Another Member Of Bangladesh-Linked Terrorists Arrested In Assam

The Special Task Force (STF) of Assam Police has arrested another dreaded cadre of the Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), a Bangladesh-based terror group affiliated with Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), officials said on Sunday.

An Assam Police spokesperson said that the STF, in another successful operation against fundamentalists and Global Terrorist Organisations (GTO) arrested the most wanted Jaheer Ali from Dhubri, an Assam district that shares a border with Bangladesh and West Bengal.

With the latest arrest of Ali, the STF so far arrested 13 associates of the ABT.

"These 13 cadres, including a Bangladeshi national, were active in clandestine activities under the direction of Md Farhan Israk, a close associate of Jasimuddin Rahmani, the chief of ABT.

"They sent one Bangladeshi national, Md Sad Radi alias Shab Sheikh a resident of Rajshahi, Bangladesh, to India to spread their nefarious ideology amongst like-minded Indian nationals across India," the spokesperson said.

He said that under the direction of STF Chief Partha Sarathi Mahanta, 'Operation Praghat' was conducted.

The accused were arrested and recovery of arms, ammunition, explosives and other materials and various incriminating documents, mobile phones was made from their possession.

On December 30 last year, ABT cadre and the absconding prime accused, Gazi Rahman (35) was arrested with the assistance of Kokrajhar Police.

On December 27 last year, ABT associate Shahinur Islam (36) was arrested from Bandhabpara in Dhubri District while on December 24, the STF arrested Abdul Zaher Sheikh and Sabbir Mirdha from Namapara in Kokrajhar district and a huge cache of arms and ammunition and other war-like items were recovered from the hideout of one of the arrested accused persons.

The STF, as part of Operation Praghat on the intervening night of December 17-18, had apprehended eight ABT operatives across Assam, West Bengal and Kerala.

Among the eight, five were arrested in Assam's Kokrajhar and Dhubri districts, two in West Bengal, and one Bangladeshi national in Kerala. Of the eight arrests, Bangladeshi national Muhammad Sad Radi alias Md Shab Sheikh (32), a resident of Rajshahi in Bangladesh, was apprehended from Kerala.

After the questioning of the eight detainees, the remaining four accused persons were arrested from Dhubri and Kokrajhar, bordering Bhutan and West Bengal.

"With these 13 arrests, the STF achieved a huge success in averting a possible major terror act by fundamentalist/Jihadi elements of a Global Terrorist Organisation (GTO)," the spokesman said.

Assam Police Special Director General Harmeet Singh earlier said the eight persons (arrested on the intervening night of December 17-18) were handlers in Pakistan and Bangladesh.

They were working to form 'sleeper cells' in different parts of India and there were plans to assassinate leaders belonging to the Hindu community and RSS, besides undertaking violent and subversive activities in India, Singh had said.

The Special DGP had said that Operation Praghat was launched in November after a detailed and prolonged examination of intelligence input regarding the clandestine anti-national activities being carried out by a group of individuals under the direction of Md Farhan Israk, a close associate of Jasimuddin Rahmani, the ABT Chief.

The operation was launched under the direct supervision of STF Chief Mahanta.

In December last year, the Assam Police STF also arrested five Pakistan-linked terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) members from Kokrajhar and Dhubri.

Four JeM operatives have been arrested from Kokrajhar district, while one JeM linkman was arrested from Dhubri district, a police officer 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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16 'Mysterious' Deaths In J&K's Rajouri Caused By Neurotoxins: Doctors

To address fear and consternation among people following 16 mysterious deaths in over one month, health department experts addressed a press conference in Budhal village of Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district on Saturday, and said the deaths in the village had been caused by neurotoxins.

The press conference was chaired jointly by the principal of Government Medical College (GMC) Rajouri, Dr AS Bhatia and Budhal MLA Javed Iqbal Chowdhary.

Dr Manohar Lal Rana, chief medical officer Rajouri; Dr Shamim Ahmed, Medical Superintendent, and Dr Zaeem Khan, Head of Chest and TB at GMC Rajouri were also present at the press conference.

Dr Bhatia said all the dead shared a common medical condition, brain swelling, or edema. He elaborated on the treatments being provided to affected individuals and assured that the health department was actively monitoring the situation.

The authorities emphasised that investigations were ongoing and promised continued support to the community while seeking to determine the cause of the deaths.

Dr Bhatia said the neurotoxins found in samples analysed by premier laboratories of the country resulted in brain damage.

"We try to mitigate the problem of patients reporting with brain damage, but once the patient reports with serious brain damage, we cannot reverse the condition," Dr Bhatia said.

Samples collected from the village have been analysed at the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), National Institute of Virology, Pune and other laboratories. Test results did not show any virus or bacteria thereby ruling out any communicable disease. Tests, however, proved that toxins were found in the samples analysed.

The fact that all the victims of the mysterious disease belong to three families created doubts about foul play.

The government has ordered an investigation by the Rajouri Police to unravel the mystery behind 16 deaths caused in Budhal village between December 7 and January 17. Rajouri Police have constituted a special investigation team (SIT) to investigate the case.

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भारत की सबसे सस्ती स्पोर्ट्स कार, देखिए जरा हार जाएंगे दिल

भारत मोबिलिटी ग्लोबल एक्सपो 2025 में MG मोटर्स ने अपनी नई इलेक्ट्रिक कार साइबरस्टर को भारतीय बाजार में लॉन्च की है. इस EV में कई उन्नत फीचर्स शामिल हैं, हालांकि कंपनी ने इसकी कीमत अभी तक घोषित नहीं की है. MG मोटर्स ने बताया कि इसकी प्री-रिजर्वेशन आज से शुरू हो रही है, जबकि बुकिंग मार्च में शुरू होगी और डिलीवरी अप्रैल से शुरू हो जाएगी.

नई MG साइबरस्टर एक परफॉर्मेंस-ओरिएंटेड इलेक्ट्रिक कार है, जो स्पोर्ट्स कार के डिजाइन के साथ पेश की गई है. यह 2-सीटर कन्वर्टिबल कार पहली इलेक्ट्रिक कार है, जिसमें सिजर डोर डिजाइन दिया गया है. कार में आगे की ओर LED हेडलाइट्स और 19-इंच के अलॉय व्हील्स शामिल हैं. पीछे की ओर कनेक्टेड LED लाइट्स और एरो शेप्ड LED टेललाइट्स का भी आकर्षक डिजाइन है. रिपोर्ट के मुताबिक ये सबसे सस्ती इलेक्ट्रिक स्पोर्ट्स कार होगी. 

नई साइबरस्टर के इंटीरियर्स में स्पोर्ट्स कार की फिनिशिंग दी गई है, जो स्पोर्टी रेड/ब्लैक कलर थीम में उपलब्ध है. इस कार की प्रमुख हाइलाइट्स में पैनोरमिक ट्रिनिटी डिस्प्ले (दो स्क्रीन वाला ड्राइवर क्लस्टर और एक टचस्क्रीन इंफोटेनमेंट सिस्टम), डैशबोर्ड-माउंटेड ड्राइवर गियर सिलेक्टर और बकेट स्टाइल स्पोर्टी ड्राइवर और को-ड्राइवर सीटें शामिल हैं.

साइबरस्टर में 77 kWh बैटरी पैक यूनिट दी गई है, जिसे 509 bhp और 725 Nm का पीक टॉर्क जनरेट करने वाले शक्तिशाली मोटर्स के साथ जोड़ा गया है. इसके अलावा बेहतर एयरोडायनामिक्स और प्रदर्शन को बढ़ाने के लिए इसमें डुअल मोटर सेटअप भी शामिल है. यह बैटरी पैक एक बार चार्ज करने पर लगभग 580 किमी की रेंज प्रदान करने का दावा करता है.

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Need To Fix Accountability For Hindenburg "Hit Job": Mahesh Jethmalani

Senior lawyer Mahesh Jethmalani has punctured US short seller Hindenburg Research's chief Nate Anderson over his announcement that he would wind up the firm. Mr Anderson said the work took a toll on him as it was "rather intense and at times all-encompassing".

Hindenburg targeted the Adani Group in a case that is now seen as an attack on the 'India Story'.

"Frankly speaking, I don't know how old Mr Anderson is, but the fact of the matter is that he's not had some sterling results. His claim to fame really rests on the Adani hit job, which he was part of. I don't think he's done other serious work or businesses of note. So, he is essentially a research analyst," Mr Jethmalani told NDTV.

One of the reasons for winding up Hindenburg, Mr Anderson said, was it completed the projects it was handling. The announcement comes just days before President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration event. There is speculation Hindenburg is disbanding to avoid a possible India-US joint investigation.

"I really don't know his exact line of business. He is a research analyst who provides reports to people, or he is hired by people who need to bear-hammer a few shares for profiteering. In this case, of course, he became a little larger than life because he took on one of the biggest industries in India, which for a couple of days caused serious economic turbulence in the country," Mr Jethmalani said.

Mr Anderson's allegations led to panic among investors and wiped out more than $150 billion in the value of the Adani Group shares at their lowest point. A lot of that was money from small-time investors, men and women who put in their hard-earned savings. And now Mr Anderson says 'I am off, I am done.'

How does one ensure accountability?

"As far as India is concerned, SEBI is on the job. The problem is that this man doesn't live in India. He is presumably a US national. Now, if he is a US national, all the best we can do is seek the cooperation of the government. But the last government, the 'Democratic deep state' as we call it, were hand in glove with this man through the [George] Soros connection," Mr Jethmalani told NDTV, referring to an investigation by the capital markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).

"Soros is the biggest financial contributor to the coffers of the Democratic party and has an overwhelming say in their policies, particularly the economic policies. Now, Soros is known for his anti-India and particularly anti-PM Modi government stand. So, there is not much you can do except now hope that - and I suspect - that the Trump administration may already have started some kind of a probe which led to this man winding up his company," the senior lawyer said.

"Having said that, whatever aid we can get from the Trump administration, which will be a lot more friendlier to the Indian government on this issue as well, we should undoubtedly invoke that help, and see that this man is brought to justice along with all the others whom he connived with," Mr Jethmalani added.

Earlier today, another senior lawyer, Mukul Rohatgi, described Hindenburg as a "dubious organisation". Mr Rohatgi, who is also the former Attorney General for India, told NDTV Hindenburg had been constantly attacking the Indian economy and a company, shaking the confidence of the Indian markets and "affecting the investments of millions of people."

"Look, I don't think anybody could accept or, you know, find out anything more about a dubious organisation, an organisation which says that they are short sellers. They say that they are out to create havoc in share markets... And I think they have realised that it is a shoot and scoot policy," Mr Rohatgi told NDTV.

"And therefore, they want to just close down because they don't want to face any investigation, either in India or the US or any other jurisdiction. And maybe they fear that when President Trump takes over, he may look into the complaints filed by Indian bodies and industrial houses or Indian government entities," the senior lawyer said. "Therefore, the idea is to shut shop and run away."

He said Hindenburg will have to face investigation somehow.

"The people who are behind this dubious organisation, they will certainly be liable and they can certainly be tracked down wherever they are. And they must face the heat and face the action," Mr Rohatgi said.

The matter had turned political with the Congress and other Opposition parties seeking a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) probe into the Hindenburg report, despite India's institutions and the Supreme Court completely dismissing Hindenburg's "findings".

Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani at the annual general meeting in June said the group "faced baseless accusations made by a foreign short seller that questioned our decades of hard work."

"In the face of an unprecedented attack on our integrity and reputation, we fought back and proved that no challenge could weaken the foundations on which your Group has been established," he said.

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Customs Department Imposes Fine On IndiGo, Airline To Take Legal Measures

Leading airline IndiGo on Wednesday said the customs department has imposed a fine of little over Rs 25 lakh on the company in relation to duty on jet fuel.

The fine has been imposed by the Joint Commissioner (Customs), Office of the Commissioner of Customs, Ludhiana.

In a regulatory filing, InterGlobe Aviation, the parent of IndiGo, said there was "demand for additional duty of customs on remnant Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF)".

The company will take appropriate legal measures against it, the filing said and added that there is no material impact on financials, operations or other activities.

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

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Union Budget 2025: Expectations Of Indian Startups From Modi Government

With the Union Budget 2025 only a couple of weeks away, startups in the country are once again looking towards the Modi 3.0 administration to streamline policies to propel the growth story. With the economy showing signs of both resilience and challenges, startups are hoping for measures that might support innovation, ease funding access, and build a more conducive business environment. Here is what the Indian startup community anticipates from the upcoming budget, set to be presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Indian Parliament on February 1, 2025.

Ease of doing business

Despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi consistently stating that ease of doing business had improved in the country during his tenure, several bottlenecks remain. Startups, especially in the manufacturing setup have to go through the hoops to get a simple clearance or approval. The government can make it easier for early-stage startups by easing the compliance burden.

Simplified tax regime

Apart from citizens hoping for a reduction in personal tax rates, startups are also wishing for a simplified tax structure that reduces compliance burdens. This includes extending tax holidays, revising corporate tax rates, and simplifying procedures for setting off and carrying forward losses.

Infrastructure development

Research and development (R&D) is a capital and infrastructure-heavy enterprise. The government should aim to improve its infra to ensure that investment in the area continues. Creating startup hubs with state-of-the-art facilities, co-working spaces, and access to essential services can significantly reduce operational costs and provide a nurturing environment for innovation and growth.

Also Read | Union Budget 2025: When Will Nirmala Sitharaman Present Budget? Check Date And Time

Bet on emerging technologies

With artificial intelligence (AI) being the buzzword, the Indian government has the opportunity to hop on the AI train and make major inroads. The Union Budget 2025 should prioritise innovation and growth with the country's digital economy, projected to reach $1 trillion by 2028, as per a report in Economic Times.

Edtech startups need help

After accelerated growth during the COVID-19 pandemic, the edtech startups have struggled to maintain the same momentum. The industry will be hoping for potential tax incentives, primarily in the form of Goods and Service Tax (GST) exemptions for under-privileged students, and reduction in GST for educational products and services.

Intellectual Property Rights

Enhanced support for Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), including faster patent processing, lower fees for startups, and more resources for IP education, is what the startups expect from Ms Sitharaman.

Access to credit

Improving credit availability, particularly for MSMEs and startups, through schemes like the Credit Guarantee Scheme for Startups (CGSS), is crucial. This would help startups scale operations without the burden of high-interest loans.

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PM मोदी बुधवार को मुंबई में दो युद्धपोत और एक पनडुब्बी देश को करेंगे समर्पित

प्रधानमंत्री नरेंद्र मोदी बुधवार को मुंबई के नौसेना डॉकयार्ड में दो नौसैनिक युद्धपोत और एक पनडुब्बी राष्ट्र को समर्पित करेंगे. युद्धपोत आईएनएस सूरत और आईएनएस नीलगिरि और पनडुब्बी आईएनएस वाघशीर है. इन तीनों की कमीशनिंग पर प्रधानमंत्री मोदी इन्हें देश को समर्पित करेंगे. इसके बाद वह नवी मुंबई के खारघर में इस्कॉन परियोजना के श्री श्री राधा मदनमोहनजी मंदिर का उद्घाटन भी करेंगे.

आईएनएस सूरत, पी15बी गाइडेड मिसाइल डिस्ट्रॉयर परियोजना का चौथा और अंतिम युद्धपोत है. यह दुनिया के सबसे बड़े और सबसे उन्नत विध्वंसकों में से एक है. इस जहाज में 75 फीसदी स्वदेशी सामग्री का इस्तेमाल किया गया है. यह अत्याधुनिक हथियार-सेंसर पैकेज और नेटवर्क-केंद्रित क्षमताओं से लैस है. इस युद्धपोत का शामिल होना भारतीय नौसेना की बढ़ती ताकत और आत्मनिर्भरता का प्रतीक है.

आईएनएस नीलगिरि पी17ए स्टील्थ फ्रिगेट परियोजना का पहला जहाज है. इसे भारतीय नौसेना के युद्धपोत डिजाइन ब्यूरो द्वारा डिजाइन किया गया है. यह जहाज स्टील्थ तकनीक से लैस है और समुद्र में लंबे समय तक ऑपरेशन करने की क्षमता रखता है. इसके साथ ही, यह अगली पीढ़ी के स्वदेशी फ्रिगेट का एक उत्कृष्ट उदाहरण है, जो देश की समुद्री सुरक्षा क्षमताओं को और मजबूत करेगा.

आईएनएस वाघशीर पी75 स्कॉर्पियन परियोजना की छठी और अंतिम पनडुब्बी है. यह पनडुब्बी निर्माण में देश की बढ़ती विशेषज्ञता का प्रतीक है. इसका निर्माण फ्रांस के नौसेना समूह के सहयोग से किया गया है. इसके नौसेना में शामिल होने से देश की पनडुब्बी क्षमता कई गुना बढ़ जाएगी. यह देश को और अधिक आत्मनिर्भर बनाने में महत्वपूर्ण भूमिका निभाएगा.

इन तीनों का भारतीय नौसेना में शामिल होना देश की समुद्री सुरक्षा और रक्षा निर्माण में एक मील का पत्थर साबित होगा. इसके अलावा पीएम मोदी नवी मुंबई के खारघर में इस्कॉन परियोजना के श्री श्री राधा मदनमोहनजी मंदिर का उद्घाटन करेंगे. यह परियोजना नौ एकड़ क्षेत्र में फैली हुई है और इसमें विभिन्न देवताओं के मंदिर, वैदिक शिक्षा केंद्र, प्रस्तावित संग्रहालय और सभागार, उपचार केंद्र जैसी सुविधाएं शामिल हैं.

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