Balkrishna to get passport back
Nainital: In a relief to yoga guru Ramdev’s close aide Balkrishna, the Uttarakhand High Court has issued orders for the release of his passport. The passport of Acharya Balkrishna, who was accused of obtaining it on the basis of forged documents, was seized in 2011. The single bench of Justice Lokpal Singh yesterday ordered the release of the passport on the condition that if the passport authorities deem it fit, they could ask Balkrishna to sign a bond pledging his return to the country in case he was going abroad. In 2011, the CBI had framed charges against Balkrishna accusing him of having obtained the passport on the basis of forged educational documents like high school and graduation certificates. After the filing of the charge sheet, the court had held that Balkrishna could leave the country only with its permission. Balkrishna had filed an application before the high court seeking the release of his passport. (PTI)
AIADMK MLA offers Rs 50,000 to nab chain snatchers
Chennai: An MLA of the ruling AIADMK has announced a cash reward of Rs 50,000 to those who apprehend chain snatchers in his constituency inviting strong criticism from social activists. The MLA, representing Sulur constituency in Coimbatore district, R Kanagaraj said he announced the reward in the wake of chain snatching incidents in his Assembly segment. Meanwhile, National General Secretary, PUCL V Suresh said “it is an irresponsible statement which will only aid and encourage vigilantism.” Another activist said innocent migrant labourers may be targeted and would lead to people taking law into their own hands. Reacting to the criticism, Kanagaraj said the announcement has got absolutely nothing to do with taking law into one’s own hands. “I announced the reward only to encourage young men to apprehend chain snatchers and hand them over to police for appropriate legal action,” the MLA told PTI. (PTI)
Has Talibanisation started in Hinduism, Tharoor questions
Thiruvananthapuram: Days after the walls of his office here were defaced by BJP youth wing members, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has wondered whether “Talibanisation of Hinduism” has started. Tharoor had recently courted a huge controversy with remarks that the BJP, if voted to power again, will rewrite the Constitution and pave the way for creation of a “Hindu Pakistan”. “They are asking me to go to Pakistan. Who has given them the right to decide that I am not a Hindu like them and so I cannot live in India? “The BJP’s talk of ‘Hindu Rashtra’ is really dangerous and will destroy this nation. Has Talibanisation started in Hinduism?” Tharoor told workers of Kerala’s opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) at a protest march against alleged neglect of the state by the Centre on Tuesday. Members of the BJP’s youth wing– Bhartiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM)– had defaced Tharoor’s office on Monday while demanding an apology for his “Hindu Pakistan” comments. (PTI)
‘BJP must take blame for mishap at PM’s rally in WB’
New Delhi: The BJP should take the blame for the ‘shabby arrangement’ at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally at Midnapore in West Bengal where 90 people were injured due to collapse of a canopy, TMC member Saugata Roy said in the Lok Sabha. ‘The prime minister addressed the Kisan Kalyan rally in Midnapore. People were brought in from Jharkhand, Odisha. During the rally, a tent collapsed leaving 90 people injured, of which 50 were women. BJP had organised the rally. They must take blame for the shabby arrangement for the prime minister’s rally,’ Ray said during Zero Hour. A make-shift tent collapsed during Modi’s rally in West Bengal’s Midnapore district on June 16, following which the Centre sought a report from the West Bengal government. (PTI)
Over 1.13 lakh illiterate prisoners made literate
Hyderabad: More than 1.13 lakh illiterate prisoners have been made literates under the Telangana Prisons Department’s ‘Vidhya Dan’ programme over the past four years, a top official said on Wednesday. The department is aiming at 100 per cent literacy for jail inmates and reduction in crime through various reformatory activities like ‘Vidhya Dan’, ‘Unnati’ and ‘Mahaparivarthan’ schemes, Director General (Prisons and Correctional Services) V K Singh said. Singh launched the programme in July 2014 soon after assuming charge with a slogan of ‘Thumb in Sign out’ which aimed at making the inmates at least sign instead of giving their thumb impression as was done earlier prior to admission into jail. The programme has made 1,13,909 illiterate prisoners literates, he said. The ‘Vidhya Dan’ programme educated persons have been used as Vidya volunteers, to make them more professional to teach illiterate prisoners, Singh said. (PTI)
African arrested for selling heroin to university students
Chandigarh: The Special Task Force (STF) of Haryana Police today arrested an African national, along with another person, for allegedly selling heroin to students of the Maharshi Dayanad University in Rohtak, officials said. Acting on a tip-off, the duo were intercepted while they were on their way to the university, a spokesperson said, adding that 53.50 gram of heroin and 130 gram of charas were seized from them. (PTI)
Bihar shelter homes may have transgender security guards
Patna: State-funded shelter homes for women and children in Bihar may get transgender security guards as the government has instructed the authorities to prefer them during recruitment, an official said on Wednesday. The instruction followed allegations of sexual exploitation of inmates in some of the state’s shelter homes in the recent past. Social Welfare Department Principal Secretary Atul Prasad has mooted the idea at Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s weekly public interaction programme “Lok Samvad” earlier this week in response to a request for opening employment avenues for the transgender community. “Accordingly, instructions are issued to the NGOs running these shelter homes, that henceforth priority be accorded to candidates from the transgender community while recruiting security guards,” Prasad said. He cited the recent rape of a mentally challenged young woman allegedly by a security guard of a short stay home in Saran district and sexual exploitation of girls at a shelter in Muzaffarpur in June. (PTI)