Month: April 2025

West Bengal Police has constituted a nine-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the recent incidents of violence in Murshidabad district, officials said on Wednesday.

The SIT comprises an Additional Superintendent of Police (Intelligence Branch), two Deputy Superintendents — one from the Counter Insurgency Force (CIF) and the other from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) — five inspectors (including four from the CID and one from Traffic Police), and the in-charge officer of the Cyber Crime Police Station under Sundarban Police District.

The violence that erupted last week in Murshidabad district against the new Waqf law has left at least three people dead.

Meanwhile, Ahmed Hassan Imran, Chairman of the West Bengal Minorities Commission, on Wednesday condemned the violence, saying, “Mamata Banerjee said a very good thing that we should go to Delhi and hold a protest there (against the Waqf Amendment Act). She also said that the TMC MPs will join us in the protest. This Act is unnecessarily imposed on us. Violent protests against the Act are not good. Even Mamata Banerjee said that this should not have been done. An investigation is going on regarding this. We condemn it. We all believe that protests should be done peacefully.”

Earlier in the day, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee met muslim clerics in Kolkata. During the meeting with religious leaders, CM Banerjee had announced Rs 10 lakh compensation to the families of those killed in the Murshidabad violence.

She also said that she will ask the Chief Secretary to file a report on it. Violence broke out in Murshidabad during a protest of the Muslim community against the Waqf Amendment Act on April 11. The protests turned violent, resulting in the death of a father-son duo and injuries to several others, with widespread property damage. One person was also killed in the police firing.

Following the violence, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs deployed nearly nine companies, at least 900 personnel, of the Border Security Force in Murshidabad. Of these nine companies, 300 BSF personnel are locally available, with additional companies at the request of the state government.

So far, 150 people have been arrested in connection with the Murshidabad violence, and adequate police forces have been deployed in Samserganj, Dhuliyan, and other affected areas of Murshidabad, police said.

On Monday, the West Bengal police said that the situation in the violence-hit areas had returned to normal. “The situation is normal now. Everyone is safe,” said Additional Director General of Police, South Bengal, Supratim Sarkar. “The CRPF, state police, and joint forces are deployed. The DGP of West Bengal police himself was present at the Samserganj police station. We request everyone not to go through rumours. We opened a control room. Anyone facing any issue can contact us at any time.” (ANI)

The Delhi government has launched an inspection drive across several schools under the supervision of the District Magistrate (DM), issuing notices to 10 schools, and initiating the process of de-recognising institutions found in serious violation of norms, officials said on Wednesday.

During the inspections, the DM was accompanied by senior academicians and officials from the Directorate of Education.

The action comes amid rising concerns over dummy schooling and the neglect of Economically Weaker Section (EWS) students.

Dummy schooling refers to the practice where students are enrolled on paper but do not attend classes, often to focus exclusively on coaching for competitive exams.

This crackdown follows the identification of at least 20 schools allegedly engaged in such operations.

This development also comes a day after Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta directed strict action against private schools over arbitrary fee hikes. The issue came to light during a Jan Samvaad at her residence, where concerned parents brought it to her attention.

One such incident involved the Queen Mary School in Model Town. Reacting immediately, the Chief Minister instructed the Education Department to identify such schools and issue notices.

“It is completely unacceptable for any school to mentally harass parents or students, threaten them with expulsion, or increase fees without following due process,” said Chief Minister Gupta.

She reaffirmed that the Government is committed to ensuring that every child receives access to quality and modern education. “Parents of children from some schools are constantly meeting me and telling me their problems. There are rules and laws for this, which are very important to follow. If any school is found violating this, then it will have to bear the consequences. We have issued notices to all the schools against which we are receiving complaints,” she added.

CM Gupta assured that the Delhi Government will not tolerate any tampering with a child’s future, and strict action will be taken against guilty institution. (ANI)

All India Muslim Jamaat president Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Bareilvi has issued a fatwa against Tamil Nadu’s actor-turned-politician Vijay, the President of the Tamil Nadu Vijay Karthik (TVK) party.

Speaking to ANI on Wednesday, Razvi Bareilvi criticised Vijay for allegedly portraying Muslims negatively in his movies and for inviting individuals involved in gambling and liquor consumption to his Iftar party.

“He (Vijay) has formed a political party and maintained cordial relations with Muslims. However, he has portrayed Muslims in a negative way as those who spread terrorism in his films. Gamblers and liquor consumers were invited to his Iftar party. Due to all this, Sunni Muslims of Tamil Nadu are angry with him. They asked for a fatwa. So, in my answer, I have issued a fatwa mentioning that Muslims should not stand with Vijay,” Maulana Razvi Bareilvi said.

Recently, TVK chief Vijay filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the Waqf (Amendment) Act 2025.

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court heard a batch of petitions challenging the Constitutional validity of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025.

The Supreme Court indicated that it may pass an interim order to stay certain key provisions of the recently passed Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, and also expressed concern over violence in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district.

A three-judge bench of Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justices PV Sanjay Kumar and KV Viswanathan said, “The one thing that is very disturbing is the violence that is taking place. The issue is before the court, and we will decide.”

The bench didn’t pass any order but suggested that certain provisions may stay, including the inclusion of non-Muslims in Central Waqf Council and Waqf Boards, powers of collectors in deciding disputes over Waqf properties and provisions on de-notifying properties declared as waqf by courts.

During the hearing, the bench said that it is considering passing an interim order which will balance equities.

“We will say – Whichever properties were declared by a court to be Waqf will not be de-notified or be treated as non-Waqf, whether it is Waqf by user or not. Second, the Collector can continue with the proceedings, but the proviso will not be given effect. Third, regarding Waqf Boards and Council… ex officio members can be appointed, but the other members have to be Muslims,” said the bench.

CJI Khanna was about to dictate the order, but Solicitor General Tushar Mehta representing Centre and other counsels who were appearing for parties defending the Act said they should be heard before passing the interim order.

The bench then posted the matter for further hearing on Thursday at 2 pm. (ANI)

Following a disappointing performance in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 against Australia, India has decided to remove assistant coach Abhishek Nayar and fielding coach T Dilip.

BCCI sources informed ANI that assistant Batting coach Abhishek Naiyyar, fielding coach T Dilip, and Strength and Conditioning coach Soham Desai have been removed following India’s poor performance in the BGT series and alleged dressing room leaks.

India conceded a disappointing 3-1 defeat to Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 and lost the opportunity to qualify for the World Test Championship (WTC) Final at Lord’s.

Skipper Rohit Sharma and star batter Virat Kohli were criticised for an underwhelming Border-Gavaskar Trophy campaign and a very disappointing 2024/25 season of Test cricket overall.

Sharma (31 runs in three matches and five innings at an average of 6.20) and Virat Kohli (190 runs in five matches and nine innings at an average of 23.75 with a century) lacked big time with the bat. Virat fell for the outside-off-stump trap throughout the series, most notably by pacer Scott Boland, who dismissed him four times.

India began the series with a historic win in Perth but failed to sustain their momentum and lost the series 1-3.

Abhishek Nayar’s role was scrutinised as the Board was not happy with the apparent ‘Kolkata Knight Riders touch’ in the team management. Former Indian all-rounder Abhishek Nayar and former Netherlands star Ryan Ten Doeschate joined Team India’s support staff as assistant coaches during the white-ball tour of Sri Lanka. Nayar and Doeschate were also assistant coaches at KKR and worked with Gambhir.

In January, BCCI also issued strict guidelines for the Senior Men’s Cricket Team, aiming to enhance discipline, streamline logistics, and promote team unity during domestic and international tours.

The new guidelines include travel, baggage limits, family visits, and team dynamics. Players are expected to travel with the team for all matches and practice sessions. Separate travel arrangements with families are discouraged to maintain discipline and team cohesion. Any exceptions must be pre-approved by the head coach and chairman of the selection committee. (ANI)

The wait is finally over as the trailer of ‘Jewel Thief – The Heist Begins’ was unveiled on Monday evening.

‘Jewel Thief’ stars Saif Ali Khan, Kunal Kapoor, Jaideep Ahlawat and Nikita Dutta in pivotal roles. The trailer shows Saif as a “seedha saadha” “chor” who teamed up with Jaideep to steal the ultra-rare African Red Sun diamond. And then there’s a detective (Kunal Kapoor) who is behind the two and wants to arrest them.

Directed by Kookie Gulati and Robbie Grewal, and produced by Marflix Pictures in its streaming debut, Jewel Thief – The Heist Begins marks the first collaboration between Netflix and the production house founded by Siddharth Anand and Mamta Anand.

Excited about the film, the producers shared, “As filmmakers, we’re constantly exploring new ways to tell stories that are stylish, compelling, and surprising. With Jewel Thief, we wanted to create a cinematic universe that felt both classic and fresh — a modern-day heist with emotion and pace. This is our first streaming venture, and we couldn’t have asked for a better partner than Netflix to bring that vision to life. The story is slick, the characters are layered, and the scale is massive, so gear up for this action-packed adventure.”

At the trailer launch, Siddharth Anand opened up about his camaraderie with Saif Ali Khan and shared insights of his gracious nature on the sets. Besides this, he also revealed one aspect he’d never want to change in the seasoned actor.

“He is loveable. He is somebody who is a darling on set. He makes everybody comfortable. And I’m glad that this quality about Saif hasn’t changed. He makes everybody really comfortable, eases out everybody. Sometimes his jokes scare some people, his sense of humour is such. But, he is amazing, and that is something he shouldn’t change,” shared Siddharth Anand.

‘Jewel Thief: The Heist Begins’ is slated to stream from April 25. (ANI)

Bollywood actress Sagarika Ghatge Khan and former cricketer Zaheer Khan have become parents to a baby boy.

The Chak De fame actress Sagarika shared the joyous news in a joint post with her husband Zaheer on Instagram on Wednesday.

The couple have named their baby boy Fatehsinh Khan, as mentioned in the post. The duo also shared adorable pictures of their baby as they held him with love in their arms.

The first picture shows Zaheer holding his newborn in his arms as his wife and actress, Sagarika, leans on her husband’s shoulder in a warm embrace.

The second photo featured the couple holding their son’s little hand as he sleeps peacefully in their arms.

The black and white photos were accompanied with the caption: “With love, gratitude and divine blessings we welcome our precious little baby boy, Fatehsinh Khan.”

‘Chak De’ star Sagarika Ghatge and Indian cricketer Zaheer Khan tied the wedding knot in a private ceremony in 2017.

The couple met through a common friend, after which they fell in love.

Sagarika is known for films like ‘Chak De India’, ‘Fox’ and ‘Irada’.

Her better half, Zaheer Khan, is a former Indian pacer who is currently mentoring the Lucknow Super Giants team in the ongoing Indian Premier League 2025.

Zaheer Khan made his debut in the ICC Knockout Cup in 2000 and immediately hit the headlines when he yorked Steve Waugh, beating him for pace.

An Indian express-pacer was a once-in-a-blue-moon discovery, and his ability to bowl fast yorkers at the death, move the ball off the deck and in the air, and maintain his pace set him apart from the more metronomic fast bowlers that India was used to.

In his illustrious international career, Zaheer picked up 311 Test wickets in 92 matches and overall 610 scalps in 309 international matches across all formats for Men in Blue. (ANI)

The Miss World 2025 pageant is just around the corner, and Femina Miss India World 2023, Nandini Gupta, is all set to represent India on the international stage.

The young beauty queen from Rajasthan’s Kota is working hard ahead of the big event, which will be held in Telangana from May 7 to May 31.

While speaking to ANI, Nandini shared that she is training every day to prepare for the competition. She also added that she is excited not only about the pageant but also about what it means for the host city and state.

“I am training rigorously to shine on the world stage. Every day, I am learning a lot about Telangana, Hyderabad, and what the city has to offer… Miss World is happening in India for the second consecutive time, and it is a moment of pride… I am looking forward to seeing how the economy of the state will boost, tourism will increase, and how the culture of the state will be promoted…” she said.

Earlier in March, Miss World 2023 Krystyna Pyszczkova from the Czech Republic visited Hyderabad along with Chairperson and CEO of the Miss World Organization Julia Morley to review the arrangements.

Speaking to ANI, Pyszczkova expressed her excitement about the upcoming event in India, underlining the country’s vibrant culture and its significance in the Miss World journey.

“…I love the Indian sparkle that the last edition had, and it will be just amazing, as I said, and India has a lot to offer this time… As you may know and have heard, Miss World is about actually doing the action, not only the talking. So, in all of the states we’re visiting, we’re trying to find some projects. We’re trying to be helpful. I visited the temple, which was a magical experience. I’ve always dreamt of going to a Hindu temple to see how it is, and my dream came true yesterday. I received a lot of blessings…” she said. (ANI)

Ananya Panday has been announced as the first Indian brand ambassador for the French luxury fashion brand, Chanel.

The 26-year-old is also the only Indian to hold this position with the iconic label, which was founded by Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel in 1910.

On Wednesday, the ‘Call Me Bae’ actress took to her Instagram account to share the exciting news, expressing her happiness about the new journey.

“Beyond grateful and excited for my journey with @chanelofficial. The first-ever brand ambassador for and from India. Dreams really do come true,” she wrote.

Her appointment comes after she made an appearance at the Chanel Spring-Summer show during Paris Fashion Week last year. She had walked the ramp for designer Rahul Mishra’s ‘Superheroes’ collection, which marked her debut at the prestigious fashion event.

Meanwhile, on the work front, the actress will be next seen in Kesari Chapter 2, which stars Akshay Kumar and R. Madhavan.

Kesari Chapter 2 will be released on April 18, 2025, following the success of its predecessor, which focused on the Battle of Saragarhi in 2019.

The original Kesari film starred Parineeti Chopra and highlighted the valour of 21 Sikh soldiers in the 1897 battle.

With Kesari Chapter 2, the filmmakers aim to honor the legacy of India’s freedom fighters by showcasing the relentless pursuit of justice and the enduring spirit of resistance against colonial oppression. (ANI)

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday said that Manipur is not a case where the central government can be put to the test and that the situation in the state is coming back to normal.

In an interview with ANI, Rijiju said the government cannot be blamed for the debate concerning President’s Rule in Manipur having been taken up late at night in Parliament, saying the opposition wanted more time for the debate on the Waqf Amendment Bill.

“Initially, I said we could take six hours’ discussion (on the Waqf Amendment Bill) because enough has been deliberated in the JPC. Whatever we have to say, let us discuss for six hours. Finally, I agreed for eight hours. But the opposition kept on insisting 12 hours beyond, saying that the chair should take the sense of the house and discuss for a longer period of time and we acceded to it. So, it is not our fault that the Manipur case came right after the Waqf Amendment Bill. As Lok Sabha passed the bill at midnight, we only had one day left in Rajya Sabha,” the Union Minister said.

He said it was a constitutional obligation to undertake the ratification process of President’s Rule in two months.

“If we don’t take up immediately, then it is a constitutional obligation that within two months, the ratification has to take place when there is a proclamation of President’s Rule. After six months, it has to be extended through the discussion in the Parliament. Parliament has to pass it. So these are constitutional requirements. Nobody should blame that we took up the Manipur case at midnight,” he added.

Answering a query, Rijiju said while there was an incident in Manipur, states in the northeast were seeing rapid progress.

“After 2014 northeast is seeing the true light of development. Barring the Manipur incident every other northeastern region is having an era of peace, tranquillity and development. Manipur issue is not a case where the government can be put to the test. We are not at fault. Before we came to power in 2014, Manipur used to face blockades, ethnic war, ethnic conflicts, so many incidents happening and state used to be under this kind of violence for years, where thousands have already lost their life,” Rijiju said.

He also referred to the opposition’s demand for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Manipur and to the violence the state had witnessed before the Modi government came to power at the Centre.

“Did we ever say that the Prime Minister should go there? Why Manipur is happening? Those initial days, all the struggle in the Manipur, all the undergrounds, the militants, they were against the state. This incident in Manipur is not against the state. This is neither a creation of the Central government nor this fight is against the Government of India. It is between two brothers,” he said.

He stated that the trigger point of the ethnic clashes was an outcome of the judicial pronouncement, which said that a particular community should be given Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

“The unfortunate trigger point was when the judge of the Manipur High Court passed an order. And remember, it was beyond the judicial scope to declare a particular community as tribal requires certain traits,” Rijiju said.

“Don’t put fuel in a fire by blaming anybody. Don’t blame the central government. Just tell them, we will also help. Initially, when I was a member of parliament, I remember one thing, when Manipur was having a blockade for four or five months consecutively. Nobody from the central government had gone. Then I raised this issue. There was no response from the (then) government,” he added.

Rijiju, who is MP from Arunachal West, said all communities in the northeast have to stay together.

“We are living in the same region. The fact, the reality is that we have to coexist together. Other than that, there is no alternative. That is a reality,” he said. (ANI)

The Delhi government will launch Ayushman Cards for all income groups aged above 70 by the end of April 2025.

This initiative is part of the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), which aims to provide health insurance coverage of up to Rs 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation.

Delhi CM Rekha Gupta, along with other cabinet ministers, today chaired a meeting at which MLAs and officials from the state and central governments were present.

The meeting aimed to focus on implementing and distributing Ayushman cards and Opening Arogya Mandir in the National Capital.

“To implement Ayushman Bharat (scheme), which Delhi has received after years of waiting, we held a meeting today to ensure that all the cards are made and reach the public as soon as possible. All the MLAs have been assigned the task. Efforts are underway to extend benefits to senior citizens aged above 70. Work should start immediately to identify the location of 1139 Arogya Mandirs to be opened in every corner of Delhi, because Delhi has suffered a lot due to the time wasted by the previous governments. We do not want more time to be wasted. Our government will start working on this today,” said Chief Minister Gupta.

Senior citizens aged 70 and above from all income groups are eligible for the Ayushman Card. The card provides health insurance coverage of up to Rs5 lakh per family per year, covering 1500+ medical procedures.

The Delhi government plans to open 1139 Arogya Mandirs across the city. These will offer healthcare services that are different from those offered by Mohalla clinics in structure and operation. The MLAs have been tasked with coordinating with District Magistrates to distribute existing Ayushman Cards and work on opening Arogya Mandirs.

“The MLAs have been directed to coordinate with District Magistrates (DMs) to distribute the existing Ayushman Cards as quickly as possible and also to work on the opening of Arogya Mandirs in all parts of the state,” said Delhi CM Gupta.

Meanwhile, Delhi Health Minister Pankaj Singh reiterated that the government will build 1139 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs for the people of Delhi.

“Our target is to build 1139 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs for the people of Delhi, and we will achieve this target. This was a matter of discussion. It was discussed how we can provide this facility to the elderly above 70 years of age as soon as possible. Our Arogya Mandirs will be totally different from Mohalla clinics, you will see the difference in structure and working. The people of Delhi will like it,” he said.

A memorandum of understanding between the Delhi government and the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for implementing Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana was signed on April 5 2025, in New Delhi.

After signing the MoU, the Delhi government officially launched PM ABHIM and started distributing Ayushman Bharat cards under PM JAY on April 10, 2025. (ANI)