New Delhi, Dec 07: The lower house of the Parliament, the Lok Sabha will hold a special discussion on December 8, to mark 150 years of Vande Mataram, during which several important, lesser-known historical facets of the iconic national song are expected to be highlighted.

According to sources, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will initiate the debate at 12 noon on Monday, marking the formal beginning of the proceedings. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is also scheduled to speak at the conclusion of the discussion.

The BJP-led NDA government has been allotted three hours for its participation in the Lok Sabha debate, while a total of 10 hours has been earmarked for the entire discussion, as the debate will also take place in the upper house, the Rajya Sabha, on Tuesday, December 9.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is expected to open the discussion in the Upper House.

These discussions are part of the special parliamentary focus on commemorating the legacy and 150 years of Vande Mataram.

Meanwhile, eight leaders from Congress will also speak in the Lok Sabha, which includes Deputy Lok Sabha LoP Gaurav Gogoi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Deepender Hooda, Bimol Akoijam, Praniti Shinde, Prashant Padole, Chamala Reddy, and Jyotsna Mahant.

The Winter session of Parliament commenced on December 1 and will continue till December 19.
The 150th anniversary of India’s National Song, Vande Mataram, which translates to “Mother, I Bow to Thee”, was observed on November 7 this year.

Composed by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, ‘Vande Mataram’ was first published in the literary journal Bangadarshan on November 7, 1875.

Later, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee incorporated the hymn in his immortal novel ‘Anandamath’, which was published in 1882.

It was set to music by Rabindranath Tagore. It has become an integral part of the nation’s civilisational, political and cultural consciousness.

PM Modi had inaugurated the year-long commemoration of 150 Years of ‘Vande Mataram’ in the national capital on November 7.

Addressing the gathering on the occasion, PM Modi remarked that Vande Mataram is not merely a word – it is a mantra, an energy, a dream, and a solemn resolve. He highlighted that Vande Mataram embodies “devotion and spiritual dedication to Maa Bharati”.

The Prime Minister stated that the song connects people to the country’s history, fills the present with confidence, and inspires the future with the courage to believe that no resolve is beyond fulfilment, and no goal is beyond reach.

Chennai, Dec 07: A violent clash between senior and junior students at a government higher secondary school in Tamil Nadu has ended in tragedy, with a Class 12 student losing his life after battling for three days with critical head injuries.

The boy was allegedly assaulted by a group of Class 11 students at the Government Arignar Anna Model Higher Secondary School, police said.

The shocking incident occurred on December 4 following a clash between the two classes on the school premises. According to investigators, a group of fourteen Class 11 students allegedly attacked their senior during the altercation. The accused are said to have struck the boy on the head with a wooden stick, leaving him with serious head injuries.

School authorities immediately alerted the boy’s family. His parents rushed to the campus and shifted him to the Government Hospital in Kumbakonam for emergency treatment. As his condition worsened, doctors referred him to a private hospital in Thanjavur for advanced medical care. At the private hospital, surgeons performed an emergency operation to remove a blood clot from his brain.

Despite the surgery and intensive care, the boy remained in a critical condition. After fighting for life for nearly three days, he succumbed to his injuries around 2.30 a.m. on Sunday, police confirmed.

Following his death, the police took swift action and secured all 14 accused students, all of whom are minors. They were produced before the Juvenile Justice Board and subsequently sent to a juvenile home.

Officials from the Patteeswaram Police said they had initially registered a case of attempt to murder based on the severity of the injuries. “After the post-mortem examination, the section will be altered to murder,” a senior officer said.

Police are now examining the exact sequence of events that led to the assault, including whether there was any previous dispute between the students and the circumstances under which the clash escalated into violence.

Authorities are also looking into the level of supervision at the school at the time of the incident.

The shocking incident has triggered outrage among parents, teachers, and residents of the area, who are demanding strict action against those responsible and better safety measures on school campuses.

The Education department officials are expected to initiate a detailed inquiry alongside the criminal investigation, as the tragic death has once again brought the issue of escalating student violence into sharp focus.

New Delhi, Dec 07: Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed distress over the fire mishap in Goa’s Arpora on Sunday and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased and Rs 50,000 to those injured.

A fire at Arpora’s Birch by Romeo Lane has claimed 25 lives, including 4 tourists and 14 staff members. The identities of 7 victims are yet to be confirmed. Six people are injured and are undergoing treatment.

In a post on X, PM Modi said, “The fire mishap in Arpora, Goa, is deeply saddening. My thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest. Spoke to Goa CM Dr Pramod Sawant Ji about the situation. The State Government is providing all possible assistance to those affected.”

“An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF will be given to the next of kin of each deceased in the mishap in Arpora, Goa. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.

The blaze erupted around midnight at Birch by Romeo Lane, a club in the bustling Baga area that draws large crowds due to its proximity to one of Goa’s most frequented beaches.

According to police officials, the inferno is suspected to have been triggered by a cylinder explosion inside the premises.

The sudden blast is believed to have left little time for those inside, many of them staff members, to escape.

Fire tenders from multiple stations were immediately deployed, and firefighters battled the flames well into the early hours of Sunday.

Rescue teams continued their efforts until dawn, sifting through debris in search of survivors and attempting to control residual hotspots.

Authorities confirmed that a significant number of the deceased were employees working at the club when the incident occurred. Senior officials, including the Director General of Police and teams from North Goa district, arrived at the site shortly after the fire was reported to coordinate rescue and relief operations.

Investigations are underway, and further details are awaited.

Panaji, Dec 07: At least 23 persons were killed in a blaze at a nightclub in North Goa following a cylinder blast late Saturday night, police said.

Most of the dead were the club’s kitchen workers, and included three women, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said. There were “three to four tourists” among those killed, he added.

Sawant, who rushed to the spot, told reporters that of the 23, three succumbed to burn injuries and the others died due to suffocation.

As per initial information, the nightclub had not abided by the fire safety norms, the chief minister said.

The fire broke out at Birch by Romeo Lane after midnight. The popular party venue at Arpora village, around 25 km from the state capital Panaji, opened last year,

“We will take action against the club management and also against the officials who allowed it to operate despite flouting safety norms,” Sawant said.

“This is an unfortunate incident during the peak tourist season in the coastal state,” Sawant said. “We will conduct a detailed inquiry into the incident and stringent action will be taken against the guilty,” the chief minister added.

Goa police chief Alok Kumar told PTI that the fire occurred due to a cylinder blast.

“All the 23 bodies have been recovered from the premises and sent to the government medical college at Bambolim,” local BJP MLA Michael Lobo said.

Firefighters and police teams rushed to the spot immediately and were engaged in rescue efforts through the night, Lobo told reporters.

Lobo said officials will conduct the fire safety audit of all the clubs to ensure that such incidents do not recur.

The Calangute panchayat will be issuing notices to all the nightclubs on Monday asking them to provide fire safety permissions, the MLA said. The licenses of clubs not having necessary permissions will be cancelled, he added.