A debate on Indo-US relations in Urdu

Sharad Pawar says ATS 'terrorising' Muslim youths

NCP supremo Sharad Pawar today accused Maharashtra ATS of "terrorising" Muslim youths on "mere suspicion" and detaining them illegally, sparking criticism from BJP and AIMIM that he is taking "opportunistic stance" for political gains. Addressing a press meet here, Pawar said a delegation of various Muslim outfits met him recently and aired their concern over the youths from the community being "terrorised" on mere suspicion of having links with ISIS and other banned organisations. "A 28-member delegation representing various Muslim organisations met me recently and complained that the ATS is terrorising Muslim youths in the name of ISIS and other banned organisations. This delegation strongly condemned ISIS and said the youths of their community would never support their activities," Pawar said. He claimed that there have been several instances, especially in Marathwada region, where youths had been picked up by the Anti-Terrorism Squad(ATS) on grounds of suspicion and detained "illegally." "According to the law, an arrested person has to be presented before a magistrate within 24 hours. But there have been cases where even after 120 hours the detained persons are kept in some isolated location and not let out. The government needs to take serious cognisance of this," the former Maharashtra chief minister said. The arrested should be immediately produced before a magistrate, there should be an immediate chargesheet and they should be tried in a fast track court, he said. "A criminal has no caste or creed. A particular community should not be labelled (as criminal)," he said. Reacting to Pawar's statement, BJP spokesperson Madhav Bhandari said the NCP leader has often played "communal and casteist politics" and has "no moral right to give sermon." Waris Pathan, AIMIM MLA, said Pawar was suffering from "selective amnesia" and sought to know what he had done to protect innocent Muslims implicated in cases when he was in power in the state.

Telangana Legislature ratifies GST Bill

The Telangana Legislature today unanimously ratified the Goods and Services Tax Constitutional Amendment Bill, becoming 12th state to have approved the legislation that will pave the way for roll-out of a single and unified tax system in the country. Both Houses of the Legislature met for a special one-day session to approve the Constitution (122nd Amendment) (Goods and Services Tax) Bill, passed by Parliament earlier this month. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao introduced the resolution seeking the ratification in the Assembly while Deputy Chief Minister Kadiyam Srihari moved it in the Council. "I sincerely thank all the members for unanimously passing the resolution to ratify the Amendment Bill," KCR said after the ratification. He said Telangana Finance Minister Etela Rajendar had conveyed the state government's feelings about the Bill in the meetings convened by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. Earlier before moving the resolution, KCR said the Bill may help Telangana as the GST Bill empowers states to levy service tax which is currently under the purview of Centre. According to him, Telangana would largely benefit (after the implementation of GST) as significant share of its income comes from service sector. "As per the provisions of the GST Bill, the Centre would fill the gap in revenue, if any, for five years. So there should not be any apprehensions of state losing revenues," the CM said. Congress member Chinna Reddy said it was the UPA that introduced GST Bill in Parliament and cautioned government on burdening people with tax. GST aims to do away with multiple-tax regime on goods and services and bring them under one rate. It will alter the present system of production-based taxation to a consumption-based one. The government has set a deadline of April, 2017 for its roll-out. While manufactured consumer goods will become cheaper as the incidence of excise duty and VAT will come down from 25-26 per cent at present, the cost of services would by and large, go up from the present 15 per cent levy. The Constitution Amendment Bill passed by Parliament needs to be ratified by more than half of the total states before it could be sent for Presidential assent. So far, 12 states have ratified the Bill.

Cab driver tries to rape woman passenger; booked

A cab driver allegedly attempted rape on a woman passenger in Rajendra Nagar here, police said today. The incident took place late last night after which the victim, an air-hostess lodged a complaint. "The woman has lodged a complaint saying the driver of the cab allegedly attempted to rape her while she was travelling in the vehicle," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shamshabad Zone) Sunpreet Singh said. The driver has been booked under relevant sections of IPC and further investigations are on, the DCP said.

Sub-inspector kills self on police station premises in Adilabad

A 27-year-old sub-inspector today allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself in his head on the premises of Kerameri police station in Adilabad district of Telangana, police said. In a suicide note found at the spot, purportedly written by him, the deceased K Sridhar stated that he was under depression for last one year. Sridhar suffered head injuries after he allegedly shot himself on his temple with his service weapon at around 8.30 AM in his residential quarters on the police station premises, a senior police officer told PTI. Eye witnesses rushed Sridhar to a hospital in Asifabad where doctors declared him brought dead, the officer said, adding the "SI went into coma soon after shooting himself." A suicide note was found from the scene in which Sridhar purportedly wrote that he was under depression for over past one year, the officer said, while refusing to elaborate on the likely cause behind depression. "It is prima-facie a case of suicide. We are further investigating. An inquiry has been ordered into the incident. He shot one bullet," he said. Sridhar, a native of Sircilla mandal in Karimnagar district of Telangana, had joined as a regular SI with Kerameri police station just two days back after serving as a trainee for last few months. A case under section 174 CrPc has been registered and further probe is on. The suicide by Sridhar is second such incident involving a sub-inspector this month. On August 17, sub-inspector V Ramakrishan Reddy (45) attached to Kukunoorpalli police station in Medak district had shot himself with his service weapon allegedly over harassment by some of his senior police officers.

There shouldn't be complete ban on beef: Athawale

A day after suggesting that people should be allowed to eat meat of bulls and bullocks as a source of protein, union minister Ramdas Athawale today opposed a complete ban on beef saying farmers will suffer. The Social Justice Minister said it will be economically difficult for farmers to keep cows and bulls which are of no use. However, he said the cow is an auspicious animal and there could be a temporary ban during auspicious days. "Cow is auspicious for Hindus and we should respect that...but other animals like bulls and even cows also which are not giving milk, are usually sold by farmers. "So if there is a complete ban on beef, then farmers cannot sell and it will be economically difficult for them to keep these animals. Therefore, we oppose that," Athawale said here on the sidelines of an event. He added that there can be a temporary ban for few days as per specific religions. "We totally oppose complete ban on beef. But, there could be ban for 2-4 days during the auspicious days of some specific religions to take care of their emotions," he added. Athawale's remarks came in the wake of Delhi BJP MP Udit Raj's comment that Jamaican athlete Usain Bolt went on to win nine Olympic golds despite being born in poverty after his trainer advised him to eat beef twice a day. Athawale had opposed the Maharashtra government's decision to ban beef last year. His remarks hold significance as last month self-appointed cow vigilantes had assaulted Dalits who make a living out of skinning dead cows.

WhatsApp to share user data with Facebook

WhatsApp's recent decision to share user data with parent company Facebook today reached the doorsteps of Delhi High Court, which sought the government's response on the modification of the new privacy policy. A bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Sangita Dhingra issued notice to the Centre on a plea by two users of the most popular instant messaging service, alleging that WhatsApp, Facebook Inc and Facebook India Online Pvt Ltd's new private policy "compromises the rights of its users". Taking note of the concern by petitioners Karmanya Singh Sareen and Shreya Sethi, the high court wished to examine the issue and asked the concerned authorities to file their reply by September 14. "The privacy policy is in stark contrast to the Privacy Policy existing from July 7, 2012. In its first revised modification on August 25, 2016, Respondents (WhatsApp, Facebook Inc. and Facebook India Online Pvt Ltd) have introduced this policy which severely compromises the rights of its users and makes the privacy rights of users completely vulnerable," the plea alleged. The new policy, which is likely to come into force from September 25, has sought to change the "most valuable, basic and essential feature" of WhatsApp, which commenced operations in 2010, by "unilaterally threatening to take away the protection to privacy of details and data of its users and sharing the same with Facebook and all its group companies including for the purpose of commercial advertising and marketing." Senior advocates Sandeep Sethi and Pratibha M Singh, appearing for the petitioners, submitted before the court that it is a "very serious breach of policy". "The manner in which so-called consent is sought to be taken is highly deceptive in as much as almost the entire community of users of WhatsApp in India are not equipped to even read, much less comprehend, the consequences of the terms and conditions on the basis whereupon, WhatsApp is pretending to obtain consent of the users," the plea filed by advocate Tanoodbhav Singhdev said.

ISIS rooting for Trump to win polls

ISIS jihaists are rooting for Donald Trump to win the US presidential polls as they believe that he will lead America on a path of self-destruction and his presidency would be a powerful recruiting tool, according to a media report. Even though the Republican presidential candidate has promised to "knock the hell out of" ISIS, the terror group is rooting for him to win the upcoming general election because they believe it will boost their ranks, the Foreign Affairs magazine reported, citing interviews with ISIS supporters, recent defectors and social media analysis. Earlier this month, an ISIS spokesman wrote on the ISIS-affiliated Telegram channel, Nashir, "I ask Allah to deliver America to Trump." An ISIS supporter posted on one of the numerous jihadist "channels" hosted by the Telegram messaging application, "The 'facilitation' of Trump's arrival in the White House must be a priority for jihadists at any cost!!!" Trump has been campaigning on a promise to eradicate the Islamic State. The 70-year-old business tycoon regularly makes belligerent statements such as , "I would bomb" them and "We have to knock the hell out of them". He has said that he would send up to 30,000 more US troops to fight ISIS and refuses to rule out the possibility of using nuclear weapons against the group. However, jihadists are rooting for a Trump presidency because they believe that he will lead the US on a path to self-destruction, the magazine said in its report. Analysis of ISIS chatter on social media and conversations with 12 current and former supporters of the group do indicate that ISIS strongly prefers Trump over the Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, it said. Trump is "the perfect enemy", Tarek, a former ISIS fighter who recently switched sides to one of its Salafi rivals, Ahrar al-Sham, was quoted as saying. Another ISIS defector, Samer, said when he was fighting for the group in Deir ez-Zor, "we were happy when Trump said bad things about Muslims because he makes it very clear that there are two teams in this battle: the Islamic team and the anti-Islamic team." When asked why Clinton has not yet been shown in an ISIS video, a recent defector, Adel, was quoted as sayung that it is because "she never says anything bad about Muslims". Indeed, it is far more difficult for ISIS to vilify Clinton, who routinely insists that "Islam is not our adversary" and "Muslims are peaceful and tolerant people". ISIS supporters believe that Trump would be an unstable and irrational leader whose impulsive decision-making would weaken the United States, the report said. Some ISIS supporters believe that Trump would lead the US and its Western allies into the apocalyptic clash they have been waiting for, it said.

I am not afraid of anyone, says Chandrababu Naidu

Seeking to counter Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan's criticism that the TDP was probably afraid of the CBI and hence not raising its voice for special category status to Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu today asserted that he was scared of none. Though Kalyan did not name him, Naidu chose to address the former on the issue saying, "Pawan Kalyan should remember that I am not afraid of anyone. It's not correct to talk like YSR Congress or Congress people." At his public meeting in Tirupati last evening, Kalyan wondered what was preventing the TDP from fighting for the rightful demand of special status to the state. "They are apparently afraid that the Centre will set the CBI on them (TDP). Do you have anything to hide that you are so scared? Speak out, stall Parliament and achieve special status," Kalyan said. Addressing a public meeting in Anantapuram district this evening, the Chief Minister recalled the Maoists' attack on him at Alipiri in October, 2003. "I was not even scared for my life. I never went back on anything. So, there is no question of me being afraid of anyone or anything," Chandrababu remarked. Separately, TDP MP from Anantapuram J C Diwakar Reddy lashed out at the actor-politician saying the latter was speaking without any comprehension of the subject. "He neither has the age nor experience. He better not live in an illusory world," the veteran politician cautioned. Anakapalli MP M Srinivas, whom Kalyan targeted by name, reacted strongly in Visakhapatnam saying he was "not born with a golden spoon" unlike the star. "I came up the hard way in life and earned wealth. It is not right for him to speak about it. As MPs we have been doing everything to secure special status to the state," Srinivas said. Yesterday, Kalyan asked the Centre not to look at some rich MPs of TDP and deny special status to AP. Srinivas was one of those he named.

RSS starts sale of new uniform

RSS is set to replace khaki shorts, its trademark attire for 90 years, with brown trousers from October 11 and the sale of the new dress has already been launched with each piece costing Rs 250. According to sources, around 7 lakh trousers are to be provided in first phase to the members of RSS, which is the ideological mentor of the ruling BJP. The RSS will formally adopt the new "Ganavesh" (uniform) from Vijayadashami, the organisation's foundation day that falls on October 11 this year. "Around 2 lakh full pants have already reached offices of organisation in various states that is being provided to all its members," head of the RSS' communications department Manmohan Vaidya told PTI. The trousers will replace the knee-length khaki shorts that members of the RSS, the BJP's ideological mentor, have worn for the last 90 years. The decision to switch to the brown trousers was taken in March this year at the annual meeting of the organisation's highest decision-making body, the Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha. The Sangh has announced that it would do away with its traditional trademark "khaki" knickers that it has used for over nine decades and replace them with the brown trousers, that would be matched with white shirt, black cap, brown socks and bamboo sticks. The new full pants have been stitched in different parts of the country, but the raw material has been bought from the textile town of Bhilwara in Rajasthan, the sources said. The new uniform that will be sported by all RSS members at the annual Vijaydashmi celebrations will see a sea-change in the uniform and the organisation is preparing for the transition.

Govt panel for chilli-filled grenades, stun lac shells as alternatives to pellet guns

A committee, set up to find alternatives to pellet guns in the Kashmir Valley, today suggested use of chilli-filled grenades and 'stun lac shells' to control mobs in addition to the debatable weapon being used now. Pellet guns are, however, unlikely to be completely banned but will be fired in "rarest of rare cases". The seven-member expert committee, headed by Joint Secretary in the Home Ministry T V S N Prasad, submitted its report today. The panel was constituted after scores of protesters were blinded by the use of pellet guns in the Valley. The report for exploring the other possible alternatives to pellet guns as non-lethal weapons was submitted to Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi here, an official spokesperson said. However, the spokesperson did not elaborate about the findings of the expert committee. Sources said Pelargonic Acid Vanillyl Amide (PAVA) also called Nonivamide and other non-lethal ammunition like 'stun lac cells' and Long Range Acoustic Device (LARD) which create deafening noise to paralyse people were understood to have suggested as possible alternatives to the pellet guns. However, LARD is likely to be used in rural areas as it could prove dangerous for old buildings in downtown Srinagar. Sources said pellet guns, which are being used by security forces for crowd control in Jammu and Kashmir, will not be completely banned but will be fired in "rarest of rare cases". Senior government functionaries have arrived at this conclusion after extensive consultations with security forces and examining the ground realities in Kashmir Valley. The option of firing pellet guns will remain but these will be used only in rarest of rare cases, the official said. The government is facing severe criticism for using the pellet guns for crowd control in Kashmir Valley as the weapon has caused large-scale injuries in the 51-day unrest following killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani on July 8. The expert committee also recommended Standard Operating Procedures for deployment of this new assortment of non-lethal weapons.

50 days of hell in earthly heaven: A debate on Kashmir unrest

CISF gears up to thwart terror strikes at airports

The Central Industrial Security Force has deployed quick reaction teams (QRTs) at airports, trained its personnel and strengthened its capability to counter terror strikes. "We are gearing up to counter any attack in the manner of Istanbul or Brussels (terror attacks). Our people are already trained. We have deployed QRTs behind bullet-resistant (bullet-proof) 'morchas', so that if terror elements fire they will not be able to get us," a senior CISF official said. After the Istanbul and Brussels incidents, the CISF has formulated strategies to thwart such attacks at Indian airports guarded by it. "With the recent attacks in Brussels and Istanbul, attacks from the city-side have become more prominent. So, we are devising ways and means to counter such attacks," the official told PTI. "We have started checking at the 'nakas' now. Any suspicious vehicle going to airport will be stopped and checked with the help of sniffer dogs and electronic explosive detectors," he said. In addition, QRTs have been deployed at the arrival and departure side of airports. "If they (QRTs) find any suspicious person coming out with weapon or attempting to fire, our teams have been instructed to fire back to counter the terrorist attack. We have the capability to fire back at them and neutralise them. We are going into that mode now," he said. "We are professionally trained to prevent any kind of hijack situation or terrorist attack," he said. As of now, CISF has taken over security responsibility at 59 major airports. "The plan to cover 39 more airports depending on their viability is under process." "It is a Cabinet decision to bring all civil airports in the country under the security cover of the CISF. Since manpower is not there...the government is increasing the strength of the CISF. After that we will be able to slowly take over," the official said. There are certain airports where there are only one or two flights in a week and those airports are still with the state police. "It is not viable (for CISF)," he said. The nearly 1.45 lakh-strong CISF has a dedicated and trained unit called the Aviation Security Group and has more than 25,000 men and women commandos. "Now our ceiling is going to be raised to 1.8 lakh when we will be recruiting fresh people," he added.

Amit Shah to address public rally in Warangal on Sep 17

BJP president Amit Shah will address a public meeting in Warangal district of Telangana on September 17 as part of 'Hyderabad Liberation Day' being celebrated by the party's state unit. "During the separate statehood movement, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, had said 'Hyderabad Liberation Day' will be celebrated in a grand manner on the lines of it being celebrated in some districts of Karnataka and Maharashtra," BJP state chief K Laxman said. "But due to pressure of MIM, this (TRS) government is not coming forward to celebrate it," he alleged, adding, "Hence, BJP has decided to celebrate 'Hyderabad Liberation Day' on September 17 in nook and corner of the state." "Our national president Amit Shah has expressed his willingness to address a public meeting being organised in Warangal to educate and motivate people to celebrate our Liberation Day," Laxman said, at an event. Telangana BJP has been demanding to hold the official celebration of 'Hyderabad Liberation Day' on September 17. The Hyderabad state, which was under the Nizam's rule, merged with the Indian Union on September 17, 1948 following a "police action". "Previous governments and even the present TRS government have ignored (to organise the liberation day)," the state BJP chief said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his visit to Hyderabad on August 7, had called upon the BJP functionaries to take up the 'Tiranga Yatra' on motorbikes from August 15 to September 17 across the state. Speaking at the event, Union Minister of State for Agriculture Parshottam Rupala said, "The younger generation should know the struggle and sacrifices made by our freedom fighters. Our responsibility now is to make the country great".

Pak resorting to proxy war against India: Dattatreya

Condemning Pakistan for its "evil designs" in Kashmir Valley and other places, Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya today said the neighbouring country has resorted to a "proxy war" against India with support from ISI to disturb unity and integrity of the country. "Pakistan is resorting to its own evil designs in Kashmir valley and other places. This is decried and condemned," the Minister of State for Labour and Employment said. He further said that Pakistan is causing disturbances in India as well as Afghanistan. "In case of India, Pakistan is resorting to proxy war, with cooperation and support from ISI and aiming to disturb unity and integrity of this country," the minister said. "In this context, India is ready to convey appropriate lesson to Pakistan. India is ready to fire ten bullets for its each bullet and orders have been issued in this context. But India is still wishing to hold discussions, consultations with Pakistan in a peaceful manner," Dattatreya said at an event. The senior BJP leader earlier paid tributes to martyrs at Kargil memorial at Parade Ground in Secunderabad on the occasion of 'Jai Jawan Tiranga Utsav' commemorating 70th Independence Day celebrations.

Who is responsible for the Kashmir mess? A debate in Urdu

International start-up conference in Hyderabad on Sep 3-4

An international start-up conference being held here from September 3 will see 12,000 participants attending workshops and deliberating on a wide range of issues related to emerging companies. The fourth edition of the conference, `August Fest', is being supported by the Telangana Government. The two-day event is being organised by Eat, Sleep, Drink (ESD) start-up with support from the State Government, T-Hub and Indian school of Business (ISB), said Kiran Maverick, founder of August Fest. "This year 107 speakers and 12,000 participants will take part in the event, where there will be 125 start-up pitches and 20 workshops," he said. For the first time, non start-ups and members of general public have been allowed to participate, he said. "Since last year we are working on measurable growth for start-ups. Last year, we picked up five start-ups that have seen exponential growth. This year we are picking up to 10 start-ups in different sectors and add value in terms of mentorship and guidance for funding and build success stories right here in Hyderabad," Kiran said. Telangana IT Secretary Jayesh Ranajan said "August Fest has contributed immensely in developing start-up ecosystem in the city. The Government's focus is not just on T-Hub (a startup incubation initiative of the Telangana Government) alone. "I am on the board of T-Hub, which recently decided that start-ups outside the ambit of T-Hub, too, should get the same benefits as those in the T-Hub Incubation," he said. "We own the fest. We feel proud of the fact that it has scaled up so fast," Jayesh said. Among the key speakers would be Carman Chan from Hong Kong, Ernest Sanchez from Spain and Soundarya Rajinikanth (Rajinikanth's younger daughter), Kiran added.

'Commission's report on Rohit Vemula's caste politically motivated'

Terming the judicial commission's report on Rohith Vemula's suicide as "politically motivated", the Joint Action Committee for Social Justice at University of Hyderabad today said such conclusion was aimed at "weakening" the case against varsity Vice-Chancellor Appa Rao Podile and others. "Through media reports it was learnt that the one-man commission constituted by Ministry of HRD has declared Rohith Vemula a non-Dalit. It is shocking to see such conclusion, as District Magistrate, a competent authority to declare or verify the claims on caste, has declared Rohith as Hindu SC-Mala," the JAC stated in a release. Declaring Vemula as non-Dalit is a "politically motivated" conclusion and not on the basis of set procedures, it said. "The District Magistrate of Guntur had already submitted a report to the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) which declared Rohith Vemula as Hindu SC-Mala," the JAC said. It said the NCSC had approved the report of the District Magistrate, Guntur on the caste confirmation of Vemula. "Thus the comment by the one-man commission, constituted by Ministry of HRD, on Rohith Vemula is completely politically motivated, and is aimed at weakening the case against UoH Vice-Chancellor Podile Appa Rao and others," the JAC said. JAC's statement came in response to the reports that the one-man judicial commission of former judge of Allahabad High Court A K Roopanwal, has observed that Vemula did not belong to the Scheduled Caste (SC) community. Vemula's suicide on January 17 at the University of Hyderabad had sparked massive nationwide protests, resulting in a fierce political slugfest, with a string of political parties and Dalit organisations siding with students and accusing the BJP and varsity administration of being anti-Dalit. UoH has been witnessing sporadic protests since Vemula's death, with students demanding removal of Appa Rao from the VC's post. Appa Rao and others were earlier booked under SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and for abetment of Vemula's suicide.

SC rejects T'gana's review plea on division of assets

The Supreme Court has dismissed a review petition filed by Telangana against its verdict which had held that the newly carved out state cannot claim "absolute" right over institutions, merely because they are located in its capital Hyderabad which is now being shared by Andhra Pradesh also. A bench of Justices V Gopala Gowda and Arun Mishra rejected the application for open hearing of the review petition and dismissed the plea saying no case of review is made out. On March 18, the apex court had set aside a High Court verdict upholding freezing of bank accounts of Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education (APSCHE) on the ground that now APSCHE assets belonged to Telangana State Council (TSC) of Higher Education, as it is located in Hyderabad. Noting that Telangana has claimed ownership over the entire funds and assets of the APSCHE, the apex court had said "this could surely not have been the intention of the legislature while enacting the Reorganisation Act, 2014. "The main thrust of the argument...is that the successor State of Andhra Pradesh has absolutely no right over the institutions in the city of Hyderabad, by virtue of the fact that Hyderabad falls in the successor State of Telangana. "We are wholly unable to agree with this contention advanced on behalf of the State of Telangana. If this contention is accepted, it would render Section 47 of the Act, which provides for apportionment of assets and liabilities among the successor States, useless and nugatory." Referring to the 2014 Reorganisation Act that had paved the way for creation of Telangana, the apex court had said that the issue of bifurcation of states was "both sensitive as well as tricky". The apex court, in its verdict, had said, "the action of the Banks of freezing bank accounts of APSC is wholly untenable in law, which must be set aside. "By no stretch of imagination can it be assumed that the complete takeover of assets of the erstwhile APSCHE by TSC, on the ground that the State institution happens to be in Hyderabad, which is now a part of Telangana, was what the legislature had in contemplation while enacting the Reorganisation Act, 2014.

Myanmar names Kofi Annan to head Rohingya panel

Myanmar's government has set up an advisory panel headed by former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to find "lasting solutions" to the conflict in Rakhine state, where human rights groups have documented widespread abuses against the minority Rohingya Muslims. A statement yesterday by the office of State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi said an agreement will be signed between her office and the Kofi Annan Foundation to set up a nine-member advisory commission to resolve "protracted issues in the region." The council will comprise three international and six national experts. Rohingya Muslims have lived in the northwestern state of Rakhine for generations but are denied citizenship because they are considered outsiders. More than 100 people, mostly Rohingya, were killed in clashes with members of Myanmar's Buddhist majority in 2012. Tens of thousands of Rohingya have fled in rickety boats to seek refuge in other Southeast Asian countries, and many have perished in the perilous journeys or fallen victim to human traffickers. Many displaced Rohingya are now sheltering in refugee camps within the country in squalid conditions with little medical care. In a reflection of how sensitive the Rohingya issue is, the statement did not name the community in the entire text, only describing it as "the complex and delicate issues in the Rakhine state." The closest it came to acknowledging the Rohingya was by saying that the commission will "examine international aspects of the situation, including the background of those seeking refugee status abroad." It said the commission will "consider humanitarian and development issues, access to basic services, the assurance of basic rights, and the security of the people of Rakhine." The commission will make recommendations on conflict prevention, humanitarian assistance, rights and reconciliation, institution building and promotion of development of Rakhine state. The commission will submit its findings and recommendations within 12 months of its establishment. The recommendations will be given to Suu Kyi, who holds the dual titles of state counselor and foreign minister. She is barred by the constitution from becoming president, but for all intent and purposes has been the country's leader since her party won elections in November 2015 and replaced a quasi-civilian government controlled by the military. Kofi Annan was the UN chief from 1997 to 2006, when he was replaced by Ban Ki-moon. He shared the Nobel Peace Prize with the United Nations in 2001.

Polluting industries to be moved out of Hyderabad

Telangana government plans to shift polluting industries out of the city, state Urban Development Minister K T Rama Rao said today. "We want to make Hyderabad a city sans industrial pollution, a city with zero industrial pollution. We are trying to relocate the 'red' and 'orange' industries from within outer ring road (ORR) to outside of the city," he said. These include chemical units, those in ferro-alloys space and makers of bulk drugs, said Rama Rao, who also holds the portfolios of Industries, Commerce and IT. "There is no need for industries already certified for complying with zero liquid discharge to shift," he added. "Those who are not (compliant), will be definitely requested to relocate to different clusters outside ORR in a time-bound phased manner," he said at the CII-organised "MAN'EXE-2016" on the theme 'Make in Telangana: Sustainable Growth through Innovation and Future Technologies'. The relocation does not mean shifting of the pollution problem from Hyderabad to another area, said Rao who is also the Municipal Administration minister. "When they shift to these clusters, they should be 100 per cent pollution-free. We also have a plan in a time-bound manner, along with Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation, to create common affluent treatment plants in each of these clusters even before these industries move out so that there is no pollution problem in new locations," the minister said. As part of relocation, the government would come out with a separate incentive policy, under which industries which move out would be incentivised, Rama Rao added.

51 Post Offices in AP, Telangana to be payments bank branches

A total of 51 Post Offices (POs) in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have been identified for functioning as payments bank branches, providing a slew of services, including distribution of financial products. These offices - 34 in Andhra Pradesh and 17 in Telangana - will operate as branches of India Post Payments Bank (IPPB). IPPB came into existence after it received certificate of incorporation from the Registrar of Companies, setting the stage for the new bank to start operations in 2017. "A total of 34 Post Offices have been identified for IPPB branches in Andhra Pradesh. Of these, MVP Colony SO, Buckinghampet HO and Kurnool HO will be fully operational as IPPB branches by March 2017 and the remaining 31 offices by September 2017, Y P Rai, Chief Postmaster General (AP Circle- covering AP and Telangana), said in a release here today. Similarly, 17 POs have been identified for IPPB branches in Telangana. Of these, Hyderabad GPO will be operational as IPPB branch by March 2017 and remaining 16 by September 2017, Rai said. The benefits of IPPB include door step banking through postmen and Grameen Dak Sewaks, distribution of third party financial products like loans, insurance, pension products, mutual funds, international and domestic remittances, payment of utility bills, municipal dues, fees, Government payments, taxes, DBT and MNREGA disbursements, among others. "IPPB will drive the benefits of financial inclusion by bringing a host of financial products to suit the needs of different strata of society with special focus on the marginalised sections rural areas," Rai added.

14 women rescued from brothels in Hyderabad

Cyberabad police today rescued 14 people after raiding brothels in different localities here and arrested 13 "organisers". "Sleuths of Special Operation Team of Cyberabad East on getting credible information raided the brothel houses under Saroornagar, Chaitanyapuri, Medipally, Neredmet and Malkajgiri police stations and arrested 13 organisers who were wanted in 10 cases. A total of 14 victims were rescued from their custody," stated a release from Cyberabad Police. Further investigation is on.

Jamat e Islami denied permission for rally in Gujarat

Jamat-e-Islami Hind has approached the Gujarat High Court challenging the denial of permission to it by the police to hold a rally in Ahamadabad. Justice R H Shukla today asked the police to resolve the issue by discussing it with the organisers, and posted the matter for further hearing on August 29. The judge, however, remarked that the police can regulate a rally, but cannot prohibit it. Jamat-e-Islami Hind had on August 13 applied to the city police for permission to hold a public meeting at the Town Hall on August 21 and a rally on August 22 as a part of its nation-wide `peace and harmony campaign'. The police permitted the public meeting but not the rally, after which the organisation moved the court. The organisers now plan to hold the rally on September 1. A procession is planned on that day from the Town Hall in Paldi locality which will culminate at the historical Lal Darwaza in Old City area.

Police recover skeleton of girl allegedly killed by Nayeem

Telangana Police who are probing cases registered against Naxal-turned-gangster Mohammed Nayeemuddin killed in an alleged encounter earlier this month, today found skeletal remains of a teenaged girl, reportedly murdered by him around three years ago. Police have so far registered 38 cases against Nayeem and his gang members. An SIT was formed to probe the cases and it has so far arrested 34 people. "During investigation of cases against the gang, it was revealed that Nayeem had murdered a 17-year-old girl (at a house) in Alkapur Colony here," a release by the state police said. According to the police, Nayeem and others of the family were preparing to go to an engagement function sometime in 2013. "The girl objected to various works being assigned to her and also refused to stay alone at home. Nayeem then beat her up and forced her to eat some sleeping pills, which led to her death. After returning from the function, Nayeem, with help of his aide Fayeem and others disposed of the body," the release said. Following a confession by Fayeem, the skeletal remains of the girl was found from the outskirts of Manchirevula area here, police said. Nayeemuddin alias Nayeem alias Balanna (45), wanted in several cases including the murder of an IPS officer, was killed in an alleged encounter with police in Shadnagar town of Mahabubnagar district of the state on August 8.

EAMCET paper leak: One more broker arrested; 20 held so far

One more broker was today arrested by Telangana CID, taking the total number of those held in the EAMCET-II question paper leak case to 20. "In the Telangana State EAMCET-II-2016 (Medical) question paper leakage case, today one broker Rajesh Rajasekhar, a native of Coimbatore, was arrested," CID Inspector General of Police Soumya Mishra said in a release. Rajesh works as educational consultant at Coimbatore. He secured six students and they were given to practice the two sets of leaked TS EAMCET-II entrance exam question papers in the camp conducted at Kolkata, the CID officer said. Efforts are on to apprehend the other brokers and kingpins of the case, she said. On July 25, the CID had registered a case under relevant sections of IPC and other provisions of the Andhra Pradesh Public Examinations (Prevention of Malpractices and Unfair means) Act-1997, after it found in its preliminary inquiry that there was prima facie a case for registering an FIR. The probe also revealed that students appearing for TS EAMCET-II-2016 (Medical) examination from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh were taken to camps set up in at least five cities about two to three days prior to the exam and given practice with the leaked copies of two question papers consisting of 320 questions with correct answers, the CID had earlier said. At a review meeting held here on August 2, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao was informed by CID officials that Delhi turned out to be the centre for leak and there were 34 brokers, who conspired to sell the paper and as many as 200 parents were in touch with brokers to buy them. The Engineering, Agriculture and Medical Common Entrance Test (EAMCET-II) was conducted on July 9 and the results were declared on July 14. The examination was conducted by Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU), Hyderabad.

Sania Mirza moves alone at top of WTA doubles rankings

India's Sania Mirza took sole possession of the WTA doubles number one ranking after teaming up with Barbora Strycova to beat former partner Martina Hingis and Coco Vandeweghe 7-5, 6-4 in Cincinnati final. The 29-year-old will move alone to the top of the rankings, after her and Swiss Hingis ended their highly successful partnership last month as joint number ones. The dominant pairing claimed 14 titles, including three Grand Slams. Hingis came to Cincinnati off the back of winning Olympics silver for Switzerland with Timea Bacsinszky in Rio de Janeiro. Though Hingis and Mirza are no longer permanently together, they will still play in October's year-end WTA Tour Championships in Singapore.

Open for poll alliance in UP, says Asaduddin Owaisi

AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi has said his party is open for an alliance to fight elections in Uttar Pradesh, where he claimed the Samajwadi Party is facing public anger over "failure" to fulfil poll promises. "Our state (UP) president Shaukat Ali is in touch with some organisations, some leaders and some parties. It would be too early to really comment on it. Definitely we are open for alliance but not with parties like Samajwadi, Congress or BJP," Owaisi told PTI when asked if there is a possibility of his party tying up with smaller parties for the poll, due early next year. "I am not involved in those matters. Our state president is there. We will have to wait for some time," the Lok Sabha member from Hyderabad said. Owaisi, who addressed two public meetings in Uttar Pradesh recently, said his party is getting "very good response" from people which was "very heartening" and gave his party a "lot of confidence". "There is definitely lot of anger against the state government because they have not fulfilled the promises made in election manifesto. Governance has taken a beating. They have failed to control law and order and now within their own party they have serious internal differences," he said. As per Owaisi, the key plank of his party's campaigning in Uttar Pradesh would be "failure" of the SP government. He alleged that the Uttar Pradesh government has not fulfilled the promise of giving 18 per cent reservation to Muslims and opening of schools in minority-concentration districts. "There were eight promises related to Muslim minority in the election manifesto and they have not done at all. Even the allocations made to Ministry of Minority Welfare, not even 50 per cent is released. Out of Rs 3.5 lakh crore budget of Uttar Pradesh, only 0.84 per cent is allocated to Minority Welfare Ministry...that's for 20 per cent of population," he said. Owaisi said the Uttar Pradesh Assembly needs "some strong people" who can talk about development of education, improving of health indicators and on issues of security, adding that "huge" incidents of communal violence and riots have taken place but Muslim MLAs were not "brave enough or assertive enough" to ask pointed questions as to why they are happening. "So, these are issues and atrocities on Dalits are still continuing," he added.

Sindhu is a role model for future generations: Governor

Telangana and Andhra Pradesh Governor ESL Narasimhan today hailed Olympic silver medallist P V Sindhu as a role model for future generations. Sindhu, who arrived with her family members at the Raj Bhavan here along with her coach P Gopichand, was accorded a warm reception by the Governor and his wife, who accompanied them to the Darbar Hall, a release from Raj Bhavan said. Showering praises on Sindhu and Gopichand, the Governor told the selective gathering that the four powers -- mother, father, guru and the Almighty -- helped her take the country to greater heights. "You have become a role model for future generations. The country today feels proud of you," he told Sindhu and added that sheer dedication and commitment helped her reach this position. The Governor also quoted English poet Robert Frost's lines -- "The woods are lovely, dark and deep, but you have many miles to go before you sleep" -- and wished that the Sindhu-Gopichand duo should bring more laurels to the country. Narasimhan said he watched the final match on TV as well as the rousing reception given to her this morning. "I was sitting before the TV set watching till the press meet got over," he said. Responding to the felicitations, Sindhu, in her speech, said it was her dream come true. Displaying the silver medal that she had won, she credited her victory to the Almighty. "It is all because of the God's grace," she said and thanked her coach. The Governor presented a memento to both Sindhu and Gopichand and Kidambi Srikanth, who accompanied them. The Governor also presented a cheque of Rs two lakh to Gopichand for developing an academy. Gopichand thanked the Governor for the help he had extended at a time when he was setting up an academy and recalled that the Governor had graced the inaugural function of the academy. "I am grateful to you for the confidence that you have reposed in me and the support you have given," Gopichand said.

KCR presents Rs 5 crore cheque to P V Sindhu

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao today handed over cheques of Rs five crore and Rs one crore to Olympic silver medallist P V Sindhu and her coach P Gopichand respectively. Rao also announced here that the state would frame a new sports policy and allot necessary funds by the next budget. The chief minister congratulated and felicitated Sindhu and Gopichand, who met him at his camp office here this evening. Rao also congratulated Sindhu's parents - P V Ramana and P Vijaya, a release from CMO said. The chief minister announced that the government will come out with a new sports policy and said a meeting will soon be organised in this regard by inviting prominent sports personalities, officials, coaches and representatives of sports associations. "By the next budget, the new sports policy will be framed and necessary funds will be allotted," he said adding new stadiums will also be constructed in districts. "There are several talented sportspersons in the districts and rural areas and there is a need to identify them," Rao said. The chief minister also announced a cash reward of Rs 25 lakh each to Sindhu's physiotherapist C Kiran and shuttler K Srikanth. Rao, while extending financial assistance to Gopichand Academy located at Gachibowli here, said more such academies needed to be set up in other districts of the state.

Draft notification for reorganisation of districts issued

Telangana government today issued a draft notification for the reorganisation of districts, revenue divisions and mandals under which 17 more districts are proposed to be formed from the existing 10 districts in the state. A website 'www.newdistrictsformation.telangana.gov.in' was launched at the Secretariat here in this regard. Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao had last week said that draft notification will be issued for creation of 17 new districts on August 22. On Saturday, an all-party meet had backed the state government's move of creating new districts. Rao, who chaired the meeting, had said that he will convene two all-party meetings to finalise the new districts. People would be given 30 days time to give their suggestions or lodge objections on the draft proposals either with the Secretary to government in Revenue Department, Commissioner of Land Revenue/Chief Commissioner of Land Administration through the Collector of the district concerned. According to an official release, the portal has been developed to facilitate all the districts to record all the objections, which will enable the CCLA and government to take a decision based on the remarks submitted by respective district collectors. The proposed new district are: Acharya Jayashankar, Hanamkonda, Jagtial, Kamareddy, Komaram Bheem, Kothagudem, Mahabubabad, Malkajgiri, Nagarkurnool, Nirmal, Peddapally, Sangareddy, Shamshabad, Siddipet, Suryapet, Wanaparthy and Yadadri. "New districts will be created after taking opinion from people. Districts were being reorganised for administrative ease, convenience, betterment and development of people," Rao had earlier said.

2 more brokers held over EAMCET paper leak

Telangana CID, which is probing the EAMCET-II question paper leak case, today arrested two more brokers and recovered over Rs 7 lakh from them. With this, the total number of arrests in connection with the case so far has gone up to 19. "In the TS EAMCET-II-2016 (Medical) question paper leakage case, today two brokers -- Kolli Rajesh Kumar alias Rajesh, a native of Nellore district in Andhra Pradesh and Chintapalli Janaiah alias Johnson, a native of Nalgonda district in Telangana -- were arrested and Rs 7.10 lakh was recovered from them," CID Inspector General of Police Soumya Mishra said in a release. Rajesh Kumar and Janaiah run consultancy office 'Sreshta Experts' at Dilsukhnagar here and they had secured nine students from various places in Telangana and AP states. Rajesh handed over five students to one Rupesh of Delhi for Cuttack camp and Janaiah took the remaining four to Bengaluru camp for preparation of EAMCET-II leaked question paper, the CID officer said. Efforts are on to apprehend the other brokers and kingpins of the case, she said. On July 25, the CID had registered a case under relevant sections of IPC and other provisions of the Andhra Pradesh Public Examinations (Prevention of Malpractices and Unfair means) Act, 1997, after it found in its preliminary inquiry there was prima facie a case for registering an FIR. Probe also revealed that students appearing for TS EAMCET-II-2016 (Medical) examination from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh were taken to camps set up in at least five cities about two to three days prior to the exam and were given practice with the leaked copies of two question papers consisting of 320 questions with correct answers, the CID had earlier said. At a review meeting held here on August 2, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao was informed by CID officials that Delhi turned out to be the centre for leak and there were 34 brokers, who conspired to sell the paper and as many as 200 parents were in touch with the brokers to buy the question papers. The Engineering, Agriculture and Medical Common Entrance Test (EAMCET-II) was conducted on July 9 and the results were declared on July 14. The examination was conducted by Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU), Hyderabad.

First batch of Haj pilgrims from Telangana leave for Jeddah

The first batch of 340 pilgrims left from Telangana for Saudi Arabia on Sunday to perform the Haj pilgrimage. The Air India flight carrying the pilgrims, clad in "Ihram" or special white clothing for Haj and amid chanting of prayers, took off from the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport here. Deputy Chief Minister Mohammed Mehmood Ali and Haj Committee of India chairman Choudhary Mehboob Ali Kaiser flagged off the first flight for Jeddah. Earlier, Ali also flagged off the buses carrying the pilgrims from Haj House to the airport. The pilgrims, including 146 from Hyderabad, boarded the buses after completing customs, luggage and immigration formalities at Haj House. Emotional scenes were witnessed as relatives and well-wishers bid adieu to the pilgrims with requests to pray for them at the holy places. Hyderabad is the embarkation point for Haj pilgrims from three states. Air India will operate daily two flights from August 22 to August 27 and one flight on August 28 to carry a total of 5,000 pilgrims from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and four districts of Karnataka. Seven flights were arranged for the pilgrims leaving from Telangana, four for Andhra Pradesh and one flight for Karnataka. The other three flights would have pilgrims from all three states. Haj House is serving as the transit and boarding point for the pilgrims. The authorities have made boarding and lodging arrangements for the pilgrims. All arrangements have been made under one roof for safe departure of pilgrims. All the flights from Hyderabad will leave for Jeddah and on the return journey they will take off from Madinah. The pilgrims are scheduled to return from Madinah between October 4 and October 8. Over 1.56 lakh Indians will perform Haj pilgrimage this year. According to the central Haj committee, 36,000 pilgrims will be going through private operators.

Rousing reception awaits PV Sindhu

A rousing state reception will be accorded by the Telangana government to Olympic silver medallist P V Sindhu after she arrives here tomorrow morning from Brazil. After Sindhu's arrival at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) here she will be given a grand welcome followed by a rally in an open-top-motorcade towards Gachibowli stadium where the ace shuttler will be felicitated. Scores of fans are expected to throng the airport to witness the celebratory atmosphere. Telangana IT Minister KT Rama Rao will lead the reception along with senior officials and all necessary arrangements have been made in this regard. While congratulating Sindhu for her feat, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, after chairing a Cabinet meeting yesterday said, "a grand welcome would be organised on her arrival in the city on August 22". Telangana government had yesterday announced Rs 5 crore cash reward to Sindhu, a 1,000 square yard housing site near the Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy in Gachibowli and suitable government job, if she is willing. Hyderabad Collector Rahul Bojja, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) Commissioner B Janardhan Reddy along with heads of various departments today reviewed the welcome arrangements and also inspected the routes from where the motorcade will pass. Telangana government had also announced cash prize of Rs 1 crore to Sindhu's coach P Gopichand. On August 19, the 21-year-old from Hyderabad lost to world no-1 Carolina Marin of Spain 21-19, 12-21, 15-21 in a pulsating final that lasted for an hour and 23 minutes. Sindhu, the two-time World championship bronze medallist, became the first Indian woman player to clinch a Silver in the Olympics and fifth woman player from India to win a medal in the quadrennial games.

KCR announces Rs 50 lakh reward to fourth finisher Dipa Karmakar

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao today announced cash prize of Rs 50 lakh to Dipa Karmakar, who finished fourth in women's vault Gymnastics event at the Rio Olympics. "Exceptional performance by girls in the Rio Olympics is inspiring. There is a need to encourage girls in all fields and entire nation should support them in their endeavour," KCR was quoted as saying in a release from the Chief Minister's Office. In the Olympics, Dipa, from the north eastern state of Tripura, had ended up just outside a medal bracket with 15.066 points after putting on a superb display in the eight-woman vault final held earlier this month. The Telangana government had yesterday decided to give cash reward of Rs 1 crore to grappler Sakshi Malik, who won bronze at the quadrennial sports event.

India has a role to play in combating terror: Bashar al Assad

As a growing power, India has a role to play in meeting the challenge of terrorism, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has said as the two countries agreed to upgrade their security consultations. Assad made the assertion during a meeting with Minister of State for External Affairs M J Akbar when the latter called on him yesterday during his Syria visit. "There was an agreement between both sides for further upgrading security consultations," the sources said. However, the sources did not mention the level to which they have been upgraded to. During the meeting, Assad also welcomed India's objective position on the conflict in Syria and both leaders acknowledged that terrorism was a global problem, sources said. "As a growing power, India has a role to play in meeting the challenge of terrorism," sources quoted Assad as saying. On his part, Akbar, during their meeting, said the age of destruction should give way to the age of reconstruction in Syria. Assad also invited India to play an active role in the reconstruction of the Syrian economy. Both leaders agreed that as secular nations, India and Syria believe in faith equality. Akbar is currently on a nearly week-long visit to West Asia from August 17.

Telangana govt announces Rs 5 crore reward to P V Sindhu

Telangana government today announced cash reward of Rs 5 crore to Olympic silver medalist in women's badminton singles P V Sindhu. The 21-year-old from Hyderabad crumbled under the relentless pressure created by Spain's Carolina Marin to lose 21-19, 12-21, 15-21 in a pulsating final that lasted for an hour and 23 minutes last night. After chairing a state cabinet meeting at Secretariat here, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said it has been decided to provide Rs 5 crore cash reward and 1,000 yards of land to Sindhu. Besides KCR also offered the ace shuttler a government job, if she is willing to do. "There is a need to encourage sports personalities. Like Sania Mirza, who brought laurels by winning several tournaments after encouragement by the government, we hope Sindhu will also bring many laurels by winning many more tournaments in the future. She is coming to Hyderabad on August 22. The Cabinet has decided to accord her a grand reception," Rao told reporters. The Chief Minister also announced cash reward of Rs 1 crore to Sindhu's coach P Gopichand and praised his efforts to produce shuttlers who are in the world top-50 like Saina Nehwal, P Kashyap and others. Rao also said the Cabinet decided to give cash reward of Rs 1 crore to grappler Sakshi Malik, who won bronze at the Rio Olympics. Sindhu, the two-time World championship bronze medallist, became the first Indian woman to clinch a Silver in the Olympics and fifth woman player from India to win a medal in the quadrennial games.

EAMCET paper leak: 2 more held, total arrests mount to 17

Telangana CID, which is probing the EAMCET-II question paper leak, today arrested two more brokers, taking the total number of arrests in connection with the case to 17 and recovered over Rs 16 lakh from one of them. "In the EAMCET-II-2016 (medical) entrance examination question paper leakage case, two brokers -- Mohd Iqbal Khan alias Iqbal, an education consultant belonging to Palwal district of Haryana and G Venkatesh, educational consultant and native of Guntur district in Andhra Pradesh, were arrested by the CID and Rs 16.45 lakh were recovered from Venkatesh," a release from the DGP office said. Iqbal is working as an educational consultant at Delhi and Bengaluru and he arranged training classes for 20 students in Bengaluru with the active connivance of other accused brokers. Venkatesh runs educational consultancy business at KPHB here and took seven students to Kolkata camp, it said. Efforts are on to apprehend the other brokers and accused persons of the question paper leakage, CID officials said. Meanwhile, the Director General of Police Anurag Sharma issued orders to suspend CID DSP Balu Jadhav and head constable Sadasiva Rao for indulging in "gross misconduct" and allegedly accepting bribe from an accused broker and letting him off from the case. On July 25, the CID had registered a case under relevant sections of IPC and other provisions of the Andhra Pradesh Public Examinations (Prevention of Malpractices and Unfair means) Act, 1997, after it found in its preliminary inquiry that there was prima facie a case for registering an FIR. Investigation also revealed that students appearing for TS EAMCET-II-2016 (Medical) examination from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh were taken to camps set up in at least five cities about two to three days prior to the exam and were given practice with the leaked copies of two question papers consisting of 320 questions with correct answers, CID had said. At a review meeting held here on August 2, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao was informed by CID officials that Delhi turned out to be the centre for leak and there were 34 brokers, who conspired to sell the paper and as many as 200 parents were in touch with the brokers to buy the question papers. The Engineering, Agriculture and Medical Common Entrance Test (EAMCET-II) was conducted on July 9 and the results were declared on July 14. The exam was conducted by Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU) in Hyderabad.

Draft notification on new districts on Monday

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) today said a draft notification on formation of new districts will be issued on August 22. KCR, who chaired a state Cabinet meeting at the Secretariat here, told reporters that the draft notification will be issued on August 22 on the proposed new districts and suggestions from public will also be taken, who can submit them at the offices of district collectorate. The Chief Minister, who had this afternoon convened an all-party meeting on district reorganisation, said all parties welcomed decision on forming new districts and some parties gave suggestions. "We will provide comprehensive information on the proposed new districts and mandals (in the draft notification)," Rao said adding if required, another all-party meeting will be held before a final notification is issued on formation of new districts. He reminded that his party the Telangana Rashtra Samithi had promised creation of new districts in its (election) manifesto. "New districts will come into existence from Dasara. If required changes will be made in the draft notification based on the objections and suggestions of the public," Rao added. The next session of state Legislature will begin from first week of September, he said. Telangana government is maintaining cordial relations with its neighbouring states and will very soon sign agreements with Maharashtra on water sharing, said the Chief Minister.

Indian girl found dead in New York

A 9-nine year old Indian girl was found dead under mysterious circumstances in her home's bathroom in New York and police is questioning her step-mother after describing the death as "suspicious". Ashdeep Kaur had moved to Queens here from India just three months ago and lived in an apartment in with her father Sukhjinder Singh and her stepmother Arjun Samdhi Pardas. Kaur was found dead in her house s bathtub Friday, with police describing her death as "suspicious" after the body was found naked and with bruises. A neighbour who shared part of Singh's house including the bathroom called him at work and told him that Pardas and his daughter had gone into the bathroom together. Pardas came out of the bathroom alone and then left the house. The neighbour said Kaur had been in the locked bathroom for three or four hours and she had called the police. Police were on the look-out for Pardas, who was tracked down at a separate address in Queens. She is being questioned by the police. The New York Post quoted sources as saying that Pardas was supposed to have been watching Kaur and is a "person of interest" in the death. Kaur was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency responders. "When I heard what happened, I couldn't believe it," said neighbor Nancy Fong in the New York Post report. "Who gonna kill a baby? Who [has] the heart to kill a baby?" Singh rushed home from work when authorities contacted him, and could be heard screaming in the back of an ambulance. "He just moved [here] a couple of weeks ago," said Harmeet Singh, who works with the bereaved father at a chicken restaurant. Mandinna Singh, a cousin of Kaur's father, said of the girl in a report in New York Daily News, "There was no water, but she was in the tub." The little one said she (the stepmom) sometimes beat her.

One killed by VHP, Bajrang Dal Gau Rakhshaks

In a brutal incident of cow vigilantism, a BJP worker was killed and another person injured allegedly by VHP and Bajrang Dal activists who waylaid and attacked them near Hebri in this district last night. Praveen Poojary (28) and Akshay Devadiga (20) were surrounded and attacked with sharp weapons by the VHP and Bajrang Dal activists as they were transporting three cows in a vehicle, Udupi district Superintendent of Police K T Balakrishna told PTI. Poojary died instantly while Devadiga has been admitted to a hospital at Bramhavar, he said. Seventeen people were arrested and a hunt was on to nab the others involved, he said. The coastal districts of Udupi and Dakshina Kannada have been reporting cases of cow vigilantism in the last several years. The incident comes days after the Union Home Ministry had cracked the whip on cow vigilantism, asking all states not to tolerate anyone taking law into their hands in the name of protecting cow and to take prompt action against such offenders. The Home Ministry advisory had come two days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi attacked cow vigilantes and asked people to beware of these 'fake' protectors trying to divide the society and the country. He made these comments after his government and BJP came under attack over incidents of violence against Dalits and Muslims by cow vigilantes in various states including Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. Meanwhile, Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara said prima facie cattle trade-related business dispute may be the reason behind the killing of the BJP worker. "... Seventeen people have been arrested in connection with the incident, they (police) are suspecting some sort of a cattle trade-related business dispute," he told reporters in Bengaluru, adding police have taken up the case. Noting that he does not see a communal angle to the incident "at this point of time", Parameshwara said "some reason must be there, we will find out". He said "... We don't know at this stage, but they are suspecting some sort of a dispute because of the trade, it is not definite, but they are suspecting. Investigation will give us the final picture." Parameshwara also expressed concern over repeated incidents relating to beef and cattle trade in Karnataka. "We are vigilant, we will definitely try and maintain peace and order. I appeal to the people who are trying to create this kind of disturbance not to do this because we are a tolerant society and we should not create these kind of issues," he said.

Fatwa against Hafiz Saeed

Islamic seminary of Barelvi sect today issued a 'fatwa' (edict) against Mumbai terror attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed declaring him anti-Islamic. The 'fatwa' was issued against the Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) chief by Mufti Mohammed Saleem Barelvi, an Islamic seminary in Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh. It dubbed Saeed, founder of the Lashkar-e-Taiba who carries a USD 10 million bounty on his head, as "outcast" from Islam and declared those following him or considering as Muslim as "illegal". A 'fatwa' is a legal pronouncement in Islam which is given by a mufti, a Muslim scholar of a recognised authority, who is an interpreter or expounder of Islamic law. The ruling came close on the heels of Saeed asking Pakistan Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif to send troops to Kashmir to "obey" the pending order of Pakistan founder M A Jinnah. The 'fatwa' was issued by Manzar-e-Islam Saudagaran, an institution associated with Dargah Ala Hazrat, in a reply to a question asked by Mohd Moinuddin of Jaipur. It said Saeed has no connection with Islam. Moinuddin had mentioned in his query that Saeed considered those writing against Allah and Prophet Mohammad as Muslims. Besides, he publicised anti-religious ideology and points of view and provoked people to create terror. He asked whether such a person should be considered as Muslim. In his 'fatwa', Mufti Saleem said that having any type of connection with persons working against the dignity of Allah and the Prophet was illegal and 'haraam', an act that is forbidden by Allah. It said since Saeed was having contacts with such persons, he has been outcast from Islam. It said that considering him as Muslim and listening to his words was also illegal and prohibited. As per the fatwa, Saeed was a man with terrorist ideology, who with his acts has brought infamy to Islam and Muslims across the world. Therefore, it was compulsory for every Muslim not to follow him and keep away from his ideology. Addressing a rally held under the banner of 'Defence Council of Pakistan' in Karachi on Sunday, Saeed had claimed, "Kashmiris had announced before the partition that they wanted to remain with Pakistan. But after the partition, India forcibly sent Army to Jammu and Kashmir. "On this Quaid-e-Azam, Mohammad Ali Jinnah ordered his commander-in-chief to respond by sending troops but he refused (to obey his orders). Now, I ask Gen Raheel Sharif to send troops in (Jammu and) Kashmir as Quaid-e-Azam's order is pending," Saeed said. He said he was not asking for a war with India but they (Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Raheel) must form a strategy regarding the Kashmir issue.

Cyberabad Commissionerates launch mobile app to involve people

Taking a step further towards empowering citizens, the Cyberabad East and West Commissionerates today launched a mobile phone application 'Hawk Eye', as a part of responsive policing. The mobile application seeks to turn common people into citizen police and involve them to check crimes, curb unlawful activities and traffic violations. "This application is next step towards empowering public to be citizen police. We are empowering citizens so that they can become part of policing. People and police...this partnership will be further boosted through applications like 'Hawk Eye'," Commissioner of Police, Cyberabad (East), Mahesh Muralidhar Bhagwat said here. He said this app has features like 'Woman safety while on travel', SOS button for accessing help in case of emergency. People can register details of domestic helps/ workers/ tenants with police, enrollment for community policing, access all contact numbers by Cyberabad East and West police and get status report of information furnished, the police offcier said. Citizen Police can report incidents of traffic rule violations, crimes, violations by police, suggestions for improved policing, report good work done by police, he said, adding "here (on this App) there will be live interaction". Instant notifications on traffic updates would be sent to registered users. Also, traffic congestions, diversions, alternate routes, besides general and crime alerts will sent be sent to all registered users. Commissioner of Police, Cyberabad (West), V Naveen Chand said this app is released keeping in view the fact that partnership of citizen with police is an essential pre-requisite to safeguard our city. "I have asked our Cyber Security forum to adopt this app in a big way. We have a control room for Cyberabad East and West Commissionerate. We will see that round-the-clock staff availability is there to monitor the 'Hawk Eye' app and attend to emergency calls." "Citizens can register their names or if they do not want to disclose their identity, they can also report violations as an anonymous," he said. On December 31, 2014 Hyderabad Police Commissionerate had launched mobile app 'Hawk Eye' to empower members of public and there are around 2.35 lakh members.

It's high time there is rethink on sports quota:Hyd HC

The Hyderabad High Court has observed that it is high time there is a rethink on sports quota as they have no constitutional basis and said sports and professional education take a beating as a result of this reservation. The bench of Justices V Ramasubramanian and Anis, in its order on August 8, also noted that in an earlier case, the high court had clearly spelt out that reservations for persons excelling in sports, NCC, are not based upon any constitutional guarantee and such reservations, in reality, appear to be inventions made for the purpose of diluting the constitutionally guarantees granted to BCs, SCs and STs. The bench said this while dismissing a writ petition filed by a student, who was refused allotment of a medical seat under sports category by Andhra Pradesh government and NTR University of Health Sciences. The petitioner, who appeared for Andhra Pradesh EAMCET-2016, had sought to declare the action of the respondents in not considering the persons who excel in games such as tennikoit, power lifting, netball, throwball, sepak takraw and boxing etc, as illegal and arbitrary and for consequential directions. "It is sad to note that except video games, all other games that one could conceive of, have been brought within the sports quota, to enable persons, who cannot excel in academic studies, to gain admission to under-graduate medical courses through the back door," the bench said. "The result is that the field of sports as well as field of professional education take a beating. Ultimately, persons who gain admission to medical courses, lose their flavour for sports if they really had some," it observed. The persons who have interest in academics are kept out by less meritorious, due to such quotas not borne out of the constitutional scheme, it said. Therefore, it is high time that there is rethinking on such quotas, which have no constitutional basis, the bench said, adding the reservation for such quotas neither helps the students to become great sports persons in life nor to become great professionals in other fields.

Condition of baby born mid-air stable

A baby girl born mid-air in a Manila-bound flight and forcing the plane to land at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport here on medical emergency is now healthy, stable and is recuperating in a private hospital. A 32-year-old woman passenger, who was pregnant and travelling to Manila with her mother from Dubai on August 14, in the Cebu Pacific Air flight went into a labour on board the flight and gave birth to a premature but healthy baby girl mid-flight. The plane's crew had to make an impromptu landing at Hyderabad after the flight was diverted due to a medical emergency. The baby was completely blue and cold and had severe breathing difficulty when the specialised transport team first received her at the airport, a statement from Apollo Cradle here said, where the baby and her mother were admitted. "Baby was estimated to be 32 weeks of gestation and weighed a mere 1.6 kgs when born. In the NICU, baby was rapidly rewarmed, connected to mechanical ventilation and given medications, which started to improve her blood pressure. The baby is now healthy, all the follow-up evaluations have been normal and mother is being trained for breastfeeding," said CVS Lakshmi, Chief Neonatologist, Apollo Cradle. Speaking about the condition of the mother, Prameela Sekhar, Consultant Obstetrics and Gynecology, Apollo Cradle, said a team of gynaecologist, anaesthesiologist and radiologist ensure that she has a quick recovery from the complications post the unexpected delivery. "She has been clinically discharged," Sekhar said. "At present, the baby is stable and the mother is being trained in feeding and taking care of the baby as babies born pre-term require specialised care," said Sunil Kumar, Center Head Apollo Cradle (Jubilee Hills). "The child is still recuperating in the hospital and will be discharged once it gains weight and mother is comfortable in handling the baby," Kumar said.

UN team visits Hyd to study police's 'women-friendly' measures

A special women's team of the United Nations was on a visit here to observe and study the initiatives taken up by the Hyderabad City Police towards the safety and security of women. As part of the visit, the six-member UN Women team went to the 'Bharosa Centre' and 'SHE Teams' offices here. The team comprised Nora Allgaier from UN Women, Ovais Sarmad from International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and four other delegates from different countries. Additional Commissioner of Police (Crimes & SIT) Swati Lakra gave a detailed power point presentation about the "women-friendly" initiatives of Hyderabad Police, like SHE Teams, Hawk Eye mobile App and Bharosa Centre, among others. The team studied the working of Bharosa Center by going through its sections, including family-counselling, video-conference, legal-counselling, child-counselling, medical, and also the SHE teams office. "They interacted with the staff and the complainants to know about the action taken by the Police. They were happy to know about the City Police initiatives and appreciated the efforts of the Police," Lakra said. 'Bharosa', an integrated support centre for distressed women and children, an initiative of Hyderabad City Police, is a state-of-the-art centre to support women and children, who are victims of violence. The centre was launched in May. The roving 'SHE Teams', which keep an eye on eve-teasers, have been operating across Telangana since April, 2015. The officers of SHE Team are deployed near colleges and other public places in civil dress. A single SHE Team consists of a male or female sub-inspector, a woman police constable and three police constables, who carry hidden cameras for video recording.

Will India get a second Medal in Rio? All eyes on P V Sindhu

A day after Sakshi Malik opened India’s medal count with a dramatic bronze-winning effort, all eyes are on shuttler P.V. Sindhu as she takes on Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara in women’s singles semi-final in Badminton this evening. The match is slated for 7.30 p.m. Showing extraordinary fighting spirit, 23-year-old Sakshi from Haryana ended India’s frustrating medal drought by scooping a bronze medal in the 58 kilogram category in a stunning effort. Now, Sindhu remains the country’s lone medal hope in badminton after Kidambi Srikanth suffered a loss against two-time defending champion Lin Dan in the men’s singles quarterfinals. If Sindhu wins, India will be assured of a Silver medal. If she loses, Sindhu will figure in the Bronze medal play off. In Women's freestyle 53 kilogram individual Round of 16, India's other female wrestler, Babita Kumari will be seen in action. She will clash with Maria Prevolaraki of Greece in the Round-of-16. Male wrestlers, including London Olympics Bronze medalist Yogeshwar Dutt, will begin their campaigns later. In Women's Golf, Aditi Ashok will begin her campaign figuring in Individual Round-2. In Athletics, Usain Bolt will be featuring in the Finals of Men's 200 metres today. Bolt is aiming to achieve an unprecedented triple gold immortality. He had won the 100 metres, 200 metres and 4x100 metres in the last two Olympics. United States continues to top the medals tally with 30 Gold, 32 Silver and 31 Bronze. Great Britain is second with 19 Gold, 19 Silver and 12 Bronze. China is third with 19 Gold, 15 Silver and 20 Bronze. India is joint 70th with 1 Bronze.

Saina Nehwal admitted to Hyderabad Hospital

India ace Saina Nehwal was admitted to a hospital in Hyderabad to undergo treatment for her knee injury which affected her progress in the badminton event of the Rio Olympics. The 26-year-old had lost her second group match against Ukraine's Maria Ulitina to crash out of the Rio Olympics. "Saina has been hospitalised for the last two days and is undergoing treatment for her injury, which got worse during her match against Maria at Rio Olympics," Saina's father Harvir Singh told PTI. Saina had cited an inflammation in her right knee, which hampered her on-court movement, as the reason for her shocking group league exit. Singh said Saina was back home on August 16 and next day got admitted to a hospital in Hyderabad and underwent treatment for her injury. He, however, did not divulge the contents of the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan. "The doctors have not revealed the contents of the MRI scan to me. I will be able to talk about it tomorrow, not today," Singh said. Singh also said Saina will be flying to Mumbai for advanced checkup tomorrow. "The doctors here have referred her case to a hospital at Mumbai, and she will be flying from Hyderabad," he said. The World No 5 lost her second group league encounter 18-21, 19-21 to World No 61 Ulitina to crash out of the competition. Saina had said the injury happened during training before the Olympics and it got worse during the match.

Sonia Gandhi admitted to Ganga Ram for minor procedure

Congress chief Sonia Gandhi has been admitted to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital for a minor treatment procedure, two days after she was discharged following treatment for fever, dehydration and a shoulder injury. "Mrs Sonia Gandhi has been admitted to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital for a minor treatment procedure as per previous plan. She is doing well and undergoing physiotherapy and rehabilitation," Dr S P Byotra, Vice Chairman (Board of Management) of the hospital said today. In a medical bulletin, the hospital said, she was admitted yesterday "as planned at the time of her discharge from the hospital" on August 14. The Congress president had visited the hospital yesterday for removal of her stitches from the surgery that she had undergone during her 11-day stay there. "She is likely to stay at the hospital for a couple of days," sources said. "At the time of her discharge from the hospital last week, doctors had said that she was likely to revisit the hospital for further evaluation of her condition. So, she is here for that," the hospital source said. Party sources also said she has been admitted again and will be at the hospital for a couple of days. The 69-year-old leader was admitted to the hospital on August 3 after she had fallen ill during a roadshow in Varanasi. Doctors treating her at the hospital, during the time of discharge, had said she had recovered from her illness and injury to the left shoulder and was stable. "Mrs Gandhi is likely to visit the hospital for further evaluation of her condition in the coming week," D S Rana, Chairman of Board of Management of the hospital, had said the day she was discharged. Gandhi was admitted under the care of Arup Basu, senior consultant, Department of Pulmonology and Chest Medicine and his team. She was operated upon for a shoulder injury by Prateek Gupta, senior consultant and his team from Department of Orthopaedics and Sanjay Desai from Mumbai. Gandhi was shifted to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital from Army Research and Referral Hospital, where she was rushed soon after her arrival from Varanasi around midnight of August 2.

Amnesty cautions employees in wake of protests

Amnesty today advised its staff in India to work either from home or a different location in the wake of protests against the NGO for organising an event where anti-India slogans were allegedly raised. "We were told by police to keep our staff away from office for a while as a precaution. So, we told our employees to either work from home or some other location. "Apparently, there were protests outside our Bengaluru office...So police cautioned us in the morning," Amnesty International India's spokesperson said. "By tomorrow, our employees would assume normal working mode. We are not shutting down our offices," the spokeswoman said when asked about reports of its offices closing temporarily. Bengaluru Police have slapped sedition charges against Amnesty International India, which has said none of its employees had shouted any anti-India slogan during a discussion on Kashmir held in the city on Saturday. The NGO rejected as "without substance" the allegations raised by the ABVP, the student outfit of the RSS. "The allegations mentioned in the complaint are without substance. The event was an open door event and people were coming and going. No staff members were involved," the spokesperson said. Meanwhile, the video footage of the event was being examined by the police to identify those who allegedly raised anti-India slogans. Congress leader Digvijay Singh had yesterday quoted Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah as saying that no arrests would be made pending the probe into the event even as ABVP intensified protests across the state demanding immediate arrest of those who allegedly raised anti-India and anti-Army slogans.

Sakshi all set to get Khel Ratna for her Olympic medal

Olympic bronze medal winning wrestler Sakshi Malik is all set to be conferred with country's highest sporting honour Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award as per policy decision by the government. It has been decided that during Olympic years anyone, who wins a medal, will be automatically conferred with the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award. Sakshi has not yet got the Arjuna Award, but the policy decision by the government will ensure that she is directly considered for the Khel Ratna. Gymnast Dipa Karmakar, who narrowly missed the bronze medal in Rio and shooter Jitu Rai, who was one of the two shooters to have made it to the final, are the other two who have been recommended for the prestigious award.

28,560 street children in Hyderabad

A study conducted by an NGO has found 28,560 street children in the city, with boys outnumbering the girls. The survey, conducted by NGO 'Save the Children' for five months between September 2015 and January this year covering all 150 wards of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), showed boys constitute 61 per cent and girls are 39 per cent of the street children population. The street children were categorised under three groups, street-living children who live alone on street without a family or adult blood relative, street-working children those who work on streets or public places but return to their families, and children of street families who are homeless but stay with the family on streets. According to the NGO's study, the findings of which was released today, 70 per cent of street children fall into the category of street-working children who work on the streets but return to their families after work. Nearly 15 per cent of them are from the homeless families living on the pavements. About 3 per cent children are found to be in the category of street-living children who live without any family our blood relative, the study said. The 'others' constitute more than 11 per cent of street children. These children spend most of their time in streets (playing on streets or accompanying parents to their work place). Thy are neither homeless nor working and hence labelled as 'others'. The census study has revealed that the place of origin of majority of street children (78.7 per cent) are villages of Telangana followed by migrants from Andhra Pradesh who account for 12 per cent of them. Karnataka and Rajasthan account for 2.35 per cent and 1.3 per cent respectively. The major hot spots found in the survey were public places - railway stations, bus stops, places of worship, spaces under the bridges/flyovers and children homes. In addition, construction sites, graveyards and dumping yards also emerged as important hot spots, it said.

CPI(M) slams PM for Balochistan reference

CPI(M) today hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for referring to "human rights violations" in Balochistan and Gilgit during his Independence Day speech, saying it would give Pakistan an opportunity to "internationalize" the Kashmir issue. Addressing CPI(M) Telangana State plenum here, party general secretary Sitaram Yechury said the Kashmir issue cannot be treated as a mere law and order problem and needs political solution. "Yesterday, in his speech, the Prime Minister spoke about human rights violations in Balochistan and Gilgit. We have been saying that Kashmir is an integral part of India. Nobody has the right to interfere in its affairs. But now we have started talking about Balochistan. "We are giving an opportunity to Pakistan by raising the Balochistan issue. Now Pakistan may say that since India is taking about Balochistan, which is an integral part of that country, they have the right to talk about Kashmir. With this kind of foreign policy, we are giving an opportunity to others to internationalise the Kashmir issue," Yechuri said. "We have been asking the government to find a political solution to the Kashmir issue. We told the government the same when violence erupted (recently). We asked the government to call an all-party meeting. The issue can not be treated just as a law and order problem," he said. The CPI(M) denounced Modi for blaming Pakistan for the Kashmir problem instead of finding solutions to it. He said all the political parties in the country have time and again assured the government of their support in curbing cross border terrorism. Referring to the attacks on Dalits, he said "cow vigilantes" are on the rise. Terming the Modi government as a "multi-faced" monster, he said one of them hurts people with its economic policies, another with "communal" politics, the third one by practising authoritarianism, and the fourth one with foreign policies. He blamed NDA government's policies for "poor industrial production, manufacturing growth and higher inflation".

Kashmir Ki Kahani

Freedom can never be for the few: Rahul Gandhi

Against the backdrop of recent attacks on Dalits, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi today said freedom can never be for the few and asked Indians to aspire for a country where ideas are not "crushed violently" by the forces of hate and mediocrity. "When the forces of darkness threaten this liberty for some of us, as we saw in recent times, we must remember that freedom can never be for the few -- it has to be for everyone. Every human being in India has the right to dignity and the freedom to live and express themselves freely," he said in a message on Independence Day. Gandhi said Indians are honour-bound to aspire to a country where nobody lives in fear and "where ideas flow freely and are not crushed violently by the forces of hate and mediocrity. We must insist and fight for this truth, at all times." Rahul hoisted the national flag at the party headquarters here for the first time since he took over as the Congress Vice President three years ago. Congress President Sonia Gandhi, who usually hoists the tricolour at the party office, was yesterday discharged from a private hospital. Senior party leaders including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, A K Antony, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Anand Sharma were present on the occasion. Rahul said the generation which earned us the hard earned freedom is no longer with us but the Constitution is their precious gift. "It embodies the values, principles and ideals for which they fought, values they hoped would guide our brave young country. Now it is up to us." Rahul's remarks come against the backdrop of attacks on Dalits as also on Muslims by cow vigilantes in the recent past.

Dalits take pledge not to remove dead cows

Thousands of Dalits today took a pledge not to remove cow carcasses and to launch a rail roko stir if five acres of land for each family is not granted by Gujarat government within a month even as tension broke out after an attack in which eight of them were injured. As the 10-day long 350-km foot march from Ahmedabad culminated at the epicentre of Dalit protests here, some dalits returning after the conclusion of the rally that coincided with the 70th Independence Day were attacked by suspected upper caste people in Samter village in Una in Gir Somnath district. Eight dalits were injured and a complaint was lodged at Una(rural) police station, police said, adding top officials were camping in the area. Muslim community members came out in large numbers to support the Dalit community in their campaign. Slogans like "Dalits-Muslims bhai bhai" were heard at the gathering where Prime Minister Narendra Modi also came under fire. The tricolor was jointly unfurled by Radhika Vemula, mother of dalit scholar Rohith Vemula who had committed suicide in Hyderabad and Balu Sarvaiya, father of one of the victims of Una dalit flogging incident, in the presence of JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar. As many as seven members of Dalit community from Mota Samadhiyala village in Una taluk in Gir Somnath district were on July 11 brutally assaulted by some self-styled cow vigilantes for skinning a dead cow, sparking outrage. At the rally, Dalit leaders sought freedom from atrocities and discrimination, amid chants of "Jai Bhim". The march under the aegis of Una Dalit Atachiyar Ladat Samiti (UDALS) started on August 6 from Ahmedabad, 350 km from here. "You take cow's tail, give us land," Jignesh Mavani, a lawyer-turned politician who established the UDALS and led the march, told the huge gathering. He also made those who were present there to take a pledge not to be in the business of skinning of cows and to abandon the practice of cleaning the underground drains by going down manholes. "We have presented our demand before the state government. If you do not accept our demand of giving five acres land to each dalit family in next one month, we will launch a rail roko agitation," Mevani said. Targeting Modi, Mevani said, "The sheer scale of protests had forced him to speak out on the issue. Modi did not speak a word when three youths were killed in police firing in Thangadh town in 2012, another incident of Dalit atrocity," Kanhaiya said the hype of Gujarat Model of development has been punctured by dalits of the state. "We want freedom from castesim. We will not tolerate any more atrocities on dalits anywhere in the country. Everybody has to come together to fight against such atrocities." Radhika Vemula in her address said, "I have not got justice for my son. He had to commit suicide just because he was dalit. "But it is good to see that Dalit movement in Gujarat has forced the chief minister Anandiben Patel to resign. I have come here so that no other Dalit children face what my son had to suffer."

Telangana to grow by fostering friendly ties with neighbouring states

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao today said his government would maintain cordial relations with neighbouring states as well as the Centre for faster development of the state. Addressing the gathering at Independence Day celebrations after unfurling the tri-colour at historic Golconda Fort here, Rao said measures taken in this direction have shown results. "From the day I assumed charge as Chief Minister, I made it clear that Telangana will maintain friendly relations with all its neighbouring states. Towards that spirit, the government's efforts have yielded good results," he said, adding "On irrigation and Energy sector, we have been able to have tie ups with Maharashtra, Karnataka and Chhattisgarh." Power purchase agreement for 1,000 MW has been finalised with Chhattisgarh and the power will become available to Telangana in next four months, he said. Rao said that because of the policies followed by the previous governments (during united Andhra Pradesh), the irrigation projects on Godavari river are mired in disputes with neighbouring states and did not make headway. He pointed out that "Now, with our sustained efforts we have been able to take strides towards signing agreements on irrigation projects with Maharashtra. It is an important step in the interest of the state." On the other hand, Telangana has also strengthened relations with Karnataka and as a result Karnataka has come forward to complete work of RDS Project which will ensure water to Mahabubnagar district. "Ours is a newly formed state and in order to ensure speedy development, the Government would maintain cordial relationship with the Centre as well as the neighbouring states. We will protect the interests of the state without compromising on policies," Rao said. Rao announced that the process of creation of new districts is on and they will come into being from Dasara festival as gift to the public. .

Togadia's Hyderabad visit cancelled due to 'security reasons'

VHP leader Pravin Togadia's visit to the city to address a public meeting as part of 'Akhand Bharat Divas' was cancelled due to "security reasons", a VHP office bearer today said. "Togadia was scheduled to address the public meeting (yesterday) and also participate in the ongoing 'Krishna Pushkarlu' in Telangana. His visit was cancelled on security grounds," Telangana state unit president of VHP Rama Raju said. "Togadia was supposed to come from Delhi to participate in the 'Akhand Bharat' programme, however it (his trip) was cancelled due to security reasons," Raju said, adding though the programme itself took place as per the schedule. When asked specifically about what were the "security reasons", Raju did not elaborate. Significantly, two days ago Togadia had taken a strong exception to Prime Minister's remarks against cow vigilantes, saying by dubbing them as "anti-social" Narendra Modi had insulted them. Modi's directive to states to create dossiers of cow vigilantes amounts to 'racial profiling' and this was "insult not only of Mother cow but also of Hindus," he had said.

Teacher electrocuted,4 students hurt during I-Day preparations

A woman teacher of a primary school electrocuted and four students suffered minor burn injuries today when they came in contact with a high tension wire while removing an iron flag pole for Independence Day celebrations, police said. The four students were hospitalised, where their condition is stated to be stable. The mishap occurred around 11 AM on the ground of Medikonda primary school under Chengomul police station limits in neighbouring Ranga Reddy district. According to police, K Prabhavati (40) and some students were removing the flag pole (of iron) after fixing it, when it came in contact with the high tension wire above. "The teacher was electrocuted while four students suffered minor burns and were shifted to Vikarababad town. Ahead of Independence Day celebrations tomorrow they were checking, fixing and removing of the flag pole," Chevella Circle Police Station Inspector, J Upender told PTI over phone. He said the condition of the injured students is stable. A case under section 174 of CrPc was registered in connection with the incident, the inspector added.

Asad Owaisi dares other parties to debate on condition of Muslims

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi today challenged other political parties to debate on the condition of Muslims in the country and the allegations levelled against him. Addressing party workers here, he claimed since Independence, the condition of Muslims in the country has gone from bad to worse and none of the other political parties, including the Congress, has ever bothered to address the issue. "SP, BSP, Congress and BJP leaders call me communal and accuse me of giving inflammatory speeches. Do flowers shower from the statements of their leaders?" he asked. "I challenge all the other parties to debate on the condition of Muslims in the country and the allegations levelled against me," said Owaisi. The MP from Hyderabad claimed that the contribution of Muslims in India's freedom struggle and that 'maulanas' had issued 'fatwas' against the British were "not mentioned" anywhere by historians. He also claimed that Muslims in India have trusted "everyone" but got nothing except "backwardness" in return and called leaders from the community representing other political parties such as Azam Khan of the SP, Naseemuddin Siddiqui of the BSP and Ghulam Nabi Azad of the Congress "Muslim dealers". Accusing the ruling Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh of "spreading casteism", he said "Yadavwaad", instead of "samajwad" (socialism) had taken root in the state. Taking a jibe at Azam Khan, Owaisi said that the UP minister's buffalo was not stolen but it "ran away" after being "harassed". He said following Azam's footsteps, a BJP MP has now lodged a complaint alleging that his dog 'Kallu' has been stolen. "Politics in Uttar Pradesh is now revolving around a buffalo and Kallu," said Owaisi. In a reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently taking a tough stance on hooliganism in the name of cow protection, the AIMIM chief said, "I have told (Union Home Minister) Rajnath Singh that all the so-called cow vigilantes actually belonged to his party."

Four found dead inside manhole in Madhapur

Four persons including three sanitary workers were found dead in a manhole in Ayyappa society in Madhapur area here with the civic officials suspecting that the toxic gases caused their deaths. An employee of 108 Ambulance service, who tried to rescue them fell ill after inhaling the poisonous gas, said R Kalinga Rao, Madhapur Police Inspector. "The workers were cleaning the manhole. As three of them did not come out after entering, a local resident named Srinivas also climbed down to rescue them but he too did not come out," the police official said. All four were found dead inside the manhole yesterday and their bodies were sent for post-mortem, Rao added. A Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation official said these four persons might have died due to inhaling poisonous gases. Deputy Mayor Fasiuddin and civic body officials rushed to the spot. The 108 employee was rushed to hospital, Kalinga Rao said, adding police are yet to register a case in this regard.