Delhi Bus Crashes Into Cemetary, Damages Wall

A cluster bus crashed through the wall of a cemetery in central Delhi's Khan Market area Saturday morning and damaged around 10 graves, police said.

Videos and pictures of the accident, widely circulated on social media, showed a major part of the bus inside the boundary of the cemetery.

Police said the cluster bus was coming from Humayun Road and the driver lost control while taking a left turn and rammed the cemetery wall.

They said it was going for duty from the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium to Karampura for route number 408 and at the time, there were only three people on board - the driver conductor and the marshal.

The driver has been identified as Sanjay Kumar. A case under section 279 (rash driving) has been registered and further investigation was carried out, police said.

Cluster buses are monitored and managed by the Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System Limited (DIMTS). Quoting the driver, a DIMTS official said around 6.36 am, while negotiating the roundabout near Hotel Taj Mann Sing after Khan Market, the bus crashed into the cemetery wall while attempting to avoid collision with a car coming from the right side at very high speed. The speed of the bus at that time was 30 kilometres per hour.

Eugene Ratnam, secretary of the Delhi Cemeteries Committee, said the accident damaged 10-12 graves.

"There are two caretakers who live with their families inside the premises. They live on opposite sides of the cemetery. They heard a loud noise and saw the bus inside the cemetery after tearing down a portion of the wall. They immediately informed us about the incident," he said.

"Some families have come to check the damage to the graves," Mr Ratnam said, adding the committee will help clean the cemetery and repair the graves.

Last month, a DTC bus hit a car before ramming into a subway crossing in west Delhi's Naraina area. Three people -- the driver, conductor and the marshal deployed on the bus -- were injured in that accident.

The bus was going towards the Naraina depot after dropping all the passengers at the stop. The driver later told the police that the braking system of the bus had failed.

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Allahabad High Court Grants Bail To 2 Terror Accused

 The Allahabad High Court on Friday granted bail to two persons arrested in a terror case.

The duo - Mohd Mustakeem and Mohd Shakeel - are suspected to be members of the Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, an terror outfit affiliated to al-Qaida.

A bench of Justice A R Masoodi and Justice O P Shukla granted the accused bail but directed them to record their attendance at their police stations concerned in the first week of every month till their trial was concluded.

The two were booked for waging war against the country and conducting terror activities.

While granting them bail, the Lucknow bench of the high court said that the two did not have any criminal history and were in jail for a year.

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"Sexually Assaulted By Female Relative In Class 7," Says Actor Piyush Mishra

One summer day some 50 years ago, a young Piyush Mishra faced sexual assault at the hands of a distant female relative. The incident scarred him for life, something that he has written about in his just released autobiographical novel "Tumhari Auqaat Kya Hai Piyush Mishra".

Mr Mishra says he has changed only the names and kept the truth intact in his book, published by Rajkamal Prakashan, as "revenge" was not his purpose.

"It left me shocked, I was surprised at what had happened," Mr Mishra told PTI while reflecting on the incident that had happened when he was studying in the 7th standard.

"Sex is such a healthy thing that your first encounter with it should be good, otherwise it scars you for life, it disturbs you for life. That sexual assault gave me complex throughout my life and it took me a long time and several partners to come out of it," the multi-hyphnate personality said.

The book that traces his journey from narrow alleys of Gwalior to Delhi's cultural centre of Mandi House and eventually to Mumbai.

"I wanted to hide the identity of some people. Some of them are women, and some men who are now well established in the film industry. I did not want to take revenge against anybody, or to hurt anyone." In the book, the noted actor, singer, and composer narrates his life through the autobiographical character of Santap Trivedi, or Hamlet, as he was known in his alma mater, the National School of Drama (NSD).

Hailing from a middle class family in Gwalior, Piyush Mishra showed promise as a multidimensional artiste from his childhood by quickly taking to vocal and instrumental music, paintings, sculptures, poetry and eventually theatre.

According to the book, even as his father pressured him to pursue a career in medical science, Mr Mishra dropped out and decided to join NSD at the age of 20. It would start a lifelong romance with theatre and acting.

Initially reluctant to leave Delhi while friends went on to establish careers in Mumbai, Piyush Mishra eventually made the shift to the city of dreams in early 2000s.

He quickly made his mark as an actor, songwriter, singer, scriptwriter in films such as Vishal Bhardwaj's "Maqbool" (2004), Anurag Kashyap's "Gulaal" (2009) and most notably, "Gangs of Wasseypur in 2012, where he played the narrator.

Not just his acting, Mr Mishra's songs have also connected with listeners, especially the younger generation. And the lyricist and singer of music band 'Ballimaaraan' is surprised by the recall value some of his songs have.

"Maybe it is the way I say things that connects me with the youth, or that I talk about them, their issues... It is also possible that they see in me somebody who doesn't use heavy words and that I don't carry an air of superiority around me. And the more I can relate with them the better for me," he said.

Piyush Mishra has written, composed and sung for films like "Gulaal" and "Gangs of Wasseypur". His earlier songs "Ghar", written for a theatrical adaptation of West Side Story - "Jab Shehar Hamara Sota Hai", and "Husna" were later featured by international music franchise Coke Studio.

But, who does he listen to? While Kishore Kumar is the top favourite, ghazal legends like Mehdi Hasan, Ghulam Ali and Jagjit Singh also feature in his playlist, the artiste said.

Having fiddled with and excelled at different aspects of film and theatre, the singer-songwriter has set himself a new milestone to achieve - film direction.

"I wanted to write a novel for a long time, but now it is out of the way. I don't want to stay as a music director, neither do I want to sing. I don't want to just act... Now, I have film direction on my mind. That is something I want to explore. Let's see when that happens," the 60-year-old theatre veteran said.

Mr Mishra is happy that he has not been typecast as an actor and credits his selective nature for that.

"I don't think I have been typecast because I have always done different roles no matter their size. I had small but different roles in 'Tamasha', 'Rockstar', 'Maqbool', 'Gulaal' and 'Gangs of Wasseypur'. "I don't have a problem in getting roles. I keep rejecting a lot of stuff. I turn down roles that I feel I won't enjoy." On a question about his days in NSD and how the institute is faring now, Mishra said like everything else, the premiere theatre school is also facing decline.

"What do I say, everything goes through a decline and that's the case with every educational institute in India. What we had 30 years ago is no longer there... There are big walls around the campus now. That was not the case when we were studying.

"We would climb the wall for a tea outing or to eat 'bhutta'. But these things have disappeared now. You don't have that liberty now. But still it is our institute and we visit it whenever we feel like."

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This Influenza Subtype Is Causing Rising Respiratory Illness In India

Amid rising cases, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has called Influenza A subtype H3N2 as the major cause of rising respiratory illness in India.

According to the data given by ICMR, Pan respiratory virus surveillance has been established by ICMR/DHR across 30 VRDLs.

The surveillance data from December 15 to date reflects the rise in the number of cases of influenza A H3N2. About half of all inpatient severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) and outpatient influenza-like illnesses were found to have influenced A H3N2.

Emphasising about the clinical features of Influenza A H3N2, ICMR has said that this subtype appears to cause more hospitalizations than other influenza subtypes.

"Out of the hospitalized SARI patients with influenza A H3N2, about 92 per cent are suffering from fever, 86 per cent from cough, 27 per cent from breathlessness, 16 per cent with wheezing, and additionally, 16 per cent had clinical signs of pneumonia and 6 per cent has seizures. Also, 10 per cent of SARI patients who have H3N2 needed oxygen, and 7 per cent required ICU care," ICMR stated.

ICMR has also suggested people wash their hands regularly and avoid shaking hands and spitting in public.

"The Dos include washing hands with soap and water. If symptomatic, wear masks and avoid crowded places, cover mouth and nose while sneezing and coughing, take plenty of fluids, avoid touching eyes and nose, and take paracetamol for fever and body ache," ICMR stated.

It further added, "The Don'ts include shaking hands or using other contact greetings, spitting in public, taking antibiotics or other medicines without consulting a doctor, eating together sitting close to others."

Notably, ANI was the first to report about the prevalence of H3N2 in January.

According to Dr Arjun Dang, CEO, Dr Dangs Lab, H3N2 Influenza cases are being reported more in comparison to H1N1.

He said, "In the past few weeks, we've gotten more than a few 100 tests out of which a lot of them are positive for H3N2. But it's interesting to see that we are getting less H1N1 positive."

Dr Sameer Bhati, Public Health Expert, and Director, Star imaging and path lab said, "We have observed an increase in Flu cases where H3N2 is found majorly after diagnosis. We do RT PCR for its confirmation where RNA is extracted from the samples and then it is amplified using RT PCR technology."

"The results are interpreted on the basis of specific fluroscent dye for each Infuenza viruses like H1N1, H3N2, H5N1 and H7N9. Generally, when H3N2 dominates the flu cases, the cases are severe for people in At-Risk Groups like older adults & younger children while people with chronic medical issues have more chances of experiencing flu complications due to weak immune systems and may also require hospitalisation," he further said.

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Not Completely Opposed To RSS Route Marches: Tamil Nadu To Supreme Court

The Tamil Nadu government told the Supreme Court on Friday it is not completely opposed to allowing the RSS' route marches and public meetings across the state on March 5 but cited intelligence reports to say these cannot be held in every street or locality.

The state government sought some time to come up with a list of routes for the march.

Granting the prayer of senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing the state government, a bench of Justices V Ramasubramanian and Pankaj Mittal deferred the hearing till March 17.

Mr Rohatgi said the state will try and work out a solution and decide the routes it wanted the processions to take by then.

"The idea is not to ban the processions but it needs to have some conditions," he said.

Senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani, appearing for the RSS, said the state has allowed similar events by organisations like the 'Dalit Panthers' but the RSS was being singled out for harsh treatment.

The RSS, he said, was allowed to conduct marches in six districts which it did. However, it has been asked to hold the event in enclosed spaces in 42 places.

"In the areas where we were allowed, we went ahead and there was no law and order problem. Now, they say that the PFI has been banned by the central government and it is a threat (to RSS events). They are not able to control a terrorist organisation and that is why they are banning us. I cannot exercise my right. Can this be a ground?" Jethmalani said.

Jethmalani said that on March 5, the RSS is not going to hold the march anyway and, if the state wants time, there is no difficulty.

"We are not going to do anything till at least March 10 or 12, even a week later if my friends want,'' he said.

At the outset, Rohatgi told the bench that though the state has challenged the order dated February 10 of the high court allowing the route march, it is not totally opposed to the events.

"However, the march cannot be held in every street and every mohalla (locality). We have considered the situations of every locality. We have some intelligence reports. We have border areas with some history of disturbances, like there were bomb blasts. We have said that it cannot be done in absolute fashion in areas like Coimbatore.

"The Popular Font of India (PFI) has been banned. So, we said don't do it in disturbed areas in the open but do it in enclosed compounds," he said.

Responding to Rohatgi's contention, Justice Ramasubramanian said when he was a judge in the Madras High Court, he had passed orders for processions in cases involving the RSS and an organisation was dead against allowing such events.

"I had passed a similar order like it is passed now by the High Court," he said, adding, "One is language of democracy and one is language of power. Which language you speak depends on where you are...".

Rohatgi added the high court had said let the marches be held wherever the RSS wanted.

"Maintenance of law and order is up to the state. They (the RSS) cannot have a carte blanche order to hold marches in whatever areas they want. We have given the list of areas with disturbances in a sealed cover to the high court," he said and read out the single-judge bench order of the high court which allowed RSS processions with some conditions.

Rohatgi asserted nobody can say he has a vested right to hold processions in every street of the state and the state plea cannot be shut out on grounds of technicalities.

"Now the problem is that they are to hold the procession on March 5, two days before Holi. This court may protect me for a few days. I am not fully opposed to the procession but on the manner in which it is supposed to be done," he submitted, adding the court may post the matter after a few days. He said it is not that March 5 is a sacrosanct day and that he will submit some relevant documents to the court.

The state government, in its plea before the top court, said the route march will pose a law and order problem and sought a stay on the high court order.

Setting aside the order passed on November 4, 2022 by a single judge bench which had imposed conditions on the proposed state-wide route marches asking the RSS to hold the events indoor or in enclosed space, a division bench had restored the order dated September 22, 2022 which directed the Tamil Nadu police to consider the RSS' representation and grant permission to conduct the programmes without conditions.

Accordingly, it had directed the RSS to approach the state authorities with three different dates of their choice for the purpose of holding the route march/peaceful procession and the state authorities were asked to grant permission to them on one of the chosen dates.

Also, the RSS was asked to ensure strict discipline and make sure there is no provocation or incitement on their part during the marches.

Challenging the single judge order, the RSS had sought a direction to the authorities to permit their members to hold the procession wearing their uniform throughout the state.

The organisation had earlier sought permission for the route march to commemorate the 75th year of Independence, the birth centenary of Bharat Ratna B R Ambedkar and Vijayadasami festival on October 2, 2022.

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Upset Over Poor Price, Maharashtra Farmer Distributes Produce For Free

A dissatisfied farmer from Maharashtra gave away all of his farm's coriander and fenugreek supplies for free to people wandering the market because he was so upset about the low prices, which were virtually nil.

Santosh Barkale, a farmer from Nashik, came to an auction to sell the produce from his farm, but the prices were extremely low, which was over 20 times less than the amount he invested in growing these vegetables.

To sell his 1,000 packs of fenugreek and coriander, Mr. Barkale travelled 35 Kilometres. For him to raise these vegetables, it cost about Rs 20,000. Yet during the auction, each bundle of produce was being sold for one rupee. Therefore, in a fit of rage, Santosh began giving away the entire crop to drivers.

"I was getting Rs 1000 for my entire produce and I invested a total of Rs 25,000 on this batch of vegetables-Rs 20,000 in farming and Rs 5,000 in delivery," Mr. Barkale said.

He was dissatisfied with the extremely low return on his investment and labour, so he made the decision to give it away for free.

"The prices are so low that it's better to distribute it for free; at least I will get the blessing of those people who will get these fresh vegetables," he said.

After learning about his miserable circumstances, some people who received these packs for free spoke with him and attempted to cheer him up.

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Uber Driver Arrested After Woman Journalist Claims Harassment In Delhi

The Delhi Police has arrested a 24-year-old Uber auto-rickshaw driver for allegedly sexually harassing a woman journalist during a ride in southeast Delhi, officials said on Friday.

According to the police, the journalist, a resident of Bharat Nagar, filed a complaint at the New Friends Colony police station Thursday night.

She alleged indecent behaviour as well as lascivious staring by Uber driver Vinod Kumar Yadav when she was travelling from New Friends Colony to Malviya Nagar around 4.40 pm on Wednesday, police said.

A case under section 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the IPC has been registered and investigation initiated, Deputy Commissioner of Police (southeast) Rajesh Deo said.

Taking to Twitter, the woman narrated her ordeal.

The Delhi Commission for Women said it has received a complaint in the matter and has issued a notice to the city police and the cab aggregator firm.

The women's panel has sought an action taken report by March 6. In its notice to Uber, the panel has sought details of steps taken to ensure such incidents do not happen and whether the accused auto driver had been verified by police.

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