While Mamata Banerjee camped at the Bhawanipur strong room on Thursday evening, Suvendu Adhikari visited the complex on Friday

Kolkata: As Trinamool Congress and BJP traded allegations and counter-allegations over the security of EVM strongrooms on Friday, a delegation from CM Mamata Banerjee’s party met Election Commission officials and sought answers over the alleged CCTV blackout and sealed rooms being opened without party representatives.The BJP dismissed the complaints as a desperate search for an “excuse” by a party headed for defeat, setting the stage for a tense counting day on May 4.The sharpest allegation came from TMC’s Shyampukur candidate Shashi Panja, who told reporters after meeting Election Commission officials that her party had “reason to suspect” about the people captured on camera entering the strongroom of the Khudiram Anusilan Center in central Kolkata.“In the footage of camera number 17, we saw people inside the strongroom, which was sealed in the presence of our agents. If you are opening the door, all parties should be informed about it,” Panza said. He said pink postal ballot envelopes were visible in the footage and no political party representative was there when the seal was broken.Panja also questioned the Election Commission’s statement that all parties were emailed about the sorting of postal ballots to be held at 4 pm on Thursday. “If anyone from either party had been there we would not have said anything. No one was present. Then why did you break the seal and open that particular room?” He said. “The moment we, from TMC, saw human activity there, it became a kind of panic situation.”Panja, Mayor Firhad Hakim and Councilor Ashim Bose also sought a comprehensive report from the Election Commission on the alleged CCTV malfunction in strongrooms across Bengal, concise and unedited recordings with detailed logs of all disruption periods and unrestricted access of authorized representatives to the monitoring feed.The visit to the Election Commission office followed a meeting between Mamata and TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee at her Kalighat home. They had camped at the Bhawanipur EVM strongroom the previous evening, triggering a protest by the BJP, which culminated in a brawl with TMC members and supporters.Mamata and Abhishek called an emergency online meeting at 4 pm on Saturday with TMC counting agents from all the 291 seats where they have fielded their candidates.Leader of the opposition in the state, Suvendu Adhikari, who is also the BJP candidate from Bhawanipur, posted a CCTV footage of the area outside the strongroom of Sakhawat Memorial School in south Kolkata on hisSuvendu visited the strongroom on Friday evening and described it as a “routine job” which did not require cameras following him.BJP’s Dilip Ghosh was blunt. He said, “TMC is now confident of its defeat. They are trying to shift the focus by staying in the strongroom. They are complaining about everything. This is a clear indication that TMC is losing.” Ghosh accused TMC of deploying goons to rig the elections.

ऑल सेंट्स कॉलेज की 12वीं कक्षा (आईएससी) की छात्रा सैयदा आमना कामरान ने 99.5 प्रतिशत अंक हासिल कर टॉप किया है। सांभवी साह 99 प्रतिशत अंकों के साथ दूसरे और अनन्या गुप्ता 97 प्रतिशत अंकों के साथ तीसरे स्थान पर रहीं। इंटरमीडिएट में सभी 58 छात्राओं ने सफलता हासिल की है. हाई स्कूल (आईसीएसई) में मान्या आशी 97.4 प्रतिशत अंकों के साथ प्रथम, आकांक्षा अग्रवाल 96.4 प्रतिशत अंकों के साथ दूसरे और आर्य अग्रवाल 95 प्रतिशत अंकों के साथ तीसरे स्थान पर रहीं। हाईस्कूल के सभी 61 विद्यार्थी उत्तीर्ण हुए हैं।

शेरवुड कॉलेज का परीक्षा परिणाम भी शत प्रतिशत रहा। 12वीं कक्षा के विज्ञान संकाय में सजल गंगवार 97 प्रतिशत अंक प्राप्त कर प्रथम स्थान पर रहे हैं। सचकीरत ग्रेवाल और रूद्र नारायण गुप्ता 96.25 प्रतिशत अंकों के साथ दूसरे और इशिता सिंह 95 प्रतिशत अंकों के साथ तीसरे स्थान पर रहे। शेरवुड कॉलेज के शौर्यवीर गुप्ता ने 98.8 प्रतिशत अंकों के साथ 10वीं कक्षा में उत्कृष्ट प्रदर्शन किया है। उन्होंने तीन विषयों में पूरे 100 फीसदी अंक हासिल किए हैं. दिव्यम अग्रवाल ने 97.6 प्रतिशत और यथार्थ सिंह ने 93.8 प्रतिशत अंक प्राप्त कर विद्यालय का नाम रोशन किया है।

सेंट मैरी कॉन्वेंट में भी छात्राओं ने उत्कृष्ट अंक प्राप्त किए हैं। 12वीं कक्षा में अश्लेषा साह 98.75 प्रतिशत अंक प्राप्त कर विद्यालय में प्रथम स्थान पर रहीं. युगांतिका 98 प्रतिशत अंकों के साथ दूसरे और भूमिका गंगोला 96.75 प्रतिशत अंकों के साथ तीसरे स्थान पर रहीं। 10वीं कक्षा में मैत्रेयी बिष्ट ने 98.60 फीसदी अंकों के साथ टॉप किया है, जबकि स्निग्धा शर्मा ने 97.40 फीसदी और प्रियांशी बिष्ट ने 95 फीसदी अंक हासिल किए हैं.

12वीं कक्षा में आशुतोष तिवारी ने 98.25 प्रतिशत अंक प्राप्त कर सेंट जोसेफ कॉलेज में टॉप किया है। धनंजय प्रताप सिंह बिष्ट 96.75 प्रतिशत अंक पाकर और मोहम्मद सुफियान सिद्दीकी 95.75 प्रतिशत अंक पाकर सफल रहे। 10वीं कक्षा में अरुणाभ गंगोला 94.8 प्रतिशत अंकों के साथ प्रथम, मयंक रैक्वाल 94.8 प्रतिशत अंकों के साथ दूसरे और सार्थक सिंह रावत 94.2 प्रतिशत अंकों के साथ तीसरे स्थान पर रहे।

Conceptual illustration of ‘Hindu Temple and Community Centre’

London: When a Hindu charity learned it could bid for a piece of land allocated for faith/community use in the new town of Northstowe in Cambridgeshire, the 150 Indian-origin Hindu families living there were thrilled because there is no Hindu temple for 40 miles, leaving them and thousands of Indian-origin Hindus living around Cambridge working in tech, science, in hospitals and universities, and had no place to worship.Aparna Nigan-Saxena, project lead at Hindu Samaj Northstow (HSN), was shocked when she moved to Northstow and found no Hindu temple in the whole of Cambridgeshire. Hindu families initially met in each other’s gardens to celebrate festivals and now rent space, but many do not allow Hindu customs.“There are generations who are growing up without a place of worship or a proper connection to their culture and roots. Some elderly people wish to have a temple before they die. We want to be able to visit local schools because they go to churches and mosques but never to temples,” Nigan-Saxena said.A 0.25 hectare plot of land next to the lake owned by the developer is being given to the Council, which will give a 999-year lease at peppercorn rents (nominal, extremely low, or zero-value payments) to a faith/community group.Two bids were received – one by HSN and one by Northstowe Church Network in association with Northstowe Muslims, its proposed anchor tenant. The church offers a church, a hall used for Muslim Friday prayers, an Islamic prayer room for Islamic classes and daily prayers, a café, community space and gardens.

HSN proposes an interfaith, community and wellness center for 79% of the space, which would include a kitchen, café, STEM, coding and yoga classes, etc. and two prayer rooms which can be used by people of all religions. “There will be no Hindu deities in those two rooms because we know some religions don’t allow iconography,” Nigan-Saxena said. Hindu temple will be built on 21% space.There are already many churches and mosques nearby, he said.South Cambridgeshire District Council’s cabinet will decide in June who will be given the land. A public consultation, which has just concluded, will form the basis of their decision.But Nigan-Saxena is not happy with the assessment summary prepared by council officials which, he said, does not properly reflect the HSN proposal. Officials criticized HSN for failing to establish a financial track record, which they say would be impossible for a new organization like theirs. Officials also criticized HSN for not providing evidence of engagement with the broader community.Although three more plots of land will come up for bid in the future, HSN is intent on this. “For us, it’s really a wonderful piece of land because it’s located right next to a lake, which is auspicious.”“There is a real urgency behind our project. We don’t have close family here, so for small things like birthdays and anniversaries, it’s important for us to go to a place of worship,” he said.Revd Beth Cope, leading minister of the Northstow Church Network, told TOI that Hindus will be allowed to use its multi-purpose spaces for any purpose, including worship. “We celebrate that both organizations believe they are in a position to respond to the council’s tender opportunity,” Cope said.

उत्तर प्रदेश के नोएडा से गिरफ्तार दो संदिग्ध आतंकियों से पूछताछ में बड़े आतंकी नेटवर्क का खुलासा हुआ है. एटीएस की जांच में पता चला है कि ये आरोपी पाकिस्तान से जुड़े हैंडलर्स के संपर्क में थे और भारत में बड़ी साजिश को अंजाम देने की तैयारी में थे. इस खुलासे के बाद सुरक्षा एजेंसियां ​​सतर्क हो गई हैं. गिरफ्तार आरोपियों से लगातार पूछताछ की जा रही है, जिससे कई चौंकाने वाले तथ्य सामने आए हैं. इस मामले ने देश की सुरक्षा व्यवस्था को लेकर चिंता बढ़ा दी है और जांच एजेंसियां ​​अब पूरे नेटवर्क को पकड़ने में जुट गई हैं.

टारगेट किलिंग की साजिश का पर्दाफाश
जांच में पता चला है कि आरोपियों को कुछ हिंदू नेताओं की हत्या का काम दिया गया था. इसमें दक्ष चौधरी, अभिषेक ठाकुर, पिंकी चौधरी, युधि राणा और गौरव राजपूत के नाम शामिल हैं। योजना के तहत इन लोगों की गला रेतकर हत्या करनी थी और उनके घरों पर ग्रेनेड से हमला कर दहशत फैलाना था. ये पूरी साजिश बेहद खतरनाक थी, जिसे समय रहते पकड़ लिया गया.

पाकिस्तानी हैंडलर्स से मिले निर्देश
एटीएस के मुताबिक, आरोपी पाकिस्तानी गैंगस्टर शहजाद भट्टी और मेजर हमीद, मेजर इकबाल, मेजर अनवर, मोहम्मद हमद बरकती और आबिद जट्ट जैसे आईएसआई से जुड़े हैंडलर्स के संपर्क में थे। ये सभी आरोपी उससे लगातार निर्देश ले रहे थे और उसके मुताबिक योजनाएं बना रहे थे.

विदेश पैसे भेजने का लालच
जांच में यह भी पता चला है कि आरोपियों को इस घटना के लिए 3 लाख रुपये देने का वादा किया गया था. 50 हजार रुपये एडवांस और बाकी रकम घटना के बाद देने का प्रावधान था. इसके अलावा उन्हें दुबई भेजकर वहीं बसाने का भी लालच दिया गया, ताकि वे कानून से बच सकें।

सोशल मीडिया के माध्यम से धमकियाँ और कट्टरपंथ
आरोपी ने सोशल मीडिया और व्हाट्सएप कॉन्फ्रेंस कॉल के जरिए कुछ लोगों को धमकी भी दी थी. जांच एजेंसियों को कॉल रिकॉर्डिंग भी मिली है. बताया जा रहा है कि इंस्टाग्राम और एन्क्रिप्टेड ऐप्स के जरिए युवाओं को भड़काकर आतंकी गतिविधियों में शामिल करने की कोशिश की जा रही थी.

आरोपी 6 दिन की रिमांड पर
एनआईए कोर्ट ने दोनों आरोपियों को 6 दिन की कस्टडी रिमांड पर भेज दिया है. अब एटीएस उससे गहन पूछताछ कर रही है. उम्मीद है कि इससे इस साजिश से जुड़े अन्य लोगों और हथियारों के बारे में भी जानकारी सामने आएगी.

Lucknow: The remarkable success of Class 12 deaf-blind student Sarah Moin, who topped Christ Church College with 98.75% marks in the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations results declared on Thursday, has been hailed as a collective achievement based on determination, innovation and continuous institutional support.Sara’s performance was made possible by the efforts of her visually impaired teacher and special teacher Salman Ali Qazi, Principal Rakesh Kumar Chhatri and the teaching staff of the school, who worked together for years to ensure that she could study in the mainstream and compete on equal terms with her peers.Kazi, a gold medalist in B.Ed (Special Education) from Dr. Shakuntala Mishra National Rehabilitation University, has been at the center of Sara’s educational journey. He gradually lost his eyesight after completing his law degree from Lucknow UniversityBut continued to receive special education and became Sarah’s mentor from her early school years.“Since she couldn’t hear, see or speak, it was not possible for a mainstream teacher to teach her. So, as a special teacher, I taught her by putting the spelling of words in her hands. By Class 2, she could hear partially with the help of hearing aids, so I taught her the Braille script. This helped her recognize letters and form words and short sentences,” Qazi said.She personally taught Sara in the school’s special resource class from Class 1 to Class 8. As she grew and started preparing for board exams, Qazi played the role of communicator between her and the subject teachers.To explain concepts, he relied on tactile-based methods and everyday objects. Coins, balls and oranges were used to teach astronomy and geography. He said, “To teach him the rotation and revolution of the Earth, I used oranges and explained it to him through tactile method. Similarly, to teach the planets in the solar system, I used coins in the form of the Sun and balls of different sizes to teach the planets.”From Grade 9 onwards, Principals Chatri and Qazi developed a timetable that allowed mainstream teachers to teach Sara individually during free periods. The teachers volunteered their time, teaching lessons like regular classes, while Qazi translated them into tactile communication and relayed Sara’s questions back to her.For the examinations, the question papers were made available on a pen drive and could be accessed through a laptop connected to a refreshable braille display. Sara read the material through touch and wrote responses using assistive devices, after which Kazi converted them into standard answer sheets for board assessment.Chatri said Sara was the school’s first special student and the institute now has 33 such students. He said that his goal was always to ensure that children with disabilities study with others instead of being isolated. “They are second to none and Sara has proved that,” he said.Sarah was initially taught through Braille and later through tactile fingerspelling. For the preparation of the board, refreshable braille displays and an Orbit Reader were used, which enables real-time reading and writing through touch.

The Indian-American financier, who recently drew attention for a controversial sexual harassment lawsuit against a senior JPMorgan Chase executive, has quietly left his new job, according to company sources cited by the New York Post.Chirayu Rana, a 35-year-old principal at investment firm Bregal Sagemount, left the firm on April 2, weeks before JPMorgan executive Lorna Hajdini filed a lawsuit in New York accusing him of sexual misconduct. His departure was not publicly announced, and his profile remained listed on the firm’s website after his departure.“Chiraiya Rana was employed by Bregal Sagemount from October 20, 2025 to April 2, 2026. He is no longer an employee,” the firm confirmed.It added: “We are not able to share further details (about the circumstances of his departure).”The timing of Rana’s exit has attracted attention. She left the investment firm shortly before she accused Hajdini, a 37-year-old leveraged finance executive, of drugging her with Viagra and keeping her as a “sex slave” in a court filing that went viral. The claims were later challenged and Hajdini’s associates and lawyers described them as baseless and ‘fabricated’.“Lorna categorically denies the allegations,” her lawyers said in a statement.He added: “She never engaged in any inappropriate conduct with this individual and she never visited the location where the sexual assault is alleged to have occurred.” JPMorgan also conducted an internal review of the claims and said it found no evidence to support them.The lawsuit was initially filed in New York state court and was later amended for corrections. It alleged drugs, coercion and workplace retaliation. However, parts of the case have been disputed, including claims that Hajdini blackmailed Viva into not paying him a bonus and asked for sexual favors. Rana and Hazdini worked under different managers, meaning they had no control over their salaries.Rana’s professional background includes roles at major Wall Street firms such as Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse, Houlihan Lokey and the Carlyle Group. He later joined JPMorgan’s leveraged finance team in 2024 after graduating from Rutgers University.

प्रेमनगर क्षेत्र में 30 अप्रैल की रात मुठभेड़ में मारे गए कुख्यात अपराधी अकरम के मामले में प्रशासन ने सख्त रुख अपनाते हुए मजिस्ट्रेट और पुलिस जांच के आदेश जारी कर दिए हैं। अकरम के परिवार ने मजिस्ट्रेट जांच की मांग भी उठाई थी, जिसके बाद जिलाधिकारी सविन बंसल ने आदेश जारी किया.