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Bengaluru, Oct 30 (IANS) Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Sunday ordered a probe in the death of Police Inspector Nandeesh, who died under suspicious circumstances in Bengaluru.

Nandeesh attached to K.R. Puram police station in Bengaluru had succumbed to heart attack on Thursday. Former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy from the JD(S) party had questioned the ruling BJP over the death, alleging that political pressure led him to get a heart attack.

Kumaraswamy questioned the circumstances leading to his medical condition. Deceased inspector's wife had alleged that the incident took place due to pressure on him.

CM Bommai stated that a direction would be given to the Director General and Inspector General of Police of the state and after getting all the relevant information regarding the case, investigation will be ordered. "There is no second thought as far as conducting investigation is concerned," he said.

Nadeesh was suspended for letting a pub operate in the jurisdiction of the K.R. Puram police station till early in the morning.

Kumaraswamy said, "The government itself had permitted restaurants to operate till 1 a.m. I am asking the government to find out for how long the pub remained open? Who was there? How many of them were supporters of a politician? There is also a report that says police officers were also dancing in that pub," he said.

"The officers who had given Rs 70 to Rs 80 lakh for postings in Bengaluru and got suspended, how would they recover their money? This is a murder by the ruling government. This case needs to be probed by a higher agency," Kumaraswamy demanded.

"The government is giving plum posts to IAS officers who were trapped in raids. Can one do anything as the party high command is backing them? The probe should be taken up to ascertain what is happening in Bengaluru city," he stated.

Kumaraswamy maintained that the deceased police inspector is the relative of an MLC. "If they had to undergo such circumstances, what about others who do not have such a background? Karnataka Home Minister must answer these questions," he said.

--IANS
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Varanasi, Oct 30 (IANS) After 'Deepotsav' in Ayodhya, it is now time for 'Dev Deepawali' on the ghats of Varanasi.

The 'Dev Deepawali' festival, this year, will be special since President Draupadi Murmu will grace the occasion.

The festival falls on the full moon of the Hindu month of Kartika (November - December) and takes place 15 days after Diwali.

The steps of all the ghats on the riverfront of the Ganges River, from Ravidas Ghat at the southern end to Rajghat, are lit with more than a million earthen lamps (diyas) in honour of Ganga River, and its presiding goddess.

Mythologically, the gods are believed to descend to earth to bathe in the Ganges on this day. The festival is also observed as Tripura Purnima Snan.

During Dev Deepawali, houses are decorated with oil lamps and coloured designs on their front doors. Firecrackers are burst at night, processions of decorated deities are taken out into the streets of Varanasi, and oil lamps are set afloat on the river.

Owing to the significance and the growing socio-cultural popularity of this festival, it has now also come to be celebrated in nearby districts such as Mirzapur.

'Dev Deepawali' is also a major tourist event and people from all over the world come to see this world-famous festival. This year the Dev Deepawali festival will be celebrated on November 7.

State ministers Ravindra Jaiswal, Dayashankar Mishra Dayalu and MLA Saurabh Srivastava along with the divisional commissioner Kaushal Raj Sharma, municipal commissioner Pranay Singh and other officers have inspected the entire riverfront.

The work of removing the silt deposited on the steps of the ghat due to floods is being done on a war footing by the Varanasi Municipal Corporation.

"But since it is not possible to completely remove the silt from the Ghats till Dev Deepawali, it has been decided that wherever suitable space is available, a wide drain should be made in the soil near the stairs and connected with the water of the Ganga to bring the water of Ganga near the steps of the ghat, and make it accessible for worship and 'deepdaan'," said an official.

--IANS
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Chennai, Oct 30 (IANS) A seven-member team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) led by Superintendent Sreejith and Inspector Vignesh and a team of five officers are taking information from S. Sundaresan, priest of the Sangameswarar temple, Ukkadam who is the complainant.

Jameesha Mubin, a 25-year-old engineer, was charred to death in a car explosion on October 23 early morning near the Sangameswarar temple. The Diwali eve car blast shocked Coimbatore. Tamil Nadu Police on investigation found that the car blast was not a freak accident and that there was more to it. The police team conducted a raid on the residence of Mubin and found that chemicals like potassium nitrate, sulphur and aluminum powder, and charcoal were stocked in his residence in large quantities.

Further investigation led to the arrest of six people who were the accomplices of the deceased Jameesha Mubin. The arrested are Mohamed Azharuddin, Firoze Ismail, Mohammed Talha, Mohammed Riyas, Afsar Khan, and Mohammed Nawas Ismail. Of this Mohammed, Talha is the son of Nawab Khan, brother of S.A. Basha, the founder of the dreaded Islamist organisation, Al- Umma that executed a serial blast in Coimbatore on February 14, 1998, in which 56 people lost their lives and more than 200 grievously injured.

The NIA team that arrived in Coimbatore has already conducted a preliminary investigation and has gathered a lot of information on the background of the accused as well as their phone contacts.

Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi had lashed out against the state government for delaying recommending an NIA investigation into the case.

--IANS
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By Jaison Wilson
New Delhi, Oct 30 (IANS) Hearing a case regarding the compensation to child survivors of sexual abuse, the Delhi High Court recently observed that survivor-centric justice is the key to preventing the revictimisation of the survivor.


The court was dealing with an appeal challenging the grant of compensation of Rs 50,000 to a 7-year-old victim of sexual assault.

"The criminal claims the survivors' life, if not physically then affects their mental and emotional state. It, thus, becomes imperative that the survivor of the crime is not overlooked and rehabilitation for the sufferings of the survivor is not overlooked," it was observed.

There is duty cast on the state to protect their rights and deliver justice to the survivors. This justice, in the form of compensation, should be given its liberal meaning thereby giving the maximum benefit and as quickly as possible, the court noted.

"In my opinion, survivor-centric justice is the key to prevent revictimisation of the survivor," the order of Justice Jasmeet Singh said, pointing out tht justice for survivors of sexual violence has several components such as having a voice, being treated with dignity, being informed, and being able to participate in the justice process etc.

Justice is not only about calling wrongdoers to account, but also having them take responsibility for their actions.

Finally, the prevention of sexual violence is of fundamental importance to survivors' sense of justice. It entails the transformation of society into one that understands and recognises the harms of sexual violence and that actively makes efforts to reduce its prevalence, and therefore goes beyond (though still includes) the rehabilitation of individual offenders, the court said.

The court also referred to the World Heatlh Organisation's findings on how violence at a young age has a life impact on the health and well-being of children, families, communities and nations.

Exposure to violence at an early age can impair brain development and damage other parts of the nervous system, as well as the endocrine, circulatory, musculoskeletal, reproductive, respiratory, and immune systems, with lifelong consequences. As such, violence against children can negatively affect cognitive development and result in educational and vocational underachievement, said the findings.

Children exposed to violence and other adversities are substantially more likely to smoke, misuse alcohol and drugs, and engage in high-risk sexual behaviour. They also have higher rates of anxiety, depression, other mental health problems and suicide.

This will lead to induced abortions, gynaecological problems, and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.

Contributes to a wide range of non-communicable diseases as children grow older. The increased risk for cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and other health conditions is largely due to the negative coping and health risk behaviours associated with violence.

Children exposed to violence and other adversities are more likely to drop out of school, have difficulty finding and keeping a job, and are at heightened risk for later victimization and/or perpetration of interpersonal and self-directed violence, by which violence against children can affect the next generation, said the WHO findings.

(Jaison Wilson can be reached at jaison.w@ians.in)

--IANS
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Bijnor (Uttar Pradesh), Oct 30 (IANS) The Amangarh Tiger Reserve (ATR), will open for the first time for tourists from November 15.

Gyan Singh, sub-divisional forest officer, said, "The government had directed us to start the tourist activity from November 15, for which preparations are in full swing."

The reserve is home to 27 tigers and hundreds of herbivores.

According to the officials, a budget of Rs 5 crore has been earmarked to make ATR a tourist place. The proposal is in the pipeline as the government is yet to release the fund.

The repair of approach roads and entry gates is being done with funds available at the department's disposal.

At present, only government guest houses are available for tourists. According to officials, resorts will be developed in the area.

ATR is also the buffer zone of Corbett Tiger Reserve.

District Magistrate Umesh Mishra said, "Amangarh Tiger Reserve will be developed as a tourist place. The plan has been chalked out as we prepare to open for tourists next month."

He said that ecotourism would help generate employment for locals.

--IANS
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By Saiyed Moziz Imam Zaidi
New Delhi, Oct 30 (IANS) Mallikarjun Kharge took over as the Congress president on October 26 in the presence of outgoing interim president Sonia Gandhi. In his first decision he had replaced the Congress Working Committee with a 47-member steering committee.


The new Congress president has to resolve the ongoing tussle in Rajasthan and settle the issue of Chief Minister in Chhattisgarh. On Thursday, sources said, former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot had met him and held a long discussion on the CM issue but there is no forward movement yet.

Similarly in Chhattisgarh T.S. Singh Deo wants that the commitment to make him chief minister should be honoured. However, former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi has indicated that Kharge will take the final call. He has not met any senior leader officially after taking over, sources said.

Both Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his former deputy Sachin Pilot are asserting themselves -- the former to retain the post and the latter to succeed him, but Pilot is silent and Gehlot is more vocal, unlike the Congress culture.

Mallikarjun Kharge was the senior observer for Rajasthan when a section of MLAs engaged in a virtual rebellion by boycotting the Congress Legislature Party meeting. However the main actors in the drama, Mahesh Joshi and Shanti Dhariwal, had met Kharge and now sources say that Gehlot has been successful in pacifying Kharge. However, state in-charge Ajay Maken is upset over the state of affairs and is said to be keen on calling a meeting of the MLAs again. There is no indication of it yet as on October 31 Gehlot will be in Palanpur to join the Gujarat Bharat Jodo Yatra starting from five points.

The Gandhis were upset with the revolt-like situation but Gehlot came and apologised to Sonia Gandhi and it was decided that the issue of leadership would be kept in abeyance till the new party president is elected.

Many MLAs boycotted the CLP meeting called by the high command at the Chief Minister's residence on September 25. The Congress Disciplinary Committee soon after issued notices to state ministers Shanti Dhariwal and Mahesh Joshi and RTDC president Dharmendra Rathod for boycotting the meeting.

The other challenge for the party will be to conduct elections for the Congress Working Committee, the party's highest decision-making forum.

The CWC has 25 members, including the party president, and of the rest 12 are nominated by the party chief and 12 are elected by the All India Congress Committee members.

Party sources say that an AICC session could be called soon and Kharge will decide on the CWC election. The election is the demand of the dissidents which may see hectic lobbying in the AICC session as it will decide the control of the party. If opposing members are elected then the CWC meetigs will be stormy affairs each time.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Oct 23 (IANS) The Congress on Sunday hit out the government for cancelling the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act license of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, saying it is rattled due to success of the party's 'Bharat Jodo Yatra'.

General Secretary in charge of Communications, Jairam Ramesh, in a statement, said: "Over the Deepavali weekend, the Ministry of Home Affairs, Govt of India, cancelled the FCRA registrations of both the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (RGF) and the Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust (RGCT). They recycle old charges against the RGF and RGCT. This is to defame and divert public attention from issues of day-to-day concern to them."

Questioning government on its handling of the economy which is "in deep crisis caused by spiralling prices, galloping unemployment and a falling rupee", he said that the "Bharat Jodo Yatra has evoked a huge public response. Clearly people are fed up with the politics of hate and divisiveness".

Ramesh said that the RGF was established in 1991 after the tragic assassination of Rajiv Gandhi who stood for the ideas of 'sadbhavana', both among all Indians and with other nations, inclusive and sustainable development of India using science and technology including IT and telecom, empowerment of women and youth and of local self- government at the panchayat, district, and municipal levels, and relief to those affected by natural disasters, floods, drought, violence, and those with disabilities.

"The RGF has been working since its inception to promote these ideas through development programs in various parts of India. Lakhs of people, including children, youth, women, and the disabled have benefited from the programs of these Trusts," he said, adding that the RGCT works in northern India with a focus on the poorest regions of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan through development initiatives.

The Trusts have always been purely charitable in nature and comply with all laws and regulations. All statutory requirements of audit, program activity and financial disclosure, and filing of returns have been scrupulously followed every year by them, Ramesh said.

"The background for the cancellation of the FCRA registration should be obvious to anyone who understands the nature of the present dispensation," he added

The party said the RGF and RGCT will, of course, be responding to the charges hurled at it and take whatever action it deem appropriate legally.

Meanwhile, the Congress said that it will not be browbeaten or deterred from continuing with the Bharat Jodo Yatra that resumes on Oct 27th after a 3-day break.

--IANS
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By Animesh Singh
New Delhi, Oct 23 (IANS) India's wheat exports have seen a miniscule rise of 10 per cent during this calendar year over last year after the government imposed a ban on shipments of the grain to other countries five months back to curb domestic prices.


According to Ministry of Food and Consumer Affairs data, the couuntry exported 24.08 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of wheat between May 15 and September 30.

This was 10.3 per cent more than 21.83 LMT of wheat which was exported between April 1, 2021 and May 14, 2021.

In May this year, India had restricted export of wheat to enhance domestic availability. In September, it had also banned export of broken rice and imposed a 20 per cent export duty on non-Basmati rice to increase domestic supplies amid a fall in area under paddy crop in the current kharif season.

Food security concerns had led to imposition of curbs on exports of wheat, official sources had said.

Recently, India had also justified its decision to ban export of wheat and rice at a WTO meeting, despite many countries raising concerns that New Delhi's decision could have an adverse impact on importing nations, mainly in Africa.

--IANS
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Beijing, Oct 23 (IANS) History has been made in China after it was confirmed that President Xi Jinping will remain in power - breaking with a decades-long precedent that limits the terms of Chinese leaders, local media reported.

Having ruled China for 10 years already, he will now stay on for at least another five-year term - and he could, in theory, make himself leader for life, Sky News reported.

The break with tradition makes him the most powerful leader in China since Chairman Mao and his vision has become increasingly unchallengeable.

The confirmation came at the end of the week-long 20th Party Congress of the Communist Party of China.

It is a once-every-five-year event with the central purpose of selecting the people who will sit at the top leadership roles for the next five years.

This includes the two groups seen as the apex of political power in China - the 25-strong Politburo and the Politburo Standing Committee that is currently made up of seven people, including the president.

The new standing committee was revealed as President Xi led them on stage in rank order. His leadership of the procession served as the confirmation he will remain as the general secretary of the party. His official confirmation as president will happen in March, Sky News reported.

The two-term limit on Chinese presidents was introduced in the early 1980s in the wake of Chairman Mao's death.

Mao's nearly 30-year rule bought great chaos, violence and instability to China - and the idea was to move to a more "collective leadership" model and ensure power could never again be so centralised in the hands of one person.

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But in 2018, President Xi successfully removed the two-term limit from the constitution - paving the way for the consolidation of his power we have seen this weekend.

There have been other constitutional amendments made this week to further highlight the "core" status of President Xi at the centre of the Party, Sky News reported.

Changes to the Politburo Standing Committee also suggest he has become increasingly unchallengeable.

Two figures in particular, Li Keqiang and Wang Yang, are notable in their demotion from the standing committee. Both are young enough to serve another term and are reportedly more reform-leaning, but neither are considered to be arch President Xi loyalists.

With two other retirements, there were four new faces on the top team. All four are men considered to be within Xi's inner circle. All have worked closely with him at various points in his career and are likely considered highly trusted, Sky News reported.

It represents Xi stuffing the standing committee with his closet allies and seems to offer little in the way of an olive branch to other wings of the party.

There also was no obvious successor in the standing committee line-up. A designated successor is usually anyone on that team who is young enough to serve one term in waiting and two terms as leader all before the retirement age of 68, but there was no one of that age.

This indicates Mr Xi may indeed intend to stay on for a further 10 years or longer, Sky News reported.

His consolidated position matters enormously in China and around the world because it means his vision for the country is here to stay.

Under his leadership China has become increasingly rich and strong. His ultra-nationalist vision has made it more assertive of the foreign stage and unapologetic about its ascendency.

But in his ten years in power President Xi has also centralised much of the power within the state and the party under his control. He has purged rivals and stifled dissent.

People in China are increasingly heavily surveilled and censored, while journalists, lawyers and civil society groups have largely been silenced, Sky News reported.

Experts say it would now take a political earthquake to unseat him, something that feels increasingly unlikely.

--IANS
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Rudraprayag, Oct 21 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday offered prayers at Kedarnath temple in Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag district donning a tradition Himachali attire gifted to him by a Chamba woman.

The Prime Minister was gifted the attire on his recent visit to Himachal Pradesh and he had promised her to wear it during a special occasion.

When the Prime Minister inaugurated the Kedarnath ropeway, entire temple premises reverberated with Lord Shiva's devotional songs.

Uttarakhand Governor Lt General (Retd) Gurmeet Singh, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, state Cabinet Minister Prem Chandra Agarwal, among others, were present on the occasion.

India's last village Mana is all set to welcome the Prime Minister. After offering prayers at Badrinath, he is scheduled to review the construction work underway under the Master Plan.

After inaugurating a ropeway for Hemkund Sahib, he will also lay foundation stone for double-laning of roads in Mana.

He will also address villagers of Mana,

--IANS
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