Surat(PTI): Activists of a right-wing group beat up organisers and security guards of a garba pandal in Gujarat's Surat city and vandalised the place claiming non-Hindu people were employed at the venue, police said on Tuesday.

A police officer said the organisers of the Thakor Ji Ni Wadi garba pandal refused to lodge a complaint, saying the matter was settled between the two parties.

"A group identifying themselves as Bajrang Dal activists went to Thakor Ji Ni Wadi garba pandal in Surat's Vesu area on Monday night and beat up organisers and security guards. They also damaged part of the place," DCP, Zone III, Sagar Bagmar said.

He said the intruders claimed that some people employed at the pandal belonged to a different religion and wanted them out.

"Police reached the spot and controlled the situation. We called the organisers for lodging of a complaint but they refused, saying they have settled the matter among themselves," Bagmar said.

The right-wing group had said it will guard garba events in Gujarat during the Navratri festival, which began on September 26, to prevent non-believers from entering the venues.

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Bengaluru: The Karnataka Government has sought clarification from the Central drugs standard control organisation following reports linking the serial deaths of pregnant women at Ballari District Hospital to unsafe IV Ringer's Lactate solution. Health Department Principal Secretary Harsha Gupta has written a letter to the Drugs Controller General of India, Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi.

Recent Investigations revealed bacterial and fungal contaminants in the IV solution given to the women. Out of 192 batches supplied by a West Bengal-based pharmaceutical company, 22 were found substandard by the state drug control department, leading to the suspension of the medicine's use.

However, these batches had passed quality tests at the Central Drug Lab, creating a regulatory conflict.

The Health Department emphasized adherence to tender rules, stating that the Central Drug Lab's approval is legally binding. Samples from the problematic batches have been sent for re-testing at the central lab in West Bengal, with results expected on December 9.

As a precautionary measure, the state has blacklisted the implicated batches and issued directives to halt their use in all hospitals.