Rahul Gandhi speaks with Stalin, Vijay over Karur stampede
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi spoke with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin over phone to enquire about the Karur stampede and also called TVK party president Vijay to convey his condolences over the death of his supporters in the incident, party sources said on Monday.
Stalin acknowledged Gandhi's call in a post on X.
"Thank you, my dear brother Rahul Gandhi, for reaching out to me over phone, conveying your heartfelt concern over the tragic incident in Karur, and sincerely enquiring about the measures taken to save the precious lives of those under treatment," Stalin said.
Congress sources said Gandhi telephoned the chief minister to enquire about the Karur stampede.
"The Leader of Opposition also called up TVK president Vijay to convey his condolences over his supporters' death," a party source said.
The death toll in the September 27 stampede at a political rally led by actor-politician Vijay at Karur in western Tamil Nadu climbed to 40 on Sunday. Over 60 people are being treated as in-patients, and at least two are critical, officials said.
As the toll mounted, Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) moved the Madras High Court's Madurai Bench seeking a CBI or an independent probe into the stampede. Vijay, facing flak from various quarters, also announced a compensation of Rs 20 lakh each to the families of the victims, while expressing profound grief over the incident.
Karur police booked a case under provisions including negligence against TVK office-bearers, while forensic experts commenced probe and covered spots like a sewer where a couple of bodies were allegedly found. Traders, shops and commercial establishments in Karur downed the shutters as a mark of respect to the deceased.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh to the kin of each of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to the injured, while the state government has announced a solatium of Rs 10 lakh each to the families of the deceased and Rs 1 lakh each to the injured.
The Tamil Nadu Congress Committee announced Rs 1 crore to the families of the dead and BJP announced Rs 1 lakh each to the kin of the deceased.
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.
21 hours raid fetch nothing for ED, claims Karnataka Cong MLA’s son
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Congress MLA N A Haris' son Mohammed Haris Nalapad on Tuesday claimed that the 21 hours of search by the ED in his house and other locations did not fetch anything.
The Enforcement Directorate on Monday raided the premises of the two sons of Haris (Mohammed Haris Nalapad and Omar Farook Nalapad), Aqeeb Khan, grandson of ex-Union cabinet minister K Rahman Khan and an alleged crypto hacker named Srikrishna Ramesh alias Sriki in a crypto currency-linked money laundering case.
More than a dozen premises in the city have been covered as part of the action executed under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
"My grandfather is 89-year-old. There is not a single bad mark. My father (N A Haris) is a four-time MLA. There is not a single accusation against him. Their only intention was to target myself and my brother. As simple as that," Mohammed Nalapad, who is a former Karnataka Youth Congress president, told reporters.
According to him, the ED officials carried out raids for 21 hours.
"After 21 hours of search, they took away only two mobile phones from our house. They did not get a single paisa. The ED will testify it," the Congress leader said.
Exuding faith in the law, he said he is ready to fight the case in court.
"Me and my father have opted for politics and we are in public life. You can call me whatever you want but I have not done anything wrong," Mohammed Nalapad said.
Regarding his relationship with Sriki, he said he knew him but had no clue what he was doing.
"I have never said that either me or my brother do not know Sriki. But how will I know what he does in his house? Can his crimes be linked to us," he asked.
The money laundering case stems from some Karnataka Police FIRs and chargesheets filed in a 2017 case of hacking of national and international websites, stealing of bitcoins and sale of these 'stolen' virtual digital assets (VDA) through crypto platforms by the alleged hacker Sriki and his associates.
The Nalapad brothers and Aqeeb Khan are alleged to be the beneficiaries of the proceeds of crime generated through this alleged crypto-linked crime, the ED said.
