Distraught families wait in anguish outside LNJP Hospital after Red Fort blast leaves several dead,
New Delhi (PTI) Hours after a high-intensity car explosion near the Red Fort killed at least eight people and injured 24 others, heart-wrenching scenes unfolded outside the LNJP Hospital on Monday night, as families waited anxiously for word on their loved ones.
Confusion and grief marked the atmosphere, with relatives alleging lack of information and mismanagement. Many said they were not being allowed inside to check on the victims.
Sudheer Sharma, a resident of Rohtas Nagar in Shahdara, said his son Ankush Sharma was critically injured in the explosion, battling for his life in the ICU.
"My son went to visit the Gauri Shankar temple with his friend Rahul Kaushik. While Rahul was sent home after stitches on his head, Ankush is fighting for his life," he said, adding that his son worked at a jewellery shop.
Zeeshan Ansari, brother-in-law of Dawd who sustained injuries in the blast, said, "He called me after the incident. We rushed here immediately, but have not been allowed to see him till now."
Mohammad Danish, cousin of Sameer Khan, an auto-rickshaw driver injured in the blast, said a stranger called him to inform him about the incident.
"Sameer is in the ICU. We still don't know how bad his situation is," Danish said.
Tahir Mohammad, a relative of Sameer, said, "The hospital staff is not allowing us to see him."
At one point, an elderly man was seen pleading with police and hospital guards to let him inside to check on his son.
He was finally allowed after a heated argument.
Some people said there was "complete mismanagement" at the hospital, with no clear communication as to where to go or which gate to enter.
"We just want to know if our family members are alive," one of them said.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah also visited the LNJP Hospital to take stock of the situation.
The blast, which occurred at 6.52 pm near the Red Fort traffic signal, gutted several vehicles and left multiple people critically injured.
Authorities said all major agencies -- Delhi Police, NIA, NSG and forensic teams -- are investigating the cause of the explosion.
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Odisha: Normalcy returns to violence-hit Malkangiri; internet services fully restored
Malkangiri (PTI): Normalcy returned to Odisha’s Malkangiri district on Monday, nearly a week after around 200 villages were damaged in violent clashes in a village, with the district administration fully restoring internet services, a senior official said.
Additional District Magistrate Bedabar Pradhan said internet services, suspended across the district on December 8 to curb the spread of rumours and misinformation following the clashes, were restored after the situation improved.
The suspension had been extended in phases till 12 noon on Monday.
The administration also withdrew prohibitory orders imposed under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita within a 10-km radius of MV-26 village, where arson incidents were reported on December 7 and December 8.
Though the violence was confined to two villages, tension had gripped the entire district, as the incident took the form of a clash between local tribals and Bengali settlers following the recovery of a headless body of a woman on December 4, officials said.
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The violence broke out after residents of Rakhelguda village allegedly set ablaze several houses belonging to Bengali residents, forcing hundreds to flee. The headless body of Lake Podiami (51), a woman from the Koya tribe, was recovered from the banks of the Poteru river on December 4, while her head was found six days later at a location about 15 km away.
Officials said the district administration held several rounds of discussions with representatives of the tribal and Bengali communities, following which both sides agreed to maintain peace.
Relief and rehabilitation work has since been launched at MV-26 village, with preliminary assessment pegging property damage at around Rs 3.8 crore.
A two-member ministerial team headed by Deputy Chief Minister K V Singh Deo visited the affected village, interacted with officials and locals, and submitted a report to the chief minister.
So far, 18 people have been arrested in connection with the violence, the officials said, adding that despite the withdrawal of prohibitory orders and restoration of internet services, security forces, including BSF and CRPF personnel, continue to be deployed to prevent any untoward incident.
On Sunday, Nabarangpur MP Balabhadra Majhi visited MV-26 and neighbouring Rakhelguda villages, and held discussions with members of both communities as part of efforts to rebuild confidence and restore peace.
More than two lakh Bengali-speaking Bangladeshis were rehabilitated by the Centre in Malkangiri and Nabarangpur districts in 1968, and they currently reside in 124 villages of Malkangiri.
