Bihar: Jewellers not to sell ornaments to customers with their faces covered
Patna (PTI): In a bid to curb thefts, jewellers in Bihar have decided not to sell ornaments to customers entering shops with their faces covered, a traders' association said on Wednesday.
The state unit of the All India Jewellers and Goldsmith Federation (AIJGF) has asked its members not to display and sell jewellery items to those who visit the outlets wearing face masks.
Talking to reporters here, AIJGF Bihar unit president Ashok Kumar Verma said, "We have decided not to sell items to customers who enter with their faces covered. We will not display and sell jewellery items to women wearing 'hijab', or anyone with a face mask".
The decision was taken for "security reasons and for the safety of jewellers and customers", he said.
Several incidents have taken place in various parts of the country where masked robbers have looted jewellery shops.
"If customers enter jewellery shops with their faces covered, we can't identify them. The move will also help the police ascertain the identity of customers through CCTV footage in case of any theft," Verma said.
Masked criminals looted ornaments worth Rs 25 crore from an outlet in Bhojpur district in March last year, while a jewellery shop was robbed in Siwan in November.
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Priyanka Gandhi seeks fair probe into medical negligence at medical college in Kerala
Wayanad (Kerala) (PTI): Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday sought an impartial and fair probe into an alleged incident of medical negligence at the Mananthavady Government Medical College, where a piece of cloth was reportedly left inside a woman’s stomach after delivery.
In a letter to Kerala Health Minister Veena George, Vadra said the young mother suffered immense pain due to the alleged medical lapse, which could have become life-threatening.
She expressed hope that the investigation ordered by the district medical officer in response to the woman’s complaint "will be undertaken with fairness and objectivity."
Vadra noted that while Kerala’s public healthcare system has been instrumental in making medical treatment accessible to the majority, the Mananthavady medical college—"a vital lifeline for the public" in her Wayanad parliamentary constituency—is struggling with severe resource constraints.
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She cited inadequate manpower and critical medical equipment as key issues, adding that these concerns had been previously raised with both the central and state governments.
The Congress MP also pointed out that the absence of several specialities at Mananthavady Medical College forces patients to travel over 80 kilometres to the government medical college in Kozhikode.
"Unfortunately, the overstretched capacity of the hospital affects the quality of care provided and has proven fatal in the past," she said.
Vadra urged the government to ensure effective accountability and grievance redressal mechanisms at government hospitals, and called for an impartial investigation into the alleged lapse.
She also requested adequate resource allocation to the hospital so that it can "function effectively and deliver quality care."
"It is an urgent need for the people of Wayanad, who are still struggling to access quality healthcare in the region," she added.
