Breaking News, March 24 | DAILY WRAP- HIGHLIGHTS

The Nitish Kumar government in Bihar and the opposition BJP on Friday sparred over reports that NHRC has indicted the administration for the hooch tragedy in Saran district last year, which claimed close to 40 lives. According to reports in a section of the media, the NHRC, which took so motu cognisance of the deaths caused by consumption of spurious liquor in the dry state, has concluded that the total number of people who died was in excess of 70, far more than the 38 casualties confirmed officially. "Taking note of the reports in the media, I have raised the matter inside the House,” BJP MLC Sanjay Mayukh told reporters outside the legislative council.

Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from the Lok Sabha is a "deep betrayal" of Gandhian philosophy, an influential Indian-origin Congressman said on Friday. Gandhi, the former Congress president, was on Friday disqualified from the Lok Sabha, nearly 24 hours after a court in Surat convicted him in a defamation case. “The expulsion of Rahul Gandhi from parliament is a deep betrayal of Gandhian philosophy and India’s deepest values,” Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna said in a tweet.

Congress leaders were huddle in Delhi, Priyanka stresses on winning Karnataka polls as reply to Rahul Gandhi's disqualification

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday extended greetings as the holy month of Ramzan began. In a tweet, she said that she hoped everyone work towards a society that is free from poverty and all social evils.

In a shocking incident, a 54-year-old man went on a stabbing spree on Mumbai Grant Road, killing 4 dead and leaving several people injured on Friday. The accused was arrested by the police and a probe is underway into the matter.

Ruling BRS MLC in Telangana K Kavitha plans to step up her campaign in support of the Women's Reservation Bill by taking up different programmes, including sending letters and postcards to academicians. 
Kavitha, daughter of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, on Friday unveiled a poster in support of the women's bill on her social media handles, a release from her office said. 

Amid numbers of laying off news, an Indian low-cost airline Akasa Air announced to hire nearly 1,000 people by the end of March 2024. It planned to take the total staff strength to more than 3,000 by the said time period. The airline continues to expand its fleet as well as routes, according to its chief Vinay Dube.

Congress leaders meet at AICC in Delhi over Rahul Gandhi's disqualification as MP and the party's demand for a JPC probe on the Adani issue

The Aam Aadmi Party called Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from Lok Sabha a dictatorial move and asserted that the BJP will not be able to suppress the voice of the opposition.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president MK Stalin said that the government has to withdraw the action taken against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

The Congress party and a section of Left workers in Kerala's Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency, represented by senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi who was disqualified from the Parliament on Friday, accused the BJP of engaging in revenge politics against the Gandhi scion. KPCC executive member Paulose K L said his party would seek legal options to fight the "fascist move" of the BJP government. "Gandhi has been fighting relentlessly against the BJP-led fascist government. His voice cannot be silenced. Now all the opposition party leaders have come out in support of him," Paulose told PTI. Gandhi was disqualified from the Lok Sabha on Friday, a day after he was convicted by a Surat court in a 2019 criminal defamation case over his remark on the "Modi surname".

Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, attempts are being made to destroy the country; they disqualified Rahul Gandhi from Lok Sabha and they are scared, said Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Detained Congress MPs raise slogans demanding a JPC probe in the Adani issue and in support of Rahul Gandhi over his disqualification as MP.

Rajya Sabha adjourned till 11 am on March 27.

National Investigation Agency (NIA) today filed a chargesheet against notorious gangster criminals, Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar, along with 12 others having links with the proscribed Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) and several other pro-Khalistani terrorist outfits, in the second of the three terror-gangster nexus cases it is investigating.

UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi arrived at the residence of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Delhi after the latter was disqualified as a Member of Parliament. 

Jammu and Kashmir government issues guidelines regarding the use of social media by the government employees of the Union Territory. "No govt employee shall, through any post, tweet or otherwise, discuss or criticize on social media, any policy pursued or action taken by the Govt, nor shall he/she, in any manner, participate in any such discussion or criticism on social media pages/communities/ microblogs," the guidelines read.

A Delhi court on Friday said it will pronounce its order on former Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia's bail plea on March 31 in the excise policy case lodged by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Special Judge M K Nagpal reserved his order on the Aam Aadmi Party leader's plea seeking regular bail in the case after the CBI handed over a short note regarding its contention in the case. "A brief written submission on behalf of CBI has been filed in opposition to the regular bail application of the accused. Copy thereof as well as case law has been given to the counsel of accused. Copy of part of case diary and statements of some witnesses have been also made available," the special judge said. On March 21, the judge had deferred the hearing on Sisodia's bail plea till March 24 for any further clarification and submissions.

The Delhi campus of the Centre of Excellence for Tunnelling and Underground Space Engineering will be set up at the Delhi Metro Rail Academy in Shastri Park, officials said on Friday. The facility will be an integral part of the Delhi Metro Rail Academy (DMRA) and is expected to be ready by the end of this year, the Delhi Metro said in a statement. The decision was taken on Thursday during the second industry interface meeting held under the chairmanship of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Director (Works) Daljeet Singh.

BJP MP Sushil Kumar Modi, who has also filed a defamation case against Rahul Gandhi, has said the Congress leader should not have attended Lok Sabha on Friday as he stood "disqualified" as an MP as soon as the Surat court convicted him. Gandhi was convicted Thursday in a criminal defamation case for his "Modi surname" remarks and sentenced to two years of imprisonment. The court granted him bail and suspended the sentence for 30 days to allow him to appeal in a higher court. The Wayanad MP attended Lok Sabha on Friday briefly as the House was adjourned for an hour soon after it convened for the day. Speaking to reporters in Parliament complex, the former Bihar deputy chief minister said, "I personally feel he should not have attended Parliament today. Already, he is disqualified."

Rahul Gandhi disqualified: A day after being convicted in the 'Modi surname' defamation case, Rahul Gandhi on Friday was disqualified as Member of Parliament. On Thursday, a court in Gujarat's Surat sentenced Congress leader  Gandhi to two years in jail in a 2019 criminal defamation case filed against him over his "Modi surname" remarks.

A tremor of 3.9 magnitude hit Surguja district in north Chhattisgarh on Friday, officials said. No loss of property or lives due to it has been reported so far, they said. "A 3.9 magnitude earthquake was felt in Ambikapur town (the headquarters of Surguja district) around 10.28 am. Its epicentre was 10 km deep from the surface of the earth and around 12 km away from Ambikapur town in West South West (WSW) direction," H P Chandra, meteorologist at Meteorological Centre Raipur, said. "It was a light category earthquake that did not cause any major destruction," he said, adding that it may, however, result in damage to kutcha (mud) houses located within 20 km radius of the epicentre. According to the official, it was the sixth earthquake in Chhattisgarh in the last 10 months and most of them occurred in the northern parts of the state.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday held a meeting with opposition leaders and discussed the future strategy, a day after party leader Rahul Gandhi's conviction in a 2019 defamation case. Besides the Congress, senior leaders of parties such as the DMK, National Conference, RSP, VCK, JDU, CPI(M), SP, SS, IUML, AAP and CPI attended the meeting of the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha in his office inside Parliament complex. Sources said that it was decided that Opposition leaders would stage a protest in the afternoon. The opposition parties have also sought time from President Droupadi Murmu on Friday afternoon to raise the matter with her.

Lok Sabha passes Finance Bill 2023 with over 45 amendments amid slogan shouting by opposition members. The house gets adjourned for the day after the passage of the Finance Bill amid ruckus by the opposition over the Adani issue.

An earthquake of magnitude 4 hit Gwalior and areas in its vicinity in Madhya Pradesh on Friday morning, an official said. No damages have been reported so far, he said. Mild jolts occurred at 10.31.49 am, India Meteorological Department’s Bhopal office duty officer SN Sahu told PTI. The epicentre of the magnitude 4 quake was 28 km south-east of Gwalior, the official said. Sahu said the quake struck at a depth of 10 kilometres.

China threatened “serious consequences” Friday after the US Navy sailed a destroyer around the disputed Paracel Islands in the South China Sea for the second day in a row, in a move Beijing claimed was a violation of its sovereignty and security.
The warning comes amid growing tensions between China and the United States in the region, as Washington pushes back at Beijing's growingly assertive posture in the South China Sea, a strategic waterway it claims virtually in its entirety.
On Thursday, after the U.S. sailed the USS Milius guided-missile destroyer near the Paracel Islands, China said its navy and air force had forced the American vessel away, a claim the U.S. military denied.

Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned in the pre-lunch session on Friday amid sloganeering by ruling BJP and opposition members over Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's democracy remark and a demand for a probe into allegations against the Adani Group. Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said the House is in "disorder from both sides" before adjourning the proceedings till 2.30 pm. MPs from both sides shouted slogans in support of their demand after Dhankhar rejected 14 notices under Rule 267, seeking discussion on issues being raised after setting aside the business of the day. The chairman tried to restore order but adjourned proceedings as MPs continued to shout slogans. Earlier, Dhankhar read out the notices received under Rule 267.

India's ideology of "Vasudhaiva Kutumbkam" is giving the modern world an integrated vision and solutions, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday as he launched a series of initiatives to eliminate tuberculosis. He was addressing the 'One World TB Summit' on World TB Day. "India's image reflects in its ideology of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbkam' (one world one family). This old thought is giving modern world an integrated vision and solutions," Modi said. He launched several initiatives, including TB-free panchayats, pan-India rollout of a shorter TB Preventive Treatment (TPT) and a family-centric care model for tuberculosis. Modi also released India's Annual TB Report for 2023. The prime minister laid the foundation stone of the National Centre for Disease Control and High Containment (BSL) Laboratory here and unveiled the site for Metropolitan Public Health Surveillance Unit (MSU).

Noisy scenes were witnessed in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly on Friday after Congress members demanded suspension of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena members for hitting a poster of Rahul Gandhi with footwear over his alleged remarks against Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar. The House was adjourned three times as pandemonium prevailed due to sloganeering by Congress legislators and the treasury benches. The members of the BJP and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena had on Thursday hit the poster of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi with slippers on the stairs of the Maharashtra Legislature complex. As soon as the proceedings of the House began for the day, Nana Patole (Congress) demanded that treasury bench members who hit Gandhi's posters with footwear be suspended from the House. Responding to the demand, Speaker Rahul Narvekar said he has sought a report of the developments in the legislature complex and will get the video footage. "Let me examine the footage and then I will give my ruling. I will not go against the principles of natural justice," he said.

The Supreme Court on Friday directed that all convicts and undertrial prisoners, who were released during the COVID-19 pandemic in a move to decongest jails, to surrender within 15 days. A bench of Justices MR Shah and CT Ravikumar said undertrial prisoners, who were released on emergency bail during the pandemic, can move for regular bail before competent courts after their surrender. "All the convicts who were released during COVID-19 pandemic after their surrender can move competent courts for suspension of their sentence", the bench said. Several convicts and undertrial prisoners, mostly those who were booked for non-heinous offences, were released during the pandemic in various states on the recommendations of high-powered committee set up in pursuant to directions of the apex court.

Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned on Friday till 12 noon seconds after starting the day's business when Congress MPs staged noisy protests.  The Congress MPs were asking when their leader Rahul Gandhi will be given an opportunity to speak and clarify his stand on his “democracy is under attack” remark in London. Speaker Om Birla said he wanted to run the House properly. “When the House is not functioning, I feel sad”, he said and adjourned the House almost as soon as proceedings began. Gandhi, who was convicted by a court in Gujarat on Thursday in a defamation case, was present in the House.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday refuted BJP chief J P Nadda's allegation that Rahul Gandhi compared OBC communities to thieves and accused the ruling party of indulging in "caste politics". Amid a political fight between the BJP and the Congress following Gandhi's conviction in a defamation case over the "Modi surname" remarks, Nadda alleged that "lies, personal slander and negative politics is integral" to his politics. "By comparing OBC communities to thieves, Rahul Gandhi has shown a pathetic and casteist mindset. However, his latest tirade is not surprising. For the last many years, he has always reduced levels of political discourse," Nadda said.

As Rahul Gandhi's conviction triggered a political slugfest, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju on Friday took a fresh dig at him saying one cannot blame all Gandhi surnames just because the Congress leader "insulted" Indian democracy, its armed forces and country's institutions. Rahul Gandhi's conviction in a 2019 criminal defamation case by a Surat court has been slammed by opposition parties, including the AAP, which rallied behind the former Congress chief and accused the ruling party of "hatching a conspiracy to eliminate" its political opponents by prosecuting them.

A day After Conviction in Defamation Case, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi visits parliament on Friday. He attended the meeting of Congress MPs at the Congress Parliamentary Office in Parliament. Party chief and LoP in Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge & UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi were also present. 

Delhi Police has registered a case in connection with the protest held outside the Indian High Commission in London on March 19, officials said here on Friday. The case was registered by the special cell under the Indian Penal Code, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act as it involves unlawful activities carried out by certain people holding Indian nationality abroad, a senior police officer said. It was done after the Ministry of Home Affairs directed the Delhi Police to take appropriate legal action on the receipt of a report from the Ministry of External Affairs over the incident at the Indian High Commission March 19.

The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to list for hearing on April 5 a plea by 14 opposition parties, led by the Congress, alleging arbitrary use of central probe agencies against political opponents. A bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud took note of the submissions of senior advocate AM Singhvi, appearing for the opposition parties such as the DMK, RJD, Bharat Rashtra Samiti and the Trinamool Congress, and said the plea would be taken up for hearing on April 5.
The parties are seeking pre- and post-arrest guidelines to be followed by the central probe agencies such as the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate.

The proceedings of the Lok Sabha have been adjourned yet again minutes after House assembled  today. Notably, the impasse between Congress and the Union government continues over Rahul Gandhi's London remarks and Adani row. 

The national capital is likely to witness thunderstorms with light rain on Friday, according to the India Meteorological Department. The minimum temperature was recorded at 17.6 degrees Celsius, one notch above normal, while the maximum is likely to settle at 28 degrees Celsius, the IMD said. The city recorded 75 per cent relative humidity at around 8:30 am and the air quality index (AQI) was recorded in the moderate (115) category around 9:00 am, data from the SAFAR showed. 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.

Filipino diplomats are expected to unleash a slew of protests over China's aggressive behaviour in the South China Sea, including targeting a Philippine navy ship with a powerful military laser, when they meet with Chinese officials on Friday, an official said. Territorial disputes in the busy waterway have long loomed as a potential flashpoint in Asia and have become a sensitive front in the regional rivalry between China and the United States. Washington lays no claims on the contested waters but has challenged Beijing's extensive claims including by deploying its warships and fighter jets and repeatedly warning that it would help defend the Philippines — a treaty ally — if Philippine forces, ships and aircraft are attacked.

US nominee for World Bank president Ajay Banga has tested COVID-19 following which the meetings scheduled during his two-day visit to India have been cancelled. According to a Finance Ministry statement, Banga's meeting with Nirmala Sitharaman would not happen as he is in quarantine. "During routine testing, Ajay Banga tested positive for COVID-19 but remains asymptomatic. In adherence with local guidelines, he is quarantining in isolation," the statement said. Besides meeting with the Union finance minister, Banga was scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar and top officials during his two-day visit from March 23 to 24.

President Droupadi Murmu on Friday greeted people on Sarhul, a spring festival, and hoped that it inspires all to protect the environment. Sarhul, which is considered the biggest tribal festival in which sal trees are worshipped, is celebrated across Jharkhand. "Hearty greetings to all the countrymen on the occasion of the festival of nature 'Sarhul'. "This festival reflects the unbreakable relationship between humans and nature and gives the message of conservation and promotion of nature to all. It is my wish that this festival of 'Sarhul' inspires all the citizens to protect the environment," Murmu tweeted in Hindi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi wished people on the beginning of the auspicious Islamic month of Ramzan on Friday. "May this holy month bring greater unity and harmony in our society. May it also reaffirm the importance of serving the poor," he tweeted. Muslims across the world observe the month with fasting and praying. The month ends with the festival of Eid.

Alleged conman from Gujarat Kiran Patel, held in Jammu and Kashmir for posing as a top official of the Prime Minister Office (PMO), has been booked by the Ahmedabad cops on cheating and criminal conspiracy charges for trying to usurp a senior citizen's bungalow here using the same tactic, an official has said. Patel, a resident of the Ghodasar area of the city, was arrested by the Jammu and Kashmir police earlier this month from a five-star hotel in Srinagar after the authorities grew suspicious about his activities. On Wednesday, the Ahmedabad city crime branch lodged a case of cheating (Indian Penal Code section 420), criminal breach of trust (406), criminal conspiracy (120-b) and personating a public servant (170) against the alleged conman, said Deputy Commissioner of Police, Crime, Chaitanya Mandlik, on Thursday.

Saudi Arabia is in talks with Syria to reopen its embassy in the war-torn nation for the first time in a decade, state television in the kingdom reported late Thursday, the latest diplomatic reshuffling in the region. The announcement on state TV comes after Chinese-mediated talks in Beijing saw Saudi Arabia and Iran agree to reopen embassies in each others' nations after years of tensions. Syrian President Bashar Assad has maintained his grip on power in the Mediterranean nation rocked by the 2011 Arab Spring only with the help of Iran and Russia, which made a historic call earlier in the day to Oman. Saudi Arabian state television aired a report late Thursday, quoting an anonymous official in the country's Foreign Ministry, acknowledging the talks between the kingdom and Damascus.

Senior Congress leader and former finance minister P Chidambaram Friday said the "worst message" from a parliamentary democracy is approval to a budget without discussion. His remarks came a day after the Lok Sabha approved the Union Budget envisaging an expenditure of around Rs 45 lakh crore for the fiscal year starting April 1 without any discussion. "The worst message from a parliamentary democracy is to approve a Budget without discussion," Chidambaram said in a tweet. "Rs 45,03,097 crore will be raised and spent for the 'people' in 2023-24 without the people's representatives offering their views on the Budget," he said.

India has committed investments of more than 240 billion dollars in the water sector and is implementing the largest dam rehabilitation programme in the world as well as efforts to restore groundwater level, Minister of Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat told the UN. Shekhawat highlighted the ambitious programmes and efforts being undertaken in India towards ensuring water security and achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 of clean water and sanitation for all as he addressed the UN Water Conference 2023 Thursday. “We have committed investments of more than 240 billion dollars in the water sector through government resources, in partnership with private innovators, start-ups, and water-user associations. India is implementing two flagship missions to ensure universal access to sanitation and drinking water,” Shekhawat said, delivering the national statement in the UN General Assembly.

Two women who experienced life in Chinese “reeducation” camps for Uyghurs told lawmakers Thursday of lives under imprisonment and surveillance, rape and torture as a special House committee focused on countering China shined a light on human rights abuses in the country. Qelbinur Sidik, a member of China's ethnic Uzbek minority who was forced to teach Chinese in separate detention facilities for Uyghur men and women, told lawmakers of male Uyghur detainees held chained and shackled in cells so tiny they had to crawl out when authorities summoned them. “They were called by numbers for interrogations. And then you would hear horrible screaming sounds from torture,” she said.

President Joe Biden arrived in Canada on Thursday for talks with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on several of the world's most difficult challenges: the war in Ukraine, climate change, trade, mass migration and an increasingly assertive China.
Two important agreements appeared to be in hand before Biden even departed Washington. Canada will escalate its timeline for military upgrades to the North American Aerospace Defense Command and the two nations have reached an agreement to update rules for migrants seeking asylum, according to U.S. and Canadian officials. The officials were not authorized to comment publicly and requested anonymity.

Jurors' names will be kept secret at the upcoming civil trial in a writer's rape lawsuit against former President Donald Trump, a judge ruled Thursday, citing “a very strong risk” they would otherwise face harassment and more. Anonymous juries are unusual, particularly outside criminal cases. The Associated Press and the Daily News of New York objected to the plan to conceal the identities of jurors in the trial over columnist E. Jean Carroll's claim — denied by Trump — that the Republican raped her in the 1990s. But U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan said he was concerned that jurors would be subjected to unwanted attention from the media and “harassment or worse” from supporters of a president who has railed against the judicial process, or from people unhappy with any verdict that might ensue.

North Korea said Friday its latest cruise missile launches this week were part of nuclear attack simulations that also involved a test of a purported underwater attack drone as leader Kim Jong Un vowed to make his rivals “plunge into despair.” North Korea has stepped up its weapons demonstrations this month in a tit-for-tat response to the United States' expanding military exercises with ally South Korea aimed at countering the North's growing nuclear threat. The allies completed an 11-day exercise that included their biggest field training in years on Thursday, but North Korea is expected to continue its weapons tests as the United States reportedly plans to send an aircraft carrier in coming days for another round of joint drills with the South. Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency said Kim supervised a three-day exercise through Thursday that simulated nuclear counterattacks against enemy naval assets and ports that involved detonations of mock nuclear warheads. KCNA said that the drills were aimed at alerting the United States and South Korea of a brewing “nuclear crisis” as they continue with their “intentional, persistent and provocative war drills” the North portrays as invasion rehearsals.

Former Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu's wife, Navjot Kaur Sidhu, on Thursday tweeted that she has been diagnosed with stage two invasive cancer. “He (Navjot Sidhu) is in the prison for a crime he has not committed. Forgive all those involved. Waiting for you each day outside probably suffering more than you. As usual trying to take your pain away, asked for sharing it. Happened to see a small growth, knew it was bad,” Kaur said on Twitter. In another tweet, she said, “Waited for You, seeing you were denied justice again and again. Truth is so powerful but it takes your tests time and again. KALYUG. Sorry can't wait for you because it's stage 2 invasive cancer. Going under the knife today. No one is to be blamed because it's GODS plan: PERFECT (sic).” Navjot Sidhu, a former MLA from Amritsar, is serving a one-year jail term in Patiala central prison in a 1988 road rage death case.

Another alleged associate of 'Waris Punjab De' chief Amritpal Singh has been arrested from the national capital, police said on Thursday. The Delhi Police along with the Punjab Police held Amit Singh, an insurance agent, from Tilak Vihar on Tuesday. The radical preacher is on the run after the Punjab Police arrested several of his supporters in a major crackdown that began weeks after the storming of the Ajnala police station near Amritsar to secure the release of an arrested associate. The episode had raised fears over the possibility of the return of Khalistani militancy to the state that borders Pakistan. Police said efforts are on to trace Amritpal Singh. A lookout circular and a non-bailable warrant has been issued against the Khalistan sympathiser.

The U.S. military must be ready for possible confrontation with China, the Pentagon's leaders said Thursday, pushing Congress to approve the Defense Department's proposed $842 billion budget, which would modernise the force in Asia and around the world. "This is a strategy-driven budget — and one driven by the seriousness of our strategic competition with the People's Republic of China," Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said in testimony before the House Appropriations subcommittee on defence. Pointing to increases in new technology, such as hypersonics, Austin said the budget proposes to spend more than $9 billion, a 40% increase over last year, to build up military capabilities in the Pacific and defend allies.

As many as 17 people fell ill after consuming food prepared with kuttu (buckwheat) flour on the first day of Navratri in Modinagar area here, police said on Thursday. They were admitted to private and government hospitals with complaints of abdominal pain and diarrhoea, police said. Bread made of kuttu flour is usually consumed to break fast during Navratri.
“We received information that 17 persons in Modinagar area suffered from food poising after consuming kuttu atta on Wednesday night. The condition of all of them is said to be normal now,” Assistant Commissioner of Police, Modinagar, Ritesh Tripathi said.

A court here on Thursday framed charges for several offences, including abduction and murder, against AAP leader Tahir Hussain and 10 others in connection with the alleged murder of Intelligence Bureau officer Ankit Sharma during the 2020 northeast Delhi riots. Additional Sessions Judge Pulastya Pramachala was hearing the case registered at the Dayalpur Police Station against 11 accused, including Hussain, on the complaint lodged by the officer's father. Sharma's body was recovered from Khajuri Khas drain near the Chand Bagh pulia.

The BJP on Thursday took a swipe at the opposition meeting on the issue of Electronic Voting Machines, saying they have started looking for excuses for their expected defeat in the upcoming elections. The statement came after opposition parties decided to approach the Election Commission to voice their concerns over the use of Electronic Voting Machines for conducting polls, particularly its plans to allow remote voting for migrant voters. "The Opposition raising questions on the EVM amounts to accepting their defeat in the coming polls because they find it most convenient to blame the voting machines for their defeat in polls," BJP chief spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Anil Baluni said. He also accused the opposition of doing "convenient politics" over the EVM, saying it agrees with the results when it wins in state polls but blames the machines when it loses.