Month: April 2023

As the Waris Punjab De’ chief Amritpal Singh continued to be on run amid a crackdown, the Punjab Police on Thursday, said that it is ready to deal with any situation, and has adequately deployed forces in the state.

Talking to the reporters, here in Amritsar, Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav said, “We are ready to deal with any situation. We will not let anyone disturb peace and harmony in the State. Some on orders from Pakistan’s ISI trying to disturb the atmosphere in the State, but the people of Punjab want peace”. He also said that deployment of forces is a routine thing for the police keeping in view the people’s convenience. “It (police deployment) is a very routine thing for us. During Darbar Sahib at Amritsar, we deploy heavy forces. 5000 personnel are deployed in Anandpur Sahib during Hola Mohalla,” he added.

However, the DGP refused to comment on the speculations regarding fugitive Amritpal surrendering on Friday. Meanwhile, on Monday, Amritpal’s close aide Papalpreet Singh was arrested in Amritsar’s Kathu Nangal and was taken to Assam’s Dibrugarh jail.

Papalpreet was seen with the fugitive Khalistan leader in several photographs that surfaced after the duo escaped the dragnet of state police.

In an unverified video on March 30, the ‘Waris Punjab De’ chief said he was not “a fugitive” and would soon “appear in front of the world”.

Further, in the video, the veracity of which could not be determined, Amritpal said those who think he ran away from his people or friends should “get that thing” out of their minds. Earlier, on March 18, Punjab Police launched an operation against Amritpal and his aides.

The Punjab Police had earlier, expressed doubts about Amritpal entering the Delhi border using any vehicle other than a bus. Following the input, Delhi Police raised an alert and stepped up efforts to track the fugitive radical preacher.

Amritpal has been on the run since March 18, the day Punjab Police launched a massive manhunt for him. The crackdown came almost over three weeks after Amritpal’s supporters stormed Ajnala police station in Amritsar on February 23, demanding the release of one of his aides, Lovepreet Toofan. (ANI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday raised the issue of the security of Indian diplomatic establishments in the United Kingdom with his UK counterpart Rishi Sunak and called for strong action against anti-India elements.

In a telephone conversation, PM Sunak conveyed that the UK considers the attack on Indian High Commission totally unacceptable and assured of the security of the Indian Mission and its personnel, according to a PIB release.
The leaders also reviewed the progress on a number of bilateral issues as part of the India-UK Roadmap 2030. They expressed satisfaction at the recent high-level exchanges and growing cooperation, particularly in trade and economic sectors. They agreed on the need for an early conclusion of a mutually beneficial Free Trade Agreement between the two countries, the release said.

PM Modi also raised the issue of economic offenders who have sought refuge in the UK. He sought progress on the return of these fugitives so that they can appear before the Indian judicial system.

PM Modi invited PM Sunak to the G20 Summit to be held in September 2023. PM Sunak appreciated the progress made under India’s Presidency of the G20 and reiterated the UK’s full support of India’s initiatives and their success.

PM Modi also conveyed greetings to PM Sunak and the Indian community in the UK on the eve of Baisakhi. The two leaders agreed to remain in contact. (ANI)

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said she would not mind begging but will never ask for money from the Bharatiya Janata party (BJP)-led Centre.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee inaugurated the state-of-the-art Dhanadhanyo Auditorium in Alipur in Kolkata.
Taking to Twitter, Banerjee said, “A proud moment as we inaugurate the Dhanadhanyo Auditorium, a state-of-the-art indoor facility built at a cost of Rs 440 crore. My sincere appreciation to the PWD for making this dream project a reality. This modern marvel is a symbol of progress and development in our state.”

Speaking on the occasion, Mamata said, “All my thoughts come from people. All I have in mind is that people should never misunderstand me. Maybe sometimes I do not have enough money to do good job. There may be other obstacles. It is being heard that we will not be given anything until 2024. If needed, I will beg for money spreading my aanchal but I will beg for money from Delhi.”

Last month, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee sat on a dharna against the central government over the alleged blocking of state money.

She had said she would sit on a dharna near the Prime Minister’s residence in the national capital, if necessary.

She said the two-day dharna was staged to protest against the BJP-led central government’s alleged discriminatory attitude towards West Bengal. Mamata said she was sitting on dharna in her capacity as the TMC chief and not as the chief minister.

“I am working for people. I am fighting for the people whose money has been stopped for 100 days’ work. I am sitting for the rights of common people whose money has been blocked by the Centre. If required, Mamata can even sit on dharma near the PM’s house. I have the courage,” the Trinamool supremo had said.

“You have blocked the money by invoking a so-called Section 27. But remember, people will vote you out with section 420 in 2024. You will not come to power,” she had said. (ANI)

Himachal Pradesh has reported 440 new COVID-19 cases in the state in the last 24 hours, taking the tally of active cases to 2145, the state health department informed through a bulletin on Thursday.

However, no death was reported in the past 24 hours while the recovery count stands at 220. A total of 4, 946 samples were tested. The hill state has reported 4,207 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.
Meanwhile, the country recorded 10,158 news Covid cases on Thursday, 30 per cent more than yesterday. The active cases in the country have now gone up to 44,998, according to data from the Union health ministry. The infection count reported today – a sharp jump from yesterday when 7,830 cases were reported – has taken the total number of Covid cases reported in the country to 4,42,10,127.

While 15 deaths were reported as per the data provided by the health ministry website. The national COVID-19 recovery rate has been recorded at 98.71 per cent, case fatality rate was recorded at 1.19 per cent.

Indian Medical Association (IMA) advised citizens not to panic amid rising Covid cases, saying they should maintain proper hygiene. (ANI)

The Supreme Court on Thursday directed former IPL chairman Lalit Modi to tender an unconditional apology on social media platforms and national newspapers for his remarks against the judiciary.

A bench of Justices MR Shah and CT Ravikumar slammed Modi for his remarks and warned him that any repeat of such conduct will be viewed “very seriously”.
The bench observed that Modi is not above the law and the institution and also directed him to file an affidavit before it tenders an apology.

The affidavit has to state that no such posts on social media will be made in future which would be tantamount, even remotely, to tarnishing the image of the Indian judiciary, the apex court said.

While posting the matter for hearing on April 24, the bench said that it has gone through the counter affidavit filed by Modi and it was not at all satisfied with the explanation given.

Senior advocate CU Singh had filed the contempt plea against Modi saying he made a tweet on March 30, 2023 which tarnished the image of judiciary and made scandalous remarks against judges.

Earlier, the apex court while hearing an application in connection with remarks made by Modi against senior advocate and former Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi had orally observed that lawyers should not be involved in a family outburst.

It had orally instructed Lalit Modi’s counsel senior advocate Harish Salve to use his ‘good office’ and advise his client to take ‘remedial measures’.

Salve had told the bench that the post made against Rohatgi has been taken down.

Lalit Modi had made some comments on the Instagram post about Rohatgi. Later, through another post, he reportedly apologised to the senior advocate.

Former Attorney General and senior advocate Rohatgi is one of the counsels representing Bina Modi, mother of Lalit Modi, in the vexatious property dispute.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Bina Modi, had submitted that there was an undertaking that there would be no posts while mediation was going on.

On January 19, the apex court agreed to examine a plea alleging former IPL chairman Lalit Modi made some “scurrilous” remarks in a social media post against Rohatgi and the judiciary.

In August 2022, the apex court-appointed former top court judge Justice RV Raveendran as a mediator to settle the family property dispute involving the former IPL head and his mother Bina Modi, wife of late industrialist KK Modi. (ANI)

Makers of the upcoming horror comedy film ‘Stree 2’ on Wednesday, officially announced their film at a grand event in Mumbai.

Actors Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana and Abhishek Banerjee marked their presence at the event to make an official announcement of the film.
Team ‘Stree’ enacted a skit to announce the release date of the horror comedy sequel.

The team revealed that ‘Stree 2’ is set to release on August 31, 2024.

Helmed by Amar Kaushik ‘Stree’ was released in the year 2018 and was declared a blockbuster hit.

Rajkummar and Aparshakti also had a cameo in Varun Dhawan’s horror comedy film ‘Bhediya’ which was released in November last year.

The makers of ‘Bhediya’ also announced the sequel of the film. At the gala, Varun unveiled the logo of Bhediya 2 and even made a wolf sound, expressing his excitement.

Earlier, Abhishek Banerjee also talked about the much-awaited sequel of ‘Stree’ and said, “2023 is here!!! And I am very thrilled to kickstart this year, but looking back at the work I did last year- I was very nervous about JD aka Jana as it had to be similar yet difficult from Stree. But thankfully it was received well by the audience. Now the journey of Stree 2 will be super exciting.. recently I wrapped up Apurva. I’m thrilled to see how people will react to some very extreme characters. The playground is going to get bigger and better this year… so I am looking forward to it.”

Meanwhile, Rajkummar will also be seen in an upcoming sports drama film ‘Mr and Mrs Mahi’ opposite Janhvi Kapoor. (ANI)

Uddhav Thackeray’s son and former Maharashtra Minister Aaditya Thackeray claimed that Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, before joining hands with Bharatiya Janata Party last year, “cried” at Matoshree fearing being jailed by the investigative agencies “if he did not ally with BJP”.

It is pertinent to mention that Eknath Shinde led a rebellion with over 40 MLAs in June last year which ultimately toppled the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut further certified Aaditya Thackeray’s claims, saying that “it is correct” and that Shinde had told him the same thing.

“Eknath Shinde cried after coming to Matoshree and said – If he does not go with BJP, he will be put in jail,” Thackeray had claimed on April 11.

Raut also claimed that fear of Eknath Shinde being jailed was “clearly visible” in his “mind and heart”.

“This is 100 per cent correct! Eknath Shinde had also said this after coming to me. I tried to make him (Shinde) understand.. But the fear of jail was clearly visible in his mind and heart. Aaditya is right,” Raut tweeted.

Speaking to the reporters, the Uddhav Thackeray faction leader said that Eknath Shinde had told him that he did not want to go to jail and asked him to break the alliance with the Congress and NCP.

“What Aaditya Thackeray is saying is completely true, the present Chief Minister (Eknath Shinde) also said the same after coming to my house that I do not want to go to jail, you break this alliance. …There is a pressure system going on all over the country but we need not fear. He (CM Eknath Shinde) said no, I am afraid that I will be put in jail, he was afraid of going to jail,” Raut claimed.

Retorting to Thackeray’s claims, Maharashtra Minister Deepak Kesarkar alleged that Aaditya Thackeray has a “professional team that teaches him how to lie”.

“There is a team that teaches him to lie. This is what happens in politics,” he said.

BJP leader Narayan Rane questioned Aaditya Thackeray to reveal when did Shinde visit Matoshree.

“I will not speak on that. He says anything. There is childishness in him. When did Shinde go? When did he cry? In which year did he cry? This is all nonsense,” he said. (ANI)

In continuation with the ‘Azaadi Ka Amrutkal’ theme, national broadcaster Doordarshan is set to soon launch a two-part series titled “Dharohar Bharat Ki”

The series that airs on April 14-15 will focus on the rich cultural, and historical heritage under the present Modi regime during which special emphasis has been placed on conserving India’s rich civilisational and cultural heritage, glorifying India’s freedom fighters, and the supreme sacrifice of India’s soldiers.
“Our soldiers devoted their entire lives and sacrificed their every being to safeguard every inch of our motherland. Their sacrifice cannot just be measured in words; its grandeur and import have to be brought made alive to inspire future generations,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his interaction in the documentary.

Over the years the Modi government has laid an emphasis on showcasing India’s glorious heritage. Right from setting up the National War Memorial to honour the sacrifice of our soldiers to the Police Memorial as a mark of respect to the fallen policemen, has been to imbibe the clarion call by the prime minister.

Spiritual sites like Ram Janmabhoomi, Somnath Temple, Mahakal Temple Corridor, Kashi Vishwanath Temple Corridor, and Kartarpur Sahib Corridor have been some of the most prominent steps undertaken to protect India’s cultural and religious heritage.

The documentary will showcase the huge strides made by India in the last few years for the revival of our spirit of cultural unity and pride.

Ascertaining the security as well as the sanctity of venerable patriotic sites, such as the Jallianwallah Bagh; resuscitating the splendid fervour of our civilizational centres such as Ram Janmabhoomi, Kashi Vishwanath Dham; Somnath Dham and Kedarnath Dham; according to respect to such spiritual sites such as the Karatrpur Sahib; celebrating the lives of freedom fighters at inspirational sites such as the Cellular Jail; centre-staging the contribution of Netaji Bose through the grand Netaji statue at India gate canopy; and honouring the legendary contribution of our patriots – past and present – such as the War Memorial are some of the themes that the documentary will present.

“Bharat’s Renaissance” documentary is a reflection of this very idea. While our combined pride has rejuvenated us with a sense of belongingness especially over the last few years, it is imperative for the youth of today to fully understand the significance of the sacrifices of our freedom fighters and their honourable commemoration,” sources say on the idea behind this series.

In essence, the two-part documentary is a visually compelling showcase of India’s vast and vibrant culture, rejuvenating, embracing, and in doing so, celebrating our rich and diverse inheritance. (ANI)

Shanti Devi, mother of slain lawyer Umesh Pal on Thursday thanked Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath and expressed her full faith in the Uttar Pradesh government, for giving “justice” after the son of gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed was shot dead in a police encounter.

“I thank CM Yogi ji for serving justice and I appeal to him to give us justice ahead also. We have full faith in CM,” said Shanti Devi, mother of Umesh Pal, the advocate who was killed in broad daylight in Prayagraj earlier this year.
“This is a tribute to my son. I thank the Chief Minister and the police department which discharged their duties,” Shanti Devi told reporters in Prayagraj.

Asad along with his associate Ghulam, both of whom were wanted in the Umesh Pal murder case, were shot dead in an encounter with Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force in Jhansi today.

Jaya Devi, Umesh Pal’s widow also thanked the chief minister.

“I thank the Chief Minister who took such a decision. He gave punishment to the killers of his daughter’s husband. It is justice. I expect that the Chief Minister will do good whatever he does. I express my gratitude to the Chief Minister who is like a fatherly figure,” she said.

Both Asad and Ghulam carried rewards of Rupees five lakhs each on their heads.

The police said that foreign-made weapons were recovered from the duo.

“Asad, son of mafia-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and Ghulam S/o Maksudan, both wanted in Umesh Pal murder case of Prayagraj and carrying a reward of Rupees five lakhs each; killed in encounter with the UPSTF team led by DySP Navendu and DySP Vimal at Jhansi. Sophisticated foreign made weapons recovered,” UP STF said.

Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf were this morning brought to the CJM Court in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.

Umesh Pal was killed in broad daylight on February 24 this year. He was a prime witness in the BSP MLA Raju Pal murder case. (ANI)

Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya hailed the state Special Task Force and termed the action as a “message to criminals”.

While speaking to ANI, Maurya said, “I congratulate UP STF for this action. Police fired in retaliation after they (Asad and his aide Ghulam) fired upon them.” (ANI)

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday chaired a high-level meeting on ‘law and order’ after the killing of gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed’s son, Asad, in an encounter.

CM Yogi also lauded the Special Task Force (STF) team which was involved in the shootout.
According to the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister’s Office, Yogi was apprised about the encounter by the Principal Secretary (Home).

A report was also placed before the Chief Minister on this whole matter.

“After the encounter of former MP Atiq Ahmed’s son Asad and his aide, CM Yogi Adityanath took a meeting on law and order. CM Yogi praised UP STF as well as DGP, Special DG law and order and the entire team,” UP CMO said in a statement.

“Sanjay Prasad, Principal Secretary Home informed the CM about the encounter. A report was placed in front of the CM on this whole matter,” the statement said.

Atiq Ahmed’s son Asad was killed in an encounter with Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force in Jhansi, police said on Thursday.

Asad was killed along with Ghulam, both of whom were wanted in the Umesh Pal murder case of Prayagraj. Each of them carried a reward of Rs5 lakh.

The police said that foreign-made weapons were recovered.

“Asad, son of mafia-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and Ghulam S/o Maksudan, both wanted in Umesh Pal murder case of Prayagraj and carrying a reward of Rupees five lakhs each; killed in encounter with the UPSTF team led by DySP Navendu and DySP Vimal at Jhansi. Sophisticated foreign made weapons recovered,” UP STF said.

Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf were brought to the CJM Court in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh this morning.

Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya hailed the state Special Task Force on the encounter of Asad and his aide, and termed the action, “message to criminals”.

While speaking to ANI, Maurya said, “I congratulate UP STF for this action. Police fired in retaliation after they (Asad and his aide Ghulam) fired upon them.”

“It is a message to criminals that this is the new India. It is Yogi govt in UP, not Samajwadi Party in power which gave protection to criminals,” he said.

Earlier in a tweet, Maurya said that the killers of Umesh Pal and police personnel had to meet this fate.

“Congratulations to UP STF, this was the fate of the killers of Umesh Pal Advocate and police personnel!” the Deputy Chief Minister tweeted in Hindi.

The family of Umesh Pal who was killed in broad daylight in Prayagraj in February this year thanked the Chief Minister and said that it is a tribute to the slain lawyer. (ANI)