The prime suspect in the fatal shooting of the Sultanganj Nagar Parishad (SNP) executive officer and the grievous wounding of its chairman died in a police encounter on Wednesday when officers took him to recover the crime weapon, police said.
Officers took the accused, Ram Dhani Yadav, 52, to a spot 200 metres from his house to seize the firearm used in the attack. There, his aides opened fire in a bid to free him, police said. Yadav also fired at the officers, who returned fire and wounded him. He died during treatment at a hospital, police said.
The violence erupted on Tuesday as Sultanganj Nagar Parishad (SNP) chairman Raj Kumar Guddu held a meeting in his official chamber with executive officer Krishna Bhushan Prasad and others. Three masked men burst in and opened fire. When Prasad tried to grab one assailant’s weapon, another shot him at point-blank range. Prasad died on the spot, while Guddu fights for life at Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College Hospital (JLNMCH) in Bhagalpur.
Bhagalpur SSP Pramod Kumar Yadav told media persons, “Later, the criminals involved in the incident reached the local police station and surrendered. After questioning, the police took Ram Dhani, husband of Neelam Devi, deputy chairman of the SNP, to a place to seize the weapon used in the crime, where his associates reached and tried to free him by firing at the police.” He added that Ram Dhani seized the moment to flee, firing at police. “In response, the police also fired at him. He died during treatment in the hospital,” the SSP said, adding that three officers, including a deputy superintendent of police and two inspectors, suffered injuries.
Police said investigation revealed that Ram Dhani had a criminal record and wanted a tender from SNP, but chairman Guddu objected, which led Yadav to plot to kill him.
Haryana Congress legislators on Tuesday submitted a memorandum to governor Ashim Kumar Ghosh seeking his intervention in an Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act against party’s Ferozepur Jhirka MLA, Mamman Khan, alleging that the case was based on false allegations.
The memorandum signed by 21 MLAs including Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda, said that a criminal case was registered in August 2023 at Nagina police station in Nuh against some persons on the complaint of one Madan Lal. Lal alleged that on July 31, 2023, a mob of Muslims approached his shop while raising communal slogans and later set the shop on fire.
The memorandum said that during investigations, Sections 201, 395, 397, 107, 120-B of Indian Penal Code and Sections 3, 10 and 11 of UAPA were added. However, during the investigation, Sections 3, 10 & 11 of UAPA were deleted but Sections 13 (1) (a), 13 (1) (b), 15 (1) (a), 15 (1) (b) and 16 of UAPA were added, the memorandum said.
“We submit that all these false allegations in the above mentioned cases in FIRs against MLA Mamman Khan were purely done on account of political vendetta as he was never present in any of the places of occurrence. It is clear that a false disclosure statement by Taufik, son of Fateh Mohammad, was the basis of his implication in the alleged offence. Mamman Khan was arrested on September 15, 2023, but released on regular bail by the court. He has been falsely implicated in the present FIR and provisions of the UAPA Act were invoked without any involvement,” the memorandum further said, adding that Khan was not named in the FIR and was implicated based on the disclosure statement made by another accused in the case.
The buzz around a 3 Idiots sequel – bringing back Aamir Khan, R Madhavan and Sharman Joshi – has been doing the rounds for quite some time now. Putting all speculation to rest, Aamir has finally confirmed that the sequel is indeed in the works, while also revealing that the project will once again be directed by Rajkumar Hirani.
The sequel is expected to take the story forward 10 years after the events of the first film. The film is expected to bring back Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor Khan, R. Madhavan, and Sharman Joshi, with Rajkumar Hirani returning to the director’s chair and Vidhu Vinod Chopra producing.
In an interview with Amar Ujala, Aamir confirmed that he is working on the sequel, describing it as a beautiful story. He added that he believes Abhijat Joshi (screenwriter) and Rajkumar Hirani had written and conceived it very well. He also shared details about the sequel.
Aamir said, “Raju is working on 3 Idiots 2 right now. I’ve heard the story and it’s wonderful. The script still needs some work, but the story itself is really good — unusual, with the same humour as the first film. It follows the characters from 3 Idiots, picking up 10 years later.”
Aamir shared his excitement about stepping back into the role of Phunsukh Wangdu once again in the sequel. “It’s a beautiful story conceived by Raju and Abhijat. I’m looking forward to it, and to playing Phunsukh Wangdu again,” said the actor, who made his comeback to the big screen with Sitaare Zameen Par after the failure of Laal Singh Chaddha in 2022.
Directed by Rajkumari Hirani, 3 Idiots starred Aamir, Sharman and Madhavan as 3 friends, Boman Irani as a college principal, Kareena as Aamir’s love interest. It also had Omi Vaidya in a pivotal role.
Adapted loosely from Chetan Bhagat’s novel Five Point Someone, 3 Idiots follows the friendship of three students at an Indian engineering college and revolves around the social pressures they face in the education system.
3 Idiots was released in theatres on Christmas in 2009, and its legacy remains strong as one of Bollywood’s most iconic and highest-grossing films. The film was the first Indian film to gross ₹400 crore worldwide, and set a benchmark for box office performance overseas. It remained India’s highest-grossing film for quite some time. Over the years, it has gained a cult following as well, due to repeated TV airings and OTT streaming. Produced under the banner Vinod Chopra Films, the film won 3 National Awards.
Residents in a neighborhood of West Bountiful are being instructed to evacuate without delay as public safety officials work to remove explosives, KSL.com reported.
The evacuation zone encompasses the vicinity of 1450 North and 1100 West. This evacuation order will remain in effect until 10 a.m.
A temporary shelter has been established adjacent to the city park at 1930 N. 600 West.
The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has sought scientific data from the forensic departments of Sassoon General Hospital (SGH) and BJ Medical College (BJMC) regarding air pollution caused by human cremations, following repeated queries from citizens, officials said on Sunday.
The civic body has also sought clarity on whether joint research can be conducted on the issue. Last week, the civic health department requested research reports, studies, or any available data on emissions generated during the cremation of human bodies and their impact on air quality.
The move comes after a complaint filed on the state government portal by a resident of Navi Peth, who has been consistently seeking information on the environmental impact of crematoriums in the city. Officials said the civic body has previously received several complaints from residents regarding significant smoke emissions, foul odour and air pollution in the Navi Peth area around the Vaikunth Smashan Bhoomin (crematorium).
The civic body operates 75 crematoriums in Pune, where around 3,500 to 4,000 cremations take place every month. However, nearly 40% of these cremations are performed at Vaikunth alone, which handles 35–40 cremations daily.
According to officials, the civic body does not have information regarding air pollution caused by human crematoriums. The PMC had earlier approached the ICMR-National Institute of Virology for relevant data. However, the institute clarified that the subject matter relates to the forensic science department. Following this, the civic body approached the forensic department of SGH.
Dr Rajesh Dighe, assistant health chief of PMC, said, “We have written to the head of the forensic science department at SGH, requesting copies of any existing research or studies on emissions from cremation and their contribution to air pollution. If such studies or reports are not available, we have also sought clarity on whether the institution can undertake research on the issue,” he said.
Dr Yallapa Jadhav, medical superintendent of SGH, said, “We will discuss the request with the respective department team. Further decisions regarding the prospective study will be taken after the discussion,” he said.
