Cops Not At Fault In Gangster Atiq Ahmad's Killing: UP To Supreme Court

The Uttar Pradesh government has told the Supreme Court that "no fault" has been found on the part of the police in an ongoing probe into the killing of gangster and former Lok Sabha member Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf in Prayagraj on April 15.

In a status report filed in the court, the state of Uttar Pradesh has said it has left no stone unturned to ensure a fair and impartial investigation into the incident and other cases, including the killing of gangster Vikas Dubey and various police encounters since 2017, raised by the petitioner.

Ahmad (60) and Ashraf were shot dead at point-blank range by three men posing as journalists while police personnel were escorting them to a medical college for examination on April 15. The entire shooting was captured live on national television.

In its report, the state has given details of the status of cases mentioned in the plea filed by advocate Vishal Tiwari, who sought an independent probe into the killing of Ahmad and Ashraf, and about compliance with various past recommendations of the court and various commissions.

Giving details of the probe conducted in the killing of Ahmad and Ashraf, the status report said "investigation is partially ongoing to collect evidence on some other points".

On details about some encounters, including that of gangster Vikas Dubey in July 2020, the state has said these incidents were thoroughly investigated in accordance with the guidelines and directions issued by the court in its verdicts.

The status report said that "each of the seven incidents (including the murder of Ahmad and Ashraf) highlighted by the petitioner in his pleadings, have been thoroughly investigated by the state in accordance with the directions/guidelines issued by this court in various decisions, and where the investigations are complete, no fault has been found on the part of the police".

The report was filed before the top court which is seized of two separate petitions - one filed by Tiwari and the other by Aisha Noori, sister of gangster- politician Ahmad, seeking a direction for a comprehensive probe into the killing of her brothers.

It said Tiwari has mostly "re-agitated" issues that have already been decided and closed by the Supreme Court in earlier proceedings.

"A perusal of the present writ petition demonstrates that the petitioner (Tiwari) purports to be concerned with deaths of criminals in alleged police encounters in UP and to that end, mentions the deaths of dreaded gangster Vikas Dubey and some of his gang members in police encounters in the state of UP," it said.

The report said the petitioner has also specifically raised grievances against the report of Justice BS Chauhan Commission.

Former court judge Chauhan headed the commission that probed the encounter killing of Vikas Dubey in 2020.

Dubey and his men had ambushed and killed eight policemen at his native Bikru village in Kanpur district in July 2020.

He was arrested in Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh and was being brought back to Uttar Pradesh police's custody when he allegedly tried to escape and was shot dead. Doubts were raised about the genuineness of the police encounter.

The Justice Chauhan Commission had concluded that the police version of the deaths of Dubey and his associates in retaliatory firing incidents in the days following his encounter killing could not be doubted.

The status report said apart from the Justice BS Chauhan Commission's report finding no fault with the actions of the State, "even the criminal inquiries, magisterial inquiries, Human Rights Commission, have not found fault with the state".

"At the outset, it is reiterated that Atiq Ahmad… was a notorious and dreaded gangster and leader of registered gang IS 227, who had been involved in more than 100 criminal cases including cases of murder, dacoity, kidnapping, extortion, forgery, vandalism of public property...," it said.

It said there is regular monitoring of police self-defence actions in which accused persons have died.

"In all the police encounter incidents that have taken place since 2017, details related to the killed criminals and the results of the investigation/enquiry are collected and scrutinised every month at the police headquarters level," the report said.

It said the state continuously monitors all police action and takes immediate remedial or corrective steps, if necessary.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Other Backward Classes Won't Lose Out: Chief Minister On Maratha Quota

The reservation of Other Backward Classes (OBC) will not be touched while giving quota to the Maratha community, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said on Friday.

During the day, Eknath Shinde held a meeting with representatives of the OBC and Nomadic Tribes at Sahyadri Guest House. It was attended by Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar as well as senior ministers and officials. Representatives from these segments put forth their demands in the meeting.

"The government's stand is that the quota of no community will not be diluted. While giving reservation to the Maratha community, the quota of other communities will remain unaffected," Mr Shinde said.

The government stands firmly behind the Nomadic Tribes, he said, adding that officials have been directed to start 72 hostels for OBC students.

Devendra Fadnavis said the implementation of schemes of Rs 4,000 crore is being done.

Sharad Pawar, who handles the finance department in the Shinde government, said the NT community will be allocated a huge amount of funds in the budget.

Meanwhile, Sachin Rajurkar, general secretary of the Rashtriya OBC Mahasangh, who took part in the meeting, said Mr Fadnavis will go to Chandrapur to persuade Ravindra Tonge to call off his 19-day hunger strike.

Mr Tonge, the head of the students' wing of the Rashtriya OBC Mahasangh, is on hunger strike for various demands and has opposed the inclusion of the Maratha community in the OBC segment for reservation purposes.

Mr Rajurkar claimed Ravindra Tonge will call off his hunger strike on Saturday on the back of assurances from the state government, adding that a 'bandh' call for Chandrapur has been withdrawn.

However, sources from Mr Fadnavis' office just said he is likely to go to Chandrapur on Saturday.

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गरबे में जमाना है रंग तो इस बाजार से ले सकते हैं डिजाइनर कपड़ें, यह आउटफिट बना ग्राहकों की पहली पसंद

नवरात्र का उत्सव जल्द ही आने वाला है और देश में गरबा महोत्सव की धूम अभी से देखने को मिल रही है. जहां सभी गरबा और डांडिया सीखने में व्यस्त हैं वहीं दूसरी तरफ गरबे की ड्रेस कलेक्शन भी मार्केट में आ चुके हैं.

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80 kgs Of Drugs Worth 800 Crores Seized In Gujarat's Kutch District: Cops

Nearly 80 kilograms of drugs, valued at approximately Rs 800 crore in the international market, was seized from the state's Kutch district, the police said.

As soon as information was received, the police swung into action, officials said. The accused left the consignment and fled, they added.

According to the Superintendent of Police, Kutch East, Sagar Bagmar, "Gujarat Police seized 80 kg of drug from the coast, whose value in the international market is Rs 800 crore. As soon as the information was received, the police swung into action, the accused left the drug and ran away from the spot".

"The case is being further investigated," he added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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"Bharat Product Of Sanatana Dharma": Tamil Nadu Governor Jabs Stalin Junior

Even as the fury over DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin's rant against Sanatan Dharma is yet to die down, Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi on Wednesday said that the successful hosting of the G20 Summit by India, under the theme "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" (One Earth, One Family, One Future), has got the world to acknowledge and celebrate Sanatana Dharma like never before.

In a veiled jibe at the DMK minister, the Governor said Sanatana dharma is "indestructible".

Addressing a conference in Chennai earlier, Udhayanidhi Stalin equated Sanatana dharma with "mosquitoes, dengue, malaria, fever, and Corona" and called for it to be eradicated as opposed to being merely opposed.

"On the 9th and 10th of this month, the world celebrated the 'Sanatana Utsava' in New Delhi as we hosted the G20 Summit. This is because the G20 Summit under Bharat's presidency was done with full commitment to Sanatana values, Sanatana Dharma, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam... Today, the world has begun celebrating Sanatana Dharma," Mr Ravi said.

The Governor said, "Some people are distorting the ideas and beliefs around Satanana by making all sorts of negative remarks. They are doing so out of their selfish interests. They disregard the value of Sanatan. However, Sanatana is indestructible."

"We have to be awake and alert to our responsibilities. If anyone speaks about eradicating it (Sanatana) or causing it any harm, we must realise that they are peddling an agenda to break the country," Governor Ravi said.

Stressing that the "core strength" of Bharat lies in Sanatana, he claimed that "anti-national elements were attempting to strike at the very core of the country".

"That is what the Britishers did, or tried to do. They succeeded in breaking Bharat as Partition saw the country being splintered into two," the Tamil Nadu Governor said, adding, "Bharat cannot afford another partition".

Invoking Ambedkar, he said, "Our Constitution says, 'India that is Bharat'. Bharat is a product of Sanatana Dharma. Unfortunately, after the Britishers left, we didn't do much to make the citizens understand what Bharat is."

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मूर्ति विसर्जन के लिए नहीं जा पाएंगे ताप्ती नदी के करीब, जानें नगर निगम की योजना

बुरहानपुर में ताप्ती नदी का जलस्तर बड़ा होने से राजघाट पर जिला प्रशासन की ओर से बेरीकेडिंग कर दी गई है. भक्त पूजा अर्चना करने के बाद नगर निगम और होमगार्ड के जवानों को श्री गणेश की प्रतिमाएं देंगे...

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Give Chandigarh To Punjab, No Spare Water To Share: Bhagwant Mann

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann Tuesday sought handing over of Chandigarh to Punjab and strongly opposed the construction of the Sutlej-Yamuna Link canal - a contentious issue between Punjab and Haryana -- saying it can lead to serious law and order issues.

Speaking during the 31st Northern Zonal Council meeting here, Mr Mann opposed the proposal of affiliation of Haryana colleges with Panjab University, levying of water cess by the Himachal Pradesh government on hydropower projects, and Rajasthan's demand of becoming the member of the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB).

The CM called for prosecution of illegal travel agents, demanding formation of a centre of excellence to counter the threat of drones, expediting the setting up of a regional centre of National Security Guards in Pathankot, and revision of flood relief norms.

The 31st NZC meeting was presided over by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

The NZC comprises Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh and the Union Territories of Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, and Chandigarh.

Presenting his case for handing over Chandigarh to the state of Punjab, the CM said the capital city of Punjab was officially shifted from Shimla to Chandigarh on September 21, 1953.

However, at the time of bifurcation of the state in 1966, the city of Chandigarh was made a Union Territory under the provisions of the Punjab Reorganization Act, 1966 with effect from November 1, 1966, he added That has been the status quo since and it is a grave injustice with the people of the state, Mann said.

"Chandigarh was formed as a new Capital of Punjab over the land acquired in the state of Punjab," he asserted.

Mann said although the issue has remained under deliberation at various forums, the demand for Chandigarh's restoration to Punjab has not been addressed yet. Chandigarh is the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana.

On the SYL issue, Mann reiterated that the state has no spare water to share with any other state, so instead of the SYL canal, the project should be now be conceived as Yamuna-Sutlej Link.

The Sutlej River has already dried up and there is no question of sharing "even a single drop of water from it." Rather, water from Ganga and Yamuna should be supplied to Punjab through Sutlej river, he said.

He said the SYL canal is a highly emotive issue for Punjab and its construction will lead to serious law and order issue with potential to affect the entire country, in addition to Haryana and Rajasthan.

Mann said Punjab has no surplus water to share with Haryana and reassessment of availability of water is needed to be done as per international norms, and demanded setting up of a new tribunal.

He said the state has been requesting for its association in negotiations for allocation of Yamuna waters, but its request has not been considered on the ground that no geographical area of Punjab falls in Yamuna basin.

Mr Mann said that Haryana is not the basin state of Ravi and Beas rivers, yet Punjab is forced to share waters of these rivers with Haryana.

If Haryana gets Ravi-Beas water being a successor state of Punjab, the same example should be followed for Yamuna and its water should be shared with Punjab, he argued.

Opposing the water cess levied by Himachal Pradesh on hydro-power projects, Mann cited the section 7 of the Inter State River Water Disputes Act, 1956, which says no state government shall impose a fee on other state or its inhabitants, if the basis of the levy is that works for conservation, regulation or utilization of water of the inter-state river has been constructed within the limits of the state.

Mann strongly opposed Rajasthan's demand for membership of the BBMB, saying it is a body constituted under the provisions of the Punjab Reorganization Act 1966, which primarily deals with the successor states of Punjab and Haryana.

Mann also flagged the issue of the Shanan Power House in Jogindernagar, accusing HP of unnecessarily raising the issue of its transfer on the ground that the 99-year lease of land is expiring in 2024.

He also made a case for using the water from Ujh and Ravi rivers going to Pakistan. He said that the state had proposed long back to stop this water by constructing a barrage across Ravi just downstream to the confluence point with Ujh at Makaura Pattan, which is within 4 km from Indo-Pak border.

On the Panjab University issue, Mann argued that Haryana and Himachal Pradesh cannot lay a claim on the varsity having unilaterally withdrawn their colleges from it in 1973 and 1975 and set up their own universities and stopped funding the Panjab University altogether.

It is Punjab which nurtured this university for 50 years, he said.

Mann also underscored the need for revision of clause of paid military for Punjab.

Being a border state, the state is fighting the nation's war to combat terrorism and drugs but unfortunately whenever the state needs central para military forces to maintain law and order on behalf of the country we are asked to pay a hefty fee for it, Mann claimed.

On Rajasthan' demand to maintain full level of Pong and Bhakra dams, Mann said no flood water from Sutlej or Beas flows to Haryana or Rajasthan or to any other state due to which Punjab had to face all the damage caused by the floods in 1988, 2019, and most recently a month ago.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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