On US return, PM salutes soldiers of surgical strikes

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the respectforIndiaandenthusiasm towards it has increased significantly in the past five years, and paid tributes to soldiers for carrying out surgical strikes on terror bases in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on its third anniversary.

“After assuming office in 2014 I went to the United Nations (UN). I went to the UN even now. In these five years, I have seen a bigchange. TherespectforIndia, the enthusiasm towards India has increased significantly. This is due to the 130 crore Indians,” he said on his return from nearly a week-long trip to the United States.

Recalling the surgical strikes, the Prime Minister said, “It was also the night of September 28 three years ago when I didn’t sleep all night waiting for the phone to ring, that night of September 28, scripted a golden story of our soldiers valour who conducted the surgical strike. I bow before the courage of our soldiers today.” MUMBAI: Senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar on Saturday said he resignedasalegislatorafterfeeling “hurt and upset” over his uncle and party chief Sharad Pawar’s name being dragged in the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED)money-launderingprobeat theMaharashtraStateCo-operative(MSC)Bank.“SharadPawar hasnoconnectionwiththisbank. I feel his name has been dragged in just because I am his relative. Becauseofme,SharadPawarand NCParebeingdefamed,andthat is the reason I have resigned without asking him,” said Ajit Pawar, who broke down while addressingapressconference.“I have emotions too. How come theykeeplevellingabsurdallegations against me?”

TheformerdeputychiefminisJAMMU/SRINAGAR: Three Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists and a soldier were killed on Saturday in the first major gun battle in J&K since the Centre on August 5 moved to divest the state of its special statusby nullifying Article 370 of the Constitution and bifurcate it into two Union territories. Afourthterroristdiedina separate shoot-out in the Valley.

A BJP worker, Vijay Kumar Verma,whohadbeentakenhostage by the terrorists in Batote, about 110 kilometres from JammuontheJammu-Srinagar highway, and his family were rescuedbysecurityforcesduring the course of the protracted gunbattle, which also left two policemen injured.

At around1pmonFriday,the militants entered a house in Batote and took a BJP worker hostage,saiddefencespokesman Lt Col Devender Anand.

“On Saturday morning, at about7.30am,twotothreesuspicious men in army fatigues tried to stop a bus in Batote on NH 244. Thebusdriverwasalertandsped away. He did not stop the vehicle and informed the nearest army checkpost.Aquickreactionteam reactedpromptlyandchasedthe ter had on Friday submitted his resignationasanMLAtoSpeaker Haribhau Bagade, which the latter accepted. Ajit Pawar, along with Sharad Pawar and others, has been named by the ED in its money-laundering case in conmen,whothenenteredthehouse of the BJP worker,” he added.

Beforeenteringthehouse, the terrorists, whowere armedwith AK assault rifles, under-barrel grenadelaunchersandgrenades, firedindiscriminatelyandlobbed grenades at the security forces.

In the subsequent and prolongedshoot-outwhichstartedat 12.30pm,allthreeterroristswere neutralised and a soldier died while two policemen were injured, according to Mukesh Singh,inspectorgeneralofpolice, Jammu Zone. Heavy rain made the operation difficult.

”The house owner, Vijay Kumar Verma, was rescued nection with an alleged ₹25,000crore MSC Bank fraud.

Ajit Pawar, however, questioned the ₹25,000-crore figure that has been mentioned in contextofthecase.“Thetotaldeposit of MSC Bank is ₹10,000 crore to while seven other family memberswereevacuatedtosafetyearlierintheprocessaftertheymanaged to come out,” a police spokesman said.

Thethreeslainterroristswere identifiedasOsama,Haroonand Zahidof Dodaregion.Thesoldier who died was identified as Naik Rajinder Singh of Jaisalmer in Rajasthan.Osamawasaccusedin the killings of senior BJP leader AnilPariharandhisbrotherAjit PariharonNovember1,2018,and RSS functionary Chanderkant Sharma and his personal security officer on April 9, officials told news agency PTI. ₹12,000crore.Howcomeascamto the extent of ₹25,000 crore happen? It [ MSC Bank] would have gonebankruptbynow,”saidAjit Pawar. MUMBAI: Two years after a stampede killed 23 people at Elphinstone Road railway station, the panelthatwastaskedtolookinto the reasons for the tragedy, is yet to submit its report.

Although the Railways have taken some measures to ease overcrowding, littlehaschanged for over 7.5 million train commuters in the city.

On September 29, 2017, a stampede broke out on the foot overbridge (FOB) at Elphinstone Road railway station, now renamed Prabhadevi. Twentythree people lost their lives and 38 were injured. The youngest victim was 11-year-old Rohit Parab.

Railway minister Piyush Goyal had formed a three-member panel, which was supposed to find out why there had been delay in building a new FOB at the station.

The panel was also to suggest necessary steps to avoid red-tapism in the future.

According to Railways officers, the panel is yet to submit its report, which should have been completed within three months.