Father of Feroze Khan caught up in BHU row, 'encyclopedia of forests' among Padma Shri 2020 awardees
New Delhi, Jan 25: Jagdish Lal Ahuja, who serves free food to patients and attendants outside PGI hospital in Chandigarh, Mohammed Sharif from Faizabad, who has performed last rites of over 25,000 unclaimed bodies, and elephant doctor from Assam Kushal Konwar Sarma are among unsung heroes awarded the coveted Padma Shri award this year, officials said on Saturday.
The awardees, announced on the eve of Republic Day, also include Javed Ahmad Tak, a specially-abled social worker from Jammu and Kashmir working for specially abled children for over two decades, providing free education, material aid and motivation to over 100 children of 40 villages in Anantnag and Pulwama, they said.
Seventy-two-year-old Tulasi Gowda from Karnataka, who earned the sobriquet "encyclopedia of forests" because of her vast knowledge of diverse plants species in spite of lacking formal education, has also been given the award, they said.
Sathyanarayan Mundayoor, known as Uncle Moosa of Arunachal Pradesh, who has been promoting education and reading culture in remote areas of Northeastern states for last four decades; Abdul Jabbar aka 'voice of Bhopal' (posthumously), known for fighting for the cause of victims and survivor of 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy; and Usha Chaumar, a Dalit social worker working in the field of sanitation in Rajasthan, have also been given the award.
Poptarao Pawar of Ahmednagar (Maharashtra), known for reviving ground water of in drought prone Hiware Bazar area; Harekala Hazabba, a 64 year old social worker from Karnataka providing affordable education to poor children; Arunoday Mondal, a doctor from West Bengal who treats patients in remote Sunderbans; Radha Mohan and his daughter Sabarmatee, both Gandhians who have converted a piece of degraded land into a vast food forest in Odisha by using only organic techniques are among the Padma Shri awardees, it said.
A school and tribal farmer from Meghalaya, Trinity Saioo, who is spearheading a turmeric farming movement, Ravi Kannan, an oncologist from Chennai who is treating cancer patients in Assam's Barak Valley, S Ramakrishnan, a specially-abled social worker who has rehabilitated more than 14,000 specially abled people in over four decades in Tamil Nadu have also been given the coveted prize.
The government has also conferred Padma Shri to 68-year old environmentalist Sundaram Verma, who planted 50,000 trees in Rajasthan; Munna Master, a Muslim bhajan singer from the state; Yogi Aeron, an 81-year old doctor from Uttarakhand who has been treating burn and bite victims for free for last 35-years; and Rahibai Soma Popere, a self-taught tribal woman famous globally for her work in agro-biodiversity conservation.
21 people have been conferred with Padma Shri Awards 2020 including Jagdish Jal Ahuja, Mohammed Sharif, Tulasi Gowda and Munna Master. #RepublicDay pic.twitter.com/7blGTjxe9q
— ANI (@ANI) January 25, 2020
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AAP leader flogs himself in public for failing to get justice for those wronged in BJP-ruled Gujarat
Surat, Jan 6: Aam Aadmi Party leader Gopal Italia on Monday flogged himself at a public meeting in Surat in Gujarat as penance for "failing to ensure justice" for the victims of various crimes committed in the BJP-ruled state and to awaken people from their slumber.
Seeking forgiveness from stage, the AAP national joint secretary flogged himself by pulling out his trouser belt after citing the recent incident of a Patidar woman being booked and arrested at Amreli for allegedly trying to defame a BJP leader.
Addressing the gathering, Italia said he was fighting legal, social and political battles for the victims but "the corrupt nexus of officials and leaders under Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rule" has made it hard for people to get justice.
"Gujarat has witnessed many incidents such as Morbi suspension bridge collapse, Vadodara boat capsize case, different hooch tragedies, fire incidents and government recruitment exam paper leak cases, but I have been unable to ensure justice to the victims," he said before flogging himself even as leaders on the stage rushed to stop him.
Citing a more recent case of a woman being booked and arrested (before being granted bail) for allegedly trying to defame a BJP leader, Italia said he was punishing himself for not ensuring justice to the "innocent daughter of Amreli."
Later, Italia released a video statement in which he said he and other AAP leaders have been fighting to provide justice to many victims and even met police officials and moved court but in vain.
"Today, when I was speaking on the Amreli incident, I was very shocked and thought how is it possible that no one gets justice in Gujarat. BJP leaders make cruel statements, which are like pouring salt on burn injuries. I flogged myself for failing to ensure justice," he said.
Italia said only people of Gujarat can provide justice to these victims, adding that he hoped his act would awaken the "sleeping soul of the people".
Once it happens, there will be no place for injustice in Gujarat, the AAP leader asserted.
It may be noted that Tamil Nadu BJP leader K Annamalai had recently flogged himself to protest the rising incidents of crime against women in the DMK-ruled southern state.
ગુજરાતની જનતાની સૂતેલી આત્માને જગાડીશું,
— Patel Nirav (@Official_Nirav_) January 6, 2025
ભાજપના ત્રાસથી પીડિત જનતાને ન્યાય અપાવીશું 💯 ✅@Gopal_Italia @AamAadmiParty pic.twitter.com/qcdjdmTKbd
