TN CM expresses shock over BSP leader Armstrong's murder
Chennai (PTI): Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Saturday expressed shock over the murder of Bahujan Samaj Party Tamil Nadu president K Armstrong and said those involved in his killing have been arrested in a midnight operation.
The chief minister said he was shocked and anguished over Armstrong's death.
The 52-year-old BSP leader was hacked to death by a six-member bike borne gang near his house in Perambur here on Friday.
"The police have arrested those involved in his murder in an overnight operation," Stalin said in a post on 'X'.
The chief minister said he had ordered the police to conduct the investigation expeditiously and ensure that the culprits are punished according to law.
"I would like to convey my deepest condolences and sympathies to the bereaved family and friends," he said.
At least eight suspects have been secured in connection with the murder of the BSP state president, a senior police official said.
The police have formed 10 teams to crack the case, Asra Garg, Additional Commissioner (North) told reporters late on Friday.
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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.
