stylish golden hoop earrings.

Her post not only amazed her fans but her family and industry friends also showered love in her comment section.

The actor’s sister Shaheen Bhatt dropped a hilarious comment. She wrote,” Hi ladybug.”

Proud Bua Karisma Kapoor wrote a lovely comment, ‘So Pretty’

Alia’s mother Soni Razdan wrote, “Hahaha lovely.”

Director Karan Johar also chimed into the comment section and wrote, “Love.”

Meanwhile, Alia announced that she is expecting her first child with Ranbir in June this year. The ‘Brahmastra’ couple tied their knot on April 14, 2022, after dating for many years at Ranbir’s Mumbai residence in an intimate ceremony.

Just after two months of their marriage, the couple treated their fans with such a big surprise.

On the work front, Alia was last seen in ‘Darlings’ which received a lot of love and praise from critics and audiences. The film was released last weekend and has been on top of the Netflix charts.

Alia will next be seen sharing the screen with Ayan Mukherji’s ‘Brahmastra: Part 1 Shiva’. The film is set to hit the theatres on September 9. Apart from Ranbir and Alia, ‘Brahmastra Part One: Shiva’ also stars Amitabh Bachchan, Mouni Roy, and south actor Nagarjuna in prominent roles. ‘Brahmastra’ was in limelight from the very day it was announced and it took over four years to get the production work done for this film. (ANI)

Congress Working Committee (CWC) on Sunday decided that the election for the Congress president post will be held on October 17, said sources.

The counting of the votes will be done on October 19.
The Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting is underway today to discuss the final schedule for the election of the Congress president.

Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra joined the meeting via virtual meeting. Former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh also joined the meeting virtually.

This comes in the backdrop of the party’s senior leader Gulam Nabi Azad’s resignation on Friday.

The sources had said that the election for the post of president has now become a challenge for Congress with the reluctance of Rahul Gandhi to contest the polls.

According to sources, the Central Election Authority has made preparations to complete the election process on time.

Sources said the process seems to remain stuck since Rahul Gandhi is not willing to contest the election for the post of Congress president, although all the efforts to convince him are still going on.

Meanwhile, Congress plans to embark on ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ from Kanyakumari on September 7 under the leadership of party leader Rahul Gandhi and the 148-day march will culminate in Kashmir.

The five-month yatra is scheduled to cover a distance of 3,500 kilometres and more than 12 states. The padayatra (march) will cover a distance of 25 km every day.

The Yatra will include padayatras, rallies, and public meetings which will be attended by the senior Congress leaders including Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. (ANI)