Hindu ritual, Islamic prayer held at Gangolli GP premises; BJP leaders allegedly object to ‘Dua’
Udupi: A row has erupted in Gangolli gram panchayat of Kundapura taluk following the conduct of religious prayers during an oath-taking ceremony. The ceremony saw both a Hindu ‘Homa’ ritual performed by the elected Hindu members and a religious prayer by a Muslim cleric.
Byndoor MLA Gururaj Gantihole, along with members of the Hindu Hitha Rakshana Samiti, staged a protest outside the Panchayat office on Friday, condemning the prayer offered by the Moulwi.
During the oath-taking ceremony on Thursday, the designated president and the vice-president allegedly held religious prayers -- “Homa” ritual and a Muslim prayer -- on the gram panchayat premises, as reported by Deccan Herald.
Gantihole, addressing the protest, accused the Congress of forming an alliance with the SDPI and demanded action against the party for conducting religious prayers within the Panchayat building. He criticised the Congress for what he called a lack of ideological commitment, alleging that the party facilitated “illegal activities in government buildings” for political gain.
“On one hand, the Congress calls for banning the SDPI. On the other hand, it has entered into an alliance with the SDPI for coming to power. By compromising their principles for power, the Congress has shown that their priority lies solely in authority,” DH quoted Gantihole as saying.
In the elections held in December for the 33 seats in the Gram Panchayat, the Congress-supported candidates secured 12 seats, BJP-supported candidates won 12, while SDPI-backed candidates won six seats. With the support of the SDPI, the Congress came to power, with Congress-supported candidate Jayanthi Kharvi elected as president and SDPI-supported member Mohammed Tabraz as vice-president.
Reacting to the protest, Mohammed Tabraz defended the prayers, stating, "While president Jayanthi Kharvi held a ‘Homa,’ our religious leader offered a ‘Dua’ for the welfare of the village. However, BJP leaders raised an objection to offering the ‘Dua.’
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Bihar: Over 150 children fall ill after consuming 'mid-day meal' in Saharsa
Saharsa (PTI): More than 150 children were taken ill after allegedly consuming food that was part of the mid-day meal in a school in Bihar’s Saharsa district, a senior official said on Thursday.
The incident occurred at a middle school in Baluaha village of the district.
The official said that 115 children were undergoing treatment at the Sadar Hospital, while around 50 students were admitted to Mahishi Public Health Centre.
“We received information that several children fell ill after consuming the mid-day meal in Baluaha. The children were initially treated at the primary health centre, but later, many were referred to the Sadar Hospital,” Saharsa District Magistrate Deepesh Kumar told reporters.
“According to doctors, the health condition of the children has improved, but they will be kept under observation for some time. There is no need to panic. Some kids are having mild fever. They are being treated accordingly,” Kumar said.
Meanwhile, family members of some children claimed that a snake was found in the container in which cooked pulses was stored at the school.
Of the 545 students present in the school, 200 had already eaten their meals by the time the snake was spotted, and later complained of stomach ache and vomiting, they said.
Regarding the claims, the DM said food samples have been collected from the school.
“We will be able to comment on this only after the results of the tested samples arrive,” he said.
