98 Indians died during annual Haj pilgrimage
NEW DELHI, June 21: Ninety-eight Indians have died during the annual Haj pilgrimage to Mecca largely due to natural causes, chronic illnesses and old age, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday.MEA said the total number of deaths of Indians in the entire Haj period last year was 187.As many as 1,75,000 Indian pilgrims visited Mecca, Islam’s holiest city, for Haj this year.“Every year a large number of pilgrims from India attend Haj, and some of them unfortunately pass away during the Haj period. This year, 175000 Indian pilgrims visited Makkah for Haj,” an MEA spokesperson said at his weekly media briefing.“The Haj period is from May 9 to July 22. This year, till now, 98 deaths have been reported. The deaths have been due to natural causes, chronic illnesses, and old age,” he said.According to reports, more than 900 pilgrims have died this year during Haj that has been marked by heat waves. (PTI)
CBI arrests cop for taking bribe
NEW DELHI, June 21: The CBI on Friday arrested a Delhi Police sub-inspector for allegedly taking a bribe of Rs 1 lakh, officials said.Vijay Gaur, posted at the Chhawla police station, had allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 3 lakh from an accused, under investigation, for not arresting him in the case, they said.During negotiations, Gaur agreed to reduce the bribe to Rs 2 lakh, the officials said.“The CBI laid a trap and caught the said accused sub-inspector of Delhi Police red-handed while accepting bribe of Rs 1 lakh from the complainant,” the CBI said. (PTI)
People share an umbrella near the India Gate in New Delhi on Friday.Light rainfall brought some relief to the people in Delhi after a relentless heatwave in the region for over a month. (PTI)