India

Kanpur: The robots developed by the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, can steer through agricultural fields thereby helping the farmers guard the crops, leaves and flowers against onslaughts of the fatal insects.

It will treat the crops sending out instant alert signals about the viruses. These infect the soil. The farmers will thus plan better ways to get good crop quality and yield, said Prof. V. Bhattacharya.

These robots will be put at the Agriculture University fields here to secure information on soil and crop conditions between October and November.

Muzaffarnagar (UP), Sep 7 (PTI) Four persons were arrested for hurting the religious sentiments of a community by allegedly throwing meat inside a temple in the Budhana area here on Tuesday, police said.

Station House Officer Sanjive Kumar said police registered a case under section 295 (defiling place of worship) of the Indian Penal Code against the accused persons following which they were arrested.

Bardhaman (WB), Sep 7 (PTI) A local TMC leader was shot dead in front of his father by unidentified gunmen in West Bengal's Purba Bardhaman district on Tuesday, police said.

The ruling party in West Bengal alleged that the BJP was behind the killing, a charge denied by the saffron party.

The incident took place when 40-year-old Chanchal Bakshi, a youth TMC leader of Ausgram's Devshala area, was returning home on a motorcycle with his father Shyamal Bakshi, the local panchayat president, from a party programme, an officer said.

Sambhal, Sep 7 (PTI) Lok Sabha MP from Sambhal Shafiqur Rehman Barq on Tuesday said AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi is not a "threat" to the Samajwadi Party but he can harm it electorally.

"Owaisi is not a challenge for us (Samajwadi Party). He is in no position to do this, Barq told reporters here.

He can eat into our votes and harm us but cannot win from here. He is rather afraid of the Samajwadi Party," he said.

Barq also accused the state's BJP government of committing atrocities on people.

Nainital, Sep 7 (PTI) The Uttarakhand government on Tuesday approached the high court here seeking the resumption of the Chardham Yatra.

However, the high court stated that it cannot remove the ban on the yatra unless directed by the Supreme Court where the matter is pending.

The high court had put a stay on the Chardham Yatra on June 28, citing the lack of proper health facilities in districts through which Chardham Yatra passes and the threat of the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pilibhit, Sep 7 (PTI) Two persons were arrested here in connection with the alleged gangrape of a minor girl, police said Tuesday, adding the accused has absconded.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Dinesh Kumar P said a 16-year-old girl accused three persons of raping her on Sunday.

Two of the three accused persons were arrested within 36 hours of the incident, while one is absconding.

According to the complaint lodged by the girl's father, the incident took place when she was returning home along with her brother-in-law on a motorcycle.

Mumbai, Sep 7 (PTI) Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar on Tuesday said a third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic had already arrived, only to issue a clarification a few hours later.

"Third wave is not coming, it is already here," she told reporters at a function.

"In Nagpur, it has been already announced and everyone should take care," she said.

Ranchi, Sep 7 (PTI) A public interest litigation (PIL) was filed in the High Court of Jharkhand on Tuesday challenging the order of the Speaker allotting a room in the state assembly for offering namaz, claiming that it has set a wrong precedence.

Alleging that the act is unconstitutional, the petitioner questioned if such an allotment can be done on a building constructed with tax payer's money.

The assembly building is a temple of democracy and not a personal property of anyone, petitioner Bhairav Singh submitted.

Simdega (Jharkhand), Sep 8 (PTI) Two persons have been sentenced to life by a court here for raping a minor girl in 2018.

The District and Session Judge delivered the judgement against Dukhan Gwala and Inder Gwala, residents of Tabhadih under Sadar Police Station of the district.

The court also slapped a fine of Rs 55,000 each on the convicts.

According to the FIR, the accused approached the minor on some pretext, took her to a nearby paddy field at knife point and raped her.

New Delhi, Sep 8 (PTI) The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) has said that Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations at public places will not be allowed in the national capital in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In an order issued on Tuesday, the DDMA said that district magistrates and deputy commissioners of police will ensure that idols of Lord Ganesha are not set up in a tent or pandal. Further, it should be ensured that crowds do not gather at any religious or social place.

Permission will also not be granted for any procession, it said.