IAF Pilot Abhinandan Varthaman returns back to India
New Delhi: IAF Pilot and national hero Abhinandan Varthaman returned back into the Indian side by the Pakistani authorities on Friday evening at Attari Wagah Border.
The news of his release by the Pakistani PM Imran Khan had come as a sigh of relief for the nation, who were concerned about the officer’s well being in the Pakistan.
He was held captive by the Pakistan Army after IAF’s Mig 21 he was flying was shot down by Pakistan when he was chasing back the Pakistan fighter jets who tried to attack military installation on India side on Wednesday.
On Thursday, Pakistan PM had announced in parliament that the officer will be handed over to India as a ‘peace gesture’ while deescalating the prevailing tension between the neighbors over the Pulwama attack followed by India’s response by carrying out Air Strikes inside Pakistan territory in an anti-terror operation on Tuesday.
People started gathering at Wagah border right from Friday afternoon, to celebrate the homecoming of the brave officer.
Reports of celebrations also came from different parts of the country to mark the occasion.
After announcement of the officer’s release, demand for Nobel Peace Prize for Pakistan PM Imran Khan went trending on twitter, while people of India lauded the diplomacy and international pressure built by PM Modi on Pakistan and credited it for the release of Abhinandan.
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Prime organiser of Messi event in Kolkata arrested over ‘mismanagement’ after stadium chaos
Kolkata (PTI): The police on Saturday arrested Satadru Datta, the prime organiser of the Lionel Messi football event at Salt Lake Stadium here, following widespread chaos at the venue, which prompted the Argentine World Cup-winning captain to leave the field early.
Taking suo motu cognisance of the stadium unrest, Datta was held by the Bidhannagar Police for “mismanagement” of the event from the Kolkata airport, where he had gone to see off Messi and his entourage on their way to Hyderabad.
"We are looking into whether there was any mismanagement from the organiser's side, which led to the chaos at the stadium. He has been detained, and the police have now brought the situation under control," West Bengal DGP Rajeev Kumar said at a press conference.
A senior police officer later confirmed that Dutta has been arrested. Till reports last received, the police were interrogating him and his manager inside one of the departure lounges of the airport.
The organiser has given in writing that he will refund the prices of tickets he sold to the disappointed spectators, Kumar said.
What was supposed to be a marquee football spectacle turned into widespread violence and disorder at the stadium after Messi’s brief and tightly ring-fenced appearance, his first at the venue since 2011, left large sections of the crowd frustrated, as they failed to catch a glimpse of their superstar despite having travelled from far and wide, paying hefty sums for tickets.
Police said they were also investigating how organisers allowed sale of bottled waters and beverages inside the stadium premises, which are banned items during such events.
Thousands of water bottles were used as missiles and lobbed inside the pitch by angry spectators, who also uprooted bucket seats from the gallery and used them as ammunition inside the field against the defending police and security personnel.
Spectators alleged that water bottles were being sold at a massive premium inside the stadium despite police disallowing such items from outside at the entry gates.
Police agreed there was an underlying tension in the galleries on account of Messi not showing his footballing skills on the field, which only got aggravated after a bunch of VIPs, including State Sports Minister Aroop Biswas and unidentified people, blocked the football icon’s view during the limited time he spent on the ground.
“We are on the job, and will ensure that whoever is responsible for what happened today at Salt Lake Stadium will be punished, and action will be taken against the authorities concerned,” said Jawed Shamim, ADG, Law and Order.
