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Wayanad Landslides: Rajasthan BJP leader Gyandev Ahuja on Saturday stoked a controversy with his remarks on the deadly Wayanad landslides, linking the tragedy which has left over 200 people dead, to cow slaughter and the consumption of beef in Kerala.
Presenting his bizarre take on the Wayanad tragedy, Ahuja, a former BJP MLA from Rajasthan, claimed there was a clear pattern linking cow slaughter to such incidents, which he said will continue to occur wherever cows are slaughtered.
“A clear pattern has been observed in areas (where cow slaughter takes place) since 2018, they have often faced such tragedies. Kerala will continue to face similar calamities if cow slaughter is not stopped,” the BJP leader claimed.
Meanwhile, the Wayanad district administration Saturday said at least 215 people have died in the July 30 tragedy, including 87 women and 30 children.
In a statement, the administration said 215 bodies have been recovered from the affected areas, four days after massive landslides devastated the north Kerala district, leaving behind a trail of death and destruction.
As per the statement, the 215 dead include 87 women and 30 children, adding that of the 215 bodies, 148 have been identified by relatives.
It further said that 143 body parts have also been recovered till date.
The administration also said that autopsies of 212 bodies and 140 body parts have been performed and 119 remains were handed over to next of kin.
Besides these, 504 people were admitted to hospitals and of them 82 are undergoing treatment, the statement said.
According to the district administration, around 218 people are missing.
However, Kerala ADGP M R Ajith Kumar had on Friday said that approximately 300 people are still missing.
Search operations started early Saturday with more than 1,300 rescuers, heavy machinery and sophisticated equipment being deployed to look for survivors from the ravages of the landslides.
However, huge boulders and logs brought by landslides and deposited in the residential areas of Mundakkai and Chooralmala are posing a significant challenge to rescue efforts to locate people believed to be trapped beneath the rubble.
(With inputs from agencies)
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