New Delhi, May 6: A high level meeting has started in the Home Ministry on the mock drill to be held on May 7. The Home Secretary is holding a meeting with representatives of 244 civil defense districts.

In fact, this is an important meeting regarding the mock drill to be held on May 7, which has been organized in North Block under the chairmanship of Home Secretary Govind Mohan. The presence of Chief Secretaries and senior officials of the states in the meeting makes it clear that this is a national level coordination effort related to security and disaster management.

The objective of this meeting is to ensure preparation and coordination for the mock drill to be held on May 7. Due to this, officials of NDRF, Civil Defense DG, DG Fire and Air Defense as well as representatives of state governments have also participated in it.

Apart from this, the focus is on border and sensitive districts. Representatives of 244 civil defense districts and border areas have specially participated for this meeting. Also, this drill will focus on preparing for emergency scenarios like rockets, missiles and air strikes. Apart from this, discussions are also possible in the meeting on how to make arrangements for sirens and blackouts. This meeting is being considered a big step towards testing and improving the country’s security and disaster handling capabilities.

It is worth mentioning that after the horrific terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir on April 22, the central government has taken a big step regarding security preparations. The Home Ministry has directed many states of the country to organize a comprehensive civil defense mock drill on May 7.

According to government sources, important activities will be carried out under the mock drill. During this, air raid warning sirens will be operated. This is a step related to issuing alerts about major danger and enemy activities.

Citizens and students will be trained in necessary civil defense techniques to keep themselves safe in case of possible attacks. Crash blackout will be arranged. Under this, emergency protocols will be implemented to hide cities and structures from enemy aerial surveillance or attack.

Ahmedabad, May 6: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) carried out raids at 10 locations in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, in connection with a Rs 100 crore fraud involving Salim Jummakhan Pathan, who is accused of illegally posing as a Waqf Board trustee and siphoning off rent from Waqf properties.

The action follows an FIR registered by the Gaekwad Haveli police, where five individuals were earlier arrested for allegedly misrepresenting themselves as trustees of the Waqf Board.

The group is accused of illegally collecting rent from properties associated with the Waqf Board, including the historic Kaanch Ni Masjid (Glass Mosque) and Shah Bada Qasam Trust in the Jamalpur area.

According to police investigations, the accused were never officially appointed as trustees by the Gujarat State Waqf Board.

Despite this, they allegedly posed as authorised representatives to extract rent from tenants occupying Waqf-owned properties and commercial establishments built on land leased to the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC).

A key revelation in the investigation points to a plot originally allotted by the Waqf Board to AMC for constructing a school.

The school building was damaged during the 2001 Gujarat earthquake. In 2009, the accused allegedly demolished the remaining structure and began renting out the land. One of the main accused, Salim Pathan, is said to have set up an office — Sodagar Construction — in one of the shops, while leasing out the rest. Neither the rent collected was deposited in the Waqf trust’s official account nor reported to the municipal body, leading to a misappropriation of public and religious assets.

The ED’s raids are part of a broader probe into the alleged financial misdeeds and money laundering linked to this case.

Further investigations are ongoing, and more details are awaited.

The Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, enacted on April 8, introduces significant reforms to the governance of waqf properties in the country, aiming to enhance transparency, inclusivity, and administrative efficiency.

The Act mandates the inclusion of non-Muslim members in the Central Waqf Council and State Waqf Boards, allowing for broader representation. Specifically, it permits up to 12 out of 22 members in the Central Waqf Council and 7 out of 11 members in State Waqf Boards to be non-Muslims. Additionally, it requires at least two Muslim women to be part of these bodies, promoting gender inclusivity.

Moscow/New Delhi, May 5: Russian President Vladimir Putin called Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday and “strongly condemned” the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, offering “full support” to India in its ongoing fight against terrorism.

“He conveyed deepest condolences on the loss of innocent lives and expressed full support to India in the fight against terrorism. He emphasised that the perpetrators of the heinous attack and their supporters must be brought to justice,” Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), stated after the call.

“Both leaders reiterated their commitment to further deepen India-Russia Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership. PM Modi conveyed greetings to President Putin on the celebration of the 80th anniversary of Victory Day and invited him for the Annual Summit to be held in India later in the year,” Jaiswal added.

The brutal assault on April 22, which resulted in the death of 26 innocent tourists, unfolded in the Baisaran Valley near Pahalgam when four heavily armed terrorists, two of them from Pakistan, emerged from the surrounding dense forests and opened indiscriminate fire on tourists. The attack has been described as one of the most horrific in the region in recent memory.

Monday’s call between the two leaders took place before the Russian President hosts Chinese President Xi Jinping, who will be on an official visit to the Russian Federation from May 7-10 and take part in the ceremonial events dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War.

In a statement issued later in the day, the Kremlin said that Vladimir Putin once again expressed sincere condolences to PM Modi over the death of Indian citizens as a result of the barbaric terrorist attack on April 22 in the city of Pahalgam in southern Kashmir. Both sides, it said, emphasised the need for an “uncompromising fight” against terrorism in any form.

“During the conversation, the strategic nature of Russian-Indian relations of a special privileged partnership was emphasised. These relations are not subject to external influence and continue to develop dynamically in all directions. Narendra Modi congratulated Vladimir Putin and the entire Russian people on the upcoming 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War. It was noted that Victory Day is a common holiday. The Indian representative will take part in the ceremonial events in Moscow,” read the statement issued by the Russian President’s office.

“The Indian leader reiterated his invitation to the Russian President to visit India for the traditional annual bilateral summit. The invitation was accepted with gratitude,” it added.

PM Modi, who had also been invited by Putin for the participation in the Victory Day celebrations, will however not be travelling to Russia.

The Russian President had earlier extended his condolences to President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Modi over the tragic consequences of the terrorist attack in Pahalgam.

“Kindly accept the sincere condolences over the tragic consequences of the terrorist attack in Pahalgam whose victims were civilians — citizens of various countries. This brutal crime has no justification whatsoever. We expect that its organisers and perpetrators will face a deserved punishment. I would like to reiterate our commitment to further increasing cooperation with Indian partners in fighting terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. Please convey words of sincere sympathy and support to the near and dear ones of the deceased as well as wishes for a speedy recovery of all injured,” Putin wrote on April 22.

On May 2, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had dialled External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar do discuss topical issues of the Russian-Indian cooperation, as well as the “aggravation of Indian-Pakistani relations” following the terrorist attack near Pahalgam.

Lavrov called for the settlement of disagreements between New Delhi and Islamabad by political and diplomatic means on a bilateral basis in accordance with the provisions of the Simla Agreement of 1972 and the Lahore Declaration of 1999.

“Discussed the Pahalgam terrorist attack with FM Lavrov of Russia yesterday. Its perpetrators, backers and planners must be brought to justice. Also spoke about our bilateral cooperation activities,” Jaishankar posted on X after the phone call.

Putin had earlier invited Prime Minister Modi to attend the celebrations to mark the 75th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War in Moscow in May 2020.

Earlier, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov had confirmed that the Russian President is expected to visit India in early 2025 following an invitation from Prime Minister Modi.

The visit is being planned as part of the ongoing commitment to annual meetings between the two leaders.

“Our leaders have an agreement to meet once a year. This time, it is our turn,” Ushakov had said during a press briefing.

The last visit by the Russian President to India took place on December 6, 2021, during the 21st India-Russia Annual Summit in New Delhi.

Meanwhile, PM Modi held two high-profile visits to Russia last year, attending the 22nd Russia-India Summit in July and later participated in the BRICS Summit held in Kazan in October.