HP govt spending public money on PM's rally: Congress
Dharamshala, Dec 25: Congress leader and former state minister Sudhir Sharma alleged Tuesday the Himachal Pradesh government took Rs 25 lakhs from cement companies for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally to be held here on December 27.
He said 14,000 buses were being arranged to provide free travel to the people to attend the rally that will cost around Rs 2.50 crores to the state exchequer.
The rally in Dharamshala is being organised to celebrate the completion of one year of the BJP government in Himachal.
"The BJP is saying that only Rs 57 lakh has been spent on the rally and that too from the party fund, but the government has spent Rs 70 lakh only to set up the main stage of the event," Sharma claimed.
No BJP leader was available for comments.
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FIR against five students of Pune law college for ‘ragging’ junior
Pune (PTI): Police have registered a case against five students of a reputed law college in Pune for allegedly ragging a junior, more than a year after he first approached the institution authorities with a complaint.
A first information report (FIR) was registered on Saturday against the students under the Maharashtra Prohibition of Ragging Act at Deccan police station, officials said on Sunday.
While the college initially investigated the matter, the complainant was not satisfied. He escalated it through the University Grants Commission's (UGC) anti-ragging mechanism and made repeated follow-ups, as per the FIR.
The complainant, then a first-year LLB student, alleged sustained mental harassment, intimidation and ragging inside the hostel. The accused were a year senior to him.
According to the FIR, the harassment began after he objected to smoking on the premises. He alleged repeated verbal abuse and psychological harassment, including being locked in his room, eggs being thrown at his door and gutka being spat outside.
He also claimed loud music was played at night to disturb him and that he was at times restricted from moving freely in the hostel, including accessing the washrooms. The student said the incidents led to social isolation, severe mental distress and affected his academic performance.
College authorities said the matter dates back to 2024 and arose from disputes among hostel residents. They said the institute acted in accordance with UGC anti-ragging guidelines after receiving the complaint. A detailed report was also submitted to the UGC, they said.
“The institute’s anti-ragging committee conducted a probe, but prima facie, no evidence of ragging was established. Since the allegations were not substantiated, no action was warranted. Had any instance of ragging been proved, immediate disciplinary action would have been taken,” the authorities said.
The student first approached the college in October 2024 and later contacted the UGC anti-ragging helpline. Since he was not satisfied with the internal inquiry, he pursued the matter with supporting documents, following which the case was registered, according to the police.
A senior police official said the case was registered after taking cognisance of the facts placed before them.
“The investigation is in progress, and due legal procedure will be followed. Further action will be taken based on the findings,” he said.
