Daily Bulletin: Exit polls likely to stir political scenario in five states; Mika Singh returns to Abu Dhabi jail; rain mars Australia-India play; top stories for today

Days before Bulandshahr violence, local BJP leaders sought Subodh Kumar Singh’s transfer In the aftermath of Bulandshahr violence, the controversy surrounding the death of inspector Subodh Kumar Singh refuses to die down. While the findings of the Special Investigation Team probing the incident are yet to be placed in the public domain, signs of prior discord between local Hindu leaders and the slain police officer have emerged. According to PTI, two days before the police officer was murdered by a mob, local BJP leaders had demanded his transfer after accusing him of creating obstacles for religious functions. In a letter sent to Bulandshahr MP Bhola Singh, they alleged that his behaviour caused resentment in the Hindu community. The letter was forwarded by the MP to Bulandshahr SSP KB Singh demanding a probe against him. The inspector and 20-year-old Sumit were killed when a mob attacked policemen over alleged cow slaughter on 3 December. [caption id=“attachment_5641561” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. PTI[/caption] India vs Australia: Bumrah dismisses Starc in rain-marred morning session Australia crossed  the 200-run mark, but lose the wicket of Mitchell Starc, who is caught-behind off Jasprit Bumrah’s bowling for 15. The morning session, however, started off 45 minutes late thanks to some morning showers and was held up again right after the Starc dismissal. Eighth phase of Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat polls begins Voting for the eight phase of panchayat polls in Jammu and Kashmir began today at 8 am and will go on till 2 pm. According to the State Election Commission, the polling includes 2,633 polling stations — 550 in the Kashmir division and 2,083 in the Jammu division. Shaleen Kabra, Chief Electoral Officer, Jammu and Kashmir, had said on Friday that 361 polling stations have been categorised as ‘hypersensitive’ in this phase. Of these, 171 are in the Kashmir division and 190 in the Jammu division. According the State Election commission, 6,304 candidates are in the fray for 331 sarpanch and 2007 panch seats in Phase-VIII, while 43 sarpanch and 681 panch have been elected unopposed in this phase. He said in the areas going to polls in Phase-VIII, an electorate of 5,15,121 will be voting for sarpanch constituencies and 4,19,775 for panch constituencies. UAE court sends Mika Singh back to jail over sexual harassment charges Indian singer Mika Singh who was arrested for sexual harassment in UAE and later released on Thursday night is back in Abu Dhabi jail, reports said. “He was produced in the court today evening. And he has been sent back to police custody,” a diplomatic source close to the case told Khaleej Times. It is not clear for how many days he has been detained. He is being further questioned by the authorities. Exit polls predict Congress win in Rajasthan, divided on MP, Chhattisgarh Exit polls Friday predicted a tight finish between the BJP and the Congress in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and a win for the Opposition party in Rajasthan. They also predicted that the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi in Telangana will retain power. Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Rajasthan are all ruled by the BJP presently. The counting of votes for five states, including Mizoram, will take place on 11 December. But the exit poll results are expected to set the balls rolling for backdoor negotiations and alliance talks. Expect politically charged days ahead in the coming week, until one party gets a clear and unbeatable majority in the five states that went to polls. Union minister Upendra Kushwaha sits on fast to protest against Nitish Kumar govt Union Minister for State HRD and leader of Rashtriya Lok Samata Party, Upendra Kushwaha will sit on a two-day fast on 8 and 9 December. He questioned Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s “Nalanda model” of education through which he said the Bihar government has recruited a large number of incompetent teachers. He alleged that a majority of teachers recruited for state schools cannot even properly count from 1 to 100. Earlier, Kushwaha had hit out at the BJP too, having described his alliance partner as “Bharatiya Jumla Party” at a rally in East Champaran district on Thursday.   Jodie Whittaker confirms return for Doctor Who Season 12 Actor Jodie Whittaker has confirmed she will be returning for another season of Doctor Who. Whittaker is the first female Time Lord in the history of the cult sci-fi series. “I really can’t wait to step back in and get to work again. It’s such an incredible role. It’s been an extraordinary journey so far and I’m not quite ready to hand it over yet,” Whittaker told The Hollywood Reporter. The 11th season of Doctor Who will end on Sunday, with the show returning for a New Year’s Day special. Season 12 is expected to start shooting in early 2019. With inputs from PTI