Para Shooting World Cup 2022: Avani Lekhara clinches second gold
New Delhi, Jun 11: Young Paralympic champion Avani Lekhara continued her rich vein of form to clinch her second gold medal at the ongoing Chateauroux 2022 World Shooting Para Sport World Cup in France on Saturday.
Lekhara shot 458.3 in the R8 - Women's 50m Rifle 3 Positions SH1 finals to take the gold ahead of experienced Paralympic stars Veronica Vadovicova (456.6) of Slovakia and Sweden's Anna Normann (441.9).
Vadovicova and Normann took the silver and bronze respectively.
The promising shooter from Rajasthan made a slow start to the finals but quickly got back her rhythm to produce consistent shots, including over 10 scores in the last three rounds, to emerge the winner.
The 20-year-old Lekhara has already won the R2 - Women's 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1 gold with a world record effort on Day 1, and ensured India a quota for Paris 2024 Paralympics Games.
Another youngster to shine on the day was Rubina Francis, who claimed her second individual medal in consecutive days. Francis settled for the bronze shooting 213.1 in the P2 - Women's 10m Air Pistol SH1 finals, as Turkey's Aysel Ozgan clinched the gold with a world record effort of 240.0.
Ozgan's fellow shooter from Turkey, Aysegul Pehlivanlar (236.7) claimed the silver medal.
Another 🥇 for @AvaniLekhara in #Chateauroux2022!
— #ShootingParaSport (@ShootingPara) June 11, 2022
What a performance from the Indian superstar 🤩
She managed an impressive comeback to take the World Cup title from a very experienced Veronika Vadovicova 🇸🇰.#ShootingParaSport pic.twitter.com/aDE2X6Ld4P
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UP Cong holds statewide protest seeking probe into FIR against Swami Avimukteshwaranand
Lucknow (PTI): The Uttar Pradesh Congress on Wednesday staged a statewide protest demanding a fair and transparent inquiry into the FIR lodged against Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati and those who filed the complaint against him.
In a statement issued here, the party said memorandums addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi were submitted through district magistrates in all districts of the state.
Uttar Pradesh Congress spokesperson Manish Hindvi told PTI that the memorandums were handed over through the district administration in all 75 districts.
In the memorandum, the party alleged that Saraswati and his disciples were "unnecessarily harassed and humiliated" by police on the occasion of Amavasya and were prevented from taking a ritual bath (at the Magh Mela). It further alleged that some disciples were manhandled and taken to a police station.
The memorandum also claimed that an FIR was later registered against Saraswati, his disciple Swami Mukundanand Brahmachari and several unidentified persons in a sexual harassment case. It termed the case a "conspiracy" aimed at tarnishing the seer's reputation.
Citing Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution, the memorandum stated that these provisions guarantee religious freedom and the right of religious denominations to manage their own affairs.
It described the position of shankaracharya held by Saraswati as "one of the highest spiritual posts in Sanatan tradition" and alleged that the entire episode appeared to have been "orchestrated in a planned manner".
"We request that the background of the persons who got the FIR registered be investigated in a transparent manner by a retired high court judge and strict action be taken against them," the memorandum said.
It also sought a "fair and transparent probe" into the allegations levelled against Saraswati so that the truth could be established.
Earlier, Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai had told reporters in Varanasi after meeting Saraswati that the party stood firmly with him.
The Congress said it would continue to press for an impartial inquiry into the entire episode.
On February 21, an FIR was lodged in Prayagraj against Saraswati and his disciple Mukundanand Brahmachari on charges of sexually abusing two persons, including a minor, over the past year at a gurukul and religious congregations, including the recently concluded Magh Mela.
Days after he was booked, Saraswati had said on Monday that he would not oppose his arrest and asserted that the "fabricated story" would be exposed sooner or later.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Saraswati alleged that criminals rule in Uttar Pradesh, level allegations and influence investigations, as he denied having any contact with the two persons for whose alleged sexual abuse he has been booked.
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