Heavy rains lashed Saurashtra region and Kutch district creating a flash flood like situation in Bhuj town, where over 15,000 people were evacuated by local administration, National Disaster Response Force was deployed and Army and Border Security Force have been asked to remain on stand by.
In a joint operation, the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad and the Indian Coast Guard have seized over 300 kg of drugs worth Rs 1,800 crore which were dumped into the Arabian Sea by Pakistani smugglers who fled across the international maritime boundary on being chased, officials said on Monday.
Bhavnagar was also one of the worst affected districts, they said, adding that more downpour is likely over the next four day in parts of the state.
The probe agency, in the release, did not disclose the exact roles of the accused police officers, citing that it would affect the investigation.
The cyclone is expected to make landfall on Thursday evening as a 'very severe cyclonic storm' with maximum wind speed reaching up to 150 kilometres per hour, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
Lightning claims more lives in India annually than any other extreme weather event. Between April and July this year alone, 1,621 people died due to lightning strikes.
A 42-year-old tantrik arrested for allegedly conspiring to murder a businessman died in police custody in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, after confessing to killing 12 people by giving them drinks laced with sodium nitrite. Navalsinh Chavda was arrested on December 3 and died on Sunday after falling ill. Police are investigating his occult practices and possible involvement in human sacrifices.
'If you align your ambition with India's rise, the peak of your careers will unfold alongside the peak of India's power.'
"We had information that some people from across the border were trying to infiltrate in to Indian territory. So we conducted a special operation and apprehended nine men," a BSF spokesperson said.
They were asked to wait for 72 hours, but the deadline passed on Sunday and the wait seems endless.
While two lives were "tragically" lost before the landfall of the cyclone, not a single human life was lost post the landfall in Gujarat.
A total of 33 teams have been earmarked by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to undertake relief and rescue operations in Gujarat and Maharashtra ahead of the expected landfall of cyclone 'Biparjoy' near the Jakhau port in Kutch district, officials said on Wednesday.
After the incident took place on Sunday evening, the body of a man was found about 200 metres from the clash site in Kidana village, and the police are trying to ascertain if he was killed as part of that violence, Kutch (East) Superintendent of Police Mayur Patil said.
Relief Commissioner Alok Pandey told reporters that the government is constantly working to ensure that there is no loss of life due to the weather phenomenon.
11 fishermen who were on board the Pakistani boat have been detained.
Cyclone Biparjoy has left a trail of destruction in Gujarat's Kutch and Saurashtra regions as some 1,000 villages are still without power with hundreds of electric poles getting damaged, while several coastal villages were flooded due to heavy rains and incoming seawater, officials said on Friday, a day after the storm made landfall.
Two persons including a man who allegedly opened fire outside Bollywood actor Salman Khan's residence in Mumbai have been arrested from Gujarat, police said on Tuesday.
Ravindra Jadeja and wife Rivaba visited the Ashapura temple in Mata no Madh village in Gujarat's Kutch district.
Mock drills were conducted on Saturday in states and Union territories adjoining the western border -- from Jammu and Kashmir to Gujarat -- to enhance wartime emergency preparedness and response capabilities, officials said.
United Arab Emirates (UAE) astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi took to his Twitter to post a few pictures of Cyclone Biparjoy over the Arabian Sea.
The state government has begun preparations to deal with the fallout of the cyclone as it will bring very strong wind and heavy rainfall in the region, officials said.
"Today there is a government in the country which cannot compromise even on one inch of the country's borders," the prime minister added.
Two men arrested for firing outside Bollywood superstar Salman Khan's residence in Mumbai had conducted a survey of his farm house at Panvel in adjoining Raigad district four days before the shooting incident, police said on Thursday.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday visited actor Salman Khan's residence in Bandra in Mumbai's western suburbs and assured him of protection after two persons were arrested in connection with firing at his house.
Explaining his vision for the region, Modi cited the example of Kutch district of Gujarat.
Wind speed at the time is expected to be in the range of 125-135 kmph gusting up to 150 kmph.
The cyclone will make a landfall at around 9:00 pm to 10:00 pm on Thursday
As the election approaches, the earthquake survivors and the scientists urge political parties to take note of warning signs before it's too late.
Cyclone Biparjoy made landfall near Jakhau Port in Gujarat on Thursday evening with a wind speed of 115-125 kmph gusting to 140 kmph as heavy rains lashed the coastal region, where several areas plunged into darkness due to power cuts and a large number of trees, electric poles and hoardings got uprooted.
The exercise, which began from Saturday, was being carried out to "thwart any ill designs of anti-national elements" during the Republic Day celebrations, the BSF Gujarat Frontier said in a release.
The packets containing cocaine, a powerful central nervous system stimulant drug, were found abandoned on the shore of a creek passing from Mithi Rohar village near Gandhidham town, said Bagmar.
The situation in rain-battered Gujarat improved slightly on Thursday as the rainfall activity subsided, but Vadodara and some other parts of the state are still reeling under a flood-like situation due to overflowing rivers while the authorities continue the rescue and relief operations.
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale on Tuesday said the organisation believes that there is no need to turn India into a 'Hindu Rashtra' or Hindu nation because the country has always been one.
The India Meteorological Department has said that the landfall process of Cyclone 'Biparjoy' has started in Saurashtra and Kutch regions of Gujarat. The landfall process will carry on till midnight with wind speeds reaching a maximum of 140 kilometres per hour, the IMD said.
The Coast Guard ships intercepted and apprehended the Pakistani boat 'Al Haj' when it ventured into the Indian waters
Police sources said a group of members from one community attacked and vandalised shops and a place of worship of another social group.
Electricity will be restored in affected areas by June 20, he said, talking to reporters in Bhuj, the headquarters of the Kutch district which bore the brunt of the cyclone.
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence has seized 56 kg of cocaine from a container near the Mundra port in Gujarat's Kutch district, a DRI official said on Thursday.
Cyclone 'Biparjoy' has an extensive damaging potential and it is likely to impact Kutch, Devbhoomi Dwarka and Jamnagar districts of Gujarat the most, the India meteorological department said on Tuesday.
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