Opposition MP Sanjay Singh arrested over corruption claims
India’s financial crimes agency has arrested Sanjay Singh, an MP of the governing Aam Aadmi Party from Delhi, over corruption allegations.
He is the latest party leader to be interrogated by federal agencies who are investigating alleged fraud related to a now-scrapped liquor sale policy in the state.
Mr Singh was arrested on Wednesday.
Police launch sweeping media raids, arrest two
Anti-terror police said on Tuesday that they had arrested two people linked to a news website and raided the homes of 44 others, in a case reportedly connected to alleged Chinese funding.
The raids in New Delhi are reportedly connected to NewsClick, an English-language news website that Indian authorities in 2021 claimed was receiving foreign funding.
The New York Times in August reported that NewsClick was financed by US millionaire Neville Roy Singham and accused him of working closely with Beijing and “financing its propaganda worldwide”.
No new Nipah cases in India
The World Health Organization on Tuesday said no new cases of Nipah virus have been detected in India since Sept 15. An outbreak earlier in the month caused two deaths.
Nipah has no vaccine and a fatality rate ranging from 40 to 75 per cent.
From Sept 12 to 15, India’s health ministry reported six laboratory-confirmed Nipah virus cases, including two deaths, in Kozhikode district in Kerala.
Aside from the first case, whose source of infection is unknown, the other cases were family and hospital contacts of the first.
Canada resists diplomat expulsions from India
On Tuesday, Canada sought to maintain its full diplomatic presence in India, after New Delhi reportedly ordered Ottawa to withdraw 40 diplomats in a dispute over the killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar near Vancouver in June.
“In moments of tensions, because indeed there are tensions between both our governments, more than ever it’s important that diplomats be on the ground,” Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said after the Financial Times reported that India had instructed Canada to repatriate around 40 diplomats by Oct 10.
Ms Joly would not confirm the report, saying instead that the dialogue with New Delhi was taking place “privately”. The Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also declined to comment on the report.
24 deaths recorded in a day at Maharashtra hospital
Twelve infants died on Sunday at a hospital in Maharashtra, sparking a political storm on Tuesday, with opposition politicians accusing the regional government and hospital authorities of negligence.
The infants were among 24 deaths recorded that day at the Shankarrao Chavan Government Hospital in Nanded district.
Hospital dean Shyamrao Wakode told Asian News International that the 12 adult patients died of various ailments including diabetes, liver failure and kidney failure.
The Maharashtra government has launched an inquiry into the deaths of the infants and other patients.
Public cautioned against using Google Maps during monsoon
The deaths of two young doctors in a road accident has prompted Kerala police to issue an alert for drivers using Google Maps for directions during the monsoon season.
The car of doctors Ajmal Asif, 28, and Adwaith, 27, plunged into the river Periyar near Kochi on Sunday. Three other occupants of the car were rescued by the locals.
According to the police, the accident happened at Gothuruth near Paravur, when the doctors took a wrong turn at a junction, following directions from Google Maps.
Bihar legislator flaunts revolver in hospital
Janata Dal (United) legislator Gopal Mandal caused a stir at the Jawahar Lal Nehru Medical College and hospital in Bihar’s Bhagalpur on Tuesday when he carried a revolver in his hand, claiming it was his style.
He was at the hospital with his granddaughter for a CT Scan. When someone questioned him about the firearm, he said: “It is a thing that needs to be held in hand and not on the hip.
“In the past, criminals were after me, so I carried firearms. Now, political persons are after me. They know that I will become an MP in the next election, so they are after me.
“I am holding a revolver in self-defence. If anyone dares anything against me here or anywhere, I will shoot him.”
Bank CEO quits over erroneous transfer of $1.5b to cabbie
The managing director and CEO of the Tamilnad Mercantile Bank, Mr S. Krishnan, quit on Oct 1, days after it was reported that the bank mistakenly transferred Rs9,000 crore ($1.5 billion) to the account of a cab driver in Chennai.
In his resignation letter, Mr Krishnan said he decided to resign due to “personal reasons”.
The incident happened on Sept 9 and the cab driver, Mr Rajkumar, initially thought it was a scam when he received an SMS notification that Rs9,000 crore had been credited to his account. He originally had only Rs105 left in his account, the Indian Express reported.
Mr Rajkumar then attempted to transfer Rs21,000 to a friend and to his surprise, the transaction was successful. However, within the next 30 minutes, the bank deducted the remaining amount from his account.
Teen steals motorbike to give as birthday gift to friend
A 17-year-old boy, who worked at a roadside eatery in Lukcnow, Uttar Pradesh, has been arrested for stealing a bike, which he wanted to give to a friend as a gift on his 18th birthday.
As the boy did not have enough money to buy a gift, he decided to steal the motorcycle that was parked outside a house, on Oct 1.
The police said the boy was arrested based on surveillance footage.
Tripura CM picks up scalpel again, operates on former MBBS student
Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha, who is also an oral and maxillo-facial surgeon, on Tuesday returned to the Tripura Medical College to perform an operation amid his hectic schedule.
The politician, who was a professor of the medical college, performed a successful operation on one of his former students, an MBBS doctor, who had suffered a fracture in his mouth in a two-wheeler accident.
Cricket great Kohli to own team in electric powerboat series
Indian batsman Virat Kohli was announced as the newest celebrity team owner in the E1 World Championship on Tuesday, joining the likes of Rafa Nadal, Tom Brady, Didier Drogba and Sergio Perez in the world’s first all-electric powerboat series.
The UIM E1 World Championship is the latest entry into the environmentally responsible motor sports competition, joining Formula E and off-road Extreme E, and is scheduled to begin racing next year in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
