Delhi Archives - Page 19 of 34 - Lokmarg

North India: Severe Cold Spell This Week, Temp Between 0 &-4°C | Lokmarg

North India Fogged Out : Air And Rail Traffic Affected

By LokMarg 9th January 2023

As the mercury levels recorded a drop in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR), a thick layer of fog engulfed the national capital and adjoining areas leading to reduced visibility on Monday.

Visibility in the region dropped to less than 25m around 6 am and the vehicles were seen with their headlights on during the morning hours. People were seen around gas stations and on street corners huddled around large bonfires to beat the cold.

“Visibility recorded at 5:30 am today in Bhatinda-0 metres, Amritsar-25 and Ambala-25 metres each, Hissar-50 metres, Delhi (Safdarjung)-25 metres, Delhi (Palam)-50 metres; Uttar Pradesh: Agra-0 metre, Lucknow (Amausi)-0 metres, Varanasi (Babatpur)-25 metres, Bareilly-50 metres,” according to the data from India Meteorological Department (IMD).

As per Satellite imagery and available visibility data from the IMD, the fog layer extended from Punjab and adjoining northwest Rajasthan to Bihar across Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.

The dense fog that engulfed the national capital caused delays in flight operations at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA). Just past midnight, the IGIA issued a statement saying: “Low visibility procedures are in progress at Delhi airport….Passengers are requested to contact the airline concerned for updated flight reactions.”

As many as 29 trains were running late in the Northern Railway region alone on Monday, due to fog, including the Rajdhani Express trains. Delayed due to fog and cold, passengers were seen facing a lot of problems.

As per the data from Indian Railways: “Anvt Garib Rath is running 7 hours late, Sealdah Rajdhani Express 11:30 hours late, Howrah Rajdhani Express 10:30 hours late, Jainagar Garib Rath Express 10:30 hours late, New Delhi Bhuneshwar Rajdhani Express 09 hours late, Duranto Express 13:30 hours late, among others,”

The air quality was in the ‘Severe’ category with an overall AQI of 422 in Delhi today. A thick layer of fog also covered Noida and parts of Gurugram.

The Air Quality Index from 0 to 100 is considered as good, while from 100 to 200 it is moderate, from 200 to 300 it is poor, and from 300 to 400 it is said to be very poor and from 400 to 500 or above it is considered as severe.

According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), Delhi’s air quality was also recorded to be in the upper end of the ‘very poor’ category on Sunday. (ANI)

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Cold Wave, Dense Fog To Abate From Jan 10: IMD

By LokMarg 8th January 2023

Delhiites will get a respite from the icy grip of winter as dense fog and cold wave, holding sway on Delhi-NCR and parts of north India, will abate from upcoming Tuesday, January 10, IMD said on Sunday.

“Tonight there will be a cold to severe cold wave over Delhi and the temperature will be around 3-4 degrees, some stations may record it as 2 degrees but from January 10 there will be no dense fog, no cold wave, maybe isolated fog will prevail but the cold wave will go,” India Meteorological Department senior scientist RK Jenamani told ANI.
Talking of the record-breaking biting cold, prevailing in Delhi-NCR, the Met scientist said, “Safdarjung temperature recorded the lowest temperature at 1.9 degrees Celcius, which is the lowest of the season. A severe cold wave is still prevailing in most places of Delhi, and it is recording very low temperatures for the last four days in the area.”

RK Jenamani said that the day temperature is also very low which is around 15-17 degrees Celsius in the national capital.

“Yesterday night, the dense fog also intensified in Delhi. At IGI airport severe fog remained from 2:30 am to 11:30 am, making it the longest fog of the season,” he said.

Taking note of other parts of India, Jenamani said, “the temperature marginally improved in Rajasthan, Punjab by 1-2 degrees Celsius but cold wave still remains.”

However, the IMD scientist underlined that Rajasthan’s Churu reached sub-zero temperature and settled at minus 0.5 degrees Celsius.

“North Madhya Pradesh’s Nowgong recorded 1 degree Celsius and is under the grip of severe cold wave. Uttar Pradesh witnessed severe cold waves but only in isolated places,” Jenamani said.

Notably, as per the forecast all the cold conditions prevailing will abate from January 10 night.

“The new Western Disturbances (WD), will be coming from January 10 night. All these conditions, dense fog, cold wave, and cold days, will abate from January 10 night,” the forecast expert said, adding that in response to the prevailing conditions the Met Office has issued red and orange alerts for the next 48 hours in several parts of the country.

“We have issued a red alert in Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and an Orange alert in Rajasthan, Bihar as these areas will be witnessing dense to very dense fog. He adds that people driving cars, should follow the speed limit and all the safety conditions should be followed,” he said. (ANI)

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‘A Matter Of Personal Anguish’, Tata Sons On Air India Incident

By LokMarg 8th January 2023

The urination incident onboard an Air India flight between New York and Delhi on November 26 last year is a “matter of personal anguish”, said Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran on Sunday.

In a statement, Chandrasekaran said, “The incident on Air India flight AI102 on November 26th, 2022, has been a matter of personal anguish to me and my colleagues at Air India. Air India’s response should have been much swifter. We fell short of addressing this situation the way it should have been.”
He further said that the Tata Group and Air India stand by the safety and well-being of the passengers and crew with full conviction.

“We will review and repair every process to prevent or address any incidents of such unruly nature,” he added.

Earlier, after facing backlash, Air India had issued show cause notices to four of its cabin crew and one pilot and de-rostered them pending investigations.

On Friday, Air India chief executive officer (CEO) Campbell Wilson also asked the airline staff to report any instances of “any improper behavior on board to authorities at the earliest even if the matter appears to be resolved”.

In a letter to Air India employees, the CEO stated that timely action is necessary against those who don’t follow the flight rules.

Campbell said, “This week has, ‘regrettably’, been dominated by media headlines of which you are no doubt familiar. The repulsion felt by the affected passenger is totally understandable and we share her distress.”

He reiterated the importance of reporting untoward incidents onboard flights to authorities, even if the crew believes it has been resolved.

Meanwhile, Delhi’s Patiala House Court on Saturday sent accused Shankar Mishra, who had allegedly urinated on a co-passenger, to 14 days of judicial custody.

Accused Shankar Mishra’s lawyer moved a bail plea in Delhi’s Patiala Court. The plea will be heard on January 11.

Mishra was arrested by Delhi Police from Bengaluru on Friday night.

Notably, the Delhi Police has so far recorded the statements of three crew members of Air India today in connection with the case.

Mishra had allegedly urinated on a 70-year-old woman in an intoxicated condition in business class of an Air India flight on November 26 last year.

Delhi Police had registered an FIR against him on January 4 on a complaint given by the woman to Air India.

The police registered an FIR under sections 354, 509, and 510 of the Indian Penal Code and Section 23 of the Indian Aircraft Act. Both the accused and the victim are from outside Delhi.

US-based financial services company Wells Fargo on Friday also terminated its employee Shankar Mishra.

“Wells Fargo holds employees to the highest standards of professional and personal behavior and we find these allegations deeply disturbing. This individual has been terminated from Wells Fargo. We are cooperating with law enforcement and ask that any additional inquiries be directed to them,” the company said in a statement.

The company’s statement came after Delhi Police reached out to Wells Fargo to cooperate with investigations against accused Mishra. (ANI)

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Minimum Temp Reaches 1.5° In Delhi Ridge Area

By LokMarg 7th January 2023

The National Capital Territory of Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 1.5 degrees in the Delhi ridge area on Saturday as the cold wave conditions continue to grip northern India. As a result, many parts of Delhi are covered in thick and dense fog.

Several visuals from RK Puram show the low visibility in the capital due to intense fog.
In several parts of Haryana, Chandigarh & Delhi, cold wave to severe cold wave was observed on Saturday.

The cold wave was also witnessed in some areas of East Uttar Pradesh, East Rajasthan, and in isolated pockets over West Rajasthan, East Madhya Pradesh.

Many parts of East Madhya Pradesh, West Uttar Pradesh and isolated pockets over Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Bihar, and West Madhya Pradesh are also experiencing extreme cold waves.

The Indira Gandhi International Airport reported disrupted flight operations as over 12 arrival flights were delayed at the airport from different destinations due to dense fog and low visibility.

Not just flights but as many as 32 long-distance trains are running behind their scheduled time by seven or more hours due to low visibility and the rough weather.

The minimum temperature in many places in the northern belt reached close to the freezing point, with Bikaner in Rajasthan recording the lowest at exactly 0 degrees Celsius.

While the Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh recorded a minimum temperature of 0.2 degrees Celsius on Friday night.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) predicts that the cold wave would continue in the first half of the next week as well. (ANI)

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Delhi: AQI Deteriorates, Stage III Of GRAP Reimposed

By LokMarg 6th January 2023

Delhi’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) suddenly and unexpectedly spiked and clocked 400 on Friday, according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data.

In view of the significant deterioration in the air quality of Delhi-NCR in the last 24 hours, the Sub-Committee for invoking actions under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) of the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) met on Friday to review the situation.
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change said in a statement that during the meeting, the Sub-Committee Comprehensively reviewed the air quality scenario in the region as well as the forecasts for meteorological conditions and the air quality index of Delhi.

“While assessing the overall air quality parameters, the Sub-Committee noted that the air quality has suddenly and unexpectedly deteriorated owing to dense foggy conditions without much sunlight and very low temperatures, coupled with calm winds and stable atmospheric conditions over the last few hours. Further, there is an increasing trend in the overall AQI of Delhi in the coming days as per the Air Quality forecast of the India Meteorological Department (IMD)/Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology. Therefore, it is considered necessary to re-impose Stage-III of GRAP with immediate effect in the entire NCR in an effort to steer clear of further deterioration of air quality in the region,” the Ministry.

Based on earlier decisions of the Sub-Committee on GRAP, actions up to Stage-I and Stage-II of the GRAP are already in force vide orders dated October 5, 2022, and October 19, 2022, respectively. Stage III and Stage IV of the GRAP have also been imposed and thereafter revoked from time to time based on the prevalent air quality scenario in Delhi.

Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change further said in a statement that as per the dynamic model and weather/meteorological forecast, the average air quality of Delhi is likely to deteriorate further on Saturday and the overall AQI is expected to stay in the ‘Severe’ category.

Therefore, in an effort to prevent further deterioration of air quality in the region, the Sub-Committee decided that all actions as envisaged under Stage-III of GRAP – ‘Severe’ Air Quality (DELHI AQI ranging between 401-450), be implemented in right earnest by all the agencies concerned, with immediate effect in the entire NCR. This is in addition to the preventive/ restrictive actions already in force under Stage-I and Stage II of GRAP.

Accordingly, a nine-point action plan as per Stage III of GRAP is applicable with immediate effect from today in the entire NCR in addition to preventive/ restrictive actions under Stage-I and Stage II of GRAP which are already in place.

This nine-point action plan includes steps to be implemented and ensured by different agencies and Pollution Control Boards of NCR and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee. These steps intensified the frequency of mechanized and vacuum-based sweeping of roads.

Daily water sprinkling along with the use of dust suppressants, before peak traffic hours, on roads and right of ways including hotspots and heavy traffic corridors, and proper disposal of the collected dust in designated sites and landfills.

Intensification of public transport services. Introduce differential rates to encourage off-peak travel.

The Committee directed to enforce of a strict ban on construction and demolition activities in the entire NCR, except for the categories of projects including Railway services/ Railway stations, Metro Rail services including stations; airports and inter-state bus terminals; national security/defense-related activities/ projects of national importance; hospitals/ healthcare facilities; linear public projects such as highways, roads, flyovers, over bridges, power transmission, pipelines, etc; sanitation projects like sewage treatment plants and water supply projects, etc; and ancillary activities specific to and supplementing above categories of projects.

Other than the projects exempted under dust generating/air pollution causing construction and demolition activities to be strictly banned during this period shall include earthwork for excavation and filling including boring and drilling works; all structural construction works including fabrication and welding operations; demolition works; loading and unloading of construction materials anywhere within or outside the project sites; transfer of raw materials either manually or through conveyor belts, including fly ash; movement of vehicles on unpaved roads; operation of batching plant; laying of sewer line, waterline, drainage work and electric cabling by open trench system; cutting and fixing of tiles, stones, and other flooring materials; grinding activities; piling work; waterproofing work; road construction/repair works including paving of sidewalks/pathways and central verges, etc.

All construction projects in NCR, non-polluting/non-dust generating activities such as plumbing works, interior decoration, electrical works, and carpentry-related works shall be permitted to be continued.

The Committee directed to ensure a strict ban on any industrial operation in NCR with fuels other than those listed in the approved fuel list for NCR.

Milk and dairy units and those involved in manufacturing life-saving medical equipment/devices, drugs, and medicines shall however be exempted from the restrictions.

The Committee directed the closure of brick kilns and hot mix plants which are not operating on fuels, as in the standard list of approved fuels for NCR.

It also directed to closing down operations of stone crushers. Further, mining and associated activities have been banned in the NCR.

State governments in NCR/GNCTD may impose restrictions on BS III petrol and BS IV diesel LMVs (4-wheelers), the Committee said.

Moreover, the Commission appealed to the citizens of NCR to cooperate in implementing GRAP and follow the steps mentioned in the Citizen Charter under GRAP. It advised citizens to share a ride to work or use public transport, walking or cycling.

The Committee advised people to work from home if their positions allow. It further appealed to people not to use coal and wood for heating purposes.

Further, all implementing agencies have been advised that actions under Stage ‘I’ and Stage ‘II’ of the GRAP are further intensified and special drives are conducted for the implementation of actions under Stage ‘III’, particularly restrictions related to construction and demolition activities, stone crushers and mining and associated activities. Regulatory actions need to be taken on industrial operations, brick kilns, and hot mix plants using unapproved fuels.

The Commission said it is closely watching the situation and will review the air quality scenario accordingly. (ANI)

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IMD: Cold Wave Over Northwest India After 24 Hours

By LokMarg 6th January 2023

Indian Meteorological Department has predicted abatement in cold waves and cold day conditions over northwest India after 24 hours.

It also predicted dense to very dense fog conditions over many parts of Punjab and Haryana and Chandigarh during the next 24 hours and there will be a decrease in intensity and distribution after that.
IMD said in a release on Friday that due to the approaching of two Western disturbances in quick succession, minimum temperatures are likely to rise gradually by 3 to 5 degree Celsius over many parts of northwest India during the next three days, and no significant change during subsequent three days.

“As a result, cold wave to severe cold wave conditions in isolated pockets are very likely over Rajasthan and cold wave conditions in isolated pockets over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh during the next 24 hours.

It predicted a fall by two to four degree Celsius in minimum temperatures over Bihar during the next two days and no significant change during the subsequent three days.

“No significant change in minimum temperatures very likely over Madhya Pradesh during the next 24 hours and rise by two to four degree Celsius during subsequent three days,” it said.

Referring to weather during the past 24 hours, the release said that the minimum temperatures were in the range of -1.5 degree Celsius in many parts of the plains of northwest India and in isolated pockets over adjoining areas of Madhya Pradesh. The lowest minimum temperature of 0 degrees Celsius was observed in Bikaner Rajasthan.

“Dense to very dense fog observed in most parts of Punjab, Haryana, in some parts of West Uttar Pradesh, in isolated pockets of east Uttar Pradesh and sub-Himalyan West Bengal,” the release said.

It said dense fog was observed in some areas of east Madhya Pradesh, in isolated pockets over Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, West Madhya Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya, and Tripura today morning.

“Cold day to severe cold day conditions prevailed in many parts of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, west Madhya Pradesh, in some parts of east Rajasthan, isolated pockets of west Rajasthan, Bihar and cold day conditions in isolated pockets over Uttarakhand,” the release said.

IMD said cold wave to severe cold wave conditions prevailed in many parts of east Madhya Pradesh, in some areas of east Rajasthan, isolated pockets of Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, and west Rajasthan, and cold wave conditions were observed in many parts of west Madhya Pradesh, and isolated pockets over Punjab and west Uttar Pradesh. (ANI)

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Another Man ‘Urinated On’ Female Passenger’s In Paris-Delhi Air India Flight

By LokMarg 5th January 2023

Days after an incident in which a man allegedly urinated on an elderly woman during an Air India flight between New York-Delhi on November 26 last year, another incident of December 6 has come to light in which a “drunk man urinated on the blanket of a co-passenger” while the Air India flight was on its way from Paris to the national capital. The shocking incidents took place in a gap of 11 days.

Sources said that the incident of December 6 was not reported in writing to Delhi Police or Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).
“No written report has been filed with CISF and Delhi police regarding the incident on Dec 6,” a source told ANI.

A DGCA official also said no report has been filed with them regarding December 6 incident.

“No report has been filed with DGCA regarding December 6 incident,” the official told ANI.

Sources said that the male passenger involved in the incident on Air India AI- 142 flight was apprehended by the CISF at the IGI airport in Delhi after the flight landed but was allowed to go after he apologized in writing to the co-passenger and no police case was filed.

DGCA issues show-cause notices for dereliction of duty to the concerned people in such cases.

A response from Air India is awaited. Sources said the pilot of the Paris-Delhi flight did not report the incident to the DGCA.

Delhi Police has registered an FIR and Air India on Wednesday imposed a 30-day flying ban on the man who had allegedly urinated on an elderly co-passenger during a New York-Delhi flight in November last year.

While the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) also launched an investigation into the November incident, Air India has set up an internal panel to probe whether there were lapses on part of the crew in addressing the situation that caused distress to the woman.

The National Commission for Women has taken cognizance of the incident onboard the Air India flight in which the inebriated male passenger also flashed his private parts at the elderly woman during the New York-Delhi flight.

The Commission sought a detailed action taken report on the matter within seven days from the Delhi Police Commissioner. (ANI)

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Air India Tries To Cover Up Not Reporting Two Urination Incidents To Aviation

By LokMarg 5th January 2023

Top officials of India’s aviation regulatory body DGCA and Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) are fuming that Air India did not report two shocking incidents of a passenger urinating on a co-passenger within a span of 11 days.

According to the aviation regulator, the incident on the Air India flight of November 26 from JFK ( New York ) to Delhi and again on December 6 from Paris to Delhi was not reported to the regulators and, in fact, both incidents were sought to be covered up by the airline. “Prima facie, it appears that the Air India cockpit and cabin crew were involved in a cover-up of the entire incidents by not reporting them to the regulatory body.”
According to the regulator, Directorate General of Civil Aviation or DGCA, “it appears that provisions related to handling an unruly passenger on board have not been complied with. The conduct of the concerned airline appears to be unprofessional and has led to a systemic failure. It lacks appreciation of regulatory obligations.”

The DGCA sources believe that the onboard operational levels of the airline clearly worked out a cover-up by attempting to push these horrific incidents under the carpet.

The regulatory body particularly showed displeasure over the December 6 incident, which in fact was earlier reported to Delhi’s Air Traffic Controller (ATC) about an unruly passenger who urinated on a blanket draped around a female co-passenger in-flight. The offending passenger has pulled aside at Delhi airport but no action was taken as he gave a written apology to the passenger. Even in this case, the cabin crew and the airline did not inform the regulator and basically silenced the matter among themselves.

On the role of the Central z industrial Security Force or CISF which secures the airports, a CISF source said, ” CISF has its limits to act on any passenger being unable to book a case under IPC”. In any case, the CISF cannot take action against a passenger unless the airline asks for the involvement of the local police in view of the offense committed.

DGCA sources said both incidents were let go by the cabin staff who are the only ones along with the affected passenger who can press charges by asking the police to file an FIR.

“The pilot is in charge of any airplane. And when there is an incident inside the airplane, it is like a crime not to report the incident like public urination,” a top Ministry of Civil aviation official told ANI.

On the two Air India passenger urination cases, the DGCA has issued show-cause notices to the Accountable Manager, Director of In-Flight Services, Air India, and the pilots and cabin crew members of the November 26 flight as to why enforcement action should not be taken against them for non-discharge of their duties.

Investigations into the two cases have been initiated by the concerned authorities and both passengers have been sought to be put on the ‘no-fly-list’.

ANI reached out to Air India for comments but there has been no response so far. (ANI)

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Man Who Urinated On Woman On Flight Will Be Arrested: Delhi Police

By LokMarg 5th January 2023

Delhi Police on Thursday said that the man who allegedly urinated on an elderly woman co-passenger onboard an Air India flight was a resident of Mumbai and will be arrested at the earliest.

“The accused is a resident of Mumbai, but his possible location is in some other state and the police team has reached there. We will arrest the accused at the earliest,” said Delhi Police.
On Wednesday, Delhi Police said that it has formed teams to nab the man who allegedly urinated on an elderly co-passenger onboard an Air India flight from New York to Delhi in November last year.

The Police on Wednesday filed an FIR on the shocking incident based on a complaint by Air India.

The police have registered an FIR in the matter under sections 354, 509, and 510 of the Indian Penal Code and Section 23 of the Indian Aircraft Act. Both the accused and the victim are from outside Delhi.

The shocking incident occurred on November 26 when the flight was on its way from John F Kennedy international airport in New York to Delhi.

“We have formed a team to trace the accused passenger. The investigation is going on and he will be arrested soon,” a police official said.

Air India said as a first part, it has banned the passenger for 30 days, the maximum it is permitted to unilaterally do so.

The airline said it has taken very serious note of the incident that caused extreme distress to a passenger.

“Air India has taken a very serious note of the incident, where a passenger behaved in an unacceptable and undignified manner on the New York-Delhi flight that caused extreme distress to a fellow passenger. A police complaint has already been lodged in this case and Air India is committed to assisting the law enforcement agencies as well as regulatory authorities in ensuring that justice is delivered to the aggrieved passenger,” an Air India spokesperson said.

While the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) also launched an investigation, Air India has set up an internal panel to probe whether there were lapses on the part of the crew in addressing the situation that caused distress to the woman.

The National Commission for Women has taken cognizance of the incident onboard the Air India flight in which the inebriated male passenger also flashed his private parts at the elderly woman.

The Commission has sought a detailed action taken report on the matter within seven days from the Delhi Police Commissioner.

In her letter to the chairman of the Board of Tata Sons, N Chandrasekaran, the woman passenger, who is in her seventies, called the flight experience extremely traumatic and expressed deep disappointment over the incident in the business class section of the flight.

In her letter, the woman said the ‘appalling incident’ occurred shortly after the lunch was served and the lights were switched off, as she was getting ready to sleep. The flight had taken off from John F Kennedy international airport in New York.

She said that within minutes, an inebriated male walked to her seat and unzipped his pants, relieving himself and continued to expose his private parts until another passenger asked him to return to his seat.

“I am writing to express my deep disappointment regarding the appalling incident that occurred during my business class trip on flight AI102 (commencing in NY, JFK yesterday 26th November at 12.30 pm, and arriving this afternoon in New Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport at approximately 1.30 pm). This has been the most traumatic flight that I have ever experienced.

“During the course of the flight, shortly after lunch was served and the lights were switched off, I was getting ready to sleep, and another passenger walked to my seat completely inebriated. He unzipped his pants, relieved himself, and continued to expose me to his private parts. The passenger sitting next to me asked him to return to his seat. He did not respond immediately, but after a few moments left the area,” the letter read.

The woman passenger who is in her seventies, in the letter, also highlighted that when asked for a change of seat, “the airline refused and informed her there were no seats available”. She also complained about being allotted a small seat used by the airline staff, by one of the senior stewardesses. (ANI)

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Nidhi’s ‘Drunk’ Theory A ‘Conspiracy’: Anjali’s Uncle

By LokMarg 5th January 2023

The maternal uncle of Delhi girl Anjali, who died in the horrific hit-and-drag incident at Khanjawala on New Year’s night, on Wednesday said the deceased’s friend Nidhi is hatching conspiracy by claiming the victim was drunk on the day of the incident.

His response came against the backdrop of claims by Nidhi to the media on Tuesday that Anjali was drunk on the day of the incident.
“Nidhi was hidden previously. Now she has come out after Anjali’s last rites. When the incident happened, did not she have the humanity to report it to the police or family? She was scared then. Is not she scared now? This was Nidhi’s conspiracy,” Anjali’s maternal uncle told ANI.

He said Anjali did not have a drinking habit and her friend is lying over the matter.

“My niece did not have a drinking habit. If she was drunk that night (when the incident happened) as per Nidhi’s claim then the postmortem report would have mentioned that. It means Nidhi is lying,” he said.

He demanded the death penalty for the five accused who were in the vehicle that hit and dragged Anjali.

“Section 302 IPC should be registered against five accused and they should be given the death penalty. Section 304 IPC should be registered against Nidhi. We will appeal this to the government,” Anjali’s maternal uncle said after meeting Sultanpuri Station House Officer (SHO).

Speaking to media persons, Nidhi on Tuesday said, “She was in a drunken state but insisted on driving the two-wheeler. After being hit by the car, she came under the car and got dragged with it. I was scared and ran away and returned home, did not tell anything to anyone. It is the fault of the girl who was driving in an inebriated state. I insisted to her so much that do not drive, I am conscious, let me drive. She did not believe me and believed herself.”

Refuting the claim, Anjali’s mother said, “I don’t know Nidhi. I have never seen her. Anjali never used to drink. She never came home in an inebriated state. We don’t buy what is Nidhi claiming.”

She also questioned how Nidhi left the incident spot if she was, indeed, Anjali’s friend. She termed the incident a “well-thought-out conspiracy”.

“Nidhi is saying all the wrong things. If Nidhi was my daughter’s friend as she claims, why did she leave her alone? This is a well-thought-out conspiracy. Nidhi might be involved in it. There should be a proper investigation into her claims,” she said.

Anjali’s autopsy report said there was “semi-digested food material” present in her abdomen at the time of her death.

However, to ascertain if she was in a drunken state at the time of the incident, her viscera has been preserved for chemical analysis.

The autopsy report further said that Anjali’s back scraped off so badly as she held on the car’s axle and was dragged along that her ribs showed.

The 20-year-old was killed in the early hours of the New Year after her scooter was hit by a car driven by five men and she was reportedly dragged for 13 kilometres under the vehicle in outer Delhi’s Sultanpuri. (ANI)

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