The Chhattisgarh

Category: India

  • West Bengal Doctors To Decide On Resuming ‘Cease Work’ After SC Hearing Of RG Kar Case |

    RG Kar Rape-Murder Case: Junior doctors in West Bengal said on Saturday that they would take a decision pertainbing to resuming total ‘cease work’ in medical colleges after observing the state government’s submission on their safety and security at workplaces during the hearing of the RG Kar rape and murder case in the Supreme Court on September 30.

    The decision of medics was taken after three doctors and three nurses were assaulted following the death of a patient at the College of Medicine and Sagore Dutta Hospital near Kolkata on Friday night. The doctors alleged that the attacks at the state-run hospital show that the state government has “totally failed” to deliver promises to provide them security.

    Following the attacks, one of the junior doctors said that the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC government in the state totally failed in providing us safety and security.

    “The state government has totally failed in providing us safety and security, and that is the reason the attack took place in Sagore Dutta Hospital. We are giving the state some time and want to hear their submission regarding our security during the Supreme Court hearing on Monday, and then from 5 PM, we will start total ‘cease work’ at all hospitals across Bengal,” the junior doctor said, as quoted by PTI.

    “It seems that our meetings with the chief minister and the chief secretary were not taken seriously. How can patients’ family members threaten one of our female colleagues to repeat what has happened at the RG Kar hospital. We do not feel secure in the hospitals; we lost all hope in the state government,” he said.

    The decisions were announced following a junior doctors’ general body meeting held after the assaults on medics at the Sagore Dutta Hospital. Soon after Friday’s incident, junior doctors at the Sagore Dutta Hospital started “total cease work” there.

    On Sunday, junior doctors decided to organize a rally across the state, protesting the Sagore Dutta Hospital incident. “Where gone the assurances on our safety and security. We will go for a bigger demonstration,” Aniket Mahato, a doctor who was also present there, said, as quoted by PTI.

    Depending on the submission on the part of the Bengal government in the Supreme Court hearing on Monday, junior doctors might contemplate whether to go for “total cease work or not”, Mahato said.

    On September 21, medics rejoined their duties partially at various government-run hospitals in West Bengal after a hiatus of 42 days. They were on ‘cease work’ in protest against the rape-murder of an on-duty woman doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital here.

    Junior doctors had on Thursday written an email to Chief Secretary Manoj Pant, reiterating their demands, which were “yet to be fulfilled” by the state government. In the two-page letter, representatives of the West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Forum referred to their meeting with him at the state secretariat on September 18 when their demands “were verbally agreed.”

    (With PTI Inputs)

  • MP: 9 Killed, 20 Injured In Bus-Truck Collision In Maihara |

    Madhya Pradesh News: At least nine people were killed and 20 others sustained injuries following a collision between a bus and a truck in Madhya Pradesh’s Maihar district. 

    Police said that the bus was headed for Nagpur from Prayagraj when it collided with the parked stone-laden dumper truck around 11 PM on Saturday near the Nadan Dehat police station, about 25 kilometres from the district headquarters.

    Speaking to news agency PTI, Superintendent of Police, Maihar, Sudhir Agrawal said that among those injured, the condition of six people was stated to be serious, and they were referred to Satna. He said the rest are undergoing treatment in Maihar and Amarpatan hospitals.

    VIDEO | Madhya Pradesh: Rescue operation underway as dozens were injured after a bus collided with a parked truck in Maihar. More details awaited.

    (Full video available on PTI Videos – https://t.co/n147TvqRQz) pic.twitter.com/ugSX5z3q7d
    — Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 28, 2024

    Agrawal said senior officials reached the spot soon after getting information about the accident and launched a rescue operation. Further details are awaited.

    Meanwhile, in another incident that occurred in Gujarat, seven persons, including four children, died and 14 suffered injuries after a bus jumped the road divider and hit three vehicles near Dwarka on Saturday evening, police said.

    According to PTI, the accident took place around 7:45 pm on National Highway 51 when the bus was heading from Dwarka to Ahmedabad.

    It jumped the divider as its driver tried to avoid hitting cattle on the road and collided with a minivan, a car, and a motorcycle coming from the opposite direction, said a local police official. Of the deceased, six persons were travelling in the minivan while one was a bus passenger, said police inspector D H Bhatt.

    (With PTI Inputs) 

  • Jharkhand Polls: BJP Seat Sharing With AJSU, JD(U) Almost Final, Says Himanta |

    The BJP is gearing up for the Jharkhand assembly polls. While it was earlier expected that the BJP and the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) will contest the polls together, BJP leader and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the Janta Dal (United) will also be a part of the alliance. Sarma, who is also the BJP’s Jharkhand election co-in-charge along with AJSU president Sudesh Mahto held a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah this evening to finalize seat sharing.

    Speaking to the media earlier in the day, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “In the elections, there will be an alliance with Janta Dal (U) and AJSU Party. The seat sharing is almost final. Discussion for 1-2 seats is pending. We will announce the alliance after the Pitru Paksha ends.”

    Sarma stated that a formal announcement regarding this matter will be made after the conclusion of ‘Pitri Paksha,’ which ends on October 2. The elections for Jharkhand’s 81-member assembly are scheduled to take place later this year.

    जिस दिन JMM-Cong झारखंड में घुसपैठियों के खिलाफ कार्रवाई शुरू कर देगा, उस दिन मैं इस मुद्दे पर बात करना बंद कर दूँगा। pic.twitter.com/tQZx72WMEX
    — Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) September 28, 2024

    Regarding Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s letter to Union Health Minister JP Nadda, requesting assistance for an in-depth investigation into the deaths of recruitment aspirants during physical tests for excise personnel, Sarma emphasized that the investigation should be conducted by the state government. 

    The incident reportedly claimed the lives of 15 aspirants who participated in the physical assessments. The BJP has criticized Soren’s administration, accusing it of mismanagement and holding the government responsible for the fatalities during the recruitment drive.

    “As the deaths took place in Jharkhand, the first responsibility of investigation lies with the state government. If the chief minister thinks an extensive investigation is required, he should write to the Chief Justice of Jharkhand High Court for a judicial probe. We will welcome this,” Sarma said.

    Expressing concern over alleged infiltration into Jharkhand, Sarma said that ‘infiltrators have hijacked’ the state.

  • Vote Jihad A Reality In Maharashtra? Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis Says This |

    Ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections, ZEE NEWS hosted an “Ek Bharat-Shreshth Bharat” conclave in Mumbai on Saturday. Maharashtra’s Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis was also present at the program, where he openly addressed a range of challenging issues, including amendments to the Waqf Bill, the performance of the Maha Yuti during the Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra, dynastic politics, reconciliation with opposing ideologies and the recent tensions at a religious site in Dharavi.

    Reacting to the opposition parties’ political strategies, the BJP leader said that the opposition is playing the same card that benefited them during the Lok Sabha elections. He further emphasised that understanding the dynamics of the opposition’s strategy is crucial for the coming assembly election and also suggested that the government needs to be proactive to counter the opposition effectively.

    Deputy CM Fadnavis emphasised the impact of a “false narrative” created by the opposition, which fostered the belief that if the BJP secured 400 seats, everything would change. This led to significant polarization among the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, resulting in fewer seats for them.

     

    ZEE NEWS पर सबसे बड़ा सम्मेलन एक भारत, श्रेष्ठ भारत LIVE #EkBharatShresthaBharatOnZee #ZeeNewsConclave #ZeeNews #ZeeLive https://t.co/SEQDvtMLCP


    — Zee News (@ZeeNews) September 28, 2024

     

    Fadnavis mentioned the phenomenon of “vote jihad,” citing that while his party were leading in five out of six assembly segments in Dhule, Congress managed to secure over a lakh votes in Malegaon alone, which hurt their overall performance. 

    Reacting to the Badlapur encounter, Maharashtra’s Deputy CM clarified that they do not support encounters and stated that the police acted in self-defence. He accused the opposition of relying on “ultra-anarchist” elements and highlighted that Asaduddin Owaisi operates within his own ecosystem, distancing himself from Congress’s “Bharat Jodo” campaign, which he claimed lacks sincerity.

    Fadnavis emphasised that Maharashtra is a developed state and asserted that they set the narrative for development while accusing Congress of politicising every issue. He reiterated that their focus remains on law and order through proper legal channels rather than extrajudicial measures.

    In response to questions about the Dharavi incident, he said, “The law is doing its job. It’s a significant achievement that we have not allowed the situation to deteriorate.”

  • Accusation Against Ex-RG Kar Principal Is Grave, Could Attract Capital Punishment If Proved: Court |

    RG Kar Rape-Murder Case: A designated Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court denied bail to former RG Kar Medical College and Hospital principal Sandip Ghosh in the case pertaining to the rape and murder of a trainee doctor on the college premises. 

    A designated CBI court, while denying, has observed that the nature and gravity of the accusation against him is grave and could attract capital punishment if proved.

    The central probe agency had arrested Ghosh and former officer in charge of Tala police station, Abhijit Mondal, for alleged tampering of evidence and delay in filing of FIR in the doctor’s rape and murder case.

    In its order dictated on September 25, the court said that it appears from the case diary that the process of investigation by the central probe agency is in full swing.

    Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate S Dey, who denied the bail prayer of Ghosh, observed that the nature and gravity of the accusation is grave and, if proved, it may attract capital punishment, as reported by news agency PTI. It is handed in the rarest of rare cases.

    The judge said that the court is of the opinion that “it would be an injustice flouting the principle of equity to release the accused on bail.” He said in the order that a person may commit an offence with the help of others, and there is no need to be present for the other accused at the place of occurrence.

    The court also rejected the bail prayer of Abhijit Mondal. It granted the CBI’s prayer for judicial custody of the two accused till September 30.

    Ghosh’s counsel claimed before the judge at Sealdah Court here that he was falsely implicated in the case and there was no act on his part to commit the crime as alleged. The body of the 31-year-old postgraduate trainee medic was found with severe injuries in the seminar hall of the RG Kar Hospital on August 9.

    (With PTI Inputs)

  • Tirupati Laddoo Row: SC To Hear Pleas Of Subramanian Swamy, Ex-TTD Chief Seeking Probe On September 30 |

    Tirupati Laddoo Row: The Supreme Court is set to hear petitions seeking an investigation into the alleged use of animal fat in the preparation of laddoos ‘prasadam’ in Tirupati on Monday. 

    The petitions have been filed by Bharatiya Jaata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy and former Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) chairman YV Subba Reddy, who is a Rajya Sabha MP.

    Last week, a row erupted after Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu claimed that animal fat was used to make laddoos given as ‘prasad’ by the Sri Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati under the previous YSR Congress government led by Jagan Mohan Reddy.

    Both Swamy and YV Subba Reddy have urged for a court-monitored probe into the allegations, and their petitions will be heard by a bench of Justices BR Gavai and KV Viswanathan, according to media reports.

    The BJP leader, in his public interest litigation (PIL) filed earlier this week, requested the Supreme Court to direct the Andhra Pradesh government to file a detailed report on the ghee used for making the laddoos. He also sought a detailed forensic report in the matter.

    Citing a lab report, the state government had claimed that the ghee used in the laddoos contained traces of beef tallow, fish oil, and lard (pig fat). 

    “There ought to have been checks and balances internally to supervise and verify and check the quality, or the lack of it, of the suppliers supplying various ingredients to the temple that go into the making of the prasad,” the petition said. 

    Meanwhile, a PIL was also filed by YV Subba Reddy seeking an independent Special Investigation Team (SIT) monitored by a retired judge of the apex court to probe the allegations levelled by Naidu’s. 

    Amid the controversy over Tirpati laddoos, Reddy has been going all out to defend his party against the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister’s claims. He has been reiterating that no adulterated ghee was used in the process of making laddoos.

    Meanwhile, Chandrababu Naidu on Friday slammed Jagan Mohan Reddy and accused him of “spreading false information.” This comes after Reddy claimed that the TDP government obstructed his visit to Tirumala.

  • ‘No Minister Can Go Against Party Ideology’: Congress Warns Vikramaditya Singh Amid ‘Eateries Diktat’ Row |

    Himachal Pradesh Minister Vikramaditya Singh sparked controversy over his remarks that coincided with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s directives mandating the street vendors to display their names. Following his statement, the Congress leadership on Friday reprimanded him, saying that no individual is permitted to act against the party’s policies and ideologies, reported PTI citing party sources. 

    Congress general secretary, in-charge organisation, KC Venugopal held a meeting with Singh in New Delhi. During the meeting the party conveyed that they believe in former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi’s ideology of fighting hatred with love. 

    Singh was instructed to follow the party’s ideology and policies, but he responded by informing the leadership that his remarks had been misquoted by the media. Amid backlash over Singh’s statement on mandatory name displays for street vendors, the Himachal Pradesh government clarified on Thursday that no such decision had been made. 

    What Congress’ Vikramaditya Said 

    Vikramaditya Singh, who is the public works and urban development minister on Wednesday told reporters that it would be mandatory to display the names of the proprietor on the street eateries. The decesion he added was inspired by the UP CM Yogi’s orders. 

    The state government quickly distanced itself from Singh’s remark and clarified that no such order is in function. Sources in Delhi indicated that the Congress central leadership intervened, prompting the Himachal Pradesh government’s clarification. 

    How The Himachal Government Responded 

    Sources in Delhi indicated that the Congress central leadership intervened, prompting the Himachal Pradesh government’s clarification. 

    AICC Himachal Pradesh in-charge Rajiv Shukla said he discussed the issue with Vikramaditya Singh and CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, noting it stemmed from the assembly speaker’s committee to designate areas for street vendors. 

    The AICC’s Himachal Pradesh in-charge Rajiv Shukla said on Thursday that he had discussed the issue with Singh and Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. He had said the matter sprang from the assembly speaker forming a committee to designate specific areas for street vendors, including those selling food and other items. 

    “They will be given licences and regulated so that police do not harass them. The designated places will require identification such as Aadhaar cards and licences but there is no requirement for them to display a sign stating their name as the owner,” Shukla told reporters in Jammu on Thursday. 

    “The aim is to ensure that street vendors have proper locations to operate without disrupting traffic, especially since it is a hilly area and has narrow roads.” he had said. 

    (With PTI inputs)

  • Is Chanting ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ Hate Speech? Karnataka High Court Says THIS |

    Is chanting ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ a crime or hate speech in India? In a bizarre case, Karnataka Police had booked five men in June this year for promoting enmity by chanting ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’. However, the Karnataka High Court has now quashed the FIR saying that chanting ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ doesn’t come under hate-speech. The Karnataka High Court made the observations while quashing a first information report (FIR) registered against five men under Section 153A of Indian Penal Code (IPC).

    What Is The Case?

    The incident is related to June this year when five men were returning from an event celebrating the oath ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They were attacked by a group of people who assaulted and stabbed them for chanting ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’. The incident took place on June 9. However, when the victims approached the Police, the Karnataka Police registered an FIR against the complainants under several provisions of the IPC, including Section 153A which penalises promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race and place of birth. The police said that the FIR was registered following a complaint made by a Muslim man who alleged that the petitioners had threatened him. Karnataka is being ruled by Siddaramaiah-led Congress government.  

    What High Court Said

    Justice M Nagaprasanna not only granted relief to the five accused but also said that not a single ingredient of Section 153A was met in the case. “In the light of the afore-narrated facts and the judgments extracted supra, permitting even investigation into the case at hand would be prima facie permitting investigation into the sloganeering of Bharath Matha Ki Jai inter alia, which can by no stretch of imagination be promoting disharmony or enmity amongst religions,” the Court said.

    Justice Nagaprasanna said that this was a case of a counterblast to the complaint that had been registered by the petitioners, reported Bar and Bench.

  • 2 Arrested For Assaulting Bihar Youth Who Came To Bengal For Exam, Video Sparks Row |

    At least two people were arrested for allegedly threatening and harassing two young men who came to West Bengal’s Siliguri from Bihar to appear in an exam. The accused were arrested by the Bagdogra police under Siliguri Police Commemorate on Thursday.

    They have been identified as Rajat Bhattacharya and Giridhari Roy; residents of West Bengal’s Siliguri are known to be linked to Bangla Pokkho, a pro-Bengali advocacy organisation.

    The incident came to light after a video of the youth went viral on social media. In the video, the youth can be seen sleeping in a room when a group of miscreants entered and asked them whether they could understand Bengali, as reported by news agency ANI. When one student replied that they couldn’t, the miscreants started asking questions to them aggressively, claiming they shouldn’t be taking exams in other states.

    One of the students tried to explain that they had been assigned to the Siliguri exam center but was repeatedly asked to show his documents. The group claimed to be from the IB and harassed the youth.

    DCP of Siliguri Police, Biswachand Thakur, announced that two accused were arrested by Bagdogra police on Thursday evening after a complaint.

    “On the basis of a complaint, two persons were arrested by Bagdogra police on Thursday evening on the charge of threatening and harassing two youths, claiming to IB, police officers. Further investigation is underway,” Biswachand Thakur said.

    Attack On Students Draws Flak From BJP

    Meanwhile, the attack on the students has drawn widespread criticism from the BJP, which has expressed concern about the law and order situation in the Mamata Banerjee ruled state.

    Union Minister Giriraj Singh launched a scathing attack on the West Bengal government and asked, Has Mamata government taken the contract of only saving rapists?  

    “Red carpet for Rohingya Muslims in Bengal and Bihar kid beaten up for taking exam? Are these children not part of India? Has Mamata government taken the contract of only saving rapists?”

    In a post on X, Union Minister Chirag Paswan questioned the silence of the opposition over the incident, and said, “The news of brutal assault on Bihari students in West Bengal is very unfortunate and condemnable. The Chief Minister of that state has once again insulted the Biharis, which cannot be tolerated at all. I want to ask Mamata Banerjee ji, is it a crime to take an exam in West Bengal? Will the opposition party leaders still remain silent?”

    The LJP supremo asked Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to get the case investigated and demanded “legal action” against the culprits.

    “I want to ask the Leader of Opposition of Bihar, on what basis will you support the Trinamool Congress now. I request the Honorable Chief Minister Shri @NitishKumar ji to get the matter thoroughly investigated and take legal action against the culprits,” Paswan wrote on X.

    (With ANI Inputs)

  • IED Planting In Assam: NIA Arrests Key ULFA (I) Suspect |

    New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested a key accused in a United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent (ULFA-I) case related to the planting of IEDs across multiple places in Assam. In a press release, the NIA said that Girish Barua, alias Gautam Baruah, was nabbed from the outskirts of Bengaluru, where he was hiding out.

    The case was registered by the probe agency in September in connection with the planting of explosive devices across Assam by the banned terrorist organization ULFA (I) as part of an armed protest against Independence Day celebrations in India.

    “The accused was part of the group of ULFA (I) operatives that had placed IEDs at locations in North Lakhimpur district in Assam at the behest of the top leadership of the outfit,” said NIA.

    The suspect was arrested and produced before the Special NIA Court, Bengaluru, on September 25, and the court passed an order for transit remand and production before NIA Special Court Assam Guwahati. Investigations in the case are continuing.

    Meanwhile, in another incident, the NIA last week conducted searches at four locations across Punjab in a case related to the promotion of terror-related activities and violence by Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) leader and pro-Khalistani terrorist Gurupatwant Singh Pannun.

    NIA teams swooped down at one location in Moga, two locations in Bathinda, and one location in Mohali at premises connected with suspects in the case RC-30/2023/NIA/DLI, the probe agency stated.

    The searches led to the seizure of various incriminating materials, including digital devices, which are under examination.

    The case relates to the conspiracy by Pannun with other members of Sikhs for Justice (SFJ). The NIA had registered the case against Pannun on 17th November 2023, under sections 120B, 153A, and 506 of the IPC and sections 10, 13, 16, 17, 18, 18B, 8 20 of the UA(P) Act, 1967.

    (With agencies Inputs)