EU chief visits Ukraine as fighting in east grinds on

during the protests in Saharanpur and Prayagraj will be booked under the National Security Act.

“Cases have been lodged and those who indulged in violence will be booked under stringent National Security Act,” a police officer said on condition of anonymity.

Among those arrested, 68 were held in Prayagraj and 50 in Hathras, additional director general of police (law and order) Prashant Kumar said in a statement on Saturday. He said 64 people were arrested in Saharanpur, 28 in Ambedkarnagar, 27 in Moradabad, 13 in Firozabad, three in Aligarh and two in Jalaun.

In a related development, the Kanpur Development Authority (KDA) demolished a multi-storey building owned by an aide of the main accused in last week’s violence over Sharma’s comments.

Similar action was taken in Saharanpur, where a ward councillor, Mansoor Badar said, “If someone has taken law in hands than he should be punished through judicial procedure. It seems that bulldozing houses of a few arrested persons was done to create fear in Muslim community. If the construction was illegal then it should have been taken into notice earlier.”

Ranchi superintendent of police Hitendra Birua said three FIRS have been lodged and teams have been formed to search for the accused. The district administration has also suspended internet services for an indefinite period, officials said.

Mohammad Mudassir Kaifi, 22, who had gunshot wounds on his head, and 24-year-old Mohammad Sahil, with bullet injuries on neck, died during treatment, an official of Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences said, adding that eight are in the ICU.

Fresh violence was reported in Panchal Bazaar area in West Bengal’s Howrah district and Beldanga in Murshidabad district, as protesters clashed with police, and set ablaze several houses.

In Panchla, protesters hurled stones at police who retaliated by firing tear gas shells to disperse the mob. In Beldanga, stones were pelted at a police station.

Internet services have also been suspended in Howrah and Murshidabad till June 13 and 14 respectively to prevent “spread of misinformation”, and prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CRPC have been imposed in several areas, including Uluberia, Domjur and Panchla till June 15.

The state government also effected a police reshuffle in Howrah, appointing Praveen Tripathi, additional commissioner of Kolkata Police, the new Commissioner of Police of Howrah City and other officers.

The state also witnessed drama when Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar was arrested on Saturday afternoon while on his way to Howrah district. “His visit could have created a law and order situation. This is a preventive arrest,” a senior police officer said.

Majumdar, the MP of Balurghat in Uttar Dinajpur, said, “They want me to give in writing about my destination, which, I refused. It is my right to visit an affected area.”

Following Majumdar’s arrest, BJP leaders and workers hit the streets in Kolkata, Uttar Dinajpur, Cooch Behar, Birbhum and Jalpaiguri districts.

In Delhi, the police registered a case in connection with Friday’s protest outside Jama Masjid under Section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the Indian Penal Code and further investigation is underway, deputy commissioner of police (central) Shweta Chauhan said. In Jammu and Kashmir, a Kashmiri Youtuber was arrested in Srinagar on charges of breaching public tranquillity and causing fear in the public after he posted a video depicting the beheading of an effigy of Sharma on social media platforms. He has since deleted the video and tendered an apology.

Chief ministers in affected states called for peace and held meetings to review the security situation.

UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath said the toughest action will be taken against those involved. “No innocent should be harassed, but not a single guilty should be spared,” he said. In Jharkhand, CM Hemant Soren formed a two-member committee, comprising senior IAS officer Amitabh Kaushal and additional director general of police Sanjay Latkar to investigate the violence.

BJP leader and Karntaka CM Basavaraj Bommai said the situation in the state is peaceful and police have been instructed to deploy forces in sensitive areas.

Urging the Muslim community not to block major roads and highways, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee said, “There are some political parties behind this who want to cause riots. But these things will not be tolerated and strict action will be taken against those who indulged in violence.”

Following remonstrations by several Muslim-majority nations, Sharma was suspended and Jindal expelled by the BJP earlier this week. The government said the remarks by individuals “do not, in any manner, reflect the views of the government of India”.

KYIV: European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said Saturday her executive will “by the end of next week” finalise its opinion on whether Ukraine should be a candidate country to join the EU.

“The discussions today will enable us to finalise our assessment by the end of next week,” she told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv during a surprise visit.

Von der Leyen’s visit - her second since Russia’s February 24 invasion - came as fierce battles continued in the east and south of Ukraine.

“With President Zelensky I will take stock of the joint work needed for reconstruction and of the progress made by Ukraine on its European path,” she tweeted on arrival in Kyiv.

Ukraine has been pushing for rapid admission into the European Union, but officials and leaders in the bloc have cautioned that membership could take years or even decades.

Von der Leyen told reporters the discussions “will feed into our assessment” of Ukraine’s readiness to be considered a candidate country to begin lengthy negotiations, including on reforms.

Meanwhile, Zelensky urged the world not to lose sight of what was happening in Ukraine, after more than three months of war that has left thousands dead and sent millions of Ukrainians fleeing. He reported continued “very difficult battles” including in the eastern Donbas region where Moscow has concentrated its firepower, especially around the city of Severodonetsk.

In the Mykolaiv region near the front line in the south,

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regional governor Vitaliy Kim stressed the urgent need for international military assistance.

Further north in Kharkiv, regional governor Oleg Synegubov said Ukrainian forces were making advances but accused Russian forces of targeting attacks on civilian targets.

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden said Friday that Zelensky

“didn’t want to hear” American warnings ahead of Russia’s invasion of his country.

“I know a lot of people thought I was exaggerating,” Biden said at a fundraising reception in Los Angeles, referring to his forewarning of the possibility of a Russian attack. “But I knew we had data to sustain (the assessment),” he said.