Gurugram, Mar 27 (PTI) The chief minister's flying squad, along with officials of the additional deputy commissioner's office, has busted a centre in Nathupur village falling under DLF Phase-3 police station limits here in Haryana that made fake Aadhaar cards and birth certificates, police said on Thursday.

The centre operator -- identified as Kashi Ram, a native of Bihar's Madhubani district -- has been arrested, they said.

An FIR was registered at the DLF Phase-3 police station, police said.

The team, during the raid on Wednesday, also seized a number of fake documents, including voter cards, PAN cards, bank passbooks, forged Aadhaar cards, a laptop, a printer and Rs 12,000 cash from the spot.

The accused ran an illegal business of fake Aadhaar cards through Prabhas cyber cafe, located in Nathupur village, police said.

"The accused used to make fake Aadhaar cards, voter cards and PAN cards without documents by taking Rs 400 to Rs 500. The accused, Kashi Ram, has been arrested and further investigation is underway to find out how many Aadhaar cards and birth certificates have been made by him," said a senior official of the chief minister's flying squad. PTI COR AS RC

Noida, Mar 27 (PTI) A video in which a man is seen being beaten up by two unidentified men has gone viral on social media, the Noida Police said on Thursday.

The video was purportedly shot in Noida's Sector 31, they said, adding that a case has been registered at the Sector 20 police station.

In the 38-second video, two men are seen thrashing a man wearing a helmet and carrying a backpack. A person is heard saying in the video that the security guards of poet Kumar Vishwas are beating up the man. Later, the man approached a security personnel but was being followed by unidentified men, who again beat him up.

According to police, two two-wheelers and car were involved in an accident at a Sector 31 intersection on Wednesday evening. An exchange of words between the passengers of the vehicles soon escalated into a physical fight, police said, adding that the personnel from a nearby security post had to intervene.

"The video of the incident has gone viral on social media. A case has been registered at the Sector 20 police station and legal action will be taken on that basis," an officer said.

"A complaint was received from a man who was riding one of the two-wheelers. Further legal action will be taken," Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Noida, Praveen Kumar Singh told PTI. PTI COR RC

Mau, Mar 27 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh Energy Minister Arvind Kumar Sharma on Thursday warned that officers would be held accountable for power disruptions.

"If a transformer burns out, the concerned officer will also face consequences," he said.

Addressing a public event in his hometown of Mau, Sharma asserted that the days of persuasion were over and strict action would now be taken against negligence in the power sector.

Highlighting the suspensions carried out over the past three years, Sharma said, "When I became a minister, power lines were worn out, poles were falling and transformers were overloaded. Back then, shouting at officers or suspending them wouldn't have solved the issue. However, 3,300 people have been suspended in the last three years and I can now say with confidence that power supply should not be disrupted in Mau, Ghazipur or Dohrighat."

He directed that areas designated for 24-hour power supply should receive uninterrupted electricity, while those under an 18-hour supply schedule should get exactly that.

Sharma emphasized that the government had fulfilled all demands of the electricity department, securing financial resources, equipment, technology and ample time to implement improvements.

"Now, mistakes will no longer be tolerated. 'Ab agar transformer phukega to afsar bhi phukega' (If a transformer fails, officers will also face consequences)," he said.

The minister also mentioned a recent incident where two officials were suspended after a power cut occurred during a public meeting.

"The power went out and action was taken immediately. Two people were suspended and further investigations are underway," he said.

Reiterating the government's zero-tolerance policy on corruption, Sharma revealed that over 3,300 employees had been removed for corruption and around 85-90 people, including 50 government officials from the power department, had been booked.

"There is no place for corruption in Uttar Pradesh regardless of the department," he warned.

Responding to Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav's statement that 'gaushalas' (cow shelters) were spreading foul odors while the opposition was spreading fragrance, Sharma said, "Akhilesh ji has made such comments about cow dung before. For us, cow dung is sacred. We use it for religious rituals, household purification, and even in traditional weddings. It is a matter of belief. If he finds it unpleasant, that is his opinion, but for us, it is divine," he stated.

Sharma also countered the claim that the Maha Kumbh festival was unhygienic.

"Some may see the Kumbh as a source of filth, but it is a grand and divine event for us," he said. PTI COR KIS AS

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New Delhi, Mar 27 (PTI) The Delhi Police has suspended three of its personnel for alleged bribery, an official said on Thursday.

Those suspended are Inspector Dinesh Kumar, Head Constable Sanwar Mal and Constable Shubham Gill, police said.

A departmental inquiry has also been ordered against them.

Police sources said the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested a constable and a head constable-rank personnel on Thursday for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 2.5 lakh.

According to the sources, a station house officer (SHO) was also involved in the case. PTI BM RC

Jammu, Mar 27 (PTI) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Jammu and Kashmir emphasised the need for a comprehensive and inclusive strategy to facilitate the return and rehabilitation of the displaced community in the Kashmir Valley.

"A comprehensive, not cosmetic, approach is needed for the return and rehabilitation of the displaced community. Any attempt to dilute this critical issue with superficial measures will prove counterproductive,"  former legislator and BJP spokesperson, Girdhari Lal Raina told reporters here.

Raina’s remarks came in response to recent discussions on the issue in the state legislative assembly which several members of various political parties termed a "human issue".

"The foremost requirement is engaging in dialogue with the stakeholders. If the government is serious about this, it must initiate discussions with the leadership of the displaced community to understand and address their fears, concerns and aspirations," he said.

He stressed the importance of distinguishing between political migrants and the displaced community, highlighting their distinct social, economic and cultural challenges.

Emphasising the plight of religious minority Hindus among the displaced, Raina underscored the need for a comprehensive approach aligned with established norms.

"Beyond ensuring safety, dignity and security, their reintegration into society must preserve their individual and community identities," he said, adding that the government's commitment would be judged by its actions in this regard.

Raina also raised concerns about illegal encroachments on both individual and community properties belonging to the displaced community.

He called for proper management of distress sales of encroached properties and urged the government to prevent the misuse of central government relief meant for genuine migrants.

Raina demanded reforms within relief organisations to enhance their responsiveness and effectiveness in assisting those in need. PTI AB HIG

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Jammu, Mar 27 (PTI) The Election Commission of India has announced a special summary revision of voter lists in Jammu and Kashmir's Nagrota and Budgam assembly constituencies where bye-elections are due shortly.

The revision will be based on April 1, 2025, as the qualifying date, ahead of the upcoming bye-elections, said a notification issued by the Election Commission of India.

The Nagrota seat in Jammu district and the Budgam seat became vacant due to the death of MLA Devender Singh Rana and the resignation of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah from Budgam but he retained the Ganderbal seat, a stronghold of his party, the National Conference (NC).

Rana passed away at the age of 59 on October 31 last year at a private hospital in Haryana's Faridabad.

The Election Commission of India has released the schedule for the Special Summary Revision (SSR) of electoral rolls in Nagrota and Budgam Assembly Constituencies ahead of the upcoming bye-elections.

As per the schedule, the rationalization of polling stations will take place on April 4, 2025 followed by the publication of the integrated draft electoral roll on April 8, 2025. 

The voters will be able to file claims and objections between April 8 and April 24, 2025, it said.

The final resolution of claims and objections is scheduled for May 2, while the final electoral roll will be published on May 5.

The Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) for each constituency will be responsible for ensuring that all eligible citizens are included in the voter list while preventing the inclusion of ineligible individuals.

During the revision process, the chief electoral officer (CEO), district electoral officer (DEO) and ERO will oversee the enrollment of eligible voters in accordance with Article 326 of the Constitution of India and Sections 16 and 19 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950.

In the recent assembly elections, Abdullah won both the Ganderbal and Budgam seats. He secured victory in Ganderbal by defeating PDP’s Bashir Ahmad Mir by over 10,000 votes and won Budgam with a margin of over 18,000 votes.

Rana had previously won the Nagrota seat in 2014 as a National Conference candidate and successfully retained it with a significant margin of 30,472 votes against Joginder Singh of the NC. PTI AB AS

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Guwahati, Mar 27 (PTI) The Assam Cabinet approved an amendment to the Child Care Leave (CCL) rules, allowing single male state government employees who are widowers or divorcees with custody of up to two kids to take leave for up to two years, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Thursday.

The rules will be amended to improve child care, allowing both women and single male government employees with custody of up to two children (until the age of 18) or specially abled kids of any age to take leave for up to two years, the CM told reporters after the cabinet meeting.

The cabinet approved implementation of additional support price of Rs 250 per quintal for paddy and Rs 500 per quintal for mustard, he said.

It also gave its nod a new medical college and hospital in Darrang, which will be built at a cost of Rs 572 crore, having 430 beds and an annual intake of 100 MBBS students.

Additionally, the Cabinet approved a BSc nursing school and GNM school along with the medical college project, he added.

The Cabinet also okayed renaming the 'Science, Technology and Climate Change Department' as the 'Science and Technology Department' and the 'Environment and Forest Department' as the 'Environment, Forest and Climate Change Department,' declaring it as the nodal department for climate change-related activities, he said.

The cabinet has approved extension of tax exemption given to the tea industry from payment of cess on green leaf tea for a further period of two years from January 1, 2025, Sarma said.

The council of ministers also approved the draft notification to exempt payment of Professional Tax up to the salary of Rs 15,000 for the financial year 2025-26, he added.

The extension of the validity period of licenses for all fair price shops in the state has been approved, extending them up to June 30, 2026.

The cabinet has approved in-principle the initiation of the process for reorganisation of health blocks in tandem with co-districts and legislative assembly constituencies, he said.

The Cabinet approved the amendments to the Assam Panchayat (Financial) Rules, 2002 pertaining to the settlement of markets, fisheries, ponds etc , the Chief Minister added. PTI DG DG MNB

Bulandshahr, Mar 27 (PTI) A dispute broke out between two groups over video recording at a family event in Kaurali village in this district, police said on Thursday.

A case has been registered following a complaint from the affected party and five people have been detained, they said.

The incident took place during a 'Kuan Pujan' (a traditional ceremony celebrating the birth of a child) on Wednesday evening where a family had organized a DJ and dance event.

The dispute allegedly began when members of another group started recording videos of the dancing despite objections from the hosts, according to police.

"It was my grandson's 'Kuan Pujan' ceremony and our family members were dancing. The other group started recording videos and they refused to stop despite our objections. They then attacked our family members," said Ranpal, the child's grandfather.

"My nephew's 'Kuan Pujan' was being celebrated. Our family was dancing and the accused party started recording. My brothers asked them to stop, but they ignored the request," said another family member Neha.

Sikandrabad Circle Officer Purnima Singh said that "a dispute broke out between two groups in Kaurali village during a family event on Wednesday over dancing to the DJ."

"Based on the complaint from the affected party, a case has been registered under relevant sections and five individuals have been taken into custody. Further legal action is underway," she added. PTI COR KIS AS

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Shimla, Mar 27 (PTI) The Himachal Pradesh Police has recommended the name of Sanjeev Kumar, the police security officer (PSO) of former Congress MLA Bumber Thakur, for the Police Medal for Gallantry.

Kumar has been recommended for his bravery during a shooting incident at Thakur's residence during the Holi celebrations, in which he and Thakur sustained injuries. Kumar was taken to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Bilaspur for treatment.

A press statement issued by the office of Director General of Police (DGP) Atul Verma said Kumar's timely and decisive actions during the challenging situation not only prevented potential harm but also ensured public safety, showcasing the highest standards of bravery and professionalism.

The proposal that his name be considered for the gallantry medal reflects the Himachal Pradesh Police's commitment to recognising and honouring acts of gallantry in policing, the statement said. The department will formally submit the recommendation to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for further consideration.

The IPS Association, Himachal Pradesh Chapter also acknowledged Kumar's exceptional bravery and dedication in the line of duty and mentioned that his courageous actions in safeguarding lives during a critical incident have brought immense pride to the police force. The association also contributed Rs 25,000 for his immediate treatment and recovery, reaffirming its commitment to supporting personnel who demonstrate extraordinary valour. PTI COR RC

Dhaka, March 28 (PTI) China has signalled its desire to expand ties with Dhaka in a changed Bangladesh scenario, a day ahead of the scheduled talks between Bangladesh’s interim government chief Muhammad Yunus and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday in Hainan province, state-run BSS news agency reported.

"President Xi Jinping attaches tremendous importance to your (Yunus’) visit," BSS quoted Chinese Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang telling Yunus, hoping for the South Asian nation’s prosperity under his interim administration.

Ding said Beijing would extend full support to the Bangladesh government in terms of investment, trade and cultural ties, and people to people exchanges as they mark 50 years since the establishment of bilateral diplomatic ties.

Yunus arrived in China on Tuesday, coinciding with Bangladesh’s Independence Day, on a four-day visit to join the annual conference of China-led Boao Forum for Asia, an economic platform assumed as Beijing’s efforts to run it as a parallel stage of the Western hemisphere-led World Economic Forum.

Yunus and Xi are set to hold talks on the sidelines of the Boao Forum summit.

According to BSS, Yunus told the Chinese vice-premier about Bangladesh’s firm support and commitment to the One China policy, adding that Dhaka takes pride in being the first South Asian nation to join China's Belt and Road Initiative. “Dhaka sought Chinese support to development and livelihood projects and also called for reduction of interest rates for Chinese loans from 3 per cent to 1 or 2 per cent for Bangladesh,” the report said.

Bangladesh, it said, also sought a waiver of commitment fees on the Chinese-funded projects in Bangladesh alongside relocation of the Chinese manufacturing industries, including ready-made garments, electric vehicles, light machinery, high-tech electronics, chip manufacturing and the solar panel industry.

Ding said Beijing would extend duty-free and quota-free access to Bangladeshi goods to China until 2028 – two years after Dhaka’s graduation from an LDC to a middle-income economy.

“Beijing is also keen to start free trade negotiations with Dhaka,” the Chinese vice-premier said, as he expressed China’s keenness to fund the modernisation efforts of Bangladesh’s southwestern Mongla Seaport and a major sewage project.

The vice-premier noted that China last year signed a protocol to import mango from Bangladesh, which is expected to export the seasonal fruit in the coming summer.

Ding said Beijing would also import jackfruit and guava and aquatic products from Bangladesh as part of its willingness to reduce a huge trade imbalance.

The Chinese government and its universities would grant more scholarships to Bangladeshi students, Ding said. Several thousand Bangladeshi students are already studying in Chinese universities.

The vice-premier also assured Chinese funding for purchasing four ocean vessels for the Bangladesh Shipping Corporation.

Ding also said Beijing would foster a dialogue between Bangladesh and Myanmar in an effort to resolve the Rohingya crisis.

Yunus thanked the Chinese leadership for its support, saying the meeting with Xi Jinping was expected to mark another milestone in the ever-deepening Bangladesh-China partnership.

"Let us resolve to work together to usher in a new era of friendship, cooperation and collaboration, reinforcing the strategic ties between our two nations,” he said.

Yunus will join the meeting with the Chinese president at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, his press wing told reporters.

Yunus will also participate in an ‘Investment Dialogue’ with Chinese business leaders at The Presidential Beijing at 11:45 am (local time) on Friday.

The event is going to be organised to inform the Chinese investors about the business-friendly environment in Bangladesh to attract Chinese investments into the country.

Yunus will also join three roundtable discussions on different themes – sustainable infrastructure and energy investment; Bangladesh 2.0 manufacturing and market opportunities and social business, youth entrepreneurship; and the World of Three Zeros at the same venue.

BSS said during the meetings, Yunus would exchange views with the CEOs of various companies, experienced individuals from the social business circle, high-ranking officials of renowned Chinese companies and business representatives.

China is currently Bangladesh's largest trading and defence partner, while analysts say Yunus’ visit can prove crucial in view of the evolving political situation in the region and beyond.

Chinese ambassador in Dhaka, Yao Wen, earlier said the chief advisor's visit was expected to be “successful” and “productive”, with “some announcements” anticipated. PTI AR ARI

Peshawar, Mar 28 (PTI) At least 11 people, including four women, were killed in two separate road accidents in northwest Pakistan on Thursday, police said.

In the first incident, six members of a family died after their car fell into a canal at Malak Khel Kotkay in the mountainous district of Shangla bordering Swat and Mansehra districts.

The ill-fated car plunged into the canal due to a slippery road, police said, adding that the rescue teams which rushed to the spot shifted the bodies to a nearby hospital for necessary procedures.

In another accident, a car veered off the road and plunged into a canal at Dargai tehsil in Malakand district, resulting in the deaths of five family members.

The bodies have been transported to a local hospital.

The accident occurred near the Khatko Shah Afghan refugee camp on the outskirts of Dargai when the vehicle lost control due to heavy rainfall.

The deceased family members included two women, two young girls, and the driver of the vehicle.

According to Muhammad Asim Khan, a spokesperson for Rescue 1122, the accident was triggered after the vehicle skidded on the wet road caused by the downpour. PTI AYZ ARI

Peshawar, Mar 28 (PTI) Security forces in Pakistan have killed at least 11 terrorists in four separate engagements in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on March 26-27, the military media wing said late on Thursday.

In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said an intelligence-based operation was conducted by the security forces in the general area Mir Ali in North Waziristan district.

“During the operation, our troops effectively targeted the Khwarij [terrorists] location and resultantly, five terrorists were sent to hell,” it said.

In a second operation conducted in the same area, three militants were neutralised by the troops, the statement added.

In another encounter that took place in the general area Miran Shah in North Waziristan district, the troops effectively neutralised two terrorists, the ISPR said.

In the fourth operation conducted by the security forces in the general area Daraban in Dera Ismail Khan district, one terrorist “was sent to hell”, the statement said.

Weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the killed terrorists, who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities.

The military’s media wing said sanitisation operations were launched to eliminate any other terrorist found in the area “as the security forces of Pakistan are determined to wipe out the menace of terrorism from the country”.

Last week, at least 16 terrorists were killed by security forces as they attempted to cross into Pakistan from Afghanistan in North Waziristan district, ISPR had said.

The country has been reeling under increased terrorist attacks targeting especially the law enforcers and security forces since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021, particularly in the bordering provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Baluchistan.

The country witnessed a sharp increase in terror attacks in January 2025, surging by 42 per cent compared to the previous month, according to data released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), a think-tank.

The data revealed that at least 74 militant attacks were recorded nationwide, resulting in 91 fatalities, including 35 security personnel, 20 civilians, and 36 militants.

Another 117 individuals sustained injuries, including 53 security personnel, 54 civilians, and 10 militants. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) remained the worst-affected province, followed by Baluchistan.

In KP's settled districts, militants carried out 27 attacks, resulting in 19 fatalities, including 11 security personnel, six civilians, and two militants.

The tribal district of KP (erstwhile Fata) witnessed 19 attacks, leading to 46 deaths, including 13 security personnel, eight civilians, and 25 militants. PTI AYZ ARI

Johannesburg, Mar 27 (PTI) South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s intervention to stop proposed regulations banning the manufacture and sale of food products containing cannabis and hemp has been welcomed by the burgeoning industry in these products in recent years.

Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi had earlier this month gazetted regulations that prohibited the sale, importation, and manufacture of food products containing cannabis as well as any food with ingredients derived from cannabis, hemp seed oil, or hemp seed flour.

Offenders could be subjected to fines or even face imprisonment, which caused great consternation among local manufacturers, growers and importers, who had started industries in the past few years.

They were buoyed by a statement from Ramaphosa during his State of the Nation address earlier this year that he wanted to see South Africa become a world leader in the commercial production of cannabis and hemp.

After a meeting with Ramaphosa earlier this week, Motsoaledi recalled the regulations, pending wider consultation as requested by the president.

“(The President) has affirmed his support for more stakeholder consultation and public participation on the formulation of new regulations that will limit health risks and the negative impact of foodstuffs containing cannabis and hemp, particularly on minors,” said Vincent Magwenya, Ramaphosa’s spokesperson.

“In light of further stakeholder consultations, the minister of health will withdraw the regulations under the Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectants Act (Foodstuffs Act) to prohibit the sale, importation and manufacture of foodstuffs containing hemp and cannabis,” he added.

Motsoaledi earlier told local media that he had introduced the regulations because of his concern that such products could be innocently consumed by children.

But opponents said that the minister should have consulted more broadly first to find ways of controlling sale of the products, much in the way that cigarettes are controlled to avoid sale to children.

The Cannabis Trade Association Africa (CTAA) threatened to challenge the regulations in court, claiming that Motsoaledi’s decision was not based on scientific evidence.

CTAA chairperson Tebogo Tlhopane said the regulations had already had an impact, as many retailers had started removing hemp-based food products from their shelves, fearing action.

Among those who welcomed the withdrawal was Dr Ivan Meyer, the Minister of Agriculture, Economic Development and Tourism in the Western Cape province.

”This will allow for comprehensive public consultation, ensuring that all voices, including those of business and health experts, are heard. This will lead to the development of policies and rules that support the potential of the cannabis and hemp industry to generate jobs, improve public health, and boost economic growth,” Meyer said as he commented on plans by the province to boost the hemp and cannabis industry.

“(My Department’s) Cannabis Framework and Implementation Plan (also known as the CanPlan), launched in March 2023, is a comprehensive resource that provides detailed insights into the current and future scenario of cannabis and hemp in the agricultural sector,” Meyer said.

“Let us use the consultation period to fully appreciate the value chain of this sector, including research, biotech and testing capability, IT and logistics, brand-building, agriculture and agri-processing and infrastructure.

"A comprehensive understanding will be crucial in maximising the contribution the cannabis and hemp value chain can make to the Western Cape’s economic, social and environmental objectives,” the minister said. PTI FH GSP

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Islamabad, Mar 27 (PTI) Pakistan Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb hinted that the debt-ridden country may issue Panda bonds in yuan this year to tap into China’s extensive capital market, according to a media report.

Speaking in an interview with China’s CGTN during the Boao Forum for Asia, Aurangzeb said Pakistan was ready to engage the Chinese interbank bond market after previously issuing debt only in Western markets, The Express Tribune newspaper reported.

“I have been advocating and I am very keen that Pakistan… go for an inaugural Panda bond,” he said. “We are very hopeful that during this calendar year, we will do that.”

Panda bonds are Yuan-denominated debt instruments issued by foreign entities in China. They offer an opportunity to attract investment from Chinese financial institutions including banks, asset managers and insurers.

Aurangzeb noted that while Pakistan had experience with issuing dollar and euro bonds, this would mark its first entry into the Chinese debt market. The move is part of a broader effort to diversify funding sources and reduce reliance on Western markets.

The government is seeking to bolster its foreign exchange reserves and stabilise its economy after recovering from a prolonged economic crisis that nearly pushed the country into sovereign default two years ago.

In January, the finance minister said the Panda bond issue would target around USD 200 million.

His announcement comes after major credit agencies upgraded Pakistan’s sovereign ratings, enhancing the country’s prospects of returning to global bond markets.

The finance chief added that Pakistan was leveraging its improved macroeconomic indicators and looking to build deeper financial ties with Beijing, according to the paper. PTI SH GSP

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Amman (Jordan), Mar 27 (PTI) Young Indian wrestler Reetika Hooda blew away a 6-2 lead, conceding four points in the last 10 seconds of the women's 76kg final, to settle for a silver medal at the Asian Championship, while Mansi Lather and Muskan won bronze, here on Thursday.

The 22-year-old Reetika, who became first Indian female wrestler to be crowned U23 World Champion and youngest to qualify for Olympics, outclassed Japan's Nodoka Yamamoto and Korea's Seoyeon Jeong on her way to the gold medal bout.

The summit clash was a repeat of Paris Olympics quarterfinal against Kyrgyzstan's Aiperi Medet Kyzy. Reetika employed an aggressive strategy, going for double leg attacks.

She lost initial points on counter attack but made it 2-2 with a take-down. In the second period, she made a move at the edge of the circle to take a 4-2 lead and consolidated it with another two-pointer.

The gold was within the reach but another aggressive move, a double leg attack, cost Reetika, who again lost point of counter-attack. The two-pointer came in last 2 seconds, make it 6-6 in favour of the Kyrgyz on criteria.

First up for Reetika was Jeong, who she beat by technical superiority. She began the scoring with a take-down move and followed that up with a single-leg attack to add two more to her kitty.

Reetika ended the bout in a jiffy when she got hold of the Korean''s legs and employed the 'fitley' move.

Against Yamamoto, the U23 World bronze medallist, Reetika followed the same pattern and in the second period found a way to pin her rival when she had a 6-0 lead.

Reetika had won a bronze at the 2023 Asian Championships in Astana.

Adding to India's tally were Mansi and Muskan.

In 68kg, Mansi Lather made a strong start, winning her opening bout against Korea's Sheng Feng Cai by technical superiority and got a walk over from Japanese Ami Ishii.

She lost her semifinal 1-10 to eventual gold medallist China's Zelu Li.

In her fight for bronze with Irina Kazyulina, the Indian teenager was leading comfortably 4-0 when the Kazakh made a move, looking for pin. Mansi was inches away from getting pinned but used her immense strength to wriggle out of precarious position and quickly turned the tables to win by technical superiority.

Muskan (59kg) easily beat Philippines' Arian G Carpio in her qualification bout but lost her quarterfinal to Japan's Sakura Onishi. Up against Mongolia's Altjin Togtokh in the bronze play-off, Muskan gradually got a grip over the contest, winning 4-0.

In 55kg, Nishu lost her qualification bout to Yuxuan Li but the Chinese reached the final, opening the repechage route for the Indian.

Capitalising on the chance, Nishu beat Vietnam's My Trang Nguyen to set up a bronze medal clash against Mongolia's Otgontuya Bayanmunkh.

Ankush (50kg) also made it to the repechage round after losing the opening bout by technical superiority to Japan''s Remina Yoshimoto but conceded the match against Korea''s Miran Cheon due an injury. PTI AT AT ATK

Peshawar, Mar 27 (PTI) Six members of a family died after their car fell in a canal in northwestern Pakistan on Thursday, police said.

The incident occurred in Malak Khel Kotkay, mountainous district Shangla bordering Swat and Mansehra districts.

The ill-fated car fell into a canal due to a slippery road, according to the police.

Six people who were members of the same family died in the accident, they said.

Police and rescue teams immediately reached the scene. The bodies were shifted to the hospital for necessary procedures.

Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ali Amin Gandapur expressed grief over the death of six people in the accident. PTI AYZ ZH

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Islamabad, Mar 27 (PTI) Pakistan on Thursday denied reports about the deployment of the Chinese military in the country to protect its citizens after several terrorist attacks in recent months.

"I completely deny this. No Chinese forces are being deployed in Pakistan. This is totally false. There is no credibility to these reports,” Foreign Office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said when asked about the issue at a press briefing here.

He said Pakistan was committed to ensuring the security of Chinese personnel in Pakistan and talks on the issue are part of that arrangement, while he rejected reports about the deployment of Chinese military in Balochistan.

The banned Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) accuses China and Islamabad of exploitation of the resource-rich province, a charge rejected by the authorities. The group has carried out attacks against Chinese interests in Pakistan.

Khan said that a recent UN experts’ statement regarding detainees in Balochistan lacked balance and proportionality, and it downplayed the civilian casualties inflicted by terrorist attacks, disregarding the crimes committed by miscreants who deliberately disrupt public services.

“Any credible assessment must recognize that these elements are not mere protesters but active participants in a broader campaign of lawlessness and violence. Their abuses of law and human rights violations cannot be ignored,” he said.

He said legal proceedings against these individuals are being conducted and any statement by UN Mandate Holders that cast aspersions on these proceedings risks undue interference in sub judice matters before domestic courts.

Khan also said that the recent imposition of export restrictions by the US unfairly targets Pakistan's commercial entities without any evidence whatsoever. “Such biased and politically motivated actions are counterproductive to the objectives of global export controls and obstruct the legitimate access to technology for socio-economic development,” he said.

Khan, however, welcomed the US acknowledgement of the threat posed by the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan.

Responding to questions, he said Pakistan and Afghanistan have a multi-layered interaction with each other, including through diplomatic channels.

He said that the visit by Special Representative Muhammad Sadiq also offers a very important channel of communication.

“His visit, of course, encompassed all areas of bilateral interest and concern. There was an extensive discussion and this is again an ongoing process,” he said.

He also said Pakistan has noted reports regarding Pakistani journalists travelling to Israel and clarified that the Pakistani passports explicitly state that they are not valid for travel to Israel and that any such visit is not possible under the existing regulations. PTI SH ZH

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Lahore, Mar 27 (PTI) Pakistan’s jailed former prime minister Imran Khan has said Balochistan province is currently under an “illegitimate government", adding that the mistakes of 1971 that had divided Pakistan should not be repeated.

“How can an illegitimate government imposed on Balochistan possibly resolve any issues? As a Pakistani and a former prime minister, I am deeply concerned about the ongoing situation in Balochistan marked by sharp rise in terrorism.

"The firing of live ammunition on peaceful protesters, state violence and unlawful arrests are equally deeply troubling,” Khan said on X on Wednesday. He has been incarcerated since August 2023.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder-leader said the situation in Balochistan cannot improve unless the genuine public representatives are brought into the mainstream, their voices are sincerely heard, and the fate of the region is decided in accordance with the will of the people.

“Sheer force can never resolve this issue as it will rather deepen crisis and fuel further instability,” he warned.

Khan, 72, further said the “puppet government imposed through fraudulent elections in 2024, has failed on all fronts, with its foreign policy being complete disaster”.

“We can address terrorism by engaging in dialogue with Afghanistan. We share a 2,200-kilometre border with Afghanistan, and peaceful negotiations are the only way forward. During our (PTI) tenure, despite strained relations with the Afghan government at the time, we engaged in direct talks with them.

“The policies we implemented over three years successfully eliminated terrorism. However, after our tenure, the adoption of Biden’s policy led to numerous issues, and today, the public is bearing the consequences in the form of increased terrorism,” he said.

Khan said the lack of seriousness is evident from the fact that the Shehbaz Sharif-government has not yet undertaken any serious diplomatic initiatives with Afghanistan nor its foreign minister paid a single visit there.

Khan further said the “military-backed government’s primary goal is to keep him in jail at all costs, as his cases have no legal standing and will be overruled whenever they are heard on merits”. “This is a fixed match being played under a well-orchestrated plan,” he said.

The former cricketer-turned-politician said instead of focusing on their constitutional responsibilities, the institutions are hyper fixated on cracking down on the PTI and controlling the media, prisons, and courts.

“Adiala Jail is also being run by a Colonel. What authority does a Colonel have to control a jail,” Khan questioned.

Meanwhile, insurgents on Friday shot dead six people and abducted three after stopping a bus in Balochistan, and offloading passengers from Pakistan's Punjab.

In another terror attack in the province, three people were killed and 17 injured after a bomb exploded near a police vehicle, officials said.

The two attacks come a fortnight after the banned separatist outfit Balochistan Liberation Army laid siege to a train in the Bolan district and killed 26 hostages, including 18 security personnel. PTI MZ GSP

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Karachi, Mar 27 (PTI) Insurgents shot dead six people and abducted three after stopping a bus in Balochistan, and offloading passengers from Pakistan's Punjab. In another terror attack in the province, three people were killed and 17 injured after a bomb exploded near a police vehicle, officials said. 

The two attacks come a fortnight after the banned separatist outfit Balochistan Liberation Army laid siege to a train in the Bolan district and killed 26 hostages, including 18 security personnel.

The bus attack occurred in the Gwadar district when armed men stopped a Karachi-bound passenger bus near the Kalmat area on the Ormara highway late on Wednesday, said Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Hafeez Baloch.

The gunmen offloaded some passengers and shot six people, five of whom were killed instantly while one survivor passed away later in the hospital Thursday morning.

“Armed men killed six passengers after checking their ID cards and took away three others,” he said, adding that all victims belonged to the country's Punjab province.

No group claimed responsibility for the attack, but in the past, ethnic Baloch terrorist groups carried out such targeted attacks against the people of Punjab.

In a separate terror incident, a bomb exploded near a police vehicle in the Barech Market area of Quetta on Thursday, killing three people and injuring 17 others.

Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind said that an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) was hidden in a motorcycle which detonated near a parked police vehicle.

Police surgeon Dr Ayesha Faiz said that three people were killed and another 21 injured, including four policemen.

“Four injured persons are in a critical condition,” he said.

However, the interior ministry confirmed only two deaths in a statement.

Video footage showed people gathering at the scene of the blast, with the flaming wreckage of the motorcycle next to the charred police pickup truck.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the blast but the Balochistan Liberation Army has been involved in several attacks on the security forces in the province.

The attacks were condemned by the country's top leadership.

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the killing of passengers.

“The terrorists are the enemies of the country’s development and prosperity in Balochistan. They cannot see progress in Balochistan,” Zardari said.

Shehbaz ordered that the injured be provided with the best possible medical treatment and that an investigation be carried out to identify and punish the perpetrators. “We will never allow the anti-state designs of miscreants to succeed,” he said.

Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti took to X to condemn the incident and said, “Offloading innocent passengers from a bus and murdering them based on their identity is a heinous and cowardly act.”

He pledged that the “war against hardcore terrorists would continue and they would be brought to justice by all means”.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the blast and expressed sorrow over the deaths.

“The forces of the enemy are targeting Balochistan. We will thwart this heinous conspiracy meant to create instability,” he said in a statement.

Militants also stopped three long-body trailers carrying urea from Gwadar port by setting up roadblocks and setting them on fire.

Security forces moved towards the area where militants had blocked highways, with operations to clear the roads underway.

In a separate incident in the Sohbat area of the Naseerabad division in the province, armed men attacked a residence and killed seven people of the same family including a woman and three children.

Police said the brutal killings were the result of a land dispute between two groups.

Insurgents have stepped up their attacks on security forces and civilians in recent months and it is not the first time that militants have stopped passenger buses and offloaded people from Punjab province and killed or kidnapped them.

The attacks come amid a tense situation in the province following the hijacking of the Jaffar Express, which was carrying 440 passengers. The hijacking resulted in the killing of 26 hostages, including 18 security personnel.

The Army eliminated all 33 terrorists the next day and rescued 354 hostages.

Since then, multiple attacks have taken place across Balochistan.

Earlier this week, unidentified armed men killed four policemen and four labourers in two separate incidents.

On March 17, five people including four children were injured in a grenade attack on the residence of a Station House Officer (SHO) in the province.

A day earlier, five people, including three Frontier Corps (FC) personnel, were killed and 30 injured after a paramilitary convoy was attacked by suspected Baloch militants on a highway in Noshki district.

Bordering Iran and Afghanistan, Balochistan is home to a long-running violent insurgency.

Baloch insurgent groups frequently carry out attacks targeting security personnel, government projects and the USD 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects in this oil and mineral-rich province. PTI CORR SH GRS

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FGN36: RUSSIA-PUTIN-LD INDIA

****Putin accepts Modi's invitation to visit India, preparations underway: Russian FM Lavrov

Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin has accepted Prime Minister Narendra Modi's invitation to visit India and preparations are underway for it, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday.****

FGN72: CHINA-BANGLA-YUNUS

****Bangladesh's Chief Adviser Yunus asks China to reduce interest rates on Chinese loans

Beijing: Gearing up for his meeting with President Xi Jinping, Bangladesh's Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus on Thursday asked China to reduce interest rates for Chinese loans and waive commitment fees on Chinese-funded projects.****

FGN51: RUSSIA-INDIA-LAVROV

****Russia's top diplomat praises India for adopting balanced approach to Ukraine crisis

Moscow: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Thursday lauded India for adopting a balanced approach to the Ukraine crisis and advocating for resolving the issue through dialogue.****

FGN73: NEPAL-MONARCHY-PROTEST

****Pro-monarchists to intensify agitation to reinstate monarchy in Nepal

Kathmandu: Pro-monarchists in Nepal on Thursday announced to intensify their agitation by organising a protest rally on Friday with the aim of reinstatement of monarchy.****

FGN61: PAK-BALOCHISTAN-2NDLD KILLINGS

****8 killed, 17 injured in separate terror attacks in Pakistan's Balochistan

Karachi: At least eight people were killed, 17 injured and three abducted in two separate terror attacks by suspected insurgents in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province since Wednesday.****

FGN60: CHINA-INDIA-PLA

****China's PLA says willing to work with Indian counterpart for fair solution to boundary issue, stable military ties

Beijing: The Chinese military on Thursday said it is willing to work with its Indian counterpart to implement a fair and just solution to the border issue besides sound and stable defence ties.****

FGN63: PAK-BLAST

****Bombing in Pakistan's Balochistan kills 3, injures 21

Islamabad: At least three people were killed and 21 others injured on Thursday in a bombing attack in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province.****

FGN57: US-GREENE-JOURNALIST

****'Go back to your country': US Rep to UK journalist who questions her about Signal chat

New York: A pro-Donald Trump Congresswoman asked a British reporter to "go back to your country" when she was questioned about a leaked Signal group chat of senior US officials about a planned military strike on Yemen.****

FGN46: PAK-INDIAN-FISHERMAN (RPT)

****Indian fisherman dies in Pakistan jail

Karachi: A 52-year-old Indian fisherman has died allegedly by suicide at the Malir Jail in Pakistan's Karachi, a jail official said on Thursday.****

FGN23: UN-INDIA-CHILD-HEALTH

****'Exemplar' - UN lauds India's progress in child mortality reduction

United Nations: India's efforts and progress in reducing preventable child deaths has been lauded as "exemplar" by the United Nations, which cited the example of health initiatives such as Ayushman Bharat, and said the country has saved millions of young lives through strategic investments in its health system.****

FGN39: PAK-BALOCHISTAN-LD KILLINGS

****Gunmen kill 6 bus passengers in Pakistan's Balochistan

Karachi: Suspected insurgents shot and killed six people from Punjab after offloading them from a passenger bus in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province, officials said on Thursday.****

FGN40: PAK-JAFFAR EXPRESS

****Days after hijack, Pakistan's Jaffar Express resumes operation amid tight security measures

Peshawar: Days after the Jaffar Express was attacked and hijacked by Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) militants, the train resumed operations and departed from Pakistan’s Peshawar Cantt Railway Station for Quetta on Thursday, amid tight security measures. ****

FGN42: LANKA-INDIAN-FISHERMEN

****11 Indian fishermen arrested by Sri Lanka Navy for alleged illegal fishing

Colombo: The Sri Lankan Navy on Thursday arrested 11 Indian fishermen and seized their trawler for allegedly poaching in the island nation's water, according to an official release.****

FGN14: BANGLA-US-MILITARY

****US general stresses Bangladesh military's importance for regional security

Dhaka: The United States has expressed its interest to equip the Bangladesh Army with its military hardware, taking into account its importance for regional security as US Army's deputy commanding general for Pacific made a 24-hour visit to Dhaka, officials said.**** PTI GSP

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Bhubaneswar, Mar 27 (PTI) The Odisha government on Thursday approved 10 investment proposals, including those of Vedanta Ltd and JSW Steel, worth over Rs 1.65 lakh crore, having the potential to create over 50,000 jobs, a statement said.

The approvals were given at a meeting of the High-Level Clearance Authority (HLCA), chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi.

Among the projects for which approval was given was Vedanta Ltd's two projects in the Rayagada district.

The mining major will invest Rs 50,537 crore for setting up a 6-mtpa alumina refinery, and Rs 40,991 crore for a greenfield 1.2-mtpa aluminium smelter.

The HLCA approved JSW Steel Ltd's Rs 35,000 crore investment proposal for a 5-mtpa integrated steel plant in Keonjhar.

It also approved Shyam Steel's 1.5-mtpa integrated steel plant worth Rs 5,200 crore in Bhadrak.

Approval was also given to OCL Iron and Steel Ltd's Rs 3,000-crore integrated steel plant, which has a capacity of 1.2 mtpa, in Keonjhar.

Orissa Thermal Energy Ltd's 2,400-mw (3 x 800 mw) ultra super critical thermal power plant was also approved. It will be set up at an investment of Rs 18,450 crores.

Orissa Metallurgical Industry Pvt Ltd's Rs 8,000-crore investment for a titanium complex for producing titanium slag, titanium pigment and titanium sponge in Ganjam was also given approval.

Approvals were also given to Shreetech Data Ltd's Rs 1,560 crore investment for a 9-ktpa unit in Mayurbhanj, World Green Energy Pvt Ltd's Rs 1,475-crore facility for manufacturing solar modules and solar photovoltaic cells in Ganjam, and Jupiter Tatravagonka Railwheel Factory's Rs 1,090-crore expansion of Khurdha unit. PTI AAM AAM SOM

Chennai, Mar 27 (PTI) CG Power and Industrial Solutions, a leader in the electrical engineering industry, has launched 'Fluxtron' a most advanced, high-efficiency medium voltage induction industrial motors.

Fluxtron range of motors set new industry benchmarks in reliability, energy efficiency and durability. The motors empower businesses to dramatically cut their carbon footprint while boosting productivity.

"Fluxtron is more than just a motor- it is a movement. A movement towards a future where industries operate with maximum efficiency and minimal environmental impact. At CG, we are not just powering businesses, we are shaping a more sustainable world," CG Power and Industrial Solutions Ltd MD and CEO Amar Kaul said in a company statement here on Thursday.

The motors optimise power usage and reduce waste besides empowering industries to achieve their ESG (Environment, Social and Governance) goals without compromising on performance, the company said. PTI VIJ VIJ ROH

Bengaluru, Mar 27 (PTI) India will have five fabs (semiconductor fabrication plants) by next 10 years, which would need about one lakh skilled professionals, said Utpal Shah, VP at Tata Electronics leading Strategy, Business Development, and Foundry business, on Thursday.

According to him, this is no trivial issue and needs a targeted workforce, a targeted curriculum and tailored programmes for semiconductor at all levels.

Shah was addressing the inaugural session of India’s first Nano Electronics Roadshow, organised by Nanotechnology Initiatives Division of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), in partnership with Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, IIT Madras, IIT Delhi, IIT Kharagpur, and IIT Guwahati.

“Our call to action for the universities and academia here is to also think about how we can create more and more tailored programmes for semiconductor at all levels, at the operators and technicians’ level, at the fresh graduates’ level, at the midline managers’ level. …we have to create more and more of these kinds of ready professionals that can immediately jump into our workforce and hit the road running,” added Shah.

He also said semiconductor indigenising and semiconductor manufacturing are very essential for a country like India, adding that Tata Electronics has already started the trend by establishing the very first fab and very first indigenous OSAC.

Anand Ramamoorthy, VP & MD of Micron India, which is building an ecosystem for research and collaboration in the field of semiconductor, said while Design Linked Incentive (DLI) Scheme by MeitY was a wonderful start to incubating the semiconductor startup ecosystem, he wanted the government to ensure that the next version of DLI is even more strongly connected to foundational and applied problems in the industry.

“A typical startup would need capital, talent and a good idea. Semiconductor startups need one more dimension. They are in a very tough market. It's very difficult to mention what your piece of silicon will do, like, a year or two down the line. And so, it needs a lot more support, which is why this first DLI scheme was powerful in creating awareness,” added Ramamoorthy.

He also said although what India has built in the last 20 to 30 years is impressive, it is not enough.

“The question we have to ask is that of the 25-odd percent of engineering R&D that we have in the country, how much is truly the brain power for the next generation architecture, the next edition interface, the next generation R&D material innovation? The sad answer is not much yet,” said Ramamoorthy.

He added that we have to make sure that many of our engineers are actually “inventing and innovating in a very material way”.

S Krishnan, Secretary, MeitY, who inaugurated the roadshow, said the ministry is focussing on aligning various efforts to advance the India Semiconductor Mission, one of the world’s most extensive subsidy and grant programmes.

“With nearly 70-75% of investments in major semiconductor facilities coming from taxpayer money, every Indian is a stakeholder in this mission. In fact, 20% of the workforce in semiconductor design is in India. Ensuring its success is a collective responsibility shared by the government, industry, and academia,” he added.

Diving into the vision and significance of the Roadshow, Abhishek Singh, Additional Secretary, MeitY, talked about the importance of industry-academia collaboration.

“Under the India AI mission, through the INUP programme and other initiatives, startups, entrepreneurs, and researchers are solving real-world problems, driving India to the forefront of cutting-edge technology,” he added.

He added that the six Nano Centres established by MeitY at IISc and IITs are driving India’s edge in the deep-tech race, fostering breakthrough technologies and strategic advancements.

The roadshow saw participation from seven colleges. It showcased over 100 intellectual properties (IPs), over 50 groundbreaking technologies, and the innovation of over 35 promising startups.

Other prominent dignitaries included V Narayanan, Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation, Rangesh Raghavan, India Head, Lam Research, V Ramagopal Rao, Vice-Chancellor, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani (BITS Pilani), Shivkumar Kalyanaraman, CEO, Anusandhan National Research Foundation and Govindan Rangarajan, Director, IISc. PTI JR ROH

Latur, Mar 27 (PTI) The Latur Municipal Corporation (LMC) earmarked funds for several social welfare and infrastructure projects, including Rs 305.19 crore for an underground drainage system and Rs 259.22 crore for a water supply scheme, in its budget for 2025-26 presented on Thursday.

Civic commissioner Babasaheb Manohare presented the budget for the next fiscal and as per estimates, the LMC is expected to receive a total revenue of Rs 1,064.07 crore, of which Rs 1,063.90 crore will be allocated for various schemes and initiatives.

The municipal body is projected to have a surplus of Rs 17 lakh at the end of the next financial year.

Manohare highlighted key revenue sources, estimating Rs 200.63 crore in revenue income, Rs 46.88 crore from extraordinary receipts, Rs 125.97 crore from loans and funds, Rs 40.70 crore from various government welfare schemes, Rs 224.35 crore in capital receipts, Rs 285.10 crore in central grants.

These add up to an expected income of Rs 1,064.07 crore for the upcoming financial year.

Despite the anticipated revenue, the LMC has outlined major expenditures: Rs 236.24 crore in revenue expenses, Rs 69.67 crore in extraordinary expenses, Rs 125.97 crore for loan repayments and funds, Rs 62.28 crore for government welfare schemes and Rs 284.64 crore for capital expenditure, among others.

In total, Rs 1,063.90 crore is expected to be spent during 2025-26, leaving an estimated surplus of Rs 17 lakh.

The corporation has earmarked funds for several social welfare and infrastructure projects, including shelter homes for the homeless, PM Street Vendor's Self-Reliant Fund, expanded healthcare services, primary urban health centres, Janani Rath initiative (maternal health transport), advanced eye screening units and dental clinics, major investments in PM Awas Yojana and Ramai Awas Yojana.

The LMC is actively working on waste processing in the city, with 150 metric tons of waste being processed daily at the Varvanti Waste Depot, according to the budget documents.

The budget also includes provisions for strengthening municipal schools, ensuring students receive uniforms, educational materials and digital learning resources. Furthermore, lifts will be installed in the municipal headquarters for senior citizens and persons with disabilities, with necessary financial provisions made for this facility.

Under the AMRUT 2.0 initiative, an enhanced water supply project has been approved with an allocation of Rs 259.22 crore. A sum of Rs 305.19 crore has been allocated for an underground drainage system. Also, Rs 294.67 crore has been earmarked for Phase 2 of an underground sewerage project.

Commissioner Manohare emphasized the corporation is committed to enhancing civic amenities, maintaining cleanliness and aesthetics, and prioritizing education, healthcare, and water supply for the people of Latur, a city located in central Maharashtra. PTI COR RSY

Mumbai, Mar 27 (PTI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday said he met Jindal Stainless Ltd chairman Ratan Jindal and welcomed the company's proposed investment of Rs 42,886 crore to set up one of the largest stainless steel plants in the state.

In a post on X, Fadnavis said the plant, with a capacity of 4 million tonnes per annum (MTPA), will generate employment for 15,500 people.

"Delighted to meet Shri Ratan Jindal ji, to welcome their proposed investment, I express my deep gratitude for their confidence in Maharashtra and assured him complete support to execute this investment," the CM said in his post.

Separately, Fadnavis also met Pirojsha Godrej, executive vice chairperson of the Godrej Industries Group, at his official residence.

"Discussed the impressive 128-year legacy of Godrej, which started in Maharashtra. Looking forward to partnering to deliver growth in agricultural value chains, world-class urban development, and women empowerment through innovative financial inclusion initiatives," Fadnavis said in another post. PTI ND BNM

Mumbai, Mar 27 (PTI) Credit to industry expanded by 7.3 per cent in the fortnight ended on February 21, 2025, compared with 8.4 per cent in the year-ago period, according to Reserve Bank data released on Thursday.

Among major industries, outstanding credit to 'petroleum, coal products and nuclear fuels', 'all engineering', 'construction', and 'paper & paper products' recorded an accelerated y-o-y growth, it said.

Credit to agriculture and allied activities registered a growth of 11.4 per cent (y-o-y) as on the fortnight ended February 21, 2025 (20 per cent for the corresponding fortnight of the previous year).

RBI released the data on sectoral deployment of bank credit for February 2025 collected from 41 select banks, accounting for about 95 per cent of the total non-food credit deployed by all scheduled commercial banks.

On a year-on-year (y-o-y) basis, non-food bank credit as on the fortnight ended February 21, 20253 grew at 12 per cent as compared to 16.6 per cent for the corresponding fortnight of the previous year (February 23, 2024).

The data also showed that credit to services sector recorded a growth of 13 per cent (y-o-y) as on the fortnight ended February 21, 2025 (21.4 per cent for the corresponding fortnight of the previous year), with a decelerated growth in credit to ‘non-banking financial companies’ (NBFCs).

However, credit growth to ‘computer software’ accelerated and credit growth remained robust in ‘professional services’ and ‘trade’ segments.

Credit to personal loans segment registered a growth of 14 per cent as compared with 18 per cent a year ago, largely due to decline in growth rate in ‘other personal loans’, ‘credit card outstanding’ and ‘vehicle loans’ segments. PTI NKD NKD MR

New Delhi, Mar 27 (PTI) Hotels charging a room rent above Rs 7,500 a day at any time in any financial year will be considered 'specified premises' for the next fiscal and restaurant services provided inside such premises will attract 18 per cent GST with input tax credit, the CBIC said on Thursday.

From April 1, 2025, the taxability of such restaurants which operate inside hotels will be on the basis of value of supply (transactional value). This would replace the concept of 'declared tariff' which included charges for all amenities provided in the unit of accommodation (given on rent for stay) like furniture, air conditioner, refrigerators or any other amenities, but without excluding any discount offered on the published charges for such unit.

"For the period starting from 01.04.2025, the value of supply of hotel accommodation in the previous FY, i.e., the transaction value charged for the said supply, would be the basis for determining whether the premises providing hotel accommodation service mandatorily falls under the category of 'specified premises' or not in the current FY," the CBIC said in a FAQ issued on the topic of 'Restaurant Service' supplied at 'Specified Premises'.

The CBIC has defined 'specified premises' as those premises from where the supplier has provided in the preceding financial year, 'hotel accommodation' service having the value of supply of any unit of accommodation above Rs 7,500 per unit per day or equivalent.

Restaurant services inside such hotel units would automatically attract 18 per cent GST, with input tax credit (ITC).

Restaurant services inside hotels whose room rent has not crossed Rs 7,500/unit/day in the preceding financial year will continue to attract 5 per cent GST, without ITC.

Also, those hotels which intend to charge over Rs 7,500 room rent from the next fiscal can file an 'opt in' declaration with GST authorities between January 1 and March 31 of the ongoing fiscal. Also, hotels seeking new registration will have to fill in opt in declaration with 15 days of obtaining it declaring the said premises as 'specified premises'.

The CBIC said the notion of 'declared tariff' was being replaced with 'value of supply' (i.e. transaction value) in the definition of specified premises, as the hotel industry has largely moved to a dynamic pricing model.

Making the 'specified premises' status of a premises providing hotel accommodation service, in the current FY, dependent upon the 'value of supply' of units of accommodation provided by the hotel in the previous financial year, will give certainty regarding the 'specified premises' status of a hotel for any financial year.

It will also "give an option to the supplier of hotel accommodation service to declare the premises as 'specified premises' so that the restaurants located in the said premises can avail the rate of 18 per cent with ITC on the supply of restaurant service", the CBIC said.

EY Tax Partner Saurabh Agarwal said to simplify compliance, the CBIC has released FAQs clarifying that if the value of hotel accommodation exceeds Rs 7,500 per day in preceding FY, the premises will be subject to 18 per cent GST with ITC. Hotels can voluntarily opt in for specified premises classification if the value doesn't exceed Rs 7,500 in previous FY, with the declaration valid until they opt out.

"This streamlined process eliminates the need for annual filings. Separate declarations are required for each premise, and for restaurants outside specified premises, the GST rate is 5 per cent without ITC," Agarwal added. PTI JD HVA

New Delhi, Mar 27 (PTI) The ongoing talks between India and the US for the proposed trade agreement between India and the US are progressing "well" and will be for the "good" of both nations while protecting India's interests, Commerce and industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Thursday.

Goyal also said that he is in regular and constant dialogue with the industry from different sectors including agriculture, engineering, electronics, textiles, and various interest groups.

All are "very" excited about a potential bilateral trade agreement with the US, he said, adding, "The discussions are ongoing. They are progressing well and will be for the good of both the United States and India".

He was speaking at the Times Now Summit here.

When asked whether Indian industry should tighten its seat belt and whether there will be any turbulence on April 2, the commerce minister said the India growth story will be intact and the country will continue to power the global economy.

"India, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will continue to steer its economy with our motto of India first. And we are very, very committed and confident that we will take India in the Amrit Kaal to become a global superpower.

"Turbulence may come on the flight, but the pilot and the commander has complete control of the situation, and the flight will not only land safely, but will have many, many more journeys of successful growth of successful flights and we will reach our destination of Viksit Bharat 2047," he added.

These remarks assume significance as US President Donald Trump has announced imposing reciprocal tariffs in April on America's key trading partners including India. He has on multiple forums stated that India imposes high tariffs on US goods. The US has already imposed duties on China.

Besides, higher import duties of 25 per cent are imposed on steel and aluminium from March 12. On March 26, Trump announced a sweeping 25 per cent tariff on completely built vehicles (CBUs) and auto parts, a move set to take effect on April 3.

Tariffs are import duties imposed and collected by the government and paid by the companies to bring foreign goods into a country.

A team of US officials, headed by Assistant US Trade Representative for South and Central Asia Brendan Lynch, is here for negotiations on the proposed bilateral trade agreement. The three-day talks will end on Friday.

India and the US are aiming to conclude the first phase or tranche of the agreement by the fall of 2025 (September-October). They have also set a target to more than double the bilateral trade to USD 500 billion by 2030 from the current over USD 190 billion.

While the US has demanded greater market access in sectors like certain industrial goods, automobiles, wines, petrochemical products and some agriculture items, India may look at duty cuts for labour intensive sectors like textiles.

In 2024, India's main exports to the US included drug formulations, biological (USD 8.1 billion), telecom instruments (USD 6.5 billion), precious and semi-precious stones (USD 5.3 billion), petroleum products (USD 4.1 billion), gold and other precious metal jewellery (USD 3.2 billion), ready-made garments of cotton including accessories (USD 2.8 billion), and products of iron and steel (USD 2.7 billion).

Imports included crude oil (USD 4.5 billion), petroleum products (USD 3.6 billion), coal, coke (USD 3.4 billion), cut and polished diamonds (USD 2.6 billion), electric machinery (USD 1.4 billion), aircraft, space crafts and parts (USD 1.3 billion), and gold (USD 1.3 billion).

Indian industry and exporters are seeking exemption from the reciprocal tariffs stating that the duties would hurt them severely. According to them, the uncertainty over the tariffs would hurt businesses.

Amid pressure from the US, India in February reduced import duties on bourbon whiskey from 150 per cent to 100 per cent and lowered tariffs on certain varieties of wines. The duty on wines made from fresh grapes, vermouth, certain other fermented beverages, and unadulterated ethyl alcohol with 80 per cent strength has been reduced to 100 per cent.

The customs duty reduction announced in the Budget on products such as motorcycles and synthetic flavouring essences would also benefit American exports. India has also recently announced the scrapping of the equalisation levy on tech giants like Google.

The US is pushing India to negotiate a large and grand bilateral trade agreement while seeking to open the agriculture sector for American businesses.

The US agri exports to India was USD 1.6 billion in 2024. Key exports include almonds (in shell - USD 868 million); pistachios (USD 121 million), apples (USD 21 million), ethanol (ethyl alcohol - USD 266 million). PTI RR HVA

Shimla, Mar 27 (PTI) The Himachal Pradesh government has not submitted 2,990 utilisation certificates for expenditure of Rs 2,795.23 crore, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) pointed out in its report of Finance Accounts 2023-24 for Himachal.

Besides, there was no assurance that the said amount has actually been spent/utilised for the purpose it was sanctioned by the legislature, it added.

The report, tabled in the state Assembly by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Thursday, revealed that 1,342 Utilisation Certificates (UC) involving an amount of Rs 1,744.60 crore were due for submission against Grants-in Aid during 2023-24.

The total receipts decreased to Rs 54,104 crore in 2023-24 from Rs 60,556.70 crore in 2022-23 despite an increase in tax, non-tax and share in Union taxes and duties, as grants from the central government were reduced from Rs 16,733.93 crore to Rs 14,942.15 crore.

However, the revenue deficit was marginally down from Rs 6,335.76 crore (2022-23) to Rs 5,558 crore (2023-24).

The expenditure on salaries was Rs 15,046.97 crore in 2023-24 compared to Rs 15,569 crore in 2022-23, while expenditure on pension increased from Rs 9,283 crore to Rs 10,055.85 crore and interest payment rose from Rs 4,828.64 crore to Rs 5,648.37 crore.

Liabilities of the government widened from Rs 86,589.43 core in 2022-23 crore to Rs 96,632.9 crore in 2023-24, as internal debts surged from Rs 55,975.16 crore to Rs 61,439.29 crore, loans from the central government from Rs 7388.32 crore to Rs 8929.83 crore.

The Appropriation Accounts report of the CAG for 2023-24 tabled in the house on Thursday revealed that out of the budget allocation of Rs 46,433.33 crore for Revenue and Rs 56.96 crore under Capital expenditure, Rs 10,442.87 crore remained unspent during the year, and the actual expenditure incurred was Rs 35,990.45 crore and 60.66 crore under the Revenue and Capital heads, respectively. PTI BPL BAL

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Thiruvananthapuram, Mar 27 (PTI) Kerala Minority Welfare Minister V Abdurahiman on Thursday condemned the statements made by certain individuals spreading communal venom regarding actor Mohanlal's offering at Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa temple on behalf of actor Mammootty.

Abdurahiman has demanded that those who made narrow-minded and uncivilised statements regarding Mohanlal's offering should apologise to the public.

In a statement, he said that those who irresponsibly make such remarks, failing to understand the essence of secularism upheld by Kerala, are a disgrace to the state.

"Religious scholars should come forward to reject such dangerous stances. These statements are intended to malign a particular religion in front of the public. Such controversies will only serve to strengthen the hidden agenda of communal polarisation in Kerala's society," he said.

Abdurahiman said that people must remain vigilant against the rantings of those who fail to grasp the essence of humanity and fraternity promoted by religions.

"We have witnessed a religious leader criticising an elderly Muslim woman for going on a trip to Munnar with her children, deeming it a great sin. There have also been attempts to prevent students from going on study tours. Any such regressive moves must be resisted," he said.

The minister's statement came after Mohanlal's offering at the Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa temple for the well-being of Mammootty during his pilgrimage to the hill shrine on 18 March sparked a row.

After the offering receipt was leaked and went viral, a section of people with extreme religious views stated that Mammootty is a Muslim and that he should apologise if he had asked Mohanlal to offer prayers at the hill shrine on his behalf.

This sparked a controversy, with many taking to social media to rally behind the two popular actors, praising their friendship. PTI TGB TGB ROH

Mumbai, Mar 27 (PTI) Comedian Kunal Kamra continued to face heat for his jokes on Maharashtra Deputy CM Eknath Shinde as the Legislative Council admitted a breach of privilege notice against him, while a state minister on Thursday sought his arrest, saying "we know how to drag him out".

Twice summoned by the Mumbai police, the 36-year-old stand-up comic, whose caustic comments on Shinde during his latest show in the metropolis, have landed him in trouble and triggered a huge row, vented his ire at the media, calling it a “miscommunication arm” of the ruling party.

Amid mounting legal trouble for Kamra, the state Legislative Council has admitted a breach of privilege notice against him for allegedly insulting Shinde, who heads the Shiv Sena, during his recent performance.

Council chairperson Ram Shinde told PTI on Thursday he has accepted the notice against Kamra over the 'traitor' jibe at Shinde and forwarded it to the Privileges Committee.

The controversy stems from Kamra's show at the Habitat Comedy Club in Mumbai's Khar, where he performed a parody song targeting Shinde. The act prompted a strong backlash from Shiv Sena supporters, who vandalised the club and the hotel in which it is located on Sunday night.

Kamra was booked by the Khar police on a complaint by Shiv Sena MLA Murji Patel for allegedly making defamatory remarks against the Deputy Chief Minister.

As per police sources, the comedian, who is currently in Puducherry according to his Instagram bio, has been asked to appear before authorities in Mumbai within a week.

Talking to reports in Pune, state tourism minister and Shiv Sena leader Shambhuraj Desai said the police should arrest Kamra at the earliest and not test the patience of party workers.

"We have been asked by Shinde to be observe restraint, that is why we are quiet. As Shiv Sena workers, we know how to drag him out from wherever he is hiding, but as ministers we have some restrictions," Desai said.

"We want to tell the police, do not test our patience and nab him from wherever he is, put him in a tyre and give him 'prasad'," the Sena minister added.

In Marathi, the word `prasad' means an offering made to God, but it is also used as a euphemism for punishment.

In New Delhi, Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw justified the summons issued to the stand-up comedian over his controversial comments.

"If the law of the land requires it, it should be done," the Information and Broadcasting Minister said when asked if summoning of Kamra by the police was "too extreme" an action.

Vaishnaw said while the Constitution granted citizens certain rights, they were accompanied by some safeguards.

"We have to work within the framework of the Constitution as a society. Freedom of speech and expression is well laid out. Everybody respects it. The Constitution has also laid certain safeguards on it and those safeguards are as important as the rights," Vaishnaw said.

The Union minister emphasised that if everyone followed the safeguards, the society would work in a harmonious way.

"What is right in the western society might not be right in our society. There are different cultural contexts to everything," Vaishnaw noted.

Addressing a press conference in Mumbai, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, whose party has come out in support of Kamra, accused the BJP-led Mahayuti government in the state of double standards over the controversy.

He said state authorities have summoned the comedian for insulting a "traitor," but have not taken any action against actor Rahul Solapurkar over his "insult" of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

"When a comment was made against the 'traitor' (an apparent reference to Shinde), the studio where the programme was recorded was stormed, and Kamra was sent two summonses (for allegedly defaming Shinde). But has even a single summons been issued to Rahul Solapurkar, who allegedly insulted Shivaji Maharaj?" Thackeray asked.

"What right do you have to take action against Kamra? Whose image are you trying to protect?" he added.

Thackeray said Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was trying to shield a man (Shinde) whom Kamra did not name directly in his show, but did not say anything about `the man Kamra named'.

Notably, the Sena (UBT) mouthpiece `Saamana' had earlier this week pointed out that the BJP was mum about Kamra's direct jibes at Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the same show.

Amid the controversy, the comedian took to X to hit out at the mainstream media and termed it as "vultures".

“To all those hounding for a quote, the mainstream media at this point is nothing but a miscommunication arm of the ruling party,” Kamra claimed.

“They are vultures who report on issues that don’t matter to the people of this country. If they all shut shop from tomorrow till eternity they will be doing favour to the country, its people & their own children,” he added.

The comedian did not cite any specific reason or instance for his outburst against the mainstream media. PTI ND VT BNM SKU KSS KRK SPK RSY

New Delhi, Mar 27 (PTI) Salman Khan is the better actor, said superstar Aamir Khan, lauding his Bollywood contemporary for his emotional scenes on the big screen.

The two actors collaborated for a promotional video ahead of the release of Salman's latest film "Sikandar" on Sunday. The film is directed by A R Murugadoss, who had earlier directed Aamir in the 2008 blockbuster "Ghajini".

In the video, uploaded on YouTube, the actors asked Murugadoss to judge them based on different parameters.

Salman Khan asked the filmmaker, “Who’s the better actor? Who’s more hardworking? Who’s more sincere?"

To this, Aamir said, “All the boring things."

As the filmmaker hesitated, Aamir admitted, “Sir, actor also, he is better. Have you seen 'Dabangg'?"

Murugadoss then said that Salman acted well, especially in the scene where the superstar had to cry. "He did it without glycerine," he added.

Aamir echoed with the director and said, "I have seen... His emotional scenes are outstanding."

"Sikandar" also stars Rashmika Mandanna, Kajal Aggarwal, Sathyaraj, Sharman Joshi, Prateik Babbar, Anjini Dhawan, and Jatin Sarna. It is produced by Sajid Nadiadwala of Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment. PTI COR RB RB

New Delhi, Mar 27 (PTI) Sony Music Entertainment India and Tiger Baby Films on Thursday announced their collaboration for Tiger Baby Records, a music label that aims to nurture new music talents.

Led by directors Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti, Tiger Baby along with Sony Music Entertainment India has joined hands with singer-composer Ankur Tewari for the endeavour.

Tiger Baby Records is also set to feature original music of various styles by different artists, curated by Tewari.

The label is also launching ‘City Sessions’ partnered with Mumbai-based ‘Island City Studios’, another initiative to support budding talents to refine their skills.

Vinit Thakkar, Managing Director, Sony Music Entertainment India, said, “Tiger Baby Records represents a new era of music in India, where compelling storytelling and groundbreaking collaborations take centre-stage.

"We are thrilled to be part of this journey, pushing boundaries and bringing fresh, authentic voices to the forefront of the industry and are excited to partner with Zoya, Reema, and Ankur, who have an exceptional track record in music and creative storytelling,” he added.

Akhtar said music has always been a vital part of her storytelling.

"With Tiger Baby Records, we want the music to be the main story. Partnering with Sony Music India allows us to bring our vision to life and provide a platform for indie, homegrown talent to shine," she added.

Kagti, added, “This partnership marks an exciting new chapter for us at Tiger Baby. With Tiger Baby Records, we aim to delve into the diverse soundscapes of the subcontinent and represent them globally. By collaborating with brands and upcoming artists, we hope to have this music reach a large audience.”

Tewari said Tiger Baby Records is all about fostering an environment where creativity thrives.

"I’m thrilled to be a part of this journey where we get to build a legacy with artists who are using the power of their voice to express freely," he said.

As one of its earliest projects, Tiger Baby Records has published a wedding song for the renowned jewellery brand Tanishq, composed by Abhishek-Ananya and performed by Poorvi Koutish.

It has also recently released the soundtrack for "Superboys of Malegaon", a film based on the life of filmmaker Nasir Shaikh. PTI COR RB

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Los Angeles, Mar 27 (PTI) Academy award-winning director Barry Jenkins is set to collaborate with Hollywood star Zendaya for "Be My Baby", a biographical musical film based on the life of late American singer Ronnie Spector.

Dave Kajganich will write the screenplay for the movie that aims to immerse audiences in what the singer’s life with the troubled producer Phil Spector felt like, rather than a traditional career trajectory biopic.

The film is based on the 1990 memoir "Be My Baby: How I Survived Mascara, Miniskirts and Madness", written by Spector along with Vince Waldron.

It will mark Zendaya’s third collaboration with production company A24, after her popular series "Euphoria" and the upcoming film "The Drama".

"Be My Baby" will be produced by Zendaya, Marc Platt, Adam Siegel, Mark Itkin, and Tom Shelly.

Ronnie Spector rose to fame as the lead singer of the American girl group ‘The Ronettes’ in the early 1960s. The group broke up in 1967, and later she married record producer Phil Spector in 1968.

The couple had a dysfunctional marriage and they got separated in 1972. Spector had a brief battle with cancer before she died in January 2022.

Phil Spector was sent to prison in 2009 for the murder of actress Lana Clarkson and died in 2020. PTI COR RB

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New Delhi, Mar 27 (PTI) "Love Today" star Pradeep Ranganathan's untitled movie with Mamitha Baiju of "Premalu" has started production, the makers have announced.

The project is bankrolled by Mythri Movie Makers, the banner behind Allu Arjun's "Pushpa".

The film is tentatively titled ‘PR04’ and its pooja ceremony was held on Wednesday.

"Highlights from the #PR04 Pooja Ceremony with the #FirstShot Boom. Watch till the end for the exciting surprise. Shooting in progress. A BANGER OF A FILM LOADING," Mythri Movie Makers posted on Instagram.

The film is written and directed by Keerthiswaran, who earlier served as an assistant director on Suriya-starrer "Soorarai Pottru".

Sai Abhyankar will compose music for the movie, which will also feature Sarath Kumar and Hrithu Haroon in supporting roles.

Pradeep Ranganathan was last seen in the box-office blockbuster "Dragon", which is currently streaming on Netflix. Mamaitha’s last Tamil outing was the G V Prakash Kumar-starrer “Rebel’. PTI COR RB

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New Delhi, Mar 27 (PTI) Globally acclaimed Hindi film "Santosh", Britain's official entry at the Oscars and one of the most talked about titles last year, may not make it to Indian theatres following hurdles in its censor certification.

Though there was no official comment from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), a member termed it "a classic case of gross disagreement" between the producers and the board.

"They are unrelenting. They want zero modifications, and CBFC wants the modifications. They went to the revising committee for the second time, made more modifications, and lost their January release date... there has to be a middle ground," the member told PTI on condition of anonymity.

"Santosh", directed by British Indian filmmaker Sandhya Suri, known for documentaries such as "I For India" and "Around India with a Movie Camera",

is a police procedural thriller set in north India. The film, starring Shahana Goswami and Sunita Rajwar, was initially set for an India release on January 10.

A co-production between United Kingdom, Germany and France, it revolves around a widow who gets her late husband's job of a police constable. She and her senior inspector are soon sucked into a high profile investigation into the rape and murder of a Dalit teenager.

"Santosh" premiered in the Un Certain Regard category at the Cannes Film Festival in May last year. In India, it was showcased at the Mumbai MAMI film festival and the Dharamshala International Film Festival.

It was named UK's official Oscar entry last year but failed to make it to the final five. The film's distribution in India is being handled by PVR Inox Pictures.

In an interview with The Guardian newspaper, Suri said the censor board in India demanded radical cuts so lengthy and wide-ranging that they would be impossible to implement. She said the list of cuts included several pages and including concerns about themes relating to police conduct.

“It was very important to me that the film is released in India so I did try to figure out if there was a way to make it work,” said Suri.

“But in the end it was just too difficult to make those cuts and have a film that still made sense, let alone stayed true to its vision,” she told the newspaper.

Goswami, who plays the lead role in the movie, said she never thought it would run into a problem.

"It is disheartening... The changes are not something that we feel comfortable to make because it would alter the film. I think that's just a decision that's got made by elimination... it's nobody's desire to not have the film come out here. But at this point, that's kind of where it stands. I do feel sad about it," Goswami told PTI.

"Santosh", she said, does not target any particular person or a group but presents the reality of society.

"There's no reason why this film should create any difficulty," she said.

CBFC member, filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri, has come out in support of the movie.

"I don’t know about the cut list. I’m against banning any kind of creative work. My films have been cancelled," the director, known for controversial movies such "The Tashkent Files" and "The Kashmir Files", told PTI.

He said "Santosh" is a highly-acclaimed film and he is looking forward to watching it.

"It is a British entry to Oscar. I’ve no idea why it has been censored. It should be released in India. I’m not aware of the technicalities (of this film). We should be welcoming these films. CBFC has no mandate to ban anything; they are not a law-making authority, but they can make suggestions," Agnihotri added.

In an earlier interview with PTI, Suri had said the film's release in India is of "supreme importance" to her.

"It just ended up that I made a film on the Indian police. Actually, it is a very accessible film and the actors are so great. I had an amazing run in the cinemas in France. I did not make this film for viewers only outside of India... There are things which an Indian audience will definitely pick up that others might not," she said in October last year. PTI KKP RB BK MIN

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Los Angeles, Mar 27 (PTI) Hollywood star Renee Zellweger is the latest addition to the cast of the popular crime comedy series "Only Murders in the Building".

Zellweger, who won two Academy Awards for her performances in "Cold Mountain" (2004) and "Judy" (2020), will feature in the upcoming fifth season of the show, alongside Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez, according to entertainment news outlet Deadline.

Co-created by Steve Martin and John Hoffman, the Hulu series follows three neighbours in a New York City apartment who come together to record a true crime podcast about the murder of a fellow resident.

The fourth season of "Only Murders in the Building" premiered in August last year and the show was renewed for the fifth season a month later.

Besides Zellweger, season five will also feature actors Christoph Waltz and Keegan Michael Kay.

In the new season, the three neighbours will investigate the death of Lester (Teddy Coluca), the Arconia doorman who was killed at the end of season four.

"Only Murders in the Building" season five is currently in production. It is produced by 20th Television. PTI COR RB

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Greater Noida, Mar 27 (PTI) Boxing Federation of India president Ajay Singh on Thursday asserted that boxers will not miss any more tournaments, with national camps set to resume soon and a new coaching setup also to be announced.

Indian boxing was in a state of inexplicable slumber post the Paris Olympics with boxers missing several international competitions, including the Asian Championships, Strandja Memorial and the recent Women's World Championships.

While the men's team is in Brazil for the first stage of the World Boxing Cup starting on Sunday, the women boxers missed out due to repeated delays in the National Championships, which concluded only on Thursday.

"Indian boxers will not miss anything at all. The national camps will start very soon. Women are not going to miss any more championships," Singh told reporters on sideline of the final day of the women's National Championship's here

He also also announced that the Youth National Championship will take place next month in Greater Noida, followed by the Junior Nationals in Nainital in May. The sub-junior nationals will be held in Delhi or Goa in June.

"We remain committed to protecting the interests of our boxers and ensuring that all National Championships are successfully completed within the next two months."

Previously, the only way to enter the national camps was by finishing on the podium at the National Championships. However, BFI will now have a new system which will now include boxers from 2 other competitions, including the REC Open Talent Hunt Program, as well.

"Four boxers from National Championships, the 2 REC finalists and in addition to that we are having the Chief of Army Staff Championship for men and yet unnamed championship for women and from those championships also we will pick two boxers.

"We will create a pool from these eight boxers and from that pool we will pick four boxers to represent us in the national camps," Singh said.

Despite delays in the BFI's elections, which are currently stalled due to ongoing court cases, Singh confirmed that the federation will proceed with appointing the new coaching staff to ensure that boxers are not impacted.

"We will continue with our work, continue hosting championships, continue with the process of camps and recruiting people. Whenever there is an election if there is a new team they we are free to take their calls."

Singh also addressed criticism of the federation's previous selection policy, which replaced trials with an assessment system, saying the the federation "will debate it again in a fresh setup".

"Many believe that there needs to be trials. But when there are trials, boxers peak at a time well before the championship and are unable to peak again in time. A year-round evaluation works better and where it is very close, a trial can be held."

Infighting within the BFI overshadowed the women's National Championship. State units opposed to Singh's re-election boycotted the event.

But Singh asserted that the boxers would not suffer due to this political turmoil.

"We will do our very best because it's not their fault the fact that they became victim of this politics. I will do everything in my power to ensure that they get an opportunity in other championships that they have a chance to come back," he said. PTI APA ATK APA

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Chandigarh, Mar 27 (PTI) Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday said with the concerted efforts of the government, the state will soon host several national and international level sporting events to give impetus to sporting culture in the state.

He was addressing a gathering during a function to facilitate the 1975 World Cup winner hockey squad and cash prize to winners of national games, 'Khedan Watan Punjab Dian', said an official release.

Mann said he has raised this matter on several platforms and now it has started producing the desired results adding that Punjab will soon host a four-nation hockey league.

Likewise, he said, several other prestigious events will also be organised in the state to give a boost to the sporting culture in Punjab.

Mann said in order to wean away youth from the menace of drugs, playgrounds and gyms will be opened in every village of the state.

He said the state government is working on an aggressive campaign to produce a maximum number of trained sportspersons and to have more Punjabi players in the Indian contingent for international events.

Punjab has abundant sports talent and the state government would not leave any stone unturned to enable the players to participate and win medals for India in the international arena, he said.

He said Punjab has become the first state in the country to provide funds for preparation of international events to the players.

The CM said Punjab and sports have a strong bond due to which Punjabi players always prove their mettle in games.

He alleged that the youth of the state have an inherent talent but the successive governments have failed to provide the requisite infrastructure.

Mann asserted that now the players are being provided with state-of-the-art infrastructure and world-class facilities. PTI CHS KSS

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Amman (Jordan), Mar 27 (PTI) Young Indian wrestler Reetika Hooda blew away a 6-2 lead, conceding four points in the last 10 seconds of the women's 76kg final, to settle for a silver medal at the Asian Championship, while Mansi Lather and Muskan won bronze, here on Thursday.

The 22-year-old Reetika, who became first Indian female wrestler to be crowned U23 World Champion and youngest to qualify for Olympics, outclassed Japan's Nodoka Yamamoto and Korea's Seoyeon Jeong on her way to the gold medal bout.

The summit clash was a repeat of Paris Olympics quarterfinal against Kyrgyzstan's Aiperi Medet Kyzy. Reetika employed an aggressive strategy, going for double leg attacks.

She lost initial points on counter attack but made it 2-2 with a take-down. In the second period, she made a move at the edge of the circle to take a 4-2 lead and consolidated it with another two-pointer.

The gold was within the reach but another aggressive move, a double leg attack, cost Reetika, who again lost point of counter-attack. The two-pointer came in last 2 seconds, make it 6-6 in favour of the Kyrgyz on criteria.

First up for Reetika was Jeong, who she beat by technical superiority. She began the scoring with a take-down move and followed that up with a single-leg attack to add two more to her kitty.

Reetika ended the bout in a jiffy when she got hold of the Korean''s legs and employed the 'fitley' move.

Against Yamamoto, the U23 World bronze medallist, Reetika followed the same pattern and in the second period found a way to pin her rival when she had a 6-0 lead.

Reetika had won a bronze at the 2023 Asian Championships in Astana.

Adding to India's tally were Mansi and Muskan.

In 68kg, Mansi Lather made a strong start, winning her opening bout against Korea's Sheng Feng Cai by technical superiority and got a walk over from Japanese Ami Ishii.

She lost her semifinal 1-10 to eventual gold medallist China's Zelu Li.

In her fight for bronze with Irina Kazyulina, the Indian teenager was leading comfortably 4-0 when the Kazakh made a move, looking for pin. Mansi was inches away from getting pinned but used her immense strength to wriggle out of precarious position and quickly turned the tables to win by technical superiority.

Muskan (59kg) easily beat Philippines' Arian G Carpio in her qualification bout but lost her quarterfinal to Japan's Sakura Onishi. Up against Mongolia's Altjin Togtokh in the bronze play-off, Muskan gradually got a grip over the contest, winning 4-0.

In 55kg, Nishu lost her qualification bout to Yuxuan Li but the Chinese reached the final, opening the repechage route for the Indian.

Capitalising on the chance, Nishu beat Vietnam's My Trang Nguyen to set up a bronze medal clash against Mongolia's Otgontuya Bayanmunkh.

Ankush (50kg) also made it to the repechage round after losing the opening bout by technical superiority to Japan''s Remina Yoshimoto but conceded the match against Korea''s Miran Cheon due an injury. PTI AT AT ATK

Lucknow Super Giants:

Mitchell Marsh c Nitish Kumar Reddy b Cummins 52

Aiden Markram c Cummins b Mohammed Shami 1

Nicholas Pooran lbw b Cummins 70

Rishabh Pant c Mohammed Shami b Patel 15

Ayush Badoni c Patel b Zampa 6

David Miller not out 13

Abdul Samad not out 22

Extras: (LB-1, W-13) 14

Total: (For 5 wickets in 16.1 overs) 193

Fall of wickets: 1-4, 2-120, 3-138, 4-154, 5-164

Bowling: Abhishek Sharma 2-0-20-0, Mohammed Shami 3-0-37-1, Simarjeet Singh 2-0-28-0, Pat Cummins 3-0-29-2, Adam Zampa 4-0-46-1, Harshal Patel 2-0-28-1, Ishan Kishan 0.1-0-4-0. PTI SSC SSC

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Hyderabad, Mar 27 (PTI) Lucknow Super Giants registered a comfortable five-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in their IPL match here on Thursday.

Opting to bowl, Shardul Thakur’s four-wicket haul helped LSG restrict SRH to 190/9.

Nicholas Pooran then smashed a blistering 26-ball 70, while opener Mitchell Marsh chipped in with a 31-ball 52, guiding the visitors to a chase of 193/5 in just 16.1 overs.

Pat Cummins (2/29) and Mohammed Shami (1/37) were among the wicket-takers for SRH.

Travis Head top-scored for SRH with a 28-ball 47, while Nitish Kumar Reddy (32), Heinrich Klaasen (26), and Aniket Verma (36) made useful contributions for SRH.

For LSG, Shardul (4/34) was the standout bowler, with Avesh Khan (1/45), Digvesh Rathi (1/40), Prince Yadav (1/29), and Ravi Bishnoi (1/42) taking a wicket each.

Brief Scores:

SRH: 190/9 in 20 overs (Travis Head 47; Shardul Thakur 4/34).

LSG: 193/5 in 16.1 overs (Nicholas Pooran 70; Pat Cummins 2/29). PTI ATK BS

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Chennai, Mar 27 (PTI) Former U-17 World No. 1 Payas Jain produced the biggest upset of the opening day at WTT Star Contender Chennai by knocking out Commonwealth Games and Asian Games medallist Sathiyan Gnanasekaran in the Round of 64 here on Thursday.

Top-seeded Japanese duo Tomokazu Harimoto and Sora Matsushima dominated their men’s doubles clash, while Miwa Harimoto and Miyuu Kihara mirrored their success in the women’s doubles draw.

Later in the day, Indian great Sharath Kamal began his farewell event with a 3-0 win over qualifier Anirban Ghosh. Sharath also partnered Snehit Suravajjula in the men’s doubles to defeat Australia’s Nicholas Lum and Finn Luu in a five-game thriller.

The event boasts 600 ranking points for winners and a USD 275,000 prize purse, with top global paddlers in action.

Gujarat trio of Manav Thakkar, Harmeet Desai, and Manush Shah made strong starts in the men’s singles. Manav and Harmeet cruised through in straight games, defeating qualifiers Divyansh Srivastava and Kim Taehyun, respectively.

Wildcard Manush overcame a slow start, rallying from a game down to edge past Italian qualifier John Oyebode in a hard-fought encounter.

In a gripping all-Indian women’s singles clash, Ayhika Mukherjee edged past wildcard and her doubles partner Sutirtha Mukherjee in a five-game thriller. PTI BS ATK

Hyderabad, Mar 27 (PTI) Shardul Thakur continued his dream comeback with a four-wicket haul to help Lucknow Super Giants restrict a power-packed Sunrisers Hyderabad to 190 for nine in an IPL match here on Thursday.

Opting to bowl, Shardul (4/34) gave LSG a fiery start, removing Abishek Sharma and last match centurion Ishan Kishan in consecutive balls in the third over.

Shardul sent packing Sharma with a short delivery before getting Ishan Kishan caught behind off an innocuous delivery down the leg side.

Travis Head (47 off 28), however, looked in ominous form as he took the attack to the opposition and used his brute power to deal in boundaries and sixes.

Head was particularly brutal against Avesh, who sprayed the ball on both sides, with the Australian hitting him for two sixes and one four to pick up 18 runs in the fourth over.

Head, however, was lucky as he got two reprieves.

Head skied Ravi Bishnoi's first ball down the ground, and Pooran stationed at long-on had all the time in the world to get under the ball and take a simple catch but the West Indian put it down.

The missed chance proved costly as Head slammed Bishnoi over covers for a maximum.

Bishnoi had another chance to claim the wicket of Head in the fifth ball of the sixth over but he failed to latch on to a difficult return catch.

But Head's luck finally ran out when fast bowler Prince Yadav disturbed his timbers to pick up his first IPL wicket.

Henrich Klaasen (26 off 17) was looking dangerous but got out in a bizarre fashion, run out by Yadav off his own bowling as a straight drive from Nitish Reddy ricocheted on to the sumps from the bowlers follow through.

Young Aniket Verma played a 13-ball 36-run cameo that included five sixes but fell to leg-spinner Disvesh Rathi, caught by David Miller.

SRH skipper Pat Cummins (18 off 4) hit three sixes of his first three balls before departing. PTI SSC BS

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Hyderabad, Mar 27 (PTI) Scoreboard of the IPL match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Lucknow Super Giants here on Thursday.

Sunrisers Hyderabad Innings:

Travis Head b Prince Yadav 47

Abhishek Sharma c Pooran b Thakur 6

Ishan Kishan c Pant b Thakur 0

Nitish Kumar Reddy b Ravi Bishnoi 32

Heinrich Klaasen

run out (Prince Yadav) 26

Aniket Verma c David Miller b Digvesh Rathi 36

Abhinav Manohar c Abdul Samad b Thakur 2

Pat Cummins c Digvesh Rathi b Avesh Khan 18

Harshal Patel not out 12

Mohammed Shami c Ayush Badoni b Thakur 1

Simarjeet Singh not out 3

Extras: (W-6, NB-1)

7

Total: (For 9 wkts, 20 Overs) 190

Fall of Wickets: 15-1, 15-2, 76-3, 110-4, 128-5, 156-6, 156-7, 176-8, 181-9.

Bowler: Shardul Thakur 4-0-34-4, Avesh Khan 4-0-45-1, Digvesh Rathi 4-0-40-1, Ravi Bishnoi 4-0-42-1, Prince Yadav 4-0-29-1. (MORE) PTI ATK

Thane, Mar 27 (PTI) A man was arrested in Taloja in Navi Mumbai on Thursday for allegedly murdering a 3-year-old girl staying in his neighbourhood, a police official said.

The murder may have been the fallout of a fight between the wife of accused Mohammad Ansari and the child's mother over toys, Zone II Deputy Commissioner of Police Prashant Mohite Patil said.

"Ansari is also addicted to mobile phone games and had lost Rs 40,000. He murdered the girl, concealed her body in a bag, which he placed on the toilet seat of her house. He then sought ransom from the child's father Amrish Sharma by trying to fool him into believing the child had been kidnapped," the DCP said.

After Sharma alerted police, a probe zeroed in on Ansari, who has confessed to the crime, Mohite Patil said.

Further probe into the case is being carried out by Taloja police, he added. PTI COR BNM

Mumbai, Mar 27 (PTI) The Mumbai Crime Branch arrested a Bangladeshi national from Dadar in the metropolis for allegedly staying illegally in the country and have begun a probe to check if he was involved in the March 17 violence in Nagpur, an official said on Thursday.

Azizul Nizanul Rahman (29) was held by Crime Branch Unit II on Wednesday, he added.

"We suspect he was in Nagpur at the time of the violence. He is a resident of Hasanbaug in Nagpur and had come to Dadar just a few days ago. Rahman, a daily wage labourer, has admitted to obtaining an Aadhaar car using forged documents," the official said.

"We are analysing his mobile phone tower location as part of the probe. We have also shared information about his arrest with our Nagpur counterparts," he said.

Mobs went on a rampage in central Nagpur areas on March 17 amid rumours that a ‘chadar’ with holy inscriptions was burnt during protests led by VHP and Bajrang Dal for the removal of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb's tomb located in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district.

More than 110 persons have been arrested in connection with the violence, including key accused Fahim Khan. PTI DC BNM

Pune, Mar 27 (PTI) Pune police on Thursday sent a proposal to the Maharashtra home department recommending dismissal of two officers who were suspended in connection with the Porsche car crash in May last year.

A Porsche car, allegedly driven by a 17-year-old boy in an inebriated condition, had run over two motorcycle-borne persons in Kalyani Nagar area in the wee hours of May 19.

Inspector Rahul Jagdale and API Vishwanath Todkari, attached to Yerawada police station, were suspended for late reporting and dereliction of duty at the time. An internal inquiry also pointed at lapses while registering the case and delay in collecting blood samples.

"We have sent a proposal to the state home department seeking the dismissal of these two suspended cops. The proposal was sent today," Pune police commissioner Amitesh Kumar said.

While the juvenile involved in the case has been released from an observation home, his parents, two doctors and a staffer from Sassoon hospital, two middlemen and three others are in jail.

The case had hit national headlines over cover up efforts from various quarters, including swapping blood samples to nullify alcohol tests. PTI SPK BNM

Gurugram, Mar 27 (PTI) Police have busted an online sex racket and arrested three people in the case, officials said on Thursday.

According to police, they received information about the racket being operated through WhatsApp.

To bust the racket, Head Constable Prem Prakash acted as a customer and got in touch with one of the accused and arranged for two women to be sent over for Rs 20,000, police said.

Following this, Prakash was given Rs 3,000 notes signed and sent to a hotel. About 25 minutes later, a man came to the hotel room with two women and asked for the amount, they said.

Upon receiving a signal from Prakash, the police team caught all the three accused from the hotel room and the signed notes of Rs 3,000 were recovered from their possession, police added.

The accused pimp was identified as Satyapal, a resident of Kotputli in Rajasthan. The arrested women were from Kolkata and Tripura, police said.

"Satyapal, during interrogation, revealed that a person named Raja is running the racket through WhatsApp. The women involved get a share and the rest goes to Raja," a senior police officer said.

"He said that his job was to arrange for women as per the demand of the customers," the officer said.

A case has been registered and further investigation is underway, the officer added. PTI COR HIG

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Gurugram, Mar 27 (PTI) Police have arrested seven people for allegedly duping a woman of Rs 64 lakh under the pretext of higher returns upon investment in the stock market, officials said on Thursday.

According to police, transactions of Rs 20 lakh have been frozen.

On February 27, a woman filed a complaint and said that she had been defrauded of Rs 64 lakh under the pretext of higher returns upon investing in the stock market, police said.

During the investigation, the police arrested seven accused from Gurugram on Wednesday.

The police found six among the seven accused received the defrauded amount who then sold their accounts to Shailender for Rs 20,000 each, Priyanshu Dewan, ACP cyber said.

Further investigation is underway, he added. PTI COR HIG

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Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Mar 27 (PTI) The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Thursday detained a woman District Sports Officer (DSO) of Parbhani in Maharashtra and another sports officer after they were caught taking a bribe of Rs 1.5 lakh, an official said.

The complainant in the case had organised a sports tournament in 2024 and he was supposed to get Rs 5 lakh from the Parbhani DSO headed by Kavita Navande. The complainant was also supposed to get Rs 90 lakh from the DSO for the construction of a swimming pool, he said.

In order to sanction the bills, Navande demanded Rs 2 lakh for herself and Rs 50,000 for sports officer Nanaksingh Bassi. Of the total amount of Rs 2.5 lakh, the complainant paid an amount of Rs 1 lakh to Navande in the presence of Bassi on 3 March, the official said.

But since the complainant did not want to pay any more money, he approached the anti-graft agency on 24 March. Based on his complaint, it laid a trap on Thursday and held Navande while accepting the money in the presence of Bassi, he added.

A case is being registered against the duo at the Navamondha police station in Parbhani, he said.

According to the official, the police seized Rs 1.06 lakh from Navande's residence in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, while a search is being conducted at Bassi's house in Nanded. PTI AW NP

Ghaziabad, Mar 27 (PTI) A notorious criminal wanted in over a dozen cases, including a jewellery shop robbery here, was arrested after a gunfight near the Hindon river barrage in the early hours of Thursday, police said.

A police team conducting routine checks signaled a speeding car to stop. However, the driver took a U-turn instead of halting and tried to escape. As the police chased and cornered him, his vehicle collided with a divider. Finding himself trapped, the suspect opened fire on the police team, said Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Indirapuram, Abhishek Srivastav.

The officers retaliated in self-defense and the suspect was shot in the right leg below the knee before being overpowered and arrested, he added.

The ACP said the accused has been identified as Anil Saxena (47).

He confessed during interrogation that he and three accomplices had on the night of March 21-22 burgled a jewellery shop in Vasundhara, breaking open the shutter, said Srivastav.

A search of his vehicle led to the recovery of gold and silver ornaments hidden in the dashboard along with a country-made pistol, police said.

Saxena also admitted that he and his gang had been conducting search to identify soft targets for robbery and that he had been looking for a jewellery store to loot the previous night, they said.

The ACP further said Saxena has a criminal history with over a dozen cases, including charges of robbery, dacoity and attempted murder, registered against him across multiple police stations. PTI COR KIS AS

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Jhansi, Mar 27 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh Police have busted a gang that allegedly lured unmarried men with fake promises of marriage and extorted money from them, officials said Thursday.

Four members of the gang, including a woman, were arrested on Wednesday while attempting to take back a bride after receiving Rs 1 lakh for the wedding.

Police said the gang had duped several people using this scheme in different areas.

Kakarwai police station in-charge Vinay Kumar Sahu said the gang had targeted 38-year-old Dalchand, a resident of Baramain village, who had been struggling to get married.

"Dalchand came in contact with Rani Tiwari from Jabalpur, who assured him that she could arrange his marriage for Rs 1 lakh. Trusting her, he agreed to the deal. On March 21, Rani Tiwari and two others brought a woman named Rozi Khan, claiming she was ready to marry Dalchand," Sahu said.

The gang members took Rs 1 lakh and left, assuring Dalchand that they would return in a few days to complete the court marriage process. However, on Wednesday, two men, identified as Jai Kushwaha and Aditya, arrived and tried to forcibly take Rozi Khan away, threatening Dalchand with legal trouble if he resisted. This led to a confrontation, and local police were alerted, the officer said.

"During our investigation, we found that all four suspects were part of a fraud gang based in Jabalpur that had been duping people by arranging fake marriages in exchange for money," Sahu said.

The arrested individuals have been identified as Rozi Khan (wife of Sagir Khan), Jai Kushwaha (son of Ratan Kushwaha), Aditya (son of Ajay Srivas), and Sagir Khan, all residents of Jabalpur, he said.

Sahu added that the gang had carried out similar frauds across Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

"A detailed investigation is underway to identify more victims and trace other members of the gang," he added.

The accused have been booked under sections of the BNS, and all four have been sent to jail. PTI COR KIS HIG

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New Delhi, Mar 27 (PTI) Delhi Police has busted a vehicle theft syndicate operating across the country with the arrest of seven people, an official said on Thursday.

"The syndicate, allegedly masterminded by Dubai-based Khawaja Shaik Husain alias Sarik alias Sata, specialised in stealing and trafficking high-end vehicles across the country," Delhi Police said in a statement.

"The crackdown led to the arrest of seven people and the recovery of luxury cars, fake number plates and key programming tools used in vehicle theft," the statement read.

The syndicate was unravelled following a planned operation spanning several states, including Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab and West Bengal.

The Crime Branch conducted raids in Meerut, Bhogaon, Sambhal (Uttar Pradesh), Kalaburagi, Bengaluru (Karnataka), Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh), Punjab and Kolkata (West Bengal), leading to the capture of key syndicate members, read the statement.

The accused identified as Raj Babu alias Akib, Md Rais alias Mulla, Sagir Ahmad were apprehended from UP, Sumit Jalan Shailender Shaw alias Raj Shaw, Arka Bhattacharya from West Bengal and Ravi Kuldeep from Rajasthan.

"These people played critical roles in the syndicate, including vehicle theft, supply chain logistics and black-market sales of stolen cars," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Apoorva Gupta in the statement said.

She said that the syndicate employed sophisticated methods to steal and dispose of vehicles. Gang members used computer-based scanning devices and key programming tools to bypass security systems, reprogram engine control modules (ECM), and create new keys for stolen vehicles.

"The gang had sub-groups specialising in stealing SUVs and luxury cars. These vehicles were then transported to different states, including Rajasthan, Manipur, Nagaland, Chhattisgarh, Nagpur, Ahmedabad and even across the Nepal border," DCP Gupta further said.

She said that given the organised nature of the criminal operation, Delhi Police invoked Sections 3 and 4 of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA Act) against the accused. The act, designed to curb organised crime, was applied after police discovered that members of the syndicate had been involved in multiple serious offences over the past decade.

"The invocation of MCOCA was necessary as this is not a case of isolated vehicle thefts but a deep-rooted organised crime network with national and international links," said the DCP.

She said that the syndicate's mastermind, Khawaja Shaik Husain hails from Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh. Born in 1971, he was initially involved in petty crimes but soon expanded his operations into large-scale vehicle theft and black-market sales.

According to police records, Sarik moved to Delhi in 1996 and worked as a driver before infiltrating the auto theft underworld. By 1999, he had established a vehicle-lifting racket. His criminal record includes over 60 cases spanning offences such as vehicle theft, dacoity, forgery, rioting, cheating, and violations under the Arms Act, Gangster Act, and the National Security Act (NSA).

"He has been declared a proclaimed offender in two cases related to Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) by the Special Cell of Delhi Police. His links to counterfeit currency smuggling and possible terror financing are also under investigation," said the officer.

DCP Gupta also said that each of the arrested had a specific role within the syndicate -- Raj Babu, a B.Sc. graduate had been supplying stolen vehicles since 2014, reportedly stealing 30–35 vehicles over the last two years.

Sagir Ahmad, previously involved in 22 cases, executed vehicle thefts and was earlier booked for an attempt to murder. Ravi Kuldeep, initially a DJ operator, fell into crime and has prior arrests for dacoity and attempt to murder, Md Rais was arrested in 2011 for illegal arms trafficking before shifting to vehicle theft operations, DCP Gupta said.

"We are further investigating the role of the rest accused. We have recovered two Toyota Fortuners, four Hyundai Cretas, one Hyundai Alcazar and one Kia Seltos," he said. They also recovered fake number plates, blank remote car keys and forged vehicle registration documents. PTI BM HIG

Mumbai, Mar 27 (PTI) Mumbai police on Thursday asked stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra to appear before it on March 31 in connection with the case against him for allegedly making derogatory remarks against Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

The case stems from Kamra's recent show at the Habitat Comedy Club in Khar, where he performed a parody song targeting Eknath Shinde.

The act prompted a backlash from Shiv Sena supporters, who vandalised the club and the hotel in which it is located on Sunday night. Kamra (36) was booked by Khar police on a complaint by Shiv Sena MLA Murji Patel.

Kamra was asked to appear before police on Tuesday but he had sought seven days time, the official said.

"In the second summons issued to him, Kunal Kamra has been asked to appear before police on March 31," the official informed.

Police had also arrested 12 Shiv Sainiks, including leader Rahool Kanal, for vandalising the studio in which Kamra's show was filmed and the hotel in which it is located. They were granted bail hours after being held.

The Maharashtra legislative council has also admitted a breach of privilege notice against Kamra in connection to his alleged derogatory remarks against Shinde.

As per his Instagram bio, Kamra is currently in Puducherry. PTI DC VT BNM

Valsad, Mar 27 (PTI) A man ended his life after allegedly poisoning his wife and their two-year-old son in Valsad district in Gujarat on Thursday over financial troubles, a police official said.

The incident took place in Nilkanth Apartment in Umbergaon taluka's Solsumba village, Deputy Superintendent of Police Bhargav Pandya said.

"Shivam Vishwakarma (28) hanged himself from the ceiling fan of his apartment after giving poison to his wife Aarti (25) and their 2-year-old son this morning. A preliminary probe has revealed Shivam was in depression due to loss in forex trading. Further probe into the case is underway," Pandya said. PTI COR PJT BNM

New Delhi, Mar 27 (PTI) The Supreme Court-appointed three-member in-house inquiry committee, probing allegations of alleged discovery of wads of cash from Delhi High Court judge Yashwant Varma's residence, met Delhi Fire Services chief Atul Garg here on Thursday.

According to sources, Garg deposed before the probe panel at Haryana State Guest House at Chanakyapuri and recorded his statement.

Garg, however, had denied claims of the cash discovery by the fire fighters.

Earlier in the day, the leaders of six High Court bar associations met Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna and sought withdrawal of the recommendation to transfer Justice Varma to the Allahabad High Court.

Soon after the meeting, Allahabad High Court Bar Association (AHCBA) president Anil Tiwari said the CJI had assured them of considering the demands.

However, the CJI did not promise anything, said sources privy to the development.

In an unprecedented move, the Supreme Court late on Saturday night uploaded on its website an in-house inquiry report, including photos and videos, into alleged discovery of a huge stash of cash at Justice Varma's residence.

The alleged cash discovery happened following a fire at Justice Varma's Lutyens Delhi residence at around 11.35 pm on March 14, prompting the fire officers to rush to the spot.

In the wake of the controversy, the apex court collegium recommended the repatriation of Justice Varma, from whom work was withdrawn by the Delhi High Court following a directive from the CJI, to his parent Allahabad High Court.

On March 22, the CJI constituted the three-member committee to conduct an in-house inquiry into allegations and decided to upload the inquiry report of Chief Justice D K Upadhyay of the Delhi High Court in the incident.

Justice Varma has denounced the allegations and said no cash was ever placed in the storeroom either by him or any of his family members. PTI PKS AS

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Lucknow, Mar 27 (PTI) The Allahabad High Court Thursday stayed the orders of a special MP MLA court of Balrampur whereby it had sought reply of the District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police in connection with a murder case against former Samajwadi Party MP Rizwan Zahir and others.

Passing the order on a revision petition filed by the Uttar Pradesh government, the Lucknow bench of Justice Subhash Vidyarthi also issued notices to Zahir and other accused seeking their reply in the case.

The bench of stayed the orders of the special court whereby it had sought reply of the DM and SP of Balrampur as to why reference should not be sent to the high court for initiating contempt proceedings against them as the local police had moved an application before the special court to halt the criminal trial proceedings going on against Zahir and other accused so that proceedings of the trial of a Gangsters Act case may be completed at the earliest.

After revision petition was filed on Thursday, Additional Advocate General VK Shahi mentioned the matter requesting the court to hear the case on the day itself as there was serious urgency.

The trial of murder case is going on against Zaheer and others in the special MP/MLA court of Balrampur district.

Hearing is also going on against them in a case of Gangster Act.

The police filed an application in the special court and said that since there is a provision in the Gangster Act that if along with gangster, other cases are also going on against an accused under other sections, the case under Gangster Act will be heard first and hearing of other cases will be stopped.

On this basis, the police filed the application in the special court and said that since trial is going on under Gangster Act, then the trial in the murder case should be stopped.

It was said that the special court was irked at this application and by passing orders on January 13 and March 21, it sought a reply from the DM and SP as to why this application should not be considered contemptuous and the case should be referred to the high court for action.

On the petition, Additional Advocate General Shahi and Additional Government Advocate Anurag Verma, on behalf of the state government, argued that this application was given by local police under Section 12 and Rule 57 of the Gangster Act, hence the order of the Special MP/MLA Court is illegal and arbitrary, which deserves to be set aside immediately.

The court found that the matter required consideration and stayed the order of the special court. PTI COR KIS ZMN

Jabalpur, Mar 27 (PTI) The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Thursday allowed the state government to dispose of the chemical waste from the defunct Union Carbide factory in Bhopal at a Pithampur plant after it was told that a trial incineration did not cause any adverse consequences.

The four-decade-old hazardous waste shall be disposed of in a safe manner at the plant in Dhar district within 72 days, said a division bench of Chief Justice S K Kait and Justice Vivek Jain.

The government had asked for 72 days to complete the process.

Some local organisations in Pithampur were opposed to the disposal of the waste near the town, but the government, in its affidavit filed before the court on Thursday, said the three trials of disposal were successful and did not lead to any adverse impact.

The court then directed the government to ensure that all safety measures were taken, and dispose of the waste. The government was asked to file a report on June 30, said senior advocate Naman Nagrath, representing petitioner late Alok Pratap Singh.

Singh had filed the writ petition in 2004 regarding the removal of the waste from the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal, the epicentre of the 1984 gas leak disaster.

On February 18, the HC allowed the state government to carry out a trial run at Pithampur in three phases.

The waste will be incinerated in a quantity of 270 kilogram an hour as suggested by the expert committee which is supervising the work, Additional Advocate General Harpreet Singh Ruprah told PTI.

The incineration of waste will commence within a week and will be done in 72 days , he added.

The HC has asked the interveners that if they have any grievance then the same be submitted to the state government for consideration, Ruptah said.

The government has assured the court of looking into the grievances of the interveners if any, he added.

A total of 337 tones of waste was on January 2 transported to the waste disposal plant operated by a private company in Pithampur, about 250 km from the state capital.

On the intervening night of December 2 and 3, 1984, highly toxic Methyl Isocyanate gas leaked from Union Carbide's pesticide factory in Bhopal.

At least 5,479 people were killed and thousands of others suffered disabilities and other health problems following the gas leak, considered to be one of the worst industrial disasters in the world.

After the waste from the factory was transported to Pithampur, an industrial town, there were protests with local leaders apprehending that the disposal will affect people's health and the environment. Some activists approached the high court.

But the state government assured that the process will be safe. PTI COR LAL MAS KRK BNM

Hyderabad, Mar 27 (PTI) A Telangana court on Thursday sentenced a lorry driver to 27 years in prison for "raping and impregnating" a Dalit woman in 2019, with the sentences running concurrently.

The II Additional District judge-SC/ST Court in Nalgonda convicted the 38-year-old under relevant sections of the IPC and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

He was sentenced to 10 years under IPC Section 376(2)(n) (repeated rape), seven years under Section 420 (cheating), and 10 years under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, Nalgonda District Superintendent of Police Sharat Chandra Pawar said.

All sentences will run concurrently, Pawar added. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 3,000.

Based on the woman's statement and scientific evidence, the court convicted the accused and sentenced him.

According to the prosecution, in 2019, the man "raped and impregnated" the 21-year-old woman under the false promise of marriage and later abandoned her.

She filed a complaint at the Gurrampode police station against the accused, a friend of her cousin, leading to his arrest. PTI VVK SSK VVK SSK ROH

New Delhi, Mar 27 (PTI) A parliamentary standing committee on Thursday pulled up the law ministry over delay in appointing members of the Law Commission even after over six months of its constitution.

In its report on the demands for grants for the department of legal affairs, the Standing Committee on Law and Personnel said despite the approval of the constitution of the 23rd Law Commission in September 2024, the appointment of chairman has not been made till date.

"This act hinders the effective functioning of the Commission, which plays a crucial role in legal reforms and policy recommendation. The Committee, therefore, urges the department may take necessary steps to appoint the chairman and members of the Law Commission at the earliest," the report said.

It said in future, a clear timeline is desired for appointment of chairman and members of Law Commission of India.

The term of the previous Law Commission ended on August 31, 2024.

The present law panel is mandated to further study and submit a report on having a common civil code in the country.

In the past too, appointments of law panel chair and members have been delayed. PTI NAB NAB KVK

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New Delhi, Mar 27 (PTI) The Supreme Court collegium headed by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna on Thursday recommended transfer of Delhi High Court judge Dinesh Kumar Sharma to the Calcutta High Court.

The decision was taken at a meeting held by the collegium, which also comprises Justices B R Gavai, Surya Kant, Abhay S Oka and Vikram Nath.

Justice Sharma took oath as a Delhi High Court judge on February 28, 2022.

He joined the Delhi Judicial Service in 1992 and was promoted to Delhi Higher Judicial Service in 2003.

He has also done a course on Conflict Management from University of Oxford, London in distance learning programme while working as Presenting Officer with National Human Rights Commission.

During his judicial career, besides presiding over courts of various jurisdictions, he has worked as Secretary, Delhi High Court Legal Service Committee; Director (Academics) Delhi Judicial Academy; Registrar (Vigilance); Registrar General of Delhi High Court; and Principal District & Sessions Judge, New Delhi. PTI PKS ZMN

Balasore, Mar 27 (PTI) A 43-year-old man was sentenced to life imprisonment by a court in Odisha's Balasore district for killing his neighbour over a land dispute.

The court of Additional Sessions Judge Biswajit Das also imposed a fine of Rs 6,000 on the convict, Samarendra Malik.

The murder had happened in Pinchhabania in the Nilgiri police station area on July 8, 2022. Malik had attacked his neighbour Baidhar Barsal with a sharp-edged weapon following an altercation over a land dispute.

Barsal succumbed to his injuries on the way to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, where he was sent from the district hospital in Balasore.

Malik was convicted under IPC section 302 (murder) and the Arms Act.

The court delivered its verdict after examining 15 witnesses, 18 exhibits and six material objects. PTI COR BBM BBM SOM

Hyderabad, Mar 27 (PTI) A court in Nalgonda district of Telangana on Thursday sentenced a lorry driver to 27 years imprisonment for raping and impregnating a Dalit woman in 2019 after cheating her on the pretext of marriage.

The District Additional Sessions and SC/ST Court convicted the 38-year-old man under relevant sections of IPC and SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

The man was sentenced to undergo 10 years imprisonment under section 376(2)(n) (repeated rape) and seven-years imprisonment under section 420 (cheating) of the IPC and 10 years imprisonment under relevant sections of SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, Nalgonda District Superintendent of Police Sharat Chandra Pawar said.

All the sentences shall run concurrently, the SP said.

The court also imposed a total fine of Rs 3,000.

According to prosecution, in 2019, the man on the pretext of marrying the woman raped and impregnated her and later cheated her.

She lodged a complaint at Gurrampode police station against the man, and a case was registered against him. Subsequently, he was arrested. PTI VVK VVK ROH