Want good relations with all neighbours, top Taliban leader Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai tells News18

Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, one of the Taliban's top leaders, in an exclusive interview with News18, said that the insurgent group wants good relations with all neighbouring countries and the whole world.

Stanikzai, the deputy head of the Taliban's political commission and head of negotiating team with America, also claimed that Hindus and Sikhs can continue to live peacefully in Afghanistan and said there was no need to evacuate them.

Born in 1963 in the Baraki Barak district of Logar province of Afghanistan, Stanikzai is ethnically a Pashtun. He has called for 'good ties' with India and was previously a cadet at the prestigious Indian Military Academy in Uttarakhand's Dehradun where his batchmates called him 'Sheru'.

Edited excerpts of the interview with Stanikzai follow:

How do you see the Taliban's administrative view towards India?

The foreign policy of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is to have good relations with all our neighbouring countries and with the whole world. American forces were here in Afghanistan for last the 20 years. Now that they are withdrawing, we will have friendly relations with America and NATO as well. I think they should come back and take part in the rehabilitation of Afghanistan. Same goes for India. We want to establish friendly relations – cultural and economical and other ties – that we previously had. Not only with India, but with all our neighbouring countries including Tajikistan, Iran and Pakistan.

There is a fear that Taliban may be hostile to India, that they may team up with Pakistan and target India…

What comes up in media is often wrong. There is no such statement or indication from our side. We want good relations with all our neighbouring countries.

There is a fear that Afghanistan could become a sanctuary for terror groups that are a threat to India such as Lashkar and Jaish…

There was no threat from Afghanistan throughout our history to any of our neighbours including India. It will not happen. There is no doubt that there is long political and geographical dispute between India and Pakistan. We hope they do not use Afghanistan in their fight. They have a long border, they can fight among themselves on the border. They should not use Afghanistan for this and we will not let any of the countries use our land for this.

It’s a strong statement that you will not allow Lashkar or Jaish to use your territory…

This is our duty. We will not allow anyone to use the Afghan side against any country in the world.

You were trained in IMA some decades ago. Any memories of that place and your time in India…

It was during my youth. I trained there before the Russians came to Afghanistan. I was training in IMA and graduated from IMA.

Are you still in touch with those people?

No, not in India

Who do you blame for the recent Kabul attack ?

I have seen media reports that that Daesh took the responsibility for the attack.

But as per reports, intelligence suggested that the Haqqani network will execute the blasts and Islamic State will take responsibility. What do you have to say on that ?

This is what enemies of the Afghan people say. It’s completely false. It is clear that Daesh has done it since Daesh has taken responsibility.

Many Hindus and Sikhs are still in Afghanistan. Will you help India evacuate them?

I think there is no need to evacuate them. Afghanistan is their homeland. They can live here peacefully and there will be no danger to their lives. They can live as they were living before. We hope that the Hindus and Sikhs who migrated to India in the past 20 years because of the previous regime will return to Afghanistan soon.

How do you see the recognition of Taliban by the world powers and India ?

We hope for that. The ground reality is that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan will form the government and our neighbours and the other countries need to have good relations with us. When the new government is announced, we hope that all those countries who are in the region support us.

India has done a lot of development work in Afghanistan. What do you think will happen to that ?

All the developmental work done by India in Afghanistan is a national asset. We hope that in the future, India finishes all its work. We invite India to complete those projects.

And you will provide security?

Yes, if somebody is coming and working in your country then you will have to provide security. I don't think there is any need to ask such questions.

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Petrol and diesel prices remain unchanged; here's what you need to pay in your city today

Petrol and diesel prices remained static on Monday. In Delhi, petrol costs Rs 101.49 a litre while the rate of diesel was Rs 88.92 per litre.

In Mumbai, petrol can be bought at Rs 107.52 per litre and diesel costs Rs 96.48 for one litre.

In Chennai, a litre of petrol is priced at Rs 99.20. On Monday, the price of a litre of diesel was Rs 93.52.

Petrol in Kolkata costs Rs 101.82 per litre while diesel costs Rs 91.98 a litre.

While petrol can be bought at Rs 109.91 in Bhopal and diesel costs Rs 97.72 a litre today.

Petrol and diesel prices are revised by the oil marketing companies including Bharat Petroleum, Indian Oil and Hindustan Petroleum. The new prices are implemented at 6 am every day. States and cities have different fuel prices because of the value-added taxes, local and freight charges which vary depending on the place.

Following are the prices of diesel and petrol in a few metros and Tier-II cities in the country:

1. Mumbai

Petrol - Rs 107.52 per litre
Diesel - Rs 96.48 per litre

2. Delhi

Petrol - Rs 101.49 per litre
Diesel - Rs 88.92 per litre

3. Chennai

Petrol - Rs 99.20 per litre
Diesel - Rs 93.52 per litre

4. Kolkata

Petrol - Rs 101.82 per litre
Diesel - Rs 91.98 per litre

5. Bhopal

Petrol - Rs 109.91 per litre
Diesel - Rs 97.72 per litre

6. Hyderabad

Petrol - Rs 105.54 per litre
Diesel - Rs 96.99 per litre

7. Bangaluru

Petrol - Rs 104.98 per litre
Diesel - Rs 94.34 per litre

8. Guwahati

Petrol - Rs 97.33 per litre
Diesel - Rs 88.29 per litre

9. Lucknow

Petrol - Rs 98.56 per litre
Diesel - Rs 89.29 per litre

10. Gandhinagar

Petrol - Rs 98.52 per litre
Diesel - 96.00 per litre

11. Thiruvananthapuram

Petrol - Rs 103.69 per litre
Diesel - Rs 95.68 per litre

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Day after police lathicharge farmers in Karnal, Punjab cultivators burn effigies and block roads

Farmers blocked roads and highways in Punjab for two hours on Sunday to protest the police lathicharge on cultivators in Haryana.

Protesters from various farmer bodies also burnt the effigies of the BJP-led government in Haryana.

Around 10 people were injured on Saturday as police allegedly lathicharged a group of farmers disrupting traffic movement on a national highway while heading towards Karnal to protest against a BJP meeting.

The two-hour agitation in Punjab that started at noon also caused inconvenience to commuters, who were stuck in traffic snarls at several places.

The protest caused disruption of vehicular traffic at many places and affected routes along the Jalandhar-Pathankot highway, Ludhiana-Chandigarh highway, Amritsar-Ganganagar highway and Ferozepur-Zira road.

Kisan Sangharsh Mazdoor committee general secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher strongly condemned the lathicharge on farmers by the Haryana police.

During a protest in Amritsar, Pandher said Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar should resign on moral grounds as he has no right to continue in the post after the police action on farmers.

The Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) staged protests at 56 places in the state and castigated the "shameful" act of the Khattar government.

Meanwhile, Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu also condemned the Haryana police action on farmers in Karnal. He tweeted :

Deplorable assault on the protesting Farmers is an attack on Fundamental Rights of every Indian … earned after innumerable sacrifices during the freedom struggle, It impinges and impedes on the spirit of the Constitution and Breaks the Backbone of India’s democracy !! pic.twitter.com/7nqmDBx3Dm

— Navjot Singh Sidhu (@sherryontopp) August 29, 2021

Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh had expressed shock on Saturday at the "brazen brutality" of the Haryana police and had slammed Khattar for "unleashing such a vicious assault on the peacefully protesting farmers", many of whom were injured in the lathicharge.

With inputs from PTI

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Beware of the Chinese backdoor in Indian internet space

In April 2020, the Indian government issued a directive (“Press Note 3”) to regulate all foreign direct investment (FDI) coming from countries that share a land border with India. While this theoretically impacted several countries, the main target was China.

In the pandemic-led recessionary environment, Chinese firms were actively scouting for investment as well as hostile buying opportunities in the corporate space. Many countries around the world were beginning to get wary of a potential Chinese takeover threat to their businesses. India acted early and proactively to thwart this threat.

The press note ensured that all investment coming in from India’s neighbouring countries follows the government route, which requires prior permission. Any investment from these countries could not take the automatic route, even where allowed at a sectoral level as per the extant FDI policy.

Later last year, the government proceeded to ban several Chinese apps from the Indian mobile stores in the wake of the Galwan Valley clash with China. Following the uncalled-for aggression and territorial heist that China attempted in Ladakh, this measure became an integral part of a strong Indian response. Pushing back on digital colonialism was also a strong sign that India will not tolerate Chinese attempts to usurp or even influence any Indian asset, including consumer data.

This theme played out strongly around the world. The Indian measures were hailed in several countries and indeed, the Chinese technology sector has since been in a tailspin. Increasing global scrutiny and an illiberal domestic crackdown by the Chinese regime has smothered the consumer internet businesses. As these businesses search for new bounce-back opportunities, they are increasingly looking to re-enter India through the backdoor.

We already saw an example of this with the popular game PUBG coming back to India through the South Korean firm Krafton. The Chinese firm Tencent has an investment in Krafton. While PUBG was removed from Indian mobile stores mainly due to the Tencent link, the new launch also has the same link, albeit indirectly. This is the backdoor that may be used by other firms as well.

Shopee, a popular e-commerce app has been hiring in India extensively. LinkedIn has several ads advertising jobs at Shopee, and many profiles on the professional networking site already display Shopee as the current employer. Shopee is a Singapore-based popular shopping app, which is an e-commerce, mobile-based business. It is a big firm in South East Asia, working in various models like consumer to consumer as well as business to consumer. One of its business models in the region is to ship goods from small Chinese firms to other countries via a marketplace.

It is not confirmed that they will for sure launch an Indian business. Perhaps the Indian hiring is to support supply chain, logistics and analytics functions for the Korean market as some of their job openings suggest. Nonetheless, it is instructive to look at their corporate structure.

Shopee is part of the Sea Group, which is a parent firm for several digital businesses. The Sea Group was previously Garena, a firm that restructured in 2019 to make Sea Group the parent entity for various business interests. Garena itself started focusing on the gaming business of the Sea Group, while Shopee became the flagship digital and social commerce business.

Garena provides a platform for several games. Free Fire, one of their offerings, is available in India already. Gaming enthusiasts in India are already familiar with this multiplayer battle mobile game. Its India Instagram page has 8.1 million followers and technology web pages publish the game’s redeem codes regularly.

It is not well understood that the Sea Group has significant Chinese connections too, though being based in Singapore. Tencent holds 23.3% of the voting rights in the firm as per their annual report for the year 2020. In fact, the annual report lists Tencent involvement as one of key risk items – “our founder and Tencent have substantial influence over our business, including significant corporate actions such as mergers, consolidations, sales of all or substantially all of our assets, election of directors and other significant corporate actions.”

Sea Group also mandates that any significant business reconfiguration will require a nod of 80% of Class B ordinary shares. Sea Group employs dual class shares, where the ordinary Class A shares have lower voting rights. Tencent holds 43% of Class B shares, effectively ensuring that no key business decision is taken without Tencent approval.

These examples show how China-led and controlled investments can still find ways to enter India, though it may not be apparent on the face of it, as the holding companies may be located outside China. The Indian government needs to plug this gap and prevent the proliferation of such Chinese backdoors in the country.

The author is a chartered accountant with interests in social entrepreneurship, culture, dharmic issues and agriculture

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Haryana Police lathicharges farmers in Karnal: Khattar govt faces flak from oppn, agrarians

Around 10 people were injured on Saturday after police lathicharged a group of farmers for disrupting traffic movement on a highway while heading towards Karnal in Haryana to protest against a BJP meeting. The police action has elicited criticisms from all quarters, except for the Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, who has defended it, saying assurances of a peaceful protest were given, but stones were hurled at cops and a highway was blocked. Here's a look at what people had to say about the incident:

Conspiracy against farmers, says Rakesh Tikait

Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait on Sunday met some of the injured protesters in a hospital in Karnal and condemned the brutal lathicharge by police. He said the conspiracy to attack the farmers in Karnal is clear from the directives of the disrict magistrate, who was caught on camera ordering the police to "crack the skulls"  of farmers and lash them with sticks. The government is using lathis to suppress the voice of farmers, but it is a mistake, Tikait said.

Haryana BKU (Chaduni) chief Gurnam Singh Chaduni said a meeting of farmers' outfits will be held in Karnal on Monday to discuss the future course of action in the wake of the alleged lathicharge.

Brazen brutality, says Amarinder Singh

Expressing shock at the "brazen brutality" of the Haryana Police, Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh has slammed his Haryana counterpart for "unleashing such a vicious assault on the peacefully protesting farmers". Singh said this was not the first time that farmers had been subjected to such ruthlessness at the hands of the Haryana Police. He said it was evident that the BJP-led Haryana government had once again deliberately used brute force against farmers in a desperate bid to end their agitation against the "draconian" farm laws. Earlier in November 2020, the Haryana Police had "ferociously assaulted" farmers to stop them from marching to the borders of Delhi to join the agitation against the farm laws, he added. "Such Khattar government-sponsored attacks on farmers are not only unacceptable but outright condemnable," Singh said, demanding an apology from Khattar and aid for the injured farmers. "This is no way to treat our annadatas," he said.

Blood spilled again, says Rahul Gandhi

Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter to condemn the lathicharge, stating that the act has brought shame to the country.

फिर ख़ून बहाया है किसान का,
शर्म से सर झुकाया हिंदुस्तान का!#FarmersProtest #किसान_विरोधी_भाजपा pic.twitter.com/stVlnVFcgQ

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 28, 2021

"Lathitantra", says Priyanka Gandhi

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra shared pictures of the injured farmers on Facebook. "Farmers with their hard work grow bountiful crops in their fields and when they ask for their rights, the BJP government bleeds them by wielding batons. Every blow dealt on farmers will serve as a nail in the coffin of the BJP," she wrote on the social media platform.

General Dyer government, says Randeep Surjewala

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala condemned the attack and dubbed the BJP-JJP regime as the "General Dyer government". "CM-Dy CM's conspiracy to attack farmers in Karnal is clear from the orders of the duty magistrate, who is ordering the police to break the heads of farmers and lash them with sticks. BJP-JJP is the 'General Dyer' government," he said in a tweet in Hindi.

"Khattar Sahib, Today in Karnal sticks have been blown on the soul of every Haryanvi. The oppression of the sinful BJP government that bleeds farmers is like demons. The coming generations will remember the blood from farmers' bodies flown on the streets," he said in another tweet.

गुरू मोदी जी ने आज पंजाब में जलियांवाला बाग के लाइट एंड साउंड शो का उद्घाटन किया और शिष्य खट्टर जी ने करनाल में अन्नदाताओं पर लाठीचार्ज करवा के जनरल डायर जैसी बरर्बता का लाइव प्रसारण करवा दिया?

शर्म करो भाजपा-जजपा सरकार!

डूब मरो, न्याय करो,
बेक़सूर अन्नदाताओं को रिहा करो ! pic.twitter.com/AU56bq9m2g

— Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) August 28, 2021

Really sad, says Vijender Singh

Indian boxer Vijender Singh Beniwal too took to Twitter to express his sadness over the attack.

Really sad 😞 #kisanektazindabaadhttps://t.co/CyKLOFxNy3

— Vijender Singh (@boxervijender) August 28, 2021

Unacceptable, says Varun Gandhi

BJP leader and Pilibhit MP Varun Gandhi tweeted the video where Karnal's sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Ayush Sinha was caught issuing instructions to the police to “crack their (protesting farmers') heads” while dealing with the agitators.

I hope this video is edited and the DM did not say this… Otherwise, this is unacceptable in democratic India to do to our own citizens. pic.twitter.com/rWRFSD2FRH

— Varun Gandhi (@varungandhi80) August 28, 2021

Coercive government says, Jaiveer Shergill

Another Congress spokesperson, Jaiveer Shergill, too, tweeted a picture of an injured farmer and called the BJP government zulmi or "coercive".

BJP की जुल्मी सियासत को लहू पीने की लत है
और ये कहते हैं की मुल्क में सब खैरियत है।
#किसान_विरोधी_खट्टर#FarmersProtest#BJPpic.twitter.com/ip0VhzS86D

— Jaiveer Shergill (@JaiveerShergill) August 28, 2021

Last nail in coffin, says Abhay Singh Chautala

Indian National Lok Dal senior leader Abhay Singh Chautala has strongly condemned the police action and said that by attacking farmers the state government has put the last nail in its coffin.

शांतिपूर्ण ढंग से विरोध कर रहे किसानों पर लाठियां बरसा कर गठबंधन सरकार अपने ताबूत में आखिरी कील ठोक रही है। अहंकारी सरकार एक दर्जन बार किसानों पर लाठियां बरसा कर उन्हें लहूलुहान कर चुकी है। सत्ता का ये अहंकार किसान चकनाचूर करना जानते हैं। #INLDsupportFarmerspic.twitter.com/6ChpqmCFmr

— Abhay Singh Chautala (@AbhaySChautala) August 28, 2021

With input from agencies

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India clocks 45,083 new COVID infections, 460 deaths; active cases rise for fifth consecutive day

India added 45,083 new coronavirus infections taking the total tally of COVID-19 cases to 3,26,95,030, while active cases registered an increase for the fifth consecutive day, according to the Union health ministry data updated on Sunday. The number of new cases has been above the 40,000 mark for the fourth day.

In the last 24 hours, active cases increased by 8,783, taking the active caseload to 3,68,558, which comprises 1.13 percent of the total infections.

Five states accounted for 89.17 percent of the total cases, with Kerala contributing 31,265 cases in the past 24 hours, followed by Maharashtra with 4,831 cases, Tamil Nadu with 1,551 cases, Andhra Pradesh with 1,321 cases and Karnataka with 1,229 cases. Meanwhile, 10 states/UTs have reported a rise in active cases.

The difference between new cases reported in the last seven days and preceding seven days in India is +17 percent; the world average is at -2 percent.

The total active cases in Kerala has been above the 2 lakh mark after 89 days. Kerala accounts for 55.74 percent  of India's total active caseload and 69.35 percent of new cases.

A total of 35,840 patients recovered from the infection in the past 24 hours, taking India's recovery rate to 97.53 percent. The total recoveries stand at 3,18,88,642 across the country.

Meanwhile, the death toll has climbed to 4,37,830 with 460 fresh fatalities, according to the data updated at 8 am. The number of fatalities have been above 400 for the fifth day. Among the new fatalities Kerala reported 153 new deaths, Maharashtra 126 and Odisha 68.

India has administered a total of 73,85,866 vaccine doses in the past 24 hours, which brings the total tally of doses administered to 63,09,17,927. India has administered over 16 crore vaccinations in August, including 4.8 crore in the last six days.

A total of 17,55,327 samples were tested in the last 24 hours. The test positivity rate was registered at 2.57 percent (2.66 percent the previous day). The test positivity rate has been below three percent for the 64th day.

India's COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on 7 August , 2020, 30 lakh on 23 August, 40 lakh on 5 September and 50 lakh on 16 September. It went past 60 lakh on 28 September, 70 lakh on 11 October 11, crossed 80 lakh on 29 October, 90 lakh on 20 November and surpassed the one-crore mark on 19 December. India crossed the grim milestone of two crore on 4 May and three crore on 23 June.

With inputs from agencies

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Petrol and diesel prices remain unchanged; here's what you need to pay in your city today

Petrol and diesel prices remained static on Sunday. In Delhi, petrol costs Rs 101.49 a litre while the rate of diesel was Rs 88.92 per litre.

In Mumbai, petrol can be bought at Rs 107.52 per litre and diesel costs Rs 96.48 for one litre.

In Chennai, a litre of petrol is priced at Rs 99.20. On Sunday, the price of a litre of diesel was Rs 93.52.

Petrol in Kolkata costs Rs 101.82 per litre while diesel costs Rs 91.98 a litre.

While petrol can be bought at Rs 109.91 in Bhopal and diesel costs Rs 97.72 a litre today.

Petrol and diesel prices are revised by the oil marketing companies including Bharat Petroleum, Indian Oil and Hindustan Petroleum. The new prices are implemented at 6 am every day. States and cities have different fuel prices because of the value-added taxes, local and freight charges which vary depending on the place.

Following are the prices of diesel and petrol in a few metros and Tier-II cities in the country:

1. Mumbai

Petrol - Rs 107.52 per litre
Diesel - Rs 96.48 per litre

2. Delhi

Petrol - Rs 101.49 per litre
Diesel - Rs 88.92 per litre

3. Chennai

Petrol - Rs 99.20 per litre
Diesel - Rs 93.52 per litre

4. Kolkata

Petrol - Rs 101.82 per litre
Diesel - Rs 91.98 per litre

5. Bhopal

Petrol - Rs 109.91 per litre
Diesel - Rs 97.72 per litre

6. Hyderabad

Petrol - Rs 105.54 per litre
Diesel - Rs 96.99 per litre

7. Bangaluru

Petrol - Rs 104.98 per litre
Diesel - Rs 94.34 per litre

8. Guwahati

Petrol - Rs 97.33 per litre
Diesel - Rs 88.29 per litre

9. Lucknow

Petrol - Rs 98.56 per litre
Diesel - Rs 89.29 per litre

10. Gandhinagar

Petrol - Rs 98.52 per litre
Diesel - 96.00 per litre

11. Thiruvananthapuram

Petrol - Rs 103.69 per litre
Diesel - Rs 95.68 per litre

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Watch: Biden's warning to Taliban after Kabul blasts echoes dialogue from Rajkumar's 'Saudagar'; video goes viral

Every day social media gets flooded with several videos from across the world, some go viral while others make headlines. Among the many videos, a clip of US President Joe Biden's speech has now gone insanely viral on social media.

In the video, Biden's powerful speech has been mixed with a clip from 1991 film Saudagar featuring veteran Bollywood actor Raaj Kumar. The US President's recent warning to Afghanistan's Kabul blast conspirators resonances a dialogue from the film almost word for word, except that the speech is in English.

In the speech, Biden promised that the United States would respond with force and precision to the people behind the attack. "We'll respond with force and precision at our time, at the place we choose, at the moment of our choosing," Biden said in his speech.

When compared Biden's speech to Raaj Kumar's dialogue. He said, "Hum tumhe marenge, aur zaroor marenge, lekin wo banduk bhi humari hogi, goli bhi humari hogi aur waqt bhi humara hoga". Both these phrases sound so much similar.

Watch the video below:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Film History Pics (@filmhistorypics)

This video has been posted on Instagram by a user called filmhistorypics and desi social media users can easily find Biden's statement familiar to the movie dialogue.

Meanwhile, in the video's caption, screenwriter Kamlesh Pandey has been credited for the dialogue.

So far, the video has collected more than 19,000 views and hundreds of comments from fans across the world. People are surprised to see the weird resemblance between Biden's speech and Kumar's dialogue.

For the unversed, the terror attack at the Kabul airport days ago left 13 US service members and at least 100 Afghans dead. Following the attack, Biden warned the Taliban that any hurt or attack on American forces to disrupt evacuation operations will invite a forceful response.

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After 'brutal' lathi-charge, farmers block highways in Haryana

Angry farmers blocked several highways across Haryana to protest the “brutal” police action against their fellow farmers in Karnal district, as they were protesting a meeting led by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.

Traffic was affected on major roads and highways, including NH3 and the Delhi-Amritsar highway, leading to a jam at the Shambhu toll plaza leading to Ambala.

Around 10 people were injured on Saturday as police allegedly lathi-charged a group of farmers disrupting traffic movement on a highway while heading towards Karnal to protest against a Bharatiya Janata Party meeting.

#WATCH | Haryana: Police baton charged farmers who were protesting at Bastara toll plaza area in Karnal pic.twitter.com/NlYiUnDJMr

— ANI (@ANI) August 28, 2021

Besides Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, state BJP president Om Prakash Dhankar and other senior leaders of the party were present at the meeting.

The state police drew severe criticism for the action against the farmers, and several roads were blockaded at different places in protest.

The affected routes included the Fatehabad-Chandigarh, Gohana-Panipat and the Jind-Patiala highways, and the Ambala-Chandigarh and the Hisar-Chandigarh national highways.

Haryana Bhartiya Kisan Union (Chaduni) chief Gurnam Singh Chaduni alleged that the police brutally lathi-charged the protesting farmers, leaving many injured.

Several protesters present at the site near the Bastara toll plaza around 15 km from Karnal claimed to have witnessed 8-10 people sustain injuries in the police action.

The police, however, said only mild force was used as the protesters were blocking the highway, affecting traffic movement.

Farmers protesting the central farm laws have been opposing public functions of the BJP-JJP combine in Haryana. Several farmers had gathered at the Bastara toll plaza near Karnal, responding to a call given by the BKU.

Citing section 144 of the CrPC imposed in the area banning assembly of five or more people, the police made several announcements over loud speakers, declaring the gathering by the protesters "unlawful".

Initially, they asked the farmers to disperse, but resorted to force as the protesters refused to budge.

The police said the protesters were bent on moving towards the venue of the BJP meeting in Karnal. All roads leading to the venue had been heavily barricaded.

"Many farmers were injured after police brutally lathi-charged them without any provocation. Some even could be seen with blood all over their clothes," Chaduni said, strongly condemning the police action.

He said that as part of their ongoing agitation against the farm laws, the farmers had decided to hold a peaceful protest against BJP leaders, for which they had assembled at the Bastara toll plaza.

The use of force by the police invited severe criticism from various political parties.

Strongly condemning the action, senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala tweeted, "Khattar Sahab, today you have rained lathis on Haryanvis' soul coming generations will remember the blood of farmers which has been spilled on the roads."

खट्टर साहेब,

आज करनाल में हर हरयाणवी की आत्मा पर लाठी बरसाई है।

धरती के भगवान किसान को लहूलुहान करने वाली पापी भाजपाई सत्ता का दमन दानवों जैसा है ।

सड़कों पर बहते-किसानों के शरीर से रिसते खून को आने वाली तमाम नस्लें याद रखेगीं।

याचना नहीं, अब रण होगा,
जीवन-जय या मरण होगा। pic.twitter.com/NoDA7LSVAH

— Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) August 28, 2021

Indian National Lok Dal senior leader Abhay Singh Chautala also strongly condemned the police action.

Swaraj India president and key leader of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha Yogendra Yadav said the lathi-charge exposed the true face of the Haryana Police.

"They (farmers) were protesting against the visit of CM Khattar and other BJP leaders to Karnal. This is the true face of Haryana police," Yadav tweeted.

Inputs from PTI

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GAT-B & BET 2021: NTA releases scorecards at dbt.nta.ac.in; check direct link here

The results of the Graduate Aptitude Test - Biotechnology (GAT - B) and Biotechnology Eligibility Test (BET) 2021 were declared on 28 August by the National Testing Agency (NTA). Candidates, who had appeared for the exams, can now access their scorecards by visiting the official website dbt.nta.ac.in.

The tests were conducted on 14 August online and the agency has already released the provisional answer keys, questions, and responses of students. To check their scores, candidates have to enter their application number and date of birth or password.

Applicants can follow these simple steps to check and download GAT-B, BET 2021 results:

Step 1: Go to the official website -- dbt.nta.ac.in

Step 2: On the homepage, click on the 'GAT-B & BET-2021 Scorecard' link

Step 3: As the new page opens, enter the required details, and submit

Step 4: Your scorecard will be displayed on the screen. Check it properly and save a copy for future reference

Here's the direct link: https://ift.tt/3Dnf6Yi

The agency began the registration process on 7 July while the deadline to submit applications was 31 July. The GAT-B 2021 was held from 9 am to 12 pm while the BET 2021 took place from 3 pm to 6 pm.

For the unversed, the GAT-B/BET is a national-level exam that is held for admission to the Department of Biotechnology supported postgraduate (PG) programme in Biotechnology and allied areas in participating Institutions (GAT-B) and to award the DBT -- Junior Research Fellowship (DBT-JRF) for pursuing research in frontier areas of Biotechnology (BET).

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PGET 2021: Lucknow University releases timetable of PG entrance exam at lkouniv.ac.in; check full schedule here

Lucknow University has released the dates and schedule for the Post Graduate Entrance Examination (PGET) 2021 on Saturday, 28 August. Candidates, who are preparing for the exam, can check the timetable by visiting the official website of Lucknow University at lkouniv.ac.in.

As per the final schedule which has been released by the varsity, the entrance examination will be held on 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 13 September. Candidates should note that the PGET exam will be conducted in two shifts.

The first shift begins from 11 am to 12.30 pm (morning) and the second shift will commence from 3 pm to 4.30 pm (evening). This shift and timing will be applied for all examinations on all specified days.

According to the latest schedule, the exam will begin with Master of Laws (LLM), Public Administration subject and will end with Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Master of Tourism and Travel Management (MTTM). However, the admit cards and other details regarding the examination will be released by the university in due course of time.

Check steps to download the PGET schedule here:

Step 1: Go to the official website of Lucknow University - https://lkouniv.ac.in/
Step 2: Click on the 'News' section that is available on the homepage
Step 3: As a new page opens, candidates need to click on the PGET dates link. Soon after clicking on the link, the final schedule will be displayed on the screen
Step 4: Kindly, check the timetable properly and download the PDF file
Step 5: Candidates are advised to keep a hard copy of the same for further need or reference

For more related information and details, candidates are requested to keep a check on the official website.

On Friday, the University of Lucknow announced the Uttar Pradesh Bed Joint Entrance Examination for BEd (UP JEE BEd) result 2021. Ashu Rana from Lucknow bagged the 1st rank in the registered examination. Post the announcement of the results, the counselling process will begin from 1 September and the new academic session will commence on 6 September.

#LUVC @profalokkumar and UPJEE B.Ed. State Co-ordinator Prof. Amita Bajpai announced results of the examination conducted on 6th August, 2021 today, within record time of just 20 days. Ashu Rana from Lucknow bagged the 1st rank. Access results here https://t.co/8JghDM53GI pic.twitter.com/US8q1gnqxj

— University of Lucknow (@lkouniv) August 27, 2021

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