RCB stampede victim’s earrings ‘stolen during post-mortem’, alleges mother
Bengaluru, Jul 24 (PTI): The mother of a 14-year-old girl who died in the June 4 stampede near Chinnaswamy Stadium during the RCB victory celebrations has filed a police complaint, alleging that her daughter's belongings, including a pair of gold earrings, were stolen during the post-mortem.
Speaking to reporters after lodging the complaint on Thursday, Ashwini, mother of the deceased girl Divyanshi, said the earrings—gifted by the family—had deep emotional value and were missing when her daughter’s body was returned after the autopsy. The complaint was filed with the Commercial Street Police station in the city.
"She (Divyanshi) did not remove them for one year. They were gifted by our family. The earrings hold deep emotional value and I wanted to save those earrings as a keepsake," Ashwini said.
The woman alleged that despite approaching hospital authorities, including the dean, and visiting multiple police stations in the days following her daughter's death, she received no proper response.
"We tried filing a complaint with another police station, the hospital, and we had met the dean and others. They have agreed that the theft happened, but they didn't hand them over. It's not about the value of the earrings. We hold them dear as she was very fond of them," she said.
Commercial Street Police said a case has been registered under Section 303(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which pertains to theft.
"We are in the process of investigating the allegations," a police official told PTI.
The stampede on June 4 near Chinnaswamy Stadium claimed 11 lives and left several injured. The incident occurred during a victory parade organised by the Royal Challengers Bengaluru franchise after their successful IPL campaign, when a massive crowd gathered outside the venue, leading to a stampede.
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.
Odisha caste row ends; children return to anganwadi centre, consume food cooked by Dalit helper
Kendrapara (Odisha) (PTI): A three-month-long caste row at an anganwadi centre in a village in Odisha's Kendrapara district ended on Monday as upper caste children returned to the facility and consumed food cooked by a Dalit woman helper.
Of the 20 children on the roll, 16 came to the anganwadi centre in Nuagaon village under Ghalimala gram panchayat with their parents and accepted the food cooked by the helper, with the absentees reporting ill.
The anganwadi centre remained shut since November 21 last year, following the appointment of Sharmistha Sethy, a Dalit woman, as a helper, with several upper caste families refusing to send their wards to the facility or even accept nutritious food items supplied by the government for pregnant women and lactating mothers.
ALSO READ: Australia add Steve Smith as replacement for Hazlewood in T20 World Cup squad
The caste row triggered nationwide outrage, and the matter was even raised in Parliament, with Congress president and Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, voicing concern over caste discrimination in the workplace.
On Monday, Kendrapara Child Development Project Officer (CDPO) Dipali Mishra and Rajnagar MLA Dhruba Charan Sahoo were present at the anganwadi centre to welcome the children.
"I served ragi ladoos to the children. Later, I cooked rice and 'dalma' (vegetable curry) and served the children. Seeing them eat the meals made me overjoyed. They also played with toys, bringing back life to the centre, which was left deserted for around three months," Sethy said.
"I hope caste discrimination will not lurk its ugly head in the village anymore," she added.
CDPO Mishra said the children, flanked by their guardians, had joyous moments at the centre.
"The centre functioned sans the children for almost three months due to some villagers' disagreement over the appointment of Sharmistha Sethy as the anganwadi centre helper. Now, the vibrancy is back," Mishra said.
On the absentees, the CDPO said they could not join as they are not well.
"We hope the absentee children will come to the centre on Tuesday as the dispute has been resolved. People have decided to relegate the differences to the background. This is heartening," she added.
Rajnagar MLA Dhurba Charan Sahoo said, "The issue is now a thing of the past. I hope the camaraderie among the villagers will remain intact."
Taking to X, Kendrapara MP and BJP national vice president Baijayant Panda said, "Delighted at children having a nutritious meal today at the Nuagaon anganwadi which I had reviewed yesterday and had a wonderful lunch along with local leaders and villagers. It was heartening to see the community coming together to ensure great beginnings for their children."
Panda, who hails from the Brahmin community, and other upper caste villagers joined a feast where Sethy served food to the guests on Sunday.
State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR) member Sujata Nayak hailed the children's return to the centre and said the commission will launch an awareness drive aimed at safeguarding the rights of the children.
Kendrapara district sub-collector Arun Nayak had earlier said the matter was resolved in the presence of stakeholders, including members of the SCPCR and Odisha State Commission for Women, as the officials sensitised villagers on the matter.
