Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren Invites ED Officers to His Residence on January 20th | LIVE

 Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij on Monday said over 680 people were arrested by the police during a statewide crackdown against criminals involved in illegal activities.

In an official statement issued here, Vij said police teams comprising 6,582 police personnel conducted raids across the state.

During the recent crackdown operation, the police filed 490 cases under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, the Excise Act and the Arms Act, leading to the arrest of 683 accused, the statement said.

Of the total cases, 22 FIRs were registered under the Arms Act and seven persons were arrested in connection with these cases, Vij said.

Anybody who wants to board Rahul Gandhi's 'Mohabbat ki Dukaan' bus for the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra must get a 'special ticket' which has a picture of the former Congress president in his yatra avatar printed on it.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh posed with the 'ticket' which has a T-shirt and trouser-clad Gandhi in a walking pose and is autographed by him.

Posing with the ticket, Ramesh said in a post in Hindi on X, "This is the ticket for the 'Mohabbat Ki Dukaan' bus in which Rahul Gandhi is travelling in the Bharat Jodo Nyaya Yatra." "Those who want to meet and talk to Rahul Gandhi in this journey of justice against the injustice of the last 10 years, have been given such tickets and called in the bus," he said.

 A man has been arrested for loitering near Kartavya Path with a fake identity card, police said on Monday.

The accused, Shivam Chaudhary had pasted his photo on the identity card of workers who are employed for the preparation of Republic Day Parade on Kartavya Path, they said.

Chaudhary, a resident of Uttar Pradesh's Hapur district, was interrogated but nothing suspicious was found, officials added. 

The Allahabad High Court has directed the district magistrates of Haridwar and Bijnor in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, respectively, to erect pillars to demarcate the boundaries between the two states.

Disposing of a writ petition filed by one Gurpreet Singh of Bijnor district, a division bench comprising Justice Saumitra Dayal Singh and Justice Manjive Shukla also ordered that such exercise may be carried out in the presence of the petitioner on January 23, 2024.

The court in its order dated January 10 further directed that after completion of demarcation, pillars be erected at that point of the boundary. The court also asked the petitioner to ensure his presence on the date and time fixed by it.

"It is further provided that upon completion of the exercise of demarcation of the state boundaries, appropriate demarcation pillars may be affixed, if so required to demarcate any portion of land in dispute falling in the state of Uttarakhand," the court added.

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday urged the people of the state to light diyas (lamp), blow conch shells, beat cymbals, recite devotional hymns and perform kirtans to celebrate the inauguration of the much-awaited Temple Heritage Corridor Project in Puri on January 17.

In a video message to the people of Odisha, Patnaik said, "We can participate in this festivity by lighting diyas (lamps), blowing conch shells, beating cymbals, offering prayers, reciting devotional hymns and doing kirtans at temples or our homes on the day." With the countdown for the inauguration of the Rs 800-crore project, also known as the Srimandir Parikrama Prakalpa, beginning with the three-day yagna on Makar Sankranti on Monday, Patnaik appealed to people to dedicate themselves to the devotion of Lord Jagannath. The state government has already declared January 17 as a holiday.

Four assailants tried to break into a house in west Delhi's Mohan Garden area by opening fire and throwing bricks at the door and windowpanes, police said on Monday.

The incident which took place last week was captured on CCTV camera, they added.

The purported footage showed one of the accused firing a bullet shot at a windowpane of the house.

One of the accused threw a brick at the window while another tried to break it using a sharp weapon. A person was seen slamming the door.

The police said a probe is underway in the matter.

The installation work of all the golden doors on the ground floor of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya was completed on Monday. Sharing the information, Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra said, "With the installation of Golden Doors in the Garbhgriha of Bhagwan Shri Ramlalla Sarkar, installation work of all golden doors on the ground floor stands completed." 

The Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party on Monday said the decision of the Eknath Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena to approach Bombay High Court against Speaker Rahul Narwekar's decision to not disqualify MLAs of the Uddhav Thackeray group was "nothing but a drama".

The Shiv Sena under Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on January 12 moved the HC challenging the "legality, propriety and correctness" of the January 10 order passed by Narwekar dismissing the disqualification petitions submitted against MLAs owning allegiance to Shiv Sena (UBT).

In his petition, Bharat Gogavale, the chief whip of the ruling Shiv Sena, urged the HC to declare the Speaker's order as "bad in law", quash it and disqualify all the 14 MLAs of the Shiv Sena (UBT).

"They (Shinde faction) know this judgment by the Speaker is against the ruling of the Supreme Court and it will not stand there," NCP national spokesperson Clyde Crasto said.

Launching a vitriolic attack on the AAP government over the law and order situation, Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar on Monday alleged the state is "fast going down the path of complete anarchy".

The BJP leader was reacting to the murder of a sarpanch by two unidentified assailants in Tarn Taran district on Sunday.

Warning Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann against pushing Punjab into the "abyss of dark days", Jakhar alleged with "demoralisation" setting in rank and file of the Punjab Police, the state is "fast going down the path of complete anarchy." "Daily murders, extortions and kidnappings have made all Punjabis numb with fear gripping their daily lives, but the chief minister is in deep sleep and seems unperturbed," Jakhar alleged in a statement.

Ahead of the Ram temple consecration ceremony, the Congress on Monday said it is not an "atheist party" that it would oppose a temple or religious ritual, but had declined the invite as it is a "political" event.

The opposition party also alleged that the January 22 event is being held in a hurry because of the Lok Sabha polls.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury last week "respectfully declined" the invitation to attend the Ram temple consecration ceremony, with the party accusing the BJP-RSS of making it a "political project" for electoral gains.

Asked about it at a press conference here, party leader Kanhaiya Kumar said, "The Congress believes in sarvadharma sambhav (equal respect to all religions)." "The Congress is not against any religion or religious event or sentiment. It believes in sarvadharma sambhav and this has been the case from the beginning. (Mahatma) Gandhiji also repeatedly stated this," he added.

 In an apparent attempt to counter the BJP's focus on the consecration ceremony at the Ram temple in Ayodhya, the AAP has announced its plan to hold "Sundar Kand" recital programmes across Delhi on Tuesdays.

The consecration ceremony at the Ram temple in Ayodhya will be held on January 22 and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be present there.

"'Sundar Kand' recitation programme will be held in all Assembly constituencies and municipal wards on the first Tuesday of every month. Party MLAs, councillors and office bearers will take part in the programmes that will held at over 2,600 places in the city," said AAP leader and Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj.

He invited the people of Delhi to participate in the programme enthusiastically.

"Sundar Kand" is one of the chapters in the Ramayana devoted to Lord Hanuman.

The Aam Aadmi Party will organise "Sundar Kand" recitation at the Assembly level and after that, it will be done at the ward level and then at the mandal level also, the AAP leader said.

Delhi: Security forces deployed at the MCD house amid ruckus by BJP councillors; MCD proceedings underway

Delhi: Ruckus and sloganeering in MCD house. BJP councillors are demanding the formation of a standing committee.

Timely action by the Navi Mumbai police saved the life of a 14-year-old girl who jumped into a nullah in the Taloja area, an official said on Monday.

The incident occurred in the Taloja phase-II locality on Sunday morning, the official said.

In a video that surfaced on social media, the girl is seen standing at the edge of a small bridge on a nullah, with bystanders trying to convince her to get down from there.

Despite repeated requests, she eventually jumped off the bridge into the nullah.

Bystanders had alerted the police, and some personnel reached the spot and spoke to her before she jumped, the official said.

Former Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga on Monday said he will soon retire from active politics because of his age.

Zoramthanga, the president of the opposition MNF, said he discussed about it with the party's senior vice president Tawnluia, and they both have decided that the party should continue without them.

"We have discussed the matter and we agreed that the party should continue without our presence as both of us have become 80. We have also informed our party leaders about our retirement," he told MNF workers after the party's office in Aizawl was inaugurated.

He said that party leaders will soon announce a "new arrangement".

The carcass of a tigress was found floating in a stream in Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary here, Forest Department officials said on Monday.

No injury marks were found on the carcass, they said.

On Sunday evening, a watchman of the Irrigation Department found the tigress' carcass floating in the Gerua upstream of Chaudhary Charan Singh Ghaghra Barrage in Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary, Dudhwa Tiger Reserve Field Director Vivek Verma told PTI.

The watchman informed the Forest Department patrol team and the department officials immediately took custody of the carcass, he said.

The tigress was aged around 3-4 years. No injury marks were found on the carcass. The tigress' canines are claws are also intact, Verma said.

The carcass has been sent for post-mortem examination, which will be conducted by a three-member team of veterinarians, he said.

Water storage in 750 minor irrigation projects in eight districts of Marathwada has gone down by 38 per cent this year compared to last year, an official said on Monday.

As per a report shared by the divisional commissioner’s office, the storage in these projects was at 24 per cent as of January 12, while it was 62 per cent at the same time last year and 71 per cent in 2022.

Around 19 per cent water deficit was recorded in eight districts of Marathwada, the report stated.

The highest number of 206 minor projects are in Dharashiv district, followed by Latur with 134, Beed 126, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar with 98, Nanded 80, Jalna 57, Hingoli 27 and Parbhani (22), the report said.

45 people, including two police personnel, were injured in the Avaniapuram Jallikattu event and 9 people were referred to Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai for further treatment.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday interacted with beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana - Gramin (PMAY - G) via a video conference. 

The Prime Minister released the first installment to 1 lakh Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM-JANMAN) recipients. 

He further added, "The government schemes should reach the most backward tribal brothers and sisters, this is the objective of PM Janman Maha Abhiyan. The government is putting all its efforts to ensure that every scheme of the government reaches them. Now none of my extremely backward brothers and sisters will be left out of the benefits of the government scheme..."

Ahead of the consecration ceremony of the Ram Mandir on January 22, Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar on Monnday announced a ‘dry day’ in the state on the day of inauguration.

This comes as Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Chattisgarh, Rajasthan, and Assam also announced a dry day, meaning no purchase or sale will be done on Jan 22. 

The Enforcement Directorate raided 6 different locations in connection with the ration distribution scam in West Bengal.

The ED team comprising of 4 officers raided Shankar Adhdhya's CA Arvind Addhya's  CA Arvind Singh's office in Salt Lake. 
 

A severe cold wave swept several parts of Rajasthan on Monday with Sikar recording the minimum temperature of 0.9 degrees Celsius, becoming the coldest place in the state.

Dense fog blankets in several parts of Rajasthan, including Alwar, Pilani, Sikar, and Churu.

Pilani recorded 2.5 degrees Celsius, with 2.9 degrees Celsius in Churu, 4 degrees Celsius in Alwar and Karauli, 4.3 degrees Celsius in Sangaria, 5 degrees Celsius in Sriganganagar, 6.2 degrees Celsius in Bhilwara and 6.8 degrees Celsius in Dholpur.

The Air Intelligence Unit officers at the Tiruchirappalli International Airport held three passengers for smuggling 30 number of 24k gold coins weighing 1,199 grams, worth Rs 75.71 lakhs smuggled by three passengers.

ANI reported that the gold coins were concealed in the inner layer of cardboard boxes brought as checked-in luggage by the  passengers.

Amid bad weather conditions Gujarat, passengers faced difficulties as flights were delayed for hours.

A passenger talking to ANI said, " | Ahmedabad, Gujarat: "The flight was at least an hour late... It was scheduled for takeoff at 7.30 am but it took off at around 8.45 am. The airlines informed us about it at the gates. They should have informed earlier."

BSF leader Mayawati during a press conference on Monday said, “Instead of uplifting people from poverty and providing them employment, the central and state (UP) governments are providing them with some free ration and trying to make them their salves. However, our government in UP had provided people employment to empower them.”

She added, "Last month, I declared Akash Anand as my political successor following which it was being speculated in media that I may soon retire from politics. However, I want to clarify that it's not the case, and I will continue to work towards strengthening the party,"

UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on the occasion of Makar Sankranti extended his wished to the people of the country. 

As India observes 76th Army Day, Chief Manoj Pande said, "On the occasion of Army Day 2024, I convey my felicitations and warm wishes to all ranks of the Indian Army, civilian employees, Veterans and their families. We solemnly remember and pay homage to our comrades who have laid down their lives in service of the nation. Their supreme sacrifice shall always inspire us,"

He added, "The Indian Army enjoys a distinct stature in the national mind space. I am sanguine that we shall forever remain steadfast in our resolve to uphold the trust reposed in us, by the nation. Let us re-dedicate ourselves to the service of the nation, in the true spirit of our core ethos of `Naam', `Namak' our Nishaan'. `Jai Hind'."

At least six people were killed and five others were injured after two cars collided in Rajasthan's Sikar district, a senior police official said.

News agency ANI reported that the incident occured on a highway in Laxmangarh tehsil on Sunday afternoon.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday extended wishes to the people of the country on the occasion of Makar Sankranti.

Today, India is immersed in a tapestry of cultural celebrations as the country joyously celebrates Makar Sankranti, Pongal, Jallikattu, and Bihu.

This vibrant amalgamation of the Indian festivals reflects the rich diversity and traditions that characterise different regions of the country.

From the northern states celebrating Makar Sankranti with kite flying to the southern states reveling in the harvest festival of Pongal, and the excitement of Jallikattu, the bull-taming sports in Tamil Nadu, to the fervor of Bihu in Assam, the festivities encapsulate the unity in diversity that defines India.

Several schools have been shut in several parts of Uttar Pradesh, including Noida, Greater Noida, and Ghaziabad, amid dense fog and prevailing cold wave conditions in the state.

In Gautam Buddh Nagar district, schools in Noida and Greater Noida have been closed till January 16 (Tuesday) for students from nursery to Class 8 due to cold weather conditions.

However, classes for students from Class 9 to 12 will continue regularly.

Furthermore, according to an order issued by the district school inspector, schools in  Ghaziabad, are closed till January 16 for students from nursery to Class 12.

Strict action will be taken against schools if they were found violating the order.

Republic Day parade rehearsal is underway at Kartavya Path amid dense fog.

At least 40 people were reported to be injured after two buses collided with each other at around 3 am on Yamuna Expressway at Mile Stone 110 Raya Cut near Mathura. 

However, 31 injured were admitted to the district hospital and 9 others injured were admitted to various hospitals. 

As per Mathura SSP Shailesh Pandey, one bus was going from Dholpur to Noida and the other bus was going from Etawah to Noida

Delhi-NCR region continues to reel under a dense fog blanket on Monday with the minimum temperature settling around 3.5 degrees. 

The IMD has issued an orange alert for today and tomorrow. The weather department further predicts the cold wave to likely continue till Jan 20. 

As of now, due to the fog situation in Delhi, as many as 18 trains are running late. 

Furthermore, the winter break also ends today for Delhi schools. However, the Education Ministry in its notice directed schools to not begin any classes before 9 am and beyond 5 pm.