7 held for desecrating Shivaji statue in Karnataka
Bengaluru, Dec 19: Seven people, who allegedly defaced the statue of Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Shivaji here with black ink have been arrested, police said on Sunday.
Based on a complaint lodged on Friday, the police launched a manhunt and nabbed the prime accused along with six others.
The miscreants were apparently upset with the demand of the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti, a regional outfit fighting for the merger of Belagavi into the western state.
The accused have been charged with creating enmity between communities and conspiracy.
The alleged desecration of Shivaji Maharaj's statue caused a snowball effect with vandals targeting the statue of freedom fighter Sangolli Rayanna in Belagavi following which Karnataka and Maharashtra locked horns yet again on Saturday.
While Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai condemned the untoward incidents and ordered action against culprits, his Maharashtra counterpart Uddhav Thackeray had demanded Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention to stop "Kannada atrocities" and the "pervert mindset."
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Road crash in UP leaves 10 dead
Lakhimpur Kheri (UP) (PTI): Ten people were killed when a van collided head-on with a truck on the Sisaiya-Lakhimpur national highway on Monday, police said.
The van was going to Sisaiya from Lakhimpur when the accident took place between Unchgaon and Bharehta villages.
Circle Officer of Dhaurahra, Shamsher Bahadur Singh, said all nine passengers travelling in the van and the driver were killed.
District Magistrate of Lakhimpur Kheri Anjani Kumar Singh told reporters that the van collided with a truck coming from the opposite direction, leading to nine casualties on the spot, while one succumbed to injuries at the district hospital.
Circle Officer, Dhaurahra, Shamsher Bahadur Singh told PTI, "Efforts are on to establish the identity of other deceased persons."
The seven of the deceased have been identified as Jaideep Singh (25), Pawan (23), Sohan (21), Ram Goyal (42), Sahajram (35), Pappu (18), all residents of Bahraich district and Adnan Khan (15), a resident of Lakhimpur Kheri district, police said.
Condoling the loss of lives in the accident, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in a post on X, said, "The loss of life in the unfortunate road accident in Lakhimpur Kheri district is deeply distressing and heart-wrenching. My condolences are with the bereaved families."
"I have directed the local administration to provide prompt and adequate assistance to the injured and the victims. I pray to Lord Shri Ram to grant the departed souls a place at His divine feet and to bestow a speedy recovery upon the injured," Adityanath said on X.
Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak too condoled the loss of lives in the accident.
"The loss of lives resulting from the road accident in Lakhimpur Kheri district is deeply tragic and heart-wrenching. My deepest condolences go out to the bereaved families," Maurya said.
