TMC delegation meets families of stampede victims in Asansol, assures help
Kolkata (PTI): A five-member TMC delegation on Sunday met the families of those killed in the stampede in Bengal's Asansol, and assured all possible assistance to them.
The delegation, led by state industry minister Shashi Panja, also extended financial help to the families.
Six people have been arrested for their alleged role in triggering a stampede on Wednesday during a blanket distribution programme of the BJP, which left two women and a 14-year-old girl dead and five injured.
Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, who had also attended the religious event, left before the blanket distribution initiative began.
The police had said that no permission was given for the blanket distribution programme.
The Mamata Banerjee government had earlier announced Rs 2 lakh as compensation for each of the families of the deceased, and Rs 50,000 for the injured.
Panja, during the visit, blamed local BJP leaders, including former Asansol mayor Jitendra Tewary and his councillor wife Chaitali, for the tragedy, stating that "they had distributed tokens for blankets among 5,000 people but the venue had space to accommodate just 500 people".
She flayed Adhikari for attending a religious event. "BJP leaders, in a bid to woo people and get votes, organised a programme with minimum concern for safety and security of human lives. Can they bring back the 14-year-old girl, and two other women whose deaths left their families shattered," she said.
The TMC team, also comprising ministers Babul Supriyo, Partha Bhowmik and Malay Ghatak, along with TMC state youth wing president Saayoni Ghosh, were seen consoling the relatives of the deceased.
"We are all there to help you. Our workers will be regularly on your side," Ghatak, the state's law minister, was heard telling the family members.
BJP leader Jitendra Tewary, however, criticized the Bengal's ruling party for "politicizing the incident".
"At this hour of grief, they are crowding residences of the bereaved families and disturbing their peace," he claimed.
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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.
