Vijayan condemns Assam CM''s alleged "point-blank" video
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday said he was "shocked" by a purported video posted on the 'X' account of the BJP's Assam unit that appeared to incite violence against a minority community, and called for a united resistance to what he described as "communal hatemongering".
The now-deleted video purportedly showed Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma taking aim with a rifle and firing a shot at two people, one wearing a skull cap and the other with a beard, with "point-blank shot" as the caption.
In a post on X, Vijayan said, "the video of Assam CM @himantabiswa is a shocking, direct incitement of violence against the Miya community."
"Such nefarious attempts to normalise hate for electoral gains are an affront to our Constitution," the veteran CPI(M) leader said.
He alleged that the "silence" of the BJP national leadership "confirms their complicity" in this divisive politics.
"Secular and democratic forces must unite to resist this communal hatemongering and protect the pluralist soul of India," he said.
Separately, in a Malayalam Facebook post, Vijayan said that standing at the doorstep of elections in Assam, a person holding a constitutional position was challenging the Constitution and spreading communalism in order to attract majority votes.
"How can a person who calls for genocide against minorities lead a state in a secular country," he asked.
Alleging that the national leadership of the BJP had so far been unwilling to rein in the Assam CM, Vijayan said: "The truth is that Himanta Biswa Sarma openly said what they hesitate to say publicly."
Meanwhile, the Assam Chief Minister on Monday expressed ignorance of the state BJP's video, which created a controversy and was deleted.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Bengaluru: Police seize Rs 8.19 crore worth of drugs from Jan 1 to Feb 7
Bengaluru (PTI): Police on Monday said they arrested 1,217 accused and seized narcotic substances worth Rs 8.19 crore during intensified anti-drug operations carried out between January 1 and February 7.
The cases included 109 against drug peddlers and 839 against drug users, with a total of 179 peddlers and 1,038 users arrested during the period, a statement said.
The seizures comprised 278.35 kg of ganja, 8.918 kg of hydro ganja, 2.493 kg of synthetic drugs, along with 509 tablets and 38 strips, it added.
As part of preventive measures, police verified 3,227 rowdies and 572 NDPS accused to monitor and prevent involvement in drug-related activities.
Police inspected over 8,000 establishments, including chemical factories, godowns, medical shops, pan shops, and other commercial outlets, to prevent the storage, transport, or sale of narcotic and psychotropic substances.
"These checks were aimed at preventing the misuse of legal establishments for storing, transporting, or selling narcotic and psychotropic substances," it further said.
The force reiterated its zero-tolerance approach toward drug trafficking, abuse, and illegal drug manufacturing, and urged the public to share information by calling 1908, 112, or contacting the nearest police station.
