New Delhi,(PTI) The ED on Wednesday morning arrested liquor businessman Sameer Mahendru in connection with its money laundering investigation into alleged irregularities in the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy, official sources said.

Mahendru is the managing director of a company called Indospirits.

Sources said he was taken into custody under the criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after he was put through a night-long questioning session.

He is expected to be produced before a local court where the Enforcement Directorate (ED) will seek his further remand.

The ED action comes a day after the CBI arrested businessman Vijay Nair in this case in which Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia is also an accused.

 The ED money laundering case is based on a CBI FIR and both the federal agencies have undertaken multiple search operations in this case till now.

The CBI FIR has alleged that Arjun Pandey, an alleged associate of Sisodia, had once collected about Rs 2-4 crore in cash from Mahendru on behalf of Nair, former CEO of Only Much Louder, an entertainment and event management company. PTI 

Bengaluru, (PTI) Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Wednesday welcomed the Union government’s decision to ban the Popular Front of India (PFI) for its alleged terror activities, and said the move sends a message to all “anti-national groups” that they will not survive in this country.

He said all that is necessary would be done to stop PFI’s activities in the state.

“For a long time, it has been a demand by the people of this country, by all political parties including the opposition CPI, CPI(M) and the Congress. PFI is the avatar (incarnation) of SIMI (banned Students’ Islamic Movement of India), and KFD (Karnataka Forum for Dignity). They were involved in anti-national activities and violence,” Bommai said.

Speaking to reporters here, he said they had their command outside the country and some of their important office-bearers had even gone across the border for the training.

The PFI was involved in all sorts of anti-social activities and time had come to ban this organisation, Bommai added.

“With a lot of background work, information, and cases, the Government of India under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah has taken the right decision. This is the message for all anti-national groups that they will not survive in this country. I also urge people not to associate with such organisations,” he added.

To a question that PFI was strong in coastal Karnataka and the task before the state government to remove them, the Chief Minister said, “Whatever necessary, will be done.” In a notification issued late Tuesday night, the Union Home Ministry banned the PFI saying the central government is of the opinion that the Islamist outfit and its affiliates have been involved in subversive activities, thereby disturbing public order and undermining constitutional set up of the country and encouraging and enforcing a terror-based regressive regime.

It continues “propagating anti-national sentiments and radicalising a particular section of society” with the intention to create disaffection against the country, it said.

Welcoming the Centre’s decision to ban PFI, Home Minister Araga Jnanendra said it is a right move for the country’s unity and integrity, and to maintain peace and order.

“Recently, the NIA and police of several states had raided several of its activists and office-bearers and had gathered evidences. Such fanatic organisations were instigating a section of youth against the country,” he said.

In an eight-hour long operation on Tuesday, the Karnataka police detained over 80 people, mostly office-bearers and members of the PFI and its political offshoot Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) from across the state, on the basis of intelligence inputs that they were trying to foment trouble in the society.

Additional Director General of Police (Law & Order) Alok Kumar had on Tuesday noted that raids were conducted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) as well as the state police last week. The NIA had at the time secured seven people from Karnataka and the state police 13.

BJP national general secretary C T Ravi alleged that the PFI was nurtured by the Congress.

“In a huge step against home grown Terrorism, the Union Home Ministry has banned the Popular Front of India (PFI) and its affiliates for 5 years. Congratulations to Union Home Minister Shri @AmitShah for taking this decisive action against the #PFI that was nurtured by CONgress,” he tweeted. PTI

New Delhi,(PTI) Delhi University is the most successful "centre of excellence" in the country but much more can be done, Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Tuesday.

Speaking at the launch of a book celebrating 100 years of the university, the housing and urban affairs minister reminisced his time in DU's Hindu College and noted that a good institution is defined by its student body.

“Great institutions are made up of great faculty members. A good institution is defined by its student body. Institutions are celebrating and we are having the first in the series of that celebration,” he said.

“The university is the most successful university in the country. It is the most successful centre of excellence. But there is much more that can be done,” he added.

Edited by Puri, ‘Delhi University: Celebrating 100 Glorious Years’ is a collection of personal narratives and reflections of some of the university's most distinguished alumni and faculty - Amitabh Bachchan, Kiren Rijiju, Dinesh Singh, Meenakshi Gopinath, Shashi Tharoor, Bibek Debroy, Imtiaz Ali, Raian Karanjawala, Sanjeev Sanyal, Arnab Goswami, Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud, Lakshmi Puri, Namita Gokhale and Vijay Shekhar Sharma.

The event was also attended by other contributors to the book - former DU Vice Chancellor Dinesh Singh, former assistant secretary-general at the United Nations Lakshmi Puri, lawyer Raian Karanjawala, writer Namita Gokhale and film director Imtiaz Ali.

During his address at the event, the Union minister said he is proud and honoured that he could brought together some of its most illustrious alumni to collective reflect on its rich history, vibrant student life, and influence on India's public discourse today.

“This anthology was conceived with the intention of celebrating the 100 years of our alma mater and the role it has played in furthering world-class education. It has successfully captured a spectrum of viewpoints that covers five decades of studying or teaching at the university,” he said. PTI

Prayagraj, (PTI) Allahabad University students demonstrating against a fee hike on Tuesday threatened to take “bhu samadhi” by burying themselves in a pit they dug at their protest site here.

Some of them jumped into the five-foot pit near the protest sit on the university premises and policemen had to pull them out, the police said. Additional police force was also summoned.

The students say their fees have been hiked nearly three-fold, and have been holding protests for several days now. They later planted saplings in the pit.

Adarsh Singh Bhadauria, a student associated with the NSUI, said they were ready to end their lives to protest the fee hike, but the university administration was firm on its stand of not withdrawing the increment.

Students affiliated with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad have apprised the chancellor of the Allahabad University about the ongoing agitation through postcards.

In a letter, they said a 300-percent fee hike has been effected unethically by the university administration, due to which many students would be deprived of education and a request has been made to withdraw it.

ABVP state convener (sports activity) Kartikeya Pati Tripathi said, “Our fight is with the dictatorial vice-chancellor of Allahabad University because their decision (fee hike) is tarnishing the image of the central and the state government.” “I want the government to take suo motu cognizance of this matter and issue a direction to withdraw the fee hike,” he said. PTI

 New Delhi, (PTI) The CPI(M) hit out at the BJP on Tuesday, alleging that the remarks of its president, J P Nadda, that Kerala has become a “hotspot of terrorism” were an effort to vitiate the atmosphere of communal harmony in the southern state.

In a statement, the ruling party in Kerala said these false accusations cannot cover up the fact that political violence in the state is “being perpetuated by killings and retaliatory killings indulged in by the RSS and the Popular Front of India (PFI)”.

It said this year itself, there have been four casualties of such killings and retaliatory killings by the workers of these two organisations in Alappuzha and Palakkad districts.

“This is a deliberate effort to vitiate communal peace in the state and create communal polarisation. It would be better for the BJP president to advise the RSS not to engage in such provocative activities. The LDF government has been taking firm action against the violent activities of all extremist organisations.

“The people of Kerala are known for their exemplary commitment to communal amity and peace and they will not tolerate any extremist violence,” the Communist Party of India (Marxist) said.

Nadda claimed on Monday that Kerala is now a “hotspot” of terrorism and fringe elements, and life is not safe in the state.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president also attacked Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, saying his family is getting involved in government matters and the Left party has fallen prey to a family or “dynastic” rule as the “involvement of the daughter and the son-in-law in the government is also seen”. PTI 

New Delhi, (PTI) More than 170 people allegedly linked with the Popular Front of India (PFI) were detained or arrested in raids across seven states on Tuesday, five days after a similar pan India crackdown against the group often accused of being linked to radical Islam.

Conducted mostly by state police teams, the raids were spread across Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Delhi, Maharashtra, Assam and Madhya Pradesh.

On September 22, multi-agency teams spearheaded by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested 106 leaders and activists of the PFI in 15 states for allegedly supporting terror activities in the country. The NIA is investigating 19 cases involving the PFI.

As police teams fanned out across their respective states on Tuesday, seemingly synchronised, the action was swift. While 25 people each were arrested in Assam and Maharashtra, 57 were detained in Uttar Pradesh, officials said. The count of those detained in Delhi was 30, Madhya Pradesh was at 21 followed by 10 in Gujarat and six in Pune in Maharashtra. Besides, several people were also arrested in Karnataka.

In Uttar Pradesh, the raids across 26 districts were jointly carried out by the Anti Terrorist Squad, Special Task Force and the local police simultaneously. Documents and evidence were collected, Additional Director General (law and order) Prashant Kumar said.

Further action will be taken based on the evidence collected, Kumar said while adding that 57 people were taken into custody.

There was no immediate reaction from the PFI, which was formed in 2006 and claims to strive for a neo-social movement ostensibly for the empowerment of marginalised sections of India. It is, however, often accused by law enforcement agencies of promoting radical Islam. The organisation was formed in Kerala and is headquartered in Delhi.

Following the crackdowns, the PFI stares at a possible countrywide ban.

According to officials in Assam, of the 25 PFI activists arrested in the fresh crackdown, 10 were held in Goalpara. Besides, five were nabbed in Kamrup (Rural) and three in Dhubri, followed by arrests in Barpeta, Baksa, Darrang, Udalguri and Karimganj. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had earlier said his government has been urging the Centre to ban the outfit for allegedly creating an eco-system for terror activities. In the national capital, Delhi Police’s Special Cell carried out the searches in multiple locations, including Nizamuddin and Shaheen Bagh.

“We have conducted raids at multiple locations in the national capital, including Shaheen Bagh and Nizamuddin. So far, we have detained 30 people associated with the PFI,” a senior police officer said.

Paramilitary forces were deployed in several places in the city where the raids were conducted.

“We have taken preventive measures and as part of it, we have deployed paramilitary forces in respective areas of the districts to ensure law and order situation and maintain peace and tranquillity in the area,” a senior police official said.

No case has been registered as the investigation is underway, police said. The operation started after 12.30 am continued till early morning, police said.

And in Maharashtra, 25 activists were arrested from six districts, including Aurangabad, Thane and Nanded. Other than this, Pune police detained six people linked to the PFI and its political wing Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), an official said. The Madhya Pradesh Police detained 21 people from eight districts for their links with the PFI, state Home Minister Narottam Mishra said. These people were detained on the basis of interrogation of the PFI activists arrested last week, Mishra, who is also the Madhya Pradesh government’s spokesperson, said.

In Gujarat, at least 10 people were detained from different parts of the state in raids conducted by a joint team of the state Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) and the NIA. “They have detained at least 10 people for questioning from different parts of Gujarat with the help of the state police and ATS,” an official in Ahmedabad said.

The SDPI opened an office in Ahmedabad a few months back. In Karnataka, officials said several PFI leaders were detained in urban and rural areas of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts early in the morning. PFI leaders were taken into custody from Mangaluru, Ullal, Talapady and other areas in DK district.

Besides, five PFI leaders were taken into custody by the Udupi district police in raids conducted in their houses. Sources said raids were conducted at Hoode, Gangolli, Byndoor and Adi Udupi. The police department has been monitoring the activities of the detained leaders for the past six months and they have been taken into custody to prevent any untoward incident, the sources added.

The Maharashtra ATS on Monday told a court in Mumbai that it wanted to probe the links of five of the 20 people arrested last week with organisations including Al Qaeda and the Islamic State and also investigate electronic evidence. Four PFI activists were also arrested from Kerala’s Kottayam district and one from Kollam in Kerala for allegedly engaging in violent activities during the state-wide hartal called by the organisation on September 23. The strike had followed the nationwide raids on their offices and arrests of their leaders.

Following the September 22 searches, the PFI said the raids are taking place at the homes of national, state and local leaders of the outfit and that the state committee office in Kerala is also being raided.

“We strongly protest the fascist regime’s moves to use agencies to silence dissenting voices,” it said in a statement. PTI

 New Delhi,(PTI) The DRDO on Tuesday successfully flight tested the Very Short Range Air Defence System (VSHORADS) missile in Chandipur off the coast of Odisha.

The VSHORADS is an air defence system designed and developed indigenously by Hyderabad-based Research Centre Imarat of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

“The DRDO conducted two successful test flight of the Very Short Range Air Defence System (VSHORADS) missile on September 27 from a ground based portable launcher at the integrated test range, Chandipur, off the coast of Odisha,” the defence ministry said in a statement.

“VSHORADS missile incorporates many novel technologies including miniaturized Reaction Control System (RCS) and integrated avionics, which have been successfully proven during the tests,” the ministry said.

“The missile, meant for neutralising low altitude aerial threats at short ranges is propelled by a dual thrust solid motor,” the ministry said on the Man Portable Air Defence System.

The design of the missile including launcher has been optimised to ensure easy portability.

“Both the flight tests have completely met the mission objectives,” the ministry said.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh complimented and appreciated the efforts of DRDO and industry partners and said this new missile equipped with modern technologies will give further technological boost to the armed forces. PTI

Srinagar, (PTI) PDP president Mehbooba Mufti Tuesday said she, along with fruit-truck drivers, will block the Srinagar-Jammu national highway if their vehicles are not allowed a smooth passage.

“Lakhs of people depend on this (fruit trade), they have taken loans, they have taken money from Delhi’s mandis. Who will give them that money? Will you? So, I warn the government if you don’t open the road for trucks, then I along with others will block the national highway,” Mehbooba said in Shopian.

She visited the south Kashmir district to join the protesting apple growers who have been demanding a smooth transit for the fruit-laden trucks stuck on the national highway.

“You are not allowing us to bring our fruits, which are rotting in the mandis, but, we will not allow this. I appeal to you as well as warn you not to test the people of Kashmir,” she added.

Mehbooba said horticulture is the backbone of the union territory’s economy, but attempts are being made to “damage” it.

“It is not just about fruit growers, but transporters as well, who also have taken loans…This is economic terrorism. They say militancy has ended, but the Government of India is unleashing biggest terror against the people and horticulture here,” she said.

The former JK chief minister alleged that the government is trying to do what the Jews did to Palestine by shutting them economically.

“Trucks from Jammu to Kashmir reach here in a day, but trucks from here are stopped for four-five days. If this is not a part of some conspiracy, then why does it still happen even after the assurances of the LG? We will not allow this.

“I have requested the Lieutenant Governor and appeal to him again to take serious notice of the issue and see to it that our trucks are not stopped. If it continues despite that, then they will also have to face difficulties,” she said.

Fruit growers of Kashmir on Monday held a demonstration here against the alleged stopping of apple-laden trucks by authorities at various places along the national highway en route to terminal markets of the country.

The JK administration has dismissed the allegations, saying the trucks were halted due to natural causes.

In a statement issued on Monday, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, P K Pole, said the trucks were stopped due to natural causes, which were beyond anyone’s control.

“The claim made by certain fruit growers association on the halting of fruit trucks is half-truth and natural reasons are hindering traffic. We have difficulties in the movement of traffic on the highway due to rains and resultant shooting stones which is beyond human control,” Pole said.

He had said all stranded Jammu-bound trucks will be cleared by Monday night.

The official also asked the transporters to use alternate Mughal Road for at least empty trucks so as to lessen the traffic plying on the national highway.

Meanwhile, traffic police have said since September 1, 45,923 trucks (including 17,631 apple trucks) have moved from Srinagar to Jammu via tunnel as per the details provided by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI).

On Monday, trucks were again released from Srinagar to Jammu, even as there was a backlog of approximately 2,500 trucks at Qazigund. However, due to shooting stones at Cafeteria Morh, Ramban, traffic was stopped on Tuesday morning and the movement was possible only in the later afternoon after the road was cleared off.

The police said apple trucks are given priority for release at traffic at Qazigund and hence in no case, any apple truck can remain stranded there for more than two days “contrary to the false claims and propaganda that is being spread by vested interests”.

JK traffic police will initiate strict action against individuals who are spreading false and unverified information regarding the movement of apple trucks, they said.

It said it has taken several additional steps to increase the flow of apple trucks including giving extra time to down convoy to ensure their smooth clearance.

“In case of blockage of NH 44 due to shooting stones, down HMVS (heavy motor vehicles) were released on consecutive days to ensure speedy clearance of apple trucks and extra traffic personnel were deputed to Quazigund and Banihal-Ramban stretches to facilitate the smooth flow of traffic,” it said.

The Traffic Police said Ramban market has been notified as a “No Parking Zone” and the Department of Horticulture was asked to paste stickers on the windscreen of each fruit-laden truck mentioning apple or fresh produce as appropriate with an accompanying picture for ease of identification.

“One Whatsapp group was created at Traffic Hqrs level in which all stakeholders were added for timely redressal of grievance of fruit growers. The Traffic Department also undertook a number of steps to facilitate the flow of traffic through the Mughal Road to ease the pressure on the NH 44,” the police added. PTI 

New Delhi,(PTI) A critical element of any public health emergency programme is laboratory preparedness, President Droupadi Murmu said on Tuesday.

Murmu, who virtually laid the foundation stone of ICMR-National Institute of Virology (NIV) south zone campus in Bengaluru said the NIV-Pune is taking all possible steps to increase research and development in the field of virology.

"I am glad to know that ICMR has provided exemplary support for effective Covid management and is expanding its research infrastructure. National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune is also taking all possible steps to increase research and development in the field of virology.

"It is good to know that National Institute of Virology has been designated as one of the collaborating laboratories of World Health Organization. The expansion of National Institute of Virology through zonal campuses across the country catering to the demands in the different geographical regions is praiseworthy," the president stated.

Murmu applauded the country's "biggest vaccination drive in human history with vaccines manufactured in the country itself".

She added that in combating the pandemic, India's achievements have been better than those of many developed countries.

"For this feat, we are grateful to our scientists, doctors, nurses, paramedics and the staff associated with vaccination," she said.

Union Minister of State for Health Bharti Pravin Pawar termed it "a great honour that the President of India has unveiled the foundation stone of NIV-South Zone in Bengaluru".

"India, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has leveraged technology in health sector so that any outbreak can be investigated at an early stage and necessary action is taken to contain it. This new NIV is a step further to strengthen our health defence system," she said.

She stated that under the Prime Minister Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM), funds have been approved to set up multi-sector national institutions and platforms including four zonal National Institutes of Virology (NIVs) towards bio-security preparedness and strengthening pandemic research across the country.

The minister highlighted the role of NIV in tackling issues of public health crisis from time to time.  She said that from its inception, ICMR-NIV has led from the front in providing a rapid response to viral infections of public health importance.

“ICMR-NIV investigated potential antiviral drugs, undertook several kit validations, developed new diagnostics with large-scale training which contributed in making India's first indigenous vaccine, Covaxin. These efforts equipped the country against the initial spread of SARS CoV-2. As a result of which, today the whole world looks towards India in research and development in healthcare," she added.

Pawar said the pandemic exposed the frailties of health systems worldwide in recognising and responding to emerging threats to public health.  In this light, the South Zone ICMR-NIV laboratory in Bengaluru will be equipped with a state-of-the-art infrastructure and expertise in handling infectious agents of various risk groups.

"This would be crucial to continuously monitor the regional landscape of infectious diseases in the southern states of India, and thus contribute to bolstering the national surveillance of outbreak-prone infectious disease agents," she said. PTI 

New Delhi, (PTI) The BJP on Tuesday slammed the Aam Aadmi Party following the Delhi High Court's interim order restraining its leaders from levelling alleged defamatory allegations against Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena, saying this shows how low Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal-headed party can stoop to "cover up" its corruption.

BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said it was high time Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia answered questions raised by his party over the alleged corruption in the now-withdrawn excise policy brought by the AAP government in Delhi. Sisodia pocketed a huge amount of money, he alleged while talking to reporters.

The high court earlier restrained AAP leaders from levelling alleged defamatory allegations against Saxena and directed them to take down the alleged libelous posts, videos and tweets against him on social media.

Saxena had sought an injunction against AAP, its leaders Atishi Singh, Saurabh Bharadwaj, Durgesh Pathak and Sanjay Singh, and Jasmine Shah, vice chairperson of the Dialogue and Development Commission, to delete or take down the alleged false and libelous posts or tweets or videos circulated and issued on social media against him and his family.

Patra said Kejriwal has a history of levelling false allegations and referred to his apology to a number of leaders, including BJP's Arun Jaitley and Nitin Gadkari, against whom he had levelled various allegations.

"As far as the AAP is concerned, they shout the allegations but whisper the apology," he added.

The AAP leaders had levelled allegations against Saxena related to channelising demonetised currency in November 2016 while acting as chairman of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC). He denied the charges and moved the court against the AAP leaders.

BJP IT Department in-charge Amit Malviya said, "Kejriwal’s shoot and scoot policy hits Delhi High Court's block, which has slammed AAP for running a campaign of calumny against Delhi LG, has passed an injunction order in his favour.

"Kejriwal's tryst with embarrassment is not new but this might be among one of this last." LG Saxena tweeted "Satyameva Jayate" (truth alone triumphs), soon after the High Court order.

Sources in the LG office said, "The order has vindicated the LG's stance and called out AAP’s mud-slinging campaign." PTI