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Hans India
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Rahul to visit Odisha in July
Bhubaneswar: Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi would visit Odisha in the second week of July to address a public meeting here, OPCC president Bhakta Charan Das said on Thursday. Speaking to mediapersons here, Das said Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge would visit the State along with Rahul. Both senior Congress leaders would participate in a public meeting in Bhubaneswar, he said. 'It was finalised that Rahul Gandhi will visit Odisha in the second week of July, any day after the Bahuda Yatra (July 5),' Das told reporters. A mega public meeting will be organised in Bhubaneswar with focus on rising crime against women and outbreak of diarrhoea in Odisha along with the party's 'Samvidhan Bachao Abhiyan', he said. It will be the first visit of the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha after the 2024 elections.
New Indian Express
13-06-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Congress accuses Odisha government of betraying people, issues charge sheet
BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) on Thursday issued a 23-point charge sheet against the BJP government on completion of its one year in the state alleging that it is marred by corruption, mismanagement and false promises. Releasing the charge sheet, OPCC president Bhakta Charan Das and other seniors leaders said the government was more focused on publicity and propaganda rather than actual governance during the period. The charge sheet titled 'Barsha Eka, Pratarana Aneka' (One year, many betrayals) alleged that the government's slogan of zero tolerance to corruption has turned out to be hollow. A deputy director of Enforcement Directorate (ED), the organisation which is used by the BJP government at the Centre to harass political opponents, was arrested by the CBI for taking bribe, it added. Alleging that several other promises made by the BJP in its 2024 election manifesto have not been fulfilled, the charge sheet said the party had announced that depositors who were duped by chit fund operators would get back their money within 18 months. But, nothing has been done. The government has not even been able to find out the documents in this regard, it added. The charge sheet also raised questions on the paddy procurement, citing discrepancies in the cutting and weighing process. Das demanded a thorough investigation into the matter. The OPCC president said the party will hold press conferences at all the districts headquarters to expose the BJP government's failure in the coming days. Criticising the government's celebration of its first anniversary, Das said Congress will step up its campaign to hold the government accountable and highlight its own vision for the state's development.
Global News
12-06-2025
- Global News
B.C. officer should get 7-day suspension for woman's plastic bullet death, hearing finds
A Victoria police officer who fired the 'less lethal' round into a smoky apartment that struck and killed a woman six years ago should be suspended for seven days without pay, a discipline hearing has concluded. Retired judge Wally Oppal ruled in May that Sgt. Ron Kirkwood committed misconduct under the Police Act in the Christmas Day 2019 incident that left 43-year-old Lisa Rauch dead. Oppal concluded that Kirkwood was a good police officer who had made an error during a difficult call, resulting in 'catastrophic circumstances.' 2:08 Hearing into Victoria police officer's actions in 2019 death of Lisa Rauch Firing three projectiles from the ARWEN, a so-called 'less-lethal launcher,' into a room with obscured visibility was 'reckless and unnecessary,' Oppal found. Story continues below advertisement The Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner (OPCC) ordered a public hearing into the death in 2023 on appeals from Rauch's family, who said they received inconsistent information from police and from the Independent Investigations Office (IIO) — B.C.'s civilian police watchdog. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy An IIO investigation had cleared police of criminal wrongdoing in the incident. The OPCC-ordered hearing heard that Rauch had been visiting a friend in the building and that the two had consumed alcohol and crystal meth before a fire broke out. Victoria police were called to reports that she was barricaded inside a suite and had threatened someone with a knife. The hearing heard that responding officers responded to smoke coming from the unit's window by entering the apartment, where Kirkwood fired three rounds from the ARWEN gun, striking Rauch in the head. 1:07 Vancouver police department shoot and arrest the wrong man She was knocked unconscious and never woke up. Story continues below advertisement Kirkwood told the hearing he believed Lisa posed a danger to others and that he fired the projectiles into the unit, believing he was aiming at her torso. In concluding Kirkwood had committed misconduct, Oppal ruled the sergeant should not have fired at Rauch with his vision obscured by smoke, and that that situation didn't justify potentially deadly force. He accepted that Kirwkood had not intended to kill Rauch, and that the officer felt genuine remorse. He also dismissed allegations that Kirkwood neglected his duty by failing to document his actions. A coroner's inquest into the death is still set to be scheduled in the coming months. — with files from the Canadian Press
New Indian Express
27-05-2025
- Climate
- New Indian Express
Odisha: Soil cave-in at tunnel 4 of Khurdha-Balangir rail line
BHUBANESWAR/BERHAMPUR : A soil cave-in at tunnel no 4 of the ongoing Khurda-Balangir rail project in Boudh district was reported on Monday after the area witnessed continuous rainfall for the last few days. No one was injured in the mishap. The incident happened in Adenigarh area of Harabhanga block in Boudh. The tunnel measures over 4 km in length and is one of the longest in the state. Sources said a minor part of soil overburden caved in at the site, causing a pit. The area around the tunnel has since been cordoned off to prevent further mishaps. The ECoR authorities termed it a minor soil cave-in and clarified it occurred due to loose soil following rain and there has been no impact on manpower or machinery due to the incident. They stated that this will in no way affect the overall progress of the project. 'All necessary safety measures are in place, and the project work continues as planned,' an official spokesperson of ECoR said. Meanwhile, president of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) Bhakta Charan Das blamed on lack was monitoring and said standard operating procedure (SOP) was not followed. Das said the responsibility should be taken by the railway minister in the case. He said that the Congress will send a fact finding team to the place tomorrow.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim sues former chief of staff for defamation
Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim has filed a lawsuit against two people, including his former chief of staff, over alleged defamatory comments that claimed he had been pulled over by police for driving under the influence and used his position to cover it up. According to a notice of civil claim filed in B.C. Supreme Court Friday, political strategist Kareem Allam, who had worked as Sim's campaign manager and chief of staff, told Alexander Tsakumis, a local businessman who is active on social media, that the mayor was pulled over by Vancouver police after driving while intoxicated, and officers let him go without being booked or cited for his actions. The claim says Allam told the story to Tsakumis in November 2023, less than a year after Allam was terminated as Sim's chief of staff, "with the intent that Mr. Tsakumis could publish the statements to others, including on the internet." It alleges Allam told a member of Sim's ABC Vancouver party that someone in the mayor's office told him that Sim had been pulled over by police for driving under the influence, and the mayor's office staffer and a VPD officer had "taken care of it." The suit claims Tsakumis posted a message on X on Nov. 23, 2023, accusing the mayor of driving drunk and using his influence to avoid consequences. It alleges Allam and Tsakumis made the comments "with malice, knowing them to be false, or in reckless disregard to the truth of the statements," and they "intended and expected" that others would republish the defamatory language. The suit says the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner (OPCC) investigated following Tsakumis's social media post, and the VPD's chief constable issued a report that concluded the OPCC investigation found "no objective evidence of an interaction between members of the VPD and [Sim]" as described in the post. It said the chief constable "further concluded the matter to be baseless and that Mr. Tsakumis irresponsibly used the platform to spread a rumour communicated to him by Mr. Allam." Speaking to CBC News Friday, Allam said he plans to "vigorously defend" himself. "It is a matter of public record that I was not the source of these rumours," Allam said. A spokesperson for Sim says the mayor will not comment on the lawsuit but confirmed its existence.
