National News
Shiv Sena(UBT) rules out merger with Shinde camp, issues warning to defected MPs
The Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) has firmly rejected rumours of a merger with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. Arvind Ganpat Sawant, the leader of the Shiv Sena(UBT) Parliamentary Party in the Lok Sabha, has issued a formal communication to six MPs who defected to the Shinde camp.
The MPs are Omprakash Raje Nimbalkar, Sanjay Dina Patil, Sanjay Jadhav, Nagesh Ashtikar, Sanjay Deshmukh and Bhausaheb Waghchaure.
The letter addresses speculation regarding a purported merger and warns against unsanctioned moves by party legislators. Sawant states that the original Shiv Sena(UBT) political party has neither initiated, agreed to, nor permitted any merger with Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena or any other political entity. This stance has been officially affirmed by Paksha Pramukh (President) Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray.
The letter reminds those six MPs that he was elected in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections on the ticket, symbol, mandate, and support of the Shiv Sena(UBT). Sawant pointed out that the election was fought directly against candidates fielded by Eknath Shinde’s faction.
Sawant highlighted that under Paragraph 4 of the Tenth Schedule to the Constitution of India, individual legislators do not have the legal authority to independently bring about or effect a merger of a political party. They only have the option to accept or reject a merger initiated by the original parent party.
The communication was prompted by public reports suggesting that Nimbalkar, along with other MPs, was attempting to portray a “merger” between the two factions and had approached the Lok Sabha Speaker seeking official recognition for the same.
In response, Sawant wrote, ‘’In the absence of any merger of the original political party, no question of any merger of the legislature party arises. Further, no such merger is permissible or contemplated in law.”
Sawant’s letter comes at a time when the Shiv Sena(UBT) has already filed representations with the Lok Sabha Speaker, requesting that no demands for a merger or separate group recognition from MPs elected on the UBT symbol be entertained.
According to the letter, the Speaker recently granted a hearing to an authorised representative of the Shiv Sena (UBT). As of date, the Speaker has not passed any order recognising any claims of a merger.
A copy of the letter sent to six defected MPs has been forwarded to the Speaker of the Lok Sabha to formally record the party’s strong opposition to any such recognition.
Crime
Seven injured in Haryana gang war outside police station

Chandigarh, Aug 6: In a brazen daylight indiscriminate firing in front of the police station in Dadri city of Haryana on Thursday, seven people, who were riding on an SUV car, received injuries, police said.
Three assaulters fled on foot by waving revolvers.
Prima facie the police believed the crime was linked to a gang war, although the attackers, who fired at least 30 shots, are yet to be identified.
A video of the crime was surfaced, showing injured men sitting in the bullet-riddled SUV car.
The injured have been referred to the PGI in Rohtak in a critical condition.
The cause of the crime is yet to be ascertained.
The gunfire sound triggered panic in the area.
Seven people riding Scorpio car were seriously injured.
According to eyewitnesses, the firing was so sudden that there was a stampede-like condition among passersby.
As the information received, the police reached the spot and the injured were rushed to the Civil Hospital of Charkhi Dadri for treatment.
After first-aid, all the seven injured were referred to PGI Rohtak in critical conditions.
The injured have been identified as Ankit of Charkhi Dadri, Kirtiman of Hisar, Suraj, Ankit of Bhiwani, Sunny of Hisar, Krishan of Mahendragarh and Amit of Fatehgarh.
A forensic team took possession of the evidence at the spot.
Footage from CCTV cameras installed in the vicinity is also being scanned to identify the attackers, an Investigating official said.
Preliminary investigation by the police revealed that the three miscreants came on a bike.
The accused positioned the bike in front of the Scorpio car and forced him to stop it following which they opened fire.
The firing caused a stampede and chaos at the spot.
The Superintendent of Police and other senior officers reached the spot as the incident was reported.
The police have cordoned off the entire area.
With the help of the forensic team, evidence, bullet shells and other important clues found from the spot are being seized and they are being examined.
National News
Row erupts over revocation of permission for Rahul Gandhi’s student event in UP; Cong cries foul

New Delhi, Aug 6: The withdrawal of permission for Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Chhatron ki Goonj’ event, slated to be held in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj, has snowballed into a major controversy with many Congress leaders calling out “shameful” conduct, allegedly at the behest of the BJP government in the state.
Rahul Gandhi was set to address a gathering of students at KP Ground on August 8, but the venue permission has been revoked just two days before the scheduled address. The Kayastha Pathshala Trust, which owns the KP Ground, cancelled the permission citing ‘unsafe conditions’ in light of incessant rains and also a court order.
However, a string of Congress leaders cried foul over the abrupt cancellation of the venue, accusing the BJP of crushing dissent and throttling democracy.
UP Congress chief Ajay Rai saw a “BJP design” in disrupting Rahul’s ‘Chhatron ki Goonj’ events across the country and claimed that the ruling dispensation was making futile attempts to block the LoP’s dialogue with students.
“First Kota (Rajasthan), then Dehradun (Uttarakhand), and now Prayagraj – the BJP government is making futile attempts everywhere to stop this historic dialogue between the youth and Rahul Gandhi,” he said on X.
He asserted that the programme will go on in Prayagraj and also made a fervent appeal to students and examination aspirants to reach the city on the day.
Many Congress MPs and leaders reacted to the cancellation of permission for Rahul’s much-publicised students’ event venue, with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra telling scribes in a one-liner, “Don’t know what they are afraid of”.
Congress MP Vivek Tankha, speaking to scribes on Parliament premises, said, “This amounts to throttling democracy” and questioned the government’s approach in upholding democratic values.
Another Congress MP, Imran Pratapgarhi, called out the “shameful” conduct and slammed the administration over attempts to stop students’ engagement.
“What could be more shameful than this? You are afraid of a students’ programme. You are unwilling to engage with students yourselves, and when the Leader of Opposition goes to interact with them, you cancel the permission for the programme,” he said.
Samajwadi Party MP Iqra Hassan called the move “unconstitutional”, saying, “In a democracy, everyone has the right to go anywhere, and preventing someone from doing so only reflects the weakness of the government.”
Crime
Atiq Ahmed son Abaan dies in UP road accident on way to meet jailed brother

Lucknow, Aug 6: Former Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Atiq Ahmed’s youngest son Abaan Ahmed died in a fatal car accident on Thursday, said multiple reports.
The deadly mishap happened on the Jhanshi-Kanpur national highway in Uttar Pradesh while Abaan was on his way to meet his brother, imprisoned in extortion and other cases. Their vehicle apparently crashed into a highway divider, leaving the vehicle in ruins.
Preliminary findings suggest rash driving as the reason behind the deadly crash. The images and visuals that surfaced from the accident site show the scale and intensity of the crash. The car’s front portion was completely wrecked in the collision, as the car purportedly hit a road divider.
Abaan Ahmed, the youngest son of the slain gangster-turned-politician, was said to have been behind the wheel during the mishap, and he was accompanied by four other associates. Abaan and one of his aides died in the severe accident, while three others are said to be seriously injured.
The accident occurred when Abaan and his associates were going to meet his jailed brother Ali Ahmed, who is currently incarcerated in a Jhansi prison.
The car met with an accident near the Poonch area on the highway. The police and local administration swung into action after getting information about the fatal crash, and they shifted the critically injured to a nearby hospital. The doctors declared Abaan Ahmed, along with one other, dead on arrival, while three others were administered initial medical aid and subsequently referred to Maharani Laxmibai Medical College.
The police team reached the accident spot and was investigating the reasons behind the fatal accident. The two dead bodies have also been taken into custody and sent for post-mortem.
According to police, over-speeding and rash driving led to loss of control and are believed to be the key reasons behind the fatal accident.
Abaan Ahmed was the youngest son of Atiq Ahmed, while his elder brother Ali Ahmed is currently lodged in Jhansi jail over involvement in multiple cases.
Ali has been in prison in an extortion case. He is an accused in the February 2023 killing of Umesh Pal, the key witness in the BSP MLA Raju Pal murder case.
In 2023, Atiq Ahmed and his brother, Ashraf, were shot dead by three men posing as journalists, as police were taking them for a mandatory medical checkup. The entire episode was beamed live on television, leaving many shocked and appalled over the gruesome murder in full media glare.
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