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Sandeep Rawat

Articles by Sandeep Rawat

General Rawat’s daughters immerse parents’ ashes in Haridwar’s Ganga

General Rawat’s daughters, Kritika and Tarini immersed the ashes at the VIP Ganga Ghat opposite Har-Ki-Pauri. Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami also met them at the Ghat.

Ashes of Gen Bipin Rawat and his wife Madhulika being taken for immersion by their daughters at VIP Ganga Ghat in Haridwar on Saturday. (HT PHOTO.)

india news

Published on Dec 12, 2021 12:22 AM IST

BySandeep Rawat

Akhada Parishad reminds Uttarakhand govt about Nov 30 deadline, then a warning

Mahant Ravindra Puri cautioned state governments against enacting laws such as the one notified by Uttarakhand that seek to manage or acquire management of shrines, temples and muths, or monastic institutions.

Mahant Ravindra Puri, who was elected as the president of Akhil Bhartaiya Akhada Parishad, told the Uttarakand government that it should deliver on its promise to address its demand to scrap the Char Dham Devasthanam Board by November 30 (PTI)

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Updated on Nov 23, 2021 06:48 PM IST

BySandeep Rawat

Free pilgrimage for Uttarakhand senior citizens if AAP comes to power: Kejriwal

Lashing out at BJP and Congress for hoodwinking the people of the hill state, Kejriwal urged people to vote for AAP in the 2022 assembly polls.

Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor taking an auto rickshaw ride in Haridwar on Sunday. (RAMESHWAR GAUR/HT PHOTO .)

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Updated on Nov 22, 2021 02:40 AM IST

BySandeep Rawat, Hindustan Times, Haridwar

Uttarakhand elections: Free pilgrimage service for senior citizens if AAP voted to power, says Kejriwal

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday promised to introduce a free pilgrimage service for senior citizens in Uttarakhand if AAP was voted to power in the assembly elections next year.

Delhi chief minister and AAP chief at a road show in Haridwar on Sunday. He promised to introduce a free pilgrimage service if his party was voted to power in the Uttarakhand elections next year. (PTI)

india news

Published on Nov 22, 2021 12:04 AM IST

BySandeep Rawat, Haridwar

Haridwar logs tourist influx of nearly 1.2 million, highest after Mahakumbh

Amid fears of a possible third wave of Covid-19 infections, the pilgrims could be seen flouting Covid-19 protocol without masks and with little regard for social distancing norms.

Rush of pilgrims at Har-Ki-Pauri Ganga ghats on Kartik Poornima on Friday in Haridwar. (RAMESHWAR GAUR/HT PHOTO.)

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Published on Nov 19, 2021 06:50 PM IST

BySandeep Rawat

Samajwadi Party to contest all 70 seats in Uttarakhand assembly for 2022 polls

The Samajwadi Party is currently focussing on party workers, booth management, membership drives and is also organising district headquarters, tehsil, block and panchayat level meetings.

The Samajwadi Party has announced that it will contest all 70 assembly segments in the upcoming elections due early next year. (ANI PHOTO.)

india news

Updated on Nov 11, 2021 05:52 PM IST

BySandeep Rawat

Mahakumbh fake Covid testing accused arrested from Noida residence

The two accused are partners in Max Corporate Services, which had the contract for Covid-19 testing of pilgrims, tourists and local residents during the Mahakumbh held earlier this year

The Mahakumbh fake Covid testing fraud surfaced in June after a Faridkot resident complained to the authorities that he received a message to collect his Covid-19 report despite never having been tested. The complaint triggered a probe into nearly 100,000 tests conducted in Haridwar during the Kumbh.

india news

Updated on Nov 09, 2021 04:20 AM IST

BySandeep Rawat, Hindustan Times, New Delhi

Akhada Parishad split down the middle weeks after seer’s death

Seven influential akhadas announced a new president, general secretary and working committee members to steer the apex body, drawing an angry response from Akhada Parishad officials

The apex body of Hinduism’s 13 monastic orders, the Akhada Parishad, suffered a major split on Thursday with half of its members distancing themselves from an upcoming meeting to elect a new governing body and naming their own office bearers (HT Photo)

india news

Updated on Oct 22, 2021 12:32 AM IST

BySandeep Rawat, Haridwar

In Uttarakhand, Ganga breaches danger mark; officials monitor water level 24X7

At Har-Ki-Pauri and adjacent Ganga ghats, police personnel are regularly awarding pilgrims and local people for listening to warnings and not moving towards Ganga ghats owing to a rise in water level.

A surging Ganga flows above the danger mark with the lower portion of the ghats submerged due to incessant rain on Tuesday in Haridwar. (RAMESHWAR GAUR/HT PHOTO .)

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Updated on Oct 19, 2021 06:43 PM IST

BySandeep Rawat

Char Dham yatra leads to surge in pilgrim footfall in Haridwar, over 5k arrive daily

Booking and occupancy in hotels, guest houses, lodges, dharamshalas and ashrams have increased manifold.

Pilgrims from other states have increased at Har-Ki-Pauri in Haridwar since Char Dham pilgrimage has been opened for the public in Haridwar. (HT Photo/HT PHOTO)

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Updated on Sep 19, 2021 06:21 PM IST

BySandeep Rawat

Can’t come to Har-ki-Pauri drunk. Breath-analyser checks soon: Ganga Sabha

Security guards deployed at entry points of Ganga ghats at and around Har-ki-Paudi will be given alcometers soon, Ganga Sabha general secretary said.

Ganga Sabha has decided to soon start breath-analyser tests for visitors entering Har-ki-Pauri who are suspected to be drunk (RAMESHWAR GAUR/HT PHOTO)

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Updated on Sep 10, 2021 01:01 AM IST

BySandeep Rawat

Nadda holds back-to-back meetings in Uttarakhand; focus on 2022 election strategy

People aware of the matter said the major focus was on ensuring the BJP retains its 50 plus seats in the 70-member state assembly. The party won 56 seats in 2017

BJP national president JP Nadda being welcomed by Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami and state BJP president Madan Kaushik on Friday, August 20, on his arrival in the state. (HT photo)

india news

Updated on Aug 20, 2021 04:58 PM IST

BySandeep Rawat

Fake Covid testing scam: Probe report questions role of 2 health officers

An official, privy to the report and speaking on the condition of anonymity, said: “The report has raised questions on the role of district chief medical officer and the Kumbh mela health officer for not taking any major action to check and stop the irregularities in the Covid testing.”

Allegations of fake testing surfaced at the Kumbh after a Faridkot resident complained to the authorities that he received a message for collecting his Covid report despite never having been tested.(Bloomberg file photo. Representative image)

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Published on Aug 15, 2021 03:47 AM IST

ByKalyan Das, Sandeep Rawat, Hindustan Times, Dehradun/haridwar

Uttarakhand Char Dham priests to launch state wide protest against shrine board

At the Kedarnath shrine, agitation of teerth purohits against Devasthanam Board continued on the 58th consecutive day with over twenty local priests associated with the BJP giving up their membership of the party.

The protesting priests in Uttarakhand will also oppose all local leaders who favour the Char Dham Devasthanam Board. (HT FILE PHOTO -)

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Published on Aug 10, 2021 07:05 PM IST

BySandeep Rawat

Kanwar pilgrims to get Ganga water on Haridwar borders

Authorities will provide Ganga waters to the Kanwar pilgrims at 10 points on the borders of Haridwar to prevent them from entering the district

Noida, India - July 28, 2019: Kanwariyas seen on their way to Okhla Bird Sanctuary while coming back from Haridwar carrying water from the Ganga River, in Noida, India, on Sunday, July 28, 2019. (Photo by Sunil Ghosh / Hindustan Times)

india news

Published on Jul 30, 2021 04:58 PM IST

BySandeep Rawat

Ganga waters to be provided to Kanwariyas through tankers

Ensuring Lord Shiva devotees, Kanwariyas, stay put at homes and get sacred Ganga jal, the Haridwar administration has decided to provide Ganga waters through tankers in the neighbouring states, officials said

The Kanwar Yatra is an annual pilgrimage undertaken by the devotees of Lord Shiva. (AFP)

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Updated on Jul 23, 2021 08:24 PM IST

BySandeep Rawat

Uttarakhand steps up security along border to stop entry of pilgrims

According to officials familiar with the security arrangement, police and intelligence teams will be deployed in at least a dozen border check posts to prevent kanwariyas, if any, from entering the city.

Uttarakhand is urging devotees to comply with the ban on this year’s Kanwar yatra to the state. (HT Photo/File)

india news

Published on Jul 15, 2021 02:33 AM IST

BySandeep Rawat, Haridwar

U’khand scraps kanwar yatra amid warnings over 3rd wave

DEHRADUN/HARIDWAR: Uttarakhand scrapped the kanwar yatra on Tuesday, heeding warnings from health experts who cautioned that millions of devotees thronging the banks of the Ganga in Haridwar could spark a devastating third wave of Covid infections and seed clusters of cases across north India

india news

Published on Jul 13, 2021 11:57 PM IST

ByNeeraj Santoshi and Sandeep Rawat

Uttarakhand scraps Kanwar yatra amid warnings over 3rd Covid wave

The hill state also turned down a request from Uttar Pradesh, which allowed the pilgrimage — where Shiva devotees travel on foot or cycle to fetch water from the Ganga to their village shrines — to begin from July 25.

Kanwar yatra is an annual pilgrimage of Shiva devotees, known as Kanwariyas, to Haridwar, Gaumukh and Gangotri in Uttarakhand to fetch Ganga waters to anoint lord Shiva lingams at Shiva Temples at their respective places. (HT Photo)

india news

Updated on Jul 14, 2021 01:41 AM IST

ByNeeraj Santoshi, Sandeep Rawat, Dehradun, Haridwar

All you need to know about Kanwar Yatra

Kanwar Yatra is an annual pilgrimage of Shiva devotees, known as Kanwariyas, to Haridwar, Gaumukh and Gangotri in Uttarakhand to fetch Ganga water. They take the water back to their native places for Shiv Lingams in temples

Kanwariyas ferry a Shiva statue on NH-58 after fetching Ganga jal in Haridwar. (HT file)

india news

Published on Jul 13, 2021 06:31 PM IST

ByNeeraj Santoshi and Sandeep Rawat

Haridwar admin gives in, allows some tourists after questions raised on CM visit

Ganga Sabha office-bearers had asked why the Haridwar police didn’t resrict the gathering of BJP workers during the visit of chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami for ganga worship at Brahamkund on Wednesday.

Authorities tried to enforce Covid protocol and social distancing in Haridwar’s Har-Ki-Pauri at the ganga ghat as the number of pilgrims increase (HT Photo/Rameshwar Gaur)

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Published on Jul 09, 2021 01:43 AM IST

BySandeep Rawat

Haridwar Police swings into action over Covid-19 norms violation in Har Ki Pauri

SSP Haridwar directed the Har Ki Pauri police post in-charge and city police SHO to ensure no such violations take place.

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Updated on Jul 05, 2021 06:42 PM IST

BySandeep Rawat

Kumbh fake testing: Social activist submits papers to probe committee

Activist Subash Sharma has alleged that Delphia laboratory of Bhiwani, Haryana, took over the task of conducting antigen tests unauthorisedly in the mela area as a sub-letting agency contracted by the Nalwa laboratory

Devotees gather to offer prayers during the third 'Shahi Snan' of the Kumbh Mela 2021, at Har ki Pauri Ghat in Haridwar on April 14. (File photo)

india news

Updated on Jun 28, 2021 05:56 PM IST

BySandeep Rawat

1 address used for 3,825 Covid tests at Kumbh: Officials

The address entered in the official records is ‘Nepali Farm, on Haridwar-Dehradun-Rishikesh highway’ and lies in Uttarakhand’s Dehradun district, just 11 kms away from Har-Ki-Pauri ghat, one of the principal sites of the Kumbh.

Investigators said the incident underlined the scale of fake testing at the event.(AFP)

india news

Updated on Jun 26, 2021 04:39 AM IST

BySandeep Rawat, Hindustan Times, Haridwar

Covid casts shadow on Kanwar Yatra for second year in row

The Kanwar pilgrimage, which is scheduled to commence by July 22, was called off in 2020 because of the pandemic and there is no clarity yet whether it will be allowed this year

A Lord Shiva statue being ferried by Kanwariyas in Haridwar after fetching water from Ganga. (HT file)

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Updated on Jun 24, 2021 06:01 PM IST

BySandeep Rawat

Haridwar testing probe: 8-member team calling 98,000 phone numbers

Haridwar district magistrate C Ravishankar said he ordered the humongous task after allegations that phone numbers registered for Covid-19 tests belonged to people who never visited Haridwar or didn’t get tested

Roughly 9.1 million people took the holy dip in the Ganga during Mahakumbh, coinciding with a devastating surge in coronavirus infections.(Reuters)

india news

Updated on Jun 24, 2021 02:32 PM IST

ByShiv Sunny, Sandeep Rawat, Hindustan Times, Haridwar

Positivity rates at 2 private labs 450 times lower than average during Kumbh

The data also showed that apart from the two facilities – Delhi-based Lalchandani Labs and Hisar-based Nalwa Labs – named in the FIR last week, a number of other private labs also reported very low positivity rates.

Data from the mela administration showed that the 11 labs carried out 207,000 antigen tests between April 1 and 30 and reported an overall positivity rate of 0.49%.(PTI | Representational image)

india news

Updated on Jun 23, 2021 01:28 AM IST

ByShiv Sunny and Sandeep Rawat, Hindustan Times, Haridwar

At Kumbh, some not tested, others not given results

Roughly 9.1 million people thronged the Kumbh mela this year despite experts saying the crowds and rampant violation of Covid protocol could spark a surge in infections.

Allegations of fake testing surfaced last week after a Faridkot resident complained to the authorities that he received a message for collecting his Covid report despite never having been tested.(Reuters)

india news

Updated on Jun 22, 2021 03:07 AM IST

ByShiv Sunny, Sandeep Rawat, Hindustan Times, Haridwar

Tested on way to fair, never received report, says Kumbh pilgrim

Kamal Patel, an Indore-based civil contractor, said at the border of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh – roughly 50 km from the Kumbh site in Haridwar – members from a testing camp stopped their bus and took four samples.

Devotees gather for a prayer during the Kumbh fair in April. REUTERS(HT_PRINT)

india news

Updated on Jun 21, 2021 04:30 AM IST

ByShiv Sunny, Sandeep Rawat, Haridwar

Probe on to find how a pvt agency bagged contract for Covid tests at Mahakumbh

Investigators are now probing how a relatively unknown agency bagged the lucrative test contract

The Kumbh mela was curtailed this year but devotees thronged Haridwar for months

india news

Updated on Jun 19, 2021 03:54 AM IST

BySandeep Rawat, Neeraj Santoshi, Haridwar/dehradun

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Sandeep Rawat

General Rawat’s daughters, Kritika and Tarini immersed the ashes at the VIP Ganga Ghat opposite Har-Ki-Pauri. Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami also met them at the Ghat.

Mahant Ravindra Puri cautioned state governments against enacting laws such as the one notified by Uttarakhand that seek to manage or acquire management of shrines, temples and muths, or monastic institutions.

Lashing out at BJP and Congress for hoodwinking the people of the hill state, Kejriwal urged people to vote for AAP in the 2022 assembly polls.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday promised to introduce a free pilgrimage service for senior citizens in Uttarakhand if AAP was voted to power in the assembly elections next year.

Amid fears of a possible third wave of Covid-19 infections, the pilgrims could be seen flouting Covid-19 protocol without masks and with little regard for social distancing norms.

The Samajwadi Party is currently focussing on party workers, booth management, membership drives and is also organising district headquarters, tehsil, block and panchayat level meetings.

The two accused are partners in Max Corporate Services, which had the contract for Covid-19 testing of pilgrims, tourists and local residents during the Mahakumbh held earlier this year

Seven influential akhadas announced a new president, general secretary and working committee members to steer the apex body, drawing an angry response from Akhada Parishad officials

At Har-Ki-Pauri and adjacent Ganga ghats, police personnel are regularly awarding pilgrims and local people for listening to warnings and not moving towards Ganga ghats owing to a rise in water level.

Booking and occupancy in hotels, guest houses, lodges, dharamshalas and ashrams have increased manifold.

Security guards deployed at entry points of Ganga ghats at and around Har-ki-Paudi will be given alcometers soon, Ganga Sabha general secretary said.

People aware of the matter said the major focus was on ensuring the BJP retains its 50 plus seats in the 70-member state assembly. The party won 56 seats in 2017

An official, privy to the report and speaking on the condition of anonymity, said: “The report has raised questions on the role of district chief medical officer and the Kumbh mela health officer for not taking any major action to check and stop the irregularities in the Covid testing.”

At the Kedarnath shrine, agitation of teerth purohits against Devasthanam Board continued on the 58th consecutive day with over twenty local priests associated with the BJP giving up their membership of the party.

Authorities will provide Ganga waters to the Kanwar pilgrims at 10 points on the borders of Haridwar to prevent them from entering the district

Ensuring Lord Shiva devotees, Kanwariyas, stay put at homes and get sacred Ganga jal, the Haridwar administration has decided to provide Ganga waters through tankers in the neighbouring states, officials said

According to officials familiar with the security arrangement, police and intelligence teams will be deployed in at least a dozen border check posts to prevent kanwariyas, if any, from entering the city.

DEHRADUN/HARIDWAR: Uttarakhand scrapped the kanwar yatra on Tuesday, heeding warnings from health experts who cautioned that millions of devotees thronging the banks of the Ganga in Haridwar could spark a devastating third wave of Covid infections and seed clusters of cases across north India

The hill state also turned down a request from Uttar Pradesh, which allowed the pilgrimage — where Shiva devotees travel on foot or cycle to fetch water from the Ganga to their village shrines — to begin from July 25.

Kanwar Yatra is an annual pilgrimage of Shiva devotees, known as Kanwariyas, to Haridwar, Gaumukh and Gangotri in Uttarakhand to fetch Ganga water. They take the water back to their native places for Shiv Lingams in temples

Ganga Sabha office-bearers had asked why the Haridwar police didn’t resrict the gathering of BJP workers during the visit of chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami for ganga worship at Brahamkund on Wednesday.

SSP Haridwar directed the Har Ki Pauri police post in-charge and city police SHO to ensure no such violations take place.

Activist Subash Sharma has alleged that Delphia laboratory of Bhiwani, Haryana, took over the task of conducting antigen tests unauthorisedly in the mela area as a sub-letting agency contracted by the Nalwa laboratory

The address entered in the official records is ‘Nepali Farm, on Haridwar-Dehradun-Rishikesh highway’ and lies in Uttarakhand’s Dehradun district, just 11 kms away from Har-Ki-Pauri ghat, one of the principal sites of the Kumbh.

The Kanwar pilgrimage, which is scheduled to commence by July 22, was called off in 2020 because of the pandemic and there is no clarity yet whether it will be allowed this year

Haridwar district magistrate C Ravishankar said he ordered the humongous task after allegations that phone numbers registered for Covid-19 tests belonged to people who never visited Haridwar or didn’t get tested

The data also showed that apart from the two facilities – Delhi-based Lalchandani Labs and Hisar-based Nalwa Labs – named in the FIR last week, a number of other private labs also reported very low positivity rates.

Roughly 9.1 million people thronged the Kumbh mela this year despite experts saying the crowds and rampant violation of Covid protocol could spark a surge in infections.

Kamal Patel, an Indore-based civil contractor, said at the border of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh – roughly 50 km from the Kumbh site in Haridwar – members from a testing camp stopped their bus and took four samples.

Investigators are now probing how a relatively unknown agency bagged the lucrative test contract

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