Freedom fighter Mohan Ranade passes away
Panaji: Veteran freedom fighter Mohan Ranade, who also participated in the Goa liberation movement, died at a Pune-based hospital in neighbouring Maharashtra on Tuesday morning, a family source said. He was 90.
Ranade had been ailing since some time and undergoing treatment at the hospital where he breathed his last around 5.30 am, his friend and Goa-based historian Sanjiv Sardesai told reporters here.
Ranade was arrested by Portuguese police in 1955 and incarcerated at the Fort of Caxias near Lisbon in Portugal where he was kept in solitary confinement for six years.
Goa got liberated from Portuguese rule in 1961 and Ranade was released in January 1969, after having spent 14 years in prison. Born in 1929 at Sangli in Maharashtra, Ranade was inspired by freedom fighters like Ganesh Damodar Savarkar and Vinayak Savarkar.
He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2001.
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant condoled Ranade's death and lauded his sacrifices for the state's liberation.
"Deeply saddened by the passing away of Shri Mohan Ranade, a fearless freedom fighter who fought for the liberation of Goa. His sacrifices and struggles for Goa will never be forgotten," Sawant said in a tweet.
Deputy Chief Minister Vijai Sardesai also expressed his grief over Ranade's demise.
"RIP Padmashri Mohan Ranade. One of the key figures in Goa's liberation. Someone who spent 14 years in Portuguese prisons including 6 years in solitary confinement. History says his release was due to the intervention of the Pope at the prodding of former Tamil Nadu CM Annadurai," he tweeted.
Ranade's wife died some years back and the couple did not have children, his friend added.
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Family of injured driver in murder of Suvendu's aide seeks exemplary punishment
Kolkata (PTI): The family of Buddhabeb Bera, the driver injured in the shooting that killed BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari's close aide Chandranath Rath, demanded exemplary punishment for those responsible and urged the new government to ensure such incidents do not happen in West Bengal.
Rath was shot dead in Madhyamgram near Kolkata on Wednesday night, triggering a political storm in the state. Bera, who was driving the vehicle at the time of the attack, sustained gunshot wounds and is currently undergoing treatment at a private hospital.
Family members said they learned about the incident through television and immediately left for Kolkata.
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"We came to know from TV reports that my nephew had been shot. We still do not know who carried out the attack or why it happened," Buddhabeb's uncle Biswajit Bera said.
"Our only wish now is that he recovers and returns home safely," he added.
Buddhabeb, 25, hails from Majnaberia village in the Chandipur police station area in Purba Medinipur district.
According to family members, he mostly stays in Kolkata for work and visits home occasionally during weekends.
Besides his parents, his younger brother, sister-in-law and several relatives have also travelled to Kolkata following the incident.
Demanding strict action against the perpetrators, the uncle said, "We want the government to conduct a proper investigation and identify those directly involved in the crime. They should be given exemplary punishment so that such incidents do not happen again in West Bengal and no other family has to go through this grief."
A neighbour, Ranjana Ghorai, also sought stringent punishment for those behind the attack.
"In our neighbourhood, we call him Sona. We want exemplary punishment for the people responsible for this incident," she said.
Rath's family members have demanded life imprisonment for the accused, while Adhikari has called for capital punishment for those involved in the killing.
