Opposition parties lash out at Shinde-Fadnavis government on heat stroke deaths

The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi and other parties has questioned the logic of the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government to hold the Maharashtra Bhushan awards ceremony under scorching Sun around noon as the toll increased to 12 on Monday.

The Maharashtra Bhushan award was conferred to the well known social worker, Dattatreya Narayan Dharmadhikari, popularly known as Appasaheb Dharmadhikari, on Sunday, at the Corporate Park in Kharghar in the satellite township of Navi Mumbai.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah presided over the event.

Also Read | Maharashtra sunstroke tragedy: Amit Shah condoles death of attendees at award event

Post the incident, the Konkan Divisional Commissioner would be submitting a report to the Cultural Affairs Department, which has organised the event.

Meanwhile, Dharmadhikari has said that the incident was unfortunate and asked people not to politicise.

After visiting the MGM Hospital at Navi Mumbai, Shinde has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased and free medical treatment to those taken to hospitals.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh and Rs 50,000 to those taken ill from the PM Relief Fund.

Shiv Sena (UBT) head and former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray wanted to know what went wrong. “The event was not planned properly….the Home Minister had some engagements in the evening and hence it was held in morning…who will investigate this incident?,” said Thackeray, who rushed to the hospital with Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar after he landed in Mumbai from Nagpur. “This is an issue of gross negligence….after discussing with the victims, it appears that there was a stampede as people wanted to rush out after the event," Pawar said.

AAP national executive member Preeti Sharma Menon called for the resignation of Shinde.

“The Chief Minister has no moral right to tell us what to do - he should take responsibility and resign. The organisers should be booked for culpable homicide,” she said. “A government that converted an award ceremony into a political rally and says we must not politicise the tragedy,” she pointed out.

Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut said that while there was shed for the VVIPs, people were made to sit for hours in the scorching sun.

However, State Excise Minister Shambhuraj Desai said that the Chief Minister’s wife and son too sat with the general public.

Raigad’s Guardian Minister Uday Samant said that all the necessary arrangements were in place like facilities for drinking water, ambulances, primary medical facilities and so on. “We were expecting 20 to 22 lakh people and made arrangements accordingly,” he said.

He however, admitted that there was a sudden rise in temperature and humidity.