Hindu population reducing in India, minorities flourishing: Rijiju

Srinagar, Jan 14: Davinder Singh, deputy superintendent of police, who was arrested on Saturday along with two Hizb terrorists and a Hizb overground worker in Kulgam, has confessed to his interrogators that he had received Rs 12 lakh from the terrorists to ferry them to Jammu and then Chandigarh for their onward journey to New Delhi, IG (Kashmir) Vijay Kumar told the media here on Monday.

Intelligence sources said the terrorists planned to carry out attacks on Republic Day.

The DSP was suspended on Monday and is likely to be stripped of all his awards, including the President’s Police Medal for anti-militancy operations.

Davinder, who was interrogated by various intelligence agencies, including IB, military intelligence and RAW, besides the police, has disclosed that he had put up the terrorists at his Indira Nagar house in Srinagar, right next to the Army’s 15 Corps HQ, and thereafter accompanied them to Jammu in a Maruti car driven by the Hizb overground worker, intelligence sources claimed.

Meanwhile, sources said the Union home ministry may hand over the case to the NIA to find the real motive of the terrorists, Davinder’s links to terrorism and whether he had helped terrorists in the past as well.

The two Hizb terrorists arrested with Davinder are Naveed Babu alias Babar Azam, a resident of Nazneenpora in south Kashmir’s Shopian district, and his associate Rafi Ahmad Rather. The Hizb overground worker, identified as Irfan Shafi Mir, was driving the vehicle when it was intercepted by the police on Saturday. Irfan Shafi Mir has travelled to Pakistan five times on his passport.

Davinder, interestingly, was on duty ensuring security cover for the envoys of 15 countries who visited Srinagar at the Union government’s invitation last week.

Bengaluru, Jul 23: A city hospital here has banned woman Covid patients from wearing dupatta (long scarf) or similar garments, after two women committed suicide, said an official on Thursday.

"Two patients committed suicides with their sarees, that's why we have changed the dress code," KC General Hospital superintendent Venkateshaiah said.

As part of the new dress code, the hospital has mandated that women patients should wear operation theatre dress, even though some older patients are not in favour of it.

Incidentally, both the deceased women went to the bathroom and hanged themselves with their sarees.

Meanwhile, the hospital has also asked the neighbouring patients to be vigilant and accompany them to the washroom.

"With the advice of our psychologist, two adjacent patients have been given the precaution that whenever a depressed patient goes to the bathroom, please go with them and stand outside to take care of them," said Vekateshaiah.

Similarly, the hospital is also thinking of giving a small dose of sedation to make them sleep in the night to avoid waking up.

To rejuvenate the spirits of the patients, the hospital has arranged televisions to show them the best health practices, programmes on meditation, movies and entertainment.

"We are not showing them only news, but also good food habits, how to take care of oneself amid Covid," he said.

Amidst all these efforts, the hospital's psychologist will continuously monitor the mental health of the patients with an aim to avoid any untoward incident.

Bengaluru continues to report the highest number of Covid cases, recording 2,050 on Wednesday, raising the city tally to 36,993, out of which 27,969 are active.