Gujarat CM appeals for calm; outfit claims over 20,000 migrants fled state in a week
Ahmedabad, Oct 8 : Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani Monday appealed to people not to engage in violence, even as an outfit claimed over 20,000 Hindi-speaking migrants fled the state in the last one week after a spate of attacks following a rape incident.
Rupani claimed that no untoward incident had taken place during the last 48 hours, while state Home Minister Pradeepsinh Jadeja said additional forces have been deployed in industrial areas for the security of migrants.
Since the alleged rape of a 14-month-old girl in Sabarkantha district on September 28, six districts, most of them in north Gujarat, have seen sporadic incidents of violence against Hindi-speaking people, police had said.
The government said more than 400 people have been arrested in connection with the violence which started after a migrant worker from Bihar was nabbed in the rape case.
Uttar Bharatiya Vikas Parishad president Maheshsingh Kushwah claimed that over 20,000 people belonging to Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar had already fled Gujarat due to the prevailing situation.
"Over 20,000 migrants from these states have fled due to fear as Hindi-speaking people are being attacked in different parts of the state. All non-Gujaratis should not be seen as culprits for the misdeeds of one person," he said.
Rupani said the situation has been brought under control by police.
"Due to intense efforts by police, the situation is under control and no untoward incident has happened in the last 48 hours.
"We are committed to maintaining law and order, and people can call police in case of trouble. We will provide them security," Rupani said in Rajkot.
Minister of State for Home Jadeja, at a press conference Monday in Gandhinagar, said the Centre had been apprised of the steps taken by the Gujarat government to bring the situation under control.
He said 431 people have been arrested and 56 FIRs registered in connection with the attacks on Hindi- speaking people.
Without naming opposition Congress, Jadeja said efforts were underway to find out whether "it is a conspiracy by those who are out of power in Gujarat since the last 22 years".
"The attack on migrant workers is highly condemnable. The chief minister has instructed us to take all necessary steps to stop the attacks.
"I also appeal people not to be misled by those who are inciting people for their political gains," Jadeja said. He said additional forces have been deployed in industrial areas for the security of migrants.
"Only a handful of people are involved in this. We have deployed additional forces in industrial areas for the security of migrants.
"We have also decided to set up points (camps) for the State Reserve Police (SRP) and increase patrolling in such areas," Jadeja said.
While police have arrested several members of the Thakor Sena in connection with the attacks and also mentioned the outfit's name in some of the FIRs, its president and Congress MLA Alpesh Thakor alleged that youth from the community were being falsely implicated.
Jadeja, responding to a query on Thakor's allegations, said action will be taken against anyone who disturbs peace.
"Police is not harassing any innocent person from a community. But we will take action against those who are disturbing Gujarat's peace," said Jadeja.
Hours after the rape of the toddler in a village near Himmatnagar town, around 100km from Ahmedabad, police arrested Ravindra Sahu, a labourer hailing from Bihar and working in a local ceramic factory, for the crime.
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Spurious ointment racket busted; Delhi Police recovers material worth Rs 2 crore from Ghaziabad unit
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi Police has busted a major interstate racket allegedly involved in the manufacture, repackaging and nationwide sale of spurious Schedule-H medicines, an official said on Sunday.
Police have also located a manufacturing unit and seized counterfeit drugs and raw material worth over Rs 2.3 crore.
According to the police, two men -- Gaurav Bhagat, a resident of Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad, and Shree Ram alias Vishal Gupta of northeast Delhi's Sabhapur -- have been arrested in the case, he said.
"The operation was carried out by the Crime Branch. The accused were engaged in producing and selling counterfeit versions of popular prescription ointments, including Betnovate-C and Clop-G, which are widely used for treating skin infections, allergies and sports-related injuries," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Aditya Gautam said in a statement.
The officer further said the spurious medicines were sold as genuine branded products, posing a serious risk to public health.
Acting on inputs, the Crime Branch team first conducted a raid at Teliwara in Sadar Bazar, one of the country's largest wholesale pharmaceutical and cosmetic markets.
"During the raid, a large quantity of counterfeit Schedule-H ointments was recovered. Subsequent technical analysis and follow-up intelligence led the team to a manufacturing unit operating from Meerpur Hindu village in the Loni area of Ghaziabad.
"A search of the premises resulted in the recovery of counterfeit medicines, huge quantities of raw chemicals, packing material, empty tubes bearing forged brand labels and machinery used for mixing, filling and sealing ointments," the DCP said.
He further said drug inspectors from the North and Central Zones of Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, along with authorised representatives of the concerned pharmaceutical companies, conducted spot inspections and drew samples from the seized stock. They confirmed that the medicines were counterfeit and neither manufactured nor supplied by their companies.
The accused were also found to be operating without any valid licence to manufacture, store or sell pharmaceutical products, he added.
Police said that an FIR was registered at the Crime Branch police station on December 12 under various sections of the BNS and provisions of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.
"The seized material included around 1,200 tubes of spurious Betnovate-C ointment, over 2,700 tubes of fake Clop-G, more than 3,700 tubes of spurious Skin-Shine ointment, nearly 22,000 empty fake Clop-G tubes, over 350 kilograms of semi-prepared ointment, besides chemicals and manufacturing equipment," the DCP said.
He said further investigation is underway to trace the entire supply chain, including wholesalers, distributors, delivery handlers and retailers involved in the illegal trade.
