Jammu, July 30 (IANS) Another batch of 1,477 devotees left Jammu for Kashmir on Tuesday, taking the total number to 4.66 lakh pilgrims who have performed the ongoing Amarnath Yatra so far, said the officials of the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB), which manages the affairs of the Himalayan Yatra.

The Yatra started on June 29 and will conclude after 52 days on August 19 coinciding with Shravan Purnima and Raksha Bandhan festivals.

Tuesday’s batch of 1,477 pilgrims left Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in Jammu in two escorted convoys.

“The first escorted convoy of 13 vehicles carrying 377 Yatris left at 3.25 a.m. for the North Kashmir Baltal base camp. The second escorted convoy of 39 vehicles carrying 1,100 Yatris also left at the same time for the South Kashmir Nunwan (Pahalgam) base camp. Both convoys are expected to reach the Valley before midday today,” the officials said.

Due to extraordinary arrangements of security made by the CAPFs and J&K Police, the Yatra has been proceeding peacefully and smoothly this year.

The cave shrine houses an ice stalagmite structure that wanes and waxes with the phases of the moon. Devotees believe that this ice stalagmite structure symbolises the mythical powers of Lord Shiva.

The cave is situated at an altitude of 3,888 metres above sea level in the Kashmir Himalayas. Devotees approach the cave shrine either from the traditional South Kashmir Pahalgam route or the North Kashmir Baltal route.

The Pahalgam-Cave shrine axis is 48 Km long and takes the pilgrims 4-5 days to reach the shrine. The Baltal-Cave shrine axis is 14 Km long and takes one day for the devotees to have ‘darshan’ and return to the base camp.

–IANS

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Jamshedpur, July 30 (IANS) Two persons were killed and 50 others injured after 18 coaches of a train bound for Mumbai derailed in Jharkhand on Tuesday.

The Howrah-CSMT Express (train number 12810) derailed between Rajkharsawan and Badabambo stations at around 4 a.m., 80 km from Jamshedpur in the Chakradharpur railway division of Jharkhand.

Railway teams were engaged in rescue and relief operations, and many injured passengers have been admitted to nearby hospitals.

Senior officials from the Chakradharpur railway division, along with a relief train, have reached the accident site.

The Senior DCM (Divisional Commercial Manager) of Chakradharpur Division, Aditya Kumar Choudhary, confirmed the accident.

According to the Seraikela district administration, two passengers have died, and the injured have been transported to hospitals by buses.

The train operations on the Tatanagar-Chakradharpur section of the South Eastern Railway have been completely halted due to the accident.

Several trains have been cancelled, and some are being run on alternative routes.

The process of removing the derailed coaches and rescuing trapped passengers is ongoing with the help of cranes and other machinery.

Most of the passengers were sleeping at the time of the accident. Suddenly, a loud noise and jolts were felt as several coaches derailed one after another. Panic ensued inside the train as people scrambled to save their lives. Many passengers sleeping on the upper berths fell, and luggage was scattered everywhere.

Following the accident, the Railways have issued helpline numbers: Tatanagar — 06572290324, Chakradharpur — 06587238072, Rourkela — 06612501072, 06612500244, and Howrah — 9433357920, 03326382217.

–IANS

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Guwahati, July 29 (IANS) A special court here on Monday sentenced former Assam Public Service Commission Chairman Rakesh Paul to a 14-year jail term in the APSC cash-for-job scam.

Also slapping a Rs 2 lakh fine on Paul, the court sentenced former APSC members Basanta Kumar Doley and Samedur Rahman to 10 years in jail.

The 29 candidates who paid money to get Agricultural Development Officer (ADO) jobs in 2014 have been sentenced to four years of imprisonment and a fine of Rs 10,000.

The court, on July 22, after completion of the hearing of the case, convicted 32 people, including the APSC’s former Chairman Paul, two of its former members, and 29 candidates but had not pronounced the quantum of the sentence of the convicted persons.

Special Judge Dipankar Thakuria on July 22, acquitted 11 others in connection with the case filed with the Bhangagarh police station in 2017 for lack of evidence, while one person turned approver.

Meanwhile, Paul, along with the other members and officials of the APSC, were arrested for a separate cash-for-jobs case related to the Combined Competitive Examinations (CCE) for the recruitment of civil, police and other service officials. Paul was arrested by Dibrugarh police in November 2016 and released on bail in March 2023.

–IANS

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New Delhi, July 29 (IANS) Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s speech during the Budget discussions in the Lok Sabha on Monday has drawn strong criticism from the BJP and social media users, with some labeling his remarks as ‘divisive’ and ‘anarchic’.

BJP’s Mumbai Pradesh vice-president Hitesh Jain shared his reactions on X, stating, “Today, Rahul Gandhi’s speech in Parliament was nothing short of a divisive, anarchic rant. His rhetoric was filled with cheap thrills aimed at burning down the country’s unity. Mocking wealth creators and institutions shows his utter disregard for the nation’s progress.”

He added, “Youth, middle class, and all the communities must unite and take action against his divisive agenda.”

Another netizen termed Rahul Gandhi’s speech “something that could divide the society on caste lines”.

A social media user even went so far as to claim that Rahul Gandhi is steering the country towards civil war, alleging that he has already identified his targets.

The BJP was particularly enraged by Rahul Gandhi’s use of the metaphor of ‘Chakravyuh’ — a complex military formation from the Mahabharata — to criticise the government’s policies.

Rahul Gandhi specifically identified three elements for his ‘Chakravyuh’ reference — monopoly capital, government institutions, and political executive.

Reacting to this, BJP leader Jain said, “Speaking about Chakravyuh, India is breaking free from the Chakravyuh of incompetence, corruption, and divisive agendas created by Rahul Gandhi and his forefathers. His speech, devoid of facts and filled with abuse, belongs in the flames of irrelevance.”

“Rahul Gandhi’s speech today was a disgrace. His ramblings were merely an attempt to grab power and divide our great nation. Instead of presenting solutions, he chose to insult and mock, showing his true intentions,” he wrote on X.

He added, “Rahul Gandhi, a product of the very institutions he mocks, seeks only to divide the society for his own gain. His speech lacked credible data, hard facts, and honest intent. This is not statesmanship; it’s a desperate bid for power at any cost.”

–IANS

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Pune, July 29 (IANS) In a shocking incident, a 15-year-old schoolboy in Pimpri-Chinchwad jumped off his 14th floor home ostensibly to complete a task in the notorious Blue Whale online game, the police said here on Monday.

The boy, living in the posh Runwal Gate Society, was identified as Arya Shreerao, studying in a reputed school nearby. The incident has shaken parents and youngsters alike in the twin city.

According to an official of Ravet Police Station, the incident occurred on the night of July 25-26 and an accidental death report has been registered, while further investigations are underway.

Described as a shy but intelligent student studying in Class 10, the boy’s father works abroad while the mother learnt of Arya’s death in their housing society WhatsApp group later that morning.

Police said that the boy had even sketched his intentions on a sheet of paper – to complete the game by ending his life – after remaining locked in his room for several hours that night, even as the mother was in the next room.

He became addicted to the game around six months ago, and at times he would lock himself in his room for two-three days completing the so-called tasks demanded from the gamesters.

At that time, another unidentified boy was reportedly playing the game with him and is suspected to have made the demand to complete the final demand on Arya, which the police are now probing.

Incidentally, there have been vociferous protests at the easy availability of ‘killer games’ Blue Whale to youngsters with online campaigns seeking to block/ban them as they have caused the deaths of several people in India in the past few years.

–IANS

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