Landslide on Kedarnath route: Death toll climbs to five
Rudraprayag (U'khand) (PTI): Bodies of four more pilgrims, including three women, were recovered on Tuesday from the debris of a landslide that occurred on the Kedarnath highway, taking the toll in the incident to five, officials said on Tuesday.
The rescue operation, which was resumed at 5 am, concluded at 7.30 am, Ryudraprayag Superintendent of Police Akshay Konde told PTI.
The landslide occurred at Mankutiya along the five-km stretch between Sonprayag and Gaurikund at around 7.20 pm on Monday while a group of pilgrims was returning on foot from Kedarnath.
Traffic along the route had been restored only two-three days back after a 150-metre damaged stretch of the road was repaired. It had been demolished in a massive landslide on July 31 triggered by heavy rain.
Soon after the landslide on Monday, State Disaster Response Fund and National Disaster Response Fund personnel had launched a rescue operation and retrieved body of a pilgrim identified as Gopal (50) from Dhar in Madhya Pradesh besides rescuing three other pilgrims who were rushed to Sonprayag in an ambulance.
The injured pilgrims were identified as Jeewach Tiwari from Nepal, Manpreet Singh from West Bengal and Chagan Lal from Dhar district in Madhya Pradesh
The rescue operation hampered by continuing rain and prevailing darkness had to be suspended on Monday night.
As rescue efforts were resumed on Tuesday morning, bodies of four more pilgrims, including three women, were pulled out of the debris.
The pilgrims were identified as Durgabai Khapar (50) from Ghat district in Madhya Pradesh, Titli Devi (70) from Vaidehi village of Nepal's Dhanwa district, Saman Bai (50) from Dhar, Madhya Pradesh and Bharat Bhai Niralal (52) from Surat, Gujarat.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has expressed grief over the loss of lives in the incident.
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SC closes criminal proceedings against 30 Army officials in 2021 botched Nagaland operation
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Tuesday closed criminal proceedings against 30 Army personnel accused of killing 13 civilians in a 2021 botched operation to ambush militants in Nagaland's Mon district. It also said the case may be taken to its logical end if the Centre sanctions their prosecution.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and P B Varale also said the order will not prevent the Army from taking any disciplinary action against the personnel.
The Nagaland government in separate proceedings has challenged the denial of sanction to prosecute the Army personnel.
The apex court closed the proceedings on two separate petitions filed by wives of the personnel, including a major rank officer, who sought closure of the case lodged by Nagaland police.
The wives were seeking closure of the criminal proceedings on the ground that the state government has no jurisdiction to prosecute the personnel due to immunity granted under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA).
Their plea contended that prior sanction from the Centre was needed to initiate any legal proceedings against Army personnel if the area falls under AFSPA.
In April last year, the Central government had denied sanction to prosecute the Army men who were allegedly involved in the botched ambush at Oting in Mon district of the state.
The state government has moved the apex court challenging the denial of sanction to prosecute 30 Army personnel through a separate petition in which notice has been issued by a bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud.
The Nagaland government has contended that it has clinching evidence against the Army personnel, including a major, and yet the Centre has arbitrarily denied sanction to prosecute them.
In July 2022, the top court had stayed prosecution of the Army personnel belonging to a special forces on the pleas from their wives, who claimed their husbands were being prosecuted without the state obtaining mandatory sanction for prosecution.
