CM announces withdrawal of forest cases against 4,000 Tharu tribals in Lakhimpur Kheri, many of whom were blind, disabled, elderly or even dead when the case was registered

Bareilly: CM of UP Yogi Adityanath announced on Saturday that forest cases registered against nearly 4,000 Tharu tribals will be withdrawn, bringing relief to poor villagers and their families who have been fighting the cases for more than a decade.This announcement made in Lakhimpur Kheri comes after months times of IndiaThe report, dated November 11, 2025, details how the forest department in 2012 had booked members of the Tharu community, including the blind, physically or mentally disabled, elderly villagers and even dead people.Without naming the Samajwadi Party, Yogi said that the previous government had given protection to mafias and habitual criminals while harassing the Tharu community during their struggle. He said, “The previous government used to promote mafias and habitual criminals in every city. They harassed the Tharu community by registering fake cases against them during their struggle, but now the BJP government will not allow this to happen.”“times of India had pointed out how many of those booked were poor and uneducated villagers, who continued to appear in court for years to stand trial for crimes they said they had never committed.Those named in the FIR also include Surdas Ram Bhajan, 40, blind since birth, who lives with his family in Saria Para, a Tharu village about 1.5 km from the India-Nepal border near the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve. “I have never even seen a forest,” he told TOI. “I walk with the help of my 70-year-old mother – she holds one end of the stick, and I hold the other. My younger brother, Rajjan, is mentally challenged and has been in chains since childhood, yet both of us were booked.“After the CM’s announcement, Surdas said that this decision has relieved the burden on his family for years. “I want to thank MLA Romi Sawhney and the CM for their gift,” he said. His mother Gulabu Devi said, “My sons never even went to the forest, but the department implicated them in false cases. But now we are happy that we are free.” 37 year old Rajjan was accused of illegal tree cutting.Another villager, Har Dayal Singh, 55, who suffers from chronic spine disease and cannot stand straight, was accused of climbing trees to destroy bird nests. “They say I’ve climbed a tree. I can barely stand,” he said after Saturday’s announcement. He had said that now he can live in peace without making rounds of the courts. In Sariya Para, where the population is around 1,500, at least 375 residents were booked under various provisions of the Indian Forest Act and Wildlife (Protection) Act.“I have been working on this for a long time but the TOI story gave a big boost to our effort and finally we are seeing the fruits of the efforts,” said Sahni, who represents Palia constituency.Tharu community members said their lives would now become easier, especially as the relief came with the recognition of their land rights. Tharu, an indigenous community of the Terai region Uttar PradeshUttarakhand, Bihar and southern Nepal have historically depended on farming and forest-related livelihoods. But after Dudhwa was declared a national park in 1977 and later a tiger reserve in 1988, many Tharu villages began to live within or around protected forest areas, limiting their traditional access to land and resources.Although the Forest Rights Act, 2006 was intended to recognize the rights of Scheduled Tribes and traditional forest dwellers over habitat, cultivation and forest use, many Tharu claims in Lakhimpur Kheri were either rejected or left pending.

California Representative Eric Swalwell, the front-runner in the race for governor, is facing allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct by four women, including a former aide who claims he raped her.The allegations include a high-profile Democrat using his political stature to groom young women in their 20s before sending inappropriate sexual messages or engaging in non-consensual physical contact, CNN reports. Swalwell is a married father of three and issued a denial. He called the claims “false” and politically motivated lies meant to disrupt the upcoming election.His legal team has already issued cease and desist letters to the two accused and warned them of legal action if they continue speaking out. However, medical records, text messages, and corroborating statements from friends and family members have emerged to support the women’s accounts.

Former employee: allegations of rape and physical injury

The most serious allegation comes from a woman who began interning for Swalwell in 2019 when she was 20. She eventually joined his campaign and district office, where she says the congressman initially made her feel “like the coolest person in the room.”She alleges that after a night of heavy drinking in September 2019, she blacked out and woke up naked in Swalwell’s hotel room. She said she could “physically feel” that sexual contact had occurred. In a separate incident the same year, she claimed he pressured her to perform oral sex on him in the car.The woman alleges the abuse culminated at a New York City event in April 2024. She says she regained consciousness in Swalwell’s bed after becoming extremely intoxicated after drinking at the hotel bar.“I was pushing him away by saying no,” she told CNN. “He didn’t stop.”She described waking up alone the next morning, wrapped in blankets, with “cuts and bruises” on her ribs and thighs. CNN reviewed medical records from the health clinic where she went to get tested a few days later, where a provider referred to her as “a survivor.”

Political aspirant: A ‘blurry’ in the hotel room

A second woman, who connected with the congressman over her interest in Democratic politics in 2025, described turning a similarly “starstruck” compliment into a traumatic experience. After messaging for several weeks, the pair met in person when Swalwell was visiting her hometown.She alleges that during one night at a bar, Swalwell repeatedly touched and kissed her feet without consent. Eventually she lost her memory of the evening and woke up in her hotel room. Uber receipts show she left the hotel at 5:41 am.The woman described her experience as “blurring” and said she felt “disgusted and embarrassed”. When she later messaged Swalwell telling him “What you did hurt me,” he replied: “I won’t bother you again! Sorry.”

Eli Samarco: Unwanted Nudity and Late Night Running

Social media creator Ellie Sammarco is one of the women who chose her name. She first reached out to Swalwell on Twitter in 2021 to discuss politics. What started as professional advice soon turned into an “inappropriate” Snapchat exchange.Samarco claims the congressman sent her unsolicited photos of his genitals and shirtless selfies while he was drinking. She said that when she was 24 and out with friends, it was a sitting congressman who was “drunk texting” her.She also alleged that Swalwell would drive past her apartment building several times after learning where she lived. Although they remained in occasional contact, she said that he stopped responding to her sexual advances after they entered a serious relationship.

Marketing Professionals: The Four-Year Pattern of Clear Content

A fourth woman, who worked in marketing, alleged that Swalwell began contacting her in 2021 after liking her social media posts. She told CNN that after a month their conversations turned sexual, with the congressman requesting her to send nude photos and unsolicited videos of his penis.“When you’re sent unsolicited d**k videos, it makes you feel like I’m less of a human being,” he said.The two never met in person, but the digital relationship lasted for four years.

It takes about five to six hours to travel from Almora to Pantnagar by road. It takes even more time when there is a traffic jam. During the rainy season, the road gets closed due to debris falling on the Kwarb. Due to this, passengers have to take alternative routes. In such a situation, people are not able to reach their destination on time. Now people are going to get relief from this problem. Air service between Almora and Pantnagar will start from April 15. A 13 seat helicopter of Pawan Hans company will fly. People will reach Pantnagar in 15 minutes from Almora. The estimated fare is two thousand rupees.

heli service schedule

Monday, Friday and Saturday

The flight will take off from Dehradun at 8:30 am and reach Almora at 9:25 am.

The flight will take off from Almora at 9:30 and reach Pantnagar at 10:00.

The flight will take off from Pantnagar at 10:30 and reach Nainital at 10:53.

It will take off from Nainital at 10:58 am and reach Pantnagar at 11:21 am.

11:51 flight from Pantnagar will reach Almora at 12:21

Will fly from Almora at 12:26 and reach Dehradun at 1:21

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday

It will take off from Dehradun at 8:30 and reach Almora at 9:25.

The flight will take off from Almora at 9:30 and reach Pantnagar at 10:00.

The flight will take off from Pantnagar at 10:30 and reach Almora at 11:00.

The flight will take off from Almora at 11.05 and reach Dehradun at 12.00.

Pawan Hans Heli Company is expanding heli service to ease transportation in the mountains. The company is now going to start a new heli service between Almora-Pantnagar. Its preparations are almost complete. -DP Arya, Manager Pawan Hans Company

​Namibia has refused to grant operating license to Starlink

Elon Musk’s space company Starlink recently posted an update on Satellite 34343, which it lost contact with late last month. The global internet company, owned by SpaceX, said the satellite “experienced an anomaly” while it was in LEO about 560 km above Earth. On March 30, 2026, the official Starlink X account announced that it had lost communication with Starlink satellite 34343. The post cited an “anomaly” as the cause, and added that Starlink and SpaceX will work on any “corrective actions” if needed.However, space technology company LeoLabs had a different explanation for the incident. LeoLabs released a series of posts following Starlink’s post, describing the disappearance of satellite 34343 as a “fragment formation event” that created at least “tens of objects in the vicinity of the satellite.”

What did Starlink say when the satellite disappeared?

On Sunday, March 29, Starlink satellite 34343 experienced an anomaly in orbit, resulting in a loss of communication with the satellite ~560 km above Earth. Latest analysis shows no new risks from this event @Space_Station for your crew, or the upcoming launch of NASA’s Artemis II mission. We will continue to monitor the satellite for any trackable debris and coordinate with @NASA and @USSpaceForce. The incident also posed no new threats to this morning’s Transporter-16 mission, which was designed to avoid Starlink, with payloads deployed either far above or far below the constellation. The SpaceX and Starlink teams are actively working to determine the root cause and will rapidly implement any necessary corrective actions.

What Leolabs said

LeoLabs provided further comments following Starlink’s post, adding additional context:LeoLabs detected a fragment formation event associated with SpaceX Starlink 34343 on March 29, 2026.1/ The LeoLabs global radar network detected tens of objects in the vicinity of the satellite shortly after the event, passing over our radar site in the Azores, Portugal for the first time. Additional fragments may arise – analysis is ongoing.2/ We described this event as likely being caused by an internal energy source rather than a collision with space debris or another object.Due to the low altitude of the event, fragments of this anomaly will fall out of orbit within a few weeks.3/ Our analysis indicates that this event is very similar to a previous event involving Starlink 35956 on 17 December 2025. These incidents illustrate the need for rapid characterization of abnormal events to enable elucidation of the operating environment.4/ Our team will continue to monitor the situation and provide ongoing data and insights in support of our customers and partners.

Starlink satellite captures ‘tumbling’ image in 2025

Starlink satellite 35956 suffered a serious anomaly in December 2025. Here’s how Starlink described the incident in a post on X:On December 17, Starlink experienced an anomaly on satellite 35956, resulting in a loss of communication with the vehicle at 418 km. The anomaly caused air to enter the propulsion tanks, rapidly decay by about 4 km in semi-major axis, and released a small number of trackable low relative velocity objects. SpaceX is coordinating with @USSpaceForce and @NASA to monitor the objects. The satellite remains largely intact, wobbly, and will re-enter Earth’s atmosphere and be completely destroyed within a few weeks. The satellite’s current trajectory will keep it below the @Space_Station, posing no threat to the orbiting laboratory or its crew.As the world’s largest satellite constellation operator, we are deeply committed to space security. We take these incidents seriously. Our engineers are rapidly working to narrow down the root cause and source of the anomaly and are already in the process of deploying software in our vehicles that increases protection against this type of incident.

उत्तर प्रदेश के कौशांबी जिले में किरण पाल आत्महत्या मामले को लेकर अब सियासत चरम पर पहुंच गई है. इस मामले ने राजनीतिक माहौल गरमा दिया है. चायल से सपा की बागी विधायक पूजा पाल ने मृतक के घर पहुंचकर परिजनों से मुलाकात कर उनका हाल जाना। इस दौरान उन्होंने मुख्यमंत्री राहत कोष से परिवार को 2 लाख रुपये की आर्थिक सहायता भी दी. हालांकि इस मुलाकात के दौरान राजनीतिक बयानबाजी भी तेज हो गई और आरोप-प्रत्यारोप का दौर शुरू हो गया.

परिवार से मुलाकात एवं आर्थिक सहायता
जानकारी के मुताबिक, विधायक पूजा पाल चरवा थाना क्षेत्र के चक सहाबुद्दीन गांव पहुंचीं, जहां उन्होंने मृतक किरन पाल के परिवार से मुलाकात की. उन्होंने परिवार को सांत्वना दी और मुख्यमंत्री राहत कोष से दो लाख रुपये का चेक सौंपा. उम्मीद है कि इस सहायता से परिवार को कुछ राहत मिलेगी.

आरोपियों पर लगाए गंभीर आरोप
मुलाकात के दौरान पूजा पाल ने आरोपियों पर गंभीर आरोप लगाए. उन्होंने कहा कि इस घटना में शामिल लोग ”सपा” हैं और उन्हें समाजवादी पार्टी का संरक्षण मिल रहा है. उन्होंने यह भी आरोप लगाया कि कुछ लोग आरोपियों को बचाने की कोशिश कर रहे हैं, जो बेहद चिंताजनक है.

सपा जिलाध्यक्ष पर भी साधा निशाना
विधायक ने सीधे तौर पर सपा के जिलाध्यक्ष पर भी निशाना साधा। उन्होंने कहा कि एक तरफ पार्टी का प्रतिनिधिमंडल पीड़ित परिवार के साथ सहानुभूति जताने जाता है, वहीं दूसरी तरफ आरोपियों को बचाने की कोशिश की जा रही है. यह दोहरा व्यवहार अच्छा नहीं है और लोगों का भरोसा कमजोर करता है.’

कड़ी कार्रवाई की मांग
पूजा पाल ने इस घटना को बेहद दुखद और गंभीर बताया. उन्होंने प्रशासन से मांग की कि दोषियों के खिलाफ कड़ी कार्रवाई की जाए और उन्हें किसी भी सूरत में बख्शा न जाए. उन्होंने कहा कि पीड़ित परिवार को न्याय मिलना बहुत जरूरी है.

घटना को लेकर राजनीतिक माहौल गरमा गया है
इस पूरे मामले ने कौशांबी में राजनीतिक माहौल को और गर्म कर दिया है. अलग-अलग पार्टियों के नेताओं के बयान सामने आ रहे हैं, जिससे यह मामला अब सिर्फ एक घटना तक सीमित नहीं रह गया है, बल्कि एक राजनीतिक मुद्दा बन गया है.

(रिपोर्ट: राम किशन, कौशांबी)

More than 200 people, including musician Robert Del Naja of the band Massive Attack, were arrested during a mass protest in central London against the ban on activist group Palestine Action. Hundreds of people defied police warnings and gathered at a demonstration in Trafalgar Square on Saturday.The Metropolitan Police confirmed that 212 individuals aged between 27 and 82 were detained for allegedly showing support for a banned organisation. Authorities said the protests “have the potential to be abusive rather than legitimate expression.”

Musicians are also among those detained

Del Naja, also known as 3D, was seen sitting among the protesters holding a sign that read, “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine action.” Officers later approached him, informed him of his arrest, and he was led away as fellow protesters cheered and raised their voices in support.In video clips circulated online, onlookers chanted enthusiastically as officers picked up the musician and took him away. Del Naja reportedly described his arrest as “unlawful” and had previously acknowledged concerns about possible consequences for his international touring career.

Scenes of defiance and disruption

The protest included a mix of participants, including elderly protesters sitting in camping chairs and others standing with signs. Several individuals were seen physically carried away by police, while some elderly protesters were taken away in police vans.As soon as the arrests were made, slogans of “Shame on you” started echoing. Witnesses also accused authorities of using excessive force in some cases, including dragging protesters without proper support.Some protesters wore symbolic costumes, including suffrage-style clothing and masks depicting political figures, while banners raised broader concerns about free speech and civil liberties.

Legal battle increases tension

The arrests come amid an ongoing legal dispute over the government’s decision to ban Palestine action. Earlier this year, the High Court ruled the ban illegal, forcing the police to briefly halt arrests. However, enforcement resumed after authorities launched an appeal, which is expected to take several months.Police say that despite ongoing court proceedings, expressing support for a banned organization is an offense under the Terrorism Act.

Organizers vow to continue resistance

The protest was organized by the campaign group Defend Our Juries, which described the vote as a sign that resistance to the ban remains “stronger than ever”.The group argues that the issue extends beyond a single organization and threatens broader rights of protest and free expression.Participants echoed similar sentiments, warning that a ban on one group could set a precedent to stifle dissent more widely.Former senior police officers noted the operational difficulty of handling large crowds willing to risk arrest. With hundreds of people involved, the situation posed logistical and reputational challenges to law enforcement.Observers also highlighted growing public sympathy towards the protesters, even as authorities continued to enforce the law.More than 3,000 people have been arrested since the Palestine crackdown was banned last year, according to police figures, with the majority of cases reported in London.