Kerala govt urges Centre to amend fireworks rules for Thrissur Pooram festival
Thrissur (Kerala) (PTI): The Left government in Kerala has taken strong exception to the recent gazette notification issued by the Centre stipulating certain conditions for conducting fireworks, contending that these would be detrimental to the smooth conduct of the iconic Thrissur Pooram festival.
In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, State Revenue Minister K Rajan expressed that the notification issued by the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry on October 11 has brought "utter disappointment" to Pooram enthusiasts, for whom fireworks are an "integral part" of the festival.
He sought the prime minister's personal intervention to amend the rules in order to allow the Thrissur Pooram to proceed with all its festivities and rituals.
Among other stipulations, Condition No 2 requires that the licensed magazine be located at least 200 metres away from the display site.
Noting that under the Explosive Rules of 2008, the prescribed distance had been 45 metres, the letter stated that the increase in this regard is "quite unnecessary and illogical."
Rajan told PTI that this condition would make it impossible to hold fireworks displays.
He further pointed out that Condition No. 6 of the notification requires the assembly shed to be at least 100 metres away from the display site. As the assembly shed will be empty during the display, he argued that there is no logic in enforcing this distance limit.
The letter also mentioned that Condition No 4 demands a 100-metre distance between spectators and the display area.
"If the condition that the audience must be kept 100 metres away from the barricades of the fire line is enforced, it would make it difficult for spectators to enjoy the fireworks," Rajan said.
He suggested that modifying the distance to 50-70 metres from start to finish would be sufficient.
Speaking to reporters in Thrissur, Rajan alleged that there was an attempt to sabotage the Thrissur Pooram festival and the issue will be brought to the attention of relevant officials in the central government, including those from Thrissur.
Rajan also said that steps will be taken to initiate official communication with the Centre under the leadership of the chief minister on this matter.
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Four booked for tying 18-year-old to tree, beating him up in UP's Pratapgarh
Pratapgarh (UP) (PTI): Four people were booked here for the abduction and assault of a man who they allegedly tied to a tree and beat up, police said on Wednesday.
The incident, a video of which has gone viral, took place on Tuesday afternoon under the Kunda police station limits.
The FIR was registered on Wednesday evening based on a complaint from the victim's father.
According to Keshav Prasad Yadav, a resident of Mauli village, some people called his 18-year-old son Nikhil Yadav on the phone and asked him to come out of his house around 2.30 pm on Tuesday.
As he reached outside the village as instructed, the accused allegedly forced him into a car and took him towards the Tinpedwa forest area, where they tied him to a tree and assaulted, the complainant said.
The attackers also recorded a video of the incident and circulated it on social media. The purported video shows the men thrashing Nikhil one after another, while one of them is assumed to have recorded the act.
Kunda Station House Officer Manoj Pandey confirmed the incident and said efforts are underway to identify and arrest all the accused.
Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav has shared the video on social media, describing the incident as reflective of a "dominant mindset" against the PDA (Pichda or Backward, Dalit, and Alpasankhyak or Minority), and demanded strict action against the accused.
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