New Delhi, Oct 2: Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi on his birth anniversary, recalling his teachings on truth, non-violence, self-reliance and public service.

Amit Shah took to the social media platform X and said Mahatma Gandhi did not consider Swaraj merely as the goal of freedom, but the foundation of self-respect and self-reliance.

“Mahatma Gandhi ji did not consider Swaraj merely as the goal of freedom, but as the foundation of self-respect and self-reliance. With the belief that no nation can become great without being connected to its roots, he established Swadeshi, one’s own language, one’s own culture and cleanliness as the fundamental philosophy of Indian society,” HM Shah said.

“Gandhi ji taught through his life that when there is devotion in action and purity in thoughts, no goal is impossible. On the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi ji, who gave the message of truth, non-violence and compassion to the entire world, I pay my respectful obeisance to him,” he added.

Rajnath Singh also paid homage to Gandhi, saying his principles continue to inspire people across the world.

“On the occasion of the revered Bapu’s birth anniversary, we offer our humble respects and respectful homage. By walking the path of truth and non-violence, he gave a new direction to India’s freedom movement. His message of peace, tolerance, equality and unity remains a source of inspiration for the entire world,” Singh said.

He said Gandhi had deep faith in the values of Indian culture and civilisation and presented the strength of India’s spiritual and moral heritage to the world.

“Drawing inspiration from his ideas of Swadeshi, self-reliance and Sarvodaya, we continue to move forward relentlessly. His emphasis on social harmony, cleanliness and public service remains relevant even today. The life and ideals of the revered Bapu inspire us to fulfil our duties towards society and the nation,” he said.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also paid tribute to Gandhi on his birth anniversary and extended greetings to the people of the state on the International Day of Non-Violence.

“On the sacred birth anniversary of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi ji, who walked the path of truth and non-violence to convey the message of freedom to the entire world through indigenous means and non-violence, millions of salutations,” CM Yogi said.

He added that Gandhi’s ideals, simplicity and thoughts continue to guide people in building a self-reliant and developed India.

Mumbai, Oct 1: Israel’s Consul General to Midwest India, Yaniv Revach, on Thursday hailed Captain Smit Machchhar, the Indian pilot of FlyDubai flight FZ1073, who was seriously injured while averting a major in-flight crisis on Wednesday. Revach described Machchhar as a “true superhero” who “showed extraordinary courage and fought” to protect his passengers.

In an interview with media, Revach said that Israel and India are proud of Captain Smit Machchhar and that both nations stand together against terrorism.

“What happened yesterday was shocking. Innocent people boarded the plane expecting to reach their families safely, and instead their lives were put in danger. My message to the Israelis is very, very simple: we will never allow terror and fear to control our lives. We will continue to travel and live and stand strong together,” he said.

The co-pilot of a FlyDubai flight, which was carrying over 170 passengers, on Wednesday, tried to sabotage the aircraft and stabbed Captain Smit Machchhar, who was trying to prevent him from doing so.

At the time, the Boeing 737, cruising at about 34,000 feet, began dropping at roughly 23,000 feet per minute before reaching about 15,600 feet. However, Machchhar fought back the co-pilot, resisted him, and opened the cockpit door so that passengers and crew members could overpower him.

Revach said that the Indian pilot and Israeli passengers fought together to save the lives of people, terming it the “true spirit” of India-Israel friendship.

“Captain Smit is a true superhero. He risked his own life. He showed extraordinary courage and fought to protect his passengers. He was not just saving passengers, he was saving entire families, fathers, mothers, children from a huge tragedy. Captain Smit stood up for Israel. This is what friendship is all about. India and Israel are very proud of him. From the bottom of my heart, we salute you, Captain Smit. This is the true spirit of India-Israel friendship. We stand together against terror.”

Revach said that he is disappointed that international media reported the incident as if it was a fight between the pilots and described it as a “false narrative.” He stated that Israel and India have been working together in the fight against terrorism and both nations face the same challenges when it comes to the radical Islamic groups.

“I am deeply disappointed by the way the international media is reporting this incident. It was not a fight between two pilots. This is a false narrative. The media has responsibility, but unfortunately they have double standards. Another clear message I want to emphasise on, first of all, I am deeply concerned about the role of Qatar of spreading the anti-Israel narrative and promote radical Islam agenda.

“Qatar and Oman, they have ties with Iran, and it raises serious concerns, and this has to be stopped. Now I want to emphasise that Israel and India are working closely together for decades already on the fight against terrorism. Both countries face the same challenges when it comes to the radical Islamic groups and of course, their activities. And, I hope that we will continue to work together in order to confront these terror activities,” he added.

Revach emphasised that the story of Captain Smit is the “true story” of friendship between India and Israel and mentioned that he spoke to the Indian pilot’s family.

“I’m sure that his family is so proud of the way that they raised him that he actually fought against terror and he actually risked his own life to protect other people, the Israelis, on board the plane. I spoke to his family, and I will be honoured to meet them. The fact that he came from Mumbai makes it even more personal. Mumbai has given Israel a hero, and we will never forget it. His parents and his family should be extremely proud of the man they raised.”

He said that Israel trusts the UAE government and their security and expects Saudi Arabia to carry out a full and transparent investigation into the FlyDubai flight incident.

“First of all, I want to say that we fully trust the Emirati government and their security procedures. We also expect that the Saudis will conduct a full, transparent investigation. The attacker, we should not forget, was an Omani co-pilot. This raises serious concerns about radicalisation and hatred against Israelis. Again, I emphasise that we must fight terrorism, but we also must fight hatred and incitement that can lead to terrorism on social media and on media platforms. We will not allow terror to stop us from living our lives on a daily basis.”

Srinagar, Oct 1: Police in Jammu and Kashmir Srinagar district said on Thursday they have busted a narcotics module in the city, arrested eight persons, recovered Rs 86.76 lakh cash, gold worth Rs 1.07 crore and a pistol.

SSP Srinagar district, Sundeep Chakravarthy, told the media that police have busted a well-established narcotics module operating from downtown Srinagar, arrested eight persons and recovered cash, gold, banned drugs and a pistol. The police have frozen bank accounts and attached properties.

The case was registered as FIR No. 135/2026 U/S 8/21/22/29/25/27A NDPS Act, 3/4/25 Arms Act, 111 BNS at Police Station Safakadal.

According to police, the arrested accused have been identified as Mohammad Waseem Zargar of Patlipora, Chattabal; Haris Hameed Malla of Guzarbal, Chattabal; Aqib Saleem Dar of Rampora, Chattabal; Inam Ahmad Zargar of Haftiyar Safa Kadal; Sahib Ahmad Ganaie of Danamazar, Safa Kadal; Ansar Hussain Bhat of Zabar Mohalla, Budgam; Peer Shakoor of Palpora, Noorbagh; and Haroon Pandit of Guzarbal Chattabal.

Two accused are absconding and have been identified as Faizan Firdous Khanday, alias Farzan Pujj, son of Firdous Ahmad Khanday of Malik Sahab Safakadal, and Mohd Shahvar Aleem, son of Salim of Muzaffar Nagar, Uttar Pradesh.

SSP Chakravarthy said the module was busted by the MR Gunj Police, and raids were conducted in Chandigarh and Ambala, besides several locations in Srinagar.

Police said major recoveries include 3.830 kg Codeine; 40 grams approx heroin; 414 tablets/capsules containing Tramadol; 2,18,500 approx tablets containing Tapentadol; 1,200 capsules containing Pregabalin; one pistol, cash of Rs 85,76,800 approx; and gold, including 108 gold coins worth Rs 1,27,44,000 and MMTC-PAMP/jewellery 17 grams worth Rs 2,55,000 approx, total gold value Rs 1,05,29,400. In addition, Rs 1.07 crore has been frozen in multiple bank accounts, police said.

Police also attached one house of Mohammad Waseem Zargar in Patlipora, Chattabal, and two vehicles.

Giving details of the modus operandi, SSP said the network was bringing illegal drugs from outside the state to Kashmir, and it is not a normal case but a well-established network.

Raids are going on at pharmaceutical companies outside J&K, he said. “It is a well-established network. There were raids in Chandigarh and Ambala by the MR Gunj Police. We are thankful to the Punjab Police. Raids are going on at pharmaceutical companies there. We will not spare anyone when it comes to drug abuse,” SSP Srinagar said.

Police said further investigation is underway to establish the complete network and identify forward and backward linkages, and more arrests are likely.

The narcotics module was busted in Srinagar city on a day when J&K Police organised a ‘Run for Unity’ marathon race to engage children and youth in healthy and meaningful activity so that they do not fall victim to the nefarious designs of drug traders.