India

Lucknow, Jul 20 (PTI) BSP chief Mayawati Saturday alleged that the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh was using Section 144 to hide its shortcomings and not allowing anyone to visit Sonbhadra, where 10 people were gunned down this week.

Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) empowers an executive magistrate to prohibit an assembly of more than four persons in an area.

Lucknow, Jul 19 (PTI) A 28-year-old Dalit man Friday sustained injuries after some people mistook him for a thief and allegedly tried to burn him alive when he entered a house to avoid stray dogs in Uttar Pradesh's Barabanki district, police said.

The victim, Sujit Kumar, was rushed to a hospital, where his condition is stated to be stable, they said, adding that two of the four accused named in the FIR had been arrested.

New Delhi, Jul 19 (PTI) The Indian Army "successfully" conducted trials of third generation anti-tank guided missile NAG at Pokhran firing ranges, paving the way for its induction.

The trials were carried out between July 7 and 18.

Lucknow /Mirzapur, July 20 (PTI) Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra spent the night at the Chunar guesthouse in Mirzapur district, turning down all requests of the local administration to return without meeting the Sonbhadra clash victims.

In a late-night tweet, she said she is ready to go to jail if she is not allowed to go ahead.

Chandigarh, July 20 (PTI) Days after Navjot Singh Sidhu resigned from the state cabinet, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh Saturday accepted his "one-line" resignation.

The chief minister has sent the resignation to Governor V P Singh Badnore for formal acceptance, an official spokesperson said here.

Amarinder, who had been indisposed for the last two days, since arrival from Delhi on Wednesday, saw the resignation letter Saturday morning, the spokesperson said.

Mirzapur/Lucknow, Jul 20 (PTI) Family members of the Sonbhadra clash victims Saturday met Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra at the Chunar guesthouse in Mirzapur district, where she spent a night in detention.

Twelve members of the affected families met the Congress general secretary at the guesthouse, senior party leader Ajay Rai said.

Priyanka Gandhi was stopped from going to Sonbhadra and detained on Friday. She spent the night at the guesthouse, turning down all requests of the local administration to return without meeting the families of the clash victims.

New Delhi, Jul 19 (PTI) A criminal complaint was on Friday filed in a court here against Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra by Zee Media Corporation Ltd, accusing her of defaming the news channel.

The complaint comes days after Moitra filed a defamation complaint against the news channel and its Editor-in-Chief Sudhir Chaudhary for alleging that her June 25 speech in Parliament on the 'seven signs of fascism' was plagiarized.

New Delhi, Jul 19 (PTI) Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy moved the Supreme Court Friday saying that Governor Vajubhai Vala cannot dictate to the Assembly the manner in which the debate on the confidence motion has to be taken up.

The Chief Minister questioned the deadlines set by the Governor one after another to complete the trust vote, and also sought clarification on the apex court's July 17 order which said that the 15 rebel MLAs cannot be compelled to attend the proceedings of the House.

New Delhi, Jul 19; GANASHAKTI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi Friday alleged that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was "illegally arrested" when she was going to meet victims of the Sonbhadra clash and hit out at the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh, saying this "arbitrary application of power" reveals its increasing insecurity.

Congress general secretary in-charge Uttar Pradesh East Priyanka Gandhi was Friday stopped from proceeding towards Sonbhadra district to meet those injured in the clash that claimed 10 lives, and taken to a guesthouse by authorities after she staged a sit-in.

Ranchi, Jul 18: Three Naxalites have been killed and arms and ammunition seized in an encounter with security forces in Jhrakhand's Lohardaga district Thursday, officials said.

They said the encounter broke out around 2:45 pm when a joint team of 158th and 214th battalions of CRPF and state police was out for operations in Bahegara village of Bagru area in the district.

Bodies of three Maoists, 2 AK-47 rifles and some ammunition have been recovered by the security forces.

The Lohardaga district headquarters is about 74 km from the state capital here.