New Delhi, Aug 8: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday drew laughter and applause when he mentioned Baba Bageshwar while congratulating the students during the Convocation Ceremony of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi.

Baba Bageshwar, widely known as Dhirendra Krishna Shastri, is the head priest of the Bageshwar Dham Temple located in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhatarpur district. He draws large crowds for his spiritual discourses and “divine courts” (divya darbar).

Addressing the gathering, PM Modi said, “All of you are gathered here today, but there must be something going on in your hearts. Now, I am not Baba Bageshwar, but there must be something going on. Some must be thinking of their future, some about their salaries, some must be preparing for a new start in a new city, some must be thinking of start-ups… Everyone has a different path and dreams, but one feeling must be mutual — recalling the first day in IIT Delhi and today. You must be feeling satisfied by your journey from orientation to convocation… You all should cherish this moment.”

A total of 3,000-plus students, including 587 PhD scholars, were conferred their degrees during the ceremony. He congratulated the students, wishing them all the best for their futures, adding that they aren’t just taking degrees but taking forward a dream of doing something for the country.

He expressed his joy in attending the convocation ceremony and said, “The way your families are feeling proud today, I am also proud of you all. You are not just taking a degree, but taking forward the dream of doing something for the country.”

The Prime Minister also presented IIT Delhi’s prestigious academic honours to meritorious students in recognition of their outstanding performance. The awards include the President’s Gold Medal, Director’s Gold Medal, Shankar Dayal Sharma Gold Medal and Perfect Ten Gold Medal.

On a lighter note, PM Modi said, “If some daughters were meritorious students, then it would have been much better. Sorry, not just some but many.”

“Whenever life gives you a reason to look back, then this campus life, your friends, teachers and support staff — the ones who have become your families and home — you will remember all this and be thankful for everyone,” he added.

PM Modi also virtually inaugurated ‘Param Pragya’ — an AI-powered high-performance supercomputing facility at the institute’s Sonipat campus.

The facility is expected to strengthen the institute’s capabilities in Artificial Intelligence, data science, advanced computing and interdisciplinary research.

New Delhi, Aug 8: East District Police has apprehended seven African nationals, including five Nigerians and two Ghanaians, during a special drive against overstaying foreign nationals in Delhi. The operation was carried out by the Special Staff and Anti-Narcotics Squad (ANS) in the jurisdiction of Pandav Nagar police station through Intelligence-based verification and field enquiries.

According to police, all seven foreign nationals were produced before the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO), Delhi, after completion of the necessary documentation and verification process. FRRO has issued Restriction Orders against all seven individuals under the relevant provisions of the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025.

Pending further legal proceedings, their movement has been restricted to Sewa Sadan, Lampur, Narela, Delhi. Deportation proceedings have also been initiated in coordination with the FRRO.

Police said the action was part of a special campaign launched to identify and verify foreign nationals residing illegally in the district after the expiry of their visas or immigration permissions. Dedicated teams of the Special Staff and ANS intensified Intelligence gathering, conducted discreet field enquiries, and verified available records to identify suspected overstayers.

The Special Staff team, led by Inspector Jitendra Malik under the supervision of ACP (Operations) Pawan Kumar, apprehended four foreign nationals from the Pandav Nagar area on August 4. They were identified as Osita Nkemen (54), a Nigerian national; Ngota Cynthia (38), a Nigerian national; James (25), a Ghanaian national; and Livy Otughana (27), a Ghanaian national.

During verification, Ngota Cynthia was found to have a previous criminal case registered against her. Police said she is an accused in FIR No. 48/2021 under Section 22 of the NDPS Act registered by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Bengaluru, and the matter is currently pending before a court. Further legal action in her case is being taken as per law.

Meanwhile, the Anti-Narcotics Squad, headed by Inspector Arun Kumar and working under the supervision of ACP Pawan Kumar, conducted verification drives in Smaspur Village, Patparganj, under the jurisdiction of PS Pandav Nagar. The operation led to the detention of three Nigerian nationals identified as Kelechi Cornelius (32), Okechukwu Solomon (36), and Chukwudi Alison (43).

Police said the names of Kelechi Cornelius and Okechukwu Solomon were already reflected in the list of overstaying foreign nationals maintained by the authorities concerned.

Following verification of their immigration status, all seven individuals were detained and produced before FRRO. Restriction Orders were subsequently issued, and the deportation process was initiated in accordance with the prescribed legal procedure.

East District Police said it remains committed to the strict enforcement of immigration laws and will continue Intelligence-based verification drives to identify overstaying foreign nationals and take appropriate legal action in coordination with FRRO and other concerned agencies.

New Delhi : The Intelligence agencies have issued a high alert for Punjab ahead of Independence Day on August 15. The agencies say that pro-Khalistan elements would look to carry out an attack on that day. An Intelligence Bureau official said that the Khalistani groups are planning strikes in several parts of Punjab. This has been their plan for long, but they would want to time the attack on Independence Day, the official added.

The official further said that pro-Khalistan terror groups want the attack to be a symbolic one and hence have planned it for August 15. They would not mind even if the attack is smaller in nature, but they want to send out a message when India celebrates Independence Day, the official also said. The warning comes amidst a major push being made by the ISI to revive the Khalistan movement in Punjab. With crackdowns galore on gangster-terror networks both in India and Canada, these groups find themselves to be on the back foot. The desperation is growing, and hence they would indulge in a misadventure in Punjab. An official said that a close watch is also being kept on the activities of the proscribed outfit, Sikhs for Justice (SFJ).

The chief of the banned outfit, Gurpatwant Singh, has been active on social media of late. He has been urging the youth in Punjab to hoist Khalistan flags on schools and other public places. He has been instructing the youth to term August 15 as a dark day and also gather in large numbers and protest against the Indian state. While on one hand there are terror strikes that are being planned, a major propaganda drive is also on the anvil of these elements.

Earlier this week, pro-Khalistan slogans were found written on a government middle school in Kotla Heran village in Punjab. The slogans found on the school read, “Khalistan Zindabad.” The police who sprang into action later erased the slogans from the walls. Another official said that these elements are also attempting something similar in Canada and the United Kingdom on August 15. They have plans to shift the narrative away from India’s Independence Day and push their agenda for a separate Khalistan nation carved out of India’s Punjab, the official also added.

Meanwhile, the Intelligence agencies are keeping a close tab on the activities of the SFJ online. Gurpatwant Singh is trying to push pro-Khalistan content heavily on social media. The content would revolve around the creation of a separate Khalistan nation, and also calls would be made to the youth of Punjab to rise against the Indian state. He also plans on running hate campaigns against India. In the past, Singh’s campaigns have largely focused on calling for attacks in India. He has particularly focused on running a smear campaign against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Officials say that these elements would look to organise a referendum in various countries. After the Canadian and UK authorities stepped up the heat on this movement and its members, the Khalistan groups tried making a shift to Malaysia and Azerbaijan. However, Malaysia has been tough on these elements and in June this year deported Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) members to India. Officials say that this is a crucial time for the battle against the Khalistan movement. They have become desperate; their backers, the ISI, are getting edgy, and hence the chances of them indulging in a massive misadventure cannot be ruled out, the official also said.