The point made by sociologist M N Srinivas, that it represented a Sanskritic act that was linked to caste, is never raised in Indian debates and the disapproval of drink is almost universal, notes Aakar Patel.
In a major crackdown on the nexus between gangsters, terrorist groups and drug smugglers based in foreign countries including Pakistan and Canada, the National Investigation Agency conducted raids at 76 locations across eight states on Tuesday and seized a large cache of arms and ammunition and cash to tune of Rs 1.5 crores.
According to a notification issued by the ministry, the JKGF has been involved in infiltration bids, narcotics and weapon smuggling, terror attacks in the Union territory, and threats to security forces.
With the controversy over 'love and narcotic jihad' remark by Pala Bishop Joseph Kallarangatt refusing to die down, the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday engaged in a fresh round of verbal sparring.
'The entire idea behind the serial bomb blasts was to strike fear in the minds of Indians.' 'I don't think the blasts were targeted to derail the Indian economy; the idea behind the blasts was retribution.'
Additional Chief Secretary K P Bakshi told reporters at a hurriedly-called press conference that all the cases against 55-year old Rajan, who has been deported from Indonesia, are being transferred to CBI because of its expertise in "handling transnational crimes".
As last minute efforts, India has reached out to Indonesia to save an Indian man from execution in a drug peddling case, requesting the country to exhaust all legal recourses before the death penalty was carried out.
A public interest litigation was filed in the Delhi high court on Monday against permission to exchange Rs 2000 banknotes without obtaining any requisition slip and identity proof.
The three have been identified as Parveen Wadhwa alias Prince, Irfan alias Chenu and Jassa Singh.
What is noticeable in both movies is the willingness with which both the ageing stars -- Kamal is 68 and Rajini, four years older at 72 with a kidney transplant that he has not shied away from acknowledging -- have learnt to respect their age and bodies, notes N Sathiya Moorthy.
Intelligence Bureau officers say the problem lies with the government treating narcotics and terrorism as two separate problems, with different law-enforcing agencies for each, and this ends up in defeating the purpose. Vicky Nanjappa reports.
"Two BSF constables got surrounded and were badly hurt (by the miscreants). It was then that they opened fire in self-defence. They fired a few rounds in the air. Later it was found that two persons on that side of the border had died in the firing," BSF Additional Director General Y B Khurania said.
Mounting a fresh attack on the Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday alleged that for the sake of vote bank politics, it has nurtured, given shelter and surrendered before terror.
The operation was jointly carried out by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and the Department of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) off Agatti coast in Lakshadweep, sources told PTI.
Around 300 terrorists are present in Jammu and Kashmir, while 160 others are waiting on the launchpads for an opportunity to sneak into this side from across the Line of Control (LoC) in Pakistan, a top army commander said on Tuesday.
Staley watched Griner grow from a first-overall WNBA draft pick in 2013 to one of the dominant forces in the league and an American superstar who collected two World Cup golds on top of her Olympic titles.
Lakadbaggha takes up too many issues and does not do justice to them, points out Deepa Gahlot.
Besides Aryan Khan, the arrested accused are identified as Munmun Dhamecha, Arbaaz Merchant, Ismeet Singh, Mohak Jaswal, Gomit Chopra, Nupur Sarika, and Vikrant Chhokar.
India is concerned over the visit of a Chinese satellite tracking ship to Sri Lanka's Hambantota port as it signals an attempt by China to expand its maritime influence in the region, sources in defence and security establishment said on Tuesday.
The Enforcement Directorate, probing the case, has claimed Yusuf had assisted Mirchi in buying properties in India using money earned through illegal activities.
The boat was brought to the Jakhau coast in Kutch district of Gujarat for further investigation.
Cut off from the world and having to contend with an orthodox and repressive Taliban government, Afghans are facing the brunt of Pakistan's decades old policy of nurturing militant groups, note Harsh V Pant and Kriti M Shah four months after the Taliban took Kabul.
Rana knew about my association with LeT. I informed him about the training imparted by me to LeT operatives. I disclosed to Rana that I was spying for LeT. This was four to five months before the 26/11 attacks," said Headley.
The agency says that it is exempted from the Right to Information Act.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Tuesday told the Delhi high court that withdrawal of Rs 2000 notes is not demonetisation but a statutory exercise, and the decision to enable their exchange was taken for operational convenience.
A Ganesh Nadar/Rediff.com meets the shattered families of the five Tamil fishermen sentenced to death by a Sri Lankan court for alleged drug smuggling. Most feel the men are being made an example of to scare off other fishermen from straying into Sri Lankan waters.
For the soldiers at this frontier, it's a battle that has to be fought on two fronts -- hostile neighbour and harsh winter, which is approaching.
Rajan is lodged in Tihar Jail in New Delhi. The other three persons, who were out on bail, were taken into custody on Monday after the verdict was announced.
Days after a number of families were evicted from 'encroached land' in three districts of Assam, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday urged the minority community to adopt a 'decent family planning policy' for population control to reduce poverty.
Before he was sentenced, Guzman, complained about the conditions of his confinement and told the judge he was denied a fair trial.
'Terrorists who are active in Poonch and Rajouri are not relying on random locals for logistics, guidance etc.' 'They are being supported by a selected few who are being vetted, cleared and directed from across the LoC.'
The court also rapped the Assam government for slapping stringent laws like the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (POCSO) and rape charges on child marriage accused.
'The Khalistanis get bulk of the money from abroad.' 'Where did Amritpal's Mercedes come from, which costs well over Rs 60 lakhs?' 'Where does his fleet of vehicles come from?' 'Local Punjabis can certainly not contribute this kind of money.'
The Indian Coast Guard apprehended a Pakistani fishing boat with ten crew members in Indian waters in the Arabian sea off the Gujarat coast, it said on Sunday.
The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance released its manifesto for the February 20 Punjab polls on Saturday, promising a slew of sops for various sections, including 75 per cent reservation in all government jobs for youngsters from the state, an unemployment allowance, 35 per cent reservation for women in government jobs and massive infrastructure development.
Monsoon session of Parliament to begin from Monday, July 18, 2022.
Raising the matter during Zero Hour, Chatterjee, a BJP member, said Lord Shri Ram signifies noble thought and honesty and the state of West Bengal should be run by people who believe in these.
The Indian Coast Guard along with the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad apprehended a fishing boat, carrying eight Pakistani nationals and 30 kg of heroin, near Kutch district's Jakhau coast on Thursday, an official statement said.
Special CBI Judge Vinod Kumar said this after the agency informed the court that there was a "serious life threat" to Rajan from various underworld mafia groups and intelligence inputs have been received in this regard.
The delegation was told that the autonomy resolution passed by the Jammu and Kashmir assembly in 2000 should be implemented.
