A district court lawyer was shot dead near the Gohri railway crossing in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj district.

The lawyer, Sushil Kumar Patel, was taken to the Swarup Rani Nehru hospital where the doctors declared him dead.

On Sunday night, Sushil Kumar Patel was on his way to Phaphamau from his village on his bike when the attackers came on motorbikes, overtook him near a railway crossing and shot at him.

Witnesses said that the lawyer was chased for some distance before he was shot in the chest at a close range. The attackers then escaped.

Senior Superintendent of Police Atul Sharma said all police stations of the district have been alerted and a hunt has been launched to arrest the accused.

Primary investigation revealed that the lawyer was involved in a property dispute. Patel was also involved in property dealing, the police said, adding that this could be the motive behind the killing.

The incident came less than two weeks after the chairperson of Uttar Pradesh Bar Council, Darvesh Yadav, was shot dead by another lawyer on the premises of the Agra district court.

The attacker, who shot himself after committing the crime, died in a Gurugram hospital on Saturday.

Railway Recruitment Board or RRB has announced the exam other related dates for those candidates whose examinations were rescheduled due to technical reasons. The RRBs had announced recruitment for the posts of Junior Engineer (JE), Junior Engineer (Information Technology), Depot Material Superintendant (DMS) and Chemical and Metallurgical Assistant (CMA) last year. According to the schedule announced by RRB, the first stage Computer Based Test (CBT) of RRB JE candidates whose examinations were rescheduled on technical reasons will now be held from June 26, 2019 onwards.

RRB JE exam 2019: Important Dates and Time for re-scheduled CBT 1

Viewing of the exam city and date intimation: June 16, 2019

Downloading of Train Travel Authority for eligible Candidates (This is only to make travel arrangements in train and not an e-call letter: June 16, 2019

Download of e- call letter: 4 days prior to first stage cbt date mentioned in exam city and date intimation

Activation of RRB JE mock link for CBT: June 16, 2019

Re-schedule of first stage CBT: June 26 to 28, 2019 (3 days)

“All Candidates, whose 1st stage CBT was rescheduled , may login with their credentials on the above mentioned dates through the link to be provided on the official websites of RRBs for knowing their Exam City, Date, Session, downloading Train Travel Authority (for eligible candidates only) and E-Call letter,” RRBs said in a statement.

Duration of CBT will be 90 minutes (120 minutes for eligible PwBD candidates accompanied with scribe) and number of questions will be 100.

Questions will be Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ) and negative marking will be applied during the evaluation (1/3rd for every incorrect answer).

The RRB JE examination will consist of four sections– Mathematics, General Intelligence and Reasoning, General Awareness and General Science– totalling to 100 marks. Mathematics and General Science will have 30 questions each whereas General Intelligence-Reasoning and General Awareness sections will have 25 and 15 questions, respectively.

Amit Sharma, the Uttar Pradesh journalist who was brutally beaten up on a video on Tuesday, has today claimed that he was targeted by Railway personnel for “exposing” their illegal activity.

The journalist alleged that Government Railway Police personnel were involved in a vending business in passenger trains which is prohibited throughout India by the Centre. He covered the story and his organisation flashed this in a messaging group which, according to him, made the government officials angry. He also claimed he was offered a bribe by the GRP personnel, which he refused.

Mr Sharma, a stringer for TV channel News24, was covering the derailment of a train in Shamli district when he was punched, beaten and abused by Government Railway Police personnel.

“They were in plain clothes. One hit my camera and it fell down. When I picked it up, they hit and abused me. I was locked up, stripped and they urinated in my mouth,” Amit Sharma said.

Recalling the horror, he added, “I was then taken into the police station, again beaten up and the SHO (GRP) urinated on me. I tried to escape from their grasp but they got hold of me and I was held at gunpoint. I am ashamed to even talk about the treatment meted out to me by the GRP.”

The National Human Rights Commission today issued a notice to the DGP of Uttar Pradesh, OP Singh over the reported brutal assault Mr Sharma. The Press Council of India has set up a fact-finding committee and sought a reply from the state government as well.

The incident occurred a day after the Supreme Court ordered the release of journalist Prashant Kanojia, who was jailed for three days by the Uttar Pradesh police for posting “derogatory” content against UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

The Western Railways cancelled 70 trains and curtailed the journeys of 28 others as Cyclone Vayu inched closer to the Gujarat coastline, growing stronger along the way. The cancellations came into effect from 6 pm yesterday, and is expected to extend over two days across affected areas. Union Earth Sciences Minister Harsh Vardhan said that Vayu — which intensified into a severe cyclonic storm two days ago — will hit the Gujarat coast on Thursday afternoon with a windspeed of 155-156 kilometres per hour. The government has evacuated around 3.1 lakh people, and as many as 52 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed for rescue and relief operations. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also tweeted to say that the centre was constantly monitoring the situation.

1. While the Gujarat government has evacuated over 3 lakh people from low-lying areas of Gujarat and 10,000 from Diu to safer places, the NDRF has “pre-positioned” 52 teams equipped with boats, tree-cutters and telecom equipment, Home Minister Amit Shah tweeted yesterday.
2. Two special trains — one running from Okha in Saurashtra to Rajkot and the other to Ahmedabad — have also been pressed into service to ensure that people are evacuated. The entire coastline remains under high alert.
3. The cyclone’s strength will continue to remain strong for 24 hours even after landfall, news agency PTI quoted an official as saying. All schools and colleges along the coastline will remain closed until the danger has passed, and naval diving teams have been kept on standby.
4. Cyclone Vayu made an impact in nearby Mumbai too, with nearly 400 flights being affected due to bad weather. According to PTI, as many as 194 departures and 192 arrivals were delayed, and at least two flights had to be diverted.
5. Flight operations at airports in Porbandar, Diu, Bhavnagar, Keshod and Kandla have been suspended for a period of 24 hours from midnight. A decision on the Surat airport will be taken after reviewing weather conditions.
6. Fishermen have also been advised against venturing the sea along the Gujarat coast until June 15. Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has already asked tourists in areas such as Dwarka, Somnath, Sasan and Kutch to leave for safer places.
7. The central government is “closely monitoring” the situation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, adding that he is constantly monitoring the situation with the help of the state governments concerned.
8. Congress president Rahul Gandhi also asked party workers in the state to help out in areas that are affected by the cyclone. “I pray for the security and well-being of all the people living in the areas expected to be affected,” he tweeted.
9. Cyclone Vayu was caused due to a deep depression in the Arabian Sea, the India Meteorological Department said. It has warned of heavy rain and winds at speeds of over 110 kilometres per hour in coastal areas of Saurashtra and Kutch until Friday.
10. Vayu comes close on the heels of Cyclone Fani, which hit the Odisha coast last month. Given how the eastern state efficiently handled the situation, the Gujarat government has contacted its administration for pointers on minimising loss to life and property.

Four people died in ‘unbearable’ heat while travelling by train in Uttar Pradesh’s Jhansi, which has been in the grip of a heat wave for two weeks, officials and passengers said Tuesday.

The four died Monday while travelling from Agra — the city of the Taj Mahal — to Tamil Nadu’s Coimbatore.

“Heat seems to be a factor,” Indian Railways spokesman Ajit Kumar Singh told AFP, “it is really unfortunate”.

“When the train was approaching Jhansi, we got a call from the on-board staff that one of the passengers is unconscious,” Mr Singh said.

“We rushed medical staff to the station but they found that three of the passengers were already dead.”

A fourth person died later in hospital.

Temperatures have hovered around 45 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit) in Jhansi in recent days.

Mr Singh said the Kerala Express train had no technical problems, but the tourists were not in air-conditioned coaches.

A passenger who was a part of the group that boarded in Agra said the train was stiflingly hot.

“Shortly after we left Agra, the heat became unbearable and some people started complaining of breathing problems and uneasiness,” the passenger was quoted as saying by News18 television.

“Before we could get some help, they collapsed.”

One of the dead was 81 years old, the channel said.

Much of the country has been sweltering in temperatures that have risen above 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit) in Rajasthan. A number of deaths from heat stroke have been reported.

Temperatures touched 50.3 degrees Celsius in Rajasthan’s Churu recently, just below the country record of 51 degrees.

The Indian Railway Station Development Corporation or IRSDC has entered into a tripartite agreement with French National Railways SNCF and French Development Agency AFD, under which a grant of up to 7 lakh euros will be given to give a boost to capacity building for India’s railway station development program.

The agreement was signed in the presence of Suresh Angadi, Minister of State for Railways, and Jean Baptiste Lemoyne, Minister of State for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, Alexandre Ziegler, Ambassador of France in India and other senior officers of the French Embassy and Indian Railways.

“Under this agreement, AFD, has agreed to provide in-kind grant financing up to 7,00,000 Euros, through SNCF-Hubs and Connexions as a Technical Partner to IRSDC to support capacity building for the Railway Station Development Program in India,” said a statement released by the Indian Railways.

This will impose no financial liability on IRSDC or Indian Railways, the statement said.

“India and France have a strong and long standing prosperous partnership in the railway sector. French Railways (SNCF) in the past has been associated with Indian Railways in conducting speed upgradation study for Delhi-Chandigarh section and station development of Ludhiana and Ambala stations,” Mr Angadi said.

“I am sure that this effort will go a long way in further strengthening Indo-French cooperation and will help Indian Railways in positioning its stations to world class standards,” he added.

On Twitter, Mr Ziegler said, “Just after the signing ceremony of an Indo-French agreement to support India’s modernisation of railways stations, @JBLemoyne (Lemoyne) met Shri @PiyushGoyal (Piyush Goyal) to discuss about the future of this cooperation!”

RCTC or Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation, the online ticketing arm of the Indian Railways, allows senior citizens, journalists and persons with disabilities to book concessional tickets through its website – irctc.co.in. Other eligible individuals can avail the concession by booking the tickets from the Passenger Reservation System (PRS) countersat the railway stations. For booking senior citizen concession tickets from IRCTC’s website, passengers are required to select “avail concession” option under “option for senior citizen concession” section of passenger details form. The quantum of these concession ranges from 40 per cent to 50 per cent, according to IRCTC.

Given below are key things to know about IRCTC senior citizen concession:

1. Concessions on fares are available for male senior citizens of minimum 60 years and female senior citizen of minimum 58 years. The element of concession is 40 per cent for men senior citizens and 50 per cent for women senior citizens, according to IRCTC.

2. The reduction in fares are available in all classes of Mail/Express/Rajdhani/Shatabdi/Jan Shatabdi/Duronto group of trains.

3. Passengers availing senior citizen concession have to carry a proof of age while travelling, according to IRCTC.

4. Senior citizen passengers who wish to opt out of the concession fully or some part and contribute towards nation development may book their tickets without the concession element. To book tickets without senior citizen concession, such passengers can select “forgo full concession” option under “option for senior citizen concession” section of passenger details form.

5. To book tickets with 50 per cent of senior citizen concession, such passengers can select “forgo 50 per cent concession” option under “option for senior citizen concession” section of passenger details form.

Two young boys were taken into custody by the Railway Protection Force after they performed daredevil stunts in a local train, video of which was widely shared on social media.

On June 6, Thursday, around five-six boys boarded the train from Mankhurd railway station and started performing stunts as soon as the train left the station for Kurla.

A person sitting in the back coach made the video of these boys and sent it to Kurla Railway Protection Force. When the train reached Kurla railway station, the railway team started looking for the boys.

The team managed to catch two of them while the rest managed to get away.

The police later released them after counselling and handed them over to their parents.

Home Minister Amit Shah is in all eight key cabinet committees announced after Prime Minister Narendra Modi started a second term last week. PM Modi is in six of them and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is in two. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is in seven panels and Commerce and Railways Minister Piyush Goyal in five.

Rajnath Singh, who was moved from the Home Ministry that he headed in the previous term, is in the Cabinet Committees on Economic Affairs and Security. He is notably missing from the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs, which decides on policy; it has Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari, Nirmala Sitharaman, Narendra Tomar, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Harsh Vardhan, Piyush Goyal, Pralhad Joshi and allies Ram Vilas Paswan, Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Arvind Sawant.

Rajnath Singh’s exclusion is significant because the minister who is number two in the government – by convention the person who is sworn in right after the prime minister — usually presides over the cabinet and the political affairs committee in the absence of the Prime Minister. Also, Nirmala Sitharaman as Defence Minister was part of the previous government’s political affairs committee.

Amit Shah, Nirmala Sitharaman, Piyush Goyal and Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari will be in the panel for Accommodation.

The Cabinet Appointments Committee has only PM Modi and Amit Shah.

PM Modi will also head the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, which includes, apart from Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Nirmala Sitharaman, Piyush Goyal, DV Sadananda Gowda, Narendra Tomar, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Dharmendra Pradhan.

Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs includes Amit Shah, Nirmala Sitharaman, Narendra Tomar, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Ram Vilas Paswan, Thawar Chand Gehlot, Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar and Pralhad Joshi.

One of the most important panels, the Cabinet Committee on Security, includes the Prime Minister, Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, Nirmala Sitharaman and S Jaishankar.

The Prime Minister is also a part of the new Cabinet Committee on Investment and Growth, whose members are Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari, Nirmala Sitharaman and Piyush Goyal. The group will examine how to arrest the growth slide.

Another new panel, the Cabinet Committee on Employment and Skill Development, which will look into tackling the jobs crisis, has PM Modi, Amit Shah, Nirmala Sitharaman, Narendra Tomar, Piyush Goyal, Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal, Dharmendra Pradhan, Mahendra Nath Pandey, Santosh Gangwar, and Hardeep Singh Puri.

Union Minister Smriti Irani is among the special invitees to this pane

Piyush Goyal, reassigned the charge of the crucial railway ministry, is likely to focus on safety, generation of non-fare revenue, track renewal, modernisation and increase in the production of state-of-the-art coaches in his second stint at the helm of the national transporter, official sources said Friday.

Mr Goyal, having achieved the lowest accident figures in his previous tenure, had repeatedly said that his goal was to reach the zero accident standard.

His biggest challenge would be to maintain the record by timely track maintenance and renewal. His aim would be to ensure that railway factories ramp up production of state-of-the-art coaches for trains such as Vande Bharat Express so that more such services can be introduced.

Mr Goyal, who had pushed for generating resources through non-fare revenue, had hit a stonewall during his last stint, but the minister is likely to drive this idea as he believes that this will bring in additional funds to boost the beleaguered railways’ finances.

Known to work with a team of around 20 trusted advisors, mostly graduates of top business schools, Mr Goyal keeps track of every operational detail through spreadsheets and is usually quick with facts and figures.

Not shy of keeping bureaucrats in line, Mr Goyal burns the midnight oil reading reports and documents related to different aspects of his ministry.

In his first stint as railway minister, Mr Goyal, a Rajya Sabha member, achieved several firsts — it was during his tenure the government announced its first bullet train which would run from Mumbai to Ahmedabad in Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state, manufactured its first indigenously-built and engine-less high-speed train Vande Bharat Express, commissioned its longest bridge, converted a diesel loco into an electric one for the first time, built its first transport university, and its first air-conditioned local train.

The national transporter also registers the lowest accident rate in the past three decades during Piyush Goyal’s tenure.