India: Today’s news in pictures

India news in pictures -- a roundup of today’s news across the country from West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s dharna against the centre, to the retraction of Kerala government’s claim that 51 women have entered Sabarimala till now. ...read more

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Updated on Feb 04, 2019 05:27 PM IST

Amid an unprecedented tussle between the centre and the state government in West Bengal, chief minister Mamata Banerjee continued her dharna against the centre at Esplanade in Kolkata. The sit-in protest is against the move of the CBI to question Kolkata Police commissioner Rajeev Kumar in the chit fund scam yesterday. The CBI officials were detained by local police, but released later. (Arijit Sen / HT Photo)

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Updated on Feb 04, 2019 05:27 PM IST

The CPI(M)-led Kerala Government on Monday retracted from its earlier statement that 51 women had entered the Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala saying it has proof to show only two women actually entered the shrine. The U-turn came two days before the Supreme Court is expected to take up a bunch of review petitions challenging its September 28 verdict allowing women of all ages to worship at the temple. (STR / AFP File)

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Updated on Feb 04, 2019 05:27 PM IST

Rishi Kumar Shukla, an IPS officer of 1983 Batch (Madhya Pradesh Cadre) today took over as Director, Central Bureau of Investigation in New Delhi. (HT Photo)

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Updated on Feb 04, 2019 05:27 PM IST

Rajeev Kumar, the Kolkata police commissioner who is at the centre of the unprecedented face-off between Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and the NDA government, was handed out a sharp warning by the Supreme Court today. “If Kolkata Police Commissioner even remotely thinks of destroying evidence, bring the material before this Court. We will come down so heavily on him that he will regret,” Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi said. (Biplov Bhuyan / HT File)

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Updated on Feb 04, 2019 05:27 PM IST

At least 7.49 crore devotees have taken the dip in the waters of Sangam in Prayagraj till Sunday since the beginning of the 49-day Kumbh Mela from January 15, the Uttar Pradesh government has said. A report said that on the first day of the Kumbh Mela, which began with the first of the three Shahi Snans of Makar Sankranti, 2.25 crore people bathed in the Sangam. (Sheeraz Rizvi / HT File)

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Updated on Feb 04, 2019 05:27 PM IST

In his budget speech, finance minister Piyush Goyal may have emphasised on infrastructure development to make India a $10 trillion economy by 2030, but there is a 23% decline in the budgetary allocation for infrastructure, from Rs 5.97 lakh crore in the financial year 2018-19 to Rs 4.56 lakh crore in 2019-20. This includes allocation for railways, roads, shipping and aviation. (Vipin Kumar / HT File)

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Updated on Feb 04, 2019 05:27 PM IST

Congress has asked its youth wing to focus on 230 Lok Sabha seats - those it lost by a “thin margin” in 2014, and where a large number of new voters have been enrolled ahead of the elections. Youth Congress president Keshav Chand Yadav said that to fulfil this task, one coordinator will be appointed for each seat and several teams will be set up at different levels from booth to constituency levels. (Burhaan Kinu / HT File)