RPG attack: Opposition parties in Punjab attack AAP govt, demand CM Mann's resignation
Chandigarh (PTI): Following a rocket-propelled grenade attack on a police station in Punjab's Tarn Taran district, Opposition parties on Saturday demanded Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's resignation and said it was the "direct result" of the AAP government's "apathy" in maintaining law and order.
On Friday night, a rocket-propelled grenade was fired at a police station in the border district and it hit the Saanjh Kendra adjoining the Sarhali police station on the Amritsar-Bathinda highway.
This is the second such incident in the state in seven months. In May, a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) was fired at the Punjab Police's Intelligence headquarters located in Mohali.
Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal on Saturday said the RPG attack was a direct result of the Aam Aadmi Party government's "apathy" in maintaining law and order.
He asked Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to realise the gravity of the situation and take some concrete measures.
"This is 2nd time in 6 months police building attacked with rocket launcher in Punjab. It's direct result of AAP govt's apathy in maintaining law & order & allowing narco-terrorism to raise its head again. @BhagwantMann should realise gravity of situation & take concrete measures," Badal tweeted.
SAD leader Daljit Singh Cheema sought Mann's resignation for "failing" to maintain law and order.
BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh alleged that the AAP government had completely failed in maintaining law and order.
Referring to the RPG attack and also the recent murder of a cloth merchant in Jalandhar, Chugh said Mann should seek an apology from the people of the state for "failing" in discharging his responsibilities.
Chugh asked Mann to resign if he was unable to maintain law and order in the border state.
Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring dubbed the incident "quite serious".
"Ominous signals. This is quite serious. Enemies of peace have the audacity to attack police stations. It does not portend well for Punjab. We have to fight against it together. Govt at the Centre and state have to take the lead. Can't take such threats lightly," he tweeted.
The AAP government has already been under fire over the murder of a cloth merchant by unidentified assailants in Jalandhar on December 7 and other crimes.
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MP boat tragedy: Death toll rises to 10 with recovery of one more body; 3 tourists still missing
Jabalpur (PTI): The body of a child was retrieved on Saturday evening from Bargi Dam in Jabalpur district of Madhya Pradesh, raising the death toll in the cruise boat tragedy that took place two days ago to ten, while search continued for three missing tourists.
The boat, operated by the state tourism department, capsized during a storm on Thursday evening with some of the survivors alleging negligence and safety lapses such as life jackets not being distributed in time.
The body recovered on Saturday evening was possibly that of six-year-old Viraj Soni, said Sub-Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP) Anjul Ayank Mishra.
"The identity will be confirmed after family members identify the body," he told PTI.
Kamraj, an employee of the Ordnance Factory at Khamaria, his five-year-old son Tamil, and another child Mayuram (5) who had come from southern India were still missing.
Authorities have arranged equipment to search deep waters of the dam and are getting a generator to facilitate diving operations, Mishra added.
Divers and disaster response teams have expanded the search radius to five km, he said.
Of the 41 identified passengers on board the ill-fated vessel, 28 were rescued, police said.
More than 200 rescuers, including around 20 Army divers airlifted from Agra, joined the search operation that resumed at 5 on Saturday morning. The operation, involving the National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force and local divers, was briefly affected at around 9 am due to strong winds, officials said.
Post-mortem examinations of nine deceased persons have been completed, Mishra said.
"Our priority is to search for the missing persons. We will also register a First Information Report in the case soon," he said.
Police said CCTV footage near the boarding point showed 43 people heading towards the boat while the identities of 41 passengers have been confirmed so far.
The state government on Friday ordered a probe into the tragedy and dismissed three crew members. It also banned operation of similar vessels in the state.
