Security has been increased across four districts in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly division for Dussehra, with internet services suspended in Bareilly district for 48 hours to prevent the spread of rumors and maintain public order.
Mathura transformed into a fortress for Shri Krishna Janmashtami, with heavy security and traffic restrictions in place for the Krishna Mahotsav. Authorities have implemented strict measures, including social media monitoring and restricted items at the temple, to ensure the safety of devotees.
Protesters blocked the Gorakhpur-Pipraich road on Tuesday morning after that forces from four police stations and PAC were deployed.
Holi and Friday prayers passed peacefully in Sambhal district of Uttar Pradesh amid tight security, officials said.
The Supreme Court of India granted bail to eight convicts in the 1987 Hashimpura massacre case. The case involved the killing of 38 people by personnel of the Provincial Armed Constabulary. The court considered the fact that the convicts have been incarcerated for over six years following the Delhi High Court's reversal of their acquittal by the trial court.
A potato with what is believed to be a divine image has appeared at the Tulsi Manas Temple in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, drawing devotees from near and far. The image is seen as a sign of the impending arrival of Lord Kalki, who is believed to be taking his incarnation in Sambhal. The appearance of the image has added to the celebrations of Holi, which falls on March 14th.
Security has been heightened around the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya following an alleged threat from pro-Khalistan leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. The founder of the banned outfit 'Sikhs for Justice' reportedly threatened to attack the temple on November 16-17, coinciding with the 'Ram Vivah' festival. Ayodhya has been fortified with increased police presence, surveillance, and anti-terror measures.
The city of Shahjahanpur in India celebrates Holi with a unique procession called "Laat Saheb," where revellers hurl footwear at a man impersonating a British Lord. The tradition dates back to the 18th century and has evolved over time. The procession involves a seven-kilometer route, prayers at a temple, and a symbolic bribe offered to the police. The event is marked by strict security measures, including barricades, CCTV cameras, and the covering of mosques with tarpaulins. The procession is seen as a way to commemorate the city's history of freedom fighters and to discourage the British colonizers.
The Uttar Pradesh government has announced a special Rs 10,000 bonus and the 'Maha Kumbh Seva Medal' for 75,000 police personnel who served during the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath praised the police force's efforts in managing the grand religious event, highlighting the event's economic impact and the transformation of the UP Police into a "Mitra Police." He also emphasized the state government's commitment to police welfare and infrastructure development, citing increased recruitment and budget allocation.
Authorities in the communally sensitive city of Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, have deployed seven companies of Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) ahead of Holi and the first Friday of Ramzan, which fall on the same day. Peace committee meetings have been held to ensure peaceful celebrations, with Hindus agreeing to play Holi till 2:30 pm and Muslims to offer Jumma namaz after that time.
Weeks after violent clashes over a court-ordered survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid, the district administration in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, has launched a campaign against encroachments and illegal power theft in the area around the historic mosque. The administration began removing encroachments on Sunday morning, focusing on clearing drains outside houses and shops. The operation uncovered an illegal stockpile of domestic gas cylinders in a house, and the electricity department unearthed illegal connections in four mosques and a madrasa. The Bhasma Shankar temple, which was reopened by the district administration, has resumed regular worship.
Shatrughan Vishwakarma was deployed as part of the Special Security Force (SSF) set to provide security at the temple premises.
The Uttar Pradesh government has implemented a special crowd management plan called 'Operation Eleven' for the 'Amrit Snan' on Basant Panchami at Maha Kumbh. The plan, devised under strict instructions from Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, ensures a one-way traffic route for devotees and smooth movement on pontoon bridges. The heightened measures are in place following a stampede on Mauni Amavasya that claimed at least 30 lives. 'Operation Eleven' includes measures such as strict enforcement of a one-way route, enhanced security at key locations, crowd control at Tikarmafi Turn, special arrangements at Phaphamau and pontoon bridges, railway station and bus movement regulation, enhanced security at Prayag Junction, crowd management at GT Jawahar and Harshvardhan Chauraha, additional security and traffic control measures, and deployment of extra forces.
The Bhasma Shankar temple in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, has reopened after being locked for 45 years following communal riots. The district administration has requested the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to conduct carbon dating of the temple, including a well on the premises. The temple is being guarded round the clock and worshippers have started visiting. The reopening of the temple has been met with gratitude from local residents, who have expressed their desire to reconnect with their heritage.
Delhi's crime rate against women stood at 144.4 in 2022 -- the highest among all states and Union Territories.
Police have intensified security in some areas of Ghaziabad district and imposed more traffic curbs after a car allegedly hit some kanwariyas in Muradnagar, who then thrashed the driver and vandalised the vehicle, an official said on Sunday.
Scores of people, some armed with sticks, walked in the funeral cortege of a youth killed during a Durga idol immersion procession in Bahraich amid cries for justice from the family and others on Monday, as tension escalated with shops being burnt down and angry crowds out in the streets.
Over 50 people have been arrested after the communal violence in Maharajgaj town, officials said on Tuesday, as markets remained shut and people stayed indoors for a second day in a row amid heavy deployment of police and other security personnel.
Thousands of people from Ghazipur district and nearby areas turned up to attend the last rites of Mukhtar Ansari who died of cardiac arrest in Banda on Thursday.
Narsinghanand has several cases against him, including for allegedly making a hate speech at a conclave in Haridwar in December 2021, and was out on bail.
States like Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh had on Friday announced similar incentives.
'I would like to leave behind my small contribution for the historic day when the Ram temple will be consecrated.'
Electoral setbacks and thwarted ambition can have an unpredictable effect on leaders,, observes Aditi Phadnis.
A curfew was imposed in Haldwani on Thursday after local residents set vehicles and a police station on fire and hurled stones, injuring more than 60 people, over the demolition of an 'illegally built' madrasa and an adjoining mosque, officials said.
Ecstatic over Kiran Baliyan's podium position in the shot put event at the Asian Games, her mother on Saturday said the success has come after a long struggle and she was hopeful that her daughter would win a medal in the Olympics as well.
The body was brought to the family's ancestral burial ground, about half a km from their residence, where a grave was dug on Friday near that of Mukhtar Ansari's parents.
The UAPA allows the investigating agencies to get a longer remand of the accused and an extended duration to file a charge sheet.
The naxalites, said to be numbering 150, laid an ambush for a truck carrying an unspecified number of police and Provincial Armed Constabulary jawans on combing duty and blew it up, police sources said.
Thousands of farmers from around 100 villages of Noida and Greater Noida on Thursday took to the streets seeking hiked compensation, bringing traffic to a standstill in several parts of Delhi-NCR as they made an unsuccessful bid to march towards Parliament.
The police staged a flag march in the main market area of the town and appealed to people to maintain peace.
The action followed Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's directions during his last week's review meeting on law and order with senior officials.
The Uttar Pradesh government on Sunday asked authorities in all districts on the banks of the Ganga river to be on a high alert and continuously monitor the water level after a glacier broke off in Joshimath in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district.
In Kanpur, that witnessed stone pelting and violence on June 3, people from the Muslim community participated in the prayers in all major mosques while the police personnel remained on alert.
The Uttar Pradesh police will get a psychological test done on Ahmad Murtaza Abbasi, accused in the attack on security personnel outside Gorakhpur's Gorakhnath temple, a senior official said on Thursday.
However, only five people will be allowed at a time, a top official said.
In a sudden late night move, Uttar Pradesh state director general of police A C Sharma was given the marching orders on Friday.
The district administration on Wednesday ordered a magisterial inquiry into the Bhatta Parsaul firing incident on May 7. Additional District Magistrate Surindera Ram will conduct the inquiry and submit the report within a fortnight.
At least a dozen people, including the jailer and deputy jailer, were on Wednesday injured at a jail in Meerut in a clash between prisoners and officials. Police had to resort to firing to bring the situation under control. Along with police officials, personnel of the Provincial Armed Constabulary and Rapid Action Force were also present on the spot.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday said 166 criminals were killed and 4,453 injured in encounters with the Uttar Pradesh police in the past five years, highlighting his government's zero-tolerance policy on crime.
The Uttar Pradesh government, which had started the process of reinstating over 18,000 sacked constables on the direction of the Allahabad High Court, on Tuesday set up six committees to identify the 'tainted' ones, in view of charges of irregularities in the selection process.
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