A 45-year-old man died on his way to a hospital in Uttar Pradesh&#39;s Saharanpur district after the 108 ambulance carrying him allegedly ran out of oxygen.

The unfortunate incident happened on Friday. However, the accusations made by his family were false, the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of the hospital BS Sodhi said.&nbsp;

&quot;Family&#39;s allegations seem to be false as Emergency Medical Technician says oxygen cylinder went empty only in end, will still inquire,&quot; Sodhi said.

Although, a helper in the ambulance also admitted that there was shortage of oxygen in the emergency vehicle.

Just last month, a man was forced to carry the dead body of a relative on his shoulder after being allegedly denied an ambulance by a government hospital in Uttar Pradesh&#39;s Sambhal city.

Following that, the family carried the body on a motorcycle towards their home for the final rites.

The unfortunate incident happened on Friday. However, the accusations made by his family were false, the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of the hospital BS Sodhi said

A 45-year-old man died on his way to a hospital in Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur district after the 108 ambulance carrying him allegedly ran out of oxygen. The unfortunate incident happened on Friday. However, the accusations made by his family were false, the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of the hospital BS Sodhi said. "Family's allegations seem to be false as Emergency Medical Technician says oxygen cylinder went empty only in end, will still inquire," Sodhi said. Although, a helper in the ambulance also admitted that there was shortage of oxygen in the emergency vehicle. Just last month, a man was forced to carry the dead body of a relative on his shoulder after being allegedly denied an ambulance by a government hospital in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal city. Following that, the family carried the body on a motorcycle towards their home for the final rites.

UP: Man dies after ambulance falls short of oxygen

The Supreme Court on Monday admitted the plea filed by the widow of domestic help Hemraj challenging Rajesh and Nupur Talwar&rsquo;s acquittal by the Allahabad high court on October 12 last year.

A bench headed by Justice Ranjan Gogoi issued a notice to the dentist couple, who were acquitted by the Allahabad High Court in the twin murder case in October last year. Khumkala Banjade, Hemraj&#39;s wife, had filed an appeal in December last year against the Talwars acquittal in the case.

The high court has released the Talwars since there were not found guilty on the basis of the evidence on record.&nbsp;

On November 26, 2013, a CBI court in Ghaziabad sentenced the Talwars to life imprisonment in connection with the case.

Before the high court order, Rajesh and Nupur Talwar were serving life sentences in Ghaziabad&#39;s Dasna jail.

Fourteen-year-old Aarushi was found dead inside her room in the Talwars&#39; Noida residence with her throat slit in May 2008. The needle of suspicion had initially moved towards 45- year-old Hemraj, who had gone missing but his body was recovered from the terrace of the house two days later.

Former chief minister Mayawati had recommended a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) after the UP police drew flak over a shoddy probe into the case which was making national headlines.

Fourteen-year-old Aarushi was found dead inside her room at the Talwars’ Noida residence with her throat slit on May 16, 2008

The Supreme Court on Monday admitted the plea filed by the widow of domestic help Hemraj challenging Rajesh and Nupur Talwar’s acquittal by the Allahabad high court on October 12 last year. A bench headed by Justice Ranjan Gogoi issued a notice to the dentist couple, who were acquitted by the Allahabad High Court in the twin murder case in October last year. Khumkala Banjade, Hemraj's wife, had filed an appeal in December last year against the Talwars acquittal in the case. The high court has released the Talwars since there were not found guilty on the basis of the evidence on record. On November 26, 2013, a CBI court in Ghaziabad sentenced the Talwars to life imprisonment in connection with the case. Before the high court order, Rajesh and Nupur Talwar were serving life sentences in Ghaziabad's Dasna jail. Fourteen-year-old Aarushi was found dead inside her room in the Talwars' Noida residence with her throat slit in May 2008. The needle of suspicion had initially moved towards 45- year-old Hemraj, who had gone missing but his body was recovered from the terrace of the house two days later. Former chief minister Mayawati had recommended a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) after the UP police drew flak over a shoddy probe into the case which was making national headlines.

Arushi murder case: Supreme Court admits appeal against Talwars

After shock defeats in Gorakhpur and Phulpur, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath cancelled all&nbsp;meetings&nbsp;scheduled for today&nbsp;to chair a meeting&nbsp;to dissect&nbsp;reasons for the massive beating the BJP faced on Wednesday.

Both seats were previously held by the BJP but in a major turnaround, Akhilesh Yadav&#39;s SP defeated the BJP candidates handsomely setting the stage for a probable BSP-SP alliance in the state for the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls due to take place next year.&nbsp;

The Uttar Pradesh chief minister is likely to attend a&nbsp;meeting to conduct a post-mortem of the bypoll results and set the course for further action as the Lok Sabha elections loom next year.

After the defeat CM Yogi said: &ldquo;We accept the verdict of the people, this result is unexpected, we will review the shortcomings. I congratulate the winning candidates.&rdquo;

45-year-old Yogi Adityanath was the Gorakhpur MP since 1998 for five terms till he resigned after being picked to be Uttar Pradesh&nbsp;chief minister.&nbsp;

&nbsp;&ldquo;Yeh BSP-SP ka jo rajnitik saudebaazi, desh ke vikas ko baadhit karne ke liye bani hai, iske baare mein hum apni rann neeti tayaar karenge (This SP-BSP political alliance has been formed to hamper the development of the country. We will prepare our strategy for this),&rdquo; he said after the party&#39;s defeat yesterday.

Meanwhile, Ram Govind Chaudhary, the leader of the Opposition (&nbsp;<a data-original-name="Samajwadi Party" data-ved="0ahUKEwi5-4-B0-3ZAhXDLo8KHV0JCPQQmxMIvgEoATAX" href="https://www.google.co.in/search?q=Samajwadi+Party&amp;stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAOPgE-LSz9U3iC_MSkkqUOIEsY1MCouKtOSzk6300_PLUovyclPzSvQL8nMySzKTMxPzrAoSi0oqARxVbrk6AAAA&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=0ahUKEwi5-4-B0-3ZAhXDLo8KHV0JCPQQmxMIvgEoATAX">Samajwadi Party</a>) in Uttar Pradesh, congratulated the winning SP candidates.

He said: &#39;&#39;I will like to congratulate Mayawati ji&nbsp;and give my&nbsp;greetings to her. According to my view, there should be an alliance in future and it will definitely happen,&quot; via his Twitter handle.

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I will like to congratulate Mayawati ji and give my greetings to her. According to my view, there should be an alliance in future and it will definitely happen: Ram Govind Chaudhary, SP on SP-BSP alliance <a href="https://t.co/S8tlbyvrJO">pic.twitter.com/S8tlbyvrJO</a>
&mdash; ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/974156810134392832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=&lt;blockquote class=twitter-tweet data-lang=en&gt;&lt;p lang=en dir=ltr&gt;I will like to congratulate Mayawati ji and give my greetings to her. According to my view, there should be an alliance in future and it will definitely happen: Ram Govind Chaudhary, SP on SP-BSP alliance &lt;a data-cke-saved-href=https://t.co/S8tlbyvrJO href=https://t.co/S8tlbyvrJO&gt;pic.twitter.com/S8tlbyvrJO&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) &lt;a data-cke-saved-href=https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/974156810134392832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw href=https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/974156810134392832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&gt;March 15, 2018&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
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The Uttar Pradesh chief minister is likely to attend a meeting to conduct a post-mortem of the bypoll results and set the course for further action as the Lok Sabha elections loom next year

After shock defeats in Gorakhpur and Phulpur, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath cancelled all meetings scheduled for today to chair a meeting to dissect reasons for the massive beating the BJP faced on Wednesday. Both seats were previously held by the BJP but in a major turnaround, Akhilesh Yadav's SP defeated the BJP candidates handsomely setting the stage for a probable BSP-SP alliance in the state for the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls due to take place next year. The Uttar Pradesh chief minister is likely to attend a meeting to conduct a post-mortem of the bypoll results and set the course for further action as the Lok Sabha elections loom next year. After the defeat CM Yogi said: “We accept the verdict of the people, this result is unexpected, we will review the shortcomings. I congratulate the winning candidates.” 45-year-old Yogi Adityanath was the Gorakhpur MP since 1998 for five terms till he resigned after being picked to be Uttar Pradesh chief minister. “Yeh BSP-SP ka jo rajnitik saudebaazi, desh ke vikas ko baadhit karne ke liye bani hai, iske baare mein hum apni rann neeti tayaar karenge (This SP-BSP political alliance has been formed to hamper the development of the country. We will prepare our strategy for this),” he said after the party's defeat yesterday. Meanwhile, Ram Govind Chaudhary, the leader of the Opposition ( Samajwadi Party) in Uttar Pradesh, congratulated the winning SP candidates. He said: ''I will like to congratulate Mayawati ji and give my greetings to her. According to my view, there should be an alliance in future and it will definitely happen," via his Twitter handle. I will like to congratulate Mayawati ji and give my greetings to her. According to my view, there should be an alliance in future and it will definitely happen: Ram Govind Chaudhary, SP on SP-BSP alliance pic.twitter.com/S8tlbyvrJO — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 15, 2018 ×

After Gorakhpur, Phulpur poll debacle, chief minister Adityanath cancels meetings to dissect defeat

Dalit leader&nbsp;Dr BR Ambedkar&#39;s statue was vandalised in&nbsp;Azamgarh in&nbsp;Uttar Pradesh on Saturday.&nbsp;

The statue was found beheaded in the middle of the ground in Azamgarh. The police, who were&nbsp;informed about the incident rushed to the spot.&nbsp;

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BR <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ambedkar?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Ambedkar</a> &#39;s statue vandalized in Azamgarh, police at the spot <a href="https://t.co/QkrehFKMis">pic.twitter.com/QkrehFKMis</a>
&mdash; ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/972366568222019585?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The miscreants who attacked the statue have been identified and will be arrested soon, police said in the evening.

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A statue of Dr BR Ambedkar was vandalised in Azamgarh, DIG Vijay Bhushan says &quot; 3 men have been identified, currently they are absconding, will be arrested soon.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/65PEFvxXmy">pic.twitter.com/65PEFvxXmy</a>
&mdash; ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/972484469818056705?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
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This is the latest in the flurry of attacks on the statue of iconic leaders in the country. On Wednesday, a bust of Ambedkar was defaced by unknown people&nbsp;in north Chennai in Tamil Nadu, days after a statue of Dravidian icon EV Ramasamy Periyar was vandalised in South Indian state after a senior BJP leader&rsquo;s inflammatory post on Facebook.

On Tuesday, an Ambedkar&#39;s statue was vandalised by unidentified persons in Meerut&#39;s Mawana locality&nbsp;leading to protests from members of the Dalit community and BSP workers.

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Dr BR Ambedkar&#39;s statue vandalised by unidentified people in Meerut&#39;s Mawana late last night; Dalit community held protest &amp; blocked traffic in the morning, ended the protest after assurance from the administration of installation of new statue <a href="https://t.co/DAAcq6g5Wf">pic.twitter.com/DAAcq6g5Wf</a>
&mdash; ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/971305543720669184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 7, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Besides promising a thorough investigation into the matter, the local administration has also assured that hey would install&nbsp;a new statue of Ambedkar in the same place.&nbsp;

There has been a series of attacks on statues of political figures in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Kerala after a Communist icon Vladimir Lenin statue in Tripura was toppled on Monday.

A statue of Mahatma Gandhi was vandalised in north Kerala&rsquo;s Kannur district on Wednesday by unidentified miscreants who hurled stones and bottles damaging the spectacle and garland of the &#39;&#39;Father of the Nation&#39;&#39;.

The statue was found beheaded in the middle of the ground in Azamgarh. The police, who were informed about the incident rushed to the spot.

Dalit leader Dr BR Ambedkar's statue was vandalised in Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday. The statue was found beheaded in the middle of the ground in Azamgarh. The police, who were informed about the incident rushed to the spot. BR #Ambedkar 's statue vandalized in Azamgarh, police at the spot pic.twitter.com/QkrehFKMis — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 10, 2018 × The miscreants who attacked the statue have been identified and will be arrested soon, police said in the evening. A statue of Dr BR Ambedkar was vandalised in Azamgarh, DIG Vijay Bhushan says " 3 men have been identified, currently they are absconding, will be arrested soon." pic.twitter.com/65PEFvxXmy — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 10, 2018 × This is the latest in the flurry of attacks on the statue of iconic leaders in the country. On Wednesday, a bust of Ambedkar was defaced by unknown people in north Chennai in Tamil Nadu, days after a statue of Dravidian icon EV Ramasamy Periyar was vandalised in South Indian state after a senior BJP leader’s inflammatory post on Facebook. On Tuesday, an Ambedkar's statue was vandalised by unidentified persons in Meerut's Mawana locality leading to protests from members of the Dalit community and BSP workers. Dr BR Ambedkar's statue vandalised by unidentified people in Meerut's Mawana late last night; Dalit community held protest & blocked traffic in the morning, ended the protest after assurance from the administration of installation of new statue pic.twitter.com/DAAcq6g5Wf — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 7, 2018 × Besides promising a thorough investigation into the matter, the local administration has also assured that hey would install a new statue of Ambedkar in the same place. There has been a series of attacks on statues of political figures in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Kerala after a Communist icon Vladimir Lenin statue in Tripura was toppled on Monday. A statue of Mahatma Gandhi was vandalised in north Kerala’s Kannur district on Wednesday by unidentified miscreants who hurled stones and bottles damaging the spectacle and garland of the ''Father of the Nation''.

Ambedkar's statue vandalised in Uttar Pradesh's Azamgarh

In an incident of what appears to be severe medical negligence, surgeons at a government hospital in Uttar Pradesh`s Mathura allegedly `left` a needle inside the head of a child after his surgery.

The matter came to light when the parents of the six-year-old boy noticed a sharp object near the stitches while changing the boy`s bandage, following his surgery at the K D Medical College.&nbsp;

&quot;My child got a head injury, and then we took him to the hospital. When his wound was healed, we came to know that the doctors left a needle inside his head,&quot; said Dau Dayal, the father of the child.&nbsp;

Dayal even claimed that when he informed the hospital about the matter, they allegedly dissuaded him from filing a complaint.&nbsp;

&quot;I am being coerced to resolve the matter without any further proceedings. This is a sheer case of negligence. If this continues god knows how many children will be killed,&quot; Dayal said.&nbsp;

The father has now approached Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, seeking justice. SK Tyagi, an official from the Chief Minister`s office said that they are looking into the incident. &quot;The matter has been brought to our notice. This is a case of negligence, we will look into it,&quot; Tyagi said. However, the hospital denied talking to the media, saying that they are in touch with the Chief Minister`s office.

When the child's father informed the hospital about the matter, they allegedly dissuaded him from filing a complaint

In an incident of what appears to be severe medical negligence, surgeons at a government hospital in Uttar Pradesh`s Mathura allegedly `left` a needle inside the head of a child after his surgery. The matter came to light when the parents of the six-year-old boy noticed a sharp object near the stitches while changing the boy`s bandage, following his surgery at the K D Medical College. "My child got a head injury, and then we took him to the hospital. When his wound was healed, we came to know that the doctors left a needle inside his head," said Dau Dayal, the father of the child. Dayal even claimed that when he informed the hospital about the matter, they allegedly dissuaded him from filing a complaint. "I am being coerced to resolve the matter without any further proceedings. This is a sheer case of negligence. If this continues god knows how many children will be killed," Dayal said. The father has now approached Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, seeking justice. SK Tyagi, an official from the Chief Minister`s office said that they are looking into the incident. "The matter has been brought to our notice. This is a case of negligence, we will look into it," Tyagi said. However, the hospital denied talking to the media, saying that they are in touch with the Chief Minister`s office.

UP: Doctors leave needle inside child's head

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has attacked the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)&nbsp;and the Samajwadi Party (SP) for forming an <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/sp-bsp-to-collectively-fight-against-bjp-in-up-bypolls-34617" target="_blank">alliance in the upcoming by-polls</a> in Uttar Pradesh.&nbsp;

While addressing a rally in&nbsp;Gorakhpur,&nbsp; Yogi Adityanath said, &quot;Today we are hearing that an alliance is being formed between the SP and the BSP. This alliance between the two is like an alliance between a snake and a shrew&quot;.

He added &quot;This alliance just goes to show the pitiable situation the two parties have reached. Their coming together shows their nervousness before a big storm that is coming their way&quot;.&nbsp;

The chief minister also called the alliance between the two parties as &quot;unnatural allies&quot;.

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Aaj phir dono (BSP &amp; SP) ke gathhbandhan ki baatein sunne mein aa rahi hain. Aisa lagta hai jaise koi toofan aata hai toh saanp aur chuchundar ek saath milke khade ho jaate hain. Inki yeh sthiti aa chuki hai: UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath during a public rally in Gorakhpur <a href="https://t.co/IIEmL3fMCj">pic.twitter.com/IIEmL3fMCj</a>
&mdash; ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/970565865526648832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 5, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The two arch-rivals in the Uttar Pradesh politics, Bahujan Samaj Party and the Samajwadi Party, have decided to come together to fight against the BJP in the upcoming by-polls in the state.&nbsp;

Polls in Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha constituencies are scheduled to be held on March 11.

The seat in the two constituencies&nbsp;was vacated by Yogi Adityanath and his deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya in 2017.

Upendra Dutt Shukla will contest for BJP from Gorakhpur, Kushalendra Singh Patel will be its candidate from Phulpur.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

While addressing a rally in Gorakhpur, Yogi Adityanath said, 'Today we are hearing that an alliance is being formed between the SP and the BSP. This alliance between the two is like an alliance between a snake and a shrew'

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has attacked the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Samajwadi Party (SP) for forming an alliance in the upcoming by-polls in Uttar Pradesh. While addressing a rally in Gorakhpur, Yogi Adityanath said, "Today we are hearing that an alliance is being formed between the SP and the BSP. This alliance between the two is like an alliance between a snake and a shrew". He added "This alliance just goes to show the pitiable situation the two parties have reached. Their coming together shows their nervousness before a big storm that is coming their way". The chief minister also called the alliance between the two parties as "unnatural allies". Aaj phir dono (BSP & SP) ke gathhbandhan ki baatein sunne mein aa rahi hain. Aisa lagta hai jaise koi toofan aata hai toh saanp aur chuchundar ek saath milke khade ho jaate hain. Inki yeh sthiti aa chuki hai: UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath during a public rally in Gorakhpur pic.twitter.com/IIEmL3fMCj — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 5, 2018 × The two arch-rivals in the Uttar Pradesh politics, Bahujan Samaj Party and the Samajwadi Party, have decided to come together to fight against the BJP in the upcoming by-polls in the state. Polls in Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha constituencies are scheduled to be held on March 11. The seat in the two constituencies was vacated by Yogi Adityanath and his deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya in 2017. Upendra Dutt Shukla will contest for BJP from Gorakhpur, Kushalendra Singh Patel will be its candidate from Phulpur.

BSP, SP alliance is similar to snake and shrew: Yogi Adityanath

A wanted criminal, carrying a bounty of Rs 50,000 on his head, was shot dead in an encounter with Uttar Pradesh police in Meerut district on Saturday.

&quot;A criminal with the bounty of Rs&nbsp;50, 000 on his head was killed in the incident, we chased him down after we got information of his presence in the area,&quot; the Meerut Superintendent of Police, Manzil Saini said.&nbsp;

The man has been identified at Surjit, who was accused of killing three members of a family and was planning to target another person, say police. The Police on specific information chased him down and after an exchange of firing, he was shot dead.

Reports say that Surjit had been giving police the slip since 2016 when he allegedly killed three of a family within a week. Reports said the killings were due to family rivalry.

Apart from the murder of three persons, Surjit was also wanted in ten other cases including extortion and kidnapping, say police sources.

Reports say that Surjit had been giving police the slip since 2016 when he allegedly killed three of a family within a week

A wanted criminal, carrying a bounty of Rs 50,000 on his head, was shot dead in an encounter with Uttar Pradesh police in Meerut district on Saturday. "A criminal with the bounty of Rs 50, 000 on his head was killed in the incident, we chased him down after we got information of his presence in the area," the Meerut Superintendent of Police, Manzil Saini said. The man has been identified at Surjit, who was accused of killing three members of a family and was planning to target another person, say police. The Police on specific information chased him down and after an exchange of firing, he was shot dead. Reports say that Surjit had been giving police the slip since 2016 when he allegedly killed three of a family within a week. Reports said the killings were due to family rivalry. Apart from the murder of three persons, Surjit was also wanted in ten other cases including extortion and kidnapping, say police sources.

Wanted man who killed family members shot in UP

A few days back, there was a very interesting news piece. In the town Shamli of western UP,&nbsp; two dreaded criminals walked into the office of Police Superintendent and handed over an affidavit stating that they were leaving the crime world once and for all and going forward they would earn their bread with honesty and hard work.

This very clip manifest the changes which are ushering in the largest state of the country ever since Yogi Adityanath took over the reign around 11 months back. For someone like me who was born and brought up in UP, this is news of huge significance.

In 2005, when Nitish Kumar became Chief Minister of Bihar for the&nbsp;first time, my friend from college, who is from Bihar called me and said: &ldquo; we finally have our man, when will you have?&rdquo;.

There is a background to the question asked by my friend. UP and Bihar&nbsp;are two of the largest states in India. Combined together, these two states are 1/4th&nbsp;of India. Regretfully, these are the two states, who paid the hefty price for the political turmoil over the past three decades. Both states were left lurching and in the abysmal state on all indexes of development and human life.

For UP, it was a sorry figure for a state which has spearheaded the political, social and even&nbsp;economic&nbsp;activities of the country since the colonial times.

The process of decline started in 1985 when a few months after Indira Gandhi&rsquo;s assassination, Congress swept the assembly polls in Bihar and UP (with other states as well) with Rajiv Gandhi as the Congress supremo and Prime Minister. Rajiv Gandhi subverted constitutional values in a very big way and state governments were only interested in keeping their master happy. In UP and Bihar, Congress governments were jaded and with pathetic or say nil governance. The game of musical chair for chief ministership was on as Rajiv Gandhi was sacking and appointing them&nbsp;on&nbsp;his whims. The result, Congress lost base rapidly and voters alienated with Congress.

1990 was one plummeted steeply in the five years during 1985-90, lost its total voter base in UP and Bihar. In UP, Mulayam Singh Yadav and Kanshiram made most of this situation and UP just got entrapped in caste-based politics with clear compartments of votes.

In UP, the deterioration was thick and fast in the new millennium. Mayawati had some hold on the governance during 2007-2012 but transparency was completely missing, financial irregularities were pervasive, and BSP cadre was busy in the organised loot from top to bottom.

But it was the rule of Samajwadi Party during 2003-07 and 2012-17, which hit UP the most. Corruption was rife and so was nepotism. Criminals got brazen political protection. As the epitome of worst of cast appeasement, each and every institution like Police, Public Service Commission, Public Works Department, etc, were disrupted and were flooded with people of just one caste. Once a transporter told his plight to me that how goons backed by political dispensation were robbing their fleets and drivers with sheer impunity. The corruption was at an unthinkable peak. A few years back, during the discussion with one supplier who used to supply consumables to UP&rsquo;s health department, it came out that he had to dole out Rs. 55,000 to babus and brokers for a billing of Rs. 1 Lakh. You can imagine what stuff a supplier would deliver after paying a 55% commission. This will also throw some light that how so many kids died in Gorakhpur Medical College a few months back.

The sign of revival was palpable, soon after Yogi took the reign in March 2017. He first attacked the UP&rsquo;s road, which was full of potholes. Then he came hard on illegal butcheries, which were an absolute menace and polluting environment in a big way (liberals ranted though on this and tried to give this a communal twist).

But Yogi&rsquo;s crackdown on criminals is his biggest achievement. Liberals are again ranting on possible human right&rsquo;s violation by Police but these liberals have little idea that how deep-rooted the problem of crimes is in UP. It warrants radical steps and Yogi is just doing that. It needs the shock therapy, which Yogi is providing.

Yogi is the man of action and his actions are decisive and bold. He recently cracked down on blatant cheating in UP Board examinations. To my surprise, I read a piece by a famous liberal, wherein Yogi was criticised that how Yogi is ruthless on cheaters and playing with the future of youth.

His investor summit in Lucknow has been encouraging on the first day itself on 21st&nbsp;Feb 2018. Narendra Modi who is the originator of this very Idea with his &ldquo;Vibrant Gujarat&rdquo; initiatives when he was Chief Minister of Gujarat himself was present and presided over.

So, finally, UP has its man, bit late albeit. Yogi has shown the glimpse that he can reinstate the lost glory of the largest state of the country.

Last but not the least, as UP send almost 15% of representative in the Lok Sabha, he is all important man for Modi and BJP as well in its run up to 2019. For the second term of Modi, UP would again play a decisive role and Yogi has the onus to deliver it, which he will.&nbsp;&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Since Yogi Adityanath took the reign in March 2017, he has shown that he can reinstate the lost glory of the largest state of the country.

A few days back, there was a very interesting news piece. In the town Shamli of western UP, two dreaded criminals walked into the office of Police Superintendent and handed over an affidavit stating that they were leaving the crime world once and for all and going forward they would earn their bread with honesty and hard work. This very clip manifest the changes which are ushering in the largest state of the country ever since Yogi Adityanath took over the reign around 11 months back. For someone like me who was born and brought up in UP, this is news of huge significance. In 2005, when Nitish Kumar became Chief Minister of Bihar for the first time, my friend from college, who is from Bihar called me and said: “ we finally have our man, when will you have?”. There is a background to the question asked by my friend. UP and Bihar are two of the largest states in India. Combined together, these two states are 1/4th of India. Regretfully, these are the two states, who paid the hefty price for the political turmoil over the past three decades. Both states were left lurching and in the abysmal state on all indexes of development and human life. For UP, it was a sorry figure for a state which has spearheaded the political, social and even economic activities of the country since the colonial times. The process of decline started in 1985 when a few months after Indira Gandhi’s assassination, Congress swept the assembly polls in Bihar and UP (with other states as well) with Rajiv Gandhi as the Congress supremo and Prime Minister. Rajiv Gandhi subverted constitutional values in a very big way and state governments were only interested in keeping their master happy. In UP and Bihar, Congress governments were jaded and with pathetic or say nil governance. The game of musical chair for chief ministership was on as Rajiv Gandhi was sacking and appointing them on his whims. The result, Congress lost base rapidly and voters alienated with Congress. 1990 was one plummeted steeply in the five years during 1985-90, lost its total voter base in UP and Bihar. In UP, Mulayam Singh Yadav and Kanshiram made most of this situation and UP just got entrapped in caste-based politics with clear compartments of votes. In UP, the deterioration was thick and fast in the new millennium. Mayawati had some hold on the governance during 2007-2012 but transparency was completely missing, financial irregularities were pervasive, and BSP cadre was busy in the organised loot from top to bottom. But it was the rule of Samajwadi Party during 2003-07 and 2012-17, which hit UP the most. Corruption was rife and so was nepotism. Criminals got brazen political protection. As the epitome of worst of cast appeasement, each and every institution like Police, Public Service Commission, Public Works Department, etc, were disrupted and were flooded with people of just one caste. Once a transporter told his plight to me that how goons backed by political dispensation were robbing their fleets and drivers with sheer impunity. The corruption was at an unthinkable peak. A few years back, during the discussion with one supplier who used to supply consumables to UP’s health department, it came out that he had to dole out Rs. 55,000 to babus and brokers for a billing of Rs. 1 Lakh. You can imagine what stuff a supplier would deliver after paying a 55% commission. This will also throw some light that how so many kids died in Gorakhpur Medical College a few months back. The sign of revival was palpable, soon after Yogi took the reign in March 2017. He first attacked the UP’s road, which was full of potholes. Then he came hard on illegal butcheries, which were an absolute menace and polluting environment in a big way (liberals ranted though on this and tried to give this a communal twist). But Yogi’s crackdown on criminals is his biggest achievement. Liberals are again ranting on possible human right’s violation by Police but these liberals have little idea that how deep-rooted the problem of crimes is in UP. It warrants radical steps and Yogi is just doing that. It needs the shock therapy, which Yogi is providing. Yogi is the man of action and his actions are decisive and bold. He recently cracked down on blatant cheating in UP Board examinations. To my surprise, I read a piece by a famous liberal, wherein Yogi was criticised that how Yogi is ruthless on cheaters and playing with the future of youth. His investor summit in Lucknow has been encouraging on the first day itself on 21st Feb 2018. Narendra Modi who is the originator of this very Idea with his “Vibrant Gujarat” initiatives when he was Chief Minister of Gujarat himself was present and presided over. So, finally, UP has its man, bit late albeit. Yogi has shown the glimpse that he can reinstate the lost glory of the largest state of the country. Last but not the least, as UP send almost 15% of representative in the Lok Sabha, he is all important man for Modi and BJP as well in its run up to 2019. For the second term of Modi, UP would again play a decisive role and Yogi has the onus to deliver it, which he will. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Yogi Adityanath is the man to root out crime in UP

Almost three days after the leak of a class XII Mathematics (II) paper of the Uttar Pradesh board, a case has been registered against centre superintendent of Sri Ganga Ram Baba Saraswati college, police said today. 
The paper which was scheduled for today was leaked on February 9.

District Magistrate Sarvagya Ram Mishra said, &quot;It is a serious matter and a probe has been ordered&quot;.

The incident came to light yesterday when a CCTV footage was checked, Mishra said, adding the board was immediately informed and an alternate paper was supplied.

Following the leak, a new set of paper was distributed to students in 74 centres of the district today.

Meanwhile, not only centre superintendent Vinod Kumar and additional centre superintendent Jitendra Kumar have been replaced, the board has been recommended to debar Vinod Kumar for five years from every type of board work.

The case was registered against centre superintendent of Sri Ganga Ram Baba Saraswati college

Almost three days after the leak of a class XII Mathematics (II) paper of the Uttar Pradesh board, a case has been registered against centre superintendent of Sri Ganga Ram Baba Saraswati college, police said today. The paper which was scheduled for today was leaked on February 9. District Magistrate Sarvagya Ram Mishra said, "It is a serious matter and a probe has been ordered". The incident came to light yesterday when a CCTV footage was checked, Mishra said, adding the board was immediately informed and an alternate paper was supplied. Following the leak, a new set of paper was distributed to students in 74 centres of the district today. Meanwhile, not only centre superintendent Vinod Kumar and additional centre superintendent Jitendra Kumar have been replaced, the board has been recommended to debar Vinod Kumar for five years from every type of board work.

FIR registered in paper leak case in UP

A gangster was killed and nearly two dozen criminals were arrested by police in 15 encounters in different districts of Uttar Pradesh during the past two days, a police spokesperson said Saturday.&nbsp;

The encounters took place in Bulandshahr, Shamli, Kanpur, Saharanpur, Lucknow, Baghpat, Muzaffarnagar, Gorakhpur, Hapur and Meerut.

&quot;As many as 24 wanted criminals were arrested and one gangster killed in 15 police encounters reported from 10 districts of the state over a span of 48 hours,&quot; the spokesperson said.

Gangster Inderpal, who carried a reward of Rs 25,000, was gunned down by the Special Task Force in the encounter in Naglakhepad jungle yesterday.

According to Superintendent of Police (STF) Rajiv Narain Singh, Inderpal was wanted in more than 30 cases of loot and murder in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

The police also claimed to have recovered countrymade arms, ammunition, motorcycle, cars apart from cash which was robbed by the criminals.

The maximum number of encounters was reported from Bulandshahr and Shamli, where four and six criminals were arrested respectively.

Three of those arrested in Bulandshahr carried a cash reward for Rs 20,000 each on their head. Two encounters took place in Kanpur.

Yesterday, two suspected criminals and as many policemen, including a station house officer, were injured in an encounter in Gorakhpur.

The incident took place when Maneesh Yadav and Manoj Yadav were escaping after threatening a village head, police said.

Police said that a team was rushed to the spot after receiving a complaint from the victim.

In the encounter, Station House Officer, Khorabar, Sudhir Kumar, and Sub-Inspector, Jhangha, Sunil Kumar Singh suffered minor injuries, they said.

The police have seized a .32 bore pistol, a 12 bore gun, bullets and the motorcycle on which they were escaping.

The criminals were injured in the gunfight. They were subsequently arrested and admitted to BRD Medical College.

Police claimed that they have confessed to their involvement in the murder of businessman Dinesh Gupta of Nai Bazaar, Jhangha, in Gorakhpur on Sunday.

The Uttar Pradesh Police has intensified its crackdown on criminals after the new DGP O P Singh took charge last month.

Chief Minister Yogi Aditynath had vowed to take strict action against the criminals after his government faced criticism over a string of crimes in the state.

The encounters took place in Bulandshahr, Shamli, Kanpur, Saharanpur, Lucknow, Baghpat, Muzaffarnagar, Gorakhpur, Hapur and Meerut

A gangster was killed and nearly two dozen criminals were arrested by police in 15 encounters in different districts of Uttar Pradesh during the past two days, a police spokesperson said Saturday. The encounters took place in Bulandshahr, Shamli, Kanpur, Saharanpur, Lucknow, Baghpat, Muzaffarnagar, Gorakhpur, Hapur and Meerut. "As many as 24 wanted criminals were arrested and one gangster killed in 15 police encounters reported from 10 districts of the state over a span of 48 hours," the spokesperson said. Gangster Inderpal, who carried a reward of Rs 25,000, was gunned down by the Special Task Force in the encounter in Naglakhepad jungle yesterday. According to Superintendent of Police (STF) Rajiv Narain Singh, Inderpal was wanted in more than 30 cases of loot and murder in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The police also claimed to have recovered countrymade arms, ammunition, motorcycle, cars apart from cash which was robbed by the criminals. The maximum number of encounters was reported from Bulandshahr and Shamli, where four and six criminals were arrested respectively. Three of those arrested in Bulandshahr carried a cash reward for Rs 20,000 each on their head. Two encounters took place in Kanpur. Yesterday, two suspected criminals and as many policemen, including a station house officer, were injured in an encounter in Gorakhpur. The incident took place when Maneesh Yadav and Manoj Yadav were escaping after threatening a village head, police said. Police said that a team was rushed to the spot after receiving a complaint from the victim. In the encounter, Station House Officer, Khorabar, Sudhir Kumar, and Sub-Inspector, Jhangha, Sunil Kumar Singh suffered minor injuries, they said. The police have seized a .32 bore pistol, a 12 bore gun, bullets and the motorcycle on which they were escaping. The criminals were injured in the gunfight. They were subsequently arrested and admitted to BRD Medical College. Police claimed that they have confessed to their involvement in the murder of businessman Dinesh Gupta of Nai Bazaar, Jhangha, in Gorakhpur on Sunday. The Uttar Pradesh Police has intensified its crackdown on criminals after the new DGP O P Singh took charge last month. Chief Minister Yogi Aditynath had vowed to take strict action against the criminals after his government faced criticism over a string of crimes in the state.

15 police encounters in UP in 2 days; 24 criminals arrested

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/governments-hard-approach-in-kashmir-not-working-chidambaram-tweets-bjp-calls-him-pakistani-poodle-28799" target="_blank">Government&#39;s &#39;hard&#39; approach in Kashmir not working, Chidambaram tweets; BJP calls him &#39;Pakistani poodle&#39;</a>

Former union home minister P Chidambaram posted a total of nine tweets on Kashmir on Sunday -- the gist of his argument being that the government&#39;s &quot;hard, militaristic&quot; approach in the state was not working. &quot;From time to time we are rudely reminded that there is an issue concerning the state of Jammu &amp; Kashmir,&quot; he said.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/up-loudspeakers-in-religious-places-to-be-removed-28794" target="_blank">UP: Loudspeakers in religious places to be removed</a>

The Uttar Pradesh police was on Sunday directed to remove all loudspeakers present in public places, religious and otherwise, that have been installed without appropriate permission being sanctioned towards the same, in a bid to curb noise pollution caused by these.The order was issued following directions from the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court on the matter, citing the provisions of the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/government-open-to-proposals-to-further-clean-up-political-funding-jaitley-28779">Government open to proposals to further clean up political funding: Jaitley</a>

The electoral bonds mechanism is a substantial improvement in transparency over the present system and the government is open to suggestions to further cleanse political funding, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said today. In a Facebook post, Jaitley said the conventional practice of funding the political system was to take donations as well as undertake expenditures in cash.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/bengal-man-arrested-for-allegedly-stalking-sachin-tendulkars-daughter-28780">Bengal man arrested for allegedly stalking Sachin Tendulkar&#39;s daughter</a>

A 32-year-old man has been arrested in West Bengal for allegedly stalking Sachin Tendulkar&#39;s daughter Sara. News reports said Sunday that the man got hold of the Tendulkars&#39; landline number and made around 20 calls to it. In the calls, he passed lewd comments about Sara and even threatened to kidnap her. The reports identified the arrested man as Debkumar Maity, who is allegedly a college dropout.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/cricket/heel-injury-restricts-dale-steyn-from-bowling-in-first-test-likely-to-miss-series-28801" target="_blank">Heel injury restricts Dale Steyn from bowling in first test, likely to miss series</a>

In a major setback for South Africa, Dale Steyn will not bowl for his team in the remaining first Test match and is likely to miss the remaining series against India also, due to the heel injury he suffered.&nbsp;However, he can bat for his team if required. The right-arm pacer had injured his left heel on the second day of the first test match at Newlands, Cape Town.

Government's 'hard' approach in Kashmir not working, Chidambaram tweets; BJP calls him 'Pakistani poodle' Former union home minister P Chidambaram posted a total of nine tweets on Kashmir on Sunday -- the gist of his argument being that the government's "hard, militaristic" approach in the state was not working. "From time to time we are rudely reminded that there is an issue concerning the state of Jammu & Kashmir," he said. UP: Loudspeakers in religious places to be removed The Uttar Pradesh police was on Sunday directed to remove all loudspeakers present in public places, religious and otherwise, that have been installed without appropriate permission being sanctioned towards the same, in a bid to curb noise pollution caused by these.The order was issued following directions from the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court on the matter, citing the provisions of the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000. Government open to proposals to further clean up political funding: Jaitley The electoral bonds mechanism is a substantial improvement in transparency over the present system and the government is open to suggestions to further cleanse political funding, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said today. In a Facebook post, Jaitley said the conventional practice of funding the political system was to take donations as well as undertake expenditures in cash. Bengal man arrested for allegedly stalking Sachin Tendulkar's daughter A 32-year-old man has been arrested in West Bengal for allegedly stalking Sachin Tendulkar's daughter Sara. News reports said Sunday that the man got hold of the Tendulkars' landline number and made around 20 calls to it. In the calls, he passed lewd comments about Sara and even threatened to kidnap her. The reports identified the arrested man as Debkumar Maity, who is allegedly a college dropout. Heel injury restricts Dale Steyn from bowling in first test, likely to miss series In a major setback for South Africa, Dale Steyn will not bowl for his team in the remaining first Test match and is likely to miss the remaining series against India also, due to the heel injury he suffered. However, he can bat for his team if required. The right-arm pacer had injured his left heel on the second day of the first test match at Newlands, Cape Town.

WION Evening News Brief, January 7, 2018

In a shocking incident, a woman in Utter Pradesh sold her 15-year-old child for Rs. 45,000 to treat her ailing husband.&nbsp;

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UttarPradesh?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UttarPradesh</a>: Woman sold her 15-day-old baby for Rs 45000 for treatment of her ailing husband in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bareilly?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Bareilly</a>&#39;s <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Mirganj?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Mirganj</a>, says &quot;didn&#39;t have adequate funds&quot; <a href="https://t.co/HtJMZOtlpz">pic.twitter.com/HtJMZOtlpz</a>
&mdash; ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/948017241206923264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 2, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The women said she &quot;did not have adequate funds&quot; for her husband&#39;s treatment and had to resort to selling her baby.&nbsp;

The incident happened in Mirganj area of Bareilly district in Uttar Pradesh.&nbsp;

No case has been registered yet but Bareilly district magistrate Raghvendra Vikram Singh informed that he has asked a sub-divisional magistrate and officer to probe the sale.

&quot;The administration will provide every support to the family after receiving the report from the officers,&quot; Singh said.

The Social Welfare and Social Education Department had taken note of the incident and assured that it was making all efforts to bring the child back to the family.

The women said she "did not have adequate funds" for her husband's treatment and had to resort to selling her baby

In a shocking incident, a woman in Utter Pradesh sold her 15-year-old child for Rs. 45,000 to treat her ailing husband. #UttarPradesh: Woman sold her 15-day-old baby for Rs 45000 for treatment of her ailing husband in #Bareilly's #Mirganj, says "didn't have adequate funds" pic.twitter.com/HtJMZOtlpz — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) January 2, 2018 × The women said she "did not have adequate funds" for her husband's treatment and had to resort to selling her baby. The incident happened in Mirganj area of Bareilly district in Uttar Pradesh. No case has been registered yet but Bareilly district magistrate Raghvendra Vikram Singh informed that he has asked a sub-divisional magistrate and officer to probe the sale. "The administration will provide every support to the family after receiving the report from the officers," Singh said. The Social Welfare and Social Education Department had taken note of the incident and assured that it was making all efforts to bring the child back to the family.

Woman sells 15-day-old baby for Rs. 45,000 to treat ailing husband

On the occasion of the 93rd birthday of&nbsp;former prime minister&nbsp;Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the Uttar Pradesh government has released 93 prisoners from various prisons of the state.&nbsp;

The prisoners released had completed their tenure in jail but were not released as they could not pay the fine imposed on them.

&quot;It was decided to set free 93 prisoners convicted in different cases on the 93rd birthday of the former prime minister. These prisoners have completed their tenure in jail but could not be released due to non-payment of fines&nbsp;imposed on them,&quot; PTI quoted Principal Secretary (Home) Arvind Kumar as saying.&nbsp;

The prisoners to be released were picked randomly from a slot of 135 such convicts.

The prison department was asked to check if the fines could be cleared by NGOs, trusts and others.&nbsp;

The prisoners released had completed their tenure in jail but were not released as they could not pay the fine imposed on them

On the occasion of the 93rd birthday of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the Uttar Pradesh government has released 93 prisoners from various prisons of the state. The prisoners released had completed their tenure in jail but were not released as they could not pay the fine imposed on them. "It was decided to set free 93 prisoners convicted in different cases on the 93rd birthday of the former prime minister. These prisoners have completed their tenure in jail but could not be released due to non-payment of fines imposed on them," PTI quoted Principal Secretary (Home) Arvind Kumar as saying. The prisoners to be released were picked randomly from a slot of 135 such convicts. The prison department was asked to check if the fines could be cleared by NGOs, trusts and others.

UP government releases 93 prisoners as Atal Bihari Vajpayee turns 93

In a sickening repeat of the attack on a Swiss couple in Fatehpur Sikri, foreign tourists have reportedly been beaten up again in Uttar Pradesh.&nbsp;

ANI reported that this latest attack took place in Mirzapur.&nbsp;

It added that police had arrested four people.&nbsp;

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UttarPradesh?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UttarPradesh</a>: Foreign tourists allegedly beaten up in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Mirzapur?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Mirzapur</a>, police arrest four people <a href="https://t.co/3Qk0iHthZN">pic.twitter.com/3Qk0iHthZN</a>
&mdash; ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/939889808914055168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 10, 2017</a></blockquote>
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There have been a number of attacks on foreign tourists in UP and other states in recent months.&nbsp;

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/another-foreign-tourist-couple-got-beaten-up-by-two-people-this-time-in-bihar-23645" target="_blank">Now, British couple attacked in Bihar</a>

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/attacks-on-foreign-tourists-raise-questions-on-indian-ethos-22979" target="_blank">Attacks on Swiss couple raise questions on Indian ethics</a>

The attack on the Swiss couple by a gang of youths left Quentin Jeremy Clerc, 24, with a fractured skull, a clot in his brain, a hearing impairment, a broken arm and multiple bruises.&nbsp;

When his girlfriend Marie Droz, also 24, intervened, she too was attacked.&nbsp;

The attack on her left her with a broken arm.&nbsp;

The alleged attack took place in Mirzapur

In a sickening repeat of the attack on a Swiss couple in Fatehpur Sikri, foreign tourists have reportedly been beaten up again in Uttar Pradesh. ANI reported that this latest attack took place in Mirzapur. It added that police had arrested four people. #UttarPradesh: Foreign tourists allegedly beaten up in #Mirzapur, police arrest four people pic.twitter.com/3Qk0iHthZN — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) December 10, 2017 × There have been a number of attacks on foreign tourists in UP and other states in recent months. Also read: Now, British couple attacked in Bihar Also read: Attacks on Swiss couple raise questions on Indian ethics The attack on the Swiss couple by a gang of youths left Quentin Jeremy Clerc, 24, with a fractured skull, a clot in his brain, a hearing impairment, a broken arm and multiple bruises. When his girlfriend Marie Droz, also 24, intervened, she too was attacked. The attack on her left her with a broken arm.

Foreign tourists beaten up again in Uttar Pradesh

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-police-arrests-terrorist-from-peshawar-linked-to-hafiz-saeeds-jud-25634">Police arrests terrorist from Peshawar linked to Hafiz Saeed&#39;s JuD</a>

 
In a major breakthrough, police have apprehended a Jama&#39;at-ud-Da&#39;wah(JuD)-linked terrorist Mohamad Amir also known as Abu Hamas.&nbsp;

 
<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/watch-vigilant-security-before-the-fifa-world-cup-final-draw-25622">Watch: High security around Kremlin in Russia ahead of FIFA World Cup final draw</a>

 
The 21st FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial international football tournament is scheduled to take place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018.

 
<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/up-civic-poll-bjp-bags-9-out-of-10-seats-declared-leads-in-6-25635">UP civic poll: BJP bags 9 out of 10 seats declared, leads in 6</a>

In what has been dubbed as Yogi Adityanath&#39;s first big electoral test after assuming office as Uttar Pradesh chief minister, ruling BJP swept the Uttar Pradesh civic polls bagging nine of the ten mayoral seats for which results were declared till evening while leading in six others where the counting was in progress.

 
<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/delhi-newborn-declared-dead-by-hospital-found-alive-by-parents-25620">Newborn, declared dead by Delhi hospital, found alive by parents</a>

 
In a case of negligence, Max hospital Shalimar Bagh in Delhi has declared one of the twins dead while the baby was still alive. The parents of the child said they were about to bury the child when they found out that it was alive.

 
<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pope-to-lead-huge-mass-for-bangladesh-catholics-25549">Pope to lead huge mass for Bangladesh Catholics</a>

Pope Francis will lead an open-air mass Friday for around 100,000 Catholics in Bangladesh, which is grappling with a rise in Islamist extremism and a massive influx of Rohingya refugees from neighbouring Myanmar.

Police arrests terrorist from Peshawar linked to Hafiz Saeed's JuD In a major breakthrough, police have apprehended a Jama'at-ud-Da'wah(JuD)-linked terrorist Mohamad Amir also known as Abu Hamas. Watch: High security around Kremlin in Russia ahead of FIFA World Cup final draw The 21st FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial international football tournament is scheduled to take place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018. UP civic poll: BJP bags 9 out of 10 seats declared, leads in 6 In what has been dubbed as Yogi Adityanath's first big electoral test after assuming office as Uttar Pradesh chief minister, ruling BJP swept the Uttar Pradesh civic polls bagging nine of the ten mayoral seats for which results were declared till evening while leading in six others where the counting was in progress. Newborn, declared dead by Delhi hospital, found alive by parents In a case of negligence, Max hospital Shalimar Bagh in Delhi has declared one of the twins dead while the baby was still alive. The parents of the child said they were about to bury the child when they found out that it was alive. Pope to lead huge mass for Bangladesh Catholics Pope Francis will lead an open-air mass Friday for around 100,000 Catholics in Bangladesh, which is grappling with a rise in Islamist extremism and a massive influx of Rohingya refugees from neighbouring Myanmar.

WION Evening News Brief, December 1, 2017

As many as three died and eight injured after 13-coach Vasco Da Gama-Patna Express derailed at Banda in Uttar Pradesh early Friday.&nbsp;

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UPDATE?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UPDATE</a> Vasco De Gama Patna express train accident: Death toll rises to three, seven injured
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/933880711441870848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 24, 2017</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;The train was headed for&nbsp;Patna from Goa when the accident took place.&nbsp;

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Prima facie the cause of accident looks like fractured Railway track as per local assessment: UP ADG(law and order) on Banda train accident
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/933866218309558277?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 24, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Uttar Pradesh ADG (law and order) assessing the cause of the accident said that prima facie it looked&nbsp;like &#39;&#39;fractured railway track&#39;&#39; as per local reports.&nbsp;

Ministry of Railways has announced&nbsp;Rs five&nbsp;lakh&nbsp;for kin of those dead and Rs one lakh&nbsp;for grievously injured and Rs&nbsp;50,000 for those injured

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Vasco De Gama Patna express train accident: Ministry of Railways announces Rs 5 lakhs for kin of those dead, 1 lakh for grievously injured and 50,000 for those injured
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/933904532215537664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 24, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Indian Railways PRO&nbsp;Anil Saxena said that they have set up helpline numbers and added that rescue and relief operations are underway.

&quot;The injured have been rushed to the hospital and officials have left for the spot. Relief operations are underway,&quot; said North Central Railway PRO Amit Malviya said.

Soon after the accident, a medical train reached the spot and by 5:20 am, an accident relief train was dispatched to the spot, he added.

Railways have issued helpline numbers for kin of accident victims: Allahabad- 0532-1072; Mirzapur: 05442-1072; Chunar: 05442-1072.

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We have setup helpline numbers, rescue and relief operations are underway: Anil Saxena,PRO Indian Railways <a href="https://t.co/SREWTYt4Ms">pic.twitter.com/SREWTYt4Ms</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/933874886606336000?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 24, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Uttar Pradesh ADG (law and order) attributed the cause of the accident to ''fractured railway track''?

As many as three died and eight injured after 13-coach Vasco Da Gama-Patna Express derailed at Banda in Uttar Pradesh early Friday. #UPDATE Vasco De Gama Patna express train accident: Death toll rises to three, seven injured — ANI (@ANI) November 24, 2017 × The train was headed for Patna from Goa when the accident took place. Prima facie the cause of accident looks like fractured Railway track as per local assessment: UP ADG(law and order) on Banda train accident — ANI (@ANI) November 24, 2017 × Uttar Pradesh ADG (law and order) assessing the cause of the accident said that prima facie it looked like ''fractured railway track'' as per local reports. Ministry of Railways has announced Rs five lakh for kin of those dead and Rs one lakh for grievously injured and Rs 50,000 for those injured Vasco De Gama Patna express train accident: Ministry of Railways announces Rs 5 lakhs for kin of those dead, 1 lakh for grievously injured and 50,000 for those injured — ANI (@ANI) November 24, 2017 × Indian Railways PRO Anil Saxena said that they have set up helpline numbers and added that rescue and relief operations are underway. "The injured have been rushed to the hospital and officials have left for the spot. Relief operations are underway," said North Central Railway PRO Amit Malviya said. Soon after the accident, a medical train reached the spot and by 5:20 am, an accident relief train was dispatched to the spot, he added. Railways have issued helpline numbers for kin of accident victims: Allahabad- 0532-1072; Mirzapur: 05442-1072; Chunar: 05442-1072. We have setup helpline numbers, rescue and relief operations are underway: Anil Saxena,PRO Indian Railways pic.twitter.com/SREWTYt4Ms — ANI (@ANI) November 24, 2017 ×

3 dead, 8 injured as train derails in Uttar Pradesh

A British couple was attacked Tuesday in Bihar.&nbsp;

The couple were camping on the banks of the Ganga in Pandarak in Patna district.&nbsp;

The couple said they were attacked by two men with sticks, that the men misbehaved with&nbsp;them, and tried to rob them.&nbsp;

The couple said they&nbsp;&quot;somehow crossed the river&quot; and reached the police.&nbsp;

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The 2 came with weapons &amp; sticks, misbehaved &amp; tried to loot us. We somehow crossed the river &amp; sought help from police: Matthew <a href="https://t.co/MV8YlRCfxW">pic.twitter.com/MV8YlRCfxW</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/927748549579698177?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2017</a></blockquote>
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The Patna SSP said the men were arrested within two hours.&nbsp;

&quot;It will be seen that such incidents do not recur,&quot; he added.&nbsp;

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The men were arrested within 2 hours. A speedy trial will be done and it will be seen that such incidents do not recur: SSP Patna <a href="https://t.co/BAjtqxYKq0">pic.twitter.com/BAjtqxYKq0</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/927748855281598464?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2017</a></blockquote>
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This is the third attack on foreign tourists in the past few weeks.&nbsp;

A German tourist was attacked at&nbsp;Robertsganj railway station last Saturday by a railway employee. The employee has since accused the German -- Holger Eric -- of attacking him first.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/german-tourist-assaulted-in-up-days-after-attack-on-swiss-couple-23531" target="_blank">Also read: Days after attack on Swiss couple, German tourist assaulted in UP</a>

And on October 22, a Swiss couple was attacked in Fatehpur Sikri.

The attack was so vicious that it left him Quentin Jeremy Clerc, 24, with&nbsp;a fractured skull, a clot in his brain, a hearing impairment, a broken arm, and multiple bruises.&nbsp;

When his girlfriend, Marie Droz, also 24, intervened, she too was attacked.&nbsp;

She ended up with a broken arm.&nbsp;

Their attackers turned out to be minors.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/sushma-swaraj-steps-in-after-swiss-couple-brutally-attacked-in-fatehpur-sikri-22931" target="_blank">Also read:&nbsp;Swiss couple attacked in Fatehpur Sikri: Police arrest one person; Opposition slams UP govt</a>

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/attacks-on-foreign-tourists-raise-questions-on-indian-ethos-22979" target="_blank">Also read:&nbsp;Attacks on Swiss couple raise questions on Indian ethics</a>

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The couple said they were attacked by two men with sticks, that the men misbehaved with?them, and tried to rob them

A British couple was attacked Tuesday in Bihar. The couple were camping on the banks of the Ganga in Pandarak in Patna district. The couple said they were attacked by two men with sticks, that the men misbehaved with them, and tried to rob them. The couple said they "somehow crossed the river" and reached the police. The 2 came with weapons & sticks, misbehaved & tried to loot us. We somehow crossed the river & sought help from police: Matthew pic.twitter.com/MV8YlRCfxW — ANI (@ANI) November 7, 2017 × The Patna SSP said the men were arrested within two hours. "It will be seen that such incidents do not recur," he added. The men were arrested within 2 hours. A speedy trial will be done and it will be seen that such incidents do not recur: SSP Patna pic.twitter.com/BAjtqxYKq0 — ANI (@ANI) November 7, 2017 × This is the third attack on foreign tourists in the past few weeks. A German tourist was attacked at Robertsganj railway station last Saturday by a railway employee. The employee has since accused the German -- Holger Eric -- of attacking him first. Also read: Days after attack on Swiss couple, German tourist assaulted in UP And on October 22, a Swiss couple was attacked in Fatehpur Sikri. The attack was so vicious that it left him Quentin Jeremy Clerc, 24, with a fractured skull, a clot in his brain, a hearing impairment, a broken arm, and multiple bruises. When his girlfriend, Marie Droz, also 24, intervened, she too was attacked. She ended up with a broken arm. Their attackers turned out to be minors. Also read: Swiss couple attacked in Fatehpur Sikri: Police arrest one person; Opposition slams UP govt Also read: Attacks on Swiss couple raise questions on Indian ethics

Now, British couple attacked in Bihar

Few days after an attack on Swiss couple, another tourist has been allegedly assaulted in Uttar Pradesh.&nbsp;

A German national was beaten up by a man at Robertsganj Railway Station in Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh because he inadvertently ignored a man&#39;s greeting.

The police have arrested the accused identified as Aman Yadav further investigation in the case is still underway.

The German Tourist Holger Erik, a Berlin native, was referred to Mirzapur hospital for treatment.

After getting off a train, the German was looking for directions at the stations to go to Agori fort for his research when Aman Kumar greeted him. The tourist didn&rsquo;t respond and Kumar was offended.

Kumar then pushed him to the ground and slapped him a number of times, police said.

Meanwhile, the accused claimed innocence and alleged that he was punched by the German first. &quot;I am innocent, the German national punched me when I said &#39;Welcome to India&#39;. He even spat on me,&quot; he added.

This is the second attack on foreign tourists in Uttar Pradesh in a fortnight after a Swiss couple Quentin Jeremy Clerc and girlfriend Marie Droz was thrashed at Fatehpur Sikri on October 26. 
&nbsp; 
Following the incident. Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police Sulkhan Singh had issued a list of guidelines, including the deployment of policemen in plain clothes, more patrolling and installation of CCTV cameras, to prevent such incidents in the future.

 
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A German national was beaten up by a man at Robertsganj Railway Station in Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh because he inadvertently ignored a man's greeting.

Few days after an attack on Swiss couple, another tourist has been allegedly assaulted in Uttar Pradesh. A German national was beaten up by a man at Robertsganj Railway Station in Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh because he inadvertently ignored a man's greeting. The police have arrested the accused identified as Aman Yadav further investigation in the case is still underway. The German Tourist Holger Erik, a Berlin native, was referred to Mirzapur hospital for treatment. After getting off a train, the German was looking for directions at the stations to go to Agori fort for his research when Aman Kumar greeted him. The tourist didn’t respond and Kumar was offended. Kumar then pushed him to the ground and slapped him a number of times, police said. Meanwhile, the accused claimed innocence and alleged that he was punched by the German first. "I am innocent, the German national punched me when I said 'Welcome to India'. He even spat on me," he added. This is the second attack on foreign tourists in Uttar Pradesh in a fortnight after a Swiss couple Quentin Jeremy Clerc and girlfriend Marie Droz was thrashed at Fatehpur Sikri on October 26. Following the incident. Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police Sulkhan Singh had issued a list of guidelines, including the deployment of policemen in plain clothes, more patrolling and installation of CCTV cameras, to prevent such incidents in the future.

Days after attack on Swiss couple, German tourist assaulted in UP

One person died and 45 students were -&nbsp;5 of them seriously -&nbsp;when a school bus they were travelling in&nbsp;suffered a tyre burst on the Yamuna Expressway near Agra on Friday afternoon.

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UPDATE?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UPDATE</a> 1 person dead, 45 students injured incl 5 critical in bus accident due to tyre burst on Yamuna Expressway near Agra
&mdash; ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/926349304779890688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 3, 2017</a></blockquote>
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A bus carrying the school children overturned and hit a divider.

The students were from class VI to VII of Alok Bharti School in Himachal Pradesh&#39;s Mandi. They&nbsp;were on their way to Agra for an excursion tour.&nbsp;

The students who got injured in the accident were taken to the Sarojini Naidu Medical College in Agra.

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Visuals?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Visuals</a> Several students injured after a bus carrying them overturned due to tyre burst on Yamuna Express highway near Agra <a href="https://t.co/374t45g0PM">pic.twitter.com/374t45g0PM</a>
&mdash; ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/926338111377784833?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 3, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Bus carrying students overturns on Yamuna Expressway

One person died and 45 students were - 5 of them seriously - when a school bus they were travelling in suffered a tyre burst on the Yamuna Expressway near Agra on Friday afternoon. #UPDATE 1 person dead, 45 students injured incl 5 critical in bus accident due to tyre burst on Yamuna Expressway near Agra — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) November 3, 2017 × A bus carrying the school children overturned and hit a divider. The students were from class VI to VII of Alok Bharti School in Himachal Pradesh's Mandi. They were on their way to Agra for an excursion tour. The students who got injured in the accident were taken to the Sarojini Naidu Medical College in Agra. #Visuals Several students injured after a bus carrying them overturned due to tyre burst on Yamuna Express highway near Agra pic.twitter.com/374t45g0PM — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) November 3, 2017 ×

1 dead, 45 injured in Yamuna Expressway bus accident

&nbsp;After a long gap, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and his father Mulayam Singh Yadav were seen together at a public event here today.

The occasion was an event observing the death anniversary of Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia at the Lohia park here where they both had come to pay tribute to the socialist leader.

The father-son duo later posed before photographers.

Akhilesh Yadav (44) also publicly touched the feet of the 77-year-old Samajwadi Party patron and later said he had his blessings.

The senior Yadav had earlier this morning visited the Lohia Trust office here and paid tributes to the leader with his brother Shivpal Yadav.

Later, addressing media persons at the SP headquarters, Akhilesh Yadav said that the &quot;projects initiated by him are now being inaugurated by the BJP by removing his plaques&quot;.

On Mulayam, he said, &quot;If a father glosses over his son&#39;s mistakes, he becomes misguided. There is a fight of ideologies in every family...&quot;. The former chief minister, however, did not elaborate.

Asking party workers to gear up for 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the SP chief said, &quot;We have nothing to lose now. We will only gain. The people of the state are waiting for an opportunity to bring the SP back.&quot;

&quot;We have to prepare for 2022 Assembly elections too. This government is not doing any development and people have understood that&quot; he said.

The SP chief also attacked the Centre for implementing the GST &quot;without any preparations&quot;, causing hardship to the trader community.

The occasion was an event observing the death anniversary of Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia at the Lohia park here where they both had come to pay tribute to the socialist leader

After a long gap, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and his father Mulayam Singh Yadav were seen together at a public event here today. The occasion was an event observing the death anniversary of Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia at the Lohia park here where they both had come to pay tribute to the socialist leader. The father-son duo later posed before photographers. Akhilesh Yadav (44) also publicly touched the feet of the 77-year-old Samajwadi Party patron and later said he had his blessings. The senior Yadav had earlier this morning visited the Lohia Trust office here and paid tributes to the leader with his brother Shivpal Yadav. Later, addressing media persons at the SP headquarters, Akhilesh Yadav said that the "projects initiated by him are now being inaugurated by the BJP by removing his plaques". On Mulayam, he said, "If a father glosses over his son's mistakes, he becomes misguided. There is a fight of ideologies in every family...". The former chief minister, however, did not elaborate. Asking party workers to gear up for 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the SP chief said, "We have nothing to lose now. We will only gain. The people of the state are waiting for an opportunity to bring the SP back." "We have to prepare for 2022 Assembly elections too. This government is not doing any development and people have understood that" he said. The SP chief also attacked the Centre for implementing the GST "without any preparations", causing hardship to the trader community.

Akhilesh, Mulayam seen together in public after long gap

The UP government has given a Mathura farmer a 1 paisa&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/after-uttar-pradesh-and-punjab-karnataka-waives-crop-loan-up-to-rs-50000-per-farmer-17108" target="_blank">loan waiver</a> on a loan of Rs 1,55,000.&nbsp;

The farmer said the &quot;government has played (a) cruel joke&quot; on him. &nbsp;

And has asked for the entire loan amount to be waived. &nbsp;

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Mathura: Farmer gets loan waiver of 1 paise on Rs 1,55,000 loan amt, say govt has played cruel joke, entire loan amount should be waived <a href="https://t.co/FV2MpOp2GW">pic.twitter.com/FV2MpOp2GW</a>
&mdash; ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/910023446238597120">September 19, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Uttar Pradesh chief minister had announced waivers on loans taken by famers when he came to power this year.&nbsp;

The loan waivers were an election promise.&nbsp;

There have been earlier instances too of farmers getting tiny waivers on large farm loans taken by them. &nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/finance-minister-arun-jaitley-rules-out-loans-waivers-by-the-centre-13793" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" target="_blank">Also Read: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley rules out loans waivers by Centre</a>

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The 'government has played (a) cruel joke', the farmer said

The UP government has given a Mathura farmer a 1 paisa loan waiver on a loan of Rs 1,55,000. The farmer said the "government has played (a) cruel joke" on him. And has asked for the entire loan amount to be waived. Mathura: Farmer gets loan waiver of 1 paise on Rs 1,55,000 loan amt, say govt has played cruel joke, entire loan amount should be waived pic.twitter.com/FV2MpOp2GW — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) September 19, 2017 × Uttar Pradesh chief minister had announced waivers on loans taken by famers when he came to power this year. The loan waivers were an election promise. There have been earlier instances too of farmers getting tiny waivers on large farm loans taken by them. Also Read: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley rules out loans waivers by Centre

WATCH: UP farmer borrows Rs 1,55,000, gets loan waiver of 1 paisa

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath began a cleanliness drive in Uttar Pradesh today.&nbsp;

The drive was begun from a school.&nbsp;

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Lucknow: CM Yogi Adityanath begins cleanliness drive in the state, in a school; actors Akshay Kumar and Bhumi Pednekar also present <a href="https://t.co/Cu9OiyqQpg">pic.twitter.com/Cu9OiyqQpg</a>
&mdash; ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/893331413847523328">August 4, 2017</a></blockquote>
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The actors Akshay Kumar and Bhumi Pednekar were also present, to give Yogi a hand.&nbsp;

Kumar and Pednekar are starring in the upcoming film Toilet: Ek Prem Katha.&nbsp;

The cleanliness drive was begun from a school

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath began a cleanliness drive in Uttar Pradesh today. The drive was begun from a school. Lucknow: CM Yogi Adityanath begins cleanliness drive in the state, in a school; actors Akshay Kumar and Bhumi Pednekar also present pic.twitter.com/Cu9OiyqQpg — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) August 4, 2017 × The actors Akshay Kumar and Bhumi Pednekar were also present, to give Yogi a hand. Kumar and Pednekar are starring in the upcoming film Toilet: Ek Prem Katha.

Yogi begins cleanliness drive in UP, with a little help from Akshay Kumar and Bhumi Pednekar

The&nbsp;<a href="http://aninews.in/keysearch/keyword-search/uttar-pradesh-government.html">Uttar Pradesh Government</a>&nbsp;on Wednesday transferred 84 Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers, including 37 District Magistrates.

<a href="http://aninews.in/keysearch/keyword-search/nine-provincial-civil-services.html">Nine Provincial Civil Services</a>&nbsp;(PCS) officers also have been transferred in Uttar Pradesh.

Earlier this week, among the 12 IPS officers transferred in Uttar Pradesh, state&nbsp;<a href="http://aninews.in/keysearch/keyword-search/director-general-of-police-dgp-javeed-ahmed.html">Director General of Police (DGP) Javeed Ahmed</a>&#39;s name also surfaced.

Ahmed has been replaced by Sulkhan Singh.

Other IPS officers being transferred include Surya Kumar, Jawahar Lal Tripathi, Alok Prasad, Aditya Mishra, Bhavesh Kumar Singh, Vijay Kumar, Daljeet Singh, Alok Singh, Sanjay Singhal and Navneet Sikera.

Seven&nbsp;<a href="http://aninews.in/keysearch/keyword-search/ias-officers.html">IAS officers</a>&nbsp;have also been transferred.

On March 23,&nbsp;<a href="http://aninews.in/keysearch/keyword-search/uttar-pradesh.html">Uttar Pradesh</a>&nbsp;Chief Minister&nbsp;<a href="http://aninews.in/keysearch/keyword-search/yogi-adityanath.html">Yogi Adityanath&nbsp;</a>paid a surprise visit to Lucknow&#39;s Hazratganj police station to have an inspection of the place.

Following the inspection, Adityanath opined that the police should be people-friendly, thereby ensuring that appropriate action will be taken to maintain law and order in the state.

The Chief Minister also came up with the idea of &#39;anti-Romeo squads&#39; to keep a check on eve-teasing.

Certain changes in the police administration are expected since the change of the government in the state.&nbsp;

<a href="http://aninews.in/" target="_blank">(ANI)</a>

Eighty-four Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers, including 37 District Magistrates, have been transferred by the local government

The Uttar Pradesh Government on Wednesday transferred 84 Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers, including 37 District Magistrates. Nine Provincial Civil Services (PCS) officers also have been transferred in Uttar Pradesh. Earlier this week, among the 12 IPS officers transferred in Uttar Pradesh, state Director General of Police (DGP) Javeed Ahmed's name also surfaced. Ahmed has been replaced by Sulkhan Singh. Other IPS officers being transferred include Surya Kumar, Jawahar Lal Tripathi, Alok Prasad, Aditya Mishra, Bhavesh Kumar Singh, Vijay Kumar, Daljeet Singh, Alok Singh, Sanjay Singhal and Navneet Sikera. Seven IAS officers have also been transferred. On March 23, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath paid a surprise visit to Lucknow's Hazratganj police station to have an inspection of the place. Following the inspection, Adityanath opined that the police should be people-friendly, thereby ensuring that appropriate action will be taken to maintain law and order in the state. The Chief Minister also came up with the idea of 'anti-Romeo squads' to keep a check on eve-teasing. Certain changes in the police administration are expected since the change of the government in the state. (ANI)

India: Major bureaucratic reshuffle in Yogi Adityanath's Uttar Pradesh

On the lines of the subsidised Amma canteens in Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will soon be launching &quot;Annapurna canteens&quot;&nbsp;across the state.

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According to national media reports, breakfast in these canteens will be sold at Rs&nbsp;3,&nbsp;while lunch and dinner will be sold&nbsp;at Rs 5.

The reports suggest that the &quot;Annapurna canteens&quot;&nbsp;will provide subsidised food to people from the economically weaker sections.

The pilot project is expected to take-off in Lucknow, Kanpur, Gorakhpur and Ghaziabad.

According to the <a href="http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/yogi-govt-on-mission-2019-breakfast-for-rs-3-lunch-rs-5/story-O1cJswDxSCyUptJJoQbfbN.html">Hindustan Times</a>, the Adityanath government plans to run about 200 such canteens.

The<a href="http://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/090417/yogi-adityanath-plans-three-meals-a-day-for-rs-13-per-day-across-up.html"> Deccan Chronicle</a> reports that the subsidy--that is, the cost the tax payer will bear--will work out to Rs 35 per person.

(WION)

Yogi Adityanath's government is planning to come up with subsidised 'Annapurna' canteens, according to media reports

On the lines of the subsidised Amma canteens in Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will soon be launching "Annapurna canteens" across the state. According to national media reports, breakfast in these canteens will be sold at Rs 3, while lunch and dinner will be sold at Rs 5. The reports suggest that the "Annapurna canteens" will provide subsidised food to people from the economically weaker sections. The pilot project is expected to take-off in Lucknow, Kanpur, Gorakhpur and Ghaziabad. According to the Hindustan Times, the Adityanath government plans to run about 200 such canteens. The Deccan Chronicle reports that the subsidy--that is, the cost the tax payer will bear--will work out to Rs 35 per person. (WION)

Breakfast at Rs 3, lunch and dinner at Rs 5 coming soon to Adityanath's UP

Sudhir Chaudhary interviews Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav during the all-important Uttar Pradesh election

This interview has been translated from the original Hindi, and lightly edited for length: By Sudhir Chaudhary Sudhir Chaudhary: If you believe that "kaam bolta hai" ("your work speaks for itself") and you will form a government, what was the point of a coalition with Congress? This shows your weakness... Akhilesh Yadav: Just to eradicate confusion about whether Samajwadi Party (SP) will form a government or not, this coalition was done. And I can say that both parties in the coalition government will win the election. If I contested alone, I would have won 200-250 seats, but now the coalition government will win around 300 seats. Sudhir: Why are you being greedy for 300 seats? 250 is enough for you. I ask because, as I said, you and your party didn't have faith in yourself to win elections... Akhilesh: I did this so that the confusion can be eradicated, and now nobody will have confusion in Uttar Pradesh (UP). Whether we will win or not, the way Uttar Pradesh experienced the first phase election now it is confirmed - SP and Congress will win the elections. Sudhir: Congress party today is just a small party, they won only 44 seats in Lok Sabha elections and they have just seven per cent vote share in UP, and you have given 105 seats to this party. This is an example that shows you are either confused or not sure about your victory. Akhilesh: Politics is a big game, but if you want good friendship you need to have heart. I would have bargained with Congress, but I tried. That friendship should be strong. Sudhir: Who is more of a miser among you? Akhilesh: I will not call this miser, we both got equal share. At least we established a strong bond. Sudhir: But do you think Rahul and you can be good friends? The only one common thing you share is that you both are in politics. Akhilesh: I say its a youth coalition, coming together as a new idea and new development in UP, at least Rahul thinks UP should change its motto towards development. Sudhir: So what do you think how Rahul Gandhi's opinion changed suddenly about you? Akhilesh: Yes there was a motto against me, but that motto can be changed. 27 years of social well-being, It happened in the past, I don't want to consider that. And for long term friendships, we need to move ahead. Sudhir: See this report...what Rahul said about you... Akhilesh: These lines were said in absence of a coalition government, he (Rahul) said that Akhilesh failed, but now I believe I will pass. Sudhir: Who has a bigger role in coalition government during a press conference? Rahul's body language was as if he was your elder brother...do you agree? Akhilesh: In politics there are no such terms like junior or senior. In coming press conferences there will be no such attitude between us. Both are equal and we need to consider them as a national party, since Independence many times they formed governments. We accept the fact. Sudhir: So you were waiting for the moment when Congress would be weakest, and you will adopt them. Akhilesh: You never know when and what situation comes up, and sometimes situations lead to conclusions. So maybe Congress and Samajwadi Party wanted a coalition, so it happened in UP. Sudhir: A viral joke going around now is: "Couples either come from heaven or form due to fear of Modi." Akhilesh: I was listening to BJP candidates and it seems they are more afraid. And I think if blood pressure due to fear...it's of BJP. My blood pressure is still normal. It's just phase-1 in Uttar Pradesh. The majority of voters didn't vote yet, so we are not afraid of any party. This coalition is of youth and new development goals. Sudhir: BJP thinks that this duo is over-aged, they call it ''youth" but they are actually are over age. Akhilesh: I have met several politicians who are 75-85. Still, they call themselves "youth". It hardly matters whatever is our age. But those commenting on this, at least we are younger than them. Sudhir: Don't you think 105 seats is a lot and you wasted this amount of seats? If you had contested alone or would have contested with someone else then maybe you could win in a better way. Akhilesh: Now I don't think this way...whether it's a loss or gain, but now will look forward, and will contest responsibly with all our party candidates. Sudhir: There was a confusion between you and Rahul about who will contest from Amethi, because Congress is the winning party from that constituency. Are you ready to compromise with him on this? Akhilesh: I tried my best to give them seats from different constituencies from wherever they can win...still Samajwadi Party is contesting from those constituencies. Sudhir: Like you have your MLA Prajapati who is contesting from Amethi? Akhilesh: Prajapati is contesting from Amethi. Rakesh, the second sitting MLA, is also contesting elections. In fact, we have Devendraji who is contesting from Rae Bareli. Manoj Pandey is also contesting. I feel that during coalition governments, someone or the other has to face the consequences. Sudhir: Clearly you feel Congress will fail in key constituencies, so Samajwadi Party is contesting from those constituencies. Akhilesh: They removed some candidates, we removed some candidates. The picture will be clearer soon. Sudhir: How is your experience with Rahul Gandhi till now? I was looking through the pictures and videos and while you both were contesting there were electric wires you had to wade through during a rally.... Akhilesh: We came across wires and poles, but at least we were safe and sometimes you need to follow the route your worker's decide...and it's good to visit such localities and it's a matter of experience for politicians. Sudhir: What you think Rahul Gandhi will learn from you in this election? Akhilesh: I will not teach him anything, but as politicians, we move ahead as situations come up, events take place, this makes a politician an experienced person. Sudhir: Let's assume you win this election and everything goes well. So in 2019, will you again contest again with Rahul? Akhilesh: Not yet planned for 2019, but after winning this election situation will change. And what situation will be there in 2019, we will see. Sudhir: You are young. If you win the election for the second time and get a majority, you will establish yourself as a young national leader, and many people assume that this election is important for 2019, and it is a possibility that your name will come up for the PM candidature. Akhilesh: I don't dream very big, my dream is limited only to Uttar Pradesh. If people will give me a chance I will work. This led to Lucknow expressway, and want to extend it to Gazipur and Baliya. As soon as possible this work will get done. We will set market and industries near the expressway, so that skill development for youth and employment can be achieved. Villages should get 24x7 electricity, that's my big dream. Who will stay in Lucknow. I'll last longer than those who stay in Delhi.... Sudhir: It also means Rahul Gandhi should not feel insecure, and if the situation arrives, you will not create any trouble for him. You will stay happy here in Lucknow... Akhilesh: Like I said I don't dream big, at least I believe whosoever stays away from Delhi, lasts longer and will always be happy...I am not in a rush to move to Delhi. Sudhir: But it's a dream for Congress. Akhilesh: If Congress has a dream they need to take a responsible decision because it's a big dream to achieve. Sudhir: I asked this because once Netaji (Mulayam Singh) almost reached there. But some people didn't let him become the PM, so it's a possibility that his son might become.... Akhilesh: Right now he is a politician, and I believe after this election Netaji will be proud, and right now my priority is that 20-25 days of election is left. Samajwadi should win with a majority, and after that what decision we should take will be considered later... Sudhir: Who is your competitor? Akhilesh: I can say that Samajwadi Party is heading, we are cyclists, we balance our handle and go with a good speed. And we do not consider who is behind us... Sudhir: Mulayam Singh never favoured you for this coalition, but still you did it...he might have felt bad. Akhilesh: I tried to be under Netaji, and coalition was the need of the hour, that's why it happened, so that confusion persists. Sudhir: Till now Mulayam Singh hasn't supported you on this... Akhilesh: For whosoever he might contest they are part of Samajwadi Party only. Sudhir: But he is only supporting Shiv Pal and not supporting anyone. Akhilesh: We went to Jaswant Nagar, Bhartana, Lucknow, and I feel with whomsoever he went they all are Samajawadi candidates. He is also saying SP should win. So this is a blessing for the whole party. Sudhir: What kind of coalition is this where Netaji is not active, Sonia Gandhi is not active, Priyanka is not active? It seems everything is totally upon your shoulders... Akhilesh: See how much they trust us that this duo will change UP politics. Sudhir: What have you done till now regarding Netaji's support? Even if you win the election without his support, what's the whole point of it? Akhilesh: There is a lot of time in this...But nobody wants Netaji to be disappointed. Sudhir: But he is... Akhilesh: I feel he is supporting the party, and wherever he is going, he is in favour of the party Sudhir: It's been a long time, still this question arises: when there was a dispute going on in your family, many people used to say it was planned. "Netaji wants to make his son an undisputed leader, and the Samajwadi symbol that is the cycle should go in your favour and that's why it was done". I ask that you answer honestly, was it planned? Akhilesh: What was my situation nobody will know .. and if I talk about people's perception, family drama or planned, everything is wrong as people were angry. But the majority of the party is in my favour. Sudhir: Though we belong to that country where Shrawan Kumar was born, so for any son it is difficult to go against his father ...hardly matters whether it is for the party's sake. As a son, how difficult was it for you to go against your father? Akhilesh: Netaji and party members wanted the party to do well and move ahead towards progress, and according to the situation at that time, my decision was right. But it was for party's sake. If we form a government, Netaji will be very happy. Sudhir: I still remember it was the night of December 31, an occasion people usually celebrate. For you, how was it? Akhilesh: I think it's not a topic for discussion...maybe after elections we can discuss it, because keeping everything aside we want support from people. We should get a chance... Sudhir: Any person who would be in your situation, who is chief minister and doesn't know whether he will continue or not, will do lots of planning. Maybe you are planning for UP, but your wife might be busy deciding which packer and mover should be booked, where to shift next time. Have you planned where you will shift to after this? Akhilesh: My party members know that I don't have much with me. Even if the situation arises I don't need any packer and mover to relocate. And I know people will support Samajwadi Party, and you will see me here again after March 11. I am thinking what else I should bring here after March 11. Sudhir: We build highways...you made us count your achievements, but what about law and order? And still, women are afraid to go out alone in UP. Maybe you deny the fact but Uttar Pradesh is on top in crime, you failed in that aspect... Akhilesh: Anyone accusing me should at least bring reports or facts containing data about each state, not talk about incidents. They should also think and consider other states where incidents also happen. We have worked for law and order. For example, we have given 100 number service, the opposition doesn't have goals for development. This is a sign of failure. Sudhir: Can you swear that women are safe in UP? Akhilesh: We are trying to improve the situation. The police should work effectively, this goal was given to us... Sudhir: Jungle raj...complete lawlessness...rule of the gun are used for UP NCRB data. At 12.7, UP is more notorious than Bihar. Akhilesh: I am saying you should consider stats of different states.It should be per lakh (per 100,000). Sudhir: Yadav title is dominating the UP services. Akhilesh: This is old news...report was sent to the governor regarding this. If you say why mostly people dying are Yadavs? Sudhir: On national perspective Uttar Pradesh lags behind many states including Rajasthan, Orissa, West Bengal and Jharkhand. In GDP UP also lags behind..... Akhilesh: Mostly awards are won by Uttar Pradesh, including IT sector, forest cover, Guinness Book of World Record for tree plantation. Nutrition mission run by SP. We are No-1 in sugarcane plantation and sugar manufacturing, top in potato production. We have made India's largest expressway... Sudhir: But when rape happens on an expressway that's an issue... Akhilesh: We have police check-points every 30 kilometres on the expressway...you can take it on record Sudhir: Why does the media love you so much... Akhilesh: I don't own a share, and I guess you understand better how channels run...incidents in UP make it to "breaking news", but in other states it does not... Sudhir: What will you change if you become CM again? Akhilesh: If SP forms the government, UP will be on top in every sector, and will create skill development centres, will create mandi's, we have allotted land to Baba Ramdev. I will support whoever will come here in food processing... Sudhir: Let's talk about your opposition. They say you will not form the government... Akhilesh: They are very disappointed because in the first phase they didn't have major support of the people, and they know the truth and voters too know the truth. That's why they are accusing us. They should first talk about their work... Sudhir: Do you think this election totally depends upon demonitisation? Akhilesh: People vote in every election. During Lok Sabha elections, people considered central goals. We got less seats because BJP got BSP support, and also many young voters went with the BJP keeping in mind that government will make progress in many issues. Demonitisation was a desperate move because people faced challenges. Sudhir: Will demonitisation help? Akhilesh: Peole should know and understand what corruption means. Money is not judged by colour, it's just transactions which are black, and people who faced challenges will again stand in line and will vote against BJP. Sudhir: What is brand Akhilesh? People say it's your golden period. Akhilesh: I'm confident that if Samajwadi Party will experience a golden period, we will win. Sudhir: What will be the effect on presidential election due to this election? Akhilesh: UP is the largest state, the most populous state. I think we will have an important vote in the presidential elections. Sudhir: Do you have any candidate for presidential elections? Akhilesh: We will think after March 11... Sudhir: How do you feel when your brother's picture gets published in newspapers, driving a five crore ($740,000) car. Akhilesh: He is doing a business, and if he is earning well and buying a car, it hardly matters to us. It's not affecting the ethics of the Samajwadi Party. We are moving ahead now and giving smartphones, 1.4 lakhs (140,000) registrations have been done... Sudhir: Rahul and you both have been called "Sultan" and "Tipu", respectively: Would you like to comment on it? Akhilesh: Our duo will work together towards progress and will bring in new change and both of us will stand together... (WION)

No junior or senior, Congress and SP are equal partners, says UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav has shot off a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting him to defer presentation of the Union Budget till the completion of the poll process in five states.

The letter sent to the prime minister earlier this week cited the Election Commission directive on January 23 asking the Central government not to announce any specific scheme for the five states going to polls in keeping with the model code of conduct.

The chief minister said that this may deprive Uttar Pradesh, having the maximum population in the country, of special schemes in the Union Budget which would have a direct impact on state&#39;s development and interest of 20 crore people.

Yadav recalled that in February-March 2012, the then government had taken a decision to defer the budget on its own till the completion of the poll process at that time.

&quot;In my capacity as the representative of the people of the state I request you think about deferring the Budget till after the elections so that the development of the state and schemes in the interests of the people could be announced,&quot; he added.

The Supreme Court had ruled recently that the government does not need to move the budget from February 1 to a date after elections are held in five states.

Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur will be held between February 4 and March 8.

(PTI)

The chief minister said doing so may deprive UP of special schemes in the Union Budget, which would have a direct impact on state's interest

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav has shot off a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting him to defer presentation of the Union Budget till the completion of the poll process in five states. The letter sent to the prime minister earlier this week cited the Election Commission directive on January 23 asking the Central government not to announce any specific scheme for the five states going to polls in keeping with the model code of conduct. The chief minister said that this may deprive Uttar Pradesh, having the maximum population in the country, of special schemes in the Union Budget which would have a direct impact on state's development and interest of 20 crore people. Yadav recalled that in February-March 2012, the then government had taken a decision to defer the budget on its own till the completion of the poll process at that time. "In my capacity as the representative of the people of the state I request you think about deferring the Budget till after the elections so that the development of the state and schemes in the interests of the people could be announced," he added. The Supreme Court had ruled recently that the government does not need to move the budget from February 1 to a date after elections are held in five states. Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur will be held between February 4 and March 8. (PTI)

India: Akhilesh writes to PM Modi, wants Budget presentation after polls

Having a face in the assembly elections in India is a basic necessity. Without this&nbsp;it becomes difficult for any political party to fight elections properly.

The BJP is repeating the mistake they made in Bihar&nbsp;by not projecting a chief ministerial candidate in Uttar Pradesh. Barring elections in Maharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand post 2014, where candidate projection was not done, all other state elections were a referendum on the working ability of a face backed by fine ticket distribution and solid social base. Even the three states mentioned above saw massive caste consolidation because of long anti-incumbency, which allowed BJP to canvass without an overarching face.

In Maharashtra it became a case of Maratha versus&nbsp;non Maratha, in Haryana it was a case of Jat versus&nbsp;non Jat, and in Jharkhand tribal versus&nbsp;non tribal was the ruling sentiment allowing Punjabi-Khatri, ML Khattar to become chief minister in Haryana, Fadnavis, a Brahmin and Raghubar Das a non-tribal to becomes chief minister of Maharashtra and Jharkhand respectively. In Delhi, BJP did give a face but outsourced it from the opponent hence losing the upper hand against Arvind Kejriwal of AAP who looked far more credible.

Coming back to Uttar Pradesh, BJP has decided not to project a particular face despite RSS wanting one. The reason is simple. BJP after Kalyan Singh has not been able to produce a big OBC leader who could carry along upper caste with traditional BJP voters.

Despite the fact that Samajwadi Party is going through an existential crisis where father and son are fighting each other to control the party, Akhilesh Yadav has emerged as a popular face. BJP has faces in UP, but none enough to be projected as prospective candidate. BJP doesn&rsquo;t trust Varun Gandhi, and Home Minister Rajnath Singh has not been sent keeping in mind the OBC clout in the north Indian politics.

Despite remaining committed to soft Hindutva by sporting issues like exodus of majority community from villages and beef controversy, BJP neither has a pan UP face nor a substantive issue around which to&nbsp;consolidate&nbsp;different social segments. Same is the case with the Congress, which is a junior player in Uttar Pradesh.

This leaves Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav in the fray who can associate governance with a face. Mayawati despite being a mascot of fine law and order, has remained aloof from UP politics, hence not been able to generate the&nbsp;verve&nbsp;necessary before&nbsp;elections. But she cannot be ruled out. Her campaign style remains different from that of BJP, Congress and SP. Her silent campaign was a surprise for many naysayers, even in 2007.

Akhilesh Yadav on the other hand got rid of his anti-incumbency by&nbsp;taking a stand&nbsp;on the issues of governance and induction of tainted leaders against his father and uncle&rsquo;s wish. &nbsp;

Even the bitter critics of Samajwadi Party would concede that Akhilesh today is being perceived as a leader rather than a mere inheritor. Even Indira Gandhi could only establish her leadership in the party after asserting herself electorally and organisationally.

Many argue that BJP could repeat 2014 by harnessing a majority vote to make the Muslim vote irrelevant in the elections. There lies the difference. It was a mandate for the challenger Narendra Modi who had captured people&rsquo;s imagination as a righteous leader. UP voted for a person who would rule India, hence caste lines broke under the euphoria. The assembly election in Uttar Pradesh will be constrained by caste equations and alliances if possible in the remaining time.

Even during Ram Temple agitation, Kalyan Singh, a Lodh remained an important face of BJP in the state. So for the BJP in Uttar Pradesh and AAP in Punjab to campaign without a face is a high gamble. All elections in India at regional levels are being fought on faces. Whether it was Jaya or presently, Nitish, Mamta, Karunanidhi, Chandra Shekhar Rao, Shivraj Chauhan or Raman Singh, faces provide a connect with the masses.

The face as a marker of policy has evolved further because instead of ideology the face becomes the&nbsp;brand dominating the whole political discourse. This is one hard reality BJP will not be able to escape in Uttar Pradesh. People would like to know as to who will stay with them.&nbsp;This is the reason why Uttar Pradesh will see a direct fight between high profile Akhilesh Yadav, with or without a cycle against a low profile campaign of Mayawati.

People will vote the face they can trust, and Uttar Pradesh will decide that face very soon.

(WION)

A face becomes more than a marker of a politician's policy, it becomes the?brand dominating the whole political discourse

Having a face in the assembly elections in India is a basic necessity. Without this it becomes difficult for any political party to fight elections properly. The BJP is repeating the mistake they made in Bihar by not projecting a chief ministerial candidate in Uttar Pradesh. Barring elections in Maharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand post 2014, where candidate projection was not done, all other state elections were a referendum on the working ability of a face backed by fine ticket distribution and solid social base. Even the three states mentioned above saw massive caste consolidation because of long anti-incumbency, which allowed BJP to canvass without an overarching face. In Maharashtra it became a case of Maratha versus non Maratha, in Haryana it was a case of Jat versus non Jat, and in Jharkhand tribal versus non tribal was the ruling sentiment allowing Punjabi-Khatri, ML Khattar to become chief minister in Haryana, Fadnavis, a Brahmin and Raghubar Das a non-tribal to becomes chief minister of Maharashtra and Jharkhand respectively. In Delhi, BJP did give a face but outsourced it from the opponent hence losing the upper hand against Arvind Kejriwal of AAP who looked far more credible. Coming back to Uttar Pradesh, BJP has decided not to project a particular face despite RSS wanting one. The reason is simple. BJP after Kalyan Singh has not been able to produce a big OBC leader who could carry along upper caste with traditional BJP voters. Despite the fact that Samajwadi Party is going through an existential crisis where father and son are fighting each other to control the party, Akhilesh Yadav has emerged as a popular face. BJP has faces in UP, but none enough to be projected as prospective candidate. BJP doesn’t trust Varun Gandhi, and Home Minister Rajnath Singh has not been sent keeping in mind the OBC clout in the north Indian politics. Despite remaining committed to soft Hindutva by sporting issues like exodus of majority community from villages and beef controversy, BJP neither has a pan UP face nor a substantive issue around which to consolidate different social segments. Same is the case with the Congress, which is a junior player in Uttar Pradesh. This leaves Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav in the fray who can associate governance with a face. Mayawati despite being a mascot of fine law and order, has remained aloof from UP politics, hence not been able to generate the verve necessary before elections. But she cannot be ruled out. Her campaign style remains different from that of BJP, Congress and SP. Her silent campaign was a surprise for many naysayers, even in 2007. Akhilesh Yadav on the other hand got rid of his anti-incumbency by taking a stand on the issues of governance and induction of tainted leaders against his father and uncle’s wish. Even the bitter critics of Samajwadi Party would concede that Akhilesh today is being perceived as a leader rather than a mere inheritor. Even Indira Gandhi could only establish her leadership in the party after asserting herself electorally and organisationally. Many argue that BJP could repeat 2014 by harnessing a majority vote to make the Muslim vote irrelevant in the elections. There lies the difference. It was a mandate for the challenger Narendra Modi who had captured people’s imagination as a righteous leader. UP voted for a person who would rule India, hence caste lines broke under the euphoria. The assembly election in Uttar Pradesh will be constrained by caste equations and alliances if possible in the remaining time. Even during Ram Temple agitation, Kalyan Singh, a Lodh remained an important face of BJP in the state. So for the BJP in Uttar Pradesh and AAP in Punjab to campaign without a face is a high gamble. All elections in India at regional levels are being fought on faces. Whether it was Jaya or presently, Nitish, Mamta, Karunanidhi, Chandra Shekhar Rao, Shivraj Chauhan or Raman Singh, faces provide a connect with the masses. The face as a marker of policy has evolved further because instead of ideology the face becomes the brand dominating the whole political discourse. This is one hard reality BJP will not be able to escape in Uttar Pradesh. People would like to know as to who will stay with them. This is the reason why Uttar Pradesh will see a direct fight between high profile Akhilesh Yadav, with or without a cycle against a low profile campaign of Mayawati. People will vote the face they can trust, and Uttar Pradesh will decide that face very soon. (WION)

In Indian politics, face matters

Five persons were killed and four others injured in an explosion in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday, October 25.

The explosion took place late night in a two-storey building in the Pitarkunda locality of Varanasi where firecrackers were being produced illegally, the police said.

Around nine persons were inside the house at the time of the explosion, senior superintendent of police Nitin Tiwari told PTI.

The explosion must be a result of some explosives catching fire, police suspect.

The injured were rushed to the BHU&#39;s trauma centre and an investigation is underway.

Fire tenders were soon rushed to the spot and a National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team was called for rescue and relief operations, PTI reported.

(WION with inputs from PTI)

Local police said that firecrackers were being produced illegally in the two-storey building

Five persons were killed and four others injured in an explosion in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday, October 25. The explosion took place late night in a two-storey building in the Pitarkunda locality of Varanasi where firecrackers were being produced illegally, the police said. Around nine persons were inside the house at the time of the explosion, senior superintendent of police Nitin Tiwari told PTI. The explosion must be a result of some explosives catching fire, police suspect. The injured were rushed to the BHU's trauma centre and an investigation is underway. Fire tenders were soon rushed to the spot and a National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team was called for rescue and relief operations, PTI reported. (WION with inputs from PTI)

India: Explosion in illegal cracker factory kills 5, injures 4 in Uttar Pradesh

Eight more deaths were reported from the flooded region of India&#39;s&nbsp;Bihar, even as the waters from major rivers in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh are&nbsp;receding. 
 
One person died in West Bengal&#39;s Malda and another in Uttarakhand&#39;s&nbsp;Uttarkashi district due to the deluge. 
 
The death toll in Bihas has now touched 37, with 12 from Bhojpur district&nbsp;alone. 
 
The Ganga, Sone, Punpun, Burhi Gandak, Ghaghra, Kosi and other rivers have&nbsp;been overflowing for the last many days, affecting 31.33 lakh people in 1,934&nbsp;villages across 12 districts. 
 
Around 3.44 lakh people have been rescued so far, an official statement said. 
 
A Central Water Commission report said that relatively less amount of rainfall&nbsp;has made the situation slightly better now. 
 
Both the Ganga and Yamuna are seeing receding water levels in several&nbsp;districts now but they are still above the danger mark. 
 
The capital region of Delhi is experiencing light to heavy showers with high&nbsp;humidity. 
 
The flood waters have disrupted vehicular traffic and communication across&nbsp;several regions in the country. Boats were being pressed into service in the&nbsp;submerged areas to ferry the stranded people. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies)

While river water levels in some regions is receding, they are still above the danger mark

Eight more deaths were reported from the flooded region of India's Bihar, even as the waters from major rivers in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh are receding. One person died in West Bengal's Malda and another in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district due to the deluge. The death toll in Bihas has now touched 37, with 12 from Bhojpur district alone. The Ganga, Sone, Punpun, Burhi Gandak, Ghaghra, Kosi and other rivers have been overflowing for the last many days, affecting 31.33 lakh people in 1,934 villages across 12 districts. Around 3.44 lakh people have been rescued so far, an official statement said. A Central Water Commission report said that relatively less amount of rainfall has made the situation slightly better now. Both the Ganga and Yamuna are seeing receding water levels in several districts now but they are still above the danger mark. The capital region of Delhi is experiencing light to heavy showers with high humidity. The flood waters have disrupted vehicular traffic and communication across several regions in the country. Boats were being pressed into service in the submerged areas to ferry the stranded people. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Floods claim 8 more lives in India's Bihar, water receding in some parts

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday assured his support&nbsp;in the rescue and relief operations in the flood-hit states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and&nbsp;Madhya Pradesh. &quot;I pray for the safety and wellbeing of those in areas affected by floods in parts Uttar&nbsp;Pradesh, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh,&quot; the Prime Minister&#39;s Office tweeted. 
 
Prime&nbsp;Minister Modi said Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh is closely monitoring the situation, adding the latter&nbsp;has spoken to the Chief Ministers and taken stock of the rescue and relief operations. &quot;Centre assures total&nbsp;support in the rescue and relief operations. I hope the situation in the affected areas normalises at the earliest,&quot;&nbsp;he added.In Bihar, waters from various rivers were reported to be spreading to new areas in Bhojpur, Buxar,&nbsp;Munger, Bhagalpur and Khagaria districts.The low-lying areas of Patna, Vaishali and Saran districts are also&nbsp;reportedly under water. 
 
The flood-affected people have taken shelter in schools in Patna. The movement of&nbsp;trains has been stopped between Chapra and Balia because of submerged railway tracks at many places.The&nbsp;surging water of the Rivers Sone and Punpun has spread to the low lying areas of Jahanabad and Arwal&nbsp;districts.In Uttar Pradesh, the flood situation in the eastern parts is grim. River Ganga is rising in many places,&nbsp;including Allahabad and Varanasi.The army has been kept on standby to assist in the rescue and rehabilitation&nbsp;efforts in Allahabad.Both the Ganga and Yamuna Rivers are rising continuously in the district and the people&nbsp;have been told to vacate their homes and move to safer places.Over 100 villages are facing a critical flood&nbsp;situation in the district. So far, about 10,000 people have taken shelter in relief camps. 
 
The National Disaster&nbsp;Response Force (NDRF) is also engaged in Ballai and Banda districts after receiving information on rising&nbsp;water levels.Besides Allahabad, the water of river Ganga is reportedly rising in Varanasi, Ballia and Mirzapur&nbsp;districts, while the water of the Yamuna are rising trend in Banda, Mathura and Allahabad.After the release of&nbsp;water from the dam, the Betwa River is also on spate in Hamirpur district.Water levels are rising between two&nbsp;to three centimetres per hour.In Rajasthan, incessant rains in the south eastern districts have affected normal&nbsp;life. Several over bridges have been submerged in water, bringing road traffic on these routes to a grinding 
halt. 
 
A maximum of 26 centimetres of rainfall has been recorded at the Jakham Dam in the state&#39;s Pratapgarh&nbsp;district.Places like Nimbaheda, Badi Sadri and Bhadesar have received 22 centimeters of rainfall in the last 24&nbsp;hours.The districts of Chittorgarh, Baran, Dungarpur, Banswara and Jhalawar have also experienced good&nbsp;rainfall. 
 
An alert has been sounded in nearby areas of Chambal river in Karauli following an increase in water&nbsp;levels.In Madhya Pradesh, torrential rains have lashed western parts even as relief works have gained&nbsp;momentum in Bundelkhand and Vindhya regions.Normal life has been affected in Guna, Rajgarh, Shivpuri,&nbsp;Mandsour, Ujjain and other parts of western Madhya Pradesh. 
 
(ANI)

Rescue and relief operations have begun in the flood-hit states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and?Madhya Pradesh

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday assured his support in the rescue and relief operations in the flood-hit states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. "I pray for the safety and wellbeing of those in areas affected by floods in parts Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh," the Prime Minister's Office tweeted. Prime Minister Modi said Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh is closely monitoring the situation, adding the latter has spoken to the Chief Ministers and taken stock of the rescue and relief operations. "Centre assures total support in the rescue and relief operations. I hope the situation in the affected areas normalises at the earliest," he added.In Bihar, waters from various rivers were reported to be spreading to new areas in Bhojpur, Buxar, Munger, Bhagalpur and Khagaria districts.The low-lying areas of Patna, Vaishali and Saran districts are also reportedly under water. The flood-affected people have taken shelter in schools in Patna. The movement of trains has been stopped between Chapra and Balia because of submerged railway tracks at many places.The surging water of the Rivers Sone and Punpun has spread to the low lying areas of Jahanabad and Arwal districts.In Uttar Pradesh, the flood situation in the eastern parts is grim. River Ganga is rising in many places, including Allahabad and Varanasi.The army has been kept on standby to assist in the rescue and rehabilitation efforts in Allahabad.Both the Ganga and Yamuna Rivers are rising continuously in the district and the people have been told to vacate their homes and move to safer places.Over 100 villages are facing a critical flood situation in the district. So far, about 10,000 people have taken shelter in relief camps. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is also engaged in Ballai and Banda districts after receiving information on rising water levels.Besides Allahabad, the water of river Ganga is reportedly rising in Varanasi, Ballia and Mirzapur districts, while the water of the Yamuna are rising trend in Banda, Mathura and Allahabad.After the release of water from the dam, the Betwa River is also on spate in Hamirpur district.Water levels are rising between two to three centimetres per hour.In Rajasthan, incessant rains in the south eastern districts have affected normal life. Several over bridges have been submerged in water, bringing road traffic on these routes to a grinding halt. A maximum of 26 centimetres of rainfall has been recorded at the Jakham Dam in the state's Pratapgarh district.Places like Nimbaheda, Badi Sadri and Bhadesar have received 22 centimeters of rainfall in the last 24 hours.The districts of Chittorgarh, Baran, Dungarpur, Banswara and Jhalawar have also experienced good rainfall. An alert has been sounded in nearby areas of Chambal river in Karauli following an increase in water levels.In Madhya Pradesh, torrential rains have lashed western parts even as relief works have gained momentum in Bundelkhand and Vindhya regions.Normal life has been affected in Guna, Rajgarh, Shivpuri, Mandsour, Ujjain and other parts of western Madhya Pradesh. (ANI)

Indian Prime Minister Modi assures Centre's support to flood-hit regions

Persistent rains inundated several villages and settlements in parts of India, leaving hundreds of people stranded in the deluge. 
 
In Allahabad city of northern Uttar Pradesh state, increased water levels of the Ganga river submerged several settlements on Sunday (August 21), forcing people to stay indoors. 
 
Hundreds of people remained stranded in the affected areas even as rescue officials tried to reach out to them through boats. 
 
Locals rued that local administration arrangements were not enough as they were now hit by food and water scarcity. 
 
&quot;Water levels are increasing rapidly and gradually residents are also getting worried and are not coming out of their houses. Many of the houses are submerged in water. People are stuck and so are animals, among whom many are dying. There are no arrangements here. Nothing much is happening. There are no arrangements. There are just boats ferrying people but there is no food or water here. There is no way to survive,&quot; said a local, Anuradha Tripathy. 
 
In Vadodara district of western Gujarat State, around 150 villages were inundated after officials released seawater from an upstream dam on Sunday. 
 
Officials have been closely monitoring the situation, keeping rescue teams on stand-by for carrying out evacuation operation, if the condition worsens. 
 
&quot;The water outflow from the Kadana dam is around 2.5-3 lakh cusecs. Water will keep receding. But based on the requirement we are still on alert in case a medical emergency surfaces in the Dabka village area, we will evacuate people from there,&quot; said a rescue official, Dharmendra Singh Rathod on Monday (August 22). 
 
State authorities had earlier asked the villagers to evacuate their houses before channeling seawater through the Kadana dam. People, however, refused to leave their houses, farmlands and animals, leaving them stranded. 
 
Flooding, an annual problem during the monsoon season, has been worsened by crumbling civic infrastructure, clogged drains and uncontrolled urban expansion in a country with a fast-growing population of 1.3 billion. 
 
The June-September monsoon has so far delivered at least four per cent higher rainfall than average. 
 
(Reuters)

Hundreds of people left stranded in the deluge are bracing for a food and water crisis

Persistent rains inundated several villages and settlements in parts of India, leaving hundreds of people stranded in the deluge. In Allahabad city of northern Uttar Pradesh state, increased water levels of the Ganga river submerged several settlements on Sunday (August 21), forcing people to stay indoors. Hundreds of people remained stranded in the affected areas even as rescue officials tried to reach out to them through boats. Locals rued that local administration arrangements were not enough as they were now hit by food and water scarcity. "Water levels are increasing rapidly and gradually residents are also getting worried and are not coming out of their houses. Many of the houses are submerged in water. People are stuck and so are animals, among whom many are dying. There are no arrangements here. Nothing much is happening. There are no arrangements. There are just boats ferrying people but there is no food or water here. There is no way to survive," said a local, Anuradha Tripathy. In Vadodara district of western Gujarat State, around 150 villages were inundated after officials released seawater from an upstream dam on Sunday. Officials have been closely monitoring the situation, keeping rescue teams on stand-by for carrying out evacuation operation, if the condition worsens. "The water outflow from the Kadana dam is around 2.5-3 lakh cusecs. Water will keep receding. But based on the requirement we are still on alert in case a medical emergency surfaces in the Dabka village area, we will evacuate people from there," said a rescue official, Dharmendra Singh Rathod on Monday (August 22). State authorities had earlier asked the villagers to evacuate their houses before channeling seawater through the Kadana dam. People, however, refused to leave their houses, farmlands and animals, leaving them stranded. Flooding, an annual problem during the monsoon season, has been worsened by crumbling civic infrastructure, clogged drains and uncontrolled urban expansion in a country with a fast-growing population of 1.3 billion. The June-September monsoon has so far delivered at least four per cent higher rainfall than average. (Reuters)

Incessant rains flood several parts of India

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