On 9 December, a Flipkart delivery man was murdered for a cellphone as the customer who had ordered it did not have the money to pay for it. The throat of the 29-year-old delivery man, Nanjunda Swamy, was slit allegedly by the 22-year-old gym trainer K Varun Kumar as he did not have ₹11,999 for the Redmi Note 3. The body was found in the lift shaft of a building in Vijayanagar in Bengaluru.

According to The Times of India, Varun was in dire need of a cellphone as all his clients in the gym and his friends had one. He had asked his father to lend him some money, but he had refused saying that he didn't have enough cash, and since Varun had started working, he should fund his expenses on his own.

Varun then decided that killing the delivery man would be the only way to get the cellphone without having to pay for it, so he started plotting the murder. On 8 December, he ordered the phone online and gave the gym's landline number as his own.

On 9 December, around 12:30 pm, the delivery man called up Varun who asked him to come to the second floor of the building. At first, Varun tried to snatch the phone from the delivery man, however, Swamy managed to overpower him and ran out of the gym. The accused then hit his head with a flower pot and continued attacking him, till he fell unconscious. After that, Varun slit his throat with the knife that he had kept in the gym.

As per the report, the police said that after slitting Swamy's throat, the accused watched him bleed to death and dumped the body only after 10 hours. "After murdering the victim around 12.45 pm, the accused hid the body inside the gym as he had difficulties in shifting it. At the time of the incident, there was nobody in the gym. When a few customers came for the evening session, Varun sent them back giving after cooking up a story. Later in the night, after the bank on the first floor and a fruit stall in the basement had shut for the night, Varun shifted the body around 11 pm to the basement. He kept the body in the lift shaft and escaped," an officer who is part of the investigations told TOI.

The accused then escaped with two cellphones, ₹10,000 and other goods that were there with the delivery man. He then started using the Redmi phone and gave the other one to his friend.

On 11 December, the victim's father lodged a complaint with the police and around the same time, the police discovered his body in the lift shaft.

"We spoke to the online portal where the victim worked. We got to know that he was missing after he went to deliver a smartphone to a customer in Vijayanagar and it was the same building where the body was found. We also got to know from the customers that Varun had not opened the gym since Friday. We suspected his involvement and arrested him from his residence SVG Nagar in Moodalapalya on Tuesday," the officer added.

Varun has been booked for murder and robbery under IPC 302 and 397 respectively.

Also on HuffPost India.

NEW DELHI -- Veteran BJP leader LK Advani on Thursday said he feels like resigning from Parliament because of unending disruptions in both houses.

He told three MPs, including Nana Patole from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), that the now ailing former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee would have been very sad to witness the state of affairs.

As the Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day shortly after noon, Advani remained seated in the house even as other members slowly left. Advani was approached by Idris Ali of the Trinamool Congress.

Journalists in the media gallery saw two other members with Ali including Patole.

Ali later told reporters that when he asked if Advani was feeling healthy, the former Deputy Prime Minister sighed: "My health is fine but the health of Parliament is not. I feel like resigning," Idris quoted Advani as saying.

Idris said he then asked Advani about Vajpayee's health. Advani replied: "He would have been very sad to see this."

The BJP leader said the ruling and opposition leaders should meet Speaker Sumitra Mahajan and the house should debate demonetisation at least on Friday, the last day of the winter session.

"If the situation is the same on the last day as well, Parliament will be slandered.

"Such a thing has never happened in the House of Commons... adjourned for no reason. I feel ashamed," he said.

Ali complained to Advani that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was not being allowed to speak.

Advani countered: "Don't take any person's name. The issue is that Parliament should discuss the matter."

On December 7, after similar disruptions, Advani remarked that neither Speaker Sumitra Mahajan nor Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar appeared to be running the house.

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India has been ranked as the most 'ignorant' of a list of 40 countries where respondents were surveyed on their perceptions tested against reality.

The findings of the 2016 Ipsos MORI Perils of Perception Survey released on Wednesday show that Indian respondents mistakenly thought that Muslims make up twice as much (28%) of the population than they actually do (14.2%). Many developed countries were much worse off, with French respondents estimating that there were more than four times as many Muslims in their country (31%) as there really are (7.5%). Muslim-majority Indonesia and Turkey were the only two of the 40 countries that underestimated the Muslim population.

For the Indian sample, the survey was conducted on 500 individuals aged 18-64 between 22 September and 6 November. Further details on the composition of the sample and the method of polling were not immediately available. You can take the quiz here.

Fear-mongering about Muslim presence in a country appears to have successfully created a strong misconception about a Muslim population explosion. Every country except Malaysia, Indonesia and Turkey, significantly overestimates the likely Muslim population in 2020; in India, respondents thought that more than one of every three people in 2020 would be Muslim while the actual share is likely to be less than half of that at 15.4%.

Indians were also significantly off the mark in guessing the share of GDP that the government spends on health; while the actual spending is less than 5% of the GDP, the survey respondents charitably estimated it at 23%.

Indians were the most far off among all countries in guessing the share of wealth held by the country's rich and poor. While the poorest 70% of Indians hold just 10% of household wealth, the Indian respondents' average guess was 39%.

Indians were also way off the mark in estimating the share of Indians who own their own homes. While the actual figure is 87%--driven largely by the fact that renting is rare in rural India and among non-migrants--the Indians surveyed believed this figure was 44%.

The index was calculated based on the magnitude of error between the average guess and the real number for five factual questions. India also ranked as the second most ignorant in 2015, after Mexico. This year, China, Taiwan, South Africa and the US followed India.

What Ipsos calls "ignorance" could well be lack of access to education or the media. "There are multiple reasons for these errors – from our struggle with simple maths and proportions, to media coverage of issues, to social psychology explanations of our mental shortcuts or biases, " said Bobby Duffy, Managing Director of Ipsos MORI Social Research Institute . "It is also clear from our "Index of Ignorance" that the countries who tend to do worst have relatively low internet penetrations: given this is an online survey, this will reflect the fact that this more middle-class and connected population think the rest of their countries are more like them than they really are."

Disclaimer: I have not been hired by any coffee brand to extol the virtues of the beverage or of cafés—I'm only writing about what I observe and experience!

It's so true that a lot can truly be achieved over coffee. But why? That's the question I want to explore today. So many people have told me how coffee is an integral part of their lives; some go into proper raptures over the stuff. Others say they can give up anything, but not their coffee. And it's not just the beverage itself; some folks get their kick out of being in a coffee shop and they do their best work there. In the middle of a tough day, what do people do to recover their mojo? Yup, a coffee break.

Research done by Tad T Bruyne of Tufts University has found caffeine consumption to have a positive impact on cognition.

Here I have looked to scientific research to find answers to coffee-related behaviour and how things get achieved around it.

That morning tonic

Many people cannot begin their day without a shot of coffee. They are addicted to that morning jolt to the system. So, what makes coffee such a potent drink? This is actually a physiological phenomenon wherein a shot of coffee makes the person more alert and less tired or drowsy. The caffeine travels to the brain and stops the production of receptors for the chemical adenosine that makes us feel drowsy. Caffeine also stimulates the production of adrenaline and gets one charged up and ready to jump headlong into the day. So now you know why you need that caffeine kick in the morning.

Coffee breaks to stimulate teams

Your team members have been neck deep in work and they feel saturated, their ideas have run out. So, what do they do? They take a coffee break. Once they are back, it seems that they have replenished their energy and drive. Why so?

Research done by Tad T Bruyne of Tufts University has found caffeine consumption to have a positive impact on cognition. It improves vigilance, mental alertness and gives a feeling of arousal. And of course, there's the adrenaline factor I mentioned earlier as well—it affects our bodies by increasing heartbeat, increasing blood pressure and releasing sugar for extra energy. Caffeine acts as a stimulant. So the next time your team members want a coffee-break, go ahead and grant it. They may come back rejuvenated.

Why are some people more productive in coffee shops?

Those who work from home often report that when they feel unproductive they head over to a café to improve their performance. In fact, I too have experienced this: I was struggling with completing an important presentation for two days and finally decided to try my friend's suggestion of working on it in a café. Surprise, surprise, the presentation that I was struggling with at home got done in a mere two hours.

Why does this happen? Psychology is at play here. According to a recent study, mental effort is contagious—which means that when you are with people who are working hard you tend to increase your own efforts. This probably happens because the subtle cues that one receives on posture or breathing from those around us. It sure makes sense to me. Many of us studied best for our exams when we were in a library rather than at home.

Note, however, that the coffee shop effect happens when the venue is one where people tend to congregate for work. If it's full of people socialising, you might just get distracted.

Why organisations are adopting "coffee-shop culture"

In the 1600s, 1700s and 1800s, coffee shops in the UK were hotbeds for innovation and great new ideas. They brought in eminent people, inspired great ideas and made Britain the envy of the world. These coffee shops were thronged by intellectuals, merchants, scientists, playwrights and professionals. They were hubs of collaboration and cross-pollination of new ideas. The first shares were traded in a coffee house, the first marine insurance was sold in a coffee shop which later morphed into Lloyds of London, physicians used coffee houses as consulting rooms etc. As a matter of fact Newton even dissected a dolphin in a coffee shop!

Many global companies such as Google and Mars Drinks are creating coffee-shop-like workplaces that facilitate inspiring conversations, collaborations and innovations.

In today's world we have multiple coffee chains and cafes that provide a great ambience to socialise, interact and collaborate. This is the dynamic that some organisations want to tap into at the workplace. They are creating stimulating workspaces with the comfort and relaxing vibe of a coffee shop but which also have ergonomic and technological standards of a world-class office for comfortable working. The workplace becomes like a magnet wherein employees like spending a lot of time, the smell of coffee and cookies enhancing their experience of work. The aim is to have a warm and cosy environment where people can work and collaborate in a relaxed manner. Many global companies such as Google and Mars Drinks are creating coffee-shop-like workplaces that facilitate inspiring conversations, collaborations and innovations.

A place to open up

As a boss next time you have to talk to your subordinates or team members on a pesky issue, take them to a coffee-shop. When you have a conversation in a coffee-shop you are in a non-threatening, informal and friendly environment. Employees find it easy to open up as they now don't find their boss speaking from his usual pedestal. In a coffee shop all are sitting at the same level and no one is dominant. In such a context the employees find it safe to share what bothers them. In an office setting there is a bit of rigidity and a boss may unintentionally dominate the conversation out of habit. Also what happens is that with a cup of coffee to sip, the boss has no choice but to keep his mouth shut and listen to others!

So, the next time you want to have a conversation with your colleague or a subordinate wherein you want him or her to open up. Just tell them, come on let's have a chat over coffee at the local café.

Do you have any more ideas around coffee? Do share with me!

A day after Amazon Prime Video officially went live in India, its main competitor, Netflix, announced today that it had inked an exclusive deal with Shah Rukh Khan's Red Chillies Entertainment.

The agreement gives Netflix exclusive streaming rights for all the titles produced under the Red Chillies banner. Though headed by Khan, the production house isn't exactly the most prolific, as compared to Excel Entertainment, Dharma Productions, or Yash Raj Films.

In an over-enthusiastic statement that went by the title "Netflix Is The New Home Of King Khan" the company's Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos was quoted as saying: "Shah Rukh Khan is the most sought-after actor in the Indian film industry, and has played a huge role in bringing Indian cinema to the world stage. His moniker "King Khan" speaks to his status as a cultural icon and to the incredible popularity of his films among audiences worldwide."

Also Read: Why Netflix, Hotstar Should Seriously Worry About Amazon Prime Video's India Debut

While Khan said, "Red Chillies is surging ahead in global entertainment and for the first time, our great stories are going global on Netflix all at once and crossing all geographical barriers, waiting to be discovered over the world. No more waiting for our fans wherever they are."

Gauri Shinde's Dear Zindagi is said to be the first film that will be streamed on Netflix. Other Red Chillies titles that will be made available on Netflix will be box office hits including Happy New Year, Dilwale and Om Shanti Om.

While Netflix may have inked the deal with SRK, Amazon Prime Video made a smashing entry in the Indian market yesterday.

They announced tie-ups with Yash Raj Films, Dharma Productions, Vishesh Films, Phantom, T-Series besides a bouquet of original programming by acclaimed filmmakers like Ram Madhvani, Vikramaditya Motwane, Zoya Akhtar, Anurag Kashyap, besides several other major online players like All India Backchod.

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BENGALURU -- A rider in Bengaluru took 3,135 Uber rides -- about eight trips a day -- making it the highest number of trips taken by a single rider globally in 2016, the online cab service provider revealed on Thursday.

For Uber, India became the largest market outside of the US and accounts for 12 percent of all Uber trips globally.

"When it comes to getting around your city, Uber clearly emerged as the obvious choice for riders world over," said Amit Jain, President, Uber India, and South Asia.

This year, the company launched Uber in two new Indian cities -- Lucknow and Ludhiana -- and expanded uberPOOL to four new cities: Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Chennai.

Uber has said it will launch motor-bike taxis in Hyderabad from next month.

In a bid to promote carpooling, Uber also launched #SwitchToPool campaign in six cities -- New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Chennai -- where it provides its uberPOOL facility.

When Hyderabad Police began receiving complaints from parents of teenage children that they had started spending inordinate amount of time in cyber cafés in the older parts of the town, they decided to look into the matter.

After tailing the teenagers to different cyber cafés, they found that over 100 such establishments let minors use their computers to watch porn and other disturbing content.

According to NDTV, 65 such youngsters — some of them as young as 11 years old — were made to sit in group counselling sessions. Parents of these minors were made to accompany them to the sessions, much to the embarrassment of both.

A senior police official told the news channel that they were keeping a close watch on such activities because the teenagers, who were all boys, were also watching violent videos, such as be-headings by ISIS.

The parents, who were unsure about how to deal with the situation, also received counselling by the police. They were advised to watch our for their children's after-school activities and were assured that they would get help from the schools as well.

A parent who works in a clothes showroom told NDTV:

"I first wanted to hit him. That was my first instinct. Then I thought, I need to talk to him. I am glad the Hyderabad police did this drive to wean children away from all this."

The police has registered complaints against 30 cyber cafés for not installing CCTV cameras and letting minors watch pornography.

Also On HuffPost:

There you are, happily partaking of dinner in front of the television and along appears Hussain Kuwajerwala on the screen.

Armed with a mic, he storms into the toilet of a random household, spots the dirty stains on the commode and goes on to clean them. Pretty amusing, NOT.

Over the years, TV commercials have tested our patience and goodwill with their absurd, annoying jingles, slogans, and over-the-top acting. Remember Katrina in the overly sexual Slice ad?

Here's a list of television commercials that we wished came along with a skip button.

1. Dettol

[Board meeting]
Employee: Sir, I have got an idea for the jingle.
Boss: Go on...
Employee: Dettol Dettol Dettol Dettol Dettol Dettol Dettol Dettol
Boss: And?
Employee: Dettol Dettol Dettol Dettol Dettol Dettol Dettol Dettol Ho!
Boss: Brilliant!

2. Star HD

This campaign started out by being cute and nice until DABBA HAI DABBA UNCLE KA TV DABBA got stuck in our heads.

3. Harpic

Sandaz Apna Apna.

4. Airtel 4G

Airtel 4G girl will find you and waste your data because her network is obviously faster. (Friendly tip: Don't take up the challenge.)

5. Kent RO Purifier

Dream girl Hema Malini will convince you with 125 ads that Kent RO's water is sweeter than honey.

6. Idea!

IIT seats are always full. Take admission into IIN (Idea Internet Network) and build whatever you like. Drone? Meh. Easy-peasy.

7. Slice

I want someone to look at me like Katrina looks at a mango.

8. Gaana

If you're a cricket fan, this ad will haunt you during breaks.

9. Colgate

Kya aapke toothpaste mein namak hai?

10. Fogg

You know this ad has successfully ruined you when your friend asks you, "Kya chal raha hai?" and you end up saying, "Fogg."

11. Vimal Pan Masala

Ajay Devgn has been celebrating Vimal Pan Masala's 25th anniversary for the last 50 years.

12. Cadbury Dairy Milk

Random creepy dude walks up to a girl and asks for a bite of her chocolate for a "shubh aarambh". Like WTF??!!

13. Airtel My Plan

Okay, so you start valuing your dad because he's sharing his Internet plan with you? Good stuff.

14. Fair & Lovely

When we talk about annoying commercials how can we miss every Fair & Lovely "fairness" cream ad? I'd be lying if I said I never rolled my eyes while watching the already "fair" Yami Gautam turning into an LED bulb after applying the cream.

15. Rajnigandha

Yes, we all want to know this.

How are business deals even possible in other countries if they don't have Rajnigandha Pan Masala?

— 🐿 (@prtxt) June 22, 2013

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WASHINGTON -- A group of former Disney IT employees in the US state of Florida have filed a fresh lawsuit, claiming the company discriminated against them by firing them and giving their jobs to Indian workers brought to the country on H-1B visas.

The class action suit accuses Disney of laying off information technology workers "based solely on their national origin and race" and replacing them with Indian nationals who received "special treatment".

The workers felt even more insulted by being forced to train their replacements, the suit says.

According to a complaint, Disney informed 250 Orlando IT workers in October 2014 they would be laid off within 90 days.

The company quickly brought in replacements some of whom would work remotely, while others would enter the United States on H-1B visas, New York Daily News reported.

All were "of Indian national origin", court papers say.

The complaint says Disney created a "hostile work environment" for its out-the-door workers, in part by telling them they had to train foreigners who would be filling their roles.

The suit says Disney made its axed workers "experience pain and suffering, mental anguish, emotional distress, and loss of earnings and other employment benefits and job opportunities."

It asks for a jury trial and unspecified damages.

Court papers do not specify the race and nationality of the dozens of plaintiffs who have joined the suit.

One of the former worker who filed the suit, Leonardo Perrero, is white. He testified before Congress in February about the loss of his job, and at one point teared up while recalling when he learned about the end of his 20-year career at Disney.

"I clearly remember going to the local church pumpkin sale and having to tell the kids we couldn't buy any that year because my job was being turned over to a foreign worker," he told Congress.

Perrero also said Disney threatened to not give its employees severance if they didn't train the new workforce.

The new suit comes two months after a federal judge in Florida dismissed two lawsuits from former IT workers over the layoffs. The judge ruled that Disney and its two outsourcing contractors did not violate any rules in its job switches.

Disney said in a statement, "Like the two other dismissed cases brought by this lawyer, this latest lawsuit is nonsense and we will defend it vigorously".

President-elect Donald Trump targeted the H-1B visa as part of his campaign promise to end the outsourcing of American jobs. He said he was "totally committed" to eliminating abuse of the visa, which affords temporary employment for foreign workers.

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NEW DELHI -- The government on Thursday attempted to downplay Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) veteran Lal Krishna Advani's concerns with regard to repeated disruptions in Parliament and put the onus on the opposition parties for the same.

Union Information and Broadcasting Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said everyone is upset because of the Congress attitude in Parliament.

"Everyone is saddened by how they are disrupting the Parliament. The whole country is sad due to this reason. Some people are intentionally disturbing the Parliament. Who has been ranting slogans and disturbing from the beginning is clear to everyone," Naidu told the media here.

"He (Advani) being a senior has rightly been hurt by developments," he added.

Advani earlier stated that he feels like resigning from Parliament because of unending disruptions in both houses.

He said that the now ailing former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee would have been very sad to witness the state of affairs in Parliament.

Advani asked Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to speak to the opposition and try and restore order so that the Houses can run.

As the Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day shortly after noon, Advani remained seated in the house even as other members slowly left. Advani was approached by Idris Ali of the Trinamool Congress.

"My health is fine but the health of Parliament is not. I feel like resigning," Idris quoted Advani as saying later.

Also on HuffPost India.

NEW DELHI -- The Supreme Court on Thursday held that personnel working in the Indian Air Force cannot sport a beard based on religious grounds.

A bench headed by Chief Justice TS Thakur said that the Centre's decision to prohibit personnel of a particular community from sporting beard does not infringe upon the fundamental rights.

The bench also comprising Justices DY Chandrachud and L Nageswara Rao dismissed the pleas filed by two Muslim personnel of IAF who had challenged the dismissal of their pleas by the Delhi High Court.

The apex court verdict came on two petitions filed separately by two personnel, Mohammed Zubair and Ansari Aaftab Ahmed, challenging the IAF authorities' "confidential" order dated February 24, 2003, prohibiting Muslim personnel from sporting a beard.

Zubair in his petition had contended that the order was in contravention of fundamental fights of the citizen and also a government letter issued through the Ministry of Home on July 18,1990.

The said letter of the home minister permitted the uniformed Muslim/Sikh personnel to sport beard on religious grounds, provided prior permission was sought from the authorities, he said.

The Centre had said that the IAF order was in the interest of cohesiveness in a combat force and it also has security implications.

It had said that these policies are secular in character and have not been framed to govern the conduct of air force personnel of any particular religion.

The Centre has earlier told the court that IAF is undoubtedly a secular force having due regard for all religions and it is imperative that its personnel are guided by a sense of brotherhood without any distinction of caste, creed, colour or religion.

The petitioners had challenged the IAF order by way of a writ petition before the Delhi High Court and a single judge, citing certain Muslim religious texts, took the view that sporting beard was not compulsory and hence dismissed the plea.

They then approached a division bench which had also concurred with the order of the single judge and dismissed the plea following which the appeals were filed in the apex court.

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Sasikala Natarajan's rise to the top of the ruling AIADMK in Tamil Nadu, as its new general secretary, is least surprising because there was absolutely no other alternative to keep the party together. In India's dynastic politics, a super authoritarian leader has never been replaced by a democrat and the AIADMK cannot be an exception.

The men in the AIADMK were smart enough to realise this reality early because what they need at the moment is survival. And hence they have found a replacement for their "Amma" in their "Chinnamma"

The keyword for the AIADMK to at least maintain its status quo - retaining power and keeping its flock together till the next elections - after Jaya's passing was authority. Jaya was the sole leader, and the sole arbiter of power, democracy and justice within the party. She never allowed a second-line leadership, kept even senior leaders insecure, and took the entire burden of external relations and realpolitik upon herself.

The men in the party, including the old guard who had resented her influence during Jaya's time, have been making beelines to Jaya's Poes Garden residence where Sasikala is staying now. With folded hands, they pleaded with her to take control of the party.

In essence, she was multiple systems rolled into one, and at least for the sake of continuity, the replacement needed to be something similar. Sasikala, and she alone, was the closest fit.

The men in the party, including the old guard who had resented her influence during Jaya's time, have been making beelines to Jaya's Poes Garden residence where Sasikala is staying now. With folded hands, they pleaded with her to take control of the party. For them, she was the "Chinnamma", the selfless soulmate of their "Amma" for three decades, and hence the rightful inheritor.

Jaya TV, AIADMK's official TV channel, broadcast these images and party workers soon fell in line even as Sasikala appeared uncommitted.

Nothing, except her disinterest, would have prevented Sasikala from taking over as the new general secretary, a post that Jaya had occupied ever since she took control of the party after her mentor and former chief minister MG Ramachandran (MGR) died. In fact, if Sasikala was not politically inclined, the AIADMK would have faced a huge vacuum and the party would have split across caste-lines. Dravidian politics is about personality cults and charisma, and hence the party needed a reverential figure that can precipitate a new cult.

The big question now is how effectively can Sasikala function as a political leader? Nobody has heard her speak in public and nobody, except party leaders and seat-aspirants who have interacted with her, even knows how she sounds.

Reportedly, even before the official announcement of Sasikala's choice as the new general secretary was made, party leaders have begun building the new cult. The Hindu reported on Thursday that a number of ministers and MLAs have placed orders for new year calendars with Sasikala's image on them after cancelling their earlier orders with Jaya's imprint. Apparently in the reprints, the size of Jaya's image will be smaller than the size of the image of their new leader.

That is the critical message that the leaders have already embodied. And some of them even had begun demonstrating their ultimate submission to her authority by touching her feet. The AIADMK's signature gesture of public prostration too might return.

The big question now is how effectively can Sasikala function as a political leader? Nobody has heard her speak in public and nobody, except party leaders and seat-aspirants who have interacted with her, even knows how she sounds. But that doesn't mean she is a political novice. She has been Jaya's literal shadow ever since the latter became the chief minister of the state for the first time in 1991, and she has been with her through thick and thin.

In fact, her presence was so indispensable for Jaya that no sooner than she expelled her on two occasions, had she called her back within a few days.

This proximity was not just personal. She was not just Jaya's caregiver, or the caretaker of her Poes Garden residence. At least in recent years, she did take an active role in politics and administration too. Informed sources say that she took part in alliance-negotiations with other political parties as well as managed bulk of the screening of candidates for assembly and Lok Sabha elections. In fact, she had some role in the selection of most of the sitting MLAs and even the ministers.

According to some media reports, she even had a role in Jaya's choice of O Panneerselvam, the present chief minister, as her stand bye, whenever she had to step aside. Similarly, there have been reports that she had her share of control in the state's administration as well.

Informed sources say that she took part in alliance-negotiations with other political parties as well as managed bulk of the screening of candidates for assembly and Lok Sabha elections.

Sasikala will be fine as long as she stays behind the scenes because it's not a new role for her. Nobody else would have seen how Jaya functioned as a party leader and head of the government as she could have, that too for such a very long time. However, her real challenge will be if she ever wants to fit into Jaya's second role as the chief minister as well. That will mean winning elections and demonstrating statesmanship.

Does she have it in her? It's completely untested. Some do speculate that she would contest in the RK Nagar assembly constituency vacated by Jaya's death. Party support alone will not be enough. She has to win the trust of the people. For the moment, she is nowhere close to that because in public imagination, she is only a caretaker with no proven political legacy.

More over, she and her family had always been accused of operating as an extraconstitutional authority whenever Jayalalithaa was in power. In fact, Jaya herself seemed to have, at least temporarily, backed such a thought, when she expelled her from her household and the party. The sight of her family members, all of whom had been kept away by Jaya till her death, crowding around her and Jaya's body at the latter's funeral had fuelled fresh fears that their lawless run would return.

However, Sasikala seemed to have sensed the public mood and has reportedly asked them to stay away. Even her husband M Natarajan, who claimed that "we" would take the legacy of MGR and Jaya forward, has been curiously invisible since Jaya's funeral.

Running the party and controlling the government will not be difficult at all. However, getting her hands dirty in electoral politics will be a little tricky. AIADMK has of course found a leader who could replace Jaya. But can she replace Jaya in people's minds?

DMK's charismatic leader MK Stalin will be waiting.

It has been two months since MSc student of Biotechnology, Najeeb Ahmed, went missing from the Jawaharlal Nehru University's (JNU) Mahi-Mandvi hostel after an altercation with ABVP members. Since then, his mother, Fatima Nafees, has raised slogans, cried on the shoulders of other students, and picketed the campus so that her son can be found. His friends and fellow JNU students have defied rules to put pressure on the government and the university.

Two months on, as the Delhi High Court have asked the police to use sniffer dogs across the JNU and the Jamia Milia campuses, the law enforcement officials seem as clueless as they were when the 27-year-old student went missing. JNU is cracking down on protesting students holding posters asking the pertinent question, "Where is Najeeb?"

Earlier, the Delhi police had suggested that Najeeb was mentally disturbed even as his mother and students of JNU took out marches and protests in a bid to speed up the process of investigation.

It was only yesterday that Najeeb's mother thanked students, and even politicians who turned up for protests, for standing by her.

The Indian Express quoted her as saying, "Keep standing with me till we find Najeeb. What they've done to my son is unjust, and it's important to stand with injustice. Hindu, Muslim, party wale, sab mere saath hain. Main bohot khush hoon. You all are my strength, and my biggest strength are the students of JNU who have been standing with me from the start."

She said this at a gathering of people who marched to Parliament.

JNU Crackdown On Protests

Reports are emerging almost on a daily basis suggest that JNU is trying to minimise protests that has been drawing negative attention to the university which had initially tagged Najeeb as the 'accused'.

Earlier this week it was reported that iron grilles and flower pots had mysteriously appeared at the place that earned the name of 'Freedom Square' after Kanhaiya Kumar's 'Azadi' speech.

The Hindustan Times quoted JNUSU president Mohit Pandey as saying, "We were holding a march against the VC's decision to give a token punishment to the ABVP members for beating Najeeb. When we came to the admin block we saw these cage-like structures."

"First they sent show-cause notices to us on various issues, then they stopped us from protesting and now they have blocked the area. Why is the VC so scared of students?" Pandey told the newspaper.

Another report in The Indian Express said that while flower pots were placed at the area of protest near the administrative block, JNUSU students re-arranged the pots to spell Najeebs name.

JNU in a notice also informed students that hunger strikes and dharnas could not take place within 20 metres from the administrative and academic buildings.

According to The Indian Express the notice said, ""All forms of coercion such as gheraos, sit-ins or any variation of the same, which disrupts normal academic and administrative functioning of the university, stand prohibited. Legitimate political activity, such as debates at GBMs and UGBMs, issue of pamphlets etc, are excluded from this norm, provided they do not incite or lead to violence, civic hatred or indecent actions, etc."

The Investigation So Far

Late last month, a proctorial enquiry by JNU found ABVP member Vikrant Kumar guilty of assaulting Najeeb during a brawl following which the latter went missing over a month ago. In an official order JNU said, "In the proctorial enquiry, Vikrant Kumar has been found to be involved in hitting Najeeb Ahmed and using derogatory language with provocative behaviour on October 14. This is an act of indiscipline and misconduct."

However, ABVP member Saurabh Sharma dismissed it saying, "The proctor has taken deposition of those students into account who were not even present there. Not only the enquiry is biased but even the administration is siding with the left-dominated students union."

And as students built pressure on the government to take action, Human resource development minister Prakash Javadekar questioned protests saying the police was doing its job.

"I believe that ultimately police will be able to find him, and we also hope that he will be fine and healthy. That's what our good wishes are. The issue is, it is a case of a missing student and, therefore, we must help the police by giving any possible leads. Agitation is right, but agitation for a thing that is beyond the control of the VC – how can you do that? I think giving leads is the way forward," Javadekar told The Hindustan Times in an interview.

And while the government backed the police, the Delhi High Court has repeatedly expressed concern over the matter.

Last month a bench of justices GS Sistani and Vinod Goel had told the Delhi police, "This is the heart of India, the national capital. No one can just disappear from here. It creates a sense of insecurity in people. If he disappeared, then there is something more to that. All angles have to be explored. 45 days is a long period for someone to be underground," it said to the police which is of the view that Najeeb was "not forcefully abducted".

Earlier this week it was reported that the Delhi police had 11 search teams have been investigating round-the-clock. PTI had reported that the police had raised the reward amount from ₹5 lakh to ₹10 lakh.

The police still do not have a lead. The police so far know that Najeeb has taken an auto the day he went missing.

"We have been able to trace the movement of Ahmed on 15 October — the day he went missing. He took an auto from JNU and reached Jamia Millia Islamia campus. He had taken the auto himself and wasn't accompanied by anyone," a senior police officer had said.

The police have also, according to PTI sources, is now investigating all probable angles rather than focusing on any one perspective -- that Najeeb was mentally ill.

Two

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NOIDA -- Income Tax officials on Thursday raided an Axis Bank branch here and seized 20 fake accounts with deposits amounting ₹60 crore, police said.

The raid was conducted around 10 AM at an Axis Bank branch situated at Sector-51.

A police officer said the suspected accounts were opened on the name of several fake companies and a few low income individuals.

"IT officials also found that the directors or owners of these fake companies are daily labourers," a police officer said.

The officer said these fake accounts came to the notice of the IT department when a jeweller in Noida sold gold worth ₹600 crore after the November 8 demonetisation announcement, and deposited the money he got at the Noida branch.

"Most of the money has reached the jeweller through RTGS (Real Time Gross Settlement system)," the official said.

A large number of account holders gathered outside the bank as they were not allowed to go inside. A police team was also deployed outside the Axis Bank branch.

IT officials also recovered over ₹100 crore from 44 suspect accounts in an Axis Bank branch in Chandni Chowk area in Delhi.

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Over 25,000 calendars for 2017 that were supposed to carry deceased former chief minister of Tamil Nadu Jayalalithaa's photo have been now replaced by her aide, Sasikala Natarajan's, image, reported The Hindu. According to the report, these calendars, ordered by state politicians, were ordered in late November and early December, while the former CM was still alive.

"The Chief Minister passed away on December 5 and the very next day morning we started getting 'stop printing' calls," an unnamed printer told the newspaper. "The leaders have told us that they would come back to us with some changes."

These politicians--councillors and former and present MLAs--have reportedly now requested for the Jayalalithaa photos to be replaced with "bold" images of Sasikala, who was made AIADMK's general secretary on Thursday, a post Jayalalithaa had occupied since her mentor MG Ramachandran's death in 1987.

While it is still unclear if she will be made CM next, local politicians are taking no chances.

ALSO READ: Sasikala's Elevation As Party Chief Is Unsurprising, Will She Become CM Next?

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SHIVPURI, Madhya Pradesh -- A 65-year-old man, suffering from asthma, died while standing in bank queue in Gudar village in the district, police said.

The deceased was identified as Kamal Vanshkar, police said.

Talking about the incident, son of the deceased, Shaligram, said, "My father, who suffered from asthma, had gone to the branch of a public sector bank yesterday to withdraw Rs 4,000 at Gudar village under Khaniadhana police station area, which is around 100 km from here."

"He reached the branch around 10 am and after standing in the queue for around one and a half hour he collapsed and died on the spot," he added.

According to Khaniadhana police station inspector Jagmohan Tomar, Vanshkar was unwell and he was brought to the bank by his sons and one other person.

"After the post-mortem, we handed over the body to the family members. We are now waiting for the autopsy report," Tomar said.

NEW DELHI -- Eastern and Western peripheral expressways, being constructed at a cost of ₹15,000 crore, are expected to be thrown open by August next year and the two roads will reduce Delhi's congestion by 50 percent besides cutting its pollution, Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Thursday.

He said the Centre was working seriously in decongesting the national capital and improve its air quality.

"We are building easterly and westerly bypass with a cost of ₹15,000 crore. It was to be completed in two-and-a-half years. But following the Prime Minister's directive, we will complete the project in 400 days. I am happy to announce that we will be inaugurating it in August. Construction of this single road will cut down air pollution and congestion in Delhi by 50 percent," he said.

The eastern and western expressways were planned in 2006 following a Supreme Court order to construct a ring road for bypassing non-Delhi bound vehicles moving between neighbouring states.

Addressing the 3rd India Health and Wellness Summit here, Gadkari also said solid waste from Ghazipur sanitary landfill site in East Delhi will be used in road construction.

"The Central Road Research Organisation after six months of research found that solid with segregating plastic, metal and glass could be used for road construction. The whole garbage at Ghazipur will now be used up for road construction," he said.

Linking health with problems of air pollution, fossil fuels, solid and liquid waste, the minister said diversification of agriculture for harnessing power and energy was needed to meet the challenges faced by cities.

He said his ministry was working with other ministries concerned for making Euro VI emission norms mandatory before April 1, 2020.

He cited that 70 projects have been envisaged to recycle sewage and industrial effluents as part of efforts to rid the Ganga river of pollution.

Gadkari also suggested Amul, which exports soya bean cake rich in protein, to be converted into a value added, cheap food to solve the problem of malnourishment faced by poor in the country.

"The soya bean cake, after extraction of oil, contains 49 per cent protein. It is exported for feeding meat producing animal. I think it could be turned into protein rich food to be used to combat malnutrition in the country," he said.

Bollywood star Nana Patekar, Amul India MD RS Sodhi and Chairman and MD of Hero Cycles Pawan Munjal also addressed the inaugural session of the summit.

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NEW DELHI -- To promote digital payments post demonetisation, the government will give daily, weekly and mega cash awards totalling ₹340 crore for consumers as well as merchants beginning the Christmas Day.

Announcing 'Lucky Grahak Yojana' and 'Digi Dhan Vyapar Yojana', Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said both the schemes will cover small transactions between ₹50 and ₹3,000 to encourage every section of the society to move to digital payments.

Terming it a 'Christmas Gift' to the country, Kant said the first draw will happen on 25 December and the mega draw on 14 April, the birth anniversary of B R Ambedkar.

National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI) will announce 15,000 winners of ₹1,000 each for next 100 days, starting 25 December. There will be 7,000 weekly awards each for consumers and merchants.

"Focus of Lucky Grahak and Digi-Dhan Yojana is on poor, middle class and small businesses so as to bring them into digital payments revolution," said the Niti Aayog CEO.

As per estimates, only 5 percent Indians use digital payment modes.

For consumers, there will mega awards of ₹1 crore, ₹50 lakh and ₹25 lakh. In case of merchants, it has been fixed at ₹50 lakh, ₹25 lakh and ₹5 lakh.

Estimated expenditure of the scheme to incentivise digital payments is ₹340 crore, Kant said.

Giving details on digital transactions post demonetisation of old ₹500/1000 notes, he said PoS transactions witnessed a jump of 95 percent since 8 November (till 7 December).

RuPay Card transactions were up 316 per cent and e-wallet 271 percent, while both UPI about and USSD witnessed increase of about 1,200 per cent each.

All forms of transactions through UPI, USSD, Aadhar Enabled Payment System (AEPS) and RuPay cards will be eligible for lucky draws.

Niti Aayog also said the scheme is not applicable for transactions done through private credit cards and e-wallets of private companies.

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