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15 injured in IED attack at Indian restaurant in Canada (Second lead)
Mississauga (Canada), May 25 (IANS) Canadian police were using every resource to capture the two men responsible for a “horrendous” bomb attack on an Indian restaurant during birthday celebrations in this Toronto suburb that injured 15 people, regional police chief Jennifer Evans said on Friday.
While the investigation was in the early stages, there were no indications so far that the Thursday night attack at Bombay Bhel restaurant with an improvised explosive device (IED) was a terrorist or a hate crime, she said at a news conference near the restaurant.
“But we have not ruled out anything,” she added.
Two birthday celebrations were taking place at the restaurant at the time of the attack, but fortunately no child was hurt, she said.
Mississauga has a South Asian population of about 175,000 or nearly 20 per cent of its population.
Evans described one attacker as “light-skinned” in his mid-20s and the other as “fair-skinned” and said both had the hood of their jackets pulled over their heads, wore baseball caps and had dark cloth covering their faces.
“I want to assure everyone that every police resource is being used right now to locate the people responsible for this horrendous act,” she said.
Police across the Greater Toronto Area and the federal agency, the Canadian Royal Mounted Police, were looking for the attackers while an intelligence team was working behind the scene.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted that she was “in constant touch with our Consul General in Toronto and Indian High Commissioner in Canada”.
“Our missions will work round the clock,” she added.
Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie, who was also at the news conference, said she had spoken to Consul-General Dinesh Bhatia.
“This is a heinous crime that has been committed. People who have done this need to answer for their crime and they need to be brought to justice,” said Crombie.
The condition of three of the injured people, who were hospitalised at the Toronto Trauma Centre, was upgraded from critical to stable.
The other 12 injured, who ranged in age from 23 to 69, were taken to local hospitals and released after treatment.
She did not identify the victims, other than to say that of the three hospitalised one was a 35-year-old man from Brampton and the other two were two women from Mississauga, a 62-year-old and a 48-year-old woman.
Evans said no other bombs were found at the restaurant, which suffered extensive damage.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.