India

Lucknow, Jul 7 (PTI) The Uttar Pradesh government will allow the annual Kanwar Yatra in the state from July 25 and officials have been asked to coordinate with neighbouring states to ensure Covid guidelines are followed, a senior official said on Wednesday.

'Kanwariyas' (devotees of Lord Shiva) collect water from River Ganga at Haridwar to offer at Shiva temples in their areas as part of the yatra.

Uttarakhand has cancelled the yatra this year citing the pandemic.

Mumbai, Jul 7 (PTI) Dilip Kumar, India's enduring film legend through the decades, died at a Mumbai hospital on Wednesday after prolonged illness, his family and doctors treating him said. He was 98.

The actor, known to generations of film-goers as tragedy king' for his portrayal of the brooding, intense romantic in classics such as Mughal-e-Azam and Devdas , is survived by his wife Saira Banu.

The last rites will be held at 5 pm at the Juhu Qabrastan at Santacruz Mumbai, a post from his Twitter handle said.

Moradabad (UP), Jul 7 (PTI) A 16-year-old girl was allegedly abducted and gang-raped in a village here after her elder brother eloped with a woman, police said on Wednesday.

According to a complaint filed by the minor's father, family members of the woman raided his house on Tuesday evening and abducted his daughter as revenge for his son's actions, they said.

The man alleged that his minor daughter was being held hostage by the woman's family and has been raped by five people, the police added.

Hyderabad, July 7 (PTI) Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Wednesday said he is the "longest guest" of India, who would never cause any trouble to his host.

In a virtual interactive session with GV Prasad, Co- Chairman and managing director of Dr Reddy's Laboratories and others, Dalai Lama said India which practices "Ahimsa and Karuna" (non violence and compassion) stands as a role model for other countries.

Pratapgarh (UP), Jul 7 (PTI) A former deputy superintendent of police has been booked on charges of raping a woman on the pretext of marrying her, police said on Wednesday.

The woman, a resident of Madhya Pradesh, accused the officer of raping her in 2019 on the false promise of marrying her but later denying it, they said.

Muzaffarnagar, Jul 7 (PTI) Police here have arrested an occultist for allegedly raping a 23-year-old woman on the pretext of curing her ailment, an official said on Wednesday.

According to SHO Yashpal Singh, the victim has been sent for a medical examination.

Police said a man had lodged a complaint against tantric (occultist) Ashik Illahi, alleging that he raped the woman on the pretext of curing her ailment.

As the victim cried for help, people caught the accused and handed him over to police.

New Delhi, Jul 6 (PTI) Leaders of 10 opposition parties including Congress chief Sonia Gandhi Tuesday wrote to President Ram Nath Kovind expressing "outrage" at the death of Father Stan Swamy "under custody", and seeking his intervention in holding accountable those responsible for "foisting false cases" on the activist, his continued detention and "inhuman treatment".

The signatories also include NCP chief Sharad Pawar, former prime minister and JDS leader H D Deve Gowda and National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah.

NEW DELHI, July 6 (Reuters) - Twitter Inc (TWTR.N) no more enjoys liability protection against user-generated content in India as the U.S. microblogging giant has failed to comply with new IT rules, the Indian government said in a court filing.

The statement is the first time Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration has officially said Twitter has lost its immunity after repeatedly criticising the company for non-compliance.

New Delhi, Jul 6 (PTI) Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday met Congress president Sonia Gandhi at her residence here amid efforts by the party leadership to end factionalism in the party unit in the poll-bound state, sources said.

The meeting comes amid continued attack by former Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu on the chief minister.

Singh and Sidhu have been at loggerheads over various issues.

New Delhi, July 5 (PTI) The Supreme Court Monday said it is amazing and shocking that people are still being booked under Section 66A of the Information Technology Act that was scrapped by the apex court verdict in 2015.

Under the scrapped section a person posting offensive messages could be imprisoned for up to three years and also fined.

A bench of Justices R F Nariman, K M Joseph and B R Gavai issued notice to the Centre on an application filed by an NGO, 'People's Union for Civil Liberties' (PUCL).