Mangaluru, Dec 24: The Mangaluru International Airport (MIA) has ushered in the spirit of Christmas in style with a three-day celebration which began at the airport on Saturday.
Passengers travelling through the airport will be treated to mellifluous Christmas carols including 'Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells' by a group of talented artistes. Santa Claus too will be present to charm the passengers during the three days, a release from the MIA said here Sunday.
This bag of goodies of 'Santa Claus' with its supply of red and white Christmas hats on Saturday brought smiles on the faces of passengers who keenly sported the same as they embarked on their journey to their respective destinations.
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The airport has set up a 360-degree photo booth on the first floor of the domestic security hold area. This booth will enable the passengers capture rich memories of the ongoing celebration, the release said.
The Christmas celebration is part of the ongoing "OneNationBillionCelebration" (ONBC) campaign that the airport started with Dusshera and continued with Diwali. The thematic decor that marks the spirt of the respective festival has been the hallmark of this ONBC campaign.
Passengers stand a chance to win an international holiday for a family of four to Paris as the grand prize with the shop and win contest which has been rolled out alongside this three-months plus long campaign, the release said.
Jingle bells and joyous carols filled the air as we celebrated Christmas in style! Young guests joined us for a celebration, 360-degree photo memories were made, and the whole airport was decked out in festive cheer. 📷#OneNationBillionCelebrations #SeasonsGreetings #Festival pic.twitter.com/XGu3GQzosk
— Mangaluru Airport (@mlrairport) December 23, 2023
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Lucknow (PTI): The Uttar Pradesh Congress on Wednesday staged a statewide protest demanding a fair and transparent inquiry into the FIR lodged against Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati and those who filed the complaint against him.
In a statement issued here, the party said memorandums addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi were submitted through district magistrates in all districts of the state.
Uttar Pradesh Congress spokesperson Manish Hindvi told PTI that the memorandums were handed over through the district administration in all 75 districts.
In the memorandum, the party alleged that Saraswati and his disciples were "unnecessarily harassed and humiliated" by police on the occasion of Amavasya and were prevented from taking a ritual bath (at the Magh Mela). It further alleged that some disciples were manhandled and taken to a police station.
The memorandum also claimed that an FIR was later registered against Saraswati, his disciple Swami Mukundanand Brahmachari and several unidentified persons in a sexual harassment case. It termed the case a "conspiracy" aimed at tarnishing the seer's reputation.
Citing Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution, the memorandum stated that these provisions guarantee religious freedom and the right of religious denominations to manage their own affairs.
It described the position of shankaracharya held by Saraswati as "one of the highest spiritual posts in Sanatan tradition" and alleged that the entire episode appeared to have been "orchestrated in a planned manner".
"We request that the background of the persons who got the FIR registered be investigated in a transparent manner by a retired high court judge and strict action be taken against them," the memorandum said.
It also sought a "fair and transparent probe" into the allegations levelled against Saraswati so that the truth could be established.
Earlier, Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai had told reporters in Varanasi after meeting Saraswati that the party stood firmly with him.
The Congress said it would continue to press for an impartial inquiry into the entire episode.
On February 21, an FIR was lodged in Prayagraj against Saraswati and his disciple Mukundanand Brahmachari on charges of sexually abusing two persons, including a minor, over the past year at a gurukul and religious congregations, including the recently concluded Magh Mela.
Days after he was booked, Saraswati had said on Monday that he would not oppose his arrest and asserted that the "fabricated story" would be exposed sooner or later.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Saraswati alleged that criminals rule in Uttar Pradesh, level allegations and influence investigations, as he denied having any contact with the two persons for whose alleged sexual abuse he has been booked.
