Purnea Airport land acquisition sparks protest by villagers

Patna, Feb 27 (IANS) Tragedy struck on the occasion of Maha Shivratri as five youths drowned in the Ganges river at Collectorate Ghat under Gandhi Maidan police station here on Wednesday evening.

The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) has so far recovered three bodies, while the search for the remaining two is ongoing.

Six youths from Krishna Niwas Lodge — Vishal Kumar, Sachin Kumar, Abhishek Kumar, Rajiv Kumar, Golu Kumar and Ashish Kumar — were playing volleyball on the bank of the river.

Three others, including Rehan and Govinda, who was bathing nearby, joined their game.

During the game, Vishal went for a bath in the Ganga river and started drowning.

The six others rushed to save him, but all were swept away by the current. Two others did not participate in the rescue.

A boatman witnessing the incident threw a bamboo pole, managing to save Ashish and Sachin. The SDRF team was deployed for rescue operations.

After three hours of search, the SDRF team recovered two bodies, followed by Govinda’s body late on Wednesday evening.

The search for two missing youths is still ongoing. The families of the victims are in deep distress following the incident.

Rehan’s father, speaking in shock, said: “My son had come with his three friends without informing anyone. Around 9 o’clock, I received a call that my son had drowned in the Ganga. I rushed to the spot and learned that a total of five youths had drowned, out of which three bodies had been recovered. The remaining two are still missing.”

Patna Deputy Superintendent of Police (Town), Prakash, confirmed the ongoing rescue efforts: “Youths had come to bathe at Collectorate Ghat, out of which five drowned. The SDRF team is continuously searching for the missing ones. The police are also present at the site to assist in the operation. Three bodies have been recovered so far.”

The incident has highlighted the urgent need for stricter safety measures at river ghats, especially during festival gatherings.

Authorities have urged people to be cautious while bathing in the river, especially during festival gatherings.

–IANS

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New Delhi, March 9 (IANS) Union Minister Giriraj Singh on Sunday hit out at Congress spokesperson Shama Mohamed over her controversial statement claiming that Mathematics was introduced to the world through Islam.

Singh demanded that Mohamed present evidence to support her claim.

Speaking to IANS, Singh said, “I think if someone lacks knowledge, I cannot comment on their foolishness. The world knows who the pioneers of mathematics were. It is meaningless to associate this with religion.”

“If she thinks that Math came from Islam, then she should present the evidence and hold a constructive discussion,” he added.

Shama Mohamed’s remarks have sparked controversy just days after she faced backlash for allegedly fat-shaming Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma.

Meanwhile, Mohamed had also extended her support to Indian pacer Mohammed Shami after he faced criticism from certain Islamic groups for not observing Roza during the Champions Trophy semi-final between India and Australia. She defended Shami calling Islam a “scientific” religion.

The BJP strongly condemned her statement on Mathematics. BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya said, “I think she has decided that Rahul Gandhi alone cannot make all the absurd statements in the Congress.”

The controversy follows another incident where Mohamed faced criticism for her social media post during India’s match against New Zealand.

In her post, she commented, “Rohit Sharma is fat for a sportsman! Need to lose weight! And of course, the most unimpressive Captain India has ever had.”

Her remarks drew sharp reactions from Rohit Sharma’s supporters, who defended his leadership with statistics. The BJP accused the Congress of showcasing an “Emergency mindset” through such comments.

Facing mounting criticism, Mohamed later deleted her controversial remarks and all related posts defending her stance. The Congress party also distanced itself from her comments and directed her to remove the post.

–IANS

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Bengaluru, Feb 21 (IANS) A shocking incident of a woman being gang-raped by four youths she knew at a private hotel in Bengaluru came to light on Friday.

According to police sources, the incident had taken place on the terrace of a private hotel near the Jyothi Nivas College under the Koramangala police station limits. The woman registered a complaint with the police early on Friday and the police have launched a hunt for the accused.

The victim has been admitted to a private hospital and she is being treated. The police have visited the crime scene and gathered information and CCTV footage from the surrounding buildings.

Further details regarding the incident are yet to emerge

The incident comes a month after a woman waiting for a bus in Bengaluru’s K.R. Market was gang-raped, and robbed of her jewellery, cash and mobile phone on January 21.

The woman lodged a complaint with the Women’s Police Station in the Central Division, said officials.

The police have detained one person in connection with the incident and were grilling him.

The victim was waiting for the bus to go to the Yelahanka locality and had inquired from the accused about the availability of the bus to her destination. Taking advantage of her situation, the accused posing as good samaritans told her they knew where the bus would stop and took her along, before committing the crime.

An incident of kidnapping and gang-rape of a 23-year-old woman was reported on April 25, 2024.

According to police, the victim was kidnapped by five persons and gang-raped in an isolated place. The victim had also undergone brutal torture by the accused. Following the complaint by the family of the victim, the High Grounds police had arrested the rapists.

–IANS

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