With Paralympics silver, Suhas Yathiraj smashes his way to IAS archives
Noida, (PTI): Gautam Buddh Nagar (Noida) District Magistrate and shuttler Suhas Yathiraj's Paralympics run culminated with a silver medal for India on Sunday, with the journey also earning him a place in the annals of Indian Administrative Service (IAS).
The 38-year-old Suhas, who was outdone by his 23-year-old top seed French rival Lucas Mazur in a thriller of a final, became the only IAS officer to have not only participated but also won a medal in the Paralympics.
Congratulations Suhas L Y, IAS, DM G B Nagar (Noida) for winning the silver medal in men's singles SL4 para-badminton at Tokyo Paralympics. We and the entire nation are proud of you, the IAS Association, a group of serving and retired central administrative officers, tweeted.
The IAS Association's tweet also carried the hashtag #Cheer4Suhas, a trending buzzword on social media to rally support for Yathiraj during the showpiece event, along with #Cheer4India.
The Indian Police Service (IPS) Association, too, chipped in with a congratulatory message for the Karnataka-born UP cadre IAS officer, who has been at the forefront of the COVID-19 pandemic management in Gautam Buddh Nagar since end of March 2020.
Secretary, Inter-State Council Secretariat of Union Home Ministry, Sanjay Gupta also heaped praise on the 2007-batch IAS officer for his achievement.
Suhas wins hearts. India lose another 63 min cliffhanger. He led in decider too but change of court at 11-10 turned the tables. Stupendous achievement for which nation is proud. Sadly, 2nd seed Tarun too loses Bronze play off. Avani Lekhara couldn't make to the finals in the mixed event, the senior IAS officer tweeted.
Suhas' IAS and IPS colleagues in Gautam Buddh Nagar too showered praise on his historic performance.
Greater Noida Authority CEO Narendra Bhooshan said Suhas has done the fraternity proud, describing him as an unprecedented combination of service with sports.
Every IAS officer tries to excel in public service but Suhas has broken the barrier and excelled in sports also, that too in paralympics. He has proved that mental toughness helps break all barriers and you can reach the top, the senior IAS officer told PTI.
Suhas has been the role model for lakhs of Indians, sports persons and more importantly specially-abled people, Bhooshan said.
Noida Police Commissioner Alok Singh tweeted, Well done Suhas L Y, you fought like a champion, made us all proud of your mettle.
IAS officer and former Gautam Buddh Nagar DM Brajesh Narain Singh in his congratulatory note for Suhas on Twitter said, A great feat for the country, the state, the services and Gautam Buddh Nagar.
The unseeded Suhas ended his campaign with a historic silver after going down fighting against top seed Lucas Mazur of France in the men's singles SL4 class final at the Tokyo Paralympics on Sunday.
The IAS officer, who has an impairment in one of his ankles, produced an entertaining performance before narrowly going down 21-15 17-21 15-21 to two-time world champion Mazur in a 62-minute summit clash.
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SGPC writes to Mann, seeks ban on 'Emergency' in Punjab a day before release
Amritsar, Jan 16 (PTI): The SGPC on Thursday wrote to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, seeking a ban on the release of Kangana Ranaut's movie 'Emergency' saying it "tarnishes" the image of Sikhs and "misrepresents" history.
Actor and BJP MP Ranaut's 'Emergency' is slated to release in cinemas on January 17.
In the letter to Mann, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee chief Harjinder Singh Dhami expressed strong objection to Ranaut's film.
Dhami said that if the film is released in Punjab, it will spark "outrage and anger" in the Sikh community and therefore it is the responsibility of the government to ban its release in the state.
The SGPC, an apex gurdwara body, had earlier also protested the film.
"It has come to our attention that the movie 'Emergency' produced by BJP MP Kangana Ranaut is going to be released on 17th January 2025 in cinemas in different cities of Punjab and the tickets have also started to be booked," its letter to Mann read.
Dhami said the SGPC had also protested the release of the movie in a letter to the Punjab Chief Secretary on November 14 last year.
"But it is sad that the Punjab government has not taken any step till now. If this film is released on January 17, 2025, then it is natural to create outrage and anger in the Sikh world," the current letter read.
Dhami said the SGPC will submit a letter also to all the deputy commissioners in Punjab, seeking a ban on the film in the state.
The SGPC denounced the "character assassination" of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, the Khalistani militant killed in 1984 in a military operation.
"If this film is released in Punjab, we will be forced to strongly oppose it at the state level," Dhami said.
In August last year, the SGPC sent a legal notice to the producers of the 'Emergency' film, alleging that it "misrepresented" the character and history of Sikhs, and asked them to remove the objectionable scenes depicting "anti-Sikh" sentiments.
In the notice, the producers of the film, including Kangana Ranaut, were asked to remove the trailer released on August 14 from all public and social media platforms and tender a written apology to the Sikh community.
The SGPC objected to film writing separate letters to the Minister of Information and Broadcasting and the Central Board of Film Certification.
