Breaking News, February 20

President Ram Nath Kovind will be on a three-day visit to Assam from February 25 during which he will inaugurate the year-long celebration to mark the 400th birth anniversary of legendary Ahom general Lachit Borphukan. He will also review the conservation efforts at Kaziranga National Park among other engagements, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Sunday. "We extended an invitation to the honourable President for the visit and he consented to our request," Sarma said.

In what can be termed as the biggest street crime incident of the year so far, a group of robbers looted over 100 people on Saturday on the Korangi Causeway in Karachi, Express Tribune reported. Ten to 12 robbers reportedly set up roadblocks to trap vehicles and proceeded to rob the people with relative ease and appeared to not be afraid of police and rangers.

 The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Sunday restored the maximum number of Star Campaigners for ongoing and future elections as the number of Covid-19 cases dropped substantially. Now, the recognised national and state parties can field a maximum of 40-star campaigners. Other parties which are registered but not recognised can now have 20-star campaigners during the electioneering.

New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) Vice Chairman Satish Upadhyay on Sunday said that the department will implement 100 per cent Mechanical Sweeping in its prominent areas viz Connaught Place, Hanuman Mandir Vatika and Baba Kharak Singh Marg Emporia Buildings. The motive of NDMC behind this drive is to achieve 7 Star ranking in the forthcoming Swachta Survekshan 2022. This initiative not only helps to provide 100 per cent perfect sweeping but automation will help increase efficiency of workers and reduce manpower. "It is need of the hour that there should be comprehensive planning of housekeeping through the mechanical process instead of manual process on the lines of Airport housekeeping. It is observed during the inspection with Market Traders Associations and HoDs of NDMC," Upadhyay said.

A two-day seminar, aimed at addressing the problems of group housing societies and licence colonies, will be organised in Gurugram on February 25-26, the district administration said in a statement. According to officials, issues related to safe group housing society, problems of structural, sewerage connection, road and othera will be discussed in the seminar that will be organised in association with Haryana Real Estate Regulatory Authority (HRERA), Department of Town and Country Planning (DTCP), Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP).

The Border Security Force (BSF) on Sunday said that it has recovered three packets of contraband in Punjab suspected to be heroin. According to BSF officials, the alert BSF troops observed some suspicious movement of a miscreant or smuggler ahead of the Border Security Fence in Abohar Sector. Sensing imminent threat and to stop further misadventure of the miscreant, the troops fired but he managed to flee to Pakistan territory.

President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday said that various religious traditions and practices are prevalent across the country but there is only one belief and that is to work for the welfare of all considering the entire humanity as one family. President Kovind was speaking on the occasion of inauguration of the three-year long celebrations of the 150th birth anniversary of Srimad Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami Prabhupad, the founder of Gaudiya Math and Mission in Puri, Odisha.

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Sunday that an ambitious plan has been drafted to introduce 'Tunga Aarti' on the banks of Tungabhadra River at Harihar. Participating in the 'shilanyas' or foundation stone laying ceremony for 108 'mandaps' for the Tunga Aarti on Sunday, Bommai added that it would be similar to the popular 'Ganga Aarti' conducted in north India. Speaking to the media, the Chief Minister said Harihar would be developed into a major tourist and pilgrim destination in the coming days.

An Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel on Sunday allegedly shot himself dead in the national capital's Chanakyapuri area, an official said. The 33-year-old ITBP constable was identified as Yogeshwar Reddy, a resident of Bellary in Karnataka. Deputy Commissioner of Police, New Delhi, Deepak Yadav said that Reddy was presently posted at Nehru Taramandal (Nehru Planetarium) here in Chanakyapuri.

The Sri Lankan Navy has arrested six Indian fishermen and seized their boat allegedly for poaching in country's territorial waters. The arrest was made on Saturday night near the Kovilan lighthouse, Jaffna. According to information from the Sri Lankan Army website, the fishermen and the boat were captured for crossing the IMBL. The fishermen were the residents of Nambuthalai in Ramanathapuram district and the boat was owned by a person from Nagapattinam. The fishermen leaders said that they have set sail from Nambuthalai on February 18.

A 58-year-old Special Sub-Inspector, who was on duty for the local body elections, died in an accident here on Sunday morning, police said.
According to police, Special Sub-Inspector Subramani was attached to Erode Government Headquarters Hospital outpost and had been deputed to the urban local body election for duty.

Former BJP MP Kirit Somaiya appeared before the Mumbai Police on Sunday in connection with an FIR registered against him for alleged violation of COVID-19 norms, an official said. The FIR was registered at suburban Santacruz police station in September last year under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), and the police had issued summons to the BJP leader on Monday to appear before them within 15 days. On Sunday, Somaiya reached the Santacruz police station where a copy of the FIR was provided to him. He was asked to file his response within 14 days, the police official said. Somaiya has been targeting some leaders of the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA-comprising the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress) in Maharashtra and has accused them of wrongdoings.

Two labourers from Jharkhand were killed and two others sustained injuries as a steam boiler exploded at a prawn farm near Sirkazhi in Mayiladuthurai district of Tamil Nadu on Sunday, police said. The accident happened at a private prawn farm in Thoduvai village near Sirkazhi around 12 pm, they said. The victims were identified as Arun Oran (25) and Baljeet Oran (21), who were both killed on the spot, police said. Two other workers, Raghupathy (50) and Maridoss (45), both belonging to Thirumullaivasal village, sustained grievous injuries and have been admitted to Sirkazhi Government Hospital, police added. Sirkazhi police have registered a case and further investigation is on. Exact details about the incident will be known only after preliminary inquiry, they said.

A public interest litigation has been filed before the Delhi High Court seeking a direction to the AAP government here to appoint within one month a Lokayukta as promised by it in its election manifesto of 2020. Petitioner Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, a lawyer, has stated that the political party came into existence after the historic anti-corruption movement but the post of Lokayukta has been lying vacant since December 2020. The petitioner has alleged that the Delhi government is not taking steps to weed out the menace of bribery, black money, benami property, tax evasion, profiteering and other economic as well as white-collar offences and therefore, being the protector of fundamental rights, the court has to intervene in the matter of the appointment of a Lokayukta. "When Justice Reva Khetrapal retired as Delhi Lokayukta, the Government did nothing to fill the post till date and hundreds of complaints relating to corruption are pending in the office,” the petition has stated. “The AAP was formed after the historic Anti-Corruption Movement but the same party is not appointing the Lokayukta which confirms State's poor performance on many fronts," the plea submitted.

BJP leader and Kanpur Mayor Pramila Pandey has been booked for allegedly clicking a selfie and making a video while exercising her franchise at a polling booth during the third phase of voting in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday, officials said. They said legal action is also being initiated against another BJP leader, former city president of the party’s Yuva Morcha Nawab Singh, for clicking selfies inside a polling booth. District Magistrate Neha Sharma said Mayor Pandey took her mobile phone inside the polling booth at Hudson School, and clicked a selfie while voting. Sharma said the Kanpur Mayor Pramila Pandey has violated the rules of the Election Commission by revealing the name of the party she voted for. The mayor has shared her video online that has gone viral on social media platforms.

A Naxal carrying a reward of Rs 5 lakh on his head and accused in a number of violent incidents was killed in an encounter with police in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district, an official said on Sunday. The gunfight took place on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday in a forest near Burgum village under Aranpur police station limits when a team of the District Reserve Guard was out on an anti-Naxal operation, Dantewada Superintendent of Police Siddharth Tiwari said. After the face-off ended, the body of a Naxal was recovered, he said, adding that the deceased, identified as Arjun alias Lakhma Sodi (34), was carrying a reward of Rs 5 lakh on his head.

One officer was killed and another officer was critically injured after a Huntington Beach police helicopter crashed in water near California's coast, authorities said. The helicopter crash-landed Saturday at about 6:30 pm. near Newport Beach, the Huntington Beach Police Department said. The officer who died in the crash worked for the department for 14 years, police officials said in a news conference Saturday night. The second officer is a 16-year veteran with the department. Neither officer was named. The cause of the crash is under investigation.

Rajasthan: 9 people died after their car fell off Chhoti Puliya and into the Chambal river in Kota. The occupants of the car were going to a wedding. The car was retrieved with the help of a crane.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday greeted the people of Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh on their statehood day and hailed their contribution. "Greetings to the people of Mizoram on their Statehood Day. India takes great pride in the vibrant Mizo culture and the contributions of Mizoram to national progress," Modi said in a tweet. "I pray for the good health and well-being of the people of Mizoram," he said. Modi also extended best wishes to the people of Arunachal Pradesh on their statehood day.

A 72-year-old man was burnt to death after a major fire broke out in his house in the national capital's Najafgarh area, in the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday. The incident was reported at 1.48 a.m. According to the fire department, it took place at Krishna Vihar East, Khaira Road in Najafgarh. At least two fire tenders were rushed to the spot to extinguish the fire. "Fire engulfed domestic articles, beds, sofa and furniture. Fire fighters recovered a charred body of a male from one of the rooms of the house," said the fire department. A senior police official said that the deceased who was burnt alive in the incident was identified as Mahender Yadav. His body has been sent to Rao Tula Ram Memorial Hospital for autopsy. The cause of the fire is not known yet.

A 17-year-old student of Class 12 allegedly committed suicide at his home in Madhya Pradesh's Sehore district, police said on Sunday. The boy hanged himself on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday and it is suspected that he took the extreme step due to the pressure of his ongoing exams, but the exact reason would be known after an investigation, Additional Superintendent of Police Samir Yadav said. The boy was found hanging from the ceiling of a room in his home in Subhash Nagar area under Sehore Kotwali police station limits, he said. No suicide note was found in the room. The other family members were sleeping when he took the extreme step, the official said. No further information could be collected from the family members as they were in a state of shock, he said.

With the addition of 71 new cases of coronavirus, the infection count in Maharashtra's Thane district has gone up to 7,07,788, while one more fatality pushed the death toll to 11,862, an official said on Sunday. These new cases and death were reported on Saturday, he said, adding that the COVID-19 mortality rate in Thane stood at 1.67 per cent. In neighbouring Palghar district, the COVID-19 case count has gone up to 1,63,291 and the death toll has reached 3,391, another official said.

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The rendition of Lata Mangeshkar's songs resonated through Connaught Place on Saturday as the Delhi government organised a concert to pay tribute to the late singer. Affectionately known as the ‘Nightingale of India’, Mangeshkar passed away at a private hospital in Mumbai a few days ago. She was 92. Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia was the chief guest of the event held at Central Park in Connaught Place. Several classical artists performed at the event while thousands of people joined the music event, physically and online, the Delhi government stated. Held in a surreal setting, the event left the attendees awestruck as several government school children sang the legendary singer's songs, including her iconic “Meri Awaz Hi Meri Pehchan Hai” and “Allah Tero Naam Ishwar Tere Naam”. Popular artists Shilpa Rao and Annu Kapoor among others, too, paid a musical tribute to her. “We should be proud that we are from an era in which we could see her performing. She has left behind a legacy that will stay on for centuries. Even when she is not among us, her songs will be around us in moments of happiness, love, joy and sorrow,” Sisodia said and called Mangeshkar the “pride of our country”.

Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan on Saturday visited the 'Medaram Jatara' on the last day of the four-day mega tribal festival which saw an estimated 1.30 crore people. The Governor, on her second visit to Medaram in Mulugu district where the biennial tribal fair is celebrated, offered sarees and performed special puja to Goddesses Sammakka and Saralamma. The tribal priests, officials, Mulug MLA D Anasuya alias Seetakka and others extended a warm welcome to the Governor. Soundararajan extended special wishes on the celebration of the native tribal festival and termed the fair as one of the unique native tribal celebrations in the country, a Raj Bhavan press communique said.

The Mumbai police on Saturday registered an offence against three policemen for allegedly robbing and extorting money from angadias and their employees in south Mumbai, an official said. The Mumbai police's crime branch has arrested assistant police inspector Nitin Kadam and sub-inspector Samadhan Jamdade, while inspector Om Vangate of Lokmanya Tilak Marg police station is a wanted accused, he said. An FIR was registered against the accused officers based on a complaint lodged by additional commissioner of police Dilip Sawant (South), after the police received several complaints about them, he said. The police had received complaints from the Angadias’ Association of Bhuleshwar on December 7, 2021, the official said.

Senior TMC leader Partha Chatterjee on Saturday was appointed as the national vice president of the party, taking the total number of members holding the post in the camp to four. The development came a day after Abhishek Banerjee was brought back as TMC's national general secretary by party supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who constituted her new team of office bearers, majorly packing it with old-timers loyal to her. Chatterjee, who is the Bengal industry minister, will also continue to serve as the state secretary-general of the party, a post he has held for more than two decades.

Gujarat on Saturday reported 486 fresh COVID-19 cases and 13 fatalities, raising the tally of infection to 12,20,185 and the death toll to 10,887, the state health department said. A total of 1,419 patients were discharged during the day, taking the number of recoveries in Gujarat to 12,03,508, it said. The number of active cases in Gujarat came down significantly to 5,790 out of which 42 patients are critical and on ventilator support, said the department in a release.

A news channel reporter was arrested on Saturday in connection with the Rajasthan Eligibility Examination for Teachers-2021 (REET) paper leak case, police said. Based on interrogation of an accused in the case, Narendra, a gram sevak in Jalore district, the role of reporter Bablu Meena was found in the paper leak, Additional Director General of Police, Special Operations Group (SOG), Ashok Rathore said in a statement. Meena hails from Dausa district and has been associated with a news channel for the last 10 years in Jalore, he said. Police said he had also appeared in the REET exam. The SOG has so far arrested 40 people in connection to paper leak incident that occurred in September last year.

The body of a 10-year-old boy was found hanging from a noose in his home at Chhatarpur on Saturday afternoon and when the police reached the spot to take it away his family members demanded that a sniffer dog be called in first. Police said a sniffer dog was used and a post mortem was conducted before handing over the body to the family. A family member said that the child was in the company of his family since waking up in the morning. Later in the day the boy's mother, who had gone out of the house on some work, spotted the boy's body hanging by a rope near the door to the house.

President Ram Nath Kovind and his family members Saturday chanted “Jai Jagannth” as special servitors tied a ‘bana’ (flag) on the 'Neela Chakra' atop Shree Mandir in Puri in his name after a ‘darshan’ of the idols of Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Lord Jagannath. The president accompanied by first lady Sabita Kovind and family members watched the special 'chunara' servitor climb the 213 feet high 12th century temple and tie the flag on the Neela Chakra, the wheel atop it, praying for the well-being of the nation, said Narayan Gochhikar, the traditional priest of Kovind. Tying the 'bana’ is a special ritual held every day afternoon in the temple. The president stood as the flag was tied on the Neela Chakra and he along with those who accompanied him raised their hands and chanted "Jai Jagannath" invoking the blessings of the diety, Gochhikar said.