Rajnath to begin two-day J&K visit from Wednesday
New Delhi, July 3: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday will begin a two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir during which he is slated to hold a high-level meeting in Srinagar and pay obeisance at the holy cave shrine of Amarnath.
Informed sources said the Minister will leave for Srinagar on Wednesday evening and return to Delhi on Friday afternoon.
Rajnath Singh's agenda, said ministry officials, was yet to be disclosed but it was confirmed that he would start his day on Thursday by visiting Amarnath cave, to which a 60-day annual pilgrimage commenced on June 28 and will continue till August 26.
The minister later in the day will chair a high-level security review meeting where top army brass, officials of the Jammu and Kashmir government and police, central paramilitary forces and intelligence agencies will be present, said a source, adding he will also hold political discussions with Governor N.N. Vohra.
Rajnath Singh will be accompanied by Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba and other ministry officials dealing with Jammu and Kashmir related matters. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval is also expected to accompany him.
The meeting is expected to review the impending threats from terrorist outfits active in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly to the Amarnath Yatra, and measures taken to neutralise them.
Safe and uneventful conduct of the Amarnath pilgrimage is among the top priorities of the security establishment and the Centre and Jammu and Kashmir government are leaving no stone unturned to ensure this.
The meeting shall discuss measures to minimise attempts by locals to disrupt anti-terror operations by indulging in stone-pelting and protests during operations against militants in the Kashmir Valley.
The security brass will also review steps for a heightened vigil at the Line of Control and International Border to curb infiltration of foreign terrorists linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, including those looking to target the Amarnath Yatra.
Over two lakh pilgrims from across the country have registered for the Yatra. Security measures have been taken keeping in mind the ceasefire violations on the border and other terrorist activities in Jammu and Kashmir.
It would be Rajnath Singh's first visit to Jammu and Kashmir after the Bharatiya Janata Party's decision to end its alliance with the Peoples Democratic Party led to the fall of the Mehbooba Mufti-led coalition government and imposition of Governor's rule in the state.
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Goa nightclub fire: Co-owner Ajay Gupta's police remand extended by four days
Panaji (PTI): A Goa court on Thursday extended by four days the police remand of Ajay Gupta, co-owner of Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub, where a devastating fire on December 6 killed 25 persons.
Gupta was arrested from New Delhi on December 10. A court in Mapusa had remanded him in police custody for seven days at the time.
Gupta was presented before the lower court, which sent him to four-day police custody as his initial remand was expiring, his advocate Rohan Desai told reporters.
"Gupta had complained about back pain. The court ordered his medical examination, after which he was allowed use of a mattress in custody. He was examined by a specialised doctor at Goa Medical College and Hospital near here," the lawyer said.
Twenty-five persons, including 20 staff members and five tourists, were killed in the major blaze at the nightclub at Arpora in North Goa around midnight of December 6.
Gupta had, during the day, filed an bail application.
So far, eight persons have been arrested in connection with the case, including Gupta, and two other owners - Gaurav Luthra and his brother Saurabh - who were deported from Thailand.
Five other staffers of the nightclub arrested in the case are Rajiv Modak (Corporate General Manager), Priyanshu Thakur (Gate Manager), Rajveer Singhania (Bar Manager), Vivek Singh (General Manager) and Bharat Karan Singh Kohli (employee).
A Look Out Circular (LOC) has been issued against Surinder Kumar Khosla, another owner of the nightclub who is a British citizen, police said.
