Bantwal: Local Police on Friday arrested one person for allegedly chasing the car of Belthangady MLA Harish Poonja and flashing a sword at his car on Thursday evening in Bantwal.

The arrested accused has been identified as Riyaz (38), a resident of Falnir in the city. The Scorpio car in which he chased the MLA’s car has also been seized by the police. The accused and the car have both been identified by the complainant, the police said.

According to the reports, Harish Poonja’s car driver Naveen had filed a police complaint on Thursday evening at the Bantwal Police Station alleging that an unidentified man had chased their car and had flashed swords from his Scorpio car on Thursday.

Dakshina Kannada Superintendent of Police on Friday said that there was no criminal case registered against the accused in any police station and no weapon/sword was recovered from him. The SP further added that the incident took place when the accused was overtaking MLA’s car and a verbal altercation ensued over not letting him overtake and move further.

"It was a matter of road rage. There is no other angle to this and no weapon has been recovered from the accused." the SP said.

In the complaint, the driver had alleged while returning from Bengaluru and heading towards Belthangady, a Scorpio car followed MLA’s vehicle and shouted at them before flashing swords and fleeing near Firangepete.

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New Delhi (PTI): Early morning visibility was low in parts of the national capital on Friday due to a thick layer of smog and haze, with mercury levels settling at 9 degree Celsius.

Delhi's air remained in the 'very poor' category, with the 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) settling at 382, edging closer to the 'severe' category.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board's SAMEER app, out of 40 air quality monitoring stations across the city, 14 recorded severe air quality while 26 were in the very poor category. Vivek Vihar recorded the worst air quality with an AQI of 434, the data showed.

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As per the Central Pollution Control Board's classification, an AQI between zero and 50 is considered good, 51 to 100 satisfactory, 101 to 200 moderate, 201 to 300 poor, 301 to 400 very poor and 401 to 500 severe.

The Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi has forecast that air quality is likely to remain in the 'very poor' category till Saturday and deteriorate to 'severe' on Sunday.

Several parts of the national capital were seen enveloped in dense smog during the early morning hours, leading to reduced visibility.

According to the India Meteorological Department, the minimum temperature settled at 9 degrees Celsius, while relative humidity stood at 100 per cent.

The maximum temperature is expected to hover around 21 degrees Celsius, with dense fog likely to persist through the day.

Meanwhile, the ban on the entry of non-Delhi private vehicles below BS-VI emission standards and enforcement of the 'No PUC, No Fuel' rule came into force in the national capital on Thursday as authorities stepped up measures to tackle worsening air pollution.

Fuel pumps are not dispensing fuel to vehicles without valid Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificates, with enforcement being carried out using automatic number plate reader cameras, voice alerts at fuel stations and police support.