Three people died in violence that broke out in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, on Sunday when hundreds gathered opposing a survey of the 16th century Shahi Jama Masjid and clashed with police.
The crowd threw stones targeting the survey team despite heavy police presence. Police, who said they used “mild force”, fired tear gas shells to control the crowd and deployed additional forces in the area.
“Some people, including two women, were arrested. Women were throwing stones from the roof. So far, three people -- Naeem, Bilal and Niman -- have died in the clash. Around 20 to 22 police personnel, including the CO, have been injured,” said Aunjaneya Kumar Singh, the Moradabad Divisional Commissioner.
Another police officer said that 16 people have been detained. The officer said a drone survey was conducted to trace other protesters. Police said “some anti-social elements” from the crowd and threw stones at the police team.
“The situation is under control. Top district officials are keeping a close watch on the area,” a police officer from Sambhal told The Hindu.
The Hindu reached out to Superintendent of Police, Sambhal, and the local Lok Sabha member Zia Ur Rehman, but was told that both were busy in a high-level meeting over the clash.
The survey was initiated following a local court’s order on a petition that a temple was demolished by the Mughals to build the mosque. On Sunday morning, the head of the mosque urged the crowd to disperse. Despite the violence, a team of administrative officials carried out the survey, with the process being video-recorded and photographed.
The mosque was earlier surveyed on November 19 after court orders following a petition by a priest who said that the structure was built on the ruins of a temple.
Opposition parties slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government with Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav alleging that the survey team was deliberately sent by the government to shift focus from “malpractices” during the byelection.
“Violence in Sambhal over the survey of a mosque was orchestrated by the BJP, the government and the administration to divert attention from electoral malpractice which took place in bypolls. The government failed in maintaining law and order which was its primary duty,” he said in Lucknow.
The Congress said the violence erupted due to the “anti-constitutional attitude” of the State government. “The entire drama is being done to weaken the Places of Worship Act 1991. The suspicious silence of the Supreme Court on this also puts it in the dock. The acceptance of the petition claiming the historical Jama Masjid as a temple was an illegal step,” said Shahnawaz Alam, national secretary of the Congress.
Nagina MP Chandra Shekhar Azad demanded a judicial inquiry into the incident. “In India, under the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, the nature of any religious place that came into existence on 15 August 1947 cannot be changed... The incident of stone pelting and subsequent police firing during an ongoing survey in Sambhal, resulting in the death of three people, is extremely sad,” he said.
Rishabh Pant becomes most expensive IPL buy at ₹27 crore, Iyer fetches ₹26.75 crore deal
Rishabh Pant became the most expensive player in the history of IPL as Lucknow Super Giants splurged a humongous ₹27 crore to buy the flamboyant India keeper-batter in the tournament’s mega auction in Jeddah on Sunday.
The amount LSG spent for Pant ensured Shreyas Iyer’s record of being the tournament’s costliest player lasted barely a few minutes after Punjab Kings broke the bank to buy the India batter for ₹26.75 crore.
Moments before Pant emerged as the most expensive player, Iyer surpassed the record held by Australian pacer Mitchell Starc, who was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for ₹24.75 crore in the last auction.
Pant went to LSG after his former franchise Delhi Capitals did not use the Right to Match card to buy him back.
Starc got a much lower price this time and was sold to Delhi Capitals for ₹11.75 crore, while England’s Jos Buttler went to Gujarat Titans for ₹15.75 crore.
Among others, left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh’s consistency earned him a massive bid of ₹18 crore, also from Punjab Kings via the Right to Match card, while South African speedster Kagiso Rabada was bought for ₹10.75 crore by Gujarat Titans.
Iyer, the former Kolkata Knight Riders captain, started with a base price of Rs two crore.
Delhi Capitals had the bid at ₹26 crore for him but PBKS raised the amount to get the player.
Chennai Super Kings started with the first bid for Arshdeep, whose base price was also Rs two crore.
Eventually, after an intense bidding war, the seamer was bought back by Punjab, who exercised the right to match option to complete the deal, having released him earlier.
This is the second time an IPL auction is being held outside the country after last year’s event in Dubai.
Hemant Soren to take oath as Jharkhand CM on November 28
A day after securing a grand victory, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader Hemant Soren on Sunday submitted his resignation to Governor Santosh Gangwar and staked claim to form the government. He will take charge on November 28.
Before going to the Raj Bhavan, Soren held a meeting with the new MLAs of INDIA bloc where he was unanimously elected leader of the legislature party.
Out of the 81 Assembly seats, the INDIA bloc bagged 56 seats in the election, whereas the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won 24 seats, and one seat has gone to the kitty of the Jharkhand Loktrantrik Krantikari Morcha (JLKM) led by Jairam Tiger Mahto.
In Jharkhand, the INDIA bloc consists of the JMM, Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation, whereas the NDA comprises the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) and Janata Dal (United).
Soon after the meeting, Soren, along with the leaders of the INDIA bloc, reached the Raj Bhavan and submitted a letter of support from the elected MLAs. He was accompanied by Jharkhand Congress in-charge Ghulam Ahmad Mir and RJD leader Jay Prakash Narayan Yadav.
The Governor accepted his resignation and appointed him as nominated Chief Minister, asking him to continue discharging duties till a new government is formed.
Later, Soren told the media: “The Governor has invited us to form the government and the oath-taking ceremony of the new government will be on November 28. All the representatives of our allies were present while submitting the letter of support of MLAs to the Governor. Following the resignation, I also staked the claim to form the government,” Soren said.
He, however, did not name anyone when asked about his new Cabinet colleagues, saying it would be shared soon.
However, informed sources said talks on the Cabinet Ministers also taken place under which the JMM would get six, the Congress four and one minister each from the RJD and the CPI (ML)L. There can be a maximum of 12 Ministers in the Jharkhand Cabinet.
As per sources in the JMM, Chaibasa MLA Deepak Birua, Ghatsila MLA Ramdas Soren and Madhupur MLA Hafizul Hasan are likely to become Ministers while Sarath MLA Uday Shankar Singh alias Chunna Singh from upper caste is likely to replace Mithilesh Thakur, who lost in Garhwa.
From the Congress, Lohardaga MLA Rameshwar Oraon and Mahagama MLA Deepika Pandey Singh are the frontrunners in the race for Cabinet Minister.
In the last Assembly election, the RJD’s Satyanand Bhokta had won one seat and he was given Cabinet post. In this election, the RJD has won four seats. Suresh Paswan, who won the Deoghar seat, is likely to become a Minister from the RJD quota, whereas Arup Chatterjee of CPI(ML)L, who won from Nirsa, is a strong contender for Cabinet Minister.
Lost votes to Ladki Bahin Yojana campaign and Yogi Adityanath’s slogans: Sharad Pawar
For the first time, Nationalist Congress Party (SP) supremo Sharad Pawar opened up on the defeat in the Maharashtra Assembly election 2024 on Sunday and reasoned that the Ladki Bahin Yojana and “Yogi Adityanath’s slogans” were responsible for the votes his party lost.
Describing the election result as unexpected, Pawar said, “Yogi Adityanath’s “Batenge toh katenge” slogan caused polarisation of votes. Mahayuti’s campaign of ‘ladki bahin scheme will be discontinued if not voted’, also received us less votes.”
Pawar’s party could secure only 10 seats out of the 87 it contested, hitting a strike rate of 11.49%. Compared to the party’s 80% strike rate in the Lok Sabha election in May, its performance in the recent polls was considered its worst.
This election was also the first straight Assembly battle between Pawar Senior’s party and the NCP led by his nephew, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, which won 41 seats.
“A possible reason for the increase in voting percentage could be an upsurge in female voters by 1 to 2%,” said Pawar, while speaking to the media in Karad town, Satara district.
“I respect the verdict of the people. We will study their mandate and understand what exactly happened. With years of experience in public life, I will reflect, analyse, and return to the people with renewed zeal,” he said.
He also mentioned that the results from various Maratha-OBC constituencies would be analysed as well.
Sharad Pawar also reiterated that Yugendra Pawar’s candidacy against Ajit Pawar was not wrong. “Baramati results were expected, however, in every constituency, some candidate is going to lose. Besides, I have a direct connection to that constituency, not fielding a candidate would have sent a different message. Ajit Pawar and Yugendra Pawar cannot be compared.”
On the question his retirement, he said, “Whether I should retire or not will be decided by me and my colleagues.” He refused to speak on EVMs without any factual information.
Israeli strike kills Lebanese soldier and wounds 18 as Hezbollah fires rockets at Israel
An Israeli strike on a Lebanese Army centre on Sunday killed one soldier and wounded 18 others, the Lebanese military said. The Hezbollah militant group meanwhile fired around 160 rockets and other projectiles into northern and central Israel, wounding at least five persons.
Israeli strikes have killed over 40 Lebanese troops since the start of the war between Israel and Hezbollah, even as Lebanon’s military has largely kept to the sidelines.
The Israeli military expressed regret over the strike, saying it occurred in an area of ongoing combat operations against Hezbollah. It said in a statement that its operations are directed solely against Hezbollah and not the Lebanese military, and that the strike was under review.
Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, condemned it as an assault on U.S.-led cease-fire efforts, calling it a “direct, bloody message rejecting all efforts and ongoing contacts” to end the war.
“(Israel is) again writing in Lebanese blood a brazen rejection of the solution that is being discussed,” a statement from his office read.
The strike occurred in southwestern Lebanon on the coastal road between Tyre and Naqoura, where there has been heavy fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.
Hezbollah began firing rockets, missiles and drones into Israel after Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack out of the Gaza Strip ignited the war there. Hezbollah has portrayed the attacks as an act of solidarity with the Palestinians and Hamas. Iran supports both armed groups.
Israel has launched retaliatory airstrikes since the rocket fire began, and in September the low-level conflict erupted into all-out war, as Israel launched waves of airstrikes across large parts of Lebanon and killed Hezbollah’s top leader, Hassan Nasrallah, and several of his top commanders.
Hezbollah fired a total of around 160 rockets and other projectiles into Israel on Sunday, some of which were intercepted, the Israeli military said.
Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service said it was treating two persons in the central city of Petah Tikva, a 23-year-old man who was lightly wounded by a blast and a 70-year-old woman suffering from smoke inhalation from a car that caught fire. The first responders said they treated three other people in northern Israel, closer to the border, including a 60-year-old man in serious condition.
It was unclear whether the injuries and damage were caused by the rockets or interceptors.
Israeli airstrikes early on Saturday pounded central Beirut, killing at least 20 people and wounding 66, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.
Israeli attacks have killed more than 3,500 people in Lebanon, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. The fighting has displaced about 1.2 million people, or a quarter of Lebanon’s population.
On the Israeli side, about 90 soldiers and nearly 50 civilians have been killed by bombardments in northern Israel and in battle following Israel’s ground invasion in early October. Around 60,000 Israelis have been displaced from the country’s north.
The Biden administration has spent months trying to broker a cease-fire, and U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein was back in the region last week.
The European Union’s top diplomat called for more pressure on both Israel and Hezbollah to reach a deal, saying one was “pending with a final agreement from the Israeli government.”
Josep Borrell spoke on Sunday after meeting with Mikati and Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally who has been mediating with the group.
Borrell said the EU is ready to allocate 200 million Euros ($208 million) to assist the Lebanese military, which would deploy additional forces to the south.
The emerging agreement would pave the way for the withdrawal of Hezbollah militants and Israeli troops from southern Lebanon below the Litani River in accordance with the U.N. Security Council resolution that ended the 2006 war. Lebanese troops would patrol the area, with the presence of U.N. peacekeepers.
Lebanon’s Army reflects the religious diversity of the country and is respected as a national institution, but it does not have the military capability to impose its will on Hezbollah or resist Israel’s invasion.
In a first in six decades, no Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Assembly
For the first time, there will be no leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Maharashtra Assembly due to the inadequate number of MLAs in the Opposition. This will be the first time in six decades that the Assembly will not have an LoP.
For a LoP, an Opposition party should have 10% of the total strength of the Assembly, according to the rules.
With the Assembly’s strength at 288 seats, at least one opposition party must have 28 MLAs for it to be a Leader of the Opposition. In the current scenario, Congress has 16, NCP has 10, and Shiv Sena has 21 seats, which does not meet the required mandate.
The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance retained Maharashtra with a landslide victory to form the government by winning 233 out of the 288 seats, as per the final figures by the Election Commission. The Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) emerged as the largest party, bagging 132 seats, followed by Eknath Shinde led-Shiv Sena, winning 57 seats, and Deputy Chief Minister marking 41 seats in the fierce battle of 15th Maharashtra Assembly election.
In brief:
Border-Gavaskar Trophy first Test: India turns up the heat as Bumrah strikes after tons by Jaiswal, Kohli
A Sunday turned hot in tune with summer in the Southern hemisphere. And out in the middle, Yashasvi Jaiswal (161) and Virat Kohli (100 n.o.) dished out their own version of heat as India took a firm grip over the first Test in Perth at the Optus Stadium. At the third day’s close, pursuing 534, Australia mustered 12 for three in its second innings after India declared at 487 for six. Jasprit Bumrah scalped Nathan McSweeney and Marnus Labuschagne, and Mohammed Siraj prised out Pat Cummins to leave the host gasping.
What are the RTM rules during the IPL auction
The Right to Match (RTM) was introduced for the first time in 2018. The RTM rule will allow the franchises to bring back a player from their previous season to their squad. The RTM rule allows a franchise to retain a player they released by matching the highest bid for that player at the auction. The RTM card will allow teams that didn’t use their full quota of six-player retentions ahead of the auction to retain some of the players from their previous squads. A team can use the RTM card to match the highest bid placed on a player who was part of its squad during the previous season. However, in this auction, the franchise that places the original bid will be allowed one more opportunity to raise the bid for the player after the RTM card is invoked.
Published - November 24, 2024 09:27 pm IST
