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Propagate ideology of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur: Amarinder Singh

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Amarinder-Singh

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Friday underlined the need to propagate the ideology of the ninth Sikh Guru, Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib, around the world to promote the values of peace, harmony, secularism and co-existence, which he had upheld through his supreme sacrifice.

In his address in the Assembly’s special session to mark the commemoration of 400th Prakash Purb of Guru Tegh Bahadur, he stressed that the Sikh faith is distinguished by the tradition of martyrdom to uphold principles and righteousness given to “us by our great Gurus”.

Noting that the life and message of Guru Tegh Bahadur constitutes the essence of what “we have come to regard as Punjabiyat”, Amarinder Singh that this comprises “our saanjhi tehzeeb, our ma-boli Punjabi, our close ties of amity and fraternity cutting across people, faiths, castes and communities”.

“When we talk of Punjab and Punjabis, Punjabiyat must follow. This Punjabiyat embodied in the life and teachings of the Great Guru need to be understood, appreciated and nurtured carefully,” he said, adding that this has been taken by “our people to all corners of the globe where they have made a special place for themselves through dint of hard work, enterprise and sacrifice”.

“Punjabiyat often is tested by forces that represent a narrow and short-sighted perspective as against the broad all-embracing vision given by our Gurus, therefore, it is our bounden duty as representatives of the people to guard against such inimical forces very consciously and not to allow our competing political interests to ever undermine the strong foundations of this Punjabiyat.”

He also said the 400th Prakash Purb of the ninth Guru should help “us renew our pledge and to show the people the right path as their rightful leaders and representatives”.

History remembers Guru Tegh Bahadur with great pride as ‘Hind Di Chadar’ for making the supreme sacrifice for opposing forced conversion and for protection of religious freedom, he noted.

The ninth Guru attained martyrdom in November 1675 along with his associates Bhai Mati Das, Bhai Sati Das and Bhai Dayal Das, who were brutally tortured, to safeguard the religious freedom of Hindus of Kashmir under the reign of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb.

The Chief Minister also mentioned that Guru Tegh Bahadur’s son Dasmesh Pita Sri Guru Gobind Singh has evocatively described his father’s sacrifice as “sees diya par sirar na diya (I gave my head but not my creed)”.

“Guru Sahib’s ‘sees’ was carried by another associate Bhai Jiwan Singh (known as Jaita ji) to Guru Gobind Singh from Delhi to Sri Anandpur Sahib. On this occasion, let us all pay special tribute to the remarkable bravery and courage of Bhai Jaita ji. History will remember him whenever we speak of this tragic event,” he said.

Outlining the celebrations plans of the state government to mark this mega event, the Chief Minister said the elaborate arrangements were earlier made to commemorate this historic event. “However, the surge of Covid cases from April led us to defer the larger public programmes.”

He said he was happy that the Central government has also decided to observe this historic occasion in a befitting manner.

Punjab Governor Banwari Lal Purohit described the martyrdom of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib as one of the most important turning points in the spiritual, religious and political history of India.

“Guru ji shines among the galaxy of great spiritual Gurus whose message continues to guide the humanity and remains universally relevant at all the times,” he said.

One of the key elements in the teachings of Guru Sahib has been the spirit of ‘sewa’ or selfless service, he said. “This is considered as one of the foremost pious duties that the mankind can perform enriching us with selflessness, humility and gratitude towards God.”

Assembly Speaker Rana K.P. Singh said the unprecedented sacrifice of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur would ever inspire the mankind to imbibe the message of love, harmony and tolerance, thereby rising above the parochial consideration of caste, color, and creed.

In his keynote address, former Chief Justice of India, Justice J.S. Khehar emphasised the importance of ‘ardas’ in the Sikh way of life across the globe and said that “we all are blessed today to celebrate 400th Prakash Purb of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur to remember and contemplate on Guru Sahib”.

He cited the martyrdom of the fifth Sikh guru, Sri Guru Arjan Dev, as the event that changed the course of the Sikh history and started the process of militarisation of the Sikhs who until then were a peaceful community.

“This background must be understood to understand the events that shaped the circumstances in Guru Tegh Bahadur ji’s life,” he said, recounting the life and events of Guru Sahib who didn’t bow before the then Mughal Emperor and instead chose martyrdom to ensure protection of religious rights of all.

National News

Aurangabad railway station renamed to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar station

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Mumbai, Oct 18: The Maharashtra government has issued a gazette notification to rename the Aurangabad railway station to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar station.

The government’s move comes two years after the name of Aurangabad city was renamed to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. The government’s move coincided with the ongoing preparations by ruling MahaYuti and opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi for the local and divic body elections.

The BJP-led MahaYuti government issued a gazette notification on October 15 to rename the Aurangabad railway station to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar station. The renaming process, though, was originally initiated by the Shiv Sena-led Mh Vikas Aghadi government.

Aurangabad was originally named after Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, and the renaming was done to honour Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s son Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj.

Aurangabad railway station was opened in 1900. It was made by the 7th Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan. The railway station is located on the Kacheguda–Manmad section. This section mainly serves Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar city (formerly Aurangabad). The station falls under the Nanded division of the South Central Railway zone. It has rail connectivity with major cities in the country.

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar city is a tourist hub, surrounded by many historical monuments, including the Ajanta Caves and Ellora Caves, which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It is also known as the City of Gates, each of which has a local history, built during the Mughal Era, and 2 ASI-protected monuments (Bibi ka Maqbara and Aurangabad caves), as well as many more within city limits.

The demand for the renaming of Aurangabad sprang up in the late 1980s. Over 25 people were killed in a communal riot in 1988, and in the subsequent elections, the Shiv Sena won the Aurangabad municipal corporation elections.

On May 8, 1988, Bal Thackeray announced the renaming of the city to ‘Sambhaji Nagar’ and a resolution was passed by the municipal corporation in 1995. Following this, the then Shiv-Sena-led government issued a notification seeking objections and suggestions from the people.

However, on September 16, 2023, the Eknath Shinde-led government issued a government notification to rename the Aurangabad district to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, following approval from the special state cabinet meeting.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis last month announced that Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar will become the country’s Electric Vehicle (EV) capital, as it is a favoured investment destination.

He further stated that Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar can be called a favourite investment destination. The investment by Hyundai shows that companies are preferring cities like Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.

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National News

Mumbai Railway Update: Central Railway To Operate Mega Block Between Vidyavihar And Thane On Oct 19 For Maintenance Work

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The Central Railway, Mumbai Division, will operate a Mega Block on its Main Line suburban sections specifically on the 5th and 6th lines between Vidyavihar and Thane stations to carry out various engineering and maintenance works on Sunday.

A block will be in force on the 5th and 6th lines between Vidyavihar and Thane stations from 8:00 am to 1:30 pm.

The following UP Mail/Express trains will be diverted on the UP Fast Line at Thane and re-diverted at Vidyavihar station. These trains are expected to arrive at their destinations 10 to 15 minutes late.

11010 Pune–CSMT Sinhagad Express

12124 Pune–CSMT Deccan Queen

13201 Patna–LTT Express

17221 Kakinada–LTT Express

12126 Pune–CSMT Pragati Express

12140 Nagpur–CSMT Sevagram Express

22226 Solapur–CSMT Vande Bharat Express

12168 Banaras–LTT Express

12321 Howrah–CSMT Express

12812 Hatia–LTT Express

11012 Dhule–CSMT Express

The following Down Mail/Express trains will be diverted on the UP Fast Line at Vidyavihar and re-diverted at Thane station. These trains will also arrive 10 to 15 minutes late.

11055 LTT–Gorakhpur Godan Express

11061 LTT–Jaynagar Express

16345 LTT–Thiruvananthapuram Netravati Express

17222 LTT–Kakinada Port Express

There will also be a block on the CSMT–Chunabhatti/Bandra Down Harbour Line from 11:40 am to 4:40 pm and on the Chunabhatti/Bandra–CSMT Up Harbour Line from 11:10 am to 4:10 pm.

Down Harbour Line services to Vashi/Belapur/Panvel, leaving CSMT from 11:16 am to 4:47 pm, and services to Bandra/Goregaon, leaving CSMT from 10:48 am to 4:43 pm, will remain suspended.

Up Harbour Line services for CSMT, leaving Panvel/Belapur/Vashi from 9:53 am to 3:20 pm, and from Goregaon/Bandra from 10:45 am to 5:13 pm, will also remain suspended.

Special services will operate between Panvel and Kurla (Platform No. 8) at a 20-minute frequency during the block period.

Additionally, Harbour Line passengers are permitted to travel via the Main Line and Western Railway between 10:00 am and 6:00 pm during the block.

These maintenance Mega Blocks are crucial for the upkeep and safety of railway infrastructure. The Railway Administration has requested passengers to bear with the inconvenience caused and to plan their journeys accordingly.

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Crime

Tripura Police intensify anti-drug operations, seizes narcotics

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Agartala, Oct 18: The Tripura Police, in coordination with intelligence agencies, have intensified their anti-narcotics operations over the past 10 days, leading to significant seizures of contraband substances across the state, Chief Minister Manik Saha said on Saturday.

Taking to various social media platforms, the Chief Minister Saha informed that during the past 10 days, the police recovered 896 kg of ganja (cannabis), 90,617 bottles of cough syrup, 180 highly addictive methamphetamine tablets, and 27.78 grams of heroin from different locations.

A total of 15 cases under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act 1985 have been registered, and 16 accused persons have been arrested in connection with the seizures of various drugs.

Saha, who also holds the home portfolio, said that the Tripura Police reaffirmed their commitment to make the state free from the menace of drugs and to bring all key players involved in the illicit trade under the purview of law.

The state government, following a policy of ‘zero tolerance’ towards drugs, has been working resolutely to secure a drug-free future for the youth of Tripura, he stated.

Meanwhile, various security forces, including Assam Rifles, have confiscated drugs worth over Rs 134.50 crore in Tripura in less than three weeks. On Friday (October 17), in a joint operation, security forces recovered drugs worth Rs 4.5 crore from a goods train stationed at the Jirania railway station in West Tripura district, arriving from Delhi.

A senior official said that the Tripura Police, Assam Rifles, Government Railway Police (GRP), Special Task Force (STF) and the Customs jointly conducted a thorough search of the goods train and recovered 90,000 bottles of banned Eskuf Cough Syrup, which contains Codeine Phosphate and Triprolidine Hydrochloride, substances commonly misused as narcotics in India and neighbouring Bangladesh.

Police have continued their search operations to trace the main accused responsible for transporting the banned Eskuf cough syrup by train from Delhi.

On October 6, in one of the major drug hauls, the Assam Rifles, in close coordination with Customs officials, seized contraband valued at Rs 70 crore in Tripura’s bordering Khowai district and arrested four drug peddlers.

Acting on secret inputs, the joint team of Assam Rifles and Customs officials intercepted two trucks carrying cement as cover cargo for narcotics trafficking and recovered 69.61 kg of highly addictive methamphetamine tablets valued at around Rs 70 crore.

A Defence spokesperson had said that the October 6 operation was a follow-up to a successful operation conducted on September 29 in the bordering Mohanpur area of West Tripura district. The September 29 operation led to the recovery of 60.77 kg of banned methamphetamine tablets worth Rs 60 crore.

A senior police official said that the drugs seized on September 29 and October 6 might have been smuggled from Myanmar and transported through Mizoram and southern Assam to Tripura, from where they were intended to be smuggled into neighbouring Bangladesh.

Tripura, which shares an 856-km border with Bangladesh, is surrounded on three sides by the neighbouring country, making the northeastern state vulnerable to cross-border migration, crimes, illegal trade and smuggling. Except for some patches, most parts of the frontier have been fenced to prevent smuggling, trans-border crimes and illegal infiltration.

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