India

New Delhi, Feb 3 (PTI) The government plans to auction three mineral blocks having reserves of 280.295 million tonne in the current and next month.

Of the mines to be auctioned, two are limestone blocks while one is graphite mine, according to latest data of mines ministry.

Ralegan Siddhi (Maha), Feb 3 (PTI) Social activist Anna Hazare, whose indefinite hunger strike entered the fifth day on Sunday, warned that if the Narendra Modi government did not fulfil its promises, he would return his Padma Bhushan.

Earlier in the day, Bharatiya Janata Party ally Shiv Sena came out in Hazare's support, urging him to emulate socialist leader Jayaprakash Narayan and lead an agitation against corruption.

Kolkata, Feb 3 (PTI) After the CBI made an unsuccessful bid to question the Kolkata Police commissioner in chit fund scam cases Sunday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched a scathing attack on the Centre and accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah of trying to organise a coup in the state.

Alleging the CBI action was "politically vindictive" and an attack on constitutional norms, Banerjee later began a dharna at Esplanade.

Muzaffarnagar, Feb 4 (PTI) Nine people have been booked in connection with cases of cow slaughter here, police said Monday.

The cases, they were involved in, are registered at the New Mandi police station, they said.

Circle Officer Yogender Kumar said the nine people were booked on Sunday under provisions of the Gangster Act and charged with involvement in cow slaughter.

New Delhi, Feb 4 (PTI) The proceedings of Lok Sabha were adjourned for nearly 45 minutes on Monday morning amid protests by Trinamool Congress members over alleged "misuse" of the CBI by the central government.

As soon as the House paid obituaries to former members who had died in the recent past, members of the TMC raised the issue, saying they have given notice for an adjournment motion to discuss the issue.

Bengaluru, Feb 4 (PTI) Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda has said the massive standoff between the Centre and the West Bengal government over the CBI's attempt to question the Kolkata Police chief in connection with chit fund scams, reminded him of the Emergency days.

The JD(S) patriarch sympathised with the Bengal government led by Mamata Banerjee and said he was shocked to learn about the CBI rushing to arrest the Kolkata Police Commissioner and the subsequent developments.

Patna, Feb 3 (PTI) Taking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress president Rahul Gandhi Sunday said the Centre's crop insurance scheme is aimed at taking away farmers income to fill up pockets of big businessmen.

At his first rally in Bihar after taking over as party president, Gandhi accused the Nitish Kumar government in the state of making "empty promises" like Modi.

He promised that if the Congress is voted to power in the Lok Sabha polls a number of steps would be taken to deal with farm distress and unemployment.

New Delhi, Feb 3 (PTI) A new book pieces together stories of people at the receiving end of mob violence and seeks to find out what triggers lynchers to flout laws with impunity.

In recent years, cases of mob lynching have increased to an alarming extent and the emergence of mobocracy has put India's secularity and democratic constitution to test, says Ziya Us Salam in his book "Lynch Files: The Forgotten Saga of Victims of Hate Crime".

He says the mob giving out instant justice is not the way our Constitution makers had planned.

Muzaffarnagar, Feb 3 (PTI) A 27-year-old woman was allegedly raped by a youth on the false promise of marriage, police said.

Based on a complaint lodged by the woman on Saturday, case was registered against the youth, Nitin Kumar, under relevant sections of the IPC.

Efforts were underway to nab him, police added.

KANPUR: It was the first time in the history of Kanpur University that its undergraduate and post-graduate examinations are going to be held prior to the general elections. The examinations will begin in the month of February.

The university's exam schedule has already been announced. Starting from Feb 26 the exams will conclude on April 12. The examination dates: BA (1st yr), BA (2nd yr) BA (3rd yr) from Feb 26, B.Sc. from Mar 9 and B.Com from Mar 16. M.A. from Mar 27 and M.Com from Mar 30.