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Mangaluru: City Police Commissioner N. Shashikumar accompanied by other police officials visited the Recycle Restaurant on Tuesday morning and conducted an inquiry concerning Monday night’s incident. 

The Commissioner who addressed the media after the restaurant visit said, “There is no connection between the obscene video of students and this pub case. The Recycle Restaurant Pub had been operating for many years. On Monday around 9 pm, four to five youngsters belonging to an organization had visited the pub. They informed the pub’s bouncer Dinesh that a minor boy and girl were at the venue. Following this, the manager went inside and inspected the pub. At the time, there were some local college students at the pub”, he informed. 

“The students went outside after being told to do so by the manager. According to the bouncer’s statement, the activists from the organization did not go inside the pub but rather stayed outside and spoke from there. CCTV footage will be inspected concerning this, and appropriate action will be taken in this regard. The statements of the Pub’s manager and bouncer have already been obtained. Outsiders are not allowed to ask for an ID or license. After reviewing this aspect, appropriate legal action will be undertaken in this regard”, he said.  

The incident surrounding an obscene video of college students which occurred earlier in the city and the students involved in this pub case is unrelated. The students at the pub were all final-year degree students. According to the Pub’s rule, individuals aged 21 and above are allowed to enter the venue. Therefore, after obtaining more information on the issue, legal action will be undertaken”, he informed. 

DCP Anshu Kumar, ACP Parameshwar Hegde, CCB Inspector Mahesh Pasaad, and Inspector Raghavendra Baindur were present.

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Noida: India TV editor-in-chief Rajat Sharma has drawn sharp criticism on social media following remarks he made on air attributing Delhi’s air pollution partly to its geographical location and the Aravalli hill range.

Speaking during a recent episode of his prime-time show Aaj Ki Baat, Sharma said Delhi’s geography plays a major role in trapping polluted air.

“Geographical location is the main reason. Delhi is a big city and its shape is like a bowl, surrounded by the Aravalli hills on three sides. As a result, polluted air gets trapped and cannot disperse easily. Therefore, the problem of pollution in Delhi cannot be solved in one year or in any particular season,” he said.

His comments came amid a severe deterioration in air quality in the national capital. On Sunday morning, December 21, Delhi woke up to a thick blanket of toxic smog, sharply reducing visibility and causing widespread discomfort. The overall Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 390 around 7 a.m., placing it in the ‘very poor’ category, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

Dense fog and smog also disrupted flight operations at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA). As many as 110 flights were cancelled, while over 370 flights were delayed due to poor visibility. Of the cancelled services, 59 were arriving flights and 51 were departures. Flight-tracking website Flightradar24 showed that departing flights faced an average delay of around 26 minutes.

Netizens troll Sharma

One user wrote on X, “Rajat Sharma is saying due to the Aravalli hills, there is air pollution in Delhi. He is defending mining and destroying the Aravalli hills like this. How can these people call themselves journalists?”

Another user accused him of political hypocrisy, comparing his earlier criticism of the Delhi government with his current remarks, and wrote, “In 2023 he blamed Arvind Kejriwal for Delhi air pollution. In 2025, he is blaming the Aravalli hills because BJP is in power. Hypocrisy = 100%, Journalism = 00%.”

Others termed the comments an example of the “godi media” narrative, alleging that geography was being blamed instead of governance, industrial emissions, vehicular pollution, construction dust, and stubble burning. “When they fail to question power or policy, they conveniently shift the blame to nature,” another post read.

“Friends, what can one even say about today’s godi media? According to them, the reason for Delhi’s pollution is that the Aravalli hills surround the city from three sides, trapping polluted air inside. Seriously? So now Sudhir Chaudhary and Rajat Sharma want us to believe that nature itself is to blame? When they fail to question power or policy, they conveniently shift the blame to geography. Apparently, it’s not years of environmental destruction or administrative failure—it’s the Aravalli hills! Does this explanation make any sense at all?,” wrote another.

What is the Aravali issue?

The controversy arises over the Union government’s revised definition of what constitutes the Aravalli hills.

The decision has drawn protests involving environmental activists across Haryana, Rajasthan, and parts of the Delhi-NCR region, who have raised concerns that the new definition could weaken protection for one of the world’s oldest mountain ranges.

Under the revised definition, an “Aravalli hill” is described as any landform in designated Aravalli districts with an elevation of 100 metres or more above local relief, while an “Aravalli range” is defined as a cluster of two or more such hills within 500 metres of each other. Activists fear this could open the door for mining, construction, and commercial activities in previously protected areas.

Environmentalists argue that the Aravalli range serves as a natural barrier against desertification, dust storms, and pollution, and plays a vital role in maintaining ecological balance in the Delhi-NCR region.

They have demanded that the entire Aravalli range be declared a fully protected area with strict conservation measures.

Meanwhile, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav has stated that the new definition, accepted by the Supreme Court based on a Centre-led panel’s recommendations, would not result in any relaxation of mining norms in the Aravalli region.

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