Gandhi’s grandson could be a presidential candidate

Former diplomat Gopal Krishna Gandhi could be the potential opposition candidate for the July 17 presidential election with Left parties pushing for Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson for the country’s highest post, media from India reported. The government, however, is trying to build consensus for its own candidate and two Union ministers, Rajnath Singh and M Venkaiah Naidu, are expected to meet Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on weekend. They will hold a separate meeting with CPM leader Sitaram Yechury.

2 more farmers commit suicide in MP; 7 in one week

Two farmers have committed suicide in Balaghat and Barwani districts of Madhya Pradesh since Tuesday evening, police has said.

Subsequently, the number of farmer suicides reported in the state since June 8 to seven.

The reports come in the wake of a slew of measures announced by the state government to mollify agitating farmers and death of five protesters in police firing in Mandsaur district on June 6.

 Pakistan’s tableau in China has Delhi’s Red Fort in Lahore

To err is human but to show a historic site of another country as its own, is Pakistan. The historic Red Fort in Delhi was shown as Lahore’s Shalimar Garden at a banquet event of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO. The 17th-century monument, from whose ramparts successive Indian Prime Ministers have delivered Independence Day speech, was on the tableau of Pakistan with the picture caption reading: “Fort and Shalimar Garden in Lahore (1981).” The Indian flag fluttering at the monument was glaring. Red Fort was built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in 17th century. Indian diplomats were seen pointing the faux pas to their Pakistani counterparts at the event attended by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.A The banquet was organized at Versailles Hall in Legendale Hotel Beijing where SCO Secretary-General Rashid Alimov was present. India’s Ambassador to China Vijay Gokhale and his Pakistani counterpart Masood Khalid exchanged pleasantries and spoke to each for a while. India and Pakistan joined the SCO in Astana during the annual summit, which was concluded last week, taking the number of members of the grouping to 8.

Pakistan violates ceasefire in Rajouri, Poonch districts of J&K

Pakistan violated the ceasefire twice by shelling mortars and firing from small arms on forward posts and civilians areas along the LoC in Rajouri and Poonch districts of Jammu and Kashmir, drawing retaliation from the Indian Army.

There have been nine ceasefire violations in the past four days and total 12 along the LoC and IB in Jammu region since January 1, 2017 in which one civilian died and seven others were injured.

There were three ceasefire violations on June 12.

Girl burnt alive for ‘revenge’ in Bihar

A Class IX girl was allegedly burnt alive by her two neighbourhood youths at her home at Harpur Bochaha in Bihar’s Samastipur district as they wanted to “teach the victim’s family a lesson”.

Akanksha was rushed to Patna in a critical condition on Tuesday evening. She died after the police recorded her statement at a private hospital on Wednesday.

According to her statement, she was reading in her room when the accused, Amit Kumar and his brother Sumit Kumar, surreptitiously entered the room. They muffled her mouth and tied her hands and legs before pouring kerosene oil on her and setting her afire.

“Amit had abducted a girl of my village recently. Since we had protested the abduction, Amit threatened us of dire consequences. They eventually burnt my daughter,”  Sunil Kumar, father of Akanksha told media in India.