The Ministry of External Affairs on Wednesday advised Indian citizens against travelling to Iran, as the Middle East situation appeared to be on the brink of a wider war following Iran’s missile attack on Israel on Tuesday. The officials also advised Indians in Iran to remain vigilant and stay in touch with the embassy in Tehran. 

Issuing an advisory, the External Affairs Ministry stated that they are closely monitoring the recent escalation in security situation in the region. It added that the Indian nationals are advised to avoid all non-essential travel to Iran. It mentioned that nationals currently residing in Iran are requested to remain vigilant and stay in contact with the Indian Embassy in Tehran.

Reportedly, Iran launched over 180 missiles into Israel late on Tuesday, signifying an escalation in the conflict between two countries. Though Israel claims to have intercepted and destroyed many of the missiles, Tel Aviv and US officials have warned Tehran of severe consequences, raising the threat of a region-wide war in the Middle East.

Considering the situation, the Indian Embassy in Tel Aviv also issued an advisory for Indian nationals in Israel on Tuesday. The officials asked Indian nationals to stay vigilant and adhere to the protocols as advised by the local authorities.

The advisory asked Indians to exercise caution and avoid unnecessary travel within the country and stay close to the safety shelters. It added that the Embassy is closely monitoring the situation and remains in regular touch with the Israeli authorities to ensure the safety of Indian nationals.

Meanwhile, Air India also stated that it is adjusting flights routes to avoid areas of risk with minimal impact on non-stop operations. The airline said that all their flights are assessed daily for any potential security or safety risks whether it is in the Middle East or any other part of our route network. Furthermore, it said that adjustments are made, if necessary, to avoid areas of risk with minimal impact on our non-stop operations. 

In an unfortunate incident, three people, including two pilots and an engineer, died after a helicopter crashed in Maharashtra’s Pune district and caught fire on Wednesday morning. The incident occurred around 6:45 am in hilly terrain in the Bavdhan area after the helicopter took off from a helipad situated at a golf course in the vicinity.

Reportedly, the helicopter was carrying two pilots, Paramjit Singh and G K Pillai, and one engineer, Pritam Bharadwaj. All the people who were on board died. 

Devendra Prabhakar Potphode, chief fire officer told media that when they reached the spot, they saw that the chopper had crashed and all its parts were scattered, and there was a smouldering fire. He added that they were able to extract three casualties, and these were handed over to the police.

Preliminary information stated the helicopter belonged to Heritage Aviation and was based in Pune. The police said that it had a registration number VT EVV. The helicopter was chartered by the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and was headed to Mumbai. NCP chief Sunil Tatkare said that he was going to visit Raigad in the helicopter.

The police stated that four fire tankers from the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) are presently at the spot. While the exact cause of the crash has not yet been identified, police officials said that dense fog could have possibly led to the mishap.

Earlier in August, a private helicopter flying from Mumbai to Hyderabad had crashed in Pune’s Paud village. All the four occupants survived the crash that took place near Paud, though they suffered injuries, a police official said.

Pankaj Deshmukh, superintendent of police (Pune Rural) stated that a private helicopter crashed near Paud village in Pune district. He added that the helicopter belongs to a private aviation company and was going from Mumbai to Hyderabad, four people were travelling in the helicopter, assessment of any injuries is being looked into.

The Andhra Pradesh government has halted the investigation by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) into the alleged adulteration of ghee used to make Tirupati laddus until the Supreme Court hearing on October 3.

This follows a day after the Supreme Court pulled up the Andhra Pradesh government for going public with its claim that animal fat was allegedly used in making Tirupati laddus under the previous Jagan Mohan Reddy led government.

The Supreme Court on Monday while observing that gods should be kept away from politics, questioned Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu’s public statement. A bench of Justice B R Gavai and Justice K V Viswanathan mentioned that it is prima facie indicating that these were rejected Ghee which were subjected to test. 

Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh top cop Dwaraka Tirumala Rao stated that the decision to pause the investigation was taken as a precautionary measure to ensure the investigation’s integrity. He added that they have stopped the investigation for the time being in view of the ongoing hearing in the Supreme Court. Dwaraka Tirumala Rao further added that their team has conducted various investigations, recorded statements of a few people and done a preliminary investigation. 

The investigation panel appointed amid a row over the presence of animals fats in Tirupati laddus, was led by Guntur Range Inspector General of Police.

Recently, the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu sparked a massive controversy after claiming that substandard ingredients, including animal fat, were discovered in the laddus served as prasad at Tirupati temple during the previous Jagan Mohan Reddy’s government. 

While pointing out a private lab report from Gujarat, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu alleged the presence of beef tallow, lard and fish oil in the ghee used for Tirupati laddoos. However, Jagan Mohan Reddy vehemently denied the allegations and accused Chandrababu Naidu of doing politics in the name of god.