Ajay Maken Appointed As Congress' New Treasurer

The Congress on Sunday appointed its senior leader Ajay Maken as the new treasurer, replacing Pawan Kumar Bansal.

Ajay Maken is considered a close confidant of Rahul Gandhi and was without any post ever since he resigned as Congress general secretary in charge of Rajasthan a few months ago.

"The Congress president has appointed Ajay Maken as the treasurer of the All India Congress Committee, with immediate effect," party general secretary K C Venugopal said in a statement.

"The party appreciates the contribution of the outgoing treasurer Pawan Kumar Bansal," the statement further said.

Sources add that Mr Bansal, who was a permanent invitee to the CWC prior to his appointment as treasurer, was again made a permanent invitee by Kharge while equating him with many juniors in the party.

They add that the office of treasurer was "undermined" in the working committee, the highest decision-making body of the grand old party, while appointing him as a permanent invitee to the CWC.

Mr Bansal was appointed as interim treasurer after the demise of Ahmed Patel. He held the position for almost three years.

Ajay Maken thanked the Congress leadership for his new assignment and said he would perform his new role with honesty and dedication as a custodian of their contributions.

In a post on social media site X, he said, "I am currently in Raipur attending the screening committee meeting. I have been informed of my appointment as the treasurer of Congress. This is indeed a significant responsibility." "I wish to extend my gratitude to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, former Congress presidents Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, and general secretary, organisation, K C Venugopal for placing their trust in me.

"I assure both my leaders and the workers of our party that as a custodian of their contributions, I will work with the utmost diligence, honesty, and dedication," Ajay Maken 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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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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Union Minister Seeks More Transparency In Censor Board Amid Graft Charges

Taking serious note of the corruption allegations in the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur directed officials on Friday to swiftly implement measures to enhance transparency and accountability in the administration of the board.

Mr Thakur directed Information and Broadcasting Secretary Apurva Chandra to ensure maximum utilisation of technology and the rolling out of a faceless system on the lines of the Income Tax Office for slotting of films to be scheduled for screening for certification officials, a senior official said.

The action came in the wake of allegations by Tamil actor Vishal, who claimed that he had to pay Rs 6.5 lakh to the CBFC's Mumbai office for the screening and certification of the Hindi version of his film "Mark Antony".

The official said Anurag Thakur wants the CBFC to speed up the process of creating a transparent mechanism for faster certification of films in urgent cases and further strengthen the oversight measures.

The Minister has sought an action-taken report on the matter by October 16.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting sent an official to Mumbai to probe the matter soon after the actor charges on social media.

Vishal's sci-fi film "Mark Antony", directed by Adhik Ravichandran, was released in Hindi on Thursday. The movie also features SJ Suryah, Ritu Varma, Sunil, Selvaraghavan and Abhinaya.

In a statement, the Indian Film and Television Directors' Association (IFTDA) expressed concern over the allegations made against CBFC officials and demanded a CBI inquiry into the matter.

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

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Manipur Panel To Probe Use Of "Excess Force" Against Student Protesters

The Manipur government on Thursday constituted a committee to verify complaints of alleged use of excessive force on protesters, mainly students, by security forces here over the last two days, an official order said.

The order issued by the DGP said, "There have been various reports/allegations of use of excess force by the security forces to maintain law and order over the last few days in Imphal area." The committee will be headed by IGP (Administration) K Jayanta, the order said, adding that it will "submit the report at the earliest." Violent protests rocked Manipur's capital for two days on Tuesday and Wednesday as thousands of students protested the kidnapping and killing of two youths, pictures of whose bodies had gone viral.

On Tuesday night, a clash occurred between RAF personnel and locals over the murder of the duo, prompting the law enforcers to lob tear gas shells and fire rubber bullets at the agitators and baton-charge them, leaving 45 of the protesters, mostly students, injured.

Due to excess use of force by the Armed Forces in the last few days, State Government has initiated a Committee which will be led by IGP Adm Manipur to take action against any personnel involved for any excess committed. Strict action should be taken against any of these... pic.twitter.com/0fVDdAMqmE

— Rajkumar Imo Singh (@imosingh) September 28, 2023

On Wednesday, around 20 protesters were injured in similar clashes with security forces.

Meanwhile, the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) has condemned the "brutal act of RAF and security forces" against student protesters on Wednesday and termed it as a "violation of human rights." Two school students were badly injured after being hit by "multiple pellet bullets" fired by security forces during the students' protest rally against the killing of the two youths.

One student had more than thirty pellets lodged on the back of his head while another had his shoulder torn open after being hit by a lethal weapon, hospital officials told reporters.

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

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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."

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

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Germany Puts in Place Tougher Checks to Control Migration

By Graham Bowley from NYT World https://ift.tt/Wybl63M

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