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Polling for all 18 seats in the first phase of the Chhattisgarh Assembly Elections has ended.  Amid tight security, polling in 10 constituencies- Mohla-Manpur, Antagarh, Bhanupratappur, Kanker, Keshkal, Kondagaon, Narayanpur, Dantewada, Bijapur and Konta -- concluded at 3 pm. In the other eight constituencies -- Khairgarh, Dongargarh, Rajnandgaon, Dongargaon, Khujji, Bastar, Jagdalpur and Chitrakot -- polling concluded at 5 pm.


After 15 years, polling was held in Palam Adgu village of Sukma district where 44 voters exercised their franchise till 2:30 pm, a poll officer said.


A surrendered Naxal couple, identified as Mainuram and wife Rajbatti, also voted in Narayanpur segment, the official said, adding the duo was earlier associated with the Maoists's Kiskodo LOS (local organisation squad).


Elderly voters, including some of them above 100 years of age, and persons with disability also came forward to cast their votes, the poll officer said.


At least 30 EVMs and 51 VVPAT machines were replaced due to technical snags, the poll official said. A thick security blanket comprising over 1.25 lakh police and paramilitary personnel was in place across the 18 constituencies, all of them falling in Naxal-affected areas of Bastar, Kanker, Sukma, Bijapur, Dantewada, Narayanpur, Kondagaon and Rajnandgaon districts.

Both former Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal and his son and former deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal will appear before the SIT, probing the 2015 police firings at Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura in Faridkot at mobs protesting the state-wide sacrilege incidents, the Akali Dal said Monday.


"SAD patron Parkash Singh Badal and party chief Sukhbir Singh Badal will cooperate (with the SIT) so that the truth (behind sacrilege incidents) comes out,' SAD leader and former Finance Minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa told media here.


The decision on appearance of the two Badals before the SIT was taken Sunday by the party's core committee. "We expect that the SIT will conduct a fair probe into the matter,' said Dhindsa. The Special Investigation Team had issued summonses to the two Badals and Bollywod actor Akshay Kumar on Sunday.


The Badals decided to join the investigation amid their party's consistent demand for probe into the sacrilege incidents by a sitting Supreme Court judge.

Actor Sara Ali Khan says she is in awe of Kareena Kapoor's professionalism and going forward wants to imbibe the same. Daughter of Saif Ali Khan and Amrita Singh, Sara says the way Kareena, who married Saif in 2012, carries herself is amazing.


"I think Kareena is extremely professional. The way she does her work, it's amazing. So I would want to imbibe her professionalism," Sara told reporters. The actor was speaking at the trailer launch of her debut film "Kedarnath".


The romantic-drama is directed by Abhishek Kapoor and features Sushant Singh Rajput as male lead. Sara said her father always wanted her to first finish her studies before entering the film industry.


"My father used to say I should finish my studies first before entering films. He was fully supportive if I wanted to do films but wanted me to study first. When I got a chance to be a part of 'Kedarnath', I liked the script so much I knew I had to do it," she said. The actor already has her second film, Rohit Shetty's "Simmba", lined up for release. -- PTI

Chhattisgarh elections: 56.58% voter turnout recorded till 4.30 pm in the first phase of the Chhattisgarh Assembly Elections including 61.47% in Kondagaon; 63.51% in Keshkal; 62% in Kanker; 58% in Bastar; 49% in Dantewada; 60.5% in Khairagarh; 64% in Dongargarh; 65.5% in Khujji.

The supervisor-cum-store keeper of Sati Tea Estate at Namsai district in Arunachal Pradesh has been abducted by armed militants, police said Monday. The tea estate belongs to former MLA Nang Sati Mein and the abductors have demanded a ransom of Rs 3 crore, the police said. The victim, identified as Debabrata Deb works at Sati Tea Estate was abducted from his temporary residence at around 7.15 pm on Saturday evening.


The kidnappers were carrying sophisticated weapons and had reportedly introduced themselves as members of Udoy Asom group of the outlawed ULFA-Independent faction, the police said. Security forces have swung into action to ensure safe release of the person, the police added. -- PTI

56.58 per cent voter turnout recorded till 4.30 pm in the first phase of Chhattisgarh assembly elections 2018 including 61.47 per cent in Kondagaon; 63.51 per cent in Keshkal; 62 per cent in Kanker; 58 per cent in Bastar; 49 per cnet in Dantewada; 60.5 per cent in Khairagarh; 64 per cent in Dongargarh; 65.5 per cent in Khujji.  -- ANI

Update: Three more personnel of the CoBRA are injured and around five Naxals are dead in the encounter that broke out between security forces & Naxals in Bijapur's Pamed area today. All the CoBRA personnel are out danger.

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain a plea challenging the Constitutional validity of Section 375 of Indian Penal Code which deals with rape on the ground that the provision is not gender-neutral.


A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice SK Kaul said the issue raised in the petition is a subject matter of the legislature's domain.


"The issue falls in the realm of the Parliament. We don't want to say anything on it right now", the bench said, while granting liberty to the petitioners to make a representation to the legislature.


While Section 375 of the IPC deals with rape committed on a woman by a man, Section 376 lists out the punishment for the offence.


The top court was hearing a petition filed by NGO Criminal Justice Society of India, through advocate Ashima Mandla, contending that Section 375 violates Articles 14, 15 and 21 of the Constitution as it does not account for rape of men and transgender persons.


The plea sought that the definition of rape under Section 375 be held "ultra vires" for being "discriminatory and violative of Articles 14 (right to equality), 15 (prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex...) and 21 (right to life and personal liberty) of the Constitution".


The petitioner has submitted that the section applies only to women as victims and men as perpetrators. It does not take into account non-consensual sexual assault inflicted on a woman by a woman, on a man by another man, on transgender by another transgender or a man or woman, on a man by a woman.


The plea referred to the August 2017 order passed by a nine-judge bench of the top court that declared privacy as a fundamental right and also cited the NALSA judgment that recognised transgenders as the third gender.


"It is imperative to note that transgenders including but not limited to homosexuals & bisexuals, and men are sequestered from the point of view of victims of rape under the existing penal laws of the country, despite an impending need for the same", the plea said. -- PTI

A former woman colleague of ex-Union Minister M J Akbar, who has filed a criminal defamation case against journalist Priya Ramani, told a Delhi court Monday that his reputation has been "destroyed" and "damaged irreparably" due to allegations of sexual misconduct.


Joyeeta Basu, the editor of Sunday Guardian, who appeared as a witness to support Akbar's case, told Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal that Ramani posted all her tweets "intentionally with a purpose to harm" Akbar's "reputation and goodwill".


"I have seen tweets by Priya Ramani dated October 10, 2018 and October 13, 2018. I have overcome by doubts but I know from the number of questions raised by people, I know personally that his reputation has been destroyed and damaged irreparably," Basu told the court.


"After reading these these tweets by Ramani, I believe that this vilification was conducted and the tweets were published intentionally by Ramani with a purpose to harm Akbar's good reputation and goodwill in the eyes of society," she said.


The journalist said that she has worked with Akbar for 20 years and had not heard anything "untoward" from the staff of the organisation where they worked together. He was a public figure who was held in high esteem.


"I have always held Mr Akbar in high regard. He has been perfectly professional in his dealings with me. He has always been a tough taskmaster, a thorough professional and a brilliant teacher," Basu said.


She said she considered him to be "a brilliant journalist, a scholarly writer and a thorough gentleman with an impeccable reputation". Basu said that she was "shocked, disappointed, embarrassed" to see Ramani's tweets against Akbar and "in spite of my experience with him, his image, his reputation took a beating in my eyes on reading these tweet/article.


"It was aggravated during my interaction with friends and colleagues who had read and heard about the widely publicised tweets and articles and asked me whether he was really like that? They questioned his character and said that his image has taken a severe beating and had been lowered in their eyes. They said that his reputation had been permanently damaged as far as they were concerned," she said. The court has now posted the matter for next hearing on December 7. --  PTI

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear a petition filed by the Criminal Justice Society of India, seeking a direction to review and amend the present rape laws gender neutral.


The petition demanded that Section 375 of the Indian Penal Code be declared violative.The apex court's division bench, headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, dismissed the PIL filed by the NGO.


The bench, while refusing to hear the PIL at this stage, said just because Section 377 was decriminalised, the court would not step in to make rape gender neutral, as the matter is in Parliament's domain."We are not inclined to interfere at this stage. The Parliament has to take a call in the issue," CJI Gogoi said.  -- ANI

Amid outrage among wildlife lovers over killing of tigress Avni, a senior forest department official has said that violations of guidelines are "evident" in the postmortem report which also found that the feline was shot while it was "facing away" from the shooter.


The postmortem report issued recently stated that the bullet which killed the tigress entered from the rear part of its left fore limb. "The animal was facing away from the shooter at that time," it said.


The report also raised doubts over the tranquiliser dart, which was seen on the big cat's carcass, suggesting that it was not even released from the tranquilising rifle.


"No haemorrhage was observed in the tigress' muscles at the darting spot. A dart fired from a syringe projector (tranquilising rifle) always leaves a significant and obvious haematoma, which was not observed in this case," it said. The senior forest department official said the revelations are "serious" and could cost some people "dearly".


"Violation of guidelines to capture or kill a protected species like tiger is evident," he said, on condition of anonymity. Asked about the shooter's claims that the tigress was killed in self-defence, the official said, "If it is true then how come the bullet entered from rear. And the tranquiliser dart is another evidence suggesting that it was not even used as a first option to bring the tigress under control."


The tigress, who had allegedly killed 13 people in Yavatmal district's Pandharkawda area in the last two years, was shot dead by a marksman hired by the state government in a forest there on November 2.


The BJP-led government in the state has come under fire over the killing of the tigress who left behind two 10-month-old cubs. The killing led to an outrage among animal lovers and wildlife organisations which accused the state government of violating norms. -- PTI

The Centre on Monday complied with a Supreme Court order and handed over to petitioners, who sought a court-monitored CBI probe into the procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets from France, the document detailing the decisions taken to procure the aircraft.


The document titled "Details of the steps in the decision making process leading to the award of 36 Rafale fighter aircraft order" stated that the process as laid down in the Defence Procurement Procedure-2013 has been followed in procurement of the Rafale aircraft. It said the procurement process laid down in the Defence Procurement Procedure has been completely followed for the procurement of aircraft and Approval of Defence Acquisition Council for aircraft taken for the same.


The documents said the Indian Negotiating Team was constituted which conducted negotiations with the French side for about an year and approval of the Cabinet Committee on Security, being the Competent Financial Authority, was taken before signing the Inter Government Agreement.


The document was supplied to the petitioners as per the apex court's October 31 order. The top court had said details, including the steps in the decision making process for the procurement of jets, which could "legitimately" be brought into public domain, be made available to the parties who have filed petitions before it in the matter.


It had also asked the Centre to place before it in a sealed cover within 10 days the pricing details of 36 Rafale fighter jets India is buying from France. The apex court, which had posted the matter for hearing on November 14, had categorically told the Centre that if the pricing detail was "exclusive" and could not be shared with the court then the Centre should file an affidavit in this regard and say so. -- PTI

The rupee weakened further and dipped by 54 paise to 73.04 against the US dollar Monday, owing to increased demand for the American currency from importers amid increasing global crude oil prices.


International benchmark Brent crude was trading higher by 2.04 per cent at USD 71.61 per barrel. Forex traders said besides increased demand for the US currency from importers, the dollar's strength against some currencies overseas weighed on the domestic unit. -- PTI

Two CoBRA personnel were injured in an encounter with Naxals in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district on Monday, even as polling was underway for the first phase of the state elections, police said. The skirmish took place at a forest in Pamed area, located around 500 km from the state capital Raipur, when a team of security personnel was patrolling in view of the voting going on in the region, a senior police official told PTI.


As per preliminary information, a group of Naxalites opened fire on the patrolling team of Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA), a elite unit of the Central Reserve Police Force, he said.


However, ultras fled from the spot after security personnel retaliated, he added. "Two CoBRA personnel, including a sub-inspector, received injuries in the incident," he said.


Reinforcement was rushed to the spot and efforts were on to evacuate the injured commandos by a helicopter, he said. Voting in 18 constituencies of eight Naxal-affected districts, including Bijapur, was underway on Monday. Around 1.25 lakh security personnel were deployed in the region to ensure peaceful polling. -- PTI

A healthy 25.15% voter turnout has been recorded till 1 pm in the first phase of the Chhattisgarh Assembly Elections even as two CoBRA personnel were injured in an exchange of fire with Naxals in Bijapur district.


Polling in 18 assembly constituencies in the first phase of the Chhattisgarh elections began on a slow note Monday with about 14 per cent of the electorate casting their votes in the first few hours, a poll official said.


An improvised explosive device was detonated early morning in Dantewada district by Naxals, who had called for a boycott of the polls, police said. Voting in nine seats of Bastar division and one seat in Rajnandgaon district began at 7 am while in the other eight seats, it started at 8 am.


Image: In Sukma, a 103-year-old woman, Soni Bai, exercised her voting rights at a polling booth in Gorgunda's Devarpalli. His son carried her to the polling station. Pic: ANI

Tulsi Gabbard, the first Hindu lawmaker in the US Congress, is considering a run for the American presidency in 2020, according to sources close to her.


On Friday, at a Medtronic conference in Los Angeles an eminent Indian-American Dr Sampat Shivangi introduced Gabbard, 37, and said that she could be the next president of the US in 2020.


The brief statement was marked by a standing ovation, in the presence of the four-term Congresswoman from Hawaii. Gabbard, a Democrat, who addressed the gathering, however neither confirmed or denied that she is running for president in 2020.


A decision on this could be taken before Christmas, which might not necessarily result in a formal announcement as that could be delayed till the next year, people familiar with her thinking process told PTI.


However, it is said that she and her team has quietly been reaching out to prospective donors, including a large number of Indian Americans, and volunteers to build an impressive campaign for her 2020 run.


Given that Gabbard is highly popular among Indian-Americans, a constituency she has nurtured from the very beginning of her political carrier, it is but natural that her team has quietly started reaching out to this community, which is considered as the richest ethnic group after the Jewish Americans.


File pic: Tulsi Gabbard with PM Modi in 2014

Journalist Joyeeta Basu records statement in defamation case filed by MJ Akbar in Delhi's Patiala House Court: "I've always held him in high regard. He has been professional in his dealings with me. He has always been a tough taskmaster, thorough professional & a brilliant teacher."

Uttar Pradesh deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma has said that the Ram temple in Ayodhya will be built "when Lord Ram wants it". Sharma was in Bahraich on Sunday to attend a programme at the residence of UP co-operative minister Mukut Bihari Verma.


"The BJP has explained its stand on Ram temple in its Sankalp patra. Every work is done by God," Sharma said. "The sooner the benevolence of Lord Ram showers, the work (constructing the temple) will be accomplished. When Lord Ram wants, he will become the kaarak (factor) and kaaran (reason)," he added. The UP deputy chief minister also said, "Our country runs on religion and belief. And, it motivates us to move on the path of piety." -- PTI

Aviation regulator DGCA has suspended the flying licence of Air India Director of Operations Arvind Kathpalia who failed alcohol test Sunday, a senior official said. On Sunday, Air India grounded Kathpalia after he failed to clear pre-flight alcohol test. In the case of Kathpalia being detected 'BA positive' on November 11, the privileges of his licence have been suspended for a period of three years as per the provisions of applicable regulations, the official said. The suspension is effective from November 11.


Rule 24 of the Aircraft Rules prohibits crew members from partaking any alcoholic drink 12 hours prior to the commencement of a flight, and it is mandatory for him/her to undergo an alcohol test both before and after operating a flight.


The prescribed punishment for such offences under the DGCA rules is suspension of flying licence for three months in case of first breach. For violating the norms for a second time, the licence is suspended for three years and for a third time, the licence is permanently cancelled. -- PTI

@RahulGandhi tweets: Jack Dorsey, the Co Founder & CEO of Twitter dropped in to chat this morning. Twitter has grown into the most dominant "conversations' platform globally. Jack explained some of the steps being taken to keep those conversations healthy & to tackle the menace of fake news. 

Capital First's founder and chairman V Vaidyanathan has gifted 4.29 lkah shares, worth over Rs20 crore from his personal stake to 26 of his colleagues, three former employees, 10 close relatives and five of his personal staff including house help and drivers. This is a gesture of gratitude to his colleagues, close relatives and personal staff, who stood with him in all the ups and downs of building the Capital First brand.  Read more

Election Commission on Chhattisgarh elections: "Certain sources are spreading rumours that EVMs are malfunctioning repeatedly. This is to clarify that above information is false. Voting is going on smoothly. If at all, any glitches are noticed, issue is sorted out as quickly as possible."


However, voters in Jagdalpur's Gandhi Nagar ward protested outside the polling centre, saying, "The names of many voters are missing including those who have been living here for the past 25 years."


Polling in 18 assembly constituencies in the first phase of the Chhattisgarh elections began on a slow note Monday with about 14 per cent of the electorate casting their votes in the first few hours, a poll official said.     


An improvised explosive device was detonated early morning in Dantewada district by Naxals, who had called for a boycott of the polls, police said.   


Voting in nine seats of Bastar division and one seat in Rajnandgaon district began at 7 am while in the other eight seats, it started at 8 am.


Image: Voters in Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh, say many names are missing from the electoral rolls. Pic: ANI

The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) Monday filed its preliminary probe report relating to CBI Director Alok Kumar Verma in a sealed cover in the Supreme Court today. A bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice SK Kaul took the report on record and fixed the next hearing on November 16. During the hearing, interim CBI Director M Nageswar Rao also filed his report on decisions taken by him from October 23 till date as head of the agency.  -- PTI


Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the court that former apex court judge A K Patnaik supervised the CVC inquiry which was completed on November 10.


The CJI observed that the Registry was open on Sunday also but no intimation was given to the Registrar regarding filing of the report. Later the SG tendered an apology and said though he was not explaining the circumstances there was delay on their part in submitting the report. -- PTI

Bharatpur: The mortal remains of BSF Sub-Inspector Mahender Singh who lost his life in an IED blast in Chhattisgarh's Kanker yesterday, was brought to his residence in Dumariya village, Rajasthan.

Plummeting oil prices and signs of a coming global oversupply are bringing producers closer to a pact to cut output, report Summer Said, Christopher Alessi and Benoit Faucon in the Wall Street Journal.   

The last rites of Union minister Ananth Kumar, who passed away in Bengaluru Monday, will be performed on Tuesday afternoon, Karnataka BJP said. The mortal remains of Kumar was placed at his residence in Basavanagudifor the entire day today, state BJP General Secretary N RaviKumar said in a statement. He said, by 8 am on Tuesday, it would be taken to Jagannath Bhavan, BJP state office at Malleshwaram, where arrangements would be made for party workers and his followers to pay their last respects.


Kumar's body would then be taken to National College Ground in the city for public to pay their respects, and the last rites would be performed at 1 pm at Chjamarajapete crematorium, the statement added.


Kumar died at a private hospital in Bengaluru in the early hours of Monday after battling lung cancer for several months. PTI

BJP President Amit Shah pays a floral tribute to Union Minister Ananth Kumar at the party headquarters in New Delhi. The national flag will fly at half mast throughout the country on Monday as a mark of respect to the Union Minister who passed away in the early hours, the Home Ministry announced. The Central government will also accord a state funeral to the Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister.

The Supreme Court Monday declined early hearing of petitions in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute case. A bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice SK Kaul said it had already listed the appeals before the appropriate bench in January.


"We have already passed the order. The appeals are coming up in January. Permission declined," the bench said while rejecting the request of early hearing of lawyer Barun Kumar Sinha, appearing for Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha. -- PTI

As voting for the first phase of the Chhattisgarh Assembly elections is underway, a 100-year-old woman, Viswas, cast her vote at a polling station in Dornapal district.


The woman was helped by her son as she visited the polling booth set up near her house. The woman looked very fragile but it did not stop her to exercise her franchise.


The first phase of the Assembly elections for 18 seats began on a full swing on Monday. Of these, 12 are Scheduled Tribe seats while one is a Scheduled Caste seat.


Out of the 18 seats, 12 are located in the sensitive Baster region dominated by the Maoists.


Talking about the preparations undertaken by the poll body and the government, Chief Election Commissioner, OP Rawat, said, "As many as 900 polling personnel have been air-dropped from helicopters so that they can reach safely. Over 16,500 polling personnel went by road. I we  will be in a position to deliver peaceful elections." -- ANI

"Raman Singh will certainly be defeated by the alliance we have created," Ajit Jogi, Chhattisgarh's first chief minister and one of Indian politics's great survivors, tells Rediff.com's Archana Masih. Read the report here.

In Jharkhand, children of Naxal-affected Chakulia's Pochpani village carry bow and arrows to school to protect themselves from Naxals. Locals say the children have to pass through a forest area where a number of Naxals have been spotted.

In Dantewada, a differently-abled person reaches Chintagupha polling booth to cast his vote in the first phase of the Chhattisgarh Assembly Elections 2018.

Voting underway in interior areas of Kistaram, Palem and Bejji in Naxal-affected Sukma district in Chhattisgarh. An IED was detected near a polling booth in Konta's Banda in Sukma. Nevertheless voters queued up at polling booths like this makeshift one under a tree, to cast their vote. 10.7% voter turnout recorded till 10 am in the first phase in 18 constituencies in the Naxal hotbed. At least 700 paramilitary companies have been deployed to keep the peace.


A thick security blanket, comprising over 1.25 lakh police and paramilitary personnel, was thrown across the 18 constituencies as they fall under the Naxal-hit areas of Bastar, Kanker, Sukma, Bijapur, Dantewada, Narayanpur, Kondagaon and Rajnandgaon districts.


Polling in 10 constituencies -- Mohla-Manpur, Antagarh, Bhanupratappur, Kanker, Keshkal, Kondagaon, Narayanpur, Dantewada, Bijapur and Konta -- started at 7 am and would conclude at 3 pm, an election official said.


In the other eight constituencies -- Khairgarh, Dongargarh, Rajnandgaon, Dongargaon, Khujji, Bastar, Jagdalpur and Chitrakot -- voting began at 8 am and would end at 5 pm, he said.

The BSE benchmark Sensex recovered by over 155 points and the NSE Nifty breached the 10,600-mark in opening trade Monday on fresh buying by investors, ahead of release of macroeconomic data later in the day.


Traders said, fresh fund inflows by foreign funds and a bullish trend on other Asian bourses also influenced trading sentiments.


The 30-share Sensex was quoting 155.14 points, or 0.44 per cent higher at 35,313.69 points. The gauge had lost over 79 points on Friday. Reflecting the market's better mood, all the sectoral indices led by consumer durables, IT, healthcare and banking were trading in the positive zone with gains up to 1.66 per cent.


Also, the NSE Nifty was trading higher by 46.55 points, or 0.44 per cent, to 10,631.75. Brokers said, building up of positions by domestic investors ahead of the release of index of industrial production data for September and inflation data for October later in the day, buoyed trading sentiment.


Among the Sensex constituents, Kotak Bank, Bharti Airtel, IndusInd Bank, Adani Ports, Infosys, HDFC Ltd, Tata Steel, M&M, TCS, ONGC, Coal India, Asian Paints, Bajaj Auto, L&T, Vedanta Ltd, Sun Pharma, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and Axis Bank were major gainers, rising by up to 1.49 per cent. -- PTI

"Is it because Salman didn't expect his protge, who once dated his sister Arpita (when both were young, nice and plump) to get seriously involved with his bhabhi? That shouldn't matter either since Arjun and Arpita broke up ages ago and, at that time, the young Kapoor wasn't even looking at Malaika.

"Could it be that Salman felt cheated that a fat boy he had brought into the house to use his gym, a boy on whom he prevailed to shed weight fast, had found chemistry with his bhabhi?"


Read the column here.

The national flag will fly at half mast throughout the country on Monday as a mark of respect to Union Minister Ananth Kumar, who passed away in the early hours, the Home Ministry announced. The Central government will also accord a state funeral to the Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister.


"Following the unfortunate demise of Union Minister Ananth Kumar, it has been decided that the national flag will fly at half mast throughout the country today and a state funeral will be accorded," a Home Ministry spokesperson said.


Kumar died at a private hospital in Bengaluru in the early hours of Monday after battling lung cancer for several months. A six-time MP, Kumar was in the inner circle of the central leadership of the BJP -- be it during the heydays of Atal Bihari Vajpayee or L K Advani and now Narendra Modi. --  PTI

Bengaluru: Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala pays last respects to Union Minister Ananth Kumar.