Syed Akbaruddin became India's envoy to UN

EFT Report, New Delhi: Former Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin has been appointed as the Ambassador/Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations at New York.

Akbaruddin will replace Asoke Kumar Mukerji as the Permanent Representative of India at the UN.

Currently an Additional Secretary in the MEA, Akbaruddin served as the ministry's official spokesperson from 2011 to April 2015.

Prior to 2011, he was on deputation for four years at the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna.

He was also the director in the Foreign Secretary's Office from 2004 to 2005.

Akbaruddin is a 1985 batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer.

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Mumbai police launches traffic helpline for citizens

EFT Report, Mumbai, Nov 10 (PTI) In a first, the Mumbai Police have launched a dedicated helpline for citizens wherein they can obtain information about real-time movement of vehicular traffic and can also lodge a complaint, police commissioner Ahmed Javed said here today.

"To modernise the function of the traffic police in Mumbai and giving better services to the citizens a helpline has been started," Javed said, adding that the initiative is first of its kind in history of city police commissionerate.

He said citizens can obtain information about traffic and also lodge complaint through the helpline.

"The complaints can be lodged through voice call, WhatsApp, SMS, email and through a traffic app," the police commissioner told reporters at the traffic police headquarters at suburban Worli after launching the helpline.

Javed said that a specific complaint number will be generated which will help the citizens concerned to keep its track and action taken.

"There will be one main number and several hunting numbers (it refers to the process or algorithm used to select which line will receive the call) on the traffic helpline.

Points like lodging complaints, notification of incidents, towing of vehicles, verification of officers and public information will be there in the helpline.

"In public information section, the helpline will inform about various things like pay and park, about (schedule and movement of) BEST (buses), railways, metro, taxis, auto rickshaws, besides other matters including working of traffic control branch and formats for obtaining permits," Javed added.

Besides, information about working of roads under construction, diversion routes, distances, additional time required for travel due to processions, events and rallies will also be available on the helpline.

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Chhota Rajan to return to India on Friday

EFT Report, Mumbai: Long-absconding mafia don Rajendra Nikhalje alias Chhota Rajan will be brought to India from Indonesia early on Friday and all cases against him shall now be investigated by the CBI, officials said on Thursday.

Maharashtra's Additional Chief Secretary K.P. Bakshi told media persons in Mumbai that Rajan, who was arrested by Indonesian police on October 26, was escorted amidst tight security to the Bali airport for a flight to India, which is scheduled to land in New Delhi around 4 a.m. on Friday.

In a surprise development, he said all cases pending against the mafia don will be transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) which will now probe them.

"The CBI is the nodal agency and many cases have all-India ramifications. Maharashtra will transfer all cases to the CBI and we shall offer them all help," Bakshi said.

Mumbai Police Commissioner Ahmad Javed has said Chhota Rajan is wanted in 70-75 cases of murder, kidnappings, extortion, arms running.

At an event at the Mumbai Press Club, Javed said police would prioritise the case of the killing of journalist Jyotirmoy Dey on June 11, 2011, among others.

However, Rajan himself informed TV channel Times Now prior to his departure from Bali that he had no hand in Dey's killing.

A special aircraft carrying Rajan, a team of CBI officials and others departed around 8 p.m. local time from Bali, Indonesia and is expected to reach New Delhi around 4 a.m. on Friday.

Earlier, he was scheduled to be brought to India on Tuesday, but the plan was delayed on account of a volcanic eruption which led to closure of the Bali airport and cancellation of all flights.

Rajan, 55, also said he was "happy to return to India, which is his motherland", and denied he ever demanded not to be taken to Mumbai.

The mafia don declined to comment on how he would "help" the Indian government, but reiterated that he would oppose his erstwhile partner in crime, absconder don Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar, presently believed to be hiding in Pakistan.

Three days ago, Rajan had alleged that Mumbai Police committed atrocities on him and that some officials were linked to Dawood Ibrahim - a charge which was promptly denied by Javed.

Rajan and Dawood were close until differences cropped up after the March 12, 1993 Mumbai serial blasts.

Rajan slipped out of the country in 1996 and has been on India's most-wanted list for the past nearly 20 years till his arrest last month.

While absconding, he was targeted in a murderous attack in Bangkok, Thailand by Dawood's henchmen in September 2000, but he managed to escape.

Rajan's arrest is billed as the biggest victory for Indian law enforcers after the nabbing of another mafia don, Abu Salem Ansari, in Portugal in September 2002 and later his deportation in November 2005.

Meanwhile in Delhi, sources told IANS that Rajan was on Thursday evening deported from Bali in a special aircraft carrying a team of six Indian officials, including two officials of Delhi Police and officials of CBI and Mumbai Police.

Rajan was escorted to Bali airport from Denpasar police station in a bullet-proof vehicle.

"Considering Chhota Rajan's earlier demand of deporting him to Delhi instead of Mumbai, and due to some other reasons, the Indian government took the decision on Wednesday at a high-level meeting to bring him to Delhi first," an official in the CBI told IANS on condition of anonymity.

The official said Rajan would be kept under CBI custody for the first two days and later would either be handed over to Delhi or Mumbai Police on the directions of the central government.

Delhi Police has six cases against Rajan's alleged associates, registered at the Rajouri Garden and C.R. Park police stations, sources said.

"The Special Cell of Delhi Police has already sought permission from the home ministry to question Rajan," said a Delhi Police official on condition of anonymity.

"The gangster is wanted in the capital in cases registered between 1999 and 2011.

"Most of them are related to extortion from Delhi businessmen, directly or indirectly on the alleged instructions of the underworld don. Now the cases are being handled by the Special Cell," the official said.

Five alleged shooters of Rajan's gang were arrested in a raid at a flat in Subhash Nagar near Rajouri Garden in 1999.

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Delhi's Uber driver gets life term till death for rape

EFT Report, New Delhi: Uber cab driver Shiv Kumar Yadav who raped a woman executive on December 5 last year was awarded life imprisonment till death by a court here on Tuesday.

Additional Sessions Judge Kaveri Baweja pronounced the order.

Yadav was convicted last month on charges of rape, causing grievous bodily harm and endangering the life of the woman, and other charges dealing with kidnapping, criminal intimidation and voluntarily causing hurt.

On the night of December 5, the woman hired the cab to head back home in north Delhi's Inderlok area. Police said Yadav drove the woman to an isolated place and raped her.

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Russian airliner crashes in Sinai, all 224 aboard presumed dead

EFT Report, Moscow: A Russian airliner crashed in central Sinai in Egypt on Saturday with 224 people on board, all of whom are presumed dead, media reports said.

Kolavia flight 7K9268, an Airbus A321, enroute to St. Petersburg, went off the radar 23 minutes after taking off from Sharm El-Sheikh International Airport. The plane was to contact air traffic control in Turkish Cyprus’ Larnaca after leaving Egypt’s airspace, but failed to do so.

It disappeared from radar screens when travelling at 31,000 ft. The plane started to drop very fast, losing 1,500m in one minute before coverage was lost.

That crash was due to a "technical failure" and was not shot down, pilot Ayman Al-Mokadem, who is heading a committee to monitor the crash's aftermath, stated.

Al-Mokadem said that the pilot sensed a technical failure and reported to the aviation authorities that he wanted to land at the nearest airport, Egypt's state-run Al Ahram news reported.

An aviation team is on their way to extract the black boxes to determine the reason for the crash. Rescue workers reported that they could hear voices as they started recovering the bodies from the debris.

A death toll is yet to be announced.

The pilot seemed to crash while attempting to land in Al-Arish's airport in North Sinai, Al-Mokadem added.

At least 45 ambulances have been dispatched to the crash site, a cabinet statement revealed.

The plane was carrying 217 passengers and seven crew members. Seventeen of the passengers were children. According to the Russian embassy in Egypt, all on board were Russian citizens, RT news said in its report.

The crash site was discovered hours later in a desolate mountainous area of central Sinai.

The Egyptian military said entry to the site may be difficult due to the volatile security situation in the area. Large parts of the peninsula are dangerous due to the presence of militants, with only coastal areas in the north and south adequately guarded by security forces. 

The crash site is in the Hassana area 35 km south of Arish, the largest city in the Sinai.

The last big Russian airline accident happened in November 2013, when Tatarstan Airlines flight 363 crashed at Kazan International Airport while attempting to land. Fifty people died in the incident.

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Bidhya Bhandari elected Nepal's new president

EFT Report, Kathmandu: Bidhya Devi Bhandari, vice chairman of the ruling Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxists-Leninists), was on Wednesday elected president of Nepal, making her the the first woman to occupy the post in the Himalayan nation.

Bhandari defeated Kul Bahadur Gurung of the Nepali Congress 327-214 in the presidential poll that was held at the parliament complex here. Eight ballots were declared invalid with a total of 549 members voting in the 598-seat house. 

Bhandari succeeds as president incumbent Ram Baran Yadav of the Nepali Congress who was elected in 2008 after the first Constituent Assembly was formed.

Parliament Speaker Onsari Gharti Magar announced the result of the day's voting in which Bhandari received support from the ruling CPN-UML besides alliance partners United Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) and other parties. 

"It is a historic moment for Nepal," Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli said after Bhandari's election.

Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal hailed her election and termed it a "historic moment" as Nepal got a female head of state and a speaker.

Bhandari's name was proposed by Dahal and other leaders of the coalition partners.

Madhes-based political parties, which voted for Sushil Koirala during the prime ministerial election, did not participate in the presidential poll. 

They have been protesting for the last two-and-half months on the Nepal-India border over the new constitution which was promulgated on September 20.

Bhandari, a feisty communist leader, came to the fore after her charismatic husband Madan Bhandari -- then CPN (UML) general secretary -- died in a yet unexplained road accident in 1993.

Bhandari was elected twice in parliamentary elections of 1994 and 1999, defeating the then prime minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai and former speaker Damanath Dhungana, respectively. Bhandari, however, lost in the 2008 constituent assembly polls. 

She was defence minister in the Madhav Kumar Nepal-led cabinet. The party got her elected under the proportional electoral system in the second constituent assembly elections in 2013. 

She joined politics as an activist of the then Youth League of CPN (ML) from Bhojpur. 

Bhandari, a cancer survivor, is considered a confidante of party chairman and Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli.

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Edhi Foundation turns down Modi's Rs 1 crore donation

EFT Report, Karachi: Pakistan's charity foundation Edhi today turned down Rs. 1 crore donation announced by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking care of deaf and mute Indian girl Geeta during her over a decade-long stay in the country.

Prominent philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi, who is the founder and head of the Edhi Foundation, thanked Prime Minister Modi for announcing the donation, but declined to accept it for his charity.

"Abdul Sattar Edhi has thanked Modi and politely declined to accept his announced financial help," Edhi Foundation Spokesman Anwar Kazmi was quoted as saying by the Dawn.

Prime Minister Modi yesterday met Geeta, who returned to India to an emotional welcome, and hailed Karachi-based Edhi family for taking care of her with love and affection for so many years.

Complimenting Sattar Edhi's wife Bilqis Bano for taking care of Geeta with love and affection, the Prime Minister announced that India would give the Edhi Foundation Rs one crore as a token of appreciation, not just for taking care of Geeta, but also for the wonderful work that the Foundation has been doing.

"What the Edhi family has done is too priceless to be measured but I am happy to announce a contribution of Rs 1 crore to their foundation," Modi had said.

Geeta was reportedly just 7 or 8 years old when she was found sitting alone on the Samjhauta Express by the Pakistan Rangers 15 years ago at the Lahore railway station.

She was adopted by the Edhi Foundation's Bilquees Edhi and lived with her in Karachi. Bilquis and her grandchildren, Saba and Saad Edhi, are accompanying Geeta to India.

Geeta yesterday returned to New Delhi but failed to recognise a family which she had initially identified from photographs.

She refused to recognise the Mahato couple from Bihar which she had identified from photographs and added that she will be kept in an institution in Indore till her "real family" was found.

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Trudeau topples Harper as Canada's next PM

EFT Report, Montreal: Canada's Liberal leader Justin Trudeau rode a late surge to a stunning majority election victory on Monday, toppling Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservatives with a promise of change and returning a touch of glamor, youth and charisma to Ottawa.

Harper conceded defeat and the Conservative party announced his resignation, ending a nine-year run in power and the 56-year-old's brand of fiscal and cultural conservatism that voters appeared to sour on.

The Liberals seized a Parliamentary majority, a turn in political fortunes that smashed the record for the number of seats gained from one election to the next. The center-left Liberals had been a distant third place party before this election.

"My friends, we beat fear with hope. We beat cynicism with hard work. We beat negative, divisive politics with a positive vision that brings Canadians together," Trudeau, 43, told a crowd of cheering supporters in Montreal.

"This is what positive politics can do."

The photogenic son of former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau pledged to run a C$10 billion annual budget deficit for three years to invest in infrastructure and help stimulate Canada's anemic economic growth.

This rattled financial markets ahead of the vote and the Canadian dollar weakened on news of his victory.

Trudeau thanked his two closest friends and advisers for shaping his campaign to show "that you can appeal to the better angels of our nature. And you can win doing it."

Trudeau has said he will repair Canada's cool relations with the Obama administration, withdraw Canada from the combat mission against Islamic State militants in favor of humanitarian aid and training, and tackle climate change.

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Delhi Uber cab rape: court to pronounce judgment today

EFT Report, New Delhi: A Delhi court is likely to pronounce its judgment on Oct. 20 in the case in which a Uber cab driver is facing trial for allegedly raping a 25-year- old woman executive in his taxi last year.

Additional Sessions Judge Kaveri Baweja had on October 7 reserved the verdict after concluding hearing final arguments from both the sides in the case.

According to the prosecution, the incident took place on the night of December 5 last year when the victim, a finance executive working in Gurgaon, was heading back to her house at Inderlok.

Accused driver Shiv Kumar Yadav was arrested on December 7, 2014 from Mathura and is currently in judicial custody.

Special Public Prosecutor Atul Shrivastava had earlier said that an accused can be convicted on the basis of sole testimony of the victim if it is trustworthy.

He had said there was sufficient evidence on record to hold Yadav guilty in the case and none of the 28 prosecution witnesses has spoken contrary to the police case.

Advocate D K Mishra, appearing for Yadav, had argued that there were several contradictions in the prosecution's story and the alleged victim's version and false evidence was planted to implicate his client.

He had also argued that the woman had made various improvements in her statements before the court and police.

The Supreme Court had earlier set aside the Delhi High Court order allowing the accused to re-examine 13 prosecution witnesses, including the victim.

The woman and the Delhi Police had moved the apex court against the high court order. The proceedings in the case were stayed by the apex court for six months from March 10 to September 10.

The trial court has framed charges against Yadav under IPC for alleged offences of endangering a woman's life while raping her, abducting with an intent to compel her for marriage and criminally intimidating and causing hurt.

The court had also recorded the testimony of the accused in which he termed the charge against him as "false".

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Prez appeals for tolerance as Hindutva activities increased

EFT Report, New Delhi: President Pranab Mukherjee on Monday again appealed for tolerance as Hindu activists attacked a Jammu and Kashmir legislator with ink while the Shiv Sena forced the BCCI to call off talks with the PCB on reviving cricketing ties between India and Pakistan.

And in Bengaluru, BJP activists heckled a young Australian man for sporting a tattoo of a Hindu goddess on his leg. Although no complaint was filed, police vowed to take up the incident "seriously".

In a repetition of what the Shiv Sena did to noted journalist Sudheendra Kulkarni in Mumbai, members of the little known Hindu Sena smeared ink on independent Kashmir legislator Engineer Rashid's face here.

Police detained two suspects after the attack outside the Press Club shortly after he had spoken about a fire bomb attack in Udhampur that left a truck cleaner from the Kashmir Valley dead.

Rashid's face was smeared with ink, and the black liquid spilled on to his clothes. An associate of Rashid was also targeted with ink. 

Rashid was earlier this month thrashed by BJP legislators in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly for hosting a beef party. The state's BJP Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh later apologized on behalf of his party.

The Hindu Sena claimed responsibility for the ink attack.

The Shiv Sena showed aggression again in Mumbai as some 70 activists barged into the office of BCCI president Shashank Manohar against his move to hold talks with his Pakistani counterpart Shahryar Khan.

The Shiv Sainiks carried a black flag and raised slogans like "Pakistan murdabad", "Shashank Manohar murdabad" and "Shahryar Khan go back". 

Later, police detained more than two dozen activists. A protester said the Sena won't allow any cricketing relations with Pakistan till it stopped killing Indian soldiers and civilians.

There was speculation that the talks between the Board of Control for Cricket in India and the Pakistan Control Board might be shifted to New Delhi.

That didn't happen. Instead, BCCI Secretary Anurag Thakur, a BJP member of the Lok Sabha, announced that the Test series between India and Pakistan would not take place in December.

But Thakur denounced the Sena.

"I condemn this attack because you cannot barge into the BCCI office and force cancellation of the talks. In a democracy, you can protest but you can do it on the streets but you can't barge into anyone's office, home or headquarters," he said. 

Monday's was the second major protest in a fortnight by the Shiv Sena against Pakistan.

The Sena first forced the cancellation of Pakistani ghazal maestro Ghulam Ali's concerts in Mumbai and Pune, and then attacked journalist Sudheendra Kulkarni before he hosted the launch of a book by former Pakistani foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri.

In Lahore, Pakistan's Punjab assembly urged the government to approach the UN to get the Shiv Sena declared a terrorist outfit.

In Bengaluru, Deputy Commisioner of Police Sandeep Patil said action would be taken against those who heckled the Australian, Matthew Gordon, 21. He had a tattoo on his left leg of Hindu goddess Yellamma.

The heckling occurred at Konark restaurant in downtown when Gordon was seated with his girl friend Emily Kassianou, 20.

"A dozen people walked up to me and threatened to skin my leg if I did not remove the tattoo and apologize to them," Gordon told police.

A constable took the BJP activists and the Australian pair to a police station to sort out the issue. The BJP activists claimed they lectured the Australians on Hindu religion.

In faraway Birbhum district in West Bengal, President Mukherjee made a passionate plea for tolerance.

"We celebrate diversity, we promote tolerance, we accept dissent. If it wasn't there, India's cilization couldn't have survived for 5,000 years," he said.

This is the second time in a month that the president has stressed on the importance of tolerance.

Days after the lynching of a Muslim man in Uttar Pradesh over rumors that he ate beef, Mukherjee had appealed for tolerance, saying core values of civilization cannot be shunned.

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Delhi govt increases minimum wages for workers

EFT Report, New Delhi: The Delhi government on Friday introduced a slight hike in the minimum wages for workers in the capital.

An unskilled worker will now get Rs.390 per day against Rs.348, a semi-skilled worker, Rs.429 over the earlier Rs.423, while for skilled workers, the fixed minimum wages have been increased from Rs.423 to Rs.467.

The new wages will be effective from October 1.

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PM Modi to unveil APJ Abdul Kalam's statue on Oct. 15

EFT Report, New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will unveil a statue of late former president Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam on Thursday to mark his 84th birth anniversary.

"Glad to join Dr. Kalam's birth anniversary celebrations, which includes unveiling of his statue and photo exhibition," Modi tweeted.

A photo exhibition titled as "A Celebration of Dr. Kalam's Life" will also be inaugurated by Modi at DRDO Bhavan here.

Kalam, who died in July, was a career scientist, before becoming India's 11th president, holding officer from 2002 to 2007.

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Sweden's Angus Deaton awarded 2015 Nobel Prize in Economics

EFT Report, Stockholm: The 2015 Nobel Prize in Economics has been awarded to Scottish micro-economist Angus Deaton, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced here on Monday.

According to an academy statement, Deaton, 69, was awarded "for his analysis of consumption, poverty, and welfare", Xinhua news agency reported.

"More than anyone else, Angus Deaton has enhanced the understanding of individual consumption choices which is crucial to design economic policy that promotes welfare and reduces poverty," it said.

By linking detailed individual choices and aggregate outcomes, his research has helped transform the fields of microeconomics, macroeconomics, and development economics, the statement added.

Answering questions at the press conference after the announcement, Deaton said he was "surprised and delighted" to win the prize.

Deaton was born in Edinburgh and received his PhD at Cambridge University. 

Last year, the award - which is officially known as the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in memory of Alfred Nobel - went to French economist Jean Tirole for his pioneering work on the regulation of large companies.

This prize has been awarded every year since 1969.

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BCCI chief Jagmohan Dalmiya passes away

EFT Report, Kolkata: Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Jagmohan Dalmiya, who was admitted to a hospital here three days ago after complaining of chest pain, died on Sunday evening, hospital sources said. He was 75.

The veteran cricket administrator was admitted to the B.M. Birla Hospital on Thursday night.

On Saturday only, his condition was described as stable.

Doctors attending to Dalmiya said on Saturday morning that the BCCI chief was responding to medicines and was in a stable condition. But they said he would still be under constant monitoring.

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Sheikh Rashid, Dubai ruler's son, dies at 33

EFT Report, Dubai: Sheikh Rashid bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the son of the ruler of Dubai, died of a heart attack on Saturday, state media reported. He was 33.

Sheikh Rashid is the son of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the vice-president and the prime minister of UAE, and the ruler of Dubai.

UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan declared a three-day official mourning following Sheikh Rashid's demise, WAM news agency reported.

Sheikh Rashid was a horse racing enthusiast. 

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Ban Modi's 'Mann Ki Baat' till Bihar polls: Congress, allies to EC

EFT Report, New Delhi: The Congress, JD-U and the RJD on Wednesday approached the Election Commission to seek suspension of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Mann ki Baat' radio address to the nation till the assembly elections in Bihar are over.

The Bharatiya Janata Party dismissed the demand, while the poll panel said it was examining the matter.

"We have submitted a petition to the Election Commission of India (EC) seeking suspension of Modi's 'Mann Ki Baat' programme till November 8, when elections get over in Bihar, since it would be violation of the model code of conduct," Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said after submitting a memorandum to the poll panel.

"By using government machinery like All India Radio and Doordarshan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is trying to misuse his office," he added.

The delegation comprised Janata Dal-United leaders K.C. Tyagi and Pawan Varma, Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Manoj Jha and senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi.

"The prime minister is a habitual speech maker who doesn't even miss the opportunity to attack opposition parties from foreign soil. It's obvious that he may use the platform of 'Mann Ki Baat' and not desist from speaking on something political," Tyagi said, terming it "misuse of government machinery and not permissible".

Jha said that one cannot be given the freedom to misuse government machinery.

"We believe in the good judgement of the Election Commission. They will listen to us and will take action appropriately," he told reporters.

The BJP said that it only showed the opposition's "frustration".

"It shows the frustration of Congress. Earlier they used to say no one hears what prime minister says in his 'Mann Ki Baat' and now they are worried. 

"The issue which Congress has raised is totally irrelevant today. It's an effort by them to keep alive their relevance as people of the country have rejected them. This programme is a non political and inspires people to work on societal issues," " BJP spokesperson Nalin Kohli said.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission said that it has not yet decided on the complaint by the Congress, JD-U and RJD.

"The commission has not yet decided anything. As and when the commission takes any decision, it will be uploaded on its website," a senior poll panel official said.

On a similar complaint ahead of the Maharashtra and Haryana assembly polls, the EC, after going through the content of the programme, had said that it did not violate the model code of conduct.

Modi's next 'Mann Ki Baat' is slated for September 20 - the 12th edition of the prime minister sharing his thoughts on different issues. The first edition was aired on October 3 last year.

As per the rules, when the model code of conduct is in force, broadcast on Doordarshan or All India Radio by political parties can only be done as per the slots allotted to them through a draw of lots by Prasar Bharti in consultation with the EC.

The five-phase Bihar polls begin on October 12 and conclude on November 5. Counting will take place on November 8.

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National Socialist Council of Nagaland banned for 5 years

EFT Report, New Delhi: Over four months after the NSCN-K carried out an ambush in Manipur that left 18 security personnel dead, the Centre on Wednesday declared the outfit as an unlawful organisation for a period of five years.

"The government today (Wednesday) decided to declare National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang) (NSCN-K) as an unlawful organisation for a period of five years, under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention), Act 1967," the home ministry said in a statement.

"The decision was taken considering the continued hostility and violence on part of the NSCN-K against the Indian security personnel, from their bases in Myanmar," it added.

The NSCN-K abrogated a ceasefire entered into with the Indian government in 2001 with a series of incidents beginning from March 2015.

The ban comes after the central government signed a framework peace agreement with the NSCN's Isak-Muivah faction on August 3 and a ceasefire agreement with the newly formed Reformation faction under Wangtin Naga on April 27.

After the NSCN-IM entered into a ceasefire agreement with the Indian government in 1997, NSCN-K led by Shangwang Shangyungi Khaplang followed suit in 2001.

At the alleged instigation of United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent (ULFA-I) leader Paresh Baruah, the NSCN-K carried out a shootout in Nagaland's Kohima on March 26 and a bomb blast in Wokha on March 27.

Following this, two close aides of Khaplang, Wangtin Naga and P. Tikhaka, who had come to Dimapur for peace negotiations with the Indian authorities, expressed surprise at the ceasefire abrogation by their group and formed another faction called the NSCN-Reformation and entered into a ceasefire agreement with the Centre.

According to Wednesday's home ministry statement, the NSCN-K has carried out a series of violent attacks on the Indian armed forces from their bases in Myanmar.

Apart from the March attacks, it carried out two improvised explosive device (IED) explosions on April 15 and 16 at Lerie Colony, near CRPF Camp on the National Highway 29 in Kohima district of Nagaland.

"Ambush of a party of security force personnel at village Changlang Shu, under Tobu police station of district Mon (in Nagaland), killing eight security forces personnel," the home ministry statement cited as another reason.

The final straw was an ambush the NSCN-K carried out on June 4 in Chandel district of Manipur, that left 18 security personnel dead.

The home ministry's statement on Wednesday comes a week after the National Investigation Agency declared Rs.700,000 and Rs.100,000 rewards for the arrest of S.S. Khaplang and another NSCN-K militant, Niki Sumi.

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Pansare killing: Right-wing Hindu group member nabbed

EFT Report, Kolhapur: A member of a right-wing group was arrested from Sangli town in connection with the February 20 killing of senior Communist leader Govind Pansare, a top police officer said here on Wednesday.

The suspect, Samir V. Gaikwad, 32, is a full-time activist with the Sanatan Sanstha Hindu organisation since 1998.

Charged, among others, with murder and under the Arms Act, he was presented before a Kolhapur court and was remanded to one week's police custody till September 23.

Pansare was attacked on February 16 in Kolhapur when he was shot at from a close range. Pansare, 81, died of bullet injuries four days later. His wife Uma, who was also shot and seriously injured, survived the attack.

Additional Director General of Police (CID), Pune, Sanjay Kumar told media persons here that the suspect could be "directly or indirectly connected" with the Pansare killing.

However, a spokesperson for the Sanatan Sanstha, Sandeep Shinde, dismissed the allegations against the organisation, but admitted that Gaikwad and his family members are "very good and active workers" of the right-wing group.

"Gaikwad had gone to Sangli for the Ganeshotsav celebrations and he was nabbed by the police. In the past as well, I have been arrested and put in jail... Such allegations are nothing new for us," Shinde said.

Lashing out at the police action, Managing Trustee of Sanatan Sanstha, Virendra Marathe accused the police of "scheming to implicate Gaikwad" and said the investigators have gone through two crore call data records and searched only his number under pressure from the anti-elements.

After the joint action by the Kolhapur and Sangli police, Gaikwad, who runs a mobile phones repair business in Sangli, was nabbed from a place in Sangli.

"We are searching Gaikwad's premises in Mumbai, Sangli and other places. We have unearthed some evidence against him which has been submitted before the court," Sanjay Kumar told reporters.

He said that Gaikwad has been under observation for quite some time and he was nabbed on the basis of telephone call records and other discreet forms of surveillance.

Claiming that the police have found his "links" to the Pansare killing, Kumar said Gaikwad was picked up for questioning late Tuesday night and placed under arrest around 4.30 a.m. on Wednesday.

However, challenging the police version and procedures prior to the arrest, Marathe said that Gaikwad was arrested in the morning and presented before the court immediately afterwards.

"This means that the remand papers were prepared beforehand itself... The entire matter is a conspiracy... the police have hatched the conspiracy to implicate the innocent Gaikwad. We are sure that he is innocent and not guilty," Marathe said.

The late comrade's daughter, Smita Pansare welcomed the police action in Kolhapur. She described it as "a significant development" which will help solve her father's murder mystery.

Another social activist Mukta Dabholkar, whose father, rationalist Narendra Dabholkar was shot dead in Pune on August 20, 2013, said that Gaikwad could be just one link in a larger conspiracy.

Akin to Dabholkar's mystery murder, the killing of Pansare had led to a national outcry, spurring the police to hasten the investigations into the two shocking homicides which rattled the state government.

The Sanatan Sanstha is not likely provide any legal assistance to Gaikwad, but Marathe said that either the Hindu Vidhidnya Parishad or some well-wisher advocate may help him out.

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Clashes erupt during Srinagar marathon

EFT Report, Srinagar: Clashes erupted in Kashmir University campus between the youth and security forces during a marathon event here on Sunday.

The youth displayed Pakistan flags and raised anti-India slogans during the beginning of a much publicized marathon event attended by some ministers and civil and police officials.

The angry youth vandalized the stage and attempted to torch a police vehicle after security forces intervened to break the protests.

The youth started heavy stone pelting at the security forces inside the university campus which is still going on.

Reinforcements have been rushed to the spot to bring the situation under control.

The organizers had advertised the event as the first international marathon in Srinagar and participation was open to everyone.

Arrangements had been made for on the spot registration of youth who intended to participate in the event.

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Makkah crane accident: Mamata Banerjee lists names of deceased, injured from WB

EFT Report, Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday expressed her grief over the crane accident in Makkah and listed out the victims that belonged to the state.

Muniza Ahmed from Asansol has lost her life. Liakat Hossain from West Midnapore and Hasem Ali from Malda have received injuries," Banerjee said.

"The tragic accident at Makkah has really shocked and saddened me. As of now one death and two injuries have been reported from our state," she added.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs of India, two Indians were killed and 15 others were injured in the accident. These include 11 from the Haj Committee of India and 4 from Private Tour Operators.

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