Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], March 9 (ANI): Five persons have been arrested in connection with a case of attempting lynching of two persons here on Monday, police said.
According to a statement, police arrested the accused after scanning CCTV footage of the incident. A case has been registered against them under various sections of the Indian Penal Code.
Five persons, including the prime accused Prashant Das, have been arrested on charges of vandalising a police van and thrashing two people accused in a murder case, Bhubaneswar DCP Umashankar Das said in a statement.
The incident took place on March 6 when the five arrested allegedly dragged out two persons, who were arrested for killing a person, from a police van and brutally thrashed the duo using plastic pipes at the CRP square in Bhubaneswar.
The Bhubaneswar DCP had earlier said that police would suo moto register an FIR and take stern action against those involved in brutally thrashing the two murder accused.
On March 6, the two persons who were thrashed had allegedly hacked a youth to death with sharp weapons at the busy CRP square. Twin City Police Commissioner Sudhansu Sarangi later clarified that the murder was an act of counter-attack for self-defence. (ANI)

Jammu (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], March 9 (ANI): On International Women’s Day, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha announced the launch of Super-75 scholarship scheme to support the education of meritorious girls from poor families, so that they can excel in streams like medicine, engineering, ITI (Industrial training institutes) and humanity and contribute to nation-building.
This is keeping in view of this year’s theme of International Women’s Day i.e “Choose to Challenge” and to celebrate Azaadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav- India@75.
Strengthening Women Entrepreneurs Ecosystem in J&K, the Lt Governor also announced a new scheme – Tejaswini under Mission Youth, to provide financial assistance of Rs 5 lakhs to the girls between the age group of 18 to 35 years to start their business.
Mission Youth will provide 10 per cent of the project cost and will also pay the interest every year, said the Lt Governor.
A new era of change and development is ushering in J&K, a change that will provide women with their rightful place, a voice, an identity, and individuality. We are making tireless efforts to ensure women’s safety, modern education, and economic independence, the Lt Governor maintained.
Acknowledging women’s role in the economic development of J&K, the Lt Governor stressed on the need to put more focus on some key areas like creating a positive environment; skill development of women entrepreneurs; facilitating financial assistance; providing a global market to women entrepreneurs and connecting them with innovative products. We have to work together to break the barriers for the economic development of women, he added.
The Lt Governor observed that J&K has a long history of women glory to bring social change and breaking new grounds as far as gender equality and professional development is concerned.
To lay a strong foundation for the girls, no fee will be charged up to 12th standard from 5,89,000 girl students who took admission in different government-run schools, said the Lt Governor.
The Lt Governor observed that 88 Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya and 88 Girls Hostels have been made functional in far-flung areas and this would help in filling the gender gap and controlling the girl child dropout rate. To assist the higher education of girls, the Government is also providing 13 different scholarship schemes, he added. (ANI)

Bengaluru (Karnataka), [India], March 9 (ANI): On the occasion of international women’s day, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa has announced a proposal to provide six-month child care leave to women employees of the government.
Presenting the 2021-22 budget in the Legislative Assembly, Yediyurappa, who also holds finance portfolio, announced construction of Yathri Nivasa in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh for devotees from Karnataka visiting the temple town, allocating Rs 10 crore for it in the Budget adding that Uttar Pradesh government will provide 5-acre land.
Karnataka government also allocated Rs 1,500 crore in its Budget for “upliftment of minorities.” (ANI)

New Delhi [India], March 9 (ANI): Amid speculations about a leadership change in Uttarakhand, Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat late on Monday met with Bharatiya Janata Party president JP Nadda at the latter’s residence here.
However, Uttarakhand BJP MLA Munna Singh Chauhan said that a wrong impression is being given about unhappiness over Rawat as Chief Minister.
“Trivendra Singh Rawat continues to be the Chief Minister as we speak,” Chauhan said adding that the Chief Minister will return to Dehradun on Tuesday.
He also refuted reports about a BJP legislature party meeting to be held on Tuesday at Chief Minister Residence in Dehradun. “No official meeting of legislature party meet has been called,” Chauhan said.
Earlier in the day, Union Minister Amit Shah, BJP chief JP Nadda and BL Santhosh attended a meeting to discuss the current situation in the state in the Parliament building.
The BJP general secretary in-charge of Uttarakhand, Dushyant Kumar Gautam and Raman Singh sent to Dehradun on Saturday to access the situation in the state have submitted their report to the BJP’s high command on Monday, according to sources.
Last week, BJP Uttarakhand held an emergency core group meeting which was attended by observer Raman Singh, Dushyant Gautam, Trivendra Singh Rawat, Ajay Bhatt, Naresh Bansal, Mala Rajya Laxmi and others.
There are speculations about the leadership change in Uttarakhand as several ministers and around twenty MLAs have complained against the working style of Rawat.
According to sources, several MLAs and some ministers complained about the Chief Minister to the party leadership. Later, the BJP central high command sent Raman Singh as party observer for the emergency core group meeting, which was attended by Dushyant Gautam, general secretary in-charge of Uttarakhand BJP.
After the core group meeting party, Raman Singh and Dushyant Gautam submitted their report, the party high command summoned Trivendra Singh Rawat to Delhi. (ANI)

Guwahati (Assam) [India], March 9 (ANI): Assam Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday alleged the Congress has communally polarised the atmosphere in the polls bound state by joining hands with Badruddin Ajmal-led All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF).
Speaking to media here, Sarma said, “By forging an alliance with communal party Congress has polarised the election. Had Congress contested separately, polls would have been fought on development issues. But by aligning with AIUDF, Congress has made this poll a conflict of civilizations.”
The convenor of the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), Sarma further said had Congress contested separately, the three-phase assembly polls would have been fought on the plank of development.
“But the opposition party has made this poll into a conflict of civilisation by aligning with the AIUDF,” said the BJP leader.
While reacting to question on the possible impact of the Congress-AIUDF alliance, Sarma said, “It will positively impact us and lead to complete polarisation because people of Assam will not vote for the AIUDF. So, by forming an alliance with a communal party, Congress has polarised the elections completely.”
The BJP’s campaign for the assembly polls in Assam will focus on ”surakshya” (security), ”sabhayata” (civilisation) and ”vikas” (development), he said adding “We talk about ‘surakshya’ all along because the composite Assamese culture is under threat.”
The state’s Finance, Health and Education Minister said, “We talk about civilisation because it is under threat. Then we have to talk about development. These will be the three pillars of our campaign.”
When asked if Citizenship (Amendment) Act will be an issue during the polls, Sarma said, “nobody is concerned about it “as it lost traction after the COVID-19 pandemic hit the state and the world.
“Neither am I speaking for it nor against it. People have gone beyond that. Already Parliament has passed a law. It is a fait accompli. People have seen many things over the last one year. They are talking about something else now. The focus has shifted from CAA to Ajmal,” he said.
The term of the 14th legislative assembly of Assam ends on May 31 and polls for the 126-Assembly will be held in three phases starting from March 27.
The first phase of notification is March 2 and 47 seats in 12 districts will go to the polls.
The last date of nomination March 9 and the date of poll is March 27. In the second phase, 39 constituencies in 13 districts will go to the polls on April 1.
A total of 41 constituencies in 12 districts will go to the polls on April 6. (ANI)

Patna (Bihar) [India], March 9 (ANI): At least six labourers were killed and several others injured on Monday after a boundary wall collapsed on them in Bihar’s Khagaria district, police said.
The incident took place when the labourers were engaged in digging a drain at Chandi Tola village under Maheshkhunt police station.
The rescue operation is underway as many feared trapped under the debris.
Further details are awaited. (ANI