Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday took a joyride on a delivery boy’s scooter in Bengaluru as he hopped in the man’s two-wheeler and rode pillion.

In a video that has been widely viewed and shared on the internet, the Gandhi scion, who is currently campaigning for the Congress ahead of the May 10 elections in Karnataka, is seen surrounded by a large of crowd of supporters and party workers in the heart of Bengaluru city.

The former Wayanad MP then stops to console a little boy who apparently became emotional after meeting Gandhi and in the meantime a delivery man stops near the Congress leader as he’s comforting the kid.

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Then, in the spur of the moment, Rahul Gandhi hops on the man’s scooter, puts on a helmet as the two slowly ride through the swarm of the leader’s supporters.

According to reports, Rahul Gandhi rode pillion with the delivery agent for nearly 2 kms before he dropped the former Congress chief at his hotel.

The videos of Rahul Gandhi’s spontaneous scooter ride with the delivery agent have gone viral on social media with users appreciating the Congress scion’s down-to-earth style of connecting with people.

Rahul Gandhi, who has been mired in a legal battle after he was disqualified from the Lok Sabha following his conviction and sentencing in a 2019 criminal defamation case, is scheduled to hold a slew of public meetings in Bengaluru city ahead of the May 10 Karnataka polls.

Assembly elections will be held in Karnataka on May 10 and counting of votes will take place on May 13.

The Congress and the ruling BJP have been embroiled in a bitter tug of war in the poll-bound state even as the grand old party released a manifesto in which it promised to ban Sangh-affiliated right-wing Hindutva outfit Bajrang Dal if its voted to power in Karnataka.

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In yet another blooper onboard an Air India aircraft, a woman passenger was reportedly stung mid-air on its Nagpur-Mumbai flight, following which the Tata Group-owned airline issued an apology on Saturday.

As per reports, the incident took place on April 23 onboard the Air India Nagpur-Mumbai flight (AI 630) when the woman passenger, whose name wasn’t given, was stung by a scorpion in mid-air.

Air India issued an apology today saying that it regretted the incident and the agony caused to the passenger. They said that the woman was immediately attended to by medical staff upon landing at the Mumbai airport and was then admitted to a hospital for further treatment, adding that she has been discharged and is stable.

The statement from Air India read: “There was an extremely rare and unfortunate incident involving a scorpion biting a passenger on board our flight AI 630 on April 23, 2023. On landing, the said passenger was attended by the doctor at the airport and subsequently was treated at the hospital and discharged.”

The airline said that its officials accompanied the passenger to the hospital and all support and services were offered to her till was discharged from the hospital.

Air India said that upon landing at the Mumbai Airport, a thorough check of the aircraft was conducted and the scorpion was found, following which fumigation was also carried out.

The airline added that it regrets the “agony and inconvenience caused to the passenger” due to the “rare and unfortunate” incident.

In a related incident, aviation watchdog Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) ordered a probe against an Air India pilot for violating norms by entertaining female passengers inside a cockpit.

In a formal complaint, the cabin crew of Air India Delhi-Dubai flight AI915, revealed that the pilots of the said flight were late and boarded the aircraft along with passengers. The captain then asked the crew if there was a vacant business class seat for his very sweet friend who was travelling in economy class and wants her to be upgraded to business class.

The cabin crew said she informed the captain that the business class is full and the upgrade is not possible following which the pilot decided to accommodate her in the cockpit.

As the violence escalates in Manipur, Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga On Friday said the state government is taking necessary steps to evacuate its residents stranded in violence-hit districts.

The CM Zoramthanga said efforts are on to charter flights to evacuate state residents, especially students and employees stranded in Imphal and other parts of Mizoram.

CM Zoramthanga also said he has urged the central and Manipur governments to make more efforts in order to end mob violence in the state of Mizoram. He also said that he requested the Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh as well, to ensure the safe return of the tribal people stranded in Imphal, to their native villages in Churachandpur and other districts. 

On May 4, Zoramthanga wrote a letter to Singh and discussed the situation over a phone call. He also spoke to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and urged him to send additional deployment of central armed forces to violence-hit Manipur. 

The Mizoram Home Department, in a statement, said the Mizoram government calls for peace and harmony to be restored in Manipur.

While expressing solidarity with the Zohnahthlak community, the Mizoram government appeals to all cross sections of society in Mizoram to work towards maintaining peace and to do away with any such elements that may escalate or aggravate the present situation.

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The Mizoram home department has also activated helpline numbers for state residents stranded in Manipur. People can contact the Police Headquarters (PHQ) in Aizawl, Mizoram at:

• 0389-233427/2335359 (Landline),
• 9862899962 (Whatsapp), and
• 8787784958 (Mobile).

The department also said that information is being obtained to make arrangements to evacuate people by flight from Imphal Airport to Lengpui Airport.

Violent clashes happened in several parts of Manipur post a Tribal Solidarity March that was organised by the tribal people of areas under the aegis of All Tribal Students Union Manipur (ATSUM) on Wednesday, May 3.

The members called for a 12-hour total shutdown to protest against the eviction of their tribal villages from the reserved forest and they demanded the inclusion of the majority Meiteis in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) list.

Whereas, the leaders of ATSUM alleged that the situation became violent when some other people burned the Anglo-Kuki War memorial gate in the Churachandpur district of Manipur after their solidarity march had ended peacefully on Wednesday.

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