India News

“Weapons not showpieces”: Support for police in parliament after Telangana encounter

Crimes against women almost always dominate discussions in the parliament where MPs demand amendments to laws, death for rapists, stricter punishments etc. Debates on human rights are also a common feature every session.

Published

6 years ago

December 6, 2019

But praise for cops for killing rape-murder accused who tried to escape isn’t something one witnesses often.

Four men, who the police say raped and murdered the Hyderabad veterinarian, were gunned down by the Telangana police today. The police say they were attacked by the accused and they opened fire in retaliation.

The news of the “encounter” spread like wildfire. Soon cops were being lauded and congratulated. “Justice delivered,” many said. The Hyderabad police commissioner said, “law has done its duty. The veterinarian’s father also said his “daughter’s soul must be at peace now”.

In the parliament, several MPs backed the Telangana police.

“The accused must be lynched in public,” Rajya Sabha member Jaya Bachchan had demanded in the House a few days ago. “Der aye, durust aye,” she said outside parliament today.

The BJP’s Meenakshi Lekhi appeared to back the killing when she said, “The police have not been given weapons as a showpiece” and added that the process of law had been followed in Telangana.

Mamata Banerjee’s party colleague Saugato Roy said he did not support “encounters”, but stressed there was a need to deliver speedy justice. “In Hyderabad, they are calling it an encounter. People are celebrating on Facebook. I don’t support encounters but people are asking for lynching and killing of rapists. If we deliver justice quickly then people won’t ask such things,” Mr Roy said.

Arvind Sawant of the Shiv Sena said it would not have happened if the legal system was not so slow. As Unnao incident, where a woman was set on fire by her alleged rapists, was also debated in the Lok Sabha, Sawant suggested that a law be constituted through which such (crimes against women) cases are heard directly by the Supreme Court. “Right now the procedure starts from lower courts and the process goes on and on. I appeal to you (Speaker) to set up a committee to discuss this,” he said

YSR Congress Party leader Kanumuru Raghu Rama Krishna Raju said that the accused “deserved to be shot dead”. “God has been kind that they were shot dead, this is a good lesson. They tried to run away and they were killed. No NGO should oppose it and if they do so, they are anti-national,” he said outside the parliament.

Such encounters should be made legal, suggested BJP’s Locket Chatterjee.

A few voices, however, condemned and questioned the police action.

BJP MP Maneka Gandhi said, “Whatever has happened is dangerous… you cannot kill people because you want to. You cannot take law in your hands, they (accused) would have been hanged by the Court anyhow. If you’re going to shoot them before due process of law has been followed, then what’s the point of having courts, law and police?”

“I don’t know facts of what happened. As responsible person, all I can say is, it must be thoroughly inquired into to find out if it was a genuine encounter, whether they were trying to flee or not,” Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member P Chidambaram said.

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India News

Delhi-NCR sees second spell of rain and thunderstorms in four days

Delhi-NCR experienced another spell of rain and thunderstorms on March 18, with IMD forecasting more showers over the next few days.

Published

7 hours ago

March 18, 2026

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Delhi and parts of the National Capital Region witnessed another spell of rain, thunderstorms, and strong winds on Wednesday evening, marking the second such weather event in the past four days.

The sudden change brought relief from unusually high temperatures recorded earlier this month. According to officials, the temperature at Safdarjung — the city’s base weather station — was recorded at 24 degrees Celsius at 7 pm.

The India Meteorological Department had earlier issued an alert predicting light to moderate rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning on March 18. Several areas across the capital experienced gusty winds along with brief but intense showers.

More rain likely over next two days

The weather department has forecast partly cloudy skies for March 19 and 20, with chances of light rain or thundershowers occurring once or twice during the day. On March 21, skies are expected to remain cloudy with the possibility of light showers continuing.

Conditions are likely to stabilise from March 23 onwards, with forecasts indicating a return to partly cloudy to clear skies across the region.

Weather activity across India to intensify

The IMD has also indicated widespread weather activity across multiple regions of the country in the coming days. Rainfall is expected to intensify in several states, accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds.

In the northeastern region, heavy rainfall is likely over Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, and Meghalaya during the early part of the week.

Meanwhile, the western Himalayan region is also set to witness a shift in weather patterns. Himachal Pradesh is likely to receive heavy rainfall on March 19 and 20, while Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir may experience heavy showers around March 20.

India News

Centre pushes states to cut levies to boost PNG adoption

The Centre has asked states to reduce local levies and streamline approvals to accelerate PNG adoption and city gas infrastructure growth.

Published

9 hours ago

March 18, 2026

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The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has urged states and Union Territories to ease local levies and procedural barriers affecting City Gas Distribution (CGD) projects, in a bid to accelerate the adoption of piped natural gas (PNG) as a cleaner fuel alternative.

In a communication sent to Chief Secretaries, Petroleum and Natural Gas Secretary Neeraj Mittal highlighted that high right-of-way charges, road cutting fees, lease rentals and other local levies imposed by urban bodies are discouraging investments in CGD infrastructure.

High costs slowing expansion

The ministry pointed out that the CGD sector, particularly PNG supply to households and commercial establishments, does not receive direct subsidies. As a result, it depends heavily on viable returns, which are being impacted by excessive and inconsistent local charges across states.

It noted that these financial and procedural hurdles are slowing down infrastructure expansion and affecting the broader adoption of natural gas.

Gap between connections and usage

According to the government, while around 12.63 crore PNG connections have been recorded, only about 1.6 crore are currently active. The ministry stressed that improving ease of doing business at state and local levels could help bridge this gap and expand the consumer base.

Officials believe that rationalising levies may initially reduce local revenues but could lead to higher long-term gains through increased gas consumption and economic activity.

LPG shortage adds urgency

The push for PNG adoption comes amid supply constraints in liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), linked to ongoing tensions in the Middle East. Oil marketing companies are currently supplying only 20 per cent of normal commercial LPG demand to states.

To address this, the ministry has proposed increasing LPG allocation to 30 per cent for states that implement reforms supporting PNG and CGD expansion.

Reform-linked incentives for states

The Centre has suggested a set of measures that states can adopt to qualify for higher LPG allocations. These include:

Setting up empowered state and district-level committees for faster approvals
Introducing single-window clearance with deemed approvals within 24 hours
Implementing a dig-and-restore model using bank guarantees instead of restoration charges
Eliminating annual rental or lease charges for CGD infrastructure

The ministry said compliance with these reforms would be verified before granting additional LPG allocations.

Industry support measures

The communication also noted that GAIL and its subsidiaries have already allocated full gas supply to the commercial PNG segment to support businesses affected by reduced LPG availability.

The government reiterated that expanding natural gas usage aligns with its broader push for cleaner and domestically sourced energy.

India News

BJP seals Assam seat-sharing pact, Modi to hold 3 rallies in April

BJP has finalised its Assam seat-sharing plan with allies and is gearing up for an intense campaign led by PM Modi and Amit Shah.

Published

9 hours ago

March 18, 2026

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The Bharatiya Janata Party has finalised its seat-sharing arrangement for the upcoming Assam Assembly elections, firming up its strategy alongside National Democratic Alliance partners as campaigning gathers pace in the state.

Under the agreement, the BJP will contest 89 seats, while its allies — Asom Gana Parishad and Bodoland People’s Front — will field candidates in 26 and 11 constituencies respectively. The distribution has been decided after internal deliberations, with the focus now shifting to candidate announcements and campaign execution.

Campaign push led by top leadership

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to address three rallies in Assam during the final leg of the campaign. Tentative dates for the rallies are April 1, April 3 and April 6, with events likely to be held in key constituencies.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is also set to spearhead an extensive campaign across the state through March, aiming to energise party workers and strengthen voter outreach.

Candidate selection underway

The party’s Central Election Committee is currently meeting to finalise candidates. Sources indicate that approvals for most constituencies are expected soon, and the BJP may release its complete list of candidates within the next two days.

Ticket distribution remains a crucial exercise, with internal discussions highlighting its potential impact on local political dynamics. Party leaders have also touched upon the proposed delimitation exercise scheduled for 2027, which is expected to have long-term implications for Assam’s electoral landscape.