Author: Vividh Bharathi

New Delhi, Dec 11 (IANS) Days after thieves stole approximately 140 metres of cable from the Delhi Metro Blue Line between Kirti Nagar and Moti Nagar, causing significant disruptions, the Delhi Police successfully apprehended three individuals involved in the crime. Some parts of the stolen cable have been recovered, police said here on Wednesday.

Joint Commissioner of Delhi Police, Vijay Singh, at a press conference, revealed that around 60 CCTV cameras near the crime scene were scanned and analysed.

“The footage showed a Tata Ace vehicle and an auto-rickshaw in the vicinity. Following this lead, the police traced the vehicles to Mustafabad. By examining an additional 500 CCTV cameras along the route from Kirti Nagar to Mustafabad and questioning the Tata Ace driver, the police identified the first accused, Shahrukh, and arrested him,” he said.

Subsequent interrogation of Shahrukh led to the arrest of a second suspect, Ramzan. Further questioning revealed the involvement of the mastermind, Rashid, who conducted recce of potential theft sites and planned the operations, the police said.

“The investigation also implicated another suspect, Junaid, who was later arrested. However, two other individuals, Masoom and Faizal, remain at large. Raids are being conducted to nab them,” Vijay Singh said.

According to the police, the gang operated systematically, with members assigned specific roles. While some conducted recce, others specialised in cutting the cables using tools.

The stolen cables were weighed en route to confirm their value, with a receipt of the weighing recovered during the investigation.

The gang sold the stolen cables to a scrap dealer named Sarfaraz on the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border, who is currently absconding. Raids are underway to apprehend him.

The cable theft on December 5 caused significant disruptions to Delhi Metro services on the Blue Line, particularly during morning rush hours.

Commuters experienced delays and inconvenience as the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) informed passengers of the issue through posts on X.

The DMRC assured passengers that repair work would be conducted during non-operational hours to restore normal services.

–IANS

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Bhopal, Dec 11 (IANS) The Gita recitation programme by the Madhya Pradesh government has found a place in the Guinness World Records.

“More than 7,200 ‘acharyas’ and ‘vatuks’ collectively recited the third chapter ‘Karma Yoga’ on Wednesday, making a record,” a statement issued by the government said.

The event was parallely organised at Bhopal’s Lal Parade Ground and Ujjain to mark the sacred occasion of Gita Jayanti.

Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said that the collective recitation of the Gita by thousands of Acharyas in Bhopal and Ujjain has been registered in the ‘Guinness Book of World Records’.

He congratulated the people of Madhya Pradesh for this achievement.

Chief Minister Yadav said Lord Krishna inspired society through his divine acts and ideals from birth to death.

He further stated that the event was organised to enlighten the citizens and connect them with eternal culture.

On International Gita Mahotsav, the state government has organised various events.

During the state-level programmes, exhibitions of the ‘Shrimad Bhagavata Purana’ and artworks on cows and cowherders were organised.

Additionally, the Sadho Band from Mumbai was scheduled to present devotional songs.

The statement said that to apprise tourists and visitors coming to Madhya Pradesh of the significance of the religious scriptures, hotels will keep copies of the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita, Valmiki Ramayana and Ramcharitmanas.

Gita Jayanti is celebrated the day after the Dashami Tithi of the Shukla Paksha in the month of Margashirsha.

The Gita originated 5,000 years ago when Lord Shri Krishna imparted the teachings of Karma to Arjuna during the war between the Kauravas and the Pandavas in Kurukshetra.

On this occasion, Deputy Chief Ministers Jagdish Devda and Rajendra Shukla, BJP State General Secretary (Organisation) Hitanand Sharma, Cabinet Minister Chaitanya Kumar Kashyap, Minister of State (Independent Charge) Dharmendra Singh Lodhi and other dignitaries were present.

–IANS

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New Delhi, Dec 11 (IANS) Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, along with INDIA bloc leaders launched a no-holds-barred attack on the chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Wednesday, holding him responsible for the repeated stalling and disruption of the House, apparently over his ‘headmaster-type attitude’ and treatment of ‘Parliament like a school.’

In a joint press conference held by Congress and its allies, Mallikarjun Kharge hurled serious accusations at V-P Jagdeep Dhankhar and said, ‘The biggest disruptor of the House is the chairman himself.’

He accused the Rajya Sabha chairman of partisan conduct in the House and at times, even acting as the spokesperson of the ruling party.

“He is the one who disrupts the House. He gives sermons to the Opposition members but he never tries to stop chaos by the treasury benches. His conduct has hurt the conscience and dignity of the House as well as the nation,” Kharge told newsmen.

He also said that the move to bring no-trust motion against the Vice-President was not by choice but because of compulsion.

“We were left with no option but to go ahead with this notice. For three years, he has been acting in a partisan manner. He has given ample time to the treasury benches, denied the Opposition a chance to present their views and also resorted to schooling the Opposition leaders like a headmaster,” said Kharge, in a pointed charge at Dhankhar.

He further said that the Vice-President never misses any opportunity to insult the senior and more experienced members of the Opposition and added that sometimes, he even outperforms the spokesperson of the ruling party.

“For the worst time in our history, we have a Vice-President who openly criticised Opposition parties in public and behaved like a spokesperson of the ruling party not just in the House but also outside,” he elaborated.

Kharge, further dishing out advice to the Rajya Sabha chairman said that he should behave like a custodian of the House and protector of the Opposition members.

“He is expected to rise above politics and hear the voices of all parties and leaders. His conduct of the House for the past three days was particularly troubling as it was marked by blatant partisanship and total lack of fairness,” said Kharge.

“He rejects all the notices of the Opposition but allows that of ruling parties. When we raise our fingers, he doesn’t allow us to speak one sentence. When I get up, he doesn’t allow us to speak for more than two minutes. This is not just a breach of protocol but the betrayal of the Constitution as well as the people of India,” he remarked, justifying the reason behind moving a no-trust motion against Dhankhar.

Apart from Kharge, many INDIA bloc leaders including RJD’s Manoj Jha, Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Raut and other party spokespersons launched diatribe at the Vice-President, alleging that there was a co-ordinated and systematic targeting of the Opposition, apparently at the behest of Centre.

Justifying the no-trust notice, the first ever in history, they said that this was brought not because of any personal bias but because of political compulsion as its sole intention is to safeguard the dignity and integrity of the Parliament.

Earlier in the day, both Houses of Parliament witnessed uproarious scenes over the no-trust notice against Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar and the George Soros issue.

–IANS

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New Delhi, Dec 11 (IANS) As jailed Samajwadi Party (SP) leader, Azam Khan, called on the INDIA bloc to clarify its stance on the alleged atrocities against Muslims in Rampur, BJP leader Rohan Gupta on Wednesday said that the politics of appeasement was history and the future was the politics of every Indian.

In a statement released from his jail cell, Azam Khan, one of the most prominent Muslim faces of the SP, urged his party to raise the issue of alleged atrocities against Muslims in Rampur as forcefully as it had raised the issue of the Sambhal violence.

Khan accused the INDIA bloc of remaining silent as the Muslim leadership in Rampur was being “destroyed” and called for a clear stand on the issue.

Talking to IANS, BJP National Spokesperson Rohan Gupta took a strong stand, emphasising the importance of moving away from the divisive politics of appeasement.

“The country has moved ahead a lot. The politics of Hindus and Muslims, the politics of appeasement, this has become our history. The future is the politics of every Indian, the politics of 140 crore Indians, where everyone has a right,” Gupta said.

Gupta further explained that the government’s focus is on ensuring equal rights for all citizens, regardless of their religion or caste.

“The new government is not against anyone but is not in favour of appeasement. Everyone has the right to equality. No one’s religion or caste is seen. We are correcting what has gone wrong, and that is not wrong anywhere,” he asserted.

Gupta also pointed to the Waqf Amendment Bill, which seeks to bring Waqf institutions under constitutional oversight, calling it a step away from the ‘wrong’ system that had existed for decades.

Gupta further asserted the ongoing rift within the INDIA bloc, particularly regarding the Congress party’s internal struggles.

Gupta said, “The results in the Lok Sabha elections speak volumes. The Congress has faced defeat everywhere.”

“The party has become so lost in appeasement that even its own allies are now rejecting its leadership,” he claimed.

He suggested that performance and leadership should be the primary focus within political alliances, adding that the Congress party’s failure to manage its allies has led to fractures within the alliance.

Gupta highlighted the fragmentation of the INDIA bloc in various elections, pointing to the breakdown of alliances in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir.

“The reality is in front of the whole country, and the Congress will have to answer and think why such a situation is happening to them,” Gupta concluded.

–IANS

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Hyderabad, Dec 11 (IANS) Veteran Tollywood actor Manchu Mohan Babu had a blunt injury below the left eye when he was brought to the hospital on Tuesday, doctors at Continental Hospitals said on Wednesday.

Dr Guru N. Reddy, Chairman and Managing Director of Continental Hospital told the media that Mohan Babu was upset and was not in a frame of mind to understand what was going on.

Mohan Babu is currently under the care of an expert team of doctors consisting of cardiologists, neurologists, plastic surgeons and others. He required close monitoring and observation, Dr Reddy said.

Mohan Babu was admitted to the hospital after a clash at his house in Jalpally when his actor son Manchu Manoj barged in amid a bitter dispute between them.

Mohan Babu, who is also a former Member of Parliament, also attacked a TV reporter with a mike when the latter asked him about the rift with his son.

According to the medical bulletin, Mohan Babu was brought to the hospital at 8.30 p.m. with complaints of diffuse body pains, anxiety and a history of loss of consciousness.

“He was given immediate and necessary medical care by the specialists in the Emergency Department, and following a thorough examination, he was found to have a blunt injury below the left eye and had high blood pressure, increased heart rate, and excessive heart rate fluctuations. Immediately, all of the respective specialists attended to him,” reads the bulletin.

Plastic surgeon Dr Raghuveer said that further line of treatment will be decided after a CT scan.

Meanwhile, Mohan Babu’s elder son and actor Manchu Vishnu told the media at the hospital that his father was injured in Tuesday’s clash at the house. He remarked that their father loved them too much and this was his mistake.

“Ours is a joint family. It’s unfortunate that this has happened. This has caused us immense pain but we hope that the issue will be resolved,” he said.

Stating that every family will have problems, the actor requested media not to create a sensation. He said that while he agrees that the media has to inform the people, some people were crossing the limits.

Vishnu said that his mother had also been admitted to the hospital and he as the elder son was in pain.

The actor said that he was in Los Angeles for the post-production of ‘Kannappa’ but left everything to return home on Tuesday after learning about the discord.

Vishnu said that a reporter getting injured in Tuesday’s incident was unfortunate. He added that the act was not deliberate and that their father came before the media by doing ‘namskar’ but when a mike was put close to his mouth, he attacked on an impulse. He assured all help to the family of the injured journalist.

–IANS

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New Delhi, Dec 11 (IANS) The Centre has sold 12.41 lakh tonne of ‘Bharat’ dals at subsidised prices to consumers to ease the burden of inflation on households, the government told the Parliament on Wednesday.

Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, B.L. Verma said in the Lok Sabha that 12.35 lakh tonnes of Bharat chana dal, 5,663.07 tonnes of Bharat moong dal, and 118 tonnes of Bharat masur dal have been sold at subsidised prices till now.

The government introduced Bharat dal in July 2023 by converting chana stock from the price stabilisation buffer into chana dal for retail sale to consumers at a maximum retail price (MRP) of Rs 60 per kg for 1 kg pack and Rs 55 per kg for 30 kg pack till September 30, 2024.

Bharat chana dal has been extended and expanded by allocating another 3 lakh tonnes of chana stock for retail sale in the form of chana dal and chana whole at MRP of Rs 70 per kg and Rs 58 per kg, respectively, the Minister said in a written reply.

The Bharat brand has also been extended to moong and masur dals.

Moong stock has been converted into moong dal (Dhuli) and moong sabut for retail sale under the Bharat brand at MRP of Rs 107 per kg and Rs 93 per kg, respectively. Bharat masur dal is sold at Rs 89 per kg, he said.

Bharat atta and Bharat rice were also launched on Nov 6, 2023, and February 6, 2024, respectively, to provide atta (wheat flour) and rice to general consumers at subsidised rates.

During Phase 1, Bharat atta and Bharat rice were sold at MRP of Rs 27.50 per kg and Rs 29 per kg, respectively, till June 30, 2024. In Phase 2, these products are now being sold at an MRP of Rs 30 per kg for Bharat atta and Rs 34 per kg for Bharat rice. A total of 15.20 LMT of Bharat atta and 14.58 LMT of Bharat rice were made available to consumers during Phase 1 until June 30, 2024. In current Phase 2, 2,952.25 MT of Bharat atta and 3,413.35 MT of Bharat rice have been sold to general consumers, the Minister also added.

Bharat brand of food items are distributed through own retail outlets and mobile vans of the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd. (NAFED), Kendriya Bhandar and National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation of India Limited (NCCF), e-commerce platforms, and big chain retailers, Minister Verma said.

–IANS

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