Amitav Ghosh discusses his new book River Of Smoke, the art of writing a trilogy, his dramatic characters, the nuanced language they speak, and the Imperial intrigues that culminated in the Opium Wars.
It was alleged that Singh welcomed the guests by offering them opium diluted in water, a charge denied by him. A local resident Om Prakash Vishnoi, through his counsel Malam Singh Choudhary, filed the complaint before the special judge, Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act cases, under various sections of the law.
Most of Afghanistan's opium is trafficked out of the country and then processed into heroin and morphine.
Police on Thursday registered a case against senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Jaswant Singh and nine other party leaders including some Rajasthan ministers for allegedly using opium in a social function recently.
A sessions court in Palanpur in Gujarat's Banaskantha district on Thursday sentenced former Indian Police Service officer Sanjiv Bhatt to 20 years in jail in a 1996 case involving planting of drugs to frame a lawyer.
Termed as 'opium brides', the daughters of poor poppy farmers are often given to drug traffickers if their fathers are unable to pay the loan taken for growing the illicit crop, because of the official action.
"Special Judge of NDPS Court, Jodhpur has admitted my complaint and sent it under section 156/3 of CrPC for investigation to the police station in Balotra area of Barmer district," Malam Singh Choudhary, counsel for complainant Omprakash Bishnoi, said. It was contended on behalf of the complainant that on October 31, Jaswant Singh had organised a social function traditionally called 'riyan' at his ancestral house near Jasol during which opium was illegally served.
Facing protests from a section of the Rajput community over Union Minister Parshottam Rupala's remarks, the Bharatiya Janata Party in Rajasthan's Chittorgarh -- a Rajput-dominated seat -- is hoping that the 'Modi factor' and the development work undertaken by his government will help it retain the Lok Sabha constituency.
Pankaj Tripathi anchored the first two seasons with his performance. Here, he is made to sit it out for most of the show, and none of the actors, except for a fiery Ali Fazal, have the charisma to hold the viewer's attention, observes Deepa Gahlot.
Rajkummar Rao and Adarsh Gourav get into the nutty mode easily and carry off the dark comedy without overacting, while Dulquer Salmaan looks bored, observes Deepa Gahlot.
The remarks of the top court came on a bail plea of an accused who was arrested after opium was found in his fields and has served more than five years in jail.
Codeine-based formulations are under the scanner for misuse as a narcotic product.
The raids were conducted simultaneously from 6 am to 11am across several districts of the state on the directions of director general of police Punjab Gaurav Yadav.
The appointment of Col (retired) Nectar Sanjenbam for five years followed Union Home Minister Amit Shah statement last month that Kuki people started entering Manipur from Myanmar illegally following a military crackdown on militants.
This Web series is more about wine, opium, sex, more sex, gay love and incest, rues Syed Firdaus Ashraf.
Aarya 3 feels like a recycled version of the previous seasons, discovers Mayur Sanap.
Dominic Xavier wonders if economic sanctions will make any difference to the Taliban who earn billions of dollars from the opium trade.
The policemen were booked at Kota's Kunhari police station at a high court order, issued after it heard the petition of Nirmal Singh, the father of the abducted man.
Chaduni is a member of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of 40 farm unions that led an over a year-long farmers' agitation against three central agri laws, which have been repealed.
'She got really close, and I was like, oh Miss Universe and me dancing!'
Vasundhara Raje may have had her faults but she is an unconventional and brave leader who deserves better, observes Aditi Phadnis.
Officials were surprised at how quickly smugglers appraised the Covid situation to recruit jobless migrant workers to ship gold.
'The BJP is trying to change this mantra.'
The Gujarat high court has dismissed a revision application filed by sacked IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt, seeking modification in the charges framed against him in a 1996 case under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS).
Aseem Chhabra rates the movies he's watched in 2023, and tells you where you can watch them!
Those covered under the raids also included gangsters involved in the murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala.
Deepa Gahlot lists 10 gangster thrillers on OTT for those who have the stomach for gaalis and gore.
Excerpted from Sahara: The Untold Story by Tamal Bandyopadhyay.
Many films and shows go back in time to bring alive so many fading and forgotten memories.
There has been an "exponential" rise in the seizure of drugs in India in the last five years with the darknet and the maritime route emerging as the most preferred modes of trafficking, NCB director general S N Pradhan said on Tuesday.
Julia Lovell, author of The Opium War, explains China, past and present, to Vaihayasi P Daniel.
The complex, parts of which are over 250 years old, is situated on the banks of the Ganga and is endowed with high ceilings, huge doors, and hanging skylights.
November 26, 27, 28, 29, 2008. Remember those horrific days and nights. Light a candle.' Remember those who died and those who survived.
Thar fails to ignite any excitement on screen, sighs Sukanya Verma.
Sleuths from the Narcotics Control Bureau on Tuesday seized contraband drug worth over Rs 27.5 lakh in two separate operations carried out in Guwahati and arrested a total of 5 people, including 3 from Manipur.
The fulcrum of victory or defeat of parties attempting to form a government is held by smaller players and those willing to defect.
India is the highest consumer of heroin in South Asia and also appears to be producing its own opium poppy, which is the raw material for heroin, according to the latest report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
"We have raided and destroyed poppy crops in 24 acres of land under the Imamganj police station," Omprakash Singh, a senior official of the Excise Department, told rediff.com. Singh said the Maoist had cultivated opium to make money for their illegal activities and continue their operations against the police.
In fact, the Taliban apparently collects about 10 per cent as cultivation tax from opium farmers and 15 per cent as heroin tax from laboratories and smugglers that smuggle narcotics into Pakistan. This, by itself, is a revenue stream estimated at USD 250-300 million.
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