Top news: Mayawati says BSP to fight UP bye-elections alone, but it is not a permanent break with SP

UP: Five arrested for alleged murder that triggered communal violence in Muzaffarnagar in 2013

Five people were arrested on Tuesday for allegedly killing a man whose death triggered riots in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar district in 2013, PTI reported. One more accused is still on the run. The five, identified as Prahlad, Bishan Singh, Tendu, Devender and Jitender, were arrested by the police from their homes.

Kashmiri separatists Shabir Shah, Asiya Andrabi and Masarat Alam sent to 10-day custody by NIA court

A National Investigation Agency court in New Delhi on Tuesday sent Kashmiri separatists Shabir Shah, Asiya Andrabi and Masarat Alam to the agency’s custody for 10 days in a terror funding case. The National Investigation Agency arrested the three during in-chamber proceedings in the court of Special Judge Rakesh Syal.

Indian Navy and ISRO join search for missing Air Force plane

The Indian Navy and the Indian Space Research Organisation on Tuesday joined the search for the Air Force’s missing AN-32 aircraft, reports said. The IAF aircraft, with 13 people on board, went missing 33 minutes after taking off from Jorhat in Assam on Monday. It was headed for Menchuka in Arunachal Pradesh, near the Chinese border. The Navy has deployed a long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft for the rescue mission

Giriraj Singh mocks Bihar politicians, including BJP leader, for attending Iftar party

“How beautiful would this picture have been if a Navratri meal would have been organised with the same eagerness,” Singh said in a tweet while sharing a photo of BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi, Janata Dal (United) leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Lok Janshakti Party’s Ram Vilas Paswan and Chirag Paswan, and Hindustan Awami Morcha leader Jitan Ram Manjhi at an Iftar feast.

Delhi: Garbage mountain at Ghazipur landfill will be taller than Taj Mahal by 2020, says report

The rubbish heap grows 10 metres every year. This will make it taller than the Taj Mahal (73 metres or 239 feet) by 2020. “About 2,000 tonnes of garbage is dumped at Ghazipur each day,” an unidentified Delhi municipal official told the news agency.

Rajasthan: Five men allegedly rape woman and upload video; four accused arrested, say police

In her complaint to the police on Sunday, the woman alleged that the incident occurred when she was on her way to a temple with a friend. The complainant’s husband is a labourer.

BJP spent nearly 45% – or Rs 27,000 crore – of total expenditure for 2019 Lok Sabha polls: Report

At this rate, expenditure in the 2024 General Elections could cross Rs 1 trillion, said CMS chairperson N Bhaskara Rao. “Mother of all corruption lies in the spiralling election expenditure,’’ said Rao. “If we are not able to address this, we can’t check corruption in India.

BJP leader Vijender Gupta files defamation suit against Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia

Gupta had sent legal notices to both Kejriwal and Sisodia last week, seeking an apology for the comments. As he did not receive a response to the notices, Gupta said he filed the lawsuit in the Patiala House Court on Tuesday.

‘Ridiculously naive’: Gautam Gambhir responds to Mehbooba Mufti’s attack on Amit Shah

Gambhir, who was elected from East Delhi constituency in the Lok Sabha elections, criticised Mufti for describing Shah’s process to deal with the Kashmir matter as brutish. “While I am all for a talk-based solution to Kashmir problem but for Mehbooba Mufti to term Shri Amit Shah’s process as ‘brute’ is ‘ridiculously naive’,” he said on Twitter. “History has been witness to our patience and endurance. But if oppression ensures security for my people, then so be it.”

Maharashtra Congress leader Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil resigns as MLA

Patil is likely to join the Bharatiya Janata Party. There are also reports that at least 10 more Congress MLAs may follow suit. Assembly elections in Maharashtra are scheduled to be held between September and October this year.

Sachin Pilot should take responsibility for my son’s defeat in Jodhpur, says Congress’ Ashok Gehlot

Pilot had said that the Congress will win Jodhpur with a huge margin as the party has six legislators in the Lok Sabha constituency and the campaigning was great, Ashok Gehlot said. “So, I feel he should own responsibility for that seat at least,” Ashok Gehlot said.

SC asks Maharashtra to complete counselling for PG medical courses before June 14

The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Maharashtra government to conduct the final round of counselling for admissions to postgraduate medical and dental courses for 2019-’20 academic year, reported PTI. It said the process should be completed before June 14. Some students had sought fresh counselling because the merit list has been revised following the top court’s stay on 10% quota.

Karnataka: H Vishwanath resigns as president of JD(S) state unit

The Karnataka unit president of the Janata Dal (Secular), H Vishwanath, on Tuesday resigned from his post. Vishwanath was reportedly unhappy about not being consulted on deciding candidates for the urban local body elections. He submitted his resignation to Janata Dal (Secular) chief HD Devegowda, saying coordination between the party and its ally Congress had failed completely and that governance has taken a beating.

Jiggs Kalra, the czar of Indian cuisine, dies in Mumbai

Restaurateur Jaspal Inder Singh Kalra – popularly called Jiggs Kalra – who was known as the czar of Indian cuisine, died in Mumbai on Tuesday morning. Kalra was unwell for quite some time. He spent his 72nd birthday on May 21 in a hospital, his Zorawar Kalra had said, reported Mid-day.

Pre-monsoon season ends with a rainfall deficit of 25%, the second lowest in 65 years

The pre-monsoon season – March, April and May – ended with a rainfall deficiency of 25%, which is the second lowest in 65 years. The country received only 99 mm of rainfall from March 1 to May 31.

Supreme Court issues notice to Puducherry CM on Kiran Bedi’s plea against Madras HC order

The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Puducherry government not to implement decisions having financial implications which could be taken during the Cabinet meeting on June 7 until further orders. The court was hearing pleas filed by the Centre and Puducherry Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi seeking to maintain the status quo that existed before the Madras High Court order, which curbed the powers of the lieutenant governor.

Tamil Nadu: DMK questions illustration showing Bharathiar wearing saffron turban on textbook cover

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam has questioned the depiction of Tamil poet Subramania Bharati or Bharathiar wearing a saffron turban on the cover of the state board’s Class 12 General Tamil textbook. Images of Bharathiar usually show him wearing a white turban.

BSP will fight UP Assembly bye-elections alone, not in alliance with Samajwadi Party, says Mayawati

Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati said on Tuesday that her party will fight upcoming Assembly bye-elections in Uttar Pradesh alone. “We can’t ignore political compulsions. In the results of Lok Sabha elections in UP, base vote of Samajwadi Party, the ‘Yadav’ community, didn’t support the party. Even strong contenders of SP were defeated,” Mayawati said.

Tripura: Nine injured, over 1,700 people moved to shelter homes following heavy rain

At least nine people were injured and several people were left homeless following thunderstorms and flooding in Tripura since June 1. The thunderstorms have either partially or fully damaged over 1,200 homes across four districts in the state – West Tripura, South Tripura, Sepahijala and Gomati.

Assam Police’s alleged goof up between similar-sounding names lands wrong woman in detention centre

The Bharatiya Gana Parishad has taken up afresh the case of a woman, who has been in a detention centre for foreigners in Assam since 2016 allegedly because the Border Police goofed up between similar-sounding names.

Kerala: College student tests positive for Nipah virus, confirms health minister

Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja confirmed that a 23-year-old college student admitted at a private hospital in Ernakulam has tested positive for the Nipah infection after the National Institute of Virology in Pune, Maharashtra tested his serum samples.

‘SP-BSP will fight for social justice’: Akhilesh Yadav amid reports of rift in alliance

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Monday said his party will fight for social justice along with the Bahujan Samaj Party, just hours after BSP chief Mayawati blamed the Samajwadi Party for the “poor performance” of the alliance.

India rejects OIC reference to Jammu and Kashmir, says group has no locus standi in matter

The Indian government on Monday rejected the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s reference to Jammu and Kashmir and said the organisation had no “locus standi” in matters related to the state. The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation or OIC on May 31 appointed Yousef Aldobeay of Saudi Arabia, an assistant secretary general of the organisation, a special envoy for Jammu and Kashmir during the 14th OIC summit held in Makkah.

Jet Airways employees meet ministers of finance and civil aviation to discuss airline’s revival

A group of employees of debt-ridden Jet Airways met newly appointed Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi on Monday to discuss the airline’s revival. The carrier has not been operating since April 17.

Hindi ‘imposition’: Politicians in Tamil Nadu and Telangana welcome modified draft education policy

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in Tamil Nadu, the Congress in Telangana and music composer AR Rahman on Monday welcomed the Centre’s decision to revise the draft version of the National Education Policy that many had objected to for recommending that Hindi be made a mandatory subject in non-Hindi speaking states.