Latest news with #TheIndianExpress
News18
34 minutes ago
- Politics
- News18
‘Delhi Tourism…': Kunal Kamra Reacts After Rekha Gupta Warns Him Of Performing ‘At Own Risk'
Kunal Kamra responded to Delhi CM Rekha Gupta, who earlier warned the stand-up comic that he can perform in the national capital "at his own risk". Stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra, who triggered a massive controversy with his recent ' gaddar ' remark directed at Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, took a jibe at Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta who had warned the stand-up comic that he can perform in the national capital 'at his own risk". While speaking at an event organised by The Indian Express, Gupta was asked if she would allow comedians like Kunal Kamra to perform in Delhi, where he would possibly crack jokes on the Prime Minister and other politically-affiliated people. The Delhi CM responded, 'He can come at his own risk. People of Delhi would listen to him." When asked about how a chief minister can say 'at his own risk' and not at her assurance, Gupta responded, 'Right, you come, I will welcome you." Hours after Kamra responded to Gupta's statement and suggested that 'come at your own risk" should be a tagline for Delhi Tourism. ''Come at your own risk' should be a tagline for Delhi Tourism," Kamra said in a post on X. 'Come at your own risk" should be a tagline for Delhi Tourism.— Kunal Kamra (@kunalkamra88) June 27, 2025 Kunal Kamra Row Kamra stoked a row after giving a spin-off to a popular Hindi song in which he took a veiled dig at Shinde, calling him a 'gaddar" (traitor). He allegedly referred to the 2022 Maharashtra political crisis in which Shinde led the collapse of Uddhav Thackeray's state government. Recorded in February, the programme called 'Naya Bharat' was uploaded on Kamra's YouTube channel on March 23, drawing strong reactions from the Shiv Sainiks. Shiv Sena leaders condemned his remarks, demanding an unconditional apology from him. The controversy escalated into violence when Yuva Sena, the youth wing of Shinde's Shiv Sena, vandalised the Habitat comedy venue where the show was filmed. Despite having multiple clashes with the BJP-led Centre in the past, the comedian has refused to apologise for his remark but had expressed willingness to cooperate with the police. Three separate cases were filed against the stand-up comedian at Khar police station, with one complaint lodged by the Mayor of Jalgaon city and the other two by a hotelier and a businessman from Nashik, according to the Mumbai Police. For the unversed, Kamra, in 2019 and 2024, contributed to the crowdfunding drive launched by Kanhaiya Kumar, who was then a Congress candidate from northeast Delhi, against the Bharatiya Janata Party's Manoj Tiwari. First Published: June 28, 2025, 09:24 IST
Hindustan Times
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
R Praggnanandhaa becomes new India No. 1, D Gukesh second in latest live rankings
R Praggnanandhaa's title at the UzChess Cup Masters, saw the 19-year-old become the new India No. 1 in the live classical chess rankings. He defeated Uzbek GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov, with Black pieces in the final round to seal the title. R Praggnanandhaa is the new India No. 1 and D Gukesh is second.(Twitter) In the live ratings, Praggnanandhaa is fourth now, with an Elo rating of 2778.3. D Gukesh is fifth with a rating of 1776.6, and Arjun Erigaisi (2775.7) is sixth. Norwegian Magnus Carlsen (2839.2) occupies top spot, followed by American GMs Hikaru Nakamura (2807) and Fabiano Caruana (2784.2). Viswanathan Anand (2743.0) is not in the top-ten, and occupies 13th position in the live rankings, and is India No. 4. Meanwhile, Aravindh Chithambaram (2724.0) is 24th in the live rankings and is India No. 5. Taking to X, Anand hailed the new India No. 1 and wrote, 'Of all his wins this year, this one seemed the least likely with just two rounds to go. However, he defeated Arjun Erigaisi (yesterday) and today in the crucial match defeated Nodirbek Abdussattorov to tie for first place.' 'In an impressive demonstration of character he won his third tiebreak of the year as well. He is deservedly the new number four in the chess world and the highest rated player in India,' he added. Meanwhile, his longtime coach RB Ramesh told The Indian Express, 'Pragg is quite good in attack, but he was playing too solid in 2024. At least that was my impression. We discussed this and talked about being more adventurous, which you can see now.' 'His chess was always quite good. Now he's also been adding new openings and trying a lot more variety of openings in games.' Ramesh also revealed that Vaibhav Suri working as Praggnanandhaa's second has been beneficial. He said, 'Vaibhav has been helping us longer than this year. But we did not want to go public earlier (and reveal his association with Pragg). He has been with us for some time, but only recently he has started accompanying Pragg for tournaments and that has been very helpful.' 'It's good to have someone you know well, who believes in you, travel with you during important tournaments. When you are going through difficult times, it will be easier to believe in ourselves.'
Indian Express
5 hours ago
- Indian Express
‘Woman with limbs tied… man who soiled himself': 3 rescued from Noida old age home
A woman lying without clothes and another with her hands and legs tied, a man who had soiled himself — this was the sight that greeted teams of the Uttar Pradesh State Commission for Women and the state's Social Welfare department Thursday when they carried out a joint raid at NGO Anand Niketan Vridha Ashram, an old age home in Noida's Sector 55. The facility had come under scrutiny after a viral video showed an elderly woman tied up inside a room. The footage, sent to the Social Welfare department in Lucknow, led to a surprise inspection and the rescue of two elderly women and one man. Officials, accompanied by police personnel from the Sector 58 police station, found many residents living in distressing and unsanitary conditions on Thursday. 'In one room, there was a woman who was naked, a man who had soiled himself, and another woman whose hands and legs were tied,' said Sub-Inspector Maan Singh, who was part of the operation. Officials said that while the three rescued residents have been shifted to a government shelter at Dankaur in Greater Noida, the remaining 39 will be relocated in the coming week. A notice has been issued to seal the premises of the trust running the facility, they added. Meenakshi Bharala, a member of the women's commission, said the shelter has been running illegally since 1994. When The Indian Express visited the facility on Friday, the atmosphere seemed tense. The distraught secretary of the facility said she was ready to quit. Also present was Amarvir Singh, a member of the Trust that ran the facility. The family members of the three rescued inmates, meanwhile, alleged that their kin were relocated to a government shelter without prior intimation. 'They took my relative without informing me, even after I told them I was on the way. I have been told they did not want to leave, but were taken forcibly,' a woman claiming to be a family member told The Indian Express. The home charges families a one-time 'donation' of Rs 2.5 lakh and Rs 6,000 per month for food, lodging, laundry, and care-giving facilities. The rooms The Indian Express visited appeared equipped with basic amenities — bed, cooler, wardrobe, a small mandir, and an attached washroom. The premises also had a waiting ambulance, stretchers, wheelchairs, a canteen, a bigger temple, a library, and a lawn. Social Welfare Officer Nitya Dwivedi, however, said the existing conditions were far from acceptable. 'We found the elderly persons in distressing and unhygienic conditions. They were tied and locked up in basement-like rooms. There was hardly any support staff. This is unacceptable,' she added. The other inmates also alleged that no caretaker is available at the premises after 7.30 pm. A 76-year-old woman, who has been staying at the home for the last four years, said, 'Everything is fine here… Some people are hard to handle due to their age. The only issue is that there is no caretaker here after 7.30 pm…' The caretakers defended themselves, claiming they were overwhelmed and lacked support. 'One elderly woman would tear her clothes, another would throw utensils at us… One of us tied her up just to be able to eat lunch in peace. Another had soiled his clothes, but we had not been informed,' claimed a staff member. Despite the findings, no FIR has been registered so far. The Station House Officer of Sector 58 police station said the police are awaiting a formal investigation report from the Social Welfare department. 'Only then can we take any legal action, such as sealing the premises or imposing fines.' Another resident at the home said he favours this facility as it is not costly. 'I was earlier at a mental health facility that charged Rs 15,000 a month and locked us in. Here, I can move freely and live for only Rs 6,000.' The Trust that runs the home, meanwhile, is expected to address the media at noon on Saturday. 'We are convening a meeting with all board members, we will submit all clearances and documents. Many families have also expressed interest in speaking to the press,' said Amarvir Singh.
Indian Express
6 hours ago
- Indian Express
Air India 171 crash: Last DNA match day after family holds symbolic funeral
Friday marked Ashadhi Beej, when Kutchhis celebrate their new year. But the Khimani family was grieving. They were grieving the loss of their loved one, Anil Khimani (32), who was on the London-bound AI 171 that crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12. They were also grieving because his was the only body among the 241 dead that had not yet been identified through a DNA match. Searching for 'closure' and to 'overcome the guilt' of not being able to bid a respectful farewell, the Khimanis held a 'symbolic' funeral at Dahinsara, their village in Bhuj, on Thursday followed by a prayer meeting on Friday. Hours after the prayer was held, however, a senior government official told The Indian Express that they were finally able to find a DNA match and identify Anil's body. 'Multiple rounds of processing for DNA extraction were undertaken, considering that the sample was too degraded with charring… But eventually, it was matched. The family will be informed, the DNA match will give them final closure,' the official said. Speaking to The Indian Express earlier Friday, Anil's older brother Rakesh said 'the reason for organising the symbolic funeral was that two weeks had passed since the crash'. 'The time had surpassed the stipulated window to organise the rituals as per our Swaminarayan traditions. We needed to perform the rituals within 12 days… His wife and family remained in hope that he, too, may have survived the crash… But the truth is bitter and we have to accept that no one else was lucky. It is all fate and God's will,' he said. 'There is no use of living in denial. He has two young children, whose future could be secured with the compensation money that has been promised but the person has been lost forever,' Rakesh said. Anil was a tile setter known for his 'skill' and 'precision'. Booked on Seat 21G, he was travelling to the UK for the first time, on an invitation from 'distant relatives' for six months. 'This was his first trip to London. He used to work in Seychelles before moving back to India and joining our family's maintenance business. Over the past few years, he mastered the skill of laying tiles… He was looking forward to making the most of the UK trip by exploring possibilities for a future move as well,' Rakesh said. Survived by his parents, wife and two daughters — one aged five years and the other a newborn of five months — Anil was the second among three siblings. His younger sister is settled in Uganda. On Thursday, as his family members organised the funeral at the local crematorium and the prayer meeting a day later at the Swaminarayan temple in Dahinsara, residents from the mixed neighbourhood gathered in large numbers to share their grief. In Ahmedabad, meanwhile, the body of British citizen Fiongal Cuchullain Greenlaw, the co-founder of Wellness Foundry, was handed over to his family members at the mortuary complex of the Civil Hospital. The body of his partner Jamie Ray Meek had been identified and handed over earlier. — With ENS, Ahmedabad
Indian Express
6 hours ago
- Indian Express
Man held in Jaipur for sexual abuse of minor daughters for 5 years
A 40-year-old man has been arrested in Jaipur for sexually abusing his two minor daughters for more than five years. The case came to light when their mother took them to a hospital on June 19 after they complained of stomach ache. A doctor at the hospital upon examining the girls sensed that something was amiss. Upon enquiry, the doctor came to know about the sexual abuse and contacted an NGO. An NGO official told The Indian Express, 'As soon as we got to know about this case, we immediately informed the police. The woman was initially apprehensive about filing a case against her husband due to the shame they would have to face from the society, so we counseled her.' 'A woman constable was assigned to talk to the woman in a bid to instil some confidence and prepare her mentally to record a statement. But she was very scared and reluctant to record any statement,' he said. A police officer told The Indian Express, 'We recorded the woman's statement through a hidden camera to be sure of the crime. We had to counsel the woman a lot to convince her to file an FIR. After the recording, the woman agreed to file a complaint and we registered an FIR against the accused and booked him under POCSO Act.' After this, the girls were examined by a medical board. After the medical reports confirmed the crime, the accused was arrested on June 23 and sent to judicial custody. The investigation so far has revealed that the accused had been raping his minor daughters for five years, police said. The children have been produced before the Child Welfare Committee and further counseling will be done by them.
