New Delhi, January 3; GANASHAKTI: India has stopped printing Rs 2,000 notes in a bid to slowly reduce their circulation, a highly placed government source told ThePrint.

The cut in circulation does not mean the Rs 2,000 notes will become invalid. In all likelihood, the denomination will be gradually phased out.

The decision comes on the back of suspicion in the Modi government that the high-denomination banknote was being used for hoarding, tax evasion and money laundering.

Ilambazar (WB), Jan 3 (PTI) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Thursday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he should refrain from teaching the state democracy when his government had "curbed" the democratic rights of the people.

Her comment came in the backdrop of a January 1 Prime Minister's Office tweet, quoting Modi as saying, "What has happened in West Bengal. A political party (the BJP) is being denied a basic democratic right."

New Delhi, Jan 3 (PTI) The Delhi unit of Youth Congress Thursday staged a protest near Parliament House, demanding the Modi government's response to a tape allegedly connected to the Rafale deal.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi had tried to play the audio tape of purported conversation between a Goa minister and a person in the Lok Sabha but was denied permission by the Speaker on Wednesday.

Meerut (UP), Jan 3; PTI: Yogesh Raj, a key accused in the mob violence in Bulandshahr in which a police inspector and a civilian were killed, has been arrested, police said Thursday.

Raj, the local convenor of Bajrang Dal has been absconding since the violence on December 3. He was arrested around 11.30 pm on Wednesday night from the Khurja T-point on National Highway 91, the police said.

04 Jan 2019; AFP: A marathon century by Cheteshwar Pujara and a swashbuckling ton from Rishabh Pant all but ended Australia's hopes of saving the series Friday as India built a massive 622 for seven declared in the final Sydney Test.

India began the second day at 303 for four and proceeded to twist the knife against a demoralised home team that toiled in hot conditions with little joy.

Unless Australia win, India will claim a first-ever series victory Down Under since they began touring here in 1947-48. They lead 2-1.

New Delhi, January 3; INN: The All India Kisan Council held in Delhi on 17th and 18th December, 2018 gave a call for a rural hartal on 8th and 9th January, 2019 in solidarity with the call of United Trade Unions for a General Strike on the two days. The AIKS along with the All India Agricultural Workers’ Union and like-minded organisations will actively campaign on demands of the peasantry and rural poor, hold protest demonstrations, Rail Roko, Road Roko and bring rural India to a standstill against the anti-peasant, anti-worker BJP Government.

Guwahati, Jan 3 (PTI) Five members of a Rohingya family were deported to Myanmar Thursday, three months after seven others were handed over to the authorities of the neighbouring country, police said here.

Assam Additional Director General of Police (Border) Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta said were handed over to the Myanmarese authorities along the International Border in Manipur.

"They were apprehended about five years ago without any travel document and were booked for violating the Foreigners Act," Mahanta said.

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 3; PTI: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan Thursday lashed out at the BJP and the RSS over protests against the entry of two women into the Sabarimala temple, saying the violence unleashed by them will be dealt with strongly.

Vijayan said the two women were not "airdropped" to Sabarimala but went as normal devotees and the other pilgrims did not protest.

Srinagar, Jan 3 (PTI) Three militants were killed in an encounter with the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district on Thursday, the Army said.

The security forces launched an anti-insurgency operation in the higher reaches of Tral area in the morning following information about the presence of at least two militants in the forests, an Army official said.

The search operation turned into an encounter when the militants, who were hiding, opened fire, the officer said.

Mumbai, Jan 3 (PTI) There is no place for hatred and violence in democracy, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said Thursday.

The Congress was opposed to BJP's ideology, but it did not want the saffron party to cease to exist, he said.

Gehlot, sworn in as chief minister last month, was in Nanded in central Maharashtra to inaugurate statues of the 19th century social reformer couple Savitribai Phule and Jyotirao Phule on Savitribai's birth anniversary.

New Delhi, Jan 3 (PTI) Cracking the whip on unruly MPs, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan has suspended 45 Lok Sabha members belonging to the TDP and the AIADMK since Wednesday after they created ruckus in the House and continuously disrupted proceedings for days.

Ayodhya, Jan 3 (PTI) Ahead of a Supreme Court hearing on Friday in the Ayodhya dispute, a mahant who says he is a party to the case has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking impeachment proceedings against Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi.

In a letter that is also addressed to Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and BJP president Amit Shah, Mahant Dharam Das has accused the Chief Justice of India of showing disinterest in the title suite.