DGCA Investigates Air India After Congress MP KC Venugopal's Shocking Near-Death Flight Experience
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Hindustan Times
12 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
High drama as Oppn march to ECI blocked
Nearly 300 Opposition lawmakers on Monday morning marched from Parliament to the Election Commission of India (ECI) over alleged irregularities in voter rolls but were stopped and later detained by Delhi Police, prompting some parliamentarians to scale the barricades in what became a major show of strength. LoP in the Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and other Opposition leaders during a protest march from Parliament House to the Election Commission in New Delhi on Monday. (PTI) The MPs, including Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, started marching around 11.30am, but were stopped at Sansad Marg at noon,metres away from the Parliament complex amid heavy deployment of police and security personnel. Lawmakers sat down on the road in protest, and insisted that all protesting MPs must be allowed to reach the ECI office at Ashoka Road. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Trinamool Congress's Mahua Moitra and Congress's Sanjana Jatav and Jothimani climbed over the barricades and raised slogans against ECI. At 1pm, they were whisked away by police in buses lined up along the road and taken to the Parliament Street Police Station. All the MPs were released after 2pm. The Opposition lashed out at ECI but the poll watchdog and the Bharatiya Janata Party condemned the Congress. 'Today, when we were going to meet the Election Commission, all the MPs of the INDIA alliance were stopped and taken into custody. The truth of vote theft is now before the country. This fight is not political—it is a fight to protect democracy, the Constitution, and the right to one person, one vote,' said Gandhi. 'The united Opposition and every voter in the country demands: a clean and transparent voter list. And, we will secure this right at all costs,' he added. The poll body said it had invited Congress leader Jairam Ramesh and up to 30 Opposition MPs for a meeting at noon, but the delegation did not attend. 'Jairam Ramesh had acknowledged yesterday, the invitation for 30 MPs to meet ECI today at 12 noon. Now he has changed his tone… How does one trust INC? They agreed to come with 30 MPs and then find ways to run away from EC,' said a poll official. Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan accused the Congress of making unsubstantiated allegations. 'They believe in spit and run... this anarchy is dangerous for democracy. If Rahul Gandhi had even an iota of faith in the Constitution, he would have submitted an affidavit and presented his case before the Election Commission,' the minister said. The controversy began last Thursday when Gandhi alleged that there were 100,250 'stolen' votes in the Mahadevapura assembly segment of Bangalore (Central) parliamentary constituency that helped the BJP win the seat in 2024, accusing ECI of 'colluding' with the ruling party. His presentation, which also included names of the voters involved, had prompted an immediate reaction from ECI, which had asked him to send a signed declaration and oath to the effect. Poll officials have challenged Gandhi to either sign a formal declaration affirming his claims or apologise to the country. The issue – along with the controversial special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Bihar – has paralysed Parliament for10 days now. Gandhi along with Yadav, Trinamool Congress MP Derek O'Brien, Aam Aadmi Party's Sanjay Singh, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's Tiruchi Siva and Rashtriya Janata Dal's Prem Chand Gupta were among the leaders at the forefront of the march. Later, O'Brien alleged that Delhi Police told them they would be taken to ECI but they landed up at Parliament street police station. In a tweet, O'Brien raised the four demands that the Opposition wanted to flag to ECI – a first information report against former CEC Rajeev Kumar for manipulation of the voters' list, digitisation of the voters' list, no special intensive revision, and that no political party will share details of booth-level agents with ECI, as they fear it will reach the BJP. 'We will fight for our rights and justice. Now we will overcome every restriction of oppression,' Yadav said. At least three women MPs, including TMC's Sushmita Dev and Mahua Moitra, stood over the fence erected by the Delhi Police while Yadav actually managed to jump over. Leaders raised slogans such as 'vote chor, gaddi chhor (vote thieves should quit) and 'silently, voters are being stolen.' Arambag MP Mitali Bag became unwell during the protests and was shifted to the hospital. Moitra, too, was feeling unwell, according to Opposition leaders. Veteran leaders such as Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) chief Sharad Pawar also participated in the sit-in demonstration, with Kharge even courting arrest. Kharge, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, later told the Upper Housethat Opposition MPs were prevented from reaching ECI. 'Look at the condition of democracy in India. 300 MPs want to meet the Election Commission, but the Election Commission says - you cannot come to meet. Because the Election Commission is afraid of the truth,' Gandhi said. In the evening, he hosted all Opposition MPs over dinner. Congress leader KC Venugopal told the media that 'we could have sent the delegation if they had allowed us to reach the ECI office.' Shortly after 11.30am, Opposition MPs gathered in front of the Makar Dwar – the main gate of the Parliament building – and started their march. All MPs donned a white cap that read: SIR (special intensive review) vote chori (SIR amounts to vote theft). The march moved slowly through the Talkatora Road entry gate of the Parliament complex and stopped soon after crossing the Transport Bhawan. MPs carried posters in different colours and languages to protest against ECI.
News18
37 minutes ago
- News18
AI-171 crash victims family seeks US legal action, demands transparent probe
Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], August 12 (ANI): Trupti Soni, sister of Swapnil Soni, who died in the Air India AI-171 plane crash, had called for a transparent investigation into the tragedy and announced plans to pursue legal action in the United States. She also accused the Indian government of releasing selective data without any to ANI, Trupti Soni revealed that she is exploring the possibility of filing a product liability case in America.'We are filing a case in America because this could be a product liability case. American laws are stringent about product liability. Before that, we need information about why this accident happened. We are considering filing a petition here to obtain raw data from the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder. However, we have received no support from the Indian government till now," she stressed that government backing is essential to ensure accountability. 'But we need the support of the Indian government so that it can be seen that the investigation that is taking place is very transparent and in the truest sense fair and free."Soni criticised the limited disclosure of findings so far. 'So far, the data that has been released is very selective without any context. It seems to me that the data and report that have come out raise a lot of questions instead of providing answers."Expressing the family's need for closure, she added, 'So, as a victim's family, we hope that this investigation ends as soon as possible and the correct root causes are placed before the people."The family is holding out hope for justice through the American legal system. 'We are still hoping for justice in the US court…we hope that if a case of production liability is made, the US court will take it seriously and give justice," she June 12, Air India flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 aircraft, crashed soon after it took off from Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, killing 260 people, including 229 passengers, 12 crew members, and 19 people on the ground. (ANI)
Indian Express
42 minutes ago
- Indian Express
House Panel flags China presence in IOR, its nexus with Pakistan; calls for upgrading naval assets
Expressing serious concern over the increasing Chinese presence and influence in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), the Parliamentary Committee on External Affairs has recommended the upgradation of India's naval assets and boosting the country's anti-submarine warfare capabilities. The committee headed by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, while presenting its Eighth Report on the subject 'Evaluation of India's Indian Ocean Strategy' in Lok Sabha on Monday, also flagged China's 'strengthening ties with Pakistan'. It urged the government to take decisive action by enhancing India's maritime deterrence through advanced technology, including satellite surveillance. 'Of equal concern is the strengthening of the China-Pakistan naval nexus, which not only facilitates joint military exercises but also advances Pakistan's naval modernisation,' the panel said. 'This cooperation complicates the security situation further… and could destabilise the balance of power in the region.' On the strategic challenges faced by India in the IOR, the Ministry of External Affairs has stated that these include 'threats to maritime traffic, piracy, terrorism, concerns about freedom of navigation and overflights, and concerns of safeguarding sovereignty and of independence'. Another challenge is the growing presence of extra-regional players in the region, especially China gaining a foothold, MEA said. China has been undertaking several infrastructure projects focusing on ports, airports and logistics sectors for dual use purposes, in addition to deploying research and survey vessels in the region to… collect sensitive oceanography and marine data of the region, the MEA said. However, it added that to counter the challenges, India has been actively sensitising friendly countries through bilateral and regional forums in IOR to counter these activities. The Colombo Security Conclave, Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) and QUAD cooperation are few framework mechanisms, under which India is working closely with countries in the region and with like-minded countries, it said. The Ministry of Defence was also asked to enumerate the key challenges faced by India in the Indian Ocean Region and efforts taken to tackle them. In a written submission, the Ministry stated that the Indian Navy faces multifaceted challenges in the IOR, encompassing traditional security threats from Naval competition, territorial disputes and growing Chinese naval presence, alongside non-traditional challenges like piracy, trafficking, illegal fishing, maritime terrorism, natural calamities and complex geopolitical dynamics. As part of this strategy, China is also developing ports and other infrastructure facilities in the littoral countries of the IOR, including in the vicinity of India's maritime boundary and has a stated goal of becoming a maritime power, the MEA said. The committee was of the view that India's leadership role in IOR is both a natural and necessary extension of its geopolitical and economic interests and thereby, it should take a leading role in ensuring the security, stability, and prosperity of the region. The Committee recommended that India should frame a comprehensive and dynamic strategic engagement plan for all 35 littoral states of IOR, grounded in shared common interests. The Committee also noted that, despite the strategic importance of IOR for India's national security, economic growth, and geopolitical interests, there remains an absence of a dedicated inter-ministerial mechanism to effectively coordinate and streamline the various facets of India's Indian Ocean Strategy. In this regard, the Committee strongly recommended the creation of a comprehensive Inter-Ministerial Task Force, involving key ministries, such as External Affairs, Ministry of Defence, Commerce, Environment, Shipping, Finance and Home Affairs. This will address gaps in coordination, and facilitate efficient execution of India's strategic priorities in the Indian Ocean, the panel said. Divya A reports on travel, tourism, culture and social issues - not necessarily in that order - for The Indian Express. She's been a journalist for over a decade now, working with Khaleej Times and The Times of India, before settling down at Express. Besides writing/ editing news reports, she indulges her pen to write short stories. As Sanskriti Prabha Dutt Fellow for Excellence in Journalism, she is researching on the lives of the children of sex workers in India. ... Read More
