New Delhi, August 17: Indian government took an extreme step of banning bulk SMS and MMS for next 15 days, an announcement confirmed the news on Friday.
The decision of banning bulk SMS and MMS has been taken following the rumours that social media and other sources of technology have been used to threat people from North-East India.
Earlier, Maharashtra Home Minister RR Patil and Samajwadi Party MP Ramgopal Yadav urged the government to shutdown social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter for a few days to prevent the spreading of rumours that are prompting thousands of Northeastern students and people to flee to their home.
Mr Patil was quoted as saying, “We are requesting the central government in helping shut down social networking sites found involved in spreading rumours.”
According to the rumours, some group belonging to Muslim community has allegedly threatened North-East people to leave cities or else they may have to face dire consequences. The unidentified group allegedly had given the deadline till Ramadan which will be celebrated on Aug 20.
Mass exodus continued for the second straight day on Friday with three more packed trains leaving for Guwahati. There was a commotion in the Bangalore railway stations with police trying hard to pacify the North Eastern citizens.
Similar kind of hullabaloo was seen in Hyderabad, Chennai and Mysore as well. However, assuring about their security, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday stated, “At all cost we will ensure peace and harmony in the country. We would like all state governments to work with local communities to this effect.”
Tamil Nadu’s Karur witnessed a massive political rally led by Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay. However, the event took a tragic turn when over 33 people including children died and over 62 got injured and had to be rushed to the hospital.
Visuals shared online show a massive crowd gathered at night for a political rally. Thousands of people were seen packed tightly on both sides of the road, cheering and waving, while a large campaign vehicle made its way through the centre.
The crowd swelled and became uncontrollable, even as Vijay was addressing the gathering, leading to people fainting. The fainted people were shifted to hospitals in ambulances, and some of them are reportedly battling for their lives.
Following the incident, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief on the incident and called the tragic incident “deeply saddening.”
Taking stock of the situation, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin said that he has directed immediate medical assistance for the victims.
This is not the first time Vijay’s rallies have come under scrutiny. His debut rally in Trichy earlier this month saw massive crowds escorting his convoy from the airport to the venue, turning a 20-minute ride into a six-hour traffic jam that brought the city to a halt.
Citing safety concerns, the police had imposed 23 conditions for TVK rallies, including a ban on joining convoys, public receptions, and advisories for pregnant women, the elderly and the differently abled to follow events online.
Courts, too, had made strong observations about public safety and the actor-politician’s responsibility even as TVK alleged bias against the party. Despite Vijay’s repeated appeals, most of these conditions were openly defied by his supporters. Many had brought in children and infants.
The Madras High Court, while hearing TVK’s petition against “tough and unfulfillable conditions” imposed by the police for its rallies earlier this month, had questioned whether such restrictions were being applied to all parties.
Justice N Sathish Kumar referred to the chaos at Vijay’s Tiruchi rally on September 13, and said, “If something untoward had happened, who would take responsibility? As party president, Vijay ought to control the crowds.”
The Karur tragedy raises questions on both the TVK’s accountability and the police’s preparedness. Did the inordinate delay in Vijay’s arrival contribute to the build-up and was it deliberate to showcase his mass support? Were adequate measures taken to avert such a disaster, given the warning signs from earlier rallies?
Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi reached New Delhi on Thursday, marking the first high-level visit from Kabul since the Taliban came to power in August 2021 after the fall of Ashraf Ghani’s government.
What’s on Muttaqi’s agenda in India
During his six-day visit, Muttaqi is set to hold extensive discussions with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal welcomed the Afghan minister. In a post on X, he said, “Warm welcome to Afghan Foreign Minister, Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi on his arrival in New Delhi. We look forward to engaging discussions with him on bilateral relations and regional issues.”
Muttaqi’s itinerary includes visits to the Darul Uloom Deoband seminary and the Taj Mahal. He is also expected to meet business groups and members of the Afghan community in India.
Zia Ahmad Takal, head of public relations at Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry, told Tolo News that the discussions in India will cover “expanding relations between Kabul and New Delhi”.
Muttaqi arrived in India after participating in the 7th Moscow Format Consultations on Afghanistan on October 7. Delegates from Afghanistan, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan attended.
UN travel ban lifted temporarily
The Afghan foreign minister was initially scheduled to visit New Delhi last month, but his trip was postponed due to a UN Security Council (UNSC) travel ban.
The UNSC approved a temporary exemption on September 30, allowing Muttaqi to visit India from October 9 to 16. The exemption lifted restrictions from sanctions originally imposed in 2001, which included a travel ban, asset freeze and arms embargo.
India-Taliban contacts
India has not formally recognised the Taliban government. Jaishankar had a phone conversation with Muttaqi on May 15, the highest-level contact since the Taliban’s takeover. In January, the Taliban described India as an “important” regional and economic power following talks between Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Muttaqi.
While a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not confirmed, Indian officials will accord full protocol to the visiting foreign minister. The focus of the visit remains on strengthening diplomatic and economic ties, engaging with business groups and discussing regional stability.
Muttaqi’s visit marks a rare high-level engagement with India since the Taliban assumed power and coincides with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s visit to Mumbai for trade talks with PM Modi.
Bhopal / Chennai / New Delhi, Oct 5: A massive outcry has erupted after 14 children died in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhindwara district, allegedly after consuming a toxic batch of Coldrif cough syrup. Authorities have arrested Dr. Praveen Soni, a government-appointed physician practising in Parasia, who allegedly prescribed the syrup to the children.
According to official reports, most of the children had initially shown mild cold and fever symptoms in early September. However, after taking the syrup, their conditions deteriorated rapidly — with symptoms of kidney failure and reduced urine output. Laboratory tests later confirmed the presence of diethylene glycol, a highly poisonous chemical, in the syrup.
The Madhya Pradesh government has now banned Coldrif and another syrup, Nextro-DS, across the state, and announced ₹4 lakh compensation for the families of the deceased. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav called the deaths “extremely tragic” and vowed strict action against those responsible.
“The sale of this syrup has been banned across Madhya Pradesh. A ban is also being imposed on other products of the company that manufactures it,” the CM said on X (formerly Twitter).
The syrup in question — Coldrif (Batch No. SR-13) — was manufactured by Sresan Pharmaceuticals, Kancheepuram, Tamil Nadu. A test conducted at the Drug Testing Laboratory in Chennai found that it contained 48.6% diethylene glycol (w/v) — a toxic industrial solvent known to cause kidney failure.
Following the revelation, Tamil Nadu authorities declared the batch “Not of Standard Quality” and banned its sale. The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has launched risk-based inspections at 19 pharmaceutical units across six states, including those producing cough syrups and antibiotics.
Samples from the victims and the syrups have been sent to the National Institute of Virology (Pune) and AIIMS-Nagpur for further analysis. A multi-agency team — including experts from the ICMR, NEERI, and CDSCO — is investigating the cause of deaths.
The tragedy has revived global concerns about India’s drug safety. In 2022, the World Health Organization linked cough syrups made by another Indian firm to the deaths of 70 children in Gambia, though India later contested the findings.
As the investigation deepens, authorities have seized remaining Coldrif stocks and placed Sresan Pharmaceuticals under scrutiny for potential violations of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.
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