Maharashtra: Case filed against NCC cadet who whacked juniors during physical training session
Thane (PTI): Police have registered a case against a cadet of the National Cadet Corps (NCC) after a viral video showed him mercilessly thrashing some junior cadets during a physical training session at a college in Maharashtra's Thane city, an official said on Saturday.
The case was registered against the student under Indian Penal Code (IPC) section 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) at the Thane Nagar police station on Friday night after the police took suo motu cognisance of the matter, he said.
The action was taken on the day several student unions protested outside the college, while Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar assured the state legislative assembly that the issue will be probed and necessary steps taken.
The incident took place at the Joshi Bedekar College in Thane. The college management said that it has suspended the student, whose act of beating his fellow NCC cadets during the physical training session on a rainy day was filmed by another student.
The video that went viral on Thursday sparked public outrage.
The viral video showed eight cadets in a puddle amid rain with their heads pinned in the muddy soil instead of using their hands for support. The senior NCC cadet is seen standing behind them, holding a stick, and whacking each of them one by one for failing to execute his challenging drill.
The cadets are seen in a push-up position in a water-logged area with their feet and heads touching the ground and hands folded above the back. When a cadet changes posture, the senior student is seen thrashing him with a stick and going on to thrash others too.
As the video surfaced on social media, several student unions and political parties, including Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress and the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, protested outside the college on Friday.
Nitin Landge of the Shinde group's student wing said the NCC cadets who were at the receiving end and their parents are under extreme pressure from the college management to not complain against the senior.
The college must take the incident seriously and lodge a police complaint, he said.
Members of the student wing of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) submitted a memorandum to the college management demanding strict action against the senior student.
Policemen were deployed at the spot to prevent the protesters from barging into the college.
Opposition leader in the assembly, Vijay Wadettiwar, on Friday raised the issue in the House. Speaker Rahul Narwekar directed the government to take action.
Deputy CM Ajit Pawar assured the House that strict action will be taken against the culprits. Former CM Prithviraj Chavan also sought action against the person responsible under the anti-ragging law.
The NCC also came out with a statement, saying what is seen in the viral video is "neither a reflection of NCC ethos nor a part of any organised training or activity".+
The Joshi Bedekar College in Thane operates the NCC unit along with two other sister concerns, Bandodkar College and VPM Polytechnic. The student, who belonged to Bandodkar College, has been suspended.
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Heavy rain, hailstorms likely to lash Uttarakhand on Tuesday; IMD issues warning
Dehradun/Pithoragarh (PTI): The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a warning for heavy rain and hailstorms across several districts of Uttarakhand on Tuesday, as temperatures remained markedly below normal in the region.
Heavy rainfall is likely at isolated places in Dehradun, Haridwar, Tehri, Pauri, Nainital, Champawat, and Udham Singh Nagar districts. Most places across all districts are expected to receive light to moderate rain or thunderstorms, while higher reaches are likely to witness snowfall, officials said on Monday.
The weather department warned of thunderstorms accompanied by lightning, hail and intense spells of rain in six districts, including Dehradun and Nainital. Gusty winds with speeds reaching 40-50 kmph are also expected at isolated locations in these areas and other hilly districts.
In the state capital, Dehradun, the sky is forecast to remain partly cloudy with light rain and thunderstorms accompanied by gusty winds of 30-40 kmph.
The maximum and minimum temperatures in the city are expected to hover around 31 degrees Celsius and 19 degrees Celsius, respectively.
Maximum temperatures during the past 24 hours remained markedly below normal in the hills and appreciably below normal in the plains. While no significant change in temperature is expected over the next 2-3 days, the IMD predicts a rise of 3-5 degrees Celsius during the subsequent 3-4 days.
Rainfall was recorded in several areas after 8.30 am today, with Ramnagar receiving 31.5 mm and Nainital recording 26.5 mm. Other areas, including Pithoragarh, Khatima and Champawat, also reported moderate precipitation.
Authorities have stopped a batch of 36 Adi Kailash pilgrims at the Dharchula base camp and placed the high-altitude yatra route on high alert following heavy rains and hailstorms in the district on Monday.
Dharchula SDM Ashish Joshi said the pilgrimage was halted due to adverse weather conditions. The issuance of new inner-line passes has been suspended until the weather normalises.
With 1,700 passes issued so far, pilgrims already at higher camps are being monitored for safety, the official added.
