There was no pothole on road where Rishabh Pant's car met with accident: NHAI official
Haridwar (PTI): There were no potholes on the road where cricketer Rishabh Pant's car met with a near-fatal accident, a National Highways Authority of India official said on Monday.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, after meeting the cricketer at a hospital in Dehradun on Sunday, had said Pant told him that his car crashed while he was trying to avoid a pothole on the highway.
However, NHAI Roorkee Division Project Director Pradeep Singh Gusain told PTI, "There were no potholes on the road where the accident occurred. The road where the car crashed is a little narrow due to a canal (Rajwaha) adjacent to the highway. The canal is used for irrigation."
Gusain also denied the accident site was repaired by the NHAI and the "potholes" were fixed, even though some pictures of workmen purportedly mending a stretch of the highway went viral late on Sunday evening.
Dhami had told reporters after meeting Pant at the Max Hospital that the cricketer had lost control of the vehicle while trying to avoid a pothole or something black.
"He (Pant) said the car swerved across the road while trying to avoid a pothole or something black," Dhami told reporters after meeting the cricketer at the hospital.
Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) Director Shyam Sharma, who met Pant on Saturday, had also said quoting the keeper-batter that the accident occurred when he was trying to negotiate a pothole in the early hours of Friday.
The massive accident had occurred at around 5.30 am on Friday when Pant's luxury car hit a road divider near Roorkee in Haridwar district and burst into flames causing multiple injuries to the cricketer who had a miraculous escape.
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Remarks by Uttarakhand minister's husband on 'Bihar girls' sparks row
Dehradun (PTI): Girdhari Lal Sahu, husband of Uttarakhand minister Rekha Arya, has stoked a controversy for purportedly saying girls from Bihar are available for marriage at Rs 20,000-Rs 25,000.
His statement, which is reportedly from an event held in Almora last month, has invited censure from the opposition Congress as well as the Bihar State Women Commission.
Rekha Arya is the state's women and child welfare minister. While Sahu has issued an apology after the uproar, the BJP has distanced itself from his remarks.
A purported video, which has surfaced on social media, shows Sahu allegedly saying, "Will you get married in old age? If you are unable to get married, we will bring a girl for you from Bihar… you can get one there for Rs 20,000 to 25,000."
Speaking at an event in Almora, Sahu also tells the audience, "Come with me, we'll get you married."
Sahu has released a video saying his words are being twisted and that he was only discussing the marriage of a friend. "If my words have offended or hurt anyone, I apologise with folded hands," he said.
The BJP's state unit condemned the statement and tried to distance itself from Sahu, saying he had no connection with the party.
The Congress said Sahu's remarks were an "insult" to India's women and demanded an apology from the BJP on the matter.
"This statement by minister Arya's husband is an insult to the daughters of India, whether she is from Bihar, Kerala, or Uttarakhand," Congress state president Ganesh Godiyal said.
The statement clearly reveals the BJP's stand on respecting women, he said. "This statement should be strongly condemned and the BJP should apologise for it."
The state president of Congress Mahila Morcha, Jyoti Rautela, said Sahu's remarks are shameful, especially since his wife is the women and child welfare minister.
"This is an attack on the dignity of women and girls. This kind of thinking promotes social evils like human trafficking, child marriage, and exploitation of women," she said.
BJP state media in-charge Manveer Singh Chauhan said his party strongly condemns such "hateful thinking and statements against women".
When asked whether the BJP would seek clarification from Arya regarding her husband's remarks, Chauhan said that his party has no connection with Sahu.
The Bihar State Women Commission (BSWC) said it will serve a notice to Sahu for the remarks. BSWC chairperson Apsara told reporters, "His comments are highly condemnable. This shows his mental bankruptcy. How can he make such a statement about women when his wife is already a minister in the Uttarakhand government?"
