BJP is mum on DySP Kallappa suicide as Bajrang Dal involved in it: Rai

New Delhi, Jun 20: As part of measures to check the spread of covid-19, Indian Railways is likely to stop distributing blankets and pillows in trains to AC passengers in coming days and it will make arrangements for sale at stalls on platforms.

The railways already stopped distributing blankets and pillows in 15 pair Special Rajdhani trains and 100 pair of fixed timetabled special trains, which is being operted at present. The system of not distributing blanks and pillows may continue in future once train operations normalise, said the official.

Passengers are encouraged to bring their own blankets and pillows. However same will be made available for purchase at shops so that if passengers want they can buy it, said an official.

The railways also made arrangements to sell sanitisers, masks and gloves at shops. The national transporter also said sale price should not exceed maximum retail price.

As per the Railway Board circular to zonal railways, " Amongst the items which fulfill the needs of travelling public and in keeping with the emphasis for providing safe and hygine travel facilities to passengers, it must be ensured that take away bedrolls kits/items other COVID-19 related protective items such as masks, sanitiser, gloves etc are also made available for sale through multi purpose stalls."

All items should be in good quality and will be sold only at MRP rate, circular said. The railways has also permanently removed curtains inside the AC coaches.

Kasaragod, Apr 3: Kerala reported nine new cases of coronavirus on Friday, with seven from the worst affected Kasaragod district, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said.

With this, the total number of coronavirus positive cases in the coastal district alone mounted to 136.

Besides, Kasaragod, one case each was detected from Thrissur and Idukki, he told reporters after a COVID-19 review meeting this evening.

Currently, 251 people are under treatment for the virus in the state and 14 were cured today, Vijayan said.

A total of 1.69 lakh people are under surveillence in the state and 706 are in various hospitals.

Two fatalities have been reported from the state so far.

Bengaluru, Feb 4: Congress leader and former minister U T Khader today demanded an “objective” probe by an IAS officer into the sedition case the police have booked against a school in Bidar for a play students staged on the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

On January 26, the Shaheen Primary and High School was charged by the Bidar New Town police with sedition on January 26. This was based on a complaint by an Akhila Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishat (ABVP) worker who claimed that the play staged by the students on January 21 “insulted” Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

On January 30, the police arrested Nazbunnisa, the mother of an 11-year-old student and Fareeda Begum, a head-teacher in the school.

“This shows how today in India and in Karnataka, the BJP is looking to suppress the voices of people. Sedition cases have no value anymore,” UT Khader told a news conference.

“When a complaint on sedition is filed, action must be taken after obtaining legal opinion. But today, a written complaint by any BJP worker is enough to brand someone as anti-national. Even schoolchildren aren’t spared,” Khader said.

“An IAS officer should be appointed to objectively probe this. If something is found, then the police can continue the investigation,” Khader said. “But the government should pressurize the police. We’ve seen what happened in Mangaluru,” he said, referring to the police shootout that killed two people during an anti-CAA protest. “I know it’s difficult for officials to resist political pressure, but a line must be drawn. All officials must come together and send the government a message, that they will not be bogged down to pressure that’s against societal interests,” he added.

Khader said he lacked faith in the BJP government. “That’s because the BJP tends to give election tickets to those who plant bombs,” Khader said, citing the example of terror-accused Bhopal MP Pragya Thakur. “Even the Aditya Rao case (Mangaluru airport bomb planter)...we don’t know what’s happening. They just want to hush it up,” Khader charged.