Elections in Karnataka have increasingly become bipolar, with 77% of the seats recording bipolar contests in 2018

Muzaffarnagar:

The disappearance of a bride-to-be just hours before her wedding in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar district, a police complaint alleging abduction, and a social media post about her “death” sent investigators into a tizzy and sparked a massive manhunt, which ended after the woman was found in Madhya Pradesh’s Gwalior.

According to police sources, the chaos began on Tuesday evening, when the woman, Sushmana Sharma left her house to visit a beauty parlour, just hours before her marriage with Bharat Bhushan.

After the woman failed to return home and could not be traced, her family filed a police complaint, alleging she was abducted.

However, in a bid to save face in front of guests and relatives, the groom’s family posted on social media that the wedding could not take place as Sushmana died of a heart attack, the sources said.

The social media post, the sources added, went viral as netizens extended their sympathies to the groom’s family over the “devastating” development. 

The inconsistent claims by the woman’s family and the groom’s side left police puzzled, prompting them to launch a thorough investigation into the matter. 

New Mandi Circle Officer Rupali Roy Chowdhary told reporters that with the help of CCTV footage, the investigators tracked the bride’s movement and after hours of an intensive search, found her in Gwalior at around 8am on Wednesday. 

“Immediately upon receiving information about the woman’s disappearance, the police registered a case and formed two teams to trace her. She was found in Gwalior the following morning,” Ms Chowdhary said. 

The police did not provide any details but the sources said the woman escaped because she was not ready to marry Bharat. The sources also said the woman escaped with the help of a female friend. 

Asked about the rumour about the woman’s death on social media, Ms Chowdhary said: “A probe is underway.” 

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday (February 18, 2025) expressed hope that the opposition, frustrated by electoral defeat, would not disrupt the Budget Session but rather contribute positively to the smooth conduct of legislative proceedings. file
| Photo Credit: PTI

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday (February 18, 2025) expressed hope that the opposition, frustrated by electoral defeat, would not disrupt the Budget Session but rather contribute positively to the smooth conduct of legislative proceedings.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the start of the Budget Session (2025-26), Mr. Adityanath said the governor’s address and the presentation of the budget are crucial events where every member, including the opposition, can put forth their views effectively.

“Accusations or unparliamentary conduct cannot solve problems,” he added.

The Chief Minister assured that the government is fully prepared to respond factually to any issue the opposition raises.

He said that the assembly should serve as a platform for meaningful discussions rather than being marred by baseless accusations or unruly conduct.

Mr. Adityanath expressed confidence that the governor’s address would mark the beginning of a disciplined and constructive approach from the opposition.

“We hope to see the opposition and all members conduct themselves in a manner that strengthens public faith in democratic values,” he said.

The Chief Minister stated that the session would commence with the governor’s address followed by discussions on it.

The Uttar Pradesh Budget for 2025-26 will be presented on February 20.

He said that the session, scheduled from February 18 to March 5, would cover key legislative business, including the passage of the state budget, deliberations on grants, and discussions on public welfare and development issues.

Mr. Adityanath highlighted that rarely in Uttar Pradesh’s history has the assembly been convened for such an extended duration.

He stressed that ensuring the smooth conduct of proceedings is not just the ruling party’s responsibility but also that of the opposition.

“The House should be a platform for discussion and debate,” he asserted.

The Chief Minister also pointed out the significant transformation in Uttar Pradesh’s perception on a national and global scale under the BJP-led double-engine government over the past eight years.

“These achievements will be reflected in the governor’s address and assembly discussions,” he added.

He said while Uttar Pradesh is emerging as a centre of attraction globally, a despondent opposition often tries to avoid discussions on such developments.

He urged the opposition to engage in constructive debates, stating that the budget session could be highly productive if they contribute positively.

The session, scheduled until March 5, will provide a platform for members to discuss the governor’s address, raise key issues, deliberate on general and grant demands, and facilitate the passage of important legislative proposals.

Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak were also present during the interaction along with cabinet ministers Suresh Khanna and Dharampal Singh and Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Singh.

Jhansi:

An illustration by a four-year-old girl, whose mother was found dead in Uttar Pradesh’s Jhansi on Monday, has raised suspicion that the woman was assaulted and murdered by her husband, after years of alleged harassment, the police said. 

The incident, which took place at Panchavati Shiv Parivar Colony under Kotwali area of ​​Jhansi, came to light when the 27-year-old woman’s in-laws told her family that she died by suicide. A drawing and a statement of the woman’s daughter, however, suggested that she was killed by her husband, and her body was hanged to make it appear as a suicide.

The woman was identified as Sonali Budholia and her husband, a medical representative, as Sandeep Budholia. Their daughter’s name is Darshita.

“Papa assaulted and killed mummy. He then said ‘die if you want to’. He hanged her body and hit her head with a stone. Later, he brought down the body and dumped it inside a sack,” Darshita, who later lit the pyre, told reporters, as she showed a drawing of the purported assault. 

The child also alleged that her father had threatened to kill her mother earlier. “I had told him once that if you touch my mother, I will break your hand. He used to beat her, saying she should die and that I should meet the same fate as her,” she said. 

Sonali’s father Sanjeev Tripathi, a resident of Tikamgarh district in Madhya Pradesh, said she and Sandeep got married in 2019 but have since shared a troubled relationship.

“On the wedding day, I gave them Rs 20 lakh in cash as dowry but days later, Sandeep and his family began making new demands. They wanted a car. I told them it is beyond my means to buy them a car. He and his family then started assaulting my daughter. I even approached the police over this once and we had arrived at a compromise,” he said.

The situation, however, worsened after Sonali gave birth to a girl, Sanjeev said. “Sandeep wanted a boy. After the delivery, he and his family left my daughter alone in the hospital. I had to go to the nursing home to complete the payment. I took her home. Sandeep came a month later to receive Sonali and Darshita,” he said. 

Sanjeev said recently, Sonali was attending her cousin’s wedding in Jhansi’s Samthar when Sandeep called and asked her to return home. 

“This morning, I got a call, saying my daughter’s health has deteriorated. After some time, I received another call, saying she hung herself. As soon as I reached there, I learnt that she was dead,” he said. 

Kotwali City Police officer Ramveer Singh said the body has been sent for an autopsy and the report is awaited.

“We got a call about the woman’s death at her husband’s house under mysterious circumstances. Her parents have alleged that she was murdered. We are probing the case,” Mr Singh said.

(With inputs from Vinod Kumar Gautam)

New Delhi:

The Supreme Court on Monday directed Uttar Pradesh authorities to respond as to why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against them for razing a portion of a mosque at Kushinagar in alleged disobedience of the apex court’s direction.

A bench of Justices B R Gavai and Augustine George Masih also directed that until further orders, there shall be no demolition of the structure in question.

The bench passed the order while hearing a contempt plea against the authorities concerned in Kushinagar for their alleged wilful disobedience and failure to comply with the top court’s November 13 last year directions.

In its November 13, 2024 verdict, the top court laid down pan-India guidelines and barred demolition of properties without a prior show cause notice and 15 days’ time to the aggrieved party to respond.

The fresh petition, filed through advocate Abdul Qadir Abbasi, said the authorities had demolished the outer and front area of the Madni mosque in Kushinagar on February 9.

Senior advocate Huzefa Ahmadi, appearing for the petitioners, said the structure in question was constructed on a private land owned by the petitioners.

He said the construction was with due sanction of municipal authorities according to a sanction order of 1999.

Ahmadi argued that the demolition was carried out in “egregious contempt” of the directions issued by the apex court in its November last year judgement.

“Issue notice as to why proceedings for contempt should not be initiated against the respondents,” the bench said and posted the matter for hearing after two weeks.

“It is further directed that until further orders, there shall be no demolition of the structure,” the top court said.

At the outset, the bench told Ahmadi that the apex court was asking the petitioners alleging contempt in demolition matters to approach the jurisdictional high courts with their grievances.

While referring to the directions issued by the top court in its last year verdict, the senior advocate said, “Please see the manner in which they have demolished this (structure).” The plea alleged that the demolition was carried out without following the due legal process and in clear contravention of the guidelines issued by the top court.

It claimed the authorities failed to provide the mandatory opportunity of a hearing to the petitioners before proceeding with the demolition.

“This act of proceeding without affording opportunity of hearing is a violation of the fundamental principles of natural justice, which were explicitly expected to be followed by the authorities, as outlined in the directions issued by this court,” the plea said.

“The administration, by taking such an action in haste, has shown complete disregard for the religious sentiments of the local Muslim community, who rely on this structure for their religious practices,” it said.

The plea said the land on which the mosque was build upon was purchased by the petitioners through registered sale deeds dated June 29, 1988, March 28, 1989, June 30, 1989 and February 23, 2013. It said the map for construction of mosque was sanctioned in September 1999 by the nagar panchayat, Hata.

The plea alleged that a local politician had lodged a complaint in December last year claiming encroachment of the land in question.

It said the SDM of Hata had carried out an inspection and filed a detailed report which said there was no encroachment by the petitioners.

The plea sought direction to the authorities to maintain status quo at the mosque.

It also sought directions for restoration or suitable compensation to rectify the situation caused by the demolition.

Passing a slew of directions, the apex court in its November 2024 verdict made clear that they would not be applicable in case of unauthorised structures in a public spaces such as roads, streets, footpaths, abutting railway lines or a river or water bodies apart from cases where there was a court order for demolition.

“No demolition should be carried out without a prior show cause notice returnable either in accordance with the time provided by the local municipal laws or within 15 days time from the date of service of such notice, whichever is later,” said the top court verdict.

The judgement had come on plea seeking guidelines on demolition of properties.

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

New Delhi:

Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav has urged the Uttar Pradesh government to extend the duration of the Maha Kumbh, citing the overwhelming number of devotees on the roads still hoping to attend. Mr Yadav claimed that in previous years, the Maha Kumbh and Kumbh Mela lasted for 75 days, whereas the current schedule is shorter. 

“Even now, many people want to go to Maha Kumbh but cannot. In such a situation, the government should extend the time limit of Maha Kumbh,” Mr Yadav said.

Visuals on social media show packed trains, congested roads and massive crowds all heading to the Maha Kumbh. Earlier this week, roads leading to the Maha Kumbh Mela witnessed severe traffic congestion stretching for kilometres. The Prayagraj Sangam railway station was forced to shut down temporarily due to the overwhelming crowd.

Mr Yadav also accused the state government of concealing the true number of deaths caused by a stampede at the Maha Kumbh last month. 

The Maha Kumbh, the world’s largest spiritual gathering, began on January 13 and is set to conclude on February 26, coinciding with Maha Shivaratri. According to state government data, over 50 crore people have taken holy dip at the Sangam till Friday evening – which is more than the combined population of Russia and the United States. 

Over 92 lakh had taken a dip till 6 pm on Friday alone, pushing the overall footfall at Maha Kumbh past 50 crore (till February 14), the state government said. 

Uttar Pradesh:

A disturbing visual of dogs eating a newborn’s head has stirred controversy in Uttar Pradesh’s Lalitpur. Dogs were seen tearing apart the newborn baby at the Lalitpur Medical College on Tuesday. By the time people could chase away the dogs, they had already eaten the child’s head. The hospital administration has shrugged off the responsibility and alleged family for the negligence.

The baby was born at the District Women’s Hospital at Lalitpur Medical College on Sunday (February 9). The child was born underweight and unwell due to which he was admitted to the Special Newborn Care Unit (SNCU).

“The child was born with congenital defects,” said Dr Meenakshi Singh, Chief Medical Officer. “The child’s head wasn’t fully developed. He didn’t have a spine either and weighed 1.3kg. He was alive and had a heart rate of 80 beats per minute (bpm) when we moved him to SNCU. We were not sure if the child would survive,” she added.

Unfortunately, the child died by the evening. The body was handed over to the family.

“The child’s aunt took the body. We have the receiving with a thumb impression of the aunt,” said Dr Singh.

On Tuesday afternoon, the hospital administration got news of the dog attack. Upon investigation, a child’s headless body was found on the ground. The hospital administration has alleged that the family abandoned the dead body.

“We believe the family threw the child’s body in a plastic bag. The child had the hospital tag attached which is how we could identify,” said Dr Singh.

The body was removed hours before the police were informed.

Lalitpur Medical College Principal D Nath has formed a committee of four doctors and issued an order to send the complete investigation report related to the newborn within 24 hours.

This is not the first time the hospital has come under scrutiny. Reports of negligence were reported in the past as well. There have been complaints of the hospital chasing away pregnant women and misbehaving with them.

New Delhi:

Congress’s Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has been summoned by a court in Lucknow in connection with his alleged derogatory remarks against the Indian Army during his Bharat Jodo Yatra.

Mr Gandhi will have to appear before the Lucknow MP MLA court — a special court that can try cases against MPs and MLAs — in the last week of March. 

Former director of Border Road Organization or BRO Uday Shankar Srivastava had filed the complaint against Mr Gandhi on basis of which the defamation case was registered. 

Mr Gandhi had apparently made the remarks on the Indian Army during his Bharat Jodo Yatra in December 2022.

The comment that “Chinese soldiers are beating up Indian Army personnel in Arunachal Pradesh” – a dig at the government over Chinese action at the Line of Actual Control — drew sharp criticism from many quarters and led to a massive political row.

Many BJP leaders had declared that Mr Gandhi as anti-national, accused his family of receiving Chinese hospitality and funds in the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation.

It did not deter Mr Gandhi who continued to target the government over the China issue. 

In March 2023, Mr Gandhi was barred from attending for a while after he was found guilty in a defamation case for a remark targetting Prime Minister M Narendra Modi over his last name. The Gujarat court which was hearing the case, sentenced him to a two-year jail term. 

Though the sentence was suspended, the duration was exactly what was needed to bar leaders from parliament, the Opposition pointed out, calling it a conspiracy against the Congress leader. 

Mr Gandhi later received relief from the Supreme Court, which put his conviction on hold, pointing out that the trial judge has awarded the maximum sentence of two years in the case. If the sentence was a day lesser, it would not have attracted disqualification, the court had added in its judgment.

Sonbhadra:

Six people lost their lives and three others sustained injuries after a collision between an SUV and a truck in Ranitali village, under Hathinala police station limits here on Sunday, officials said.

The accident occurred around 7:30 pm on the Varanasi-Shaktinagar State Highway when a truck crossed the divider, veered into the opposite lane and collided head-on with a Hyundai Creta car going from Chhattisgarh towards Robertsganj.

According to Superintendent of Police Ashok Kumar Meena, the deceased include four occupants of the car, the truck driver and the driver of another vehicle crossing the road.

Among the identified victims are Sanaullah Khalifa (40), a resident of Ramanujganj, Chhattisgarh, and Ravi Mishra (45) of Medical College Ambikapur, Chhattisgarh. Another victim, Umashankar Patel, son of the late Banarasi Patel, was a truck driver from Adalhat, Mirzapur. The identities of the three other deceased remain unknown.

The injured include two women and a man, who were rushed to the district hospital by police teams from Hathinala and Duddhi police stations. Given the severity of their injuries, they are being referred to a higher medical center.

Meanwhile, the bodies of the deceased have been sent to the Duddhi mortuary.

Senior police officials inspected the accident site and an investigation is underway to determine the exact cause of the truck’s deviation into the opposite lane.

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