Mhow, Jan 27: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday accused the RSS and BJP of betraying the nation, claiming they were responsible for Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination.

Kharge made these remarks at the Congress’ “Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidhan” rally in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh, the birthplace of Dr B. R. Ambedkar, the architect of the Indian Constitution.

During his address, Kharge criticized the BJP and its ideological parent, the RSS, for questioning the patriotism of opposition parties. He cited historical statements by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Jawaharlal Nehru following Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination in 1948.

Quoting Sardar Patel, Kharge alleged, “Sardar Patel had remarked that the RSS’ celebration of Gandhi’s assassination made it evident that they were responsible. He even advocated for banning the organization.”

Kharge further referred to former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, stating, “Nehru was deeply disturbed by Gandhi’s assassination and said that the communal forces behind this heinous act must be eradicated.”

The Congress president argued that these statements from two towering leaders of India highlighted the RSS’ lack of contribution to the country’s freedom struggle. Instead, he accused the organisation of killing a man who dedicated his life to the nation.

“This is what Nehru and Patel believed about the RSS,” Kharge said. “Yet, BJP leaders fabricate stories of differences between the two to suit their narrative.”

Kharge also warned of the dangers of continued BJP and RSS dominance, claiming they are dividing society along religious lines.

“If this continues, Dalits and Adivasis will face further marginalization, even being barred from entering temples,” he said. “Dalits and Adivasis must remember that their rights come from the Constitution, and they must not fall into the BJP-RSS trap.”

Kharge said, “We all have faith in religion, but we will not tolerate it if the poor and underprivileged are exploited in the name of religion.”

Jammu, Jan 27: Four Army soldiers were injured on Monday in a road accident in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district, officials said.

Officials added that an Army vehicle skidded off the road at Gantar Morh in the Sunjian area of Poonch and overturned after dropping into a ditch.

“The injured soldiers were immediately evacuated with the help of local people and shifted to hospital for treatment,” officials said.

On December 24 last year, five soldiers were killed and eight injured in a road accident in Poonch district when an Army vehicle skidded off the road and dropped into a deep gorge.

The Army and the security forces have increased vigil along the Line of Control and the hinterland after terrorists carried out some terrorist attacks in the last quarter of 2024.

On October 20, 2024, two terrorists entered the worker’s camp in Gagangir area of Ganderbal district.

Seven civilians, including six non-local workers of an infrastructure company and a local doctor were killed in that attack.

One of the two terrorists involved in Gagangir attack was later killed by the security forces in Harwan area of Srinagar.

On October 24, 2024, terrorists ambushed an Army vehicle in the Botapathri area of Gulmarg, killing three Army soldiers and two civilian porters.

On November 2 last year, terrorists hurled a grenade at the busy Sunday Market near the tourist reception centre in Srinagar, killing a 42-year-old mother of three children and injuring 11 other civilians.

The Jammu and Kashmir Police later arrested the terrorist associates, who had hurled the grenade. They belonged to the Ikhrajpora locality of Srinagar city.

All these attacks were carried out by the terrorists after peaceful, people-participative Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir.

Intelligence agencies believe that the handlers of terrorism sitting across the border in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir directed terrorists to carry out those attacks after getting unnerved by the people’s participation in the democratic process in Jammu and Kashmir.

Kolkata, Jan 27: The parents of the woman doctor of R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, who became a victim of ghastly rape and murder within the hospital premises in August 2024, made it clear on Monday that they are seeking punishment not just for sole convict Sanjay Roy but also for all those who were involved in the crime.

The victim’s father said they are not seeking capital punishment for Sanjay Roy right at this moment. “We want the names of all those behind my daughter’s end to surface. We want the highest punishment for all of them and not just for Sanjay Roy. So we are not seeking capital punishment for Sanjay Roy now. The rest will be explained by our counsel,” claimed the victim’s father

.He said this while speaking to the media persons after the hearing on the admissibility of two parallel petitions by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the West Bengal government seeking the death penalty for Sanjay Roy was concluded at a division bench of the Calcutta High Court.

The division bench of Justice Debangshu Basak and Justice Shabbar Rashidi has kept the judgement in the matter reserved for the time being and only after the judgement in the matter surfaces it will be clear whether both the petitions — one by CBI and the other by the West Bengal government — will be admitted, or any one of the two will be taken.

According to the counsel for the victim’s parents, Shamim Ahmed, the court will only decide on the petitions filed by CBI and the state government. He explained that the victim’s parents have been expressing dissatisfaction over the progress of the investigation in the matter by the CBI for a long time.

“Even a special court in Kolkata recently expressed dissatisfaction over the progress of the investigation. We are still maintaining that the names of the real brains behind the crime are yet to surface and hence we are not seeking the highest punishment for Sanjay Roy now,” he added.

Last week a special court in Kolkata sentenced Sanjay Roy to life imprisonment. However, both the CBI and the state government approached the Calcutta High Court challenging the special court order and seeking the death penalty for the sole convict.