Onlookers watching a man trying to commit suicide fall into river as bridge collapses in Goa; 2 dead

May 19, 2017

Panaji, May 19: A foot bridge connecting Sanvordem and Curchorem villages in South Goa district of Goa collapsed on Thursday, killing two people and injuring several others.

savordem

The exact number of persons missing was still not known.

The tragedy took place after a crowd had assembled on the several decade-old dilapidated bridge to watch an operation to rescue a youth who allegedly jumped into the river to commit suicide.

Search operations resumed this morning for at least two persons feared to have drowned.

The Portuguese-era bridge across the river Sanvordem, a tributary of river Zuari, was closed for traffic for the last four years.

While fire and emergency services personnel were busy rescuing the youth, some 50 people were watching their efforts from the bridge when it gave way and they fell into the water.

The police said around 20 of them swam to safety. Another 14 people were rescued and taken to nearby hospitals.

"The rescue operation began at 7.30 am today and efforts are on to check whether there are any more bodies in the water," Superintendent of Police (South) Shekhar Prabhudesai said.

"The search operation was called off around midnight yesterday due to poor visibility. The divers from Indian Navy and a private agency, which mans Goa's beaches, have been pressed into service to search for the bodies," the SP said.

A spokesman for the Indian Navy today said the collapsed part of the bridge was removed last night. "Diving was stopped at around 3.30 am on the request of the collector. The diving operation has resumed this morning."

He said since crocodiles are known to be present in the river water, precautions are being taken for the safety of the divers.

"As per local inputs, there may be two more persons missing. A helicopter sortie is being undertaken along the river for aerial search," he said.

Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Thursday told reporters that all concerned agencies have been pressed into action.

Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said he spoke to Parrikar following the bridge collapse reports.

Public Works Department minister Sudin Dhavalikar, who had rushed to the site, said the bridge was closed for use for the last four years.

"People who were keen on witnessing the rescue operation for a youth who had jumped into the river to commit suicide removed the barricades on the bridge," he said.

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Agencies
July 2,2020

Tuticorin, Jul 2: The Crime Branch-Crime Investigation Department (CBCID) of Tamil Nadu police have arrested five policemen working in Sathankulam police station in Tuticorin district for the murder of P. Jeyaraj and his son J. Bennicks, officials said.

The CBCID also altered the first information report (FIR) registered on the death of Jeyaraj and Bennicks as a murder case from the earlier charge of suspicious death.

The five arrested policemen are: Inspector Sridhar, Sub-Inspectors Balakrishnan and Raghu Ganesh, Head Constable Murugan and Constable Muthuraj.

Ganesh was remanded to custody till July 16 on late Wednesday.

According to Inspector General CBCID Shankar, 12 teams have been formed to carry out the probe into the custodial death of father and son Jeyaraj and Bennicks.

Jeyaraj and Bennicks had been booked for not closing their mobile shop in time on June 19 by the Sathankulam police. They were sent to judicial custody and lodged in Kovilpatti jail on June 21.

Jeyaraj died on June 22 night and Bennicks on June 23 morning in judicial custody, allegedly due to the police torture.

The Madras High Court Bench in Madurai which took up the case suo moto had said there was prima facie evidence to register a murder case against the Sathankulam police officials.

The Kovilpatti Judicial Magistrate M.S. Bharathidasan who was asked to inquire into the case of brutal torture of AJeyaraj and his son Bennicks by the Sathankulam police on June 19 and their subsequent deaths had submitted is report to the High Court.

A woman police constable Revathy, at the Sathankulam police station, in her deposition before Bharathidasan had said that Jeyaraj and Bennicks were beaten with batons throughout the June 19 night.

According to Bharathidasan's report, Revathy also said the victims' blood stains were on the batons of the station police officials and on tables.

She said the batons and the tables should be secured so that the evidence is not lost, the report stated.

Expressing fear that she may be targeted later, Revathy was initially reluctant to sign a printout of her statement but later on being assured of her safety she signed the document.

The court also transferred the probe into the deaths of Jeyaraj and Bennicks to the Crime Branch Crime Investigation Department (CBCID) to gather and protect the evidence till the case is handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The High Court has initiated criminal contempt cases against three police officials - Additional Superintendent of Police Kumar, Deputy Superintendent of Police Prathapan and constable Maharajan - for their behaviour at the Sathankulam police station in front of Magistrate Bharathidasan.

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Agencies
March 26,2020

Puducherry,Mar 26: Congress legislator from Kamaraj Nagar constituency John Kumar has been booked on charges of violating lock-down rules, Lt Governor Kiran Bedi said on Thursday.

In a Whats app posting she further said that an FIR has been registered under the Disaster management Act.

She stated John Kumar in an irresponsible manner allowed more than 200 people to gather outside his house and distributed doles personally when lock down was enforced in the country.

A criminal case has been registered against him for blatant violation of law despite mass information and media messages.Instead of following the law, he chose to violate it,she further stated.

The LG added that as per the ground report by IGP Surendra Yadav, there was perceptible improvement in enforcement of lock down and public were aware and cooperative.Vehicles carrying essential supplies and personnel were moving and every day is an improvement.

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News Network
January 3,2020

Unnao, Jan 3: The Uttar Pradesh Police has submitted a charge sheet in a court here in connection with the death of a 23-year-old Unnao rape victim, who was allegedly set ablaze by five men.

Additional Superintendent of Police Vinod Kumar Pandey, who is heading a Special Investigation Team in the case, said the charge sheet was submitted on Wednesday.

"There is ample proof against the five accused persons, and the charge sheet was prepared based on those evidences," he said on Thursday.

The 23-year-old Unnao rape victim, who was airlifted to Delhi and admitted to Safdarjung Hospital with 90 per cent burns after being set on fire, died following a cardiac arrest on December 6, 2019.

The woman was set afire by five men, including two of her alleged rapists, on December 5 morning when she was going to Rae Bareli to attend a court hearing in the rape case filed by her.

In her statement to Sub Divisional Magistrate Dayashankar Pathak, the woman had said she was attacked when she reached Gaura turn near her home on her way to the court.

She had specifically named Harishankar Trivedi, Ram Kishore Trivedi, Umesh Bajpai, Shivam Trivedi and Shubham Trivedi as the persons who set her on fire.

The woman had also alleged that Shivam and Shubham Trivedi had abducted and raped her in December 2018.

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