BHANDARA: The news and preparation in the run up to chief minister Uddhav Thackeray’s visit on Sunday afternoon has the Gond tribal community of Bhojapur village in Bhandara district in awe and amusement.
The Behre family from the community had lost a newborn in the Bhandara district hospital fire on Saturday. The residents of the village, which is just 4km from the Bhandara hospital, are waiting outside their homes since early Sunday morning. The tribal are spectators to the heavy police deployment and drills in the narrow lanes leading to Vishwanath Behre’s two room small home. The community, mainly inhabited by petty labourers, is witnessing such national attention for the first time in life.
Officials and cops are standing guard preventing entry of anyone to meet or talk to the family. More cops have taken advantage positions atop pucca homes and in the neighbourhood. “Amid heightened threat perception the security has been beefed up for the CM visit. The grieving family also needs to been left alone for a while. They are not looking fearful because of cops inside their home but because of repeated media queries,” said a top cop.
TOI spoke to neighbours who also happen to be close relatives of the Behres. “We are receiving all support and help from the government,” said Vishwanath’s uncle Shubham.
Bharat Behre, another uncle, said he has never seen such police presence and media attention in his life at the village.
At the district general hospital, cops have restricted the entry of media and activists ahead of the CM’s visit.
Former Union minister and Rajya Sabha MP Praful Patel, who visited the burned ward at the hospital, said the fire fighting system like sprinklers and smoke detectors could have prevented the death of at least seven more babies who died not of burns but suffocation.
Patel also visited the new ward where the seven rescued babies were shifted after the fire. He sought fire audit and installation of latest systems in all government buildings.
He also said that his MP fund has already been exhausted but he would contribute personally if needed