Belthangady: MLA Harish Poonja surrenders before Police
Belthangady: Belthangady MLA Harish Poonja surrendered before the Belthangady police station around 9.30 pm on Wednesday, following high drama at his residence throughout the day.
Throughout the day, activists prevented the police from taking the MLA into custody. As a result, the police had to issue a summons notice for him to appear at the station. Finally, around 9:30 pm, MLA Harish Poonja voluntarily surrendered at the Belthangady Police Station.
Case was registered against Harish Poonja under IPC sections 143, 147, 34, 504, 506 and 149 at the Belthangady Police station for allegedly abusing and threatening the police personnel on Monday.
On May 18, Poonja along with his supporters sat on a dharna at the police station and also reportedly abused cops, condemning the arrest of a local BJP leader in an illegal stone quarry mining case on Saturday night.
In addition, the MLA had also led a protest in front of the Belthangady Vikas Soudha, allegedly without seeking any police permission. Poonja is also accused of threatening the police personnel by stating that the station (Belthangady) would meet the same fate as the police station at DJ Halli-KJ Halli in Bengaluru, which were attacked during a communal riots in 2020.
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Air India Express increases flight operations from NE destinations
Guwahati (PTI): Low-cost airline Air India Express has announced an increase in flight operations from three major destinations in the northeast – Guwahati, Agartala and Imphal – as part of its winter schedule.
This is part of the airlines’ expansion of winter services across the country, it said in a statement here.
Air India Express has increased its operations to 106 weekly flights from 63 last winter, from Guwahati.
It provides direct connectivity to eight domestic destinations of Agartala, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Imphal, Jaipur and Kolkata. The airline also provides one-stop connectivity to 18 domestic destinations and six international destinations from Guwahati.
In Imphal, the airline hiked its weekly flights to 34 this season, an addition of 20 over last winter, the statement said.
Since adding Agartala as a station in September 2024, the airline has increased its flights from 14 to 21 weekly, and connects two destinations – Guwahati and Kolkata – directly.
It also offers one-stop connectivity from Agartala to 11 domestic destinations.
“The expansion not only facilitates easier travel for those wishing to explore North East, but also strengthens Guwahati’s role as a vital link with the rest of the country,” Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) Ankur Garg said.
“With our fleet now exceeding 90 aircraft and rapidly growing, we are well-positioned to support the evolving needs of emerging Indian cities,” he added.
