Seven killed, many injured as bus falls off bridge in Jharkhand
Ranchi, Sep 17: At least seven people were killed and many others injured after a bus carrying around 50 passengers fell off a bridge in Jharkhand's Hazaribag district on Saturday, police said.
The accident took place when the Ranchi-bound bus coming from Giridih district broke the railing of the bridge and fell into a dry spot in Siwanne River in Tatijharia Police Station area, Superintendent of Police Manoj Ratan Chothe said.
"Two passengers died on the spot and five others succumbed to their injuries. The fatality figures may go up as several are seriously injured," he said.
Several passengers were trapped inside the bus and they were rescued.
The damage could have been more had the bus fallen into water in the middle of the river, the officer said, adding an investigation is underway to ascertain the cause of the accident.
A DSP-rank officer and three police station in-charge were deputed to the spot to monitor the rescue operation, the SP added.
Mamta Saluja, a passenger who received minor injuries in the accident, said, "There were Sikh pilgrims in the bus going to a gurudwara in Ranchi's Ratu area to participate in a religious function."
President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the loss of lives in the accident.
"I am deeply saddened by the news of the death of people in a road accident in Hazaribag, Jharkhand. My heartfelt condolences to the families who lost their loved ones in this accident. I wish all the injured to get well soon," Murmu said.
Modi said, "Anguished by the loss of lives in the bus accident in Hazaribag district, Jharkhand. In this tragic hour, my thoughts are with the bereaved families. Praying that the injured recover soon."
Governor Ramesh Bais and Chief Minister Hemant Soren also condoled the deaths.
"Saddened by the deaths caused due to falling of a bus from a bridge in Tatijharia. May God give peace to the departed souls and strength to the bereaved families. I wish speedy recovery to the injured," Soren tweeted.
The Governor said in Twitter post, "Deeply saddened to hear about the news of deaths due to falling of a bus from a bridge at Tatijharia, Hazaribag. My deepest condolences to the bereaved families and wish the injured a speedy recovery."
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Marxism will remain relevant despite Left electoral's losses, says general secretary M A Baby
New Delhi (PTI): CPI(M) General Secretary M A Baby on Thursday asserted that the Left movement would remain relevant despite not being in power in any state, saying the ideology would continue to endure as long as social and economic inequalities persist.
Hitting back at BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar over his reported remarks that Marxism had become irrelevant, Baby, in an interview with PTI Videos, said, "So long as there is division in society, so long as there is exploitation of the majority of workers, peasants and ordinary masses by a handful of billionaires, Marxism will remain relevant."
"That perhaps Mr Rajeev Chandrasekhar may not be able to understand, but this is the fact of the matter," he said.
Baby acknowledged that the CPI(M)-led Left was currently without an elected government in any state, but maintained that electoral setbacks would not diminish the movement's role.
"We may not have an elected government in any state. There were occasions when we didn't have a government. But the red flag and the commitment to organise and struggle for the rights of the dispossessed, marginalised and exploited will always be upheld by CPI(M) and the Left movement," he said.
He said the Left continued to enjoy support among workers, peasants, agricultural labourers, youth, students and women, and argued that the movement remained necessary because "oppression and assault" continued in society.
"So long as such problems exist in society, the red flag and the working class movement will continue to work among the masses," the Left leader said.
Exuding confidence on the Left's revival, Baby said the party would reflect on the reasons behind its electoral loss.
"We may be rejected in one election, but we will stage our comeback by understanding what went wrong with us," he said, adding, "We will listen to people and we will come back with higher strength."
Baby also criticised the Congress over reported factional tensions in Kerala after the Congress-led United Democratic Front's victory in the state.
"The way they are behaving is being watched by the people of Kerala," he said, referring to infighting within the Congress.
"Those who have given a massive majority to Congress and UDF would be watching all this," he added, while urging party leaders to "settle the problem in an amicable, democratic manner".
Referring to West Bengal, Baby alleged that violence had escalated following the BJP's victory in the state assembly polls.
"It is quite unfortunate that the moment BJP snatched a massive victory in West Bengal, violence has also started on a big scale," he said.
He also accused the Trinamool Congress of being "notorious for violent activities" and alleged that the "RSS-controlled BJP" had "unleashed violence in many places" after the election results.
"This is not good for Bengal, not good for the country. We wish and hope that normalcy would be restored as soon as possible," he said.
Baby said the CPI(M) and the Left in West Bengal would continue efforts to "pacify people" and avoid violence and confrontation.
Asked about former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan not reacting publicly to the election results, Baby said Vijayan would respond "at an appropriate time".
