MS Dhoni middled almost every ball: Jharkhand coach pleasantly surprised.

Source – indiatoday.in

Former India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has stunned Jharkhand coach Rajiv Kumar with his fluent batting even as the stumper started training for the first time since India’s loss in the semifinal of the 2019 World Cup against New Zealand in July last year.

Speaking to IANS, Kumar said that he was expecting a little rustiness from the batsman, but the balls seemed to be hitting the middle of the bat. The coach went on to add that the Chennai Super Kings skipper’s preparations have begun for the 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League.

“I will be honest… I thought there will be a bit of rustiness as Dhoni has not trained for quite some time. The last time we had spoken, he had said that he would start in January and here you go. He is a man of his words and it came as no surprise that he was out there training with the guys just like any other regular Jharkhand player. But what surprised me most was how he middled almost every ball, be it in the pacer’s net or the spinner’s net. He even took throwdowns just like a player going through the batting drills does.

“I haven’t had any talks with him with regards to the national team and him donning the India jersey again. But, his preparations for the next edition of the IPL has begun and while the senior team will be busy playing the Ranji Trophy game from Sunday, Dhoni will continue training till the time he is in Ranchi,” the coach pointed.

Asked if Dhoni did anything specific in the two days that he has trained so far, Kumar said the former skipper spent a lot of time talking to the bowlers.

“He is such a professional and has been going on spending time with the youngsters, especially the bowlers. He is discussing the line and length that they should target and the ways to fox the opposition batsmen. He has been as vocal as can be expected from a senior player like Dhoni,” Kumar said.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Thursday announced the men’s central contracts for the period between October 2019 and September 2020 and the major omission was Dhoni. While eyebrows were raised if this meant the end of the road for the Man with the Midas Touch, BCCI officials, as well as head coach Ravi Shastri, have made it clear that the IPL will decide if Dhoni will board the plane to Australia to play in the World T20.

“It all depends on when he starts playing and how he is playing during the IPL. Also, what are the other people doing with the wicket-keeping gloves or what is the form of those players as opposed to Dhoni’s form. The IPL becomes a massive tournament because that could be the last event after which more or less your 15 will be decided.

“There might be one player who might be there and thereabouts in case of an injury or whatever. But your team, I would say, would be known after the IPL. What I would say is rather than speculating who is where wait for the IPL to get over and then you are in a position to take a call on who are the best 17 in the country,” Shastri had told IANS.

Brace for rainy days in Jharkhand.

Source – telegraphindia.com

As earlier predicted by the meteorological department, several parts of the state are likely to witness light to moderate rain and thundershowers for the next three to four days.

A fresh western disturbance, formation of two cyclonic circulations, and a low pressure trough are expected to trigger light to moderate rain over Jharkhand.

A bulletin issued by the Ranchi centre of the India Meteorological Department on Friday afternoon indicated formation of a cyclonic circulation over eastern Madhya Pradesh extending up to 900m above mean sea level.

Another cyclonic circulation was hovering over western Uttar Pradesh, while the trough at 1.5km above mean sea level was stretched between the cyclonic circulation over Uttar Pradesh to south Gujarat across western Madhya Pradesh.

“The cyclonic circulations coupled with the trough and a fresh western disturbance would result in rainfall activity over Jharkhand for the next four days at least,” said S.D. Kotal, director of the Ranchi Meteorological Centre.

According to the weatherman, light to moderate rain was expected at isolated places over north-western ( Palamau and Chatra) on Friday night. The Ranchi Meteorological Centre issued forecast of light to moderate rain at isolated places over central and northern Jharkhand on Saturday, while on Sunday showers are expected in several districts in southern, central and north-eastern parts of the state.

The Met office also predicted rainfall activity in southern and north-western parts of Jharkhand on Monday and Tuesday. The weathermen also issued a warning of thunder accompanied by lightning in isolated pockets over the weekend.

The adverse weather systems resulted in a change in the wind pattern. Currently, the south-easterly wind is dominating over Jharkhand resulting in moisture incursion and rise in night readings.

Data revealed that minimum readings in Ranchi and many other districts including Daltonganj, Simdega, Khunti, Bokaro, Ramgarh, Dumka, Seraikela-Kharsawan and West Singhbhum witnessed a rise.

Ranchi on Friday recorded a minimum temperature of 11.4°C, two notches above normal.

Daltonganj recorded 14°C, five points above normal.

The local IMD observatory in Jamshedpur on Friday recorded a minimum of 13.4°C, three degrees above normal. Chaibasa in neighbouring West Singhbhum district recorded 11.8°C, three points above normal.

5 nabbed for molesting 6 minors in Jharkhand.

Source – hindustantimes.com

Six minor girls, returning from a village fair, were allegedly molested by five people in Khunti village of Jharkhand late on Wednesday, police said on Thursday, adding that all five accused, including a minor, have been nabbed.

The police said that cases under different sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act have been lodged against them.

Ashutosh Sekhar, Khunti superintendent of police, said it was the case of molestation, not rape.

“The victims told police that they were molested. We also interrogated the accused and they admitted to doing the same thing,” said Shekar.

He, however, said a board has been constituted for medical examination of the girls. All six girls were also produced before the child welfare committee (CWC).

The incident took place on Wednesday around 7.30 pm when six girls, in the age group from 12 to 15 and students of classes 5 to 8, were returning from a Makar Santranti fair.

They were intercepted by the youth, who were on two bikes and one scooty. They invited the girls to a sweet shop. The girls knew one youth as he studies in the same school. The boys offered them a lift to their village, but on the way, took them to Hatudami village, around six kilometres away from the village of the girls, police said.

Ashish Mahli, the subdivisional police officer (SDPO) of Khunti, said two girls jumped from the bikes and received minor injuries, and they managed to run to their village. They narrated the story to the villagers who then went to Hatudami village to rescue the remaining four girls.

Mahli said residents of both the villages rescued the girls and called police on Thursday morning.

“We also conducted a raid and nabbed all five, including a minor. A team of forensic science laboratory and crime investigation department went to the spot for inspection,” he said.

Mahli said further detailed could be revealed on Friday after reports from the medical board and FSL team come. The police also recovered a motorbike and a scooty from the crime scene. All six girls are school students and also hockey players.

MS Dhoni starts practicing with Jharkhand Ranji squad after omission from BCCI contract list.

Source – indiatoday.in

Dropped from BCCI’s central contracts list, former India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni began practising with the Jharkhand Ranji Trophy squad on Thursday amid fresh speculation on his future.

The 38-year-old showed up at his home team’s net practice in Ranchi, indicating that he is gearing himself for the upcoming Indian Premier League. This was on a day when BCCI axed him from the list of centrally contracted players.

“Even we did not know that he was going to come and train with us. It was a pleasant surprise. He batted for a while and did the usual training routine, ” a source close to the Jharkhand team management told PTI.

“We are expecting him to train with the team regularly from now on. His presence can only help the players,” the source added.

In fact, Dhoni has bought a brand new bowling machine for his training. While the Jharkhand team will have their red-ball routines, Dhoni will primarily practice against the white ball.

Jharkhand’s next match is against Uttarakhand, starting Sunday in Ranchi. The team has returned home after an eight-wicket loss against Maharashtra in Nagothane. Out of five games, Jharkhand have won two, lost two and drawn one.

He has not played a competitive game since the World Cup semifinal loss to New Zealand on July 9 though he was seen training for the first time since that defeat in November.

India head coach Ravi Shastri has hinted that the celebrated wicketkeeper-batsman might retire from ODIs soon but will be in contention for a T20 World Cup berth provided he does well for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL.

The T20 World Cup will be held in Australia in October-November.

Outgoing chief selector MSK Prasad has already made his stance clear, saying that the World Cup-winning captain can only be selected again on the basis of performances.

While Dhoni has not revealed anything about his future, he is certain to captain Chennai Super Kings in the 2020 IPL.

Since the World Cup, he has missed the tour of the West Indies and the home series against South Africa, Bangladesh, the West Indies and the ongoing one against Australia.

Negligence Will Not Be Tolerated: Jharkhand CM To All Govt Hospitals.

Source – medicaldialogues.in

Jharkhand: Chief Minister recently expressed disappointment at the alleged negligence of doctors at a government hospital in Koderma where they allegedly kept an elderly accident victim waiting till his relatives reached from neighbouring Bihar.

It took the Koderma district police two days to find out a relative of the patient and his family members complained that he did not get any treatment during this period. The chief minister took exception to the conduct of the management of the Koderma Sadar Hospital where 60-year-old Bihar resident, was admitted with a fractured leg following a road accident.

The injured, who was at the Koderma hospital since the mishap took place 14 days ago, was referred to the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) on Tuesday following the instruction of the CM. Instead of giving him priority treatment, the hospital waited for his relatives to reach there, the chief minister said after receiving a complaint from the patient’s family. “This attitude has been there for the last few years.

Instead of taking the responsibility to solve the problem – every officer wants to shift it. This is really sad, but the situation will change now. This attitude will no longer be tolerated,” the CM said in a tweet. In a tweet, the CM directed the management of all (government) hospitals to treat patients with sensitivity. “The police has the responsibility to locate relatives of unknown issues while doctors should focus on the treatment of the patients,” th CM said in his tweet. The CM asked the RIMS management to treat the patient and asked Ranchi Deputy Commissioner Rai Mahimapat Ray to arrange for sending him to his home at Ekangar Sarai of Bihar’s Nalanda district after treatment.

Sources in the Koderma hospital said, after the police took the man to the facility 14 days ago, the elderly man could not properly tell anything about himself. The police found out a nephew of his after two days and he started staying with him, sources said. They also claimed that the Koderma hospital also lacked the specialist orthopaedic required to treat the patient.

Hemant Soren Hints At Cabinet Expansion, Likely In A Few Days.

Source – ndtv.com

Ranchi: Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Wednesday hinted towards the expansion of his Cabinet likely to be done in next couple of days.

Mr Soren in Delhi held a meeting with Congress leaders regarding power sharing in the Jharkhand government.

While talking to media after returning from Delhi Mr Soren said in Ranchi,”Lots of discussions were done there. Everything will be clear very soon.. Let’s keep something for us to decide.”

Earlier it was being said that the alliance in the state is facing some sort of disagreement as Congress is demanding five seats in the Cabinet, but Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) is willing to give only four.

“Everything will be done by agreement,” said Mr Soren

On the other hand, Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi will hold meeting of all newly elected legislators in Delhi on January 17. It is expected that Jharkhand Cabinet expansion will be announced after that.

Jharkhand BJP to revamp after poll debacle.

Source – outlookindia.com

The BJP in Jharkhand has started the exercise of looking into the reasons for the humiliating defeat in the recently held assembly elections. The party is planning to axe those district presidents who could not win a single seat in their respective areas. According to party sources, preparations are also underway to bolster the party units at the district levels to overcome the deficiencies that led to the debacle.

A top functionary of the BJP said the exercise to pick new state office bearers is on and is expected to be completed in 50 per cent of the districts soon. This time the party faced big reverses in Kolhan region (24 districts) where most of the functionaries are likely to be axed.

The party is planning to appoint new district presidents this time and will not elect them, as was the practice earlier, sources said. The party will first get a new state chief and then the district presidents will be appointed, sources added.

BJP spokesman Pratul Shahdeo told IANS that the party has begun reviewing performances of its functionaries and is looking into the reasons of the defeat. “We do this exercise after every election. This is a normal process,” he said.

Laxman Giluwa has already resigned from the party president post taking moral responsibility for the defeat though his resignation is yet to be accepted.

The BJP is also reviewing the performance of the members of Parliament who could not help win seats in their assembly constituencies, sources said adding that Jharkhand election in charge Om Mathur has sent a report to the the party high command in which he has questioned the role of MPs during state elections.

Apart from the new party president in Jharkhand, BJP is also yet to appoint its legislature party leader. Sources say that talks are going on for the merger of Jharkhand Vikas Morcha-Prajatantrik (JVM-P) president Babulal Marandi with the BJP. If that happens, BJP may pick a tribal face for one of the two posts – legislature party leader and party president.

Chief Minister Hemant Soren Likely To Expand Jharkhand Cabinet After 2 Days.

Source – ndtv.com

Ranchi: Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren is likely to expand his cabinet after kharmas, an inauspicious period in Hindu calendar, ends in two days.

Mr Soren, who is in Delhi to take part in the non-BJP Chief Ministers’ meeting with Sonia Gandhi, is likely to discuss cabinet expansion with her as well as other senior Congress leaders. He may return to Ranchi on Tuesday.

Mr Soren took oath on December 29 along with three ministers – two from the Congress and one from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). No Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) MLA was made a minister. Fourteen days after the swearing in, the portfolios are yet to be allocated.

According to sources, induction of more ministers and portfolio distribution are not proving easy for Mr Soren. While the Congress wants five ministries, the JMM is willing to give only four. The Congress also wants important ministries, like health, education and rural development.

“A detailed discussion is likely with senior Congress leaders in Delhi on cabinet expansion and portfolio distribution,” a JMM source told IANS.

Hemant Soren has to deal with the Congress demands, meet the aspirations of his own party legislators as well as balance the caste factor. Also, there are over half a dozen JMM legislators who have won the Assembly polls four-five times and are aspiring to be in the ministry.

In view of the likely cabinet expansion, the Congress legislative party leader, ministers and 16 legislators are camping in Delhi. These ministers are lobbying for “good” portfolios.

The JMM, the Congress and the RJD won 30, 16 and 1 seat, respectively, in the recently concluded Assembly polls.

‘Sold and raped’ in Delhi, Jharkhand woman says she walked over 800 km to reach home.

Source – theprint.in

Ranchi: She was promised a job for Rs 5,000 a month in Delhi by a man from her village — a decent sum, she thought, and enough to help her family of daily-wage labourers in Jharkhand. The woman agreed and left with him.

That was around four months ago.

On 27 December last year, the 19-year-old returned home beaten and bruised — allegedly subjected to unspeakable sexual abuse by men to whom she was sold.

When this reporter met her in Jharkhand on 7 January, the 19-year-old had a macabre tale of rape, torture and an ardous 800-km journey on foot to tell.

Her ordeal, she said, had begun soon after she landed in Delhi with Srijan Murmu, the man who had promised her a job at a missionary society in Delhi. But she was taken to Old Delhi right away and sold to a man.

“I was kept in an office and did cleaning work during the daytime. At nights, my buyer would rape me. If I protested, he would threaten me with a knife,” she claimed.

“Then one night, four other men came to the room where I stayed. They were big and well-built. One of them caught hold of my hand but I let myself loose somehow and jumped out of the second-floor window.”

Unhurt, she ran for safety and did not stop until she thought her perpetrators could no longer see her. Roaming aimlessly in the unknown city, the survivor told this reporter that she rummaged for food in leftovers thrown by hotels.

“People thought I was mentally challenged. So, nobody said anything,” she said.

‘Climbed trees at night to protect myself’

Her journey, however, had only begun. Running for her life, the survivor claimed she walked all the way from Delhi to Madhya Pradesh, a distance of more than 800-km, before she finally collapsed and was rescued by a few locals.

The woman said she walked all day and climbed trees at night to “protect herself”. This went on for nearly two months before she reached Sidhi district in Madhya Pradesh.

“I didn’t have any sense of direction. I just walked. I could not take a bath…and my entire body reeked. Out of fear, I could not sleep even on the trees. A nap during the day was all I could afford,” she said.

Weak and exhausted, she was found lying unconscious by some residents who then took her to a police station and later to a One Stop Centre for treatment.

But language proved another barrier for her to be reunited with her family because she spoke and understood only Santhali. The Madhya Pradesh Police got in touch with a local youth who was from Dhanbad, Ankit Rajgadhiya. Rajgadhiya then brought along a friend who spoke Santhali.

The MP Police then got in touch with the Sahibganj police station in Jharkhand and the woman was finally brought home.

A case was subsequently lodged against Murmu at the Barhet police station of Jharkhand under section 370 (trafficking) and section 371 (habitual dealing in slaves) of the IPC.

Other missing girls from the village

The 19-year-old isn’t the only woman from her village to have been trafficked. The families of two other girls, who went missing in the past three years, also blamed men from the village behind their disappearance.

The younger sister of one of the missing girls said, “When we asked Murmu to bring my sister back, he asked for Rs 2,500. He took the money but has since not come back to the village.”

The second girl’s mother similarly said her daughter was “taken away” by one Chhoto Murmu three years ago and has since not returned home.

Sahibganj Superintendent of Police Aman Kumar said disappearances of women have become a common phenomena in the area.

Ajit Jha, a local journalist, also said, “Girls belonging to the Pahadia, Santhali communities are frequently reported missing. Reports are published about them but nothing happens.”

Aiding the trafficking industry are illegally-run placement agencies that have cropped up in the state.

“A large number of fake placement agencies have come up in Ranchi and Khunti areas. Earlier, these agents used to ferry victims via trains. Now, women are taken in trucks and buses,” said Afkar Ahmed, an assistant professor at the National University of Study and Research in Law, Ranchi.

The Jharkhand government had in 2016 passed the Private Placement Agencies and Domestic Workers (Regulation) Act, which demands mandatory registration for placement agencies. The Act states that full information about the person who is to be employed outside the state for work should be given to the office of the district collector.

Those found flouting these norms will face two years in prison and/or fine of Rs 2 lakh. Any error in information pertaining to an individual will also lead to a jail term of one year or a fine of Rs 20,000.

But Ahmed said that senior police officers in the state are “unaware” of it and the Immoral Trafficking Prevention Act. In one of his research papers, Ahmed also states that girls belonging to Oraon, Munda, Santhal, Pahadia and Gond tribes of Jharkhand are some of the biggest victims of this menace.

Jharkhand records highest human trafficking cases

According to data released by the National Crime Records Bureau, Jharkhand recorded 373 cases of human trafficking in 2018 — the highest in the country.

Among these, 314 cases involved trafficking of minor girls. On the basis of these recorded cases, 158 people (mostly girls) were rescued. The data also revealed that 58 cases were related to forced labor, 18 to flesh trade, 34 trafficked for domestic chores, 32 for forced marriages and seven smuggled for begging.

Maharashtra was in second place with 311 cases and Assam in the third place with 262 cases. A total of 2,367 cases were registered across the country in 2018.

A Barhet local, identified only as Rajkumar, said most of the “dealings” take place during the weekly market on Tuesdays. “The tribals come to the markets only on those days to sell things. It is here that agents scout for women.”

Data procured from the Jharkhand Police states that a total of 608 cases of human trafficking were registered from 2013 to 2019. Out of this, 736 women and 182 men were rescued. During the same period, 555 smugglers were arrested, which included 355 men and 200 women.

A study conducted on trafficking victims in the Khunti and Ranchi districts of Jharkhand has cited how impoverishment appears to be one of the main causes behind this menace.

Girls available for Rs 30,000 in Jharkhand

The representative of a panchayat in Sahibganj, who did not want to be named, said that girls are sold for around Rs 30,000 in Jharkhand. The buyer, he added, also has to deposit Rs 1,000 every month.

Baidyanath Kumar, an activist fighting human trafficking, said, “In Jharkhand, a healthy goat costs around Rs 80,000 but a girl might cost as little as Rs 30,000 only.”

This reporter also got in touch with one of the alleged traffickers who claimed he could “provide a girl within days” for Rs 50,000. Another alleged trafficker said he got anywhere between Rs 25,000 and Rs 30,000 for one girl.

The Jharkhand Police had last year arrested Panna Lal, who was known to be a kingpin of trafficking rackets in the state and had assets worth Rs 80 crore.

According to a report, trafficking for sex has an annual turnover of about Rs 2 lakh crore in India.

Fake currency racket busted in Jharkhand, two arrested.

Source – newindianexpress.com

RAMGARH: An inter-state fake currency racket was busted and two persons arrested after vendors at a vegetable market here raised an alarm, a senior police officer said on Monday.

The two accused, including a woman, had attempted to buy vegetables with counterfeit currency notes at Gola area in the district on Sunday, he said.

The vendor, who was approached with fake notes, had drawn the attention of locals, who then informed the police, SP Prabhat Kumar told reporters.

One of the accused, during interrogation, confessed to have been running a fake currency racket in Dhanbad with the help of three other persons, including two from Bihar’s Nalanda district, the SP said.

A team of police offers carried out a raid at a residence in Mada colony of Dhanbad and seized a printing machine, 85GSM papers used in printing currency notes, printed notes of face value Rs 2000, semi-printed sheets of fake notes and laptop, Kumar said, adding that police were on the lookout for other members of the gang.