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India Gazette
7 days ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
PM Modi to visit Gangtok today, inaugurate key projects marking Sikkim's 50th anniversary
Gangtok (Sikkim) [India], May 29 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Gangtok today to participate in the 'Sikkim@50: Where Progress Meets Purpose and Nature Nurtures Growth' programme, marking the 50th anniversary of Sikkim's statehood. The event is part of a year-long celebration themed 'Sunaulo, Samriddha, and Samarth Sikkim,' highlighting the state's rich cultural and natural heritage. PM Modi is scheduled to arrive around 11 AM and will lay the foundation stone and inaugurate several key development projects to boost infrastructure, connectivity, and overall growth in Sikkim. Major initiatives include a new 500-bed district hospital in Namchi worth over Rs 750 crore, a passenger ropeway at Sangachoeling in Pelling, Gyalshing district, and the unveiling of a statue of Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee at Atal Amrit Udyan in Gangtok district. Additionally, he will release a commemorative coin, souvenir coin, and postal stamp to mark the golden jubilee. Residents gathered enthusiastically to welcome the Prime Minister and participate in the celebrations, highlighting their association with government schemes and local traditions. Speaking to ANI, Sonam Bhutia, a resident, said, 'We are very excited. It is a big achievement that our Prime Minister is coming to our state.' Another resident, Tikha Khannal, shared her excitement and told ANI, 'I am here to receive Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a Lakhpati Didi. We, the people of Sikkim, are thrilled that PM Modi is visiting our state today... We have made comprehensive arrangements for his visit. Even the weather supports us today, as it was hot here yesterday.' Dibash Rutung, dressed in traditional Gurung community attire, added, 'I am wearing the traditional outfit of Sikkim's Gurung community... We want to showcase it to the Prime Minister... We are thrilled that the PM is visiting Sikkim today.' State BJP President DR Thapa said that the people of Sikkim eagerly await the Prime Minister's visit. He said the visit would begin new opportunities and developmental projects for the state. 'He will inaugurate many infrastructural projects across Sikkim and lay the foundation of several upcoming initiatives,' Thapa said. According to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), the Prime Minister will also visit West Bengal, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh on May 29 and 30, inaugurating and laying the foundation stones of development projects worth more than Rs 70,000 crore. (ANI)
Time of India
25-04-2025
- Time of India
‘I asked, what is Kalma? No one answered': Indore woman recalls husband tried to shield her with his sweater even after being shot in Pahalgam
Jannifer with her son Austen at the funeral of her husband Sushil in Indore. INDORE: A heavy silence gripped the Nathaniel household in Indore as the mortal remains of Sushil Nathaniel were taken for the final rites. The LIC branch manager had been on a family vacation to Jammu and Kashmir when he became one of the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack . Sushil, his wife Jennifer, son Austen, and daughter Akansha had arrived in the valley on April 19 for a holiday. What began as a joyful getaway quickly turned into a nightmare. On the day of the attack, Akansha had stayed back as she wasn't feeling well. The rest of the family set off for the scenic Baisaran Valley, riding ponies up the mountain trail. 'It was such a beautiful day,' Jennifer recalled. 'I had gathered a lot of courage to sit on the pony — it was my first time and I was scared. The path was dangerous, but I still rode. When we reached the top, Sushil asked if I wanted to try the ropeway. I surprised him by saying yes right away. He was so happy — he knew how scared I usually am. I bought the ropeway ticket for Rs 350, and he was running around excitedly, taking videos of me.' by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Google Brain Co-Founder Andrew Ng, Recommends: Read These 5 Books And Turn Your Life Around Blinkist: Andrew Ng's Reading List Undo Just before they were about to leave, Sushil told her he needed to use the washroom. 'I told him to go alone, but he insisted I come too. Austen stayed back near the ponies, taking photos and waiting for us.' As they approached the washroom area, Jennifer remembered, 'There were at least 30 people nearby, washing mud off their shoes under a tap. Just as Sushil came out, we heard a loud bang. We thought maybe the ropeway cable had snapped or a machine had broken.' But what followed was chaos. 'When we looked toward the gate, we saw someone had been shot. Then gunfire erupted — everywhere. They were shooting indiscriminately. There was silence, broken only by the sound of bullets. People were falling around us,' she said. The couple ran behind the washroom and slipped through a narrow passage into the nearby forest to hide. But the horror didn't end there. Jennifer said that at some point, the attackers found them and confronted them with religious questions. Sushil was asked about his faith. 'He told them he was a Christian — and they shot him,' she said, her voice breaking. 'I quickly shut my eyes and held my breath. One of them kicked me, hard, to check if I was alive. I didn't flinch. I couldn't. I turned my head slightly once they moved on and saw a young girl lying lifeless near a tree. Behind my husband was another man, propped against a trunk — also dead.' Jennifer tried to move toward her husband but found herself unable to. 'That's when I realized I was covered with a sweater — his sweater. Even after being shot, even in those final moments, he had managed to throw it over me,' she said. The trauma didn't end there. 'I saw three people nearby — two in regular clothes and one dressed like a Kashmiri — taking selfies with the dead bodies,' she added. The attackers returned once more. 'They kicked me again to make sure I was dead. I kept still, eyes shut, holding my breath. Once they were convinced no one had survived, they left.' She lay motionless until the Army arrived. 'At first, I didn't trust them. They were in similar uniforms, and I feared they were part of the attackers. So I continued pretending to be dead. But eventually, I raised my hand. One of them ran to me and called for help over wireless. That's when I was rescued.' In her dazed state, Jennifer kept pleading with the soldiers to save her husband. 'I wasn't in my senses. I begged them to check on him. I kept asking, 'What is Kalma?' but no one answered. They helped me, but no one went to him.' As she was being taken down the mountain, the scale of the horror became clearer. 'All I could see were bodies — pools of blood. Even now, when I close my eyes, I see those bodies,' she said, visibly trembling. Sushil Nathaniel's death leaves behind a grieving family and a city in mourning. Jennifer and her children are trying to come to terms with the trauma, even as they hold on to the memory of Sushil's final, selfless act — shielding his wife in his last moments.
