Nagamangala violence: Home Minister warns merciless action against those taking law into their hands
Bengaluru(PTI): Warning merciless action against those taking law into their hands, Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Friday said the situation in violence-hit Nagamangala town is peaceful, and an inquiry is on.
He said the government will consider giving compensation to those, whose livelihood has been affected due to the incident, as he hit out at the opposition parties for "politicising" the episode.
Clashes broke out between two groups during a Ganesha idol immersion procession at Nagamangala in Mandya district, following which mobs went on a rampage targeting several shops and vehicles leading to tension on Wednesday night.
"(A Police) Inspector has been suspended, as he had slightly altered the given route (of the procession). It is his responsibility. We had told police staff and officials across the state that if any incidents take place in their respective jurisdiction they will be held responsible. As negligence was found on the part of the Inspector, he has been suspended," Parameshwara told reporters here.
He said an inquiry is on against the Deputy Superintendent of Police and other officials; senior officials have been asked to submit a report on the "factuals" and, based on it, further action will be taken.
"We have sought for a report after inquiry about the incident that took place. Now the situation is under control. IG (Inspector General of Police) and other senior officials are camped there, and are monitoring the situation to ensure that nothing happens further. Now the situation is peaceful and a peace meeting is being held," the Minister added.
Asked whether violence was pre-planned, Parameshwara said a probe has been ordered and once the report comes, things will be known.
"....I want to make it clear that we will not allow anyone to take law into their hands, whoever it is whether it is Ganesha festival or any other festival if anyone indulges in creating unnecessary confusion or unrest, will not let them and take merciless strict action against them in accordance with law," he added.
Asked about compensation to those whose shops were targeted and livelihood was affected due to the incident, Parameshwara said, based on the report the government will discuss and consider it.
"During such a situation, to give compensation there are rules, we will consider it," he said.
Rejecting allegations of government indulging in appeasement politics leading to such incident, the Minister: "We don't need to such things (appeasement)."
As for opposition's criticism against him and demand for his resignation for terming the incident as "accidental", he said: "We can't do anything if our words are twisted and used for your own benefits, we have a responsibility. I'm functioning as Home Minister of the state responsibly, I don't need their certificate. We are not sitting in the positions we hold being irresponsible. We are doing our job and continue to do so."
Questioning as to why he or the government should defend the incident that has happened, Parameshwara said: "We will take action against those responsible for the incident in accordance with law. Already 52 people have been arrested....they (opposition) are twisting and turning Kannada language and are saying Parameshwara said so, he called it a minor incident, I too know all these things."
Noting that he had requested the opposition not to do politics on the issue, he said: "if they still want to do politics, let them do, don't we know how to handle it ?".
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
