Ban on PFI is draconian; every Muslim with a pamphlet will now be arrested under the UAPA: Owaisi

Hyderabad: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said he aims to put an end to hatred in the country and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi needs to be defeated at the Centre for the purpose.

Addressing an election rally at Nampally here, he alleged that RSS, Modi and 'hardliners' have spread hatred in the entire country.

Congress coined a slogan of 'opening a 'mohabbat ki dukaan' (shop of love) in the 'nafrat ke bazaar' (market of hate)' during his Bharat Jodo Yatra, he said, adding that as he fights Modi, 24 cases have been filed against him in various states -- and the courts summon him from time to time.

"First time, for defamation, I got two years' punishment. My Lok Sabha membership was cancelled. My government house was taken away. I said I don't want it. My home is in the hearts of the crores of poor people in the country," he said.

An MP-MLA court in Uttar Pradesh on Monday summoned Gandhi in a 2018 defamation case over alleged 'objectionable' comments he made against Union minister Amit Shah.

Rahul Gandhi made no reference to the UP court summoning him in his speech in the rally at Nampally here.

"The fight is ideological and I cannot compromise on it," Gandhi said.

Attacking AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi, he asked how many cases are there against him.

Claiming that agencies like ED and CBI are behind himself all the time, Gandhi asked if any agency is behind Owaisi.

The question arises why there is no case against Owaisi, and the answer is that the AIMIM president helps Modi, he claimed.

He also accused AIMIM of fielding its candidates to damage the Congress and help the BJP in various states.

My aim is to erase hatred in the country and, for that, Modi should be defeated in Delhi, Rahul Gandhi said.

If Modi is to be defeated in Delhi, BRS President and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao should be defeated in Telangana first, he said.

He alleged that the BRS, BJP and AIMIM are working together, and pointed out that the BRS had supported the Modi government in Parliament.

He also sought to know if there are any cases against KCR. 'He (KCR) runs the most corrupt government,' he said.

Agencies like ED, CBI and IT are not behind KCR or AIMIM, he said. 

The 41 workers trapped in an Uttarakhand tunnel for 17 days are likely to be rescued anytime now, as the manual drilling team clearing the debris that blocks their escape is metres away from reaching them. The operation, which faced several setbacks owing to the difficult terrain, is now on the threshold of success. As the country has its fingers crossed and hands joined in prayer, here's a look at how the workers got stuck

The Tunnel

The 4.5 km-tunnel is part of the Centre's ambitious Char Dham project aimed at providing all-weather connectivity between four prominent Hindu shrines in Uttarakhand - Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri. Also known as Silkyara tunnel, this tunnel is on the route connecting Silyara and Dandalgaon in Uttarkashi district. It is a double-lane tunnel and one of the longest under Char Dham project. About 2.4 km of the under-construction tunnel from the Silkyara side and 1.75 km from the other side has been built. The tunnel, once complete, is expected to cut down travel time by an hour. The project to build the tunnel is being carried out by Hyderabad-based Navayuga Engineering Company Limited, which has reportedly handled such projects before.

What Went Wrong?

On November 12, a section of tunnel between 205 and 260 metres from the Silkyara side collapsed. Workers who were beyond the 260-metre mark were trapped, with their exit blocked. Fortunately for them, the part of the tunnel where they are stuck has power and water supply. While government authorities have maintained that a detailed probe will reveal what led to the collapse, multiple theories are floating around. One of them is that a landslide in the fragile Himalayan region led to the collapse. Several experts have pointed out how hasty development in the ecologically sensitive region was responsible for the incident.

Big Lapses?

There have been claims that the collapse was triggered by a blast carried out by construction teams building the tunnel. SP Sati, a geologist and professor of environmental science at Uttarakhand University of Horticulture and Forestry, said, "The agency will never accept this, but I am certain that a major blast led to this collapse." NDTV had earlier reported that the construction plan for the tunnel mentioned an escape tunnel, but it was never built. International expert Arnold Dix, who has been at the site, was asked if the absence of an escape tunnel contributed to the situation. He said that globally, escape tunnels are put at the end "because normally you don't expect them to collapse". He, however, added a disclaimer that escape tunnels may be built during the course of the project in areas that have specific geological conditions.

New Delhi, Nov 23: An apparently inebriated 16-year-old stabbed another teen more than 55 times, slit his throat, dragged the body through the street and did a jig while he carried out the grisly crime in east Delhi’s Welcome colony earlier this week, police said on Thursday.

Some of the horrifying details of the killing in Janta Mazdoor Colony on Tuesday were captured on CCTV, the 2.23 minute footage also showing the accused threatening those around him.

The accused, who was taken into police custody on Wednesday morning and has confessed, did not know the 17-year-old who he had approached for money to buy biryani, officials said.

"We have already recovered the weapon used for murder. We are investigating from where he procured the knife," Deputy Commissioner of Police (northeast) Joy Tirkey said.

The crime took place around 11.15 pm on Tuesday. The victim was rushed to hospital but died on the way.

The CCTV footage shows the accused teen dragging a person through a narrow bylane and going on a stabbing spree.

"He did not stop there. He was seen dancing while doing the gruesome act. A person tried to open a door to see what was happening, but the accused threatened him by brandishing a knife," an official investigating the crime said.

It all started when the victim refused to buy biryani for the accused, apparently sending him into a wild rage. There was a verbal spat, which soon turned into a scuffle.

"The accused overpowered the victim who was 17 years old and a resident of Jafrabad. He first choked him till he was unconscious and took out a mini knife out of his pocket and stabbed him multiple times. He then dragged him to a bylane where he continued to stab him on his face, neck, back, beneath eyes more than 55 times,” the official said.

Detailing the crime, he added that the accused was seen shouting at people to stay away.

“The accused was under the influence of alcohol at the time of incident," said the investigator.

It did not end there.

"We were also taken aback... the accused after the entire act holds the lifeless body by the hair and drags him back to the same narrow area. He robbed Rs 350 from the victim and fled. We have already apprehended the accused, who had confessed and weapon of murder has been recovered," an investigator said.

"The CCTV footage helped us for the identification of the accused who was arrested immediately by police team," said the DCP Tirkey.