India

Hyderabad, Dec 13 (IANS) Hyderabad Police on Friday detained Tollywood actor Allu Arjun in the case registered against him in connection with a stampede at a theatre during the premiere show of 'Pushpa 2: The Rule' on December 4.

A woman died and her son was critically injured during the stampede at Sandhya Theatre during the premiere show attended by Allu Arjun.

A police team from Chikkadpally Police Station took the actor into custody from his house in Jubilee Hills and shifted him to Police Station.

Allu Arjun's father, well-known filmmaker Allu Arvind, and other family members were present when he was detained.

Police had registered a case under sections 105 (Culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 118(1) (Voluntarily causing hurt) r/w 3(5) BNS against Allu Arjun, his security team and the management of the theatre.

The case was registered at Chikkadpally Police Station on December 5 on a complaint by the deceased woman's husband. The police arrested the theatre owner, general manager and security manager on December 8.

On December 11, the actor approached the Telangana High Court, seeking orders to quash the First Information Report (FIR).

According to police, there was no intimation from theatre management or the actor's team that they would be visiting the theatre. The theatre management also did not make any additional provisions regarding security to manage the crowd.

Allu Arjun on December 6 announced an assistance of Rs 25 lakh for the deceased's family and said that he is "deeply heartbroken".

The actor assured the grieving family that he would meet them personally and extend every possible assistance.

Allu Arjun also promised to take care of the medical expenses of the boy, whose condition remained critical.

"Deeply heartbroken by the tragic incident at Sandhya Theatre. My heartfelt condolences go out to the grieving family during this unimaginably difficult time. I want to assure them they are not alone in this pain and will meet the family personally. While respecting their need for space to grieve, I stand committed to extending every possible assistance to help them navigate through this challenging journey," Allu Arjun posted on social media platform X.

--IANS

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Prayagraj, Dec 12 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in Prayagraj on Friday to oversee preparations for the grand Maha Kumbh Mela 2025. Upon arrival at the airport, he was welcomed by Governor Anandiben Patel and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

The Prime Minister proceeded to Arail Ghat, where he met saints and performed a ceremonial puja at the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati rivers.

PM Modi received a warm welcome from sadhus and saints and boarded the Nishadraj Cruise to reach Sangam from Arail. Thousands of people gathered to witness the event, with crowds lining the roads from GT Jawahar Chowk to the pandal on the Sangam bank. To manage the large gathering, entry for heavy vehicles was restricted.

Before his visit, PM Modi shared on X: "We are committed to making the Maha Kumbh divine and grand, ensuring every facility for devotees. Today, after darshan and puja in Prayagraj, I will review development projects related to Maha Kumbh and inaugurate several initiatives."

The Prime Minister will inaugurate 167 development projects worth Rs 5,500 crores, including key infrastructure initiatives. This includes several corridors -- Akshayvat Corridor, Hanuman Temple Corridor, Saraswati Koop, Bhardwaj Ashram Corridor, and Shringverpur Dham Corridor.

Apart from this, renovation and restoration work of 29 temples, new bridges, over bridges, and road projects, upgrades to railways, airports, and NHAI projects will also be inaugurated.

For a clean and pollution-free Ganga, PM Modi will also launch projects to treat and divert small drains flowing into the river, ensuring untreated water does not reach the Ganga. Additional initiatives for drinking water and electricity infrastructure will also be inaugurated.

PM Modi will also launch the Kumbh Sahayak AI Chatbot, designed to provide real-time guidance and updates to devotees for the Maha Kumbh Mela 2025.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inspected the preparations ahead of the PM’s visit on Thursday, spending four hours reviewing the proposed venues and discussing plans for the Prime Minister's interaction with Akhara saints.

--IANS

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New Delhi, Dec 13 (IANS) The Rajya Sabha was on Friday adjourned till December 16 amid the continuing standoff between the treasury benches and the Opposition over the no-trust notice against Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar.

As the Opposition stuck to its demand related to the no-trust notice, BJP MPs raised the issue of the alleged relationship between former Congress president Sonia Gandhi and US billionaire George Soros, sparking noisy exchanges.

With little hope of normalcy returning to the House, the Chair adjourned the proceedings till Monday.

On Thursday, Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha and Union Minister J. P. Nadda strongly condemned Congress and Leader of Opposition (LoP) Mallikarjun Kharge for "demeaning" and "derogating" Constitutional positions and "questioning the Chair."

Nadda emphasised that the "Chair cannot be questioned, with regard to admissibility, and the Chairman's ruling cannot be questioned or criticised. To do so is contempt of the House and the Chairman."

During his speech, Opposition MPs continued sloganeering.

Expressing his disappointment, Nadda said, "With sadness, I must say that yesterday, one of the most senior and experienced leaders, Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, conducted a press conference and criticised the Chair. This is condemnable and objectionable. It paves the way for a wrong tradition. Any amount of condemnation would not be enough for this."

A day earlier, Kharge, along with INDIA bloc leaders, launched a scathing attack on Chairman Dhankhar, blaming him for the repeated stalling of the House due to his "headmaster-type attitude" and treating "Parliament like a school."

In a joint press conference with Congress and its allies, Kharge made serious accusations against Vice President Dhankhar, stating, "The biggest disruptor of the House is the Chairman himself."

Kharge accused the Rajya Sabha Chairman of partisan conduct, alleging that he often acted as a "spokesperson of the ruling party."

--IANS

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New Delhi, Dec 13 (IANS) A special two-day discussion to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution started in the Lok Sabha on Friday with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh initiating the debate.

He began his speech by paying tributes to the martyrs of the 2021 Parliament terror attack.

The Defence Minister hailed the Constitution and called it a roadmap to keep the country united, democratic and self-reliant.

"We the people of India adopted the Constitution on 26 November 1949...I heartily congratulate this House and all the citizens of the country on the occasion of the completion of 75 years of adoption of the Constitution... I can say that our Constitution paves the way for nation building by touching all aspects of social, economic, political and cultural life..."

He said the Opposition attempted to give it "political colour".

"The Constitution of India is a moral compass for every citizen and provides a strong sense of identity to every individual," said Singh.

He said that many try to paint it as a gift of the colonial rule, and a collation of the good of many Constitutions of the Western civilisations."

"The role of many in drafting the Constitution was muted out. It was born out of the sacred fire of the Independence movement, its roots were nourished by the blood of soldiers," said Rajnath Singh.

The Defence Minister said that many who were not a part of the committee that drafted the Constitution contributed significantly to it. He named Madan Mohan Malaviya, Lala Lajpat Rai, Bhagat Singh and Veer Savarkar.

He said the BJP-led Centre has over the years worked to protect the government and several key schemes have been developed keeping in mind the important elements of the Constitution.

The Minister attacked the Opposition saying it has insulted the Constitution on many occasions. Without naming Congress, he said that one party has worked to hijack the Constitution.

"Our Constitution is a well-crafted and robust framework that touches every aspect of our social, political, and cultural lives. It serves as a guiding force in the construction of the nation, ensuring cooperative federalism and national unity. It empowers the legislature, executive, and judiciary to work together for the welfare of the people of India," he said.

"The Constitution remains a roadmap for making India a model nation. However, in recent years, attempts have been made to create the perception that the Constitution is the legacy of a particular political party. Such claims undermine the collective efforts of the Constituent Assembly and the sacrifices of countless individuals who contributed to its creation...," said the Minister.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to deliver the concluding remarks on the evening of December 14.

A key highlight of Friday’s session will be the maiden speech by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

Prominent members from the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), including H.D. Kumaraswamy, Srikant Shinde, Shambhavi Chaudhary, Rajkumar Sangwan, Jiten Ram Manjhi, Anupriya Patel, and Rajiv Ranjan Singh, are also expected to participate in the debate.

Opposition leaders such as DMK’s T.R. Balu and A. Raja, along with Trinamool Congress MPs Kalyan Banerjee and Mahua Moitra, are likely to participate.

Both the BJP and Congress have issued a ‘three-line whip’ to ensure the presence of their members during this important session.

A similar debate on the Constitution will be held on Monday and Tuesday in the Rajya Sabha, with Home Minister Amit Shah set to lead the discussion.

--IANS

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Kolkata, Dec 13 (IANS) Panic gripped people in the Gold Green area in Kolkata on Friday when they spotted the severed head of a woman on the piled garbage in a litter van.

The morning walkers, who spotted the severed head, immediately informed the local police station.

The cops rushed to the spot and took away the severed head of the woman. However, the body of the woman or her body parts could not be recovered from anywhere nearby.

Sources from the city police said that it is quite possible that the woman's body was severed in several parts and disposed of at different places to mislead the police and delay the investigation process.

Investigations were on to identify the woman first and know what actually happened to her and finally track those responsible behind such a gruesome crime, said a city police official.

The local people were unable to identify the woman. The investigating officials are examining the footage of the CCTV machines installed in the area. Deputy Commissioner (eastern suburban division) of Kolkata Police Bidisha Kalita herself arrived at the spot.

However, the recovery of the severed head of the woman from a posh and crowded locality has created ripples in the area.

On Wednesday night only, a decomposed body of a man wrapped in a sack was recovered from a litter vat at Thakurpukur in the southern outskirts of Kolkata. In this case, also the identity of the deceased person is yet to be known.

In this case, the police suspect that the deceased was a vagabond. And his death might have been caused after he had fallen into a heap of garbage.

Earlier in April this year, the body parts of a woman were recovered wrapped in polythene bags from an abandoned barrack of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) in the Watgunge area in South Kolkata. In this case, however, the woman was identified within a couple of days.

--IANS

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New Delhi, Dec 13 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Friday said that former West Bengal Education Minister Partha Chatterjee should be released on bail on or before February 1 next year in connection with the money laundering case linked to the alleged cash-for-school-job scam matter.

A bench headed by Justice Surya Kant asked the trial court to decide on framing of charges before the commencement of winter vacations or before December 31, whichever is earlier.

Further, it asked the court below to record the statements of prosecution witnesses who are most vulnerable in the second or third week of January next year.

Asking Partha Chatterjee to extend full cooperation in the trial, Justice Kant-led Bench clarified that in any case, he cannot be kept in custody beyond February 1, 2025.

When released on bail, Partha Chatterjee will not be able to occupy any public office except his continuation as MLA, it clarified.

Last week, the Bench, also comprising Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, reserved its judgment after hearing the oral arguments of senior advocate Mukul Rohtagi, appearing on Partha Chatterjee's behalf and Additional Solicitor General (ASG) S.V. Raju, representing the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

Rohtagi contended that the former minister had been under custody for over two years and there was no likelihood of early completion of the trial. The senior counsel, assisted by advocate Misha Rohtagi, added that the other co-accused have been granted bail in connection with the money laundering case.

Opposing the bail plea, the ED said that Partha Chatterjee would indulge in influencing witnesses and evidence tampering if released.

In an earlier hearing, the top court had hinted at granting relief to Partha Chatterjee and expressed concern over the delay in the commencement of the trial.

Questioning the ED as to how long can Partha Chatterjee be kept behind bars, the Justice Kant-led Bench asked: "How long can we keep him behind bars? This is a case where more than two years have passed. If ultimately he (Chatterjee) is not convicted, what will happen?"

It also flagged the poor conviction rate in the cases lodged by the ED under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

In response, the ED had highlighted that there were serious corruption charges against the former West Bengal minister as jobs were offered to undeserving candidates after receiving bribes.

The federal anti-money laundering agency said that Partha Chatterjee was under custody in connection with the corruption case and if released on bail, he will influence the witnesses to retract their statements.

The Supreme Court, on October 1, issued notice to the ED and asked the Central probe agency to file its reply within two weeks.

Earlier, the Calcutta High Court had rejected Chatterjee’s bail plea.

After being denied bail in the lower court multiple times, Chatterjee approached the high court, contending that he had no connection with the huge amount of cash recovered from the residence of his close aide Arpita Mukherjee, and should be granted bail.

The ED had recovered huge quantities of cash and gold from the twin residences of Mukherjee in July 2022, which the latter had claimed were kept there by Chatterjee.

In the course of the investigation, the ED also confiscated some property in the form of land plots or residential houses indirectly or jointly held by the Trinamool Congress leader and his close associates and relatives.

Chatterjee was arrested from his residence by the ED in July 2022. Since then, after the initial days of central agency custody, his address had been a cell at Presidency Central Correctional Home in south Kolkata.

--IANS

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Patna, Dec 13 (IANS) The Bihar Public Service Commission 70th Preliminary Combined Examination will be conducted at 912 centres in the state on Friday.

With these examinations, 2,031 posts in various government departments will be filled. A total of 4.80 lakh candidates have applied for the examinations, scheduled to start at noon and end at 2.00 p.m.

The commission has issued guidelines for the candidates appearing for the examinations.

The guidelines are: "Candidates are asked to bring two printed copies of their admit card, of which, the invigilator will keep one, proof of original ID is mandatory, electronic devices, including smartwatches, and items like whiteners or pencils are prohibited. Only blue/black pens are allowed."

To prevent any unauthorised communication, the commission has installed jammers at every centre, which will be under CCTV surveillance. Candidates are advised to strictly adhere to these guidelines to ensure a smooth examination process.

BPSC Chairman Parmar Ravi Manu Bhai has outlined robust security measures and arrangements to ensure the smooth and fair conduct of the examination.

He said four sets of question papers are prepared to prevent paper leaks. Each set includes up to 10 series, with variations in the number of questions and their answer options.

"The final set to be used will be decided by a lottery conducted three hours before the exam at the commission office. The selected set will be uniformly distributed across all examination centres," he said.

Examination centres in all districts are under stringent monitoring. For the smooth conduct of the examinations, police officers will be present alongside magistrates at examination centres.

The district administrations have been asked to prohibit gatherings near examination centres. All photocopy shops near the centres will remain closed until the examination ends.

These steps, combined with CCTV surveillance and electronic device bans, aim to ensure a fair and secure examination process across the state.

--IANS

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Kochi, Dec 13 (IANS) Film Director P. Balachandrakumar, one of the key witnesses in the infamous 2017 Kerala actress abduction case, passed away at a private hospital on Friday morning.

He had been suffering from kidney and heart-related ailments.

His passing away comes at a time when the trial in the actress abduction case is in its final stages.

The case took a turn when hugely popular actor Dileep was questioned and after a few rounds of questioning was arrested in 2017. Dileep was in jail for three months and was later given bail.

Incidentally, it was the revelation made by the Director that led to a twist in the case and things got tough for Dileep. In 2021, Balachandrakumar gave a crucial statement against Dileep, alleging that the actor had visuals of the assault and had attempted to influence witnesses. He also claimed that Pulsar Suni, the main accused, was seen at Dileep's residence.

Even when he was in and out of hospital, Balachandrakumar often appeared before the trial court as a key witness.

The last time he appeared before the trial court was on November 11 following which his health deteriorated.

Early this week, he underwent heart surgery and breathed his last while recovering from it at a private hospital in Alappuzha district.

The last rites will be held in the state capital district from where he hails.

The actress abduction incident occurred in 2017 when she was assaulted in a moving car in Kochi. The prime accused, Pulsar Suni, got bail recently from the Supreme Court after seven years languishing in jail here, Suni had been working at film shooting sets as a driver since 2010.

According to the case, Suni was known to Dileep, the eighth accused in the actor abduction case. According to the police probe, Dileep and the victim never had a good relationship as he was angry with her for allegedly tipping off his former wife about his relationship with another actor.

The gruesome incident occurred when Suni, along with the now other accused -- all his close friends -- joined him in abducting and sexually assaulting the actress who was returning from a film shooting location in Thrissur to Kochi on February 17, 2017.

--IANS

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Hyderabad, Dec 13 (IANS) Veteran Tollywood actor Manchu Mohan Babu on Friday apologised for an incident in which a television journalist was injured at his residence three days ago.

The actor, who had grabbed the mike of the Telugu news channel TV9's reporter and attacked him, apologised to the journalist and the organisation.

Mohan Babu, who has been booked by police for the attempt to murder, posted a letter on the social media platform 'X' to express regret over the unfortunate incident.

"It pains me deeply that what started as a personal family dispute spiralled into a larger situation, causing distress not only to the esteemed TV9 family but also to the broader journalist fraternity," wrote Mohan Babu, who is locked in a bitter family dispute with his actor son Manchu Manoj.

The former MP, discharged from the hospital on Thursday, also clarified that he was in the health facility for 48 hours and unable to respond immediately.

The senior actor also gave his version of the incident that happened at his house in Jalpally on the night of December 10.

"In the heat of the moment, when my gate was broken and 30-50 individuals, comprising anti-social elements, forcibly barged into my house with an intent to harm those present, I lost my composure. Amidst this chaos, the media inadvertently became intertwined in the situation. As I tried to manage the situation, Mr Ranjith, one of your journalists, unfortunately, sustained an injury. This was a deeply regrettable outcome, and I deeply regret the pain and inconvenience caused to him, his family and the TV9 community," he wrote.

"To Mr Ranjith and the entire TV9 family, I sincerely apologise for my actions, which have caused pain and distress, and I extend my heartfelt wishes for a speedy recovery," he added.

Mohan Babu was admitted to hospital after the clash at his house. Doctors said he was brought to the hospital with high blood pressure and anxiety.

Rachakonda Police Commissioner Sudheer Babu summoned Mohan Babu and his actor sons Manchu Vishnu and Manchu Manoj on Wednesday in connection with the cases booked against them. Mohan Babu approached the Telangana High Court, which gave him exemption till December 24.

Both Vishnu and Manoj appeared before the Commissioner and both were asked to give an undertaking that they would do nothing which creates further trouble.

--IANS

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Mumbai, Dec 13 (IANS) Indian benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty fell more than 1 per cent on Friday. At around 10.51 a.m., the Sensex fell 1,017.03 points or 1.25 per cent to 80,272.93, while the Nifty fell 306.80 points or 1.25 per cent to 24,241.90.

The market trend remained negative. On the National Stock Exchange (NSE), 340 stocks were trading in green, while 2,047 stocks were in red.

The market remained in turmoil due to heavy selling by Foreign Institutional Investors, the rising US bond yields and ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. On the other hand, the decision to be taken by the Federal Reserve on interest rates on December 18 has increased concern in the market.

Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) sold shares worth Rs 3,560.01 crore in the Indian market on December 12, while domestic institutional investors bought shares worth Rs 2,646.65 crore on the same day.

According to market experts, "In the near term, the market has a headwind and a tailwind. The headwind is the resumption of selling by the FIIs who sold stocks for Rs 3,560 crore yesterday. Given the high valuations in India FIIs are likely to sell more at every market rise."

"Selling has been profitable for FIIs since the dollar has been appreciating after the US election. The tailwind which can support the market is the declining inflation," they added.

In the Sensex pack, Tata Steel, JSW Steel, IndusInd Bank, Axis Bank, Bajaj Finserv, SBI, M&M and Bajaj Finance were the top losers.

In the broader market, Nifty Bank was down 839.65 points or 1.58 per cent at 52,376.80, Nifty Midcap 100 index was trading at 58,082.85 after dropping 938.85 points or 1.59 per cent. Nifty Smallcap 100 index was at 19,074.70 after dropping 391.85 points or 2.01 per cent.

On the sectoral front, heavy selling was seen in Nifty PSU Bank, metal, realty, auto, IT, pharma and FMCG sectors.

--IANS

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