10:52 ‘PM-EC jugalbandi out in open’: Sibbal on Gujarat poll dates row:
Congress leader Kapil Sibal today attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Election Commission for not announcing the Gujarat assembly poll dates and said that the ‘jugalbandi’ between the two is out in the open.
“PM , EC jugalbandi now in the open. Allow me time for jumlas, then announce election dates in Gujarat. First week December: Amit Shah ! (sic),” tweeted Sibal.
The former HRD Minister also referred to reports which quoted BJP party president Amit Shah claiming that Gujarat assembly elections will be held in the first week of December.
On Sunday, the PM had hit out at the Congress for questioning the EC over the delay in announcing the poll schedule for Gujarat.
“Some of them (Opposition) are worried why Modi is coming to Gujarat after Diwali. They can’t say anything to me, so they are targeting the Election Commission,” the PM said and asked the gathering, “You tell me, should I not come to Vadodara?”
On October 12, the EC had announced assembly poll schedule for Himachal Pradesh but did not announce the dates for Gujarat, only saying that it would go to the polls before December 18.
This has been questioned by Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, senior leader P Chidambaram and some others in the Congress party.
According to the police, the girl was sexually assaulted before she was strangulated to death.
The police said the girl was kidnapped by an unidentified person, who allegedly barged into the house late in the night and kidnapped the girl, who was sleeping next to her mother.
The girl was found dead in the early hours near Kudale Mala farm. Some residents living in the vicinity spotted the girl. “Prima facie, it seems that the girl was allegedly murdered by strangulation as there are strangulation marks on her neck,” said Shivaji Pawar, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Swargate division).
“The investigation also revealed that the girl was sexually assaulted as the post-mortem report indicates that she was sexually abused,” he said.
Pawar said the girl’s mother woke up to find her daughter missing from the bed. She went to her husband, who was sleeping in another room, and told him about their daughter’s disappearance.
“The girl’s parents, with the help of people living in the vicinity, started the search for the girl, then called the police control room, and later approached the police station,” Pawar said, adding, that since the girl was a minor, a case of kidnapping was registered immediately.
“We have registered a case against an unidentified person under IPC sections 363 (kidnapping) and 302 (murder),” Pawar said.
“The process of adding further sections under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012, and the IPC is still going on,” he added.
The girl’s parents are daily wage labourers.
Asthana, a 1984-batch IPS officer, had been serving in the Central Bureau of Investigation as additional director.
He is among eight senior police officers promoted by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, according to anotification by the department of personnel and training.
Javeed Ahmed, a 1984-batch IPS officer who served as the director general of police of Uttar Pradesh and launched key police modernisation projects such as the ‘Twitter Seva’ in the state, was given the rank of special DG at the Centre.
Ahmed, a former CBI joint director who was posted at the National Institute of Criminology and Forensic Science under the home ministry, has been given the rank of special DG on ‘in-situ’ basis, the notification said.
Officers from the 1984-batch Deepak Mishra, AGMU cadre, and Sudeep Lakhtakia, Telangana cadre, have been promoted as special DGs in the CRPF.
Both were serving in the force as additional DGs, it said. A P Maheshwari, UP cadre, and Rajesh Ranjan, Bihar cadre, both 1984-batch IPS officers who held the posts of additional DG in the BSF, have been promoted as special DGs in the force.
Two 1984-batch IPS officers posted as additional directors in the Intelligence Bureau (IB) — Gurbachan Singh, Odisha cadre, and Arvind Kumar — have been given the ranks of special director.
While Singh has been given the position against an existing vacancy, Kumar has been granted the rank and pay of special director on ‘in-situ’ basis, it said.
Sherin Mathews, who has developmental issues and limited verbal communication skills, was last seen outside her family’s backyard in Richardson city in Texas on October 7 after her foster father reportedly upbraided her and sent her alone outside late at night as punishment for not finishing her milk.
The Richardson police announced that they discovered the remains of a child in a tunnel beneath a road, expressing apprehension that it was “most likely” of Sherin. They, however, did not confirm the identity.
Sherin’s body was found about half a mile from the house of her adoptive parents Wesley and Sini Mathews.
As part of their search operation, officers blocked off an area near Spring Valley and Bowser roads, east of Central Expressway.
The body was found in a culvert beneath a road around 11 am (local time) with the help of search dogs. Police have not released any details about how the child died.
09:46 ‘Mersal’ addressed important issue, says Rajini amid row:
Tamil superstar Rajinikanth lauded the crew of actor Vijay’s starrer Mersal, saying the film has addressed an important issue.
However in a terse Twitter message, he did not explicitly refer to any specific issue, although the film has courted controversy over goods and services tax, with the Bharatiya Janata Party claiming that there have been incorrect references to the central taxation.
“Important topic addressed….. well done!!! congratulations team#mersal’ Rajinikanth said in a brief tweet.
Diwali release Mersal has kicked up a row with the BJP taking exception to references on GST in the movie.
BJP leaders, including Raja, a national secretary in the party, state president Tamilisai Soundarajan and Union minister Pon Radhakrishnan, have been demanding that the “incorrect” references be deleted from the big-budget flick.
However, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, his senior colleague P Chidambaram, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam working president M K Stalin, veteran star Kamal Haasan and a host of Tamil cinema industry representatives had supported the film crew on the issue.
The BJP had on October 20 objected to what it termed as “untruths” regarding the GST in just-released Mersal, and wanted dialogues on the central taxation to be deleted.
Actor Vishal had earlier accused Raja of advocating piracy by watching the movie online, a charge rejected by latter. — PTI
09:28 Modi congratulates Shinzo Abe on re-election:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today congratulated his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe on his re-election and said he looked forward to further strengthening the relations between the two countries.
Abe got a resounding victory in the snap polls held yesterday, with his LDF-led coalition winning two-thirds majority in the lower house of Parliament.
“Heartiest greetings to my dear friend @AbeShinzo on his big election win. Look forward to further strengthen India- Japan relations with him,” Modi tweeted.
Modi and Abe share a great relationship and have met several times over the last three years.
Abe was in India recently for the annual summit meeting with Modi. — PTI
The Defence Research and Development Organisation Chairman S Christopher has said that necessary modifications have been made to the advanced version of the indigenous Arjun Mark II main battle tank as recommended by the army.
The DRDO chairman expressed confidence that the tank will be accepted by the army.
The army had asked for 93 improvements to the tank which includes the capability of firing the anti-tank LAHAT missile, laser protection suite and improved armoured protection for the vehicle.
“We have done the modifications… it will go through the trials and there is a possibility that Arjun MK II (battle tank) will be accepted by army and two regiments have already agreed to induct the tanks,” said DRDO Chairman, while talking to reporters in Pune.
Christopher was in Pune to inaugurate POINTS 21 Batch of Post Induction Training School programme for newly inducted DRDO scientists at the Defence Institute of Advanced Technology.
As per DRDO, Arjun Mark II can fire missiles, has advanced explosive reactive armour panels, mine plough, automatic target tracking, advanced land navigation system, digital control harness and advanced commander panoramic sight among other features.
Arjun will have a better gun barrel with an equivalent firing charge (strength of the barrel to sustain firing) of 500 rounds against the T 72’s 250 rounds.
The Chennai-based Combat Vehicle Research and Development Establishment has designed the Mark II version of MBT at its facility there. — PTI
08:18 Was offered Rs 1 crore to join BJP: Patel leader’s sensational claim:
A member of the Hardik Patel-led group campaigning for reservations for the Patel community in Gujarat has alleged that he was offered Rs 1 crore for crossing over to the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Narendra Patel, convenor for the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti in north Gujarat, had joined the BJP on Sunday evening in the presence of Hardik Patel’s former aide Varun Patel who had crossed over to the BJP on Saturday.
However, late in the night Narendra Patel alleged that he had been offered Rs 1 crore by the BJP through Varun Patel to switch sides. The charge has been denied by Varun Patel.
Varun took me around in Gandhinagar and then took me to Shree Kamalam office of the BJP and introduced me to Jitubhai Vaghani and some ministers. He then took me to a room and handed over a bag of Rs 10 lakh cash as token and promised to pay me Rs 90 lakh tomorrow after a party function which I was required to attend, he said, dramatically spreading out the bundles of cash that he said were handed over to him, at a late-night press conference on Sunday.
“These people (BJP leaders) then immediately called a press conference, and made me say it (that I was joining the BJP),” Patel went on to say.
“I, however, felt that this is wrong, and that the Patel community is being betrayed,” Patel told a crowded a press conference.
He said that he had decided to take the money and parade it before the media to expose Varun Patel and the BJP.
These allegations come a day after Varun and Reshma Patel, another member of the PAAS, joined BJP, alleging that the Congress was trying to hijack the reservation stir.
“The allegations are baseless and motivated by the Congress as the party fears that Patidars are swinging back to the BJP after realising the Congress gameplan,” Varun Patel said.
Source: Rediff