Patna, Aug 28: Bihar Police took a major step towards strengthening its technical capabilities and communication network with the inauguration of the Bihar Police Radio Training Institute (BPRTI) in Patna on Friday.

The institute was formally inaugurated by Amit Lodha, Additional Director General (ADG) of the Technical Services and Communication Wing of the Bihar Police. The facility is designed to enhance the wireless and digital communication capabilities of the force.

An orientation and intensive training programme was launched simultaneously for 40 personnel selected for the Police Wireless Operator Grade‑II course. The trainees will undergo specialised instruction in modern radio technology, advanced communication systems and practical techniques for rapid transmission of information during emergencies.

Addressing the gathering, ADG Lodha underlined the importance of a strong and reliable communication network for modern policing. “A strong information network is essential for crime control, surveillance and rapid response,” he said.

Officials said the training at BPRTI will equip police operators with advanced technical skills, enabling them to maintain efficient communication during routine policing as well as emergencies, disaster‑management operations and sensitive situations. The institute is also expected to ensure secure and uninterrupted transmission of information to remote areas of Bihar, where communication challenges often hamper police operations.

The establishment of BPRTI is being seen as a significant step towards building a technology‑driven and modern Bihar Police force. After completing their training, the wireless operators will be deployed across districts and police stations, strengthening the state’s communication network and improving the speed and reliability of information exchange.

In recent months, Bihar Police has intensified its focus on modernisation, including in the traffic department. Measures have been taken to expand CCTV surveillance across key locations and make traffic management more technology‑driven. Traffic personnel have also been directed to wear body‑worn cameras while on duty, along with using other modern equipment to improve monitoring, accountability and overall management of traffic in the state.

New Delhi, Aug 28: The CBI arrested an IRS officer serving as Additional Commissioner of Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST), another GST official and their accomplice in Raigad district of Maharashtra, in a Rs 40 lakh bribery case, an official said on Friday.

Vinay Kumar Kantheti, Additional Commissioner of GST (IRS-2009), Rakesh Kumar Sinha, Superintendent of GST, and private person Narinder Rajput were arrested on Thursday, the CBI official said in a statement.

The CBI registered the instant case on August 26 against the accused Superintendent of CGST on the allegations that he had demanded an undue advantage of Rs 1.50 crore for settling the GST/royalty matter relating to the stone-quarrying firm of the complainant.

After negotiation, the demand was subsequently reduced to Rs 40 lakh, the CBI said.

The accused public servants had arranged for collection of the bribe amount through Rajput and accordingly directed the complainant to contact the former.

The CBI laid a trap and caught the accused private person red-handed while accepting an undue advantage of Rs 40 lakh, said the statement.

The CBI said that the acceptance of the bribe amount was subsequently acknowledged by the accused Superintendent of CGST as well as the accused Additional Commissioner of CGST.

All three accused persons have been arrested and are being produced before the competent court.

Searches conducted at the premises of the accused resulted in the further recovery of cash amounting to Rs 43 lakh and jewellery worth Rs 90 lakh, the CBI said.

In a separate case earlier, the CBI on Thursday arrested Chief Engineer (Electrical) and Superintending Engineer (Electrical) of BSNL, Bhopal, in a Rs 75,000 bribery case.

The CBI registered the case on allegations that the accused Chief Engineer (Electrical) and Superintending Engineer (Electrical) posted at BSNL, Bhopal, demanded an undue advantage of Rs 2 lakh each for themselves and a co-accused from a Jabalpur-based firm which executed Operation & Comprehensive Maintenance (OCM) and electrical installation-related work for BSNL.

The CBI said the bribe amount was demanded to process pending bills of the firm for 14 different works.

The CBI laid a trap and caught both accused BSNL officers in Bhopal red-handed while accepting an undue advantage of Rs 75,000 each as part payment of the demanded bribe of Rs 2 lakh from each accused.

Searches were later conducted at the residential and office premises of the accused persons in Bhopal, Lucknow and Kanpur, the CBI said.

New Delhi, Aug 28: Refusing to divulge confidential discussions with Congress leader and author Sonia Gandhi, Penguin India said on Friday that it was always “willing and keen” to publish her memoir “Belonging: A Journey of Love” and dismissed suggestions that a disagreement over editorial changes prevented the project from going ahead.

The memoir has now been published by William Collins and, according to some e-commerce websites, it is expected to be released on November 10.

In a statement refuting media reports alleging a controversy behind the botched project, Penguin Random House India said that it “is not the publisher of ‘Belonging’ in India. Any suggestion that Penguin Random House India decided not to publish ‘Belonging’ because the author declined editorial changes does not accurately reflect the circumstances”.

“As a publisher, it is both our prerogative and our responsibility to fact-check and provide authors with recommendations that are in the best interests of their books. This is a normal part of the publishing process. Throughout the relevant discussions, Penguin Random House India’s position was that we remained willing and keen to publish the book,” it said.

“We will not comment further on confidential discussions with the author,” said the publisher.

The statement from the publisher follows reports in the media that the publisher refused to publish the book due to disagreement over editorial changes.

The book, published by William Collins, is likely to be released on Amazon on November 10, and its Kindle edition is priced at Rs 2,615.

The brief about the book on Amazon says: “A surprising, richly told memoir that seamlessly weaves the personal with the political to tell a riveting story: of love, of family, and of an endlessly fascinating country, India.”

“How did a girl from a small village in Italy rise as a politician in India and become known around the world? Belonging begins in Cambridge, England, where in 1965 Sonia Maino, a nineteen-year-old student, falls in love at first sight with the handsome, dark-eyed young man she’s destined to marry: Rajiv Gandhi, grandson of Jawaharlal Nehru, independent India’s first Prime Minister,” it says.

The publisher’s note on Sonia Gandhi’s memoir adds, “This dramatic account, at once epic and intimate, gives readers a unique lens on India — its tumultuous post-independence history and its present political struggles – offering an insider’s keen perspective on the country’s enormous political, economic and social changes over fifty years.”

“Movingly, the book goes behind the scenes of a renowned political family. Most revelatory of all is the portrait of Sonia herself as she invites readers into her private joys and travails, as well as the people and events that shaped her. In a voice at once perceptive and modest, she shares her insights into identity, duty, and the meaning of home,” it says.

“’Belonging’ is at heart one courageous woman’s story of falling in love with a man and a country, of finding the strength to remake her life and to serve India, the place where she belongs,” says the publisher’s note on the online e-commerce retailer.