India

12 Feb 2021; MEMO: Vital evidence used against a group of Indian activists accused of plotting to overthrow the government was planted on a laptop before being seized by police, according to a new forensics report.

One of the 16 people accused was Rona Wilson who is said to have called on a Maoist insurgent group to assassinate Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, based on investigations by the US digital forensics firm Arsenal Consulting.

Bhopal, Feb 12 (PTI) The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Friday granted interim bail to two men accused of organising a comedy show in Indore, during which stand-up comedian Munawar Faruqui allegedly insulted Hindu deities.

Faruqui, who was arrested on January 1 and was in jail since January 2, was set free on bail last week.

RAINI CHAK LATA, India (Reuters) - For three days, Sushma Rana waited at a makeshift dirt helipad in the Indian Himalayas to return to her village and look for her missing brother-in-law.

Yashpal Rana was herding goats when a flash flood swept down a remote valley on Sunday, smashing everything in its path including two hydroelectric power stations.

More than 200 people are feared killed, although most of those are still missing.

The wall of water also swept several bridges into the valley, home to more than a thousand people spread over 13 villages.

Srinagar, Feb 12 (PTI) The Body of a Kashmiri engineer, who had gone missing following a glacier burst in Uttarakhand, was recovered on Friday, officials said.

The body of Basharat Ahmed Zargar, a resident of the Soura area of the city, was recovered near the Rishi Ganga power project where he was working, they said.

The officials said his family members, who were in Uttarakhand, have expressed the desire to bring the body here for last rites.

New Delhi, Feb 12 (PTI) The Supreme Court on Friday sought responses from the Centre and Twitter India on a plea seeking a mechanism for regulating content and advertisements spreading hatred through fake news and instigative messages via bogus accounts.

A bench of Chief Justice SA Bobde and justices AS Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian issued notice to the Centre and Twitter Communication India Pvt Ltd on the plea filed by one Vinit Goenka, which said there are hundreds of fake Twitter handles and bogus Facebook accounts in the name of eminent people and high dignitaries.

Nagpur, Feb 12 (PTI) Farmer leader Rakesh Tikait will hold 'Kisan Mahapanchayat' and a public rally in Yavatmal district of Maharashtra on February 20, an office-bearer of Sanyukt Kisan Morcha has said.

Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) is an umbrella body of 40 farmer unions protesting at various Delhi border points against three farm laws.

New Delhi, Feb 12 (PTI) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday questioned the government over its agreement with China on disengagement in eastern Ladakh, and alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has "ceded" Indian territory to the Chinese.

His attack on the government came a day after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh assured Parliament that India has not conceded anything in the sustained talks with China and it will not allow even an inch of its territory to be taken away by anyone.

Hyderabad, Feb 11 (PTI) The ruling TRS in Telangana on Thursday bagged the Mayor and Deputy Mayor posts in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) with the support of ex-officio members and the AIMIM.

Vijayalaxmi R Gadwal and Mothe Srilatha, both belonging to TRS, were elected the Mayor and Deputy Mayor respectively, by show of hands, during a special meeting of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC).

Jaipur, Feb 11 (PTI) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will hold farmers meetings during his two-day visit to Rajasthan from Friday.

Gandhi will address the first meeting at a wholesale market in Hanumangarh's Pilibanga at 11.30 am, followed by the second meeting in Padampur in Sri Ganganagar at 3 pm.

Next day, he will reach Kishangarh airport and in Ajmer district and visit Tejaji temple in Sursura and hold dialogues with farmers.

Later, he will interact with farmers in Rupangarh and address a farmers rally at Makrana in Nagaur district.

Mumbai, Feb 11 (PTI) Doubling down on her support to the farmers protesting against the three agri laws passed by the Centre, actor Sonakshi Sinha has narrated a heartfelt poem, described as a "tribute to the hands that feed us".

The 33-year-old actor, who first expressed solidarity with the farmers last week, shared a video on Instagram on Wednesday evening to share her thoughts about the protesting farmers.