Incense factory goes up in smoke

December 14, 2011

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Bangalore, December 14: Little did those who moved into the new building on 12th cross in Kadirenahalli, South Bangalore know they were bang next to a ticking bomb. On Tuesday morning, when fire destroyed chemicals and other raw material used to manufacture incense sticks at Balaji Agarbathi Pvt Ltd, residents realized the folly of having a factory in a residential area.

It took 11 hours and 19 fire tenders making multiple trips to bring the fire under control. Fortunately, there were no casualties, but the three-storey factory was completely gutted and the loss is yet to be calculated. Fire service officers said the building neither had fire-fighting equipment nor a No-Objection Certificate from the department.

A group of cooks who came to cater for a function in a house opposite the factory sounded the first alarm at 4.30am. One of them saw fumes coming out of the ground floor but before they could figure out what was going on, the fire engulfed the building.

Four vehicles from the Banashankari fire station sped to the spot. However, they realized that four fire tenders wouldn't be enough to douse the fire. Additional equipment and personnel were summoned and by 7am, 19 fire tenders were on the job. The fire tenders had to make multiple trips to Jayanagar to get water as the building didn't have enough saved for an emergency.

Neighbours told mediapersons they had complained many times about the factory. "There was a stink of chemicals from the factory and we were having health problems due to it. This fire is our worst fears come true," said V Muniraju, owner of the building opposite the factory.

Around 60 people work in the factory. "We left the factory last night around 8.30pm. This morning, I was told by a colleague that our factory was on fire," said a worker. Next to the factory is a hostel which has about 20 working women, and opposite it as well behind it are two three-storyed building with people staying there. The building to the right is just a metre away and its doors open towards the burning building. Fortunately, that building was not occupied.

Firefighter removed at least 20 drums of inflammable chemicals from the burning building. They said the primary chemical found was diethyl phthalate, which on burning produces toxic gases. Also, they found other colouring agents and raw material for making incense sticks.

The reason for the fire is not known, according to people in the area there was welding work going on the morning that might have led to the fir. However, the preliminary investigation points towards a short circuit. DCP Sonia Narang told TOI that the building owner did not have satisfactory answers to police questions about the fire safety audit. Police said a case of negligence has been filed against the factory owners Balaji and Bhaskar. The owners refused to comment on the incident.

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Agencies
March 22,2020

Thane, Mar 22: Eight men were arrested at Kalyan in the district on Sunday as they were found playing cricket during the 'Janata curfew' being observed to check the spread of coronavirus, police said.

They were playing cricket at Kala Talao Maidan in the afternoon, police said.

Police also detained a boy in this connection, an official said.

"Action was taken against them for defying the prohibitory orders issued by the Thane Police Commissionerate.

They also went against the 'Janata curfew' being observed to curb the spread of coronavirus," the police official said.

The Mahatma Phule Chowk Police Station registered an offence against the accused under IPC sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life), 290 (public nuisance).

They were also booked under the Maharashtra Police Act as well as the National Disaster Act 2005, the official said.

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News Network
March 18,2020

Jaipur, Mar 18: Initially buried as per Islamic traditions, an unidentified man's body was exhumed and later cremated after he was found to be a Hindu in Rajasthan's Tonk district, police said.

The family members identified the body of Mahaveer Sahu on Tuesday, a day after the burial, as they stumbled upon photos of the deceased that had circulated on social media.

The man was brought to a government hospital by locals in an unconscious state on March 12 and he died on March 13, according to Purani Tonk police station SHO Shivlal.

The man was said to be a liquor addict and was found unconscious on the road, he added.

The body was kept at the mortuary for three days awaiting identification. Despite efforts to trace the next of kin, the identity could not be ascertained and members of Hindu and Muslim communities were brought in to take a decision, Shivlal said.

The community leaders presumed that he was a Muslim after examining the body and the burial took place as per Islamic funeral traditions on Monday, he added.

Meanwhile, Sahu's family members saw the photo of his body that had circulated on a WhatsAapp group and identified him later that day. They rushed to the hospital and then to the police station in the night where they were informed that the body had been buried.

“The body was exhumed with permission from the sub-divisional magistrate on Tuesday and handed over to the family members after proper identification. Members of the Muslim community led by an Imam were also present and gave in writing that they have no objection,” Shivlal said.

The body was later cremated by his family members.

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News Network
April 24,2020

Thane, Apr 24: A 34-year-old man was allegedly attacked on suspicion of being a COVID-19 patient and died after falling into a gutter during the assault in Kalyan town of Maharashtra's Thane district, police said on Friday.

The incident took place on Wednesday morning, when Ganesh Gupta had stepped out of his home to purchase some essentials amid the COVID-19 lockdown, an official said.

On noticing some policemen manning the street, the victim took an alternate route, where a few passersby assaulted him after he coughed while walking, he said.

The men suspected him of being a COVID-19 patient and attacked him, causing him to fall into a gutter and die, the official said.

The deceased's body was sent for post-mortem and a case of accidental death has been registered as of now, the station house officer of the Khadakpada police station said.

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