Modi speaks of harmony on Guru Nanak Jayanti
New Delhi: On the occasion of Guru Nanak’s birthday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday underlined the message of harmony and compassion propagated by the founder of Sikhism, a message that assumes significance in the midst of “intolerance” debate. “On Guru Nanak Jayanti, my greetings to everyone. Guru Nanak Dev’s message of service, compassion and harmony inspire eternally,” Modi tweeted. The Prime Minister’s message assumes significance in view of the “intolerance” debate, which has been further fueled by film star Aamir Khan’s remarks that he was “alarmed” by a number of incidents and his wife Kiran Rao had wondered if they should move out of India. Guru Nanak Jayanti also known as Gurpurab and Prakash Utsav marks the birthday of the first Sikh Guru Guru Nanak. It is one of the most sacred festivals in Sikhism and is celebrated by Hindus also with equal fervour. (PTI)
Woman drowns in water reservoir in Rajasthan
Jaipur: A 50-year-old woman drowned in an underground water reservoir while trying to fetch water from it at her house in Durganagar area here, police said today. Hawa Kanwar, who was performing “Kartik snan”, early bath in the month of Kartik, according to Hindu lunar calendar, yesterday morning fell in the reservoir while trying to fetch water from there, police said. Her family members were sleeping when the incident took place, they said. She was rushed to a hospital in Sodala but could not be saved, police said, adding the victim’s body was handed over to the family after post mortem. (PTI)
Metro services hit at Blue Line section due to trade fair rush
New Delhi: Metro services on Blue Line, the busiest corridor, were severely hit today owing to “excessive” passenger rush at the Pragati Maidan station due to the ongoing India International Trade Fair. Passengers travelling on this over 50-km-long section, that connects Dwarka to Noida, were left stranded for long durations, in cases stretching to an hour. Trade fair is witnessing a large crowd due to Guru Nanak Jayanti being a holiday. “Due to excessive crowd at Pragati Maidan station, trains are halting for more than 20 seconds, which is the usual duration. This is because doors are not shutting on time,” a senior metro official said. Metro train cannot move if automated gates are shut. Impatient commuters vented their frustration on the authorities, wondering why they could not at least make announcements stating the reason for the delay. “A 20 minutes journey from Mayur Vihar to Mandi House took me around an hour. Trains were halting for around 7-10 minutes in each station till Pragati Maidan,” a commuter said. (PTI)
‘People have right to protest’
Panaji: Bollywood star Jackie Shroff feels there is nothing wrong with the ongoing intolerance debate in the country and the protests as he feels everyone in a democracy like India has the right to freedom of expression. The 58-year-old “Brothers” star said if people feel there is something wrong happening then they can speak up against it. “India is the biggest democracy. We have the right to say what we want to say and people have the right to protest. If there are things that some think are are wrong, then people have the right to speak up,” Shroff told PTI on the sidelines of IFFI here. On his “Rangeela” co-star Aamir Khan’s comments that his wife suggested they move out of India amid this hostile environment, Shroff said people should ask him why he said such a thing rather than jumping to hasty conclusions. (PTI)
Godman found dead, ashram looted
Bareilly: A godman of the Juna Akhara was found dead in his ashram at Aonla area here on Wednesday after being allegedly attacked by unidentified persons who also looted its premises. Sant Purna Nanad alias Nand Giri of the Juna Akhara was beaten to death and his ashram looted by unidentified persons in Aonla area, ASP Brijesh Srivastava said. The blood stained body of Sant Giri was recovered from his ashram in Pathri village this morning, they said, adding that the locks of the ashram were found broken. Prima facie, it seems that the victim had a scuffle with the assailants, police said, adding that the body has been sent for post mortem. (PTI)
