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Kolkata shocker: 40-year-old wife cuts off 20-year-old husband’s ears

The victim was held captive at the woman’s residence, where he wasn’t allowed to visit his native place or meet his family.
KOLKATA: In a shocking event, a 40-year-old woman allegedly cut off the ears of her 20-year-old husband at gunpoint in Narkeldanga on Tuesday. The woman was assisted by her sisters in the act.
The victim, Tanveer, a resident of Narkeldanga, was rushed to NRS hospital by his family after they came to know about the incident.
Mumtaz and her sisters thought that Tanveer died after the incident but he somehow managed to escape.
Later at night, Tanveer’s family surrounded the police station accusing the cops of not filing an FIR and arresting the culprits. The police, however, claimed that the accused persons have absconded.
Half his wife’s age, Tanveer was duped by his friend into marrying Mumtaz two years ago.
According to sources, Mumtaz tortured Tanveer regularly. He tried eloping on several occasions but Mumtaz’s goons allegedly brought him back every time.
Recalling one such incident, Tanveer says that he ran away to Mullickpur but was brought back and brutally beaten by Mumtaz and her sisters.
“She cut my ears and if I tried to resist they would have killed me,” said Tanveer who was later held captive at Mumtaz’s residence and wasn’t allowed to meet his family or go back to his native place.
To end the torture, Tanveer’s mother sold their house and pleaded Mumtaz to let her son go in lieu of the huge amount of money. But the wife allegedly took the money and kept torturing him.
An investigation has been launched into the matter, said police.

Greater Noida building collapse: Death toll rises to 9, more still feared trapped

NDRF has been exercising caution while operating the machines so that those trapped under the debris are not harmed.
NOIDA: Nine bodies have been recovered from under the rubble of two adjacent buildings which collapsed in Greater Noida on the outskirts of the national capital. The mishap occurred on Tuesday night when a six-floor under-construction building crashed on a five-storeyed building next to it, bringing it down as well. The incident took place in Shahberi village under Bisrakh police station. At least 12 labourers were in the under-construction building when the mishap took place.
Nearly 150 personnel of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) mounted a rescue operation along with the police and the fire department. Rescuers deployed heavy machinery to shift concrete slabs and used drills in a bid to reach people buried under the debris. Sniffer dogs were also used to detect any sign of life.
NDRF has been exercising caution while operating the machines so that those trapped under the debris are not harmed hence there has been a delay in the rescue operation.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath ordered the suspension of two officials for dereliction of duty and asked the Meerut divisional commissioner to conduct an inquiry to determine the extent of illegal construction in the area. Gautam Budh Nagar District Magistrate Brajesh Narayan Singh also ordered an investigation into the mishap, to be completed within 15 days.
At least one of the two buildings was unauthorised. A state government statement said a magisterial probe will find out whether the buildings were under the jurisdiction of the Greater Noida Development Authority and if a no-objection certificate (NOC) was obtained before carrying out the construction.
It will also determine if the quality of the building material was up to the mark and the construction workers were registered in accordance with the labour laws.
Local residents claimed that some builders had purchased land directly from the farmers and developed an unauthorised colony.
According to the FIR lodged at Bisrakha police station, poor quality material was used in the construction of the building. The FIR said district authorities had been warning builders and contractors in general against unauthorised construction.
Three of those arrested have been identified as landowner Ganga Shankar Dwivedi and brokers Dinesh Singh and Sanjeev Kumar, both residents of Shahberi.

BJP National Executive Meet on August 18 and 19; to take up General Elections 2019

The last BJP national executive meet took place in September 2017.
NEW DELHI: Ahead several state Assembly elections and National elections 2019, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is set to hold it’s national executive meet in New Delhi’s NDMC Convention Centre in Delhi on August 18 and 19.
State Assembly elections are due in BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh later this year, while the general election is scheduled for next year.
The meeting is expected to take up the upcoming elections and discuss the Opposition’s unity and the third front.
BJP’s constitution dictates that national executive meet should be held every three months.
However, the meeting was delayed due to BJP president Amit Shah’s travelling schedule across the country.
The party has already launched their poll campaigns, with senior party leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi visiting several states to address public rallies.
The last BJP national executive meet, which took place in September 2017, was a grand affair.
Thirteen Chief Ministers from BJP, 1400 legislators, 280 lawmakers – in all around 2,500 delegates – had attended the meeting at Delhi’s Talkatora Stadium.
It was the first-ever televised National Executive meet of the party.

Pre-arrest bail plea of Badal aide Kolianwali in DA case turned down

Vigilance bureau had registered case against Akali leader and close aid of former-CM Parkash Singh Badal on July 1.
Mohali : A local court on Wednesday dismissed the anticipatory bail plea of Akali leader and former member of the Punjab Subordinate Service Selection Board (PSSSB) Dyal Singh Kolianwali in the disproportionate assets case against him.
On July 1, the Punjab vigilance bureau had registered the case against Kolianwali — a close confidant of former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal — for amassing wealth by allegedly misusing his official position during the 10-year rule of the Akali-BJP government between 2007 and 2017.
Kolianwali is also former chairman of the Punjab Agro Industries.
During investigation, the vigilance bureau found that Kolianwali misused his official position for transfer of employees with collusion of government officials and then allegedly collected money with the help of “illegal elements”.
The case has been registered under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act at the VB police station at Mohali. The VB chose the period between 2009 and 2014 for investigation during which Kolianwali was holding key posts, During this period, the accused had allegedly spent Rs 4.10 crore on various moveable and immoveable properties, including other expenditures, which was more than 70% of his actual earning.
The VB found that Kolianwali amassed properties, hotels, agricultural farms in Rajasthan and Uttarakhand.
Kolianwali, a member of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) from Lambi, the home constituency of Badal, came in contact with the former CM as a sarpanch of Kolianwali village.
Coming from a humble background, Kolianwali climbed the social and political ladder and became the trusted aide of the Badals. He was also in the race to become the SGPC president three years ago when the Akali dispensation wanted to remove Avtar Singh Makkar from the post. But Kirpal Singh Badungar was chosen over Kolianwali. He also remained an executive member and vice-president of the SGPC.
In April this year, after Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa took over as the Punjab cooperation minister, the department started proceedings to recover Rs 91 lakh that Kolianwali owed to the Punjab Agricultural Development Bank, Malout. Initially, Kolianwali was reluctant to pay the loan, but when arrest warrants were issued against him, the pending amount was paid.

Terror outfit Harkat-ul-Mujahideen extends support to Imran Khan’s PTI

PTI leader Asad Umar, who will be contesting from the NA-54 constituency in Islamabad, announced Khalil’s endorsement of his party on Facebook.
ISLAMABAD: Fazlur Rehman Khalil, the founder of the Pakistan-based terrorist organisation Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM), has announced his support for Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the forthcoming July 25 parliamentary elections in the country.
PTI leader Asad Umar, who will be contesting from the NA-54 constituency in Islamabad, announced Khalil’s endorsement of his party on Facebook.
“Maulana Fazlur Rehman Khalil and several of his companions and scholars have announced their support for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf,” he wrote in his post.
Khalil is the founder of the banned Islamic militant group HuM and is now the head of the Ansar-ul-Umma, which is widely accused of being a front for HuM.
The group is considered to be connected with Osama bin Laden and organisations such as the al-Qaeda. It has been deemed a ‘terrorist organisation’ by the United Nations, the United Kingdom, the United States, and India, among others.
This comes with the continuing acceptance and appeasement of extremist and militant groups in the political arena of Pakistan, according to a Pakistan-based editorial.
In an op-ed titled, “The thriving killing fields” by Noreen Haider, published in The Nation, the writer compares the alarming situation in Pakistan with that of Awami National League (ANP) leader Haroon Bilour, who was killed in a suicide attack in Peshawar on July 10.
Haider opined that despite Pakistan military making claims that they had achieved unprecedented success on conducting several operations against terrorists, the threats of the madrassas and mother organisations breeding militancy, extremism and terrorism remained unaffected in the country.
The writer also explained that a new strategy has been adopted by “mainstreaming” and including terrorist organisations in the electoral process in Pakistani politics. These groups were renamed and rebranded as “political parties” and had been alloted party symbols, offering them a legitimate chance to contest general elections.
She cited the Imran Khan-led PTI government’s funding of madrassas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as an example.

Two buildings collapse in Greater Noida; 3 dead, over 50 feared trapped, rescue operations on

Use of poor quality building construction material and violation of safety norms is believed to be the main reasons behind the mishap.
GREATER NOIDA: At least three people have been killed and over 50 feared trapped under the debris of the two under-construction buildings in Greater Noida’s Shah Beri village, which collapsed late on Tuesday. According to eye-witnesses, the incident occurred after a six-storey under-construction building collapsed and fell on another building late on Tuesday. Use of poor quality building construction material and violation of safety norms is believed to be the main reason behind the mishap. There is a lot of anger among the local residents and those who have bought flats in the two ill-fated buildings. The flat owners are now demanding their money back and strict action against the builder and the government officials who approved the construction of the two buildings.
Meanwhile, the authorities have arrested the owner of the land, Ganga Sharan Dwivedi, broker Qasim and one more person in this connection. An FIR has also been registered and a team led by Additional District Magistrate has been constituted to probe the incident. A JCB machine has also been pressed into service to expedite the relief and rescue operations.
Officials say that death toll is likely to go up as the debris of the two buildings has not been completely removed as yet.
So far, three dead bodies have been retrieved by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), said ANI.
Speaking on the unfortunate incident, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister KP Maurya said, ”The district administration and NDRF teams are engaged in rescue and search operations. Some people are feared trapped in the rubble. Our thoughts are with the families of those who died in the incident.”
“Two male dead bodies have been recovered. Four NDRF teams and dog squad are present on the spot, chances of any victim being alive are scant. Operations will continue until all victims are rescued,” NDRF Commandant PK Srivastava had informed earlier.
A dog squad has been deployed at the mishap site in Greater Noida’s Shah Beri village.
At least two dozen people are feared trapped under the debris of the two under-construction buildings that collapsed in Greater Noida’s Shah Beri village, the officials said.
Chief Fire Officer Arun Kumar Singh informed that at least 20 labourers were inside the building at the time of the incident and all of them are feared trapped.
Fire brigade teams and local police officials were immediately rushed to the spot and rescue operations are underway, Singh said, adding that a team of National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) is also trying to rescue those trapped inside the debris of the two buildings.
Speaking to reporters about the incident, Union Minister Mahesh Sharma said, ”Our priority right now is to save any life that is left. 12 ambulances are present there and the hospitals nearby have been alerted. NDRF teams and dog squads are also present on the spot.”
Soon after the mishap, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took cognisance of the incident and asked the District Magistrate to follow up with the National Disaster Response Force team and Police for relief measures and to ensure immediate rescue.
CM Adityanath has directed the Gautam Budh Nagar District Magistrate and the police to monitor relief and rescue activities along with the NDRF team.
UP CM has also directed the authorities to submit a detailed report in this regard and warned that anyone found guilty will not be spared.
The UP CM’s Office said that strict action will be taken against all concerned if any lapses or violation of safety norms are found.
DGP OP Singh later briefed the Chief Minister about the rescue operation being carried out by police and NDRF personnel.
“Several NDRF teams, district police and fire brigade personnel are engaged in the rescue operations,” Singh said.
Giving more information, BN Singh District Magistrate, Gautam Budh Nagar said, ”According to locals, the buildings that collapsed was constructed 2 years ago and many flats in it were not occupied. Proper investigation will be carried out in this regard.”
”As of now we don’t know what happened, it is too early to say anything in that regard. Our motive right now is to save any life that is left. Rescue operations by NDRF are underway: Kumar Vineet, ADM, Gautam Budh Nagar told reporters about the incident.

Monsoon Session: Fireworks likely as Opposition threatens to move no-trust motion against Narendra Modi government

Several opposition parties have announced to move a no-confidence motion against the Modi government.
NEW DELHI: Congress, backed by several Opposition parties, is likely to bring a no-confidence motion against the Narendra Modi government-led BJP government at the Centre as the Monsoon Session of Parliament commences on Wednesday.
The party led by Rahul Gandhi said on Tuesday that several opposition parties have announced their support to it on the issue.
Going a step further, former NDA ally – the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) – on Tuesday submitted a notice for a no-trust motion against the Modi government. The party led N Chandrababu Naidu urged the Lok Sabha Secretary-General to include the no-trust motion in the list of business on Wednesday – the opening day of the session.
Speaking to reporters, veteran Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said that his party would raise several issues for discussion in the session such as mob lynching, woman safety, “misrule” in Jammu and Kashmir, dilution of SC/ST Act, attempts to abolish reservation in autonomous institutions and issues of farmers, unemployment and poor investments, besides special status to Andhra Pradesh.
He also criticised the Modi government for allegedly ignoring rules in appointing heads of autonomous institutions, rising petrol and diesel prices, depreciation of the rupee and “worsening” foreign policy.
“On Monday, out of 17 opposition parties, 12 parties which were present in the opposition meeting agreed to move a vote of no-confidence against the government on these issues, apart from special status to Andhra Pradesh,” Kharge told reporters.
“It will be brought after meeting and talking to all the parties. We are in talks with all Opposition parties and trying to mobilise them,” he added.
The senior Congress leader also accused the government of indulging in corruption during demonetisation and alleged that there was a scam in Ahmedabad District Co-operative bank accepting over Rs 750 crore – highest among cooperative banks – post the note ban announcement.
He also said that issues of black money and 50 percent increase in Swiss Bank accounts will also be raised during the session.
”Importantly, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah is the director of the Ahmedabad District Co-operative,” Kharge underlined.
Though a number of opposition parties had given notices for no-confidence motion during the Budget session, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan had rejected all of them.
Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, accusing the government of not letting Parliament function in the previous sessions (Winter and Budget), said, “It was not the Congress which was responsible for not allowing the House to function. It was the ruling party which did not have the will to allow the House to function.”
“Government doesn’t have the guts to face the public and the opposition because all promises they had made were false,” he added.
Azad also said that EVM machines should be done away with and the original system should be restored. He also raised concern over how leaders of opposition parties do not get a chance to raise various issues in Rajya Sabha or Lok Sabha TV.
Echoing similar views, Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said, “Rising prices are slicing people’s budget, but apathetic Prime Minister Narendra Modi is busy in dividing people.
“In the last four years, people have witnessed price rise, rampant unemployment, reduction in savings, low growth, the economy in turmoil and rising cost of living,” he added.
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday chaired an all-party meeting during which he appealed to the leaders to allow smooth functioning of the two houses of Parliament.
The government has listed a substantive legislative business for the Monsoon Session. This includes 48 items including 46 Bills and two financial matters.
The bills prioritised by the government include The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill or the anti-instant triple talaq bill and The Constitution (123rd Amendment) Bill, that gives Constitutional status to the National Commission for Backward Classes.
The National Medical Commission Bill, The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, The Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill, The Consumer Protection Bill, The Dam Safety Bill and Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill are also high on government’s agenda.
Six bills replacing ordinances promulgated in the inter-session period are also high on government’s agenda. These include The Fugitive Economic Offenders Ordinance; The Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance; The Commercial Courts, Commercial Division and Commercial Appellate Division of High Courts (Amendment) Ordinance; The Homoeopathy Central Council (Amendment) Ordinance; The National Sports University Ordinance; and The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Ordinance.

Chennai 11-year-old rape case: 18 accused thrashed in public, lawyers refuse to defend alleged rapists

The accused persons involve security men, lift operator, plumbers and water suppliers who worked in the apartment where the minor victim lived with her parents.
CHENNAI: Eighteen men, accused of raping an 11-year girl child over a period of seven months, were allegedly attacked by a group of persons, including lawyers, while being produced in a Chennai court on Tuesday.
Advocates of the Chennai High Court have refused to defend the accused as anger spiralled over the shocking incident of child sexual abuse.
The accused persons involve security men, lift operator, plumbers and water suppliers who worked in the apartment where the minor girl lived with her parents. The men sedated the minor with drugs and then took her turns to rape her in vacant apartments, police said.
They threatened to injure the victim with knives and release videos of the sexual assault if she told anyone.
Later, the minor confided in her elder sister who was visiting from Delhi. The family then filed a police complaint.
“The accused were produced in Mahila Court today, and a large number of advocates and the local public gathered around them and raised slogans against the accused. The general public attacked the accused, not the lawyers,” said the president of the Chennai High Court Advocate Association, G. Mohana Krishnan.
“We have decided not to appear for the accused. We are sending the decision to the association. We are also sending our decision to advocate associations all over Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry and request not to appear for the accused,” he added.

Chaudhary Charan Singh University in Meerut imposes ban on head scarf to prevent trespassing

The ban on head scarf has been introduced to restrict the entry of unknown people inside the varsity campus.
MEERUT: Chaudhary Charan Singh University in Meerut has imposed a ban on the head scarf used by women to cover their faces in order to restrict the entry of unknown people inside the campus.
According to ANI, this is probably the first time that such a step has been by any leading university. The move has evoked a sharp response from several quarters.
Justifying the scarf-ban, the Proctorial Board of the University said that it was an important move as the entry of unknown people was deteriorating the college’s atmosphere.
The decision was taken after several unknown people were caught inside the premises in the past, who failed to show identity cards when they were asked for verification.
The authorities informed that women covering their faces with a scarf makes it difficult to distinguish between college students and outsiders.
”A lot of girls, who were not students of this university, were found roaming inside the campus,” Chief Proctor Alka Chaudhury was quoted as saying by ANI.
Classes have not started yet and a lot of unknown students were being found loitering the campus, she said.
”At present, we are leaving them with a warning, however, if this increases we will inform the police,” the Chief Proctor of the University said.
Reacting to criticism, the Principal of one of the colleges affiliated to the University, said, ”This is just a measure to restrict the entry of unknown people which is degrading the atmosphere of the college.”
Even despite the move facing a severe backlash, several students have come out in support of the decision as they believe it was indeed needed for the betterment of the college environment.

Kerala rains: Several trains cancelled, holiday declared in schools

The rains are expected to continue till July 19.
KOCHI: At least 12 trains were cancelled and schools shut down after heavy rains continue to lash across Kerala on Wednesday morning.
Ten trains were cancelled in Kottayam-Ettumanur section and two trains were partially cancelled between Ernakulam to Punalur, reported ANI news.
Ernakulam District Administration declared holiday in all state and private schools in the region.
At least 12 persons have died and six missing in rain-related incidents after the monsoon became active on July 9.
The rains are expected to continue till July 19.
A total of 34,693 people from 8,033 families were shifted to 265 relief camps across the state, the control room monitoring rain-related incidents said.
Rains wreaked havoc in many parts of Kottayam district, with many parts of Kottayam and Alappuzha districts were still under flood water.
In the second spell of rains, around 36 houses were destroyed while 1,214 suffered partial damage, officials said.
A 45-member National Disaster Response Force team has been deployed to carry out relief operations.
Road and rail traffic were affected due to water-logging in many parts of the state.