Jamnagar, Oct 21: Almost the entire Ambani family led by billionaire tycoon Mukesh Ambani welcomed the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at Jamnagar on Wednesday, as he began a tour of the world’s largest single-site refinery. Rubio arrived in Jamnagar a day after calling India a crude-refining “superpower” and urging more processing of Venezuelan crude there. The day also included a visit to Reliance’s Vantara animal-rescue centre and giga factories being developed by the conglomerate.

The day also included a visit to Reliance’s Vantara animal-rescue centre and giga factories being developed by the conglomerate. The visit puts a private industrial empire at the centre of US-India energy diplomacy, analysts said.

Officials have described the Ambani-hosted programme as a “private visit”. It comes as US diesel prices surge ahead of the mid-term elections. No details of the visit were released by either side.

Rubio was welcomed by Ambani, chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries Ltd, his wife Nita and children Isha and Anant, people familar with the visit said. Akash Ambani, Mukesh Ambani’s eldest son and managing director of Jio Platforms, was overseeing the opening of the telecom giant’s initial public offering (IPO). Reliance’s Jamnagar complex can process 1.4 million barrels of crude a day and is the world’s largest and most complex single-site refinery. Its fuel exports make it a hub for global supply.

Rubio told Reliance-owned Network 18 that Washington wants to work more closely with Reliance on refining energy from the Western Hemisphere, calling that helpful to both countries. Reliance is already a key player in Washington’s oil diplomacy. It is the biggest buyer of Venezuelan crude after the US itself, at a time when Washington is urging India to buy more, the people said.

Reliance’s proposed Texas refinery adds a reciprocal dimension to its energy ties with the US.

US President Donald Trump recently announced that Reliance is partnering to build a new 168,000 barrels-a-day refinery project in Brownsville, Texas.

While Washington is seeking to encourage more processing of Western Hemisphere crude at Jamnagar, the Indian conglomerate is also positioning itself to handle US oil closer to its source. The plant is designed to process US-produced light shale crude and would be the first major new US refinery in about five decades if completed.

Besides the refinery, Rubio also visited Vantara.

Reliance Industries and Reliance Foundation-run Vantara is a rescue, rehabilitation and conservation programme spread over 3,000 acres in Jamnagar. It sits within the green belt of the refinery complex and was conceived by Anant Ambani, the youngest son of Mukesh Ambani.

The centre houses more than 2,000 animals across 43 species and employs about 2,100 care-givers and conservationists. It says it has rescued more than 200 elephants and thousands of other animals, reptiles and birds.

The other stop on Rubio’s visit was the Dhirubhai Ambani Green Energy Giga Complex – Reliance’s integrated clean-energy manufacturing hub at Jamnagar, covering solar, storage, fuel cells, electrolysers and power electronics. It is being built on a 5,000-acre site at an expected cost of Rs 75,000 crore (about USD 10 billion).

The US Secretary of State arrived in Mumbai on Tuesday, where External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar hosted him for wide-ranging talks on bilateral cooperation.

Ahead of the meeting, Rubio described India as a crude oil refining “superpower” and advocated for processing more Venezuelan crude in India. He also urged India to scale up energy trade with the US and increase purchases of American technologies and defence systems.

For Washington, Jamnagar offers a way to turn Western Hemisphere crude into diesel at scale, a pressing concern before the midterms, analysts said.

For Reliance, the visit is validation, and a chance to show the US it is an investor as well as a buyer, they said.

For New Delhi, it comes as both governments try to settle their differences. Rubio said only “a small number of items” remain unresolved on a trade deal.

New Delhi, Oct 21: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday paid tribute to police personnel who were killed in the line of duty and expressed gratitude to those serving the country under challenging circumstances.

In a post on X on the occasion of Police Commemoration Day, PM Modi acknowledged the contribution of police personnel in maintaining law and order, combating crime, responding to emergencies and ensuring the safety of citizens.

“We pay our solemn tributes to the brave police personnel who laid down their lives in the line of duty. Their courage, unwavering dedication and supreme sacrifice will forever remain etched in our nation’s memory,” the PM said.

He said Police Commemoration Day was an occasion to express gratitude to police personnel for their commitment and invaluable service, often in the most difficult circumstances.

New Delhi, Oct 21: A special executive magistrate court on Wednesday ordered the release of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka after they gave written undertakings that they won’t breach peace or call for protests at Jantar Mantar as long as the site remains denotified.

The two were directed to furnish personal bonds and surety bonds of Rs 50,000 each until the conclusion of the inquiry.

They furnished the bonds and ACP Ritu Raj, acting as the special executive magistrate (SEM), ordered their release from Tihar Jail.

The order came after the police sought a three-day extension of their judicial custody, arguing that apprehensions of a breach of peace and disturbance of law and order persisted in view of their previous conduct and statements made in the media.

The police also argued that Das and Ranka had given contradictory statements before the court and in the media regarding their willingness to refrain from similar activities.

Their written reply submitted during Wednesday’s proceedings was also cited as being contrary to their earlier submissions, according to the order.

The CJP welcomed the release of Das and Ranka, with founder Abhijeet Dipke calling them “much, much bigger leaders” than himself and legal head Ratna Singh saying the decision should have come earlier.

“Saurav and Ashu are not just better but much, much bigger leaders than me. Happy to follow your orders, my leaders. Jaan hazir hai,” Dipke said in a post on X.

He added a playful remark in Hindi, saying, “Lekin iske baad mere bina garden mein koi akela nahi ghumega!!! (After this, don’t go walking in the garden without me).”

In another post, Dipke shared a photograph of Das and Ranka and captioned it “My leaders.”

Singh said this “decision should have been taken long ago, but it is not too late”.

She said the team was emotional and eager to meet Das and Ranka.

She also expressed hope that nobody’s liberty would be curtailed in the future over issues related to sureties or technical reasons.

AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal also welcomed the SEM’s order releasing Das and Ranka and said the entire nation stands with them.

Earlier, BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra said the judicial detention of Ranka and Das was linked to a violation of a peace bond and not to their attempt to unfurl the national flag.

During the hearing, the police further referred to a statement by another CJP member to the media while the leaders were being taken to Tihar Jail after the previous hearing, arguing that it undermined the authority of the SEM court.

The counsel for Das and Ranka tendered an unconditional apology and assured the court that such conduct would not be repeated.

The magistrate, however, observed that the immediate preventive measures required to maintain peace and public tranquillity could be adequately secured through the execution of bonds and the written undertakings furnished by the two leaders.

The court held that their further judicial custody was not necessary at this stage in view of the assurances given before it.

In their separate undertakings, Das and Ranka promised not to commit any breach of peace and expressed faith in the judiciary and its institutions, including the SEM court.

They specifically undertook not to make calls for protests at Jantar Mantar until the site is denotified in accordance with law and said any protest undertaken by them would remain within the constitutional framework.

The magistrate directed the investigating officer to submit a verification report on the sureties at the next hearing. The two leaders and their sureties have also been directed to remain present on the next date of hearing.

The court further directed Das and Ranka to appear on every date of the proceedings and strictly comply with the conditions of their bonds and voluntary undertakings, while maintaining law and order and ensuring that public tranquillity is not disturbed. The inquiry will continue in accordance with law, the order stated.

The next hearing in the matter has been scheduled for October 23 at 3 pm.

Das and Ranka were initially remanded in five days of judicial custody on October 14 after being detained in connection with the CJP’s protest, allegedly for entering the denotified protest site at Jantar Mantar and violating peace bonds. Their custody was extended by two days on October 19 and was due to expire on Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, the Delhi High Court refused to interfere with their judicial custody, asking them to await the SEM court’s decision and approach the appellate court if their grievance persisted.

The proceedings against the two leaders were initiated by the Parliament Street police under Sections 126 and 170 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) as preventive measures amid apprehensions of a breach of peace and disturbance of public tranquillity during the protests.

New Delhi, Oct 21: Intelligence Bureau (IB) Director Dr Mahesh Dixit on Wednesday paid rich tributes to police personnel across the country who laid down their lives in the line of duty, revealing that 154 police personnel died serving the nation over the past year and 36,852 have made the ultimate sacrifice since Independence. He was addressing a gathering on Police Commemoration Day at National Police Memorial in New Delhi.

Highlighting the solemnly and historic origin of the day, Dr Dixit recalled the brave sacrifice of CRPF personnel in 1959 that led to the annual commemoration across India.

“Today, on Police Commemoration Day, we have gathered at the National Police Memorial to pay tribute to those brave police personnel who laid down their lives in the line of duty over the past year. We have also assembled to honour all our fallen comrades who made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty since India achieved independence. On this day, October 21, 1959, ten valiant CRPF personnel led by Karam Singh, DCIO of the Intelligence Bureau, sacrificed their lives while confronting an armed Chinese military contingent along the India-China border. Since then, we have observed this day every year as Police Commemoration Day,” Dr Dixit said.

Detailing the nationwide observance and the week-long commemorative events scheduled to follow, the IB Director noted the active participation of central armed forces and the families of the fallen personnel.

“On this day, tributes are paid to our fallen comrades through various programmes held in state capitals, districts and at police stations At the national level, a joint commemorative parade has been organized here today, featuring personnel from the BSF, CISF, ITBP, SSB, NSG, Assam Rifles, RPF, NDRF, and the Delhi Police. In accordance with the recommendations made by the Prime Minister during the 2019 Conference of Directors General and Inspectors General of Police, various commemorative events will be organized at this National Police Memorial by different Central Armed Police Forces from October 22 to October 30. The families of our fallen comrades will also participate in these events. Over the past year, 154 police personnel have laid down their lives in the line of duty. Since independence, a total of 36,852 police personnel have made the ultimate sacrifice while serving to uphold the nation’s unity and integrity and ensure the safety of its citizens,” he added.