Prez Murmu turns emotional during visit to native village, will spend night in Similipal forest
Rairangpur (PTI): President Droupadi Murmu turned emotional on Thursday as she garlanded the statue of her late husband Shyam Charan Murmu at her native village in Odisha's Mayurbhanj district.
The president, who is on a six-day trip to the state, visited her native village, Pahadpur, and went to the SLS Memorial built in memory of her late husband and her two sons, Laxman and Sipun.
Murmu has endured a series of personal tragedies, losing her son Laxman in 2009, her husband in 2014, and her son Sipun in 2012. She also lost her mother and a brother during that period.
The SLS Memorial houses a residential school that provides free education to tribal, underprivileged and orphaned children.
The president performed 'pinda daan' rituals in Jajpur and Puri for the salvation of the souls of members of her family who have passed away over the last few days.
On Thursday, she organised a feast for Brahmins at a Jagannath temple in Rairangpur, in accordance with Hindu customs.
Murmu also visited a 'Jahira', the sacred grove and place of worship of the Santhal community, located in a forested area. She offered prayers to the Santhali deity Marang Buru.
Commandos accompanying her wore traditional tribal attire before entering the 'Jahira'.
The president arrived here around 3.30 pm, with her helicopter landing at the temporary helipad set up at Anukulpur playground near Jashipur. She was received by Forest Minister Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia, MP Naba Charan Majhi, and senior police and administration officials.
A large number of tribal women lined both sides of the road to welcome the president, while several tribal artistes performed traditional dances, such as Changu and Dantha, adding cultural vibrancy to the reception.
Students from various educational institutions waved the national flag to welcome the 'daughter of the soil'.
She will spend the night at the Gurugudia Forest Bungalow in the Similipal National Park.
On Friday, the president is scheduled to interact with local tribal women and youth groups in Similipal. She will also distribute blankets to poor and underprivileged forest dwellers before returning to Bhubaneswar, officials said.
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Stone-pelting allegations trigger tension in K'taka town; youths injured, security tightened
Chikkamagaluru (Karnataka) (PTI): Tension gripped the Vijayapura area of Chikkamagaluru late Monday night following allegations of stone-pelting, triggering protests by members of two communities and heavy police deployment.
Allegations surfaced that some youths from a community had pelted stones at houses over the past week and harassed girls for the last three days, leading to outrage among local residents, police said.
According to police sources, two youths who were found moving in a suspicious manner were caught by activists of an organisation, beaten up and later handed over to the police. Soon after, hundreds of youths from both communities gathered in front of the Basavanahalli Police Station and the government hospital, creating a tense atmosphere.
While one group claimed they were not involved in stone-pelting, another group demanded strict action against those responsible for the attacks on houses and alleged harassment.
Police, who were alerted in advance, rushed to the spot and dispersed the crowd.
Authorities said they struggled for some time before bringing the situation under control. Tight security was in place across the city.
Meanwhile, the two injured youths are undergoing treatment at the government hospital.
