Film director Pradeep Sarkar dies at 67
Mumbai (PTI): Filmmaker Pradeep Sarkar, best known for the movie "Parineeta", passed away at a hospital early on Friday, his wife Panchali said.
He was 67.
The director was admitted to the ICU of Lilavati hospital in suburban Bandra following a fever.
"He passed away between 3.10 am and 3.30 am at Lilavati hospital," his wife told PTI.
He had viral fever on March 22. After administering some medicines his fever subsided but not completely. So he was rushed to the hospital, she said.
"By the time we reached the hospital, his vitals started dropping. He was put on a ventilator in the ICU and was diagnosed with pneumonia. The infection attacked his lungs," the director's wife said.
"According to doctors, he had many comorbidities which weakened his immunity. His blood pressure was fluctuating. Since COVID-19 hit him in July 2022, he was quite weak," Panchali said.
Sarkar made his directorial debut with "Parineeta" in 2005. Some of his other directorial ventures include "Laaga Chunari Mein Daag" (2007), "Lafangey Parindey" (2010), "Mardaani" (2014), and "Helicopter Eela" (2018).
Many celebrities offered their condolences through social media.
Ajay Devgn said he is unable to fathom the news about Sarkar's demise.
"The news of Pradeep Sarkar's demise, 'Dada' to some of us, is still hard to digest. My deepest condolences. My prayers are with the departed and his family. RIP Dada," Devgn wrote.
Filmmaker Hansal Mehta shared a picture of the director on Twitter and wrote, "Pradeep Sarkar. Dada. RIP."
Responding to Mehta's tweet, actor Manoj Bajpayee said he was shocked.
"Ohh! That's so shocking! Rest in peace Dada!!," he said.
Filmmaker Kunal Kohli remembered him as a sweet man. He shared the clip from the song 'Pihu Bole' from the movie "Parineeta" on social media.
"Shocked and sad to hear about Dada Pradeep Sarkar. Really sweet man. Had lovely conversations about cinema with him. RIP Dada. Here's a song from your film to celebrate you and your cinema," he said in the post.
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Telangana CM urges Amit Shah to increase sanctioned strength of IPS officers in state
Hyderabad (PTI): Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Wednesday night and urged him to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state in view of its growing administrative and security needs.
The two leaders also discussed the recent surrender of several senior Maoist leaders before the Telangana Police and other issues.
"During the meeting, the two leaders discussed the issue of Maoist surrenders and their rehabilitation. The chief minister informed Shah that significant improvements in policing have taken place in Telangana over the past two years," an official release here said.
Highlighting that 591 Maoists have laid down their arms and joined the mainstream of society during this period, the chief minister said the state government was providing them compensation and rehabilitation assistance as per the rules.
He requested the Union home minister to extend financial support from the central government for development works in the backward regions of the state.
Reddy also urged Shah to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state from 83 to 105 in line with the state's growing administrative and security needs, the statement said.
The first cadre review after the formation of Telangana was conducted in 2016, while the next review, due in 2021, was delayed and finally carried out in 2025. Even then, only seven additional IPS officers were allocated to the state, the chief minister informed Shah and requested that the third cadre review be conducted in 2026 as per the schedule.
Reddy explained that Telangana, like the rest of the country, is facing several modern challenges, including cybercrime, drug trafficking, white-collar crimes, and other emerging security threats.
He highlighted the reorganisation of the Hyderabad, Cyberabad, and Malkajgiri Police Commissionerates, the proposed formation of the Future City Commissionerate and the rapidly growing population in Hyderabad to underline the increasing administrative requirements of the state.
