Woman ‘stopped’ from meeting PM SETS BUS ON fire

VARANASI: A woman campaigning for a separate Purvanchal state set a bus on fire here on Wednesday after she was allegedly stopped from meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his recent visit to the city, police said.

Vandana Raghuvanshi, secretary of the Poorvanchal Jan Andolan Samiti, went to the Varanasi bus stand at around 11 am and boarded a state-run Volvo bus that ran between the city and Lucknow, said Dinesh Kumar Singh, superintendent of police (city).

She asked two-three passengers present inside the luxury bus to deboard, following which she sprinkled petrol inside and torched it, Singh said. Fire tenders were called in to douse the flames, but the bus was partially burnt. Raghuvanshi, who has been arrested, also distributed pamphlets at the bus stand that mentioned the demand for a Purvanchal state, Singh said.

Speaking to reporters at the police station, Raghuvanshi said she had been demanding a Purvanchal state to be carved out of Uttar Pradesh. She wanted to meet Modi during his visit on Monday and Tuesday, but was stopped by the police. AHMEDABAD: An Indigo aircraft carrying 185 passengers made an emergency landing here on Wednesday after suffering a tyre burst, according to an airport official.

The flight 6E-361, operated with an A320 aircraft, was coming from Mumbai. The plane landed safely at 1921 hours and all passengers are safe, Ahmedabad Airport Director Manoj Gangal said in a statement.

However, an Indigo spokesperson said there was no tyre burst and the aircraft did not make an emergency landing. “After arrival at Ahmedabad, a tyre de-capping with full tyre pressure intact was observed. The aircraft has been towed to the parking bay. The wheel is being replaced and aircraft will be cleared for further flight,” the spokesperson said in a statement. The spokesperson also said that there were 177 passengers on board. Generally, de-capping of a tyre refers to peeling off of a tyre’s outer

layer. In his statement, the airport director said the Indigo plane reported “tyre burst while taking off from Mumbai airport today evening”.

According to him, the pilot had requested emergency

landing at Ahmedabad which was immediately approved by the ATC. “Emergency procedures were initiated at Ahmedabad Airport. The aircraft was accorded full priority... Total 185 passengers were on board. All of them are safe. The aircraft is now parked at Ahmedabad airport for a detailed inspection,” he said.