India

Lookout Circular, Non-Bailable Warning Warrant Against Punjab Khalistani leader

Punjab Police have issued a lookout circular (LOC) and non-bailable warrant (NBW) against ‘Waris Punjab De’ chief Amritpal Singh, the fugitive Khalistani leader.

Multiple cases have been registered against Khalistani leader Amritpal Singh

Chandigarh:

Punjab Police have issued a lookout circular (LOC) and non-bailable warrant (NBW) against ‘Waris Punjab De’ chief Amritpal Singh, the fugitive Khalistani leader.

Addressing a press conference, Inspector General of Police (Headquarters), Punjab Sukhchain Singh Gill said that Amritpal Singh has not been arrested yet.

“We are making all efforts to arrest him. We’re hopeful that we’ll arrest him soon…It is difficult to say that. Punjab Police is receiving full cooperation from other states and central agencies,” the IGP said.

“A lookout circular (LOC) and non-bailable warrant (NBW) have been issued against Amritpal Singh, who remains a fugitive and efforts are being made to arrest him,” said the Information and Public Relations Department Punjab government.

As part of its efforts to arrest Amritpal Singh, Punjab Police released his pictures on Tuesday.

IGP Gill requested people to help them in Amritpal’s arrest.

“There are several pictures of Amritpal Singh in different attires. We are releasing all of these pictures. I request you display them so that people can help us to arrest him in this case,” said Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) Sukhchain Singh Gill.

One of the pictures shows Amritpal Singh as clean-shaven.

According to a preliminary probe, police said he visited a gurdwara in Jalandhar district while on the run and escaped on a motorcycle after changing clothes.

According to CCTV visuals, Amritpal Singh was seen escaping in an SUV in Jalandhar on March 18. He is still on the run.

He was asked if Amritpal Singh had fled to any other state.

“In the preliminary investigation, it was found that they went to Gurdwara Sahib in Nangal Ambian where Amritpal changed his clothes and they escaped on two motorcycles. Teams are working, further investigation is underway,” the senior police official told ANI.

He said a total of 154 people have been arrested and taken into custody so far.

“Around 12 weapons, including rifles and revolver, recovered”.

A local villager in Jalandhar said they got know on Tuesday that Amritpal Singh and his accomplices came to the village on March 18.

“We got to know today morning when the police came that Amritpal along with his associates was here in the village on March 18. He changed clothes at local gurudwara, had food and then went away on motorcycle. Babaji who’s being questioned by police now had admitted that Amritpal came here,” the villager said.

Locals of the Jalandhar village claimed Amritpal Singh’s presence in their village on March 18. A CCTV video has emerged sourced from the local villagers. Punjab police have not officially confirmed this.

The video shows a car and men waiting on a bike near a field. Another bike is parked nearby and as the first bike moves with three riders, the other also readies to leave.

Police have recovered the car in which ‘Waris Punjab De’ leader Amritpal Singh fled.

Mr Gill said that they have arrested four people who helped the fugitive pro-Khalistani leader. He said weapons from recovered from the vehicle in which Amritpal Singh was travelling.

“We have arrested four more people in this case – Manpreet, Gurdeep, Harpreet, and Gurpej. These four people had helped Amritpal Singh escape in a Brezza vehicle from the Naka point. We recovered the vehicle, one rifle, and other equipment. Arms Act has been invoked,” he said.

Mr Gill said the four have been arrested under the Arms Act.

Arms Act has been invoked against the four people who helped him. An important fact has come to light that Amritpal Singh, after fleeing, visited the Gurudwara in Nangal Ambian village (in Jalandhar district) and changed his clothes before fleeing again. This came to be known in the questioning of the four people who have been nabbed,” he said at the press conference.

He said National Security Act (NSA) has been invoked against Amritpal Singh.

“A non-bailable warrant has been issued against him on March 18. Police are working as per law. People have suspicions, but the prime accused (Amritpal Singh) has not been arrested yet. As soon as the arrest is made, we will inform you,” he said.

Earlier in the day, the Punjab government told the Punjab and Haryana high court that the National Security Act (NSA) has been invoked against Amritpal Singh.

Punjab Advocate General Vinod Ghai told the High Court in a hearing that a search for the Waris Punjab De leader is on.

“We were armed but we refrained from using force. Some matters are so sensitive, that can’t be explained in court. We are doing a good job in action against Amritpal. NSA has been imposed on him,” the AG told the court.

Amritpal’s lawyer told the court that Amritpal Singh’s father Tarsem Singh was present in court. To this, the court said that since Singh’s father was not a party before it he cannot be heard and if he wanted to submit something, he should file an application.

The court was adjourned till the next hearing slated after four days. It also sought a fresh affidavit from the government.

Punjab Police on Saturday launched an operation against Amritpal Singh and his aides.

The police said that a total of 114 arrests have been made in the case so far, and there is a strong suspicion of ISI angle and foreign funding.

India

Karnataka Polls: 2,613 Candidates In Fray, Rebel Trouble For Parties

A total of 2,613 candidates are in the poll fray, as the withdrawal of candidatures for the May 10 Assembly elections in Karnataka came to an end on Monday, election officials said.

Karnataka Polls: A total of 517 candidates have withdrawn their candidature till Monday.

Bengaluru:

A total of 2,613 candidates are in the poll fray, as the withdrawal of candidatures for the May 10 Assembly elections in Karnataka came to an end on Monday, election officials said.

A total of 517 candidates have withdrawn their candidature till Monday, even as parties faced “rebel trouble” in several segments.

Out of 2,613 candidates in the poll fray, 2,427 are male, 184 females and 2 others, office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Karnataka said.

Among the contesting candidates from recognised political parties- 224 from BJP, 223 Congress (supporting Sarvodaya Karnataka Party in Melukote), 207 JD(S), 209 AAP, 133 BSP , 4 CPI(M), 8 JD(U) and 2 NPP.

While 685 are from Registered Unrecognised Political Parties (RUPP), 918 are independents.

In 16 constituencies there are more than 15 candidates in the fray, so two Ballot Unit (BU) will be used in these segments during the poll.

Political parties made efforts till the last minute to ensure rebel candidates, who had filed nomination disgruntled over being denied tickets by their respective parties, to withdraw their papers.

In some cases, the parties were successful in convincing such candidates to withdraw, while “rebel trouble” loomed large on the electoral prospects of the official candidates in several constituencies.

The rebel trouble seems to be more in the case of BJP and Congress, compared to other parties.

According to party sources, Congress is facing rebel in Pulakeshinagar (Akhanda Srinivas Murthy), Harapanahalli (M P Latha Mallikarjun), Shirahatti (Ramakrishna Doddamani), Shikaripura (Nagaraj Gowda), Jagalur (H P Rajesh), Arakalagudu (Krishnegowda), among others.

In BJP rebel trouble is in – Puttur (Arun kumar Puttila), Afzalpur (Nitin Guttedar), Goolihatti Shekhar (Hosadurga), Bailhongal (Vishwanath Patil), Gundlupet (M P Sunil), Chennagiri (Madal Mallikarjun), Malur (Vijay Kumar), Gandhi Nagar (Krishnaiah Shetty), among others, party sources said.

Among those who have withdrawn as rebel candidates include – former Bengaluru Mayor- Congress’ Gangambike Mallikarjun from Chickpet, BJP’s Mahadevappa Yadawad from Ramdurg.

The elections to the 224-member assembly will be held on May 10 and results will be declared on May 13.

India

Shivraj’s Chouhan Makes A Big Announcement Before Polls

The Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led government in Madhya Pradesh, in what appears a last-minute strategy tweak, is trying to court Brahmins months ahead of the assembly elections with the constitution of a Welfare Board for the community.

Madhya Pradesh has 21,104 temples including two Jyotirlingas.

Bhopal:

Besides, the government has also announced that it would develop the Bhagwan Sri Parashurama Lok religious corridor in Indore’s Janapav. Temples, meanwhile, have been given more power over their own land.

“We have decided that the government will not have any control over the activities of the temples and the auction of temple land will be done by priests and not by collectors,” Mr Chouhan said. “Brahmins have always protected religion and culture. So for their welfare, we will set up a ‘Brahmin Welfare Board’,” he added.

Madhya Pradesh has 21,104 temples including two Jyotirlingas. Of these, 1,320 temples have more than 10 acres of agricultural land. For temples without agricultural land, priests are paid an honorarium of Rs 5,000 a month.

The government’s move has triggered questions, especially since Brahmins comprise only 5 to 6 per cent of the state’s electorate.

A clue appears to lie in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the state. The Prime Minister visited Rewa, located in Vindhyas — probably the only region in the country where the upper castes constitute the largest portion of the population. In some assembly seats of Satna and Rewa districts, the population of Brahmins crosses 40 per cent.

In 2018, the Vindhya region prevented Congress from returning to power with full majority. The area now seems to be emerging as one of the most intriguing battlegrounds of the poll-bound state.

In 2018, BJP won 24 out of 30 seats in Vindhyas – up from 17 in 2013. The number of Congress seats slid from 11 to six.

But two recent events – the emergence of Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party in the area and a new party floated by MLA Narayan Tripathi — have given the BJP some cause for concern, sources indicated.

In Rewa and Singrauli, the BJP lost the urban local body polls last year as AAP made its Madhya Pradesh debut with a victory in Singrauli. Mr Tripathi, who earlier belonged to the BJP, has meanwhile been flexing muscle, claiming that his party will contest 30 assembly seats in the region.

The Congress has scoffed at the BJP move, saying the Chief Minister is thinking of giving respect to Brahmins after 18 years. “Till date, he kept neglecting them in the cabinet, now he is making announcements to woo the Brahmins,” said Congress spokesperson KK Mishra.

Claiming that Mr Chouhan has made announcements in Janapav, the birthplace of Parshuram, he said, “What happened to those announcements?”

“It should not be seen from the point of view of elections or votes,” said BJP leader Rahul Kothari.

“Let the Congress makes allegations but they should first answer for the condition of the temples during their tenure. They should answer for the Ramvan Path Gaman,” he added.

India

Senior Citizen Dead After Man Jumps On Him In Mumbai Swimming Pool

A 72-year-old man died after another person jumped on him from a height in a swimming pool in Mumbai, a police official said.

The incident took place at Mumbai’s Goregaon area.

Mumbai:

A 72-year-old man died after another person jumped on him from a height in a swimming pool in Mumbai, a police official said.

The incident took place on Sunday evening at Ozon swimming pool in Goregaon area.

The dead, identified as Vishnu Samant, was swimming when a 20-year-old man jumped into the pool from a height, the official said.

“Samant suffered injuries on his neck and other parts of the body. He was declared dead on arrival at a nearby hospital. On his wife’s complaint, a case has been registered against the 20-year-old man under Indian Penal Code Section 304-A (causing death by negligence),” he said.

India

UP Chief Minister receives death threat, case registered: Cops

A case has been registered against an unidentified person in Lucknow after a death threat was received for Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the police said on Tuesday.

The threat was received via message on ‘Dial 112’.

Lucknow:

A case has been registered against an unidentified person in Lucknow after a death threat was received for Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the police said on Tuesday.

The threat was received via message on ‘Dial 112’ (a number launched by the Uttar Pradesh government for the emergency services), in which the person stated, “I will kill CM Yogi soon”.

After receiving the threat, the Operation Commander of ‘112’ filed a case in the police station Sushant Golf City.

A case has been registered under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) Section 506, 507 and IT Act 66.

“Case has been registered under sections 506 and 507 IPC and 66 IT Act in PS Sushant Golf City against an unknown person after ‘Dial 112’ receives death threat for Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath,” the police said.

In an unrelated incident on Sunday, the police arrested the person who wrote a letter threatening to launch a suicide bomb attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Kochi scheduled for April 24.

The accused has been identified as Xavier, said the police.

On Saturday, Kerala BJP chief K Surendran said that he received a letter last week about a conspiracy to assassinate Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

While talking to ANI, Kochi City Police Commissioner, K Sethu Raman said, “The person who sent the threat letter against the Prime Minister was arrested. Xavier, the accused was arrested yesterday. The reason is personal enmity. He wrote the letter to trap his neighbour. We found him with the help of forensics.”

“Tight security has been arranged for the Prime Minister arriving in Kochi. 2060 policemen have been appointed for this purpose. As part of this, traffic control has also been imposed from 2 pm,” the Commissioner added.

India

West Khasi Hills in Meghalaya is hit by a 3.5 magnitude earthquake

An earthquake of magnitude 3.5 Richter scale struck Meghalaya’s West Khasi Hills on Monday, according to National Center for Seismology (NCS).

According to the NCS, the earthquake occurred at 3:33 pm (local time).

New Delhi:

An earthquake of magnitude 3.5 Richter scale struck Meghalaya’s West Khasi Hills on Monday, according to National Center for Seismology (NCS).

The earthquake occurred at around 7:47 am, informed NCS.

“Earthquake of Magnitude:3.5, Occurred on 24-04-2023, 07:47:14 IST, Lat: 25.47 & Long: 90.94, Depth: 5 Km, Location: West Khasi Hills, Meghalaya,” NCS said in a tweet.

Earlier on Sunday, an earthquake struck Meghalaya’s South Garo Hills. The magnitude of it was recorded at 3.5 on the Richter scale according to NCS.

According to the NCS, the earthquake occurred at 3:33 pm (local time).

In a tweet, NCS said, “Earthquake of Magnitude:3.5, Occurred on 23-04-2023, 15:33:33 IST, Lat: 25.26 & Long: 90.94, Depth: 5 Km, Location: South Garo Hills, Meghalaya.”

On April 16, an earthquake of magnitude 3.6 on the Richter scale hit Manipur’s Bishnupur district. As per the readings from the centre, the earthquake occurred northwest of Bishnupur at 7:22 am (local time).

“Earthquake of Magnitude:3.6, Occurred on 16-04-2023, 07:22:49 IST, Lat: 24.84 & Long: 93.69, Depth: 10 Km, Location: 24km NNW of Bishnupur, Manipur, India for more information Download the BhooKamp App,” the NCS had said in a tweet.