PATNA: Independent MP from Purnia Pappu Yadav, who recently described the Lawrence Bishnoi gang as “petty thugs”, alleged on Monday that he received death threat from the gang. Yadav claimed that the threat came amid his ‘closeness’ to Bollywood actor Salman Khan, whom the Bishnoi gang had earlier targeted.
The threat call, suspected to have been made by jailed gangster Aman Sahu, who claims allegiance to the gang, came on the heels of Yadav attacking Bishnoi in a series of social media posts on Oct 13, a day after NCP neta Baba Siddique’s murder and the Bishnoi gang claiming responsibility for the killing.
While dismissing the Bishnoi gang as a bunch of “insignificant thugs”, Yadav’s social media post had said, “If law permits, I will dismantle the entire network of a cheap criminal like Lawrence Bishnoi within 24 hours.”

On Saturday, Yadav shot off a letter to Union home minister Amit Shah, saying he received the death threat on his mobile phone from a member of the Bishnoi gang. “I am attaching a copy of the threat as evidence. Even after such a big threat to my life, the Centre and the state govt are not paying attention to my security,” he wrote. Yadav, who is provided with Y category security, requested Shah for an upgrade to Z.
The call is said to have been made from a UAE number. Aman Sahu is currently incarcerated in a Ranchi jail while Bishnoi is lodged in Sabarmati Jail.
In an audio clip provided by Yadav to mediapersons, which is still being verified by police, the MP is heard telling the caller that he had not attacked Bishnoi and that his post on X was a “political comment, made like any other political tweet would be, in response to a particular development”.
Calling himself a “seven-time MP in Lok Sabha”, Yadav failed to hold the caller in awe, who shot back saying: “Hum karm bhi karte hain aur kand bhi”, while dismissing his self-endorsement as a veteran politician with a strong retort: “This is of little interest to us.”
“Settle the matter as soon as possible. We considered you our brother, and you have embarrassed us,” the caller added.
The call ended with Yadav assuring the caller, saying, “Aap befikr rahen (Rest assured, there won’t be any problem).”
Police sources said the caller warned Yadav, asking him to stay away from the Salman Khan case and revealed that he was under close surveillance by the Bishnoi gang.
“We are surveying and tracking your locations. Bishnoi bhai paid Rs 1 lakh per hour to block the jammers in Sabarmati Jail to connect with you over a call, and you failed to pick up,” the caller is heard saying in the audio clip.
Purnia SP Kartikeya Kumar Sharma said, “We have heard about the incident through media. Police have been instructed to review the security arrangements of Yadav. Further investigation regarding the threat call is being initiated.” Bihar DGP Alok Raj refused to comment on the issue.
In 2008, Yadav was convicted by a special court in the former MLA Ajit Sarkar murder case of 1998 and sentenced to life imprisonment. He was acquitted in 2013 by the Patna HC.
Yadav recently met Baba Siddique’s son Zeeshan in Mumbai. He also expressed his desire to meet Salman Khan but was unable to do so due to the actor’s busy schedule.

NEW DELHI: The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction on Sunday announced Milind Deora, former Congress MP and now a Rajya Sabha member, as its candidate to challenge incumbent MLA Aaditya Thackeray of Shiv Sena (UBT) in Mumbai’s Worli constituency.
Deora had earlier hinted the same by stating on social media, “Justice for Worli and Worlikars is long overdue. Together, we’re paving the way forward… It’s Worli now!” The seat, traditionally a Shiv Sena stronghold, is now emerging as a focal point for the Mahayuti alliance’s strategy. Both the BJP and the Shinde Sena had expressed interest in contesting the high-profile seat, but the Mahayuti decided it would be fielded by a Sena candidate, ultimately settling on Deora.
Aaditya Thackeray, the first Thackeray family member to run for office in 2019, previously secured the Worli seat by defeating NCP’s Suresh Mane by a landslide margin. However, the recent 2024 Lok Sabha results saw Sena (UBT) candidate Arvind Sawant win with a much slimmer lead of just over 6,700 votes from this constituency, suggesting a potential shift in the political dynamics within Worli.
The contest in Worli will not be a straightforward one, as Maharashtra Navnirman Sena’s (MNS) Sandeep Deshpande has also entered the race, making it a three-way battle akin to the neighbouring Mahim constituency, where Sena, Sena (UBT), and MNS candidates are all vying for dominance. Deora, son of late Congress leader Murli Deora, is a seasoned politician with two terms as Congress MP for Mumbai South and has been a prominent voice in Maharashtra politics. Deora joined the Shinde-led Sena faction earlier this year after resigning from Congress, a move which later saw him nominated to the Rajya Sabha.
In recent months, BJP spokesperson Shaina NC had been actively campaigning in the Worli constituency and had expressed interest in contesting from the seat on a Sena ticket. However, internal conflicts within the BJP reportedly led to the decision to pass the seat to a Shiv Sena candidate under the Mahayuti arrangement.
The upcoming elections are expected to be contentious, as both sides seek to capitalise on Worli’s recent development and Aaditya’s achievements over his three years in office. In an emotional letter to his constituency last year, Aaditya had hit out at rival parties for “indulging in dirty politics and betrayal,” accusing the Shinde faction of using underhanded tactics in their campaigns.

Full list of Shinde faction:

In addition to Deora’s candidacy in Worli, Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) fielded other key candidates, including Sanjay Nirupam from the Dindoshi Assembly constituency and Nilesh N Rane from the Kudal Assembly constituency.

NEW DELHI: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday said that one person had died in the state due to Cyclone Dana, while the administration had evacuated around 2.16 lakh people from low-lying areas.
“Only one person died in this natural disaster. The man died at his residence while conducting some cable-related work. It is quite unfortunate. The postmortem examination will give us a clear picture. If required we (state government) will help the family,” Banerjee said addressing a press conference.
“Some districts are affected badly due to cyclone, especially kaccha houses. All DMs, SPs and concerned officials are doing their best. We coordinate with all of them from time to time. 2.16 lakh people evacuated from affected areas to relief camps. I talked to an MLA, he informed me that Kapil Muni Mandir has been affected and faced massive waterlogging. I talked to all MLAs of affected districts,” Mamata added.
After spending the night at the state secretariat to oversee the situation, Mamata held a review meeting and instructed officials to ensure that relief materials are provided to all those affected by the cyclone.
IMD has reported that Cyclone Dana made landfall on the north Odisha coast as a severe cyclonic storm, with wind speeds ranging from 100-110 kmph and gusts up to 120 kmph. The IMD has also issued a warning for isolated extremely heavy rainfall over south Gangetic West Bengal, specifically in the east and west Medinipur regions, today.
“The Severe cyclonic storm “Dana” (pronounced as Dana) crossed north Odisha coast close to Habalikhati Nature Camp (Bhitarkanika) and Dhamara during 0130 hrs IST to 0330 hrs IST of today, 25th October as a Severe cyclonic storm with a wind speed of 100-110 kmph gusting to 120 kmph,” IMD said in a post on X.
“Isolated extremely heavy rainfall is very likely over coastal Odisha, south Gangetic West Bengal (east & west Medinipur) on 25th October 2024,” IMD added.
“Reports are being compiled from the field by the SOC and shortly we will have the details…The normal services have also been restored. The air services have been restored,” NDRF DIG Mohsen Shahedi told ANI.
Various parts of West Bengal are currently experiencing rainfall as a result of the cyclone.

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday addressed the Brics summit in Kazan where he called upon the countries to unite against terrorism and terror financing. He also stressed upon the need for reforms in global institutions like UN Security Council which has been facing backlash for its failure to stop the Israel-Gaza war.
“We all have to be united and cooperate strongly to deal with terrorism and terror financing.There is no place for double standards on such a serious issue. We should take active steps to prevent radicalization among the youth of our countries,” he said.
“We have to work together on the pending issue of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism in the UN,” he added.
PM Modi reached Kazan on Tuesday to attend the 16th Brics summit. He held bilateral meeting with Russian President Putin where he said that India was ready to provide help to end the Russia-Ukraine war.

‘Reform not replace’: PM Modi on Brics role in global institutions

PM Modi said that the global institutions needed reforms and Brics should resort to bringing changes in these institutions rather than replacing them.
“We should move forward in a timely manner for reforms in global institutions like UN Security Council, Multilateral Development Banks, WTO.”
“While taking forward the efforts of Brics, we should keep in mind that the image of this organisation should not be such that we do not want to reform global institutions but want to replace them,” he added.

‘We support dialogue and diplomacy, not war’

At a time when West Asia, parts of Europe (Russia, Ukraine) and Africa is struggling with humanity crisis, PM Modi called upon the need for solution through dialogue and diplomacy instead of war.
“Our meeting is taking place at a time when the world is surrounded by many challenges like wars, conflicts, economic uncertainty, climate change, terrorism. There is talk of North-South and East-West divide in the world,” he said.
“We should give the message to the world that Brics is not a divisive but a public interest group,” he added.

Stock Market Today: The Indian equity benchmark indices, BSE Sensex and Nifty50, faced significant losses on Tuesday due to a massive outflow of foreign funds from the capital markets and weak global equities.
The BSE Sensex dropped 930.55 points or 1.15 per cent to settle at 80,220.72, while the Nifty50 declined 309 points or 1.25 per cent to 24,472.10.
The downturn was primarily led by major stocks such as Mahindra & Mahindra, State Bank of India, Power Grid, Tata Steel, Tata Motors, Larsen & Toubro, NTPC, Bajaj Finance, and Reliance, which collectively dragged the BSE Sensex down by 505 points, according to reports.
In contrast, ICICI Bank, Nestle, and Infosys emerged as the major gainers.

Why BSE Sensex, Nifty50 crashed today

Market sentiment was negatively impacted by various factors, including disappointing earnings growth trends, as reported by traders.
Analysts noted that weak earnings growth and sluggish global markets weighed on investor sentiment, with rising US bond yields and policy actions in China contributing to FII outflows.
Exchange data shows that on Monday, Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) sold equities worth Rs 2,261.83 crore, while Domestic Institutional Investors (DIIs) purchased equities amounting to Rs 3,225.91 crore.
The rupee also ended the day marginally weaker at 84.0775 against the US dollar, marking its lowest-ever closing level, after hitting an all-time low of 84.0825 earlier in the session.
“Bearish sentiment continued to dominate the domestic market today amid heightened volatility, with small and midcap stocks taking the biggest hit,” Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Financial Service told news agency PTI.
“The recent sharp rise in US bond yields signals diminished expectations for aggressive rate cuts by the US Fed, also affecting fund flows to EMs. In the short term, this bearish outlook may persist due to sluggish earnings growth trends,” he added.
Hyundai Motor India Ltd, the Indian subsidiary of the South Korean automaker Hyundai, had a disappointing debut on the stock market. The company’s shares closed more than 7 per cent lower than the issue price of Rs 1,960.
The company stock opened at Rs 1,931 on the BSE, marking a 1.47 per cent decline from its issue price. It briefly recovered to a high of Rs 1,968.80, up 0.44 per cent, but failed to maintain the momentum, eventually dropping 5.81per cent to Rs 1,846.
On the NSE, Hyundai’s shares debuted at Rs 1,934, down 1.32per cent, before further tumbling 5.88per cent to Rs 1,844.65 during the session.
The stock market had opened the day on a subdued note, reflecting weak global sentiment and carrying over the negative momentum from Monday’s decline. The Sensex had gained a modest 183.87 points to start at 81,335.14, while the Nifty rose by 31.55 points to open at 24,812.65.
Earlier in the intra-day trading session, the BSE Sensex plunged as much as 1,001.74 points, or 1.23 per cent, to reach 80,149.53.
The market displayed a mixed trend, with 22 companies advancing and 27 declining on the Nifty. Shriram Finance, Tech Mahindra, ICICI Bank, HCL Technologies, and Nestle India led the gains, while Tata Steel, Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M), Tata Motors, and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) emerged as the top losers in the opening session.

Global market performance

Asian markets had a mixed performance, with Seoul and Tokyo ending the day lower, while Shanghai and Hong Kong managed to close higher.
In the commodities market, Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, rose by 0.61 per cent to reach $ 74.74 a barrel.
While the European markets, on the other hand, were trading in negative territory. The US markets had a mixed session on Monday.

NEW DELHI: Supreme Court on Thursday declared all Bangladeshi migrants who entered Assam on or after Mar 25, 1971, as illegal migrants. Given the grave adverse impact they have had on the state’s culture and demography, the Union and state govts must expedite their identification, detection and deportation, SC said.
A five-judge bench delivered this verdict by four to one majority while upholding the validity of Section 6A of Citizenship Act, which was introduced in Dec 1985 in sync with the 1985 Assam Accord that Rajiv Gandhi govt signed with students’ unions, which were agitating against massive illegal influx of Bangladeshis.The section’s validity was challenged in SC on the ground that it differed from the cut-off dates prescribed in Constitution for grant of citizenship.

SC decides to monitor detection & deportation of aliens from Assam

Under Section 6A, those Bangladeshi migrants who entered Assam before Jan 1, 1966, would be deemed Indian citizens, whereas those who came to the state between Jan 1966 and March 24, 1971, were to be given citizenship after 10 years subject to certain conditions.
While the majority opinion running into 185 pages, authored by Justice Surya Kant for himself and Justices M M Sundresh and Manoj Misra, went beyond the validity of Section 6A and delved into the cultural and demographic crisis faced by inhabitants of Assam because of illegal influx of Bangladeshi migrants and prescribed remedial steps, CJI D Y Chandrachud stopped at upholding the validity of Section 6A. Justice J B Pardiwala dissented and quashed Section 6A prospectively.
Illegal entry of Bangladeshis, which has been going on since the country’s partition in 1947, has been a wedge issue with BJP and AGP campaigning against it as a threat to the country’s integrity and security and a “plot” to change the demography in border areas, and their opponents accusing them of exaggerating the problem due to the Muslim faith of the illegal immigrants.
The issue, which played a major role in BJP’s rise as the dominant force in Assam at the expense of Congress and, interestingly, AGP, has already become a key theme in the approaching Jharkhand polls.
Justice Kant dealt with the situation arising from unchecked infiltration of Bangladeshi migrants threatening to swamp Assam, and referred to a two decade-old judgment in Sarbananda Sonowal case in which the SC had observed that “there can be no manner of doubt that the state of Assam is facing ‘external aggression and internal disturbance’ on account of largescale illegal migration of Bangladeshi nationals”.
“Immigrants who entered Assam on or after March 25, 1971, are not entitled to the protection conferred vide Section 6A and, consequently, they are declared to be illegal immigrants. Accordingly, Section 6A has become redundant qua those immigrants who have entered Assam on or after March 25, 1971,” Justices Kant, Sundresh and Misra said.
The majority held that the directions issued for identification, detection and deportation of illegal Bangladeshi migrants who entered Assam after Mar 25, 1971, must be implemented expeditiously. Importantly, it said five laws – Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, 1950; Foreigners Act, 1946; Foreigners (Tribunals) Order, 1964; Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920; and Passport Act, 1967 – must act in tandem to give effect to the legislative objective of Section 6A, that is not to permit any illegal Bangladeshi migrant to enter Assam after March 25, 1971.
Finding that the SC’s directives in the Sonowal judgment had not been implemented properly even after 20 years as only 97,714 cases were pending before Foreigners Tribunals even though millions of illegal Bangladeshi migrants have entered the state, the SC decided to monitor progress of detection and deportation of such migrants from now.
“Implementation of immigration and citizenship legislations cannot be left to the mere wish and discretion of the authorities, necessitating constant monitoring by this court,” Kant said.
In his 94-page opinion, CJI Chandrachud said, “The legislative objective of Section 6A was to balance the humanitarian needs of migrants of Indian origin and the impact of the migration on the economic and cultural needs of Indian states. The two yardsticks employed in Section 6A, that is migration to Assam and the cut-off date of March 24, 1971, are reasonable.”

Aasu terms SC seal on Sec 6A ‘historic’, ex-NRC coordinator flags data flaw

All Assam Students’ Union (Aasu), the force behind the six-year-long mass movement against infiltration that led to the Assam Accord of 1985, celebrated Thursday what it termed a “historic” second victory in the fight to save the state’s identity and demography after SC upheld the constitutional validity of the key citizenship clause brought by amendment to implement the tripartite agreement.
Samujjal Bhattacharjya, Aasu’s chief adviser, said the SC ruling on Section 6A of the Citizenship Act “effectively endorses the Assam Accord” as the commitments in the pact hinge on implementation of this clause that was challenged in court. “We wholeheartedly welcome the SC verdict. It has established that the Assam agitation was undertaken for genuine reasons, and all provisions stand legally validated.”
Senior Gauhati HC advocate Bijan Kumar Mahajan said people, irrespective of caste, creed and religion, ought to now acknowledge the sanctity of Section 6A. “Since our student days, we have faced the dilemma of whether 1951 or 1971 is the base year for determining citizenship. The wait is over. It is the beauty of the Indian judiciary that a Constitution bench of the apex court has upheld Section 6A by a 4:1 majority.”
Abhijeet Sarma of Assam Public Works, the original petitioner in the case that led SC to order an enumeration exercise to update the NRC in the state, described the validation of Section 6A as “a historic resolution of the controversy”.
He flagged doubts about the authenticity of the data in the updated NRC and the delay in ordering its verification as a hurdle to implementing the Assam Accord despite SC’s order. “What about the future of the Assamese people? Even today, the answer to this question is an authentic NRC. SC’s verdict, in fact, highlights NRC’s relevance.”
Retired IAS officer Hitesh Dev Sarma, the former NRC coordinator in Assam, was among those who struck a discordant note about SC upholding Section 6A as constitutionally valid. In a social media post, he termed the judgment “a disheartening development” and “a terrible day for Assam”.
He said the BJP-led state govt not moving SC for a comprehensive review of the NRC may have already paved the way for citizenship to foreigners whose names were included in the updated citizenship rolls based on allegedly faulty credentials. “Chances are the current NRC with lakhs of foreigners’ names will now be declared the final document.”
The core of Section 6A is that immigrants who entered Assam before Jan 1, 1966, will enjoy all rights as citizens, while those who came to the state between Jan 1, 1966, and March 25, 1971, will be subject to checks and compliance with case-specific requirements.