Man shot dead by unknown assailants in Dehradun
Dehradun (PTI): A 42-year-old-man was shot dead allegedly by two scooter-borne assailants in broad daylight here on Wednesday, police said.
This is the second murder within ten days.
Dehradun City Superintendent of Police Pramod Kumar said that the incident occurred around 10.30 am near the Tibetan Market when Arjun Sharma, a resident of Indira Nagar in the Vasant Vihar area, was standing near his car.
Kumar said that two assailants on a scooter opened fire on Sharma. He was taken to Doon Hospital, where he was declared dead.
According to the officer, preliminary investigations revealed that Sharma, the owner of Amardeep Gas Agency, had a family dispute over the business.
He said that due to this dispute, Sharma's mother had sought protection from the Uttarakhand High Court, citing a threat to her life from the deceased.
Dehradun Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ajay Singh has immediately formed separate teams to arrest the accused and has ordered a continuous and intensive investigation campaign throughout the district.
This is the second murder in Dehradun city in just ten days. Earlier, on February 2, a man allegedly murdered a 22-year-old woman by slitting her throat with a sharp weapon in Machhi Bazaar.
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.
SC asks states to treat rising child trafficking cases as grave; seeks coordinated action
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court has voiced grave concern over rising cases of child trafficking, saying gangs are operating across the country and if States and Union territories do not take immediate action, thing will go beyond control.
The court said only the state government and its home department can act vigilantly in this regard.
“As a court we can monitor, but ultimately the action has to be on the part of the state government, the police, and other agencies. Therefore, this is our humble request”, a bench comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and K V Viswanathan said during the hearing of a plea on Wednesday.
The bench was irked over the "lackadaisical" approach of several states and UTs in implementing a 2025 judgment aimed at dismantling organised trafficking networks.
Justice Viswanathan said the retrieval of children in some cases proves the problem can be tackled, but it requires a level of political and administrative will which is lacking at present.
The verdict, delivered on April 15, 2025, had mandated several institutional reforms, including completion of trials in trafficking cases within six months on a day-to-day basis.
It had also directed strengthening of Anti-Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs) and improving investigation standards.
Besides asking for setting up of state-level committees to monitor vulnerable trafficking hotspots, it had asked the authorities to treat missing children cases as trafficking unless proven otherwise.
Earlier, the bench had termed the compliance reports filed by a few states as "nothing but an eye wash."
On Wednesday, the bench noted that Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Haryana, Lakshadweep, Mizoram, Odisha, and Punjab had still failed to file reports in the prescribed format.
When the home secretary of Madhya Pradesh offered an apology for the lapse, the bench granted a "final opportunity" but warned that continued failure would lead to states being officially branded as "defaulting".
The bench noted that at least 15 states are yet to constitute review committees mandated to identify and monitor trafficking-prone areas.
The matter will now be heard on April 29.
