Year Review 2023: Uttarkashi Tunnel Rescue, Asian Games, Wrestler Protest - Key Moments Of Rejoice And Remorse For India

(MENAFN- Live Mint) "In a year filled with drama, protest, and pride, India witnessed demonstrations for women's safety, riots in Manipur, and 17 days of struggle to rescue workers stuck inside the collapsed Silkyara tunnel in Himachal Pradesh. Boosting the nation's pride, India witnessed the inauguration of its new parliament building, the success of its two historic space programmes, and a mind-boggling performance of Indian athletes in the Asian Games ensuring the sweetest century in Indian sports history. As the new year is around the corner, here are the top 10 events that left an indelible mark on people's minds in India' protestIndia's ace wrestlers stood united against one of the most influential persons in the wrestling federation, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, accusing him of sexually harassing young women wrestlers. The controversy that continued throughout the year began in January, when top wrestlers including Bajrang Punia, Sakshee Mallikh, and Vinesh Phogat launched a protest against the then Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh demanding his resignation. The protest forced the Delhi government to initiate a probe against the BJP MP in charges of sexual harassment of young women wrestlers. In January, the Sports Ministry had asked WFI to suspend all ongoing activities with immediate effect. In April, the Ministry had asked IOA to constitute an ad-hoc body to conduct the polls within 45 days of its formation the WFI elections held in December, Sanjay Singh, a close aide of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh was elected as the next WFI president. The development sparked huge outrage forcing the Olympic medal winner Sakshee Mallikh to announce her retirement. Her retirement was followed by ace wrestler Bajrang Punia's decision to return his Padma Shri in opposition to the election of Sanjay Singh. Within a week after the election of the new wrestling body, the Sports Ministry suspended the newly elected WFI on December 24 for not following rules and announcing the schedule of upcoming wrestling nationals in“haste”. The ministry also requested the Indian Olympic Association to form an ad-hoc committee to function in place of the suspended WFI.
Manipur unrestThe series of violence in Manipur that began in early May managed to make front-page headlines only after a video of two Kuki women being paraded naked in Kangpokpi district went viral on social media in July. The incident sparked nationwide outrage and even forced Prime Minister Narendra Modi to speak on the issue for the first time.
The series of violence in the Northeastern state began after more than 60,000 people reportedly showed up for the Tribal Solidarity March organised by the All Tribal Students Union of Manipur (ATSUM) to protest against the inclusion of Meiteis in the Scheduled Tribe category in May has been facing agitations since 2012 over the inclusion of
Meiteis, who constitute up to 53% of the population in the state, in the ST list. The addition of Meiteis to the list will entitle them to purchase land in hill areas, which are inhabited mostly by tribals like Kukis and Nagas.
Since May, there have been multiple cases of brutal and rampant violence, including the burning of villages, mob lynching, rapes, etc. Persistent violence also resulted in the influx of Manipur people to neighbouring states like Assam and Mizoram. It also led to the heavy deployment of para-military forces in the state despite strong opposition from the public.
Joshimath land-subsidenceA major connecting point for religious and trek locations like Badrinath, Hemkund Sahib and Valley of Flowers, Joshimath emerged as a major opportunity for the hospitality industry. However, Uttarakhand town has been facing the threat of land subsidence for so many years. The town re-emerged into the limelight in January this year after huge cracks appeared on several buildings in Joshimath. The problem that has been persisting for a long time forced the government to speed up the rehabilitation of the people living in such buildings to safer places gets a new Parliament buildingAnother highlight of the year 2023 for India was the inauguration of the new Parliament building on May 28, 2023. The building was inaugurated by PM Modi and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. The installation of the
handcrafted, gold-plated sceptre 'Sengol' near the Lok Sabha speaker's chair was a reflection of India's cultural heritage.
The new Parliament building stands tall as the reflection of the aspiration of 135 crore Indians and it represents the ethos of the nation. The new Parliament was built as part of the government's Central Vista project and used different materials sourced from India's various regions. The sandstone for the building was brought from Rajasthan's Samthura whereas, the Ashoka Chakras inside both houses were sourced from Indore a seating capacity of 888 members, the Lok Sabha chamber is almost thrice the old chamber. Whereas, the Rajya Sabha complex seating capacity is 348 members. The new building also has a Constitutional Hall, a central lounge, and an open courtyard for the interactions among the members Triple Train TragedyIndia witnessed one of the worst train accidents in history on June 2, 2023. The triple train tragedy that occurred near Bahanaga Bazar railway station in Odisha's Balasore district claimed nearly 300 lives and left around 1,200 people severely injured. The ghastly images of the aftermath of the accident showing a pile of wrecked coaches are hard to forget.
The accident involved the collision of three trains -
Coromandel Express, Yeshwantpur-Howrah SuperFast Express, and a stationary goods train. The Railway Ministry mentioned a signalling error as the main reason behind the collision the findings from the Commissioner of Railway Safety's report, the Ministry of Railways said,“The rear collision was due to the lapses in the signalling-circuit alteration carried out at the North Signal Goomty (of the station) in the past, and during the execution of the signalling work related to replacement of Electric Lifting Barrier for level crossing gate no. 94 at the Station.”
Given the massive number of deaths in the accident, the government for the first time conducted DNA sampling of bodies, comparing them with DNA samples of claimants' relatives due to rainfall, landslide in Himachal PradeshThe year saw another episode of natural disaster destroying the infrastructure, economy, and lives of people living in Himachal Pradesh. Extreme weather conditions in the northern state led to devastating landslides, widespread damage, flooding, and collapse of buildings. Excess rains wreaked havoc not only in Himachal Pradesh but also in Uttarakhand. In Himachal, weather events like flash floods, cloudbursts, landslides, subsidence, and land subsidence caused severe damage to properties in Mandi, Kullu, Manali, Shimla, and Kangra. Climate change also triggered a monsoon flurry in Uttarakhand where its prominent national highways were shut due to the development of cracks and landslides.'Iss baar 100 paar' at Asian Games
Apart from achieving major milestones in different sports like cricket, Indian athletes' miraculous performance at the Hangzhou Asian Games was the best thing that happened in 2023 for Indian sports enthusiasts to be proud of.
India gave its best-ever performance of 107 medals at the Asian Games. Out of the total medals won, Indian players won 28 gold, 38 silver, and 41 bronze medals, which was way more than India's previous best of 70 medals in the Jakarta Asian Games won gold in games like kabaddi, badminton, hockey, and archery, and continued to dominate in sports like shooting. The splendid performance of Indians in events like hockey, golf, shooting, and athletics, ensured multiple medals in the same events.
India's victory in the Squash Final, the double medal for the Javelin Throw, gold in equestrian, and Parul Choudhary's incredible come-from-behind victory in the Women's 5000m, Aditi Ashok's historic medal in golf, are a few of the notable achievements verdict on same-sex marriageIn a major setback for India's LGBTQ+ rights activists, the Supreme Court on October 17 refused to recognise same-sex marriage. The five-judge constitution bench consisted of CJI DY Chandrachud, Justices SK
Kaul, SR Bhat, Hima Kohli, and PS Narasimha. The judgment, pronounced by a close majority of 3:2, refused to give legal recognition to same-sex marriages, no constitutional or fundamental right to civil unions, and no right for queer couples to jointly adopt a child the hearing, CJI Chandrachud said that the court can't make law but only interpret it and it is for Parliament to change the Special Marriage Act the outset, Justice Chandrachud said there are four judgments -- by himself, Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, S Ravindra Bhat, and P S Narasimha -- in the matter.
Miraculous escape of 41 from collapsed Uttarkashi tunnel
On the fateful day of November 12, as many as 41 men working inside the under-construction Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi were struck for days after it collapsed due to a landslide. The rescue operation to take the workers out of the collapsed tunnel was carried out by five different agencies --
the National Disaster Response Force, the State Disaster Response Force, the Uttarakhand Police, engineers from the Indian Army Corps of Engineers, and Project Shivalik of the Border Roads Organisation nearly 17 days of hard work by government agencies, the 41 trapped workers were rescued safely from the tunnel elections
In a major boost for the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in 2024, the saffron party retained its dominance in Madhya Pradesh and came back to power in Rajasthan and Chattisgarh. The BJP performed beyond expectations in the state assembly elections in the three states. Moreover, it made some improvements in Telangana as well, where the Congress managed to topple the BRS government by winning the state assembly elections.
In Mizoram, the Zoram People's Movement (ZPM) earned a thumping majority in the state. The presence of national parties like the BJP and the Congress was not felt in the election. ZPM won 26 seats, whereas, the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) settled with just 10 seats, the founder of the Zoram People's Movement (ZPM), took oath as chief minister of Mizoram. In Telangana, Congress state president Revanth Reddy was sworn in as the chief minister. Whereas, the BJP surprised the political pundits with its selection of CMs for Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chattisgarh.

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