The incident occurred at around 3.30 p.m. near Bechapal Padampara village under Mirtur police station limits in the Maoist-hit district when a team of CAF was out on an area domination operation, an official said.
The operation was launched from Bechapal police camp towards Kutulpara village, he said.
When the patrolling team was advancing through the area near the camp, head constable Ram Ashish Yadav, belonging to CAF’s 19th battalion, inadvertently stepped over an IED triggering the blast, resulting in his death, he said.
The body of policeman was shifted to Mirtur, the official said, adding that a search operation was under way in the area.
Independent fact-finding team stopped by police on way to Sandeshkhali
Six members of an independent fact-finding committee, led by former Chief Justice of Patna High Court L. Narasimha Reddy, was stopped by police as they were proceeding to trouble-torn Sandeshkhali area in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district to probe alleged incidents of atrocities on women.
Citing Section 144 CrPC was in force in parts of Sandeshkhali and it would not be prudent to allow them access to the area even in groups of four-five, senior police officers stopped their convoy at the Bhojerhat area, which is around 50 km from the riverine area, on Basanti Highway.
The former judge, accompanied by former IPS officer Raj Pal Singh, former National Commission for Women member Charu Wali Khanna, advocates O. P. Vyas and Bhavna Bajaj, and senior journalist Sanjeev Nayak, sat on the wayside vowing to proceed to the area as high drama followed.
Claiming they were given a copy of the section 144 order as they set off for the journey, he said, “The administration cannot stop civil society members of the country to interact with victims of human rights violation. What they (administration) are scared to hide?.”
He recalled the panel members had been stopped from visiting certain pockets of Howrah, singed by clashes between two groups during Ram Navami, halted at Howrah Bridge last year though others from the ruling party were allowed to go.
Another member of the group told reporters they would “peacefully sit on one side of the road”, without hindering the movement of vehicles till being allowed to proceed.
The committee is slated to submit a report to the constitutional authorities.
A few days back a fact-finding team of BJP — consisting of Union Minister Annapurna Devi, Pratima Bhowmik, MP Sunita Duggal, Kavita Patidar, Sangeeta Yadav and Rajya Sabha member and former Director General of Police of Uttar Pradesh Brij Lal was stopped by police from entering Sandeshkhali.
On February 24, a Trinamool Congress delegation consisting of two West Bengal Ministers Partha Bhowmik and Sujit Basu visited different parts of the riverine area, interacted with locals and promised their grievances will be addressed expeditiously.
PM Modi dedicates five AIIMS, inaugurates multiple development projects from Rajkot
In a significant step towards strengthening tertiary health care in the country, PM Modi dedicated to the nation five All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Rajkot (Gujarat), Bathinda (Punjab), Rae Bareli (Uttar Pradesh), Kalyani (West Bengal) and Mangalagiri (Andhra Pradesh).
The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone and dedicated to the nation more than 200 Health Care Infrastructure Projects worth more than ₹11,500 crore across 23 States and Union Territories. The Prime Minister dedicated the Medical College of JIPMER at Karaikal, Puducherry and the 300-bed Satellite Centre of Post Graduate Institute of Medical and Educational Research (PGIMER) in Sangrur, Punjab, among others.
In addition to these, under the National Health Mission and Prime Minister-Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM), the Prime Minister also inaugurated, dedicated to the nation and laid the foundation stone of 115 projects.
He also laid the foundation stone of various renewable energy projects including the 300 MW Bhuj-II Solar power project; Grid Connected 600 MW Solar PV Power Project; Khavda Solar Power Project; 200 MW Dayapur-II Wind Energy Project among others.
Earlier in the day, PM Modi inaugurated the ‘Sudarshan Setu’, the country’s longest cable-stayed bridge of 2.32 km, on the Arabian sea connecting Beyt Dwarka island to mainland Okha in Gujarat’s Devbhumi Dwarka district.
The bridge, including 900 metres of central double span cable-stayed portion and a 2.45-km-long approach road, has been constructed at a cost of ₹979 crore, as per an official release.
The four-lane 27.2-metre-wide bridge has 2.5-metre-wide footpaths on each side, it said.
He also went scuba diving off the Panchkui beach coast in Dwarka, Gujarat and performed prayers as he witnessed the ancient Dwarka city of Lord Krishna, which is submerged in the waters. To pray there was a “very divine experience,” he said.
ED summons Hiranandani Group promoters in FEMA case
The Enforcement Directorate has summoned Niranjan Hiranandani and his son Darshan Hiranandani, the promoters of prominent Mumbai-based real estate developer Hiranandani Group, for questioning in a foreign exchange violation case on February 26, official sources said on February 25.
The Hiranandanis have been asked to depose at the central agency’s office in Mumbai but they may choose to submit their primary responses through an authorised representative, they said.
Darshan Hiranandani has been living in Dubai for the last many years.
About four premises of the Hiranandani Group in and around Mumbai were searched by the ED last week under the provisions of the Foreign Exchange Management Act.
Apart from some foreign transactions, the agency is said to be probing the beneficiaries of a British Virgin Islands (BVI)-based trust allegedly linked to the Hiranandani Group promoters. The group has said it will cooperate with the ED in this FEMA investigation.
Official sources said the ED probe is not linked to another FEMA investigation being conducted against Trinamool leader Mahua Moitra, who was expelled as a Lok Sabha MP in December 2023.
Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra | SP chief Akhilesh Yadav joins Rahul Gandhi in Agra
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav joined Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ in Agra on February 25, days after the two parties reached a seat-sharing arrangement in Uttar Pradesh for the Lok Sabha polls.
Workers of the SP and the Congress raised slogans in their support as the two leaders, accompanied by Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, waved at the crowd gathered for the yatra in Agra.
Attacking the government in his address on the occasion, Yadav said, “Today, farmers are standing against the government. The government is scared of the power of farmers. In the coming time, the BJP will be removed and the INDIA coalition government will give respect to farmers.” He added that the BJP has not given the backward classes, Dalits and minority communities the respect they deserve.
Senior Congress leader in Uttar Pradesh Pradeep Mathur was also present on the occasion. “The Agra leg of the ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ has definitely proved to be an ice-breaker. The atmosphere is wonderful, workers of both parties are enthusiastic. This will definitely have a positive impact in the Lok Sabha elections for both the parties,” Mathur said.
In brief
Police remove barrier for commuters at Singhu, Tikri borders
As the farmers halted their proposed march towards the national capital, the Delhi Police on February 25 arranged a pathway for the commuters by removing a portion of blocks at the Singhu and Tikri borders. Two huge cement barriers were removed for those commuters who walk towards Delhi. However, personnel deployed at the city’s border points were advised to stay alert.
Ind vs Eng fourth Test | Ashwin, Jurel, Kuldeep shine as India rise above England in remarkable Day 3 turnaround
Dhruv Jurel’s defensive chef-d’oeuvre found a perfect match in the destructive symphony of spin by fifer-man Ravichandran Ashwin and Kuldeep Yadav as India seized decisive control of the fourth Test against England at the end of a dramatic third day in Ranchi on February 25. India walked off at the stumps, having chiselled off 40 runs from the 192-run target without losing a wicket.
Evening Wrap will return tomorrow.
