Bengaluru, Oct 4: Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao's wife Tabassum Rao on Friday lodged a complaint with the state women's commission against the social media cell of the BJP's Karnataka unit for alleged derogatory comments against her in a social media post.

The BJP locked horns with the Minister for his statement on October 2 claiming that Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar used to eat beef. In a post on 'X' on Thursday, the BJP had asked: "Honourable @Dineshgrao, did your father Gundurao of Brahmin community tell you that Veer Savarkar, a Brahmin, used to eat beef or your wife Tabassum of Muslim community told you?"

Taking objection, Tabassum alias Tabu said on 'X', "Filed a complaint with Karnataka Women's Commission against BJP for their continuous derogatory and communal statements against me, despite not being in active politics. Attacking a woman is petty. Women deserve respect, not abuse."

In her complaint she said, "As the wife of Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, I have been subjected to unwarranted attacks and communal references, simply because of my marriage and my Muslim faith." She said she has already filed a defamation suit against BJP leader Basanagouda Patil Yatnal for his derogatory comments in the past.

"Unfortunately, this has become a routine with BJP leaders and their social media handles targeting me repeatedly," Tabassum alleged. "As someone not involved in politics, I find it reprehensible that my personal life and community are being dragged into the political arena. It is unacceptable to target family members of politicians simply because of their relationship," the Minister's wife said. She requested the Commission to take strong action against the office-bearers of the state BJP and those handling their social media accounts for making "derogatory comments against her, damaging her reputation and causing emotional distress."

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Bhopal (PTI): The effects of poisonous gases that leaked from the Union Carbide factory in Madhya Pradesh's Bhopal 40 years ago were seen in the next generations of those who survived the tragedy, a former government forensic doctor has said.

At least 3,787 people were killed, and more than five lakh were affected after a toxic gas leaked from the pesticide factory in the city on the intervening night of December 2 and 3, 1984.

Speaking at an event held by organisations of gas tragedy survivors on Saturday, Dr D K Satpathy, former head of the forensics department of Bhopal's Gandhi Medical College, said he performed 875 post-mortems on the first day of the disaster and witnessed 18,000 autopsies the next five years.

Sathpathy claimed Union Carbide had denied questions about the effects of poisonous gases on unborn children of women survivors and said effects would not cross the placental barrier in the womb in any condition.

He said blood samples of pregnant women who died in the tragedy were examined, and it was found that 50 per cent of poisonous substances found in the mother were also found in the child in her womb.

Children born to surviving mothers had the poisonous substances in their system, and this affected the health of the next generation, Sathpathy claimed and questioned why research on this was stopped.

Such effects will continue for generations, he said.

Satpathy said it was said that MIC gas leaked from the Union Carbide plant, and when it came in contact with water, thousands of gases were formed, and some of these caused cancer, blood pressure and liver damage.

Rachna Dhingra of Bhopal Group for Information and Action said Satpathy, who carried out most autopsies, and other first responders in the 1984 disaster, including the senior doctors in the emergency ward and persons involved in mass burials, narrated their experiences during the event.

Rashida Bee, president of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmchari Sangh, a poster exhibition covering every aspect of the disaster will be held till December 4 to mark the 40th anniversary of the tragedy.

An anniversary rally will be organised, with focus on global corporate crimes such as industrial pollution and climate change, she said.