Meerut (UP): Barely a week after the installation of a statue honoring world champion javelin thrower and Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra, a portion of the javelin held in the statue's hand has reportedly been stolen.

The discovery was made on Monday morning by social activist Lokesh Khurana, who subsequently called for an inquiry into the matter. Khurana stated, "The part is either broken or stolen. If it has been stolen, efforts on a war footing should be made to trace the same, and if it is broken, an inquiry should immediately be ordered to fix responsibility."

The Meerut police have initiated an investigation, and teams have been formed to resolve the issue. However, despite preliminary indications of a robbery, no significant progress has been reported thus far.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rohit Singh Sajwan stated, "We are going through all available CCTV footage in the area to track down the culprits and are hopeful to nab the miscreants soon." As of now, no official First Information Report (FIR) has been filed regarding the incident.

The statue was erected on August 29 by the Meerut Development Authority (MDA) to honor Neeraj Chopra's accomplishments at the Tokyo Olympics and the world athletic event in Budapest. The Hapur Adda intersection is home to statues of other renowned Olympians.

Abhishek Pandey, Vice Chairman of the MDA, commented, "I am not aware of the incident, but if it is true, then the MDA will re-install the missing portion of the javelin."

Anuj Singhal, Chief of the Surajkund Sports Vyapar Sangh, expressed his disappointment, saying, "If the javelin has been stolen, it is a shame on us as Meerut is known for producing and exporting sports goods across the world. We have seen a record rise in the sale of javelins since 25-year-old Neeraj Chopra earned laurels for the country in the international arena."

 

 

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Bhopal, Nov 2: The Madhya Pradesh government will provide credit cards to those rearing cows and their progeny, similar to those available to farmers, to help manage the upkeep of cattle, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav announced on Saturday.

“Along with the people growing crops, credit cards will also be made available to those rearing cows and their progeny to enable them to manage expenses on their care,” Yadav said during the state-level ‘Govardhan Puja’ ceremony at Ravindra Bhawan here.

He said that people who care for more than 10 cows will be given special financial aid, adding that the state government will invest and make arrangements for rearing 5,000 to 10,000 cows under the limits of municipal Corporations.

He said that people found guilty of slaughtering cows in MP will get seven years of imprisonment.

Earlier, he took part in the Govardhan Puja at his official house.

Later in Gwalior, where he attended two such events, Yadav said the state would protect the cow and its offspring.

Ministers and MLAs across the state also participated in Govardhan Puja.

Before holding this function at the state level, the BJP government in MP had organised ‘Shastra Puja’ (worshipping of weapons) on Dussehra in a similar manner, with the CM, his ministers and MLAs across the state joining in.