Situation tense but under control after stone pelting on Om Shakti devotees: Police
Bengaluru (PTI): The situation in Jagjeevan Ram Nagar in the city was tense but under control following the stone pelting by miscreants on the procession of Om Shakti devotees, police said on Monday.
Two women were injured in the attack on the procession on Sunday night. After the incident, residents staged a demonstration at the JJ Nagar police station, demanding action against the culprits.
An additional police force has been deployed at JJ Nagar, fearing retaliatory action by the aggrieved people on Monday.
Senior police officers have camped in the locality and have started an investigation to trace the culprits involved in the crime.
Based on a complaint by Shashikumar N, a resident of VS Garden, police registered a First Information Report on late Sunday night.
According to Shashikumar, the incident occurred between 8.15 pm and 9.00 pm, when devotees were taking out a procession in the area.
The complainant stated that he has been participating in Om Shakti and Ayyappa Swamy worship for the past 23 years, wearing the Om Shakti garland and carrying the Irumudi as part of the ritual.
The complainant alleged that three to four youths pelted stones at the procession, during which a female devotee sustained a serious head injury and suffered bleeding wounds. She was subsequently admitted to a local hospital for treatment.
The complaint further claimed that in the past, similar incidents, including arson, had taken place during religious observances in the area.
It was also alleged that the locality has a significant Dalit population and that instances of atrocities against Dalits have occurred.
Stating that the incident amounted to an attack on religious sentiments and an act of intimidation, Om Shakti devotees and Ayyappa Swamy devotees jointly sought strict legal action against those responsible.
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Odisha govt halts salaries of 5 teachers after school fire injures 4 students
Bhubaneswar (PTI): The Odisha government on Tuesday halted the salaries of five teachers and issued show-cause notices to other staff of a state-run high school in Rayagada district, a day after four students sustained severe burn injuries in a fire incident on the premises of the institute.
School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond told PTI that he has directed the department secretary to submit a detailed report on the incident and ordered a departmental inquiry to ascertain negligence, if any.
The students suffered burn injuries while playing around a fire during school hours.
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“The department has stopped the salaries of five teachers and issued show-cause notices to other staff members in connection with the incident,” he said.
The minister said that further action would be taken against teachers or staff if negligence in duty was established.
School and Mass Education Secretary N Thirumala Naik said three of the injured students were undergoing treatment at a hospital in Rayagada, while one critically injured student has been shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack.
The school headmaster had lodged a complaint at Muniguda police station on Monday. Police have recorded statements of the injured students, officials said.
According to preliminary findings, the incident occurred when a classmate of the injured students allegedly threw colour thinner, an inflammable substance, onto a fire that had been lit by the students on the school building’s balcony.
Muniguda police station in-charge inspector Saudamini Behera said the students were playing on the school roof around 2 pm on Monday when they found a bottle of thinner stored there.
They allegedly poured it on the floor and set it on fire using a matchstick. One of the boys later added more thinner, causing the flames to flare up and injure four students, she said.
