Madras HC orders CBI probe into gutka scam
Chennai, April 26: The Madras High Court on Thursday ordered a CBI probe into the multi-crore gutka scam in which a minister and top state police officers and government officials are alleged to be involved.
Leaders of various opposition parties have welcomed the court order and also demanded the resignation of Chief Minister K. Palaniswami's government.
The court ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe following a petition filed by DMK legislator J. Anbazhagan.
The case is related to an Income Tax Department raid in the offices, residences and godowns of a gutka manufacturer in Tamil Nadu in 2016.
A diary was then seized which listed alleged bribe payments made to various officials.
The Tamil Nadu government has banned the manufacture and storage of gutka -- a tobacco product. However, the product was reportedly available in the market with the alleged connivance of police officers and others.
Several political parties had demanded the CBI probe into the scam but the AIADMK government did not agree.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Director General of Police T.K. Rajendran met Chief Minister Palaniswami, Chief Secretary Girija Vaidyanathan and Home Secretary Niranjan Mardi soon after the court order.
Welcoming the High Court order, PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss demanded Palaniswami's resignation.
In order to allow the CBI probe to progress smoothly, the Palaniswami government should resign, he said.
DMK Leader M.K. Stalin said gutka was openly sold during late Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa's rule and under Palaniswami's rule.
Stalin said an English television channel had reported bribes were allegedly paid to top police officials.
Stalin added the issue was raised by him in the state Assembly he and several of his party members were sent out. Speaker P. Dhanapal termed it as breach of privilege for bringing a banned substance into the Assembly.
The issue was referred to Privilege Committee which had issued a notice to Stalin and some DMK law makers.
"We had obtained a stay against that notice," Stalin said.
According to Stalin, if the CBI probe should proceed smoothly then Health Minister C. Vijaya Baskar, DGP T.K. Rajendran should resign from their respective posts.
Adding further, Stalin said Chief Minister Palaniswami should quit his post so that people are benefitted.
Similarly, the Communist Party of India's (CPI) Tamil Nadu State Secretary R. Mutharasan said the CBI probe should be under the supervision of the High Court.
He also said the minister and other officials alleged to be involved in the scam should quit their posts.
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Indian mobile hospital treats over 2,200 cyclone-hit people as New Delhi ramps up relief efforts in
Colombo (PTI): A mobile hospital set up by India in Sri Lanka has provided medical care to over 2,200 people affected by Cyclone Ditwah, as New Delhi ramped up its assistance to the flood-ravaged island nation with engineering support and delivery of fresh relief consignments, the Indian mission here said on Sunday.
Sri Lanka has been grappling with widespread flooding, landslides and severe infrastructure collapse triggered by the cyclone, leaving several districts isolated and severely straining the country's disaster-response capacity.
At least 627 people have been killed and 190 remain missing as of Sunday noon due to catastrophic floods and landslides caused by extreme weather conditions since November 16.
Sharing a social media post by the Ministry of External Affairs on its X handle, the Indian High Commission said a field hospital set up by India in Mahiyanganaya near Kandy has provided medical care to more than 2,200 people affected by the cyclone since December 5.
The hospital has also performed 67 minor procedures and three surgeries, it said. The field hospital was airlifted to Sri Lanka by an IAF C-17 aircraft along with a 78-member Indian medical team on Tuesday.
In another post, the mission said Indian Army engineers, working with Sri Lanka Army Engineers and the Road Development Authority, in Kilinochchi have begun removing a damaged bridge on the Paranthan–Karachchi–Mullaitivu (A35) road, a key route disrupted by the cyclone.
"This joint effort marks another step toward restoring vital connectivity for affected communities," it said.
India has additionally sent nearly 1,000 tonnes of food items and clothing contributed by the people of Tamil Nadu. Of these, about 300 tonnes reached Colombo on Sunday morning aboard three Indian Naval ships.
High Commissioner Santosh Jha handed over the supplies to Sri Lankan Minister for Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development Wasantha Samarasinghe.
India, on November 28, launched 'Operation Sagar Bandhu', a Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) initiative, to aid Sri Lanka in its recovery from the devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah.
Since the launch of the operation, India has provided about 58 tonnes of relief material, including dry rations, tents, tarpaulins, hygiene kits, essential cloths, water purification kits and about 4.5 tonnes of medicines and surgical equipment, the Indian mission said in a press release on Sunday.
Another 60 tonnes of equipment, including generators, inflatable rescue boats, Outboard Motors, and excavators, have also been brought to Sri Lanka, it said, adding that 185 tonnes of Bailey Bridge units were airlifted to restore critical connectivity along with 44 engineers.
Two columns of the National Disaster Response Force, comprising 80 experts and K9 units with specially trained dogs, assisted with immediate rescue and relief efforts in Sri Lanka.
Besides the field hospital in Mahiyanganaya, medical centres have also been set up in the badly hit Ja-Ela region and in Negombo. INS Vikrant, INS Udaygiri, and INS Sukanya provided immediate rescue and relief assistance to Sri Lanka.
Apart from the two Chetak helicopters deployed from INS Vikrant, two heavy-lift, MI-17 helicopters of the Indian Air Force are actively involved in evacuations and airlifting relief material, the release said.
At the request of the Sri Lankan Disaster Management Centre, a virtual meeting was organised between DMC and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)'s National Remote Sensing Centre on Saturday.
Since the onset of the disaster, ISRO has been providing maps to assist DMC in its rescue efforts, the release said.
