A car was zooming across a flooded street on a near deserted stretch in Uttarakhand with the rain coming down in sheets. The vehicle, carrying a family of four, kept going until it couldn’t as flood waters pushed it back, shows a chilling video.

The incident was reported from Haldwani, known as the ‘Gateway of Kumaon and an important business centre.

“Bah gaya woh, mujhe pata tha (He will be swept away. I knew it),” a man could he heard saying as the car struggled to stay on road.

“Paagal hai kya (Is he mad),” a woman, witnessing the car’s precarious situation, could be heard saying, urging the car driver to go back.

“Sun hi nahi rahe (They are not listening),” said the man.

The car halts near a shop as flood waters continue to push the vehilce back.

A young girl on the front seat can be seen crossing over to the driver’s side and then straight into the arms of a man on the pavement. The man transfers the child to the woman, who, navigating the strong flow of water, takes her inside the shop, shows the video.

The other passengers in the car were also able to get out in time.

New Delhi:

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami’s move to appoint a controversial IFS officer as the director of the Rajaji Tiger Reserve, disregarding the opinions of the state’s forest minister and others, has drawn strong reprimand from the Supreme Court. Heads of governments cannot be expected to be “old days’ kings” and “we are not in a feudal era”, said the Bench of Justices BR Gavai, PK Mishra and KV Viswanathan.

The state government, however, told the bench that the appointment order was withdrawn on September 3.

“There is something like a public trust doctrine in this country. The heads of the executive cannot be expected to be old days’ kings that whatever they have said, they will do… We are not in a feudal era… Just because he is the chief minister, can he do anything?” the judges said.

The bench also questioned why the Chief Minister has “special affection” for the officer, observing that a departmental proceeding is pending against him.

Senior Indian Forest Service officer Rahul has disciplinary proceedings pending against him. Senior advocate ANS Nadkarni, who represented the state, said the officer is being targeted.

Pointing out that the noting had said the officer should not be posted at the Rajaji Tiger Reserve, the court said the chief minister “just ignores it”.

The appointment of Indian Forest Service officer Rahul, a former director of the Corbett Tiger Reserve, as the director of the Rajaji Tiger Reserve was severely discouraged by senior officers.

The court observed that there was a specific noting from the first officer. This was endorsed by the deputy secretary, the principal secretary and the state’s forest minister.

“If you disagree right from the desk officer, the deputy secretary, the principal secretary, the minister, then the least that is expected is that there is some application of mind as to why he is disagreeing with the proposal,” it said.

“You cannot sacrifice a good officer against whom there is nothing,” Mr Nadkarni had argued. “If there is nothing, then why are you holding departmental proceedings against him?” the court asked. Unless there is some prima facie material, departmental proceedings are not initiated against anyone, the judges added.

Dehradun:

A BJP leader has been arrested for allegedly molesting a teenager in the Almora district of Uttarakhand. Almora SSP Devendra Pincha said on Sunday that Bhagwat Singh Bora, accused of molesting a 14-year-old girl, was arrested on Saturday night.

Meanwhile, taking cognisance of the incident, Bora, who was the block unit chief of the party’s Salt region, has been expelled with immediate effect on the instructions of BJP’s state president Mahendra Bhatt.

The SSP said the alleged incident took place on August 24 in the Salt revenue area, and information regarding this was received on August 30.

Pincha said that a case has been registered against the accused under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and Section 74 (assault or criminal force on a woman to outrage her modesty) of the BNS.

Meanwhile, after recording the girl’s statement, her medical examination was also conducted.

Attacking the ruling BJP over the issue, state Congress president Karan Mahara alleged the BJP government has given “license” to its leaders in the matter of atrocities against women.

State BJP president Bhatt termed the incident as “very unfortunate” and said the accused has been expelled from the party.

In a statement issued here, Mr Bhatt said the Pushkar Dhami government in the state is implementing a policy of ‘zero tolerance’ towards crime.

“In this case also, whether the accused is small or big, influential or associated with any political party, our government is taking the strictest action… As far as the organisation’s side is concerned, the leader involved in the incident has been dismissed from all posts with immediate effect and shown the way out of the party,” he said. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Haldwani:

A class 10 student at an Uttarakhand school has filed a sexual harassment against one of her teachers. In her complaint, the girl claims that the teacher molested her and also sent her inappropriate pictures on WhatsApp and Snapchat.

The 16-year-old victim reported the incident to her parents, who subsequently filed a complaint with the police.

“A teacher at a private school in Haldwani had been sending lewd messages to a student on social media. We have received the complaint and initiated a probe. The accused will be arrested soon,” Haldwani circle officer Nitin Lohani said.

The accused teacher, who taught at the same school, allegedly molested the student and sent her explicit messages, causing her significant distress. The matter came to light when the student confided in her parents, who then approached social organizations for support. Together, they filed a complaint at the Kotwali police station.

Dehradun:

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Sunday said that the state government will bring a proposal for the reservation of Agniveers.

“Agniveeers from the state would be given jobs in the government departments and the Police Department after they serve the nation. The state government will also bring a proposal to the Cabinet for the reservation for Agniveers,” the Chief Minister said while addressing a press conference.

He said that the government had already decided to give the government jobs to Agniveers in the state. “When the Agniveer scheme was introduced, I met with various military officers and veterans for a discussion. We had decided back then that we would give jobs to the Agniveers,” the Chief Minister said.

Meanwhile, on the occasion of Guru Purnima, the Chief Minister along with his mother planted a tree under the campaign ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’.

“To make nature greener, plant a tree in the name of your mother,” the Chief Minister wrote on X while joining the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ campaign organised by MDDA in Dehradun.

He added that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, millions of trees have been planted across the country as a part of this campaign.

“This campaign symbolises respect for nature as well as for mothers. Let us all fulfil our responsibilities towards nature by planting trees and take a pledge to protect nature,” the Chief Minister added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Dehradun:

A self-styled godman has allegedly built an unauthorised temple in the Suderdhunga river valley close to a sacred lake originating from a glacier in Uttarakhand’s Bageshwar district, angering locals who have accused him of desecrating the lake by bathing in it.

According to officials, Baba Chaitanya Akash alias Aditya Kailash managed to convince some locals to help him construct the temple in the eco-sensitive zone by telling them that he had received divine orders in a dream to build it.

The matter was referred to the police for an investigation after an application was received from the locals in this regard, Bageshwar District Magistrate Anuradha Pal told PTI on the phone on Tuesday.

The road to the spot where the temple has been built passes through difficult terrain and remains closed during monsoon, she said.

“The structure made of wood and stone is a small temple. It is illegal and built on no man’s land,” Superintendent of Police (SP) Akshay Prahlad Konde said.

It seems that some locals helped him build the structure after he told them that he had received divine orders to construct it in a dream. The self-styled godman has been living in the temple for the last 10-12 days and bathing in the sacred lake, Devi Kund, the SP said.

This has caused resentment among the residents of the nearby villages who feel it is an act of desecration.

“The locals revere the lake and bathe their deities in it once in a year,” Konde said.

While the self-styled godman managed to convince some locals to help him, many others refused to be taken in by his theory and approached the administration demanding action against him, the SP said.

“The police are examining the matter from the law and order point of view but as the structure is located on no man’s land in an eco-sensitive zone, the forest department will have to be involved for any action against the encroachment,” Konde said.

He said the spot is hard to reach and it takes two-three days to reach it from Wancham and Jatoli — the last two villages in the Sunderdhunga river valley.

Konde said the antecedents of the self-proclaimed baba are being looked into.

Sources said the baba keeps changing his name and appears to be a “man of dubious character”.

“He sometimes calls himself Chaitanya Akash and sometimes Aditya Kailash. It is difficult to say which of the two names is his real name,” a source told PTI.

He keeps meeting politicians also. It seems that he came to stay here after he was denied shelter in Dwarahat and Haridwar, another source said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Rishikesh:

After the torrential rains in Uttarakhand, the water level of the Ganga River in Rishikesh witnessed a surge on Sunday. As the water level of the river reached the Triveni Ghat Aarti Sthal, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) issued an alert for travellers and warned them to avoid the ghats at night.

Lokjeet, Superintendent of Police (Rural), Dehradun, said the police are in constant touch with the administration and that the people residing near the river banks have been displaced.

“The rise in water level was predicted earlier. We are in constant contact with the administration and concerned departments. The police are also taking preventive actions. People living near the river bank have been displaced. Efforts are being made to stop people from visiting the river banks,” he told ANI.

The Meteorological Centre in Uttarakhand has predicted heavy rainfall over several parts of the state until July 10.

The IMD has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall in many places, with extremely heavy rainfall in isolated areas in the Kumaon region. Heavy rains are also expected in the Chamoli, Rudraprayag, and Pauri districts of Uttarakhand on July 7.

The weather report also predicts heavy rains in the Dehradun, Tehri, Haridwar, and Uttarkashi districts on Sunday.

“Thunderstorms with lightning and intense to very intense spells are likely on July 8-9 in the hills and plains of the state,” stated the forecast.

“Heavy rains have also been predicted in the Tehri, Pauri, Bageshwar, Almora, Nainital, and Champawat districts for July 10,” according to the weather report.

Given the heavy rainfall alert, the state government has appealed to all residents to stay in safe areas and remain cautious due to the potential disasters caused by heavy rains.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Saturday directed the district magistrates of all concerned districts to remain on high alert regarding the forecast of heavy to very heavy rainfall in nine districts on July 7.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Dehradun:

Six people died in Uttarakhand’s Pithoragarh district on Tuesday when their car fell into the Kali river near Lakhanpur, police said.

Pithoragarh Superintendent of Police (SP) Lokeshwar Singh said the incident took place on the Dharchula-Lipulekh road late in the evening when the victims were returning after a ‘darshan’ of Adi Kailash.

Two of them were from Bengaluru, two from Telangana and two from Uttarakhand, he said.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed grief over the loss of lives in the accident and prayed for their families.

The SP said the work of recovering the bodies could not be started due to darkness and adverse geographical conditions.

The search work will start on Wednesday morning, he added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Pithoragarh:

Several people living along the international border in Pithoragarh and Champawat districts of Uttarakhand have dual citizenship of India and Nepal, and such people are being identified, an official said.

“We have found such cases in Pithoragarh’s Jhulaghat and some areas of Champawat district on the Indo-Nepal border. The district administrations concerned have been informed about this,” D N Bhombe, Deputy Inspector General, Almora region of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), said.

The SSB officer said that the personnel deployed in all the 54 border outposts of the force in Uttarakhand are trying to identify such people living in the Indian territory, who have the dual citizenship of India and Nepal.

He said the SSB is also taking the help of the district administrations concerned in this regard.

Pithoragarh Deputy District Magistrate Anil Kumar Shukla said there are two types of Nepalese living in India. He said the first category is of those women who got married and came to India, but neither gave up their Nepalese citizenship nor acquired the Indian citizenship.

Shukla said the second category is of those people whose entire family came from Nepal and settled in India without taking the Indian citizenship.

“We have found many cases in which they fraudulently obtained Aadhaar cards and voter ID cards in India. We immediately cancelled their fake documents,” he added.

The deputy inspector general of the SSB said that apart from smuggling of wild animals’ body parts and drugs, we are also giving priority to preventing human trafficking, and we have formed special teams for this. He said the SSB personnel keep close contact with the villagers living in the border areas in order to gain information about the arrival of any outsider there.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today responded to Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan’s post about the former’s visit to Parvati Kund and Jageshwar Temples. He also invited the actor to visit Rann Utsav in Kutch. PM Modi also added that Mr Bachchan’s visit to the Statue of Liberty in Vadodara is also due.

On Saturday, Mr Bachchan wrote on X, formerly Twitter, “T 4799 – The religiosity .. the mystery .. the divinity of Kailash Parbat , has been intriguing me for long.” However, he added that he will never be able to visit the place. “And the tragedy is that I shall never be able to visit it in person,” he said on the platform. A lot of users asked him about his well-being and his reasons for not being able to go there.

Replying to the same, the Prime Minister said, “My visit to Parvati Kund and Jageshwar Temples was truly mesmerising. In the coming weeks, Rann Utsav is starting and I would urge you to visit Kutch. Your visit to Statue of Unity is also due.”

My visit to Parvati Kund and Jageshwar Temples was truly mesmerising.

In the coming weeks, Rann Utsav is starting and I would urge you to visit Kutch. Your visit to Statue of Unity is also due. https://t.co/VRyRRy3YZ8

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 15, 2023

Meanwhile, PM Modi offered prayers at the Gauri Kund, a holy site for Hindus, in Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand and caught a glimpse of the Adi Kailash on October 12. He began his daylong visit to the border state by catching a glimpse of the Adi Kailash peak, believed to be the abode of Shiva. He was wearing a traditional outfit, complete with a white turban and a ‘ranga’ (upper body garment).

Sharing some more glimpses from Parvati Kund. pic.twitter.com/knqEzDpa6U

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 12, 2023

He also performed aarti at the Shiva Parvati temple along the banks of Parvati Kund in Jolingkong and meditated with folded hands in front of the Adi Kailash peak. From there, he reached the Gunji village and interacted with the locals and attended an exhibition that had local artefacts on display, accompanied by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.

On the other hand, “Big B” recently celebrated his 81st birthday. He shared a collage featuring an image from his Wednesday evening greet and meet session on Instagram and thanked his fans and supporters. He wrote in the caption, “This love and affection is beyond any effort to repay it .. blessed and filled with unending gratitude.”