Ahmedabad crime branch officials arrested the agents from Kalol and Ahmedabad. (Representational)Ahmedabad: Two agents were arrested for facilitating illegal immigration almost a year after four members of a family from Gujarat froze to death near the Canada-US border while trying to cross into the US, police said on Sunday.Ahmedabad crime branch officials arrested the agents from Kalol in Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad, and declared two others from Canada and the US as wanted in a case of allegedly getting 11 persons from Gujarat, including the family of four, illegally cross into the US from Canada, a senior official said.Jagdish Patel, his wife and two children from Dingucha village in Kalol taluka died apparently due to exposure to extreme cold conditions on the US-Canada border in January 2022."The city crime branch has registered an offence in a case wherein the accused (agents) had forced 11 people to walk in the snow in a bid to get them illegally cross the US-Canada border, causing the death of four members of a family," Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) (Crime Branch) Chaitanya Mandlik told reporters.The investigation so far has revealed that the accused persons played a role in trying to get the 11 persons from Gujarat to illegally cross the international border (US-Canada), he said."The victims were taken to Toronto in Canada and later to Vancouver. The agents then dumped them at Winnipeg in Manitoba province leaving them to cross over to the US on their own," the official said.The two other accused who are wanted in the case are the "crossing agents" who were to get Rs 60 lakh to Rs 65 lakh per person, he said."There are deputy agents, main agents in India. The crossing agents in Canada and the US help with legal and other assistance. The two wanted accused are agents from Canada and the US," Mr Mandlik said.Of the 11 persons from Gujarat, seven who tried to cross illegally were arrested by the US authorities after they landed there. Most of these people hail from Kalol in Gandhinagar and Mehsana, he said.The Gujarat CID Crime has also registered an offence of (filing) bogus documents in connection with the illegal immigration case.PromotedListen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.com"The documents submitted in embassy and passport offices are to be verified to ascertain whether they are fake or genuine," the official added.(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)Featured Video Of The DayAnother Big Win For SS Rajamouli's RRR. This Time At Critics Choice Awards
AHMEDABAD: Two agents were arrested for facilitating illegal immigration almost a year after four members of a family from Gujarat froze to death near the Canada-US border while trying to cross into the US, police said on Sunday. Ahmedabad crime branch officials arrested the agents from Kalol in Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad, and declared two others from Canada and the US as wanted in a case of allegedly getting 11 persons from Gujarat, including the family of four, illegally cross into the US from Canada, a senior official said. Jagdish Patel, his wife and two children from Dingucha village in Kalol taluka died apparently due to exposure to extreme cold conditions on the US-Canada border in January 2022. "The city crime branch has registered an offence in a case wherein the accused (agents) had forced 11 people to walk in the snow in a bid to get them illegally cross the US-Canada border, causing the death of four members of a family," Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) (Crime Branch) Chaitanya Mandlik told reporters. The investigation so far has revealed that the accused persons played a role in trying to get the 11 persons from Gujarat to illegally cross the international border (US-Canada), he said. "The victims were taken to Toronto in Canada and later to Vancouver. The agents then dumped them at Winnipeg in Manitoba province leaving them to cross over to the US on their own," the official said. The two other accused who are wanted in the case are the "crossing agents" who were to get Rs 60 lakh to Rs 65 lakh per person, he said. "There are deputy agents, main agents in India. The crossing agents in Canada and the US help with legal and other assistance. The two wanted accused are agents from Canada and the US," Mandlik said. Of the 11 persons from Gujarat, seven who tried to cross illegally were nabbed by the US authorities after they landed there. Most of these people hail from Kalol in Gandhinagar and Mehsana, he said. The Gujarat CID Crime has also registered an offence of (filing) bogus documents in connection with the illegal immigration case. "The documents submitted in embassy and passport offices are to be verified to ascertain whether they are fake or genuine," the official added.
Mumtaz Patel said that it is prudent to avoid such comments.New Delhi: Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, whose "Ravan" remarks targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi sparked a backlash for the party, has been "advised" from within to choose his words carefully as they could be misused.Mumtaz Patel, a Congress leader from Bharuch in Gujarat and the daughter of Sonia Gandhi's political advisor Ahmed Patel, has said that it is prudent to avoid such comments."We should be careful about what we say because words are misused and the real message is lost," Ms Patel told NDTV on a question about the slurs against PM Modi that have largely backfired on the Congress. She later added that her advice to to all parties and all leaders and not specifically to the Congress.Mr Kharge had made the ill-advised comment earlier this week, while campaigning in Gujarat for the first time since taking over as Congress president."Modi ji is Prime Minister. Forgetting his work, he keeps campaigning in corporation elections, MLA elections, MP elections, everywhere... All the time he's talking about himself - 'You don't have to look at anyone else, just look at Modi and vote'. How many times do we see your face? How many forms do you have? Do you have 100 heads like Ravan?" Mr Kharge had said.Days before him, his party colleague Madhusudan Mistry had made comments referring to "aukat (status)" that PM Modi has raised repeatedly in his rallies.The Prime Minister responded to the Congress leaders' barbs at a rally yesterday in Kalol, Gujarat."There is a competition in the Congress on who will insult Modi more, use bigger, sharper insults," PM Modi said while campaigning in Gujarat's Kalol."A few days back, a Congress leader said Modi will die a dog's death, another said Modi will die Hitler's death. Another said if I get a chance, I'll kill Modi myself...Someone says Ravan, someone says rakshash (demon), someone says cockroach... I'm not surprised that Congress calls Modi names, I'm surprised - anyone would be - that despite using such words, the Congress never has remorse. Congress thinks it is their right to insult Modi, the Prime Minister of this country."Ahmed Patel, who was Congress president Sonia Gandhi's most trusted aide, died of Covid at 71, two years ago.PromotedListen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.comThough his daughter Mumtaz Patel is not politically active, she has weighed in on subjects related to the Congress often.She did not contest the Gujarat election but was non-committal on fighting the 2024 election as a Congress candidate. "For the time being, I'll observe and understand things. After that, I'll go among the public and then, I'll contest...Let's see after a year," she was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
The strength that Gujarat has given me troubles Congress, said PM Modi.Prime Minister Narendra Modi, campaigning in Gujarat today, fired back at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's "Ravan" comment targeting him. It was not ok to call someone "Ravan" in the land of "Rambhakts (Ram devotees)", he commented, addressing a large gathering."There is a competition in the Congress on who will insult Modi more, use bigger, sharper insults," PM Modi said while campaigning in Gujarat's Kalol."A few days back, a Congress leader said Modi will die a dog's death, another said Modi will die Hitler's death. Another said if I get a chance, I'll kill Modi myself...Someone says Ravan, someone says rakshash (demon), someone says cockroach... I'm not surprised that Congress calls Modi names, I'm surprised - anyone would be - that despite using such words, the Congress never has remorse. Congress thinks it is their right to insult Modi, the Prime Minister of this country."Mr Kharge had made the comments while addressing a rally in Ahmedabad earlier this week. "Modi ji is Prime Minister. Forgetting his work, he keeps campaigning in corporation elections, MLA elections, MP elections, everywhere... All the time he's talking about himself - 'You don't have to look at anyone else, just look at Modi and vote'. How many times do we see your face? How many forms do you have? Do you have 100 heads like Ravan?" Mr Kharge had said.Days before him, another Congress leader, Madhusudan Mistry, had said "We want to show Modiji his aukat (status)" while talking about renaming a stadium named after Narendra Modi.PM Modi tackled both comments today.PromotedListen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.com"The strength that Gujarat has given me troubles Congress. A Congress leader came here and said we'll show Modi his aukat in this election. The Congress felt still more needs to be said, so they sent Kharge here. I respect Kharge but he must have had to say what had been asked. Congress doesn't know that Gujarat is a state of Ram bhakhts. Here he said Modi is Ravan with 100 heads," the Prime Minister said.Gujarat voted in the first round of a two-phase election today. The second phase is on Monday.
Former BJP MP from Halol Lok Sabha seat Prabhatsinh Chauhan joined the Congress party on Tuesday at the party’s Parivartan Sankalp Yatra in Fagvel.Chauhan had been upset with the BJP since 2017 when the party fielded his daughter-in-law Suman Chauhan in the Assembly polls from Kalol constituency while Chauhan had demanded a ticket for his wife. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Chauhan was sidelined.On Tuesday, Chauhan joined the Congress party in presence of senior leaders Sachin Pilot, Amit Chavda, Naran Rathwa, Jagdish Thakor, Sukhram Rathwa and Siddharth Patel. Sources said that Chauhan is aspiring to contest the upcoming polls from Kalol or Godhra assembly constituency.An influential leader in Panchmahal, Mahisagar, and Kheda districts, Chauhan was, however, criticised for being miffed over Suman’s candidature in 2017 Assembly polls, following which the party dropped in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.A senior BJP leader said, “The party had been trying to explain to him that he must involve himself in party activities. But he has been aloof and trying to push his family members for party tickets. It is strictly not allowed anymore… We had been expecting this move for a long time and it has come before the polls. Since he was barely active in the party nowadays, his departure will not affect the prospects of the BJP in any of the seats.”Chauhan, known to be close to former chief minister Shankarsinh Vaghela, was elected as a Congress MLA from Kalol in 1980 but joined the BJP in 1991. He was a BJP MLA from Kalol in 1998 and 2002 and was also a Minister of State under the chief ministership of Narendra Modi in Gujarat. In 2009 and 2014, he contested and won two consecutive terms as MP from Panchmahal.Chauhan’s daughter-in-law Suman Chauhan is a BJP MLA from Kalol and was recently in the news for being part of the Jail Advisory Committee (JAC) that recommended the release of the 11 life-term convicts in the 2002 Bilkis Bano case. BJP party sources said that the party has not decided if Suman would be repeated for a second term from Kalol in the upcoming polls.
Former BJP MLA joins Congress in Gujarat. (Representational)Fagvel (Gujarat): Former BJP MP Prabhatsinh Chauhan on Tuesday joined the Congress here ahead of Assembly elections in Gujarat.The 81-year-old leader, a former state minister, joined the party in the presence of Congress leaders Mohan Prakash and Siddharth Patel.The BJP had denied Mr Chouhan ticket from Panchmahal Lok Sabha seat in 2019.“BJP has failed in Gujarat. The party is not going to win future elections. That is the reason I have joined the Congress,” he said.Mr Chauhan's daughter-in-law Suman Chauhan is BJP MLA from Kalol in Panchmahal district.She said it was his personal decision. “I am with the BJP and my family is also with the BJP,” she added.PromotedListen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.comMr Chauhan was a Member of Parliament from 2009 to 2019. Earlier he was the minister of tribal development in the BJP government in the state from 2004 to 2007. (This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Featured Video Of The DayVideo: New Water Cooler For PM's Visit To Gujarat Hospital, No Water
It was widely believed that when in 2017, Mahendrasinh Vaghela followed the footsteps of his father, former chief minister Shankersinh Vaghela, and quit the Congress, it was because the father wanted to cement the son’s stuttering political career.Mahendrasinh, then a Congress MLA from Bayad in the Aravalli district, was among the 14 MLAs, including his father –then the Leader of the Opposition in the Gujarat Assembly — who had quit ahead of the Rajya Sabha election, in which the late Ahmed Patel was seeking re-election.પ્રદેશ પ્રમુખ શ્રી જગદીશભાઈ ઠાકોર તેમજ પાર્ટીના અન્ય હોદ્દેદારોની હાજરીમાં પૂર્વ ધારાસભ્ય શ્રી મહેન્દ્રસિંહ વાઘેલાએ કોંગ્રેસ પક્ષમાં ઘરવાપસી કરી pic.twitter.com/utNbVXV7Hc— Gujarat Congress (@INCGujarat) October 28, 2022On Friday Mahendrasinh returned to the Congress, where he had begun his career in electoral politics, though the party high command has cold-shouldered Shankersinh’s signals to return.Sources, however, say the son’s return signifies a “backdoor entry” for Shankersinh into the party. Given his oratorical skills, he is even expected to campaign for Mahendrasinh, if the latter were to contest the elections. Congress sources say there is a good chance he will. “His former constituency of Bayad can be considered for Mahendrasinh’s ticket. Other options include Dehgam, Abdasa or even Gandhinagar,” said a party source.Mahendrasinh, 58, who describes himself as a “farmer and a social worker” is Shankersinh’s eldest of three children, with son and a daughter after him. The family runs the Shankersinh Vaghela Bapu Charitable Trust that owns the Bapu Gujarat Knowledge Village, an educational campus in Gandhinagar, of which Shankersinh is the chairman and managing trustee, and Mahendrasinh a trustee.In 2017, Ahmed Patel won by a whisker in a closely fought election, where, pitted against him was former Congress Assembly whip Balwantsinh Rajput, another of the 14 MLAs who followed Vaghela out of the Congress. Rajput, who is now in the BJP, remains connected to the Vaghelas, as his son is married to Mahendrasinh’s daughter.Mahendrasinh joined the BJP in July 2018, but quit in October the same year. Overshadowed by his veteran RSS-rooted father, who had split the state BJP in 1996 to launch his own party to become the chief minister, Mahendrasinh contested his first Assembly election in 2002, from Sami in Patan district, losing to the BJP. Congress was then fighting the elections under the leadership of Shankersinh, after his Rashtriya Janata Party (RJP) merged with the Congress.When in BJP, Mahendrasinh was hardly seen or heard, perhaps because he is known to be “soft-spoken” and to keep a low profile. But on Friday, when he returned to the Congress, he said, “I have neither gone to any BJP event nor the party headquarters,” adding that he was always with the Congress in his “mind”.Mahendrasinh eventually became MLA for the first time in 2007 from Meghraj constituency in Aravalli, when his father was a Union minister in the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government. In 2012, he won again from the Bayad seat in Sabarkantha.
Five years after quitting the Congress and joining Gujarat’s ruling BJP, former MLA Mahendrasinh Vaghela returned to the Opposition party on Friday, even as his father and former chief minister Shankersinh Vaghela is attempting a return.State Congress chief Jagdish Thakor described Mahendrasinh as a “family member” and welcomed him to the party.“There is no doubt that Congress is in a strong position. We will all work together,” Mahendrasinh told reporters, adding that it was for the party to decide if he would fight the upcoming Assembly elections.Asked why he was returning to a party that he left for the BJP in 2017, Mahendrasinh said. “After my joining the BJP, I have not gone to any of their events or to the party office. My mind was here (with the Congress). I did not feel that I should continue with the BJP.”He was among the Congress MLAs who quit the party ahead of Rajya Sabha polls in 2017 under Shankersinh’s leadership.Mahendrasinh, who represented Bayad, later joined the BJP, while his father floated a separate political party and unsuccessfully fought the 2017 Assembly elections.Asked if his father too would join the Congress, Mahendrasinh said, “He is an elder. He is my father. You can ask him.”He added that Shankersinh’s blessings were always with him.For the past few months, Shankersinh has been attending events along with Congress leaders and he has hinted at his readiness to return to the Opposition party before the 2022 polls.
Mahendrasinh Vaghela said he was joining the Congress without any expectations. (File)Ahmedabad: Mahendrasinh Vaghela, son of former Gujarat Chief Minister Shankersinh Vaghela, joined the Congress on Friday, ahead of the state Assembly election.The 58-year-old former MLA was welcomed into the fold by Gujarat Congress president Jagdish Thakor at the party headquarters in Ahmedabad.The development has come ahead of the state Assembly election, which is expected to be held by December.Talking to reporters, Mahendrasinh Vaghela said he was joining the Congress without any expectations and will fight the polls if the party wants.Mahendrasinh Vaghela, who was a Congress MLA from Bayad in north Gujarat between 2012 and 2017, had quit the party in August 2017, a few months before the Assembly elections, and later joined the BJP."The party leadership will decide whether I fight the polls or not. I have joined the Congress without any expectations. I had quit the BJP immediately after joining because I was not comfortable and that was the reason why I had not attended any of their events," he said.Mahendrasinh Vaghela was one of the eight Congress MLAs, including his father Shankersinh Vaghela, who had crossvoted in the Rajya Sabha polls in favour of the BJP candidate in August 2017 and later resigned from the party.Despite the crossvoting, Congress candidate, late Ahmed Patel, had won the election by defeating the BJP's Balwantsinh Rajput.Notably, Mahendrasinh Vaghela had not contested the 2017 state Assembly election.Mahendrasinh Vaghela joined the ruling BJP in July 2018 and resigned in October, barely three months after joining the fold.PromotedListen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.comWithout elaborating much about his sudden decision to quit the party, he had stated at the time in his resignation letter that he was resigning due to some "personal reasons".(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
As Union Home Minister Amit Shah Tuesday laid the foundation stone of two hospitals at Kalol in his constituency of Gandhinagar in Gujarat, he pushed for the establishment of a medical college along with a trust-run hospital.Shah laid the foundation stone of 750-bedded Adarsh Multispeciality Hospital at Kalol established by the Umiya Mata Kadva Patidar Education and Samaj Seva Trust Kalol.The Home Minister also laid the foundation stone of an ESIC Hospital, which would upgrade the present 50-bed dilapidated hospital to 150-bedded revamped hospital, at Kalol.Speaking on the occasion, Shah implored the trust hospital’s founder to “take advantage” of Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya’s presence at the event and expedite and push for the establishment of a medical college along with a trust-run hospital.કલોલ ખાતે KRIC કોલેજ પરિસરમાં નિર્માણાધીન 750 બેડની હોસ્પિટલના શિલાન્યાસ સમારોહને સંબોધન પ્રસંગે.. https://t.co/or7hgBKt4r— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) September 27, 2022He suggested Dr Atul Patel, the hospital’s founding member and ex-MLA of Kalol, to aim for affiliating a medical college with the hospital.“Today Mansukh Mandaviya has come, should we take advantage of it or not? 750-beds will be made and with some increase in amenities, you can apply and as per provisions, Mansukhbhai will quickly arrange and approve for a medical college (with the hospital),” Shah said.“Then Kalol’s kids will get its benefits…It is my appeal and request (to Dr Atul Patel) that not just a hospital, but to also prepare a (medical) college so that our kids can study here and serve in their own village,” he added.Shah said Kalol will ‘have nearly 850-bed facilities’ in the next two years with the foundation stone laid for the two hospitals.Emphasising the health needs of the working population, Shah said, “In Sanand, where nearly 1.30 lakh workers work at one place, the only health facility is a PHC with 10 beds. Yesterday, we laid the foundation stone for a 350-bed ESIC Hospital there. In two days, we have laid down the foundation stone of 500 beds of ESIC Hospital.”Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Union Labour Minister and BJP’s Gujarat in-charge Bhupendra Yadav and former Lok Sabha MP from Mehsana Dr A K Patel were among those present at the event.Yadav, who made a short address in Gujarati, lauded the laying of the foundation stone of the two hospitals.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah will lay the foundation stone of the new campus of Gujarat Technological University (GTU) at Lekawada in Gandhinagar on September 27. Currently, the university functions from a temporary campus in Chandkheda, Ahmedabad.GTU Vice Chancellor Prof Navin Sheth Thursday announced the proposed project will have 17 small buildings each having different departments of various engineering faculties and adjacent workshop and administrative blocks.The state government has allotted 100 acres of land and sanctioned Rs 275 crore for the new building. The new university project would also have a stadium and an auditorium with 18,000 square metres area for solar lighting aimed at saving electricity costs.The university was set up in 2007 by then Chief Minister Narendra Modi, Sheth said in his official statement.
As many as seven people were killed and five others critically injured after a speeding Innova mowed down a group of devotees walking on foot in Gujarat’s Aravalli in the morning hours of Friday.According to police, the devotees were headed towards Ambaji temple in Banaskantha on foot when a speeding Innova vehicle mowed them down on the four-lane highway adjacent to Krishnapur village in Malpur taluka of Aravalli at around 7 am on August 2.The officials said that the devotees were from Dahod and had intended to travel to Ambaji temple for the Bhadarvi Poonam fair starting from September 5.The victims, who were traveling in a group of 40 to 45, had left their home in Dahod on August 31.“Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has expressed his deepest condolences to the families of the pedestrian devotees killed in a road accident in Malpur of Aravalli while they were headed towards Ambaji,” read a statement from the Chief Minister’s office.“CM Patel has announced an ex gratia relief of Rs 4 lakh for each deceased from the CM Relief Fund and Rs 50,000 for the injured. He has also informed the Aravalli district collector to provide necessary medical treatment to those injured (sic),” the statement added.The deceased have been identified as Pankaj Jadhav (23) from Kalol in Panchamahal, Prakash Rathod (24) from Kalol in Panchmahal, Sanjay Kumar Bhilwad (21) from Limkheda in Dahod, Apsinh Baria (27) from Limkheda in Dahod, Vikrambhai Ad (26) from Zalod in Dahod, Suresh Bamania (14) from Aravalli and one unidentified person.The injured have been identified as Khumansinh Parmar, Rohit Kumar Rathod, Atul Kumar Parmar, Dharmedrasinh Chauhan and Shailesh Nat.“We had left with a chariot of Amba Goddess from our village Valundi and nearby villages in Dahod, travelling on foot in a group of 40-45 devotees,” said Maganbhai Bhilwad, a resident of Valundi in Dahod, who was among those injured.“On August 2 morning, we were walking at the roadside of the four-lane highway from Lunawada to Malpur, when a speeding Innova car hit our group and kept speeding forward, mowing down at least a dozen of us. The car finally stopped when it hit a pillar at the highway roadside,” he added.The driver of the Innova car has been identified as Hemantbhai from Mumbai, police said, adding he was apparently travelling towards Udaipur in Rajasthan. He is also admitted to the Himmatnagar Civil Hospital after receiving injuries in the crash with a pillar.Based on a written complaint by Bhilwad, he has been booked at the Meghraj Police Station under Sections 304A for causing death due to negligence, 279 for rash driving and 338 for causing grievous hurt of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).“The car driver had allegedly dozed off while driving and hit a group of pedestrian devotees. The car had finally stopped after it struck a pole at the highway roadside,” said a senior police official of Aravalli.“We are checking the CCTV footages for further investigation and all assistance is being provided to the needy,” he added.What is the Bhadarvi Poonam Fair?Celebrated every year during the monsoon season, the Bhadarvi Poonam fair is observed for a week at the famous Ambaji temple in Ambaji taluka of Banaskantha. Every year, lakhs of devotees from all across Gujarat and neighbouring Rajasthan reach Ambaji temple by walking on foot as part of the customs.Bhadarvi Poonam fair is going to be held from September 5 to 10 at Ambaji temple in Banaskantha where several lakh devotees are expected to arrive at the temple walking on foot.The devotees usually walk through the hilly areas of Banaskantha to reach Ambaji temple.According to police, over 7,000 police personnel will be deployed on duty along with teams of the NDRF, SDRF, health, fire and local administration for the bandobast.The police will also be monitoring the religious procession using drone and CCTV cameras.
AHMEDABAD: Six people were killed and five others injured after an SUV ran over devotees near Aravalli district in north Gujarat on Friday. The accident took place on the highway connecting Modasa and Godhra. According to police, the deceased were residents of Dahod district and were going on foot to temple town Ambaji to attend the Bhadarvi Poonam Fair there. Police sources said that the SUV with a registered Maharashtra number ran over the devotees near Krishnapura village. Six people died on the spot, while five injured were shifted to a nearby hospital. Every year lakhs of devotees gather at Ambaji for the annual fair which is considered to be auspicious. Meanwhile, chief minister Bhupendra Patel expressed shock over the incident and announced Rs 4 lakh compensation for the kin of those killed and Rs 50,000 for those injured.
Gujarat: The driver of the car lost control over his vehicle which led to the accident, police said.Aravalli: Six persons were killed and seven others injured after a car ran over pilgrims on Friday morning in Malpur area of Gujarat's Aravalli district. The victims were walking towards Ambaji temple in nearby Banaskantha district when the accident occurred, police said.The driver of the car lost control over his vehicle which led to the accident near Malpur, according to initial information. The victims were rushed to Modasa Hospital in an ambulance.PromotedListen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.comChief Minister Bhupendra Patel has expressed his condolences to the victims' families and announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund for each of those who died, and Rs 50,000 for the injured.The Chief Minister has asked the Aravalli District Collector to ensure that necessary medical treatment is provided to the injured.
A speeding Innova mowed down a group of devotees in Gujarat’s Aravalli in the early hours of Friday, killing six and leaving six others critically injured. According to the police, the group was heading towards Ambaji temple in Banaskantha on foot when they were hit by the speeding vehicle on the highway adjacent to Krishnapur village in Malpur taluka of Aravalli. Officials said the group was from Dahod and had intended to travel to Ambaji temple for the Bhadarvi Poonam fair.“Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has expressed his deepest condolences to the families of the pedestrian devotees killed in a road accident in Malpur of Aravalli while they were headed towards Ambaji. CM Patel has announced an ex gratia relief of Rs 4 lakh for each deceased from the CM Relief Fund and Rs 50,000 for the injured. He has also informed the Aravalli district collector to provide necessary medical treatment to those injured,” read a statement from his office.Celebrated every year during the monsoon season, the Bhadarvi Poonam fair is observed for a week at the famous Ambaji temple in Ambaji taluka of Banaskantha. Lakhs of devotees from across Gujarat and neighbouring Rajasthan reach Ambaji temple on foot as part of the customs.This year, the Bhadarvi Poonam fair will be held from September 5 to 10. Lakhs of devotees are expected to attend. They usually walk through the hilly areas of Banaskantha to reach the temple.According to the police, over 7,000 personnel will be deployed on duty along with teams of the National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force, health, fire and local administration for the bandobast. The police will also monitor the religious procession using drone cameras and CCTVs.
