Twenty nine people arrested in Varanasi
Violence and arson broke out in Varanasi, the Lok Sabha constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Monday, leaving 12 people, including eight policemen, injured. A march by seers and other locals to protest against a lathi charge on sadhus and batuks turned violent when certain miscreants began pelting stones on policemen. The situation soon snowballed into the torching of a police booth and six vehicles, including two police jeeps, prompting authorities to impose curfew for a few hours. Twenty nine people were arrested. The sadhus had been lathi-charged by the police on the night of September 22 to prevent them from immersing Ganesh idols in the Ganga. Doing so would have violated a court directive on pollution.
India and Germany sign 18 business pacts
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel signed 18 MoUs — ranging from education, to skill development, to aviation — at the third India-Germany bilateral consultations. Describing Germany as a "natural partner" for India's economic transformation, Modi asked Merkel to help India with its Free Trade pact negotiations with EU.
Mohammed Akhlaq's son appeals against political profiteering
Mohammed Sartaj, whose father, Mohammed Akhlaq, was lynched by a mob last week in the Uttar Pradesh area of Dadri over rumours that he had killed a calf and consumed beef, on Monday appealed against the politicisation of the tragedy. The death of someone's family member cannot be an issue of politics, Sartaj, a corporal with the Indian Air Force, told reporters. He added that "any incident could take place" after the police protection given to his family is withdrawn. Sartaj said that the villagers had not reached out to his family to express condolences and that continuing to stay there was becoming difficult.
Centre asks states to have zero tolerance on communal violence
Concerned about the spate of communal clashes in the country since the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power last year, the Ministry of Home Affairs, taking note of “the recent unfortunate incident at Dadri”, has asked states to “take strictest action as per law” and assume zero tolerance for any attempt to weaken the secular fabric of the nation and/or exploit religious sentiments.
Militants kill four soldiers in Kashmir
Four soldiers were killed in North Kashmir’s Hafruda forest in two separate incidents early Monday as militants opened fire on an army patrol. The army had launched a routine joint operation with the Jammu and Kashmir police late Sunday night based on specific information regarding the presence of some militants in the forest, according to defence spokesperson, Colonel NN Joshi. Around midnight, as the patrol approached the suspected area where the militants were hiding, they came under heavy fire, the spokesperson added.
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Violence and arson broke out in Varanasi, the Lok Sabha constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Monday, leaving 12 people, including eight policemen, injured. A march by seers and other locals to protest against a lathi charge on sadhus and batuks turned violent when certain miscreants began pelting stones on policemen. The situation soon snowballed into the torching of a police booth and six vehicles, including two police jeeps, prompting authorities to impose curfew for a few hours. Twenty nine people were arrested. The sadhus had been lathi-charged by the police on the night of September 22 to prevent them from immersing Ganesh idols in the Ganga. Doing so would have violated a court directive on pollution.
India and Germany sign 18 business pacts
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel signed 18 MoUs — ranging from education, to skill development, to aviation — at the third India-Germany bilateral consultations. Describing Germany as a "natural partner" for India's economic transformation, Modi asked Merkel to help India with its Free Trade pact negotiations with EU.
Mohammed Akhlaq's son appeals against political profiteering
Mohammed Sartaj, whose father, Mohammed Akhlaq, was lynched by a mob last week in the Uttar Pradesh area of Dadri over rumours that he had killed a calf and consumed beef, on Monday appealed against the politicisation of the tragedy. The death of someone's family member cannot be an issue of politics, Sartaj, a corporal with the Indian Air Force, told reporters. He added that "any incident could take place" after the police protection given to his family is withdrawn. Sartaj said that the villagers had not reached out to his family to express condolences and that continuing to stay there was becoming difficult.
Centre asks states to have zero tolerance on communal violence
Concerned about the spate of communal clashes in the country since the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power last year, the Ministry of Home Affairs, taking note of “the recent unfortunate incident at Dadri”, has asked states to “take strictest action as per law” and assume zero tolerance for any attempt to weaken the secular fabric of the nation and/or exploit religious sentiments.
Militants kill four soldiers in Kashmir
Four soldiers were killed in North Kashmir’s Hafruda forest in two separate incidents early Monday as militants opened fire on an army patrol. The army had launched a routine joint operation with the Jammu and Kashmir police late Sunday night based on specific information regarding the presence of some militants in the forest, according to defence spokesperson, Colonel NN Joshi. Around midnight, as the patrol approached the suspected area where the militants were hiding, they came under heavy fire, the spokesperson added.