Togadia ends 'indefinite fast' on health grounds
Gandhinagar, April 19: Citing health reasons, former VHP leader Pravin Togadia on Thursday called off his "indefinite fast" and said he will now travel across the country to build pressure vis-a-vis his demands, including building a grand Ram Temple at Ayodhya.
Togadia had begun his fast here on Tuesday in support of the Ram Temple and other issues.
Togadia, a diabetic, said there was deterioration in his health and hence he was calling off his hunger strike.
"I am calling off my fast at the insistence of 'sants' who called on me. They have also asked me to resolve to work for the welfare of Hindus."
The former Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader lost three kg in weight. Doctors present at the fast venue feared that his kidneys could be affected due to fasting and require hospitalisation.
Togadia was demanding that Parliament pass a law to facilitate the construction of a grand Ram Temple at the site of the former Babri Masjid in Uttar Pradesh.
He said he will also campaign for an end to debt of farmers, employment for youths and women welfare.
"I will begin to travel across the country from this weekend," he said, adding he also wanted a ban on cow slaughter, revocation of Article 370 of the Constitution and resettlement of Kashmiri Pandits who displaced in the Valley.
Taking a jibe at the Modi government, Togadia said: "Those elected in 2014 have performed worst than those who ruled before 2014. I will work to build an alternative that works to meet the aspirations of the people."
He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi "should, instead of travelling abroad, visit the homes of people" in the country.
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Punjab: Two shooters, 5 others arrested in AAP sarpanch murder case
Chandigarh (PTI): Punjab Police on Monday said it has arrested two shooters and five other accused in the murder case of an AAP sarpanch who was killed at a wedding in Amritsar on January 4.
The two shooters -- Sukhraj Singh alias Ganga from Patti in Tarn Taran district and Karamjit Singh from Gurdaspur district -- were arrested from Raipur in Chhattisgarh on Sunday in coordination with the local police and central agencies, Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav told reporters here.
The two were produced before a court in Raipur and taken into custody after obtaining transit remand. They are being brought to Amritsar for further investigation, he said.
The other five arrested accused, who were part of the support and logistical module, were arrested from Punjab, the DGP said.
Jharmal Singh, sarpanch of Valthoa village in Tarn Taran, was shot dead at the wedding at point-blank range.
CCTV footage showed the two shooters walking into the wedding venue, one of them pulling out a gun and firing at Singh's head before fleeing the spot. Singh was rushed to a hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries.
Soon after the incident, the AAP government drew flak from the opposition over alleged deteriorating law and order in Punjab, with the BJP demanding Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's resignation.
