New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh encounter expert Ajay Pal Sharma, posted as a police observer in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas, has issued a stern warning to Falta TMC candidate Jahangir Khan, saying his men will be “dealt with appropriately” if they continue to “threaten” voters in the poll-bound constituency.In a video going viral, Ajay Pal Sharma is seen warning Jahangir Khan’s family, “Tell them, if their men keep threatening, we will deal with them properly…then don’t cry or repent.”Hailing Ajay Sharma as “Singham” of Uttar Pradesh, BJPIT department chief Amit Malviya said the UP encounter expert “wasted no time in firmly reading out the Riot Act to the family members of Abhishek Banerjee’s close aide Jahangir Khan”. Malviya said, “The message is loud and clear: the era of intimidation and impunity is over. Law and order will prevail and those attempting to influence the electoral process will be held accountable.”However, the ruling TMC immediately reacted to the video, targeting Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Adhikari himself and asking them to “control their bravado”.“My fair and lovely boy – we are the ones who can deal with both your ‘Chhota Fanta’ and ‘Bada Fanta’. So control your bravado,” BJP’s staunch critic Mahua Moitra said in a post on X.Akhilesh Yadav is the former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. Mamata BanerjeeThe ally in the India Bloc hit out at Ajay Pal Sharma, whom he called an “agenda-driven agent” of the BJP.“These are all unregistered underground members masquerading as officials. We will neither let them escape nor go underground. They will be tracked down, dug up if necessary and face legal punishment for their misdeeds.” Samajwadi Party The chief wrote on X.Campaigning in West Bengal officially ended at 5 pm on Monday, marking the final phase of political outreach before the upcoming elections on April 29. The results will come on May 4. Election Commission Officials said it is planned to retain 700 companies of central forces in Bengal after the April 29 elections, with 500 companies kept exclusively for law and order duties.The Election Commission also plans to deploy another 1,920 companies by mid-April, taking the total to 2,400 companies for the elections.The 500 law and order companies include 200 of CRPF, 150 of BSF, 50 of CISF, 50 of ITBP and 50 of SSB, indicating the possibility of violence, retaliatory clashes, threats or other disturbances after the elections. Another 200 companies will remain to protect the EVMs, strong rooms and counting centers until the counting of votes is over.An official said the post-poll arrangements indicate that the Center is concerned about the serious threat of post-poll unrest.Election Commission officials are alert about post-poll violence as over 1,300 cases were reported in 2021, 90% of which occurred between May 2 and 5, before the government took charge. CM Mamata Banerjee’s swearing-in for her third term was on May 5, 2021, till then the Election Commission was in charge of law and order.

Ladakh gets five new districts, LG Saxena approves notification

Leh (Ladakh): Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Vinay Kumar Saxena on Monday approved the notification of creation of five new districts in the Union Territory with the aim of strengthening governance at the grassroots level and decentralization of administration.Nubra, Sham, Changthang, Zanskar and Dras are the new districts and the number of districts in the Union Territory has increased to seven.“A historic day for Ladakh. Fulfilling the aspirations and long pending demand of the people of Ladakh, I have approved the notification of creation of five new districts in Ladakh. With the creation of five new districts – Nubra, Sham, Changthang, Zanskar and Dras – Ladakh will now have seven districts from the existing two. This development is in line with Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of a developed and prosperous Ladakh,” Lieutenant Governor Saxena said in a post on X.He said, “This transformational decision, already approved in August 2024 by the Ministry of Home Affairs under the leadership of Home Minister Shri @AmitShahji, will strengthen governance at the grassroots level, decentralize administration and ensure faster delivery of public services to the people of Ladakh, especially in remote and remote areas.”Saxena said that apart from bringing governance closer to the citizens, the creation of new districts will open new avenues of development, employment and entrepreneurship. He said, “I reaffirm my commitment to ensure that this historic decision benefits every citizen of Ladakh, as we move forward together towards a brighter, stronger and more prosperous future.”Ladakh became a union territory on October 31, 2019. It is famous for its remote mountain beauty and distinct culture.

The political arena has become heated as Congress has expressed dissatisfaction over AAP’s Rajya Sabha candidates and branded them as elitist with an impressive average wealth of Rs 818 crore. Ajay Maken argues that AAP acts as a puppet for the BJP, designed to disrupt Congress’s support in the upcoming state elections.

New Delhi: Seven Rajya Sabha MPs of Aam Aadmi Party are joining BJPThe Congress said Arvind Kejriwal nominated members to the Upper House on the basis of their monetary strength, claiming that the average net worth of current turncoats is Rs 818 crore.congress treasurer Ajay Maken Said in a press conference that all seven people who left AAP and joined BJP were millionaires, who had never even issued a statement in favor of AAP till they were nominated for Parliament. He said, “What kind of common man is this? Kejriwal should change the name of the party to ‘Crorepati Aadmi’.”Maken said, “I tried to calculate the total assets of the seven MPs, but the total amount was shocking. So, I took the average. And, it comes to Rs 818 crore per MP.”Maken claimed that he was always aware of the Rajya Sabha nomination in AAP, as Sushil Gupta, who was a Congress functionary, had come to him in 2017 and asked to be relieved of the party membership because “he had a ‘setting’ in AAP and would be made a Rajya Sabha MP”.He said the large-scale defection in the BJP has exposed the reality that the BJP had formed AAP as a proxy to counter the Congress, which it was not able to fight until 2014. He said, “India’s two best administrators were Sheila Dikshit and Manmohan Singh, and Kejriwal was used to defame them…This led to the BJP coming to power.”Maken said AAP contests elections in states where Congress and BJP are in direct competition and splits the votes to benefit BJP, naming Haryana, Goa, Gujarat as some of them.“We always knew the reality but now the mask has been revealed to the allies of the Indian faction and we hope they will see the reality of AAP,” he said, underlining that the Congress had struck an electoral pact with Kejriwal under pressure from its Indian allies.He claimed that the BJP is playing a dangerous game through defection as it now has 86% MPs from Punjab while it got only 6.6% votes in the 2022 state elections. He said, “Separatists claim that the voice of Punjab is being suppressed. BJP’s game of capturing MPs from Punjab is emboldening the separatists.”

VHP raises issue of ‘atrocities’ on minorities to UNGA chief before India tour

New Delhi: A day ahead of UN General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock’s visit to India, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has written to her calling for “persistent atrocities” against religious minorities in Pakistan and Bangladesh and sought immediate intervention of the UN.In a letter dated April 27, VHP international president Alok Kumar cited examples of forced conversions, violence and systemic discrimination targeting Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists and Christians. “The scale and persistence of these serious human rights violations points to systemic discrimination,” he wrote, urging the United Nations to take “affirmative action to protect the lives, rights, dignity and properties of minorities.”Citing findings by UN human rights experts, the letter said that in Pakistan, “about 75% of women and girls affected by forced conversion through marriage were Hindu and 25% were Christian,” with “about 80% of the incidents” taking place in Sindh province. “Adolescents aged 14 to 18 are particularly targeted…women and girls…facing coercion…abuse and severe trauma,” it said. It said authorities often “dismiss complaints… fail to investigate or prosecute… or neglect to properly assess the age of victims”.On Bangladesh, the VHP cited the report submitted to the UN Human Rights Council, which said that “from August 4 to 20, 2024 alone… 2,010 incidents of communal violence were recorded”, “primarily targeting Hindus”. The letter also cites concerns over the safety of indigenous communities in the Chittagong Hill Tracts area.Alleging continued oppression, Kumar said the assurance of equal rights to minorities after Partition was “unfortunately… overturned”. The VHP has demanded an independent international investigation, a victim protection mechanism and accountability under international law.Copies were sent to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

New Delhi: In a fresh development in the property dispute involving late businessman Sanjay Kapoor, the Supreme Court on Monday issued notice on Rani Kapoor’s plea, seeking response from Priya Sachdev Kapoor and 22 others.A bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and Vijay Bishnoi also indicated that mediation may be resorted to to resolve the matter, noting that prolonged litigation in family disputes may not be beneficial.“Why are you all fighting? You are 80 years old. This is not the age to fight for your client. Go for arbitration from A to Z once and for all. Otherwise, it is a waste,” the court was quoted as saying by ANI. The matter is to be heard next week.The petition before the Supreme Court seeks directions to restrain the respondents from interfering in the property, its properties and related matters.Emphasizing the need for an amicable solution, the bench said, “It would be in the interest of all the parties concerned if they go for mediation and try to resolve the disputes in a peaceful and equitable manner… If necessary, we will hear the case on merits; however, first we should try to persuade the parties to mediate.” Rani Kapoor has also challenged the orders passed by the Delhi High Court, arguing that the property has not yet been secured and raising concerns over possible squandering of the property.Senior advocate Shyam Divan, appearing for him, said courts generally grant protective orders at the initial stage in disputes involving large properties. He was assisted by senior advocate Vaibhav Gaggar and advocate-on-record Smriti Churiwal.Senior advocate Madhavi Divan appeared for one of the affected parties, Mandhira Kapoor Smith, while senior advocate Naveen Pahwa, representing the affected grandchildren, supported the plea saying they have been excluded.The dispute stems from a lawsuit filed by Rani Kapoor, challenging the creation of the Rani Kapoor Family Trust, alleging that it was structured in a way that deprived her of control over her assets, including her interests in Sona Group. He has claimed that after he suffered a stroke in 2017, his late son and others facilitated the transfer of assets without his consent.The issue escalated following Sanjay Kapoor’s death last year, with competing claims over control of family assets and business interests emerging. Parallel proceedings on related issues are currently pending before the Delhi High Court.