Patna: Patna Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Shrikant Kundlik Khandekar was accidentally struck by a policeman during a lathi-charge on Wednesday, as law enforcement attempted to disperse supporters of the day-long Bharat Bandh.
The incident, which occurred at the Dak Bangla Square, was caught on camera and quickly went viral. The video shows Khandekar, who was dressed in plain clothes, being mistakenly hit by a policeman with a baton. The SDM is visibly surprised by the blow, after which his colleagues quickly inform the erring officer of the mistake. The policeman can be seen gesturing apologetically towards Khandekar, and the two are seen briefly conversing afterward.
The lathi-charge took place as protestors, who had earlier broken through barricades at the JP Golambar intersection, reached the busy Dak Bangla Square. To control the situation, security forces not only resorted to a lathi-charge but also used water cannons to disperse the crowd.
The Bharat Bandh, called by the ‘Reservation Bachao Sangharsh Samiti,’ saw a mixed response across the country, with significant impact in Bihar, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. The bandh was organized in opposition to a Supreme Court ruling on August 1, which allowed further sub-classification of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes by state governments to ensure a more equitable distribution of quotas among these groups.
The organisers of the bandh are demanding the reversal of the Supreme Court’s ruling and urging the central government to reject the decision. Among their other demands are: justice and equity for SCs, STs, and Other Backward Classes (OBCs); the passage of a new Act of Parliament on reservations; the release of caste-based data on SC/ST/OBCs in central government jobs; a target of 50% representation for these groups in the higher judiciary; and the filling up of backlog vacancies in central/state government jobs as well as public sector undertakings.
SDM saahab ko hi koot diya patna main 🤣🤣 (0.6 - 0.9) #BharatBandh pic.twitter.com/gCG8h9sK7Q
— Prayag (@theprayagtiwari) August 21, 2024
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Jammu, May 12 (PTI): Security forces are engaging suspected drones observed along the International Border in Samba district of Jammu region on Monday, an Army said.
This fresh incident of drone activity along the borderline comes barely hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first address to the nation following Operation Sindoor and the meeting of the DGMOs of India and Pakistan.
The Army, however, said there is no need to be alarmed.
“A small number of suspected drones have been observed near Samba in J&K. They are being engaged,” it said.
In the backdrop of the situation, several areas witnessed blackouts in Samba, Kathua, Rajouri, and Jammu.
Lights were switched off at the cave shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi and along its track as a precautionary measure, sources said.
On Monday, talks between the DGMOs were held during which issues related to the continuing commitment that both sides must not fire a single shot or initiate any aggressive or inimical action against each other were discussed, the Indian Army said.
It was also agreed that both sides would consider immediate measures to ensure troop reduction along the borders and in forward areas, it added.
The situation remained largely peaceful across Jammu and Kashmir, with no incidents of ceasefire violation reported along the Indo-Pak border Sunday overnight — marking the first calm night after 18 days of hostilities following the Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 people — mostly tourists — dead.
India and Pakistan on Saturday reached an understanding to cease all firing and military actions on land, air, and sea with immediate effect, following four days of intense cross-border drone and missile strikes that brought the two countries to the brink of full-scale war.
Eighteen days of intense hostilities following the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor, which brought India and Pakistan to the brink of war, ended with a ceasefire that restored calm along the Line of Control, the International Border, and the hinterland in Jammu and Kashmir. The Army thwarted Pakistan’s Hamas-style kamikaze drone attacks during the escalation.
Since the night of April 24, hours after India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty in response to the Pahalgam terror attack, Pakistani troops repeatedly targeted Indian positions along the LoC — beginning in the Kashmir Valley and quickly expanding to the Jammu region.
The latest hostilities began in the northern districts of Kupwara and Baramulla in the Kashmir Valley, before spreading southwards to Rajouri, Poonch, Akhnoor, and the Pargwal sector along the International Border in Jammu district. The firing affected five border districts — Baramulla, Kupwara, Poonch, Rajouri, and Jammu.
The recent round of cross-border firing further undermined the ceasefire agreement reached in February 2021, which has largely been seen as ineffective due to Pakistan’s frequent violations along the 740-km-long LoC.
The April 22 terror attack, which claimed the lives of 26 people — mostly tourists — in Pahalgam’s Baisaran valley, triggered a strong response from the central government.
The India-Pakistan border stretches over 3,300 kilometers, divided into three segments: the International Border (IB), spanning about 2,400 km from Gujarat to Akhnoor in Jammu; the 740-km-long Line of Control (LoC) that divides Jammu and Kashmir; and the 110-km-long Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL), which separates the Siachen Glacier region.
WATCH: OP Sindoor continues. Minutes after PM Speech.
— Rahul Shivshankar (@RShivshankar) May 12, 2025
A small numbers of suspected drones being observed near Samba in J&K. Being engaged . pic.twitter.com/jmGmRkmQ26