Page 56 - Bihar

Release of Saharsa's strongman exposes caste fault lines in Bihar

Mohan's release has also exposed the fault lines within both the ruling and Opposition parties

Have no objection to Anand Mohan's release, says Union minister Chaubey

Its upper caste leaders are in favour of release of the steps while some others belonging to the OBC section have different views

Conducting caste-based survey no crime, says Bihar CM to opposers

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday reacted with exasperation over the opposition faced by the head count of caste' underway in the state, saying that holding such a survey is not a crime. He asserted that the state is not conducting a caste census but only collecting information related to people's economic status and their caste so that specific steps could be taken by the government to serve them better. The ongoing caste survey is a good initiative taken by us. People will be hugely benefited after the recognition of their economic status, whether they belong to the upper caste, backward caste or extremely weaker sections of the society. I don't understand why a section of people are against this exercise They are challenging it. Is it a crime? No, it is not, Kumar said while addressing a conference of Civil Servants here. An organisation had claimed that it was not a survey for a sample population but a census involving house-to-house enumeration of all people, which o

Gangster-turned-politician Anand Mohan Singh released from Saharsa jail

Gangster-turned-politician Anand Mohan Singh was released from Saharsa jail on Thursday morning. Singh's release was allowed under a jail sentence remission order after the state government recently amended the prison rules allowing the early release of 27 convicts including him. Anand, was serving a life term for his alleged role in the 1994 murder of the then Gopalganj collector G Krishnaiah, a young IAS officer during the funeral procession of Muzaffarpur gangster Chotan Shukla. Anand who was in jail for the last 15 years after being convicted in the case is expected to reach his home later on Thursday. A local court in October 2007 had initially sentenced him to death, but it was later commuted to life term by the Patna High court in December, 2008, when he appealed against the lower court verdict. The Nitish Kumar government, on April 10, amended the Bihar Prison Manual, 2012 and removed a clause which said those convicted for murder of a public servant on duty could not b

Why has Anand Mohan become a headache for the Nitish Kumar administration

Several people and bodies, including the wife of slain IAS officer G Krishnaiah and the Central IAS Association, have expressed their dismay over the decision of Mohan's release

Bihar announces 2-day state mourning over Parkash Singh Badal's death

The Bihar government on Wednesday declared a two-day state mourning over the death of former Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. Badal, a five-time former CM of Punjab and Akali Dal patriarch died at a private hospital in Mohali on Tuesday. He was 95. According to a circular issued by the Bihar government, "The state government has declared two-day state mourning on April 26 and April 27 over the death of Punjab's former CM, Parkash Singh Badal. During this period the National Flag will be flown at half-mast throughout the state on all buildings. No government ceremonies or official entertainment will take place on these two days". Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday condoled Badal's death saying, "Badal successfully discharged several important responsibilities during his long political career. He was popular for his value based politics. His death has created an irreparable gap in the socio-political field". Kumar also prayed for the almighty to give strength and

Ex-Bihar MP, serving life term for murder of officer, to be freed from jail

Former Bihar MP Anand Mohan, who is serving a life sentence in a three-decade-old case of an IAS officer's murder, is all set to walk out of jail along with 26 others. The state law department, in a notification issued late on Monday, ordered the release of 27 people, including Mohan, all of whom have spent 14 years or more in jail. The trial court awarded Mohan capital punishment for the murder of G Krishnaiah, the then District Magistrate of Gopalganj. A higher court, however, commuted it to life imprisonment. Mohan, who has been out on parole, was celebrating the engagement of his son Chetan Anand, an RJD MLA in the state, when he received the news of his impending release. Talking to reporters, Mohan expressed his gratitude towards Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who along with his deputy Tejashwi Yadav, was among the attendees at the gala function organised on the outskirts of Patna. The order for Mohan's release, who is likely to surrender at the Saharsa jail before being set f

NIA raids several places in Bihar as part of crackdown on govt-banned PFI

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday conducted raids in several places in Bihar as part of its crackdown on Islamist organisation Popular Front of India (PFI) which was banned by the Union Home Ministry last year. One of these raids took place in Muzaffarpur district where an NIA team, assisted by the local police, raided the house of one Mohammad Saquib in Ankhauli village of Katra block. While the officials were tight-lipped about the raid that began around 5 am and continued for a few hours, the father of Saquib, Neyaz Ahmed, told reporters, "They had come to inquire about my son. We told them that we have had no contact with him for about the past one year." "They also obtained the mobile number of my son, who is aged 30 years. They tried to call his number but got no reply. They took away two of his bank passbooks that were kept at home, along with some other documents," said Ahmed. In adjoining East Champaran district, where suspected PFI operative Irshad was ..

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar meets Akhilesh, Mamata to forge opposition unity

Ramping up efforts to forge Opposition unity, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday met Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav and said work is on to bring together as many parties as possible to remove the BJP from power in the next general elections. No welfare work is being done by the present dispensation which is only relying on publicity, the JD(U) leader said attacking the BJP after meeting Yadav at the SP office here, hours after he held talks with his West Bengal counterpart and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata. "I am not looking for any position for myself. My endeavour is to work for country's good," Kumar, who was accompanied by RJD leader and Bihar's Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Yadav, told reporters. He alleged that efforts are being made to change the history of the country. Akhilesh Yadav raised the issue of price rise and said there was a need to remove the BJP government without any delay. The Bihar chief minister had come to Lucknow a

Airtel teams up with Secure Meters to deploy NB-IoT powered smart meters

Telecom operator Bharti Airtel on Monday announced its partnership with Secure Meters for deploying Narrow Band-Internet of Things (NB-IoT) services to power 1.3 million homes in Bihar via a smart meter solution. The telco said this deployment will be India's first NB-IoT solution on a narrow band with a fall-back option that will work on 2G and 4G, and ensure real-time connectivity and uninterrupted transfer of critical data. NB-IoT is a low-power, wide area, radio network technology which enables a wide variety of IoT devices and services, including smart meters. Airtel's NB-IoT platform is future-ready and is scalable to 5G, the telco said in a release. Ajay Chitkara, Director and CEO of Airtel Business, informed that IoT is one of the fastest-growing business segments for Airtel Business. "This venture into NB-IoT strengthens our credentials as the largest cellular IoT player in the country and places us firmly as a partner of choice for Discoms looking to invest in smart mete

Bihar BEd Result 2023: Check B.Ed Entrance Exam Result, Login Link

On April 8, 2023 (Saturday), the Bihar B.Ed exam was held at 301 examination centres in Patna, Hajipur, Gaya, Arrah, Chhapra, Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga, Munger, Purnia, Bhagalpur, and Madhepura in Bihar

Congress' Rawat admits to holding political discussions with Nitish Kumar

Senior Congress leader Harish Rawat on Thursday said he held a political discussion with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in Patna but declined to comment on whether he was sent on a special mission by the party high command. Sharing a photograph of his Wednesday evening meeting with Kumar on Twitter, Rawat wrote, "Shri Nitish Kumar, the strong voice of opposition unity in 2024..." However, when asked about the meeting, Rawat said Kumar is an old friend and he had travelled to Patna to appreciate his good works. "He is our old friend. He is doing good work and it is everyone's responsibility to salute good work," he said. Rawat, a former Uttarakhand chief minister, admitted that there were political discussions between the two leaders. "We are no saints. When political people meet, political talk is bound to happen," he added. However, when asked if the party high command had sent him to Patna on a special mission, Rawat refused to comment. The two leaders' meeting is being see

Bihar Cabinet approves Rs 309 cr for construction of AIIMS-Darbhanga

The Bihar government approved Rs 309 crore for soil filling and land levelling work, which would facilitate construction of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Darbhanga. The Union government had in September 2020 granted approval for the AIIMS at Darbhanga, the second in Bihar after Patna, at an estimated cost of Rs 1,264 crore. "An amount of Rs 309.29 crore for the construction of AIIMS on 189.17 acres of land at Darbhanga was sanctioned by the state cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. The fund will be utilised for soil filling and land levelling work," S Siddharth, Additional Chief Secretary (Cabinet Secretariat), told reporters on Tuesday. This is a major step towards facilitating the construction of AIIMS at Darbhanga, he said. Once operational, it will have 750 beds along with various healthcare facilities. The new AIIMS is likely to be completed within a period of 48 months from the date of start of the project. Besides, the cabinet also appro

Woman officer in Bihar abused, dragged by crowd; NCW takes cognisance

NCW Chairperson Rekha Sharma has written to the Director General of Police, Bihar, asking him to personally look into the matter and ensure a fair and timely investigation

IMD issues heatwave warning in parts of Bihar for 2 days from Tuesday

The meteorological department has issued an 'orange' alert with a warning of severe heatwave conditions for two days from Tuesday in Patna, Banka, Jamui, Nawada, Aurangabad, Supaul and several other districts of Bihar. Besides, a yellow' warning has also been sounded in Begusarai, Nalanda, Gaya, Arwal, Bhojpur, Rohtas, Buxar, Khagaria and Munger. The meteorological department uses four colour codes - green (no action needed), yellow (watch and stay updated), orange (be prepared) and red (take action) - for weather warning. People are advised to avoid heat exposure and dehydration, a senior official of the Bihar Disaster Management Department said. Heatwave conditions are expected to prevail in Patna, Banka, Jamui, Nawada, Aurangabad and Supaul districts in Bihar in the next two days, according to the latest weather bulletin issued by the department's Patna Centre. The mercury level crossed 43 degrees Celsius or above in Sheikhpura, Khagaria, Patna, Gaya and Dehri on ...

Bihar govt officials come under attack by sand mining goons; 44 held

Three Bihar mining department officials, including a woman inspector, suffered injuries when they were attacked allegedly by goons of the sand mining mafia in Bihta block of Patna district on Monday, police said. The police arrested 44 people and seized 50 vehicles after registering three FIRs in connection with the incident. The incident took place when a team had gone for inspection and searches as part of its drive to check illegal mining in Bihta area. When they reached near Koilwar Bridge, the officials were attacked by anti-social elements. As the accused started throwing stones at them, Amya Kumari fell down and suffered injuries, the Patna district administration said in a statement. Amya Kumari is the woman inspector. The other two officials - district mining officer Kumar Gaurav and mining inspector Sayeed Farhin were also injured, the statement said. The conditions of all three injured are reported to be stable. Talking to PTI, Rajeev Mishra, Senior Superintendent of

Hooch tragedy: Nitish makes U-turn, announces ex-gratia for victims' kin

Making a U-turn on paying compensation to the victims of hooch tragedies in dry Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday announced conditional payment of an ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh each to the next of kin of those who died after drinking spurious liquor. The death toll at Motihari in East Champaran district rose to 26 on Monday, with four more people losing their lives after consuming the illicit liquor, police said. We have decided to provide ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased. But, the amount will only be given if their family members say in writing to the district magistrate concerned that the death took place after consuming illicit liquor. They will have to disclose the source from where the alcohol was procured, too, Kumar told reporters. This is a reversal of his earlier stand that the family members of those who died after drinking hooch would be paid no compensation by his government. After 26 people died in a hooch tragedy in December 2022,

Bihar hooch tragedy: Nitish announces aid of Rs 4 lakh each to next of kin

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said he is deeply pained over the deaths in the suspected hooch tragedy at Motihari in East Champaran district, and announced an ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased. The death toll rose to 26 on Monday, with four more people losing their lives after consuming the spurious liquor, police said. I am deeply pained at what happened in Motihari I know that the majority of people who die in such incidents belong to the economically weaker sections Despite our best attempts, hooch incidents are taking place in the state and people are dying after consuming spurious liquor, Kumar told reporters. We have decided to provide ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased. But, the amount will only be given if their family members give in writing to the district magistrate concerned that the death took place after consuming illicit liquor. They will have to disclose the source from where the alcohol was ...

Toll rises to 22 in hooch tragedy, BJP accuses Nitish govt of 'mass murder'

As the death toll in a suspected hooch tragedy in Bihar's East Champaran district rose to 22 on Sunday, the opposition BJP alleged that the incident was a "mass murder by the Nitish Kumar government". Leader of Opposition in the Bihar assembly, Vijay Kumar Sinha, accused the state administration of "protecting liquor mafias who are associated with the ruling JD(U) and the RJD". The party will approach the National Human Rights Commission and other such central bodies to conduct a "probe into the hooch tragedy", former state BJP chief Sanjay Jaiswal said. Twenty-two people in Turkauliya, Harsiddhi, Sugauli and Paharpur villages of Motihari have so far died after allegedly consuming illicit liquor, the East Champaran district police said in a statement. At least twenty-nine others are battling for their lives at Sadar and different hospitals in the district. Condition of four patients is reported to be critical," it said. A team of BJP leaders visited some of the villages in the ...

20 held, huge cache of illicit liquor seized in Bihar hooch tragedy case

Police have arrested 20 people and seized huge quantities of spurious liquor from different villages in Bihar's Motihari, even as the death toll in a suspected hooch tragedy climbed to 14, officials said Sunday. The death count may increase further as the condition of five persons is reportedly to be critical, a senior police officer said. A statement issued by the East Champaran district administration said 20 people, involved in illegal trade of liquor, have been arrested following searches in different localities of Motihari. Around 85.5 litres of country-made liquor and a huge quantity of Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) were recovered from their possession, it said. Police were informed that some villagers died after allegedly consuming spurious liquor in Turkauliya, Harsiddhi, Sugauli and Paharpur areas of the district on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday. Police teams were immediately sent to different hospitals in the city, the statement said. Excise department