India

06 August 2019; AFP: Indian authorities say they have detained three political leaders in Kashmir because they are a threat to peace, with the Muslim-majority region under lockdown following an explosive government move to revoke its special autonomy.

The three were moved to an official guest house on Monday, according to a court order, the same day as the announcement in New Delhi that Kashmir's special status under the constitution had been removed.

Srinagar/Jammu, Aug 6 (PTI) The situation in all three regions of Jammu and Kashmir is totally peaceful, amid unprecedented security cover and restrictions, top officials said on Tuesday.

There are no untoward reports from anywhere in the state, Director General of Police Dilbagh Singh said from Srinagar, a day after the Centre revoked Jammu and Kashmir's special status and proposed to bifurcate the state into two union territories.

The law and order situation in Jammu and Kashmir is "totally peaceful", Singh said.

New Delhi, Aug 6 (PTI) The Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Tuesday sought to know from the government whether Jammu and Kashmir was an internal matter or a bilateral issue, saying the United Nations has been monitoring the situation there since 1948.

Chowdhury's remarks triggered protests from treasury benches.

New Delhi, Aug 5 (PTI) In another setback for the Congress, its Rajya Sabha MP and chief whip Bhubaneshwar Kalita resigned from the membership of the House on Monday.

Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaih Naidu announced in the House that he has accepted Kalita's resignation.

Samajwadi Party member from Uttar Pradesh Sanjay Seth also resigned from the Upper House and the chairman accepted his resignation.

New Delhi, Aug 5 (PTI) The Delhi High Court was informed on Monday by the Election Commission of India (ECI) that prisoners do not have voting rights under the Representation of People Act and it has been upheld by the Supreme Court.

The poll panel said the right to vote is a statutory right created under Section 62 of the Representation of People Act, and the law is settled that the "right to vote being a statutory right is subject to the restrictions prescribed in the RP Act".

Ajmer, Aug 5 (PTI) Ajmer Sharif Dargah's spiritual head Zainul Abedin Ali Khan on Monday congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for scrapping Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.

Appealing to the people of Kashmir to not be misled by separatists and local political parties in the Valley, Khan called upon them to join the mainstream for progress of their families, society and the country.

Jaipur, Aug 5 (PTI) The Rajasthan legislative assembly on Monday passed a Bill providing for life imprisonment and a fine from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 5 lakh to those convicted in cases of mob lynching leading to victim's death.

'The Rajasthan Protection from Lynching Bill, 2019' was passed by the Vidhan Sabha by a voice vote amid vociferous protest by the opposition BJP, which wanted the Bill to be referred to a select committee.

Kohima, Aug 5 (PTI) Following the abolition of Article 370 that gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, there are apprehensions in Nagaland about the possibilities of a similar action against its special provisions that are enshrined in Article 371A.

Political parties and tribal organisations, however, said they were confident that the Centre "will not dare" to make a similar move in the state as it would jeopardise the ongoing peace process and hurt the sentiment of the Nagas.

Mumbai, Aug 5 (PTI) The Bombay High Court on Monday dismissed a plea filed by a witness in the alleged fake encounter case of suspected gangster Sohrabuddin Sheikh, his wife Kasuar Bi and their aide, challenging the acquittal of 22 people in the case by a special court here.

The witness, Mahendrasinh Zala, had challenged the December 2018 order of the sessions court acquitting 22 accused, 21 of them junior-level policemen from Gujarat and Rajasthan, in the case, which was probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Panaji, Aug 5 (PTI) Right-wing organisation Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS) on Monday said the Centre's move to abolish Article 370, that gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, was the "beginning of establishing a Hindu Rashtra".

The Centre on Monday abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution and proposed that the border state be bifurcated into two union territories, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.