India

Bhubaneswar, Oct 9 (PTI) The Utkal Chamber Of Commerce & Industry Ltd (UCCI), an association of industries, has urged the Odisha government to ensure adequate supply of coal to state-based industries which are facing an acute shortage of dry fuel to run their units.

In a letter to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, the UCCI Friday said: "We would like to bring to your kind attention the current acute coal shortage situation in the state with many units having stock out or critical coal stock seriously affecting the viable operation of the industrial units."

New Delhi, Oct 9 (PTI) The military build-up by China in the eastern Ladakh region and new infrastructure development to sustain the large-scale deployment are matters of concern and India has been keeping a close watch on all the activities by the Chinese PLA, Chief of Army Staff Gen MM Naravane said on Saturday.

He said if the Chinese military maintains the deployment through the second winter, it may lead to an LoC-like situation (Line of Control) though not an active LoC as is there on the western front with Pakistan

Lucknow, Oct 9 (PTI) Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Saturday said she will write to the Election Commission demanding surveys by media organisations and other agencies be banned six months before any elections, so that the polls in the particular state are not influenced by it.

Addressing the 15th death anniversary of BSP founder Kanshi Ram here at the Kanshiram Smarak Sthal, Mayawati demanded that Bharat Ratna be given to the late Dalit leader and added that people in Uttar Pradesh have made up their mind on changing power in the state.

Meerut, Oct 8 (PTI) A 17-year-old student who had allegedly been raped after making her have some intoxicants died during treatment in the Meerut Medical College here on Friday.

Police, however, said the medical examination of the victim did not confirm rape.

Family members of the girl belonging to a village under the Nauchandi police station area in the district, however, claiming that miscreants first raped the girl after administering some stupefying substance to her and later tried to kill her.

Hamirpur (HP), Oct 8 (PTI) Sixty-seven persons, including 35 students at a school, were tested positive for COVID-19 here on Friday, an official said.

This took the number of active cases to 317 in the district, he said.

According to the official, 35 students of the Navodaya Vidyalaya at Doongri in Hamirpur were found to be Covid positive Friday, while 11 were earlier tested positive for the virus, he added.

The district has recorded 281 Covid-related deaths since the outbreak of the pandemic last year.

Chandigarh, Oct 8 (PTI) Police here on Friday arrested a 21-year-old man for allegedly molesting a woman diplomat posted at the British Deputy High Commission here.

The 60-year-old diplomat was molested by the man when she was walking towards the Chandigarh Lawn Tennis Association grounds in Sector 10 from her house in Sector 9 here around 6.30 am on Wednesday.

The accused who was on a motorcycle had approached from behind and hit her on her back inappropriately, police said.

Nagpur, Oct 8 (PTI) A 17-year-old girl was sexually exploited by her boyfriend and his friends and subsequently gang-raped by three strangers on the outskirts of Nagpur city, police said on Friday.

Four men including her boyfriend have been arrested in the case, they added.

As per the police, Aakash Bhandari (20) had an affair with the girl.

Between October 2 and 7, he and his friends Sandeep Pandhare (30), Firoz Shaikh (24) and Ajay Surankar (20) allegedly raped the girl at an isolated place in Isasani area.

Srinagar, Oct 8 (PTI) National Conference (NC) president and Member of Parliament Farooq Abdullah Friday condemned the killing of a youth in Anantnag in CRPF firing on Thursday night.

Abdullah called the use of force by the CRPF "undue and unjust".

"As we were yet to come to terms with the loss of precious civilian lives in targeted killings in Srinagar, death of a youth resulting from CRPF firing has us again down in the dumps. Such incidents will further add to the already brewing sense of insecurity in the people," he said.

Jaipur, Oct 9 (PTI) A schoolteacher was arrested here for allegedly sending obscene messages to girl students, police said on Saturday.

Nikhil Jose, an NCC teacher at a private school, was arrested on Friday night after screenshots of his obscene chats started circulating on social media.

Obscene chats were found in his mobile phone and a case has been registered against him under sections of the IT Act, Ashok Nagar SHO Surendra Saini said.

Srinagar, 08 Oct 2021: A Kashmiri was killed on Friday by Indian security forces in Natipora Area of the Indian Administered Kashmir, Indian officials said.

Slain Kashmiri was identified as Aqib Bashir Kumar, a resident of Trenz Shopian.