India

New Delhi, Feb 9 (IANS) A 22-year-old scrap dealer was shot at in northeast Delhi over a monetary dispute, an official said on Friday, adding that a manhunt has been initiated to nab the five accused, who are on the run.

According to police, the incident occurred at 10:20 p.m. on Thursday at C- Block, Gali No-9, behind Gurudwara, Shastri Park.

The injured was identified as Shahrukh, who works as a scrap dealer and has more than 13 criminal cases, including robbery, snatching and Arms Act, registered against him.

“The accused have been identified as Farman, Fazil, Prince, Faizal and Wahid, all also scrap dealers by profession,” said the Deputy Commissioner of Police (northeast) Joy Tirkey.

During the initial probe after the incident, it was revealed that Shahrukh and accused Fazil, Prince and Farman have an old money dispute.

“On Thursday, they cornered Shahrukh in Gali No. 9. After an altercation, Farman shot him. Shahrukh sustained a gunshot injury in his right lower abdomen. He was taken to GTB Hospital. He is stable,” said the DCP.

“An FIR under section 307, 34 of the IPC and 25/27 Arms Act has been registered at Shastri Park police station and efforts are being made to apprehend the accused persons,” the DCP added.

--IANS

ssh/dpb

New Delhi, Feb 9 (IANS) The national capital on Friday recorded a minimum temperature at 6.8 degrees Celsius, three notches below the seasonal average, the India Meteorological (IMD) Department said.

Until last week, the temperature was hovering around 12 degrees, and on Thursday, minimum temperature was recorded at 8.2.

IMD's Wednesday forecast showed that the maximum temperature was likely to hover around 22 degrees, with the minimum at around 7 degrees again.

IMD said that there will be "mainly clear sky" throughout the day.

Although the sun shines brightly during the day, Delhiites seem to have no relief from chilly breeze, and many were observed gathering around bonfires to stay warm at night.

Air quality at 9 am at several stations across the city fell under the 'satisfactory' and 'moderate' category, surprisingly, after days of being in the 'very poor' and 'severe' category.

In the Anand Vihar area, at 9 a.m., PM2.5 levels were recorded to be in the 'poor' category standing at 218 and PM10 reached 289, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

The Air Quality Index (AQI) between zero and 50 is considered 'good'; 51 and 100 'satisfactory'; 101 and 200 'moderate'; 201 and 300 'poor'; 301 and 400 'very poor'; and 401 and 500 'severe'.

The Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport (T3) recorded PM2.5 levels at 84, which is counted as 'satisfactory' and PM10 at 117, falling under 'moderate' category.

Dwarka Sector 8 witnessed PM2.5 levels at 193, and PM10 was at 312.

--IANS

spr/dan

Chandigarh, Feb 9 (IANS) A delegation led by Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Harjinder Singh Dhami on Friday reached Nanded to join the protest over the proposed amendments to the Nanded Sikh Gurdwara Sachkhand Sri Hazur Abchalnagar Sahib Act, 1956, by the Maharashtra government.

Other members of the delegation comprised Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Daljit Singh Cheema and SGPC general secretary Rajinder Singh Mehta. The delegation will join the protest being organised by Hazur Sahib ‘sangat’ against the amendment passed by the Maharashtra Cabinet.

The Takhat Hazur Sahib in Nanded in Maharashtra is one of the five Takhats (high temporal seats) of Sikhs and is of great historical importance as the 10th Guru of Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh, passed away there.

The decision to amend the Act that will increase the number of the government’s nominees to the religious body’s board has drawn criticism from SGPC president Dhami who said it was “sad, condemnable and a direct interference” in Sikh affairs “which cannot be tolerated”. He has now written a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, seeking an appointment to discuss this issue.

Akali Dal leader Cheema said the state government has opened a way to directly nominate 12 out of total 17 members of the board.

“The number of members sent by the SGPC has been reduced from four to two and nomination of Chief Khalsa Diwan of Hazuri Sachkhand Diwan has been abolished. Similarly, two Sikh MPs who used to be members of the board has also been denied this right in the new amendment,” he wrote on X.

“It’s clear that the state government is going to take full control of the gurdwara board which can’t be tolerated by Sikh community. SAD urged the Maharashtra government to immediately roll back the amendment,” he added.

The Global Sikh Council (GSC), a confederation of national-level Sikh organisations, has called upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene. It warned that such unilateral decisions of the government, led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, constituted a gross violation of Sikh gurdwara affairs and would not be tolerated by the Sikhs.

In a statement, GCC President Kanwaljit Kaur highlighted the “consistent disregard” shown by the ruling dispensation in Maharashtra towards Sikh sentiments.

--IANS

vg/dpb

Lucknow, Feb 9 (IANS) Four Lok Sabha seats, a berth in the union cabinet, two berths in the state cabinet and one seat in the UP legislative council - with this on its platter, the Rashtriya Lok Dal is all set to switch sides and join the BJP-led NDA.

A clear indication of RLD joining the NDA is that RLD MLAs will now join the BJP MLAs on their Ayodhya visit on Sunday.

A senior BJP leader said, "Our party is offering them Baghpat, Mathura, Hathras, and Amroha. The party leadership has refused to give them Muzaffarnagar and Kairana. We are even offering Bijnor and Saharanpur. The modalities are still being worked out."

RLD leaders said there had been issues over the SP wanting its leaders to contest some of these seven seats on their symbol. Among these seats is Kairana, where the SP wanted to field Iqra Hasan, the sister of SP MLA Nahid Hasan.

"This policy of 'our candidate, your symbol' is not acceptable to us now. This is against the coalition dharma and amounts to back-seat driving," said a senior RLD leader, admitting that this was a major factor in souring of relations between SP and RLD.

Meanwhile, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday, while speaking to reporters in Varanasi, did not provide a clear answer on the future of the SP-RLD partnership.

"The BJP knows how to break parties and when to take whom. The BJP also knows how to cheat. You have seen how cheating happened in the recent Chandigarh mayoral elections. The BJP knows how to buy parties. It is not by coincidence that the BJP has become the biggest party. They know where to send ED, CBI, and the IT department," he said.

Akhilesh also appeared to dissuade the RLD from joining the NDA. “Jayant Chaudhary is an educated person and he understands politics well. I am hopeful that he will not let the fight for farmers and prosperity of UP be weakened,” he said.

If the RLD quits the INDIA alliance, it will further weaken the beleaguered alliance in UP an give a major boost to the BJP in western UP.

Seat sharing between SP and Congress, meanwhile, is still in the realms of uncertainty.

Sources in the BJP also confirmed progress in the talks between the two parties.

--IANS

amita/svn

Lucknow, Jan 15 (IANS) Renowned Urdu poet Munawwar Rana died due to a cardiac arrest at the SGPGI Hospital in Lucknow on Sunday night. He was 71.

The poet had been battling with prolonged illness for the past several months and was undergoing treatment at the SGPGI Hospital. He was suffering from cancer, kidney and heart-related ailments.

Rana's daughter Sumaiya Rana said that her father will be laid to rest on Monday.

Rana's son Tabrez Rana said, "He was hospitalised for 14 to 15 days due to illness. He was first admitted to Medanta in Lucknow and then to SGPGI where he breathed his last around 11 p.m. on Sunday."

The poet is survived by his wife, four daughters and a son.

Born on November 26, 1952, in Uttar Pradesh's Rae Bareli, Rana was widely recognised for his contributions to Urdu literature and poetry, particularly for his ghazals. His poetic style was notable for its accessibility, as he often incorporated Hindi and Awadhi words while avoiding Persian and Arabic, which resonated with Indian audiences.

His most famous poem was 'Maa', which celebrated the virtues of a mother within the traditional ghazal form.

Throughout his career, Rana received numerous accolades, including the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award in 2014 for his poetry book 'Shahdaba'. However, he returned the award about a year later due to concerns over rising intolerance in the country.

Other awards he received include the Ameer Khusro Award, Mir Taqi Mir Award, Ghalib Award, Dr Zakir Hussain Award, and the Saraswati Samaj Award. His works have been translated into several languages.

Rana spent much of his life in Kolkata and had a significant presence in mushairas, both in India and abroad.

The poet was also active in political developments in Uttar Pradesh. His daughter Sumaiya is a member of the Samajwadi Party (SP), led by Akhilesh Yadav.

Rana has often been mired in controversies for his statements.

The 71-year-old had drawn flak for favouring the Taliban and comparing it with Maharishi Valmiki, as well as for supporting the murder of Samuel Paty, who was killed over a controversy about Prophet Mohammad in Paris in 2020.

--IANS

amita/sha

Jaipur, Jan 15 (IANS) The Rajasthan government has announced a 'dry day' in the state on January 22 in view of the 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony at Ram temple in Ayodhya.

The order in this regard was issued by the state Excise Department on Sunday.

Eventually, over 7,000 liquor shops and bars in the state shall remain closed on the day, officials said.

"Due to the consecration ceremony of Lord Shri Ram in the temple being built at Shri Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya, January 22, 2024, is declared as a dry day in the entire state. Liquor shops will remain closed throughout the day on this day. The closing time of liquor shops in Rajasthan is fixed at 8 p.m. In such a situation, liquor shops will be closed at 8 p.m. on January 21, and will open in the morning on January 23," the order stated.

Besides this, all non-veg shops in Jaipur will also remain closed on the day.

--IANS

arc/sha

Bhubaneswar, Jan 15 (IANS) The Odisha government has announced a holiday on January 17 for all educational institutions and state government offices in view of the inauguration of the Jagannath Temple Heritage Corridor project in Puri on the day.

All the schools, colleges and government offices will remain closed so that the devotees can witness the grand opening event on January 17, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said on Sunday.

The government is anticipating that a huge crowd of devotees will throng the holy city to witness the event.

Rituals for the grand opening of the project have already commenced in Puri from Friday.

Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb, the 'King of Puri', earlier invited priests for the 'Maha Yajna' scheduled to start with the placing of an 'Akhand Deepa' on Monday.

The Maha Yajna which will be performed by 108 Sotriya Bramhins will culminate with the offering of Purnahuti by Gajapati in the presence of Chief Minister Patnaik on January 17.

Later, Patnaik will walk through the corridor and dedicate the corridor to the public. He is also scheduled to address the devotees present at the event.

Several dignitaries including the Sankaracharayas of all the traditional four mutts and the King of Nepal have been invited to attend the grand opening event.

The 12th-century shrine and the holy city which is expected to witness a footfall of lakhs of devotees will be under a five-tier security blanket during the event.

As many as 66 platoons of police force will be deployed to manage the traffic and security arrangements in the city on the day.

--IANS

gyan/sha

Dehradun, Jan 15 (IANS) A 12-year-old child was injured after a tiger attacked him on Canal Road in Dehradun late on Sunday evening. The injured child has been admitted to a hospital and is said to be out of danger.

The incident took place when 12-year-old Nikhil was playing with other children on the bank of the Rispana river near Gangotri Vihar bridge in Sandhowali of Kandoli area. Suddenly, three tigers came there and one of them attacked Nikhil.

Other children and nearby residents immediately raised an alarm and rushed to save the child. Hearing the noise and seeing people coming, the tigers ran away leaving the child.

People took the injured child to Doon Hospital, where he is undergoing treatment.

Nikhil, son of Sher Bahadur, sustained a serious wound on the back of his head in the attack.

--IANS

smita/sha

Kozhikode, Jan 15 (IANS) Stressing that the BJP will emerge as the single-largest party in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said that there was a possibility that the current government's numbers can be brought down.

"I strongly feel they can be brought down to a level where several potential allies may not want to join them," he said.

Speaking during the Kerala Literature Festival (KLF) held on the Kozhikode beach, the politician-writer said that considering India boasts of diverse shades, it was not important that the INDIA bloc must come to a complete agreement in all states.

Talking about the seat-sharing issue among INDIA bloc members, Tharoor hoped for an arrangement in as many states as possible to ensure preventable defeats.

Citing the examples of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the Congress politician remarked that while in Kerala "it is hard to imagine CPM and Congress agreeing on seat sharing, however, in Tamil Nadu the CPI, CPM, Congress, and DMK are together and there is no dispute". They fought the last election together and are likely to fight this one too, he said.

He said that it was important to acquaint the people with the fact that the best candidate should be chosen from their constituency. “Everyone should be aware that only people from Varanasi can vote for (Narendra) Modi. Well, if in other places, they want to vote only to ensure that Modi becomes the PM, it is entirely their choice. However, people need to think if they want an effective administrator who will be good for their region."

--IANS

sukant/sha

Patna, Jan 14 (IANS) A man in Bihar's Bhojpur has been arrested for killing his friend over a Rs 500 dispute, police said on Sunday.

Superintendent of Police, Bhojpur, Pramod Kumar Yadav said that the accused, identified as Ajay Mahto, also tried to mutilate the body as well.

"A complaint was filed by a person named Vinod Singh that his nephew Mohan Singh was found missing since January 10 from his native village Bada Basantpur under Mufassil police station in the district. His dead body was found a couple of days later. We constituted a team and managed to arrest the main accused of this case," he said.

The accused confessed that he had a dispute of Rs 500 with the victim. On January 10, the accused brought Mohan Singh from home for a liquor party. When Singh became inebriated, accused Ajay Mahto throttled his neck until he was dead. He also tried to remove his eyes using fingers. However, he failed in his attempt,” the SP said, adding that they were interrogating the accused to find out if there was involvement of other persons in the crime.

--IANS

ajk/vd