The Bombay High Court on Monday extended the interim relief granted to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi from appearance before a court in a defamation complaint on his alleged remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2018 till August 2. The complainant, who claims to be a BJP worker, had alleged that Gandhi's "commander-in-thief" remark in the context of the Rafale fighter jet deal amounted to defamation.
Rajasthan Congress row: Dissident Congress leader Sachin Pilot who has been at the loggerheads with his senior party colleague and Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, held a rally in Dausa to commemorate his father Rajesh Pilot's death anniversary on Sunday. Addressing the rally, he recalled his father saying his father never compromised with self-respect. 
Rajnath Singh on Indian economy: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today (June 10) called upon the young ignited minds of the country to come out with new ideas and innovations and help the government in making India a developed nation by 2047 as envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He was addressing the convocation ceremony of Gopal Narayan Singh University in Rohtas district of Bihar on Saturday.
Reports about the busting of a gang targeting teenagers through a gaming app ‘Fortnite’ in order to convert them to Islam is really worrying. This inter-state gang is active on internet. According to police, till now, the gang has lured four Hindu and Jain teenagers in Ghaziabad, Faridabad and Chandigarh to convert to Islam. Union Home Ministry and UP government have sought detailed report about the activities of this gang. I want to caution parents to keep a close watch on their children who use gaming apps on smart phones or laptops. They should keep a watch when their children are involved in long conversations with unknown persons and leave their homes daily without telling their elders. If you notice changes in the habit of your children, please be on alert. The modus operandi of the gang is simple: they offer money, try to become friends and then through persuasion, ask children to convert to other religion. This gang has been operating in UP, Haryana, Punjab, Gujarat and Maharashtra. Reports say, this gang converted nearly 400 Hindus in Mumbra near Mumbai. In our show ‘Aaj Ki Baat’ on India TV, we played an audio conversation between a gang member and a young boy. Normally, this gang targets young boys and girls who play online games, offer them inducements and jobs, foreign travel, and the game begins by assuring them a win in their game. In Ghaziabad, a young boy went to a mosque to offer namaaz five times a day, but he told his parents that he was going to the gym. On suspicion, his parents followed him and caught him red-handed. They complained to police and the imam of a local mosque was detained. UP Police has sent a team to Maharashtra to arrest other members of the gang. In the audio tape, the gang member was heard trying to convince a Hindu boy the advantages of converting to Islam. On Sunday, Nanni Alias Abdul Rehman, a moulvi at a local mosque in Sanjay Nagar area in Ghaziabad was arrested and a manhunt has begun to nab the second accused, Shahnawaz Khan alias Baddo, a resident of Thane, Maharashtra. Nipun Aggarwal, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Ghaziabad, said, police have seized electronic evidence and related documents, to establish that the online game required users to recite verses from Holy Quran to the teenagers in order to win. The teenage gamers were also shown videos of absconding radical Muslim preacher Zakir Naik and another preacher Tariq Jameel. Zakir Naik, accused in several cases, fled India in 2016. Police said, the accused used to talk with the gamers through a chat application and showed them videos of Zakir Naik and Tariq Jameel. The 47-minute-long audio tape is proof of how Hindu and Jain teenagers are lured by offering them inducements and dreams of a lavish life. In most of the cases, parents fail to know when their children have got converted. For the police, it is not easy to solve such cases. In India, every citizen has the fundamental right to practise any faith, but there is also a law which says converting a person to another faith through inducements or coercion is a crime. If an impressionable young mind is made to convert his or her religion, the crime is more severe. In such cases, however, it is difficult to collect evidence of inducement or coercion. In the case of this gang operating in Ghaziabad and Mumbra, police have obtained evidence and statements. Parents must remain alert. If they find their children having long conversations on phone, or leave home suddenly, they must keep a close watch. I will also add a rider. Any effort to defame Islam on the basis of two or four cases cannot be justified. Even Prophet Mohammed never approved of forcible conversion. When two or four Muslims carry out such conversion, they bring a bad name to Islam. We must not tar the entire community with the same brush.
Ludhiana court explosion: A low-intensity explosion took place at a godown located near the district court complex of Ludhiana in Punjab, reportedly after a heap of garbage was put on fire today (June 8), the police said. The blast triggered panic among people who were present inside the court premises and also left the glass window damaged, they said.
It is now almost clear that the Wrestling Federation of India will be freed from the clutches of its controversial chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh by next month. The new WFI president will neither be his relative, nor will any of his close associates be allowed to occupy any post. Sports Minister Anurag Thakur said on Wednesday that Brij Bhushan’s control on WFI will now end. This was decided at a six-hour-long meeting between the minister and the protesting wrestlers. Secondly, the wrestlers have been assured that Delhi Police will complete within a week its probe into sexual harassment charges levelled against the WFI chief and a chargesheet will be filed by June 15. Thirdly, a woman will be appointed as chairperson of the WFI internal complaints committee and WFI office-bearers will be appointed after taking the opinions of players. Fourthly, all cases filed against the wrestlers during protest by Delhi Police will be withdrawn and they will be given protection. The protesting wrestlers assured the government that they will not sit on protest till June 15. Since the talks between the government and wrestlers were held in an open manner, all misgivings have been removed and most of their demands have been accepted. The outline of this agreement was prepared at Saturday night’s meeting of wrestlers with Home Minister Amit Shah. The government’s approach now appears to be positive. Whatever happened on Wednesday should have happened much before. Had these assurances been given to them several weeks ago, the world would not have watched the sorry spectacle of Delhi Police dragging the medal winning wrestlers on the streets. Nor would the wrestlers have taken the extreme decision to immerse their medals in the river Ganga at Haridwar. Better late than never. If the Sports Minister fulfills all these assurances, Indian wrestlers will be freed from the clutches of Brig Bhushan Sharan Singh. Our daughters who dream of becoming champions in wrestling will gain courage. Keeping in view the infamy that the Wrestling Federation faced during the last several weeks, the reins of WFI must now be given in the hands of a person, whose moral force can dispel the darkness that had descended on the federation. As far as Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh is concerned, if Delhi Police investigates the matter impartially, there are umpteen number of evidence and statements from which the WFI chief cannot wriggle out. Probably, he is expecting the legal cases to run for several years after the chargesheet is filed, like dozens of other criminal cases that were filed against him in the past. I feel, for Brij Bhushan, it could be difficult because the evidence and statements are now in public domain. Those who have filed complaints are champion female wrestlers who brought fame to the country. Any court will take their charges of sexual harassment seriously. There is one more side to this issue. Since the assurances from the government came late, several political parties and Khap Panchayats joined the protest to support the wrestlers. On Wednesday, the wrestlers said they would discuss the outcome of their talks with the chiefs of Khap Panchayats and will decide on future steps after taking their opinion.
Coromandel Express train: Days after triple train tragedy in Odisha's Balasore that involved Coromandel Express, the train resumed its services today (June 7) and left Shalimar station in West Bengal for its journey to Chennai. This is the first time after the June 2 three-train accident in Odisha that the train resumed its services. Republic Day 2024 : As India's 75th Republic Day Parade kicked off in the national capital, a 30-member band contingent and a marching c...
