-The Hindu FIR filed under IT Act; six suspects identified Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on Tuesday the police would act tough on the “handful of morons” abusing and harassing girl members of the Valley’s musical bands, even as the first criminal case was registered under the Information Technology Act and six of the suspects were identified. “We’ll leave no stone unturned to ensure that every one of them is...

-IANS Hyderabad: Thousands of people lined up at Aadhar centres in Hyderabad on Tuesday after the government said that LPG cylinders would be linked to Aadhar cards from February 15. Police used force to quell protests at some Aadhar centres in the city. People complained that the centres did not have application forms. A similar situation prevailed in Ranga Reddy district, Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Tirupati and other towns across the state. Two women fell...

-The Hindu With the exception of Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti, hardly anyone of consequence has supported Pragaash, the Valley’s first all-girl rock band, the members of which have gone into hiding after receiving a threat of ‘social boycott’ from the Dukhataarn-e-Millat, a radical women’s outfit. Three fresh Facebook pages have come up with nearly 1,000 supportive posts in the past four days but most...

-ANI SRInagar : A day after the fatwa (decree) issued by Grand Mufti of Jammu and Kashmir, Bashiruddin Ahmad, against the girl-band, the associated with the rock-band have decided to call it quits. Mufti Bashiruddin Ahmad on Sunday had issued a decree terming singing as ‘un-Islamic’ and ‘obscene’. The band named ‘Pragaash’ (morning light) comprises Huma, the lead vocalist and guitarist, Aneeka who plays base and Farah, who is the drummer. However, Jammu and...

-Outlook A new land acquisition bill readies for budget session. How will it fare? Bill Of Blights     Defines “public purpose” too broadly, allows govt to acquire land for PPPs     Less landowner consent required for PPPs than private-only projects     The bill’s compensation norms likely to face strict challenges in the courts     States have been given R&R powers but could lead to arbitrary outcomes     Doesn’t consider govt projects where compensation, R&R are neglected *** The...