Amid detection of the Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) cases in parts of the country, the Pune district administration in Maharashtra on Tuesday said necessary arrangements were being made to tackle the infection. However, it also assured citizens that there was nothing to be concerned about, news agency PTI reported. HMPV is one of the many respiratory viruses that can cause infections in people of all ages, particularly during the winter and early spring months. The infection is usually mild and self-limiting, and most patients recover on their own. India reported its first HMPV cases on Monday after five children tested positive in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Gujarat. On Tuesday, two suspected cases of the virus were reported from Maharashtra's Nagpur. Pune district collector Jitendra Dudi said, "We are going to hold meetings with medical and revenue officials. Necessary arrangements and SOPs received from the government will be put in place. However, I would like to tell everyone that there is nothing to be alarmed about." The district administration has taken necessary precautions in terms of medical preparedness. So if any case is reported, the patient can be treated as early as possible, he said. Asked about the health facilities in government hospitals in the district, the collector said that after the Covid-19 pandemic, the medical facilities in the district are already in place, be it from primary to tertiary health care. "We have become very robust in terms of health infrastructure. We are very well-prepared," he said. HMPV outbreak: States asked to ramp up surveillance for respiratory diseases The Centre has advised states to step up surveillance for respiratory illnesses and spread awareness about the prevention of transmission of HMPV. Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava on Monday chaired a virtual meeting with states and Union Territories to take stock of respiratory illnesses and HMPV cases in the country and public health measures for their management, a health ministry statement said. The meeting was held amid reports of a surge in HMPV cases in China and on a day when India reported five cases, PTI reported. During the meeting, it was reiterated that the data from Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) of the health ministry does not indicate any unusual rise in influenza-like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory illnesses (SARI) cases anywhere in the country, the statement said. Srivastava emphasised that there is no cause for concern for the public as HMPV has been present globally since 2001, the statement said. She advised states to strengthen and review the ILI/SARI surveillance. (With PTI inputs)
07 January,2025 10:43 PM IST | Pune | mid-day online correspondentIn a suspected case of honour killing, a 25-year-old man allegedly pushed his minor cousin off a 500-foot-high cliff because he was angry over her affair, news agency PTI reported. The incident took place in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district of Maharashtra, police said on Tuesday. The victim was a 17-year-old resident of Shahgad in the adjoining Jalna district, PTI reported. According to the police, she was in a relationship with a man from a different community, and her family, along with other relatives, strongly disapproved of it. When the girl's family learned about the affair, her father took her to his brother's house in Valadgaon, near Waluj in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district, the police said. Her cousin, who is pursuing a postgraduation course in Pune, also disapproved of her affair. He went to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar to counsel her, an officer said. On Monday, he took her to Khawdya hill near Waluj, on the city's outskirts, on the pretext of discussing the matter, and suddenly pushed her off a 500-foot-high cliff, leading to her death, the officer added. Some locals nearby saw the two going on the hill together. However, later the man came down the hill alone, the police said. The residents found something amiss and confronted the cousin and handed him over to the police, who placed him under arrest, the officer said. Meanwhile, the National Commission for Women (NCW) has strongly condemned the incident and asked the Maharashtra Director General of Police (DGP) to ensure that the accused is booked under the relevant sections of the new criminal code, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). A fair and time-bound investigation must be conducted to ensure accountability and justice in the case, the NCW said. The action taken report and first information report (FIR) in the case should be submitted to the commission in two days, the panel said in its direction to the police, PTI reported. Man kills 15-year-old daughter over love affair in Uttar Pradesh A man allegedly killed his 15-year-old daughter with a sharp weapon over her love affair, the police in Uttar Pradesh said on Tuesday. Additional Superintendent of Police (Rural) Manoj Kumar Awasthi said the incident occurred in Garhi village of Shahjahanpur. The accused was opposed to his daughter's relationship with a young man, PTI reported. "Despite repeated warnings, Sunaina refused to comply," he said. "The girl's mother told police that a heated argument ensued between the father and daughter on Tuesday morning. During the argument, the daughter reportedly said, 'I will do whatever I want'," the officer stated. Enraged by this, the accused slashed her throat with a sharp weapon, Awasthi added. The police were informed about it later in the day and they found the girl's blood-soaked body in the courtyard of her house. The body has been sent for post-mortem, Awasthi said. (With PTI inputs)
07 January,2025 09:33 PM IST | Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar | mid-day online correspondentThe tourist footfall at Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) monuments in Maharashtra's Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district, including Ajanta and Ellora Caves, decreased by almost 50 per cent between March 1, 2024, to November 30, 2024, data showed. As many as 50,50,071 domestic tourists had visited the 'ticketed monuments' of ASI — Ajanta and Ellora Cave Complex, Bibi ka Maqbara, Daulatabad (Devgiri) fort and Aurangabad caves — from March 1 to November 30, 2023. The footfall of foreign tourists stood at 35,618 during this period, news agency PTI reported. But the domestic tourist footfall came down by nearly half to 24,94,570 and that of foreign tourists was 30,884 during the same period in 2024, ASI officials said. The World Heritage Site of Ellora remained the favourite destination, with 10,60,741 tourists visiting the cave complex. According to PTI, Jaswant Singh, the President of the Aurangabad Tourism Development Foundation (ATDF), blamed "negative publicity" about the condition of roads for the shrinking footfall. The air connectivity of the city has also declined, while hotels have become expensive, he said. HC seeks govt reply on tourist vehicles blocking tigress' path in Maharashtra sanctuary The Bombay High Court (HC) has taken a dim view of an incident where safari vehicles carrying tourists obstructed the movement of a tigress and her cubs in the Umred-Pauni-Karhandla Sanctuary in Maharashtra on New Year's eve, news agency PTI reported.Justices Nitin Sambre and Vrushali Joshi of the Nagpur bench of the court on Monday issued notice to the state's principal chief conservator of forests and sought a detailed affidavit on action taken and preventive measures.The bench will hear the plea on Wednesday.In the viral videos of the December 31 incident, safari vehicles are seen crowding around the tigress, identified as F-2, and her five cubs from both sides of a road in the buffer zone of the sanctuary in Nagpur to help tourists capture their photos and videos.The HC took suo motu (on its own) cognisance of the videos and news reports on the incident.On Monday, the Maharashtra forest department suspended four drivers and guides involved in the incident for three months. The tourists involved in this incident have been permanently banned from visiting the sanctuary in the future, and a committee, headed by the deputy director of the Bor Tiger Reserve, has been constituted to recommend measures to prevent such incidents in the future, PTI reported. (With PTI inputs)
07 January,2025 08:36 PM IST | Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar | mid-day online correspondentThree men were arrested on Tuesday for allegedly causing the death of a tigress in eastern Maharashtra's Bhandara district, the forest officials said, reported the PTI. As per the preliminary probe, the accused had laid electrified wire to kill a wild boar, but the tigress came in contact with it and was electrocuted. According to the PTI, the carcass of the three-year-old tigress, cut into four pieces, was found in compartment number 74 in Jhanjhariya in Tumsar forest range on Monday. It had burn marks too. The authorities took help of sniffer dogs from Pench Tiger Reserve (Nagpur) and Gondia Forest department to find the culprits. Raju Piratram Warkade, resident of Pachara village whose field is near the spot where the carcass was found, was questioned as a sniffer dog led police directly to his house, said a forest official. The big knife used to chop the carcass into pieces was found.Warkade then spilled the names of Rajendra Mahadeo Kunjam and Durgesh Ratiram Lasunte, both residents of Navegaon in Tumsar tehsil. All three were arrested, the official said. The accused had laid a live wire to poach a wild boar on January 2 but it caused the death of the tigress, officials said. A case was registered under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and further probe was underway. 20 dogs dead, 11 injured after being thrown from bridge in Telangana, probe underway Meanwhile, as many as 20 dogs died and 11 were injured after allegedly being thrown from a bridge by unidentified persons in Sangareddy district of Telangana, police said on Tuesday. Volunteers from an animal welfare organisation lodged a complaint, stating that the dogs were dumped from a bridge near Eddumailaram village. The incident was reported on January 4. A police official at Indrakaran police station said a case has been registered under relevant sections of the BNS, and an investigation is underway. Police are also probing whether the dogs were killed elsewhere and later dumped from the bridge. A post-mortem was conducted on the 20 dead dogs, and samples have been sent to the forensic science laboratory (FSL) to determine if the animals were poisoned, police added. The police further stated that out of the 31 dogs, 20 were found dead, while 11 injured dogs were handed over to the organisation and shifted to a shelter in Nagole. (with PTI inputs)
07 January,2025 08:35 PM IST | Gondia (Maharashtra) | mid-day online correspondentA special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Mumbai on Tuesday granted interim bail for 18 days to Mahesh Raut, an accused in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist link case, to enable him to appear for law degree exams. Arrested in 2018 for his alleged role in the seven-year-old case, Raut is currently lodged at Taloja jail in neighbouring Navi Mumbai. Special judge Chakor Bhaviskar granted temporary bail to Raut from January 13 to January 30 to enable him to appear for Bachelor of Laws (LLB) examinations in Mumbai. The court allowed temporary relief to the accused on executing personal recognition bond of Rs 50,000 with a surety in the like amount. It directed Raut to furnish proof of address of his residence during the temporary bail period as well as an active mobile number to jail authorities and the investigating agency. The accused shall not misuse the liberty granted to him and surrender to jail authorities on the day his examinations get over, the court noted in its order. Raut and 14 other accused, including activists and academicians, were booked in connection with allegedly provocative speeches that were delivered at the 'Elgar Parishad' conclave held in Pune on December 31, 2017. The conclave was backed by Maoists and inflammatory speeches delivered at the gathering triggered violence at Koregaon Bhima village, located on Pune city's outskirts, during a commemorative event the next day, according to police. The NIA later took over the probe into the case from the Pune police. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
07 January,2025 08:22 PM IST | Mumbai | PTIGold worth Rs 29 lakh, concealed as metal buttons of apparel, has been seized from the possession of an Indian male passenger at the Delhi airport, the customs department said on Tuesday. The accused was intercepted after his arrival from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia at the International airport in Delhi on Monday. "Through spot profiling techniques, customs officers flagged the passenger at the Green Channel exit. Upon X-ray scanning of the baggage, suspicious images were noticed, according to the PTI. "While the passenger cleared the DFMD (door frame metal detector) without triggering any alarms, a detailed manual inspection of the baggage revealed 201 silver-coated rings appearing to be made of gold, ingeniously concealed as metal buttons of apparel," the customs department said in a post on X. 🚨 Gold Buttons in Ladies Dresses - Smuggling Attempt Foiled at IGI Airport! ✈️Customs officers at IGI Airport, New Delhi intercepted an Indian national male passenger attempting to smuggle concealed gold on 6th January 2025.🎯 Flight Details: Traveling from Jeddah to New… pic.twitter.com/qlVjM7Ocrd — Delhi Customs (Airport & General) (@AirportGenCus) January 7, 2025 The concealed metal rings, confirmed to be 24 carat gold, weighed a total of 379 grams valued about Rs 29 lakh, it said. In another case, a male passenger was intercepted after his arrival from Jeddah. "The passenger underwent screening through a DFMD, which did not detect any metallic items on the person (no beep was heard). However, during an X-ray examination of the baggage, suspicious images were noticed," the customs said in another post. Upon detailed manual examination of the passenger's baggage, it was found that eight cylindrical pieces of yellow metal, suspected to be gold, were concealed inside an electric iron, it said. "Eight (08) cylindrical pieces of yellow metal, suspected to be gold, were concealed inside an electric iron. The total weight of the recovered metal was 600 grams," said an official. The total weight of the recovered metal was valued at Rs 46.80 lakh approximately, the customs said. The recovered items were seized under the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962. Further investigation is underway, the officials said on Tuesday. (with PTI inputs)
07 January,2025 08:03 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondentAn 18-year-old girl who fell into a 540-foot-deep borewell and was rescued after more than 33 hours in Gujarat's Kutch district was declared dead at a hospital on Tuesday, officials said. The girl fell into the borewell at Kanderai village in Bhuj taluka around 6.30 am on Monday and was stuck at a depth of 490 feet, prompting the administration to launch a multi-agency rescue operation. According to officials, the borewell had a diameter of one foot, and the fact that she was grown up and stuck deep into it made the rescue efforts difficult. The teenager was brought out at around 4 pm. "Unfortunately, the girl could not survive and was declared dead by doctors at GK General Hospital in Bhuj," said AB Jadav, assistant collector and SDM, Bhuj. The official said the teen was brought out using a "hook technique", wherein L and J-shaped hooks were lowered into the borewell, fitted on two sides and pressure was applied from below to pull her up. An official from the state water supply and sewerage board said the girl was rescued using a makeshift contraption. "We prepared a makeshift contraption with the help of local drillers. Multiple agencies were involved in the rescue operation," he said. Teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Border Security Force (BSF) were involved in the rescue operation along with the fire department personnel of the Bhuj municipality, local emergency response team, police and officials of the local administration. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
07 January,2025 07:36 PM IST | Bhuj (Gujarat) | PTIA couple was found dead in Nagpur on Tuesday, police said, adding that they suspect it to be a case of suicide. The man was 56 years old while his wife was aged 45. Their bodies were recovered from their house in the Martin Nagar locality in the morning, an officer said, adding that it was the couple's 28th wedding anniversary. According to news agency PTI, the police said that the couple was undergoing financial difficulties and was childless. The officer said the couple recorded a video on their mobile phone before taking the extreme step, posted it on social media and sent it to their relatives. The couple's relatives discovered their body, he said, adding that a case of accidental death has been registered. Nashik couple dies by suicide days before son's wedding A couple, in their 50s, allegedly died by suicide in the Tilakwadi area of Nashik, police said on Tuesday. The man was 58-years-old while his wife was aged 55. They died early on Monday, a few days before their younger son's wedding, an police officer said. The couple lived their two sons and the elder son's wife, news agency PTI reported. On Sunday evening, the couple had dinner with their relatives. The elder son and his wife were out of town. When the younger son returned home, he found his parents unconscious, the officer said. The couple was rushed to a hospital, where they were declared dead around 2 am on Monday, PTI reported. No suicide note has been found and Sarkarwada Police are conducting further probe, the officer said. (With PTI inputs)
07 January,2025 07:28 PM IST | Nagpur | mid-day online correspondentThe Supreme Court on Tuesday granted till March 31 interim bail to jailed self-styled godman Asaram in a 2013 rape case observing he had various ailments and needed treatment. A bench of Justices M M Sundresh and Rajesh Bindal directed 86-year-old Asaram not to meet his followers in a group post release. "We have also taken note of the medical records pertaining to the petitioner and the fact that he was given periodical treatment outside the prison. Hence, we deem it fit to grant bail to the petitioner on medical ground till March 31, 2025.... subject to the condition that the petitioner shall not meet his followers in a group," it said. Asaram, however, would remain in jail as he faces another rape case in Jodhpur. The court said it won't consider the plea on merits, but only the medical grounds. "There shall be three security personnel in the form of police officers to be present in the vicinity of the petitioner. We make it clear that the police personnel will not interfere with the petitioner's medical treatment, his meeting with any individual and in a normal or lawful conduct," the bench said. Senior advocate Devadatt Kamat, appearing for Asaram, submitted his client's health condition was precarious. Asaram, he said, was taken in and out of prison on more than thirteen occasions for medical treatment, and even the Rajasthan High Court granted him parole after taking into consideration his condition. Solicitor general Tushar Mehta, appearing for the state government, opposed the grant of bail and said though the ailment and his age were not in dispute, Asaram could be treated inside the prison. Mehta said three witnesses in the case were killed and said Asaram had the potential, capacity and finances to tamper with the evidence. "He is in the last leg. Whatever may be the nature of the offence when it comes to the health of the convict, the concern is of the state and well as this court," said the top court. A sessions court in January, 2023, convicted Asaram in the 2013 rape case, filed by a woman who was living in his ashram near Gandhinagar at the time of the crime. The Gujarat High Court on August 29 rejected Asaram's plea for the suspension of life imprisonment in the case. Refusing to suspend the sentence and grant him bail, the high court observed no case for relief was made out. It said his contentions about possible delay in the disposal of his appeal, age and the medical conditions were not relevant to the grant the relief. The court also considered the alleged murder of two boys at his Sabarmati ashram besides the attacks on witnesses and the relatives of victims. Asaram's plea said he was a victim of conspiracy, and the allegations of rape were false. The plea said the trial court erred in accepting the survivor's explanation for a delay of 12 years in lodging the complaint. He is currently lodged in Jodhpur jail in Rajasthan in another rape case. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
07 January,2025 07:27 PM IST | New Delhi | PTIAs many as 20 dogs died and 11 were injured after allegedly being thrown from a bridge by unidentified persons in Sangareddy district of Telangana, police said on Tuesday. Volunteers from an animal welfare organisation lodged a complaint, stating that the dogs were dumped from a bridge near Eddumailaram village. The incident was reported on January 4. A police official at Indrakaran police station said a case has been registered under relevant sections of the BNS, and an investigation is underway. Police are also probing whether the dogs were killed elsewhere and later dumped from the bridge. A post-mortem was conducted on the 20 dead dogs, and samples have been sent to the forensic science laboratory (FSL) to determine if the animals were poisoned, police added. The police further stated that out of the 31 dogs, 20 were found dead, while 11 injured dogs were handed over to the organisation and shifted to a shelter in Nagole. The investigation is on. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
07 January,2025 06:36 PM IST | Hyderabad | PTIProtesters of a local organisation on Tuesday staged 'Chakka Jam' or road blockades in Maharashtra's Latur district to protest the Beed sarpanch murder, reported the PTI. The protest was held at five places in Latur city, and at Mahalangra, Chakur Nitpur, Borgaon Kale, Budhoda, Ausa, Ahmadpur and Mahapur in Latur district of Maharashtra, as per the PTI. The 'Sarvpakshiya Nagrik Manch' (all-party citizens forum) had called for blockade from 10 am to 4 pm, but the agitation was called off by 1 pm in the city due to the police's intervention. Santosh Deshmukh, sarpanch of Massajog in neighbouring Beed district, was abducted and brutally murdered on December 9. According to the PTI, during the agitation, protesters shouted slogans against the state government's alleged apathy in the matter and demanded the ouster of Maharashtra ministers Dhananjay Munde and Pankaja Munde if they were found to have links to the murder. Dhananjay Munde, a leader of the Nationalist Congress Party headed by deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, is under fire as Munde's close aide Walmik Karad was arrested in an extortion case related to the murder. Deshmukh was allegedly killed for trying to thwart the bid to extort money from a windmill company. Both Dhananjay and his cousin and BJP leader Pankaja Munde are legislators from Beed. "If the government failed to take strict action, a protest will be staged in Parali in front of Dhananjay Munde's residence," said Uday Gaware, one of the agitators, the news agency reported. The protesters submitted a memorandum of demands to district officials here. The demands included the arrest of all the accused, protection and financial aid of Rs 50 lakh for the Deshmukh family, protection for the witnesses, and narco tests for the accused. They also demanded financial aid of Rs 50 lakh for the kin of Somnath Suryavanshi who died in custody after being arrested over a violent protest against the vandalisation of the Constitution's replica in Parbhani city. Meanwhile, Bajrang Sonawane, the NCP (SP) MP from Beed, said if the arrested accused in the Deshmukh murder case were not providing information to the police, "they should be handed over to the public." "It is unfortunate that this incident (murder) took place on December 9, but still one accused is absconding," he told reporters in Beed city. (with PTI inputs)
07 January,2025 05:12 PM IST | Latur | mid-day online correspondentADVERTISEMENT
