Jaipur (PTI): Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma on Thursday said that India is reaching new heights in the field of sports under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He said that the Prime Minister had made sports a national priority, and initiatives like Khelo India were helping promote a culture of sports across the country.

Sharma was addressing the concluding ceremony of the Sansad Khel Mahotsav at Sawai Man Singh stadium here.

ALSO READ: Aadhaar, PAN card copies of job aspirants misused for financial transactions; probe launched

PM Modi addressed the closing ceremony virtually and lauded the Sports Festival, saying that it had become a mass movement.

He said that thousands of talented athletes were emerging through the festival and it was becoming a strong pillar for nation building.

CM Sharma said that under the guidance of the PM, the MP Sports Festival was providing opportunities to youth from towns and villages to showcase their talent.

Initiatives such as the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) and the establishment of sports universities have significantly impacted athletes' lives, he opined.

Sharma added that the state government had taken concrete steps to promote sports in Rajasthan, including the successful organisation of the Khelo India University Games and the launch of the Sports Life Insurance Scheme, which provides accidental and life insurance cover up to Rs 25 lakh to international medallists.

The Chief Minister said no talented athlete in the state will be left behind due to lack of resources.

Sharma also presented trophies to the winners of the cricket competition during the event.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Jogaram Patel, MP Manju Sharma, MLAs Kailash Verma, Gopal Sharma, Balamukundacharya, other representatives, athletes, coaches, and school students were also present on the occasion.

Later, Sharma also addressed the Good Governance Day ceremony at Officers Training School and paid tributes to former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his birth anniversary.

He said that the former PM followed the ideals of Ram Rajya, transforming governance into good governance and Swaraj into Suraj.

He said that PM Modi also believes that good governance is the key to a nation's progress.

The Chief Minister also administered the oath of good governance to officers and staff.

Deputy Chief Ministers Diya Kumari and Premchand Bairwa, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Jogaram Patel, Chief Secretary V Srinivas, DGP Rajeev Kumar Sharma, and senior officials from various departments were present in the programme.

Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.



Kannur (PTI): A case has been registered against unidentified loan app operators in connection with the death of a Kannur Dental College student in Anjarakandy, officials said on Monday.

However, the victim’s parents alleged that their son was murdered and held the college faculty responsible for his death.

The Kannur Cyber Police registered the case on Sunday night based on a complaint by an assistant professor of the college.

According to police, Nithin Raj R L, a first-year BDS student, had taken a loan through an online loan app.

After he defaulted on repayment, the app operators allegedly began contacting the assistant professor.

The FIR stated that the accused contacted the woman faculty member via MMS and WhatsApp, threatening her over repayment and attempting to siphon off money illegally.

Sources said that in cases of default, such loan app operators often send messages to all available contacts of the borrower.

Raj (22), a native of Uzhamalackal, Puthukulangara in Thiruvananthapuram district, was found critically injured near the medical college block after falling from a building on April 10 and later succumbed to his injuries.

The family alleged that Raj was subjected to emotional harassment on caste and complexion grounds by two faculty members, following which a case was registered against Dental Anatomy Department Head M K Ram and Associate Professor K T Sangeetha Nambiar for abetment of suicide and under provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Even though notices were issued to both accused to appear for interrogation, they are yet to respond to the police, officials said.

Police officials said the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case is also examining whether Raj’s death was linked to threats from the loan app operators.

The cyber case has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including Sections 351(2) (criminal intimidation) and 308(3) (extortion), along with Section 66D of the Information Technology Act (cheating by personation using computer resources).

Police said Raj’s mobile phone will be examined to gather details about the loan app, and a detailed statement will be recorded from the assistant professor who received the threatening messages and calls.

Meanwhile, the SIT has recovered chat details from Raj’s phone, which indicate that he had sought more time to repay the loan.

According to police, Raj had taken a loan of Rs 14,000, and the app operators had demanded immediate repayment of Rs 8,000.

As his family was facing financial difficulties, he had requested a few weeks’ time to settle the dues.

The SIT, led by the Station House Officer of Chakkarakkallu police station, visited Raj’s house on Monday and recorded statements of his parents and sister.

The four-member team also collected digital evidence from them.

The family also met the State Police Chief Ravada Chandrasekhar and filed a petition seeking a detailed probe into the incident.

Raj’s father Rajan said his son had taken the loan for his mother’s treatment.

“We were repaying it. But recently, the repayment defaulted. If the teacher was aggrieved by the loan app’s calls and my son had done anything wrong, they should have informed us. You can check my phone, there is no call from the college,” he said.

Rajan said he had little hope of getting justice.

“They all killed my son. What justice can I expect? I worked hard for his education. We lost everything,” he said.

He also alleged that even three days after Raj’s death, there had been no communication from the college authorities.

“He was a student of that college. Not even a word from the authorities. Students there, fearing for their future, are not speaking out. At least one student should speak out for us,” he said.

Meanwhile, protests erupted at Kannur Dental College on Monday, with final-year BDS students also joining the agitation.

The college has granted leave to students of other batches following the incident.

Students alleged that the accused faculty member, M K Ram, misbehaved with students by body-shaming and physical assault.

“We were living under severe pressure. Ram was involved in body-shaming. Verbal abuse was frequent. Apart from it, he used to hit students on the head. There were also complaints against him and disciplinary action taken earlier,” a student told reporters.

Political organisations, including KSU of the Congress, SFI and DYFI of the CPI(M), MSF of the IUML and ABVP of the BJP, carried out protest marches.

KSU and SFI activists who entered the college compound were later detained and removed by police.

Kerala SC/ST Commission Chairperson Shekaran Miniyodan visited Raj’s house and interacted with his family.

He said the Commission has registered a case and sought a report from the police.

“We will collect information along with the SIT about the incident. Apart from the preliminary investigation report, we will also examine the postmortem report,” he said.

Similarly, the Kerala Youth Commission has also registered a case and recorded statements of students of the college.

Commission Chairman M Shajar said students have raised serious allegations against M K Ram and that a detailed probe would be conducted with police support.

Earlier, the Kerala State Human Rights Commission had also registered a case and sought a report from the police.