India

Lucknow, Jan 22 (PTI) BSP supremo Mayawati Tuesday demanded that the upcoming Lok Sabha polls be held using ballot papers instead of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).

The demand comes after a self-proclaimed US-based Indian cyber expert Monday made a sensational claim that the 2014 Lok Sabha elections were "rigged" through the EVMs, which, he said, can be hacked.

Balrampur (UP), Jan 22 (PTI) A 14-year-old girl was allegedly raped by two men in Hompur village here, police said Tuesday.

The incident took place on Sunday evening when the girl was returning from her agricultural field.

Vijay (30) and Mitrasen (28) allegedly raped the girl in the jungle, SP Amit Kumar said.

On the complaint of the girl's family, an FIR has been filed and both arrested, the SP said.

The girl has been sent for medical examination.

Ranchi, Jan 22 (PTI) Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das Tuesday tabled an estimated Rs 85,429 crore budget for the year 2019-20 in the state Assembly with more than 25 per cent of the funds earmarked for development of ST/SC areas.

Out of the total budget, Rs 65,803 crore is on the head of revenue expenditure while Rs 19,626 crore on capital expenditure, the chief minister said in his budget speech.

Malkangiri (Odisha), Jan 22 (PTI) An assistant teacher of a school in Malkangiri district was arrested by police Tuesday on the charge of molestation and sexual abuse of minor girls, officials said.

The district administration also suspended head master of Ashram School at Gangala, Pravat Lakra while assistant teacher Ajay Kumar Das has been arrested, they said.

The Election Commission on Tuesday asked the Delhi Police to lodge an FIR against a self-proclaimed cyber expert for his claims that the 2014 Lok Sabha polls were rigged and the EVMs can be hacked.

In its letter, the EC said Syed Shuja has allegedly violated section 505 (1) of the IPC pertaining to spreading rumours which creates panic.

Mumbai, Jan 22; PTI: Suspected Maoists shot dead three villagers Tuesday in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district on suspicion that their tip-off to police led to killing of 40 ultras in a massive operation in the region last year, a police official said.

A group of around 150 armed naxals from Chhattisgarh entered Kasnasur village near Kosfundi phata in Bhamragad taluka, around 950 kms from here in the wee hours, and went to the houses of Malu Madavi, Kanna Madavi and Lalsu Kudyeti, a police official said.

New Delhi, Jan 21: Bank fraud fugitive Mehul Choksi has surrendered his Indian passport to the High Commission in Guyana, official sources said Monday.

Choksi, one of the alleged masterminds of the USD 2 billion scam in state-run Punjab National Bank and an uncle of fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi, took citizenship of Antigua last year.

Indian citizens are expected to surrender their passports when they acquire a foreign nationality.

Aizawl, Jan 22 (PTI) Mizoram's NGO Coordination Committee, an umbrella organisation of civil societies and students' bodies, has called for a boycott of the Republic Day celebrations in the state in protest against the citizenship bill, the committee's chairman Vanlalruata said.

In a press statement issued after a meeting of the NGO Coordination Committee here, it said that the Lok Sabha has passed the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 despite widespread protests.

"The bill necessitates stronger protests," it said.

New Delhi, Jan 22 (PTI) Heavy rains drastically reduced the pollution level of the national capital, which recorded the best air quality of this year on Tuesday, authorities said.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data, the overall air quality index (AQI) in the city was 133, which falls in the 'moderate' category.

This is the first time this year that an AQI as low as 133 was recorded, the CPCB data showed. In first week of January too, the air quality had improved to 'moderate' category for a brief period of time.

New Delhi, Jan 22 (PTI) Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad Tuesday alleged that the Congress had organised the EVM hackathon in London in which a cyber expert claimed that the 2014 general elections were rigged.

The event was sponsored by the Congress, the minister of Electronics and IT said at a press conference here.