New Delhi:

Delhi Police has recovered a damaged car with a human skeleton in it after the water decreased from the Munak Canal on Friday, officials said on Saturday.

The matter came to the fore when a sub-branch of Munak Canal, which supplies water from Haryana to Delhi, breached and the water level decreased, they said.

The officials said that a damaged car could be visible on Thursday and Friday midnight.

The car was recovered on a stretch of the canal falling under the jurisdiction of Samai Pur Badali area, a police officer said.

The skeleton is suspected to be belonging to a man identified as Vinod, who was missing from Budh Vihar in Vijay Vihar since September 2020.

Vinod was a taxi driver by profession and the Swift Dzire car in which the skeleton was recovered was registered under his name, police said.

Vinod’s son Ravi, who was called for the identification, identified the car and suspected that the body was of his father.

Ravi told PTI that he last conversed with his father on the night of September 30, 2020.

“In the call, he told us that he was going to drop a passenger in Dwarka and after that he would return home. But later his mobile phone went unreachable,” he said.

Ravi said that they approached the local police station in Vijay Vihar and lodged a missing complaint but the police could not trace him.

He said that he received a call on Friday morning following which the police took them to the spot.

The car belongs to us which my father bought in 2019 but I still cant believe that it was my father’s body, Ravi said.

He said the police has given the skeleton to them after conducting the post-mortem examination and added they will conduct the DNA test to ascertain it was my father.

“We have conducted the last rites after the post-mortem examination today. But I still hope that my father is still alive,” he said.

He said that it may be some one else’s body, though they conducted its last rites.

When contacted, a senior police officer said on the basis of circumstantial evidences it is suspected to be the body of Vinod.

“But we are not ruling out any kind of possibility in the matter. Further investigations are underway,” the officer said.

The police said that they have preserved a sample from the body for the DNA test.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) MP Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday alleged that some “unknown miscreants” vandalised his Delhi residence with black ink.

The AIMIM MP shared this claim on his X handle and wrote, “Some “unknown miscreants” vandalised my house with black ink today. I have now lost count the number of times my Delhi residence has targeted.”

He further claimed that upon asking about the incident, the Delhi Police expressed their helplessness on this incident.

“When I asked @DelhiPolice officials how this was happening right under their nose, they expressed helplessness.”

Mr Owaisi further asked Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Speaker of Lok Sabha Om Birla on the safety of MPs and wrote, “@AmitShah this is happening under your oversight. @ombirlakota, please tell us if MPs’ safety will be guaranteed or not.”

Mr Owaisi, in his post, regarded this attack as “Savarkar-type cowardly behaviour” and wrote, “To the two-bit goons who keep targeting my house: this does not scare me. Stop this Savarkar-type cowardly behaviour and be men enough to face me. Do not scurry away after throwing some ink or pelting a few stones.”

Some “unknown miscreants” vandalised my house with black ink today. I have now lost count the number of times my Delhi residence has targeted. When I asked @DelhiPolice officials how this was happening right under their nose, they expressed helplessness. @AmitShah this is… pic.twitter.com/LmOuXu6W63

— Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) June 27, 2024

Earlier, on Thursday, Asaduddin Owaisi attacked the central government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), claiming that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leaders did not resist the Emergency, rather they wanted the ban on the organisation to be lifted.

The RSS is the ideological parent of the BJP.

In a post on ‘X’, Mr Owaisi wrote, “Speaking of emergency, what was the Sangh Parivar up to? Following the great tradition of Sorryvarkar’s mercy petitions, RSS was eager to please Indira Gandhi.”

“RSS leaders did not resist, they just wanted the ban on RSS to be lifted,” he added.

The 21-month-long period of emergency, which was imposed by the then Congress government led by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1975, has been in the limelight again as this year marks the 50th anniversary of the emergency, which is considered one of the most controversial periods in India’s political history.

The RSS was banned during the period of emergency by the then-government.

Earlier today, President Droupadi Murmu, addressed the joint sitting of the Parliament and criticised the imposition of ‘Emergency’.

“Emergency was the biggest and darkest chapter of the direct attack on the Constitution. The entire country plunged into chaos during the emergency, but the nation was victorious against such unconstitutional powers,” she said.

The remarks of the President have triggered reactions from the leaders of the INDIA bloc.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Delhi’s meteorological and political climates seem to be in perfect sync this year. After the infernal heat and dust, the city is holding its breath. It’s like being transfixed by the cobra’s eyes. Everything is at a standstill. A pregnant pause. While the new parliament is in session, nothing significant has been achieved yet, either by the ruling party or the opposition. 

No, Rahul Gandhi becoming the Leader of the Opposition does not count as a significant event. This was along the predicted lines. Similarly, a drop in the mercury is not worth any mention. After twelve months of dealing with “the twelve hottest months in the history of the planet”, a promise of rain feels nothing more than trolling. 

Delhi Lives On

Delhi is not even complaining anymore. There is a new emergency heatstroke unit now at Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital where patients are being given ice baths to save their lives. Delhi has recorded at least 14 heatwave days, the highest in at least 14 years. There’s something deeply satisfying about such numerically synchronised stats, no matter what horrors they imply. Two hundred and seventy-five people have been recorded as fatal victims of the heatwave since mid-May in Delhi. The actual numbers are certainly much higher. Delhi is cranking up the air-conditioning. 

Also Read | 20 Dead In Delhi Heatwave, Centre Orders Hospitals To Prioritise Treatment

Even the chief minister’s continued incarceration is not making people’s – his voters and supporters’ – blood boil (the Aam Aadmi Party office at Rouse Avenue has more police around it than supporters). Delhi has a habit of slinking into complacency when ‘terrible’ becomes just a notch better and gets categorised as ‘bad’. Yes, it’s a hot day, but it’s not as bad as yesterday. Our collective memory of heat and dust is rather short. Or, it is too long. Going back centuries and millennia. 

“A Desert Like That Of Karbala”

“The city has become a desert, and now that the wells are gone and water is something rare and precious, it will be a desert like that of Karbala.” Battling a severe water crisis in summer, Delhi is thus described by one of the best-known Urdu poets of all time. Only, the year is 1859 and the poet is Mirza Ghalib. Such is the curse and charisma of Delhi, the more it changes, the more it stays the same. 

Also Read | Heatwave: Death Toll Climbs To 143 Across India

Delhi’s water crisis has worsened over the years. And so has its air. Unfortunately, nobody pays attention to these issues until there is a perfect time for it. In other words, whenever a convenient scapegoat is found. Air pollution, therefore, will only be talked about in the winter, just in time for Diwali and the harvest of rice. The moment the Haryana and Punjab farmers start to clear out their farms, Delhi complains of being choked. Facts and Air Quality Index (AQI) monitors be damned that throw up horrifying numbers all year long. The AQI reading for today, a pleasant day, is 300. Very pleasant indeed! Water is scarce today but in no time the city will be inundated, thanks to a swelling Yamuna and clogged or absent drains. 

Dysfunctional But Functioning

None of this is new. Delhi goes on. It has taken it upon itself to show Mumbai its place. What do you mean by the spirit of Mumbai? Even Delhi is willing to stay charred or flooded for days and still be ‘functional’. At least as functional as wealthy club-goers insisting on getting behind the wheel after a gallon of alcohol in their bodies.

What Delhi does not do is value accountability. And here is the catch. Once you start seeking accountability, you have to be accountable, too. Power outages, for example, can not be only owing to the faulty gear of the power companies or soaring demand etc. Surely, electricity theft and wastage at individual and institutional levels have a role to play in it. Similarly, air pollution may have something to do with the countless cars on the roads. It’s a big stereotype in the West that Delhi folk – the privileged lot that can afford foreign travel – are extremely poor walkers. Yes, despite boasting of one of the best public transport infrastructures in the country, Delhi relies on its private motor vehicle ownership. 

The Many Delhis

Delhi is second to none when it comes to flouting norms and laws in its quest to build and build some more. The city is perpetually under construction. According to a recent survey done by Ahmedabad’s Indian Institute of Public Health, more than 60% of construction workers suffer from heat stress during summer. Despite the Labour Ministry’s 2023 directives to construction companies for a change in working hours and humane work conditions, nothing has changed on the ground, thanks to the absence of strict enforcement. As long as the privileged in Delhi get their draft of cool air from their car ACs, they don’t care who drops dead next to their boiling vehicle. 

Delhi builds, Delhi sizzles, Delhi dies. Often, it’s not the same Delhi. 

(Nishtha Gautam is a Delhi-based author and academic.)

Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author

New Delhi:

As searing temperatures reaching up to 47 degrees Celsius continue to boil Delhi, the capital’s electricity usage has reached an incredible peak of 8,647 MW today, its highest-ever peak power demand.

According to officials, peak power demand in Delhi reached 8,647 MW at 3:22 pm today.

On May 22, 2024, Delhi’s peak electricity consumption reached 8000 MW for the first time. Since then, there have been eight instances when Delhi’s peak electricity consumption exceeded 8000 MW.

Due to the scorching temperatures outside, Delhi residents are forced to use air conditioners and other cooling devices more frequently than usual, leading to subsequent electricity spikes.

The India Meteorological Department has predicted heatwave conditions in “isolated pockets of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand on 19th June.”

Heatwave to severe heatwave conditions very likely in many parts of Uttar Pradesh whereas heatwave conditions very likely in isolated pockets of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand on 19th June, 2024. pic.twitter.com/OserdyX0Wb

— India Meteorological Department (@Indiametdept) June 18, 2024

The national capital is currently under a ‘red’ alert, with the maximum temperature expected to reach 45 degrees Celsius today. 

With inputs from ANI

Rohtak (Haryana):

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini hit back at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal amid the row over the water crisis in the national capital. He said the state is providing its complete quota of water to Delhi and the Aam Aadmi party government is “spreading lies” to hide its own “corruption.”

Addressing a press conference on Saturday, chief minister Saini said, “Mr Kejriwal made this allegation earlier also. I want to ask him to pay less attention to corruption and more to development. Haryana is providing more water than was decided in the agreement made at the court’s order. Haryana is providing more water than agreed.”

“But just for their politics, for hiding their corruption, he (the Delhi chief minister) is spreading lies. This is the nature of Arvind Kejriwal,” he added.

Taking a jibe at the Delhi government, Mr Saini said that the AAP government couldn’t build proper infrastructure for water, as it was busy with “corruption.”

“He (Mr Kejriwal) failed to build a proper water system because his full focus was on corruption…the court also slammed the Delhi government and said the Haryana government is providing their quota of water,” he said.

Meanwhile, Delhi continues to battle a severe water crisis amid rising temperatures in the National Capital.

Earlier on Friday, the Delhi government approached the Supreme Court to get immediate additional water from neighbouring Haryana.

Delhi government in its plea said that it is constrained to file the petition on account of the acute shortage of water being faced by the people of Delhi, triggered by the ongoing severe heat conditions in North India, particularly in the national capital.

Several areas in Delhi, including Chanakyapuri’s Sanjay Camp area and the Geeta colony area are among those facing acute water shortages. In the blazing heat, people have to wait in long queues to fill buckets from water tankers.

The residents have complained that, despite submitting applications to the government regarding water shortage, their pleas go unnoticed.

The Haryana chief minister further said that they are probing the allegations of discrepancies and incidents of ‘bogus voting’ during polling in the state

He also said the whole report of BJP leaders who were allegedly working against the party’s interest will be sent to the central leadership.

“We called a meeting with all the district in-charges yesterday, the other position holders, and other leaders. We are collecting all the information…whatever will be found, whoever has done the whole report will be sent to the central leadership. Whatever decision will be taken by them, will have to be followed by everyone,” chief minister Saini said.

“The officers who have committed discrepancies, made attempts of bogus voting, tried to spoil the atmosphere. Whichever booths are found involved in this, we will take action against the involved officers,” he added.

The 10 seats of Haryana voted on May 25 in the sixth phase of polling. The counting of votes will be done on June 4.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Soaring temperatures in Delhi have proven to be too much for some courts and are putting to the test a law in place since 1961 that requires lawyers to wear heavy black robes and coats.

At least three High Courts have permitted lawyers to discard the robes and coats for the summer, although the Supreme Court is being urged to make it a general rule for all lawyers in the country.

Judges at one New Delhi court postponed a case this week until later in the year, complaining about a lack of air conditioning and water supply.

While Supreme Court and most High Courts have air conditioning, many lower courts and consumer forums depend on fans and have poor ventilation.

New Delhi recorded temperatures of around 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit) for the first time this week, forcing authorities to restrict water supply, shut schools and set up heatstroke units at hospitals.

They have also deployed paramedics to polling stations for the final day of general election on Saturday in case any voters fall ill as they queue in the heat. A 40-year-old labourer died of heat stroke on Wednesday.

The northwest has been experiencing high temperatures for several weeks. The Indian Meteorological Department has predicted two or three times the usual number of heat wave days in the region this month, or days defined by abnormally hot weather.

For Delhi, that means sweltering temperatures that are effecting people across the city, including its legal system.

At a consumer court in Dwarka, which Reuters visited on Thursday, judges presided over cases against insurance companies in a courtroom fitted with two non-functioning air conditioners. Ceiling fans and open windows offered the only respite from the weather.

Three of the court’s judges issued a written order this week stating they had declined to hear a case due to high temperatures in the court room. They adjourned the case for the cooler month of November.

“There is neither air conditioner nor cooler in the court room … There is too much heat. There is no water supply even to go to the washroom to ease ourselves … In these circumstances, arguments cannot be heard,” the order said.

In 2021,  then chief justice said courts “still operate from dilapidated structures without proper facilities”, which was “severely detrimental” for both litigants and lawyers.

A Delhi-based lawyer, Shailendra Mani Tripathi, has taken the matter to the Supreme Court, asking justices to change the decades old dresscode.

Black coats absorb more heat and endanger health, Mr Tripathi says in his filing, which the justices have yet to hear.

Forcing lawyers to wear them “is neither fair nor reasonable,” he says.

New Delhi:

A 22-year-old woman was strangled allegedly by her husband over matrimonial dispute on Wednesday in southwest Delhi, police said.

The killed woman was identified as Pooja, a resident of Rajokri, they said.

“On Wednesday at 12.38 pm, a PCR call was received regarding a murder at Vasant Kunj South police station following which a team was rushed to the spot,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (southwest) Rohit Meena said.

“Prima facie matrimonial dispute seems the reason behind murder. From the initial examination of the dead body, it has been found that the death is due to strangulation,” said the DCP.

During the initial enquiry, the police found that Pooja and her husband Abhishek had gotten married a month ago. Both had married for the second time. While Abhishek had no children from his first marriage, Pooja had a son.

Police said that the Forensic Science Laboratory team and crime team have inspected the spot. A case is being registered and multiple teams are working to nab the accused.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

A Varanasi-bound IndiGo flight today received a bomb threat at the Delhi airport, prompting authorities to inspect the plane, officials said.

The flight, 6E2211, was scheduled to take off from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport around 5 am and was stopped on the runway minutes before departure.

“At 05:40 am, a phone call was received from the IGI airport regarding a bomb threat. A message ‘BOMB BLAST @30 MINUTES’ was written on a piece of paper inside the lavatory of the flight and was found by the pilot,” an official said.

The aircraft, with 176 passengers onboard, was immediately taken to the isolation bay for further necessary action, the official said, adding that a quick response team was deployed, which has so far not found any suspicious items.

All passengers were deboarded through the emergency door and are safe, the official said.

#WATCH | Passengers of the IndiGo flight 6E2211 operating from Delhi to Varanasi were evacuated through the emergency door after a bomb threat was reported on the flight. All passengers are safe, flight is being inspected.

(Viral video confirmed by Aviation authorities) https://t.co/el2q5jCatxpic.twitter.com/ahVc0MSiXz

— ANI (@ANI) May 28, 2024

The IndiGo also released an official statement and said that the aircraft was taken to a remote bay as per guidelines by airport security agencies.

“The flight is currently undergoing inspection. Post completion of all security checks, the aircraft will be positioned back in the terminal area,” the airline said.

ALSO READ | Mumbai Cops Receive Hoax Message Threatening To Blow Up Taj Hotel, Airport

Earlier this month, a tissue paper with the word ‘bomb’ written on it was found on an Air India flight lavatory at Delhi airport, but it had turned out to be a hoax.

Police had said that they received information regarding a tissue paper found in the lavatory of an Air India flight scheduled to depart for Vadodara on May 15, with the word ‘bomb’ written on it.

“Following standard security protocols, a thorough inspection was conducted, and no suspicious items were found,” an official had said.

Several hospitals and schools in Delhi have recently been targeted with bomb threat emails, that claimed the presence of explosives on their premises. However, investigators found the threats to be false alarms.

New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi attacked the Opposition again over dynastic politics today, declaring that while the BJP’s mantra is “Nation First”, the other side operates on the “Family first” maxim. Then, in an apparent dig at Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party — which rules Delhi and Punjab — and the rest of the opposition bloc, he also said “every party associated with the Congress” is responsible for the anti-Sikh riots.

Speaking at a rally in Delhi’s Dwarka, PM Modi said, “Friends, all this happened because the BJP is committed to the “Nation First” model. On the other hand, the Congress and the Opposition bloc — their only agenda is ‘Family First’.”

“In this very Delhi, my Sikh brothers and sisters were killed by placing burning tyres around their neck. Today, every party under the Congress umbrella stands guilty,” he added, citing the anti-Sikh riots of 1984 after the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

AAP and Congress are contesting in Delhi under a seat-sharing deal that allotted four seats to Mr Kejriwal’s party and three to the Congress. The two parties, though, are contesting against each other in Punjab, with the respective state units unable to bury the hatchet.   

The BJP is going solo in the national capital, contesting all seven seats. In 2019, the party had swept the capital and is now hoping for a repeat performance.

AAP, determined to put up a strong fight, found itself stymied after the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal in connection with the Delhi liquor policy case. But since his release on interim bail earlier this month, the party has got a fresh boost. Two of its other key leaders, Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain, though, are still in jail.

In 2019, AAP and Congress had contested separately, playing into the hands of the BJP. This time, the two parties are hoping that their alliance would help keep the anti-BJP vote together.

Delhi votes in a single phase on May 25. The counting of votes will be held on June 4.

New Delhi:

As Delhi boils at scorching temperatures reaching up to 47 degrees Celsius, the capital’s electricity usage has reached an incredible peak of 8,000 MW today, its highest-ever peak power demand.

Peak power demand in Delhi reached 8,000 MW at 3:42 pm today, according to officials.

The subsequent spikes in electricity use reflect the searing heatwave in Delhi, which has led residents to use air conditioners and other cooling devices more frequently than usual.

A ‘red alert’ has been issued in the city by the Meteorological Department for the next three days.

According to the seven-day forecast, Delhi’s maximum temperature will be around 44 to 47 degrees Celsius.

The Delhi government has ordered all schools to start summer vacations with immediate effect.