Dehradun:

The historic 186-year-old President’s House located on Rajpur Road in Dehradun will be open to visitors from April 2025.

On the instructions of President Draupadi Murmu, the officials of the President’s Secretariat reached Dehradun on Saturday, held a meeting with the state government officials and instructed to provide necessary facilities to the public in the house.

This complex spread over an area of 21 acres is currently being used by the President’s Bodyguard (PBG).

For the necessary preparations before opening the complex to the public, Additional Secretary Dr Rakesh Gupta held a high-level meeting with senior officials of the Uttarakhand government at the President’s Secretariat in the house on Saturday. It was decided that the lay public would be able to enter the main building of the complex.

During this time, people will get a chance to get acquainted with the history of the 251-year-old regiment of the Indian Army, PBG, and its 186-year-old stables along with the President’s residence.

During the walk, people will also be able to enjoy the beautiful gardens and cafeteria of the complex. In the meeting, instructions were given to provide electricity, water and parking facilities before opening the complex to the general public.

PBG CO Colonel Amit Berwal, OSD Swati Shahi, Uttarakhand Government Secretary Shailesh Bagoli, Sachin Kurve, Pankaj Kumar Pandey, DM Dehradun Savin Bansal and other officials were present at the meeting.

Earlier, on the instructions of the President, the President’s Nilayam in Hyderabad and the President’s residence in Mashhobra have also been opened for the general public.

Dehradun:

A ‘mazar’ within the walls of a famous residential school here was razed following protests by right-wing Hindu outfits.

The structure stood inside The Doon School which has among its alumni several celebrities and political leaders including former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, his son Rahul Gandhi, Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia Karan Singh, Naveen Patnaik besides celebrated authors like Amitav Ghosh and Vikram Seth.

It is the most famous British-era private boarding school for boys in Dehradun.

Purported videos of a group of four to five men demolishing the shrine using pick axes and hammers have gone viral on social media.

The incident took place a couple of days ago, Dehradun District Magistrate Savin Bansal told PTI on Friday.

“We did not issue any orders for its demolition. However, we did send a team including the SDM to the place to verify the facts related to the mazar and ensure that law and order are maintained,” Bansal said.

He said that he had sought a report on the incident from his team.

Hindu outfit leader Swami Darshan Bharti said he had met Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and the authorities here recently requesting them to demolish the mazar within the boundaries of the school.

“Whoever may have done it, I welcome the demolition. Why should there be a mazar within a school? That too inside the walls of a prestigious school like The Doon School… It shows the extent of land jihad in the state,” Bharti, who is the founder of Uttarakhand Raksha Abhiyan, told PTI.

According to sources, the mazar was old and had been recently renovated by the school authorities.

The chief minister launched a crackdown against illegal encroachments on government land in 2022. Encroachments on 5,000 acres of government land have so far been removed as part of the drive, officials said.

Meanwhile, the Uttarakhand Waqf Board claimed that the part of the school on which the mazar stood used to be their property at one time.

“According to our records, 57 acres of land in the said area belonged to us but its current status is not known,” a Waqf Board official said on condition of anonymity.

The Waqf Board still owns a large portion of land adjacent to the school, he said.

When contacted, Uttarakhand Waqf Board Chairman Shadab Shams said he was aware of the demolition of the mazar inside the school.

Asked if the land belongs to the Waqf Board, he said only a detailed investigation by the administration can ascertain that.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Six people died a horrific death in a car accident in Uttarakhand’s Dehradun earlier this week as they were returning from a party. The incident took place around 1.30 am at the ONGC Chowk on November 12 when the car they were in collided with a truck, reducing their vehicle to a mangled wreck.

A disturbing video of the incident is doing rounds on social media which shows the impact of the collision was so strong that it tore off the Toyota Innova’s roof and twisted it. Two passengers were left decapitated in the incident. The visuals also show one of the victim’s head ripped off, while another person’s body can be seen twisted inside the crushed car. Several other body parts of the victims are also seen scattered around the road.

According to media reports, a group of seven friends were returning from a party that night and were drunk.

The victims were identified as Kunal Kukreja (23), Atul Agrawal (24), Rishabh Jain (24), Navya Goel (23), Kamakshi (20), and Guneet (19). While, the seventh person, Siddhesh Agrawal (25), who had reportedly hosted the party in Dehradun, is the sole survivor but remains in a critical condition, the police said.

While six victims hailed from Dehradun, Kukreja is from Himachal Pradesh, officials said.

According to the police, it was not immediately clear where the group was coming from and an investigation is underway.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has expressed grief at the loss of lives in the incident.

“The news of the death of six youths in a road accident in Dehradun is extremely heart-rending. I pray to God to grant the departed souls a place at his sacred feet and give strength to the bereaved families to bear the immense pain,” he said.