A humane gesture of CGI Jeddah towards Indian Umrah pilgrim after mishap

News Network
March 6, 2023

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Within five days of a senior woman's admission at hospital in the city of Madeenah after being fatally hit by an accident, the hospital personnel informed her Umrah agent in Jeddah and her compatriots that the medical insurance coverage of Saudi Riyals 100K has fully been utilized for her medical treatments. 

They also mentioned that the patient or her Umrah agent has to bear the further medical expenses from their own pockets since the insurance coverage was already used. As she is still required to be in ICU in the hospital for longer days, the continuing medical expenses in the hospital have to be borne by the patient's side to the tune of daily SAR. 15k to 20k, which is extremely huge amount to be afforded. 

The agent and other compatriots tried to airlift or shift her to other non-expensive or government hospital in Madeenah upon the request of her family in Bihar. However, the hospital refused to do so based on the extreme medical condition of the woman. 

Following their helplessness with the refusal of the hospital, her family in Bihar contacted Dr P A Hameed Padubidri, a pro-bono lawyer and social worker based in Riyadh, through one of their relatives in Riyadh and his neighbor, Mr. Altaf Mangaluru (Supercool) in Riyadh, to extend his help through the concerned agencies and CGI Jeddah.  

Accordingly, he contacted Consul General of India (CGI) in Jeddah, Shahid Alam, IFS, for his immediate intervention in this case. The CGI Jeddah took up the case on urgent basis and communicated with the concerned person in this regard. Since the patient is still in a critical condition in ICU, the CGI advised to continue her treatment in the same hospital and assured that all kinds of assistances and helps would be provided to the patient. 

Having satisfied with the assurance of helps by the CGI, the woman's family breathed a big sigh of relief and extended their wholehearted thanks to Shahid Alam for showing his personal intervention and his staffs in the CGI office. 

They also expressed their deep gratitude towards Hameed Padubidri for his immediate and timely humane gesture and action. Although the Umrah agent is helpful in this case, but Hameed Padubidri’s voluntary and rapid action as a community worker has been highly appreciated. 

Background 

Mrs Kherunnisa, aged about 78 yrs, w/o Huro Ansari, hailing from Sigarpur in Patna-Bihar, got an accident a week ago & was critically injured in Madeenah. 

She, her husband and other pilgrims came on Umrah visa packages to Makkah couple of weeks ago. They performed Umrah rituals successfully & after that, they left for Madeenah to visit the Prophet (Pbuh)'s Masjid & other Islamic historic places.

It's informed that when she was walking through one of the historical places (near Uhud mountain) in Madeenah, a speeding bus hit the woman causing serious injuries. It's told that her leg was crushed beneath the bus & was immediately admitted in Saudi German Hospital in Madeenah for the treatment. With the intervention & kind gesture of the CGI Jeddah, she has still been under proper treatment in the hospital. 

Her husband and other Umrah pilgrims were already sent to India as their visa was about to expire. The Umrah pilgrims, including the accident woman, were brought on Umrah visa by United Travels Agency in Jeddah. Mohammed Qurbani is the point of contact in United Agency, who is coordinating with the hospital. 

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News Network
January 20,2026

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Karnataka DGP (Civil Rights Enforcement) K Ramachandra Rao was suspended with immediate effect, as per a state government order issued on Monday, 19 January. The order cited conduct unbecoming of a government servant and causing embarrassment to the state administration.

The Karnataka government suspended Rao after a purported video showed him in a compromising position with a woman inside his official chamber. The video went viral on social media. Rao rejected the videos outright, terming them "fabricated and false".

Who is K Ramachandra Rao?

Rao is a DGP-rank officer who was heading the Directorate of Civil Rights Enforcement until his suspension. He was promoted to DGP in September 2023 and assumed office in October 2023, the Sunday Guardian reported.

He also served as the Chairman and Managing Director of the Karnataka State Police Housing and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited.

His stint as the Inspector General of Police (IGP) for the Southern Range was also marred by controversy. In 2014, during a cash seizure near Mysuru’s Yelwal, officials claimed the seized amount was ₹20 lakh, while the accused (Kerala-based merchants) claimed it was around ₹2.27 crore.

Rao, who was present during the seizure, denied all allegations. However, he was transferred soon after.

Allegations of collusion with a businessman surfaced, and a senior police officer was quoted by The Sunday Guardian as saying, “In Rao’s case, the CID has clearly mentioned that there was a great degree of lapse on the part of Rao and a deputy superintendent of police after it was brought to their notice that a few policemen, including a gunman attached to the IGP, were involved in the robbery.”

Rao had denied all wrongdoing in that incident. Despite past controversies, he rose to the state’s top police position, the Sunday Guardian reported.

Ranya Rao’s stepfather

Rao is the stepfather of Kannada actress Harshavardhini Ranya alias Ranya Rao, accused of orchestrating the illegal import of gold worth over ₹12.56 crore from Dubai to India along with two others — businessman Tarun Raju, and jewellery dealer Sahil Jain.

‘Obscene video’ controversy

A viral video showed Rao behaving inappropriately with a woman inside his office while in uniform.

The Karnataka government said in its Monday order that “vide videos and news reports widely broadcast on public news channels and media platforms, it is observed that Dr K Ramachandra Rao has acted in an obscene manner which is unbecoming of a Government Servant and also causing embarrassment to the Government.”

The order said the matter was examined by the state government, which found that the officer's conduct amounted to a violation of Rule 3 of the All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968.

The government said it is prima facie satisfied that "it is necessary to place Rao under suspension with immediate effect, pending inquiry".

During the suspension period, Rao will be entitled to subsistence allowance as per Rule 4 of the All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1969.

The order also places restrictions on his movement, stating that during the period of suspension, the officer must not leave headquarters under any circumstances without the written permission of the state government.

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News Network
January 23,2026

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his visit to Thiruvananthapuram on Friday, January 23, indicated that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is aiming to expand its political footprint in Kerala ahead of the Assembly elections scheduled in the coming months.

Speaking at a BJP-organised public meeting, Modi drew parallels between the party’s early electoral gains in Gujarat and its recent victory in the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation. The civic body win, which ended decades of Left control, was cited by the Prime Minister as a possible starting point for the party’s broader ambitions in the state.

Recalling BJP’s political trajectory in Gujarat, Modi said the party was largely insignificant before 1987 and received little media attention. He pointed out that the BJP’s first major breakthrough came with its victory in the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation that year.

“Just as our journey in Gujarat began with one city, Kerala’s journey has also started with a single city,” Modi said, suggesting that the party’s municipal-level success could translate into wider electoral acceptance.

The Prime Minister alleged that successive governments led by the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the United Democratic Front (UDF) had failed to adequately develop Thiruvananthapuram. He accused both fronts of corruption and neglect, claiming that basic infrastructure and facilities were denied to the capital city for decades.

According to Modi, the BJP’s control of the civic body represents a shift driven by public dissatisfaction with the existing political alternatives. He asserted that the BJP administration in Thiruvananthapuram had begun working towards development, though no specific details or timelines were outlined.

Addressing the gathering at Putharikandam Maidan, Modi said the BJP intended to project Thiruvananthapuram as a “model city,” reiterating his party’s commitment to governance-led change.

The Prime Minister’s visit to Kerala also included the inauguration of several development projects and the flagging off of new train services, as the BJP intensifies its political outreach in the poll-bound state.

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