Vehicle laden with over 900kg explosives found near Shimoga Airport
Shimoga: Two vehicles laden with explosives were found near Shimoga’s Sogane Airport on Monday. It is learned that the vehicles contained 904 kgs. of gelatine sticks, 3,267 detonators, and several explosive materials.
The TATA 407 vehicle had 36 boxes of gelatine sticks, while the pick-up vehicle contained 3,267 electronic detonators, 79 pieces of 9-meter axles, and 105 pieces of 3-meter axles, it is learned.
Upon receiving the information, Tunga Nagar Police reached the site and conducted an investigation. Subsequently, a bomb squad from Bengaluru arrived at the site and secured the explosives.
Where did the Explosives come from?
Shimoga Airport has a quarry on the site for its airport construction work. The rocks are exploded on site here, and the gravel is used for construction work. The explosives required for this were being supplied by the Explosive Supply Company in Chikkaballapur as per a contract. The company personnel had brought the explosives for exploding rocks. Since they had carelessly left the explosive-laden vehicle without supervision, this alarming situation is said to have arisen.
Why were they abandoned?
After the explosion that occurred at Hunasodu Quarry, certain restrictions were put in place to monitor the use and supply of explosives. In this regard, the Explosive Supply Company had sought the permission of the District Collector to supply explosives, but the DC then directed them to seek the approval of the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organization in Mangaluru. According to that, when the company proceeded to seek permission to transport explosives, the violation of rules on part of the Explosive Supply Company came to light. Due to this dilemma, the explosives were abandoned at the spot, it is learned.
When the information about the explosives in the vehicles was received by the Tunga City Police Station, Inspector Deepak led a team to investigate the site and took precautionary measures in this regard.
For transporting explosives far beyond the prescribed distance and leaving it in a dangerous position mid-way, a case has been registered against the Chikkaballapur Explosive Supply Company, the police revealed.
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Ruckus outside counting centre in Mamata's constituency, TMC claims entry of car with BJP flag
Kolkata (PTI): The counting centre at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's Bhabanipur assembly constituency witnessed a ruckus a day ahead of the counting of votes, with TMC workers alleging two cars bearing the BJP's flag were allowed entry to the compound where EVMs are kept.
The incident comes close on the heels of a four-hour-long sit-in by Banerjee in front of the same counting centre at the Sakhawat Memorial Girls School on Thursday night, alleging unauthorised entry of persons into the strongroom.
With the polling now over, the wrangling for power in West Bengal has turned into a battle of nerves between the incumbent TMC and the BJP. Workers and leaders of both parties have been keeping a steely gaze on the security of strongrooms across the state where the electoral fate of the candidates is sealed.
Despite expressing her confidence in a "landslide victory", Banerjee has repeatedly aired her apprehensions of "counting malpractice and EVM tampering ahead of the day of results".
On Sunday morning, TMC workers camping 100 metres from the counting centre alleged that two cars with BJP flags entered the premises and went near the strongroom.
"The CAPF personnel at the spot are not allowing any vehicle or person to enter the premises of the counting centre without valid identity proof. Then how come this car, which we have not seen in the past few days, was allowed entry? Once we protested, the central forces asked us to move 100 metres away," a TMC activist said.
The TMC claimed that while the police personnel posted there promised the vehicle would be removed from the spot, it remained there for some time.
A senior Election Commission official said the car was passing by the Harish Mukherjee Road, and after checking by security forces and police, it was allowed to leave as nothing objectionable was found in it.
On Thursday night, two counting centres, including one at Sakhawat Memorial Girls School in the city, witnessed high drama after TMC leaders alleged a lack of transparency and possible malpractice at the strongrooms housing sealed EVMs of the assembly polls, which concluded on April 29.
TMC leaders and candidates, Sashi Panja and Kunal Ghosh, held a sit-in outside the Khudiram Anushilan Kendra counting centre on Thursday evening, alleging unauthorised activities inside the strongroom amid the absence of TMC agents
In Howrah, TMC protested renovation work by the public works department at a place adjacent to the strongroom, and the EC stopped the work temporarily.
On Saturday, the ruling party filed a complaint with the poll panel, alleging unauthorised sorting of postal ballot covers at the EVM strongroom in Khudiram Anushilan Kendra.
Similar scenes were witnessed on Saturday outside the strongrooms at Asansol College in Paschim Bardhaman and the Barasat Government College in North 24 Parganas districts, where TMC workers held protests, alleging that CCTV cameras were switched off for several minutes.
The EC turned down all allegations, saying the surveillance cameras were working in an uninterrupted manner.
BJP spokesperson Sajal Ghosh told reporters that the people of Bengal were finding it "hilarious" that the TMC, "which used to win elections through unfair means and strongarm tactics" were now coming up with all sorts of "frivolous charges".
"Are they scared of losing?" he posed.
