India

Gurugram, June 2 (IANS) A man who works as a supervisor of a swimming pool at HUDA Gymkhana Club here in Sector 4 has been admitted to hospital in a critical condition after his throat was allegedly slit by some people during a brawl, an official said on Friday.

It has been alleged that around 12-14 people attacked the supervisor and also thrashed the manager of the swimming pool after a fight broke out when the money of some people who had come for a swim went missing.

According to the police, the supervisor has been identified as Sajid, while the manager is Washir (45), a resident of Tripura.

The complainant, Washir, told the police that when at around 2 p.m. on Thursday, he, along with Sajid, was sitting at the HUDA Gymkhana Club, seven youth arrived at the club's swimming pool to take a bath.

"After taking a bath, they claimed that someone had stolen the money kept inside their clothes which were lying alongside the pool. I told them we are not responsible for missing of any kind of belongings. Suddenly, one of them slapped me," the complainant told the police.

He further said someone had informed the police too, but when a police team arrived, the accused said they wished to go for a mutual compromise.

"In the evening around 5.45 p.m., around 13-14 youth carrying iron rods, sticks, knife, and hammer attacked me and Sajid. They hit my head, broke my hand and thumb, and one of the suspects slit Sajid's throat with a knife. He fell on the ground due to injuries and fainted. They even broke the club furniture and windows and threatened with dire consequences while fleeing," the complainant told the police.

"Among them, we only know Jatin, who had a membership of the club. Jatin had come along with others and attacked us mercilessly. We demand stringent action against the attackers," the complainant added.

"We have registered a case against the suspects under relevant sections of the IPC including an attempt to murder. The victims are undergoing treatment. The police team is on their task to nab the absconding culprits," said a senior police officer.

--IANS
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Bhubaneswar, June 2 (IANS) In a major accident, several coaches of the Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel express train derailed near Bahanaga railway station in Odisha's Balasore district on Friday evening and several passengers are trapped, and feared dead.

According to initial reports, at least four coaches of the express train derailed at Bahanaga station after ramming into a goods train standing at the station.

Several people were feared dead, sources said but there was no official confirmation yet.

Odisha Special Relief Commissioner Satyabrata Sahu has directed the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) team at Balasore to proceed to the spot immediately for search and rescue operations.

On receiving information, the Balasore Collector, the SP rushed and other officials rushed to spot to supervise the rescue operation. Railway officials are now there on the spot. About 20 ambulances have been sent to the accident spot to transport the passengers to local hospitals, officials said.

Two fire teams were sent from Bhadrak to the spot.

An emergency helpline No +91 6782 262 286 has been opened at Balasore. The Odisha government has directed the fire service DG to rush to the spot and monitor the rescue operation.

Doctors were sent from Balasore Medical College. So far, there are 10 injured passengers at Balasore Medical College, officials said.

All medical college and all hospitals in and around Balasore have been kept on alert. SCB Medical College, Cuttack has also been put on readiness.

--IANS
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New Delhi, June 2 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday congratulated the Indian junior hockey team for their victory at the Men's Junior Asia Cup.

The Indian team beat nemesis Pakistan 2-1 in a thrilling final match of the Men's Junior Asia Cup 2023 in Salalah, Oman on Thursday night for the title.

Early goals by Angad Bir Singh (13') and Araijeet Singh Hundal (20') ensured India remained in command of the game while some outstanding saves by goalkeeper Shashikumar Mohith Honnenahalli kept India in the lead throughout the match.

"Heartiest congratulations to our Junior Men's Hockey Team for their splendid victory at the Men's Junior Asia Cup. Their triumph reflects the burgeoning talent and determination that our youth hold. They have made India very proud," the PM said in a tweet.

With the victory, India created a new record of winning the maximum titles at the Men's Junior Asia Cup.

The team had previously won the title in 2004, 2008 and 2015 while Pakistan has won the tournament in 1988, 1992, 1996.

--IANS

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Imphal, June 2 (IANS) Padma Shri awardee (2007) and prominent theatre artiste Heisnam Sabitri on Friday said that the Kuki militants, who are under Suspension of Operation (SoO) agreement, are targeting the common villagers residing in the nearby foothills in Manipur.

"These people (Kuki militants) who are under agreements with the government, have clearly violated the ground rules of the agreement and are attacking the common people and sending out the wrong impression to the outside world as the Meiteis targeting them instead," said Sabitri, an internationally-acclaimed actress.

She said: "It is quite unfortunate to hear in some media platform that all the tribals in the valley areas are unable to stay because of the torture meted out by the Meiteis. But the reality is that the Meiteis are very hospitable, simple and peace-loving people. People with vested interest are creating confusion."

The prominent theatre artiste, who got best actress award by the panel of critics in the 3rd Cairo International Festival of experimental theatre in 1991, expressed disappointment on the portrayal of the present crisis occurring in the state of Manipur as between the Hindus and Christians.

"The way the issue is being taken and portrayed as religion-based is unacceptable. They have not heard the correct version of the present crisis saying that it is between Hindus and Christians. I cannot agree to this misconception. The Hindus and Christians are living lovingly and peacefully together even now," Sabitri, who received National Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for acting in 1991, said.

"In my locality Langol where people of every community and religion live, we have been coexisting peacefully and lovingly since ages till now and have been sharing whatever we have and our experiences with one another."

She said that the incident had already occurred, but as of now, we should learn to forget and move on to bring a peaceful solution to this problem and I earnestly pray that peace prevails in the state.

Heisnam Sabitri was honoured with Nandikar Award in 2002 at Kolkata on the occasion of the year of women empowerment by Nandikar theatre group.

--IANS
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Gurugram, June 2 (IANS) A cyber crime team of the Gurugram Police has busted a fake international call centre, which was operating from the Sector 67 area, and arrested seven persons who used to dupe foreign nationals in the name of technical support, an official said on Friday.

The call centre mostly used to target foreign nationals from Australia and the US by sending them fake emails by impersonating tech support representatives from PayPal, Amazon and Norton.

The arrested individuals have been identified as Mohammad Zafar Iqbal (38), Noor Hussain (28), Sumit (32), Abhishek Mishra (30), Sheikh Ibrahim (28), Abhishek Gupta (35), and Mohammad Adil (32)

Vipin Ahlawat, ACP (cyber crime), said, "All the suspects were arrested as per the charges levelled against them under relevant sections of the IPC for running a call centre illegally without any valid licence."

"During questioning, the accused revealed that they used to tell the victims that they have been wrongly charged for purchasing phone or other services and they will help them get their money refunded against $200 to $500 as service charge."

The suspects even used to manipulate the victims to install remote access apps like (Any desk) in their computer system and get details of their bank accounts and credit cards to cheat them.

During interrogation it was found that all the accused belonged to Kolkata and West Bengal and all had graduate degrees in different streams.

--IANS
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By Yashwant Raj
Washington, June 2 (IANS) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that Indian democracy is a "global public good" and, in a message sought for the American public by an American journalist, he added that any erosion in democracy will be a threat to the national security of the US.


Rahul also made clear to specific questions in his public interactions with reporters, think tank experts and Indian Americans that the Congress party's fight for democracy in India is internal to India. The outside world, including the US, can decide for themselves.

He arrived in Washington DC for the second leg of his three-city tour of the US that started in California on May 30. He will travel next to New York, but after another day of meetings here, which include a visit to Capitol Hill, home to US Congress.

"Indian democracy is a global public good. And I think if you remove India from the Democratic equation, there's a tremendous decline in the number of democracies and the amount of people who are living in a democratic space," Rahul said in response to the questions from the American journalist.

The former MP went on to present Indian democracy as an alternative to the Chinese model of economic growth and said, "I personally don't think that the erosion of democracy is beneficial to the national security of the US, I think it's a disaster for the national security of the US."

It was not clear immediately if he meant that the erosion of democracy in India posed a threat to the national security of the United States or the erosion of democracy in general.

Later, the Congress leader made it clear that he is not looking for outside intervention. "It's our job. It's our business. And it's our work to fight the battle for democracy in India," the Congress leader replied to a question about how can the international community help the fight against the "authoritarian slide" in India.

"It's something that we understand, we accept and we do", he said further, but went on to pitch the future of Indian democracy as an international worry because the collapse of democracy in India will have a deleterious effect on democracies around the world. "The thing to remember is that Indian democracy is a global public good, because India is large enough that a collapse in democracy in India will have an impact on the world."

But, he reiterated, "for us, it's an internal matter".

Rahul fielded a whole range of questions from reporters and Indian Americans first at a news conference here at National Press Club -- which is family tradition for him following his great grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru in 1956, his grandmother Indira Gandhi in 1966 and his father Rajiv Gandhi in 1985 -- and at a private dinner later hosted by a prominent Indian American Frank Islam, who is also a top donor for the Democratic party and once hosted fundraiser for Joe Biden when he was vice-president.

About his disqualification from Lok Sabha, which has been a top question he has been asked on this trip, he said at the press club that he sees it as an "advantage" as, he argued, it gave him an opportunity to redefine himself, which he has done undoubtedly, or so it has seemed thus far in his trip of the United States so far. He chooses his words carefully and speaks just as much as necessary, not any more or any less. He doesn't preach nor does he sound preachy. And he doesn't try to impress as an intellectual or a super-smart politician.

While he has been unsparing in criticism of the Modi government on economy, its handling of minorities and assaults on press freedom and democracy, he sides with the government on the position on Russia.

"I don't know if you'd like my answer, but I think (it's) similar to how the BJP's (thinking). We would be responding in a similar way," Gandhi said in response to a question abut India's position on Russia's invasion of Ukraine. "We have sort of a relationship with the Russian that can't be denied production of that can't be denied. So I think our policy would broadly be the same."

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has driven a wedge into the India-US relationship. The Biden administration believes India has been soft on Russia and it has not condemned the invasion as forcefully as the west and has continued to buy Russian oil, taking the sting out of sanctions imposed by the US-led coalition. The Modi government has cited long-running relations with Russia and dependency on Russian arms - which was also acknowledged by Rahul.

--IANS
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New Delhi, June 2 (IANS) External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Friday that the BRICS forum is no longer an "alternative", but an established feature of the global landscape.

In his address at the "Friends of BRICS Foreign Ministers" meeting in Cape Town, he said: "BRICS is not only an expression of multipolarity but of the many and diverse ways of meeting international challenges."

Jaishankar said that focus of BRICS is on building a fairer, inclusive and open international architecture with sustainable development at its core.

"Creating resilient and reliable supply chains are central to ensuring that no one is left behind," he pointed out.

The minister further welcomed the opportunity as a demonstration of a larger convergence on contemporary issues.

"The message of reform that BRICS embodies must permeate the world of multilateralism. The Friends of BRICS strongly supports UNSC reform," he added.

--IANS
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New Delhi, June 2 (IANS) A day after the Law Commission recommended that the IPC's Section 124A (sedition) should not be retained but also made harsh, the Congress on Friday said that the BJP wants to make sedition law more draconian and has given a message ahead of the next year general election that it will used in a one-sided manner, particularly against opposition leaders.

Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters here, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said: "In a terrible, tragic, and treacherous development, the Law Commission has recommended that Section 124A of the IPC should not only be retained, but also made more harsh."

"The BJP uses the law of sedition as a tool of subversing, subjugating, and silencing dissent. The BJP government now plans to become more draconian, drastic, and deadly than the colonial regime," Singhvi, who is also a noted lawyer, alleged.

He said that a message of colonial mindset has been given that there will be a distance between the ruler and the ruled and through this law, the foundations of the republic will be uprooted.

"A message has been given ahead of the general election that we will use this in a one-sided manner particularly against opposition leaders," he claimed.

Singhvi contended that in a nutshell, the Law Commission proposal makes the existing sedition law far more draconian, invasive and prejudicial by enhancing the lower end of the punishment from three to seven years.

"It ignores the spirit of the Supreme Court proceedings in May and October last year which had rendered the entire offense of sedition in the country inoperative and clearly intended it to be repealed," he said.

His remarks came a day after the Law Commission, in its report to the government, said it is of the view that Section 124A needs to be retained, though certain amendments could be introduced to bring about greater clarity regarding usage of the provision and stressed that sedition being a "colonial legacy" is not a valid ground for its repeal.

Slamming the BJP, Singhvi, who is also a Rajya Sabha MP, said: "There has been a massive rise in sedition cases since 2014 with an annual rise of 28 per cent in sedition cases for the period between 2014 and 2020, compared to the yearly average between 2010 and 2014."

He pointed out that 12 sedition cases were filed during the pandemic against those who raised concerns over lack of ventilators, food distribution or handling of the issue of migrant labourers.

"In total, 21 sedition cases were filed against journalists. Since 2018, they have been arrested for reportage on the farm laws, Covid-19, the Hathras gang rape, citizenship and for being critical of the government," he said, adding that 27 sedition cases were filed against those who protested against the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 and the National Register for Citizens, while eight cases were filed against farmers protesting the now revoked farm laws.

Citing more examples of the sedition cases, the Congress said that they were filed across three BJP-ruled states against party MP Shashi Tharoor and several senior journalists.

Firing salvos at the government, Singhvi asked why it has not yet had the courage to do away with the sedition law despite the top court rendering it inoperative and making strong observations in that regard.

"Why have the cases of sedition burgeoned during the BJP regime? Is the government misusing it as a tool to curb criticism? Is this an initial step towards more stringent curbing of dissent ahead of the upcoming general elections?"

He also questioned as to why have the cases of sedition imposed only on the opposition leaders and dissidents, and how many BJP leaders have been charged under the law.

"Was the reference to the Law Commission by the Government of India merely a circuitous, circumvention of the true spirit of the Supreme Court observations and intended to legitimise and provide added legal cover to the pernicious concept of sedition?" he said.

Singhvi also asked why the government has not changed its "control freak" style and not been able to shed its colonial mindset.

--IANS
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Raigad (Maharashtra), June 2 (IANS) Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said on Friday that a theme park on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj will come up in the foothills of Raigad on a 45-acre plot, while Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis announced that the state will urge the Centre to set up a national memorial dedicated to the Maratha icon in Delhi.

Speaking during the six-day long celebrations to mark the 350th anniversary of the coronation of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (June 6, 1674) here, Shinde said that he was a king of the poor farmers and the downtrodden who did not discriminate between people on the basis of their caste.

"He respected women and gave them equal opportunities to come forward... His governance style was focused on the people for whom he cared. We are fortunate that his teachings are still remembered and continue to inspire us," said Shinde.

The Chief Minister announced that an authority headed by Member of Parliament Chhatrapati Udayanraje Bhosale – the 17th direct descendent of the Maratha warrior king – shall be set up for the conservation of the famed Pratapgad Fort in Satara, famed for the killing of Gen. Afzal Khan of the Sultanate of Bijapur.

Similarly, he said that the upcoming Mumbai Coastal Road – the first phase of which is nearing completion - shall be named after Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

Fadnavis said that on behalf of the state government, he would urge Prime Minister Narendra Modi to set up a grand statue and national memorial for Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the national capital.

"The good governance, work and contributions of the great king continue to inspire us even today, and the PM also included Chhatrapati's emblem on the Indian Navy flag," said Fadnavis.

Cultural Affairs Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar said that the state government will fully support the future celebrations of the Chhatrapati's coronation at the Raigad Fort.

"We are also trying to bring back the Jagdamba sword of the Chhatrapati, we shall make efforts for a memorial in Thanjavur, and have allocated Rs 5 crore for studies on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi," said Mungantiwar.

The famed Jagdamba sword, studded with diamonds and rubies, was gifted to the Prince of Wales, who later became King Edwar VIII, by Chhatrapati Shivaji IV during his visit to India in 1875. The invaluable sword is currently kept in the royal collection of the St James Palace in London.

Also present on the occasion were state ministers Uday Samant, Chandrakant Patil, Deepak Kesarkar, Girish Mahajan, Dadaji Bhuse, MPs Sunil Tatkare, Sadashiv Lokhande, Shrikant Eknath Shinde, MLAs, local representatives and a large number of people.

--IANS
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New Delhi, June 2 (IANS) The Delhi High Court on Friday granted permission to former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia to meet his ailing wife, but under police custody.

According to the High Court order, Sisodia can meet his wife from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. tomorrow. Sisodia has been directed not to interact with the media in any manner and not to meet anyone else except his family.

Furthermore, it has instructed Sisodia to stay away from cell phones and the internet.

Justice D.K. Sharma has asked the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to provide a status report on the interim bail matter and has reserved judgment on the bail plea as well as the interim bail plea.

"In the interim bail plea in the CBI case: Since I have already denied bail in the main CBI matter, I will list it on July 4," the judge noted.

During the hearing, the ED opposed granting interim bail to Sisodia. Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju argued that Sisodia could visit his wife under police escort.

"He held 18 portfolios as a minister and did not have time to visit his wife. Now he is creating all these grounds to get bail," he said.

The ASG also mentioned that Sisodia had withdrawn his interim bail plea just a few days ago and now he has submitted a similar plea again. "Four days ago, they withdrew the plea. Now they have come back again. There has been no change in his wife's condition, only a cosmetic change," added ASG.

Sisodia moved the interim bail plea through his counsel in both the CBI and ED cases, citing his wife's medical condition as grounds for bail.

--IANS
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