Cong MP Shashi Tharoor’s gunman, driver attacked in Malappuram, one held
Malappuram (Kerala) (PTI): A person has been taken into custody after Congress MP Shashi Tharoor’s gunman and driver were allegedly attacked by a five-member group at Wandoor here, police said on Saturday.
According to Wandoor Police, a case has been registered, and one person is currently in custody.
Police said the case was registered based on a complaint lodged by Tharoor’s gunman, Ratheesh K P.
As per the FIR, the incident occurred at Chellithode near Thiruvali in Wandoor at around 7.30 pm on Friday.
Police officials said the incident took place when there was a roadblock at the Chelithode bridge as Tharoor was on his way to attend an election campaign event of Congress leader A P Anilkumar.
According to the FIR, the accused, who were travelling in two vehicles, blocked the MP’s vehicle.
When the gunman attempted to clear the obstruction, he and the driver were allegedly attacked, the FIR said.
Police said the road was narrow and the gunman had only asked the vehicle ahead to move faster to ensure smooth passage for the MP’s convoy.
One person was taken into custody late Friday night, and the remaining four accused have been identified and will be apprehended soon, police added.
Meanwhile, Tharoor posted on the 'X' handle that he was untouched in the incident.
Tharoor said that he is truly touched by all the messages and calls expressing concern about the untoward incident last night when his security guard was attacked.
"He is well, and I was untouched. Thank you to all friends and well-wishers. We carried on undaunted yesterday and concluded two more events as planned. And our ongoing programme remains unaffected," he said.
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
