Anekal fire: Most victims were students who were trying to support their education, says CM
Bengaluru(PTI): Most of the 14 persons killed in the cracker shop blaze near here were poor students who worked during the holidays to support their education.
Official sources said six of the deceased were Class XII and undergraduate students. One person has been arrested in connection with the tragedy that happened on Saturday.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday said most of those who were killed in the fire tragedy in the cracker godown-cum-shop in the border town of Attibele in Bengaluru urban district were students.
According to him, the victims hailed from Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri districts in neighbouring Tamil Nadu.
"Most of those who died were students who worked during the holidays to earn money for their studies. Barring the manager, none was a permanent employee," the chief minister told reporters after inspecting the spot.
He also met the bereaved family members and expressed his sorrow.
The young boys came from a very poor background who worked on holidays to fund their education and support their families, the sources said.
The chief minister said the families which lost their near and dear ones in the fire mishap will be given a compensation of Rs five lakh each.
"It's a major tragedy where 14 people have lost their lives. We will get it investigated and initiate action against those at fault. My condolences to the bereaved family members and pray for the departed souls to rest in peace," Siddaramaiah said.
The chief minister further said that the government will bear the medical expenses of the three injured undergoing treatment in a hospital.
He said a CID inquiry has been ordered into the incident.
"Yesterday, a truckload of crackers arrived from Tamil Nadu at about 3 pm. It is still not known how the crackers caught fire. The preliminary investigation by officers revealed that adequate precautionary measures were not followed," Siddaramaiah said.
Nowhere the fire safety tools were deployed, the chief minister said adding, the carelessness of the licence holder is very much evident.
The chief minister said the licence holder, Ramaswamy Reddy, had renewed the licence on September 13 to sell crackers till October 31. He had another trade licence which would expire on January 28, 2026. Whether the godown was authorised or not has to be investigated, he added.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said a policy would be introduced to ensure that there is no such fire tragedy due to crackers in the state.
He said during Deepavali, huge quantities of crackers are stocked.
"The government has given direction to the police and the district administration to inspect all the cracker warehouses to ensure that such incidents do not occur anywhere," he said.
Police have registered an FIR in this connection.
Ramaswamy Reddy, is among the injured and is undergoing treatment. His son has been taken into custody, police sources said.
While 12 died on the spot, two others succumbed to their injuries in the hospital.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami and other leaders condoled the death of those killed in the fire accident.
Stalin announced a cash relief of Rs 3 lakh each to the kin of the deceased.
In a statement, he said he has deputed his cabinet colleagues R Sakkarapani and Ma Subramanian to oversee the treatment requirements of the injured and coordinate steps for their transfer to Tamil Nadu, as may be the requirement.
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Attempt to shield 'infiltrators': BJP ahead of Cong's rally against 'vote theft'
New Delhi (PTI): Ahead of the Congress' rally over the "vote theft" issue, the BJP on Sunday alleged that the main opposition party was holding the event in its bid to "protect infiltrators" from being removed from the electoral rolls.
The ruling BJP asserted that the Congress will not succeed in its design of misleading people as well as "insulting and defaming" constitutional institutions, because the entire world knows that India's democracy is "very robust".
Stepping up its campaign against the alleged "vote theft" by the BJP in elections, the Congress has organised a rally at the Ramlila Maidan here on Sunday that will be attended by the party's top leaders, including general secretaries Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, K C Venugopal, Jairam Ramesh, and Sachin Pilot.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Rahul Gandhi are expected to address the gathering. Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi is also likely to be present at the event.
Ahead of the event, BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra said the Congress was holding the rally even as Union Home Minister Amit Shah "exposed" the opposition through his point-by-point rebuttal to their "fabricated" allegations during a debate on electoral reforms during the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament.
"This shows that you do not have truth in your hand, yet you are trying to create an atmosphere of confusion. The Congress' rally is an exercise to protect 'ghuspaithiyas (infiltrators)'. This is what the Congress is doing," the BJP MP told reporters here.
"The Congress party may try all it wants to mislead the people as well as insult and defame our constitutional institutions. But, the entire world knows that India's democracy is very robust and it cannot be shaken," he added.
The BJP leader accused the Congress of holding the rally to pursue its "appeasement politics" and dared Rahul Gandhi to challenge the Bihar assembly polls if he felt that there was any irregularity.
"Rahul ji, you still have perhaps 10 days left in your hands. You can still file a complaint if you feel that there was any irregularity (in the poll process) in any of the seats in the Bihar assembly polls," Patra said.
