Varanasi

Amid escalating tensions at the Uday Pratap College here over a mosque located on its premises, police on Thursday restricted outsiders' entry to the campus, allowing only students with valid identity cards. The move follows Tuesday's unrest after students recited Hanuman Chalisa when namaz was being offered near the mosque. Seven men were briefly detained after the row on Tuesday, according to the local police. Student leader Vivekanand Singh on Thursday said, "Police personnel are stationed at the college gate, checking identity cards to ensure that no outsiders enter the campus. A group of students is also monitoring the gate." He added that no one came to offer namaz on Thursday and that additional precautions will be taken on Friday during the "Jumma" prayers. In a related development, students of the college have formed a "student court" and sent an 11-point letter to the Uttar Pradesh Waqf Board, demanding a response within 15 days regarding the status of the mosque and its

Varanasi's Udai Pratap College is in controversy with the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board claiming that a mosque on the campus and the land in its vicinity is a Waqf property, a charge rejected by the college administration. A notice was sent to Udai Pratap College in 2018, claiming that the mosque on the campus and the land of the college were donated to the Waqf Board by the Nawab of Tonk. Therefore, the college campus is the property of the Waqf, said Principal DK Singh. "The notice came from Varanasi resident Wasim Ahmed Khan. At that time, the then secretary of the college had responded to the notice. In response to the notice, it was said that the mosque was built illegally, while the property of the college belongs to the trust, it can neither be bought nor sold," he added. Singh also said that the Waqf Board tried to construct a mosque later in 2022. The police stopped it after the college administration complained. The principal alleged that the mosque was stealing

Preliminary investigations indicate that the fire at Varanasi Cantt station was triggered by a short circuit

Bench said it will also hear same-day other petitions relating to the case, including an application to consolidate all suits and transfer them from the Varanasi district court to the Allahabad HC

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated an eye hospital in his parliamentary constituency Varanasi on Sunday. Run by the Kanchi Math, R J Sankara Eye Hospital will offer comprehensive consultations and treatments for various eye conditions. The hospital will benefit people of 20 districts of eastern Uttar Pradesh as well as those living in the border areas of Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, according to people associated with the Kanchi Math. This is the Kanchi Math's 14th hospital in the country. The target is to conduct 30,000 free eye surgeries every year, the people cited above said. Ahead of the hospital's inauguration, Modi, who is on a day-long visit to Varanasi, met the Shankaracharya of the Kanchi Math. He also visited an exhibition organised here. He was accompanied by Governor Anandiben Patel and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Modi was welcomed at Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport here by Patel, Adityanath and other dignitaries. During his visit, he

PM Modi will be launching and laying the foundation stone for several projects costing around Rs 1,300 crore

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch a number of development initiatives, including multiple airport projects across the country worth over Rs 6,100 crore, during his visit to Varanasi on Sunday, his office said. The PMO in a statement that Modi will also inaugurate RJ Sankara Eye Hospital, in the holy town. It will provide comprehensive consultation and treatment for various eye conditions. Modi will lay the foundation stone for expansion of airport runway and construction of a new terminal building and allied works of Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport, costing around Rs 2,870 crore all told. He will lay the foundation stone of new civil enclave at Agra airport worth more than Rs 570 crore, at Darbhanga airport worth around Rs 910 crore, and at Bagdogra airport worth around Rs 1,550 crore, it said. The prime minister will inaugurate new terminal buildings of airports in Rewa, Ambikapur, and Saharanpur being constructed at the cost of more than Rs 220 crore. The combi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate and lay the foundation stone for projects worth Rs 1,300 crore in his parliamentary constituency on October 20, officials said here on Thursday. Multi-layer security arrangements are being put in place for the PM's visit during which he will also address two public gatherings. Dilip Patel, president of the BJP's Kashi region, said, "According to the tentative schedule, PM Modi will arrive at Babatpur Airport around 12:30 PM on October 20. From there, he will head to Shankara Nethralaya on Ring Road to inaugurate the hospital. He will inspect the facility and address around 1,000 attendees invited by the hospital trust." Following this, the PM will travel by road to the Sampurnanand Sports Stadium in Sigra, where he will inaugurate a sports complex. He is expected to launch and lay the foundation for several other projects during his visit. The PM will depart for Delhi around 6 PM after the events. Divisional Commissioner of Varanasi

The Union Cabinet, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved a massive Rs 2,642 crore project for the rail-cum-road bridge's construction which will be completed in four years

The MSP increase is aimed at providing a safety net for farmers, amidst a "moderation" in inflation, while the DA hike is expected to benefit around 4.91 million employees and 6.48 million pensioners

This stadium, built as per international standards, will not only promote sports but will also prove to be a milestone for Purvanchal in the development of players

Ten people were killed and three injured when a truck collided with a tractor trolley carrying labourers in the district early Friday, police said. The incident took place around 1 am on G T Road between Kachhawan and Mirzamurad areas on the Mirzapur-Varanasi border, Superintendent of Police (Mirzapur) Abhinandan said. "The tractor trolley, carrying 13 labourers who were returning from construction work in Bhadohi district, was hit from behind by the truck that had gone out of the driver's control," the SP said. On being alerted, the SP and other senior officers rushed to the scene to oversee the rescue operations. "Of the 13 injured, 10 died while the three others were taken to the hospital at the IIT-BHU, where their condition is stated to be normal," the officer said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the loss of lives in the accident. "The road accident in Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh is extremely painful. My deepest condolences to the bereaved families of those who lost their

The group began their actions on Tuesday, removing statues from several temples including the idol of the spiritual leader at the Bada Ganesh temple in Lohatia. They placed statues outside the temples

The Hindu side in the Gyanvapi mosque case on Wednesday requested a court here to allow the ASI to dig in the premises for a survey, a lawyer said. The judge fixed the next date of hearing as September 18 on the petition demanding ASI survey of the remaining parts of the Gyanvapi complex, the lawyer said. The representatives of the Muslim side were present in the court and are expected to put forth their views on the matter during the next hearing. Civil Judge Senior Division Fast Track Court Jugal Shambhu fixed the fresh date after hearing the Hindu side, said advocate Madan Mohan Yadav, representing the Hindu side in the case. "The Hindu side completed its argument in the matter. We have also requested to allow the ASI (Archaeological Survey of India) to dig in the premises for the survey," said Yadav. Yadav said the Hindu side has argued that the original place of Jyotirlinga is in the middle under the dome of the alleged mosque located in the Gyanvapi complex. Geographical wa

The Uttar Pradesh government is set to expand electricity-based adventure water activities and boat ride facilities in Ayodhya and Varanasi to boost religious tourism. The government is on the verge of starting the operation of four specialised electric boats in both cities, according to an official statement. "Under the scheme, one air-conditioned electric boat with a 50-seat capacity and two electric boats with 30-seat capacities each will be operated from Nayaghat on the Saryu River in Ayodhya," it said. "In Varanasi, a 50-seater air-conditioned electric boat will soon be available for tourists at Ravidas Ghat on the Ganga River," it added. The state-of-the-art AC boats will have a steel catamaran hull, while the non-air-conditioned ones will feature an FRP catamaran hull, the government said. The ghats will have the facilities for the docking and charging of these boats, which will be managed by the Uttar Pradesh State Tourism Development Corporation. The boats will initially

An ASI survey of the Gyanvapi Mosque Wazukhana is not permissible as there is a Supreme Court order that the area should be preserved, the mosque management committee has told the Allahabad High Court. The Anjuman Intezamia Committee Thursday filed a counter-affidavit before the Allahabad HC in the matter seeking a survey of the Wazukhana (or ablution area) by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). It has been stated in the counter-affidavit that the matter relating to Wazukhana and 'Shiv Linga' is already pending before the Supreme Court and there is a stay order operating that the area be preserved, and the responsibility for its safety and security has been handed over to the District Magistrate, Varanasi. "Hence, any further action is not permissible. Instead, the petitioner should approach the apex court to seek clarification of its 2022 order," the counter-affidavit said. "In this backdrop, the District Judge, Varanasi has rightly rejected the application of Hindu side on

National Disaster Response Force teams have been deployed along Varanasi ghats in Uttar Pradesh in view of the possible flood situation from the monsoon rains, said an official on Saturday.Speaking to ANI, DIG 11th batallion NDRF Varanasi, Manoj Kumar Sharma, said, "Before the arrival of monsoons and floods, the NDRF team prepares itself completely so that we have complete arrangements to deal with any situation. Two teams of the NDRF will remain deployed on all ghats in Varanasi. An awareness campaign is being spread to warn people away from deep waters."According to the latest report of the Central Water Commission, the water level of the Ganga in Varanasi is stable but the people living on the banks of the Ganga are living in fear because the rainwater from the mountains has now started coming to the plains.NDRF DIG Manoj Kumar Sharma said that the NDRF teams are on alert in Varanasi and are running awareness programmes through social media, adding that "NDRF, SDRF and PAC are ...

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday released the 17th instalment of the PM Kisan scheme, which aims to support eligible farmer families by paying them Rs 6,000 in three equal instalments