'Sholay' actor Satinder Kumar Khosla, popularly known as Birbal, dies at 84
Mumbai (PTI): Veteran actor Satinder Kumar Khosla, best known by his stage name Birbal, died on Tuesday evening due to cardiac arrest at a hospital here, his daughter Shalini said.
He was 84.
Birbal is perhaps most remembered for the role of a prisoner with a half moustache in 1975's "Sholay", headlined by Dharmendra and Amitabh Bachchan.
According to Shalini, her father was admitted to Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital for kidney-related issues last week.
"He had undergone brain surgery about a month ago. We had admitted him to the hospital three-four days ago due to kidney issues. He passed away at the hospital last evening due to cardiac arrest," Shalini told PTI.
Birbal became popular for his comic timing in 1960s and 1970s films such as "Boond Jo Ban Gayi Moti", "Upkar", "Roti Kapda Aur Makaan", "Kranti", "Naseeb", "Yaarana", "Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke" and "Anjaam". As a character actor, he has appeared in over 500 movies across languages like Hindi, Punjabi, Bhojpuri and Marathi.
The final rites will be performed today at around noon at the Versova crematorium.
Besides Shalini, Birbal is also survived by his wife and another child.
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Telangana CM urges Amit Shah to increase sanctioned strength of IPS officers in state
Hyderabad (PTI): Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Wednesday night and urged him to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state in view of its growing administrative and security needs.
The two leaders also discussed the recent surrender of several senior Maoist leaders before the Telangana Police and other issues.
"During the meeting, the two leaders discussed the issue of Maoist surrenders and their rehabilitation. The chief minister informed Shah that significant improvements in policing have taken place in Telangana over the past two years," an official release here said.
Highlighting that 591 Maoists have laid down their arms and joined the mainstream of society during this period, the chief minister said the state government was providing them compensation and rehabilitation assistance as per the rules.
He requested the Union home minister to extend financial support from the central government for development works in the backward regions of the state.
Reddy also urged Shah to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state from 83 to 105 in line with the state's growing administrative and security needs, the statement said.
The first cadre review after the formation of Telangana was conducted in 2016, while the next review, due in 2021, was delayed and finally carried out in 2025. Even then, only seven additional IPS officers were allocated to the state, the chief minister informed Shah and requested that the third cadre review be conducted in 2026 as per the schedule.
Reddy explained that Telangana, like the rest of the country, is facing several modern challenges, including cybercrime, drug trafficking, white-collar crimes, and other emerging security threats.
He highlighted the reorganisation of the Hyderabad, Cyberabad, and Malkajgiri Police Commissionerates, the proposed formation of the Future City Commissionerate and the rapidly growing population in Hyderabad to underline the increasing administrative requirements of the state.
