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Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Amid rising cases, health dept issues Covid-19 advisory
MUMBAI: Amid the rising number of Covid-19 patients in the state, with 59 cases registered on Monday, the state health department on Monday issued an advisory to all administrative heads such as district collectors and municipal commissioners to follow the guidelines for handling Covid-19 and make arrangements for isolation beds, medical oxygen, PPE kits, medicines and facilities for treatment. All senior citizens and people with comorbidities have been urged to avoid going to poorly ventilated or crowded places or use a face mask in such places. Covid-19 cases have been on the rise since last month. There were 873 patients in the state from January to May, 483 of these in Mumbai. Of the latter, 477 cases were detected in May alone. As per the report of the health department, on June 2 a total of 59 cases were registered in the state, with 20 in Mumbai, four in Thane and 17 in Pune city. The total number of active cases in the state was 494 on Monday. Given the spiralling numbers, Nipun Vinayak and Virendra Singh, two secretaries of the health department of Maharashtra, on Monday issued an advisory to all municipal commissioners, district collectors and chief executive officers of all zilla parishads to follow Covid-19 guidelines. The letter states that though most of these cases are, as a precaution, the guidelines issued by the central government regarding Covid-19 need to be followed. The heads have been asked to monitor the situation closely and register the details on related platforms. 'The currently circulating Omicron variants are JN1, XFG and LF 7.9. These variants cause mild illness such as fever, cough and sore throat, which usually resolve on their own. All data related to Covid-19, including specific comorbidities, should be regularly entered on the platforms. IEC (Information, Education and communication) activities should be undertaken to encourage people to follow hygienic behaviour such as hand hygiene, respiratory hygiene, cough etiquette (covering mouth or nose while coughing/sneezing), not sneezing in public places etc. The elderly and people with comorbidities especially should avoid going to poorly ventilated or crowded places or use a face mask in such places,' states the letter. Patients with symptoms of acute respiratory problems have been advised to self-monitor their health and report to the nearest health facilities if they experience symptoms such as breathing problems and chest pain. The health department has directed the local administration to review the preparedness of hospitals at the district and sub-district level, municipal/municipal council hospitals and all other facilities as well as medical colleges and other educational institutions. 'Emphasis should be on adequate availability of diagnostics, essential medicines, PPEs, isolation beds, medical oxygen, ICU and ventilator beds. Mock Drills should be conducted to ensure the efficiency of PSA plants (a technology to separate oxygen from air) and overall oxygen preparedness,' says the letter. It also directs the concerned people to submit an Action Taken Report in this regard immediately. As on May 28, 2025, there were a total of 1,621 active cases of Covid-19 in the country. More than 90% of the cases are in six states: Kerala, Maharashtra, Delhi, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Indian Express
17 FIRs and counting: Madhya Pradesh police probe cheating claims in constable recruitment exam
The Madhya Pradesh Police began an investigation into the conduct of the 2023 police constable recruitment examination after multiple FIRs were registered across the state on allegations that candidates tinkered with Aadhaar-based biometrics to cheat by getting proxy candidates to take the exam on their behalf. DIG Virendra Singh told The Indian Express that there were a total of 17 FIRs across at least five districts. 'We are now going to issue new guidelines to ensure this doesn't happen in the future,' he said. Gwalior, Indore, Shivpuri, and Shahdol are among these districts. Senior officers at the Police Headquarters in Bhopal said that following multiple complaints from local battalions across multiple districts, an Aadhaar verification exercise of selected candidates brought to the fore several cases of irregularities. In Gwalior's Kampu police station, five candidates selected in the Guard (GD) Constable Recruitment Examination, 2023, have been accused of manipulating their Aadhaar biometrics to cheat in the written examination, according to an official letter from the 14th Battalion of the Special Armed Forces (Visbal), Gwalior. An FIR has been registered against the candidates. A report on this, dated May 23 this year, was sent from the office of the 14th Battalion, Gwalior, to higher authorities, flagging serious irregularities in the biometric history of the selected candidates. The complaint said, 'During the recruitment process, biometric change was made in Aadhaar, and the photograph taken during the written examination of the candidates appeared different, which raised suspicion that the above candidates have cheated in the written examination.' Gwalior ASP Dharmveer Singh said, 'Recruitment examinations today involve a high degree of technological integration. Any attempt to cheat at any stage is quickly detected. That's exactly what happened in this case. After these candidates were selected and appeared for document verification, discrepancies were found in their Aadhaar updates, fingerprints, and handwriting. The scrutiny committee discovered clear evidence of document tampering.' The battalion, acting under orders from the Police HQ in Bhopal, checked the Aadhaar update history of the five individuals through a designated Aadhaar History Committee after obtaining written consent from the candidates. It was found that the accused persons changed their biometric information before the written examination on July 18, 2023 and again after the exam. The battalion obtained various documents from the Madhya Pradesh Staff Selection Board in Bhopal to verify these suspicions. These included the candidates' original exam application forms, admit cards, result copies, second-page admit card copies that included the candidates' thumb impressions and handwriting done in front of the invigilator at the exam centre, the attendance sheets, and photographs taken during registration and lab entry on the exam day. A handwriting and document comparison was conducted by a committee, which found mismatches in photographs and handwriting samples, reinforcing the suspicion that impersonation had occurred. The FIR said that the 'photo taken at the written examination centre and the handwritten scan file of the applicant… were scrutinised by the document examination committee at the channel level, which raised the suspicion that cheating has been committed in the written examination.' On May 19, the Gwalior police arrested one Atendra Singh Rana for allegedly manipulating his Aadhaar biometric and photograph three times in an attempt to become a police constable. An FIR was registered against him at City Kotwali police station. According to officials, he updated his Aadhaar card before the written examination and replaced his photograph with that of a proxy candidate. After clearing the exam, he once again changed the Aadhaar photograph — this time updating it with his own image. The accused person tampered with his Aadhaar records three times between the written examination and the physical test. When he arrived at the 5th Battalion in Morena for document verification, the scrutiny committee noticed irregularities in his Aadhaar biometric history. During questioning, the suspect allegedly admitted to having made three biometric and photo updates to facilitate cheating. Station House Officer Dipendra Yadav confirmed the arrest, saying, 'He had sent a proxy to appear in the police constable recruitment exam in his place. An investigation is underway, and other individuals linked to this cheating racket will also be arrested.' Similarly, in Shivpuri district, local police are investigating allegations of irregularities against two men from Gwalior after the local SAF battalion red flagged irregularities in their identification details.
The Print
28-05-2025
- The Print
Two girls dead, seven injured as lightning strikes hamlet in UP's Mirzapur
Haliya Inspector Virendra Singh nine-year-old Sadhana and ten-year-old Khushboo, daughters of residents Ajay and Santosh respectively, were playing near a hand pump when they were struck by the lightning. The incident happened at around 3 pm in the Majhgawan hamlet in Nanda village under Haliya police station limits here. Mirzapur (UP), May 28 (PTI) Two girls aged nine and ten years died and seven others were injured when lightning struck during light rainfall in a village here on Wednesday, police said. Meanwhile, under a neem tree nearby, seven people including a three-year-old girl, two teenagers and a woman suffered burn injuries, Singh said. 'All injured are being treated at the Haliya Primary Health Centre,' said Dr Kameshwar Tiwari of the PHC. Sub-divisional magistrate Sanjeev Kumar Yadav, who visited the hospital, directed prompt medical care and announced compensation of Rs 4 lakh each for the deceased and Rs 5,400 each the injured people under the Disaster Relief Fund. Police have sent the bodies for post-mortem. PTI COR KIS RUK RUK This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Hindustan Times
24-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
Fired 32 years ago, ex-railway worker attacks CBI ASI with bow and arrow in revenge in Lucknow
A former railway gangman has been arrested for allegedly attacking an assistant sub-inspector (ASI) of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) with a bow and arrow outside the agency's office in Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow, police said on Saturday. The agency's office is situated in Lucknow's Hazratganj. The ASI, 55-year-old Virendra Singh, suffered a chest injury in the incident on Friday, according to police officials, quoted in a PTI news agency report ASI Virendra Singh had investigated a case related to corruption in the Railways in 1993 after which the accused was dismissed from service, as per the police, who added that the accused, identified as Dinesh Murmu, had also attacked a policeman in 2005. SHO of Hazratganj police station Vikram Singh told the news agency that 65-year-old Dinesh Murmu, a resident of Bihar's Munger, attacked ASI Singh with a bow and arrow outside the CBI office located on Naval Kishore Marg. The ASI is undergoing medical treatment in Lucknow, and his wound was about five centimetres deep, SHO Singh said. The Station House Officer (SHO) said that Dinesh Murmu has been booked for the offence of attempt to murder under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and has been arrested. After completing the legal process, the accused will be sent to jail today. SHO Singh said that Dinesh Murmu was a railway gangman when ASI Virendra Singh had investigated a case related to corruption in 1993, resulting in the accused getting dismissed from service. According to police sources cited by PTI, Dinesh Murmu had gone to Delhi to meet a CBI officer in 2005 and attacked a policeman, after which he was sent to jail. In 2015, he was also arrested after a dispute with a GRP jawan at Jaunpur railway station and remained in jail for about three and a half years. A railway gangman is a railway worker responsible for maintaining the track and ensuring its safety.
Hindustan Times
23-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
Attack at Lko CBI Office: Tribal man shoots arrows at cop on duty; motive unclear
In a recreation of a Bollywood action sequence, enacted in the heart of Hazratganj, a tribal man armed with a bow and arrows attacked a police officer outside the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) office on Nawal Kishore Road on Friday. The cop was severely injured in the attack and is undergoing treatment at Syama Prasad Mukherjee Hospital on Park Road, where doctors declared the injured officer out of danger. Police took the assailant into custody and are questioning him about the motive for the attack. According to the police, the accused belongs to a tribal community which traditionally uses a bow and arrow. He was identified as Dinesh Murmu, 55, hails from Harkund Kharagpur, in Bihar's Munger district, an area bordering Jharkhand, which is known for its tribal population. Murmu fired multiple arrows at assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Virendra Singh, who was stationed as a guard at the CBI office entrance. According to an official statement by the Lucknow Police, the incident occurred at around 11:15 AM on Friday when the local police station received information about an attack on the CBI premises when the victim, Virendra Singh, 48, was sitting outside the CBI office entrance. The victim in his FIR said, 'during office gate duty, I saw a person sitting next to a tree. I asked him what he was doing there. Immediately after, he got up and attacked me with a bow and arrow, due to which I was struck in the chest. Thereafter, he fired several arrows which had iron tips attached to them.' Hazratganj Police station SHO Vikram Singh said, 'Officers responded promptly and reached the scene to find ASI Virendra Singh, wounded by an arrow. He was rushed to hospital for medical treatment where the doctors have confirmed that he is out of danger,' he added. 'Following the incident, a case under 118 (1) (voluntarily causing hurt) and 109 (1) (attempt to murder) under BNS has been registered at the Hazratganj police station, and the accused has been taken into police custody for interrogation,' said Singh. Decades-old grudge? Even though authorities have not yet disclosed the motive behind the attack and launched an investigation into the case, sources said that the incident may be tied to a 1993 entrapment case in the Indian Railways. The 1993 entrapment case Indian Railways refers to a series of train bombings that occurred in 1993, and the subsequent legal proceedings involving those accused. The CBI later took over the investigation, and the cases were clubbed together as a single conspiracy, leading to the filing of a chargesheet against 13 arrested and nine absconding accused. Investigators are now examining whether the attacker was a former railway employee and if he was directly or indirectly involved in that case. 'Authorities are currently scrutinising old case files and employment records to verify the accused's past and uncover any motive rooted in the 1993 incident. Preliminary reports indicate that the accused may have been terminated from railway service in connection with the same case,' said the source.
