Varanasi Flood Situation: CM Yogi Conducts Aerial Survey, Relief Efforts Underway

A Supreme Court lawyer has filed a complaint with the Delhi Police at Mandir Marg police station against a Jantar Mantar protester and her father for allegedly publishing malicious posts insulting Hindu gods and goddesses, including Lord Shiva, Lord Krishna, Goddess Saraswati, and Goddess Durga. The complaint seeks the registration of a First Information Report under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act. It notes that while the account holder is a minor subject to the Juvenile Justice Act, the father should be examined regarding control and failure to remove the content.

A flood alert has been issued across North India following heavy rainfall that has caused rivers and reservoirs to swell. In Uttar Pradesh, overflowing dams in Lalitpur and rising levels of the Ganga and Yamuna rivers have inundated residential areas in Prayagraj, Varanasi, and Kanpur, affecting nearly 3.5 lakh people across 26 districts. In Bihar, eight districts remain on alert as the Ganga submerges areas in Patna's Danapur Dihra block, Begusarai, and Kosi, leaving villages isolated and residents waiting for essential relief. SDRF and local rescue teams remain on standby across both states as further rain is forecast.

The flood crisis in Bihar has deepened as rising water levels in the Ganges submerge multiple villages and key access roads across the Raghopur Diara belt in Vaishali district, forcing residents to evacuate to safer locations. An aerial survey of the Bhagalpur and Naugachia regions was conducted to review relief and rescue operations, with instructions issued to officials to ensure prompt assistance and prevent inconvenience to affected people. While the administration remains on alert to safeguard residential areas and monitor water flow from major rivers, criticism has been raised over the adequacy of safety, relief, and rescue arrangements across the flood-hit regions.

In Nepal, rescue operations following devastating floods have led to multiple miraculous rescues. A 60-year-old woman was pulled alive from the fourth floor of a buried building in Betrawati after spending 11 days trapped under mud and debris. The Armed Police Force located her using sniffer dogs, and she was subsequently transported to Kathmandu for medical care. Additionally, rescue workers at the Upper Trishuli 1 hydropower project site rescued a Chinese national from the Audit 4 tunnel, marking three survivors pulled from critical tunnel areas within two days. International tunnelling experts, alongside the Nepalese Army, police, and scouts, have joined the search efforts equipped with specialized machinery. Official records indicate that over 1,300 people have died, while approximately 5,000 individuals remain missing across worst-affected areas including Betrawati, Dhunge, and Bhattar, where structures were submerged under heavy mud flows.