The papayas from Mumbai were too squishy, the chef raced through the streets of Goa in a police jeep to look for fruit ripened just right only to have security personnel puncture many a hole through them... a new book recalls in detail the struggle to procure and plate perfect papayas for Indira Gandhi during a Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in 1983.
PM's residence and office were not affected by the fire. The fire broke out at the SPG reception area.
Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati renewed demand for a Special Protection Group cover speaks volumes of her obsession for security, for which she already has more than 200 personnel to guard her round the clock. Sharat Pradhan reports.
Delhi is experiencing its first heatwave of the season, with temperatures reaching 40.2 degrees Celsius. Doctors have warned that exposure to extreme heat can lead to a range of health issues, from mild rashes and muscle cramps to serious conditions like heat exhaustion and heatstroke. They advise staying hydrated, avoiding outdoor activities during peak hours, and wearing light, breathable clothes. Vulnerable groups like children, the elderly, and those with pre-existing conditions are at greater risk.
In the wake of the Bharatiya Janata Party's demand for fool-proof security to Narendra Modi, the government on Wednesday said the BJP's prime ministerial candidate's security has already been tightened but ruled out Special Protection Group protection for him.
One cannot expect a thorough-going investigation by the CBI as long as it acts under the supervision of the government, points out B Raman
Priests at the famed Banke Bihari temple in Vrindavan have rejected a demand to stop using attires made by Muslim artisans for its deity, emphasizing that religious discrimination has no place in temple traditions. The demand was raised by a right-wing group, who argued that the deity's attire should be made only by those who adhere to "religious purity." The temple priests countered by highlighting the historical contributions of Muslim artisans to temple traditions and the impracticality of replacing them.
Congress' Samvad Baithak (conclave meeting) at Surajkunad on Friday was a closed door affair, with no scope of any media coverage. Our correspondent in New Delhi gets you the exclusive buzz of what transpired at the meet.
'This is leading to anarchy.'
The latest gadget in the armour of Special Protection Group, the crack commando force that protects the Prime Minister and four other VVIPs, are electronic stunners that look just like an ordinary laptop.
'A man with a gun commanded respect. I thought if I also got a gun, I could save my family. With this thought, I went to Pakistan and got training there'
A former army officer's plea for the Central Bureau of Investigation probe into alleged corruption in procurement of some electronic equipment for the Research and Analysis Wing and the Special Protection Group has been dismissed by a Delhi court.
'If Uddhav bhau and Raj bhau come together, who can stop us?' Prasanna D Zore reports on the fervour and hope set off by the Thackeray cousins coming together.
Samajwadi Party leader and Kairana MP Iqra Choudhary has moved the Supreme Court seeking effective implementation of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991. This move comes amidst several petitions challenging the law's validity, including those filed by the Akhil Bhartiya Sant Samiti and lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay. The Supreme Court, in December 2022, had restrained all courts from examining fresh suits and passing interim orders in pending cases seeking to reclaim religious places. The Act aims to maintain the religious character of places of worship as they existed on August 15, 1947, but the dispute relating to Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid at Ayodhya was kept out of its purview. The court has listed Choudhary's plea with other pending pleas for February 17.
The solution to Manipur's problems lies in the government giving concessions to Meitis in jobs and education and to accept autonomy for the tribal dominated areas inhibited by the Kukis, suggests Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
Setting aside the order of the assistant commissioner of police, the judge directed the officer to grant the permission and provide necessary police protection, besides imposing reasonable conditions.
'It is ensured that no adversaries or people who oppose Tahawwur Rana's philosophy are housed in the same ward or jail.' 'Additionally, it is ensured that he does not have any prior contacts within that jail.' 'So, the lodgment of such a high-profile prisoner is done very carefully.'
A bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar also indicated that it may not take up the pending scheduled petitions, heard earlier by a three-judge bench, during the day as it was sitting in a combination of two judges.
Singh and his wife have been accorded the cover with a strength of about 45 armed commandos who will guard them round-the-clock at their residence on 3, Motilal Nehru Road and during their movement across the country.
Rahul Gandhi's padyatra has grabbed the headlines and the imagination of many. As he sweats it out in the dust and heat of Uttar Pradesh's villages, travelling on foot from one village to another across four districts, there are a group of people who silently oversee it all.
K Vijay Kumar has been appointed the new director general of the Central Reserve Police Force. Vijay, who was reportedly handpicked by Home Minister P Chidambaram for the job, will replace Vikram Shrivatsava as the CRPF DG.Vijay Kumar is presently the director of the National Police Academy in Hyderabad. He has earlier served in the elite Special Protection Group and was part of the special team to tackle sandalwood smuggler Veerappan, who was later killed in In
The Supreme Court of India is scheduled to hear a batch of petitions challenging the validity of certain provisions of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, which prohibits lawsuits to reclaim a place of worship or change its character from what prevailed on August 15, 1947. The pleas, including one filed by Ashwini Upadhyay, argue that these provisions violate the right to judicial remedy and create an arbitrary cut-off date. The matter will be heard in the backdrop of several ongoing cases related to places of worship, including the Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi and the Shahi Idgah Mosque in Mathura. The Muslim side has cited the 1991 law to argue that such suits are not maintainable. The Supreme Court had previously sought the Centre's response to Upadhyay's petition, which alleged that the law creates an "arbitrary and irrational retrospective cut-off date" for maintaining the character of places of worship.
Security agencies have earlier expressed apprehensions that exposure of high-profile leaders to unscreened masses was a major security risk.
There has been a raging debate over security cover for BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi and the Sunday's blasts in Patna have made this a talking point.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), the market regulator, has said, in a submission to the Supreme Court, that it is "enquiring" into the allegations made by American short-seller Hindenburg Research against the Adani Group of companies and its impact on the markets. In the same matter, the central government has agreed to form an expert committee to strengthen the regulatory regime in order to ensure that market investors are protected. The Supreme Court had last week suggested an expert committee to look into the allegations and had asked the Centre for its response.
Hours before the prime minister's departure for Copenhagen, a cargo van brushed against the PM's special aircraft, Air India One, causing a dent. Sources said the PM was not in the aircraft when the incident took place
Uproar over a member's alleged harassment by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's security personnel in Parliament precincts forced the adjournment of the Lok Sabha for nearly two hours on Wednesday. Bahujan Samaj Party and Samajwadi Party members rushed into the Well as soon the House reassembled at noon after an earlier adjournment, demanding action against the Special Protection Group personnel responsible for the incident, in which BSP MP Rama Shankar Rajbhar was manhandled.
'I will do it again. I am ready to put my life in danger a second time. This is my land, this is my responsibility'
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday visited the Tirupati temple. He went barefoot to the temple, as per rituals, and performed circumambulations (walking around the temple) twice.Steadfastly sticking to the rituals, the PM took a bath and removed his shoes and socks before entering the temple. He performed the circumambulation of the holy dwajathsthambam (flag post) twice.
From bhikshus of Ashokan 3rd century BC and medieval Sufis to Oxfam, Omidyar and Soros now, non-State actors have any real power only when they work in conjunction with a real State, asserts Shekhar Gupta.
Wangchuk rued that over the years, glacial ice has been receding but action remains delayed.
The Centre is likely to take up with the Uttar Pradesh government the issue of "security breach" during Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi's visit to Allahabad as initial report suggested that police "failed" to control protesters who tried to stop the Special Protection Group protectee's car.
With both the Indian and Australian Prime Minister set to visit the Motera Stadium for the opening day of the fourth Test, the security has been beefed up at the stadium.
Local people prevented the police from reaching the site immediately after the blast and it could have been done to shield the accused, said Thakur's lawyer, advocate JP Mishra.
Shah said the ULFA, the oldest insurgent group of Assam, agreed to abjure violence, disband the organisation and join the democratic process.
The Cabinet Committee on Security on Wednesday decided to enhance security for President Pranab Mukherjee, Vice President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, who are protected by the Special Protection Group.
The Uttar Pradesh police on Thursday claimed that Hari Mohan Sharma, the man who was nabbed with a gun at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's padayatra, was innocent. Sharma was detained while trying to move close to the Congress general secretary during the latter's padayatra to Aligarh. Sharma, who was carrying a .32 bore revolver, was nabbed by the Special Protection Group personnel when he was found nearing the second ring of the Congress leader's security cordon.
The government of India has said that 15 people in the country have been provided Z-Plus security with over 500 commandoes of the National Security Guards deployed for this task.
The government aims to better its last year's Guinness World Record by lighting 25 lakh diyas on the banks of Saryu river.
The jackets have been developed at the DRDO Industry Academia Centre of Excellence at IIT-Delhi, the ministry said in a statement.
