Two BSF personnel killed in Udhampur encounter
A Pakistani militant was captured by Indian security forces after an encounter between a group of gunmen and the Border Security Force in the Udhampur district of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday. The encounter, which left two BSF personnel dead and 11 injured, took place after at least four gunmen ambushed a convoy on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway. Officials said that the captured militant, identified as Mohammed Naved, hailed from the town of Faisalabad in Pakistan. The officials said that Naved was caught after two of the five people he took hostage inside a school building managed to overpower him. Of the remaining militants, one was killed by retaliatory fire by the BSF while two others managed to flee into the forests near the ambush point. Security officials said that a manhunt had been launched to capture them.
Toll in Madhya Pradesh rail accident reaches 25
The death toll due to the derailment of two express trains in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday reached 25 on Wednesday, with 50 people reported to having been injured in the accident as well. Senior Railways official Alok Kumar said that the figure would be revised once all the bodies found near the site of the derailment had been identified. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a relief amount of two lakh rupees for the relatives of those who died in the accident. Meanwhile, Railway officials said that over 50 train services had been affected due to the accident, which took place while both trains crossed a bridge over a river in the Harda district of the state. The officials said that the portion of the tracks where the trains derailed had been submerged due to heavy rains.
Court issues warrant against Lalit Modi
A Mumbai court on Wednesday issued a non-bailable warrant against former Indian Premier League Chairperson Lalit Modi, who has been named as an accused in a case of money-laundering. The court issued the warrant on the grounds that Modi had not responded to the summons sent to him by the Enforcement Directorate on three occasions. An Enforcement Directorate official later said that the warrant would be forwarded to the Union Home Ministry, following which it would be sent to the Home Office in the United Kingdom, where Modi is currently living. The case, filed in 2010 by the Board of Control for Cricket in India, accuses Modi of misappropriating funds.
Tribal delegation meets with President
An 11-member delegation of tribal organisations led by Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Brinda Karat met with President Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday to protest against what they called the violation of their “economic and democratic rights” by the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance government. The delegation alleged that there had been a “complete freeze” in the implementation of legislations such as the Forest Rights Act. They also protested against the amended Land Acquisition Bill and various mining laws. They added that the Centre had under-funded the education and employment of Adivasis.
Supreme Court criticises government stand on privacy
The Supreme Court on Wednesday criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government for its claim that the right to privacy was not a fundamental one. Responding to remarks made by Attorney-General Mukul Rohatgi, a three-judge bench said that the right to life and liberty as granted under Article 21 of the Constitution would not be effective if the right to privacy was not included within the ambit of the Article. Rohatgi had asked the court to submit the issue for consideration by a Constitution Bench. He had made his arguments while defending the government’s move to collect and share bio-metric information required for issuing Aadhar cards.
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A Pakistani militant was captured by Indian security forces after an encounter between a group of gunmen and the Border Security Force in the Udhampur district of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday. The encounter, which left two BSF personnel dead and 11 injured, took place after at least four gunmen ambushed a convoy on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway. Officials said that the captured militant, identified as Mohammed Naved, hailed from the town of Faisalabad in Pakistan. The officials said that Naved was caught after two of the five people he took hostage inside a school building managed to overpower him. Of the remaining militants, one was killed by retaliatory fire by the BSF while two others managed to flee into the forests near the ambush point. Security officials said that a manhunt had been launched to capture them.
Toll in Madhya Pradesh rail accident reaches 25
The death toll due to the derailment of two express trains in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday reached 25 on Wednesday, with 50 people reported to having been injured in the accident as well. Senior Railways official Alok Kumar said that the figure would be revised once all the bodies found near the site of the derailment had been identified. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a relief amount of two lakh rupees for the relatives of those who died in the accident. Meanwhile, Railway officials said that over 50 train services had been affected due to the accident, which took place while both trains crossed a bridge over a river in the Harda district of the state. The officials said that the portion of the tracks where the trains derailed had been submerged due to heavy rains.
Court issues warrant against Lalit Modi
A Mumbai court on Wednesday issued a non-bailable warrant against former Indian Premier League Chairperson Lalit Modi, who has been named as an accused in a case of money-laundering. The court issued the warrant on the grounds that Modi had not responded to the summons sent to him by the Enforcement Directorate on three occasions. An Enforcement Directorate official later said that the warrant would be forwarded to the Union Home Ministry, following which it would be sent to the Home Office in the United Kingdom, where Modi is currently living. The case, filed in 2010 by the Board of Control for Cricket in India, accuses Modi of misappropriating funds.
Tribal delegation meets with President
An 11-member delegation of tribal organisations led by Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Brinda Karat met with President Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday to protest against what they called the violation of their “economic and democratic rights” by the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance government. The delegation alleged that there had been a “complete freeze” in the implementation of legislations such as the Forest Rights Act. They also protested against the amended Land Acquisition Bill and various mining laws. They added that the Centre had under-funded the education and employment of Adivasis.
Supreme Court criticises government stand on privacy
The Supreme Court on Wednesday criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government for its claim that the right to privacy was not a fundamental one. Responding to remarks made by Attorney-General Mukul Rohatgi, a three-judge bench said that the right to life and liberty as granted under Article 21 of the Constitution would not be effective if the right to privacy was not included within the ambit of the Article. Rohatgi had asked the court to submit the issue for consideration by a Constitution Bench. He had made his arguments while defending the government’s move to collect and share bio-metric information required for issuing Aadhar cards.
