HIGHLIGHTS

Following are the top stories at 2240 hours: DEL105 DL-2NDLDALL VIOLENCE Nearly 1,300 held so far for violence; Students appear in board exams amid tight security New Delhi: Nearly 1,300 people have been arrested or detained so far in connection with last week's communal violence in northeast Delhi where 98 per cent of the students appeared for board exams in the affected areas on Monday amid tight security. DEL107 LD PM Thinking of giving up my social media accounts: PM New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said he is contemplating giving up social media presence.

DEL97 CORONAVIRUS-3RDLDALL INDIA Two new cases of coronavirus reported in India, govt steps up screening New Delhi: India on Monday reported two new cases of the novel coronavirus, including one from the national capital, the Union Health Ministry said as the government stepped up its efforts to detect and check the infection which has killed more than 3,000 people globally. DEL94 VIOLENCE-LDALL COURTS SC wishes for peace but aware of its "limitations", says CJI, hearing pleas on Delhi violence New Delhi: As communal violence in Delhi abated, Chief Justice of India S A Bobde on Monday remarked that the Supreme Court also wishes for peace but there are "limitations", adding it cannot give "preventive reliefs".

DEL93 LS-ABORTION-LD BILL Bill to extend upper limit of abortion to 24 weeks introduced in Lok Sabha New Delhi: A bill that seeks to extend the upper limit for permitting abortions from the present 20 weeks to 24 weeks was introduced in Lok Sabha on Monday. CAL19 WB-SLOGAN-LD ARREST 3 arrested for 'goli maro...' slogan, one granted bail Kolkata: Three BJP "supporters" have been arrested for raising provocative slogan -- "desh ke gaddaro ko, goli maro ..." (shoot the traitors) -- while heading for Union Home Minister Amit Shah's rally in the city on Sunday, a senior Kolkata Police official said.

DEL87 DL-RUMOURS-DISTRESS-LD CALLS Delhi rumours: 1,880 distress calls on Sunday, 40 arrested, say police New Delhi: Delhi police said they have arrested 40 people in connection with riot-related rumours that had spread in parts of the national capital on Sunday evening, when the department received 1,880 distress calls from people panicked by the false alarm of communal violence. By Kishor Dwivedi DEL81 LDALL NIRBHAYA Nirbhaya case: For 3rd time, Court defers hanging of 4 death row convicts New Delhi: The hanging of the four convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case scheduled for Tuesday was deferred for the third time in six weeks by a court in yet another twist in the case marked by apparent delaying tactics by the condemned prisoners. DEL88 PARL-LDALL ADJOURN BJP, Cong members scuffle in Lok Sabha as Oppn protests over Delhi violence rock Parliament New Delhi: BJP and Congress members pushed and shoved each other in Lok Sabha as Parliament was on Monday rocked by protests against the Modi government over the communal violence in Delhi, with the opposition demanding resignation of Home Minister Amit Shah.

CAL13 WB LD MAMATA-VIOLENCE- GENOCIDE Delhi violence state-sponsored planned genocide: Mamata Kolkata: The communal conflagration in Delhi was "state-sponsored planned genocide", West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee alleged on Monday and claimed an attempt was being made by the BJP to replicate the "Gujarat model of riots" across the country. DEL86 ITX-CG RAIDS-LD CBDT Illegal cash from liquor and mining business paid to Chhattisgarh public servants: CBDT New Delhi: Income Tax raids conducted in Chhattisgarh have revealed that "unaccounted cash" sourced from liquor and mining businesses was being paid to public servants every month, the CBDT said on Monday.

LGD46 DL-COURT-4THLD NIRBHAYA Nirbhaya case: Delhi court defers hanging of 4 death row convicts till further order New Delhi: A Delhi court Monday deferred till further order the hanging of four death row convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case pending disposal of a convict's mercy plea, saying it was "an important constitutional legal principle". LGD42 SC-2ND LD VIOLENCE Delhi violence: SC agrees to hear on Mar 4 plea seeking lodging of FIRs New Delhi: The Supreme Court Monday agreed to hear on March 4 a plea seeking lodging of FIRs against BJP leaders -- Anurag Thakur, Parvesh Verma, Kapil Mishra and Abhay Verma -- for their purported hate speeches which allegedly led to recent violence in Delhi in which over 40 people lost their lives and scores injured.

FGN63 BANGLA-SHRINGLA-MILITARY India willing to share all military hardware made in the country with Bangladesh: FS Shringla Dhaka: India is ready to share with Bangladesh any military hardware being manufactured in the country for India's defence forces, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said on Monday as he underlined the potential for robust defence cooperation between the two neighbours. FGN49 CHINA-LD MEDIA China says foreign journalists need to follow local laws Beijing: China on Monday said foreign journalists reporting from the country need to follow professional ethics and Chinese laws, as it dismissed a media group’s report that Beijing is using visa as a weapon to intimidate foreign media "like never before".

By K J M Varma PTI SRY.