FIR against MLA Harish Poonja for threatening police at Belthangady
Belthangady: A case has been registered at Belthangady Police station against MLA Harish Poonja for using vulgar words to abuse and humiliate the police inspector and the department at Belthangady on Tuesday. Poonja is also accused of leveling serious threats at the police personnel by saying that the station would meet the same fate as the police station at DJ Halli-KJ Halli, a reference to 2020 Bangalore riots.
MLA Harish Poonja had led a protest in front of the Belthangady Vikas Soudha, without taking any police permission, against the arrest of rowdy sheeter Shashiraj Shetty, in connection with an illegal stone quarry near Melanthabettu.
During the protest Poonja had allegedly said that, to protect arrested BJP workers, he would ‘hold the collars’ of police and threatened that the same fate as the DJ Halli-KJ Halli police station would be meted out to the Belthangady station. The two-time MLA is also accused of using abusive words against the department and the police personnel. During the protest, public could not access the services of the taluk office, sources said. A case has been registered against the MLA with serial no 58/2024 under the IPC column 143, 147, 34, 504, 506 and 149, the Police Superintendent stated.
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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.
