West Bengal: At least eight drown in flash floods during idol immersion in Jalpaiguri
Jalpaiguri (WB) (PTI): At least eight people drowned and several others went missing after they were swept away in the Mal river due to flash floods during idol immersion on Vijayadashami here, a senior official said.
Four of the dead are women.
The incident took place around 8.30 pm on Wednesday when hundreds of people gathered on the banks of the Mal river to participate in the immersion ceremony.
"All of a sudden, flash floods struck and people were swept away. So far, eight bodies have been recovered and we have rescued around 50 people," Jalpaiguri District Magistrate Moumita Godara told PTI.
She said 13 people, who received minor injuries, were admitted to a nearby hospital.
"The search and rescue operations are underway and being carried out by teams of the NDRF, SDRF, police and local administration. The search operations have started downstream," she said.
State Backward Class Welfare Minister Bulu Chik Baraik, who is the MLA from the Mal Assembly constituency, feared that the death toll may increase.
"I was present at the spot when the incident happened. Several people were swept away and the water current was very strong. Hundreds of people were present when the incident took place. Several are still missing," he said.
Baraik and senior TMC leaders rushed to the spot to oversee the relief and rescue operations.
Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari requested the state administration to step up the rescue efforts.
"Saddening news coming from Jalpaiguri as flash flood in Mal river during Durga Puja immersion swept away many people. Few deaths have been reported till now. I request the DM of Jalpaiguri & @chief_west to urgently step up rescue efforts & provide assistance to those in distress," he tweeted.
flash floods
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.
Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan says he stands by his statement on Sanatana Dharma
Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 1: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday reaffirmed his statement cautioning against "organised efforts" to portray sage and social reformer Sree Narayana Guru as a proponent of Sanatana Dharma.
"I stand by what I have stated about Sanatana Dharma," Vijayan told a press conference here while reacting to a query about the mounting criticism from the BJP over his statement made during the Sivagiri pilgrimage conference held on Tuesday.
Inaugurating the conference in Sivagiri, Vijayan claimed that the Guru, who advocated "one caste, one religion and one God for people" had neither been a spokesperson nor a practitioner of the Sanatana Dharma but had reconstructed it and proclaimed a Dharma suited to the new age.
Reacting to Vijayan's statement, the BJP had alleged that the chief minister insulted Sanatana Dharma and followers of Sree Narayana Guru through his remarks in the holy land of Sivagiri.
"The crux of Vijayan's speech at the Sivagiri conference was that Sanatana Dharma should be hated. His remarks were a continuation of Udayanidhi Stalin's statement that Sanatana Dharma should be eradicated," senior BJP leader V Muraleedharan had said.
Reiterating his statement, Vijayan on Wednesday said whatever he had said is his stated position on Sree Narayana Guru and Sanatana Dharma.
"Sree Narayana Guru cannot be seen as an advocate of Sanatana Dharma. In fact, Guru played the lead role in rectifying it. You will come to know about it if you examine its history," the chief minister said.
