Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal challenged PM Modi to arrest him and other leaders of AAP on Saturday, reported ANI. He said that he along with senior AAP leaders will be present at the Bharatiya Janata Party headquarters tomorrow noon. After Kejriwal's former personal assistant, Bibhav Kumar was detained by the Delhi Police in the assault case of AAP MP Swati Maliwal, Kejriwal said that Prime Minister Modi is playing 'Jail ka Khel' with the Aam Aadmi Party. "You can see how they (BJP) are after AAP. One after another, they are putting AAP leaders behind bars. They put me, Manish Sisodia, Satyendra Jain, and Sanjay Singh behind bars. Today they put my PA in jail. Now they are saying they will put Raghav Chadha, Atishi, and Saurabh Bharadwaj in jail. Maybe our fault is that we built schools and mohalla clinics, we provided free electricity, but they are unable to do it. I would like to tell the Prime Minister - you are playing this 'jail ka khel'. Tomorrow, I am coming to the BJP headquarters with all my top leaders, MLAs, and MPs at 12 noon. You can put in jail whoever you want," Arvind Kejriwal said. He further said that the Aam Aadmi Party cannot be crushed, as it is not just a political party but an "ideology", as per the report. "You might be thinking that by putting AAP leaders in jail, you will be able to crush AAP but AAP is an ideology that has touched the hearts of people," he said. Bibhav Kumar has been detained by the Delhi Police. The former aide of the AAP supremo, meanwhile, emailed Delhi Police stating that he was ready to cooperate in the ongoing probe into Maliwal's assault claim while adding that they should also take cognisance of his complaint. Reacting to the arrest of the CM's former aide, the chairperson of the National Commission for Women (NCW) Rekha Sharma posted from her official X handle, "Delhi CM's aide Bibhav Kumar was arrested from his house. So, the CM was giving shelter to an alleged criminal. Bibhav, on Friday, lodged a counter-complaint with the police accusing Maliwal of gaining 'unauthorised entry' into the CM's Civil Lines residence and 'verbally abusing' him. In his complaint, Kejriwal's former PA charged Maliwal with unauthorised entry, verbal abuse, and threats while also claiming the BJP's involvement in the matter. Meanwhile, Delhi Minister and AAP leader Atishi on Saturday claimed that Swati Maliwal filed the assault FIR against Arvind Kejriwal's aide Bibhav Kumar at the behest of the ruling BJP. The AAP leader said that the former DCW chief was being used as a 'pawn' and was made to 'hatch this conspiracy' using an old Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) case as leverage. Maliwal in her complaint has alleged that Kejriwal's Personal Secretary Bibhav Kumar "slapped" her "atleast seven to eight times" while she "continued screaming" and "brutally dragged" her while "kicking" her in her "chest, stomach and pelvis area." Notably, the Vigilance Department had last month terminated the service of Bibhav Kumar, personal assistant (PA) to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, over a pending criminal case. (With inputs from PTI)
18 May,2024 07:02 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondentThe Jammu & Kashmir State Investigation agency filed a supplementary charge-sheet on Friday against two terrorists involved in multiple attacks in the state's Rajouri district, reported news agency PTI. It was filed in a special court in Jammu, they said. The charge-sheet names Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative Mohd Qasim alias "Salman" alias "Waseem", who exfiltrated to Pakistan for arms training in 1990, and Talib Hussain Shah, who was previously arrested with sophisticated weapons in Reasi district, a spokesman of the agency said. The case involves their participation in acts of terrorism, including killings, a grenade attack and planting IEDs in busy areas, he said and added that their actions caused significant damage to government properties. Shah, a resident of Rajouri, and his associate Faisal Ahmad Dar from Pulwama were apprehended by villagers in Reasi district in July 2022 and handed over to police, the officials said. Two AK assault rifles, a pistol, seven grenades and a large amount of ammunition were seized from them, they added. The accused had received large quantities of arms, ammunition and other war-like stores via drone drops in Lamberi, Rajouri. These were then moved to Kandi Budhal for terrorist activities, as directed by their Pakistani handlers, the spokesman said. The main charge-sheet was filed on December 29 last year by the SIA. Further investigation led to the detention of two more LeT associates, who confessed to their involvement in various acts of terrorism acts and the transport of arms and ammunition from Lamberi to Kandi Budhal in collaboration with Shah, he said. The detained associates had voluntarily joined the LeT. They were motivated by Pakistani handlers, the spokesman said. (With inputs from PTI) Two people arrested with weapons in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian In a joint operation of the Indian Army, Central Reserve Police Force and Jammu and Kashmir Police, two persons in possession of weapons were apprehended at Aloora in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian on Sunday. The weapons recovered from them are one pistol, two hand grenades and other warlike stores, said the army. "Based on specific intelligence input, a Joint Mobile Vehicle Check Post (MVCP) was established today by #IndianArmy, @crpf_srinagar & @JmuKmrPolice at Aloora, Shopian. Two suspected individuals have been apprehended along with recovery of 01xPistol, 02xHand Grenade & other war like stores. Further Investigation is in progress," the army posted on X.
18 May,2024 05:51 PM IST | Jammu | mid-day online correspondentDirector General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav announced here on Friday that the Cyber Crime Division of the Punjab Police has raided two fictitious call centres operating in Mohali and detained 155 of their employees for deceiving and making fraudulent calls to individuals residing in the United States. The first fake Call centre was located at Plot at Sector 74 in SAS Nagar, while, the other fake Call Centre was established at A-one Tower at Sector 74 of SAS Nagar. Both the call centres seemed to be run by Gujarat-based kingpins. Per an ANI report, preliminary investigations, according to DGP Gaurav Yadav, showed that the phoney call centres were open at night, and callers were tricking foreign nationals into buying gift cards from places like Target, Apple, Amazon, and so on using three different strategies. According to him, the owner redeems these gift cards once a team manager shares them. At a press conference, ADGP Cyber Crime V Neeraja stated that information about fictitious call centres targeting foreign nationals living overseas was gathered by Inspectors Gaganpreet Singh and Daljit Singh, along with their team, with technical support from the Digital Investigation Training and Analysis Centre (DITAC) Lab of Cybercrime. She said that after zeroing in on the locations, Police teams under the supervision of SP Cybercrime Jashandeep Singh, led by DSP Prabhjot Kaur raided both the fake Call centres on the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday, and arrested all the 155 employees who were working as Diallers, Closers, Bankers and Floor Managers. However, both the kingpins are absconding and police teams are working to nab them, she added. In addition to scripts for customer service training, she stated that police teams had also found 204 laptops, 79 desktop computers, mobile phones, and other accessories. According to ADGP V Neeraja, of the 155 people detained, 18 employees were placed under police remand, and the remaining detained individuals were all placed under judicial remand. She stated that more inquiries are underway to determine the entire amount of fraud committed and that more apprehensions are anticipated in the next few days. An FIR has been registered under sections 419, 420, 467, 468, 471 and 120B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and sections 66C and 66D of the Information Technology (IT) Act at Police Station State Cyber Crime Cell. (With Inputs from ANI)
18 May,2024 12:28 PM IST | Chandigarh (Punjab) | mid-day online correspondentCongressman Ashok Gehlot, a former chief minister of Rajasthan, stated on Friday that he was confident his party would win the 2024 Lok Sabha election. He predicted the Congress would establish an INDIA bloc government and win both the Amethi and Raebareli seats with a sizable majority. "The government will be formed on June 4th, when the INDIA alliance will receive favourable results. Nobody took the BJP's statements seriously, and the INDIA coalition spread over the entire nation. He told ANI that "Congress is going to win both the Amethi and Raebareli seats with a huge majority." Meanwhile, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Congress Leader Sonia Gandhi and Congress candidate from Raebareli constituency Rahul Gandhi held a joint rally along with Samajwadi Party Chief and candidate from Kannauj Lok Sabha seat Akhilesh Yadav in Uttar Pradesh's Raebareli on Friday. Per an ANI report, Odisha is holding both the Lok Sabha and assembly elections at the same time. Beginning on May 13, the four phases of the Lok Sabha and assembly elections will also take place on May 20, May 25, and June 1. On May 3, the Congress declared Rahul from Raebareli and loyalist KL Sharma from Amethi as its candidates, eliminating Priyanka and Vadra from the race. Union Minister Smriti Irani defeated Rahul in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, and now Sharma faces her. Rahul has represented the Amethi seat in Parliament since 2004 and served as the constituency's representative until 2019. From 1981 until his passing in 1991, Rajiv Gandhi, his father and the previous prime minister, was an elected member of the Lower House representing Amethi. Before handing the reins to Rahul in 2004, Sonia Gandhi ran for and won Amethi in 1999. Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had defeated Raebareli three times before Sonia. The fifth phase of elections in the Rae Bareli constituency takes place on May 20. In the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi won the constituency, bagging 5,34,918 votes. Her closest rival, Dinesh Pratap Singh, put up a formidable challenge, gathering 3,67,740 votes. (With Inputs from ANI)
18 May,2024 11:49 AM IST | Amethi (Uttar Pradesh) | mid-day online correspondentOmar Abdullah, the vice president of the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference, stated on Friday that the Muslim population in the country is being targeted and questioned the idea that "Muslims have no right to participate in the development" of the country. Different narratives are being utilised to attack the Muslim community, according to Omar Abdullah. Addressing an election rally in Bandipore, Omar Abdullah told ANI, "Muslims are being targeted. These days narrative is that if Muslims come, they will steal the jewellery of Hindus, if Muslims come, they will take the land of Hindus. The elections are between Modi and Rahul Gandhi and development and jihad. As, if Muslims know nothing apart from Jihad. Do we not want to participate in development?" He went on to say that the Uniform Civil Code is being implemented by the BJP in an attempt to take away the Muslim community's right to marry. "They want to snatch away our Sharia rights. We won't be allowed to marry someone through Nikah and will have to go to court. Ask BJP, how many Muslim candidates it has fielded in these Lok Sabha elections," Abdullah said. "How can we forget a worshiper is kicked while performing a Jumma prayer? Our girls when they wanted to go to school in Karnataka, they were allowed to enter in peace after taking off the hijab," he added. Per the ANI report, following the repeal of Article 370, BJP leader Kavinder Gupta claimed earlier today that conditions in Jammu and Kashmir have altered. "Many people of different societies got their rights. In the coming days, assembly elections will be held in the state and hence Amit Shah directed the party workers regarding the preparations for that. He said that the BJP will contest all seats (in assembly elections) Lok Sabha elections are also going on, hence he is here, also to see security situations in the state," he said. Notably, the BJP is not running for any of the three Lok Sabha seats in Jammu and Kashmir—Baramulla, Anantnag, and Srinagar. The National Conference (NC) and the People's Democratic Party (PDP), two significant regional parties, continued to compete in the election. The BJP had six candidates in Jammu and Kashmir for the 2019 Lok Sabha election, but they were unable to secure any seats in the region. Voting for the Udhampur and Jammu seats concluded on April 19 and 26, respectively, while in Srinagar, voting was done on May 13. The Baramulla seat will vote on May 20, while the Anantnag-Rajouri seat will vote on May 25. (With Inputs from ANI)
18 May,2024 11:33 AM IST | Bandipora (Jammu and Kashmir) | ANIOn Friday, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri met with distinguished Sikhs to talk about the 10-year accomplishments of the Modi administration and the prime minister's "Viksit Bharat - 2047" goal. At the event that Puri organised at his home, notable Sikhs from all spheres of life joined in, and the minister emphasised how Prime Minister Narendra Modi has devoted his life to the community's well-being. Prominent lawyers, businessmen, scholars, military personnel, and politicians were among the attendees of the interactive session, "Vishesh Sampark Abhiyan", according to a PTI report. The Sikh community, according to Puri, is small but unmatched in accomplishment. He named many community members, including fashion designers, chefs, the principals of Mata Sundri College for Women and Shriram College of Commerce, singer Daler Mehndi, civil servants, the president of Miranda House's governing body, Iqbal Singh Lalpura, the chairperson of the National Commission for Minorities, senior advocate and former Punjab MLA HS Phoolka, former PNB chief SS Kohli, and Rajya Sabha ex-MP Tarlochan Singh. According to the minister, the Sikh community holds a particular place in the prime minister's heart and thoughts. "He desires to give this community its rightful place in the country," he noted, listing several initiatives taken by Modi for the community. According to Puri, Sikhs are dispersed throughout India and the globe, and they have always held strong, unwavering confidence in and affection for the prime minister, dating back to his time as a "pracharak" and before he took over as head of the Centre in May 2014. "All his actions during the past 10 years speak for that love for the Sikh community, starting from (operationalising the) Kartarpur Sahib corridor to ropeways at gurdwara sahibs. The prime minister has always had this long-standing faith in the Sikh community. Today, I thought it would be appropriate to invite members of the Sikh community, cutting across segments," Puri said. Speaking on "Sikhs with NaMo", he said it is part of a series and expressed happiness that it got off to a flying start. "We are holding another function on Sunday with members of the armed forces, police and civil services (personnel) and eminent intellectuals. We are holding another function with members of the tech community on May 20," the minister noted. Popular Punjabi singer Mehndi said Modi's love for Sikhs is sincere and added that he wished him well so that he can do more for the community's welfare. BJP leaders Manjinder Singh Sirsa and Arvinder Singh Lovely said the prime minister has done a lot for the community and will continue his sincere efforts for the cause of the Sikhs. Sirsa also accused the Congress of being responsible for the attack on the Golden Temple and the killings of thousands of Sikhs in the riots following the assassination of Indira Gandhi in 1984. (With Inputs from PTI)
18 May,2024 11:09 AM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondentArjun Singh, the leader of the BJP, asserted with pride on Friday that his party does not engage in communal politics since it values bringing everyone along. In response to accusations made by the West Bengal TMC, which is in power, that the BJP is engaging in religion-based politics, Singh, the BJP candidate for the Barrackpore Lok Sabha constituency, said. "We believe in taking along everyone without appeasement. And, why can't we highlight the issue of building the Ram Mandir (in Ayodhya) before the elections? How can talking about this issue in campaigns be termed as communal," he told PTI video. In addition, Singh, who is running for re-election from the North 24 Parganas district seat under the TMC, allegedly accused Chief Minister and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee of focusing solely on regional concerns and disparaging Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a "brazen and unsightly" way during election rallies. But all of it, he said, "will not work." "I am reaching out to the people, highlighting the Sandeshkhali issue that brought shame to every resident of the state, as well as the unprecedented scale of corruption under the TMC rule... The voters are ready to respond to these in the polls," Singh said. Singh responded to Partha Bhowmick, his former colleague and opponent in the TMC, by saying there is no competition for the state ministry. "His (Bhowmick's) reach is very limited. I have no competition with him. I am 200 per cent sure about my win," the BJP leader claimed. "What does the public ask of a politician? They want their leader to listen to people's issues and work for them. They do not see which party the leader belongs to. I believe I have already proved myself on this front," he told PTI. (With Inputs from PTI)
18 May,2024 10:07 AM IST | Barrackpore (WB) | mid-day online correspondentAccording to Delhi Fire Services (DFS) authorities on Friday, there were three significant fire incidents that occurred in various regions of the city. According to the government, no information about any injuries was reported until late at night. "A big fire broke out in a factory in Kirti Nagar area of west Delhi. We received a call regarding the fire at 3.37 pm from the Kirti Nagar industrial area. A total of 25 fire tenders were rushed to the spot. No injuries were reported," DFS chief Atul Garg said. Per a PTI report, Garg stated that fifteen fire tenders were called into action following a report of a similar event at a factory in the Bawana industrial region outside Delhi."There were no reports of injuries from the Bawana region. At 5:05 p.m., we got a call," the DFS director stated. He claimed that a banquet facility close to the south Delhi Kalkaji Metro Station experienced another fire. "Three individuals were securely retrieved from the dinner hall's second-floor roof. At 6:56 p.m., we received a call about this fire," Garg stated. (With Inputs from PTI)
18 May,2024 10:00 AM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondentKarnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Friday said efforts are on to bring Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna, who is facing charges of sexual abuse against women, back to India. He also asserted that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case was functioning efficiently. The 33-year-old Prajwal, who is the grandson of JD(S) patriarch and former PM H D Deve Gowda, is facing charges of multiple instances of sexually abusing women. The scandal has raised a political storm with the ruling Congress and BJP-JD(S) engaged in a slugfest. Prajwal reportedly left India on April 27 and is still at large. He was BJP-JD(S) alliance’s candidate from Hassan Lok Sabha segment, which went to polls in the first phase on April 26. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
18 May,2024 07:44 AM IST | Bengaluru | AgenciesThe Enforcement Directorate on Friday filed a charge sheet against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the money laundering case linked to the alleged excise policy scam, and also named his Aam Aadmi Party as accused. The prosecution complaint has been filed before a special court here and the accused have been sought to be charged under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), sources said. The federal agency had arrested 55-year-old Kejriwal, also the national convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party, from his official residence here on March 21. He is currently out of jail on interim bail. Overall this is the eighth charge sheet filed by the ED in this case in which it has arrested 18 people so far. Last week, a similar complaint was filed by the agency against BRS leader and former Telangana chief minister Chandrashekar Rao’s daughter K Kavitha and four others. The CM has earlier been called the “kingpin and key conspirator” of the Delhi excise “scam” by the ED. It is alleged he acted in collusion with ministers of Delhi government, AAP leaders and other persons. Kejriwal should apologise: Nirmala Nirmala Sitharaman slammed Delhi CM for not speaking on the issue of alleged attack on his party MP Swati Maliwal, and said he is instead “shamelessly” moving around with accused Bibhav Kumar. Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters, Sitharaman demanded the AAP convener make a statement on the matter and tender an apology for the alleged assault on Maliwal at his official residence on May 13. She said AAP MP Sanjay Singh had promised action in the case but Kejriwal was seen the next day in Lucknow with the accused, a close aide. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
18 May,2024 07:41 AM IST | New Delhi | AgenciesOne of Uttar Pradesh’s most high-profile and closely watched Lok Sabha constituencies, sees Congress fielding K L Sharma, a staunch loyalist of the Gandhi family who has managed elections for them in Amethi and Raebareli for 41 years. While speculation swirled around whether Rahul Gandhi or Priyanka Gandhi would contest from here, Congress’s announcement of Sharma as their candidate laid it to rest. Although Sharma’s candidacy may have dampened expectations of a showdown between BJP minister Smriti Irani and Rahul Gandhi, the significance of this constituency remains undiminished. Your candidacy announcement has taken everyone, including the BJP in Amethi, by surprise. It was the party’s decision; I had no prior knowledge as I simply believed in hard work. I’ve seen how Amethi was built brick by brick by the Gandhi family. I’m grateful to the Gandhi family for placing such trust in me. Having spent many years in Amethi, I had the privilege of working closely with the late Rajiv Gandhi Ji, who was one of the most humble politicians I’ve ever encountered. The affection and support that Amethi and Raebareli have for the Gandhi family are unparalleled, and today, I feel that same warmth extended towards me. Do you believe that the people of Amethi were hoping for Rahul Gandhi to contest once more from the constituency?Rahul Gandhi is already contesting from Raebareli, adjacent to Amethi, and he’s also running from Wayanad in Kerala. The people of Amethi understand that wherever Rahul fights, Amethi remains close to his heart. He frequently visits here and has been actively involved in various initiatives, including distributing ration during COVID-19 and of blankets during winter. Unfortunately, the ruling party has halted development projects in Amethi, but we are committed to resuming them starting June 4. As someone deeply familiar with Amethi, what do you perceive as the central issue in this Lok Sabha election?The primary concerns in Amethi revolve around unemployment, the region’s development, and the menace of stray cattle damaging crops, a problem prevalent throughout Uttar Pradesh. Additionally, residents are questioning the current MP about unfulfilled promises made during the 2019 elections, such as providing sugar for Rs 13/kg. This dissatisfaction has emerged as a central issue in Amethi. What are your thoughts on the BJP’s campaign in Amethi? I don’t see it as fighting an election; rather, it’s a continuation of the work I’ve been doing for 41 years. Previously, I worked behind the scenes, and now I’m doing so openly as a candidate. It’s the people who are fighting for me, for Congress, and for the Gandhi family. Visit Amethi and Raebareli, and you’ll find your answers. What do you anticipate will be your margin of victory?To predict a winning margin is arrogance and sin, I leave this to the people of Amethi. June 4Day poll results will be out
18 May,2024 07:37 AM IST | Amethi | Faizan KhanADVERTISEMENT
