Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], February 28 (ANI): In view of the spike in COVID-19 cases in Pune, the Pune district administration on Sunday extended the night curfew and shutdown of schools till March 14.
The essential services are exempted from the curfew.
“COVID-19 restrictions imposed in the Pune city till February 28 have been extended to 14 March,” said Murlidhar Mohol Mayor Pune.
“As per the new order issued today, schools, colleges and private coaching classes in the city have to remain closed till March 14,” Mohol said.
“No public movement except essential services will be allowed between 11 pm and 6 am,” he added.
In Pune, the total number of cases are 4,06,453, total recoveries are 3,87,527. The active cases in Pune till Saturday are 9860 while the death toll is at 9235.
The State Health Department informed on Saturday that Maharashtra reported 8,623 new COVID-19 cases, 3,648 recoveries, and 51 deaths in the last 24 hours,
The COVID-19 death toll reached 1,56,938 on Saturday with additional 113 deaths.
Earlier Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had directed senior officials to take strict action against people or organisations who flout COVID-19 guidelines.
The chief minister directed the municipalities in the state to spray disinfectant at public places regularly. (ANI)

New Delhi [India], February 28 (ANI): Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that there is wave of change in West Bengal and coined a new slogan ‘2 May Didi-Gayi, BJP Aayi’.
He also attacked Trinamool Congress, saying after the communist and Congress, now TMC has runied the state.
“There is the wave of change in West Bengal. Trinamool Congress (TMC) did not let farmers and the poor benefit from the Centre’s policies. There is violence and corruption in the State. First, it was the communist and then Congress, who ruined Bengal and now TMC,” said Chouhan said.
Chouhan also offered prayers at Kalighat Temple in Kolkata during his visit to the state.
“This is a holy land where great men Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa,Swami Vivekananda were born here,” he said.
“Here is so much violence in the state, and till now 130 BJP workers have sacrificed their lives and these sacrifices will not go in vain.The actual mean of TMC is ‘todo, maro aur cato,” he added.
As the Assembly elections draw closer, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan arrived to visit poll-bound West Bengal on February 27.
The Election Commission of India has announced the dates of the Assembly election, on Friday. The 296-member Bengal Assembly elections will be conducted in eight phases.
The Election Commission on Friday announced eight – phased polling in West Bengal from March 27 to April 29.(ANI)

New Delhi [India], February 28 (ANI): A Special Leave Petition (SLP) was filed on Sunday, before the Supreme Court by an aggrieved parent of a newborn baby girl, who has been allegedly kidnapped and trafficked by a hospital based in West Bengal’s Bankura district.
Lawyer, Alakh Alok Srivastava, had filed the SLP, before the Supreme Court, for the aggrieved parents, who had moved the apex court challenging the Kolkata High Court order, which did not hear their plea for an independent probe as pleaded by them in the case.
“We are urgently seeking a free, fair and independent investigation of the child trafficking racket,” the petition filed before the Supreme Court said.
The petitioners — husband and wife — said that their newborn baby girl was allegedly taken away on February 24, last year, and trafficked from the Hospital of District Bankura in West Bengal.
“Unfortunately, so far, their child remains untraced till now,” Srivastava said.
“The main prayer was for an independent investigation, which was ignored by the Kolkata High Court. That is why the parents are now approaching the Supreme Court,” he said.
The petitioners sought urgent appropriate directions to one of the respondents, the West Bengal government, to urgently constitute a medical board to thoroughly examine the mother of the newborn baby girl, and medically ascertain the fact as to whether she had delivered a child in the month of February 2020, or not.
“Considering the heart-wrenching plight of the petitioner-mother, whose newborn baby has been snatched away from her, hence, it is requested that the investigation of the present case deserves to be handed over to CBI in order to provide credibility and instil confidence in the probe, besides, ensuring complete justice,” the petition said.
The petitioners further submitted that this is clearly a matter which calls for a thorough and proper investigation that has indeed not been carried out by the police authorities.
There is a definite apprehension in the mind of the petitioners that the investigation in the crime of child trafficking would be conducted in a fair and transparent manner by the local police.
The petitioners said that the doctor (as one of the respondents, made by the petitioners in the case) under whose supervision, the delivery was conducted, is an extremely influential and powerful person of the concerned area of West Bengal. His wife is currently posted as Deputy Chief Medical Officer of Health in the government of West Bengal.
The accused have allegedly threatened the petitioners’ duo of dire consequences if they approach the authorities for redressal of their grievances. (ANI)

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], February 28 (ANI): Amid the rising number of COVID-19 cases in Mumbai, the Western Railways in a joint effort with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) collected a total fine of Rs 5.97 lakh during February.
As per a statement, 3,819 people were fined after they were caught without face masks in public spaces.
With 430 fines, the highest number of cases were reported on February 26, resulting in a collection of Rs 75,200 in fines.
Maharashtra continues to report the highest number of positive COVID-19 cases across the country, and reported as many as 8,623 new cases, 3,648 recoveries, and 51 deaths on Saturday, the State Health Department informed.
The total cases in the state now stands at 21,46,777, including 20,20,951 recoveries, 52,092 deaths and 72,530 active cases.
Owing to the spike in COVID-19 cases in the state, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had said on February 21 that the following eight days would decide whether there will be a lockdown in the state. (ANI)

Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], February 28 (ANI): The son of the owner of popular food joint Krishna Dhaba who was injured in the terrorist attack on the eatery, succumbed to his injuries on Sunday morning.
“Woke up to extremely distressing news. Young Akash Mehra who was shot at by terrorists at Krishna Dhaba has succumbed to his injuries at SMHS Hospital. I share the pain and grief of his family and stand by them as they mourn this inconsolable loss. May his soul rest in peace,” Junaid Azim Mattu, Mayor of Srinagar in a tweet.
On February 17, terrorists belonging to the ‘Muslim Jaanbaz Force’, an offshoot of proscribed terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba attacked Krishna Dhaba’ in Srinagar’s Durganag area when 24 foreign diplomats were visiting the union territory.
On February 19, Jammu and Kashmir police arrested three terrorists of ‘Muslim Jaanbaz Force’ in connection with the attack, which police said was aimed at terrorising non-locals living in the valley and disrupting tourist activity.
The arrested terrorists were identified as Suhail Ahmad Mir, resident of Dangerpora Nowgam, Owais Manzoor Sofi, resident of Dangarpora and Vilayat Aziz Mir, a resident of Hanipora Wampora Pulwama.
The police had said that the arrest of the trio and the recovery of weapon of crime (pistol) and grenade, along with other incriminating material including the bike used by them, within hours of attack is a big success for the Jammu and Kashmir police. (ANI)

Kokrajhar (Assam) [India], February 28 (ANI): Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) leader Pramila Rani Brahma on Sunday, has decided to join Congress in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
“Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Ranjit Das has insulted us a lot. In the next elections, we will not be with the BJP. We have now decided to go with Congress-led alliance,” Brahma told ANI.
“I have made an agreement with BJP five years back. As long as BJP will be in power, I will have the right to be part of it. But I have decided I will not be a part of BJP in this upcoming election,” she further added.
Ahead of the Assembly elections in Assam, the BPF on Saturday announced to join the Congress-led coalition ‘Mahajath’ after breaking away with the BJP-led alliance.
“To work for Peace, Unity, and Development and to bring a stable government, free from corruption in Assam, the BPF has decided to join hands with the MAHAJATH,” BPF leader Hagrama Mohilary said in a statement on Facebook.
In 2016, the BJP scripted history and formed the government for the first time in the state ending Congress’s 15-year rule. BJP and its allies Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and BPF won a combined 86 seats in the 126 member Assam Assembly. BJP bagged 60 seats, AGP 14 and BPF 12 seats.
Congress, which ran the state for three straight terms under the leadership of Tarun Gogoi, could manage to win only 26 seats.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, BJP won nine of the 14 parliamentary seats while its allies the AGP and the BPF drew a blank.
The election for 140-member Kerala Assembly in 14 districts will be held in a single phase on April 6 and the tenure of the 14th Kerala legislative assembly will come to an end on June 1, 2021. (ANI)