Joint operations to find 3 more missing victims of Ankola landslide continue: Centre tells K'taka HC
Bengaluru: The Central government has informed the Karnataka High Court that the bodies of seven people have been recovered, of the 10 people who went missing after a major landslide on the National Highway 66 at Ankola in Uttara Kannada district on July 16, following intense rainfall, and also stated that the joint operations in the area are still on, to find the three others.
Deputy Solicitor General H Shanthi Bhushan, who filed a status report before the High Court, said that, in response to a request by the district administration authority on July 17, the Indian Navy had deployed two IN diving teams on July 19 to work in coordination with the NDRF team to locate an LPG tanker. The diving teams were equipped with high resolution sonar to locate another truck and the persons missing after the mishap. In addition, a Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) team of the Indian Army was deployed for the work on July 21, the HC was told.
The status report was submitted with the petition filed by two advocates, Siji Malayil and Subhash Chandran KR, seeking deployment of the Indian Army personnel for the rescue operations.
The Supreme Court, in its order on July 22, rejected the petition under Article 32 of the Constitution, although it gave liberty to the petitioner to approach the Karnataka High Court and urge for immediate listing of the matter.
The residents of Ankola have said that at least one truck and three cars, which were affected by the landslide, are still under the load of mud that collapsed on the vehicles. On the first four days of rescue operations, however, the local authorities only focused on clearing the path with limited manpower and equipment and without considering the seriousness of the situation, they added.
The petition filed in the High Court states that the inactions of the Karnataka government and the concerned police officers to speed-up the operations had deeply frustrated the petitioners.
They sought a direction to the Karnataka government as well as the Central government for an expedition in the operation work to clear the entire debris and locate the stranded human beings and vehicles using scientific methods.
The next hearing of the case in the Karnataka High Court is scheduled for Wednesday, July 24.
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Delhi: Father, son held for killing 19-year-old woman in suspected honour killing
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi Police has arrested a man and his son for allegedly murdering his 19-year-old daughter in west Delhi's Hari Nagar area, an official said on Friday.
The case first came to light on April 1 after a PCR call was received around 2 pm, alleging that a woman had been killed by her family members and her body was being taken for last rites, he said.
The accused, identified as Mohammad Maneer (55), a vegetable vendor, and his son Meraj Ali (19), were arrested in connection with the case, the officer said.
The victim had been in a relationship with a man from her native place for the past two years, which was opposed by her father, Maneer and brother Meraj, he said.
"When the girl did not end the relationship despite objections, the family killed her," the officer said.
On April 1, the police said that when their team reached the spot, they found that the woman's body was being taken for burial.
Acting on the input, the burial process was stopped over suspicion of honour killing.
"Police intercepted the family members and took possession of the body," he said.
Police said that the man who had made the PCR told them that the woman was in love with his cousin.
During the inquiry, police also interacted with the PCR caller, who said his cousin, a friend of the deceased, had informed him about the situation and suspected foul play, prompting him to alert the police control room.
The body of the woman was subsequently shifted to the mortuary of Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital for preservation and postmortem.
Police said that both the crime team and the forensic science laboratory (FSL) team were called to inspect the scene and collect evidence.
Police said that, as per the postmortem report, the cause of death was identified as smothering, indicating that the woman was suffocated.
A preliminary inquiry also revealed that the family had initiated preparations for the last rites soon after the woman's death, raising suspicion about the circumstances.
Initial investigation pointed to the family's opposition to the woman's relationship.
"The family members of the woman saw her with the man, and she was taken back home. We got to know that she was beaten up and even locked inside the house for some days," a source said.
Further investigation into the matter is underway, police added.
