New Delhi, Oct 25: Astronomy enthusiasts turned their gaze towards the sun as the moon started to cover the solar disc as a partial solar eclipse began on Tuesday.

The partial solar eclipse is being observed in several parts of the country with Srinagar witnessing the maximum obscuration of the solar disc at 55 per cent.

The first contact, where in the moon begins to cover the solar disc, happened at 4:29 pm in Delhi, where the moon was expected to cover 43 per cent of the solar disc.

Since the eclipse is taking place in the evening, the ending of the celestial phenomenon will not be visible as it would take place after sunset.

"A solar eclipse occurs on a new moon day when the Moon comes in between the Earth and the Sun and when all the three objects are aligned. A partial solar eclipse will occur when the lunar disk covers the solar disk partially," an official said.

Government officials cautioned that eclipsed sun should not be viewed with the naked eye, even for a very short time as it could cause permanent damage of the eyes leading to blindness.

A safe technique to observe the solar eclipse is either by using proper filter like aluminized Mylar, black polymer, welding glass of shade number 14 or by making projection of sun's image on a white board by telescope.

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Thane, Apr 8 (PTI): Two women, one of them carrying a baby in her arms, were on Tuesday beaten up in Dombivli in the district for allegedly saying "excuse me" instead of speaking in Marathi.

As a video of the incident went viral, police said they were conducting preliminary probe.

The incident took place in the morning when the women, who were on a two-wheeler, were entering the premises of the housing society where they lived.

When the woman who was riding the scooter said "excuse me" to a young man who was obstructing the entrance, he allegedly took offence, demanding that she speak in Marathi, she claimed.

The man, who lives on the ground floor of the same building, allegedly twisted the arm of the pillion rider, they said in a complaint filed at Vishnunagar police station.

Four or five women and two young men from his family gathered and allegedly beat up the two women. Eyewitnesses said they showed no concern for the nine-month-old baby.

'Excuse me' is a common courtesy and the accused's reaction was unwarranted, the complainant said.

Senior inspector Sanjay Pawar of Vishnu Nagar police station told PTI that investigation was underway.

No First Information Report has been registered yet, he said, adding that police were probing if the incident arose from a past dispute.

Workers of the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) had recently launched an agitation demanding that staff at banks in Maharashtra should speak to customers in Marathi.

The United Forum of Bank Unions wrote to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, stating that people claiming to be MNS activists have been visiting bank branches and intimidating staff. Thackeray later asked his workers to cease the agitation.