Ahmedabad, Oct 10: The Ahmedabad Rural Police have seized 696.94 kg of poppy husk concealed beneath steel coils in a truck travelling from Nagpur in Maharashtra to Sanand in Gujarat and arrested the driver, while two other suspects have been identified in connection with the alleged interstate trafficking operation.

The narcotic substance, packed in 36 sacks, was valued at Rs 1.045 crore, while the total value of the seized property, including the truck, steel coil, mobile phones and cash, was estimated at Rs 1.47 crore, police said on Saturday.

The joint operation was conducted by the Special Operations Group (SOG) and the Anti-Narcotics Wing (ANW) of Ahmedabad Rural Police following a tip-off received by SOG Sub-Inspector I.K. Sheikh that a truck-trailer was carrying a large consignment of poppy husk concealed beneath steel coils.

The coils were reportedly being transported from Nagpur for delivery to Tata Motors in Sanand, said the police.

Acting on the information, police teams tracked the vehicle and received specific information that it would pass along the Kheda-Dholka highway on the night of October 8. The teams intercepted the vehicle and inspected its cargo.

When the tarpaulin covering the steel coils was removed, they found 36 black and yellow sacks containing the suspected narcotic substance concealed beneath the coils.

Police identified the arrested driver as Bhairaram Tarad, 33, a resident of Barmer district in Rajasthan.

According to the police, the consignment had allegedly been loaded into the trailer near Jhabua in Madhya Pradesh by a person identified as Santosh, who is now wanted in the case.

The driver was allegedly promised freight charges of Rs two lakh to transport the consignment to its intended recipient in Gujarat.

Police have also detained Jetaram Kadwasha, a resident of Samakhiyali in Kutch district, who is suspected of being the receiver who ordered the consignment. He is being questioned, while efforts are underway to apprehend Santosh.

A case has been registered at Dholka Rural Police Station under Sections 8(c), 15(c) and 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

Further investigation is underway to establish the source of the consignment and the roles of the other suspects.

The seized property includes the truck-trailer valued at Rs 20 lakh, a steel coil worth around Rs 22.22 lakh, two mobile phones valued at Rs 7,000 and cash amounting to Rs 32,010, in addition to the poppy husk.

New Delhi, Oct 10: The Delhi BJP Mahila Morcha staged a protest on Saturday to demand the expulsion from Congress and the arrest of MP and JNU Professor Angomcha Bimol Akoijam accused of sexual harassment of female students.

A large number of Mahila Morcha workers gathered near the Laxmi Nagar Metro Station in East Delhi, and raised slogans against the MP.

As soon as they began marching towards the Congress headquarters on Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Marg, the Delhi Police detained them after they had walked only a short distance and took them to Shakarpur Police Station, a Delhi BJP leader said.

The protest was led by BJP Mahila Morcha National Secretary and Rajya Sabha MP Sangeeta Yadav and Delhi BJP General Secretary Yogita Singh, in the presence of State Vice President Sarika Jain, Mahila Morcha President Archana Gupta and In-charge Aarti Mehra.

Rajya Sabha MP Sangeeta Yadav said, “We are standing here to defend the dignity of daughters. At a prestigious educational institution like JNU, a person accused of sexually harassing female students under the guise of being a professor, and who is also a Congress MP continues to move around freely.”

“The Congress is the most glaring example of an ‘anti-women’ mindset. A party that cannot protect its daughters has no right to remain in power,” she added.

“We (BJP) demand his (Akoijam’s) immediate expulsion from the party (Congress) and immediate arrest. The BJP Mahila Morcha will not remain silent. The slogan of ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ will be meaningful only when those responsible are punished. Ensuring the safety of every daughter in Delhi is our responsibility,” she said.

Delhi BJP General Secretary Yogita Singh said that the Congress has always treated women merely as a vote bank.

“A sitting MP is accused of sexually harassing female students at JNU, and the Congress is shielding him. The party should be ashamed,” she added.

“How long will the dignity of our daughters continue to be violated? How long will the Congress protect its leaders accused of wrongdoing?” Yogita Singh asked.

“If Angomcha Bimol Akoijam is not arrested today, no other daughter will be safe tomorrow. Our struggle will continue from the streets to Parliament. We demand justice, not compromise,” she said.

BJP Mahila Morcha General Secretary Archana Gupta said, “A Congress MP has been accused of harassing female students at JNU. This exposes the Congress party’s double standards — speaking about women’s empowerment on public platforms while allowing the exploitation of women within its ranks.”

“We demand that the accused be expelled from the party and sent to jail. The BJP Mahila Morcha stands with every daughter. Break the silence and deliver justice,” she added.

Richa Pandey, Delhi BJP Vice-President, said the Congress is ‘anti-women’.

“The party is shielding MP Angomcha Bimol Akoijam, who is accused of exploiting JNU’s female students. This is an insult to our daughters,” she added.

Patna, Oct 10: Bihar police on Saturday detained more than 50 teaching and non-teaching staff during a protest at JD Women’s College here against the proposed establishment of Mata Sita Women’s University.

The demonstrators, who had gathered from different parts of Bihar, raised slogans against the government’s plan to detach women’s colleges from Patliputra University and bring them under the proposed university.

The protesters said the concerns of teachers and the institutions should be addressed before any changes are made to the existing administrative and academic structure of women’s higher education in the state.

Rajeshwari Kumari, a participant in the agitation, said the government should implement the original 1976 Act instead of introducing amendments that would separate women’s colleges from their existing university arrangements.

According to Kumari, the Act envisioned a centralised and organised university system for women in Bihar. The protesters argued that the original framework should be considered before restructuring women’s higher education.

They also pointed out that several universities in Bihar already have two, four, or five women’s colleges under their jurisdiction. They questioned whether detaching selected colleges to establish a separate university would address the challenges facing women’s education.

The protesters demanded consultations on the academic requirements, administrative arrangements and existing status of women’s colleges before the government proceeds with the proposed changes.

They called for an integrated and equitable academic framework that would address the needs of women students and the institutions providing higher education.

Teaching and non-teaching staff and heads of departments from Patna University and various constituent colleges participated in the demonstration.

Those involved in leading the protest included Santosh Kumar of Commerce College, Dr Seema of the Chemistry Department at JD Women’s College, and Heena of the Philosophy Department, among others.

Police detained several participants to maintain law and order.

Despite the detentions, the protesters said they would continue their agitation until their demands were considered. Their principal demands include implementing the original 1976 Act and holding consultations with teachers and the institutions concerned before changing the structure governing women’s colleges.