'Let my building burn, justice needs to be served', owner of Indian eatery backs Minneapolis protest
Washington: Unfazed by the fire that burnt down his Indian restaurant amid raging protests over the cold-blooded murder of George Floyd, the owner of a popular Minneapolis eatery backs protestors, saying: "let my building burn, justice needs to be served".
Floyd, a 46-year-old African American restaurant worker, died in Minneapolis on Monday after a white police officer pinned him to the ground. Video footage showed the officer kneeling on Floyd's neck as he gasped for breath, sparking widespread protests across the US.
The officer has been fired, and on Friday was arrested and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter, the authorities said.
Gandhi Mahal Restaurant was severely damaged by fire as it was just doors away from the Third Precinct headquarters of the Minneapolis Police Department, which was set ablaze by protesters on Thursday night.
Unperturbed by the loss, Ruhel Islam, a 42-year-old Bangladeshi owner of the Indian restaurant, voiced his support for the protests that closed his family's "main source of income".
"Sadly, Gandhi Mahal has caught fire and has been damaged. We won't lose hope though, I am so grateful for our neighbours who did their best to stand guard and protect Gandhi Mahal. Your efforts won't go unrecognised. Don't worry about us, we will rebuild and we will recover," wrote Hafsa Islam, the 18-year-old daughter of Ruhel, in a Facebook post that has gone viral.
"As I am sitting next to my dad watching the news, I hear him say on the phone 'let my building burn, Justice needs to be served, put those officers in jail'. Gandhi Mahal may have felt the flames, but our firey drive to help protect and stand with our community will never die!" she said in the post that is winning hearts online.
Gandhi Mahal opened in 2008, during the Great Recession. Although Islam believes in nonviolent protest he named his restaurant in honour of Mahatma Gandhi he empathises with the frustration of many Minneapolis residents.
"I am going to continuously promote peaceful ways and nonviolent movement, but our younger generation is angry, and there's reason to be angry," Ruhel told The New York Times.
His family is respected in the locality for their community service. The restaurant has been a hub for interfaith efforts against climate change, and supports farmers and budding artists.
"We were just trying to do what we could to help our community. Sure, we had our business. Sure, we were trying to keep our kitchen open. But more than anything, we were concerned for our people," said Hafsa.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
