Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam

NEW DEHI: During a Supreme Court hearing on bail plea in the 2020 Delhi riots case, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, “There was an attempt to divide society on communal lines, it was not merely an agitation against CAA,”Tushar Mehta told the top courtStrenuously“First of all, that myth to be busted. This was not a spontaneous riot. It was a well designed, well crafted, well orchestrated, pre-planned riot. That will emerge from the evidence collected,” Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told a bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and N V Anjaria.“Sharjeel Imam says it’s his heartfelt wish for ‘chakka jaam’ for every city where Muslims reside. Not just in Delhi,” Mehta submitted.The solicitor general said a narrative is being built on social media that something very serious is going on with young people. However, the accused themselves are responsible for the delay in trial.Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, for Delhi police, is currently arguing and the hearing is under way.Khalid, Imam, Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider and Rehman were booked under the anti-terror law and provisions of the erstwhile IPC for allegedly being the “masterminds” of the February 2020 riots, which left 53 people dead and over 700 injured.Meanwhile, the Delhi high court on Tuesday directed the police to update it on the status of investigations into the 2020 Delhi riots.A bench of Justices Vivek Chaudhary and Manoj Jain issued the direction while hearing a batch of petitions related to the February 2020 violence, including pleas seeking FIRs against several political leaders for alleged hate speeches. The bench noted orally that the petitions have remained pending for six years despite the availability of an alternate legal remedy that the petitioners had not pursued.During the hearing, counsel for one of the petitioners highlighted the deaths that occurred during the riots. The bench responded that FIRs had already been registered and the police were conducting investigations, leaving “nothing” to be addressed in the existing petitions.The petitioner’s lawyer, however, alleged that the police were not conducting a fair probe and urged the court to order an independent investigation.To this, the bench said: “You challenge it before the magistrate. The magistrate will supervise. These are questions of facts. We cannot entertain questions of facts in writ petitions. You can give that evidence to the magistrate, who will look into it and pass orders. The high court cannot do this.”Reiterating that the petitioners had not availed the appropriate legal route for six years, the court remarked: “These petitions are pending for so long for no good reason. FIRs have been registered and the police are investigating.”The bench listed the matter for November 21 and asked Delhi Police counsel to submit the current status of the investigation and the number of FIRs filed.

Bangladesh women’s cricket captain Nigar Sultana Joty has vehemently denied serious allegations of physically assaulting and misbehaving with junior players in the national team. The controversy erupted after pacer Jahanara Alam, currently based in Australia, made the claims in a recent media interview, alleging junior players had reached out to her for help. Responding to the accusations, Nigar Sultana dismissed them as baseless and questioned the timing of the complaints surfacing now, years after Jahanara left the team.

Nigar Sultan denies assault and references India’s World Cup winning skipper Harmanpreet Kaur

Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana  firmly rejected the severe accusations made by pacer Jahanara, who alleged Nigar Sultana had misbehaved with and hit younger players, even claiming a junior was slapped during a prior tour. Joty expressed disbelief at the claims, rhetorically questioning why she would resort to such physical violence against her teammates. She made a pointed and controversial reference to a high-profile incident involving the Indian captain to illustrate the absurdity of the claims made against her.

Nigar Sultana was quoted as saying by the NDTV Sports: “Why would I hit anyone? I mean, why would I strike the stumps with my bat? Am I Harmanpreet, that I would go around hitting the stumps like that? Why would I do it?” This remark directly referenced Harmanpreet Kaur’s infamous outburst during the 2023 tour of Bangladesh, when the Indian captain had smashed the stumps in anger after being given out leg-before. Sultana conceded that frustration might lead to isolated actions, but only in a private context.

Nigar Sultana continued: “In my personal space, if I’m cooking or something, I might bang my bat around, I might hit my helmet that’s my own business.” She further challenged the basis of the accusation, questioning the need for physical confrontation: “But why would I do something like that to someone else? Why would I get physical? Just because someone says so? You can ask the other players or anyone else whether I’ve ever done anything like that,” appealing to the wider squad for verification.

Also READ: BCB responds after Jahanara Alam accuses former selector of sexual harassment

Bangladesh captain questions Jahanara Alam’s credibility and management oversight

Nigar Sultana not only denied the allegations but also directly questioned the credibility and motives behind Jahanara Alam’s claims, especially given Alam’s prolonged absence from the team setup.

Joty stated her character had been unfairly maligned by the description given to the public and refuted the specific claim Jahanara made, detailing what she had heard: “The way I’ve been described in front of everyone. I’m not that kind of girl at all. First, I heard that Jahanara apu has made an allegation about me, saying that someone called her in Australia and said, ‘Please save us, Jyoti apu is beating us and finishing us off.” The captain strongly countered the logic of junior players contacting a former player living abroad instead of the current team hierarchy.

Joty pointed out that Alam “hasn’t been here for six or seven years and has gone off to Australia,” making her an unlikely first contact for current players. She then challenged the idea that she could act unilaterally if the claims were true, questioning the role of the support staff and BCB officials. Joty asked: “What I’m trying to say is someone who hasn’t been here for six or seven years and has gone off to Australia if I really beat someone or harmed someone in any way, is there no team management, no manager, no coaching staff? Am I the ultimate authority then?” She implied that if such a serious incident had occurred, the players would have immediately reported it to board officials or team management instead of phoning someone living abroad.

Also READ: Harmanpreet Kaur picks her favourite men’s cricketer between MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli

This article was first published at WomenCricket.com, a Cricket Times company.

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US President Donald Trump (Photo credit: AP)

The United Nations Security Council on Monday approved a US-drafted resolution endorsing President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan for Gaza, giving the proposal a binding international mandate after two years of conflict.The resolution received 13 votes in favour with zero vetoes, while Russia and China abstained. It authorises the creation of an International Stabilisation Force, or ISF, which the US said that several unnamed countries have expressed willingness to join.

The force would be tasked with entering Gaza, overseeing demilitarisation, securing key areas and supporting the delivery of humanitarian assistance. It would also coordinate its operations with Israel and Egypt, Gaza’s southern neighbour.However, Hamas has rejected the resolution, arguing that it does not address Palestinian rights and imposes an unwanted external authority on the territory. In a statement on Telegram, the group said the plan “imposes an international guardianship mechanism on the Gaza Strip, which our people and their factions reject,” and added that giving the stabilisation force a mandate to disarm resistance groups “strips it of its neutrality, and turns it into a party to the conflict in favour of the occupation”, news agency Reuters reported.The draft resolution states that the ISF would work on the “permanent decommissioning of weapons from non-state armed groups,” including Hamas, which would be required to surrender its weapons under Trump’s proposal. The draft also calls for the creation of a newly trained Palestinian police force to eventually take over policing responsibilities in Gaza, replacing the Hamas-run force currently in place.US ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz told the council that the stabilisation force would be “tasked with securing the area, supporting the demilitarization of Gaza, dismantling the terrorist infrastructure, removing weapons, and ensuring the safety of Palestinian civilians.” He described the initial ceasefire phase, which began on 10 October with the exchange of hostages and detainees, as a “fragile, fragile first step.”The plan also proposes the establishment of a Board of Peace, which Trump is expected to head, and a World Bank-supported trust fund to support Gaza’s reconstruction. The vote took place as global actors sought to maintain the fragile ceasefire following the war that began with Hamas’ 7 October 2023 attack on Israel, which killed about 1,200 people. Israel’s subsequent offensive has killed more than 69,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry.

Eighteen members of a family were among at least 45 Umrah pilgrims from Hyderabad charred early Monday in a bus inferno triggered by a highway collision with a fuel tanker while travelling from Mecca to Medina in Saudi Arabia. Mohammed Shoeb, the lone pilgrim to survive, escaped because he was seated beside the driver when the bus burst into flames after ramming into the tanker around 1.30am (11pm IST). Both men broke through a window and jumped. Hyderabad police commissioner V C Sajjanar said the 46 passengers were part of a 54-member group that flew from the city to Saudi Arabia on Nov 9. They were to return on Nov 23 after visiting Islam’s holiest site. “Four members of the group hired a car to travel to Medina after completing Umrah rituals. Another four stayed back in Mecca,” Sajjanar said. The victims include 22 women and 11 children. Shoeb, whose brother also travelled to Saudi Arabia for the pilgrimage but wasn’t on the bus, remains in intensive care at Saudi German Hospital with injuries to his arms and legs. “I spoke to Shoeb. Going by what he said, some passengers were asleep during the crash. He was lucky to be in the cabin with the driver,” his sibling, Mohammed Sameer, told TOI over phone. Telangana govt to send team to Saudi to coordinate relief

“It is unclear if the tanker hit the vehicle while it was moving or was stationary.”Sameer and his family landed in Jeddah three days after the rest of the pilgrims and are yet to finish their Mecca rituals. PM Modi condoled the deaths in a post on X. “Deeply saddened by the accident in Medinah involving Indian nationals. My thoughts are with the families who have lost their loved ones. I pray for the swift recovery of all those injured. Our embassy in Riyadh and consulate in Jeddah are providing all possible assistance,” he wrote.Telangana govt has decided to depute a team, led by its minorities welfare minister Mohammad Azharuddin, to Saudi Arabia to coordinate relief efforts. Announcing ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to the kin of those who died, the govt said it would help arrange the funerals of the deceased in Saudi in accordance with traditions. Two members of each affected family would be flown to Saudi, it said. “The bodies were charred beyond recognition. DNA tests are also likely to be conducted to identify the victims,” said Azharuddin, adding a control room had been set up at Haj House (numbers 79979 59754/99129 19545) to provide more information to families of victims. The minister reaffirmed the state govt, in coordination with the foreign ministry and Saudi authorities, was making all possible efforts to provide assistance, guidance, and necessary support to the families. Police and govt officials, who are in contact with authorities in Saudi, said the Al-Makkah Travels-owned bus was about 25km short of its destination when the fatal crash occurred.Saudi authorities have started investigating the circumstances that led to the accident. In a 2023 report, the UN pointed out that Saudi had a high road fatality rate compared to other high-income countries. Transporting worshippers around Saudi’s holy sites has frequently proven dangerous, particularly during Haj, when roads can be chaotic with buses creating interminable traffic jams, sources said.

BENGALURU: IT and BPM firms are accelerating the use of advanced productivity tools that provide clients with real-time operational insights. Many of these tools include built-in time tracking, analyse workforce patterns, and proactively flag inefficiencies in performance trends. Tracking workforce productivity has been part of industry routines, largely at the clients’ behest, as companies seek to monitor billable employees and maintain effective oversight. Cognizant, Wipro, and LTIMindtree are using workforce management platform ProHance’s productivity solutions selectively, tailoring deployment to client requirements to shape project outcomes in hybrid work models. Meanwhile, TCS, French IT major Capgemini, and HCLTech are understood to rely on Sapience to gauge employee productivity, engagement, and performance, giving team leaders data-driven insights to strengthen overall efficiency. Many firms use multiple tools to track workforce efficiency. Capgemini employees log their work hours through an electronic timesheet application and Sapience Buddy, which captures data on work patterns and productivity, sources told TOI. Emails sent to TCS, Wipro, HCLTech, LTIMindtree, and Capgemini did not elicit responses till the time of going to press. Recent media reports also noted that a ProHance case study claimed Cognizant saved approximately $8 million in a year through the use of its productivity software.When TOI reached out to Cognizant, its spokesperson said, “We occasionally use various productivity measurement tools, a common industry practice, in selecting business process management or intuitive operations & automation projects, at the request of customers The purpose of these tools is to help better understand the client process steps and related time metrics to assess process design inefficiencies as part of the process transformation efforts. These tools are not designed or used to track or evaluate the individual performance of employees. Also, tools are used after obtaining the consent of employees, and it is made clear that these are not used for performance evaluation. Additionally, these tools have no impact on the composition of teams engaged in these projects, and any suggestion to the contrary is incorrect.” Cognizant also uses the D+ Scorecard, which generates performance scores for business unit heads across delivery, practice, and transformation teams, while Ideabox captures comprehensive initiative details-including timelines, stages, nominees, approvers, and expected benefits and dollar savings. During the pandemic, many firms adopted AI tools to monitor the productivity of remote employees and prevent fraud-efforts aimed at boosting client confidence.