Kupwara attack: Militants strike Army camp near LoC, Captain is among 3 personnel killed

Two militants were gunned down by troops while a third slipped away, leaving behind his weapon.

Near the Army camp in Kupwara which was attacked by militants early Thursday. Source: Shuaib Masoodi

Three Army personnel including a Captain were killed and five others injured when heavily armed militants sneaked into an artillery camp after snipping perimeter wire fences and opened fire in the early hours of Thursday in Panzgam in Kupwara district of north Kashmir.

Two militants were gunned down by troops while a third slipped away, leaving behind his weapon. Officers said there was every possibility that the militants had come from across the Line of Control.

Panzgam is located close to the LoC on the Kupwara-Chowkidar highway, around 20 km from Kupwara town, and houses the rear base — administrative and logistics base for units operationally deployed on the LoC — of nine Army units. The camp is marked by two tiers of barbed-wire fencing, separated by 50-100 meters.

The personnel killed in the attack were identified as Captain Ayush Yadav (26), Subedar Bhoop Singh Gujjar (46) and Naik Bhoota Venkata Ramanna (38). The five who were injured were flown to the Army Base Hospital at the Badami Bagh Cantonment in Srinagar.

Colonel Saurav Joshi, Commanding Officer, Artillery Regiment, said three militants sneaked into the camp from the rear end and began moving towards the residential areas of the camp.

“The militants, who entered the camp after cutting the barbed wire (fencing), were engaged by soldiers. Two militants were killed after intense firing. Another militant who was injured managed to escape, taking advantage of the dark,” he said.

Joshi said three AK-47 rifles were recovered after the gunbattle. “The injured militant will be tracked down soon. The Army is trying to ascertain the identities of the slain militants. They could be foreigners,’’ he said.

The attack took place around 4.30 am. The militants, who were dressed in black Pathani suits with camouflage-pattern sleeveless jackets, had breached two layers of fencing. They fired an Under Barrel Grenade Launcher (UBGL) which led to the death of Naik Bhoota Venkata who was in the perimeter patrol team.

The militants then moved towards the shelters where officers were staying and opened fire. A Quick Response Team engaged the militants. In the encounter that followed, Captain Ayush Yadav and Subedar Bhoop Singh Gujjar lost their lives while five other soldiers were injured.

No backpacks were found on the dead militants. During the search, three AK-47 rifles were recovered, along with nine magazines and 156 rounds, one Chinese pistol, one UBGL, two GPS sets and a smartphone. The recovery of three AK-47 pointed to the presence of at least another militant who managed to escape.

Sajjan Jindal holds secret talks with Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif

News that a three-member Indian delegation had secretly met Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in Muree on Wednesday rocked Islamabad on Thursday afternoon.

Pakistani news channel ARY News, which broke the story, reported that the Indian steel tycoon and JSW Group chairman Sajjan Jindal was among three Indians who called on Sharif in Murree on Wednesday.

The delegation “reached Islamabad from Kabul in a special aircraft at 10 am on Wednesday from where they travelled to Murree by road in three vehicles to meet Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif,” the report said.

The other two members of the delegation were identified as Suket Singhal and Virander Babar Singh, “but details relating to their ranks and affiliation could not be established”, the channel said.

Other media outlets picked up the story, and the Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) lawmaker in the Punjab Assembly, Mian Mehmood-ul-Rasheed, reportedly tabled a resolution demanding that Sharif comes clean about the meeting.

“We are concerned over the visit. Prime Minister Sharif has business relations with Indians,” a PTI spokesperson said.

Pakistani analysts and the media speculated that the Indian team had either come with a special message from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, or had come to negotiate the release of former Indian naval officer Kulbhushan Jadhav, who a Pakistani military court has alleged was an Indian spy and awarded the death sentence.

According to one report, Sajjan Jindal had reportedly played a key role in arranging the surprise meeting between Nawaz Sharif and Narendra Modi in Raiwind on December 25, 2016. Sources further claimed that Jindal was a guest at the wedding ceremony of Sharif’s granddaughter.

Finally, at 7.38 pm on Thursday, Sharif’s daughter Maryam Nawaz went on Twitter to confirm the meeting.

“Mr. Jindal is an old friend of the Prime Minister. Nothing ‘secret’ about the meeting & should not be blown out of proportion. Thank you,” Maryam Nawaz tweeted.

As rift begins within AAP, BJP shuts its doors to defectors

New Delhi, April 28, 2017 | UPDATED 06:03 IST

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Highly placed BJP sources told Mail Today on Thursday that at least six AAP MLAs approached the party's Delhi leadership immediately after the MCD poll results, but were turned away.After being rejected by Delhi voters in this month's municipal elections, the Aam Aadmi Party is battling to stay united and stay relevant. While buzz about a possible split is growing louder, the victorious Bharatiya Janata Party says it has shut its doors to defectors.

The Arvind Kejriwal-led party stormed to power in Delhi two years ago as it buried the BJP and Congress under a landslide. But it stood a distant second in the civic elections with the Bharatiya Janata Party riding the Narendra Modi wave one more time to a thumping win.

AAP MLAS KNOCK BJP'S DOORS?

"Six AAP MLAs had approached the party leadership, seeking time to meet Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari," a BJP leader said. "They wanted to discuss the political developments in the wake of the civic poll results. They said they were also willing to join the BJP. But the party leadership has refused to meet them."

City BJP leaders said the party was averse to take any AAP legislator to its fold primarily for two reasons. First, the BJP has gained immensely on the development plank of PM Narendra Modi and there was no need to rely on support from AAP defectors.

Secondly, AAP has been extremely critical of the BJP and its top leaders including Modi and party president Amit Shah. "With the BJP riding high on a Modi wave, entry of AAP leaders in the BJP camp would dampen the spirit of the party cadre," BJP leaders said. "We cannot take leaders from a party which has been bitterly critical of our top leaders."

"The BJP is firm on its stand. No defector will be allowed in the party after the election results lest we should be accused of hatching conspiracies or poaching," said the BJP leader.

WAIT AND WATCH

The party has decided to wait and watch the situation in the AAP. Meanwhile, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday called a meeting of all party MLAs and the newly-elected 48 MCD councilors, and congratulated them on their win.

The developments emerged amid reports that embattled AAP convener Kejriwal told his partymen "not to lose heart" from the embarrassing loss and "get back to serving the people of Delhi the way they were doing."

"Be vigilant, be honest, be brave. Also be sure to secretly record any offers made by the BJP to switch sides," he says in a video posted on YouTube.

Kejriwal concludes his address by leading his audience in an oath which amounts to, "With God as my witness, I pledge never to ditch this pure party or betray the (anticorruption) movement."

RIFT WITHIN AAP

The rift within AAP is palpable after the election results. While there has been no vocal protest so far, a number of party leaders have been questioning Kejriwal's style of functioning. "AAP contested all elections with Kejriwal as its face. But responsibility has to be fixed for repeated electoral defeats. At the same time, the party organisation should be strengthened instead of creating a personality cult," said some leaders, requesting anonymity.

Senior Punjab AAP leader Sanjay Singh resigned on Thursday along with his deputy Durgesh Pathak. "I have submitted my resignation as the party in-charge of Punjab to AAP's national convener Arvind Kejriwal. Durgesh (Pathak) has also submitted his resignation as co-incharge," Singh said in a tweet.

Another senior leader in Delhi, Ashish Talwar, also resigned from his post. The party made transport minister Gopal Rai the Delhi convener on Thursday following Dilip Pandey resigning from the post immediately after the MCD poll debacle on Wednesday

After the meeting at the CM's residence, AAP legislator Vishesh Ravi said, "It's been decided that the MLAs will go back to the people and try to find out where the communication gap between the legislators and them has occurred."

Amazon Echo with built-in screen rumored for next month

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Amazon has just announced the Echo Look, a device that uses a camera to keep you looking your best. It’s a bit of a crazy idea, but it also serves as an indication of how digital assistants can evolve to fit more specific needs. What’s the next step? “A person familiar with plans” has told CNET the popular online retailer is planning to launch yet another Echo product; one that will come with a built-in screen.

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Amazon Echo vs Dot vs Tap: Which is right for you?

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The source states the Echo team may be feeling pressured after Google’s announcement that its device can recognize different users. This may be pushing Amazon to launch its upcoming project sooner than expected as it tries to keep up with competition. In fact, he says this screen-bearing device could launch as soon as next month, but the release date is not set just yet.

Amazon had good head start in this business, but Google is definitely catching up with great features, sound quality and a competitiveve price tag. This move could be part of Amazon’s efforts to make itself stand out in this market.

Now we have to wonder what this screen will exactly do. I could see it becoming a good recipe tool, news hub or security camera monitor.

This 106-yr-old from Andhra is world’s oldest YouTuber; and she’s winning hearts with her cooking videos

Mastanamma’s YouTube channel is managed by her grandson, who fondly describes the food as ‘made by my grandma’. (Source: Country Foods/YouTube)

We have often seen people getting instant fame on the Internet and becoming YouTube, Facebook sensations overnight. While social media is often seen as something that fascinates youngsters more, this 106-year-old YouTuber from Andhra Pradesh is breaking all such prejudices with her cooking videos.

Reportedly, Mastanamma shot to fame after people started taking notice of her interesting cooking skills on YouTube. On her channel Country Foods, she is often seen making local delicacies using easily available flavours of the state. For over 250,000 subscribers (and the numbers are growing), Mastanamma cooks up delicious egg dosas, fish fry to bamboo chicken biryani in the videos — all from scratch!

ALSO READ | Heaven On Your Plate: From kebabs to biryani, food is serious business in Lucknow

Her YouTube channel is managed by her great grandson, K Laxman, who fondly describes the food as ‘made by my grandma’.

A look through the comments section on her channel will show how Mastanamma is not just a regional celebrity, but there is love pouring in for her from people across the world.

Reportedly hailing from Gudiwada in the Krishna district from Andhra Pradesh, the grandmother likes to do all her household works on her own and generally denies any assistance from the youngsters. As much as she is a YouTube celebrity, she is also known to be one of the typical Indian grandmothers who would make sure that everyone is well fed and full.

Bhupinder Singh Hooda fails in bid to block report on Dhingra probe into land deals

FORMER HARYANA Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda Thursday failed in his bid to get the Punjab and Haryana High Court to issue an order restraining The Economic Times from purportedly publishing the contents of the Justice S N Dhingra report on alleged irregularities in allotment of land licences in Gurgaon.

Hooda withdrew his plea after the court said it had no jurisdiction in the matter.

Among the deals scrutinised by the Dhingra Commission were those related to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra, his company Skylight Hospitality and real estate major DLF.

On September 1, 2016, The Indian Express had reported that the Dhingra Commission, constituted by the Haryana government in May 2015 to probe grant of commercial licences in four villages of Gurgaon to real estate companies, including M/s Skylight Hospitality, had found “gross procedural irregularities in allotment of licences”.

Hours after the court turned down Hooda’s plea, Vadra’s wife Priyanka Gandhi Vadra issued a statement that the source of funds for the land she bought and sold in Faridabad “has no relationship whatsoever with Shri Robert Vadra’s finances and/or Skylight Hospitality and no relationship whatsoever with DLF.”

Hooda, the Congress leader from Rohtak, is being probed by the state vigilance department and CBI for allegedly manipulating land allotment rules and regulations in Gurgaon during his two consecutive-term tenure as chief minister from 2005-2014.

In his report, Justice Dhingra, sources said, indicted certain senior officials who were posted in the Town and Country Planning (T&CP) department and the office of the Chief Minister and recommended registration of FIRs against officials in some cases of grant of commercial licences.

However, before the state government could table the report in Vidhan Sabha — a mandatory requirement under Commission of Inquiry Act — Hooda approached the high court challenging the constitution of the commission.

Responding to Hooda’s plea, Haryana Advocate General Baldev Raj Mahajan repeatedly gave undertakings in court that the report’s contents would not be made public. The court subsequently ordered an interim stay and barred the the state government from releasing the report.

In Thursday’s plea, Hooda’s counsel stated: “It has also been reliably learnt that a newspaper i.e. Economic Times… is going to publish tomorrow a news item based upon and containing contents of the Commission of Inquiry Report dated 31.08.2016, publication of which has already been restrained on the categoric assurance of the learned Advocate General, Haryana.”

The press release issued by Priyanka Gandhi’s office stated: “Six years prior to the purported “land deal involving Skylight Hospitality” on April 28, 2006, Smt. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra purchased 40 Kanal 00 Marla (5 acres) of agricultural land in Village Amipur, Tehsil Faridabad, District Faridabad in Haryana.

“The land was purchased for a total purchase price of Rs 15,00,000 paid for entirely by cheque, which is the equivalent of Rs 3,00,000 per acre. The source of funds for the aforesaid purchase was rental income of Smt. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra from property inherited by her from her grandmother Smt. Indira Gandhi. The source of funds for this or any other property acquired by Smt. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has no relationship whatsoever with Shri Robert Vadra’s finances and/or Skylight Hospitality and no relationship whatsoever with DLF.”

“…Smt. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra resold the said land to the original vendor pursuant to a right of first refusal on February 17, 2010 (four years later) for a sale price of Rs 80,00,000 entirely by cheque which is the equivalent of Rs 16,00,000 (Rupees Sixteen Lacs) per acre and was the prevailing market rate at that time.”

Last year, The Indian Express had reported that the Dhingra Commission is said to have cited several instances of approvals and plans being changed to benefit builders. “In many cases, real estate companies were allowed to get revised plans approved while in some cases, the policy was changed to grant benefit to the chosen companies. The files show a clear pattern of senior officers in the office of the previous Chief Minister (Bhupinder Singh Hooda) writing on file,” sources said.

Sources said the files perused by the Commission showed that master plans were changed — in some cases, more than once — to allegedly benefit companies. The Commission also found instances of the government sitting on files seeking grant of licences for unusually long periods.

Survey finds Karnataka the most corrupt state

NEW DELHI: Karnataka occupies the first slot in a list of states perceived to be corrupt on the basis of people's experience in paying bribes for public services, a survey conducted by an NGO has revealed. Karnataka is followed by Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Jammu & Kashmir and Punjab.1

The Centre for Media Studies survey, which covered 20 states, found Himachal Pradesh, Kerala and Chhattisgarh to be the least corrupt. The report said around one-third of the households experienced corruption in public services at least once during the last one year in comparison to about 53% of households that admitted to paying bribes during a similar study in 2005.

The survey covered 3,000 odd persons, both in urban and rural areas. It also claimed that more than half of the respondents felt that the level of corruption had decreased in public services during the demonetisation phase of November and December 2016.

The report estimated that the total bribe paid by households across 20 states and 10 public services was Rs 6,350 crore in 2017 as against Rs 20,500 crore in 2005. However, the study indicated how a lot still remained to be done to reduce corruption in public services.