Comment on Bengalis during Gujarat poll campaign: Police case filed against Paresh Rawal
Kolkata: Actor Paresh Rawal, who had drawn severe criticism from various fronts for his comments on Bengalis while campaigning for the BJP in Gujarat, now faces a police case for his remarks.
Rawal had said during the campaign rally that the people of Gujarat could tolerate inflation, but would not tolerate ‘Bangladeshis and Rohingyas’ as neighbours. He had also used a term related to ‘cooking fish’, which further angered the Bengalis.
The Trinamool Congress in Bengal had lashed out for Rawal’s comments, while former MP and CPM leader Mohammad Salim filed a police complaint, reports NDTV.
The CPM leader wrote to the Taltala Police Station in Kolkata, urging the officials to file an FIR and also prosecute Rawal as his comments would generate an adverse opinion on the Bengalis.
"A large number of Bengalis reside outside the limits of the state. I apprehend many of them will be prejudicially targeted and affected because of the vicious remarks made by Paresh Rawal," Salim wrote to the police, adding that the actor should be charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including promoting enmity, intentional insult and public mischief.
Rawal attempted to explain his comments, with a qualified apology. His explanation, however, only fuelled the anger of the Bengalis, as he claimed that he was referring to the ‘illegal Bangladeshis and Rohingya’ when he used the word ‘Bengalis’.
Also, while many people have viewed it as a hate speech, some others called it ‘xenophobic dog-whistling’ against the Bangladeshis and the Rohingyas.
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Fire breaks out in residential building in east Delhi, nine killed
New Delhi (PTI): At least nine people were killed after a fire broke out in a residential building in east Delhi's Vivek Vihar early Sunday, officials said.
The incident was reported around 3.48 am at a four-storey building in Vivek Vihar Phase-I, following which police, fire and disaster management teams rushed to the spot.
According to the police, the blaze engulfed flats on the second, third and fourth floors of the building, prompting a large-scale rescue operation.
The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.
"Around 10 to 15 people were rescued from the premises during the firefighting operation. Two of them, who sustained minor injuries, were shifted to the Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital," a senior police officer said.
A total of 12 fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the flames, while teams from the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), traffic police and local police assisted in the rescue and evacuation efforts.
Police said the fire was brought under control after several hours.
The identities of the deceased are yet to be ascertained, and efforts are underway to determine the cause of the fire, police said.
Further investigation and proceedings are underway.
