FIR lodged in bee attack on Maya
Experts’ help sought in investigation
Tasked with finding out how a swarm of bees reached the dais where Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati was making her speech at a party rally here on Monday, the police on Thursday said there were about 1 lakh to 1.5 lakh bees over the rally ground.
The police, however, could not say how they arrived at the figure. A senior police official praised Mayawati for remaining calm even when the bees were hovering around her. There would have been a stampede had she lost her cool, he added.
Meanwhile, an FIR has been lodged in connection with the incident against two unidentified persons. The police on Thursday visited the nearby B R Ambedkar University premises from where the bees had reportedly come.
Deputy Inspector General of Police Rajiv Krishna, who is probing the incident, said prima facie it had been revealed that the bees swarmed the Ramabai Ambedkar rally ground during Mayawati’s address after being disturbed by smoke.
“Initially, a case under Section 435 (lighting fire to cause damage) and 285 (causing disturbance in any public place) has been lodged at Ashiyana police station,” Krishna said.The administration has decided to seek the help of experts in the investigataion.
Garland row
The currency garland controversy involving BSP supremo Mayawati on Thursday claimed its second victim, when the UP chief minister gave marching orders to her key aide and additional cabinet secretary V S Pandey for what the sources said “poor media management”.
Although no official reason was given for Pandey’s sudden removal, sources close to the chief minister’s secretariat said Mayawati was “very upset” at the “negative publicity” arising out of the garland controversy.
Sources said Pandey, who also was principal secretary, information, was held responsible for “not being able to manage the press properly” as a result of which the party got a negative publicity.
