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PTI

Dehradun: BJP MLA from Dwarahat, Mahesh Negi, has been booked for rape and criminal intimidation weeks after a woman accused him of the crime in a police complaint, police said.

An FIR was registered against Negi at the Nehru Colony police station here on Sunday under sections 376 (rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC in compliance with the orders of a local court, Dehradun Superintendent of Police (City), Shweta Choubey, said.

The legislator’s wife Rita Negi has also been booked for criminal intimidation, she said.

However, the MLA described the allegations against him as part of a conspiracy to defame him, saying some Congress leaders were also involved in it. He also expressed his readiness to face any probe and accused the woman of also framing others in false cases in the past.

He said he is gathering evidence against the woman which he will submit to the police.

The woman had lodged a police complaint on August 16 accusing the MLA of raping her and fathering her daughter. She also demanded that a DNA test should be conducted if the law enforcing agencies doubted the veracity of her charge.

An FIR was lodged last month against the woman on the basis of a complaint by the legislator’s wife that he was being blackmailed by the woman as he had refused to pay her Rs 5 crore which she was trying to extort from him.

PTI

New Delhi: The Delhi Metro resumed services with curtailed operations on the Yellow Line on Monday after being closed for over five months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as both the DMRC and the commuters trod with caution amid the new normal in the rapid transport system.

The trains will operate in batches of four-hour each from 7-11 am in the morning and 4-8 pm in the evening, officials said.

The services resumed at 7 am with strict safety and social distancing measures in place. The first trains left from Samaypur Badli station to HUDA City Centre station and simultaneously from HUDA City Centre to Samaypur Badli, a senior official of DMRC said.

“We are on our way. It’s been 169 days since we’ve seen you! Travel responsibly and commute if it’s only necessary. #MetroBackOnTrack,” the DMRC tweeted and posted a video clip of the first train leaving HUDA City Centre

No stations on the Yellow Line were closed as none is in proximity to any containment zone, the official said.

As the day began, some riders wearing protective masks were seen entering the premises of key stations like Kashmere Gate and Hauz Khas on the Yellow Line, which connects Samyapur Badli in Delhi to HUDA City Centre in Gurgaon.

“A few happy faces from our first journey after more than 5 months. #MetroBackOnTrack,” the DMRC said in another tweet and posted pictures of some commuters wearing masks inside train coaches.

On the station premises, passengers were permitted to enter the concourse only after temperature checks with thermal guns and sanitisation of hands.

Hundreds of Delhi Metro ground staff and Central Industrial Security Force personnel wore face shields, masks and gloves as preventive measures against the pathogen.

The Home Ministry had recently issued guidelines allowing metro services in the country to resume operations in a graded manner, following which the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) had said it would be done in three stages from September 7-12.

Under stage one, Yellow Line or Line 2 and Rapid Metro were made operational with restricted service hours, a DMRC official said.

Metro services in the National Capital Region were closed since March 22 due to the pandemic.

The DMRC has appealed to people to use the rapid transport only if urgently needed.

Wearing of masks inside train coaches and station premises is mandatory, and those found violating the guidelines would be fined by authorities.

The metro services resumed a day after Delhi registered 3,256 new coronavirus cases, the highest single-day spike in 72 days, taking the tally to over 1.91 lakh.

Commuters are returning to the Delhi Metro stations and coaches after a huge gap of 169 days, with COVID-19 completely changing the paradigm of operations.

Use of Aarogya Setu App by commuters is advisable, the DMRC has said.

In keeping with the new normal, the Delhi Metro has taken a slew of measures to ensure least physical contact for riders, like automated thermal screening-cum-sanitiser dispenser and lift-calling system driven by a foot pedal at several stations.

Inside coaches, commuters are to sit on alternate seats and maintain prescribed distance even while standing. Stickers have been put up on alternate seats and on platforms so that riders adhere to social-distancing norms.

Special posters have been put up inside coaches and on station premises to raise awareness, besides regular announcements on safety norms.

The DMRC had also appealed to commuters on Sunday to “talk less inside trains to prevent the possibility of short-range aerosol transmission”.

Officials of the urban transporter had earlier cautioned that “trains may not stop at some of the stations” if social-distancing norms were not adhered to by passengers.

“This is a new normal and an evolving scenario, so we will anyway be assessing the situation as we go along,” an official said.

The DMRC has 10 lines spanning 242 stations, and 264 stations, including the Rapid Metro in Gurgaon.

“Today and tomorrow, only the Yellow Line (49-km span with 37 stations — 20 underground and 17 elevated ones) will remain operational for a period of four hours each in the morning (7 am to 11 am) and evening (4 pm to 8 pm),” the DMRC said.

“Trains will be available with a headway (frequency) varying from 2’44” to 5’28” (at different stretches) with 57 trains performing around 462 trips. The same will be further extended in a graded manner from September 9-12 along with other lines,” it said on Sunday.

Over a period of next five days, rest of the lines will also be made operational with all safety measures, officials said.

In lifts, only three people at maximum can ride at a time. The stoppage duration of trains at a station has been increased from 10-15 seconds to 20-25 seconds, and at interchange facilities, from 35-40 seconds to 55-60 seconds.

“Commuters showing COVID-like symptoms will not be allowed to travel and they will be directed to the nearest heathcare facility,” the official said.

Inside stations, entries to which have been heavily curtailed, the CISF staff performed “contactless frisking” and red lines drawn at a gap of 1 ft near automated fare collection gates and on the concourse.

Only smart card users were allowed to travel, which can be recharged digitally without any human interface, the official said, adding tokens were not to be issued as per the plan.

Recharge or purchase of smart cards at ticket vending machines or customer care centre will be through cashless mode only, the official said.

On regular days, the average daily ridership of the Delhi Metro is over 26 lakhs.

Company Leader Nyima Tenzin, military sources say, was killed in an accidental mine blast during patrolling in Ladakh last week

BJP leader Ram Madhav pays tribute to Company Leader Nyima Tenzin. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

In a signal of what could be a major shift in the Government of India’s policy on publicly acknowledging the 58-year old “Special Frontier Force” (SFF), BJP general secretary Ram Madhav attended the funeral of Company Leader Nyima Tenzin who, military sources said, was killed in an accidental mine blast during patrolling in Ladakh last week.

The funeral of Tenzin, who belongs to the Choglamsar Tibetan refugee settlement outside Leh, was held on Monday morning. Soldiers wearing the SFF uniform gave the last salute, and Mr. Madhav laid a wreath. Chants of “Bharat Mata ki Jai” (Long live India) and “Tibet desh ki Jai” (Long live the Tibet nation), along with slogans of the “Vikas Regiment” (as the SFF’s seven battalions or “Establishment 2-2” are known), were raised after the bugle was played at the funeral.

“Attended the funeral of SFF Company Leader Nyima Tenzin, a Tibetan who laid down his life protecting our borders in Ladakh,” wrote Mr. Madhav in a tweet on Monday, adding, “Let the sacrifices of such valiant soldiers bring peace along the Indo-Tibetan border. That will be the real tribute to all martyrs.” The tweet was later deleted.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the Ministry of Defence declined to comment on the funeral, and whether the public funeral of the Tibetan soldier denoted a departure from the past. A senior MEA official told The Hindu that Mr. Madhav “does not represent the government,” adding that as there had been “no official communication, only media reports” of the funeral, it did not signify a change in the government’s position.

Amid the stand-off

The presence of Mr. Madhav, a senior leader of the ruling party, at the funeral and the public acknowledgement of the SFF’s role in operations along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) was seen by many commentators as a strong message by New Delhi to Beijing, at a time the Indian and Chinese forces are engaged in a four and a half month stand-off along the LAC in Ladakh. India has traditionally recognised the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) as a part of China, and although it is home to Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama and more than a lakh of Tibetan refugees, maintains that they do not organise or engage in any political activity.

“This is part of larger signalling to China — Tentative steps to convey we won’t be overly concerned about their sensitivities if they continue to ignore ours”, said Ashok Kantha, Director of the Institute of Chinese Studies (ICS) and former Ambassador to China.

Former Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said, “While mourning the unfortunate death of the brave Company leader Nyima Tenzin, it would have been wise to avoid unnecessary publicity about the SFF and their ostensible Tibet ‘connection’ in an atmosphere already charged along the LAC between India and China” This probably was the reason for the tweet being deleted later, she added.

Other former officials handling Tibetan issues said the government policy should not be changed frequently as this sent conflicting signals internationally as well as to the Tibetan community in India.

“This can be quite meaningless and even misleading if not backed by a firm commitment to a practical, robust and coordinated policy,” said Amitabh Mathur, who was the government’s advisor on Tibetan affairs, referring to the widely publicised funeral.

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi was sworn in in May 2014, the government invited the Sikyong or Prime Minister of the Tibetan “Government in Exile” Lobsang Sangay to the ceremony, and in 2016, the Dalai Lama was invited to a function in Rashtrapati Bhavan. However, in 2018, an MEA order reminded all public officials that it was against the government’s policy for them to take part in functions with the Tibetan community in India, and subsequently a number of celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of the Dalai Lama’s escape from Tibet to India, and an international parliamentary conference on Tibet were cancelled.

With inputs from The Hindu

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

The five reportedly strayed beyond the LAC.

Kiren Rijiju. File photo: V. Sudershan

Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Kiren Rijiju said that the Indian Army has sent a hotline message to the People’s Liberation Army of China for returning the five boys who had apparently strayed beyond the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

The five boys, belonging to the Tagin community and hailing from the Nacho area of the Upper Subansiri district, had gone missing on Friday. The district falls under the Arunachal West parliamentary constituency, represented by Mr. Rijiju.

“The Indian Army has already sent a hotline message to the counterpart PLA establishment at the border point in Arunachal Pradesh. Response is awaited,” the Union Minister tweeted on Sunday.

Families lodge complaint

The district police said they have launched a probe after the families of the missing boys lodged an informal complaint. The officer-in-charge of the Nacho police station visited the spot from where the boys went missing, but the report is expected to take time for completion because of the terrain that needs to be covered.

Nacho is about 130 km from district headquarters Daporijo, with a high-altitude jungle stretching further uphill.

The five were said to have gone hunting — a way of life for the people there with poor access to electricity, road and telecommunication networks. But Prakash Ringling said his brother Prasad Ringling – one of the missing five – was working as a porter for the Army.

The other missing boys were identified as Toch Singkam, Dongtu Ebiya, Tanu Baker and Ngari Diri.

There have been several instances in the past of people “abducted” or captured by the Chinese soldiers from the LAC.

In March, 21-year-old Togley Sinkam was taken away at gunpoint from the Asapila sector of the district while two of his friends managed to escape. The Chinese Army released him after 19 days in captivity.

With inputs from The Hindu

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

PTI

New Delhi: India’s COVID-19 tally of cases went past 42 lakh with a record 90,802 people being infected in a day, while 32,50,429 people have recuperated so far, pushing the national recovery rate to 77.30 per cent on Monday, according to the Union health ministry data.

The total number of coronavirus cases mounted to 42,04,613, while the death toll climbed to 71,642 with 1,016 fatalities being reported in a span of 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am showed.

The COVID-19 case fatality rate has further declined to 1.70 per cent.

There are 8,82,542 active cases of the infection in the country which comprises 20.99 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated.

India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 30 lakh on August 23 and it went past 40 lakh on September 5.

According to the ICMR, a cumulative total of 4,95,51,507 samples have been tested up to September 6 with 7,20,362 samples being tested on Sunday.