Ram temple 'bhoomi pujan' not required amid pandemic: Raj Thackeray
Mumbai: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Friday said that the 'bhoomi pujan' ceremony of the proposed Ram temple in Ayodhya, scheduled to be held on August 5, is not required amid the COVID-19 pandemic and could be organised later when things normalised.
He also rejected Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's suggestion for "e-bhoomi pujan" and said the ground-breaking ceremony should be held with great fervour.
Speaking to a Marathi news channel, the MNS chief said, "The bhoomi pujan is not required at this time as people are in a different mindset right now. It could have been held after two months when things normalise. People would have enjoyed the ceremony then."
According to the members of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra trust, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to visit Ayodhya on August 5 for the bhoomi pujan to begin the construction of the Ram temple.
Thackeray also found faults in the way the state government handled the COVID-19 situation in Maharashtra and said that it was necessary to allay people's fears regarding the disease.
"It is important to help people come out of this fear.
The restrictions imposed by the state government, news on TV channels and messages on WhatsApp have all led to a kind of chaos. You need to make people feel relaxed," Thackeray added.
Expressing concerns over the financial crisis and job losses in the state, the MNS chief made a strong pitch for resumption of economic activities.
When asked about his cousin Uddhav Thackeray's performance as a CM, the MNS chief said he had seen the Shiv Sena president "only on TV".
"I could not see his work in the last four-and-a-half to five months," he added.
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4 held for sexually assaulting woman, girl on moving bus after social media alert in UP's Agra
Agra (UP) (PTI): Four people were arrested, after a prompt response by police following a social media alert, for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman and a girl inside a moving bus here, officials said on Tuesday.
According to an official police statement, at 12:27 am on April 27, information was received on the social media platform X about an incident of sexual assault on a bus travelling from Kanpur to Ahmedabad, which was approaching Namner crossing in Agra.
Acting under the direction of Police Commissioner Deepak Kumar, the Agra Police social media team immediately alerted the Rakabganj police station within minutes and coordinated with the victims to confirm the incident and obtain the exact location, it stated.
Police teams launched intensive checking at Namner crossing and intercepted the bus as it reached the spot. The four accused involved in the incident were apprehended on the spot, and legal action was initiated against them, the statement said.
The police said the swift response and coordination between the social media team and field units ensured timely action, bringing relief to the victims and other passengers, who expressed gratitude towards the police, it added.
