500-year-old graveyard, mosque demolished near Somnath temple
Somnath: A mosque, dargah, and a 500-year-old graveyard were demolished in Gujarat’s Gir Somnath district on September 28, despite a recent Supreme Court order prohibiting such actions without prior approval. This demolition is part of an "anti-encroachment drive" aimed at clearing illegal constructions around the Somnath temple, which is undergoing a development project.
Ten days prior to the demolitions, the Supreme Court issued a directive halting all demolitions across India unless sanctioned by the court, with exceptions for public land. The Gujarat administration, however, proceeded with the demolition, drawing significant criticism for ignoring the court's ruling.
The operation has been described as the largest in the region's history, involving around 36 bulldozers and extensive heavy machinery, including JCBs and dumpers. Authorities have mobilized a force of 1,200 police personnel to ensure the operation's smooth execution.
Seventy individuals were detained from the religious site for causing obstruction to the operation.
This is from #GirSomnath, #Gujarat.
— Hate Detector š (@HateDetectors) September 29, 2024
On September 28, bulldozers were used to demolish mosques, graveyards, and dargahs, reportedly violating #SupremeCourt orders.
Starting at 4 AM, a 500-year-old graveyard, dargah, and mosque in Prabhas Patan Veraval were destroyed. pic.twitter.com/VzQH62NAFV
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Traffic fraud: Fake 'no-entry' sticker racket busted in Delhi, mastermind among 3 held
New Delhi (PTI): Police here have busted a crime syndicate involved in traffic fraud and extortion, arresting three people including the alleged mastermind who sold fake stickers to help commercial vehicles bypass no-entry restrictions, an official said on Saturday.
The police said they dismantled a third organised syndicate linked to traffic-related frauds, with the arrest of Rinku Rana alias Bhushan, his associate Sonu Sharma and Mukesh Kumar alias Pakodi, who was also connected to another extortion syndicate.
According to the police, Rinku Rana was running a well-organised network that facilitated the movement of commercial goods vehicles during restricted hours by selling fake 'marka' or stickers for Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000 per vehicle every month. The stickers were falsely projected as authorisation to evade traffic challans.
During raids, the police recovered Rs 31 lakh in cash, property documents worth several crores of rupees, over 500 fake stickers and six mobile phones allegedly used to operate the syndicate.
The crackdown followed a complaint filed by a traffic police officer in April this year after a commercial vehicle tried to evade checking by producing a fake sticker claiming exemption from enforcement action.
Investigation revealed that social media groups were being used to coordinate the illegal movement of vehicles and alert drivers about traffic police checkpoints, police said.
"A parallel system was being run to cheat drivers and vehicle owners while undermining traffic enforcement. On the basis of evidence, provisions related to organised crime under the BNS were invoked," a senior police officer said.
Sonu Sharma, the police said, managed social media groups through which stickers were sold and real-time alerts were circulated regarding traffic police movement. He also acted as a link between Rana and drivers operating in the field.
In a related development, Mukesh Kumar alias Pakodi, an associate of Rajkumar alias Raju Meena, who was earlier arrested under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), was also apprehended.
Mukesh allegedly helped extort money from transporters and was involved in blackmailing traffic police personnel by recording enforcement actions, the police said.
Investigators alleged the syndicate led by Rajkumar deployed drivers to deliberately violate traffic rules and secretly record police officials during challans, later using manipulated videos to extort money under threat of false allegations.
The police said that in total, eight accused belonging to three different organised crime syndicates linked to traffic frauds and extortion have been arrested so far.
Further investigation is underway to trace the remaining members, conduct financial probes, and analyse digital evidence recovered during the raids, officials added.
