Fire breaks out in Alappuzha Express coach

safia@coastaldigest.com (The Hindu)
June 28, 2012
TRAINFIRE
Erode, June 28: A major fire broke out in the luggage-cum-second class coach of the Chennai-Alappuzha Express at Perundurai in Erode district on Thursday early morning, destroying a part of the coach. No passengers were injured in the accident.

The Station Master at the Thottipalayam railway station noticed smoke billowing from the luggage area at the rear of the train when it passed through the station around 4 a.m. He immediately alerted the guard D. Thomas. Engine drivers were asked to stop the train at the Perundurai railway station. Meantime, railway officials alerted fire and rescue services personnel.

By the time the train reached the station, the entire luggage area of the coach was engulfed in flames. Mr. Thomas along with Assistant Sub-Inspector of Railway Protection Force K. Kasilingam helped the passengers at the differently-abled and the ladies compartments to get out of the coach immediately.


The differently-abled section in the coach had only two passengers — Mimoon, a resident of Chennai, and her son J. Maseeb Ali. “We noticed the smoke coming from the luggage area and then flames spreading fast. By the time the train came to a halt, the entire luggage area in the rear of the coach was on fire,” Ms. Mimoon said.


Meanwhile, Mr. Thomas along with the personnel in the station isolated the coach from the train. “We also tried to put out the flames using the fire extinguishers at the guard's room. But we could not control it,” said Mr. Thomas.


Before fire fighters from Perundurai fire station arrived at the spot, flames spread to the differently abled compartment. Five fire engines from Perundurai, Erode, Bhavani and Modakurichi were pressed into service. The fire fighters managed to put out the flames after struggling for about an hour. Most of the goods kept at the luggage area at the rear of the coach were destroyed in the fire.


Salem Divisional Railway Manager Sujatha Jayaraj said that the cause of the fire was not yet known. “We have launched a detailed probe into the incident,” she said.


Several trains in the Salem-Coimbatore section were delayed for more than two hours due to the accident.

The railway officials replaced the burnt coach with another one and the train resumed after a delay of four hours.

Superintendent of Police R. Ponni and senior police officials inspected the spot.

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News Network
March 12,2020

Mar 12: Three women were arrested for allegedly administrating fake coronavirus vaccines to villagers in Maharashtra's Jalna district, police said on Thursday.

The police on Wednesday arrested Beed residents Radha Ramnath Saamse, Seema Krishna Andhale and Sangeeta Rajendra Avhad, who allegedly posed as doctors and healthcare workers, an official said.

The trio met villagers of Pipalgoan in Ambad tehsil, informed them about a vaccine that could protect them from coronavirus and administered it to gullible locals, he said.

Some villagers informed Dr Mahadev Munde, a medical officer at a rural health centre, about this, after which a complaint was lodged, the official said.

Fake vaccines and bottles, which were seized from the accused, have been sent to the state health department, he said, adding that a case of cheating has been registered against the trio.

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News Network
June 6,2020

Kota (Rajasthan), Jun 6: A 14-year-old boy allegedly hanged himself to death on early Saturday morning shortly after he stopped playing PUBG throughout the night and went to sleep, said police. 

Railway Colony police station’s in-charge Hansraj Meena said the boy, a class 9 student and son of an Army man, was found hanging from the grill of the ventilator in his bedroom on early Saturday morning. 

Meena said according to the boy’s family members, the boy had downloaded the gaming programme on his mother’s mobile phone only three days back but had been playing the game virtually continuously for the last three days. 

He kept on playing the game till 3 am in a room in which his brother was studying, said Meena, adding the boy went to adjoining to sleep after that. His body was found hanging from the ventilator’s grill in the morning, he said, adding the boy was rushed to MBS Hospital, where he was declared “brought dead”. 

No suicide note was recovered in the case, the SHO said. The boy lived in Gandhi Colony in the city along with his mother and brother, while his father, a Tamil Nadu native and Army man, is currently posted in Arunachal Pradesh. The boy’s body has been kept in hospital’s morgue for the postmortem, the SHO said.

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News Network
July 16,2020

Surat, Jul 16: Woman police constable Sunita Yadav, who had a confrontation with a minister's son over lockdown violation which led to his arrest here in Gujarat, claimed she has resigned from service. However, a senior police official has denied it.

Prakash Kanani, the son of Gujarat Minister of State for Health Kumar Kanani, and his two friends were arrested on Sunday for allegedly violating the lockdown and night curfew orders in Surat, a COVID-19 hotspot, a senior police official earlier said.

Yadav, who is being hailed on social media for taking action against the minister's son, told news channels on Wednesday that she had put in her papers.

"I have resigned because I did not receive support from my superior officers. I was only doing my duty as a constable. It's the fault of our system that these people (like the minister's son) think they are VVIPs (very very important persons)," she said.

However, a senior police official here denied that she has resigned.

"She has not given her resignation. The inquiry is still on and technically she cannot resign at this juncture," Surat Police Commissioner R B Brahmbhatt said.

Yadav's action had led to the registration of an FIR and arrest of Prakash Kanani and two of his friends for alleged violation of lockdown and curfew norms in Surat city.

The arrests came after a video of a heated exchange between them and Yadav, who pulled up the trio for violation of curfew, surfaced on social media. The trio was later released on bail.

Since the incident, Yadav is being hailed on social media.

While some social media users called her "Lady Singham" (referring to the tough cop in the Hindi film "Singham"), some suggested she contest the 2022 state Assembly polls against Kumar Kanani, who represents Varachha constituency in Surat district.

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