Saharanpur:

A private vehicle that was part of a wedding convoy caught fire after a man recklessly burst firecrackers through its sunroof, in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur.

According to sources, the incident took place in Gandevada village under Fatehpur police station area on Friday.

A viral video shows the man shooting fireworks, as part of the wedding celebrations, through the sunroof of the vehicle. As the sparks from the smoke-emitting crackers rise in the air and then land on the vehicle, the car catches fire.

While most local residents run for safety, one of them rushes towards the car to help the occupant come out safely.

There was no immediate report of any injuries or casualties. The vehicle was, however, gutted in the fire. It was later seized by the police, who also imposed a fine on the accused.

Last month, firecrackers were set off from the roof of a private vehicle in Chandigarh, prompting police to initiate action against the accused.

During Diwali last year, several videos of young men setting off firecrackers from the roofs of moving cars in Gurugram surfaced on social media. Gurugram police emphasised the seriousness of the matter and also initiated legal action against the individuals involved in such incidents.

Looking out of sunroofs while a vehicle is in motion is in violation of the law. Provisions under the Motor Vehicles Act empowers the police to impose fines on such offenders.

(With inputs from Ashok Kashyap)

Saharanpur, UP:

Two children were found dead under suspicious circumstances in the Deoband area of this Uttar Pradesh district, police said Friday.

Their family members claimed the children were killed as part of a Tantric ritual, they added.

Superintendent of Police (Rural) Sagar Jain said Dev (11) and his 9-year-old cousin Mahi had gone to a temple outside their village in Bhayal on Thursday.

“When they did not return by late night, the family began a search. Around midnight, the children’s bodies were found on the roadside, prompting villagers to notify the police,” Mr Jain said.

The police, who arrived at the scene with a forensic team, noted that both the bodies showed signs of broken bones, indicating possibility of a road accident.

Their bodies have been sent for a postmortem, Mr Jain said.

However, the incident has stirred anger among the villagers, who blocked the Deoband-Nanota road, alleging that the cousins were killed as part of a Tantric ritual.

Local authorities assured the villagers of a thorough investigation into the incident.

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

Saharanpur:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said Muslim women will bless him for centuries to come as he has removed the “sword” of triple talaq hanging over them and their families.

Addressing an election rally in Saharanpur, PM Modi reached out to the Muslim community, which has a sizeable population in the Lok Sabha constituencies of western Uttar Pradesh, saying real secularism is when all get the benefit of government welfare schemes irrespective of their caste and religion as has been seen during the BJP rule.

सहारनपुर में उमड़े मेरे परिवारजनों के जोश और उत्साह ने भावविभोर कर दिया। pic.twitter.com/jrdi363wiW

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 6, 2024

“The BJP government has ended the evil practice of (instant) triple talaq. We enacted a strong law in the interest of crores of Muslim sisters” and protected their families, he said.

Some are saying Muslim women have benefitted but “they do not have a complete understanding. It is not that only Muslim women have benefitted” but also their parents and brothers who were always worried as to what would they do if their daughter or sister had to go through triple talaq, PM Modi said.

“By ending this practice of triple talaq, we have saved the entire Muslim family and liberated it from the fear of the sword hanging over them. For centuries to come, Muslim daughters will continue to bless Modi,” the prime minister said.

देश में प्रचंड बहुमत की सरकार बनाने के लिए जनता इस बार खुद चुनावी मैदान में है। उत्तर प्रदेश के सहारनपुर में विशाल संख्या में आशीर्वाद देने आए परिवारजनों का हृदय की गहराइयों से आभार।https://t.co/XHCW2A3g9M

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 6, 2024

The Lok Sabha constituencies in western UP with a sizeable Muslim population are Rampur (42 per cent), Amroha (32 per cent), Saharanpur (30 per cent), Bijnor, Nagina and Moradabad (28 per cent each), Muzaffarnagar (27 per cent), Kairana and Meerut (23 per cent each) and Sambhal (22 per cent).

Apart from this, Muslim voters constitute 19 per cent of the electoral population in Bulandshahr, Baghpat and Aligarh.

Around 15.34 crore people are eligible to vote in Uttar Pradesh – a politically crucial state with 80 Lok Sabha seats where the elections will be held in seven phases beginning April 19.

According to the election schedule, eight parliamentary constituencies will vote in the first phase on April 19. These are Saharanpur, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Nagina (SC), Moradabad, Rampur and Pilibhit.

In the 2019 general elections, the BJP won 62 seats and its ally Apna Dal (S) two seats, brushing aside the challenge of the SP-BSP-RLD alliance.

The BSP was the biggest gainer in the alliance with 10 seats. Akhilesh Yadav’s SP won five seats while the RLD couldn’t open its account in the polls. The Congress won the lone Raebareli seat from where Sonia Gandhi had contested.

This time RLD has joined hands with the BJP while BSP is going it alone. 

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