Dutch firm GX Group announces 500-crore photonics investment in India
Photonics are a key technology used in network equipment, and the base for manufacturing photonic equipment in India is at its nascent stage. GX Group will form a subsidiary in Manesar, Haryana to channel this investment toward its existing facility in Chennai and a manufacturing unit in Rajasthans Bhiwadi.
Rajasthan air quality in 'poor' category after Diwali, AQI hits 318 in Bhiwadi
Following Diwali, a thick smog has enveloped Rajasthan and Delhi, with air pollution levels rising sharply. Rajasthan's overall AQI is 243, with Bhiwadi at 318, while Delhi's AQI stands at 350, with Bawana recording 423. The Commission for Air Quality Management has implemented Stage 2 of the GRAP in the NCR.
Multi-state fake drug racket busted in Uttarakhand, 12 including mastermind arrested
DEHRADUN: The Uttarakhand Special Task Force (STF) has dismantled a major network involved in the manufacturing and distribution of counterfeit branded medicines, arresting four company owners and plant heads in a significant breakthrough. With these arrests, the STF has now taken the total number of accused to 12, including the alleged mastermind behind the operation. The most recent arrests, a husband-and-wife duo, were made on Friday in Zirakpur, Punjab. STF Senior Superintendent of Police Navneet Singh Bhullar confirmed the arrests, stating, We had been receiving continuous complaints about the exact replication of life-saving medicines and their illicit sale in the market. The use of these fake drugs not only posed severe health risks to the public but also caused substantial revenue losses to the government. He added that Director General of Police Deepam Seth had directed the STF to take stringent action to curb the menace. We immediately instructed our team to work on a high priority to identify this fake medicine syndicate and ensure decisive action, SSP Bhullar said. The investigation gathered pace on June 1, when the STF apprehended Santosh Kumar, who was found with counterfeit wrappers, outer boxes, labels, and QR codes of reputed pharmaceutical companies. A case was registered at Selaqui Police Station in Dehradun, and the probe was later transferred to the STF. Santosh Kumars arrest led to several other key arrests, including Naveen Bansal, Aditya Kala, Devi Dayal Gupta, Pankaj Sharma, and Vijay Kumar Pandey. The inquiry has revealed that Keron Life Science Pvt Ltd, BLBK Pharmaceutical Pvt Ltd, Oxi Pharma Pvt Ltd, and Zentic Pharmaceuticals Pvt Ltd were manufacturing large quantities of drugs without proper licenses. These medicines were sold to Naveen Bansals fictitious company, Beechem Biotech, located in Bhiwadi, Rajasthan. STF also found that to falsely indicate government supply, the MRP 00.00 was marked on the drug bills. Naveen Bansal then re-packaged these unlabelled drugs under branded company names and distributed them in the open market. Further investigation revealed that illegal drug purchases and supplies had taken place multiple times during the financial years 2023-24 and 2024-25, showing the large scale of the criminal operation.
Jodhpur police cremated Muslim youth despite missing report, family learns truth after DNA test
JAIPUR: Jodhpur police are facing backlash for allegedly cremating, instead of burying, the body of a 20-year-old Muslim youth, Ismail, despite a missing persons report being filed days earlier. The body, found in Gulab Sagar, was labelled unclaimed and cremated, a violation of Islamic burial practices. It was only after a DNA test that the body was confirmed to be Ismails, leaving the family devastated and angry. Ismail, who lived in Chimanpura Gali-4, went missing on 17 June. His family reported his disappearance to the Sadar Bazar police station on 20 June. Just a day later, on 21 June, the body of a young man was recovered from Gulab Sagar and placed in the mortuary at Mahatma Gandhi Hospital, falling under the jurisdiction of the nearby Sadar Kotwali police station. Despite the fact that Sadar Bazar and Sadar Kotwali police stations operate from the same premises, they allegedly failed to coordinate. On 25 June, the Sadar Kotwali police treated the body as unidentified and cremated it. It was not until 26 June that Ismails sister-in-law came across visuals and information about the body recovered from the reservoir. Suspicious that it could be her missing relative, she informed the family. They contacted the Sojati Gate police and demanded verification. A DNA test was ordered. The following day, on 27 June, Ismails mother, Malka, provided a blood sample. The results from the Forensic Science Laboratory later confirmed that the cremated body was indeed Ismail's. On receiving the confirmation, Malka broke down, grieving not only her sons death but also the denial of religious burial rites. She accused the police of both carelessness and deep insensitivity. He should have been buried, not cremated, she said, struggling to hold back tears. Assistant Sub-Inspector Nemichand from Sadar Bazar police station acknowledged that the body was badly decomposed when found, making identification difficult. It was considered unclaimed at the time. After we were informed of the missing report, we proceeded with DNA testing, he said. This is not the first time such a mistake has allegedly occurred in Rajasthan. A similar incident was reported in 2019 in Bhiwadi, Alwar, where police cremated the body of a Muslim youth before confirming his identity. That event had triggered protests by the Meo community, with community leader Sher Mohammad accusing the police of serious insensitivity. The latest Jodhpur incident has reignited concerns about police protocol in handling unidentified bodies. It has raised questions about accountability, coordination between departments, and the respect of religious practices, especially when families have already reported someone missing. The case has drawn strong reactions from locals, who are demanding clear procedures and strict action to prevent such incidents from recurring.
