Sushma Swaraj assures all help to families of Indians killed in Ethiopian Airlines plane crash
New Delhi: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj Monday assured all help to the families of the four Indians killed in the Ethiopian Airlines plane crash and directed Indian missions in Ethiopia and Kenya to ensure assistance is provided to them.
Four Indians, including a UN consultant attached with the Environment Ministry, were among the 157 people killed when a Nairobi-bound Ethiopian Airlines plane crashed after taking-off from Addis Ababa on Sunday.
The deceased Indian nationals were Shikha Garg, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) consultant attached with the Environment Ministry, Pannagesh Bhaskar Vaidya and Hansini Pannagesh Vaidya and Nukavarapu Manisha.
Responding to a relative from the Vaidya family, Swaraj said: "I have spoken to the son of Mr Vaidya in Toronto. I am shocked you have lost six members of your family in air crash. My heartfelt condolences. I have asked Indian Embassy in Kenya and the India Embassy in Ethiopia to reach you immediately. They will provide help and assistance in respect of all your family members."
Replying to a tweet from a relative of N Manisha, the minister said she has asked the Indian High Commissioner in Nairobi, Rahul Chhabra, to provide them all help and assistance.
Swaraj said she is trying to reach the family of Shikha Garg.
"I have tried her husband's number many times. Please help me reach her family," she said.
The Boeing 737 crashed minutes after an early-morning takeoff from Addis Ababa, killing all eight crew and 149 passengers on board, including tourists, business travellers, and Garg, who was on her way to attend a United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) meeting.
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Rupali Chakankar resigns as NCP state women's wing chief
Mumbai (PTI): Under fire over her association with rape-accused 'godman' Ashok Kharat, NCP leader Rupali Chakankar on Friday resigned as the party's Maharashtra women's wing chief.
"Following a discussion over the phone with (NCP president and deputy Chief Minister) Sunetra Pawar this morning, I am tendering my resignation as state president of the Nationalist Congress Party's women's wing," she said in a post on X.
Earlier, Chakankar had stepped down as chairman of the Maharashtra State Commission for Women after her links with Kharat came to light.
In the letter shared on the social media platform, Chakankar said that she had clarified her stand on the Kharat case on the very first day, asserting that she had no direct or indirect connection with his financial dealings or alleged wrongdoings.
Her stand remains clear and firm, and the truth would emerge in the course of investigation, Chakankar added.
The allegations being levelled against her in the media without any evidence are "painful" but the truth would ultimately prevail, she said.
Kharat, who headed a temple trust at Mirgaon in Nashik district, was arrested on March 18 after a woman accused him of raping her repeatedly over three years. A total of eight FIRs have been registered against him since then.
Chakankar was a member of the temple trust.
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