Light 'Shri Ram Jyoti' at home on Jan 22 to celebrate Deepawali: PM Modi
Ayodhya (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the whole world is waiting for the historic Ram temple consecration ceremony here on January 22, stressing the strength of "vikas" (development) and "virasat" (heritage) will take the country forward.
He appealed to people to light special diyas -- Shri Ram Jyoti -- in their homes to celebrate the day as 'Deepawali'.
There was a time Lord Ram was "living under a tent", but now he will get a concrete house like the four crore poor who got pucca houses, he said.
The PM was addressing a public meeting after inaugurating a renovated railway station and an airport in the city. He said the strength of "vikas" (development) and "virasat" (heritage) will take the country forward.
While everyone is eager to visit Ayodhya on January 22 only those who have been invited should come on the day and others can follow later on, the prime minister said.
"It is my 'karbaddh prarthana' (prayer with folded hands) because everyone wishes that they (people) themselves should come to Ayodhya to witness the event of January 22, but you also know that it is not possible for everyone."
Speaking after inaugurating and laying foundation of a slew of projects, he said, "There was a time when Ram Lalla was living under a tent right here in Ayodhya. Today not only 'Ram Lalla' has got a pucca house, but four crore poor people of the country have also got a pucca house."
The prime minister said the entire world is eagerly waiting for the historic moment of January 22. "Hence, over-enthusiasm ('atee-utsaah') among the residents of Ayodhya is quite natural. I am a worshipper of every particle of the soil of India and of every person of India. And, I am also eager like you," Modi said.
Addressing the local residents directly, Modi said, "We have to make a new resolution for the country, fill ourselves with new energy. For this, all of you should light Shri Ram Jyoti in your homes on January 22 and celebrate Deepawali. Now people from all over the country and the world will come to Ayodhya every day and this will continue till eternity ('anant kaal').
He also appealed to them to take a pledge to make Ayodhya the cleanest city of India. "This is the responsibility of the residents of Ayodhya."
He also requested people to launch a cleanliness drive at all religious sites and temples across the country from January 14-22.
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Traffic fraud: Fake 'no-entry' sticker racket busted in Delhi, mastermind among 3 held
New Delhi (PTI): Police here have busted a crime syndicate involved in traffic fraud and extortion, arresting three people including the alleged mastermind who sold fake stickers to help commercial vehicles bypass no-entry restrictions, an official said on Saturday.
The police said they dismantled a third organised syndicate linked to traffic-related frauds, with the arrest of Rinku Rana alias Bhushan, his associate Sonu Sharma and Mukesh Kumar alias Pakodi, who was also connected to another extortion syndicate.
According to the police, Rinku Rana was running a well-organised network that facilitated the movement of commercial goods vehicles during restricted hours by selling fake 'marka' or stickers for Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000 per vehicle every month. The stickers were falsely projected as authorisation to evade traffic challans.
During raids, the police recovered Rs 31 lakh in cash, property documents worth several crores of rupees, over 500 fake stickers and six mobile phones allegedly used to operate the syndicate.
The crackdown followed a complaint filed by a traffic police officer in April this year after a commercial vehicle tried to evade checking by producing a fake sticker claiming exemption from enforcement action.
Investigation revealed that social media groups were being used to coordinate the illegal movement of vehicles and alert drivers about traffic police checkpoints, police said.
"A parallel system was being run to cheat drivers and vehicle owners while undermining traffic enforcement. On the basis of evidence, provisions related to organised crime under the BNS were invoked," a senior police officer said.
Sonu Sharma, the police said, managed social media groups through which stickers were sold and real-time alerts were circulated regarding traffic police movement. He also acted as a link between Rana and drivers operating in the field.
In a related development, Mukesh Kumar alias Pakodi, an associate of Rajkumar alias Raju Meena, who was earlier arrested under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), was also apprehended.
Mukesh allegedly helped extort money from transporters and was involved in blackmailing traffic police personnel by recording enforcement actions, the police said.
Investigators alleged the syndicate led by Rajkumar deployed drivers to deliberately violate traffic rules and secretly record police officials during challans, later using manipulated videos to extort money under threat of false allegations.
The police said that in total, eight accused belonging to three different organised crime syndicates linked to traffic frauds and extortion have been arrested so far.
Further investigation is underway to trace the remaining members, conduct financial probes, and analyse digital evidence recovered during the raids, officials added.
