Four soldiers were killed while three others were left injured after heavily armed terrorists ambushed two Army vehicles in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district on Thursday, officials said.
The attack occurred as the personnel were en route to a cordon-and-search operation. According to army sources, the assailants struck at a blind curve at Dhatyar Morh between Dera Ki Gali around 3:45 pm.
“The ambush resulted in the loss of four valiant soldiers, and three have sustained injuries,” confirmed the officials.
The People’s Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF), identified as an offshoot of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), has taken responsibility for the act.
Security forces have launched a thorough search operation in the forest area of Dera ki Gali, the site of the attack.
New Delhi : Olympic medallist grappler Bajrang Punia on Friday decided to return the Padma Shri award in protest over the election of Sanjay Singh, a Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh loyalist, as the president of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI).
“I am returning my Padmashree award to the Prime Minister. This is just my letter to say. This is my statement,” read a post shared by the Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist wrestler on X, formerly Twitter.
On Thursday, Sanjay was elected as the president of the WFI after the panel led by the close aide of Brij Bhushan won 13 of the 15 posts.
Sakshi Malik, Bajrang and Vinesh Phogat addressed a press conference after Sanjay’s election in which Sakshi, a bronze medallist at the 2016 Rio Olympics, announced that she would quit the sport as a mark of protest.
In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bajrang wrote: “Dear PM Ji, hope your health is well. You must be busy in many work but I am writing this to draw your attention to the wrestlers of the country.
“You must be aware that the women wrestlers of the country started a protest in January this year against Brij Bhushan Singh accusing him of sexual harassment. I too joined their protest. The protest stopped after the government promised strong action.” Expressing his disappointment, the star wrestler added, “But there was no FIR against Brij Bhushan even after three months. We again took to the streets in April so that the police at least file an FIR against him.
“There were 19 complainants in January but the number came down to 7 by April. This means Brij Bhushan exerted his influence on 12 women wrestlers.” Bajrang was stopped at the Kartavya Path by Delhi Police officials when he tried to reach the Parliament to meet PM Modi and hand over his letter in protest against Sanjay Singh’s election.
Lucknow: On December 25 , a grand celebration ‘Atal Geet Ganga’ will be organised on the eve of the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Foundation.
Chairman of the foundation, deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak said that there will be a solo poetry recital by Dr Kumar Vishwas at the Scientific Convention Centre on the occasion where various cultural programmes and symposium will also be held.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will be the chief guest.
State president Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary, deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, mayor Sushma Kharkwal, senior BJP leader Neeraj Singh, Lucknow BJP president Anand Dwivedi and many senior leaders will be present as special guests.
New Delhi : The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has announced that those above 18 years and wanting Aadhaar made for the first time will now be subjected to physical verification, with the consent of the state government, a UIDAI official said.
“There will be a passport-like verification system in place for those wanting their first Aadhaar after 18 years, ” said an official from UIDAI.
The state government will appoint nodal officers, additional district magistrates, at the district and sub-divisional levels for this purpose, the official added.
The Aadhaar facility for such individuals will be available at selected centres, including the main post office of each district and other Aadhaar centres identified by the UIDAI.
All Aadhaar requests from this category of people will go through data quality checks and then be routed for verification through the service portal. The Sub-Divisional Magistrates will ensure verification of all requests received at the service portal, and Aadhaar will be generated within 180 days of clearance.
Deputy Director General of UIDAI, Prashant Kumar Singh, said in a press statement that the new directives will only apply to those above 18 years of age getting their Aadhaar made for the first time.
“Once their Aadhaar is made, they too can subsequently get it updated through normal processes, ” he added.
So far, 16.55 crore people above 18 years have obtained their Aadhaar in Uttar Pradesh. Every month, 13, 246 Aadhaar nominations of those above 18 years are being processed, officials further said.
At present, Aadhaar work is being done through 14, 095 Aadhaar nomination and update machines.
New Delhi : Sanjay Singh, a close aide of deposed WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, was on Thursday elected as the new president of the Wrestling Federation of India.
The electoral battle saw Sanjay defeating Commonwealth Games gold medalist wrestler Anita Sheoran by a substantial margin, with a vote tally of 40-7.
Voting took place earlier on Thursday following a lengthy legal tussle as the federation remains suspended by the international federation United World Wrestling.
The elections were held for 15 posts, including the president, treasurer, secretary-general, and senior vice-president.
Sheoran faction secured the crucial position of secretary general with Prem Chand Lochab, a former RSPB (Railway Sports Promotion Board) secretary, triumphing over Darshan Lal with a 27-19 vote tally.
Devender Singh Kadian, who is considered close to the protesting wrestlers, claimed the senior vice president’s post, beating I D Nanavati 32-15.
The Brij Bhushan faction secured all four vice president positions with Jai Prakash from Delhi (37), Asit Kumar Saha from West Bengal (42), Kartar Singh from Punjab (44), and N Phoni from Manipur (38) emerging victorious.
Satyapal Singh Deshwal, who is also from the Brij Bhushan camp, became the new treasurer.
The newly elected WFI chief promptly addressed the ongoing issues in Indian wrestling community, targeting top wrestlers like Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik, and Vinesh Phogat, who were at the forefront of a protest against former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan earlier this year.
“Those who want to compete, they should wrestle. Those who want to do politics, should do politics. Those who want to do in politics will be answered in the political arena, ” said Sanjay Singh after his victory was declared.
Top wrestlers like Bajrang, Sakshi, and Vinesh Phogat had protested against ex-WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan and had leveled grave accusations against the multiple-time Member of Parliament, including allegations of sexual assault.
Bajrang and Sakshi, both prominent figures in Indian wrestling, had reportedly sought the intervention of Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur. They had recently met sports minister seeking ways to prevent Brij Bhushan’s aide from contesting for president but to no avail.
With the conclusion of the elections for the office bearers in WFI, a path has been paved for United World Wrestling (UWW), the global governing body for wrestling, to lift the suspension imposed on WFI.
The suspension was a result of WFI’s failure to conduct elections within the deadline set by UWW in August. Consequently, Indian wrestlers had been compelled to compete as neutral athletes in global events over the preceding months.
The onset of Chilla-i-Kalan marks Kashmir’s most severe winter period, plunging temperatures well below freezing across the region. Srinagar, the summer capital, experienced a low of minus 4.3 degrees Celsius, while Pahalgam hit minus 5.8 degrees Celsius. Gulmarg and other areas recorded temperatures below freezing as well.
The frigid weather has frozen slow-moving water bodies and water supply pipes, impacting the region. The biting cold has prompted residents to layer up and use traditional earthen firepots, known as Kangri, for warmth, particularly due to erratic electricity supply.
The intense cold snap has also led to increased respiratory issues among vulnerable groups like children and the elderly. As Chilla-i-Kalan settles in, the region anticipates frequent snowfall, especially in higher elevations, often causing disruptions.
The 40-day Chilla-i-Kalan period, lasting until January 31, is known for its freezing temperatures and heavy snow, limiting outdoor activities and forcing people indoors. While once reliant on dried vegetables due to closed Srinagar-Jammu highways, frequent closures are now uncommon, ensuring a steadier supply of fresh produce.
Following Chilla-i-Kalan, Kashmir braces for a 20-day ‘Chillai-Khurd’ and a subsequent 10-day ‘Chillai-Bachha,’ extending the cold wave’s impact beyond the harshest phase. Despite these challenges, locals adapt to the harsh weather, engaging in indoor activities and traditional remedies to weather the winter.
New Delhi : The Delhi High Court on Thursday asked the Election Commission to promptly decide, preferably within eight weeks, on the notice issued to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, noting that the alleged statements are “not in good taste”.
This notice is in relation to Gandhi’s alleged “pickpocket” comment directed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a speech last month.
The court was hearing a public interest litigation seeking action against Gandhi and the formulation of guidelines to prevent such instances by political leaders.
The petitioner, Bharat Nagar, said that Gandhi’s speech on November 22 contained “heinous allegations” against individuals in the highest governmental positions, including the Prime Minister, referring to him as a “pickpocket.”
The division bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Mini Pushkarna noted the Election Commission’s examination of the matter and the notice issued to Gandhi. It stressed the need for expeditious resolution, especially considering the lapse of the deadline for filing a reply without receiving one.
The bench directed the Election Commission to conclude the matter within eight weeks, citing the notice sent on November 23, in which the poll panel assured appropriate action.
The Jammu and Kashmir High Court has directed the Ministry of Defence to pay pending rental dues of ₹2.49 crores to twenty-four families comprising Displaced Persons (DPs) from Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK). The families’ land, allocated to them in 1953, was taken over by the Indian Army in 1978 without due process or compensation.
Justice Wasim Sadiq Nargal highlighted that the land meant for rehabilitation couldn’t be taken without proper compensation or legal procedures.
“Once a land is allotted to the DPs for their rehabilitation under, the same cannot be taken away from them by any means or by any of the agency without payment of rentals or by payment of compensation after adopting due course of law,” the court said, reported by Bar and Bench.
The judgment stemmed from petitions by descendants of the displaced persons. The Court mandated the government to pay the pending ₹2.49 crores as rental compensation from 1978 to 2009 within a month. Additionally, it instructed assessment and payment of further rent from 2009 onward within the month, warning of a 6 percent annual interest if payments aren’t made as directed.
Advocate Jagpaul Singh represented the displaced persons, while the Central Government was represented by Sandeep Gupta. Senior Additional Advocate General Monika Kohli appeared for the Deputy Commissioner, Jammu.
New Delhi : Former union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Wednesday demanded that the three revised criminal bills must be reviewed and checks and balances be introduced to ensure they are not misused.
She also demanded a revision of the clause allowing only the family to move a mercy petition of a convict, stating the new bills if passed would further violate the human rights of Balwant Singh Rajoana, a death row convict in former chief minister Beant Singh’s assassination case.
Participating in the debate on the three revised criminal bills in the Lok Sabha, Harsimrat Kaur, who is the Bathinda Member of Parliament, said: “We should take care not to become an authoritarian state like China and should ensure human lives and values as enshrined in the Constitution are given due respect.”
Asserting that civil rights were most important, she said that care should be taken to ensure we do not create a police state by giving unbridled powers to the police.
She called for introducing relevant checks and balances in the Bills to ensure the police force was not misused by their political masters.
Lamenting the fact that only the ruling party MPs and few others were present in Parliament to debate the three bills, Harsimrat Kaur said everyone should be allowed to air their views.
She also took a strong note of the manner in which Section 113 of the revised Bill had modified the definition of the crime of terrorism to entirely adopt the existing definition under Section 15 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
She said UAPA had earlier been misused in Punjab to arrest youth and jail them.
Harsimrat Kaur also highlighted how youth had in the past and even now, like in the incident which occurred in Parliament, indulged in actions after getting swayed by sentiments.
“In the recent case the youth were swayed by increased unemployment and issues like ethnic violence in Manipur. Earlier, during the era when former Congress chief minister Beant Singh supervised the wiping out of an entire generation of youth in fake encounters, few youth like Bhai Balwant Singh Rajoana had taken particular steps for which they had been incarcerated for periods between 28 to 30 years.”
She said such inordinately long incarceration even after completion of their sentences was against the constitution and legal jurisprudence besides a violation of their human rights.
The MP also highlighted how the mercy petition of Rajoana which had been filed by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) was pending for 12 years.
She said this petition would become infructuous if the revised bill was passed as a new clause made it mandatory for such a petition to be filed by a family member alone.
“If a person does not have a family how will he apply for the same?” she asked while demanding reconsideration of this clause.
She also highlighted how the union government had issued a notification to release eight Sikh detainees as well as commute the death sentence of Rajona to pave the way for his release on the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev in 2019.
“Some detainees have got remissions following this. So why are they not set free?” she asked.
The MP also highlighted how the revised criminal Bills did not contain any clause to ensure justice for Sikhs who had suffered a “state sponsored genocide” at the hands of the then Congress government in 1984 and urged Home Minister Amit Shah to take this into account also.
New Delhi : Congress on Wednesday slammed the BJP-led Central government over December 13 Parliament security breach, saying even after a week BJP MP Pratap Simha who facilitated the entry of the two intruders into the Lok Sabha has not yet been questioned despite them being charged under the anti-terrorist law UAPA.
Slamming the government, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh said, “It has been exactly a week since the very serious security breach in the Lok Sabha shocked the nation. The Prime Minister, Home Minister and the Lok Sabha Speaker say that an investigation has started. So be it.”
“But why is it that even after 7 days the BJP MP Pratap Simha who facilitated the entry of the two intruders into the Lok Sabha has not yet been questioned? This is a very bizarre situation as the intruders themselves have been charged under the anti-terrorist law UAPA, ” he said.
He also said that meanwhile, “142 INDIA MPs have been suspended for making the basic, straightforward and fully legitimate demand of a statement by the Home Minister in Parliament on the December 13 incidents”.
On Tuesday, 49 MPs were suspended for the remainder of the session.
On Monday, 33 Lok Sabha MPs and 45 Rajya Sabha MPs were suspended. On December 14, 13 Lok Sabha MPs and one Rajya Sabha MP were also suspended.
The Opposition Bloc has been demanding for a statement by Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the December 13 Parliament Security breach and revocation of suspension of MPs suspended on December 18 and 14. https://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/pagead/ads?client=ca-pub-8839373527029193&output=html&h=280&slotname=6564585680&adk=3063427007&adf=2566748822&pi=t.ma~as.6564585680&w=738&fwrn=4&fwrnh=100&lmt=1703057624&rafmt=1&format=738×280&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kaumimarg.com%2Fnews%2F51390-why-bjp-mp-who-facilitated-intruders-entry-into-parliament-not-questioned-yet-cong.aspx&ea=0&fwr=0&fwrattr=true&rpe=1&resp_fmts=3&wgl=1&dt=1703057624194&bpp=1&bdt=386&idt=514&shv=r20231207&mjsv=m202312070101&ptt=9&saldr=aa&abxe=1&cookie=ID%3D95130899a8ecdc7f-22a3f524a9dc007b%3AT%3D1677072831%3ART%3D1703057624%3AS%3DALNI_MaWiYgIL1o6WwZjiZZtZu0PKNrwDA&gpic=UID%3D00000bc8d9ddee3d%3AT%3D1677072831%3ART%3D1703057624%3AS%3DALNI_MbJ8cRGJszKI58ntSspbOPcQ8FG7Q&prev_fmts=748×280%2C738x280%2C738x280&correlator=145473825155&frm=20&pv=1&ga_vid=43977354.1677072829&ga_sid=1703057624&ga_hid=2065132801&ga_fc=1&u_tz=330&u_his=4&u_h=900&u_w=1600&u_ah=860&u_aw=1600&u_cd=24&u_sd=1&adx=207&ady=2498&biw=1583&bih=775&scr_x=0&scr_y=0&eid=44759876%2C44759927%2C44759837%2C31080104%2C95320884&oid=2&pvsid=2229472986455261&tmod=1248002346&uas=0&nvt=1&ref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kaumimarg.com%2Fcategory%2F6-national.aspx&fc=896&brdim=-8%2C-8%2C-8%2C-8%2C1600%2C0%2C1616%2C876%2C1600%2C775&vis=1&rsz=%7C%7CpoeEbr%7C&abl=CS&pfx=0&fu=128&bc=31&ifi=4&uci=a!4&btvi=3&fsb=1&dtd=516 https://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/pagead/ads?client=ca-pub-8839373527029193&output=html&h=280&slotname=3679734216&adk=2006582303&adf=1589897189&pi=t.ma~as.3679734216&w=738&fwrn=4&fwrnh=100&lmt=1703057624&rafmt=1&format=738×280&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kaumimarg.com%2Fnews%2F51390-why-bjp-mp-who-facilitated-intruders-entry-into-parliament-not-questioned-yet-cong.aspx&ea=0&fwr=0&fwrattr=true&rpe=1&resp_fmts=3&wgl=1&dt=1703057624195&bpp=1&bdt=386&idt=523&shv=r20231207&mjsv=m202312070101&ptt=9&saldr=aa&abxe=1&cookie=ID%3D95130899a8ecdc7f-22a3f524a9dc007b%3AT%3D1677072831%3ART%3D1703057624%3AS%3DALNI_MaWiYgIL1o6WwZjiZZtZu0PKNrwDA&gpic=UID%3D00000bc8d9ddee3d%3AT%3D1677072831%3ART%3D1703057624%3AS%3DALNI_MbJ8cRGJszKI58ntSspbOPcQ8FG7Q&prev_fmts=748×280%2C738x280%2C738x280%2C738x280&correlator=145473825155&frm=20&pv=1&ga_vid=43977354.1677072829&ga_sid=1703057624&ga_hid=2065132801&ga_fc=1&u_tz=330&u_his=4&u_h=900&u_w=1600&u_ah=860&u_aw=1600&u_cd=24&u_sd=1&adx=207&ady=2790&biw=1583&bih=775&scr_x=0&scr_y=0&eid=44759876%2C44759927%2C44759837%2C31080104%2C95320884&oid=2&pvsid=2229472986455261&tmod=1248002346&uas=0&nvt=1&ref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kaumimarg.com%2Fcategory%2F6-national.aspx&fc=896&brdim=-8%2C-8%2C-8%2C-8%2C1600%2C0%2C1616%2C876%2C1600%2C775&vis=1&rsz=%7C%7CpoeEbr%7C&abl=CS&pfx=0&fu=128&bc=31&ifi=5&uci=a!5&btvi=4&fsb=1&dtd=527
