1984 anti-Sikh riots verdict: Sack Kamal Nath, Sambit Patra demands in Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Dec 17: Hailing the conviction of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in a 1984 anti-Sikh riot case, the BJP Monday demanded the removal of Kamal Nath as Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister who they alleged was involved in the riots.
The demand came on a day when Nath took oath as the state's 18th chief minister, while Kumar was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Delhi High Court.
"The way Delhi High Court verdict has come indicting Sajjan Kumar, it is very clear that it is not an order against Sajjan Kumar but an order against the Congress party," BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra told reporters here.
"Look at the double face of the Congress party. Only today the Congress has made him (Kamal Nath) the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh. Rahul Gandhi should immediately remove him from his position," Patra added.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader alleged that the Nanavati Commission, constituted by the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to probe the riots, had named Nath with evidence.
Patra also sought Rahul Gandhi's resignation as the party president as the judgment was also against the Congress, which, he alleged, had shielded the accused for decades.
While Sajjan Kumar has been imprisoned for life, "Gandhi has been imprisoned in his own conscience as it will continuously prick him all through his life, that his party members massacred thousands of Sikhs and he kept quiet," he said.
"I want to tell Rahul Gandhi to listen to your conscience and resign as the Congress chief," Patra demanded.
On the issue of Rafale fighter jet deal, Patra said truth had triumphed after the Supreme Court set aside the PILs challenging the deal between India and France for procurement of 36 fighter jets.
The BJP leader said the PILs were "Politically Inclined Litigations".
"Rahul Gandhi has lied through his teeth on the Rafale issue. The three Supreme Court judges in their 29-page judgment have categorically concluded that they did not find any reason for any intervention by the court after its findings in all three aspects and having heard the matter in detail," Patra said.
The three allegations, Patra said, were faulty pricing, faulty procurement and commercial favouritism benefiting industrialist Anil Ambani.
Patra said the three charges were rejected by the top court which also examined the pricing details and did not find anything wrong.
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Virudhunagar firecracker unit blast: Toll climbs to 25, Rs 5.5 lakh ex gratia announced
Virudhunagar (Tamil Nadu) (PTI): With most bodies charred beyond recognition, identification remains difficult, police said on Monday, as the toll in the massive explosion at a fireworks unit near Kattanarpatti here rose to 25.
The Virudhunagar district administration has announced Rs 5.5 lakh ex gratia to the kin of deceased.
The accident is one of the deadliest industrial disasters in the region in recent years.
"Bodies were so badly charred that we were able to identify mostly with jewellery that the victims were wearing," a police official told PTI.
He said that the families have not yet claimed the bodies due to the uncertainly in the identities.
The factory owner is absconding, he added.
The accident occurred at the Vanaja firecracker unit, owned by one Muthumanickam, which functions under the Vachakarapatti police station limits.
The unit is reportedly licensed by the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO), Nagpur.
Post-mortem reports have established that the 25 victims, include 22 women and three men, the police official added.
Eight workers, mostly women, are critically injured with 60 per cent burn injuries. Twelve others, including eight policemen, were injured in a second blast on Sunday evening while rescue operations were underway.
Rescue operations were severely hampered for hours, as unexploded materials continued to detonate.
A second blast at 7.20 pm, triggered as an earthmover was clearing debris, caused chaos and injured several responders, including a revenue official.
Meanwhile, sources said about 1,000 people, including the families of the victims and residents of nearby villages, are threatening a road roko, demanding the arrest of the owner of the factory.
Local eyewitnesses, including Ranganathan from the nearby Seervaikarampatti village, described hearing a massive blast that sent "thick black smoke" into the sky.
"Nothing was recognisable. We saw bodies being loaded four at a time into vehicles," he told PTI Videos.
Many of the deceased were from Seervaikarampatti village, with residents claiming that at least 20 victims belonged to their village.
Among those killed was 46-year-old Indrani, a veteran worker of 25 years.
"My mother was the sole breadwinner. My father is disabled and stays home. I have an MSc degree, but I’m working at a petrol bunk to help out, and we haven't even paid my brother's school fees yet," said Madhubala, Indrani’s daughter, while pleading for government employment assistance.
Virudhunagar Collector N O Sukhaputra confirmed that the unit was operating without permission on a rest day.
Preliminary findings suggest the blast originated in a chemical mixing shed, where nearly 40 workers were busy making crackers, a violation of safety norms that typically limit occupancy to four workers per shed.
"Had these workers followed primary safety norms, the casualties could have been minimal," a senior official stated.
Chief Minister M K Stalin has ordered a high-level probe and directed ministers to oversee relief efforts.
The tragedy follows a similar accident in Vembakottai just days earlier, which claimed four lives, intensifying calls for stricter enforcement of safety regulations in the district’s firecracker hub.
The explosion occurred at approximately 3.15 pm on Sunday. Although the fireworks industry is officially shut on Sundays, over 100 workers were reportedly engaged in production.
Later in the day, Sukhaputra said Rs 5.5 lakh ex gratia each has been finalised for the families of 25 persons killed in the explosion.
Speaking to PTI Videos, he said the ex gratia cheques are ready for immediate distribution to the legal heirs.
"Out of 25 deaths, we have finished conducting post-mortems on 22 bodies. Already we have cheques (that) are ready,” Sukhaputra said.
The announcement followed intense demands from grieving relatives for financial security and government employment.
