Incessant rain, leading to flash floods and landslides has ravaged Himachal Pradesh with several tourists stranded in the hill state amid massive damage to roads and infrastructure. Chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said Tuesday that the government is working hard to restore road transport and power supply, while his deputy Mukesh Agnihotri said that the situation is expected to return to normalcy in the next 72 hours. The monsoon mayhem in the state has claimed the lives of about 20 people in the past 48 hours while the damage to…
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Madhya Pradesh man seen urinating on labourer arrested; father claims Pravesh Shukla’s BJP connection
Pravesh Shukla, who was caught on camera urinating on a tribal man in Madhya Pradesh, was arrested late on Tuesday night after chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan ordered to invoke the stringent National Security Act (NSA) against him following an online outrage. “We have taken the accused (Pravesh Shukla) into custody. He is under interrogation. Further legal action in the matter will be taken soon,” said Anju Lata Patle, assistant superintendent of police. Sidhi, Madhya Pradesh. Meanwhile, Pravesh Shukla’s father Ramakant Shukla reportedly claimed that his son is the representative of…
Read MoreTragic Incident on Maharashtra Expressway Claims 25 Lives as Bus Engulfs in Flames
At least 25 people died after a bus carrying 33 passengers burst into flames on the Samruddhi Mahamarg expressway in Maharashtra’s Buldhana, police said. Deputy SP Baburao Mahamuni said that the injured were to Buldhana Civil Hospital, reported ANI. The incident happened around 2 am on Saturday when a private travels bus was on its way from Nagpur to Pune and rammed into a divider near Sindkhedraja in Buldhana district, police said. Buldhana SP Sunil Kadasne told PTI that as per preliminary information, a bus tyre burst and the vehicle…
Read MoreChidambaram criticizes forced implementation of Uniform Civil Code, Highlights distinction between Family and Nation
While the Congress on Tuesday criticised PM Modi’s pitch for the Uniform Civil Code as a diversionary tactic without going into the debate over a single set of rules for all religions in the country, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said the comparison between a family and the nation to justify Uniform Civil Code like PM Modi did in his address to the party workers in Madhya Pradesh is flawed. Advocating for a Uniform Civil Code, PM Modi asked whether a family runs on two sets of rules. The pitch…
Read MoreClashes in Manipur: Assam Rifles troops engage in gunfire with unidentified individuals
Assam Rifles troops exchanged gunfire with unknown men early Thursday morning at North Boljang in Manipur’s Imphal West district, reported PTI citing people familiar with the matter. The report suggests that the situation has been brought under control and combing operations are underway. The exchange of fire occurred amid fresh bouts of violence in the strife-torn Manipur where armed forces have been deployed to bring the situation under control and crack down on rioters. Several incidents of violence were reported on Wednesday, including a blast in a parked car at…
Read MoreModi’s political party has weaponized Bollywood
By: Rana Ayyub For weeks now, criticism has been building around Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Washington. The prime minister and his Bharatiya Janata Party have been rightly accused of stoking sectarian violence between Hindus and Muslims. Missing in this discussion have been the surprising and quiet ways the BJP has managed to co-opt popular culture, and especially cinema, for its political ends. “The Kerala Story,” a feature film released last month, is emblematic of this broader trend. The film purports to be a dramatization of a supposedly…
Read MoreFrom Flood Alerts to Heatwaves: Exploring the reasons behind weather extremes in different states
Several parts of India experienced extreme weather conditions on Monday — there was flooding in the northeastern states including Assam and Sikkim, heavy rain in arid Rajasthan triggered by cyclone Biparjoy, waterlogging in parts of Tamil Nadu, and the death toll from the heatwave in eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Odisha climbed to 114— as weather vagaries laid bare the impact of the climate crisis. While the monsoon has arrived only in parts of southern and northeastern India — it advanced into some parts of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, parts of…
Read MoreEthnic violence in Manipur: A brief history
Ethnic clashes have overrun Manipur since early May, leading to widespread deaths, injuries and displacement. The state’s fault lines were exposed in the first week of May after a rally by a tribal Kuki group to protest against a move to consider the inclusion of the dominant and politically stronger Meitei community to the Scheduled Tribes (ST) list sparked a wave of violence between the two communities. While the state is no stranger to violent protests, the latest showdown between the Kukis and the Meiteis is perhaps the first time…
Read MoreHeat Alarm: Delayed monsoon in UP causes nearly 100 Deaths across three states
Dozens of people have died in at least three states — Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Odisha — in the last three days due to exposure to intense heat, doctors in these regions have said, with weather officials separately warning that severe heatwaves will continue in many parts of the country. Most of these deaths have been reported from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, including in UP’s Ballia where a district hospital reported at least 83 fatalities since June 11, of which 44-54 are believed to be of people whose existing illnesses…
Read MoreJamiat Chief Arshad Madani says no to Street Protests against Uniform Civil Code
As the Law Commission has started a fresh consultation process on Uniform Civil Code triggering speculation that it would become a reality before the 2024 Lok Sabha election Jamiat chief Arshad Madani on Sunday issued an appeal stating that they would oppose the UCC but won’t take to the streets against the Uniform Civil Code. “We have our personal laws for the last 1,300 years. We will stick to that. But we won’t like to hit the streets to protest UCC. No government after the Independence did this and we…
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