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Wrestler Bajrang Punia Returns His Padma Shri As A Mark Of Protest; Keeps It On The Footpath

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A day after Sakshi Malik decided to retire from professional wrestling due to the appointment of Brij Bhushan Singh’s close aide Sanjay Singh as the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) Chief, fellow wrestler Bajrang Punia has taken another drastic step. Punia took to his official handle on X, writing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi about his desire to return his Padma Shri award.

A video surfaced on X (formerly Twitter) of Punia keeping his Padma Shri on the footpath outside of PM’s residence, having been surrounded by police officials and media personnel. The police officials seemed to be requesting him not to return his award, but the 29-year-old was likely adamant on doing it.

“Our protest site was vandalized” – Bajrang Punia

Punia took to X and recalled the events when they started protesting and how the authorities stopped them from doing it by destroying their site.

“Dear Prime Minister ji, hope your health is well. You must be busy in many work but I am writing this to draw your attention to what is happening to the wrestlers of the country. You must be aware that the women wrestlers of the country started a protest in January this year against Brij Bhushan Singh, accusing him of sexual harassment. I too had joined their protest. The protest stopped after the government promised strong action.”

“Our protest went on for 40 days. There was much pressure on us during those days. Our protest site was vandalized and we were also not allowed to protest any more. We did not know what to do next so we went to immerse our medals in the Ganga. Then we were stopped by the farmer leaders and coaches.”

The Haryana-born wrestler acknowledged government’s awards to them since several years, but also admitted that mistreatment of women have left him gutted. Hence, Punia has decided to relinquish it.

“The government has given us a lot. I was conferred with the Padma Shri in 2019. I also received the Arjuna, Khel Ratna award. When I got these awards, I was on cloud nine. But today the sadness weighs more. And the reason is a woman wrestler left the sport because of her security.”

“Sports have empowered our women athletes and changed their lives but the situation is such that the women who could have been the brand ambassadors of beti bachao, beti padhao are now leaving the sport. And we, the wrestlers who were ‘awarded’ could not do anything. I can’t live my life as a Padma Shri awardee while our women wrestlers are insulted. Hence I return this award to you,” he wrote.

Sanjay, who is also the UP Wrestling Association vice-president, was crowned as the new chief of WFI as panel emerged victorious, winning 13 out of 15 posts in the polls. 2010 CWG Gold medalist Anita Sheron also contested the election, but Singh received 40 votes, with the former receiving only 7. Brij Bhushan reacted to the massive development, hoping to have the wrestling events resume across the country.

Teary-eyed Sakshi Malik desired for a woman WFI chief:

Hours after Sanjay Singh emerged as the winner of the elections, Malik resigned and lamented the lack of woman as WFI’s chief. She said during a press conference:”If the president would be a woman, harassment would not happen. But, there was no participation of women earlier and today you can see the list, not even a single woman was given a position. We had fought with complete strength but this fight will continue. The wrestlers of the new generation have to fight.”

National News

Mumbai: Massive Fire Breaks Out In Goregaon Residential Building

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Mumbai: A massive fire erupted on Wednesday afternoon at a residential building in Goregaon (West), according to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

The blaze began in the common electric meter box area of a ground-plus-five (G+5) building located in the Shalimar Building, Siddhi Ganesh Society, situated on S.V. Road, Road No. 04, as reported by Midday.

The Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB) received the alert at 12:18 pm and quickly declared a Level I fire at 12:25 pm. Multiple emergency teams, including personnel from the MFB, local police, BMC ward staff, Public Works Department (PWD), 108 ambulance services, and Adani Electricity, were mobilised to the scene.

Fortunately, no injuries were reported. Residents were safely evacuated as a precautionary measure, and the fire was swiftly brought under control.

Initial reports suggest that the fire originated from the building’s common meter box, although an investigation is underway to determine the exact cause.

More details are awaited

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Maharashtra

Samruddhi Mahamarg: Nails Found On Nagpur-Mumbai Expressway Bridge, Several Cars Left Punctured

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Mumbai: Several cars travelling late Tuesday night on the Samruddhi Expressway from Nagpur to Mumbai were forced to stop suddenly after their tyres were punctured due to rows of sharp nails hammered into the road surface on a bridge.

A video that has surfaced on the internet shows scenes from the expressway where nails can be seen fixed in rows on the bridge. The video, shot at night, shows slow traffic moving from a lane beside, where the nails are fixed.

At first, commuters suspected foul play, fearing that miscreants had planted the nails as part of a robbery attempt. However, later, checks revealed that the nails had actually been fixed by a road construction company working on repairs in the area.

According to reports, several motorists questioned why there was no barricading or warning signage if repair activity was underway. They also demanded answers as to why the nails were placed hurriedly at night, instead of during the day, when the problem could have been addressed transparently without causing distress to commuters. The situation could have been far worse, with many pointing out that punctured tyres at high speed on the expressway could have led to major accidents or fatalities.

The Samruddhi Expressway, often described as Maharashtra’s ‘corridor of prosperity,’ has repeatedly faced criticism for recurring accidents and lapses in planning since its inauguration. Authorities are expected to launch an investigation into the incident and announce corrective measures in the coming days.

In a separate infrastructure update for Mumbai, the state government approved the relocation of Dahisar Toll Plaza, which has long been a source of traffic congestion and pollution. Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde recently chaired a meeting where he directed the MSRDC to shift the toll plaza near the nurseries in front of Versova Bridge.

The relocation is scheduled to be completed before Diwali, with officials instructed to fast-track the process. Once moved, the decision is expected to provide major relief for daily commuters on the Dahisar–Mira-Bhayander–Andheri corridor, where snarls have been a persistent complaint.

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National News

iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro Max Prices in India Revealed; Pre-Orders Begin September 12

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Apple has launched the latest iPhone 17 series in India. The four models- iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max – will be up for pre-orders from September 12 at 5.30pm IST. The four iPhone 17 models will go on sale from September 19. The price in India, as anticipated, has seen a slight increase across all models, compared to the iPhone 16 range. For instance, the base iPhone 17 model starts at Rs. 82,900, a slight increase from the base iPhone 16 that started from Rs. 79,900 at launch.

Pre-orders of the iPhone 17 models will start from 5.30pm IST on September 12. Sale begins on September 19.  Apart from the Apple Store, Apple is likely to sell the new range on Amazon and Flipkart as well. Launch offers include no-cost EMI of up to six months, and up to Rs. 5,000 instant cashback on American Express, Axis Bank, and ICICI Bank card holders. Apple Trade-in and GST benefits have also been listed.

Rs. 82900 (256GB)

Rs. ₹102900 (512 GB)

Colour options – Lavender, Sage, Mist Blue, White, Black

Rs. 1,19,900 (256GB)

Rs. 1,39,900 (512GB)

Rs. 1,59,900 (1TB)

Colour options – Sky Blue, Light Gold, Space Black, Cloud White

Rs. 1,34,900 (256GB)

Rs. 1,54,900 (512GB)

Rs. 1,74,900 (1TB)

Colour options – Deep Blue, Cosmic Orange, Silver

Rs. 1,49,900 (256GB)

Rs. 1,69,900 (512GB)

Rs. 1,89,900 (1TB)

Rs. 2,29,900 (2TB)

Colour options: Deep Blue, Cosmic Orange, Silver

Apple has removed the iPhone 16 Pro models from its Apple online store, replacing them with the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models. In the iPhone 16 range, only the base iPhone 16 model and the iPhone 16e are listed online.

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