LIVE news updates: Karnataka CM H D Kumaraswamy leads Cong-JDS protest against IT dept after statewide raids

Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Thursday led a protest by the Congress-JDS ruling alliance in front of the Income Tax department here in a furious response to a statewide pre-dawn IT crackdown on his partymen and others.

Raising slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and waving party flags, the Congress and JD(S) activists gathered within hours after the IT raids with the help of CRPF personnel at 15 to 20 places including Bengaluru, Mandya, Mysuru, Hassan and Shivamogga.

Congress and JDS activists who tried to storm the Income Tax office were arrested and later released as the protest on the ever busy Queens Road resulted in chock-a-block with hundreds of vehicles stuck in the traffic jam.

The Bombay High Court Thursday asked a taxi service operated exclusively by women drivers to give up their pick up counter at terminal T2 of the Mumbai airport and try functioning from a spot proposed by MIAL for one month.

The HC asked the Priyadarshini taxi operators to try operating from the new counter in the general bay as proposed by the Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) for a month and see if the same was feasible.

The direction came from a bench of Justices S C Dharamadhikari and BP Colabawala.

A criminal evading arrest for the last five years was arrested along with his three accomplices by a Special Task Force team of Haryana police after a brief gunfight at Dharuhera in Rewari district, police said Thursday.

The STF team also recovered Rs 49.70 lakh from them along with four unlicensed pistols, 10 live cartridges and two stolen cars, a police spokesperson said, adding a reward of Rs 50,000 had been announced earlier for the information leading to the arrest of the gang's kingpin Joginder.

Security forces on Thursday arrested a Hizbul Mujahideen militant in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said.

Acting on a credible input, security forces arrested Rameez Ahmad Dar, a resident of Kulgam, from the Bijbehara area of Anantnag district, a police spokesman said.

He said Dar was an active militant for the past one-and-half years and affiliated with the Hizbul Mujahideen.

"Arms and ammunition were recovered from his possession," the spokesman said.

Over Rs 1 crore in cash was seized in Uttar Pradesh's Shamli district on Thursday during a special drive to check flow of black money ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, police said.

Police arrested four persons in connection with the incident. Those arrested were Ram Kumar, Gaurav Kashyap, Rajiv and Divender Singh, Superintendent of Police Ajay Kumar said.

They could not produce documents to justify carrying Rs 1.2 crore when their car was intercepted by a police team in Garhi Pukhta area, he added.

They have been taken into police custody and the cash has been handed over to income tax officials, he added.

The Kairana Loksabha constituency, comprising five Assembly segments including Shamli, will go to polls in the first phase on April 11

Tripura occupies the second position in India in terms of child marriages among girls between 15-19 years of age, an international study has found.

Over 80 percent of total child marriages in the state take place in rural areas of three districts, said the report.

"Tripura occupies the second position with respect to highest prevalence of child marriage among girls aged 15-19 years at 21.6 per cent which is significantly higher than the national average of 11.9 per cent," said Young Lives - an international study on childhood poverty, quoting data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS).

The Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind (JUEH) Thursday handed over 85 newly constructed houses to the people who were displaced during the 2013 riots at Bagowali village in Muzaffarnagar district.

Addressing a function, JUEH national president Arshad Madani said the organisation has built a 'Jamiat colony' and handed over the houses to the people who were displaced during the riots in Muzaffarnagar.

More than 60 people were killed and over 40,000 displaced during the Muzaffarnagar riots.

As many as 11 people were killed and several others injured in a car bombing in the restive Somalia capital Mogadishu on Thursday, police said.

The car was parked outside a restaurant near Hotel Weheliye.

The Calcutta High Court stayed criminal proceedings against BJP president Amit Shah in connection with an FIR that accused him of provoking violence in his speech in January.

Questioning how Shah's claim that the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal would fall on the day of counting of votes of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections could possibly incite violence, Justice Jay Sengupta stayed proceedings against him for four weeks.

Shah moved the high court praying for quashing of the FIR against him, claiming that the charges against him were frivolous and concocted.

During the hearing, the court observed that the real perpetrators of the violence in Contai in East Midnapore district were not booked, but the person giving the speech was booked.

Appearing for the state, public prosecutor Saswata Mukherjee said two other cases were also lodged at Contai police station naming some accused persons for allegedly injuring a few people and indulging in violence and arson.

Five films on the lives and issues of people from the LGBTQ+ community will be available for the Indian audience as part of a digital campaign by the British Council.

The 5th season of #FiveFilms4Freedom, the "world's widest-reaching LGBTQ+ digital campaign", is being organised by British Council in partnership with BFI Flare: London LGBTQ+ Film Festival. "Running since 2015 with over 10 million viewers in more than 200 countries, the programme holds even greater significance this year as it is also part of 'Anyone//Anywhere: the web at 30', British Council's global campaign acknowledging and celebrating the impact of the world wide web on every aspect of our lives over the past 30 years," the organisers said in a statement.

About 25 per cent of young Indian voters are doubtful of the authenticity of the electronic voting machine (EVM), according to a new survey by news app Inshorts.

An overwhelming 85 of the participants in the survey said voting should be made compulsory.

Mounting the international pressure to designate Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist, the US, supported by France and the UK, has directly moved a draft resolution in the UN Security Council to blacklist the Pakistan-based terror group's chief.

Two weeks after China put a hold on a proposal to list Azhar under the 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the Council, the US on Wednesday circulated the draft resolution to the powerful 15-nation Council to blacklist the leader of the Pakistan-based terror group and subject him to a travel ban, an assets freeze and an arms embargo.

UN sources told PTI that this is the "first time" the US, the UK and France have moved a draft resolution directly in the Security Council to designate Azhar. The previous have been listing proposals in the Sanctions Committee of the Council to designate Azhar.

A day after getting assurance from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, around 200 aspiring school teachers on Thursday withdrew their 29-day long relay hunger strike with the hope that something positive will happen by first week of June.

They lifted the stir after holding a meeting during the day with a five-member committee appointed by state Education Minister Partha Chatterjee to resolve the impasse.

"Following the chief minister's assurance and the development of today's meeting, we are withdrawing our agitation till the first week of June. We have trust on the chief minister," the agitators said.

A special court, which had acquitted Swami Aseemanand and three others in the Samjhauta Express train blast case, has said there were "gaping holes" in the prosecution evidence and a dastardly act of violence remained unpunished for want of credible and admissible evidence.

Naba Kumar Sarkar alias Swami Aseemanand, Lokesh Sharma, Kamal Chauhan and Rajinder Chaudhary were acquitted by the NIA court here on March 20.

The judge said terrorism has no religion and it is generally noticed that a malaise has set in the investigating agencies which coin various terms- Muslim terrorism, Hindu fundamentalism etc.  "A criminal element, belonging to a particular religion, community or caste, cannot be projected as representative of such particular religion, community or caste and branding the entire community, caste or religion in the name of such criminal element(s) would be totally unjustified.

Giving more fodder for fun on social media, US President Donald Trump addressed Sundar Pichai on Twitter as "President of Google" after meeting him to discuss issues surrounding its dealings with China and "political fairness".

Pichai is Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Google.

Police shoots down a terrorist named Danish, affiliated with the proscribed terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in an encounter in Handwara in an encounter

Search Operation is on.

At least four people were killed in a deadly fire that broke out in a 22-storey building in Dhaka's Banani area on Thursday, in the latest blaze to hit the Bangladeshi capital.

The incident happened on Thursday afternoon in the building that houses several garment shops and internet service providers.

While several were still feared trapped inside the building, the officials confirmed the death of four people and said that they succumbed to the injuries while they jumped off the building for safety, the Dhaka Tribune reported.

Tej Pratap Yadav son of RJD Supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav has resigned as Chief of RJD's Student Wing

It was state-owned Doordarshan (DD) News that shot Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Mission Shakti’ address on Wednesday, but the logo of the channel was deliberately not displayed in the final feed to keep it out of the Election Commission’s watch, reported ThePrint.

BJP leader Giriraj Singh, who apparently went into a sulk upon being asked to contest from a Lok Sabha seat other than the one he held and fell in line after a meeting with party chief Amit Shah, will call on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday evening.

The meeting will be followed by his visit to Begusarai on Friday where he will take on former JNU students union president Kanhaiya Kumar.

The Bombay High Court on Thursday expressed displeasure over the pace of probe into the killing of rationalists Narendra Dabholkar and Govind Pansare, asking whether the chief minister did not have time to take stock of the cases.

"What is the CM doing? He holds 11 portfolios, including Home, but does not find the time to take stock of the case. His deputies do not have the time to remove obstacles in the probe?" the court said. The Bombay High Court Thursday expressed displeasure over the pace of probe into the killing of rationalists Narendra Dabholkar and Govind Pansare, asking whether the chief minister did not have time to take stock of the cases.

Noting that a political leader belonged to the state and not just any party, it said, "It is a sovereign function and cannot be outsourced." The court made the remarks after CID lawyer Ashok Mundargi submitted that the agency had doubled the strength of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Pansare case.

The Delhi High Court on Thursday declined to interfere with the release of the film 'Ram Ki Janmabhoomi', which is to hit theatres on Friday.

Justice Vibhu Bakhru directed the movie's producer to hold a private screening of the film for the petitioner Prince Yakub Habeebuddin Tucy, who claims to be a descendant of the last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar.

Economist and activist Jean Dreze who was detained and interrogated earlier today on charges of holding an event without permission in Garwa, has been released.

Several people were feared trapped in a 22-storey building which caught fire in Bangladeshi capital's Banani area on Thursday, according to media reports.

The incident happened on Thursday afternoon in the building that houses several garment shops and internet service providers. Several people are feared trapped inside the building.

"The fire broke out at FR Tower around 12:52 pm on Thursday,"Ataur Rahman, an officer of the Dhaka Fire Service Central Control Room, was quoted as saying by the Dhaka Tribune. He said that 17 fire tenders have been sent to the spot to douse the blaze.

A day after Goa Tourism minister Manohar Ajgaonkar broke away from the MGP and joined the BJP, he was Thursday designated as the Deputy Chief Minister of the state.

Ajgaonkar is now the second deputy chief minister along with Goa Forward Party (GFP) leader and state minister Vijai Sardesai.

State Joint Secretary (General Administration) Varsha Naik issued an order designating Ajgaonkar as the Deputy Chief Minister.

"The government is pleased to designate Vijai Sardesai, minister and Manohar Ajgaonkar, minister as the Deputy Chief Minister with immediate effect," it said.

BJP in total disarray after 'Nyay' scheme. 'Nyay' will achieve twin objectives of giving money to 20 pc poorest families and firing up economy, said Rahul Gandhi.

The Supreme Court on Thursday said it would hear on April 8 a batch of pleas challenging the Centre's decision to grant 10 per cent reservation in jobs and admission for candidates of economically weaker sections across all classes.

The matter came up for hearing before a bench of Justices S A Bobde and S A Nazeer.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, sought adjournment saying he and Attorney General (AG) K K Venugopal were appearing in the matter Thursday before a constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi.

“Jean Dreze is a saint-economist, a potential Nobel awardee who lived in slums, written and done more for the poor than any economist, shunned all power and glory, took up Indian citizenship, is a pacifist. Nothing can be more shameful than arresting him,” said Yogendra Yadav in a tweet.

Three right to food activists, Vivek, Jean Dreze and a third, arrested in Bishunpura, Garhwa, Jharkhand for organizing meeting. They have been taken to local thana.

Petitioner seeks stay on release of film 'Ram Ki Janmabhoomi', says it will vitiate ongoing mediation process in Ayodhya land dispute.

“What’s the relation between movie and mediation. Parties want to settle it. We are not so pessimistic. No film can come in the way of mediation,” said apex court bench.

SC says it will hear plea against film 'Ram Ki Janmabhoomi' after 2 weeks

A mentally disturbed man allegedly hacked to death his wife and two children in a village in Rohtak before committing suicide, police said on Thursday.

Bijender, a 42-year-old resident of Sundana village in Rohtak district, killed his wife, son and daughter, aged nine and 12, with a sharp-edged farm implement.

"Bijender, who was mentally disturbed, killed his wife and two children before hanging himself," Assistant Sub-Inspector of the Rohtak Police Ashok Kumar said, adding that investigations in the case were underway.

Stepping up the international pressure to designate Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist, the US, supported by France and the UK, has moved a draft resolution in the UN Security Council to blacklist the Pakistan-based terror group's chief.

Two weeks after China put a hold on a proposal to list Azhar under the 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the Council, the US on Wednesday circulated the draft resolution to the powerful 15-nation Council to blacklist the leader of the Pakistan-based terror group and subject him to a travel ban, an assets freeze and an arms embargo.

Armed Maoists destroyed a former Bihar Legislative Council member's house in Gaya district. No one hurt was hurt, police on Thursday said.

The Maoist attack on Anuj Kumar Singh's Bodhibigha residence came late on Wednesday. The insurgents used dynamite for the explosion.

According to a police official, the banned Left wing activists had beaten up a close relative of Singh before ordering him to vacate the house.

President Donald Trump has said that Google is totally committed to the US military as he met the internet giant's Indian-American CEO Sunder Pichai at the White House, days after he accused the tech company of helping China and its army.

Trump, who has been at loggerheads with several big companies, earlier this month said, "Google is helping China and their military, but not the US".

On Wednesday, after a meeting with Pichai at the White House, the US President said: "Meeting ended very well".

"Just met with @SundarPichai, President of @Google, who is obviously doing quite well," he said.

Pichai "stated strongly that he is totally committed to the US military and not the Chinese military", Trump said.

A 25-year-old salesman at a liquor shop was shot dead allegedly by two persons in Greater Noida following an argument over a difference of Rs 10 in the rate of beer, police said on Thursday.

The incident took place around 9.30 pm on Wednesday when the two men arrived at the shop in Aichar area under Kasna police station limits, a senior official said.

The rupee fell 10 paise to 68.98 against the US dollar in early trade on Thursday on increased demand for the greenback from importers and banks.

At the interbank forex market, the rupee opened lower at 69.04 and weakened further to 69.06. However, it recovered partially to quote 10 paise down at 68.98 against the dollar at 0924 hrs. On Wednesday, the rupee had weakened marginally by 2 paise to close at 68.88 against the US dollar.

Forex dealers said, strengthening of the American currency in overseas market weighed on the domestic currency.

Taking note of India's first anti-satellite missile test, the US has said that it will continue to pursue its shared interests with New Delhi in space and technical cooperation, even as it expressed concern over the issue of space debris.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday announced that India successfully test-fired an anti-satellite missile by shooting down a live satellite.

The test makes India the fourth country in the world after the US, Russia and China to acquire the strategic capability to shoot down enemy satellites.

Three militants were killed in an encounter with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian district on Thursday, an Army official said.  The security forces launched an anti-militancy operation in Yarwan forest area of the district following information about presence of the ultras there, he said.  The official said three militants were killed in the operation, which was underway till last reports came in.

Four cars caught fire in Karol Bagh's car repair market at around 1:30 am. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.

Two killed and two critically wounded after gunman opened fire at Sand Point Way in Seattle.