By Joymala Bagchi
Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], March 22 (ANI): The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has taken cognisance of the death of a seven-year-old in a crude bomb explosion in West Bengal’s Burdwan district on Monday evening and has asked the district administration to arrest the culprits within 24 hours or else face stringent action.
While talking to ANI, NCPCR chairperson Priyank Kanoongo stated, “Death of a child is a very serious matter and NCPCR will not tolerate it, moreover if deaths are caused by violence related to the elections.”
“I spoke with the district administration and gave asked them to arrest the culprits within 24 hours else Commission will take stringent measures. Have copied the letter to Election commission as well,” added Kanoongo.
The Commission has taken cognisance in the matter under Section 13 (1J) of the Commissions for Protection of Child Rights (CPCR) Act 2005.
“It has been gathered that no accused has been arrested so far by the Police and the matter is under investigation”, the NCPCR letter reads.
The Commission also ensured medical treatment of the injured minor child.
The incident took place in Burdwan district’s Rasikpur’s Subhaspally area today.
An investigation has been initiated and the area has been cordoned off.
The Election Commission has sought a report from the Burdwan district administration and state Chief Secretary within 24 hours over this incident.
The incident comes as the state is gearing up for the upcoming Assembly elections.
Elections to the 294-member assembly will be held from March 27 to April 29 in eight phases. Results will be declared on May 2. (ANI)

Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], March 22 (ANI): Kashmir Inspector General of Police (IGP), Vijay Kumar on Monday said that Pakistan is hell-bent on disturbing the peace in Jammu and Kashmir and is using social media platforms to instigate local youth of the valley for joining terrorist ranks, and are also using narcotic drugs to spoil the careers and lives of the youth.
Addressing a joint press conference at PCR Kashmir, the IGP said that drugs are being trafficked by Pakistan through different routes/modes using drones and other means and its sale proceeds are being used to strengthen terrorist activities in the valley as also for misguiding and motivating the local youth to join terror folds.
During the joint press conference, IGP Kumar and General Officer Commanding (GoC) of Victor Force Major General Reshim Bali revealed that so far 19 terrorists have been killed in nine different encounters while three terrorists have been arrested during the current year.
Briefing the media on the Shopian encounter, the IGP stated that yesterday at about 7:30 pm, on a specific input generated by Shopian Police regarding the presence of terrorists in Manihal area of Shopian, a joint cordon and search operation was launched by Police, 34 Rashtriya Rifles and 178 Battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in the said area.
During the search operation, as the presence of terrorists got ascertained they were given an opportunity to surrender however, they fired indiscriminately on the joint search party, he said
He further informed that during the exchange of fire one Army soldier sustained a bullet injury and was evacuated to hospital for treatment of his injuries, where his condition is stated to be stable.
He added that during the encounter, four categorised terrorists were killed and their bodies were retrieved from the site of the encounter.
They have been identified as Rayees Ahmad Bhat, Aamir Shafi Mir, Aaqib Ahmad Malik and Aftab Ahmad Wani all the residents of Shopian. As per police records, all the killed terrorists were affiliated with the proscribed terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba.
As per police records, the killed terrorists were part of groups involved in many terror crime cases including planning & executing several major terror attacks on security forces. IGP Kashmir congratulated the joint forces for conducting the encounter in a professional manner.
The last rites of the killed terrorists shall be performed after conducting medico-legal formalities at Baramulla and their nearest family members shall be allowed to participate in the last rites, informed Kumar.
Arms and ammunition including 01 AK-47 rifle, 3 pistols and other incriminating materials were recovered from the site of the encounter. All the recovered materials have been taken into case records for further investigation and to probe their complicity in other terror crimes.
In this connection, police have registered a case under relevant sections of law and an investigation has been initiated. People are requested to cooperate with police till the area is completely sanitized and cleared off of all the explosive materials if any.
During the joint press conference, IGP Vijay Kumar and General Officer Commanding (GoC) of Victor Force Major General Reshim Bali made a fervent appeal to all misguided youth who have joined terror ranks to shun the path of violence and return to the mainstream.
They also appealed to the families of terrorists to help Police/Army in bringing their misguided loved ones back to normal life and assured that we will support those who lay down their arms and surrender as they are our own people.
IGP Kashmir also requested the parents to keep a strict watch on the activities of their wards in order to keep them away from the clutches of drugs and in case of any assistance, the parents can avail services of already existing Police Drug De-addiction Centres across Kashmir Valley for counselling and rehabilitation of such youth who have fallen prey to drugs. (ANI)

Guwahati (Assam) [India], March 22 (ANI): Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday met Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers in Guwahati ahead of the Assam assembly elections.
Besides Shah, BJP president JP Nadda and Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh were also present at the grand meeting.
Earlier on Monday, Shah held public rallies in Udalgiri and Majuli.
Addressing the public meeting in Majuli, the Union Home Minister said, “Congress ruled for 15 years. Many terror outfits killed people. Our security jawans were killed. No probe was done. Bullets, guns and people getting killed are a thing of the past since we have come. Terrorists surrendered, left terrorism and entered the mainstream.”
Shah took a jibe at Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s recent visit to Assam stating that it was nothing more than a picnic.
“Recently, Rahul baba visited Assam. For him, visiting Assam is nothing more than a picnic. He comes here enjoys a picnic and goes back. When he talks about labourers, I feel like laughing, as Congress did not do anything for tea garden workers during the time they were in power,” Shah said at a public meeting in Udalguri.
Elections for the 126-seat Assam assembly are scheduled to take place in three phases from March 27 to April 6. The results will be announced on May 2.
BJP is contesting the polls in alliance with Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL). On the other hand, Congress has formed a coalition with Bodoland People’s Front (BPF), AIUDF, Anchalik Gana Marcha (AGM) and the Left parties. (ANI)

New Delhi [India], March 22 (ANI): After Independent MP from Amaravati in Maharashtra, Navneet Rana on Monday wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker alleging that member of Parliament Arvind Sawant had threatened her for raising Sachin Waze case in the Lower House, the Shiv Sena MP said it is not true.
Rana had during Zero Hour today spoken against the Maha Vikas Aghadi government over the allegations made by former Mumbai Police Commissioner Parambir Singh.
Rana alleged in her letter to Om Birla that Sawant had threatened her by saying “Tu Maharashtra mein kaise ghoomti hai main dekhta hun aur tere ko bhi jail mein daalenge (How will you move about in Maharashtra now, I will see how you can do so and you will be also put in jail).”
She also claimed that she was previously also threatened several times over phone and via letters over acid attacks on her.
“The kind of language used against me by Arvind Sawant is an insult to me and also the women of the entire country. I wish that strict police action be taken against him,” she wrote.
However, Shiv Sena MP Sawant told ANI that he did not threaten Rana.
“This is a big lie. Why will I threaten her? If there were people present near her at that time, then they can say if I had threatened her,” he said.
Her way of talking and body language was wrong, Sawant said adding that Shiv Sainiks do not threaten women.
Meanwhile, BJP MP Rama Devi said, “Navneet Rana has spoken to me on this. Arvind Sawant being an MP should not have said such a thing. I will ask the Speaker to take this seriously.”
In the Lok Sabha, several MPs including Rana had raised questions on Shiv Sena and NCP over the extortion allegations against Home minister Anil Deshmukh.
Rana had said, “On what basis was a man suspended for 16 years and jailed, reinstated? During the term of the BJP government, Uddhav Thackeray had himself called up Devendra Fadnavis to reinstate Sachin Waze. Fadnavis had refused. When Thackeray government came to power, they reinstated him.”
Former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh on Saturday wrote a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, alleging that Deshmukh had indulged in “malpractices” and asked suspended API Sachin Waze to collect Rs 100 crore every month.
The allegations made by Singh came a day after Deshmukh had said that Singh was moved out as Mumbai Police Commissioner so that cases pertaining to Waze were probed without obstruction.
In the letter, Singh, who has now been posted as Commandant General of Home Guards, had said that he has been “made a scapegoat to divert attention from the actual wrongdoers”.
He had alleged that Sachin Waze, who was heading the Crime Intelligence Unit of the Crime Branch of the Mumbai Police, was called by Deshmukh to his official residence several times in the last few months and “repeatedly instructed to assist in the collection of funds”.
Waze, Assistant Police Inspector in the Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU), who was transferred to the Citizen Facilitation Centre at Mumbai Police headquarters after his name came up in Mansukh Hiran death case, has been sent to the NIA custody till March 25, in connection with his alleged role and involvement in placing an explosives-laden vehicle near Mukesh Ambani’s residence. (ANI)

New Delhi [India], March 22 (ANI): The Supreme Court on Monday adjourned to August the hearing on a plea filed seeking directions to gauge a number of persons employed either directly or indirectly as manual scavengers and the actual number of dead since its prohibition in 1993 Manual Scavenging.
A Bench of Chief Justice SA Bobde and Justices AS Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian observed that “it cannot compel people to file their affidavit (replies) on the issue of manual scavenging, and said it will proceed and draw an adverse inference against them.”
The court listed the matter for further hearing in the third week of August.
Lawyer Ashima Mandla, appearing for the petitioner, Criminal Justice Society of India (CJSI) said that one manual scavenger died every 5 days.
Advocate Mandla further added that the Pleadings have not been completed, and Notice was issued in February 2019. There are 51 respondents and only 13 counter-affidavits have been filed.
Manual scavenging was declared illegal in 1993. (ANI)

Kochi (Kerala) [India], March 22 (ANI): The Kerala High Court on Monday dismissed the petitions of three National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidates challenging the order of returning officers rejecting their nomination papers.
The single bench of Justice N Nagaresh rejected the petitions of Bharatiya Janata Party candidates N Haridas and Nivedida Subramanian and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) candidate RM Dhanalakshmi.
BJP has fielded N Haridas from Thalassery and Nivedida Subramanian from Guruvayoor assembly seats. RM Dhanalakshmi is an AIADMK candidate from Devikulam.
The election for the 140-member Kerala Assembly will be held on April 6. The counting of votes will take place on May 2. (ANI)