Essential and strategic items such as pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, copper, and energy products like oil, gas, coal and LNG are exempted from the 27 per cent import duty announced by the US on Wednesday, according to think tank GTRI.
A group of protesters stormed a book stall in Dhaka, Bangladesh, over the display of books by exiled Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasrin. The incident prompted Bangladesh's Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus to order a probe into the "disorderly behaviour." The incident unfolded at the Amar Ekushey Book Fair on Monday, with protesters surrounding the stall and chanting slogans. Police intervened to restore order, but the protesters then encircled the police control room, keeping tensions high. Following widespread criticism, Chief Adviser Yunus ordered authorities to bring those responsible to justice. The Bangla Academy has formed a committee to investigate the chaos and attack on the publishing house.
Bangladesh has demanded a public apology and compensation from Pakistan for the 1971 atrocities, raising "historically unresolved issues" during the first foreign secretary-level talks between the two countries in 15 years. Dhaka also asked Islamabad to pay USD 4.3 billion as its share from the combined assets at the time of East Pakistan's split from West Pakistan in 1971 to form an independent Bangladesh.
'The BJP lacks a credible mass leader who matches Mamata Banerjee's popularity.' 'Given the division of votes among Opposition parties, the West Bengal government's dole-giving strategy, and the consolidation of the poor, significant sections of scheduled caste groups and Muslim minorities behind the ruling party, it will be difficult to dislodge the Trinamool from power.'
Muhammad Yunus urged the people to "exercise patience" before judging his government's role.
Protests erupted in various parts of West Bengal on Sunday over alleged atrocities against Hindu minorities in Bangladesh. Demonstrations were held in Kolkata, Kanthi, Kakdwip, Sandeshkhali and Purulia, with protesters calling for the release of Hindu leader Chinmoy Krishna Das and boycotting Bangladeshi goods. They condemned the alleged targeting of Hindus in Bangladesh and the hate-driven narratives against India. The protests also saw the burning of Dhakai Jamdani sarees from Bangladesh.
A facial recognition test has confirmed that the face of the Bangladeshi man arrested for allegedly stabbing Saif Ali Khan matched with the person seen in the CCTV footage from the actor's building in Mumbai. Shariful Islam Shehzad Mohammad Rohilla Amin Fakir (30), arrested for the January 16 attack, was the same person seen in the CCTV footage from Satguru Sharan building in Bandra, according to police. The facial recognition technology played a key role in cracking the case. Shariful allegedly broke into the Bollywood star's 12th-floor apartment in the early hours of January 16 and stabbed him six times before fleeing the scene. He was arrested from neighbouring Thane city three days later. A Mumbai court on Wednesday remanded the accused to 14-day judicial custody. Following the knife attack, Khan was admitted to the nearby Lilavati Hospital, where he underwent two surgeries. He was discharged from the private hospital on January 21.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday condemned the violence in West Bengal's Murshidabad district following the passage of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, accusing the opposition of instigating the violence. He also criticized the opposition for their alleged silence over the persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh and emphasized the BJP's commitment to protecting Hindus.
The US spy chief, now in India, earlier on Monday said the "longtime unfortunate persecution, killing, and abuse of religious minorities like Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, and others has been a major area of concern for the US government and President Trump and his administration."
The chaos and fear created by the deadly protests remained. Gangs of criminals have been looting and robbing homes in the absence of law enforcers over the last two days.
A Bangladeshi national, Mohammad Shariful Islam Shehzad, who had illegally entered India and changed his name to Bijoy Das, was arrested in connection with the attack on Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan. The attack occurred on January 16th in Khan's apartment in Mumbai. Shehzad entered Khan's apartment through a bathroom window and demanded Rs. 1 crore from a nanny. When Khan arrived, he was stabbed in the back by Shehzad. Police are investigating the possibility of an international conspiracy behind the attack.
A Bangladeshi national, identified as Shariful Islam Shehzad Mohammad Rohilla Amin Fakir, has been arrested in Mumbai for allegedly stabbing actor Saif Ali Khan. The suspect, who had been living in Mumbai for over five months, panicked after seeing his image on news channels and planned to flee to Bangladesh. Police tracked him down after analyzing CCTV footage and digital payment records.
Our visa operations in Bangladesh constitute the largest visa operations India conducts worldwide. This has taken a hit after Sheikh Hasina's government was overthrown and India reduced its diplomatic presence in Bangladesh, notes Aakar Patel.
Mumbai police have informed a court that they need to conduct facial recognition of the Bangladeshi man arrested for allegedly stabbing Saif Ali Khan to ascertain if he is the person seen in CCTV footage. The accused, Shareeful Islam Shehzad Mohammad Rohilla Amin Fakir, has been remanded in police custody till January 29. The police are also seeking to match Fakir's footprints and recover the missing part of the knife used in the crime. Fakir's lawyers have opposed the police's plea, raising doubts about the credibility of the incident and arguing that the remand of the accused is not required to recover the material.
The spokesperson said the attackers fled to Bangladesh after snatching the weapons of the troops.
The third piece of the knife used to attack Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan in his Bandra home on January 16 has been recovered. The knife was recovered from close to Bandra Talao, more than a kilometre away from the actor's residence.
A Mumbai court remanded a man arrested in the Saif Ali Khan attack case in police custody till January 24 after observing that the police's contention of an international conspiracy cannot be ruled out. The alleged attacker was a Bangladeshi national who had illegally entered India and changed his name to Bijoy Das. Police are investigating the motive behind the attack and whether there is an international conspiracy involved. Saif Ali Khan was stabbed multiple times in the attack and underwent a five-hour surgery.
The Mumbai Police have found several fingerprints of the accused in Saif Ali Khan's stabbing case at the actor's Bandra residence.
The Mumbai police, who are probing the incident of attack on Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan, on Tuesday said they have 'ample and strong evidence' against the Bangladeshi national arrested in the case.
Taking a dig at a section of Bangladeshi politicians, who said the country has legitimate claims over Bengal, Bihar and Odisha, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday wondered whether Indians 'would have lollipop' when external forces would try to occupy Indian lands.
'Mamata needs to address the anger and resentment among various sections of the Hindu community because low-scale communal violence has always paid richer electoral dividends for the BJP.'
The arrests were made from different districts of Tripura by teams of Assam police's special task force, he said.
The BJP, meanwhile, asked Kejriwal to learn "spirit of service" from the RSS leaving behind his "political moves" instead of writing to Bhagwat to draw "media attention".
Fadnavis further said it was too early to comment on a foreign or Bangladeshi link to the riots as the probe is underway.
The ministry of home affairs has constituted a committee that is to be headed by the ADG, Border Security Force, Eastern Command to monitor the current Indo-Bangladesh Border situation.
People in Bangladesh have welcomed the new interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, hoping it would restore order, end repression and hold a fair election to facilitate a democratic transition of power.
According to the Mumbai police, the accused worked as a waiter at a restaurant, and a briefing regarding the case will take place later at the DCP zone IX office at 9 am.
An anti-graft panel in Bangladesh has launched an investigation against former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her family in connection with the allegations of embezzling $5 billion in the Rooppur nuclear power plant, according to a media report.
Akash Kanojia, a driver from Thane, was detained by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) in Durg, Chhattisgarh, as a suspect in the attack on actor Saif Ali Khan. After the real attacker was arrested, Kanojia was released but claims the police's actions have "ruined" his life, causing him mental trauma, job loss, and a broken engagement. He says he wants justice for the ordeal.
Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan has met auto-rickshaw driver Bhajan Singh Rana, who rushed him to hospital after he was injured in the knife attack at his home in Mumbai in the wee hours last week, and thanked him for the timely help.
A Bangladeshi national, arrested for the knife attack on Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan, entered India illegally seven months ago and used a fake Aadhaar card to procure a SIM card before moving to Mumbai, police said. The accused, Shariful Islam Shehzad Mohammad Rohilla Amin Fakir (30), was arrested from Thane for the stabbing incident at Khan's residence in Bandra. Fakir, who changed his name to Vijay Das, crossed the Dawki River to enter India illegally and used the Aadhaar card of a local man in West Bengal to procure a SIM card before moving to Mumbai in search of a job. He also tried to get an Aadhaar card for himself but failed. In Mumbai, he worked at places where he didn't need to furnish documents, with a labour contractor helping him get housekeeping work in pubs and hotels in Worli and Thane.
A man who was detained in Chhattisgarh's Durg railway station in connection with the January 16 Saif Ali Khan attack case was released on Sunday. Mumbai police earlier arrested a 30-year-old man from Thane near the metropolis in the case. The man detained from the Mumbai LTT-Kolkata Shalimar Jnaneshwari Express at Durg station on Saturday afternoon was just a suspect and he has been released after inquiry. Mumbai police said it had arrested alleged attacker Mohammad Shariful Islam Shehzad, a Bangladeshi national who had illegally entered India and changed his name to Bijoy Das. As per preliminary probe, he had entered the Bollywood star's home, in Satguru Sharan building in Bandra, in the early hours of January 16 with the intention of theft, police said in the metropolis. Khan (54) was stabbed multiple times in the attack, after which he underwent a five-hour surgery in nearby Lilavati Hospital.
'It was the hostility of the Yunus regime that made India careful and wary of dealing with them.' 'They gradually backed off and lowered the noise, but the damage was done.' 'Their true colours had been exposed.'
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee alleged that some of the 95 Indian fishermen released by Bangladesh after being arrested for illegally entering its waters were beaten up in jail. Banerjee, who was in Sagar Island to oversee preparations for the upcoming Ganga Sagar Mela, felicitated the fishermen and described them as "victims of circumstances". She said some fishermen were limping and told her they were assaulted in jail with their hands tied, resulting in injuries below the waist and legs. She also announced two schemes to help fishermen in the state: 'Samudra Sathi' and 'Matsajibi Bandhu'.
The father of Shariful Islam, the Bangladeshi man accused of stabbing actor Saif Ali Khan, claims his son was framed and is seeking help from the Bangladeshi Foreign Ministry and the Indian High Commission for his release. He alleges that Shariful was living in India illegally without proper documentation and was in fear of arrest. Ruhul claims his son was not the person seen in the CCTV footage and believes there might be a conspiracy. He says Shariful left Bangladesh after the re-election of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, fearing for his safety.
Meanwhile, multiple fingerprints of the accused have been collected from various spots from actor's building, police said.
India on Monday described as 'deeply regrettable' an incident of breach of the premises of Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala by a group of people protesting against the arrest of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das in the neighbouring country.
Preliminary investigation suggests that he climbed the stairs to the seventh-eighth floor of the building where Khan and his actor wife Kareena Kapoor live with their children and domestic staff.
India has expressed serious concern over the increasing incidents of violence and extremist rhetoric against minorities in Bangladesh, urging the interim government to fulfill its responsibility of protecting all minorities. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, stated that India has consistently raised the issue of threats and targeted attacks on Hindus and other minorities with the Bangladeshi government. Jaiswal emphasized that these developments cannot be dismissed as mere media exaggeration and called upon Bangladesh to take immediate steps to ensure the safety and security of minorities.
The Nagpur violence may have been prevented had the police considered the dangerous potential of the VHP/Bajrang Dal's demonstration; had they immediately stopped the burning of the chaddar and arrested the demonstrators; and had they fanned out to counter the rumours that spread among Muslims, observes Jyoti Punwani.