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Protesting farmers deny they blocked oxygen trucks on way to Delhi hospitals

A senior government official said the protesting farmers were at risk of contracting Covid-19 and the protest sites could become super-spreaders. The official claimed that little social distancing or mask protocol was followed by farmers in the protest.

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An oxygen supply firm has charged that its oxygen trucks are being forced to take longer routes to reach Delhi hospitals due to blockades at key border points in an obvious reference to farmers protesting farm laws. 

After the oxygen supply firm’s claim, a debate has erupted over the morality of the farmers’ protest that began in November-end. Government officials claimed that a major oxygen supplier sought a green corridor for its trucks headed for Delhi, as these vehicles had to take a nearly 100-km detour from the supplier’s unit in Uttar Pradesh due to a blockade at Ghazipur border. A similar situation was being faced at Singhu border while ferrying oxygen from Panipat to Delhi.

The debate also triggered questions like whether farmers should call off their protest at Delhi’s borders and return home in the wake of the spike in Covid-19 cases that has left the capital on its knees and hands? 

The farmers have refused to budge, saying they have no plans of going back to their villages and that there is no coronavirus cases at protest sites. The protesting farmers have also rejected that they blocked oxygen supply trucks.

Meenakshi Lekhi, the BJP MP from New Delhi, urged the courts to pass an order to send them back given how the second wave is raging. She said,

“Will the farmers be happy if people die in hospitals because oxygen got delayed? Where does the commitment of the farmers lie?”

A senior government official said the protesting farmers were at risk of contracting Covid-19 and the protest sites could become super-spreaders. The official claimed that little social distancing or mask protocol was followed by farmers in the protest.

Also Read: Rahul Gandhi slams Modi govt’s vaccination strategy, says it’s not less than demonetisation

Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar said it was totally up to the farmers if they wanted to suspend the protest in view of the second Covid wave. He rejected the argument that the farmers’ protest was responsible for the high Covid numbers in Punjab. Jakhar said the Central government has lost all credibility on the Covid front with the BJP throwing caution to the wind in its election rallies. The Centre has lost the moral authority as it first needs to practise what it preaches. No one believes their warnings on Covid when they themselves keep doing rallies.

Senior farmers’ leader and BKU president Balbir Singh Rajewal said farmers would neither call off their protest nor suspend it and go back.

“There is no Covid at all at the protest sites and even one case. So this whole talk is a big conspiracy against the farmers’ movement. The farmers believe that once the farmers go back to Punjab, the government will never allow them to return to Delhi.” 

Also Read: Maharashtra: 22 dead in Nashik due to oxygen tanker leak outside hospital

The farmer leader said protesters did not stop any oxygen supply truck while the police were manning the blockade sites and turning away vehicles. There are many roads and routes to Delhi, besides the ones blocked at Singhu and Ghazipur. The farmers have also alleged that other routes have been dug up and barricaded by the police themselves.

Thousands of farmers, mostly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, have been protesting at Delhi’s borders for close to five months, demanding the repeal of three farm laws passed by Parliament last year. Several rounds of talks between the Centre and the protesting farmer unions have yielded nothing. The government has offered suspending the laws for 18 months but the farmers want nothing short of the repeal of the laws.

India News

Delhi police recover decomposed body from bed-box in DDA flat

A woman’s decomposed body was found hidden inside a bed-box in Vivek Vihar, Delhi. Police are investigating the case as a suspected murder.

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Delhi crime, Vivek Vihar body case, decomposed woman found, DDA flat murder case,

Delhi Police has recovered a decomposed body of a woman inside a bed-box at a DDA flat in Vivek Vihar’s Satyam Enclave. The discovery was made after locals alerted police about a foul smell emanating from the residence.

According to police officials, the dead body, wrapped in a blanket and stuffed into a bag, was located inside house number 118 A. The flat belongs to a man identified as Vivekanand Mishra, aged between 50 and 60 years.

Closer inspection revealed blood stains near the backdoor, which raised suspicions and prompted authorities to force entry into the flat.

Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara), Neha Yadav, stated, “We received a call at 4:37 regarding a foul smell coming from the house. Upon entering, we found the dead body of a woman, wrapped in a blanket and kept inside a bag placed in a box. An incense stick was found near the body. The woman has not been identified yet, and legal procedures are ongoing.”

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara) Prashant Gautam said the house was found locked from the outside when officials arrived. Traces of blood were noticed near the backdoor. Upon opening the house, the woman’s decomposed body was recovered.

Preliminary reports suggest the woman, estimated to be in her late 40s, may have been murdered two to three days ago. Investigative sources revealed that Mishra, the flat’s owner, was seen visiting the house on Thursday night and again on Friday afternoon.

The investigation is currently underway, with forensic teams analyzing samples and surveillance footage being examined from the locality. As of now, no arrests have been made in connection with the case. Authorities are treating the case as a potential homicide, and further legal action is expected as new evidence comes to light.

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Rahul Gandhi says BJP’s cronyism pushed banking sector into crisis, junior employees suffering

He encouraged other affected employees to share their stories through his official website.

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Rahul Gandhi, leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, criticized the BJP government on Saturday for what he called “cronyism and regulatory mismanagement,” claiming these policies have pushed India’s banking sector into crisis. He argued that junior employees bear the brunt of this mismanagement, facing “stress and toxic work conditions.”

Gandhi alleged that the government had waived off ₹16 lakh crore in loans for “billionaire friends,” while ordinary bank employees suffered the consequences. “The BJP’s economic policies have a human cost—thousands of honest professionals are paying the price,” he said.

In a post on social media platform X, Gandhi shared a video of his meeting with former ICICI Bank employees who accused the bank of unfair dismissals and workplace harassment. He promised that the Congress party would fight for their rights and work to end “exploitation in the banking sector.”

“Their accounts reveal a disturbing trend—retaliation for exposing bad loans, sudden terminations without proper procedure, and even tragic cases of suicide,” Gandhi said. He encouraged other affected employees to share their stories through his official website.

A delegation of 782 former ICICI Bank employees met Gandhi in Parliament on Friday, sharing claims of being fired while on medical leave or after raising concerns about management practices. According to the Congress, these employees said such practices are common in private banks due to extreme profit pressures.

The employees alleged that whistleblowers faced retaliation and that many were dismissed without following legal procedures. The Congress argued that these issues are not isolated but part of a wider problem in India’s banking industry.

ICICI Bank has not yet commented on the allegations. The Congress, meanwhile, has demanded action, calling for investigations into labor practices in private banks.

“If you have faced similar injustice, share your experience with me,” Gandhi said, directing affected individuals to his official portal. 

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Air Force civil engineer shot dead at home in Prayagraj cantonment, police scan CCTV for suspect

Air Force civil engineer SN Mishra was fatally shot in his Prayagraj home. CCTV footage shows an unknown intruder entering the Air Force residential area.

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Prayagraj shooting

A shocking incident rocked the Indian Air Force Station in Prayagraj on Saturday, as civil engineer SN Mishra, 51, was shot dead at his official residence in the cantonment area. The assailant, whose identity remains unknown, allegedly fired a bullet through the window while Mishra was asleep, police officials confirmed.

The incident occurred in Engineers Colony inside the Air Force Station, under the jurisdiction of Puramufti Police Station. Mishra sustained a gunshot wound to the chest and was rushed to the Army hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries.

CCTV footage shows security breach

According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (City) Abhishek Bharti, CCTV footage from the Air Force Station captured a person jumping over the boundary wall and entering the premises. Surveillance teams have visited the spot and are reviewing the footage for further leads.

Efforts to identify and arrest the suspect are underway, officials said.

Investigation underway

SHO Manoj Singh stated that the body has been sent for post-mortem, and that a formal FIR will be registered once the family lodges a complaint.

Mishra is survived by his wife, son, and daughter. The incident has triggered concerns about security lapses within the high-security Air Force residential zone, with investigators yet to determine whether the killing was personal or premeditated.

Further legal action will follow once more details emerge from the ongoing investigation.

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