1. Pakistan Summons Indian Diplomat Over Soldiers' Killing Along LoC
Pakistan on Tuesday summoned India’s acting deputy High Commissioner after the Army killed three Pakistani soldiers in a cross-LoC strike on Monday evening. The operation was allegedly undertaken to avenge the killing of four Indian soldiers, including a Major, by the Pakistan Army on the Line of Control (LoC) on Saturday.
Even though the Pakistan Foreign Office rejected reports that the Indian Army commandos crossed the LoC in Poonch sector of J&K and smashed a post, sources told The Indian Express that a Pakistani listening post of Baloch Regiment in the Rakh Chikri sub-sector of Rawalakot was targeted.
“The false claims by India about the alleged cross LoC adventures are a figment of their imagination and counter-productive for peace and tranquility on the LoC. The Indian actions got a befitting response from the Pakistani side and their guns were silenced,” PTI quoted the Foreign Office as saying.
(Source: The Indian Express)
2. Vijay Rupani Sworn in as Chief Minister of Gujarat
Vijay Rupani was on Tuesday sworn in as the 16th Chief Minister of Gujarat along with 19 Ministers, including Nitin Patel, Deputy Chief Minister, after the BJP’s victory in the recent Assembly elections.
The ruling party won the elections for the sixth consecutive time, though with a reduced tally of seats.
The portfolios of the new Ministers are likely to be allotted on Wednesday before the first Cabinet meeting.
(Source: The Hindu)
3. Pak Harassed Kulbhushan Jadhav's Family: MEA
Within the first few minutes of Kulbhushan Jadhav meeting his mother Avanti and wife Chetna on Monday and after he had enquired about the health of his father, as the former Indian Navy officer on Death Row started talking about how he was sent by Indian intelligence agencies to spy, his mother told him, “Khare bola (Speak the truth)”.
The next 35 minutes, Jadhav gave, what India says, were “tutored statements” about his involvement in espionage. In between, Chetna broke down while Avanti kept asking him about his health and how he was being treated as he looked “unwell and tired”, and not his “usual self”, they told Indian officials.
Jadhav said that he was treated well by Pakistan and as per Pakistan’s law, sources said, putting across Islamabad’s point of view.
(Source: The Indian Express)
4. Shimla to See a Grand Swearing-In
For the first time, a Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh will be sworn in before an audience of the Prime Minister, several Union Ministers and around a dozen Chief Ministers.
In addition, BJP president Amit Shah and party veteran LK Advani will also be present when Jairam Thakur takes the oath of office on Wednesday. The ceremony will be held at the historical Ridge Maidan here.
Special arrangements are being made to telecast the ceremony live with a number of huge screens placed at several places in the state capital.
(Source: The Hindu)
5. Cataract Surgeries Done Under Torchlight in UP, Doctor Suspended
At least 32 people in Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao were operated for cataract at a government hospital in torchlight on Monday night, prompting authorities to transfer the district’s top health official and suspend a doctor for negligence and violation of norms.
The surgeries were conducted under the light of two torches at the primary healthcare centre (PHC) in Nawabganj, which like many rural areas of Uttar Pradesh gets electricity for only 12 hours a day.
“This is height of negligence. No one will be spared,” Unnao district magistrate Ravi Kumar N said on Tuesday.
Kumar ordered a probe by joint magistrate Manish Bansal and additional chief medical officer RK Gautam after he was told about the surgeries, which were carried out during an outage.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
6. Kashmir's 'Merchant of Death' Trali Killed in Encounter
A 47-year-old with dwarfism, who walked with a limp and plotted several terror attacks for Jaish-e-Mohammad, causing persistent grief to the security agencies, was killed by the forces in south Kashmir's Pulwama district last night, after years of cat-and-mouse chase.
The four-feet-two inches tall Jaish commander, Noor Mohammad Tantray, alias Noor Trali, alias Peer Baba, alias Chhota Noora, was the mastermind of several terror attacks in the valley, including the one on BSF camp near Srinagar airport in October and on state minister Naeem Akhtar's cavalcade in Tral on 21 September.
(Source: Times of India)
7. Ananth Kumar Hegde Deriding Constitution: Congress
Asking Prime Minister Narendra Modi to break his silence on the comments made by his ministerial colleague Ananth Kumar Hegde about changing the Constitution, the Congress on Tuesday said the Minister’s comments reflected the “sinister design of the RSS and the BJP to impose their ideology on the people of India”.
The party raised other controversial comments made by BJP Ministers including one by Hansraj Ahir, Minister of State for Home Affairs, about doctors.
At a press conference, Congress spokespersons Gaurav Gogoi and Khusboo Sundar said that while the BJP propagated their love for Dr BR Ambedkar to garner votes, Ministers in the Modi government were denigrating the Constitution drafted by him and openly talking about changing it.
(Source: The Hindu)
8. Intel Gets Wind of Dawood 'Plot' to Kill Rajan With Delhi Goon's Aid
Was Delhi's top gangster Neeraj Bawana plotting to eliminate underworld don Chhota Rajan inside Tihar jail at the instance of the D company? Intelligence shared with Tihar authorities two weeks ago strongly pointed to the possibility, leading to a review of Rajan's security in the high-profile prison.
According to the inputs, the latest D company bid to target Rajan got busted after one of Bawana's aides boasted about the plot to another associate during what was described as drunken banter. This was picked up by the agencies which brought it to the notice of all stakeholders involved in Rajan's security.
(Source: Times of India)
9. Virushka Dazzle At Their Mumbai Reception
Actor Anushka Sharma and cricketer Virat Kohli, who were married in a private ceremony on 11 December in Italy, held their second wedding reception at St Regis, Mumbai on Tuesday.
Several members of the Indian cricket team like MS Dhoni, the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, and personalities from the film fraternity such as Amitabh Bachchan, his son Abhishek and daughter in law Aishwarya Rai Bachchan arrived at the venue.
A Delhi reception was held on 21 December at the Taj Diplomatic Enclave.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
More From The Quint:
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)