Flags in Mauritius at half mast in Vajpayee's honour
Port Louis, Aug 17: In an unprecedented gesture, the government of Mauritius will fly both the Mauritian and Indian national flags at half mast on Friday in honour of former Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
"Following the passing away of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the government has decided that both the Mauritius and India flags will remain at half mast from sunrise to sunset on Friday," a directive issued by the office of Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth said.
"An appeal is also being made to the private sector for ll flags to be flown at half mast during the same period," it said.
Vajpayee passed away in Delhi on Thursday at the age of 93 after prolonged illness.
Around 68 per cent of Mauritius's population of nearly 1.3 million are of Indian descent. Many are descendants of Indian indentured labour brought to work on sugarcane plantations on the Indian Ocean island nation in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
In a condolence message to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Jugnauth said that Vajpayee "shaped the destiny of India through his bold leadership and his deep-rooted empathy for the common man".
"Today, as India shines as a beacon of progress and development on the global stage, we cannot forget the strong and able stewardship of Vajpayee," Jugnauth stated.
"His was a leadership characterised by determination, perseverance, fairness and equity."
Jugnauth also recalled Vajpayee's deep affection for Mauritius and its people and said that "we were honoured to receive him in March 2000 as chief guest at the National Day celebrations and whenever he visited Mauritius".
"Mauritius mourns the loss of a man who stood not only for India but also for Mauritius," he said.
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Bengaluru: Four arrested for housebreaking, threats, extortion; fake PSI among accused
Bengaluru: Vidyaranyapura police have arrested four persons, including a man posing as a Police Sub-Inspector (PSI), for allegedly breaking into a house, threatening the occupants, and extorting money while wearing police uniforms.
The arrested accused have been identified as Mallikarjuna, Pramod, Vinay, and Hrithik.
Police said the accused had hatched a plan to pose as police personnel, conduct fake raids, and extort money from residents by intimidation.
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According to the police, Mallikarjuna had failed the PSI examination twice and later falsely projected himself as a PSI. He allegedly conducted photo shoots in his hometown, Siraguppa, wearing a police uniform, baton, cap, and shoes, claiming to be serving as a PSI in Bengaluru.
On December 7, the four accused allegedly went to the house of Naveen in the Vidyaranyapura limits, threatened him with a stick and an iron rod, and claimed they had information that he was selling ganja. Under the pretext of searching, they allegedly extorted ₹87,000 through bank transfer, ₹53,000 in cash kept in the house, and ₹2,000 from his wallet.
Following Naveen’s complaint, Vidyaranyapura police registered a case and launched an operation, leading to the arrest of all four accused. Police have seized ₹45,000 in cash and the car used to commit the crime.
Further investigation is underway.
