Raipur police accuse UP cops of obstructing arrest of news anchor Rohit Ranjan
'Misleading' Rahul video
Raipur (PTI): A team of Raipur police from Chhattisgarh reached Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday to arrest TV news anchor Rohit Ranjan in connection with the airing of an alleged misleading news over a statement of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, police officials here said.
However, the Raipur police were obstructed by their Uttar Pradesh counterparts who took Ranjan along with them, they claimed.
A case was registered against Ranjan and others of the Zee News on Sunday for allegedly promoting enmity between different groups and outraging religious feelings of people based on the complaint of Congress MLA Devendra Yadav, Raipur Senior Superintendent of Police Prashant Agrawal told PTI.
A team was constituted to investigate the case and it was sent to Ghaziabad to arrest the accused, he said.
Complying with the due process of law, the Raipur police team reached the residence of the accused in Ghaziabad this morning for execution of the warrant issued by the competent court in the case. After taking the accused into custody, the team was completing the procedure of arrest. Meanwhile, the local police (Uttar Pradesh police) forcefully took the accused along with them and obstructed the procedure despite the Raipur police showing the warrant, Agrawal said.
MLA Yadav in his complaint alleged that on July 1, a video, in which Rahul Gandhi described those attacking his Wayanad office as children and said he had no ill-will against them, was "mischievously" used by a TV channel to suggest he was forgiving the killers of Udaipur tailor Kanhaiya Lal.
The complainant accused the director and chairman of Zee News, its Chief Executive Officer, and anchor Rohit Ranjan of conspiring to spread fabricated and fake news against Gandhi in a bid to incite communal riots and disturb social harmony, the police official said.
On Tuesday morning, Ranjan posted on his Twitter handle that without informing the local police, Chhattisgarh Police was standing outside my house to arrest me. Is this legally correct?
The Raipur police in their reply tweeted, "There is no such rule to inform. Still, now they are informed. Police team has shown you the court's warrant of arrest. You should in fact cooperate, join in the investigation and put your defence in court."
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Consumers feeling the heat of rising tender coconut prices in Karnataka
Bengaluru: The cost of tender coconuts has skyrocketed in Karnataka, with retail prices now ranging between Rs 50 and Rs 60 per coconut. In parts of North India, prices have even touched Rs 80 to Rs 100. This price hike is reportedly attributed to a combination of extreme temperatures in Northern India and lower yields in Karnataka, which has been facing its own heatwave.
Maddur, the largest market for tender coconuts in India, has seen average wholesale prices fluctuating between Rs 38 and Rs 50 per coconut over the past three months. Retail prices are higher and depend upon distance from key markets such as Davangere, Tumakuru, Mandya, Hassan, and others as reported by Deccan Herald on Saturday.
During June and July of this year, tender coconuts were available for around Rs 35 in Karnataka, the country's leading coconut producer. However, prices have spiked due to a variety of factors. According to the state government's online agriculture marketing information website, Krishi Marata Vahini, wholesale prices have risen by at least Rs 10,000 per 1,000 coconuts compared to last year.
V. Rajannab, Deputy Director of the Tumakuru APMC Yard, attributed the supply disruption to the "heatwave conditions of the summer of 2024," explaining that farmers could harvest only 30% to 40% of their expected yield. He told the news outlet that the increased demand from North Indian states has further driven up prices in the local market. Nearly 60% of Karnataka's tender coconuts are shipped to North India, with states like Jammu and Kashmir and Gujarat now seeking supplies, he added.
Officials from the horticulture department have suggested that the high price of ball copra could also have impacted the supply of tender coconut. “The price of ball copra has more than doubled in the last three months, going from Rs 8,000 to Rs 18,000 a tonne. There is a general feeling that the price could go further high, which is why most of the farmers are not harvesting tender coconuts,” Horticulture Deputy Director Kadiregowda was quoted as saying by DH.
However, there is some hope for price relief in the near future. With copious rains this monsoon, the yield is anticipated to improve, which could further help stabilise the market and bring prices down in the coming weeks.
