Cartoons don't hurt, they have healing power: PM Modi
Mumbai, Dec 18 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday suggested that a case study of the socio-political history of last four to five decades by way of cartoons be taken up by a university in Maharashtra.
He said cartoons do not hurt but have a "healing power".
He was speaking after launching a coffee table book, titled "Timeless Laxman", on the life and times of renowned cartoonist late R K Laxman, who was known for his iconic caricature of 'The Common Man'.
Fadnavis and Governor C Vidyasagar Rao were also present at the event.
"I would like to tell Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to see if any university in the state can do a case study of the socio-political history through the medium of cartoons.
The base can be Laxman's works," Modi said. He said Laxman's cartoons were the "easiest way of teaching social science".
"Laxman was not just an individual but a fundamental thread that held together crores of common people and their hearts," he said.
He congratulated the late cartoonist's family for digitalising the 'Common Man' cartoon and deciding to release his works in an animated form.
Cartoonists are "closer to God" as they can minutely observe different characteristics of various human beings, he said.
"The common man is constant. He is modern and strong.
Even through his way of dressing, one cannot make out which part of India he represents. Laxman's approach was to find diversity in caricatures and bring them together. Cartoons don't hurt. They have a healing power," he said.
Modi recalled how Laxman's cartoons made a lasting impression on his mind.
"I always used to feel why aeroplanes should have the 'Maharaja' tag and not that of a common man. My thought reached then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and some flights have the common man pictures on them," he said.
"After coming to power, I dreamt that those wearing hawai chappals (slippers) should also be able to fly in planes. Now, more people travel by air than second class air-conditioned train compartments," he said.
On the occasion, Fadnavis said Laxman's cartoons connected several generations.
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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.
