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Punjab Polls: After rescuing labourers, Sonu Sood hits streets again

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Months after he came to the rescue of labourers walking back home in the days of Covid-19 lockdown, actor and philanthropist Sonu Sood is himself hitting the streets.

With folded hands and smile on his lips, he’s going from house to house event in scores of villages drumming up support for his sister Malvika Sood Sachar contesting the Punjab Assembly polls less than a fortnight away.

With villagers complaining of lack of basic infrastructure facilities like public toilets, sanitation, drainage, disposal of sewage and large potholes as several people have met with accidents, Sood, accompanying his younger sister who is born and brought up in this town in the Malwa region, is assuring improvement, if the Congress party retains the helm in the state.

Malvika joined the Congress just a week ahead of the pronouncement of the February 20 polls for 117 Assembly seats.

She has replaced sitting Congress legislator Harjot Kamal, who joined the BJP and is again in the fray to retain the seat that has been the Congress stronghold since 2007.

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)leader and former minister Tota Singh, who was convicted in 2012 in a case of corruption and sentenced to a year of imprisonment, represented this seat for two successive terms — 1997 and 2002.

Malvika, 39, married and running her parental family business in Moga, told IANS that she has taken the political plunge to dedicate herself to serve the society like her brother.

Sonu Sood’s childhood friends in his hometown, some 175 km from the state capital Chandigarh, described him as the messiah of tens of thousands of desperate migrants amidst pandemic and supporting school educations of scores of underprivileged, while his family believes his philanthropy spirit comes from his ancestry.

Born to a business family, the siblings’ father was in the cloth business and mother was an English lecturer in town’s oldest D.M. College of Education.

Their eldest sister is settled in the US.

“Sonu is a household name in every village. We have seen him on news channels on several occasions when he himself was on the streets to help the migrants who were returning to their homes during the pandemic. If he has zeal for serving society, we expect his sister will also follow in his footsteps,” octogenarian Nachhatar Kaur of Rattian village told IANS.

She said the brother-sister duo came to the village last week and sought votes with promise to strengthen village streets and the sewage treatment system.

Sharing similar sentiments, another village elder Ajaib Kaur added, “Ahead of the elections, Sonu’s sister came to our village and sponsored the school fees of several poor students when she came to know that their parents have lost wages due to the pandemic. She has provided money to poor villagers for rebuilding their ‘kutcha’ houses.”

However, Malvika’s rival and AAP candidate Amandeep Kaur Arora believes Malvika’s identity is only her brother.

“Malvika has no identity of her own. She is known only as Sonu Sood’s sister. My identity is that of a doctor and served ex-servicemen and their families,” Amandeep added.

SAD candidate Barjinder Makhan Brar, a lawyer by profession, believes in the dynasty’s advantage.

“My father (Tota Singh) remained an MLA of Moga twice and did a lot of development work. Sonu Sood has just surfaced. He’s just trying to woo the voters by using money. If he has philanthropic initiatives to his credit, what is the contribution of his sister to society? After all, the legislator is the local representative in the Assembly. The voters can’t be befooled for the sake of Sonu’s philanthropy,” he added.

In 2017, Harjot Kamal, then with the Congress, won the seat by securing 52,357 votes, while AAP’s Ramesh Grover finished second with 50,593 votes. Barjinder Brar polled 36,587 votes.

Incumbent Charanjit Singh Channi, the chief minister face of the Congress, while campaigning for Malvika, who did Master of Computer Application, on Wednesday announced if the party returns to power she would be a minister in his Council of Ministers.

In December 2020, a road in Sonu Sood’s hometown was named after his mother, Prof Saroj Sood. At this the actor said he cannot contain his happiness and this will always be the most important chapter in his life.

“Sonu is deeply attached to hometown, his family and friends. He prefers to travel to Moga whenever he spares time from his hectic schedule in Bollywood, Malvika, who runs cloth and education business, told IANS.

Sonu’s grandfather Vidya Rattan Sood was also a known philanthropist.

Malvika’s neighbour Rakesh Khanna said the people in the town are proud of Sonu for bringing this town into limelight through his philanthropic spirit.

He said his parents wanted him to become an engineer. He did his engineering from Nagpur.

“Besides having no godfather in the film industry, he established himself,” Khanna said, adding even his sister has no ego with the fame of her brother.

“Whenever Sonu is in his hometown, you can see him riding on his scooter from his college days. He also prefers to spend time in his father’s shop located in the main market,” Khanna added.

National News

Delhi Man, 10-Yr-Old Nephew Shot Dead On Diwali Night In Shahdara

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Delhi: A 40-year-old man, Akash Sharma, and his teenage nephew, Rishabh Sharma, were tragically shot dead, while Akash’s 10-year-old son, Krish, sustained injuries during a Diwali celebration outside their home in Shahdara in northeast Delhi.

The incident occurred on Thursday around 8 pm when two armed men arrived on a scooter and initially appeared respectful, even touching Akash’s feet. Moments later, they opened fire on Akash, Rishabh and Krish.

CCTV Footage Catches Shocking Scenes Of Firing

CCTV footage of the incident captured exact moments of the firing when the deceased Akash, his son and nephew were engaged in Diwali celebrations outside their house. Two people arrived on a two-wheeler, one got down and started a conversation with them. He then takes out his gun and open fires on Akash. One of the teenagers follows the attackers as they flee from the scene after the firing.

After the shooting, the three were rushed to a hospital where Akash and Rishabh were pronounced dead. Krish, who suffered injuries, is currently undergoing treatment. Shahdara Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Prashant Gautam confirmed that the police received a PCR call around 8:30 pm reporting gunfire in Bihari Colony.

A team was immediately dispatched to the scene, where they found bloodstains and evidence of gunfire. According to DCP Gautam, the preliminary investigation indicated that five rounds were fired at the victims.

Possible Reason Behind Firing

Akash’s wife stated that she recognised the attackers and mentioned that there had been an ongoing land-related conflict between their families. Local police have taken statements from family members to further explore the motive and background of the attack.

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Crime

West Bengal: Youth Arrested For Rape Of Deaf & Mute Woman In South 24 Parganas’ Kultali

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Kolkata: A youth was arrested on the charges of raping a deaf and mute woman at a deserted building in Kultali in South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal.

Even as the main accused in the case has been arrested, the local people had been agitating claiming that a local Trinamool Congress panchayat chief Prahlad Nashkar allegedly pressurised family members of the victim to settle the matter against Rs 2,00,000.

However, Nashkar has denied the allegations, saying he was the first to reach the spot and inform the family members of the victim about the incident.

Complaint Filed

The victim’s family members filed a complaint on Wednesday evening. Thereafter, the police started an investigation and based on circumstantial evidence, the accused youth was arrested.

He will be presented at a district court in South 24 Parganas on Thursday only and the public prosecutor will seek his police custody, a district police official said.

Part Of Kultali & Jaynagar Turn Into Virtual Battlefields

In the first week of this month, part of Kultali and adjacent Jaynagar turned into virtual battlefields over violent protests by the local people over the rape and murder of a minor girl there.

At that point in time, the main allegation of the local people was against the police and the latter ignored the missing complaint by the parents of the victim. The local people also alleged that had the police been active in tracking the victim minor, the heinous crime could have been averted.

The protesters became violent and attacked the police station. A local police camp was ransacked and set on fire. The police had to resort to massive lathi-charge to dispel the mob then.

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National News

Gujarat: PM Modi Pays Tribute To Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel On His 150th Birth Anniversary At Statue Of Unity, Attends Unity Day Parade

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Gujarat: PM Modi Pays Tribute To Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel On His 150th Birth Anniversary At Statue Of Unity, Attends Unity Day Parade

Narmada (Gujarat): Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his birth anniversary at the Statue of Unity in Kevadia, Gujarat, on Thursday.

After honouring Patel, the Prime Minister administered the Unity Oath and attended the ‘Rashtriya Ekta Diwas’ parade or the Unity Day Parade at the Parade Ground in Kevadia.

Earlier today, Prime Minister Modi paid tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his 150th birth anniversary, stating that Patel’s work continues to inspire future generations.

Tweet Of PM Modi

“My salutations to Bharat Ratna Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his birth anniversary. Protecting the unity and sovereignty of the nation was the top priority of his life. His personality and work will continue to inspire every generation of the country,” PM Modi said on X.

About Ekta Diwas Parade

Ekta Diwas Parade comprises 16 marching contingents from nine states and one UT, four Central Armed Police Forces, NCC and a marching band. Special attractions include a Hell March contingent of the NSG, daredevil show by BSF and CRPF women and men bikers, a show on combination of Indian Martial Arts by BSF, a piped band show by school children and ‘Surya Kiran’ flypast by Indian Air Force.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s birth anniversary is celebrated as National Unity Day or Rashtriya Ekta Diwas on October 31. Since 2014, this day has been marked by ‘Run for Unity’ events nationwide, which is participated by people from all walks of life.

Who Was Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel?

Born on October 31, 1875, in Nadiad, Gujarat, Sardar Patel is credited with uniting all 562 princely states of pre-independent India, helping to establish the Republic of India. He served as the country’s first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister from 1947 to 1950. He passed away on December 15, 1950.

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