Goa BJP office inauguration cut short after Delhi building collapse
BJP's new Goa HQ was inaugurated by Amit Shah on Sunday, but the ceremony was curtailed after a deadly building collapse in Delhi.
The formal inauguration of the BJP's new state headquarters in Goa was abruptly curtailed on Sunday afternoon following a building collapse in the national capital. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who is on a three-day visit to the coastal state, had just opened the new party office in Chimbel village near Panaji when news of the Delhi tragedy reached the venue.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant announced the decision to truncate the event, stating that it would be inappropriate to continue the celebrations given the loss of life in New Delhi. Mr. Shah subsequently left the venue, but conveyed his best wishes to party workers for the new office.
The incident that prompted the curtailment occurred in south Delhi's Satya Niketan area, where a five-storey building housing a boys' paying guest accommodation collapsed, leaving at least one person dead and several others feared trapped. Rescue operations were underway at the site.
Several senior leaders, including BJP Goa president Damodar Naik, Union minister Shripad Naik, and Rajya Sabha MP Sadanand Shet Tanavade, were present for the programme in Goa. Speaking to reporters, Mr. Sawant confirmed that efforts were ongoing to rescue those trapped under the debris in Delhi.