Congress demands Gohain's ouster as Minister over rape charges
New Delhi, Aug 11 : The Congress on Friday demanded dismissal of Union Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain as a case of rape was registered against him in Guwahati.
"(Prime Minister Narendra) Modiji, you have failed the test not once, not twice, not thrice, but almost a dozen times. Again there is a rape FIR against one of your Cabinet colleagues, Gohain," Congress leader Pawan Khera said addressing a press conference here.
He said that if PM Modi does not act now, then he would lose the moral authority to stay in the office even for a day.
"Remove him from his office. You can't allow him to be in a position of power and influence during the investigation. Please remove him if you meant anything that you promised before 2014," he said.
"We demand from this government, from Modi, from (BJP President) Amit Shah to take immediate and strict action against rape accused Minister Gohain," he said.
The Congress leader's remarks came after a woman in Assam filed a case of rape with the Assam Police against Gohain.
Referring to the cases of rape in which Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders were allegedly involved, Khera mentioned the case of Unnao district in Uttar Pradesh and said: "We saw you were standing with the rapists of Unnao."
Khera was referring to BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Senger, who has been charged for rape by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The Congress leader also questioned Modi's silence on the Muzaffarpur shelter home rapes. "Your own government is there in alliance with (Bihar Chief Minister) Nitish Kumarji."
Khera also questioned Modi's silence over his party's state ministers coming out in support of the rape accused in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua.
Slamming Modi, he said: "Last week, we saw reports from Deoria, from Pratapgarh, and again you remained quiet."
"These are the same people who used provocative and emotionally charged slogans to woo the people of the country before 2014. And now, their Cabinet ministers are being charged with sexual assault and rapes, yet they maintain silence and action is hardly taken against those involved in such cases," Khera added.
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Kerala govt to declare as ''dead'' people missing in Wayanad landslide
Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 15 (PTI): The Kerala government has decided to declare as ‘deceased’ the people who went missing in the devastating landslide in Wayanad last year which will help provide compensation to their families.
The decision comes as a huge relief to the kin of people who were reported missing in the disaster.
As per a government order issued on Tuesday, local, district and state level committees will be formed including revenue department officials to examine the list of missing people.
The local level committee includes the panchayat secretary, village officer and station house officer of respective police stations. The committee will prepare a list of missing people and submit it to the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) for scrutiny.
The DDMA will examine the list and forward it to the state-level committee with its suggestions. The state level committee, comprising additional chief secretary (home) and principal secretaries of revenue and local self-government, will examine the list and forward it to the government, the order said.
The government will subsequently issue an order declaring them as dead and providing ex-gratia to their close relatives.
According to official record, 263 people were dead and 35 people were reported missing in the landslides that occurred on July 30 last year. The order directs the local level committee to closely examine the FIRs filed in connection with the missing people in the respective police stations.
The tahsildar or sub-divisional magistrate should conduct a detailed enquiry about the missing person and the findings will be published on the official website and government gazette.
A 30-day period will be given for filing any objections, after which the list of missing people will be published and death certificates issued to their immediate relatives, the order said.
