UP: Journalist, wife consume poison on camera over 'harassment' by SDM, two others
_vb_24.jpeg)
Pilibhit (UP) (PTI): A local journalist and his wife here posted a video on social media accusing a sub-divisional magistrate, a nagar panchayat chairman and a contractor of harassment and consumed poison on camera on Thursday, police said.
According to officers from Barkheda police station, Israr alleged in the video that they were driven to taking the extreme step due to ongoing harassment by Bisalpur sub-divisional magistrate Nagendra Pandey, Barkheda nagar panchayat chairman Shyam Bihari Bhojwal and contractor Moin Hussain.
The couple was rushed to the district hospital, where Israr is said to be out of danger while his wife is in a critical condition, an officer said.
In the purported video, Israr claimed that he had recently published a news report on an alleged corruption in the Barkheda nagar panchayat, which he claimed caught the attention of the Chief Minister's Office.
Following this, Israr said he began to be harassed. Hussain, Bhojwal and Pandey continuously threatened the family and falsely implicated them in a case, he claimed.
"We are drinking poison and ending our lives. Yogi ji, we need justice," Israr said in the video.
Responding to the viral video, sub-divisional magistrate Pandey told media that he has directed the Barkheda Station House Officer to investigate the matter.
He dismissed the allegations as "baseless" and claimed "there is no such issue."
Bisalpur Circle Officer Prateek Dahiya told reporters that the police are conducting a thorough investigation from all angles.
Meanwhile, Bhojwal, in his statement to the press, said that he has no involvement in the incident.
"I have come to know about the incident, but I have nothing to do with it. There may have been some dispute with the contractor," he said.
Contractor Hussain defended himself by claiming that Israr had visited one of his construction sites on May 18 and allegedly demanded Rs 15,000, and threatened to publish a negative news report if his demand was not met.
Hussain claimed that Israr used abusive language and issued death threats.
He added that he had filed a complaint with the police following the incident.
The couple's family members claimed that Israr and his wife were facing continuous harassment. They accused Pandey, Bhojwal and Hussain of issuing threats and framing them in false cases, with the police also being allegedly complicit.
The family demanded that a case be registered against the three individuals named in the video.
(Assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts is available on the state’s health helpline 104, Tele-MANAS 14416.)
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Mumbai-Pune Expressway connecting link now fully operational
Mumbai (PTI): The Mumbai-bound carriageway of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway connecting link was opened to vehicular traffic on Saturday noon after a delay caused by the dismantling of inauguration infrastructure and cleaning work, a day after the Pune section became operational.
The 13.3 km-long "missing link", which bypasses a section of the Bhor Ghat stretch of the expressway and cuts travel time between Mumbai and Pune by 25 to 30 minutes, was inaugurated a day earlier by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in the presence of Deputy CMs Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar.
The Pune-bound carriageway of the corridor was opened to traffic immediately; however, the Mumbai-bound section remained closed to traffic for several hours after the inauguration.
An official of the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation told PTI on Saturday that the opening of the Mumbai-bound carriageway was delayed mainly due to the dismantling of the inauguration infrastructure and cleaning work.
The removal of the stage and other decorations was completed in the morning. The work to load and transport the material slightly delayed the opening of the carriageway.
Vehicular movement on the carriageway began after all the remaining material was cleared and road cleaning was completed, the official added.
The expressway control room said that despite significant vehicular movement, the access-controlled highway has not witnessed any major traffic snarls since Friday evening, after the Pune-bound carriageway of the missing link was opened to traffic.
The Missing Link project connects Khopoli (in Raigad) on the Mumbai side to Kusgaon near Lonavala in Pune district and is expected to make the expressway fully access-controlled, easing congestion in the ghat section.
Developed by the MSRDC and dubbed an "engineering marvel", the project includes two tunnels, two viaducts and a cable-stayed bridge over Tiger Valley. It bypasses the steep, accident-prone ghat section, where frequent traffic snarls are reported during weekends and on public holidays.
