Karnataka Landslide: Rescue Operation Escalates Amidst Political Fracas

The Army on Monday assisted the local authorities in rescue efforts amidst a political slugfest between the opposition and the ruling Congress over how to handle the landslide disaster on the Shirur highway in the Uttara Kannada state of Karnataka.

The official death toll, according to the district officials, is 10. Authorities have found Seven bodies, and a search is underway to find the remaining three.

In the meantime, the Army has dispatched a group of forty soldiers to work with the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to recover the bodies buried beneath the big landslide’s rubble.

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Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar has come under fire from Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel, H.D. Kumaraswamy, for remarks he made about his visit to the site of the landslide.

Taking to X, Union Minister Kumaraswamy said on Monday, “When I visited Shirur village in Uttara Kannada district, where seven people died due to a landslide, on Saturday, the Deputy Chief Minister of the state, D.K. Shivakumar, had made a mockery of the situation. He lightly commented that the military should have been called in and questioned what one person alone could do.”

“In his eagerness to speak lightly about me, the honorable Deputy Chief Minister also insulted our proud army. This is an unfortunate incident,” Kumaraswamy said.

He further stated, “I did not say that the district administration is not carrying out rescue operations. I did not criticize the government either. Nevertheless, over 40 brave soldiers of our proud military have rushed to the rescue operations, speeding up the efforts, moved by the tears of the bereaved families. Does the Deputy Chief Minister have any objections to this? He should answer to this.”

“We are in a federal system. Saying ‘I’ is arrogance; saying ‘we’ is culture. If a person who holds the position of Deputy Chief Minister does not understand such a simple principle of harmony, then there is no greater folly than this,” he charged.

During his visit to the site, CM Siddaramaiah announced that Karnataka would write to the Center about the national highway. CM Siddaramaiah faced criticism from the BJP for going to the location six days after the tragedy. BJP hit out at him for accusing the Center of covering up the shortcomings of his government.