New Delhi, March 1: Union Home Minister Amit Shah directed authorities on Saturday to ensure the free movement of people on all roads in Manipur starting March 8, warning them of strict action against those creating obstructions.

The directive came during a high-level review meeting at 11 am in the North Block Home Ministry.

Manipur Governor Ajay Bhalla, senior Army officials, and top paramilitary officers were present. This was the first meeting on the Manipur crisis following the imposition of the President’s Rule in the state.

The primary focus of the meeting was to restore normalcy and peace in Manipur, which has been grappling with ethnic violence between the two groups — Kuki and Meitei — since May 2023. The state has witnessed nearly two years of unrest, resulting in over 200 deaths.

According to the Home Ministry statement, during the meeting, the Home Minister instructed officials to take strict action against extortion in the state.

He also directed that work on fencing both sides of the entry points along the international border with Manipur should be expedited.

Additionally, a decision was made to dismantle the entire network involved in drug trafficking to make Manipur drug-free.

The security review followed an ultimatum issued by Governor Bhalla on February 20, urging individuals to surrender illegal and looted weapons.

In the seven-day period since the announcement, more than 300 weapons have been surrendered, mainly in the valley districts. Among them, 246 firearms were handed over by the Meitei group Arambai Tenggol.

This was followed by the meeting held by Amit Shah on Friday regarding the Rohingya and illegal immigration situation in Delhi. He directed Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and the Delhi Police to intensify efforts in identifying and deporting Bangladeshi and Rohingya illegal immigrants, calling them a “threat to national security.”

New Delhi, March 1: Delhi Forest and Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Saturday announced a ban from April 1 on sale of fuel to vehicles older than 15 years and constituted a team to identify and restrict movement of overage, polluting vehicles in the city.

Addressing media persons after a meeting, Sirsa said, “Special gadgets are being installed at petrol pumps to identify vehicles older than 15 years so that they are not sold fuel.”

He said the gadgets have been installed in almost 80 per cent of petrol pumps in Delhi and all pumps will be covered by March 31.

“From April 1, the ban on sale of fuel to 15-year-old vehicles will be enforced strictly,” he said, adding that the Delhi government, through the petroleum ministry, is sending an advisory to all petrol pump owners about the ban.

The Minister said the government has also formed a special team to identify vehicles that are older than 15 years and coordinate measures to prevent their entry into the city.

He said the special focus will be on diesel vehicles entering Delhi from other states.

Other decisions taken at the meeting include a mandatory provision for owners of high-rise buildings and hotels to install anti-smog guns.

Officials said the issue of cloud seeding was also discussed and it may be one of the options before the administration when the need arises during smog-heavy months.

The slew of measures on preparing for bad air days around autumn are part of the BJP-led Delhi government’s promise of fighting toxic air in the city.

Over the years, Delhi’s severe air pollution crisis has become a flashpoint for political rivalry, with competing parties blaming each other instead of collaborating on solutions.

In the run-up to the just-concluded Assembly elections, the BJP accused the previous AAP of failure to tackle the problem, particularly over stubble burning in Punjab, a state governed by the AAP, and dust from poorly-maintained city roads.

Kolkata, March 1: The supplementary charge sheet that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is set to submit to a special court in Kolkata regarding the RG Kar rape and murder case will focus on specific issues, while shedding light on the broader conspiracy behind the heinous crime, sources familiar with the investigation have revealed.

The CBI recently informed the special court that it would be submitting the supplementary charge sheet soon, which will address the tampering and altering of evidence in the case. Officials are working to ensure that it is filed before the next Supreme Court hearing, scheduled for March 17.

According to sources, the supplementary charge sheet will focus on several critical aspects, with the first being the final report from the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL). This report raises doubts about the “actual scene of the crime.”

The body of the victim, a junior doctor, was found in a seminar hall at the RG Kar premises on the morning of August 9 last year. However, the CFSL report specifically mentions that there was no evidence of a scuffle in the seminar room, suggesting that it may not have been the actual crime scene. It raises the possibility that the body was placed there after the rape and murder took place elsewhere.

The second key issue that may be highlighted will be the CCTV footage available to investigators. The analysis of the footage suggests a possible connection to the larger conspiracy, particularly regarding the tampering and altering of evidence.

The third issue will focus on the analysis of mobile SIM card data, especially from the former and controversial principal of RG Kar, Sandip Ghosh, and the former SHO of Tala Police Station, Abhijit Mondal.

The fourth point concerns the questionable arrangement of the victim’s personal belongings in the seminar hall, which again casts doubt on whether it was truly the scene of the crime.

Earlier this week, the victim’s parents travelled to New Delhi to meet with CBI Director Praveen Sood, expressing concerns over the slow progress of the investigation by the agency.

“We had a patient hearing with the CBI Director for about an hour. He urged us to remain patient and assured us of justice. We trust his assurance. We also consulted with our counsel, Karuna Nundy, regarding the strategy for the upcoming Supreme Court hearing,” the victim’s father told the media.