Sanjay Dutt's lawyer loses son, wife and mother in Mumbai house collapse

June 12, 2013

Mumbai, Jun 12: Faraaz Merchant, the 12-year-old son of noted criminal lawyer Rizwan Merchant, made several calls to his father's cellphone while still buried under the rubble of the six-storey Altaf Manzil building in Mahim that collapsed Monday evening.

The two, however, could not speak to each other. Soon after midnight, Faraaz stopped responding to calls, a family member told The Indian Express. At around 11 am Tuesday, his mangled body was recovered.

"My son was so cold. I held him in my arms, he stayed immobile," said Merchant, 54, known for having defended actor Sanjay Dutt in the 1993 Mumbai blasts case.

Merchant's wife Asifa and mother Tahera were among the nine others who died.

Two caged parrots which the family kept as pets were removed safely.

While a part of Altaf Manzil, the Merchant family's home for over three decades, was reduced to rubble, another part stood intact. Marble flooring, white paint and a dining space were visible from outside.

Barring Merchant, the rest of the family had just returned from a trip to Turkey on Monday morning. Merchant, his eldest son Faiz, also a lawyer, and daughter Fiza, were in his office in South Mumbai, when he received a call, a little after 8:30 pm, from neighbours informing him about the collapse.

"Merchant rushed home, and remained at the spot, hoping for a miracle. The family lived on the first floor, where the impact was the worst," said Farhana Shah, an associate lawyer.

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June 19,2020

Mumbai, Jun 19: Actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s memories will continue to be celebrated as Instagram has memorialised his account, adding “remembering” to his bio.

Rajput, 34, known for films like "Kai Po Che!", "MS Dhoni: The Untold Story", "Chhichhore", was found dead in his Bandra apartment on Sunday, sending shockwaves in the film industry and elsewhere.

Days after his untimely demise, Instagram added “remembering” to his account bio and memorialised it as a place to remember the actor’s life.

According to the photo-video sharing website, no one can log into a memorialised account. The posts the deceased person shared, including photos and videos, stay on their page and are visible to the users they were shared with.

Also, once the account is memorialised, no one will be able to make changes to any of the existing posts or information.

The actor’s last post on the social media platform was a tribute to his late mother on June 3.

Rajput’s death is being investigated by the Mumbai Police and so far statements of over 13 people, including actor’s family members and close friends, including actor Rhea Chakraborty and casting director Mukesh Chhabra, have been recorded.

The police have also sent a letter to Yash Raj Films seeking details of the contracts it had signed with him.

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April 25,2020

Mumbai, Apr 25: Actor Vidya Balan has decided to donate 1000 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits to the frontline healthcare staff across India.

In a video message posted on her Facebook page, the actor announced that she is also collaborating with celebrity shout-out platform Tring to raise money for additional 1000 PPE kits.

“In the war against COVID-19 our health care professionals are like our soldiers at the border fighting for our health and freedom. Just like we equip our soldiers for the battle we must do the same with our medical staff. There is a critical shortage of PPE for our senior doctors, residents, nurses and ward boys in their daily work.

“As a result, a lot of our hospitals are not functioning at full capacity. Join me in changing this now. I am donating 1000 PPE ktis to hospital and medical staff across the country. And I am pledging to raise money for another 1000,” she said.

According to a statement issued by the actor’s team, she has joined hands with Tring to provide additional 1000 PPE kits, in association with Manish Mundra of Drishyam Films and photographer-producer Atul Kasbekar.

For donations made through Tring, Vidya will be recognising the support of every donor by sending a personal thank you video message, and a chance for a two-minute video call with her.

Vidya said each PPE kit is worth Rs 650 (all-inclusive of delivery costs and applicable taxes) and it consists of one coverall laminated and waterproof, nitrile gloves, goggles, face shields, 3-ply surgical mask and shoe covers.

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January 14,2020

Indore, Jan 14: Yoga guru Ramdev has said that Deepika Padukone should hire persons like him for offering correct advice, days after the actress had visited Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi following the violence at the campus earlier this month.

"Deepika Padukone needs to study about political, social and cultural issues. She should understand more about our country. Only after gaining knowledge, she should take decisions. I feel she should have persons like Swami Ramdev for correct advice," Ramdev said at an event here on Monday.

On January 7, Padukone joined the protest at JNU after a masked mob entered the varsity campus and attacked the students and teachers with sticks and rods on January 5.

Several BJP leaders questioned the support extended by Padukone. On the other hand, the Congress threw their weight behind the actress for her stand.

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