Dharwad: Magisterial probe ordered in building collapse as toll touches 12
Dharwad, Mar 21: Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy Thursday ordered a magisterial inquiry into the Dharwad building collapse, as the toll rose to 12 with five more bodies being pulled out from the debris.
Police also arrested the building's design engineer Vivek Pawar while four other accused are at large including the relative of former Karnataka minister Vinay Kulkarni, police sources said.
On the third day of rescue operation, bodies of five people, including that of eight-year-old Divya Unakal, Dakshayani (45) and Sangamesh (42), were retrieved from the rubble, police said.
Kumaraswamy said at least 12 people had lost their lives and 54 people had been rescued, with fears that 14 more were still trapped.
"A magisterial inquiry has been ordered. If required, the government is ready for high level inquiry," Kumaraswamy told reporters after visiting the spot and speaking to the relatives of the victims and injured.
Kumaraswamy said he cannot announce any compensation since the model code of conduct for Lok Sabha polls was in place but he has entrusted the chief secretary to announce adequate compensation to the next to the kin of the deceased and injured.
Anger and frustration were palpable as more bodies were retrieved from the accident site with loud wails of relatives.
Locals sought to know how the civic agencies turned a blind eye to sub-standard materials being used for the construction, though everybody was apprehensive about the strength of the four-storey building.
Earlier the BJP MLA from Hubballi-Dharwad central and former Karnataka chief minister Jagadish Shettar visited the spot and took the stock of the situation.
He had demanded Rs 10 lakh to the families of the victims.
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2 detained after comment over wedding procession to Dalit house sparks clash in UP's Shahjahanpur
Shahjahanpur (UP) (PTI): Two persons have been detained after a clash broke out allegedly over remarks targeting a Dalit family's wedding procession in Uttar Pradesh's Shahjahanpur district, police said on Saturday.
The incident occurred in Lai Kheda village under Tilhar police station area, where a wedding procession from Bareilly had arrived at a Dalit household on April 20.
According to SP Saurabh Dixit, when the procession was near the house of Rajpal Yadav, he allegedly made a remark saying "Now, Dalits will also take out wedding processions riding a buggy", leading to an argument. Yadav's side allegedly turned aggressive, escalating the conflict further.
Police said a scuffle ensued between the two sides. Upon receiving information, police personnel reached the spot and ensured that the procession was conducted peacefully after the incident.
An FIR was registered on Friday against Rajpal Yadav, Sumit, Amit, Surendra, Avdhesh Yadav and five unidentified persons based on a complaint. Rajpal Yadav and his son Sumit have been taken into custody and are being questioned, Dixit said.
The case has been registered under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023 and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, police said.
Dixit said preliminary findings suggest that Yadav, too, was hosting a function and processions from both sides had arrived around the same time. A dispute may have initially arisen due to a narrow passage and attempts to move the processions quickly.
Police have registered the case under relevant sections of the BNS and initiated further probe, officials said.
