Congress slams BJP, Sangh Parivar over arrest of nuns
Thiruvananthapuram, July 27: The Congress in Kerala on Sunday vehemently criticised the BJP and the Sangh Parivar over the reported arrest of two Catholic nuns from the state by police in Chhattisgarh. According to media reports, the Kerala-based nuns were arrested at a railway station in Chhattisgarh recently on charges of human trafficking and forced conversion raised by right-wing activists. AICC general secretary K C Venugopal and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly V D Satheesan cited it as the latest example of attack against minorities in the BJP-ruled states. In a post on ‘X’, Venugopal said attacks on minorities have seen a rampant increase under BJP-ruled states, be it Chhattisgarh, Odisha or Madhya Pradesh. “The latest attacks by Bajrang Dal goons on two Catholic nuns in Durg, Chhattisgarh point to a tacit support for such hate crimes from the ruling establishment,” he alleged. Venugopal said he has written to the Union Home Minister and Chhattisgarh CM demanding strict punishment against these culprits and the urgent need to uphold the Constitution so that fundamental rights of minorities are not threatened under their rule. (PTI)
No person found trapped after search at Dhanbad mine
Dhanbad, July 27: No person was found trapped in the abandoned coal mine in Jharkhand’s Dhanbad district on the fourth day of the search operation on Sunday, an official said. Several political leaders had earlier claimed that people had been buried alive due to a collapse during illegal mining in the abandoned mine at Block 2 in Baghmara. “Search operation is underway in full swing, but no person has been found trapped till 5.30 pm. The operation will continue,” Baghmara police station’s in-charge Ajit Kumar said. The search operation, which began on Thursday evening, is being carried out by a 35-member NDRF squad and a 15-member mines’ rescue team of Bharat Coking Coal Limited. (PTI)
Man with shoe on head forced to apologise over old dispute
Shivpuri (MP), July 27: A man was allegedly forced to apologise in public with a shoe placed on his head in Madhya Pradesh’s Shivpuri district, apparently over an old dispute with an individual, police said on Sunday. Police arrested Chhotu alias Pradeep Rawat from Bairad town after a video of the incident, which occurred outside a medical store, went viral. Bairad police station house officer (SHO) Ravishankar Kaushal said a case was registered under section 196(1)(B) (promoting enmity, hatred, or ill-will between different groups based on religion, race, etc., or engaging in acts prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony among them) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. When asked about the provocation behind the incident, he said the investigation is underway. Meanwhile, Congress MLA from Pohri constituency, Kailash Kushwah, condemned the “Talibani punishment”. He alleged that a youth from a trading community was publicly humiliated in the presence of local leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party. (PTI)