Evening news briefing: Amit Shah says time to punish ‘tukde-tukde’ gang, Army Chief Gen. Bipin Rawat on CAA and more

CAA will not take away anyone’s citizenship, only seeks to confer dignity and rights to the persecuted

The historic Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) has come into effect across the country following a gazette notification on December 12. This moment signifies the continuous struggle of many visionary leaders and freedom fighters. With the CAA, a long-pending demand for relief to persecuted religious minorities has been met. Recalling two incidents from history will be useful to understand the importance of the CAA.

‘Don’t fear anybody’: Mamata asks students to carry on with CAA protests

Leading yet another protest march over the amended Citizenship Act, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Thursday asked students to carry on with their protests and “not fear anybody”. Warning the BJP against “playing with fire”, CM Mamata also asserted that peaceful protests will continue as long as the new citizenship law is not withdrawn. “Do not fear anybody. I warn the BJP not to play with fire,” Banerjee told protesting students, adding that she would always be by their side.

‘RSS PM lies to Bharat Mata’: Rahul Gandhi hits out at Modi over ‘no detention centres’ claim

Hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday for his claim that there were no detention centres in India, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi alleged that “RSS’s Prime Minister lies to Bharat Mata”. Gandhi attached a video, which purportedly shows an under-construction detention centre in Assam. “RSS’s Prime Minister lies to Bharat Mata,” Gandhi said in the tweet in Hindi with the hashtag ‘Jhoot Jhoot Jhoot (lies, lies, lies).

This is how PM Modi responded when a Twitter user said his picture was ‘becoming a meme’

As the final solar eclipse of this year began on Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to share that he could not “see the Sun due to cloud cover” in New Delhi. The Prime Minister added he caught glimpses of the eclipse in Kozhikode on live stream, and “enriched my knowledge on the subject by interacting with experts”. However, it was what happened around an hour later that almost “eclipsed” the PM’s original tweet. Read more

King of this decade: The era that witnessed the meteoric rise of Virat Kohli

If there is one player in the current Indian cricket team who stands out for his meteoric rise and whose leadership skills made him a fan favourite with the whole country then it is undoubtedly India captain Virat Kohli. Virat Kohli burst on to the scene in 2008 when he made his international debut on August 18. It certainly wasn’t a memorable occasion as he was dismissed cheaply for 18 in his first innings against Sri Lanka. A year later, Kohli hit his maiden hundred against the same opponent in Kolkata in 2009, signalling his arrival on the international scene. Read more

Explained: The locust attack in Gujarat’s farms — why and when do swarms strike

Gigantic swarms of locusts have descended on parts of Gujarat and Rajasthan, destroying crops and triggering panic. The first large swarm arrived in Gujarat about 10 days ago. In Rajasthan, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot earlier this week reviewed measures taken to deal with locust attacks in the western districts. Some 10 swarms have entered Rajasthan since May; however, the crisis is currently the most acute in Gujarat.