Latest news with #Imphal-based
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Health
- Indian Express
Meet the Nightingales: From providing palliative care in remote villages to caring for colleagues during the pandemic, cancer patients
Leimapokpam Ranjita Devi and her husband used to routinely hop on a scooter at odd hours to provide palliative care to patients in remote Manipur villages. Banu M R cared for her sick colleagues in the NIMHANS hostel and guest house in Bengaluru to free up beds for patients with severe Covid-19 infection. As an oncology nurse, when the concept of palliative care was relatively unknown, Major-General Sheena P D has counselled numerous cancer patients and their families on accepting the diagnosis and getting treatment. The trio was among the 15 nurses, auxiliary nurse midwives and women health workers from across India who were conferred the Florence Nightingale Award by President Droupadi Murmu on Friday. Of these awardees, four each are from the North-East and union territories, and two from the national capital. Ranjita tells The Indian Express, 'One of my seniors asked me to apply for the award, but I barely had any photographs or videos that I was required to upload as part of my nomination. However, I got this award for training other nurses at the hospital.' Having spent most of her nearly 20-year career at the Imphal-based Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences, Ranjita has many feathers in her cap over the years — from providing palliative care and training nurses in the red zone (areas in the hospital with severely ill Covid-19 patients) to setting up the protocol for the kidney transplant team at the institute and being a part of the rapid action team established after violence erupted in Manipur in May 2023. 'Since I live on campus, I frequently cover shifts for nurses who are unable to report for duty. I still remember being asked to come to the hospital on May 3 (2023). I ended up staying all night. People kept coming in with injuries the whole time,' she recalls. Before all this, Ranjita was a part of a four-member team that provided door-to-door palliative care. 'I would receive a call if a patient removed their Ryle's tube (used for feeding through the nose) by mistake or if they were in too much pain. One by one, the others moved to different teams, but they would keep referring their patients to me,' she says, adding that though the programme has been discontinued, 'this is what I am most proud of'. While Ranjita says she has never hesitated in taking care of her patients, she recalls a scare she got while seven months pregnant with her second child. 'I remember rushing to a hospital corridor at the end of my night shift to help a woman, who had started delivering her baby there. In the afternoon, I received a call and was informed that the woman was HIV positive. I had to take medicines to protect myself and my baby,' she says. Like Ranjita, Banu too has never shied away from her duties as a nurse at NIMHANS, one of the country's foremost mental health hospitals. Taking care of nearly 170 doctors, nurses, health workers and medical students during the pandemic, she says, 'earned me this award'. Banu, who specialises in taking care of patients with psychiatric and neurological conditions, manages a rehabilitation centre at NIMHANS. 'There are several patients who do not have an acute condition, but their mental ailments don't quite not allow them to integrate into society. So our centre gives them structure. They work at the centre daily, from 8 am to 4 pm, making cakes, paper, printing things, etc. They also receive some remuneration for their work,' she says. Banu is also the lead author of a study related to the pandemic, which found that the lockdown and unavailability of alcohol had resulted in fewer road accidents, though cases of domestic violence had gone up. For the study, Banu, who also worked at the hospital's neuro-emergency department during the pandemic, collected data on walk-ins with head injuries. As part of her PhD thesis, she has created a protocol to reduce and stop the use of tobacco among people with schizophrenia. 'Though we were able to get only 25% of these people to stop using tobacco for a week, the use did dip significantly,' she says. In her message to future nurses, she says, 'You don't have to be Mother Teresa, but if you become a nurse, you have to work hard with honesty and with humanity.' Major-General Sheena, who has worked 10 years as a critical care nurse and as an oncology nurse for nearly two decades, agrees with Banu's message. 'It is a job that requires a lot of dedication, devotion and diligence,' she says. Having trained as an oncology nurse at Mumbai's Tata Memorial Hospital and worked with cancer patients on multiple Army bases across the country, she says, 'When I started as an oncology nurse, not many were trained in the field. There was no concept of palliative care. I am happy that nurses have now started specialising in different fields, including cancer care.' Before retiring from service in April, Major-General Sheena worked at the Army headquarters for 12 years, where her duties included inducting younger nurses to the service. One of the biggest challenges for her over the years, she says, has been giving 'realistic' hope to her patients and their families. Other 'challenges', she says, included preparing her patients to deal with their therapies, and counselling families on how to support and care for cancer patients. Anonna Dutt is a Principal Correspondent who writes primarily on health at the Indian Express. She reports on myriad topics ranging from the growing burden of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension to the problems with pervasive infectious conditions. She reported on the government's management of the Covid-19 pandemic and closely followed the vaccination programme. Her stories have resulted in the city government investing in high-end tests for the poor and acknowledging errors in their official reports. Dutt also takes a keen interest in the country's space programme and has written on key missions like Chandrayaan 2 and 3, Aditya L1, and Gaganyaan. She was among the first batch of eleven media fellows with RBM Partnership to End Malaria. She was also selected to participate in the short-term programme on early childhood reporting at Columbia University's Dart Centre. Dutt has a Bachelor's Degree from the Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune and a PG Diploma from the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. She started her reporting career with the Hindustan Times. When not at work, she tries to appease the Duolingo owl with her French skills and sometimes takes to the dance floor. ... Read More
The Hindu
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Home Secretary likely to visit Manipur next week
Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan is likely to visit Manipur next week, on June 2 and June 3, in the wake of fresh protests and a 'civil disobedience' call by Meitei groups in the northeastern State over the May 20 incident in Gwaltabi. On that day, security forces allegedly tried to cover the word 'Manipur' on a State transport bus that was ferrying journalists to the hill district of Ukhrul for the Shirui Lily festival. After arriving in Imphal, the Home Secretary is likely to visit the Kuki-Zo areas in Churachandpur and Kangpokpi to review relief and rehabilitation work and the overall security scenario in the State, officials said. In an unprecedented turn of events, Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, upon his arrival from Delhi on May 29, had to take a helicopter for the seven-kilometre journey from Imphal Airport to Raj Bhavan as protestors swarmed the roads seeking his apology for the Gwaltabi incident. The Coordination Committee for Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), an Imphal-based Meitei civil society group, has called for the removal of all top government officials in the State, including the Director General of Police (DGP) and the Chief Secretary. This week, civilians also locked Government of India offices. The civil disobedience call given by COCOMI continues, with journalists boycotting all government functions and events. After President's Rule was imposed in the State on February 13, there has been a sharp drop in the number of violent incidents, and more than 350 people have been arrested for extortion, abductions, and threatening civilians. However, around 60,000 people who were displaced from their homes when ethnic violence between the Kuki-Zo and Meitei people started in May 2023 are yet to be resettled and continue to live in relief camps. Around 250 people have been killed in the ethnic violence so far. Several civil society groups and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have demanded the restoration of the democratic set-up, and 10 Manipur legislators met Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla on May 28 at the Raj Bhavan to seek the formation of a 'popular' government. Earlier, on May 5, BJP's North East in-charge Sambit Patra met former Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, BJP legislators in the valley and hills, and Kuki-Zo and Zomi civil society organisations. After the Gwaltabi incident, representatives of two different Meitei civil society organisations were called to Delhi to meet A.K. Mishra, the Ministry of Home Affairs' (MHA) North-East Adviser. On April 4, Union Home Minister Amit Shah informed Parliament that both communities in Manipur 'should understand that dialogue is the only way forward,' and that the Union government is not in favour of continuing President's Rule in the State 'even for a single day.' He reiterated that a Manipur High Court order had triggered the violence in the State in May 2023, adding that the interpretation of the order led to insecurities among the tribal community about losing reservation status and it became a 'tribals versus non-tribal' issue.
The Hindu
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Free movement, resettlement will take time, Home Ministry officials tell Meitei civil society groups
The resumption of free movement for all communities along the National Highways in Manipur, and the resettlement of internally displaced people are 'going to take some time', Home Ministry officials told a delegation of Meitei civil society groups at a meeting in the National Capital. The officials 'clearly stated' that this is 'not achievable in a few months or a few weeks', the Meitei groups said in a press conference on Wednesday (May 28, 2025), a day after the meeting. The Federation of Civil Society Organisations (FOCS), an Imphal-based coalition of civil society groups from Manipur's valley regions, met with an MHA team led by North-East Adviser A.K. Mishra on Tuesday afternoon, even as protests broke out in Imphal again related to an alleged cover-up of the word 'Manipur' on a State bus. 'There was a fruitful and constructive discussion on a range of issues with officials of MHA on Tuesday. It was clearly stated by MHA that the issues of opening National Highways, resettlement of the internally displaced persons, these are going to take some time. This is not achievable in a few months or a few weeks.' FOCS consultative member Puyam Rakesh said at the press conference. 'No specific timeline' At a security review meeting on March 1 this year, Home Minister Amit Shah had directed that from March 8, there would be free movement along the highways, which have been blocked since the ethnic violence erupted on May 3, 2023. However, on March 8, amidst attempts to enforce this direction, a 19-year-old man was killed and more than 40 people were injured in Kangpokpi district as Kuki-Zo people clashed with Central armed police forces. Speaking on behalf of the FOCS delegation, Mr. Rakesh alleged that 'the Union government is reluctant to use excessive force to reopen the highway', adding that the MHA officials did not give any 'specific timeline' for when these issues, such as free movement on the highways and resettlement of displaced persons, could be addressed. 'We understand that these issues take time, but we urged for addressing immediate concerns of displaced persons, taking care of their financial needs, taking care of medical needs, and ensuring education for the children,' he said. 'That was the message given to us by the Government of India. We look forward to having more rounds of talks and also intercommunity dialogue with the Kuki-Zo community, which will be very important for restoring normalcy and peace i Manipur,' Mr. Rakesh said. While FOCS has agreed to engage with Kuki-Zo community associations, the delegation from Coordination Committee for Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), another Meitei group which met separately with MHA officials clarified that it will engage 'exclusively with Government of India'. Also read | Bus incident: Manipur group announces civil disobedience 'State is burning again' The FOCS made it a point to note that there have been 'some concrete steps' taken by the administration since the imposition of President's Rule, with a 'successful de-escalation' in the last few months. However, Mr. Rakesh indicated that the situation has been deteriorating again since last week's incident in Gwaltabi, when security forces tried to cover up the word 'Manipur' on a State transport bus that was ferrying journalists to the hill district of Ukhrul for the Shirui Lily festival. The incident has 'hurt the sentiments of the people of Manipur, and the State is now burning again, and women and children are on the streets protesting,' Mr. Rakesh said. 'This [incident] has been perceived, rightly or wrongly, as an attempt to dismember the State of Manipur.' With reports emerging from Imphal that a group of MLAs were meeting with Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla on Wednesday afternoon in an attempt to stake their claim to form a government in the State, Mr. Rakesh said, 'We welcome a popular government if it has the political will to act in coordination with the Centre to do the needful which can positively change the situation on the ground. But we are not demanding it for the moment.' Gwaltabi incident 'deeply regretted' The ongoing protests in Imphal, which were part of a 'civil disobedience' call given by the COCOMI, displayed banners that said, 'President's Rule must stop insulting Manipur's integrity.' On Wednesday, the Office of the Chief Secretary of Manipur issued a press release, clarifying that there have been 'no instructions whatsoever or even remote thought of covering the name of the State, as has been alleged'. It added that the 'reported untoward incident' is being treated with 'utmost seriousness' and is 'deeply regretted', adding that once the Commission formed by the Governor submits its report, and 'those responsible for the lapses, if any, are identified, strict action would be taken'. 'Evading responsibility' Mr. Rakesh added that the FOCS delegation also raised concerns about 'seasoned politicians' — including Union Ministers Amit Shah, Jyotiraditya Scindia, and Kiren Rijiju — making comments about Manipur having a 'history or tradition' of ethnic conflicts. This was 'sending a message that is normalising the violence' in the State, the FOCS delegate said. 'We see this as getting away from responsibility rather than taking accountability for the problems of the people of Manipur. These narratives are not doing anything good for the people of the State. Such insensitive statements should be avoided,' he said.
The Hindu
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Free movement, resettlement will take time, MHA officials tell Meitei civil society groups
The resumption of free movement for all communities along the National Highways in Manipur, and the resettlement of internally displaced people are 'going to take some time', Home Ministry officials told a delegation of Meitei civil society groups at a meeting in the National Capital. The officials 'clearly stated' that this is 'not achievable in a few months or a few weeks', the Meitei groups said in a press conference on Wednesday (May 28, 2025), a day after the meeting. The Federation of Civil Society Organisations (FOCS), an Imphal-based coalition of civil society groups from Manipur's valley regions, met with an MHA team led by North-East Adviser A.K. Mishra on Tuesday afternoon, even as protests broke out in Imphal again related to an alleged cover-up of the word 'Manipur' on a State bus. 'There was a fruitful and constructive discussion on a range of issues with officials of MHA on Tuesday. It was clearly stated by MHA that the issues of opening National Highways, resettlement of the internally displaced persons, these are going to take some time. This is not achievable in a few months or a few weeks.' FOCS consultative member Puyam Rakesh said at the press conference. 'No specific timeline' At a security review meeting on March 1 this year, Home Minister Amit Shah had directed that from March 8, there would be free movement along the highways, which have been blocked since the ethnic violence erupted on May 3, 2023. However, on March 8, amidst attempts to enforce this direction, a 19-year-old man was killed and more than 40 people were injured in Kangpokpi district as Kuki-Zo people clashed with Central armed police forces. Speaking on behalf of the FOCS delegation, Mr. Rakesh alleged that 'the Union government is reluctant to use excessive force to reopen the highway', adding that the MHA officials did not give any 'specific timeline' for when these issues, such as free movement on the highways and resettlement of displaced persons, could be addressed. 'We understand that these issues take time, but we urged for addressing immediate concerns of displaced persons, taking care of their financial needs, taking care of medical needs, and ensuring education for the children,' he said. 'That was the message given to us by the Government of India. We look forward to having more rounds of talks and also intercommunity dialogue with the Kuki-Zo community, which will be very important for restoring normalcy and peace i Manipur,' Mr. Rakesh said. While FOCS has agreed to engage with Kuki-Zo community associations, the delegation from Coordination Committee for Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), another Meitei group which met separately with MHA officials clarified that it will engage 'exclusively with Government of India'. Also read | Bus incident: Manipur group announces civil disobedience 'State is burning again' The FOCS made it a point to note that there have been 'some concrete steps' taken by the administration since the imposition of President's Rule, with a 'successful de-escalation' in the last few months. However, Mr. Rakesh indicated that the situation has been deteriorating again since last week's incident in Gwaltabi, when security forces tried to cover up the word 'Manipur' on a State transport bus that was ferrying journalists to the hill district of Ukhrul for the Shirui Lily festival. The incident has 'hurt the sentiments of the people of Manipur, and the State is now burning again, and women and children are on the streets protesting,' Mr. Rakesh said. 'This [incident] has been perceived, rightly or wrongly, as an attempt to dismember the State of Manipur.' With reports emerging from Imphal that a group of MLAs were meeting with Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla on Wednesday afternoon in an attempt to stake their claim to form a government in the State, Mr. Rakesh said, 'We welcome a popular government if it has the political will to act in coordination with the Centre to do the needful which can positively change the situation on the ground. But we are not demanding it for the moment.' Gwaltabi incident 'deeply regretted' The ongoing protests in Imphal, which were part of a 'civil disobedience' call given by the COCOMI, displayed banners that said, 'President's Rule must stop insulting Manipur's integrity.' On Wednesday, the Office of the Chief Secretary of Manipur issued a press release, clarifying that there have been 'no instructions whatsoever or even remote thought of covering the name of the State, as has been alleged'. It added that the 'reported untoward incident' is being treated with 'utmost seriousness' and is 'deeply regretted', adding that once the Commission formed by the Governor submits its report, and 'those responsible for the lapses, if any, are identified, strict action would be taken'. 'Evading responsibility' Mr. Rakesh added that the FOCS delegation also raised concerns about 'seasoned politicians' — including Union Ministers Amit Shah, Jyotiraditya Scindia, and Kiren Rijiju — making comments about Manipur having a 'history or tradition' of ethnic conflicts. This was 'sending a message that is normalising the violence' in the State, the FOCS delegate said. 'We see this as getting away from responsibility rather than taking accountability for the problems of the people of Manipur. These narratives are not doing anything good for the people of the State. Such insensitive statements should be avoided,' he said.
The Hindu
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
The Evening Wrap: May 28, 2025
Amid the ongoing civil disobedience stir spearheaded by a Meitei organisation, 10 Manipur MLAs met Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla at the Raj Bhavan on Wednesday to seek the formation of a 'popular' government. Eight of the MLAs were from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and one from the National People's Party (NPP) headed by Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma. One was an independent. 'All the NDA (National Democratic Alliance) legislators want a popular government to be installed in the interest of Manipur. We need the support of the people for a smooth government formation,' Sapam Nishikanta Singh, the independent MLA, told journalists after the team met with the government. He said the team gave the Governor, administering the State on behalf of the Centre since the imposition of the President's Rule on February 13, a paper signed by 22 MLAs. 'This is the same paper we gave to Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier. The remaining signatories are not here, but we are all in this together. Everybody wants a popular government,' Mr. Sapam Nishikanta Singh said. BJP legislator Thokchom Radheshyam Singh, who was part of the delegation, said that 44 MLAs of the NDA were ready to form a new government. A statement from the Raj Bhavan said the 10 MLAs discussed the law and order, and political situation in the State. 'The issues they discussed included, among others, initiating a peace process based on mutual understanding and strengthening security arrangements. Further, they urged the Governor to expedite the formation of a popular government in the State,' the Raj Bhavan's statement read. Central BJP leaders, however, downplayed the development at the Raj Bhavan in Imphal. A party leader said that the visit of the MLAs was more of a courtesy call, and a government is unlikely to be formed soon. Manipur has 60 MLAs. Ten of them, including seven from the BJP, belong to the Kuki-Zomi communities and have not set foot in Imphal since the ethnic conflict with the Meitei people broke out on May 3, 2023. The development occurred less than a day after former BJP Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren Singh met with the Governor at the Raj Bhavan. After the meeting on Tuesday evening, he told journalists that the ongoing unrest in the State figured in the discussion. He also said he had submitted a letter to the Governor, detailing the steps taken during his tenure to identify illegal immigrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh, and addressing the associated challenges. Manipur has been on the boil since May 20, when security personnel allegedly made passengers of a bus cover the words 'Manipur State Transport' displayed on a government-run bus. The bus was carrying Imphal-based journalists and information officials to cover the Shirui Lily Festival in the Naga-dominated Ukhrul district. The incident made the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), an influential Meitei social organisation, call for a 48-hour general strike. The organisation demanded an apology from Mr. Bhalla for the bus incident, which 'undermined Manipur's identity, name, pride, and respect'. The COCOMI also demanded the resignation of Chief Secretary P.K. Singh, Security Advisor Kuldiep Singh, and Director General of Police Rajiv Singh, holding them responsible for the incident. It announced the civil disobedience campaign on May 24 after the demands were not met. Manipur has experienced several bursts of unrest since the start of the ethnic conflict two years ago, leaving more than 250 people dead and about 60,000 others displaced. Congress takes on Modi government over India Inc's rising foreign investments The Congress party has taken aim at the BJP-led Union government over the issue of Indian companies increasingly investing abroad while turning cautious about investing in India. According to Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, the reasons behind this trend are weak consumption growth, tax terrorism, a complicated Goods and Services Tax system, and an increasing disenchantment with the Narendra Modi-led government's approach. Quoting an X post on The Hindu's report on outward FDI being a concern for the government, Mr. Ramesh said that a decade of stagnant wages across various sectors in the economy, from the rural agricultural sector to the salaried white collar classes, 'has meant that there is no discretionary income available for India's families to purchase more'. He added: 'Without consumption demand, corporate India has no systematic incentive to invest.' Mr. Ramesh claimed that there was an atmosphere of fear and intimidation in India, amid ongoing 'tax terrorism'. He estimated that 41 corporate groups have faced a total of 56 raids by the Enforcement Directorate, Central Bureau of Investigation and Income Tax Department, and were 'effectively forced' to give ₹2,592 crore to the BJP via electoral bonds. The third reason for poor domestic investment, he said, was a 'horribly complicated GST system which is crying out for reform'. Various sub-committees of the GST Council are currently in the midst of devising a plan to simplify the GST system and rationalise the rate structure. Finally, Mr. Ramesh said that investment was down because of an 'increasing disenchantment with Maximum Theatrics, Minimum Governance', a play on the Modi government's theme of 'Minimum Government, Maximum Governance'. Kamal Haasan clarifies Kannada remark: It was a statement of love Veteran star Kamal Haasan has responded to the controversy around his statement on the Kannada language. The actor, while promoting his upcoming movie Thug Life, had said that 'Tamil gave birth to Kannada.' Kamal Haasan's remark, made at the audio launch of the Mani Ratnam-directorial in Chennai, drew criticism from the people of Karnataka. Pro-Kannada groups demanded an apology from Kamal Haasan even as they held protests in Bengaluru and Belagavi against the actor for hurting the Kannada sentiments. Angry fans on social media threatened to boycott the movie, set to release on June 05, 2025. Addressing the row, Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah told reporters that 'Kannada language has a very long (Kamal Haasan) doesn't know.' The BJP too joined the backlash, demanding an apology from the star. Karnataka BJP president B.Y. Vijayendra condemned Kamal Haasan's remarks as 'uncultured' and 'insulting' to Kannada and its 6.5 crore speakers Kamal Haasan, addressing the media in Thiruvananthapuram as part of the film's promotions, said people 'have confused the issue.' 'My statement was said out of love,' said the National Award-winning actor. He added that politicians 'are not qualified to talk about it' (history of languages). 'They don't have the education to talk about it, including me. Let's leave the discussions to historians, language experts, and archaeologists. People will take care of Thug Life and Kamal Haasan,' he said. Speaking about his controversial statement, Kamal Haasan said, 'It was a statement of love to Mr Shivanna (Kannada star Shivarajkumar). His father (Dr Rajkumar) is like my father. We are a family, and so are the other languages. If you look at it from the Northern point of view, what they say is right. If you look at it from Thenkumari, then what I say is right. There is a third angle to it, that's where the language experts come into play. They will say both the parties are right but 'they must decide where they want to belong, with their family or with the languages that came from the North'. It's up to the people. It's a democratic country.' The Nayakan actor called Tamil Nadu an open state. 'A Menon, a Reddy and a Kannadiga Iyengar hailing from Mandya have become chief ministers in Tamil Nadu. When there was a problem in Chennai, which came from that chief minister who hailed from Karnataka, it was Karnataka who gave me support. The Kannadigas said 'come, we will give you a house. Don't go anywhere'.' He concluded his response by saying, 'This is not an answer. It's an explanation. Love will never apologise.' Thug Life also stars Trisha, Silambarasan TR, Ashok Selvan and Joju George. The movie is produced by Kamal Haasan's Raaj Kamal Films International and Mani Ratnam's Madras Talkies. Life sentence for college teacher who plotted sensational murder in Odisha A local court in Odisha on Wednesday sentenced Punjilal Meher, a college teacher, to rigorous life imprisonment for sending a parcel bomb to the home of a woman colleague who had been promoted ahead of him. The bomb, camouflaged as a wedding gift, exploded and killed two persons, including her newlywed son at Patnagarh in Balangir district on February 23, 2018. The murder, infamously known as the Patnagarh parcel bomb case, shook the entire State and later went on to become the plot of movies in multiple languages. What stunned everyone was the sheer incomprehensibility of the motive — a college teacher orchestrating a brutal murder simply because his woman colleague was appointed principal of a college he believed should have been his. Additional District Judge, Patnagarh, Sonali Patnaik found him guilty under Sections 302, 307 and 201 of the IPC and Sections 3 and 4 of the Explosive Substances Act, 1908. After seven years of trial, the convict was sentenced to life imprisonment under Section 302 of the IPC and Section 3 of the Explosive Substances Act, 1908. He was also handed imprisonment of 10 years each separately and seven years on different counts. Total penalty imposed on him was ₹1.40 lakh. As many as 62 witnesses were examined, 100 numbers of documentary evidence and 51 material objects were submitted in the court. The convict Meher, an English teacher, was in-charge principal of Jyoti Vikash College since 2009 and he felt threatened after senior lecturer Sanjukta Sahu became principal in 2014. Despite her seniority, he refused to step down, showed no respect, issued threats, and began creating controversies out of anger and jealousy. He began to hatch a plan to cause unimaginable pain to Ms. Sahu. Ms. Sahu's only son, Soumya Sekhar Sahu, was working as an engineer at a Japanese electronics firm in Bengaluru. His wedding was solemnised on February 18, 2018, followed by a reception on February 20. As the family basked in the joy of the celebrations, a parcel arrived at their newly built home on February 23, 2018 — sent by Meher. Believing it to be a wedding gift, Soumya opened the package out of curiosity. It exploded instantly. Soumya and his grandmother were killed in the blast, while his five-day-old wife Rima sustained grievous burn injuries. Since there were no eyewitnesses to the tragic incident and no clues about who had sent the parcel, the Balangir district police investigation hit a dead end. However, when the Crime Branch of the Odisha Police took over, the case began to take a new direction. 'It was a blind case. We began the investigation based solely on circumstantial evidence — which, at the time, was virtually non-existent. The turning point came when a cryptic letter was sent to the Balangir Superintendent of Police, seemingly intended to mislead the investigation. But the letter, written in polished English, pointed us toward Meher,' said senior IPS officer Arun Bothra, who was leading the probe. 'Later, we collected scientific evidence and corroborated it through forensic analysis. During questioning, Meher himself admitted he had never imagined he would be caught. He had executed the murder plot with every possible precaution,' Mr. Bothra added. The convict had learned to make bombs by watching YouTube videos and began collecting explosives from firecrackers purchased during Deepavali in 2017. Chitta Ranjan Kanungo, public prosecutor, said it was an extremely challenging trial, and the Crime Branch of the State Police had painstakingly gathered evidence that withstood judicial scrutiny. The parents of the deceased expressed satisfaction that the convict had been sentenced to life imprisonment. In Brief: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday declined to entertain a public interest litigation (PIL) petition seeking a direction to the Centre for the creation of a Gujjar Regiment in the Army. Terming the PIL 'absolutely divisive', a Bench of Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela asked the counsel for the petitioner to do some research before taking up such petitions. With the court cautioning the litigant of imposing costs, the counsel chose to withdraw the plea. 'After arguing at some length, the counsel for the petitioner states that she has instructions from the petitioner, who is present in the court, to withdraw the petition. The same is dismissed as withdrawn,' the court said. The Haryana government will conduct a civil defence exercise, named Operation Shield, on Thursday (May 29, 2025), across all 22 of the State's districts to vet its emergency preparedness. Scheduled to take place between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m., the drill is being organised under the guidance of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, to simulate critical incidents such as air raids, drone attacks, and other wartime scenarios in the light of current national security concerns, an official said. Sumita Misra, Additional Chief Secretary, Haryana Home Department, said the exercise aims to test existing emergency mechanisms, improve coordination between the civil administration, defence forces, and local communities, and identify areas that need to be strengthened. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow.
