Pakistan boat with crew, arms, drugs worth Rs 300 crore seized off Gujarat coast
Ahmedabad, Dec 26: A Pakistani boat with 10 crew members carrying arms, ammunition and 40 kg of narcotics worth Rs 300 crore was intercepted off the Gujarat coast in the early hours of Monday, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) said.
Based on specific inputs shared by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad, the Coast Guard deployed its fast patrol ship 'ICGS Arinjay' for patrolling in the area close to the International Maritime Border Line (IMBL) on the intervening night of December 25 and 26, the ICG said in a release.
In the early hours of the day, the Pakistani fishing boat 'Al Soheli' was observed moving suspiciously in Indian waters. On being challenged by the ICG ship, the boat started evasive manoeuvring and did not stop even after firing warning shots, it said.
The Coast Guard eventually managed to intercept and stop the boat.
As per the release, arms, ammunition and nearly 40 kg of narcotics worth Rs 300 crore were found on the boat. The 10 crew members and boat are being brought to Okha port for further investigation.
This is the seventh joint operation by the ICG and Gujarat ATS in the last 18 months, and the first apprehension wherein arms and ammunition along with drugs were recovered.
A total of 346 kg of heroin worth Rs 1,930 crore has been seized and 44 Pakistani and seven Iranian crew have been apprehended in the last 18 months, the release said.
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AIITA welcomes Karnataka’s ban on obscene songs in school events
Bhatkal: The Karnataka unit of the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AIITA) has welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to strictly ban school children from dancing to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes in government, aided, and private schools across the state.
AIITA Karnataka State President M. R. Manvi congratulated the government for taking what he termed an important step to preserve the sanctity of education.
“Such decisions to safeguard the dignity of school children and uphold the values of education are the need of the hour. This rule should not be limited to government schools alone but must be strictly implemented in all private educational institutions as well,” he said.
He further urged the government to address other concerns within school programmes.
“The government should not only prohibit obscene dances in the name of school anniversaries, but also ensure that plays and dialogues that incite religious hatred are avoided. Schools should be centres of harmony, not platforms for spreading hatred,” he added.
According to a recent circular issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, obscene dances are adversely affecting the mental health and moral values of students.
In this regard, schools have been advised to use songs that promote nationalism, positive thinking, the greatness of Kannada culture, and value-based traditions instead of inappropriate content during programmes.
The circular also emphasises that students should be dressed in decent attire.
AIITA also backed the department’s warning that disciplinary action would be taken against head teachers if such guidelines are violated. The association has further demanded that district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction strictly monitor the implementation of these rules.
