2 Indian students killed, 2 seriously injured in car crash in Ireland
London, Feb 2 (PTI): Two Indian students in their 20s have been killed and two others remain in hospital with serious injuries after the car they were travelling in struck a tree in County Carlow, southern Ireland, according to the Irish police.
Cherekuri Suresh Chowdary and Chithoori Bhargav were pronounced dead at the scene of the fatal road collision early on Friday morning by the local Gardai, or police, and emergency services.
The Indian Embassy in the Irish capital of Dublin issued a condolence message on social media on Sunday.
“Embassy of India in Dublin conveys its deepest condolences on the sad demise of two Indian nationals Mr. Cherekuri Suresh Chowdary and Mr. Chithoori Bhargav in a car accident in Co. Carlow,” the embassy stated.
“The Embassy team is in touch with the family and friends of the deceased and also extending all possible support and assistance to two Indian nationals injured in the accident,” it added.
“A black Audi A6 was travelling towards Carlow town when it traversed the road and hit a tree at Graiguenaspiddoge,” said Superintendent Anthony Farrell from Carlow garda station.
“The car is believed to have travelled from the direction of the Mount Leinster area, through Fenagh and on to Carlow… All of those in the car are part of our Indian community living together in Carlow town. Our sincere sympathies are extended to the community at this time,” he said.
The two other passengers of the car, a man and a woman aged in their 20s, were taken to St. Luke’s General Hospital in Kilkenny with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
“Gardaí are aware of a number of images being posted on social media following the collision. It is not helpful to the Garda investigation but more importantly to a family and friends who are mourning the loss of a loved one. I would ask those people to take the images down immediately,” added Superintendent Farrell.
According to ‘The Irish Times’, the four friends had been sharing a house in the local area and had recently finished third-level education at South East Technological University (SETU) in Carlow. One of them is said to have been working in the local pharmaceutical company MSD. A fundraiser for expenses related to funeral costs and related expenses raised more than EURO 25,000 in less than 24 hours.
In an online post, organiser Venkat Vuppala said: “We are deeply saddened by the untimely passing of Bhargav Chitturi and Suresh Cherukuri. It is with great sorrow that we announce the tragic car accident on January 31st at Carlow, that claimed the lives of these two Indian students from SETU Carlow.
“In this challenging period, we aim to unite in support of their families to help cover funeral costs and other financial challenges they may encounter.”
Speaking in Cork, Irish Taoiseach (PM) Micheál Martin said he was “shocked” by news of the crash.
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Bengal govt directs schools to mandatorily include singing of Vande Mataram in morning assemblies
Kolkata (PTI): The West Bengal government has directed all state-run and aided schools to mandatorily include the singing of Vande Mataram during morning assemblies with immediate effect, according to an official communication issued by the School Education department.
The directive states that every student must participate in the singing the national song at the start of the school day. Heads of institutions have been instructed to ensure strict compliance.
"The singing of Vande Mataram during morning assembly prayers prior to the start of classes should be made mandatory so that Vande Mataram should be sung by all students in all schools in the state with immediate effect," the Director of Education specified in a communication to state-run and state-aided school heads on May 13.
The move comes shortly after the Union government initiated steps to strengthen provisions related to respect for national symbols, including a proposed amendment to the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, making obstruction to the singing of Vande Mataram a punishable offence.
A school education department official indicated on Thursday that the song is to be performed at the beginning of the assembly session.
School authorities have also been asked to document the proceedings, including video recordings, as proof of implementation, he said.
Earlier, schools in the state traditionally sang only the national anthem, Jana Gana Mana, composed by Rabindranath Tagore.
In recent years, the previous TMC government had introduced 'Banglar Mati Banglar Jol', also penned by Tagore in 1905 during protests against the partition of Bengal, as the state song.
The national song Vande Mataram, written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, now adds to the list, raising questions among sections of teachers about the duration and sequencing of both the national anthem and the national song within the limited assembly time.
Headmaster of Hindu School Subhrojit Dutta told PTI, "Once our students attend classes after summer vacation, they will sing Vande Mataram along with the National anthem Jana Gana Mana during the assembly before classes."
"Our students had already been told about the historical significance of Vande Mataram on the occasion of its 150th year, and they had been asked to recite the lines and memorise it at home before this notice was issued. So once they join school, they will sing the national song along with the national anthem," he added.
A left-run teacher representative body spokesperson said further clarity is awaited regarding whether all songs are to be sung daily and how they are to be accommodated within the existing schedule.
