13:18 Six cops resign after terrorists abduct, kill 3 colleagues in J-K: Six cops have resigned after three policemen were found dead in an orchard in Jammu and Kashmir’s Shopian district, Friday. The three cops had been abducted by terrorists from their homes in the early hours of the morning, police said. A Twitter handle purportedly belonging to the Hizbul Mujahideen group
has claimed responsibility for the incident. Security agencies also
believe that Hizb militants are behind the killings.
The shock news of the brutal killings of the three men prompted two of the six police personnel to issue video messages announcing their resignation from the force.
The slain policemen were identified as constable Nissar Ahmed and two special police officers, Firdous Ahmed and Kulwant Singh. They were kidnapped early this morning from their homes at Batagund and Kapran villages, a police official said.
He said security forces launched intensive search operations to rescue the abducted men but terrorists shot them dead. The bodies were recovered from an orchard at Wangam.
“We have lost three of our brave colleagues in a barbaric terror strike. Our tribute to the three martyred jawans… ,” a police spokesperson said. “We condemn this inhuman act and assure that all the culprits shall be dealt under law,” he added.
Police said the residents of Batagund village chased the terrorists and pleaded with them to not abduct the men. The abductors fired shots in the air and threatened the villagers, officials said. The terrorists crossed a river in the area and shot dead the policemen, the officials added.
The killings are believed to have triggered panic in the lower ranks of the police department. “My name is Irshad Ahmad Baba and I was working as a constable in the police. I have rendered my resignation…,” said one of them in a video being widely circulated on social media.
Tajalla Hussain Lone, an SPO, said he had resigned from the police department on September 17 and was issuing the video to put to rest any doubts that he had done so. Police officials refused to comment on the resignations, saying they would verify the information.
Hizbul Mujahideen commander Riyaz Naikoo has several times warned local policemen, especially SPOs, to resign from the force, saying that the government was using them.
Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti expressed her outrage on Twitter. “Three more policemen have lost their lives to militant bullets. Outrage, shock & condemnation will be expressed by all of us on expected lines. Unfortunately, it brings no solace to the families of the victims,” she said. The Centre’s muscular policy, she added, was not working at all with the rise in kidnapping of police personnel and their families. “Dialogue, the only way forward seems to be a distant dream for now,” she tweeted.
Image: A wreath laying ceremony of police personnel Nisar Ahmad, Firdous Kuchay and Kulwant Singh who were kidnapped by terrorists in south Kashmir’s Shopian and were later found dead today. Pic: ANI
12:42 CID to decide on Bishop Franco’s arrest after interrogation: The Kerala Police on Friday said that they will take a call on the arrest of Bishop Franco Mulakkal, who allegedly raped a nun, after his interrogation.
Speaking to ANI, Kottayam Superintendent of Police, Harisankar said, “After interrogation, we will decide whether to go forward with his arrest or not. I can’t say if the arrest will be made today.”
Mulakkal appeared before a Special Investigation Team of the Kochi Police for the third day on Friday. He reached the Crime Branch (CID) office in Thrippunithura this morning and is being quizzed by a five-member team headed by Vaikom Deputy Superintendent of Police, K Subhash, over the nun’s allegations.
The senior Catholic priest, who was in charge of the Jalandhar diocese, was temporarily relieved of his pastoral duties by Pope Francis, yesterday.
The move came days after he wrote to the Pope, expressing his desire to ‘temporarily step aside’ from the responsibilities of the diocese, allowing him time to fight his case.
The nun had accused Mulakkal of raping her 13 times between 2014 and 2016. The bishop, however, refuted the allegations, terming them “baseless and concocted”. — ANI
12:34 Jet Airways shares continue to fall; tank 8%: Shares of Jet Airways continued to fall for the second straight session Friday, tumbling 8 per cent amid concerns over Income Tax officials conducting survey of its premises. After a weak opening, shares of the company further plunged 8 per cent to Rs 224.70 — its 52-week low — on BSE. At NSE, shares of the company slumped 7.11 per cent to hit a one-year low of Rs 225.85. The stock had fallen nearly 4 per cent Wednesday also. — PTI
12:15 Cong slams BSP over alliance with Jogi: The Congress in Chhattisgarh has hit out at Mayawati-led BSP for allying with former chief minister Ajit Jogi’s party for the upcoming state assembly election and claimed the pre-poll tie-up has the support of the ruling BJP.
The Congress was hoping for an alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party to take on the BJP in upcoming polls. It said the BSP has allied with Jogi, an ex-Congressman, as it was facing heat from central government agencies. The Congress said the alliance between the BSP and Jogi’s Janta Congress Chhattisgarh has the support of the BJP, which is ruling the state since 2003. The alliance between the BSP and the JCC was announced in Lucknow Thursday by Mayawati, who said Jogi will be its chief ministerial candidate. According to her, the BSP will contest 35 seats and the JCC 55 in the 90-member House. “Pressure from the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate on the BSP has led to the creation of this alliance. “This alliance had been formed with the BJP’s support and the people of the state had an understanding of it,” state Congress chief Bhupesh Baghel said Thursday. He claimed the BSP had been fielding candidates on the direction of the BJP in all elections in the state so far. — PTI
12:04 Odisha in lockdown as Cyclone Daye approaches : Cyclonic storm ‘Daye’ is likely to cause damage to the road, rail and communication channels in various districts of Odisha, India Meteorological Department, Bhubaneswar said on Friday.
The IMD has predicted damage to the thatched hut, roads, crops and minor damage to power and communication lines in Gajapati, Ganjam, Khordha, Nayagarh and Puri districts. It has also advised the fishermen not to venture into waters of northwest Bay of Bengal and Odisha coast for next 24 hours.
The IMD stated that storm surge of about 0.5 meter above astronomical tides is expected to inundate the low lying area of districts of Gajapati, Ganjam, Khurda, Puri of Odisha in next three hours.
According to the IMD, after crossing the Odisha coast and adjoining north Andhra Pradesh coast, the cyclonic storm will move towards west-north-west direction and will gradually weaken into a deep depression in next six hours.
The cyclonic storm has caused heavy rains along with the high-speed wind in various parts of the region since Saturday night.
Taking stock of the situation, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik reviewed the preparedness and directed concerned departments to take required action. Leave of government officials in five districts of Ganjam, Gajapati, Khordha, Nayagarh and Puri has also been cancelled.
Bishnupada Sethi, Special Relief Commissioner, Odisha, told ANI that people from low-lying areas were evacuated last night and kept at shelters. “No person has been injured or dead. Malkangiri has received very heavy rainfall in the last 24 hours and two villages and colonies have been affected. Reports of a landslide in Chitrakonda area, as well.
He said the situation is normal across Odisha, except for Malkangiri. The CM has sanctioned a gratuitous relief of Rs 60 a day per person and Rs 45/per day for children below 12 for seven days.
Image: A man wades through floodwaters in Poteru village of Malkangiri district. Pic: ANI
11:38 Get ready for Sacred Games season 2! :
For all Sacred Games’ fans — Netflix Inc. has just announced the much awaited second season of original series, Sacred Games.
The second season picks up from Sartaj Singh (Saif Ali Khan) pursuing his relentless battle of saving the city and Ganesh Gaitonde (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) facing bigger challenges to retain his position as the legendary kingpin of Mumbai. The intriguing Guruji (Pankaj Tripathi), introduced in season one as Gaitonde’s ‘third father,’ plays a pivotal role in unfolding a chain of events that shape the next season – which is scheduled to film in India and locations overseas this fall.
Based on author Vikram Chandra’s best-selling novel, season 1 of the series received viewer appreciation and critical acclaim worldwide for its gritty plot and power-packed performances. Season 2 will be back with a new trail of betrayal, crime, passion, and a thrilling chase through Mumbai’s underbelly. The games are about to get deadlier!
11:20 CID interrogates Bishop Franco for 3rd day:
Kerala: Rape accused ex-Bishop Franco Mulakkal has been brought to Crime Branch office in Kochi where he will be interrogated by a 5-member team for the third day today.
On Wednesday, the Mulakkal who has resigned as the bishop of Jalandar, arrived at the CID in Kochi where he was interrogated by a 5-member team led by Vaikom Dy SP K Subhash. A day earlier, the clergyman, accused of raping a nun, had filed an anticipatory bail petition in the Kerala High Court claiming allegations against him were a “cooked up story to wreak vengeance”.
The Kerala High Court adjourned the hearing of the application for September 25 when it will hear the police version.
10:57 Official media say Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang has died at age 61 due to illness: The Associated Press
10:31 Terrorists kill all three cops abducted in Shopian:
The three policemen abducted by terrorists last night from Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir, have been killed, say reports. Two of the men were Special Police Officers and one was a constable.
The reports about the abductions have come nearly three weeks after terrorists had abducted and released relatives of policemen from various places in south Kashmir. At least eight people whose relatives worked in Jammu and Kashmir Police were abducted on the night of August 30.
Hizbul Mujahideen commander Riyaz Naikoo had purportedly claimed responsibility for the abductions in a 12-minute video, issuing a three-day deadline for the release of all relatives of terrorists who were in police custody.
The August 30 abductions happened after the NIA arrested the second son of globally-wanted terrorist Syed Salahuddin, leader of the Hizbul Mujahideen group. Salahuddin’s son was arrested on charges of receiving secret funds. — PTI
Image: A file pic of constable Saleem Shah, who was abducted and then killed by terrorists in June.
10:13 PoK remains breeding ground for Pak-backed terrorists, say Kashmiri activists : Political activists from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir have expressed concerns over growing extremism and terrorist activities in the region during an event on the sidelines of the 39th Session of the UN Human Rights Session in Geneva.
Shaukat Ali Kashmiri, exiled chairman of United Kashmir People’s National Party, said, “PoK has remained a hub of terrorism for decades. Pakistan’s agencies have created terrorists’ infrastructure in the area to carry out terrorist activities in other parts of the Kashmir. It has become a launching pad. We have complete information that Pakistan has not changed its policies, it is merely statements by them to mislead the international community, but terrorist camps are running under the patronage of state of Pakistan.”
Another human rights activist from PoK, Dr Shabir Choudhry, said, “They have got a license to intimidate and frighten people. If need to be, they kill them.”
“Now, with the new government in Pakistan, the situation is going to be bad to worse because of Imran Khan. Although he went to Oxford, going to Oxford doesn’t make any difference. He is called as `Taliban Khan’ because a man who can give Rs. 30 crore from the official budget of the KPK to madrasas, which is known as Taliban university, you can see how much he has given unofficially. And how much support he is giving it to these fundamentalist groups, whose duty is to kill or convert people,” he added.
Several political activists have highlighted the issues concerning the people of PoK, who have been facing persecution by Islamabad. The construction of Neelum-Jhelum hydropower project on River Neelum has created environmental issues and severe water crisis in the capital Muzaffarabad.
Image: PoK residents hold protest rally against atrocities committed by the Pakistani Army.
09:57 11 lions dead in Gir, govt orders probe: At least 11 lions have died at Gir forest’s East division in last few days, forest department officials said on Friday. The sudden deaths of these lions have prompted the state government to initiate an investigation into the matter.
Speaking to ANI, Hitesh Vamja, veterinary forest officer of Gir Forest West said, “Most of the lions have died due to the lung infection. It was found that in some of them, the infection had also spread to other organs leading to death.”
“There is no need to worry as the forest department officials have taken necessary measures to prevent the spread of this air-borne disease to the remaining lions. We have vaccinated them to boost their immunity against the disease,” he said.
09:53 1 terrorist killed in encounter Kashmir’s Bandipora: A terrorist was gunned down by the security forces after an encounter broke out in Bandipora district of Jammu and Kashmir. The identity of the killed terrorist is yet to be ascertained.
The terrorist was killed after a long gunfight which broke out in the forest area of Sumlar in Bandipora on Thursday afternoon. The security forces had launched a cordon and search operation in the area to nab the terrorists, following which the encounter broke out. The search operation in the forest area is underway. — ANI
Representational image.
09:46 Rupee at 2-week high, gains 53 paise in early trade: Continuing its uptrend, the rupee firmed by another 53 paise to trade at over a two-week high of 71.84 against the US dollar in early trade Friday at the Interbank Foreign Exchange on increased selling of the American currency by exporters and banks.
Besides, the dollar’s weakness against some currencies overseas on easing trade war concerns and a higher opening of the domestic equity market supported the rupee, forex dealers said.
On Wednesday, the rupee had gained 61 paise, notching up its best single-day gain since March 2017 to close at 72.37 against the US currency supported by heavy dollar selling by banks and weakness in the greenback in global markets.
Meanwhile, the benchmark BSE Sensex recovered by 231.40 points, or 0.62 per cent, to 37,352.62 in morning trade. — PTI
09:20 Deputy IAF chief flies first Rafale made for India:
Deputy Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Raghunath Nambiar on Thursday flew the first Rafale fighter jet manufactured by Dassault Aviation for India.
Nambiar, who reached Paris four days ago, flew the aircraft in France to assess its efficacy.
He is in France to also assess the progress in the production of Rafale jets by Dassault Aviation.
Air Marshal Nambiar flew the first Rafale fighter jet manufactured by Dassault Aviation for India, the sources said.
The delivery of the jets — capable of carrying a range of potent weapons and missiles — is scheduled to begin from September next year. — PTI
09:16 4 J&K cops kidnapped by terrorists :
Three special police officers and one constable have been kidnapped by suspected terrorists from the Shopian in south Kashmir on Thursday night.
The terrorists have allegedly warned the policemen and asked them to resign, NDTV reports quoting police sources.
More details are awaited.
The kidnappings come just three weeks after three policemen and eight relatives of police personnel, who were kidnapped by terrorists in south Kashmir, were set free, after the Jammu and Kashmir police released around a dozen family members of terrorists.
09:04 Indigo bus catches fire, passengers rescued:
A bus belonging to IndiGo Airlines caught fire on Thursday at the Chennai airport while ferrying passengers of a domestic in-bound evening flight, according to airport officials.
No one was injured in the incident as the blaze was put out immediately by Fire and Rescue Services personnel, they said.
The bus caught fire as it was nearing the arrival point with about 50 passengers on board.
Since the blaze was doused immediately, preliminary assessment indicated not “much damage”, either to the interiors or the exteriors of the bus, they added.
The authorities are looking into the incident. — PTI
08:18 India, Pak foreign ministers meeting in New York terrific news: US:
The United States hailed India’s acceptance of Pakistani proposal for talks between the foreign ministers on the sidelines of the ongoing annual United Nations General Assembly session in New York and termed it as a “terrific news”.
“We saw that (reports of meetings between Indian and Pak leaders). I think that’s a terrific news for the Indians and Pakistanis to be able to sit down and have a conversation together,” State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert told reporters at her daily news conference.
On Thursday, ministry of external affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar announced that India has agreed to a meeting between Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Pakistan’s request. He, however, made it clear that it was not the resumption of the Indo-Pak dialogue.
Nauert also welcomed the exchange of messages between Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“We saw the reports about the positive messages being exchanged between Prime Minister Khan and also Prime Minister Modi. And we hope that the conditions will be set for a good strong relationship, a good strong bilateral relationship in the future,” she said
The United States has traditionally welcomed any talks between India and Pakistan, the pace of which, it has noted, depends on the leadership of the two countries.
“In general, the United States supports dialogue between India and Pakistan that can reduce tensions, and we understand and had frequent conversations with the Indian partners on the expectations that there would be demonstrable reduction in cross-border terrorism or infiltration that will help create the confidence for dialogue to take place,” Alice Wells, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, had told reporters during a conference call last week. — PTI
00:35 Jet passenger seeks Rs 30 lakh compensation, 100 upgrades:
One of the five Jet Airways passengers who were sent to a city hospital for treatment, has demanded Rs 30 lakh in compensation, besides 100 upgrade vouchers, alleging lack of proper care by the airline, sources in the airline have said.
The passenger has also allegedly threatened to ‘share’ the video of the flight, whose cockpit crew ‘forgot’ to turn on a switch that controls cabin air pressure early on Thursday, resulting in at least 30 passengers suffering nose and ear bleeding, with the media, if his demands are not met, they said.
Under the law, airlines are liable to pay compensation in case a passenger gets injured while travelling with them.
“The passenger claimed that Jet Airways has not taken care of its customers and therefore he should be paid Rs 30lakh in addition to 100 upgrade vouchers to enable him travel in a business class on an economy class ticket,” a source said.
At least 30 passengers on a Jet Airways flight from Mumbai to Jaipur suffered nose and ear bleeding Thursday after the crew ‘forgot’ to turn on a switch that controls cabin air pressure. — PTI
Source: Rediff