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Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Dharmasthala mass burial probe: 4 YouTubers assaulted after clash with locals; hospitalised
MANGALURU: At least four YouTubers and camerapersons, who were actively covering the ongoing SIT exhumation process in the alleged Dharmasthala mass burials case, were assaulted in a clash with locals on Wednesday night. Dakshina Kannada SP Arun K said the assaulted persons have suffered minor injuries and the situation was brought under control after police resorted to mild lathicharge at Pangala Road in Dharmasthala, about 70km from Mangaluru. The district police officer said FIRs are being registered in Dharmasthala police station based on a complaint by YouTubers and for assault on a private channel reporter by members in support of YouTubers. With YouTubers extensively covering the SIT operation, local people have expressed resentment and raised slogans against those spreading "false propaganda" about the region. According to a statement from Digital Media for Democracy, a forum representing digital media voices in Karnataka, four independent reporters came under assault and have since been hospitalised. Concern raised by activist over leaks in probe IGP (Western Range) Amit Singh and SP Arun K visited the in the day, a Bengaluru-based social activist and YouTuber met the SIT and raised concerns about alleged "information leaks" from the probe into the alleged Dharmasthala mass burials. He noted that despite the SIT maintaining secrecy, several YouTubers were regularly reporting "updates". He urged the authorities to act against those spreading misinformation if the SIT did not leak any details. The SP said appropriate legal action will be taken and cases will be booked after verification of the videos of the clash.
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
‘Would sing to pass time, sometimes we debated': How a Rs 12 pass connected Delhi University students riding the U-Special
It was the year 1997. Every Tuesday morning, just before the bus stopped at Tilak Nagar in West Delhi, this group of Delhi University (DU) students would be ready. Crumpled notes and coins would pass from hand to hand — Rs 5 here, Rs 10 there — until they'd scraped together enough to buy a small box of prasad from the corner sweet shop. One of them would get off the bus and bring back the sweet and the box would be passed around carefully between rows as the vehicle resumed its journey. For these students travelling from Mundhela Khurd, a village at the Capital's edge, it was a weekly ritual aboard the long green DTC bus called the U-Special. For many years, it ferried thousands of students from the city's border villages to DU's North and South Campuses. By the early 2000s, its numbers started dwindling. And by 2013-14, these buses vanished. Amit Singh, now a faculty member at Shyamlal College and a member of the National Democratic Teachers Front (NDTF), was one of them. 'We were 12 or 13 from the same village. That Tuesday prasad was something to look forward to in a long commute.' He now teaches undergraduate students who arrive on scooters or take the Metro and may never have heard of the U-Special. But when Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced Tuesday that the U-Special buses would be reintroduced, it bought back memories for many like Amit. 'The buses used to start early around 7.30 am and reach the college at 9 am. By 3 pm, it would pick up students after class and drop them home,' says Rasal Singh, Principal of Ramanujan College and a former DU Students' Union (DUSU) vice-president (2000). The U-Special wasn't luxurious. There was no air conditioning, no cushioned seats. Sometimes, the windows wouldn't open; sometimes, they wouldn't shut and sometimes even the seats weren't intact. But for students from Delhi's villages, it was a lifeline. 'It wasn't just about money it was also about safety and routine,' says Rajesh Gautam, a faculty member at Ram Lal Anand College, who commuted daily from Bawana while pursuing his MPhil at Hindu College in the late '90s. 'Many girls started coming to DU because of the U-Special.' The service, Gautam recalls, wasn't just efficient, it was an ecosystem. 'New students would learn the ropes from seniors about which professor taught what subject… it would be like an informal orientation to DU. We would meet a lot of students… it was inspiring and would motivate us to move ahead. Everyone was very helpful back then.' On some routes, the boredom of long commutes would give way to something more musical. For instance, the route from Mundela Khurd to Najafgarh, Dwarka Mor, Tilak Nagar, Rajouri Garden took over an hour. 'Students would sing to pass time… One voice would start, and before long, the whole bus would be humming,' Amit recalls. Sometimes, it was antakshari. Other times, heated debates about campus issues. 'That bus was where many of us learnt a lot of things. Back then the bus pass used to be Rs 12 for about 3 months,' Amit laughs. For students like him, the U-Special did more than just connect homes to classrooms. It created friendships, sparked conversations, and gave structure to a phase of life that was often uncertain and ambitious in equal measure. The buses began vanishing quietly in the early 2000s. Some chalk it up to the rise of private vehicles and the Metro. Rasal was among those who fought to keep the service alive. 'By 2000, the number of buses had started falling. We were pushing hard to increase them,' he recalls. 'After the '91 economic reforms, privatisation kicked in. More students got two-wheelers. And slowly, the U-Special was deprioritised.' But nothing, he says, replaced it. 'The Metro helps, yes. But it doesn't reach everywhere. And it doesn't offer what the U-Special did — direct routes, familiar faces, a safe environment, especially for girls from the outer districts.' In 2015, there was a brief, politically charged attempt to revive the U-Special, led by Delhi's then Transport Minister Gopal Rai weeks before the DUSU election. This was the same year when the Aam Aadmi Party's erstwhile student wing, Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti, fought its first students' union election. But it fizzled out in weeks and students called it a gimmick to attract votes. In 2013, too, in an effort to expand the U-Special bus network, then Delhi Transport Minister Ramakant Goswami inaugurated three DU special routes from North Campus: Patel Chest to Shyam Lal College via Yamuna Vihar, Patel Chest to Najafgarh and Aditi College to Rithala Metro station. Rasal believes the current moment, with DU expanding its Four-Year Undergraduate Programme and pushing classes from 8 am to 8 pm, is the right time to bring the U-Special back. 'You can't stretch the academic day without making the commute safer and more reliable.'
Deccan Herald
3 days ago
- Politics
- Deccan Herald
Dharmasthala: Clash breaks out between two groups amid SIT probe; police resort to 'lathi charge'
Mangaluru: Amid the SIT probe into the mass burial case in Dharmasthala, two groups clashed near the town on Wednesday with a few YouTubers being targeted, leading to a lathi charge by the police to disperse the in the night, one group protested in front of the Dharmasthala police station demanding action against those 'tarnishing the image of the holy place'. As the protest intensified, IGP (Western Range) Amit Singh and Dakshina Kannada SP Dr Arun K visited the police SP said the situation was under control. A case was registered in connection with the assault on YouTubers, damage to two of their vehicles and the assault on a reporter from a private news channel. Additional cases are being registered for unlawful assembly at Pangala in Dharmasthala (where the lathi charge took place), within the premises of the Dharmasthala police station and in front of a hospital in mass burial case: FSL takes over 3 months to submit report if DNA testing is involved, say injured YouTubers were admitted to a hospital in Ujire. According to a preliminary medical examination, doctors treating the injured confirmed that no serious injuries had been reported. Video footage of the incidents will be reviewed, and appropriate legal action will follow, the SP in the day, Bigg Boss contestant Rajath visited the residence of Sowjanya, whose disappearance had led to a controversy, in Pangala. On learning about this, several YouTubers gathered near Pangala Road to speak to him. At that point, a group confronted them, and an argument Anchan of the YouTube channel Kudla Rampage, Abhishek, a cameraman from United Media, and Vijay of Sanchari Studio were reportedly assaulted in members of the group alleged that certain YouTubers were spreading false information regarding the SIT investigation and proceeded to attack them. Two video cameras were damaged, and the windshield of a vehicle displaying Sowjanya's photo was shattered, according to protest, a group claiming to support Sowjanya staged a demonstration near Pangala Road. Simultaneously, another group arrived at the spot, accusing the former of deliberately trying to tarnish the image of the region. A heated argument broke out between the two groups. As tensions escalated, the police once again resorted to a mild lathi charge to disperse the a reporter from a private Kannada news channel, who had gone to cover the incident, was also reportedly assaulted, according to sources from the in the day, Keerthi Kumar U, a Bengaluru-based social activist and YouTuber, met the SIT and raised concerns about alleged information leaks from the probe. In a memorandum submitted to the SIT chief, he urged action against those allegedly spreading misinformation.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Panchayati raj to become Aadhaar enrolment agency
Lucknow: The Unique Identification Authority of India ( UIDAI ) has officially authorised the directorate of panchayati raj to act as a registrar and enrolment agency for Aadhaar services. Under the initiative, permanent Aadhaar enrolment and update centres will be established in a phased manner across all gram sachivalayas in the gram panchayats of the state. With establishment of Aadhaar centres at the village secretariat level, rural citizens will now have easy access to essential Aadhaar-related services such as enrolment, updates and authentication, right in their own villages. These centres will be operated by panchayat assistants, who are already engaged in delivering e-governance services. Director, panchayati raj, Amit Singh said more than 57,000 gram sabhas across the state would benefit and get covered under the initiative in a phased manner. tnn
The Wire
18-07-2025
- Business
- The Wire
InMobi First Deep Tech Company to Launch Operations in Lucknow, Recognizes Amit Singh as Key Industry Enabler
Lucknow, July 18, 2025 – In a significant move to bolster regional innovation and nurture local talent, InMobi, India's first unicorn and a global leader in ad-tech & consumer tech officially became the first deep tech company to launch operations in Lucknow. The inaugural induction ceremony, welcoming the first batch of InMobians from the city, symbolising the company's growing commitment to building a robust digital and deep tech ecosystem in Uttar Pradesh was held with key leaders sharing insights and vision for the state. Recognising Industry Leadership: Shri Amit Singh Honoured On the occasion, Shri Amit Singh, Secretary to the Hon'ble Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Shri Yogi Adityanath was felicitated by InMobi as a Key Industry Enabler. His pivotal role in fostering innovation, entrepreneurship, enhancing ease of doing business and technology-driven growth in Uttar Pradesh was highlighted and celebrated. Shri Singh also chaired the session as the Chief Guest at the event. Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Subi Chaturvedi, Global SVP and Chief Corporate Affairs and Public Policy Officer at InMobi, said: 'This is a proud moment in our journey to foster innovation and harness local potential. We are thrilled to welcome our first cohort in Lucknow and to honour Shri Amit Singh for his visionary leadership. His steadfast commitment to empowering tech innovators in the state has laid the groundwork for a digitally advanced Uttar Pradesh. As someone who hails from Lucknow, it is especially meaningful to witness my city emerge as a destination for global organizations. Naveen Tewari, our Founder and CEO, who is the first recipient of the prestigious UP Gaurav Samman and hails from Kanpur is committed to transforming Lucknow into a global hub of deep tech innovation, and this launch is a testament to that vision.' In response, Shri Amit Singh congratulated InMobi and expressed gratitude and reaffirmed his commitment to innovation-led governance: 'I am delighted to be recognized as an industry enabler by one of the most innovative Indian companies and India's first Unicorn InMobi. It has always been my mission to support the Hon'ble Chief Minister's vision of transforming Uttar Pradesh into a hub of innovation and inclusive growth. InMobi's entry into Lucknow is a powerful endorsement of our potential and the policy unlocks we have brought about. InMobi's leadership in digital transformation and deep tech will undoubtedly inspire more global tech players to invest in the state and we are delighted that this will create local employment and opportunities for the youth in Lucknow from services to products which are rare in the region.' A Strategic Leap Toward Regional Tech Leadership This strategic expansion reflects InMobi's vision to empower emerging tech hubs across India, drive inclusive digital transformation, and catalyse Uttar Pradesh's potential as a national innovation powerhouse. This commitment was evident in the insights shared during the induction ceremony, where leaders highlighted the role of deep tech in achieving Uttar Pradesh's ambitious trillion-dollar economy goal by 2027. New InMobians were encouraged to embrace the company's core values: Thinking Big, Being Entrepreneurial · and Being Proud, as they begin their journey in a riveting presentation by Dr Subi Chaturvedi. Success at InMobi, they were told, comes from thinking strategically, solving hyperlocal challenges with global tools, and creating real, lasting change in the communities they serve, she further added. This induction marks a pivotal step in InMobi's broader goal to decentralise tech innovation across India by tapping into Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. As one of the first major ad-tech companies establishing operations in Lucknow, InMobi sets the stage for a vibrant digital future in the heart of North India. Lucknow remains a special city in the hearts and minds of InMobians especially since the Co Founder & Group CTO Mohit Saxena is also a Lucknow boy, embodying the best of traits from Lucknow, he remains deeply committed to giving back to the city in the best possible way by building an excellent tech and engineering cohort locally with global insights, deep mentorship and scale. In what marks a significant milestone in InMobi's commitment to building a strong deep tech and digital development presence in Uttar Pradesh, this was the first batch of inductees from Lucknow in what is expected to be a significant workforce by 2027. About InMobi and Glance InMobi is India's first unicorn and the largest independent ad-tech company in the world. Glance is a subsidiary of the InMobi Group, a global leader of consumer tech, also having turned unicorn in 2020. Funded by Google and Mithril Capital, Glance Lock Screen is an AI-driven lock screen software that delivers customised content to the lock screens of 400 million smartphones around the world. For more information visit (Disclaimer: The above content is a press release and PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same.).
