Marriage during lockdown: Groom and bride in fix how to travel together

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Gwalior district administration in Madhya Pradesh issued an order on Saturday for marriages under all the religions whereby no more than four persons each from groom and bride’s side including a priest or a qazi or anyone else conducting the marriage will be allowed to attend the marriage, as per the order.

Also, only two vehicles will be allowed to be used either by the groom or the bride side if either of them has to leave the district for another destination for the marriage to be solemnised.

The order issued by the collector Kaushlendra Vikram Singh states, “Those organising a marriage can do so at their residence in presence of only four persons each from the groom and the bride side including a pandit/qazi etc. No public place will be allowed to be used for the marriage.”

The order further said, “Only two persons including a driver will be allowed in one vehicle if bride or groom side has to leave the district for another destination for the marriage with the permission to be granted for just two vehicles. The permission for the two vehicles will have to be sought from the sub-divisional magistrate concerned.”

A violation of the order will be punishable under section 188 of CrPC and other relevant Acts. Social distancing norms too will have to be complied with, said the order.

A district administration official who didn’t want to be named said, “The practical problem associated with the order is if a groom or a bride has to leave Gwalior for another destination for the marriage to be solemnised he or she will have to do a lot of arithmetic to decide who else will accompany him/her. If the bride or groom’s family is not using its own cars and hires cars with drivers then only one person in addition to bride/groom can travel with either of them. Also, after the marriage bride and groom will travel back in two different cars with drivers and the other person from the family accompanying bride/groom will be left with no vehicle at all for his return.”

Commissioner, Gwalior division MB Ojha said, “The order has been issued as per the instructions from the Central government.”   

I am not dead but alive, says Covid patient in video, health dept admits lapse

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Health department in Madhya Pradesh admitted its lapse in declaring a young Covid-19 patient dead in Ujjain, 190 kilometres west of Bhopal, and issued a show cause notice on Saturday to the doctor concerned who committed the grave error, as per statement of a health department official in Ujjain.

The department swung into action and issued the show cause notice to the doctor moments after a video clip posted by the 30-year-old patient admitted to a private medical college in Ujjain went viral on social media. 

The patient is heard saying in the video clip, "I was admitted to RD Gardi Hospital two days back. I read in a newspaper on Saturday that I have been declared dead whereas I am alive and healthy. Nothing has happened to me. Please share this video with others and improve the arrangements here.”

Chief medical and health officer (CMHO), Ujjain Dr Anusuiya Gawali Sinha said, “The name of the patient was entered in the record as dead in place of a 60-year-old Covid-19 patient from Ujjain who died on Thursday. The doctor who happens to be the nodal officer has admitted his lapse saying that it happened due to confusion over names and addresses. I have issued a show cause notice to him and sought his explanation as to why action be not taken against him and his institution by the health department. Also, I have warned him that such an error should not be repeated in future.”  

On Saturday, Madhya Pradesh saw increase of as many as 99 new Covid-19 patients taking the tally of the Covid-19 patients in the state to 1945. Out of these patients, 1085 were registered in Indore alone followed by 388 in Bhopal and 103 in Ujjain.

There has been death of as many as 99 of the 1945 patients with 57 reported dead in Indore, 15 in Ujjain and 9 in Bhopal.

According to Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Good Governance and Policy Analysis, an institute set up by the state government in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh was the fifth among the states in the total number of persons affected as per the data available on Friday evening. The 159 new reported cases on Friday were from six districts. The test positivity rate increased from 5.10% to 5.26% whereas recovery rate had fallen from 12.035 to 11.38%. The case fatality rate increased slightly from 4.92% to 4.98%. 

(With input from Anand Nigam, journalist in Ujjain) 

A story on don Atiq Ahmad which I did in Allahabad last year in February during Uttar Pradesh elections but couldn't appear in print

Akhilesh poster boy but not Shivpal

Allahabad: A board fixed on railing of the roof reads ‘Public relations office, Ateeq Ahmad, ex-MP, Samajvadi Party, 6, Karbala, GT Road, Allahabad’.

This has pictures of Mafiosi-turned-politician Ateeq (54) and his brother Khalid Azim Ashraf (38), an ex-MLA on one side and that of father-son duo Samajvadi Party patron Mulayam Singh Yadav and chief minister Akhilesh Yadav on the other.

Slogans on the top read ‘Samajvadi Party zindabad, Mulayam Singh Yadav zindabad and Akhilesh Yadav zindabad’.

It may sound ironical to the followers of ex-state SP chief Shivpal Yadav that the board doesn’t have any image of or ‘zindabad’ for him whereas it was his love for Ateeq and another Mafiosi-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari that cost him his position in nephew Akhilesh Yadav’s cabinet, led to a high drama in the state capital for several months, brought more than two decades old Samajvadi Party to the brink of split and relegated Mulayam-Shivpal to the stature of persona non-grata in the party.

Sitting in the office surrounded by local residents and also armed security personnel ex-MLA Ashraf, a co-accused in BSP MLA Raju Pal murder case, glances through a sheet of papers which has in it names of constituencies where don and his team ‘are helping the party and its candidates’ to boost their prospects as was claimed by Ashraf.

Though Ateeq was dumped as the party candidate by the party’s national president Akhilesh Yadav, the government’s soft corner for him was well discernible.

He was sent to Naini jail about a week back in connection with an attack on Sam Higginbottom Institute of Agriculture Technology and Science (SHIATS), Naini’s staff. But the arrest came almost a month after an FIR was lodged and that too only after high court rapped the police.

Ateeq’s absence in Muslims dominated Allahabad west constituency, his bastion, due to his being in jail ahead of polling couldn’t have come at a better time for a slain MLA’s wife and sitting BSP MLA Puja Pal (37). However, she still feels threatened.

“Ateeq is in jail because of me. He cannot sit idle. I face threat to my life but the problem is election cannot be fought from home”, said two-time MLA Puja talking to the Hindustan Times while she got onto an open jeep to lead a procession of more than 500 bike riding youths from Khuldabad.

BJP has fielded late Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shashtri’s grandson Sidharth Nath Singh (53) while SP Richa Singh (29).

Ashraf rubbished the threat perception and dubbed the FIRs filed against Ateeq and him as ‘certificates’ rewarded to them for raising their voice for the minority community and the OBC’.

“Had he been content with merely being an MLA and MP there would have been hardly any FIR against him. He wants to become a leader but whenever we raise our voice for downtrodden section of society we start facing troubles”, said Ashraf who along with Ateeq had absconded for 5 years after BSP chief Mayawati came to power in 2007.

Ateeq has been an accused in June 1995 state guest house episode too in which Mayawati was allegedly attacked by the then SP MLAs including Ateeq to save the then Mulayam Singh Yadav government which was reduced to minority after BSP withdrawing its support to the government.

In reply to a question Ashraf claimed Ateeq was not dropped as a candidate but he himself chose to withdraw from the contest.

“We also decided none of the family members would contest from Allahabad west or from anywhere this year as whenever we contest elections all the forces against us get together to implicate us in false charges”, he added.

Shivpal Yadav made Ateeq the party’s candidate on Kanpur Cantt seat in December last year despite apparently vehement opposition by chief minister Akhilesh Yadav. The latter dropped him as the candidate the moment he took the party’s reins in his hands.

As per the affidavit Ateeq had filed at the time of filing his nomination papers for 2014 Lok Sabha elections he faces serious charges under various sections of IPC in at least 18 cases which include certain cases of murder.

'MINISTER DIGGING INTO COMPLAINANT'S PAST'

Campaigning for his election with police security cover ahead of polling in Amethi assembly constituency on February 27 Uttar Pradesh’s controversial minister Gayatri Prajapati (49) who was arrested today from Lucknow was digging into the past of the woman simultaneously who had accused him and his aides of gang raping her repeatedly for over 2 years.

The minister also faces charges under Protection of children from sexual offences (POCSO) Act, 2012 for allegedly molesting the woman’s minor daughter presently hospitalised at AIIMS, Delhi.

The minister was on the run after issuance of a non-bailable warrant against him a couple of days back. His phone was constantly switched off. His passport had been impounded and a look-out notice issued as the minister was allegedly attempting to flee the country. Governor Uttar Pradesh Ram Naik had reportedly written to chief minister Akhilesh Singh asking why Prajapati was continuing in his cabinet.  

The passport was impounded and look-out notice issued hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a scathing attack on SP-Cong alliance said the alliance was chanting Gayatri Prajapati Mantra instead of Gayatri Mantra.

Barely 5 days ahead of the polling the minister, in his conversation with me in Amethi, told me as to how he had procured some documents and was in the process of getting more which would help him get relief from the court. On his possible arrest he said he had filed an application in the SC to present his side. “Police are investigating the matter to see if the charges stand prima facie.”

Blaming the BJP for a conspiracy against him due to his work as, he said, he was working to consolidate at least 17 weaker sections castes for Samajvadi Party the minister had dubbed SP patron Mulayam Singh Yadav Lord Shiva, Akhilesh Yadav as Lord Ganesha and himself as ‘Nandi’ (mount of Lord Shiva).  

However, police sources said since the complainant woman had already accused the police of not acting on her complaints against the minister and rather intimidating her and her daughter in a bid to silence them the documents with the minister would hardly help him get any reprieve.

BJP leader Anugrah Narayan Mishra said everybody in Amethi knew the consequences of raising his voice against the minister. As far as his disappearance was concerned it’s not possible that the ruling party leaders were not aware of his whereabouts.

Much to disappointment of the minister he not only lost the assembly elections but Samajvadi Party also faced a humiliating defeat. The BJP leaders' election promise was to arrest Prajapati immediately after coming to power. However, before the BJP could form the government formally the police authorities acted swiftly for obvious reasons. There was no confusion in their mind on arrest of the minister, though the SP government is technically still in power till the BJP govt is formed. Arrest of the minister's aides and his son mounted pressure on him to come out of his hiding and he was ultimately arrested today. 

समय तेजी से निकलता है। २००८ से २०१५ हो गए और मध्य प्रदेश गवर्नमेंट ने इतने सालों के बाद अंततः मीडिया अवार्ड्स का ऐलान कर ही दिया। न सिर्फ ऐलान बल्कि अवार्ड्स के दो समारोह भी आयोजित कर दिए तथा सम्मानित पत्रकार बंधुओं को सम्मानित भी कर दिया. पर जहाँ बुद्धिजीवी हों वहां मतभेद न हो हो ही नहीं सकता। अतः अवार्ड्स पर विवाद अवश्यम्भावी था।  मेरे एक मित्र ने मुझे फ़ोन किया और विवाद पर मेरा विचार जानना चाहा।  मैंने कहा कि सबसे पहले हमे अवार्ड मिलने वाले मित्रों को बधाई देना चाहिए. जूरी के फैसले का सम्मान करना चाहिए. सम्मान देना तथा सम्मान प्राप्त करना दो पक्षों के बीच की बात है. एक पक्ष ने सम्मान देने के लिए कुछ पैरामीटर्स बनाये हैं तथा सम्मान प्राप्त करने वाला उस पैरामीटर्स पर खरा उतरता है. अतः इसमें विवाद कहाँ है? दूसरी बात ये है की अगर हम ये विचार करें की एक पत्रकार को जानने वाले मध्य प्रदेश में और उससे बाहर ५००० लोग हैं।  तो सम्मान प्राप्त करने के बाद हो सकता है की उसको जानने वालों की संख्या कुछ बढ़ जाए या हो सकता है दुगुनी हो जाए।  पर जिसे सम्मान नहीं मिलता है उसको जानने वालों की संख्या ५००० तो रहेगी। वह ४९९९ तो नहीं होगी. मैं ये भी मानता हूँ कि अगर एक पत्रकार की पहचान सिर्फ किसी एक अवार्ड से है तो फिर उसने अपने आपको पत्रकार कहलाने का हक़ खो दिया. फिर हमारा अवार्ड हमारा अपना काम है. अगर हम अपनी लेखनी से कुछ लोगों का भला करते हैं, कुछ की परेशानिया दूर करते हैं तो ये सबसे बड़ा अवार्ड है.

खैर इन पुरस्कारों का निहितार्थ चाहे जो कुछ भी हो और विवाद चाहे कुछ भी हो एक अच्छी बात ये हुई है की कम से कम सरकार ने एक नयी व्यवस्था तो शुरू की जिससे पत्रकार बिरादरी का सम्मान तो बढ़ा है. मेरे नज़र में ऐसे कई पत्रकार हैं जो सम्मान के हक़दार थे पर मुझे लगता है की उनका कद इतना ऊँचा है की वे सम्मान के दरकार नहीं हैं. ऐसे बहुत से नाम हैं जिनको मैंने पत्रकारिता के शीर्ष पर देखा है जब मैं भोपाल आया और उनमे से कई आज भी एक्टिव जर्नलिज्म में हैं. अगर वो सम्मानित लोगों के सूची में होते तो और भी अच्छा होता। कुछ गड़बड़ियां भी हुईं जैसे कि मैं अपने मित्र सतीश एलिया जी और प्रभु पटेरिया जी को आंचलिक पत्रकार की सीमा में नहीं बांध सकता।  राजेश सिरोठिया जी को प्रादेशिक पत्रकार की सीमा में नहीं बाँध सकता। 

पर अगर हम एक समुदाय की भावना से देखें तो अपनी बिरादरी के कुछ लोगों के सम्मान से पुरे पत्रकार बिरादरी का सम्मान हुआ है. जैसा की समन्वय भवन में मुख्य मंत्री शिवराज सिंह चौहान ने कहा उन्होंने भी खोजी पत्रकारिता की तो पता चला की विवाद टालने के लिए इतने सालों से अवार्ड नहीं दिए जा रहे थे। अतः इतने बड़े आयोजन में सब कुछ शत प्रतिशत सही होगा ऐसा संभव नहीं है.  अंततः एक नयी शुरुआत और सभी मित्रो को बधाई। sunday को सम्मानित लोगों में मेरे मित्र मनीष dixit जो की हमारे साथ कई वर्ष hindustan टाइम्स में काम कर चुके हैँ तथा नितेन्द्र शर्मा भी थे अतः मेरे लिए ये आयोजन और भी ख़ुशी देने वाला था। 

पर कहानी में एक ट्विस्ट भी है। वरिष्ठ पत्रकार रजत शर्मा के एक कमेंट ने राष्टीय पुरुस्कारों के समारोह में मुख्यमंत्री के मन में एक खटास पैदा कर दी। अपने भाषण के दौरान मुख्यमंत्री की तरफ मुड़ते हुए रजत शर्मा ने कहा की जल्द ही उनके कार्यक्रम आपकी अदालत में दिग्विजय सिंह को बुलायेंगे. उनकी बॉडी लैंग्वेज से पता चल गया कि एक शानदार एंकर ने एक भारी चूक कर दी  है. मुख्यमंत्री का चेहरा जो की नामी पत्रकार शेखर गुप्ता के प्रशंसा से दमक रहा था अचानक स्विच ऑफ हो गया और वे असहज दिखने लगे।  आमंत्रित पत्रकारों और अन्य मेहमानो के बीच चर्चा शुरू हो गयी की रजत शर्मा ने वाकई दिग्विजय सिंह का नाम लिया या उन्होंने शिवराज सिंह चौहान के नाम की जगह गलती से दिग्विजय सिंह का नाम ले लिया?  मैं स्वयं दुविधा में था पर मेरे मित्र राकेश अग्निहोत्री और प्रभु पटेरिया दोनों आश्वस्त थे की रजत शर्मा ने गलती कर दी है. और अंततः वही हुआ। अपना स्पीच खत्म करने के बाद  रजत शर्मा डायस पर मुख्यमंत्री की बगल में अपनी जगह पर वापस बैठे और उन्होंने चौहान से कुछ कहा. मुख्यमंत्री ने अपना सर हिलाया।  फिर रजत शर्मा वापस माइक पर आये और उन्होंने सॉरी बोलते हुए ये कहा की उन्होंने एक गलत नाम ले लिया. उन्होंने ये भी कहा कि मंच पर उन्हें ऐसी गलती नहीं करनी चाहिए थी।  पर डैमेज तो हो चूका था। अंत में जब मुख्यमंत्री का भाषण हुआ तो उसमें लय गायब था और पूरे समारोह में मुख्यमंत्री के वर्तमान में विरोधी नंबर १ दिग्विजय सिंह का नाम वातावरण में आ चुका था।   

अंत में मैं अपने वरिष्ठ और आदरणीय पत्रकार बंधुओं से एक अपील करना चाहूंगा कि वे मानव को मानव रहने दें। चाहें तो उन्हें सुपर मानव बना दें पर उन्हें 'शिव' और भगवान ना बनायें।  और उनके सर के बालों को बाल ही रहने दें, जटा ना  बनायें  नहीं तो उन्हें बालों  में कंघी करने में परेशानी होगी। आखिर मुख्यमंत्री का मत भी तो यही है कि 'महाराज की जय' करने वाले 'राजा' का नुकसान ही करते हैं जबकि निंदक को पास रखने पर फायदा ही होता है। 'पुरस्कार' का नाम 'सम्मान' में बदलना तभी सार्थक होगा, नहीं तो वो वाकई में पंजीरी माना जाएगा.  

इतने अंतराल के बाद ब्लॉंग पर लिखने के लिए मेरे मित्र प्रभु जी को शुक्रिया जिनका ब्लॉग पढ़कर मैं फिर लिखने को प्रेरित हुआ। पहली बार हिंदी में ब्लॉग पर लिखने पर गलतियों के लिए क्षमा प्रार्थी हूँ।  

Call middlemen for railway tickets

Governments come and go. Every railway minister takes pledge to break the nexus of middlemen (called Dalals in Hindi) and who?? (Of course, our railway employees. Though majority of them are not a part of this nexus: Either they don't believe in malpractice or they don't have opportunity to get engaged in ticket booking process).
Governments go but middlemen remain. Needless to mention untold sufferings to those passengers who try to get tickets from the window or online. Every railway minister for about a decade now also makes lofty claims to strengthen the system of online booking and give excuses for lethargic pace of IRCTC website while attributing it to lakhs of ticket seekers trying to book tickets at the same time. But problem remains.
Questions remain unanswered
If there is so much crowd of ticket seekers how middlemen get tickets with so ease as if they were purchasing potatoes in the market;
why the IRCTC website opens for a common man only after all the tickets were booked;
how it's possible that 600-700 tickets on any route can be booked in just 4-5 minutes;
what is use of setting up windows for Tatkal tickets when only a few can get tickets, that too after spending hours in advance;
how middlemen who roam about at reservation counters almost daily cannot be recognised by railway personnel and force;
Questions would remain unanswered and we are waiting for the new railway minister's announcement that he would rid the system of middlemen and give a foolproof railway ticket reservation system to a passengers.

Gorakhpur

Crowded streets and lanes...all types of conveyances visible on the roads...overcrowded auto-rickshaws...complete absence of public transport system...roadside pavements encroached upon by businessmen and vendors...sweltering heat...stuffy weather in May...June...Nothing has changed in our Gorakhpur...

--The change visible is multi-storeyed buildings which are now coming up at various points to suggest Gorakhpur is changing and its population explosion is well manifested in apartments....

--Yet the city is lovely...those who belong to this soil can whiff the aroma of the land on landing here..