Vaishno Devi shrine’s head priest dies at 85
The head priest of Mata Vaishno Devi shrine, Pandit Amir Chand, passed away at his residence in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district on Saturday morning, officials said.
The 85-year-old ‘pratham pujari’ died of cardiac at his Katra residence.
Pandit Chand belonged to the family of Pandit Shridhar, who believed to have discovered the three-peaked cave shrine in Trikuta Hills some 700 years ago.
“The mortal remains of the priest were consigned to flames at Banganga later in the day,” said a police officer.
J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, who is also the chairperson of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, expressed grief over the priest’s death.
In a tweet in Hindi, the he said, “The news of the death of Shri Amir Chand Ji, the chief priest of Mata Vaishno Devi, is extremely sad. I pay my humble tributes to him. My deepest condolences to the bereaved family and followers.
Less time to read?
Try Quickreads
-
Delhiwale: This way to Ajmeri Gate
This venerable stone gateway originally signposted the way to the aforementioned pilgrim town. One of the 14 Mughal-era gateways to punctuate the Walled City’s wall, the graceful Ajmeri Gate today is like a queen without her palace.
-
Delhi: Cop’s hunt for kidnapper ends after a 15-year wait
Assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Sanjeev Tomar’s quest ended on May 28, when he and members of his team arrested a man named Hari Om for abducting and killing Choudhary. Tomar, 47, now posted with the crime branch, was a constable at the Badarpur police station when the crime took place in 2007.
-
89 new trucks to help DFS speed up rescue operations
The approval for purchasing 89 new fire trucks was sought against the condemnation of 60 fire trucks, which have diesel engines and have reached their expiry time of 10 years, and have to be taken off service.
-
ED arrests 2 more in money laundering case against Delhi minister Satyendar Jain
Vaibhav and Ankush were arrested under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). ED said both are directors of Ram Prakash Jewellers Pvt Ltd, which was raided on June 6. After the searches at premises linked to six people including the jewellery firm’s five directors, ED said it recovered ₹2.85 crore and 133 gold coins, alleging that the gold was from “unexplained sources” and was “secreted” in the properties.
-
Problem of plenty: Ban no bar, Delhi markets struggle to get rid of plastics
Following the latest notification of the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2022 in February, the central government directed all states and union territories (UTs) to phase out SUPs in a planned manner by July 1, 2022.
