Former PM Manmohan Singh cremated with full state honours

NEW DELHI, Dec 28: India bid a tearful adieu to one of its illustrious former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday, as his mortal remains were consigned to flames at the Nigambodh Ghat with full state honours amid the chanting of religious hymns.

His eldest daughter Upinder Singh lit the funeral pyre as his admirers chanted 'Manmohan Singh Amar Rahe' (Long Live, Manmohan Singh) and 'Jab Tak Suraj Chand Rahega, Tab Tak tera naam Rahega' (Till Sun and Moon Remain, your name will also remain).

Singh’s last rites were performed by Sikh priests in the presence of President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and former Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Mauritius Foreign Minister Dhananjay Ramful were among the foreign dignitaries who paid their tributes to Singh. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan and the three services chiefs also paid their last respects to Singh.

Draped in the tricolour, the flower-bedecked casket was brought to Nigambodh Ghat at 11:30 am in a procession from Congress headquarters. At the Nigambodh Ghat, the mortal remains were placed at a raised platform to enable leaders cutting across party lines to lay wreaths.

Top Congress leaders and his family, including wife Gursharan Kaur, were at the Congress headquarters before the mortal remains were taken out in a procession. Rahul was in the open vehicle carrying the mortal remains along with Singh's relatives. Congress Chief Ministers Siddaramaiah and A Revanth Reddy were also seen with Rahul.

The mortal remains were earlier brought to Congress headquarters in the morning from Singh's residence 3, Motilal Nehru Marg to enable Congress workers to pay their tributes to former PM, who breathed his last on Thursday at the age of 92. Kaur and one of his daughters also reached the Congress headquarters on 24, Akbar Road to place a wreath where top Congress leaders were present.

Congress Seeks Space For Memorial To Manmohan Singh, Writes To PM

NEW DELHI, Dec 27: Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi about exploring the possibility of building a memorial to Manmohan Singh at the same site where the last rites would be held, the party said today.

Manmohan Singh, who died of age-related medical issues at 92, was prime minister for two terms in the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government from 2004 to 2014. He had been in poor health for the last few months.

"Apropos our telephonic conversation today morning, wherein I made a request to hold Dr Manmohan Singh's last rites, which will take place tomorrow i.e. 28th December 2024, at his final resting place that would be a sacrosanct venue for memorial of the great son of India," Kharge said in the letter, which was posted by the Congress on X.

"This is in keeping with such tradition of having memorials of statesmen and former prime ministers at the very place of their funerals," the Congress chief said.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, however, in a strongly worded statement said people are unable to understand why the Centre could not find a location for the former prime minister's cremation and memorial.

"... This is nothing but a deliberate insult to the first Sikh Prime Minister of India, Dr Manmohan Singh," Ramesh said in a post on X.

The last rites will be performed at the Nigambodh Ghat in Delhi tomorrow.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said the tradition of respect should be followed in the context of the samadhi of the former prime minister.

"There is no need for any politics on this issue, nor should there be. Dr Manmohan Singh's samadhi should be built at Raj Ghat only. BJP should not present an inappropriate example of its narrow thinking. History will never forgive the BJP for its negative outlook," Yadav said.

Apart from being an economist, Manmohan Singh served as Reserve Bank of India governor from 1982 to 1985.

In the five years he spent between 1991 and 1996 as Union Finance Minister, his role in ushering in a comprehensive policy of economic reforms is recognised worldwide. In the popular view of those years in India, that period is inextricably associated with the persona of Manmohan Singh.

His government also introduced the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA), which later came to be known as MGNREGA.

The Right to Information Act (RTI) was passed in 2005 under his government, which made the transparency of information between the government and the public better. He retired from the Rajya Sabha earlier this year after serving for 33 years.

Former PM Dr Manmohan Singh dies at 92

NEW DELHI, Dec 26: Former prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh died on Thursday. He was 92.

Singh was admitted to the emergency ward of Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at around 8 pm. The veteran Congress leader retired from the Rajya Sabha in April after 33-year-long stint in the Upper House.

Dr Manmohan Singh served as prime minister of India from 2004 to 2014.

“With profound grief, we inform the demise of the former Prime Minister of India, Dr Manmohan Singh, aged 92. He was being treated for age-related medical conditions and had a sudden loss of consciousness at home on 26 December 2024.

Resuscitative measures were started immediately at home. He was brought to the Medical Emergency at AIIMS, New Delhi at 8:06 PM. Despite all efforts, he could not be revived and was declared dead at 9:51 PM,” the AIIMS said in a statement.

Singh is survived by his wife Gurcharan Singh and three daughters.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and her mother Sonia Gandhi reached the hospital as soon as the news of his hospitalisation became known.

Singh, who was finance minister under the then prime minister P V Narasimha Rao, was the architect and the brainchild of economic reforms in 1991 that pulled India from the brink of bankruptcy and ushered in an era of economic liberalisation that is widely believed to have changed the course of India's economic trajectory.

5 soldiers killed, 8 injured as Army vehicle falls into 300-feet gorge in J&K's Poonch

JAMMU, Dec 24: Five soldiers were killed, and eight others were injured in an accident when an Army vehicle carrying them skidded off the road and rolled into a gorge in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district on Tuesday evening.

The accident occurred during the operational duty in the Gharoa area when the vehicle was on its way to Banoi in the district. The Army vehicle fell into a gorge approximately 300-350 feet deep.

The rescue operation is now under control; teams have recovered five bodies and are providing treatment to the injured personnel.

"All ranks of White Knight Corps extend their deepest condolences on the tragic loss of five brave soldiers in a vehicle accident during operational duty in the Poonch sector," White Knight Corps posted on X.

Amit Shah's Ambedkar remark row: NDA, Opposition MPs come face to face outside Parliament; trade allegations of 'assault'

NEW DELHI, Dec 19: Ruling NDA and Opposition I.N.D.I.A. MPs on Thursday had an eyeball to eyeball confrontation at Parliament House entrance during their protests over Home Minister Amit Shah's remark on B R Ambedkar, leading to both sides allegations against each other, complaining to the Speaker and running to police to file cases.

Two BJP MPs landed in hospital with injuries to their head and a BJP woman MP S Phangnon Konyak accused Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi of coming close to her and shouting at her while Congress said Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge injured his knees after ruling party lawmakers pushed him besides manhandling Rahul.

Kharge and Congress Lok Sabha MPs submitted letters to Birla seeking action while BJP MPs too approached him with a complaint against Rahul, accusing him of pushing MPs leading to injuries. Congress MP Hibi Eden gave a written statement to Birla denying Konyak’s allegations saying he was with Rahul throughout the protest and her charges were “fabricated”.
While BJP MPs filed a complaint against Rahul for “physical assault” of Pratap Sarangi and Mukesh Rajput, Congress MPs too filed a complaint in Parliament Street police station claiming misbehaviour with Kharge by the opponents.

Rahul told a press conference that the episode in Parliament was an attempt to avoid discussion on Adani issue while accusing the BJP of creating a “new distraction” to divert attention from “Narendra Modi’s friend” to whom he was “selling India”.

Senior BJP Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan told reporters that he expected Rahul to apologise while adding that Rahul was using physical strength inside Parliament. “Are you going to make a test of physical strength in Parliament? Then wrestlers, goondas will be in. Where is Congress taking it to?”

Since Wednesday, Parliament has been witnessing protest over Home Minister Amit Shah’s remarks in Rajya Sabha two days ago, which the Opposition claimed was “insulting” to the Dalit icon, and the issue continued to boil on Thursday with both sides staging protests in Parliament premises.

While BJP MPs staged a protest at ‘Makar Dwar’, the main entrance of Parliament, the I.N.D.I.A. MPs started their march from Ambedkar Statue in the premises. Trinamool Congress MPs were not present in the march, in which senior MPs wore shades of blue in what is seen as a symbolic gesture, as Ambedkarites are identified with the colour.

As the Opposition march reached the entrance, they tried to occupy the space in front of 'Makar Dwar', leading to a face-off with the BJP MPs. Kharge and newly-elected MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra led the march holding Ambedkar’s poster while Rahul was holding a copy of Constitution.

As they entered the space, there was intense sloganeering from both sides. While BJP MPs shouted ‘Gandhi family, maafi mango’ over giving Padma Bhushan to the person who defeated Ambedkar in Lok Sabha polls, Priyanka led the counter attack along with Kharge with ‘Jai Bhim’ slogans.

13 Killed As Navy Speedboat Collides With Ferry Near Mumbai

MUMBAI, Dec 18: An Indian Navy speedboat that was undergoing engine trials lost control and collided with a passenger ferry off the Mumbai coast today. The navy in a statement said 13 people including a naval officer and two people from the original equipment manufacturer were killed in the accident.

A video of the accident was captured on camera from the ferry which was carrying 110 people. The navy craft was carrying five people.

Ten ferry passengers were killed, while the remaining 102 including the two survivors from the navy craft were rescued.

"At about 1600 hours (4 pm), a navy craft undergoing engine trials lost control and collided with a passenger ferry, Neel Kamal, off Karanja, Mumbai. The ferry was carrying passengers from Gateway of India to Elephanta Island," the navy said in a statement.

The video of the speedboat colliding with the ferry surfaced over two hours after the accident happened.

Earlier, it was reported the ferry started sinking, but the cause was not known. The boat had sailed from the Gateway of India to Elephanta Island, off the Mumbai coast. The Colaba police have started the process of registering an FIR in the incident.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "The boat mishap in Mumbai is saddening. Condolences to the bereaved families. I pray that the injured recover soon."

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced that an ex-gratia of ₹ 5 lakh would be given from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund to the families of those who died in the accident.

More visuals show people wearing life jackets being rescued and shifted to another boat, while the vessel began tilting towards the water surface.

The Indian Navy and the Coast Guard carried out the rescue operation, with 11 navy boats, three boats of the Marine Police and a boat of the Coast Guard deployed in the area, a defence official said.

Four helicopters were involved in the search and rescue operation, the official said. Police personnel, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority workers, and fishermen in the area took part in the rescue operation.

People use public ferries to sail to the Elephanta Caves, located east of Gateway of India.

'1 Nation, 1 Poll' Panel Decided, To Include Priyanka Gandhi, Anurag Thakur

NEW DELHI, Dec 18: BJP leaders Anurag Thakur and Anil Baluni, and Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will be part of the new Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) that will look into the 'One Nation One Poll' matter.

The JPC will have 21 MPs from the Lok Sabha, and 10 MPs from the Rajya Sabha.

The new JPC has to give a report to parliament by the first day of the last week of the next session.

Some of the names in the JPC are Sambit Patra, Supriya Sule, Shrikant Eknath Shinde, Manish Tewari, and Kalyan Banerjee, among others.

The JPC will be formed to determine whether the Constitution can be amended to hold national and state elections simultaneously.

Almost 5,000 Pending Cases of Rape Of Minors In Madhya Pradesh, Accused Out On Bail

BHOPAL, Dec 18: A shocking 4,928 cases involving rape of minors are currently pending in the Madhya Pradesh High Court, including its principal seat in Jabalpur and the Indore and Gwalior benches. These include 64 heinous cases where the victim was murdered after the rape.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav revealed these figures in the state assembly last month in response to a question posed by Congress MLA Bala Bachchan.

The data underscores the gravity of the situation, with about half of the total accused in such cases-2,593 out of 5,243-currently out on bail, while 2,650 remain in jail.

In Jabalpur Principal Seat, 3,013 cases are pending, including 64 cases of murder after rape. In six cases, trial courts have awarded the death penalty.

In Indore Bench, 1,284 cases are pending, 14 of them involving murder after rape. The trial court has sentenced the accused to death in 2 cases.

Gwalior Bench: 631 cases pending, including 14 of rape-murder. In three cases, the trial court has issued the death sentence.

Despite trial courts sentencing 11 individuals to death in cases of rape of minors, no executions have taken place so far.

Congress MLA Bala Bachchan sought detailed information on the number of cases of rape of minors pending in the Jabalpur High Court and its benches in Indore and Gwalior.

The question also requested separate data on cases involving murder after rape and details of any actions taken for speedy trials.

In his 132-page response, Chief Minister Yadav provided a comprehensive breakdown of the cases but confirmed that neither the state government nor the Chief Minister's office had issued any order or instruction in the last year to expedite these cases.

He also added that 50 per cent of the accused in cases of rape of minors are out on bail.

Supreme Court Pauses Surveys Of Places Of Worship, Orders Centre To Reply

NEW DELHI, Dec 12: Ongoing surveys of places of worship, including mosques, will be paused, the Supreme Court said Thursday as it began hearing petitions challenging certain provisions of the Places of Worship Act.

Among the six petitions facing the court today was one by the BJP's Subramanian Swamy. The main petition was filed four years ago after which the government was told to respond, but never did.

On the other side, certain petitions sought enforcement of the Act, which prohibits filing a lawsuit to reclaim a place of worship or seek a change in character that prevailed on August 15, 1947.

Among those in this camp are a raft of MPs and political parties, including Jitendra Awhad from Sharad Pawar's NCP faction and the RJD's Manoj Kumar Jha, as well as Tamil Nadu's ruling DMK.

In an order that will bring relief for petitioners in other cases - many of whom who had sought to question court-ordered surveys of mosques, on claims they were built over demolished Hindu temples - the lower courts were also directed to not pass any order or hear any new cases.

The directive to lower courts to not issue orders, interim or final, in pending cases includes those concerning the Gyanvapi Mosque, the Mathura Shahi Idgah, and the Sambhal Masjid; each faces claims by Hindu petitioners that the existing structure was built over what was once a Hindu temple.

The management of the Gyanvapi and Shahi Idgah mosques were also present.

This pause will remain in effect till this matter is heard next - which will be in four weeks' time, when the government will respond to petitions against the Places of Worship Act - a special Supreme Court bench of Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna, Justice Sanjay Kumar, and Justice KV Viswanathan said.

This matter cannot be decided till the union government files its response, the court said.

"...the matter is sub-judice before this court... we deem it appropriate to direct that while suits may be filed, no suits can be registered (or) proceedings undertaken till further orders of this court."

"...in pending suits, courts cannot pass interim or final orders, including orders of survey, till next date of hearing," the Chief Justice-led special bench said.

The pause comes amid violence and continuing tension in UP's Sambhal following court-ordered surveys of a mosque last month; five people were killed in communal clashes. A separate Supreme Court bench heard this and halted action, directing the mosque to move the Allahabad High Court.

The violence also triggered a furious political row, with the Samajwadi Party and the Congress slamming the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party over yet another instance of a mosque - in this case constructed in the 16th century - marked for demolition over claims it had been built over a temple.

Matters came to a head last week after district officials first stopped a delegation of Samajwadi Party MPs, and then the Congress' Rahul Gandhi, from visiting the families of those who were killed.

To do so could trigger a 'law-and-order' problem, the SP and Congress were told.

Dramatic scenes followed as Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, leading a delegation of Congress lawmakers, tried to push past extensive police barricades. Gandhi demanded to be let through in his capacity as Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, but the cops refused to relent.

There was also a case last week in which a part of a 185-year-old mosque on the Banda-Bahraich Highway was torn down. District officials claimed the portion demolished was illegal and new.

The chief of the management committee countered the claim, pointing out the mosque was built in 1839 and the road only in 1956. "Yet they are calling parts of the mosque 'illegal'."

INDIA bloc MPs submit motion to remove Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar

NEW DELHI, Dec 10: Members of the Opposition’s INDIA bloc on Tuesday submitted a notice for a motion to remove Vice President and Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar.

“ALL parties belonging to the INDIA group have had no option but to formally submit a no-confidence motion against the learned Hon’ble Chairman of the Rajya Sabha for the extremely partisan manner in which he has been conducting the proceedings of the Council of States,” Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X.

The motion has just been submitted to the Secretary General of the Rajya Sabha, he added.

The vice president is the ex-officio chairman of Rajya Sabha.

According to Article 67 (b) of the Constitution, a Vice-President may be removed from his office by a resolution passed by the Rajya Sabha and agreed to by the Lok Sabha. The provision also requires MPs to give a 14-day notice declaring their intention to move the resolution against the chair.

The move is unlikely to succeed because the INDIA bloc does not have a majority in either House.

An Opposition leader outside Parliament said the motion was moved not as a mark of protest against an individual, but to protect the institution and the chair.

Out On Morning Walk, Delhi Businessman Shot Dead By 2 Bike-Borne Men

NEW DELHI, Dec 7: A 57-year-old businessman died after he was allegedly shot at by two bike-borne men in the Farsh Bazar area of Delhi's Shahdara district on Saturday morning.

The incident took place when the man, identified as Sunil Jain, was returning home on a scooter along with a friend after a morning walk at the Yamuna Sports Complex, officials said. According to the police, at least seven to eight rounds of bullets were fired.

The victim was a resident of Krishna Nagar in the national capital. He owned a utensils business, the police said.

According to his family, Jain did not have any rivalry with anyone, the police added.

Jain's friends, with whom he used to walk in the morning, told NDTV that the shooters initially told the victim that his phone had fallen off. They then asked him his name.

Within seconds, one of the accused got down from the bike and opened fire.

"Jain told the accused not to shoot at him but they did not listen. Everything happened within two to three minutes...The shooters were masked," the friends said.

The accused are currently on the run.

"The crime team has reached the spot. Further investigation is underway," Deputy Commissioner of Police, Shahdara, said.

In another incident, a fight between neighbours over 'flushing' a common toilet turned deadly in Delhi's Govindpuri area on Friday night. The accused, Bikham Singh, stabbed his neighbors with a kitchen knife.

According to the police, three people were injured - out of which one person, identified as Sudheer, has died.

The victim had stab injuries near his chest and on his face, while, the injured persons, Prem (22) and Sagar (20) have been rushed to a hospital for treatment.

Speaking on the two incidents, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor and former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said criminals have become "fearless" under the BJP rule.

"After the firing in Vishwas Nagar, now news of stabbing is coming from Govindpuri. Under the BJP rule, criminals have become completely fearless," he wrote on X.

In a separate post, he said the BJP is "no longer" able to handle the law and order in Delhi.

Delhi Police operates under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.

The AAP has intensified its attack on the Centre following a series of violent incidents in the city, accusing it of neglecting Delhi's law and order situation ahead of the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections.

8 Farmers Injured In Tear Gas Shelling

NEW DELHI, Dec 6: Farmers on a 'Dilli chalo' march Friday afternoon - to press home a list of nearly five-year-old demands, including a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Prices, or MSP - were forced to call a temporary halt after tear gas shells were fired by police blocking their path to the national capital.

Eight people were injured, and two others seriously wounded, farmers said, after the clash that took place on National Highway 44, near Shambhu on the Punjab-Haryana border.

"Police used their full force against us. We were quite disciplined and were holding the protest peacefully. We knew we wouldn't be able to fight the might of the force used against us," farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher told reporters, "So we have called back the protest for today."

"Modiji cannot justify the actions taken against us. We are deeply hurt..." the farmer leader said.

"If our protest is allowed inside Delhi... I would like to ask, 'Why are we treated as enemies?' Punjabis and Haryanvis saved the country from hunger," he said, adding that the farmer bodies involved - Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha - will continue the march on Sunday. "We are giving the government one day's time to initiate a conversation," he said.

Minutes before the march, mobile internet and sending of bulk messages were suspended - till December 9 - in parts of Ambala district. District officials had already issued orders banning gatherings of five or more people, and also ordered both government-run and private schools to shut for the day.

Today's protest is meant to press home farmers' longstanding demands for a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price, waiver of farm loans, and protection from increased electricity tariffs.

The demand for legal backing for MSPs - which refers to a priced fixed by the government to protect farmers from a steep fall in crop prices; for example, during a bumper crop when prices plummet - a has been a core ask of protests that began in September 2020.

Fadnavis sworn-in as Maharashtra CM, Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar take oath as Deputy CMs

MUMBAI, Dec 5: Bharatiya Janata Party leader Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday took oath as the 18th Chief Minister of Maharashtra. He was sworn in by state Governor CP Radhakrishnan. This marks the third term for Fadnavis as the chief minister of the state.

Shiv Sena's Eknath Shinde and Nationalist Congress Party's Ajit Pawar were sworn-in as the deputy chief ministers alongside Fadnavis at a star-studded ceremony.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, chief ministers and deputy chief ministers of NDA-ruled states, top industrialists, Bollywood personalities who were among around 40,000 thousands attendees at the event held at Mumbai's iconic Azad Maidan.

Besides party workers and supporters of the Mahayuti alliance, the event was also graced by 1,000 women beneficiaries of the Mahayuti government's Ladki Bahin scheme which was seen as a game-changer in the Assembly elections in the state.

The event marks the beginning of the third term as CM for Fadnavis who began his career as a corporator and went on to take the post for the first time in 2014. The BJP was deprived of power despite emerging as the single largest party in 2019 when the Shiv Sena walked out of the NDA and formed a government with the support of arch rivals NCP and Congress.

Fadnavis' first stint was from October 2014-November 2019 while his second stint lasted only a few days from November 23 to 28, 2019.

Man fires at Sukhbir Badal during Golden Temple 'seva'

AMRITSAR, Dec 4: In a massive security breach at Golden Temple, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Sukhbir Singh Badal was shot at by a man while he was performing the duty of 'sevadar' on Wednesday. Sukhbir Badal, who was sitting in a wheelchair when the attack happened, escaped unhurt as the bullet hit a wall; a video of which has now surfaced.

The man, identified as Narayan Singh Chaura, was overpowered by some people standing outside the Golden Temple. The video shows a man approaching the area where Sukhbir Singh Badal was seated. He pulls out a pistol and shoots at Sukhbir Badal before being overpowered by the SAD leaders and other security persons.

ADCP Harpal Singh asserted, “Security arrangements were proper. The person (shooter) tried to do some mischief but he could not succeed.”

"This is a big conspiracy to push Punjab back into the fire... A man, Sukhbir Singh Badal, who was serving as 'sewadar' at the entrance of the temple was shot at. I thank God for saving his life... I want to ask (CM) Bhagwant Mann what has he done to the state," said Shiromani Akali Dal leader Daljit Singh Cheema after a man opened fire at party leader Sukhbir Singh Badal.

It is learnt the assailant Chaura had crossed over to Pakistan in 1984 and was instrumental in smuggling large consignments of weapons and explosives into Punjab.

In Pakistan, Chaura authored a book on guerrilla warfare and "seditious" literature. He was also accused in the Burail jailbreak case. He has already served a jail term in Punjab.

Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring hit out at AAP's Bhagwant Singh Mann-led Punjab Government and said, “I think this is very wrong. This should not have happened. I consider firing at Sukhbir Singh Badal, 100% negligence of the Government...This shows the condition of law and order situation in Punjab.”

"Whoever fired bullets should be given the strictest punishment. There might be hatred for Sukhbir Badal in the minds of Sikhs...but it doesn't mean you will shoot him." Warring added.

On Monday, Sikh clergy issued the 'tankhah' (religious punishment) for Sukhbir Singh Badal, the Shiromani Akali Dal leader, for mistakes made during the SAD government’s rule in Punjab from 2007 to 2017. As part of the punishment, Badal was directed to serve as a 'sewadar' (volunteer) at the Golden Temple, washing dishes and cleaning shoes.

Sukhbir Badal began his penance on Tuesday, performing his duties outside the Golden Temple for an hour. On Wednesday, he continued his punishment in a blue 'sewadar' uniform, sitting in a wheelchair and holding a spear. Small boards hung around his neck acknowledged his "misdeeds."

The punishment follows Sukhbir Badal's admission of mistakes, including pardoning Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a 2007 blasphemy case. The 'tankhah' was issued nearly three months after Sukhbir Badal was declared 'tankhaiya' (guilty of religious misconduct) by the Akal Takht.

On way to Sambhal, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka stopped and sent back to Delhi from Ghazipur border

NEW DELHI, Dec 4: Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were stopped and sent back to Delhi by the police at Ghazipur border today. The Congress leaders were on their way to Sambhal in Western Uttar Pradesh.

Visuals showed that the Congress leaders being taken back at the Delhi-Meerut Expressway. Security was tightened in the border area ahead of the intended visit.

Local administration had requested Gandhis to not visit strife-torn area. There is a ban in place against the entry of outsiders in Sambhal till December 10.

Situation worsened in this Western Uttar Pradesh town after clashes ensued during the court-mandated survey of Shahi Jama Masjid in the area. Four people lost their lives. The Mughal-era mosque is at the heart of the tension, which some petitions claim is built on the site of a Hindu temple.