Meitei, Hmar Leaders Meet In Manipur's Jiribam, Agree To Bring Normalcy

Representatives of the Meitei community and the Hmar tribe held a peace meeting in Manipur's Jiribam today, and agreed to work for normalcy nearly two months after ethnic violence reached the district bordering Assam.

The district commissioner, and senior officers of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Assam Rifles (AR) moderated the meeting at the CRPF group centre, the representatives said in a statement jointly signed by them.

Both sides will make full efforts to bring normalcy and prevent incidents of arson and firing, they said in the statement. The two sides also agreed to cooperate with security forces in Jiribam, and to ensure controlled and coordinated movement of people.

Another meeting will be held after August 15, they said in the statement.

Representatives of the Paite, Thadou and Mizo tribes living in Jiribam also participated in the meeting, the statement said.

Jiribam, 250 km from the state capital Imphal, didn't see violence for over a year since Meitei-Kuki ethnic violence began in May 2023; however, clashes erupted in the district in June, forcing over a thousand people from both the communities to live in relief camps, some in neighbouring Assam.

A CRPF soldier was killed in action on July 14 after a joint patrol with the state police was ambushed by "suspected Kuki insurgents" in Jiribam, the Manipur Police had said in a statement.

Hmar civil society groups had alleged Meitei insurgents had been attacking their villages in Jiribam.

Chief Minister N Biren Singh yesterday said in the assembly 226 people have died in the violence, and 59,000 have been internally displaced.

The general category Meiteis want to be included under the Scheduled Tribes category, while the nearly two dozen tribes known as Kukis who share ethnic ties with people in neighbouring Myanmar's Chin State and Mizoram want a separate administration carved out of Manipur, citing discrimination and unequal share of resources and power with the Meiteis.

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Adani Energy's Share Sale Subscribed 6 Times With Rs 50,000 Crore Demand

Billionaire Stanley Druckenmiller's family office-led investment firms have made their maiden bet on Adani group, seeking shares of the conglomerate's power transmission unit in an institutional sale that was oversubscribed six times and fetching demand of over Rs 50,000 crore against an issue size of USD 1 billion.

Duquesne Family Office and two other US-based long-only funds - Driehaus Capital Management and Jennison Associates - invested in the qualified institutional placement (QIP) of Adani Energy Solutions, sources with direct knowledge of the matter said.

The Rs 8,340 crore (USD 1 billion) issue saw over 120 investors seek shares in the firm that is into power transmission, distribution and smart metering business.

Sources said the issue marked the debut of highly prestigious long-only investors Duquesne Family Office, Driehaus Capital Management and Jennison Associates which are known for their strong performance.

These investors are known for investing only in companies with high governance and are known for staying invested for decades.

The QIP was the first public equity raise by the conglomerate since a damning Hindenburg report last year wiped away billions in shareholder value.

The demand generated made the Adani Energy Solution Ltd QIP the largest in the energy space.

Adani Energy Solutions' stock gained over 15 per cent in intraday on Thursday before closing 11.24 per cent higher in Mumbai.

Duquesne is founded by billionaire Stanley Druckenmiller, who along with George Soros in 1992 broke the Bank of England by shorting the British pound, leading to its crash and earnings over a billion dollars.

Adani Group has a history of introducing several long-only investors in the market. In the past years, it has brought large investors including GQG Partners, Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), and International Holding Company (IHC).

These existing investors of the Adani group also participated in the QIP, sources said.

Other major global names that participated in the QIP include Blackrock, Jupiter Asset Management, Nomura Asset Management, and Eastspring.

Domestic mutual funds that have participated include SBI Mutual Fund, HDFC Mutual Fund, Axis Mutual Fund, Bandhan Mutual Fund, LIC, WhiteOak, and 360One among others.

Insurance companies including SBI Insurance, SBI Pension and ASK Asset Management have also participated, according to the sources.

QIP is an instrument used by listed companies to raise funds from large institutions.

The fundraising is the first after Adani group's flagship firm scrapped a Rs 20,000 crore issue in February last year, following the Hindenburg report alleging accounting fraud and stock manipulation.

Though the group vehemently and repeatedly denied all allegations, listed companies of the conglomerate at one point saw over USD 150 billion of their market value being wiped out.

While the group has largely recovered, a successful QIP is being seen as a powerful vote of investor confidence in the tycoon.

Separately, Adani Enterprises Ltd, the flagship firm of the group, is looking to revive its first-ever public sale of bonds. It plans to raise as much as Rs 600 crore.

The company has hired Trust Investment Advisors, AK Capital Services and Nuvama Wealth Management as lead managers for the issuances.

The group had tapped the dollar bond market in March this year - the first time since the Hindenburg report - when its solar energy unit Adani Green Energy Ltd and associated firms got bids of about USD 2.9 billion. 

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

(Disclaimer: New Delhi Television is a subsidiary of AMG Media Networks Limited, an Adani Group Company.)

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"Relationship Gone Sour": High Court Cancels Rape Case Against 73-Year-Old

The Bombay High Court has quashed a case lodged against a 73-year-old man for allegedly sexually abusing a woman since 1987, noting that the relationship was consensual.

A division bench of Justices A S Gadkari and Neela Gokhale on Wednesday said the contents of the FIR "clearly indicate a consensual relationship".

The bench also noted the FIR was lodged in 2018 and there has been no explanation for the delay.

"The parties were indulging in sexual relationship for as many as 31 years. The complainant has never breathed a word about her alleged objection to the relationship," the court said.

"This is a classic case of a relationship between the parties turning sour and thereafter the complainant lodging a police complaint," the court said.

As per the case, the woman had joined the man's company in 1987. At the time, the accused allegedly forcibly established sexual relations with her.

Thereafter, between July 1987 and 2017, for 30 years, the accused raped her at various hotels in Kalyan, Bhiwandi and other places.

As per the case, he promised to marry her, put a 'mangalsutra' around her neck in 1993 and declared she was his second wife. adding he did not permit her to marry anyone else.

She claimed that in 1996 the accused suffered a heart attack so she looked after the company.

However, in September 2017, her mother suffered from cancer and she had to take a leave of absence from her job.

When she resumed service, she found the office closed and the company gate locked.

When she got in touch with the man once again, he refused to marry her and also did not hand over documents relating to banking, income tax, an agreement related to a medical shop and the gold 'mangalsutra'. He also refused to meet her.

The bench observed that the FIR itself indicates the woman was aware the accused was married and continued to believe his assurance regarding marriage despite this knowledge.

"She is adult enough to know the law forbids a second marriage and there is no allegation in the complaint that the accused promised to divorce his first wife and then marry her. Even otherwise, this would purely be wishful thinking on the part of the woman that the accused will marry her after divorcing his existing wife," the court said.

In the past 31 years, there were many opportunities for the woman to break away and lodge a complaint against the accused but she did not do so, the bench noted. 

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

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New FASTag Rules To Come Into Effect On August 1: Check Details

Starting August 1, 2024, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) will enforce new guidelines for FASTag users, focusing on updated Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements. FASTag is a pre-paid tag facility for vehicles that allows non-stop movement of traffic without having to wait at the toll plazas. The FASTag KYC check has been introduced to enhance the efficiency of the electronic toll collection system and provide seamless movement at toll plazas.

Here are the key changes:

1. KYC Update: FASTag users must update their KYC details until October 31, especially if their FASTag is between 3 to 5 years old 
2. Replacement of Old FASTags: Any FASTags older than five years must be replaced. 
3. Linking Vehicle Details: Vehicle registration number and chassis number must be linked with the FASTag
4. New Vehicle Registration Update: New vehicle owners must update their FASTag with the vehicle's registration number within 90 days of purchase.
5. Database Verification: FASTag providers must verify their databases 
6. Photo Upload Requirement: To improve identification and security, FASTag providers are now required to upload clear, high-quality photos of the vehicle's front and side.
7. Mobile Number Linking: To ensure seamless communication and timely updates, it's mandatory to link each FASTag to a mobile number.

About FASTag

FASTag is a revolutionary pre-paid tag facility for vehicles that uses technology to eliminate bottlenecks on toll plazas across India. Once the FASTag is active, it is affixed on the vehicle's windscreen and information on it is passively read by the antennae at the toll plaza, debiting the toll amount from one's bank account that is linked to the FASTag. 

With a penetration rate of around 98% and over eight crore users, FASTag has revolutionised the country's electronic toll collection system. It employs Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology for toll payments directly from the account linked to it.

Users can buy FASTags from toll plazas, petrol pumps of Indian Oil, Hindustan Petroleum, Bharat Petroleum, banks, PAYTM and Amazon. Using FASTag comes with several benefits. It provides uninterrupted traffic movement, helps save paper, reduces pollution, and traffic congestion, and is convenient and cashless.

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"Soft Stance On Rohingya": Himanta Sarma Rips Into Bengal, Jharkhand

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma named Jharkhand and Bengal governments as the weak spots in the wall to stop Rohingya infiltration from Bangladesh. Both states, he said, have taken a soft stand against the infiltration, that is posing  threat to demography. In this context, he also mentioned Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's comment that Bengal will "keep its doors open" -- said in the context of the ongoing students' protest in Bangladesh. "The Central government should pick up the issue of Rohingya with the West Bengal government," he said.
 
Addressing a press conference in Guwahati, Mr Sarma said, "Rohingya are utilising the India-Bangladesh border situation because large areas are porous. In Assam, we are still guarding, but Assam is only a part of the border".
 
The Chief Minister cited a couple of instances of crackdown on illegal immigrants -- one in Tripura where a large number of Rohingya have been arrested, and one in Assam, where the police busted a network last year..
 
"Assam is no longer a safe haven for illegal immigrants because after the BJP came into power, we have controlled the situation. But Bengal and Jharkhand are silent on the serious issue... (But elsewhere) Because of appeasement politics, we are not able to control it," he said.

With unimpeded infiltration, the demography is already changing, he argued. This, he said, will become clear during census and will come as shocking news.
 
"You don't have to wait for census. Just see the 2024 voter list and 2019 voter list -- the change in demography is visible... Soft policy towards Rohingya infiltration doesn't work. If we do not stop it, the entire country will face demographic invasion," he added.

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Mumbai Man Orders Mobile Phone Worth Rs 55,000 From Amazon, Gets Tea Cups

A city resident has filed a complaint against e-commerce giant Amazon after he ordered a high-end mobile phone online and allegedly received half a dozen tea cups.

Amar Chavan, a deputy engineer with civic-run Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking, ordered a Techno Phantom V Fold mobile phone from Amazon and paid Rs 54,999 online on July 13, he told police.

Two days later, the parcel arrived. When he opened, he was shocked to find six tea cups, he claimed in the complaint.

He contacted Amazon as well as the seller firm, but did not get any satisfactory answer, the complainant said.

A First Information Report (FIR) for alleged cheating was registered against unnamed officials of Amazon and the retailer and investigation was underway, said an official of Mahim police.

No comment was immediately available from Amazon India.

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

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Jharkhand Railway Accident: Tracks Restoration Work On, 7 Trains Cancelled

Efforts were on to restore tracks with the movement of trains remaining affected for the second consecutive day on Wednesday following the derailment of the Howrah-Mumbai mail in Jharkhand's Seraikela-Kharsawan district, officials said.

All the coaches and wagons have been removed from the tracks, they said.

Two persons were killed and 22 others injured after 18 coaches of the Howrah-Mumbai Mail derailed at Potobeda village near Barabambo station in South Eastern Railways's Chakradharpur division on Tuesday morning.

"All the coaches and wagons have been moved from the track... We are trying to fast-track the restoration of one of the three lines. It should be functional today," Aditya Kumar Choudhary, Senior DCM of Chakradharpur, told PTI.

In a statement, the South Eastern Railway said the bi-directional third line is tentatively planned to be made operational by Wednesday.

Seven trains have been cancelled during the day. These are the 08163/08164 Chakradharpur-Rourkela-Chakradharpur Special, 12768 Santragachi-Nanded Express, 08602 Hatia-Tatanagar Special, 08195 Tatanagar-Hatia Special, 18190 Ernakulam-Tatanagar Express, 18114 Bilaspur-Tatanagar Express and 12872 Titlagarh-Howrah Express, it said.

"Some trains will also be short-terminated," it added.

The crash had prompted the railways to divert or cancel around 35 trains on Tuesday.

The opposition Congress, JMM and the TMC criticised Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw for the accident and advised him to focus on passenger safety.

The railways made an ex-gratia payment of Rs 10 lakh each to the families of the two deceased passengers -- P Bikash and Ajit Kumar Samal, both from Odisha's Rourkela.

The railways also paid Rs 1 lakh each to the eight people who suffered minor injuries.

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

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