Over 250 people stuck in Lahaul Spiti after snowfall rescued, many still stranded
Shimla (PTI): Over 250 people stranded with their light vehicles and motorbikes at Baralacha La and Lahaul and Spiti district following a snowfall have been rescued after a multi-agency nightlong operation, police said on Saturday.
They said the focus of the joint operation of the Lahaul and Spiti Police, Border Roads Organisations and the Mountain Journey Jispa has now shifted to rescuing those stuck with their heavy motor vehicles.
However, police did not share the number of people who are still waiting to be rescued.
The operation was launched Friday evening after a tourist coming from Baralacha informed the authorities that over 400 vehicles including more than 90 light motor and 30 motorbikes and rest heavy motor vehicles were struck in a about 10-km-long jam following snowfall at Baralacha La.
Immediately, a police team was rushed from Darcha, and it was joined by another team of Lahaul Hotelier association, Tourism Society and Mountain Journey Jispa while two police teams were rushed from Keylong for the rescue operation, officials said.
Patients among those stranded were provided medical aid.
Light motor vehicles have been shifted to safer places in the 15-16 hours of operation, while heavy motor vehicles are being moved now, police added.
Lahaul and Spiti Superintendent of Police Mayank Chaudhary asked the tourists visiting the district to follow police guidelines.
Baralacha La (Bara-lacha Pass) is a high mountain pass in the Zanskar range connecting Lahaul district in Himachal Pradesh to Leh district in Ladakh.
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Porsche car crash case exposed systemic corruption: Pune police commissioner
Pune (PTI): The Porsche car crash case exposed "systemic corruption," but the Pune Police have successfully uncovered the nexus behind the replacement of the accused juvenile's blood samples with those of his mother, Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar said on Wednesday.
The case made national headlines after the high-end car allegedly driven by the 17-year-old boy in an inebriated state mowed down motorcycle-borne IT professionals Anish Awadhiya and Ashwini Costa in the Kalyani Nagar area on May 19 last year.
"Last year’s Porsche car crash case sparked widespread discussions about Pune’s deteriorating social culture, alleged police corruption, and several other issues. Amid all the criticism, one positive aspect stood out: the case exposed systemic corruption.
"It also demonstrated how the police, working within the same system, managed to uncover the entire nexus behind the replacement of the juvenile’s blood samples with those of his mother," Kumar said while addressing Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan, an initiative aimed at raising awareness against drug addiction, organised at Modern College.
He added that the juvenile has been released since he was a minor.
"However, his mother has remained in jail for over a year, and his father continues to be behind bars. Doctors from Sassoon Hospital and others involved are also still in jail," Kumar said, adding that one mistake by a child, and an attempt by his parents to cover it up, destroyed an entire family.
He said the police will follow up on this case until every guilty person is punished.
Kumar also appealed to students to stay away from intoxicating substances and drugs.
"You are not only endangering your own life but also putting your entire family at risk," he said, urging the youth not to fall prey to harmful addictions.
"Instead, stand strong and act as a force to ensure that drug abuse is curbed in your surroundings. We assure you of full police support," he added.
He further stated that if youth from all colleges unite and decide to end this menace, "the day is not far when not even one gram of drug will be sold in the city".
The investigation into the car crash had revealed that the juvenile's blood samples were replaced with those of his mother.
The roles of Dr Ajay Taware, head of the forensic department, Medical Officer Shreehari Halnor, and a hospital staffer came under scrutiny.
While the mother is currently out on bail, the juvenile’s father, Sassoon Hospital doctors Taware and Halnor, staffer Atul Ghatkamble, two middlemen, Ashpak Makandar and Amar Gaikwad, and others remain in jail for the alleged blood sample swap.
