Judges stir: Telangana CM meets Governor

Amid ongoing stir by lawyers and judges in Telangana against provisional allocation of judicial officers hailing from Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao today called on Governor ESL Narasimhan here. Though there was no official word on the meeting immediately, it is understood that the ongoing row figured in the talks. Rao had yesterday urged the Centre to expedite the process of division of the high court here (in the wake of bifurcation of undivided AP). In a letter to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, he requested appropriate notification to take up the exercise of allocating judicial officers and staff be issued only after the high courts of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh start functioning separately. He said in the letter that the tentative allocation of subordinate judicial officers has created a discontent among the judicial officers and advocate community belonging to Telangana as many officers of Andhra Pradesh were allocated to Telangana. TRS MP K Kavitha, daughter of Rao, said yesterday that her father proposes to hold a dharna in Delhi against the alleged insensitivity of Centre in bifurcating the HC, though they don't want things to "escalate to that level". Union Law Minister D V Sadandanda Gowda had said that the Centre has no role in creation of a new High Court for Telangana, rubbishing the ruling TRS' charge that the Narendra Modi dispensation is being "insensitive" on the issue and dragging the matter under political pressure. Holding that the state government's stand on the issue is "unacceptable and intolerable," Gowda said the creation of a new HC is in the hands of the Chief Minister and Chief Justice of the common high court for Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Meanwhile, the TDP's Telangana unit demanded Narasimhan to use his good offices to see that the matter is resolved amicably. Advocates and judicial employees across Telangana have been protesting since June 6 against the provisional allocation. On Sunday, over 100 judges had submitted a representation to the governor on the issue. Telangana Advocates JAC had claimed that out of the 21 judges at the Hyderabad High Court, 18 are natives of Andhra Pradesh and only three are from Telangana. They are seeking preparation of a fresh list of allocation between the two states as per the native district declared by the judicial officers at the time of their entry into service based on the guidelines on bifurcation of lower judiciary and under AP Reorganisation Act.

IS terror module busts in Hyderabad !

Five youths were arrested and six others including a techie were detained by NIA which claimed to have busted a "terror module" that is suspected to be linked to the Islamic State(IS) group after conducting searches at different locations in the old city here. Some graduates were among those detained after the searches, the agency said. "We have arrested five accused persons so far. Questioning and verification of the role of remaining six suspects are going on," an NIA statement said. The NIA sleuths also recovered weapons, ammunition, urea, acid, some chemicals, electronic gadgets and other incriminating material besides Rs 15 lakh in cash from their possession, officials of National Investigation Agency(NIA) and Hyderabad Police said, adding the youths were working at the behest of IS handlers. "Searches were conducted by NIA over some suspected terror activities that were planned to be carried out in the city," a senior intelligence officer told PTI. Based on credible information that some youths hailing from Hyderabad and their accomplices have entered into criminal conspiracy to wage war against India by collecting weapons and explosive materials to commit terrorist acts, the searches were conducted at at least 10 locations since early hours of today with assistance of Hyderabad Police, the officer said. Meanwhile, the raids also gave the BJP ammunition to attack the Telangana government and accused it of displaying "criminal neglect" in preventing Hyderabad from becoming a "safe haven" for terror elements. "NIA busted an ISIS module in Hyderabad and raids are still underway. BJP questions TS (Telangana State) government on its criminal neglect in preventing Hyderabad and old city from becoming safe havens for terrorists," BJP state unit spokesperson Krishna Saagar Rao said in a statement.

Telangana woos Singaporean investors

Telangana IT and Industries Minister K T Rama Rao today met officials of various companies in Singapore and urged them to invest in the state. Rao is on a visit to Singapore to woo investors and showcase the state as an attractive investment destination. He met representatives of A Star (Agency for Science, Technology and Research), a leading company in the field of science and technology in Singapore. They expressed willingness to work with the Research and Innovation Circle of Hyderabad (RICH), a state government release said here. RICH is a government agency which links research institutes, academia and industry to venture capitalists, angel investors and incubation funds. RICH and A Star have agreed to a bilateral agreement through which both will cooperate in the field of innovation, incubation, research and commerce, it said. The minister also met Teo Eng Cheong, CEO of Surbana Jurong, a state-owned urban planning consultancy, which looks after the housing programme in Singapore and provides infrastructure and public services. "Rao briefed Cheong about the massive housing programme being taken up in Telangana. He requested him to take up a multi-storied building project in Hyderabad in view of vast experience of the company in infrastructure sector. He assured to provide land for the project," it said. Rao asked the company to do a study on the roads, electricity, drinking water and other infrastructure in Hyderabad and Cheong responded positively, adding that a team would be sent to the city shortly. Rao also met Indian High Commissioner Vijay Thakur Singh. Both of them discussed the visit of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao to the city-state in 2014 and Singh appreciated the "priority" given by the Telangana government to Singapore, the release said. At a business session organised by CII and Indian High Commission, the minister met heads of 18 companies, it added.

ED attaches Rs 749 cr assets of Jagan and his wife

Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday attached properties worth Rs 749.10 crore belonging to YSR Congress chief Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy and his wife Y S Bharathi Reddy in connection with its probe in a money laundering case. The agency launched the investigations on the basis of a charge sheet filed by the CBI accusing Jagan, son of then Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy, of entering into a criminal conspiracy with others to get a mining lease allotted to M/s Bharathi Cement Corporation Private Ltd of which Bharathi is the chairman. Jagan received bribes from various persons/companies in the guise of investments in his group companies as a quid pro quo for undue favours granted to them by the Andhra Pradesh government, the ED said in a statement here. A case of laundering was registered against Jagan and others by ED's Hyderabad zonal office under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. ED said its investigations under PMLA revealed that Jagan laundered the proceeds of crime through his group companies M/s Sandur Power Company Pvt Ltd, M/S Classic Realty Pvt Ltd, M/s Silicon Builders Pvt Ltd, M/s Saraswati Power and Industries Pvt Ltd and 10 other firms in the form of investments, purchase of movable and immovable properties, third party payments, etc. Apart from it, M/s Bharathi Cement Corporation Pvt Ltd has received the proceeds of crime in the form of limestone mined from the mines allotted illegally to them in Kadapa district by then AP government. The value of limestone works out to be more than Rs 152 crore during the relevant period, it said. "During investigation under PMLA, the proceeds of crime involved in money laundering were identified in the form of movable (Rs 404,72,32,182) and immovable properties (Rs 344,38,10,378) totally valued at Rs 749.10 crore," ED Joint Director (Hyderabad Zone) S A Umashanker Goud said. The attached properties are spread across Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. In the past, the agency had attached properties worth several hundreds of crores belonging to Jagan and others. CBI had filed 11 chargesheets against Jagan and others pertaining to the alleged investments made by various private firms and individuals to the tune of several crores in his businesse. The agency said this was part of quid pro quo arrangement in exchange for alleged favours by the erstwhile Rajasekhar Reddy government.

Telangana-Centre row escalates

Nine more lower court judges were today suspended by the High Court on disciplinary grounds as the agitation against provisional allocation of judges between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana intensified with 200 judicial officers in Telangana going on mass leave for 15 days. The Telangana Judges Association also called for a `High Court Bandh' tomorrow. The development also escalated the row between Telangana Government and the Centre, with the TRS blaming the Centre for not bifurcating the HC following carving out of Telangana from undivided Andhra Pradesh in 2014. Protesting the action taken by the High Court today, about 200 judicial officers working across the state decided to go on mass leave for 15 days beginning today. The HC had yesterday suspended two lower court judges after over 100 of them took out a procession and submitted a representation on their demands to the Governor on Sunday under the banner of the Telangana Judges Association. The ruling TRS today alleged that the Centre was being "insensitive" in not bifurcating the High Court so far. TRS Lok Sabha member K Kavitha said her father and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao even proposed to hold a protest dharna in Delhi over the issue. However, Union Law Minister D V Sadananda Gowda said the Centre had no role in the bifurcation of a high court. The state government blaming the Centre on the issue was "unacceptable and intolerable", Gowda said. He also rubbished the TRS charge that the Centre was under political pressure from Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu. "Creation of new high court for Telangana...it's in the hands of Chief Minister and Chief Justice of that high court (which is common for two states at present)," Gowda told PTI. "If the Chief Minister provides all the infrastructure and other things, rest of the things high court will take care. Simply putting the blame on the Centre, its not fair on anybody," Gowda said. "Central government has no role to play. It's not in our hands. But unnecessarily blaming the Central government, it's not fair on the part of the Chief Minister or any persons of Telangana government," the Union Minister said.

Narasimha Rao was guiding force of economic reforms:KCR

Telangana Chief Minister Chandrasekhar Rao today called the late Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao "guiding force of economic reforms" while paying tributes to him on his 95th birth anniversary. Deputy Chief Minister Mahmood Ali, Finance Minister E Rajender and several other leaders also paid rich tributes to the late Congress leader at 'PV Gyan Bhoomi', which houses Rao's memorial, here. The event was organised by the Telangana Government. Family members of Rao were present on the occasion. There has been a demand from the late Prime Minister's family and fans that he should be given Bharat Ratna. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao called Narasimha Rao a 'Telangana bidda' (son of the soil) who rose from village sarpanch to the Prime Minister. The whole country is proud of Rao, the CM said in a statement. He also said that Narasimha Rao would have a permanent place in the history as the guiding force of economic reforms. Telangana Congress president and MLA N Uttam Kumar Reddy led the party cadres in paying homage to the late PM.

C'garh teen arrested for hacking model's email, FB account

A teenager from Chhattishgarh was today apprehended here for allegedly hacking the email and social media accounts of an aspiring model last month, police said. Cyber crime police of Cyberabad tracked down the 17-year-old boy to Surajpur district of Chhattisgarh. On May 5, a 23-year-old city-based aspiring model had received alerts on her another email ID that there was a suspicious log-in at her Gmail, Facebook and iCloud accounts. She could regain the access to these accounts, but two weeks later, she found that her private pictures and a video clip had been sent through WhatsApp from a stranger's number. The cyber crime police started the probe which found that the amateur hacker had obtained the woman's user ID and password for Facebook by sending her a phishing message. As she used the same user ID and password for Gmail and iCloud, he could hack them too. The boy had been sent to a juvenile home twice earlier for similar offences targetting two models in Maharashtra, police said, adding that further probe is on.

Amjad Sabri ka qatal aur Pakistan ke halaat امجد صابری کا قتل اور پاکستا...

Hyderabad HC suspends two lower court judges following stir

The High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad today suspended two judges on disciplinary grounds following an agitation against provisional allocation of judicial officers between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Over 100 judges under the banner of Telangana Judges Association yesterday took out a procession here in protest against the provisional allocation. The court today suspended Telangana Judges Association president K Ravinder Reddy, who is the 4th additional metropolitan sessions judge, and its secretary V Vara Prasad, a special sessions judge of Rangareddy district. All India Judicial Employees Association's general secretary B Lakshma Reddy said non-bifurcation of the High Court (after the creation of Telangana) was the root cause of the problem. "We have already issued a strike notice on various issues from July 1," Reddy told PTI. A member of Telangana Advocates Joint Action Committee said they may boycott the court duties at Court No 1 -- court of the Acting Chief Justice -- to protest the suspension. Some 125 judicial officers of Telangana yesterday gave their resignations to the Telangana Judges Association President, authorising him to hand them to the Governor (not immediately) as and when he felt right if the demands are not met. Advocates and judicial employees across Telangana launched an agitation on June 6 protesting the provisional allocation of judicial officers between AP and Telangana. They are opposing allocation of judicial officers hailing from (post-bifurcation) Andhra Pradesh to Telangana courts. Telangana Advocates JAC co-convener T Sriranga Rao had said yesterday that the allocation was done by the High Court without taking into consideration the guidelines framed by the HC itself in February this year. "We have been seeking preparation of a fresh list of allocation between the two states as per the native district declared by the judicial officers at the time of entry into service," Rao said.

Telangana subsidises power for textile, ferro alloys sectors

The Telangana government today decided to give a subsidy on power tariff to textile and ferro alloys industries in the state. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has reduced the power tariff being paid at present by spinning mills to Rs 2 per unit, a state government release said. The subsidy has also been extended to ferro alloys industries. About 40,000 people are working in different spinning mills in the state while around 5,000 are working in ferro alloys industries, it said. The decision to reduce power tariff was taken in the interest of these workmen as the spinning mills and ferro alloys industries are facing different crises, the release added.

AP, Chinese associations sign pact to develop industrial park

Two Chinese associations today signed a pact with the Andhra Pradesh government for developing an international industrial park in the state. The park will be developed in 10,000 acres of land at Donakonda in the backward Prakasam district with an aggregate investment of Rs 43,120 crore in three phases, creating 55,000 direct and 1.20 lakh indirect jobs, a release from the Chief Minister's Office said here. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the state Industries Department and the China Association of Small and Medium Entrepreneurs and China Small and Medium Enterprises Group (Beijing), during Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu's visit to Tianjin today. "A building materials industrial park will be set up with an investment of Rs 6,036 crore and a building materials logistics park with an investment of Rs 36,889 crore in 10,000 acres at Donakonda. In the first phase, an investment of Rs 10,106 crore will be made," the release said, without specifying the timeline. State Finance Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu and senior bureaucrats are accompanying the Chief Minister on the four-day China tour.

Man falls into uncovered pit, dies

A 24-year-old man died after he fell into an under-construction sewerage pit at Madhapur area which he failed to spot due to water-logging, police said today. The incident occurred last night when Moti Yadav, a tea vendor, was walking on the road when he suddenly slipped and fell inside the under-construction pit, Madhapur police station sub-inspector Chandra Shekar said. The pit was being dug for laying drainage pipes. He said there were some electric wires in the pit that were cut and Yadav could also have suffered shock during the mishap. "Due to heavy rains the area had got covered. Some passersby who noticed him falling into the pit immediately rushed to his rescue, but he drowned in the under construction sewerage," Madhapur Police Station Inspector R Kalinga Rao said. The deceased was a native of Jharkhand. A case was registered under section 304A (causing death by negligence) of IPC against the contractor who had undertaken the sewer line construction work, Chandra Shekar said. Further probe is on.

Charred body of man found in car near Hyderabad

The charred body of a man, suspected to be that of an advocate, was today found in a car in Telangana, with police lodging a murder case in the incident. Police received an information that a burnt car was found on the roadside in Keesara area of neighbouring Ranga Reddy district, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Malkajgiri Zone) E Ramachandra Reddy said. "When we reached the spot, we found one charred body on the rear seat of the car. During verification and as per information available, the car belongs to one advocate Uday Kumar. However, we are in process of identifying the deceased," the officer said. "Unidentified persons burnt the man to death. We need to establish the motive. As per the information given by the family members of advocate Uday Kumar, he had gone missing since last evening. They also said that there was a dispute over land around one-and-half-years ago. Police suspect the body to be of Uday Kumar, but we need to confirm it," the inspector said, adding investigations are underway. "The post-mortem was done on the spot and efforts are on to identify the body through DNA profile," the senior police officer added. Keesara Police Station Inspector P Guruva Reddy said they have registered a case of murder in this connection.

Telangana Assembly to pass resolution for 12% Muslim quota

Telangana government will convene a special session of Legislative Assembly to pass a resolution granting 12 per cent reservation to Muslims and will send it to Central government, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said today. The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), headed by Rao, had promised during the elections that Muslims will be provided 12 per cent reservation in proportion to their population. "I had promised 12 per cent reservation for Muslims. 'Main baat kahata hoon toh barkarar rahata hoon yeh aap tamaam janate hain' (You all know that I don't deviate from what I say). "A committee has been set up which will shortly submit its report (on reservation) and the moment the report is submitted a special session of Assembly will be called and a resolution will be passed which will be sent directly to Central government...I am fully hopeful that we will succeed in this," Rao said. The CM hosted an 'Iftar' party at Nizam College grounds here as part of 'Dawat-e-Iftars' being organised for Muslims across the state in the holy month of Ramadan. The state government had constituted the panel to study the socio-economic and educational status of Muslims in Telangana. Rao further said that a total of 120 minorities residential schools will be started this month across Telangana at the cost of Rs 3,900 crore. "Telangana government made budget allocation of Rs 1,200 crore for Minority Welfare Department, the highest by any state government in the country," he claimed. Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya, Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mahmood Ali, AIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi were also present on the occasion.

Naxals trigger road-side blast in Khammam

Maoists triggered a minor blast on a road-side in Khammam district of Telangana but none was injured in the incident, police said today. "It was a minor blast wherein explosive material planted in a device or tiffin box exploded last night on the road connecting Cherla to Pusuguppa," an official of Venkatapuram Police Station said. "No one was injured nor any property was damaged in the minor blast," police said. "We also unearthed an electric wire connected to a pipe, besides recovering some posters mentioning that Maoists had called for 'bandh', protesting the killing of three ultras in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra recently," the officer said, adding a case was registered in this connection. On June 19, three Maoists were killed in an encounter near Venkatapur village forest area under Aheri tehsil in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra.

Chinese steel major Ansteel keen to set up plant in AP

Chinese steel major Ansteel, a government-owned company, has evinced interest in setting up a steel plant in Andhra Pradesh at a cost of Rs 3,000 crore, an official release here said tonight. AP Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, on the first day of his four-day tour of China, today held a bilateral meeting with Ansteel Secretary and President Feng Zhanti and other company officials in Tinajin and invited them to visit the state and select a suitable location for the proposed steel plant, the release from CMO said. "Since India is growing very rapidly, there will be a lot of demand for steel in the country and Ansteel group can explore a partnership with either private or public steel enterprises," the Chief Minister told the Chinese team. As construction of the state's new capital city Amaravati was underway, there was huge demand for steel in the state as well, he pointed out. Chandrababu asked the Ansteel team to inspect the site in Kadapa district where previously a steel plant was proposed to be set up (by the then Karnataka minister Gali Janardhan Reddy, who was subsequently jailed in the iron ore mining scandal). "The location is close to the port and iron ore is abundantly available," the Chief Minister said. Chandrababu asked the Chinese business group to come with an "implementable action plan" so that the land allotment proposal could be taken forward, the CMO release added.

Bus fares hiked in Telangana

Travel in state-run buses in Telangana will cost more from next week with the Government today effecting a hike in fares, a move that will help it mop up an additional revenue of Rs 286 crore. The increase in fares of state-run Road Transport Corporation (RTC) bus services would come into effect from June 27, Transport Minister P Mahender Reddy said. The RTC is making a loss of Rs 2 crore every day and fares have not been increased since 2013, he said, defending the move. Noting that the Government would strengthen RTC, he said efforts would be made to see that losses come down and the Corporation makes profits. After the hike, fares would be, per kilometre, 87 paise for 'Express' services, 98 paise for 'Deluxe', 116 paise in 'Super Luxury' buses, 146 paise for Indra service, 171 paise in 'Garuda' buses and 182 paise for 'Garuda Plus' service, according to a Government release. The hike is nominal in rural services, it said, adding an additional revenue of Rs 286 crore would accrue due to the rate rise. Meanwhile, Opposition Congress and TDP slammed the rise in bus fares.

Telangana govt wants ownership of Andhra Bhavan land in Delhi

The Telangana government wants the Centre to transfer to it the entire land currently in possession of Andhra Pradesh Bhavan in New Delhi, saying the estate belonged to the erstwhile state of Hyderabad. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao today wrote a letter to the Union Home Ministry seeking transfer of the land and expressed readiness to compensate Andhra Pradesh. "Therefore, while bringing these facts to your kind notice in a historical perspective, it is requested that the entire land presently in possession of AP Bhavan be transferred to the Government of Telangana, as it belonged to the erstwhile state of Hyderabad," Rao said in the letter to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh. The land on which the AP Bhavan and Telangana Bhavan are situated originally belonged to the erstwhile government of Nizam (before Independence), he said. "The government of India later took over Hyderabad House and land in extents of 7.56 acres in Pataudi House and 1.21 acres in Nursing Institute was allotted to the then government of Andhra Pradesh in lieu of this property. "Therefore, these properties belonged to the then state of Hyderabad under the rule of VI Nizam, which remained a separate state even after the independence of India. It was eventually included in the Union in 1948," he said. The Andhra state did not exist then as it was carved out of erstwhile Madras state only in 1953, whereas the state of Hyderabad continued to exist as such from 1948 until November, 1956, he contended. AP came into existence in 1956 with the merger of Andhra state and the Telugu-speaking areas of Hyderabad state. The Andhra Pradesh government (post-bifurcation) may be allotted some other land in the national capital and the Telangana government is ready to compensate the neighbouring state as the buildings at the site were built with the common resources of Andhra Pradesh, he added. State Bhavans in New Delhi, all government properties, serve as guest houses of sorts for politicians and officials visiting the national capital.

Telangana police secure top spot in passport verification

Telangana police have secured the top spot in completing passport verification process, taking just four to five days to conclude the exercise. The ranking has been given by the Ministry of External Affairs, a release from Telangana DGP office said today. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has invited Telangana DGP Anurag Sharma to Delhi tomorrow to receive the 'Certificate of Recognition' as the major feat of Telangana Police for revolutionising the process of verification of passport applications, it said. In the 'Passport Seva Diwas' function to be held in the national capital tomorrow, passport officers of 37 regions in the country and MEA officials will participate, the release added. After the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh and with the goal to take the police administer closer to citizens and make it people-friendly, the Telangana police introduced a software application, VERIFAST, so that passports could be verified and facilitated within 5 days, it said. The new software application has revolutionised the entire process by way of giving intimation to applicants through SMS about visit of verification officers etc, the release said. "What used to take months has been reduced to just 4 to 5 days for issuing passport clearance. Telangana Police has successfully verified 3,93,356 applications during 2015-16 through 'VERIFAST' software," it added. Telangana Police had streamlined the special branch personnel engaged in verification process with special in house training and provided them around 1,500 i-pads for their use and directly intimating the sections concerned of passport offices without delay, the release said.

India remains polio free'says Health minister

India remains polio free and there is no need to panic about the Vaccine Derived Polio Virus (VDPV) detected here earlier this month, Union Health Minister J P Nadda said today. "I would like to tell people that this Vaccine Derived Polio Virus is not a case of wild polio virus. No incidence of polio virus has been reported for the past five years. The WHO has certified that India is polio free...India remains polio virus free. That should be very clear. "This Vaccine Derived Polio Virus is found in testing from time to time. Such virus will be reported somewhere. There is no need to panic," he told reporters here. Nadda was speaking after reviewing the special immunisation drive undertaken in Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy districts in the wake of VDPV being found here, with state Health Minister C Laxma Reddy and officials. The strain of the polio virus was detected in laboratory tests of samples collected from a Sewerage Treatment Plant (STP) at Amberpet here. The virus was found in the checks conducted as part of the monitoring system that was put in place after polio was eradicated from India in 2011. "International protocols designed by WHO to detect polio virus have been followed. The detection of the virus proves that our surveillance system is robust. Whatever has to be done (after detection) has been done in coordination with WHO and UNICEF," Nadda said. Nadda said 2,10,626 children have been vaccinated (in the past four days). "This is more than the expected number," he said. The Union Minister said one lakh additional vaccines have been provided to Telangana. Appreciating the efforts put in by the state government in undertaking the drive, he said the Centre was ready to provide whatever support was needed by Telangana. "We are in close touch with the state government," he said. Admitting that there was shortage of health workers here, the minister said more workers have been pooled in from neighbouring districts.

Congress seeks disqualification of MLCs who defected to TRS

Opposition Congress today sought disqualification of party MLCs who crossed over to the ruling TRS in Telangana, while accusing Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao of "engineering" defections from other parties. The demand was put forward by the Telangana Congress Legislature Party. Leader of Opposition in Legislative Council Mohammed Ali Shabbir and his deputy P Sudhakar Reddy petitioned the Council Chairman Swamy Goud for the disqualification of MLCs M S Prabhakar and Farooq Hussain, who recently switched over to the ruling party. They also stressed on action against another MLC Rajeshwar, who had defected to the ruling party earlier, Shabbir said in a release. "Instead of setting new standards of morals and ethics in the new state of Telangana, Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao has set a wrong precedent. He engineered 47 defections - 4 MPs, 25 MLAs and 18 MLCs - during his 24-month rule," Shabbir added.

T'gana to join Centre's UDAY scheme

Telangana would join the Centre's UDAY scheme to help the power distribution companies tide over their losses, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said today. A release from the Chief Minister's Office said that Rao informed Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal, who called on him, about the decision. Goyal had urged the Chief Minister that the state join the Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana (UDAY) scheme, it said. The Union Minister agreed to allocate necessary coal to the power plants in Telangana. The promotion of LED bulbs and other issues were also discussed, the release added.

"NDA not strong against Hindu accused in blast cases": Asad Owaisi

AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi today alleged that the Narendra Modi government is "not strong" against those accused in bomb blast cases who are Hindus. "When it comes to the issue of bomb blasts, whether it is Malegaon, Hyderabad Mecca Masjid and Ajmer, they (BJP-led NDA government) are not being strong on those accused just because they happened to be from (the) majority community," he said while discussing his assessment of the Modi government's two years in office. The Lok Sabha member from Hyderabad also said: "They (BJP) promised 1.20 crore jobs to youngsters every year. Hardly, five lakh jobs were created. They promised that prices would come down. Prices are skyrocketing, whether it's pulses or other essential commodities." Despite the price of crude sliding to USD 35 a barrel as compared to USD 85-90 when the BJP came to power, retail prices of petrol and diesel have not come down, he said, adding that the government has increased excise duty more than eight times. "On the economic front, no policy at all. On containing inflation, no. BJP has failed to deliver on these promises," Owaisi told PTI. Reacting to whether India is moving towards a "Congress- Mukt Bharat" as suggested by BJP as the party fared badly in the recent round of Assembly elections, he said: "...It is for the Congress party to decide because they want to tackle BJP, but they moved a resolution of suspension of (AIMIM MLA) Waris Pathan for not saying that slogan ('Bharat Mata Ki Jai') in Maharashtra Assembly." "It's the Congress party which moved the motion (on Pathan's suspension). So, it's for them to decide. That's why not knowing what to do, Congress party, whether in Telangana or Maharashtra, people (Congress) themselves are confused on what stand to take," Owaisi added.

Four held with illegal stock of explosives

Four persons were today arrested by the Cyberabad Police for allegedly supplying and selling explosives without license and seized 1,300 electric detonators and 1,800 gelatin sticks from them. Venkat Reddy, B Venkatesh, Madhusudhan Reddy and R Venkataiah were arrested by a Special Operation Team of Malkagiri Zone for allegedly supplying and selling electric detonators and gelatin sticks without license, a release issued by Cyberabad police said. "Prime accused A Srinivas Reddy, who is absconding, is the licensed owner and he knowingly endorsed the business to other accused who were illegally selling the explosives to unauthorised persons," it said. The accused were held under the limits of Hayathnagar police station.

UK keen to work with Telangana govt on 'Smart City' projects

British government today evinced interest in working with the Telangana government on the 'Smart City' projects in the state. Dominic Asquith, British High Commissioner to India today called on Telangana IT and Industries Minister K T Rama Rao here and appreciated the state's industrial policy 'TS iPass', an official release said. "British government has evinced interest in working with the state government on the 'Smart City' projects," it said. The minister explained the envoy about various initiatives by the Telangana government to attract investors to the state. The High Commissioner invited Rao to participate in the upcoming Indo-British workshop on 'Ease of Doing Business' to be held in India, the release added.

Electricity charges, bus fares in Telangana may go up

Power tariff and bus fares in Telangana are likely to go up as the TRS government is mulling a hike in view of financial difficulties being faced by the state-run agencies. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao today held a review meeting with officials on power utilities and the State Road Transport Corporation (RTC), a release from his office said. While RTC has a debt of Rs 2,275 crores, the power distribution companies (discoms) and the transmission corporation (Transco) have a debt of Rs 2,144 crore on them. The government would provide the necessary support to the state-run entities, the release stated, adding, people also need to bear some burden. Rao, however, directed that the hike should not burden common people, it said. The government's decision on hiking electricity and also state-run Road Transport Corporation (RTC) bus fares is likely to come out tomorrow, it added.

Ramzan Apps a hit among tech-savvy Muslim youth

Ramzan Apps have come as a blessing in disguise for the tech savvy new generation of Muslims who can now stay updated with their religious activities. Muslim youth have taken a liking to various mobile applications available on Google play which apprise them of the necessity of Ramzan, routine needed to be followed for the 'rozedaars', proper manner of offering namaz and ring tones of Azaan, among others. The App developers are offering a wide range of Ramzan- related mobile applications -- from providing religious texts and directions to Mecca to daily reminders and iftar recipes. In addition to offering accurate prayer times, a calendar and a compass to find the direction of Mecca, Muslim Pro features the full Quran with Arabic scripts, translations and audio recitations. Director of leading research centre of Islamic studies Darul Mussinfin Shibli Academy, Prof. Ishtiyaq Ahmed Zilli said there is nothing wrong if new technique helps in understanding things better. He, however, said "There is very heavy traffic on the highway of Internet and it is difficult to understand what is right and what is wrong and so caution is necessary".

No nation can fulfil potential if religious freedom denied:US

No nation can fulfil its potential if people are denied the right to practice freedom of religion, a top US official has said while underlining that upholding religious freedom remains a top priority for the Obama administration. Rabbi David Saperstein, the US Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, in his keynote address to the inaugural policy conference of the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) said in all countries including the US and India, "holding of fundamental freedom is responsibility of government" and each and every person. "During her visit to India earlier this year, the Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy and Human Rights, Sarah B Sewall, noted that in India more than 170 million Muslims live alongside Hindus, Christians, Buddhists, Sikhs and Jains," the top American diplomat on international religious freedom said. "Across India faith communities and civil society organisations are mobilising to challenge religious intolerance," he noted. "When some voices openly worry that Indian Muslims would be swayed by Daesh propaganda, (Union) Home Minister (Rajnath) Singh responded by calling the Muslim community patriots and praising the diversity as an enduring trend. That is the kind of leadership we need to see from public officials more of across the globe," he said. Religious freedom, Saperstein said, remains a top priority for the Obama Administration. Noting that current challenges of international religious freedom are daunting, the US official said no nation can fulfil its potential if people are denied the right to practice freedom of religion. "We apply this principle in bilateral relations with every country in South Asia," he said in his remarks at HAF, the top Hindu advocacy group for the Hindu community in the US. Of the view that in South Asia, challenges to religious freedom are serious, Saperstein in response to a question said the bulk of what is happening in the region is the bulk of what is happening in America. "The bulk of what is happening in South Asia is the bulk of what is happening let's say in North America including the shooting in Orlando. It is not actually that ISIL is mobilising, it is rather people who have decided for one reason or the other to engage in extremist activities, being inspired by or using as a justification or trying to be a part of this group in their mind and identifying with ISIL," he said. Saperstein said the challenges to religious freedom in South Asia "are serious" and the US addreses them in a range of ways. "In Pakistan, we continue to see authorities enforce blasphemy laws and convictions still occur," he said, adding that members of the Ahmadiyya continue to face discrimination.

School guard nabbed for misbehaving with girl student

A security guard of a private school was taken into custody today for allegedly misbehaving with a 11-year-old girl student in L B Nagar here, police said. The accused, identified as Ranjith, had allegedly misbehaved with the class VI student at the school two days ago, police said. "The girl informed her parents about the matter who lodged a complaint yesterday," L B Nagar police station inspector P Kasi Reddy told PTI. A case under section 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) of IPC was registered against Ranjith who has been taken into custody, Reddy said.

Dattatreya favours early completion of Hyderabad Metro

Stressing on development of infrastructure to boost growth, Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya today favoured early completion of Hyderabad Metro project and also improving the MMTS rail services in the city. Dattatreya, the Lok Sabha member from Secunderabad, discussed the metro project, Multi-Modal Transport System (MMTS) and promoting IT sector in the city with Telangana IT, Industries and Municipal Administration Minister K T Rama Rao. "We felt that we will meet Chief Minister (K Chandrasekhar Rao) also, if need be, and take all necessary decisions and start it (Hyderabad Metro) at the earliest," Dattatreya told reporters. Highlighting the need to de-congest Hyderabad, the BJP leader said he would try to hold a meeting with Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu on improving MMTS (suburban rail system) and also to develop Secunderabad station to international standards. Noting that the Narendra Modi Government started the 'Digital India' and 'Skill India' initiatives, he said the Centre would help IT sector to grow further in Hyderabad. Rama Rao submitted a Detailed Project Report (DPR) again on the Information Technology Investment Region (ITIR) to the Union Minister on the occasion. The ITIR was sanctioned to Hyderabad during undivided Andhra Pradesh. Dattatreya promised to organise a meeting on ITIR, said Rama Rao, son of the Chief Minister. The NDA Government believed in friendly relations between the Centre and states, Dattatreya said. Rama Rao said the Telangana Government does not believe in a confrontation with the Centre and wants to work together.

Hyderabad Fund case: UK court rejects India's plea to dismiss

A UK court today rejected India's plea to dismiss Pakistan's claim to the nearly Rs 350 crore under the Hyderabad Fund case, pushing the matter for a full trial. In a release Pakistan Foreign Office said, "The English High Court rejected Indian attempt to strike out Pakistan's claim to the Hyderabad Fund, on 21 June 2016...India failed to persuade the Court that Pakistan s position was untenable and that it could show no legal entitlement to the 35 million GBP sitting in a bank account in the name of the High Commissioner of Pakistan, since 20th September 1948. "The Judge accepted that there was good evidence in support of Pakistan's claim to the monies, which needed to be fully considered at a trial." However, External Affairs Ministry in New Delhi said, "pending trial or settlement of the matter, it is premature to reach any conclusion regarding ownership of the monies, especially as the present judgement readily acknowledges that there is much force in many of India's arguments to strike out Pakistan s claim of ownership." The Indian side also cited previous judgement in the case when Pakistan's subsequent application for discontinuance of the case was rejected by the same court in 2015 and India was also awarded substantial costs against Pakistan at that stage. Known as the 'Hyderabad Funds Case', the matter relates to transfer of 1,007,940 pounds and 9 Shillings to a London bank account in the name of the High Commissioner in the UK for the then newly formed state of Pakistan, Habib Ibrahim Rahimtoola, at the Westminster Bank (now Natwest) in 1948. The money was transferred by an agent who appeared to be acting on behalf of the absolute ruler of one of the largest and richest of the Indian princely states, the 7th Nizam of Hyderabad. Following the partition in 1947, and the formation of the independent sovereign states of India and Pakistan, the numerous princely states within the sub-continent were permitted by the UK to elect to join either of the two new states, or to remain independent. The Nizam chose to remain independent. However, on September 18, 1948, Hyderabad was annexed to India. On September 20, 1948 the money was transferred to Rahimtoola by the agent. On September 27, 1948 the Nizam sought to reverse the transfer of money claiming that it had been made without his authority. The Bank was unwilling to comply with the Nizam's request without the agreement of the account holder. Such consent was not forthcoming, and for a number of years matters remained unresolved. As the successor state to the Nizam's State of Hyderabad, India has all along sought its claim over the money maintaining that it was State monies and not Nizam's private monies.

Understanding Egypt : A debate in wake of recent sentences

BJP alone can fight MIM: Laxman

BJP alone can take on the "communal" MIM, and other parties in Telangana unlike the ruling TRS, Congress and TDP, state BJP president K Laxman has said. "BJP alone can fight MIM. TRS, Congress, other parties, whenever they are in power, they share it with MIM. People of Telangana know well that BJP alone can fight this communal, divisive politics of MIM which TRS cannot do, neither Congress nor TDP," he said. He said MIM was against the formation of the state and now TRS calls the party its natural ally. "Now, TRS is very close to Majlis (MIM). They say it (MIM) is our natural ally. People of Telangana are surprised. It is anti-Telangana party. It fought against the formation of Telangana. It stood as a stumbling block for the creation of Telangana. "I don't know what made Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao come closer to MIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi and his party. Is it vote bank politics or for development of Telangana. People can understand," he told PTI here. Owaisi used to say the car (TRS election symbol) belonged to TRS but its steering is in his hands, Laxman claimed. Laxman dismissed the speculation of BJP and TRS coming close with the latter possibly joining the NDA government at the Centre. Claiming that main opposition Congress and TDP have weakened in Telangana following defection of several MLAs to TRS, Laxman said BJP would like to emerge as a viable alternative to TRS. He accused the TRS government of failing to deliver on its election promises, which included a two-bedroom house for poor, filling up one lakh government jobs and distributing three acres of land to poor. Noting that the slogan of BJP is 'sab ka sath, sab ka vikas', Laxman said his party would like to take along all sections including minorities. It is only the BJP which nominated two minority leaders (Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and MJ Akbar) to the Rajya Sabha in the recent polls to the upper house, he added.

Constable dies in 'accidental firing' at Begumpet

A 23-year-old police constable posted on sentry duty at the office of the elite anti-terrorist force - OCTOPUS - at Begumpet area here died this evening in an incident of "accidental firing", police said. Shiva Kumar, was on sentry duty at the office of Organisation to Counter Terrorist Operations (OCTOPUS) and there was an "accidental firing" incident resulting in his death, Assistant Commissioner of Police Venkateshwerlu said. "He was relieving his duty at around 6 PM when there was an accidental firing from the 9 MM pistol (service weapon) he was carrying," the police officer told PTI. Kumar, a special police constable, was attached to 13th battalion of Telangana Police and had been posted at OCTOPUS office since 2013, the ACP said, adding the constable hailed from Adilabad district of the state. Panjagutta Police registered a case of suspicious death under section 174 of CrPC. They said investigations were underway.

AMU not minority institution, must follow reservation policy: RSS

Asserting that Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) is not a minority institution, RSS today said the varsity is committing a "big crime" by not implementing the policy of reservation for SCs, STs and OBCs. RSS joint general secretary Krishna Gopal said the NDA government's stand on the issue of AMU's minority status was in sync with that of previous governments, barring the UPA dispensation, and an order by the apex court in 1968. The NDA government had told the Supreme Court in April that it would withdraw the appeal filed by the erstwhile UPA government challenging the Allahabad High Court verdict holding AMU as non-minority institution. "The Centre took the stand which was the position of Maulana Azad, (HRD Minister) M C Chagla, (Saiyid) Nurul Hasan. At that time, all the (then) three Prime Ministers Jawharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri and Indira Gandhi were also there. Our stand is similar to the decision of the Supreme Court. We did not change the decision, it was done in 2005 by the UPA. "So, the present central government has not taken any new decision. They have taken the same decision which was given by a bench of five judges of the Supreme Court in 1968. It's the same decision taken by the Constituent Assembly, which had Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, Maulana Azad and several Muslim leaders," Gopal said. He was speaking on a day-long workshop on 'National Reservation Policy and Aligarh Muslim University', which was attended by several BJP MPs and MLAs. The issue assumes significance as BJP is raising the issue in view of Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls where the party is seeking to repeat its Lok Sabha performance when it won 71 of the state's 80 seats. Speaking on this occasion, BJP from MP from Lalgang Neelam Sonker said "injustice" is being done by the varsity by not implementing the reservation policy and that she, along with other BJP MPs, will raise the issue in Parliament and take it before the people. Gopal said all central universities give reservations to SC, ST and OBCs. He noted that even Banaras Hindu University, on whose basis the law for AMU was formulated, implements the policy of reservation. "On the basis of Kashi (Banaras) Hindu University, the AMU Act was made, but they (the AMU) don't give reservation. This is a dilemma. This is discriminatory. Not implementing the policy of reservation is a big crime," the RSS leader said.

50k Muslims migrated after Mu'nagar riots: Asad Owaisi

Claiming that 50,000 Muslims migrated after the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots, AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi today asked the BJP if it would send a fact-finding committee there, akin to the one sent by it to Kairana on the issue of alleged migration of Hindus. The Hyderabad Lok Sabha member termed as "bogus" the list of 346 families who are alleged to have "fled" Kairana in Uttar Pradesh, adding that it suited the interests of both the BJP and the Samajwadi Party to create a "drama" over the issue. Owaisi claimed "50,000 people had left their original places where they had lived for generations" after the Muzaffarnagar riots, and termed it as "mass uprooting" of minorities after country's Independence. "Would the BJP send a fact-finding committee? Would the BJP find some time to send delegation to find out what happened to those 50,000 people who are displaced? (after Muzaffarnagar riots)," he said. "Basically, they (BJP) have no other issue and this (Kairana issue) shows the real face of BJP that all this talk of development, 'sab ka saath sab ka vikas', is all a farce...unfortunately, they are being helped by Samajwadi Party," Owaisi claimed. "It suits both BJP and Samajwadi Party. Politically, BJP wants to create a fear among majority community. Samajwadi Party wants to give a message to Muslims that you are insecure if you don't elect Samajwadi Party. So, this drama suits both BJP and Samajwadi Party," he told PTI. When such issue are in the forefront, Samajwadi Party is happy as it does not have to answer questions on their failure to deliver and on "misgovernance", he said. Owaisi said the AIMIM would contest the Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, due early next year, but added that it was too early to give the number of seats that it would contest. He said his party was open to forging an alliance in Uttar Pradesh. "Yes. I have no issue if such a proposal comes. We are open for alliance but we will have to wait and see what happens."

No threat to polio-free status of India: WHO

midst concerns over resurfacing of polio cases in India, the WHO today said there is "no threat" to the polio-free status of all South East Asian region countries, including India, and the detection of a rare strain of the crippling disease is "not unusual". Noting that all the countries including India maintain a "high vigil" for the detection of the disease, the World Health Organisation's South-East Asia Regional Office (WHO SEARO) said that no child has been afflicted by wild poliovirus since the last case was reported from West Bengal in January, 2011. "All countries in the Region continue to maintain a very high vigil for poliovirus detection. As part of this, environmental surveillance collection of samples from sewage is being conducted regularly from 30 sites across seven states in India," it said in a statement. There is "no threat" to the polio-free status of all South East Asian region countries, including India, it added. The statement comes after a 6-year-old child of Padrauna village in Gaisdi in Balrampur district in Uttar Pradesh was admitted to a hospital on suspicion of polio, following which the state health officials have sent a report to the WHO. Prior to this case, vaccine-derived polio virus (VDPV) type 2 was detected in a sewage sample collected from a site in Hyderabad. Following these cases, the Union Health Minister has initiated a probe and maintained that though it comes across thousands of such cases every year, none of them has been detected of polio. WHO SEARO said that on very rare occasions, VDPVs are isolated from sewage samples, and prompt and adequate response to VDPVs detected in the samples in the past has prevented any spread of these viruses in the community. "Such viruses have been detected from environmental samples only no children have been affected nor cases of paralysis associated. "Detection of such rare VDPVs is not unusual or unexpected and robust short- and long-term management strategies are in place to adequately manage the small risks associated with such isolates," it said. .

First become main opposition: Parrikar tells Telangana BJP

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar today advised the Telangana unit of BJP to focus on becoming the main opposition in the state first, which, he said, would help it emerge as a replacement for the ruling party. Inaugurating the two-day executive meeting of Telangana BJP, he said the opportunity for the BJP to emerge as the main opposition was now "wide open". BJP, which fought the 2014 Assembly elections in alliance with TDP, won only five seats in the newly-formed state. It has only one member in the Legislative Council. Parrikar's comments come against the backdrop of MLAs from Congress and TDP defecting to the ruling TRS in recent months. The former Goa Chief Minister argued that there was no substitute to the grassroots work. "We need to go to the people. When I entered politics, I was given the task of bringing up BJP in Goa. We started from zero there. We religiously followed the principle of occupying the space of opposition first. Only when you become the main opposition, people start treating you as a (possible) replacement for the ruling party. And that opportunity for the first time in Telangana is wide open for BJP," Parrikar said. He saw ample scope for the party to grow in Hyderabad and the neighbouring Rangareddy district. "Hyderabad area is low-hanging fruit (for the BJP to catch)," he said. Taking a dig at the K Chandrasekhar Rao-led TRS government which last year decided to abandon its erstwhile secratariat due to "Vastu" reasons, he said, "the current government is busy in many things which are not part of governance." "Vaastu Shastra is not part of governance. This government seems to be looking only at Vaastu Shastra," he quipped.

Prachi defies ban order, enters Azamgarh

VHP leader Sadhvi Prachi today defied a ban on her entry to Azamgarh district as she attended a Hindu Jagran Manch programme following which the district administration ordered a case to be lodged against her. Hindu Jagran Manch was given permission for the programme on the condition that Sadhvi Prachi will not take part in it. Her entry to the district was banned by the authorities to maintain peace. The VHP leader defied the ban, attended the programme and even addressed a gathering saying she did not need anyone's permission to come to the "breeding ground of terrorism", Azamgarh. Questioning how Asaduddin Owaisi, an MP from Hyderabad, could reach the house of Mohammad Akhlaq at Dadri without anyone's permission, Sadhvi Prachi in her address said, "Is this Hindustan or Pakistan...Sadhvi Prachi does not need anyone's permission to reach the breeding ground of terrorism, Azamgarh." She also blamed the SP government for the recent Mathura violence. However, soon after the programme, the police took her into custody and escorted her to the district border. Ruling SP in-charge Vipin Tada said orders have been issued to lodge a case against her and the organisers of the event and that action will be taken as per law.

Type of polio virus found in T'gana to be eliminated: Health Minister

The Telangana government is determined to eradicate the particular type of polio virus that has surfaced here, state Health Minister C Laxma Reddy said here today. Reddy held a meeting with an expert on polio and other viruses, who met him, a state government release said. Expressing the government's determination to eliminate the virus, Reddy said, as per WHO protocols, the IPV (inactivable polio vaccination) would be given by special teams in 12 sectors here during June 20-26. The state government has made all arrangements for administering the vaccine, he said. The government has successfully prevented the spread of diseases like swine flu and dengue earlier, he added

Hyderabad to host BRICS working group meet next month

A meeting of the working group of BRICS countries on employment generation and other issues would be held in Hyderabad on July 27 and 28, Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya said here today. The meeting of the working group is preparatory for a BRICS meet to be held in Delhi, he told reporters. Dattatreya, who recently attended the International Labour Conference in Geneva, said the focus of the Union Government and other countries is on employment generation. "The initiatives of the NDA government to spur growth are helping in generating employment. The Narendra Modi government favoured an inclusive growth," he said. The Labour Ministry would set up 100 model career centres in the country in partnership with the public and private sector, he said. A modern employment exchange would be opened in Hyderabad in the third week of July, he said adding, job seekers and employers, who have registered on the National Career Service (NCS) portal of the Labour Ministry, would be brought on to a single platform on the occasion. The state governments would be asked to come on board the NCS portal and a system to provide jobs to lakhs of job seekers, Dattatreya said. As many as 3.60 crore job seekers, 27,195 skill providers and 8.29 lakh employers, besides 50 placement organisations, have joined the portal. Through the portal, 45,912 have been provided jobs against 81,000 vacancies, he said. "This is a small answer to those who are asking what did the government do in the last two years," he said. The ESI Medical College at Sanatnagar here would be run from 2016-17, he said. He thanked Union Health Minister J P Nadda and the Medical Council of India for giving the required permissions to the college.

Navy officer's daughter goes missing from Hyd airport

A 17-year-old daughter of a senior Naval officer posted in Visakhapatnam has gone missing from Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Shamshabad here, police said today. "Kairavi Sharma, daughter of Arvind Sharma, who studies in Pune had recently completed her XI standard. She was on her way back to Pune from Visakhapatnam on June 14 via Hyderabad when she got down at the airport and has gone missing since then," RGIA police station inspector M Mahesh said. Her father lodged a complaint with police, following which a missing case has been registered and efforts are on to trace her, the inspector said. Kairavi's mobile phone is switched-off, he said, adding that an investigation is on.

Shops in Telangana can function on all days for another 3 yrs

Telangana government today decided to continue with the existing policy of letting shops and other commercial establishments function on all the days for another three years. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao gave orders to this effect, a release from his office said here. The shops and other establishments used to remain closed on Sundays and other holidays earlier, but they were allowed to remain open and transact business throughout the year after the formation of Telangana (in June 2014), it said. The policy was implemented for a year on experimental basis and it came to an end yesterday, it said. Rao held a review on the policy and decided to continue the policy for another three years as positive feedback was received, the release said. As per Rao's directives, the Labour Department issued orders to protect the rights of workers. Accordingly, the shops should function only from 9 AM to 11 PM and a worker should work for a maximum of eight hours a day and 48 hours in a week, it said. Workers are entitled for one holiday per week. Other measures for the welfare of workers, including women, have also been announced.

Last month was hottest May in modern history

Last month was the hottest May in modern history, marking the 13th consecutive month that global heat records have been shattered, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said today. "The globally averaged temperature over land and ocean surfaces for May 2016 was the highest for the month of May in the NOAA global temperature dataset record, which dates back to 1880," the agency said in a statement. May's combined average temperature came to 1.57 degrees Fahrenheit (0.87 Celsius) above the 20th-century average for the month of 58.6 degrees Fahrenheit (14.8 Celsius). That was 0.04 degrees Fahrenheit (0.02 Celsius) above the previous record for a month of May set last year. May 2016 tied with June and August 2015 as the 12th-highest monthly temperature departure on record, the NOAA said. Overall, 13 of the 15 monthly high-temperature records have taken place since February 2015, it added. The average land surface temperature for May 2016 was 2.11 degrees Fahrenheit (1.17 Celsius) above the 20th century's average of 52.0 degrees Fahrenheit (11.1 Celsius), the third highest on record after 2012 and 2015. The average sea surface temperature was the highest on record at 1.37 degrees Fahrenheit (0.76 Celsius) above the 20th century average of 61.3 degrees Fahrenheit (16.3 Celsius), beating the previous record in 2015 by 0.09 degrees Fahrenheit (0.05 Celsius).

Two legislators, one MP join TRS

Nalgonda Congress MP Gutta Sukender Reddy, Miryalguda Congress MLA N Bhaskar Rao and lone CPI Devarkonda (ST) MLA Ravindra Kumar Ramavath today joined the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) party here. Former Congress Peddapally MP G Vivekanand, his brother and former Congress minister G Vinod (both sons of G Venkataswamy) also joined the party along with his followers in the presence of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao at the party's headquarters here. "These leaders are joining the party as they are very much impressed with the developmental work that the government has undertaken. This should not be seen in political light. Besides, Congress and TDP do not have moral right to raise the issue of defections. "Congress, when YS Rajasekhar Reddy was the Chief Minister poached some of our (TRS) MLAs. These leaders who talk about moral did not raise their voice then," Rao said after formally inviting the leaders into the party by honouring them with a 'pink scarf'. The Chief Minister also alleged that Congress and TDP had conspired to bring President's rule in the state soon after the election despite the fact that TRS party emerged as a clear winner in the polls. Sukhender Reddy had earlier said he took the decision of joining TRS to extend full cooperation to the party and the government in the interest of irrigation projects and the development of his district, Nalgonda. Congress won only two Lok Sabha seats in the state in the 2014 elections. The other Congress MP is Nandi Yellaiah from Nagarkurnool constituency. Vivek had joined the TRS ahead of the formation of separate Telangana but went back to Congress after the Andhra Pradesh Re-organisation Bill was passed in Parliament in 2014. He contested the Lok Sabha elections on a Congress ticket, but lost.

Stung by desertion, Cong seeks changes in anti-defection law

Rattled by the defection of a party MP and several MLAs into the ruling TRS in Telangana, Congress today said it would move the Centre and the Election Commission for changes in the anti-defection law. "The anti-defection law has proved to be totally ineffective. Therefore, there has to be rethinking by the Government of India and all political parties so that a timeframe is fixed for the Speaker to take a decision beyond which we should have the provision to take the matter to the Court so that this 'Aya Ram Gaya Ram' (turncoats) situation, and public trading of elected representatives come to an end," AICC General Secretary Digvijay Singh told reporters here. He was speaking after a meeting of the Telangana Congress Coordination Committee, which, among other issues, discussed the defection of several Congress MLAs and party MP from Nalgonda, G Sukhender Reddy into TRS. Sukhender, Miryalguda Congress MLA N Bhaskar Rao and lone CPI MLA Ravindra Kumar Ramavath today joined TRS here. In the last few months, over half a dozen Congress MLAs have joined the TRS. The Opposition party had won 22 seats in the 2014 Assembly elections. "Recently, an MP and a Congress MLA defected to TRS. We have seen that KCR (Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao) is openly, sort of, in the business of trading of MLAs and MLCs and huge amount of contracts are being awarded to these people. "They are blatantly going against the anti-defection law. Unfortunately, there is a basic fault in the law where the decision is with the Speaker. There is no time limit for him to take a decision (on disqualification petitions against those who switch loyalties)," he said. Congress would take up the political fight with all those who switched loyalties and hold rallies in the Assembly segments represented by them, the former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh maintained. He said the party cadre and those who believe in Congress ideology are still with the party. Taking potshots at the TRS, Singh said the party-led government can distribute clothes to minorities during Ramzan, but it should also fulfill its promise of providing 12 per cent reservation to them in jobs and education. Congress would also fight for the cause of those being displaced due to the construction of some irrigation projects in Telangana, he added.

Telangana may conduct anti-polio drive in 700 booths

The proposed special campaign by Telangana government, in the wake of a particular type of polio virus being found in a sample here, is likely to be carried out at 700 booths. "The campaign, to be conducted from June 20 to 26, would be carried out at 700 booths," said Lalitha Kumari, Director of Public Health and Family Welfare. She said the campaign will be held as a precautionary measure as per official protocols and would be targeted at children in the age group of six weeks to three years. The drive would be conducted here and in parts of Ranga Reddy with the main objective to cover areas from where the water was coming into the sewerage treatment plant. The virus (vaccine derived polio virus type-II) was found in lab tests conducted on samples of sewerage water collected at a treatment plant in Amberpet here, state government's Principal Secretary (Health) Rajeshwar Tiwari had said yesterday. The virus was found in the checks conducted as part of the monitoring system put in place after polio was eradicated in the country in 2011. Meanwhile, Union Health Ministry today said the wild polio virus (P2 strain) being found in a Hyderabad drain was a vaccine derived virus and does not change the polio-free status of India.

2 arrested for cheating Amazon by returning duplicate iPhones

Two persons were today arrested for allegedly cheating the e-commerce giant Amazon by buying iPhones from the online portal and then reclaiming the money by returning duplicate phones. Commissioner's Task Force (South Zone Team) arrested Ankush Birajdar, who worked as a risk investigator at Amazon, and his friend Mir Feroz Ali. Additional deputy commissioner of police N Koti Reddy said in a release that they bought expensive iPhones online from Amazon by creating fake customer email ids. After getting the delivery they asked the company to take them back on the pretexts like tampered package, defects in the product or delayed delivery, etc. However, they sold off the original iPhone and returned duplicate handsets. Birajdar worked as a risk investigator of transactions, risk management team in Amazon at Madhapur here and found the loopholes in the online refunding process for the rejected items and decided to exploit it, police said. Police seized six iPhones from them.

FIR against Sadhvi Prachi for Muslim free India remark

An FIR has been registered against controversial VHP leader Sadhvi Prachi for inciting communal passions, police said today. The FIR was registered against Prachi based on a complaint lodged by Sandeep Kumar of Bahujan Mukti Morcha who alleged that her statement in which she had pitched for a "Muslim free country" in Uttrakhand recently, hurt communal feelings, they said. The FIR has been registered under IPC 153 A (Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion), IPC 153 B (Imputations, assertions prejudicial to national-integration), SHO, Unnao, Sanjay Pandey said. Known for courting controversies, the Sadhvi had claimed the mission of a Congress-free country has already been "accomplished" and it is now time to make India free of Muslims. "Now that we have achieved the mission of making a Congress-free India, it is time to make India Muslim-free. We are working on that," she said in Roorkee, where at least 32 people were injured in a clash between two communities over forcible evacuation of a scrap dealers shop, on June 7.

Bangladesh clerics sign fatwa against killings

Over 100,000 clerics in Bangladesh have signed a fatwa against the brutal attacks by Islamists on minorities and secular writers in the Muslim-majority nation, terming them as "un-Islamic". "The fatwa clearly said what they (Islamists) are doing are anti-Islamic and it will lead them to the path of hell, not divinity...these killings of non-Muslims, minorities and secular activists are forbidden in Islam," Bangladesh Ulema Council chief Maulana Farid Uddin Masuod told PTI describing the essence of the edict. The fatwa denouncing the clandestine attacks on minorities and secular activists has been endorsed by over 100,000 Muslim scholars and imams. "The synopsis of the 62-page fatwa is to portray perpetrates of terrorism in the name of Islamic jihad as enemies of Islam, Muslims and humanity," Masuod said. He said the fatwa titled "the edict of peace for wellbeing of humanity" would be formally issued on June 18. He said the process to launch the fatwa began in January this year after the attacks on liberal and secular activists and religious minorities including Hindus and Christian by suspected Islamists sparked an international uproar. Authorities in Bangladesh are under mounting international pressure to halt the violence, which in the past three years has claimed the lives nearly 50 people - Hindus, Christians and secular bloggers - many of them by machete-wielding attackers. Though most of the attacks were claimed by the Islamic State or its affiliates and other similar extremist groups, the Bangladesh government has repeatedly dismissed the claims and said the attacks were carried out by homegrown outfits linked to the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday told a meeting of her ruling Awami League party that police would stamp out the violence and she vowed to catch "each and every killer". During the past three days over 11,000 criminal suspects have been arrested as part of an intensified crackdown against extremists in the country. Masuod aid the anti-militancy security campaign was important but the motivational campaign by Islamic scholars denouncing the terrorism in the name of Islam was more crucial. "They (militants) believe, their actions will take them to heaven but they are required to be made understand they actually are destined to hell because of their act...the meaning of jihad in Islamic term is entirely different from what they are doing," he said.

Telangana to launch to special campaign against polio

The Telangana government today decided to conduct a special campaign against polio after a particular type of polio virus was found in sewerage water in the city. The virus (vaccine derived polio virus type-II) was found in the lab tests conducted on samples of sewerage water collected at Amberpet here, according to Rajeshwar Tiwari, Principal Secretary (Health) of the state government. The virus was found in the checks conducted as part of the monitoring system put in place after polio was eradicated in the country in 2011. "The government decided to conduct a special campaign against polio here and in parts of Ranga Reddy district from June 20 to June 26," he said. The campaign would be targeted at children in the age group of six weeks to three years.

Hotel receptionist held for attempting to molest woman guest

A hotel receptionist was arrested for allegedly trying to outrage the modesty of a 24-year-old woman guest in the wee hours today, police said. The victim, who hails from Visakhapatnam and works as a Relationship Manager at a private company there, had yesterday checked-in at the lodge-cum-hotel at L B Nagar area here. According to police, the receptionist, identified as Dasari Shekhar, managed to gain entry into the woman's room at around 3 AM and attempted to outrage her modesty when she was asleep. "The woman immediately raised an alarm, following which Shekhar fled. However, he was caught by the hotel staff and a police party on patrol was informed about the incident," L B Nagar Police Station Inspector P Kasi Reddy said. "Based on the complaint lodged by the woman, a case under section 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) of IPC was registered and the accused was arrested and sent to judicial remand," he said. Further probe is on.

Cake with Asad Owaisi pic cut on MNS chief Raj Thackeray's birthday

A cake with the image of AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi was cut during the celebrations to mark the birthday of MNS chief Raj Thackeray here today, evoking a strong reaction from the Hyderabad-based party. Raj was greeted by his supporters at his residence 'Krishna Kunj' at Dadar in Central Mumbai, where some supporters brought the cake with Owaisi's image on it and cut it. The action drew condemnation from AIMIM, whose MLA Waris Pathan demanded action against those who cut the cake. Raj had targeted Owaisi triggered a row early this year saying he would not chant 'Bharat Mata ki Jai', even if a knife is put to his throat. "Come to Maharashtra, I will put a knife to your throat," the MNS chief had said.

2 suspended UoH faculty members go on indefinite hunger strike

The two suspended faculty members of University of Hyderabad (UoH) today launched an indefinite hunger strike protesting against their suspension by the varsity on the ground that they had been detained by police for more than 48 hours in March this year. The two faculty members sat on the fast outside the university. The SC/ST Teachers' Forum, meanwhile alleged that the university's action against the two faculty members was taken "in a fit of vindictiveness" and sought revocation of their suspension. The faculty members-- K Y Ratnam, Head, Centre for Ambedkar Studies and faculty member of Department of Political Science and Tathagata Sengupta, faculty member of Department of Mathematics-- were yesterday served with suspension notice for allegedly not informing the University about their detention by police on March 22. The Executive Council of the UoH had taken the decision to suspend them in its meeting held last Monday and the suspension orders were issued yesterday. "Ratnam and Sengupta have commenced an indefinite relay hunger strike in protest against their unjust and casteist suspension," the Forum said in a release. Ratnam and Sengupta were detained when police dragged away protesters who besieged the official residence of vice-chancellor Appa Rao on March 22, protesting against the latter resuming his office after a long leave. "In a fit of vindictiveness, UoH issued suspension notices yesterday, several months after they were already targeted for arrest simply for the noble act of requesting the police to desist from beating and brutalising the students during the lathi charge on March 22," it said. It is also extremely opportunistic for the University to pass these orders, after using their services for the entire duration of the semester until May, retroactively deeming them suspended starting March 22 onward until further orders, the release said alleging this act amounts to a continuation of caste atrocities against Dalits. The University of Hyderabad, popularly known as HCU, has witnessed sporadic protests over the suicide of Dalit research scholar Rohit Vemula, with protesting students demanding removal of Appa Rao from the VC's post. Appa Rao has been booked under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and for abetment of Vemula's suicide. The university has been on the boil since Vemula committed suicide on the campus on January 17, subsequent to which VC Podile went on a leave amid protest by students. "We demand that the suspension be revoked and that Prof Appa Rao be immediately suspended from duty and prevented from committing any further atrocity against Dalits on campus," the Forum said in the release.

How can a man who was on security radar can get weapons just like that? The Orlando incident raises serious questions about the way the US is governed. The real issue that is being overlooked in wake of Orlando killings is Gun culture. Providing guns easily is not liberty, it is risking lives. Why should everyone have access to weapons in a world full of stress?

Trump calls for vigilance on Muslims after Orlando shooting

Republican presidential presumptive nominee Donald Trump today called for vigilance on Muslims and mosques in the US, a day after an Afghan-origin gunman killed 49 people at an Orlando nightclub in the deadliest shooting in American history. "We need much better intelligence gathering information. We need intelligence gathering centers, because the people in the communities where these people are, they know there's something off. They know there's something going on," he said. "We need intelligence gathering. We have to look at the mosques. We have to look at the community. And believe me, the community knows the people that have potential for blow up," said Trump, who has been criticised for advocating a ban on Muslim immigrants. Citing the example of last year's San Bernardino shooter, Trump said there were bombs all over his apartment floor. "You're going to find that with this mad man (Orlando shooter). People in the area, the people in the neighborhood, they know there's something off with him, and they don't report them to the police," he told CNN. "This is much different, than when we fight a war with Germany or with Japan, and they have uniforms," Trump said. "It's an enemy without a uniform, George. It's very dangerous. We're fighting an enemy without a uniform," Trump told ABC. In response to a question, Trump told the CNN that this is going to be "pure intelligence gathering, and people... Muslims, where they are, they have to report these people. Otherwise it's going to be a bigger, bigger problem." Defending his view on right to carry fire arm, Trump said things could have been different if there were other people in the club carrying guns. "If you had some guns in that club the night that this took place, if you had guns on the other side, you wouldn't have had the tragedy that you had," he said. "If people in that room had guns with the bullets flying in the opposite direction right at him... right at his head, you wouldn't have had the same tragedy that you ended up having. And nobody even knows how bad that tragedy is, because I think probably the numbers will get bigger and bigger and worse and worse. I hear the injured are so gravely injured," he asserted. Pushing for increased surveillance, he said this is the case of intelligence gathering, information. "Many people that knew him felt that he was a whack job, he something like this would have happened. I already hear it starting to happen of people that knew him, the ex-wife and other people," he said. "They don't report them. For some reason, the Muslim community does not report people like this. So, we do have two different standards. We have people that live here and have become radicalized and have been radicalized," he said.

Cong MP Sukhender Reddy to join TRS

In a major setback to Congress, one of its two MPs from Telangana G Sukhender Reddy and former MP G Vivek today decided to join the ruling TRS. "I have taken this decision (to join TRS) to extend full cooperation to the party and government in the interest of (irrigation) projects and the development of our district (Nalgonda)," Reddy, Lok Sabha member from Nalgonda, told reporters here. The differences among party leaders are hurting Congress in the state, he claimed. The need to work for development of Telangana is a major motivation to take the decision, he said, adding that he would not hesitate to quit as Member of Parliament. Congress won only two Lok Sabha seats in the state in the 2014 elections. The other Congress MP is Nandi Yellaiah from Nagarkurnool constituency in the state. Significantly, former MP G Vivek, and his brother and former minister G Vinod, both sons of late Congress leader and former Union Minister G Venkataswamy, also announced their decision to join the Telangana Rashtra Samithi. Appreciating the efforts of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao for the development of the state, Vivek said he decided to join TRS to support the former in his endeavour. Vivek also hailed the role played by Congress president Sonia Gandhi in the formation of a separate Telangana. He had joined the TRS ahead of the formation of the separate Telangana, but went back to Congress after the Andhra Pradesh Re-organisation Bill was passed in Parliament. He contested the Lok Sabha elections on a Congress ticket, but lost. CPI MLA from Devarakonda in Nalgonda district Ravindra Kumar said he decided to join TRS in the interest of development of his constituency. A number of MLAs, belonging to opposition parties like Congress, TDP and YSR Congress have switched loyalties to the ruling TRS since it came to power in 2014. The strength of TRS in the Legislative Assembly rose to 82 in the 119-member House. This excludes some Congress MLAs who moved to TRS. TDP Lok Sabha member Malla Reddy and YSR Congress MP P Srinivasa Reddy have also joined the TRS in recent months.

Chalo High Court: 230 advocates taken into preventive custody

Police today foiled the bid of advocates to march towards the High Court here as part of the 'Chalo High Court' programme by taking 230 of them into preventive custody. The police had yesterday denied permission to the programme, wherein the Federation of Bar Association had appealed to all advocates practising in various courts in the districts of Telangana and Hyderabad to march towards High Court. "Though the city police denied permission for organising any such programme, advocates in large number gathered at City Criminal court complex to proceed towards the High Court," Telangana Advocates Joint Action Committee (JAC) co-convener T Sriranga Rao said. In view of the prevailing situation, as per the orders of the Registrar General of the High Court, only those practising advocates of HC, whose cases were listed in the cause list for today were allowed to enter into the premises, a senior police official said. "About 230 advocates were taken into preventive custody when they tried to go towards the High Court. They were later let off," the official said. However, no untoward incident was reported, police said. A senior official of the High Court said judges attended to respective cases which were represented by the advocates. Advocates and judicial employees across Telangana under the banner of Telangana Advocates' JAC, High Court Bar Association and others had launched a week-long protest from Monday last in the form of lunch-hour demonstrations outside courts protesting against the provisional allocation of judicial officers between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. "We will intensify our agitation until our demands are met," Sriranga Rao told PTI. The JAC submitted a memorandum to the Acting Chief Justice of the High Court Dilip Bhosale demanding recall the provisional allocation list of judicial officers and to allocate the officers based on their nativity, among other demands.

Rs 1.95 cr-worth illegally manufactured drug seized; one held

Over 200 kg of Alprazolam drug, which is used in treatment of psychotic problems, was today seized from a factory here for its alleged illegal manufacturing, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) said. Weighing 238.12 kg, the seized drug has a street value of Rs 1.95 crore. One person has been arrested in this connection, the DRI added. Further investigation in the case is on, it said.

Two UoH faculty members suspended for detention by police

The University of Hyderabad (UoH) today suspended two of its faculty members on the ground that they had been detained by police for more than 48 hours in March this year. According to the University Registrar M Sudhakar, besides suspending the two faculty members-- K Y Ratnam and Thathagata Sengupta-- a notice has also been issued to them for not informing the university about their detention. The Executive Council of the university, which met today, took the decision to suspend them, he said. "We do not know whether they (the two teaching faculty) were in police custody or judicial custody. The EC met today and took a decision to suspend them for being under detention for 48 hours. They were also issued notices for not informing about their detention officially to the University authorities," Sudhakar told PTI. As per the rule, a government servant accused of crime, is liable to be suspended if he/she is under (either police or judicial) custody for more than 48 hours, another senior government official said. UoH Vice-Chancellor Appa Rao Podile, who had gone on a leave at the height of an agitation over the suicide of research scholar Rohith Vemula, had resumed office on March 23 amid protests from a section of students, who ransacked his official residence leading to tension on the campus. Twenty five students and two faculty members had been held in connection with ransacking and stone pelting on police personnel. According to Sudhakar, the EC meeting was convened for the first time today after Podile resumed his office on March 23.

11 arrested for extortion from brothel house organisers

Eleven persons, including a senior official of a local news web portal, and a home guard jawan attached with Telangana's CID, have been arrested for allegedly indulging in extortion from brothel house organisers and customers, police said today. Besides the channel's senior official, a crime reporter, and a cameraman were arrested yesterday, along with the home guard jawan and others, Deputy Commissioner of Police (West Zone), A Venkateshwera Rao said. The cameraman, the reporter, and the jawan hatched the plan to extort money from the brothel house organisers and customers, and disclosed it to the channel's official, who approved of it as the portal is running under loss, the DCP said. He also instructed them to get some money for him, he said. The trio took the help of three women sex workers by threatening to upload their details on social media, the officer said, adding the jawan impersonated a CID officer. They conducted fake sting operation on the houses of some customers and extorted Rs 84,000, gold chain and forcibly seized Bangladeshi Passport from a sex worker, the officer said. They gave Rs 20,000 to the channel's official who encouraged them to continue to extort more money, the officer added.

Monsoon reaches Andhra Pradesh

The south-west monsoon today advanced to parts of coastal Andhra Pradesh and the Rayalaseema region and is expected to cover other parts of the state in one or two days, according to Indian Meteorological Department (IMD). "The monsoon, which hit Kerala yesterday, covered parts of south coastal Andhra Pradesh up to Anantapur in Rayalaseema," Y K Reddy, Director In-charge of IMD Hyderabad told PTI. The remaining parts of Andhra Pradesh are expected to be covered in one-two days and entire Telangana is expected to be covered in four-five days, he said. In its daily weather report for Andhra Pradesh, the IMD said rain occurred at many places over Rayalaseema and at a few places over coastal Andhra Pradesh. Jammalamadugu and Punganur in Rayalaseema received 7 cm of rainfall, the report said. In its daily weather report of Telangana, the IMD said rain occurred at a few places over the state. Madnur in Nizamabad district recorded 8 cm of rainfall, followed by Jukkal in Nizamabad with 7 cm of rainfall.

Three youths taken into custody for alleged rape

Police today took three youths into custody for allegedly raping a 24-year-old woman in Chaitanyapuri area here. R Nagesh, Prabhakar and K Naik, aged between 20-22, took the woman to an isolated place last night when she stepped out her workplace to buy some food, inspector Gururaghavendra said. They offered to take her to a restaurant, and raped her after taking her to the deserted spot, police said. The woman lodged the complaint today.

Ruckus in J&K house over Prachi's statement on Muslims

Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Council today witnessed a ruckus over the controversial statement of VHP leader Sadhvi Prachi that "it is time to make India free of Muslims", even as the state government termed the remarks as wrong. Sadhvi had yesterday claimed that the mission of a Congress-free India has already been "accomplished" and it is now time to rid the country of Muslims. As soon as the House met this morning, opposition National Conference (NC) MLC Shehnaz Ganai raised the issue, demanding that the Council condemn Prachi's statement. Ganai was supported by her party colleagues and members from Congress. The members from the treasury benches belonging to Jammu region entered into an argument with the opposition legislators, even as Legislative Council chairman Anayat Ali asked the members to calm down and raise the issue during Zero Hour. As the pandemonium continued, Minister for Education Naeem Akhtar stood up and said the country was incomplete without Muslims. "The report has been carried by newspapers. Whosoever said it, it is wrong. Muslims are a part of the country and it is incomplete without them," Akhtar said. The minister said Muslims have to live in the country as equal stakeholders. There is no need to divide this House. "Our state has many problems and we want to grapple them, so please allow us. We should not be provoked into a divisive tit for tat match. We all have to live in this country as equal stake-holders," he said.

Over 60 Hindu inmates keep roza with 1,150 Muslims in Muzzafarabad jail

Setting an example of communal harmony, more than 60 Hindu inmates of the district jail here are keeping 'roza', the dawn-to-dusk fast during Ramzan, along with 1,150 Muslim inmates. The holy month of Ramzan commenced yesterday. On the first day of the Ramzan, 65 Hindu inmates kept fast with 1,150 Muslim inmates here, said Satish Tripathi, jailor of the district jail. Special arrangements have been made for the inmates to perform prayers and enjoy their pre-dawn 'sehri' meal and evening meals known as 'iftars'. Food items like seasonal fruits, dates, 500 gram milk and various other snacks are being made available to them, he said.

Telangana undertakes exercise to re-organise districts, mandals

The Telangana government has undertaken an exercise to re-organise districts and mandals (revenue units) in the state. The purpose of the exercise is to take administration closer to the people, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said in a meeting with district collectors and other senior officials here today, a release from his office said. At present, there are 10 districts in the state. Rao told the officials while there are no hard and fast rules, people's convenience should be the criteria in the exercise, the release said. Rao asked the officials to complete the exercise after talking to Ministers, MLAs and other public representatives. Objections would be invited before issuing final notification on districts, it added. New districts would come into being from Dussehra festival this year, the government had earlier said.

Malegaon blast victim moves court against clean chit to Pragya Thakur

Nisar Ahmed Sayyed Bilal, one of those injured in the September 2008 blast at Malegaon in north Maharashtra, has moved a special court here seeking rejection of the charge sheet filed by NIA which gives a clean chit to sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur and five others. "The investigating officer has to only investigate and not appreciate the evidence," says the application, adding there was no need for the NIA to re-examine the witnesses. The agency did not try to collect additional evidence but made efforts only to show the contradictions in the earlier charge sheet, it alleges. The application is likely to be heard on June 10. NIA, in its charge sheet filed on May 13, dropped all the charges against Pragya and five others citing lack of evidence. The agency also revoked the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act against the remaining accused. Seven people were killed in a blast at Malegaon, a predominantly Muslim town, on September 29, 2008.

Six killed in road mishap in Nizamabad

In Telangana, six persons including two children were killed in a ghastly road accident near Phakirabad in Nizamabad district this afternoon. The accident occurred when the auto in which the victims were travelling collided with a public transport bus coming in the opposite direction. Police said the victims are natives of Medak district.

Police Scotland plans hijab uniform to attract more Muslims

Scotland's police is planning to introduce hijab as an optional uniform in an attempt to attract more women Muslim recruits to the force, which currently has less black and Asian representation. Scotland Yard, Britain's largest police force, already has the option in place leading to Police Scotland studying various designs that would be suitable and cover the head and neck but not the face. "Police Scotland is committed to working with communities to encourage under-represented groups to consider policing as a career. Part of this involves removing unnecessary barriers, which include considerations about the officers' uniform," said Peter Blair, head of resource management at Police Scotland. "As a result, work has been undertaken to source a uniform hijab. Such a hijab is worn by many officers in police forces in England and across the world and Police Scotland is keen to replicate this good practice," he said. According to the 'Scottish Daily Record', Police Scotland briefed the Scottish Police Authority this week on the need to recruit an additional 650 ethnic minority employees to reflect the number of those from black and Asian backgrounds in Scottish society as a whole. Figures show there were just 127 applications from black and Asian candidates in 2015-16. A suitable headscarf has been tested and will now be presented for consideration. Until now, women officers wishing to wear headscarves had required to seek the permission of their line manager, seen as a hurdle that was proving off-putting.

Police begin probe into complaint against Akhlaq family

Police today began probe into the complaint against the family of Dadri lynch victim, a day after a 20-day ultimatum was given to the administration for registering a case against them for alleged cow slaughter and beef consumption. The situation in Bishada village in Dadri was described by authorities as under control after tension returned yesterday nearly nine months after 50-year-old Mohammad Akhlaq was lynched following rumours that his family stored and ate beef at their house. Rival parties also traded charges as the village became a political battleground ahead of next year's Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh. Circle Officer, Dadri, started the investigations into the complaint of the family of one of the accused and villagers about alleged cow slaughter by Ikhlaq s family, as he spoke to local residents and scanned previous probe documents. Situation in Bishada is normal. No untoward incident was reported," SDM Dadri RK Singh said, adding, "additional forces are keeping watch over the movement of persons. Today there was no political movement in the village." Singh said villagers have decided to follow the legal battle in court and have promised that they will not resort to violence. The ultimatum for registering an FIR given at a meeting of villagers at Shiv temple in Bishada last night came six days after a report from a forensic lab in Mathura said that the meat sample taken from outside Akhlaq s house belonged to a "cow or its progeny". Some members of BJP and Shiv Sena also attended the meeting. After the report surfaced, a section of Bishada residents had also approached police, urging them to register an FIR against Akhlaq s family for allegedly killing a cow and consuming beef. "Villagers gave 20 days to the administration to investigate and lodge the FIR against the Ikhlaq family members. However we are moving the court on Wednesday under section 156(3) requesting court to issue directions to police to lodge FIR against the Ikhlaq s family as forensic report has confirmed it was beef," said Sanjay Rana, father of one of the accused Vishal Rana. BJP President Amit Shah rejected allegations by rival parties that the party was raking up the Dadri issue to communalise the upcoming elections. "If it is so they should expose it. Whose government is here, who controls lab and police. How can you blame BJP," he told reporters in Lucknow. "We did not organise any panchayat in Dadri. BJP has nothing to do with it. If some persons sit together and hold a panchayat peacefully what is objectionable in that," he added. BSP leader Satbir Singh alleged that BJP and SP are hand in glove and have secret understanding. "Both are following appeasement policy. SP is trying to appease Muslims while BJP is trying to garner support of Hindus. They both want the communal tension till elections with hope of cashing it during assembly elections," he said. Samajwadi Party leader Pratap Chauhan denied the allegations of BSP and said, the situation in Bishada deteriorated due to BJP hate speeches... BJP is communalising the issue." BJP leader Sanjay Aggarwal said, "Bishada situation got deteriorated due to improper handling and one-sided action of the state government."

Time to make India Muslim-free: Sadhvi Prachi

Touching off a controversy, VHP leader Sadhvi Prachi today said it is time to make India free of Muslims. Known for courting controversies, the Sadhvi claimed the mission of a Congress-free India has already been "accomplished" and it is now time to rid the country of Muslims. "Now that we have achieved the mission of making a Congress-free India, it is time to make India Muslim-free. We are working on that," she said in Roorkee where at least 32 people were injured last week in a clash between two communities over forcible evacuation of a scrap dealer's shop. Khanpur MLA Kunwar Pranav Singh Champion's house was attacked by members of a community alleging their sacred book was also desecrated by his supporters. The Sadhvi claimed that the attack on Champion's house was part of a "premeditated" conspiracy. Champion, one of the nine Congress MLAs who revolted against Chief Minister Harish Rawat, recently joined BJP. On the forthcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, she said if BJP projects Yogi Adityananth as its chief ministerial candidate, it was bound to win 300 seats in the state. Prachi had often been in the news for asking people to boycott films of Bollywood Khans and demanding a CBI probe into all Muslim educational institutions including Aligarh Muslim University and madrasas in Deoband to check anti- national activities.

Panchayat Raj engineer held for taking bribe

An assistant engineer in Telangana's Panchayat Raj Department has been arrested for allegedly taking a bribe Rs 40,000. Gollapalli Krishna, working in Tadwai Mandal, was nabbed by ACB officials at Hanamkonda in Warangal yesterday when he took the bribe from a complainant for doing an official favour, the Anti-Corruption Bureau said today.

Man taken into custody for raping 14-yr-old girl

A vegetable vendor was today taken into custody for allegedly raping and impregnating a 14-year-old girl employed by him, at L B Nagar here, police said. "Yesuappa (around 50), who had employed the minor girl, allegedly had sexual intercourse with her a few months ago by threatening her," said Inspector P Kasi Reddy of L B Nagar Police Station. The girl, who became pregnant, has been sent for medical examination and investigation is on, police said