Bihar on high alert for Holi; additional forces deployed statewide

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Patna, Feb 28 (IANS) The Bihar Police have announced a zero-tolerance policy against hooliganism during Holi, deploying additional forces across all major cities and sensitive locations in the state.

According to an official statement, strict action will be taken against biker gangs, street racers and individuals attempting to disrupt peace under the guise of festivities.

Additional police personnel have been deployed in all districts to ensure the maintenance of law and order.

Director General of Police Vinay Kumar has directed all district police chiefs to take stringent preventive measures in view of the festival.

Police stations have been instructed to identify sensitive areas within their jurisdictions and maintain heightened vigilance.

Control rooms have been established in each district and directed to monitor the situation at two-hour intervals.

Any untoward incident must be reported immediately to the DGP Control Room.

Additional Director General (Law and Order) Pankaj Kumar Darad has instructed all SPs and SSPs to deploy adequate forces and executive magistrates in mixed-population areas, religious sites and historically sensitive zones.

Police Headquarters has emphasised the need to review incidents from the past three Holi celebrations, monitor disputes linked to old enmities and land conflicts, take preventive action under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and the CrPC, and ensure impartial action against mischief-makers from all communities.

Authorities have been instructed not to take even minor communal incidents lightly.

Senior district officials have been directed to personally visit the spot if any serious situation arises.

Religious organisations or individuals spreading rumours or hatred will face strict legal action.

Intelligence gathering has been intensified, and suspected anti-social elements may be placed under surveillance where necessary.

Extra security has been ordered in insurgency-affected districts.

Special vigilance will be maintained at police pickets and stations, jails, railway sections, establishments and government buildings.

Police have also been directed to monitor trains closely to prevent drugging-and-robbery incidents, particularly targeting migrant workers returning home for Holi.

To maintain peace during the festival, 12 companies of the Range Reserve Force, 31 companies of the Bihar Armed Police Force, 2,768 PTC trainee constables currently undergoing training at the Police Academy in Rajgir, 5,100 Home Guards and three companies of the Central Armed Police Forces have been deployed.

The highest concentration of forces has been deployed in Patna, including three companies of the Range Reserve Force, three companies of the Bihar Armed Police Force, 535 newly recruited constables and 400 Home Guards.

Significant deployments have also been made in Darbhanga, Begusarai, Jamui, Munger, Rohtas, Buxar, Gaya and Motihari, while other districts have received force deployment as per requirement.

–IANS

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Bus fare hike: K’taka BJP gives roses to male passengers in protest

Bengaluru, Jan 3 (IANS) The Karnataka BJP staged a unique protest on Friday at the Kempe Gowda Bus Station in Bengaluru’s Majestic locality by distributing roses to male passengers following a 15 per cent bus fare hike by the Congress government.

The protest was led by the Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, R. Ashoka and LoP in the Legislative Council, Chalavadi Narayanaswamy.

Some activists wore masks of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar and raised slogans against them and the Congress government.

The leaders told the passengers after giving them roses that the ticket price hike was a “gift” from the ruling Congress party.

High drama ensued when the police attempted to stop the BJP leaders from distributing the roses. Ashoka lost his cool and warned the police officers, saying he had noted their names and that the Congress government wouldn’t last long.

“You want to assault me, take the baton and beat me. You can also jail me. Beware before committing police atrocities on me. Don’t dare touch me. We have not come here to protest. We are here to distribute roses to passengers,” Ashoka told the policemen.

Later, speaking to the media, Ashoka remarked, “Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is determined to destroy the lives of the people and has given a wonderful New Year gift to the state. He has done the best thing for the people. Against this backdrop, we are distributing roses to male passengers.”

“The Congress government came to power by assuring that it would give five guarantees without hiking prices. Today, everything from diesel and petrol to other essentials has seen price hikes,” Ashoka slammed.

Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, speaking at the event, criticised the government, saying, “The government is offering free travel for women but burdening men with higher costs.”

He further condemned the government for imposing high charges on essential services.

“We have seen increases in the price of milk, electricity rates, stamp duty, registration fees, and various other taxes,” he said.

He accused the government of neglecting development while focusing on trivial matters.

Narayanaswamy claimed the Congress government’s treasury was empty and that the administration was engaged in activities that harmed the public, making it difficult for people to survive.

“The government has implemented three new taxes in three days,” he remarked critically.

Former CM and BJP MP Jagadish Shettar, speaking in Hubballi, said the Congress-led government was accountable for the bus fare hike.

He said that due to the government’s mismanagement, all four RTCs were suffering losses, and the government had not cleared pending dues after implementing the scheme for free travel for women.

“No matter how much the ticket price is raised, the RTCs will continue to suffer losses,” Shettar underlined.

Responding to the bus fare hike, Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy said that the people were not surprised by the fare raise.

“In two or three days, they will get used to the new fares. Diesel and petrol prices have been hiked by Rs 2 to Rs 3, stamp duty and guidance value have been increased, alcohol prices have gone up, and the government is already talking about hiking water bills and milk prices,” Kumaraswamy said.

Reacting to the BJP protest, state Minister for Transport Ramalinga Reddy questioned why the bus fare was raised during the tenure of the previous BJP government. “The BJP leaders forgot about development during their rule. They took a loan of Rs 5,900 crore, and we are repaying it. Why didn’t they protest when the LPG gas cylinder subsidy was withdrawn?” he asked.

The Karnataka government has increased the Road Transport Corporation (RTC) bus fare by 15 per cent and the new fare will come into effect from January 5.

The bus fares of all four transport corporations have been revised. All transport corporations, including city buses and luxury buses, have been subjected to a 15 per cent fare increase. This is expected to generate an additional monthly revenue of Rs 74.85 crore.

For the ‘Shakti’ free travel for women scheme, Rs 5,015 crore has been allocated in the current financial year by the state government, with a monthly grant of Rs 417.92 crore being released to the four corporations.

–IANS

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Bengal SIR: ECI makes BLOs, supervisors accountable to ensure 85+ voters not summoned for hearings

Kolkata, Jan 2 (IANS) The Election Commission of India (ECI) has made the Booth-Level Officers (BLOs) and the BLO Supervisors accountable for ensuring that the voters who have attained the age of 85 or above do not have to appear physically at the hearing centres for attending the sessions on the claims and objections on the draft voters’ list.

The ECI, at the same time, has also made the Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and the Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) accountable to ensure that enough awareness drives are conducted in the areas under their respective jurisdictions to make people aware of its decision giving relaxation to post-85-year-old voters from appearing physically to attend the hearing sessions.

“In case any post-85 voter has already been served with a hearing notice, the BLOs or BLO Supervisors will have to contact them personally and request them not to come to the hearing centre. In case of such voters, their documents will be verified at their residences,” an insider from the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, confirmed.

The same principle will apply to voters with critical medical conditions. In such cases, whether these voters will be required to attend a hearing or have their documents verified at their residence will be decided on a case-by-case basis by the ERO or AERO concerned.

However, sources at the CEO’s office confirmed that under no circumstances can the demand from Trinamool Congress for extending the relaxation to post-60 voters be entertained. “Neither the Commission nor the CEO’s office has enough strength to do that. So under all practical reasons, the Commission had decided to extend the relaxation only to post-85 voters,” the CEO’s office insider added.

On December 29 last year, the ECI specified the categories of voters in whose cases the hearings will be conducted at their residences only. These categories include post-85-year-old voters, those with critical illness, and differently-abled voters.

However, even after these clear instructions from the ECI, there have been instances of such exempted category voters coming to the hearing centres, which prompted some political parties to make a political issue out of it.

Amid such controversies, the ECI has now made the EROS and AEROs accountable for ensuring that the voters who have attained the age of 85 or above do not have to appear physically at the hearing centres

–IANS

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