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CWC likely to give nod to elections for new party president

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 It’s official that the Congress Working Committee will be meeting on October 16 to deliberate on many issues and after demands from many quarters for elections it may give the nod to organisational polls, sources said.

The Congress has not had a regular president since the resignation of Rahul Gandhi in 2019 and from August that year Sonia Gandhi has been the party’s interim president. Congress G-23 leaders have time and again raised the issue of organizational polls in the party.

The Central Election Authority has already submitted the list of voters and has prepared digital cards for AICC members who can vote in the party’s presidential elections. However, the G-23 has demanded a fresh voters’ list which could see a face-off between loyalists and reformists within the party.

The CWC can remove or appoint a new president but a two-thirds majority is required for making changes. The working committee appointed Sonia Gandhi as President in 1998 when it removed then party chief Sitaram Kesri.

The G-23 sources say that they have time to prepare a strategy and push their agenda in the CWC. However, the group is in a minority in the CWC and it is unlikely that they can push anything without the approval of Sonia Gandhi.

The sources say that if Rahul Gandhi agrees to contest the elections, then it is unlikely there will be a contest but if he pushes any proxy then there will be a contest.

“Ghulam Nabi Azad had written a letter to Sonia Gandhi for a CWC meet but the group is in a minority and it is unlikely that they can push for any resolution of their choice,” a source said. The CWC constitution says, “The Working Committee shall consist of the President of the Congress, the Leader of the Congress Party in Parliament, and 23 other members of whom 12 members will be elected by the AICC, as per rules prescribed by the Working Committee and the rest shall be appointed by the President. The quorum for a meeting of the Working Committee shall be eight.” Meanwhile, all special invitees have been summoned as well.

Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mukul Wasnik and Anand Sharma, who were signatories to the letter written to Sonia Gandhi last year for visible and effective leadership and reforms in the party, are among the CWC members.

The G-23 leaders have recently raised the pitch in the wake of some high-profile exits from the party, noting that the issues they raised have not been dealt with so far.

Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal had launched an attack on the party leadership, asking who was taking decisions in the party. He said that the demand for organisational elections has not been met even a year after the letter was written.

Crime

CISF seizes foreign currency worth Rs 1.13 crore at Kolkata airport

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Alert personnel of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) detected foreign currency worth approximately Rs 1.14 crore concealed in the hand baggage of two passengers bound for Bangkok at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata.

The detection took place around 10:20 a.m. on October 19 during routine security screening at the International Terminal Security Hold Area. A CISF screener noticed suspicious images in the X-ray scans of the hand baggage carried by the two passengers scheduled to travel to Bangkok on Bhutan Airlines flight B3700. The bags were subsequently referred for physical examination.

During the inspection, CISF personnel recovered USD 1,19,900, equivalent to approximately Rs 1,13,64,002, concealed inside false bottoms of the two bags. The foreign currency had been wrapped in newspaper in an apparent attempt to conceal it from security personnel.

Of the total amount recovered, USD 74,900 was found in the hand baggage of one passenger, while USD 45,000 was recovered from the other passenger’s bag.

Following the prescribed formalities, both passengers, along with the seized currency, were handed over to the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of Customs for further investigation and necessary legal action.

On October 20, the passenger from whose baggage USD 74,900 was recovered was taken by AIU/Customs officials to the District and Sessions Court for further legal proceedings following the investigation and seizure. The second passenger was released by Customs after the issuance of a detention receipt for the USD 45,000 recovered from the passenger’s baggage.

CISF in a release reiterated its commitment to maintaining aviation security through effective screening procedures, alert surveillance and professional conduct by its personnel. According to officials, the detection stresses the importance of coordinated action between airport security personnel and Customs authorities in addressing suspected financial and currency-related violations.

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Crime

Gujarat: Man held after 0.77 grams of mephedrone found in ‘porter’ delivery parcel

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A 27-year-old businessman was arrested by Naroda police after 0.77 grams of suspected mephedrone, valued at Rs 1,540, was found in a parcel being delivered through the Porter application near Nana Chiloda Circle in Ahmedabad, police said on Wednesday.

The case came to light after police received a control-room message about a suspicious parcel that had arrived for delivery through the application.

The substance was examined preliminarily by a Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) officer in the presence of panch witnesses and was found to be mephedrone, a synthetic drug.

Police seized the substance and initially registered an offence against three unidentified mobile phone holders under Sections 8(c), 22(a) and 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

During the investigation, they traced and arrested the man suspected of ordering the consignment through the parcel.

The accused was identified as Priyang Sanghvi (27). He is a businessman who lives in Aram Park Flats in the Sabarmati area of the city. He is originally from Shirodi village in Rajasthan’s Sirohi district.

According to the police, the suspected method involved using a mobile phone number belonging to a witness to log in to the Porter application.

Drug consignments were allegedly packed separately in zipper bags and sent through the delivery service. An intermediary was allegedly used to distribute the drugs to different customers for sale.

The police said the arrest followed instructions from senior officers to curb the illegal sale and transportation of narcotic substances and detect offences related to them.

“The operation was conducted by Naroda police personnel under the supervision of Senior Police Inspector B M Katariya,” officials said.

The police seized 0.77 grams of mephedrone, valued at Rs 1,540. The investigation concerns the alleged use of a parcel delivery application to transport the substance and its subsequent distribution through an intermediary.

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Crime

Bihar: 75-year-old man stabbed to death; woman and her son injured

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A 75-year-old man was allegedly stabbed to death, while a woman and her 25-year-old son were injured in a violent clash between neighbours at Rohda Kala village under Barharia police station limits in Bihar’s Siwan district on Wednesday.

The deceased was identified as Rama Nandan Prasad, son of the late Garib Bhagat.

The injured were identified as Baby Devi, 44, and her son Kishan Kumar, 25.

The injured were taken to the Barharia Community Health Centre for treatment. While Kishan received primary medical care, Baby Devi was referred to Siwan Sadar Hospital due to her critical condition.

According to Kishan Kumar, his grandfather was sitting outside the house drinking tea while his mother was cooking, and he was asleep.

Hearing a commotion, he went outside and found his grandfather lying in a pool of blood.

He then heard his mother crying from inside the house and rushed in, where he allegedly saw neighbours attacking her with knives. When he tried to intervene, he was also injured in the attack.

Kishan claimed that he had no prior dispute with the neighbours and said the reason for the attack was unclear.

With the help of residents, two alleged assailants were apprehended and handed over to the police.

After receiving information, the Barharia police reached the village and launched an investigation.

A Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team was also called to collect evidence from the scene.

The police have set up a camp in the village amid tension following the incident.

Barharia Station House Officer Chhotan Kumar said a patrolling officer was initially sent to the spot, after which he reached the village to investigate the incident.

He said an FIR has been registered against the named accused based on Kishan Kumar’s statement.

The two detained suspects are being questioned, while the motive behind the incident remains unclear.

Police said further action would be taken based on the investigation.

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