Chennai (PTI): The Indian Navy is set to strengthen its coastal defence by commissioning INS Anjadip at the Chennai port here on February 27.

This is the third of eight vessels being built under the anti-submarine warfare shallow water craft project.

Built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers, Kolkata, Anjadip is a state-of-the-art vessel specifically designed to address the challenges of the "littoral combat environment" coastal and shallow waters vital for the nation's security, an official release said on Wednesday.

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The 77-metre-long ship features a high-speed water-jet propulsion system, enabling it to achieve a top speed of 25 knots for rapid response and sustained operations.

The vessel is engineered to act as a 'Dolphin Hunter', focused on the detection, tracking and neutralisation of enemy submarines in coastal areas.

The ship is packed with an indigenous, cutting-edge Anti-Submarine Warfare weapons and sensor package, including the hull-mounted sonar Abhay, and armed with Lightweight Torpedoes and ASW Rockets, the release said.

Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi is scheduled to take part in the commissioning ceremony on Friday.

The induction of 'Anjadip', named after the island off the coast of Karwar (North Karnataka in the Arabian Sea), bolsters the Navy's capacity to safeguard India's vast maritime interests and coastal Tamil Nadu and Puducherry area, the release said.

Besides the Anti-Submarine Warfare role, the warship is also equipped to take up Coastal Surveillance, Low-Intensity Maritime Operations and Search and Rescue operations, it added.

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Rudrapur (Uttarakhand) (PTI): An elderly Muslim man was allegedly assaulted by some people and forced to chant religious slogans after he offered namaz on a vacant land in front of a temple here, police said on Tuesday.

A video of the incident is doing the rounds on social media. In the video, the accused are seen thrashing the man with sticks and hurling abuses at him.

The man, Shahid, a resident of the Resham Bari area, offered namaz during the ongoing month of Ramzan in front of the Atriya Temple in Jagatpura.

Shahid said he has been working near the temple for several days and claimed that the land where he offered namaz is quite far from the temple.

After learning about the incident, members of the Muslim community accompanied Shahid to the local police station and filed a complaint.

They claimed that one of the accused has been convicted in a murder case and currently out on parole.

Temple manager Arvind Sharma said activities associated with any other religion will not be tolerated on the temple land, even if a case is filed against him.

Police reached the spot and appealed to both communities to maintain peace.

Shahid is undergoing a medical examination. Further legal action will be taken based on the complaint, police said.

Municipal Councillor Parvez Qureshi termed the incident unacceptable.

"This matter is extremely serious. Assaulting a person is unacceptable. If anyone had any objection (to namaz being offered), the administration should have been informed. We demand an impartial investigation and strict action against the culprits to avoid a repeat of such incidents in the future," he said.

Congress leader Sofia Naz said the incident is detrimental to social harmony.

"Maintaining law and order in the state is the responsibility of the state government. Violence and forced chanting of slogans in the name of religion are against the spirit of the Constitution. The administration should take immediate action and provide justice to the victim," Naz said.