3 Injured In Clash Between 2 Groups In Odisha, Prohibitory Orders In Place

Three people were injured and several motorcycles damaged in a clash between two groups in Odisha's Balasore town on Monday, following which prohibitory orders under section 144 of the CrPC were imposed, officials said.

Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi spoke to Balasore's Collector Ashish Thakare, and asked him to take immediate measures to bring the situation under control, they said.

Maintaining that he would not allow any disturbance to the law and order situation of the state, Majhi urged people to maintain peace.

Protesting the blood of animal sacrifice on the road, a group of people sat on dharna in the Bhujakhia Pir area of the town. The other group allegedly hurled stones at them, following which the clash broke out, police said.

Both sides hurled stones at the other, injuring three people and damaging over half a dozen motorcycles, they said.

Police had to baton charge the mob to bring the situation under control, following which the prohibitory orders were imposed, they added.

The injured persons were admitted to the Balasore district hospital, officials said.

At least 150 police personnel have been deployed in the area to prevent any further flare-up, they said.

Night patrolling would also be held in some sensitive areas, they said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Won't Do Any Work Of Muslims, Yadavs: Nitish Kumar's Party MP Sparks Row

A newly elected MP of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U) on Monday found himself at the centre of a controversy for laments about "Muslims and Yadavs" not voting for the BJP-led NDA.

In a video clip that has gone viral on social media, Sitamarhi MP Devesh Chandra Thakur can also be heard ruing that "NDA's own voters" gravitated towards the opposition RJD.

Mr Thakur, 71, a former chairman of the state legislative council, made his parliamentary debut in the recently held Lok Sabha polls, winning the seat by a modest margin of less than 55,000 votes.

"I did not get votes of Suris (a fishing community) and Kalwars. Even the Kushwahas deserted me. Just because respected Lalu Prasad (RJD supremo) gave tickets to many Kushwahas. Could a Kushwaha elected from elsewhere be of any help to members of the community in my constituency?" Mr Thakur could be heard asking in the video, which was not independently verified by PTI.

Later, he said, "I have made it clear that Yadavs and Muslims must not expect me to be of any help to them. They will be treated with due respect, even offered tea and snacks, when they call on me. But I will not take up any of their problems." The JD(U) MP added that he had expressed the sentiment before a "Muslim" who visited him after the elections.

"I asked the Muslim brother how can you expect me to work for you when you did not vote for me just because my party is aligned with the BJP," said Mr Thakur, claiming that the visitor agreed with the contention and went back feeling regret for his electoral choice.

Often called "Ajaatshatru" in political circles because of his friendly disposition, Mr Thakur retained the seat for his party which chose to drop sitting MP Sunil Kumar Pintu.

Mr Thakur defeated his nearest RJD rival Arjun Roy, who is a former MP from the Lok Sabha seat.

The JD(U) leader's outbursts met with disapproval from the RJD as well as ally BJP, leaving the party to fend for itself.

"The remarks made by Mr Thakur are objectionable. An MP is the representative of all sections of society in his constituency," said Bhai Virendra, the RJD's chief spokesperson and an MLA.

BJP OBC Morcha national general secretary Nikhil Anand also came out with a strongly worded statement, but without mentioning Mr Thakur by name.

"Giving vent to frustration in a manner that smacks of caste prejudice is shameful and deplorable in politics. The BJP takes all social segments along. In Bihar, no political party can succeed if it tries to marginalise Yadavs, who are 14 per cent of the total population," said Mr Anand.

The BJP leader underscored "27 OBCs, four of them Yadavs" in the Union Council of Ministers and claimed that it was proof of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's commitment to "social harmony".

JD(U) chief spokesman and MLC Neeraj Kumar responded to the criticisms, saying, "It is unthinkable that Thakur will discriminate against any section of society. He was just expressing his pain at not getting votes of even those whom he may have helped him personally but who got swayed by other considerations."

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Yogi Adityanath Meets With Kuwait Fire Victim's Families From Gorakhpur

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday met with the family members of two people killed in a fire in southern Kuwait's Mangaf as well as some devotees injured in a terrorist attack in Jammu's Shiv Khori.

He spoke to them at the Gorakhnath temple and provided them financial assistance.

The fire in a multi-storey building in Kuwait resulted in the death of 49 people, including Angad Gupta from Jatepur in Sadar tehsil and Jayaram Gupta from Bharmour in Campierganj tehsil, both in Gorakhpur.

According to a statement, the chief minister met with Angad Gupta's wife Rita Devi and Jayaram Gupta's wife Sunita, conveyed his condolences and handed them cheques of Rs 5 lakh each.

Yogi Adityanath also provided Rs 1 lakh each to those injured in the recent terrorist attack in Shiv Khori.

The chief minister enquired about their health and assured them that the government would cover all medical expenses.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Elon Musk's X Bans Over 2 Lakh Indian Accounts Over Policy Violations

Elon Musk-run X Corp has banned 2,29,925 accounts in India between April 26 and May 25, mostly for promoting child sexual exploitation and non-consensual nudity.

The microblogging platform, going through churning under Elon Musk, also took down 967 accounts for promoting terrorism on its platform in the country.

In total, X banned 230,892 accounts in the reporting period.

The microblogging platform, in its monthly report in compliance with the new IT Rules, 2021, said that it received 17,580 complaints from users in India in the same time frame through its grievance redressal mechanisms.

In addition, the company processed 76 grievances which were appealing account suspensions.

"We overturned 0 of these account suspensions after reviewing the specifics of the situation. The remaining reported accounts remain suspended," said the company.

"We received 31 requests related to general questions about accounts during this reporting period," it added.

Most complaints from India were about ban evasion (6,881), followed by hateful conduct (3,763), sensitive adult content (3,205), and abuse/harassment (2,815).

Between March 26 and April 25, X banned 1,84,241 accounts in the country.

The microblogging platform also took down 1,303 accounts for promoting terrorism on its platform.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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BJP Central Team Reaches Kolkata Amid Allegations Of Post-Poll Violence

A four-member central team of the BJP, including senior leaders Ravi Shankar Prasad and Biplab Kumar Deb, arrived in Kolkata this evening for a two-day visit to take stock of the situation amid allegations of violence against party workers in the state after the Lok Sabha elections.

Mr Prasad claimed that the people of the state along with the party workers were afraid and apprehensive over the alleged post-poll violence.

"Elections were held across the country, but violence happened only in Bengal," he told reporters at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport.

"If Mamata ji believes in democracy, she has to reply to this," Mr Prasad, a former Union minister, said.

Biplab Deb, former Chief Minister of Tripura, claimed there has not been any political violence in the northeastern state since BJP came to power there.

"We will speak to the victims and take stock of the situation during our two-day stay in Bengal," he said.

The BJP alleged that its workers and supporters were being subjected to violence and intimidation in different parts of Bengal by supporters of the Trinamool Congress after the Lok Sabha elections ended.

The BJP won 12 of the 42 Lok Sabha constituencies in Bengal, while the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC emerged victorious in 29 seats and the Congress bagged one.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Uttarakhand Officials Bat For "Hill Endorsement" Licences Amid Accidents

A day after 15 tourists died in a road accident in Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag, officials said there is a need for greater focus on the "hill endorsement" in drivers' licences accompanied by a physical test.

Joint Transport Commissioner Sanat Singh said this check was required for all tourist vehicles, including those that are a part of the Char Dham Yatra and the Hemkund Sahib Yatra, to reduce road accidents in the hilly regions.

Many tourist vehicles come to Uttarakhand, but due to the greater volume of cars of Char Dham Yatra, checking of other vehicles is ignored, Mr Singh said.

"Now we will need to focus on tourism apart from Chardham Yatra. We will now focus on hill endorsement of driving license," the official said.

'Hill endorsement' of a driver's license is necessary for driving on mountainous roads, he said.

Earlier the state did not have the facility for physical "hill endorsement" tests. So they were offered online, Mr Singh said. Now, driving tracks for such tests have been built with one in Dehradun already operational, he said.

In online tests, the driver is shown a video, and questions are asked based on it. Applicants pass the test even though their practical knowledge or skills are not checked, Mr Singh said.

Now such tracks for physical tests have been built in Haridwar and Rishikesh as well which will be operational in a month or two, the official said.

A tempo traveller carrying tourists skidded off the Badrinath national highway in Rudraprayag district and fell into the Alaknanda river on Saturday, killing 15 and injuring 11.

Earlier on June 11, a bus fell into a ditch in Gangani in Uttarkashi district, killing three female devotees and injuring several others.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has directed the officials to strictly follow all prescribed protocols to reduce road accidents in the hills. He has asked the police and transport department officials to check the mechanical condition of vehicles, and strictly test the drivers before issuing licenses.

Mr Dhami also asked them to be careful in issuing green cards and take strict action against those driving at high speed, carrying more passengers than allowed, and driving under the influence of alcohol.

According to Uttarakhand government data, 1,674 accidents were reported in the state in 2022, in which 1,042 people died and 1,613 were injured. The country reported 4,61,312 road accidents with 1,68,491 deaths and 4,43,366 injuries the same year.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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PM Modi To Release Rs 20,000 Crore To Farmers During Varanasi Visit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will release over Rs 20,000 crore as the 17th instalment of the PM-KISAN scheme at an event in Varanasi on June 18, which will benefit 9.26 crore farmers nationwide, Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Saturday.

''Agriculture has always been a priority for the Prime Minister in his last two tenures,'' Mr Chouhan said.

"Maintaining absolute transparency in registering and verifying beneficiaries, the Government of India has disbursed over Rs 3.04 lakh crore to more than 11 crore farmers across the nation. With this release, the total amount transferred to the beneficiaries since the inception of the scheme will cross well over Rs 3.24 lakh crore," the minister said.

Mr Chouhan said that PM Modi will also grant certificates to more than 30,000 self-help groups designated as Krishi Sakhis after the release of the 17th instalment of the PM KISAN scheme.

PM Modi kicked off his third term in office on June 10 with the signing of the release of the 17th instalment of the PM Kisan Nidhi to underline the importance that his government attaches to the farmers.

The scheme, launched in February 2019, transfers online an amount of Rs 6,000 annually in three equal instalments of Rs 2,000 directly into the bank accounts of farmers.

The Minister further stated that around 2.5 crore farmers will join the event across the country through video. Additionally, 732 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), over 1 lakh Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies, and 5 lakh Common Service Centres (CSCs) from across the country will participate in the event to raise awareness among farmers.

Several Union Ministers will also be visiting 50 Krishi Vigyan Kendras to interact with farmers and raise awareness about the various schemes of the Department. They will also distribute certificates to the trained Krishi Sakhis of the area, Mr Chouhan added.

Following the Kisan Sammelan, PM Modi will visit the Baba Kashi Vishwanath Temple and participate in the world-famous Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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