BJP workers booked for attack on journalist Nikhil Wagle's car in Pune
Pune (PTI): The Pune police on Saturday registered a case against some workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for allegedly attacking journalist Nikhil Wagle's car and booked the latter for alleged violation of prohibitory orders.
BJP workers staged a protest over Wagle's alleged remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and LK Advani after the ruling party patriarch was awarded the Bharat Ratna.
They threw ink on the car in which Wagle and two others, Aseem Sarode and Vishwambhar Choudhary, were travelling under police protection to the 'Nirbhay Bano' event organised by Rashtra Seva Dal in the Singhad Road area on Friday, police had said.
Based on a complaint lodged by a woman, a first information report (FIR) was registered at Parvati police station under sections 147 (rioting), 336 (causing grievous hurt by an act endangering life or personal safety) and other relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code, an official said.
The FIR states that the complainant and a few others were protecting Wagle's car even as some BJP workers allegedly hurled stones at the vehicle and injured them, he said.
A case has also been registered against Wagle and the city unit presidents of the BJP, Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress for allegedly violating section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), he said.
"A case has been registered against them as the event was being held without police permission," said Sambhaji Kadam, deputy commissioner of police.
Earlier, a case was registered against Wagle for allegedly making offensive remarks against the PM and Advani.
Wagle has been booked under sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups), 500 (defamation) and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief) of the IPC at Vishrambaug police station.
According to the police, senior BJP leader Sunil Deodhar had filed a complaint against the 64-year-old journalist on Tuesday over his controversial comments.
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Heavy rain, hailstorms likely to lash Uttarakhand on Tuesday; IMD issues warning
Dehradun/Pithoragarh (PTI): The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a warning for heavy rain and hailstorms across several districts of Uttarakhand on Tuesday, as temperatures remained markedly below normal in the region.
Heavy rainfall is likely at isolated places in Dehradun, Haridwar, Tehri, Pauri, Nainital, Champawat, and Udham Singh Nagar districts. Most places across all districts are expected to receive light to moderate rain or thunderstorms, while higher reaches are likely to witness snowfall, officials said on Monday.
The weather department warned of thunderstorms accompanied by lightning, hail and intense spells of rain in six districts, including Dehradun and Nainital. Gusty winds with speeds reaching 40-50 kmph are also expected at isolated locations in these areas and other hilly districts.
In the state capital, Dehradun, the sky is forecast to remain partly cloudy with light rain and thunderstorms accompanied by gusty winds of 30-40 kmph.
The maximum and minimum temperatures in the city are expected to hover around 31 degrees Celsius and 19 degrees Celsius, respectively.
Maximum temperatures during the past 24 hours remained markedly below normal in the hills and appreciably below normal in the plains. While no significant change in temperature is expected over the next 2-3 days, the IMD predicts a rise of 3-5 degrees Celsius during the subsequent 3-4 days.
Rainfall was recorded in several areas after 8.30 am today, with Ramnagar receiving 31.5 mm and Nainital recording 26.5 mm. Other areas, including Pithoragarh, Khatima and Champawat, also reported moderate precipitation.
Authorities have stopped a batch of 36 Adi Kailash pilgrims at the Dharchula base camp and placed the high-altitude yatra route on high alert following heavy rains and hailstorms in the district on Monday.
Dharchula SDM Ashish Joshi said the pilgrimage was halted due to adverse weather conditions. The issuance of new inner-line passes has been suspended until the weather normalises.
With 1,700 passes issued so far, pilgrims already at higher camps are being monitored for safety, the official added.
