Amidst barbs flying back and forth, Rediff.com's Aslam Hunani lists all that you need to know about the fourth phase of the UP assembly elections, which will take place on February 23.
Controversial Uttar Pradesh politician Raja Bhaiya was on Thursday booked by Central Bureau of Investigation under murder charges in the killing of police officer Zia-Ul-Haq after the probe into the case was handed over to the central investigating agency.
The Centre on Thursday handed over to Central Bureau of Investigation the probe into the killings of Pratapgarh Deputy Superintendent Police Zia-ul-Haq and two others following a request from the Uttar Pradesh government.
Virtually ruling out immediate arrest of Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya booked in the murder of a senior police officer, Uttar Pradesh Police on Tuesday said it needs to be established first who committed the crime before the conspiracy angle can be probed.
The young widow of the 32-year old police officer who was killed brutally in Saturday's mob violence in Pratapgarh district, about 140 km from Lucknow, is clearly unimpressed by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's generous gesture of a compensation of Rs 50 lakhs in addition to conceding her demand for a Central Bureau of Investigation probe.
Eleven deaths have been reported in Saharanpur followed by 10 in Meerut, six in Agra, four in Mainpuri, three each in Muzaffarnagar and Kasganj, two each in Amroha, Bareilly, Baghpat and Bulandshahr and one each in Kanpur Dehat, Mathura, Ghaziabad, Hapur, Rae Bareli, Jalaun, Jaunpur, Pratapgarh, Banda, Firozabad, Amethi, Kanpur and Pilibhit, they said.
Wife of slain Depuuty Superintendent of police Zia-Ul-Haq, who was shot dead in Pratapgarh on March 2, has joined as an officer on special duty, a post offered to her on compassionate grounds.
The Central Bureau of Investigation is all set to start a probe into the death of DSP Zia-ul-Haq in Pratapgarh in Uttar Pradesh in the backdrop of a growing demand for action against the state's ruling Samajwadi Party leader Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya.
Controversial MLA Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya, who resigned from Uttar Pradesh cabinet over the killing of a DSP in Pratapgarh, on Monday demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the incident, saying he had no reason to harm the officer and would have easily got him transferred if he had a problem.
Police in Uttar Pradesh have failed to nab the killers of Deputy Superintendent of Police Zia Ul Haque, who was gunned down by a mob visibly agitated over the murder of a local village head in Pratapgarh district, about 140 km from Lucknow on Saturday night.
'He felt that he had no place in the BJP and he was wrong.'
Catch up on the latest capital gossip in this week's Dilli Gupshup.
A day after violent communal clash and arson rocked Asthan village in the Pratapgarh district of Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav ordered the suspension of both the district magistrate and superintendent of police.
Priyanka Gandhi's charge were the key seats of Lucknow, Amethi, Raebareli, Sultanpur, Gorakhpur, Varanasi, Phulpur, Allahabad, Barabanki, and Kushinagar.
After covering several kilometres on foot along with their families, the labourers, who reached Charbagh bus station in Lucknow on Saturday and Sunday, said there was no point staying in Delhi as they have exhausted their funds and it would be better for them to return to their homes.
Polling for the fourth phase of Uttar Pradesh assembly election covering 56 seats spread over 11 districts would be held on that would decide the fate of three ministers, 32 sitting MLAs and 12 former ministers.
At least 25 passengers were injured when six coaches of the Mumbai-Pratapgarh Udyog Nagri Express derailed near Vidisha in Madhya Pradesh on Monday morning.
The judicial custody of Independent member of Legislative Assembly Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya, Samajwadi Party member of Parliament Shailendra Kumar, member of Legislative Council Akshay Pratap Singh alias Gopalji, MLA Vinod Saroj and seven others was extended on Saturday by 14 days by a local court in Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh.
At present, the state has 81 such courts. Of the new 218, 144 will be for rape cases, 74 for POCSO cases.
Here's how four dots -- a migrant seller of papads from Uttar Pradesh's Pratapgarh, an first year BCom student from Punjab's Jalandhar, an BSc Honours student from Delhi's Hauz Khas and a student of commerce from Haryana's Gurgaon -- connect with each other in a neat circle outside the footpath that abuts Delhi's Ramlila Maidan.
Samajwadi Party member of Parliament Shailendra Kumar, two members of Legislative Assembly including Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya, and a member of Legislative Council were on Sunday arrested in Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh on charges of an attempt to murder after they allegedly threatened a candidate in local body elections, the police said.
The party also declared sitting MP Praveen Nishad as its candidate from Sant Kabir Nagar
Stampedes at temples and other religious places in India have claimed nearly 900 lives in the past nine years, including those who died in Friday night's melee at Sabarimala shrine.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's brother Prahlad Modi staged a dharna at the Lucknow airport on Wednesday, alleging that police did not let his supporters reach there and took them into custody.
Basic Education Minister Anupama Jaiswal's remarks came even as the ruling party's Dalit, OBC outreach programme faces criticism from opposition Bahujan Samaj Party and some BJP leaders, including MP Udit Raj.
Controversial independent Member of Legislative Assembly Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya, who had to resign from the Uttar Pradesh cabinet in March after killing of Deputy Superintendent of Police Zia-ul-Haq in Pratapgarh, was on Friday re-inducted as a minister.
18-year-old Aditya Choudhary successfully completed the Ironman 70.3 triathlon in six hours and five minutes.
The Association for Democratic Reforms has urged political parties to refrain from giving tickets to candidates who are facing serious criminal charges and asked them to disclose the criteria for the selection of candidates during elections.
Shami had been a five-time president of the Mauaima block. He was allegedly involved in a number of criminal cases.
Microsoft chairman Bill Gates, who had accompanied local MP and Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi, on a day's visit to his parliamentary constituency Amethi on Tuesday, returned to New Delhi on Wednesday.
Winter woes were compounded in north India as the intense cold wave kept people numb with mercury dipping further in the region and resulting in the death of 12 more people. Uttar Pradesh accounted for the 12 deaths -- three in Barabanki, seven in Pratapgarh and one each in Jaunpur and Deoria, officials said.
The ATS of the Uttar Pradesh police had arrested 10 persons, who it claimed were linked with Lashker-e-Tayiba and allegedly involved in terror-funding activities.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati may have spent thousands of crores from the state government's exchequer to fund the massive memorials, statues and parks paying tribute to her mentor Kashiram and herself, but she has no plans to offer any monetary compensation to the families of those killed in Thursday's stampede at an ashram in Pratapgarh.Most victims of the stampede, which claimed 63 lives, belonged to families living below the poverty line.
Even as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh offered monetary compensation of 2 lakh ruppes to each to the families of those who died in Thursday's stampede in Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati has no plans to offer any relief to them.
A day after 63 women and children were killed in a stampede in an ashram, a criminal case has been registered against its management for allegedly causing death due to negligence.
"We small parties, like the Apna Dal-S, want some respect to be shown to us. We, our leaders and workers feel hurt if due importance is not given to us," Ashish Patel told mediapersons
A court in Pratapgarh in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday summoned actor Sanjay Dutt on April 24 in connection to the case filed against him, for his jadoo ki jhappi and pappi (magical hug and kiss) remark on Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati, during last year's Lok Sabha polls.Chief Judicial Magistrate Anirudh Kumar Tewari issued the summons for Dutt's appearance when the charge-sheet filed in the case came up before the court.
The boat carrying 15 people capsized in the Ganga river while it was travelling towards the Karsaura Ghat. Eight of the occupants were rescued.
A First Information Report has been registered against controversial independent MLA and former minister in the previous Samajwadi Party government Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya for allegedly giving a false affidavit to procure arms licences from the state capital. The MLA has stated in his affidavit that he was not involved in any criminal case and no case was registered against him. However, police said that 41 cases were registered against him.
A private helicopter carrying Samajwadi Party leader Raghuraj Pratap Singh crash landed on a highway at Dhimi village under Hathgawan police circle of Pratapgarh district, on Sunmday evening.
