Shillong: The BJP on Monday sought strict action against the news portal that claimed that party leader Ram Madhav was caught red-handed by separatist NSCN with two Naga women in a hotel room in Nagaland even as the portal vanished.
"We are talking up with such cases very seriously and what is more suspicious is that the news portal which carried the story has completely vanished," Bharatiya Janata Party national spokesperson Nalin Kolhi told journalists here.
He said that the party has sought for appropriate action against those responsible for the mischief under various sections of the law and the Information Technology Act.
Senior BJP leader Rajiv Pratap Rudy, who was also present at news conference said: "It is a fictitious report intended to tarnish the image of Ram Madhav. Fake news cannot be tolerated. Suspiciously, the news portal has vanished but we are following up with the case aggressively."
Quoting sources, media portal "Newsjoint" claimed that last week, Madhav, the BJP General Secretary in-charge North East, "was caught red-handed and saffron faced, working well beyond his brief, with two Naga women in a hotel room".
"Madhav was held in captivity by the NSCN (Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland) for hours. He then made frantic SOS calls to Assam (minister) colleague Himanata Biswa Sarma, BJP's trouble shooter in the Northeast," the report alleged, adding that Madhav was released only after Sarma reached out to the NSCN.
The news portal also claimed that the NSCN also has the video footage in possession, which it has threatened to release in public, "if the BJP-RSS do not give in to its demand to call off the assembly elections in Nagaland, due on February 27".
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre on Tuesday said a 7-km railway barricade has been approved for the Madikeri division and 20 km for the Nagarhole division in 2025–26 to curb human-elephant conflict in the regions.
Responding to a proposal raised by BJP MLC Suja Kushalappa during Zero Hour in the Legislative Council, he assured that work on the proposed railway barricades would begin soon.
Citing the death of a 17-year-old girl in an elephant attack on February 28 and that of a tribal woman on March 9 in the state, the minister said these deaths caused by elephant attacks were "extremely painful".
"Human life is very precious and cannot be valued in monetary terms. The Forest Department is taking all measures to prevent human-wildlife conflict."
The minister further said steps such as maintenance of elephant-proof trenches and solar-powered fencing were being undertaken, while two elephant task forces were currently in operation.
Orders have also been issued by the Chief Wildlife Warden to capture two rogue elephants.
In both cases, Rs 5 lakh compensation has already been disbursed to the families of the deceased, and the remaining Rs 15 lakh each will be provided within a week, he added.
Khandre said the government was making sincere efforts to find a permanent solution to the human–elephant conflict.
