News Analysis India

Tag: Prayagraj

  • Atiq Ahmed’s brother Ashraf brought to Naini Jail in UP’s Prayagraj

    By PTI

    PRAYAGRAJ: Gangster-politician Khalid Azim alias Ashraf was brought to the Naini Central Jail in Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh Monday evening amid tight security arrangements, hours after his brother Atiq Ahmed was escorted to the prison from Gujarat.

    Ashraf and Atiq will be produced before a court on Tuesday, when it is likely to pass an order in a 17-year-old kidnapping case against them.

    Ashraf, lodged in the Bareilly District Jail since July 2020, was brought to the Naini Central Jail Monday evening amid tight security arrangements, officials said.

    A police team accompanying him left Bareilly for Prayagraj Monday morning. Atiq Ahmed was brought to the jail in Prayagraj from a prison in Gujarat.

    The police cavalcade bringing him reached the Naini Jail at 5.30 pm on Monday.

    The brothers are named in several criminal cases, including the recent Umesh Pal murder case, police said.

    PRAYAGRAJ: Gangster-politician Khalid Azim alias Ashraf was brought to the Naini Central Jail in Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh Monday evening amid tight security arrangements, hours after his brother Atiq Ahmed was escorted to the prison from Gujarat.

    Ashraf and Atiq will be produced before a court on Tuesday, when it is likely to pass an order in a 17-year-old kidnapping case against them.

    Ashraf, lodged in the Bareilly District Jail since July 2020, was brought to the Naini Central Jail Monday evening amid tight security arrangements, officials said.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    A police team accompanying him left Bareilly for Prayagraj Monday morning. Atiq Ahmed was brought to the jail in Prayagraj from a prison in Gujarat.

    The police cavalcade bringing him reached the Naini Jail at 5.30 pm on Monday.

    The brothers are named in several criminal cases, including the recent Umesh Pal murder case, police said.

  • Twenty one deers mauled to death by pack of stray dogs at Birla House in Prayagraj

    Express News Service

    LUCKNOW: As many as 21 deer, including 20 Cheetals (spotted deer) and a Chinkara, were mauled to death allegedly by a pack of stray dogs at Anand Kanan Birla House in Chhatnag area of Prayagraj late on Monday night.

    After keeping the incident under wraps for two days, the forest authorities got the autopsy of the animals done and confirmed the incident to the media persons only on Wednesday morning.

    While a case was registered under provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act against the private firm– Universal Cable Company Limited– looking after the animals, three persons, including a security officer and a deer keeper, were detained by the officials of the forest department on Thursday for interrogationas part of the probe into the killing of deer.

    As per the local sources, the deers were being reared on 70-acre guest house of Birla House on the banks of River Ganga. The Birla House has got the permission for deer rearing from the Forest Department in 1988. However, Universal Cable Company Limited was entrusted with taking care of deer in the guest house.

    The initial probe by the Forest officials pointed finger at private firm’s alleged lax attitude which led to the incident, said the sources adding that the firm was also served a notice.

    While it was not clear how the pack of stary dogs got into the premises where the deers were reared, it was suspected that two small drain openings could be the entry point for the canines. However, the probe authorities were not ruling out the possibility of dogs crossing the boundary wall by jumping through it toreach the rangale of deers.

    As per Prayagraj District Forest Officer (DFO) Mahaveer Kaujalgi, three persons — Awadesh Kumar (security Officer), Lal Chandra Yadav (deer keeper) and Jung Bahadur (security guard) – were detained by forest officials for interrogation.

    The DFO also added that the forest department had registered a case against four persons including manager, security officer, deer keeper and security guard of the private firm — universal cable company limited — responsible for deer care under Section 9 of Wildlife Protection Act.

    LUCKNOW: As many as 21 deer, including 20 Cheetals (spotted deer) and a Chinkara, were mauled to death allegedly by a pack of stray dogs at Anand Kanan Birla House in Chhatnag area of Prayagraj late on Monday night.

    After keeping the incident under wraps for two days, the forest authorities got the autopsy of the animals done and confirmed the incident to the media persons only on Wednesday morning.

    While a case was registered under provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act against the private firm– Universal Cable Company Limited– looking after the animals, three persons, including a security officer and a deer keeper, were detained by the officials of the forest department on Thursday for interrogation
    as part of the probe into the killing of deer.

    As per the local sources, the deers were being reared on 70-acre guest house of Birla House on the banks of River Ganga. The Birla House has got the permission for deer rearing from the Forest Department in 1988. However, Universal Cable Company Limited was entrusted with taking care of deer in the guest house.

    The initial probe by the Forest officials pointed finger at private firm’s alleged lax attitude which led to the incident, said the sources adding that the firm was also served a notice.

    While it was not clear how the pack of stary dogs got into the premises where the deers were reared, it was suspected that two small drain openings could be the entry point for the canines. However, the probe authorities were not ruling out the possibility of dogs crossing the boundary wall by jumping through it to
    reach the rangale of deers.

    As per Prayagraj District Forest Officer (DFO) Mahaveer Kaujalgi, three persons — Awadesh Kumar (security Officer), Lal Chandra Yadav (deer keeper) and Jung Bahadur (security guard) – were detained by forest officials for interrogation.

    The DFO also added that the forest department had registered a case against four persons including manager, security officer, deer keeper and security guard of the private firm — universal cable company limited — responsible for deer care under Section 9 of Wildlife Protection Act.

  • Dengue patient dies after being transfused with ‘fake plasma’ in UP’s Prayagraj; probe ordered

    Express News Service

    LUCKNOW: Leaving the state’s healthcare authorities red-faced, an incident of death of a dengue patient came to the fore at a private hospital on Prayagraj wherein the patient died after he was allegedly transfused with fake plasma following the rapid decline in his platelet count on Wednesday. 

    The incident, that would put humanity to shame, was reported at a private hospital in Bamrauli locality of Sangam city where sand contractor Pradeep Pandey died after he was transfused with a ‘plasma-like’ substance but much ‘watery’ as compared to plasma.

    The local sources, however, claimed that the doctors allegedly transfused the patient with ‘Musami (orange) juice’ which led to the patient’s blood clotting in the veins and his subsequent death.

    UP Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, who is also the minister for healthcare and medical education, said that a team under the Prayagraj CMO was set up to probe into the issue and a test report was expected soon.

    “Strict action will be taken against those found guilty in the case and no one will be spared,” he said.

    On the other, Saurabh Tripathi, the brother-in-law of the deceased, claimed that when he reported the matter at George Town police station, his complaint was not registered.

    The local sources said that the victim’s family had procured platelets at the rate of Rs 5000 per unit and the pouches were having the logo of Swaroop Rani Nehru (SRN) Medical College.

    After the transfusion of three units, the condition of the patient further deteriorated following which the relatives took him to another hospital in the George Town area. The doctors, after conducting the tests, claimed that the veins of the patient had ruptured and the blood had clotted. Ultimately, Pradeep Pandey lost the battle in George Town hospital.

    Saurabh Tripathi claimed that he still had a unit of plasma that was given to Pandey and that it was very dilute as compared to the usual density of the plasma.

    “I will get it tested,” said Saurabh. 

    After the issue came to the fore, the district police detained two persons for questioning and Allahabad Nursing Home Association (ANHA) issued an advisory asking the patients to approach only registered doctors. 

    “In the wake of the rising number of dengue patients, it is advisable that the platelets should not be bought from any place but blood banks personally instead of depending on middle men as such irregularities can’t happen in blood banks,” said Dr Sushil Sinha, president ANHA.

    However, Dr Vatsala Mishra, head, pathology department of SRN Medial College, said that the ‘fake platelets’ were not issued by the medical college. “Anyone can use medical college’s logo to make the substance look authentic. We are ready to cooperate in the probe. Someone took the victim’s family for a ride by providing it fake plasma,” said Dr Mishra. 

    Meanwhile, IG Prayagraj Range, Rakesh Singh said that investigation team was set up to look into reports of fake plasma being supplied to dengue patients. 

    Some suspects detained. Few days ago, a fake blood bank was also busted. “It is yet to be clear whether it was ‘mausami’ juice which was supplied to the victim’s family,” said the IG.

    LUCKNOW: Leaving the state’s healthcare authorities red-faced, an incident of death of a dengue patient came to the fore at a private hospital on Prayagraj wherein the patient died after he was allegedly transfused with fake plasma following the rapid decline in his platelet count on Wednesday. 

    The incident, that would put humanity to shame, was reported at a private hospital in Bamrauli locality of Sangam city where sand contractor Pradeep Pandey died after he was transfused with a ‘plasma-like’ substance but much ‘watery’ as compared to plasma.

    The local sources, however, claimed that the doctors allegedly transfused the patient with ‘Musami (orange) juice’ which led to the patient’s blood clotting in the veins and his subsequent death.

    UP Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, who is also the minister for healthcare and medical education, said that a team under the Prayagraj CMO was set up to probe into the issue and a test report was expected soon.

    “Strict action will be taken against those found guilty in the case and no one will be spared,” he said.

    On the other, Saurabh Tripathi, the brother-in-law of the deceased, claimed that when he reported the matter at George Town police station, his complaint was not registered.

    The local sources said that the victim’s family had procured platelets at the rate of Rs 5000 per unit and the pouches were having the logo of Swaroop Rani Nehru (SRN) Medical College.

    After the transfusion of three units, the condition of the patient further deteriorated following which the relatives took him to another hospital in the George Town area. The doctors, after conducting the tests, claimed that the veins of the patient had ruptured and the blood had clotted. Ultimately, Pradeep Pandey lost the battle in George Town hospital.

    Saurabh Tripathi claimed that he still had a unit of plasma that was given to Pandey and that it was very dilute as compared to the usual density of the plasma.

    “I will get it tested,” said Saurabh. 

    After the issue came to the fore, the district police detained two persons for questioning and Allahabad Nursing Home Association (ANHA) issued an advisory asking the patients to approach only registered doctors. 

    “In the wake of the rising number of dengue patients, it is advisable that the platelets should not be bought from any place but blood banks personally instead of depending on middle men as such irregularities can’t happen in blood banks,” said Dr Sushil Sinha, president ANHA.

    However, Dr Vatsala Mishra, head, pathology department of SRN Medial College, said that the ‘fake platelets’ were not issued by the medical college. “Anyone can use medical college’s logo to make the substance look authentic. We are ready to cooperate in the probe. Someone took the victim’s family for a ride by providing it fake plasma,” said Dr Mishra. 

    Meanwhile, IG Prayagraj Range, Rakesh Singh said that investigation team was set up to look into reports of fake plasma being supplied to dengue patients. 

    Some suspects detained. Few days ago, a fake blood bank was also busted. “It is yet to be clear whether it was ‘mausami’ juice which was supplied to the victim’s family,” said the IG.

  • Population control among issues to be discussed at RSS meeting in Prayagraj: Sources 

    The meeting will be attended by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and its general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale.

  • Uttar Pradesh: Two Prayagraj victims sexually assaulted, claims TMC 

    Express News Service

    KOLKATA: A five-member fact-finding team of the Trinamool Congress on Sunday visited the Prayagraj crime spot where five members of a family were murdered and set ablaze. The team alleged that at least two women were sexually assaulted before they were murdered.

    Introducing Sunil Yadav, who lost his family members which include his infant daughter, Dola Sen, central president of TMC’s national trade union wing, said the accused had sexually assaulted two women before setting the house on fire.

    “His parents, differently-abled sister, wife and infant daughter were brutally murdered. Before the house was set on fire, his wife and sister were sexually assaulted. The incident bears testimony to the critical law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh under the BJP’s double engine government,’’ said Dola Sen.

    Apart from Dola Sen, the team comprised former MP Mamatabala Thakur, RTI activist Saket Gokhale, Uttar Pradesh Congress leader who joined the TMC Lalitesh Tripathi and Bengal minister Jyotsna Mandi.

    The members of the TMC team interacted with the family members and relatives of the victims.

    The BJP had earlier sent a fact-finding team following Birbhum’s Rampurhat massacre, in which nine persons, including a child, were charred to death and alleged gang rape and murder of a 14-year-old girl by the son of a local TMC leader. 

    ALSO READ | Birbhum killings: Action to be taken against perpetrators irrespective of their political colours, says Mamata

    Citing the visit of BJP’s fact-finding team to Rampurhat, the TMC supremo and Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee had alleged it was aimed to influence the CBI probe into the incident and threatened to organise statewide demonstrations.

    Slamming the BJP following the Prayagraj incident, TMC’s state general secretary Kunal Ghosh asked whether the saffron camp would now send a fact-finding team there? ‘’What happened in Prayagraj is unthinkable. This is barbarism. Will the BJP now send a fact-finding team to Prayagraj?’’ he asked.

    Taking a jibe at the TMC’s decision to send a fact-finding team to Uttar Pradesh, BJP’s state president Sukanta Majumdar said, ‘’Mamata Banerjee should focus on her own state. Everyone knows what happened in Rampurhat and Hanskhali. Instead of sending a team to UP, she should ensure law and order in Bengal.’’

  • Five of family found dead at home in UP, SP says state has ‘drowned in crime’ under BJP 2.0

    By PTI

    PRAYAGRAJ/LUCKNOW: Five members of a family, including three children, were found dead at their home in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj district, police said on Saturday.

    The incident took place in Khagalpur village under Nawabganj police station area on Friday night, they said.

    Prayagraj Superintendent of Police Abhishek Agarwal said Rahul (42), his wife Priti (38) and their daughters Mahi (15), Pihu (13) and Kuhu (11) were found dead at their home.

    A forensic team and a dog squad are at the spot for investigation. Rahul was found hanging from the roof, the other deceased had injuries from a sharp object on their neck.

    Senior Superintendent of Police (Prayagraj) Ajay Kumar said, “The body of the house owner, Rahul, was found hanging from the ceiling with a saree and it had no injury marks. Three chairs were stacked where his body was found, indicating that he committed suicide.

    “The bodies of Rahul’s wife and three daughters bore injury marks inflicted by a sharp-edged weapon, which suggests murder. Both these angles are being probed.” The post mortem report of Rahul’s body that came on Saturday evening confirmed that he had committed suicide by hanging himself from the roof with a saree, said senior police officials.

    The police received information about the incident around 7.30 am. Seven teams have been formed to probe the case, the SSP said.

    According to Rahul’s sister and brother-in-law, he was embroiled in a dispute with his in-laws for a while, the police said.

    Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav attacked the BJP-led Uttar Pradesh government over the incident, saying the state has “drowned in crime”.

    “Under the rule of BJP government 2.0, UP has drowned in crime. Today’s crime list,” he tweeted in Hindi along with a screenshot of a news channel.

    Replying to Yadav, a senior police official said a preliminary probe indicates that the head of the family killed the others before committing suicide.

    “A preliminary probe indicates that the house owner killed his family before committing suicide due to a family dispute, ” Additional Director General, Prayagraj zone, Prem Prakash tweeted in Hindi.

    Terming the incident “extremely sad,” Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya in Lucknow said the truth behind the incident will be known once the probe is completed.

    “The incident is being probed seriously and expeditiously. The reason behind it will be known (after the investigation). The guilty will not be spared,” he said.

    Asked about the Opposition’s criticism over the incident, Maurya said, “At a time when the police are probing the incident and trying to catch the culprits, people should wait. The guilty will not be able to escape, even if any opposition leader tries to save them.”

    In another incident in the Sorawa village of the district, a woman was hit on her head by her husband in a family brawl resulting in her death.

    Sorawa police station in-charge Sudhir Kumar said following a quarrel on Friday night, Sorawa resident Malak Chaudhary hit his wife on her head with a blunt object leading to her death.

    In yet another incident, the body of Rambabu of Bari village of the district was found the previous night.

    The victim had moved out of the home following a telephone call and later his body with deep injuries on his head was found.

    The injuries indicated an attack by an iron rod. The body was found at some distance from his home in the village.

  • BJP MLA from Bara seat quits party

    By PTI

    PRAYAGRAJ: The BJP MLA from reserved Bara assembly constituency in Prayagraj district quit the party on Wednesday in protest against allegedly being kept in dark about the party’s intention to leave the seat for a coalition partner candidate.

    BJP MLA Ajay Kumar told reporters that he has resigned from the primary membership of the party.

    Explaining his reason for taking the drastic step, Dr Kumar said he had been hearing of the BJP leadership’s intention to leave the Bara seat for a candidate of alliance partner Apna Dal (S), “I have no remorse against it but I have been hurt by the fact that none of the top leaders of the party deemed it necessary to take me into confidence and inform me about it,” he said.

    “I have been deeply hurt by it and I am leaving the BJP with a heavy heart. I performed honestly and sincerely all the duties and responsibilities assigned to me as a BJP worker and MLA. The party was never hurt or harmed by any of my actions,” he said.

    Dr Kumar had won from Bara in both the 2012 and the 2017 assembly elections — first as a Samajwadi Party candidate and then as a BJP member.

  • Dengue, viral fever now spreading to eastern UP following rains, floods

    Express News Service

    LUCKNOW: After playing havoc in Firozabad and Mathura and other adjoining districts, the menace of dengue and viral fever is now expected to expand to eastern parts of Uttar Pradesh in the aftermath of widespread rains and floods.

    After floodwaters of Ganga and Yamuna receded in the Sangam City of Prayagraj, the place has now become a breeding ground for mosquitoes. So far, around three dozen cases of dengue have been confirmed in the city with 22 in urban areas and 12 in rural areas. Of these, more than a dozen patients have been discharged while the rest are being treated at different government and private hospitals.

    According to the health authorities, the situation in Prayagraj was under control and no casualty due to dengue or viral fever was reported so far. “There are no deaths due to dengue as of now. Isolation wards are available at hospitals for the treatment of dengue patients and medicine had also been arranged for.

    Along with this, the blood banks have also been asked to be ready if platelets are needed and people are being made aware of the importance of cleanliness. They are being asked to check mosquito breeding in and around their houses to keep dengue at bay,” said Additional CMO Dr Satyendra Rai.

    ALSO READ | ‘Mystery fever’ spreads to other districts in UP, experts call it vector-borne ‘scrub typhus’

    He claimed that a survey of 200 houses had been conducted in the Govindpur area of Teliarganj, where mosquito larvae were found in 80 houses.

    A total of 9,000 mosquito nets had also been ordered in the district for below poverty line cardholders, he added.

    According to a government report, 497 cases of fever were reported in Uttar Pradesh during the last 24 hours. Of this, dengue has been confirmed in 409 cases while the remaining 66 cases are suspected and, in 22 cases, the cause behind fever is not yet clear.

    After Mathura, Firozabad, Varanasi, Lucknow, Kanpur, Basti, and Meerut districts, there is a concern over the spread of dengue in Prayagraj. But experts said it was an all-weather infection and nothing new.

    Meanwhile, the state government has decided to reserve beds equipped with oxygen facilities and dedicated to COVID-19 patients for the treatment of viral diseases including dengue.

    Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has issued instructions to authorities concerned to make sure that patients received the best of treatment, and that there was no dearth of medicine and other medical equipment.

    Besides, the state authorities would be launching sanitation and cleanliness campaigns across the state from September 5 to curb the threat of water and vector-borne diseases.

  • ‘It disturbs sleep, causes headache’: Allahabad University V-C seeks ban on loudspeakers for Azaan

    Express News Service
    LUCKNOW: A letter, written by Allahabad University Vice-Chancellor to Prayagraj DM around two weeks ago, has created a flutter in the social circles as it is a complaint about alleged “noise” emanating from a mosque situated in the vicinity of her residence in the Civil Lines area of the city causing noise pollution.

    However, a prominent Muslim cleric of Lucknow Idgah and chairman of the Indian Centre of Islamic Education has reacted to the letter by demanding “mutual respect of religious sentiments of all the communities”.

    The letter with the subject mentioned as “Noise Pollution in the Civil Lines, Prayagraj” was written on March 3 by Prof Sangeeta Srivastava, the recently-appointed VC of Allahabad University. She had addressed the letter to Allahabad DM Bhanu Chandra Goswami expressing her grievance and demanding its redressal.

    She has complained in the letter that the morning Azaan (the call to prayers at 5.30 am) from the nearby mosque is causing noise pollution and disturbance to her sleep.

    “The sleep is so disturbed that it does not resume even after trying very hard. This also results in headaches throughout the day, causing losses in working hours,” the letter read.

    “An old adage — ‘your freedom ends where my nose begins’ — holds true here. I am not against any religion, caste, or creed. They may perform the Azaan without the mike so that others are not disturbed. Even before Eid, they announce Sehri on the mike at 4.00 am. This practice also creates a disturbance toother people. The constitution of India envisages a secular and peaceful co-existence of all communities which needs to be practised in letter and spirit,” says the letter.

    A top police official in Prayagraj confirmed they have received the letter. Prayagraj IG KP Singh said that the letter had reached his notice. 

    “Supreme Court guidelines say that say noise pollution is not permissible between 10 pm to 6 am and no announcements are permitted using public address systems. If this is happening there should be specific permission or else action will be taken. We are studying the letter and will take action to uphold the orders of the Allahabad High Court and the Supreme Court,” said the IG while interacting with media persons. 

    In response to the letter written by the AU V-C, Prayagraj police approached the said mosque and got the volume of the mike reduced so that it did not hinder the sleep of the residents of the Civil Lines area.

    According to Kalim, who manages the mosque, a Sub-Inspector from the local police station had come and told us that due to the high volume of the address system, people of the locality were getting disturbed by the morning ‘Azaan’. ‘So, the volume of the mike was reduced,” he said.

    Meanwhile, the VC came under strong criticism from a prominent Lucknow-based Muslim cleric. In a video message, Maulana Khalid Rasheed Firangi Mahali, a member of the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board, condemned the VC’s letter in strong terms. 

    “Our country is known for Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb and everyone has mutual respect for all religions. As a result, ‘Azaan’ from mosques and sounds of ‘bhajan kirtan’ from temples have not caused disturbance to anyone’s sleep. Mosques are already implementing the orders of the honorable High Court in this regard and so I would appeal that everyone should respect the sentiments of others’ religion.”

  • Minor dies after UP hospital denies post-surgery stitches, child rights body seeks action

    By Express News Service
    LUCKNOW:  The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) on Saturday shot off a notice to the Prayagraj district administration seeking a complete report on the death of a three-year-old girl at a private hospital in Prayagraj on Friday night.

    The girl was handed over to her kin by the doctors of Unity Medicity Hospital without stitching and dressing the wound following abdominal surgery. The minor was left to die by the doctors over non-payment of dues to the tune of Rs 5 lakh by her parents.

    The NCPCR asked the Prayagraj DM Bhanu Chandra Goswami to conduct a detailed inquiry into the case, register an FIR against the culprits under relevant sections of IPC, and recommend strict action against the doctors and staff of the hospital.

    The Commission also recommended compensation to the victim’s family.

    The state government has also ordered an inquiry into the incident, the video clips of which are doing rounds on social media platforms.

    The hospital sources, however, denied the incident while talking to media persons. Frequent calls to the hospital authorities went unanswered.

    The distraught family from Manjahanpur in Kaushambi had recently brought the girl to the Unity Medicity Hospital in Prayagraj after she complained of abdominal pain.

    The case came to light after a Twitter user posted a series of tweets sharing pictures and details of the inhuman treatment meted out to the family. Taking cognizance of the matter, Prayagraj district magistrate Bhanu Chandra Goswami constituted a two-member investigation committee comprising the chief medical officer and additional district magistrate (city) to establish the truth of the matter.

    “As the family belongs to Manjhanpur, the Kaushambi police has sent the body for autopsy to get the exact time and cause of her death,” added the DM. Meanwhile, the video making rounds on social media allegedly shows the minor writhing in pain with a pipe sticking out of her nose while the father is explaining the plight.

    Another disturbing video shows the minor with an open wound and house flies swarming it.