Heavy overnight rain wreaks havoc in Dehradun, neighbouring areas
Dehradun (PTI): Heavy overnight rains at various places in Uttarakhand damaged roads, houses and shops, and washed out a bridge early on Tuesday.
"Damage have been reported from Sahastradhara and Mal Devta in Dehradun, and also from Mussoorie. Two to three people are said to be missing in Dehradun. A death has been reported from Mussoorie and is being verified," said Disaster Management Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman.
Teams are engaged in relief and rescue operations in the affected areas, while 300 to 400 people have been moved to safety, he said.
In a post on X, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said, "Received the sad news of some shops getting damaged due to heavy rains in Sasthdhara, Dehradun, late last night. District administration, SDRF, and police have reached the spot and are engaged in relief and rescue operations."
"I am constantly in touch with the local administration in this regard and am personally monitoring the situation. I pray to God for everyone's safety," he said in a post in Hindi on X.
Heavy rains caused the Song River to swell, flooding the nearby areas.
Speaking to PTI Videos, Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Sadar, Hari Giri, said, "The the water level is rising, and the flow is very strong right now. No deaths have been reported so far. Tourists were staying in the hotels."
Waterlogging has been reported in Dehradun's IT Park area, with water entering many offices, leaving people stranded.
"I have been stranded here since 5:30am. There is a lot of water. The car here has been stuck since last night and is submerged. Water has entered offices and basements," said Hrithik Sharma, a local.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
'Sarke Chunar' row: Sanjay Dutt apologises; to sponsor education of 50 tribal girls
New Delhi (PTI): Actor Sanjay Dutt on Monday appeared before the National Commission for Women (NCW) in connection with the controversy over the song 'Sarke Chunar Teri Sarke' and submitted a written apology, expressing regret for any "unintended" harm caused to society.
During the hearing, held under NCW chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar, the commission raised concerns over alleged vulgarity and indecent representation of women in the song from the movie "KD The Devil" and questioned issues of intent, awareness and accountability.
The chairperson emphasised whether adequate due diligence was undertaken before participating in content that could be perceived as promoting objectification of women, while also underlining the responsibility of senior and influential public figures in ensuring that their work remains within the bounds of legal and societal standards.
As a corrective measure, Dutt committed to sponsoring the education of 50 tribal girl children as part of efforts towards social welfare and women's empowerment, the NCW said in a statement.
He also assured the commission that his future artist agreements would include mandatory legal due diligence provisions to ensure dignified and appropriate representation of women and children in films and related creative projects.
Actor Nora Fatehi, who was also summoned, could not appear as she is currently abroad and has sought a fresh date for the hearing.
On April 6, other individuals associated with the song, including director Kiran Kumar alias Prem, lyricist Raqueeb Alam and representatives of KVN Production Company Gautam K M and Suprith, appeared before the commission and submitted their apologies.
The NCW underscored that while artistic freedom is important, it must be exercised with responsibility and sensitivity, reiterating the need for accountability in content reaching wide public audiences and reaffirming its commitment to safeguarding the dignity and representation of women.
The Hindi version of the song, released on March 15 on YouTube, drew public ire for its sexually explicit lyrics.
After the outrage, the makers deleted the Hindi version of the song from YouTube, although it was widely played and shared across various platforms.
Fatehi, in a video later, distanced herself from the song, saying she shot the video for the Kannada version and her permission was not taken to use it in the Hindi version. The lyricist, singer and the director also apologised.
The issue was brought up in Lok Sabha during Question Hour by Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Anand Bhadoria last month.
Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the song was already banned and the government was ready to take action against such vulgarity.
"KD The Devil" is a Kannada film, dubbed in four languages, including Hindi. It will release on April 30. The film features Dhruva Sarja, V Ravichandran, Ramesh Aravind, Shilpa Shetty, and Dutt.
