Officials forcibly seize family's vehicle for CM's convoy in Andhra Pradesh; 2 suspended
Amaravati, April 21: An assistant motor vehicles inspector and a home guard were on Thursday placed under suspension after they forcibly seized an SUV from a family for use during Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy's scheduled visit to Ongole on Friday.
The incident, wherein a family proceeding to Tirumala Hills for fulfilling a vow to Lord Venkateswara was left stranded in Ongole upon seizure of their car, triggered a storm and forced the Chief Minister's Office to issue a statement claiming that Jagan became furious over it.
The opposition Telugu Desam and Jana Sena attacked the Jagan regime over the atrocious incident, saying it once again reflected the alleged anarchy prevailing in the State.
A family from Vinukonda in Palnadu district was in its SUV on the way to Tirumala and stopped in Ongole for dinner late Wednesday night.
A local policeman came to the SUV driver and told the latter that the vehicle was being seized for use in the convoy of the Chief Minister during his scheduled visit on Friday.
The family, which included two children, pleaded with the policeman not to seize their vehicle as they were proceeding to Tirumala to fulfil the vow.
Unrelenting, the policeman forcibly took the vehicle away, saying he was following orders of his higher authorities.
The hapless family got another vehicle from their hometown and left for Tirumala.
This is a new type of rule of Jagan we are seeing, Jana Sena Political Affairs Committee chairman Nadendla Manohar lashed out in a tweet, attaching a newspaper report on the incident.
Reacting angrily to the incident, Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan wondered if the situation has so worsened in the State that the government was unable to arrange its own vehicles for the Chief Minister's convoy.
The government can't hide behind the suspension of two small officials. The Chief Minister's Office owes an explanation..., Kalyan demanded in a statement.
Telugu Desam president N Chandrababu Naidu too lashed out at the Jagan regime, saying it was a shameful incident.
It's atrocious to snatch a private family's vehicle for use by the Chief Minister. Why has the State been pushed into such a miserable condition? This only exposed the brutal administration of Jagan, Chandrababu said.
Transport Department officials, however, maintained that it was only a communication gap that resulted in the mess.
Actually, our officials seized the vehicle because it did not have a valid fitness certificate. The driver was asked to pay a penalty and also obtain a fitness certificate for the safety of the passengers, a senior Transport official claimed.
However, the assistant motor vehicles inspector and home guard were suspended over the incident, the official added.
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Bengal govt directs schools to mandatorily include singing of Vande Mataram in morning assemblies
Kolkata (PTI): The West Bengal government has directed all state-run and aided schools to mandatorily include the singing of Vande Mataram during morning assemblies with immediate effect, according to an official communication issued by the School Education department.
The directive states that every student must participate in the singing the national song at the start of the school day. Heads of institutions have been instructed to ensure strict compliance.
"The singing of Vande Mataram during morning assembly prayers prior to the start of classes should be made mandatory so that Vande Mataram should be sung by all students in all schools in the state with immediate effect," the Director of Education specified in a communication to state-run and state-aided school heads on May 13.
The move comes shortly after the Union government initiated steps to strengthen provisions related to respect for national symbols, including a proposed amendment to the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, making obstruction to the singing of Vande Mataram a punishable offence.
A school education department official indicated on Thursday that the song is to be performed at the beginning of the assembly session.
School authorities have also been asked to document the proceedings, including video recordings, as proof of implementation, he said.
Earlier, schools in the state traditionally sang only the national anthem, Jana Gana Mana, composed by Rabindranath Tagore.
In recent years, the previous TMC government had introduced 'Banglar Mati Banglar Jol', also penned by Tagore in 1905 during protests against the partition of Bengal, as the state song.
The national song Vande Mataram, written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, now adds to the list, raising questions among sections of teachers about the duration and sequencing of both the national anthem and the national song within the limited assembly time.
Headmaster of Hindu School Subhrojit Dutta told PTI, "Once our students attend classes after summer vacation, they will sing Vande Mataram along with the National anthem Jana Gana Mana during the assembly before classes."
"Our students had already been told about the historical significance of Vande Mataram on the occasion of its 150th year, and they had been asked to recite the lines and memorise it at home before this notice was issued. So once they join school, they will sing the national song along with the national anthem," he added.
A left-run teacher representative body spokesperson said further clarity is awaited regarding whether all songs are to be sung daily and how they are to be accommodated within the existing schedule.
