Author: LokMarg

On the 17th death anniversary of his father Sunil Dutt, Sanjay Dutt shared a throwback photo of the late actor, on his social media account, on Wednesday.

Taking to his Instagram handle, the ‘Munna Bhai MBBS ‘ actor, dropped a throwback snap of himself with his father and also wrote an emotional message for his father.

Sharing the picture Sanjay wrote, “Through thick and thin, you were always there to guide and protect me. You were my strength, inspiration and support in every need… the best a son could ask for. You will always be in my heart Dad, I miss you!”

Sanjay Dutt’s wife Maanayata Dutt also dropped two red heart emoticons in the comment section along with other fans and admirers.

Sunil Dutt, a filmmaker, actor and politician died of a heart attack on May 25, 2005, at his Mumbai home.

We all know that Sanjay had a close relationship with his father and was his constant support in all aspects of his life. Indeed, the ‘Kalank’ actor must be missing his father terribly today, as evidenced by his post.

Sanjay Dutt was most recently seen as the antagonist Adheera in ‘KGF Chapter 2’, in which Yash played the lead. He was praised for his performance in the blockbuster film, which broke box office records. ‘Shamshera’, ‘Ghudchadi’, and ‘Prithiviraj’ are among his upcoming films. (ANI)

Pakistan is staring at an unprecedented wheat crisis amid the ongoing political and economic instability as the harvest is expected to be over two metric tonnes less this year.

The wheat shortage has shot up the prices in a further blow to the country’s slumping economy. The wheat crisis is being attributed to incessant heatwaves in the country.
Pakistan is expected to reap only 26.9 million tonnes of wheat this season against a target of 28.9 metric tonnes. An unexpected, early heatwave in mid-March shrivelled wheat grains, while poor application of fertilizer (both DAP and urea), either due to unavailability or higher costs, as well as a severe shortage of water also depleted crops, Dawn reported.

The government has withdrawn the massive fuel and electricity subsidies that have haemorrhaged tens of billions from the treasury, as the nation struggles to finance its rapidly expanding current account deficit.

According to Dawn, it is estimated that the country needs around 30.8 metric tonnes to meet its requirements until the next harvest. With about a million tonnes of wheat available in carryover stock, the gap between the total requirement and expected supply (26.9m tonnes) reduces to about 3.0m tonnes. That number is bound to be a headache for the foreign exchange-starved government.

Pakistan, however, prefers to import its wheat from Ukraine, the fifth-largest wheat supplier in the world with 19m tonnes of exports in 2021-22, However, exports from Ukraine have been hampered since the blockading of the Black Sea region by Russia.

The Black Sea region is responsible for exporting about 60 million tonnes of wheat.

These factors, coupled with higher fertiliser costs and weather worries, are compounding disruptions in the global supply chain and bringing grain prices further under pressure.

Khaleeque Arshad, a member of the Pakistan Flour Mills Association, said the private sector will not be importing wheat this year because of the extraordinary cost of the commodity in international markets. He urged the government to make import arrangements before wheat prices rise further

The private sector (the flour milling industry) has already made it clear it is not ready to share the government’s import burden and is instead looking to federal authorities to import the wheat and ensure it is supplied onward to the industry at subsidised rates.

Apart from the acute economic crisis, Pakistan is also grappling with climate change in the country which has led to an acute wheat shortage accompanied by food and water scarcity. (ANI)

Over a dozen gunmen went on a shooting spree in the Mexican city of Celaya on Tuesday, killing 11 people, including eight women at a hotel and its two bars. More than 50 shots were fired in the ambush which lasted lesser than a minute.

The shooting is being linked to cartel warfare, reported the New York Post.
Some of the 15 gunmen, who were hooded threw Molotov cocktails in the bars, badly burning one of the establishments. Graphic photos of the crime scene have emerged on social media which revealed women heaped in pools of blood between tables while another body was seen on the sidewalk.

Seven women and three men were pronounced dead on the spot itself after they were shot dead. The eleventh victim, a woman, passed away, later in the hospital, security and government officials reported. Five other people were injured in the shooting, reported New York Post.

Photos posted on social media suggested the killers belonged to the Santa Rosa de Lima gang seemingly accusing the bars’ owners of supporting the rival Jalisco cartel, according to The Associated Press.

The bloodbath came just hours after three dismembered bodies were found nearby in plastic bags — also containing warning messages left on cardboard.

Pieces of cardboard with messages “alluding to a criminal group” were also found at the crime scene, reported New York Post. According to security officials, Mexico’s National Guard, and the Defense Ministry, alongside Guanajuato state security forces were in search of the gunmen.

Reportedly, the city of Guanajuato has turned out to be one of the most violent areas of Mexico in recent years as drug trafficking gangs continue to fight for control.

Government data reveals 933 homicides recorded in the first four months of 2022 in Guanajuato. In the month of March, seven charred bodies were recovered. The dead bodies were found abandoned in a pick-up truck in Celaya. (ANI)

National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday sought the death penalty for Yasin Malik, a separatist leader from Jammu and Kashmir.

However, the NIA court reserved the order and will pass judgment on sentencing today itself at 3:30 pm
He was convicted by the NIA Court on May 19.

On May 10, Malik had told the court that he was not contesting the charges levelled against him that including Section 16 (terrorist act), 17 (raising funds for the terrorist act), 18 (conspiracy to commit terrorist act) and 20 (being a member of terrorist gang or organisation) of the UAPA and sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 124-A (sedition) of the IPC.

Meanwhile, the Court formally framed the charges against other Kashmiri separatist leaders who are accused in the case, including Farooq Ahmed Dar alias Bitta Karate, Shabbir Shah, Masarat Alam, Md Yusuf Shah, Aftab Ahmad Shah, Altaf Ahmad Shah, Nayeem Khan, Md Akbar Khanday, Raja Mehrajuddin Kalwal, Bashir Ahmad Bhat, Zahoor Ahmad Shah Watali, Shabir Ahmad Shah, Abdul Rashid Sheikh and Naval Kishore Kapoor.

On March 16, the NIA Court had ordered the framing of charges against Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) founder Hafiz Saeed and Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin, Kashmiri separatist leaders including Yasin Malik, Shabbir Shah, Masarat Alam and others under various sections of UAPA in a case pertaining to the terrorist and secessionist activities that disturbed the State of Jammu and Kashmir.

The court had also ordered the framing of charges against Kashmiri politician and former MLA Rashid Engineer, Businessman Zahoor Ahmad Shah Watali, Bitta Karate, Aftab Ahmad Shah, Avatar Ahmad Shah, Naeem Khan, Bashir Ahmed Bhat, alias Peer Saifullah and several others under various sections of IPC and UAPA including criminal conspiracy, waging war against the country, unlawful activities, etc.

According to the NIA various terrorist organizations such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM), Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) etc., with the support of ISI of Pakistan, perpetrated violence in the valley by attacking civilians and security forces. It was further alleged that in the year 1993, the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) was formed to give a political front to secessionist activities.

The NIA also stated before the court that this has been done for funding separatist and terrorist activities in J&K and as such, they have entered into a larger conspiracy for causing disruption in the valley by way of pelting stones on security forces, systematically burning schools, damage to public property and waging war against India.

On this information, the Ministry of Home Affairs directed the NIA to register a case. Accordingly, the present case was registered by NIA for offences u/s 120B, 121, 121A of IPC and sections 13, 16, 17, 18, 20, 38, 39 and 40 of UAPA.

The NIA further added that during the investigation it was also revealed that APHC and other secessionists instigate the general public, especially the youth, to observe strikes and to resort to violence especially stone pelting on the security forces. This was done to create disaffection amongst the people of Jammu and Kashmir towards the Government of India.

It also submitted that the investigation has revealed that the secessionists were mobilizing funds from all possible sources to fuel unrest and support the ongoing secessionist and terrorist activities in Jammu and Kashmir. The secessionists were getting funds from Pakistan, funds from Pakistan based terrorist organizations and from local donations. (ANI)

The All India Backward and Minority Communities Employees Federation (BAMCEF) has called for a Bharat Bandh today demanding a caste-based census.

The strike has been called as a mark of protest against the Centre for not conducting a caste-based census for the Other Backward Classes (OBC). The Federation is also demanding reservations for the SC/ST/OBC communities in the private sector.
Besides, BAMCEF is also protesting against the use of EVMs during elections and the issue of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Population Register (NPR).

The other key demands include the implementation of a separate electorate in OBC reservation in Panchayat polls in Odisha and Madhya Pradesh, resumption of the old pension scheme, protection of labour rights and no displacement of tribal people.

BAMCEF also demanded a guaranteed minimum support price (MSP) for farmers.

Several parties including BJP’s ally Janata Dal-United have been demanding a caste-based census in the country. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has said that a caste-based census would enable the government to work for the development of various sections of the society.

“We will start it soon and will also ensure it is implemented properly. Once the caste-based Census is done, the government can work for their development,” he said.

Earlier, in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai had said that the Government of India has decided as a matter of policy “not to enumerate caste-wise populations other than SCs and STs in the census”. (ANI)

An 18-year-old gunman killed 14 children and 1 teacher in a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. The shooter also died.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott said that an elementary school shooter is an 18-year-old male from Uvalde.
“It’s believed that he abandoned his vehicle and entered into the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde with a handgun and he may have also had a rifle, but that is not yet confirmed according to my most recent report,” Abbott said as quoted by CNN.

The Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District (UCISD) in Texas said they are cancelling all school activities after the shooting at Robb Elementary School.

“All district and campus activities, after-school programs, and events are cancelled,” the district tweeted.

The district also announced that they will soon hold a news conference.

According to UCISD, the shooter on Tuesday was at Robb Elementary School at 12:17 pm (US time) and law enforcement was on site.

This is the deadliest attack since the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida, where 17 people were killed, according to CNN.

Upon this incident, White House new press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre informed that President Joe Biden has been briefed on the school shooting in Texas.

“President Biden has been briefed on the horrific news of the elementary school shooting in Texas and will continue to be briefed regularly as information becomes available,” she tweeted.

“His prayers are with the families impacted by this awful event, and he will speak this evening when he arrives back at the White House,” Jean-Pierre added.

Local police had previously said that a suspect was taken into custody, following the attack in Texas. (ANI)

Hundreds of SpiceJet airlines passengers were stranded at various airports due to a ransomware attack that impacted the morning flight departures on Wednesday.

Confirming the development, a spokesperson informed that a ransomware attack on Tuesday night had slowed down the departure of flights today morning.
“Certain SpiceJet systems faced an attempted ransomware attack last night that impacted and slowed down morning flight departures today. Our IT team has contained and rectified the situation and flights are operating normally now,” the SpiceJet tweeted after getting numerous queries over the delay in departure.

Meanwhile, as the passengers stuck at airports raised concerns over the delay the ground staff informed them that ‘the server was down’.

One of the passengers, Saurav Goyal tweeted, “Extremely poor customer service by flyspicejet. My flight to Srinagar SG 473 scheduled at 6.25 AM from Delhi today is still at the airport. The Staff has no clue and poor excuse is ‘server down’ so cannot take printouts. Passengers are suffering.” (ANI)

A tense situation prevailed in Andhra Pradesh after locals staged a protest on Tuesday against renaming the Konaseema district as BR Ambedkar Konaseema district by blocking the main roads and setting MLA P Satish’s house on fire.

After locals started stone-pelting and tried to set the residence of a minister on fire, police personnel resorted to lathi-charge to disperse the crowd in the district and bring the situation under control. The protestors also vandalised the vehicles.
It was informed that more than 20 policemen were injured in the incident and a school bus was also set on fire.

“The local people and all political parties demanded the Konaseema district be renamed as Ambedkar Konaseema district. In this context, the Ambedkar Konaseema district was recently renamed. Dr BR Ambedkar was a great genius, the founder of the Indian Constitution, the Bharat Ratna, and he was an inspiration to many. It is painful to oppose the naming of a district after such a great man,” Taneti Vanitha, Andhra Pradesh Home Minister told media persons.

The minister said people should understand that the district name was changed on the behest of people’s wishes, while some are still deliberately trying to create riots.

She further warned that the action will be taken against the conspirators who started the protest in the district.

“There must be action against those who are causing trouble to people. I urge the authorities to take legal action against the agitators and those behind them,” she added. (ANI)

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday heard the arguments on the bail plea of Umar Khalid, an accused in the larger conspiracy of northeast Delhi riots. Senior Advocate appearing for him argued that this is a case based on statements that are procured and drive the case, adding that no complaint of actual violence tied to him.

The High Court will continue hearing the petition tomorrow.
A division bench comprising Justice Siddharth Mridul and Justice Rajnish Bhatnagar on Tuesday heard the submissions of senior advocate Tridip Pais appearing for Umar Khalid. The bench is hearing the plea on a daily basis.

Senior Advocate Pais started his arguments with the query raised by the court yesterday “was any sense of fear in the aftermath of protests ?”

He submitted that the mere sense of fear is not sufficient and the sense of fear alone is not the object of the definition.

Pais during his arguments covered two incidents of December 13 and 16, 2019, he questioned the statement of witnesses and Whatsapp chats procured by the police.

During the arguments, Pais submitted that there were 751 FIRs related to violence. None of the complaints of actual violence tied to Umar Khalid. Still, he is bearing the brunt of custody for the last two years. Charges are not framed even after two years and witnesses exceed 700-800.

Pais submitted that the Sharjeel and Saiful Islam were not introduced to protestors as alleged by the prosecution on the basis of statements of some witnesses recorded in August 2020. He argued that not a single witness in the charge sheet corroborated that Khalid introduced Sharjeel and Saiful Islam to protestors and others on December 13, 2019.

Senior counsel Pais questioned the statement of a protected witness that says JCC was started by Umar Khalid.

He submitted that the group was started by Kumail Fatima. Even she didn’t say that Umar Khalid started the group.

He also submitted that chats in DPSG groups run in volume. Khalid shares only four messages. If he was the mastermind then why did he has to send messages to the group, Pais argued.

This is a case where a statement is made in order to implicate. It doesn’t have any relation to violence in Delhi, Pais argued. He added that the entire preface of this matter is to frame people under UAPA solely by messages.

He argued that his client was bearing the brunt of imprisonment for two years as you have the statement. It’s not the investigation but statements which are procured that drive this case.

Pais also argued that there is a hoard of people calling for a chakka jam on December 22. None of them is accused. He submitted that the charge sheet is the imagination of the writer.

He read the portion of the charge sheet which mentioned the allegation of meeting Meeran Haider, and Khalid Saifi at Shaheen Bagh and raising another protest site at Khureji.

He dismissed the allegations saying that there is no statement, no CDR. He said that material is being fabricated intentionally to create prejudice against me. You don’t have a witness. Still, you can say anything in the charge sheet because this is UAPA.

Delhi Police had booked Umar Khalid and other accused in the larger conspiracy under the section of stringent anti-terror law Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). He was arrested on September 13, 2020. His bail application was dismissed by the trial court. He has challenged the said order denying bail to him. (ANI)