Breaking News, August 9 | HIGHLIGHTS

A man allegedly strangled his wife whom he married after buying her for Rs 70,000 as he was unhappy with her "behaviour" and dumped her body in a forest area in southwest Delhi's Fatehpur Beri, police said on Wednesday. The accused husband Dharamveer along with two others -- Arum and Satyavan -- who helped him in the murder have been arrested, they said.

On Saturday, a PCR call was received regarding a woman's body found in a forest near Jheel Khurd border in Fatehpur Beri. Police rushed to the spot and took possession of the body, Deputy Commissioner of Police (south) Chandan Chowdhary said.

A court in Odisha's Sambalpur district on Wednesday awarded capital punishment to a 50-year-old man for killing three members of a family in 2020 over a property dispute. Additional District and Sessions Judge Court, Kuchinda also sentenced the man's 28-year-old son to life imprisonment in connection with the triple murder.

The incident took place in Lapada village under the Mahulpali Police Station limits in October 2020. The court also slapped a fine of Rs 1 lakh on each convict.

An unauthorised passenger's smoking activity inside a toilet on Tirupati–Secunderabad Vande Bharat Express triggered a false fire alarm, smoke-like extinguisher and halted the train for some time on Wednesday evening, a railway official said. The incident happened in coach C – 13 on Train No.20702 after passing Gudur, said the official.

"An unauthorised passenger boarded the train from Tirupati and locked himself in the toilet of C-13 coach... The passenger smoked inside the toilet which resulted in automatic activation of aerosol fire extinguisher present inside the toilet," an official from South Central Railway (SCR) Zone's Vijayawada Division said in a press release.

Two militant associates of the terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) were arrested here on Wednesday and two grenades recovered from their possession, police said.

"Two terror associates of JeM namely Arshad Mushtaq S/o Mushtaq Mangroo of Badibagh Pulwama & Suhail Majeed Mir S/o Abdul Majeed Mir of Machpuna Pulwama arrested by Srinagar Police," police said in a tweet. Two grenades were recovered from them, police said, adding a case under various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Explosive Act has been registered.

Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) chairman Ghulam Nabi Azad on Wednesday said his purpose of returning to Jammu and Kashmir was to end the miseries of people and build the Union Territory as one of the top economies in the country.

Azad, a former chief minister, ended his five-decade long association with the Congress on August 26 last year and launched DPAP in Jammu a month later. “The leadership needs a vision and I carry that for my people. And that is why I gave up national politics and returned to my people to serve them,” Azad said, addressing a series of public meetings in his hometown Bhaderwah in Doda district.

The Delhi High Court has said that the POCSO Act is a gender-neutral legislation while rejecting an assertion that the law is being "misused" as it is a "gender based" enactment.

Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma took exception to the submission made by an accused under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act seeking to cross-examine the victim again before the trial court, and termed it "insensitive", "inappropriate" and "misleading".

The judge said the legislature cannot stop enacting laws nor judiciary can stop applying them only because they can be "misused" as they are enacted to curb offences and get justice to genuine victims.

In the last 7 years, Kerala has seen the biggest scams and scandals in its history. There is corruption, and communalism is increasing. There was a gold smuggling scam, where CM Office was used to smuggle gold....For the welfare of the people of the state, it is important that there should be a change in govt in the state. I am confident that in the next elections, the people of Kerala will remove this corrupt govt and BJP will come to power. With all the scams coming up in the state, BJP demands the resignation of the CM: BJP leader Anil Antony

An Army personnel drowned in a canal while taking a bath in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, police said. Kalki Sharma (24), a resident of Barwal village, was on leave, they said, adding he was posted in Srinagar. 

Sharma went for a bath in the canal at nearby Magar Khand but got drowned, a police official said, adding a joint rescue team of the police and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) later fished out the body of the soldier.

A 22-year-old man died after he was allegedly beaten up and stabbed outside a mall in west Delhi's Rajouri Garden, police said on Wednesday. The alleged attack occurred on Tuesday.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Vichitra Veer said officers at Rajouri Garden police station received information about the stabbing late on Tuesday.

It was found that Mohammad Kaif had an altercation with some boys outside City Square Mall. Kaif was beaten and stabbed by Sohil, a resident of Raghubir Nagar, and his friends, the officer said.

J&K: Hundreds of vehicles stranded in Udhampur as Jammu-Srinagar National Highway (NH-44) shuts down due to landslides in Ramban sector.

National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed two separate Supplementary Chargesheets against several key members of Lawrence Bishnoi and Bambiha gangs, even as a Special Court declared seven absconders as Proclaimed Offenders (POs) in the multi-state terrorist-gangster-drug smuggler network, says the Agency.

Notorious ‘listed terrorist’ Arshdeep Dala of Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), who was chargesheeted by NIA on 22nd July, is one of the seven NIA absconders declared Proclaimed Offender today, says NIA.

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said the Centre should wait for the Supreme Court's decision on Article 370's abrogation rather than "threatening" it, saying remarks by some BJP leaders over the sub-judice matter "almost tantamount" to contempt of court.

His comments came after Union minister Smriti Irani, while participating on the debate on the no-confidence motion against the central government in the Lok Sabha, said "Article 370 will never be restored". Abdullah said he feels surprised to hear such remarks from responsible BJP leaders.

Shops remained shut at many places in Punjab while a firing incident was also reported as several Christian and Dalit bodies Wednesday held demonstrations during their 'Punjab bandh' call against the Manipur violence. At a few places, educational institutes also remained shut and protesters blocked traffic, though police personnel were deployed in strength to prevent any untoward situation.

Agitators shouted slogans against the central government for the violence in the northeastern state and also took out protest marches. They were also agitating against the incident in which two women were paraded naked in Manipur.

The driver and the conductor of a container truck were charred to death after their vehicle came in contact with a high-tension wire and caught fire in the Muradnagar area of this Uttar Pradesh district, officials said on Wednesday. The truck was on its way from Gujarat's Ahmedabad to deliver cooling appliances to a company near the Sainthali village close to the Delhi-Meerut Road, they added.

The driver was identified as 44-year-old Lakhshman Singh while the conductor's identity is not yet known, the officials said. The truck came in contact with a high-tension wire, setting ablaze the cooling appliances inside, officials of the fire department said.

Lt Governor VK Saxena has approved the promotion of 263 doctors working as senior medical officers in various Delhi government hospitals to chief medical officers, Raj Niwas officials said on Wednesday. The promotions had been pending since 2018. The file was moved after Saxena insisted that promotions due to government employees be provided at the earliest by cutting red tape, they said.

These doctors are employed in Delhi government-run facilities, including Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, Lok Nayak Hospital, Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital, Deep Chand Bandhu Hospital, Aruna Asaf Ali Government Hospital and GB Pant Hospital, among others.

Three head constables were suspended after a video showed them playing cards during office hours on the premises of the crime branch unit 3 office in Nagpur city of Maharashtra, an official said on Wednesday.

After the video surfaced on Monday, Nagpur Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar ordered an inquiry. The three head constables were suspended on Tuesday.

A lawyer was shot dead in a crowded locality of the Civil Lines area in this Uttar Pradesh district on Wednesday, police said.

Senior Superintendent of Police Kalanidhi Naithani told reporters that Abdul Mugis, a lawyer in the district courts, was riding his motorcycle through the main road connecting the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and Hospital to Dhaura Maafi when some unidentified people allegedly fired at him.

Abdul was rushed to the medical college hospital where doctors declared him dead, Nathani said.

Tushar Gandhi, the great grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, on Wednesday claimed police detained him as he left home to commemorate Quit India Day at Mumbai’s August Kranti Maidan. Social activist Teesta Setalvad in a tweet claimed she was stopped from leaving her residence and that noted freedom fighter G G Parikh was also prevented from reaching the August Kranti Maidan.

Tushar Gandhi, Setalvad and Parikh were supposed to participate in the 'Shanti March' rally from Girgaon Chowpatty to the August Kranti Maidan. A police official said when Tushar Gandhi came out of his residence in suburban Santacruz, he was told that he cannot go to participate in a rally for which permission was denied.

The Udupi district additional and sessions court (POCSO court) has sentenced a 32-year-old man to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment on charges of sexual assault on a minor girl in Kota police limits four years ago.

The Gyanvapi management committee has filed a plea in a court here seeking a ban on the media coverage of the survey to determine whether the 17th-century mosque was constructed over a pre-existing structure of a Hindu temple. The matter is expected to be heard later in the day. In July, a Varanasi court had directed the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to conduct the scientific survey of the Gyanvapi mosque located next to the Kashi Vishwanath temple here. This was upheld by the Allahabad Hight Court and later by the Supreme Court.

Police on Wednesday arrested two men for allegedly killing their 40-year-old aunt in Buchca Kheri village in Shamli, an officer said. Superintendent of Police Abhishek told reporters here that a woman named Bala was stabbed to death by her two nephews in her house while she was asleep.

Assam Chief Minister and BJP’s chief troubleshooter in the northeast Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday asserted that despite the ethnic strife in Manipur, the party will win both the Lok Sabha seats from the state in next year’s general elections.

Three, including a man and his son, were arrested for allegedly staging a truck accident to make off with goods worth lakhs of rupees belonging to a trader in Doda district, police said on Wednesday. Stolen goods worth Rs 11 lakh were recovered at the disclosure of the three accused arrested from different parts of Doda, a police officer said.

Thousands of Nagas of Manipur on Wednesday took out rallies in areas inhabited by them to press for the successful conclusion of peace talks between the Centre and Naga groups based on the Framework Agreement. The protesters also demanded that separate administration for any other community must not infringe upon Naga-inhabited areas. Rallies were brought out in the district headquarters of Tamenglong, Senapati, Ukhrul, and Chandel amid tight security. The United Naga Council (UNC), the apex civic body of Naga tribes in Manipur, called for rallies in the Naga-inhabited areas

The BJP on Wednesday commemorated the launch of the Quit India Movement by Mahatma Gandhi on this day in 1942 and called for riddance of dynasticism, corruption, and appeasement politics in an attack against the Congress and INDIA allies.

Four people were crushed by apple-laden trucks in two separate road incidents in Shimla, police said on Wednesday. Two people were crushed to death coming under a truck laden with apples in Chaila area of Shimla district, police said. The incident happened Tuesday evening when the truck from Narkanda was going outside the state taking the Rajgarh-Solan road.

A wall collapsed at Paldi village in the district, leaving a 10-year-old child dead and his two cousin brothers seriously injured, police said on Wednesday. The incident took place on Tuesday evening when the three children were playing outside their house, SHO, Shahpur, Vinay Sharma said. While Adil was killed on the spot, his cousin brothers Sahil (7) and Subhan (5) were injured and have been hospitalised.

Nagas of Manipur are scheduled to take out rallies in areas inhabited by them on Wednesday to press for the successful conclusion of peace talks between the Centre and Naga groups based on the Framework Agreement. Security has been tightened across Manipur in view of the rallies called by the United Naga Council (UNC), an influential Naga body, in the district headquarters of Tamenglong, Senapati, Ukhrul and Chandel districts from 10 am on Wednesday. "The inordinate delay in signing the final agreement is a cause of concern and has the potential to derail the peace negotiation," the UNC said in a statement. The UNC has appealed to all Nagas to participate in the rallies in large numbers.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday called upon everyone to rise above the differences of caste, creed, religion and race to protect the rights of the indigenous people. Wishing people on the occasion of 'International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples', Banerjee said indigenous peoples' rights must be protected for the sake of humanity. "On this International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, let's celebrate their vibrant traditions, art, and heritage that enrich our state's identity. Let's pledge to walk alongside our Adivasi brethren," Banerjee tweeted.

The ongoing war in Ukraine would be one of the top topics of discussion during the G-20 Summit in New Delhi next month, according to a senior official of the United States. Leaders of G-20 nations, including US President Joe Biden, are scheduled to attend the G-20 summit in New Delhi in the first half of September.

Students from Shri Swaminarayan Gurukul Vidyalaya in Surat made a human chain in the shape of India's map highlighting the slogan 'Meri Maati, Mera Desh'.

Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala on Tuesday indicated that there were shortcomings of the administration in assessing the situation in Nuh, where a communal violence erupted on July 31 during a religious procession. The state government has extended the suspension of mobile internet and SMS services in the district till August 11, where conditions are "still critical and tense". Chautala said the additional DGP (law and order) had stated that permission for a procession having 3,200 people was taken by the organisers, and accordingly the police force was deployed.

Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddh Nagar Police on Tuesday attached an ill-gotten property worth Rs 3.50 crore in Delhi belonging to jailed gangster Sundar Bhati in a financial crackdown against organized crime, officials said. The three-storey residential building is located in East Delhi's Shashi Garden area under Pandav Nagar police station limits, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Greater Noida) Ashok Kumar said.

With the arrest of six men, the Uttar Pradesh Police on Tuesday claimed to have busted a "sextortion" racket being run through a gay dating app in Kanpur, officials said. Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (west) Lakhan Singh Yadav said the accused created fake profiles on the gay dating app 'Blued'.