INDIA

The press in Uttar Pradesh, mostly the Hindi newspapers, have run a massive campaign against a popular cleric, Tauqeer Raza Khan, who heads the Bareilly seminary in Uttar Pradesh. The development comes one day after police launched a "massive manhunt" in search of UP cleric Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan, who has been one of the most vocal Muslim voices against the alleged injustices against Muslims. Pertinently, the court of the district judge (DJ) of Bareilly declared him an "absconder" in connection with the 2010 Bareilly riots case, despite Moulana Tauqeer having cited medical reasons in the court for not being able to be present in the court hearing. Following the court's ruling, the media in Uttar Pradesh swiftly coined terms such as "Riot Mastermind" and "Fugitive Tauqeer," amon...

The Uttar Pradesh Police on Tuesday announced a reward on Atiq Ahmed’s sister Ayesha Noori and Zainab Fatima, wife of his brother Ashraf. The Prayagraj Commissionerate Police placed the reward of Rs 25,000 each on both of them. Both of them are accused in the Umesh Pal murder case that took place in February 2023 in Prayagraj. A reward of Rs 50,000 has already been placed on Atiq’s wife Shaista Parveen. All three are absconding after the murder. Atiq Ahmed and Ashraf were shot dead in Prayagraj in Police custody and the police had arrested three accused from the spot. Recently, Atiq Ahmed’s alleged henchman Balli Pandit was arrested from Chakia. Balli Pandit has been a sharp shooter of Atiq gang. Prior to the Umesh Pal murder, Atiq’s wife Shaista had met Balli Pandit, said p...

Since 2014, at least 25 prominent politicians from opposition parties, who were under investigation for corruption cases by Central agencies, have switched allegiance to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). According to an Indian Express report, out of these, 23 leaders have seen relief in their cases from investigating agencies. The politicians who shifted to the BJP include individuals from various parties such as the Congress, NCP, Shiv Sena, Trinamool Congress, TDP, Samajwadi Party, and YSRCP. According to the report, three cases against these leaders have been closed, while 20 others remain inactive. Notably, six of these politicians switched to the BJP in 2024, just ahead of the Lok Sabha Elections. This trend follows a pattern observed in a 2022 report by the Indian Express...

Senior AAP leader and Delhi minister Atishi on Tuesday claimed a person close to her said that she should join the BJP or be prepared to be arrested by the Enforcement Directorate within a month. At a press conference here, Atishi claimed that besides herself, three Aam Aadmi Party leaders — Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj, MLA Durgesh Pathak and Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha — would also be arrested. The Delhi minister claimed that she was told that in the coming days, the ED would conduct raids at her residence and that of her relatives. The BJP has been rattled by the success of the INDIA bloc’s Ramlila Maidan rally on Sunday and has realised that sending Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to jail would not lead to the disintegration of the AAP, she asserted. Delhi Chief M...

The Supreme Court strongly rebuked Baba Ramdev and Patanjali Ayurveda for violating directives on misleading advertisements despite an earlier undertaking. In a contempt hearing on Tuesday, both were directed to appear in person, where Ramdev offered an unconditional apology, deemed by the court as mere "lip service." The court criticized Patanjali, stating they owe an apology to the nation for their misleading claims. Additionally, the court questioned the government's inaction amid Patanjali's assertion that there were no Covid remedies in allopathy. Granting a final chance, the court instructed Ramdev and Patanjali's MD, Acharya Balkrishna, to file fresh affidavits within a week, warning of perjury charges for submitting allegedly fabricated documents. This follows the court...

Eminent economist Parakala Prabhakar, husband of Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, has predicted that the electoral bond controversy will heavily impact the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Speaking to Reporter TV, Prabhakar stated, "The electoral bond issue will escalate further, gaining global attention as one of the biggest scams. Not just India. It is the biggest scam on the world. This government will face severe repercussions from voters due to this issue." According to data from the Election Commission of India's official website, the BJP emerged as the primary beneficiary of electoral bonds, receiving a staggering ₹6,986.5 crore between April 12, 2019, and February 15, 2024. Trailing behind were West Bengal's Trinamool Congress (₹1,397 crore), Congress (₹1,334...

Tens and thousands of people from cross sections of society participated in the rally called at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi to protest against against the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal. "Let us join hands and march forward together," urged Mallikarjun Kharge at the INDIA rally, emphasizing the collective effort needed for the nation's welfare. "Our unity is not just for individuals like Hemant or Kejriwal but for the entire population of 1.4 billion. Despite our differences, we stand united for a greater cause." Asserting their stance against the BJP, Kharge stated, "We will demonstrate to the BJP that the people are fed up... Their claims of surpassing 400 seats are baseless; it's mere wishful thinking." In his address, Kharge criticized the RSS, likening it to poison, and emphasized...

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra slammed the BJP-led Centre on Saturday over its proposal to borrow more than Rs 14 lakh crore, asking why is the government “drowning the people in debt” when instead of relief being provided to them, the “burden of unemployment, inflation and economic crisis” is increasing. In her budget speech last month, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman proposed to borrow Rs 14.13 lakh crore by issuing dated securities to meet a revenue shortfall in the next financial year starting April 1. In a post in Hindi on X, Gandhi said: “The finance ministry stated that the government is going to borrow more than Rs 14 lakh crore in the current financial year. Why?” In the 67 years since independence till 2014, the country’s total debt was Rs 55 lakh crore, the C...

The Jammu Kashmir administration has decided to protect and restore the ancient temples in Kashmir Valley. As per an official communique, a copy of which lies with the news agency Kashmir News Trust, the Jammu Kashmir Government has directed the Department of Culture to protect, conserve and restore the Martand Sun Temple situated in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district. The government has also decided to install the statue of Emperor Lalitaditya Muktapida who built the Martand Sun Temple during the 8th Century AD. Principal Secretary to the Government, Department of Culture shall take a meeting to discuss the matter regarding the protection, conservation, and restoration of the ancient temples in Kasmir with the installation of a statue of Emperor Lalitaditya Muktapida in the premis...

In an outrageous incident, a woman reporter from the Press Trust of India (PTI) was verbally abused and physically assaulted by a reporter working for news agency ANI. The incident, which was caught on camera and posted from the official X handle of PTI, shows Elezabeth, the woman reporter, and ANI reporter Raghavendra engaged in a heated argument, after which Raghavendra is seen slapping her a couple of times. He only stopped after he was forcibly pushed back by other people around them. The incident took place on Thursday, March 28, in Bengaluru, during a press meet by Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar. “Abominable behaviour by ANI (@ANI) reporter who physically assaulted and verbally abused with sexual expletives a young PTI female reporter at a press event (@DKS...