Meghalaya coal mine blast: Death toll climbs to 28
Shillong (PTI): The death toll in the illegal coal mine blast in Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills district has climbed to 28, with one more person succumbing to injuries at a hospital here, SP Vikash Kumar said on Monday.
"One injured person undergoing treatment at NEIGRIMS here succumbed today," the SP said, adding that the deceased has been identified as Raju Tamang.
The blast had occurred last week at an illegally operated coal mine in the remote Thangsku area of Mynsngat village.
Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma announced that the state government would order a judicial inquiry into the incident to ascertain the circumstances leading to the blast and fix responsibility.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Commissioner and the Superintendent of Police of East Jaintia Hills district deposed before the Meghalaya High Court in connection with the incident.
The High Court expressed distress over the occurrence of the blast and the continuing instances of illegal coal mining in the state, and sought details on the steps taken by the authorities to prevent such activities.
Eight others who were injured in the blast are still undergoing treatment at various hospitals, officials said.
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Bengal polls: RG Kar victim's mother files nomination as BJP candidate from Panihati
Kolkata (PTI): Ratna Debnath, mother of the raped-murdered RG Kar hospital doctor and the BJP candidate from Panihati, filed her nomination papers on Thursday.
She was accompanied by senior BJP leader and former Union minister Smriti Irani and district party leaders.
Speaking to reporters after filing her nomination, she said her sole aim is to oust the TMC regime in West Bengal, which, she alleged, would ensure women's safety in the state and prevent a recurrence of incidents like the RG Kar case.
Nearly a year and a half after the brutal killing of her 26-year-old daughter inside a locked seminar room of the state-run hospital in August 2024, Debnath agreed to contest the polls on a BJP ticket from her hometown Panihati after being approached by the party "to bring to light the truth behind the crime".
She is pitted against TMC's Tirthankar Ghosh and CPI(M)'s Kalatan Dasgupta.
