PANAJI
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday afternoon abruptly curtailed his two-day visit to Goa and rushed back to New Delhi following the collapse of a multi-storey building in the national capital.
Shah was attending the inauguration of the Bharatiya Janata Party's newly constructed State headquarters at Chimbel when news of the tragedy reached him.
The inaugural programme, which was underway at the sprawling BJP office complex, was immediately shortened. Shah cancelled his remaining engagements in Goa and left for Delhi to monitor the situation and oversee the response to the incident.
The incident cast a shadow over what was otherwise a significant political event for the BJP in Goa. Shah had arrived in the State on Sunday specifically to inaugurate the new headquarters and review organisational and governance-related matters with State leaders.
Senior BJP leaders present at the Chimbel programme, including Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, Union minister Shripad Naik, BJP State president Damodar Naik, cabinet minister and party functionaries, meanwhile continued with the remaining formalities after Shah's departure.
Shah's Goa visit had included a series of meetings and public engagements, several of which were cancelled following his early departure.
