India

New Delhi, Sep 18 (IANS) In a latest development in connection with the AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan case, the Delhi Police on Sunday arrested four persons, who attacked the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) team in the Jamia area during the raid.

One of the accused is still on large, and all are said to be close aides of the AAP MLA.

The arrested accused were identified as Shakeel Ahmad, Anwar, Sikander and Afsar. The official said that the accused have been apprehended for obstructing the raiding party of ACB during the official discharge of their duty.

"Accused Kaushar Imam Siddique alias Laddan is still at large in one case of Arms Act of PS Jamia Nagar. Efforts are being made to arrest him," the official said.

Amanatullah was placed under arrest by the ACB on Friday. The ACB has sought a 14-day police custody of Amanatullah. The court after hearing their arguments, granted them four days' custody.

It has been alleged that Amanatullah Khan while working as the Chairman of Delhi Waqf Board illegally recruited 32 persons violating all norms and government guidelines. He was accused of indulging in corruption and favouritism.

The then CEO of Delhi Waqf Board had clearly given a statement and issued memorandum against such illegal recruitments.

Further, it was alleged that as Chairman of Delhi Waqf Board Amanatullah had rented out a number of properties of Delhi Waqf Board illegally with allegations of corruption and favouritism.

Amanatullah Khan had also misappropriated the funds of Delhi Waqf Board comprising grants in aid from the Delhi government.

"From the inputs received while questioning and on the basis of information developed by the Anti-Corruption Branch, four locations were searched. From these locations, Rs 24 Lakhs cash and two illegal and unlicensed weapons and cartridges and ammunition was also recovered. Also, at one of the locations, outside the residence of Amanatullah, the search team consisting of an ACP was attacked by the relatives and other known persons of Amanatullah and they also caused obstruction in discharge of Government duty to ACB officers," said Madhur Verma Additional Commissioner of Police, ACB.

Further investigation in the matter was on.

--IANS
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Valsad, Sep 18 (IANS) Four persons have been arrested in Gujarat's Valsad district for allegedly selling leopard skin by the District North Range Forest department, forest officials said.

All the accused will be produced before the court and the forest officials will seek their remand to investigate them further.

Valsad North District Forest Conservator, Nisha Raj told IANS, "We were tipped off by the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau that some persons from the area are planning to sell leopard skin. Therefore three teams were formed and started searching for the persons and were able to catch the accused identified as Chintu Gavit, Nagin Chaudhary, Narottam Bhoye and Ranjit Valvi with leopard skin. All accused belong to the tribal community and are not part of any gang."

The Forest department official said that during questioning, the accused claimed that a year ago a leopard had died after falling into a well in Ranjit's farm. He pulled out the body with help of the rest of the accused and excoriated the skin, and then buried the skeleton in the corner of the farm.

She added that the skeleton of the leopard has been recovered but its claws are missing and search for it is underway.

The accused had handed over the leopard skin to a 'sadhu' along the Gujarat-Maharashtra border from whom they recently got the possession and were planning to sell it out.

An investigation is underway that whether other persons are also involved or they were in contact with any hunters or buyers and reveal their names and how they came into contact.

--IANS
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Agartala/Itanagar, Sep 17 (IANS) Various state governments in the northeast region undertook several campaigns to mark Prime Minister Narendra Modis 72nd birthday on Saturday.

The BJP government in Tripura launched a two-and-a-half-month long campaign on good governance in every household from Saturday.

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha launched the 'Proti Ghore Shushashon' (good governance at every household) campaign to take the benefits of the flagship schemes of the Centre and the state government to the doorsteps of the people, from the district to the gram panchayat level.

Saha also announced to increase the monthly allowance given under the 31 social welfare schemes from Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000, which will benefit around 3.90 lakh people in Tripura.

The campaign would continue till November 30.

Pradip Chakraborty, Secretary in the Department of Information and Cultural Affairs, said that as part of the good governance campaign, developmental meetings, fairs, rallies and various other events would be organised in each block.

Meanwhile, the BJP government in Arunachal Pradesh launched a fortnight-long 'Seva Pakhwada' (Service Fortnight) in Itanagar.

Chief Minister Pema Khandu said that India is a diverse country and running it is not an easy job and the right person became the Prime Minister of the country at the right time.

Recalling his first meeting with Modi after becoming the Chief Minister, Khandu said the PM had only one thing in mind for the state -- its overall development and welfare of the people.

"He had advocated productive and people-friendly reforms in governance. We are trying our best to follow his advice and with much pride we can say that we have brought in several game-changing reforms," Khandu said.

During the fortnight, party workers will render their services in various activities like blood donation camps, free health camps, vaccination drives etc.

In line with Modi's call to make India TB-free by 2025, the party workers will also adopt TB patients in their respective areas.

The Chief Ministers of all the eight northeastern states extended their wishes to Modi on his birthday.

"We rever you as a Vishwa Guru. Your leadership, vision and passion for Bharat have given India a new glow, a rare glory, a supreme pride on the global arena. We feel deeply blessed to have you around us. Heartiest Birthday Greetings Adarniya Pradhan Mantri Shri Narendra Modi ji," Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma tweeted.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Sep 17 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched the National Logistics Policy, calling it a significant step in fulfilling the 'Pran' (vow) of India being a developed country.

"To ensure quick last mile delivery, end transport-related challenges, save time and money of the manufacturers, prevent wastage of the agro-products, concerted efforts were made and one of the manifestations of those efforts is today's National Logistics Policy," he said.

The resulting improvement in coordination will lead to the desired speed in the sector, he added.

The Prime Minister noted that in India, which has become the fifth largest economy in the world, things are changing rapidly.

Giving the example of a "Cheetah" - incidentally on the day when he witnessed the release of the felines from Namibia in Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park, the Prime Minister said that luggage should move at rapid speed.

"The echo of Make in India and India becoming self-reliant is everywhere. India is setting big export targets and is also fulfilling them. The notion that India is emerging as a manufacturing hub, is stabilising in the mind of the world. If we study the PLI scheme we will find that the world has accepted it," Modi said.

In such a situation, he said the National Logistics Policy will bring new energy to all sectors.

Modi pointed out that the PM Gatishakti National Master Plan will be supporting the National Logistics Policy in all earnest.

He emphasised that for the products manufactured in India to dominate the world market, it is crucial to have a strong support system.

"The National Logistics Policy will greatly help us modernise this support system," he said.

Modi also pointed out that the issues related to logistics are reduced and when the country's exports increase, small industries and the people working in them benefit the most.

"Strengthening of the logistics sector will not only make the life of common man easier but will also help in increasing the respect of labour and workers," the Prime Minister added.

--IANS
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Kolkata, Sep 17 (IANS) Trinamool Congress national General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee's recent 'shot in the head' comment is a reflection of the arrogance of a ruler, claimed BJP Rajya Sabha MP Brij Lal, who is a member of the five-member fact-finding team of the party, which reached West Bengal on Saturday to collect information about the alleged police atrocities on party leaders and workers during BJP's march to state secretariat Nabanna on September 13.

While praising the patience shown by the police in handling the situation during BJP's march to Nabanna, Abhishek Banerjee had said on Wednesday that had he been in the place of the police, he would have shot the 'miscreants' who resorted to vandalism in the head.

"I salute ACP Debojit Chattopadhyay for showing such patience. Had I been at his place, after a police vehicle was torched, I would have shot the miscreants in the head. The police could have easily resorted to firing. But under Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the police are restrained," Abhishek Banerjee had said.

On Saturday morning, the members of BJP's fact-finding team first went to the Calcutta Medical College and Hospital and interacted with the injured BJP workers admitted there.

From there, the team members went to the residence of senior BJP councilor Meena Devi Purohit, who was also injured on Tuesday and had to be hospitalised for treatment.

Interacting with mediapersons, Brij Lal launched a scathing attack against Abhishek Banerjee for his 'shot in the head' remark.

"Such comments reflect the arrogance of the ruler. However, the people will not tolerate such arrogance and give a fitting reply to the ruling party in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections," he said.

Later, another member of the fact-finding team and BJP Lok Sabha member, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, told mediapersons that the West Bengal government will make the biggest mistake if it takes the Union government for granted.

"Everyone in the country has to follow the rule of the land. In coming days, the people of West Bengal will make the state government understand that they will elect only those who can work responsibly. The police and the ruling party have joined hands to suppress democratic movements. They are not even sparing women. But this arrogance and misrule will not continue for long and in the next elections, the ruling party will get a fitting reply," Rathore said.

Meanwhile, senior Trinamool legislator Tapas Roy said that the less the BJP leaders speak of ruler's arrogance, the better it is.

"The entire country is suffering because of the arrogance of the ruling party at the Centre," he said.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Sep 17 (IANS) Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court on Saturday granted the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) four-day police custody of AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan in connection with the Delhi Waqf Board graft case.

Amanatullah was placed under arrest by the ACB on Friday. The ACB had sought 14-day police custody of Amanatullah, but the court after hearing the arguments granted four-day custody of the AAP leader.

It has been alleged that while working as the Chairman of Delhi Waqf Board, Amanatullah illegally recruited 32 persons violating all norms and government guidelines. He has been accused of indulging in corruption and favouritism.

The then CEO of Delhi Waqf Board had issued a memorandum against such illegal recruitments.

Further, it has been alleged that as Chairman of the Delhi Waqf Board, Amanatullah had rented out a number of properties of the board illegally.

Amanatullah had also allegedly misappropriated the funds of Delhi Waqf Board comprising grants in aid from Delhi government.

"From the inputs received while questioning and on the basis of information collected by the Anti-Corruption Branch, four locations were searched. From these locations, Rs 24 lakh in cash and two unlicensed weapons and live cartridges were seized.

"Also, at one of the locations near the residence of Amanatullah, the search team comprising an ACP was attacked by the relatives and other known persons of the AAP leader," said Madhur Verma, Additional CP, ACB.

--IANS
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Zubair Qureshi
Srinagar, Sep 17 (IANS) The Kashmir Valley will cross another milestone this Gandhi Jayanti on October 2 when J&K's first electric train will start moving on the 137 km Banihal-Baramulla corridor, according to officials of the Indian Railway Construction Limited.


The J&K government, Indian Railways and Indian Railway Construction Limited have been working together on this project since August 2019.

The inspection of the project will be done on September 26 and the project will be inaugurated on October 2. An official put the project cost at 324 crore, adding that the Budgam-Baramulla section is already complete while the Budgam-Banihal corridor will be inspected and inaugurated on September 26.

The total route length for electrification is 137.73 km with three main sub-stations at Qazigund, Budgam and Baramulla, from where power will be supplied to the overhead equipment of the rail line.

The project is aimed at reducing pollution. It will also save 60 per cent fuel consumption.

Along with this, the work to connect Banihal with Katra is also going on. When the Katra-Banihal link is complete, Kashmir will be better connected to the rest of the country.

A local named Muhammad Ramzan said that this is an important step that will help J&K join the ranks of other developed states where modern facilities are available.

It may be recalled that Kashmir got its first train service in 2013 when it was inaugurated by then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

--IANS
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Itanagar/Guwahati, Sep 17 (IANS) After Assam, neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh has been rocked by a reported leak of recruitment exam papers forcing the Chief Minister Pema Khandu to announce to take stern action against the guilty. The Chief Minister on Saturday said that police are seriously investigating the case and five persons have been arrested so far.

Probe is still on.

The state government would not tolerate any kind of corruption and anyone found involved in the latest incident, irrespective of his or her position or status, would not be spared, Khandu said in a statement.

"It is indeed frustrating that despite our sincerest efforts to streamline the recruitment process, incidents like this occur out of the blues. I assure the candidates and the people that action will be taken against the guilty and the point of leakage investigated and rectified so that it is not repeated in future," the chief minister said.

Many organisations, including the Anti-Corruption Foundation, have demanded the suspension of the Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission's (APPSC) chairperson, secretary and other officials for the reported leak of the question paper ahead of the recent examination for the post of Assistant Engineer (Civil). They have also demanded a "transparent" probe into the leak.

On August 28, a candidate for the examination lodged an FIR at the Itanagar police station, complaining that the question papers for the APPSC exam held on August 26 and 27 were leaked.

Assam was also rocked by alleged scam in the recruitment for 26,000 Grade III and Grade IV posts, the exams for which were held in several phases in August amid mobile Internet shutdown and imposition of the prohibitory orders 144 CrPc. The Assam police recently arrested Victor Das, who owned a coaching centre in Guwahati.

Das through the social media platforms alleged about the question paper leak and the involvement of some officials and former MLAs in selling some posts for Rs 3-8 lakh. The Gauhati High Court on Friday granted interim bail to Das, also a vlogger.

The opposition parties had criticised the BJP-led government for "suppressing the truth". Assam Pradesh Congress President Bhupen Kumar Borah said that Himanta Biswa Sarma government arrests or takes action against the person whoever points a finger at his government's loopholes.

--IANS
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By Ravinder Singh Robin
Chandigarh/Amritsar, Sep 17 (IANS) Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has decided to intensify legal fight for release of Bandi Singhs (Sikh political prisoners) besides adopting policy of struggle and political approach.


Talking to the media, after holding a special meeting with retired Sikh judges and senior lawyers at SGPC's sub-office in Chandigarh, SGPC President Harjinder Singh Dhami on Saturday said that this issue is most important for the community, as Sikh prisoners are yet to be released even after they have completed their sentences.

He said legal experts gave important suggestions in this regard in the meeting on Saturday and the legal fight will be carried forward accordingly.

SGPC President also said that apart from working for release of Sikh prisoners lodged in different jails for long time, efforts will also be made for the release of Sikh youth implicated in several cases in the present time.

Replying to a query, SGPC President said that Aam Aadmi Party and Congress parties are standing as obstruction in the cause of release of Bandi Singhs.

"If Aam Aadmi Party had any sympathy with the Sikh prisoners, then Prof Devinderpal Singh Bhullar can come out with just one order of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Even I myself went to Shri Arvind Kejriwal with a delegation, but he did not even find it right to meet. On the other side, Congress leaders like Ravneet Singh Bittu are also continuously opposing the cause of release of Bandi Singhs," said Dhami.

He said the issue of Bandi Singhs is related to the sentiments that erupted from the circumstances then and the governments should understand this reason.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Sep 17 (IANS) External Affairs Minister, Dr S. Jaishankar will be visiting the US from September 18 to 28, during which he will be participating in the 77th UN General Assembly session.

During his visit to New York from September 18 to 24, he will be leading the Indian delegation for the High Level Week at the UNGA session, with the theme "A Watershed Moment: Transformative Solutions to Interlocking Challenges", the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

In keeping with India's strong commitment to reformed multilateralism, he will also host a Ministerial meeting of the G4 (India, Brazil, Japan, Germany) as well as participating at the High Level Meeting of the L.69 Group on "Reinvigorating Multilateralism and Achieving Comprehensive Reform of the UN Security Council", it said.

The L.69 Group consists of developing countries from Asia, Africa, Latin America, Caribbean and Small Island Developing States, focused on reforms of the UN Security Council.

His address in the General Assembly is scheduled in the forenoon of September 24. During the visit, he will also be meeting Secretary General Antonio Guterres and the 77th PGA Csaba Korosi.

Jaishankar is also expected to address special event "India@75: Showcasing India UN Partnership in Action" on September 24, which would highlight India's development journey and its contributions to South-South Cooperation. The event is also expected to be addressed by the President of the 77th UNGA, along with Foreign Ministers of several member states, and the UNDP Administrator.

During the visit, he would also be participating in plurilateral meetings of the Quad, IBSA, BRICS, India - Presidency Pro Tempore CELAC, India-CARICOM and other trilateral formats, such as India-France-Australia, India-France-UAE and India-Indonesia-Australia. He will also have bilateral meetings with Foreign Ministers of the G20 and UNSC member states, amongst others.

Upon completion of the 77th UNGA related engagements, Jaishanka will visit Washington DC from September 25-28 for bilateral meetings with US interlocutors. His programme includes inter alia, discussions with his counterpart Antony Blinken, senior members of the US administration, US business leaders, a round-table focused on S&T and interaction with the Indian Diaspora.

--IANS
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