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Gen Naravane takes charge as Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee

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As a stop-gap arrangement before the appointment of a new Chief of Defence Staff following the demise of General Bipin Rawat, the Centre has placed in an old system and appointed Indian Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane as Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee.

The old system was in practice before creation of the post of Chief of Defence Staff two years ago.

The practice was that the senior-most Chief would take over as the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee and would be responsible for synergy between the Army, Navy and Air Force. He would look after the better coordination and co-operative practices among the three services.

Old system was brought in following the death of General Bipin Rawat. He along with wife Madhulika Rawat and 11 armed personnel were killed in a military chopper crash on December 8 at Coonoor in Tamil Nadu. Lone survivor Group Captain Varun Singh succumbed to his injuries on Wednesday (December 15).

The chopper crashed when General Rawat was on his way to Wellington for a lecture.

The post of CDS was created in 2019 on the recommendations of a committee of defence experts headed by Lt. General D.B. Shekatkar.

The government after creating the post had stated that the CDS will head the Department of Military Affairs within the Ministry of Defence.

It had also stated that the CDS will also be the permanent chairman of the existing Chiefs of Staff Committee and a member of the Defence Acquisition Council and the Defence Planning Committee.

The CDS has a responsibility for coordination among the three services in equipment and arms procurement, training and staffing.

This should help bring about better synergy between the forces and to prioritise requirements and optimise the use of resources, especially at a time the military budget is shrinking. The CDS functions as the single point of military advice to the government.

National News

Delhi: Minors Kill 16-Year-Old Friend For Denying ‘Samosa’ Party On Buying New Phone In Shakarpur; Arrested

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Delhi: In a shocking incident a youth was brutally murdered by his friends for denying to give a party on purchasing a new mobile phone in Delhi’s Shakarpur area. The 16-year-old youth was stabbed to death by his friends after an argument erupted between him and his friends who were demanding samosa party from the victim for buying a new mobile phone. The police have registered a case and arrested the accused. They have also recovered the knife used in the murder of the youth.

The incident occurred on Monday (September 23) in Shakarpur area of East Delhi when the sixteen-year-old youth identified as Sachin bought a new mobile phone. While he was returning home after purchasing the phone along with one of his friends, he met few other acquaintances on a samosa shop. They saw his new mobile phone and started demanding a party from the victim. Sachin refused to give them a party, after which an argument erupted between them.

The argument escalated which turned into a fight and one of the boys took out a knife and stabbed Sachin from behind. He stabbed Sachin twice from behind, after which Sachin suffered serious injuries and fell unconscious on the spot. All the three accused fled the spot after attacking Sachin. The people present at the spot called the police and reported the incident.

The police arrived on the spot on receiving information about the incident. They took the dead body of the victim into their custody and initiated an inquiry into the matter. The police registered an FIR and after the investigation of the CCTV camera installed in the area, the police identified the accused and initiated a search operation to nab the accused.

The police arrested all the three accused in connection with the matter and all the three accused are said to be minors. The police have initiated the proceeding under the Juvenile Justice Act.

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Woman Devotee Discovers Tobacco Inside Tirupati Laddu; TTD Refutes Allegation

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Woman Devotee Discovers Tobacco Inside Tirupati Laddu; TTD Refutes Allegation

Amid ongoing controversy over Tirupati prasad, a woman devotee has made a shocking claim that when she broke the laddu given to her as prasadam at the famed Sri Venkateswara temple in Tirupati, she found tobacco wrapped in paper inside. However, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) refuted the allegations and asked her to store the laddu for investigation.

Tirupati prasadam has been in the news since last week after Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu, citing a Gujarat lab report, claimed that the sought-after offerings distributed during the previous government’s tenure contained animal fat. CM Chandrababu Naidu’s allegation has sparked a political storm in the state.

Khammam district resident Donthu Padmavati claimed that she visited the Tirupati temple on September 19 and brought back the prasadam to distribute among family and neighbors.

Padmavati said she was heartbroken after finding pieces of tobacco wrapped in a small paper inside the laddu as she was about to distribute the sacred offering.

Padmavati’s claim came as a major shock to Tirupati devotees, who were already reeling from the news that the ghee used for the laddu was contaminated with animal fat.

These incidents have raised serious doubts among devotees about the hygiene and overall purity of the prasad distributed at famous religious places.

In response, the TTD refuted the claim that Tirupati laddu contains tobacco packets, stating that the viral content has caused unnecessary controversy. The laddus, made with great devotion by Sri Vaishnava Brahmins at the Laddu Potu in Tirumala, adhere to strict protocols and are prepared under constant CCTV monitoring, the TTD explained.

“It is misleading and unacceptable to imply the presence of tobacco in such a carefully regulated process,” the TTD stated.

Nonetheless, TTD contacted the devotee and requested them to preserve the laddu for investigation.

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Shanti Homam, 4-Hr-Long Ritualistic Cleansing Held At Andhra’s Tirupati Temple Amid Animal Fat In Laddoo Row

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Shanti Homam, 4-Hr-Long Ritualistic Cleansing Held At Andhra's Tirupati Temple Amid Animal Fat In Laddoo Row

Amid the controversy over the alleged presence of animal fat in Tirupati laddoos, a four-hour purification ritual known as Shanti Homam Panchagavya Prokshana is being performed at the Tirumala temple on Monday. According to temple officials, this ritual aims to cleanse and undo any desecration that allegedly occurred during the tenure of the Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) government.

Details Of The Cleansing Rituals

The purification ceremony began today in the morning, involving the establishment of three homa gundas (sacrificial fire pits) where the rituals were conducted in strict accordance with the Shastras, traditional Hindu scriptures. According to an India Today report, eight temple priests, under the guidance of three Agama Shastra experts, conducted the Shanti Homam, which began at 5:40 am and lasted about two hours.

Alongside this, the Vastu Homam was also performed, focusing on cleansing the space and ensuring the sanctity of the temple. This included the purification of all the vessels, machines and ceremonial areas involved in the preparation of the prasadam, a sacred offering at the temple.

As part of the rituals, the Panchagavya Prokshana, a sacred sprinkling with a mixture of five cow products (milk, curd, ghee, urine, and dung) was performed to sanctify the environment. These rituals are aimed at seeking divine forgiveness from Lord Venkateswara Swamy for the alleged sacrilegious acts, including claims that animal fats were used in the preparation of Tirupati laddoos.

What Is The Controversy?

The controversy surrounding the laddoos erupted after Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu recently claimed that substandard ingredients, including animal fat, were discovered in the laddoos served at the temple during the previous government led by Jagan Mohan Reddy. Naidu cited a private lab report from Gujarat, which allegedly found traces of beef tallow, lard (pig fat) and fish oil in the ghee used for the prasadam.

However, former Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy vehemently denied these allegations, stating that no such violation occurred during his administration. He also accused Naidu of using religion for political gain, calling him a pathological and habitual liar. Reddy further criticised Naidu for engaging in ‘politics in the name of God,’ attempting to dismiss the claims as politically motivated.

On Sunday, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Executive Officer J. Shyamala Rao reiterated that the ongoing rituals aim to dispel any negative influences and restore the spiritual purity of the laddu prasadam, ensuring the well-being of the temple’s devotees.

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