Kolkata, July 6 (IANS) Tension gripped the Sonarpur area in Bengals’s South 24 Parganas district on Saturday after a local BJP activist, his wife and their son were stabbed.

Gobindo Adhikari, his wife Namita Adhikari and their son Gourab Adhikari were critically injured in the attack and rushed to state-run MR Bangur Hospital, from where they were shifted to the S. S. K. M Medical College & Hospital.

Gobindo Adhikari, an active BJP worker in the area, was the party’s polling agent in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections.

Three people — Archan Bhattacharya, Subhash Debnath and Sumit Debnath — have been arrested in this connection.

A political slugfest has already erupted in the area over the incident.

“Those who have attacked Gobindo, his wife, and his son are active Trinamool Congress workers. BJP was leading from the polling booth where Gobindo was the polling agent in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections. He was also threatened then by the goons backed by the ruling party,” said local BJP leader Debnath Chakraborty.

However, local Trinamool Congress councilor Rajib Purohit denied the involvement of his party workers behind the event and said that it happened due to an old rivalry between the two families.

Investigation is on.

–IANS

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Jaipur, July 6 (IANS) After becoming Lok Sabha Speaker for the second time, Om Birla reached Bundi on his first visit to his parliamentary constituency Kota on Saturday.

Speaking to the media, Om Birla said that he learnt different dynamics, including social and political, in Rajasthan’s Kota-Bundi.

“We fought for people on different issues. Now, after years, both the central and state governments are being led by the BJP. So we will try to fulfill expectations of the people. We will create new avenues for employment generation and infrastructure development,” he said.

Further speaking on employment, he said, “People across the world are investing in India and sentiments of private companies are strong. So it’s for sure that the youth shall get employment on a large scale in these companies.

“The country will script a new story under Narendra Modi’s third tenure as Prime Minister.”

Speaking on his election as Speaker, he said that Parliament is a temple of democracy.

“The more the Parliament session runs, the more there will be discussions and debates and democracy will be strengthened,” he said.

Om Birla has come to Bundi for the first time after becoming the Lok Sabha Speaker for the second time.

District in-charge, minister Hiralal Nagar and former minister Prabhu Lal Saini were assigned the task of according a grand welcome to him.

Om Birla is scheduled to participate in different programmes along with roadshows in Hindoli, Bundi and Talera.

–IANS

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Thiruvananthapuram, July 6 (IANS) With the Kerala unit of the CPI(M) deciding to take corrective steps after its drubbing in the Lok Sabha polls, eyebrows are being raised over the party welcoming into its fold a former BJP and RSS activist with criminal cases against him.

Among those who were present to receive Sharon Chandran into the party at Pathanamthitta, were State Health Minister Veena George, Pathanamthitta District Secretary, KP Udayabhanu and other top district leaders.

Incidentally Chandran was released from jail last month and the charges against him among others include, Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act (KAAPA).

Defending the entry of Chandran into the party, Udayabhanu said KAPPA was not a permanent label as in it there is a period, after which it is lifted.

“He was an active worker of the Sangh Parivar and he was used for undesirable activities. When he realised what he was doing was not right, he decided to reform himself and now he has joined our party.

“Anyone who is involved in politics will have various cases and just because of that, one cannot be termed as a criminal,” said Udayabhanu.

Pictures of the grand entry of Chandran into the CPI(M) surfaced on Saturday and those seen in them include George and other leaders.

Chandran has multiple criminal cases against him which includes attacking a woman and is named in the only KAAPA case filed in the jurisdiction of the home police station at Malayolapuzha in Pathanamthitta.

With this becoming news, strong reservations have been expressed by a section of party workers in the district.

This act has taken place even as the central leadership of the party has asked its Kerala leadership to ensure that no party worker indulges in any activities which bring disrepute to the CPI(M).

–IANS

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Dharamsala, July 6 (IANS) As a mark of reverence on the 89th birthday of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, an icon of ahimsa (non-violence) and karuna (compassion), on Saturday, ‘Never Forget Tibet: The Dalai Lama’s Untold Story’ was released worldwide.

The documentary, directed by Jean-Paul Mertinez, explores details of the Nobel Peace Laureate’s incredible escape into exile for the first time on film in his own words, with the Indian political officer who led him to safety — late Havildar Mander Singh.

Featuring the Tibetan community in exile and those with historic ties to Tibet, the film explores the Dalai Lama’s compassion for a world seemingly in crisis today and seeks to find out what can be learnt from his inspirational life story, Tibetan culture and its ancient spirituality.

Inspired by the book ‘An Officer and His Holiness’ by Rani Singh, the film is narrated by British acting legend Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey, Paddington) and features music from Grammy-nominated artist Anoushka Shankar.

The film is produced by Compassionate Films and the Executive Producers are Templeheart Films, Lyndon Baldock, Gavin Patterson and Rani Singh.

The worldwide digital release has been made possible with the collaboration of The Italian Buddhist Union, Rome, Italy.

The feature-length documentary will be available on world’s leading streaming platforms, including Apple TV+, Amazon and Google Play.

In 1959, the occupying Chinese troops suppressed the Tibetan national uprising in Lhasa and forced the 14th Dalai Lama and over 80,000 Tibetans into exile in India and neighbouring countries.

On reaching India after a three-week-long and treacherous journey, the Dalai Lama first took up residence for about a year in Mussoorie in Uttarakhand.

On March 10, 1960, just before moving to Dharamsala, which also serves as the headquarters of the exiled Tibetan establishment, the Dalai Lama said: “For those of us in exile, I said that our priority must be resettlement and the continuity of our cultural traditions. We, Tibetans, would eventually prevail in regaining freedom for Tibet.”

Currently, the government-in-exile is based in Dharamsala, a town in Himalayan foothills where a community of Tibetans lives in exile with the Dalai Lama, hoping to sustain their struggle to secure complete autonomy in their Chinese-ruled homeland, Tibet.

–IANS

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Srinagar, July 6 (IANS) The movement of Amarnath pilgrims towards the cave shrine was temporarily halted on Saturday from both north and south Kashmir base camps due to heavy rain in the area.

Officials said that the movement of Yatris from north Kashmir’s Baltal base camp and from south Kashmir’s Nunwan (Pahalgam) base camp has been temporarily halted due to heavy rain along the twin routes.

Yatris from Baltal base camp have to cover a 14 km-long track to the cave shrine on foot or on ponies, while those using the traditional Nunwan (Pahalgam) base camp have to cover 48 kms which takes four days (one way).

The Pahalgam-cave shrine axis involves Pahalgam to Chandanwari (24 kms), Chandanwari to Sheshnag (13 kms), Sheshnag to Panchtarni (5 kms) and Panchtarni to Cave Shrine (6 kms).

Those taking the 14 km-long Baltal base camp route return the same day to the base camp after ‘Darshan’ inside the cave shrine.

–IANS

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