Doctors 'purify' Indore medical college building with Gangajal after 'Halloween party'
Indore, Oct 16: The medical community on Tuesday "purified" the premises of the Government Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College by sprinkling Ganga water after a "Halloween party" was allegedly organised in the 150-year-old building on its campus.
Amid uproar, the college management claimed it didn't grant permission to hold the "Halloween" event in the historical building.
Office-bearers of the Medical Teachers' Association (MTA) and other doctors sprinkled Gangajal in the King Edward Medical School building, constructed in 1878 during the British Raj.
"We learned that a Halloween party was recently held in this building. We have purified the building area by sprinkling Gangajal," MTA president Rahul Rokde told PTI.
He demanded that the medical college management lodge an FIR against those responsible for defacing the historical building in the name of a 'Halloween party'.
"We had allowed representatives of a local organisation, called Jain Social Group, to inspect the premises of King Edward Medical School. We didn't permit a Halloween party," said college dean Dr Sanjay Dixit.
Dixit claimed no Halloween party was organised in the historical building, adding that the investigation would be conducted to know the facts.
However, the dilapidated "King Edward Medical School" building tells a different story.
Eyewitnesses said the walls of the building were marked with "O Stree, Kal Aana" (lines inspired by a horror comedy movie) and several scary sentences written in English. Obscene pictures and objectionable lines have also been engraved, they claimed.
"From the pictures that have surfaced on social media, we came to know that this building was painted as a haunted building for the Halloween party. We cannot tolerate such an act because this building is a heritage of the medical field and alma mater of many reputed doctors," said Government Super Speciality Hospital Superintendent Dr Sumit Shukla, an alumnus of the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College.
"We want the building's renovation to preserve the rich history of Indore's medical fraternity," he added.
Halloween is celebrated in many countries on October 31, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Hallows' Day. In popular culture, the day has become a celebration of horror.
STORY | 'Halloween party' on medical college campus in Indore? doctors 'purify' building with Gangajal
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3rd T20I: A three-match 'audition' starts for Gill to find his game back
Dharamsala (PTI): The countdown to save his place in the playing XI begins for a beleaguered Shubman Gill, who is likely to get three matches against South Africa to prove his worth before the Indian team management switches to a ‘Plan B’ ahead of the T20 World Cup, starting in six weeks.
As India gear up to play the third T20I against the Proteas on Sunday in sub-10-degree temperatures in the lap of the ice-clad Dhauladhar range, things are suddenly heating up in the Indian dressing room, with the prolonged poor form of skipper Suryakumar Yadav coming under the scanner.
ALSO READ: South Africa level series after de Kock special; Gill, SKY misfire again
Worse, his deputy Shubman Gill, who was pushed into the XI at the expense of a settled Sanju Samson, is not inspiring much confidence.
The South African pace attack featuring Anrich Nortje, Marco Jansen, Lungi Ngidi, Ottniel Baartman and Lutho Sipamla — has shown how to bowl on Indian tracks, and the HPCA Stadium strip, offering extra bounce and some movement off the surface, will certainly keep them interested.
Among all T20 sides, South Africa, in terms of personnel, appears to have the requisite balance to win the trophy in the Indian subcontinent this time. Quinton de Kock’s return, along with the likes of Aiden Markram, Dewald Brevis, Donovan Ferreira, David Miller and all-rounder Jansen, gives their batting an intimidating look.
With only eight games, starting from the third T20I, left before the start of the T20 World Cup title defence, India's under-fire head coach Gautam Gambhir won't be able to afford, two out-of-form top-order batters in the starting line-up.
Being the skipper of the side, Surya will certainly have immunity going into the T20 World Cup despite being completely out of form for the past one year but same can't be said about Gill, who wasn't the original choice as an opener.
Gill's entry into the T20 set-up was a classic case of trying to fix something that ain't broken and things haven't looked good so far.
In this backdrop, Gill would need to bat out of his skin to prove that Ajit Agarkar-led committee wasn't wrong in throwing Samson under the bus for one bad series against England.
The stylish Indian Test and ODI skipper will have to find his T20 game and at least score in two of the three matches if he doesn't want Samson to get his rightful place back or for that matter, find Yashasvi Jaiswal, with a fabulous T20I strike-rate of 165, enter the fray during New Zealand series.
Lack of clarity
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While head coach Gambhir is too proud a person to admit but sending Axar Patel as a one drop batter during the second T20I was a "tactical brain fade" from the team's think-tank.
The kind misstep that was taken with Axar's promotion is unlikely to be repeated in the third game where skipper is expected to go back to No.3 where he has got a lot of success in his first few years at the international level.
Similarly, Shivam Dube being sent at number eight due to the shuffling of batting order was another poor call which would need course correction in the next game.
Is there a place for Kuldeep Yadav?
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Kuldeep Yadav is one bowler who has consistently troubled the Proteas batter but in an Indian team where batting till No. 8 is non-negotiable, the left-arm wrist spinner often finds himself getting the rough end of the stick.
At Dharamsala too, he might have to sit out as Kuldeep and Varun Chakravarthy, two non-batters can't be clubbed in the same T20 playing eleven as that would lead to compromise in batting depth.
While Arshdeep hasn't had a good series so far, it will be interesting to find if team management can find a place for Kuldeep in the playing eleven with Hardik Pandya sharing the new ball with Jasprit Bumrah.
The five-match series is currently tied 1-1.
Teams:
India: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, NT Tilak Verma, Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Sanju Samson (wk), Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar.
South Africa: Aiden Markram (captain), Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Donovan Ferreira, Marco Jansen, Lutho Sipamla, Ottniel Baartman, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi, Corbin Bosch, Keshav Maharaj, George Linde.
Match Starts at 7 pm.
