The minister said he would not reveal the nature of the action by the armed forces but asked people at an event here Friday to trust him on this.
In a veiled attack on the Samajwadi Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said political forces were behind the recent Muzaffarnagar communal riots as they feel they cannot achieve electoral victory without creating such conflicts.
BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi's key aide Amit Shah was booked on Sunday by the Bijnore district administration for allegedly inciting the public through his controversial "revenge" remark.
A controversy erupted on Monday over reported moves by the Uttar Pradesh government to withdraw cases against Muslim leaders in connection with Muzaffarnagar riots even as Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav said only some information has been sought and this did not mean cases were being dropped.
The new candidates fielded from these constituencies by the BJP are: SP Singh Baghel (Agra), Parameshwar Lal Saini (Sambhal), Raj Kumar Chaher (Fatehpur Sikri), Jai Prakash Rawat (Hardoi-SC), Ashok Rawat (Misrikh-SC) and Arun Sagar (Shahjahanpur-SC).
The protesting farmers dubbed the three laws as "anti-farmer" and claimed they infringe upon their basic right to sell their produce at MSP.
While the police have kept the Haryana-Delhi border at Singhu and Tikri closed for traffic, the protest at Ghazipur, the city's border with Uttar Pradesh, has also intensified.
With a controversy erupting over the two arrested alleged Lashkar-e-Tayiba operatives and their connection with Muzaffarnagar region, both the accused on Thursday wrote to the Union home minister urging him to transfer the case to the National Investigation Agency for "fair" investigation.
Noting that Muzaffarnagar riots have underlined inadequacies in existing laws to deal with such clashes, Minority Affairs Minister K Rahman Khan on Monday pitched for introduction of the Communal Violence Bill in Winter Session of Parliament.
The All India Muslim Majlis-e Mushawarat, the umbrella body of Muslim organisations in the country, on Friday took serious note of Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi's claim that an intelligence officer had told him that 'people from Pakistan were talking to the relatives of Muslims killed in the August 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots.
District authorities in Agra have cancelled the permission granted to the Bharatiya Janata Party for holding a farmers' rally led by party leaders L K Advani and Varun Gandhi in Akola village on Sunday on the grounds that it could disturb the law and order situation there.
The move prompted a strong reaction from the Congress, with its state unit chief Ajay Kumar Lallu equating it with the 1919 Rowlatt Act or Black Act and saying that the party will explore legal options to challenge it.
As government-issued guidelines in many places banned large congregations and setting up of fairs or food stalls, the torching of effigies was restricted to very few venues than usual. The Ramleela Maidan at the iconic Red Fort where every year the Dussehra festivities are attended by dignitaries including the prime minister and the President apart from hundreds of common people, was deserted this time as the annual celebrations were cancelled.
"Our daughters go to schools and colleges. They (Muslims) do not believe in sending their girls to schools. Our daughters, therefore, are vulnerable to filthy remarks, unwanted advances and eve-teasing. We have to fight for our izzat (honour)," said Uday Veer. One comes across different versions of the same narrative in Muzaffarnagar, Saharanpur and Meerut. It cuts across caste lines and made class differences redundant.
In an affidavit filed in the apex court, the state government has alleged that Kappan is the office secretary of Popular Front of India and was using a 'journalist cover' by showing identity card of a Kerela-based newspaper which was closed in 2018.
'The spread of barbarity in Muzaffarnagar's villages makes administrative complicity so very evident that your government is rightly alleged to be imitating what the Modi-led administration did in Gujarat in 2002,' Mohammad Sajjad tells UP Minister Azam Khan.
Janata Dal-United leader Ali Anwar on Sunday said that the Bihari community knows how to get rid of communal forces.
The first substantial round of polling in the Lok Sabha elections began on Thursday, involving nearly 11 crore voters in 92 seats spread across 11 states, including Delhi and the national capital region and the riot-hit Muzaffarnagar. This will be the third round in the nine-phased elections which began on April 7 and will conclude on May 12. Thursday's round will also cover three Union Territories. We present some photographs:
Here's a glimpse of flood situation across north and northeast India.
The Centre on Monday came down heavily on the Uttar Pradesh government for its alleged failure to prevent riots in Muzaffarnagar and said people of the state have lost complete faith in the Samajwadi Party dispensation.
Taking strong exception to Gujarat Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi addressing Rahul Gandhi as shehzada, the Congress on Saturday did some tough talking, threatening that its workers were capable of stopping such "undignified" language but were restrained due to their respect for laws and the Model Code.
Priyanka Gandhi's charge were the key seats of Lucknow, Amethi, Raebareli, Sultanpur, Gorakhpur, Varanasi, Phulpur, Allahabad, Barabanki, and Kushinagar.
The magnificent Jat community has taken his tears to its heart, observes Sudhir Bisht. In Tikait, they see their late leader's son, the son of their doughty farm leader Mahendra Singh Tikait, says Dr Sudhir Bisht.
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Under fire over the handling of the communal flare-up in Muzaffarnagar, Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh on Tuesday defended the Akhilesh Yadav government, saying it took stern measures and the situation was brought under control in two days.
Wearing garlands, the farmer leaders, who had called for observing 'Sadbhavana Diwas' (Harmony Day) on Saturday after the immense outrage over violence by protesters during their Republic Day tractor rally, sat on the dais during the fast, as crowds of supporters swelled, especially in Gazipur where the Bharatiya Kisan Union is leading the protest.
At present, the state has 81 such courts. Of the new 218, 144 will be for rape cases, 74 for POCSO cases.
All this is clearly needed. But before we can bring in smart technology, we need to know what to do with it.
Seven other criminals were arrested in separate seven encounters in four districts
Facing criticism over his remarks about deaths at riot relief camps in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh Sports and Youth Welfare Minister Narad Rai on Sunday said death cannot be averted and people died at the camp despite all arrangements by the government.
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader leader Shahnawaz Hussain on Friday demanded an apology from Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi for his statement that he was briefed by an "intelligence official" on the Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence having 'contacted' 10-15 youth whose kin were killed in the Muzaffarnagar riots, for potential recruitment.
Finding itself in the dock after the report of a committee on death of children in relief camps, the Uttar Pradesh government on Friday said those living in the Muzaffarnagar and Shamli camps will be shifted to vacant government buildings and blankets and bonfires will also be arranged for them.
With theatres shutting down, night clubs and restaurants closed and self-isolation being the latest key word, all eyes may just have turned to television.
Lashing out at Mulayam Singh Yadav over the handling of the situation in riot-hit Muzaffarnagar, Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Ajit Singh on Thursday said the Samajwadi Party chief has become the 'Narendra Modi' of Uttar Pradesh.
'We cannot forget 2002. We cannot forget Modi's approach nor can we believe him.' 'The Sachar Committee says the lives of Muslims in India are even worse than that of the Dalits. Since the Congress has ruled for 50 of the 66 years, who is responsible for this?' 'When the Samajwadi Party got the opportunity, they gave us the gift of Muzaffarnagar. In some ways, this has been one of the worst riots ever.' Varanasi's Muslim-dominated weaver community is disillusioned with the Congress and Samajawadi Party and far from being impressed with Modi. Savera R Someshwar/Rediff.com listens in.
Around 400 to 500 people gathered near the city Eidgah to protest against the amended Citizenship Act amid a bandh call, he said.
The Government Railway Police have given a clean chit to two Railway Protection Force personnel, accused of pushing a woman out of a moving train leading to her death, in the final report of the case submitted by it before a local court in Muzaffarnagar.
A much larger number of candidates could garner less than 500 votes each.
The focus on non-issues like 'love jihad' has dragged radicals like Vijaykant Chauhan from the fringes to the mainstream in Uttar Pradesh
'Sukh Pal Singh is not very rich where money is concerned, but his heart is rich.'
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