Modi condoles Uttarakhand accident victims
New Delhi, July 1 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday expressed grief over the death of 45 people who were killed after a bus fell into a gorge in Uttarakhand's Pauri Garhwal district.
"Extremely saddened by the bus accident in Pauri Garhwal, Uttarakhand. My deepest condolences to the bereaved families," the Prime Minister's Office said in a tweet.
"I pray the injured recover at the earliest. Rescue operations are underway and authorities are providing all possible assistance at the accident site."
At least 45 people were killed after a bus fell into a 60-metre gorge in Uttarakhand at about 9 a.m., near the Queens Bridge on the Pipli-Bhaun road when the driver lost control of the 28-seater bus which was headed to Ramnagar from Bhaun.
Eight injured people were rushed to nearby medical facilities. Of the injured, four were in "very critical" condition.
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Lebanon pager blasts: Police verify Keralite's background; BJP leader demands his protection
Wayanad (Kerala) (PTI): Amid reports linking Rinson Jose, a Kerala native settled in Norway, to the probe into recent pager blasts in Lebanon, the Kerala police on Sunday confirmed a background check on his family, while a BJP leader referred to him as a "son of our nation" and demanded "protection."
"There is no case or investigation. Our special branch officials have carried out a background check. There is nothing new in it; such checks are conducted whenever similar news reports emerge," a police officer told PTI.
Another police official said that a "precautionary patrol" has been launched in the area near Mananthavady where his family resides following the reports. He said that his family has not requested police protection.
Rinson, who went abroad for a job a decade ago, is now a Norwegian citizen.
Meanwhile, BJP leader Sandeep G Varier called for protection for Rinson and his family.
"He is the son of our nation. He is a Malayali. At any cost, we must provide protection to Rinson and his family," Varier, a state committee member of the BJP, said in a Facebook post.
A relative of Rinson has said that he learned about the incident through the media.
His maternal uncle, Thankachan, said, "He grew up here in Wayanad and studied both here and outside Kerala. After completing his MBA, he left India 10 years ago. He had been studying abroad before joining a company. As far as we know, he is currently working for a company in Norway."
Rinson last visited Kerala in November of last year and left in January.
"We are not sure whether he runs his own business in Norway. His wife also works in Norway," Thankachan had told the media.
He said Rinson had called them two or three days before the news reports about him emerged.
"We are 100 per cent certain that he would not commit any wrongdoing," Thankachen had said.
He also appealed to the media not to put the family in a difficult position.
Asked about reports concerning a shell company being investigated by Norwegian authorities in connection with the Pager blasts, Thankachan responded, "Sorry, I have no information about that."
A neighbour of Rinson's family added, "There is nothing bad to say about him or his family. To us, their reputation is spotless.
