FRIDAY MAY 31, 2024 INDIA THIS WEEK 1 A W e e k l y N e w s p a p e r Fe a t u r i n g N e w s & Tr e n d s f r o m t h e I n d i a n S u b - C o n t i n e n t P u b l i s h e d f r o m t h e U S C a p i t a l Website: www.indiathisweek.online Vol 33 No: 22 WASHINGTON DC • Phone: 301-445-0200 /301-445-3543/301-917-4800 • email: indiathisweekads@gmail.com • Friday May 31, 2024 “His values will always guide us”: Rahul Gandhi pays tribute to Jawaharlal Nehru on his death anniversary New Delhi [India], May 27 (ANI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday paid tributes to former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru on his 60th death anniversary. In a post on X, Rahul Gandhi said, “Nehru’s values will always guide us”. “Respectful tribute to the architect of modern India, the first Prime Minister of the country, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru ji on his death anniversary. As a visionary, he dedicated his entire life towards building India through the freedom movement, establishing democracy, secularism and laying the foundation of the Constitution,” he said. Priyanka Vadra also posted on X and said that they are proud of the democracy, whose foundation was laid by Nehru. “India is such a vast country with so much legitimate diversity that it cannot be allowed to trample people and their ideas by the so-called ‘strong man’. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru believed that the kind of diversity that exists in India, only a Remember: democratic structure can keep India united in which different cultural, political and socio-economic tendencies and aspirations get freedom of expression. With the cooperation of many great leaders, he laid the foundation of such a democracy, which we are proud of today,” Priyanka said. Earlier, Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge, party’s Parliamentary Chairperson Sonia Gandhi along with Rajya Sabha MP Ajay Maken paid floral tributes to the former PM at Shanti Van in Delhi. Nehru remained at the PM post for more than 16 years and died of a heart attack on 27th May 1964. After him, Lal Bahadur Shastri took over as the second Prime Minister of India. Nehru is considered the pioneer of India’s Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). For his love for children, he was also called ‘Chacha Nehru’ and his birth anniversary on November 14, is also celebrated as Children’s Day every year in India. (ANI) Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.” –Jesus Christ Cyclone Remal claims 27 lives in Aizawl; Mizoram CM announces over Rs 15 cr as state relief fund Aizawl (Mizoram) [India], May 28 (ANI): Cyclone Remal has claimed the lives of 27 people in the Melthum, Hlimen, Falkawn, and Salem Veng areas of the state’s capital, Aizawl, the state government said in a release. According to the Directorate of Information, Public Relations (DIPR), Mizoram, “27 bodies have been found so far as search and rescue operations continue, with State Disaster Response Force personnel teaming up with Melthum Local Council and YMA.” Chief Minister Lalduhoma has announced a State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF) of Rs 15 crore and Rs 4 lakh as exgratia for the deceased. CM Lalduhoma and DM&R Minister K Sapdanga will give Rs 2 lakh to the kin of the deceased at Hlimen, and the other half of the exgratia will be given later, as per SDRF norms. Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma and Minister in Charge of Disaster Management and Rehabilitation (DM&R) K Sapdanga were on-site at Melthum with other government officials. Power and Electricity (P&E) and Public Health Engineering (PHE) departments have issued notices stating that electricity and water supply CYCLONE REMAL SEE PAGE 6 New Delhi [India], May 26 (ANI): The sixth phase of the Lok Sabha elections for 58 parliamentary constituencies saw an approximate voter turnout of 61.20 per cent as of 11:45 pm on Saturday, as per the data shared by the Election Commission. “The same shall continue to be updated by the field level officers as polling parties keep returning and will be available PC wise (along with respective AC segments) live at VTR App, as was the case in earlier phases,” the Election Commission said in a press release. According to the poll body, West Bengal recorded the highest voter turnout (79.47 per cent) followed by Odisha (69.56 per cent), Jharkhand (63.76 per cent), Haryana (60.4 per cent), Delhi (57.67 per cent), Bihar (55.24 per cent), Jammu and Kashmir (54.30 per cent) and Uttar Pradesh (54.03 per cent). The sixth phase of Lok Sabha polls included eight seats in Bihar, all 10 seats in Haryana, one seat in Jammu and Kashmir, four in Jharkhand, all seven seats in Delhi, six in Odisha, 14 in Uttar Pradesh, and eight in West Bengal. A total of 889 candidates were in the fray. Voting for the forty-two assembly constituencies in Odisha was also held in the sixth phase. Assembly elections are being held in the state simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections in the state. Some key seats in this phase include New Delhi, North-East Delhi, NorthWest Delhi and Chandni Chowk in the national capital and Sultanpur and Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh. Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag-Rajouri, West Bengal’s Tamluk, Medinipur, Haryana’s Karnal, Kurukshetra, Gurgaon, Rohtak, and Odisha’s Bhubaneswar, Puri and Sambalpur are some of the other key seats. Stakes are high for the BJP as well as for the Congress, Aam Aadmi Party, and other constituents of the INDIA bloc in this phase of the election. Over 11.13 crore voters, including 5.84 crore males, 5.29 crore females and 5120 thirdgender electors were eligible to exercise their franchise in the sixth phase of Lok Sabha polls. Around 11.4 lakh polling officials will be involved in conducting this phase of the election. The Lok Sabha elections will be completed on June 1 after the seventh phase of polls in which voters from 57 constituencies will exercise their franchise. The results will be declared on June 4. (ANI) LS polls: 61.20 pc voter turnout recorded in Phase 6 till Saturday 11:45 pm, West Bengal leads with 79.47 pc
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May 31, 2024 Friday INDIA THIS WEEK Kolkata Knight Riders beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by 8 wickets, secures 3rd IPL title Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], May 26 (ANI): An all-round performance from Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), including fiery spells by Mitchell Starc and Andre Russell and a half-century by Venkatesh Iyer, helped the Purple and Gold side secure their third Indian Premier League (IPL) title and their first in 10 years as they defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by eight wickets on Sunday at Chennai’s Chepauk Stadium. Sunrisers, which set the T20 cricketing world on fire with their fierce hitting, sky-high run-rates, largely due to the opening pair of Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma, got the taste of its own medicine. In a battle of two big buys, the Australian stars Cummins (20.5 crores for SRH) and Starc (24.75 crores for KKR), it was the latter who prevailed. During the runchase of 114 runs, the opening pair of Sunil Narine and Rahmanullah Gurbaz could not put on a lengthy partnership. Narine was dismissed for just six runs in two balls, with SRH skipper Pat Cummins getting his wicket. Shahbaz Ahmed took a fine catch. KKR was 11/1 in 1.2 overs. Venkatesh Iyer joined Gurbaz and took the run-chase forward. The left-handed Venkatesh started Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s third over with a four, six and then another six. 20 runs came from the over. With a boundary on delivery by Cummins, Gurbaz helped KKR reach the 50-run mark in 4.1 overs. The final over of the powerplay by T Natrajan also proved to be a run-fest, with Iyer getting three fours and a six over deep square leg in his over, which gave a total of 20 runs to KKR. At the end of the powerplay after six overs, KKR was 72/1, with Iyer (40*) and Gurbaz (21*) unbeaten. Kolkata marched towards the winning total with their brutal hitting, giving SRH a taste of their own medicine. With a six by Iyer over long-off, KKR crossed the 100-run mark in 8.4 overs. However, Gurbaz lost his wickets, trapped leg-before wicket by Shahbaz Ahmed for 39 in 32 balls, with five fours and two sixes. KKR was 102/2 in 8.5 overs. Skipper Shreyas Iyer was next up and he started by launching a reverse sweep into the boundary. KKR completed the run-chase, making 114/2 in 10.3 overs, with Venkatesh (52* in 26 balls, with four boundaries and three sixes) and Shreyas (6* in three balls, with a four) unbeaten. Pat Cummins and Shahbaz Ahmed got a wicket each. Earlier, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) quicks made short work of the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) forcing the Pat Cummins side to unfold on a score of 113 in the title clash of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 on Sunday here at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. On a night with clouds hovering over Chepauk, KKR pacers inflicted carnage on a red soil surface which offered more bounce for the speedsters. It all started with Mitchell Starc putting on an exhibition with the new ball to put Hyderabad on the back foot through his opening spell, returning with a figure of 2-14 while Andre Russell, Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy combined well in the middle phase to pile the misery with Russell finishing with three wickets in just 2.3 overs, conceding 19. Put to bat first, Starc with an outstanding opening over dimmed SRH openers’ hopes of forming a strong partnership. The Aussie pacer, who was acquired by KKR for a whopping price of Rs 24.75 crores, becoming the most expensive player of the tournament’s history, gave SRH a big blow as he bowled a top-notch delivery to remove opener Abhishek Sharma for two in the first over of the innings. The right-arm fastmedium Vaibhav Arora piled more misery on SRH as he dismissed Travis Head for a duck. SRH was blown away by Starc’s inswingers as the pacer delivered a terrific delivery which Rahul Tripathi mistimed to hand a catch to Ramandeep Singh at the mid-wicket. After three dismissals Aiden Markram and Nitish Reddy then held the charge to take SRH past 40/3 after 6 overs. Markram then opened his hands and cracked 17 off Vaibhav’s over, slamming back-toback two boundaries. Harshit Rana then bagged his first wicket of the night, removing Nitish Reddy for 13 in the 7th over. After some superb stuff from the KKR pacers, captain Shreyas Iyer introduced spin by giving the bowl to Sunil Narine, who kept the run flow in check. Andre Russell came into the attack and got a wicket of set batter Markram for 20 and in his next over he removed Abdul Samad for 4. Harshit then dismissed Heinrich Klaasen for 16 and the last pure batter of SRH also departed leaving Hyderabad’s hope of scoring a big total in a ditch. This was the second-lowest score at the fall of the 7th wicket in an IPL final. Pat Cummins kept piling runs and rotating strikes, however, the captain failed to guide his team to a big total as Russell bagged the last wicket bundling out SRH for 113 in 18.3. Brief score: Sunrisers Hyderabad 18.3 (Pat Cummins 24, Aiden Markram 20; Andre Russell 3-19) vs Kolkata Knight Riders. (ANI) spell, he removed Jaydev Unadkat from the crease in the 18th over. During the run chase, he scored six runs after playing two balls at a strike rate of 300. KKR lifted their third title under the leadership of Shreyas Iyer after thumping the Hyderabad-based franchise by 8 wickets on Sunday. Recapping the match, SRH won the toss and elected to bat first. KKR rocked SRH with continuous wickets, with the big buy Mitchell Starc justifying his hefty price tag. Only skipper Pat Cummins (24 in 19 balls, with two fours and a six) and Aiden Markram (20 in 23 balls, with three fours) touched the 20-run mark and SRH was bundled out for 113 in 18.3 overs. Andre Russell (3/19) was the top bowler for KKR. Starc (2/14) and Harshit Rana (2/24) also contributed well with the ball. Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy and Vaibhav Arora took a wicket each. KKR pulled off the runchase of 114 run-target in just 10.3 overs with eight wickets in hand. Venkatesh Iyer (52* in 26 balls, with four boundaries and three sixes) and Rahmanullah Gurbaz (39 in 32 balls, with five fours and two sixes) shined for KKR in the final match of the tournament. Sunil Narine becomes first player to win MVP award in IPL thrice Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], May 27 (ANI): Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) all-rounder Sunil Narine has become the first player to win the ‘Most Valuable Player’ award in the Indian Premier League (IPL) thrice after beating the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the final of the 2024 season. Narine won his first MVP award in the IPL 2012 after picking up 24 wickets, it was also his debut season. His second MVP came in the 2018 season of the tournament when he scored 357 runs and picked 17 wickets as well. In the 17th season of the IPL, Narine displayed a stunning performance for the Kolkata-based franchise. He scored 488 runs and bagged 17 wickets. In the final match of the IPL 2024 against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Narine took one wicket and gave 16 runs in his four-over For Advertisements Call: 301-445-0200; 301-917-4800 indiathisweekads@gmail.com indiathisweek.online
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May 31, 2024 Friday INDIA THIS WEEK Cyclone Remal claims 27 lives in Aizawl; Mizoram CM announces over Rs 15 cr as state relief fund CYCLONE REMAL FROM PAGE 1 will be stifled until further notice as electric lines and water pumps have been damaged by landslides and floods. As per reports from Mizoram DIPR, the cylone killed 14 in Melthum, 4 in Hlimen, 3 in Salem, 2 each in Falkawn and Aibawk, and 1 each in Lungsei and Kelsih areas of Aizawl district. The search and rescue operations have been updated as of 7 pm on May 28. Mizoram CM Lalduhoma visits disaster sites in Aizawl Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma visited two disaster sites in Aizawl city on Tuesday, which were severely affected by the heavy rainfall from Cyclone Remal, claiming 17 lives. State Home Minister K Sapdanga, who is also holding the portfolio of disaster management and rehabilitation, along with several ministers, MLAs, and officials were also present. CM Lalduhoma expressed his heartfelt condolences to the families affected by the loss of lives and valuable property. He also offered well wishes to the search and rescue operation teams, volunteers, and everyone involved in the relief and rehabilitation efforts. Before heading to the disaster-struck sites, the Chief Minister first visited the Aizawl District Disaster Operation Centre (DC Conference Hall) where he was briefed by the officials about the latest developments regarding the disaster. He instructed all the district disaster management authorities to prepare a detailed report for their districts. During this session, he announced the sanctioning of Rs 15 crore from the Disaster Mitigation Fund for the mitigation initiatives. Additionally, he declared that a sum of Rs 4 From The Poet’s Pen INDIA THIS WEEK- May 31, 2024 Justice By Robert Langley There can be no justice If we sit idly by There can be no hope of change If people do not try This is not a task for one group It affects both black and white The same is true in policy On the left and on the right We must grow beyond labels We all must stand as one This is a time of challenge And much work must be done I know we can be better We all most rise above If we are to find true justice First we must find love lakh would be provided as ex-gratia to the families of those who lost their lives due to the cyclone-induced disaster. F o l l o w i n g the announcement, the distribution of the first installment of ex-gratia was immediately initiated. CM Lalduhoma then proceeded to Melthum village, where the highest number of casualties occurred. The post-mortem was conducted at the Melthum Presbyterian Hall. As of now, 17 bodies have been recovered from three locations. The Chief Minister and Home Minister personally handed over Rs 2 lakh each to the identified 8 victims belonging to local communities as the initial payment of ex-gratia. The remaining Rs 2 lakh will be disbursed after all reports are finalised. For nonresident casualties, bank transfers will be arranged upon identification and completion of the necessary reports. Additionally, the Chief Minister provided Rs 50,000 to the Melthum Branch YMA to cover search and rescue expenses in their locality. Following their program at the Hall, the Chief Minister and Home Minister toured all the rescue operation sites in Melthum. However, due to connectivity issues, they were unable to visit the Hlimen calamity site After concluding their visit to Melthum, the Chief Minister proceeded to the site of the landslide at Kanan Locality Cemetery. The local authorities reported that 51 graves were exposed and destroyed by the landslide. At this juncture, many buried dead bodies were identified and had already been recovered. The Chief Minister also allocated Rs 50,000 to assist with their rescue expenses. Even as the search and rescue operation is ongoing, the exact number of casualties has not been confirmed yet. (ANI) INDIA THIS WEEK Phone: 301-445-0200; 301-917-4800 www.indiathisweek.online India This Week is published every Friday by ADV Solutions Inc, Views expressed in this paper are those of the individual writers and not necessarily of India This Week. India This Week accepts no liability for the errors in advertisements or in any of its reports. For remedial actions any errors should be brought to the attention of the editor by the information provided below. Publisher: Chief Editor: Contributing Editors: Dr. Babu Stephen Rajan George Saju Mathew Isaac George Asst. Editors: Manu Jacob Sherena Panjikkaran Special Business Correspondent Elisha B. Pulivarti Business Coordinators Rajan C. George Jithu Johny Panjikkaran Dr. Renuka Misra, Special Correspondent: Geeta Goindi Community Coordinator: Prof. Vinod Goel India Office Manesh Krishna Columnists: Anadi Naik World Religions Dr. Sam Prasad Jillella Photo Journalist: Mathew Karmel, System Admn. & Maintenance: Rajan C. George Layout & Graphics: Prinston Samuel, Business Affairs: Mrs. Molly George CALL US • 301-445-0200 • 301-917-4800 e-Mails: Advertisements: indiathisweekads@gmail.com Press Releases: indiathisweekpress@yahoo.com Web: www.indiathisweek.online Rajasthan: Jaipurbound bus overturns on Delhi-Mumbai Express Highway in Dausa; 2 severely injured Dausa (Rajasthan) [India], May 29 (ANI): Around two dozen people were injured, including two passengers who sustained severe injuries, when a speeding bus hit a divider and overturned on the DelhiMumbai Express Highway in Rajasthan‘s Dausa on Wednesday morning. The incident occurred around 6 am near channel number 165 of the express highway, close to Peechupara village. Upon hearing the victims’ screams, residents from the nearby villages of Peechupara and Somada rushed to the scene and called for an ambulance. With the help of the locals, the victims were admitted to the Dausa district hospital, where treatment is underway. Two individuals who were seriously injured were referred to Jaipur for better medical care, while others were admitted to the district hospital in Dausa, receiving primary treatment and some were discharged. The bus, carrying pilgrims, was returning to Jaipur from Haridwar after their pilgrimage. Reportedly, the accident occurred because the driver fell asleep at the wheel. Dr Mahendra Meena, the emergency duty officer at Dausa Hospital, confirmed, “The accident happened on the Delhi-Mumbai Express Highway near channel number 165. The driver fell asleep, causing the bus to hit a divider and overturn. Almost two dozen travellers are injured, with two serious cases referred to Jaipur. Others are either admitted to the hospital or discharged after primary treatment.” One of the travellers, Govind Soni, hailing from Bassi, said, “I had to deboard the bus in Dausa, but since the driver fell asleep, the bus overturned and the accident occurred at around 5.30 – 6.00 am. We had gone to Haridwar on the same bus and were returning when the accident happened.” Another traveller, Chandra, from Jaipur, stated that they were sleeping when the accident occurred. They didn’t have time to react. This is not the first accident case reported on the DelhiMumbai Express Highway. Over the past 10 months, around 100 people have lost their lives on this highway, indicating a troubling frequency of such incidents on this highway. Earlier, on May 12, three people of the same family were killed and half a dozen, including four children, were injured in a road accident on the DelhiMumbai Express Highway in Rajasthan‘s Dausa. All the family members were travelling in a car from Ahmedabad to Haridwar when a speeding truck hit their vehicle near Bada village. (ANI) Remember: “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. ” JESUS CHRIST
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May 31, 2024 Friday INDIA THIS WEEK 27, including children killed in massive fire at Rajkot gaming zone; SIT formed Rajkot (Gujarat) [India], May 26 (ANI): The death toll in the fire tragedy at a gaming zone in Rajkot has reached 27, police said on Sunday. A massive fire broke out at a gaming zone in Gujarat’s Rajkot city on May 25 evening resulting in the loss of lives including children. Meanwhile, Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghvi said that he is heading to Rajkot and SIT will start its investigation tonight only in the Rajkot fire tragedy which claimed 27 lives. “... Many families have lost their children in this incident... I am going to Rajkot right now. The SIT will start its investigation tonight. The administrator and the manager have been arrested. A meeting will take place after visiting the fire spot and the action will start tonight. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also taken the details from the Chief Minister...Members of the SIT are ordered to reach Rajkot by 3 am...The CM will be provided with the details tonight itself...” Harsh Sanghvi told ANI. Two people, including the owner and manager of the TRP game zone in Rajkot, have been taken to a police station for interrogation into the fire incident at the gaming facility. According to officials, the fire broke out at around 4.30 pm. Rajkot Police Commissioner, Raju Bhargava shared the development on the matter and said, “The police action is underway. The owner and the manager of the TRP game zone have been taken to the police station for interrogation.” G u j a r a t Director General of Police has instructed the Commissioners of Police and District Superintendents of Police to inspect all the game zones in the state and to close the game zones running without fire safety permission. The director general of police has told to carry out this procedure in coordination with the fire officers of the municipalities and municipalities and the local system. (ANI) LS polls: Kapil Sibal issues checklist to verify “EVM tampered or not” during counting on June 4 New Delhi [India], May 26 (ANI): Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal has issued a checklist for candidates and counting agents taking part in the Lok Sabha elections for their convenience to check whether the electronic voting machine has been tampered with or not. Addressing a press conference, Sibal briefed about certain parameters that counting agents and political parties should keep in mind. “You all know that the voting results will be out on the June 4. I want to make the public and the political parties aware of what you should do when the machines (EVMs) open. So I have made a chart for all the parties and all the counting agents. In this chart, the CU (control unit) number, BU (ballot unit) number and VVPAT ID will be present. The third column is very important. 4th June 2024 is written in the third column and the time when the machine will be opened is written below. If there is any difference in this time then you will know that the machine has already been opened somewhere,” Sibal said. He further stated that a serial number of the control unit will also come in written format and counting agents and political parties will have to match it. “When the total poll vote comes, then look at it carefully so that when there are more votes in the counting, the problem may come again. Keep in mind 2 things, do not press the result button until the verification is done in the above column and if there is a difference between that timing and the timing of the result then there is something wrong. I would like that all political parties and all the candidates who are sitting there should carefully check the first column and get it opened only then,” he said. The Supreme Court on Friday declined to pass any direction on a plea seeking the uploading of Form 17C data on the Election Commission of India website and publication of booth-wise voter turnout data. A bench of Justices Dipankar Dutta and Satish Chandra Sharma refused to grant any interim relief to petitioners and said it could not interrupt the polls.The bench said that of the seven-phase elections, five phases are over, and the sixth phase is scheduled for Saturday.The “handsoff” approach is needed in the middle of the election process, observed the apex court while adjourning the application. Six phases of polls have been completed. The last phase of polling will be held on June 1. The counting of votes for Lok Sabha polls will be conducted on June 4. (ANI) Six, including owner and manager, booked for culpable homicide A day after a fire at the TRP Gaming Zone in Rajkot killed 27 people, including children, Gujarat Police have booked six people, including its owner and the manager, for culpable homicide not amounting to murder, officials said on Sunday. According to officials, an FIR has been filed against six people, including TRP Game Zone owner Yuvraj Hari Singh Solanki, manager Nitin Jain, and others at Rajkot Taluka Police Station. Both the owner and the manager of the gaming zone have been arrested and will be produced in court tomorrow. “A case under IPC sections 304 (for culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 308 (for attempt to commit culpable homicide), 337 (for causing hurt by an act endangering life or personal safety of others), 338 (for causing grievous hurt by an act endangering life or personal safety of others), and 114 (for abettor present when the offense is committed) has been registered against six people, out of which two are in custody,” Rajkot Police Commissioner Raju Bhargava said in a press conference on Sunday. “We are working with the FSL team to collect all the scientific evidence in the case. Our effort is to complete the investigation as soon as possible and file a charge sheet in the case,” he said. The Rajkot Police Commissioner further said that a nine-member SIT has been formed to investigate the case, and special police teams are working to arrest other accused. Regarding the cause of the incident, he said that some fabrication work was taking place in the game zone and inflammable materials were kept there. “According to the preliminary investigation, some fabrication work was happening there. There were many inflammable materials, and the fire occurred possibly because of welding activity,” the police commissioner said. Till Sunday morning, 28 people were confirmed dead, and several others were injured. “Around 27 bodies have been recovered, and remains of another have also been found. So we think the death toll will be around 28,” he said. As per officials, a total of 27 DNA samples were sent. Since blood samples of some bodies couldn’t be taken, samples of bone marrow were collected. The results are expected within 48 hours. “Till Saturday night, police recovered 27 bodies, which were shifted to Civil Hospital. Their DNA samples were also collected and sent to FSL to confirm the identity of the deceased persons. The process of matching them is still going on,” he added. The Commissioner further said that a proposal has been sent to the Home Department to appoint a special PP (Public Prosecutor), and also the SIT team formed by the Gujarat government will give their report, and after that, we will take further action. “It is being investigated whether the establishment had obtained any NOC from the fire safety department or not,” the police commissioner added. Earlier in the day, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, along with Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi, inspected the Rajkot TRP gaming zone on Sunday. The duo also met the injured at Rajkot’s Giriraj Hospital. Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghvi took stock of the area where the massive fire broke out and assured that the state government is making adequate deployment there. Following the incident, all the gaming zones in Vadodara were inspected and temporarily shut down, Chief Fire Officer Parth Brahmbhatt told ANI. “After yesterday’s fire incident in Rajkot, all 89 game zones in Vadodara were inspected. Those gaming zones that seemed unsafe were asked to take requisite steps to ensure their safety. All game zones in Vadodara were safe earlier and now further safety has been ensured,” he said. “The game zones will be closed till further orders come,” Brahmbhatt added. (ANI)
FRIDAY MAY 31, 2024 9 SALE ENDS JUNE 7-2024 Indian peacekeeper is UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year G e n e v a [Switzerland], May 29 (ANI): An Indian peacekeeper deployed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), who helped establish networks for local people to voice their security and humanitarian concerns, is the winner of the 2023 United Nations Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award, the UN announced on Tuesday. Major Radhika Sen served in eastern DRC with the UN peacekeeping mission, MONUSCO, from March 2023 to April 2024 as the Commander of the Engagement Platoon for the Indian Rapid Deployment Battalion. She will receive the award from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during a ceremony on Thursday. Guterres congratulated Major Sen for her service, describing her service as “a true credit to the United Nations as a whole.” “In an escalating conflict environment in North Kivu, her troops actively engaged with conflict-affected communities, including women and girls,” he explained, noting that she earned their trust “with humility, compassion, and dedication.” Upon receiving news of the Award, Major Sen expressed gratitude for being selected and reflected on her peacekeeping role. “This award is special to me as it gives a recognition to the hard work put in by all the peacekeepers working in the challenging environment of DRC,” she said. “Gendersensitive peacekeeping is everybody’s business – not just us, women. Peace begins with all of us in our beautiful diversity!” Major Sen led mixed-gender engagement patrols and activities in a volatile environment, where many people, including women and children, were fleeing the conflict. “Major Radhika Sen will be honored with the UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award on May 30th for her outstanding service in DR Congo. Her dedication and bravery highlight the invaluable role of #women peacekeepers in building a better world. We are incredibly proud of her achievements and inspired by her commitment to peace and equality,” said India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ruchira Kamboj in a post on X. The Community Alert Networks she helped create in North Kivu served as a platform for community leaders, young people and women to raise their security and humanitarian concerns, which she would in turn help address together with her colleagues at MONUSCO. As a Platoon Commander, she fostered a safe space for men and women to operate together and quickly became a role model for both women and men peacekeepers. She also ensured that peacekeepers under her command engaged in a manner sensitive to gender and socio-cultural norms. Major Sen facilitated English classes for children, and health, gender and vocational training for displaced and marginalized adults. Her efforts directly inspired women’s solidarity, providing safe spaces for open dialogue. As a gender advocate, she encouraged women in the village of Kashlira to address issues collectively, advocate for their rights and amplify their voices within the community, in particular in local security and peace discussions. Major Sen is the second Indian peacekeeper to receive the award, following Major Suman Gawani, a co-recipient for 2019. Other past honourees were from Brazil, Ghana, Kenya, Niger, South Africa and Zimbabwe. India is currently the eleventh largest contributor of women military peacekeepers to the UN, with 124 now deployed. Born in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh in 1993, Major Radhika Sen joined the army eight years ago. Major Sen graduated as a biotech engineer and was pursuing her Master’s degree from IIT Bombay, when she decided to join the armed forces. She deployed to MONUSCO in March 2023 as the Engagement Platoon Commander with the Indian Rapid Deployment Battalion and completed her tenure in April 2024. (ANI)
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