Plot to kill Salman: Gang tried to befriend staff

Delhi Police on Thursday made a sensational revelation in the case pertaining to the alleged plot to kill Salman Khan, and said that the Lawrence Bishnoi gang members tried to befriend the staff of the actor's farmhouse in Mumbai to ascertain the details about the timings about his entry and exit.

Special Commissioner of Police, Special Cell of Delhi Police, HGS Dhaliwal said that the gang members also did the recce of the area around Salman's farmhouse to know the speed at which the vehicle would move while coming in and out of his house due to the potholes on the roads.

The shooters had carried small pistol cartridges.

He said that before the murder of Sidhu Moose Wala, the gang had prepared a 'plan B' to kill the actor.

Speaking to ANI, the official said, "They took stock of Salman Khan's farmhouse, saw the road access, noted the speed limit at which the vehicle would move in and out due to the potholes on roads. They posed as Salman Khan's fans and tried to befriend the staff of his house so that they could know the timings of his entry and exit and the people who accompany him."

Detailing the trail of incidents that unfolded as part of their planning,

Dhaliwal said that Gangster Lawrence Bishnoi's gang members had done the recce of the farmhouse of the actor and had rented a room nearby for over a month.

"Kapil Pandit, Santosh Jadhav, Sachin Vishnoi Thapan had come to stay with a rented room in Panvel in the Waze area of Mumbai. There is a farmhouse of Salman Khan in Panvel, so on the way to the same farmhouse, Lawrence's shooters had rented a room and stayed here for about one and a half months," he said.

"Following the instructions by Bishnoi to keep collecting more information, Kapil Pandit, Santosh Jadhav and Sachin Bishnoi did the recce. But during that period, they were more after Sidhu. Due to that basic groundwork was done, but the syndicate's effort was on Sidhu who was killed on 29 May after several attempts," the official added.

Kapil Pandit was a sharpshooter of the Goldie-Bishnoi gang and was arrested in a joint operation by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police and Punjab Police from the Indo-Pak border recently.

Notably, the plot to kill Salman Khan was uncovered in 2018.

Meanwhile, the investigation in the Salman Khan threat case has been transferred to Crime Branch.

"Earlier, the case was being investigated by Bandra Police. Mumbai Crime Branch officials expected to go to Delhi to interrogate the accused arrested in this case," said the Mumbai Police.   -- ANI

She confirmed her appearance in an interview with Mirchi Plus and even revealed that she will grace the famous Koffee couch with her girl gang including Maheep Kapoor, Bhavna Pandey, Seema Sajdeh, and Neelam Kothari. 

 However, her husband and superstar Shah Rukh Khan won't be accompanying her. 

Gauri made her Koffee With Karan debut in 2005. 

If reports are to be believed, Gauri and Shah Rukh's daughter Suhana will also be making her debut on the show this year. She may come along with her The Archies co-stars including Khushi Kapoor and Agastya Nanda. 

A day after eight Congress MLAs in Goa joined the Bharatiya Janata Party, the grand old party on Thursday accused the ruling outfit of luring away the legislators by offering Rs 40-50 crore to each one of them.

Congress's Goa desk in-charge Dinesh Gundu Rao, who arrived in Goa in the wake of the political developments in the coastal state, made these allegations in a press conference in Panaji.

The BJP, however, rubbished the charges saying that the eight Congress legislators joined the ruling party not for monetary gains but because they were impressed by its development agenda.

The eight Congress MLAs, including former chief minister Digambar Kamat, on Wednesday joined the ruling BJP, dealing a body blow to the opposition party which is now left with just three MLAs in the 40-member Assembly.

"Money to the tune of Rs 40-50 crore was paid to each MLA to switch over, or maybe they were having the fear of the central agencies. The national party (BJP) is doing such things everywhere. Where is all this money coming from? They are misusing the power. They are breaking the elected representatives," Rao alleged.

The BJP is coming with thousands of crores of rupees and targeting the opposition MLAs through agencies like Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), he claimed.

"Has even one ED notice been issued to any BJP MLA? This is the kind of politics that we are fighting against. If we don't fight, then the country will be destroyed," he said.

Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president Amit Patkar said one of the MLAs was initially approached (by the BJP) with Rs 30 crore cash, but he was not ready for that amount.

Hence, in order to convince him, additional Rs 10 crore were offered to him within two hours.

"But since he was not willing even after that, he was given Rs 5 crore more, only after which he agreed," he said without naming the MLA.

During the press conference, Rao lashed out at Michael Lobo, one of the MLAs who joined the BJP, calling him a 'rat'.

"We thought he (Lobo) was a lion, but he turned out to be a rat. There is no leadership quality in him," Rao said, adding that the Congress had consulted several people before giving a ticket to Lobo and they had given a positive feedback.

"We thought that he will remain in the Congress. We gave him ticket and supported him. At that point of time, it was a right decision. We felt that his coming in was good for us. But it was a mistake for us to take such  kind of a person," he said.

The BJP retained power in the coastal state after the state assembly elections in February this year.

Before the Congress MLAs joined the BJP on Wednesday, the ruling party had 20 MLAs in the assembly.

The Congress' strength has now came down to three.

BJP's Goa unit president Sadanad Shet Tanavade, however, dismissed the Congress's allegations.

He said the eight legislators joined the BJP not for monetary gains, but because they were impressed by the party's development agenda.

"BJP's central leadership gave a green signal to the induction of these eight MLAs, who have joined without any condition," Tanavade said.

He said the Congress MLAs realised that their party was getting vanished and that the BJP was working on the agenda of development.   -- PTI

The development comes three months after Bieber announced that he was diagnosed with the Ramsay-Hunt Syndrome, which had caused him partial facial paralysis. 

The 28-year-old Grammy winner, who was set to perform in New Delhi on October 18 as part of 'Justin Bieber Justice World Tour', had said on June 15 that he was putting a pause on his world tour due to illness. 

A spokesperson for BookMyShow, the Indian producers of the tour, said they are "extremely disappointed" about the concert being called off. 

"We are extremely disappointed to share that the Justin Bieber Justice World Tour India' scheduled for October 18th, 2022 at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi, has been cancelled owing to the singer's health concerns. 

"We have just been informed that due to health concerns, he will unfortunately not be able to make it next month," the spokesperson said in a statement. 

The New Delhi gig would have marked Bieber's second visit to India post his 2017 Purpose World Tour. 

Due to the cancellation of the Justin Bieber Justice World Tour India', the spokesperson said the company would refund the ticket amount to people. 

"BookMyShow has already initiated a full and complete refund of the ticket amount for all consumers who had purchased tickets for the show. 

"The complete refund will be reflected within 10 working days in the customer's source account of the original transaction. We deeply regret the inconvenience caused but we promise, there is a lot more music and live entertainment coming your way, soon," they said. 

The Canadian singer was also set to travel to over 30 countries, playing more than 125 shows, from May 2022 to March 2023. He, however, had performed some shows in the North American leg of the tour in May. 

According to the statement, Bieber has also cancelled other stops in the tour's run-up to the India show, including Chile, Argentina, Brazil, South Africa, Bahrain, UAE and Israel.

All 288 swab samples tested during the 15th genome sequencing series in Mumbai have been found infected with the Omicron sub-variants of coronavirus, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said on Thursday.

In a release issued during the day, it said the samples were collected between June 12 and September 1, adding that all of the patients had already recovered.

Out of the 288 samples, 106 samples (37 per cent) had the BA.2.75 variant, 96 (33 per cent) were of the BA.2.75.1 variant, and 60 (21 per cent) were found with BA. 2.75.2 variant.

'Apart from this, six samples each were found with BA.5.2 and BJ.1 variants, four samples of BA 2.76 variant, three samples of BA 2 variant, two of BA.1 variant and one each of BA.2.10.4, BA.2.74, BA.5.1, BE.1 and BE.3 variants,' the release said.

Giving details of the 288 patients from whom the samples were collected, the civic body said 91 (32 per cent) were in the 21-40 age group, 84 (29 per cent) in the 61-80 age group, 77 (27 per cent) in the 41-60 age group, 26 (9 per cent) were above 81 years of age and 10 (3 per cent) patients were in the sub-20 years segment.

Of this 10, a total of three patients were in the 0-3 age group and seven in the 0-18 age group, it added.

The release also highlighted that two patients out of 288 had not taken a single dose of the coronavirus vaccine, 84 (29 per cent) had taken just one jab, and 202 (70 per cent) had taken both doses.

As on Wednesday, Mumbai's COVID-19 tally stood at 11,48,502, including 19,721 deaths.   -- PTI

This was the second time that she was summoned for questioning by the Delhi police for her alleged role in the case, they said. 

Fatehi was questioned alongside Pinki Irani who allegedly introduced her to Chandrashekhar. 

Irani was quizzed on Wednesday too along with actor Jacqueline Fernandez in connection with the case, the police said. 

A senior police officer said both Irani and Fatehi joined the probe at the economic offences wing's office at Mandir Marg. 

"Fatehi, her brother-in-law Mehboob alias Bobby and Irani were questioned for nearly five hours. All of them cooperated during the investigation and they were provided lunch. Since Irani had approached Fatehi's brother-in-law as well, all the three were also confronted with each other," he said. 

"We had already questioned Fatehi but we wanted to seek details about who actually received a car as a gift from Chandrashekhar's wife after she attended an event for the couple in Chennai and check details of the bank statements of her brother-in-law," the officer added. 

Fatehi and her brother-in-law were given a questionnaire which had 30 questions. They answered all questions, he added.

The 'Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Bill' was passed by the legislative assembly in December last. 

As the Bill was pending for passage in the legislative council, where the ruling BJP was short of majority then, the government had subsequently promulgated an ordinance in May this year to give effect to the bill. 

Home Minister Araga Jnanendra piloted the Bill for the consideration of the Upper House today. 

Noting that in recent times religious conversions have become widespread, he said there have been mass conversions with allurements and through force, disturbing peace and leading to mistrust among people following different religions. 

The Bill does not take away anyone's religious freedom and anyone can practise the religion of his or her choice, but not under pressure and allurements, Jnanendra said. 

Leader of Opposition in the legislative council B K Hariprasad even tore a  copy of the Bill in protest as the pro-tem Chairman Raghunath Rao Malkapure was in the process of putting the bill to vote. 

Hariprasad termed the Bill as "unconstitutional" and will affect the right to religion. 

Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister J C Madhuswamy maintained that the bill was well within the scope of the Constitution of India. 

The Bill that has been vehemently opposed by some Christian community leaders, provides for the protection of right to freedom of religion and prohibition of unlawful conversion from one religion to another by misrepresentation, force, undue influence, coercion, allurement or by any fraudulent means.

Chief Justice of India (CJI) U U Lalit refuted any rift among judges of the Supreme Court in relation to the new listing system of cases on Thursday, and said that 'all judges are on the same page'.

"We have taken a new way of listing. What has been reported is not the correct state of affairs. All Judges are completely on the same page," CJI Lalit said in the felicitation function organised for him by the Supreme Court Bar Association.

The CJI elaborated that the new listing system was a work in progress that has shown promise by disposing of 5,200 cases since its introduction.

Earlier on Wednesday, Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul remarked that the new listing system does not give adequate time to take up matters fixed for hearing.

The bench, also comprising Justice Abhay Oka, said that many cases cannot be taken up as there are a number of matters within the span of the 'Afternoon' session.

'The new listing system is not giving adequate time to take up matters fixed for hearing like the present case as there are a number of matters within the span of 'Afternoon' session,' the order passed by the bench of Justice Kaul had said.

CJI Lalit, while addressing the gathering said that till yesterday, the apex court could dispose of 5,200 matters as against filing of 1,135 cases.

"As a result of change over, there have been certain instances where matters were listed on the 11th hour. Difficult for judges, indebted to them for discharging everything with a smiling face. That's how we were able to dispose of 5,200," he said.

We have been able to reduce the arrears by 4,000, CJI said terming it a good beginning.

"So many matters were pending and had become infructuous. So we had to dispose of them and the results are before you," CJI added.

After assuming the office of CJI, one of the first changes introduced by CJI Lalit was regarding the hearing of cases in the top court on non-miscellaneous days (Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays).

As per this, on non-miscellaneous days, the apex court currently hears regular matters in the morning session (10.30 am to 1 pm) and miscellaneous and after notice matters in the afternoon session (2 pm to 4 pm).

Earlier, the norm was to take up miscellaneous matters first and then proceed to the regular hearing.

CJI also said that it was always his dream to become a judge of the Supreme Court.

"It's a privilege to be a lawyer. Everything I am today is a because of this legal profession. I can't consider myself to be anything other than this profession. Being a member of this bar association was a matter of privilege," CJI further said.

Attorney General (AG) KK Venugopal also attending the felicitation ceremony said that he was happy to have a CJI of 'unquestionable integrity and calm' who doesn't raise his voice whatever may be the provocation.

"We are all happy that one among us, who is a member of the Supreme Court Bar Association, is holding the highest judicial office in the country. Only a few among us have had the privilege of being directly elevated to the bench of the Supreme Court of India. We are additionally happy that we are having a Chief Justice of India of unquestionable integrity," AG said.

"If the last two and half weeks of Justice Lalit's tenure have shown us anything it is that he is committed to planting a seed of lasting change and that his tenure offers a great future for this institution," AG further said. -- ANI

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has invited acclaimed mountaineer Santosh Yadav to be the chief guest at its annual Dussehra function in Nagpur.

She will be the first woman chief guest at the event where the organisation's chief Mohan Bhagwat lays out its views on a variety of germane issues and sets its agenda, said RSS' joint publicity chief Narender Thakur.

Yadav, 54, is the first woman to climb Mount Everest twice.

The RSS has traditionally invited distinguished persons from different walks of life as its chief guest at the much anticipated event.

Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi and former president Pranab Mukherjee have been among the chief guests in the recent years.   -- PTI

Calling the action of the ED as harassment, he questioned the timing of the summons when the Congress's Bharat Jodo Yatra was on and when the state assembly session was underway. 

The former minister, who is also an MLA, said he is ready to cooperate, but it is coming in the way of discharging his constitutional and political duties. 

"In the midst of the #BharatJodoYatra and the assembly session, they have again issued me an ED summon to appear. I am ready to cooperate but the timing of this summon and the harassment I am put through, is coming in the way of discharging my constitutional and political duties," Shivakumar tweeted. 

AICC general secretary in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala said seeing the "overwhelming" public support for Congress and "resounding" response to the preparation for the yatra, the Narendra Modi-headed government at the Centre has brought the ED -- "the Election Dept of BJP" -- to target Shivakumar. 

"Such cowardly acts will strengthen our resolve to decimate the corrupt Bommai (Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai) government," he said. 

The ED had arrested Shivakumar on September 3, 2019, in a money-laundering case and the Delhi high court granted him bail in October that year. 

The agency had, in May, filed the charge sheet against Shivakumar and others in the case which it had registered as a corollary to a complaint filed by the income tax (I-T) department. 

The I-T department, during the initial probe, had allegedly found "unaccounted and misreported" wealth linked to the Congress leader. 

Shivakumar had rejected the charges against him as "baseless" and "politically motivated."

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Thursday said he called on Governor Ramesh Bais and urged him to clear the confusion prevailing in the state for the last three weeks over his continuation as an MLA in an office of profit case.

The opposition Bhartiya Janata Party was using this atmosphere of uncertainty to destabilise a democratically elected government by trying to poach MLAs, Soren claimed.

'Provide a copy of the decision of the Election Commission and provide an opportunity for reasonable hearing at the earliest so that the atmosphere of uncertainty, which is dangerous for healthy democracy, can be removed soon,' Soren said in a letter that he handed over to the Governor.

Following a petition by the BJP seeking Soren's disqualification from the Assembly in an office of profit case, the Election Commission (EC) sent its decision to the state Governor on August 25, sparking a political crisis in the state.

Though the EC's decision has not yet been made official, there is a buzz that the poll panel has recommended the chief minister's disqualification as an MLA.   -- PTI

"Hostile and nuclear-armed neighbours and developments on the country's borders with China have reinforced the need to maintain modern, agile and technologically empowered armed forces at all times," he said while highlighting the need to possess modern technological capabilities. 

 In his video message addressed to the students of Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT) Nagpur on the occasion of its 20th convocation, Gen Pande also said that India's security environment is defined by a combination of legacy challenges of disputed borders and emerging threats in new domains of cyber, space and the electromagnetic spectrum. 

 "India has hostile, nuclear-armed neighbours and an unstable neighbourhood. Developments on our northern borders with China over the past two years, including the clash at Galwan, have reinforced the need to maintain modern, agile and technologically empowered armed forces at all times. Our dependence on imported technologies for defence and security has emerged as a strategic vulnerability," he said. 

"Today's security is founded on technological prowess. There is no country willing to share the latest, state of art technologies, he said. The security of the nation can neither be outsourced, nor be dependent on the largesse of others. Self sufficiency in critical technologies is a strategic imperative that can no longer be ignored," the Chief of the Army Staff said. 

 "Within a short period, an entire ecosystem of start-ups supporting the defence industry has come up in the country. This a very reassuring development, through which the vision of 'atmanirbharta' (self-sufficiency) will soon be a reality. There is a long way to go, but we are moving steadily on the right track," he said. -- PTI

Superintendent of Police Sanjeev Suman told ANI over the phone citing the report that the two minors were murdered after being raped. The girls' postmortem report stated, "death due to asphyxia as a result of ante mortem strangulation."

This comes a day after the two girls were found hanging from the tree in the Lakhimpur Kheri district on Wednesday.

Protests broke out after the news came to light with the father of the deceased demanding justice for his daughters stating that the "culprits should be hanged". He also demanded a compensation of Rs 1 crore and a government job for one of the family members.

"My daughters were abducted from the house and then they were raped and murdered. I demand justice, and the culprits should be hanged," said the father of the victims.

He has also questioned the police action and demanded compensation.

Earlier, Additional Director General (law and order) Prashant Kumar said that the post-mortem has been completed and the body has been handed over to the family members, who will perform the last rites according to their customs. -- ANI

 Kumar expressed confidence that the Congress would give a befitting reply to the AAP in the Gujarat Assembly polls expected to be held in December, and admitted that the party needs to be more aggressive in the present political scenario. 

 "It is now clear that the AAP is a 'B team' of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Recently, the AAP government in Delhi under CM Arvind Kejriwal was found to be involved in the liquor scam worth nearly Rs 3,000 crore. Kejriwal should be exposed as the biggest liar and AAP as the most corrupt party," Kumar told reporters.

"Congress in Gujarat will definitely give a befitting response to AAP. People cannot be fooled all the time. We also admit that Congress needs to be more aggressive," the Congress leader said during a press conference.

 Kumar, who is a member of the Congress Working Committee, alleged that the AAP's 'Delhi Model' is as hollow as BJP's 'Gujarat Model'. 

 He also termed AAP as "Arvind Advertisement Party'' and "Arvind Actor Party'', accusing Kejriwal of spending a lot of money on advertisement and publicity instead of the real causes. 

 "Kejriwal has now come to Gujarat after misguiding the people of Punjab. Kejriwal is not Chhota Modi, he is Bada Modi. He is a super PhD in making false promises. He had spent nearly Rs 1,000 crore on his publicity across India during the last eight years," Kumar said. He alleged that the AAP government in Punjab spent Rs 36 crore in just two months to publish its advertisements in poll-bound Gujarat. 

 Attacking Kejriwal over the education model of the Delhi government, Kumar said despite the tall claims made by the AAP, 80 per cent government schools are still without principals while only 63 'model schools' were built as against the promise of 500. -- PTI

 For the funeral, many guests ranging from political heads of countries to distinct royal family members and dignitaries from across the globe will fly to the UK. Although the official guest list hasn't been released yet, New York Post has shared the names of a few countries that didn't make the cut.

 1. Russia 2. Belarus 3. Afghanistan 4. Myanmar 5. Syria 6. Venezuela.

According to the online publication, Russian President Vladimir Putin wished King Charles III on his accession recently, however, the country was still snubbed by the UK as they reportedly didn't get an invite for the funeral. It's also interesting to note here that North Korea, Iran, and Nicaragua were sent invites however those were only sent out to their ambassadorial representatives and not the head of state.

 He said if the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) does not arrest him within four days, it will be accepted that the purported sting video is yet another lie and part of the conspiracy "hatched at the offices of the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to topple the Arvind Kejriwal-led government in Delhi". 

Sisodia's reaction came after the BJP shared the purported sting to claim that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi framed its excise policy to help a select few and used the money earned through alleged corruption to fund its campaign in Goa and Punjab assembly polls.

 The BJP showed the sting at a press conference in which a person linked to liquor trade is claiming that the Kejriwal government deliberately kept smaller players out of its "tailor-made" excise policy, now scrapped, to help a few persons monopolise the market. 

"Kejriwal has no moral right to continue as chief minister," the party said. "Since the CBI did not get anything from my residence and bank locker while carrying out searches, they have brought a new sting," Sisodia told reporters at a press conference when asked for his comment on the sting. 

"I want to request the BJP to hand over this so-called sting right now to the CBI. The CBI, which is an extended branch of the BJP, should carry out a speedy investigation and must arrest me within four days, till Monday, if there is any truth in the sting," he added. 

 He alleged that conspiracies like filing of fake CBI and ED cases as well as raids and searches by the central probe agencies are hatched "day and night" at the offices of the BJP and the prime minister to topple the other parties' governments in the states. -- PTI

 The girls, aged 15 and 17, were found hanging from a tree in a sugarcane field about a kilometre from their home in Nighasan police station area on Wednesday. 

 Police sources said the post-mortem report stated that the girls were raped while strangulation was confirmed as the cause of death. 

 According to preliminary investigation, the two sisters left their home on Wednesday afternoon with two of the accused, Junaid and Sohail, Lakhimpur Kheri Superintendent of Police (SP) Sanjiv Suman told reporters. 

 "Junaid and Sohail have confessed to strangulating the girls after raping them," Suman added. The SP also said Junaid and Sohail were allegedly in a relationship with the two sisters. 

 "We have arrested Junaid, Sohail, Hafizur Rehman, Karimuddin, Arif and Chottu in an overnight operation," said Suman. Junaid was arrested following an encounter around 8.30 am, the police said. 

The motorcycle used in the crime was also recovered. The police have also seized a country-made pistol and ammunition from him. Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar said Junaid was injured in the encounter. "The bodies have been handed over to the girls' family, who will conduct their last rites," Kumar said.

 SP Suman said the clothes of the other accused have also been sent for examination as part of a detailed probe. A case has been registered against them under sections 302 (murder), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 452 (house-trespass after preparation for hurt, assault or wrongful restraint), 376 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Suman also dismissed claims that police used force to send the bodies for post-mortem. The post-mortem had been conducted with the family's consent and in their presence, he said. Videography of the post-mortem examination was also done, the SP added. 

 The victims' mother lodged a complaint at Nighasan Kotwali police station late on Wednesday night, alleging that her daughters were raped and murdered. She alleged that three motorcycle-borne unidentified youths, along with her neighbour Chhotu, stormed her hutment and abducted her daughters. When she resisted, one of them kicked her and took the girls on a motorcycle towards the fields outside the village, the victims' mother alleged. 

 The family later found the girls' bodies hanging from a tree in a field a few hundred metres from their village, she said. After the incident came to light, the villagers staged a demonstration at Nighasan Cross. 

 The police took the bodies into custody and sent them to the district headquarters in an ambulance shortly after, while SP Suman and Assistant Superintendent of Police (APS) Arun Kumar Singh spoke to the villagers to assuage them. -- PTI

 "Russian President Putin is going to participate in the forthcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit. PM Modi is also going. We've already announced that there will be a number of meetings in Samarkand, including with PM Modi," Alipov said in an interview with ANI. 

 The 22nd Summit of the Council of Heads of the SCO Member States (SCO-CoHS) is set to commence on Thursday in Samarkand in Uzbekistan after two years of the COVID-19 pandemic.

 "SCO has been very successful. It is an established organisation with various mechanisms and extensive cooperation on various tracks. Hundreds of mechanisms operate under the SCO organisation, not only on political matters and matters related to security, but primarily in economic area, in trade, and in creating opportunities, jobs for the people of the member countries," the Russian envoy said. 

 "This is an organisation that has been a factor of stability in the region. Its influence increasing reflected in the intentions and desire of many countries to join the organisation," Alipov added.

When he bathes, jail wardens remain nearby, and the plate on which he is served his meals is taken back immediately after he finishes eating, said jail's superintendent Rakesh Bhangre. Looking at his instincts to commit crime, the serial killer is not kept with the other prisoners. He is confined to an isolation cell. 

Six cases including four of serial killing have been registered against him, Bhangre told PTI.

 As Dhurve is considered capable of using any available material as a weapon, he is not allowed to keep any utensils with him, the superintendent told PTI. He was not kept with other inmates as they fear him after coming to know what he has been accused of, the official said. B

ut since he was lodged in the prison on September 6, his behaviour has been normal, Bhangre added. 

"We have given him religious and educational books to reform him," the prison superintendent said. 

So far nobody from his family has visited him in prison, according to Bhangre. Dhurve, who has studied up to class 8, is accused of bludgeoning three security guards to death in Sagar and another in Bhopal for no apparent reason. He was arrested on September 2. The first three killings attributed to him took place in Sagar in the span of 72 hours. The last killing was committed in Bhopal only a few hours before police nabbed him. PTI

"This was just the beginning and one day the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government might even "trade Mumbai," said the editorial in the Sena mouthpiece "Saamana". 

Before this, an international finance centre (which eventually took shape as Gujarat International Finance Tech- GIFT City) was shifted to Gujarat from Mumbai, the editorial alleged. 

 A blame-game has begun in Maharashtra following the announcement two days ago that the joint venture semiconductor project of the Indian conglomerate Vedanta and Taiwanese electronics giant Foxconn, proposed to be set up near Pune earlier, will come up in Gujarat. 

Without naming the BJP, the Sena mouthpiece alleged that like this project, some people also harbour the desire to "conquer" Mumbai-Thane and undermine Maharashtra's prosperity. 

"This was the reason a puppet chief minister was installed in Maharashtra," Saamana alleged. 

When BJP's Devendra Fadnavis was chief minister from 2014-19, the GIFT City project was handed over to Gujarat, and current CM Eknath Shinde similarly allowed the semiconductor plant to slip away, it claimed. Tomorrow they will not hesitate to even trade Mumbai. Foxconn is a start, the editorial said. This is a serious attack on Maharashtra's prestige, it further said. -- PTI

Rumours around Putin's health and threat to life have been swirling around since Russia invaded Ukraine in February this year. 

As far as the Russian President is concerned, he publicly disclosed in 2017 that he has survived at least five assassination attempts.

According to the account on the Telegram channel, the left front wheel of Putin's limousine was hit by a loud bang, Euro Weekly reported, adding that the car was quickly driven to safety even as smoke emerged out of it.

The Russian President was unharmed in the in the incident, but the outlet said that a number of arrests have been made.

"Onion farmers are facing financial difficulties due to a fall in onion prices. Therefore, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has requested the Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Supplies Piyush Goyal to buy 2 lakh metric tonnes of onion through Price Stabilization Fund through Nafed," a statement by Maharashtra chief minister's office said. 

However, the statement from the CMO did not mention anything about the current selling price of onions in the state.Onion is the main cash crop in Maharashtra and it accounts for 35 to 40 per cent of the country's total production of the staple vegetable -- PTI

Police personnel are generally considered as the watchdogs of the society. But it is not an exaggeration to say that "snakes" are the "saviours" of these law enforcers in a forest-fringe police station in Kerala's high range Idukki.

          

Seeking to shield themselves from the increasing monkey menace in the area, the police personnel have "deployed" a group of rubber snakes around the Cumbummettu police station, located on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border here.

        

Fed up with the nuisance created by the troop of monkeys, which used to stray in from the nearby forest, the policemen finally tried this snake trick to keep them at bay, which is a success so far.

        

The China-made snakes, which resemble the real reptiles, could be seen fixed in various spots including on the grill of the police station building, branches of the nearby trees and so on. 

        

The police personnel experimented with the 'snake trick' as per the advice of a local estate keeper who was doing the same thing to keep stray animals at bay.

        

Cumbummettu sub-inspector P K Lalbhai said no monkey has come anywhere near the station after the tying of the rubber snakes.

         

"We were told that there won't be any more monkey menace if the rubber snakes were tied in places where they usually come in large numbers. There has been no menace after that experiment," he said.

        

Cumbummettu police station is located in Nedumkandam in Idukki.

 Anahita and her husband Darius Pandole are undergoing treatment at Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital in the city following the September 4 accident in neighbouring Palghar district. 

Dr Anahita Pandole has been operated today for pelvic reconstruction by an expert team of doctors at Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital. Given the complex pelvic fracture, multiple opinions of various experts around the world were also taken including doctors from USA, UK, Europe and more, said Dr Tarang Gianchandani, hospital CEO, in a statement. 

 Dr Peter V Giannoudis, chairman of Academic Department of Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery at University of Leeds, was flown in for providing expert advice, the statement added.

 Mistry (54) and his friend Jahangir Pandole were killed after their car hit a road divider on a bridge on the Surya river in Palghar district. Anahita Pandole (55) who was at the wheel and her husband Darius (60) suffered injuries. PTI

 Modi is scheduled to depart for the Uzbek city of Samarkand this evening for a 24-hour visit.

 At a media briefing, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said Modi will have bilateral meetings with the Uzbek president and some other leaders on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit. 

 To a volley of questions on whether there will be a bilateral meeting between PM Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, Kwatra did not give a direct reply. "We will keep you apprised when schedule of Modi's bilateral meetings unfolds," he said. 

 Asked about Pakistan continuing to back various terror groups, Kwatra said there is a deeply held understanding in SCO about ways to deal with terrorism in region. The member states of the SCO are Russia, China, India, Pakistan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

 Six people were arrested on Thursday in connection with the rape and murder of the two girls.

 "The kidnapping and murder of two minor Dalit sisters in Lakhimpur in broad daylight is a very disturbing incident," Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi. 

 "Women's safety cannot be expected from those facilitating the release of rapists and welcoming them," the former Congress chief said in an apparent reference to 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano gangrape case being set free last month from the Godhra sub-jail after the BJP-led Gujarat government allowed their release under its remission policy. 

 Gandhi stressed on the need for creating a safe environment in the country for women. 

 As soon as the news about the alleged murder of the Dalit girls broke, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra attacked the BJP-led Uttar Pradesh government over "increasing" crimes against women in the state.

 "The killings of two sisters in Lakhimpur (UP) are heart-wrenching. The relatives say that the girls were abducted in broad daylight," Priyanka Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi.

 "Giving false advertisements in newspapers and television every day does not improve law and order. After all, why are heinous crimes against women increasing in Uttar Pradesh?" the Congress general secretary said. When will the government wake up, she asked. Lakhimpur Kheri Superintendent of Police (SP) told reporters, "We have arrested Junaid, Sohail, Hafizur Rehman, Karimuddin, Arif and Chottu in an overnight operation." -- PTI

Lakhimpur Kheri Superintendent of Police (SP) told reporters, "We have arrested Junaid, Sohail, Hafizur Rehman, Karimuddin, Arif and Chottu in an overnight operation." Junaid and Sohail were in a relationship with the two sisters, the SP said. 

 "As per preliminary investigation, the two sisters left their home on Wednesday afternoon on the persuasion of Junaid and Sohail. Junaid and Sohail have confessed that they strangulated the girls after raping them," said the SP. The girls' mother had on Wednesday claimed that they were murdered. -- PTI

The photo in question, in which his private parts were allegedly visible, is morphed, Ranveer has told the Mumbai Police in his statement recorded on August 29.

The actor has claimed in his statement to the police that someone has tampered with and morphed one of his photos . 

Ranveer has claimed that this particular photograph was not part of the seven photographs uploaded by him or the magazine on Instagram. After Ranveers statement, the police have sent the picture to the forensic science laboratory to confirm whether or not it has been morphed.

 The wholesale price-based inflation eased to a 11-month low of 12.41 per cent in August, on softening in prices of manufactured and fuel products, even as food items remained expensive. 

 Although the Wholesale Price Index (WPI)-based inflation declined for three consecutive months in August, it remained in double digit for 17 months beginning April last year. The inflation was 13.93 per cent in July and 11.64 per cent in August last year. 

 "Why is the Modi government silent on back-breaking inflation?" Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said in a tweet in Hindi. 

 "Bharat Jodo Yatra has been started to break this silence," he said and shared a media report on the wholesale price-based inflation being in double digits for 17 months. After traversing a total 150 kilometres since it commenced on September 7 from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu, the Congress' Bharat Jodo Yatra has taken a rest day on Thursday in Kollam district of Kerala before resuming the march on September 16. PTI

 Patnaik on Wednesday urged the industry captains to invest in Odisha and appealed to bankers to extend their support for the financial growth of the state.

 On the second day of his visit to the western metropolis ahead of the 'Make in Odisha Conclave', he had one-to-one interactions with Mahindra Group chairman Anand Mahindra, WAAREE Group's Hitesh Chimanlal Doshi, Apar Industries chairman Chaitanya Desai, JM Baxi Group managing director Dhurv Kotak and STT GDC India CFO Bimal Khandelwal. 

 The chief minister also met HDFC Bank country head Arvind Vohra, ICICI Bank's Rakesh Jha and SBI chairman Dinesh Kumar Khara. 

 Tagging pictures of all the industry leaders he met during the day, Patnaik took to Twitter to invite them to the Make in Odisha Conclave, scheduled to be held from November 30 to December 4. 

 He discussed with the bankers on growth opportunities in the sector and urged them to expand their services in the unbanked areas of the state. On his part, Anand Mahindra in a tweet said, "There is only one way to describe CM @Naveen_Odisha A Class Act. Cerebral, calm, confident, he's a man of few words who lets his actions do the talking. One of his greatest legacies will be a model for mitigating natural disasters that are being emulated around the world." 

 Later in the evening, Patnaik addressed an investors' meeting attended by around 300 delegates from different industries from across the country. He invited the investors to participate in the state government's flagship business conclave. -- PTI

The Nifty advanced 92.4 points to 18,096.15. From the Sensex pack, Maruti, ICICI Bank, NTPC, Larsen & Toubro, Kotak Mahindra Bank and Mahindra & Mahindra were the major gainers in initial trade. IndusInd Bank, Tech Mahindra, Infosys and Tata Steel were among the laggards.

A week since the 96-year-old monarch died peacefully at her Scottish summer residence of Balmoral Castle, her coffin has been part of a historic journey by road and air until it was conveyed in a grand procession from Buckingham Palace to lie in state in the historic hall within the Palace of Westminster. 

 The ancient ceremony of Lying-in-State, dating back to the 19th century, involves the coffin resting on a raised platform called catafalque in the middle of Westminster Hall as members of the queuing public are allowed in to walk briskly past. 

 Within hours of the Lying-in-State ceremony opening to the public at 5pm local time on Wednesday evening, the queue was said to be over 4-km-long winding around the river Thames.

 According to the Department of Digital, Media and Sports (DCMS), which is coordinating the logistical aspect of the ceremony, the queue would not be allowed to get any longer than 16 kilometres and has warned mourners of an estimated 30-hour overnight wait to get to Westminster Hall. 

 The 24-hour round-the-clock process will remain open to the public until 6.30am local time on Monday, just hours before the funeral ceremony for Britain's longest-reigning monarch at Westminster Abbey at 11 am. 

 The BBC has been live streaming the Lying-in-State, which involves mourners from around the UK and even different parts of the world join a swiftly moving queue to walk through the hall, some pausing very briefly at the side of the coffin in reflection or in prayer. 

 Members of the royal family had private time with the coffin overnight on Tuesday, when the Queen spent her final night at her London residence of Buckingham Palace.

"Our investments in semiconductor and display glass production will create an ecosystem of industries across the country. We, at Vedanta-Foxconn, have been assessing the sites and engaging in dialogue with state governments for the last two years, and hope to continue these conversations for the growth of our country in years to come," Agarwal added.

On Tuesday, Vedanta announced that the Vedanta-Foxconn semiconductor plant would be set up in Gujarat. It signed two memorandum of understanding (MoUs) with the Gujarat government to set up a semiconductor fab unit, a display fab unit, and a semiconductor assembling and testing unit entailing an investment of Rs 1.54 trillion and employment to around 100,000 people.

Yesterday, Uttar Pradesh Police said that four accused have been taken into custody after the bodies of two minor sisters, belonging to the Scheduled Caste community, were found hanging from a tree in Lakhimpur Kheri district. 

The inspector was found hanging from the iron railing next to the stairs leading to the upper floor of his rented accommodation located right opposite the police station in Mainuddinpur village on Wednesday, police said. 

 He was recently transferred to the Faizabad police station as the inspector (crime). He was supposed to take charge on Wednesday evening. The deceased was a resident of Sant Kabir Nagar district.

Top American lawmakers have pledged to work to strengthen ties with India, which they said has become all the more important in view of the "big threat" being posed by China to the world.

"I serve on the Armed Services Committee and really understand how important that relationship is between the United States and India," said Congresswoman Elaine Goodman Luria in her address to the Indian American community at an event to celebrate Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsava.

She represents Virginia's 2nd congressional district in the House of Representatives.

As many as 75 Indian American organisations have come together to observe the historic milestone of India's journey after 1947.

Prominent among these organisations include US India Relationship Council, Sewa International, Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation, Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, GOPIO Silicon Valley, US India Friendship Council, and Sardar Patel Fund for Sanatan Sanskruti.

"A lot of Indian-Americans are actually representing in California and I'm very, very proud of that. We are working together," said Congresswoman Michelle Eunjoo Steel from the 48th Congressional District of California. 

China is a great threat to the world, she asserted.

"The only thing we really have to know is China is a big threat ... very selfishly, they want to spread out and expand all full world. They're not going to be happy until the takeover, Rep Steel said. So, this is a time to strengthen the India-US relationship. This relationship is more important than ever, she said.

"That's why I work with the Indian American community in my district," she said noting that she is a member of the Indian American Caucus.

Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, one of the four Indian Americans in the US Congress, in his address said India's greatest export is Indian Americans.

"We know all about India from where it started to where it is now. We know it is the fastest-growing major economy in the world. It's one of the largest economies in the world. We know about its great technological developments great agriculture, and inventions. We know about so much progress but let me tell you about its greatest export. Its greatest export is none other than you...Indian Americans," he said.

"We are allies and we need to remain allies and work together because there are countries out there that don't want to see you succeed," said Congressman Buddy Carter from Georgia.

"I am a strong supporter of India and Indo-US relationship," Congressman Brad Sherman said adding that India is a central anchor to America's Indo-Pacific strategy. He supported the CAATSA waiver for India. India needs to have all options available for its defence in view of the threat being posed by China, Sherman said.

Dr Jashvant Patel, CEO of the US Indian Relationship Council, President of Sardar Patel Fund for Sanatan Sanskruti, and chairman of the Organising Committee welcomed the guests.

"As a community, we are proud of the significant strides we have made in the past 75 years. This includes everything from the announcements in the healthcare technology, human rights, sustainability, environmental health, global warming," he said.

"Despite our large populations and lack of resources, innovation is at the forefront of what we do," Dr Patel said.

Two Dalit teenage sisters were found hanging from a tree in a sugarcane field located about a kilometre away from their house in Nighasan police station limits in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri on Wednesday, police said.

   

As soon as the news broke, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra attacked the Uttar Pradesh government over "increasing" crimes against women in the state and compared the twin deaths with the Hathras gang-rape and murder.

 

The mother of the two girls alleged that they were murdered and accused three youths from the neighbouring village in Nighasan police station limits of abducting and killing them.

 

Police said their bodies were sent for post-mortem to ascertain the exact cause of deaths.

 

Meanwhile, villagers held a demonstration at Nighasan Cross to protest the killings.

 

Superintendent of Police Sanjiv Suman and Assistant Superintendent of Police Arun Kumar Singh talked to the irate villagers in a bid to console them, while a heavy police forced was deployed in the village to ensure law and order.

 

Comparing Wednesday's case to the Hathras incident, SP president Akhilesh Yadav said in a tweet, "Murder of two Dalit sisters after kidnapping them in Nighasan police station area. Their father's allegation on the police is very serious that they carried out  'panchnama' and post-mortem without the family's consent. After farmers in Lakhimpur, the killing of Dalits is now a repetition of the murder of 'Hathras' daughter'."

 

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also took to Twitter to condemn the incident.

 

"The killings of the two sisters in Lakhimpur is heartbreaking. Family says the girls were abducted in broad daylight. Law and order in the state doesn't improve by giving false advertisements in newspapers and TV everyday. After all, why are heinous crimes against women increasing in Uttar Pradesh? When will the government wake up?"

 

A 19-year-old Dalit woman was raped allegedly by four upper-caste men in Hathras on September 14. She died on September 29 at Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital.

 

The victim was cremated in the dead of the night near her home on September 30. Her family members had alleged that they were forced by the local police to hurriedly conduct her last rites. Local police officers, however, said the cremation was carried out "according to the wishes of the family". -- PTI 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been involved in a car accident but he is "not seriously injured", his spokesman said.

Zelenskyy was returning to Kyiv from the Kharkiv region, where he visited troops in the recaptured city of Izium.

"In Kyiv, a passenger car collided with the car of the President of Ukraine and escort vehicles," spokesman Sergiy Nikiforov said in a statement posted on Facebook.

"Medics accompanying the President provided the driver of the passenger car with emergency aid and transferred him to an ambulance," he added.

Nikiforov further said, "The president was examined by a doctor, no serious injuries were detected. The law enforcement officers will investigate all the circumstances of the accident."

The bridge is connected to the Bandra-Worli Sea Link. 

The concrete block, possibly weighing a few hundred kilograms, fell on a parked two-wheeler of a police official, damaging it, he said. 

One traffic constable -- Sushant More -- was present only some feet away from the spot where the block fell. 

Luckily neither he, nor anyone else was injured in the incident, the official said. 

"After the incident, officials of the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation were being informed and they visited the place. 

Top officials of traffic police department were also reported about it," official said. -- PTI

The state cabinet, at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Hemant Soren, hiked the OBC reservation to 27 per cent from the present 14 per cent. 

The Hemant Soren-led UPA government on Wednesday also gave its nod to a proposal to use the 1932 land records to determine those who are local inhabitants. 

The decision was taken in the backdrop of tribals' demand that the last land survey conducted by the British government in 1932 be used as the basis for defining locals. 

The developments come amid a political crisis in Jharkhand over the threat to Soren of his disqualification as an MLA in an office-of-profit case. 

"The Cabinet has given nod to a reservation bill for amendment in Jharkhand Reservation of Vacancies in Posts and Services Act, 2001 for 77 per cent reservation to SC, ST, backward classes, other backward classes and economically weaker sections," cabinet secretary Vandana Dadel told reporters after the meeting. 

It was decided in the meeting that the state government will request the Centre for inclusion of the bill in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution. 

In the proposed job reservation policy, local people of the SC community will have a quota of 12 per cent, ST 28 per cent, extremely Backward Class 15 per cent, OBC 12 per cent, and economically weaker section barring those from other reserved categories 10 per cent. -- PTI