At least five people were killed in violent clashes near New Delhi, police said on Tuesday.
Five dead in violent clashes in Haryana
Mobs pelted a Hindu religious procession with stones and set cars alight on Monday in the predominantly Muslim district of Nuh in Haryana, around 75km south of the national capital.
The authorities rushed hundreds of riot police to the area and cut mobile Internet service in parts of Haryana.
Twenty killed in crane collapse
At least 20 workers were crushed to death on Tuesday when a crane collapsed over an expressway being built in Thane, Maharashtra, disaster response officials said.
The crane toppled onto large concrete slabs, with the debris then smashing down as labourers worked on the Samruddhi Expressway.
The National Disaster Response Force said 20 bodies were recovered and three injured individuals were taken to hospital.
Constable shoots four people dead on moving train
A Railway Protection Force constable on Monday shot dead four people, including his senior, on board a running train near the Palghar railway station in Maharashtra, in what appeared to be a hate crime.
Chetan Singh reportedly fired 12 rounds from his official automatic weapon when the train was on the way to Mumbai from Jaipur. All three passengers killed were Muslims.
He was later arrested after attempting to run away. Chetan’s lawyer claimed in court that he has no knowledge about the firing.
Moosewala murder accused extradited from Azerbaijan
Sachin Bishnoi alias Sachin Thapan, who was wanted in the murder of popular Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala, was extradited to India from Baku, Azerbaijan, on Tuesday by the Delhi Police Special Cell.
Sachin had claimed that he killed Moosewala.
A Central Bureau of Investigation official told the Hindustan Times: “He fled to Dubai on a fake passport issued in the name of Tilak Raj Tuteja, a resident of Sangam Vihar in south-east Delhi. He later flew to Baku, where he was detained.”
Financial cops visit motorbike maker’s offices, chairman’s home
Officials from India’s financial crime-fighting agency visited offices of Hero MotoCorp in Delhi and Gurugram and chairman Pawan Munjal’s residence, India’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles said in a statement on Tuesday.
It was related to the Enforcement Directorate taking cognisance of a Directorate of Revenue Intelligence case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act registered against Mr Munjal, CNBC-TV18 reported.
The Ministry of Corporate Affairs in June ordered an investigation to assess Hero MotoCorp’s relationship with a third-party vendor in a case related to alleged diversion of funds.
Hollywood saves PVR Inox as Bollywood bombs at box office
International cinema helped India’s biggest movie operator PVR Inox post a rise in first-quarter revenue as Hindi films failed to bring moviegoers to theatres.
A struggling Bollywood, coupled with the popularity of streaming services, has made it difficult for traditional theatres to bring in more people.
The company said the June quarter witnessed a muted start, with limited releases in Hindi, but saw the highest number of Hollywood movies since the pandemic. This helped the firm’s revenue from operations jump more than 30 per cent to Rs13.05 billion ($210 million).
IAS officer suspended for razing monument to build mansion
The Ministry of Home Affairs has suspended 2007-batch IAS officer Udit Prakash Rai, who is accused of demolishing a heritage monument and constructing a government accommodation in its place.
Earlier this year, the Delhi government’s vigilance department served a notice to Mr Rai for his action.
The monument, a palace from the Pathan period (1418), was the only remnant of the Khizrabad city founded by Khizr Khan of the Sayyid dynasty. It was located in Jal Vihar, in south-east Delhi.
Foxconn plans US$500 million component factories in Karnataka
Apple’s main supplier, Foxconn Technology Group, is planning to invest close to US$500 million ($671 million) to build two component factories in India, Bloomberg News reported on Monday.
The factories will be built in Karnataka, with at least one producing Apple parts including for iPhones, the report said.
SpiceJet passenger ends up at wrong destination
A passenger on a SpiceJet flight was surprised on Monday when she arrived at a completely different city from her intended destination.
Ms Wasifa Jan was to fly from New Delhi to Srinagar but boarded a flight to the western city of Pune.
She was then flown back to New Delhi and put on a flight to Srinagar, Indian media reported. A SpiceJet spokesman has apologised for the incident.
Gold demand might dip 10%, hit three-year low
India’s gold demand in 2023 might fall 10 per cent from a year ago to its lowest in three years, as record high prices are dampening retail purchases, the World Gold Council (WGC) said on Tuesday.
The lower purchases in the world’s second-biggest gold consumer might limit a rally in global prices. Falling demand for gold imports can also narrow India’s trade deficit and support the rupee.
“We remain cautious about gold demand as it faces uncertainties due to elevated local prices and slowdown in discretionary spending,” said Mr Somasundaram PR, regional chief executive of WGC’s Indian operations.
Demand could fall to 700 tonnes in 2023 from 774.1 tonnes a year ago, he said.
Pakistan hockey team arrives in India for Aug 9 match
The Pakistan hockey team arrived in India on Tuesday via the Attari-Wagah border to participate in the Asian Champions Trophy, which started in Chennai on Thursday.
The highly-anticipated match between arch-rivals India and Pakistan will take place on Aug 9 at Chennai’s Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium.
Bumrah back from injury to lead India in T20 series against Ireland
India pace-spearhead Jasprit Bumrah will return from a long absence to lead the side against Ireland in the Twenty20 series this month, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said on Monday.
The 29-year-old right-arm seamer has not played international cricket since last September and underwent rehabilitation following back surgery in March.
