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Mumbai lawyer questions UP government on Kalyan Singh’s jumbo ‘tehraveen’ rites

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Kalyan-Singh

A Mumbai-based prominent Supreme Court lawyer on Monday petitioned the Uttar Pradesh government, questioning the need for a jumbo ‘tehraveen’, the 13th day post-death rituals in memory of the late Bharatiya Janata Party leader Kalyan Singh.

In a plea to UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Barrister Vinod Tiwari — who is also Allahabad High Court Bar Association Member — has taken strong umbrage at the proposed rites for the late 89-year-old leader, who died on August 21 after a prolonged illness.

“During the ongoing Corona pandemic, when the Centre has imposed restrictions on all big gatherings, the mega-ritual ceremony for the ‘Maha Bhavya’ of the late UP CM Kalyan Singh’s ‘tehraveen’ with 1,00,000 people expected to participate, comes as a rude shock,” an incensed Tiwari told IANS.

Shooting off an email plea to Yogi, the Barrister has urged him to not only arrest the upcoming lavish ‘tehrvi’ rituals for the late UP CM, but also take strong action against the organisers to prevent the state’s image from getting further sullied, especially after the gory incidents of the Covid patients’ dead bodies seen floating in River Ganga.

Though the CM’s Secretariat promptly acknowledged Tiwari’s private missive to Yogi, they advised him to share his grievance on the state’s public portal ‘Jan-Sunwai’ for speedy redressal, as the August 30-31 ‘Maha-Bhavya’ preparations enter the final stages.

“Earlier, the Tablighi Jamaat was being wrongly tarnished as super-Covid-spreaders, later the Kumbh Mela in Uttarakhand, then Kerala Sabarimala Temple gatherings and other such events…How different is it for Kalyan Singh’s ‘tehraveen’ rituals,” demanded Tiwari.

Detailing the massive preparations underway for the ‘tehraveen’ Tiwari said that between 80,000-1,00,000 people from all over India, including BJP activists, legislators, parliamentarians, ministers, chief ministers, union ministers, RSS leaders and other dignitaries are expected to troop down to Atrauli in Aligarh district.

To welcome the VVIPs, two helipads are coming up at Pilkhuni village, and the road from Dhanipur airport to Ramghat is being done up on a war-footing as it is heavily potholed owing to the monsoon.

Similarly, the road linking Ramghat to KMV College is being spruced up, at least 3-4 massive pandals with huge stages are being readied by over 700 artisans, plus German hangar tents are being erected on the college campus.

An army of over 1,400 cooks has already started preparing for the ‘tehrvi’ ritual feast a variety of dishes like kachori, chhole-puri, mutter-paneer, potato latte, mutter-pulao, sweet boondi and laddoos prepared by a team of Rajasthani experts, sweet and sour kashifal, etc.

Hordes of Atrauli civic workers are going around giving the town a gleaming polish while over a 100 CCTV cameras with two control rooms will snoop over each cranny and nook during the ‘tehraveen’.

“This is not just a ‘Maha-Bhavya’, it’s a ‘maha-open invitation’ to the Covid virus when the country stands on the threshold of the potentially deadlier third wave,” said Tiwari grimly.

Crime

Accused in air hostess sexual assault case was porn addict: Gurugram Police

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Gurugram, April 19: Gurugram Police said on Saturday that the accused in the air hostess sexual assault case was a porn addict, an official said.

Gurugram Police Spokesperson Sandeep Kumar said that the accused used to watch porn videos habitually, which was also confirmed from the mobile phone recovered from him.

He said that during police interrogation, it was found that the accused has a B.Sc. (OT) degree from a private institute from the years 2019-2022, and he was an average student in studies.

“For the last five months, he was working as a treatment machine technician in the ICU of the hospital. The accused going to the victim at the time of the incident was confirmed from the CCTV cameras installed in the hospital,” he said.

The Spokesperson said that during interrogation of the accused, it was also found that he had watched porn videos before the incident and even after committing the crime.

“Which is also being confirmed from the search history of the accused’s mobile phone. He was produced before the court on Saturday, from where he was sent to judicial custody for further proceedings,” he said.

Meanwhile, the SIT on Friday nabbed the accused, after analysing at least 800 CCTV cameras installed inside and outside of the hospital, who sexually assaulted the woman when she was on a ventilator.

The accused was identified as Deepak (25), a native of Muzaffarpur in Bihar. The accused had been working as a treatment machine technician in the ICU of the hospital for the past five months and was arrested in the Sadar police station area on Friday.

An official privy to the investigation said that the accused has confessed to his crime in the matter.

“While investigating the incident, eight police teams checked the footage of 800 CCTV cameras installed in the hospital, and around 50 hospital staff, including doctors, were questioned about the incident. Keeping in mind the seriousness of the incident, the police teams investigated from every angle and collected a lot of information related to the incident, as a result of which the police got great success in identifying the accused who committed the crime,” said Arpit Jain, DCP (Headquarters).

On Thursday, Vikas Kumar Arora, Commissioner of Police, Gurugram, had constituted an SIT and ordered the identification and arrest of the accused.

As per the order of the Police Commissioner, an SIT was constituted under the leadership of Arpit Jain, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Headquarters, Gurugram, in which a total of eight different police teams were given special directions and deployed to collect information and evidence related to the incident.

Dr. Sanjay Durani, Medical Superintendent of the hospital, said in a statement that: “We have been informed that the police have identified a suspect who has been taken into custody in connection with the ongoing investigation concerning allegations of sexual assault on a patient. On the basis of information provided to us by the police, we have suspended the suspect employee. As we await the final outcome of the investigation, we will continue to provide full support to the police.”

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Business

FM Sitharaman to showcase India’s economic dynamism during US, Peru visit

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New Delhi, April 19: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is set to embark on an official visit to the US and Peru, beginning April 20, where she is slated to participate in multilateral dialogues to showcase India’s economic dynamism, as the country prepares a bilateral trade agreement (BTA) with the US, it was announced on Saturday.

During her visit to the US, the Finance Minister will visit San Francisco and Washington, DC, from April 20-25, according to a Ministry of Finance statement.

In San Francisco, FM Sitharaman would deliver a keynote address at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, titled ‘Laying the foundations of Viksit Bharat 2047,’ followed by a fireside chat session.

The Finance Minister will also interact with top CEOs from prominent fund management firms during a roundtable meeting with investors, besides holding bilateral meetings with CEOs from top information technology (IT) firms based in San Francisco.

She will also participate in an event featuring the Indian diaspora in San Francisco and interact with the Indian community settled there, said the ministry.

In Washington, DC, FM Sitharaman will participate in the Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, the 2nd G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) Meetings, the Development Committee Plenary, IMFC Plenary, and Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable (GSDR) meeting.

On the sidelines of the Spring Meetings, she will hold bilateral meetings with her counterparts from several countries, including Argentina, Bahrain, Germany, France, Luxembourg, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom, and the US; besides meeting EU Commissioner for Financial Services; President, Asian Development Bank (ADB); President, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB); United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Financial Health (UNSGSA); and First Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

During her maiden visit to Peru from April 26-30, the Finance Minister will lead an Indian delegation of officials from the Ministry of Finance and business leaders, highlighting the strengthening bilateral economic and trade relations between the two nations.

Beginning her visit in Lima, she is expected to call on the President of Peru, Dina Boluarte, and Prime Minister Gustavo Adrianzen, besides holding bilateral meetings with the Peruvian Ministers of Finance and Economy, Defence, Energy and Mines, and also holding interaction with local public representatives.

The Finance Minister will chair the India-Peru Business Forum meeting with prominent business representatives in attendance from both India and Peru.

FM Sitharaman will also hold an interaction with the Indian investors and businesses currently operating in Peru, as well as the Indian business delegation visiting Peru. The Finance Minister will also participate in a community event in Lima, where she will interact with the Indian diaspora living in Peru, according to the ministry statement.

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National News

We can’t live like this: Women break down before NCW chief in riot-hit Murshidabad

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Kolkata, April 19: Women in Dhuliyan, one of the worst-affected areas in West Bengal’s minority-dominated Murshidabad district, have urged the Centre to set up permanent Border Security Force (BSF) camps in violence-hit pockets to ensure their safety following recent communal unrest over protests against the Waqf Act.

On Saturday, a delegation from the National Commission for Women (NCW), led by its chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar, visited Dhuliyan to meet those affected by last week’s violence, most of whom are Hindus.

Several women broke down during their interaction with the delegation and pleaded for the permanent deployment of central forces.

“We won’t survive without permanent BSF camps here. If needed, we are ready to offer our own land and homes for setting them up,” said a woman, sobbing and touching the feet of a delegation member.

The NCW team assured locals that their concerns would be conveyed to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.

“We are here to stand with you in this moment of crisis. The whole country is watching and supporting you. We will submit a detailed report to the Centre and include the demand for permanent BSF presence in this region,” a delegation member told the women.

Even before Saturday’s visit, NCW member Archana Majumdar had stressed the need for permanent Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) camps in the region.

“The women victims in Murshidabad have clearly expressed the need for permanent CAPF deployment to ensure their dignity and safety. We will raise the issue with the Union government,” Majumdar said on Friday.

Meanwhile, the Murshidabad district administration has prepared a preliminary report on property damage. According to initial estimates, over 250 houses and 100 shops — mostly owned by Hindus — were vandalized during the unrest.

“This is just the initial estimate. The actual figure may rise as we complete the detailed assessment,” said a senior district official.

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