Encephalitis claims 3 more lives; toll climbs to 380
Gorakhpur (UP): Three more children succumbed to encephalitis in the district, taking the death toll in the disease in eastern Uttar Pradesh to 380 this year, health officials said on Saturday. The three died at the Baba Raghav Das Medical College Hospital (BRD-MCH) here yesterday. They hailed from Kushinagar, Siddharthanagar and Basti region. With this, a total of 1,869 encephalitis patients have been admitted, of which 380 have died, the officials said. As many as 186 patients are being treated at BRD MCH at present, they said. (PTI)
Sena prepares for first Dassehra rally after Thackeray
Mumbai: The Shivaji Park is being readied for Shiv Sena’s first rally here Sunday after the demise of its supremo Bal Thackeray. Journalist-turned-politician Bal Thackeray founded the Shiv Sena in June 1966 and lorded over it till his death Nov 17 last year. Barring a few occasions, Bal Thackeray never missed his ‘annual date’ at Shivaji Park, which was a ‘must’ event in the state political calendar. Last year, owing to poor health, his recorded video speech was played at the rally. Barring the annual Dassehra rally, Bal Thackeray never attended any other public or private function. (IANS)
Doctor arrested for taking bribe
Jind (Har): A government doctor of Community Health Centre, Julana, has been arrested for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 3,000 from a man here, police said. Sanjiv Deshwal was arrested on Friday by the sleuths of State Vigilance Bureau when he was accepting the bribe of Rs 3,000 from Sunil, a resident of Julana town, for issuing a medico-legal certificate to the latter, who was injured in a clash. A case under the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against Deshwal and he has been arrested, the police said. (PTI)
Two girls drown
Ballia: Two girls drowned while taking a bath in a pond in Kotwali area, police said here today. Neha (10) and Puja (8) drowned while taking the bath in the pond in Harpur Nai Basti area yesterday, they said. Bodies of both the girls have been fished out, they added. (PTI)
Char Dham Yatra hit by snowfall, rains
Dehradun/Lucknow: The pious Char Dham Yatra in Uttarakhand, which began earlier this month after a gap of three months, has been hit by inclement weather, officials said on Saturday. The yatra to Badrinath and the Kedarnath shrines has been stopped briefly due to incessant snowfall and rains. More than four dozen pilgrims were forced to abort the trek. It has been snowing in the Himalayas since Friday afternoon, making the new 24-km long trek from Joshimath towards Kedarnath extremely hazardous and risky, an official told IANS. Rains and dark clouds compounded the travel plans further. A heavy storm accompanied by rains blew away a tent Thursday and grounded the onward journey to Kedarnath. As a result of harsh weather conditions, there was a considerable drop in the number of pilgrims to these two shrines. The number of pilgrims to reach Badrinath Friday was 50. The two shrines will close late November due to winter and will remain shut for over six months. The Kedarnath shrine area was ravaged in the June flash floods that killed thousands and devastated the roads and bridges to the shrine. (IANS)
Kumari Puja marks Maha Ashtami in Kolkata
Kolkata: Thousands of devotees from across the country flocked to the Belur Math here, the global headquarters of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, Saturday for the Durga Ashtami Puja. The rituals began in the morning with ‘Kumari puja’ where girls are worshipped as the goddess. Belur Math in Howrah district, 10 km from Kolkata, saw a huge gathering, including West Bengal Governor M.K. Narayan. Kumari Puja was started by Swami Vivekananda in 1901 to underline the importance of women. The girl who is worshipped symbolises the power that regulates creation, stability and destruction on earth. This year, seven-year-old Kankana Chakrabarty has been selected as the ‘Kumari’ and is being worshipped in the “Malini” form of the goddess at the Math. At dawn, after a ritual bath in the holy waters of the Ganga, ‘Kumari’ was wrapped in a red sari and adorned with flowers and jewellery, with a ‘sindur (vermillion) tilak’ on her forehead. The young Kumari fasts the whole day until the puja is over. She is made to sit before the goddess’s idol on a decorated chair with priests chanting hymns and dhak (traditional drum) being played in the background. After the puja, the divinity of the goddess descends into the Kumari, said a priest. (IANS)