Kolkata, Oct 14: Two parallel petitions have been filed at Calcutta High Court on Tuesday in the gang-rape case of a tribal medical student in Durgapur of West Bengal’s West Burdwan district.

On one hand, the West Bengal unit of the BJP has filed a petition to carry out its protest demonstration near the private medical college till October 19. On the other hand, the authorities of the said private medical college have approached the Calcutta High Court seeking the removal of gatherings of people in front of the college premises, considering that the examinations are being conducted there.

Both the petitions have been filed at the single-judge bench of Justice Shampa Dutt (Paul). The matter is likely to come up for hearing in the second half in the later part of the day.

Altogether five people have been arrested in connection with the gang-rape of the Dalit medical student. The confidential statement of the victim is scheduled to be recorded in front of a judicial magistrate later in the day.

The victim’s parents have already claimed they will take their daughter back to Odisha soon after her confidential statements are recorded.

On Monday, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi spoke to the victim girl, who is still admitted at the hospital. Even the victim expressed a desire to go back to her native state and continue with her medical studies there.

The Odisha Chief Minister had already claimed that his government will take all the steps to ensure the culprits in the case are given due punishment.

Recently, the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee attracted criticisms after she advised women not to go outside at night amid the Durgapur incident. The Chief Minister also created controversy, claiming that the woman stepped out of the college premises at 12.30 a.m.

Her statement was contradicted by the college authorities claiming that they left the premises at around 8 p.m. on October 10 after signing the register and taking permission.

Chennai, Oct 14: Congress MP Karti Chidambaram on Tuesday demanded a comprehensive probe into the deaths of 22 children, allegedly caused by the consumption of a contaminated cough syrup manufactured in Tamil Nadu.

Describing the incident as “an unforgivable public health disaster”, he urged the government to fix accountability at every level and ensure that such negligence never recurs.

In a strongly worded statement, Karti said the government must trace the supply chain of the tainted drugs and identify where the lapses occurred.

“How did the medicine pass the quality test? Were proper quality checks conducted at all? Who certified the product as safe? Every one of these questions must be investigated in detail,” he said.

The Congress MP stressed that the deaths of over 20 children cannot be dismissed as mere statistics. His remarks came amid intensified investigations into Sresan Pharmaceuticals, the Tamil Nadu-based company that manufactured the Coldrif cough syrup linked to the tragedy.

On Monday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) carried out searches at seven locations across Chennai – including the residence of company owner S. Ranganathan and offices of senior Tamil Nadu Drug Control Department officials – as part of a money laundering probe under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The ED’s action follows the arrest of Ranganathan (75) by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) from Madhya Pradesh, with the assistance of Chennai Police, on October 9. He had been absconding since reports of the child deaths in Chhindwara district of Madhya Pradesh surfaced.

Subsequent raids on the company’s Kancheepuram manufacturing facility revealed over 300 safety and regulatory violations, including the use of non-pharmaceutical grade chemicals.

Laboratory analysis in Chennai confirmed that the syrup contained 48.6 per cent diethylene glycol (DEG), a highly-toxic industrial solvent known to cause kidney failure. Officials suspect cost-cutting measures led to the use of substandard ingredients, resulting in the fatal contamination.

Navi Mumbai: The Navi Mumbai Police’s Anti-Narcotics Cell seized 1.312 kg of ganja worth Rs 1.31 lakh during a raid at Tatanagar slum in CBD Belapur on October 11 evening. Four suspects managed to flee before the raid, while police have registered a case against five people and launched a manhunt.

Acting on a tip-off about illegal ganja sales in Sector 10’s Tatanagar area, the Anti-Narcotics Squad, led by Senior Police Inspector Sandeep Nigade and Assistant Police Inspector Nilesh Dhumal, carried out the operation. On spotting the police, the suspects — identified as Vishal Laxman Ghode, Kisan Laxman Ghode, and Dwarka Ghode — escaped taking advantage of the darkness.

A search of their premises led to the recovery of 1.312 kg of greenish flower and fruit material identified as ganja. The contraband, valued at Rs 1.31 lakh, was seized on the spot. Police investigations further revealed that two women, Dipali Vishal Ghode and Abida Shaikh, had allegedly assisted the accused in the illegal trade.

“All those involved in the sale and distribution of narcotics will be tracked down and dealt with strictly under the law,” said Senior Police Inspector Sandeep Nigade of the Anti-Narcotics Cell.

A case has been registered under Sections 8(c), 20(b)(2)(B), and 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, along with Section 111 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, at the CBD Police Station. The Anti-Narcotics Cell has intensified efforts to locate the absconding accused.