The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Tragedy strikes holy city: Accident, clash, stampede...

(From left) The bridge that gave way during the stampede; four victims of the tragedy; and slippers and other belongings of persons stuck in the commotion. Tribune photos: Rameshwar Gaur

Nishank takes holy dip
Haridwar, April 14
In an impromptu visit, Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank visited Haridwar with his wife and took a dip in the Ganga on the occasion of Mesh Sankranti.

Sanyasis of Niranjani Akhada carry holy flags; and (right) a Naga sadhu comes out after a holy dip in Haridwar on Wednesday. Tribune photos: Rameshwar Gaur

Scheme for meritorious students
Dehradun, April 14
To launch a scheme for meritorious students, Swami Vivekanand Group of Institutes held a press conference here today. The scheme is aimed at searching meritorious and talented candidates of Uttarakhand and making them technically and professionally sound.

Two burn to death in different incidents
Nainital, April 14
Revti Devi, a resident of Bhatraujkhan in Almora, was charred to death in an incident of a stove blast here yesterday. Revti, 24, was allegedly injured when the stove, on which she was cooking her meals, burst. She was rushed to Shila Tewari Hospital in Haldwani, where she succumbed to her injuries.

Rahul Bose in city, gives tips on marathon
Dehradun, April 14
Noted film actor and a social activist Rahul Bose was in the city today. He participated in the Marathon Race organised by the Doon School.

Actor Rahul Bose talks to students from various schools participating in a marathon on the Doon School campus in Dehradun on Wednesday. A Tribune photograph

275 students participate in Brightland’s race
Dehradun, April 14
The participants of the Brightland School’s marathon in Dehradun At least 275 students participated in the Marathon Race organised by the Brightland School on its campus here today.

The participants of the Brightland School’s marathon in Dehradun on Wednesday. A Tribune photograph

Chandragupta Section lift basketball cup
Dehradun, April 14
Chandragupta Section has lifted the Inter-Section Basketball final of the Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC) here today.

The Final match in progress at the Inter-Section Basketball Tournament at RIMC in Dehradun on Wednesday.

ICFAI win table tennis competition
Stands second in badminton out of 24 teams from all over the country
Dehradun, April 14
ICFAI University, Dehradun, team emerged winner in the table tennis while stood second in the badminton at the recently held Inter-Law Universities and Law Colleges Championship at Ram Manohar National Law University, Lucknow.
The ICFAI University’s table tennis and badminton teams with their trophies.

Players selected for handball camp
Dehradun, April 14
Fourteen probables have been selected to attend the camp for the Dehradun handball team that will participate in the Uttarkhand State Handball Championship to be held on April 21 and 22.

Handball trials in progress at the Parade Ground in Dehradun on Wednesday. A Tribune photograph

Himalayan Cricket Academy score 57-run victory
Dehradun, April 14
Himalayan Cricket Academy scored 57-run win over the Shiva Cricket Academy in the first round match of the u-17 County Cup here today on the Ordnance Factory ground.

U-13 cricket tourney begins today
Dehradun, April 14
The 5th All-India SP Sinha Memorial u-13 Cricket Tournament would be held from April 15 to 25.

An outpouring of devotion in holy city

(Clockwise from top left) A sanyasi plays a ‘damru’; Naga sadhus on their way to take a holy dip; a Naga sadhu dries his hair after his bath; Dati Maharaj on his way to Ganga ghats; and foreigners capture Naga sadhus in their cameras. Tribune photos: Rameshwar Gaur

More than 1 crore take dip on last Shahi Snan
Sandeep Rawat
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, April 14
Breaking all sorts of records of human conglomeration at one single point of time, more than a crore people took bath at Ganga ghats in Haridwar and Rishikesh on the auspicious occasion of Mesh Sankranti which coincided with the fourth Shahi Snan of the Maha Kumbh today.

About 15-km length of ghats was utilised by pilgrims for the Kumbh snan. At hundreds of places the Ganga aarti was performed in Haridwar. People were seen vying for a view and participation in the Ganga aarti at Har-ki-Pauri and other places, as the rituals held on the banks of the Ganga made the atmosphere more religious and solace-giving, both for the mind and the eyes.

The city seems to have no free space. According to the state government figures of the past two days of back-to-back festive baths of Baisakhi and Mesh Sankranti, a whopping 1.10 crore people visited Haridwar to take a dip in the Ganga.

Mesh Sankranti coinciding with the last Shahi Snan and the tenure of “malmas” starting from today, the astrological event had come after 3333 years, lending the festive bath more mythological and historical significance.

While on normal festive baths pilgrim rush is seen at the Har-ki-Pauri and other adjacent ghats from early morning, for the past two days Brahm Kund at Har-ki-Pauri and other adjacent ghats were brimming with devotees taking a holy dip during night also.

Traffic barricades were put up in interiors of the city too with traffic restrictions and diversions being the norm for the past two days. All trains were jam-packed and passengers were seen sitting atop the trains. So was the condition of the bus transport systems. Pilgrims first had to tread several kilometres to reach Ganga ghats and then had to wait for buses and trains too.

Nine special trains, that have been plying for the past few days in view of the back-to-back festive baths, were running full. The Railways, in view of the rush and to evade stampede, ran the trains as soon as these got fully boarded even before the scheduled time.

Traders all over the city, specially on pilgrim routes, made the most of the twin festive occasions. “We ran out of food stock in afternoon only and we are exhausted to prepare more,” said Uday Ram Semwal of the Brajwasi shop at BHEL.

“I have been sleeping at my shop only and what I earn in a month, for past three days I am earning on a single day,” added Bablu, a tea stall owner at Ranipur Mod.

Nishank takes holy dip
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, April 14
In an impromptu visit, Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank visited Haridwar with his wife and took a dip in the Ganga on the occasion of Mesh Sankranti.

Nishank arrived in the Har-ki-Pauri area at about 3 am and took stock of the facilities. He was accompanied by his wife Kusum Lata Pokhriyal and two bodyguards.

Nishank remained in the mela zone for about two hours and took a holy dip at the VIP ghat. He had also visited Haridwar yesterday as he accompanied BJP party president Nitin Gadkari.

On January 14 also, when the first festive bath of the Maha Kumbh was held, Nishank had paid a surprise visit to Haridwar early in the morning.

Scheme for meritorious students
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, April 14
To launch a scheme for meritorious students, Swami Vivekanand Group of Institutes held a press conference here today. The scheme is aimed at searching meritorious and talented candidates of Uttarakhand and making them technically and professionally sound.

Pooja Mittal, spokesperson for the group, announced the Swami Vivekananda Scholarship scheme in the courses of MBA, MCA, BBA, BCA and BPharmacy for single girl child, weaker section, sportspersons and physically challenged students with minimum 50 per cent marks in graduation or plus two from any recognised university or board.

Moreover, students having percentage above 65 per cent in graduation from any recognised university is eligible for partial current fee waiver in the PGDM course, which is a two-year postgraduation programme in management on the pattern of the IIM with trimester system and is approved by the AICTE, New Delhi.

Ashwani Garg, chairman of the group, and Ashok Garg, director finance, were also present at the conference. They said: “This region has a lot of talent and the only thing is to provide them quality education and we will try to provide them all that”.

Two burn to death in different incidents
Tribune News Service

Nainital, April 14
Revti Devi, a resident of Bhatraujkhan in Almora, was charred to death in an incident of a stove blast here yesterday. Revti, 24, was allegedly injured when the stove, on which she was cooking her meals, burst. She was rushed to Shila Tewari Hospital in Haldwani, where she succumbed to her injuries.

In another incident at Khankri village of the Bhainsiyachana area, one youth was burnt to death while his wife sustained serious injuries when their tenement caught fire. According to information, the bed on which Rajendra Singh was sleeping caught fire in the early hours of the day from the nearby fireplace.

Seeing Rajendra being engulfed in flames, his wife Devki Devi rushed to save him and sustained injuries herself. Neighbours dragged the couple out of the house, but by then Rajendra had died. His wife is fighting for life at a government hospital.

Rahul Bose in city, gives tips on marathon
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, April 14
Noted film actor and a social activist Rahul Bose was in the city today. He participated in the Marathon Race organised by the Doon School.

Students from several schools of Dehradun participated in the marathon which took place from Doon School to Dehradun Cantonment area.

Bose interacted with students and gave them tips to keep in mind before participating in an marathon.

The students had fun while spending time with the actor.

“He is a great chap and was very open with us,” said a student.

275 students participate in Brightland’s race
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, April 14
At least 275 students participated in the Marathon Race organised by the Brightland School on its campus here today.

The students of Class X and XII participated in the race. School Principal Pushpa Thapliyal flagged off the race.

Drishti Borai bagged the first position among Class X girls.

While Ritika Bhatia and Avanti Aswal of the same class got the second and third positions, respectively.

Siddhart Dimri got the first place in the Class X boys competition. Vinyak Razdan and Aditya Durga were the runners-up.

In Class XII girls and boys event Amrai Dua and Shalbh Kumar stood first. Sukriti Joshi and Gauri Rana got second and third place, respectively.

In the boys’ category, Ankit Saliya and Shubham Tyagi were the runners-up. The winners were awarded by the principal.

Chandragupta Section lift basketball cup
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, April 14
Chandragupta Section has lifted the Inter-Section Basketball final of the Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC) here today.

It was a tough conflict between Chandragupta seniors and the Shivaji seniors.

Chandragupta Section ran away with the title and the trophy by winning the match by 1 point. The final score was Chandragupta seniors-35 and Shivaji seniors-34 points.

Individual prizes were also given to cadets who stood out for their commendable performances.

In the individual awards the Highest Scorer title went to cadet Shivam Kumar (Chandragupta) among the juniors. In the middles, the award went to cadet Bhupendra Singh (Chandragupta).

In seniors, cadet Lalit Thapliyal (Pratap) won the award.

The Best Player in the juniors went to cadet Pratik Pegu (Shivaji), in the middles it was cadet Ankit Singh (Ranjit) who bagged the award. And in the seniors category cadet Vivek Yadav (Chandragupta) got the award.

Chandragupta Section also walked away with the trophy by a towering margin of more than 32 points with Shivaji Section and Ranjit Section came second. Col H Dharmarajan, SM, Commandant, RIMC congratulated the cadets for their exemplary performance.

He also encouraged the cadets to keep up their performance. Other dignitaries present were Lt Col Rajesh Nathawat, KS Ahlawat, Lt Cdr S Chakraborty, CS Vishwakarma and Birjesh Chauhan. The coordinator of the event was Dr Jai Ram Choudhary.

Lawrence Sanawar beat Doon International

Lawrence Sanawar defeat the Doon International School 44-28 on the inaugural day of the Afzal Khan Memorial Basketball Tournament at the Doon School, here today.

In another match, Doon School A team beat Shri Ram School, Delhi. Welham School also registered a win over Woodstock. In a tough encounter, Bishop Cotton managed to edge past Doon School B team 35-33.

ICFAI win table tennis competition
Stands second in badminton out of 24 teams from all over the country
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, April 14
ICFAI University, Dehradun, team emerged winner in the table tennis while stood second in the badminton at the recently held Inter-Law Universities and Law Colleges Championship at Ram Manohar National Law University, Lucknow.

About 24 teams took part from all over the country at the championship.

Upender, who holds a high ranking in TT, trounced the opposing team with a sweeping victory of 2-0 in straight games in the final.

The band team which enthralled the audience with their captivating performance, stood first in the band competition.

Professor GP Srivastava, Vice-Chancellor, complimented all the participants at the tournament and exhorted to excel in all other activities.

Himalayan Cricket Academy score 57-run victory
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, April 14
Himalayan Cricket Academy scored 57-run win over the Shiva Cricket Academy in the first round match of the u-17 County Cup here today on the Ordnance Factory ground.

Opting to bat first, the winning side set a target of 113 runs before getting all out. Varun Negi was the mainstay of the batting side scoring 47 runs.

For the Shiva Academy, Deeapk was the pick of bowlers getting five wickets while Vivek also captured three wickets.

Batting second, Shiva Academy’s innings get demolished by the bowlers of Himalayan. The team packed off for just 55 in 13.3 overs. Sachin (20) was the top scorer for the team.

Kuldeep and Paras got five and three wickets respectively for Himalayan.

U-13 cricket tourney begins today
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, April 14
The 5th All-India SP Sinha Memorial u-13 Cricket Tournament would be held from April 15 to 25.

As many as 32 teams are taking part in this tournament. Two teams of Uttarakhand have already been selected to participate in this competition, including Indian Public School and Sai Baba International School.

Six teams each from Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, five from Haryana, three from Bihar, two each from Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, one each from Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Assam and Orissa will participate.

Nine matches will be played everyday during this all-India tournament. All matches will be played under Twenty-20 format and the tournament is being touted as the first such all-India level tournament under the age group of 13 years. The local, state and board umpires will be officiating in this tournament.

The board umpires will only officiate in the semifinals and finals. After the successful conduct of the tournament the organisers would seek board approval for the tournament.