India

NEW DELHI (AP) — Bejon Misra responded quickly to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal in March for donations to a new fund to strengthen the country’s fight against the coronavirus.

The next day, the 69-year-old retired management professor made a donation.

“It was a generous contribution because Modi is the face of it,” Misra said.

Such trust in Modi is common in India, with the prime minister enjoying an 82% public approval rating, according to U.S.-based pollster Morning Consult.

Srinagar, July 13, 2020: Two Kashmiris were killed on Monday in an encounter with Indian security forces in Srigufwara area of Anantnag district in the Indian Administered Kashmir, Indian officials said.

Jammu, Jul 12 (PTI) Days after opening parks and gardens to the public, the Jammu and Kashmir administration on Sunday decided to open the tourism sector in a phased manner with effect from Tuesday but limiting it to tourists arriving by air only.

However, it advised the tourists above the age of 65 years to avoid coming to the union territory and also announced compulsory RT-PCR testing of all tourists at the airport on arrival.

Lucknow, Jul 12 (PTI) Swarms of locusts were seen in Lucknow, Sitapur, Barabanki, Gonda and Agra districts of Uttar Pradesh on Sunday.

In a statement issued here, the state agriculture department said, "Locusts were on Sunday seen at different places in Lucknow, Sitapur, Barabanki, Gonda and Agra.

The agriculture department is continuously monitoring the locusts, and the task to eliminate them will begin late in the night. Two teams of the department are keeping an eye on the movement of the insects, it said.

Kolkata, Jul 12 (PTI) Hindutva leader Tapan Ghosh, who had tested positive for COVID-19, died at a hospital on Sunday, his associates said.

Ghosh, 67, was the founder of far-right group Hindu Samhati.

He was admitted to a private hospital last week after he tested positive for COVID-19.

Tapan-da passed away this evening. He is survived by two sisters, Hindu Samhati president Debtanu Bhattacharya told PTI.

Indore, Jul 12 (PTI) A total of 152 people, including a child, who were stranded in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for a long time due to COVID-19, returned to Madhya Pradesh on Sunday night, an official said.

Under the Vande Bharat mission, an Air India flight from Sharjah landed here at Devi Ahilyabai Holkar International Airport at 8.40 pm, nodal officer for the prevention of COVID-19 in Indore district, Amit Malakar said.

"A total of 152 passengers, including a child, came back to their home country through this special flight," he said.

Jaipur/New Delhi, Jul 12 (PTI) Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot on Sunday declared open rebellion, claiming that the Ashok Gehlot government is in minority now as over 30 Congress MLAs are supporting him.

In a statement, the state Congress chief also said he will not attend the Congress Legislature Party meeting scheduled to be held Monday.

Pilot says Ashok Gehlot in minority after over 30 Congress and some independent MLAs have pledged support, the statement on his official WhatsApp group said.

Kolkata, Jul 12 (PTI) A 17-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a man at an under-construction building in the city's New Town area, police said on Sunday.

The man, who claimed to be a friend of a close relative of the girl, was arrested on Sunday, a senior police officer said.

According to the victim's complaint, the incident took place on Saturday night when she was returning home after visiting a friend near City Centre II, he said.

Kolkata, Jul 13 (PTI) Senior BJP leader Debendra Nath Ray was found hanging near his home in Hemtabad area of North Dinajpur district on Monday morning, police sources said.

"Ray was found hanging near a shop at Hemtabad area this (Monday) morning. We have started an investigation," a senior district police officer said.

Ray had contested and won the Hemtabad assembly segment -- a reserved seat for Scheduled Castes -- on a CPI(M) ticket but had switched over to the BJP last year after the Lok Sabha polls.

Muzaffarnagar, Jul 13 (PTI) A man was arrested for sexually harassing a 30-year-old woman in Uttar Pradesh's Shamli district, police said on Monday.

The incident took place at Chandenamal village under Thana Bhawan Police Station on Sunday.

A case was registered against the accused identified as Ankur, police said.