Hyderabad, Feb 26: The rescue operation continued for the fourth day on Wednesday to find eight people trapped in the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel in Telangana’s Nagarkurnool district, with a last 40-metre stretch filled with mud and debris remaining an impediment for the rescue teams involved in the massive operation.

Rescue teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Army, Navy and other agencies have not been able to advance further due to the 7-9 metre high mud mound while the continuous seepage of water has made the entire operation risky for the rescue workers.

Officials said unless the mud and debris are removed they can’t reach the front portion of Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM), where the eight persons were believed to be trapped since February 22 when the roof of the tunnel collapsed.

Roping in experts from various agencies across the country and deployment of advanced equipment have not helped in what is believed to be the most difficult tunnel rescue operation in India.

Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and Roads and Buildings Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy on Wednesday held a meeting with officials of various agencies involved in the rescue operation to assess the situation and discuss a future course of action.

The ministers were informed that unless slush is removed and dewatering is done, rescue teams can’t make headway to reach the exact spot of the accident where the two engineers, two technical staff and four workers are trapped.

The accident occurred 14 km inside the tunnel. While the rescue teams had already reached 13.5 km, they could not advance further for the last two days due to mud, debris of TBM and seepage of water. The divers of the Navy’s special forces unit Marcos were unable to wade through the slush.

Rescue workers say more soil is falling from fresh cavities at the exact spot of the tunnel collapse, adding to mud. As the slush is more than 70 per cent, the Navy divers were unable to go through it.

With more than 100 hours after the accident, the chances of survival of the trapped men are stated to be remote.

The Border Road Organisation will also be joining the rescue operation on Wednesday.

The operation involves Army, Navy, SDRF, National Highway Infrastructure Development Corporation, Singareni Collieries Company Limited, L&T and HYDRAA.

Authorities have roped in experts from the Geological Survey of India (GSI), National Geographical Research Institute (NGRI), and the National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA) to assess the situation and suggest the way forward for rescue operations.

Disaster Management Special Chief Secretary Arvind Kumar continues to supervise the rescue operation with other top officials.

The TBM is believed to have broken into two after a portion of the tunnel roof collapsed on the morning of February 22.

The tail unit of the TBM was found 50 metres before the end of the 14 km-long-tunnel. The head portion of the tunnel has a safe container for workers to take shelter in an emergency situation. It was not known if the trapped men could enter the container when the roof collapsed and seepage of water became intensive.

Meanwhile, Jaypee Group founder Jaiprakash Gaur visited the tunnel on Wednesday and said they were making best efforts to rescue the trapped men. Jaypee is the contracting firm for the SLBC project.

Jaiprakash Gaur said after completing the rescue operation the company would resume the work to execute the project.

Chennai, Feb 26: Tamil superstar-turned-politician and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president Vijay on Wednesday launched the #GetOut signature campaign, aimed at condemning the ruling governments at both the state and central levels.

Speaking at the first anniversary celebrations of TVK, at Mahabalipuram, Vijay declared that the campaign was a direct response to what he called the anti-people policies of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)-led Tamil Nadu government and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led central government.

The campaign, using the hashtag #GetOut (BJP and DMK), calls for the removal of both governments, citing their “failure” to address the pressing concerns of the people of Tamil Nadu.

Vijay accused both parties of working together to obscure the real issues faced by the people.

He described their actions as a coordinated strategy to divert attention from the struggles of the common man.

Referring to what he called an alliance between the BJP and DMK, Vijay said, “One sings while the other dances in unison, symbolising their collusion in maintaining the status quo. This leaves the concerns of the common people unheard and unaddressed.”

One of the central grievances highlighted in the campaign is the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the controversial three-language policy.

Vijay criticised both policies, claiming they undermine Tamil Nadu’s unique cultural and linguistic identity.

“Let us resolve to #GetOut the central and state governments for imposing NEP 2020 and the three-language policy while ignoring the critical grievances of the people,” he declared, urging the public to hold both governments accountable.

The #GetOut campaign document accused both governments of suppressing dissent through fear, violence, and intimidation. It further criticised their “failure” to protect women’s welfare, address social injustices, and curb vote bank politics.

The TVK also took aim at the Stalin government, alleging that it prioritises publicity stunts over meaningful action. Additionally, the campaign highlighted concerns over, rising violence against ordinary citizens for political purposes, exploitation of labour, and reckless depletion of natural resources for the benefit of a select few.

Vijay urged the people of Tamil Nadu to join the movement. “We cannot afford to turn a blind eye to the suffering of the people,” he asserted.

Along with Vijay, TVK’s General Secretaries N Anand and Aadhav Arjuna signed the #GetOut signature campaign, marking a significant moment in the party’s political movement.

Kolkata, Feb 26: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is stressing heavily on circumstantial evidence to build up a strong case in the angle of tampering with and altering evidence in the R.G. Kar rape and murder tragedy, the supplementary charge sheet for which is expected to be filed at a special court in Kolkata soon.

The CBI counsel, on February 24, informed the special court that their investigation into the matter is underway and a supplementary charge sheet will be filed shortly. Incidentally, this special court had recently sentenced the sole convict in the crime of rape and murder and a civic volunteer Sanjay Roy to life imprisonment.

Sources aware of the development said that in the exercise of stressing the circumstantial evidence the most crucial tool in the hand of the investigating officials is the mobile SIM card of the erstwhile SHO of Tala Police station Abhijit Mondal.

That is why, a CBI insider said, the central agency counsel had on February 24 opposed the application from Mondal to get back his mobile SIM.

He also confirmed that the investigating officials secured several circumstantial evidence as regards attempts made to first pass on the rape and murder event as a case of suicide and thereafter to destroy evidence in the matter.

The findings based on such circumstantial evidence will be the basis of the supplementary charge sheet to be filed at a special court soon, the CBI insider said.

Circumstantial evidence is indirect evidence that supports a claim by making logical inferences and is often used in criminal and civil investigations.

At the same time, sources said, some elements in the status report of the investigation that the CBI had already submitted to the Supreme Court, will also be included in the proposed supplementary charge sheet.

In all probability, sources said, the CBI will file the charge sheet at the special court in Kolkata before the next hearing at the apex court scheduled on March 17 this year.

To recall, the CBI also arrested both Mondal and the former and controversial principal of R.G. Kar Sandip Ghosh on charges of tampering with and altering evidence.

But both were granted “default bail” by the special court as the CBI failed to file a supplementary charge sheet against them within 90 days from the date of their arrests.

Mondal is currently out on bail. However, Ghosh is still in judicial custody because of the pending and parallel investigation against him by CBI in the case of multi-crore financial irregularities at R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital.