January 3: Top headlines at noon

J&K Assembly rocked by Opposition protests

Jammu and Kashmir Assembly was rocked this morning by protests over the issue of insult to national anthem and deaths during Kashmir unrest. The Opposition moved an adjournment motion for discussion on Kashmir situation, The Speaker has accepted it after brief protests.

SC replaces FS Nariman in BCCI case

The Supreme Court today replaced noted jurist FS Nariman with senior lawyer Anil Divan after Nariman expressed his inability to assist the court in suggesting names for BCCI administrators. Nariman told a bench headed by Chief Justice TS Thakur that he had represented the cricket body as a lawyer in 2009 and hence, did not want to be part of this exercise. The court had asked the two lawyers to suggest names of possible administrators within two weeks. Yesterday, the court ordered removal of Anurag Thakur and Ajay Shirke from the posts of BCCI President and Secretary respectively. It had also ordered initiation of contempt and perjury proceedings against them.

Militant killed in encounter with security forces in J&K

An unidentified militant was today killed in an encounter with security forces in Sopore area of North Kashmir's Baramulla district, police said. Security forces had laid an ambush at Haritar in Sopore during the intervening night following information about movement of militants through the area, a police official said. He said security forces on noticing suspicious movement in the wee hours challenged the persons who opened fire. "In the retaliatory firing, one militant was killed. Further details are awaited.

Martyr Udham Singh’s great-grandson on dharna for peon's job

When nationalism and patriotism are dominating the national discourse, the great grandson of iconic revolutionary Udham Singh is struggling to secure the job of a peon in Punjab government. The repeated pleas of Jagga Singh, who is great grandson of Udham Singh's elder sister Aas Kaur, to the SAD-BJP government did not yield any result. In a daredevil act, Udham Singh had avenged the killing of hundreds of innocent people in Jallianwala Bagh on Baisakhi Day on April 13, 1919 by General Reginald Edward Harry Dyer.

Singh had avenged the massacre 21 years later by killing Michael O’Dwyer in London. O’Dwyer was the Governor of Punjab when the massacre took place in Jallianwala Bagh. Charged with murder, he was hanged to death.

UP minister's vehicle involved in crash, 1 dead

An official vehicle of a Uttar Pradesh minister rammed into a cart on Lucknow road in Hardoi, leaving one person dead. The incident took place last night when the official vehicle of Minister of State for Rural Development Omkar Yadav was returning from Badaun after dropping him and hit a cart, killing its operator, 45-year-old Madne, on the spot, police said. Enraged over the incident, locals thrashed the driver and pelted stones on the vehicle damaging it by the time the police force arrived. The driver of the vehicle was stated to be drunk and has been arrested, police said.