No atrocity in Hathras, it was 'banavat' incident: BJP MP
Kondagaon: A BJP MP from Chhattisgarh has stoked a controversy by reportedly referring to the alleged gangrape and death of a 19-year-old Dalit woman in Hathras as a "banavat" (fake) incident, drawing flak from the ruling Congress.
Mohan Mandavi, who represents Kanker seat, had made these remarks during a protest held last week by his party in Kondagaon district over the alleged gangrape and suicide by an 18-year-old tribal woman in the Dhanora area.
"If there will a CBI investigation (into Dhanora case), similar incidents will be unearthed in every four to five villages (of Bastar in Chhattisgarh)...those who fabricate the false story of Hathras. No atrocity had occurred there.
".....'use banawati banakar, use atyachar banakar' (by making up the Hathras incident), senior Congress leaders have been visiting there where nothing has happened," Mandavi said while addressing a gathering, a video of which has been doing rounds of social media.
The BJP leader said atrocities have been taking place on tribals in Bastar.
"Why don't they (Congress leaders) come here? Why do they hide their faces? Where are so-called well-wishers of tribals have gone? Chief Minister (Bhupesh Baghel) should step down as they are not able to handle the situation here," he had said.
He later told local reporters that newspapers have reported that Hathras' incident was 'banawati' (fake).
"It is viral on twitter. That (Hathras) was a banavat incident while it (which occurred in Dhanora) was a genuine one. Therefore, we have staged a demonstration.
"The Congress stages protests for made-up incidents and not for genuine ones. Hathras is located miles away from here where no one has given us votes but the Congress has been going there for staging a dharna," the MP added.
Reacting sharply, the Congress said the MP's remarks reflect the mindset of BJP towards the Hathras incident.
"Mandavi's statement reflects the mindset of the BJP toward the Hathras incident. It has made clear that senior BJP leaders will only speak on the issues of only those areas where they have got votes.
"It is unfortunate that Mandavi went to media to substantiate his false statement," state Congress spokesperson Dhananjay Singh Thakur said.
Meanwhile, state BJP spokesperson Sanjeev Shrivastav has slammed Congress for adopting "double standards" over incidents of sexual assaults on women while "keeping mum" on the Dhanora incident.
"Recently, a minister in Chhattisgarh described the gangrape occurred in Chhattisgarh as a small incident while comparing it with Hathras incident, which shows shameful political thinking of the ruling party," Shrivastav said.
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Man arrested with Rs 2.54-crore heroin in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.
The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.
Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.
The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.
Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.
The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.
