New Delhi, Sep 29: India today said it comprehensively rejects Chinese claims on the location of the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh, with a reminder that the 1959 claim made by Beijing was not mutually agreed upon. Both nations “committed to clarification and confirmation of the LAC to reach a common understanding” and the Chinese side’s assertion that there is only one LAC, is contrary to the “solemn commitments” it made, the foreign ministry said today.
The Indian position has been consistent and well known to the Chinese side, the ministry said.

Till 2003, the two sides had also engaged in an exercise to clarify and confirm the LAC, “but this process could not proceed further as the Chinese side did not show a willingness to pursue it”, the ministry said.

The ministry’s comments came after a news report on a Chinese Foreign Ministry statement regarding Beijing’s position on the LAC, the de facto border between the two nations. In the statement, China had quoted the 1959 understanding, which has been consistently rejected by New Delhi.

The disagreement on the LAC in the western sector started with a letter written to then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru by his Chinese counterpart Zhou Enlai in 1959. In it, the description of the LAC was given in general terms and was not defined to scale.

The different perceptions about the LAC were at the bottom of the repeated flare-ups at the border where “the Chinese and Indian perceptions of LAC overlap”, Union minister Rajnath Singh had told the Lok Sabha earlier this month.

To ensure peace and tranquility, the two countries concluded a number of agreements and protocols, he had told the Lok Sabha in a statement following the months-long face-off in Ladakh which spiked in June with a clash at Galwan Valley in which 20 soldiers died in action.

“Under these agreements, the two sides have agreed to maintain peace and tranquility along the LAC without prejudice to their respective positions on the alignment of the LAC as well as on the boundary question. It is on this basis, that our overall relations also saw considerable progress since 1988,” the minister had said.

Following the recent face-offs in Ladakh that started in May, India has accused China of “attempts to transgress the LAC (to) unilaterally alter the status quo”. India has also urged China to “refrain from untenable unilateral interpretation of the LAC”.

Srinagar, Sep 29: The present security scenario along our northern frontiers is at an uneasy “no war no peace” status, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria said on Tuesday, referring to the prolonged border row with China in eastern Ladakh.

In an address at a conference, Air Chief Marshal Bhadauria said the Indian Air Force has responded to the situation with rapidity and is fully resolved to counter any “misadventure” in the region.

“The present security scenario along our northern frontiers is at an uneasy no war no peace status. Our defence forces are prepared for any eventuality as you are aware,” the Chief of Air Staff said.

Air Chief Marshal Bhadauria said the recent induction of Rafale jets along with previous acquisitions of C-17 Globemaster aircraft as well as Chinook and Apache helicopters have provided the IAF with substantial tactical and strategic capability enhancement.

“Air power will be a crucial enabler in our victory in any future conflict. It is, therefore, imperative that IAF obtains and maintains technological edge over our adversaries,” he said at the conference on energising the Indian aerospace industry.

Five French-made multi-role Rafale fighter jets were inducted into the IAF on September 10. The fleet has been carrying out sorties in eastern Ladakh in the last couple of weeks.

The IAF chief also said that the raising of two squadrons of light combat aircraft Tejas and integration of some indigenous weapons on Su-30 MKI combat jets in a very reduced time frame have been the “most promising” development, reflecting the country”s capabilities to develop indigenous military hardware. (Agencies)

New Delhi, Sep 29: India’s nCoV cases tally crossed 61-lakh mark after recording a spike of 70,589 cases in the past 24 hours pushing the figure to 61,45,292, as per Union Health Ministry data on Tuesday.

Also, the nation registered 84,877 cured and discharged cases in the same duration pegging the number at 51,01,397.

Meanwhile, there were 776 pandemic deaths since Monday pushing the death toll to 96,318 till date.

Active case-load on the country witnessed a drop by 15,064 on Tuesday and presently India is home to 9,47,576 active cases of Novel Coronavirus.

In terms of percentage, the active cases are 15.42 per cent, recovered at 83.01 per cent, and the deaths 1.57 per cent.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), as many as 11,42,811 samples were tested in the past 24 hours, taking the total cumulative samples tested since the beginning of the pandemic till Monday to 7,31,10,041.

Maharashtra continues to remain the worst affected with maximum case count as well as in terms of maximum active cases.

Globally, the United States continues to remain the most-infected, followed by India and Brazil.

New Delhi, Sep 29: Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu has tested positive for COVID-19 during a routine test, his office said in a tweet this evening. The 71-year-old, who is in home quarantine, is asymptomatic and in good health, the tweet read.

“The Vice President of India who underwent a routine COVID-19 test today morning has been tested positive. He is however, asymptomatic and in good health. He has been advised home quarantine. His wife Smt. Usha Naidu has been tested negative and is in self-isolation,” the tweet from his office read.

Naidu, who is also the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, recently attended the monsoon session of parliament, which was cut short after more than 25 members tested positive for the virus.

Srinagar Sep 29: Amid rise in coronavirus cases, many youth in Kashmir are on the forefront to arrange funerals of those who die due to COVID-19.

People, even relatives of COVID-19 victims are reluctant to arrange funerals for those who die due to coronavirus, fearing they might get infected.

However, many in Kashmir are on the forefront to do the last rites of COVID-19 victims.

They do everything from carrying coffin to graveyard, dig graves and also bury dead bodies. They remain 24×7 available.

A founding member of one such volunteer group is Sajad Ahmad Khan, a 38-year-old youth of Bemina Srinagar, who runs a departmental store.

He took this initiative when on one evening; Khan was passing through the lanes of Bemina to return home, he saw relatives of a lady who died of COVID-19 were reluctant to go closer to the coffin.

That day he made up his mind to arrange decent burials for those who die of COVID-19.

He posted on his Facebook page, that he can be contacted if any family wants burial of any COVID victim.

“Since then I am receiving calls from people for burial of those who died due to COVID,” he said.

“All most everywhere, people are raising objections and do not want COVID victims to be buried in their graveyard. This stigma has to end. We should help each other in this crisis like we did during the 2014 floods,” he said.

Khan provides all the equipment to his team (volunteers) like personal protection equipment (PPE) kits, sanitisers and other things.

Another youth, Arif Ahmad, who too arranges funerals of COVID-19 victims, said they do this service voluntarily. “There is no fault of those who died because of COVID-19. Then why do people stay away from performing their last rites,” Ahmad, a 30-year-old Srinagar youth told news agency KINS.

He said some people were even raising objections and do not want COVID-19 victims to be buried in ancestral graveyards.

Bashir Ahmad, a Srinagar resident, said the volunteers arranged everything for the funeral of one of his relatives. “We should salute these brave young people who do this noble work,” he added.

The World Health Organisation has also issued guidelines for managing bodies of those who die of COVID-19 saying, “cadavers do not transmit disease”.(KINS)

New Delhi, Sep 29: “How long can Mehbooba Mufti be kept in custody”, the Supreme Court asked the centre and the Jammu and Kashmir administration today as it heard her daughter’s petition challenging the former Chief Minister’s detention under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA).

Mehbooba Mufti, the chief of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has been in detention for over a year after was arrested on the eve of the scrapping of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and its bifurcation into two Union Territories on August 5 last year.

The top court today gave two weeks’ time to the Jammu and Kashmir administration to give its stand on how long Mufti can be kept in custody and whether her custody can be extended beyond one year.

“What is the proposal of Jammu and Kashmir administration on her detention,” a Supreme Court bench headed by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul said during the hearing through video-conferencing.

In July, Mufti’s detention under the Public Safety Act was extended for another three months.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who represents the government, asked judges not to make any observation and said Jammu and Kashmir has had a history of violence.

“The history of the state is wonderful, but what one can one say. Prima facie you have exceeded the maximum period of detention,” Justice Kaul said.

Iltija Mufti had approached the Supreme Court seeking her mother’s release. She also sought permission from the court for filing a habeas corpus, to produce Mehbooba Mufti in court. In her plea, Iltija Mufti says her mother’s detention is illegal and that the Jammu and Kashmir administration is yet to file its reply to her earlier petition despite a notice and this, she said, shows the respect the authorities have for the court.

Former Chief Ministers Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah, who too were detained under the Public Safety Act, have already been released.

Srinagar, Sep 29: Jammu and Kashmir police on Tuesday booked a Bridegroom for bursting firecrackers during his marriage ceremony in Srinagar on Monday night, a police spokesman said this afternoon.

This was the second time police registered a case against bridegroom for bursting fire crackers and violating Standard Operative Procedure (SOG) issued by the administration to control the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier, police has booked a family in Solina area of the uptown.

He said last night sound of firecrackers was heard in Batmaloo area of the city. On inquiry it was found that the firecrackers were burst during the marriage ceremony of one Bilal Ahmad Shah, son of Ghulam Mohiuddin Shah, resident of Rekha Chowk, Batmaloo by his friends and family.

He said today police Station Batmaloo booked a Bridegroom for bursting firecrackers during his marriage ceremony last night. He said the administration has prohibited to use Firecrackers within the territorial jurisdiction of District Srinagar. An order in this regard stands promulgated by the Deputy Commissioner Srinagar, he said.

He said in this regard case FIR 138/2020 u/s 188 IPC stands registered in the matter. Investigation of the case is in progress.
Police have urged people not to use firecrackers anywhere within the territorial jurisdiction of District Srinagar.

Shopian, Sep 29: a local court on Tuesday sent two accused in Amshipora fake encounter to 8 day judicial remand.

Three Rajouri labourers were killed in fake Amshipora Shopian encounter on July 18.

In this connection two local informers had deposed before the Enquiry Commission whom police had arrested in connection with the said encounter.

Sources told KNT that two accused were produced at District Court Shopian and were sent for eight days judicial remand.
They added that these two local informers had been arrested on the charges of “criminal conspiracy” and are being questioned to know about the chain of events that led to Amshipora encounter.