RTI activist arrested in Assam ahead of Shah's visit
Guwahati, May 20: Ahead of the BJP national President Amit Shah's visit to Assam, RTI activist and farmers' body leader Akhil Gogoi was arrested on Sunday morning for protesting against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016.
Shah is scheduled to arrive in Assam capital on Sunday to address leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) from all the northeastern states.
Gogoi, who leads Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), had on Saturday urged the people of Assam to protest against the visit of Shah by displaying black flags "to send a strong message to the BJP President" over the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016.
Police arrested Gogoi when he was protesting near Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra, where the NEDA meeting is scheduled.
"We were peacefully protesting here... However, the BJP government has arrested me in the most undemocratic manner," Gogoi told reporters before being taken away.
"I once again appeal to the people to unite against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill and protest against the visit of Shah by showing black flags to him," Gogoi added.
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Investors become poorer by Rs 12 lakh cr in three days of market fall
New Delhi, Jan 10: Investors' wealth tumbled Rs 12 lakh crore in three days of market slump due to uninterrupted foreign fund outflows and concerns over quarterly earnings.
Also, rising crude oil prices and a strengthening dollar index added to investors' pessimism.
In three days, the BSE benchmark Sensex tanked 820.2 points or 1.04 per cent.
On Friday, the 30-share BSE benchmark declined 241.30 points or 0.31 per cent to settle at 77,378.91. During the day, the benchmark gyrated 820.15 points between the day's high of 77,919.70 and low of 77,099.55.
The NSE Nifty dropped 95 points or 0.40 per cent to 23,431.50.
The market capitalisation of BSE-listed firms diminished by Rs 12,07,314.99 crore to Rs 4,29,67,835.05 crore (USD 5 trillion) in the three days.
From the 30-share blue-chip pack on Friday, IndusInd Bank, NTPC, UltraTech Cement, State Bank of India, Sun Pharma, Axis Bank, Tata Steel and Power Grid were among the major laggards.
Tata Consultancy Services jumped nearly 6 per cent after the IT services company reported an 11.95 per cent surge in the December quarter net profit to Rs 12,380 crore.
Devarsh Vakil, Head of Prime Research at HDFC Securities, said, "Strong quarterly earnings from TCS drove the IT index up 3.4 per cent, helping the market withstand a sharp sell-off."
However, despite broad gains across IT stocks, the Nifty fell for the third consecutive session, Vakil added.
Tech Mahindra, HCL Tech, Infosys and Bajaj Finserv were the other big gainers.
Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth Rs 7,170.87 crore on Thursday, according to exchange data.
"Domestic market sentiment remained subdued due to rising crude oil prices, driven by supply concerns, and a strengthening dollar index. Despite the IT sector's resilience following positive early Q3 results, broader indices bled due to uncertainties surrounding Trump policies and high valuations.
"Consolidation may persist in the near term, yet investors are closely watching the US non-farm payroll data today for further guidance," Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services, said.
The BSE smallcap gauge dropped 2.40 per cent and midcap index declined 2.13 per cent.
Among BSE sectoral indices, power tanked 3.07 per cent, utilities (2.86 per cent), realty (2.64 per cent), industrials (2.08 per cent), commodities (2.05 per cent) and consumer durables (1.98 per cent).
BSE Focused IT jumped 3.17 per cent, IT (2.65 per cent) and teck (2.24 per cent) were the biggest gainers.
As many as 3,167 stocks declined while 827 advanced and 84 remained unchanged on the BSE.
"Markets continued its downward trajectory as the rupee dropping to new lows against the strengthening dollar has further dampened investors' sentiment. Amid concerns of subdued economic growth and expectations of a slowdown in the quarterly earnings, investors cut their bet on banking and mid & small cap stocks.
"With expensive valuations of Indian markets at large still a concern, investors would mostly resort to stock-specific activities," Prashanth Tapse, Senior VP (Research) at Mehta Equities Ltd, said.
