India

Panaji, Dec 18 (PTI) A protest was held in Panaji's Azad Maidan on Wednesday evening to condemn the new citizenship law.

Addressing the crowd, retired IAS officer and activist Arvind Bhatikar alleged that "all the MPs in Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha who have voted in favour of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) are culprits. They are anti-nationals".

The protesters held placards opposing the CAA, which grants Indian citizenship to non-Muslim immigrants from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh who came to India till December 31, 2014.

New Delhi, Dec 18 (PTI) India on Wednesday relaxed certain Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) guidelines for reissue of passport for those below 20 years of age and those above 50 years.

The "temporary relaxation" has been granted till June 30 next year, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

Sangareddy, Dec 18 (PTI) A habitual offender allegedly involved in the rape and murder of a woman was arrested on Wednesday during a vehicle-check in Medak district of Telangana, police said on Wednesday.

The accused Arun Kumar (26) befriended the 30-year- old woman whose husband was jailed in connection with a surety case, the police said.

Kumar gave her expensive gifts, took her to shopping malls before taking her to an isolated place where he said he had hidden stolen gold jewels and money, they said.

Bengaluru, Dec 19 (PTI) Noted historian Ramachandra Guha and many others were detained on Thursday for staging a demonstration against the Citizenship Amendment Act and NRC at the Town Hall here, in defiance of the prohibitory orders imposed in the city.

Police said the protesters violated prohibitory orders clamped in the city against any protest or demonstration.

Reacting to his detention, Guha said it was "absolutely undemocratic" that police were not allowing even a peaceful protest, which is the democratic right of the citizens.

Kanpur (UP), Dec 19 (PTI) An 18-year-old woman from Fatehpur, who was allegedly raped and set ablaze, died on Thursday in a Kanpur hospital after battling for life for almost 120 hours, officials said.

"She had suffered from organ failure including lungs and kidneys following serious injuries and we tried to resuscitate her, but she could not survive and died," Head of the department (surgery) at the hospital, Sanjay Kala said.

The body has been sent to the mortuary for autopsy.

New Delhi, Dec 19 (PTI) Telecom operators on Thursday suspended internet, voice and messaging services in parts of Delhi-NCR following instructions from the police in the wake of protests against anti-Citizenship Amendment Act.

As per the order, services were suspended for locations including walled city areas of north and central districts, Mandi House, Seelampur, Jaffarbad, Mustafabad, Jamia Nagar, Shaheen Bagh and Bawana.

Telecom service providers including Airtel, Vodafone Idea and Reliance Jio barred the services to comply with the order.

Beed, Dec 19 (PTI) A 43-year-old sports teacher has been arrested for allegedly raping a class nine student in Maharashtra's Beed district, police said on Thursday.

The Ambejogai police on Wednesday arrested Shyam Digamber Waarkad, who works as a sports teacher at a local school, an official said.

The incident took place on October 27, when the accused took two girls from the school for a sports meet in Jalna district, he said.

New Delhi, Dec 19 (PTI) A large number of protestors gathered at the Jantar Mantar here on Thursday to protest the amended citizenship law after they were not allowed to demonstrate near the Red Fort and Mandi House where prohibitory orders have been imposed.

Left leaders including D Raja, Sitaram Yechury, Nilotpal Basu, Brinda Karat, Congress' Ajay Maken and Sandeep Dikshit, and activists Yogendra Yadav and Umar Khalid were among those detained near the Red Fort and Mandi House where the two demonstrations were planned to be held.

Ahmedabad, Dec 19 (PTI) Police on Thursday baton- charged some people who gathered in Sardar Baug area here in Gujarat to protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the National Register of Citizens.

A police official said they dispersed the protesters to maintain law and order as those who had gathered were not given permission to hold the protest.

The protest was organised by Left parties, including the CPI and CPI(M), and organisations associated with them.

Pakur/Ranchi, Dec 19 (PTI) The Jharkhand Mukti Morchas (JMM) working president Hemant Soren has stoked a huge controversy after he alleged that people wearing saffron robes were robbing women of honour with the BJP hitting back with a complaint with the Election Commission.

Addressing an election rally in Pakur constituency on Wednesday, the former chief minister further alleged that "a rapist in Uttar Pradesh is resting in hospital while his victim is in jail".