IPS officer’s instruction to ''break legs'' of Odisha Cong protesters sparks row
Bhubaneswar (PTI): An IPS officer of the Odisha cadre has allegedly instructed police personnel to "break legs" of some Congress workers and assured them of "rewards" for their action, prompting the opposition party in the state to condemn such a remark.
The controversy erupted after a purported video, in which Bhubaneswar Additional Police Commissioner Narasingha Bhol was seen instructing police personnel to "break their legs and take reward from me" during a Congress workers' protest, went viral.
PTI could not verify the authenticity of the video independently.
His alleged instruction came during a protest rally by Congress activists on Sunday night over the Puri stampede that left three people dead.
The Congress activists were holding a demonstration before the chief minister’s residence, alleging that there were lapses in crowd management, which led to the stampede incident.
In the viral video, Bhol was seen instructing the police personnel guarding barbed fencing near the CM’s residence not to allow anyone to breach the barricade.
Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Bhakta Charan Das said, “This is highly condemnable. This shows the BJP government’s attitude towards protesters. They (BJP) are criticising the emergency even after 50 years, but now a senior officer is instructing police personnel to break the legs of protesters. Is this a democracy?”
Das also accused Bhol of instigating Congress activists earlier during a rally in Bhubaneswar.
As his remarks stirred controversy, Bhol said that he urged the police personnel to perform their duties properly.
"I was briefing the personnel to take action against protesters if they take the law into their hands, and resort to violence and unlawful activities," Bhol said.
Youth Congress leader Yashir Nawaz said that they were holding a peaceful demonstration, demanding action against those responsible for the Puri stampede.
"The Congress was also demanding the resignation of the chief minister and the law minister. But, Bhol’s instruction to the police personnel is anti-democratic and highly condemnable," he said.
Three people were killed and around 50 others injured in the stampede during the Rath Yatra festivities in Puri on Sunday.
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IndiGo flight makes emergency landing in Raipur after passenger falls unconscious onboard
Raipur (PTI): A Kolkata-Pune IndiGo flight made an emergency landing at Swami Vivekananda Airport in Chhattisgarh capital Raipur on Thursday after a woman passenger suffered a medical emergency mid-air, officials said.
After the passenger lost consciousness during the journey, the flight crew immediately alerted Air Traffic Control (ATC) and sought urgent medical assistance, following which a decision was taken to land the aircraft in Raipur, an airport statement said.
"Flight 6E-135 was diverted and landed safely at the Raipur airport at around 12 noon. Upon landing, a medical team arranged by the Airports Authority of India provided first aid to the passenger. She was later shifted to a nearby hospital by ambulance for further treatment," it said.
After completion of necessary procedures and the situation normalised, the flight resumed its journey to Pune at around 1 pm, an official said.
The entire operation was handled swiftly and in a coordinated manner, ensuring passenger safety and minimal disruption, he added.
