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
January 6,2020

New Delhi, Jan 6: A blind student who is pursuing research in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) was also attacked by the mob that perpetrated violence in the University yesterday.

"I thought that the mob which came yesterday would disperse after raising a few slogans but they indulged in violence. They were targeting ABVP students. They beat me with sticks and rods. When I went to the AIIMS Trauma Centre, I came to know that there are many other injured students there," Surya Prakash, the blind student pursuing research in the University told ANI.

"I talked to my family members. They are really worried about the situation here. I qualified in the National Eligibility Test (NET) last year but I want to study and hence I am continuing research in JNU. How can we do anything in this atmosphere of fear? I am receiving calls from anonymous numbers threatening me not to come in front of the media. They are saying that as I am blind, I would become the face of this case," he added.

Another PhD student, Santosh Bhagat recounted his experience.

"In the evening at around 7 pm, many masked men entered the hostel. They had rods and sticks in their hands. We tried to go out but the attackers had entered the premises by then. I locked my room from inside but the attackers broke the door and entered my room and attacked me. They pushed me from the first floor and I fell down and sustained an injury. Later, I took shelter at one of the Professor's flat. Later, I was taken to the AIIMS Trauma Cantre," Bhagat said.

On Sunday evening, more than 30 students of the university, including JNUSU President Aishe Ghosh, were injured and were taken to the AIIMS Trauma Centre after a masked mob entered the JNU and attacked them and professors with sticks and rods.

The JNU administration and political leaders, cutting across political lines, condemned the attack on students and urged the police to take action against the perpetrators.

Meanwhile, the situation remained tense but peaceful outside JNU on Monday morning as the university guards maintained a strict vigil at the gate, checking I-cards of all those entering the university.

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News Network
February 10,2020

New Delhi, Feb 10: A 44-year-old man allegedly killed his daughter and son before ending his life by jumping in front of a Delhi metro train at Haiderpur Badli Mor station on Sunday, police said.

No suicide note has been recovered, but police claimed that the man, Madhur Malani, was depressed since his sandpaper-manufacturing factory was closed some six months ago due to financial crunch leaving him jobless. Madhur's parents had been supporting his family financially since then.

He used to stay with his wife Rupali, daughter Samiksha (14) and six-year-old son Shraiyans at a rented house in northwest Delhi's Shalimar Bagh area, they said.

Rupali was not at home when Madhur strangled their children. He might have also smothered their daughter but the exact cause of death would be ascertained only after the post-mortem reports arrive, a police official said.

After killing his two children, he jumped in front of an approaching train at Haiderpur Badli Mor Metro station following which he was rushed to a hospital where doctors declared him 'brought dead', the official said.

Metro services on the Yellow Line were briefly delayed due to the incident.

"Delay in services from Samaypur Badli to GTB Nagar due to a passenger on track at Haiderpur Badli Mor," the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) tweeted.

After about 15 minutes, it again tweeted that normal services have been restored. The Delhi Metro's Yellow Line connects Samaypur Badli in Delhi to HUDA City Centre in Gurgaon.

The suicide was reported to the police around 5.40 pm while the Shalimar Bagh Police station received a call about the killings around 6.50 pm.

On reaching the house, police found bodies of the children lying in beds in two rooms. During enquiry, it was learnt that their father has left the house, a senior police officer said.

While police were trying to trace Madhur, they learnt about a suicide at the metro station. On verifying the details, it surfaced that Madhur committed suicide after killing his children, the officer said.

Rupali told police that she had gone to a nearby market around 3 pm and on returning home she found the bodies of her children while her husband was missing.

A case under relevant sections of the IPC has been registered and investigation was underway, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northwest) Vijayanta Arya said.

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Agencies
May 27,2020

Mumbai, May 27: "Crime Patrol" actress Preksha Mehta has committed suicide. She was 25.

Preksha took her life by hanging from a ceiling fan on Monday night at her residence in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, reports timesofindia.com.

The actress reportedly left a suicide note but it does not mention why she decided to end her life. As per reports, Preksha went into depression due to lack of work amid the lockdown.

Her last few social media posts hint at mental agony she was going through. In her last Instagram story, Preksha wrote: "Sabse bura hota hai sapno ka mar jaana" (the worst thing is the death of your dreams)."

Apart from "Crime Patrol", Preksha has appeared in TV soaps like "Meri Durga" and "Laal Ishq".

This is the second suicide by a TV actor during the ongoing lockdown, when all shooting activity has come to a halt for two months now. A few days ago, actor Manmeet Grewal took his life by hanging from the ceiling fan at his Mumbai home. Reportedly, the actor was in a financial crisis and had run into huge debts.

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