Nawazuddin’s wife reasserts charges
Aaliya Siddiqui, the estranged wife of actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui, has recorded her statement at a police station in UP’s Muzaffarnagar and reasserted her charges, including that a family member was “molested” by the actor’s brother. She had filed a case in Mumbai that which was later transferred to Muzaffarnagar’s Budhana area where the alleged incident took place. The actor’s wife also repeated several other allegations she had made earlier. Nawazuddin, his four family members, including his mother and brothers, were booked at the Versova police station in Mumbai on July 27 based on a complaint filed by his wife.
World-class forensic science varsity in Lucknow
Uttar Pradesh will establish a world-class forensic science university in Lucknow to check the rise in cybercrime. With a campus spread over 35 acres, the Forensic Science University will come up with the technical assistance of Israel and the Gujarat Forensic University. Having sanctioned `20 crore for prestigious project, the additional director general of police (technical services) will be the nodal head for the establishment of the university. The posts of vice-chancellor, registrar and finance officer have also been created. There will be 10 departments in the university. In total, 496 posts, including 14 professors, 12 associate professors and 42 assistant professors, have been proposed by the UP government and other stakeholders.
Agra’s marble traders hopeful as Taj to reopen
Marble traders in Agra see a ray of hope after the administration has allowed the Taj Mahal re-open for tourists. Adding to that hope is the optimism lent by weekend market curbs being lifted in the city. Of the total of `2,000 crore marble trade, `700 crore is by way of export internationally and `1,300 crore trade comes through emporiums. About 30,000 to 35,000 families are relying on the marble work in Agra. The skill of working on marble is mostly hereditary, with the son following the footsteps of the father. The pandemic has caused erosion and unable to find suitable returns, many artisans are deviating from their traditional source of income, said a marble trader.
Wajid Ali Shah’s great-grandson dies of Covid
The Covid-19 pandemic has made the last descendant of Awadh’s last king Nawab Wajid Ali Shah its victim. Prince Kaukab Quder Sajjad Ali Meerza, the great-grandson of the last Nawab of Oudh and grandson of Nawab Birjis Qadr, died in Kolkata recently. The 87-year-old had tested positive for the Covid-19 a week ago. He is survived by his wife, Badr-un-Nissa ‘Badr’, who belongs to Lucknow’s famous Khandan-e-Ijtihad and is the daughter of poet Fazl Naqvi. The couple has two sons and four daughters.
Namita Bajpai
Our correspondent in Uttar Pradesh namita.bajpai@newindianexpress