India News
Violence against BHU students: Adityanath pins blame on “anti-social elements”
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Students continue protest demanding VC Tripathi’s resignation, MK Singh appointed new chief proctor after ON Singh resigns taking moral responsibility
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, on Wednesday, said the recent protests by students of Banaras Hindu University smacked of a “conspiracy” as prima facie reports suggest the role of anti-social elements in vitiating the atmosphere of the historic establishment.
Adityanath’s comments came at a time when his government and the BHU administration have been drawing flak for the recent incident in which the varsity’s students – a majority of them girls – were mercilessly lathi-charged by the police while they were peacefully protesting against the university’s gender-discriminatory rules and practices and seeking more security for girl students.
Adityanath said that the BHU administration has been asked to “get to the bottom of the issue and clearly told not to harass any student”. However, the UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath maintained a deafening silence on whether his government would act against the BHU vice chancellor Girish Chandra Tripathi, who continues to defend the varsity’s appalling treatment of its girl students and had famously suggested that the incident in which one girl was allegedly sexually harassed was actually a case of “simple eve teasing”.
A number of students, including women, and two journalists were injured in the lathi-charge by the police in BHU on Saturday night. An inquiry has been ordered into the violence on the campus.
“The report (on BHU incidents) has been received and administration has been clearly told not to harass any student but get to the bottom of this issue and find details of anti- social elements who vitiated the atmosphere (in the university) in the garb of students,” Adityanath told reporters in his pocketborough of Gorakhpur.
The chief minister said those involved in “spreading anarchy” on the campus will not be spared at any cost but sought to suggest that the students and not the BHU administration will be in his line of fire. “Prima facie investigation suggests it is a conspiracy by anti-social elements”, Adityanath added.
The Chief Minister said the proctorial board of the university should have taken timely measures to ensure that the trouble did not escalate.
“Those indulging in arson and disorder should be dealt with sternly… all universities in the state have been told to hold dialogue with students (to prevent any such situation elsewhere),” Adityanath said while insisting that better communication between students and vice chancellors of central universities would prevent such incidents from happening in the future.
The chief minister, however, kept quiet in the fact that the BHU VC himself had been placed in the dock by the varsity’s students for not only discriminating between male and female students but also condoning the gender-discriminatory practices prevalent in the university.
Meanwhile, Mahendra Kumar Singh was appointed as the new Chief Proctor of Banaras Hindu University, on Wednesday, taking over the role from Onkar Nath Singh who resigned from the post a day earlier taking “moral responsibility” for the recent incidents of alleged molestation of a student and violence on the campus.
While the administration has targeted the university for not taking up student issues, the varsity faculty also questioned the alleged forced entry of police into hostels and beating of staff members and students on Saturday night.
An internal four-page report by the former chief proctor and vice-chancellor Tripathi had called the alleged act of molestation an incident of ‘eve-teasing.’ “The student was walking back to her hostel, on Thursday, evening when a few motorcycle-borne men came near her and touched her inappropriately,” the SHO of Lanka police station was quoted as saying by the Indian Express.
However, an acquaintance of the victim had this to say: “She was on her way to one of the hostels when the men sexually assaulted her. They pulled her hair and one of the men put his hand in her kurta, while another put his hand in her leggings. She fell and the men sped off.”
The District Magistrate has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the matter. A judicial inquiry under a retired high court judge has also been ordered by vice chancellor Tripathi. The alleged molestation of the girl student is also being investigated by the police.
Onkar Nath Singh has indicated that he was forced to take the fall for the recent incidents that have rocked the varsity and captured national attention but said that it was “for people to see and decide” whether it is he or other high-ranking officials (an indication towards VC Tripathi) who are to blame.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
India News
Earthquake of 6.2 magnitude on Richter scale shakes up Delhi-NCR, North India
Reports said the tremors were felt acutely by people residing in high rises and many fled by staircase to the groundfloor and were awaiting more aftershocks.
Strong tremors lasting almost a minute rocked parts of Delhi-National Capital Region, and several northern states after a 6.2 magnitude earthquake at its epicentre hit Nepal.
Reports said the tremors were felt acutely by people residing in high-rises and many fled by staircase to the groundfloor and were awaiting more aftershocks. Parts of Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand felt the temblors just after 2.45 pm.
There has been no report of damage to life and property as of now. Reports are awaited on the situation in Nepal. Seismologists said the epicentre was 5 km underground in Bhatekhola in Nepal. The Himalayan country has already faced a massive quake on April 25, 2015 of 7.8 magnitude. Some 9,000 people died and injured more than 20,000.
India News
Watch: Nitin Gadkari takes a test drive on hydrogen bus in Prague
In the video Gadkari is seen seated on the bus while officials surround him standing. One of the officials asked about the distance the bus can cover in a single charge. Gadkari said the visit is part of India’s commitment to eco friendly and sustainable transportation solutions.
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari is currently on an official visit to the Czech Republic. He took a test drive in a hydrogen bus. Nitin Gadkari took to X (formerly Twitter) and shared a video of the bus ride. In the video Gadkari can be seen surrounded by a group of officials.
In the video Gadkari is seen seated on the bus while officials surround him standing. One of the officials asked about the distance the bus can cover in a single charge. Gadkari said the visit is part of India’s commitment to eco friendly and sustainable transportation solutions. The video is captioned Hydrogen buses are a beacon of hope in India’s fight against environment degradation and carbon emissions. The buses will pave a greener and cleaner future.
The union minister posted a series of photographs on X, which showed the Gadkari’s test drive. Hydrogen fuel celled powered buses use air and hydrogen to generate electricity. It is a more environment friendly and sustainable mode of public transportation.
Gadkari arrived in the Czech Republic on October 1. He received a warm welcome at the Prague airport. He also participated on the ministerial session on road safety at the 27th World Road Congress in Prague. The Minister reaffirmed India’s dedication to achieving road safety targets which are outlined in the Stockholm Declarartion.
Nitin Gadkari has clearly advocated asserting that advancements and transition to green fuel. This will reduce the cost of electric vehicles when compared to petrol run vehicles within a span of two years. Variety of comments started coming on X (formerly twitter). One social media user said all school and state run buses would be run on hydrogen in the coming days. One X User was asked about the mass production of hydrogen cars. One user said the video was highly inspiring.
India News
Watch: Rajasthan independent MLA Om Prakash Hudla polishes people’s shoes
Hudla did a similar act in the year 2018. He won the election from Dausa constituency. Talking to the media Hudla said he took the initiative to polish the shoes of workers and voters. He said he wanted to make them realize MLAs are their employees and not vice versa.
As the election fever grips Rajasthan independent MLA Om Prakash Hudla became a cobbler in Dausa. He polished people’s shoes. In a video going viral on social media, Hudla is seen wearing a garland and polishing the elderly man’s shoes. He later helps the man to put the shoes on.
Many people have surrounded the MLA. One man even threw rose petals on him. Hudla did a similar act in the year 2018. He won the election from Dausa constituency. Talking to the media Hudla said he took the initiative to polish the shoes of workers and voters. He said he wanted to make them realize MLAs are their employees and not vice versa.
He said he has done it before. He was doing it again and he would continue to do it in the future. Hudla also hosted a tricolor outside a hospital on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti. Rajasthan will have assembly elections later this year.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a rally in Rajasthan’s Chittorgarh in preparation for the upcoming state elections. PM Modi slammed Ashok Gehlot led congress government in the state and said the Rajasthan state had been destroyed in the past five years.
PM Modi said every leader of Congress, Tyrant, rioter, goon and corrupt person has considered himself the government of Rajasthan. PM Modi added Congress had left no stone unturned in looting the state. He added The Congress has successfully deceived the people of Rajasthan.
But the Congress had failed to run the government in the state. He said Ashok Gehlot was trying to save his chief minister’s chair and almost half of the Congress party was trying to unseat him. Pilot and Gehlot have been up against each other over the past few years as Pilot was trying his level best to replace Gehlot in the Chief Minister’s position.
