Kulbhushan Jadhav appears to be under extreme pressure to parrot a false narrative, says MEA

The Ministry of External Affairs on Monday said Kulbhushan Jadhav appeared to be under extreme pressure to “parrot a false narrative to bolster Pakistan’s untenable claims”. The ministry’s statement came hours after India’s Deputy High Commissioner in Pakistan Gaurav Ahluwalia met the former Indian Navy officer in Islamabad. Jadhav is on death row in Pakistan on espionage charges.

Growth in eight core sectors dives to 2.1% in July from 7.3% last year, says government data

Growth in eight core sectors – coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertiliser, steel, cement and electricity – dropped to 2.1% in July against 7.3% growth during the same period last year, data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry showed on Monday.

Noida: Accused in Mohammad Akhlaq lynching case arrested for robberies in Ghaziabad

The Noida Police on Sunday night arrested one of the accused in the 2015 Mohammad Akhlaq lynching case after an encounter. Hariom, who was out on bail in the lynching case, was a suspect in multiple robbery cases across Ghaziabad.

NRC: Those excluded are ‘not to be detained under any circumstance’, says home ministry

The Home Ministry issued a statement on Monday, saying that those excluded in the final National Register of Citizens were “not to be detained under any circumstance” till they exhaust all options for legal recourse. The ministry said that a judicial process was available for those left out of the register to appeal to the foreigners’ tribunal within a stipulated time.

Chinmayanand case: Supreme Court orders SIT to investigate harassment charges

The Supreme Court on Monday ordered the Uttar Pradesh government to constitute a special investigation team to probe the sexual harassment allegations levelled by a law student against former Bharatiya Janata Party MP Chinmayanand.

Economic slowdown is usual during the months of ‘Saawan Bhado’, says Bihar Deputy CM Sushil Modi

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi on Sunday accused Opposition parties of trying to create panic about the state of the economy, saying the current slowdown in growth was a cyclic slowdown seen during the months of “saawan bhado [the fifth and sixth months in the Hindu calendar]”.

Income tax department to automatically issue PAN if I-T returns are filed using Aadhaar

The Income Tax Department will automatically issue Permanent Account Numbers, or PAN, to taxpayers who use their Aadhaar numbers for filing tax returns. This is part of a new arrangement to link the two databases. It said the news rules were effective from September 1.

ISRO says moon lander ‘Vikram’ successfully separates from Chandrayaan-2 orbiter

The Indian Space Research Organisation on Monday said it successfully carried out the separation of the lander – called Vikram – from the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter. It was separated at 1.15 pm. The lunar orbiter-lander now has an orbit of 119 km x 127 km.

Delhi: Man detained for trying to enter Parliament with a knife

The Delhi Police on Monday detained a 26-year-old man who allegedly tried to enter Parliament with a knife, PTI reported. Parliament is likely to meet next for the Winter Session in December and January.

INX Media case: P Chidambaram’s CBI custody extended till Thursday by Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Monday directed Congress leader and former Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram to approach the trial court for interim bail in the INX Media case. The court sent Chidambaram to the Central Bureau of Investigation’s custody till Thursday and said the status quo should be maintained till then if the trial court rejects his plea. The matter will be heard again on Thursday.

West Bengal: Protests, road blockades and clashes mark BJP’s 12-hour strike in Barrackpore

Bharatiya Janata Party supporters in Barrackpore in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district on Monday started observing a 12-hour strike from 6 am in protest against the police for baton-charging party workers in Kankinara on Sunday. There were reports of protests, road blockades and clashes with the police and the ruling Trinamool Congress. The saffron party was accused of forcibly closing a number of shops in Barrackpore and surrounding areas.

Ayodhya case: SC to hear advocate Rajeev Dhavan’s plea against threats for representing Muslim party

The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a contempt plea filed by advocate Rajeev Dhavan against a Chennai-based man for allegedly threatening him for representing the Sunni Wakf Board in the Ayodhya case. A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi told senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Dhavan, that the contempt plea would be taken up on Tuesday.

Indian deputy high commissioner meets Kulbhushan Jadhav in Islamabad: Pakistani media

A meeting between Gaurav Ahluwalia, India’s Deputy High Commissioner in Pakistan, and former Indian Navy officer Kulbhushan Jadhav is currently under way at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad, Dawn reported. Jadhav is on death row in Pakistan on espionage charges.

NRC reverification: ‘Assam government will approach SC again,’ Himanta Biswa Sarma tells The Hindu

Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has told The Hindu the state government would approach the Supreme Court again for a reverification process in the National Register of Citizens in two districts on a pilot basis to address flaws in the database.

European Union calls for bilateral dialogue between India and Pakistan to resolve Kashmir dispute

The European Union on Sunday said that the Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan needs to be resolved through bilateral discussions. Tensions between both the countries have escalated since India’s August 5 announcement revoking Jammu and Kashmir’s special status.

Assam doctor death: 21 detained, Indian Medical Association announces 24-hour strike

The Assam Police on Sunday detained at least 21 people after the doctor of a tea estate in Jorhat district was beaten to death by workers on Saturday. Jorhat Superintendent of Police NV Chandrakant said a mob of around 250 to 300 people had gheraoed the hospital, vandalised it and attacked the doctor.

Activist Medha Patkar’s health worsens as indefinite hunger strike enters second week

Social activist Medha Patkar’s health has deteriorated eight days into an indefinite hunger strike to demand rehabilitation of thousands of people displaced by floods in areas around the Sardar Sarovar Dam.

Maharashtra: Amit Shah takes a dig at NCP and Congress over defections to BJP

Union home minister and BJP President Amit Shah on Sunday took a dig at the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after a number of leaders from the Opposition parties joined the saffron party in Maharashtra ahead of the Assembly elections.

UP: Conspiracy case filed against journalist who recorded schoolkids being fed chapatis with salt

A local journalist who first reported about schoolchildren in Mirzapur eating chapatis and salt in their mid-day meal was on Saturday booked for criminal conspiracy. According to the First Information Report, a “representative” of the village head conspired to get a video of the incident shot by a journalist despite knowing that the cook was short of supplies for the meals.

Delhi: Pregnant woman suspected of being a child abductor beaten by a mob, three arrested

A pregnant woman who is hearing and speech impaired was beaten by a mob in Northeast Delhi after she was suspected of attempting to abduct a child. The incident occurred in the city’s Harsh Vihar neighbourhood on Thursday, said Deputy Commissioner of Police Atul Kumar Thakur. Three people were arrested after the police went through CCTV footage.

JNU teachers’ body demands apology to historian Romila Thapar after university asks for her CV

The Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers’ Association on Sunday asked the administration to apologise to historian Romila Thapar for the decision to review her professor emerita post. The association said the decision was “politically motivated” and a “deliberate attempt to try and dishonour those who have been critical of the current administration”.

Watch: India and Pakistan in war of words on Kashmir dispute in Maldives Parliament

The Indian and Pakistani delegations at a regional summit in the Maldives had a heated exchange of words on the Kashmir dispute on Sunday. Pakistan brought up the matter of alleged human rights abuses in Kashmir, to which India objected, saying an internal matter should not be discussed at the forum.

India expresses strong concern about alleged forced conversions in Pakistan, demands action

India on Sunday expressed strong concern about reports of alleged forced conversions of two non-Muslim girls in Pakistan and asked the neighbouring country for immediate action. “The civil society [and] the people of India have strongly condemned the recent deplorable incidents of forced abduction, conversion [and] marriage of two Sikh girls in Pakistan,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.

Congress should be ashamed of Rahul Gandhi’s comments on Kashmir, says Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday criticised the Congress, saying it should be ashamed that its former president Rahul Gandhi’s statement was used by Pakistan in its petition to the United Nations on Kashmir. He made the comments in Silvassa in the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli.

People excluded from Assam NRC are not stateless, clarifies Ministry of External Affairs

The Ministry of External Affairs on Sunday said people left out of the National Register of Citizens in Assam were not stateless and would continue to enjoy their rights as citizens till they exhaust all the legal remedies. The database of citizens, published on Saturday, excluded more than 19 lakh people.

Kulbhushan Jadhav to receive consular access on Monday, says Pakistan foreign ministry

Pakistan’s foreign ministry on Sunday announced that India would get consular access to former Indian Navy officer Kulbhushan Jadhav, who is in jail in the country on espionage charges, on Monday “in line with Vienna Convention on consular relations, International Court of Justice judgement and the laws of Pakistan”. Jadhav is on death row in Pakistan.

BJP and Bajrang Dal are taking money from Pakistan’s ISI, alleges Digvijaya Singh; later backtracks

Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Saturday claimed that the Bajrang Dal and the Bharatiya Janata Party were were taking money from Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence agency. On Sunday, the Rajya Sabha member backtracked and said that he didn’t accuse the parties but only some members.

West Bengal: BJP MP Arjun Singh sustains head injury during protest, blames police

Bharatiya Janata Party MP Arjun Singh suffered head injuries on Sunday after the police allegedly charged a group of people in Kankinara in North 24 Parganas district with batons after they blocked a road. Singh claimed Barrackpore Police Commissioner Manoj Verma struck him on the head, causing him to bleed.

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