A day after he was released on bail, having spent five months behind bars following his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in a land scam case, former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren has hit out at the BJP for “framing” him and said the people of the state will give the party a befitting reply in the Assembly elections, due later this year.

In an exclusive interview with NDTV on Saturday, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader also played down his struggles and said his father, former chief minister and party chief Shibu Soren and others in his party have had to face much worse.

Attacking the BJP over his arrest, Mr Soren repeated a charge that has been lobbed often at the ruling party and claimed that it was misusing agencies. Stating that the action against him is proof that the voices of the poor, tribals and farmers are being suppressed, he said the people of the state have seen everything and will make their displeasure known in the elections, likely to be held around November.

Jharkhand is ruled by a coalition led by the JMM, which has 27 MLAs, followed by the Congress, which has 18 in the 81-member house. The alliance, part of the larger INDIA bloc, also includes the RJD and the CPI (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation, which have one seat each.

Asked about his time in prison, the JMM leader said, “Our party chief Shibu Soren and many other leaders of the party have fought an even harder battle, this is nothing in front of them. Now we are on the frontlines and I have also got an opportunity to understand things and understand conspiracies (plotted against us).”

On the cases in which he is named, he said, “The court has given an order, it is available online. Look at that and assess how the voices of the poor, Dalits, backwards and farmers are being suppressed. These five months that I was in jail… for a poor person, a farmer, every moment and every hour is precious.”

His, Wife’s Future?

After Mr Soren’s arrest, the party’s number three, Champai Soren, became chief minister. This followed rumours of Hemant Soren’s wife, Kalpana, taking the reins, and his sister-in-law, Sita Soren, also quit the party ahead of the Lok Sabha elections amid a perceived power struggle.

To a question on whether he would become chief minister again, Mr Soren said, “I will look at all of this later. I just came out yesterday. I am with the party workers and am being welcomed by them. My beloved workers have reposed their trust in me and I am sharing in their enthusiasm. I am not looking at the government or the party for now. All of this will be seen in the time to come and will be communicated to you”

Kalpana Soren played an active role when Mr Soren was behind bars and also attended INDIA alliance meetings. When the JMM leader was asked about her future role, he said,  “She is my wife and we are from a political family. My father has been in politics and so have my elder brother, my wife and I. Our opponents will call it dynastic politics, but I will only say everyone should work according to their capacity.”

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Opposition forces disruptions in both Houses of Parliament over alleged NEET irregularities 

The row over alleged irregularities in the conduct of the NEET examination for medical college admissions rocked both Houses of Parliament on Friday, with the Lok Sabha getting adjourned for the day after Speaker Om Birla disallowed adjournment motions on the issue. 

Former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren gets bail in alleged money laundering case, walks out of jail

Jharkhand High Court on Friday granted bail to Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader and former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren in alleged land scam case. Justice Rongon Mukhopadhyay ’s court granted him regular bail.

Monsoon arrives in Delhi bringing heavy rainfall leaving four death

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India slams ‘deeply biased’ U.S. report on religious freedom

India on Friday slammed the U.S. State Department’s report on International Religious Freedom for 2023 as “deeply biased” and said it reflected “one-sided projection of issues”. During the weekly press briefing, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the report questioned the “integrity” of certain legal judgments of the Indian courts and highlighted the United States’s own record in handling domestic hate crimes.

German Chancellor to visit India in October, ease of doing business and migration top on agenda: envoy

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‘Global south’ should reform world governance to make it more effective, balanced: Xi Jinping

Underlining the importance of the “Global South”, Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday said that the Global South should actively participate in reforming and developing the global governance system and make the global governance architecture more balanced and effective. 

Joe Biden concedes debate fumbles but declares he will defend democracy

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Supreme Court makes it harder to charge Capitol riot defendants with obstruction, charge Trump faces

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Coal, electricity buoy core output in May

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RBI raises WMA limits of States/UTs by 28% to ₹60,118 crore

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday increased the Ways and Means Advances (WMA) limits of State governments and Union territories to ₹60,118 crore from ₹47,010 crore. “Based on the recommendations made by the Group constituted by the Reserve Bank and consisting of select state Finance Secretaries and taking into account the expenditure data of the states for the recent years, it has been decided to revise the WMA limits of the State Governments/ UTs, effective from July 1, 2024,” the RBI said in a circular. 

2024 T20 World Cup Final | History and heartbreak beckon as the T20 extravaganza reaches much-awaited climax

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Dumka (Jharkhand):

A woman Public Distribution System (PDS) dealer was paraded in a village with a garland of slippers around her neck by a mob in Jharkhand’s Dumka district, police said.

The beneficiaries of subsidised ration alleged that she did not distribute PDS items for the past four months.

The incident occurred on Monday in Madhuban village under the Gopokandar Police Station limits.

Gopokandar Police Station in-charge Ranjit Mandal said villagers also blocked the Govindpur-Sahebganj state highway for over half an hour as part of their protest.

“The beneficiaries were pacified and the road blockade was lifted by assuring them of distributing ration on Tuesday,” he said.

Local Block Development Officer Gautam Modi said a preliminary investigation revealed that the dealer had distributed only 60 per cent of the foodgrains in May and 7 per cent in June.

District Supply Officer Vishal Kumar said that he directed the BDO to ensure ration distribution on June 25. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Hazaribagh:

In a first, a District Coordinator of the National Testing Agency or NTA, which holds the medical entrance exam NEET-UG (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test), has admitted that the question papers were tampered with. Dr Ahsanul Haque, who also heads Hazaribagh’s Oasis school where the exam was held on May 5, said the tampering was discovered by the officers of the Bihar Police’s Economic Offences Unit, which was investigating the alleged paper leak till it was taken over by the Central Bureau of Investigation last week.

“On June 21, the EOU investigating the case, noticed the tampering of the seven-layer packaging of the NEET question paper,” Dr Haque told NDTV in an exclusive interview. The tampering was noticed in the seventh and innermost layer, he said. The officials noted this while checking the unused papers at the school.

In Seven-Layer Package For Question Papers, A Box With 2 Locks

It is not clear how the innermost layer was tampered with if the outer layers are intact. One of these outer layers is a metal box with two sets of locks. One of the locks is digital, which is programmed to open on its own two hours before the exam. The other is a mechanical one which needs to be cut with a file to open the box.

Dr Haque said the investigating officers have concluded that the weak link in the question paper custody chain is the courier service. The Blue Dart courier is in charge of transporting the papers from Ranchi to Hazaribagh and then to the State Bank of India, where they are stored in lockers.

The officials, he said, had hinted that proper procedure was not followed by transferring the papers.

The usual mode of transfer is by flight from Delhi to state capitals after which they are moved to the lockers of the state bank.

The sealed boxes of question papers are opened at the bank two hours before the exam, in presence of the local magistrate and the Centre heads, who act as witnesses. The entire process is videographed.

The sealed envelopes are then taken to the exam centre, where they are handed to invigilators. This time, two candidates taking the exam are present as witnesses.

Arrests Across Bihar, Jharkhand

A series of arrests have been made in Bihar and Jharkhand after allegations of widespread irregularities in the exam, taken by more than 24 lakh aspirants.

Six men were arrested from Jharkhand’s Deoghar three days ago. All of them are residents of Nalanda in Bihar, who were hiding in a rented house in Deoghar. While those involved in solving the papers were operating from Ranchi and Jharkhand, the role of these men in the paper leak is still not clear.

In Bihar, 13 people have been arrested so far in connection with the case. The last three men arrested said they were charging each candidate Rs 30 to 40 lakh for the solved answer sheets which they had to memorise.

The candidates who have been questioned, said at least 30 of them have received solved answer papers, indicating the existence of a massive network that operated in a planned manner across Bihar and Jharkhand.

The Delhi Link

A Delhi and Maharashtra connection have also emerged with the arrest of a school teacher in Latur.

Jalil Umarkhan Pathan and Sanjay Tukaram Jadhav taught in schools run by the district administration and also ran private coaching centres.

They were in touch with a man from Delhi, one Gangadhar, who used to put them in charge with NEET aspirants willing to bend the rules and pay hefty sums for help.

Hazaribag:

Six persons, including the father of one of the victims, were arrested for allegedly killing a couple in Jharkhand’s Hazaribag district, a senior police officer said on Sunday.

Ishwar Mehta (59) and his younger son Bablu were among those arrested for the brutal murder of Ishwar’s elder son Rahul Kumar (30) and his wife Puja Yadav (28) on the night of June 15-16, SP Arvind Kumar Singh said.

According to police, Rahul had gone to Delhi a few years ago to prepare for civil services exam, where he met and fell in love with Puja from Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh, who was also preparing for UPSC exam. The couple lived together in Delhi before returning to Rahul’s native village, Korha, in Hazaribag about five years ago, where they ran a successful coaching centre, police said.

Ishwar, a money lender in Ichak, was furious upon seeing Rahul return with Puja, who belonged to a different caste. He demanded that Rahul kill Puja, threatening to kill them both if he refused. Six months ago, Ishwar conspired with contract killers, agreeing to pay Rs 6 lakh for the double murder, police added.

On the night of the crime, Ishwar, Bablu, and four accomplices went to the couple’s home. Ishwar fatally stabbed Puja with a sword while Bablu and the contract killers attacked Rahul, who succumbed to multiple stab wounds. The killers then wrapped the bodies in large towels, loaded them into their car, and transported them to Parashi burning ghat in Ichak, where Ishwar set them on funeral pyres, police said.

The next morning, students found the couple missing and staged protests. The local community, outraged by the crime, boycotted Ishwar and his family.

During police interrogation, Ishwar revealed that he was angry with Rahul for returning without completing his UPSC exams and for planning to marry Puja.

Police have recovered bones, steel bangles, blood-stained towels, the murder weapons, and the Bolero car used in the crime. The bones were sent for DNA testing to confirm the victims’ identities.

Among the arrested, Bobby Kumar had a criminal record, and Vicky Kumar was Ishwar’s driver. The contract killers had received Rs 2 lakh in advance. A case was registered under relevant sections of the IPC based on a statement from Puja’s father, Ramsurat Yadav, police said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Latehar:

At least 20 students fell ill after drinking water from a tank in their school in Jharkhand’s Latehar district on Saturday, an official said.

When they were taken to a local health centre, doctors said the condition of the children was stable.

The incident happened at Upgraded Primary School at Duru, around 80 km from the state capital Ranchi.

After having their meal, the children went to drink water from the tank in the school. After some time, several students started vomiting and complained of uneasiness, a teacher of the school said.

Some students said there was a foul smell in the water.

The students were brought to the local community health centre where they were examined.

Doctors said their condition was stable.

The Chandwa Block Development Officer Chandan Kumar said the water sample had been taken for examination.

Kumar also visited the community health centre to enquire about the health conditions of the students.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

From Ladakh to Jharkhand and large parts of northwest India, a huge swathe of the country remained in the grip of an intense heat wave with the maximum temperature in Prayagraj touching 47.6 degrees Celsius while Nubra, nestled in the high Himalayas, recorded 26.2 degrees.

The weather office said maximum temperatures were markedly above normal (5.1 degrees Celsius or more) at most places in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Bihar.

The national capital recorded maximum temperatures in excess of 45 degrees Celsius, which was seven notches higher than normal for the season, in the absence of thunderstorms and rainfall triggered by extra tropical weather systems called western disturbances.

Dehradun in Uttarakhand recorded a maximum temperature of 43.1 degrees Celsius, which was 9.5 notches above normal for the season, while Una in Himachal Pradesh recorded 44 degrees — 6.7 notches above average.

In Jammu and Kashmir, Katra recorded a maximum temperature of 40.8 degrees Celsius, which was 5.7 notches above normal, while the mercury touched a high of 44.3 degrees in Jammu.

Daltonganj in Jharkhand recorded a maximum temperature of 46 degrees Celsius, which was 9.1 notches above normal.

The threshold for a heat wave is met when the maximum temperature of a weather station reaches at least 40 degrees Celsius in the plains, 37 degrees in the coastal areas, and 30 degrees in the hilly regions, and the departure from normal is at least 4.5 notches.

A severe heat wave is declared if the departure from normal exceeds 6.4 notches.

Most of the regions over Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, west Rajasthan, west Uttar Pradesh and east Madhya Pradesh experienced warm nights as minimum temperatures were 5.1 notches or more above normal.

The weather office has forecast no change in maximum temperatures over northwest India during the next 24 hours. The temperatures are expected to fall by 2 degrees Celsius thereafter.

However, central and eastern India will continue to reel from high temperatures for the next three days and expect some respite thereafter.

There was no let up in the ongoing heatwave conditions sweeping Punjab and Haryana for the last several days, with Bathinda reeling at 46.9 degrees Celsius.

While blistering heat swept Bathinda in Punjab, Pindara in Haryana’s Jind district also recorded a maximum temperature of 46.9 degrees Celsius, making it the hottest place in the state.

Chandigarh, the common capital of the two states, recorded a maximum temperature of 44.5 degrees Celsius, according to the local Met centre.

Faridkot in Punjab was also under the grip of severe heat at 46 degrees Celsius while Pathankot recorded a high of 45.8 degrees.

The maximum temperature in Amritsar was recorded at 45.8 degrees Celsius, Ludhiana at 44.6 degrees, Patiala at 45.4 degrees, Gurdaspur at 45 degrees and Ferozepur at 44.3 degrees.

In Haryana, intense heat scorched Faridabad and Sirsa, which recorded maximum temperatures of 46.6 degrees Celsius and 46.2 degrees, respectively.

Mahendragarh recorded a high of 45.2 degrees Celsius while Hisar registered 45.7 degrees.

Hot weather conditions also prevailed in Gurugram and Kurukshetra, where the maximum temperatures were recorded at 45.1 degrees Celsius and 44.5 degrees, respectively, the Met office said.

Rohtak sizzled at 46.2 degrees Celsius while Ambala and Karnal registered maximum temperatures of 44.8 degrees Celsius and 43.8 degrees, respectively.

Heatwave conditions intensified in Rajasthan on Monday, with several places recording maximum temperatures one to six notches higher than the previous day.

A spokesperson for the Jaipur Meteorological Centre said Ganganagar was the hottest place in the state with a high of 46.2 degrees Celsius, 4.9 notches above normal.

The maximum temperature in Pilani was 45.9 degrees Celsius, 6.5 notches above normal.

Churu and Karauli recorded highs of 45.4 degrees Celsius each, Dholpur 44.9 degrees, Alwar 44.8 degrees, Bikaner 44.3 degrees, and Bharatpur and Phalodi 44 degrees each.

The mercury crossed the 40 degrees Celsius mark in several other major cities.

The Met official said the minimum temperature in most places of the state was recorded 2 to 8.1 notches above normal.

The night temperature in major cities was noted between 28.6 and 37 degrees Celsius, he added.

Alwar recorded a low of 37 degrees Celsius, 4.9 notches above normal, while Phalodi registered a minimum temperature of 34.6 degrees, which was 8.1 notches above average.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Ranchi:

With around 36 hours remaining until voting begins in Jharkhand, dispatch of polling parties via trains and helicopters has commenced in Maoist-hit Singhbhum region, many areas of which are set to witness polling for the first time or after several decades.

Singhbhum LS seat is also home to Saranda, Asia’s densest Sal forest, which is one of the worst-hit left-wing extremism zones in the country.

“On Saturday, a total of 95 polling parties were dispatched via a special train from Chakradharpur to Rourkela. Upon reaching their destinations, namely Manoharpur, Jaraikela, and Posaita stations, they will continue their journey on vehicles and foot to reach their assigned polling stations,” West Singhbhum deputy commissioner-cum-district election officer Kuldeep Chaudhary told PTI.

Chaudhary said as many as 78 polling parties were also dispatched using helicopters.

“Three choppers were engaged simultaneously to ferry them to Maoist-hit and far-flung areas of Manoharpur and Jagannathpur assembly constituencies,” he added.

“In order to conduct free and fair polls, we are live tracking EVMs and polling parties through GPS-enabled vehicles,” he said, adding adequate security arrangements have been made and central forces including BSF and CAPF have arrived at Chakradharpur.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission in a post on X shared pictures, dispatches of polling parties and materials through train and said, “We are ready! Are you ready too. Polling parties in West Singhbhum district of Jharkhand getting dispatched to their polling centres through special trains.” “Taking to the skies for democracy: Polling teams winging it to Jharkhand’s remote corners. Ensuring Each Vote!,” the EC wrote in another post.

Taking to the skies for democracy: Polling teams winging it to Jharkhand’s remote corners. #Phase4#GeneralElections2024

Ensuring Each Vote! #YouAreTheOne

CEO Jharkhand #ChunavKaParv#DeshKaGarv#IVote4Surepic.twitter.com/mR5LurSPBh

— Election Commission of India (@ECISVEEP) May 11, 2024

“We are committed to ensuring that no voter is left out… we have identified many areas where polling will be conducted for the first time or after nearly two decades as these locations were badly affected by Maoist insurgency,” the EC said.

Polling stations such as Middle School, Nugdi, and Madhya Vidyalaya, Borero, will witness voting for the first time this election, the DC said.

“Many booths in challenging locations like Robokera, Binj, Thalkobad, Jaraikela, Roam, Rengrahatu, Hansabeda, and Chhotanagra have been earmarked for air dropping. In certain regions, polling parties will need to trek for 4-5 km. Our objective is to ensure comprehensive coverage, leaving no area untouched this time,” Chaudhary said.

Thalkobad and around two dozen other villages were earlier dubbed as “liberated zones” but the administration succeeded in establishing its presence through massive operations by security forces, including Operation Anaconda. A total of 15 new camps of security forces have been established in the region.

“Teams on foot have to reach cluster points and then go to polling stations. By 5.30 am on the polling date, all teams must reach the stations to conduct mock polling,” he said.

Singhbhum, a reserved constituency for Scheduled Tribes, boasts 14.32 lakh voters, with 7.27 lakh being women.

Geeta Kora, the incumbent MP and spouse of former chief minister Madhu Koda, has been nominated by the BJP, while MLA Joba Manjhi represents the INDIA bloc. Kora, formerly the sole Congress MP from Jharkhand, recently joined the BJP.

Singhbhum Lok Sabha constituency comprises six assembly constituencies – Seraikela, Chaibasa, Majhganon, Jagnathpur, Manoharpur, and Chakradharpur.

Apart from Seraikela, located in Seraikela-Kharsawan district, the remaining segments fall within West Singhbhum district.

Lok Sabha polls in Jharkhand are set to occur over four phases on May 13, 20, 25, and June 1. In the 2019 general elections, the BJP won 11 seats, with its ally AJSU securing one. Both the JMM and Congress also secured one seat each.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Ranchi:

A “record” seizure of cash, liquor and drugs worth over Rs 110 crore was made from Jharkhand in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections in the state, an official said on Tuesday.

The recovery includes a cash haul of around Rs 35 crore made by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday during raids at several locations, including the premises of a domestic help of a secretary of Jharkhand minister Alamgir Alam, he said.

“A staggering Rs 110.36 crore in cash, drugs, liquor and other items were seized in Jharkhand since the announcement of the Model Code of Conduct for the Lok Sabha polls,” Jharkhand Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), K Ravi Kumar, told PTI.

“This is the highest seizure amount so far in Jharkhand. In 2019, the cash recovery was only Rs 5 crore,” he said.

The general elections will be held in four phases in Jharkhand, beginning May 13.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached four immovable properties having a value of Rs 22.47 lakh belonging to Shashi Prakash and Jai Kishore Chaudhary (both Executive Engineers) in case of the MGNREGA scam in Jharkhand.

According to ED, this is the fourth provisional attachment order issued in the case.

The total properties worth Rs 106.86 crore, including this provisional order, have been attached/ seized till date in the subject case.

The probe agency had initiated an investigation on the basis of 16 FIRs registered by Jharkhand Police in reference to embezzlement of Rs 18 crore in MGNREGA work in Jharkhand’s Khunti district.

“Further, a chargesheet filed by Jharkhand Police revealed that Junior Engineer RBP Sinha, Assistant Engineer R.K. Jain (now deceased), Shashi Prakash and Jai Kishore Chaudhary, both executive engineers, were involved in the combined embezzlement of Rs 18.06 crore,” it said in a statement issued on Thursday.

Earlier, ED had conducted several searches under the provisions of PMLA on May 6, 2022, at the premises related to these engineers and also at the premises related to IAS Pooja Singhal, the then DC of Khunti district, during which huge cash of Rs 19.58 crore was recovered and seized.

“Further, three persons namely Ram Binod Prasad Sinha, Pooja Singhal and CA Suman Kumar have been arrested in this case and three prosecution complaints have already been filed against Sinha, Singhal, Abhishek Jha, Jai Kishore Chaudhary, R.K. Jain (deceased), Shashi Prakash and CA Kumar before the Special (PMLA) Court, Ranchi wherein trial is under progress,” it added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)