QBullet: PM Promises Benami Property Law; Yadav Feud Resurfaces

Read top headlines from across the country in The Quint’s newswrap.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the government plans to operationalise a strong law to effectively deal with benami properties. (Photo: IANS)

1. 32 Pilgrims Injured in Sabarimala Temple Stampede

Injured devotees being treated in a hospital after the Sabarimala temple stampede. (Photo: PTI)

At least 32 pilgrims were injured in a stampede at Sabarimala Temple on Sunday evening.

The stampede occurred when a rope, which was used as a barricade, snapped in the rush of pilgrims, police said. Some of the pilgrims fell down and were injured in the stampede that followed. Two of the injured are said to be in critical condition.

Temple Affairs Minister Kadakampally Surendran said the government would ensure treatment for the injured. “The situation is under control and more police have been deployed,” he said.

(Source: The Indian Express)

Also Read:
At Least 25 Pilgrims Injured in Stampede at Sabarimala Temple
Not Just Varanasi, Stampede Deaths in India Etch a Sorry Tale

2. After Note Ban, PM Modi Promises Law Against Benami Property Soon

Prime Minister Narendra Modi made the announcement during his Mann Ki Baat radio address. (File photo: AP)

Vowing to carry forward the war against corruption and black money post-demonetisation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the government will soon operationalise a strong law to effectively deal with benami properties.

Making his last monthly address this year in his Mann ki Baat programme, he defended the frequent changes in the rules of demonetisation, saying these have been done to reduce the people's problems and defeat forces who are out to thwart his government's fight against black money and corruption.

(Source: PTI)

Also Read:
In PM Modi’s Varanasi, Benarasi Sarees Lose Sheen After Note Ban
Mann ki Baat: PM Modi Thanks People for Bearing Note Ban ‘Pain’

3. Akhilesh Yadav Undermines Shivpal Yadav in Ticket Distribution; Hands Over His List of 403 Candidates to Mulayam

Ditching uncle Shivpal Singh Yadav in ticket distribution, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday handed over his own list of 403 candidates to his father Mulayam Singh Yadav, ANI reported.

CM Akhilesh Yadav has also conveyed his opinion to party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav regarding 181 declared seats.

Akhilesh’s uncle and party’s Uttar Pradesh unit chief Shivpal Yadav has already submitted a list of 175 candidates.

Earlier in the day, Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav appointed controversial Uttar Pradesh Cabinet minister Gayatri Prasad Prajapati as the party’s national secretary.

(Source: The Financial Express)

Also Read: Akhilesh-Rahul Game for an Alliance, But Will Mulayam Allow it?

4. Mercedes 'Killer' Says Girl Shot Herself After Argument

Shubham Gupta in police custody. (Photo Courtesy: Twitter/@KarnHT)

Hours after being arrested, Shubham Gupta – accused of gunning down 17-year-old Simran in Najafgarh area - tried to convince the police that the teenager had killed herself after their argument over her affair with ex-boyfriend Nitin.

Police have, however, confronted him with ballistic evidence that shows that the pistol was shot from a distance.

Sources said that Gupta at first admitted to having shot Simran, but later changed his statement and claimed she had shot herself.

He tried to convince the investigators that during the heated exchange Simran had pulled out the pistol and held it against her chest to convince him that she was not lying about Nitin.

(Source: The Times of India)

Also Read: Teen Girl Shot Dead in Mercedes: Delhi Police Nab ‘Jealous’ Friend

5. ED Questions CFO of AirAsia India in FEMA Case

ED has questioned AirAsia India’s Chief Financial Officer in connection with an alleged forex violation case. (Photo Courtesy: Twitter/@VikashViews)

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has questioned AirAsia India's Chief Financial Officer (CFO) in Mumbai in connection with an alleged forex violation case.

Officials said the CFO, Ankur Khanna, was questioned by the investigating officer of the case earlier in the week and his statement was recorded under the provisions of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).

ED is probing ousted Tata Group Chairman Cyrus Mistry's allegation that fraudulent transactions of Rs 22 crore, involving non-existent entities in India and Singapore, were carried out in an instance involving the airlines.

(Source: The Times of India)

6. Mufti Orders Review of Cases Against Youth; Kashmir Daily Ban to be Lifted

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti. (Photo: PTI)

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti ordered review of the cases filed against the youths who were not involved in “serious crimes” during the over five-month-long unrest in the Valley.

An official spokesperson said Mehbooba gave directions in this regard at a meeting called to review the pace of development works in south Kashmir.

Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir government has decided to revoke its ban on Srinagar-based English daily Kashmir Reader and allow it to resume publication after shutting it down for three months.

(Source: The Indian Express, The Financial Express)

7. Dal Lake Freezes Over as Temperatures Dip Across J&K

Cold wave continued across Kashmir as minimum temperature remained below the freezing point, even as Srinagar recorded a low of minus 3.2 degree Celsius last night, officials reported on Sunday.

On the fifth day of 40-day-long harshest winter period, called Chilai-Kalan, the Dal Lake in Srinagar and most other water bodies in the Valley were again seen partially frozen.

(Source: India Today)

Also Read: Snowfall in Himachal and Kashmir Brings Winter Chill in Delhi

8. Election 2017: Sarabjit Singh's Sister Joins BJP in Punjab; Raj Babbar Rules Out Pre-Poll Alliance

Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi with Raj Babbar during a road show in Agra. (Photo: IANS)

Dalbir Kaur, the sister of prisoner Sarabjit Singh who died in a Pakistan jail, joined the BJP on Sunday at a farmers’ rally dedicated to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his 92nd birthday.

Kaur was welcomed by Punjab BJP chief Vijay Sampla. She told reporters:

I am highly impressed with the working of our Prime Minister and his policies for the poor and weaker sections. So I took this decision to join the party today.

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Raj Babbar on Sunday ruled out any alliance between the state Congress and any other party for the upcoming elections.

Babbar said the state Congress is "capable enough" to fight elections on its own and ruled out any alliance with any party in the coming Assembly polls slated next year.

(Source: The Indian Express, News18)

Also Read:
In Pics: When Aishwarya Rai Met Sarabjit’s Sister Dalbir Kaur
Has Demonetisation Paid Off? Modi’s Real Test is the UP Elections

9. 92 Dead After Syria-Bound Russian Military Plane Crashes Near Sochi

File image of Tu-154. (Photo : AP)

A Russian military plane carrying 92 people, including dozens of Red Army Choir singers, dancers and orchestra members, crashed into the Black Sea on its way to Syria on Sunday, killing everyone on board, Russian authorities said.

The Russian Defence Ministry said one of its TU-154 Tupolev planes had disappeared from radar screens at 0225 GMT, two minutes after taking off from Sochi in southern Russia, where it had stopped to refuel from Moscow, on its way to Syria.

(Source: Reuters)

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