IPA Webdesk
150 MNS workers held in Nashik for communal tension
At least 150 workers of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena have so far been arrested by the police for sparking communal tensions in Nashik. “Preventive actions are being taken against those involved in such activities. Cops have been deployed in all sensitive spots to ensure law and order,” said Inspector...
France, India call for end to suffering of Ukrainians
India and France on Wednesday called for “an immediate cessation of hostilities” in Ukraine, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi again stopping short of condemning Russia’s invasion of its neighbour. India, which imports much of its military hardware from Russia, has long walked a diplomatic tightrope between the West and...
SC orders notification of M’rashtra civic polls
The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Maharashtra State Election Commission to notify the programme for local bodies elections within two weeks. While elections have been long-delayed due to a major delimitation exercise, a three-judge bench of Justices A M Khanwilkar, Abhay S Oka, and C T Ravikumar said...
Taliban stops issuing driving licence to women
The Taliban regime in Afghanistan has stopped issuing driving licenses to women in Kabul and other provinces, media reports said. The ban comes at a time when the country suffers from a devastating humanitarian crisis, with an acute shortage of food and other essential supplies. Before the Taliban takeover,...
Cong lawyers protest against Chidambaram at Calcutta HC
Congress leader and senior advocate P Chidambaram on Wednesday faced a massive backlash from a section of lawyers, claiming to be supporters of the Congress, outside the Calcutta High Court for representing agro-processing firm Keventer. Accusing Chidambaram of playing with the sentiment of the grand old party, the lawyers...
MNS workers blare ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ during 5am Azaan
Hours after Maharashtra Navnirman Sena President Raj Thackeray set up the stage for a possible confrontation as he urged people to show the “strength of a Hindu now or never”, MNS workers played Hanuman Chalisa in loudspeakers during the first namaz at 5 am on Wednesday morning in Mumbai’s...
Yediyurappa backs Bommai despite multiple scams
The BJP’s biggest leader in Karnataka, BS Yediyurappa, today attempted to firmly scotch the buzz about a change in leadership in the state, where elections are due next year. Yediyuruppa, the predecessor of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai at the top post, expressly said, “There won’t be a leadership change...
Husbands are not for sharing, says Allahabad High Court
No Indian woman can “share her husband” with anyone else and stay sane in such a case, the Allahabad High Court has observed, dismissing an appeal for discharge of a polygamous man, accused of abetting suicide by his “second” wife. Justice Rahul Chaturvedi made the observation while dismissing a...
India falls 8 places to 150 in World Press Freedom ranking
India’s ranking in the World Press Freedom Index has fallen down to 150th position from last year’s 142nd rank out of 180 countries, according to a report by a global media watchdog released on Tuesday. The ranking of India’s neighbours, except that of Nepal, have also slid down, with...
AAP agrees ‘in principle’ on removing loudspeakers
Hours after its Kalkaji MLA Atishi opposed the BJP’s demand for removal of loudspeakers from religious places in Delhi, the AAP on Tuesday came out with a clarification, saying it agrees “in principle” with the idea that loudspeakers be removed from “every religious institution and centres of faith alike”....
BJP diverting attention from economy, says Gehlot
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot today blamed the BJP for the recent communal incidents in the state, including yesterday’s violence in Jodhpur, which marred the Eid celebrations in the city. Curfew was declared in Jodhpur today following two consecutive days of communal clashes. “This is the agenda of the...
Case against Raj Thackeray over loudspeaker row
A police case has been filed against Raj Thackeray, the chief of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, for delivering a provocative speech ahead of Eid demanding the removal of loudspeakers from mosques by May 3. The leaves of all police personnel have been cancelled in view of a possible law and...
India is `not fine’ due to politics of isolation, says Mamata
Lamenting that the policy of divide and rule and politics of isolation have created a situation where the country is not fine, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday asked people to unite to change the situation. Participating in Eid-ul-Fitr prayers held on a rain-drenched Red Road here,...
2 MP tribals beaten to death for ‘killing’ cow
Two tribal men were beaten to death on suspicion of cow slaughter in Madhya Pradesh’s Seoni district. Another was left injured by the attackers, which numbered some 20, the police said. The group of 20 men went to the home of the tribals and accused them of killing...
Prashant Kishor indicates Bihar to be his next stop
Election strategist Prashant Kishor, in the news recently for a failed attempt to join hands with the Congress, on Monday dropped a hint about his future plans as he took to Twitter to divulge his roadmap on completing 10 years of helping “shape pro-people policy”. “My quest to be...
TN medical college dean removed over Sanskrit oath
The Dean of the government medical college in Tamil Nadu’s Madurai has been transferred and put on “compulsory wait” for allowing first-year students to take a controversial oath in Sanskrit instead of the traditional Hippocratic Oath. The state’s health authorities said that medical students had taken the English translation...
Kejriwal announces alliance with Gujarat tribal party
Ahead of the Gujarat Assembly polls due later this year, Aam Aadmi Party’s national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said he stands with the tribals of Gujarat and is happy to work with Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP) founder Chhotu Vasava to bring about a change in the state and...
Raj Thackeray sets deadline for removing loudspeakers
The loudspeaker row deepened in Maharashtra after MNS chief Raj Thackeray said on Sunday that if loudspeakers are not removed from mosques, his party workers would play the Hanuman Chalisa. He also warned that if from May 4 onwards, loudspeakers are not removed, “we won’t keep quiet”. “What happens...
